#  "I'm not as good as"

By [raindrop](https://paragraph.com/@raindrop) · 2022-08-30

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The word "I'm not as good as" appears many times in the words of the ancients.

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Anyone who can say this word is not an ordinary person, either a very famous person or a very important person. Sima Qian wrote in "Records of the Grand Historian: The Chronicles of Emperor Gaozu": "The world is settled... The great grandfather set up the wine Luoyang Nangong. Why did the family lose the world?'" This year, Liu Bang was 54 years old. From the uprising in 209 BC to this point, in just seven years, the "Ting Chang" became the "Han King", and the "Han King" became the "Han Emperor". ', to become the king of a country. These seven years have not been easy, with successes and failures. Therefore, Liu Bang wanted to sum up how he could win, and how could Xiang Yu escape the "siege of Gaixia"?

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![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/a4d7632507f01c7db450e1835533f5c7edcd19b0532c53a508e4821eb01b388b.png)

So, the generals Gao Qi and Wang Ling raised their hands to answer: "Your Majesty is slow and insults people, Xiang Yu is kind and loves people. However, His Majesty sends people to attack cities and land, and those who are sent down will benefit from it, and the world will benefit. Xiang Yu is jealous of the virtuous. Those who have merit will harm them, those who are wise will doubt them, those who have conquered do not give merit to others, those who have gained land do not benefit from others, and this is why the world is lost.”

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Sima Qian is a great writer, and these words express a truth: those who win people's hearts gain the world, and those who lose people's hearts lose the world. Although Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty, was not highly literate and had little literacy, he was an emperor who could listen to unfaithful words. Of course, he understood that it took seven years to conquer the world, not by himself, but by the blood of his soldiers of. Therefore, his answer appeared "I'm not as good as", admitting his own shortcomings, which is a very great mind. He said: "I know the first, but I don't know the second. In planning and strategizing, the decisive victory is thousands of miles away, and I am not as good as the ovary; I am not as good as Xiao He; Even an army of one million must win in battle and capture in attack. I am not as good as Han Xin. These three are all outstanding people. I can use them. That's why I take the world. I am also caught."

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/ad44816a3098db7409794bb39c48ffca8d1837aa5279d45423cfe95b166ac56e.png)

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These are the three "I'm not as good" stories of Liu Bang's fame.

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In fact, Liu Bang's eloquent "I'm not as good" is not his first creation, but follows what Confucius said in "The Analects". It was the earliest "I'm not as good" in the history books. The sage of the teacher for all ages took the lead. Since him, the word "I'm not as good" has been quoted by many great people.

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"I'm not as good" comes from "The Analects of Confucius: Zilu", the original text is: "Fan Chi asked to learn to grow crops, the Master said: 'I am not as good as an old farmer.'

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This Fan Chi, who didn't study the Master's way of propriety, righteousness, benevolence, wisdom, and faith, suddenly proposed to learn how to grow crops. This made the teacher Confucius very unhappy, so he said with a straight face: If you want me to learn to grow crops, I am not as good as an old farmer. Fan Chi "one tendon", unable to hear anything in Confucius' words, and without looking at the teacher's sunny and cloudy face, he then asked, "Teacher, why don't you teach me how to grow vegetables!" Confucius almost fainted. For teachers, the most nerve-racking thing is not the students who are afraid of being mischievous and truancy, but the students who are afraid of the elm wood and unlearned. Since you are studying in the classroom, self-cultivation is the first, what kind of crops and vegetables are you planting? So, he answered with disappointment: If you want me to learn to grow vegetables, I am not as good as Laoyuan.

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![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/ba0632e5323dfede006b4c3802b68b437c53e008be123ea899469fc39a67bfdd.png)

Confucius was a little angry and angry at the time, so he used "I'm not as good as" to block Fan Chi. The sage's "I am not as good" is not the original meaning of the word "I am not as good as".

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*Originally published on [raindrop](https://paragraph.com/@raindrop/i-m-not-as-good-as)*