Original text:
Wei Mingdi is swimming in Luoshui. There are white otters in the water, which is pitifully beautiful. The emperor wanted to take it, but he couldn't get it. The waiter Xu Jingshan said, "Otters love mullet and don't avoid death." The drawing board is made of two raw mullets and hung on the shore, so the otters compete for a while and win for a while. The emperor was very good and said, "Wen Qing can draw, what's so wonderful?" Answer: "I haven't written it, but I can hear what people do." The emperor said, "It is also to make good use of our strengths."
Translation:
Wei Mingdi visited Luo Shu. There are some white otters in the water. They looked beautiful and quiet, but they left at the sight of people. Wei Mingdi wanted to meet the white otter, but he didn't get it. Xu Jingshan, a waiter, said: "White otters like to eat mullet, and they are not afraid of death in order to eat it." So they drew two mullets on the drawing board and hung them on the shore.
So the white otter chased one after another and caught it at once. Wei Mingdi was surprised and said, "I have long heard that you paint well, but I didn't expect it to be so powerful." Xu Jingshan replied, "I didn't work hard at painting." Wei Mingdi said: "This is to be good at using your own expertise."
Extended knowledge
Painting Fish and Catching Otters is selected from the long volume of ancient folk stories in China in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. The story tells the story of Xu Miao, a famous painter, who helped Wei Mingdi catch many white otters with fake squid. Revelation: Everyone should have a skill and be diligent in thinking.
Xu Miao is a famous painter of Cao Ruishi in Wei Mingdi. His works have both form and spirit, reaching the level of confusing the real with the fake, and he often goes on tours with Wei Mingdi. On one occasion, Wei Mingdi Cao Rui led a group of people to visit Luoshui. The ship is not far from the coast. I saw a group of lovely white otters swimming around in the clear water. Wei Mingdi, who likes rare birds and animals on weekdays, is very excited. He ordered the ship's waiter to catch them in the water so that they could play with the concubines.
But these chubby otters run away when they see people, so it's hard to catch them. The attendants tried their best to catch an otter for a long time. Ming Di said, very unhappy. Xu Miao, the great painter who accompanied him, had anxiety in his eyes. Suddenly, a smile appeared on Xu Miao's face. He suggested to Wei Mingdi: Since you can't catch it all the time, there is no need to catch it hard. Let me think of another way.
Wei Mingdi asked him if he had any good ideas. Xu Miao, who is smart and familiar with the habits of animals in the water, said: "Sole fish is the favorite of white otters. Once they see the sole, they often try their best to catch up. As long as we can get some sole fish, we will definitely catch the white otter. " Wei Mingdi said, "Where can we find flounder here for the time being?" Xu Miao said confidently: It doesn't matter, I have an idea.
Say that finish, call a person to find a big board to stand on the bow, and then unhurriedly drew a few halibut on the board. Not long after hanging the board, several white otters swam over, and in less than half an hour, they caught more than a dozen large and small white otters on board. Wei Mingdi looked at the white otter and was very happy. He praised Xu Miao and said, Your painting is really great.