The word "zhong" in inscriptions on bronze and Xiao Zhuan is a combination of "zhong" and "new". The original meaning of this word is respect. "China" means impartiality, while "heart" means doing things wholeheartedly, so putting your heart in the middle and doing things wholeheartedly for the country and the nation, even if it endangers your life, is called loyalty.
According to Ceng Zi's This Filial Piety, loyalty, sincerity and respect are the basis of filial piety, and filial piety to parents is the basis of human nature. However, compared with loyalty to the country, "filial piety for children" can only be called "filial piety". When loyalty and filial piety cannot be satisfactory, loyalty to the country is the real filial piety. Therefore, filial piety is not what a dutiful son should have. Let's take a look at how the ancients practiced the connotation of "loyalty".
Loyalty to Yue Wumu.
Yue Fei was a famous general in the Southern Song Dynasty. He once said: "Civil servants don't love money, military officers don't hesitate to die, and the world is at peace." When he was young, Yue Fei was very powerful and could pull a heavy bow. Seeing that he was brilliant and loyal, his father said, "You will be a very successful person in the future, appointed by the king, but you may sacrifice for your country because of your loyalty."
When Yue Fei was fifteen or sixteen years old, the Jin people from the north invaded the south, and those in power in the Song Dynasty were corrupt and incompetent, and the country was at a critical juncture. One day, her mother-in-law called Yue Fei to her side and said, "Now the country is in danger. What are your plans? " Yue Fei replied: "Go to the front to kill the enemy and serve the country faithfully!" But at the same time, Yue Fei hesitated whether his mother was left unattended. But his mother-in-law said to him, "It is difficult to be loyal and filial since ancient times." Advise Yue Fei to put the country first and not worry about his family.
Before Yue Fei went to join the army, his mother would tattoo on his back the words "faithfully serve the country". Yue Fei unbuttoned her coat and asked her mother to take the needle. The mother-in-law asked, "Are you afraid of pain?" Yue Fei said, "Even if you are afraid of needles, how can you go to the front to fight!" Mother-in-law writes on Yue Fei's back first, and then embroiders with needles. After the stabbing, my mother-in-law drew it in vinegar ink. Since then, the four characters of "loyalty to the country" have always remained on Yue Fei's back. "Serving the country faithfully" is exactly what my mother-in-law expects of her son. The filial Yue Fei did not dare to forget his mother's teachings, and those four words became the creed that Yue Fei followed all his life.
Later, Yue Fei joined the army. Because of his good management of soldiers and strict military discipline, the "Yue Jiajun" led by him was the main force in the Southern Song Dynasty to resist gold, which often made the enemy afraid to run away at the sight of the banner of "Yue Jiajun". At that time, someone said: "It is easy to shake the mountain, but difficult to shake the Yue family army!" It can be seen that Yue Fei's army is brave and good at fighting, and its fighting capacity is extremely strong. After winning one victory after another, the Jin people were frightened. Yue Fei's greatest wish is to restore the Central Plains. Soon, the King of Jin led Wu Shu to attack Changzhou, so Kang Wang sent Yue Fei to kill the enemy and recovered Jiankang. Yue Fei wrote to the emperor, demanding the revival of the Han Dynasty, and the crusade against the Central Plains nomads began. When the people of the Central Plains heard the news, they rushed to tell each other and cheered.
However, Qin Gui, a traitor, vilified Gao Zong many times and suggested making peace with nomadic people. Therefore, Gao Zong began to obstruct Yue Fei's Northern Expedition in every way, winning 12 gold medals in succession, and Yue Fei could not help but burst into tears. Qin Gui thought that as long as Yue Fei died, he would try his best to obstruct the peace talks, so he tried to kill Yue Fei. Finally, Yue Fei and his son were executed on charges of "unwarranted". On December 29th, 11th year of Shaoxing, 39-year-old Yue Fei died unjustly in prison. It was not until the last years of Shaoxing that Song Xiaozong issued a letter to restore Yue Fei's official position and exonerate him.
It was because Yue Fei was ordered to transfer troops that the Northern Expedition was defeated in the Central Plains. Therefore, some people criticized Yue Fei for failing to quote the old saying that "life is not affected when you are away from home", which is "foolish loyalty". In fact, this kind of criticism is not in line with historical facts.
11The Northern Song Dynasty perished in 27, and Zhao Gou, the King of Kang, proclaimed himself emperor in Yingtianfu. However, Zhao Gou carried out a passive Northern Expedition and adopted a policy of avoiding war and advancing southward. Yue Fei, who was 25 years old at that time, learned this news, regardless of his humble position, wrote a thousand words to Zhao Gou, Song Gaozong: "Your Majesty boarded Dabao, and the country has a master, which is enough to defeat the enemy." I hope your majesty will take advantage of the enemy's hole to lead the six armies north, so that the soldiers will be angry and the Central Plains will be restored. However, his bitter heart only got the comment that "I overstepped my authority and was not suitable for words".
In 65438 AD, Emperor Gaozong sent Qin Gui to make peace with 8 Jin Jun for the sake of "self-denial". Yue Fei expressed firm opposition to peace talks. He said to Emperor Gaozong: "Yi Di is not credible, and reconciliation is not reliable. I am afraid that I will be laughed at by future generations. " The emperor disagreed.
1 140 in may, Xu Jin tore up the peace treaty, marshal Wu Shu led hundreds of troops south, and shunchang mansion was besieged urgently. So Yue Fei was ordered to arise and advance into the Central Plains, cooperate with various armies in the Southern Song Dynasty, solve the siege of Shunchang, and defeat the Jin Army in Zhuxian Town, which made the Jin Army invincible and created an excellent opportunity to recover the Central Plains. However, at this moment, the emperor, who always advocated kneeling down for peace, quickly sent Li and A Si Nong to Ezhou, conveying to Yue Fei the imperial edict that "soldiers should not act rashly and declare class division". Isn't it a missed opportunity to suddenly retreat in the face of a good situation? Yue Fei thought it was troubled times and refused to be ordered. Deeply moved by Yue Fei's patriotism regardless of personal interests, Li resolutely assumed the charge of correcting the imperial edict. In order to force Yue Fei to dispatch troops, Emperor Gaozong and Qin Gui took extreme measure to order other troops to retreat. As a result, Yue Jiajun went deep alone. Yue Fei was furious at this, and even attached a memorial "Begging for the opportunity to invade the child", demanding that the neighboring troops not retreat, go hand in hand, and take the opportunity to go deep. Finally, he wrote an impassioned "Begging to Stop Class Division", hoping that the emperor could take back his life. However, Emperor Gaozong and Qin Gui were worried that once Yue Fei crossed the river to the north, it would be even more difficult to control. They really want to "take the Huanglongfu directly" and welcome Qin Zong back. Where will the emperor be at that time? Of yue fei's book, nature is ignored. In order to avoid the danger of Yue Jiajun's total annihilation and survive the opportunity of the Northern Expedition in the future, Yue Fei had to be ordered to transfer troops.
Facts fully show that Yue Fei's patriotic thought of resisting gold and compromising and surrendering runs through his actions. The first time he refused to transfer troops, the second time he had to be ordered to transfer troops and always adhered to the correct policy of resisting Jin Xingguo. When there is a conflict between "loyalty to the monarch" and "patriotism", he always puts national interests first and "patriotism" in the supreme position without hesitation; If he is loyal, he is loyal to his country first. This is also the fundamental reason why Emperor Gaozong finally killed Yue Fei.
Yue Fei's loyalty goes back to ancient times. As a model of patriotism, he will always be worthy of our respect.
"Loyalty" is one of the important norms of feudal ethics. Rulers always want to confuse the connotation of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism, and hope that their subjects are willing to rule for them. In the history of China, there are many loyal ministers who seem to be unfaithful to the monarch, but actually serve the country and the people. Wei Zhi is its representative.
Wei is unfaithful to your country.
Wei Zhi (580-643), whose name is Xuancheng, was a Guantao man and a legend all his life. Biography of Wei Zhi in Old Tang Dynasty called him "young and lonely and poor", but he "aspired high, didn't do business properly, and became a monk". He is knowledgeable, loves books, learns from others, is calm and thoughtful, and is a strange man with political ambitions.
When the emperor was dissolute and the heroes in the world rose up against the Sui Dynasty, he joined the Yuanbao Rebel for the first time, but he felt that he could not see the general trend of the world clearly, so he became a monk. Later, Shi Biao, the leader of another rebel Wagang Army, appreciated him very much and sent someone to invite Kevin·Z to take charge of military documents. At this time, Wei Zhi was thirty-eight years old.
In Shi Biao's army, Wei Zhi's position is very low. Seeing many abuses in the army, he offered to remonstrate, but it was not adopted by Shi Biao. Shi Mi defeated the Tang Dynasty, and he entered Chang 'an with Shi Mi. Later, Shi Biao was unwilling and rose up against Tang Gaozu. Soon, he was defeated and killed.
Wei Zhi thought that Li Tang's regime had a bright future, so he asked Tang Gaozu to please Shi Biao's old subordinates, and he succeeded. With the consent of Tang Gaozu, Wei Zhi buried Shi Biao as a monarch, and wrote an article comparing Shi Biao to a failed Xiang Yu, meaning that Shi Biao was still a great hero although he failed. He described Shi Mi's attitude and spirit realistically, which was praised by people at that time and later generations. No one has ever accused him of betraying Shi Biao and surrendering to Tang gaozu.
When Prince Li heard that he was talented, he asked him to wash horses for the prince and respected him very much. After the Xuanwumen incident, Li was killed and became a prince. Wei Zhi was captured by the army of the King of Qin (Li Shimin), imprisoned and awaiting execution. Li Shimin heard that Wei Zhi was a wizard and couldn't bear to hurt him, so he sent someone to introduce him to the government. On seeing Wei Zhi, Li Shimin asked, "Why do you want to sow discord between our brothers?" Wei Zhi was not eloquent, but answered logically, "Everyone is his own master. If the prince had listened to me, he wouldn't be here today. I am loyal to Li. What's wrong with that? Didn't Guan Zhong also shoot Qi Huangong's hook? " Li Shimin saw that Wei Zhi was frank and reasonable, and appreciated his frankness and talent very much, so he pardoned him. Wei Zhi was moved by Li Shimin's love for talents and decided to surrender to Li Shimin and serve him wholeheartedly. Soon after Li Shimin acceded to the throne, he promoted Wei Zhi to be an ancient adviser, which is really great! Since Wei Zhi was reused by Emperor Taizong, he "likes to be the master of every confidant and tries his best to understand everything". He remonstrated more than 200 times before and after, pointed out the mistakes made by Emperor Taizong in administration, constantly reminded Emperor Taizong to remember the lessons of Sui Dynasty's death, and made efforts to govern in peacetime, which played an important role in the administration of Zhenguan. Emperor Taizong was good at listening to other people's opinions and made Wei Zhi famous. Wei Zhi's daring and remonstrance directly contributed to Emperor Taizong's character of being good at coachable. Wei Zhi's remonstrance is as famous as that of Emperor Taizong, which is unique in the history of China.
If a bad king can't help it, he will be punished. It is God's will to abandon darkness and bring it light. As the old saying goes: "Good birds choose wood to live in, and good ministers choose the opportunity to walk." It seems disloyal, but it is not. Mencius once said, "Killing a husband is unheard of, and killing a king is unheard of." It means loyal to the country but not to the monarch, loyal to the people but not to the people. Wei Zhi didn't chop and change for personal fame or survival. In his mind, there is a rule, that is, go to An Jun and report to Limin. His loyalty is not disloyalty, ignorance or loyalty, but loyalty to the country and the people, which is why he will become a good minister who will remain immortal.
Loyal to the bian river
Han Feizi recorded such a touching story: During the Spring and Autumn Period, a man named Bian He in the State of Chu got a piece of jade, that is, a stone containing jade, in a cave at the foot of the eastern part of Jingshan Mountain. He gave this piece of jade pu to Li, the king of Chu. King Li became suspicious and called a jade craftsman to identify it. I didn't know that jade craftsman was a mediocre man. After reading it, he said it was just an ordinary stone. Li Guowang thinks that Bian He cheated you and cut off Bian He's left foot.
After Li's death, he succeeded to the throne, and Bian He gave this jade to him. King Wu also called a jade craftsman to identify it. The jade craftsman looked at it and said that Bian He just offered an ordinary stone. Like Li, Bian He thought he had bullied Li, so he cut off his right foot.
After King Wu died, King Wen succeeded to the throne. Bian He wanted to offer more jade, but her feet were tired and she couldn't walk any further. He had to hold Yupu and climb to the foot of Jingshan Mountain and cry for three days and nights. Tears flowed out, but a drop of blood overflowed from the corner of my eye. Later, King Wen heard that Bian He was crying for jade, and sent someone to ask him why he was crying. He asked him, "Many people in the world have their feet cut off because of crimes. Why are you crying so sad? " Bian He replied, "I'm not sad, because I cut off my foot. I am sad that precious jade is regarded as an ordinary stone, but loyal people are regarded as liars! "
King Wen listened to the minister's report to Bian He and ordered Bian He and Yupu to enter the palace and let the jade craftsman cut Yupu. Sure enough, there is a beautiful jade and extraordinary splendour. After careful production, the jade craftsman made this piece of jade into a round jade. Bian He's grievance was rehabilitated, and King Wen named Yu Xiu "He Shibi" to commemorate Bian He's loyalty.
This period of "harmony" later floated to Zhao, and there was a story of "returning to Zhao in perfect condition"; After Qin Shihuang unified the whole country, he made a jade seal, that is, the emperor's seal, symbolizing supreme power. This jade seal is what people often call "the jade seal of the country" later.
Bian He didn't keep the jade for himself, but cut off his own feet to present a treasure. Bian He didn't shed tears for himself, but Baoyu was unknown to the monarch, so his story has been passed down through the ages, not only because he presented a piece of Baoyu, but also because Bian He's loyalty and sincerity for the country and the people are the most precious.
Loyalty to the Lebanese state and people is not only a person's ambition, but also a moral code of conduct that runs through everyone's social relations. Whether you are loyal to your relatives and friends is always a test of everyone's moral standards.
Loyal servant aji
In a family named Xu in Chun 'an (present-day Zhejiang) in Ming Dynasty, there was a servant named Aji. When the Xu brothers split up, the eldest got a horse, the second got two cows, and the third widowed daughter-in-law had two sons and three daughters, but only an old servant in his fifties, Aji.
The widow of the third family cried and said, "Horses can ride and cows can plow, but Aji is over 50 years old, and he can't even walk steadily, and he still wants to eat my food. Hey, I'm really unlucky! "
Hearing this, Aji sighed, "Master, are you saying that I am not even as good as cattle and horses?" Don't be sad, I'll help you plan your livelihood. "
Therefore, Aji is determined to plan his livelihood to prove his value. Seeing that he was honest and hardworking, the widow sold all her jewelry, and * * * got twelve taels of silver, all of which she gave to A for business.
Aji took these as capital and went into the mountains to sell raw lacquer. A year later, he made three times as much money, so he said to the widow, "You can be carefree, and the day of being rich will come soon." After more than ten years, Aji earned tens of thousands of taels of silver for her host family. Her three daughters and two sons all got married, and each spent thousands of taels of silver. Since then, a teacher has been invited to teach Fu's two sons. The master's two sons have been paid to become imperial academy Taitai students, and the widow's family has become the richest family in the local area. But Aji's wife and only son are wearing rags that can only cover their bodies.
A few days later, Aki fell ill. On his deathbed, he said to the widow, "I repay you like an ox or a horse." As he spoke, he took out two pieces of paper from his pillow, divided all the property into two parts equally, and said, "These two pieces of property are for your two sons, and you can keep them from generation to generation." After saying this, Aji died.
Among the descendants of the Xu family, some people suspected that Aji was hiding property and secretly opened his locker. As a result, they found that there was not even an inch of thread or a grain of rice in the cupboard, which was very shameful. In order to repay Aji's loyalty, they are especially kind to her descendants.
In the materialistic modern society, how to choose loyalty and lies and fraud, and which side to tilt the moral balance is a test for everyone's soul. For ourselves, there is no need to shout the slogan of serving the country and the people. As long as we always take the interests of the country, the nation and the people as our ambition and do our duty wholeheartedly, we are practicing the connotation of "loyalty".