The meaning of this sentence is: as a gentleman, we should be diligent in self-cultivation and cultivate morality by thrift. If he is not indifferent, he can't have a clear and noble ambition. If he is not quiet and modest, he can't be extremely poor. From the Book of Commandments by Zhuge Liang of the Three Kingdoms.

This article was written in 234 AD (the 12th year of Jian Xing in Shu Han Dynasty), and it was a letter from Zhuge Liang to his eight-year-old son Zhuge Zhan. Zhuge Liang dedicated his life to the country and died. He worked day and night for the national cause of Shu and Han and neglected to educate his son personally, so he wrote this letter to warn Zhuge Zhan.

Extended data

From the Commandment, we can see that Zhuge Liang is a noble and knowledgeable father, and his inculcation and infinite expectations for his son are all in this book. Through the words of wisdom, rationality, conciseness and preciseness, the full text expresses the father's love in the world, which has become a famous piece of self-cultivation and determination of future students.