"Mao Ying" is a writing brush.
This article was written between the ages of 36 and 47. Han Yu's career was bumpy, and he took the exam four times in his early years before he was a scholar. I took the doctoral macro-word exam three times, but I was not selected. Many applications for official posts were unsuccessful, and only then did they find the position of staff. He was demoted because he was convicted of writing a letter, and he was pardoned later. Finally returned to Chang 'an as Dr. imperial academy. In the next twelve years, the official position has been transferred repeatedly, either up or down. The author was also lonely behind Zhang Jiuling, the prime minister of the dynasty, Feng Changqing, the general, and Xu Yuan, who were loyal to the country. Therefore, the change of the dragon's face, the emperor's lack of kindness, the feuding of ministers, the ups and downs of the official sea, and the pain of people's hearts have long accumulated in their hearts.
The theme of the article, some people think, is to praise Mao Ying for doing her best; Others think it is an allegory of the emperor's unkindness.
In Biography of Mao Ying, it is obvious that it describes the characteristics of the writing brush, but it is written as a human being, and it is solemnly biography, and its ancestors are solemnly researched, which makes the whole idea have a funny nature. Writing such a small subject as a brush, however, adopts a biographical genre. At the end of the article, there is Tai Shigong's discussion, which is simply the style of historians. This contradiction between content and form constitutes the comedy of the article.
Mao Ying is a native of Zhongshan. His ancestors were rabbits, who helped Dayu to govern the East. Because of his meritorious service in raising all things, he obtained fief in Maodi and became one of the twelve gods after his death. (He) once said: "My descendants are descendants of God, and they can't be the same as other creatures. (Production) comes from the mouth." It turned out to be so. The rabbit's eighth grandson was just born. It lived in Zhongshan during the Yin Dynasty, and got the magic of the immortal. It can be invisible, drive things, have an affair with Chang 'e, ride a toad to the moon, and his descendants will live in seclusion and not be an official. The name of the person who lives in the east of the city is Fei ('bird' is changed to' exemption'. Pronunciation cūn), (it) is cunning and good at running, and Han Lu is not as good as it. Lu was angry and conspired with Magpie * * to kill it and chop its whole family into meat sauce.
In the era of Qin Shihuang, General Meng Tian crusaded against Chu in the south, stopping in Zhongshan, preparing to hold a large-scale hunting operation to intimidate Chu, and gathered the left and right generals (official names) and military commanders (officers' names) together to use Lianshan to divine this operation and predict the omen of the weather and human harmony. The diviner congratulated him: "What we want to capture this time is an animal with no horns and sharp teeth, wearing a short cloth coat, lacking a mouth and a long neck, and sitting like meditation with eight orifices, so we can take his hair, which can be used as something to form (write) a book, and the whole world uses it to write (the word' book' means writing and writing, and it also means unified writing). Will Qin merge the princes? So they started hunting, rounded up the Mao (Mao Ying) family, plucked their hair, and put the Maojian (Ying: the original meaning is the tip. Here, it also implies that Mao Ying (the rabbit) loaded the car and brought it back to Zhangtai Palace to present the prisoners to the emperor, and gathered people from his family to tie them up (implying to tie the rabbit to make a pen). Qin Shihuang graciously asked Meng Tian to put it in Tang Chi for a bath. People who have been to Huaqingchi in Xi 'an will understand. ) (implying that the brush is immersed in the inkstone), and giving it a fief: Guancheng (implying that it is necessary to make a brush with bamboo tubes), (giving) name: Guanchengzi (zi: respect, sir). Gradually gain the favor of (the emperor) and manage affairs.
Mao Ying, as a person, has a very strong memory, agility and keenness. From the time of knotting notes to the Qin Dynasty, there is nothing but compiling records. Yin and Yang, divination, astrology, medical methods, records of ethnic surnames, mountains and rivers, local chronicles, Chinese characters and calligraphy, pictures, books in hundred schools of thought, and even various theories of Buddhism, Laozi and foreign countries are all recorded in detail; I am also familiar with all kinds of contemporary affairs, official letters, and account records of goods and money in the market, all of which serve the emperor. From Qin Shihuang to Prince Fu Su, Hu Hai, Prime Minister Reese, CZ government order (official name) Zhao Gao, down to the people, there is no one who does not love him. He is also good at following people's wishes, and those who are upright, evil, euphemistic, clever and simple are all following people's wishes. Although sometimes abandoned (one side), always silent but not discouraged. Only (a little) don't like samurai, but they often go if invited.
Mao Ying has long been named as the official name of Zhongshuling. In charge of transmitting and declaring the emperor's orders. ), more intimate with the emperor, the emperor once called him Zhongshujun. The emperor personally decides official business, and reads official documents every day to limit himself to the specified weight. Even people in the palace are not allowed to stand beside him, but Mao Ying and servants with candles often serve beside him, and the emperor only finishes when he is at rest. Mao Ying and Chen Xuan (Chen: old, Xuan: black. Refers to ink. Ink for a long time as well. Jiangxian county is famous for producing ink. ) Tao Hong (inkstone) of Hongnong County (inkstone was produced at that time) and Mr. Chu (paper was produced at that time) of Huiji County are friendly and admire each other, and the places where they appear must be the same as each other. The emperor summoned Mao Ying, and the three of them went together without waiting for the emperor to summon them. The emperor never blamed them.
The next time I visited him, the emperor wanted to appoint him and use him again, so he took off his hat to give thanks. The emperor saw that his hair was bald, and the painting could not be as the emperor intended. The emperor sneered, "Zhong Shujun is old and bald, and he is not qualified for my task. I used to call you a Chinese book. Book: writing. ), you are not in the book now? " Answer: "I just put my heart into it." So (the emperor) stopped calling, and (he) returned to the fief and died in Guancheng.
His descendants are many, scattered in China and other places, all pretending to be city managers, and only those who live in Zhongshan can inherit the career of their parents.
Taishi Gong (the author of Taishi) said: "There are two families in the Mao family, one of which is Ji, the son of Zhou Wenwang, named Mao, which is called Lu, Wei, Mao and Yong. During the Warring States period, there were Mao Gong and Mao Sui (names). Only the Zhongshan clan did not know that their ancestors and descendants were the most prosperous. Confucius wrote "Spring and Autumn Annals" when he caught Lin (in the Spring and Autumn Annals, Lu Aigong caught a Lin in the 14th year [Qi is the male and Lin is the mother. They are animals symbolizing benevolence, righteousness and auspiciousness. Confucius was writing Spring and Autumn Annals at that time. When he heard this news, he thought that Lin appeared at an inappropriate time, so he quit writing and stopped writing Spring and Autumn Annals, not his (Mao Ying's) fault. General Meng plucked the hair of Zhongshan (rabbit), and Qin Shihuang gave him the title of Guancheng, so it was famous for generations, while the Mao family named Ji was unknown. Mao Ying began as a prisoner and ended with appointment and reuse. Mao Ying must have contributed to Qin's destruction of the princes, and he was alienated because of his old age. Qin Shihuang was really ungrateful! "