In ancient times, many shallow and fast-flowing rivers could only cross the border by rafts instead of ships. The ancients thought it was because the water was too weak to carry a boat, so they called such a river weak water. Therefore, many weak waters with the same name but different rivers are recorded in ancient books such as Shan Hai Jing and Ten Kingdoms. There is water in the north of Kunlun Mountain, which is recorded in Shanhaijing, but it can't beat mustard seed. That's what weak water means Some appellations are still in use today, such as a weak river on the map of Gansu Province. Weak water is also used to refer to the Poyi River or Heishui River in the northwest, and of course it is limited to specific geographical works.
In later ancient literature, weak water was gradually used to refer to dangerous and distant rivers. There is a famous saying in Su Shi's "Jinshan Miaogaotai": Penglai is unreachable and Wan Li is weak. This is the first time that weak water has used specific figures. There is also a saying in Zhang Xiaoxiang's "Shui Long Yin Wang Jiuhua Mountain" that "an empty pearl building is stupid, looking at Penglai, and there is no weak water at the beginning". In other poems, weak sentences are rare. Instead, it is more common in later novels. The Journey to the West returned to Tang Sanzang for the 22nd time to collect sand, and wrote a poem describing the danger of the quicksand river: 800 quicksand boundary, 3,000 weak water depth, goose feathers can't float, and reed flowers will sink to the bottom. This is the first formal formulation of weak water three thousand. Mr. Lu Xun said in "Introduction to Geology in China": Although he is surrounded by weak water and helpless, what will happen ... In the 25th chapter of A Dream of Red Mansions, he also mentioned: What does that man look like? He is one foot tall and one foot low, covered in water and dragging mud. When you meet, if you ask where your home is, it is in the weak water west of Penglai. There is also a distant meaning here.
Later, weak water was extended to boundless love. This is what we are talking about now. When A Dream of Red Mansions was formally put forward for the first time, Baoyu designed a cloth puzzle to talk about Zen: Daiyu said, "Hello, Sister Bao. How are you? " Sister Bao doesn't like you How are you? Sister Bao was good to you the day before yesterday, but now she is not good to you. How are you? Hello today, but not after. How are you? You are good to him, but he is not good to you. How are you if you don't get along with him, he insists on getting along with you. How are you? Baoyu stayed for a long time and suddenly smiled, "The water is weak, so I'll take a ladle to drink." . Daiyu said, "The ladle floats in the water. What shall I do?" ? Baoyu said, "Don't drift, let the water drift by itself, and the ladle will drift by itself! ""What can we do if the water stops the pearl from sinking? Daiyu asked. Baoyu said, "Zen has become a mass of mud. Don't dance partridge to spring breeze. Daiyu said, "The first commandment of Zen is not to curse." . Baoyu asked, "Is it like three treasures?" ? " .？ From then on, men and women vowed to take only one spoonful of weak water. Little known is the modern poet Su's Broken Chai, in which there is a dialogue: Yu Yue: However, two beauties are in love.
As for now, the formulation of weak water three thousand is everywhere. Both Gu Long and Jin Yong have mentioned it dozens of times in their novels. Every time a handsome hero is harassed and pursued by a large group of beautiful girls in the bud in spring, he will say to the heroine: I only take a scoop of water, don't worry, and then the hero will be in full bloom in spring.