Zeng Shen Is A Killer--Zeng Shen Sha Ren

This Chinese of Zeng Shen Is A Killer--Zeng Shen Sha Ren is 曾参杀人, and Pin Yin zēng shēn shā rén. 读“曾参杀人”的中文故事.

Zeng Shen (曾參), courtesy name Zi Yu (子輿), was a Chinese philosopher and student of Confucius.He is credited with having authored a large portion of the Great Learning, an important textbook of Confucianism. Zeng Zi's disciples are believed to have been among the most important compilers of the Analects of Confucius and other Confucian classics.

Besides, Zeng Shen was also respected by later generations for being a filial son and a man of strict morality.

Legend has it that Zeng Zi's mother was very proud of his son, and never thought that he would do anything immoral except for once when she was told that her son was a killer.

One year, Zeng Shen was out studying in the town of Fei, in which a distant relative of his also named Zeng Shen killed a man in the street. A kind neighbor, hearing of this news, hurried to Zeng Shen's mother and said : "Run for hide, madam. Your Son has killed a man. "

"My son would not kill anybody." Zeng Shen's mother said calmly and went on weaving as before.

Soon after, another man came to her, saying: " Madam, I hear your son has killed a man in the street. You'd better run for your life. "

Without a word, Zeng Shen's mother went on with her weaving as before.

A short time later, the third man came and said: " Run, Madam, your son, Zeng Shen, has killed a man. " Zeng Shen's mother became afraid, threw her shuttle, climbed over the wall of the back yard and fled.

His mother was very pleased to welcome him home, but to her surprise, she found that her son addressed her by her name, at which she was angry and asked her son, "You have studied for three years. Now you come back and address me by my name. Is that what you have learned? "

Background and Writer Comment:

This Chinese idiom story is from "Strategies of the Warring States" (战国策, Zhan Guo Ce). This one is very similar with the story of "Three people make a tiger".

The idiom of Zeng Shen Is A Killer--Zeng Shen Sha Ren is used to describe the case in which a lie, if repeated often enough, will be accepted as truth.