Meng Jiu for the nest "Xunzi Persuasion"

The dove is the nest

"Xunzi Persuasion"

【Original】

In the south, there are birds, known as doves, with feathers as nests, and weave them with hair, and tie reeds and amaranths.

The wind breaks and the eggs die.

The nest is not endless, and the one who is tied to it is also.

In the west, there is a wood, known as shooting dry, the stem is four inches long, born on the top of the mountain and near the abyss of the hundreds; the wooden stem can not grow, but the one who stands is also.

【Translation】

There is a bird in the south called the dove (also known as the wren), which uses feathers to make nests, and weaves the nest very finely with hair, but it ties the nest to the ears (reed flowers) of the reeds.

A strong wind blew, and the wind blew, breaking the reed pole, and the reed spike was broken, so the bird's egg fell to the ground and broke, and the chick inside fell to death.

The reason why this dove suffered such misfortune was not because the nest was not strong and perfect, but because it knotted the nest on the reeds that could not withstand the attack of wind and rain, and the things on which the nest depended, the reeds were too unstable to make it like this.

There is a kind of grass in the west called shoot dry, its stem is only four inches long, but it grows on a high mountain, leaning down to the abyss; the reason why it is so, it can look down on others, not because of how long its branches are, but because of the high terrain on which it grows on the high mountain.

【Appreciation】

This parable comes from the Xunzi Persuasion, which originally meant that people should learn the right path as the basis for establishing themselves. It shows that in learning, the foundation must be solid, otherwise, no matter how much you learn, it will be futile.

It enlightens us the importance of laying a good foundation from a high building.

No matter what work you do, no matter what you do, you must build on a solid, reliable and solid foundation, without such a foundation, no matter how good the work is done, no matter how fine and meticulous, all efforts are in vain.