In ancient China, there is a very interesting historical story called “Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant”.This story is about a little boy who solved a big problem with a clever solution.If you like to use your brain and think of solutions, then you will like this story.
When did the story take place?
This story happened during the Three Kingdoms period in China, around 200 AD.At that time, China was divided into three countries, namely Wei, Shu and Wu.The ruler of Wei was Cao Cao, who was a very capable politician and military man.
One day, Sun Quan, the king of Wu, gave Cao Cao a special gift – a huge elephant.The elephant was so large and rare that it attracted everyone’s attention.
How do you weigh an elephant when it arrives?
When the elephant was transported to Xuchang, the capital of Wei, Cao Cao brought many of his ministers along to see it.Everyone was amazed to see the elephant, for its body was tall and large, its legs as thick as pillars, and it looked magnificent.
Looking at the elephant, Cao Cao suddenly asked, “Can any of you think of a way to know how much it weighs?”
As soon as this question was posed, everyone began to discuss it, but no one could think of a good way.
Someone suggested building a big scale
One of the ministers said, “We can make an extra large scale to weigh the elephant.”But it was almost impossible to make a scale that could hold the weight of an elephant.
There was also talk of killing the elephant
Another minister suggested, “Why don’t we kill the elephant and cut it into pieces and weigh it, so we can know the total weight.”
But this suggestion was immediately opposed.After all, elephants were very precious animals, and it would be too bad to kill them just to weigh them.
In this way, the ministers thought of all sorts of ways, but there was no feasible solution.Just when everyone was at their wits’ end, a child came forward with his own idea.
At a young age, he was wise
This child was Cao Cao’s son, Cao Chong.He was only six or seven years old at the time, very young, but he was usually very cerebral and attentive.
Cao Chong went to Cao Cao and said, “Father, I have a way to find out the weight of an elephant.”
Cao Cao laughed at this and said, “You’re still so young, what good idea can you have?Speak up and listen.”
So Cao Chong told Cao Cao his idea.After hearing it, Cao Cao nodded his head and thought it was a very clever method.
What did Cao Chong do?
The next day, Cao Cao took his ministers and Cao Chong to the river and prepared to weigh an elephant according to Cao Chong’s method.
There was a very big boat parked by the river.Cao Chong first had the elephants led onto the boat.When the boat had stabilized, he drew a line on the side of the boat, just flush with the water.
Next, Cao Chong had the elephants taken off the boat, and then began to carry stones to the boat.Stone by stone was lifted onto the boat, and the boat slowly sank.
When the boat sank to the line drawn earlier, Cao Chong said, “Okay, no more rocks.”
At this point, everyone still didn’t understand what this meant.Cao Chong explained, “Now just weigh these stones separately and then add them up to know how much the elephant weighs.”
It turned out that when the elephant stood on the boat, the boat would sink to a certain position; and the weight of the stones could make the boat sink to the same position.So the total weight of the stones was equal to the weight of the elephant.
Hearing this explanation, the ministers all came to a realization and praised Cao Chong for his cleverness.
What did Cao Chong’s success depend on?
Although Cao Chong was young, he was successful because he possessed several important qualities:
1. Good Observation
Cao Chong usually paid attention to the things around him.He knew the law of change of the boat in the water, and he also knew that the weight of the object would affect the degree of sinking of the boat.It was because of his careful observation that he could think of weighing an elephant in this way.
2. Flexible Thinking
Other people were thinking of weighing the elephant directly, but Cao Chong was not limited by this kind of thinking.He thought of a different way of thinking and came up with the idea of using water and a boat to measure the weight of the elephant indirectly.
3. Courageous Expression
Although Cao Chong was young, he was not afraid of being laughed at and bravely expressed his ideas.It was because he spoke out his method that everyone had a chance to try and recognize his wisdom.
4. Teamwork
Weighing an elephant is not a task that can be done by one person.It needs many people to help together, such as holding the elephant, moving the stones, recording the data and so on.Cao Chong was not only smart by himself, but also able to organize everyone to work together to complete the task.
What does this story teach us?
Cao Chong Weighs the Elephant is a story that has been passed down for a long time. It tells us that we don’t always need to rely on strength or complicated tools to solve problems, but sometimes we can find a better way if we change our point of view and use our brains.
1. Don’t be afraid of difficulties
We often encounter all kinds of problems in life.Sometimes they seem difficult, but if you are willing to use your brain, you can find a solution.
2. Learn to be flexible
Sometimes, the conventional way of doing things doesn’t solve the problem.This is when you need to think outside the box and look at the problem in a different way.
3. Make good use of the resources around you.
Cao Chong didn’t use any special tools, he just used the boats and stones around him.In fact, there are many resources around us, the key is to learn to find and utilize them.
4. Don’t be afraid to speak out just because you are young
Cao Chong was only a few years old, but he dared to express his ideas.Sometimes, being young doesn’t mean having no wisdom.Everyone can contribute to the team.
Summary
“Cao Chong Weighs the Elephant” is not only an interesting historical story, it also teaches us how to face difficulties, how to think and how to cooperate with others.No matter you are an adult or a child, you can learn a lot from it.
Next time when you encounter a difficult problem, why don’t you do what Cao Chong did, observe carefully and use your brain, and maybe you can come up with a good solution too!
If you like this story, you can also share it with your friends or family members so that they can learn from Cao Chong’s wisdom too!
