Chapter 24 The second section extends to political philosophy

Diet practice contains many philosophies, which can provide reference and metaphors for various aspects of political and social life. Many thinkers and politicians in ancient my country were good at using diet to explain their political opinions or philosophy of life.Laozi, a famous thinker in the pre-Qin period, has a famous saying summarizing the governance of the country in Chapter 60: "Governing a big country is like cooking small fish", which means that the decision-making of governing the country must be accurate and stable. If you turn it over, the small fish in the pot will be shoveled.

At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Yan Ying, a famous politician in Qi State, used the principle of cooking as a metaphor for "harmony" and "sameness" in politics to satirize Qi Jinggong.Once, Qi Jinggong fell ill, and Qiu Ju from the state of Wei came to visit him. He believed that the illness was caused by ghosts and gods, and that Zhu and Shi had failed in their duties. 〕(Qi Guo Historian), Jing Gong listened to him and dissuaded Yan Ying.Yan Ying said: If people cultivate virtue, the people will believe in the gods, and the world will be peaceful, and the gods will not bring disasters. It is useless to kill Zhu and Shi.Once, when Duke Jing returned from hunting, Qiu Ju came to flatter him again.Jing Gong praised Qiu Ju again in front of Yan Ying, saying that Qiu Ju and him were the most "harmonious".Yan Ying said: Qiu Ju and you are "same" not "harmonious".Then I used a cooking theory to enlighten Jing Gong: "Harmony is like soup, water, fire, 醯 (that is, vinegar), 醢 [hai sea] (meat sauce), salt, and plums are used to cook fish and meat. 〔chan cicada 〕(Lighting the fire) pays for the salary, the slaughterer and the husband, and the taste, and the lack of it, so as to vent the fault. The gentleman eats it to calm his heart. The same is true for the monarch and the minister. Persuading him not to make it possible. What you say is not, but what you can do. The minister persuades him to do it, so that he can get rid of it. It is based on political peace and not ten (disturbance)... Now according to (referring to Qiu Ju) is not the case, what the king said Yes, according to the evidence, it is also possible; if you say no, the evidence also says no. If you use water to feed water, who can eat it? If the zither is single-minded, who can listen to it? ·The Seventh Chapter of the Outer Chapter") This passage means: "He" means that the five flavors are cooked together with water and fire to form a delicious food; The same is true for the way of politics. It is not the blessing of the country to talk about one's words and be keen on uniformity.This famous cooking theory is also an excellent political commentary.

Yan Ying is also a seasoned diplomat. Once, when he visited the state of Chu, he used a food allusion to fight back against the insult of King Qi of Chu. "Yanzi Chunqiu·Inner Chapter" records: "Yanzi envoys Chu, and the king of Chu gives Yanzi wine. When the wine is full, two officials bind one person to become the king." The king said: "The one who binds is also the one who does it?" Confrontation: "Qi people also, Sit and steal." Wang looked at Yanzi and said: "Qi people are good at stealing?" What is the reason? The water and the soil are different. Today, the people living in Qi do not steal, but when they enter Chu, they steal. If there is no Chu, the people are good at stealing?" Wang laughed and said: "The sage is not because of Xi (deception)!" "This The story shows Yan Ying's outstanding diplomatic skills. He quoted the allusion of "South Orange and North Orange", countered the malicious provocation of the King of Chu, and completed a political mission for Qi State with dignity.

Zhuang Zhou is also good at using food as a metaphor for politics. When he demonstrated the rationality of the Warring States Reform, he said: "The rituals and laws of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors are not reserved for the same, but reserved for governance. Therefore, the etiquette and laws of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors are similar to Tamanthus, pear, tangerine, and pomelo have opposite tastes, but they can all be eaten in the mouth. Therefore, the etiquette and law are those that change with the times." ("Zhuangzi·Tianyun") He used hawthorn, pears, oranges, and pomelo. The taste is different, but they are all delicious. It is also a clever political argument to describe the rationality of the reform.

"Benwei Pian" in "Lushi Chunqiu" is a dialogue between Lu Buwei pretending to be Tuo Yiyin and Shang Tang on the way of cooking. After understanding the principles of "reconciliation" and "changes in the tripod", he further developed the cooking theory: "the husband's three groups of insects (the "three groups" are (1) living in water, such as fish and shrimp; (2) ) Meaty (juejue), carnivorous wild birds of prey, such as eagles, eagles, tigers, and leopards; (3) herbivores, such as cattle, sheep, geese, rabbits, etc. In ancient times, animals were often referred to as "insects") , water dwells in fishy smell, meat smells smelly, and herbivore smells smelly. The stench is beautiful, and all of them have their own reasons (each has its special delicacy). The root of all flavors, water is the most important, and the five flavors (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, Xin) The three materials (water, wood, and fire) boil nine times and change nine times. Fire is the discipline (fire plays the role of discipline), and sometimes it slows down (strong fire, slow fire). If it is superior, it will not lose its reason." That is to say: cooking must be good at removing fishy smell, in order to highlight the unique taste of various foods ("It must be superior, not lose its reason"), the key lies in the mastery of seasoning and heat.This theory is based on the discussion between Tuo Yiyin and Shangtang, which means that only by seasoning and cooking with water and fire can the unique flavor of various meats be brought out, and the bad smell that coexists in itself can be removed, so that Appropriate taste.With this ability, is a good chef.He used this principle to inspire Qin Wangzheng, and he should have this ability when employing people to govern.This dialogue gives full play to the metaphorical effect of cooking.

Huan Tan, a politician in the Western Han Dynasty, was also good at this. In his "Xin Lun·Jian Zheng", he used the story of a household head in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty who refused a wise man to persuade him to "remove his salary" and caused a fire. Discussion: "Chun Yu Kun [kun Kun] went to the neighbor's house and saw that the stove was straight and the salary was accumulated nearby. He said: there is a fire here. The teacher made it even more crooked and moved his salary far away. The family did not listen. In the aftermath of disasters, fire and fruits and accumulated salaries burned their houses, and the neighbors rescued them. When they were destroyed, they cooked sheep and put wine in order to thank those who put out the fire. Quite far away, they would not call Chunyu Kun to drink. The wise man ridiculed it Cloud: Teaching people to pay a long distance is not beneficial, and they are destitute, but they become a guest, which hurts their low base and makes them expensive. How can a husband’s sudden salary be the only way to eliminate harm! The same is true for people, diseases, and chaos in the country. Therefore, the good ministers did not heal him, but the Ming emperor rejected his original plan. Later generations will mostly suffer from Du Sai's infancy, but his diligence in attacking has already been accomplished. Advisers are rarely rewarded, but fighters are always prosperous. Judah's accidents are serious, and Chunyu can be judged. Kun’s prophecies can be infallible, and this can be seen in the subtle (symptoms).” Huan Tan quoted this story, but also used the food culture to develop his views, and used this story to satirize the world’s emphasis on the end rather than the root, thereby extending the treatment of diseases. The way of governing the country.

Because the way of diet and cooking, when it comes to philosophy, can be connected with politics. This kind of metaphor is easy to understand. Many thinkers and political commentators in ancient China were good at it. Such remarks are also valuable. Ideological and cultural heritage.