Yan Family Instructions is a masterpiece of Yan Zhitui. It originated in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and was written in the early years of Sui Dynasty. The book is divided into preface, godson, brother, marriage, family management, wind exercise, wood constitution, cotton studies, articles, fame and fortune, involvement in matters, saving trouble, stopping foot, training soldiers and so on. Extensive in content and rich in knowledge. Except for the first preface explaining the purpose of writing, the last one exhorting the afterlife and the last one worshiping Buddha, the rest 17 can be roughly divided into five aspects: family ethics, moral wisdom, thinking methods, health preservation and daily life, and academic miscellaneous knowledge.
There are four lessons in family ethics: godson, brother, late marriage and family management, with emphasis on the relationship, obligations and moral principles of family members. Emphasize the importance of educating children, respecting the elderly and loving the young, and family harmony.
Four courses of morality, intelligence and physical education: moral exercises, wooden constitution, cotton studies and articles, which tell how to make children become useful people, cultivate excellent noble conduct, sharpen diligent and knowledgeable attitude and establish a good style of writing.
There are four lessons in thinking method: name and reality, involving things, saving trouble and stopping. This paper expounds the thinking and working methods of observing, understanding and dealing with problems. To correctly treat the relationship between name and reality and strive for a good reputation, we must have real talents and practical learning. The meaning of life lies in becoming a useful talent for the country. The relationship between learning and specialization and personal development should be focused, and we should not indulge our desires and be wary of greed.
There are two lessons about saving lives: commanding soldiers and keeping in good health. Educate children not to show off their courage and use war to achieve greatness, but to cherish life and care for their body and mind in order to stay healthy and prolong their lives. At the same time, it also points out that although life is precious, there is nothing wrong with cherishing it. You shouldn't die for adventure and greed, but it's worthwhile to sacrifice for loyalty, filial piety and benevolence.
Academic miscellaneous courses include documentary evidence, phonetic notation and miscellaneous arts. This paper introduces the textual research methods and knowledge, phonology knowledge and acrobatic knowledge of ancient books, and puts forward the learning requirements according to different practical values.
Although Yan Zhitui taught his descendants with Confucianism, he often narrated his own personal experience, which made people see the difference of gentry's fashion between the north and the south. There is parallel prose in the writing style, but the writing style is simple and cordial. Occasionally, the story is ironic and eye-catching. "Godson" tells the story of a scholar-bureaucrat in the Northern Qi Dynasty who openly told others about the experience of raising children, saying, "I have a son who is seventeen years old and quite knowledgeable. Teach him Xianbei language and play the pipa. I want to understand something. So I fell in love with you. " The Book of Names and Facts said that there was a "modern big noble" who painted his face with croton in mourning, so he became a sore and cried too much. Although there is not much pen and ink, the shameless and hypocritical faces of the characters are vividly on the paper.
Yan Family Instructions is a widely circulated and far-reaching work since Sui Dynasty. Song Chen Sunzhen's Notes on Shu Lu of Zhizhai said: "This is the motto of all ancient and modern families." Ming Fu Taiping said: "The quality is clear, the details are important, and it is flat and not deceitful. Cover the last chapter of the preface, do not fold the ancient and modern, understand the Tao, and be feasible. " Wang Cheng's "Incomplete Reading" said: "A medicine stone is a turtle lesson. All children can buy a copy and put it at home as a clear training, not just a face. "