During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a man named Meng Changjun in the State of Qi. There were many people in his family. Among these people, there is a man named Feng xuān who often stays for a long time and does nothing. Although Meng Changjun felt very strange, he was very hospitable and gave Feng Xuan a warm welcome.

On one occasion, Feng Xuan went to the snow to collect debts for Meng Changjun. Instead of asking the local people for debts, he burned all the bonds (quàn). Xue people all think this is good intentions, and their hearts are full of gratitude. Later, he was dismissed as prime minister by the King of Qi and settled in Xue, where he was warmly welcomed. Only then did Meng Changjun know Feng Xuan's talent. Until then, the taciturn Feng Xuan said to Meng Changjun, "Usually, smart rabbits have three caves, so that they can escape from hunters in an emergency and avoid death. But you only have one hiding place, so you can't sleep with a high pillow. I am willing to arrange two other hiding places for you. " So I went to Liang. He told Liang that if Liang could come and help him govern the country, Liang would certainly become stronger. So, King Hui of Liang sent someone to invite Meng Changjun to Liang State, and prepared to let him hold an important position in governing the country. However, Liang's messenger came three times in a row and told him not to promise. The news that Liang sent someone to manage Liang reached the king of Qi. The king of Qi was in a hurry, so he quickly sent someone to invite Meng Changjun back to Qi as prime minister. Feng Xuan asked the King of Qi for the ancestral sacrificial vessels of the State of Qi, and put them in the place of Snow Emperor. At the same time, a shrine was built to ensure the safety of Snow Emperor. After the temple was built, Feng Xuan said to Meng Changjun, "Now your three safe places have been built. From then on, you can raise your pillow and sleep peacefully. "

The idiom "Three Caves of the Cunning Rabbit" means Three Caves of the Cunning Rabbit. Metaphor is a hiding place.

22. Cockcrow and theft

On one occasion, Meng Changjun led all the guests to the State of Qin. Zhao Haoqi of Qin kept him and wanted him to be prime minister. Meng Changjun didn't dare to offend Zhao Haoqi of Qin, so he had to stay. Soon, the ministers advised the king of Qin, saying, "It is not good for the king of Qin to keep Meng Changjun. He was born in the royal family, and he had fiefs and family members in the state of Qi. How can he really work for Qin? " Zhao Haoqi of Qin felt right, so he changed his mind and put Meng Changjun and his men under house arrest, just waiting for an excuse to kill them.

Zhao Haoqi has a favorite concubine. Meng Changjun sent for her help. The princess agreed, on the condition that a white fur coat (qiú) of a fox on a Chinese odyssey was presented. This can be called Meng Changjun, because he gave this fox's white fur to Zhao Haoqi of Qin as soon as he arrived in Qin. Just then, a janitor said, "I can get the fox and the white fur!" " "This doorman is good at stealing dogs. He learned that the fox white hair was put in the fine storage room of the palace, so he got into the storage room by moonlight and stole the fox white hair. The princess was very happy to see the fox Bai Qiu. She tried to persuade Qin to give up the idea of killing.

Meng Changjun immediately led his men to ride to the East overnight. It was midnight when I arrived at Hanguguan (now Lingbao County, Henan Province, which was the east gate of Qin State). According to the law of Qin State, Hangu Pass is not opened until the cock crows every day. Why do chickens crow in the middle of the night? When everyone was worried, only a few "oh oh" cocks crowed, and then all the cocks outside the city crowed. It turns out that another public in Meng Changjun can crow like a chicken, and the chicken will crow as soon as it hears the first crow. Why do practical chickens crow before going to bed? Although the soldiers guarding the customs felt strange, they had to get up and open the door to let them out.

At dawn, Zhao Haoqi of Qin learned that Meng Changjun had escaped and immediately sent troops to chase him. I've been through Hangu Pass for a long time. With the help of a confidant, he fled back to Qi.

The idiom "a chicken calls a dog to steal" refers to a humble skill or a person with this skill.

23.rumors

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a man named Pore in the State of Qi. He loves to hear those unfounded legends, and then tells others what he has heard with relish. Once, Pore heard about a duck and a piece of meat. He felt very strange and told it to Ai Zi. He said, "There was a man who kept a duck that could lay eggs. This duck can lay more than 100 eggs a day. " Seeing Ai Zi smiled, he added, "That day, a piece of meat fell from the sky. It is 30 feet long and 10 feet wide. " Ai Zi smiled and asked, "Really? Is it as long as meat? " Pore quickly said, "Oh, that's twenty feet long." Ai Zi still doesn't believe it. He changed his tune again: "It must be ten feet long." Ai Zi said, "Who raised the ducks you mentioned? Where did you say the meat fell? " Pore faltered, and finally had to say, "I heard it on the road."

The idiom "hearsay" comes from this story. This idiom means to hear unfounded remarks or rumors on the road and then pass them on to others.

24. Repeated orders and applications

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a famous strategist named Sun Wu. He went to see the King of Wu with his Art of War. After reading it, he said, "I have read all your thirteen art of war. Do you want to try my army? " Sun Wu said yes. The king of Wu asked again, "Is it okay to do experiments with women?" Sun Wu said nothing. So the king of Wu summoned 180 beautiful women in the palace and asked Sun Wu to train.

Sun Wu divided them into two teams, with two ladies-in-waiting favored by the prince of Wu as captains, and told them to each take a halberd (jǐ). After the team stood still, Sun Wu ordered him to move out of YUE (an ancient instrument of torture for killing people) and admonished him for three transgressions and five times. Then he beat the drum and gave the order to turn right. How do you know that the female soldiers not only don't follow orders, but laugh.

When Sun Wu saw this situation, he explained what he had just said to them in detail, and then beat the drum to give the order to turn left. All the female soldiers still just laughed. Sun Wu said, "It's the general's fault that the explanation is unclear. Since it is obvious that it is the fault of the captain and the soldiers not to obey orders. " Say that finish, entourage pushed the two captains out to behead. When the king of Wu saw that Sun Wu was going to behead his beloved Ji, he quickly sent someone to plead with Sun Wu, but Sun Wu said, "Since I was appointed as a general, I am in the army, and your life will not be affected!" He ordered two female captains to be beheaded, and then ordered two leaders to be captains. Since then, all the female soldiers have practiced their own complex movements, left and right, and even knelt down to stand up and never dared to play again.

"Three orders and five applications" is to repeatedly warn people.

25. A panicked bird

One day, Lei Geng and Wang Wei stood on a high platform and looked up and saw birds flying in the sky.

Lei Geng said to Wang Wei, "Please have a look. I can shoot that bird with a bow instead of an arrow. "

Wang Wei said incredulously, "Can your marksmanship reach this level?"

Lei Geng said confidently, "Yes."

After a while, a wild goose flew in from the east. Lei Geng picked up the bow and pulled the empty string, and the geese immediately fell to the ground.

Wang Wei exclaimed, "Your archery can reach such a level!"

Lei Geng said, "This is an injured lone goose!"

Wang Wei said, "How does Sir know?"

Lei Geng replied, "It flies very slowly, and its cry is very sad. Flying slowly is because of the pain of an old injury; I cried miserably because I lost the group for a long time. Because its old wound has not healed and its fear has not been removed, as soon as it hears the bowstring ring, it flies high, causing the wound to rupture and fall from the sky. "

This idiom is often used to describe people who are frightened and are particularly afraid at the sight of a little movement.

26, stupefied

During the Warring States period, cockfighting was a fun activity for nobles, and the King of Qi was a cockfighting fan at that time. In order to win on the chicken farm, the King of Qi specially invited expert Ji (shěng) to help him train chickens.

The king of Qi was eager to win, and after a few days, he sent someone to urge him. Kiko said, "The chicken is not well trained. As soon as it sees its opponent, it is eager to try and can't hold its breath. " A few days later, the King of Qi sent someone to ask, and Kiko said, "Not yet. It seems that the chicken does not move, but it is not calm enough. " A few days later, Kiko finally said to the bearer, "Please tell King Qi that I spent time training this chicken." When it comes to cockfighting, the opponent's chicken barks and jumps, while Ji's good chicken, like a wooden chicken, has no reaction at all. The other chickens were scared away when they saw its dull appearance. So the king of Qi used this chicken to fight with others and naturally won. Don't mention his happy appearance.

Later, people extended the idiom "stupefied" to be very stupid, and also described being in a daze because of fear or surprise.

27. Joy begets sorrow.

During the Warring States Period, Qi Weiwang often indulged in debauchery all night, regardless of state affairs. Many governors took the opportunity to invade and the country was in danger. Ministers who dare not persuade, just worried. There was a man named Chunyu Kun in the State of Qi. He is witty and eloquent, and likes to satirize Wang Wei's mistakes with argot.

On one occasion, Chu sent troops to invade Qi, and Chunyu Kun (kūn) was ordered to invite Zhao's elite soldiers to come to the rescue, and the Chu army retreated that night. Qi Weiwang was very happy and gave a banquet to celebrate Chunyu Kun's achievements in recruiting soldiers. During the dinner, Qi Weiwang asked Chunyu Kun how much he could drink to get drunk. Chunyu Kun replied, "You get drunk after drinking a bucket, and you get drunk after drinking a stone."

Qi Weiwang thought Chunyu Kun's words were strange and asked him, "What do you mean?"

Chunyu Kun replied: "Like today, drinking the wine given by the king, there are law enforcement officers who carry out the wine order, and then there are suggestions. I was scared while drinking, so I got drunk after drinking. "

Qi Weiwang asked with interest, "How about a stone?" Chunyu Kun replied, "If you meet a long-lost friend and talk and laugh while drinking, you can drink eight barrels and one stone. Therefore, if you drink too much, you will be confused and rude, and eating, drinking and being merry will turn into sorrow. Everything in the world is like this. "

Qi Weiwang knew that Chunyu Kun was trying to persuade him gently, so he got rid of the bad habit of drinking all night. The idiom "Happiness begets sorrow" describes that happiness turns into sadness.

28, a blockbuster

During the Warring States Period, Qi Weiwang succeeded to the throne for three years, but he drank and had fun all day and was indifferent to state affairs.

Minister Chun Yukun came up with a way to motivate Qi Weiwang. He said, "Your Majesty, I heard that there is a big bird in the State of Qi, which has not flown or barked for three years ..." He deliberately paused and tentatively asked, "Does your Majesty know what kind of bird this is?" When Qi Weiwang knew that Chunyu Kun was alluding to himself, he couldn't help laughing. After laughing for a while, he said, "This bird can fly without flying, and it will soar in the sky;" If you don't sing, it will be a blockbuster! "

Since then, Qi Weiwang has visited many places. When you see a competent doctor, you will be rewarded; Find a doctor who sabotaged production and throw him into the oil pan for execution. Then, he strictly reorganized the army and defeated the invading Wei Jun. Qi Weiwang's "blockbuster" shocked monarchs all over the world.

The idiom "blockbuster" means to be unknown at ordinary times and suddenly make an amazing move.

29. Three makes a tiger

Pang Cong, minister of Wei, will accompany Wang Wei to Zhao as a hostage. Before he left, he said to Wang Wei, "Now some people say there are tigers in the market. Do you believe it? "

Wei Wangdao: "I don't believe it."

Pang Cong said, "If a second person said there were tigers in the market, would your majesty believe it?"

Wei Wangdao: "I have some doubts."

Pang cong added, "if a third person says there are tigers in the market, will your majesty believe it?"

Wei Wangdao: "Of course I will believe it."

Pang Cong said: "It is clear that there will be no tigers in the market, but after three people said it, it seems that there really are tigers." Now Handan, the capital of Zhao, is far away from the capital of Wei, much farther than the market here, and there are more than three people who say that I am. I hope the king can see clearly. "

Wei Wangdao: "I know everything myself."

Pang Cong accompanied the prince back to China, but Wang Wei didn't summon him again.

Later generations extended this story to the idiom "three men make a tiger", which is borrowed to mean that sometimes rumors can cover up the truth.

30. An old horse knows the way

During the Warring States Period, Qi Huangong sent troops to attack this country, but there was no final destination. When the Qi army returned smoothly, because they were not familiar with the terrain, they walked into a canyon and lost their way. Guan Zhong, a resourceful strategist of Qi, said to Qi Huangong, "An old horse knows the way. Many horses without a final country belong to Shan Rong. It is better to choose a few old horses without a final country and let them go ahead. Maybe we can find a way out. " Although Qi Huangong was skeptical, there was no other way. He agreed to give it a try. So Guan Zhong picked a few old horses and let them walk in front, followed by a large group of people. Several old horses walked unhurriedly, and sure enough, they walked out of the valley and returned the same way. Everyone had a narrow escape and admired Guan Zhong's resourcefulness. Since then, "an old horse knows the way" has also become a widely circulated idiom. Metaphor is experienced and can lead novices to work.

3 1, wai Wei to save Zhao

During the Warring States Period, Wei Huiwang appointed Pang Juan as the general, attacked Zhao on a large scale and besieged Handan, the capital of Zhao. Knowing that national strength was hard to resist Wei Jun, Zhao Chenghou dedicated the land of Zhongshan to Qi, asking Qi to send troops to clear the way. The King of Qi worshipped Tian Ji as a general and Sun Bin as a strategist, and led the troops to save Zhao. Sun Bin put forward a plan: "When Wei attacked Zhao, all the elite troops must be sent out, leaving only the old, the weak and the sick at home. We might as well threaten to attack the girder. When Wei Jun heard about it, he would definitely withdraw from the periphery of Handan and go back to save the girder. If we attack Wei Bing in the middle, we will surely win a great victory. " Tian Ji used Sun Bin's trick. When Pang Juan heard the news that Qi had attacked the girder, he immediately withdrew the soldiers who surrounded Handan to save the girder. Who knows that Wei Jun was stopped by the Qi army in Guiling, and he had to withdraw the girder when he was killed, so the siege of Zhao was solved.

The idiom "encircling Wei to save Zhao" refers to the tactics of attacking the enemy's stronghold in the rear and forcing the attacking enemy to retreat.

32. Return to Zhao intact.

In 283 BC, King Huiwen, the monarch of the State of Zhao, got a piece of jade called "Heshibi", which is priceless. Zhao Haoqi of Qin heard about it, and he was very envious and wanted it.

So Zhao Haoqi, the king of Qin, sent messengers with letters to see King Zhao Huiwen. It is said that the State of Qin is willing to exchange 15 cities for that piece of "harmony". This stumped the prince of Zhao and gave him the jade, fearing that the king of Qin would not keep his word and take the jade away from the city; Do not give it to me. Afraid of angering the king of Qin, he led troops to attack Zhao. He discussed the matter with the ministers. Later, a man recommended his doorman, Li ì n, to go to the State of Qin to deal with this matter. King Huiwen sent someone to call Lin Xiangru to talk, thinking that he was a suitable candidate, and decided to send him to the State of Qin with Cai Mao.

Lin Xiangru went to the state of Qin and presented this jade to the king of Qin. The king of Qin looked at it and found that the jade was flawless and crystal clear. It was priceless, and he was so happy that he kept smiling. He read it again and again for a long time and passed it on to the ministers around him and the beautiful women in the harem. They were full of praise and congratulated the king of Qin. Lin Xiangru stood by and waited for a long time, but he didn't see the change in Qin Cheng. He knew that Qin wanted to fool Bi (kuāng). But at this time, the jade has been given to them and cannot be forcibly taken back. Lin Xiangru used his quick wits and politely said to the king of Qin, "Although this jade is the best treasure in the world, it's a pity that there is still a small spot on it. Your majesty may not have seen it. Let me show it to your majesty. " The king of Qin believed it and returned the jade to Lin Xiangru. Lin Xiangru took the "Heshibi" in his hand, stepped back several times, leaned against the temple pillar, and solemnly said, "This" Heshibi "is a treasure that everyone knows. At the beginning, the king sent a letter saying that he would exchange 15 city for this jade. But today, I watched the king sit and collect jade, and casually gave it to others. I didn't mean to change cities at all, so I took it back. If your majesty forces me, I would rather smash my head on this temple pillar together with this jade! " Say that finish, will hit the post. The king of Qin quickly greeted him with a smile and dissuaded him, and asked people to use maps to explain to Zhao which cities to cut. Knowing that the king of Qin wanted to hold him steady first, Lin Xiangru said to the king of Qin, "This jade is a rare treasure. Before King zhāi sent him away, he fasted for five days and held a grand ceremony to send him away. If the king really wants to change the jade, he should also fast for five days and hold corresponding ceremonies to change the jade to the city before I dare to give it away. " Zhao Haoqi of Qin saw Lin Xiangru's resolute attitude and knew that it was impossible to take it by force, so he agreed.

Lin Xiangru returned to the hotel, sent a servant to disguise himself, wrapped the jade wall around his waist, and secretly sent it back to Zhao along the path.

Five days later, the king of Qin invited the envoys of Chu, Yan, Qi and Wei to attend the ceremony of picking up the bride, hoping to show his prestige. After the arrangement, Zhao Xuan's emissary went to the temple. Lin Xiangru saluted the envoys. Seeing that he was empty-handed, the king of Qin asked him where the jade was. Lin Xiangru said unhurriedly, "Since Mu Gong, there have been more than 20 monarchs in your country, and none of them has kept his word. Now I am also afraid of being cheated, so I sent someone to send' He Shizhen' back to Zhao. " Hearing this, the king of Qin flew into a rage, which made Lin Tiexiang stand up and condemn him. Lin Xiangru said calmly, "Please calm down your anger. Let me make it clear in front of everyone: As we all know, Qin and Zhao Guoqiang are both weak countries, and only strong countries bully weak countries, and weak countries never bully strong countries. If the king really wants this jade, it is not difficult. Give the city of 15 to Zhao first, and then send messengers to Zhao to get jade from me. Zhao would never dare to take the city without giving it to jade, in order to carry a bad name. I know I fooled the king this time, and I deserve to die. Please punish me, let all countries know that the king killed Zhao's emissary in order to get a jade jade, and let everyone know right and wrong. " The king of Qin was stunned by this sentence. He thought that even if he killed Lin Xiangru, he would not finish his work, and he had a bad reputation, so he ordered Lin Xiangru to be released. As a result, the State of Qin was reluctant to give the city of 15 to the State of Zhao, and Zhao did not give the State of Qin a "harmonious treasure".

Later, people used the idiom "return things to their original owners" to mean returning the original to me intact.

33. apologize humbly

During the Warring States Period, King Huiwen of Zhao made some achievements in Lin Xiangru's diplomacy, and worshipped Lin Xiangru as Shangqing, ranking above General Lian Po. Lian Po was unhappy, and felt that he had made a great contribution, unconvinced. He threatened to insult Lin Xiangru to his face. After Lin Xiangru knew about it, he didn't want to compete with Lian Po for priority, so he avoided Lian Po everywhere, and he fell ill in fashion, so as to avoid it.

On one occasion, when Lin Xiangru went out by car, he saw Lian Po's car coming from a distance and quickly asked his men to drive to an alley to escape. His people thought that his master was afraid of Lian Po, and they were very confused. Lin Xiangru explained to them, "I am not afraid of Qin's strength. General Lian has nothing to be afraid of. I think, the reason why Qin dare not fight against our Zhao easily today is only because Zhao has me and General Lian. If General Lian and I can't live in harmony, fighting like a tiger, and a tiger is injured, Qin will take the opportunity to invade Zhao. I avoided General Lian because I put national security first, regardless of personal grievances. "

Lin Xiangru's words reached the ears of Lian Po, and Lian Po was deeply moved by Lin Xiangru's generosity and felt very ashamed. So he took off his coat, tied a crutch on his back, and invited people to Lin Xiangru's house to confess their sins. The two became best friends from then on.

Later, "offer a humble apology" was used to express an apology to others.

34. An armchair strategist

During the Warring States Period, Zhao Kuo, the son of Zhao She, a famous soldier of the State of Zhao, was familiar with the art of war since he was a child and was eloquent. YiWen Zhao was confused by him. After a long time, Zhao Kuo thinks that no one in the world can match him.

In 260 BC, Chiyou's army invaded Zhao, appointed Lian Po as general, and led the army to resist. Seeing that Lian Po was powerful, he established a base area in Changping and held on to it, thus forming a confrontation with Chi. When Qin couldn't win, he sent spies to Zhao to spread rumors that Lian Po was afraid of stinging, and Qin was worried that Zhao Kuo would be appointed as general. The prince of Zhao was really taken in, and Zhao Kuo became a general instead of Lian Po. Because Zhao Kuo had no actual combat experience, he only talked on paper. As a result, he was trapped in Qin Jun, and was shot dead by random arrows when he broke through. Zhao's 400,000 troops were buried alive by general Qin Jun.

Nowadays, people use the idiom "an armchair strategist" to describe a person who is divorced from reality and talks big.

35, outbreeding and close attack

At the end of the warring States period, the seven chivalrous men competed for hegemony. After Shang Yang's political reform, Qin's power developed fastest. Zhao Haoqi of Qin began to plot to annex six countries and monopolize the Central Plains. In 270 BC, Zhao Haoqi of the State of Qin was ready to set out to cut Qi. In order to prevent the State of Qin from attacking the State of Qi, Fan Ju proposed the strategy of "making friends far away and attacking near" to King Zhao of Qin. He said: Qi is powerful and far from Qin. To attack Qi, the troops had to pass through Korea and Wei. It is difficult to win with few troops; Send more troops, even if you win, you can't occupy the land of Qi. It is better to attack neighboring Korea and Wei first and advance gradually. In order to prevent Qi from forming an alliance with Korea and Wei, Qin Zhao Haoqi sent envoys to form an alliance with Qi. After more than ten years, Qin Shihuang continued to adhere to the policy of "making friends far away and attacking near", making friends widely, first capturing Korea and Wei, then invading from two wings, breaking through Zhao and Yan and unifying the north; Break the state of Chu and pacify the south; Finally, qi was also cleaned up. After ten years of war, Qin Shihuang finally realized his wish of reunifying China.

Distant friends and close attacks, and the words "The Warring States Policy * Qin Ce" came out: Fan Ju said, "You might as well make distant friends and close attacks. Push your luck, push your luck; A foot is also the ruler of the king. " This is a famous saying that Fan Ju persuaded the king of Qin. Attack from afar and attack from near is a strategic strategy to divide and disintegrate enemy alliances, break them one by one, make friends with countries far away from themselves and attack neighboring countries first. When the attempt to achieve military goals is difficult to achieve due to geographical restrictions, we should first strike the nearest enemy, but not surpass the near enemy to strike the enemy far away from us. In order to prevent the enemy from forming an alliance, we should do everything possible to divide the enemy and separate them one by one. After destroying the near enemy, the "far" country became a new target of attack. The purpose of "making friends" is actually a diplomatic deception strategy to avoid making too many enemies.

Later, people used the idiom "making friends far away and attacking near" to describe a way to treat people.