Idiom story about catching wind and shadow 1
pinyin bǔ fēng zhuō yǐng
Idiom story Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty was in his 40s and had no children. He listened to the alchemists and was keen on worshiping ghosts and gods. , it costs a lot, but has no effect. Gu Yong, the Guanglu doctor, wrote to Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty that there were no immortals or immortality medicine in the world. Looking for him was like trying to tie the wind or catch the shadow. Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty finally realized that he had lost his way.
Source: Listening to his words, my ears are full of joy, if I can meet him soon; if I seek it, I will wander like catching the scenery with the wind, but in the end I will not get it.
"Book of Han·Jiao Sacrificial Records" If you seem to be doing something or not, like catching a shadow in the wind, what progress will you make?
"The Complete Book of Zhu Zi"
Explanation: Neither the wind nor the shadow can be caught. Metaphorical words and actions have no basis in fact at all.
Usage as predicate, attributive, adverbial; refers to saying and doing things without factual basis
Similar words are looking for things, making things out of nothing, hearsay
Opposite words are seeking truth from facts, hearing and seeing , Unshakable
Other uses
◎ As for the reasons why Zheng He went to the "Western Ocean", Chinese historians have always had various opinions; some of these opinions are extremely idealistic ; Some are just making assumptions; some insist on applying dogmatic formulas, but they cannot justify themselves.
◎ Oppose to use inspections, missile launches, etc. as excuses to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and infringe on the sovereignty of other countries by making things out of thin air.
◎ However, upon closer inspection of the relevant treatises, I feel that most of them are just mythical legends and lack accurate and reliable historical evidence. Idiom Story of Catching Wind and Catching Shadows 2
Chinese character writing:
Catching Wind and Catching Shadows
Chinese phonetic notation:
bǔ fēng zhuō yǐng
Origin of the idiom:
Eastern Han Dynasty. Ban Gu's "Book of Han." "Jiao Si Zhi": "Listening to his words, my ears are filled with joy, and if I will meet him; if I seek it, I will wander like catching the wind and catch the scenery, but in the end I will not get it."
Idiom grammar:
Combined form; used as predicate, attributive, and adverbial; has a derogatory connotation; focuses on expressing that there is no solid basis and lack of facts.
The meaning of "catching wind and shadow":
Wanting to catch wind and shadow, describing things as ethereal and as elusive as wind and shadow. Metaphors are based on illusory signs, and words and deeds have no factual basis.
Synonyms of catching wind and catching shadows:
Catching wind and shadows, being suspicious of ghosts, making things out of thin air, hearsay;
Antonyms of catching wind and catching shadows:
Hearing and seeing, Iron-clad evidence, truth-seeking, and conclusive evidence;
A story that catches wind and shadows
During the Western Han Dynasty, after the 20-year-old Emperor Cheng of Han came to the throne, he still had no son and a half after being the emperor for more than 20 years. , I was very anxious and sent people to various places to seek medical advice, but to no avail. Later, for some reason, I listened to the words of the alchemist (a divination person). The alchemist said: As long as you offer sacrifices to ghosts and gods every day, you will be blessed by the gods. Not only can you become the emperor, but you can also become emperor from generation to generation. From then on, Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty stopped caring about the affairs of the state and indulged in worshiping ghosts and gods and discussing immortality all day long. They also held large-scale sacrifices on the outskirts of Chang'an to pray for God's blessings. They spent an unknown amount of money but got no results. Seeing this, Minister Gu Yong was very worried, so he wrote to the emperor and said: "I heard that people who understand the fundamentals of all things in the world cannot be deceived by people who behave improperly; people who understand the nature of heaven and earth cannot be deceived by theories of gods and ghosts. Wise kings in ancient times did not listen to those pretentious words, and saints would not say such things. Nowadays, many so-called alchemists like to pretend that there is some elixir in the world, and after taking it, they will live longer than the mountains. These sound like very desirable sights, but if you really believe in him, you will never be able to find them like catching a shadow in the wind, because it simply does not exist. There have been many emperors and generals throughout the ages. The officials and dignitaries spent countless money and manpower to find the fairy island, but they did not get any good results. I hope you will not let those unfair behaviors affect the official affairs of the court." After hearing this, Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty felt that Gu Yong was right! It made perfect sense, so I followed his advice and no longer indulged in the theory of gods and ghosts.
Examples of catching wind and shadow
Song Dynasty. Zhu Xi's "The Complete Book of Zhu Zi". "Xue 1": "If you wander leisurely, it seems that you are not doing it, like catching wind and shadow, you will make great progress!"
Song Dynasty. Li Jingde's "Zhu Xi Yu Lei" Volume 69: "Those who are loyal are all untruthful. If there is even an iota of untruth, it is like catching a shadow in the wind, and there is no place to work. How can virtue be advanced?"
Ming . Li Dongyang's "Lutang Poetry Talk": "People in the Tang Dynasty did not talk about poetic techniques, and most of them came from the Song Dynasty... But if you are naive and interested, you can't compare with the Tao. The high ones will miss the wind and catch shadows, while the humble ones will sit on the sticky skin and bones."
Ming.
Zhang Juzheng's "Begging to Distinguish Loyalty and Evil to Determine the Kingdom": "If the person who was deposed asked one by one for the reasons why he was offended, he would make up rumors and make up rumors." Reporters are looking for news around celebrities every day, and sometimes they are just trying to catch people's attention.
As long as you think you are right, you don’t have to pay attention to those boring people who like to catch wind and shadow. Idiom Story of Catching Wind and Shadow 3
Source
Volume 8 of Zhu Xi's "Zhu Zi Yu Lei" in the Song Dynasty.
Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty became emperor at the age of twenty and had no children after reaching middle age. This was considered a big event in China's feudal society. Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty was also very anxious, restless in eating and sleeping. Some people talked about superstition and advised Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty to pray to gods and worship ancestors. Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty gradually became interested in ancestor worship activities and neglected government affairs. Those who gave advice and the witches and witches easily obtained high-ranking officials and generous salaries.
Shanglin Garden on the outskirts of Chang'an became the place where Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty carried out ancestor worship activities. Every ancestor worship activity is grand and extravagant, wasting a lot of money, and has no effect at all. Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty was trapped in it and could not extricate himself.
There was a Guanglu doctor named Gu Yong in the court, named Ziyun, who was from Chang'an. After seeing this situation, he was very worried. He thought again and again, risked beheading, and bravely wrote to Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, bluntly stating his views, and urging Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty to wake up as soon as possible. In the memorial, he wrote:
"For those who understand the nature of the earth, gods and monsters cannot confuse them at all; for those who know the truth of all things, those who behave improperly cannot escape his eyes. Now some people People preach about ancestor worship methods and talk about gods and ghosts, as if there really are immortals in the world, there are really immortal people, and they can really fulfill everyone's wishes. However, if you really want to find it, you have to do it. You will find that they are all illusory, like trying to catch the wind or catch the shadow, and it is impossible to get it. Therefore, the wise monarchs in ancient times did not listen to these words, and the saints would never say such things." /p>
"The historians of the Zhou Dynasty wanted to use the method of sacrificing ghosts and gods to help King Zhou Ling gain pilgrimage from various princes. The result was that the Zhou royal family declined faster and more miserably; King Huai of Chu's sacrifice to ghosts and gods was not unceremonious. , was ungrateful and asked gods to bless him to defeat Qin's army. As a result, not only did he become a prisoner of Qin, but all the land of Chu was swallowed up by Qin. After Qin Shihuang unified the world, in order to seek the elixir of immortality, Xu Fu was specially sent to lead boys and girls to the sea to seek immortality and collect medicine, but the result was never to return, and Qin Shihuang got the result of the resentment of the people in the world. "
"From ancient times to the present, all people rely on seeking immortality and visiting Taoism. None of the emperors, generals or ministers came to realize and satisfy their wishes. I hope your Majesty will stop letting those who behave improperly interfere with the affairs of the court."
Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty read this memorial. , Yanjuan thought for a long time. He was pleased that the court had such a loyal minister. At the same time, he also thought that what Gu Yong said was very reasonable, so he obeyed his suggestion.
Definition
The literal meaning of this idiom is to catch the wind and catch the shadow. In fact, it means something that is impossible to do. Now it is a metaphor that there is no exact factual basis for saying and doing things, making trouble out of nothing, and only listening and believing. Idiom Story of Catching Wind and Shadow 4
Source: "Book of Han: Biography of the King of Hejian".
Meaning: Starting from the actual situation, without exaggerating or minimizing, and looking at and handling problems accurately. Rui also means to explore the laws of things and realize the essence of things based on actual situations.
Liu De was the son of Liu Qi, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty. He was granted the title of King of Hejian in Hejian (today's Hejian County, Hebei Province). After his death, he was given the posthumous title of Xian, so he was called "King Xian of Hejian".
Liu De collected many ancient books, many of which were bought at high prices, because ancient books have been relatively rare since Qin Shihuang burned books. Some literati heard that King Hejian loved books and loved learning, so they dedicated the old pre-Qin books left by their ancestors to him, and some even went to him to help him study together.
On one occasion, Liu De went to Beijing (the capital was in Chang'an at that time, and the emperor was his brother Liu Xi, who was Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty). When he talked about some principles of ancient scholarship with Emperor Wu and the academic officials, he was well received... When Ban Gu's "Book of Han: Biography of King Xian in Hejian" introduced Liu De, he said: "Study the ancients well and catch the wind and shadows."
< p> In the Tang Dynasty, a scholar named Yan Shigu annotated Ban Gu's words: "Be sure to get facts, and always seek truth." - Be sure to have facts as a basis in order to obtain Correct conclusion, this is called "mysterious". From the literal meaning of this idiom, this explanation is correct. However, whether Liu De's learning attitude is really "grandstanding" is another matter.