7 Outstanding Mothers in Chinese History 2007-06-05 06:31
In our five thousand years of history, countless outstanding giants have been born, and they may have made history , or go down in history because he left immortal thoughts and articles. Looking into the footsteps of their success, we were surprised to find that almost without exception, there was a great mother behind them!
1 Mencius’ mother teaches her son
2 Xu’s mother’s righteousness
In Chinese history, she was revered as one of the “three great virtuous mothers” by later generations. Among the mothers, the second one was Xu Shu's mother during the Three Kingdoms period.
Xu Shu was a native of Yingzhou (now Xuchang, Henan) in the Three Kingdoms period. His courtesy name was Yuan Zhi. In his early years, he was friends with Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong. He once joined Liu Biao and later Liu Bei as military advisor. When Xu Shu defected to Liu Bei, Liu Bei's lone army was in trouble. There were only a thousand soldiers, and there was only one city in Xinye. There were only Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Guan Ping, Zhou Cang and others. After Xu Shu became Liu Bei's military advisor, he showed off his talents. In a few months, he used clever tricks to kill Lu Kuang and behead Lu Xiang. He defeated the Eight-door Golden Lock Formation and defeated Cao Ren to capture Fancheng. Liu Bei's morale and military morale were boosted. His arrogance was chilled. Cao Cao's counselor Cheng Yu said to Cao Cao: Xu Shu's talent is 10 times higher than that of Cheng Yu. But what is regrettable is that just as Xu Shu became more and more courageous in the battle, he had to retreat bravely. In the early days of the Three Kingdoms, where advisors and wise men competed freely, an extremely important military strategist was lost, and many military techniques that could be learned and imitated by future generations were lost. What is gratifying is that when Xu Shu said goodbye to Liu Bei, he recommended Zhuge Liang to him, and thus the story of "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage" has been passed down through the ages.
Why did Xu Shu suddenly leave Liu Bei when he was displaying his talents? It's all because of Cao Cao's counselor Cheng Yu. Xu Shu was a famous filial son. When Cao Cao heard from counselor Cheng Yu that Xu Shu was making suggestions for Liu Bei, he wanted to use him as his own. Cheng Yu taught Cao Cao to deceive Xu Shu's old mother to Xuchang, and asked Xu Shu's mother to write a letter to summon Xu Shu. Unexpectedly, Xu's mother was an old man who had a clear distinction between loyalty and treachery and a deep understanding of righteousness. Xu's mother saw through Cao Cao's treacherous plan and resolutely refused to obey. Cheng Yu further proposed a plan and forged a letter from Xu's mother to attract Xu Shu. Xu Shu was a filial son. After receiving this false letter, he had no choice but to bid farewell to Liu Bei and surrender to Cao Cao. When Xu Shu said goodbye to Liu Bei, the two said goodbye in tears. Xu Shu pointed his heart to Liu Bei and said: "I originally wanted to fight with the general who wants to dominate the king, and this is just an inch of land. Now that I have lost my mother, the square inch is in chaos, and it is useless. Please say goodbye." Xuande cried and said, "Yuan Zhi is gone! What can I do?" Xu Shu recommended Zhuge Liang and said, "You can't give in to this person. If you can find him, please come and find him." , is no different from the Zhou who defeated Lu Wang and the Han who defeated Zhang Liang."
Xu Shu was easily deceived into Xuchang by a forged letter. This move made Xu Shu's mother, who understood the righteousness, commit suicide in great pain. A lifelong regret, he hated Cao Cao because of this, and Cao Cao only ended up with an empty joy, and got a bystander who had no plans for him in his life. The old mother was filled with hatred for her own stupidity. The frustrated Xu Shu could not help but look up to the sky and sigh: "I, Xu, have the heart to serve the country, but I am unable to save myself. I am unfaithful and unfilial, and I am a minister in vain."
At that time, Cao Cao was called the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty and had an authentic official career. However, Xu's mother was able to distinguish between traitors and falsehoods. She believed that her son's defection to Cao Cao was a bright pearl turning into a dark one, which showed the mother's great virtue and righteousness.
3 Mother-in-law tattooed
Since Yue Fei picked Xiao Liang Wang and made a big fuss in the martial arts competition, he returned with his five brothers Niu Gao, Wang Gui, Tang Huai and Zhang Xian. I am living leisurely in my hometown of Tangyin, Henan.
At this time, the Jin Kingdom rose in the north, and the fourth prince Jin Wushu led his troops to invade the south.
The Northern Song Dynasty court was corrupt and incompetent and unable to resist. The Jin soldiers occupied the capital Bianliang (now Kaifeng). Emperor Qinzong and Supreme Emperor Huizong were also taken captive to the Northern Kingdom. The Jin soldiers burned, killed, looted and committed all kinds of evil in the Central Plains. In addition, the plague was prevalent in Henan this year, and there was a severe drought. There was no harvest, and the people were in dire straits, suffering unspeakably. Yue Fei, his mother and wife lived in poverty at home and were in a miserable state. The parents of Wang Gui, Tang Huai, and Niu Gao passed away one after another. They couldn't bear the hunger and cold, so they did some unclean things. Yue Fei tried to persuade them several times to stop taking ill-gotten gains, but they refused to listen. In the end, they all went to the mountains to drop grass. Seeing this scene, Yue Fei felt extremely sad.
One day, Yue Fei was talking to his mother at home when someone came and knocked on the door. Yue Fei took the man into the house, and during the conversation he learned that the man was Wang Zuo, a general of Yang Mo's rebel army in Dongting Lake. Because Yang Mo had admired Yue Fei for his versatility in both civil and military affairs, he sent Wang Zuo to hire him to help. At that time, Wang Zuo took out a lot of gold, silver and jewelry as betrothal gifts. Yue Fei said seriously: "Yue Fei was born in the Song Dynasty, and died in the Song Dynasty!" He refused to accept his words. Wang Zuo had no choice but to pack up his betrothal gift and go back to the mountain.
After Wang Zuo left, Yue Fei went in and told his mother in detail. After hearing this, the mother-in-law pondered for a while, then asked Yue Fei to set up the incense table in the middle hall, straighten the incense candles, and then take his daughter-in-law out together, burn incense and light candles, and worship the ancestors of heaven and earth. He also asked Yue Fei to kneel on the ground while his wife studied ink. The mother-in-law said: "My son, it is great for my mother to see that you are willing to stay in poverty and not be greedy for wealth. But I am afraid that after my death, some unscrupulous people will come to seduce me. If my son loses his ambition for a moment, he will do something. If you are disloyal, won't you ruin your reputation for half a lifetime? Therefore, today I wish to tell the ancestors of heaven and earth that I will tattoo the four words "Serve the country with all your loyalty" on your back. I hope you will be a loyal minister, serve your country with all your loyalty, and be famous forever, and I will smile at Jiuquan. Come on!" After hearing this, Yue Fei said, "What mother said makes sense, let's just do the tattoo with my child." Then he took off half of his clothes. The mother-in-law took the pen and wrote "Serve the country with all your loyalty" on Yue Fei's back. Then she took the embroidery needle in her hand and stabbed Yue Fei's back. She saw Yue Fei's flesh bulging. The mother-in-law asked, "Is my son in pain?" "Yue Fei said: "My mother has never pricked me, so how can I ask the child if it hurts?" His mother-in-law said in tears: "My child, you are afraid that my mother's hands are weak, so you said it doesn't hurt." After that, she gritted her teeth and started pricking. After tattooing, apply vinegar ink to make it permanent. Yue Fei stood up and thanked his mother for teaching her son.
At this time, King Kang of Song Dynasty succeeded to the throne in Jinling (now Nanjing) and became Gaozong. This is the Southern Song Dynasty. The imperial court issued an imperial decree and summoned Yue Fei to Beijing to take up a post and lead his troops to fight against the thieves, in an attempt to restore Zhongxing and avenge his grievances. Yue Fei accepted the imperial edict and immediately packed up. The mother-in-law warned her children not to forget to "serve the country with all their loyalty." Yue Fei said goodbye to his mother, gave instructions to his wife, and then mounted his horse and went to Beijing. After that, Yue Fei led his troops to defeat the Jin soldiers several times and tried to restore the Central Plains. Unexpectedly, Qin Hui, the treacherous prime minister of the imperial court, and his gang secretly had an affair with the Jin Kingdom and framed Zhongliang. They deceived Yue Fei into Beijing, falsely accused him of treason, and imprisoned him. During the interrogation, Yue Fei took off his shirt, revealing the four characters "Serve the Country with All Loyalty" on his back. But evil was rampant for a while, and Yue Fei was eventually killed in Fengbo Pavilion. However, the story of the mother-in-law training her son to serve the country and the national hero. Yue Fei's reputation has been passed down through the ages.
4 Confucius’ mother teaches education
Meng Ke’s mother has become a model of maternal etiquette in the world because of stories such as “Meng’s mother moved three times” and “cut off the opportunity to teach her son”. But the story of how Confucius’ mother Yan Zhengzai raised her son is rarely known. In fact, Confucius' mother also played a crucial role in the growth of Confucius.
Wei Zhong, the ancestor of the Confucius family, was the younger brother of King Zhou, the last king of the Shang Dynasty. After the fall of the Shang Dynasty, the eldest brother Weizi was named the king of the Song Dynasty by Zhou Dynasty. After Weizi Qi's death, Weizhong succeeded to the throne. Confucius's father was fifteen generations old. Confucius' father was just a warrior in the Lu Kingdom. Bo Qin, the ancestor of Confucius's mother's family, was the founder of the Lu State, the eldest son of Zhou Gongdan, and the grandson of the late king of the Zhou Dynasty, King Zhou Wen. The surname of King Wen of Zhou was Ji, and Boqin enfeoffed his descendants to be the heads of the towns in Yanyi. They took the fiefdom as their surname and passed it down from generation to generation, becoming the Yan family. Confucius's mother was the daughter of the Yan family of Lu.
In his later years, he remarried a young woman named Yan and gave birth to Confucius. It is recorded in Sima Qian's "Historical Records of the Confucius Family": "Confucius was born in Zou Yi, Ping Township, Changchang, Lu. He was born in the Song Dynasty before him, and he was called Uncle Kong Fang. Uncle Fang gave birth to Bo Xia, and Bo Xia gave birth to Shu Liang He. He married Yan's daughter and gave birth to Confucius.
Confucius was born in the twenty-second year of Duke Xiang of Lu. He was born with his head on the top of the polder, so he was named Qiu Yun. The courtesy name is Zhongni and the surname is Kong. "From Sima Qian's records, three historical facts are confirmed: Yan's daughter, Yehe and Weiding.
Regarding Yan's daughter, there are very few historical records. The "Explanation of the Original Surnames of Confucius' Family Language" that appeared very late is It is said like this: "Before Confucius, he will be followed by Song Dynasty. ... Bo Xia's uncle Liang He had nine daughters but no children. His concubine was named Mengpi, whose nickname was Bernie. He had a foot disease. So he proposed to Yan. The Yan family has three daughters, one of whom is Zheng Zai. Yan's father asked the three daughters, "Although Dr. Zou's father was a scholar, he is a descendant of the previous sage king." Now his body is ten feet long and he has unparalleled military power. I am very greedy for him. Although he is old and strict, there is no doubt about it. Which of the three sons can be his wife? ’ The two girls couldn’t agree. Zheng Zaijin said, ‘I am being controlled by my father. How can I ask? ’ The father said: ‘You can do it. ’ So he took her as his wife. Zheng met at the temple in the past. As her husband was old, he was afraid that a man would come from time to time, so he privately prayed to the mountain of Niqiu to pray for the birth of Confucius, so he was named Qiu with the courtesy name Zhongni. "At that time, Confucius's father was about sixty years old, and Yan's daughter was under twenty years old. The reason why she was attracted by Confucius' father's "descendants of holy kings" and "unparalleled military power" was also due to the other reasons. I'm afraid it's the "right match" mentioned earlier.
Because of the huge age difference, it was not etiquette at the time, so there is a record of "wild marriage" in "Historical Records"; there is a saying that they rejoice in the wild. According to this statement, Confucius was an illegitimate child. However, Confucianism has always avoided this theory, thinking that it would be disrespectful to a "sage", so the "Confucius Family Sayings" whitewashed the matter. In fact, it is preferred that the two of them lived together without marriage. p>
As for the term "Weiding", it was the common wish of Confucius' parents to have a son who would carry on the family line and inherit the ancestral temple. Confucius was born on September 28, 551 BC, because Confucius' mother had lived there. Nishan got pregnant after praying, and her parents named Confucius Qiu. "Zhong" means second, "Ni" means Nishan, and "Qiu" means getting ahead. Confucius was about three years old. At that time, Uncle Liang He died of illness and was buried in Fangshan. Hou Yan took him away from Zhouyi and lived in Queli, the capital of Qufu. At that time, his family was quite poor.
Zheng Zai's father was a well-educated scholar. In that era, it was also possible for her daughter to learn literacy and etiquette, which shows her enlightenment. Zheng Zai not only accumulated rich knowledge and knowledge, but also had high accomplishments in education and etiquette. She moved all the books to her new home, chose one of the three houses as a study room, and prepared to teach Confucius to read when he was five years old. She first took in five children and taught them enlightenment books in her own home. Each student's family's educational resources, including five bushels of millet and a load of dry firewood, are enough to support the mother and child.
Zheng teaches the children calligraphy, arithmetic and singing, as well as etiquette. Confucius began to study with the class when he was less than six years old. Later, Zheng Zai admitted a few more primary school students. The young Confucius became his mother's little helper, doing his best to help Confucius' mother's painstaking cultivation and careful education. Little Confucius, who was less than ten years old, had already learned all the enlightenment lessons. Because he loved to ponder, was willing to use his brain to think about problems, had an outstanding memory, and liked to help others, he became a leader in his classmates' tutoring career. , his own experience of helping others learn, had a direct impact on Confucius' later private schools and education.
According to the rules at that time, a child must have a foreign teacher (study with another teacher) when he is ten years old. Confucius' mother closed her school and sent little Confucius to the best school in the city to learn poetry, classics, history and other subjects, which were later known as "Poetry", "Book", "Ritual" and "Music". At that time, the school was called "Xiu", which was a government-run school. It gathered the best teachers from the Lu State and implemented very strict education. Because the Yan family and the monarch of the Lu State were from the same clan, Confucius still regarded him as a son of a nobleman. Confucius received an aristocratic education in school. In addition to receiving strict instruction from his mother at home, Confucius received not only the support of the Yan clan, but also the care of the Ji clan of Lu.
Confucius' status as a noble was not only recognized by the Yan family, but also by Lu Zhaogong, the king of Lu at that time. In the tenth year of Duke Zhao's reign, Confucius had a son at the age of twenty. Duke Zhao of Lu gave Confucius a carp, so he named him Li with the word Boyu. In the twenty-fifth year of Duke Zhao of Lu, when Confucius was thirty-five years old, Duke Zhao was defeated and fled to Qi. Confucius also fled to Qi to avoid the chaos.
Confucius and the Yan family also maintained a very close relationship because of his mother. Among the early disciples of Confucius, Yan Lu was a member of the Yan family, and the kinship relationship would not go far. Later, Zhong Yu also married a daughter of the Yan family. The first stop of Confucius's travels around the world was in Wei State because Wei Linggong accepted Yan Yuyou's recommendation and sent an invitation to Confucius to serve as an official in Wei State. Zhong Yu was the brother-in-law of Yan Yu, and Yan Yu was a member of Confucius's mother's clan. They had close contacts with each other and were well-informed. Among the seventy-two disciples of Confucius, there were Yan Hui, Yan Xing, Yan Zu, Yan Gao, Yan Zhimu, Yan Kuai, Yan He, etc.
It is precisely because of this deep interdependence between mother and son that the story in "Book of Rites·Tan ??Gong" happened: When Confucius was seventeen years old, his mother Yan Zheng passed away. Confucius insisted on burying his parents together, because his mother was ashamed of the wild marriage and never told the location of his father's tomb. In order to find out where his father's tomb was, Confucius thought of a way to bury his mother in the thoroughfare of his five fathers. According to common etiquette, the funeral should be done in bed and not outside. Now Confucius deliberately buried his mother outside in order to attract people's attention and make people wonder about it, so that Confucius could take the opportunity to find out where his father's tomb was. Later, when I asked Manfu's mother, who was from Zou, I found out that my father was buried in Fang, so that my parents could be buried together.
Compared with Mencius’ mother who taught her children, Confucius lacked some classic examples, but as a young widowed woman, she was able to choose good people to settle down, teach in person, and teach at home, which made China the greatest education Home, thinker. We can still say that behind a generation of saints, there is a great mother.
5 Ou Mu Hua Di
Ouyang Xiu was a famous scholar in the Northern Song Dynasty in my country. He was awarded Jinshi in the middle of 1030. In May of his childhood, he was appointed as the governor of Xijing and was in charge of documents. Since then, he has served as county magistrate, He was an outstanding writer and historian and one of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties.
Ouyang Xiu was born in a feudal official family, and his father Ouyang Guan was a minor official. In the fourth year after Ouyang Xiu was born, his father passed away, so the burden of family life fell entirely on Ouyang Xiu's mother, Zheng. In order to make a living, the mother had to take Ouyang Xiu, who was just 4 years old, from Luling to Suizhou so that the orphans and widows could be taken care of by Ouyang Xiu's uncle in Suizhou.
Ouyang Xiu’s mother, Zheng, was born in a poor family. She only read a few days of schooling, but she was a persevering, knowledgeable and willing to endure hardship. She kept telling young Ouyang Xiu stories about how to be a human being. After each story, she would summarize the story, allowing Ouyang Xiu to understand many principles of being a human being. What she teaches her children the most is not to follow what others say or follow the crowd. After Ouyang Xiu got a little older, Zheng tried every means to teach him to read and write. First, he taught him to read the poems of Zhou Pu, Zheng Gu and the Nine Monks of the Tang Dynasty. Although Ouyang Xiu knew little about these poems, his interest in reading them increased.
Seeing that Ouyang Xiu was old enough to go to school, Ms. Zheng wanted her son to study, but her family was poor and could not afford paper and pen. Once she saw the grass growing beside the pond in front of the house, and suddenly thought, wouldn't it be good to use these grass stalks to write on the ground? She used a straw as a pen and spread sand as paper, and began to teach Ouyang how to calligraphy. Ouyang Xiu followed his mother's teachings and practiced writing stroke by stroke on the ground. He practiced over and over again. If he made a mistake, he would write again until he wrote correctly and neatly. He was meticulous. This is the "Hua Di Godson" that has been passed down as a legend for generations to come.
Under the education of his mother, Ouyang Xiu quickly fell in love with poetry and books. I write and read every day, accumulating more and more, and I can memorize it at a very young age. When he was 10 years old, his mother often took him to borrow books from nearby homes with a large collection of books. Since she didn't have any, she asked him to copy the borrowed books.
One day, he found a six-volume "Collected Works of Han Changli" from the old paper basket of Li's house, and took it home with the owner's permission. Once I opened it, it was an eye-opener. I forgot all about food and sleep and read it day and night. In the early years of the Song Dynasty, gorgeous, impetuous, and empty writing styles were prevalent in society, but Han Yu's writing style was completely different from this. Ouyang Xiu was moved by Han Yu's fresh and natural articles. He happily said to his mother that there were such good articles in the world.
Although Ouyang Xiu was still young and may not have fully understood Han Yu's literary thoughts, it laid the foundation for him to get rid of the flashy writing style in the future. It was under the inspiration of this thought that the idea of ??learning from Han Yu and getting rid of the bad trends in the literary world at that time arose in his mind.
When Ouyang Xiu grew up, he went to Tokyo to take the Jinshi examination, and got first place in three consecutive exams. When Ouyang Xiu was 20 years old, he was already a famous figure in the literary world at that time. The mother was happy for Ouyang Xiu's outstanding talent and learning, but she hoped that her son would not only have outstanding literary achievements, but also act in a manner worthy of her own conscience.
Ouyang Xiu's father worked as a minor official in charge of administrative affairs and justice in Daozhou and Taizhou during his lifetime. He cares about the sufferings of the people, is upright and honest, and is loved by the people. After Ouyang Xiu grew up and became an official, his mother often told him about his father's achievements as an official. She said to her son: When your father was a judicial officer, he often handled cases at night. He was very careful about cases involving civilians and looked at them over and over again. Anyone who can be given a lighter sentence will be given a lighter sentence; but for those who really cannot be given a lighter sentence, they often express deep sympathy and sigh. She also said: Your father is an official, honest and honest, does not seek personal gain, and often donates money to others, and likes to make friends. Although his official salary is not large, there is often no surplus. He often said not to turn money into a burden. So after his death, he left neither a room nor a ridge of land.
She warned her son that support for his parents does not necessarily have to be abundant, but that the important thing is to have a filial heart. Although one's property cannot be donated to the poor, one must be kind and righteous in heart. I don't have the ability to teach you, but as long as you can remember your father's teachings, I will be relieved.
These sincere teachings from his mother were deeply imprinted in Ouyang Xiu's mind. At that time, Ouyang Xiu's official position was not high, but he was very concerned about government affairs and was upright and dared to give advice. When Fan Zhongyan offended Lu Yijian and was demoted to the south, many ministers sympathized with Fan Zhongyan. Only the admonisher Gao Ruona believed that Fan Zhongyan should be demoted. Ouyang Xiu was very angry and wrote a letter to blame Gao Ruonei for not knowing that there is a word shame in the world. For this matter, he was demoted to another place. It took four years before he returned to the capital. In order to support Fan Zhongyan's new policy, Ouyang Xiu spoke out again, which made some dignitaries in the court very angry. They took advantage of the situation and imposed some crimes on Ouyang Xiu, and the court demoted Ouyang Xiu to Chuzhou (now Chuxian County, Anhui Province).
Chuzhou is surrounded by mountains and has beautiful scenery. After Ouyang Xiu arrived in Chuzhou, while dealing with political affairs, he often expressed his love in the mountains and rivers. A local monk built a pavilion on Langya Mountain in Chuzhou for tourists to rest. Ouyang Xiu often drank in this pavilion when he was hiking. He called himself "Drunkard" and named the pavilion "Drunkard Pavilion". His famous work "The Drunkard's Pavilion" was written at this time. "The purpose of a drunkard is not to get drunk, but to be in the mountains and rivers. The joy of mountains and rivers is the wine contained in the heart." In the article, he used concise language to describe the joy of himself and his guests drinking happily in the drunkard's pavilion. The scene and the varied natural scenery outside the pavilion express the thoughts and feelings of "having fun with the people".
As Li Bai said: Genius and my talents will be useful. After serving as a local official for more than ten years, Ouyang Xiu, who possessed great talents, was finally remembered by Song Renzong. Song Renzong was impressed by Ouyang Xiu's talent and transferred him back to the capital to serve as a Hanlin bachelor. At the beginning of taking office, he actively advocated reform of writing style. One year, the Jinshi examination was held in the capital, and he happened to be the examiner. He believed that this was a good opportunity for him to select talents and reform his writing style, so he asked the examiners to look at the candidates with a new perspective. If they found articles that were pretentious or flashy, they would not be admitted. Ouyang Xiu's admission criteria created a generation of writing styles and recruited a large number of talents, which naturally offended those candidates who were flashy. On the day when the results were announced, many candidates saw that they had failed and were very dissatisfied with Ouyang Xiu and insulted him noisily. Some people even stopped Ouyang Xiu when he was riding out and asked him for an explanation. After this turmoil, although Ouyang Xiu received some pressure, the writing style in the examination room changed since then. Everyone began to abandon those indifferent and sensational articles, and then formed a simple and free, rigorous and elegant writing style.
Ouyang Xiu not only vigorously reformed his writing style, but also paid great attention to discovering and promoting talents.
Many talents who were not so famous before have become famous through his appreciation and promotion. The most famous are Zeng Gong, Wang Anshi, Su Xun and their sons Su Shi and Su Che. In the history of literature, people combined Ouyang Xiu and six others with Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty and called them the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties".
Ouyang Xiu was an upright official, but he did not forget to honor his mother who had to endure hardships for him. In the fifth year of Emperor Hu's reign, Ouyang Xiu's mother died of illness in Nanjing at the age of 73. Ouyang Xiu transported his mother's body to his hometown for burial. His mother's kind face and busy figure always appeared in front of him. His mother's sincere teachings inspired him to achieve his lifelong achievements.
In order to commemorate his mother, he wrote "A Brief History of My Concubine", and the deep affection between mother and son is revealed in every line.
Ouyang Xiu's mother was a righteous person. Her words and deeds influenced Ouyang Xiu's life, making him upright and upright, daring to speak and act, and respected by future generations.
6 Tao cut his hair to get rid of the fish
Today’s Lixian Street in Tianxin District, Changsha City is said to be named in memory of Tao Kan’s mother, Corporal Zhan Li.
Tao Kan was a famous general in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He once served as the governor of eight states, the general of the Western Conquest, and the title of Duke of Changsha. He has a very virtuous and righteous mother.
In order to commemorate this mother, people built a statue of Xianmu in the northern section of Shahe Street in the south of the city where Tao's mother once lived, and called the street where the blessing site is located "Lixian Street" .
During the Three Kingdoms, Two Jins, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were many ethnic minorities in Jiangnan. Lujiang County, where the Tao family moved, is a place where Panhu barbarians and Xi tribes live together. The Xi people are also called the Xi people because they are located within the Five Streams. Tao Kan's appearance was different from that of the Han people, so he was once scolded as a "brook dog". History books also said that he was "unlike other people."
Tao Kan’s ancestors are unknown in history books. His father, Tao Dan, was a border general of the Wu State, rising to the rank of General Yangwu. Yangwu, with a mixed title, has a low status. Tao Kan had no prominent officials who could be traced back to his ancestors. When he was young, he served as a "Yuliang official" in Xunyang, which shows that his family belonged to a "poor family" with a low social status. After the Jin Dynasty destroyed Wu, people in the Central Plains called the people in the south of the Yangtze River "subjugated people." The Jiangdong gentry were also politically suppressed by the Central Plains gentry. People like Tao Kan, who "hopefully do not belong to the aristocratic family and are different from the world," are in an even more difficult situation.
Tao Kan lost his father when he was young. His family was poor and he depended on his mother Zhan. Zhan is a very strong woman. She was determined to make her son stand out. In this environment, Tao Kan was strictly disciplined and helped his son make friends by spinning. Later, Tao Kan became the county registrar under the recommendation of Zhou Fang, a county meritorious official, and he began to get rid of his status as a lowly servant.
Once, Xiaolian Fan Kui of Poyang County passed by Tao Kan's house. It was snowing heavily. Tao Kan was very anxious because his family was poor and he was worried that he would neglect his friends by not entertaining them. His mother saw this and comforted him, saying, just keep the guests, I will try to entertain them. So she cut off the long hair on her head and replaced it with food and wine. She rolled up the hay used to make the bed and cut it into thin pieces. Tao Kan "cut the pillars of the house" as firewood to feed Fan Kui's horse. When Fan Kui learned about it later, he said with emotion: "But this mother would not have given birth to this son"! Even the slaves who followed Fan Kui felt that it was more than they expected.
When Fan Kui left, Tao Kan chased him for more than a hundred miles. Fan Kui was very moved and asked Tao Kan before leaving: "Do you want to serve in the county?" Tao Kan quickly replied: "If you want to do it, you are trapped in the indifference." Fan Kui then told Zhang Kui, the prefect of Lujiang, "to praise him. Kui was called to be the postal supervisor and received the Songyang order. If he has a good name, he will be moved to the chief register." At this time, an official from the state department came to the county, and he wanted to extort bribes in the name of inspection. Tao Kan asked his subordinates to work in peace, and said to the official himself: "If this county violates the rules, I will clarify the constitution." It's not appropriate to force each other with a straight rope. If you don't behave politely, I can control it." After hearing this, the officer retreated. Tao Kan also did not forget to repay Zhang Kui for his kindness. "Kui's wife is ill, and she will be treated hundreds of miles away. It's cold and snowy." All the officials looked troubled. Wei Tao Kan said: "Serve your father and serve your king. Xiaojun is like a mother. She suffers from the disease of her parents and does not fulfill her heart"! So please do it, and everyone is convinced of its justice.
Later, Wan Si, the prefect of Changsha, passed by Lujiang and saw Tao Kan. Tao Kan was extremely humble and courteous to him, which surprised the prefect. When leaving, he said to him, "You will eventually have a great name." He asked his son to make friends with him, and then left.
With this relationship, Tao Kan was promoted to Xiaolian by Zhang Kui. With this status, Tao Kan could enter Luoyang and get acquainted with the upper class celebrities to realize his ambition.
Soon, Tao Kan became a Yuliang official and ate fish (pickled fish) from the government. He thought of his poor mother, so he filled a clay pot with some fish and gave it to her. Unexpectedly, my mother not only accepted it, but also sealed the pot and returned it, with a letter of reproach: "As an official, you are leaving me official property. Not only will it not benefit me, but it will increase my worries!" This matter was reported to Tao Kan. With great education, Tao Kan laid the foundation for his integrity and dedication as an official later.
Around the sixth year of Yuankang (296), Tao Kan arrived in Luoyang. At that time, Luoyang, after decades of restoration and reconstruction, became very prosperous and lively again. However, the prosperity of the capital did not bring Tao Kan any bright future. The nine-rank Zhongzheng system that has been implemented for many years has made the Western Jin Dynasty select officials with "no poor families in the upper ranks, and no powerful families in the lower ranks." Children of aristocratic families can be in important positions by relying on the influence of their fathers and ancestors, and do not need to worry about future promotions.
Tao Kan also knew that it was impossible for a person of his status to gain a foothold in Luoyang officialdom without a wealthy family as a backer. Therefore, he went to see Sikong Zhanghua, a "good-natured man". But Zhang Hua "at first looked at people from far away and did not meet them very often." Tao Kan was not discouraged by Zhang Hua's contempt. I asked to see him many times, and "every time I went, God showed no displeasure." When Zhang Hua talked with Tao Kan, he was shocked and thought that he was different from ordinary people. Tao Kan soon became a doctor on Zhang Hua's recommendation. Doctors were eligible for various official positions, but poor and humble people like Tao Kan simply could not squeeze into those important official positions.
Tao Kan stayed in Luoyang for five or six years, but his future was still bleak. During this period, the civil strife in the Western Jin Dynasty intensified. In the first year of Yongkang (300), Zhao Wanglun deposed Empress Jia. The next year he deposed Emperor Hui and proclaimed himself emperor. The turmoil developed from within the palace to outside the palace. The area inside and outside Luoyang has become a place of conflict and competition between the armies of various kings. Under this situation, the Jiangdong gentry living in Luoyang returned home to avoid the chaos. At this time, Tao Kan had realized that it would be difficult for him to get ahead in Luoyang's clan politics. Influenced by the atmosphere of Jiangdong nobles returning to their hometowns one after another, he also prepared to go south.
At that time, Huang Qing had already served as an official in the Ministry of Civil Affairs and recommended Tao Kan to be the replacement magistrate of Wugang County. Wugang is a county in the south of Jingzhou. Tao Kan was already in his forties at this time. After Tao Kan took office, the relationship with the prefect Lu Yue was tense. He then abandoned his official position and returned home. Later he served as a county magistrate. If the turmoil in Jiangnan at the end of the Jin Dynasty had not given him the opportunity to join the army as a peer, I am afraid that he would have only been a minor official such as a county magistrate throughout his life. The Rebellion of the Eight Kings caused unrest in the south of the Yangtze River, providing an opportunity for Tao Kan to display his talents.
At this time, Tao Kan’s mother, who had a great influence on his life, died of illness at the age of 75.
Tao Kan is "intelligent in nature, diligent in his official duties, respectful and approachable, and loves human ethics." Sitting upright all day long, no matter what he encountered, he handled everything without missing a beat. He answered all kinds of documents with his hands, and his writing was flowing, without any stagnation. There is no lag at the door to receive visitors. He often told people: "The great sage Yu cherished every inch of his yin. As for everyone, he should cherish every ounce of his yin. How could he wander around in desolation and drunkenness, live in vain, and die in obscurity? This is self-abandonment." His actions were as small as bamboo chips or as large as garrisoning troops in a city, and he considered them very carefully and meticulously. He once presided over shipbuilding. He ordered the wood chips and bamboo heads to be collected. No one knew why. Later, there was heavy snow, and the sky cleared up and the snow melted. Before the official hearing, the remaining snow was muddy, and the sawdust was used to spread the ground to facilitate everyone's entry and exit. Decades later, Huan Wen became the governor of Jingzhou. When they were building ships in Shu, they used the bamboo heads stored by Tao Kan to make dings for loading. Tao Kan never forgets to consider official matters and is unanimously praised by people.
During his decades of official career, Tao Kan always kept his mother's teachings in mind and insisted on moving a hundred bricks outside the house every morning and moving them back again in the evening. When his subordinates asked why he did this, he replied: My ambition is to lead troops to sweep away the barbarians and restore the Central Plains. How can I do it if I don't exercise a good body!
Tao Kan's famous articles include "Abdication List" and "Ode to the Motherland", and he is the author of two volumes of collected works. The famous writer Tao Yuanming is the great-grandson of Tao Kan.
7 The mother of Xu Xiake in Dayi
Xu Xiake, also known as Hongzu, also known as Zhenzhi, was a great geographer, writer and historian in the Ming Dynasty. Xu Xiake was free-spirited by nature and disliked officialdom, so he placed his entire life in the mountains and rivers. He traveled independently and inspected today's Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan and other places, covering all corners of the country. . During the inspection, Xu Xiake recorded what he saw with his own eyes and his academic thinking in the form of a diary in beautiful writing, leaving a valuable work for the world. Xu Xiake himself is known as the "wonderful person through the ages", and the book "Xu Xiake's Travels" is known as the "wonderful book through the ages".
But it was his mother's understanding and support that allowed Xu Xiake to boldly and confidently embark on the path of pursuing his ideals in life.