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 fond of 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, he gave a speech on "gentlemen" in Tsinghua, and used the images of "Heaven is strong, gentlemen strive for self-improvement" and "the terrain is rich, and gentlemen carry things with morality" in Zhouyi to inspire students. 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 Tsinghua students. Later, "self-improvement, morality and carrying things" became the school motto of Tsinghua. On the cover of issue 19 138 of Tsinghua Weekly published on April 25th, 2008, a circular icon appeared, which read "Strive for Self-improvement, be virtuous", 1926 65438. 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 red and expert, 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 ring is the Chinese school name (traditional), the English school name (Tsinghua University) and the school founding date, the central ring is the school motto, and the center is a 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.