The cleverest way to change fate is just two words!

Zeng Guofan is praised by the world as the first perfect person of "meritorious service, virtue and three immortal words".

but few people know that he grew up with an ordinary family and mediocre qualifications. he even took the exam seven times to become a scholar, his health is not good, and he is often ridiculed as a man of dull talent.

can be such a person that Mao Zedong admired: "to a close friend, only to Zeng Wen Zhenggong."

Zeng Guofan's life is a legendary life from a fool to a saint.

and the secret of his way from a fool to a saint has only two words-reading.

01

Reading across classes

as the saying goes, "if you eat bitterness, you will be superior to man."

if you can't bear the hardships of reading, you can't escape the shackles of life and you can't be a superior person.

people are talking about class solidification, but the point of reading is that no matter how ordinary and small you are, as long as you do your best, you can usher in the transformation of life.

Zeng Guofan came from a mountain family in Hunan, and for generations he relied on farming for a living.

although his grandfather Zeng Yuping is not very literate, he has rich life experience and attaches great importance to reading and education.

because through the ages, only reading is a shortcut and the best way for ordinary families to cross classes.

Zeng Guofan has ordinary qualifications, but he is notoriously diligent in his studies. He was enlightened at the age of four, studied scriptures at the age of eight, practiced stereotyped writing at the age of nine, and took part in the county examination at the age of 14.

the study is hard and the imperial examination is difficult. Even though he failed many times, he never gave up, but constantly reflected on and sublimated his way of reading.

in this way, after years of hard study, he finally won the scholar, then Juren, and then went to the capital to win Jinshi, which became the second place in the palace examination.

I have heard a saying: "the best way to break down class barriers is to read books."

birth determines your lower limit, but reading determines the upper limit of your life.

studying hard is a shortcut for ordinary people to counterattack, 200 years ago, and still is today.

so, after you have suffered from reading, you are on the best way to the wider world.

02

Reading, ascending circle

there is an old saying: "those who are close to red are red, those who are close to ink are black."

the quickest way for a person to be good is to be with good people.

and reading is the stepping stone to improve one's own circle and the beginning of self-improvement.

after Zeng Guofan went to school, there was almost no one in his circle of friends who was far inferior to him and was not highly motivated.

as he himself said, everyone has his own strengths, which are worth learning.

in terms of self-cultivation, there is Tang Jian; in the study of Confucian classics and history, there is Wu Zixu. In terms of artistic creation, there is he Shaoji.

the excellence of Zeng Guofan's friends is a great spur to Zeng Guofan, so he catches up, keeps growing, and finally stands out

. After Zeng Guofan entered the circle of Mu Zhanga, the first assistant minister of military aircraft, he was recommended and recommended, became a close minister of Emperor Daoguang, and gained a complete foothold in official circles.

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on the way of making friends, Zeng Guofan said: "the success or failure of life is all about whether a friend is virtuous or not."

means that the quality of your circle determines the quality of your life.

walk with the wise, you will stand out; with the superior, you can reach the top.

read books, so as to enter the high-level circle, where there are often more excellent people, which has a great pulling effect on your life.

03

Reading, magnifying the pattern

Zeng Guofan said: "Human temperament is difficult to change because it is born, but reading can change temperament."

Reading and cultivating moral sentiment can change your temperament and enlarge your pattern.

before the age of 30, Zeng Guofan, with a big temper and a small pattern, was just an ordinary layman, an ordinary bureaucrat, and had no proud achievements.

but in his thirties, he realized that he had been confused in the past, so he was determined to be a saint of literary and martial arts.

how can I become a saint?

persisting in reading and asking for advice from his ancestors is the only way for Zeng Guofan to be reborn.

there is one of Zeng Guofan's daily lessons. He reads ten pages of history every day, even if something happens.

he also asked himself to "read, read, write and write" every day.

even on the march, he was tired and tired, and he had to finish his books before he could rest.

Zeng Guofan also said: "for those who seek great things, the first priority is the pattern."

it is not birth, talent, or ability that determines a person's height and fate, but pattern.

and persevering in reading, is the nourishment of your life, the soul of wisdom, can make your mind.

04

study, the family thrives

Mencius said, "A gentleman is cut off for five generations."

but the Zeng family has not declined for ten generations, and talented people have emerged in large numbers, and none of them is a black sheep. The secret of

lies in the sentence Zeng Guofan wrote in his family letter: "I do not want to be rich from generation to generation. I hope there will be scholars from generation to generation."

Zeng Guofan always finds time to learn about his children's studies, makes study plans himself, and urges them to make progress.

even though he was an official as far away as Beijing, he attached great importance to the descendants of his clan and did not forget to write home and teach his brothers and nephews to make progress.

with regard to reading, he is so strict that children are not allowed to slack off.

he acted by his own example.Then, teach future generations to plough and read the family, so that the family style of Zeng can not fall for a hundred years.

Reading is not only the step of personal entry, but also the foundation of inheriting and rejuvenating the family.

Su Shi also said: "loyal and honest family has been handed down for a long time, and the secretary-general of poetry and books."

the best heirloom left to future generations is not a house, a car or a ticket, but teaching children to read.

because reading is the nobility with the lowest threshold, the first good thing in the world, and the foundation for the prosperity of the family.

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Zeng Guofan said: "the character of a person who likes reading can't be so bad, and a person of good character will not have any bad luck in his life."

it can be seen that the luck of fengshui in one's life is hidden in the word "reading".

Reading enables you to break down barriers and cross classes;

Reading can help you ride the wind and waves and improve your circle;

Reading can teach you to cultivate your character and enlarge the pattern;

Reading can make you understand and make your family prosperous.

in the future, may you and I be able to gain new knowledge, gain knowledge, learn more, change our destiny, and become better ourselves.