Idiom story

Long, long ago, there was a family living by the Yellow River, making a meager living by cutting reeds and weaving mats and baskets. They lived in great poverty.One day, the son was cutting reeds by the riverbank. The sun beat down fiercely, making him dizzy and faint, so he sat down to rest. As he gazed at the river shimmering with ripples in the sunlight, he remembered his father once saying that many treasures lay in the deepest part of the river—but no one dared go there.

During the Jin Dynasty, there was a renowned scholar named Guo Xiang, styled Zixuan. Even in his youth, Guo Xiang was exceptionally learned. Particularly, he paid close attention to everyday phenomena, carefully observing them and then calmly reflecting on their underlying principles. As a result, he possessed vast knowledge and often offered unique insights into various matters.

Zuo Si, a literary figure of the Jin Dynasty, was a very naughty and uninterested-in-study child when he was young. His father often got angry about this, but the young Zuo Si remained mischievous and unwilling to study diligently.

During the Warring States period, the northern regions of the State of Zhao were mostly inhabited by Hu tribes. Although they did not engage in large-scale wars with Zhao, they frequently conducted small-scale raids and skirmishes. The Hu people wore short jackets and trousers, rode horses in battle, and their movements were extremely agile and convenient.

During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius was the foremost scholar of his time. He pioneered private teaching and advocated the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. He was the founder of the Confucian school of thought.

During the Warring States period, the state of Qi sent an envoy to visit Queen Dowager Zhao Wei Hou in order to foster good diplomatic relations with the state of Zhao. The Qi envoy had never been to Zhao before, nor had he met Queen Dowager Zhao. However, he had long heard that she was a wise and virtuous queen, so he happily accepted the mission.

In the early period of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Quan and Liu Bei formed an alliance and inflicted a crushing defeat on Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs, severely weakening Cao Cao's forces and removing the immediate threat to both Sun Quan and Liu Bei. Afterward, Sun Quan and Liu Bei each expanded their territories, seizing considerable lands.

During the Song Dynasty, there were two brothers named Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi. Both were well-read and highly knowledgeable scholars whose reputations attracted countless admirers and students from afar every day.At that time, there was a man named Yang Shi who was exceptionally intelligent and studious from childhood. He began studying at age four, could write poetry and paint by seven, and compose lyrics and essays by eight. Known as a child prodigy, he was famous far and wide.

"During the transition period between the Sui and Tang dynasties, there lived a man named Chunyu Zun in Guangling. In his courtyard stood a large, luxuriant pagoda tree. On summer nights, when the moon was bright and stars were few, its shadow swayed gently in the cool evening breeze—a perfect place to cool off.On the day of Chunyu Zun's birthday, relatives and friends came to celebrate. Overcome with joy, he drank a little too much. When night fell and his guests had all left, he sat alone beneath the pagoda tree, slightly tipsy, enjoying the cool air. Drowsy from the wine, he soon drifted into a deep sleep.

One day, while returning from Kunshan to Heshan, King Mu heard of a man named Yan Shi, whose craftsmanship was so exquisite that the animals he created could sing and run. Finding this hard to believe, the king immediately summoned Yan Shi and said, 'I've heard you can make all kinds of ingenious devices. Show me one so I can see it for myself.'