"Feng Chen's Guests at Mengchangjun" highlights Feng Chen's talents and foresight by describing Feng Chen's political and diplomatic activities. The following is "Appreciation of Feng Xuanke Mengchangjun's original text and translation" compiled by me for your reference only. You are welcome to read it.
Original text of Feng Xuan's guest, Mengchangjun:
The people of Qi have Feng Xuan, who is poor and cannot survive on his own, so he belongs to Mengchangjun, and he is willing to send food to his family. Lord Mengchang said: "What's good about being a guest?" He said: "There's nothing nice about being a guest." He said: "How can a guest be good?" He said: "A guest is incompetent." Lord Mengchang smiled and accepted it and said: "Promise."
< p> The people on the left and right regard the ruler as inferior, and eat only grass utensils. After living there for a while, he leaned on a pillar and flicked his sword, singing: "The thorn is back! There is no fish to eat." He told people around him. Lord Mengchang said: "The food you eat is better than the guests at your door." After staying for a while, he played his harp again and sang: "The long harp is back! There is no car left." Everyone on the left and right laughed and told him. Lord Mengchang said, "I'm driving him, and I'm going to compare with the chariots and passengers at my door." So he took his chariot, uncovered his sword, passed his friend and said, "Jun Mengchang, I'm a guest." After a while, he played his sword cylindrical again, and sang: "Long cylindrical sword." Come back! There is no home for you. "Everyone on the left and right is evil, thinking he is greedy and not satisfied. Lord Mengchang asked, "Does Mr. Feng have any relatives?" So Feng Xuan stopped singing.Later, Lord Mengchang wrote a note and asked his disciples: "Who is familiar with accounting and can be responsible for Xue's writing?" Feng Xuan said: "Yes." Lord Mengchang was surprised and said: " Who is this?" The left and right people said, "He is the one who returned from Changchai." Meng Changjun smiled and said, "Guo Guo is capable, but I haven't seen him yet." When he saw him, he thanked him and said. He is worried about things, has a stupid nature, and is obsessed with the affairs of the country. He is not ashamed, but he wants to take the blame from Xue? "Feng Chen said, "I wish to do it." He loaded it up, carried the deed, and left, saying: "After accepting the responsibility, how can we rebel?" Mengchang Jun said: "I regard my family as someone with few possessions."
Drive away Xue and send officials Call all the people who are responsible for payment to come and collect the coupons. The coupons are all over the place, set up, correct the orders, and give them to the people. Because the coupons were burned. People call it long live.
We all came together and asked to see you in the morning. Lord Mengchang blamed him for his illness, and when he saw it in his clothes, he said: "Have you taken away the blame? What's the reason for the illness!" He said: "It's done." "Why do you want to rebel?" Feng Chen said, "Jun Yun's view "My family has few possessions." I have stolen the treasures in the palace, and the dogs and horses are in the stables, and the beauties are in the shed. "What can you do about the justice of the city?" He said: "Now the king has a mere Xue who does not love his children and the people, so he is in charge of them. The minister stole the emperor's order and punished the people. Because he burned the coupons, the people said long live. That's why I did it. It's the justice of the king and the city. "Mr. Mengchang didn't say anything and said, "No, Sir, it's over."
In the later years, the King of Qi said to Mr. Mengchang, "I don't dare to treat the ministers of the previous king as my ministers." He returned to Xue, and before he had reached a hundred miles, the people supported the old and brought the young to welcome the king in the middle of the road. Mengchang Jun Gu said to Feng Xuan: "Sir, I am a righteous man in the literary market. I saw him today."
Feng Xuan said: "A cunning rabbit has three burrows, so it can only save its dead ears; now you have one burrow. I am lying down before I can rest on a high pillow. Please dig two more caves for you." Lord Mengchang gave him fifty chariots and five hundred kilograms of gold. He traveled west to Liang and said to King Hui, "Let your minister Mengchang go to the princes first. The princes will welcome him first. He is rich and has a strong army." So the king of Liang ascended the throne and took the old prime minister as his general. He sent envoys with thousands of catties of gold and hundreds of chariots to recruit Lord Mengchang. Feng Chen took the lead and warned Mengchangjun: "A thousand pieces of gold is a heavy coin; a hundred chariots are an important envoy. Please listen to it." The Liang envoys rebelled three times, and Mengchangjun refused to go.
When the King of Qi heard about it, he and his ministers were frightened, so he sent the Taifu to bring a thousand catties of gold, two chariots, a sword, a seal, and a letter to thank Mengchang. I am offending you. It is not enough for a few people to do anything. I hope you will take care of the ancestral temple of the former king and rebel against the rule of the country." Feng Chen admonished Lord Mengchang and said, "I would like to use the sacrifices of the former king to build an ancestral temple in Xue." When the temple is completed, he will also report to Lord Mengchang. He said: "The three caves have been completed, and I am happy to sit back and relax."
Mr. Mengchang has been the Prime Minister for decades, and there is no harm to Xianjie. This is Feng Xuan's plan.
Translation:
There was a man named Feng Xuan in Qi State. Too poor to support himself. He asked someone to tell Lord Mengchang that he would like to live under his door as a guest. Mengchangjun asked him what he was good at. The answer is that there is nothing he is good at. Asked him what he was capable of? He replied that he had no ability. Lord Mengchang smiled after hearing this, but still accepted him ("Warring States Policy·Feng Xianke Lord Mengchang").
The people nearby thought that Lord Mengchang looked down on Feng Xuan, so they made him eat poor food. (According to Mr. Mengchang’s hospitality practices, the guests are divided into three classes according to their ability: the upper class (car guests) have cars; the middle class (guests under the door) have fish to eat; the lower class (guests with grass utensils) have no fish to eat.) After a while, Feng Chen leaned against the pillar, flicked his sword, and sang: "Long sword, let's go back! There is no fish to eat." The people around told Mengchang Jun about this. Lord Mengchang said: "Let him eat fish and live like a middle-class guest." After a while, Feng Xuan played his sword and sang: "Let's go back with the long sword! There is no car when we go out." Everyone around made fun of him. He told the matter to Lord Mengchang. Mengchangjun said: "Give him a car and treat me as a top-class guest." Feng Xuan took his car, held his sword high, went to visit his friend, and said happily: "Mengchangjun treats me as a top-class guest." .
"Shortly thereafter, Feng Xuan played his sword again and sang: "Long Sword, let's go back! Unable to support the family. "At this time, the subordinates on the left and right began to hate Feng Chen and thought he was greedy. When Mengchang heard about this, he asked him: "Does Mr. Feng have any parents? Feng Xuan said: "I have an old mother at home." "So Mengchangjun sent someone to feed his mother so that she would not feel lacking. From then on, Feng Xuan stopped singing.
Later, Mengchangjun took out his note book and asked his retainer: " Who is familiar with accounting? "Feng Xuan signed his name on the book and signed the word "neng". Lord Mengchang was surprised when he saw the name and asked: "Who is this? "The people on the left and right said, "That's the person who sang 'The Return of the Changchai'. Mengchangjun smiled and said: "This guest is really talented. I have treated him badly. I haven't even met him yet!" " He immediately sent someone to invite Feng Chen to meet him, and apologized face to face: "I was exhausted by trivial matters and distracted by worries. In addition, I was cowardly and incompetent. I was buried in national affairs all day long, so I neglected you. But you are not surprised, and you are willing to go to Xuedi to collect my debt, right? Feng Xuan replied: "I am willing to go." "So he harnessed the carriage and horses, packed his luggage, loaded up the contract documents and set off. When he was leaving, Feng Chen asked, "After the debt has been collected, what can I buy back?" "Mengchang Jun said: "Just look at what I lack at home. " Feng Chen drove to Xue and sent officials to find the people who should pay the debts to verify the deeds. After the verification, he pretended to be ordered by Lord Mengchang to reward all the debts to the debtors and burned the bonds on the spot. The people all shouted "Long live". Feng Chen drove his car straight to Qidu and asked to see Lord Mengchang early in the morning. Lord Mengchang felt strange that Feng Chen returned so quickly, so he immediately put on his clothes and hat and went to see him. , asked: “Have all the debts been collected? Why did you come back so quickly? Feng Xuan said: "Take it all." "What did you buy?" "Jun Mengchang asked. Feng Xuan replied: "You once said, 'Look at what my family lacks.' I privately considered that your palace is full of pearls and treasures, the stables outside are full of hunting dogs and horses, and the backyard is full of beauties. All that is missing is benevolence and righteousness, so I used debt to buy benevolence and righteousness for you. Lord Mengchang said: "What's going on with buying Renyi?" Feng Xuan said: "Now you just have a small town in Xue. If you don't care for the people and treat them like sons, but use the way of merchants to make profits from the people, how can you do this?" Therefore, I forged your order without authorization, rewarded the debt to the people, and burned the deed, so that the people cheered "Long live". This is the way I bought justice for you. After hearing this, Mengchangjun said unhappily: "Well, sir, forget it." A year later, King Min of Qi said to Lord Mengchang, "I dare not treat the former king's ministers as my ministers." "Mr. Mengchang had no choice but to go to his territory of Xue. He was still a hundred miles away. The people of Xuedi, supporting their old and young, were waiting on the roadside to welcome Mr. Mengchang. Seeing this, Mr. Mengchang looked back at Feng Chen and said, "You bought it for me. 'Yi' has only seen its effect today. Feng Xuan said: "A cunning and clever rabbit has three holes to avoid death. Now you only have one hole, so you can't sit back and relax. Please let me dig two more holes for you." Lord Mengchang agreed and gave him fifty carts and five hundred catties of gold. Feng Chen went west to the state of Wei. He said to King Hui: "Now that the state of Qi has exiled his minister Mengchang Lord abroad, which prince will be the first to do so?" If you welcome him, you can make your country rich and powerful. So King Hui vacated the prime minister position, transferred the original prime minister to the rank of general, and sent an envoy with a thousand catties of gold and a hundred cars to hire Mengchang Jun. Feng Chen drove back first and warned Mengchang Jun: "A thousand catties of gold, this is very heavy." A betrothal gift; a hundred cars, this is considered a noble envoy. The monarchs and ministers of Qi State must have heard about this. "Wei's envoys came back and forth many times, but Lord Mengchang firmly refused and refused to go to Wei.
When the King of Qi heard about this, the emperor and his ministers were frightened, so he sent his master to send a thousand catties of gold, Two floats and a sword (for Lord Mengchang). I wrote a letter to apologize to Lord Mengchang, saying: "I am very unlucky. I suffered the disaster caused by my ancestors and was deceived by those flattering ministers, which offended you. I am not worthy of your help; I hope you can take care of the ancestral temple of the late king and come back to lead the people of the country for the time being! Feng Chen reminded Mengchang Jun: "I hope you can ask King Qi to bring the sacrificial vessels passed down by the previous king and build an ancestral temple in Xuedi." "After the ancestral temple was completed, Feng Chen came back and reported to Lord Mengchang: "The three caves have been dug. You can sit back and enjoy yourself for the time being! ".
Mr. Mengchang has been prime minister for decades without any trouble, all because of Feng Xuan's strategy.
Comments:
Feng Xuan (xuānxuan), a lobbyist in Qi State. Xuan is also called "nuan" in "Historical Records", and the pronunciation is the same. Mingwen was the prime minister during the reign of King Min of Qi. His father Tian Ying was the prime minister during the reign of King Xuan of Qi and was granted the title of Xue. Therefore, there is a saying in this article that "I dare not take the ministers of the former king as ministers after Tian Ying's death." , Tian Wen took over the fiefdom and was named Lord Mengchang. It is said that he had three thousand followers and became one of the "Four Young Masters of the Warring States Period" who were famous for raising scholars. Among them were Lord Xinling of Wei and Lord Chunshen of Chu. Lord Pingyuan of the State of Zhao.
Survival, survival, life.
Hao (hào consumption), hobby, good at, like.
Promise, promise.
Yes, because, because of Mengchangjun’s attitude, he despised Feng Chen.
Ability, talent, ability.
Indecent, contemptuous, contemptuous.
Food (sì four), feed, feed to others.
Grass utensils and poor food. It is a utensil for offering and can also be used for wine and food.
It wasn’t long before I lived there for a while.
铗(jiá clip), sword.
Return, leave, come back. Hu, modal particles.
Ratio, the same as..., equal to.
Drive it for him and equip him with a car.
Expose, raise.
Pass, visit.
Treat me as a guest, treat me as a guest, treat me kindly. That is to say, I was treated like a first-class guest.
Come back, go back.
Bounce, beat.
Without a home, no ability to support the family.
Evil (wù things), disgusting.
Give (jǐji), supply.
An announcement was made. Note, a kind of official document in ancient times.
Accounting (kuài), accounting.
Accustomed, familiar.
Responsibility is the same as "debt". The original word for debt.
Sign, signature, signature. (It can be seen that "note" cannot be used as an account book, but as a notice.)
Let down, let down, sorry. What it actually means is that its talent has not been discovered.
Thank you, apologize.
Tired of doing things, busy with affairs, exhausted.
Kuì means worrying, worrying and thinking too much, and being upset. Suan, the same as "collapse", chaos.
Foolish, cowardly and incompetent. 槧, nuò is the same as coward.
Sink, immerse, immerse yourself in.
To offend, to offend.
Don’t be ashamed, don’t feel ashamed.
Make an appointment for transportation, prepare the carriage and horses, and pack the luggage. Make an appointment, wrap the bundle around, make an appointment with a car, that is, set up a car.
Bond deed, debt deed. Each party to the debtor holds half as collateral. In ancient times, contracts were written on bamboo slips or wooden slips and were divided into two halves. When verifying, they were put together to check, so there was a saying of combined contracts.
Market, buy.
Anti, the same as "return", return.
There are few, no.
Drive, drive the car. Go.
Payer: The person who should repay the debt.
Combine bonds and verify bonds. It can be seen that the preceding should be interpreted as "debt contract". Ancient contracts were divided into two halves, and each party to the contract held one of them.
False one's fate, pretending to be ordered by (Jun Mengchang).
Note: This section describes "Historical Records" more reasonably.
Sick, fast.
Asking for a meeting in the morning: "Jian" is pronounced xiàn, to pay a visit.
Xiachen, under the hall, in the back room.
Merely, few, small, this also implies the benefit of moneylending.
Love, caress. "拋" is the same as "stroking", nurturing and comforting.
Sons of the people, treating the people as sons.
Jia, do business. Jia (gǔ) benefits from it and makes profit from doing business. (It does not need to be regarded as a noun for merchant interpretation.)
It means "joy".
Stop it, forget it.
Later year, after the first anniversary. Period (jī) year, a whole year.
The King of Qi, King Qi Min. "Historical Records: Biography of Lord Mengchang": "The king of Qi (Min) was confused by the destruction of Qin and Chu. He thought that Lord Mengchang was superior to his master and was good at the power of Qi, so he deposed Lord Mengchang." The so-called "Don't dare to treat the ministers of the previous kings as ministers." , is an excuse.
Return to the country and return to your own fiefdom. The country refers to Xue, the fiefdom of Lord Mengchang.
Gu, review, look aside.
Riding shèng, in ancient times, four horses and one cart were a ride, and it can also generally refer to a cart.
Cave, cave.
Liang, Daliang, the capital of Wei. King Hui, King Hui of Liang, son of Marquis Wu of Wei.
Release, banish.
To vacate the upper position and vacate the upper position (the position of prime minister).
Pioneer, drive ahead.
Heavy coins, valuable property gifts.
Xianshi, an envoy with a prominent position.
Three anti-wars, many trips back and forth. Anti, the same as "return".
Solid resignation and firm resignation.
Taifu, the official name, is the official who assists the monarch. He is in charge of formulating and promulgating etiquette laws.
絍jiī, to carry, to hold.
Wenqi, a beautifully decorated vehicle.
Si, a four-horse chariot, compare: a ride does not necessarily have four horses, a Si must have four horses.
Wear a sword and wear a sword.
Ominous, meaning confused. If you say bad things, there will be no blessing.
To seal a book or write a letter, ancient letters were sealed with sealing mud, so they were called seals.
Thank you, I apologize.
Ominous, detailed, and prudent. If you are not clear, you will be unaware.
Be, suffer.
Being haunted by the ancestral temple and suffering disasters from the ancestral gods. Be, suffer.
Senior ministers who indulge in flattery (chǎnyú) are deceived by flattery and treacherous ministers.
It is not worthy of your attention and assistance. Say nothing.
Gu, Gu Nian.
Gu, just for now. Ten thousand people refers to the people of the whole country.
Fiber refers to the same as mustard, filaments and grass seeds, which is a metaphor for extremely small things.
Appreciation:
Lord Mengchang of Qi, Lord Zhao Pingyuan, Lord Xinling of Wei and Lord Chunshen of Chu each supported thousands of people and were named the Fourth Young Master. Feng Chen was "poor and could not survive on his own", so he "asked someone to tell Lord Mengchang that he was willing to live under his family." Lord Mengchang asked the visitor: "What are his hobbies? What are his specialties?" The visitor deliberately said that he had none, which was actually a test. Lord Mengchang, who is known as a courteous gentleman. Lord Mengchang "accepted it with a smile, and it was a promise." Although he was a little contemptuous, he still collected it generously. Then, Feng Xuan made a second test. He played the sword and sang: "Long sword, let's go back, we won't even be able to eat fish!" After Mengchang heard this, he ordered that he be treated equally with his fish-eating disciples. But After that, Feng Xuan escalated time and time again, and asked to go out and take a car to support his family, but Lord Mengchang always satisfied him. Despite this, Lord Mengchang despised him and "eat him with straw tools", "everyone laughed at him", and "everyone laughed at him." What is evil is that people are greedy and not satisfied." People on the left and right are mediocre and ignorant. They only act based on the eyes of their masters and judge others with snobbishness. This is a common human condition. Although Mengchang Jun was not foresight, he was tolerant and generous, which made him regain his status after he lost it. Feng Chen tried again and again, hiding his talents and pretending to be stupid, which paved the way for his great achievements in the future.
The next "debt collection from Xue" allowed Feng Chen to gain his talents. When Meng Changjun published an article seeking someone familiar with the accounting business, Feng Chen, who had always pretended to be "good-natured and incompetent", resolutely recommended himself, which surprised the readers and made Meng Changjun feel deeply guilty: "I have wronged him. Haven't met him yet. "Then he publicly apologized: "I offended my husband before. "This sudden change of plot shows Feng Xuan's magnanimity in stepping forward at a critical moment and serving those who know him. Mengchang Jun's deep self-blame, public apology, and entrusted him with important tasks have made him still behave like everyone. What follows Feng Xuan's writing, correcting his orders, burning bonds, and restoring his orders as a righteous man fully demonstrated Feng Xuan's talent. After checking all the people's IOUs, he pretended to be under the orders of Lord Mengchang and returned all the debts to the people. His extraordinary actions made Wen Xuan famous. The situation also showed his foresight in attaching importance to the people and his bold decision-making character when the opportunity arose. He believed that Lord Mengchang had no shortage of treasures, jewels, horses, beauties, and concubines, but he only lacked benevolence and love for the people, so he corrected his fate. Burning coupons to buy back the people's hearts. He not only laid a solid foundation for Mengchang's rule and won the support of the people, but also seized on Mengchang's excuse: "I regard those who have little in my family." "Feng Xuan was bold and careful, decisive and strategic, but Meng Changjun's "displeasure" and "Mr. I'm done with you" revealed that he was a bit short-sighted and narrow-minded.
Next, Feng Xuan "managed three caves" , helped Mengchangjun restore and consolidate his position. It was when Mengchangjun dismissed his ministers and went to Xue, the people helped the old and brought the young. "The gentleman who is Wenshiyi is what I saw today." He finally understood Feng Xuanshiyi's behavior. The second cave was Feng Chen's journey to the west in Liang Dynasty, where he persuaded the king of Liang to send three envoys to appoint Lord Mengchang as his prime minister, in order to increase the prestige of Lord Mengchang and give King Qi a sense of crisis. The purpose of using Yuchang Jun. Here again shows Feng Chen's resourceful character traits of being good at exploiting the contradiction between King Qi and King Liang. The king of Liang re-employed talents, and King Qi apologized and re-appointed King Mengchang. Here, Feng Chen Xuan said with satisfaction: "The three caves are complete, you can sit back and relax. "The image of a counselor with profound calculations and far-sightedness was vivid. At this time, Mengchang Jun's attitude towards Feng Xuan also changed from "displeased" and "stop" distrust to obedient, and he was deeply impressed by Feng Xuan's talents.
The last sentence of the article states that Lord Mengchang has not encountered any disasters for decades, and it is because of Feng Chen’s strategy that he concludes with the affirmation of Feng Chen’s talent and the benefit of Lord Mengchang.
p>The contrasting techniques of first suppressing and then exalting, first denouncing and then praising, have an astonishing effect, adding to Feng Chen's extraordinary image of being wise and foolish.
The essence of the plot is the essence of the story. Chapter after chapter is not a direct description of his talents, but a series of twists and turns before entering the beautiful scene, which enhances the drama of the historical prose.
The full text is ups and downs, especially used to introduce the truth. The technique of seduction is introduced step by step, which makes the character's personality more prominent. It can be regarded as a masterpiece of character writing.
The characteristic of this article is to show the changes of Feng Chen's character through changing plots. Hiding talents but not showing them off, showing off one's talents for the first time contrasts with Mengchang Jun's contempt, attention, doubts and admiration. The plot is also full of twists and turns, which is fascinating. In terms of writing, this article has characters, stories, plots, dramatic conflicts, and dramas. The detailed description begins to take on the characteristics of a biography, setting the precedent for "biographies" in later history books.