In the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC), King Wei of the State Qi often drank a lot and indulged himself throughout the night, which resulted into a crisis.
The State Chu used the opportunity to attack the State Qi. Fortunately, Chunyu Kun asked the State Zhao to rescue the State Qi, and avoided the disaster of the ruin. Therefore, King Wei of Qi prepared a feast to appreciate him.
At the feast, King Wei of Qi asked Chunyu Kun, “How much do you drink before you are drunk?”
Chunyu Kun answered, “I may get drunk after drinking a dou (an ancient Chinese measuring unit) of wine or a dan (also an ancient Chinese measuring unit, equal to ten dou) of wine.”
King Wei of Qi felt very strange, “How come? Now that you are drunk after you drink a dou of wine, how can you drink a dan of wine?”
Chunyu Kun explained, “If you invite me to a drink, I will get drunk only after a dou of wine, because there are the law enforcement official near me and royal etiquette official behind, because I am nervous. However, if I drink together with good friends I haven’t seen for a long time, I may drink five or six dou, because I am happy. If drinking at a private party where all the people sit together regardless of men or women, and entertain ourselves, I can drink even eight dou before I am drunk. And if the host retains me, I will feel very free, I like this moment the best, and so I can drink a dan of wine.”
Then, he stopped, looked into the eyes of King Wei, and continued, “So, the ancient people say that if a person drinks too much, he will forget the etiquette; and if a person is joyful to the extreme, sorrow will follow.”
Then King Wei realized Chunyu Kun was ridiculing him! He sighed, “You are right, sir!”
From then on, King Wei no longer drank or indulged himself throughout the night.
This proverb, which comes from HistoricalRecords:TheJesters, means the extreme joy will beget sorrow. Sometimes, this proverb is also used to describe the truth that the time of extreme joy tends to be accompanied by sad things.
