In ancient times, scholars were for themselves, to make up for deficiencies; today’s scholars are for people, but they can speak. Scholars in ancient times were people who practiced the Tao to benefit the world; today's scholars are self-cultivation and seek to make progress. Scholars still plant trees, play with their flowers in the spring, and harvest their fruits in the autumn; lectures and articles are the flowers of spring, and self-cultivation and conduct are the fruits of autumn. When you are young in life, your spirit is unique. After you have grown up, your thoughts are scattered. You must educate yourself early and don't miss the opportunity. When I was seven years old, I recited "Lingguang Palace Fu". To this day, I have not forgotten it every ten years. After twenty years, the scriptures I recited will become desolate after being discarded for a month. However, people have setbacks and lose their prime years. It is like studying late at night, so you should not give up. Confucius said: "You can learn Yi at fifty without making any big mistakes." Wei Wu and Yuan Yi were both old and diligent. They both studied young but never tired of it until old age. Zengzi was a scholar at seventy and became famous all over the world; Xunqing, at fifty, began to study abroad and was still a master of Confucianism; Gongsun Hong was in his forties before he studied in the Spring and Autumn Period and became the prime minister; Zhu Yun was also forty and began to study Yi and the Analects of Confucius. When Huangfu Mi was twenty years old, he began to accept the Classic of Filial Piety and the Analects of Confucius: they all eventually became great Confucians. This is because they were confused early and died late. People in the world are said to be late and old when they get married without learning, and they are also said to be stupid if they follow the wall. A scholar when young is like the light of the rising sun, and a scholar when old is like walking at night holding a candle, just like a wise man who closes his eyes and sees nothing. Those who have no sight. The rise and fall of learning depends on the importance of the times. The virtuous and handsome men of the Han Dynasty all used one scripture to spread the teachings of the sages. They used it to guide the time of tomorrow and the people and affairs of the country. Many of them used this to teach ministers. The customs have come and gone, and there is nothing left to do except to recite the teacher's words and help with worldly affairs. Therefore, the children of scholar-bureaucrats all value being knowledgeable and unwilling to specialize in Confucianism. The emperors and grandsons of the Liang Dynasty and below, who were in their first year, must first enter school to see their ambitions. After they were born, they studied literature and history, and there were few graduates. Those who have this crown include He Yin, Liu Gu, Mingshan Bin, Zhou She, Zhu Yi, Zhou Hongzheng, He Chen, He Ge, Xiao Zizheng, Liu Sui, etc., who are also familiar with literature and history, and do not just talk about it. Luoyang also heard about Cui Hao, Zhang Wei and Liu Fang, and Xing Zicai was also seen under Ye. Although these four Confucian scholars were good at Confucian classics, they were also famous for their talents. Such sages are of the highest rank, but they lead many idle people in the fields. Their vocabulary is poor, their manners are clumsy, their appearance is fixed, they are incapable of doing anything, and when asked, they will be paid hundreds of dollars, and they will be blamed for pointing out, or there will be no important meeting. There is a proverb in Yexia: "When a doctor buys a donkey, he gets three coupons, but there is no word donkey on them." It makes you angry to take this as your teacher. Confucius said: Learning is also a source of wealth. "The useless things you are working on now may not be your career. The book of the saint is here to teach, but it is enough to practice the scriptures clearly, understand the meaning clearly, and always make your words and deeds worthwhile. Why should "Zhongniju" require both What is the meaning of the paper and the lecture hall? Is it better to win with this? It is a pity that time is like passing water. It is necessary to learn the secrets in order to achieve both beauty and beauty. I have no time to translate. People want to enrich themselves and make up for their own shortcomings. People who study now do it to please others and show off to others. People who studied in ancient times did it for others and promoted their own ideas to benefit society. People who study now do it for their own needs. Cultivation of body and mind is like planting fruit trees, and you can enjoy its flowers in spring and pick its fruits in autumn. Cultivation of body and mind is like appreciating spring flowers. It's like picking autumn fruits. When people are young, their minds are sharp and focused. When they grow up, their thoughts are easily distracted. Therefore, children must be educated early and don't miss the opportunity. When I was seven years old, I recited "Lingguang Palace Fu". , to this day, I review it every ten years, and I still haven’t forgotten it. After I turned 20, the scriptures I memorized became useless after being left there for a month. However, there are always times when people are in trouble, and they lose the desire to study in their prime. If you have the opportunity, you should seize the time to study in your later years, and do not give up on yourself. Confucius said: "Study "Yi" at the age of fifty, and you will avoid making big mistakes. "Emperors Wu Wu of Wei and Yuan Yi became more attentive in their studies when they were old. These are examples of those who studied diligently from childhood to old age. Zengzi did not start studying until he was seventeen years old, and finally became famous all over the world; Xunzi did not start studying in Qi until he was fifty years old. After studying abroad, he still became a great scholar; Gongsun Hong did not start reading "Spring and Autumn" until he was in his forties, and later became the prime minister; Zhu Yun did not start studying "Yi Jing" and "The Analects of Confucius" until he was forty years old, and Huangfu Mi did not start studying "Spring and Autumn" until he was twenty years old. They began to study "The Classic of Filial Piety" and "The Analects of Confucius", and eventually became great scholars. These are all examples of people who were addicted in their early years and woke up in their later years. Most people say it is too late before they start studying when they reach adulthood, and they just keep wandering around day by day. Going down is like standing facing a wall, unable to see anything, which is stupid enough. Those who learn from childhood are like the light of the rising sun; those who start learning in old age are like walking at night with a torch, but it is still worse. Those who close their eyes and see nothing are wise.
Whether the learning atmosphere is strong depends on whether the society attaches importance to the practicality of knowledge. The virtuous people of the Han Dynasty were able to promote the way of the saints by relying on a kind of scriptures, and they were able to understand astronomy and human affairs. Many people obtained the official positions of ministers and ministers through this. Since the popularity of chatting in the last days, scholars have stuck to chapters and sentences, and can only recite their teachers' remarks and apply them to current affairs, but almost none of them are useful. Therefore, the children of scholar-bureaucrats all pay attention to reading more and are unwilling to stick to rules and regulations. When children of the nobles of the Liang Dynasty were children, they must first enter Chinese studies to observe their ambitions and admiration. After they entered the official career, they worked as civil servants, and few completed their studies. Those who have been officials for generations and engaged in Confucianism include He Yin, Liu Xian, Mingshan Bin, Zhou She, Zhu Yi, Zhou Hongzheng, He Chen, He Ge, Xiao Zizheng, Liu Guo and others. They are all proficient in literature and history, not just in history. Explain scriptures. I also heard that there were Sai Hao, Zhang Wei, and Liu Fang in Luoyang, and I met Xing Zicai in Ye. These four Confucian scholars not only liked Confucian classics, but were also famous for their literary talents and erudition. Sages like these can naturally be of high quality. In addition, most of them are from the countryside. Their language is vulgar and their behavior is vulgar. They are also arbitrary and conservative. They have no ability. They have to answer hundreds of sentences to ask a question. When I bought a donkey, I wrote three contracts without the word "donkey" in it." If you were asked to take this kind of person as your teacher, you would be pissed to death. Confucius once said: "Study hard, and your salary will be in it." Nowadays, some people only try their best on useless things, which may not be considered their true career! The books of saints are used to educate people. As long as you can read the scriptures well and understand the meaning of the words in the annotations roughly, so that they can often help your words and deeds, that is enough for you to live in the world; why bother with "Zhongniju" "It takes two pages of prose to explain three words. You said "ju" refers to a place where you live leisurely, and he said "ju" refers to a place for teaching. Who can see it now? On this kind of issue, would there be any benefit in arguing that you lose and I win? Time is worth cherishing and will never come back like running water. We should widely read the essential points in the book to achieve fame and career. If you can combine extensive knowledge with specialization, then I won't criticize you.