He went out to play with a candle in his
hand when night fell.(秉燭夜遊)
There was a famous writer in China during
the Southern Liang dynasty. His name was Xiao Tong. His story is recorded in
history books.
His father was the king of the Southern
Liang dynasty and he was the crown prince of the Southern Liang kingdom. He
loved literature very much and edited the earliest collection of poetry and
prose in China.
This book contains a chapter that selects
nineteen poems from the end of the Eastern Han dynasty whose authors are
unknown. These poems have had a profound influence on the creation of Chinese
poetry in later generations.
The general meaning of one of the poems is
as follows:
We all have a lifespan of less than a
hundred years, yet we seem to be filled with sorrows and worries as if we could
live for a thousand years.
We only have 24 hours in a day, yet the
days seem so short and the nights so long. I have seen people going out for fun
with candles in their hands when night falls. They told me that they want to
enjoy the present moment because they don’t know what the future holds or how
long they will live.
Some frugal people were laughed at after
their death because they did not enjoy the fruits of their labour during their
lifetime.
We are all ordinary people and it is
difficult for us to become immortal. Immortality is too difficult to achieve,
so there is no need for us to envy or pursue it excessively.
This idiom literally means that a person
goes out to play with a candle in their hand when night falls.
It is used to describe someone who seizes
the opportunity to enjoy the present moment.
Dear friends, what inspiration or thoughts
do you have after hearing this story?
How long has it been since you were happy?
Are your current troubles really that important?
I hope this story brings you some new
insights.
秉燭夜遊(He went out to play with a candle in
his hand when night fell.)
中國的南梁王朝有一個著名的文學家，他的名字叫做蕭統，歷史書上記載了一個他的故事。
他的父親是南梁王朝的國王，他是南梁王國的太子，他非常的熱愛文學，他主編了一本中國最早一部詩文總集。
這本書中有一個篇章，這個篇章中選出了19首中國東漢王朝末年的不知道作者是誰的詩，這19首詩對後代的中國詩歌創作有非常大的影響。
其中有一首詩的大概意思如下。
我們每個人的人生都只有短短的不到一百年的時間，但為何我們每個人都好像懷抱著像是可以活一千年的憂愁與煩惱。
我們每天都只有24小時，但這24小時之中白天是多麼的短而黑夜是多得麼長，我看到有些人會在黑夜來臨的時候手裡拿著蠟燭出門遊玩，這些人對我說他們想要握現在並且盡情地享受當下的快樂，因為他們不知道未來會發生甚麼事情，他們不知道自己到底可以活多久。
有些笨蛋生前非常的節儉，這些人死後被嘲笑，因為他們生前沒有享受到他們辛苦工作的到的好處。
我們都是平凡人，我們很難項修練成仙。長生不老這件事情太困難了，我們沒有必要去過度的羨慕與追求。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是一個人在黑夜來臨的時候手裡拿著蠟燭出門玩。
這句成語被用來形容一個人把握當下的機會去享受當下的快樂。
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。
你有多久沒有感覺到快樂了呢?你認為你現在的煩惱真的很重要嗎?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為昭明文選-古詩19首