Liu Ji
The mountains and rivers flowing into the river are built by a Taoist priest to serve the Buddha, which is very sincere. The mountains and rivers came out overnight, and the drifting room went down the river. People riding on the wood and in the house called for help. Taoist priests have big boats and bow in the water margin. People who are good at water are tied up and waiting for people. When they arrive, they throw a wooden finger, and many people survive. There is a beast in Pingdan that is not in the waves, floating its head and looking around. If someone asks for help, the Taoist priest says, "If there is life, we must save it quickly." The boatman can say whatever he wants, and connected with wood, it is a tiger. At first I was in a daze, sitting and licking my hair. When I got to the shore, I stared at the sleeping Taoist priest, jumped up and grabbed it, and knelt down to the ground. The boatman ran for help, but the Taoist priest didn't die and was seriously injured.
Li Yu said: alas! It's also the fault of the Taoist priest. Is it too much for a Taoist priest to know that it is inhuman to save him? Although, Confucius said, "Look at Si and know benevolence." What is a Taoist priest?
Liu Ji was an accomplished politician in the Ming Dynasty, and most of the main rules and regulations in the early Ming Dynasty were formulated by him and Song Lian through consultation. At the same time, his literary talent is unique. In the biography of Liu Ji in Ming Dynasty, he was said to be a "scholar with Song Lian as his generation". His essays "The Orangeman's Words" and "The Story of Songting" are both well-known works. As a politician and writer, Liu Ji also created an allegorical prose work "Yu Ion" with his keen insight, profound knowledge and delicate written expression. This work consists of 18 chapters 195 articles, which was written by him when he lived in seclusion in Qingtian at the end of Yuan Dynasty. Xu Yi Kui said in Preface to Residual Ions: "In terms of excitement, it probably mentioned the disadvantages of the original room correction", which accurately summarized the author's writing purpose and the general tendency of the book. Many of these fables have strong social content, and the truth expounded is quite instructive. Taoist Cangjiao is a very distinctive article.
As a fable, simplicity is the first consideration. This article has only 205 words. Through a thought-provoking story, a universal lesson is drawn: kindness to the wicked should never be abused, and kindness to the wicked is cruelty to oneself.
In the way of narration, this fable also fully embodies the characteristics of allegorical style, telling the story first and then revealing the meaning. The first paragraph of the article is the main body of the fable, which introduces a vivid and convincing story. The meaning of the question was pointed out in the first sentence. Cang (Lang) originally refers to cyan, and Yi Shuo Gua: "The earthquake is thunder, ... it is bamboo." "Sparse": "When bamboo is born, its color is light, so take the beauty of its spring life." Later it was also called bamboo. "Canggu mountain streams flow into the river", which vividly illustrates the characteristics of geographical location and surrounding environment. Green mountains are full of bamboo, and many streams meet and flow into the river, which is not only colorful: green mountains and bamboos, streams and rivers; And there is noise, running water. The collector is not the name of a Taoist, but refers to the geographical scope, referring to the Taoist in Zhushan. Taoist priests chose this bamboo mountain with pleasant scenery and quiet environment, and built a temple here, which was very pious and respectful to religious activities. Although the word "sincerity" is only two words, it not only shows the attitude of Taoist priests to serve Buddha, but also paves the way for the following, because only with the ideological basis of "sincerity to serve Buddha" can there be actions to save people in disasters. The above gives a concise and necessary explanation of the characteristics of the natural environment and the ideological status of the characters. Then focus on the story, please note that the time of flash floods is "overnight", that is, when the sun sets on a certain day, at this dusk, when night falls, the seriousness of sudden disasters can be imagined (especially in ancient times when modern lighting equipment was lacking). To what extent are "big scenery" and "big"? In fact, the whole house can be washed away and floated in the river, and the damaged houses are full of streams and rolling down. Material loss is secondary. The key is that human life is seriously threatened. People either rode on boards or hid in washed-out huts, crying for help. The author accurately rendered the serious consequences caused by a sudden flood with extremely concise words. In the choice of words and words, several verbs are used accurately, such as "floating in the room", which means that the water is so strong that the room can float; The "blocking" of "blocking the lower stream" means that there are too many floating houses and the stream is full; "Ride" and "ride" of "riding a tree to get a house" can be divided into two escape states. Because the water is strong and fast, people can neither stand on the wood nor sit on it, so they can only ride it, which is safer. Because the house floats on the water like a boat, people hide in it like a boat. It can be seen that in writing, only by choosing verbs accurately can we be vivid. At this sudden moment of disaster, it is an opportunity to show the compassion of Taoist priests. The author shapes the characters through their words and deeds. The Taoist priest is fearless in the face of difficulties. He stood at the water's edge wearing hemp fiber and hat, and personally urged people with good water to prepare ropes to save people. Through his overnight efforts, many people were saved. In times of danger, it is completely correct to avoid risks and try to save people. However, at dawn, the Taoist priest made a big mistake. When he saw the drowning beast (tiger), he even said to everyone, "This is also a living thing. We must rescue it quickly." The words are from the heart, and we can also see from the dialogue of Taoist priest how urgent and pious he is to help all beings. But the tiger's rescue can't change its cannibalism. The author also gives a concise and vivid description of the tiger's demeanor and movements. When the tiger is not in the waves, it "looks around if it needs help". Although the tiger has a certain degree of water, it is in danger of being swallowed up and dying at any time because of its excessive water potential and rapid current. So, as it surfaced, it poked its head out and looked around, hoping to be rescued and survive. When it was first rescued from the boat, "Meng Meng Run" meant that I was still scared, completely carried away by the flood, and then "sat and licked its fur". At this time, I still look pathetic, but I have breathed a sigh of relief and my physical strength has gradually recovered. When the ship has landed, "the Taoist priest is shocked", and the tiger is fierce and ready to bite back. "Rush and grab", the two movements are closely linked, and they dive in the past with lightning speed, catching the Taoist priest at once and throwing themselves to the ground. Through a series of actions and expressions, a dying tiger was rescued and gradually recovered, and the process of eating people was vividly portrayed. After the rescue of all the people on board, the Taoist priest was lucky not to be killed, but he was also seriously injured. Of course, this unexpected consequence is entirely self-inflicted. After the story is told, readers can naturally understand the purpose of the sermon and get a profound lesson.
As a fable, the story alone is incomplete, so the second paragraph uses Yu Ion's argument to complete his writing intention. The author expressed his strong and distinct feelings with the word "alas" in a sympathetic tone, and clearly pointed out that this was a tragedy. The cause of the tragedy is entirely the fault of the Taoist himself, that is, it is not an objective natural disaster such as flood. Knowing that the tiger is not a human being, he wants to save it. "Is a Taoist too much?" This rhetorical question is powerful and thought-provoking. Finally, the words of Confucius in the Analects of Liren are quoted to strengthen persuasion and warn people to learn from the mistakes of Taoist priests. From Liu Ji's fable, we are reminded of Lu Xun's famous saying that he advocated beating Reservoir Dogs. Every dog that falls into the water will be beaten, not to mention the more vicious mountain king. In addition, Aesop's fable The Farmer and the Snake is quoted. The farmer saved the frozen snake, but it killed him. He must not pity the wicked like a snake. This article is similar to the farmer and the snake.
It is worth noting that Liu Ji holds a negative attitude towards Buddhism and Taoism in many of his works. He lived in the troubled times at the end of Yuan Dynasty, heard and witnessed the harsh ethnic contradictions and class oppression, and thus had a correct understanding of the standards of good and evil. For example, in Song Feng Ge Ji, when he was enjoying the scenery, his heart was full of concern for social life. He told the story of "six static dusts" on the ark in a humorous and relaxed way (color, sound, fragrance, taste, touch and dharma are called six dusts in Buddhist scriptures, and they think that six dusts can pollute the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. Like this article, the author implicitly shows his outlook on life and society, which has a positive reference for how to correctly handle interpersonal relationships.
In art, this article is short, pithy and lively. For example, the second paragraph of this article is mainly the author's argument, which is easily annoying, but his flexible sentence patterns, such as exclamation, frankness, backchat, quotation, etc., are tortuous, turbulent and magnificent, which greatly enhances the appeal of the article.
Taoist Cangjiao, with its profound and unique ideological light and exquisite and flexible artistic ingenuity, gives people useful enlightenment and provides valuable experience for today's fable creation.