you cannot sell the cow and drink the milk(yú yǔ xióng zhǎng)

you cannot sell the cow and drink the milk

Fish and bear's paw, a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is y ú y ǔ Xi ó ngzh ǎ ng, which means that it is difficult to choose what you want. Choice can not be indecisive, give up and get, more precious. It's from Mencius, gaozishang.

Idiom explanation

Metaphors are things that are hard to choose

Idioms and allusions

According to the language version of Mencius: fish is what I want, and bear's paw is what I want. You can't have both of them. You can give up fish and take bear's paw. Life is what I want, and righteousness is what I want. We can't have both. It's the same to give up life and take righteousness. Life is what I want, and what I want is more than the living, so I don't get it; death is what I hate, and what I hate is more than the dead, so I can't avoid suffering. If you want nothing more than life, why don't you use it if you can get life? If people do not do more evil than the dead, why not treat the sick? If it's right, it's not necessary to be born. If it's right, it's not necessary to be born. Therefore, the desire is more than the living, and the evil is more than the dead. Not only the sage has a heart, but also everyone has it. The sage should not lose his heart. If you eat with a grain of rice and a bean soup, you will live, if you get a Buddha, you will die, if you shout with it, you will receive it; if you do with it, you will despise it. Wanzhong accepted it regardless of propriety and righteousness. How can ten thousand bells be added to me? For the beauty of the palace, for the honor of wives and concubines, for the poor who I know? To die for one's body and not to receive it is the beauty of the palace. To die for one's body and not to receive it is the honor of his wife and concubine. To die for one's body and not to receive it is what I know. Can the poor do it for me? This is called losing one's original intention. " Mencius said, "fresh fish is what I want, and bear's paw is also what I want. These two things can't be obtained at the same time, so I have to give up fish and get bear's paw. Life is what I want. Justice is what I want. These two things can't be obtained at the same time. I have to sacrifice my life and choose justice. " Naturally, life is what I want, but what I want is better than life, so I will never do anything to muddle along. Naturally, death is what I hate, but what I hate is something more terrible than death, so disasters can't be avoided. If there is nothing more important than life that people want, then why not use all good means to save their lives? If there is nothing more terrible than death that people hate, then why not do everything to avoid the evil ways of disaster? We can live by this means, but some people just refuse to use it; we can avoid disasters by this evil way, but some people just refuse to use it. From this we can see that what they want is more important than life; what they hate is more terrible than death: not only knowledgeable people have this kind of thought, but all people have it, only those knowledgeable people can not lose it. a bowl of rice, a bowl of broth, get these can live, not get will starve to death. However, the hungry passers-by would not accept it if they handed it to others in a vicious manner, and the beggars would not look at it if they kicked and trampled it to others. There is the temptation of the generous salary, but regardless of politeness and morality, they accept it. What's the good for me? Just for the service of Diaolianghuadong, his wife and poor acquaintances, do you appreciate me? I would rather die than accept it. Now I do it for the sake of carving beams and painting buildings. I would rather die than accept it. Now I do it for the sake of waiting on my wife. I would rather die than accept it. Now I do it to make poor acquaintances appreciate me. Can't I force them not to do it? This is called the loss of human nature.

The origin of Idioms

It is selected from Mencius · gaozishang (notes to the thirteen classics, 1980 edition of Zhonghua Book Company), and the title is added by the editor. The central argument is "life is what I want; righteousness is what I want. You can't have both. You can't give up your life and take righteousness. " Or "sacrifice your life for righteousness." Problem solving: Mencius advocates that human nature is good. He believes that human beings are born with compassion, shame, resignation and right and wrong. As long as these kindness are not lost, they will have "benevolence, righteousness and reason" in morality

Notes on allusions

1. Bear's paw: the paw of a bear, which was considered as a precious food by the ancients. 2. Gain and gain: gain at the same time. Get: get. 3. Those who give up fish and take bear's paw also choose bear's paw instead of fish. Select: Select. He who gives up his life to take justice also gives up his life to choose justice. Take: seek justice: justice, morality. Want more than the living: want more than life. More than; more than. 5. Acquirement: acquirement. Here is the meaning of "muddle along" or just for the sake of profit. 6. What one dislikes: what one dislikes. Hate, hate, hate. 7. Disaster: disaster. 8. To avoid: to avoid. Synonymous below. 9. If: if, if, below "Shi" synonymous. 10. Those who can survive: all the ways to survive. By We need to find a better way. 11. Why not: what means are not available? Not for: not willing to do so. 13. If you are born with it, you can survive in some way, but some people don't use it. So, in this way. It's a demonstrative pronoun. It means something. Not only: not only, not only. Only: only, only. 15. Yes: this, this. Don't lose: don't lose. Bereavement: loss, loss. Dao: a round bamboo vessel used for holding food in ancient times. It can be translated as "bamboo basket". Bean: an ancient utensil for holding rice. The utility model relates to a food utensil, which is high enough and disc-shaped on the top. They are made of wood, pottery and so on. They are used to hold meat or other food. 19. Whoop: it means to shout out to others impolitely. Er: modal particle. According to the book of rites Tangong, one year there was a famine in the state of Qi, and Qian Ao gave porridge on the road. There was a hungry man who covered his face with his sleeve. Qian Ao yelled to let him eat porridge. He said, it's just that I don't want to eat what I have come to. The man refused insulting handouts and later starved to death. Shout: yell, scornfully, disrespect people. However, conjunctions are used to modify. 20. Cuju (C ù): kick with feet; and: give. 21. Disdain: I don't think it's worth it. 22. Wanzhong does not argue for propriety and righteousness, but receives it: if he does not distinguish whether it is in line with propriety and righteousness, he receives a rich salary. Then, conjunctions. "Debate" is the key to distinguish. 230000, here refers to the generous salary. Clock, an ancient measuring instrument, six Dendrobium four dou for a clock. He Jia: what are the benefits. Add: add. 25. For: for. The "Wei" of "Xiang Wei" and "Jin Wei" are all pronounced "W è I". 26. Serve: serve. 27. The poor know me. Do the poor know me and appreciate me? Get me: get me and appreciate my kindness. It means to be grateful. And, Tong "Er", modal particle, equivalent to. In the past (for the sake of "propriety") they would rather die than accept (charity). Xiang Tong "Xiang" (old writing "Xiang"), originally, formerly, previously. 29. Today is the beauty of the palace: today, now. For, for. For (second), accept. 30. Have: stop, give up. Nature: nature, good nature. The original thought refers to "righteousness".

background information

Mencius inherited and developed Confucius' thoughts. He lived in an era when the vassals attacked each other and fought against each other. He witnessed the social reality that the people suffered from the destruction and saw the power of the people. On this basis, the development of the people-oriented thinking, clearly put forward the "people first", "King light". Politically, it advocates "kingly" and "benevolent government". We should oppose "hegemony" and "tyranny". He called on the rulers to attach importance to the people, stabilize the people, reduce taxes, and reduce penalties, so that the people would not be hungry or cold. These views reflect the wishes of the people and have certain progressive significance, but they are divorced from the social reality at that time and can not work at all. Mencius also advocated social division of labor, which is in line with the law of social development, but he came to the conclusion that "those who work hard rule people, and those who work hard rule people", which creates a theoretical basis for class exploitation and oppression. Mencius' philosophy belongs to subjective idealism, the most representative of which is his "theory of good nature". He believes that human nature is born with good nature. He said: "the good nature of human nature is as good as water. No one is bad, and no one is bad. " He also said: "compassion, benevolence; shame, righteousness; respect, courtesy; right and wrong, knowledge. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom are not given to me, but are inherent to me. " There are reasonable elements in Mencius' theory of human nature. He especially emphasizes the influence of acquired environment and education on people, as well as the role of self-cultivation. He thinks that "to live without education is close to animals", "to be born in hardship, to die in happiness"; he requires people to bow to themselves, "to cultivate noble spirit", to "sacrifice their lives for righteousness", "to be rich and noble, to be poor and humble, and to be powerful and unyielding"

appreciation

This article is excerpted from Mencius · gaozishang. The main content of gaozishang is to clarify the "theory of good nature", that is, human nature is born with the seeds of goodness, the so-called "compassion, shame, respect, right and wrong". This kind of good nature is man's "original heart". “

Chinese PinYin : yú yǔ xióng zhǎng