Yan Zhitui (531 – c. 591), courtesy name Zijie, was a famous writer and educator in ancient China. His "Yan Family Training" is the first systematic and rich family training in Chinese history. While providing reference for future generations in terms of family education and moral cultivation, the "Yan Family Training" also provides a reference for later generations of scholars to study the history and language and literature of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Mr. Fan Wenlan believes that Yan Zhitui was the most knowledgeable and thoughtful scholar of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and he studied almost all the knowledge of the time and put forward his own opinions. Yan Zhitui's zhixue ideas are mainly embodied in the "Mu Xian" and "Mian Xue" articles in the "Yan Family Training", which have played a role in promoting the formation of the Yan family style and have also had an important impact on the learning atmosphere of later generations.
Reading is expensive for lifelong learning
Learning is not only a way of survival, but also can enhance people's spiritual realm. Yan Zhitui emphasized the importance of learning, and he said in the "Yan Family Training and Mian Xue", "Accumulating tens of millions of dollars is not as good as thin tricks" "Those who are easy to learn and valuable have no one to read." Yan Zhitui lived in the chaotic world of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and he believed that if a person could read hundreds of books well, he would not be a "villain" in the end, and the chaotic world would not fall into the layer. Readers know both astronomical geography and social affairs, so they can always stand in an invincible position in social change.
Regarding the purpose of study, Yan Zhitui believes that study is to enrich oneself, improve moral cultivation, and benefit the public and the welfare of society, not to show off to others, let alone to seek one's own selfishness. This is a further deepening and development of Confucius's thinking that "scholars of the past are for themselves, and scholars of today are for themselves." Yan Zhitui advocated learning from the ancients, believing that reading books could make people happy and discerning, so that people who did not know how to adopt relatives could be filial to their parents, that people who did not know how to do things would be loyal to their duties, that arrogant and extravagant people should be frugal and frugal, that the despicable and miserly people would be more righteous than wealth, that the fierce and cruel people would be careful and respectful, and that the timid and cowardly would be resolute and upright.
Yan Zhitui put forward the idea of lifelong learning earlier. He said, "The young and the scholar are like the light of the sunrise; the old and the scholar, like the candle who walks at night, is as wise as the blind and the unseen." "Meaning: Beginning to learn as a child is like the light of the east from the sunrise; learning in old age is like walking at night with a candle in hand, but it is better than a person who closes his eyes and sees nothing. He also cited the examples of Zengzi, Xunzi, Gongsun Hong, Zhu Yun, Huang Fumian and others who did not study early but eventually became masters, encouraging people to adhere to lifelong learning.
Diligence and humility, strive for specialization
Regarding the method of learning, Yan Zhitui believes that there is no shortcut to learning, and we must first be diligent. He said that "wisdom is not taught, and foolishness is not helpful", but most people are "moderate people", so they need to continue to learn. He said that since ancient times, wise kings have not forgotten to study diligently, let alone ordinary people! Yan Zhi gave examples of diligence and studiousness in ancient times, such as Su Qin's midnight study of stabbing his leg with an awl to drive away drowsiness, the Wen Dang throwing an axe and hanging a tree to study in Chang'an, Sun Kangyingxue reading hard, Che Wuzi collecting fireflies to illuminate and read, Erkuan and Changlin often carrying books, and Lu Wenshu picking grass and cutting it into small abbreviations when shepherding sheep, etc., in order to motivate future generations to study diligently. Second, learning is important in humbly seeking advice and learning from each other's strong points. He cites the Shang Shu (尚書) "Good Questions Are Yu" and the Book of Rites "Study alone and have no friends, then be lonely and unheard" to illustrate the importance of diligent study and inquisitiveness and mutual consultation. He believes that personal knowledge and insight are limited after all, and learning requires common exchanges and extensive exchanges to inspire each other, so that we can continue to make progress. Yan Zhitui advocated that writing articles should first consult with good teachers and friends, get their approval, and then write with their hands, and must not be self-righteous, otherwise they will be ridiculed by others in vain. Yan Zhitui was extremely diligent and wrote a lot of works in his lifetime, including the "Yan Family Training", which is known as the "ancestor of family training", the novel "The Record of Returning Wrongs" that exhorted people to "go to evil for good", as well as the academic works "Sketch of Customs and Texts", "Witnessing Customs and Phonetic Characters", and a large number of poetic works, all of which are the results of his diligent study and humble education.
Reading strives to be broad, and learning is important in specialization. Yan Zhitui said: "Looking at the world, the book has not been read, and it is forbidden to pretend to be female and yellow." This means that if you don't read all the books in the world, you can't jump to conclusions. When he was serving as a loose horse attendant in the Liang Dynasty, he was ordered to proofread ancient books, and spent two years reading all the books in the secret cabinet, laying a solid foundation for his future literary creation and academic research. Yan Zhitui pointed out, "It is better to be more virtuous than to be one; the five abilities of the weasel are not tricks." He believed that only by concentrating on one skill could one attain proficiency. He gave examples from around him to prove that learning can only be achieved by specialization. He said that even if a person is extremely talented, if he only focuses on a wide range of research and does not have his own professional expertise, he will often achieve nothing in the end. Only by abandoning unnecessary hobbies and focusing on one direction can we achieve the realm of pure fire.
Mu Xian applied to the world
"One sage in a thousand years" and "one sage in five hundred years", Yan Zhitui advocated learning from the sages. Sages are rare, and as long as others have merits in a certain aspect, they are worthy of our respect and learning. If you meet one of the few wise gentlemen in the world, how can you learn from him without respect and humility? Yan Zhitui pointed out that gentlemen should be cautious about interacting, and the growth environment often affects the development direction of a person, "living with good people, such as entering the room of Zhilan, for a long time and self-righteous; living with evil people, such as entering the abalone wanton, long and self-deodorizing also."
Learning is important in application, and we must attach importance to practice and oppose empty talk. Yan Zhitui said in the "Yan Family Training And Mian Xue": "The husband scholar Ju planted trees, played with his flowers in spring, and qiu deng actually; he lectured on the chapters, Chun Hua also, self-cultivation and self-cultivation, and Qiu Shiye." This means that learning is like planting a tree, you can enjoy flowers in the spring, and you can harvest fruits in the autumn; studying and discussing articles is like watching flowers, and cultivating self-cultivation for the benefit of society is like harvesting fruits. Yan Zhitui stressed that learning is expensive in application, and we must not be an empty doctor of "three papers without donkeys". He said that learning is to make people understand and grow their talents. If a person has the military strategy of Sun Wu and Wu Qi, or has the political ability of Guan Zhong and Zi Chan, even if he does not study, we still think that he is a learned doer. Yan Zhitui advocated that "if one is alive, one should have a career", and one should engage in a profession, just as a peasant cultivates crops, merchants buy and sell trade, craftsmen make utensils, entertainers study skills, and samurai riding horses and archery, and literati should also be used by the world. Yan Zhitui believes that there are wise people in all walks of life, and taking these wise people as an example and studying extensively will be helpful to the future.
Yan Zhitui not only mastered the six arts of Confucianism, but also language, literature, and medicine, but also achieved high attainments in these fields, and his ideas of governance are worth learning from future generations.