Welcome, little friends, to LingoAce's story time! Today, Teacher Xiaoyu is going to tell you a story about the idiom "Paper Talks about Soldiers."
Let's begin!
long ago, in ancient China, there was a country called Zhao, and they had a very talented general named Zhao She. Zhao She achieved victories against the invading Qin army despite being outnumbered, earning recognition from the King of Zhao. He was promoted to a high-ranking official, entrusted with the defense of the country.
Zhao She had a son named Zhao Kuo, who was passionate about studying military strategies and loved discussing tactics. Having read many military books, he considered himself very clever and believed there was nothing he couldn't accomplish. His words were often irrefutable, making him extremely proud.
However, Zhao She was somewhat concerned about his son. He felt that while Zhao Kuo had theoretical knowledge, he lacked practical battlefield experience. It was as if he could only talk about military matters on paper, understanding theories but not the practical application. Zhao She had warned the king that if Zhao Kuo's abilities were needed in the future, the Zhao army would face defeat.
In the year 259 B.C., Qin invaded Zhao once again. The Zhao army defended their position at Changping (near present-day Shanxi Gaoping), requiring an outstanding commander to lead the battle. Unfortunately, Zhao She had already passed away, unable to serve Zhao any longer. The king, however, listened to some who said that Zhao Kuo, the son of Zhao She, was the general Qin feared the most. Therefore, the king appointed Zhao Kuo to command the Zhao army.
Thinking he understood war perfectly, Zhao Kuo completely altered the tactics left by his father, insisting on following the written prescriptions in military books. As a result, the Zhao army suffered a devastating defeat. Over forty thousand soldiers were defeated by the Qin army, and Zhao Kuo himself was shot and killed by enemy arrows.
Question time!
Now that the story is over, here's a question for you, little friends: Do you know what lesson this story teaches us?
The answer is revealed!
This story tells us that talking about military strategies on paper is not enough; theoretical knowledge alone is insufficient to face real challenges. We need to learn to combine theory with practice because practical experience is crucial. Just like Zhao Kuo, having knowledge from military books alone is not sufficient; one must have practical experience to respond to dangers in critical moments. So, little friends, learning knowledge is important, but it's equally important to bravely put that knowledge into practice to become even stronger!
Story source
"Paper Talks about Soldiers" (Chinese: 纸上谈兵, Pinyin: zhǐ shàng tán bīng) is an idiom derived from a historical story and is first found in "Records of the Grand Historian" under the section on Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru. Originally, it referred to Zhao Kuo, who was well-versed in military books but couldn't apply the knowledge in practice. Later, it became a metaphor for empty theoretical talk that cannot solve real-world problems.
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