100 Historical Stories That Unlock Teenage Wisdom

Chapter 17 6 ​​Gu Yanwu Horse Backpack Book

Chapter 26 Gu Yanwu's Book on Horseback

——Thousands of books still need to travel thousands of miles〖KG(3x〗We often find that many people with excellent academic performance are often not outstanding in society. They have read a lot of books, but not many of them are useful. There is a certain gap between book knowledge and social practice, and "believing in books" will make us lose touch with the reality of life.〖KG)〗

Gu Yanwu, courtesy name Ningren, formerly known as Jiang, was born in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, and was a student in the late Ming Dynasty.He was smarter from a young age.Ten lines at a glance when reading.He saw that the Ming Dynasty's learning of the mind was prosperous and made things wrong, so he emphasized the knowledge of practicality in the world.After the fall of the capital of the Ming Dynasty, he came to Changshu to serve his stepmother Wang to escape the war.Yang Yongyan, the county magistrate of Kunshan, organized a rebel army, and Gu Yanwu took refuge in Yang Yongyan.Later, the Qing army continued to go south, and his mother died of a hunger strike. Before she died, she warned Gu Yanwu not to work in the Qing Dynasty with a different surname.Zhu Yujian, king of Tang in the Southern Ming Dynasty, recruited him to serve as Fang Lang in the Ministry of War, but he did not go to the post because of his mother's funeral.Gu Yanwu thinks that he has a strategy to use in the world, but he can't show it, so he tries it a little bit wherever he goes.He reclaimed farmland at the foot of Changbai Mountain in Shandong, and grazed cattle in the north of Yanmen and east of Wutai in Shanxi, accumulating a thousand taels of silver.Gu Yanwu traveled all over the border fortresses, visited Xiaoling Mausoleum of Ming Dynasty four times and Siling Mausoleum of Ming Dynasty six times, and then settled down in Huayin County, Shaanxi.He believes that "Shaanxi people admire Confucian classics, respect scholars who are not officials in the court, and support fair comments, which are lacking in other places. People who see the world hear the affairs of the world. Once there is an alarm, you can enter the mountain to guard the dangerous place, but you only need to walk ten miles; Unstoppable convenience".

Gu Yanwu was very energetic in his life, from youth to old age, he never left his books.Wherever he goes, he often loads books with two mules and two horses. After passing the border fortresses and garrison fortresses, he calls veterans to ask them about the twists and turns of the local stories. If you are in the plains and wilderness, you will silently read the annotations of various scriptures on the saddle.He once said when discussing learning with his friends: "Those who have been doing learning for more than 100 years often talk about the mind and nature, which makes people confused and unable to get its correct explanation. Fate and benevolence are rarely mentioned by Confucius; Zigong never heard of the way of heaven and heaven. The principle of life was mentioned in Yi Zhuan, but he never told others about it. Learning, just say "Good Gu Minqiu". Confucius told Duke Ai of Lu that to achieve the results of being smart and kind, you must first be erudite. Yan Hui is almost a sage, and he also said "Bo I use literature". From Zeng Zi down, honesty has not surpassed Zi Xia’s, when it comes to benevolence, he said, “Learn eruditely with deep determination, earnestly ask and think closely.” Today’s gentlemen are not like this. They gather dozens or hundreds of guests and students, talk to them, and give up learning more to increase their knowledge. , but seek to use a method that runs through things with reason, put aside the poverty and poverty of the world and don't talk about it, but talk about threatening words, but the purpose is pure and pure. Is it because their ideology is better than Confucius? And are their students more virtuous than Zigong? In the book "Mencius", when it comes to heart and nature, they are tireless in teaching, and even Wan Zhang, Gongsun Chou, Chen Dai, Chen Zhen, Zhou Xiao, Peng Geng The questions raised by etc., and Mencius' answers, often lie between advancing and retreating, leaving remarks and accepting what is given. Therefore, Confucius seldom talked about the principles of nature, fate, and heaven, but nowadays gentlemen often talk about them. Confucianism and Mencius often talked about the distinction of giving, but today's gentlemen seldom talk about it. I think the sage's proposition is "to have extensive knowledge of the ritual and music system, and not to do anything that one thinks is shameful." In a word. From the self to the world and the country, it is something to learn. From father and son, monarch, minister, brother, friend, to advance and retreat, to leave a message, to receive and receive, there are things that are shameful. As a scholar, do not first say whether you are ashamed , is a person without foundation; either he is very old and knowledgeable, or he is empty knowledge. A person without foundation talks about empty knowledge. I think he claims to be engaged in the words and deeds of a saint every day, but he is farther and farther away from the words and deeds of a saint. .”

Gu Yanwu's academics generally advocate restraining pomp and focusing on reality.All the laws and regulations of the country, the stories of counties and towns, astronomical instruments, rivers, soldiers and farmers, etc., all have a thorough study of the whole process and textual research.He is the author of 120 volumes of "Tianxia Junguoli Disease Book", and another compilation of "Zhaoyu Zhi", which was written by combining text and geographical maps after textual research and searching.The 30 volumes of his "Rizhilu", especially the book with profound attainments, were written with the accumulated experience of more than [-] years.When discussing the way of governing the country in the book, it can comprehensively evaluate the names of things and the reality, and is especially cautious about etiquette education.It is believed that the embankment of honesty and shame will collapse when customs decline, and there is no balance in etiquette, and the ancient system is often used as a model for the world.

Wisdom Interpretation:

The things in the books come from reality, and they are the reflection and sublimation of reality, but they are not equal to reality.Just because books deviate from reality and cannot reproduce reality, we are required to go to reality to feel it.

Gu Yanwu read thousands of books and traveled thousands of miles, which made him a real great scholar and was highly respected by later generations.As a teenager, we should learn from Gu Yanwu's spirit of "reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles", and constantly practice and verify the knowledge we have learned in books in real life.

(End of this chapter)