Translated 
Produced by Zhonghua Book Company— Zeng Guofan”s Family Motto 

After the death of Zeng Guofan, Emperor Guangxu personally issued an imperial edict in 1876. Li Hanzhang, a disciple of Zeng Guofan, compiled and collated the Complete Works of Zeng Wenzhenggong published by Chuanzhong publishing house. It includes: [ First Volume totaling 1 volume, Memorials to the Emperor totaling 30 Volumes, Poems from Eighteen Poets totaling 28 Volumes, Copy of Thoughts of Hundreds of Scholars totaling 26 Volumes, Brief Introduction to Thoughts of Hundreds of Scholars totaling 2 Volumes, Argument on Articles in Mingyuan Hall totaling 2 Volumes, A Collection of Poems totaling 4 Volumes, A Collection of Articles totaling 4 Volumes, Letters totaling 33 Volumes, Pidu(styles of being a government official) totaling 6 Volumes, Miscellaneous Poems totaling 4 Volumes, Reading in Qiuquezhai totaling 10 Volumes, Diary in Qiuquezhai totaling 2 Volumes, Chronology totaling 12 Volumes], Family Letters of Zeng Wenzhenggong (Family Letters of Zeng Guofan) totaling 10 Volumes, with Family Motto of Zeng Wenzhenggong (Zeng Guofan”s Family Motto) totaling 2 Volumes, which was published in the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (Jimao, 1879), three years later than the Complete Works of Zeng Wenzhenggong. Among all the works of Zeng Guofan, it has the greatest influence and the most extensive spread. [There are 121 articles in Zeng Guofan”s Family Motto, including one article Four Principles of Moral Cultivation, the remaining 120 letters, one written in the sixth year of Xianfeng (1856), one in the ninth year of Tongzhi (1870), and the other 118 between the eighth year of Xianfeng (1858) and the sixth year of Tongzhi (1867). ] Zeng Guofan”s Family Motto is basically a collection of letters written by a 50-60-year-old father to a 20-30-year-old son and a 10-20-year-old son. (Zeng Guofan was born in the 16th year of Jiaqing (1811), Zeng Jize was born in the 19th year of Daoguang (1839), Zeng Jihong was born in the 28th year of Daoguang (1848); Zeng Guofan was 48 years old, Zeng Jize was 20 years old, and Zeng Jihong was 11 years old; Zeng Guofan was 57 years old, Zeng Jize was 29 years old, and Zeng Jihong was 20 years old in the sixth year of Tongzhi (1867). In Zeng Guofan”s Family Motto, Zeng Guofan has different roles in life for his two sons. (He is a kind father, a good teacher and a good friend.) The core content of Zeng Guofan”s Family Motto is academic education and family style construction. The education of children involves self-cultivation, study and family management. Zeng Guofan”s Family Motto is a book with mellow language and sincere feelings. It includes the explanation of the way to save the country, the guidance of the method of moral education and study, and the experience and suggestions of dealing with interpersonal trifles and family economic livelihood. It can be described as a vivid reflection of Zeng Guofan”s main activities in his life and his way of governing politics, family and learning, which contains his philosophical understanding and ideological essence of dealing with social changes.