Chapter 50 Preface to "Zeng Wenzheng Gong Jiayan Notebook" (1916)

Zeng Wenzheng is not only in modern times, but also adults who have never seen one or two in history; not only in our country, but also adults who have never seen one or two in the world.However, Wen Zheng did not have an extraordinary genius, and he was called the most blunt among all the sages of the time; what he encountered was a lifetime of rebellion.However, the virtues, meritorious deeds, and words, the three are immortal, and the achievements are astonishing in the past and the present, but those who are not in the capital will have the strength to aspire in their lives, extricate themselves from the vulgar, know when they are difficult, and practice with encouragement, and go through hundreds and thousands of hardships Obstacle without frustration; do not seek short-term effects, accumulate every inch of money, accept it with emptiness, use it with diligence, plant it with strength, be chaste with perseverance, be handsome with sincerity, be brave and diligent, and endure hardships.That's all, that's all!

Mencius said: "Everyone can be Yao and Shun." I dare not say whether Yao believes that everyone can learn it or not; if Zeng Wenzheng said that everyone can learn it, I dare to say it.Why?What Wenzheng receives from heaven is no different from human beings.And who doesn't want to go up?However, students should learn the customs of mourning, people's desires, and failures. With the force of thunder, they cover each other and press each other. Those who are not very strong will not be able to resist it.Xun Qing also said: "If a mediocre man is scattered, he will be robbed as a teacher and friend." However, strict teachers and friends are not something that can be obtained urgently in the last days, so the talkative ones are declining, which is even more ridiculous!One or two people with lofty ideals, they also only beg for spiritual books, get a single sentence and stick to it, so as to spur themselves, support themselves, and nourish themselves, which may still prevent degeneration and gradually progress to wisdom.The reason why the ancients got one good thing is to memorize it with fists and repeat it three times a day, and to recite it all their lives.The reason why the ancestors helped the world teach and correct people's hearts is that the Four Books and Six Classics are also covered.However, the meaning and rich words and conventions are often not readily understood by the late learners, and they are also learned by children, or they are thought to be clichés without elaboration.The sages in ancient times have benefited a lot from the words of guidance, but their righteousness tends to be restrained rather than developed.Madam lived dozens of colds and heats, and received the shade of her flock for her own survival, so how can she not think of retribution for her flock?If you report it, something must happen. It is clear that you can be acquitted if you escape from the void and keep quiet, so you have to connect with the outside world every day.And if you think about changing the world with your own beliefs, you will do it and spend your whole life fighting in this troubled world.How can he temper his body and mind in order to be self-reliant and invincible?How can we be able to respond to things as they should be, without any twists and turns?The greatest knowledge in the world is almost beyond this!If there is no formula but to cultivate it, which one can achieve it?

Zeng Wenzheng's death is only a few decades away, and the customs, trends and events in the country are not far from each other.And Wenzheng, with a clumsy posture, started from a poor family, suffered a lot of hardships, and Ding Xin was addicted to the extreme luck. He was born in the forest of setbacks and jealousy all his life. It is to change the atmosphere of the whole world and save a catastrophe for a while.What he said, every word is based on experience and is true to reality, so it is kind and flavorful, and those who are worthy of our current use cannot be captured by the words of Confucian ancestors after the Tang and Song Dynasties.Mencius said: "Whoever hears the wind of Boyi is a coward who has aspirations." He also said: "Those who have heard it for a hundred generations will rise up."It is compiled here, it is true that the people of the world are clothed with silk, bean and millet, and those who must not get rid of the body.