How do you evaluate Wang Rong in The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove?

Wang Rong was one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest, a famous group of literati in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. He came from a prominent family since he was a child. Relying on the legacy of his ancestors and his own hard power, he served as the governor of Jingzhou. He made contributions in the war against Wu. He was later rewarded for his merits and was named the Marquis of Anfeng County. Wang Rong was talented and good at conversation, and was appreciated by Ruan Ji and others. But for such a person, later generations have mixed praise and criticism for him, and sometimes he is even more criticized than praised. The reason is mostly due to his character. Let's explore Wang Rong's character traits together. Of course, first of all, I would like to state that this article only represents my personal views.

1. Wang Rong is stingy to the point of paranoia

When it comes to Wang Rong in The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, the first reaction of those who know him is that he is a miser. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there are four descriptions of Wang Rong's stinginess in a novel "Shishuo Xinyu? Frugal" which records the anecdotes of people in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, which shows how stingy this person was.

1. When Wang Rong’s nephew got married, he gave him a single coat as a gift, and later asked for the single coat back.

2. Wang Rong had good varieties of plums and often sold them, but he was afraid that others would get the good seeds, so he always drilled a hole in the core of the plums first so that others could not grow them.

3. His daughter married Pei Yu and borrowed tens of thousands of money from Wang Rong. When the daughter returned to her parents' home, she found that Wang Rong looked ugly. After the daughter returned the money to him, he looked so ugly. The sadness is gone.

4. Although Wang Rong became a high official, his wealth was comparable to that of only a few in Luoyang City. But what he likes to do most is to spread out chips and settle accounts with his wife under candlelight, that is, count money.

The nephew’s marriage is accompanied by a ceremony, and the father’s dowry is purchased by his daughter when he gets married. In the eyes of others, it is a matter of course, but for him, it is like a stuck in his throat. These four narratives show us a Grandet-style stinginess. ghost.

His wealth is comparable to that of the extremely wealthy Shi Chong, but he is stingy to the extreme, and he himself does not think there is anything wrong with it. We see his stinginess in this, but in fact, if we think about it the other way around, we can also feel Wang Rong's straightforward character. He doesn't care about what others think of him, and he doesn't let other people's evaluations influence him.

And there is actually a reason why Wang Rong values ??money so much and is so stingy. The development of Wang Rong's character has a lot to do with the political environment at that time. As we all know, the Wei and Jin Dynasties were a turbulent era with frequent dynasty changes. The political environment was harsh. If you were not careful, you would be charged with crimes. Dynasties would change quickly, and even your life would be at risk.

In this case, the first thing an official must consider is not the issue of the country or the people, but the issue of his own safety. Only by protecting yourself can you do it. When you are in a temple, you worry about the people; when you are far away from the rivers and lakes, you worry about the king.

Wang Rong held a high position in the politics of the time, and with high power came great risks. Wang Rong's stingy character can give others the feeling that he is a stickler for small things and cannot achieve great things, thereby reducing political troubles and protecting himself.

But what should be clear is that Wang Rong is just stingy and loves money, but he is still a gentleman who loves money in a proper way and will not obtain money through corruption or bribery. Perhaps it is precisely because Wang Rong is well versed in the ways of being an official that he has become the one who has gone the furthest on the road to becoming an official among the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest through his half-disguised approach of being stingy.

2. Wang Rong’s true temperament The word "qing" has extremely far-reaching significance in ancient China. From the hundreds of schools of thought in the Spring and Autumn Period, various schools of thought have elaborated on love to a considerable extent. During the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted Dong Zhongshu's opinions, dismissed hundreds of schools of thought, and only respected Confucianism. What Confucianism advocates is "restraining oneself and restoring propriety". People's behavioral norms and emotional norms must be bound by etiquette. Any behavior that violates etiquette will be condemned by public opinion.

However, during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was social unrest and political chaos. How can people talk about etiquette in a society where there is not enough food to eat and there are frequent wars? After all, as the old saying goes, a person knows etiquette well. People pay more attention to the display of self-emotions. So how did Wang Rong achieve himself and show his own temperament?

One of the most painful things in life is when a white-haired person gives a black-haired person a gift. When Wang Rong's son died, he could not suppress his grief.

When Shan Jian (the son of Shan Tao) went to visit him, he said: He is just a child, how can he be so sad? ?Wang Rong told him: ?The one I love is my generation.

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These eight words not only show that Wang Rong is a temperamental person, but also show the impact of the pain of losing his son on him. A white-haired person giving a black-haired person something that goes against the ethics of yin and yang is unbearable. In an era when wars were frequent and people often lost their lives, the lives of young people were particularly precious. When you lose a child in middle age, how can you care about your grace? This kind of Wang Rong makes us look more real, three-dimensional and vivid.

Wang Rong not only loved his son, he was also the most filial person. Wang Rong and He Qiao suffered great mourning at the same time, and both of them were known for their filial piety. Wang Rong was skinny, listless and bedridden. He Qiao cried bitterly all day long and was very polite.

When Emperor Wu asked Liu Yi about the situation between Wang Rong and He Qiao, Liu Yi told Emperor Wu: Although He Qiao was very polite, his spiritual energy was not damaged; although Wang Rong was not very polite, But grief destroys the body so that only a handful of bones remain. ?

In Liu Yi's view, being filial to He Qiao will not affect his life, but Wang Rong's excessive grief will endanger his life.

In ancient times, funeral ceremonies stipulated how and when children should cry after death. Although this was an expression of filial piety, it would inevitably fall into the trap of formalism and blindly follow the rules. It is a bit pretentious to make funeral arrangements according to etiquette.

He Qiao's crying ceremony was almost polite, but his dignity was intact. Although Wang Rong didn't understand it, he described it as haggard and broken bones. This kind of utmost filial piety towards parents goes beyond the constraints of etiquette and Confucianism's "sorrow without sadness". Abstinence is far less than the pain caused by the departure of relatives. This kind of love made Wang Rong successful.

And Wang Rong’s behavior allows us to see the shadow of his good friend Ruan Ji. When Ruan Ji was burying his mother, he steamed a fat dolphin and drank two cups of wine, shouting "It's over!" Is this kind of emotion incomparable to the secular regulations of when to cry and how much to cry to? Here we can vaguely see the true character of Wang Rong, Ruan Ji and other Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest who are detached from the world and not bound by rigid ethics.

Wang Rong’s affection is also reflected in love. Love is the strongest and most direct emotion in a person's life. Wang Rong had a very deep relationship with his wife. Even if his wife did something that seemed very transgressive at the time, he was still tolerant of her.

Wang Rong's wife often called Wang Rong "Qing". Wang Rong said to his wife: "It is not polite for a woman to call her husband as "Qing"." His wife said: I love you and love you, so I call you Qing. If I don’t call you Qing, who else should call you Qing? ?

Later on, Wang Rong just allowed his wife to call him that. It shows the depth of the relationship between Wang Rong and his wife. In the feudal society at that time, it was not easy for husband and wife to have a relationship where they were mostly respectful to each other. I think any title is just a name, and I don't care whether the outside world evaluates me as powerless, as long as my husband and wife have a harmonious relationship and my family is harmonious. His doting and love for his wife is also reflected.

Let’s look at Wang Rong’s attitude towards his friends. Friendship exists in our lives and is an integral part of life. It's hard to find a true friend in the mountains and rivers. As the poem says, when drinking with a close friend, a thousand cups are too little. Wang Rong was one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest, but he chose to become an official and took a different path from the other seven sages.

When Wang Rong was serving as Shangshu Ling, he wore official uniform and rode a light carriage as he passed Huang Gong’s Restaurant. He turned around and said to the guests sitting in the back of the carriage:

At that time I Drinking in this hotel with Ji Shuye and Ruan Sizong. I also participated in the last tour of the Bamboo Forest. Since the early death of Ji Sheng and the death of Duke Ruan, I have been bound by current events. When I saw this hotel today, although it was right in front of me, it felt as if it was far away, as if it were separated by mountains and rivers.

Wang Rong's remarks fully demonstrated his longing for his two old friends Ji Kang and Ruan Ji. In his words, he was sentimental. Now things have changed, his friends are gone, he is disturbed by worldly things in this world, and he can no longer feel the happiness he had at that time. Wang Rong's emotion fully demonstrated his sincerity towards his friends and his true temperament.

Through the narration of Wang Rong's affection, love and friendship towards his relatives, wife and friends, we can see Wang Rong's true temperament under his stingy appearance. In feudal society, he was not shackled by feudal ethics. In a sense, he was progressive.

3. Wang Rong’s image of a capable person

In "Shishuoxinyu", Wang Rong’s intelligence is not only reflected in doing things for officials, but also in his childhood. It has been fully reflected.

There is a record in "Shishuoxinyu": There were many plums on the trees by the roadside. The children except him were all rushing to pick and eat them, but he was the only one who remained there. When the adults asked him, he said: "There are so many plum trees on the roadside, but no one has picked them. The ones that are left so well must be bitter plums." ?

Then it was indeed verified that this was Ku Li. It is rare for a child of this age to have such keenness and insight. Wang Rong is also known as one of the rare child prodigies in "Shishuoxinyu".

Of course, a wise man is not only shown by his wisdom, but also by his courage. And Wang Rong is also a very courageous person. Emperor Wei Ming once wrapped up the tiger's claws and teeth in the Xuanwu Field and let the people see it. And Wang Rong was just a seven-year-old child at the time. He roared loudly at the edge of the cage when facing a tiger, his roar was as powerful as the ground, but he could still remain calm and motionless in the face of danger. The people next to him pale in comparison. These are enough to prove that Wang Rong has strong psychological endurance and extraordinary heroic aura.

Wang Rong’s outstanding ability is also reflected in his emotional intelligence, that is, his interactions with friends. Wang Rong is the youngest among the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest, but he gets along well with the other six eldest brothers. Drink and sing with them, and recite poems and poems. Ruan Ji, in particular, admired Wang Rong very much. Every time he talked with Wang Rong, he would come and return happily. Treat Wang Rong as an old friend. You must know that Ruan Ji was a famous celebrity at that time. For him to be evaluated like this, he must not only be talented and learned, but also must have excellent communication skills.

In addition, Wang Rong also has excellent ability to recognize people. Wang Rong commented on Shan Tao and said: "He is like an uncarved jade or an unsmelted stone. Everyone respects him as a treasure, but his magnanimity cannot be described." When he commented on Ruan Wu, he said: "He has a noble character and insightful insights. We have never seen such a talent since the founding of the Han Dynasty." ?Wang Rong's evaluation of Wang Yan is: ?Charming, transcendent and enlightened, as noble as jade, he is naturally a person outside the world. ?

Summary

By explaining Wang Rong’s talents, intelligence, calm personality and emotional intelligence, we can find that Wang Rong’s image of a wise man is multiple, full and three-dimensional. image.

As for the image of Wang Rong who is greedy for money and stingy as we mentioned in the previous article. There is also such a description in "Shishuoxinyu":

Wang Rong's father Wang Hun had a good reputation and was promoted to the governor of Liangzhou. When Wang Hun died, his old subordinates and generals in various counties under his jurisdiction all missed his kindness and kindness. They sent millions of dollars for funeral expenses one after another, but Wang Rong refused to accept it.

From these we can further draw the conclusion that although Wang Rong is stingy, he is not really a villain who takes money without restraint, but a real celebrity who takes it in a proper way.

To sum up, we can see that Wang Rong not only does not look like the image of a miser as we usually know him, but in fact, being miserly can only be said to be a small part of his image. , although it cannot be said that the flaws do not hide the advantages, but it is not harmful.

Wang Rong's more prominent image in "Shishuoxinyu" is that of a gentle man who attaches great importance to family, friendship, and love, a wise man who is both civil and military, courageous, and has excellent emotional intelligence. .

Reference: "Shishuoxinyu" by Liu Yiqing