Translation of the given content to English: Translation of Chinese Classics Translation and Annotation Series (Third Series) -- Yan's Family Precepts

Author: Yu Zhengping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: "The Family Precepts of Yan" consists of seven volumes and twenty chapters. Among them, chapters "Name and Reality," "Engaging in Affairs" in Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 4, and chapters "Final Decrees" in Volume 5 and Volume 7, or "Discussing the Methods of Establishing Oneself and Governing the Family, Debating the Errors of the Times to Teach the World," are strictly speaking family precepts. Based on Confucian thought, the author emphasizes self-establishment and helping others, loving and understanding others, upholding the ethical order of filial piety, fraternal affection, and friendly trustworthiness. At the same time, he advocates practical application of knowledge and opposes the ignorant and reckless aristocratic customs that detached from reality, as well as the impractical and far-fetched interpretations. He stresses that scholars and officials should "understand the essence of the Six Classics" and apply knowledge to practical use, becoming versatile talents needed by the state, such as court officials, literary scholars, military personnel, envoys, and constructors. Additionally, the author noted the influence of environment on family education, believing that education must start early, and parents should pay attention to teaching by example. "The moral transformation of society begins from the top and spreads downward," he argued. Parents should love and be kind to their children but also maintain authority, and must not spoil them. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, when the practice of taking elixirs was, Yan Zhipu also taught his children that daily care was the way to maintain health, rather than relying on alchemy or medicine to live a precarious life. It is particularly noteworthy that Yan Zhipu believed women should participate in labor, opposing the preference for sons over daughters and the practice of selling marriages. These views, whether in his time or today, hold positive significance.