In order to seek fame, I have no time to study. Since the Southern Song Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism has occupied a dominant position in Hunan's academic field. At that time, there were two most famous academies in Changsha, one was Yuelu Academy and the other was Chengnan Academy. Since Jia and Dao, the mountain leaders of all ages have taught Neo-Confucianism. Zeng Guofan himself and his relatives and friends studied here. Famous Hunan scholars Ouyang Houjun and He Xiling are their teachers. In this environment, Zeng Guofan could not be unaffected by Neo-Confucianism. Just because Zeng Guofan was eager to seek fame and gain at that time, his eyes were completely limited to exam-oriented poetry and he had no time to study, so he failed to directly embark on the road of governing the country from here.
Zeng Guofan later embarked on the road of governing the country, mainly influenced by Tang Jian. Tang Jian, a native of Hunan, was born as an academician. Daoguang was known as the minister of Taichang Temple within twenty years and was known as the master of Neo-Confucianism. In order to find out the way to learn, Zeng Guofan went to the door for advice. Tang Jian told him that "Zhuzi politics should be regarded as a Sect" and said that "it is best to read this book, that is, to think it is a course". In order to highlight the guiding position and key role of Neo-Confucianism, Tang Jian particularly emphasized that "there are only three ways to learn, namely, righteousness, criticism and writing." The knowledge of assessment is rough and spermatorrhea, which is unpredictable; The study of the article, not good for righteousness, can not be achieved; It makes sense to study the economy. "He also said that" the economy is nothing more than looking at history. The ancients had traces to follow, and the laws were clear. The laws and regulations of the past dynasties are nothing more than this. " "Poetry and songs don't need to study hard, but it's not difficult to use yourself in the study of righteousness. "Zeng Guofan suddenly spoke after hearing this. In his letter to He Changling, he said: "The princes of the country have no roots and seek sound. As Mr Jinghai swims, he knows a little about the rules. "It can be seen that Tang Jian really played a guiding role in the study of Zeng Guofan's Neo-Confucianism.
Zeng Guofan's self-cultivation according to the mode of Neo-Confucianism was mainly influenced by Japanese benevolence. It turns out that Tang Jian also talked about "the importance of physical examination." Tang Jian said, "Recently, the predecessors of Vogenfeng in Henan Province are the most diligent. Every day, from morning till night, they have reading notes. Or if you have selfish desires in your heart, you can't find it. " I hope he will set an example and combine reading with self-cultivation, but Zeng Guofan didn't do it when he came back. Zeng Guofan asked Woren for advice on self-cultivation, and Woren told him that "learning Kung Fu is the most important thing". He also said that "the inner good and evil are connected with the chaotic control of the country." Finally, Yeren asked him to "write a class for one day". The so-called "Japanese benevolence" is just some signs in the development of ideas or things, and the so-called "research" is to seize these signs and study them carefully, so as to grasp their development trend, weigh their interests and solve them. The solution is through introspection and mutual discussion such as * * *, notes, etc., at the first "flash of thought", eliminate all distractions that are not in line with the Holy Way. Therefore, I can make my thoughts develop in the direction required by "sages", and connect academic, psychological and political skills. Through the growth of knowledge and the improvement of moral cultivation, I can gradually experience and learn the art of governing the country. This is a complete set of neo-Confucianism's theory of self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and leveling the world.
After the popularity of Neo-Confucianism spread throughout the capital, Zeng Guofan began to cultivate one's morality according to the requirements of the Japanese. After reading the complete works of Zhu every day, he * * * introspects, examines, writes about his experience and communicates with Wu Tingdong, Feng Zhuohuai, Chen and others. Zeng Guofan often sends his diary to the Japanese for reading. During this period, many Japanese eyebrows remained in their diaries, mostly words of criticism and encouragement. Zeng Guofan greatly improved his reputation through his contacts with Tang Jian and others. Many people visited him and learned from him, and the name of Neo-Confucianism spread all over Beijing. He is full of ambition and thinks he will become a great scholar soon. In his letter, he said to his brothers, "I was not very talented when I was young, but I knew nothing about the mediocre people in the future, and my knowledge was blocked for a long time." "If you are close to a good friend, you will know that there are so-called scholars, economists and so-called practitioners. Those who sincerely think about the filth of the past day and think that they are the filial sons of their parents and the pioneers of their brothers. " He also said: "the ambition of a gentleman is also a matter of people, and the amount of things is also the industry of being a sage inside and a king outside. Then, if you are not satisfied with your parents' life, you are worthy of perfection in heaven and earth. "Visible Tang Jian and others to zeng guofan's encouragement is very big, has a deep influence. His disciples later said that Zeng Guofan "resolutely and effectively learned the lessons of the past and made clear the ambition of the world" refers to this.