Ceng Zi is a student of Confucius. Once, Ceng Zi's wife was going to the market. Because the child was crying, Ceng Zi's wife promised to help him kill the pig when he came back. After Ceng Zi's wife came back from the market, Ceng Zi caught pigs and killed them. His wife stopped him and said, "I'm just joking with the children." Ceng Zi said, "You can't joke with children. If children are not sensible, they should learn from their parents and listen to their instructions. Now you are coaxing him, that is, teaching children to lie. " So Ceng Zi killed the pig. Ceng Zi knew that honesty and trustworthiness were the basic principles of being a man. If you don't kill the pig by mistake, the pig at home will be saved, but it will leave an indelible shadow on the mind of a pure child.

Han Xin repaid his kindness.

Han Xin, the founding hero of the Han Dynasty, lived with his brother and sister-in-law when he was a child and lived on leftovers. Little Han Xin helps his brother during the day and studies hard at night, but his mean sister-in-law still hates his reading, and thinks it is useless to read. So Han Xin had to sleep on the street, hungry. There is an old lady who works as a servant for others. She sympathized with him, supported him in his studies and gave him food every day. Facing the sincerity of the old woman, Han Xin was very grateful. He said to the old man, "I must repay you when I grow up." The old woman smiled and said, "I'll bury it when you grow up." Later, Han Xin became a famous soldier and was named King of Chu by Liu Bang. He still remembers the old man who helped him. So he found the old man, took him to his palace and treated her like his mother.

The story of China's ancient honesty: Huangfu's achievements, trustworthiness and accountability

Huangfuji was a famous minister in Sui Dynasty. His father died when he was three years old, and his mother was unable to support her family, so she took him back to her family. Grandpa loves Huangfu very much because he is smart and has no father.

My grandfather's name is Wei Xiaokuan, and the Wei family is a famous family in the local area. The family is very rich. Because there are many children going to school at home, my grandfather invited a teacher and set up his own school, which was called a private school at that time. Huang Fuji; My cousin and I go to my own school.

Grandpa is a very strict old man, especially for his grandchildren. When the private school was first set up, it was stipulated that anyone who did not finish his homework without reason would have to retype twenty boards according to the family law.

One day, after class in the morning, Huang Fuji and his cousins hid in an abandoned small room to play chess. As soon as I played, it was time for class in the afternoon before I knew it. Everyone forgot to do the homework left by the teacher in the morning.

The next day, grandpa knew about it. He called his grandchildren to his study and gave them a good scolding. Then, according to the rules, everyone retyped twenty boards.

Grandpa is the youngest to see Huangfuji, and he is also very clever at ordinary times. Plus he doesn't have a father, so he can't bear to hit him. So I took him aside and said kindly, "You are still young, so I won't punish you this time. However, we can't make such mistakes again in the future. If you don't do your homework and learn your skills well, how can you achieve great things in the future? "

Huangfuji gets along well with his cousins, and his younger brothers love him very much. I am very happy to see that Xiao Huangfu has not been punished. However, Xiao Huangfu is very sad. My brothers and I made the same mistake and delayed our homework, he thought. It's a pity that grandpa didn't punish me. But I can't indulge myself. According to the rules of private cushion, I will be beaten again.

So, Huang Fuji found his cousins and asked them to beat him on behalf of his grandfather. Hearing this, the cousins all snorted and laughed. Huangfuji said solemnly, "This is the rule in private schools. We all promised grandpa that if we broke the rules, we would be punished, otherwise we would not keep our promise. You have all been punished according to the rules, and I am no exception. "

Cousins were moved by Huang fuji's spirit of abiding by school rules and sincerely reforming. So he took out a ruler and hit the first twenty boards of Huangfu.

Later, Huangfuji became a big official in the imperial court, but this moral character of keeping his promise and being brave in admitting his mistakes made him enjoy a high reputation among civil and military officials.

Take honesty as the bone

In fact, making a fuss is the same as being a man, so be honest with each other. An old writer wrote: "Writing articles takes heaven and earth as the heart and honesty as the bone." He regards the principles of sincerity and writing as his own, and presents his true feelings to readers, but he wants to be worthy of readers and his own conscience.

Nowadays, some people make up some articles in order to earn money, improve their popularity and expand their influence in society. This is actually deceiving readers and deceiving yourself.

The establishment of Yan Shu's reputation

Yan Shu, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, is famous for his honesty. At the age of fourteen, he was recommended to the emperor and became a child prodigy. The emperor summoned him and asked him to take the exam at the same time with more than 1000 Jinshi. As a result, Yan Shu found that she had just practiced the exam ten days ago, so she truthfully reported to Zhenzong and asked to change other topics. Song Zhenzong appreciated Yan Shu's honesty very much and named him "fellow scholar". When Yan Shu takes office, the world is at peace. Therefore, Beijing officials, large and small, often go to the suburbs or hold various banquets in restaurants and teahouses in the city. Yan Shu was poor and had no money to go out to eat, drink and have fun, so she had to read and write articles with her brothers at home. One day, Zhenzong promoted Yan Shu as the official of the East Palace who assisted the prince in his studies. Ministers were surprised and didn't understand why Zhenzong made such a decision. Zhenzong said, "Recently, the ministers often play and have banquets. Only Yan Shu studies behind closed doors, so she is cautious in self-esteem and is the best candidate for the East Palace official. " Yan Shu thanked him and said, "I am actually a person who likes to play and eat, but my family is poor." If I had money, I would have taken part in the banquet tour. " These two things made Yan Shu establish prestige in front of ministers, and Song Zhenzong trusted him more.

A Comparison of Different Stages between Taking Trees as the Letter and Bonfire Party

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Qin Shangyang presided over the political reform with the support of Qin Xiaogong. At that time, when wars were frequent and people were worried, in order to establish prestige and promote reform, Shang Yang ordered a 30-foot-long wood to be erected outside the south gate of the capital, and made a promise in public: whoever can move this wood to the north gate will be rewarded with twelve taels of silver. None of the onlookers believe that such an easy thing can get such a high reward, so no one is willing to try. So Shang Yang raised the reward to 50 gold. Under the four rewards, there must be brave people. Finally someone stepped forward and carried the wood to the north gate. Shang Yang immediately rewarded him with fifty gold. Shang Yang's move established prestige in the hearts of the people, and Shang Yang's next reform was quickly popularized in Qin State. The new law made the State of Qin stronger and eventually unified China.

It was also in the place where Shang Yang "established a tree as a letter" that a ridiculous farce of "playing a vassal in a bonfire" was staged 400 years ago.

There is a favorite princess in Zhou Youwang, whose name is Bos. In order to win her smile, Zhou Youwang ordered more than 20 beacon towers near the capital to light bonfires-bonfires are a signal of border warning, which can only be lit when foreign enemies invade and need to call the princes for help. As a result, as soon as the princes saw the bonfire, they led the soldiers to arrive in a hurry, realized that it was a trick set by the king to smile at his wife, and then left angrily. I finally smiled happily when I saw the usually prestigious princes at a loss. Five years later, there was another massive attack on Zhou, and the king's bonfire was rekindled, but the ministers did not arrive-no one wanted to be fooled again. As a result, you Wang was forced to commit suicide and was praised and captured.

A "stand up and win the trust" promises 1000 yuan; An emperor didn't believe it and played the game of "wolf coming". As a result, the former succeeded in political reform and the country was strong; The latter, who brought shame on himself, died. It can be seen that "belief" plays a very important role in the rise and fall of a country.

Li Yu Ian recorded a story about losing his life because he broke his promise.

A businessman in Jiyang sank while crossing the river. He grabbed a hemp pole and shouted for help. A fisherman heard the sound. The businessman quickly shouted: "I am the richest man in Jiyang. If you can save me, I will give you 100 two gold. " . After being rescued ashore, the businessman turned his face and refused to admit it. He only gave the fisherman 10 two gold. The fisherman accused him of breaking his word and going back on his word. The rich man said, "You are a fisherman. I can't make much money in my life. Is it not enough to suddenly get twelve taels of gold? " My husband must be very unhappy. Unexpectedly, the rich man capsized in the same place again. Someone tried to save him, and the person he cheated said, "He is a man of his word!" " "So the merchant drowned. It is accidental that the businessman capsized twice and met the same husband, but it is expected that the businessman will not be rewarded. Because if a person does not keep his word, he will lose the trust of others. So, once he is in trouble, no one wants to rescue him. Those who break their promises to others, once in trouble, have to sit still.

Lu Bu's promise saved him from disaster.

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, there was a man named Ji Bu. He kept his word and had a very high reputation. Many people have established a strong friendship with him. At that time, there was even a proverb: "It is better to get a hundred pounds of gold than to keep a promise." (This is the origin of the idiom "A promise is as good as a gold") Later, he offended Liu Bang, the Emperor Gaozu, and was offered a reward for his capture. As a result, his old friends not only were not confused by the heavy money, but also risked the extinction of Jiuzu to protect him from disaster. A person who is honest and trustworthy will naturally get a lot of help and gain everyone's respect and friendship. On the other hand, if you covet temporary comfort or petty advantages and lose trust in your friends, you will get "benefits" on the surface. But for this benefit, he ruined his reputation, which is much more important than material things. Therefore, breaking a promise to a friend is tantamount to losing a watermelon and picking up sesame seeds, which is not worth the loss.

Li Mian buried silver.

Li Mian, a native of the Tang Dynasty, liked reading books since he was a child. Pay attention to the requirements in the books. After a long time, it becomes a habit and cultivates an honest and elegant gentleman's demeanor.

Although he was born in poverty, he never took ill-gotten gains.

On one occasion, he went out to study and stayed in a hotel. I happened to meet a scholar who was going to Beijing to take an exam and lived there. As soon as they met, they often talked about the past and the present, discussed knowledge and became good friends.

One day, the scholar suddenly fell ill and was bedridden. Li Mian quickly invited a doctor for him, and helped him decoct medicine according to the doctor's advice, taking care of him to take medicine on time. For several days in a row, Li Mian took good care of patients' daily life such as daily life and diet. However, the scholar's condition has not improved, but has deteriorated day by day. Looking at his weak friend, Li Mian was very anxious. He often goes to nearby families to find remedies, and often goes to the mountains alone to dig herbs that pharmacies can't buy.

One evening, when Li Mian came back from digging medicine, he went to his friend's room first, and it seemed that the bookish color was better. His heart was full of joy. He approached the bed with concern and asked, "Brother, are you feeling better?"

The scholar said, "I don't think I have much time left." This may be a dead turn, and my brother has one more thing to ask before he dies. "

Li Mian quickly comforted: "Brother, don't be paranoid. Don't you look much better today? " As long as you rest quietly, you will be all right soon. You're welcome, brother. Please say anything. "

The scholar said, "Take out the small wooden box under my bed and help me open it."

Li Mian did as he said.

The scholar pointed to a bag inside and said, "Thanks to your meticulous care these days. This is one hundred and twenty pieces of silver, which was originally for the examination, but it is not needed now. After my death, please use some money to prepare a coffin for me and bury me, and give you the rest as my thanks. Please accept it, otherwise, my brother, I will not have peace in the grave. "

In order to reassure the scholar, Li Mian had to promise to accept the money.

The next morning, the scholar really passed away. Li Mian obeyed his last wish, bought a coffin and carefully arranged his funeral. There is still a lot of money left. Li Mian was useless at all, but wrapped it carefully and laid it quietly under the coffin.

Soon, the scholar's family took Li Mian's letter and rushed to the inn. After they moved out of the coffin, they found the silverware buried with them. Everyone was surprised. After learning the origin of silver, everyone was moved by Li Mian's noble character of being honest and trustworthy and not greedy for money.

Later, Li Mian became an official of the imperial court. He is still honest and self-disciplined, honest and self-controlled, deeply loved by the people and respected among civil and military officials.

Liang Guozhi Loongson

Liang Guozhi was born in Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty. He has been smart and studious since he was a child. But his family is poor, and his father wants him to give up his studies and do some small business to support his family. Liang Guozhi begged his father to study for a few more years. Neighbors saw it and thought it was a pity that Liang Guozhi didn't study, so they interceded, and some were willing to help him pay his tuition. The father is also looking forward to his son's future success and better family life. So he promised to let him continue his studies.

The villagers in the village are honest people with good hearts; Although they are not rich, they often help the poor Liang family. The whole village hopes that Liang Guozhi will succeed in the future and win glory for their village. Little Zhuo Zhi knew that he must not live up to the expectations of the villagers, and he would study harder.

Because Liang Guozhi grew up in such a harmonious and friendly environment, he developed a kind, honest and upright character from an early age.

In 65438, Liang Guozhi won a grand prize at the age of seventeen. At the age of 24, he won the highest award again. After Liang Guozhi became an official in the imperial court, he never forgot his hometown elders and often used his own money to do things for the villagers. No matter where he goes to court, he thinks of the people and is very popular with them.

Liang Guozhi is not only knowledgeable and good in character, but also good at painting and calligraphy. Anyone who gets paintings and calligraphy works will collect them as treasures. Influenced by him, his son was interested in painting and calligraphy at an early age, clamoring for Liang Guozhi to teach him to paint.

One day, my son came to his father with a brush, and his face was covered with ink. Liang Guozhi wanted to laugh after seeing it, wiped his son's face, and then said to his son seriously, "Before you learn to draw, you must learn to be a man. Without personality, you will never be a good painter. "

The son raised his childish face and asked his father doubtfully, "What is the relationship between painting and being a man?"

Liang Guozhi said, "A real painter paints with his heart, not with a pen. If you are an upright gentleman, your paintings will be full of righteousness, making people feel full of gas at first glance. "

The son blinked, as if he didn't quite understand, so Liang Guozhi told an example of Qin Gui, a traitor in the Song Dynasty. He said: "Qin Gui is actually a very talented person. His handwriting is quite good, but he is a famous traitor in history with bad conduct. After his death, people gnashed their teeth at him as soon as they heard his name. No one wanted to collect his calligraphy works at that time. They all think that obeying his words will bring disaster. His works were either torn to pieces and thrown into the cesspit, or burned by people. There are very few words left by him now, and people hate his words because they hate him. "

The son nodded as if he understood. Liang Guozhi added: "Honesty is the first step in life. Only if you don't tell lies, people who keep their promises will stand up and be aboveboard. "

Hearing this, the son kept in mind his father's teachings and adhered to the character of honesty all his life. Later, he really became a well-respected and famous painter at that time.