Asking about the weight and size of the
nine bronze tripods.(問鼎輕重)
China's first dynasty was the Xia Dynasty.
After establishing this dynasty, its founding king divided China into nine
provinces.
He also cast nine bronze tripods. These
tripods represented the nine provinces.
They were placed in the Xia Dynasty's
capital and used specifically for sacrifices to Heaven, Earth and ancestors.
The bronze tripods survived through the
Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, representing the rulers' control over China.
They symbolised the legitimacy, orthodoxy and supreme power of the rulers.
The Zhou dynasty ruled China from 1046 BC
to 256 BC.
The period from 770 BC to 476 BC is known
as the Spring and Autumn period, while the period from 476 BC to 221 BC is
known as the Warring States period.
The Zhou king was the highest leader of China
during the Zhou dynasty.
The Zhou king established over 100 vassal
states, each of which became a kingdom.
These kingdoms waged numerous fierce wars
for land and resources, resulting in the destruction of many kingdoms and the
plundering of their territories by the victors.
After decades of turmoil, the Spring and
Autumn period saw the consolidation of several powerful kingdoms, including the
Kingdom of Chu.
Initially, the vassal states submitted to
the leadership of the early Zhou Dynasty. However, as these kingdoms grew in
power, the Zhou king's control weakened. Some kings began to despise the Zhou
dynasty and sought to establish new dynasties in its place.
In 606 BC, the Chu army defeated a powerful
nomadic tribe in western Zhou territory.
The Zhou king dispatched an envoy to the
Chu king.
The envoy told the king: 'You defended the
Zhou dynasty from enemies beyond the borders, and the Zhou king is very
grateful to you.' Therefore, the king sent me here to hold a public ceremony to
honour your achievements.
After the ceremony, the King of Chu chatted
with the envoy. During their conversation, the King of Chu suddenly asked the
envoy a question.
'What are the sizes and weights of the nine
bronze tripods placed in the Zhou capital to symbolise Chinese rule? Do you
have precise data that you can provide?'
Discerning the King of Chu's ambition from
this question, the envoy replied seriously:
'These nine bronze tripods represent the
supreme authority of the Zhou dynasty. You should not casually inquire about
these nine tripods.'
This idiom translates directly as 'asking
about the weight and size of the nine bronze tripods'.
It is used to describe someone attempting
to seize power in a region.
Dear friend, what thoughts or inspiration
do you have after hearing this story?
Have you ever noticed hidden thoughts in
someone else's mind? Does your country have symbols or objects that represent
power?
I hope this story gives you some new
insights.
問鼎輕重(Asking about the weight and size of
the nine bronze tripods.)
中國的第一個王朝是夏王朝，夏王朝的開國國王在建立夏王朝後，把整個中國分成九個州。
夏王朝的開國國王鑄造了九個用青銅鑄成的鼎。這九個鼎代表九個州。
這九個鼎放置在夏王朝的首都內，這九個鼎專門被用來祭祀天與地與祖先。
這九個鼎經歷了夏王朝與商王朝和周王朝，這九個鼎代表了統治中國的象徵。這九個鼎代表了統治者的合法性與正統性與至高無上的統治權力。
中國周王朝的政權從公元前1046年延續到公元前256年。
其中從公元前770年到公元前476年這段時間被稱為春秋時代，公元前476年到公元前221年這段時間被稱為戰國時代。
周王朝時期的中國的最高領導人是周王朝的國王。
周王朝的國王把土地分封給100多個諸侯，這些諸侯各自成立的自己的王國。
這些王國之間為了爭奪土地與資源而發生許多慘烈的戰爭，有很多王國在戰爭中被消滅，這些王國的土地被戰勝的王國所掠奪。
經過好幾十年的動亂，春秋時代最後整合出了好幾個強大的王國，楚王國就是這些強大的王國之一。
周王朝統治中國初期，每個王國的諸侯仍然服從於周王朝的領導，但是隨著這些王國的勢力愈來愈大，周王朝的國王對這些王國的控制力也愈來愈小，這些王國的國王開始輕視周王朝、有些國王甚至想要建立一個新的王朝來取代周王朝。
公元前606年，楚王國的軍隊打敗了周王朝西部的一個強大的遊牧部落。
周王朝的國王派遣了一個特使到楚王國去見楚王國的國王。
這個特使對國王說。
你為周王朝抵禦了來自邊疆之外的敵人，周王朝的國王非常感謝你，所以國王派遣我來這邊舉辦一個公開的表揚你的功勞的儀式。
這場儀式結束後，楚王國的國王與那個使者閒聊，聊天的過程中，楚王國的國王突然問了特使一個問題，
楚王國的國王問。
放在周王朝的首都中，代表著統治中國的象徵的那九個鼎的大小與重量分別是多少呢?你那邊有精確的數據可以告訴我嗎?
這個使者從這個問題中，很敏銳地發現楚王國的國王的野心，他很嚴肅的回答楚王國的國王。
這九個鼎代表周王朝的無上權威，你不應該隨便打聽有關於這九個鼎的資訊。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是詢問這九個鼎的重量與大小。
這句成語被用來形容一個人企圖奪取一個地方的政權。
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。
你是否曾經覺察到別人心中暗藏的念頭呢?你的國家中有沒有那些象徵權力的符號或器具呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為左傳-宣公3年
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E6%98%A5%E7%A7%8B%E5%B7%A6%E6%B0%8F%E5%82%B3/%E5%AE%A3%E5%85%AC
出處為墨子-耕柱
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E5%A2%A8%E5%AD%90/%E8%80%95%E6%9F%B1