Strong on the outside but weak on the inside(外強中乾)
During the Spring and Autumn Period in China, there was a king named Yiwu in the Kingdom of Jin. His story is recorded in history books.
In 647 BC, there was a famine in the Jin
Kingdom. Because the famine was so severe, he sent an ambassador to the Kingdom
of Qin to ask for food aid.
The King of Qin believed that the people of
Jin were in a humanitarian crisis of survival, so he agreed to provide food
aid.
In 646 BC, there was a famine in the Qin
Kingdom. Because the famine was so severe, the King of Qin sent an ambassador
to the Kingdom of Jin to ask for food aid.
But the King of Jin refused to provide food
aid.
(Yiwu's) behaviour caused great anger in
the Qin Kingdom. In 645 BC, the Qin Kingdom launched a military attack on the
Jin Kingdom. After hearing the news, (Yiwu) decided to lead the army into
battle himself.
Yiwu told several ministers.
The Kingdom of Zheng has given me some
beautiful horses, and I will use them to pull my chariot to go to war.
One minister said.
I don't think that's a good idea. We'd
better choose horses that were bred in our kingdom. Our horses are closer to us
and more familiar with the terrain around the Kingdom of Jin.
Although the horses given to you by the
Kingdom of Zheng are great, many unexpected situations may arise on the
battlefield.
These horses become nervous in unfamiliar
surroundings and may lose control if they encounter dangerous situations on the
battlefield. When horses encounter a situation that frightens them, they may
appear strong on the outside, but inside they have become extremely weak.
I don't think you should go into battle in
a chariot drawn by these horses.
The king of Jin refused to listen to the
minister's advice and insisted on his own ideas and decisions.
The result was just as the minister had
predicted. When the Kingdom of Qin and the Kingdom of Jin fought on the
battlefield, the horses were nervous and out of control. They dragged the
carriages into the mud. The chariot carrying the King of Jin got stuck in the
mud and could not move. The King of Jin was captured by the Qin army.
This idiom literally means to be strong on
the outside but weak on the inside.
Dear friends, what inspiration or thoughts
do you have after listening to this story?
Have you ever suffered a loss because you
didn't listen to the advice of others? Have you ever lost faith in others?
I hope this story can give you some new
insights.
外強中乾(Strong on the outside but weak on the inside)
中國的春秋時代晉王國有一個名字叫做(夷吾)的國王，歷史書上記載了一個他的故事。
西元前647年，晉王國發生飢荒，因為飢荒的情況非常嚴重，所以他派遣一個大使到秦王國請求提供糧食援助。
秦王國的國王認為晉王國的百姓陷入是否可以生存下去的人道危機，所以他答應提供糧食援助。
西元前646年，秦王國發生飢荒，因為飢荒的情況非常嚴重，所以秦王國的國王派遣一個大使到晉王國請求提供糧食援助。
但是晉王國的國王拒絕提供糧食援助。
(夷吾)的行為引起秦王國極大的憤怒，西元前645年，秦王國對晉王國發動軍事攻擊，(夷吾)聽到這個消息後他決定親自帶領軍隊上戰場。
夷吾對幾個大臣說。
鄭王國送了我幾匹很漂亮的馬，我要讓這些馬拉我的馬車去作戰。
有一個大臣說。
我認為這不是一個好主意，我們最好選擇我們王國內飼養的馬匹，我們養的馬跟我們比較親近也比較熟悉晉王國周圍的地形。
鄭王國送你的這幾匹馬雖然很棒但是戰場中會發生很多意想不到的狀況。
這些馬在陌生的環境會緊張，若在戰場上遇到危險的情況時這些馬可能會失控。馬匹如果遇到讓牠們感到恐懼的情況時，牠們外表看起來雖然還是很強壯，但他們內在實際上已經變得極度虛弱。
我認為你不應該搭乘這些馬所拉的馬車上戰場。
晉王國的國王不肯聽這個大臣的勸告，他堅持自已的想法與決定。
結果正如這個大臣所預測的一樣，秦王國與晉王國在戰場上交戰時，這些馬因為緊張所以不受控制，這些馬拉著馬車衝入泥巴地裡，晉王國的國王搭乘的馬車陷入泥巴地中無法動彈，晉王國的國王就被秦王國的軍隊所俘虜。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是外表看起來強大但內在卻是軟弱無力。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的啟發或有怎樣的想法呢。
你是否曾經因為沒有聽別人的勸告而導致自己吃虧的經驗呢?你是否曾經失信於別人呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為左傳-僖公15年
https://ctext.org/chun-qiu-zuo-zhuan/xi-gong-shi-si-nian/zh
2025/1/02/16更新