This sentence is selected from the Biography of Wei Zhi in Old Tang Dynasty, which is the feeling of Taizong Li Shimin after Wei Zhi's death. Because Wei Zhi had been giving advice to Emperor Taizong before his death, Emperor Taizong compared Wei Zhi to a mirror, thinking that people who dare to speak out and give advice can be used as a mirror to let themselves know their gains and losses.
This reflects the magnanimity of Emperor Taizong and the honesty and frankness of Wei Zhi. Expressed the friendship between their monarch and ministers, so Emperor Taizong took "listen to people's words clearly, listen to people's words secretly" as his motto.
[translation]? Using copper as a mirror can straighten clothes; Taking the past dynasties as a mirror, we can know the truth of the country's prosperity; Take people as a mirror, you can understand your own gains and losses. I often keep these three mirrors in case of mistakes. Now that Wei Zhi is dead, he has lost a mirror! After Wei Zhi died, I sent someone to his house and found a page in his bookcase. Just written as a draft, the handwriting is scrawled, except for the first few lines, which read: "Everything in the world has good and evil. If you hire good people, the country will be peaceful; if you hire bad people, the country will be in turmoil. Among the court ministers, the monarch loves and hates their feelings, and often sees only his shortcomings for those who hate them and his advantages for those who like them. Between love and hate, we should be careful. If you love someone who knows his shortcomings and hate someone who knows his advantages, you will not hesitate to repel evil villains, and you will not hesitate to appoint good ministers, and the country will prosper. " That was left by him. In my opinion, I'm afraid it is inevitable to make such a mistake. Officials and courtiers can write his words on the board, and if they know my fault, they must be punished.