What Are They About?

1. Dream Divination

   "Jiang Taigong's Fishing - Willing Bait," is a well-known idiom. Jiang Taigong, whose real name was Jiang Shang, gained fame for his contributions in assisting King Wu of Zhou in overthrowing the Shang dynasty and establishing the Zhou dynasty. His ability to be employed was not due to his fishing skills or connections but because King Wen of Zhou recognized him in a peculiar dream. Thus, the term "dream divination" became an anecdote of emperors seeking capable ministers.

2. Dreaming of a Sword

   Wang Anshi, a political figure during the Northern Song dynasty, wrote a line of poetry: "Traveling westward, I leisurely trim the grass; Sitting and reminiscing, I desire to dream of a sword." What does "dreaming of a sword" refer to? There is a story behind it: Wang Jun, a general of the Western Jin dynasty, once dreamt of two swords hanging from the beam of his bedroom, and later, another sword was added. Upon waking up, he sought an interpretation of the dream.

The dream interpreter explained that the three swords represented the character "州" (zhou), originally two swords, and the addition symbolized "益" (yi), suggesting that he would be appointed as the governor of Yizhou. Several days later, Wang Jun indeed received the appointment as the governor of Yizhou. This could have been a coincidence between the dream interpreter's speculation and the imperial appointment based on Wang Jun's desires. Subsequently, the term "dreaming of a sword" became a metaphor for local officials' promotion.

   While holding an official position was generally considered fortunate and joyful, ancient people believed that dreaming of a corpse was a sign of obtaining an official position. Why was this so? The book "A New Account of the Tales of the World" provides an explanation: "Officialdom is rotten, and wealth is nothing but manure. That's why dreaming of a coffin and corpse indicates obtaining an official position; money is nothing but manure, so dreaming of filth and impurity indicates obtaining wealth." Thus, the Northern Song literary figure Su Dongpo wrote in a poem: "Engaging in official duties, dying in battle or dying in office; dreaming of a corpse, obtaining an official position, it is an ancient saying."