【成語故事：伯仲之間】

 

【成語故事：伯仲之間】

 

Idiom Story: almost on a par/about the same/equally matched

During the Three Kingdoms period, Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi(曹丕), wrote a famous essay, "On Classics,"

 

which expounded on the proper attitude of scholars towards writing.

 

He believed that the greatest flaw among literati was their self-righteousness and their disdain for the works of others.

 

Therefore, he began by citing the long-standing disdain among scholars, citing the Han Dynasty figures Fu Yi and Ban Gu as examples.

 

During the reign of Emperor Zhang of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ban Gu and Fu Yi served as Lanting Historians,

 

sharing the responsibility of proofreading books.

 

Cao Pi considered the two men equally talented, but Ban Gu looked down on Fu Yi.

 

In a letter to his brother Ban Chao, he wrote, "Fu Yi received this position because of his writing skills, but once he starts, he writes endlessly and without restraint."

 

This pattern of literati using their own strengths to criticize others' shortcomings is common.

 

In reality, no one is a universalist, mastering all literary styles.

Everyone has their own unique characteristics, and one should appreciate the strengths of others.

 

In his essay, Cao Pi used the term "bo zhong," referring to the ranking of brothers, to indicate that Ban Gu and Fu Yi were equally talented, like brothers, with little difference in their literary abilities.

 

Later, "伯仲之間" was used to describe people with equal talents.

 

 

三國時，魏文帝曹丕有一篇相當著名的文章〈典論論文〉，闡述讀書人為文應有的態度。

 

他認為一般文人最大的毛病就是自以為是，瞧不起別人的作品。

 

所以他在文章一開頭，就說自古文人相輕，並以漢代的傅毅和班固為例。

東漢章帝時，班固和傅毅同為蘭臺史令，一起負責書籍的典校工作。

 

曹丕認為這兩人的文才不相上下，但班固看不起傅毅，在寫給弟弟班超的信中說：

 

「傅毅因為會寫文章而得到這個職務，但他一下筆就沒完沒了，不知節制。」

文人常會這樣以自己的長處來攻擊別人的缺點，事實上沒有人是通才，能掌握各種文體，所以每個人各有各的特色，應該要懂得欣賞別人的優點才對。

 

曹丕在文中以稱兄弟排行的「伯仲」，來表示班固與傅毅的文才相當，有如兄弟一般，差距不大。

 

後來「伯仲之間」被用來形容人才能相當，不相上下。