◎II.Sincerity Can Make Metal and Stone Crack

In 128 BC, Li Guang, a famous general of the Han Dynasty, was appointed as Governor of the Right Beiping Prefecture to guard the border and keep away the Huns, an ancient ethnic group in China.The Right Beiping Prefecture is located in today's Lulong County.There were rolling mountains and dense woods locally, so tigers often came to attack people.Li Guang was very good at archery.In order to get rid of the troubles caused by tigers, he often went to the deep mountains and forest to hunt tigers.When Li Guang came back from hunting in the evening, he suddenly found a tiger lying in the thick grass beside the road on the mountainside.He immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow.With a whoosh, the arrow hit the tiger rightly.His retinue, however, found that he hit a huge stone shaped like a tiger, instead of a real tiger.Not believing that his arrow could pierce through stone, Li Guang shot two more arrows with all his might at the huge stone.As a result,both the arrows were broken by the stone and he could not hit it any more.

This story was soon spread around.Some people praised Li Guang for his utmost sincerity can influence even metal and stone.Thus came the idiom“Sincerity can make metal and stone crack,” which means that as long as you are sincere enough, you can have great influence.