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This poem was originally written by Cai Xiang, a famous minister in the Northern Song Dynasty, and was quoted by Mr. Zeng Guofan when he wrote to his younger brother.

The poem "The flowers are not in full bloom and the moon is not round" appeared twice in Zeng Guofan's letters.

On February 9th, 11th year of Xianfeng, he wrote in a letter to Bao Chao of Xiang Army Department:

"Worthy of ghosh ha, Wang Tinggui since Beijing, along the capital all the way, your reputation is very good, very gratified. I only hope that you will always keep the commandment of' flowers are not fully open, the moon is not full', and your reputation will grow bigger and bigger. "

Zeng Guofan heard that all the people in Beijing praised Bao Chao for his outstanding military exploits, but he hoped that he would not become more and more arrogant, stick to the principle of "flowers are not fully open, the moon is not full" and continue to do things with an open mind, so that his reputation and status would be higher and higher.

In the second year of Tongzhi (1863), on the 18th day of the first month, Zeng Guofan wrote a letter to his younger brother Ceng Guoquan, and this poem also appeared:

"Only when you have the same interests as your brother. My brother's ambition is quite comfortable in spring and summer; Yu's ambition is quite close to autumn and winter. My brother's intention is to relax and be vigorous, and the rest is to increase and be vigorous. On weekdays, it is best to remember the words' flowers are not in full bloom, the moon is not full', thinking that the method of cherishing blessings and protecting Thailand is not good at this, and the rest is to protect brothers, money, ordnance and other things. Every time I show a little restraint, I still mean' flowers are not in full bloom, the moon is not round'. "

1860 10 In October, the Qing government signed the Beijing Treaty with Britain, France and Russia, and the Second Opium War ended. British, French and Russian ambassadors to China settled in Beijing by virtue of unequal treaties, which strengthened their control over the Qing government. In the first year of Tongzhi (1862), the Qing dynasty issued an imperial edict, officially announcing that "borrowing teachers to help suppress", that is, borrowing military forces from Britain, France and other countries to help suppress the Taiping Army.

As early as the rise of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Zeng Guofan set up the Xiang Army as a local military force to suppress the Taiping Army. As a general of Xiang Army, his younger brother Ceng Guoquan also devoted himself to the war against Taiping Army.

Before conquering Tianjin, the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Ceng Guoquan wrote to his brother complaining about some boring things that happened recently. Zeng Guofan thought he was angry with himself, so he explained; "We just have some differences in ideas and ways of doing things. Dude, you're high-spirited, but I'm more restrained.

On weekdays, I like the words' flowers are not in full bloom, the moon is not full' written by my predecessors, and I think this is the best way for Poly to protect Thailand. Thinking that the amount of money I allocated to my brother's military camp did not match his expected amount, Zeng Guofan said: "Every time I allocate you military expenses, I am more temperate. This is the truth that' flowers are not in full bloom and the moon is not round'."

Zeng Guofan regards "the flowers are not fully open and the moon is not full" as his way of dealing with people. The whole world pursues a full moon, but he advocates an imperfect beauty. He knows that perfection is not the normal state of things, but imperfection is, so he warns himself and others that everything should be measured, things should not be done too full, and people should be temperate and modest.

The "old man" in Zeng Guofan's letters refers to the "flowers are not fully open, the moon is not full" written by Cai Xiang, a famous minister in the Northern Song Dynasty.