Modern or ancient stories of civilization and etiquette

Kong Rong gave up his pear

Kong Rong (153-208), a native of Lu (present-day Qufu, Shandong Province), was a famous literati at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, one of the Seven Sons of Jian'an, whose literary creations were greatly respected by Cao Pi, the Emperor of Wei. According to historical records, Kong Rong was not only very smart when he was young, but also a typical person who emphasized the rites of brotherhood and mutual help and love.

When Kong Rong was four years old, he used to eat pears with his brother. Every time, Kong Rong always took the smallest pear. Once, his father saw him and asked, "Why do you always take the smallest one and not the big one?" Kong Rong said, "I am the younger brother, the youngest, I should eat the smallest, the big one should be given to my brother!"

Kong Rong's understanding of siblings' mutual courtesy, mutual help and unity at a young age surprised the whole family. Since then, the story of Kong Rong letting his brother have a pear has been passed down for thousands of years, and has become a model of unity and love.

CHENG MEN LIXUE

"Cheng Men Lixue" story from the "History of Song Dynasty - Yang Shi biography": "see Cheng Yi in Luo, when the cover is forty years old. One day to see the Yi, Yi occasional close sitting, when with the tour of entertainment service to go. Yi both realize, then the snow outside the door a foot deep carry."

"Cheng Men Li Xue" is about the Song Dynasty scholars Yang Shi and You Yu Yu to Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi to pay homage to the teacher to seek advice. Yang Shi and You Yu, who had Cheng Hao as their teacher, were forty years old when Cheng Hao died, and they had already passed the entrance examination, but they had to go to Cheng Yi to continue their studies. The story takes place on the day when they first went to Songyang Academy to pay their respects to Cheng Yi.

According to legend, one day Yang Shi and You Yu, came to Songyang Academy to pay a visit to Cheng Yi, but they met Mr. Cheng, who was sitting in a false sleep with his eyes closed. At this time, it began to snow outside. These two people are eager to seek a teacher, they respectfully stand aside, do not say nothing, so wait for half a day, Cheng Yi slowly opened his eyes, see Yang Shi, You Yu Yu stood in front of him, ate a shock, said: "ah, ah! The two of them are still here not gone?" By this time, the snow outside the door had accumulated more than a foot thick, and Yang Shi and You Yu did not have a trace of fatigue and impatience.

This story, called "Cheng Men Li Xue", was widely circulated among the scholars of the Song Dynasty. Later, the idiom of "Cheng Men Li Xue" was often used to express the respect of scholars for their teachers and their sincerity in studying.