Do you have any idioms or stories that are shorter?

Idiom stories from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period

1. Be as dumb as a chicken

Ji Zhuzi was an expert in training cockfighting in the Spring and Autumn Period. Because his reputation was so famous, he all joined together. The king also hired him to train fighting cocks.

Ten days later, the King of Qi asked him: "How is the training of the fighting cocks now?" Ji Zhuzi replied: "The chickens have a proud temperament, and the time has not yet come." Ten days later, the King of Qi came to ask again. He asked, "Is the fighting cock ready for training this time?" Ji Zhuzi replied, "Not yet, it can't calm down yet." A month later, King Qi was impatient with waiting, but Ji Zhuzi still shook his head and said no. Ten days later, Ji Zhuzi told King Qi that the fighting cock had been trained. That fighting cock was very powerful. When other chickens saw it, they were so frightened that they froze like wood. This shows that it is really an invincible fighting cock in the world!

2. The old horse knows the way

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Huan of Qi led troops to defeat the invasion of Shanrong Kingdom at the request of Yan Kingdom; King Milu of Shanrong Kingdom fled to Guzhu Kingdom to request Reinforcement, Guan Zhong followed Qi Huangong to defeat the reinforcements from Guzhu Kingdom. On the way back home, the Qi army was stranded because of a false guide leading them into a mysterious valley. Guan Zhong suggested using an old horse to lead the way and averted the danger.

3. Three orders and five orders

Sun Wu lived in Wu. The king of Wu wanted to test Sun Wu's military talents, so he gave 180 young court ladies to Sun Wu for training. Sun Wu divided the maids into two teams and made King Wu's favorite concubine the captain. Sun Wu gave the order to the palace maids and then beat the drum to deliver the order. The palace maids burst into laughter and the team became chaotic. Sun Wu issued an order again, but the maids only thought it was fun and did not obey the order at all. Sun Wu said that it was the leader's crime to disobey the order even though he understood it, and ordered the two captains to be executed. King Wu hurriedly sent an order not to kill the princesses, but Sun Wu still killed the two princesses. Then, Sun Wu trained the palace maids again, and this time no one dared to disobey orders.

4. Hands up and down

In the twenty-sixth year of King Xiang of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period. The State of Chu sent troops to invade the State of Zheng. Since the Chu State was so powerful at that time, the weak Zheng State was really unable to resist. As a result, the Zheng State suffered a defeat, and even Zheng Wangjie was captured by the Chu general Chuan Fengxu. After the war, among the Chu army, there was a younger brother of the King of Chu, Gongzi Wei, who wanted to take credit for the capture of Zheng Jie, saying that King Zheng Jie was captured by him. So Chuan Fengxu and Gongzi Wei had a dispute, and neither of them would give in. There is no way to solve it at the moment. Later, they asked Boli to be a judge to determine whose credit it was.

Bozhouli's method of resolving the dispute was very fair. He suggested that in order to know whose credit it was, it would be best to ask the captured King Zheng. So he ordered people to bring Zheng Wangjie, and Bozhouli explained the whole story to him. He then stretched out his two fingers, using the upper finger to represent Chu Wang's younger brother, Prince Wei, and the lower finger to represent Chu General Chu Fengxu, and then asked him who captured him. . Zheng Wangjie hated him very much because he was captured by Chuan Fengxu, so he pointed his finger to indicate that he was captured by the young master Wei. Therefore, Bozhouli judged that this was Gongziwei's contribution.

5. Incurable

There was a minister in the Zhou Dynasty named Fan Bo. Fan Bo was not only talented in poetry, but also good at managing state affairs. Later, he assisted King Zhou Li in government affairs. However, King Li of Zhou was domineering and judged things in vain. The treacherous officials will use all kinds of flattery to please them. Fan Bo spoke frankly and enumerated the shortcomings of the government, but the treacherous ministers spoke ill of him in the ears of King Zhou Li. King Zhou Li was very tired of Fan Bo. From then on, treacherous ministers came in and out of the palace and ignored Fan Bo. Fan Bo was very angry and wrote a poem, which was later included in the Book of Songs. The poem criticized the treacherous ministers and said: "There are many evil deeds and they are incurable!"

Buying coffins for pearls

In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a businessman in the Chu State who specialized in selling jewelry. Once he came to The State of Qi went to sell jewelry. In order to make business

good and the jewelry sell well, they specially used precious wood to make many small boxes, and carved and decorated the boxes very delicately and beautifully. The box emits a scent and the jewelry is placed inside the box.

There was a Zhengguo man who saw that the box containing the pearls was exquisite and beautiful. After asking about the price, he bought one, opened the box

and took out the treasure inside. Return to jeweler.

A blockbuster

During the Warring States Period, there was a man named Chunyu Kun in the State of Qi. He is very eloquent and good at talking. He often used some interesting argot to persuade the monarch, so that the monarch not only was not angry, but also willing to accept it.

The mighty king of Qi at that time was originally a very intelligent monarch. However, after he came to the throne, he was addicted to wine and sex.

Ignoring national affairs, he only knew about the affairs of the country every day. He drank and had fun, and left all the important matters to the ministers, while he ignored them. Therefore, politics was not on track, officials were corrupt and neglected their duties, and princes from various countries also took the opportunity to invade, bringing Qi to the edge of destruction

.

Although some patriotic people in Qi were very worried, they were all afraid of the King of Qi, so no one came out to persuade

Remonstrance.

In fact, the Qiwei royal family is a very smart person. He likes to speak some argot to show his wisdom. Although he does not like to listen to other people's advice, but if the advice is correct, , he will still accept it. After Chunyu Kun knew this, he thought of a plan and prepared to find an opportunity to advise King Qi Wei.

One day, Chunyu Kun saw King Wei of Qi and said to him: "Your Majesty, I have a riddle for Chen to ask you to guess: Its

The state-owned juice big bird , has lived in the palace of the king for three full years, but he neither flutters his wings nor makes a name.

He just curls up aimlessly. Guess, my king, this is a What kind of bird is it?"

King Qi Wei was a smart man, and he knew that Chun Yukun was making fun of himself, like that big bird, as a country

He has done nothing but enjoy himself. But he was no longer a mediocre king, so after pondering for a while, he resolutely decided to change his mind, cheer up, and do something spectacular, so he said to Chunyu Kun:

"Well, you don't know this big bird. If it doesn't fly, it will rush into the sky. If it doesn't sing, it will be alarmed.

Everyone, just wait and see!"

From then on, King Qi Wei no longer indulged in drinking and having fun, but began to rectify the country's affairs. First, he summoned the officials across the country and rewarded those who were loyal and responsible; and punished those who were corrupt and incompetent. As a result, the whole country quickly cheered up and was full of vitality.

On the other hand, he also started to rectify the military, strengthen the force, and establish the country's prestige. After hearing the news, the princes of various countries were shocked. Not only did they not dare to invade again, they even returned all the land they had invaded to Qi.

This act of King Qi Wei is truly a "blockbuster"!

So later people used the idiom "a blockbuster" to describe a person who has extraordinary talents, as long as he can use them well

Once they are used, they will often become famous. There are amazing things to do.

The fox fakes the tiger's power

During the Warring States Period, when the Chu State was at its most powerful, King Xuan of Chu once feared his general Zhao

Xi for the sake of the northern countries at that time. shirt, and felt strange. So he asked the ministers of the DPRK why this was happening.

At that time, a minister named Jiang Yi narrated the following story to him:

“Once upon a time, there was a tiger in a cave, because he was hungry. , he ran outside to look for food. When he walked into a dense forest, he suddenly saw a fox walking in front of him. He thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Yes, he jumped forward and captured him effortlessly.

But when it opened its mouth and was about to eat the fox, it was cunning. The fox suddenly spoke:

'Hmph! Don't dare to devour me just because you think you are the king of beasts; you must know that heaven and earth have ordered me to be the king of kings

, whoever eats me will be severely punished by heaven and earth.

’ The tiger was dubious after hearing what the fox said.

However, when he turned his head and saw the fox’s arrogant and calm look, he was surprised. The original arrogant arrogance

and domineering attitude, unexpectedly, most of it has disappeared. Even so, he was still thinking: Because I am the king of beasts, any beast in the world will be afraid of me. And he actually came to rule us under the orders of the Emperor of Heaven!

At this time, the fox saw that the tiger was hesitant to eat it, and knew that he had somewhat believed what he said, so

it became even more proud. He puffed up his chest, pointed at the tiger's nose and said: 'Why, don't you believe what I said?

? Then come with me now, walk behind me, and see if all the beasts are scared out of their wits when they see me, and run away with their heads in their arms

. ’ The tiger thought this was a good idea, so he followed it.

So, the fox boldly opened the way in front, while the tiger followed cautiously. Not long after they walked

they vaguely saw the depths of the forest, where many small animals were vying for food. However, when they found the tiger walking behind the fox, At this time, he couldn't help but turned pale in fright and ran away wildly.

At this time, the fox turned around proudly and looked at the tiger. When the tiger saw this situation, he couldn't help but feel a little frightened.

But he didn't know that the beasts were afraid of him, and thought they were really afraid of the fox!

The cunning fox's plan succeeded, but his power was entirely due to the fact that he used the tiger to threaten the beasts in a temporarily favorable situation.

The poor tiger was People have been fooled, and they don’t even know it!

Therefore, the reason why the people in the north are afraid of Zhao Xixie is entirely because the king’s soldiers are in his hands. That is to say,

it is actually the king they fear. The power! ”

From the above story, we can know that anyone who uses the power of authority to oppress others, or who uses the power of his or her position to bully others can use “ To describe it, "a fox pretends to be a tiger's power".

His hands up and down

In the 26th year of King Xiang of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Chu sent troops to invade the State of Zheng. As the State of Chu was so powerful at that time, the weak State of Zheng was really unstoppable.

Those who had the ability to resist, as a result, Zheng suffered a defeat, and even Zheng Wangjie was captured by the Chu general Chuan Fengxu. After the war, there was Chu among the Chu army. The younger brother of the king, Gongzi Wei, wanted to take credit for the capture of Zheng Jie, saying that he had captured King Zheng Jie, so Chuan Fengxu and Gongzi Wei had a dispute, and neither of them would give in. The solution was solved. Later, they asked Bo Li to be a just person to determine whose contribution it was.

Bo Zhouli's method of resolving the dispute was very fair. He suggested that to know whose credit it was, it would be best to ask the captured King Zheng. So he ordered someone to bring King Zheng Jie, and Bo Zhouli explained the whole story to him, and then stretched out his two fingers. Use the upper finger to represent the younger brother of the King of Chu

Gongzi Wei, and the lower finger to represent the Chu general Chuan Fengxu, and then ask him who captured him. King Zheng was very surprised because he was captured by Chuan Fengxu.

Hateful of him, he pointed his finger up, indicating that he was captured by Gongzi Wei. So Bozhouli judged that it was Gongzi Wei's contribution.

This is the origin of the idiom "raising and lowering his hands". In this story, it means cheating and confusing right and wrong.

In today's society, this kind of situation often happens: for example, someone does something illegal and knows that he deserves it.

If you get it, you can't escape the fate of being punished; so you bribe it secretly, or ask relatives and friends to plead for mercy or protect you, and the result is a big thing

If the trivial matter is reduced to nothing, you still have to deal with it. Outside. People like this who are involved in the matter, who bend the law and commit fraud, can be said to be "their own hands".

Unfounded worries

Once upon a time in the country of Qi, there was a very timid and a bit neurotic person. He often thought of some strange problems, which made people confused. I feel baffled.

One day, after dinner, he took a big cattail leaf fan, sat in front of the door, measured it, and said to himself:

"If one day, If the sky falls, what should we do? We have no way to escape and will be crushed to death. Isn’t this too unfair? ”

From then on, he worried about this problem almost every day. When his friends saw that he was in a trance and looked haggard all day long, they were very worried for him. However, when everyone knew the reason, they all came to persuade him. :

"Brother! Why do you have to worry about this matter? How could the sky collapse? Even if it does collapse, you are not the only one.

People can solve their problems by worrying, so think about it!"

However, no matter what others say, he doesn't believe it and still often worries about this unnecessary problem.

Later people based on the above story, extended it into the idiom "unfounded worries". Its main meaning is to wake people up

Don't worry about unrealistic things. . It has roughly the same meaning as "meaning to bother oneself."

Repairing the situation

This story comes from the "Warring States Policy". During the Warring States Period, a minister of Chu State named Zhuang Xin said to King Xiang of Chu one day: "When you are in the palace, the Marquis of Zhou is on your left and the Marquis of Xia is on your right; when you go out, Yanlingjun and Shouhejun are always looking at you. You and these four people specialize in luxury and pleasure, regardless of national affairs. p>

It must be dangerous!"

After hearing this, King Xiang was very dissatisfied and cursed: "Are you stupid? Are you deliberately saying these sinister words to confuse people?"

Zhuang Xin replied calmly: "I really feel that things must come to this point, and I dare not deliberately say anything about the misfortune of Chu State

If you always favor me This man, Chu State will definitely perish. Since you don’t believe me, please allow me to hide in Zhao State and see what happens.”

Zhuang Xin arrived. Zhao Guo only lived there for five months. Qin Guo sent troops to invade Chu, and King Xiang was forced to exile to Yangcheng (today's northwest of Xixian County, Henan Province). Only then did I feel that Zhuang Xin's words were good, so he quickly sent someone to find Zhuang Xin and asked him what he could do. Zhuang Xin said sincerely:

"I've heard that when you see rabbit teeth, you think of a hound. It's not too late; it's not too late to mend the sheepfold after the sheep run away..."

This is a very meaningful story, only knowing how to enjoy and not knowing how to do things, the result is. There is no doubt that it will suffer a tragic failure.

The idiom "to remedy the situation before the sheep is gone" is based on the two sentences above. It expresses that after a mistake is made in handling something,

If you rush to save it, it is not too late. mean. For example, a businessman makes a mistake in estimating the development of things, takes risks, and falls into failure. But he was not discouraged, and patiently thought about things again, learned from this mistake, and believed that it was not too late to "make up for it" and start from scratch!

One storm and ten colds

During the Warring States Period, a hundred schools of thought contended and lobbying was very popular. Generally speaking, lobbyists not only have profound scholarship and rich knowledge, but they are especially outstanding in using profound and vivid metaphors to satirize those in power.

Mencius was also a famous debater at that time. There is such a record in the first chapter of "Mencius" "Gaozi":

Mencius was dissatisfied with King Qi's fatuousness, lack of perseverance in work, and credulity in treacherous and slanderous words. He said to him unceremoniously: "The king is too unwise. Although there are living creatures with strong vitality in the world, if you leave them in the sun for a day and then freeze them in a cold place for ten days, they will die." You are still alive there! My time with the king is very short. Even if the king has some determination to do good, as soon as I leave you, those traitorous ministers will come to deceive you again, and you will listen to them and call me. What should we do?" He pressed and gave a vivid metaphor: "Playing chess seems to be a trivial matter, but if you don't concentrate on it, you won't learn well and won't win. Yi Qiu is the best chess player in the country. An expert, he taught two apprentices, one of whom was attentive and listened to Yi Qiu's instructions; the other was always afraid of the big swan coming and was preparing to shoot the swan with an arrow. The two apprentices were taught by the same master and learned together. However, the performance of the latter is far behind. This is not a difference in their intelligence, but in their level of concentration;" This is a very teaching story. We must learn one thing and do it well. One thing requires concentration and hard work. If you do something today, throw it away, and do it again the next ten days, how can you do things well? This is also one of the determining factors for success in studying and doing things. Therefore, later people simplified Mencius's saying "One day is violent and ten days are cold" into an idiom "One day is violent and ten days are cold", which is used It is a metaphor for not having perseverance in studying or doing things, and it is a way of saying that it is impermanent. For example, a classmate was very casual about his studies. He had little time to study and a lot of wasted time. We asked him: What can he learn from his unfavorable approach?

Three men become tigers

During the Warring States Period, when they attacked each other, in order to ensure that everyone could truly abide by their promises, countries usually handed over their princes to each other as hostages. "Warring States Policy": "Wei Policy" has this record:

Pang Cong, the minister of the Wei State, was about to accompany the Prince of Wei to the State of Zhao as a hostage. Before leaving, he said to the King of Wei:

"Now there is a man who says that there is a tiger in the market. Can the king believe it?"

The king of Wei said: "I don't believe it."

Pang Cong said: " If a second person says that there is a tiger in the market, will the king believe it?"

The king of Wei said: "I am a little doubtful."

Pang Cong added: "If there is a tiger. The third person said that there was a tiger in the market. Do you believe it?"

The king of Wei said, "Of course I will."

Pang Cong said, "There is no such thing in the market." Tiger, this is an obvious thing, but after three people talked about it, it seems that there really is a tiger. Now Handan, the capital of Zhao State, is far away from Daliang, the capital of Wei State, much farther than the streets here, and there are more than three people talking about me. I hope the king will be aware of it."

I know everything myself."

Pang Cong returned to the country with the prince, and the king of Wei did not summon him again.

A city is a place where the population is concentrated, so of course there will be no tigers. Saying that there is a tiger in the market is obviously a rumor and deception, but many people say this and tend to believe it if they don't look at the truth of things.

This story was originally a satire on King Hui of Wei's ignorance, but later generations extended this story into the idiom "three people become tigers", which is a metaphor for how sometimes rumors can conceal the truth. For example: To judge the authenticity of something, you must carefully examine and think about it, and you cannot hear it by hearsay. Otherwise, "three people become tigers", sometimes they will mistake the rumors for the truth and retreat from three homes: She: In ancient times, the marching distance was based on thirty miles. Take the initiative to give in ninety miles. It is a metaphor for giving in and avoiding, avoiding conflicts.

Lie down on the firewood and taste the courage: Firewood: firewood. He slept on firewood and tasted gall while eating and sleeping. Describes a person who is hardworking and self-motivated and strives to become stronger.

The old horse knows the way: The old horse knows the way. It means that experienced people are more familiar with things.

The acquaintance of Guan and Bao: During the Spring and Autumn Period, Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya from Qi knew each other best. It is often used as a metaphor for a close friend.

Besieging Wei and rescuing Zhao:

Chasing Qin and dusk Chu:

War on paper:

Buying coffins and returning pearls

Source: "Han Feizi· "Wai Chu said the upper left"

Original text:

Someone from Chu sold a certain pearl to Zheng. It is a magnolia cabinet, smoked with cinnamon pepper, embellished with pearls and jade, decorated with roses and emeralds. The people of Zheng bought the coffin and returned the pearls.

Translation:

There was a man from Chu who was selling pearls in Zheng. He made a box for the pearls out of magnolias, scented the box with spices, and decorated it with jewels, roses, and emeralds. A man from Zheng bought the box but returned the pearl to him.

Qi people are worried about the sky

Source: "Liezi Tianrui"

Original text:

There are people in Qi country who are worried about the collapse of the sky and the earth, and their death. Send, those who waste sleep and food. There are also those who are worried about what others are worried about, so they go to know it and say: "The sky is where the Qi accumulates, and the Qi dies in the dead place. If you bend and stretch your breath and walk and stop in the sky all day long, why worry about collapse?" The person said: " The sun, the moon, and the stars should not be evil if they accumulate qi in the sky. "The sun, the moon, and the stars are also shining in the qi. If they fall, they cannot be slandered." The man said, "No." Why is the earth bad? "Xiao Zhe said: "The earth accumulates lumps and fills the four voids, and the dead areas are dead. If you step on it and walk on the ground all day long, how can you worry about it?" This person is very happy. Those who know it are also overjoyed.

Translation:

There was a man in the state of Qi who worried all day long that the sky would collapse and the earth would collapse and he would have no place to stay. Therefore, he was so worried that he couldn't sleep or eat.

Someone saw him so sad and worried about him, so he went to enlighten him and said: "The sky is just a very thick accumulation of Qi. There is no place without Qi. Every move you make, Breathing and breathing, living in the middle of the sky from morning to night, how can you worry about the sky falling?" After hearing this, the man who worried about the sky said again, "If the sky is very thick? If there is qi, then the sun, moon and stars will not fall?"

The person who came to enlighten him said: "The sun, moon and stars are also made of the accumulation of luminous qi. Even if it falls, it will not hurt anyone."

The worried man asked again: "What if the ground collapses?"

The person who enlightened him. The answer was: "The earth is made up of accumulations of soil. It fills the fields and is everywhere. You can walk and jump on it casually and live on it all day long. How can you worry about it collapsing?"

After hearing what his friend said, the man was relieved and very happy; the man who came to persuade him was relieved and very happy.

Going in the opposite direction

Source: "Warring States Policies·Wei Ce IV"

Original text:

The King of Wei wanted to attack Handan, Ji Liang admonished him He said: "Today, when I came, I saw someone in Daxing. I held his chariot to the north and said to the minister, "I want Chu." The minister said, "Your Majesty, Chu, will Xi face the north?" He said, "I want Chu." Ma Liang said: "Although the horse is good, it is not the way of Chu." He said: "I use it a lot." The minister said: "My horse is good, but it is not the way of Chu." "The better these people are, the farther away they are from Chu. Now the king wants to become the overlord, and he wants to trust the world. He relies on the greatness of the kingdom and the elite soldiers to attack Handan and respect the vast territory. The more the king moves, the more he will move." , and the farther you are from the king, the more you go north to Chu."

Translation:

The king of Wei wanted to attack Zhao, but Ji Liang persuaded him: "I met him at the foot of Taihang Mountain. I saw a man driving a car heading north and told me, "I'm going to Chu State." I asked him, "Why are you going to Chu State?" He said, "My horse is good." ’ I said, ‘Although your horse is good, this is not the way to the Chu State!’ He added, ‘My travel expenses are sufficient. "What a road!" He added: "The person driving me is very capable." He didn't know that he was going in the wrong direction. The better the conditions on the road, the farther away he would be from Chu State.

Now the king wants to dominate the princes at every turn. He wants to gain the trust of the world in everything he does. He relies on the strength of his country and the elite army to attack Handan. He wants to expand his territory and raise his prestige. Don't you know that the more actions you take, the closer you are to unifying the world? The goal of becoming a king is farther away. This is just like the behavior of going north to the state of Chu! "

Superfluous

Source: "Warring States Policy·Qi Ce II"

Original text:

If there is a temple in Chu, give it a house When people drink wine, they say to each other: "A few people drink less, but one person drinks more than enough." Please draw a snake on the ground, and the first one to drink will drink. "A man made a snake first, introduced wine and drank it. He held a zodiac in his left hand, drew a snake in his right hand and said: "I can do it! "Before it was completed, a man took over the snake and said: "The snake has no legs, how can Zi'an give it legs? "Then he drank the wine. Those with snake feet will eventually perish from the wine. Translation:

A man in the state of Chu held a sacrificial ceremony. After the ceremony, he gave a pot of wine to several guests in his home. The guests They discussed, "This wine is too little for a few people, but more than enough for one person." Let's draw a snake on the ground, and whoever draws it first gets a drink. "One person drew a snake first, took the wine and was about to drink it, but he held the wine pot in his left hand and drew a snake in his right hand and said, "I can also add feet to the snake." "Before the feet were finished, another person finished drawing the snake. This person took the wine pot away and said, "The snake has no feet, how can you add feet to it?" "So he drank the wine.

Zheng Ren Buys Shoes

Source: "Han Feizi·Wai Chu Shuo Upper Left"

Original text:

If a man of Zheng wants to buy a shoe, he first puts it on his feet and sits on it. When he comes to the market, he forgets to take care of it. When he has got the shoe, he says: "I forgot to keep it!" "Go back and get it. When you return to the market, you can't walk. The man said, "Why don't you try it?" Said: "I would rather have faith than have self-confidence." "

Translation:

A man in Zheng Guo wanted to buy a pair of shoes. He first measured his feet, then drew a sample size and placed it on the seat.

He hurried to the market and took a fancy to a pair of shoes. He suddenly remembered: "I forgot to bring the size. "So, he hurried back to get the sample. When he came back, the market had dispersed and the shoes were not bought.

Someone asked him: "Do you want to try on the shoes with your own feet? Is that enough? Why go back and see the shoe samples? "

He said: "I would rather trust my own measurement than my own feet. "

Pull the seedlings to encourage them to grow

Source: "Mencius Gongsun Chou"

Original text:

The people of the Song Dynasty pity their seedlings for their short growth. The person who picked him up returned with a bright glow and said to him, "I'm sick today!" I will help the seedlings grow. "The son came to look at it, but the seedlings were haggard.

Translation:

A farmer in the Song Dynasty thought that the rice seedlings grew too slowly, so he raised the rice seedlings and was satisfied. After returning home, he said to his family: "I was exhausted today. I helped the rice seedlings grow a lot taller!" "His son quickly ran to the field to see that all the seedlings were dead.

Waiting for the rabbit

Source: "Han Feizi·Five Beetles"

Original text:

There were people in the Song Dynasty who plowed the fields. There was a plant in the field. A rabbit ran away. It hit a pillar and broke its neck and died. Because it was free of vines, they guarded the plant in the hope of recovering the rabbit. The rabbit could not be recovered, and as a result, the Song Dynasty laughed .

Translation:

A farmer in the Song Dynasty was plowing a field. There was a big tree stump on the edge of the field. A rabbit ran over and accidentally hit the stump, broke its neck and died. From then on, the farmer put down his farm tools and stood by the tree stump, hoping to get the rabbit again. As a result, he never got the rabbit again, and his behavior was spread as a joke in the Song Dynasty.

Learning to walk in Handan

Source: "Zhuangzi·Qiu Shui"

Original text:

Have you not heard of my husband Shouling Yuzi's learning and practice in Handan? He gained the power of the country, but lost his old ways, and returned home on his knees.

Translation:

There was a young man in the Shouling of Yan State. He heard that the people of Handan walked very well, so he came back. He rushed to Handan to learn footwork from others. However, he not only failed to master the unique walking skills of Handan people, but also forgot his original walking method, so he had to crawl home.

Carving a boat to ask for a sword

Source: "Lu Shi Chun Qiu·Cha Jin"

Original text:

There are people in Chu who cross the river, and their swords He fell into the water from the boat, and he quickly made a contract with the boat, saying: "This is where my sword fell from." The boat stopped, and he entered the water to find the person who made the contract. The boat has moved, but the sword cannot move. If you are looking for a sword like this, isn't it confusing?

Translation:

A man from Chu State was crossing a river by boat and accidentally dropped his sword into the river. He hurriedly carved a mark on the edge of the boat and said, "This is where my sword fell." After the boat docked, the man followed the mark carved on the edge of the boat and went into the water to find the sword, but after searching for a long time, he could not find it. Not found. The ship has gone a long way, but the sword is still where it was. Isn’t it foolish to find a sword by carving a boat to find a sword?

Bhiding one's ears and stealing the bell

Source: "Lü's Spring and Autumn Period: Self-Knowledge"

Original text:

The common people will gain from the death of the Fan family Beller. If you want to carry it and walk away, the bell will not be able to carry it; if you destroy it with the vertebrae, the bell will still have sound. Afraid of being heard and taken away from me, I quickly cover my ears. If evil people hear it, it is okay; if evil people hear it themselves, it is contrary.

Translation:

When Fan, the great official of the Jin Dynasty, perished, a common man got a bell and wanted to carry it away. It’s just that the clock is too big to carry. So he smashed it with a hammer, and the bell rang loudly again. The common man was afraid that others would hear the sound and snatch the bell, so he quickly blocked his ears, thinking that if he could not hear, others would not be able to hear either. .