A person choked while eating and needed water before he thought of digging a well.(臨噎掘井)
During the Spring and Autumn Period in China, the King of Lu Kingdom went into exile in Qi Kingdom because of a coup.
When the king of Qi met the king of Lu, he asked him a question.
You have been the king of Lu for many years, and your power base should be very solid.
Why do the people of the Kingdom of Lu hate you so much? Why has there been a coup in the Kingdom of Lu?
The King of Lu replied.
After I became king, many righteous ministers gave me advice and reminded me to run the Kingdom of Lu well. I knew that their suggestions were correct, but I did not accept their advice.
I prefer to be with other ministers who play and drink with me every day.
Now that I think about it, the Kingdom of Lu has accumulated a lot of problems over the years, but I haven't solved them.
I guess that's why the people don't like me.
The next day, the King of Qi discussed the matter with a wise minister.
The King of Qi said
The King of Lu has done some deep introspection. If he could become King of Lu again, do you think he would be a good king?
said the Wise Minister.
A foolish man always feels regret, while an incompetent man always thinks he is very good. A man may drown because he does not check the depth of the water beforehand. A man may get lost because he does not ask for the right way before setting out.
A foolish man thinks of making weapons only when he meets war.
A foolish man thinks of digging a well only when he is choking on his food and needs water.
He is a foolish man, and I don't think he could ever be a good king.
The direct translation of this idiom is that a person only thinks of digging a well when he is choking on his food and needs to drink water.
It is used to describe a person who does not prepare in advance and only starts to solve a problem after it has occurred.
Dear friends, what inspiration or thoughts do you have after listening to this story?
Do you think about possible problems as you work and prepare for them in advance? What are the things you should be doing that you keep putting off?
I hope this story can give you some new insights.
此圖片來自維基百科
臨噎掘井(A person choked while eating and
needed water before he thought of digging a well.)
中國的春秋時代，魯王國的國王因為政變所以流亡到齊王國。
齊王國的國王見到魯王國的國王時，問了他一個問題。
你當魯國的國王已經許多年，你的權力基礎應該已經很穩固。
為何魯王國的民眾會那麼討厭你呢?為何魯王國會發生政變呢?
魯國的國王回答。
我在很年輕的時候就當上了國王。
我當上國王後有很多正直的大臣給我一些建議，他們提醒我要好好管理魯王國。我知道這些大臣的建議是正確的但是我卻都沒有採納他們的意見。
我比較喜歡跟另外一些大臣再一起，這些大臣們每天跟著我一起玩一起喝酒。
我現在回想，這些年來魯王國已經累積了很多問題需要處理，但我都沒有去解決。
我想這就是百姓不喜歡我的原因吧。
齊王國的國王隔天與一個聰明的大臣一起聊到這件事。
齊王國的國王說。
魯王國的國王已經深刻的自我檢討，如果他可以重新成為魯王國的國王，你覺得他會成為一個好的國王嗎。
這個聰明的大臣說。
一個愚昧的人總是事後才會感到懊悔，一個沒有能力的人總是覺得自己非常優秀。一個人會溺水是因為這個人沒有事先調查清楚水的深度，一個人會迷路是因為這個人在出發之前沒有問清楚正確的路該怎麼走。
一個愚昧的人在遭遇戰爭的時候才想到應該鑄造兵器。
一個愚昧的人在吃東西被噎到需要喝水時才想到應該挖井。
他是一個愚昧的人，我認為我認為他永遠不可能成為一個好的國王。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是一個人吃東西被噎到需要喝水時才想到應該挖井。
這句成語被用來形容一個人沒有事先提早準備，這個人在問題已經發生後才想要開始動手解決這個問題。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的啟發或有怎樣的想法呢。
你在工作時是否會思考可能發生的問題並且提早準備呢?有那些事情是你應該做的而你一直拖延的呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為晏子春秋-內篇-雜篇-景公賢魯昭公去國而自悔晏子謂無及已
https://ctext.org/yanzi-chun-qiu/za-shang/zh
2025/02/18更新