Zeng Guofan's Thought and Practice of Official Morality?

As a famous official in the late Qing Dynasty, Zeng Guofan absorbed the essence of Confucianism, Taoism and Mohism extensively, and his achievements and practice in the theory of official morality were particularly remarkable. This paper summarizes and discusses Zeng Guofan's official morality from four aspects: first, as an official morality, the principle of "public interest trumps selfish desires"; Secondly, "incorruptibility", "diligence", "modesty", "blood honesty" and "forbearance" are the moral norms for officials; Third, the moral cultivation methods of "seeing things clearly", "respecting life with quiet mind", "opposing the bow and seeking the interior" and "learning from others"; Fourth, the ideal personality of "an understanding gentleman". Zeng Guofan attached great importance to the social responsibility and moral obligation of being an official, and guided and standardized his administrative practice with "loyalty to the public", "honesty with blood", "forbearance", "honesty" and "diligence" all his life, striving to be a "man of understanding". He broke through the barrier of "spiritual cultivation" and passed. In the process of the evolution from traditional culture to modern culture, his thoughts and practices of self-cultivation, enlightenment and self-denial are regarded as three immortal examples of being an official by later scholars. Zeng's thought and practice of official morality have important reference significance for contemporary leading cadres.