"The king's search for wise men is like drawing water from the river, and making fire from a stove." The translation is that the king's search for wise men is like going to the Yellow River to draw water, and making fire from flints.

This sentence comes from "Warring States Policy·Qi Cesan", which is a classical Chinese article recording the story of Chunyu Kun, a political figure in the Qi State during the Warring States Period.

1. Original text

When a king asks for a scholar from Kun, it is like drawing water from a river and making fire from a sui. General Kun saw him again, how could he be the seventh scholar?

2. Translation

The king seeking wise men from me is like going to the Yellow River to fetch water or flint to make fire. I will continue to recommend virtuous people to the king, are they just these seven?

3. Appreciation

This sentence is Chunyu Kun's answer to King Qi Xuan, expressing his confidence in himself and his understanding of the wise men. He used the two metaphors of pouring water from a river and making fire from a firewood to illustrate that it is not difficult to find wise men, as long as you find the right people and methods. He also hinted that he had more wise men to recommend, showing his magnanimity and talent. This sentence has an appropriate tone and profound artistic conception. It is a famous saying.

"Warring States Policy":

"Warring States Policy" is a country-specific history book. It mainly describes the political opinions and strategies of the strategists during the Warring States Period, and shows the policies of the Warring States Period. The historical characteristics and social features are important classics for studying the history of the Warring States Period. The whole book is compiled according to the countries of Eastern Zhou, Western Zhou, Qin, Qi, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan, Song, Wei and Zhongshan, with a total of thirty-three volumes, about One hundred and twenty thousand words.

The author is not one person, and the book was not written overnight. Most of the authors of the articles in the book are unknown. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xiang compiled it into thirty-three chapters, and the title of the book was also drafted by Liu Xiang. There were some deficiencies in the Song Dynasty, which were revised and supplemented by Zeng Gong. There is a note from Gao Ying of the Eastern Han Dynasty, but it is now incomplete. Song Baobiao changed the order of the original book and made new annotations. Wu Shidao wrote the "Correction Notes", the modern Jin Zhengwei wrote the "Supplementary Notes", and the contemporary Miao Wenyuan wrote the "New Notes on the Warring States Policy".

The articles in "Warring States Policy" have different styles, some are rich in literary talent, some are absurd, some have historical value, and some reflect the ideological concepts and cultural characteristics of the time. "Warring States Policy" is a classic that has both historical and literary value. It has a considerable influence on the development of ancient Chinese historical biographies, cultural and political papers.