不力行，但学文，长浮华，成何人。
但力行，不学文，任己见，昧理真。
读书法，有三到，心眼口，信皆要。
方读此，勿慕彼，此未终，彼勿起。
宽为限，紧用功，工夫到，滞塞通。
心有疑，随札记，就人问，求确义。
房室清，墙壁净，几案洁，笔砚正。
墨磨偏，心不端，字不敬，心先病。
列典籍，有定处，读看毕，还原处。
虽有急，卷束齐，有缺坏，就补之。
非圣书，屏不视，蔽聪明，坏心志。
勿自暴，勿自弃，圣与贤，可驯致。

宽	为	限	，	紧	用	功
kuan	wei	xian		jin	yong	gong
宽容有余的	做，设立	期限		加紧地	使用	功夫
lofty, broad	to make	a limit		tightly	to use	effort
每一本书，预计读完的期限要定得长一些，然后加紧用功。 Give yourself abundant time to read a book; then apply effort steadily.
工	夫	到	，	滞	塞	通
gong	fu	dao		zhi	se	tong
努力		到达		停顿	不通	贯通、明白
effort		to reach		standstill	obstruction	to penetrate, to understand
只要用的工夫到家了，所有的疑难困惑自然明了贯通。 Once your skill has matured, you will understand and resolve all difficulties.
心	有	疑	，	随	札	记
xin	you	yi		sui	zha	ji
心	有	疑惑		随即、紧接	做	笔记
mind	have	doubt		follow through	to make	a note
若是心中有了疑惑，要随时笔记下来。 When you have a question, make a note of it.
就	人	问	，	求	确	义
jiu	ren	wen		qiu	que	yi
跟、接近	他人	请问		寻求	真确	意义
to draw near	someone	to ask		to search, to seek	accurate	meaning
等机会请教别人，以求得确切的意义。 Ask someone for the answer when the opportunity arises.

读书固然要用功，却也要有正确的方法，否则是事倍功半，费时费力。什么是正确的方法？第一要澄清心念，确立志向。志是心的方向盘，心是志的舵手；观念不正确，方向也就会歪；方向一歪，无论再怎么努力，也到达不了目的地，所以为学以立志为第一要务。志向既立，就一味死用功，这叫做「死读书」。想不死读书，就要讲方法。如何是好方法？俗话说﹕「紧了绷，慢了松，不紧不慢才成功。」这话说来虽容易，紧慢的分寸，却不易拿捏得准。

Although we have to study hard, we must use the correct methods of studying, too; otherwise we only do things halfway, wasting time and effort. What are some correct methods? First, we should calm our mind and clarify our purpose. Purpose is the mind’ s steering wheel while the mind drives our purpose. If our perspectives are erroneous, then our direction tilts. Once our direction slants, regardless of how diligent we may be, we will never reach our destination. So the first and most essential task in studying is to establish a purpose. If you have a purpose, and then you begin to study incessantly, you are "studying as if a stiff." If you don’t want to study like a stiff, you should learn some other methods. What are some good methods? A common saying goes, "It breaks if too taut; it unravels if too sluggish; you arrive at mastery when you’re neither too uptight nor too slow." This is easier said than done. We have a hard time deciphering and adjusting our tension and speed.

总之，原则是：设限之时可以略宽，用功之处却宜从严，也就是不要在未用功之初，就先在结果上给自己太多压力。人贵自知，自己的资质如何，要先了解，不用与人相比；人比人，只有气死人，于事有损，而于己无补。因此先把为学的志向定了，目标也就有了；然后再从这长程目标，分出来几段的短程目标，给自己充裕的时间去用功，以循序渐进，逐层上达。

In general, we ought to allot more than sufficient time within our plans while strictly observe the schedule when we carry out our plans. That is to say, do not give yourself too much pressure thinking about the results before you even start studying. One knows one’s own standing and quality .You must first understand yourself and not compare yourself with others. You only die from frustration if you compare yourself with others. Consequently, you only denigrate your work without helping yourself a bit.

千万不要好高骛远，未学爬就想飞，三步并做一步，逼到自己喘不过气来时，不得不撒手撂下，最后定是信根全断。譬如说﹕你希望当个物理学专家，这可以分出来小学、初中、高中、大学、研究所等几个短程目标，逐一去完成。在每一个短程目标里，你还可以再分出更近的几层短程目标；如一星期内读多少物理故事，一月内做多少小实验，一年内知道多少物理新知。

Once you have settled on an aspiration and a goal, you can then set up several short-term objectives within the long-term goal. You give yourself enough time to study, taking one step at a time as you gradually move closer to your target. Never be overly ambitious that you try to fly before you’ve even learned to crawl or take one step for every three. When you force yourself that way, you become breathless and have to abandon your work. You end up with nothing but a complete loss of confidence. For example, suppose you want to become an authority on physics. What you can do is to establish and follow through on short- term objectives for yourself during your years in elementary school, junior high school, high school, university and graduate school. Within each short-term objective you may further map out short-range targets, such as reading so many physics articles in a week, doing so many small-scaled experiments in a month, or acquiring so much new information on physics in a year.

目标定得宽，容易到，压力就小，比较能心无旁骛，勇往直前。中间为了生活或兴趣，你或者可以去当个中小学教师，甚至大学教授，也可以找个相关的研究工作；却不宜偏离了方向，做起卖花、推销保险等不相干的营生。这样功夫就不易相应，再回程，又是旷时废日，还不一定成功。

The broader your goal, the easier it is to obtain it. You will have less pressure and distractions that way, thus boldly move forward. As your plan unfolds, you may become an elementary or secondary school teacher, or a university professor for the sake of livelihood or interest. You may also find a relevant research job. You do not want to stray off of your target and start selling flowers, promoting insurance, or working in other unrelated fields. If you do that, it’s more difficult to become an expert in your field. Having wasted some time, you may have to backtrack; nonetheless your success remains uncertain.

美国发明电灯的爱迪生，自小就好奇心特别重，而且还很有实验精神。有一次，爱迪生看见母鸡孵小鸡，为了研究，他也坐到卵上，专心地孵了一整天。正因为诸如此类的行为太多了，大家都笑他傻，连学校老师也认为他是个低能儿，可是他的母亲却认为世俗的教学方式不适合儿子，就在家自己教爱迪生，充分予他自由思考和实验发明的机会。爱迪生慢慢长大，发明的各种小玩意儿也愈来愈多，愈来愈有实用性。他之所以能成为当代最伟大的发明家，实得力于他的专心致志，努力不懈。

Edison, the American inventor of the light bulb, was an especially curious child who loved to experiment. Once, Edison saw some hens hatching chicks. For the sake of research, he sat on some eggs for a day in full attention. Precisely because he behaved in this manner so frequently, everyone laughed at how stupid he appeared. Edison’s schoolteacher thought he was an idiot too. His mother, on the other hand, thought teaching methods in typical schools were inappropriate for her son. She taught Edison at home, providing him with plenty of opportunities to think and analyze freely, to experiment and to invent. When Edison grew up, he invented more and more gadgets that also became increasingly practical. He became the greatest inventor of contemporary times because of his focus on his goal and tirelessness.

有一次他在实验时，肚子饿了，他就起身去煮个蛋，但等到蛋该熟时，爱迪生打开锅盖一看，锅内躺着的是他方才脱下来放在桌上的表，而那个鸡蛋还好端端地在桌子上头哩！他结婚那天，车子正巧经过实验室，他便下了车进去，一直到他做完实验出来，天已黑了，这才发现那又饿又累可怜的新娘，还在车上等着他呢！

Once Edison was hungry during experimentation, so he went to boil an egg. After what seemed a suitable amount of cooking time, Edison lifted the lid and saw his watch in the cooker whereas an egg was still on the table! On his wedding day, the couple drove by the laboratory. Edison got off the car and entered the lab. It was already dark by the time he finished his experiments, yet he found his poor bride, tired and hungry, still waiting for him in the car!

当然，我们也不是鼓励你像爱迪生这样。但是从专心致志的工夫中，得到心领神会，心开意解的那一剎那，的确是读书最乐之处。《菜根谭》有两句话，非是过来人说不出的﹕「善读书者，要读到手舞足蹈处，方不落筌蹄；善观物者，要观到心融神洽时，方不泥迹象。」读书本须专心一志，「精诚所至，金石为开」；工夫更须下得切实，钻研得深。「他山之石，可以攻错」，工夫纯熟就能通；一样通，就样样通了。用功也是要活用功，知之为知之，不知为不知；若强不知以为知，别人不再教你，你也失去明了真义的机会。所以读书切忌囫囵吞枣，含糊蒙混。囫囵吞枣是贪，贪多贪快都不可，那像是急性病，会断了命根；含糊蒙混是懒，懒记懒想也不行，那像是慢性毒药，会蚀了支柱。古今中外，绝没有贪惰之人而能竟全功的例子。

Of course, we’re not encouraging you to imitate Edison. However, you should realize that the happiest part of studying is when you concentrate until you understand and everything clicks for you. A couple of lines in the Discourse on the Roots of Vegetables were obviously articulated by veterans, "When your study fathoms the true meaning in a book, you have transcended the barriers of language. When your spirit has meshed with the object of your observation, you are no longer attached to phenomena." Studying requires full concentration; "metal and stone will break apart if you’re sincere enough." You must study thoroughly and investigate deeply. "The faults of others can be used to attack one’s own faults." Once the work becomes second nature to you, you will easily master your subject; once you become an expert in one subject, you become an expert in all subjects. Also, you must be flexible while studying. If you know it then you know it; if you don’t know it then you don’t know it. If you pretend to know when you don’t, others will refuse to teach you. You will have lost an opportunity to truly understand. Therefore you must avoid biting off more than you can chew and pretending to be a specialist. You’re being greedy when you try to swallow a large chunk all at once. Avoid being greedy for quantity or speed; otherwise by analogy you’ll lose your life to a sudden illness. You’re being lazy when you play a charlatan. If you you’re too lazy to memorize or think, then by analogy a slowly spreading virus will nibble away your pillar of support. Throughout the history of the world, no greedy or lazy person has been completely successful.

所以用功要宽紧相济，常存疑情；疑情既生，则当思当问，务必弄到水落石出；切勿草草罢休，功亏一篑。若是望文解字，不疑不悟，则是「读死书」；读死书，死读书，终归是读书死。以孔夫子那样博洽淹贯的礼学专家，尚且「入大庙，每事问」，可谓是「打破砂锅问到底，还要问砂锅哪里买的」；因此惹得一些闲人笑话他：「谁说孔氏知礼啊？知礼的怎会问个没完？」但是孔夫子禀持他一贯「知之为知之，不知为不知」的理念，说明这种谨慎谦虚的态度，才是真正的懂礼。孔夫子认真向学的态度，与实事求是的精神，真值得我们效法！

Therefore, while studying you must balance relaxation and discipline, and always ask questions. Once you have a question, you should think, ask and make sure you understand. Do not readily toss your doubt aside and give up just as you’re about to cross the finish line. If you take words at their surface and never doubt, you fail to understand, as if reading lifeless books. Reading lifeless books or reading like a stiff-either way it’s dead reading. Even an erudite expert in rites and scholarship such as Confucius still "enters the grand temple and inquires about everything." One should "get to the bottom of the wok until it breaks; even then one still pursues with yet another question, inquiring about the purchase place of the wok." There- fore, some busybodies joked, "Who says that Confucius knows about manners? How can someone who understands manners ask questions endlessly?" Nonetheless, Confucius maintained his typical attitude: "If you know it then you know it; if you don’t know it then you don’t." This cautious and humble attitude exemplifies someone who truly understands manners. We ought to emulate Confucius’ serious attitude toward learning and his matter-of-fact spirit!