Zeng Guofan Biography-Draft

2021.10.11The first chapter is the pain of the seven-year imperial examination.

Zeng Guofan 14 years old began to take the scholar exam with his father, and his father 17 years later was admitted. At that time, he was 50 years old, and he was only on the honor list. Zeng Guofan also took seven exams before he was admitted. How many people can persist in the imperial examination for so many years? During these seven years, I have been subjected to cynicism, and sometimes I have to admit the evil in human nature. How many people read his jokes year after year, but once the list is revealed, the chickens and dogs will ascend to heaven. In the face of such a dilemma, Zeng Guofan just insisted and never mentioned a few words of cynicism. He has always been introverted, starting from himself and persevering. During his seven years in the imperial examination, he was guided by his father. After his father passed the exam, he found his own way and was confident that he would do better than before. He was admitted. He didn't stop there after he passed the exam. Instead, he made persistent efforts to be a candidate in the next year's exam. At that time, he took the exam once every three years, and the admission rate was less than one in a million, but he was admitted, and then he was admitted to North Korea, which was the threshold for imperial academy.

After reading: Zeng Guofan actually took seven years to be admitted to the scholar. I really admire this persistence. It pains me to think about how painful he, his father and his family were at that time. I am from the countryside myself, and I deeply feel that not all villagers are kind. There are many people gossiping, gossiping. When you are good, she finds fault with you, and when you are bad, he speaks more viciously, which can shield the external noise and intensify it into some kind of power. This is a valuable asset. Zeng Guofan was ambitious. If someone else was admitted to a scholar, he might have stopped, but his ambition was far more than that, so he later entered the Imperial Academy, the highest institution of learning at that time. This shows that if we take the long-term goal, the potholes in front of us are nothing, and the mountains and seas are in front of us, then we will not.

2021.10.12 Chapter II? Become a saint

After Zeng Guofan went to Beijing to be an official, he found that he was only ignorant of knowledge, because all the books he had read before were for imperial examinations and exam-oriented education. Only when I arrived in Beijing did I find that quality is also a very important accomplishment, so I decided to become a saint and felt guilty for my rudeness and vulgarity. So he started to keep a diary. At first, he often failed, and his wish was difficult to come true. Later, Tang Jian recommended him to learn the method of keeping a diary from Woren: He also said that Feng Ren, a Japanese elder in Wogen, Henan Province, was the most diligent, taking notes at every meal from morning till night. Or those who have selfish desires and don't look outside, record it. First of all, keeping a diary should be regarded as an important event in life, and it should be written respectfully, because it reflects a sincere attitude. What is stipulated in the diary must be done. Secondly, the role of the diary is to "study a few", that is, the details, that is, to grasp the details in life and change yourself through each detail, instead of gently sliding over the details. If one detail fails, the whole self-management project may collapse, so when writing a diary, you should reflect on the activities of the whole day, not only on your own behavior one by one, but also on every thought in your mind. After that, Zeng Guofan kept a diary all his life and began to show it to his friends to urge himself. Later, I sent it home to my brother and nephew, which is equivalent to talking to them and taking the opportunity to let people supervise themselves. From his diary, it is not difficult to see his introspection and progress. It took him 30 days to quit smoking, but it took him 30 years to quit the more difficult human weakness. As he said, there are traces to quit smoking, as long as you don't touch your pipe, but it's personality. People's efforts, God's cultivation, will make a tree grow taller quietly, and will also make a person mature slowly: "Don't forget to help, look at the ground and grow taller in thousands of feet." From Zeng Guofan's sage ambition, we can better understand that practice is a lifelong lesson, and as long as you don't give up, you will achieve something.

Thoughts after reading: Zeng Guofan saw the sage Si Qi, made great plans and stuck to them, which is really an example for us to learn. His determination to quit smoking made me realize that I also need to make up my mind about a healthy diet. High-calorie foods can always be taken away or left untouched. I can't do it because I don't think enough. If I want, I will cook with "strong fire"; It took him 30 years to get rid of human weakness. I'm motivated to think of this. Change is really a long-term persistence and needs "slow fire". Some years of thinking habits and subconscious reactions also need to be updated bit by bit. I learned from Rebuilding Life that thoughts can be changed, and with Zeng Guofan's insistence, they can definitely be changed. There is really a way to change, plus. " !

Practice: 1. Keep a diary every day, because children are required to keep a diary every day, and you should accompany yourself every day.

Excerpt:

1. When writing a diary, you should reflect on the activities of the whole day, not only on your own behavior one by one, but also on every thought that goes through your mind.

2. People's efforts and the cultivation of the sky will make a tree grow taller quietly, and it will also make a person mature slowly: "Don't forget to help, watch the flat land grow taller.

2021.10.13 chapter iii amazing advanced way

When you enter the academician courtyard, you don't have to sit back and relax, but you have to take exams. Only if you are elected, can you hold a high position, or you will be given an official position. At that time, the Hanlin Academy had jingles; "Wearing mink with pearls, immortals are free and unfettered all day long, and even immortals are not spared", which is enough to show that kung fu is now normal, not overnight. At that time, Zeng Guofan was very self-disciplined because he was determined to be holy. Therefore, such a sudden attack exam was in line with Zeng Guofan's style, so he moved for ten years and seven months. Of course, in addition to insisting on self-discipline and hard work, he also made many friends, expanded his cognitive scope and improved in all aspects. Moreover, he also made many friends, and tried his best to help his friends while gaining personal growth. He was loved not only by his friends, but also by the emperor. He is a man of principle and interacts with his boss. He is very careful about his manners and never loses his manners. The court resolutely refused to let him do it and was not partial. Therefore, he has nothing to do with the happiness or misfortune brought about by the reform. Zeng Guofan's style of doing things has never been sharp, down-to-earth, crooked ways and no shortcuts. Today, this is also very rare. He is unmoved by foreign affairs and has his own opinions. This reminds me of Li Hongzhang's saying that he should be "sincere" in dealing with westernization thanks to the teacher's words. This sentence made Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang make diplomatic contributions to the first batch of students studying in the United States.

The so-called amazing way forward is nothing more than self-discipline, discretion, boundaries and practicality.

2021.10.14 Chapter IV? Former officialdom peers.

This won the favor of Daoguang, but when he arrived in Xianfeng, he not only made rude remarks, but also offended the emperor and his colleagues. In the end, no one even shared a table with him for dinner. What is more tragic is that the low salary system in the Qing Dynasty caused him to have no money to return to China. But under such circumstances, he still insisted on being a saint and was ashamed of pursuing gray income. Later, the emperor appointed him as the examiner after having obtained the provincial examination in Jiangxi. He thought he would get some money so that he could go back to his hometown and get a two-month holiday, but his mother died and he hurried back to his family. Not greedy for money has always been a bright spot in his life. He spends money like water on others and is especially frugal with himself. It may be easier for people to practice in prosperity, but it is really commendable to persist in practicing in this predicament. But god never shuts one door but he opens another, and gold always shines. After not being favored by Emperor Xianfeng, he still insisted on serving the country when he returned to China, and everything still focused on the country, which was really admirable.

This chapter admires his busy work, but insists on keeping a diary. Mianmian Jiang Mumu's Room Diary is divided into eight columns. Reading, sitting, writing, working, attending classes, meeting people and answering letters, I write according to the format every day, and I also work hard, so I can't put down my books. Since yesterday, I have also started to keep a diary. I call it a success diary. Recently, I mainly recorded various parent-child relationships. Because I began to practice words and deeds, I used to be dragged in when my child was emotional. My child was naturally good at capturing this kind of information and always treated me with this kind of information. So now I have learned to pull away. I told myself that you are an adult, he is a child, and you are more tolerant than him. I gave myself a guide: it will be difficult at first. I put this sentence on the table and meditated once to get myself out of inertia thinking.

Practice: 1. Every diary, read your own positive affirmation.

Golden sentence:

The second volume The rise of Xiang army

2021.10.19 Chapter V "Shame on Changsha who once shaved his head"

Going home to be filial, I want to settle down and study at the same time. I have always admired Wang and his son and want to study them carefully. However, because of the rise of the Taiping Army, the court sent him to Yingyong, and there were no eggs under the nest. Although he lost confidence in the imperial court, he was still willing to rebuild the world at heart. He severely punished bandits and thieves and became a "man who once shaved his head." He impeached Germany to arouse the dissatisfaction of his colleagues. His overall situation made him touch other people's cheese, and the second-class officer was almost killed by green camp. At that time, Hunan officialdom officials protected each other and had nowhere to complain. Finally, he decided to "swallow his teeth and blood", swallowed this tone himself and proved it to people with practical actions. This encounter shows that Zeng Guofan is very concerned about the rise and fall of the country, and the Xiang army trained by Confucianism and Yue Fei spirit is by no means ordinary. In order to achieve great success, he also sized up the situation without considering his own personal interests. Although he is a civil servant, he is a general.

202 1. 10.26 Why are the items in Chapter VI so awesome?

1. The painstaking efforts and conscience of creating the Xiang Army: The appearance of the Xiang Army not only changed Zeng Guofan's life trend, but also changed the fate of the whole country. Although Zeng Guofan was a civil servant, he foresaw the chaos as early as when the Kingdom of Tian Ping appeared. When the country was in chaos, he was also very aware of the overall situation. He was not confined to the small position arranged by the emperor to simply organize Yong ying, because he knew it was not enough to save the country's crisis. He chose to strengthen the Xiang army, challenging the national principle of the Qing dynasty, that is, the Han nationality could not master the military power. This choice is very dangerous and there is a risk of being beheaded. But at present, not only the country is in danger, but also the culture is lost, which is the last thing Zeng Guofan wants to see. Moreover, the national regular army is perfunctory and has no fighting capacity. It was already terminally ill, so he made the most dangerous but also the best choice to save the country: to build a new one on bare land. He had a difficult road to build the Xiang army, with no funds, contacts and relevant institutional guarantee, but Changsha's humiliation made him firmly believe that he must do it. From this perspective, if you want to do something, you have to pay more persistence than ordinary people, and you need diligence and wisdom. I feel that if I show this courage, I don't know how many careers I can achieve. On weekdays, I pay attention to small things, so I should learn to look at them in the long run.

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Chapter V-Chapter VI 1

While abiding by filial piety, we can't bear to ignore the danger of the country. Go out to run group training and be humiliated by Changsha. It's hard to read. Not to mention his own situation, the key is that if the country loses to the Taiping rebels, the culture of the country will be rewritten, which is the last thing Zeng Guofan wants to see. Moreover, win without fighting. As a scholar, he made the most dangerous but best choice to save the country: to build a new village on bare land. He had a difficult road to build the Xiang army, with no funds, contacts and relevant institutional guarantee, but Changsha's humiliation made him firmly believe that he must do it. From this perspective, if you want to do something, you have to pay more persistence than ordinary people, and you need more diligence and wisdom. I think if I show this courage, I don't know how many problems I can solve that only exist in my mind but don't enter into action. On weekdays, my focus is on small things, often because of small things. In the future, I have to learn to take a long-term view. As long as I have a big picture, everything at present has a solution.

Starting from the overall situation and focusing on the current specific affairs is still very convincing. I think this is very applicable in life and work. I want a peaceful life, and I want a rich spiritual world. So how can we get it? Inner peace comes from the attitude towards life, and the attitude comes from one's own cognition. How can I make my cognition clearer and more perfect? That requires a broader vision and profound knowledge, so how to broaden your horizons and knowledge? What I need to do is to read widely, make more friends in different fields, and expand my circle and cognition. With specific goals, I suddenly feel that I have a clue, and the rest is to actively adhere to it. There are many ways to persist, such as self-supervision, external force drive, positive feedback, peer supervision and so on. It seems that there are many ways to solve the problem, so choose the one you like and are good at.

Practice: Reading is a lifelong companion.

Golden sentence: A hero takes off his teeth and swallows blood, and he does not dispute the length of a day.

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Chapter six? Why is Xiang so awesome?

? Since we are ready to swallow our teeth and blood, it is also well-intentioned to delay the chaotic command of Emperor Xianfeng by circuitous means, gain preparation time for ourselves, and distract the attention of the emperor from his requirements when expanding the Xiang army. There are three main points that I admire: determination to help friends (only to achieve the overall situation), persistence (making weapons for Excellence), and thorough reform (thanks to some measures of "reflection").

? A great man like this can endure temporary grievances, take firm faith and put the overall situation first. I began to reflect on myself. Sometimes my emotions are always supreme and I can't bear to be careless. Many times, things are more difficult to advance because of their own emotions. I also care more about the opinions of people around me. What they say is like defining themselves. First, they feel sad and sad, then they often complain or become depressed. Look at Zeng Guofan's experience, and now look at what he has experienced, so he will stabilize his emotions first and then consider how to implement it.

Practice: reduce your impulse and emotional supremacy, and practice "pulling away" more.

Excerpt:

1. There are very few people doing nothing in the world, half greedy, half motivated and half forced.

2. The bitter the wisdom, the smarter it is.

3. Zeng Guofan's first suicide and Xiangtan's victory

Zeng Guofan practiced hard on the one hand.

2. Game with Emperor Xianfeng: Since you are ready to bite your teeth and swallow your blood, it is a good intention to take circuitous measures to delay the chaotic command of Emperor Xianfeng, stop playing hardball, win preparation time for yourself, and distract the emperor's attention to achieve his own demands when strengthening the Xiang Army. A great man like this can endure temporary grievances, take firm faith and put the overall situation first. I began to reflect on myself. Sometimes my emotions are always supreme and I can't bear to be careless. Many times, things are more difficult to advance because of their own emotions. I also care more about the opinions of people around me. What they say is like defining themselves. First, they feel sad and sad, then they often complain or become depressed. Look at Zeng Guofan's experience, and now look at what he has experienced, so he will stabilize his emotions first and then consider how to implement it.

3. Zeng Guofan's first suicide and Xiangtan's victory

On the one hand, Zeng Guofan practiced Xiang army, on the other hand, he resisted the pressure of the emperor and dealt with him. Finally, he touched each other with his sword. Based on the idea of winning the first battle, Jinggang failed and he was insulted and despised again. He finally felt that he could not face the idea of suicide, but at this moment, the news of Xiangtan's victory came, and Zeng Guofan suddenly came to the spirit. Moreover, in the face of Taiping rebels, this was the first time to win a great victory. The emperor was overjoyed and issued an imperial edict.

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Chapter 9 Anqing this tough bone

? "If we walk a mile in other people's shoes, we will understand why they do that." -Louise Hay.

? Why did you write this sentence by Louise Hay? Because before, I was angry with Zeng Guofan and felt that he was loyal to his country, but he didn't get the attention and love he deserved. What's worse, he got the opposite treatment. Seeing him and Hu Linyi gnawing at Anqing's hardest bone together, Xianfeng didn't have a chance to know the news, which made people a little sour. Because from the emperor's point of view, he cares about the country and the people every day and has never enjoyed life for more than ten years. It's sad to think that he was reluctant to eat an egg. So I remembered this sentence of Louise. But when we evaluate a person, we get different results from different angles. Therefore, we should learn not to judge, learn from their excellent places with an open mind, transcend the limitations of the times and abilities, and experience the most touching places.

? Although he won Anqing, the most difficult fight, Zeng Guofan lost his favorite comrade-in-arms and the emperor who was particularly worried about his life. So there is no great cheer of great victory, and no one can enjoy the fruits of victory. Read this article, people have mixed feelings. This also profoundly realized the obvious difference between the overall situation and individualism. I am an emotional person, so I often have unilateral feelings, so I should learn this view from the long-term and overall situation. After reading this, I feel ashamed of my previous grievances. This also practices that I look at my world with new insights and new methods, and I am willing to change and grow.

Practice: Don't judge others.

Excerpt: Soldiers with great talents at all times and all over the world can always grasp the problem from a strategic height, see the key points through temporary chaos, see the essence through the interweaving of interests, and firmly grasp the relationship between long-term and immediate, overall and local.

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Chapter 12

? I should have made great achievements, but I was beaten by the imperial court. Zeng Guofan has read many history books and is proficient in Yi Li, so he knows that the more talented people are, the more they should try to keep a clear head and avoid misfortune. So he cut his own feathers and gave up a little power. Soon, the court's attitude towards him also changed greatly. From this point of view, Zeng Guofan was far-sighted and skillfully resolved the crisis of the Tseng brothers. Later, Zuo Dui returned good for evil. Finally, Zuo was moved to admit that he was not as good as Zeng Guofan. Sages must be heroes, and heroes are not necessarily sages. Zeng Guofan is simply admirable.

Practice: Be more tolerant of those who offend yourself. You can try to put on his shoes and walk around, and then you will know how he feels. You can see three differences, but not necessarily three differences.

Excerpt: If ninety-nine tunnels fail, I'll dig the hundredth.

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Chapter 15

? If you want to be a man, be a man (give a rose and leave a lingering fragrance in your hand)

? The friendship between Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang can be described as teaching his disciples by hand and inculcating them. Disciples are also grateful and know how to advance and retreat. Although there are contradictions, they can communicate frankly, understand each other and admire each other deeply. Only in this way can they last long. He and Li Hongzhang have achieved each other, but they are really happy together. It is enough to have a bosom friend in life. It is really touching to have such friendship with Li Hongzhang. Such great talent and superb skills have really contributed to the prosperity of our great country. I don't know if the emperor and generals are ashamed of this, fearing that he will divide power and seize power. Neo-Confucianism like Zeng Guofan has both ability and political integrity, and loyalty and filial piety come first. How can he get up? At this point, my admiration for Ceng Gong is speechless.

Practice: Whether at work or at home, we are all a team, and we will win together through cooperation, not by ourselves.

Excerpt: The way to be a general is that if you want to establish a person, you must reach a person. If you are as brave as your child, you will always look forward to its establishment and development, and you will know how grateful you are.

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Chapter 16 Tianjin Teaching Plan

? Zeng Guofan held his sick body and even wrote a suicide note to deal with the Tianjin religious plan, which can be described as a heart of Dan. He knows that this lesson plan, no matter what, is difficult to satisfy both inside and outside. So he first spoke well of foreigners in the memorial hall, and then put forward "five doubts" for China people in the United States. Unexpectedly, someone took it out of context, and the "anti-Zeng movement" suddenly rose. Why put such a person who puts the overall situation first in a place where there is no more? In addition to the emperor's shallow knowledge, there were also the ignorance and fearlessness of ordinary officials and the ignorance of society at that time. However, despite the opposition of the whole people, Zeng Guofan still focused on the overall situation and assisted Li Hongzhang in handling the follow-up matters behind the scenes.

? Zeng Guofan was in cahoots from the beginning to the inside of the outer circle behind, and the "traitor" who came to Tianjin's religious plan showed that a person loyal to the country had nowhere to sue for such grievances. Without this blow, I don't know if Ceng Gong can live longer. Maxima is not common, and Bole is even less common.

Practice: Don't judge others easily.

Excerpt: sages teach people to cultivate themselves, and there are thousands of words, but the key is not to expect too much.

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Chapter 17? The last leader of the Qing Dynasty

? Zeng Guofan has been a soldier all his life and is a model in everything he does. The tongzhi zhongxing to which he devoted himself turned out to be just a dream. At the last moment of his life, he couldn't wait to close his eyes and go to the coffin, instead of seeing the end of the court at that time. He made the last effort for this country. The day before his death, he was still writing a diary. Therefore, we can only read some of his thoughts today. It is really because of his excellent habits that we have the opportunity to learn from his spirit. We stand at the forefront of his frontier. Looking back, we can only admire him deeply.

Practice: Learning traditional culture, self-cultivation and family harmony are my next goals.

Excerpt: those who study the ancients should read more; If you start studying today, you will find more examples.