a good omen for military operations

a good omen for military operations

Bai Yu Ru Zhou, a Chinese idiom, Pinyin is B á iy ú R ù zh ō u, which means a sign of victory in military use. It's from the historical records of Zhou Benji.

Idiom explanation

White fish: white minnows. The original meaning refers to the white minnow jumping into the boat. It refers to the sign of victory in the use of troops, and it also describes the beginning of a good omen.

The origin of Idioms

Zhou Benji in historical records: "the king of Wu crossed the river, the middle stream, the white fish jumped into the king's boat, and the king of Wu bowed down to sacrifice All the princes said, "Zhou can be defeated."

Idiom usage

Volume 3 of Shangshu Da Zhuan: "all the eight hundred princes come to Mengjin, and the white fish enter the boat." In Wenxuan · Wang Bao's "four sons talk about virtue", it is said that "the king of Wu got the white fish, and the princes spoke the same words". In Li Shan's annotation and quotation of Shangshu Xuanji seal, it is said that "the king of Wu got the military seal, sought the eastern view, and the white fish entered the boat, bent over to start a fire." Also known as "white fish on the boat.". In the biography of the final army of the Han Dynasty, it is said that "if you cover six horses and fly back, you will be rebellious; if you board a boat, you will be obedient." Yan shigu quoted minister Zan as saying: "it means that King Wu attacked Yin and fish entered the king's boat. It means that he will get it, so it's called Shun Ye."

Idiom story

In the ninth year of the reign of Emperor Wu, the sacrifice was completed. Dongguanbing, as for Mengjin, was the leader of King Wen's wood, carrying the chariot and the Chinese army. King Wu called himself the prince and said that he would serve King Wen to fight against him. He told Sima, situ, Sikong and other stanzas: "Qi Li, believe it! To be ignorant, let the ancestors have virtuous officials, and let the boy receive the first merit, and let him be rewarded and punished, so as to determine his merit. " Then the teacher was established. Master Shang Fu said: "the general public, and ER boat, after the chopping." When King Wu crossed the river, the middle stream, the white fish jumped into the king's boat, and King Wu bowed down to offer sacrifices. After crossing, there is fire from the top to the bottom. As for the king's house, it flows to the black, its color is red, and its voice and soul are cloudy. At that time, eight hundred princes met unexpectedly to make alliance with Tianjin. All the princes said, "Zhou can be defeated." King Wu said, "if you don't know the destiny, you can't do it." Return to your teacher. In the ninth year of his mandate, King Wu offered sacrifices to King Wen in bidi. Then he went to the east to inspect the troops and arrived at Mengjin. He made the memorial tablet of King Wen, which was carried by car for the Chinese Army account. King Wu called himself Prince FA. He claimed that he went to fight at the command of King Wen and did not dare to make his own decisions. He announced to Sima, situ, Sikong and other officials who were ordered by the king to be obedient: "everyone should be serious and respectful, and be honest. I am an ignorant man, because my ancestors have virtue, and I have inherited the achievements of my ancestors. Now various reward and punishment systems have been established to ensure the accomplishment of the ancestors' achievements. " So they sent out troops. Shi Shangfu (Ji Chang died, his son Jifa became Xibo Marquis, and LV Shang was honored as "Shi Shangfu") issued an order to the whole army, saying: "gather your troops, keep good oars, and kill those who are backward." King Wu crossed the river by boat. When the boat came to the middle of the river, a white fish jumped into King Wu's boat. King Wu bent down to catch it and sacrificed it to heaven. After crossing the river, a fire fell from the sky and fell on the house where King Wu lived. It kept turning and finally turned into a crow, red in color and making a sound. At this time, although the princes did not agree, they all gathered in Mengjin, a total of more than 800. All the princes said, "Zhou can be attacked!" King Wu said, "you don't understand the destiny. You can't do it now." So he led the army back. At the end of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou had no way, and the national strength of Zhou became stronger and stronger, so many princes came to join him. In the ninth year of King Wu's mandate, he led his army to March eastward from Ho Jing, and soon came to Mengjin (now northeast of Mengjin, Luoyang City) on the South Bank of the Yellow River. Neighboring tribal countries came to join the alliance, and the "eight hundred Princes" cheered. Through the alliance, we met the "eight hundred Princes" unexpectedly, which established the strong position of King Wu as the leader of the alliance. The allusion of white fish entering the boat happened in this context. As a vassal state of the Shang Dynasty, the Zhou royal family wanted to attack the Shang Dynasty and replace it. In ancient times, when the monarchy was granted by God, many people would oppose it. In order to win the world, King Wu of Zhou must win the hearts of the people. It's just an accident, and it won't be a sign of Providence. Mengjin is just the boundary between the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. The current is fast and the fish often jump up against the water and fall into the boat. It's not unusual at all. As a result, the fish was endowed with more connotations: there were scales on the fish, which had something in common with the armor of soldiers, so people in that era took the fish as a symbol of the army; in the Shang Dynasty, white was valued, and white represented the royal power of the Shang Dynasty; all these things were connected, that is, the army of the Shang Dynasty would return to Zhou Dynasty, and the world of the Shang Dynasty would also belong to Zhou Dynasty. Two years later, King Wu defeated Zhou, who was desperate and burned to death. The Shang Dynasty perished and the Zhou Dynasty was established. The white fish into the boat also became a sign of the death of yin and Zhou Xing. Later, it was used as a metaphor to describe the sign that the army would win, and also to describe the beginning of a good omen.