nucmednet Chapter 167 Answers
Chapter 167 Answers
Zhou Dajiang opened the test paper. The first part was about the meaning of the Four Books and Five Classics. There were five questions in total, and the test required writing an essay based on the questions.
It may seem like a small amount, but it is actually not. Of the 22 test papers, only the first two contain test questions, while the remaining 20 pages are all blank. The blank paper is used for writing drafts and copying essays.
Looking at the questions again, they are not easy.
The first question is, "I have devoted all my energy to my country. If disaster strikes in Henei, I will move its people to Hedong and its grain to Henei; if disaster strikes in Hedong, I will do the same. Observing the policies of neighboring countries, none are as dedicated as I am. Why is it that the populations of neighboring countries do not decrease, and my population does not increase?
The second question is, "The Way of the Great Learning is to manifest the illuminating virtue, to love the people, and to abstain from the highest good."
The third question is, "To attract the people of the world, to gather the goods from all over the world, to trade and return, and everyone will get what is right."
Question 4: "If you are a good person in your village, you should be friends with the good people in your village; if you are a good person in your country, you should be friends with the good people in your country; if you are a good person in the whole world, you should be friends with the good people in the whole world. If you think that being friends with the good people in the whole world is not enough, you should also discuss the ancient people. Is it possible to praise their poems and read their books without knowing the people themselves? This is to discuss their time. This is the importance of friendship."
The fifth question is, Yuan is the leader of good, Heng is the meeting of good things, Li is the harmony of righteousness, and Zhen is the success of things.
These questions are all excerpts from the Four Books and Five Classics. First of all, you need to know the source and understand the context of the source before you can answer it.
Take the first question, which comes from the Liang Hui Wang chapter of the Mencius. King Hui Wang asked Mencius, "I have devoted all my energy to governing Liang. When famine struck Henei, I relocated the people there to Hedong and transported grain from Hedong to Henei. I did the same when famine struck Hedong. I have observed the government of neighboring states, and none has been as dedicated as I am. Yet, the population of neighboring states has not decreased, and my own population has not increased. Why is this?"
To answer this question well, it is not enough to just know the source, but also to know what Mencius said. This requires students to have a strong memory.
Take the fifth question, from the Book of Changes, in Wenyan (literary Chinese). Yuan is the leader of all virtues. Heng is the collection of all beauty. Li is the unity of righteousness and reason. Zhen is the backbone of career.
This is only the first sentence; there is another sentence that follows: A gentleman's benevolence is enough to lead others, his good associations are enough to conform to propriety, his benefit to all things is enough to harmonize with righteousness, and his integrity is enough to accomplish things. A gentleman who practices these four virtues is therefore called "Qian: Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen."
A gentleman's practice of benevolence and righteousness is enough to command the masses, the combination of all virtues is enough to conform to propriety and righteousness, benefiting others and things is enough to be in harmony with righteousness, and adhering to the right path is enough to achieve success in one's career.
Only when you understand all of these can you write an article comprehensively.
Zhou Dajiang wiped the sweat off his forehead, sorted out his thoughts, reviewed all the questions carefully again, judged the difficulty level, and then began to answer the questions in order from easy to difficult.
Just as he picked up the pen to answer, he suddenly heard sobbing coming from the cell next to him.
Zhou Dajiang's heart skipped a beat. He suspected the young student next to him had burst into tears in a fit of anxiety over a question they couldn't answer. His tears disrupted his previously organized thoughts. With no other options, Zhou Dajiang took out the cotton balls his wife had prepared and stuffed them in his ears, shutting out any distractions. He then focused on his own exam paper.
He first listed the main points he wanted to answer on a piece of draft paper, and then wrote his own opinions around these points in a fluent manner. He stopped only after the number of words roughly reached the requirement, and then made some revisions and polishes on it. After all the revisions were completed, he checked it again and confirmed that it was correct before he began to copy it onto paper.
Just one question took him about three hours, which shows how difficult it was. Excluding breaks for meals and rest before dark, it would have taken him barely twenty hours over three days. The later, larger questions would have taken even longer. No wonder Yuan Hanlin said the time was tight, given the sheer volume of questions. Time was indeed tight, unless he could answer the questions by candlelight at night, but the candlelight was blinding and made it difficult to write well. He could only speed up during the day.
After a quick lunch, he began working on the second scripture question, again choosing a relatively easy one. Because of his first experience, he shortened his review time, barely copying the question onto his answer sheet before dark.
Zhou Dajiang put away his pen and ink. He wasn't planning on burning the midnight oil. He took out the instant noodles his wife had prepared, ate a bowl of hot noodle soup, and then tidied himself up and went to bed. The room only had three walls, and even with the duvet covering him, the wind still rushed in from under his feet. He could only curl up his legs and go over the remaining questions in his mind before gradually falling asleep.
……
By the time he finished the third exam, Zhou Dajiang was completely exhausted. His hair was disheveled, his coat wrinkled, and he looked at the others. Well, they all looked the same, utterly battered. He immediately felt better. He wasn't the only one suffering.
Zhou Dajiang stood outside the examination room, taking a few deep breaths, as if to expel all the repression he'd been feeling for the past few days. The crowd was bustling, some examinees looked dejected, others beamed with joy. Zhou Dajiang, however, was preoccupied with the thought of returning home.
Chen Xiuying and her children had been waiting outside the Imperial Examination Hall for a long time. Zhi Ge'er, still sitting on Sun Dashan's neck, spotted his father from a distance and waved while calling out in a low voice, "Daddy, here!"
When Zhou Dajiang saw his son waving his hand, he quickly dragged his exam basket and ran a few steps to the front of the group.
"How did you do in the exam?" Chen Xiuying asked with concern.
Zhou Dajiang grinned broadly, "We've tried our best, but the outcome depends on fate. However, my daughter was right in the final strategy: disaster prevention, emergency response, and post-disaster reconstruction."
Zhou Sisi immediately became happy, "I'm right! I can definitely pass the exam."
Chen Xiuying was also happy for her husband, "It's good that you answered it. Let's go home quickly. I've cooked a table full of your favorite dishes. When you get home, take a shower, eat something, and have a good sleep. You'll be refreshed.
Zhou Dajiang started to be naughty again, "No, I want to take a nap!"
"Whatever you want! No one will care if you sleep there for three days."
Zhi Ge'er: "Daddy, I'll accompany you!"
Heng Ge'er also hurriedly said: "I'll accompany you too!"
"Okay, okay, I'll accompany you! Come home and take a bath with daddy first!"
"No! Daddy stinks!"
In this way, everyone went home chatting and laughing.