1. A fire at the city gate will affect the fish in the pond
From: Du Bi's "Appeal to Liangwen" of the Northern Qi Dynasty: "But I am afraid that the ape will perish in Chu, and the disaster will spread to the forest. If the city gate catches fire, it will affect the fish in the pond." "
Explanation: There was a fire at the city gate, and everyone went to the moat to get water. The water ran out and the fish died. It is a metaphor for suffering loss or disaster due to being involved.
2. Bearing a thorn to plead guilty
During the Warring States Period, there were seven great powers: Qin, Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, and Wei. They were historically known as the "Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period." . Among these seven countries, Qin is the most powerful. Qin often bullied Zhao. Once, King Zhao sent Lin Xiangru, a subordinate of a minister, to the State of Qin to negotiate. Lin Xiangru met the King of Qin and won a lot of face for Zhao with his wit and bravery. When King Qin saw that Zhao had such talents, he no longer dared to underestimate Zhao. King Zhao saw that Lin Xiangru was so capable. He was named "Shangqing" (equivalent to the later prime minister).
The king of Zhao valued Lin Xiangru so much that he made Lian Po, the general of Zhao, angry. He thought: I fought desperately for the State of Zhao, wouldn't my merit be as good as Lin Xiangru's? Lin Xiangru has such great abilities with just one mouth, but his status is higher than mine! The more he thought about it, the more unconvinced he became, and he said angrily: "If I meet Lin Xiangru, I will embarrass him in person and see what he can do to me!"
Lian Po's words reached Lin Xiangru's ears. Lin Xiangru immediately ordered his men to be polite and not to quarrel with Lian Po's men in the future. He went out by himself in a carriage. As soon as he heard that Lian Po was coming from ahead, he would ask the coachman to drive the carriage into a small alley and wait for Lian Po to pass before leaving. Lian Po's men were even more complacent when they saw Shang Qing giving in to their master. When they saw Lin Xiangru's men, they laughed at them. Lin Xiangru's men couldn't stand this anger, so they said to Lin Xiangru: "You have a higher status than General Lian. He scolds you, but you avoid him and give in to him. He will treat you less and less! If this goes on, , We can't stand it." Lin Xiangru asked them calmly: "Who is more powerful than General Lian?" Everyone said, "Of course King Qin is more powerful." Lin Xiangru said, "Yes! I met King Qin." If you are not afraid, why are you still afraid of General Lian? You know, the reason why Qin dare not come to attack Zhao is because the civil servants and military officers in the country are like two tigers. If two tigers fight, there will inevitably be one. As long as he is injured or even killed, this will give Qin a good opportunity to attack Zhao. Think about it, which is more important, national affairs or personal dignity?"
Lin Xiangru's men listened. After hearing these words, I was very moved. When I saw Lian Po's men in the future, I was cautious and always gave way to them.
Lin Xiangru’s words later reached Lian Po’s ears. Lian Po was extremely ashamed. He took off one sleeve, exposed his shoulder, carried a thorn stick on his back, and went straight to Lin Xiangru's house. Lin Xiangru hurriedly came out to greet Lian Po. Lian Po knelt down in front of Lin Xiangru, holding a thorn stick in his hands, and asked Lin Xiangru to whip him. Lin Xiangru threw the thorns on the ground, hurriedly helped Lian Po up with both hands, dressed him, took his hand and asked him to sit down.
Lin Xiangru and Lian Po became very good friends from then on. These two people, both civil and military, worked together to serve the country, so Qin did not dare to bully Zhao. "Bearing under a thorn to apologize" has become an idiom, which means to apologize to others and admit mistakes.
3. Going in the opposite direction
Definition: You want to go south but the car goes north instead. Metaphorical action and purpose are exactly the opposite.
Source: "Warring States Policies·Wei Ce IV": "He still went north to Chu."
During the Warring States Period, there was a time when Ji Liang, a senior official from Wei State, went to Zhao State. travel. Suddenly one day during the journey, he got the news that King Wei wanted to send troops to attack Zhao. "How can King Wei attack Zhao?..." Ji Liang immediately felt uneasy. In order to prevent the King of Wei from attacking Zhao, he stopped traveling and returned to Wei.
As soon as he returned to Wei, he couldn't change his clothes or wash his face, so he hurried to see the king of Wei. King Wei felt strange when he saw his busy and flustered look, and asked: "Dr. Ji Liang, didn't you say you would be gone for a long time? Why are you back now? Is there anything particularly important?" < /p>
Ji Liang said unhurriedly: "The matter is not particularly important, it's just that I met a weirdo and his weird things, and I was willing to tell you earlier.
"
King Wei: "What kind of weirdos and strange things are they? "
Later, Ji Liang said that once, when Ji Liang was walking at the foot of the Taihang Mountains in the Zhao Kingdom, he met a man riding a carriage from south to north. But he claimed to go there. Ji Liang felt that he was going in the wrong direction, so he said, "When you go to Chu State, why don't you go south instead of north? Don't you know that Chu is in the south? "
The rider replied: "It doesn't matter, my horse is good and can run fast!
Ji Liang said: "Although your horse is good, are you not taking the road to Chu?" "The passenger said again: "Don't be afraid, I brought a lot of travel expenses. "
Ji Liang said: "What's the use of your large travel expenses? This is indeed not the way to Chu State. "
The driver insisted on going north and said, "My driver is very good at driving!" Ji Liang said: "No matter how good your conditions are, if you go north, you will only be farther and farther away from Chu!" "
After listening to Ji Liang's story with no beginning and no end, King Wei found it very funny and asked Ji Liang: "Is there really such a stupid person in the world? "
Ji Liang said: "Yes, not only in the State of Zhao, but also in our State of Wei. "
King Wei didn't think so: "What, we in Wei also have it? "
Ji Liang said bluntly: "Yes, let's take you, King of Wei, for example. Your ambition is to establish hegemony and become the leader of the princes. To this end, you rely on the strength of the country and the excellence of the army, and want to use the method of attacking Zhao to expand your territory and enhance your prestige. But if you do this, what will other countries think? I feel that the more times you attack other countries like this, the farther away you are from your grand ambitions. Isn't this just like the man from Zhao who wanted to go to Chu instead of going south instead of going north? "
Ji Liang's words made King Wei blush secretly.
4. Nao Ying Ying Xue (Che Yin and Sun Kang)
< p> Che Yin, whose courtesy name was Wuzi, was from Nanping in the Jin Dynasty. He was eager to learn, but because his family was poor, he often had no money to buy oil to light a lamp. When it got dark, he couldn't study all summer. That night, he sat in the yard and read silently. He saw many fireflies flying in the air, so he caught dozens of them, put them in a bag made of white linen, and hung them on his desk. They were so bright! Then he opened the book and immersed himself in studying.Song Dengchun's poem "Nang Ying studied hard." "Li Shen's "Send to Liu Mingfu": "Thirty years ago, Nang Ying sent this Yancen with great pains. "Du Fu's "Former Residence of Zheng Shibazhang's Works": "There are no cars and horses in the poor alleys, and the fireflies who are studying are dead at the desk. "All use this allusion. Yang Hongzhen, Zhao Fan and others have all written "Yingying Guangzi Fu".
The story of "Yingxue" is passed down together with "Nangying".
p>
Sun Kang was a native of Jingzhao in the Jin Dynasty. Like Che Yin, he loved studying and often felt that there was not enough time during the day. He wanted to stay up all night, but he could not light a lamp, especially in winter when the days were short. The nights were long and it was a pity to waste time in the dark.
One night, he woke up and saw white light coming through the cracks in the window. He thought it was already dawn; but when he went out, he found out. It was snowing heavily, and the mountains, water, trees, and houses were all covered in silver and sparkling. After admiring the snow scene for a while, he suddenly had an idea: wouldn't it be possible to read in the light of the snow?
From then on, he read in the snow every night. He did not feel cold or tired, and often read the rooster's crow.
5. It is better to be a piece of jade than to be a piece of tiles
The idiom "Better to have jade broken than to have it intact" means that it is better to have jade broken than to keep pottery intact. It is a metaphor that one would rather die with noble integrity than live in humiliation.
This idiom comes from "Book of Northern Qi. Biography of Yuan Jing'an", a real man would rather have his jade broken into pieces than destroyed.
In 550 AD, Emperor Xiaojing of the Northern Dynasty and the Eastern Wei Dynasty was forced to give up his throne to the tyrannical king. From then on, the Northern Qi Dynasty replaced the Eastern Wei Dynasty. Gao Yang poisoned Emperor Xiaojing and his three sons to kill him.
One day in June of Gao Yang's 10th year as emperor. There was a solar eclipse.
He worried that this was an ominous sign: the throne he had usurped was about to be lost. So he summoned a close confidant and asked: "Wang Mang took away the Liu family's empire at the end of the Western Han Dynasty. Why was Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu able to take it back later?" The confidant couldn't tell what this meant, so he replied casually: " Your Majesty, this is Wang Mang's own fault because he did not kill all the members of the Liu clan." The cruel Gao Yang believed the words of the confidant and immediately started killing more than 700 close relatives of the Eastern Wei clan. All the people were put to death, not even the babies were spared.
After the news spread, the distant clans of the Eastern Wei clan were also very panicked, fearing that Gao Yang's butcher's knife would hit their heads. They quickly gathered to discuss countermeasures. A county magistrate named Yuan Jing'an said that the only way to save their lives now was to ask Gao Yang for permission to break away from the Yuan family and change their surname to Gao.
Yuan Jing’an’s cousin Jing Hao firmly opposed this approach. He said angrily: "How can you save your life by abandoning your clan and changing your surname to someone else? A man would rather make jade and be broken than make pottery and have it saved. I would rather die and keep my integrity than fight for my life." Endure the humiliation!"
In order to save his own life, Yuan Jing'an despicably reported Jing Hao's words to Gao Yang. Gao Yang immediately arrested Jing Hao and executed him. Because Yuan Jing'an served as a whistleblower, Gao Yang gave him the surname Gao and promoted him to an official. However, the brutal massacre could not save the crumbling regime of Northern Qi. Three months later, Gao Yang died of illness. In another 18 years, the Northern Qi Dynasty also came to an end.
6. The spectator is clear
The idiom "the spectator is clear" means that the spectator can see the same thing more clearly and comprehensively than the person involved.
This idiom comes from "Old Tang Book. Yuan Xingchong Biography", the authorities act, and they watch and judge.
In the Tang Dynasty, there was a very learned man named Yuan Dan (dan), whose courtesy name was Xingchong. He wrote thirty chapters of "Wei Dian", which were praised by many scholars at that time. Once, a minister went to Tang Xuanzong and requested that the "Book of Rites" revised and compiled by Wei Zheng, a famous prime minister in the early Tang Dynasty, be listed as a Confucian classic. Tang Xuanzong thought this was a good idea, so he ordered Yuan Xingchong and others to check it carefully and add annotations.
After a period of time, Yuan Xingchong completed his task and compiled Wei Zheng's manuscript into fifty chapters, added annotations, and presented it to Xuanzong. Unexpectedly, the Right Prime Minister Zhang said that he had different opinions on this. He believed that Dai Sheng's notebook had been used for nearly a thousand years, and Zheng Xuan of the Eastern Han Dynasty also added annotations to it. Why should Wei Zheng's notebook be used instead? Xuanzong thought what he said made sense, so he changed his mind. But Yuan Xingchong thought it would be better to change the book. He wrote an article named "Explanation of Doubts" to express his views. This article was written in the form of a dialogue between the guest and the host.
The guest asked: "Which one is the best editor of the Book of Rites?"
The host replied: "The version compiled by Dai Sheng has been the best since the Western Han Dynasty. There are many contradictions in the revisions and annotations of many people. Wei Zheng took this situation into consideration and revised and sorted it out. Who would have thought that those who stick to the rules would object! "The guest said: "It's like playing chess. On the contrary, it is confusing, but the onlookers can see clearly."
7. Lessons from the past
The overthrow of the past is a lesson from the past.
Hanshu Volume 48: Jia Yi's Biography. Eighteenth
As the proverb goes: "If you don't get used to being an official, you will regard it as something that has already been done." Another saying goes: "The car in front is overturned, and the car behind is sincere." ; However, those who cannot follow it are those who are unlawful and sagely wise. The reason why the Qin Dynasty is in urgent need of destruction is that its traces can be seen; however, if it is not avoided, the car behind it will be overturned again.
Liu Xiang's "Shuo Yuan" Volume 11 Shan Shuo
Wei Wenhou was drinking with the officials, so the minister was unkind and said: "Those who don't drink well will be confused." Wen Wenhou. When a marquis drinks without finishing his drink, and when he rides in public without mercy, he is called a floating king. The king looked at him but refused to respond, and the waiter said: "If you are not kind enough to retreat, you are already drunk." Gong Cheng Buren said: "The Book of Zhou said: 'The front chariot is overturned, the rear chariot is guarded.' It is dangerous to say that it is not easy for a minister to be a minister. It’s not easy for you. Now that you have made an order, how can it be done?” The king said, “Good.” 8. If you want to accuse someone, why don’t you have excuses?
A quote from "Zuo Zhuan: The Tenth Year of Duke Xi" says: "How can you prosper if you don't abolish it? If you want to accuse someone, why don't you have excuses?"
p>In the fourth month of summer, Duke Zhou's father-in-law and his prince party met with Qi Xipeng to establish him as Marquis of Jin.
The Marquis of Jin killed Rick to say so. When Rick was about to be killed, the envoy said to him, "A bastard is not as good as this. Although, isn't it difficult for a son to kill two kings and a big man, and become a prince?" He said to him, "If there is no dethronement, how can the king be prosperous?" If you want to impose a crime, do you have any excuse? I heard the order and died with my sword. So Pi Zheng hired Qin, but he declined the bribe, so he failed.
This is the story in "Zuo Zhuan". The era was shortly before Duke Wen of Jin returned to take power. Rick was Duke Xian of Jin (father of Duke Wen) and an important minister of Jin after his death. The Marquis of Jin here is Duke Hui of Jin (Yiwu). He was also a prince who went into exile during the era of Duke Xian. He was able to return home because of Rick's assistance.
9. Cut the feet to fit the shoes
Source: "Huainanzi·Shuo Lin Xun"
During the Spring and Autumn Period, King Ling of Chu personally led thousands of chariots and powerful troops 100,000 to conquer Cai. This expedition went very smoothly. King Ling of Chu saw that the work was done, so he sent his younger brother Qiji to stay in Cai State with full authority to handle the important military and political affairs there. Then he gathered 100,000 troops and continued to advance, preparing to destroy Xu State in one fell swoop. Qiji, the younger brother of King Chu Ling, was not only bad in character, but also extremely ambitious. He was unwilling to just serve as the leader of a small place like Cai State, and he was often unhappy about it. There was a counselor named Chao Wu under Qiji. This man was very scheming. On this day, he tried to say: "Now that King Ling is leading his army to fight abroad, the country must be empty. You might as well lead the troops back to the country at this time and kill Ling." The king's son, establish a new king, and then you will decide the government. Will it be a problem to become the king in the future?" After listening to Chao Wu's words, Qiji led his troops back to Chu State, killed King Ling's son, and established another king for his brother. One son, Ziwu, became the king. During the expedition, King Ling of Chu heard that there were changes in the country and that his son had been killed by his younger brother. He was immediately heartbroken and thought that there was no point in living in the world, so he hanged himself. Qiji, who was at home, knew that King Chu Ling was dead, so he immediately forced Ziwu to commit suicide and proclaimed himself king. He became the infamous King Ping of Chu.
Another story is: Duke Xian of Jin dotes on Li Ji and really obeys her words. Li Ji proposed to make her youngest son Xi Qi the prince. Duke Xian of Jin agreed and killed the original prince, his own son Shen Sheng. Li Ji finished these two things, but she still felt deeply uneasy because Jin Xiangong also had two sons, Chong'er and Yiwu. At this time, the two sons were adults. Ling Ji felt that they were a great threat to Xi Qi's future succession to the throne, so she suggested killing the brothers Chong'er and Yiwu, and Duke Xiang of Jin readily agreed. But their plot was overheard by an upright minister, and they immediately informed Chong'er and Yiwu. After hearing about it, they immediately went abroad to seek refuge.
The author of "Huainanzi" commented on these two things and said: "Listening to the bad people's words and causing father, son and brother to kill each other is like cutting off the toes to fit the size of the shoes (like cutting off the feet to fit the shoes), too It’s unwise.
70. Yuezu Daipao
Definition
Yue: to cross over; Zu: the ritual vessel for placing sacrifices during ancient sacrifices; Pao: cook. The officiant steps over the ritual vessels to handle the banquet on behalf of the chef.
Source:
"Zhuangzi·Xiaoyaoyou": "Although the cook If the restaurant is not cured, the dead body will not pass over the bottle but will be replaced. ”