This is the most effective way to learn

Chapter 63

Seriously study the subject to be studied, read through the relevant books, read through, read intensively, study repeatedly, think seriously, and master it in depth until it is mastered and used freely.This can be called "intensive reading" in the reading method.This reading method is different from ordinary reading, let alone browsing and extensive reading.

have to be aware of is:
First, intensive reading must set a clear direction, and selectively carry out intensive reading of your major professional works and related basic courses.Ten eyes and one row, meticulously carved.

Second, according to the key topics of research, a scientific reading plan should be formulated.The basics come first, and the depth follows.You can't put the cart before the horse, let alone study whatever you see.Intensive reading means concentrating on a narrow professional field, intensive research, deep reading, careful appreciation, and in-depth grasp of its essence, which is the harvest of intensive reading.

Pangolin reading through a hole
Tu Weiming is a well-known American Sinologist. Since [-], he has been teaching the history of Chinese thought and philosophy in some universities in the United States.Mr. Du is knowledgeable, not only has his own view on reading, but also has a unique way of reading.In an interview, the reporter asked: "Mr. Du, what kind of reading method do you use?"

He replied: "The British scholar Berlin said that there are two ways to learn: one is the fox-drilling method, which has a wide range of contacts; the other is the pangolin-drilling method, which drills deeply. This can also be used to illustrate the importance of reading. way, and I use the pangolin way."

As an expert in Neo-Confucianism, Du Weiming's reading list mainly includes Four Books and Five Classics, Cheng Zhu Neo-Confucianism.For these classics, he read them systematically and repeatedly, and never tired of reading them.As far as the "Four Books" are concerned, he has to revisit them every year.When he read these books, he didn't read them all at once, but got into them headlong, thinking deeply at the same time, and he would gain something every time he read them.This is probably what he called "the pangolin's way of reading".Mr. Du believes that if there is no new harvest every time you reread the book, it means you have not read it. "Walking in the deep water to get the dragon", he learned a deeper philosophy from the book.It is this humble and studious attitude, the tireless spirit, and this "pangolin's way of reading" that have brought him fruitful academic research.

Having said so many examples, how should we read it?Taking literature as an example, a masterpiece is a kind of book that is worth reading carefully.The method Steve Allen taught us is worth pondering:

Steve Allen on How to Appreciate Masterpieces
In school we learn how to read, one of the greatest and most difficult arts ever accomplished by man.

Each of us has encountered such a thing: read the book assigned by the teacher.The teacher assigned Moby Dick, I didn't like it, I didn't read it, I thought I won.

But actually, I lost.I lost the beneficial things that reading classics should have gotten.Later, I read it anyway, and gradually fell in love with "Moby Dick", and every time I read it, I found a new kind of pleasure.

What is a masterpiece?A masterpiece is such a book, even if it is only for a moment, it will make people feel a part of the meaning of life.A masterpiece is a book that stands the test of time, a book that millions of readers around the world have read for special inspiration over the years.

Not many books can stand this test.Counting all the works published since the first time man used a chisel to make stone tools, the masterpieces account for only a tiny part of it, less than one-thousandth of the total.There are only a few thousand copies.In these books, its solid core is less than a hundred.

Why should we read classics and learn to appreciate them?I offer three good reasons:
Masterpieces broaden people's horizons.

The patron of famous books grows up.

Masterpieces help people understand life and themselves.

The last point is very important.Masterpieces can give people an insight into their own inner world, which cannot be obtained from other places.To be sure, one can almost take pleasure in many books; but a masterpiece, once read, takes one to a higher level.

I often hear people say: "The classics are too difficult to understand, I can't read them."

Let me give some ideas to help people find this wonderful world.Take a classic book that you always say you want to read, and follow the suggestions below to read it?
know what you're reading

Is this a novel, a screenplay, or a biography or history?To know this, look up the table of contents, read the cover and foreword, or look up the title or author in the Reader's Encyclopedia.

don't read in bed

I admit that it will be difficult to read classics, so you must have an active mind and a sharp organ.If you want to fall asleep while reading in bed, then when you start to doze off, you will complain about the book.

Don't be swayed by many characters
Dostoevsky throws out more than 1 main characters in his book The Brothers Karmazov, and Tolstoy uses [-] long and complex ones in Chapter [-] of War and Peace. The name makes one's head swell.At this time, don't rush to turn forward, keep reading, and gradually, these characters will become clear.You will feel like being with them is like being with your old friends.Everyone remembers many of his friends who were also strangers before they met.

give the author a chance

Don't say "I don't understand" prematurely, but insist on reading it to the end.Sometimes it may be that you are not fully prepared for the book you are about to read.I gnawed Plato's "Utopia" a total of three times before I understood it.If you read it carefully and really don't understand it, put it aside for a day or a year and read another book first.

read in large chunks
Don't gnaw at small bites, the longer the sentences you read, the more you can get into the rhythm and emotion of the book, and the more fun you will get from it.

read author's book
For example, Shakespeare carefully read the translation of North's "Biography of Plutarch" in order to write "Julius Caesar" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream".Every writer is a product of his time.Understanding the history of the time, the issues and attitudes faced by the writer and others will help one understand the writer's point of view.Writers disagree.It doesn't matter, at least it makes people think.

read a book about the author's life

The more the reader knows the author's personal history in detail, the more he understands why he wrote what he wrote, and he will begin to understand the autobiographical tidbits hidden in the author's works.A writer cannot expose himself.Most of our guesses about Shakespeare take cues from his plays.

reread it

All classics are read repeatedly.After reading a book, if you are very interested but don't fully understand it, then reread it immediately and you will find more things.If you read a classic a few years ago and liked it, read it again.There is so much more to tell in the book that it is almost impossible to believe that it is the same book.

Don't just dip your toes into the deep water of the famous book, but jump into it.Like previous generations of intelligent humans.We feel inspired in our souls by the thoughts and insights of some of the most gifted writers in history.

(End of this chapter)