Mr. Chu Van An
(Baonghean.vn)Teacher Chu Van An's name was Tieu An, his given name was Linh Triet, his posthumous name was Van Trinh. He was from Van Thon village, Quang Liet commune, Thanh Dam district, now Thanh Tri - Hanoi. After passing the Thai Hoc Sinh exam (equivalent to Doctorate in the Le Dynasty), he did not become an official, but only stayed home to teach. He had many students and many were talented. Chu Van An was a lifelong example of self-study to cultivate virtue and talent following the example of ancient sages.
Today, at the Temple of Literature (Hanoi), there is a horizontal plaque with the four words “Van the su bieu” (Ten thousand generations of teachers) and a picture of teacher Chu Van An below. The four words “Van the su bieu” originate from the four words of King Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (China) for Confucius. The Temple of Literature literally worships Confucius. Chu Van An is worshiped as his consort at the Temple of Literature. However, we now respectfully consider teacher Chu Van An worthy of being a shining example of Vietnamese teachers for all time.
Poet Cao Ba Quat has a poem about the virtue and integrity of teacher Chu Van An:
Chinese character transcription
Bay
The spirit of the monk is majestic and heroic,
Desire to be able to penetrate the late afternoon sun.
Thunder cannot calm the lonely anger,
The ghost was shocked and beheaded.
Harmony is like the white sky and earth,
High wind due to the mountains facing the water.
Where is the old hidden forest and spring now?
Temple of Literature is a place of self-cultivation!
I temporarily translate the poem:
Chu Bay
Worrying about national affairs,
Hope to save from the sunset.
No tiger's power can overwhelm a brave man,
"Seven Cuts" plot to eliminate demons.
The heroic spirit of all times shines brightly,
The high wind never fades.
Where is the old secluded place?
The Temple of Literature's fame will never fade!
Nguyen Dang Ba
