◎IV.Sincere Men Need Not Speak Much

This idiom “peaches and plums do not talk, yet a path is formed beneath them” is derived from the “Biography of General Li” in Historical Records, written by Sima Qian.Li Guang was honest and kind, and usually quiet.He not only fought bravely, but also loved his soldiers much and always shared weal and woe with them, so they were willing to follow him through thick and thin.When Li Guang served as Governor of the Right Beiping Prefecture, soldiers of the Huns, an ancient ethnic group in China were afraid of him and said, “The Winged General (Li Guang) guards here,so we cannot invade his territory.” Li Guang devoted all his life to fighting against the Huns, and was forced to commit suicide during the last fight against the Huns.After his death, all the oきcers and soldiers of the whole army burst into tears.Wang Changling, a poet of the Tang Dynasty,composed a poem for this, “The moon of Qin shines yet over the passes of Han; Our men have not returned from the distant frontier.If the Winged General of Dragon City were there, no Hu horses could ever cross the Yin Mountain.”

“Peaches and plums do not talk, yet a path is formed beneath them.”This means that though peaches and plums do not speak, there are so many people come to pick them that paths are formed through the field beneath them.People use this idiom to describe that sincere men will certainly have strong appeal and achieve great popularity.