They gave me a basket of peaches, and I repaid them with plums.

1. Original text: From an excerpt from "The Book of Songs Daya·Yi" compiled by Confucius of Zhou Dynasty

Piers are virtuous, and they are given to Zang and Jia. Shu Shen, you will stop and don't make mistakes. Don't be a tyrant or a thief, rarely do anything wrong. Give me a peach and give me a plum in return. He has a boy with horns and is really a rainbow boy.

The soft wood is dyed softly, and the silk is made of silk. A gentle and courteous person is the foundation of virtue. He is a wise man who tells you what to say and behaves in a virtuous manner. He calls me a fool and accuses me of blasphemy. Everyone has his own heart.

2. Translation:

Cultivation of virtue and sentiment makes it noble and better. Be careful, behave well, and be well-groomed and polite. He who makes no mistakes and does no harm to others rarely fails to be imitated. Someone gave me a basket of peaches, and I reciprocated with plums. The nonsense about a lamb having horns on its head is really disrupting your Zhou Dynasty.

Tough and tough wood, used to make strings. A gentle, prudent and good-natured person with a deep foundation and high moral character. If you are a wise person, ancient famous sayings are here to advise you, and you should practice them immediately as a treasure. If you are a fool, it is not flattering to say that I am wrong. People's hearts are different and it is difficult to guide me.

Extended information

1. Creation background

King Ping of Zhou is Yijiu, the son of King You of Zhou. King You was mediocre and cruel, doting on Bao Si, but was eventually attacked The Xirong army was killed in Lishan. After King You died, Yijiu was proclaimed king. In the second year of King Ping of Zhou (770 BC), Marquis Wen of Jin, Duke Wu of Zheng, Duke Wu of Wei, Duke Xiang of Qin, etc. escorted King Ping to Luoyi by force, and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty began.

At that time, the Zhou Dynasty was in decline and the princes were in power. King Ping's governance was inappropriate. The author of "Daya·Yi", Duke Wu of Wei, was a veteran of the Zhou Dynasty and experienced four dynasties: King Li, King Xuan, King You, and King Ping. He was an eyewitness to the exile of King Li, the resurgence of King Xuan, and the fall of King You. When King Ping was in power, he was already eighty or ninety years old. Seeing the corrupt conduct and political darkness of King Ping whom he supported, he could not help but feel worried and angry, so he wrote this poem. .

2. Overall Appreciation

The artistic techniques of "The Book of Songs" are usually divided into three main types: Fu, Bixing, Fu, Bixing, etc. The Fu method is used here, that is, direct statement, but This kind of direct statement is not a common narrative but reasoning. "A wise man is not a fool" seems to be an ancient motto. A wise man will make a mistake if he makes a mistake. Therefore, a wise man should also be cautious. The stupidity of ordinary people is their natural flaw; while the stupidity of smart people seems to be contrary to convention and puzzling.

In the eyes of Duke Wu of Wei, it was obvious that King Zhou Ping was not a fool, but now he had become so unreasonable that he was about to lead the Zhou Dynasty into an abyss of eternal destruction. How much Duke Wu of Wei hoped that King Ping could "suppress his majesty and protect his virtue", but the reality was disappointing. So the author then began to make exhortations and satires from both positive and negative aspects.