【夜以繼日】

 The Loyal and Wise 

Zhōugōng(周公)

 

The Duke of Zhou, whose surname was Ji and given name was Dan, was the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou, the ruler of the Zhou Dynasty.

 

At the end of the Shang Dynasty, the Duke of Zhou assisted King Wu in overthrowing the tyrannical King Zhou of Shang (商紂王).

 

After the Shang Dynasty was destroyed, the Duke of Zhou advised King Wu to adopt a benevolent policy of "settling the innocent Shang people in their original locations and preserving their livelihoods," enfeoffing [ɪnˋfɛf] King Zhou's son as the Marquis of Yin (侯爵),

and providing relief to the Shang people suffering from famine due to the war.

 

Later, King Wu, burdened by the affairs of state, fell seriously ill.

 

The Duke of Zhou, deeply worried, devoutly prayed to the spirits of his ancestors, wishing to sacrifice his own life in place of King Wu.

 

Perhaps moved by the Duke of Zhou's sincerity, King Wu miraculously recovered the next day!

 

The Duke of Zhou's loyalty to King Wu and his brotherly affection for him are truly admirable.

Before his death, King Wu intended to pass the throne to the Duke of Zhou, but the Duke of Zhou firmly declined.

 

King Wu then passed the throne to his son, King Cheng.

 

Q1, war ➊ 戰爭 ➋和平  ➌遊行

 

Q2, the throne

       ➊王冠  ➋王位  ➌王孫

 

Q3, seriously ill 嚴重的 

     ➊多  ➋事   ➌病 

 

Q4, pray ➊禱告  ➋玩  ➌告狀

 

Q5, King Zhou ➊官  ➋兵  ➌王

 

Q6, brother 

       ➊父子  ➋姐妹  ➌兄弟

 

【忠義賢明的周公】

 

 

周公，姓姬名旦，為周朝君主周武王的弟弟。商朝末年，周公輔佐武王，討伐暴君商紂王，滅了商朝後，周公建議武王，對於無辜的商朝遺民，採用「原地安置，留民生路」的寬厚仁政，封紂王的兒子為殷侯，並賑濟因戰爭而飽受飢餓的殷商子民。

 

 

 

後來武王因國政繁忙，積勞成疾而身染重病，心急如焚的周公，虔誠向祖先之靈祝禱，祈願以自身性命來代替武王。或許是周公的真誠感動了上天，第二日，武王竟痊癒了！周公對武王的君臣之義、兄弟之情，實在令人敬重與感佩。

 

 

 

而武王在駕崩前，本想將王位傳予周公，但周公堅辭不受，武王才傳位給兒子，也就是成王。