The most interesting folklore

Chapter 29 The most interesting folk proverbs (3)
In the early years, a father and son opened a small teahouse. Although the business was small and the facade was modest, the small teahouse became more and more prosperous because of the warm, friendly, sincere owner, the fact that the cups were boiled, the doors opened early and the stalls closed late.Master Bai, the county magistrate, is a money-grubbing official. When he has eaten enough of the big fish and meat that he doesn’t spend all day, he comes to a small teahouse to drink tea.He occupies a table by himself, and he doesn't swear. He just eats some peanuts, tofu, etc., and walks away when he has enough tea-drinking for nothing.Master Bai comes to drink for nothing every day, how can the father and son bear it, but they can't afford to offend him, so they have to swallow their anger.Soon, the old shopkeeper of the small teahouse fell ill, so he asked his son to be the fireman in charge of the pot to handle the business.In the past few days, as soon as Master Bai picked up the teacup, he frowned and tapped his mouth, saying: "The water is not boiled, and the tea has no taste." Longjing; the water is still bubbling and boiling water, how can it be tasteless?" After a few days, Mr. Bai came less often; after a few more days, Mr. Bai gradually stopped coming, and the small teahouse resumed The prosperity of the past.After the old shopkeeper recovered from his illness, he asked his son: "Why didn't Mr. Bai come?" The son smiled cleverly and said, "I make him tea, which pot is not open and which pot is lifted!"

Since then, the story and the words have spread far and wide.

31. What is the meaning of "Soil supports each other to form a wall, and people support each other to become a king"

Code from "Qi Shu?"Wei Jing Biography": Jing Youguo dismounted, Wen Xiang asked for it, but Jing refused, saying: "Earth supports each other to form a wall, and people support each other to become a king. A horse can't be an animal, so it can be claimed."

Gao Huan, a minister of the Northern Wei Dynasty, was named King Wenxiang, with great power in his hands, and had the ambition to abolish the King of Wei and establish himself as emperor.Another general, Wei Jing, saw through his intentions and intended to join him.Wei Jing had a horse that could chase the wind and chase the sun. Gao Huan liked it very much, so he asked him for it.Wei Jing deliberately refused to give it to him, and said: "As the saying goes: 'Earth supports each other to form a wall, and people support each other to become a king'. You and I should support each other. I have a good horse, but you can't let it go. Why do you have a heart? So narrow?" Gao Huan changed his face in horror after hearing this, and confessed to him, and became friends with him deeply.Later, his second son, Gao Yang, abolished King Wei and made himself the emperor of Northern Qi, with the help of Wei Jing.

Future generations use?The proverb "Soil supports each other makes a wall, and people support each other makes a king." This proverb means that people should help each other to achieve great things.

32. What does it mean that the well is deep, the pagoda trees are thick, and the streets are wide and the people are sparse?

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Zhenzong Zhao Heng talked with his minister Kou Zhun about family affairs one day. Zhenzong said: "I heard a proverb in your hometown: 'The well is deep and the locust tree is thick, and the street is wide and the people are sparse." What does that mean? Kou Zhun said: "'The well is deep and the pagoda trees are thick' means that the soil is thick and the water is deep, so the pagoda trees naturally grow thick. 'The streets are wide and the people are sparse' means that the streets are wide and the residents along the streets are naturally relatively wealthy. , busy with their own housework, so there is less contact." Zhenzong heard what he said and thought he was right.

This allusion comes from "Yongchuang Essays" written by Zhu Guozhen in the Ming Dynasty.In fact, it should be explained like this: pagoda trees need water, and when the groundwater is deep, the roots of the pagoda tree grow deep to draw water, and when the roots are deep, the stems become thick.The petty citizens are different, the humanity among them, even if the streets are a little wider, will be weak. "The well is deep and the locust trees are thick" is in contrast to "the streets are broad and the meaning is sparse".

33. What is the original meaning of "how to kill a chicken with a sledgehammer"

Yan: Where, why bother.It is a metaphor for overkill or making a big deal out of a molehill. The language comes from "The Analects of Confucius?"Yanghuo".

Confucius' disciple Yan Yan (Zi You) attached great importance to the way of ritual and music that Confucius often emphasized.Later, when he became an official in Wucheng, he didn't despise it just because it was a small city, but he still advocated ritual and music to the people, asking them to play the piano and sing frequently.

Once Confucius took a few disciples out and passed through Wucheng. He heard the sound of playing the piano and singing everywhere, so he smiled and said:
"How can you use a knife for slaughtering a chicken?" Confucius meant very clearly: Wucheng is a small place, and rituals and music belong to the Dao. Killing chickens is a big deal.

Yan Yan didn't take Confucius's words seriously, and questioned him: "In the past, the teacher taught us that those who rule the people learn the way of ritual and music, and they will know how to love the people; and the people learn the way of ritual and music, and it will be easy Driven. Could it be that the teaching of the teacher is not applicable to Wucheng?"

When the scriptures asked the doctor, Confucius suddenly came to his senses.So he turned around and said to the accompanying disciples: "You pay attention, what Yan Yan said is correct. I just said 'I can't kill a chicken with a knife for slaughtering a cow', but I was just joking with him!"

34. Where is the source of "Afar water does not put out near fire"
"Distant water does not save near fire" means that distant water cannot save nearby fire. The language comes from Han Fei's Han Feizi?Talking about Forest".

During the Warring States period, when Duke Mu of Lu was in power, he didn't want to repair with his neighbors Qi, Jin, and Chu, so he sent his princes to Jin and Chu to serve.

Li Yao, Minister of the State of Lu, advised Lu Mugong on this matter: "If someone falls into the river here, we send people to the far south to invite Yue people to rescue him. , the person who fell into the water must be beyond his life. If a fire broke out in a place, he ran to the sea far away to fetch water to put out the fire. Although the sea water is inexhaustible, by the time the sea water is fetched, the house must have been burned down by the fire. Because Far water can’t save near fire! Although Jin and Chu are powerful today, they are far away from our country Lu. If our country encounters any danger, they will not have time to come to rescue. Qi is our close neighbor. If Lu has Difficult, can it not be saved?"

After hearing this, Duke Mu of Lu began to make friends with Qi.

35. What is the metaphor of "grinding bricks can't make a mirror"

During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, there was a monk named Daoyi in Chang'an who practiced very hard."Sit in meditation" (meditate, recite scriptures or meditate) every day, and sit for a whole day, hoping to understand the principles of Zen and get the right result.The eminent monk Huai Rang met the Zen master, but he didn't say anything to Dao Yi, he just took a brick and grinded it outside the door of Dao Yi's room, and it took a whole day to grind it.Daoyi felt very strange, so he asked Monk Huairang, "What's the use of grinding bricks?" Huairang said, "I plan to grind it into a mirror." Daoyi laughed, and said, "You just grind bricks for the rest of your life." No matter how flat a brick is ground, it cannot become a mirror!" Huai Rang replied, "You cannot make a mirror by grinding a brick. Can you become a Buddha by sitting in meditation?" Dao was deeply inspired when he heard this, so he worshiped Huai Rang as his teacher. I no longer sit in meditation every day.

This allusion comes from "Jingde Biography of Lantern Records".Later generations used "grinding bricks can't make a mirror" as a metaphor to only work hard without seeking actual results, which is just ineffective labor.

36. Is "fifty steps laughing at a hundred steps" a race?
"Fifty steps laugh at a hundred steps" means that things are basically the same in nature, and the difference is only in the severity of the plot.Mencius, a thinker in the Warring States period, in order to realize his idea of ​​governing the country with "benevolent government", once lobbied King Hui of Liang, and he used an analogy: On the battlefield, when two armies confront each other, only the sound of drums beating in winter can be heard. The soldiers raised their swords and guns together, rushed forward and started fighting.Immediately, soldiers were killed or injured in battle, dripping with blood, and screaming continuously.One side of the soldiers became frightened, dropped their helmets and armor, dragged their guns and fled. Some ran for 100 steps before stopping, and some ran for 50 steps before stopping.Those soldiers who ran 50 steps laughed at the soldiers who ran 100 steps for being cowardly and afraid of death.In fact, there is a difference of 50 steps between the two, the same escape, the same greed for life and fear of death, their nature is exactly the same.

Since then, people have summed up this fable into a saying of "fifty steps laugh at a hundred steps" to explain: there are also shortcomings and mistakes, and people with a low degree laugh at a person with a serious degree, but in fact he is not much better. "Where there is a will, there is a way" means that as long as there is determination and perseverance, success will surely be achieved.The language comes from "Book of the Later Han Dynasty?Biography of Geng Bin".

After Liu Xiu obtained the leadership of the Green Forest Army in the Eastern Han Dynasty, he began to restore the Han Dynasty, but at that time there were many separatist forces that hindered Liu Xiu's great cause of restoring the country.Liu Xiu's general, Geng Bian, suggested that a powerful man named Zhang Bu should be eliminated first. He believed that this person was developing rapidly, and if he was not eliminated early, there would be serious troubles in the future.Liu Xiu believed that Zhang Bubing was strong and strong, and his own strength was not strong enough to get rid of Zhang Bu so early.A few years later, Liu Xiu's power developed rapidly, and many separatist forces were eliminated, and the restoration of the Han Dynasty was just around the corner.A formidable enemy in front of him at this time is Zhang Bu.Liu Xiu's power is developing, and Zhang Bu is also developing.Now Zhang Bu has occupied 12 counties in Shandong, and the team has become stronger and stronger. Liu Xiu decided to remove this stumbling block.Geng Bin took the initiative to invite Ying, and Liu Xiu readily agreed.Gengbi was brave and resourceful, and quickly captured the three counties of Dingzhu'a, Lixia and Linzi.When Zhang Bu saw Geng Bian's swift approach, he became anxious and led his troops to attack Linzi himself.The two sides fought a fierce battle in Linzi. Geng Bian was shot in the leg during the battle. He resolutely endured the pain and insisted on fighting to persuade him to rest. Liu Xiu's reinforcements arrived and attacked Zhang Bu again.Geng Bian refused to listen, but continued to fight the enemy bravely.Seeing that the commander was so desperate, the soldiers' morale was greatly boosted. They fought hard and finally defeated Zhang Bu.

A few days later, at the celebration banquet, Liu Xiu said to Geng Bian: "When you proposed to eliminate Zhang Bu, I was afraid that you would not succeed. I only found out today that where there is a will, there is a way!"

37. "The tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop" does it mean that the wind is strong?

Volume [-] of Han Ying's "Han Shi Wai Zhuan" contains a story about Confucius traveling.

(End of this chapter)