Mother’s Day blessings（母亲节的祝福）

Mother’s Day blessings（母亲节的祝福）

生日前夜与八十老母谈《家训》

“夜觉晓非，今悔昨失”是《颜氏家训》南北朝文人颜之推写给子孙后代著作中的一段话……

最近一段时间是乎总觉得时间过得很快，在我生日前夜与老母一席家训话题颇有深意特习以札记；

早年就读于杭州女子私塾学堂的老母如今八十多岁了，耳聪且思捷、弹琴论及我这个钢琴调音师之“一技之长”……意蕴绵长。谈及海内外之华裔对于儿女的教育引导之古训首推《颜氏家训》，这本书被世人认为是中国古代家训的始祖，给后人很多的资讯和参考。

“积财千万，不如薄技在身”这个“技”不是那样容易习得地，更不是读书或者积累上千万的钱财换来的……一技之长傍身的最佳解释应该是告诫家人多读书、多思考的头脑与身体部位的最佳组合才是一技之长。其中最值得崇尚的，还是读书。“观天下书未遍，不得妄下雌黄”还没有看遍全天下各种类型的书，不要轻易对不懂的事物妄下评论。每个人都有自己的知识盲区，面对不懂的事物，轻易去评价，恐怕会有失偏颇。

“见人读数十卷书，便自高大，凌忽长者，轻慢同列。人疾之如仇敌，恶之如鸱枭（chī xiāo）。如此以学自损，不如无学也”老母说看遍海内外无数读书人特别是读了多年的高学历者，发现他们好像觉得自己高人一等，看不惯别人也包括身边的人！“怒怼长辈”……老母说看见这样的人，就好像看到仇敌一般，觉得像鸱鸮一样很可恶。如此读书之学习态度，相当于自我毁灭，还不如不学习呢。老母借此告诫后人，读书学习要有谦虚的态度，如果读了几本书就觉得高人一等，未免也太过于浅薄。

“世人多蔽，贵耳贱目，重遥轻近”当今这世界上，大多数人都会被一些现象蒙蔽，就是宁愿相信道听途说得来的消息，而不愿意相信自己的眼睛；宁愿相信外人的才能，而不相信身边有能人异士。此句告诫后人，要有正确的判断力，不要忽视身边人的才能和作用。多年来老母不断地教诲儿女们如何做人做事，维系家人（包括护理）和同行之间的关系且身体力行、口碑卓越。

“天下事以难而废者十之一，以惰而废者十之九”谈及天下所有的事情中，因为觉得困难而导致半途而废的，十件事情只有一件；可是因为懒惰而半途而废的，十件事情中就有九件。此句告诫后人，做事情不要因为困难而放弃，也不要因为懒惰而自暴自弃。只要坚持和努力，一定拥有成就。老母视家珍般如数我二十多年前就学习掌握钢琴调音技术且拥有今天的成绩……贵在恒心也。

留存在今的很多教育理念如《颜氏家训》《朱子家训》都颇有其经典之处，然可贵的点滴老母“家训”更是我们儿女心目中的指路明灯。……从琴厂学徒到施坦威工厂的访问学习之路，老母的陪伴和叮嘱让我这个纽约的钢琴调音师终身受益。感谢她老人家长寿安康！

2023年6月于纽约

2024年母亲节的祝福感谢谷歌译文

Last night before my birthday, I had a conversation with my eighty-year-old mother about the “Family Rules”.

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On the eve of his birthday, he talked about “family motto” with his 80th mother

https://videopress.com/v/OpEEFSdU?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

“It is too late to regret the mistakes of the past” is a sentence from the “Yan Family Rules” written by the literati of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Yan Zhi, to his descendants… Recently, I feel that time is passing quickly. On the eve of my birthday, I had a meaningful conversation with my mother about family rules and I took notes.

My mother, who studied at Hangzhou Girls’ Private School in her early years, is now over eighty years old. She is sharp-minded and plays the piano. My “specialty” as a piano tuner… The ancient family rules of Chinese overseas Chinese for the guidance of their children are led by “Yan Family Rules”. This book is regarded as the ancestor of ancient Chinese family rules, giving later generations a lot of information and references.

“It is better to be talented than to accumulate wealth” is not something that can be easily acquired, nor is it exchanged for reading or accumulating millions of money… The best interpretation of having a specialty should be to remind the family to read more and think more, and the best combination of mind and body is the specialty. The most admirable thing is to read. “If you have not seen all the books in the world, do not rashly criticize them” before seeing all kinds of books in the world, do not rashly comment on things you don’t understand. Everyone has their own knowledge blind spot. In the face of things you don’t understand, it is easy to make biased judgments.

“When people see someone read dozens of books, they become arrogant and despise the elderly and treat their peers lightly. People hate them as if they were enemies, and despise them as if they were owls. Such learning attitude will damage themselves, so it is better not to learn” My mother said, after seeing countless readers, especially those with a high education level, they seem to think that they are superior, and they can’t stand others, including their own people! “Angry elders”… My mother said that when she saw such people, it was like seeing an enemy, and felt that it was as hateful as an owl. Such a learning attitude is equivalent to self-destruction, and it is better not to learn. My mother admonished later generations that they should have a humble attitude when they read and learn. If they feel superior after reading a few books, it may be too shallow.

“Most people in the world are blinded, they value their ears and despise their eyes, they value distant people and despise close people” In today’s world, most people are blinded by some phenomena, that is, they would rather believe in rumors than believe in their own eyes; they would rather believe in others’ talents than believe in the capable people around them. This sentence admonishes later generations to have correct judgment and not to ignore the talents and functions of people around them. For many years, my mother has been teaching her children how to be a person and how to do things, maintain the relationship between family members (including care) and be physically and verbally excellent.

“In all things in the world, one in ten fails because it is difficult, and nine in ten fail because of laziness” In all things in the world, only one in ten fails because it is difficult, but nine in ten fail because of laziness. This sentence admonishes later generations not to give up because of difficulty, nor to give up because of laziness. As long as we persist and work hard, we will surely achieve success. My mother regarded me as a treasure and taught me to master the piano tuning technology more than twenty years ago and to achieve today’s results… It is valuable to have perseverance.

Many educational concepts preserved today, such as “Yan Family Rules” and “Zhu Zi Family Rules”, are quite classic, but the precious bits and pieces of my mother’s “family rules” are the guiding lights in our hearts. … From the apprenticeship in the piano factory to the visit and study in the Steinway factory, my mother’s company and admonition have benefited me, a piano tuner in New York, for life. Thank her for her longevity and health!

New York in June 2023

Best wishes for Mother’s Day in 2024, thanks to Google Translate