1. Zengzi avoided the banquet

"Zengzi avoided the banquet" comes from the "Book of Filial Piety" and is a very famous story. Zengzi was a disciple of Confucius. Once he was sitting next to Confucius. Confucius asked him: "In the past, the sage kings had supreme virtues and essential and profound theories. They used them to teach the people of the world, so that people could live in harmony. There is no dissatisfaction between the king and his ministers. Do you know what they are?" After Zengzi heard this, he understood that his teacher Confucius wanted to teach him the most profound truth, so he immediately stood up from the mat where he was sitting. , walked outside the mat and replied respectfully: "I'm not smart enough. How can I know? Please ask the teacher to teach me these principles."

Here, "avoiding the mat" is a kind of It was a very polite behavior. When Zengzi heard that the teacher wanted to teach him, he stood up and walked outside the mat to ask the teacher for advice. This was to show his respect for the teacher. The story of Zengzi's politeness was passed down to future generations, and many people learned from him.

2. Chengmen Lixue

Yang Shi (1053-1135) was a very talented scholar in the Northern Song Dynasty. He was a native of Jiangle in Nanjian Prefecture (now part of Fujian). After becoming a Jinshi, he gave up being an official and continued his studies.

The brothers Cheng Hao (1032-1085) and Cheng Yi (1033-1107) were famous academicians, philosophers, and educators from Luoyang at that time. They were both the founders of Neo-Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty. . Their theories were inherited by Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty, and were known as the Cheng-Zhu School.

Yang Shi admired Er Cheng's knowledge and went to Luoyang to study under Cheng Hao. Cheng Hao died four years later and continued to study under Cheng Hao. At this time, he was already 40 years old, but he still respected his teacher and studied hard. One day, it was snowing heavily and the weather was freezing cold. When Yang Shi encountered a difficult problem, he braved the biting cold wind and asked his classmate You Ye (1053-1123) to go to his teacher's house for advice.

When he came to the teacher's house, he saw that the teacher was sitting in a chair and fell asleep. He couldn't bear to disturb him for fear of affecting the teacher's rest, so he stood quietly outside the door and waited. When the teacher woke up, there was already a foot of snow under their feet and their bodies were covered with snow. The teacher hurriedly invited Yang Shi and others into the room to teach them.

Later, "Cheng Men Li Xue" became a widely circulated example of respecting teachers.

3. Sending Goose Feathers A Thousand Miles Away

The story of "Sending Goose Feathers A Thousand Miles Away" happened in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, in order to express his support for the Tang Dynasty, the leader of a minority group in Yunnan sent a special envoy, Mian Bogao, to donate swans to Taizong.

While passing by the Mianyang River, the kind-hearted Mian Bogao released the swan from the cage and wanted to give it a bath. Unexpectedly, the swan spread its wings and flew high into the sky. Uncle Mian hurriedly reached out to catch it, but only managed to pull out a few goose feathers. Uncle Mian was so anxious that he stamped his feet, beat his chest, and howled loudly. The followers advised him: "It has flown away, there is no point in crying. It is better to think of a remedy." After thinking about it, Mian Bogao could only do this.

When he arrived in Chang'an, Mian Bogao met with Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and presented him with gifts. When Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty saw that it was an exquisite satin bag, he asked someone to open it and found a few goose feathers and a small poem. The poem says: "Swans pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty. The mountains are high and the road is far away. The treasure is lost in the Mianyang River and falls to the ground crying. The Holy Emperor can spare Burmese Bogao. The courtesy is light but the affection is heavy. Send goose feathers thousands of miles away." Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was inexplicable. Burmese Bo Gao immediately told the whole story. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said repeatedly: "It's so precious! It's so precious! Sending goose feathers thousands of miles away is a light gift but a heavy sentiment!"

This story embodies the valuable virtue of integrity of the gift-giver. Today, people use the metaphor of "sending goose feathers from thousands of miles away" to describe a gift that is thin but the affection is extremely strong.

4. Confucius respected his master

In the spring of 521 BC, Confucius learned that his student Gong Jingshu had been ordered by the king of Lu to go to Luoyang, the capital of the Zhou Dynasty, to pay homage to the emperor. I felt that this was a good opportunity to ask Laozi, the guardian of the Zhou Dynasty, for some knowledge on "rituals", so I obtained the permission of Duke Zhao of Lu and went with Uncle Gong Jing.

On the second day after arriving in Kyoto, Confucius walked to Shouzang Shifu to visit Laozi. Laozi, who was writing the Tao Te Ching, heard that Confucius, who was famous all over the world, came to ask for advice. He quickly put down his sword and pen, straightened his clothes and went out to welcome him. Confucius saw an old man who was over seventy years old and energetic coming out of the gate. He expected it to be Lao Tzu. He hurried forward and respectfully bowed to Lao Tzu as a disciple.

After entering the hall, Confucius bowed again before sitting down. Laozi asked Confucius why he came, and Confucius left his seat and replied: "I have little knowledge and know nothing about ancient rituals, so I specifically asked the teacher for advice." Seeing Confucius's sincerity, Laozi expressed his opinions in detail .

After returning to the state of Lu, Confucius's students asked him to explain Laozi's knowledge. Confucius said: "Laozi is knowledgeable about the past and the present, understands the source of rituals and music, and understands the return of morality. He is indeed a good teacher for me."

At the same time, he also used an analogy to praise Laozi, saying: "Bird, I know it It can fly; fish, I know it can swim; beasts, I know it can run. I can build a net to catch the beast that is good at running; I can catch the fish that can swim with a fishhook tied with a thread. It is a high-flying bird that I can shoot down with good arrows. As for the dragon, I cannot know how it rides the wind and clouds to the sky.

Lao Tzu, he is like a dragon evil! ”

5. Kong Rong let the pear

Kong Rong (153-208), a native of Lu (now Qufu, Shandong), was a famous writer in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and one of the seven sons of Jian'an. , His literary creation was highly praised by Emperor Wen of Wei Cao Pi. According to historical records, Kong Rong was not only very smart when he was young, but also a model of brotherly courtesy, mutual help and friendship.

Kong Rong was four years old. When I was young, I often ate pears with my brother. Every time, Kong Rong always took the smallest pear. Once, his father saw it and asked, "Why do you always take the small one instead of the big one?" Kong Rong said: "I am the younger brother and the youngest. I should eat the smaller ones and let my elder brother eat the larger ones!" ”

Kong Rong understood the principles of courtesy, mutual help, unity and friendship between brothers and sisters at a young age, which surprised the whole family. From then on, the story of Kong Rong letting the pear pass has been passed down for thousands of years and has become a A model of unity and friendship.