Like the White River.(有如白水)
This period in Chinese history, from 770 BC
to 476 BC, is known as the Spring and Autumn Period.
During this time, the highest-ranking
leader in China was the King of the Zhou dynasty. The Zhou king divided the
land of China among more than 100 vassal states.
These vassal states then established their
own kingdoms on their respective lands.
Within these kingdoms, there were many
instances of fathers turning against sons or brothers killing each other in the
struggle for the right to inherit the throne.
One such story is that of the 22nd king of
the Jin Kingdom, Ji Chong'er.
His father had five children, and Ji
Chong'er was the second oldest. His five brothers all had different mothers.
He favoured his fourth wife and deprived
his elder brothers of their right to the throne, awarding it instead to the son
born to his fourth wife.
Consequently, in 656 BC, Ji Chong'er and
his brothers were forced to leave the Jin Kingdom and go into exile in other
kingdoms.
Ji Chong'er spent a total of 19 years in
exile. In 636 BC, with the help of the Qin Kingdom, he returned to the Jin
Kingdom and became its 22^(nd) king.
In 636 BC, Ji Chong'er stood on the banks
of the Yellow River with his relatives, who had been exiled with him. Looking
at the land of Jin on the opposite bank, they were all filled with complex
emotions.
Suddenly, Ji Chong'er's uncle, who had been
in exile with them for many years, produced a precious jade disc. He handed the
disc to Ji Chong'er and said,
'During these years of exile, there have
been many times when our opinions have differed.
I often hindered you from doing things and
we had many fierce arguments. I offended you many times.
I am giving you this precious jade disc as
a gift because I have decided not to return to Jin with you. I will stay here
and will not cross the Yellow River with you.'
Ji Chong'er was an intelligent man who
understood why his uncle had made this decision.
Taking his uncle's hand, he said,
'After I return home, I will become the
King of Jin. We've known each other for so long — don't you know me by now?
Would I do anything to hurt you just
because you offended me? Am I the kind of person who holds grudges?
I am very grateful for your continued help
over the years. I believe that many of your opinions and criticisms stem from
loyalty and integrity.'
Ji Chong'er's eyes filled with tears as he
held the jade disc that his uncle had given him.
'I assure you, and I assure Heaven, that
after I become king, I will continue to respect and adopt your opinions.
I now offer this jade disc, which you gave
me, to the great River God of the Yellow River, so that the River God may
witness my vow.'
Having said this, Ji Chong'er raised the
jade disc with both hands and threw it into the Yellow River.
The Yellow River is a very muddy and
massive river. When people stand beside it, the river appears white because the
fast-flowing water creates white spray on the surface. The river god is
believed to possess great power.
By doing this, Ji Chong'er dispelled his
uncle's doubts and convinced him to return to the Jin Kingdom with him.
With the support of many loyal ministers,
Ji Chong'er went on to become one of the greatest kings in the long history of
the Jin Kingdom after becoming king.
The idiom literally translates as 'like
this white river'.
It is used to describe someone whose
promise is unwavering and who never changes their mind.
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts did you gain from this story?
Do you ever get angry when others disagree
with you? Do you have honest and upright friends around you? I hope this story
gives you some new insights.
I hope this story will give you some new
insights.
有如白水(Like the White River.)
西元前770年到西元前476年，中國歷史上稱這一段期間為春秋時代。
當時中國最高領導者是周王朝的國王。周王朝的國王把中國的土地分封給100多個諸侯。
這些諸侯在自己所擁有的土地上建立屬於自已的王國。
在這些王國內，為了爭奪王位的繼承權，發生了許多父子反目或是兄弟相殺的故事。
晉王國的第22任國王，他的名字叫做(姬重耳)，歷史書上記載了一個他的故事。
他的父親有五個孩子，他的排行第二。他們五個兄弟的母親都不相同。
他的父親寵愛第四位妻子，他的父親廢除他的哥哥的王位繼承權，他的父親把王位繼承權交給他的第四位妻子所生的兒子。
因為這個原因，西元前656年，他與他的兄弟們被迫離開晉王國，他們流亡到其他的王國。
姬重耳總共流亡了19年，西元前636年，在秦王國的協助下，他回到晉王國並成為晉王國的第22任國王。
西元前636年，姬重耳與和他一起流亡的親人們站在黃河河邊，他們看著對岸的晉王國的土地，他們每個人的心中都充滿了複雜的情緒。
就在這個時候，跟著姬重耳一起流亡年的舅舅突然拿出一塊珍貴的玉璧，姬重耳的舅舅把這塊玉璧交給姬重耳並且對他說。
在流亡的這些年中，有很多次，我的意見跟你不相同。
我常常阻攔你做一些事情，我很多次跟你起了激烈的爭吵，我得罪了你很多次。
我把這塊非常珍貴的玉璧送給你當禮物，我決定不跟你回晉王國了，我要留在這個地方，我不跟你們一起渡過黃河。
姬重耳是一個非常聰明的人，他知道他的舅舅為何做出這個決定。
他拉住他的舅舅的手，他對他的舅舅說。
我回國之後就會成為晉王國的國王，我們一起相處那麼久了，難道你不清楚我的個性嗎?
難道你認為我會因為你之前得罪過我，所以之後做出傷害你的事情嗎?難道你認為我是一個會記恨的人嗎?
我很感謝你這些年來持續的幫助我，我認為你對我提出的許多意見與批評都是出於忠誠與正直。
姬重耳的眼睛中含著淚，他拿著他的舅舅給他的玉璧說。
我對你保證，我對上天保證，我成為國王之後，我會繼續尊重你的意見並且採納你的意見。
我現在將你送給我的這塊玉璧獻給偉大的黃河的河神，讓河神來為我見證我的誓言。
說完這句話，姬重耳雙手舉起那塊玉璧然後丟入黃河中。
黃河是一條非常混濁且水量巨大的河流，當人們站在黃河旁邊時，會感覺這條河流是白色的，這是因為黃河的河水很湍急所以河面上充滿了白色的浪花。黃河的河神被認為具有偉大的力量。
姬重耳藉由他的這個行動讓他的舅舅放下心中的疑慮，姬重耳的舅舅決定跟姬重耳一起回到晉王國。
姬重耳成為國王後，在許多忠誠的大臣的輔佐之下，他成為晉王國漫長的歷史中最偉大的一個國王。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是就像是這條白色的河流。
這句成語被用來形容一個人的承諾很堅定，這個人永遠不改變自己的承諾。
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。
你是否會因為別人跟你意見不同而生氣呢?你的身邊有沒有願意說實話且正直的朋友呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為左傳-僖公24年
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