I remember that twenty years ago, people had a strong interest in Zeng Guofan. As a politician, countless people have made great achievements in history. Why does he receive special attention from modern people?
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China's traditional mainstream culture demands to be a king, "a saint inside and a king outside". "Inner Sage" refers to the cultivation of personality according to the standards of saints, which is a process of continuous pursuit of self-improvement of personality. When Zeng Guofan was an official in Beijing, he strictly followed Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism to cultivate his self-cultivation, that is, "inner sage." "Being a foreign king" means that a person's achievements outside the country should meet the requirements of kingly way, that is, to be benevolent, to be benevolent and to build Wang Ye. Zeng Guofan established his own Xiang Army, pacified the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Army, and brought fourteen years of chaotic society back to the feudal track, so that the people in Yu Sheng in the southeast lived a stable life again, which can be described as the "foreign king".
To sum up Zeng Guofan's success, there are roughly the following aspects:
First, cultivate one's self-cultivation and determination, reserve talents and raise expectations. After Zeng Guofan entered imperial academy, he did not stop at the victory of the imperial examination like others, but chose Zhu Cheng Neo-Confucianism as the theoretical basis of self-cultivation. He has done a lot of homework for himself, the most important of which is the words "sincerity, respect, calmness, prudence and constancy". He chose to keep a diary to urge himself to reflect every day, so as to gain a better mentality, which is also advocated by Confucianism. He kept his talents, and during his stay in imperial academy, he tried to read the works of our ancestors and practical books on governing the country. In addition, with the help of poems and memorials, we can cultivate our prestige, which lays the foundation for our great achievements in the future.
The second is to seize the opportunity and follow the trend. In the second year of Xianfeng, the Taiping Army marched into the south of the Yangtze River, and the southeast provinces fell into war. The court needs Minister Ying Yong. Zeng Guofan wrote to the imperial court and approved the establishment of a large corps of 65,438+10,000 people in Changsha, training every day and becoming a de facto army. Later, with the approval of the court, he went to Hengyang to expand his military strength, reaching 18000, and was changed from the mayor of the militia to the commander-in-chief of the regular army. Then, he led a great army all the way north, and soon shot down Wuhan, and became famous from then on.
Third, perseverance, repeated defeats and repeated wars. From Hengyang to Wuhan, and then to Nanjing, along the way, there was distrust of the imperial court, non-cooperation of friendly forces, and sarcasm from the military and political circles. Zeng Guofan endured it. He inspired himself with a dialect in rural Hunan: "Heroes bite their teeth and swallow blood." A general of Xiang Army wrote a report saying "repeated battles and repeated defeats", but he changed it to "repeated defeats and repeated battles", showing different will and mental outlook.
The fourth is low-key and restrained, modest and restrained. On Zeng Guofan's way from Wuhan to Nanjing, tens of thousands of warships on the river were flying handsome flags with the word "Zeng" written on them. Zeng Guofan knew the negative effects. So, he made Manchu the nominal commander-in-chief of the Xiang army, and made the court think that this army belonged to the court, thus dispelling the distrust. After defeating the Xiang army, he won many battles, and attributed the credit to the first emperor, the queen mother and the court, and to the friendly forces. He laid off 90% of the Xiang army, eliminating the concerns of the imperial court. Everything is urgent, first take Jiangnan Hiram's Hospital and start a course. Nanjing City was led by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom for more than ten years, and the official imperial examination was suspended for more than ten years, so everyone praised Zeng Guofan for his clarity. In this way, even if Gao Zhen took the lead, he saved the peace.
Fifth, love talents, cherish talents, and recruit talents. Zeng Guofan started as a Xiang Army at an early age and built the largest talent shogunate in the history of China. He was once called "the second court". Zuo offended court officials because of his self-esteem and was almost killed by the court. Zeng Guofan resolutely protected him from being killed. Zeng Guofan intends to cultivate and reuse Li Hongzhang as his successor in his later years. In the 30 years after his death, Li Hongzhang held the military and diplomatic power in China, and his reputation as a famous teacher continued to develop.
What distinguishes Zeng Guofan from other politicians in history is that he attaches great importance to perfecting his personality cultivation in the process of establishing his political achievements. The mainstream culture in China has an evaluation system for the most successful people, that is, "building morality, making contributions and making statements". In modern times, Zeng Guofan was widely praised for paying attention to self-cultivation; Because of the establishment of the Xiang Army, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Army were pacified and made great achievements. Therefore, in recent years, I have been diligent in writing, and the Complete Works of Zeng Guofan, which left 6.5438+million words, began to spread widely. Therefore, he was once regarded as an outstanding representative of literati in feudal society.
Comments on the Complete Works of Zeng Guofan 2 Every time I feel depressed recently, I will meditate on the Complete Works of Zeng Guofan.
"Regret", "respect", "diligence" and "benevolence" are the purposes of Zeng ancients. After meditation, I can't do anything, especially in a "regret" There are so many layers of depression in my heart that I feel like a stone. I really want to cry, but I want to cry without tears. My tears have dried up and my heart has broken into pieces. Even though my heart is burning with anger, my heart is still calm. People look at their shortcomings in the mirror.
The word "regret" begins with: overreaching, opportunistic, impulsive, reckless, careless, disrespectful, unclear, unconfident, ambitious, open-minded, diligent, impatient, stubborn, sensitive, proud and without any skills.
It's all my fault, which leads me to accomplish nothing now and my dream is so far away from me. It is useless to blindly pursue the word "courage" because "youth has dreams". If you go to the imperial court, you should give up what you should put down. After all, sand is sand-once gems and sand were placed in front of me, I chose sand because of its simplicity, and I am also a simple person. I'm afraid of losing it. The tighter I hold it, the faster it flows. I neglected its essence. Let go. After I put it down, I owned the whole world, including the jewels I abandoned.
Now I finally believe that life has its own destiny. You can't catch up, you can't ask for it.
I don't know how to describe it. You are brilliant, resourceful, westernized, with the aura of a famous minister of ZTE, a letter from home, and restless in a few words ...-Complete Works of Zeng Guofan.
The Complete Works of Zeng Guofan is the most touching book I have ever read. After reading it, I was deeply attracted by Zeng Guofan's charm and impressed by his wisdom. Let me share with you my feelings after reading it.
First, his enterprising spirit is worth learning. From a rural child without any background, he passed the imperial examination, won the first prize, won the second prize, and finally won the scholarship, and entered imperial academy, the highest academic institution of the imperial court at that time. This road is by no means an ordinary person can go on, but he succeeded through hard work. In addition to talent and opportunity, it is more due to his tenacious learning spirit.
Second, in governing the country, Zeng Guofan is advanced in thought and brave in practice. Influenced by the war, Zeng Guofan had his own views on the diplomatic relations between China and the West. On the one hand, he hated the western invasion of China and thought that "others should not be allowed to sleep beside the couch, and he opposed borrowing teachers to help suppress it, so he was ashamed of foreign countries"; On the other hand, it is not blindly exclusive, and advocates learning advanced science and technology from the West. Zeng Guofan was the first person who really "opened his eyes to see the world" and actively practiced it in the history of China. At Zeng Guofan's initiative, he built the first ship in China-the first ordnance school, translated and printed the first batch of western language books, and arranged the first batch of students studying in the United States. It can be said that Zeng Guofan was a pioneer of China's modernization.
Third, whether in life or at work, we should learn Zeng Guofan's enterprising learning spirit of "never too old to learn". Learn more new knowledge and skills, read more books, broaden your horizons, enhance your knowledge and improve your quality. Learn from Zeng Guofan's advanced thoughts and the spirit of being brave in practice, think more and follow less blindly, and be a high-speed person who contributes to high speed.
Comments on the Complete Works of Zeng Guofan's essays 4 Zeng Guofan is an important historical figure in China's modern history, known as the "first minister" in the late Qing Dynasty, and later generations praised him as "a perfect man through the ages" and "a model of officialdom". He purged the political style, advocated learning from the west, and initiated "Tongzhi Zhongxing", which made the Qing Dynasty, which was about to collapse, linger for another 60 years. His achievements are unparalleled, and his works and thoughts have far-reaching influence and are favored by future generations. Cultivate one's morality, keep the family in order, govern the country and level the world. Zeng Guofan is a famous figure in modern China, and he is one of the main idols worshipped by many people from Qing officials to modern times. "It is foolish to be close to others and only serve Ceng Wenzheng." This shows the great influence of Zeng Guofan.
As an outstanding and most controversial figure in China's modern history, his Letters from Zeng Guofan is an important material to study Zeng Guofan and the history of this period. Zeng Jiashu's writing is leisurely, free in form, free in thought and free in writing, and contains true knowledge and good words in daily family affairs. Although Zeng's works have been handed down from generation to generation, only one letter from home can reflect his knowledge and moral cultivation, thus winning the reputation of "the highest generation of moral articles" and becoming the last spiritual idol of China feudal society.
Zeng Guofan's family education thought is mainly reflected in his letters to his sons Ji Ze, Ji Hong and their brothers. There are more than 330 letters from Zeng Guofan, which is the most complete one in history. The book is divided into three categories: housekeeping, self-cultivation, persuasion, financial management, emergency, making friends, employing people, marching, traveling and chores, *** 10. The Zeng family has always been very strict and well-behaved. Zeng Guofan was influenced by his family style and was strict with his children. His guiding ideology of family education has many merits. For example, they inherit and carry forward the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation in teaching their children to study, study, work hard, be thrifty, be self-reliant, be persistent, cultivate themselves and be officials. "Learn from Zeng Guofan politically and Hu Xueyan commercially." Zeng Guofan was regarded as a "model of officialdom" by politicians in modern times. He is familiar with the history of China, knows the way of officialdom, and has accumulated a set of unique skills in officialdom, which he applied to the officialdom in China and was invincible. Zeng Guofan is the best son, who can reassure his parents; Is the best brother, teaching and taking care of siblings, considerate; Zeng Guofan is a kind father and a good example for children. His letters from home emphasize the ideal of life, spiritual realm and moral cultivation. In the modern society where family ties are becoming more and more indifferent and neighbors are strangers, they really have the value of persuading the world to change their customs and are worth reading. Most official families did not last for three generations, but the Zeng family was full of talented people, and a number of famous diplomats, poets, educators, scientists and senior cadres appeared. Zeng Guofan is knowledgeable and cultivated, and he is a "person who works (does business) and preaches (leaves thoughts and theories behind)". He studied hard all his life, respected Confucianism and emphasized practical application, and became another "Confucian master" after Confucius, Mencius and Zhu. He innovated the literary theory of Tongcheng School, and his poems and essays presided over the literary circles of Taoism (light), Xianfeng (prosperity) and Tongzhi (governance), which can be described as "the highest generation of moral articles".
Comments on the Complete Works of Zeng Guofan 5 First, if you want to go to the public, you must be strong and correct, and you must be humble and give in.
Being a low-key person and doing high-profile things are Zeng Guofan's life portrayal. Zeng Guofan showed extraordinary humility in his youth. When studying with his classmates and friends, he gave up his good position to others and took the rest time of others as his own time to study hard. Later, after winning the jury, he became more humble and excellent and never showed off his talents.
Judging from the values of modern people, he is a cowardly and incompetent performance. As a high official, he doesn't put himself in a high position and look down on others, which is a bit inconsistent with his status, so he is very elegant. But it is Zeng Guofan's character that embodies an extraordinary generosity, a peaceful appearance, and a great wisdom of self-protection without going on the rampage. Low-key is a high realm, a kind of wisdom and a brilliant way of life.
Second, everything is expensive.
If you don't specialize in teachers, there will be no income; If you don't ask for friends, you love not to kiss. In the face of western guns, the Qing government was at a loss, which was not the case. Zeng Guofan pointed out his point in his letter to Wu Dating: "Everything suffers from inaction, and if you don't suffer from it, you will have nothing ... The more you care, the smarter you are, and the more you push your skills. To be professional, far smarter than China. " It means that if you do nothing, you will have trouble, and if you don't have trouble, you will do nothing. The more you use your brain, the more flexible you are, and the more you practice your skills, the more refined you are. Zeng Guofan invited the government to send young children to study in the United States, which had a great influence on the development of China. Zeng Guofan deeply understood that only by his own efforts can China be saved, and only by his superb skills can he surpass others. Everything must be "refined" and "specialized", and kung fu will naturally become. We should strive for perfection like Zeng Guofan in order to succeed.
Third, happiness and worry-free, courtesy is obligatory.
Zeng Guofan didn't complain when facing setbacks. He chose to change himself and his predicament in this way. When he attacked the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he went into battle with his younger brother and came back defeated again and again. Some soldiers flinched and didn't know how to break through the cities of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Complaints spread among the Xiang army. Ceng Guoquan became depressed, too. At this time, Zeng Guofan wrote to Ceng Guoquan many times to encourage him. He wrote, "When you become famous, it will be difficult at the beginning, and the opportunity for growth and decline will be lacking." Ceng Guoquan, cheer up and concentrate on conquering Nanking.
When there are difficulties, it is good. It's time to exercise our will and quality. Don't complain, face it bravely, face it with positive thoughts and solve it with positive actions. This is the right way.
Fourth, be honest, be smart, be strong and be willful.
In the face of self-improvement and bravado, Zeng Guofan said: "As the old saying goes, the cloud wins. It is also self-defeating to say that coercion, forbearance and kindness are strong. " A person's self-improvement is embodied in a strong spirit, but being brave is a willful force, self-improvement is a confident, grand and flexible force, and being brave is a bluffing, impetuous and cowardly force. Some people in the work are down-to-earth, hard-working and diligent, giving people a sense of self-improvement. Some people are opportunistic, mystifying and forgetting the righteousness, which is a bluff. People who bravado are full of doubts and suspicions, fearing that others will expose their "strength"; People who try to be brave are afraid that others will say that they can't do it, and they try their best to hide their emptiness, which naturally brings trouble to people who are self-reliant. This weakness and defect in character is an incomplete performance. To change it, we need to experience ourselves from self-cultivation.
Zeng Guofan used his own experience to truly practice the life ideal of "self-cultivation, governing the country and leveling the world" advocated by Confucianism for thousands of years. Many advantages of Zeng Guofan are worth learning and learning from.
There are still many places worth exploring and excavating in Zeng Guofan's thought. His story of "repeated defeats and repeated wars" tells us what to do in the face of the struggle of trapped animals. Only by persistence will your life reach a new level, your career will be more brilliant and your life will be perfect.
Any success is not a coincidence of accidental factors, regardless of cultural structure and personality strength, it is achieved through long-term unremitting and meticulous efforts. The success or failure of a temporary event may be too obvious because of the existence of accidental events, but the development of a trend and a thinking along the "law" is the result of long-term effects.
We read a little bit of Zeng Guofan's wisdom every day, absorb his nutrition in life, being an official, employing people, self-cultivation, managing the family and keeping in good health, and provide valuable experience for our work and life today.
Comments on the Complete Works of Zeng Guofan 6 I have read several pages of the Complete Works of Zeng Guofan these days. Although I haven't seen it very much, I feel deeply, especially the words "treat others sincerely and value peace" I can't help sharing it with you. Honesty and faithfulness are the fine traditions of the Chinese nation. Treat people sincerely, be honest and trustworthy, and finally be sincere and open. ...
Being honest with others is a person's first condition. I think "honesty" must be the most important word for every parent when educating their children. Create sincerity with sincerity, in return for the sincerity of others. It contains rich contents: in the pursuit of the cause, the interests of the collective and the people are above everything else, and they are dedicated and selfless. On this premise, we should be modest and prudent, not arrogant and impetuous, tell the truth, do honest things, and match words with deeds. Be strict with yourself in life, do things with a normal heart, don't compare with others, be honest and sincere to others. No matter when and where, we should standardize our words and deeds according to the standards of integrity and sincerity, so as to become a model for others.
Honesty is the moral principle of being a man; Be honest and trustworthy to colleagues, society, customers and partners, keep promises, and treat family, friends and society honestly and confidentially.
Honesty is the foundation of life and career; Honesty is the road, extending with the footsteps of pioneers; Honesty is wisdom, which accumulates with the pursuit of scholars; Honesty is success, accompanied by hard work; Honesty is the seed of wealth. As long as you plant it sincerely, you can find the key to the vault. Honesty is your most beautiful coat and the most holy flower in your soul; Honesty is your expensive shoes. You have traveled all over Qian Shan, and the quality should remain unchanged. Honesty is a clear spring that washes away the dirt of fraud and makes every corner of the world clean. ...
The word "harmony" with auspicious meaning has far-reaching implications and is entrusted with the good wishes of the Chinese nation. Be kind to others, be kind to yourself, and treat yourself peacefully and harmoniously; Home and everything, neighbors and win relatives; Make money harmoniously in business, and help harmoniously when it is difficult; Human beings long for peace and happiness, and the world needs peace. ...
We should be kind to others and not haggle over every ounce. How vast the sky of life is. Let's not waste our time and life on trifles. The sky is big, but people's minds are bigger than the sky.
When we set sail with wisdom, packed our bags and set sail for the society, the experienced old captain told us that we must use "harmony" to navigate. Entering the harbor of the Chinese nation for five thousand years, "harmony" has attracted our attention with its unique brilliance.
"Harmony" is crucial everywhere. Businessmen who value harmony, when they make money with harmony, their business is booming and their financial resources are rolling in; Officials who value peace, recruit talents, become one with the people and get the support and love of the people; Making friends with literati who value harmony has a long history; A country that values peace, without the interference of war, gets along well with its neighbors and its people are happy. ...
Regard harmony as the most important thing, let go of all the feelings of truth, goodness and beauty, reflect the gas field of your spiritual realm, listen to the sound of heart-to-heart collision, and trace the footsteps of the soul. When falling, it gives people sunshine assistance; When confused, give people star-like encouragement; When you are lost, give people a breeze-like comfort; Helpless, giving people a burst of courage.
Treat others with sincerity and treat others with harmony. As long as we can communicate honestly with each other and treat each other kindly, we believe that there is only happiness, wealth and love in the world, and what is lacking is sadness, poverty and hatred. Let's work hard for this!
After reading the complete works of Zeng Guofan, learning western culture, purging political style and "saving the disadvantages of the times" contributed to the emergence of "Tongzhi Zhongxing" in the late Qing Dynasty.
He is sincere in convincing others, avoiding disasters, paying attention to etiquette and being cautious, and weaving the strongest network of relationships.
He knows how to make good use of people's abilities and talents, and recommended as many as 1000 subordinates, including more than 40 from the official to the governor. He realized the great cause of Confucianism's self-cultivation and ruling the country, made great achievements and made the words of "three immortals".
His official position rose the fastest. Within ten years, he jumped seven levels in a row. At the age of 37, he was promoted to the second grade. Only Zeng Guofan of the Qing Dynasty can have this honor.
He is the most stable official. He has served three generations of kings, Daoguang, Xianfeng and Tongzhi, for 34 years, and his trust remains unchanged.
He is the best official, with outstanding political voice. He has a saying of governing the country and reassuring the people, so he has the reputation of "Zeng Guofan in politics and Hu Xueyan in business". He is a gentleman who studies, while Ming Dow is a scholar, quiet and far-reaching, who looks down on gains and losses. His father is kind and filial, his brother is respectful and has a good family education. His letters from home are a model of family education in ancient China.
I summed up Zeng Guofan like this: Zeng Guofan, a rich boy, studied and got promoted, and went to war to gain weight. It is necessary to prepare for Ma Jianjun, but also to be all-powerful, and to hem and haw and be passive to Nuo Nuo; It is necessary to make contributions and not contribute to Gao Zhen; We should not only help the world, but also be immune to it. Although his official career was ups and downs, it was well completed from the beginning, which was not easy in the corrupt and sinister feudal officialdom.
Although the present officialdom is different from the past, since they are all officialdom, there is always something to learn from. Although the current cadres are not the same as Zeng Guofan, are there similarities for officials?
A Complete Works of Zeng Guofan does not need to be written brilliantly or beautifully. As long as the writing is solid, Zeng Guofan himself can make people sigh and hide their ears.