This is the last sentence of the Four Kingdoms: Afraid of the king. The name of the poem: "Zi Ge versus the Spiritual King". Real name: Zuo Qiuming. Era: Pre-Qin. Birthplace: Junzhuang, the capital of the State of Lu (now Feicheng, Shandong). Main works: "The Debate on Cao GUI", "Zhu Zhiwu Retreats the Qin Army", "Zheng Burke Duan Yu Yan/Doing More Unrighteousness Will Destroy Yourself", "Confrontation between Zhou and Zheng", "Shi_Admonishing Favoring Zhouxu", etc. Main achievements: authored the chronological history book "Zuo Zhuan" and China's first national style history book "Guoyu". Belief: Confucianism.
We provide you with a detailed introduction to "Is the Four Kingdoms" from the following aspects:
1. For the full text of "Zi Ge vs. Ling King", click here to view "Zi Ge vs. Ling Wang" The details of "Ling Wang"
Chu Zi hunted in the state, followed by Yingwei,
He sent Danghou, Pan Zi, Sima Du, Xiao Yinwu, Lingyin and Xishuai to surround him Xu was afraid of Wu. Chuzi came next to Qianxi and thought of it as a reinforcement. Rain and snow,
Wang's leather crown, Qin's Fu Tao,
green quilt, leopard and horse,
holding the whip to go out, the servants analyze the father's obedience.
You Yinzi Gexi, the king saw him.
Take off the crown and quilt, throw away the whip,
and say to him: "In the past, my late king Xiong Yi and Lu_, Wang Sun Mou, Xie Fu and Qin Fu,
< p>Associate with King Kang, all the four countries have a share,I am alone. Now I send people to Zhou,
Ask Ding for a share, do you want me to do it?
p>" He said to me: "With your Majesty!
In the past, my late king Xiong Yi built his own land in Jingshan Mountain. p>Traveling through the mountains and forests to serve the emperor,
Only peach arcs and thorn arrows are used to control the king's affairs.
Qi, Uncle Wang;
< p>Jin, Lu, and Wei are the king's mother and younger brother.Chu has no distinction, but they all have it.
Why do you love the tripod?" Wang said:
"In the past, my imperial uncle Kunwu used to live in this house.
Now the people of Zheng are greedy. The land is not mine.
If I asked for it, would it be mine? Ding, Zheng dares to love the fields?
" The king said: "In the past, the princes were far away from me and were afraid of Jin.
Now my big cities are Chen, Cai, and Bugen, and they all have thousands of gifts.< /p>
Do you think the princes are afraid of me?
He said to me, "You are afraid of the king!" /p>
Add Chu, how dare you not be afraid of the king?
" Gong Yin Lu asked: "The king ordered Gui to be __, so you dare to ask for your order. "The king came to see it.
Analysis of what the father said about Zi Ge: "My son,
the hope of the Chu country! Now I have spoken to the king like a ringer,
What is the state of the country like?" Zi Ge Said:
"Move your sharp whiskers, the king will come out,
I will cut you with my sword." The king came out,
repeated words. Zuo Shi relied on each other to pass by.
The king said: "This is a good history.
The disciples are good at it. They can read "Three Tombs", "Five Classics", "Ba Suo" and "Nine Hills".
" He replied: "I would like to ask,
King Mu of the past wanted to run wild with his heart and traveled around the world.
Every general must have traces of rutted horses. . He wrote the poem "Prayer" to pay homage to Gongmou's father.
In order to calm the king's heart, the king was killed in the palace.
The minister asked about his poem but he didn't know it. Asked: "How can I know it?" Wang said: "Can you?" He said: "Yes." Said:
'The __ of the prayer, the style is virtuous.
Think of my king, the style is like jade,
The shape is like gold. The king bowed his head and came in.
He could not eat and could not sleep for several days. If you cannot control yourself,
you will be in trouble. Zhongni said:
"In ancient times, there was an aspiration: 'To restrain oneself and restore etiquette,'
benevolence.' Faith is good!
If King Ling of Chu can do this, how can he be humiliated? Qianxi?
2. Other poems by Zuo Qiuming
"On the War between Cao and GUI", "Uncle Jian Cries for the Master", "Zhu Zhiwu Retreats the Qin Master", "Zheng Bo Duan Yu Yan/more" "Those who do evil will be killed", "Zhou Zheng's Conversation" 3. Notes
Yuxue: Snow
Leather hat:
Qin Futao: a feather coat given by the Qin State.
Cui quilt: a shawl decorated with green feathers.
Pu Xifu: Doctor Chu. .
Youyin: Official name.
Xi: Visit in the evening.
Xiong Yi: The founder of Chu. .
Lü_: The ancestor of the four kingdoms of Qi, Wei, Jin and Lu.
Kang King: King Kang of Zhou, the third generation of Zhou kings.
Four Kingdoms. Refers to Qi, Wei, Jin and Lu.
Ding: regarded as a national treasure in Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties.
Pi: Same as "secluded". >Jingshan: the birthplace of the Chu people, in the west of today's Nanzhang County, Hubei Province.
皚路: Chai chariot.
Blue thread: a bow made of peach wood. Arrows made of jujube wood
***: Same as “for”.
King Zhou Cheng's mother was Jiang Taigong's daughter.
Kunwu: The distant ancestor of Chu, once lived in Xu land.
Xu: The various states that were enfeoffed in the early Zhou Dynasty.
Chen and Cai: Originally the sub-states granted by King Wu of Zhou, they were later destroyed by Chu.
Bugen: Place name, there are two cities in the east and west.
Fu: Refers to military vehicles.
The Four Kingdoms: refers to Chen, Cai, and the East and West.
4. Appreciation
King Ling of Chu was a very controversial monarch in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He was the grandson of King Zhuang of Chu, the second son of King *** of Chu, and King Kang of Chu. 's younger brother. After King Kang of Chu died, his youngest son ascended the throne as king. King Ling, who was the consul (Ling Yin) at that time, took advantage of the king's illness and strangled him to death with his own hands, proclaiming himself king. In the history of Chu State, there has always been a tradition of princes killing their kings to establish themselves: King Cheng killed his brother to establish himself, King Mu killed his father to establish himself, and King Ling killed his nephew to establish himself. All three were recognized by the ministers and secured their power; but in "Spring and Autumn" Even though he was still a traitor, he could not help but be ridiculed as a rebellious minister.
Since King Chu's death, Chu's hegemony has declined day by day, Jin has gained the upper hand, and Wu has become stronger. After King Ling came to the throne, he fought many battles with the State of Wu, and successively destroyed the two Chinese vassal states of Chen and Cai. He also built two large cities in the East and West to intimidate the Central Plains. He finally overwhelmed the Jin State in the alliance and became the overlord again. From this perspective, King Ling can be described as the master of ZTE. However, his hegemony relied entirely on force and coercion, unlike the combination of power and virtue like Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, and King Zhuang of Chu. Most of the princes in the Central Plains were dissatisfied, and there were also a lot of unstable factors in the Chu Kingdom. King Ling did not want to use gentle means to stabilize the foundation of his power, but instead sent troops again to compete with Wu State for Xu State (today's Xuzhou area). The story of "Zi Ge vs. King Ling" took place at this time.
Ling Wang led his army to station in Qianxi, not far from Xu State, showing off his force in the name of hunting. Look at the clothes he is wearing: a hat made of fur (leather crown), a feathered coat presented by Qin State (Qin Fitao), a cloak made of kingfisher feathers (green quilt), shoes made of leopard skin (leopard coat), and a hand holding a With a whip. The above-mentioned costumes are extremely luxurious, including local specialties of Chu State, as well as treasures donated by other princes, which fully demonstrate the majesty of the King of Chu as the overlord. King Ling has always been famous for his great achievements. Zichan, a famous minister of the Zheng Kingdom, once pointed out that this person was too vain and would not end well in the future. After returning from hunting, the minister Zige came to see him. King Ling took off his hat, cloak and whip to show his respect for the minister.
Who is this Zige? He was not a local minister of Chu State, but a young man who came to Chu State from Zheng State for "political asylum". His original name was Zheng Dan, and Zige was his given name. During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a frequent flow of talents from various countries. There were many examples of "Chu materials being promoted to the state of Chu", and many talents from the Central Plains fled to Chu. As a down-and-out young master, Zige was able to serve as an assistant to the consul (You Yin), which showed the eclectic nature of the Chu State in appointing talents. The subsequent conversation between King Ling and Zi Ge showed his full trust in Zi Ge, a foreigner.
Ling Wang’s question to Zige is very long, but the essence is very simple: I want this, I want that, I want everything, I’m just greedy. King Ling first reviewed the great contributions of his ancestors to the Zhou Dynasty (in fact, the Chu State was a small country less than a hundred miles away in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and was far from as great as King Ling claimed), and then pointed out with regret that Qi, Jin Guo, Lu, and Wei all received ritual utensils given by Emperor Zhou, but Chu did not. If someone was sent to ask Emperor Zhou for ritual utensils now, would the Emperor give them to him?
Zige replied: "I will definitely give it! Our ancestors of Chu were hardworking and brave. It is true that we were not relatives of the Emperor of Zhou at that time, so the Emperor did not take us seriously. Today is not the case It’s the same. The Emperor of Zhou is afraid of us. Qi, Jin, Lu, and Wei all serve us. Your Majesty, you send people to ask for ritual vessels. How dare the Emperor refuse to give them? ”
This answer? It appealed to King Ling's taste, so he continued to ask more questions: This place Xu (today's Xuchang) was originally the fiefdom of the uncle of the ancestor of the Chu State (more than a thousand years ago, but King Ling still had the nerve to take it). Later, the Zheng people occupied this land and did not return it to Chu State. If Chu sends people to claim this land now, will Zheng give it to us?
Zige replied: "I will definitely give it to you! Even the emperor of Zhou dare not not give us ritual vessels. How dare Zheng not give us land?"
King Ling listened. These two answers were simply elated, and his desire continued to expand, so he asked again: It turns out that the Jin State dominated the Central Plains because the Jin State was relatively close to the Central Plains, while our Chu State was relatively far away from the Central Plains. Now that we have built four large cities in the Central Plains: Chen, Cai, and Dongxibugen, each of which can dispatch a thousand military chariots, the princes should be afraid of us, right?
Zi Ge replied: "I will definitely be afraid! The military strength of these four cities is enough to intimidate the princes, not to mention the local military strength of Chu State? Who dares not to be afraid of the king!"
At this point, the Spirit King's self-confidence and desire have reached the extreme. Fortunately, the craftsman came in and asked him to watch the making of the jade. Otherwise, it is unimaginable what naive questions he would ask next.
There are many things that are disrespectful when it comes to questions above the Spiritual King level. Zige was a native of the state of Zheng, which had the same surname as the Zhou Dynasty and was also a Chinese prince. Not only did King Ling carelessly ask him about the cession of Zheng's land, he also blatantly proposed to intimidate the Emperor of Zhou and suppress the Chinese princes. He did not care about Zige's feelings as a Zheng citizen, which only showed that he was blinded by desire.
The state of Chu was powerful at that time and could intimidate the Zhou Dynasty and other princes. However, King Ling's question was like a child asking for candy, which was really not the behavior of a hegemon. Ji An of the Han Dynasty once satirized Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty for having "many desires on the inside but benevolence and righteousness on the outside". King Ling of Chu was nakedly "many on the outside" and didn't even bother to use the pretense of benevolence and righteousness.
King Ling’s desire and Zige’s flattery really aroused the dissatisfaction of other ministers. Minister Xifu took advantage of King Ling's absence and complained to Zige: "You are a very famous person in our country of Chu. Now when the king asks you, you only know how to be submissive. What should our country do?" Zige was confident. Answer: "I was sharpening my knife just now. When the king comes out soon, my blade will be cut off!" Thinkers in the pre-Qin Dynasty did not advocate direct remonstrance, but advocated gentle and tactful sarcasm. Yanzi and Zou Ji , Mencius, etc. are all typical examples of satire. It is a pity that most of the admonishers of later generations were greedy for fame and immortality in history, regarded committing crimes as an honor, and regarded direct admonishment as the right way. They have deviated far from the way of admonishment approved by Confucius.
King Ling came out from the craftsman's house. At this time, Yi Xiang, the historian of Chu, happened to pass by. King Ling pointed at Yi Xiang and said: "This is a good history of our Chu country. You can read ancient books such as "Three Tombs", "Five Codes", "Ba Suo" and "Nine Hills"." "Three Tombs" and "Five Codes" are Among the books of Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, "Basuo" is a book about Bagua divination, and "Jiuqiu" is a book about the geography and people of Kyushu. King Ling proudly quoted these book titles, probably not to praise Yi Xiang's erudition, but to show off the many talents in Chu State and indirectly illustrate the greatness of his own king. But this just gave Zi Ge an opportunity to "take the knife".
Zige said disdainfully: "I once asked Prime Minister Yi that King Mu of Zhou liked to travel around when he was in power. The minister Ji Gong composed a poem "Praying for Moves" to restrain King Mu's desire. As expected, King Mu was not in trouble and had a good death; Yixiang couldn't recite "Qi Zhao", what kind of erudition is this?" (Actually, Zige just found an excuse, Yixiang does not necessarily know how to recite the poem? ) When King Ling heard this, he really became interested and asked Zige to recite "Prayer" to him. Zige then recited: "Sima Qizhao is so peaceful and peaceful, spreading the king's virtues to the people. Think of our king's virtues, like jade and gold. He uses the people's power in a limited way. , There is no heart to be full of food and drink. "
- The meaning of this poem is that the monarch should use the people's power according to the limit that the people can afford, and should not use the people's power to satisfy their own desires. Such a monarch. Only if he possesses the virtues of gold and jade can his virtues be praised by people all over the world. "There is no heart that is drunk and full", how incompatible it is with the insatiable and greedy mentality of the Spirit King just now! In the words of Confucius, this poem contains only four words: "Conquer oneself and return to propriety."
Although King Chu Ling was blinded by desire, he was still a smart man and quickly understood what Zige meant. He bowed to Zige to express his gratitude and returned to the resting place. He could not eat or sleep that day. We know that when a person restrains his desires, it is easy for him to become restless. If this is the case if a person restrains his addiction to cigarettes and alcohol, how much more so if the king of a country restrains his desire for power? The result was tragic. Although Zige's advice moved King Ling, King Ling could not restrain himself. The next year, a coup broke out within the Chu State. The militaristic King Ling was deposed and his younger brother ascended the throne. The rebellious King Ling finally committed suicide in the wilderness. This was the fate of a generation of overlords.
Not many overlords in the Spring and Autumn Period could die well, but there were not many who died like the Spirit King and made the world smile. Duke Huan of Qi united nine princes and ruled the world. In the end, he starved to death on his bed because he favored and trusted a sycophant. After his death, the state of Qi was in chaos for five generations. Duke Mu of Qin was the wisest monarch in the state of Qin, but he was defeated by the state of Jin many times because of his power and his ignorance. His descendants He could not leave Hangu Pass for three hundred years; Duke Li of Jin defeated the Chu army in Yanling and dominated the Central Plains. A few years later, he was killed by the official Qing, and was buried with only an ox cart; King Wu Fu Chai defeated Qi, Jin and Chu successively. However, he died in the hands of his own defeated general Yue King Gou Jian, and the Kingdom of Wu was destroyed. "The Book of Songs" says: "There is no beginning for failure, and there is an end for failure." It does not mean that the difficulty becomes greater as you go to the end, but that the mentality of successful people will change. Once desires expand, even if you want to save the lives of your family, you will not be able to save them. It's easy, how can we talk about making achievements?
Confucius said: "If you deny yourself and return to etiquette for one day, the world will return to benevolence." Self-denial means restraining one's desires; returning to etiquette means complying with the provisions of Zhou Rites. Once one is able to restrain oneself and return to propriety, then all the disturbances in the world will be attributed to one's own benevolence, and there will no longer be the distress of insatiable desires, and there will no longer be the urge to commit suicide. It is a pity that later generations of Neo-Confucianists interpreted the words "restraining oneself and restoring rituals" to mean "preserving natural principles and curbing human desires", which ultimately turned into one-sided empty talk about human rationality and the elimination of normal human desires, which was contrary to the original intention of Confucius and other pre-Qin philosophers. Very far.
5. Translation
Chu Zishou came to the state, followed by Yingwei, and sent Danghou, Panzi, Sima Du, Xiao Yinwu, Lingyin and Xishuai to surround Xu Yifeng Wu. Chuzi came next to Qianxi to help him.
King Ling of Chu came to the state for winter hunting and was stationed at Yingwei. He sent Dang Hou, Pan Zi, Sima Du, Xiao Yinwu, and Ling Yinxi to lead an army to surround Xu State to intimidate Wu State. The king of Chu stationed himself at Qianxi as their backup.
In the rain and snow, the king's leather crown, Qin's pottery, green quilt, leopard and saddle, holding a whip to go out, the servants analyze the father's obedience. You Yinzi Gexi, the king saw him.
He took off his crown and quilt, threw away his whip, and said to him: "In the past, my late king Xiong Yi, together with Lü Zhen, Wang Sun Mou, Xiefu, and Qinfu, served King Kang. All the four countries had a share, and I alone had no share. Now I send people to Zhou, I asked for the tripod to be divided, do you think I am the king?"
It was snowing, and the king of Chu came out wearing a fur hat, a Qin feather coat, a kingfisher feather shawl, and leopard skin shoes. Pu Xi's father followed. Zige came in at night, and the king of Chu met him. He took off his hat, cloak, and whip, and talked to him, saying: "In the past, our late king Xiong Yi had a relationship with Lv_ of Qi, Sun Mou, king of Wei, and Xie Fu of Jin. Bo Qin of the State of Lu also served King Kang of Zhou, and the four countries all had treasures distributed to them, but our country did not. Now I sent people to the Zhou Dynasty to ask for the Jiuding as a treasure to be distributed to our country, and the King of Zhou would give it to us. "Me?"
Said to you: "With your Majesty! In the past, my late king Xiong Yi lived in Jingshan. The road was full of grass and grass, and he trudged through the mountains and forests to serve the emperor. There were only peach arcs and thorn arrows. Qi, Lu, and Wei are the king's uncles. Chu has no distinction, and they all serve the king in Zhou Dynasty and obey his orders. "Why do you love the tripod?" The king said: "In the past, my uncle Kunwu used to live in this house. Now the people of Zheng are greedy for it, but if I ask for it, will it be given to me?"
Yu Ge replied: "I will give it to the king! In the past, our late king Xiong Yi lived in the remote Jingshan Mountains, lived in the grasslands, traveled through the mountains and forests, and served the emperor. He only had this bow made of peach wood and jujube wood. The arrows made were used for royal affairs. Qi was the uncle of the King of Zhou; Jin, Lu, and Wei were the brothers of the King of Zhou. Therefore, the Chu State did not receive any treasures, but now they all have them. With the above four countries serving the king, they will obey orders, how can they begrudge Jiuding? "The King of Chu said: "In the past, our distant ancestor Kunwu lived in the old land of Xu State, but now the people of Zheng State are greedy for the advantage of the land there. Give it to us. If we ask for it, will it be given to us?"
He said to me, "How dare you, the king, to love Tian?" Afraid of the Jin Dynasty, our great cities of Chen, Cai, and Bugen are all rich and powerful. Are the princes afraid of me? Chu, do you dare not be afraid of the king?" Zige replied: "I will give it to the king! The Zhou Dynasty did not begrudge Jiuding, how could Zheng Yin dare to begrudge the land?" The king of Chu said: "In the past, the princes thought that our country was remote. We are afraid of the Jin State. Now we have vigorously built the four cities of Chen, Cai, Dong, and Xibugen, and the military personnel have reached 1,000 chariots. It is a meritorious service for you to participate in this. Will the princes be afraid of us? "Zi Ge? He replied: "You will be afraid of the king! These four big cities alone are enough to make people fear you. If you add Chu State, how dare you not be afraid of the king!"
Gong Yinlu asked: "Your Majesty Mingpai Gui thinks that he dares to ask for his life." The king looked at him. Analyzing his father, he said to Zi Ge: "My son, I am the hope of the Kingdom of Chu! Now that I have spoken to the king, what will happen to the country?" Zi Ge said, "When the king comes out, I will kill him with my sharp sword."
At this time, Gong Yinlu asked for instructions: "The king ordered the ax handle to be broken open with jade decoration, and I took the liberty to ask the king for instructions." The king of Chu went in to inspect. Pu Xi's father said to Ge, "You are a well-known person in Chu State. Now you speak to the king like an echo. What will happen to the country?" Zi Ge said, "I sharpen the edge of my words and wait for the opportunity." , When the king comes out, my blade will cut him off."
The king came out and spoke again. Zuo Shi relied on each other to pass by. The king said: "This is a good history, and I can read it well. I can read "Three Tombs", "Five Codes", "Ba Suo" and "Nine Hills"." He said to him: "I want to ask you, because the former King Mu wanted to As his heart traveled throughout the world, there would be traces of ruts and horses everywhere. He wrote a poem called "Praying for Reconciliation" in memory of Gongmou's father, so that the king's heart could be calmed down. The ministers asked him about his poem and did not know it. If you ask how far away it is, how can you know it?"
The king of Chu came out and continued talking. Zuo Shi Yixiang walked quickly in front of him. The King of Chu said: "This man is a good historian. You should take good care of him. This man can read "Three Tombs", "Five Canons", "Ba Suo" and "Jiu Suo". "Qiu" such an ancient book." Zige replied: "I once asked him that King Mu of Zhou wanted to do whatever he wanted and traveled all over the world, so that the world would have traces of his rutting horse. "Zhao" poem to stop King Mu's greed, so King Mu was able to die in the palace. The minister asked him about the poem but he didn't know. How could he know?"
The king said: "Can you?" He replied: "Yes." His "Poetry" said: "The __ of praying for moves, the style is so virtuous. Thinking about my king, the style is like jade, the style is like gold. It has the power to shape the people, but there is no '"
The king of Chu said: "Can you?" Zige replied: "Yes. The music of "Qi Zhao" expresses virtue. Sound. I think of our king’s magnanimity, which is like jade and gold. He keeps the power of the people, but he is not greedy like being drunk.” day. Not being able to control oneself leads to difficulties.
The king of Chu made a bow and went in. For several days, he refused to eat the food he was given. He lay down and couldn't sleep. He still couldn't control himself, which led to disaster.
Zhongni said: "In ancient times, there was an aspiration: 'To restrain oneself and restore etiquette is benevolence.' Believe it or not! If King Ling of Chu could do this, how could he be humiliated by Qianxi River?"
Confucius said: "There are records in ancient times that say: 'Restrain yourself and return to etiquette. This is benevolence.
’ That’s so well said! If King Ling of Chu could be like this, how could he be humiliated in Qianxi? "
Poems of the same dynasty
"Caiwei Song", "The First Month of the Spring King", "Song People and Chu People Ping", "Wu Zi's Envoy to Appointment", " "Yu Shi and Jin Shi destroyed Xia Yang", "Zheng Beke Duan Yu Yan", "Zeng Shen Cooked Pigs", "Zhizi Suspicious of Neighbors", "Shi Kuang Collision with Jin Ping Gong", "Indiscriminate Yus to Count".
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