Teacher Chu Van An
(Baonghean.vn)Teacher Chu Van An's real 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.
Nowadays, 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" (Ten thousand generations of teachers) originated 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, now we respectfully consider teacher Chu Van An worthy of being a shining example of a Vietnamese teacher 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 the first to enter the late afternoon sun.
Thunder cannot disperse the lonely anger,
The ghost was shocked and beheaded.
Harmony is like the white sky and earth,
High wind due to the long mountain range facing the water.
Where is the old hidden forest and spring now?
Temple of Literature is a place of self-cultivation!
I temporarily translated the poem:
Thay Chu Bay
Worrying about national affairs,
Hoping to save from the sunset.
No tiger can overshadow a brave man,
"Seven Cuts" plot to eliminate demons.
The heroic spirit of the times shines brightly,
The high wind never fades.
Where is the old secluded place?
Temple of Literature's fame will never fade!
Nguyen Dang Ba
