Use a long rope to hold the sun in place
and prevent it from moving forward.(長繩繫景)
There was once a famous minister in China's
Southern Liang dynasty. His name was Xiao Dahuan. There is a story about him in
history books.
After the end of the Jin dynasty, China
fell into a long period of chaos.
From 439 to 581 AD, five dynasties rose and
fell in northern China.
From 420 to 589 AD, four dynasties changed
in the south. These were the Liu Song, Southern Qi, Southern Liang and Southern
Chen dynasties.
He lived in this chaotic era.
He once wrote an article. The second half
of the article is as follows:
'I want to build a house in the countryside
and live in seclusion. I hope my house will be built on a plain, with a river
flowing in front of it. Alternatively, I would like it to be in a quiet valley
in the forest. I want to be able to see beautiful natural scenery every day
when I walk out of the house.
I want to plant lots of trees and flowers
and fruit trees. I want to be a farmer and support myself. My requirements are
not high. I just need to eat simple food every day. The material of my clothes
does not need to be of high quality.
I will hire a few servants to help around
the house. They can help me with the many trivial things in life. If possible,
I would also like to raise a few sheep to make cheese with their milk.
I will adapt to the changing seasons. I
will do what needs to be done in each season. In my spare time, I can read and
write poems. I can also sing and chat with my friends in the countryside. When
my friends from the city come to visit, we can share our experiences of
studying ancient books. As long as I return to the countryside, I think I can
put my worries aside and live happily every day.
Once I have left my current position and
moved to the countryside, I will be able to escape the high-pressure lifestyle
I currently experience. I won't have to worry about promotion or punishment for
poor performance.
Life is short. Life is like morning dew,
appearing and disappearing quickly. None of us can stop time, just as we can’t
use a long rope to pull the sun and stop it moving forward.
My life is short and time passes quickly. I
have always wanted to leave this position and live in seclusion in the
mountains, but I have never found the courage to take action.
My current situation is so sad. I want to
live in seclusion, but I can't. My current position does not allow me to
realise my ideal. I am stuck here. I want to change, but I haven't taken
action. My behaviour makes me feel ashamed. I am trapped in this situation,
betraying the true voice in my heart.
This idiom literally means 'to use a long
rope to pull the sun so that it does not move forward'.
It is used to describe a person who wants
to stop time.
Dear friends, what inspiration or thoughts
do you have after hearing this story?
Do you have any regrets in your life? Have
you ever wanted to change but lacked the courage to do so?
I hope this story brings you new insights.
長繩繫景(Use a long rope to hold the sun in
place and prevent it from moving forward.)
中國的南梁王朝有一個著名的大臣，他的名字叫做蕭大圜，歷史書上記載了一個他的故事。
中國的晉王朝結束之後，中國陷入一段長時間的混亂狀態。
西元439年到西元581年，這段期間內中國的北方更換了五個王朝。
西元420年到西元589年，這段期間內中國的南方更換了四個王朝，這四個王朝的名字依序是劉宋王朝、南齊王朝、南梁王朝與南陳王朝。
他就生活在這個混亂的年代。
他曾經寫過一篇文章，這篇文章的後半部的大概內容如下。
我要到鄉下蓋一間房子隱居，我希望我房子能夠蓋在一片平原上，房子前面有一條河，我也想在森林裡的幽靜山谷中，我希望每天可以走出家中就看到美麗的自然景色。
我要種很多的樹與花，我種很多水果，我希望可以當一個農夫靠自己的能力養活自己。我的要求不高，我每天吃很簡單的食物就能夠了，我穿的衣服的料子也不用太好。
我家中要請幾個僕人，這幾個僕人可以幫我處理生活中很多瑣碎的事情，如果可以我還想要養幾隻羊，我到時候就可以用羊奶做成奶酪。
我會順著季節的變化生活，我在每個季節做我該做的事情，我在空閒的時候可以讀書寫詩，我還可以跟我那些鄉下的朋友們一起唱歌與聊天，我在首都的朋友來找我時，我們可以一起討論彼此在研究古籍方面的心得，我認為只要我回到鄉下，我就可以拋開憂慮，我每天都可以過著開心的生活。
我離開現有的職位搬到鄉下後，我就可以遠離現在的高壓的生活環境，我不用在擔心我的職位是否能夠再晉升，我也不用煩惱我的工作績效不好被處罰。
我們每個人的人生都是多麼的短暫啊，我們的人生就像是清晨的露水一樣出現不久就消失，我們每個人都無法留住時間，就如同我們無法用一條很長的繩子拉住太陽讓它不要向前運行。
我的生命多麼的短暫，時間流逝又是如此的快速，我一直想要離開這個職位去隱居在山中，但是我始終沒有勇氣真正的去行動。
我現在的情況真是可悲啊，我想要隱居但我沒有辦法做到，我現在的職位也沒有讓我實現我的理想，我被卡在這裡，我想要改變但我遲遲沒有行動，我的這種行為讓我覺得自己太可恥了，我被困在現在這個情況，我背叛了我內心真正的聲音。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是用一條很長的繩子拉住太陽讓它不要向前運行。
這句成語被用來形容一個人想要留住時間。
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。
你認為你的人生中有那些遺憾嗎?你是否曾經有過想要改變但卻沒有勇氣突破的經驗嗎?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為周書-卷42-蕭大圜傳
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E5%91%A8%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B742