In ancient times, there was a widely spread proverb: "A thousand-year-old king is eighty-thousand-year-old turtle", which is profound and mysterious, and contains rich philosophy. However, few people know its last sentence, and even less is known about its enigmatic follow-up.
Although the phrase "80,000-year-old tortoise" is often quoted, its latter sentence is often overlooked and has become a forgotten classic. This article will take the reader on a deep dive into the full picture of this proverb, revealing its last sentence and the profound meaning it contains.
While people are searching for ancient wisdom, let's unravel the mystery of this mysterious and classic proverb and explore the wisdom and enlightenment behind it.
Wang Ming is a sixty-year-old man who has spent most of his life in the countryside. When he mentioned his childhood, he was calm and relaxed, and his eyebrows danced. "At that time, almost every household in the village was feeding turtles. We children would catch them for study when they were fine, and even tease them in groups. Wang Ming said.
Perhaps it was this "teasing" that left Wang Ming with a deep impression of the turtle. "They are a symbol of longevity, to live a long, long time. I remember hearing an old man say when I was a child that turtles can live for 100 years, and some even live to be 200 or 300 years old, far surpassing us humans. Wang Ming was sincerely admired.
Wang Ming still remembers that when he was six or seven years old, a merchant selling turtles came to the village. The man sat in a carriage with bamboo cages tied to the front lid, each with a turtle in it. The turtles were all energetic and jumping. "The merchant said it was the 'puberty' of the tortoise, when they were full of energy. Wang Ming said.
After that time, the villagers were even more impressed by the turtle and crane longevity. Gradually, the phrase "thousand-year-old tortoise" spread. Originally, it was just a simple metaphor for the longevity of a turtle, but gradually, people gave it a richer meaning.
There was a hundred-year-old man in the village, who looked like a muddy man, but his body was very tough. The villagers all sighed that this old man was like a "thousand-year-old tortoise", different. This admiration comes from the heart. The old man was also quite pleased with this, and said with a smile that he was in a good time for the "thousand-year-old turtle".
Two or three years later, the old man died. Someone in the village engraved the words "thousand-year-old turtle" on his tombstone to remember. This stele has become a place for the villagers to worship the elderly, and it has also made the phrase "thousand-year-old tortoise" deeply rooted in the hearts of the villagers.
Then, because Wang Ba also belongs to the same long-lived turtle animals, this sentence has the saying "thousand-year-old king 80,000-year-old turtle". "Although Wang Ba is small, it is difficult to beat. It can hide in the water for a long, long time, and has an endless vitality. The villagers said. As a result, this proverb is taken as a good wish and praise for those who live a long life.
Dynasties change, and so does the countryside. The childishness and youth of the past have entered the twilight years with Wang Ming. Now that he thinks about it, Wang Ming can't help but sigh that he was so naughty and mischievous when he was young, which made the turtles hard.
We were able to play it all day! Scratching it around, it's so tired that it can't even crawl. I remember my friends and I tying a balloon to a turtle and letting it fly into the air. As a result, it fell down and fell hard. Wang Ming blamed himself.
Xiaohe, who played with Wang Ming back then, passed away ten years ago. Xiaohe has been fond of tobacco and alcohol all his life, and thinks that he will live a long life like a "thousand-year-old turtle". I didn't know that when I got old, I was terminally ill. Before dying, Xiaohe was nervous and regretted that he had no moderation when he was young, which led to today's ending.
Xiaohe's encounter alerted Wang Ming. He realized that life is precious, and he was too naughty back then. Nowadays, longevity is not necessarily a good thing, but more importantly, good health. As the saying goes: "Blessings are incomparable, and disasters are not singular." ”
I heard the older generation say that behind a long life there is often endless suffering. Because you have seen your beloved, your companions leave you one by one. In the end, you are alone, and you are still alive when you are about to die. This kind of taste is really uncomfortable. Wang Ming was full of emotion.
There is also an old man named Zhang Quan in the village, who is 80 years old this year. However, he lived a long life, but he was blessed with a heavy life, and he had nothing to do all day, only endlessly calculating how to accumulate wealth. As a result, the villagers felt that he had "lived too long". This kind of person can't help but remind people of another saying: "Blessing is like the East China Sea, Shoubi Nanshan." It seems that Zhang Quan only has the longevity of Nanshan, but he has no blessing of the East China Sea.
As a result, the meaning of praise contained in the saying "thousand-year-old king and eighty-thousand-year-old turtle" gradually faded. On the contrary, this sentence was applied by the villagers to those who were cunning and rudderless. For a moment, it became a sarcasm and mockery.
Zhang Quan is not only physically tough, but also extremely sharp and cunning in thinking. He is always planning all kinds of business, and he is also willing to calculate others. The villagers saw that he was low-minded and impersonal, and they had lost the last trace of their favor for him.
Once, Zhang Quan's design caused Wang Ming to lose a lawsuit and suffer damage. Afterwards, all kinds of indications showed that the mastermind behind this turmoil was Zhang Quan. However, Zhang Quan did not have the slightest remorse on his face, and proudly told the villagers that he was 80 years old, and his mind was not only clear, but also more shrewd.
Hearing these remarks, the villagers all secretly slandered themselves, and Zhang Quan, the "Eighth King of the Millennium", didn't want to think that he was so old but calculating people all day long, and he really had no demeanor as an elder. They were even more impressed by Zhang Quan, and shouted, "You deserve no one!" ”
On this day, Wang Mingzheng was at a loss and his face was gloomy. He told the villagers that Zhang Quan was too cunning, like a "hundred-year-old cunning rabbit", so that people couldn't grasp the handle. As soon as these words came out, they gave the villagers some inspiration.
Uncle Li frowned, took over the conversation and said, "Uncle Wang is right!" Zhang Quan has suffered countless harms, but what can we ordinary people do with him? This is the true meaning of 'no one chases the rabbit for a hundred years' - if a person with a long life has no good heart, he will harm others and himself! "Not bad, not bad! The crowd chimed in. A nameless anger also rose in his heart, and he couldn't wait to take Zhang Quan out and reprimand him.
After a while, Uncle Li spoke slowly: "Actually, if you think about it carefully, Zhang Quan and his ilk are no wonder. In their lives, they didn't have much time to work hard to make money, and they could only rely on some crooked ways to seek profits, which has become a habit. If you really meet such a 'thousand-year-old king', you don't need to be like them. It's better to stay away. ”
After hearing this, everyone bowed their heads in agreement. Wang Ming also breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that what Uncle Li said was not unreasonable-there are more people who can't get along with the "Millennium King Eight", so why should he compete with him. From now on, if you encounter a difficult person like a "hundred-year-old rabbit", just avoid it from afar. Only by having good thoughts and acting uprightly can we be worthy of our hearts and others. Being a man to old age and learning to be tolerant is also a realm.
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The years passed, and the white horse passed by. We yearn for a long life, but we don't know that longevity is not necessarily a blessing. In Wang Ming's life, he has witnessed the change of the saying "thousand-year-old king and eighty-thousand-year-old turtle" from beautiful expectations to later ridicule. It made him realize: live to old age and learn the truth of old age.
True longevity is inner longevity. This longevity does not lie in the growth of experience, but in the improvement of knowledge. True insight requires a peaceful and wise mind as the foundation.
The "Millennial Kings" in the story, despite their long lives, failed to learn this. When they grow old, they will only crook their ways, and eventually their reputation will be ruined. This is the sadness of "a hundred years of rabbits no one chases" - they live long, but their hearts are not old; In the end, you can only spend the rest of your life in the avoidance of people.
Those who are well-intentioned and calm and humble will continue to accumulate experience and wisdom. Their old age is always warm and respected. Weaving a beautiful spring and autumn is still this heart that will grow old. So, live to be old and learn to be old; Only with good thoughts can we be worthy of our hearts. This is the wisdom of life that Wang Ming gained through this story.