He was trembling with fear and being
extremely cautious.(戰戰兢兢)
There was a famous minister during the Eastern
Han dynasty in China. His name was Gong Shamu. There is a story about him
recorded in history books.
Since the Han Dynasty, China has
implemented a policy whereby people with special talents, noble moral character
or honesty and filial piety have the opportunity to be recommended for work in
the central government.
Gong Shamu was invited by the king to serve
as an official in the central government because of his extensive knowledge.
He did such a good job that a few years
later, the king put him in charge of an important and difficult task.
He was responsible for helping a marquis of
royal descent to manage the land he owned and the people who lived on it.
Although the Eastern Han Dynasty was a
centralised system and this marquis did not actually have jurisdiction over the
land, he had the opportunity to directly influence the king's thinking because
he was related to the king.
After meeting the Marquis, Gong Shamu said
to him:
'Before I came to work for you, all my
friends told me that I was very unlucky because the marquis was a very bad man.
He did many things that were not in line with traditional etiquette. His
family, friends, and servants were all very arrogant and domineering.
Before I take office, I would like to share
my thoughts with you, so that you can understand my mentality.
He paused, then continued.
'My responsibility is to help you manage
the land you own. I will help you adopt a more careful and cautious approach. I
can assist you in managing all the people on your land. As long as you are
willing to cooperate with me, of course.
I believe you are a great person. There are
currently many problems with the land you manage, but I believe that, by
working together, we can solve these problems and ensure that the people living
on your land are safe and happy.
He spoke to the Marquis positively and
encouragingly, and after taking office, he devoted a great deal of thought to
promoting change.
The Marquis was later deeply moved. He
accepted many of his suggestions, began to abide by the law and stopped
favouring his friends.
Because the Marquis truly trusted Gong
Shamu, he managed the land and its people better and better over the following
months.
This idiom literally means 'he is trembling
with fear and is very cautious'.
It is used to describe a careful and
cautious attitude.
Dear friends, what inspiration or thoughts
do you have after listening to this story?
If you were in his position, do you think
you could do this difficult job well? How would you approach your work?
I hope this story brings you new insights.
戰戰兢兢(He was trembling with fear and being
extremely cautious.)
中國的東漢王朝有一個著名的大臣，他的名字叫做公沙穆，歷史書上記載了一個他的故事。
中國從漢王朝開始實行一項政策，如果一個人有特殊的才能，或者是這個人有著高尚的品德，或是這個人是一個清廉且孝順的人，那麼這些人就有機會被推薦進入中央政府工作，。
公沙穆因為他的學識很豐富所以被國王邀請到中央政府內擔任官員。
他的工作表很好，所以幾年後國王讓他負責一個很重要而且很困難的任務。
公沙穆要負責協助一個具有皇室血統的侯爵管理他所擁有的土地與住在這塊土地上的人民。
東漢王朝是中央集權制度，這個侯爵決實際上並沒有這塊土地的管轄權，但是這個侯爵與國王之間有著堂兄弟的關係，所以這個侯爵有機會可以直接影響國王的想法。
他見到這個侯爵後，他對這個侯爵說。
我來到你這裡工作前，我的朋友都對我說，你的運氣真不好，你要去的那個地方的侯爵是一個很壞的人，他做出了很多不合乎傳統禮儀的事，他的家人與朋友和他的家中的僕人們都非常的囂張跋扈。
我在就任前想先跟你說我的想法，讓你了解我是保持著怎樣的心態來到這裡。
他停頓了一下後接著說。
我的責任是來幫忙你管理好你所擁有的這塊土地，我來幫助你建立一種小心且謹慎的心態，我有能力協助讓你可以管理好你所擁有的這塊土地上的所有人民。只要你願意跟我一起配合。
我相信你是一個很棒的人，現在你所管理的這塊土地上有很多問題，但我相信只要我們兩個人一起努力，我們就可以去除掉這些問題並且讓你所擁有的這塊土地上的人民生活在安全與快樂之中。
他用正面與鼓勵的態度與這個侯爵對話，他在到任之後，他花了很多心思來推動改變。
這個侯爵後來覺得很感動，這個侯爵接受了他的許多建議，這個侯爵變得遵守法律，這個侯爵不再偏袒那些跟自己親近的人。
由於這個侯爵真心的信任公沙穆，幾個月後，這個侯爵把他所擁有的這塊土地與生活在這塊土地上的人民都管理的愈來愈好，
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是他因為恐懼而發抖，他非常的小心謹慎。
這句成語被用來形容一種小心而且謹慎的心態。
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。
你如果是他，你認為為你可以做好這個困難的工作嗎?你用怎樣的心態面對你的工作呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為後漢書-卷82-公沙穆傳
https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%BE%8C%E6%BC%A2%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B782%E4%B8%8B