The dragon and phoenix are outstanding spiritual creatures in the spiritual world of ancient Chinese people. When it comes to "dragons and phoenixes among people," many people may first think of Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong from the Three Kingdoms period, who were respectively known as "Wolong" and "Fengchu". In fact, before them, the representative figures of Taoism, Laozi, and Confucianism, Confucius, were also regarded as "dragons and phoenixes among people.". It is interesting that Confucius was the one who regarded Laozi as a dragon. Sima Qian recorded this story in "Records of the Grand Historian": After Confucius returned from asking for gifts from Laozi, his disciples wanted to hear the teacher's evaluation of Laozi. After some contemplation, Confucius expressed that Laozi was truly extraordinary and didn't know how to describe him. If we must talk about it, perhaps we can say that it is like a dragon. The reason why Confucius believed that Laozi was similar to dragons was briefly explained by Confucius: although it is not easy to catch birds in the sky, fish in the water, and animals in the mountains, it is not impossible because we can grasp their living habits. For example, birds, we know they can fly; Like fish, we know it can swim; Like a beast, we know it can walk. To capture animals, you can use a net net, catch swimming fish with a drawstring, and catch birds with arrows. But dragons are different, they can fly, swim, and walk, their movements are unpredictable and unpredictable. Here, the implied meaning conveyed by Confucius is that Laozi's learning is beyond the scope and confines of ordinary secular knowledge. In other words, Laozi's studies never fall into the realm of eloquence. In addition to the Records of the Grand Historian, there is also a related record in Zhuangzi that Confucius, who tirelessly taught others, remained silent for many days after seeing Laozi, which made his disciples feel somewhat abnormal. Someone asked the teacher, "Do you have any advice or teachings on meeting Lao Dan?"? Confucius said: This statement is not accurate! The person I see, Lao Dan, is like a dragon, and whether the dragon curls up or stretches out, it is so calm and free, riding the clouds and mist and swimming between the yin and yang energies. Lao Dan is like this, his virtues and abilities are all above mine. In front of him, I was only stunned. How could I possibly admonish and educate him? After listening to Confucius' description, disciple Zigong felt very incredulous: could a person really be as calm and energetic as a dragon, silent and profound yet deeply moving, and speaking and behaving as if heaven and earth were moving? In this story, the author uses the words of Confucius and Zigong to describe not only the image of dragons in his mind, but also the vivid portrayal of Laozi's "inaction" proposition by contemporary people, such as "merging into a body, scattering into a chapter," "corpses dwelling and dragons seeing, thunder sounding deep and silent, and mobilizing like heaven and earth.". It is worth noting that when Confucius compared Laozi to a dragon, Laozi seemed to also compare Confucius to a phoenix. This story can be found in a lost passage from Zhuangzi cited in "Taiping Yulan". When Laozi saw Confucius and his five disciples, he asked Confucius: "Who are they all?"? Confucius introduced his disciples according to their respective characteristics. After listening, Laozi sighed and said, "I once heard of a sacred bird in the south, which people call a phoenix.". The place where Feng resides is covered with stones for thousands of miles, perched on the noble and holy Qiong tree like a beautiful jade... The appearance of Feng bird looks very beautiful, showcasing wisdom, righteousness, wisdom, and virtue from beginning to end. Comparing Confucius to a phoenix