The wisdom of I Ching

Chapter 97 Only by doing things in moderation can we prevent danger——Crossing the river and destroying the top

【Original Code】

On the sixth day, cross the river and die, fierce. ...

"Xiang" said: The evil of overreaching is not to be blamed.

—— "The Book of Changes: Big Mistakes"

【Interpretation】

The sixth line on the hexagram of "Da Guo": When crossing the river, let the water cover the top of the head, it is fierce, and be careful so that there will be no disaster.The upper six lines are weak and powerless, because the negative force is too strong, and if you can't stand it, you will perish.

"Xiang Zhuan" said: crossing the river is dangerous, don't do it, otherwise there will be a catastrophe.

When a person is in an environment where the water is too deep, the degree of danger can be imagined. I am afraid that if you fail to cross the river, you may drown.The upper six lines use this as a metaphor to explain to us the way to avoid disasters and not to do illegal and untimely things.

In real life, in order to handle a matter more satisfactorily, sometimes it is necessary to take some extraordinary measures. This method seems a bit extraordinary, it may be a bit unacceptable, and sometimes it will bring disasters, but This approach is not necessarily wrong, and only the kind of sure and charismatic people can use this method well.

It is impossible for people to go smoothly in everything, that is to say, there needs to be a big transition.In the face of transition, we need to be patient, wait for the opportunity carefully, and calmly face the transition period. We should not stick to the routine, and we should take some measures beyond common sense, but we should not do things that are too dangerous, do not follow the law, or are out of date. If you do it, you will bring disaster to yourself.

【Category】

Story [-]: Zhao Gao's evil will be rewarded with evil

After the death of Qin Shihuang, the traitor Zhao Gao took power.He used his power to kill many people to avenge his personal grievances.All the ministers in the court were afraid of being killed by him.Zhao Gao also instigated Qin Ershi to kill wantonly, and even put Li Si, who had great power, into prison, tortured him severely, and finally made Li Si die unjustly.

Before he died, Li Si warned the second emperor: "Zhao Gao is a lowly villain, and he doesn't understand the principles of governing the country and the world. He is greedy and pursues interests, and his status and power are comparable to your majesty. His hobbies and desires are also endless. Yes. That’s why I said, it’s too dangerous for such a person to be by your side!”

After Li Si's death, Qin Ershi worshiped Zhao Gao as the prime minister, and Zhao Gao decided all matters big and small.Then Chen Sheng and Wu Guang led the peasant uprising, and the world was in chaos. Later, Xiang Yu wiped out the main force of the Qin army, and Liu Bang led the army to Xianyang. He was buried as a commoner, and Ziying was required to fast so that he could enter the Taimiao to worship his ancestors and take over the jade seal passed down to the country.

On the fifth day of Ziying's fast, he discussed with his two sons and said: "Prime Minister Zhao Gao killed the second emperor. He was afraid that his officials would kill him, so he pretended to support me on the throne in accordance with morality. But I heard that Zhao Gao wanted to Make an appointment with Chu State to destroy Qin, and then become king in Guanzhong. Now I want to fast, I hope to kill me in the Taimiao. If I pretend to be sick, he will come to me by himself, and kill him when he comes Drop him."

When it was time for Ziying to enter the Taimiao, Zhao Gao sent someone to invite Ziying and others, but Ziying refused to go due to illness.Sure enough, Zhao Gao came by himself and said to Ziying: "The matter of the ancestral temple is very important. Why doesn't your majesty go?" Ziying killed Zhao Gao in the fasting palace at the same time, and wiped out Zhao Gao's nine clans.

When people encounter misfortune, they can always think up ingenious reasons to save themselves, but in fact they almost always do this for the same purpose, that is, thinking that punishing others will bring them peace.

Story [-]: Cheng Ji as a scapegoat
In the later period of the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Mao became the emperor of Wei State, but he was actually just a puppet. All the power in the court was controlled by the great general Sima Zhao, and he was still preparing to usurp the throne.

Cao Mao is a very self-reliant young man. He is unwilling to be a puppet and lose the throne. He wants to use force to defeat this powerful minister.However, he was too young after all, lacking experience and strategies in court struggles, and only relying on the courage of a young man, he led a group of eunuchs and servants in the palace to interrogate Sima Zhaoyin.

Sima Zhao sent the Central Guard Jia Chong to fight.The generals under Jia Chong saw that the emperor was going to fight in person, and they didn't know how to fight, because if they hurt Cao Mao, they would commit the crime of regicide.

Prince Sheren Chengji asked Jia Chong: "I didn't expect the emperor to go out in person. You can't catch him, let alone kill him. What should we do?"

Jia said angrily: "Isn't it just for today that Sima Ping raised you all? If you don't die here, if the general's business fails, who of you can avoid the disaster of extermination?" Cheng Ji rushed out of the queue until Cao Mao's car, Swinging his sword and stabbing fiercely, Cao Mao died immediately under the car.

Sima Zhao was naturally very happy that his opponent to usurp power had been eliminated, but he was unwilling to bear the notoriety of "regicide".The next day he summoned the ministers of the DPRK and China, pretending to be very sad.Someone said: "Only by beheading Jia Chong can we apologize to the world!"

Sima Zhao was at the critical moment of usurping power. For a person like Jia Chong who was loyal to himself and had a strategy, he naturally refused to give up, so he asked, "Is there any other way?" There is no other way.Sima Zhao refused to throw Jia Chong out, and had to express himself to cover up the world's eyes and ears. In the end, he had to use Cheng Ji as a scapegoat, beheading Cheng Ji and exterminating his family on the charge of "treason and immorality".

In the feudal society at that time, what could be more dangerous than "killing the monarch"!Poor Cheng Ji worked hard for others, but in the end he became a scapegoat and lost his life.

Story Three: Chen Yi commits evil and kills himself
In the Qing Dynasty, when Chen Yike, a native of Shandong, visited Beijing, he met a strong man named Lu Sheng on the way.Chen Yi saw that he was generous and thoughtful, so he became a brother.But he didn't know that Lu Sheng was a robber. Soon, the robbery happened, and Lu Sheng was arrested and put in prison.

When Chen Yi came to visit him in prison, Lu Sheng said to him: "Unfortunately, someone committed a crime and no one rescued him. Cheng brothers love each other on weekdays, so I have something close to my heart that I want to tell you." Whatever you say, I will do it with all my heart.”

Lu Sheng said: "I have more than a thousand platinum, which is hidden somewhere. Brother can go and get it, and use some hands and feet to rescue me from prison. If I can't be rescued, I just ask brother to take care of my food and clothing in prison so that I don't lack it. When I die in the future, as long as my brother buries me, I will let him take what is left. I only entrust you with this, and there is no other words." After saying that, tears came down like rain.

Chen Yi said: "Please rest assured, I will try my best to save you." So he bid farewell to Lu Sheng, and according to what Lu Sheng said, he really got a thousand gold somewhere.Chen Yi saw that the money was open, so he wanted to take it all by himself, and said to himself: "If you don't save him, if he asks someone to ask me, there is no excuse. If he is angered, if I drag him out, I will not get the money." Steady. Why not take the opportunity to end him, and he will be clean."

So he gave the prison guards 30 taels of silver, saying that Lu Sheng was his enemy, and asked them to kill Lu Sheng.From then on, Chen Yi got a thousand pieces of gold for nothing, and no one knew the source of the money. He squandered in Beijing for three years, and after spending [-]% to [-]% of it, he went home by boat.

When I got to the boat, I was chatting with my fellow boatmen in the cabin.Suddenly, Chen Yi fell into the boat, got up after a while, opened his eyes, and shouted: "I am Lu Shengye, the Beijing thief. Chen Yi killed me, and got my daughter to kill me. Now I want to pay back my life!"

The people on the same boat saw that his voice was different from before, and they said such things again, knowing that Chen Yi had something wrong, they comforted him with good words, and begged Chen Yi not to die on the boat, so as not to harm the people on the same boat and suffer a lawsuit.After Chen Yi returned home, because of a guilty conscience, he committed the problem again, and it was more serious than before, and finally committed suicide.

Although this story is a bit bizarre and extreme, it is inevitable if you think about it carefully.His retribution was because his behavior deviated from morality. The force that forced him to kill himself came not only from within himself, but also from the "Heaven". the result of.

【The Heart of the Book of Changes】

In life, don't do inappropriate things, even if it can satisfy your temporary desire and vanity.But it can lead to greater danger close to you, and finally put yourself on the verge of disaster.A truly wise person should be good at keeping a calm and clear head at all times, abide by the "rules of the game", and strictly demand himself to avoid dangerous persecution.

(End of this chapter)