The allusion of Sima Guang smashing the cylinder must be familiar to everyone. Speaking of the question of whether Sima Guang smashed the cylinder or not, there was also a debate, and finally concluded that it was not the cylinder that was smashed, but the urn. Speaking of which, aren't they all big tanks of water? Just the difference between the specifications.
The incident of Sima Guang smashing the cylinder was first seen in the "Cold Fasting Night Talk" compiled by the Northern Song Dynasty monk Hui Hong, which tells that Sima Guang was intelligent and old since he was a child, and one day a group of children were playing games in the courtyard, and one of the children accidentally fell into a large urn. This large urn is placed in the yard to store water, the water is deep and small, children fall into it and can not climb out, afraid of life danger.
The other children present were stunned, but Sima Guang, who was not in danger, picked up the stone and began to smash the urn, and finally broke a large hole in the urn. The water in the urn was released, and the child was finally saved. Sima Guang's name of bravery and cleverness spread as a result, leading to the circulation of the "Children's Shooting Urn Map" everywhere in Beijing for a while.
Later, this story was included in the "History of Song" and became one of Sima Guang's deeds, and he specially added the fact that he particularly liked to read "Zuo Shi Chunqiu": "Sima Guang's character Junshi, a native of Xia County, Shaanzhou." Guangsheng was seven years old, awe-inspiring as an adult, heard about "Zuo Shi Spring and Autumn", loved it, and retired to his family, that is, his big finger. I can't read the book in my hand, until I don't know hunger, thirst, cold and heat. The children played in the court, and one of them climbed the urn, and the foot fell into the water, and all the people abandoned, and the light held the stone to break the urn, and the water burst, and the child had to live. ”
Why add "Zuo Shi Chunqiu"? Or to elevate Sima Guang's image. Sima Guang is a big figure known as "Sima Zi of The First Confucian", who can add "Zi" after his name? For example, Confucius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, etc., which is not an academic? Sima Guang was worshipped in the Confucius Temple, and did not add some rumors to him that he loved the Confucian classics since he was a child, is it reasonable?
"Zuo Shi Chunqiu" is the "Spring and Autumn Zuo Shi Biography", which is often referred to as "Zuo Chuan", which is the first detailed narrative chronicle in China and one of the Confucian classics. What is Sima Guang's identity after that? The leader of the Conservative Party, Wang Anshi, who succeeded the reformer, was in charge of the government and was also a representative of Confucianism, and presided over the compilation of the first chronicle of Chinese history, the Zizhi Tongjian, a collection of historians and Confucians.
This is also why Sima Guang's reputation is so great, and the story of Sima Guang smashing the cylinder is so widespread that even this smashed cylinder can attract discussion, but the child who was rescued does not deserve to have a life, because the status is not matched. This child's name is Shangguan Shangguang, does anyone know him? No one knows.
This name is equivalent to a passerby A or passerby B, but Sima Guang accidentally saved his life when he was a child; decades later, when he encountered the Conservative Party and the Law Change Party (Wang Anshi Changing the Law), this matter was turned over again, and became one of the deeds that praise Sima Guang - Sima Guang can save people at the age of 7, and now at the age of 60 to save the people of the world, is it not very normal? Behind the original story of truth, goodness and beauty, it is actually a cruel partisan tilt, and it is no wonder that the teacher never introduces this child.
However, one yard to one yard, Shangguan Shangguang is still very grateful to Sima Guang, not only specially built a "thanksgiving pavilion" for him, but also recorded this matter in the family tree, passed on from generation to generation, and did not forget Sima Guang's original life-saving grace.
Reference: History of the Song Dynasty