In fact, we have talked about the topic of "don't go near the white tiger" for a long time. Maybe you didn't see it. I remember last year, there was an issue about "Left Dragon and Right White Tiger", including the story of Hu Xueyan's "Don't go near the white tiger".
As many people know, it is said that Hu Xueyan went to Fuzhou after bankruptcy and died in poverty soon. On his deathbed, Hu Xueyan repeatedly told his children to stay away from the white tiger!
Then, according to this legend, a folk proverb was later derived, calling "It is better to be robbed by a peach blossom than to be near a white tiger", which means that this so-called "white tiger" is terrible, even more terrible than disasters such as "peach blossom robbery". So what does this so-called "white tiger" mean and why is it so terrible?
First, what is a "white tiger"? Usually, the "white tiger" people refer to is one of the four great beasts in traditional mythology. The four great beasts are "the left dragon and the right white tiger, with Suzaku in front and Xuanwu in the back", all of which originated from the ancient star worship, and the white tiger ranks right among the four great beasts.
When the ancients observed the celestial phenomena, they found that the outline of the seven nights in the west was like a mighty tiger. According to the theory of Eight Diagrams and Five Elements, the corresponding color in the west is white, so the ancients called the seven western lodges "white tigers".
Tigers, with their fierce fighting spirit, were regarded as the embodiment of the God of War by the ancients, so there were famous military commanders in history who were honored as "white tigers coming to the world".
Later, the meaning of the white tiger was further sublimated and gradually linked to imperial power and military power. For example, the White Tiger Festival Hall in the Water Margin is a military stronghold that symbolizes the emperor's granting of military power to courtiers.
Later, because the battle of officialdom was as cruel as the battlefield, White Tiger also meant to refer to officialdom, especially for a red-topped businessman like Hu Xueyan. Officialdom middleman can not only hold Hu Xueyan high, but also push him into an invincible position at any time.
Therefore, Hu Xueyan's warning of "don't go near the white tiger" is probably a warning to his descendants. Don't make the same mistake, and don't have too much involvement and contact with officialdom.
It is better to be robbed by peach blossoms than by white tigers. White tiger, as we said just now, according to the legend of the four beasts, the evolution of the meaning of the white tiger in the historical process, and Hu Xueyan's own experience, "don't go near the white tiger" means to advise business people not to get involved in the officialdom too complicated.
So "Peach Blossom Robbery", as we all know, is actually what we usually call "Peach Blossom Robbery", which is also commonly known as "Peach Blossom Evil Ghost". In ancient times, it generally means that after a man meets a woman, he can't resist the temptation of beauty and suffers all kinds of unexpected disasters, ranging from damaging his body and money to separating his wife and children.
It is said that Hu Xueyan also experienced "Peach Blossom Robbery". He had thirteen concubines in his heyday. Then more exaggeratedly, Hu Xueyan's way of concubinage is to marry one back today. After a night, he felt dissatisfied, and the next day he gave his aunt several hundred taels of silver to send him away.
At that time, a friend advised Hu Xueyan that "beauty is the bane, and he should stay away from the peach blossom robbery", but Hu Xueyan didn't care at all and went his own way. Therefore, throughout Hu Xueyan's life, the "Peach Blossom Robbery" did not bring him fatal harm, but a "white tiger" gave him a fatal blow. Comparing the two, there is a saying that "it is better to be robbed by peach blossoms than to be near a white tiger".