Chinese Tales

• Two peaches to kill off three generals
• The jewel in the rock
• Flattery for fools
• Si Mah Gwang who saved a child
• The delighted student

Two peaches to kill off three generals

There were three strong and brave generals in Qi. They were skilful at fighting, but also proud and a bit unruly at times. Once they came across the prime minister. Thinking him but a swaggering tongue, they showed him no respect.

This annoyed the minister greatly. He went to the king of Qi and said, "In my opinion, generals and officers under a wise king should observe rules and ceremony. But your generals do not. Today they insult me, tomorrow they can disobey you. We would be wise to do away wish them."

The king was upset. He hesitated for a while and said, "But it is not so easy to deal with them, especially when they three are together."

The minister racked his brains and then said, "Well, send two peaches to them with the instructions that the two who have made greater contributions may take the peaches."

The plan was carried out accordingly.

No sooner had the peaches reached the three generals than they had words with each other. Each insisted that he had the right to get one, and the two who were nearer to the peaches, got one each. The third general at once flew into fury. He raised his voice, saying, "Who of you can match me? Now give back my peach!" With these words he drew out his sword and killed them.

Then he came to his senses. "What a shame, to kill two friend for two peaches!" he said, and the next moment he lay on the ground beside his two friends with his sword in his chest.

The jewel in the rock

Once, far away in the Ku Mountains, a man called Pien Ho found a piece of rock that he saw contained jade inside itself. He took the rock to court and presented it to King Li. The king ordered the jewelled to examine it, and got the report back: "It is merely a stone."

The king now thought Pien Ho tried to deceive him, and as a punishment he let his left foot be cut off.

In time King Li passed away and King Wu came to the throne. Now Pien Ho once more took his rock to court and presented it to King Wu. King Wu asked his jeweller to inspect it. Again it was said, "It is merely a stone."

Now the king thought Pien Ho had tried to trick him, and saw to it that his right foot was cut off.

Pien Ho could do nothing but clasp his rock to his breast, and went to the foot of the Ku Mountains. There he wept for three days and nights. When all his bitter tears were cried out, he wept blood in their place. The king heard of that, and send somebody to ask him about it.

"Many people have had their feet amputated - so why do you weep so grievously over it?" the man asked.

Pien Ho said, "I grieve mostly because a precious jewel is said to be a mere stone, a honest man is called a deceiver - not just because my feet are cut off. That is why I weep so terribly."

The king next ordered the jeweller to cut and polish the rock. He found a precious jewel inside it. They named it after Pien Ho. [Uon: "Han Fei" p. 80]

A Thinker, Han Fei Tzu

Rulers are always anxious for precious stones. Pien Ho presented a jewel whose real worth wasn't apparent on the surface. But he didn't harm any ruler by it.

Han Fei: "Under these circumstances, if a man who truly understands the Way [Tao] hopes to avoid punishment, his only resort is simply not to present . . . any uncut jewels." [Ibid. p. 81]

Flattery for fools

Zou Ji was an official in Qi, and a handsome man. One morning he looked at himself in the mirror and asked his wife "Who is more handsome, I or Xu in the North City?"

His wife replied without hesitation, "Of course you, my dear. No man can compare with you!"

Hearing this, Zou could not help feeling a little complacent. Yet to prove what his wife had said, he asked his concubine the same question. "Oh," answered the woman, "Beyond any doubt you are the number one in our country!" This sounded pleasant.

Next day a friend called on him in the hope of begging a favour of him. Business finished, Zou once more raised the same question. "Certainly Xu cannot compare with you in that," his friend answered. Now Zou really believed this was so, till Xu himself dropped in on him by chance. Looking Xu up and down, and then measuring himself carefully in the glass, Zou had to conclude that Xu was much more handsome than himself.

"Why, they all cheated me then!" he thought. All night he wrangled with the matter. At last it dawned on him. "I see now," he said to himself, "A man is liable to be flattered: my wife favoured me because of her love; my concubine, of fear; my friend, to gain his own ends. How foolish I have been taken in by festering lies!"

As soon as the sun appeared in the east next day, he went to the king directly and told him the whole story and added, "For love, for fear, for benefit, truth can be twisted."

The king was impressed by Zou's story and at once gave orders: "Those who dare to point out my faults in my presence can be given the best rewards. And the timid ones who only talk about my errors in public and the talks reach my ear, rewards will also be given, though it may not be of great value."

This command issued, the palace became crowded with officials and common people coming to advise or criticize the king. As a result the king ruled the country very, very well.

Si Mah Gwang who saved a child

Some children were playing together when one of them fell into a tall water jar and was in danger of being drowned. The other children ran shrieking for help, all except Si Mah Gwang. She seized a stone, threw it at the water jar and broke a hole in it. The water rushed out and the child's life was saved.

The delighted student

Djang Liang was a student. He was walking along one day when he came to a bridge and saw an old man sitting there with one of his shoes on the ground in front of him. Courteously Djang Liang stooped and put the shoe on the foot of the old man.

The man was so pleased that he told the boy to come to the bridge very early next morning. Then he would tell Djang something that would affect his whole life.

The boy went to the bridge very early, but the old was there ahead of him, and all that he received that morning was a lecture on his lazy habits.

He was told to come again, and the next morning he went at dawn. But still the old man was ahead of him and Djang was reprimanded severely this time and told to come again on the third morning.

This time the boy went to the bridge right after his supper, and spent the night there. When the old man came at dawn, he was delighted to find Djang Liang there ahead of him, and gave him instruction of such value that when Djang grew up he became a general.

Literature  



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