法國著名哲學家、社會思想家米歇爾・傅柯曾將知識份子分為兩種，即普遍知識份子和專業知識分子。優秀的知識份子總是這二者的合一，其自我價值的實現與社會服務、自身人格完成與制度建設、人格與文格皆是統一的。清華學人身上所具有的強烈的現實關懷和作為君子的身份感也無時不刻地體現於其在日常瑣事中所呈現出的學人情懷中。作為父親、丈夫、長輩、親人、友朋，他們的殷殷叮囑、深切問候、慷慨解囊、推心置腹，等等，讀之令人動容，也窺見那個時代的學者常態。

Michel Foucault divided intellectuals into two categories: universal scholars and the more specific ones. Ideally, a true intellectual would be a merger of both, where self-realization and service to the community become identical, just as their personal and their literary style would also be. Tsinghua Scholars achieved this unity by blending their personal virtues with their scholarly ones, as transpires in their letters . There, their sincere exhortations, cordial greetings, generous help and confidential communications are written as fathers, husbandd, elders, relatives, and friends. We are always touched by their words and lines, which offer us a glimpse of their inner feelings.