The wisdom of I Ching

Chapter 109 Don't Ignore the Existence of Minor Problems—A Pedestrian's Gain, A City's Disaster
【Original Code】

Sixty-three, there is no calamity, or the ox that is tied, the gain of pedestrians, and the calamity of townspeople.

"Xiang" said: Pedestrians get cattle, and people in the town suffer disaster.

——"Book of Changes Wu Wang"

【Interpretation】

"Wu Wang" hexagram six and three lines say: If you don't act rashly, you will not suffer accidental disasters.

Someone tied up the cattle there and was taken away by passers-by, and the local people suffered disaster.

"Xiang Zhuan" said: Passers-by take the cattle away, which means that the people in the city will naturally suffer from flying disasters.

The Sixth and Third Lines narrate a small story in daily life: a neighbor tied a farm ox to a tree by the side of the road, and a passer-by took the ox and stole it.The people in the city stayed at home, but misfortune fell from the sky, and they were regarded as objects of suspicion by the villagers and suffered suspicion and interrogation.

After reading this story, we will feel sorry for the loser and the suspected people in the city. A trivial incident in life has brought them such a big disaster.This lesson reminds us that even if we keep ourselves safe and act according to the rules, accidental accidents still happen.

Therefore, we must pay attention to details in our lives and beware of stumbling over small things.A small problem can very well undo a lifetime of hard work.As the saying goes, "a dike of a thousand miles collapses in an ant's nest", "a famous name through the ages is destroyed in one day".In ancient and modern China and abroad, there are many heroes who have experienced too many successful scenes, but they never thought that they would fall short in a trivial matter.

【Category】

Story [-]: Liu Kui loses the big because of small things

Liu Kui is the great-grandson of Emperor Zhang of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and was named the King of Bohai when he was Emperor Zhi.In the eighth year of Yanxi (165), he was demoted for committing the crime of treason.At that time, Zhongchang Attendant Wang Fu was very powerful in the court, so Liu Kui made a wish to Wang Fu, as long as he helped him restore the throne of Bohai King, he would repay him with 5000 million yuan.But before Wang Fu could move in the future, Emperor Huan died, and Emperor Huan left a will to restore Liu Kui's position as King of Bohai.This coincidence will allow Wang Fu to easily get 5000 million yuan for nothing.

Unexpectedly, when Liu Kui learned that it was not because of Wang Fu's merits that he regained his prince, he broke the previous agreement and did not give him a penny.From then on, Wang Fu held a grudge against Liu Kui and secretly searched for his fault.After the death of Emperor Huan, Emperor Ling ascended the throne.Rumors spread inside and outside the court that Liu Kui should be emperor, and he was very dissatisfied with Lingdi's ascension to the throne.Wang Fu began to use rumors to incriminate Liu Kui.

At that time, there were two people in the court who were also very arrogant, one was Zheng Sa, the regular servant of Zhongzhong, and the other was Dong Teng of Zhonghuangmen.They mingled with the forces inside and outside the court and formed cliques for personal gain.Wang Fu then reported to Duan Ying, Lieutenant of Sili, that Zheng Sa was plotting something wrong.

In the first year of Xiping (172), Zheng Sa was arrested and imprisoned.Wang Fu also asked Shang Shuling Lian Zhong to frame Zheng Sa and others for plotting to make Liu Kui emperor, which was a great treason.Emperor Ling issued an edict to put Liu Kui in prison for interrogation.Liu Kui was forced to commit suicide.

It is better to offend a gentleman than a villain. If you offend an insignificant person, you will fall into trouble.Villains have the strongest desire for revenge. Once you offend them, they will kill you.This is one of the causes of disaster for many people, but it is often overlooked.

Story [-]: Zhang Fei died at the hands of villains
During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhang Fei of the Shu Kingdom fought bravely and was highly skilled in martial arts. Taking the enemy's head from a million troops was like picking something out of a bag.When there is a roar on the Yang Bridge, drinking the water from the bridge and flowing back, what a heroic spirit it is!But when he died, he was not heroic at all.

Zhang Fei's fatal shortcoming is that he treats his subordinates too harshly.If he makes a small mistake, he will be severely whipped, so everyone in the army is afraid, and he has paid a heavy price for this.

Regarding his death, the historical records are very brief, but "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has a detailed description. Although it is a novelist's words, it also has a certain degree of truth.

It is said that after Guan Yu died, Zhang Fei cried day and night.The general persuaded him with wine. After he was drunk, his mood became worse, and he frequently whipped the people around him, and even beat them to death.

In order to avenge Guan Yu, Zhang Fei took the initiative to invite troops to crusade against Soochow.On the day he left his teacher, Liu Bei warned him: "I know your old problem. When you drink alcohol, you will lose your temper, hit people casually, and then keep them by your side. This is a way to bring disaster!"

However, Zhang Fei ignored Liu Bei's words.After returning to the army, he ordered his subordinates to make a white flag and a white armor within three days, and the three armies paid tribute to attack Wu.Fan Jiang and Zhang Da, the two last generals under the account, said: "Three days is too little, please allow a few more days!"

This was the truth, but when Zhang Fei heard this, he was furious and said, "How dare you violate my general order!" He ordered the two of them to be tied to a tree, and each of them was whipped fifty times. Be ready, if the time limit is exceeded, you two will be beheaded to show the public!"

The two were beaten badly, and returned to the camp to discuss countermeasures.Fan Jiang said: "This human nature is like a fire. If we don't prepare everything tomorrow, our lives will be lost!" Zhang Da said: "Instead of letting him kill us, we should do it first!" bide your time.

The next day, Zhang Fei drank with the same general in the tent and lay drunk in the tent.Fan Jiang and Zhang Da sneaked into the tent in the middle of the night, each armed with a dagger. Hearing Zhang Fei's snoring like thunder, they stabbed him to death with the dagger.

The cause of Zhang Fei's death can't help but make people feel sad, but it also left us with such a lesson: don't ignore those little people around you.It also involves how the leader handles the relationship with his subordinates.

As a leader, it is unavoidable to punish subordinates, some out of public interest, and some out of personal enmity;Those who are punished have a grudge against you.When you have a high position and power, they have no choice but to swallow your anger.But leaders will not succeed forever, and subordinates will not sink into subordinates for life.Once the status of each other changes, the rulers of the past will be controlled by others.

Story [-]: The Disgrace of Taking Off Your Boots Ruins Your Future

Li Bai once wrote three "Qingping Diao" in a palace banquet, praising Yang Yuhuan's beauty.He asked Yang Guozhong to grind ink for him himself, and ordered Gao Lishi, the eunuch favored by the emperor, to take off his boots for him.Gao Lishi was deeply ashamed of this and held a grudge against Li Bai.

In Li Bai's poem, Yang Yuhuan's beauty is like a fairy.Yang Yuhuan also likes it very much, and often sings it alone.Li Bai also mentioned Zhao Feiyan in his poem, but he did not mean to be ironic. He just compared Zhao Feiyan's beauty and favor with Yang Yuhuan.This made Gao Lishi, who held a grudge, see an opportunity for revenge.

One day, Gao Lishi heard Yang Yuhuan reciting "Qingping Diao" again, so he asked jokingly: "I thought you would hate Li Bai to the bone because of this poem, but I didn't expect you to like it so much. Concubine Yang Guifei asked puzzledly after hearing this: "Is Li Hanlin insulting me?" Gao Lishi said: "He compared you to Zhao Feiyan. What kind of woman Zhao Feiyan is, how can she be compared with your mother? What does he mean You are as lowly as Zhao Feiyan!"

Later Tang Xuanzong wanted to promote Li Bai many times, but was stopped by Yang Yuhuan.By this method, Gao Lishi also achieved the purpose of revenge for the humiliation of taking off his boots.A small incident ruined Li Bai's future.

In Li Bai's view, a villain like Gao Lishi is not worthy of being with him at all. Under the domination of this thought, he not only failed to say a few words in a timely manner, but also insulted Gao Lishi in public by taking advantage of drunkenness. Lux, didn't give him the slightest bit of face.Although doing so can vent his anger for a while, he didn't expect the serious consequences arising from it.Although Li Bai was "bestowed" by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty to return the gold, he retired completely, but after all, his dream of displaying his ambitions and serving the court was completely shattered.

Confucius said: "In the world, only women and villains are difficult to raise. If they are close, they will not be inferior, and if they are far away, they will cause resentment." villain.As a person, you should keep in mind: "It is better to offend ten gentlemen than one villain."

Story [-]: The reason why Augustine was imprisoned
One night in the spring of 1786, Queen Marie Antoine, queen of King Louis XVI of France, came to the Paris Theater to watch a performance.When she appeared in the theater gracefully, all the audience stood up, and there was a scene of boiling.

When the theater was about to return to silence, a young Duke Augustine, who thought he was very handsome, stood up and blew two loud whistles to the Queen, which brought him to prison.

When King Louis XVI heard about this, he was furious and said: "Where did you come from, how dare you moles the queen!" He immediately ordered Augustine to be arrested, and Augustine was put in prison without any trial procedures. .

After Augustine spent 3 years in prison, the outside world changed drastically. On July 1789, 7, the people of Paris destroyed the Bastille, triggering a massive French Revolution, but it had nothing to do with Augustine.Four years later, Louis XVI and Queen Mary Anthony were sent to the guillotine one after another, but no one thought of avenging Augustine.

After Napoleon came to power, he ordered a thorough investigation of the old case and reversed the case of the unjust prison.

Only then did the officials discover that there was also a duke imprisoned for whistling in the dungeon.Unexpectedly, just as he was about to go through the release procedures, Napoleon lost power and was exiled to the island of Elba, so the matter was delayed again.

It was not until 1836, after being imprisoned for 50 years, that the 72-year-old Augustine was released.He got 50 years in prison just because he blew the whistle twice.

In social interactions, we must pay attention to our behavior habits, and use more standardized and civilized behavior habits to strictly demand ourselves, so as not to make mistakes in social situations.

【The Heart of the Book of Changes】

We must pay attention to details in life, and we must never be negligent in small matters and small details. We must be wary of carelessness, do not study carefully, and only know one thing and not the other. A momentary negligence may make you regret for life.Only by being able to pay attention to small problems and carefully investigate and study can we discover big problems and prevent serious consequences.

All great undertakings are made up of details one by one, and even great undertakings may be defeated by tiny things.We need to see clearly those small and unnoticeable details. Although the details are not eye-catching, they must not be ignored.

(End of this chapter)