Self-improvement, morality-bearing —— Interpretation of Tsinghua University's school motto: two sentences from Zhouyi: one sentence is "Heaven is strong, and a gentleman is self-improvement" (dry divination); One sentence is "the terrain is Kun, and the gentleman carries things with morality" (Kun Gua). During the Republic of China, when Liang Qichao was teaching in Tsinghua University, he gave a lecture on Gentlemen to students in Tsinghua at that time. In his speech, he hoped that all students in Tsinghua would inherit the traditional Chinese virtues, and quoted the words of "striving for self-improvement" and "cherishing morality" in the Book of Changes to inspire students in Tsinghua. From then on, Tsinghua people wrote the words "self-improvement, kindness and morality" into the school rules of Tsinghua, and later gradually evolved into the school motto of Tsinghua.
The words "Heaven is powerful, and the gentleman strives for self-improvement" and "The terrain is vast, and the gentleman carries things with morality" mean that the movement of Heaven (that is, nature) is strong and healthy. Accordingly, a gentleman should behave like the sky, constantly strive for self-improvement, be resolute and resolute, and never stop; The potential of the earth is thick and slippery, and the gentleman is tolerant. A gentleman should run like Tianyu, indomitable even if he is displaced; If you are a gentleman, the measurement of objects should be like the earth, and nothing can't be carried. For two thousand years, many people know and few people can understand. However, there are still different explanations in academic circles. At present, there seems to be no recognized correct explanation. )
Mr. Zhang Dainian, a famous philosopher, historian of philosophy, master of Chinese studies and professor of philosophy department of Peking University, summarized the spirit of the Chinese nation as "striving for self-improvement" and "cherishing morality". As a master of Chinese studies, he worked hard all his life, devoted himself to learning, and benefited the cultural and academic undertakings of the motherland. He is a model for a generation of scholars.
Enlightenment from historical allusions of self-improvement
Things are ups and downs like lightning, Shi Huo, ups and downs, unpredictable. If you have a genius, diligence will make you stronger; If you have no talent, diligence will make you win everything. Fate is in the hands of those who work hard. The people who push the world forward are not those geniuses in the strict sense, but those with average intelligence and very hard work; Not those gifted and brilliant geniuses, but those who work hard in any industry. Even if you are physically disabled, even if you have no extraordinary talent, even if others look down on you. However, as long as you work hard to improve yourself, you can change others' views on you and open up a world of your own!
People with extraordinary talents without perseverance and perseverance will only become fleeting sparks. Many people who are strong-willed, persistent and even slightly dull will surpass those who have only talent but no perseverance. Laziness is a poison, poisoning people's body and mind. No matter how beautiful things are, people can only understand how hard-won this beautiful thing is by paying corresponding labor and sweat.
True wisdom is always associated with modesty, and a true philosopher must be as generous as the sea. Shallow jealousy and ignorant contempt are both manifestations of real disrespect for labor and hard work. People often say: sow the seeds of behavior and you will reap the habits; Sow the seeds of habit, and you will gain character; Sow the seeds of character and you will reap a certain fate. "Smell the chicken dancing and leave work early, and heaven rewards people with lofty ideals." Let's form the habit of diligence, cultivate the character of diligence and reap the fruits of bumper harvest!
I asked students to write articles with the motto of Tsinghua University, "Self-improvement, Morality and Carrying Things". It is found that although students can understand the meaning of "self-improvement" from the front, they are not very clear about its profound meaning; As for "paying attention to morality", most people can't understand the literal meaning, which I feel very sorry for.
I once told people that the best school motto in our country should be from Tsinghua, because it expresses the essence of traditional culture. "Self-improvement" comes from "Dry a Fragrant": "A gentleman strives for self-improvement." The sun, moon and stars in the sky are constantly running, which means "Tian Xingjian". A gentleman should follow the example of Heaven and keep running and working like Heaven. See Yi Kun: "The terrain is vast, and a gentleman carries things with morality." The terrain of the land is thick and wide, which can bear everything. A gentleman can learn from the law and accumulate virtue before he can inherit the business.
Therefore, to strive for self-improvement and be virtuous is to ask people to follow the example of heaven and earth and make continuous efforts in all aspects of learning and doing things. Traditional culture emphasizes "harmony between man and nature". Man originates from heaven and earth and is a derivative of heaven and earth, so the way of heaven and earth is the way of life. Many ancient scholars can deeply understand this spirit and consciously practice it. For example, Confucius said that he "forgot to eat when he was angry, but forgot to worry when he was happy, and he didn't know that his old age was coming." Confucius once said to the students by the river: "The deceased is like a husband, staying up all night." It is to encourage them to imitate nature, cherish time and strive for progress.
In the late Ming Dynasty, Gu wrote a poem: It rains at dusk in black dragon, and the old trees bloom more in spring. He believes that "as long as you don't die, there will be an unheard-of road." In his later years, Wang Fuzhi was ill in bed, but he overcame all kinds of unimaginable difficulties and worked hard to write a book. Jiang Zhai wrote: "Throughout his life, he was terminally ill, and his wrist was beyond the inkstone, which meant that he was beyond the pen. When he was alive, he put the ink by the bed. When he was ill, he stole the notes. " It is this spirit that they embody. This spirit, because of people's practice, makes our descendants still feel its mysterious rationality and bright beauty from time to time. There is no doubt that traditional culture contains extremely valuable things. People seem to understand this verbally, but I always feel that those who take it for granted or turn a blind eye are still full of words. It is incredible that such an excellent collection of our own treasures should not know how to love and teach. I recently saw a note that made me sigh. Zhuzi wrote: "Try to think that man can praise the teaching of heaven and earth with his natural body;" Ordinary people can also become sages ... "The annotation of' Zan' in Selected Notes of Zhuzi Schools published by a university press is' Zan, Zan', which is really a big mistake. The word "like" here should be interpreted as "help". People can help the education of heaven and earth, which is what Confucianism likes to see. This is also the common sense of traditional culture. The ignorance of the annotator is surprising. The same book also notes that the Zen master said: "The cloud is in the sky and the water is in the bottle. "The cloud said," We should check the results of our actions and consider the difficulties in doing things. "If people who dare to annotate ancient books are so ignorant and ignorant of traditional culture, it is even more nonsense. It is not surprising that my students don't know the origin and meaning of' self-improvement' and' emphasis on morality'. It can be seen how far the essence of traditional culture has alienated people.
"Different people have different opinions, and the wise have different opinions" means doing more good deeds. Over time, good deeds are like water drops merging into rivers, lakes and seas, and sublimated into noble character. People with high moral character will get people's support, and groups that abide by moral principles will keep pace with the times and develop healthily. The author believes that the reason why the Chinese nation, with a history of 5,000 years of civilization, still stands in the east of the world after vicissitudes is the inevitable result of a generation of On Behalf Oflong descendants who promote good and restrain evil. Mencius' theory of "providing for the old and caring for the young" and Confucius' theory of "benevolence, courtesy, wisdom, honesty, courtesy, frugality" and "for the people" all advise people to be kind. From this perspective, the development history of the Chinese nation is a history of pursuing "goodness". The so-called "goodness" is "goodness", and "goodness" is "good deeds" that follow the code of conduct or rules of the game that most people recognize and abide by. The meaning of "don't do it with small kindness, don't do it with small evil" inspires all colleagues in the industry. I hope we can do more "good deeds" for honor and the country and accumulate "small favors" into "good virtues"
Great success is in direct proportion to efforts. It should be our lofty and unchanging pursuit to thicken virtue and accommodate everything. Self-improvement is the source of all success!