Appreciation and annotation of the original text of "Chapter 6: Studying Things to Know"
Studying Things to Know
Zhu Xi called this chapter "The Five Chapters of the Biography, Explaining the Study of Things" The meaning of knowledge”. Due to the failure, a supplementary biography was made. The supplementary biography reflects Zhu Xi's complete epistemology. The principles taught by Zhu Xi include physics, but the main connotation is the four virtues of benevolence, justice, propriety and wisdom. The connotation of "Mingde" is also these four virtues. This is different from the original meaning of "University". "The Great Learning" puts more emphasis on understanding external things, while Zhu Xi wants to rejuvenate the inherent moral consciousness in people's hearts.
Zhu Xi pointed out that "Ge Wu" means discernment, exploring the truth of things, thereby expanding knowledge and increasing wisdom. When it is said that "Ge" means to eliminate, that is, to eliminate impurities in one's own thoughts, so that Don't be tempted by material desires and blind your own nature, prevent yourself from being tainted by evil deeds that pollute your soul, make your behavior noble, make your soul beautiful, and improve your self-cultivation.
"Studying things" and "Zhizhi" are the basis of the "Eight Items". The so-called "investigating things to achieve knowledge" means to study the truth thoroughly, increase knowledge and wisdom, and achieve the state of perfection.
Original text
(This is called knowing the origin ①.)
[The so-called knowledge lies in the investigation of things. If you want to know something, you must understand the things and understand their principles. Also ②. Everything in the human heart is not without knowledge, and everything in the world is without reason. However, reason is not exhausted③, so its knowledge is endless. Therefore, starting from the "Great Learning", we must start with scholars, that is, all things in the world will be enriched by the principles they already know, so as to pursue them to the extreme. As for the long-term use of force, once it is suddenly penetrated, the surface and interior of all things will be subtle and rough, and the overall use of my heart will be clear. This is called the object grid ④,] this is called the ultimate knowledge.
Translation
(This is called grasping the fundamentals.)
The saying that if you want to gain knowledge, you must understand and study things, it means that you must understand and study things. To gain knowledge, one must come into contact with something and thoroughly exhaust its truth. Probably, people's hearts are agile and have cognitive abilities, and everything in the world has certain principles. However, because these principles have not been fully understood, human knowledge is very limited. Therefore, "The Great Learning" teaches people to get in touch with everything in the world from the beginning, and use their existing knowledge to further explore, so as to thoroughly understand the principles of everything. After long-term study, one day you will suddenly understand. At that time, the inside and outside of everything will be clearly understood, and all the principles in your heart will be revealed, and there will no longer be any obstruction. This means that everything has been known and studied, and this means that knowledge has reached its peak.
Notes
① This is called Zhiben: Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi both believed that this sentence was a derivative. If it repeats the previous sentence, delete it.
②Poor: Study thoroughly, study thoroughly.
③Not exhausted: not exhausted, not thorough.
④ "The so-called knowledge lies in the investigation of things" to "This is called the investigation of things" are Zhu Xi's supplementary biography based on Cheng Yi's ideas.
Wisdom application
This is called knowledge.
Notes on classic sentences
This sentence is repeated with the last sentence in the previous paragraph. It is more obvious to understand and emphasize the meaning when placed in the previous paragraph. Being included in this chapter has the meaning of causing the following. What follows from this is how to know the fundamentals of "winning the world".
Man is the spirit of heaven and earth. For thousands of years, Chinese traditional culture has been based on the people, paying attention to people's livelihood, paying attention to people's hearts, being considerate of people's sentiments, and advocating asking for orders for the people. From Pangeng's "valuing the people" to Zhou Gong's "protecting the people" to Confucius's "loving the people"; from Mencius's "the people value the monarch over others" to Xunzi's "the king's boat and the people's water" to the "people for the people" since the Han and Tang Dynasties "Bangben"; whether they are politicians, humanistic wise men, or ancient sages, their care for the people embodies a profound dialectical color, full of profound philosophical thoughts and wise thoughts. In the long history of China's feudal society, history has always oscillated between "monarchy" and "people's rights", thus pushing history forward in twists and turns with ups and downs. The most typical example is the Qin Dynasty. Qin unified the six kingdoms, which can be said to be in compliance with the will of heaven and the will of the people. However, faced with the ruins of everything waiting to be renovated, the Qin Dynasty trampled on the moral inheritance of "public world" and ignored the wishes of the people just for the rights of one family and one surname. Blindly pursuing harsh punishments and laws, depriving the people of their freedom and increasing their burdens, thus intensifying social conflicts, resulted in a change of dynasty in just fifteen years. Therefore, later generations of thinkers and politicians used the warning that "water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it" to warn those in power to treat the people well and care for them.
The history of the rise and fall of Chinese dynasties has without exception proved that the support of the people is the most critical determinant of the rise and fall of a country. If the ruler "emphasizes the people", then "their prosperity will flourish"; if the ruler "treats the people poorly", then "their decline will be sudden." A "Twenty-Four Histories" records the historical trajectory of dynasty changes and reflects the aspirations of the people: those who win the hearts of the people will win the world, and those who lose the hearts of the people will lose the world. Those rulers whose goal is to achieve imperial hegemony only regard the people as a tool to achieve this goal, and even regard the people as ignorant "mobs" or "cattle and sheep" for their driving. Although these rulers once made waves in history, their achievements were short-lived and they were soon submerged by the wave of people's struggle for freedom.
Compared with the rapid changes in the universe, human beings are small and insignificant. To promote the development of human history, we must understand the principle that "the people are the foundation of a country, and the foundation will strengthen the country's peace."
Interpretation of historical examples
In his position, he benefited his people
Xue Zhou, whose courtesy name was Shaoxuan. A native of Fenyang (now southwest of Wanrong County, Shanxi Province) in the Sui Dynasty. The son of Xue Duan, the general of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. The Xue family has been a wealthy family since the Eastern Jin Dynasty and has been prominent throughout the ages. Although Xue Zhou was born into a wealthy and prominent family, he was intelligent and studious, and often borrowed profound ancient books that had been shelved in the cabinet and no one read them. Every time I read a strange book, I studied the strange people and things contained in it carefully until I understood it clearly and understood its meaning. The diligent study in his youth laid a good foundation for Xue Zhou to realize his ideal of saving the world and benefiting the people in the future.
During the reign of Emperor Ming of Zhou Dynasty, Xue Zhou inherited the hereditary title and was granted the title of Duke of Yuancheng County. After the death of Zhou Dynasty, he entered the Sui Dynasty and served as the governor of Yanzhou during the Kaihuang reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty. During his tenure, he benefited the people and was promoted to minister of Dali Temple. After arriving in office, Xue Zhou found that the prison was overcrowded. Cases had been backlogged for several years without anyone taking care of them. Hundreds of people had been imprisoned for many years, and the verdicts had not yet been finalized. So he examined the cases case by case and found that most of the prisoners were poor and helpless people, detained for reasons such as tax arrears and rent evasion. It only took Xue Zhou more than ten days to complete the process and release the innocent people back to their fields. Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty said: "Zhao Chuo mostly relied on the law to resolve cases, and Xue Zhou relied more on emotion to resolve cases." Therefore, he was recalled to the capital and served as Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment. However, he was eventually demoted from Beijing because of his upright temperament, adherence to principles, and political opinions that were inconsistent with those of the powerful people of the dynasty. Because Xue Zhou traveled around for many years, he was exhausted mentally and physically and died of illness on the way.
When Xue Zhou was the governor of Yanzhou, he once controlled floods in the Si River and built Fengyan Canal, turning harm into benefit.
The terrain of Yanzhou is gentle. There are two rivers in the east of the city, one is called Yihe and the other is Sishui. After converging here, it turns southward and forms a large swamp, which floods and engulfs farmland and houses, causing great harm to the people.
It has been more than eighty years since Yuan Kuang of the Northern Wei Dynasty built the Sijin Bridge Weir to Xue Zhou. After countless floods, the bridge weir built by Yuan Kuang has been destroyed. Also due to the war, when Lou Zhao of the Eastern Wei Dynasty captured Xiaqiu City, he blocked the Si River to flood the city, causing serious damage to the embankments. For decades, no one has repaired it, making the Sishui River a major disaster for Xiaqiu City. Every rainy season, the river overflows and the entire river basin is flooded, leaving residents unable to make a living.
After Xue Zhou took office, he conducted on-site investigation and understanding, organized local people to build embankments and canals, and used the terrain to use the river rocks as weirs to divert water to the west. After the completion of the project, the flooded fields were restored into fertile fields, and the weir water was used to irrigate the fields in Yanzhou, avoiding flooding and developing agricultural production. After that, Xuezhou opened a passage from the Huaihe River to the Bohai Sea, developed shipping, and further developed water conservancy. The economy and trade in Yanzhou gradually developed, and the people became rich, which brought great benefits to the people in the Huaihai area. The people are grateful for his virtuous administration, and they still call the waterway from the Huaihe River to the Bohai Sea "Xue Gongfeng Yan Canal".
Xue Zhou's control of the Sishui River and the construction of the Fengyan Canal not only ensured Yanzhou's agricultural harvest, but also played an important role in the subsequent historical process. In the Yuan Dynasty, in order to develop water transportation, the Huitong River was excavated, and the Fengyan Canal was deepened and dredged many times, and the Si River was diverted through the Fengyan Canal to supply water for transportation. For hundreds of years, it not only provided navigation, but also had the functions of irrigation and drainage.
People-oriented
Tang Taizong Li Shimin (599-649), emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the founder of the "Government of Zhenguan", knew the importance of winning the hearts and minds of the people.
"Zhenguan Politicians·Farming" records the story of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty attaching great importance to agriculture and putting people first. In the second year of Zhenguan (628 AD), Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty said to his close ministers: "Everything must be done based on the fundamentals.
The country is based on the people, and the people's basic needs are food and clothing. Anyone who engages in farming, mulberry, food, clothing, etc. must not lose the opportunity. To seize the opportunity, this can only be achieved by a monarch who does not cause trouble and troubles the people. If we fight wars and build palaces for many years without taking up farming time, can we do it? Minister Wang Gui said: "In the past, the first emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han used military force externally and built palaces internally. They exhausted their manpower and material resources, and disasters followed one after another. Didn't they want to stabilize the people? They just didn't find the right method." The demise of the Sui Dynasty is a reference for us! Your Majesty has endured the ills left over from the Sui Dynasty and knows how to change them. However, it is relatively easy at the beginning, but it is difficult to persist to the end. I really hope that your Majesty will be careful and careful from beginning to end. Taizong said: "You are right." The key to stabilizing the people and the country lies in the monarch. If the monarch can rest with the people, the people will be happy; if the monarch has many selfish desires, the people will suffer. This is the reason why I dare not indulge in indulgence, but constantly restrain myself. "
In the second year of Zhenguan, locusts appeared in Chang'an. Taizong went to the Forbidden Garden north of Xuanwu Gate. When he saw the locusts, he caught a few locusts and said angrily: "The people depend on grain as their livelihood, but you are If you eat them, I would rather let you eat my lungs and intestines." He raised his hand to swallow the locusts, but the people around him advised him: "You can easily get sick if you eat dirty things. Taizong said: "I bear disasters for the people, why should I avoid disasters?" "So they devoured the locusts. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty also said in "Farming": "Food is the basis of human life, and agriculture is the basis of politics."
In the 16th year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty discovered that the price of rice in the world was one dou. It was sold for five cents, and the cheaper one was only sold for three cents per dou. Therefore, he said to his ministers: "The country is based on the people, and the people take food as their life." If there is no good harvest, the country will have no income. Since food is so important to the national economy and people's livelihood, and I am the food and clothing parent of the people, I only hope that I can be diligent and thrifty, avoid luxury and glitz, and benefit the people. I often want to reward the people of the world and make them rich and noble. Now I reduce labor and do not take up their time, so that they can adapt to the weather and plant crops well. In fact, this is the way to make them rich. I also promote the etiquette and humility of the people in the countryside, so that the young respect the elderly and the wives respect their husbands. In fact, this is to make them noble. As long as everyone in the world is honored, I will enjoy it even if I don't listen to music or hunt. ”
Sun Wu retired after his achievements
Sun Wu, also known as Sun Tzu, was born in about 535 BC. , a famous military strategist.
Sun Wu was born in the State of Qi and was later recommended by Wu Zixu to serve as an official in the State of Wu. At that time, the State of Chu was a powerful country in the Central Plains. Wu Zixu had been planning to attack Chu in order to avenge his father. Sun Wu gave full play to his military talents in the attack on the Chu State. He not only defeated the Chu State, but also captured Yingdu, the capital of the Chu State at that time, leaving the Chu State in a state of decline for a long time.
After Chu's victory, the King of Wu wanted to reward Sun Wu according to his merits, but Sun Wu refused to accept anything and decided to retreat to the mountains. The King of Wu felt unwilling to do so and repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay, but Sun Wu insisted on sending Wu Zixu. When Sun Wu went to persuade him, when he saw Wu Zixu coming, he asked everyone on the left and right to step back, and said to Wu Zixu sincerely: "Do you know the laws of nature? When summer goes, winter will come. From then on, the King of Wu will rely on the strength of Wu to attack everywhere. Of course, there will be no disadvantage in the battle, but from then on, the arrogance and extravagance will emerge. You must know how to retire after success, otherwise, there will be future troubles. Now I not only want to retire myself, but also want to persuade you to retire together. "
But Wu Zixu didn't take Sun Wu's words seriously. Sun Wu and Wu Zixu didn't agree with each other, so they stopped talking. Then Sun Wu disappeared and never knew where he was going.
Later As Sun Wu expected, Wu Zixu was executed by Wu King Fu Chai and his head was hung on the city gate. Wu King Fu Chai was also fighting for hegemony with Yue King Gou Jian. He first won and then lost, and finally died and the country was destroyed.
The so-called knowledge lies in the investigation of things. If we want to know things, we must understand the things and understand their principles.
Everything in the world is not without reason.
Only because the theory is not exhausted, the knowledge is endless.
It is necessary to start teaching with "Great Learning", and the scholars will be all things in the world.
It must be because of it. If you know the principles and get better at it, you can pursue it to the extreme. As long as you use it for a long time, you will suddenly understand it. And the whole usefulness of my heart is clear to me.
Notes on classic verses
This passage is used to talk about the meaning of studying things to achieve knowledge, and how to be considered as studying things to achieve knowledge. Investigating things to achieve knowledge is explained in modern Chinese as: studying the principles of things to obtain knowledge. This is the ancient people's way of understanding things. To study things is to understand things clearly, to understand everything and to find out what it is. To know things is to be a truly understanding person and never be confused when doing things. To study it in the scope of today's philosophy is to deepen the understanding of the essence through the understanding of appearances. To put it more simply, it means that we can grasp the connotation and denotation of things through understanding, draw inferences from one instance, and draw inferences by analogy. It is also pointed out here that the education of "University" is to allow scholars to have more contact with things and gain knowledge through personal experience. In this way, after a period of accumulation, they will achieve a cognitive leap, and their minds will suddenly understand the laws of everything in the world. It also became clear.
Although the world seems chaotic and disorderly, its operation is regular; the existence of all things also has its meaning. Understanding the world is difficult and complex, but simply put, the world can be divided into two parts, namely me and the existence outside me. Everything in the world is my relationship with everything external. I am just a part of the world, and the world exists independent of my will. However, the world cannot ignore my existence, and because of my role, the world has undergone some subtle changes. My influence on the world lies in practice and thinking, and thus affects the development direction of society. And every specific problem in reality has the inevitability of its existence, and it is the specific form of the existence of things. The answers to these questions can only be the product of a compromise between theory and reality under specific historical conditions. They are relatively reasonable and can never be absolutely solved. Because thought itself is a product of the times. Therefore, it can only be an exploration, and no one can give a once and for all answer. And as the times change, new answers are constantly being obtained.
Human beings’ understanding of nature, their understanding of themselves, and even the source of all knowledge are inseparable from practice. If you want to seek the truth, you must first put it into practice. Learning and thinking are the only ways to gain knowledge. Learning is practice, and of course it also requires thinking, and thinking is a way of practice, and it is a more advanced way of practice. "Studying things to achieve knowledge" is to teach people how to seek knowledge and understand things.
Interpretation of historical examples
Studying tirelessly and gaining true knowledge
Lu Pi, courtesy name Shuling, was born in Pingling, Fufeng (now northwest of Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province) in the Eastern Han Dynasty. . He has a steady personality, is tireless in learning, and never wastes time on meaningless banquets and social interactions, for which he is often criticized. But Lu Pi remained the same and was content with himself. After unremitting hard study, Lu Pi was proficient in the Five Classics, especially "Lu Shi" and "Shang Shu". He taught his disciples accordingly and became a famous Confucian of his generation.
In the first year of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Lu Pi promoted the virtuous and upright people, and Lu Pi used countermeasures to gain a high rank. In addition to being Yilang, he moved to Xinyeling. Later, he was promoted to the governor of Qingzhou and the king of Zhao. There are often more than a hundred scholars who come to seek advice from him, and Guandong calls him "The Revival of Lu Shuling in the Five Classics", which has a great influence.
When Lu Pi was the prime minister of Zhao Wang, Zhao Wang Shang once listened to the words of the witch doctor and wanted to move to a school to avoid illness. Lu Pi admonished him and said: "I heard from the Book of Rites that princes died in their posts and officials died at home. People's lives and deaths have their own destiny. I have never heard of any precedent that can be avoided. The school teaches the rule of the Five Emperors. The place where the Tao is located is the place where the rites and music of the previous kings are promoted, but you want to destroy the sacred place of Dusai and use it for private social gatherings and banquets. The heresies of those witch doctors and fortune tellers cannot be believed. "King Zhao. So he was in awe of Lu Pi.
Six years after Lu Pi served as Zhao Xiang, he was promoted to the prefect of Dongjun (south of Puyang, Henan). He attached great importance to the development of farmland water conservancy and promoted the development of local agricultural production.
Ximen Bao breaks superstition
Ximen Bao was a native of the Wei state during the Warring States Period. His birth and death dates are unknown. Wei Wenhou (reigned 446 BC - 396 BC) was appointed as Ye (now Anyang City, Henan Province). District Bei) Order, and later achieved great military exploits. At the same time, he was also an atheist.
After Simon Leopard came to Yecheng, he found that it was very desolate and the population was very small. So, he called the local people together to understand the situation.
Ximen Bao asked: "Why is this place so desolate? The people must be suffering, right?"
People replied: "It's all because He Bo got married, and everyone almost fled. .
"
Ximen Bao thought it was strange, so he asked: "Who is He Bo? He married a wife, why did the people run away? "
An old man said: "There is a big river here called Zhang River, and the water god in Zhang River is called He Bo. He loves young girls best and wants to marry a wife every year. Everyone must choose a beautiful girl to marry him, and then he will bless us. Otherwise, He Bo would cause trouble and floods would wash away all the crops. "
Ximen Bao asked: "Who told you this?
The old man said: "It was the witch who said it. The witch and the servants from the yamen came together to arrange a happy event for He Bo." They dressed up the chosen girl beautifully, then set up a mat, let the girl sit on it, and let her float down the current, and He Bo married the girl away. Every year, we have to spend a lot of money to hold wedding events, and people who don’t have money have to run away. "
After Ximen Bao heard this, he understood in his heart that it turned out that local officials used "He Bo" to marry wives to plunder money and kill people. He continued to ask: "Do you often have floods here?
The old man replied: "Fortunately, I marry He Bo every year, so we haven't encountered any major floods." Sometimes there is a lack of rain in summer and it is inevitable that crops will dry up. If the witch doesn't arrange a happy event for He Bo, then in addition to drought and floods, life will be even more difficult. Ximen Bao said with a smile: "He Bo is still very effective!" Next time when he gets married, please tell me so that I can go and congratulate He Bo. ”
On the day of Hebo’s wedding, Ximen Bao came to the river. Local officials, big and small, also came. Thousands of people were watching around. An old witch in her 70s followed behind her. A dozen female apprentices.
The "marriage" is about to begin, Ximen Bao said: "Call the new wife over, I want to see if she is beautiful! "
The old witch brought the girl to Ximen Bao. When Ximen Bao saw her, he loudly said to the old witch: "He Bo's wife must choose a very beautiful one. This woman is not pretty enough. Please tell He Bo that we are going to find another beautiful woman and will send it to you in two days! "
After that, Ximen Leopard ordered a few warriors to lift the old witch and throw her into the river with a "plop". The people on the bank were so frightened that they did not even dare to breathe. The old witch After struggling in the river for a while, he sank.
After a while, Ximen Bao said, "Why hasn't the big witch come back for so long? You young female apprentices, go and urge her! "Then, there were only two sounds of "plop, plop", and the two female apprentices were thrown into the river by the warriors.
After a while, Ximen Bao said: "These disciples are all women. , I’d better trouble some township officials to urge me! "After that, he ordered people to throw several officials into the river!
The people on the river bank were chattering, and the officials were scared to death, for fear that it would be their turn next. After a while, Ximen Bao looked at several officials and said, "Why don't they come back? What should I do?" "
The officials were so frightened that they knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly until blood came out of their foreheads. After a while, Ximen Bao said: "Get up! It seems that He Bo left them behind. Let’s all go back! "So he led his people and left. From then on, no one dared to mention the matter of marrying "He Bo". Ximen Bao mobilized the people in Yecheng area to open twelve canals to divert water from the Zhang River to irrigate crops. There were many. The wasteland has turned into fertile land, and floods and droughts are rare. People can farm with peace of mind, and many people who fled before have returned one after another.
Ximen Bao dealt with the "Hebo Marriage" wisely and decisively. The superstitious behavior of "wife" harmed the people, but greatly benefited the people. Many years later, the local people still miss Ximen Bao. The deeds of Ximen Bao have also become a famous story in the history of our country to break superstition.
< p>This is called the structure of things, this is called the ultimate knowledge.Notes on Classical Sentences
This sentence is a summary of the previous paragraph, which means that only when you understand it in your heart can you truly understand it.
As the saying goes: "It is important for people to know themselves. "Self-knowledge is an objective positioning of the value of one's own life. As the saying goes, "Onlookers are clear, authorities are confused." It is difficult for most people to grasp themselves, so it is difficult to objectively judge themselves. Therefore, there is also the saying "People are more valuable than others." "Self-knowledge" is the saying. In the workplace, it is most valuable for people to understand what they want to do, what they can do, what their strengths and weaknesses are.
Only by positioning yourself accurately can you be in the right place and give full play to your subjective initiative.
Many people are very good at setting ideals and goals. However, when there is a conflict between ideals and reality, they will not revise their goals in time, but will follow the same alley to the end. Go dark. When it comes to job hunting, they often only consider big units and white-collar positions, and the annual salary cannot be less than a certain amount. They will not change their original intention even if they are beaten to death, but they do not consider how capable they are and whether they are worth the annual salary. Are you qualified for these senior positions? This kind of behavior is an important reason for the abnormal phenomenon of "some people have nothing to do, but others have nothing to do". When the ideal you are pursuing is unattainable; when you will lose a lot in order to achieve the goal, the gain outweighs the gain; when you realize your ideal and it will not bring benefits to the company where you work and yourself... At this time, you should choose to give up . Although giving up is painful, it is much less painful than failure.
In reality, sometimes we have a clear understanding of ourselves and know what we will do and what we can do. However, we have no chance to realize our dreams in life because we have no stage. Without a stage, no matter how good an actor is, he can only remain unknown. When encountering this kind of situation, we should not be discouraged or disappointed, but should try our best to do everything well. This in itself is a kind of success, because we have no regrets.
Interpretation of historical examples
Responsing to the call should not be a false name
Wei Shu, whose courtesy name is Yangyuan. During the Warring States Period, he was born in Renchengfan (now Jining City, Shandong Province) of the Jin State.
Wei Shu lost his father when he was young and became an orphan. He was raised by his maternal family, the Ning family. When the Ning family built a new house, a Feng Shui master looked at the location of the house and said, "Judging from the aura of the house, a distinguished nephew will appear." Because Wei Shu was naturally intelligent since he was a child, my grandmother thought that it must be will be fulfilled in him. Wei Shu also said: "I should bring glory to my grandmother's family."
Wei Shu was honest and simple, but seemed a little slow, so he was not taken seriously by his fellow villagers, but Wei Shu didn't mind this. In his daily words and deeds, Wei Shu did not deliberately abide by the etiquette that ordinary people believed in, nor did he do anything that was praised by others. When interacting with others, always be tolerant and never blame others for their shortcomings. He was fond of riding horses and archery. He often wore leather clothes and went deep into the mountains to enjoy fishing and hunting. Only Wang Yi of Taiyuan said to Wei Shu: "Your talent and virtue are worthy of being the pillar of the country, and you will eventually be the Fu of Taiwan. However, you still haven't been able to save your wife from hunger and cold. I will try my best to help you." So he often provided aid, and Wei Shu Also accept it calmly without rejecting it.
Wei Shu once went to Yewang (now Biyang County, Henan Province) to visit friends, and it happened that the host's wife gave birth at night. After a while, Wei Shu heard the sound of carriages and horses outside, and heard someone ask: "Is it a boy or a girl?" He replied: "It's a boy. It's recorded that he died when he was 15 years old when he was injured by an iron object." He asked again. : "Who is staying overnight?" He replied, "It's Mr. Wei, his name is Wei Shu." Fifteen years later, Wei Shu came to this house again and asked about the children he had given birth to that year. The master said: "The child was injured by an ax when pruning the mulberry tree, and he is no longer alive." Then Wei Shu knew that he would be crowned a prince in the future.
When Wei Shu was in his forties, the county government recommended him to be a filial and honest man. The elders in the clan felt that Wei Shu was uneducated, so they made plans for him and said that he should not accept the call, so that he could still get a job. The reputation of resignation. Everyone also thinks that not being called is the best policy.
Wei Shu is not willing to be so pretentious. He said: "If I go to apply for the examination and am not selected because of my lack of talent and moral cultivation, that is my own responsibility. How can I get the false reputation of a scholar by not being called?"
From then on, he worked hard and studied hard, reciting a classic every hundred days. The hard work paid off, and Wei Shu used countermeasures to rise to the top. Wei Shu was first appointed as the chief of Mianchi, and later promoted to Junyihui, Shangshulang and other positions. He was also transferred to the prime minister to join the army and was given the title of Juyangzi. Wei Shu was good at making decisions on major issues. When he encountered major national affairs that were difficult for others to decide, he could always explain them in detail and make detailed plans. His insights were more profound than anyone else's, so he was highly valued by Emperor Wen of Jin Dynasty. Emperor Wen once praised him and said: "Wei Shu is a dignified man and a leader of men." After Emperor Wu of Jin came to the throne, Wei Shu was promoted to Situ, and he was respected by the people at that time.
The benevolent man's deceptive change
The officialdom of the Song Dynasty was bleak, which was affected by Zhao Kuangyin's employment. He believes that the old are steady and the young are impetuous. Therefore, those who want to be promoted falsely report their age. They are just 40 years old, but they report that they are in their fifties.
"History of the Song Dynasty" records: "When Taizong hired people, he often used Linxuan as an adviser, and the young people often left. Or he taught the bandits to get older, and the answer was: if you are aggressive, can you deceive the emperor? You will be ranked in the middle."
< p>Kou Zhun is an honest man and does not dare to increase his age. Song Zhenzong thought highly of Kou Zhun and intended to promote him to prime minister, but he was hesitant because he was younger. But Kou Zhun wanted to do something more for the court and the people, so he went to the drugstore and bought a medicine. After taking it, his beard and hair turned completely white, and he suddenly became mature and serious. Soon, he became prime minister.