This idiom comes from "cutting mountains with forests", and Bole's Xiang has the saying that "the hoof is like a tired mulberry at dusk", and his son holds "Ma Jing" as a horse. When he met the big toad, he said to his father, "I got a horse, just like that one, but its hooves are not as good as music."

Sun Yang, a native of Qin in the Spring and Autumn Period, is said to be the most famous horse expert in ancient China. He can tell a horse at a glance. Because it is said that Bole is the god in charge of horses in the sky, people call Sun Yang Bole.

It is said that Bole compiled his rich horse knowledge and experience into a book "Xiangma Jing". In the book, he wrote down various characteristics of a swift horse and drew many illustrations for people to understand horses.

Bole has a son with poor intelligence. He read his father's "Sweet Horse Sutra" and wanted to go out and find Maxima K? Blow the whistle? What's the matter with you? What are you holding? Yue Niu? What happened? Hey? Blow wood? Baby? Every word? Hey? Is it difficult to kill drought?

Not far away, he saw a big toad, quickly caught it and told his father, "I found a good horse, which is similar to what you said in your book" Xiangma Jing ",except that its hoof is not like a folded bar of wine!"

Bole looked at the big toad in his son's hand and couldn't help but be funny and angry. He said humorously: "This' horse' loves to jump and can't ride!"

References:

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2. Draw cakes to satisfy hunger

During the Three Kingdoms period, there was a man named Lu Yu in the state of Wei. He became an orphan at the age of ten, and his two brothers died one after another. During the war, he worked hard to support his widowed sister-in-law and nephew, and his life was very difficult. He was praised by people for his personality and knowledge.

Later, Lu Yu became an official. He has been an honest official for more than three years and put forward many good suggestions. Wei Mingdi trusts him very much.

At that time, officials were generally recommended by people, and referees often only recommended famous people. Most of these celebrities only pay attention to empty talk, not to reality, and flatter each other, which makes Wei Mingdi very dissatisfied. When selecting Zhong, he ordered: "This selection should be recommended by Lu Yulai. Don't just look at reputation when choosing people. Being famous is like drawing a cake on the ground, but you can't eat it! "

The idiom "painting cakes to satisfy hunger" comes from this story. Nowadays, this metaphor is often used to comfort yourself with fantasy, or to show that a false name is useless. There is also an idiom "looking at plums to quench thirst", which has a similar meaning.

3, hope plum to quench thirst

Liu Yiqing in the Southern Song Dynasty wrote "The Twenty-seventh Time in the World": "Wei Wu lost his way in the battle and the whole army was thirsty, so he said,' The day before yesterday, there was a great Meilin, who pardoned his son and quenched his thirst with sweet and sour." When the foot soldiers smell it, they can get the source with their mouths full of water. "

Psychological principle of looking at plum to quench thirst

In other words, Cao Cao led his army to a place without water, and the soldiers were very thirsty. In order to boost morale, Cao Cao said to the soldiers, "There is a big Meilin not far ahead, with many plums, sweet and sour." Then we will have a good time. " Hearing this, the soldiers all drooled and stopped crying, speeding up the March.

In the film Shangganling, our lovely company commander also successfully performed a modern version of "Looking at Plums to Quench Thirst". There is such a plot in the movie: under the crisis of serious water shortage in the tunnel, the company commander told the soldiers a story of "talking plum", which caused the soldiers to swallow saliva one by one?

In fact, the allusion of looking at plum to quench thirst is about a very interesting and common psychological phenomenon-synaesthesia. Synaesthesia refers to the psychological activity that one feeling causes another feeling. Specifically, the allusion of looking at plum to quench thirst is the sense of taste caused by hearing. Besides the synaesthesia of taste and hearing, we also have such experiences in our daily life: seeing red, orange and Huang San will produce a warm feeling, while seeing blue, blue and green will produce a cold, cool or refreshing feeling, so the former is called warm color and the latter is called cool color. This is the result of temperature perception caused by vision.

The most common is color-hearing synaesthesia, that is, hearing a sound will cause the perception of a color, usually bass causes dark color and treble causes light color. Psychologist H. S. Langfeld once did an experiment about color auditory synesthesia. The results show that different notes will cause different color perception, and the relationship between tone and color is quite stable for the same person. Some people still maintain the corresponding relationship between C and red, D and purple, F and pink, B and bright copper after 7 years.

It is precisely because of the universal existence of synaesthesia that people apply this psychological principle to daily life, especially in modern advertisements.

References:

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4. Cover my ears and steal the clock

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhi Bo, a nobleman of the State of Jin, was defeated. Someone took the opportunity to steal from Fan's house and saw a big clock hanging in the yard.

This clock is made of exquisite bronze with exquisite shapes and patterns. The thief was very happy.

Great, I want to take this beautiful clock home. But this clock is big and heavy.

I can't move it. There is only one way he can think of, and that is to break the clock.

And then move home separately.

The thief found a sledgehammer and slammed it at the clock.

I was shocked. The thief panicked and thought it was not good. Isn't this noise just for stealing, throwing, teasing and apologizing? What's the point? Do you suffer from insurance?

Suddenly I jumped on the bell and tried to cover it with open arms, but how could the bell be covered? The bell is still echoing in the distance.

The more he listened, the more afraid he became. He involuntarily withdrew his hands and covered his ears hard. "Hey, the bell is getting smaller and I can't hear it!" Thief height

Get up, "wonderful! Cover your ears and you won't hear the bell! " He immediately found two cloth balls, plugged his ears, and thought, this is it.

No one can hear the bell. So I let go and hit the bell. When the bell rang, it spread loudly to far away places. People heard the bell ring.

Even caught the thief.

The story comes from Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals: Self-knowledge. "Stealing the bell of the ear" describes "stealing the bell of the ear" as a metaphor for covering up ignorance and deceiving others.

5. Pull out the seedlings and encourage them

During the Warring States Period, there was a farmer in Song State who planted a piece of land. After planting the seedling, he hopes it will grow tall soon. Bear fruit. He goes to the field to see it every day, but the seedlings grow slowly and he is in a hurry. How can we make seedlings grow taller as soon as possible?

The weather is fine and sunny. He went to the field to pull up seedlings one by one. After returning home, he proudly said to his family, "I'm exhausted." I helped He Miao grow taller. " When his son went to the field, all the seedlings died.

Pulling out seedlings to help: the original "pulling out seedlings to help" was changed to "pulling out seedlings to help".

Comments:

This fable vividly illustrates a truth from the opposite side: we can only do bad things with good intentions without proceeding from objective reality.

6, skilled in solving cattle

An expert who knows cows was later used by Zhuangzi to describe the fable of keeping in good health.

From Zhuangzi. In other words, "being good at understanding cows" is actually a word created by Zhuangzi.

On this day, my technical workers were invited to Wenjia to slaughter a beef cattle for him. I saw that his hands pressed the cow, his shoulders rested on the cow, his feet stepped on the cow, and his knees rested on the cow. His movements were extremely skilled. When he stabbed the butcher's knife at the cow, the sound of meat peeling from the bones and muscles matched the movements of a skilled worker like me when carrying the knife, which seemed so harmonious and beautiful. When he butchered cattle, his movements were like dancing on the Shang Tang-era music Sanglin, and his voice when he untied cattle was in tune with Yao Le's Jingshou.

Wen, who stood by, was shocked. He couldn't help exclaiming loudly, "Oh, it's amazing! How can your skill in slaughtering cattle be so superb? "

When asked, my technical worker quickly put down the butcher knife and said to Wen, "I prefer to explore the laws of things because it is better than ordinary technical skills." When I first learned to slaughter cattle, I saw a huge cow because I didn't understand the body structure of the cow. After I slaughter cattle for three years, I will fully understand the structure of cattle. When I look at the cow again, what appears in front of me is no longer a whole cow, but many detachable parts! Now that I have slaughtered many cows, I just need to feel them with my heart, not with my eyes. I know where to cut cattle and where not. According to the natural structure of cattle, I can skillfully pierce the knife directly into the gap between the bones and muscles of cattle, and make use of these gaps to make the butcher knife not be damaged at all. Since I can't even touch the flesh-and-blood part, let alone the big bone. A skilled chef, because he cuts meat with a knife, usually changes a knife every year; And more chefs cut bones with knives, so they have to change a knife every month. My knife has been used for 19 years and killed more than a thousand cows, but the blade is as sharp as if it had just been sharpened on a grindstone. Why is this? Because there are cracks in the joints of cattle, the blade is very thin, so I insert the thin blade into the cracks in the bones of cattle, which is naturally obvious.

Generous and comfortable. So my 19-year-old knife is still like a new one that has just been ground. Nevertheless, whenever I meet a place where bones and muscles are intertwined, it is often difficult for me to start. At this time, I should be especially vigilant, keep my eyes open, slow down and use less force. When I find the key part, I can cut the cow open with one knife and spread it on the ground like dirt. After killing the cow, I stood up with a knife and looked around. I can't help feeling complacent and carefree. Then I clean the knife and put it in the scabbard for next use. "

Wen Huijun listened to my words and nodded again and again, as if he realized something: "Well, after listening to your good words, I learned a lot about cultivation!" "

This story tells people that everything in the world has its inherent regularity. As long as you practice with your heart and keep exploring, over time, practice makes perfect, and things will be done very beautifully.

References:

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10, sit and watch the sky.

Source]

"Zhuangzi Waipian Qiushui": "I don't know what's the matter with my husband? The tortoise in the East China Sea said, "I am very happy! Out of the jumping beam, on the shaft, into the rest of the cliff; If you go to the water, you will hold your arms, and the mud is not enough to destroy; If you fight with others, it won't work! In addition, it is also very important that my husband is good at a ditch of water, but he is willing to cross the well. Does Mr Xi visit occasionally? "The turtle in the East China Sea has not entered his left foot and his right knee has been broken, so he wandered around and told the sea," It is not enough to lift it thousands of miles away; A thousand meters high is not deep enough. At that time, ten years and nine years, water benefits; There was seven droughts in eight years in the soup, and the cliff was not damaged. It is also a great pleasure that the East China Sea does not last long and does not advance and retreat many times. "

Tang Hanyu's "The Original Road": "Sitting in the well and watching the sky, saying that the sky is small, it is not Xiaotian."

[explanation]

In "Zhuangzi Autumn Water", Zhuangzi told such a story:

In an abandoned well, there lived a frog. One day, the frog met a big turtle from the East China Sea by the well. The frog proudly boasted to the tortoise, "Look, how comfortable I am living here!" " If I want to be happy, I will jump and play by the well. When I am tired, I will rest in the cave by the well. Sometimes I will soak comfortably in the water, and sometimes I will walk happily in the mud. Look at those bugs, crabs and tadpoles next to you. Who can compare with me? How free I am to occupy this abandoned well by myself! Why doesn't Mr. Wang often go to the well to watch and play? "

After listening to the frog, the tortoise wants to look in the well. However, before his left foot fully penetrated, his right foot tripped over the well site. It had to take a step back and tell the frog about the sea it saw: "Have you seen the sea? The vastness of the sea, more than a thousand miles; The ocean is over 1000 feet deep. There were floods in nine of the ten years in ancient times, but the sea water did not increase; There were seven years of drought in eight years, but the sea water did not decrease. The sea is not affected by drought and flood, and living in the vast sea is the real happiness. "

Han Yu, a great writer in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in his "The Original Road": "Sit on a well and watch the sky, saying that it is not small." That is to say, sitting in a well and observing the sky, you will feel that the sky is very small. In fact, it's not that the sky is too small, but that people who look at the sky stand low and have too narrow eyes.

From these two articles, there are two idioms with similar meanings-"Frog in the well" and "Watching the sky from the well". Frog in the well is used to satirize those who are narrow-minded and short-sighted, but they are blind and arrogant, do not accept new things and do not understand the overall situation. "Looking at the sky from a well" describes a narrow and limited vision.

A new idiom: Sit in a well and watch the sky.

Text/Wang Meng

When Mr. Frog was young, there was a shallow dry well at home. He likes to sit inside and meditate and look into the distance. The dragon and frog king like painting, especially sitting in a dry well, or diving into the well, surrounded by a lifebuoy, calmly looking up and enjoying themselves alone. Sometimes I see branches and leaves in full bloom, sometimes I see blooming flowers falling, sometimes I see a cloud, sometimes I see a white cloud, sometimes I see a bright moon, sometimes I see stars ... Every spring, summer, autumn and winter, it's sunny and round, rainy and windy, lightning, mosquitoes, flies, dragonflies, bats, birds, trees and flowers, and the sky is bright and cloudy with a small outline, which is endless and impressive. When the frog king is happy, Xi knows very well. He is angry because of business, because of his heart and because of his strength. He is eager to follow the pen. One strange painting after another is neither ancient nor modern.

Mr Frog's paintings are very popular. He went to the world and appeared in painting auction markets in Hongkong, new york and Zurich. One puzzling picture sold for $250.

When the news came, public opinion was in an uproar. Or, what is $250? This is an insult to my artist. Picasso's paintings sold for $25 million! The price of the frog king is only one percent of that of Bi Lao, which is really too fall in price. In other words, this 250 yuan also saw the frog king's 250 yuan, and then he went to play one or two tricks to keep the frog king's appetite, with ulterior motives, and should assess his performance. In other words, 250 yuan is a great start. With 250, there will be 25,000, 250,000, 250,000, or even more. Mr. Frog's paintings represent the trend of the times, reflecting the collision, fusion, sparks, variation, misunderstanding and strange circle of eastern and western civilizations.

The good news reporter conducted a follow-up interview with Mr. Frog. Mr. Frog was naive and told reporters in detail how to sit and watch the sky and paint. The reporter wrote a report, and public opinion was once again in an uproar. In other words, the reason why people go out of 250 yuan is nothing more than to let all our artists go into the well cleanly and thoroughly. In other words, I have long said that frog paintings have no future. How about that? Don't say you didn't predict it. In other words, sitting in the well and watching the sky, in fact, even 250 paintings can't be drawn. The reporter's report is mystifying, grandstanding, and "Krikon" actually violates news ethics and news discipline, which must be dealt with strictly and cannot be condoned. In other words, sitting in the well and leaning on the corner is really a challenge to the art cause, and his challenge has actually succeeded, shocking the world and cannot be taken lightly. In other words, although frogs are incompetent, they should not be completely denied. Sit by and watch the sky and draw pictures. If you go astray, can you sit back and watch, don't ask, don't help or not? !

Therefore, a systematic engineering scheme to rescue the frog king was formulated. Take him to the space to sail, let him know that the world is big, the wellhead is small, and the paintings in the past are tiny. Take him to various receptions, symposiums, cold meals, commemorative meetings, awards meetings, alumni associations, memorial services, big banquets, small banquets, dances ... let him know that the world is wonderful and colorful, tempting the ladder. Mr. Frog was too hungry, too drunk and too infatuated, so he stopped painting and talked about the art of 250. But to travel in the universe, travel in space, immerse yourself in life and enjoy happiness. Everyone says the drama of the frog king is yet to come.

New enlightenment from sitting on a well and watching the sky

Text/Liu Xianming "

A frog is sitting in a well, and a bird is flying around the well.

The frog asked the bird, "Where did you fly from?"

The bird replied, "I came from far away." I flew more than a hundred miles in the sky and I was thirsty. I came down to find some water to drink. "

The frog said, "friend, don't talk big!" " The sky is only as big as the wellhead. Do you still need to fly that far? "

"You are mistaken," said the bird. The sky is boundless and vast! " "

The frog smiled and said, "Friend, I sit in the well every day. When I look up, I see the sky." I won't make mistakes. "

The bird also smiled and said, "Friend, you are wrong. Don't believe it, jump out of the wellhead and have a look. "

This idiom story of "sitting on a well and watching the sky" is a household name, and it is usually used to describe someone with limited knowledge and short-sightedness; But I think this story emphasizes that people should broaden their minds and broaden their horizons at the same time, but ignores other factors and information worthy of attention. When we analyze this idiom story again, it will have more profound practical enlightenment.

As far as this story is concerned, the key point is whether the frog jumps out to see it. The answer is yes. But why "jump out"? Just to see how big it is.

The purpose of frog jumping out to see is not to see how big the sky is, but to know that there must be many wells in the world, even better than the well where he is now; You should know whether your well will run out of water one day and have a sense of crisis; After jumping out, you should look for a better lake or well, knowing that there is a well outside the well and a lake outside the well. Under the condition of ensuring that you can maintain your life time and within the range of moving distance, you should further look for and live in a water source, or a lake or well with richer water source and more suitable water quality for frogs to survive and multiply.

But when deciding whether to jump out immediately, we should also consider the jumping ability and environmental conditions. If the environment in the well and its jumping ability can't make it jump out, then it doesn't need to jump now, otherwise the higher it jumps, the greater the possibility of injury. It should wait until there is more water in the well before it jumps out. If it can exercise, it can try to jump while exercising, otherwise it will only be tasteless waste and consumption. After the frog jumps out, if it doesn't find a more suitable environment for its survival and reproduction than this well, it should appreciate the beauty of nature and know how much information there is in the sky before returning to this well to maintain its life, reproduce and complete its mission.

Each animal has its unique natural function and plays a role in the biological chain of nature. If each animal wants to play a role in the biological chain, it must form and have the life and reproductive ability of its own animal group. Frog's mission should also be to multiply life and become an unbreakable link in the biological chain of nature, so it can't live without water, but wells can store water and conserve moisture, which is a more suitable place for frogs to live. It is concerned with water and lakes or wells that can be filled with water. With such water resources and water environment, it can survive and realize the mission of reproducing life. Now, it is undoubtedly a temporary wise choice for frogs to choose and occupy an environment with more water resources than land and desert.

This story can naturally be applied to human beings. Because we have the shadow of a frog.