Buy caskets and return pearls

In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a businessman in Chu State who specialized in selling jewelry. Once he went to Qi State to sell jewelry for business

Well, in order to make the jewelry sell well, we specially use precious wood to make many small boxes, carve and decorate the boxes very delicately and beautifully

so that the boxes will emit a fragrance, and then put the jewelry inside the boxes. .

There was a Zhengguo man who saw that the box containing the pearls was exquisite and beautiful. After asking about the price, he bought one, opened the box

and took out the treasure inside. Return to jeweler.

A blockbuster

During the Warring States Period, there was a man named Chunyu Kun in the State of Qi. He is very eloquent and good at talking. He often used some interesting cryptic words to persuade the monarch, so that the monarch not only was not angry, but also willing to accept it.

The mighty king of Qi at that time was originally a very intelligent monarch. However, after he came to the throne, he was addicted to wine and sex.

Ignoring national affairs, he only knew that every day He drank and had fun, and left all the important matters to the ministers, while he himself ignored them.

As a result, politics was not on track, officials were corrupt and derelict in their duties, and princes from various countries also took the opportunity to invade, bringing Qi to the edge of destruction

.

Although some patriotic people in Qi were very worried, they were all afraid of the King of Qi, so no one came out to persuade him.

Remonstrance.

In fact, the Qiwei royal family is a very smart person. He likes to speak some argot to show his wisdom. Although he does not like to listen to other people's advice, but if the advice is correct, , he will still accept it. After Chunyu Kun knew this, he thought of a plan and prepared to find an opportunity to advise King Qi Wei.

One day, Chunyu Kun saw King Wei of Qi and said to him: "Your Majesty, I have a riddle for Chen to ask you to guess: Its

The state-owned juice big bird , has lived in the palace of the king for three full years, but he neither flutters his wings nor makes a name.

He just curls up aimlessly. Guess, my king, this is a What kind of bird is it?"

King Qi Wei was a smart man, and he knew that Chun Yukun was making fun of himself. Like that big bird, as a country

He has done nothing but enjoy himself. But he was no longer a mediocre king, so after pondering for a while, he resolutely decided to change his mind, cheer up, and do something spectacular, so he said to Chunyu Kun:

"Well, you don't know this big bird. If it doesn't fly, it will rush into the sky. If it doesn't sing, it will be alarmed.

Everyone, just wait and see!"

From then on, King Qi Wei no longer indulged in drinking and having fun, but began to rectify the country's affairs. First, he summoned the officials across the country and rewarded those who were loyal and responsible; and punished those who were corrupt and incompetent. As a result, the whole country quickly cheered up and was full of vitality.

On the other hand, he also started to rectify the military, strengthen the force, and establish the country's prestige. After hearing the news, the princes of various countries were shocked. Not only did they not dare to invade again, they even returned all the land they had invaded to Qi.

What King Qi Wei did was truly a "blockbuster"!

So later people used the idiom "a blockbuster" to describe a person who has extraordinary talents, as long as he can

use them well, once they are used, they will often become famous. There are amazing things to do.

The fox pretends to be the tiger's power

During the Warring States Period, when the Chu State was at its most powerful, King Xuan of Chu once feared his general Zhao

Xi for the sake of the northern countries at that time. shirt, and felt strange. So he asked the ministers of the DPRK why this was happening.

At that time, a minister named Jiang Yi narrated the following story to him:

"Once upon a time, there was a tiger in a cave, because he was hungry. , he ran outside to look for food. When he walked into a dense forest, he suddenly saw a fox walking in front of him. He thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Yes, he jumped forward and captured him effortlessly.

But when it opened its mouth and was about to eat the fox, it was cunning. The fox suddenly spoke:

'Hmph! Don't dare to devour me just because you think you are the king of beasts; you must know that heaven and earth have ordered me to be the king of kings

"Whoever eats me will be severely punished by heaven and earth." The tiger was dubious after hearing what the fox said.

However, when it turned its head, it saw the fox's arrogance and calmness. He was shocked. The original arrogance and domineering attitude had disappeared. Even so, he was still thinking: Because I am a hundred<. /p>

The king of beasts, so any beast in the world will be afraid of me. And he is ordered by the Emperor of Heaven to rule us!

At this time, the fox hesitated when he saw the tiger. He didn't dare to eat it, knowing that he already somewhat believed what he said, so he puffed up his chest even more proudly, then pointed at the tiger's nose and said: "Why, don't you believe what I said?"

Then come with me now, walk behind me, and see if all the beasts are scared out of their wits when they see me, and they run away with their heads in their arms. I thought this was a good idea, so I followed it.

So, the fox boldly opened the way, while the tiger followed them cautiously.

It didn't take long. , they vaguely saw many small animals vying for food in the depths of the forest. However, when they found the tiger walking behind the fox, they couldn't help but turned pale and ran away. p>

At this time, the fox proudly turned around to look at the tiger. Seeing this, the tiger couldn't help but feel frightened.

But he didn't know that the beast was afraid of him, and thought it was him. They are really afraid of foxes!

The cunning fox's plan succeeded, but his power was entirely due to the fact that he used the tiger to threaten the beasts in a temporarily favorable situation.

And the poor tiger was fooled and he didn't even know it!

Therefore, the reason why the people in the north are afraid of Zhao Xixie is entirely because the king's soldiers are in his hands. In other words, what they fear is actually the power of the king!”

From the above story, we can know that anyone who uses the power of authority to oppress others, or Positional power

Those who are domineering and domineering can be described as "the fox pretends to be the tiger's power".

Up and down his hands

In the twenty-sixth year of King Xiang of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period. The State of Chu sent troops to invade the State of Zheng. As the Chu State was so powerful at that time, the weak Zheng State really had no ability to resist. As a result, the Zheng State suffered a defeat, and even Zheng Wangjie was captured by the Chu general Chuan Fengxu. After the war

After the war, the Chu army was surrounded by the younger brother of the King of Chu. He wanted to take credit for the capture of Zheng Jie, saying that King Zheng Jie was captured by him, so he went to Fengxu

and The two men had a dispute, and neither of them wanted to give in. There was no way to resolve it. Later, they asked Boli to be a just person to determine whose credit it was.

Bo Zhouli's method of resolving the dispute was very fair. He suggested that in order to know whose credit it was, it would be best to ask the captured King Zheng.

So he ordered someone to bring King Zheng Jie, and Bozhouli explained the whole story to him. He then stretched out his two fingers, using the upper finger to represent the Chu King's younger brother

Gong Ziwei, and the lower finger to represent Chu General Chuan Fengxu, and then Ask him by whom he was captured. King Zheng Jie hated him very much because he was captured by Chuan Fengxu, so he pointed his finger to indicate that he was captured by Prince Wei. Therefore, Bozhouli judged that this was Gongziwei's contribution.

The idiom "hands up and down" comes from this story; it means cheating in the gameplay and confusing right and wrong.

In today's society, this kind of situation often happens: for example, someone has done something illegal and knows that he deserves it

and cannot escape the fate of being punished; So they bribed secretly, or asked relatives and friends to plead for mercy and protection. As a result, big things turned into small things, and small things turned into nothing, and they still had to go beyond the reach of justice. For people like this who are involved in the matter, and who bend the law and commit fraud, it can be said that they are "hands on".

Unfounded worries

Once upon a time in the country of Qi, there was a very timid and a bit neurotic person. He often thought of some strange problems, and

I feel baffled.

One day, after dinner, he took a big cattail leaf fan, sat in front of the door, measured it, and said to himself:

"If one day, If the sky falls, what should we do? We have no way to escape and will be crushed to death. Isn’t this too unfair?

From then on, he worried about this problem almost every day. When his friends saw that he was in a trance and looked haggard all day long, they were very worried for him. However, when everyone knew the reason, they all came to persuade him. :

"Brother! Why do you have to worry about this matter? How could the sky fall? Even if it does fall,

You are not the only one. Worrying can be solved, just think about it!"

However, no matter what others say, he doesn't believe it and still worries about this unnecessary problem.

Later people based on the above story, extended it into the idiom "unfounded worries". Its main meaning is to wake people up

Don't worry about unrealistic things. . It has roughly the same meaning as "meaning to bother oneself."

Repairing the situation

This story comes from the "Warring States Policy". During the Warring States Period, a minister of Chu State named Zhuang Xin said to King Xiang of Chu one day: "When you are in the palace, the Marquis of Zhou is on your left and the Marquis of Xia is on your right; when you go out, Mr. Yanling and Mr. Shouhe always follow you.

You and these four people specialize in luxury and pleasure, regardless of national affairs. p>

It must be dangerous!"

King Xiang was very dissatisfied and said angrily: "Are you stupid? Are you deliberately saying these sinister words to confuse people?" Xin replied calmly: "I really feel that things must come to this point, and I dare not deliberately say that there is any misfortune in Chu State. If you always favor this person, Chu State will definitely If you don't believe me, please allow me to go to Zhao Kingdom to hide and see what happens."

Zhuang Xin has only lived in Zhao Kingdom for five months. Sure enough, Qin sent troops to invade Chu, and King Xiang was forced to exile to Yangcheng (today's northwest of Xixian County, Henan Province). Only then did Zhuang Xin feel that Zhuang Xin's words were good, and he quickly sent someone to find Zhuang Xin and asked him what he could do. Zhuang Xin said sincerely:

"I've heard that when you see rabbit teeth, you think of a hound. It is not too late; it is not too late to mend the sheepfold after the sheep have run away.

…”

This is a very meaningful story. If you only know how to enjoy yourself but don’t know how to do things, the result will inevitably be a tragic failure.

No doubt.

The idiom "to make up for it before the sheep is gone" is based on the two sentences above. It expresses the meaning that after something goes wrong,

If you rush to save it, it is not too late. For example, a businessman made a mistake in estimating the development of things, took a risk and fell into failure. However, he was not discouraged and patiently thought about things again. Learn from your mistakes

It is not too late to "make up for it" and start from scratch

Surrounding Wei and saving Zhao:

Pang Juan avenged Zhongshan! , led a heavy army to attack the State of Zhao, but the State of Zhao lost consecutive battles, and the country was in danger.

The State of Zhao asked Qi for help. Tian Ji advocated saving Zhao, but the Prime Minister Zou Ji and others were afraid of the State of Wei and firmly opposed it. Against all opinions, he sent troops to rescue Zhao, and appointed Tian Ji as a general and Sun Bin as a military advisor.

Tian Ji adopted Sun Bin's strategy, not to go to Zhao, but to attack Wei. He thought that Sun Bin was afraid of death, and encouraged several generals to disobey Sun Bin's orders and go to Zhao State to have a showdown with the Wei army. Sun Bin persuaded Tian Guo and others to follow the military law and killed Tian Guo's men. A meritorious general, Tian Guo and others led the army towards Wei State under the threat of military law.

Wei State was in danger, so Pang Juan had to withdraw his troops from Zhao State. On the way back, Pang Juan met the Qi army, and Sun Bin. Pang Juan was defeated by a trick. Only then did Pang Juan know that Sun Bin was not dead, so he led his remaining troops to flee back to the capital of Wei. At this time, Tian Guo and others were convinced of Sun Bin.

Su Qin and Zhang Yi, two important figures in the Warring States period, They were both disciples of Guiguzi, and also came from the same school as the famous military strategists Sun Bin and Pang Juan at that time. The struggle between Su Qin and Zhang Yi affected the development of the entire late Warring States period. The seven heroes of the Warring States period: Qi, Chu, Yan, Wei At that time, Qin was the most powerful country and often attacked the other six countries, which made everyone fearful and put the country in danger. Su Qin proposed and implemented the strategy of alliance for the six countries (i.e. alliance to fight against Qin). , conquering Qin), this policy maintained the political power of the Six Kingdoms from being invaded, and he was therefore granted the title of Prime Minister by the Six Kingdoms. The allusion to the saying (the Great Prime Minister of the Six Kingdoms) originated from this, one person is the Prime Minister of the Six Kingdoms. The Prime Minister of the State was unprecedented and unprecedented, and Zhang Yi, the Prime Minister of the Qin State at that time, proposed the strategy of Lianheng (that is, dividing, drawing together, and defeating the alliance of the six countries one by one) to deal with the alliance. However, the six countries originally had their own agendas. , unity was not real, and in the end, of course, the alliance broke through the alliance, and the six countries were eliminated one by one by the Qin State, officially ending the entire Eastern Zhou Dynasty. However, although the alliance strategy ultimately failed, its implementation seriously hindered the Qin State. The time it took for the unification and hegemony to be completed extended the Warring States period for more than a hundred years.

On paper" comes from "Historical Records: Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru". During the Warring States Period, Zhao She, the general of the State of Zhao, once defeated the invading Qin army with a small number and defeated a large number. He was promoted to Shangqing by King Zhao Huiwen. He had a son named Zhao Kuo, who had been familiar with military books since he was a child and loved to talk about military affairs. Others often couldn't speak well of him. Therefore, he is very arrogant and thinks he is invincible. However, Zhao She was very worried about him, thinking that he was just talking on paper, and said: "Zhao will not use him as a general in the future. If he is used as a general, he will definitely cause the Zhao army to fail." Sure enough, in 259 BC, , the Qin army invaded again, and the Zhao army persisted in resisting the enemy in Changping (near today's Gaoping County, Shanxi). Zhao She had passed away by then. Lian Po was responsible for commanding the entire army. Although he was old, he was still very capable in fighting, making it impossible for the Qin army to win. Knowing that procrastination would be detrimental to itself, Qin implemented counterintuitive tactics and sent people to Zhao to spread the word that "the Qin army is most afraid of Zhao She's son, General Zhao Kuo." King Zhao was deceived and sent Zhao Kuo to replace Lian Po. Zhao Kuo thought he was good at fighting, and he followed the provisions in the military book. After arriving in Changping, he completely changed Lian Po's battle plan. As a result, more than 400,000 Zhao troops were annihilated, and he himself was shot to death by an arrow from the Qin army.

In 496 BC, King Helu of Wu sent troops to attack the country of Yue, but was defeated by the country of Yue. Helu was also seriously injured and died.

Two years later, Helu's son Fucha led an army to defeat the State of Yue. King Gou Jian of Yue was escorted to the State of Wu as a slave. After Gou Jian endured humiliation and served the King of Wu for three years, Fu Chai finally removed his wariness and sent him back to the State of Yue.

In fact, Gou Jian did not give up his desire for revenge. On the surface, he obeyed the King of Wu, but secretly trained elite soldiers, strengthened his political power, and waited for the opportunity to counterattack the Wu State. Difficulty can strengthen the will, but ease can weaken the will. Gou Jian was afraid that he would covet the immediate comfort and wear away his will to seek revenge, so he arranged a difficult living environment for himself. He slept without a mattress at night, only laying some firewood (called firewood in ancient times) and hanging a piece of gall in the room. He would taste the taste of gall from time to time in order not to forget the shame of the past.

In order to encourage the people, Gou Jian participated in labor with the queen and the people. With the concerted efforts of the Yue people, the Yue State became stronger and finally found the opportunity to destroy the Wu State.

The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period lasted for more than 500 years. During this period, wars occurred one after another, influential figures emerged in endlessly, and the situation was ups and downs. The encounters between soldiers on the battlefield, the strategizing in the military camp, and the strategic exchanges in diplomatic situations have left us with a large number of familiar historical allusions.

Beacon fire plays on the princes: In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the mediocre King You of Zhou did not hesitate to stage a farce in the city to ask the princes for advice by using beacon fire in order to win the favor of the princess. As a result, the Quanrong minority attacked the Western Zhou Dynasty. When the war broke out again, no one from the princes came to help. King You was killed, and the Western Zhou Dynasty ended. From then on, the authority of the Emperor of Zhou plummeted, and a situation emerged in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods when heroes came together and feuding princes began to fight.

Respect the king and resist the barbarians: When Duke Huan of Qi achieved his hegemony, he was assisted by Guan Zhong. Before Duke Huan of Qi succeeded to the throne, this person served as a political opponent of Duke Huan of Qi. In order to compete with Duke Huan of Qi for the throne, he once shot an arrow at Duke Huan of Qi. However, after Duke Huan of Qi came to power, he valued Guan Zhong's talents and ignored the enemy. Instead, he worshiped him as prime minister, implemented reforms, and finally made the country rich and powerful. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the status of the Emperor of Zhou plummeted, and the princes and kings no longer obeyed the King of Zhou. Some powerful princes took the opportunity to launch annexation wars and forced other countries to recognize their hegemony. Guan Zhong assisted Duke Huan of Qi under the banner of "respecting the king and repelling the barbarians", so that Duke Huan of Qi State "joined nine princes and unified the world" and became the first overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period.

Aiming for the Central Plains: It is said that in the process of promoting hegemony, King Zhuang of Chu once led his army to show off his power in the suburbs of Luoyi, where the Zhou royal family was located, and sent envoys to ask about the importance of Jiuding. The tripod symbolizes royal power, and King Zhuang's aspiration for the tripod shows his desire to seize power.

Retreat: During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was civil strife in Jin, and Chong'er, the son of Duke Xian of Jin, fled to Chu. King Cheng of Chu took him in and entertained him. He promised that if there was a war between Jin and Chu, the Jin army would retreat three houses (a house is thirty miles away). Later, Chong'er returned to power in Jin with the help of Duke Mu of Qin. The Jin State supported the Song State and had a conflict with the Chu State. The two armies met in Chengpu. Chong'er retreated and lured the enemy deep into the army and won a great victory.

A blockbuster: According to legend, King Chuzhuang (also known as King Wei of Qi) lived in pleasure all day long and ignored government affairs for three years. A minister said to King Zhuang: "I heard that there is a big bird in the country. It has not flown or sounded for three years. What's going on?" King Zhuang said: "This bird is fine if it doesn't fly. It soars into the sky; no. The song was enough, and it was a blockbuster." Then he reorganized the government, enriched the country and strengthened the army, and formed a great governance situation in just a few years.

Sleeping on fuel and tasting courage: At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu and Yue in the south also joined the war for hegemony. King Wu Fucha defeated Yue, and King Wu Fucha defeated and captured Yue King Goujian. Gou Jian fed Fu Chai's horses for three years and was tortured. King Gou Jian of Yue suffered humiliation. After returning home, he was determined to avenge his country and avenge his humiliation. He asked Fan Li to help train the army and appointed talented people. He participated in the labor himself and insisted on sleeping on firewood. He had to taste a piece of gall before each meal. After ten years of gathering and ten years of lessons, Later, the state of Wu was finally destroyed.

An old horse knows the way: During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Huan of Qi led troops to defeat the invasion of Shanrong State at the request of Yan State; King Milu of Shanrong State fled to Guzhu State to ask for reinforcements, and Guan Zhong followed Duke Huan of Qi and defeated them. Reinforcements from Lone Bamboo Country. On the way back home, the Qi army was stranded because of a false guide leading them into a mysterious valley. Guan Zhong suggested using an old horse to lead the way and averted the danger.

Asking for forgiveness: During the Warring States Period, there were two important ministers in the Zhao State, Lian Po and Lin Xiangru. Because Lin Xiangru had made many meritorious deeds, the King of Zhao named him Prime Minister. Lian Po was not convinced and thought that his martial arts skills outweighed his reputation. . Lin Xiangru avoided Lian Po many times for the sake of the country. Lian Po was so ashamed after learning of his good intentions that he carried a thorn stick and went to Lin Xiangru's house to plead guilty. From then on, the two reconciled and became a life-or-death friendship.

Talking about war on paper: During the Warring States Period, Zhao Kuo, the son of the famous Warring States general Zhao She, was well-read in military books and could talk about military tactics. Even his father could not beat him, and he thought he was invincible. Zhao She thought he was just talking on paper and didn't know how to communicate. Later, Zhao She died, and Zhao Kuo replaced Lian Po to lead the army. Lin Xiangru and others strongly opposed it, but King Zhao insisted. Zhao Kuo lost 400,000 troops in the Battle of Changping.

Three orders and five orders: Sun Wu lived in Wu. The king of Wu wanted to test Sun Wu's military talents, so he gave 180 young court ladies to Sun Wu for training. Sun Wu divided the maids into two teams and made King Wu's favorite concubine the captain. Sun Wu gave the order to the palace maids and then beat the drum to deliver the order. The palace maids burst into laughter and the team became chaotic. Sun Wu issued an order again, but the maids only thought it was fun and did not obey the order at all. Sun Wu said that it was the leader's crime to disobey the order even though he understood it, and ordered the two captains to be executed. King Wu hurriedly sent an order not to kill the princesses, but Sun Wu still killed the two princesses. Then, Sun Wu trained the palace maids again, and this time no one dared to disobey orders.

Besieging Wei and rescuing Zhao: During the Warring States Period, the Wei army besieged Handan, the capital of Zhao. The State of Zhao asked Qi for help. King Wei of Qi appointed Tian Ji as a general and Sun Bin as a military advisor to send troops to rescue Zhao. Tian Ji originally wanted to lead troops directly to rescue Zhao's Handan, but Sun Bin advocated leading troops to besiege Wei's capital beams, and Wei would return troops to save himself. In this way, not only could Zhao's siege be lifted, but the Wei army would be exhausted. Tian Ji adopted Sun Bin's strategy and led his troops straight to Daliang. After hearing the news, the Wei army hurriedly withdrew its troops besieging Handan and returned to rescue Daliang at night. When they reached Guiling, the Qi army waited for work to attack the Wei army. The Wei army was defeated and almost completely wiped out.

Riding and shooting in Hufu: During the Warring States Period, King Wu Ling of Zhao State was determined to change and become stronger. King Wuling saw that the Hu people (minorities) wore casual clothes with narrow sleeves and short coats, rode war horses, and shot arrows while running. They were fast and very flexible, so he decided to learn from the Hu people, reform the soldiers' clothing, and develop cavalry. In less than a year, Zhao State had a powerful cavalry. After fighting in the south and north, Zhao State became one of the few powerful countries at that time.

Stealing Talisman to Save Zhao: During the Warring States Period, Qin sent troops to besiege Handan, the capital of Zhao. Zhao asked Wei for help, and Wei sent troops to rescue Zhao. When Qin heard about Wei sending troops to rescue Zhao, he sent people to Wei to threaten King Wei. King Wei surrendered to Qin and ordered the Wei soldiers who went to rescue Zhao to stand still. King Zhao wrote to the prince of Wei, Lord Xinling, asking for help. Lord Xinling once avenged the murder of his father by Ru Ji, the favorite concubine of King Wei. Lord Xinling asked Ru Ji to steal the military talisman from King Wei, thus seizing military power. He led tens of thousands of elite soldiers to Handan and defeated Qin. The army lifted the siege of Handan.

Chao Qin and Mu Chu: During the Warring States Period, Qin and Chu fought frequently. Each vassal state regarded its interests as important, sometimes helping Qin and sometimes doing things to Chu. As a result, an idiom was formed to describe the volatile and capricious attitudes of various groups and people under the conditions of great powers competing for spheres of influence.

"Wang Shipeng studied calligraphy hard" Wang Shipeng was very smart and quick in writing since he was a child, but his calligraphy was not as good as expected. So, he made up his mind to practice calligraphy well. Finally, under the guidance of Uncle Baoyin, he finally realized the true meaning of calligraphy and became a great calligrapher and writer.

"Wang Xizhi Eats Ink" Wang Xizhi, known as the "Sage of Calligraphy" by later generations, was a dull child when he was young. He took his beloved gosling around every day. Wang Xizhi practiced calligraphy hard every day, but was called a dead character by his teacher, Mrs. Wei. Wang Xizhi was very distressed. Inspired by Xiao Goose, Wang Xizhi wrote the golden character "Zhi" in the study, but accidentally ate the steamed bun dipped in ink. In the mouth, the story of Wang Xizhi eating ink was left behind.