Zeng Guofan's famous sayings, Zeng Guofan's family motto

1. It is advisable to taste all the sweet, sour and bitter. Right and wrong, likes and dislikes are always decided by people. It is not easy to pass from death to life, so everyone should work hard to cultivate themselves.

2. The way to build a body is to be strong on the inside and soft on the outside; If there is no harmony, we cannot accept things, and if we are not strict, we cannot control them.

3. Be diligent in your country, thrifty in your family, loyal in words and respectful in deeds.

4. Anyone who reads useless books is just playing with things and losing hope.

5. A diligent family will prosper, and a diligent person will be healthy.

6. To be self-reliant, a man must be stubborn.

7. All the mediocre people in the world, ancient and modern, are defeated by the word "lazy"; the talented people in the world, ancient and modern, are all defeated by the word "arrogant".

8. Behave dignifiedly and do not speak rashly.

9. Don’t abandon people’s great beauty with small evils, and don’t forget people’s great kindness with small grudges.

10. The greater your self-esteem, the more you will see your inferiority.

11. What makes a gentleman inferior to others is that he has a wise eye and knows people well.

12. In a family of officials, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go back from luxury to frugality.

13. Young people should be "ambitious, knowledgeable and persistent" when studying.

14. Only by using thunderbolt means can you first show the heart of a Bodhisattva.

15. Be quiet first, then think about it, and do it when you are 50 or 60% sure.

16. There are three things a scholar should not fight: no fighting with a gentleman for fame, no fighting with a villain for profit, and no fighting with heaven and earth for cleverness.

17. When traveling independently, you should not be biased by popular customs, but you must not be sympathized with. There is no need to avoid minor suspicions in matters of high righteousness, but we must not ignore them if they are tiring.

18. Be content with joy and hardship.

19. The literati are rich and live in the market. Wealth can lead to poetry, but speaking of belongings brings shabbiness.

20. Don’t drink too much when you are worried, and don’t write notes when you are angry.

21. Make decisions on matters.

22. It’s easy to talk about one’s own strengths but only superficially.

23. With a calm mind, you can survive the dangers of life.

24. If you are too noble, you will hurt your benevolence, and if you are too gentle, you will hurt your justice. This is why you value the middle way.

25. It is better to see that the world is full of bad people than to see that the world is full of good people.

26. Great softness is not soft, extreme hardness is not rigid.

27. The purpose of serving relatives is to gain pleasure.

28. Filial piety leads to good fortune, diligence leads to details, but no details are given.

29. Being self-sufficient with talent and being proud of oneself will be tabooed by villains and despised by gentlemen.

30. Books, vegetables, fish and pigs bring vitality to a family; sleep less and do more, bring vitality to one person.

31. Everything is arranged secretly, and you are confident.

32. Avoid arrogance and laziness, which is the way to protect your family.

33. Only those who can eat plain food can taste the strange smell, those who can cope with the noise of the city can travel to famous mountains, and those who can endure torture can achieve fame.

34. If those who are not blessed enjoy their blessings too much, there will be sudden disaster. People who are always poor are worried about their poverty, and there will be unexpected worries.

35. When frustration comes, treat it with patience, so that you will not suffer from frustration. When things come to your mind, take them lightly so that you won't be confused by your worries.

36. If you eat a vegetarian diet, your breath will not be turbid; if you sleep alone, your spirit will not be turbid; if you sit in silence, your heart will not be turbid; if you read, your mouth will not be turbid.

37. Those who are good at others should look at themselves, and those who are good at themselves should look at their hearts.

38. It is fake to show respect. To love in hiding is to be private.

39. Jueluo can honor one’s body, but not one’s heart. Articles can be written about one's own body, but cannot be written about one's actions.

40. Fame, official title, wealth, sound and sex are all called desires, and they can all lead to death.

41. Be sincere without regrets, forgive without resentment, be harmonious without enmity, and endure without humiliation.

42. A skillful debater will often go against the Tao, while a clumsy debater will inevitably be alienated. It is better to be alienated from the world than to go against the Tao.

43. Loose talk is contrary to the truth, and miscellaneous knowledge is confusing.

44. If you are content, you will be happy; if you are greedy, you will be worried.

45. Those who accumulate extensively will cause harm to their descendants; those who are sensual will ruin their lives.

46. Improper eating and drinking is the cause of illness; improper thoughts and worries are the root of death.

47. People in ancient times cultivated themselves to avoid fame, but people today decorate themselves to gain reputation. Therefore, the ancients did not seize it when it came to a big event, but today people easily defend it when they see small gains.

48. A gentleman is loyal when he goes out, filial when he goes in, he is knowledgeable when he uses it, and he is foolish when he gives up.

49. Those with great wisdom and hard work are crazy, while those with little strength and heavy responsibilities are hesitant.

50. Good people cultivate virtue and bring good fortune to heaven. Evil people sow disaster and bring disaster later.

51. It is better to give false reputation to a villain than to listen to God. The wealth left behind by the descendants is not as urgent as the Zhou people.

52. Benefit can be overwhelming but not independent; planning can be done by few but not by many. If you stand alone, you will lose; if you work together, you will be defeated.

53. If you ignore a thought, you will say the wrong thing and do the wrong thing.

54. Those who like to conquer others will never be able to conquer others. If they can conquer others, they will never be victorious.

55. A gentleman only does his best in human affairs, regardless of destiny, and destiny is in human affairs.

56. Those who are intelligent and agile should be knowledgeable.

57. There is no evil greater than the good that destroys others, and no virtue is greater than the injustice of white people.

58. A gentleman is willing to let his ambitions be humble, but he does not let a villain be humble.

59. People should save themselves from trouble and should not be afraid of it. People should be free from vulgarity, not artificial. You should not go with the times, and you should not follow the times.

60. Following two things will lead to a lifetime of mistakes. Encouraging the spirit can overcome this shortcoming.

61. If you fight with suspicious people, things will not work out. If you do things with beneficial people, you will suffer.

62. You can’t stand poverty, you can’t stand up, you can’t stand humiliation, you can’t do anything.

63. All major tasks are done partly by manpower and partly by nature.

64. If everyone expects to win, he will be defeated. If everyone expects to be defeated, he will be defeated.

65. Since you love your talents, you should skip the details.

66. When doing big things, it is the first priority to choose multiple substitutes. The satisfactory choice is not available, and the second choice is to wait for gradual education.

67. Having no friends in the countryside is the first thing I hate.

68. If you can be indifferent, you will have some true knowledge.

69. Just one small opinion can make everything impossible and lead to failure.

70. Belief in fortune telling and feng shui are all caused by delusions. Those who read and are sensible will not believe in the righteousness of their lives.

71. Harsh words are only appreciated for a moment, but those who take them will be resentful for the rest of their lives.

72. Today’s people care about manipulating others and take great care, but have they ever harmed others? It's just that I have lost my mind and damaged my vitality.

73. Never be complacent, never be petty, never be arrogant, never be a lazy person.

74. When you are in a hurry, you should be more careful. When there is an emergency, be even more vigilant. When it comes to the end, be even more cautious.

75. If you want to support your career in the world, you must first establish your feet.

76. It is shameful to follow others, but it is hateful to be self-willed. Not being attached to anything is the middle way. It is rare to find one, but it is the most elegant thing to be able to stand in the midst of waves and trends.

77. Listen to what is said and listen to it rationally. Once you hear it, you will easily assume it, but you will often make many mistakes.

78. Those who have compassion must be ashamed and disgusted.

79. It can be said that a person is wise if he can avoid having any delusional thoughts when he is sleepless.

80. Those who show off their intelligence will have poor morals, and those who are too eloquent will have poor fortunes.

81. Those who like to decorate will gradually make mistakes. Those who listen to one another are the beginning of disputes.

82. Those who are arrogant and inferior to others must be shallow, and those who are suspicious of others must be villains.

83. If you have peace of mind, you can survive the dangers of life.

84. Only when you realize that your selfish intentions arise, then overcome them, this is great courage.

85. If you are too noble, you will hurt your benevolence, and if you are too gentle, you will hurt your justice. This is why you value the middle way.

86. Everyone is safe and the world is peaceful.

87. The law is punished by heaven. It must be upheld with justice and practiced with benevolence.

88. If you know that heaven, earth and all things are integrated, you can love.

89. If people’s ethics are clear, rituals and music will flourish.

90. Over the past twenty years, the word “anger” has not been fully eradicated, so self-control is the most difficult thing.

91. When you are old, you will know that your temperament is refuted, and your thinking is just a rough reading.

92. Anyone who does everything according to my wishes is a villain, so if you are in a hurry, you should stay away.

93. What people learn cannot be tolerated by others, and it will be tolerated by others.

94. If people want to do good, they must first understand what is good.

95. Don’t be afraid of overflowing qi and full heart, and avoid revealing your talents.

96. If you are always quiet, you will have implicit reasoning and powerful response to the situation.

97. He who can be trusted by the whole world is ultimately a gentleman. Those who are suspicious of the whole world will end up being villains.

98. There is no evil greater than the good that destroys others, and no virtue is greater than the injustice of white people.

99. A word of tolerance can eliminate endless disasters; a word of "sufficiency" can save endless efforts.

100. No one is without flaws.

101. When you live in your hometown, don’t do it for the sake of your hometown, and when you live in an official position, don’t do it as a mean man.

102. Those who have little blessing must be mean, and those who are mean will have little blessing. Those who are blessed must be generous, and those who are generous will also be blessed.

103. Wealthy people should be advised to be tolerant, and smart people should be advised to be generous.

104. The most important thing in the world is reading. However, reading occupies status, in terms of character, not in position.

105. The only true word in the world is rare.

106. Whenever you are going to do something, you must first calm your mind and your mind. If your mind is calm and your mind is calm, things can be rectified.

107. If you don’t think deeply, you can’t create the Tao. What is gained without deep thought will be easily lost.

108. If you treat your family with love for your wife, you will never be unfilial. If you blame yourself with the same intention of blaming others, you will make few mistakes. If you forgive others with the same heart that you forgive yourself, then you will be friends with everyone.

109. Light wealth is enough to gather people, self-discipline is enough to convince others, tolerance is enough to win people, and being proactive is enough to lead people.

110. Only by rectifying oneself can one transform others, only by doing one's best can one serve others.

111. When encountering a deceitful person, his tricks are unpredictable and unpredictable. If I treat him with sincerity, my skills will be exhausted.

112. If you don’t do things quickly, you won’t do things as quickly as you think.

113. When people are in trouble, there is only one solution. After completing the conspiracy, you must take it calmly.

114. The heroes of entrepreneurship in prosperous times take open-mindedness as their first priority.

115. Avoid big words and be pragmatic.

116. Saving trouble is the way to clear your mind, and reading is the way to save trouble.

117. Don’t take credit for your merits, and don’t shirk responsibility for your mistakes.

118. The more painful the wisdom, the brighter it becomes.

119. Vitality is always important.

120. Nothing in the world comes without hardships, but it can be great and lasting.

121. Don’t criticize the ancients lightly.

122. Let go, be bold, and stop looking forward and backward.

123. What is learned from the outside and obtained from the inside is called Ming; what is learned from the inside and combined with the outside is called sincerity. Sincerity and Ming are the same.

124. In all things in the world, it is more important to consider, to do it carefully, to plan hard, and to make decisions independently.

125. There is no such thing as small profit.

126. Don’t change what you say today because of small interests tomorrow.

127. Put talent first.

128. Start from scratch and reopen the world.

129. When the heart is extremely miserable, things are extremely prosperous.

130. Why choose a location? Why choose the time? But ask yourself if your determination is true!

131. The first is ambition, the second is knowledge, and the third is perseverance.

132. Blame yourself for being thick and blame others for being thin.

133. Being troubled and worried is the time to hone your heroes.

134. There are two types of bad virtues that lead to failure: those who are proud and those who talk too much.

135. A loss of reputation creates doubts both near and far.

136. The more you use your spirit, the better it will come out. Don’t be too protective of your body because of your weak body.

137. The human spirit cannot be left alone.

138. Those who do good will often receive blessings, and those who do benefit will often suffer disaster. Peace of mind is a blessing, and hard work is a disaster.

139. I do my best to listen to God. I just need to be cautious every day.

140. It must be better to be clumsy than clever, and then it can last.

141. Those who enjoy great fame without real facts are bound to be in trouble.

142. When encountering difficulties, you must work hard with patience.

143. Don’t follow the crowd to be happy and fearful.

144. It is important to deal with things carefully and carefully. If you think carefully, you will get the feeling, and if you deal with it slowly, you will get it right.

145. One spirit has two eyes.

146. To have a broad mind, you must learn from the word plain.

147. It is better not to start a war for several days than to start a war without any arrangements and calculations.

148. To fight without panic, seek stability first and change secondly; do things quietly and odorlessly, and be precise and concise at the same time.

149. When God is right, people are right; when God is evil, people are evil.

150. People must be sincere, and then their careers will be great and long-lasting.

151. All mortals can be sages, and it has nothing to do with the amount of reading.

152. Living with bad neighbors and sitting in a place that harms your friends is a way to exercise caution and be careful, which is also a resource for advancing virtue.

153. If you blame someone too directly and make people feel ashamed, it is just a fault for me.

154. If you have talent, you must show it.

155. When you are frustrated or humiliated, you must grit your teeth and be motivated, gather your energy and grow your wisdom.

156. Do not act according to your heart, and do not speak according to your words.

157. Improper eating and drinking is the cause of illness; improper thoughts and worries are the root of death.

158. Benefit can be overwhelming but not independent; planning can be done by few but not by many. If you stand alone, you will lose; if you work together, you will be defeated.

159. Wang Zheng cannot be kind but not powerful.

160. Keeping in good health is based on being less angry, and doing business is based on being happy.

161. When doubts arise, they can only be laughed at.

162. You can’t endure poverty, you can’t stand up, you can’t endure humiliation, you can’t do anything.

163. Things can be defeated by haste, but success can be achieved by thinking slowly.

164. If you can be indifferent, you will have some true knowledge.

165. Just one small opinion can make everything impossible and lead to failure.

166. If you have made mistakes in previous lives, you can correct them by yourself; if you have made mistakes in previous lives, you can create them yourself.

167. If brothers are harmonious, even a poor family will prosper; if brothers are not harmonious, even a noble family will be defeated.

168. Don’t be greedy for money, don’t break promises, and don’t be self-righteous. If you have these three things, everyone will naturally respect you.

169. Righteousness depends on the eyes and nose, authenticity depends on the lips, fame depends on the spirit, wealth depends on the spirit.

170. Don’t be too smart.

171. Being dignified and dignified is a sign of nobility, being humble and showing an open face is a sign of nobility; having things come to an end is a sign of wealth, and having a heart to give things to others is a sign of wealth.

172. People who suffer from karma are not fine ears.

173. Hundreds of ills arise from laziness.

174. When doing great things, knowledge should be the main thing and talent should be the supplement; when doing great things, half of it is human planning and half of it is God’s will.

175. Stay true to yourself, stay away from cleverness, stay strong and perseverant, and stay away from stubbornness.

176. When advising others, you should not point out their faults, but first praise their strengths. When a person is happy, words are easy to enter, but when a person is angry, words are difficult to enter. Anger is better than personal reasons.

177. It is a good thing that a gentleman can help others when they are in danger and help others when they are in urgent need. It is good if he can avoid boasting.

178. Those who are cheap should not have anything to do with money, and those who are suspicious should not have anything to do with money.

179. A country is strong by winning people.

180. People are dominated by Qi.

181. When we study, there are only two things: one is to improve morality, and the other is to cultivate one's career.

182. If a person can make up his own mind, what can't the saints and heroes do? Why rely on people?

183. Be diligent in your country, thrifty in your family, loyal in words and respectful in deeds.

184. Being self-sufficient with talent and being proud of oneself will be tabooed by villains and despised by gentlemen.

185. Be quiet first, then think about it, and do it when you are 50 or 60% sure.

186. The best way to self-cultivation is to cultivate your mind.

187. You must first establish strong ambitions.

188. A harmonious family brings happiness.

189. Leave room for everything and be magnanimous to accommodate others.

190. If you receive unreasonable feelings, you are afraid of doing unreasonable things.

191. Too much nobleness will harm benevolence, and too much gentleness will harm justice. This is why you value the middle way.

192. If you have a peaceful mind, you can survive the dangers of life. The intertwined roots can test my talents; the waves and waves are popular, and I can test my skills; there are difficulties and obstacles.

193. When a mortal does something, he must concentrate on it with all his energy, without any wandering thoughts.

194. It is always advisable to reward people for their strengths while regulating their weaknesses.

195. Everything that goes up will inevitably come down, so you must plan for it in advance.

196. Be independent in your heart and take charge of yourself.

197. Exclusively enjoying a great name is the way to reduce your fortune.

198. Hard work will make your muscles and bones stronger, but pampering will make your energy weaker.

199. If the children of aristocratic families have the same food, clothing and daily life as those of poor people, they can become great people.

200. People’s temperament is difficult to change due to their innate nature, but reading can change their temperament.

201. You must grit your teeth and be determined, gather your energy and grow your ambition, and you must not be humble and discouraged.

202. It’s easy to talk about one’s own strengths but only superficially.

203. Be down-to-earth and don’t dare to deceive others.

204. Everything must be checked day by day. It will be difficult to wait for one day to make amends later.

205. Cultivate a kind of tranquility in your chest.

206. Anything useful should not be thrown away.

207. He is diligent and respectful. Even if he is a fool, he is still wise and wise.

208. If you widen your knowledge, the world will be great.

209. In ancient times, when a hero established a cause, he must have a foundation.

210. A person of small benevolence is a thief of great benevolence.

211. Rule the world with great virtue, not with small favors.

212. People have their own personalities. Those who are cold will feel cold, and those who are bold will be proud.

213. It is difficult to make progress if you see things differently.

214. Everything will be established if it is planned.

215. If I praise others every day, they will not respect my words.

216. When trouble comes, you should be patient and wait for it to settle.

217. Knowing something but not using it is the same as not knowing; using it but not using it up is the same as not using it.

218. In ancient times, those who achieved great things mostly came from small things.

219. If it has its merit, it must have its effect.

220. You can test my thoughts; shock and balance can test my strength; enduring humiliation can test my ability.

221. When doing official business, you must be far-sighted.

222. To achieve great things in ancient times, both large scale and comprehensive management are indispensable.

223. There is always a worried heart.

224. Don’t blame others for their mistakes, but reflect on them silently. If there is something like this, the prime minister will regret it and change it quickly.

225. There are three things a scholar should not do: do not compete with gentlemen for fame, do not compete with villains for profit, and do not compete with heaven and earth for cleverness.

226. Don’t drink too much when you are worried, and don’t write letters when you are angry.

227. Don’t be afraid of overflowing qi and full heart, so you don’t want to expose your talents.

228. Anyone who reads useless books is just playing with things and losing hope.

229. When dealing with troubles, treat them as nothing; when dealing with big things, treat them as trivial matters.

230. Loyalty, honesty and integrity are the foundation of one’s life, not just a tool to gain fame.

231. To be disliked is to be arrogant.

232. Calmness and peace of mind are the five words that exist at all times and in everything. Without these five words, Meng Lang does it.

233. If you look at it for a long time, you will not recognize the familiar words. If you look at it, the still object will seem to be moving. You will know that those who have doubts will confuse the truth, and those who think too much will be confused.

234. Harsh words are only flattering for a moment, but those who take them will be resentful for the rest of their lives.

235. Be cautious beforehand and have no regrets afterwards.

236. Isn’t it a good thing to do good deeds? However, once you have the intention of having a good reputation, it will lead to slander and disaster.

237. If you are too rich and noble, you are not a good elephant.

238. Contentment is as wide as the world.

239. If you want to save money, you will definitely save it.

240. I observe that the children of poor families in the countryside are more likely to grow up the more they are looked down upon, while the children of rich households are more difficult to become useful as they are looked down upon.

241. The way of a gentleman is to know one’s fate as the first priority.

242. As long as one is determined, anything can be achieved.

243. Those who show off their intelligence will have poor morals, and those who are too eloquent will have poor fortunes.

244. Those who are arrogant and inferior to others will be shallow, and those who are suspicious of others will be villainous.

245. People should save themselves from trouble and should not be afraid of it. People should be free from vulgarity, not artificial. You should not go with the times, and you should not follow the times.

246. Use money to support people according to your ability, and work hard to manage things.

247. Those who like to conquer others will never be able to conquer others. If they can conquer others, they will never be victorious.

248. A few words nourish the energy, a few sights nourish the mind, and a few desires nourish the essence.

249. There is no fundamental imbalance, but the branches and leaves are growing, and they are able to grow freely.

250. There is both determination and concentration.

251. If a person who is not blessed enjoys his blessing too much, there will be sudden disaster. People who are always poor are worried about their poverty, and there will be unexpected worries.

252. When frustration comes, treat it with patience, so that you will not suffer from frustration. When things come to your mind, take them lightly so that you won't be confused by your worries.

253. Peace can eliminate people’s resentment, and patience can ward off disaster stars.

254. Everything in the past is like dying yesterday, and everything in the future is like living today.

255. Being able to stand up and achieve is the essence, and not complaining is the most useful thing.

256. The long-lasting family tradition does not rely on temporary official titles, but on long-term family rules. It does not rely on the sudden outbursts of one or two people, but on the maintenance of the masses.

257. The most important way to control a general is sincerity, not power.

258. When people see something close, I see something far away, and I call it wise; when someone sees something rough, I see something subtle, and I call it shrewdness.

259. Don’t attack someone’s shortcomings from behind.

260. The way to lead troops is to use kindness rather than kindness, and to use power rather than courtesy.

261. Don’t be afraid of not being able to fight, just be afraid of not being able to win.

262. The nature of a gentleman will not be damaged even if thousands of books are broken, and even if he does not know a word, it will not be damaged.

263. Thinking and learning cannot be neglected.

264. Always be afraid to be the first.

265. You cannot show virtue by recommending virtuous people, and you cannot destroy evildoers.

266. Don’t do things that are of short-term benefit, and don’t go to areas where people are fighting for each other. If things go to extremes, they will be reversed, and harm will come.

267. If you are content, you will be happy; if you are greedy, you will be worried.

268. The way to build a body is to be strong on the inside and soft on the outside; If there is no harmony, we cannot accept things, and if we are not strict, we cannot control them.

269. Wealth, fame and fame are all glories in this world, but a big heart is the real benefit.

270. You cannot enjoy all the blessings, and you cannot use all the power you have.

271. The way to look at people is to be ethical but not official, to be more logical and less eloquent.

272. There is a lot of freshness between the eyebrows, and the aspirations are not mediocre. You may achieve success in the future.

273. Choose those who are good in public opinion and follow them.