Be there just to make up the number

During the warring States Period (475-221BC), the king of the state of Qi was fond of listening to yu ensembles. He often got together 300 yu players to form a grand music. The king treated his musician very well. A man named Nanguo heard abaout that and he managed to became a member of the band, even though he wan not good at playing the instrument at all.

Whenever the band played for the king, Nahguo just stood in the line and pretended to play. Nobody realized he was making no sound at all. As a result, he enjoyed his treatment just as the other musician did.

When the king died, his son became the new rular who also liked the music played on the yu. However, he preferred solos so that he ordered the musicians to play the yu one by one. Therefore. Nanguo had to run out of the palace.

The idiom “Be there just to make up the number” is used to mock someone who passes for a apecialist. Yuu can also hear people saying it abaut themselves to show their modesty

Give up halfway

During the warring States period (475-221BC), there was a man called Yue Yangzi in State Yue. One day he saw a piece of gold on the road and picked it up. He took it home and gave it to his wife. But his wife not happy. The virtuous woman said, “I hear that a man of morality doesn’t drink a thief’s water and a man of probity refuses to accept alms. What do you think of the action of picking up another’s lost valuable and possessing it for one’s own?”

Yue Yangzi, feeling ashamed, sent the gold back to where he found it.

The next year, Yue Yangzi felt that he should go out and visit scholars to enrich his knowledge. So he set off.

A year later, he came back home suddenly.

“Why have you returned” asked his wife in surprise, “You’ve only spent one year studying with scholaris”

“I come back because I missed you very much.”

Without saying anything, his wife took a pair of scissors and went to the loom at which she had worked. Pointing at the half done brocade, she proclaimed: “ This brocade is woven from the finest silk. I wove one strand after another to produce the brocade. Now if I cut it, all my previous work will be wasted. It’s the same with your studies. You can acquire knowledge only through diligence. Now, you’ve stopped halfway. Itn’t it the same as cutting the brocade on the loom?”

Yue Yangzi was moved by what she said. He again left home to visit scholars. Several years later he became a learned man.

The Latecomers Surpass the Old-times

This set phrase is derived from the complaints Ji An made to the emperor.

Ji An lived at the time of Emperor Wudi of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D.24). He was respected for being upright and just and for daring to speak the truth. He did not bother about small matters in personal behavior and in being an official. He was particular about actual effects and, although he did not cause a stir, he could keep the prefecture he governed in perfect order. Because of this, the imperial court transferred him to the central government from being the perfect of the Donghai Prefecture to being a commander in charge of the appointment and dismissal of the local officials.

Once, Emperor Wudi said that he would implement the policy of benevolence and justice of Confucianism and would do good turns to the people. Emperor Wudi had hardly finished his remarks when Ji An said that there was no need for the emperor to say so. Why should the emperor bother, Ji An said, about pretending to implement the policy of benevolence and justice since he was so greedy and avaricious within himself? This choked the emperor off. The emporer suddenly changed his countenance and declared the meeting over. All the civilian and military officers at court were breathless with anxiety for fear that Ji An might bring disaster upon himself because of this. After returning. Emperor Wudu said to the people around him that Ji An was a little too rude and too straightforward.

For this reason, Ji An was never promoted againt. When he was the commander in charge of the appointment and dismissal of the local of ficials, both Gongsun Hong and Zhang Tang were low-ranking officials of little importance Later, they were promoted continuously. Gongsun Hong became the prime minister and Zhang Tang became the imperial censor. However, Ji An’s post remained the same. One day, Ji An said to Emperor Wudi that the way the emperor used his ministers was just like piling up firewood, which meant that the latecomers surpassed the old-timers. Of course, Emperor Wudi could see that Ji An was complaining. So turning to his ministers, Emperor Wudi said, “It is true that no one can stop learning You see. Ji An is making more and more indisreet remarks”

The story comes from The Historical Records. Later generations use the set phrase “the latecomers surpass the old-timers” to indicate that successors can excel the predecessors, which is quite different from the original idea when Ji An said that the latecomers surpassed the oldtimers.

A Repeated Slander Makes Others Believe

In the Warring States Period (475-221BC.), there were countless wars and alliances between the many small states in China. Now, the State of Wei and the State of Zhao were getting ready to sign a treaty of alliance. As was usual at the time, the king of Wei had to send his son to Zhao as a hostage. A minister, Pang Cong, was to accompany him.

Before they left, Png Cong said to the king : “if someone told you that there was a tiger in the street, would you believe it?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” replied the king.

“If 2 people said that, would you believe it?” the minister asked.

“In that case, I would hesitate. I’d have my doubts,”answered the king.

The minister went on,”if 3 people said there’s a tiger in the street, would you believe it then?”

“Of course I would,” was the answer.

The Pang Cong said : It is strange, isn’t it, that even when it’s obvious there’s no tiger in the street, you would believe there is one just because 3 people say no. Now, we’re going to live in the State of Zhao that is far futher away from Your Majesty’s palace than the street. I’m sure there’ll be a lot of rumors about me when I’ve gone. So I hope Your Majesty will be perceptive.”

Hearing this, the king said,”I know that. You can rest assured that I have every trust in you. Don’t worry. Off you go.”

After Pang Cong left with the prince, sure enough, his enemies spoke ill of him in front of the king. 1 after another they told theirs stories. At 1st, the king paid no attention to them. But after the while, when he had heard enough rumors about the minister, he began to suspect Pang Cong.

When the prince and the minister were finally freed as hostages, they returned to the State of Wei. The king didn’t even summon Pang Cong to the place!

From that story comes the idiom San Ren Cheng Hu. The idiom also suggests that gossip can be as ferocious as a tiger.

Make Three Calls at the Thatched Cottage

In the third century, China was divided into three kingdoms : Wei in the north, Shu in the southwest and Wu in the southeast, Shu was a weak state. The head of Shu, Liu Bei, was searching for talents everywhere for the kingdom. He heard of a very wise and knowledgeable man called Zhuge Liang who lived in Longzhong in Hubei province. So Liu decided to invite him to be his prime minister to help strengthen the State of Shu. In the year 207AD, Liu Bei with his swoen brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei traveled to Longzhong to ask Zhuge Liang to assist him. But Zhuge Liang not at home. Thus they had to return disappointedly. Later, they came again. But again they failed to see Zhunge Liang, because he had been wandering abaout for days and hadn’t yet come back. This time, Liu Bei left a note expressing his meaning.

??????? Some days passed, Liu wanted to make a third visit. Guan and Zhang wanted to stop him, but in vain. This time, Zhuge Liang was at home but he was sleeping. Liu let Guan and Zhang stand at the door, and he stood by the bed. When Zhuge woke up and saw him, he was moved by his sincerity. He complied with Liu’s request and became his prime minister. With the help of Zhuge, Liu enlarged his territory and his kingdom became as strong as the Wu and Shu.

??????? Leter, people use it to describe people who invite someone in all sincerity and eagerness.

He was at a loss as to how to behave all the time

Imitating Another without Success and Losing What Used to Be One’s Own Ability

Tradition has it that more than 2.000 years ago, there lived a young man in the Shouling area of the State of Yan. As his name is not known, we just call him Shouling young man for convenience’s sake.

Self confident He was at a loss as to how to behave all the time.

His family members advised him to overcome this shortcoming, but he thought they were fond of poking their noses into his business and were unwilling to provide him with tuiton fee. His relatives and neighbors sneered at him, saying that he would never be able to learn anything. As the days went by, he even began to doubt whether he should walk the way he did, felt more and more that his walking gestures were too clumsy and awkward.

One day, he met some people on the road who were chatting and laughing. One of them said that people in Handan walked most gracefully. And that was just what he was most concerned about, so he hurried towards the man wanted to make further inguiries. To his surprise, when these people saw him, they stalked off laughing.

He could not picture to himself in what way their walking gestures were graceful, no matter how hard he racked his parents one day. He went to Handan which was far away to learn how to walk.

As soon as he arrived in Handan, he was dazzled to find that everything was novel. He learned from the children there how to walk, because he thought that the children’s walking gestures were lively and pleasing to the eye. He learned from the old people there how to walk, because he thought the old people’s walking gestures were steady. He learned from the women there how to walk, because he thought the woman’ swaying walking gestures were beautiful. That being the case with him, in less that half a month he even forgot how to walk. As he had already used up his traveling expenses, he had to crawl back home.

This story come from article “Autumn Water” in The Works of Zhuang Zi (Zhung Zi was a famous ancient Chinese philosopher of about 300B.c). Later the set phrase “initiating another without success and losing what used to be one’s own ability” is used to refer to acts of copying others mechanically in disregard of specific conditions.