32.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a man named Sima Hui who was very good at recognizing talents. But since the political struggle at that time was very sharp and complicated, he pretended to be confused and answered "yes" to whatever people told him, whether it was good or bad.
One day he met an acquaintance on the road. He asked him how his health was and if he was well. He answered, "Good.
Another day, an old friend came to his house and talked sadly about the death of his son. Who knew that Sima Hui also answered, "Good!" After the friend left, Sima Hui's wife rebuked him, saying, "People think you are a moral person, so they trust you and tell you what's in their heart. But when you heard that someone's son had died, you said good things instead, what is this?" Sima Hui said nonchalantly, "Good! Your words are too good!" His wife was so angry and annoyed that she could not help crying and laughing.
Later, people often use "Mr. Good" to describe those who do not know right from wrong, do not dare to offend others, and only want to be safe and sound.
33.
On one occasion, Zeng Zi's wife wanted to go out on the street, and her son cried and wanted to go with her, so she coaxed him, saying, "Wait for me at home, and I'll come back to kill a pig and stew it for you". The child believed her.
When his wife came back, she saw that Zeng Zi was sharpening his knife and preparing to kill a pig, and hurriedly stopped him, saying; "How do you really want to kill a pig for him to eat? I originally coaxed him." Zeng Zi said seriously, "How can you cheat a child? Our words and deeds have influence on the children. If our words do not count, the children will not listen to us in the future". He really killed the pig. The first thing I want to say is that I'm not going to be able to do that, but I'm going to be able to do that, and I'm going to be able to do that.
34.
Anciently, there was a man in the state of Song who was very anxious to see the seedlings in his field growing too slowly. On this day, he simply went down to the field to pull up the seedlings one by one. He came home exhausted and said to his family, "I'm exhausted today! I made the seedlings grow much taller at once!" When his son heard this, he rushed to the field to see. All the seedlings in the field had withered.
35.
Being with people of noble character is like bathing in a house full of the fragrance of orchids; one does not smell the fragrance after a long time, but one is full of it; being with people of low character is like going to a place where abalone is sold; one does not smell the stench after a long time, and one blends in with the environment; a place that hides dan turns red after a long time, and a place that hides lacquer turns red after a long time; a place that hides lacquer turns red after a long time. The place where lacquer is hidden turns red after a long time, and the place where lacquer is hidden turns black after a long time, which is also due to the influence of the environment! So the real gentleman must be careful to choose their own environment.
36
To make one's mind honest means not to deceive oneself. To be as detesting of putrid odors and as loving of good looks, this means not to be deficient in one's own mind. Therefore, a gentleman must be careful about living alone. When a villain lives alone, he does bad things, and does nothing that he cannot do; and when he sees a gentleman, this is how he hides the bad, and shows the good. In fact, people look at him as if they were looking through his inner lungs and liver, so what good does it do to hide and conceal? That is to say, what kind of real thing there is on the inside will inevitably be manifested on the outside. So the gentleman must be very careful when he lives alone.
37
Dwelling in the broadest abode in the world, standing in the rightful place in the world, walking on the broadest road in the world, realizing his ambition with the people when he can, and carrying out this one principle alone when he cannot realize his ambition; riches and wealth shall not bend him, poverty and lowliness shall not change him, and force shall not subdue him, this is the great man!
38
Yiqiu is the best at playing Go in the country. Let Yiqiu teach two men to play Go. One of them was attentive, listening carefully to whatever Yiqiu said, savoring it, and comprehending it; the other was also listening to Yiqiu's teaching on the surface, but in his heart he thought that a swan was coming, and thought about how to draw his bow and arrow to shoot it down. Although they studied Go together, the latter was not as good as the former. Was he less intelligent than the others? Answer: It is not so.
39
An insightful person, he is bound to like to ask questions from others to learn. Ask and learn, is complementary to each other, do not learn to study and research is not possible to find difficult, do not ask questions and ask for advice can not make knowledge broad. Just like to learn but not willing to ask others for advice, is not really love to learn. Even if you know the reason, perhaps you can not be used in practice, even if you figure out the main thing, perhaps you do not understand the nuances of it, then in addition to others to ask for advice, and from where to deduce the solution?
40
Northern people were born not recognizing the lozenges, (a northerner) in the south as an official, the banquet to eat the lozenges, even the shells together into the mouth. Some people (then) said, "You must remove the shells to eat lozenges." The man defended himself and said, "It is not that I don't know that the reason for eating it with the shell is that I want to use it to clear my heat." Someone asked, "Is this also found in the north?" The answer was, "In the mountains before and after, what place is not!"
The lozenges are said to grow in the earth when they grow in water; this is because he hardens what he does not know and says that he knows it.
41
There was no cart in Yue, and a traveler (of Yue) was given (a) cart in the outskirts of Jin and Chu, and (the) spokes of that cart were rotten and the wheels (were) broken, and the pins at the point of connection between the yamen and the balance of the cart were broken and the yamen wasted, and there was not much use for (that cart). However, since there had never been a cart in his hometown, (he) loaded it on a boat and went home to boast about it in front of the people. The people who watched him believed his boast and thought that the cart was originally like this, and they followed his example one after another. One day, some people from Jin and Chu saw (their cart) and laughed at their clumsiness, but the Yue people thought that (the Jin and Chu people) had deceived them, and (they) paid no attention to them. When an enemy invaded their territory, the Yue people drove (the) broken car to defend themselves against the enemy. The car broke down and (fought a) great defeat (in the battle), never yet realizing that it was the car that was the cause.
42
Bing Yuan lost his father when he was young, and when he was a few years old, he passed by a book school and (heard the sound of books) could not help crying, and the teacher of the school asked him, "Why do children cry?" The teacher asked him, "Why do children cry?" BINGYUAN replied, "Orphans are prone to grief, and the poor are prone to sentimentality. Those who study, those who are able to study, must be children with parents. I envy them on the one hand for not being alone, and on the other for being able to go to school. I felt sad inside and cried. The teacher took pity on me and said, "If you are determined to study, I am willing to teach you free of charge without tuition." BINGYUAN entered the school and studied very hard. In one winter, he read and familiarized himself with the Book of Filial Piety and the Analects of Confucius.
43
Forgiveness is very trustworthy, and there is no talk that does not count. When he went back to his hometown of Huiji from Jianye, he said goodbye to Zhuge Ke, who asked him when he would be back, and Zhuo said "a certain day.
On this day, Zhuge Ke invited guests to stop eating and drinking in order to wait for Zhuo Zhuo's arrival. The guests all thought, from Huiji to Jianye is thousands of miles away, how can come on time. After a short pause, Zhuo Zhuo really arrived, and the guests were all surprised.
Confucius said: "If you don't believe, you don't know what you're doing.
Speaking is not counting, discount, which is the same as lowering one's own personality, and then to make up for it can be difficult, so do not easily promise that you may not be able to do things, as if you can not easily under the promise.
44
Even if there is a delicious cooked food, do not eat, do not know its flavor; even if there is the best reason, do not learn, do not know its benefits. Thus, one learns and then realizes one's lack, and one teaches and then knows one's lack of understanding. Knowing their own lack, and then to study hard; know the confusion, in order to be stronger and smarter. So: teaching and learning are mutually reinforcing.
45
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Xian of Jin listened to the slanderous rumors and killed the crown prince Shen Sheng, and then sent people to arrest Shen Sheng's younger brother Chong Er. Upon hearing the news, Chong Er escaped from the state of Jin, and stayed in exile for more than ten years. After a lot of hard work, Chong Er came to the state of Chu. The king of Chu thought that Chong Er would be a great man in the future, so he welcomed him as a guest and treated him like an honored guest. One day, the king of Chu hosted a banquet for Chong Er, and the two of them drank and talked in a very cordial atmosphere. Suddenly, the king of Chu asked Chong Er: "If you return to Jin one day and become the king, how should you repay me?" Chong Er thought for a moment and said: "Beautiful women to be from, treasures silk, the king you have plenty of, rare bird feathers, ivory animal skin, but also the abundance of the Chu land, Jin where there is what rare items to offer to the king it?" The king of Chu said, "Your Excellency is too modest. Although you say so, you should show me something, right?" Chong Er smiled and replied, "If by your blessing. If I can really return to my country and become a ruler, I would like to be friendly with your country. If one day there is a war between Jin and Chu, I will order my army to retreat three sheds (one shekel is equal to thirty miles) first, and if I cannot obtain your forgiveness, I will then engage you in war."
46
When Pei Guangde was serving in the Zhongshu Province (meaning the Chancellor's Office), an old friend, who was also not a small official, came to visit him from afar. Pei Guangde entertained him quite favorably and acted quite kindly in his manners and actions. The friend had no feeling of constraint in his residence. He took the opportunity to ask him to find a judge in the capital government. Pei Guangde said to him: "You are indeed a capable scholar, but this official is not suitable for you. I dare not corrupt the system of the court because of the personal feelings of old friends. If some blind prime minister sympathizes with you in the future, he may obtain this official position. As for me, I would never do so."
47
When Mencius was a young man, his family lived near graves. Mencius often liked to romp and play among the graves. Seeing this, Meng's mother decided that the place was not suitable for living, so she took Mengzi and relocated to live down near the market. However, Mencius was playing around and learning how to buy and sell from merchants. Mencius' mother thought that this place was also unsuitable for Mencius, so she moved again to live next to the academy. At this time, Mencius imitated the Confucian scholars and learned to do ceremonial things. Meng's mother thought that this was the right place for Meng Zi to live, so she settled down.
48
When the direct bachelor of the Privy Council, Mr. Shou Shu Gu, was the governor of Pucheng in Jianzhou, some people lost their belongings, and some of them were caught, but they didn't know which one of them was the real thief. So the statement of the ancient lied to them, "so-and-so temple has a bell, can identify thieves, especially effective." He sent people to carry the bell to the temple. He sent people to carry the bell to the back of the government office, worshiped it, brought the group of prisoners to the bell, and said to the prisoners, "If you have not stolen anything, touch this bell, it will not ring, but if you have stolen something, touch it, the bell will ring." Sugu himself led his colleagues to pray respectfully in front of the bell. After the sacrifice was finished, he surrounded the bell with a tent and secretly had the bell painted with ink. After a long time, when the bell was painted, he led the arrested prisoners one by one to put their hands into the tent to touch the bell, and when they came out, he examined their hands and found that all of them were covered with ink, except one who had no ink on his hands. Only one of them had no ink on his hands. Sugu interrogated this man and he confessed that he was a thief. He was afraid of the bell and did not dare to touch it.
49
Zhuang Zhou's family was poor, so he went to the Supervisor of the River to borrow grain and rice. The Supervisor of the River said, "Yes, I am about to receive the tax of my fiefdom, is it all right to lend you three hundred gold?" Zhuang Zhou was furious and said, "When I came yesterday, I heard shouting on the way, and looked around and saw a carp in a dry rut. I asked it, 'Carp, come, what do you do?' It answered, 'I, Boschen of the East Sea. Can you give a liter and a half of water to save my life?' I said, 'Yes, I will go to the south and persuade the kings of Wu and Yue to draw water from the West River to meet you; is that possible?' The carp made a furious gesture and said, 'I have lost the water I could not leave and am stuck here; I can live if I get a liter and a half of water, but you want me to wait for the water of the Western River, so you might as well go to the store that sells dried fish to meet me before it's too late!"'
50The scorching sun scorched the crops, the plants and trees dried up, and the people had nothing even to eat.
There were many other kinds of disasters, such as ......
So Yao sent Hou Yi to get rid of the people.
Hou Yi removed these disasters one by one.
Yao led the people to establish such great achievements, y won the hearts of the people, loved by the people, elected Yao as the leader.50. One arrow is easy to break, ten arrows are difficult to break Once upon a time, the Tugu Hun A Jackal had twelve sons: when he was sick and near death, he said to his sons; each of you bring me an arrow, I want to use it and then instructed his younger brother, Mulian, to say: you take out an arrow and break it, Mulian, broke it. Muryan broke it. Then he commanded his brother Murián, saying, "Take nine arrows, and break them; but Murián could not break them. And Jackal said unto his sons, Know ye that an arrow is very easy to break? One arrow is easy to break, but many arrows together are impossible to break. Therefore, if you work together, your country will be strong, and when you have finished, you will die.
51. Cursing a Duck There was a certain inhabitant of Baijiazhuang, in the west of the county, who stole a neighbor's duck and cooked it for dinner. At night, he felt that the skin of his whole body was prickly and itchy. At dawn, it turned out to be covered with hairy duck feathers, which hurt when touched. The man was terrified, but he could not find a doctor to cure this strange disease. One night, he had a dream in which a man told him, "Your illness is a punishment from God, and you need to let the owner of the loss scold you before the duck feathers will fall off." But the old man was always generous and never showed his anger when he lost something. So the duck thief lied to the old man and said, "Your duck was stolen by a certain A. Since he is most afraid of being scolded, you can warn him not to steal again by scolding him." As a result, the old man laughed and said, "Who has the leisure to scold those wicked people?" The man felt even more embarrassed and had to tell the old man his neighbor the truth. Only then did the old man scold him, and the man soon recovered from his illness.
52. Hou Yi Shoots Arrows When Yao was ruling, there were ten suns coming out together.
The scorching sun scorched the crops, the plants and trees dried up, and the people had nothing to eat.
There were many other kinds of disasters, such as ......
So Yao sent Hou Yi to get rid of the people.
Hou Yi removed these disasters one by one.
Yao led the people to establish such great achievements, which won the hearts of the people, and was loved by the people, who elected Yao as their leader.
53. Born at the Wrong Time There was a man in the Zhou Dynasty who had sought office many times in his life but was not recognized by the ruler, and who wept on the road until he was old and gray at the temples. He was asked, "Why are you weeping?" He replied, "I have tried several times to seek an official position, but I have not been rewarded. Now I am sad that I am old and have lost my chance, so I am sad and weeping." The man asked again, "Why have you never been recognized?" He replied, "When I was a young man, I studied the classics and history diligently, and later, when I became literate, I tried to seek an official position, but unexpectedly the king preferred to appoint an old man. After the death of this king, the king who succeeded me preferred to appoint warriors, so I switched to martial arts, but the king who was good at martial arts died just after I had learned the art. Now the new king began to rule, and again preferred to appoint young men, while I was already old in age, so I was not once rewarded in my life and failed to become an official."
54.Three Men Become a Tiger Pang Onion, a minister of the state of Wei, who was about to accompany the crown prince of Wei to the state of Zhao as a hostage, said to the king of Wei before his departure, "Now there is a man who says that a tiger has appeared in the marketplace, but can you believe it, my lord?"
The king of Wei said, "I don't believe it."
Pang Onion said, "If there is a second man who says that a tiger has appeared in the market, can the king believe it?"
The King of Wei said, "I am somewhat skeptical."
Pang Onion added: "If a third person says that a tiger has appeared in the market, can the great king believe it?"
The King of Wei said, "Of course I would believe it."
Pang Onion then said, "It is obvious that there will not be a tiger in the marketplace, but after three people said so, it seems that there really is a tiger. Now Handan, the capital of Zhao, is much farther away from Daliang, the capital of Wei, than the market here, and there are more than three people talking about me. I hope the Great King will be clear about this."
The King of Wei said, "I know everything myself."
Pang Onion accompanied the crown prince back to his country, and the king of Wei really did not summon also again.
55.Inviting the King into the Jar Wu Zetian, the empress of the Tang Dynasty, appointed a group of coolies to suppress those who opposed her. Two of them were the most vicious, one called Zhou Xing and the other called Lai Junchen. They made use of false accusations, accusations and inhumane criminal laws to kill many honest civil and military officials as well as common people. On one occasion, a letter of denunciation was sent to Wu Zetian, the content of which was to denounce Zhou Xing for liaising with others to plot a rebellion. Wu Zetian was furious and ordered Lai Junchen to investigate the matter. Lai Junchen, in his heart, he thought, Zhou Xing is a cunning and treacherous person, just with a snitch letter, it is impossible to make him tell the truth; but in case the investigation fails, the Empress Dowager blames, I Lai Junchen can't afford to take the blame. What can I do? After half a day's hard thinking, he finally came up with a brilliant plan. He prepared a sumptuous banquet and invited Zhou Xing to his home. The two people persuade me to drink, drink and chat. After three rounds of wine, Lai Junchen sighed and said: "Brother I usually handle cases, often encounter some prisoners who refuse to admit their guilt, I do not know what you have to do?" Zhou Xing said triumphantly: "It's not easy to do!" Said he picked up the wine cup and took a sip. Lai Junchen immediately pretended to be very earnest and said, "Oh, please quickly teach." Zhou Xing smiled and said: "You find a large urn, surrounded by charcoal fire, and then let the prisoner into the urn, you think, what prisoners do not confess?" Lai Junchen nodded his head and said yes, then ordered people to carry a large urn, according to what Zhou Xing said, around the charcoal fire, and then turned back to Zhou Xing and said: "Some people in the palace have accused you of plotting against the government, and the authorities have ordered me to investigate strictly. I'm sorry, but now I'll ask you to get into the urn yourself." When Zhou Xing heard this, the wine cup in his hand snapped to the ground, and then he fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing again and again, saying, "I'm guilty, I'm guilty, I confess."
56. When Qin attacked Changping of Zhao, Qi and Chu rose to save Zhao. The king of Qin said, "Now Qi and Chu have come to the rescue of Zhao, if they are united, it is not too late for me to retreat; if they are scattered, I will take advantage of the situation to attack them."
At this time, the Zhao army was in a food emergency and sent to borrow food from Qi, but the king of Qi ignored it. The strategist Zhou Zi said to the king of Qi, "Why don't you lend the grain and rice to Zhao temporarily, so that he can repel the Qin soldiers, who will have nothing to fear and won't retreat if they are ignored. In this way, it would be just what Qin had planned, and Qi and Yan would have missed the mark. Moreover, Zhao was a natural barrier for Yan and Qi to defend themselves against Qin. This is just like the relationship between the teeth and the lips, without the lips, the teeth will feel cold. Today, Zhao is in trouble, tomorrow, the disaster of destruction will come to Qi and Chu. Therefore, rescuing Zhao is like holding a leaky urn and dousing a burning pot; it is a matter of great urgency. Besides, rescuing Zhao is a noble international act of righteousness, and repelling Qin can also publicize its reputation; not to show justice to publicize its fame but to skimp on food is indeed a mistake in strategic decision-making."
57. Chu Song on All Sides Xiang Yu's army camped at Gaixia, with fewer and fewer soldiers and no more food to eat, and Liu Bang's Han army and the armies of Han Xin and Peng Yue came up in layers. At night, when he heard the songs of the Chu land being sung all around the Han army, Xiang Yu was shocked and said, "Has the Han army occupied all the Chu land? Otherwise, why are there so many Chu people in the Han army?" Xiang Yu got up in the night and went to the army tent to drink. Thinking back to the past, there was the beautiful Yu Ji, favored and often accompanied, and there was the BMW Zhui, often ridden on the crotch. But now ...... then Xiang Yu is a generous song of sadness, he composed a poem: "The force can pull mountains, ah the bravery overwhelmed the world, the timing is unfavorable, ah Zhui horse does not gallop. What should I do if my piebald horse doesn't run? What should I do if I am Yu Ji? He sang this song again and again, and Yu Ji sang with him. Xiang Yu shed several lines of tears, the guards around him also cried, and no one could look up at Xiang Yu.
58. Separate States Zheng and Song were always at odds, and often wars broke out between the two states. Once, Zheng was ready to send troops to attack Song again, so Song sent its Grand Marshal Hua Yuan as the main general to lead the army to meet the enemy. Before the two groups of people fought, Hua Yuan in order to encourage morale, so ordered the slaughter of cattle and sheep, ready to reward the soldiers, busy, Hua Yuan careless forgot to give a share of his horseman, the horseman thought he did cattle and horses, but nothing to get, the more you think the more bad taste, and then harbor a grudge. Later, when the two armies were formally engaged in battle, the horseman said to Hua Yuan, "Distribute the mutton unfairly as you say, but I will make the decision about the driving." After saying that, he drove the chariot into the position of Zheng's army, and the dang Song army commander was easily captured alive by Zheng's army in this way. And the Song army, having lost its commander-in-chief, was in disarray, and was thus defeated by Zheng.
59. Looking at the Ocean In the fall, the mountain torrents rushed in according to the season, and the waters of many great rivers flowed into the Yellow River, which was so wide and rough that not even oxen and horses could be distinguished between the two banks and the sandbars in the water. Then the river god rejoiced and thought that all the good things in the world were gathered to himself. The river god followed the current to the east, and came to the north sea shore, and when he looked towards the east, he could not see the end of the sea. Only then did the river god change his smug face and looked up at the sea god and sighed, "There is a saying that 'after hearing hundreds of truths, one thinks that there is no one else in the world who can compare with oneself', and this is the kind of person I am. And I had heard words that Confucius knew too little, and that the high righteousness of Bo Yi was not worth valuing, and at first I could not believe it; and now that I have seen with my own eyes that you are so vast and broad and boundless, I would really have been in danger had I not been for coming to your door, and I would surely have been laughed at for ever by the highly cultivated."
The god of the sea said, "It is impossible to talk to the frogs in the well about the sea, because of the limitation of the space in which they live; it is impossible to talk to the worms in the summer about the freezing of the ice, because of the limitation of the time in which they live; and it is impossible to talk to the rustic curved earth about the great way, because of the bondage of upbringing. Now that you have come out from the bank of the river and seen the sea, you realize your own meanness, and you will be able to participate in talking about the Way. There is nothing greater than the sea, millions of rivers flow into the sea, I do not know when to stop and the sea is never overflowing; the bottom of the sea leaks sea water, I do not know when to stop and the sea water is never reduced; whether it is spring or fall do not see a change, whether the waterlogged or drought will not be aware of it. This means that the sea is far more than the flow of rivers, and cannot be counted in quantity. But I have never been complacent, thinking that, having received my form from heaven and earth and my vital energy from yin and yang, I exist between heaven and earth as a small stone or piece of wood exists in a great mountain. I think that my existence is really small, so how can I be satisfied and conceited? Think about it, the four seas exist between heaven and earth, is it not like a small hole between the stones existing in a big marsh? And when you think about it, is not the Middle Kingdom, which exists within the four seas, just like the tiny grains of rice that exist in the great granary? The number of things is called ten thousand, and mankind is but one of ten thousand things; and men are gathered together in the nine states, where grain grows, and where boats and carts pass, and each man is but one of many; and is not a man like the end of a hair in the whole body of a horse, compared with ten thousand things? What the five emperors continued, what the three kings contended for, what the men of benevolence feared, and what the sages labored for, all lay in the world like a hair's breadth! It is probably their complacency and pride that Bo Yi resigned it and gained fame, and that Kong Qiu talked about it and showed his profundity; is it not like the smugness you had earlier when the river was surging?"
60.Qu Gao He Widows Song Yu was a student of Qu Yuan, the great poet of Chu. One day, King Xiang of Chu asked Song Yu: "Many people now have opinions about you. Song Yu replied in a roundabout way, "A singer sang in the square of our capital city, and when he sang the popular songs like "Xia Li" and "Ba Ren", there were thousands of listeners singing along; when he sang the profound songs like "Yang Chun" and "Bai Xue", there were only dozens of people who could follow him; and when he sang the more advanced songs, there were only a few more people following him. From this we can see that the more profound the tune, the fewer people can sing along."
Responders: Xiao Qiang something - 秀才 三級 3-20 19:22
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a man named Sima Hui, who was very good at recognizing talent. But because of the political struggle at that time is very sharp and complex, he pretended to be confused, no matter what other people and what he said, no matter whether it is good or bad, he answered "yes".
One day he met an acquaintance on the road. He asked him how his health was and if he was well. He answered, "Good.
Another day, an old friend came to his house and talked sadly about the death of his son. Who knew that Sima Hui also answered, "Good!" After the friend left, Sima Hui's wife rebuked him, saying, "People think you are a moral person, so they trust you and tell you what's in their heart. But when you heard that someone's son had died, you said good things instead, what is this?" Sima Hui said nonchalantly, "Good! Your words are too good!" His wife was so angry and annoyed that she could not help crying and laughing.
Later, people often used the term "Mr. Good" to describe those who did not know right from wrong, did not dare to offend others, and only wanted to be safe and sound.
On one occasion, Zeng Zi's wife had to go out on the street, and her son cried and wanted to go with her, so she coaxed him to say, "Wait for me at home, and I'll come back to kill a pig for you to eat. The child believed her.
When his wife came back, she saw that Zeng Zi was sharpening his knife and preparing to kill a pig, and hurriedly stopped him, saying; "How do you really want to kill a pig for him to eat? I originally coaxed him." Zeng Zi said seriously, "How can you cheat a child? Our words and deeds have influence on the children. If our words do not count, the children will not listen to us in the future". He really killed the pig. The fact that Zeng Zi's words and deeds were taught by example has been praised for generations to come.
Anciently, there was a man in the state of Song who was very anxious to see the seedlings in his field grow too slowly. On that day, he simply went down to the field and pulled the seedlings up one by one. He came home exhausted and said to his family, "I'm exhausted today! I made the seedlings grow much taller at once!" When his son heard this, he rushed to the field to see. All the seedlings in the field had withered.
Yiqiu, was the best at playing Go in the country. Let Yiqiu teach two men to play Go. One of them listened attentively to what Yiqiu said, savored it, and understood it; the other listened to Yiqiu's teaching on the surface, but in his heart he thought that the swan was coming, and thought about how to draw the bow and arrow to shoot the swan down. Although they studied Go together, the latter was not as good as the former. Was he less intelligent than the others? Answer: It is not so.
Northern people are born not knowing the rhombus, (a northerner) in the south as an official, eating rhombus at the banquet, even the shell together into the mouth. Some people (then) said, "You must remove the shell to eat the horn." The man defended himself and said, "It is not that I don't know that the reason for eating it with the shell is that I want to use it to clear my heat." Someone asked, "Is this also found in the north?" The answer was, "In the mountains before and after, what place is not!"
The reason the lozenge grows in water but says it grows in the earth is because he hardens what he does not know and says he knows it.
There was no cart in the state of Yue, and a traveler (of Yue) was given (a) cart in the suburbs of Jin and Chu, and (the) spokes of the cart were rotten and the wheels (were) broken, and the pins at the junction of the yoke and the balance of the cart were broken and the yoke was ruined, and there was little use (for the cart). However, since there had never been a cart in his hometown, (he) loaded it on a boat and went home to boast about it in front of the people. The people who watched him heard his boast and thought that the cart was like this, and they followed his example. One day, some people from Jin and Chu saw (their cart) and laughed at their clumsiness, but the Yue people thought that (the Jin and Chu people) had deceived them, and (they) paid no attention to them. When an enemy invaded their territory, the Yue people drove (the) broken car to defend themselves against the enemy. The car broke down and (fought a) great defeat (in the battle), and never yet understood that it was the car that was the cause.