Wu Yan and Su Liu Two Ugly Imperial Concubines

In ancient China most men chose their wives by appearance, let alone the
emperors. But during the Spring and Autumn Period, two ugly but virtuous and
able women became imperial concubines in succession in a kingdom called Qi.

It is said there was a girl so ugly that her eyes sank deep in her face, sparse hair
could hardly cover her head, and her skin was as dark as pitch. Born in Wu Yan,
she was called after the place. Since she was so bad looking, she lived alone until
her 40. At that time wars surged up between the kingdoms from time to time.
One day Wu Yan summoned up courage and went to see the Emperor Xuan.
When she was presented at court, she said, 'Your majesty, I would like to be at
your service since our country is in great danger.' Of course, she was asked to
explain why, 'It is in a chaotic state at home with two strong kingdoms, Qin and
Chu, surrounding us. But your majesty haven't sensed the slightest danger at this
moment of life and death.' The emperor was struck dumb with her words and
gave up his luxurious life and put himself in efforts to make the country
prosperous. Wu Yan was not only the spouse, but also a straight friend to the
emperor.

Things came not singly but in pairs. Several generations later there lived in Qi
another ugly girl. Since she had a tumor in her neck, she was named Su Liu. It
was goiter in fact. Because of it, people kept away from her. Once Emperor Min
went on a sightseeing tour to the suburbs. All the people crowded along the road
while Su Liu concentrated on picking mulberry leaves. As she was called before
the emperor, she explained she was doing her job wholeheartedly and not
noticing things else. Emperor Min thought her a virtuous woman and wanted to
take her back. And unexpectedly, she refused and said she should ask her
parents' permission first. The emperor respected her will and held a grand
marriage for her. Later she assisted in governing the country and brought peace
and prosperity to people.
A Foolish Man Buys Shoes

In the past there lived a foolish man in a small kingdom called Zheng. One day he
wanted to buy himself a pair of new shoes. He measured his feet with a ruler first
and wrote down his size. But he was in such a hurry to set out that he left it at
home.

When he arrived at a shoe shop, he felt in the pocket only to find that it was not
there. So he said apologetically, 'I have left the measurement at home and don't
know the size. I'll fetch it in one minute.' With these words he hurried off as fast
as his legs could carry him.

He ran back home, found it and then to the shop again. But still it took him quite
a while and the shop was already closed then. He had gone to all this trouble for
nothing and did not get his shoes.

Then someone asked him, 'Did you buy the shoes for yourself or someone else?'
'For myself, of course.' he answered. 'Then why don't you try the shoes on by
yourself?'
Driving a Wedge between the Enemy

General Liu Yu of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) betrayed his country
and surrendered to the emperor of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) in the north.

In 1137, General Yue Fei of the Southern Song got an order to stage a war
against the Jin army. Yue Fei knew that there would be a rough battle now that
Liu and his new master formed an alliance. But he also knew that there was a
conflict between General Liu and Jinwuzhu, a general of Jin. Yue Fei would take
advantage of this and weaken the enemy force by driving a wedge between the
two generals. But how?

It so happened that Yue Fei received a report that a spy sent by Jinwuzhu was
captured. Hearing this, Yue had an idea. He sent a word that he would see this
spy.

When the spy was called in, Yue pretended to know the spy and said to him
reproachfully, "What has happened to you, Zhang Bing? A few days ago, I
ordered you to take Liu Yu a message expecting to collaborate with him to kill
Jinwuzhu, but I haven't got any information from you. Where have you been? I
am thinking of sending another man to complete the mission."

The spy felt puzzled, but he soon believed that Yue Fei had mistaken him for
someone else. He said to himself, "Why don't I make the best of this mistake by
taking this important message to my general?" He suddenly knelt down and said
beseechingly, "Pardon me, General. Give me one more chance and I promise to
hand the message to General Liu this time."

"Well, I pardon you", replied Yue Fei, "I give you another chance. But if you fail
again, you can't escape bad luck." He picked up a writing brush and wrote a letter
including an elaborated false scheme to kill Jinwuzhu. To make the wedge plan
more credible, Yue wrapped the letter in a wax ball. Then he cut open the skin on
the spy's leg and put the ball in the cut.
The enemy spy was so excited to get the information. He eagerly ran to Jinwuzhu
and handed the letter to him. Jinwuzhu was greatly shocked when he learned that
Liu Yu had been plotting to kill him. He immediately reported the message to the
emperor. Very soon, Liu Yu was deposed and Yue Fei succeeded in weakening the
enemy force and paved the way for his defeating the enemy.

Give the Enemy a Ray of Hope

In 206 B.C., Cao Cao (155-220), a great statesman, artist of war and man of
letters, led his army to attack the city of Huguan. As the city was strategically
located and very difficult to access, Cao's army could not take it in spite of great
efforts. Cao got extremely outraged and said, "Once I get into the city, I will have
all those in it buried alive."

Soon his words were spread throughout the city. As the defenders in the city
feared that it would really happen to them, they waged a desperate resistance. As
a result, Cao's army found it even harder to win the battle. They made months of
attempts to get in but in vain. Cao became more uneasy and consulted with his
generals for a scheme.

At a meeting, General Cao Ren rose from his seat and said, "The art of war tells
us that we should not put the enemy in too tight a ring, that the enemy should be
left a way to survive. But now we have been trapping our enemy in a deadly
corner. What's more, you have declared to have them all buried alive. This will
only make them battle desperately against us, for they would rather fight to
death than be buried alive. As I estimate, the enemy has almost run out of
supplies. If we now give them a ray of hope by leaving an open in the ring, they
are very likely to surrender to us, for they would rather survive than fight to
death for nothing."

Cao Cao thought the idea quite sensible and ordered to do as the general said. As
had been expected, the defending troops in the city soon crossed over to Cao's
side. The city was finally seized without a cruel fight.
Never too Deceitful in War

In 383 AD, King Fu Jian of the state of Qianqin in North China led an army of
870,000 men to invade the Eastern Jin (317-420). Emperor Xiaowu ordered three
generals, Xie Shi, Xu Yan and Xie Xuan, to lead 80,000 warriors to resist the
invaders.

In November, the enemy reached the Fei River in Eastern Jin and began to set up
defenses at the riverside. Across the river was Eastern Jin's troop. As there was a
great disparity of strength, Xie and his comrades in arms had hardly any hope of
victory if they started a face-to-face battle. Then they had an idea. They sent a
herald to take a message to Fu Rong, the king's major general, "You are setting
up defenses along the river, so it is quite obvious that you are planning for a long
war. But as you are far from your country and supplies cannot be timely
guaranteed, you are no doubt putting yourselves in a very disadvantageous
situation. Why don't you let your troop retreat a few hundred yards so that we
can cross the river to fight a decisive battle with you?"

This message was taken to King Fu Jian. He laughed and said, "How silly those
generals are! How dare they wade across the river to fight against a troop of
870,000 men! They surely overrate themselves. Let's retreat so that they can
come across. But we will return and wipe them out when they are in the middle of
the river."

The retreat started. In a few seconds, there suddenly came a roaring cry from
behind, "The king is defeated!" As the purpose of the action had not been
properly declared, many men mistakenly believed that they were truly defeated.
Therefore, they ran faster until the whole troop became beyond control. The Jin's
troop immediately crossed the river and attacked the enemy from behind.
General Fu Rong attempted to give a counterattack, but it was too late. His troop
was already in a thorough confusion and no one would hear his order. This
invading Titanic was at last sunk by a much smaller group of fighters.

King Fu Jian's mistake lies in the fact that he only knew that an army in water is
easy to defeat. Yet, he should have also known that when two armies confront
each other, the one who first retreats tends to lose.

Dead Horse and Talents

During the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), the State of Yan was defeated
by the State of Qi. When King Zhao was crowned as the king of Yan, he was
determined to make his state strong to remove the humiliation. Yet he
complained that he did not have real talents to assist him.

One day, he said to Guo Wei, a minister, "Can you tell me how I can get great
talents?" Guo Wei replied by telling a story.

"Once there was a king who offered hundreds of ounces of gold for a winged
steed, a horse which can run 500 kilometers a day. He sent one of his men to
search through the country but the man only brought back a pile of bones of a
dead steed for half of the gold. The king got outraged. But the man said, 'When
people learn that you have paid so much for a dead horse, they will certainly offer
to sell you a steed if anyone has got one.' As was expected, the king got three
steeds in less than a year. If you are sincerely seeking top talents, why don't you
treat me as a dead horse of that sort now?"

King Zhao did build Guo Wei a very expensive villa and regarded him as a
teacher. Also he built a platform on which he placed a lot of presents for guests
from different parts. Soon his sincerity was spread to every corner of the land. In
a couple of years, great talents such as Ju Xin, Su Dai, Zou Yan, Le Yi all came
from different states to gather around King Zhao. Very soon, with the assistance
of them, Yan became a powerful state and defeated Qi. King Zhao accomplished
his dream of revenge.
Power of Skirts

n a field in the Liangshan Mountain, two groups of young men from the Chinese
Yizu nationality armed with spears, sticks and bows are on the verge of a violent
fight. Suddenly, a middle-aged woman dressed in a skirt edged with lace comes
between them. The sharp spears almost touches her body, but she remains calm
and shakes her skirt as if she is signaling the men. The fighters are all astonished
by the sudden scene. They stop forwarding and slowly lower their arms, watching
the waving of the skirt. After a moment's silence, the heads of both sides order to
withdraw.

Who is that woman? Is she a powerful authority from a village? No! She is only
an ordinary woman. The fact is that one group of the young men are from her
husband's village and the other from her own. According to the customs of Yizu in
that area, if an armed fight ever happens between two villages, no man from
either village dare go to the border by risking being kidnapped or killed. Women,
however, are exceptional. As usual, they can work in fields along the border or
visit relatives and friends in the opposite village without being endangered. If
another war should happen, any woman from the related village mediates in it by
standing between the fighting parties. Her action is usually respected. If either of
the two sides ignores her advice, she will put off her skirt and stands naked
before them until she commits suicide for the sake of honor. If such an event
does happen, the side who sticks to the war will be condemned and more people
will join the war. As large scale wars are discouraged, the brave woman's advice
is often favored by the fighters.
A Willing Victim Letting Himself Caught

"Taigong Diaoyu, Yuanzhe Shanggou" is a famous Chinese idiom about a willing

victim letting himself be caught. The idiom comes from the following story.

Jiang Ziya lived near the Weishui River about 3,000 years ago. The area was the
feudal estate of Count Ji Chang. Jiang Ziya knew Ji Chang was very ambitious so
he hoped to get Ji's attention.

He often went fishing at the Weishui River, but he would fish in an unusual way.
He hung a straight fishhook, without bait, three feet above the water. He often
said to himself, "Fish, if you don't want to live any more, come and swallow the
hook yourself."

Soon his strange way of fishing was reported to Ji Chang. Ji sent a soldier to fetch
him. Jiang saw the soldier coming, but ignored him. Jiang just went on with his
fishing, and was saying to himself, "Fishing, fishing, no fish has been hooked. A
shrimp is up to mischief." The soldier reported this back to Ji Chang, who became
more interested in Jiang.

Ji sent an official to invite Jiang this time. But Jiang again ignored the invitation.
He just carried on fishing, and was saying, "Fishing, fishing, the big fish has not
been hooked. A small one is up to mischief."
Then Ji Chang realized Jiang may be a great talent so he went to invite Jiang
himself and brought many generous gifts with him. Jiang saw his sincere desire
so decided to work for him.

Jiang helped Ji Chang and his son turn over the Shang Dynasty and establish the
Zhou Dynasty. Jiang was given the title of Taigong so people called him Jiang
Taigong.

In this idiom, Diaoyu means "fishing," Yuanzhe means "a person willing to" and
Shanggou means get hooked. Today, people use this old idiom to describe
someone who willingly falls in a trap or does something regardless of the result.
For example, if someone sells something at a price of 10 times its real value, and
he does not care if it can be sold, his situation could be described with this idiom.

A Mantis Trying to Stop a Chariot

When somebody overrates himself, he is often warned: "Don't be a mantis trying

to stop a chariot." The saying comes from a legend dated back to the Spring and
Autumn Period.

One day, the King of Qi went out for a hunting with his men. The carriages were
going along, when suddenly a mantis stood in the middle of the road with its
sickle-like forelegs opened. It was obvious that he was trying to fight against the
carriage to hold it back. Surprised at the case, the King of Qi ordered to stop and
asked what creature it was. When he was told it was called mantis, and it would
go well up to bridle decisively when it was challenged. The King sighed with
exclamation at its braveness. He mused a moment and added: "It's a great pity
that it is not more than an insect. If it were a man, he must be the bravest
warrior in the world!" Then the King ordered his carriages turn around it to leave
the mantis there standing martially.

When the persons around heard the King's words, they were well touched and
determined to devote themselves to the country.

As time passed, the meaning of the phrase changed to its opposite. Now it means
that someone overrates oneself and try to hold back an overwhelmingly superior
force.
A Loss May Turn Out to Be a Gain

Long ago, near the frontier lived an old man. One day he found his horse missing.
It was said that the horse was seen running outside the border of the country.
The neighbors came to comfort him for the unfortunate loss. But the old man was
unexpectedly calm and said, "It doesn't matter; it may not be a bad event, on the
contrary, I think it can be a good one."

One night the old man heard some noise of horses and got up to see. To his
surprise, he saw another beautiful horse as well as his own. It was clear that his
horse had brought a companion home. Hearing the news, the neighbors all came
to say congratulation on his good luck. At the greetings, however, the old man
was very calm and thoughtful. He added, "It is true that I got a new horse for
nothing, but it is hard to say whether it is good or bad. It may be an unlucky
thing."

What he said was testified right. The son of the old man was very fond of the
horse brought home, and one day, when he was riding the horse, he fell down
from the horseback and terribly hurt in his left leg. Since then he was never able
to walk freely. "Nothing serious," the old man said, "perhaps it is going to be
good."
A year later, many of the youth there were recruited to fight in a war and most of
them died. The son of the old man was absolved from the obligation for his
disability, so he escaped death.

The old story tells us that good and bad, disaster and happiness can be
converting objects to each other sometimes.

A Fond Dream of Nanke

In Tang Dynasty, there lived a person called Chun Yufen, who thought himself a
wise man but was not recognized by people then. So he often felt sad and drank
down to pass his time.

One day, he was drinking under an old pagoda tree, to the south of his house. he
soon fell asleep and had a dream.

In his dream, Chun Yufen met with an atomy who introduced himself to Chun
Yufen that he came to invite him to the great Kingdom of Pagoda. Chun Yufen
gladly went there with him. He found himself into a fairy world with many red
gates, magnificent palaces, luxuriant pavilions and beautiful gardens; in a word, it
couldn't be found in the real world.

The king appreciated him very much so that he was named the head of Nanke.
Soon after, he married the king's pretty daughter. Chun Yufen was so happy with
the life there that he totally forgot his hometown and his family.
But it was not long before the kingdom was invaded by another country and Chun
Yufen had to lead the troops to hold out the enemies. Unfortunately his troops
were defeated and his wife died. Chun Yufen was badly hit and he felt very
disappointed to himself, so he decided to leave the Kingdom of Pagoda. In the
end, he was sent home by the atomy. As soon as he arrived home, he woke up to
realize what had happened was just a dream, which only took him a short time to
have. There lay the half glass of alcohol on the ground in front of him. And there
was an ant creeping on one of his feet. Looking down from the little creature he
found an ant nest in the old pagoda tree. "Oh, it must have been the ant nest
that I entered and took for that kingdom in my dream." he murmured.

The story is often used to say that someone is very happy about something not
based on reality. For an example, someone thought he won a lottery and was
very happy about it, but actually he did not win anything.

A Wily Hare Has Three Burrows

In the Warring States Period, the Prime Minister, Meng Changjun, of the Qi State,
supported and fed many people at his home. One of them was called Feng Xuan.
One day, Feng Xuan was sent to collect what the tenant farmers owed to the
landlord (Meng Changjun). When he got to the place, he declared self-assertively
to the farmers that all the tenancy contracts would be demolished at once.
Cheers burst out among the happy farmers; they owed great gratitude to Meng
Changjun, their landlord.

When Feng Xuan returned to the host and told about what he did, Prime Minister,
Meng Changjun was not very happy about it. "Why did you do that?" the minister
asked. "Well, though I had not brought you some fortune by doing that, I really
won the morale of your farmers. That is more important to you." The minister
reluctantly accepted his explanation.

Meng Changjun was dismissed from office the next year, so he decided to go back
to his home town. When he arrived to his demesne, he was surprised of seeing
the farmers were on both sides of the road welcoming him warmly. At the sight,
Meng Changjun felt very puzzled as well as greatly moved, and he asked Feng
Xuan for the reason. "That is out of question. This is the reward for your
charities." Meng Changjun took a tumble at the words since he already forgot the
matter happened last year. Feng Xuan continued, "A wily hare which has three
burrows can keep itself safe. But now you have only one. So you must struggle to
get the other two. You should pay a visit to the State of Wei and canvass for your
ideas to the king there. When the king want to retain you for his minister's
position, refuse him. This would get the attention of the king of the Qi State. And
he would think more about you." As expected, the king of the Qi State felt very
worried when he heard that his former Prime Minister could take a position in the
hostile Wei State. So he acted quickly to reappoint Meng Changjun as the prime
minister of the state.

In order to express his honesty, the king of Qi promised him some advantages.
All were refused according to Feng Xuan, except for being the heres of a sacrificial
utensil from the royal ancestor and the permission of building another temple in
his demesne, which was considered the safe guard for the people there.

When the temple completed, Feng Xuan said to Meng Changjun, his master,
"Now, all the three burrows have been built, and you should be safe now!" It was
said Meng Changjun to have held the post for the rest of his life and his tenants
were all living in peace.

The Donkey of Guizhou

Once upon a time there was no donkey in Guizhou. So someone officious shipped
one there, but finding no use for it, he set it loose at the foot of the mountain.

A tiger ran out from the mountains. When he saw this big tall thing, he thought it
must be divine. He quickly hid himself in the forest and surveyed it from under
cover. Sometimes the tiger ventured a little nearer, but still kept a respectful
distance.

One day the tiger came out again. Just then the donkey gave a loud bray.
Thinking the donkey was going to eat him, the tiger hurriedly ran away. After a
while he sneaked back and watched the donkey carefully. He found that though it
had a huge body it seemed to have no special ability.
After a few days the tiger gradually became accustomed to its braying and was no
longer so afraid. Sometimes he even came near and circled around the donkey.

Later the tiger became bolder. Once he walked in front of the donkey and
purposely bumped it. This made the donkey so angry that it struck out his hind
legs and kicked wildly.

Seeing this the tiger was very gleeful, 'Such a big thing as you can do so little!'
With a roar he pounced on the donkey and ate it up.

The Fall of a State

The powerful emperor, Liu Che, of Han Dynasty was a successful sovereign, who
was not only a politician but also a talent poet. He started the famous official
conservatory for collecting and composing folk songs and ballads.

A bandmaster in the conservatory called Liyannian was very good at songs and
ballads and also did well in composition. One day, he showed the emperor a new
piece: "In the north is a beauty, unique among her contemporaries. One look
from her will cause the fall of a city; another, the fall of the state. Who knows to
what degree her charm can reach? And she is the best." The emperor was very
fond of the song. The song brought him not only great aesthetic feeling but also a
bit affliction. The emperor sighed with regret, "How terrific it would be if there
was a beauty like her in the world?"

A careless word may be important information to an attentive listener. The

emperor's sister decided to search for such a girl from the country for the
emperor as the empress. In the end they found that the sister of the bandmaster
was just the one they were looking for. She was well educated, uniquely
charming, and perfectly gorgeous. She danced before the emperor delicately and
charmingly, which made the emperor completely excited. He watched the dance
attentively and finally said, "Well, my sweet beauty, the country has certainly
fallen by you!"

Since then, the expression, THE FALL OF A STATE, has been used to describe the
most beautiful and charming woman.

The Gentleman on the Beam

In the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD), there lived a man called Chen Shi, who
had been the head of a county. He was admired and respected by people for his
fine morality and good reputation. He was ready to be promoted, instead he
retired for some political reasons and lived in his hometown since then.

One year, turmoil and war took place because of a terrible famine. Robberies and
thieves were rampant in that area.
One night a thief got into the house of Chen Shi through one of the windows. The
thief was about start his deal when Chen Shi got up to relieve himself. So the
thief hid himself on the beam immediately. Chen Shi had noticed the thief but he
pretended to know nothing about him. After he tied the belt around his waist,
instead of calling the thief down, he called his sons up and then spoke out to
them, "Listen!" the father declared, "As a man, one should act straightly and
firmly. He should do good deeds all his life. And I don't think those who serve the
devils have an instinct for evil." The address made by the father in the middle of
the night puzzled the sons. They didn't know what on earth had happened. And
then the father raised his voice and continued, "You must remember that one can
be short of property, however, he must stand on his dignity." The father hinted for
his sons what he said was all aimed to the man on the beam.

The thief felt very sorry and shamed for what he did. So he began to weep on the
beam. Later, he climbed down and knelt before Chen Shi, "I'm terribly sorry, but
that is all because of the famine and the war." At last Chen Shi forgave him, gave
him some cloth, and let him go.

Though the thief in the story was a little commiserated with, yet he was regarded
as a thief admittedly. Since then such a person has got another name, that is,
THE GENTLEMAN ON THE BEAM.

Double Happiness

A large Chinese character, Double Happiness, on a red piece of paper or in paper

cut is always put where it must strike the eyes on a young couple's wedding. It
has a story behind it.

In the ancient Tang Dynasty, there was a student who was on the way to the
capital to attend the national final examination, in which the top learners would
be selected as the ministers in the court. Unfortunately, he fell ill halfway when
he passed through a mountain village. Thanks to a herbalist doctor and his
daughter, he was taken to their house and treated well. He recovered quickly due
to the father and the daughter's good care. Well, when he had to leave, he found
it hard to say good-bye to the pretty girl, and so did she. They fell in love. So the
girl wrote down the right hand part of an antithetical couplet for the student to
match:

"Green trees against the sky in the spring rain while the sky set off the spring
trees in the obscuration."

"Well, I can make it though it is not easy. But you'll have to wait till I have
finished the examination." replied the student. The young girl nodded in
significance.

In the examination the young man won the first place, who was appreciated by
the emperor. Also the winners were interviewed and tested by the emperor. As
luck would have it, he was asked by the emperor to finish a couplet, which would
need a right part as the answer. The emperor wrote:

"Red flowers dot the land in the breeze's chase while the land colored up in red
after the kiss."

The young man realized immediately the right part of the couplet by the girl was
the perfect fit to the emperor's couplet, so he took the girl's part as the answer
without hesitation. The emperor was delighted to see the matching half of his
couplet was so talent and harmonious that he authorized the young man's
identity as Minister in the court and allowed him to pay a visit to his hometown
first before holding the post. The young man met the girl happily at home and
told her the emperor's couplet. They soon got married. For the wedding, the
couple DOUBLED the Chinese character, HAPPY, together, on a red piece of paper
and put it on the wall to express the happiness for the two events. And from then
on, it has been taken on and became a social custom.

Fish for the Moon in the Well

One evening, the clever man, Huojia went to fetch some water from the well. To
his surprise, when he looked into the well, he found the moon sunk in the well
shining. "Oh, good Heavens, what a pity! The beautiful moon has dropped into
the well!" so he dashed home for a hook, and tied it with the rope for his bucket,
then put it into the well to fish for the moon.

After some time of hunting for the moon, Haojia was pleased to find that
something was caught by the hook.. He must have thought it was the moon. He
pulled hard by the rope. Due to the excessive pulling, the rope broke into apart
and Haojia fell flat on his back. Taking the advantage of that post, Haojia saw the
moon again high in the sky. He sighed with emotion, "Aha, it finally came back to
its place! What a good job! He felt very happy and told whomever he met with
about the wonderment proudly without knowing what he did was something
impractical.

Stopping Halfway, Never Comes One's Day

In the Warring States Period, in the state of Wei lived a man called Leyangtsi. His
wife was very angelic and virtuous, who was loved and respected dearly by the
husband.

One day, Leyangtsi found a piece of gold on his way home, and he was so
delighted that he ran home as fast as he could to tell his wife. Looking at the
gold, his wife said calmly and gently, "As you know, it is usually said that a true
man never drink the stolen water. How can you take such a piece of gold home
which is not yours?" Leyangtsi was greatly moved by the words, and he
immediately replaced it where it was.

The next year, Leyangtsi went to a distant place to study classics with a talent
teacher, leaving his wife home alone. One day, his wife was weaving on the loom,
when Leyangtsi entered. At his coming, the wife seemed to be worried, and she
at once asked the reason why he came back so soon. The husband explained how
he missed her. The wife got angry with what the husband did. Advising his
husband to be fortitude and not too indulged in the love, the wife took up a pair
of scissors and cut down what she had woven on the loom, which made Leyangtsi
very puzzled. His wife declared, "If something is stopped halfway, it is just like
the cut cloth on the loom. The cloth will only be useful if finished. But now, it has
been nothing but a mess, and so it is with your study."

Leyangtsi was greatly moved by his wife. He left home resolutely and went on
with his study. He didn't return home to see his beloved wife until gaining great
achievements.

Afterwards, the story was often used as a model to inspire those who would back
out in competitions.

A Story of the Dog Hat

It is a folk custom in the countryside of China to have a kid wear a
kind of hat which looks like a dog's face, especially in the provinces
of the southeast of China.

Here is a story about the kind of hat. Long ago, there were two
brothers in a family, both of whom were married and lived
peacefully. The elder brother and the wife were honest and tolerant,
but they did not have any children. And it was regarded as one of
the biggest problems for a couple without children in China then.
The elder brother and his wife were so upset for the matter that he
would like to adopt one of his nephews. "Well, my nephew is the
right person to be my heritor." he said to himself. But when he
talked this to his younger brother and the wife, he was refused
absolutely for no reason.

Not long after, anyhow, the younger brother fell ill and died.
Eventually, the burden of supporting the two sons was laid on the
younger brother's wife. In that case, the elder brother brought the
request for adopting one of the sons from her again. But he was
refused again and was given no reasons. That made the elder
brother very puzzled.

Years later, to the elder brother's delight, his wife was finally
pregnant at her middle age. The elder brother was a merchant and
he sometimes had to go out on business. For fear that his wife
would give birth when he was away, he had everything well
prepared and a midwife was found in the village. Little did one think,
things happened just as he did not wish to. His wife was brought to
bed just when he was out doing business. The younger brother's
wife went to help eagerly. She went for the midwife in time, but she
bought off the midwife to accomplish a plot on the elder brother's
wife. Now what the midwife would do was nothing but their
conspiracy according to the younger brother's wife, who had been
intending to get the properties from the elder brother. And that was
the reason why she refused to meet the request for adopting a son
from her. She wished the elder brother's family had come to an end
due to no descendants.

It was hard to give birth to a child for a woman of her age. The elder
brother's wife was in great pain. The younger brother's wife
comforted her phonily but she snickered at heart. The midwife
replaced the baby with a dog peeled off the skin quickly and neatly
before the elder brother's wife came to know something. And then
the younger brother's wife took the baby away and left the baby in
the fields. No one knew the matter but a brown dog standing by all
the time.

When the elder brother's wife regained consciousness, she was

surprised at the strange thing which she was told was her baby. She
was so disappointed that she cried as soon as she saw her husband
who returned home later that day. He also felt so disappointed and
puzzled as to give himself away down to the floor, burying his head
between the knees. Just then, the brown dog came to him and
pulled him with one of its paws and led him out to the garden. To his
astonishment, he found a tender baby in the dog's hut crying. Now
everything had become clear to him. When the head of the county
heard about the case, he got very angry. So an accusation was
brought against the cruel younger brother's wife. She was punished
severely, but she didn't know how on earth the baby she threw
away could be brought back to the mother's arms, since she had
never noticed the dog was following her. The dog was praised
greatly. It was the dog that managed to bring the baby back home.
And it was the dog that smashed the blackness and saved the
family. So in memory of the dog's loyalty and its great honor, the
baby's mother made a dog hat for her baby and named the baby
"Dog Son". Dog hats became more and more popular among
villagers not only because it was practicable but also because it had
a close relation with the faithful dog.
A Walk Learner in Handan

In the Warring States Period, a young man in the town of Shouling, the state of
Yan, once heard that people in Handan, the capital of the state of Zhao, had an
elegant way of walking. So he went a long way there to learn.

Arriving in the town of Handan, the young man set about watching how the
people there walking in the street. He was well indulged in the study all day long;
sometimes he followed one this way and sometimes another that way.

As time passed, the young man felt more and more worried because he had not
learned to walk as the natives there. And worse luck, in the end, he found himself
unable to walk in his own way. So he had no choice but to crawl home.

The old story warns us not to formally copy the way of others.

Ask a Fox for Its Skin

Long ago, there lived a young man, called Lisheng, who had just married a
beauty. The bride was very willful. One day, she had an idea that a coat of fox fur
would look pretty on her. So she asked her husband to get her one. But the coat
was rare and too expensive. The helpless husband was forced to walk around on
the hillside. Just at the moment, a fox was walking by. He lost no time to catch it
by the tail. "Well, dear fox, let's make an agreement. Could you offer me a sheet
of your skin? That isn't a big deal, is it?."

The fox was shocked at the request, but she replied calmly, "Well, my dear, that's
easy. But let my tail go so that I can pull off the skin for you." So the delighted
man let her free and waited for the skin. But the moment the fox got free, she
ran away as quickly as she could into the forest.
The story can be well used for reference that it is hard to ask someone to act
against his own will, even though only a little sometimes.

A Chinese Vest Doudu

in the long history of China, many things can trace back to their sources either by telling their own
tales or in twists and turns. Sometimes we can also peep into the facts through folktales or legends
somehow. Now let's inspect an interesting Chinese children's dress DouDu which has been making
its way all through the history on children's stomach till today.

As you can see in the picture, the so-called dress in fact is a simple
piece of cloth covering on a baby's belly. We get the impression of
simpleness from the first look of it. But a nice one usually takes a lot
of time to make; first you have to lace it, then make some drawings
on it and embroider it with colorful silk thread. Even it was once the
point through which people learned the mother's ability in sewing.
Today, doudu is still popular in the countryside, for it allows a child
the greatest latitude of movement and of enjoying the cool in
summer, as well as some grace in front of people. Of course, it has
another reason for its being popular. That is the traditional moral.
Here is one of the stories about it.

Long ago, a widow mother lived with her little son in a distant village
inland. One winter, the mother had a strange disease. The only
prescription was to take a kind of red fish in the river as medicine.
Her four-year old son, by all appearances, was too young to get fish
in the river. But he wanted to manage it to save his beloved mother.
The river, however, was covered with thick ice which was even
difficult for adults to deal with. The worried son soon thought out a
unique way to catch fish in the frozen river.

In the snowy world, a naked boy was seen seated on the ice in the
river. When people got to know the purpose of his doing, everyone
was shocked. In order to get the fish under the thick ice, the little
boy was trying to get the ice melted into a hole using his body. The
time seemed endless, but the boy held out firmly. As he could hardly
resist the freezing coldness, came an old man with long white beard.
The old man came silently but affectionately to him to dress him in
a simple but beautiful vest which was called doudu afterwards and
then left silently. It was a magic gift, in spite of a small piece of
cloth. It was especially warm. Thanks to the vest, the boy no longer
felt cold; instead, a stream of warmth came up to him and in the
end the hole was completed. He caught the fish for his mother and
eventually his poor mother recovered. The story of the little boy was
spread all over. He was admired by all other parents.

From then on people would place good hope on their children by

letting them have doudus on. They hoped their children dutiful to
them and brave in life. As time passes, some changes have taken
place in the dress including the style. The ones made by machines
have almost taken the place of boondoggles. But the good hope for
peaceful and happy life has forever been kept in them.
Bring the Painted Dragons to Life by Putting Pupils in Their

Eyes

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589 AC), once lived a famous
painter named Zhang Seng-Zuong. He was highly praised for his fine art by
Emperor Liang Wu.

One year, Zhang Seng-Zuong was asked to paint on the wall of the temple of
Andong. He almost finished the painting of four dragons, in which they were
breaking into a gallop in clouds. Everybody appreciated the vivid dragons on the
wall. "But," asked one man," why didn't you put in the pupils of their eyes?"
"Well, they will fly away if the pupils are put in." answered Zhang Seng-Zuong.
But nobody believed him. They took what he said for jokes, so they still appealed
to him to paint the pupils in the eyes.

At their request, Zhang Seng-Zuong had to take up his paintbrush to begin his
troublesome work. After a moment of hesitation, Zhang dotted the key part of
the dragons resolutely. Two of the dragons suddenly precipitated into a cloud of
rolls of thunder and lightning before he could drop the paintbrush. The crowd was
disordered into a mess; some lay themselves on the stomach, and some hid
themselves behind pillars. A loud crash was heard and the wall toppled into
pieces in the middle. The dragons writhed for a while and flew away high in the
sky. Fortunately the two without pupils still remained there on the wall peacefully.

The proverb, 'Bring the painted dragons to life, by putting pupils in their eyes'
now is usually adopted to indicate the case that a person can make his speech or
composition smartly lively just with only a few pointed key words or expressions.
Bian Heh's Jade

In the Spring and Autumn Period, Bian Heh in the Chu state got a rough jade on
Mount Chu. He decided to present the valuable jade to the emperor to show his
official loyalty to his sovereign, Chuli. Unluckily, the jade was judged as a
common stone by the court jadders, which made Emperor Chuli very angry, and
had Bian Heh's left foot cut down cruelly.

After the enthronement of the new emperor Chuwu, Bian Heh decided to submit
the jade to Chuwu to clarify matters. Emperor Chuwu also had it checked by the
jadders in the court. And the conclusion resulted in the same fact that Bian Heh
lost the other foot.

After the death of Emperor Chuwu, the prince Chuwen was enthroned, that gave
the poor Bian Heh a gleam of light of proving his clear conscience. However, the
moment he thought of what he had incurred, he couldn't help crying beside a hill.
He could not stop crying for several days and nights; he almost wept his heart
out and even blood was dropping from his eyes. And it happened to be heard by
the emperor in the court. He ordered his men to find out why he was so sad. Bian
Heh sobbed out "Call a spade a spade. Why was a real jade mistaken as a plain
stone again and again? Why was a loyal man thought faithless time and time?"
Emperor Chuwen was touched by Bian Heh's deep grief and ordered the jadders
to open the jade to have a close look. To their astonishment, in the rough coat,
the pure content was sparkling and translucent. Then it was carefully cut and
polished fine and at last the jade became a rare treasure of the state of Chu. In
memory of the faithful man Bian Heh, the emperor named the jade by Bian Heh.
And so the term "Bian's Jade" came into being.

People usually describe something extremely precious in its value with Bian's
Jade.
Tiger Shoes

Tiger shoes are commonly found on babies' feet in the countryside of China even today. The shoes
are entirely made of cloth and their toe-caps are made into tiger's head. There is a popular story
behind their long history.

Long ago, in the famous old town Yangzhou lived a boatman called
Big Yang, who was very generous and ready to help others. Because
of his charities, he got an old drawing as a present from an old
female passenger. In the picture, a beautiful girl was embroidering a
pair of tiger shoes. The boatman was very pleased with the gift. He
liked the picture dearly. As soon as he got home, he put it on the
wall above his bed.

One evening, the girl in the picture stepped out of the picture and
had a nice time with Big Yang. Since then, they met every night.
Years later, they had a son who brought much happiness to the
couple. But unfortunately, the magic picture was seized away by the
official of the town, who had heard about the beauty in Big Yang's
picture. Big Yang was angry with the evil official though he could do
nothing. The greedy official put the picture on the wall above his
bed and waited the girl to come down every night. To his
disappointment, nothing happened.

The son was crying for his mother. The father tried to deceive him
into believing that his mother had gone far away to the west. The
son insisted on looking for his mother. Finally, the son went on the
trip to find his mother. He traveled westwards day and night, and in
the end, he saw his mother in a pool in the forest bathing together
with many other fairies. "Well, my son, how have you been looking
for Mum a long way here!" said the mother, weeping the tears off
her son's cheeks. "Mum, let's go home. You know how I missed you."
"We won't meet until you go into the official's bed room, wearing
that pair of tiger shoes I made for you. My son. Shut your eyes, and
I'll send you home first."

After a whirl of gale, the son was surprised to find himself already at
home. He informed the official that he could call down the lady from
the picture. On hearing the news, the evil official was very pleased
for he was eager to find a way to get in touch with the beauty. So
the boy was lead directly into the bedroom. As soon as the boy saw
his mother, he spoke to the picture. "Mum, let's go!" the son said
deeply. The mother got down right away and walked out with the
support of her son. But the evil official stopped them right away. He
wanted to detain the beauty as his concubine forcefully, but he was
refused. The official became angry and thrust at the mother and
son. The boy fought back bravely. While they were fighting, the tiger
shoes shook off from the boy's feet and turned into a large tiger. It
jumped up quickly over to the sinful official. The calls for help from
the poor man and the roars from the fierce tiger were mixed
together, which was heard by the whole town. It was the tiger shoes
that saved the mother and son, and the family united again. Since
then, people made tiger shoes for their own babies hoping the
family and their babies well protected.
Yi Shot Down Nine Suns

The legend says, thousands of years ago in Yao dynasty, there were ten Suns
shining in the sky at the same time. The burning heat singed the crops and trees.
The people were suffering a lot because of starvation and many people died of
hunger. In the meantime, a lot of monsters and atrocious birds began to riot
introducing illness and threat to human beings. Yayu was a very atrocious
monster, that ran very fast. One of the beasts was called Chisel Teeth. Its
buckteeth looked like chisels sticking out of its jaw about three feet in length.
Nine Babies was one of the monsters with nine heads. It could send jets of water
or fire from its mouth. And the Gale was a ferocious bird with large wings. When
it flew over, houses were terribly damaged because of the great shock wave from
its wings. Fengshi was the monster of pigs. The Cultivated Snake was of course a
snake but it could gulp an elephant at a time and it took it three years to let out
the bones. So these ferocious monsters troubled people badly.

In order to help the people get out from under, Emperor Yao ordered Yi to
conquer the monsters and those suns. So Yi set out with his bow, arrows, sword
and spear. The hero won each fight. He killed the Chisel Teeth in the field in the
south of China, the Nine Babies in the ominous water in the north of China, and
he killed the Gale bird in the east of China with an arrow fastened with string. The
huge snake was cut into pieces at the Dongting lake, and the monster of pigs was
also caught in the forest of mulberry in the center of China. In time he shot down
nine of the ten suns. One of them was left serving for people ever since.

The whole country praised Yi for his heroic deeds and admired him very much.
The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Terror

In the Warring States period, the Chu State had a very capable minister called
Zhao Xixu. He was well respected and held in awe by the people of other
countries as well as his own. One day, the king asked his ministers "I hear every
state in the north is afraid of our minister Zhao Xixu, is that so?" At the question,
almost all the ministers kept silent except one called Jiangyi, who liked to curry
the king's favor very much. He lost no time to seize the opportunity and said,
"Your Majesty, you know, it's you who people awe and respect, not him! Have you
ever heard the story The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Terror?" Well, here is the story.

One day a tiger was hunting around in a forest. An unlucky fox was met and
caught by the tiger. For the fox, the inescapable fate was very clear -- death.
Despite the danger, the fox thought hard to find a way out. Promptly, the fox
declared to the tiger, "How dare you kill me!" On hearing the words the tiger was
surprised and asked for the reason" The fox raised his voice a bit higher and
declared arrogantly: "To tell you the truth, it's I who was accredited by God to the
forest as the king of all the animals! If you kill me, that will be against the God's
will, you know?" Seeing that the tiger became suspicions, the fox added: "Let's
have a test. Let's go through the forest. Follow me and you will see HOW THE
ANIMALS ARE FRIGHTENED OF ME." The tiger agreed. So the fox walked ahead of
the tiger proudly through the forest. As you can imagine, the animals, seeing the
tiger behind, were all terribly frightened and ran away. Then the fox said proudly:
"There is no doubt that what I said is true, isn't it?" The tiger had nothing to say
but to acknowledge the result. So the tiger nodded and said: "You are right. You
are the king."
When Minister Jiangyi finished the story above, he added to the king: "It seems
as if the northern neighbors were afraid of Minister Zhao xixu. In fact, they are
afraid of Your Majesty just as the animals were afraid of the tiger not of the fox."
The king was very pleased at Minister Jiangyi's words. And never doubted its
truth.

The idiom is often used to analogize with those who take advantage of one's or
somebody else's power to bully people.

Cheap Tricks Never Last

Thousands of years ago, donkeys were not found in Guizhou province. But
meddlers were always allured by anything. So they shipped one into this area.

One day, a tiger was walking around to find something to eat, when he saw the
strange animal. The huge new comer frightened him quite a bit. He hid himself
between the bushes to study the donkey watchfully. It seemed all right. So the
tiger came near to the donkey to have a close look. "Hawhee¡" a loud noise burst
upon, which sent the tiger running away as fast as he could. He could not have
any time to think before he settled himself home. The humiliation stung in him.
He must come back to that strange thing to see it clear though he was still
haunted by the terrible noise.

The donkey was enraged when the tiger got too close. So the donkey brought his
unique skill to bear on the offender ---- to kick with his hooves. After several
bouts, it became very clear that what the donkey had was so much. The tiger
jumped upon the donkey in time and cut its throat.

People are always told the story to speak of one's limited tricks.
A Painted Snake Makes a Man Sick

In the Jin Dynasty, there lived a man named Le Guang, who had a bold and
uninhabited character and was very friendly. One day Le Guang sent for one of
his close friends since the friend had not turned out for long.

At the first sight of his friend, Le Guang realized that something must have
happened to his friend for his friend has no peace of mind all the time. So he
asked his friend what was the matter. "It was all because of that banquet held at
your home. At the banquet, you proposed a toast to me and just when we raised
the glasses, I noticed that there was a little snake lying in the wine and I felt
particularly sick. Since then, I lay in bed unable to do anything."

Le Guang was very puzzled at the matter. He looked around and then saw a bow
with a painted snake hung on the wall of his room.

So Le Guang laid the table at the original place and asked his friend again to have
a drink. When the glass was filled with wine, he pointed to the shade of the bow
in the glass and asked his friend to see. His friend observed nervously, "Well,
well, that is what I saw last time. It is the same snake." Le Guang laughed and
took off the bow on the wall. "Could you see the snake any more?" he asked. His
friend was surprised to find that the snake was no longer in the wine. Since the
whole truth had come out, his friend recovered from his prolonged illness right
away.

For thousands of years the story has been told to advise people not to be too
suspicious unnecessarily.

No More Tricks, Mr. Nan Guo!

In the Warring States period of China (475-221 B.C.), there was a state called Qi,
the king of which was very fond of listening to the music played on the Yu, a wind
instrument. So he convened a band of more than 300 players from his state.
Everyday the band was called in to play the Yu for his Majesty at teatime. And the
king seemed to be very satisfied with the band and the harmonies performed.

As a matter of fact, one of the players, Nan Guo, knew nothing about the
instrument. But he did manage to pass himself off and went on well with his
tricks that each time he tried to seat himself behind and pretended to be playing
the Yu together with the others. And everything seemed good for him. He had
never been exposed.

Finally, his days were gone when the prince ascended the throne. As the latter
would enjoy solo rather than harmony, the players were called each in to play
alone before the king. This time, as we have guessed, Nan Guo was embarrassed
to find there was no place for him any more.

The story describes the case in which the spurious is mixed with the genuine.
KuaFu Chased the Sun

It is said that in antiquity a god named KuaFu determined to have a race with the
Sun and catch up with Him. So he rushed in the direction of the Sun. Finally, he
almost ran neck and neck with the Sun, when he was too thirsty and hot to
continue. Where could he find some water? Just then the Yellow River and Wei
River came into sight, roaring on. He swooped upon them earnestly and drank
the whole river. But he still felt thirsty and hot, thereupon, he marched northward
for the lakes in the north of China. Unfortunately, he fell down and died halfway
because of thirst. With his fall, down dropped his cane. Then the cane became a
stretch of peach, green and lush.

And so comes the idiom, KuaFu chased the Sun, which becomes the trope of
man's determination and volition against nature.

Mark the Boat for a Dropped Sword

Long, long ago, in Chunqu Dynasty of ancient China, a man from Chu state
dropped his beautiful well-set sword into the water because of the shake from the
boat while he was in the middle of the river ."Oh, God." He cried in dear pity.
"What can I do ?" On hearing that, the boatman replied calmly "It doesn't matter.
I'm coming to dive for it." But the man from Chu hesitated for a while and said
"We can't do that because the water is rapid and deep. But I have a marvelous
idea." With these words, he took out his knife and made a mark on one side of
the boat where his sword was dropped. "Well, everything is done! " When the
boat stopped at the opposite bank, the man undressed himself immediately and
dove into the water for his sword from the very place where he had made the
mark. Of course, he got nothing. Finally he appeared in the water and murmured:
"What's happening? why can't I find my sword from the water just under the
mark? " Laughter burst from the passengers.

Well, let's end the story with the conclusion: Man should not stick stubbornly to
his own opinion, instead he should make changes according to specific conditions.
Plucking Up a Crop To Help It Grow

Chinese proverbs are rich and they are still widely used in Chinese people's daily
life. There are often stories behind Chinese proverbs. We will introduce one
proverb, 'plucking up a crop to help it grow.' This Chinese proverb is based on the
following story.

It is said that a short tempered man in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) was very
anxious to hope his rice crop growing up quickly. He was thinking about this day
and night. But the crop was growing much slower than he expected.

One day, he thought a solution to this. He plucked up all of his crop a few inches.

Even though he was very tired after doing this for a whole day, but he felt very
happy since the crop did 'grow' higher.

His son heard about this and went to see the crop. Unfortunately the leaves of
the crop began to wither.

This proverb is saying we have to let things go in its natural course. Being too
anxious to help an event to develop often results in the contrary to our intent.