His wealth was comparable to that of the
king.(富埒天子)
Following the fall of the Qin dynasty, the
Han dynasty unified China.
In the early years of the Han Dynasty, the
people had just emerged from a long period of war, leaving them impoverished.
The nation was also weakened, lacking the revenue needed to sustain the central
government.
Due to the severe shortage of supplies,
inflation was high. Furthermore, many unscrupulous merchants hoarded supplies
to drive up prices, causing the cost of daily necessities such as rice and
horses to steadily increase.
The king understood that the Han dynasty
was like a person recovering from a serious illness. This patient would require
meticulous daily care and attention over a long period of time to make a full
recovery.
The king therefore reformed the currency
system, issuing a new set of copper coins and resetting the official exchange
rate between gold and these coins.
He also ordered many administrative and
general reforms. He restructured the tax calculation system, gradually
stabilising the state's fiscal revenue. He prohibited merchants from wearing
silk clothing or travelling by horse-drawn carriage. He also ordered all
officials to be extremely frugal, requiring them to travel only by ox-drawn
cart.
By the time of the third king of the Han
dynasty, the economy had begun to improve, the people were becoming more
affluent and the state's fiscal revenue was gradually increasing. The third
king introduced a new currency reform, changing the production methods and
specifications of copper coins and establishing a new currency standard.
At that time, there was a vassal state in
southern China called Liu Bi. As his territory possessed vast copper mines, he
minted numerous copper coins and quickly amassed a vast fortune.
According to historical records, the wealth
of the vassal state was comparable to that of the king.
The third king had a trusted minister named
Deng Tong. The king granted him the privilege of minting copper coins. This
allowed him to accumulate immense wealth in a short period of time.
However, the fourth king regulated this
situation upon taking office by decreeing that the power to mint copper coins
be returned to the central government and prohibiting anyone from doing so.
Thanks to the stable governance of these
four kings, the Han dynasty gradually recovered and grew stronger.
This idiom literally means that someone's
wealth is comparable to that of a king.
It is used to describe someone who is
extremely wealthy.
Dear friends, what insights or thoughts
have you gained from this story?
Is inflation severe in your country? What
is your country's current financial situation?
I hope this story provides you with some
new insights.
富埒天子(His wealth was comparable to that of
the king.)
中國秦王朝滅亡之後，接續統一整個中國的是漢王朝。
漢王朝建立的初期，人民剛經歷過一段長時間的戰爭，所以所有百姓都非常的貧困，國力也非常的衰弱，國家也沒有足夠的財政收入來維持中央政府的運轉。
由於物資非常的缺乏，所以國內的通貨膨脹的情況非常的嚴重，加上很多不肖商人累積物資來哄抬物價，所以人民每天吃飯的米與交通必需的馬匹的價格一天比一天更高。
當時的國王知道現在的漢王朝就如同一個剛生完一場重病的人，這個病人需要花很長的時間來慢慢地調養身體，這個病人需要每天細心的呵護與照顧自己身體，
當時的國王進行了一項幣制的改革，他另外發行一套銅幣然後重新訂定黃金與這套銅幣的公定兌換價格。
他更下令做了很多行政與庶務上的改革，當時的國王重新制定稅務的計算方式，讓國家的財政收入慢慢的穩定。
他命令所有的商人都不能夠穿絲綢做的衣服，出門也不可以搭馬車。他下令讓所有的官員都必須非常的節約，官員出門只能搭乘牛車。
到了漢王朝的第三任國王得時候，整個國家的經濟已經開始慢慢地好轉，人民也開始變得有錢，國家的財政收入也開始慢慢的增加，第三任國王又進行了一套新的幣制改革，他下令更改銅幣的製作方式與規格，他重新訂定的一套新的幣制標準。
當時的中國南方有一個名字叫做劉濞的諸侯，這個諸侯的領地中因為擁有巨大的銅礦，所以他鑄造了很多的銅幣，他在很短的時間內就積累的大量的財富。
根據歷史書的紀載，這個諸侯所擁有的財富跟國王所擁有的財富差不多。
第三任國王有一個很信任的大臣，這個大臣的名字叫做鄧通。
第三任國王給了鄧通一個特權，讓鄧通擁有鑄造銅幣的特許權力，鄧通因為這項特權所以在也在短時間內累積的巨大的財富，
第四任國王上任後就針對這個情況加以規範，他下令將鑄造銅幣的權力收回給中央政府所擁有，所有的人都不能夠再私自鑄造銅錢。
在前後四任國王的穩定治理之下，漢王朝慢慢得走向復甦與強大。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是他所擁有的財富跟國王所擁有的財富差不多。
這句成語被用來形容一個人非常有錢。
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。
你的國家的通貨膨脹的情況嚴重嗎?你的國家現在的財政情況好嗎?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為史記-卷30-平準書
https://ctext.org/shiji/ping-zhun-shu/zh