I will order my army to retreat 30
kilometres(退避三舍)
The period from 770 BC to 476 BC is called
the Spring and Autumn Period in Chinese history.
At that time, the supreme leader of China
was the King of Zhou Dynasty. The King of the Zhou Dynasty divided the land of
China among 140 princes.
These princes set up their own kingdoms on
the land they owned.
In these kingdoms, there were many stories
of father and son turning against each other or brothers killing each other in
order to succeed to the throne.
The 22nd king of the Jin Kingdom is called
(Ji Chonger) and there is a story about him in the history books.
He is the second of his father's five
children. The mothers of his five brothers are all different.
His father was infatuated with the fourth
wife, his father abolished his elder brother's claim to the throne, and his
father gave the succession to the son of his fourth wife.
As a result, he and his brothers were
forced to leave the Jin Kingdom in 656 BC and went into exile in other
kingdoms.
He was in exile for a total of 19 years and
did not return to the Jin Kingdom until 636 BC, when he became the 22nd king of
the Jin Kingdom.
In 638 BC he fled to the Kingdom of Chu. He
lived in the Chu Kingdom for several months.
The king of Chu Kingdom recognised his
noble character. The king of Chu Kingdom saw many talented and upright people
gathered around him, so the king of Chu Kingdom treated him very well.
At a banquet, the king of Chu Kingdom said
to him
You are a nobleman who has been in exile
for a long time, but I do not despise you and I welcome you very warmly.
If one day you can return to Jin Kingdom
and become the king of Jin Kingdom, how will you thank me? What gift will you
give me?
He replied.
The Kingdom of Chu is rich in resources,
gold and silk.
The Kingdom of Chu has a vast land, many
rare animals and hardworking people.
You are the king of this great kingdom, and
I don't think you lack anything.
So I don't know what gift to give you.
The King of Chu Kingdom said to him with a
smile.
My life is not as perfect as you say, do
you really have no gift for me?
He thought for a few minutes before
answering very seriously.
I can think of one gift to give you, and
that is my promise.
I promise you that when I return to Jin
Kingdom one day and become King of Jin Kingdom.
I will do my best to maintain a peaceful
relationship with the Kingdom of Chu.
But if one day there is a conflict between
our two kingdoms because of the interests of the country, I am willing to take
the initiative to give in.
At that time, I will order the army of Jin
Kingdom to retreat 30 kilometres.
Asked the King of Chu Kingdom.
If our two kingdoms clash, can you retreat
more than 30 kilometres?
he replied.
Yes, that is my bottom line, I will only
retreat 30 kilometres at most.
If you are still not satisfied and insist
on making further concessions, I will use all the power of the Jin Kingdom to
launch a counterattack against the Chu Kingdom.
This idiom is used to describe a person who
actively backs down to avoid conflict.
Dear friend, what kind of inspiration or
thought do you have after hearing this story?
Have you ever taken the initiative to give
in to avoid conflict with others? What is the moral outcome of your life and
work?
I hope this story can give you a new
harvest.
退避三舍(I will order my army to retreat 30
kilometres)
西元前770年到西元前476年，中國歷史上稱這一段期間為春秋時代。
當時中國最高領導者是周王朝的國王。周王朝的國王把中國的土地分封給140個諸侯。
這些諸侯在自己所擁有的土地上建立屬於自已的王國。
在這些王國內，為了爭奪王位的繼承權，發生了許多父子反目或是兄弟相殺的故事。
晉王國的第22任國王，他的名字叫做(姬重耳)，歷史書上記載了一個他的故事。
他的父親有五個孩子，他的排行第二。他們五個兄弟的母親都不相同。
他的父親寵愛第四位妻子，他的父親廢除他的哥哥的王位繼承權，他的父親把王位繼承權交給他的第四位妻子所生的兒子。
因為這個原因，西元前656年，他與他的兄弟們被迫離開晉王國，他們流亡到其他的王國。
他總共流亡了19年，直到西元前636年他才又回到晉王國，並成為晉王國的第22任國王。
西元前638年，這一年他逃亡到了楚王國。他在楚王國住了好幾個月。
楚王國的國王認同他的高尚的品德，楚王國的國王看見他的身邊聚集了很多有才能又很正直的人，因此楚王國的國王對他非常的好。
在一場宴會中，楚王國的國王對他說。
你是一個長期流亡在外的貴族，但是我並沒有輕視你而且非常熱情的接待你。
如果有一天，你可以回到晉王國而且成為晉王國的國王，你會如何感謝我?你會送我什麼禮物呢?
他回答。
楚王國有著豐富的資源，還有著數不清的黃金與綢緞。
楚王國有著廣大的土地，還有著許多的珍奇的動物與勤勞的人民。
你是這個偉大王國的國王，我認為你並沒有任何缺乏。
所以我不知道要送你甚麼禮物。
楚王國的國王笑著對他說。
我的生活並非你說的那麼完美，你真的沒有任何禮物可以送給我嗎?
他思考了幾分鐘後他很嚴肅的回答。
我想到一個可以送你的禮物，那就是我的承諾。
我承諾你，如果有一天，我回到晉王國並且成為晉王國的國王。
我將盡我的全力與楚王國保持和平的關係。
但是如果有一天，我們兩個王國之間因為土地的利益發生了衝突，我願意主動的退讓。
屆時我會命令晉王國的軍隊退讓30公里。
楚王國的國王問。
如果我們兩個王國發生衝突，你最多只能退讓30公里嗎?
他回答。
對的，這是我的底線，我最多只會退讓30公里。
如果屆時你不滿意，仍然堅持要求更多的退讓，我將會傾晉王國的全國力量對楚王國展開反擊。
這句成語被用來形容一個人主動退讓以避免衝突的發生。
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。
你是否曾經主動退讓以避免和他人發生衝突嗎?你做人與做事的道德底線為何呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為左傳-僖公23年
https://ctext.org/chun-qiu-zuo-zhuan/xi-gong-er-shi-san-nian/zh
出處為史記-卷39-晉世家
