The Meaning of Lift the Pot and Dunk the Dome

The lifting of a pot to fill a dome is an ancient allusion meaning to impart knowledge. This allusion fully embodies the essence of ancient China's traditional culture of honoring teachers.

The phrase "to bring a pot to the roof" is an idiom and an allusion to ancient Chinese traditional culture. It means "to carry a teapot to drink water and pour the water into a teacup, symbolizing the impartation of knowledge to others".

"Carrying a teapot" refers to extracting water from a teapot, while "dunking" refers to pouring water on top of one's head, and is often used by temple monks to dunk their disciples to symbolize the transmission of dharma teachings.

The origin of this idiom is said to be an ancient Buddhist legend, in which a Zen master visited another master's Zen temple in the hope of being taught the teachings of Zen, and the other master used a teapot to lift the tea and poured the water into the Zen master's teacup, which was regarded as a teaching of the Dharma, and thus was passed down. Later, people used the idiom of "lifting the teapot and pouring water into the cup" to express the meaning of imparting knowledge or passing on skills to others.

The Story of "Lifting the Pot and Filling the Top":

In the early years of the Han Dynasty, when General Huo Zaiwei was ordered to conquer the Western Regions, he encountered an ordinary soldier named Lu Bai on his way. Lv Bai came from a good family but enlisted in the army and volunteered to serve his country. There were many young men like Lv Bai in the army at that time, all of them came from ordinary people's families, who had been trapped in the war for many years and had no family to support them. The generals in the army were often from prestigious families with large families, but rarely taught military strategies and techniques to the common soldiers. Lu Bai, on the other hand, was an extremely rare exception in this army; he studied and learned military tactics on his own, and excelled on the battlefield, so he was elected to command his squad.

During a fierce battle with the enemy, Lu Bai's army was at a disadvantage, and General Huo could do nothing about it. So, Lu Bai asked General Huo for a suggestion that was close to a decision. Understanding Lu Bai's situation, General Huo decided to take the approach of lifting the pot and pouring it into his heart, imparting his timely military experience and wisdom to this young man who was well versed in military affairs.

The kettle dunking is when General Huo fills a sparkling wine cup with clear water, lifts the teapot, drops the water into the cup, and the dunking kettle pours the rest of the water directly into the cup. In this way, General Huo told Lu Bai that in war he must remain highly vigilant and keep an eye on the actions the other side might make. He also analyzes the enemy's tactics and weaknesses and shows him how to change tactics. Finally, General Huo encouraged Lu Bai to use his insight and experience to continue to develop.

This story is a typical educational story, in which he answers Lu Bai's questions through the form of "lifting the pot and pouring in the dome," and at the same time conveys to the whole nation a belief in learning from the wise and the value of knowledge and experience. In addition, more importantly, this story expresses the ancient Chinese idea of honoring teachers and becoming an example of education that has a long history.

The story of the lifting of the kettle and filling it with water expresses the value of imparting experience and knowledge to others. It reflects the spirit of honoring teachers and applying what we have learned, which is also a very important value in our modern life. In our growth and work, we should always pay attention to the experience and advice of others, and absorb and apply them to our own practice in an appropriate amount, so as to improve our ability and standard. And the process of education should also be a multifaceted and two-way interactive process, not only teachers and students will teach each other knowledge, but also students should communicate and learn from each other.