《荀子·宥坐》中记载,有一次,孔子到鲁桓公的太庙中去参观,见到一种倾斜易覆的欹器,便问看守太庙的人:“这是什么器具?”守太庙的人回答说:“这是一个座右铭一般的器具。”孔子说:“我听说这种器物,空着时会倾斜,灌了一半水就会垂直正立,灌满了水就会倾翻,把水倒净,尔后又自动复原,是这样的吗?”守庙的人回答说:“是的。”孔子就让子路取来水试了试,果然如此,于是,孔子感慨地说:“唉,哪有满盈而不翻倒的 ”Xunzi You Sit“ records, once, Confucius to Lu Huan Gong’s Imperial Temple to visit, see a tilting easy to cover the device, then asked to watch the temple too: ”What is this device?“ The temple of the Ancestral Temple replied: ”This is a motto.“ Confucius said: ”I have heard that this object is tilted when it is empty, half full and full of water It will be tipped, the water down the net, and then automatically recovered, is that right? “Shou Temple people replied: ” Confucius let the child take the water try, of course, Thus, Confucius said with emotion: "Oh, how full of profit but not upside down