For Officials to Know (Five External Types)

Author: Zheng Duan et al. (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The traditional culture of the Chinese nation has a long history, and historical records are vast as the smoke of the sea. As the long river of history flows, the great waves wash away the sand, leaving behind the preserved documents as pieces of gold and silver, particularly precious. The moral teachings and admonitions passed down in Chinese society (private, family) directly reflect the moral ideals advocated at the time, more directly and authentically embodying the characteristics of Chinese culture than the grand official Confucian classics. These educational texts for scholars and officials teaching their descendants comprehensively and thoroughly elaborate on a series of principles for conduct, ambition, family relationships, and interpersonal interactions. They also involve topics such as governing, ruling the country, academic pursuits, self-cultivation, and nurturing one's nature, as well as reflections on society, nature, and life, serving as reference materials for the construction of our current spiritual civilization and moral norms. Such maxims and family precepts are often concise, vivid, straightforward, and easy to recite, possessing great aesthetic value. As products of history, they naturally contain some negative and backward elements. We adopt an attitude of upholding the good while discarding the bad, having done the work of organizing and removing such content, while also hoping readers can make correct judgments and understandings.