A public place where many people gather(眾人廣坐)
(Wei Wuji) was a famous nobleman of the Wei
Kingdom during the Warring States Period in China.
He respects those who are morally high or
very intelligent and knowledgeable, and he often takes the initiative to make
new friends.
One of his stories is recorded in the
history books.
The name of the administrator of the east
gate of the capital is (Hou Ying).
(Hou Ying) is very respected by the people
and is a person with a high moral level.
He invited (Hou Ying) to his house for
dinner, and he personally drove the carriage to carry (Hou Ying).
(Hou Ying) Deliberately said that he was
going to find a friend and procrastinated for a long time.
He sat in the carriage and waited, he
didn't urge (Hou Ying), and he didn't show an expression of impatience.
His expression was natural and pleasant.
His entourage was even more angry than him when they saw this.
By the time they arrived at his house, it
was past the scheduled meal time.
Many generals, ministers and guests of the
Wei Kingdom have been seated for a long time, but everyone can only wait
because he has not returned.
He is the master of this banquet, and this
banquet cannot be held until he returns.
He entered the banquet hall with (Hou
Ying), and he took (Hou Ying) to the seat next to him, which was the seat for
the most important guests.
All the guests looked surprised and
puzzled, and all the guests did not understand why he paid so much attention to
this ordinary-looking old man.
Halfway through the banquet, he picked up
the wine glass and toasted (Hou Ying).
(Hou Ying) stood up, his attitude changed
from being arrogant to being humble.
(Hou Ying) said to him.
I'm just a lowly-ranked gatekeeper. But you
personally drove the carriage to pick me up in a public place where many people
gathered.
When I got into the carriage you were
driving, I made an unreasonable request to visit a friend, and you complied
with my request and showed no displeasure at all.
I deliberately chatted with my friend and
made you wait over 15 minutes on the side of the road.
You sit on the carriage with a smile, the
people around you point at you but you don't care. You continue to maintain a
respectful attitude.
I am embarrassing you like this today, but
your performance has made your reputation.
After this incident, I believe that
everyone in the capital will admire and respect you even more,
Everyone will be more convinced that you
are indeed a very cultivated person, and that you are willing to let go of your
identity and make genuine friends with those of us who are of low status.
After this banquet, (Hou Ying) became good
friends with him, (Hou Ying) often went to his house for dinner, and he also
regarded (Hou Ying) as the most important guest hospitality.
This idiom means a place that is open and
gathers a lot of people.
Dear friends, what inspiration or thoughts
do you have after listening to this story?
Do you maintain courtesy and respect for
others under any circumstances? How do you think a truly noble person should
behave?
I hope this story will give you something
new to gain.
眾人廣坐(A public place where many people
gather)
(魏無忌)是中國戰國時代魏王國一個著名的貴族。
他很尊敬那些道德水平很高或是很有智慧很有知識的人，他常常主動結交新朋友。
歷史書上記載過一個他的故事。
首都的東城門的管理員名字叫做(侯嬴)。
(侯嬴)很受百姓尊敬、是一個道德水平很高的人。
他邀請(侯嬴)到他家吃飯，他親自駕駛馬車去載(侯嬴)。
(侯嬴)故意說要去找朋友並且拖延很長的時間。
他坐在馬車上等，他沒有催促(侯嬴)，他也沒有露出不耐煩的表情。
他的表情很自然很和悅。他的隨從們看見這個情況比他還生氣。
他們到他家的時候，已經超過了預定用餐的時間。
魏王國的許多將軍與大臣還有賓客都已經入座很長的時間，但是大家只能等待，因為他還沒回來。
他是這場宴會的主人，這場宴會要等他回來之後才能開席。
他與(侯嬴)進入宴會廳中，他帶著(侯嬴)走到他旁邊的那個位置，那個位置是給最重要的賓客坐的位置。
所有的賓客表情都很驚訝與納悶，所有的賓客不明白為何他會如此重視這位看起來很普通的老人。
宴會進行到一半的時候，他拿起酒杯向(侯嬴)敬酒。
(侯嬴)站起來，態度從原本的高傲變成謙虛。
(侯嬴)對他說。
我只是一個職位低下的城門管理員。可是你竟然親自駕駛馬車到一個許多人聚集的公共場所來接我。
我坐上你駕駛的馬車後提出要去拜訪朋友這麼不合乎常理的請求，你答應我的要求並且完全沒有不高興的表情。
我故意與我的朋友聊天，讓你在路邊等了超過15分鐘。
你微笑地坐在馬車上，周圍的百姓對你指指點點但是你完全不在意。你持續地保持著恭敬的態度。
我今天這樣為難你，但是你的表現成就了自已的名聲。
經過這個事情，我相信首都中的所有人都會更加的敬佩你與尊敬你，
所有人都會更加的確信你的確是一個很有修養的人，你願意放下自已的身分與我們這些身分低微的人真誠地交朋友。
這次宴會結束之後，(侯嬴)與他成了很好的朋友，(侯嬴)常常到他家吃飯，他也將(侯嬴)視為最重要的賓客款待。
這句成語的意思是一個公開且聚集很多人的場所。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的啟發或有怎樣的想法呢。
你是否會在任何情況下都保持對他人的禮貌與尊敬呢?你認為一個真正高貴的人應該有怎樣的行為表現呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為史記-魏公子列傳