One will get nowhere if he lacks single-mindedness and perseverance.(duō qí wáng yáng)

a lamb going astray at a fork in the road

The synonym "many Qi and lost sheep" generally refers to "Qi Lu and lost sheep" (works of Liezi). Qi Lu and lost sheep is a fable, which comes from Shuo Fu chapter of Liezi. The structure of this fable adopts the method of compound fable of fable and fable. From the story of sheep lost due to too many forks, it leads to two fables. One is that the three brothers' students' understanding of Confucianism is completely different, the other is that many people learn to swim, nearly half of them drown, and finally makes a comment. The full text reveals a truth: things are complex and changeable, without the right direction, they will go astray and have serious consequences.

Original works

Yang Zi's neighbor, Yang Zi's neighbor, lost sheep 2, led his party 3 and asked Yang Zi to pursue it 4. Yang Zi said, "hee! When a sheep is dead, how can the pursuers be The neighbor said, "more than six roads." When he was 7, he asked, "did you get 8 sheep?" He said, "it's death." Said: "Xi died of 9?" He said, "there are 10 different things in the wrong way. I don't know what I know, so I have 12." Yang Zi changed his countenance 13 years ago. He who did not speak changed his time 14 years ago. He who did not laugh changed his time 15 days ago. The 16 strange disciples, please say: "sheep, cheap animals, and not the master, and the loss of laughter 17, why?" Yang Zi did not answer. The disciples didn't get their orders. disciple Meng sunyang went out 19 to tell xinduzi 20. Xinduzi joined Meng sunyang one day and asked, "in the past, there were three kundi brothers, 21 of whom traveled between Qilu and Shandong, 22 of whom studied with the same teacher and returned to the way of benevolence and righteousness. His father said, "what is the way of benevolence and righteousness?" Bo said, "benevolence and righteousness make me love my body and then my name." Zhong said, "benevolence and righteousness make me famous by killing myself." My uncle said, "benevolence and righteousness make my name complete." These three skills are opposite, but they all come from Confucianism. Which is right and which is wrong? " Yang Zi said, "people live by the river. They are accustomed to water, have the courage to swim 26, and sail 27 boats for hundreds of people. The scholars become apprentices when they are wrapped in grain, while the drowned are mostly dead. We should learn to swim, but not to drown. If you think which is right or wrong? " Xin Duzi, hey, 28. Meng Sun Yang asked 29: "why is my son's question circuitous and my teacher's answer unsociable? I am more and more confused. " Xinduzi said: "the great road is full of branches and sheep, and scholars are full of branches and sheep. Learning is not the same, not the same, and if the end is different. If we return to the same and oppose the same, we will die. Mr. Zichang's door, Mr. Xi's way, but not as good as Mr. Zichang's, alas

Note translation

Notes on words and sentences

Yang Zi: the honorific name for the philosopher Yang Zhu in the Warring States period. < / Li > < li > death: loss. < / Li > < li > not long ago. Lead: lead, lead. Party: used to refer to relatives, now refers to: friends, people with friendship. < / Li > < li > vertical: little boy, little footman. < / Li > < li > the work of pursuers: pursuers. Crowd: many. < / Li > < li > Qi: Branch Road, path. < / Li > < li > counter: already back. Both: already. Anti: through "return", return, return, return. < / Li > < li > get: find, get. XI: why. Why. < / Li > < li > Yan: modal particles. < / Li > < li >: to Go. < / Li > < li > so: function words for reasons. < / Li > < li > Qi ran: sad look. But It's the way you look. < / Li > < li > time shift: a long time, a period of time. < / Li > < li > Jingri: all day, all day. < / Li > < li > strange: strange to me. < / Li > < li > loss: decrease. < / Li > < li > Life: teach, inform. < / Li > < li > Meng sunyang: Yang Zhu's student. < li > < li > xinduzi: Yang Zhu's student. Brother Kun: brother. < / Li > < li > Qilu: both are the names of the vassal states in the spring and Autumn period, referring to the present Shandong area. Bo: brother ranks first, eldest. < li > < li > Zhong: brother ranks second, second. < / Li > < li > uncle: brother ranks third, third. < / Li > < li > swimming (Qi ú): floating, swimming. < / Li > < li > 鬻 (Y ù) Ferry: Ferry makes a living. Hey ran: default. Hey: same as "Mo". < / Li > < li > let: blame. < / Li > < li > Hey (m) ran: silent. Hey: same as "Mo". < / Li > < li > death: loss of nature. The word "Sheng" can not be understood as "life" mechanically, but also as "nature". < / Li > < li > return to the same path, return to the same path. < / Li > < li > situation: metaphor.

Vernacular translation

Yang Zi's neighbor lost a sheep. The neighbor had already led his family, relatives and friends to search, and then asked Yang Zi's boy servant to help him search. Yang Zi asked, "Hey, I lost a sheep. Why do so many people go after them? " The neighbor replied, "there are too many forks." After the pursuer came back, Yang Zi asked his neighbor, "have you found the sheep?" The neighbor replied, "I didn't catch it. I let it run away." Yang Zi asked, "why did you let it run away?" The neighbor replied, "there is another fork in the road. We don't know which road it ran from, so we have to come back." Yang Zi was sad and changed his face. He didn't speak for a long time and didn't smile all day. His students were surprised and asked him, "sheep are worthless animals, not your own, but you don't say and don't laugh. Why?" Yang Zi didn't answer. The students didn't know what Yang Zi meant. Meng sunyang, a student of Yangzi, came out from Yangzi and told xinduzi about the situation. One day, xinduzi and Meng sunyang went to see Yang Zi together. Xinduzi asked Yang Zi, "once upon a time, there were three brothers who studied in the area of Qi and Lu. They learned from the same teacher and learned all the principles of benevolence and righteousness before they went home. Their father asked them, "what is the truth of benevolence and righteousness?" The eldest said, "benevolence and righteousness make me cherish my life and put my reputation behind my life.". The second said, "benevolence and righteousness make me sacrifice my life for fame." Laosan said, "benevolence and righteousness can preserve my life and reputation." The answers of the three brothers are different or even opposite. They are all from Confucianism. Who do you think is right and who is wrong? " Yang Zi replied, "there is a man who lives on the river. He knows the nature of water well and dares to swim. He makes a living by rowing boats and ferries. The profits of ferries can provide a living for 100 people. People who brought their own food to him to learn how to swim are in droves. Almost half of these people drowned. They were originally learning how to swim, not to learn how to drown. The opposite is true between profit and loss. Who do you think is right and who is wrong Xin Duzi listened to Yang Zi's words and came out with Meng sunyang in silence. After coming out, Meng sunyang blamed xinduzi and said, "Why are you so circuitous when you ask the teacher questions and the teacher answers so strangely? The more I listen, the more confused I am." Xinduzi said: "the main road lost its sheep because of too many branches, and the students lost their lives because of too many methods. What we learn is not fundamentally different, fundamentally inconsistent, but the results are so different. Only when we return to the same essence and the same essence, can we have no sense of gain and loss and not lose our way. You have been under the teacher's door for a long time, and you are the teacher's eldest disciple. You learn the teacher's theory, but you don't understand the metaphorical meaning of the teacher. What a pity

Appreciation of works

Liezi's fable has its own characteristics in structure, and adopts the method of compound fable of fable and fable. Yang's fable itself leads to two other fables. One is a fable told by xinduzi, which is totally different from Confucianism of his three brothers. The other is Yang Zi's fable about many people learning to swim and nearly half of them drowning. Finally, xinduzi's comment. Some anthologies of fables often choose only the first half of this fable, that is, the fable itself, rather than the last two fables, let alone the comments of xinduzi. But this kind of excerpt is not very appropriate. Because only from the story itself, can not directly understand, at least is very difficult to understand the profound meaning of this fable. in this story, Yang Zi's neighbor's sheep runs away, and some family members and friends have gone to search for it, but they still feel that there are not enough people, so they ask Yang Zi's child servant to help them, but they still can't find it. Because there are too many forks and there are forks in the middle, I don't know which one to follow. So many people still can't catch up with them. Yang Zi felt deeply about it and didn't smile for a long time. When his students asked him why, Yang Zi didn't answer. From the whole fable, Yang Zi didn't answer the students' questions at that time, because Yang Zi had a deep feeling about the incident of the astray and the lost sheep, and it was difficult to explain it to the students at the moment. It was necessary to take the form of metaphor, especially the high-level form of metaphor, so that the students could clearly understand the profound implication contained in it, which is Yang Zi's understanding of the astray and the lost sheep The deep feeling caused by the incident of sheep. In the last part of this fable, xinduzi said, "the road is full of branches and the scholars are lost in many ways. If learning is not based on difference, it is not based on difference. If learning is not based on difference, it is only to return to the same and return to the same It expresses the profound meaning of this fable. "There are many avenues

Chinese PinYin : duō qí wáng yáng