What is the right way to read a book? There are three main ways that Tang Quoc Phien mentioned.
1. Read the classics
Since Tang Quoc Phien himself was an intellectual by Confucian standards, he taught Zeng Ji Ze to read books in a planned way from a young age, mainly taking the “decades of scriptures” and “twenties and fours of history”. do basic.
In Zeng Quoc Phien’s view, these are classics among the classics that have stood the test of time, which is why the classics are called classics, because because the wisdom and ideas in them have been tested in practice. Those are the most invaluable values, which are worth learning for posterity.
What do we read books for? It is to learn the wisdom and thoughts of others. Intellectual things are constantly changing over time, but ideological and intellectual things, the more time passes, the more valuable they are to learn. So when reading books, the shortest shortcut is to read the classics.
The classics must be read thoughtfully, because in terms of academic effectiveness, brooding is better than skimming. Although skimming can also learn a lot, the more you learn, the more you forget and it’s easy to create confusion, like the saying “learning art is not good”.
2. If you haven’t finished reading an old book, you can’t read a new book
That is, if you haven’t finished reading one book, don’t rush to read another. In fact, many people have this problem, they receive a lot of books at the same time, so they have not finished reading this book, they can’t wait to see another. This led to a situation where one book turned several pages, the other turned several pages, and in the end, neither book was completed and understood. Tang Quoc Phien advocates, if you haven’t finished reading one book, don’t rush to read the next one. In fact, this is an immersive reading method, allowing us to completely immerse ourselves in the world of a book, thereby understanding it more thoroughly.
Vuong Quoc Duy, a master of Chinese studies, also believes that the realm of physiognomy must first go inwards, and then reveal the outer surroundings. Reading is like that, you have to immerse yourself in it first, then you can finally get something of value out of it for your inner self, from inner change leading to revelation. appearance revealed.
Of course, although Zeng Quoc Phien was in favor of immersing himself in reading, he was never in favor of rote memorization. He told his son: “When you read a book, you don’t have to suffer to memorize it. As long as you calmly swim in it, today read a few pages, tomorrow read a few pages, gradually natural. will benefit.” That is to say, reading and immersing in reality is a very relaxing and enjoyable thing to do. Don’t memorize as a task and make it burdensome.
Reading should be relaxing and pleasurable, but that doesn’t mean it’s the same as reading recreational books. Tang Quoc Phien advocated that when reading a book, we should take notes. That is, when reading a book, one must learn to “take action”, read and write at the same time, must “write down a few notes, what you are interested in and what you are still questioning”. What you feel and think when you read it, whether it is your experience or any doubts, you must write it down. Only then can it help your enlightenment later.
3. Cultivate personal interests and reading orientation
Tang Quoc Phien’s way of educating two sons is the most typical example. The eldest brother Tang Ji Trach did not like the imperial exams, did not like literature, but liked Western linguistics and sociology, Tang Quoc Phien encouraged his son to read books according to his interests. And the most commendable thing is that although Tang Quoc Phien himself does not know much about “western studies”, but because of his son, he has also worked hard to read many books of the same genre so that he can discuss with his son. Later, Zeng Ji Ze wrote “a brief introduction to western studies” and “original geometry”, both books were published by Zeng Guofan, who personally approved and published them. into engraved editions.
For Tang Ji Hong, his second son, he not only encouraged Zeng Ji Hong to develop an interest in mathematical research, but it is commendable that after Tang Ji Hong got married, his wife was also a woman who was very interested in mathematics. read a book. Zeng Quoc Phien feels that in this age of male preference, it is not easy for a woman to like reading. So when teach children son, I also teach my daughter-in-law. Tang Ky Hong’s wife doesn’t like math like her husband, she only likes literature and history, and in this respect, Tang Quoc Phien is a “master”. Therefore, under the guidance of Zeng Quoc Phien, she mastered the reading of “Thirty Three Classics” and “Tu Tri Tong Giam”, eventually becoming a famous female talent.
Later, he also advocated that some smart children who like to study in the West should go abroad to study, the cost will be covered by the government. It was because of his strong policy that in modern history there was the first generation of international students, among the first 30 or so children was a student named Chiem Thien Huu, who later became the first person to order a foreign student. the foundation of China’s railway engineering.
Tran Anh
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Soha.vn – Read the original article here
