This idiom originates from the "Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin" in *Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji)*: "At midnight, troops were dispatched. Two thousand light cavalry were selected, each carrying a red flag, taking a secret mountain path to observe the Zhao army. They were instructed: 'When Zhao sees us flee, they will surely empty their camp to pursue us. Quickly enter the Zhao camp, pull down the Zhao flags, and raise the Han red flags.'"
[Interpretation] The idiom "as fierce as fire and as luxuriant as rushes" describes the grand scale and overwhelming momentum of a crowd or event.At the end of the Spring and Autumn period, King Fuchai of Wu had successively conquered the states of Yue, Lu, and Qi. Filled with ambition, he continued his advance to the northwest, intending to conquer the state of Jin in one decisive stroke.
During the reign of Emperor Zhao of the Western Han Dynasty, Han Yanhou, a native of Yan (present-day Beijing area), served as the Prefect of Dongjun (modern-day Yuncheng, Shandong). He was skilled at listening to his subordinates' advice and actively adopted good suggestions. During his three-year tenure in Dongjun, he enforced strict orders and handled cases decisively and swiftly. As a result, social customs greatly improved, making Dongjun the best-governed prefecture in the entire country at that time. Later, Han Yanhou became the Prefect of Zuo Fengyi (modern-day Dali, Shaanxi). For the first few years in office, he never made inspection tours to the local areas.
Zhang Xu was a renowned calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty.One year, Yan Zhenqing, who was deeply passionate about practicing calligraphy, resigned from his official post and became a disciple of Zhang Xu to study the art. He originally believed that by learning under a master, he could quickly grasp the secrets of writing and achieve instant fame. However, after becoming his student, Zhang Xu did not reveal any secret techniques for practice. Instead, he merely gave Yan Zhenqing brief guidance on the characteristics of model calligraphy sheets, introduced some famous examples by master calligraphers, and had Yan Zhenqing copy them. Sometimes, after drinking a little wine, Zhang Xu would take Yan Zhenqing mountain climbing, swimming, visiting markets, or watching theatrical performances. When they returned home, he would either have Yan practice writing or let him observe as Zhang himself wrote swiftly and vigorously with his brush.
In 1987, two postal workers from Virginia, USA, Tom Coleman and Bill Schlot, happened to see a child holding a glow stick that emitted a green light. Unlike other adults who might have simply smiled and passed by, they immediately began pondering: this thing looks interesting, but what could it be used for? The two men started brainstorming wildly. Eventually, they latched onto a brilliant idea—placing a lollipop on top of the glow stick.
"Speaking of the term 'wine drinker' might sound sensational and seems like making a mountain out of a molehill. After all, a 'wine drinker' is simply someone who loves wine. As the 'Cihai' dictionary states, calling oneself a wine drinker implies arrogance, while calling others one often carries a derogatory meaning—this makes a lot of sense. However, from the ancient perspective, this wasn't entirely true. The famous Tang Dynasty literary figure Yuan Jie even composed a song praising wine drinkers: 'Mountains serve as wine cups, water becomes a pond; wine drinkers sit clearly arrayed on islets and islands.' When it comes to the 'High Yang Wine Drinker,' the Han Dynasty lauded his contributions to the nation and recorded a remarkable tale of achieving great things through wine!
During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Zhuang of the state of Zheng, with the support of the states of Lu and Qi, planned to launch a campaign against the state of Xu. (Xu was a small state located in present-day Xuchang City, Henan Province. Zheng was situated to the north of Xu, and its capital at the time was Xinzheng, also in modern Henan.)
When Shang Yang implemented his reforms in the state of Qin, he first abolished the privileges of the nobility, establishing a new system where noble ranks were granted strictly according to military merit. This deprived the nobles of their traditional right to receive rewards without effort, causing them great resentment towards Shang Yang. However, Shang Yang had the strong support of Duke Xiao of Qin, so despite their hatred, the nobles could do nothing.
Han Yu, the renowned literary figure of the Tang Dynasty, became an orphan at a young age and was raised by his elder brother's wife. He studied diligently on his own. In his youth, he read widely and laid a solid foundation in scholarship. At the age of 35, he went to the capital and served as a Doctor at the Imperial Academy. Later, he was promoted to Vice Minister of Justice. At that time, Buddhism was widespread, and even Emperor Xianzong of Tang greatly revered it. Upon hearing that a temple housed a relic of the Buddha Sakyamuni, the emperor prepared to mobilize a large entourage to welcome it into the palace for worship.
Bai Qi, a renowned general of the Qin state, led his troops to attack the state of Wei. A strategist named Su Li, upon learning of this, hurried to see the king of the Zhou dynasty and warned him: "If Wei is conquered by the Qin army, your own position will be in danger." At that time, the Zhou king was nominally the Son of Heaven, but in reality, he had lost all authority over the feudal states.