Close the pass with mud(wán ní fēng guān)

Close the pass with mud

Marubeni Fengguan is a Chinese idiom. Its pinyin is w á NN í f ē nggu ā n. It means that the terrain is very dangerous and can be guarded by only a small number of troops. It comes from the biography of kaixiao in the book of the later Han Dynasty.

Idiom explanation

Pill mud: a little mud means less; seal: blockade. The terrain is very dangerous and can be guarded by only a small number of troops.

Idioms and allusions

original text

Volume 13 of Houhanshu, biography of kaixiao Gongsun shuliezhuan, kaixiao, 524 ～

At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Xiao was good with Lai she and Ma Yuan. Therefore, the emperor sent several envoys to and from Lai she and Yuan Feng to persuade them to enter the court, and promised to attach great importance to nobility. If you don't want to go to the East, you have to send envoys to the East. They are humble and have no merit. They have to calm down and retreat. In the fifth year, he was sent back to she, saying that he would send his son to serve him. He heard that Liu Yong and Peng Chong had been destroyed, so he sent his eldest son Xun to follow her. He thought that Hu Qi was the captain of the school, and he was the Marquis of Qiang. However, Wang Yuan and Wang Jie often think that the success or failure of the world is unknown, and they are unwilling to concentrate on internal affairs. Yuan Sui said: "in the past, when the western capital was changed, all sides responded, and the world was peaceful. Once corrupted, the king has little place to live. Today, there are Ziyang in the south, Wenbo in the north, Haidai in the river and lake, and more than ten princes. If you want to lead the Confucianists, you should abandon the foundation of Qiancheng and travel to the dangerous country for the sake of perfection. You should follow the wrong path. Today, the water is rich, and Shi Ma is the strongest. In the north, Xihe River and Shangjun are collected, and in the East, the three auxiliary areas are collected. The old traces of the Qin Dynasty and the rivers and mountains in the exterior and interior are recorded. Yuan please take a pill of mud as the king and seal Hangu pass in the East. This is a time of the ages. If we can't do that, and if we can't do that, we can't do it, and we can't do it. To this end, fish should not be separated from the abyss. If the dragon is lost, it will be the same as the earthworm. "

translation

At first, he was friendly with Lai she and Ma Yuan, so the emperor sent him and Ma Yuan to serve as envoys several times to persuade him to enter the court and make a promise. He didn't want to go back to the East, so he sent envoys to see him with a memorial of deep humility, saying that he had no merit and virtue, and that he would not return to his hometown until the four sides were pacified. In five years, the emperor again sent her to persuade her to send her son to serve. When she heard that Liu Yong and Peng Chong had been destroyed, she sent her eldest son, she Xun, to Beijing to pay homage. She was named Huqi Xiaowei and qiangthou. However, Wang Yuan and Wang Jie, the general of kaixiao, often thought that the success or failure of the world was unknown, and they were unwilling to submit to Guangwu wholeheartedly. Wang Yuan said to kaixiao: "in the past, Chang'an, the capital of the west, was reformed. All sides responded and the world looked up to him. It was said that the world was at peace. Once the reform fails, the king has little place to live. Now there are Gongsun Shu in the south, Lu Fang in the north, kelp in the river and lake, and more than ten princes, such as Zhang Bu and Dong Xian, who are on their own side. They want to accommodate Ma Yuan's opinions, give up Qiancheng's basic business, and live in a dangerous country for the sake of perfection. This is to follow the track of overtaking cars, not a good plan. Now Tianshui is complete and rich, with the most powerful troops. It attacks Xihe and Shangjun in the north, and receives three auxiliary places in the East. According to the old Qin Dynasty, the mountains and rivers are the exterior and interior of each other. Wang Yuan asked a small number of troops to guard the dangerous Hangu pass. This is a golden opportunity in the world. If we can't adopt this strategy now, we should keep our troops for the time being, defend ourselves according to the danger, and persist in waiting for the changes in the four directions. Even if the king of the map fails, one step back will be enough to dominate one side. In a word, fish can't escape from deep water. If the Dragon loses its support, it's no different from earthworms. "

interpretation

"In Yuan Dynasty, please take a pill of mud as your king and seal Hangu pass in the East." With a small ball of mud, Hangu pass could be closed. Later, it was described as a dangerous terrain, and only a small number of troops could guard it. Later use is the classic practice of defending danger and resisting the enemy. Pill mud, a little mud, means less; seal, blockade.

The origin of Idioms

According to the biography of kaixiao in the book of the later Han Dynasty, "Yuan asked a pill of mud to seal Hangu pass for the king."

Idiom usage

Examples

In the song of cherry blossoms written by Huang Zunxian of Qing Dynasty, "I still hope that the pass will be closed for another thousand years, and the rain will be fresh and the flowers will be beautiful for a long time."

Chinese PinYin : wán ní fēng guān