Looking at plums to quench one's thirst is an idiom in China. The pinyin is wàng méI zhǐkī, which means that plums are sour, and people will salivate if they want to eat plums, thus quenching their thirst. Metaphorically, after the wish can't be realized, comfort yourself with fantasy. From Shi Shuo Xin Yu False Prophecy.

Idiom source editing

In the Southern Song Dynasty, Liu Yiqing wrote Hypothesis of the World: "Wei Wu lost his way in the battle and the whole army was thirsty, so he said,' There is a great Meilin in front, so forgive him, and sweet and sour can quench his thirst.' When the foot soldiers smell it, they can get the source with their mouths full of water. "

Translation:

Wei Wudi (Cao Cao) couldn't find water during the March, and the soldiers were very thirsty, so he sent a message: "There is a piece of Meilin in front, bearing a lot of fruit. Sweet and sour plums can quench your thirst. " Hearing this, the soldiers' saliva flowed out. Cao Cao used this method to urge the troops to rush to the front line as soon as possible and find water.

Citation interpretation editor

(1) Anonymous Peach Blossom Girl got a second discount: "No talking, but just right."

2 yuan Jia Zhongming's Jade Comb: "You want me to look at plums to quench my thirst. [2]

(3) Fifty-one chapters of Shi Naian's Water Margin in the Ming Dynasty: "The official didn't see anything today, and he offered me three hundred and fifty taels of silver, which taught me to look at plums to quench my thirst and draw cakes to satisfy my hunger."

(4) Ming Ling Mengchu's "The First Moment of Surprise" Volume 15: "But where did this money come from? I have to look at plums to quench my thirst and draw cakes to satisfy my hunger. "

(5) Feng Ming magnum "Yu Ming Yan" Volume I: "Three is called comprador, give him three cents of silver and go upstairs happily. It's really called looking at plums to quench thirst and painting cakes to satisfy hunger. "

⑥ Feng Ming Meng Long's "Warning" Volume 34: "Read Luan Kai's book. Although no date has been set, we must draw cakes to satisfy our hunger and hope that plum will quench our thirst. "

⑦ Mao Dun's Road VII: "Are you kidding? You are there looking at plums to quench your thirst. "

⑧ Ma Nancun's "Yanshan Nighttalk, Fast Reading": "If you abandon these basic books today, don't study hard, and concentrate on finding cheats, lest plums quench your thirst, it will be of no help."

The development of history

In history, there are different opinions about Cao Cao's desire to quench his thirst with plum blossoms. Some people say this is wisdom, others say it is Cao Cao's treachery. Many scholars came to Meishan Village in hanshan county to explore the history of "looking at plums to quench thirst" and left poems with different viewpoints. "Ji Sheng in the Ground" Volume 48, Zhou's "Wang Anshi's Poetry": "The general immediately made a plan and looked at the green hills and pointed to the plum trees. It has been a long time in recent months, and the eternal name is immortal. Mei Shan Plum Blossom by Dai Zong, a poet in the Ming Dynasty, wrote: "The Wujiang River is deep in spring, Xu Jun drinks the horse king, and the flowers and trees in the empty mountains are barren, so it has been pointed out by Cao Biao so far. "Zhao Can (editor of Hanshan County Records) wrote the poem" Huaimei Mountain Monument "during the Kangxi period of Qing Dynasty:" People can't help sighing when they look at the shadow. Seeing the clouds through the Han Dynasty, Xiao Temple is full of roses. The color is golden and full, and there are many green fields. Come here to quench your thirst when you are thirsty. Yang, the magistrate of the Zhou Dynasty, wrote in Meishan: "Birds sing with rain? Smoke trees and clouds are places where Cao Aman quenches his thirst. White grass and yellow plum have been ancient and modern, and green mountains and clear waters have been in the morning and evening. Xu Chang, the magistrate of the Qing Dynasty, wrote in "Climbing the Building and Looking at Meishan": "This place was once visited by Wu Wei, and the majestic style is like sending mountains."

According to the records of Hezhou during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a "thirst-quenching pavilion" on Meishan, and there was a "thirst-quenching pavilion" in Meishan Temple and Tongzhou Tongzhi Hu Yongcheng. Hanshan County Records recorded by Kangxi in Qing Dynasty: "Meishan Pagoda and steep stone peaks are the fallacies of mediocrity, and scholars have lamented for many years. It wasn't until Zou Yi, the magistrate of a county during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1675) that they began to adopt public opinions in vain and succeeded in it, but they felt sorry for the unfinished work ... Zhou Daizong had a Record of Meishan. Meishan Temple, now Meishan Temple, is about 2 kilometers at the foot of Meishan. Not far from Meishan Temple, there is a stone wall on the south side of Guipo, which is smooth and bright, engraved with the words "Cao Cao traveled here, hoping to quench his thirst with plum blossoms". Meishan Tower was built on the 1 1 floor, with a height of more than 30 meters. It was made of blue bricks, and the words "Bright Moon in the sky" were written on the lintel of the tower, which was later destroyed by the artillery fire of the Japanese invaders.