In ancient China, there were various evaluation criteria for men, the most well-known of which was "Pan Donkey Deng Xiaoxian". These five words, which represent the five qualities, are the highest evaluation of men in ancient times. So, what do these five words refer to? Let's unravel the mystery.
First, let's take a look at the word "Pan". The "Pan" here refers to the beautiful man Pan An. Therefore, the word "Pan" represents the beauty of a man. In ancient literary works, we can often see praise for men's beauty, such as Jia Baoyu in "Dream of Red Mansions", and King Lanling, both of whom are famous for their beauty.
Next, let's take a look at the word "donkey". The "donkey" here does not refer to the donkey itself, but to fertility. In ancient times, China was still a backward agricultural society, and having a few members of the family represented the family's conditions, especially strong men were more likable. In ancient wars, brave and warlike generals were often admired by people, such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were all known for their bravery. In folklore, there are also many heroic and warlike heroes, such as Song Jiang and Lin Chong in "Water Margin", all of whom are known for their strength.
"Deng" is Deng Tong, a native of the Western Han Dynasty, and one day this man told Emperor Wen that the fortune teller told him that he would starve to death in his life, and Emperor Wen asked him to "cast the world's money", that is, the governor of the People's Bank of China during the Western Han Dynasty, so he became a man with more wealth than Tao Zhugong.
Then, let's take a look at the word "small". The word "young" here does not refer to age, but to the quality of gentleness and courtesy. In ancient times, gentleness and courtesy were regarded as a virtue, so the word "small" represented a man's gentleness and courtesy. In ancient literary works, we can often see praise for men who are gentle and polite, such as Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", all of whom are known for their gentleness and courtesy.
Finally, let's take a look at the word "leisure". The "idle" here does not refer to idleness, but to the quality of grace and ease. In ancient times, graceful and chic was regarded as a virtue, so the word "leisure" represented a man's graceful and chic style. In ancient literary works, we can often see praise for men's graceful and chic ease, such as Nie Xiaoqian and Xu Xian in "Strange Tales from Liao Zhai", all of whom are known for their graceful and chic characters.
To sum up, the highest evaluation of men in ancient times, "Pan Donkey Deng Xiaoxian", represents the five qualities of beauty, strength, wealth, gentleness, politeness, and personableness. These qualities were regarded as the highest honor for men in ancient times, and they were also the highest state that men aspired to in ancient times. To this day, these qualities are still revered and become the standard by which a man is measured.