Collect school mottos from various schools, slogans in the corridors, etc.!

Mr. Cai Yuanpei once used the words "freedom of thought and inclusiveness" as the school motto of Peking University.

Continuous self-improvement is a legacy of virtue - explanation of the motto of Tsinghua University: derived from two sentences in "The Book of Changes": one is "Heaven moves vigorously, and a gentleman is constantly striving for self-improvement" (Qian Gua); the other is "The terrain is Kun" , a gentleman carries things with great virtue" (Kun Gua). During the Republic of China, when Liang Qichao was teaching at Tsinghua University, he gave a speech "On Gentlemen" to the Tsinghua students at that time. In his speech, he hoped that Tsinghua students could inherit the traditional Chinese virtues and quoted "The Book of Changes" Words such as "continuous self-improvement" and "loyalty" are used to inspire Tsinghua students. Since then, Tsinghua people have written the eight words "Continuous self-improvement and moral integrity" into the Tsinghua school regulations, which later gradually evolved into the Tsinghua motto.

"The movement of heaven is vigorous, and a gentleman strives to constantly strive for self-improvement." "The terrain is turbulent, and a gentleman carries things with great virtue." The two sentences mean: The movement of heaven (i.e., nature) is vigorous and vigorous. Correspondingly, a gentleman behaves in the world. Like the sky, we should strive to make progress, be resolute, determined, and never stop; the momentum of the earth is thick and gentle, and a gentleman should increase his virtues and accommodate all things. Translated as: A gentleman should be like the sky, which is constantly moving, even if you are wandering around, you will not give in. If you are a gentleman, your ability to handle things should be like the earth, and there is nothing that cannot be carried.

Mr. Zhang Dainian, a famous philosopher, historian of philosophy, master of Chinese studies, and professor of the Department of Philosophy at Peking University, summarizes the Chinese national spirit as "continuous self-improvement" and "loyalty and virtue". As a master of traditional Chinese culture who "looks up to the mountains and stops when the scenery is high", he has been diligent throughout his life, dedicated to learning and benefiting the cultural and academic undertakings of the motherland. He can be regarded as a model for a generation of scholars.

The ups and downs of the human world are like lightning, ups and downs, unpredictable changes. If you have genius, diligence will make you even more powerful; if you don't have genius, diligence will make you win everything. Destiny is in the hands of those who work hard

. The people who move the world forward are not those who are geniuses in the strict sense, but those who are average in intelligence but very diligent and work hard; not those who are talented and talented, but those who are outstanding in any industry People who work hard and work hard.

People with extraordinary talents but no perseverance and perseverance will only become fleeting sparks. Many people who are strong-willed and persistent but have mediocre or even slightly dull intelligence will surpass those who have only talent but no perseverance. Laziness is a poison that poisons both people's bodies and minds. No matter how beautiful something is, people can only understand how hard-won this beautiful thing is if they put in corresponding labor and sweat.

True wisdom is always connected with humility, and a true philosopher must be as generous as the sea. Superficial jealousy and ignorant contempt are all 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 the habits and you will reap the character; sow the seeds of the character and you will reap the destiny. "Hearing the chicken dancing and plowing early, God will reward those who are diligent and determined." Let us develop the habit of hard work, cultivate a diligent character, and reap the fruits of the harvest!

I once asked students to write articles based on the motto of Tsinghua University: "Continuous self-improvement and virtue." It was found that although students can understand the meaning of "continuous self-improvement" from a positive perspective, they are not clear about its profound connotation. As for "loyalty and virtue", most people cannot even understand the literal meaning. I feel very sorry.

I once told people that the best school motto in our country should be the motto of Tsinghua University, because it expresses the essence of traditional culture. "Continuous self-improvement" comes from "Yi Qianxiang": "Heaven is moving vigorously, and a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement." The sun, moon and stars in the sky are constantly moving, which is the meaning of "Heaven is moving vigorously". A gentleman imitates Heaven and must continue to move and work hard like Heaven. "Thousands of virtues carry things", see "Yi Kun": "The terrain is Kun, a gentleman carries things with kindness". The topography of the land is thick and broad, which can carry all things. A gentleman must acquire the law and accumulate morality before he can undertake his career.

Therefore, continuous self-improvement and virtuous conduct require people to imitate heaven and earth and continue to work hard in all aspects of learning and conduct. Traditional culture emphasizes the "unity of heaven and man". 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 scholars in ancient times were able to deeply understand this spirit and consciously practice it. For example, Confucius said that he "is so angry that he forgets to eat, he is happy and forgets his worries, and he does not know that old age is coming."

Confucius once said to the students by the river: "The dead are like a man, who does not give up day and night." This is to encourage them to follow nature, cherish time, and work hard to make progress.

In the late Ming Dynasty, Gu Yanwu wrote a poem: The dragon still rains at dusk, and the old trees bloom more in spring. He believes that "there is a body that has not died for a day, and there is a way that has not been heard for a day." In his twilight years, Wang Fuzhi was bedridden due to illness, but he still overcame various unimaginable difficulties and diligently wrote books. "Jiang Zhai Gong Xingshu" said that he: "In his old age, he was weak and sick, and his wrists could not hold an inkstone and his fingers could not hold a pen. He still sometimes placed Chu Mo beside his bed and usurped notes due to illness." What they embody is, It’s all this spirit. Because of people's practice of this spirit, our descendants can still feel its subtle rationality and dazzling beauty all the time. There is absolutely no doubt that traditional culture is rich in extremely valuable things. People seem to be able to talk about this, but I always feel that people who just ignore it or turn a blind eye still talk about it. It’s incredible to see such an excellent home-made treasure. Recently I read an annotation that made me sigh. "Zhu Zi Yu Lei" records that Zhu Zi said: "Just imagine that people can praise the transformation and education of heaven and earth with their indifferent bodies; they can be sages and sages with ordinary people..." Annotation of "Selected Notes on Zhu Zi Yu Lei" published by a university press The word "Zan" means "praise, praise", which is really wrong. The word "praise" here should be interpreted as "help". People can help the transformation and education of heaven and earth, which is what Confucians like to say. This is also a common sense in traditional culture. The annotator's ignorance is astonishing. The same book also notes the Zen saying "Clouds in the sky and water in the bottle": "We must examine the results of our actions and take into account the difficulties of our actions." This is even more nonsense. If those who dare to annotate ancient books are so uneducated and ignorant of traditional culture, then it is not surprising that my students mentioned above do not know the origin and meaning of "constant self-improvement" and "benevolent virtues". It can be seen to what extent the essence of traditional culture has been alienated from people.

"The best is like water, and virtue carries everything", which means to do more good deeds. The accumulation of good deeds over time is like drops of water that merge into rivers and lakes and are sublimated into noble moral character. People with noble moral character will be respected by people. Groups that support and abide by moral principles will keep pace with the times and develop healthily. The author believes that the reason why the Chinese nation, which has a civilization history of five thousand years, has gone through many vicissitudes but still stands in the east of the world is the inevitable result of generations of descendants of the dragon seeking to promote good and abandon evil. Mencius' "Old people are like the old people, young people are like the young people", Confucius's "Benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom, trust, gentleness, courtesy and frugality", Mao Zedong's "Serving the people" all exhort and encourage people to be kind. From this perspective, the history of the development of the Chinese nation is a history of the pursuit of "goodness". The so-called "goodness" means "good", and "good deeds" are "good deeds" done in compliance with the code of conduct or rules of the game that most people recognize and abide by.

Finally, I would like to encourage all colleagues in the industry with "Don't ignore good deeds because they are small, and don't do evil because it is small." I hope that we will do more "good deeds" for honor and the country, and actively "Small kindness" means "great virtue".