Empress Zhao Wei asked the envoy of Qi
[Author] Anonymous ? [Dynasty] Pre-Qin
The king of Qi asked the envoy of Empress Zhao Wei. Before the letter was sent out, Empress Wei asked the envoy: "How are you doing in the year? Are the people in good health? Is the king well?" The envoy did not say, but said: "I have been entrusted by the envoy to empress Wei. Now I do not ask the king but first ask about the age and the people. How can I do that?" Who is humble first and then noble?" Wei Hou said: "If you don't have a year, how can you have people? If you don't have people, how can you have a king? So why should you abandon your roots and ask the question?"
Then he asked. He said: "There is a scholar here who says Zhong Li is okay? This is because he is a human being. Those who have food also eat, and those who have no food also eat. Those who have clothes also wear clothes, and those who have no clothes also wear clothes. This is to help the king to feed his people. Why is it that Ye Yangzi is not in trouble? She is a widower, lonely, and helps the king to restore his people. Why is he a daughter of Beigong? Is the baby okay? He has a good husband and will not marry until he is old to support his parents. These are all people who lead the people out of filial piety. Why is Hu Wei still not in court? The king of Qi has thousands of people. Is he still alive in Lingzhong? He is a man who does not submit to the king, does not govern his family, and does not ask for help from the princes. Why has he not killed him until now? ? ”
Tags: dialogue, high school classical Chinese, concern for the country and the people, ancient literature, classical Chinese essays, other translations of "Empress Zhao Wei Asks the Envoy of Qi"
The king of Qi sent an envoy to greet Empress Zhao Wei, and wrote a letter Before the seal was opened, Empress Wei asked the envoy: "How is the harvest this year? How are the people? How is the King of Qi?" The envoy was unhappy and said: "I have been sent as an envoy to Empress Wei on the mission of the King of Qi. Come on, instead of asking the King of Qi, you ask Nian Cheng and the people first. Wouldn’t it be better to put the humble ones in front and the noble ones in the back?” Queen Wei said, “If there is no harvest, where will the people be?” ? If there are no people, how can there be a king? So if you ask questions, can you ask about the details instead of the fundamentals? ”
Comments on "The Queen of Zhao Wei Asked the Qi Envoy"
1. King of Qi: King Jian of Qi during the Warring States Period, son of King Xiang of Qi. Empress Zhao Wei: The wife of Prince Zhao Huiwen during the Warring States Period. After King Huiwen died, his son Xiaocheng was established as King Xiaocheng. Because of his young age, Queen Wei took charge.
2. Send: unseal.
3. You are still fine at this age: How are you doing at this age? Years, years come into being. Also, the auxiliary word has no meaning. Nothing is wrong, no worries, just say "safe and sound".
4. Say: Pass "joy".
5. The envoy was sent to Empress Wei: The envoy was sent to Empress Wei.
6. Gou: If.
7. A virgin: a person who is talented and moral but lives in seclusion. Zhong Li: The first scholar of Qi State. Zhongli, compound surname. Zi, an honorific title for men in ancient times.
8. Food (sì): giving food to others.
9. Clothing (yì): giving clothes to others.
10. No industry: He does not become an official to achieve industry.
11. Ye (shè) Yangzi: A scholar in Qi State, Ye Yang, with the compound surname.
12. Widow (guān): old and without a wife.
13. T-shirt: pension. Alone, old and childless.
14. Zhen: means "relief", relief.
15. Breeding: Breeding.
16:, Beigong’s daughter’s infant son: Beigong’s daughter’s infant son. Beigong, compound surname. Baby is a person's name.
17. Thor: To "withdraw", to remove. Ring: Refers to accessories such as earrings and armbands.籱: A kind of jade earrings.
18. These are all those who lead the people out of filial piety: These are all behaviors that lead the people to perform filial piety.
19. Not to go to court: Do not let her go to court. In ancient times, a lady who was given a title and had a title was called "Ming Fu", and the Ming Fu could enter the court. This sentence means, why hasn't the baby been named the married woman so that she can go to court to see the king?
20. The name of the son is ten thousand: the name of the son is ten thousand, which is like saying "for the people's parents".
21. Yu (wū) Ling Zizhong: a hermit of Qi State.
Yuling: the name of Qiyi, the old city is located in the southwest of Changshan County, Shandong Province today.
22. Suo: Ask for. Appreciation of "Zhao Weihou Asks the Qi Envoy"
This article expresses Zhao Weihou's political thoughts and also criticizes Qi's political situation. Before the Warring States Period, people-centered thinking had gradually emerged. Some thinkers and politicians have realized the role of the people, and have put forward propositions such as "the people are the masters of God" and "ideas that benefit the people are loyal" and other propositions. This trend of thought continued to develop during the Warring States Period. Mencius has a saying that "the people are more valuable than the king", and Tian Yufang and Yan Can also have the idea that "the people are more valuable than the king". Zhao Wei later put forward the idea of ??"If you have no age, how can you have people? If you have no people, how can you have a king", which is consistent with this people-oriented trend of thought in history. After the envoy from the King of Qi greeted Zhao Wei, before the letter was opened, Queen Wei asked one after another: "How is Nian Cheng? Are the people happy? Is the King of Qi well?" She put the harvest first because "the warehouse is endowment." Etiquette is known through food." "The country is based on the people, and the people rely on food." Then, she asked about the people, and put the king of Qi at the bottom, which clearly reflected her people-oriented thinking. When the harvest is good, the people will be happy, and the people will be happy, and the king will be fine. The reasoning is step-by-step, concise and correct, but it makes the "messenger unhappy". He questioned Empress Zhao Wei about "first being humble and then being esteemed". Empress Wei's answer was clear and progressive. , the envoy was left speechless.
Next, Empress Wei asked: "Why was Zhongli, the most virtuous and virtuous man who helped the king raise the people, not appointed and accomplished his achievements? Why was Ye Yangzi, who helped the king and the people live and multiply? Why can't the baby who leads the people to practice filial piety not be given a title?" These three virtuous and filial women were virtuous people who helped King Qi govern the country, so they asked with enthusiasm: "I'm fine." The underlying message is an accusation that King Qi is mediocre and immoral. In sharp contrast to the love and enthusiasm for wise men and filial daughters is Yu Lingzi's resentment for being unfilial and unfilial, leading the people to do nothing and not benefiting the country. She asked: "Is it still alive? Why haven't you killed them so far?" Contrast and Continuity Asking questions reflects Zhao Weihou's forthright and frank personality.
The whole text is centered on the word "people", and the questions asked by the Qi envoys after Zhao Wei are consistent to the end, but the questions are asked but not answered, the questions are not answered, and the questions are not answered, which fully enhances the momentum of the text. It is induced but not released, creating a unique and steep momentum out of thin air. The article begins with three questions: "How is the harvest this year? How are the people? How is the King of Qi?" and "Three words of questioning are like meteorites in the sky" (Jin Sheng's sigh), which is tense and sharp. The momentum sets the tone of the article. When the envoy of Qi expressed dissatisfaction with Zhao Weihou's question, Zhao Weihou did not explain it with general declarative sentences as usual. Instead, the answer is contained in a rhetorical question. Further fueling the extraordinary trend of standing on a wall. Zhao Wei's "further inquiry" further pushes the article deeper. Regarding the three talented and virtuous people in the Qi Kingdom, Queen Wei asked three "well" questions, which reflected her clear understanding of the role and value of scholars. Regarding Yu Lingzizhong, Empress Wei always asked "Is he still alive?", which clearly showed his deep hatred for the hermit who "led the people out of uselessness". The article ends abruptly with this frank and pointed questioning. However, the momentum of the writing is fully accumulated in the repeated questions. It cannot stop and rushes out of the article. Evocative enough!
Looking at the full text, although it is structured with questions, it seems to be constantly changing. First, there are changes in questions between general questions and rhetorical questions, and second, there are changes in sentence arrangement between parallel questions and scattered questions. The use of parallel questions adds to the magnificent and overwhelming momentum of the article. The article revolves around each other in such neat sentence patterns, and the charm is advanced layer by layer in the groups of questions before and after, with each wave getting higher and higher. In this neatness, scattered questions are interspersed, and general declarative sentences are embellished with smart and changing general statements; at the same time, the parallel sentence pattern itself is eclectic, with variations from time to time. These make the article neat and uneven, with both strength and charm, adding a lot of color to the article.