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The relationship between the circle and fate was explained very clearly by zeng guofan, a famous minister in the late Qing Dynasty, when he was 34 years old, and the answer was: the circle cannot change a person's fate.
Judging from the trajectory of Zeng Guo's origins, he only gained a promotion after entering the circle of Mu Zhang'a, the first assistant minister of the military aircraft, and only then did he gain a foothold in the official field. The circle cannot change a person's fate, why did Zeng Guofan change? Isn't that a contradiction?
About zeng guofan's method of mixing circles, it will break your cognition, but also make you suddenly realize: it turns out that there are still conditions for mixing circles!
Let's first look at the circle that Zeng Guofan understands:
On September 19, the twenty-fourth year of Daoguang (1844 AD), Zeng Guofan talked about the problem of circles in a letter to his brothers, in which Zeng Guofan wrote:
If I want to be Confucius and Meng, I will work diligently day and night, but Confucius and Mengzhi is learning, and who will get it and resist me? If I don't have the will, then although I live with Yao Shun Yu Tang every day, I am also self-contained, and I am self-made, so why should I be there?
This passage is very sharp and deafening, and in order to facilitate everyone's understanding, we will translate it:
If I want to learn from Confucius and Mencius and be a saint, then I will work tirelessly day and night, like Confucius and Mencius, who can resist? If you don't aspire to it, then, even if you live with Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang every day, he is still him, I am me, and what does it have to do with me?
This passage is about the circle problem, and there are two key points:
First, you yourself are a circle, and if you can become a saint like Confucius and Mencius, you will become the core of the circle.
Second, the mixed circle has a prerequisite: determination, otherwise, no circle can change the fate of a person. Zeng Guofan gave the examples of Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang, which is a metaphor that means a wise monarch and emperor. According to Zeng Guofan, if a person has no ambition, it is useless to be with anyone, even if he follows the emperor.
At this time, Zeng Guofan, under the recommendation and protection of Mu Zhang'a, held the position of Hanlin Yuan from Wupin Waiter, and became a close courtier of the Daoguang Emperor, which was deeply appreciated by the emperor.
Zeng Guofan was promoted because he had experienced it after a major change in the circle. So, how did Zeng Guofan use the circle?
Zeng Guofan's method of mixing circles will bring us a lot of enlightenment:
The first is to make a lifelong ambition. In the twenty-second year of Daoguang (1841 AD), the second year that Zeng Guofan entered the official field, he set himself an ambition that seemed incredible to ordinary people, to be a person who was the inner saint and the outer king.
At that time, after Zeng Guofan came into contact with the Ming Dynasty mind master Wang Yangming's "Records of Transmission and Practice", he felt that his eyes lit up and he was determined to be a saint. It is precisely in this way that Zeng Guofan's study is very hard, he constantly corrects his shortcomings by reading, keeping a diary, etc., and the comprehensive quality of knowledge, ability, and cultivation has improved very quickly, and more and more people have been known.
Second, we must have real skills. In any network, not everyone can achieve the results they want. After Zeng Guofan entered Mu Zhang'a's circle through the teacher-student relationship, he did not immediately get Mu Zhang'a's promotion.
Mu Zhang'a was a powerful man, his protégés were all over the world, and if he wanted to stand out from his disciples, he must be appreciated by him. Zeng Guofan is indeed a skilled person, not only his articles and calligraphy are among the few in the Hanlin Academy, but his level of identification of ancient calligraphy and painting is also a must.
Mu Zhang'a is also a literati, like to be vassal and elegant, especially like to collect ancient calligraphy and paintings, but his level of identification is a bit lacking, and Zeng Guofan just makes up for Mu Zhang'a's deficiencies, so whenever he gets some ancient calligraphy and paintings, he must ask Zeng Guofan to give him an appraisal check. Deeply influenced by Confucian cultural thought, Zeng Guofan adhered to the ancient precept of "one day for a teacher and a lifetime as a father", and had great respect for Mu Zhang'a, responding to every request, which made Mu Zhang'a like him more and more.
Don't say that in the Qing Dynasty, in any dynasty, if you can get the appreciation of a Zaifu, can you not be flat?
From the case of Zeng Guofan in the official circles, it is not difficult to see that the circle itself cannot change a person's fate, but when you have the ambition and the two premises of real talent and practical learning, the results are completely different, not only can you smoothly enter various circles, but also get the appreciation of others. This is what we often call it: opportunity is reserved for those who are prepared.
If you want to change your destiny by relying on circles, you have to be prepared, don't you?
Author: Ke duo (real name Tian Jianzhong, media person, historical and cultural researcher, author of "Zeng Guofan Heart Science", "Zeng Guofan Official Marketing", "Zeng Guofan for the OfficialDom Study: Promotion and Promotion", "Zeng Guofan Power Strategy", etc., interested readers can pay attention to me, go to the "column" to subscribe).
References: The Complete Works of Zeng Guofan, The Biography of Zeng Guofan, The Great Biography of Zeng Guofan, The Annals of Zeng Guofan, Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, etc.