Seeking Zhuge Liang's precepts

1, the original text:

The gentleman's behavior, quiet to cultivate the body, thrift to nourish virtue; non-temperance not to brighten the will, non-tranquility not to be far-sighted.

The study must be quiet, talent must be learned; non-study can not be wide talent, not the will to become a learning. The first thing you need to do is to get your hands dirty.

Year and time, the intention to go with the years, so into the withered, more than not to receive the world. The first time I saw this was when I was a student at the University of California, Berkeley, and the second time I was a student there.

2. Translation:

The gentleman with moral cultivation makes himself perfect by meditating and reflecting, and cultivates his noble character by being frugal and economical. Without purity of mind one cannot make one's aspirations clear and firm, and without stability and tranquility one cannot study long and hard to realize one's lofty ideals.

To learn the true knowledge must make the body and mind in the tranquility of research, people's talent is accumulated from continuous learning; if not under the hard work of learning can not grow and develop their own talent; if there is no unwavering will can not make the success of the study. If you are indulging in debauchery and negativity, you will not be able to encourage your heart and make your spirit uplifted; if you are adventurous and rash, you will not be able to cultivate your temperament and make your morals noble.

If the years and years are wasted, the volunteer time is worn out, and eventually will be like a withered branch and leaves like aging day by day. Such a person will not be useful and beneficial to society, but will only be sadly stuck in his poor house and house, and then it will be too late to repent.?

Expanded:

1, Zhuge Liang prose masterpieces are "out of the division table", "commandments" and so on. Had invented the wooden ox flow horse, hole Ming lamp, and transformed crossbow, called Zhuge crossbow, can be a crossbow ten yards all shot. Zhuge Liang's life "bowed to exhaustion, and dying," is a representative of the traditional Chinese culture of loyal ministers and wise men.

2, this article as in Shu Han Jianxing twelve years, is Zhuge Liang late in life to write his eight-year-old son Zhuge Zhan a letter home. Zhuge Liang's whole life for the country, bowing and scraping, dying. He worked day and night for the national cause of Shu Han, and could not take care of educating his son personally, so he wrote this letter to admonish Zhuge Zhan.

References:

Commandment to the Son - Baidu Encyclopedia