40-70 translations of classical Chinese texts for modern middle school students.

40 Yan Zi Pu Yu

When Yan Zi was the Prime Minister of Qi, when he was going out, his coachman’s wife peeped through the crack in the door to see her husband. He raised the hood of the car like a big umbrella, waved his whip and drove the four driving horses, feeling triumphant and satisfied with himself. When (the coachman) returned, his wife asked to leave. The coachman asked her why she left, and the wife said: "Yanzi was less than six feet tall. He served as the prime minister of Qi and his reputation was well-known among the princes. Now I see him when he goes out, with an air of great ambition and far-reaching thoughts, and he often thinks about himself. You look inferior to others. Now you are eight feet tall, but you are just a driver, but you look very satisfied, so I asked to leave." After that, the driver became humble and respectful. Yanzi felt strange and asked him. The driver told him the truth, and Yanzi recommended him to become a doctor.

41 Lu You Builds a Book Nest

In my house, some books are piled on wooden boxes, some books are displayed in front, and some books are placed on the bed. Looking around, there is nothing that is not a book. In my daily life, when I am sick, when I am sick, when I feel sad, melancholy, angry or sighing, I am never without books. Guests do not come to visit, wives and children do not see each other, and wind, rain, thunder, hail and other (weather) changes are not known. Occasionally I want to stand up, but the messy books surround me like accumulated dead branches. Sometimes I can’t walk, so I laugh to myself and say, "Isn’t this the bird’s nest I mentioned?" Invite guests to come closer and take a look. The guests could not enter at first, and those who had already entered the room could not come out, so (the guests) also laughed and said: "It is indeed like a bird's nest."

42 Wei Wenhou asked Li Ke

< p> Wei Wenhou asked Li Ke: "How to govern the country?" Li Ke replied: "The principle of governing the country is to provide food and clothing to those who work hard, and to reward those who have made merit (distribution according to work, and rewards based on merit). Implement a policy of appropriate rewards and punishments." Marquis Wen asked: "I have appropriate rewards and punishments, but the people are still dissatisfied. Why?" Li Ke replied: "There are worms in the country who get something for nothing! I think: cancel the salaries of these people and use them to recruit people." The country's ambitious people have a salary from the country because their ancestors have meritorious service. Their descendants can still (inherit) their treatment without meritorious service. They ride in carriages and horses and wear gorgeous clothes when they go out, and they are considered to be rich and wealthy; at home they indulge in drum music. The enjoyment of singing and dancing is precisely because of the enjoyment of these unworthy children, which disrupts local regulations (distribution according to work and rewards based on merit). Therefore (it is necessary) to cancel the salaries of these people and use them to recruit ambitious people from the country. Sir, this is to eliminate the moth. ”

43 King Chu Gong established a prince

King Chu Gong had many sons he liked, so it was always clear who would be the successor to the throne (the crown prince). Not sure. Qu Jian said: "If this continues, there will definitely be a lot of turmoil in Chu State. A rabbit is running on the street (it must be translated as running), and a large group of people chase it; if one person catches it, the others who have not caught the rabbit will definitely Refuse to leave. If everyone has not decided how to distribute the rabbit, the rabbit will run away, and the group of people will become chaotic again; if everyone has decided how to distribute the rabbit, those who are more greedy will not It will subside. Now that Chu State has so many sons that King Chu Gong likes, and the successor has not been chosen, turmoil is about to happen. The crown prince is the foundation of the country and the expectation of the people; the country has no foundation, and it will disappoint the people. , The foundation of the country is ruined. The country is basically ruined, and turmoil comes, just like a rabbit running in the street." When the King of Chu heard what Qu Jian said, he immediately appointed King Kang as his successor, but it was too late. Later, Ling Yin besieged the city and launched a crusade, and Prince Qiji rebelled.

44 Ox Head and Horse Meat

In the past, Qi Linggong liked women to dress up as men. He felt that it was very majestic, so he ordered the maids to wear men's clothes. After wearing it for a long time, the women of Qi State imitated it. Someone advised Qi Linggong: "Nowadays, all the women in the country wear men's clothes, and they look neither male nor female. If this continues, it will attract the ridicule of all the princes." After hearing this, Qi Linggong realized that something was wrong, so he Officials were sent to inspect the country and said: "Anyone who sees a woman disguised as a man must tear her clothes and cut her belt." So officials at all levels followed suit. However, women disguising themselves as men are still popular everywhere. One day, Qi Linggong asked Yan Ying: "Some people say that it is not good for women to dress up as men. I sent people to strictly investigate, but it is still popular everywhere. Why is this?" Yan Ying replied: "You started asking women to wear men's clothes, and now you are doing it again. Forbidding them to do this is a duplicitous practice, just like selling horse meat with a cow's head hanging on it. If you really want to ban it, you should ban it both inside and outside the palace." Qi Linggong followed Yan Ying's advice. , in less than a month, no middle school girls could wear men’s clothes anymore.

45 Chu people learn the language of Qi

Mencius said to Dai Bu Sheng: "Do you want your king to reach a good state? Let me tell you clearly, there is a A senior official from the state of Chu wants his son to speak the dialect of the state of Qi. Should he let the people of the state of Qi teach him, or should he let the people of the state of Chu teach him? " Dai Busheng said, "Let the people of the state of Qi teach him." Mencius said. Said: "A Qi man teaches him, and many Chu people disturb him. Even if he is whipped every day, it is impossible for him to learn the Qi dialect. If he is taken to live in the streets of Qi for a few years, even if he is beaten every day, it will be impossible for him to learn the Qi dialect. Even if he was whipped, it would be impossible for him to speak Chu dialect.

You say that Xue Juzhou is a good person, let him live next to the king, and everyone around the king will be a good person like Xue Juzhou, regardless of age or status. With whom does the king do bad things? If the people around the king, regardless of their age or status, are not good people like Xue Juzhou, who will the king do good deeds with? What could Xue Juzhou do to the King of Song? )

46 Gong Jicheng does not know the wise

Ji Cheng once said to Wei Wenhou: "Although Tian Zifang is a wise man, he is not a king with a fiefdom. You, the king, are You always treat him with the courtesy of a king, but if someone wiser than him appears, how should you treat him?" Wei Wenhou said: "Ji Cheng is not someone you can comment on at will. Zifang is a benevolent person with high moral character and caring. The benevolent person is the wealth of the country. The wise man who is resourceful and strategizing is the pillar of the country. The scholar who is well-read and well-versed in encyclopedia is the symbol of the country's dignity. , then the ministers will not fight among themselves, if the country has wise men, the neighboring countries will not dare to invade, and if the country has scholars, then the status of the monarch will be very noble. These people are not just Ji Cheng, you can talk about it casually. ”

4 Y9 w; W( ?6 [After hearing this, Ji Cheng stayed in the suburbs for three days to express his apology.

47. Shocked and humiliated< /p>

Being favored and being insulted is like being frightened. Treating such serious problems as honor and disgrace is as precious as one's own life. What does it mean to be frightened when being favored and being insulted? Being favored is despicable, and being favored is particularly surprising. Losing favor is frightening. This is called being frightened by being favored and being insulted. What does it mean to value serious troubles as one's own life? The reason why I have serious troubles is because I have a body; if I don't have a body, what else would I have? What about disaster? Therefore, if you cherish your body in order to govern the world, the world can trust him; if you cherish your body in order to govern the world, the world can rely on him.

48 A gentleman walks in the right way. p>

Zengzi said: "When a gentleman walks on the road, you can see that his father is still there, and you can also see that he has a teacher among him. For those who have neither father nor teacher, what can others do?" Zeng Dian sent his son Zeng Shen out, but he did not come back after the appointed date. People came to see Zeng Dian and said, "I'm afraid he is in trouble." Zeng Dian said, "Even if he is going to die, I am still alive. How can he be?" How dare you die accidentally?" Confucius was imprisoned in Kuangdi, and Po Yuan arrived last. Confucius said, "I thought you were dead." Po Yuan said, "You are still alive, how dare I die?" Hui treated Confucius as Zeng Shen served his father. They respected their teachers to such an extent that they devoted themselves to teaching them.

49 Wang Xingxingjianshu

Wang. Wang Zhen was a frugal, straightforward and unkempt person. Once, the imperial court sent a messenger to prepare a meal for him. The messenger even tore off the edges of the pancake and said, "It's not easy to cultivate and harvest. It's a lot of effort, I'm afraid you won't be hungry if you do this." He ordered his followers to take away the food. The envoy was shocked and felt very ashamed. Once again, a guest ate melon with Wang Zhi, and the guest peeled the melon skin very thickly. , Wang Zhen was not happy. When the melon rind fell to the ground, Wang Zhen picked it up from the ground and ate it. The guest looked very ashamed. He was a stern and impatient man. Once, a petty official reported something privately, but Wang Zhen had no time to order the torture. Pick up your boots and hit him. At every banquet, Wang Zhi personally weighed the wine and meat and distributed it to the soldiers. People at that time praised him for being an average person and laughed at him for being trivial. Wang Zhi's behavior was based on sincerity and he did not do anything cunning or deceitful. Wherever he served, although he had no achievements at the time, people missed him after he left office.

Wang Meng enforces the law in 50

Former Qin King Fu Jian returned from Hedong and appointed the brave cavalry general Deng Qiang as Yushi Zhongcheng. In August, Wang Meng, the internal historian of Xianyang, was appointed as Shizhong, Zhongshuling, and also as leader of Jing Zhaoyin. Tejin and Guanglu doctor Qiangde were the younger brothers of Queen Mother Qiang. He used wine to show off his evil deeds, was arrogant and arrogant, robbed people, property and children, and was a scourge to the people. Wang Meng arrested him as soon as he took office and submitted a memorial requesting for treatment. Before he could receive a reply, Qiang De's body was found in the market. After seeing the memorial, Fu Jian quickly sent an envoy to pardon Qiang De, but it was too late. Wang Meng and Deng Qiang worked together to eradicate evil and rectify unjust cases without scruples. Within dozens of days, more than 20 dignitaries, powerful men, princes and relatives were executed or deposed according to law, which shocked the entire court. I hold my breath and hold my breath, and do not pick up any lost items on the road within the territory. Fu Jian sighed and said: "It's only now that I know that there are laws in the world!"

51 Mencius meets King Liang Xiang

Mencius went to see King Liang Xiang. When he came out, he said: Said: "(King Liang Xiang) doesn't look like a king from a distance, and when you get closer, you can't see anything awe-inspiring about him." (After meeting me) he suddenly asked: "How can the world be restored?" What about stability? ’ “I replied: ‘The stability of the world lies in unifying the world.’ “‘Who can unify the world? ’ “I said to him: ‘A king who does not like killing can unify the world.’ “‘Who will join him? ' "I answered again: 'There is no one in the world who will not surrender to him. Your Majesty, do you know the situation of the growth of the grain seedlings? When there is a drought in July and August, the grain seedlings will wither. Once the sky is covered with dark clouds and it rains heavily, then the grain seedlings will wither. If it is so, who can stop it? And now there is no king in the world who is not fond of killing people.

If there is a king who doesn't like killing, people all over the world will crane their necks and wait for him to rescue him. If this is the case, the people will join him, just like water flowing downwards. Who can stop this roaring momentum? "

52 Mencius answered King Hui of Liang

King Hui of Liang said: "I am willing to listen to your advice happily! Mencius said: "Is there any difference between killing people with sticks and knives?" "(King Hui) said: "There is no difference. " (Mencius asked again) "Is there any difference between killing people with a knife and killing people with political tactics? "Is there any difference between using a blade and politics?" "(King Hui) said: "There is no difference. " (Mencius said again:) "There are fat and tender meat in the kitchen, strong horses in the stalls, (but) the faces of the people are hungry, and the corpses of starvation are lying in the fields, this is (equal to) leading the wild beasts. Eat people! Wild beasts kill and devour each other, and people still hate them. As the parents and officials of the people, managing political affairs, they inevitably lead the beasts to eat people. How can they be qualified to be the parents and officials of the people? Kong Zhongni once said: "The first person to make earthenware figurines for burial should probably have no descendants, right?" ’ Precisely because the clay figurines resembled real people and were buried with them (just imagine that even the use of figurines in burials is not allowed), how could these people be allowed to starve to death alive? ”

53 Wang Xizhi’s Study of Calligraphy

Wang Xizhi of the Jin Dynasty, whose name was Yi Shao, was the son of Wang Kuang. He was good at calligraphy at the age of seven. At the age of twelve, he saw the "Bi Shuo" in his father's pillow. , stole it to read, and his father said: "Why did you steal my secret book? Wang Xizhi smiled but did not answer. His mother asked, "Are you looking at the brushwork?" His father saw that he was too young to understand, so he told Wang Xizhi, "I will teach you calligraphy when you grow up." Wang Xizhi knelt down and said, "Let your son read this book now. Reading it when he grows up will delay his early development." "My father was very happy and gave him the book immediately. In less than a month, his calligraphy had improved a lot. After Mrs. Wei found out, she told Taichang Wang Ce: "This child must be reading "The Art of Using the Brush". 》, I saw his calligraphy recently, and it seems that he has matured into a master. He said with tears: "This child will definitely cover up my reputation in the future." "During the reign of Emperor Jin, the imperial court held a sacrificial ceremony in the northern suburbs. When changing the blessing board, the workers cut off his words and penetrated three parts of the wood. "

54 Shu Ao was taught

Sun Shuao became the prime minister of Chu State, and officials and people from all over the city came to congratulate him. An old man, wearing linen mourning clothes and a white mourning hat, finally came to pay his respects. Sun Shuao packed up his clothes and went out to meet him. He said to the old man: "The King of Chu did not understand that I have no talent, so he appointed me as a high-ranking official like prime minister. People came to congratulate me, but you are the only one who came to mourn me. Do you have anything to say?" The old man said: "There is something to say. People will leave you if you have a high status but are arrogant and rude to others. Kings will hate you if you have a high status but use power without authorization. People who are generous but dissatisfied will be a disaster. Just hide there." Sun Shuao bowed to the old man twice and said, "I sincerely accept your advice and would like to hear your other opinions." The old man said, "The higher the status, the more humble the attitude; the greater the official position. , the more careful you are in dealing with things; if your salary is very generous, don't ask for other people's property easily. If you strictly abide by these three rules, you will be able to govern the state of Chu well."

55 Zilu meets Confucius

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Zilu met Confucius. Confucius asked: "What are your preferences?" Zilu replied: "I like long swords." Confucius said: "I'm not asking about this. With your talent and study , should be able to have good talents." Zilu said: "Can learning improve our abilities?" Confucius said: "It is like if a king does not have ministers who dare to give advice, he will make mistakes in political affairs; if a scholar does not have people who can correct his shortcomings, My friend, it is easy to have defects in your character. You cannot put down the whip for a wild-tempered horse, and you cannot just change the straightening quill when shooting a bow. The wood will be straight after being drawn with ink lines. A person can be of noble character if he can accept kind words and advice. . There is nothing you can't learn if you accept instruction and do evil things at any time. Therefore, a gentleman must learn. "There is a kind of bamboo in Nanshan that does not need to be rubbed." When roasted and processed, it will be very straight. After being sharpened and shot, it can penetrate the thick skin of a rhinoceros. So why do some things need to be learned if they are gifted?" Confucius said: "If you put feathers on the tail of the arrow, the arrow will be sharpened. Being sharp, can't arrows shoot deeper and farther?" After hearing this, Zilu thanked him and said, "It's really a great benefit."

56 Giant Snake Stealing Eggs

Wu's Egg Shop. There are tens of thousands of eggs accumulated (Wu's Egg Shop: a small shop selling eggs in the Wu family; I don't know hundreds of millions: an imaginary number, meaning a lot), but when I count the eggs at the end of the month, there are always a few hundred missing. pieces. (The eggs were missing for no reason.) The owner was very unwilling to do this, so he waited in the chicken coop morning and night for the thief to come. He saw a snake several feet long (one foot is ten feet, and one foot is about one-third of a meter. This The snake looks terrible = =). Its body is as thick as the mouth of a bowl. It sits high on the beam of the house and only lowers its head to suck the eggs. When the snake is still a few feet away from the egg, the egg will run upward on its own (that is, the snake will suck the egg and run upward). After sucking more than a dozen eggs, the snake coiled its body around the pillar, rolled up its body and squeezed the eggs open, thus finishing its meal. Then it came here again and ate the eggs in the same way. The master suddenly realized and said: "You are the thief, I must have a way to retaliate against you.

"So the owner chipped a few egg-shaped wooden blocks out of very hard wood, put them in the basket, and covered them with eggs. The next day the snake came and sucked the eggs again as before, so it sucked the eggs. He also sucked in the wooden egg. After sucking the egg, he coiled around the pillar as before, but his body became tighter and tighter, and his tail kept waving from side to side, as if something was very uncomfortable after a while. After that, the snake ran straight into the courtyard, spinning and rolling, jumping up and down again. It could jump several feet high, but even after three days of this, it was impossible for the snake to digest the eggs made of wood.

57 Encountering Ghosts in Zaiheng

Chen Zaiheng, who was in his sixties, was walking in the wild when he saw two people walking forward with lanterns. I lit a cigarette on the fire, but it took a long time to light it. One of them asked: "Have you passed the first seven days?" Chen Zaiheng was surprised by his words and lied: "No." The man said, "That's right. The Yang Qi is not exhausted, so the Yin Fire cannot be ignited." Chen Zaiheng knew they were ghosts. He pretended, "Everyone says people are afraid of ghosts. Is that true?" The ghost said: "No!" Ghosts are actually afraid of people! Chen Zaiheng said: "What is there to be afraid of?" The ghost said, "I'm afraid of saliva." Chen Zaiheng then took in his breath and spat at them. The two ghosts stepped back three steps away, opened their eyes wide and said angrily: "Are you not a ghost?" Chen Zaiheng replied with a smile: "To be honest, I am just a person who is very close to ghosts!" "(Chen Zaiheng) spit on them again, and the two ghosts shrunk by half; he spit on them for the third time and destroyed them.

58 Chu Zifa Mu

Chu Zifa's mother was the mother of the Chu general Zifa. When Zifa was attacking Qin, his army ran out of food. Zifa sent someone to ask for help from the king of Chu, and asked the envoy to go home to visit his mother. Zifa's mother asked the envoy: "Are the soldiers okay? The messenger replied: "The soldiers can eat beans to satisfy their hunger." "The mother asked again: "How is the general doing? The envoy replied: "The general eats good food and meat every morning and evening." " Zifa returned from defeating the state of Qin. When he returned home, his mother closed the door and refused to let him in. She asked someone to scold him and said, "Didn't you hear about King Gou Jian of Yue's crusade against Wu? Someone offered a jar of fine wine, and King Goujian of Yue sent someone to pour it in the upper reaches of the river, so that the soldiers could go to the lower reaches to drink the river water with them. In fact, there was not much delicious wine in the river, but the soldiers' fighting courage increased five times. Another day, someone sent a bag of dry food, and King Gou Jian of Yue ordered that it be given to the soldiers to share. In fact, there was only a little bit of food, and there was nothing after it passed the throat. But the courage of the soldiers to fight increased tenfold. Now, as a general, the soldiers eat beans to satisfy their hunger, but you are the only one who eats good rice and meat in the morning and evening. Why is this? Isn’t it said in the Book of Songs? "I am happy and do not neglect business, and all wise people are happy." It means that you should not lose your sense of proportion in doing things. You command soldiers into the battlefield of life and death, but you enjoy yourself from above. Even if you can win, it cannot be said to be the right way to use troops. You are not my son, don't come in my door! "Zi Fa had no choice but to apologize to his mother and admit his mistake before entering the house.

59 Nanyuan Shanyu

Liu Nanyuan Gong was the minister of the country, and he retired and returned to his hometown. There was a man named Zhi. The envoy pointed out that he was demanding the subordinate officials in terms of food and drink, and the counties were frightened. The Duke said: "This is a student under my disciple. I should enlighten him and let him know." "When he came, he entertained him and said, "I'm about to serve dinner. I'm afraid it might interfere with your official duties, so I specially reserved this bowl of rice for you." But my wife went to another place and there was no one to cook. Can she eat home-cooked meals? "Zhizhi didn't dare to refuse because of the teacher's order. From morning to noon, he hadn't eaten yet, and Zhizhi felt very hungry. When the meal came, there was only rice and a bowl of tofu. He ate three bowls of each. He felt very full. After a while, all the delicious food and wine were placed in front of him, and he started to eat. The father forced him to eat, but he said, "I'm full and can't eat." "The public smiled and said: "You know that the diet is not refined. It is easy to eat when you are hungry, but it is difficult to eat when you are full. It is just caused by time. "After this lesson, he no longer dares to blame others for his diet.)

60 Liu Zihou's Style

When Zihou was recalled to the capital and returned as governor, Liu Mengde, a native of Zhongshan, and Yu Xi were also deported and should go to Bozhou. Zihou said with tears, "Bozhou is not suitable for people to live, and Mengde has his mother alive. I can't bear to see Mengde in such a difficult situation." Yu couldn't explain everything to her mother, and there was absolutely no reason for her and her son to go to a demoted house together. "I was going to make a request to the imperial court, willing to replace Bozhou with Liuzhou. Even if I was convicted again, I would have no regrets even if I died. At this time, someone happened to report Mengde's story to the court, and Mengde was changed to the governor of Lianzhou. Woohoo! People can best show their integrity and morality when they are in embarrassment. People today admire and love each other, invite each other to banquets, chase games, force smiles to show humility and friendship, shake hands and swear to show sincerity, and point to the sky to draw the sun. , crying bitterly, saying that he will never betray his friends, which seems to be as credible as the truth. However, when encountering a small conflict of interest, even if it is as small as a hair, he will turn against you and pretend that he has never known you. Having fallen into a trap, instead of reaching out to rescue him, he took the opportunity to crowd him out and throw stones. The kind of people mentioned above all behaved like this. I am afraid that even animals and aliens would not have the heart to do this kind of thing, and those people. But they thought they had a plan. When they heard Zihou's demeanor, they should feel a little ashamed.

61 Fifty steps, a hundred steps to laugh

King Hui of Liang said: "I have finally done my best in the governance of the country: in the famine years (poor harvest) on the north bank of the Yellow River, I will move the people there to the east of the Yellow River and transport the grain from the east of the Yellow River to the north bank of the Yellow River. I will also do the same in the bad years east of the Yellow River (the harvest is not good). The people of neighboring countries are not less, but my people are not more. Why?" Mencius replied: "The king likes to fight. Please allow me to use the metaphor of war. The war drums sounded and the two sides were fighting. The defeated soldiers threw away their clothes and dragged their weapons and fled. Some stopped after running a hundred steps, and some stopped after running fifty steps. What if you laugh at someone who has run a hundred steps?" King Hui of Liang said, "No, it's just less than a hundred steps. This is still running away." Mencius said, "Since the king knows this, don't worry about your country. There are more people than neighboring countries. As long as the farming season is not violated, there will be no food to eat. Fishing in the ponds with dense nets will not be allowed, and the fish and turtles will not be able to eat up. There will be no shortage of wood. There is no shortage of food and fish, and there is no shortage of wood. In this way, the people will have no regrets in providing for the living and burying the dead. The people will have no regrets in maintaining their lives and dying. This is the beginning of the king's way."

62 King Wu. Keyin

King Wu defeated the Shang Dynasty, summoned Jiang Taigong, and asked him: "What should we do with the scholars and people of the Shang Dynasty?" Taigong replied: "I heard that he likes that person and will also If you like the crows on his house and hate that person, you will also hate his fence. How about killing them all without leaving any alive?" King Wu said, "No." After Taigong left, Shao Gong came to see him, and King Wu asked: "What do you think we should do?" Shao Gong replied, "How about killing the guilty ones and letting the innocent ones live?" King Wu said, "No." After Shao Gong went out, Zhou Gong came in to see him. King Wu asked, "What do you think we should do?" Duke Zhou said, "Let them live in their own homes and cultivate their own fields. Don't change because of the old dynasty and the new ministers. Close to the benevolent people. When the people make mistakes, they are responsible. On my own." King Wu said: "How broad-minded are the people who want to pacify the world!" Those who respect scholars and gentlemen do so because they are benevolent and virtuous.

63 The utensil is full of covers

Confucius visited the temple of Duke Huan of Lu and saw a kind of utensil that was tilted and easily covered. Confucius asked the temple guard: "What kind of utensil is this?" The temple guard replied: "This is a utensil for people who are lenient to forgive." Confucius said: "I heard that the seat for lenient people to forgive is empty. It will tilt when it is filled with water, and it will turn upside down when it is filled with water. Confucius turned around and said to his students, "Pour water into it." It was upright. When it was filled with water, it tipped over. When the water was emptied, it tilted again. Confucius said with emotion: "Hey, how can it be full without overturning?"

64 Late Bloomer

King Zhuang of Chu has been in power for three years, but he has not issued any orders or dealt with it. Over political affairs. The right Sima attendant sat down and said to King Zhuang in cryptic language: "There is a bird perched on the mound in the south. It has not spread its wings for three years, has not flown, does not sing, and is silent. What should I call this bird?" King Zhuang said: "Three years ago If you don't spread your wings for a year, you'll be able to grow your wings; if you don't fly or sing, you'll be observing people's habits. ” After half a year, King Zhuang took charge of political affairs himself. Ten things were abolished and nine things were established. Five ministers were killed and six ministers were appointed. As a result, the country was governed very well. He mobilized his troops to defeat Qi in Xuzhou, defeated Jin in Heyong, and formed alliances with princes from all over the Song Dynasty. ), only then did he dominate the world ~ King Zhuang of Chu did not stop doing good deeds just because they were too small, so he had a high reputation. I don't show off meaningless things, so I have great merit. Therefore, it is said: "A great talent comes late, and a great sound has a great sound."

65 Confucius Ma Yi

Confucius was walking (tired) and resting on the road, and the horse escaped from the restraints and ate other people's crops. , the farmer took the horse away. Zigong (who was well-known for his eloquence) asked to persuade the peasant. He said everything, but the peasant ignored him. There was a vulgar man who had just studied with Confucius and said, "Please let me go and talk to him." Then he said to the farmer, "You are not farming in the East China Sea, and I am not farming in the West Sea. How can my horse be like this?" Will he not eat your crops?" The farmer was very happy and said to him, "I wish you knew what I said. How could you do that to the man just now?" He untied the horse and gave it to him.

66 Ruins of the Guo Family

Qi Huangong went out and saw the ruins of a place. He asked whose family this was originally? He replied that it was the Qiu Xu of the Guo family, and asked why the Guo family became Qiu Xu? He replied: That's because he is friendly to good people and hates bad people. Duke Huan of Qi said: Being friendly to good people and hating bad people should be the reason for existence, but (now) it has become Qiuxu. Why is this? The answer is: If you don't use good people and don't stay away from bad people, those good people will resent you if they know that he values ​​you but doesn't use you.

Those bad people will hate them because they know they have bad nature and dislike them. If you make good people hate you and bad people hate you, how can you not perish?

67 Chu people offer fish

Someone from Chu State offered fish to the King of Chu, saying: "The fish caught today cannot be eaten or sold. It is a pity to abandon it, so I came here." Dedicate it to the king." The courtiers of the King of Chu said: "This is too disrespectful to the king." The King of Chu disagreed with the courtiers' opinion and said: "You don't know, this fisherman is a kind man. I heard that the Wang family warehouse There is plenty of food, but the country has hungry people; there are many resentful women in the harem, and there are many idle husbands among the people; there is a lot of money in the palace, and there are many poor people in the country. This is all because the king is unethical. Therefore, there is fat meat in the kitchen, fat horses in the stable, and the people have The reason why I am hungry is because the king who has subjugated his country collected the property and hid it in the treasury. I have known this for a long time, but I cannot practice it. The fisherman knew my shortcomings, so he taught me by offering fish to teach me. I want to do good things for the people." So. He sent envoys to care for the widowed and lonely, took out grain from the granaries, and took out money and cloth from the treasury to help those in need; he released the redundant harem maids and let them marry wifeless men. The people of Chu State rejoiced. , the neighboring countries also surrendered to the Chu State. The fishermen offered extra fish to the King of Chu, and the people of the Chu State benefited from it. It can be said that he did a kind and wise thing.

68. Officials meeting Taizu

Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, was playing the piano and watching birds in the back garden one day. An official came into the hall and knelt down, saying that he had something urgent to report. The emperor hurried out to see him and listened to what he played, but what he played was nothing more than ordinary things. Taizu said: "Why is this urgent?" He said: "It is also urgent because the emperor plays the harp and watches the birds." (It means that although this matter is not urgent, but if the emperor is anxious to play the birds and play the harp, then this matter is urgent. I guess it is A kind of irony.) Taizu was angry and hit his mouth with the handle of an axe-like tool, causing two of his teeth to fall out. The official turned back and slowly picked up the tooth and put it in his arms. Taizu was furious and said: "Are you going to take this to sue me?" The official replied: "How dare I sue the emperor? Naturally, there will be historians who record the emperor's words and deeds and write them down." After hearing this, the emperor , his anger subsided, he was given gold and silk to comfort him and allowed him to resign.

69 Don’t blame the maid

Tang Lin has a tolerant and kind temperament and is very tolerant. Once when I was going to mourn, I asked the boy servant to go home and get some white clothes. The boy got the wrong clothes and was too scared to come in. When Tang Lin found out about it, he said to him: "I'm having a bad day today. It's not the right time to cry and be sad. I just asked you to get the white clothes, so don't go." He also ordered someone to cook medicine, but the man cooked it. Tang Lin secretly knew the reason and said to him: "Today's dark weather is not suitable for taking medicine. You should throw away the medicine." In the end, he did not pursue his fault. Yangcheng once ran out of food and sent slaves to ask for rice. The slave exchanged rice for wine and got drunk on the road. Yangcheng went to pick him up and carried him home before he woke up. Later, the slave woke up and apologized to Yangcheng. Yangcheng said: "There is nothing wrong with drinking when the weather is cold!"

Gengyao was in Xi'an in 1970

When Gengyao was guarding Xi'an in 1970, he widely sought out talented people from all over the world. , and supported him as a staff member with generous salary. Jiang Heng applied for the job, and Nian Gengyao cherished his talent and learning very much... When Nian Gengyao was conquering Qinghai, one day after raising his account, he suddenly sent an order: "When we send out troops tomorrow, each person will bring a piece of wood and a bundle of straw." Shang Xia didn't understand the reason. The next day, when they encountered a deep mud pit, they asked the sergeant to bundle up grass and throw it into the pit. Then they covered it with wooden boards, so that the army could move forward without hindrance. The people of this southwest ethnic group used the pit as a natural danger. Unexpectedly, a large group of enemy troops suddenly pressed into the enemy's territory. So he captured the enemy's lair. During another expedition to Tibet, one night when the clepsydra leaked three times, I suddenly heard a strong west wind blowing, and stopped after a while. Nian Gengyao hurriedly summoned the generals, led 300 fast horses out of the camp, and searched for the traitors in the dense forest to the southwest. Sure enough, they all were captured. Someone asked the reason for it, and Nian Gengyao said: "It just stopped for a moment. It was definitely not the wind, but the sound of frightened birds flapping their wings. But the bird flew out in the middle of the night. Someone must have disturbed it. Ten miles southwest of here, there is There must be many birds inhabiting the dense woods. I judged that the thieves must have come to ambush me, so I frightened the birds.

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