"Complacency will bring harm, modesty will benefit." This saying comes from "Shang Shu - Dayu Mo", which means that complacency will bring harm, and modesty will bring benefits. It illuminates the dangers and advantages of complacency and humility. Complacency makes people feel complacent and stagnant, while humility can make people progress and gain continuously.

The origin is as follows:

View of the Qi Qi

The Qi Qi is an ancient irrigation vessel.

According to "Confucius' Family Sayings·Zhishu" and "Xunzi·Youzui", Confucius once saw the Qianqi in the temple of Duke Huan of Lu. He asked the guard in the temple what it was, and the guard told him: This is what is commonly known as "the utensil for sitting down." Confucius said: I heard that the utensil for sitting down tilts when there is no water, and it tilts when it is filled with water. Turn it over, and it will stand upright when filled with half of the water. Is this true? Confucius asked Zilu to get some water and test it, and it was true. At this time, Confucius couldn't help but sigh and said: "How can anyone be full without overturning? "In ancient times, "forgiveness" and "right", "sitting" and "seat" were synonymous. "Forgiveness to sit" means (to put something) on ??the right side of the seat as a warning. This is also the origin of the motto of later generations. Unfortunately, , the urns from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were lost in the wars at the end of the Han Dynasty.

It is said that there is a batch of painted pottery from the Yangshao Period in Sweden preserved in the Oriental Museum in Sweden. It is a pottery pot with a cone-shaped lower part and two symmetrical ears on the lower abdomen, which are used for tying ropes. Museum staff call it a container for drawing water and praise it six or seven thousand years ago. The ancient Chinese were able to use the principle of buoyancy to carry out labor production. Chinese experts unanimously believe that this object is the prototype of a slug.

On the Gobi Desert 42 kilometers east of Turpan, Xinjiang. There is a group of ancient tombs in Astana. There are 6 murals painted on the walls of tomb chamber No. 216. The first one is a slender vessel. The owner of this tomb seems to be very humble. He not only warned himself to "keep quiet" during his lifetime. "Yingqiu, full of precepts", even after death, you have to remind yourself not to go too far.

This book "The Story of Qi Qi" edited by Comrade Cao Yang is to use the principle of the special utensil "Qi Qi" to It warns people that "modesty brings benefits, but fullness brings harm".

During the Qing Dynasty, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty had people place the Qi Qi in the Forbidden City to express his "fullness". The characteristics of "fullness brings harm, modesty benefits, caution is full and full", and it is used to warn oneself in order to facilitate his own rule. Emperor Guangxu's father, Prince Chun Yi Not only did he put a teapot in his home, but he also wrote a sentence next to it to remind himself not to be dissatisfied. This sentence is: If you ask about this, your wealth will be great, and your inheritance will be great. What is the principle? Children and grandchildren are bold when they have more money. They are not afraid of any big thing and will not give up until they lose their own family. Their wealth is small and their inheritance is small. In the future, their children and grandchildren will have little trouble. They know how to protect themselves and use frugally. Passed.

Although the emperors of the Qing Dynasty placed Qi Qi on their thrones, the Qing Dynasty still did not escape the fate of destruction. It can be seen that the persuasive effect of Qi Qi is very limited, and it is just a formality. It is of no use to those who are greedy and pursue fame and wealth, but after all, it intuitively demonstrates the principle of "empty is empty, medium is righteous, and full is overturned". After reading "The Story of Qian Qi", I feel like it. If it can serve as a warning to smart and reasonable readers, I think the editor will have achieved his purpose.

Hope this helps!