国学经典-增广贤文,弟子规,中华传统文化国学教育大讲堂 1.3

Reading Zengguang makes one eloquent; reading Youxue allows one to travel the world.

Zengguang refers to Zengguang Xianwen, while Youxue is Youxue Qionglin.

Reading Zengguang Xianwen enables an understanding of the Chinese people's ideological concepts and imparts wisdom for life.

Zengguang Xianwen and Youxue Qionglin are well-known traditional educational materials for children in China. Zengguang Xianwen covers most of the proverbs commonly used today, while Youxue Qionglin is renowned as a "comprehensive encyclopedia of ancient China" due to its wide-ranging content and rich knowledge.

At first glance, Zengguang Xianwen may seem chaotic, but upon careful reading, its internal logic becomes evident.

Zengguang Xianwen starts with the premise that human nature is inherently wicked, and with a stern perspective, it observes societal life, where relationships are tainted by money: "The poor dwell in a bustling world unattended, the rich in remote mountains have distant relatives"; friendships are but a lie: "With wine and meat, many claim brotherhood, yet in times of need, not a single person is seen"; social hierarchy is determined by wealth: "Believe not, just observe at the feast, every toast goes first to those with money"; laws and justice are manipulated by money: "The yamen gates open with 'money talks', those without funds can't come in even if they are right"; human nature is distorted by self-interest: "In the mountains stand straight trees but in the world, there are no honest people"; worldly experience leads to great skepticism of human hearts: "It's hard to paint bones under the tiger's hide; one can know a person's face but not their heart"; discerning between good and evil in human speech is challenging: "In the mountains, one need not fear the wounding tiger, only fear the double-edged blade of human sentiments."

Zengguang Xianwen succinctly summarizes various dark aspects of society, coldly showcasing them to the reader.

The majority of sentences in Zengguang Xianwen are derived from classics in history and literature, poetry, drama, fiction, as well as miscellaneous records of literati. Its ideological concepts directly or indirectly originate from the classics of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Broadly speaking, it serves as a popular dissemination of "Canons" that both refined scholars and common people can appreciate without explanation.