Author: Yoon-Ngan CHUNG
Date: 02-08-02 02:02
Chinese idiomatic story (5)
Waiting For A Windfall
守 株 待 兔 (Shou3 Zhu Dai4 Tu4)
Shou3 means: guard
Zhu means: tree
Dai4 means: wait
Tu4 means: rabbit
In 1115BC Ji Song (姬誦) was crowned Zhou King Cheng (周城王), the second
King of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝1134BC to 256BC). The reign of Zhou King Cheng lasted until 1078BC. In 1106BC Zhou King Cheng delegated authority to his younger brother,Tang Shu Yu (唐叔虞) to rule a district called Jin (晉 present day Yi Cheng county 翼城縣 in Shanxi province 山西省). Zhou King Cheng also bestowed upon his brother the hereditary title of Hou (侯) or Marsquis. Tang Shu Yu renamed the district of Jin as the State of Jin (晉國). After the death of Tang Shu Yu his eldest son called Ji Xie (姬燮) succeeded him and inherited the title Hou.
Ji Xie appointed one of his sons, Ji Bi Wan (姬畢萬) to administer a city called Han Yuan (韓原 present day in the southeast of He Jin county 河 津縣 in Shanxi province). Ji Bi Wan renamed the city as the State of Han (韓國) which was absorbed by the State of Jin in 757BC. The offspring of Ji Bi Wan adopted HAN
(韓) as their surname.
In 453BC one of the descendants of Ji Bi Wan became a very powerful general in the Jin Court. His name was Han Qian (韓虔). General Han Qian formed an alliance with two of the most powerful families in the State of Jin: the Zhao (趙) family and the Wei (魏) family. Together they plotted and carved up the State of Jin into three States. They were the State of Zhao (趙國), the State of Wei (魏國) and the State of Han (韓國). General Han Qian established his capital in Yang Di (陽 翟 present day Yu Xian 禹縣 in Shanxi province).
However, the division of the State of Jin triggered a chaotic situation in the land. Wars broke out among the States. The historians referred to this period as the Warring States Period (戰國時代 453BC to 221BC).
In 403BC Zhou King Wei Lie (周烈王), who reigned from 425BC to 402BC , officially recognized the State of Han. In 376BC Han Ai (韓哀) was installed as the ruler of Han (ruled 376BC to 374BC). The following year he conquered and annexed the State of Zheng (鄭國 present day Xin Zheng 新鄭 city in Henan province 河南省). Han Ai shifted his capital from Yang Di to Xin Zheng.
In 272BC Huan Hui Wang (韓桓惠王) became the ruler of the State of Han.
Huan Hui Wang had a younger brother by the name of Han Fei (韓非 280BC
to 234BC). Although Han Fei was born a stutterer, he was not only a great
philosopher but also a author who had written many books and one of them was called Wu Chun (五蠢 Five stupids) which was an idiomatic essay book. This
one was called Shou Zhu Dai Tu (守株待兔):
"Long time ago in the State of Song (宋國 present day Shang Qiu county 商邱縣
in Henan province 河南省) there was a honest and industrious man but he was
not very intelligent. He usually toiled all day long and was contented with his lot as
a farmer.
One day, while he was working in the field, he saw a rabbit running across the
field and it crashed against the exposed roots of a tree growing in the middle of
his farm. The rabbit broke its neck and died. He threw down his tools and went
to pick it up. That evening he had the rabbit meat for dinner.
He thought that life would be much easier if he could just stay in the field and wait for rabbits to crash into the tree.
The next day he stayed off the field and spent the day waiting for another rabbit to appear, but he saw no sign of rabbits.
Day in and day out he did not attend to his field but waited and waited for rabbits
to appear. Soon he was neglecting his farm and the planting season was coming
to an end. But there was no sign of any rabbit coming his way.
The mishap in which the rabbit died was an isolated incident. It became obvious that his future would be bleak if he were to continue to neglect his field. He was trying to get something for free, without working for it, what a wishful thought of obtaining something without an effort."
宋人有耕田者﹐田中有株﹐兔走觸株﹐折頸而死。
因釋其耒而守株﹐冀復得兔。
兔不可復得﹐而身為宋國笑。
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
All rights reserved 2002
Yoon-Ngan CHUNG
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