The Enlightenment of the Story of Three Seasons People Told by Zeng Shirong in Baijia Lectures

by sny36720924 on 2011-07-13 18:01:57

The story tells us that for those who are unreasonable and quarrelsome, we should treat them as "three-season people," which is a rational approach! After all, the wise are always calm and free-spirited! The original story is as follows:

It is said that one of Confucius's disciples, who loved to argue with others, visited Confucius one day. At the entrance of Confucius’s home, he met a child dressed in green pants and shirt. The child stopped him and asked: "They say your teacher is Confucius, so your knowledge must be quite good. Now, I want to ask you: how many seasons are there in a year?" If you answer correctly, I will bow to you; if you answer incorrectly, you bow to me.

After thinking for a moment, the disciple answered: "Four seasons." The child replied: "Wrong! There are three seasons!" The disciple was puzzled: "Clearly, there are four seasons, but why do you say there are three?" As they continued their argument without resolution, Confucius came out. Then the child asked Confucius to arbitrate: "Master, how many seasons are there in a year?" Confucius looked at the child carefully and said: "Three seasons." Happy with the answer, the child made the disciple bow and then left.

Confused, the disciple asked his master: "Master, you taught us that there are four seasons, so why did you say there are three today?" Confucius replied: "Didn't you see that the child was not human? It was a locust transformed into a child. A locust only lives through spring, summer, and autumn—it doesn’t know about winter. Arguing with it would have been futile."

At this point, the disciple understood clearly and thanked his master for the lesson.

In life, there are too many "three-season people." When we encounter those who cannot communicate reasonably or refuse to acknowledge logic, arguing becomes useless. So, there's no need to debate with them. Perhaps refraining from doing so demonstrates our own cultivation.

Life is filled with confusion and doubts, but there's no need to look down on anyone. Equal existence is an established rule! Perhaps others are aliens, and we cannot assert they are definitely Earthlings! Otherwise, we ourselves might unknowingly become someone else's "three-season person"!

Life requires learning so that we can become like Confucius—wise enough to survive appropriately. By understanding more about the habits of "three-season people," when we encounter them, we can develop the ability to discern right from wrong.

In life, we often try to change others' actions using our own thoughts and attitudes, believing that ours is the absolute law. In this rebellious and intellectually active society, such an approach is truly impractical!