"One porridge and one meal should be remembered as hard-earned; half a thread and half a strand should be kept in mind that material resources are difficult." What does it mean?

Meaning:

When we eat every bowl of porridge and every bowl of rice, we should think about how many people have contributed and how much energy has been consumed in the porridge and rice. It is not easy; every half thread and every half thread we need in life must always think about how much material energy and how many people's hard work it contains, and it should be cherished.

From: "Zhu Xi's Family Instructions"

Author: Zhu Bolu (Qing Dynasty)

Zhu Bolu (1627-1698), whose given name was Yongchun, whose courtesy name was Zhiyi, and whose name was Zhiyi. Cypress House. A native of Kunshan, Jiangsu Province (now part of Jiangsu Province) in the early Qing Dynasty. The author of "Zhu Xi's Family Instructions".

He devoted himself to studying since childhood and was admitted as a scholar, aiming to pursue an official career. After entering Guan Ming Dynasty in the Qing Dynasty, he no longer sought fame and fame. He stayed in his hometown to teach students, and devoted himself to Zhu Zhu's Neo-Confucianism, advocating the simultaneous advancement of knowledge and action, and was quite famous for a while. Kangxi had called him many times, and he insisted that he should not be erudite in Hongci. He is the author of "Abridged and Supplementary Quotations of the Book of Changes", "Lecture Notes on the Four Books", "Persuasion", "Collected Poems of Shai Geng Tang", "Lecture Notes on the Doctrine of the Mean" and "Collection of Shai Na". His "Motto for Managing a Family" is known as "Zhu Xi's Family Instructions" and is widely circulated.

The whole text of "Zhu Xi's Family Instructions" is intended to persuade people to be diligent and thrifty, manage their homes, and keep themselves safe. There is a couplet in it: A porridge and a meal should be remembered that the place where they came from is not easy; half a thread and half a thread, constant thoughts are that material resources are difficult. Since its publication, it has been widely circulated and has been respected by scholars and officials of all dynasties as "a book on family management". It once became one of the must-read textbooks for children and adolescents from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China.

"Zhu Xi's Family Instructions" is only 522 words, and it is a masterpiece of family education that incisively explains the way of self-cultivation and family management. Of course, the feudal dross, such as certain prejudices against women, are the historical limitations of that era, and we cannot be harsh on our predecessors.

Extended information:

Full text of "Motto for Managing a Household":

Get up at dawn, sweep the courtyard, and keep it clean inside and outside,

As soon as you feel faint, you will rest. If you lock the door, you must check it yourself.

A porridge and a meal, when you think about the difficulty of getting there; half a thread, half a thread, always think about the difficulty of material resources.

It is better to be prepared before it rains and not to dig a well when thirsty.

You must be frugal in serving yourself, and don’t linger when entertaining guests.

The utensils are clean and earthenware, and the earthenware and pots are better than gold and jade; the food is simple and refined, and the garden vegetables are more precious than delicacies. (One work: Garden vegetables are better than delicacies)

Do not build a luxurious house or seek fertile land.

Three aunts and six wives are matchmakers for adulterers and thieves; beautiful maids and coquettish concubines are not the blessings of a boudoir.

Slaves should not be handsome, and wives and concubines should not use colorful makeup.

Although the ancestors are far away, the sacrifices must not be dishonest; although the descendants are foolish, they must read the scriptures.

You must be simple in your home life and teach your children in a righteous way.

Don’t be greedy for unexpected wealth, and don’t drink too much wine.

When trading with Jian Tiao, do not take advantage; when you see poor relatives and neighbors, you must show warmth and compassion.

If you are mean and have a family, you will not be able to enjoy it for a long time; if you have a bad relationship, you will soon perish.

Brothers, uncles and nephews must be divided into many to benefit the few; elders and younger ones, both internally and externally, should be strict in their speech.

How can he be a husband if he listens to his wife’s words and behaves well to his own flesh and blood? He cannot be a good son if he values ??his property but neglects his parents.

When you marry a daughter and choose a good son-in-law, don’t ask for a generous offer; when you marry a daughter-in-law, don’t ask for a generous dowry.

It is most shameful to be flattering when seeing wealth; to be arrogant when seeing poverty is nothing more despicable.

It is advisable to argue and litigate at home, and litigation will lead to disaster; to talk too much in life is to lead to mistakes.

Do not rely on power to bully the orphans and widows; do not be greedy for food and drink, but arbitrarily kill animals and birds.

If you are eccentric, you will have many regrets and mistakes; if you are lazy and resigned, your family fortune will be difficult to achieve.

If you are young and have bad affection, you will suffer from it for a long time; if you are old and mature, you can rely on each other if you are in a hurry.

Listen to what is said lightly, be aware of the inhuman accusations, and be patient and think twice;

When you argue over something, you know it is not your fault, so you must think about it calmly.

Don’t think about giving favors, and don’t forget the favors received.

You should leave room for everything, and you should not continue to be proud.

When people are happy, don’t be jealous; when people are in trouble, don’t be happy.

It is not really good to be kind if you want others to see you; to be evil if you are afraid of others seeing it is great evil.

If you see lust and have lustful thoughts, you will repay it to your wife and children; if you hide your grudges and use hidden arrows, you will bring disaster to your descendants.

The family is harmonious, and although the food is not good, there is still more happiness;

The national classes are finished early, and there is nothing left in the bag, so I am happy.

Studying aims at being a sage, not just a scholar; serving as an official only cares about the country, not about wealth.

Keep your peace and order, and listen to God. If you behave like this, you will be close to common people.

"Zhu Xi's Family Instructions" (also known as "Zhu Xi's Family Instructions", "Zhu Xi's Family Governance Maxims", "Zhu Bailu's Family Governance Maxims"), the full text is 524 words, the text is easy to understand, and the content is concise and comprehensive. The dialogue is neat and catchy. Since its publication, it has spread like wildfire and has become a well-known and popular classic family motto for educating children and managing the family in the Qing Dynasty. Some of the aphorisms, such as "One porridge and one meal, should reflect on the difficulty of getting there; half a thread, half a thread, constantly remember that material resources are difficult", "It is better to prepare for the rain, and not to dig a well when thirsty", etc., are still educational today. significance.

"Zhu Xi's Family Instructions" takes "cultivation of one's morality" and "ordering one's family" as its purposes. It is the culmination of Confucian ways of being a person and dealing with the world. It has deep roots in thought and broad and profound meaning. The whole text of "Zhu Xi's Family Instructions" is intended to persuade people to be diligent and thrifty, manage their homes, and be lawful and self-disciplined.

Talk about the moral education ideas that have been formed in China for thousands of years. They are expressed in the form of famous sayings and aphorisms. They can be passed down orally or written as couplets and banners to hang on doors, halls and rooms, as a way to manage the family and educate children. Therefore, the motto is very popular among officials, gentry and scholarly families. It has been widely circulated since its inception. It has been respected as "the classic of family management" by literati and officials of all ages. It once became one of the must-read textbooks for children and adolescents from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Zhu Xi’s Family Instructions