Chapter 56 Chapter 18: Zeng Guofan's Teaching Books

"Zeng Wenzheng Gong's Family Instructions" is a compilation of Zeng Guofan's teaching books in the late Qing Dynasty.This collection of tutoring letters was printed in several editions from the end of the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China and was widely circulated.In recent years, due to the attention paid to family education, this collection of letters has been sorted out and supplemented, and it has been republished as "Zeng Guofan's Teaching Children". Zeng Guofan (AD 1811-1872), formerly known as Zicheng, courtesy name Bohan, nickname Disheng, was born in Xiangxiang, Hunan.In modern history, he was the culprit who brutally suppressed the peasant uprising army of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and he was also the leading figure who vigorously launched the Westernization cause with Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang, so the image he gave to later generations was a very cruel and complicated feudal official.

In fact, Zeng Guofan was not born in the army, but a scholar from a scholarly family.He has been familiar with classics and history since he was a child, and has read a lot of books. After being promoted to an official position in the eighteenth year of Daoguang (1838 AD), he specialized in Cheng Zhu Neo Confucianism. He is a very knowledgeable scholar.In the third year of Xianfeng (1853 A.D.), he returned home because of Ding Mu's worries. At that time, the Taiping Army left Guangxi and went to Lianghu.Later, because of his meritorious service in suppressing the Taiping Army, he was awarded the first-class Marquis of Yiyong by the Qing Dynasty, and he was posthumously named "Wenzheng" after his death. The more than 100 family letters included in "Zeng Wenzheng Gong's Family Instructions" were written by him between the second year of Xianfeng (1852 AD) and the tenth year of Tongzhi (1871 AD).Because he has been in the military affairs of the local governor for the past 20 years, it is difficult for his family to follow the army.

Zeng Guofan's teaching books reflect his family education spirit and methods.Its spirit is mainly "love in its own way", which means that Aiko should use healthy education to shape his character and cultivate his talents.Its educational methods can be summarized as follows: (1) Encourage children and grandchildren to concentrate on studying and self-cultivation, and clarify the purpose of family education.Zeng Guofan said in his family letter: "Everyone expects their descendants to be high-ranking officials. I don't want to be a high-ranking official. I hope to be a gentleman who reads and understands." He also said: "When you grow up, you must not be involved in the military. This matter It is difficult to see merit, easy to commit crimes, and especially easy to tell the truth...Er Cao should only study intently, not join the army, and do not need to be an official." He believes that being rich and powerful is unreliable, reading can change temperament, cultivate temperament, and being an official is not comfortable. Excessive money is also the source of disasters that promote arrogance and extravagance, which leads to personal ruin. Therefore, he repeatedly exhorted his descendants to "don't think of being an official from generation to generation, but think of being a scholar from generation to generation."He thinks the real purpose of his family education is to be educated and educated, especially in troubled times.

(2) Refrain from extravagance, work hard and be cautious, eat and wear the same food and clothing as poor people, and strive to cultivate the character of diligence and humility in the children and grandchildren.He warned his son Jize: "Children of aristocratic families are most likely to commit extravagance and arrogance."Because "the badness of the children of the capital is not due to the word arrogance and extravagance." He said to his son Ji Hong: "The children of all families, in terms of clothing, food and daily life, are all the same as those who are poor, and they can become great things; if they are contaminated with wealth and honor It is difficult to hope for success.” He is familiar with classics and history, and he knows that the “commoner ministers” from the reckless family, although they come from poor families, but they have been honed in a difficult environment for a long time, have the perseverance to bear hardships and stand hard work, and a vigorous and enterprising spirit , Once you take on the great responsibility of the world, you will dare to act and be able to achieve great things.However, the children of rich and noble families are arrogant, extravagant, lazy, pampered and have no ambitions, so that most of them are reduced to vulgar people, useless in the world.Therefore, he warned his family members to "absolutely never accumulate money to buy land", and that the children and grandchildren "depend on their own struggle and anger".He not only requires this from men, but also teaches this from women.He said: "Every family who is not diligent or thrifty will show it to the family members. Yu Zaijia deeply cares about women's luxury." He told his children to "do everything based on the word of diligence and thrift", and his daughter chose a son-in-law in the countryside. It is better not to pursue "the right family", and the married daughter "do not love the wealth of the mother's family", but "submissive and respectful", respect in-laws, and at the same time "do not respect distant relatives and condescend to close neighbors".It is believed that "the lower the children, the easier it is to grow up, and the more spoiled the children of the rich, the harder it is to become a weapon."Couples regard their children as too delicate, caress them at night, claw at their skin and shake their roots, "the opposite of love is harm".

(3) Extensive learning and strict requirements.Pay attention to teaching by example in being a human being and learning. Don't blindly blame your children, but use your own personal experience to discuss with your children and actively induce them.In his letters home, Zeng Guofan put the greatest attention on tutoring his children in learning knowledge.He asked his children to study Confucian works extensively, be proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, and at the same time study astronomy, history, text exegesis, phonology, "Original Geometry", calligraphy and painting, etc.He asked his son to learn "Historical Records", "Hanshu", "Korean", "Wenxuan", "Tongdian", "Shuowen", "Sun Wuzi", "Fang Yu Minutes" in addition to studying the Thirteen Classics. ", "Ancient Classics Lei Yao" and "Eighteen Poems Collection" copied by himself are 11 kinds of books as required reading.In terms of family management knowledge, he asked his children to be familiar with "Cong Xun Zhai Yu" by Zhang Ying of the Qing Dynasty and "Ting Xun Maxim" by Kangxi, the sage of the Qing Dynasty, because "every sentence in these two books is what I want to say."He earnestly warned his children that he was ashamed to know nothing about astronomy and arithmetic in his life; Nothing is done, it is the three shame.In view of his own shortcomings, he warned his children to remember this lesson, study astronomy and calendar seriously, start well and finish well when doing things, and write neatly and quickly.Only in this way, there will be a promising day in the future, and the benefits will be endless.He not only explained why he should do this in principle, but also specifically instructed his son on how to learn, such as what to learn first, what to learn next, what attitude should be, and so on, as if the teacher was standing in front of the students and teaching them, Reminder.

Zeng Guofan was one of the three princes, worshiping his prime minister and enfeoffing him as a marquis. It should be said that he was a big bureaucrat with great feudal privileges.A hundred years later, if you read his godson's family letter, you have to say that he is a smart man.