顏氏家訓·勉學（節選）
Family Instructions of the Yan Clan: Encouragement to Learning (excerpts)
Yan Zhitui 顏之推 (531–c. 591)
Sui–Tang · c. 580s–590s

Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-005207 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/005207
Rights: Written in the late sixth century; the author died about 591. Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Source: Wikisource, https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/顏氏家訓/卷第3 (retrieved 2026-10-11)
English translation: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0
Generated 2026-10-14 from https://coldlibrary.com/en/open-stacks/yan-zhitui-encouragement-to-learning

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自古明王聖帝，猶須勤學，況凡庶乎！此事遍於經史，吾亦不能鄭重，聊舉近世切要，以啟寤汝耳。士大夫子弟，數歲已上，莫不被教，多者或至禮、傳，少者不失詩、論。及至冠婚，體性稍定；因此天機，倍須訓誘。有志尚者，遂能磨礪，以就素業；無履立者，自茲墮慢，便為凡人。人生在世，會當有業：農民則計量耕稼，商賈則討論貨賄，工巧則致精器用，伎藝則沈思法術，武夫則慣習弓馬，文士則講議經書。多見士大夫恥涉農商，羞務工伎，射則不能穿札，筆則纔記姓名，飽食醉酒，忽忽無事，以此銷日，以此終年。或因家世餘緒，得一階半級，便自為足，全忘修學；及有吉凶大事，議論得失，蒙然張口，如坐雲霧；公私宴集，談古賦詩，塞默低頭，欠伸而已。有識旁觀，代其入地。何惜數年勤學，長受一生愧辱哉！

夫明六經之指，涉百家之書，縱不能增益德行，敦厲風俗，猶為一藝，得以自資。父兄不可常依，鄉國不可常保，一旦流離，無人庇蔭，當自求諸身耳。諺曰：「積財千萬，不如薄伎在身。」伎之易習而可貴者，無過讀書也。世人不問愚智，皆欲識人之多，見事之廣，而不肯讀書，是猶求飽而懶營饌，欲暖而惰裁衣也。夫讀書之人，自羲、農已來，宇宙之下，凡識幾人，凡見幾事，生民之成敗好惡，固不足論，天地所不能藏，鬼神所不能隱也。

夫學者所以求益耳。見人讀數十卷書，便自高大，凌忽長者，輕慢同列；人疾之如讎敵，惡之如鴟梟。如此以學自損，不如無學也。

古之學者為己，以補不足也；今之學者為人，但能說之也。古之學者為人，行道以利世也；今之學者為己，修身以求進也。夫學者猶種樹也，春玩其華，秋登其實；講論文章，春華也，修身利行，秋實也。

人生小幼，精神專利，長成已後，思慮散逸，固須早教，勿失機也。吾七歲時，誦靈光殿賦，至於今日，十年一理，猶不遺忘；二十之外，所誦經書，一月廢置，便至荒蕪矣。然人有坎壈，失於盛年，猶當晚學，不可自棄。孔子云：「五十以學易，可以無大過矣。」魏武、袁遺，老而彌篤，此皆少學而至老不倦也。曾子七十乃學，名聞天下；荀卿五十，始來遊學，猶為碩儒；公孫弘四十餘，方讀春秋，以此遂登丞相；朱雲亦四十，始學易、論語；皇甫謐二十，始受孝經、論語：皆終成大儒，此並早迷而晚寤也。世人婚冠未學，便稱遲暮，因循面墻，亦為愚耳。幼而學者，如日出之光，老而學者，如秉燭夜行，猶賢乎瞑目而無見者也。

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自古明王圣帝，犹须勤学，况凡庶乎！此事遍于经史，吾亦不能郑重，聊举近世切要，以启寤汝耳。士大夫子弟，数岁已上，莫不被教，多者或至礼、传，少者不失诗、论。及至冠婚，体性稍定；因此天机，倍须训诱。有志尚者，遂能磨砺，以就素业；无履立者，自兹堕慢，便为凡人。人生在世，会当有业：农民则计量耕稼，商贾则讨论货贿，工巧则致精器用，伎艺则沈思法术，武夫则惯习弓马，文士则讲议经书。多见士大夫耻涉农商，羞务工伎，射则不能穿札，笔则才记姓名，饱食醉酒，忽忽无事，以此销日，以此终年。或因家世余绪，得一阶半级，便自为足，全忘修学；及有吉凶大事，议论得失，蒙然张口，如坐云雾；公私宴集，谈古赋诗，塞默低头，欠伸而已。有识旁观，代其入地。何惜数年勤学，长受一生愧辱哉！

夫明六经之指，涉百家之书，纵不能增益德行，敦厉风俗，犹为一艺，得以自资。父兄不可常依，乡国不可常保，一旦流离，无人庇荫，当自求诸身耳。谚曰：「积财千万，不如薄伎在身。」伎之易习而可贵者，无过读书也。世人不问愚智，皆欲识人之多，见事之广，而不肯读书，是犹求饱而懒营馔，欲暖而惰裁衣也。夫读书之人，自羲、农已来，宇宙之下，凡识几人，凡见几事，生民之成败好恶，固不足论，天地所不能藏，鬼神所不能隐也。

夫学者所以求益耳。见人读数十卷书，便自高大，凌忽长者，轻慢同列；人疾之如雠敌，恶之如鸱枭。如此以学自损，不如无学也。

古之学者为己，以补不足也；今之学者为人，但能说之也。古之学者为人，行道以利世也；今之学者为己，修身以求进也。夫学者犹种树也，春玩其华，秋登其实；讲论文章，春华也，修身利行，秋实也。

人生小幼，精神专利，长成已后，思虑散逸，固须早教，勿失机也。吾七岁时，诵灵光殿赋，至于今日，十年一理，犹不遗忘；二十之外，所诵经书，一月废置，便至荒芜矣。然人有坎壈，失于盛年，犹当晚学，不可自弃。孔子云：「五十以学易，可以无大过矣。」魏武、袁遗，老而弥笃，此皆少学而至老不倦也。曾子七十乃学，名闻天下；荀卿五十，始来游学，犹为硕儒；公孙弘四十余，方读春秋，以此遂登丞相；朱云亦四十，始学易、论语；皇甫谧二十，始受孝经、论语：皆终成大儒，此并早迷而晚寤也。世人婚冠未学，便称迟暮，因循面墙，亦为愚耳。幼而学者，如日出之光，老而学者，如秉烛夜行，犹贤乎瞑目而无见者也。

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English translation by Claude (an AI)

Since ancient times even enlightened kings and sage emperors have had to study hard; how much more ordinary people. The point is made everywhere in the classics and histories, and I need not labour it; I will only give some important recent examples to wake you up. The sons of gentlemen are all taught from the age of a few years; the furthest along reach the Rites and the Commentary, and the least still get through the Songs and the Analects. By the time they are capped and married, when their temperament has begun to settle, they need twice the guidance to make use of this natural moment. Those with ambition can then polish themselves and take up a scholar’s calling; those without resolve slide from then on into idleness and become ordinary men. Everyone alive ought to have a calling: farmers plan their ploughing and sowing, merchants talk over goods and prices, craftsmen bring their implements to perfection, the skilled think hard about methods and techniques, soldiers practise with bow and horse, and scholars lecture and debate on the classics. I often see gentlemen who are ashamed to touch farming or trade and embarrassed to work at a craft; their archery cannot pierce a plate of armour, and their writing can just about manage their own names. They eat their fill and drink till they are drunk, idle and empty, and so pass their days and end their years. Some, on the strength of what is left of the family name, get a rank or two and are satisfied with themselves, and forget about study altogether. When there is a great occasion, auspicious or grievous, and its rights and wrongs are being discussed, they gape blankly as if sitting in a cloud of mist; at gatherings, public or private, when the talk turns to the past and poems are composed, they hang their heads in silence and only yawn and stretch. Those who know better, watching, want to sink into the ground on their behalf. Why grudge a few years of hard study and suffer a lifetime of shame?

If you understand the meaning of the Six Classics and range through the books of the hundred schools, then even if it does not improve your virtue or strengthen the common morals, it is still a skill to support yourself by. Father and elder brothers cannot always be relied on, and home and country cannot always be kept; if one day you are a refugee with no one to shelter you, you will have to look to yourself. The proverb says: “Ten million in savings is not worth a small skill in your own person.” Of the skills that are easy to learn and worth having, none is greater than reading. People, wise or foolish, all wish to know many people and see many things, yet they will not read: that is like wanting to be fed but being too lazy to cook, or wanting to be warm but too idle to cut out clothes. As for the reader: since the days of Fuxi and Shennong, under the whole of the heavens, how many people he has come to know, how many affairs he has seen! The successes and failures, the loves and hates of the living are hardly worth mentioning; nothing escapes him that Heaven and Earth could keep, or ghosts and spirits could hide.

Learning is for gaining something. I see people who have read a few dozen scrolls and at once think themselves great, insulting their elders and slighting their equals; others hate them like enemies and loathe them like owls. To harm yourself with learning like that is worse than not learning at all.

Those who learned in ancient times learned for themselves, to make up what they lacked; those who learn now learn for others, only to be able to talk about it. Those who learned in ancient times learned for others, practising the Way to benefit the world; those who learn now learn for themselves, cultivating themselves to get on. Learning is like planting a tree: in spring you enjoy its flowers, and in autumn you gather its fruit. Discussing and writing are the spring flowers; cultivating yourself and bettering your conduct are the autumn fruit.

When people are small, their spirit is single and sharp; once they are grown, their thoughts scatter. So they must be taught early, and the moment must not be missed. When I was seven I learned by heart the Rhapsody on the Hall of Numinous Light, and to this day, going over it once in ten years, I have not forgotten it; but the classics I learned after twenty, if I leave them for a month, run to weeds. Still, if someone meets misfortune and misses his prime, he should learn late rather than give himself up. Confucius said: “If at fifty I study the Changes, I may be without great faults.” Cao Cao and Yuan Yi grew more devoted with age; they learned young and did not tire of it into old age. Zengzi began to learn at seventy and became known throughout the world; Xun Qing came to study at fifty and still became a great scholar; Gongsun Hong first read the Spring and Autumn after forty, and by it rose to be chancellor; Zhu Yun also began the Changes and the Analects at forty; Huangfu Mi first received the Classic of Filial Piety and the Analects at twenty; and all of them became great scholars in the end. These were people lost early who woke late. People who have not studied by the time they are capped and married say it is too late, and so stay as they are, facing a wall; that too is foolish. Learning when young is like the light of the rising sun; learning when old is like walking at night holding a candle, and that is still better than shutting your eyes and seeing nothing.