When you climb a tree, you forget that the
roots are what keep you grounded.(登枝捐本)
During the Chinese Jin Dynasty, there was a
famous minister named Yin Zhongkan. History books tell his story.
He always ate five bowls of rice at every
meal and prepared a few simple side dishes.
He had a wonderful habit: he cherished food
very much. He would eat all five bowls of rice and all the side dishes at every
meal. If he found any grains of rice on the table or on the floor, he would
pick them up and eat them.
Even after he was transferred and promoted
to governor of Jingzhou, he did not change his dining habits.
He once told his family and the younger
generation,
'I have recently been promoted to mayor of
Jingzhou. My social status and salary have increased significantly, but I still
adhere to my habits and principles.
I believe that one should lead a simple and
frugal life, so I make myself finish all the food and rice that is prepared for
me.
I believe that an intellectual should
maintain a sense of poverty in both life and spirit. They should not pursue
pleasure or indulge in a luxurious lifestyle.
I constantly remind myself not to become
someone who, once climbing a tree, forgets the roots.
I hope you will keep these words in mind,
as they are my advice to you.
Although Yin Zhongkan was a man of high
personal moral character, he was not highly capable.
He cared for the people and treated them
kindly, but during his time as governor of Jingzhou, he failed to develop
important water conservation infrastructure. Consequently, severe floods
occurred for several consecutive years, causing widespread devastation and a
sharp decline in agricultural harvests.
A person of high moral character is not
necessarily one who benefits the people, and he was demoted after a few years.
This idiom literally means when you climb a
tree, you forget that the roots are what keep you grounded.
This idiom is used to describe someone who
forgets the fundamental principles of life after gaining power and status.
Dear friends, what insights or thoughts
have you gained from this story?
How would you evaluate the good and bad
qualities of an official? Which quality do you think is the most important for
a good official to have?
I hope this story brings you new insights.
登枝捐本(When you climb a tree, you forget
that the roots are what keep you grounded.)
中國的晉王朝時代有一個著名的大臣，他的名字叫做殷仲堪，歷史書上記載了一個他的故事。
他每餐都要固定吃五碗飯，他還會準備一些簡單的菜餚來當作配菜。
他有一個很好的習慣，他非常地珍惜食物，他每餐都會把這五晚飯與菜餚全部吃光，當他發現自己的桌上或腳邊有掉下一些飯粒時，他會把這些飯粒撿起來吃掉。
當他被調任升職到荊州的州長之後，他依舊沒有改變他的這項用餐習慣。
他曾經對他的家人與晚輩說。
我最近升任成為荊州的市長，我的社會地位與薪水都提高了很多，但我仍然堅持我的習慣與原則。
我認為一個人應該保持簡單與節儉的生活，所以我要求自己一定要把所有為我準備的菜餚與米飯都吃光。
我認為一個知識份子應該要在生活與精神上都保持貧窮感，一個知識份子不應該該貪圖享樂，一個知識份子應該避免讓自已沉溺於奢華的生活。
我時刻提醒自己不要成為一個爬到樹枝上時就忘了樹根才是根本的人。
這些話是我給你們的箴言，我希望你們可以記在心裡。
殷仲堪雖然在個人的品德上面有著很高的水平，但是他不是一個工作能力很強的人。
他愛護人民，他對待人民仁慈，但是他擔任荊州的州長的這段期間，他沒有推動重要且必要的水利基礎建設，所以後來連續幾年都發生了嚴重的水患，洪水氾濫而且百姓的農產品收成量銳減。
一個品德高超的官員不一定就會是一個對人民有好處的官員，他在幾年後被降職。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是爬到樹枝上時就忘了樹根才是根本。
這句成語被用來形容一個人得到權力與地位後，這個人就忘記了做人做基本的道理與原則。
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。
你如何評價一個官員的好與壞呢?你認為對人民而言，一個好的官員最重要的優點為何呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為世說新語-德行-40條
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E4%B8%96%E8%AA%AA%E6%96%B0%E8%AA%9E/%E5%BE%B7%E8%A1%8C
出處為晉書-卷84-殷仲堪傳