What allusion does the sentence "The water is too cold" come from?

The allusion comes from the historical story of Qian Qianyi and Liu Rushi in the late Ming Dynasty.

Qian Qianyi was one of the leaders of the Donglin Party in the late Ming Dynasty, rising to the rank of Minister of Rites. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng supported King Fu in Nanjing and established the Hongguang regime of the Southern Ming Dynasty. Qian Qianyi relied on him and served as the Minister of Rites. Later he was transferred to the Qing Dynasty and became the minister of the Ministry of Rites. Liu Rushi was Qian Qianyi's step-wife, and she was originally a famous prostitute (the first of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai).

When the Qing army came to the city, Qian Qianyi had made an agreement with his confidante Liu Rushi to jump into the lake and die for the country. However, after he tested the water, he said: "The water is too cold to go in." As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Rushi resolutely "struck herself into the pool", but Qian held her back from jumping, so the world laughed at Qian's moral integrity, which was worse than that of a prostitute.

It’s okay for Qian Qianyi to be afraid of death. After all, the reason why he surrendered to the city was to save the people in the city (if he didn’t surrender, the city would be massacred), so he used his identity as the leader of Donglin in the Ming Dynasty and a famous figure in the world. Surrendering to the Qing court had a very bad impact at the time. In December of the 41st year of Qianlong's reign, Emperor Qianlong personally issued an edict to include Qian Qianyi in Part B of "The Biography of Erchen" to express his disgust and contempt for him.

In order to ridicule Qian Qianyi's unruly behavior, later generations used the three words "water is too cold" to replace his name.

Extended information:

Qian Qianyi, a romantic old talent who is in danger of losing his late career

As the former leader of the Donglin Party, he is competing with Wen Tiren for power. After he failed and was dismissed from office, he chose to live a leisurely life away from the political center. Qian Qianyi, who was already a has-been star, became popular again because of something.

In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, the 59-year-old Qian Qianyi married the 23-year-old famous prostitute Liu Rushi as his concubine, and for a time he was "infinitely beautiful". Later, he built luxurious residences "Jiangyun Tower" and "Hongdou Pavilion" to hide his beauty in a golden house. The two lived here together and had a great time reading and discussing poetry. Later, Qian Qianyi's first wife died of illness, and Liu Rushi was straightened up and became his step-wife. The two were even more affectionate without any scruples.

If things continue like this, even if Qian Qianyi is no longer a minister in the DPRK and can call the wind and rain, he will still be able to embrace the beauty and be free and at ease. However, fate is so ruthless, and the good days will soon come to an end... In 1644, Li Zicheng's peasant army entered Beijing, Chongzhen hanged himself on Jingshan, and the Ming Dynasty was destroyed.

Qian Qianyi attached himself to the Nanming government, which fled south, and took advantage of both sides, and even became the Minister of Rites. It's just that the small court of Nanming was really weak, and it was in chaos before the Manchus came to clean it up. Soon, the Qing army came to Nanjing, and confidante Liu Rushi persuaded Qian Qianyi to die for the country together. This advice did not matter, and a joke that has been passed down to this day was born.

Qian Qianyi seemed not to want to die, because when Liu Rushi persuaded him, he was silent and thoughtful, neither refusing nor agreeing, which was regarded as acquiescence. When he came to the riverside, Qian Qianyi stretched out his feet to test the water, and a chilling feeling poured into his mind.

Immediately afterwards, an eternal famous saying was born - "The water is too cold, you can't go down!" Then, facing Liu Rushi who struggled to jump into the water, Qian Qianyi dragged him down despite his age. Come back.

Qian Qianyi, who had a try mentality, was completely intimidated, and he actually led his ministers to surrender to the Manchus. The surrender of a leader-like figure will definitely bring a sensational effect. It can be said to be a "great contribution" to the stability of the Qing Dynasty! Shortly thereafter, he made another despicable move.

One day, Qian Qianyi suddenly complained that his scalp was itchy, so he went out. His family thought he had gone to the barber shop to wash his hair. Who would have thought that when he returned home, Qian Qianyi came back with braids. That is to say, he took the initiative to express his loyalty to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, saying that he abandoned the clothes of his homeland and became a courtier of the Qing Dynasty wholeheartedly.

Qian Qianyi was so rich that Qing officials were envious when they saw Qian Qianyi's mansion and home furnishings. Qian Qianyi is very talented, otherwise he would not become the vice president of the "History of the Ming Dynasty". Qian Qianyi is very famous. He was the former leader of Donglin, a romantic and talented man after his retirement, and the leader of the poetry circle in the early Qing Dynasty.

In fact, if we simply comment on this person without considering his character, Qian Qianyi’s personal level is quite high. He is very learned, knowledgeable, and capable, and can even be said to be from the late Ming Dynasty. Everyone. But today, the only thing we remember is this comment: Usually we talk about our hearts with our hands closed, but in times of crisis we say the water is too cold.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Qian Qianyi