Mediocre people in the world, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, all lost to a lazy word; Talents in the world, both ancient and modern, all lost to a proud word.
Talking about the advantages and disadvantages of others, laughing at their shortcomings and exposing their shortcomings are all manifestations of "arrogance". In this way, "arrogance" is no longer an empty concept, but is transformed into concrete behavior, so that people can always pay attention to their words and deeds in daily life. Similarly, in view of "laziness", Zeng Guofan also gave a specific correction method, that is, getting up early. It can be seen that when he was educating his younger brother and younger generation, he didn't just talk empty words and preach the truth, but gave practical and concrete methods to let the younger generation really cultivate good quality from words and deeds. Zeng Guofan also highly praised the "eight-character formula" and "three unbeliefs" formulated by his grandfather Xing Ganggong, and believed that as long as these rules were strictly followed, he could become an excellent person. In educating the younger generation, Zeng Guofan also attached great importance to "setting an example" and thought that elders would not be persuaded if they did not set an example. If you want the younger generation to form good habits, you must first set an example by yourself. Zeng Guofan used these standards to strictly demand himself and became a generation of literati with both ability and political integrity.
Zeng Guofan pointed out that it is not necessary to be proud of talents, but it is actually a sign of pride to like to laugh at others. He thinks this kind of behavior is very bad, and advises Brother Four to correct it, otherwise the younger generation will follow suit and despise everything more. Like to talk about the length of others seems to be a problem for many people. We always think that we are smart and correct, while others always have such shortcomings, so we criticize and laugh at them. In fact, doing so will not only cause harm to others, but also gradually form the habit of arrogance, which is very bad behavior.
(2) the general way.
Zeng Guofan told Ceng Guoquan about "the way of probability", that is, "when the bucket is full, people are probable, and when the bucket is full, the sky is probable".
"Probably" means "scraping", which means that the bucket will be scraped flat when it is full, and it will be scraped flat when it is too full. Too many people can be manifested in many ways, perhaps because of too much wealth or too much credit. In short, after exceeding a certain limit, it will develop in the opposite direction. Zeng Guofan warned his younger brother that his family is very rich now. In order to avoid being "almost" by the sky in the future, it is better to be restrained and frugal at ordinary times. He summed up this "self-generalization" method in three words: "sincerity, modesty and diligence", which is consistent with his usual way of cultivation.
(3) combine rigidity with softness.
The way of heaven and earth, both rigid and flexible, can not be neglected, too soft will be discouraged, too rigid will bend over. ""just "is a kind of courage to take responsibility and work hard; "Softness" is a humble and yielding attitude towards fame and fortune. Zeng Guofan also specifically pointed out that it is necessary to be "rigid" in striving for career, starting a business and socializing outside, and "soft" in pursuing fame and fortune and enjoying it inside. If the relationship between rigidity and softness is not handled well in these aspects, then the happy days will certainly not last long. In Zeng Guofan's view, it is not the best way to communicate with people, too soft or too rigid. Combining rigidity with softness is the best state. Anyone who achieves great things must be good at grasping the scale between rigidity and flexibility in order to stand on his own feet and remain invincible for a long time.