It means: "My wife praises my beauty and is partial to me; My concubine praises my beauty because she is afraid of me; The guest praises my beauty and has something to ask of me. "

From: Zou Ji satirizes coachable, King of Qi

Author: Liu Xiang

Dynasty: Han Dynasty

Excerpt from the original text:

Zou Ji cultivated more than eight feet, but his appearance was beautiful. In the morning, dressed up and dressed in a mirror, he said to his wife, " I am better than chengbeixugong. who is more beautiful?" ？ ” His wife said, " you are very beautiful, how can Xu gong compare you?" ？ ” The Xu gong in the north of the city is the most beautiful man in the state of qi. Zou Ji did not believe in himself, and asked his concubine, " who is more beautiful than Xu gong?" ？ ” My concubine said, " where can I compare with you?" ？ ” The next day, a guest came from the outside, sat with him, and asked him, " who is more beautiful with the common ratio?" ？ ” The guest said, " Xu gong is not as beautiful as you. ". ”

Xu Gong will come tomorrow, who will look at it and think it is not as good as it is; Looking at yourself in the mirror is as far away as it is. Thinking about it at dusk, he said, "My wife is beautiful and I am private; The beauty of my concubine is afraid of me; The beauty of the guest is me, and I want something from me. "

Translation:

Zou Ji is about 54 inches long, and her appearance is gorgeous and beautiful. In the morning, (Zou Ji) put on his coat and hat, looked in the mirror and said to his wife, "Who is more beautiful than Xu Gong in the north of the city?" His wife said, "You are very beautiful. How can Xu Gong compare with you?" Duke Xu in the north of the city is the most beautiful man in Qi.

Zou Ji didn't believe himself (more beautiful than Xu Gong), but asked his concubine, "Who is more beautiful than Xu Gong and me?" My concubine said, "How can Xu Gong compare with you?" The next day, a guest came (visited) from outside. (Zou Ji) sat down with him and asked him, "Who is more beautiful than Xu Gong?"

The guest said, "Xu Gong is not as beautiful as you." Another day, Xu Gong came, and Zou Ji looked at him carefully, thinking that he was not as good as Xu Gongmei. Looking at myself in the mirror, I feel that I am far from Xu Gong.

In the evening, when he was lying in bed and resting, he thought about it and said, "My wife praises my beauty and is partial to me; My concubine praises my beauty because she is afraid of me; The guest praises my beauty and has something to ask of me. "

Extended information:

This article focuses on the story of Zou Ji, Qi Xiang, who used metaphors to persuade the King of Qi to listen to the opinions of the people extensively as the basis for his administration.

The article begins with the question and answer of "which is beautiful", and then goes on to write Zou Ji's meditation at night, looking for the reasons why his wife, concubine and guests praise him, and organically connecting the small things in life with the important affairs of the country because of his small understanding. From his own "poverty", he satirized "Wang's poverty" by analogy reasoning, which fully showed Zou Ji's ingenious satirical art and skillful political strategy.

Zou Ji tactfully exhorted Qi Weiwang to speak out, reform malpractice, and rectify official management based on his own life experience, thus achieving good results.

in the first part, I write that Zou Ji is more beautiful than Xu Gong, and I am not complacent with the praise of my wife, concubine and guest, but I realize that it is not easy to speak frankly.

in the second part, I write Zou Ji's personal experience as a metaphor to satirize the Qi King's removal of coachable.

The third part is about coachable, King of Qi, and his results.