One day, a "learned" man came to Confucius' house and asked his disciples, "How many seasons are there in a year?"
Disciple said, "Four seasons, of course."
A knowledgeable person said, "There are only three seasons in a year. How can there be four seasons here?"
One insists on three seasons a year and the other insists on four seasons a year. They argued and finally decided to consult a wise man. Whoever loses will knock the other team three heads.
At this time, Mr. Kong came out. They agreed that Confucius was a wise man, so they asked Mr. Kong for proof.
Teacher Kong said: "A year is obviously three seasons, how can it be four seasons? It's all my fault that I didn't educate my students well. They don't know such a simple question. "
Disciples should kowtow to knowledgeable people three times.
After the learned man left, the disciple was very unhappy and blamed Mr. Kong for saying, "Teacher, it is obvious that there are four seasons in a year. Why do you have to say three seasons?"
Teacher Kong said, "Didn't you see him covered in green? He is a grasshopper. How do grasshoppers know that there are four seasons in a year? Grasshoppers were born in spring, and autumn has passed. So grasshoppers only know that there are only three seasons in their lives, let alone one year. Now you tell him that there are four seasons in a year. Can he believe it? So, it's worthwhile for you to knock him on the head three times. Because there is no result in fighting him, if you really want to wait for the result, unless the grasshopper mutates and can't live in winter. "