Chapter 99 tactfully said

The use of implicit meaning is also a kind of euphemism. There is no doubt that we need "behind the lines".After all, in many cases, we cannot speak too directly and clearly.For example, when criticizing others, you can’t hurt their self-esteem; when giving suggestions to leaders, you can’t make people think that you are more capable than leaders; when you face other people’s questions, you have to hide it, but you have to let people have a step down; It's urgent, but it involves commercial confidentiality, "code words" that only your cronies can understand are the best options, and so on.

In a TV series that reflects the "fighting skills" between He Shen and Ji Xiaolan in the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, there is such a plot: In order to avoid Ji Xiaolan's supervision, He Shen wrote a letter to several examiners in the Jiangnan examination room before going to the Jiangnan examination room to invigilate the examination. Such a letter said: "There is beauty in the book, and there is a house of gold in the book." It stands to reason that these words are the holy words of the ancients, and there is nothing special about them, but they are used on specific occasions. There is another meaning.Of course, the examiners in the Jiangnan examination room knew what it meant.

Although this example is a "negative teaching material" of power-money transactions, I think we should understand that in the process of "speaking", "implicit meaning" often plays an irreplaceable role. Of course, the successful application of "implications between words" also requires that the other party is a person who can understand "implications between words". Once, King Qi Wei decided to send the eloquent Chunyu Kun to Zhao to move troops.He asked Chunyu Kun to drive 10 carriages and loaded them with 100 taels of gold.When Chunyu Kun saw this, he laughed so loudly that the string of his hat broke from laughing.

King Qi Wei asked: "Do you think these things are too little?" Chunyu Kun said, "How dare I think too little?" King Qi Wei asked again: "Then what were you laughing at?" Chunyu Kun said: "Don't be angry, my king. When I came from the east today, I saw a farmer in the field begging the God of Tian to give him a good harvest. He took a pig's trotter and a jar of wine and prayed: 'God of Tian God of Tian, ​​please bless me with ripe grains and a full barn full of grain!' His offerings are so few, but what he wants is so much. I just thought of him, so I couldn't help laughing."

King Qi Wei understood his lingo, and immediately gave him 1,000 taels of gold, 100 chariots and horses, and 10 pairs of white jade.Later, Chunyu Kun went to Zhao Guo as an envoy and brought 100,000 elite soldiers. Chunyu Kun's ability to use "interludes" is indeed very clever.But we can also think that if King Qi Wei can't understand, not only will his painstaking efforts be in vain, but he may also be charged with disrespect to the king.But on the other hand, if Chunyu Kun is not a master who is good at using "interludes", I am afraid that if he has a few more brains, he will not dare to say such a thing.

When speaking to those in power, you must understand the meaning behind the words, and you must also pay attention to euphemism when speaking to women. In Vienna in the 19th century, upper-class women liked to wear a hat with a high tube and wide brims.They went into the theater, still wearing their hats, and they ignored the theater's regulations requiring female guests to take off their hats. The theater manager had an idea one day and said on stage: "Ladies, please note that this theater requires the audience to take off their hats to watch the show, but older ladies-please listen carefully-older ladies, you can You don't have to take off your hat."

As soon as these words came out, all the women in the audience took off their hats. Who wants to admit that they are old?This smart manager took advantage of women's psychological characteristics and emotional needs of loving beauty and youth, and solved the original headache problem. During the Southern Dynasties, Emperor Qi Gao was very interested in calligraphy and studied calligraphy with Wang Sengqian, a calligrapher at that time.Once, Emperor Qi Gao suddenly asked Wang Sengqian, "Who writes better, you or me?" This question is more difficult to answer. To say that Qi Gaodi's calligraphy is worse than his own is against his will; Relationships are messed up.

Wang Sengqian's answer was very ingenious: "My character is the best among ministers, and your character is the best among kings." There are only a few emperors in the past dynasties, but there are countless courtiers. The implication of Wang Sengqian's words is very clear. Emperor Qi Gao understood the implication, laughed, and gave up, no longer mentioning this matter.Wang Sengqian's answer expresses what cannot be said directly, in a way of "what is said here and what is meant here", which not only protects the emperor's face, but also expresses his attitude with "implicit meaning", and also maintains his own dignity. Safety.It's really wonderful.

On many occasions, there are some things that are not easy to say directly, and cannot be said directly, let alone clearly, and it is the wisest way to express them euphemistically.