Zeng Guofan didn't give an explanation about modesty, because it's easy to understand. It's just that reading should be empty-minded, not subjective, and not subjective. However, Zeng Guofan's explanation of Hanyong is very profound.
Han, the dictionary explains that there are many in Shui Ze, which means moistening. Zeng Guofan said when explaining the word "Han": "Han is like a flower in the spring rain, like a rice irrigated by a clear canal." However, when "moistening flowers and irrigating rice", "the rain moistens flowers. If it is too small, it will be difficult to penetrate. If it is too large, it will be detached. If it is moderate, it will be moist and nourishing; The irrigation of rice in the clear canal is too small to dry up, too much to hurt, and moderate to conserve. " That is to say, spring rains moisten flowers, clear canals and irrigate rice, and they must be moderate, neither small nor large. In other words, reading must be like watering rice, which must be infiltrated and moderate: if it is too small, the flowers and leaves will be difficult to penetrate and the rice seedlings will wither; If it is too large, it will be like a flower, and rice will be hurt by waterlogging.
Swimming, of course, means swimming in the dictionary. Zeng Guofan's explanation is, "A swimmer is like a fish swimming, like a person filling his feet." Fish play in the water is fun, and people also have the nature of being happy in the water. Zeng Guofan gave many examples to illustrate that reading is like fish enjoying water and people enjoying water.
So he said, "A good reader should regard books as water, and his heart as flowers, rice, fish and feet." Only in this way can the word "Han Yong" be expressed in words. That is to say, in Zeng Guofan's view, the so-called implicit swimming means that reading books should be regarded as water, which can moisten flowers and rice and make fish and people happy. In other words, reading is actually a nourishing process for people and a happy process. To moisten one's mind, one must moisten one's mind like watering flowers and rice with moderate water, and at the same time fully feel the joy of reading.
Swimming with an open mind is based on how to learn from reading instructions, but the real experience may come from "observing yourself".
The so-called self-observation means that reading should be linked with your real understanding of life, or you should understand the contents of the book through your own personal life. Zeng Guofan used his own experience as an example to say: "I am reading Li Lou now, which is like the first chapter of Li Lou,' There is no way to slap on the top, but I can't keep it on the bottom'. I read it in previous years, and I was not very vigilant; Working outside at the age of nearly, it is known that people in the upper class must slap all the ways, and people in the lower class must abide by the law; If everyone slaps himself on the Tao, from the heart and not from the law, then he will go down. " This is Zeng Guofan's illustration of "observing oneself" by taking the first chapter of Mencius Li Lou as an example.
In Mencius Li Lou, there is a saying: "Is it wise not to precede Wang Zhidao in politics? Therefore, the benevolent should be in a high position, and the heartless should be in a high position, which is to spread its evil to the public. There is no way to slap it up, and it is impossible to keep it down. If you don't believe in the Tao, you don't believe in the degree of work. A gentleman commits a crime, a small person commits a crime, and those who exist in the country are lucky. " It means that politics must follow Wang Zhidao first, so only the benevolent should be in a high position, and the heartless will spread evil if they are in a high position. If the above does not take Tao as the criterion, the below cannot abide by it. In this way, it will cause the court to have no morality, the ministers do not stress honesty, the gentlemen offend morality, the thieves violate the criminal law, and the country can only survive by luck.
Zeng Guofan said that he didn't pay enough attention to "there is no way to slap on the top, but he can't keep it on the bottom". When he was in a high position, he really realized that if there is no way to slap on the top, it will inevitably lead to "there is no way to keep it on the bottom". As a result, everyone promises himself with the Tao, believes in himself, does whatever he wants and doesn't obey the law. That is to say, Zeng Guofan felt that through his own work outside, he deeply realized the true meaning of "there is no way to slap on the top, and the bottom can't keep it." I don't want to say what Zeng Guofan thinks, but he thinks that he really understood the words in Mencius from the most personal experience.
In addition, Zeng Guofan cited the chapter "Love is not close" in Mencius Li Lou. He said, "It was not kind to read it in previous years; After a long experience in recent years, I know that those who cure people are not cured, and my wisdom is not enough. "
The original text of this chapter in Mencius Li Lou is: "Love is not close, but against its benevolence; Treating people without cure is contrary to their wisdom; Courtesy people don't answer, but respect them. Those who have done something wrong are all self-seeking. Its body is right, and the world belongs to it. " Generally speaking, if you love others without being approached, you should consider whether you are righteous or not; If people are not well governed, they should consider whether they have enough wisdom; Treat others with courtesy, but you can't get feedback, so you should consider whether you respect others enough; If you can't get the expected results, you should reflect on yourself. If you are upright, people all over the world will naturally join you.
Zeng Guofan said that through his life experience, he really understood that "it is not wise to cure people." Obviously, Zeng Guofan wanted to explain a problem to his son through these two examples. In order to really gain something from reading, he must, as Zhu Xi said, pass the "self-examination".
Zeng Guofan's remarks were addressed to his son Ceng Jize, but it can also be seen that this is Zeng Guofan's view on how to gain something from reading. It can be seen that he has his own unique views on Zhu Xi's "swimming with an open mind and observing oneself". In particular, the explanation of "Han Yong" is obviously a deepening of Zhu Xi's ideas. Zhu Xi's "Han Yong" may just mean to immerse yourself in the book and get its nourishment. Zeng Guofan played a big role in this: first, he emphasized that reading must be about swimming, but it must be moderate, neither enough nor excessive. If it is not enough, it will get little. If it is excessive, it will lose the flower's "falling off" and the rice will be drowned in the book. Second, he thinks that the swimming of reading is actually a happy process. If you can't feel the happiness of reading, you can't learn from reading. Of course, Zeng Guofan's feelings about "observing oneself" are well known to many scholars. To really read, you have to read some classics, without your own personal observation and perception. Even if you read more and get familiar with them, you will get nothing.