The wisdom of I Ching

Chapter 85 "Leaning on a Big Tree" Can Enjoy the Shade—Compared to Bandits, It's Worse
【Original Code】

Sixty-three, compared to the bandit.

"Xiang" said: Compared with bandits, isn't it also hurt?

—— "Book of Changes Bi"

【Interpretation】

"Bi" hexagram six and three lines say: getting close to people with bad conduct is dangerous.

"Legend of Elephant" said: Isn't it sad to be so close to bad people?
The "bandit" mentioned in the sixth and third lines of the hexagram "Bi" means right and wrong, that is, undecent.Warn people not to live with undecent people, because sooner or later they will get into trouble.Even if you depend on others, you must choose the good and follow them.

The sixth and third lines of hexagram "Bi" talk about the wisdom of "following people".In life, if you choose the right backer, success will follow.There are many ways to succeed. You can succeed in cooperating with others, and you can also succeed in working under them. The key is to find the right people.This person must have the potential to succeed and bring hope to your future.If you choose him, you must follow him. When he succeeds, you will succeed.

The ancients said: "A good bird chooses a tree to live in, and a virtuous minister chooses a master to do things." It is said that one must be good at judging the situation and choosing a wise person as a monarch, so that one can be reused, fully develop one's political talents, and thus achieve ideals. The goal.

【Category】

Story [-]: Jiang Ziya "climbs high branches"

The famous ancient strategist Lu Shang, commonly known as Jiang Ziya, was the most famous statesman and military strategist in ancient my country.Jiang Ziya was born in troubled times. Although he had the talents of the world, he had no choice but to serve the country and had nowhere to go.

In the early years, he worked as an official in the Shang palace for many years. Although his position was low, he was careful everywhere.He saw that King Zhou was indulging in wine and sex, neglecting state affairs, and wanted to risk his life several times to give advice.One is to save the people from fire and water; the other is to be appreciated by King Zhou and obtain high officials and generous salaries.However, Jiang Ziya saw that Minister Bigan and others were all killed because of direct remonstrance, so he had to swallow his words back.He expected that the Shang Dynasty would be exhausted, and King Zhou was hopeless, and he didn't want to be buried for King Zhou in a muddle-headed way, so he decided to join another virtuous master's family.At that time, Xibo Jichang was determined to get rid of King Zhou, and it was the time to seek talents and employ people.In order to attract Xibo Jichang's attention, Lu Shang fished in Ziquan on the bank of the Wei River.This place is beautiful, off the beaten track, and a great place to hide away.Jiang Ziya doesn't want to die of old age in the forest, but to watch the world changes here and wait for the arrival of the sage.

On this day, Lu Shang heard that Xibo Jichang was coming to hunt nearby, so he pretended to be fishing in Ziquan.At this time, Jiang Ziya was still an unknown person. Of course Xibo Jichang would not recognize him, but Jiang Ziya had met Xibo Jichang in Chaoge.In order to attract Xibo Jichang's attention, Jiang Ziya deliberately hung the hook three feet above the water surface without putting any bait on the hook.

Sure enough, Xibo Jichang felt strange, so he stepped forward and asked: "Others use bait to fish, and put the hook in the water. Sir, can any fish be hooked by this fishing method?"

Jiang Ziya saw that Xibo Jichang had a modest attitude towards people, and that he was indeed an extraordinary person, so he went further and said, "Xiu Dao hook is bizarre, and he has his own fate. Everyone knows that King Zhou has no way, but the eldest son of Xibo is willing to take the bait. King Zhou thinks that wisdom is enough. Refused to advise, said to cover up, but let go of Xibo Jichang who wanted to replace him."

Xibo Jichang was shocked when he heard this.I thought: This old man lives in the mountains, how can he know the world's major events?What is even more puzzling is how could he see my heart so clearly?Certainly not ordinary people!Quickly bowed and saluted, and said, "Would you like to hear the name of a wise man?"

"I'm not a sage either, so is the old Lu Shang." Xibo Jichang heard it and said, "Just now, I just heard what Mr. said. It's true and insightful. I don't want to hide it, sir. I'm the Xibo Jichang you mentioned." Jiang Ziya Pretending to be very surprised, he said in fear: "I am ignorant and lying, please forgive me."

Xibo Jichang said sincerely: "Sir, why did you say this? King Zhou has no way today, and the world is full of chaos. If you don't give up, please follow me back to the dynasty, prosper the Zhou Dynasty and destroy the Shang, and save the people of the world." After Jiang Ziya was polite , and then drove back to the palace with Xibo Jichang, discussing the general trend of the world along the way, covering everything.

Xibo Jichang felt like a fish in water and hated seeing each other later, so he immediately worshiped Lu Shang as his grand teacher and relied on him as his confidant.Since then, Jiang Ziya's career as an official has been prosperous, and he has made great achievements in the end.

As the saying goes, "Jiang Taigong fishes, and those who wish to take the bait." As a scheming politician, Lv Shang made some small tricks and climbed up the big tree of Xibo Jichang.If he insisted on the outdated concept of "loyal ministers do not serve two masters", I am afraid that he will be just a small official in the palace of King Zhou until he grows old and will never have a bright future.It can be said that those who know current affairs are heroes!

Therefore, being a man requires flexibility.The most wonderful thing in the world is the word "change". Those who adapt to change are wise and know the current affairs, and there are all ways to live in front of them;

Story [-]: Li Sishi was a guest official in Qin Dynasty

When Li Si was young, he was a small official in the county, in charge of clerical affairs.I often see mice in the toilet working hard to find food, but they still get a little bit of food. They are hungry and cold, and they are often disturbed by people and dogs. They are in constant panic.The rats living in the granary eat the hoarded good grain and live in a "high house" without interference, full of food all day long, and carefree.

From this, he came to a conclusion: whether people are virtuous and rich, or poor and humble, they are all like mice, the key lies in the different environments they live in!As a result, he came up with the idea of ​​"choosing the place to live and choosing the master to be an official", which has decisive significance for the orientation of his life.

He went to the school of Xunqing, a great Confucianist at that time, to learn the art of emperor.After finishing his studies, he saw that the king of Chu had no ambitions and lacked strategy; he also saw that the six kingdoms were gradually weakening one after another, and he was unable to establish the miraculous feat of commanding the world.Only the Qin State, which has experienced the sixth generation since Qin Xiaogong, especially after Qin Zhaowang, has become the head of the Seven Kingdoms, can command the princes, and the political, military, and economic foundations of giving orders can replace the Zhou royal family and rule the world.

Li Si said to Xun Qing: "When you get a good opportunity, you can't be lazy, but you should seize the opportunity in time. Today, all the princes are fighting with each other, lobbying the capable to participate in political affairs. But the King of Qin wants to annex the princes, unify the world, and achieve the great cause of the emperor. This is a great opportunity for resourceful people to work hard and become famous. People who are in a humble position and do not think about making a difference, and who are unwilling to change this situation are no different from animals. There is nothing more shameful than humble, and nothing sad In poverty. Always in a lowly position and a difficult situation, but criticizing the world, hating utilitarianism, and relying on inaction, this is by no means the true thinking of a scholar. Therefore, I will travel west to Qin to advise the king of Qin, so as to make contributions. "

In 250 BC, Prince Zi Chu came to the throne as King Zhuangxiang of Qin.Lu Buwei became prime minister and was named Marquis of Wenxin.Qin Wang Yingzheng was still young when he came to the throne, and the power was in the hands of the queen mother Zhao Ji and the prime minister Lu Buwei.Relying on his special relationship with the Queen Mother and King Qin Yingzheng, Lu Buwei regarded himself as King Qin's "second father" and ran wild in the palace.

After Li Si cast himself under Lu Buwei's school, in order to win Lu Buwei's appreciation, he has been diligent and cautious, and put all his energy into it.Finally, he was favored by Lu Buwei, appointed as Lang, and participated in political affairs ever since.The door to the heart of politics was finally opened for him.

Later, Li Si had the opportunity to meet King Qin.So he played both soft and hard ways, making long-distance and short-term attacks, backed by force, using money to open the way, and persuading the six countries to stop their "cooperation" with other countries.In just a few years, the victories were numerous, and Li Si was called "Keqing" by the King of Qin, and he entered the core of the Qin State's leadership group.

If people want to achieve great success, they must pay attention to strategies and take shortcuts.To be attached to people, you must choose the right backer, and you must choose someone who has development prospects and can make yourself promoted and reused, so that you can be loyal and dedicated.If the matter is not for the person, it will be like a pearl cast in the dark, not only will it be useless, but will suffer from it.

Story Three: The Wisdom of Director Wang

When Sima Rui, the Emperor of Jin and Yuan Dynasty, was only the king of Langya, Wang Dao had already sensed that the world was in chaos, so he intended to support Sima Rui to revive the Jin Dynasty.He advised Sima Rui not to live in Luoyang anymore, but to return to his own kingdom.

After Sima Rui left the town of Jiankang (now Nanjing, Jiangsu), the people of Wu did not attach themselves to him. After more than a month, no one visited him.Director Wang was very worried, so he thought of using local celebrities to increase Sima Rui's prestige.

So he said to his powerful cousin Wang Dun: "Although the king of Langya is benevolent, he has little reputation. But you are already an influential person here, so you should help him." They made an appointment at March accompanied Sima Rui to watch the wedge repairing ceremony.

They let Sima Rui ride in a sedan chair with full dignity, while they themselves and many famous officials and generals rode horses to follow them.Ji Zhan, Gu Rong and others from the south of the Yangtze River were very surprised to see this scene, and they greeted him on the road one after another.

Wang Dao then said to Sima Rui: "Since ancient times, anyone who can be called the king of the world has humbly recruited talents. Now that the world is in chaos, the most urgent thing to do is to win the hearts of the people. Gu Rong and He Xun are the heads of the local famous families. .If you can attract them, you won’t have to worry about other people not coming here.”

After listening to Director Wang's suggestion, Sima Rui sent Director Wang to visit Gu Rong and He Xun in person.The two of them readily accepted the order to meet Sima Rui.Affected by them, the scholars and common people in Wudi belonged to Sima Rui from then on.In the future, the Eastern Jin Dynasty was finally established, and Wang Dao naturally became the prime minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

【The Heart of the Book of Changes】

As the saying goes: "You can enjoy the shade by leaning on a big tree." If a person wants to achieve a great career, he cannot rely on his own strength alone, so he must seek the strategy of finding a backer and taking shortcuts.When looking for a backer, you should choose what is good and follow, choose what is good and follow, and choose virtue to attach to, and you should not go to those who have unstable character and no integrity.Find the right backer, life will be auspicious, and career will rise to the top.

"Zuo Zhuan Ai Gong 11 Years" said: "(Confucius) ordered to drive, saying: 'A bird chooses a tree, how can a tree choose a bird? Habitat, virtuous ministers choose the master and do things." It is all about being good at judging the situation, choosing wise people to be reused, so that you can fully display your talents.

A person's ability is divided into high and low, and his moral character is also high and low, so there must be a master-slave rule in doing things.

The ancients said: "When you live, you must choose your neighbors, and you must make good friends. Make friends with virtue, but never friends with righteousness." "Bi" hexagram six and three lines say that it is dangerous to get close to people with bad conduct, and it also talks about the way to make friends , warning people to stay away from bad friends.Especially at the beginning of your struggle, you may need to seek friends, but be careful not to make friends who will do you harm but not benefit, and don't be dragged into the muddy water by them.

The environment and friends have a great influence on our life. It can be said that what kind of friends we make will determine our destiny.Therefore, when choosing friends, you should strive to associate with those who are optimistic, affirmative, motivated, virtuous and talented. Only in this way can you ensure a good living environment and get sincere help from friends. This is exactly what Confucius said The meaning of "those who have no friends are not as good as themselves".

If you choose your friends carelessly, and associate with those who have negative thoughts, low character, and bad behavior, you will fall into such a bad environment and be unable to extricate yourself, and even be implicated by bad friends and become an innocent victim.If we have accidentally made a bad friend, we should keep them at arm's length.

(End of this chapter)