Source: Warring States Period, Lu Buwei's "Lü's Spring and Autumn Period, Self-Knowledge"
Original text: The death of the Fan family ①, the common people have those who have good reputations ②. If you want to carry it and walk ③, the bell will be too big to bear; if you destroy the vertebrae ④, the bell will still have a sound ⑤. Afraid that someone might hear it and take it away from you, cover your ears ⑥. If evil people hear it, it is okay; if evil people hear it themselves, it is contrary.
When Zhibo was annihilating the Fan family, a man took the opportunity to steal a bell and prepared to run away with it on his back. However, the bell was too big to carry, so he planned to smash it with a hammer and then carry it again.
Unexpectedly, as soon as it was smashed, the bell made a loud noise. He was afraid that someone would hear the bell and take it away, so he hurriedly covered his ears tightly.
It is understandable to be afraid that others will hear the sound of the bell; but it is too foolish to cover your ears and think that others cannot hear it.
Please enter the urn
Source: Tang Dynasty Zhang Jue's "Chao Ye Qian Zai Zhou Xing"
Original text
Or reported to Wenchang Youcheng Zhou Xing conspired with Qiu Shenji, and the Queen Mother ordered Junchen to bow to him.
Junchen and Xingfang, the judge, had a meal together and said to Xing: "There are many prisoners and they are not accepted. What should be done?" Why don't you admit it if you order the prisoner to enter?" Jun Chen asked for a big urn, surrounded by fire like Xingfa, and said to Xing, "I have a secret, please come into this urn."
Translation
The Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty appointed a group of cruel officials in order to suppress those who opposed her. Two of them are the most vicious, one is Zhou Xing and the other is Lai Junchen. They used false accusations, accusations, and inhumane criminal laws to kill many upright civil and military officials and civilians. Once, a whistleblower letter was delivered to Wu Zetian, and the content was actually to accuse Zhou Xing of liaising with others to commit rebellion. Wu Zetian was furious and ordered Lai Junchen to investigate the matter. When Lai Junchen came, he murmured in his heart. He thought, Zhou Xing is a cunning and treacherous person, and it is impossible to make him tell the truth with just an informant letter; but if the results of the investigation are not found, and the Queen Mother blames him, I will come to Junchen. I can't bear it. What to do? After thinking hard for a long time, I finally came up with a clever idea. He prepared a sumptuous banquet and invited Zhou Xing to his home. The two of you persuade me to drink and chat while drinking. After drinking for three rounds, Lai Junchen sighed and said: "Brother, I usually deal with cases, and I often encounter some criminals who refuse to plead guilty. I wonder what I can do?" Zhou Xing said proudly: "This is not easy to handle!" He took a sip from his wine glass. Lai Junchen immediately pretended to be sincere and said, "Oh, please give me some advice." Zhou Xingyin smiled and said, "You find a big urn, heat it with charcoal fire around it, and then let the prisoner enter the urn. What do you want?" Think about it, what prisoner still refuses to confess?" Lai Junchen nodded in agreement, and then ordered someone to bring a big urn, lit charcoal fire around it as Zhou Xing said, and then turned to Zhou Xing and said: "In the palace, Someone has accused you of treason. I'm sorry, please get into the jar now." When Zhou Xing heard this, the wine glass in his hand fell to the ground, and then he fell to his knees with a plop. Kowtow and say: "I am guilty, I am guilty, and I confess."
High Mountains and Flowing Waters
Source: Zheng Lieyukou's "Liezi Tang Wen" in the Warring States Period
Original text :
Bo Ya was good at playing the harp, and Zhong Ziqi was good at listening. Boya was good at playing the harp, and his ambition was high in the mountains. Zhong Ziqi said: "How good it is! It's as high as Mount Tai!" "Aiming at the flowing water, Zhong Ziqi said: "How good it is, it's like a river! "What Boya thought about, Zhong Ziqi will definitely get it. When Ziqi died, Boya said that there would be no more music in the world, so he would break the strings of the harp and never play the drum again.
Translation: The musical genius Yu Boya liked to play a song He sang "High Mountains and Flowing Waters", but no one could understand him. He played the piano on the high mountains, and his music was high and low-key. Finally one day, a woodcutter passing by and understood his "High Mountains and Flowing Waters". This person was Zhong. Ziqi. Yu Boya's close friend was Zhong Ziqi. They made an appointment to meet two years later, but Zhong Ziqi did not show up two years later.
After asking around, Yu Boya found out that Zhong Ziqi had died of illness and could no longer attend his appointment. Yu Boya was devastated. He knew that Ziqi was the only person who could understand his music. Now that Ziqi is dead, there will be no one else. He understood his music, so he threw his beloved Qin on Ziqi's grave to express his respect and cherishment for his close friend. This is the story of Boya throwing his zither to express his gratitude to his close friend. Boya misses Ziqi sadly, and people use this to lament that it is hard to find a close friend.
Looking at Plum Blossoms to Quench Thirst
Source: Liu Yiqing, Southern Song Dynasty, "Shi Shuo Xin Yu Ji Jiao":
Original text:
Wei Wu went to war and lost his life Ji Dao, the army was all thirsty, so he ordered: "There is a big plum forest in front of you, Rao Zi, the sweet and sour food can quench your thirst." When the soldiers heard this, water came out of their mouths, and they took this to reach the source.
Translation: Once, Cao Cao led his troops on a march and could not find a source of water for a while, and the soldiers were all thirsty. So Cao Cao passed down an order and said: "There is a big plum forest ahead. The branches are full of plums. They are sweet and sour and can quench their thirst." After hearing this, the soldiers all drooled. With this method, the troops persisted until they reached the end. There is a water source in front.
The Blind Man Touching the Elephant
Source: Song Dynasty Shi Daoyuan's "The Legend of Jingde Lamps" by Zen Master Hongjin
Original text:
"Daban" "Nirvana Sutra" 32: "Then the king called the blind people to ask each one: 'Have you seen the elephant?' Each of the blind people said: 'I have seen it.' The king said: 'What kind of elephant is it?' When it touches the teeth, it speaks like a reed root; when it touches the ears, it speaks like a dustpan; when it touches the head, it speaks like a stone; when it touches the nose, it speaks like a pestle; when it touches the feet, it speaks like a wooden mortar; The spine is like a bed, the belly is like an urn, and the tail is like a rope.
Translation:
Once upon a time, there were four blind men who wanted to do something. They know what an elephant looks like, but they can’t see it, so they have to touch it with their hands. The fat blind man touched the elephant's teeth first. He said: "I know, an elephant is like a big, thick, smooth carrot." The tall blind man touched the elephant's ears. "No, no, the elephant is obviously a big cattail fan!" he shouted. "You are talking nonsense. The elephant is just a big pillar." It turned out that the short blind man touched the elephant's leg. But the old blind man muttered: "Oh, the elephant is not that big, it is just a straw rope."
Destroy the success
"Mencius "Gongsun Chou"
There was a man in the Song Dynasty who pinched his seedlings when they were not growing. He came back with a bright light and said to him: "I am sick today. I will help the seedlings to grow!" His son If you look closely at it, the seedlings will become haggard.
There are very few people in the world who do not help young people grow up! Those who think it is useless and abandon it are those who do not cultivate the seedlings; those who help the elders are those who tear out the seedlings; they are not useless but also harmful.
Translation:
In ancient times, there was a man in the Song Dynasty who thought that the seedlings were growing too slowly, so he pulled them up a little bit one by one. When he came home, he boasted: "Today I helped The seedlings are growing!" After his son heard about it, he went to the field and saw that the seedlings were all dead. There are very few people in the world who do not help seedlings grow. People who give up because they think it is of no use are like lazy people who do not weed the seedlings. Those who pretend to help it grow are like those who encourage it to grow. Instead of doing any good, they actually endanger it.
Eager for success and only wanting to make the crops grow as fast as they want, they end up with the opposite end.
Three points into the wood
"Book Break? Wang Xizhi"
Original text:
"Xizhi, the king of Jin Dynasty, had the courtesy name Yishao and Kuangzi. Seven. At the age of twelve, he saw the "Bi Shuo" written by the previous generation in his father's pillow and stole it. His father said, "Why did you steal my secret?" Xizhi laughed but did not answer. "Brushwork", the father saw that it was small, and he was afraid that he would not be able to keep it secret. "I will give it to you when you become an adult," Xi said. I was happy, so I went with him. After a few months, the book progressed greatly. When Mrs. Wei saw it, she said to Wang Ce of Taichang: "I must read "Yongbi Jue". If I see his book recently, I will have mature wisdom." Liu Tie said: "This son will hide my name." When the Jin Dynasty offered sacrifices to the northern suburbs, he also made a blessing plate. The workers cut it and inserted the pen into the wood.
”
Translation:
Wang Xizhi of the Jin Dynasty, also known as Yishao, was the son of Wang Kuang. He was good at calligraphy at the age of seven. When he was twelve, he saw ancient paintings on his father’s pillow. "Bi Shuo", I stole it and read it. My father (after discovering it) asked: "Why did you steal my secret book? "Wang Xizhi laughed but didn't answer. His mother said, "Look at "Bi Shuo". "When his father saw that he was young, he was afraid that he would not be able to keep the secret. So he said to Wang Xizhi: "When you grow up, I will teach it to you. Wang Xizhi sincerely begged his father: "Let me use it now." If I wait until I become an adult, I'm afraid my childhood talents will be buried. "My father was very happy, so he gave it to him. In less than a month, his calligraphy improved greatly. After Mrs. Wei saw it, she said to Wang Ce, who was the Taichang official: "Xizhi must have read "The Theory of Bi". Judging from his calligraphy, he already has a mature and steady style. He said with tears streaming down his face: "This child will definitely be more famous than me." "During the reign of Emperor Jin, the imperial court held a sacrificial ceremony in the northern suburbs. When replacing the blessing board, workers peeled off his words and penetrated three-thirds of the wood.
Hearing the Rooster Dance
"Jin Shu? Ancestor "Ti Biography"
In the early days of ancient Chinese literature, Fan Yang's ancestor Ti had few ambitions. He and Liu Kun were both the chief administrators of Sizhou. They slept together. Hearing the crow of roosters in the middle of the night, Cu Kunjue said: "This is not an evil sound." ! "Because of the dance. When they were crossing the river, Prime Minister Rui of the left thought that the army was consulting and offering wine. He stayed in Jingkou, reunited with Xiao Jian, and said to Yu Rui: "The chaos in the Jin Dynasty is not caused by the lack of justice at the top but the resentment and rebellion by the clan. , they are like fish and meat, so Rong Di takes advantage of the opportunity and poisons flow into the middle ground. Now that the remnants of the people have been defeated by thieves, they want to work hard for themselves. Your Majesty, if you can, please send your generals out to unite those who are like Ti to restore the Central Plains. The heroes of the county and country will surely respond to the news! "Ruisu had no ambitions for the Northern Expedition, so he took Ti as General Fenwei and governor of Yuzhou. He gave a thousand people shelter and three thousand pieces of cloth, but did not give them armor and sent them to recruit themselves. Ti sent more than a hundred families of his tribe to cross the river, and they were in the middle of the river. , struck the ji and swore: "Zu Ti cannot clear the Central Plains and restore the economy, he is like a big river! "So he settled in Huaiyin, started to smelt and forge troops, and recruited more than 2,000 people to advance.
Translation:
At the beginning, Fan Yang's ancestor Ti had great ambitions when he was young. He served as the chief registrar of Sizhou together with Liu Kun and slept with Liu Kun. When he heard the crow of roosters in the middle of the night, he kicked Liu Kun awake and said, "This is not a disgusting sound. "He got up and danced his sword. After crossing the river, Sima Rui, the prime minister of the left, asked him to serve as military adviser and drink wine. Zu Ti lived in Jingkou, gathered brave and strong men, and said to Sima Rui: "The troubles in the Jin Dynasty are not because of the emperor's incompetence. Dao made his subordinates resentful and rebellious, but instead the emperor's relatives and clans fought for power and killed each other. This allowed the people of Rong and Di to take advantage of the loopholes and cause harm to the entire Central Plains. Now that the remnants of the Jin Dynasty have been devastated and harmed, everyone is thinking about self-improvement. Your Majesty, you can indeed send generals to lead the troops, so that people like me can lead the army to recover the Central Plains. Heroes from all over the country will definitely hear about it. Respond people! "Sima Rui had never had any ambitions for the Northern Expedition. After listening to Zu Ti's words, he appointed Zu Ti as General Fenwei and governor of Yuzhou. He only allocated him rations for a thousand men and three thousand pieces of cloth, but did not provide weapons, leaving Zu Ti to He thought of ways to raise money by himself. Zu Ti led his private army to cross the Yangtze River with more than a hundred households. He beat the oars in the river and said: "If Zu Ti can't make the Central Plains clear and recover successfully, it will be as good as the big river." No return! "So he stationed in Huaiyin, built a furnace to smelt and cast weapons, recruited more than 2,000 people, and then continued to move forward.
Carving a boat to seek a sword
Original text]
The Chu people have When someone was wading in the river, his sword fell from the boat into the water. He suddenly contacted the boat and said, "This is where my sword fell from." "The boat stopped, so I entered the water to find it from the person it was bound to. The boat has already moved, but the sword cannot move. Isn't it confusing to ask for a sword like this?
(From "Lu Shi Chun Qiu. Cha Jin")
[Translation]
When a man from Chu State was crossing a river by boat, his sword fell from the boat into the water. He carved a mark on the side of the boat and said: "This is Where my sword fell. "When the ship docked, he jumped into the water from the marked place to look for the sword. The ship had gone a long way, but the sword had not gone. Isn't it very confusing to look for the sword like this?
[Philosophical Commentary]
The ridiculous behavior of the Chu people in the story violates the basic principles of the relationship between matter and motion in philosophy. Dialectical materialism believes that motion is the fundamental attribute of matter and the existence of matter. Way.
In other words, the entire universe is in perpetual motion, and matter that does not move does not exist. Specifically, from the macro world to the micro world, from the inorganic world to the organic world, from human society to the realm of thinking, there is movement, change and development. It is wrong to talk about movement without material or to talk about material without movement. Although the Chu people in the article saw the objective existence of boats, water, and swords, they ignored and denied their movement. This is a metaphysical error in talking about matter without movement.
Chang'e Flying to the Moon
According to legend, one year in ancient times, ten suns appeared in the sky, which were so scorching that the earth smoked and the sea water dried up. It seemed that the people could no longer live.
This incident alarmed a hero named Hou Yi. He climbed to the top of the Kunlun Mountains, used his supernatural power, drew his magic bow, and shot down nine superfluous suns in one go.
Hou Yi accomplished extraordinary feats and was respected and loved by the people. Many people with lofty ideals came here to learn from him. The treacherous and evil-minded Peng Meng also sneaked in.
Soon, Hou Yi married a beautiful and kind-hearted wife named Chang'e. In addition to spreading his skills and hunting, Hou Yi stayed with his wife all day long. People envied this loving couple with talent and beauty.
One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek enlightenment. He happened to meet the Queen Mother who was passing by, and asked the Queen Mother for a package of elixir. It is said that if you take this medicine, you can immediately ascend to heaven and become an immortal.
However, Hou Yi was reluctant to leave his wife, so he had to temporarily give the elixir to Chang'e for collection. Chang'e hid the medicine in the treasure box on the dressing table, but Pengmeng saw it.
Three days later, Hou Yi led his disciples out for hunting. Peng Meng, who had evil intentions, pretended to be sick and stayed.
Soon after Hou Yi led everyone away, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the inner house with a sword and forced Chang'e to hand over the elixir.
Chang'e knew that she was no match for Peng Meng. In the critical moment, she made a prompt decision, turned around, opened the treasure box, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp.
Chang'e swallowed the medicine, and her body immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window, and flew to the sky. Because Chang'e cared about her husband, she flew to the moon closest to the world and became an immortal.
In the evening, Hou Yi returned home, and the maids cried about what happened during the day. Hou Yi was frightened and angry. He drew his sword and went to kill the villain, but Peng Meng had already escaped. Hou Yi was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet and screamed. The grief-stricken Hou Yi looked up at the night sky and called his beloved wife's name. At this time, he was surprised to find that today's moon was particularly bright and bright, and there was a swaying figure that looked like Chang'e.
Hou Yi hurriedly sent people to Chang'e's favorite back garden, set up an incense table, placed her favorite sweetmeats and fresh fruits, and offered sacrifices to Chang'e who was attached to him in the moon palace.
After the people heard the news that Chang'e flew to the moon and became an immortal, they set up incense tables under the moon and prayed to the kind-hearted Chang'e for good luck and peace. From then on, the custom of worshiping the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival spread among the people.
The story of Chang'e flying to the moon sings and praises Chang'e with a distinctive attitude and brilliant colors. Compared with the records about Chang'e in ancient documents, it can be seen that people have made a lot of processing and modifications to the story of Chang'e flying to the moon. , making the image of E'e as beautiful as the moon, making it in line with people's pursuit of beauty. Contrary to the widely circulated modern "Chang'e flying to the moon", "Lingxian" compiled by "Quan Shang Gu Wen" records the story of "Chang'e turning into a toad": "Chang'e, Yi's wife, stole the Queen Mother's immortal medicine and took it, and flew to the moon. The moon is about to pass, and Huang Zhanzhi says: "Ji, Pianpian returns to her sister, and will go west alone. Don't be frightened when the sky is dark, and she will be prosperous later." "Toad." After Chang'e turned into a toad, she was punished to pound the elixir all day long in the moon palace, and lived a lonely and miserable life. Li Shangyin once lamented Chang'e in a poem: "Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, and the blue sea and blue sky make her heart every night." p>
This is one of the earliest famous myths in my country. It tells the story of Kuafu chasing the sun and sleeping in Yu Yuan.
Kuafu is a giant in ancient myths and legends. He is a descendant of Houtu, the god of the underworld. He lives on Mount Zaitian in Chengdu in the northern wilderness. He hung two yellow snakes in his ears and held two yellow snakes in his hands to chase the sun. When he reached the Yu Valley where the sun was about to set, he felt his mouth was parched, so he went to drink water from the Yellow River and Weihe River. Even after he drank the river water dry, his thirst was still there.
He wanted to drink water from Daze in the north, but before he could reach there, he died of thirst. When Kuafu was about to die, he threw away the stick in his hand. The stick suddenly turned into a peach forest full of fresh fruits, quenching the thirst of those who later pursued light.
The myth of Kuafu chasing the sun tortuously reflects the spirit of people in ancient times to compete with nature. "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" recorded this myth and said that he "overestimated his ability". Tao Qian of the Jin Dynasty praised him in his poem "Reading the Classic of Mountains and Seas" and said, "Kuafu has great ambitions and is racing against the sun."
The mythical stories of Kuafu are mainly found in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas·Overseas Northern Classic" and "The Great Wilderness Northern Classic". "Liezi·Tangwen" has slightly different details of the walking stick turning into a peach forest, saying that Kuafu "abandoned his stick and dipped it in corpse paste and meat, and Deng Lin was born." Regarding Denglin, according to research by Bi Yuan of the Qing Dynasty, the sounds of Deng and Tao are close, and Denglin is the peach grove in the "Kuafu Mountain... in the north... there is... a peach forest" in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas: Zhongci Liu Jing". This Kuafu Mountain was named Qinshan by Hao Yixing, connected with Taihua, in present-day Lingbao County, Henan. There are still some places that are famous as "Kuafu" in later generations, and many of them have legends related to Kuafu chasing the sun.
A moth fluttering on the fire is a metaphor for seeking death and self-destruction. It can also be written as "the moth throws itself into the fire", "the moth throws itself into the flame" or "the moth throws itself into the flame". "Liang Shu·Dao Gai Zhuan": "Like a moth rushing to the fire, how can you be stingy about burning your body?" Mr. Lu Xun described in his article "Autumn Night" that when he faced these little moths throwing themselves at the lights, he aroused a feeling of admiration.
Moths are a large group of insects in the order Lepidoptera, corresponding to butterflies. Its abdomen is short and thick, and its wings are roof-shaped when resting. It is mostly active at night, but it has phototaxis and likes to gather in bright places. Therefore, there is a folk proverb that "a moth flies into the fire and burns itself." People take advantage of this habit by using black light (whose wavelength is more suitable for insect vision) to attract moths, which can be used to hunt pests and collect moth specimens.
[Idiom Story]
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, in the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasty, there was a young talented man named Daosun. He was the grandson of Dr. Jin Ziguanglu, Sanqi Chang's attendant at the time. Dao Xun was very smart and hard-working, and could write poems and compositions since he was a child. Emperor Xiao Yan loved him very much and often took him to Jingkou and climbed to the Beigu Tower to recite poems and compose poems. Once, Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, admired a poem written by Dao Gai and joked with Dao Gai: "Nanguai, you write so well every time you submit a letter. Maybe your grandson wrote it for you, right?!" After he finished, he laughed loudly and wrote a poem for Daoji. The poem said: "Grind the ink to write, and the pen to fly to write letters. Like a moth rushing to the fire, how can you burn your body?" He must have reached his old age, so he can pretend to be a young man. "It means: the inkstone grinds out the ink to write, and the brush tip flies to write letters and articles. This brush and inkstone are like moths throwing themselves into fire, and they will not hesitate to destroy their bodies. You are already very old, and your article can be written by your grandson.