Twelve fables

Category: Education/Science >> Learning Assistance

Problem description:

Like making up for mistakes. ......

Analysis:

1, better late than never.

Once upon a time, there was a herder who kept dozens of sheep, herded them during the day and drove them to a sheepfold surrounded by firewood and stakes at night.

One morning, the herdsmen went to herd sheep and found that one sheep was missing. It turned out that there was a hole in the sheepfold. At night, a wolf got in and took a sheep.

Neighbors advised him: "Hurry up and fix the sheepfold and plug the hole."

He said, "Why repair the sheepfold when all the sheep are lost?" I didn't accept my neighbor's kind advice.

The next morning, he went to herd sheep and found that another sheep was missing. It turned out that the wolf got into the sheepfold from the hole and took away another sheep.

Herdsmen regretted not directly accepting their neighbors' suggestions and taking remedial measures in time. So he quickly blocked the hole, reinforced it as a whole, and made the sheepfold firmly.

Since then, the shepherd's sheep have never been grabbed by wolves.

The story of herders tells us that mistakes and setbacks are common. As long as we can learn lessons seriously and take remedial measures in time, we can avoid making bigger mistakes and suffering greater losses.

2. a blessing in disguise

Once upon a time, there was an old man who lived in the border area adjacent to the Hu people. Passers-by all addressed him as "Sai Weng". Sai Weng is philosophical by nature and treats people differently.

One day, for some unknown reason, Sai Weng's horse got lost while eating grass and never came back. When the neighbors learned the news, they all expressed regret. However, Sai Weng doesn't care. Instead, he comforted everyone: "Losing horses is certainly a bad thing, but who knows if it will bring good results?"

Sure enough, a few months later, the lost old horse ran back from the Great Wall and brought back a good horse rode by the Hu people. So the neighbors got together to congratulate Sai Weng and praised his foresight when he lost his horse. At this time, however, Sai Weng was worried and said, "Alas, who knows if this incident will bring me disaster?"

Sai Weng's family has added a good horse that the Hu people ride, and his son is very happy, so he rides it every day and enjoys it. Finally, one day, my son got carried away, fell off the galloping horse, injured his leg and was disabled for life. After hearing the news, the kind neighbors came to offer their condolences, but Sai Weng still said, "Who knows if there will be a good result?"

Another year passed, and the Hu people invaded the Central Plains on a large scale, and the border situation suddenly became tense. All able-bodied young people were recruited as soldiers, and nine times out of ten they died on the battlefield. Because Sai Weng's son was lame and exempted from military service, his father and son were able to escape the disaster in Where Are You Going?

In the process of being handed down from generation to generation, this story gradually condensed into an idiom: "A blessing in disguise is a blessing in disguise." Explain that good and bad in the world are not absolute. Under certain conditions, bad things can have good results, and good things may also have bad results.

3. Vision and immediate concern

The magpie's nest is built on the top of a tall tree. In autumn, a strong wind blew, and the bird's nest swayed with the branches, as if the whole bird's nest had been overturned. At this time, the magpie and its children huddled in the nest, terrified, too scared to even go out of the atmosphere.

There is a kind of magpie that is very clever. Before summer comes, it thinks of autumn, and it predicts that there will be frequent strong winds in autumn. This is really a farsighted magpie. In order to ensure the future safety of the residence, it resolutely decided to move immediately. So, it took pains to find a safe place and finally chose a thick and low fork. This place is low and down-to-earth, with dense branches and leaves. It is impossible for strong winds to shake this thick and stable low fork. Then, the magpie took pains to remove the original nest from the top of the tall tree. It moved the nesting branches and leaves one by one to the low and thick branches and built a new house. The new nest is really comfortable and safe, and strong winds will never attack this low branch again.

Summer is coming, and it's really cool under the dense shade of big trees, so passers-by can't help taking a rest under the shade. People looked up in the shade and saw the magpie's nest. When they reach out again, they can easily dig out the magpie or magpie eggs in the nest. People think it's quite interesting. As a result, the little magpies or magpie eggs in the nest are often taken away. When children see adults like this, they also come to dig magpies and magpie eggs. Although the children are short and can't reach the magpie's nest, they still try their best to find bamboo poles and use them to pick the magpie and magpie eggs in the nest and compete with each other.

The poor magpie suffered more, and its residence was destroyed before autumn came. Although it considered the prevention of future disasters, it did not anticipate the immediate dangers, so it failed to avoid disasters.

So do people. When we plan the future, we must never forget the present. If we can't give consideration to the present and the future, don't think about problems, and don't do things well, we will all suffer.

4. Yang Gu's foolish loyalty

On one occasion, the Chu army and the Jin army fought in Yanling, and both sides were killed in Longteng. Gong Chu, the king of Chu, personally led the army to participate in the bloody battle that lasted for several days. In the fierce battle, King Gong Chu was seriously injured and had to retreat and temporarily return to the camp.

Sima Zi, the general of the King of Chu, was at the front, tired and thirsty. As soon as he got back to the camp, he clamored for water. There was a servant named Yanggu, who was always loyal to his master and took care of him. Seeing the master like this, he quickly moved an altar of wine to quench his thirst and wiped his sweat with a sweat towel. Sima Zi, who has always been a heavy drinker, forgot everything at the sight of wine and didn't get drunk when he picked up his glass. This time, nature is no exception. When I drink wine, I can't afford it at the moment. Outside the barracks, it's called the voice of war. My son drank one cup after another until he passed out in bed.

After a half-day truce, Gong Chu was ready to launch a new war to welcome the Jin army. King Gong sent someone to Sima Zi's tent to urge him to go to war. Unexpectedly, the son was drunk and snored loudly in bed, so he couldn't get up to fight. So Yang Gu, the servant, told the bearer that his chest ached and he could not go out.

King Gong was very anxious when he heard that the general was ill at this critical moment, so he went to see him himself. As soon as Gong Chu Wang Gang entered the account, he smelled a strong smell of wine and turned purple with anger. King Gong pointed to his son sleeping in bed and shouted, "Today's battle is very important. I will do it myself and get seriously injured. You command the whole army completely. Who knew you dared to fool around at this critical moment? Isn't this an attempt to destroy Chu? Can an alcoholic like you, who ignores the interests of the country, still lead troops to fight? Stop. Stop. Stop. This battle can't be played! "

King Gong Chu had no choice but to order his troops to return to Korea. Zifan's servant, Yanggu, was overwhelmed with regret. He begged the king to forgive Zifan, and he was willing to take the fall for Zifan. The Duke Wang sneered, "As a servant, you only know how to spoil your master, which is a serious crime. Zifan, as a national general, missed the state affairs. Can you change it? "

After King Gong of Chu returned to the DPRK, Sima Zi beheaded the public according to military law. Zifan's servant Yanggu left Chu and disappeared.

As a servant, Yanggu is loving and loyal to his master, but regardless of the occasion and consequences, he still satisfies his master's drinking hobby at the critical moment of the war. As a result, he missed the state affairs and asked his master to call for a fatal disaster. It's too late to regret. This unprincipled and reckless love is really harmful.

5. Cantonese people become immortals

There is a man in Guangdong who has always believed in immortals. What he thinks all the time is to make a positive result, become immortal and ascend to heaven, almost obsessed. But what is the doorway to becoming an immortal? Cantonese people are very upset and can't think of a good way. He thought, there are very few people who live forever, but I am so sincere. Why hasn't God chosen me yet?

You can't find a place to get it, and you don't have to work hard to get it. Guangdong people accidentally learned from a book that there is a kind of fairy grass called Ganoderma lucidum, which looks like a mushroom and has a beautiful color. Eat it and you will live forever. Guangdong people are very happy. They go to the mountains to look around every day, hoping to find Ganoderma lucidum and Xiancao among countless plants.

Finally, one day, as usual, Cantonese people went up the mountain to look for Ganoderma lucidum, climbing mountains and mountains, exhausted. Sitting on a big stone to rest, he suddenly saw a big mushroom growing on a rotten stump not far away. Mushrooms are as big as boxes, with nine leaves and as bright as gold. "Ah, this is ganoderma lucidum. I didn't expect to get it It seems that I am destined to be a fairy! " Guangdong people forgot their fatigue, so they ran to pick mushrooms and took them home in three steps. This mushroom is actually not Ganoderma lucidum, but a common poisonous mushroom in the mountains, but Cantonese just want to live forever and even forget this common sense.

Back home, the Cantonese solemnly said to his wife, "Look, this is what people call the magical Ganoderma lucidum, which can become immortal after eating it. It is said that immortality must be predestined, and God will not let people become immortals casually. But you see, I got all the things that were hard to get. I must be destined to be immortal soon! " So Guangdong people fasted for three days, bathed and burned incense every day, and thoroughly cleansed themselves to show their piety to the immortals. Three days later, Cantonese respectfully took out the mushrooms and cooked them. He thought excitedly, "I will soon become an immortal!" " "Picked up a large piece of mushrooms, sent to the mouth. This meal is terrible. He immediately felt unbearable abdominal pain and his intestines seemed to be broken. He fell to the ground, rolled a few times, and then died.

When the son of a Cantonese heard something moving here, he came to see the situation. He is deeply influenced by Cantonese people at ordinary times, and he also wants to be a fairy, daydreaming all day. At this time, seeing that his father died, he thought about it and said to his mother, "I heard that people who become immortals must take off their remains." People can't become immortals because they are tired of their skeletons. Now, my father has become an immortal. This is not death. "After that, he went to eat the rest of the mushrooms, and soon left his father's old path and died of poisoning. The rest of the Guangdong family are still obsessed with immortality, fighting for mushrooms without thinking, and all of them are poisoned without exception.

Originally, it was obviously a poisonous mushroom, not hard to identify, but the Cantonese family firmly believed that it was Ganoderma lucidum, because they always fantasized about getting something for nothing, which was really puzzling. If you want to live a good life, only by your own efforts is a reliable way, otherwise you will pay a heavy price.

6.stubborn uncle

Once upon a time, there was a man named Uncle Bian, who was very stubborn, often self-righteous and loved to sing against others.

Uncle Qian grows food in the north of Guishan Mountain, but he wants to come backwards with others. He grows rice in a high and flat place and sorghum in a low and humid place. He has a very loyal friend. Seeing that it was not good for him, he gently advised: "Sorghum is suitable for planting in dry places, and rice is suitable for planting in places with low humidity. But now you are just the opposite, violating the growth habits of rice and sorghum. How can we get a bumper harvest? " Uncle Qian listened to his friend's words, didn't take it to heart at all, and went his own way. As a result, he worked hard to plant the land for 10 years, and the harvest failed every year, and there was no reserve in the granary. Seeing that there was no food to eat, he went to see his friend's land and found that his friend had reclaimed it as he persuaded him, so he got a bumper harvest. He can't help regretting it. He apologized to his friend and said, "You are right. I know I have regretted it and will not listen to advice again."

Later, Uncle Bian went to Wenshang to do business. He doesn't even think about doing business. When he sees what others are snapping up, he will definitely buy what he wants. He insists on competing with others everywhere. In this way, once his goods are available, the backlog is huge, and the goods in his hand are always unsalable and the price is extremely low. Qi Shu's friends were worried that he would suffer, so they taught him to say, "People who are good at business will buy goods that others will not fight for for for the time being, so that once the opportunity comes, they can make profits several times." This is why Bai Gui, an ancient businessman, became rich! " Uncle Wang won't listen. 10 years later, Yan Shu often lost money, and finally made ends meet, reaching a very embarrassing situation. At this time, Uncle Qi recalled his friend's words again, realized that his friend was right, and went to apologize to his friend: "I know I was wrong now, and I will never regret it from now on."

One day, Uncle Bian wanted to go to sea and invited his friends to the seaside. His friend sent him to the boat and warned him, "When you get to the place where the sea meets, you must go back to the boat, or once the boat enters, you will never get out." Uncle Yan said that he remembered it and would listen to his friends. Yan Shu sailed eastward with the waves for some days and reached the edge of the abyss where the sea water gathered. At this time, he made a stubborn old habit again, did not believe his friend's warning, and moved on. As a result, the ship was involved in a deep valley. My uncle lived in this dark place, suffering from ups and downs and loneliness, and spent a very difficult nine years. It was not until I caught up with the huge waves aroused when Dakun became Dapeng that I was finally washed out of the ravine and could go home.

When Uncle Qi came home, his hair was all white and his body was as thin as a candle. None of his relatives or friends know him. Uncle Qiu found his friend again, bowed deeply and swore to heaven: "If I don't repent, please ask the sun to testify and punish me." His friend said with a smile; "Repentance is repentance, but what's the use?" It is said that Uncle Bi repented three times and spent his whole life.

Uncle Qian didn't know how to repent until he hit the wall and paid a heavy price, which wasted his youth. We should learn this lesson when we do things, don't go our own way, and listen to your opinions when we encounter difficulties, so that we can succeed.

7. Be happy without thinking.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Wei, Shu and Wu waged a protracted war for hegemony. Among them, the place under the jurisdiction of Liu Bei is called Shu State.

Liu Bei relied on Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and other capable civil servants and military commanders to build the country. After his death, the throne passed to his son Liu Chan. On his deathbed, Liu Bei entrusted Zhuge Liang to help Liu Chan govern Shu. Liu Chan is a very incompetent monarch. He knows nothing and does nothing. All he did was eat, drink and be merry, leaving all political affairs to Zhuge Liang. When Zhuge Liang was alive, he spared no effort to keep Shu in a position of standing with Wei and Wu. After Zhuge Liang's death, Liu Chan was assisted by Jiang Wei, and the national strength of Shu declined rapidly.

Once, Wei Jun invaded Shu, and all the way was like bamboo. Jiang Wei couldn't hold back and finally failed. Liu Chan was in a panic. He didn't have the confidence and courage to continue fighting. In order to save his life, he went into battle shirtless, tied his arms behind his back, made people surrender from the palace and became a prisoner of Wei. At the same time, he was captured, as well as a large number of Shu officials.

After the surrender, Wang Wei took them to Kyoto and lived in Wei, still allowing him to be pampered as before. In order to win people's hearts, he was also named a happy man.

Although Si Mazhao knew that Liu Chan was incompetent, he still had some doubts about him, fearing that he pretended to be obedient on the surface and secretly had the ambition to make a comeback, and intended to give him a try. On one occasion, he invited Liu Chan to drink. During the dinner, he invited people to perform music and dance in Shu. The people of Shu who followed Liu Chan were moved by this scene, and they were so sad that they began to cry. Si Mazhao looked at Liu Chan and saw him grinning happily, so he deliberately asked him, "Do you miss your hometown?" Liu Chan said casually, "It's very happy here. I don't miss Shu. "

After the banquet, his courtiers taught him, "The next time I ask this question, the host will cry and say,' Shu is my hometown, and I don't miss it every day.' This may make Si Mazhao let us go back! "Sure enough, before long, Si Mazhao asked this question again. Liu Chan pretended to be sad and said it again, but he couldn't squeeze out tears and had to close his eyes. Si Mazhao stifled his laughter and asked him, "Did anyone teach you this?" Liu Chan opened his eyes and said in surprise, "Yes, someone taught me. How do you know? "

Si Mazhao knew that Liu Chan was indeed a man without ambition, so he stopped guarding him.

As the head of a country, Liu Chan is so happy that he can't even pretend to miss his hometown. It is a pity that he is so greedy for pleasure that his ambition has reached this level. In any case, we should not give up our ideals, but should be strict with ourselves, aim high and make unremitting efforts.

8. One can ascend to heaven.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Wei, Shu and Wu waged a protracted war for hegemony. Among them, the place under the jurisdiction of Liu Bei is called Shu State.

Liu Bei relied on Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and other capable civil servants and military commanders to build the country. After his death, the throne passed to his son Liu Chan. On his deathbed, Liu Bei entrusted Zhuge Liang to help Liu Chan govern Shu. Liu Chan is a very incompetent monarch. He knows nothing and does nothing. He can only eat, drink and be merry, leaving all political affairs to Zhuge Liang. When Zhuge Liang was alive, he spared no effort to keep Shu in a position of standing with Wei and Wu. After Zhuge Liang's death, Liu Chan was assisted by Jiang Wei, and the national strength of Shu declined rapidly.

Once, Wei Jun invaded Shu, and all the way was like bamboo. Jiang Wei couldn't hold back and finally failed. Liu Chan was in a panic. He didn't have the confidence and courage to continue fighting. In order to save his life, he went into battle shirtless, tied his arms behind his back, made people surrender from the palace and became a prisoner of Wei. At the same time, he was captured, as well as a large number of Shu officials.

After the surrender, Wang Wei took them to Kyoto and lived in Wei, still allowing him to be pampered as before. In order to win people's hearts, he was also named a happy man.

Although Si Mazhao knew that Liu Chan was incompetent, he still had some doubts about him, fearing that he pretended to be obedient on the surface and secretly had the ambition to make a comeback, and intended to give him a try. On one occasion, he invited Liu Chan to drink. During the dinner, he invited people to perform music and dance in Shu. The people of Shu who followed Liu Chan were moved by this scene, and they were so sad that they began to cry. Si Mazhao looked at Liu Chan and saw him grinning happily, so he deliberately asked him, "Do you miss your hometown?" Liu Chan said casually, "It's very happy here. I don't miss Shu. "

After the banquet, his courtiers taught him, "The next time I ask this question, the host will cry and say,' Shu is my hometown, and I don't miss it every day.' This may make Si Mazhao let us go back! "Sure enough, before long, Si Mazhao asked this question again. Liu Chan pretended to be sad and said it again, but he couldn't squeeze out tears and had to close his eyes. Si Mazhao stifled his laughter and asked him, "Did anyone teach you this?" Liu Chan opened his eyes and said in surprise, "Yes, someone taught me. How do you know? "

Si Mazhao knew that Liu Chan was indeed a man without ambition, so he stopped guarding him.

As the head of a country, Liu Chan is so happy that he can't even pretend to miss his hometown. It is a pity that he is so greedy for pleasure that his ambition has reached this level. In any case, we should not give up our ideals, but should be strict with ourselves, aim high and make unremitting efforts.

9. The misfortune of a child prodigy

A child named Fang Zhongyong was born in a peasant family. His family has been farmers for generations, and no one can read. He is five years old and has never seen paper, ink, pens and inkstones.

But one day, Fang Zhongyong suddenly cried and asked for paper and ink from home, saying that he wanted to write poetry. His father was very surprised and immediately borrowed pens and ink from his neighbors. Fang Zhongyong picked up a pen and wrote four poems, and also wrote a title for them. Several scholars in the same village knew about this matter and came to Fang Zhongyong's house to see it. They agreed that he wrote well. So it spread quickly, and everyone who knew it was surprised.

Since then, the family has become lively, and people often come to play at home, and some even let Xiao write poems on the spot. No matter what the topic is, Zhong Yong Jr. can write a poem at once, and the content is profound and elegant, and the literary talent is gorgeous and colorful, which is appreciated by everyone.

Soon, Fang Zhongyong's talent spread all over the county, causing a great shock, and people thought he was a child prodigy. The celebrities and rich people in the county worship Fang Zhongyong very much, and even his father's position has improved a lot. Those people have great respect for Fang Zhongyong's father and often donate money to help him. In this way, Fang Zhongyong's father thought it was a profitable good thing, so he gave up the idea of letting Fang Zhongyong go to school. On the contrary, he took Fang Zhongyong to visit celebrities and rich people in the county in turn every day, looking for opportunities to show Fang Zhongyong's poetic genius, so as to win praise and rewards from those people.

As a result, the prodigy gradually failed. Over time, Fang Zhongyong went from bad to worse, because he only relied on a little "genius" and did not learn the day after tomorrow. By the age of twelve or thirteen, his poems were much worse than before, and everyone who came to talk to him was disappointed. By the age of twenty, all his talents had disappeared, no different from ordinary people. People shook their heads sadly, but a talented teenager finally became a mediocre person.

It can be seen that it is impossible for a person to have innate wisdom without paying attention to the acquired learning. If he doesn't pay attention to accepting new knowledge, he will only fall behind others in the end.

10, clay dolls and puppets

There is a clay figurine and a woodcarving doll by Zishui River in Shandong Province. In a dry and rainy season, clay figurines and puppets had an experience of getting along day and night. Over time, the puppet gradually looked down on the clay doll, so he always wanted to find a chance to laugh at it.

One day, the puppet said to the clay doll in a mocking tone, "You were originally the soil on the west bank of Zishui, but people pinched the soil into you." Don't look at you now, you are full of pride. August is coming, the rain is pouring down, the water suddenly rises, and you will soon be soaked into a pile of mud. "

Clay dolls don't care. It said to the puppet in a very serious tone, "Thank you for your concern. However, things are not as terrible as you say. Since I am a clay figurine from the west bank of Zishui, even if I am washed beyond recognition by the water and turned into a pile of mud, it is only to return my original face and let me return to the west bank of Zishui. But you have to think about it. You were originally a peach tree in the east, but later you were carved into a person. From January to August, it rains cats and dogs, causing the water to skyrocket and the rolling river will wash you away. At that time, you had to go with the flow, and you didn't know where you would drift. Dude, you'd better worry more about your own destiny! "

This fable tells us that those "smart people" who think they are superior should think more about their own shortcomings when laughing at others. Only in this way can we remain modest and prudent and make progress faster.

1 1, the monkey is in trouble.

A group of monkeys live on a mountain by the river. This mountain has waterfalls and flowing springs, lush trees and beautiful scenery. After every spring, the mountains are full of wild fruits. I don't know what year it is. A group of monkeys came to settle on this mountain. Since then, they have lived a carefree life without worrying about food and clothing.

One day, the king of Wu took his entourage to play on the river by boat. He was very excited when he found this beautiful monkey mountain among the strange mountains on both sides of the river. King Wu ordered his followers to park in the river at the foot of Monkey Mountain, and led them to disembark and climb the mountain.

The tranquility of monkeys on the mountain was suddenly broken by so many people going up the mountain. The monkeys looked at each other, and they fled in panic, hiding in the depths of thorns and afraid to come out.

There is a monkey that is different. He calmly stayed where he was, scratching his head for a while, dancing for a while, and casually showing off his dexterity in front of the prince of Wu. The prince of Wu drew his bow and shot out with an arrow. Monkeys are not afraid. The arrows shot by the king of Wu were quickly caught by him. Wu Wang was very angry and ordered his followers to chase and shoot the monkey together. Faced with the arrows shot by so many people, the monkey was at a loss and was immediately shot to death by random arrows.

The king of Wu turned to his followers and said, "It's sad that this monkey lost his life by showing off his dexterity regardless of the occasion. You should all take a warning, don't be arrogant and show off your skills in front of others. "

A wise man knows to hide, but does not show; People who like to show off a little skill are stupid. They either outsmarted themselves and were laughed at, or ended in failure.

12, Liu Ying cries for Wei.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Lu had a daughter named Lu Ying, who was intelligent, sentimental and compassionate. On this day, it was a bright summer night, and a group of girls gathered in the moonlight, singing, dancing and telling stories. While everyone was having a good time, Lu Ying hid aside and secretly began to cry.

A good friend of hers found out and thought something was wrong. She went over and asked Lu Ying quietly, "Why are you crying?"

Lu Yingzhi opened her eyes with tears, looked at her good friend, and then said, "During the day, I heard that the Prince of Wei has a bad personality, likes fighting and lacks love. I was very unhappy at that time. When everyone was telling a story just now, I remembered it again, so I cried. "

At this time, a group of girls who had already gathered around were scrambling to comfort her: "Wang Wei has bad conduct. What does this have to do with our state of Lu? " Besides, fighting is a struggle between princes for hegemony. Can you manage the daughter of a civilian family? It's really worth worrying about these unimportant things! "

Lu ying was very disapproving. She said, "My idea is different from yours. I still clearly remember that a few years ago, when a Fu in the Song Dynasty was defeated and fled through Lu, his horse trampled on my family's good vegetable garden and made my family suffer losses for no reason. Last year, Gou Jian, the King of Yue, attacked the State of Wu for revenge. In order to please the king of Yue, the king of Lu looked for beautiful women among the people to give to him. As a result, my sister was chosen. Later, my brother went to wuyue to visit his sister, and was killed by soldiers in the melee ... "

Having said that, Lu Ying was already in tears, and it was difficult to control herself. The girls around her also bowed their heads sadly. After a while, Lu Ying stopped crying and continued: "These two things tell me that fighting has no national boundaries, and the people suffer first. Now, the prince of Wei loves to fight again, and I only have one younger brother left. Maybe one day, disaster will suddenly befall our brothers and sisters. How can this not worry me? "

Lu Ying realized the philosophical truth that everything in the world is interrelated and causal from her own misfortune, and judged the development direction of things on this basis. This is by no means an "alarmist", but a scientific attitude of taking precautions.