As we all know, the hook is curved, but Jiang Ziya caught a lot of fish with a straight hook (not a hook) without bait. King Wen saw it and thought it was a strange man (the ancients respected him very much), so he took the initiative to talk to him and found that he was really a useful talent, so he confessed.
Because of punctuality, Jiang Shang set up a hook to fish on the Weihe River, three feet away from the water, without bait, and said to himself, "Anyone who loses his life should be hooked!"
Vernacular translation: Jiang Taigong fished with a straight hook, without bait, and any fish willing to take the bait himself. Metaphor is willing to fall into the trap set by others.
This article comes from Wu Wang's Jian Ping Hua, which was anonymous in Song and Yuan Dynasties.
Extended information legend:
Once, Zhou Wenwang went out hunting and met an old man who was fishing by the Panxi River, a tributary of the Weihe River. The old man has gray hair and looks like he is seventy or eighty years old.
Strangely, while fishing, he kept nagging: "I'm hooked!" Take the bait if you want to! "Look again, the old man's hook is three feet above the water, and it is straight, not curved, and there is no bait on it. King Wen looked puzzled and went over to talk to the old man.
The old man surnamed Jiang, also known as Ziya, is a descendant of the ancient Emperor Yan. He used to slaughter cattle in Chao Ge (present-day tangyin county), the capital of Shang Dynasty, and sell wine in Jin Meng by the Yellow River. He couldn't do business, so he lost his money, so he came to Weihe River to fish. In fact, he is waiting for a wise monarch to visit him.
In the conversation between Zhou Wenwang and Jiang Shang, people found that Jiang Shang was a visionary and knowledgeable person. He is familiar with astronomy, geography, politics and military affairs, especially the political situation at that time. He believed that the Shang dynasty would not last long, and wise leaders should come out to overthrow it and establish a new court to let the people live a comfortable life.
Jiang Shang's words have reached the heart of King Wen. He wanted to overthrow the Shang Dynasty and look for great sages everywhere. Isn't Jiang Shang the Great Sage he is looking for? King Wen said earnestly, "We have been looking forward to you for a long time. Please come to us and help us govern the country! " Say that finish, ask his men to drive to invite Jiang Shang to get on the bus with him and go back to the city.
When Jiang Shang arrived at King Wen, he was first appointed as a Buddhist, the largest military attache. Later, he was promoted to minister of state, in charge of national politics and military affairs. When his father Tai Li was in power, he took a fancy to a great sage like this, so people called him "King Tai Gong". Later, people simply omitted the "king" of "Tai Gong Wang" and called it "Wang".