Interpretation of the sparrow knowing the swan's ambition:
How can the sparrow know the lofty ambition of the swan? It is a metaphor for how ordinary people can know the aspirations of heroes.
Source
"The sparrow knows the ambition of the swan" comes from "Historical Records·Chen She Family", and can also be found in "Zhuangzi·Neipian·Xiaoyaoyou".
Original text
Chen She Family
[Han] Sima Qian
Chen Shengzhe was a native of Yangcheng, with the courtesy name She. Wu Guang was from Yangxia, with the courtesy name Uncle. When Chen She was young, he tried to farm with servants. He stopped plowing on the ridge, and he felt regretful for a long time. He said, "As long as you are rich and noble, you will never forget each other." The servant smiled and said, "How can you be rich and noble if you work for servants?" She Taixi said: "What a shame! How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan!"
In July of the first year of the Second Emperor's reign, he sent Lu Zuoshi to garrison Yuyang, and nine hundred people settled in Daze Township. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang both took the next step and became the village commanders. It will rain heavily, the road is blocked, and the time has passed. If the deadline is missed, all laws will be cut off. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang Naimou said: "If you die now, you will die. If you make great plans, you will die. If you wait for death, how can the country die?" Chen Sheng said: "The world has been suffering from Qin for a long time. I heard that the second generation has a young son, so he should not be established, but he should be established. It was the young master Fusu. Fusu remonstrated with him, so he sent the foreign generals to him. Now they heard that he was not guilty, but the common people heard that he was a good man, and they did not know that Xiang Yan was a Chu general who had meritorious service. , the people of Chu pity him. He may think that he will die, or he may think that he will be killed. Now I sincerely call myself Fusu and Xiang Yan for the sake of the world, so many people should respond." It’s about divination. The diviner knew what it meant, and said: "Everything is done with one step, and there is merit. But the divination with just one step is a ghost!" Chen Sheng and Wu Guangxi thought about the ghost and said, "This is the teaching I will give to everyone's ears first." They wrote it in a Dan book on silk. : "King Chen Sheng" was placed in the belly of a fish that someone caught. The soldier bought a fish and cooked it, and found a book in the belly of the fish, so he thought it was strange. He also ordered Wu Guangzhi to set up a bonfire in the nearby Cong Temple at night. The fox croaked and shouted: "Great Chu is rising, King Chen Sheng!" All the soldiers were frightened at night. On the same day, the common words for stroke refer to Mu Chen Sheng.
Wu Guangsu loved people, and most of his soldiers were servants. The general was drunk, and Guanggu wanted to kill him. He was angry with the general and ordered him to be humiliated in order to anger the generals. Wei Guo whipped Guang. The captain's sword is upright, he rises widely, seizes and kills the captain. Chen Shengzuo killed two lieutenants. He summoned the disciples and said: "When the rain comes, all of you have missed the deadline. If you miss the deadline, you should be beheaded. If you don't behead, the dead will be garrisoned for 16 or 7. And if a strong man does not die, it will be enough. If he dies, he will be famous, and the princes will Xiang Ning has the right to do so!" The disciples all said: "I accept the order respectfully." They pretended to be the masters of Fu Su and Xiang Yan, just to follow the wishes of the people. If you show favor to the right, you will be called the Great Chu. They formed an alliance for the altar and offered sacrifices to the captain's head. Chen Sheng established himself as general and Wu Guang as captain. Attack Daze Township, collect it and attack Qi. Under Qi, he ordered Ge Ying, a native of Fuli, to lead his troops to the east of Qi. Attack Qi, Feng, Ku, Zhe and Qiao. They gathered their troops and marched to Chen. They had six to seven hundred chariots, more than a thousand cavalry, and tens of thousands of soldiers. When attacking Chen, Chen Shouling was not around, so he only guarded Cheng and Zhan Qiaomen. If he failed to win, the chief minister died, so he moved to Chen. In a few days, he ordered the three elders, heroes and others to come and take care of things. The three elders and heroes all said: "The general is strong and sharp, he attacks the unjust, punishes the Qin Dynasty, and restores the state of Chu. It is fitting that he should be king." Chen Sheng was made king and named Zhang Chu. At this time, all the prefectures and counties who harassed the Qin officials punished their chief officials and killed them in response to Chen She.
Translation
Chen Sheng is a native of Yangcheng, with the courtesy name She. Wu Guang was from Yangxia, with the courtesy name Uncle. When Chen She was young, he was hired to plow the land together with others. He stopped plowing and went to rest on the high ground on the edge of the field. He sighed for a long time out of disappointment and said, "If anyone becomes rich, don't forget everyone." The companions who farmed together laughed. He replied: "You are a hired farmer, how do you get wealth? Chen Sheng sighed and said: "Alas! How can the sparrow know the ambition of the swan?"
In July of the first year of Qin II, the imperial court recruited poor people to garrison Yuyang, and 900 people were stationed in Daze Township. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were both included in the exiled army and served as village commanders. It happened to be raining heavily and the roads were blocked, so we were probably delayed. Deadline missed. According to the law (of the Qin Dynasty), everyone should be beheaded. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang then discussed: "Now even if you run away (get caught), you will die. If you launch an uprising, you will die. The same is death. Is it okay to die for state affairs?" Chen Sheng said: "The people of the world have been ruled and persecuted by the Qin Dynasty for a long time. I heard that Qin II was the youngest son of the First Emperor and should not be made emperor. The son Fusu should be made. Because of Fusu’s repeated admonitions, the emperor sent him to lead troops outside. They said he was not guilty, but Qin II killed him. Most of the people heard that he was a wise man, but they didn't know that he was dead. Xiang Yan was a general of Chu who had made many military exploits and loved his soldiers. Everyone loves him. Some people think that he is dead, and some people think that he has escaped. Now if our people are pretended to be Prince Fusu Xiang Yan's team, there should be many people who respond to him. That's right. So the two went to divination (to predict good or bad luck). The fortune teller understood their intention and said: "You can succeed in all your major affairs and build meritorious deeds. However, have you ever asked the ghosts and gods about your matters?" Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were very happy and considered the matter of divination by ghosts and said: " This is just to teach us to use ghosts and gods to intimidate everyone." So he wrote on the silk with cinnabar: Chen Sheng is the king. "Put it in the belly of the fish caught by others. When the soldiers bought the fish and cooked it, they found the silk book in the fish's belly. They were already surprised by this. Chen Sheng secretly sent Wu Guang to the temple in the jungle next to the station. , holding a lantern at night, and shouting with a shrill voice like a fox howling: "The great Chu will rise, and Chen Sheng will be king." "The soldiers were terrified all night.
The next day, there was a lot of discussion among the soldiers. They just pointed and looked at Chen Sheng with each other's eyes.
Wu Guang always loved the soldiers, and most of them were willing to listen to (his) orders. (One day) the general escorting the garrison soldiers was drunk. Wu Guang deliberately said that he wanted to escape many times, which made the general angry and asked him to Insult yourself to piss off the soldiers. The general really hit Wu Guang with a bamboo board. The general unsheathed his sword and wanted to kill Wu Guang. Wu Guang jumped up, grabbed the sword and killed the general. Chen Sheng helped him and killed two generals together. (So ??Chen Sheng) summoned and ordered his subordinates to say: "You have encountered heavy rain and have missed the deadline. If you miss the deadline, you will be beheaded. If you can only avoid beheading, but you will die if you go to guard the border fortress." Sixty-seven out of ten. Besides, if a strong man does not die, he should achieve great fame. Are princes, generals and ministers born with noble blood?" The subordinates all said, "I am willing to obey your orders." Pretending to be the troops of Prince Fusu and Xiang Yan, they obeyed the wishes of the people. Each one showed his right arm (as a sign of uprising) and was known as Da Chu. Build a high platform with earth, swear an oath on the platform, and sacrifice the heads of (two) generals to heaven. Chen Sheng established himself as general, and Wu Guang was appointed captain. They attacked Daze Township, gathered the rebels in Daze Township, and then attacked Qixian County. After Qi was captured, he sent Ge Ying from Fuli to lead an army to capture the area east of Qi County. Chen Sheng attacked Qi, Feng, Kuzhe and Qiao and captured them all. During the march, troops were gathered along the road. When they arrived at Chen County, there were six to seven hundred chariots, more than a thousand cavalry, and tens of thousands of soldiers. When Chen County was attacked, the county guards and magistrates there were not there. Only the Shou Cheng led his troops to fight against the rebels in the city gate. (Shou Cheng) could not win and was defeated and died. Only then did the rebel army enter the city and occupy Chen County. A few days later, Chen Sheng ordered to summon the local officials and talented squires to gather together for a meeting. "General, you are personally wearing armor and holding sharp weapons to defeat and destroy the cruel and unjust Qin Dynasty and restore the state of Chu. You should be crowned king according to your merits." Chen Sheng was then proclaimed king, and the country was called Dingguo. Zhang Chu. At this time, the people in various counties and counties who had suffered greatly from the officials of the Qin Dynasty rose up to punish the local chiefs and killed them in response to Chen Sheng's (call).
Notes
(1) Family, a type of biography in "Historical Records", mainly biographies of princes and generals. Although Chen Sheng was born as a farm laborer, he was the first to rebel against the Qin Dynasty and made great achievements. He also established the "Zhang Chu" regime, so he was given an important historical status and included in the "Aristocratic Family".
(2) Yangcheng: Southeast of today’s Dengfeng, Henan.
(3) Yangxia (jiǎ): Today’s Taikang County, Henan Province.
(4) Taste farming with servants: I was once hired to farm the land together with others. Servant, hired.
(5) Stop plowing on the ridge: Stop plowing and go to the high ground to rest on the ridge. verb: go, go.
(6) Long-lasting regret: I have been lamenting and resenting for a long time due to disappointment. Disappointed, frustrated, unhappy.
(7) If: the pronoun, you, refers to Chen Sheng.
(8) The sparrow knows the ambition of the swan (hú): How does the sparrow know the ambition of the swan! Sparrow, sparrow, here is a metaphor for a short-sighted person. Birds and swans are metaphors for people with great ambitions.
(9) The first year of the Second Emperor: 209 BC. After the death of Qin Shi Huang, his youngest son Hu Hai succeeded to the throne and was called the Second Emperor.
(10) Send Lu Zuo Shi (zhé) to garrison Yuyang: recruit poor people to garrison Yuyang. Luzuo refers to the poor. In ancient times, the poor lived in Luzuo and the rich lived in Luyou. Suitable (zhé) garrison, sent to guard the border.
(11) All are in line (háng): They are all included in the banished team. You should do it, you should be on the list of conscripts.
Creative background
This article is a biography of Chen She and Wu Guang, the leaders of the uprising. The article truly and completely describes the reasons, process and outcome of the great peasant uprising, which reflects the wisdom, bravery and fearless fighting spirit of the peasant class. The article also vividly describes the images of Chen She and Wu Guang. Chen She was born as a farmhand, with great ambitions and political foresight. He demanded that the people be liberated from the "bitter Qin". He was smart and decisive, and had outstanding talents in organizing the masses, formulating strategies, and directing wars. He was worthy of being an outstanding leader of the peasant class. Although Wu Guang's portrayal is simple, his extraordinary wit, bravery and rebellious spirit are also shown in his deeds such as plotting an uprising and trapping and killing generals. They all fully demonstrated the heroic spirit of the ancient Chinese working people who were unwilling to endure the dark rule and "were willing to be killed and dared to pull down the emperor." The article also writes about the discord and fratricide within the rebel army. After Chen She became king, he was greedy for enjoyment, credited and treacherous, and separated from the masses, which showed the limitations of the peasant class.
Appreciation
The article "Chen She Family" is written in the order of the development of events. When writing about the process of the uprising, first write about the reasons for the uprising and the planning before the uprising, then write about the outbreak and development of the uprising until the establishment of the political power. The context is very clear. In the description, the method of writing is adopted: cause and effect. When writing about the motivations of the uprising, first write about the harsh punishments of the Qin Dynasty; when writing about the occurrence of the uprising, first write about the cruelty of the generals, etc. They are all reasonable and effectively highlight the justice of the uprising. The article also fully demonstrates the process of the uprising, its massive momentum, and the spiritual outlook of the uprising leaders through descriptions of typical details, thus leaving a deep impression on people.
This article vividly describes the historical process from the Dazexiang Uprising to the establishment of the Zhang Chu regime, and reproduces the heroic nature of the two uprising leaders Chen Sheng and Wu Guang. Chen Sheng has a high level of class consciousness and has "lofty ambitions." This is reflected in the dialogue with his companions during the farm work, and in the speech he gave to his subordinates after killing two lieutenants, especially the words "Princes and generals would rather have their own kind", which is a powerful denial of the feudal hereditary system. and criticism. It is precisely because of his vision and the inspiring nature of his words that he can have the effect of "respecting and accepting orders" every day. As leaders of the uprising, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were both able to assess the situation, be resourceful and decisive, and make careful plans and arrangements for the uprising. "It will rain heavily, the road is blocked, and the time has passed. If the time is lost, all laws will be cut off." This is the direct reason for the uprising of Chen She and others. When facing a certain death situation, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang made a decisive decision, plotted an uprising, and were determined to lead the people to find a way out, which shows that they grasped the timing of the uprising very well. During the conspiracy between the two, Chen Sheng made an incisive analysis of the current situation and grasped the social background of "the world has been suffering for a long time." On the basis of this analysis, it was decided to use the banners of Prince Fusu and Xiang Yan - because "the people often heard about his virtues, but did not know his death", "Xiang Yan had many merits, loved his soldiers, and the people of Chu pity him", " Either you think you are dead or you think you are dead." If this slogan is put forward, "it is appropriate for more people to respond." Inspired by the soothsayer, they carefully planned two "supernatural" events, including the book on the fish belly and the roar of the fox in the campfire, and deceived the eyes and ears of other soldiers. The double act they performed together to kill the general successfully ignited the fuse of the uprising, which shows that they are good at planning. The words "all prefectures and counties have suffered from the officials of Qin" in the following text echo the above "the world has suffered from Qin for a long time", "all punish their chief officials, and kill them in response to Chen She" echoes the above "those who should respond more", The echo between these two sentences shows that Chen Sheng's analysis is completely correct and reflects his ability to understand the current situation. It was Chen She's ability of planning and insight that caused the uprising to respond to hundreds of calls and quickly spread throughout the country.
About the author
Sima Qian (145 BC - 90 BC), courtesy name Zichang, was a native of Xia Yang (now south of Hancheng, Shaanxi Province), and was said to have lived in Longmen (now Hejin, Shanxi Province). people. A great historian, writer and thinker in the Western Han Dynasty of China. Sima Tan's son was appointed Taishi Ling. He was castrated for defending Li Ling's defeat and surrender, and was later appointed Zhongshu Ling. He worked hard to complete the historical books he wrote, and was honored as Shi Qian, Tai Shi Gong and the Father of History by later generations.
Sima Qian studied under Kong Anguo and Dong Zhongshu in his early years. He traveled around various places, learned about customs and collected rumors. When he was first appointed as a doctor, he was envoy to the southwest. In the third year of Yuanfeng (108 BC), he was appointed Taishi Ling, inherited his father's business, and wrote history.