"The Biography of Wu Zixu": He was still very spiteful, but he endured the consequences

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Wu Zixu is a figure widely circulated among the people. His "abandoning small righteousness and avenging great shame" is full of legends. Unfortunately, he had to die in a foreign country because of King Wu's husband who "could not wake up and pretended to be asleep". Even his body after death was thrown into the river.

"The Biography of Wu Zixu" focuses on the story of Wu Zixu who was "embarrassed and begging for food" after his father and brother were unjustly killed by King Ping of Chu. He was slandered and given the tragic fate of death. In this biography, Sima Qian not only praised Wu Zixu's integrity and talent, but also expressed his feelings about his life experience by praising Wu Zixu's strong character of "abandoning small righteousness and avenging great shame" and "suffering for fame and fortune". At the same time, around the main line of Wu Zixu's revenge, many revenge stories are also gathered, and by the way, the images of revenge characters such as Fu Chai, Gou Jian, and Bai Gong are portrayed and enriched.

In Sima Qian's mind, Wu Zixu was a "fierce husband". He did not listen to his father's call or obey his father and brother's orders and died easily in order to get revenge in the future; he experienced all kinds of humiliation. After suffering all kinds of hardships, he resorted to a variety of conspiracies in order to seek revenge. In order to set off Wu Zixu's spirit of revenge, Sima Qian specifically included many other revengeful characters and revenge events in the biography. I wonder if it was to vent the grief and anger he had suppressed in his heart? Wu Zixu and King Ping of Chu, King Fu Chai of Wu and King Gou Jian of Yue, and Duke Bai and Zheng all had the hatred of killing their fathers. These unexpected and coincidental grievances, which seem to be consistent but not consistent, have their owners. The waves are surging with infinite murderous intent. When I read what Wu Zixu said before committing suicide: "After I die, please gouge out my eyes and hang them on the east gate of the Wu Kingdom. I must personally see how the Yue Kingdom was destroyed." "Wu Guo", my hair could not help but stand on end and my liver and gallbladder trembled!

Sima Qian said in his analysis at the end of this biography that "resentment is very harmful to people", which seems to mean that Wu Zixu is included in the category of "resentment". According to the biography, Wu Zixu's father said that "a man is a man of integrity." "You can endure criticism and achieve great things" and what Wu Zixu's brother said "You can avenge your father's murder" are indeed the best side proofs. However, after reading the full biography, I think Wu Zixu's "resentment" is also justifiable. .

In this world, there will never be love without reason, and there will never be hatred without reason. "Love makes you want to live, hate makes you want to die" is the instinct of human nature. The past and future lives are still the same. Will continue to be performed. Although Wu Zixu has a cruel "complaining" side, his sincerity of "repaying kindness" cannot be ignored. Traditional culture encourages pleasure and gratitude, and advocates revenge for hatred and repayment for kindness. Wu Zixu helped Helu obtain the political power of Wu, and Helu helped Wu Zixu avenge the murder of his father and brother. They fulfilled each other's grudges and formed an emotional alliance. In order to repay Helu's kindness , he devoted himself to assisting Helu's son Fucha. Even when Fucha listened to the treacherous slander and knew that he was in danger, he entrusted his son to Uncle Bao of Qi State, and he would never leave Wu State to fight with him. The strong contrast between his previous escape from the Chu State where he gave birth and his own life is undoubtedly the best example of Wu Zixu's loyalty to King Wu's house. Until later, when Wu Zixu was forced by King Wu Fu Chai and committed suicide in grief and anger, he was still worried about the safety of Wu. Based on such a comprehensive assessment, it is very unfair to describe Wu Zixu only as "malicious".

Wu Zixu endured the humiliation and bear the burden just to repay the blood debt from King Ping of Chu. Even though King Ping was dead, Wu Zixu still had to "dig up the tomb of King Ping of Chu, take out his body, whip him three hundred times, and then he was gone." The resentment he had accumulated all his life was poured out. It's so hearty and hearty! Sima Qian said at the end of the biography: "Sad husband! Fang Zixu was embarrassed on the river and begged for food. How could he forget Ying Xie for a moment? So he endured for fame, and it was not possible for his fierce husband to achieve this?" Sima Qian equated Wu Zixu's revenge with " "Success and fame" can be said to be the best understanding of Zixu's heart. King Ping of Chu was allowed to kill people, but why was Wu Zixu not allowed to whip corpses? At this point, Sima Qian Wuyi possessed a bold rebellious spirit. Only state officials are allowed to set fires, and the common people are not allowed to light lamps. This is the favorite rule of conduct of feudal emperors, and it also tramples on the civilization that all people are created equal. Perhaps, Sima Qian wanted to use Wu Zixu's "whipping corpse" behavior to express his resentment against the atrocities of all emperors, including Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

For Wu Zixu’s life, later generations’ evaluations are controversial and different. Wang Anshi praised Wu Zixu's behavior very much, saying that Wu Zixu fled decisively when faced with the threat of death. With his strong will and extraordinary wisdom, he borrowed the military power of the State of Wu to avenge his shame. Such behavior was very heroic. The previous escape was not Wu Zixu's. He was afraid of death. Later, Fucha, his son who was loyal to the King of Wu and Helu, was another example of his "regardless of death and admonishment on all matters". Wang Anshi even said that Wu Zixu's loyalty should be ranked alongside the ancient scholar-bureaucrats Guan Yiwu and Zang Wenzhong described by Confucius. Liang Qichao believed that Wu Zixu was a historical sinner, saying that Wu Zixu colluded with foreigners and destroyed his motherland. From the perspective of patriotism, Wu Zixu was undoubtedly a sinner. Combined with the historical environment at that time, there were constant wars during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. People may not be able to ideologically and emotionally agree that the "marquis" they were born in is equivalent to the concept of "motherland" in our minds today. Therefore, I do not agree with Liang Qichao's view and feel that Wang Anshi's evaluation of Wu Zixu is slightly fair.

War cannot avoid bloodshed and sacrifice, and the people who suffer the most are the civilians in the war zone. From this perspective, Wu Zixu's actions are indeed not worthy of praise.

At this point, I can't help but think of "The Family of King Goujian of Yue", one of the thirty aristocratic families in "Historical Records". It is a little regrettable that the two biographies have repeated narrative parts, but they are not completely repeated. In the first biography, the word "laughing" is added before Wu Zixu's "engraved sword to commit suicide", and the specific language of Wu Zixu's remonstrance to his husband is recorded. Comparative reading of the two biographies shows that Wu Zixu's heroic and fierce character is more full.

< p>When will grudges and grudges end? The world is bound to move forward, and human production and life are becoming more and more intertwined. I hope those who hold imperial power and military power can stay calm for a long time and try to avoid falling into conflicts with others. Only in this way can we usher in a more beautiful spring and a higher civilization for mankind more quickly.

2018.1.10 On the way to official business