China has a long history and has left behind many fascinating and mysterious figures. Among these five mysterious figures, Guiguzi is only ranked third, and the first place is even more suspenseful. The champion in this mysterious leaderboard is such a legend that it is impossible to ignore.
In this compelling story, we'll delve into these five mysterious characters and reveal why Guiguzi is only in third place despite its excellence, and what makes the first person so unusual. Whether it's wisdom or mystery, this mysterious ranking will lead us through the history and taste the style of these legendary figures.
As we step into this mysterious history, let's uncover these five fascinating and mysterious figures and feel the remarkable wisdom and mysterious power of that era.
In ancient Chinese mythology, we can often hear the story of the Three Emperors and the Five Emperors. According to legend, the Yellow Emperor fought against Chi You, and Nuwa made up the sky to create people, all of which are widely spread folk legends. And in those seemingly ethereal legends, the name Xu You is extremely real.
Legend has it that between about 2323 BC and 2244 BC, there was an old farmer who had been farming since childhood, and his name was Xu You. In a desolate era, Xu You lived in the most unpretentious way. He farms and he works, but he has a noble heart - "preaching morality and abiding by the rules, not eating evil food, and not sitting on evil seats."
Xu You's conduct of people was extremely upright, which made him already famous at that time. When Emperor Yao heard that there was such a person of noble character, he repeatedly wanted to promote him, but Xu You repeatedly refused the emperor's favor. Unmoved by his official position, he chose to live in seclusion in the mountains until he died one day a hundred years later.
In the past, the Son of Heaven was expensive, and the villains of the world fought for the benefit of half a penny. This is the description of Xu You in the Book of Jin. An ordinary person who can fill his stomach with rice and forage has a mind beyond ordinary people. He is not like those villains who flatter the powerful and can sell their souls without the slightest profit. Perhaps, it is Xu You's quiet and solemn life that will be remembered by future generations, and there will be a story of Yao Shun through the ages in the future.
If Xu You is still in the legend, then Boyi and Shuqi at the end of the Shang Dynasty are conclusive historical figures. In the last years of the Shang Dynasty, they were the princes of the Guzhu Kingdom, and Shu Qi was supposed to succeed to the throne, but after hearing that Bo Yi had abdicated as the eldest brother, Shu Qi also chose to live in seclusion.
The two brothers could have spent their old age in peace, living a leisurely life in the mountains and countryside. However, when they saw King Wu of Zhou sending troops to fight against King Zhou, they chose to stand up and question whether King Wu of Zhou was in line with "benevolence and righteousness". In the end, the two brothers died of hunger and cold, and practiced their faith with their lives.
I have to say that the integrity of Bo Yi and Shu Qi is admirable. In that era of hard return, they were able to stick to their principles and not bow to fait accompli. But at the same time, their behavior is a little too extreme. In the face of the practical needs of the country and the people, should we consider more than just clinging to empty expositions of "benevolence and righteousness"?
Compared with the first two, the name of Guiguzi is even more familiar. In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Guiguzi was undoubtedly a genius in the hermit world. He was erudite and talented, and was unique in the fields of the art of war, divination, and education, and wrote books and lectures, and his most important work, Guiguzi, is still widely known today.
Guiguzi's real name is Wang Xu, and he was born around 400 BC. According to folklore, he once obtained a wordless heavenly book, learned boundless wisdom, lived in seclusion in the cloudy mountains, recruited famous families, and spread his knowledge. Of course, this is just a beautiful legend, and what really made Guiguzi was his own strong ability to learn and comprehend. He gathered the strengths of hundreds of schools, integrated them, absorbed the theories of various schools for his own use, and finally created his own school of Zonghengjia.
Guiguzi's legendary life finally ended around 320 BC at the age of 80. When a person has too much talent and talent, his fate is destined to be not ordinary. And the writings and thoughts left by Guiguzi have also become the most brilliant mark of his hermit career.
If we talk about the hermits among the hermits, we have to mention the four hao of Shangshan. In fact, they were originally four of the seventy-two doctors of the Qin Dynasty, namely Tang Bing, Duke of the Eastern Yuan Dynasty, Cui Guang, Duke of Xiahuang, Wu Shi of Qili Ji, and Zhou Shu, Mr. Luli. After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, they lived in seclusion in Shangshan in Henan, so they were called Shangshan Sihao.
In the turbulent era of the late Qin and early Han dynasties, Shangshan Sihao's noble character was widely known, and even Liu Bang, who established the Han Dynasty, personally issued several edicts and invitations, but they were still unmoved. It wasn't until Han Gaozu abolished the crown prince that Empress Lu invited Sihao to support the prince that Liu Bang dispelled this idea. It can be seen that Shangshan Sihao's influence at that time was huge.
However, while we praise Sihao, we can't help but ask: They supported the crown prince Liu Ying, laying the groundwork for the future Zhulu rebellion, is this a manifestation of "high integrity"? They almost killed Han Gaozu after they left the mountain, are they assisting the monarch?
All kinds of signs make people wonder if these four old men with quite rich backgrounds are really the relics of the Qin Dynasty, or do they have ulterior motives? The truth of history is often unknown, but we must remain skeptical.
Speaking of hermits, we must mention Tao Yuanming in the last years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. If you have read his "The Story of the Peach Blossom Spring", you will definitely be able to appreciate his simple and secluded life. Tao Yuanming became an official in his early years, and later saw through the red dust, resigned in middle age, planted peach blossoms in his hometown, and began an idyllic life.
Tao Yuanming firmly believes in Lao Zhuang's thought and advocates the natural aesthetics of inaction. In his writing, the spring breeze and the song of birds have become the music of life. He did not seek fame or fortune, but he received gifts from nature. It can be said that in that materialistic era, Tao Yuanming was like a pool of stagnant water, quiet and far-reaching, which was fascinating.
Life is short after all, and even if there are a thousand landscapes, we can only choose one of them. Xu You is in the deep mountains, Boyi is in the wilderness, Guiguzi is engraved with wisdom, and Tao Yuanming plants flowers and fruits. For 500 years, 1,000 years, they are all writing their own chapters of life with their lives. And when we remember them, we can't help but go into history, into the depths of their souls.
Xu You and Guiguzi were alone, but they let the people know that Tao Yuanming was inspirational to plant peach blossoms, Uncle Boyi scolded Liu Zhou, and Shangshan Sihao had no worries.
Xu You is a true hermit, you can be yourself, but you have to have a clear conscience; Guiguzi's real career has survived in his thoughts for thousands of years; Uncle Bo Yi is obsessed with form, but forgets the world; Shangshan Sihao is mysterious, and his heart is unpredictable; Only Tao Yuan Mingqin Garden dwells in the countryside, and gets along with heaven, earth and people! Life is short, but it's easy to do it. Perhaps, this is the hermit's way of survival.