Author: Yoon-Ngan CHUNG
Date: 02-20-02 10:29
Chinese idiomatic story (18)
Like fish getting inti water
如 魚 得 水 (Ru2 Yu2 De2 Shui3)
如 (Ru2) means: like
魚 (Yu2) means: fish
得 (De2) means: gain
水 (Shui3) means: water
Han Dynasty collapsed in 220AD and the land was divided by the three most
powerful generals. In the North was Cao Cao (曹操). Sun Quan (孫權) in the region of South and Southeast of the Yangtze River. Liu Bei (劉備) in the Western part of the land.
Originally Liu Bei was a general under the commamnd of Cao Cao the Prime
Minister of the central government of the Han Court. Liu Bei was frustrated by
being pushed around by Cao Cao. So in 201AD Liu Bei left Cao Cao and went to Jing Zhou (荊州) and joined Liu Biao (劉彪), another general who was in control of the central region of the Yangtze River. Liu Bei became the new ruler of that region after the death of Liu Biao in 208AD.
Liu Bei wanted to organize a punitive force to attack Cao Cao the tricky, deceitful and corrupted Prime Minister. However, Liu Bei could not do so as he did not have capable personnel to command his troops. Eventually he found a kindred spirit in the two generals by the names of Guan Yun Chang (關雲長) and Zhang Fei (張飛). The three of them became sworn brothers with Liu Bei as the elder brother, Guan Yun Chang the second and Zhang Fei the youngest brother.
Xu Shu (徐庶), a friend of Liu Bei, advised him to seek the services of Zhu Ge
Liang (諸葛亮) alias Kong Ming (孔明), who was a great politician as well as a military strategy and tactics genius. Xu Shu told Liu Bei that Kong Ming lived at
Long Zhong (隆中) a small town about twenty miles away from Xiang Yang city
(襄陽).
One day, in mid-wnter in 208AD, Liu Bei, from Xin Ye (新野) his home base,
with his two sworn brothers, and bringing along some gifts and presents, went
to Long Zhong to visit Kong Ming. Liu Bei wanted Kong Ming to help him to
establish a administration.
On the way to Kong Ming's cottage they passed through many lotus fields.
They heard the farmers saying a folk song,
蒼天如圓蓋﹐ The sky is like a round lid﹐
陸地如棋局。 The earth is like a chess board.
世人黑白分﹐People are divided into good and bad,
往來爭榮辱。Time-immemoral they fought for glory and fame.
榮者自安安﹐The victors will live in peace and contented,
辱者定碌碌。The losers will have miserable and hard lives.
南陽有隱居﹐In Nan Yang there resides a hermit,
高眠臥不足。Who lives happily with a reclusive life 。
After hearing the song Liu Bei got down from the horse and asked a farmer
who composed the song. He replied,
"Mr Wo Long (臥龍) composed it."
"Where does Mr Wo Long live?" asked Liu Bei.
"From the South of this hill to the high ridge is called Wo Long Gang (臥龍岡).
In front of the ridge there is a cottage. That is the reclusive place of of Mr Wo
Long Kong Ming."
From the direction Liu Bei obtained from the farmer they proceeded on their
way to seek for Kong Ming. After walking for a few miles they arrived at
the cottage where he lived.
Liu Bei knocked at the door. A young male house-keeper opened the door.
Liu Bei introduced himself and asked if Mr Kong Ming was home. The
house-keeper was a bit annoyed. He replied that Mr Kong Ming had gone out
early this morning.
"Where did he go ?" asked Liu Bei.
"I have no idea." replied the house-keeper.
"When will he be back?" asked Liu Bei again.
"The day of his return is uncertain. Sometimes he went out for three or five
days. Many an occassion he returned home after several months."
Zhang Fei said, "Since he is not at home let's go."
Guan Yun Chang also said,
"Let's go home. Later we will send someone here to inquire
if he has returned. Then we shall come again."
"When Mr Kong Ming returns home please convey my message to him
that Liu Bei has called." said Liu Bei to the house-keeper.
After leaving the message they left and returned to Xin Ye.
A few days later Liu Bei sent a messenger to find out if Kong Ming had returned. The messenger came back and told him that Kong Ming had returned home.
While Liu Bei was preparing to see Kong Ming again Zhang Fei said to him,
"Is it really necessary for you to go yourself to see a country pumpkin folk. Why
not send someone there and call him to come here?"
Liu Bei was angry and scolded him by quoting a saying from Mengzi (孟子),
"欲見賢而不一其道﹐猶欲其入而閉之門也。”
"If you want to see a sage you must be polite or else you would not be able to
go inside his closed house. Kong Ming is a great sage."
Together, the three brothers went to Long Zhong again to look for Kong Ming.
While on the way Zhang Fei complained about the snowing weather. On arrival
at the cottage Liu Bei knocked at the door. The same house-keeper opened the door and allowed them to go inside the cottage. Liu Bei saw a young man sitting
at the table reading. Liu Bei went near him and asked politely if he was Kong Ming. The young man replied that he was not Kong Ming but his younger brother. He told Liu Bei that his elder brother went touring with a friend yesterday. He also mentioned that they went out by a little boat to the big lake to see a monk who lived in the island of the lake. They were going to play chess.
Liu Bei asked if his elder brother had read a lot of books about the art of war and military strategy and tactics. He gave Liu Bei a negative reply. Liu Bei sighed and said sadly that he had failed to meet his brother twice. It could be fated that he would never meet him again. He requested for some paper and a brush. He wrote
a resume of himself and asked the young man to give it to his brother. He said that they would come again. After leaving the written message the three brothers left for home. They were just about to leave the cottage they heard a boy called out,
"The old master is home."
They saw an old man riding a donkey. He was drinking a jar of wine and singing loudly and happily. Liu Bei quickly got down from his horse and went over to pay
his homage saying he was happy to meet him. However, Kong Ming's younger
brother said that the old man was not his brother but Kong Ming's father-in-law. Again Liu Bei was disappointed. They mounted their horses and went back to
Xin Ye.
It was spring now and Liu Bei was still thinking of going to call on Kong Ming.
Guan Yun Chang and Zhang Fei were not pleased about his idea of going to
see Kong Ming the third time. They tried to persuade Liu Bei to give up his idea because they reckoned it was too time consuming. However Liu Bei persistently wanted to go the third time. So again they journeyed to Long Zhong to seek for
Kong Ming.
About half a mile from Kong Ming's cottage they met his younger brother. Liu Bei asked if his brother was at home. He replied that he had returned home last night and he would meet them this time. Liu Bei said to himself that it was his lucky day. They arrived at the cottage and knocked at the door. Again the same house-keeper opened the door. Liu Bei enquired if Kong Ming was home.
"Yes he is at home, but he is still sleeping."
Liu Bei told Guan Yun Chang and Zhang Fei to wait outside and he went in alone.
So quietly and walking slowly Liu Bei went in. He saw Kong Ming was
still fast asleep. He stood in front of Kong Ming's bed and waited patiently.
Wondering, why was it so quiet inside the cottage Zhang Fei went in. He saw Liu Bei standing in front of Kong Ming's bed waiting for him to wake up. He was ferious. He told Liu Bei that he was going to set fire to the cottage and burn it down and see if he would wake up. Liu Bei told him to get out and wait there.
Kong Ming turned his body. But he was not awaken yet. The house-keeper wanted to wake Kong Ming up but Liu Bei told him not to disturb him and let him sleep some more.
Finally Kong Ming woke up. The house-keeper told him that Liu Bei had been
waiting for him for a long time. Kong Ming scolded him for not informing him earlier. Liu Bei quickly paid his respect and they settled down with cups of tea.
They talked and talked and talked about current affairs and contemporary politics. Liu Bei asked Kong Ming to help him to get rid of Cao Cao. Initially Kong Ming refused to come out to work. After many hours of persuasion Kong Ming was finally convinced and agreed to work for him. Liu Bei employed him as his think tank.
Liu Bei called in Guan Yun Chang and Zhang Fei to pay their homage to Kong
Ming. Reluctantly they obliged. Kong Ming told his younger brother to look after the fields for him while he was away. Liu Bei told his two sworn brothers that he had Kong Ming as an adviser he was like a fish getting into the water,
"孤之有孔明﹐猶魚之有水也“
Together and happily the four of them were on their ways to Xin Ye.
Chapters 37 and 38 from the book entitled San Guo Yan Yi (三國演義)
or The Romance Of Three Kingdoms by Luo Guan Zhong (羅貫中)
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
the author of the book "The Origin of Chinese Surnames"
All rights reserved 2002
Yoon-Ngan CHUNG
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