In the second year of the Qing calendar (1042), Zeng Gong, one of the eight masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, failed the first examination for the entrance examination, and that year, he was 25 years old.
Hearing this news, it was not himself who was shocked. It was the great literary hero of the Northern Song Dynasty, Ouyang Xiu.
Originally, when Zeng Gong was eighteen years old, he was appreciated by Ouyang Xiu because of his literary talent and became Ouyang Xiu's protégé. At the age of twenty, he wrote to Ouyang Xiu and presented the "Current Affairs Policy". Since then, he has become famous all over the world, and zeng Gong has exchanged letters with Fan Zhongyan, a heavy minister at that time, and others. Before he became an official, he was already involved in current political discussions.
Therefore, zeng Gong's failure this time was unexpected by Ouyang Xiu.
However, as far as the atmosphere at that time was concerned, Zeng Gong was not a soldier, but it was also reasonable. At that time, the popular style of exam-taking was the gorgeous four- or six-character script, and Zeng Gong was good at planning.
Statue of Zeng Gong
Due to his family's poverty, Zeng Gong was not allowed to stay in the capital after he was defeated. Before leaving, Ouyang Xiu wrote an article to send him off.
The article reassured him:
"There are talents, measures, and methods... Although there is a talent for pulling out the base... If it is not medium-scale, it is abandoned and dare not take... There are good and evil deeds that the priests have manipulated... Its big one is already strong, its small one can also be medium-scale, and there is a division to abandon it, but it is strange! ” - "Send Zeng Gongxiu Talent Preface"
Ouyang Xiu said, our current examination is too rigid, we must follow the standard. For those excellent talents, once they do not meet the standards, no matter how good they are, they will be brushed off.
But don't our standards have to be right? Can't it be reformed?
What's more, Zeng Gong is a person who is outstanding in his studies, and his articles have reached a very high level, even if they are ordinary articles, they also meet the standards of the exam (just useless to use the popular exam style), but the examiner has eliminated him, which is really strange.
Han yu
After talented people fail to succeed, they often vent their dissatisfaction through poems and letters. For example, Han Yu, who is also the eighth member of the Tang and Song Dynasties, has a very urgent temper when he does not pass the exam. Either he complained that other examination papers were inferior to his own, or he wrote a letter to the prime minister, and once participated in the "Erudite Macro Word Subject" and wrote three letters to the prime minister in a month.
However, Zeng Gong did not complain a word. Neither did he attack those examiners, whose grades were inferior to their own; nor did he complain that those examiners were unfair.
Instead, he modestly said that the reason why he did not pass the examination was because he may not have yet met the requirements of the examiner, and after he returned to his hometown, he would "think widely and stick to his learning" and continue to adhere to his own morality to do learning. Prepare for another fight next year.
Seeing that Zeng Gong was so open-minded, Ouyang Xiu continued to sigh in the article:
"To the first shock of his writing, but also to strengthen his ambition... How dare you survive, and be humiliated by Gu Yu... So that those who know the living can hang on to the division and he yu is the only one who can also get it. ——" Send Zeng Gongxiu Talent Preface"
At first I was amazed by his articles, but later, what impressed me even more was his character. When he came to visit me, he had wronged himself, and I dared to ask him to show me the article. Now that he has failed, I feel both sorry and happy that I can recognize talent alone.
Zeng Gong
What is the reason why Ouyang Xiu, a great literary hero, has such a high regard for this fallen scholar? There are the following points.
To talk about Zeng Gong's character, we must first start from his life.
When Zeng Gong later passed the middle school entrance examination, he was already thirty-nine years old. He was the last of the Eight Nobles of the Tang and Song Dynasties (except for Su Xun, who did not take the exam).
This age is fine if it is placed on others, but it is different when placed on Zeng Gong. His home was too tight.
Although at the time of his scientific expedition, his father was alive. But at the age of eighteen, his father was deposed for offending people, and from then on until his death, he stayed at home and had no ability to support his family. Zeng Gong also has a ninety-year-old grandmother, four younger brothers and nine younger sisters.
Later, his father died, and Zeng Gong had to drop out of school to return to his hometown to serve his stepmother. Zeng Gong was pure filial piety, and in the case of family decline, he served his stepmother meticulously.
The burden of supporting the family also fell on Zeng Gong alone. It is not only necessary to solve the problem of food and clothing for the whole family, but also to solve the problem of younger brothers studying and younger sisters getting married.
Under the pressure of life, the young and intelligent Zeng Gong could not postpone his dream of studying and worked everywhere. It was not until he was in his thirties that Zeng Gong got married. This age seems to be a late marriage now, not to mention the ancient times nearly a thousand years ago.
However, he never forgot to read, nor did he forget to educate his brothers and cousins.
By the time he was thirty-nine years old, six of their brothers had already passed the entrance examination.
So what's the problem? Zeng Gong was so poor and so busy, who had the time and money to study.
Zeng Gong not only had time to read and educate his brothers to read, but also sat at home and became famous for his learning; far from the political center, people mistakenly thought that he was in the court.
"The reputation of the public has been in the world for more than twenty years, and although the poor and desperate people have to copy and recite them by hand, they are afraid that they will not be able to do so, and they will be said to have been in the imperial court for a long time." - "Zeng Gong's Epitaph"
How did he do it?
First of all, as early as he was young, he set his own goals and let him move forward with determination.
That is, to align with the saints, to plan for the world, and to cultivate their own morality.
Second, read a lot of books.
Although Zeng Gong lived on a tight budget, once he had the rest of the money, he used it to buy books. It is said that at that time, Ouyang Xiu's family had more than 10,000 volumes of books, and Zeng Gong's collection of books had 20,000 volumes.
Moreover, he read a wide range of books, confucianism, Buddhism, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries. In the process of making a living, he traveled almost all over the country, not only with book knowledge but also with practice. He also has his own way of reading, and he once said in an article:
"Although the scholars of my house are knowledgeable, the defenders can be described as simple." - "Nanxuan Chronicles"
That is, the more books I read, the principles I adhere to are still simple. For example, in the two articles mentioned above, his principle is to plan for the world and be a gentleman.
Finally, for more than twenty years in his hometown, he has always maintained exchanges with politicians and thinkers on the front line. And Zeng Gong also has a unique view of current politics.
So whether a person has weight is not in what position he is in, but in whether he has real ability and talent.
Su shi
The second point that Ouyang Xiu admired Zeng Gong was his outstanding article.
Su Shi once wrote a poem for Zeng Gong: "Corporal Drunken Weng, Miscellaneous difficulties are virtuous." Zeng Zi is alone and ugly. ”
This poem is very easy to understand, that is, there are many high-level disciples under Ouyang Xiumen, but I think Zeng Gong's level is the highest, and as soon as he appears, the other people look very ugly.
This is strange to us, if we modern people, when reciting the names of the Tang and Song Dynasties, the only person who will miss is Zeng Gong. Even many people can't remember zeng Gong's articles that appeared in middle school textbooks.
Even if you read his articles, you will feel that you are far less enjoyable than reading articles such as "Chibi Fu" and "Drunken Pavilion". Why did Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, and later scholars and literati have such a high opinion of his articles?
There are several reasons for this:
Abide by the truth, be logical, and apply it to the world.
Like Zeng Gong in his dealings with the world, Zeng Gong's articles also adhere to the truth of Confucianism. Although he read a lot of books, his articles are not mixed with anything other than Confucianism.
In every article he writes, he adheres to a rule, that is, an article must have a logical chain. In other words, an article, as long as it can clearly argue a point of view, a truth is enough, redundant, complex, verbose, polite, all do not.
It can be seen from a letter he sent to Ouyang Xiu.
At that time, his father died, Ouyang Xiu wrote an epitaph for his father, and he wrote a reply letter to Ouyang Xiu.
The first sentence of the opening sentence reads: "Go to the Autumn People, be blessed with the book and the tombstone inscription of the first great father written." "Just simply write out the cause of this matter."
Next: "Repeat the recitation, feeling and ashamed." Although there are only eight words, the feelings are not diminished. The nostalgia for his father, the gratitude of the author, and the study of the work are expressed.
In the next paragraph, the pen turns sharply and discusses the significance and development of the epitaph:
"As for the general knowledge, the righteous martyrs, and the praise and kindness, they are all found in the chapter, which is enough to be the later law. The way of police persuasion, not near history, it will be close? ——" Sending Ouyang Sheren Book"
Epitaphs actually have the same meaning as history books. It is all for the hereafter to know good and evil, good people can pass on to future generations, and evil people will give warning to future generations. And the gentleman in the epitaph can also become a model for future generations.
Wei Stele Model - "Zhang Heinu Epitaph"
But later generations, in order to praise their loved ones, disregarded the truth. Even the wicked can be boasted by posterity. As a result, for thousands of years, there have been very few epitaphs circulating in the world. It is because the person who wrote the inscription was unjust.
After a sharp turn, how to solve this problem? Zeng Gong also said:
"And if his words are not worked, they will not be passed down to the world, so they will win in his articles." —— "Sending Ouyang Sheren Book"
First of all, we must find a person of fair character, but justice alone is not enough, if his writing is not good, the inscription still cannot be passed on to future generations.
So what to do? "Those who are not animal morals and can write can not do anything!" Then find someone with high morals and excellent writing.
However, "decades or one or two hundred years", such a number of people can only appear once in decades or even one or two hundred years.
Later, Zeng Gong introduced "Mr. Ruo's moral article, fixed for hundreds of years and some people also." "And sir, you are exactly that kind of person."
The entire logical chain is seamlessly connected:
Epitaphs and history books have the same meaning→ epitaphs can not be circulated because the author's character is not good→ only the author of character and article cultivation, only meet the standards of good epitaph writing→ such a person can appear once in hundreds of years→ and you are such a person, it is my luck to meet you.
At the end, Zeng Gong also continued to sublimate Ouyang Xiu's personality charm.
"Who doesn't want to enter the door?" ...... The second time of the admonition of the clan, dare not accept the teachings and add more details? ——" Sending Ouyang Sheren Book"
People like me who are shallow and unlearned can get your favor. Who in the world doesn't want to worship under your door?
A series of several rhetorical questions, summarizing and sublimating.
Ouyang Xiu
Zeng Gong did not come up to express his gratitude to Ouyang Xiu, but first explained what kind of talent was a person with virtue and literary talent, and then said that Ouyang Xiu was such a person, and finally expressed his gratitude for being able to get such care of Ouyang Xiu for his poor status.
That is, he praised and thanked Ouyang Xiu, proved the rationality of his praise, and maintained Confucian etiquette.
Zeng Gong's article, like a stone thrown into the center of the lake, splashed layer after layer of waves and slowly spread to the shore of the lake.
And the concise language, the simple truth, and the methodology applied through the ages are exactly what Ouyang Xiu's ancient literature reform urgently needs.
Later, Zeng Gong's political policy was also the same as his articles and personality, simple and simple, and also achieved his original goal, bringing peace to his cangsheng who could help him at the same time.
Among the eight masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, perhaps Zeng Gong was the dimmest star, and what was in front of his eyes was hundreds of millions of dust. But he never gave up on his ideals, and he never complained about the environment he lived in. Just use your own strength to tear apart the dust barrier little by little. Every bit of sparkle that we can see is the light projected by him after he has worked hard.
In April of the sixth year of YuanFeng (1083), Zeng Gong died in Nanjing at the age of 65.
Zeng Gong Memorial Hall
In fact, in history, Zeng Gong's articles have always been respected. In the Yuan Dynasty, Zeng Gong was once elevated to the rank of Shangcheng Mencius and the next person of Zhu Lixue.
Until the Jiajing to Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, when the essayist Mao Kun compiled the "Eight Great Literary Notes of the Tang and Song Dynasties", Zeng Gong was called Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Ouyang Xiu, Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Rui, and has been passed down for hundreds of years.