These two sentences are Tsinghua University's school motto.
Quote two sentences from the Book of Changes written by Jichang in the Western Zhou Dynasty: "Heaven is healthy, and gentlemen are constantly striving for self-improvement; The capacity of the earth is limited, so a gentleman must constantly cultivate his own virtue to undertake the world. ? "
The movement of Heaven (that is, nature) is strong and healthy. Accordingly, a gentleman should be a man of heaven and strive for self-improvement. Strong and resolute, work hard and never stop; The potential of the earth is thick and slippery, and the gentleman is tolerant.
The last sentence, "Heaven is healthy, and gentlemen are constantly striving for self-improvement", is more widely circulated.
Extended data
The causes of Tsinghua University's school motto.
Tsinghua University's predecessor, Tsinghua School, was founded in 19 1 1, and was renamed Tsinghua School the following year. Under the background that China was forced to open its doors to learn from the West, it was a preparatory school for studying in the United States with part of boxer indemnity returned by the United States. At that time, many people of insight realized that they should learn science and democracy from the west, but at the same time, they did not forget to cultivate talents who were patriotic, founded the country and adapted to local conditions.
Mr. Liang Qichao, a famous thinker and social activist, is very concerned about running schools and the growth of students in Tsinghua. He is obsessed with the cultural roots of students studying in America. He once said: "In addition to Western learning, Tsinghua students should also learn Chinese studies; Gai Guo Xue is the foundation of the country and has made contributions, especially to non-Chinese studies. "
1914165438+15, Liang Qichao gave a lecture on "Gentleman" in Tsinghua, using the image of Zhouyi to inspire students: "Heaven is healthy, gentlemen strive for self-improvement", "The terrain is rich, and gentlemen carry things with morality".
He pointed out that a gentleman's ambition is like the endless movement of celestial bodies. He should not be cold, should not advance for profit, and retreat when encountering difficulties. Instead, he should emphasize self-victory, abandon selfish desires, respect fruit and persevere, go forward bravely, avoid difficulties and obstacles, and strive for self-improvement; At the same time, a gentleman should be generous to others, such as the knowledge of heaven and earth, inclusive of all things, strict with himself, lighter than others, and graceful.
In the future, we can absorb new civilizations with a broad mind, improve our society, promote our politics, set an example for society with generous morality, become a mainstay, and shoulder historical responsibilities. For this reason, when you study in Germany, you are a real gentleman. Liang Qichao's impassioned speech deeply inspired the students in Tsinghua, and later "self-improvement, kindness and morality" became the school motto of Tsinghua.
On April 25, 2008, a circular icon appeared in the issue of 19 138 of Tsinghua Weekly, which read "Strive for Self-improvement, be virtuous and carry things". 125 October, 1926, 165438 were officially recognized as the school emblem of Tsinghua University by the school review meeting. 1928, Tsinghua University was officially named Tsinghua University, and the school emblem still uses the above-mentioned eight-character school motto.
After the founding of New China, colleges and universities once did not mention school motto. Tsinghua once used a red five-star to cover the school emblem and motto above the rostrum of the auditorium. In the 1950s and 1960s, President Jiang Nanxiang advocated "being both red and professional, developing in an all-round way" and "supporting the Party, socialism and obeying the needs of the motherland", which inspired students, but it was not explicitly taken as the school motto.
In the 1990s, according to the opinions of alumni, Tsinghua University resumed the school motto of "striving for self-improvement, respecting morality and carrying things", and the school emblem of the auditorium also surfaced. Article 41 of the Articles of Association of Tsinghua University promulgated on 20 14 stipulates: "The school emblem is a round face composed of three concentric circles, the outer circle is the Chinese school name (traditional), the English school name (Tsinghua University) and the founding date, the middle circle is the school motto, and the center is the five-pointed star."
20 10 in may, Gu, then president of Tsinghua University, told Chen Lijun, president of Tsinghua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan Province, "A university has three treasures: motto, alumni and campus. The school motto of Tsinghua on both sides of the strait is the same, and overseas alumni associations are integrated. " "The two sides of the strait have not yet been unified, but the Tsinghua Alumni Association on both sides of the strait has long been unified." Gu's quip has been recognized by Chen Lijun, and Tsinghua on both sides of the Taiwan Strait has the same roots and is passed down as a much-told story.
The school motto of "Self-improvement, Morality-oriented" embodies the spirit of Tsinghua and is the pillar and soul of Tsinghua's spiritual culture. It has not only profoundly influenced generations of Tsinghua students, but also remains the spiritual symbol of self-motivation and social influence of graduates after entering the society.
In 2004, China Youth Daily and Sina Weibo selected "Top Ten School Mottos I Appreciate Most", and Tsinghua's school motto ranked first. Professor Qian Gengsen, a senior student in Tsinghua, mentioned that Professor Du Weiming of Harvard University thinks that Tsinghua is the best motto of all universities in the world.
Zhang Dainian, a famous philosopher, thinks that "striving for self-improvement, respecting morality and carrying things" highly summarizes the basic spirit of China culture, and points out that "striving for self-improvement" means moving forward forever and never stopping, which shows the struggle spirit of the Chinese nation. In political life, never bow to foreign aggression or compromise with bad forces; In personal life, we emphasize the independence of personality, and our ambition is irresistible.
"Carrying things by virtue" means being broad-minded and inclusive. In China, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are all inclusive, which is unique to China. There are religious wars in western history, but not in China, which is undoubtedly a major feature of China culture. "Self-improvement" is the spirit of struggle, and "respecting morality and carrying things" is the spirit of compatibility. This is the basic spirit of China culture, which can be called "China spirit".
He also said: moral is a kind of tolerant thought, and it has a tolerant attitude towards different opinions, which has played a great role in the development of thought and academics. Self-improvement is the experience of life, and one's life is hard work and progress. These two thoughts, strong will and tolerant attitude, have played a leading role in China culture and are healthy and correct.
In the early days of its establishment, Tsinghua people closely linked its spiritual world with that of the Chinese nation.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Tian Xingjian, the gentleman is constantly striving for self-improvement; The terrain is Kun, and the gentleman carries things with morality.