"Bandang" originally refers to political darkness, but here it describes the world's chaos and turbulent situation.
Being aware of loyal ministers means that only in troubled times can the sincerity of loyal ministers be shown. The dictionary "Bandang" comes from the "Book of Songs·Daya", in which two articles, "Ban" and "Dang", describe the political darkness and the poverty of the people at that time.
This sentence comes from a five-character quatrain "Giving Xiao Yu" written by Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. It is a poem given by Li Shimin to Xiao Yu. This poem praises Xiao Yu's benevolence. Xiao Yu, courtesy name Shiwen, was a general of the Sui Dynasty. He was captured by Li Shimin and returned to the Tang Dynasty, where he was granted the title of Duke of Song. The original text of the poem is as follows:
The strong wind knows the strong grass, and the rough wind knows the honest minister.
A brave man must be aware of righteousness, and a wise man must be benevolent.
Vernacular interpretation: Only in the fierce and strong wind can we see whether the grass is strong and straight, and in the era of fierce turmoil can we identify whether we are loyal ministers. How can a brave man understand the justice of serving the public, the country, the people, and the country? A man with both wisdom and courage must have the love of loyalty to the emperor and the people in his heart.
Extended information
Creative background: In the late period of Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan’s three sons started a life-and-death palace struggle for the throne. In this struggle, Xiao Yu firmly Li Shimin firmly sided with him and finally helped him win the throne. In 627 AD, Li Shimin ascended the throne and made Xiao Yu prime minister. Because of Xiao Yu's upright temperament, Li Shimin changed Xiao Yu to be the crown prince and tutor. In the ninth year of Zhenguan (653), Xiao Yu was granted the title of "Special Advancement" and participated in political affairs.
This poem is very philosophical. The first two lines of the poem are famous lines that have been praised throughout the ages. "The wind knows the strong grass" comes from Fan Ye's "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Wang Ba Biography" by Fan Ye of the Song Dynasty. It was originally written by Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, praising Wang Ba. Guangwu said of Ba: "Everyone who has left me in Yingchuan has passed away, but I am left alone to work hard. "The strong wind knows the strong grass." Later generations used it as a metaphor to identify who is strong-willed and who is loyal and reliable only after going through the severe test of crisis or war.
The two lines of the poem use the technique of Bixing. The core meaning expressed by the poet is "the honest minister knows the honest minister", praising Xiao Yu for being able to support him at the most critical moment of the year and help him win the throne. . "The strong wind knows the strong grass" is Xing, which is the basis of the following argument. At the same time, this sentence is both interesting and interesting. It uses ordinary natural scenery as a metaphor to vividly and profoundly illustrate that a person's true character can best be seen in difficult and critical moments.
The last two sentences change the angle and continue to praise Xiao Yu. The "brave man" who is only brave for a moment does not understand the true "righteousness", but the true "wise man" must have benevolence in his heart. This poem has a simple poetic meaning, an image of reasoning, and a profound meaning. It concisely and comprehensively reveals the dialectical relationship between "wisdom", "courage", "benevolence" and "righteousness".