Breaking the Oath | learn English through stories | Listening practice

Breaking the Oath
Vows have always been taken seriously in traditional cultures, both in the East and the West. Once a vow is made, one is bound by that vow, and fulfilling the vow or failing to do so will lead to corresponding consequences. The following is the story of Pang Juan Breaking His Oath:
During the Warring States period, Sun Bin and Pang Juan studied military strategy together guided by the hermit Guiguzi. Pang Juan was later recruited by the Wei state.
Before Pang left, he and Sun burned incense and Pang vowed: “If I do well, I will send someone to come get you to share my glory. If I violate this vow, I will die with arrows through my heart!”
Pang’s military achievements were, indeed, brilliant, and King Hui of Wei State honoured him with the title of general. But Pang did not invite Sun to share his glory as he’d promised because he was jealous of Sun’s talents.
When King Hui heard of Sun’s talents, he ordered Pang to invite Sun to the Wei state. Pang did so reluctantly.
Pang plotted to kill Sun after Sun arrived in Wei by falsely accusing him of treason. Sun was punished by having his kneecaps chopped off and a criminal mark tattooed on his face.
An envoy from the Qi state helped Sun escape to the Qi state, where he was offered the position of military strategist to assist General Tian Ji.
Later, during a battle between the states of Qi and Wei, Pang fell into a trap and was killed with arrows through his heart, just as he’d vowed to Sun years earlier.
In ancient Chinese traditional culture, making an oath or a promise is a very solemn and sacred matter. When a couple married, they bowed to heaven and earth and vowed to be kind to each other for the rest of their lives; when friends became sworn brothers or sisters, they would burn incense, kneel, and swear to an oath. By performing these sacred rituals, the participants were asking the gods of heaven and earth to hold them to their words and punish them if they failed to live up to their words.
In The Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties, Qin Qiong and his cousin Luo Cheng promised to teach each other the “Qin Family Mace” and the “Luo Family Spear” and vowed not to hold back any secrets.
Qin Qiong vowed: “If I keep anything to myself, may I vomit blood and die!” Luo swore: “If I have any reservations, may I die from arrows piercing my body!”
However, they each held back one single secret of their family’s specialty,,, and, consequently, one died from vomiting blood, and the other from being shot by arrows.



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The reference for the story's script: www.minghui.org
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Music in the video:Name: Odd sung music
By: Taiwanese practitioner
From: www.en.minghui.org
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