Ouyang Xiu, a famous politician and writer of the Northern Song Dynasty, was one of the eight great masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, and was once known as the "Four Greats of the Ancient Articles" with Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan and Su Shi.
In addition, Ouyang Xiu's dedication to the historiography of the Song Dynasty was also great, and he had participated in the joint cultivation of the "New Book of Tang", one of the "Twenty-Four Histories", and for the influence of Song Dynasty literature, Ouyang Xiu created a new river, and there was a great innovation in the creation of literary style, poetic style and word style.
Ouyang Xiu's works are equal to his achievements, of which there are two famous articles, which can be described as well-known, one is "Drunken Pavilion Record", and the other is what this article says - "Oil Seller", both of which are included in the "Ouyang Wenzhong Official Collection"
The main theme of "Drunken Pavilion" is to tell the story of sending love to the landscape and enjoying with the people, while "The Oil Seller" is a fable story, the language is concise, telling the profound meaning and philosophy of "practice makes skill".
The article "Oil Seller", from the day of its birth, has been quite prestigious, and now this article, which has been sung for more than a thousand years, has been included in the language textbooks of the seventh grade of middle school.
The story is about the debate between Chen Yaozhi and the oil seller, Chen Yaozhi was the leader of the Northern Song Dynasty, who was both literate and martial, especially good at archery, and thought that he was the first in the world, and his archery skills were unbeatable. Once, Chen Yaozhi was practicing archery in his own garden, an oil seller passed by, looked at it for a long time, and found that Chen Yaozhi "sent arrows out of ten, eight or nine", so he did not think so, and "but slightly chin" on the side, slightly contemptuous.
Chen Yao consulted the oil seller as if he was not inferior to his own archery skills, so he asked, "Ru Yi knows how to shoot?" Isn't it also good to shoot?", meaning to ask the oil seller: "Do you also know archery?" Isn't my archery skill still superb? ”
The oil seller replied, "Without him, but with a good hand." Roughly speaking, it means: that's it, it's just that practice makes perfect.
After Chen Yaozhi listened, he was indignant and indignant, and said: "Er'an dares to shoot me lightly", and the oil seller replied: "I know it with my own oil."
Therefore, the oil seller will place the gourd on the ground, cover the mouth of the gourd with a coin, and take the oil from a high place, and the oil will fall into the gourd from the mouth of the coin, and the coin will not be contaminated with the slightest oil.
After performing the above superb skills, the oil seller replied: "I don't have him, only my hands are familiar."
The above is the general story of the "oil seller" recorded in the middle school textbook, the original text is as follows:
Chen Kangsu Gong Yao was good at shooting, unparalleled in the world, and Gong also used this to be self-conscious. Taste the shooting in the family garden, there are oil sellers to relieve the burden and stand, staring at it for a long time and not going. See its hair arrow out of ten, but slightly jawed.
Kang Su asked, "Ru Yi knows how to shoot?" Don't I ejaculate?" Weng Yue: "Without him, but with a good hand." Kang Su was indignant: "Er'an dares to shoot lightly!" Weng Yue: "I know it with my own oil." He took a gourd and placed it on the ground, and covered his mouth with money, and Xu drained it with oil, and entered it from the money hole, and the money was not wet. Because he said, "I don't have him, but I have a good hand." Kang Su smiled and dismissed it.
Through the story of the oil seller, Ouyang Xiu tells the meaning of "practice makes skill", which makes people think deeply. However, at the end of Ouyang Xiu's original text, there is another sentence that was deleted by the textbook, that is:
What is the difference between this and Zhuang Sheng's so-called bull chopper wheel?
"The One Who Solves the Bull Chopper Wheel" is actually two more ancient fables, namely "Ding Ding Xie Niu" and "Wheel Flat Chopping Wheel", these two stories are well-known, they are from the ancient book "Zhuangzi"
Why did the textbook delete this last sentence? There are two explanations:
First, I think that these two stories, which also pay attention to practice, refer to the results of experience and practice in life, which ultimately leads to superb skills, and these skills cannot be recorded in writing, nor can they be taught, and they need to be summarized in practice. Some argue that this view is biased towards the "uselessness of reading"
So, is there any truth to this view? The author believes that it is not for this reason that the last sentence of the oil seller is deleted, and the last sentence of the original text does not reflect the view of "reading is useless", after all, not everyone is born to "solve the cattle" and "wheel flat beheading", whether it is the tail or the wheel flat, their basic knowledge of cattle solution and wheel can be recorded in the text and taught to the world. The practical experience is carried out on the basis, and any skill, the foundation is solid, in order to sublimate maturity can produce skill.
Second, the reason why the last sentence of "Oil Seller" is deleted is actually not difficult, the story of "Oil Seller" is included in junior high school textbooks, and "Ding Ding Solves cattle" and "Wheel Flat Axe Wheel", then two stories, are appearing in high school textbooks, the story of Ding Ding Xie Niu and Wheel Bian Axe Wheel, the length is not short, it is more difficult to explain clearly, a text to master the "Oil Seller", "Ding Ding Xie Niu" and "Wheel Flat Axe Wheel", will increase the learning difficulty and burden of children.
"Oil Seller" is about "practice makes perfect", it is a step by step, and it is the premise to lay a solid foundation, not a step to the sky, but the textbook deletes the last sentence, which is not only in line with the main purpose of the original text, but also the author's good intentions.