Everyone regardless of ethnicity or religious faith, not just Chinese, can and should profit from studying Di Zi Gui (dizigui). That is because the moral precepts and standards taught in Di Zi Gui are universally applicable and, since they are not based on any particular religious doctrine, are compatible with any religion.

Persons of Chinese descent, however, especially need to and especially should study Di Zi Gui. What is the reason?

It is exactly the same as the reason why we give Chinese parents the following answer when they ask how to ensure that their offspring grow up to be good, smart and capable: learn Di Zi Gui yourselves and have your children learn it.

So what is that reason? It is not only that Di Zi Gui teach one how to be a good person, but aslo that in today's pervasive Westernized culture, Chinese in general and Chinese children in particular are driven daily to be ashamed of their heritage. Chinese children are especially vulnerable since what most people know these days of the Chinese heritage is only a distorted version. If left unarmed with some accurate knowledge of Chinese culture such as that provided by Di Zi Gui, Chinese children will grow up to be ashamed of their heritage, of their parents and eventually of themselves. Then they won't have the self esteem or inner strength necessary to become good, smart and capable persons.

The Chinese cultural heritage is more than just kungfu, Chinese food, Chinese dress, or Chinese paintings. Even more important, Chinese culture also includes an intellectual heritage thousands of years old, an intellectual heritage of thought, philosophy, norms and mores, some important aspects of which are quite unique. It is exactly this intellectual part of Chinese culture that is most important to Chinese identity, pride and self-confidence.

Unfortunately, nowadays this intellectual heritage is often quite forgotten. Though the great emphasis on xiao, or being good to one's parents and ancestors, is a unique and fundamental Chinese tradition, nowadays one rarely hears of the word from Chinese young or old. When mentioned, it's often to misconstrue the word as meaning "blind obedience to parents" and then to proceed to criticize it. Other fundamental precepts, such as xin or trustworthiness and honesty, fan ai zhong or widely loving everyone, and the primacy of xing or of conduct, over riches or book study, are often forgotten nowadays as ever having been integral to Chinese culture.

Doubtless, the widespread denigration of traditional China by intellectuals, authors, playwrights and ideologues, mostly Chinese in fact, as having been a dark, evil, cynical, dishonest, "feudal", "oppressive", and "man-eating" society has played a large part in this mass amnesia for the Chinese intellectual heritage.

Di Zi Gui, or "Students' Rules," a primer formerly popular in China, was meant for making young people into proper Chinese gentlemen and thus is a great source for learning about the true face of the Chinese intellectual heritage, of traditional Chinese thought, philosophy, norms and mores.

Studying Di Zi Gui and understanding the thinking in it will enable Chinese persons to synthesize traditional Chinese culture with modern life and help strengthen our sense of identity, cultural roots, pride, and self esteem. Then we will not become discouraged and lose hope, or abuse and give up on ourselves; we will persist in striving to do our best in life.

Studying Di Zi Gui will give Chinese and Chinese children an accurate knowledge of the Chinese intellectual heritage. Armed with this knowledge, they will not grow up to be ashamed of their heritage, of their parents and eventually of themselves. They will have the necessary self esteem and inner strength to become upright, kind, smart and capable people.

Indeed, understanding traditional Chinese thought and taking up the Chinese intellectual heritage is of the utmost importance to each Chinese personally. Therefore, Chinese people especially need to, especially should, study Di Zi Gui.

There is in the last few years a small revival of sorts inside China of Di Zi Gui, consisting mainly of teaching it to young children. We are happy if our site should contribute to such a revival, whether inside or outside China. Of course, we think that Di Zi Gui should also be taught to older children, to teenagers in particular, to all Chinese irrespective of age, and indeed to all persons regardless of ethnicity or faith.

A great world event is taking place: the Chinese Cultural Renaissance. The revival of Di Zi Gui is merely part of this great event. We are at the very beginnings of a several-hundred-year long Chinese Cultural Renaissance. Just as in the West's Renaissance, old culture that has been shunned and forgotten will be rediscovered and synthesized with modern life, giving rise to a new and much more advanced culture. Also, just as has happened with the West, the resultant new culture will belong not only to China, but also to the whole world. Ethnic Chinese are just lucky to be closer, because of ancestry, to this rising and the future most advanced culture.

It behooves us all then, Chinese or not, to learn about the Chinese intellectual heritage, and an excellent way to do that is to study Di Zi Gui.

所有人即任何民族或宗教信仰的人，而不僅只是華人，都可以、都應該學習《弟子規》，從而得益。這是因為《弟子規》所教導的規範和道德，是放之於四海而皆准的，而這些規範和道德又不是基於某一個宗教的，因而可以跟任何宗教相容。

但是，華人特別需要、特別應該學習《弟子規》。理由是甚麼呢？

其實，是同一個理由，當我們被華人父母問及怎樣才能使孩子又好又聰明能幹時，令我們作出這樣的回答：你們要自己學習《弟子規》，也要讓孩子學習《弟子規》。

那理由是甚麼呢？理由不但是《弟子規》教導我們怎樣做好人，而且是今天普遍西化的社會，每天都使華人，特別是華人孩子，傾向對自己的傳統文化感覺羞恥。現在多數人只能看到被歪曲了的中華傳統，所以華人孩子們特別容易受害。如果思想沒有被一些好像《弟子規》所提供的、對中華文化正確的認識武裝起來，華人孩子長大後便會對自己的傳統文化、對自己的父母、乃至對自己，感覺羞恥，便沒有足夠的自尊心和內在力量來做個好的和聰明能幹的人。

中華文化傳統並不限於功夫、中國菜、中國服飾、或國畫。更為重要，中華文化包含了一個幾千年長久的思維傳統，包羅了思想、哲學、規範、道德等，在很多重要方面都是獨特的。正是這中華傳統的思維部分，對華人的認同、自豪和自信最為重要。

不幸地，當今人們常常把這個思維傳統遺忘。雖然這個思維傳統中最獨特和最基本的一項原則，是極之重視孝（對父母和祖先好），但是現在老少無異，極少能夠從華人口中聽到孝這個字。提及起來就很多時只不過是要把孝誤解為對父母的盲目服從而給予批評。至於其他傳統中華的基本觀念，例如信（可靠和誠實）、泛愛眾（廣泛地愛人）、和行為是比錢財或讀書更為重要等觀念，都經常被人們忘卻，不知道這些觀念曾經是中華文化不可缺的組成部分。

貶低傳統中國的知識分子、文人、作劇家、理論家等，他們其實多數是華人，廣泛地描繪傳統中國為黑暗的、邪惡的、鄙視誠信的、偽詐的、封建的、壓迫人的、吃人的社會。無疑，導致當今大眾遺忘中華思維傳統，這些描繪起了重大作用。

《弟子規》即 "學生的規矩"，是當年中國通行的啓蒙書本，用於培養年輕人成為正人君子。要認識中華思維傳統的真面目，要學習傳統中華思想、哲學、規範、道德等等的真面目，這本著作是一部極好的教材。

學習《弟子規》，領會了《弟子規》的思想，華人就會有能力把傳統中華文化和現代生活相結合起來，讓我們得到自我認同感、文化根源感和自豪感，我們就會得到自尊心。擁有了自尊心，就不會頹喪失望，就不會自暴自棄，就會努力向上。

學習了《弟子規》，華人孩子們就有了對中華文化正確的認識，思想就會被武裝起來，不會對自己的傳統文化、對自己的父母、乃至對自己，感覺羞恥，就會擁有足夠的自尊心和內在力量來做正直善良和聰明能幹的人。

的確，認識中華傳統思想、繼承中華思維文化，是每一個華人的切身大事。所以華人特別需要、特別應該學習《弟子規》。

近年來中國國內《弟子規》有小型的局部復出，主要是教給小兒童。如果本網站能夠對這復出作出貢獻，我們則非常榮幸。當然，我們認為，《弟子規》也應該教給大一點的兒童、特別是十多歲的少年、不論年齡的所有華人、更不論民族或宗教，給所有的人。

當今世界正在發生一件大事：中華文化復興。弟子規的復出不過是這件大事的一部分。將長達幾百年的中華文化復興，現在僅剛剛開始。好像西方文化復興一樣，被遺棄和被忘卻的舊文化將會被重新發現，將會跟現代社會相結合，產生新的、先進很多的文化。亦好像西方文化復興一樣，新的文化將不僅屬於中國，也將會屬於全世界。華人很榮幸，因為身為華人而比較接近這個崛起的，將會是最先進的文化。

所以，無論是華人與否，我們都應該認識中華思維傳統，而認識中華思維傳統的一個極好方法就是學習《弟子規》。