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yn dng Having Had Ready Plans Or Desingns In One's Mind In the song Dynasty (960-1279),there was a scholar whose name was Wen Tong and who styled himself Yuke. He was not only admired by others for his great learning, but also enjoyed widespread renown for his bamboo drawing. Every day there were always quite a few peoply who called at his house to ask for one of his bamboo drawings. As a matter of fact,there were quite a few painters contemporary with him who could draw bamboos fairly well. But how did it happen that Wen Tong drew better than anybody else? Of this point Su Shi and Chao Buzhi, buth of whom were Wen Tong's good friends, gave vivid explanations in their respective poetic and prose works. Actually, Wen Tong loved bamboos so much that he had grown various bamboos everywhere around his house. No matter what season it was and no matter whether it was sunny or rainy, he used to go to the bamboo forest to observe how they were growing. He pondered over the lenght and breadth of the bamboo poles as well as the shapes and colours of the leaves. Whenever he had gained a new understanding, he went back to his study, spread a piece of paper and prepareed some ink by rubbing an ink stick on an ink slab, and drew what was in his mind on the paper. Through accumulation over a long period of time, the images of the bamboo in different seasons, under different weather conditions and at different moments were deeply imprinted in his mind.So whenever he stood before the paper and picked up a painting brush with concentrated attention, the various forms of the bamboo which he had observed at ordinary times at once rose before his eyes. And so every time he was drawing bamboos he appeared confident and at ease, and all the bamboos he had painted were very vivid and true to lift. When people spoke highly of his paintings, he always said modestly that he had just put the images of the bamboo imprinted in his mind on the paper.

A young man wanted to learn bamboo drawing; when he knew that Chao Buzhi had made a profound study of Wen Tong's art of drawing, he went to Chao Buzhi for instruction. Chao Buzhi wrote a poem to him. In the poem, there are the following two lines: When Yuke was painting the bamboos, He bad their images ready in his bosom. Later people have summarized the lines as " having had the images of the bamboo ready in one's bosom," which means having had ready plans or designs in one's mind before doing a certain job so that its success is guaranteed. It is also used go mean being calm and cool - headed in dealing with things. This story comes from an article writted by Su Shi concerning Wen Yuke's art of bamboo drawing.


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Understanding and Appreciative Friends During the Spring and Autumn Period770-476B.C..there was a man whose name was Yu Boya.Yu boya famous music master at that time, having a good command of the temperament and superb skills in playing the musical instrument.He was bright and eager to learn when he was young.He had formally acknowledged several experts as his teachers,and his skills in playing the musical instrument had already reached a fairly high level.But he still felt that he could not superbly express the various things which had deeply impressed him.Knowing what was in his mind,his teacher took him to the penglai Island,a fabled abode of immortals,on the East China Sea by boat.On the island,his teacher let him enjoy the natural scenarios and listen to the roaring of the great waves.looking into the distance,Boya saw that the waves were turbulent and that the white breakers leapt skywards.Sea birds were circling in the air,and their crying was very pleasant to the ear.Trees were green and intriguing feeling welled up in his mind,as if he had heard the harmonious and charming music of nature.He couldn't help taking his musical instrument and playing it .He followed his inclinations while he was playing,and incorporated the beautiful nature with his music,thus reaching a realm of thought he had never experienced before.Seeing this,the teacher said to hime,''You have mastered the art of playing." Once,on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month,he was boating for sight-seeing.The moon was bright and a cool breeze was blowing gently.With myriads of thoughts welling up in his mind,he began to play the musical instrument.The melodious music became more and more beautiful when a man on the bank shouted "bravo!"Hearing the shouting,Boya came out of the boat,and saw a woodcutter standing on the bank.He knew that this man was keenly appreciative of his talents,because he understood his music.He immediately invited the woodcutter to his boat and ,full of zest,he played the musical instrument for him.When Boya played a piece of music eulogizing the high mountains,the woodcutter said,"wonderful!The melody is as magnificent and dignified as Mount Tai which reaches

to the sky!"When he played a piece of music depicting the turbulent waves,the woodcutter said,"Wonderful!The melody is as vast and mighty as the great rivers!"Boya was excited,and siad,"Bosom friend!You are really my bosom friend!"That woodcutter was Zhong Ziqi.Since then,they had been very good friends. This story appears in The Works of Lie Zi.From this story,people havederived the set phrase"high mountain and running water" to refer to understanding and appreciative friends.This set phrase is also used to refer to melodious music.


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Staying by a Stump Waiting for More Hares To Come and Dash Themselves Against It This story took place more than 2,000 years ago,in the Warring States period475-221 B.C..Tradition has it that in the State of Song at that time there was a man who was famous for staying by a stump waiting for more hares to come and dash themselves against it. He was a yong farmer,and his family had been farmers for generations.Year after year and generation after generation, farmers used to sow in spring and harvest in autumn,beginning to work at sunrise and retiring at sunset.In good harvest years,they could only have enough food to eat and enough clothing to wear.If there was a famine due to crop failure,they had to go hungry. This young farmer wanted to improve his life.But he was too lazy and too cowardly.Being lazy and cowardly over everything,he often dreamed of having unexpected blessings. A miracle took place at last. One day in late autumn,when he was ploughing in the field,two groups of people were hunting nearby.As shoutings were rising one after another,scared hares were running desperately.Suddenly,a blind hare dashed itself headlong against the stump of a dead tree in his field and died. That day,he ate his fill. From that day on,he no longer went in for farming again.From morning till night,he stayed by that miraculous stump,waiting for miracles to take place again. This story comes from"The Five Vermin"in The Works of Han Feizi.Later generations often use the set phrase"staying by a stump waiting for more hares to come and dash themselves against it"to show grusting to chance and windfalls or dreaming to reap without sowing.It is also used to show adhering to narrow experiences and not being able to be flexible.

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Retreating about Thirty Miles as Condition For Peace During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.), Duke Xian of the State of Jin Killed the crown prince Sheng because he had heard slanders about Sheng and believed them. He also sent his men to arrest Chong Er, Shen Sheng and believed them. He also sent his men to arrest Chonh Er, Shen Sheng's brother. Hearing the news, Chong Er escaped from the state of Jin, remaining a fugitive for more than ten years. After innumerable hardships, Chong Er arrived at the State of Chu at last. King Cheng of the State of Chu treated him with high respect as he would have treated the ruler of a state, believing that he would have a vright fuure. One day, King Cheng of the State of Chu gave a banquet in honoudr of Chong Er. Suddenly, amid the harmonious atmosphere of drinking and talking, King Cheng of the State of Chu asked Chong Er. "How will you repay me when you return to the State of Jin and become its ruler one day?" After thinking for a moment, Chong Er said, "You have plenty of beauties and attendants as well as jewelry and silk cloth, and the state of Chu abounds in rare brides and animals. What treasure can the State of Jin boast having to present to your majesty?" King Cheng of the State of Chu said, "You are too modest. Nevertheless, you still have to show your gratitude to me in one way or another, I presume?" Smiling, Chong Er answered, "If I should be fortunate enouge to return to the State of Jin and become its ruler, the State of Jin would be friendly to the State of Chu. If, one day, there should be a war between the two states, I would definitely order my troops to retreat three SHE (one SHE is equivalent to thirty LI. The LI is a Chinese unit of length equivalent to 1/2 kilometre. And, therefore, three SHE

is about thirty miles.) as a condition for peace. If, under that condition, you were still not reconciled, I would have to fight with you." Four years later, as might be expected, Chong Er returned to the State of Jin and became its ruler. He was none other than Duke Wen of the State of Jin famous in ancient Chinese history. Ruled by him, the State of Jin became increasingly powerful. In the year 533 B.C., the Chu troops and the Jin troops confronted each other in a battle. Faithful to his promise, Duke Wen of the State of Jin ordered his troops to retreat about thirty miles. After retreating, the Jin troops were stationed at Chengpu. Seeing that the Jin troops were retreating, the Chu troops thought that the enemy troops were afraid, and began chasing them. Taking advantage of the Chu troops' arrogance and their talking the Jin troops lightly, the Jin troops concentrated their forces and inflicted a crushing defeat on the Chu troops, thus winning the victory of the battle of Chengpu. This set phrase, "retreating about thirty miles as a condition for peace," is derived from the Chapter "The Twenty-second Year of Duke Xi" in ZuoZhuan, the famous commentary by Zuo Qiuming on The spring and Autumn Annals. The idea of this set phrase is to give way to somebody in order to avoid a conflict.


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,,, , Peaches and Plums Do Not Have to Talk, Yet the World Beats a Path to Them--Natural Attraction Duing the Western Han Dynasty(206 B.C.- A.D.24)Period, there was a very famous general whose name was Li Guang. He was very brave and skillful in battle, and had fought more than seventy battles with the Huns, an ancient nationality in China.Having made brilliant achievements in war, he was deeply loved and esteemed by the officers and men as well as the common people. However,he did not claim credit for himself and become arrogant,although he held a high post,commanding a big army,and had rendered outstanding service in defending the county. He was not only polite and amiable, but also shared weal and woe with the soldiers. He always had the troops under his commandat heart,and whenever gifts were bestowed to him by the imperial government,he distributed the gifts to his officers and men. When marching, he endured the torments of hunger and thirst as the soldiers did when food and water were in short supply. When fighting, he charged at the head of his men,and ,when he gave the order,every soldier advanced bravely to engage in fighting,not fearing death. When the sad news of the heath of General Li Guang reached the militaty camp,the officers and men of the whole army wept bitterly.

 (y z qin jn)

 (y jin shung dio) shng