"Determined to do great things, not to be a big official", please talk about your understanding of this sentence and its modern significance.

Determined to do great things, not to be a big official —— Speech by Sun Yat-sen (19231February 2 1 Sunday) at Lingnan Student Reception in Guangzhou.

Gentlemen: 1

My brother is coming today, and I really like the opportunity for Lingnan University students to get to know everyone. Because you are the rising stars of the Republic of China and will continue to build the responsibility of the Republic of China in the future, I have high hopes for you. It has been twelve years since the founding of the Republic of China. In these twelve years, there was no chaos every day. There used to be a division between the north and the south, but now there is a division between the province and the Ministry. The reason is that after the Qing government, the cause destroyed by the old country has never been successful, so the new country cannot be built. After the successful destruction in the future, we will continue to build a new Republic, and hope that the future kings will shoulder that great responsibility.

If we talk about state affairs today, there will be a lot of things, not one or two o'clock: we can finish talking. However, when I came to Lingnan University today, I was deeply touched by the large scale and good organization of the school. I'll talk to you with this feeling now. Lingnan University is in Guangdong Province. Study hard and know that this school is large in scale, well organized and well educated. Compared with other schools, not only in Guangdong, but also in the southwestern provinces of China, it can be said to be the first and unique. Why is there only one good Lingnan University in Guangdong and no other good schools? Even in the southwest province of China, there is no other school like Lingnan University. Because this university is run by Americans, the education you receive here is American education; You live in this school, which is no different from that in America. We speculate why there are such good schools in the United States and not in China. Why can't China start it himself? Because European and American civilizations have been developed in the past 200 years, the United States has made great progress in recent decades. Their domestic situation is much more advanced than that of China, not only in education, but also in industry, commerce and all social undertakings. Today, all the undertakings of China can be said to be corrupt to the extreme. The reason for corruption is that there are too many people. Historically, has China always been inferior to foreign countries? Once upon a time, China had several dynasties compared with foreign countries, so this phenomenon of * only recently. Let's talk about the education of young people in China now. Soldiers are used everywhere in the country, and ordinary people are unable to save lives. How many people can afford to send their children to school? Even if young people study at school, how many people can have such a good opportunity to receive foreign higher education in such a good school? As far as Guangdong hukou is concerned, the number of people is claimed to be 30 million. If we mention one tenth, there are 3 million young people, and all of you should have the opportunity to receive this kind of education. Now, only a few hundred of you have this opportunity. Think about it, gentlemen, what a great opportunity this is. Now in the Republic of China, people should have equal opportunities to receive education. As things stand today. They have no access to higher education and no equal opportunities. You are receiving such a higher education now, so you have a better chance than them. You are enjoying better happiness than them now. After their future study, they should contribute to improving society, so that they can get equal opportunities in the future.

Now that you are educated, what should you do if you expect to make some contribution to society after completing your studies in the future? You haven't graduated, your knowledge is not developed, and your knowledge has not achieved anything. I can't blame you. You must do something, but what preparations should you make before doing anything? What should I pay attention to? In my opinion, in this period, the first thing to be sure is. For a scholar, determination is the most important. China people think that scholars are the first of the four people, higher than agriculture, industry and commerce. Twenty or thirty years ago, students made up their minds that when they took the self-taught exam, they always wanted to go to school, take the middle school exam and choose an academician. I want to be a big official in the future. What I hope for you today is not the ambition of the old ideas, but greater than the ambition of entering a school, taking an examination of a middle school, being an academician and being a big official. For thousands of years, there have been many people with lofty ideals in China, but their old ambition concept of focusing on personal development and personal happiness is quite different from modern thought. The idea that modern human beings yearn for is to pay attention to developed people and seek happiness for everyone. Tell the truth with facts. Where are the aspirations of our young people in China? Is to rebuild the Republic of China so that its civilization can keep pace with other countries in the future. Our present civilization is imported from foreign countries and advocated by outsiders, which is a great shame that did not exist thousands of years ago. If we are determined to improve our country, we can still follow Europe and the United States wholeheartedly, otherwise China will fall behind in all aspects, never develop itself and never make progress. Push it to the extreme, and China will be finished. Therefore, today's youth should take the country as their own responsibility and shoulder the responsibility of building future social undertakings. What is this voluntary legislation? I have read the history of ancient and modern China and foreign countries, and I know that not all the most famous people in the world have succeeded from their political careers; A person who was extremely powerful in the regime for a while and then unknown; There are very famous people, completely outside the political scope. To put it simply, the fame of ancient and modern figures lies not in what he did, but in what he did. If you can succeed in your career, you can be famous. So I advise you to make up your mind to do great things, not to be a big official.

What is a big deal? Generally speaking, no matter what it is, as long as it is completely successful from beginning to end, it is a big deal. For example, once upon a time there was a Frenchman named Bertrand, who devoted himself to studying what people could not see. That kind of thing is extremely subtle, useless and beyond the reach of ordinary people. In the eyes of ordinary people, they must think it's nothing. Why study him? However, Bertau studied his structural nature and the relationship with other things from beginning to end into a systematic result, and called this thing microorganism. By studying this microorganism, we found that it is extremely harmful to all kinds of animals and plants and must be put out. Now people in the world are aware of the benefits of killing this microorganism, but I don't know how many. For example, people didn't know that silkworms were sick before, so there were often many silkworms who didn't spin silk very much, and the benefits were not great. Now we know that silkworms can get sick, and when they are sick, they can't spin silk. Investigating the cause of his illness is due to a microorganism; If this microorganism is eliminated, the silkworm disease can be cured, but more silk can be spun. Now Guangdong produces tens of millions more silk every year, but many people still don't know how to treat silkworm diseases. If everyone knows how to kill the microorganisms that harm silkworms, it will increase unlimited income. What are the benefits? Now, what is the total benefit of knowing how to kill the microorganisms that harm silkworms in the world? But when purge decided to study microorganisms, he didn't know it was so beneficial. The significance of this story is that microorganisms are extremely tiny things. However, it is a great thing to study the interests of animals and plants and make concrete achievements and contribute to mankind. Although small, what A Ci was determined to study was a complete success, which made him famous in history. In the past, China people didn't know what a gift was, except that they were determined to go to school, to be promoted to middle school, to be the top scholar, to be the prime minister, and some even wanted to be emperors. For example, when Qin Shihuang traveled, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu both sighed and expressed their wishes. Xiang Yu said, "He can take his place." Liu Bang said: "A gentleman should be like this." Although their tone is different, their wishes are no different. In other words, they all want to be emperors. This concept, over time, spread to the general population, so from then on, China people wanted to be emperors, so they didn't want to do anything else. Since the Republic of China, either Yuan Shikai wanted to be an emperor or a general warlord wanted to be a warlord or governor, which is also wrong. Because it is not easy to reach that position, and there are many obstacles. Because they are determined to reach that position, they will not hesitate to get * *, a thief and a person. Gentlemen, think about it: is voluntary service good or not? It is definitely not good, so we must eliminate that kind of volunteer. As for what students yearn for and pay attention to, they must not want to achieve any status, but must want to achieve something. Because status is personal. What position have you reached? You can only seek happiness for yourself. The cause is related to the masses, and doing something can make everyone happy. The idea of modern human beings is to pay attention to everyone's happiness, as I said before. As we all know, many people who succeed in doing great things are not all educated at school. There are also people who can do a lot without going to school. But that kind of person is the power of God. What ordinary people want to do is good, and they should learn from the strengths of the ancients. So I have to go to school, learn the knowledge of people at all times and all over the world, and help me do a big thing, and then that big thing will be easy to succeed.

Gentlemen, don't say that you are just a farmer when you enter agricultural science and learn the knowledge of farming. I didn't know farming was also a big deal. Once upon a time, the parishioners in Hou Ji cultivated crops, cultivated crops. Because farming is a very beneficial thing for the people, he is not afraid of labor and teaches the people. Later, the people thanked him and he became the emperor. Speaking of birth, Hou Ji is still a plowman! That plowman is also an emperor! How many people were emperors in ancient times? Now the world has forgotten their names. Only Hou Ji worked as a plowman, so the world has never forgotten him. Now, with the progress of science, the newly invented agricultural instruments abroad are much better than those in the old days, and they can get twice the result with half the effort. Only one person can farm and feed thousands of people. You are studying agricultural science now. After your success, you will be like a foreign farmer. You will plow the fields alone and thousands of people will have food. You can't stop there. It is a man with lofty ideals to improve the method of farming with updated scientific principles so that tens of thousands or millions of people can have dinner with one person. In a word, you are studying at school now, no matter which science, such as literature, physical chemistry and agronomy, as long as it is close to your nature, you will take that one to study again and again. I also refer to other sciences related to this topic in detail, and draw lessons from their principles and methods to help the development of this topic, and conduct thorough research to achieve successful results. Then, just like Hou Ji in China plowed the fields, Bertrand in France invented microorganisms to benefit animals and plants, which was a great event with boundless merits.

I'll tell you another story: once upon a time, there was an Englishman named Darwin. At first, he specialized in playing with ants and many bugs. Later, he investigated all the animals, speculated in detail and deduced the truth of evolution. Now expanding this truth, including not only the truth of all animal changes, but also various philosophies such as society, politics, education and ethics, cannot escape from his scope. So Darwin's contribution is greater than many emperors in the world. How many emperors should there be in the world? Many of you don't know their names, and now no one doesn't know Darwin. So Darwin's works are really above the emperor. From this point of view, no matter what, as long as it can be completely successful, it is a big deal. Therefore, the truth obtained by investigating microorganisms is a big deal, and the truth obtained by playing with ants is also a big deal. But when we study, we must do it by our own instinct. What is instinct? Is what you like to do; Only by doing what you like thoroughly can you achieve final success, and you don't like the new and hate the old in the middle. This is determination. Determined not to be ambitious today, but to take a stand tomorrow. The idea of being an emperor in the past is a relic of the past, and we must fundamentally get rid of it. Determined to make one thing a complete success and a new invention to the world. If there are new inventions, there are so many places in the world that you don't have to worry about occupying a seat.

We are determined to suit China's national conditions. Like more than forty years ago, China sent many students to study abroad, especially to the United States. After they arrive in the United States, no matter why China sends overseas students, what's the use of China after they study? They think it is enough to learn to be an American when they arrive in America. So when they are abroad, they call themselves "George", "William" and "Charlie", and don't even want China's name. After returning home, it's not just eating and living with China, which is inappropriate. Even China can't say. So I didn't live long, so I turned down China and returned to the United States. Some of them are eager to be more noble, and some of them continue to learn knowledge after returning to the United States. But that kind of students have no idea about China's diet and human physics, and all their thoughts and behaviors are no different from those of Americans. So they can't be said to be from China, only Americans. As for those with bad records, after returning to the United States, they idle away and do nothing every day. Because he was not a student, the official fee or family support was cancelled, and even his personal life could not be maintained: so he did all kinds of evil and did everything he could to become a hooligan. What are the advantages for international students from China to become American hooligans instead of coming back to become citizens of China? Even when I was in the United States, I was afraid to go to the place where China people lived. When people talk about nationality, they always deny that they are from China. What is the intention of this kind of student? This kind of student can be said to have no ambition. He only knows how to learn, and he doesn't know whether to do things by himself after learning.

You are now in Lingnan University, with more education in the United States and less education in China. Looking around the school, the scenery surrounded by flowers and trees, the buildings of houses and roads, and this prosperous and civilized weather are really far from the wilderness scenes outside the school gates of Datang and Le Kang. We China people are suffering now, and at least 300 million people are in a precarious state in our daily life, worrying about breakfast and dinner, so China is the poorest and weakest country in the world. When you enjoy such happiness and think of the sufferings of your compatriots, you should have a kind of compassion. Mencius said, "No compassion is human." This is your inherent conscience. You should make up your mind to come up with a way to save the poor and the weak. This kind of volunteer should be established by everyone. We should shoulder the responsibility of helping the poor and the weak and surpass our compatriots. If everyone has this will, China will grow from weak to strong and from poor to rich in the future.

Many foreign students came back and said that the reason why there is such a civilization abroad now is because they have a specialty. People who say such things live in poverty. They have never read the history of China. They don't know that China has been a country of cultural relics for thousands of years. It used to be rich and strong, but now it is poor and weak. As far as this concept is concerned, compared with foreign countries, China is not only the poorest country, but also the most stupid country. Isn't it shameful to send people abroad to learn everything? China sent students to study abroad, first to the United States, then to European countries, mostly to Japan. There were more than 30,000 people at the peak. Because no matter which country in the world, so many students are not sent to one country at the same time, I was surprised at that time. Because of this problem, I looked up the past history and found that there were more than 30 thousand international students in the capital when Xi 'an was established in the Tang Dynasty. Of these 30,000 people, Japan sent more than 10,000, and the rest were Persians, Romans, Indians, Arabs and other Europeans. This shows that in the Tang Dynasty, China was the most knowledgeable person in the world, so all countries sent people to study in China. After the Japanese learned it, they changed the domestic system to that of China, that is, palaces, clothes, all laws and regulations, cultural relics and systems were the same as those of China, and they were all the old systems of the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the territory of China almost unified the Asian continent, stretching to the Caspian Sea in the west. From this perspective, our ancestors were very rich and powerful. Why are you poor and weak now? Why is there no way to become as rich and powerful as foreign countries? The reason is that people nowadays are in low spirits. If you can't cheer up, it is *, * is a very bad nature, and we must eliminate it. As for the innate intelligence of China people, the students studying in the United States now are at the same level as Americans. Throughout the United States, regardless of the class of students in any school, the average score of each semester and the students in China are better than those in the United States, which is recognized by Americans. History has proved that China is rich and strong, poor and weak; Judging from the national character, China people are indeed better than foreigners. It is natural to blame our country's decline in this way, because * can't cheer up.

How to calculate the country's prosperity? If we want to make our country rich and strong, we must cheer up, unite and work together. Never be selfish. You only know where you want to go, but you don't know where your country is. We have this ambition, which is the ambition of the country. More than 200 years ago, China was conquered by Manchu once and ruled for more than 200 years. Everything was suppressed, the people's mood was destroyed, and the people of the whole country bowed to their knees and did not dare to cheer up. The reason why we * basically care about this recently. 12 years ago, our revolutionary party liberated the Manchu government from the shackles of Manchu, but it was also bound by many foreigners. Because in the last few years of the Manchu government, they knew that they were afraid that the world would fall into the hands of the Han people and could do nothing, so they advocated "making friends instead of sending slaves." Give China's territorial sovereignty to many foreigners. After the recovery of the Han nationality, we could have become an independent country, but we can't be independent because the contract that the Manchu government gave territory and sovereignty to foreigners has not been recovered. Everyone knows that North Korea died in Japan and Annan died in France. Both Korea and Annan are conquered countries, and both Korea and Annan are suffering. What is our position in China? It is simply lower than the status of North Korea and Annan. Because Korea is only a slave of Japan and Annan is only a slave of France. Although they are dead, they are just slaves of a country. The contract of our territorial sovereignty is now in the hands of people of all countries and is bound by people of all countries. At this moment, we are really slaves of people of all countries. Excuse me, gentlemen, is it more painful to be a slave to one person or to be a slave to all? Of course, it is more painful to be a slave to everyone. Being a slave to one, as long as you follow the will, you can win the favor of your master. There is a difficulty in being a slave to everyone. As the saying goes, "I will lose my wife's will when I am happy." What do you think about how to deal with everything? So our status is lower than that of Koreans and Annan. If natural disasters such as floods and droughts occur in North Korea and Annan, Japan and France are obliged to help them. For example, in the former southern provinces of the United States, slaves were entitled to three kinds of benefits: clothes, food and housing. Now, if there is a flood in China, foreigners will donate two or three million yuan. They don't think it is their duty, but they think it is a great charity. Japan and France treat North Korea and Annan. They don't think this is charity. So now we are slaves of many foreigners, and we only have the obligation to flatter them, but we can't enjoy their rights.

Now there are more than a dozen foreign warships in White Swan Pond, and their purpose is to demonstrate for us. Our ancestors have never experienced such a great shame. In today's Enemy at the Gates, you are scholars, the first of four, prophets, shouldering the responsibility of the country. What should be done to solve this great shame? Can save China? Gentlemen, when they are studying, they should start studying to save China. What method should be used? You are studying American knowledge and taking an examination of American history now. America owes its prosperity to the revolution. When the United States left Britain, the population was only 4 million, and the land was only 13 provinces, which was a complete wilderness. In terms of quantity, it is only one percent of that of China. China now has a population of 40 million, land in 22 provinces and very rich products. If we can follow in the footsteps of the American revolution, the United States can still achieve great achievements today on such a small basis. China is rich in people and things, and the future result will definitely be better than that of the United States. The United States used 1% of the population to open up wasteland and found that the country was rich and strong; More than a hundred years later. According to the principle of proportionality, it only takes ten years for our country to become rich and strong by using a hundred times of people to rectify the reclaimed land. If we want to achieve this goal, we must all set up national ambitions, learn from the American people in the previous revolutionary period and work together. But you must not learn from the United States like the American students before. As long as you become an American, no matter which country, you must use American knowledge to turn China into the United States. Because national affairs can't be done by one person alone, it's easy to have more talents and do it wholeheartedly. To have a lot of talents, then a good school for cultivating talents can't just be Lingnan University. Guangdong needs dozens of Lingnan universities, and China needs hundreds of Lingnan universities to produce hundreds of thousands or millions of good students, which is of great benefit to China. If we learn to be Americans, we will be satisfied. No matter what country we go abroad, they will still laugh at us as despicable China people. Personally, China has a yellow face and Americans have a white face. No matter how we learn Buddhism, how can our faces change color? Gentlemen, how do you study? If you want to be good, you need the people of the whole country to be good. As long as we make our country rich and strong, we will become a world-class country. Then, although we look yellow, when we go abroad, we can admit that we are from China, which is the honor of first-class people.

You welcome me to give a speech today. My contribution to you is to make you make up your mind, have the lofty aspirations of the people, and concentrate on doing one thing to help the country become rich and strong. It is the responsibility of all of you to make China rich and strong; I hope you can shoulder this responsibility.