During the Spring and Autumn period, Yan Ying, the prime minister of the state of Qi, was not only a renowned statesman but also a brilliant diplomat.
During the Spring and Autumn period, King of Chu heard that the Qi envoy Yan Ying was short in stature and decided to humiliate him. The king ordered a small gate cut beside the main city gate, instructing guards to make Yan Ying enter through it. When Yan Ying arrived, he stopped at the small gate and said calmly, 'I have heard that when visiting a country of dogs, one enters through a dog gate. Since I am an envoy of Qi, I must ask: am I visiting a country of dogs or a country of men?' The guards, stunned, had no choice but to open the main gate for him. This story shows how Yan Ying turned an insult into a display of wit, proving that true stature lies not in height but in wisdom.
Yan Ying arrived at the Chu capital Yingcheng, where the official in charge of reception demanded he enter through a small gate. Yan Ying calmly replied, "I've heard that one enters through a dog gate only when visiting a dog country. Have I arrived in a dog country today?"
The reception official had nothing to say and had to lead Yan Ying into the city through the gate. When Yan Ying arrived at the Chu palace, the King of Chu received him and said bluntly, "Is there no one left in your state of Qi? Why send you as an envoy?"
Yan Ying replied with dignity, 'Our capital Linzi has three hundred lanes; when people raise their sleeves, it becomes overcast, when they wipe their sweat, it turns to rain, and on the streets, shoulders rub against heels—how could there be no one?'
“If that's the case, how could the King of Qi send you as an envoy?” asked the King of Chu.
Yan Ying smiled slightly and replied, "The reason is simple. In our state of Qi, we dispatch envoys according to a ranking system, and the principle of this ranking is based on the virtue of the ruler we are visiting. Capable envoys are sent to the courts of wise and virtuous monarchs, while incompetent envoys are sent to the courts of unworthy rulers. I am the most useless envoy in all of Qi, so naturally, I was sent here to Chu."
King of Chu originally wanted to humiliate Yan Ying, but ended up humiliating himself, so he had to mock himself, saying, "A sage cannot be trifled with; I have brought this humiliation upon myself."
Thus, the King of Chu arranged a grand ceremony to receive Yan Ying, who successfully completed his diplomatic mission to the state of Chu.
Later, the idiom "sweat turns to rain" came to describe a crowded crowd.
Source: *Yanzi's Spring and Autumn Annals*, "Inner Miscellaneous Chapters"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "挥汗成雨" came to describe a crowded crowd.