三人成虎 “Three men create a tiger"

(Click here to go to 三人成虎 “Three men create a tiger”, part 1)

The king replied, “If everyone were saying this, how could it be false.  This is a story that I would believe.”

“But your Majesty, it is     quite impossible for a tiger to appear in the middle of the street during the daytime.  This is most apparent.  But you would believe this on the basis of the testimony of three people.

“I am about to to accompany the prince far away to the capital of Zhao.   I am certain that more than three people will speak poorly of me behind my back during my absence.  I would ask Your Majesty carefully investigate their claims rather than accept them without question.”

The king acknowledged that he was aware of Pang Cong’s concern and urged him not to worry about the matter.

It was no surprise that after Pang Cong left with the prince that people started to slander against him to the king.   At first, the king doubted the claims, but the more accusations he heard, the more he believed them.  His confidence in Pang Cong was shaken.

Upon the return of the prince to Wei, the king did not grant Pang Cong an audience and after that time, he no longer assigned any important tasks to him.

The idiom 三人成虎 “three men create a tiger” means that people should not people’s claims at face value, but to think carefully about them before believing them.   It also means that a story can gain credibility as it is passed on.

三人成虎 “Three men create a tiger"

三人成虎 （sān rén chéng hǔ）means “three men create a tiger”.

During the Warring States Period of China’s history, not only was there much fighting between the various States, but alliances formed as well.   The States of Wei and Zhao signed a treaty and to see that the treaty was enforced, the two sides agreed that they would send someone from the respective royal family to hostage to the other States.

The King of Wu sent his son, accompanied by one of his minsters, Pang Cong.   However, Pang Cong had concerns about what people would say behind his back while he was away at Wei.   He was worried that others would undermine the king’s trust in him while he was gone.

Pang Cong approached the king before he left.  “Your Majesty, I seek your advice.  If someone told you that that there was a larger tiger running loose in the city, would you believe him?”

The king reflected on the question briefly then said, “No, a tiger running in the city streets in broad daylight is highly unlikely.”

“Your Majesty.  What if you heard this same report from two people.   Would you find their report credible”?”

Again, the king pondered the question:  “If I heard such a report from two people, I would still have my doubts, but find it more credible and would need to think about it carefully”.

Pang Cong persisted in his questioning.  “Majesty.  If three people reported this story, would you then believe them?”

(Click here to continue to 三人成虎 “Three men create a tiger”, part 2)

千里送鹅毛礼轻情义重

(Continued from 千里送鹅毛礼轻情义重 “One thousand miles to deliver a goose feather is rich in meaning”, part 1)

When he arrived at the imperial court, he extended the feather held in both hands, reciting this poem:

I wished to bring a good to pay tribute to the Tang court

千里送鹅毛礼轻情义重

The story behind the Chinese proverb 千里送鹅毛礼轻情义重 （qiān lǐ sòng émáo lǐ qīng qíng yì zhòng) took place during the Tang Dynasty.   A local official was given a goose that was very precious and rare.  This official wanted to please the emperor, so he dispatched a man name Mian Bogao to the capital to present the swan as a gift to the emperor.

Since the weather was very hot, Mian Bogao took great pains to make certain the trip went without a hitch.  When he reached Mianyang Lake, Mian Bogao removed the goose from its cage so he could cool it off with the lake water to avoid overheating. More »

After being insulted by Guan Yu, Sun Quan approved the capture of Jingzhou.

(Continued from 大意失荆州 “Carelessness loses Jingzhou”, part 1)

Sun Quan accepted this plan, “replacing” Lu Meng with general who did not have a reputation.

Guan Yu fell for this ploy and was greatly relieved to hear that Lu Meng was not able to led, so his concern for an attack against Jingzhou diminished.   As a result, he sent most of his forces stationed at Jingzhou to take on Cao Cao’s 曹操 army at Fancheng. More »

大意失荆州 came about because of this man, Guan Yu. His negligence brought forth the fall of Jingzhou.

大意失荆州 (dà yì shī Jīng Zhōu) translates “carelessness loses Jingzhou”.

This story takes placed during the reign of Sun Quan 孙权 (182–252 ), king and founder of the Eastern Wu kingdom during the Three Kingdoms Period 三国时代 of Chinese history.   The Kingdom of Shu was under the protection of General Guan Yu关羽.

One day, Zhugue Jin 诸葛瑾, a military attache in the Kingdom of Wu arrived at Jingzhou as an emissary of Sun Quan to deliver a marriage proposal to Guan Yu’s daughter on the behalf of Sun Quan’s son.   Guan Yu’s rejected the offer in most ungracious and undiplomatic terms, in fact he was very insulting!  “I’ll never let my daughter marry that dog!” More »