Cheng Yi is a theoretician, and his view of historiography also reflects the idea of learning history with clarity. He said: 1. Whoever reads history must not only record deeds, but must understand the principles of survival and survival in order to deal with chaos, security, and danger. (The Second Journey Collection, p. 232)
2. When reading history, one must see the opportunity of the sages to control chaos, and the provenance of the wise men and gentlemen is a lattice object. The present man only sees him as the bottom of the matter and does it, and does not know whether he is wrong or wrong. (The Second Journey Collection, p. 258)
3. Looking at history, we must look at the causes of chaos and the beauty of the sages in cultivating their own affairs. (The Second Journey Collection, p. 313)
Reading history is not only to remember the facts, but also to learn from it the principles of the rise and fall of chaos, to understand the key to the control of chaos summarized by the sages, to understand the reasons for the control of chaos, and the methods of the sages to cultivate themselves and manage the government.
![Cheng Yi talked about the affairs of the world: determination, responsibility and seeking talents[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)