很久以前，有一位名叫周公的伟人。
他有一个儿子叫伯禽，被封在鲁地当了鲁公。
伯禽去了鲁地后，过了三年才回来向他的父亲汇报情况。
周公问他：“为什么这么久才回来呢？”
伯禽回答说：“我花了三年时间改变了那里的习俗和礼法，所以回来晚了。”
同时，还有一位名叫姜子牙的人，他也被封在了一个地方，叫做齐地。
只过了五个月，姜子牙就回来报告了他的施政情况。
周公问他：“你怎么这么快就回来了？”
姜子牙回答说：“我把君臣之间的礼节简化了，按照当地的风俗去做，所以很快就完成了。”
听了这些话，周公深深地叹了一口气，说：“唉，看来鲁国的后代将来要成为齐国的臣民了！如果政策不简单易行，百姓就不会亲近它；如果政策平易近人，百姓就会归附。”
这个成语“平易近人”就是从这里来的。
它的意思是态度和蔼可亲，让人愿意接受。
有时候也用来形容诗文浅白易懂。
A long time ago, there was a great man named Duke Zhou.
He had a son named Boqin who was appointed as the Duke of Lu in the land of Lu.
After Boqin went to Lu, it took him three years to report back to his father about the situation there.
Duke Zhou asked him, "Why did it take you so long to return?"
Boqin replied, "It took me three years to change the customs and etiquettes there, so I returned late."
At the same time, there was another man named Jiang Ziya who was also appointed in a place called Qi.
Jiang Ziya returned after only five months to report on his governance.
Duke Zhou asked him, "How could you come back so soon?"
Jiang Ziya replied, "I simplified the etiquette between the ruler and ministers and followed local customs, so I finished quickly."
Hearing these words, Duke Zhou sighed deeply and said, "Alas, it seems that the descendants of Lu will become subjects of Qi in the future! If policies are not simple and easy to implement, people will not be close to them; if policies are easy-going, people will follow them."
The idiom 'easy-going' comes from this story.
It means having a friendly and approachable attitude that makes people willing to accept it.
Sometimes it is also used to describe poems or writings that are easy to understand.
