Translation: Zhao Guo is strong, Yan is weak, and you are favored by King Zhao, so King Yan wants to make friends with you.
From: "Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru" in Volume 81 of "Historical Records" written by Sima Qian of the Han Dynasty
Excerpt from the original text:
Xiangru said to the minister: 'My husband Zhao Qiang However, Yan is weak, but the king is lucky to the king of Zhao, so the king of Yan wants to marry the king. Now you have lost Zhao and fled to Yan. Yan is afraid of Zhao, so it will definitely not dare to keep you, and will send you back to Zhao. It is better for you to plead guilty with your naked body, then you will be lucky enough to escape. ’ The minister followed his plan, and the king was fortunate to pardon him. The minister thought that he was a brave man, wise and resourceful, and could be used accordingly.
Interpretation:
Xiangru said to me: 'Zhao is strong and Yan is weak, but you are favored by King Zhao, so King Yan wants to make friends with you. Now you are fleeing from the State of Zhao to the State of Yan. The State of Yan is afraid of the State of Zhao. In this situation, the King of Yan will not dare to take you in, and will tie you up and send you back to the State of Zhao. You might as well take off your shirt, expose your shoulders and back, and bend yourself under the blade of an axe, begging for punishment, and you might be lucky enough to be pardoned. ’
The minister listened to his opinion, and the king graciously pardoned the minister. The minister secretly believed that this man was a warrior and resourceful, and he should be able to serve as an envoy.
Extended information
The article praises Lin Xiangru's wisdom, courage and patriotism, that is, his persistence in fighting the enemy and his concession to his colleagues; it also praises Lian Po's loyalty to Zhao and his Have the courage to change. The article reflects this idea: when the enemy invades, how should we forget ourselves for the country, how should we cooperate closely militarily and diplomatically to repel the enemy's attack, and how should we unite to resist aggression and eliminate internal conflicts in peacetime? Contradiction, to defend the motherland.
When dealing with the image of Lin Xiangru, who had many deeds, Sima Qian focused on the characteristic of "wisdom and courage" to describe it. Sima Qian tried his best to exaggerate things in the article, building up momentum layer by layer, just like the damming of a river. For example, he exaggerated Xiangru's wisdom in taking advantage of the general trend of the world five times in the article.
The biographies at each level in "Historical Records" are arranged in chronological order, taking into account the internal connections between the biographies, and following the principle of following like. That is: when the same thing involves several characters, it is described in detail in one place and omitted elsewhere. Sometimes it is marked with "the words are in such and such". This not only avoids repetition, but also helps highlight the main character of the character.
Sima Qian vividly and concretely wrote the contradictions and conflicts between the characters, recreating the tense and changeable scenes, in which the characters were exposed and brought their respective personalities to the extreme. For example, in the "Hongmen Banquet" in "The Chronicles of Xiang Yu", the author chose a Hongmen scene that is calm on the surface but full of murderous intent in reality, allowing many characters to show their distinct personalities in the overt and covert fights and against each other.