Translation of the words and sentences of the ancient text Three Morning and Four Dusk 10

This story originates from the Zhuangzi * Theory of Things.

One year, when there was a lack of food, the monkey keeper said to the monkey, "Now there is not enough food, we must save some food." How about eating three acorns in the morning and four in the evening?

The monkeys were very angry when they heard this, and they shouted noisily, "Too little! Why don't you eat as much in the morning as you do in the evening?

The monkey keeper hurriedly said, "So how about eating four in the morning and three in the evening?" When the monkeys heard this, they were all overjoyed, and felt that they had eaten more in the morning than in the evening, and that they had triumphed.

In fact, the total number of acorns has not changed, but the distribution method has changed, and the monkeys have turned their anger into joy. Theorists who pursue name and reality always try to distinguish between the different properties of things, without knowing that things themselves have identity. In the end, like a monkey, he was blinded by the morning and evening and the morning and evening.

The original meaning of the morning and evening refers to the fact that the essence remains the same, and people are deceived by changing the name. Song "Ercheng Quanshu, Testament, Eighteen, Mr. Yichuan's Words": "If the saint is not known, how can the heart of the saint be the art of the future generations?"

Unfortunately, the people who later applied this idiom did not know the origin of the three and the twilight, and confused it with "the twilight of the dynasty". The latter refers to the Warring States Period, when the two great powers of Qin and Chu were opposed, and some weak countries fell to Qin for a while, and then to Chu. Just like 10 years ago, when the United States and the Soviet Union were vying for hegemony, some African countries sometimes turned to the United States and sometimes to the Soviet Union.

Originally, it had nothing to do with this, but as a matter of falsehood, over time, everyone was accustomed to understanding "three days and four days" as unprincipled and capricious.

There was a man in the Song Kingdom who was very fond of raising monkeys. He has a large group of monkeys at home, and he can understand what the monkeys mean, and the monkeys understand his mind. He would rather cut down on the family's diet than satisfy the monkeys' demands.

However, after a while, the family became poorer and poorer, and he planned to reduce the number of acorns that the monkeys could eat, but he was afraid that the monkeys would not obey him, so he first deceived the monkey and said, "Are you enough to eat three acorns in the morning and four in the evening?" When the monkeys heard this, they all stood up, and were very angry.

After a while, he said, "Give you acorns, four in the morning and three in the evening, that should be enough, right?" When the monkeys heard this, they all lay on the ground and were very happy.

Source: Morning three evening four.

Anonymous Pre-Qin

Original text: Song has a sniper, loves sniping, raises a group, and can solve the meaning of sniping; Snipers also have the heart of justice. Damage his family's mouth and fill the desire of snipe.

Russia will limit its food, and I am afraid that the public will not be tamed by it. The first said: "With Ruoqi, three and four, enough?"

All the snipers were furious. Russia said: "With Ruoqi, four and three at dusk, enough?"

All the snipers were rejoicing.

Translation: There was an old man in the Song Kingdom who raised monkeys, he liked monkeys very much, and he raised a group of monkeys, and he could understand the mind of the monkeys, and the monkeys understood the mind of the person who was quiet. The old man thus reduced his family's rations to satisfy the monkey's desire to honor the ants.

But soon, there was a shortage of food at home, and he was about to restrict the monkeys' food, but he was afraid that the monkeys would get angry and not listen to him, so he lied to the monkeys first: "I will give you three acorns in the morning and four in the evening, is that enough?" When many of the monkeys heard this, they were very angry and jumped up.

After a while, he said, "Is it enough for you to give you four acorns in the morning and three in the evening?" When the monkeys heard this, they all lay down with joy, and they were glad to be obedient to the old man.

Appreciation:

The original meaning of this story is to expound a philosophical truth, and it is an important fable in the "Zhuangzi Qi Wu Theory", whether it is three or four or four, in fact, the monkeys have not increased or decreased, and the monkeys are very ridiculous when they are happy and angry. The sniper is like a "big block" carrying sentient beings, and the monkey is like a savient being in the chaotic red dust.

Theorists who pursue name and reality always try to distinguish between the different properties of things, not knowing that things themselves are identical. In the end, I can't help but be like a monkey, being deceived by the three and the four and the four.