The
same group of raccoon dogs living on the same hill.(一丘之貉)
During the Western Han dynasty in China,
there was a famous official named Yang Yun. His story is recorded in history
books.
Many of his family members served in the
central government, and his family was prominent. He was also an honest
official.
He was not greedy for money. After his
father and stepmother passed away, he inherited a substantial fortune, which he
distributed among his relatives.
However, he also had many flaws. He could
be sharp and mean, and would seek revenge if he was offended.
For this reason, some people disliked him.
To the north of the Western Han Dynasty lay
the powerful Xiongnu Kingdom.
The Xiongnu king was called Chanyu.
One day, important news reached the capital
of the Western Han Dynasty: Chanyu had been assassinated.
He was chatting with his friends about the
assassination.
He shared his thoughts with them.
He said... 'I believe that Chanyu was a
rather foolish leader. From what I understand, his central government was
filled with wise ministers who offered suggestions that could have helped him
to govern the Xiongnu kingdom more effectively. However, the Chanyu ultimately
ignored their advice.
During his reign, the economic and
political situation of the Xiongnu Kingdom deteriorated and the people became
increasingly dissatisfied with him. I believe this was the reason for his
assassination.
When I heard about the Chanyu's
assassination, I was reminded of the second emperor of the Qin dynasty, who
unified China.
The second emperor of the Qin dynasty was a
fool. He trusted treacherous ministers who flattered him and distanced himself
from loyal, honest officials. He was the main reason the Qin dynasty only
lasted 14 years.
It's a real shame.
Had the second emperor not been so foolish,
the Qin dynasty might still be around today.
Having read many history books, I've
discovered a secret. Almost all leaders of kingdoms and dynasties, from ancient
times to the present, have favoured treacherous and flattering ministers. These
leaders are like a pack of raccoon dogs living on the same hill and sharing the
same habits.
Yang Yun's words later reached the ears of
the king of the Western Han Dynasty.
The king considered Yang Yun's remarks a
mockery of him, so he dismissed him from his position.
This idiom literally means 'a herd of
raccoon dogs living on the same hill'.
It is used to describe a group whose
members' actions or morals are extremely low.
Dear friends, what insights or lessons have
you gained from this story?
What strengths and weaknesses do you
possess? Have you ever incurred losses as a result of offending others with
your words?
I hope this story teaches you something
new.
一丘之貉(The same group of raccoon dogs living
on the same hill.)
中國的西漢王朝有一個著名的官員，他的名字叫做楊惲，歷史書上記載了一個他的故事。
他的家族很顯赫，他的家族中有很多人在中央政府內工作，他也是一個很清廉的官員。。
他不是一個貪財的人，他的父親與他的繼母死後，他繼承了很多的財產，他把這些財產都分給他的親戚們。
他也有很多缺點，他的個性比較尖酸刻薄，如果有人得罪他，他就會想辦法報仇。
因為這個原因，所以有些人不喜歡他。
西漢王朝的北方有一個很強大的王國，這個王國就是匈奴王國。
匈奴王國的國王的名字叫做(單于)。
有一天，由一個關於(單于)的重大消息傳到了西漢王朝的首都，這個消息就是(單于)被暗殺身亡。
他與他朋友聊天的過程中，聊到這個(單于)被暗殺的這件事。
他向他的朋友們發表了他的看法。
他說。
我認為(單于)是一個相當愚昧的領導者，據我所知，他所領導的中央政府內有很多很有智慧的大臣，這些大臣們提建議，這些建議可以協助他把匈奴王國治理的更好，但是(單于)後來沒有接受這些有智慧的大臣們的意見。
在(單于)的治理下，匈奴王國的經濟與政治情況愈來愈壞，人民對他愈來愈不滿，我認為這就他被暗殺的原因。
聽到(單于)被暗殺的這件事後，我立刻聯想到中國歷史上的統一整個中國的秦始王朝的第二任國王。
秦王朝的第二任國王是個笨蛋，他相信幾個很奸詐的、喜歡奉承的大臣，他遠離那些忠心又誠實的官員。他是造成秦王朝只存在了14年就滅亡的主因。
真是令人感到嘆息啊。
如果秦王朝的第二任國王沒有那麼愚蠢，那麼秦王朝或許能夠延續到今天呢。
我看了很多的歷史書，我發現一件秘密。
我發現從古到今的幾乎所有王國或是王朝的領導者都比較喜歡那些奸詐的、喜歡奉承的大臣，這些領導者就好像是住在同一個山丘上的同一群貉，他們有著相同的習性。
楊惲說的這些話後來傳到西漢王國的國王的耳中。
西漢王國的國王認為楊惲說的這些話是在諷刺自己，所以他下令免除楊惲的職位。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是住在同一個山丘上的同一群貉。
這句成語被用來形容一個群體，這個群體中的每個人的行動或是道德都非常的低劣。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有什麼樣的或有什麼樣的啟發呢。
你有那些優點有那些缺點呢?你曾經因為說話得罪別人而讓自己遭受損失的經驗嗎?
我希望這個故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫
出處為漢書-卷66-楊惲傳
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E6%BC%A2%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B7066