The people considered food as important as
the sky.(民以食為天)
In 207 BC, the Qin dynasty collapsed, and
in 202 BC, Liu Bang unified China and established the Han dynasty.
Numerous wars raged between the Han
Kingdom, led by Liu Bang, and the Chu Kingdom, led by Xiang Yu, during this
four-year period.
Both Liu Bang and Xiang Yu sought to defeat
each other and unify China.
In 204 BC, Xiang Yu made a fatal mistake
that had a severe impact on the subsequent course of the war.
After capturing Xingyang, a city controlled
by the Han Kingdom, Xiang Yu led his main force to attack a powerful Han army
in another city.
Observing this situation, Liu Bang's
advisor, Li Yiqi, offered his advice.
The advisor said:
'There is an ancient proverb: only those
who understand the principles of heaven and abide by the laws of nature can
achieve great things.'
You and Xiang Yu are currently competing
with each other in the hope of unifying all of China. I want to share a very
important principle that you should understand.
For a king, ensuring the safety and
stability of his people is of the utmost importance.
A king considers his people to be as
important as the sky.
For the people, having enough food every
day is the most important thing.
The people considered food as important as
the sky.
Outside Xingyang City lies a massive
granary built by the Qin dynasty. Possessing this granary would guarantee a
long-term food supply for soldiers and civilians alike.
Xiang Yu was a brave and skilled general,
but not a wise leader.
After conquering Xingyang City, Xiang Yu
should have sent a strong garrison to occupy the city, as control of the city
meant control of the massive granary. However, he did not do so.
I believe we should seize this opportunity
to retake Xingyang City. This city is extremely important, and possessing it
will be crucial to our ultimate victory.
Liu Bang heeded his advisor's advice.
The idiom "The people considered food
as important as the sky." directly translates from Chinese.
It is used to describe the unparalleled
importance of food to individuals and even nations.
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts
did you gain from this story?
Are prices stable in your country? Do your
country's leaders pay attention to the prices of essential goods? I hope this
story has given you some insight.
民以食為天(The people considered food as
important as the sky.)
西元前207年秦王朝滅亡、西元202年劉邦統一整個中國建立漢王朝。
在這段4年多的時間內，劉邦領導的漢王國與項羽所領導的楚王國之間發生了很多場戰爭。
劉邦與項羽都想要戰勝並且打敗對方，他們都想要統一整個中國。
西元前204年，項羽做出了一件錯誤的決定，這個決定嚴重地影響了後面的戰局的發展。
項羽帶領的楚王國的軍隊攻下了漢王國所控制的一座名字叫做(滎陽)城市後，項羽帶領著主力部隊前往另外一座城市攻打漢王國的另一支強大的部隊。
劉邦的一個名字叫做(酈其)的參謀看到這個情況之後就向劉邦提出了他的建議。
這個參謀說。
有一句古代的諺語，只有那些明白上天的道理並且遵守自然規律的人才能夠成就偉大的事業。
你現在與項羽正在彼此競爭，你們都希望可以消滅對方然後統一整個中國，我分享一個你應該要明白的一個很重要的道理讓你知道。
對於一個國王來說，讓百姓們可以過著安全並且穩定的生活是最重要的事。
一個國王認為的百姓所代表的意義就如同天空一樣重要。
對於百姓們來說，每天有飯吃並且可吃飽是最重要的事。
百姓們認為的食物所代表的意義就如同天空一樣重要。
(滎陽)市的郊外有一座是由秦王朝所建立的非常巨大的糧倉，如果擁有這座糧倉就能夠保持一段長時間的針對士兵與百姓們的糧食供應。
項羽是一個非常勇敢而且擅長打戰的將軍，但是他不是一個聰明的領導者。
項羽攻下了(滎陽)市之後，他應該要派遣一支強大的軍隊來駐守這座城市，因為擁有這座城市就等於可以控制這座巨大的糧倉，但是他沒有這樣做。
我認為我們要趁著這個空檔重新奪回(滎陽)市，這座城市太重要了，我認為我們如果擁有這座城市，那麼對於我們得到最終的勝利有著相當關鍵的影響。
劉邦聽從了這個參謀的建議。
這一句成語直接翻譯的意思是食物對於百姓們的意義就如同天空一樣至高無上。。
這一句成語被用來形容糧食對一個人甚至一個國家而言都有著無法比擬的重要性。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的啟發或是想法呢。
你的國家中的物價是否平穩嗎?你的國家的領導者這是否關注民生必需品的價格呢?
我希望這故事能讓你產生一點收穫。
出處為漢書-卷43-酈陸朱劉叔孫傳
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E6%BC%A2%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B7043