Letter - New Edition Xiao Five Classics Four Books

Author: Zhao Guohua
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Do not comment on others' strengths and weaknesses 【Original Text】I want you to hear about others' faults as if you were hearing your parents' names—ears can hear, but mouths cannot speak. It is my great aversion to like to comment on others' strengths and weaknesses and to arbitrarily criticize the country's policies and laws. I would rather die than hear that my descendants would engage in such behavior. You know how much I detest this, and that is why I repeat it now—as parents tie the sash and hairpin to their daughters when they marry and repeatedly admonish them, so that you will not forget. Long Bao Gao is kind and prudent, with words that are always appropriate, humble and frugal, incorruptible and respected. I love and respect him, and I hope you will follow his example. Du Ji Liang is brave and righteous, concerned with others' worries and happy with their joys, neither distant from the virtuous nor the wicked. Therefore, when his father passed away, people from several nearby prefectures came to mourn. I love and respect him, but I do not want you to imitate him. Because if you imitate Bao Gao and fail, you will still be a cautious and upright person, as the saying goes, "If you fail to carve a swan, at least it resembles a duck." But if you imitate Ji Liang and fail, you will sink into the ranks of the frivolous and infamous, as the saying goes, "If you fail to paint a tiger, it will resemble a dog." Ji Liang's fate is still unknown, but as soon as the prefect arrives in the prefecture, he grits his teeth at him, and the people of the prefecture and state are all talking about him. I often worry about this, so I do not want my descendants to imitate him.——Eastern Han Dynasty · Ma Yuan's "Letter to His Nephew Yan and Dun" 【Translation】I want you to hear about others' faults as if you were hearing your parents' names—ears can hear, but mouths cannot speak. It is my great aversion to like to comment on others' strengths and weaknesses and to arbitrarily criticize the country's policies and laws. I would rather die than hear that my descendants would engage in such behavior. You know how much I detest this, and that is why I repeat it now—as parents tie the sash and hairpin to their daughters when they marry and repeatedly admonish them, so that you will not forget. Long Bao Gao is kind and prudent, with words that are always appropriate, humble and frugal, incorruptible and respected. I love and respect him, and I hope you will follow his example. Du Ji Liang is brave and righteous, concerned with others' worries and happy with their joys, neither distant from the virtuous nor the wicked. Therefore, when his father passed away, people from several nearby prefectures came to mourn. I love and respect him, but I do not want you to imitate him. Because if you imitate Bao Gao and fail, you will still be a cautious and upright person, as the saying goes, "If you fail to carve a swan, at least it resembles a duck." But if you imitate Ji Liang and fail, you will sink into the ranks of the frivolous and infamous, as the saying goes, "If you fail to paint a tiger, it will resemble a dog." Ji Liang's fate is still unknown, but as soon as the prefect arrives in the prefecture, he grits his teeth at him, and the people of the prefecture and state are all talking about him. I often worry about this, so I do not want my descendants to imitate him.——Eastern Han Dynasty · Zheng Xuan's "Letter to His Son Yi and En" 【Translation】Now I tell you that I am old and will entrust you with household affairs, living a leisurely life to cultivate my character and deeply reflecting to complete my literary pursuits. Unless I accept the command of the ruler, console my relatives, pay respects to ancestral tombs, or observe the natural scenery, when would I need a cane to go out! All household matters, great or small, you must handle alone. Alas, you are alone and have no brothers to rely on. Strive to seek the way of the noble, study and do not give up, be respectful and cautious, and maintain a dignified demeanor to approach the virtuous. A glorious reputation depends on the praise of colleagues and friends, while one's virtue depends on one's own will. If you achieve a good reputation, it will also bring honor to your parents. Can you not deeply consider this?—Eastern Han Dynasty · Zheng Xuan's "Letter to His Son Yi and En" P2-3