Translation of Ouyang Xiu's thesis in classical Chinese: The specific contents are as follows:
The origin of this idiom is Han Morong's theory of reason and confusion [2]. Once upon a time, the palace played a game of "clearing horns" for a cow, and it kept eating as before. It's not that cows don't smell, nor are they ears. Turn to the sound of mosquitoes and calves, that is, turn off your tail and listen. The palace once played an elegant piano piece for the cow, and the cow still buried her head in the grass as before. It's not that the cow doesn't listen, it's the tune that makes its ears uncomfortable. So the palace used the harp to imitate the calls of mosquitoes and calves. The cow wagged its tail, pricked up its ears, and walked back and forth in small steps, listening to the music. Notes on "The Story of the Past": Zeng Yi: Chunqiu person, disciple. Zeng Shen (sound), word. Ceng Zi, a disciple of Confucius. Here it is. Clarifying practice: This refers to profound music. Puritanism: the name of an quaint tune. Fuck: Qinqu. Same as before: same as before. No: no. Smell: Listen. He: Yue. Taboo: Blood-sucking flies. Orphan calf: A calf that has left its mother. Singing as a noun. Drop: shake, swing. Finn: Stand up. Flip your tail and ears: flick your tail and ears. Walking around in small steps. Later, according to this story, people derived the idiom "play the lute to a cow", which means it is a waste of breath to reason with people who don't understand reason; It is also often used to laugh at people who talk without looking at objects. It is not advisable to talk without looking at the object, nor is it advisable to reason with fools. According to the experience of some people in the cattle industry, cattle can get some relaxation after listening to music, which is conducive to improving the quality of beef. It seems that playing the piano for cows is also an auxiliary feeding method.