this story comes from the historical records. later generations use the set phrase "the latecomers surpass the old-timers " to indicate that successors can cxcel the predecessors1, which is quite different from the original idea when ji an said that the latecomers surpassed the old-timers.
ji an lived at the time of emperor wudi of the western han dynasty (206 b.c.-a.d.24). he was respected for being upright, just and for daring to speak the truth. he was particular about actual effects and, although he did not cause a stir, he kept the prefecture（县，辖区） he governed in perfect order. because of this, the imperial court tran*erred him to the central government from being the perfect of the donghai prefecture to being a commander in charge of the appointment and dismissal of the local officials.
once, emperor wudi said that he would implement2 the policy of benevolence3（仁慈，善行） and justice of confucianism and would do good turns for the people. emperor wudi had hardly finished his remarks when ji an said that there was no need for the emperor to say so. why should the emperor bother, ji an said, with pretending to implement the policy of benevolence and justice since he was so greedy and avaricious4 within himself? this choked the emperor off. the emperor suddenly changed his countenance5（面容，表情） and declared the meeting over. all the civilian6 and military officers at court were breathless with anxiety for fear that ji an might bring disaster upon himself because of this. after returning, emperor wudi said to the people around him that ji an was a little too rude and too straightforward7.
for this reason, ji an was n*r promoted again. when he was the commander in charge of the appointment and dismissal of the local officials, both gongsun hong and zhang tang were low -ranking officials of little importance. later, they were promoted continuously. gongsun hong became the prime minister and zhang tang became the imperial censor8. how*r, ji an's post remained the same. one day, ji an said to emperor wudi that the way the emperor used his ministers was just like piling up firewood, which meant that the latecomers surpassed the old-timers. of course, emperor wudi could see that ji an was complaining. so, turning to his ministers, emperor wudi said, "it is true that no one can stop learning. you see, ji an is * * and * indiscreet（轻率的） remarks."
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