Zhuge Liang, courtesy name Kongming, alias Wolong, is considered a founding father, an outstanding politician and diplomat in Chinese history. In history, he was praised as a model of accomplished generals, the embodiment of exceptional wisdom.
Zhuge Liang did not have a son until he was old and named him Zhan, courtesy name Siyuan, hoping that his son would have ‘lofty ambitions’. Zhuge Liang loved this young son very much, but he was also very worried about his future.
In a letter to his elder brother Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Liang said: “Zhuge Zhan is 8 years old this year, very intelligent and adorable, but I worry that maturing too early will affect Zhuge Zhan’s future!”. The above letter shows that Zhuge Liang attached great importance to educating his children from an early age.
Zhuge Liang reminded his children that to achieve stillness, one must constantly cultivate oneself and self-examine. (Illustrative photo)
When he was 54 years old, he wrote an 86-character essay, the “Admonition to His Son”, to his 8-year-old son, summarizing Zhuge Liang’s lifelong experience. In the letter, he asked his son:
A gentleman cultivates himself with stillness, and nourishes his virtue with frugality
Without frugality, one’s志will not be clear, without stillness, one’s intellect will not be sharp
A丈夫needs to cultivate a calm mind, and also needs to cultivate learning
Without learning, one cannot have great talent
Without ambition, learning cannot be successful.
Zhuge Liang reminded his children that to achieve stillness, one must constantly cultivate oneself and self-examine. To achieve frugality, one must cultivate virtuous talents and noble integrity. If the heart is not clear and has many desires, one cannot have a clear ambition; if it is not calm and still, one cannot realize lofty ideals. To turn ideals into reality requires constant learning; without a firm will, one cannot succeed.
Zhuge Liang taught his son that as a person, one should not pursue immediate fame and gain, but should have a clear ambition, be calm and focused on one’s work. If the heart is full of desires, life will be competitive and turbulent. But when the heart is pure, the mind will be at peace, and only then can one carefully plan for the future.
Zhuge Liang taught his son that without learning, one cannot develop talent; without a clear ambition, one cannot achieve success. Therefore, if one wants to develop oneself and increase one’s ability, one must not only learn knowledge in the classroom, but also cultivate a堅 trìwill.
He also specifically told his son: “As the years pass, the will is consumed by the years, and in the end it will be like a withered tree and fallen leaves, useless to society. What good is it to sit in a corner and mourn then?”.
The “Admonition to His Son” written by Zhuge Liang to his son used only 86 characters, but its educational content is profound and profound. Therefore, it is not always good to have a long text; sometimes the simpler it is, the more clearly the content can be expressed. That is also the profoundness of the ancient sages.
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