Not even a piece of land the size of a
pinpoint!(貧無立錐)
During the Qing Dynasty in China, there was
a famous minister and scholar named Ji Yun. He wrote a book in which he
recorded true stories that he had heard or witnessed. One sad story is as
follows:
There was a man named Dong Hua. He lived in
Cangzhou. In his youth, he studied for several years.
He was hardworking and honest, but not very
intelligent. His academic performance was poor and he couldn't pass even the
most basic imperial examinations. To make a living, he worked as an accountant
in a shop.
Due to his integrity, he offended his
colleagues, who ostracized and maliciously slandered him. Ultimately, he was
fired by his boss.
Without any professional skills, he later
became a fortune teller, earning a living by telling people's fortunes. As his
predictions weren't very accurate, few people came to him. His financial
situation deteriorated day by day. He had no money or valuable assets; he was
so poor that he didn't even own a plot of land the size of a pinhead.
Like many others at the time, Dong Hua
married at a young age. They had no children. After his father died, he and his
wife moved in with his mother.
His wife loved him dearly, and he loved her
in return. Despite their poverty, they worked hard. As Dong Hua's income was
insufficient to cover their household expenses, his wife supplemented it by
doing sewing and laundry work.
In his thirties, a severe natural disaster
struck the area in which he lived. The local grain harvest plummeted and food
prices soared. For days, he, his wife and his mother had nothing to eat, which
left the three of them devastated and destitute.
This idiom, when literally translated,
means 'Not even a piece of land the size of a pinpoint'.
It is used to describe extreme poverty.
Dear friends, what insights or thoughts
have you gained from this story?
Have you ever experienced a financial
downturn due to a change in your financial circumstances? If you were laid off
today, what kind of job would you do?
I hope this story yields some new insights
for you.
貧無立錐(Not even a piece of land the size of
a pinpoint!)
中國的清王朝有一個著名的大臣，他也是一個非常著名的學者，他的名字叫做紀昀，他寫過一本書，他在這本書中記錄下他所聽見或看見的一些真實發生的故事，其中一個悲傷的故事如下。
有一個男人，他的名字叫做董華。他住在滄洲這個地方，他年輕的時候曾經念過
滄州有個叫董華好幾年的書。
他是一個勤勞正直但是不聰明的人，他書念得並不好，他連最初及科舉考試都無法通過，他為了維持生計就到一家商店中擔任記帳士。
因為他很正直，所以他在工作上得罪了他的同事，他被他的同事所排擠與惡意中傷，他因此被老闆解雇。
他沒有甚麼很專業的工作技能，他後來成為一個占卜師，他靠替人算命維生。
由於他在占卜上也沒有很準確，所以來找他算命的人非常的少，他的經濟情況一天比一天惡化，他沒有錢也沒有一些有價值的資產，他窮到連一根錐子尖的大小的土地所有權都沒有。
董華跟當時的其他人一樣在很年輕的時候就結了婚，他們兩個夫妻沒有小孩，他的父親死了，他們夫妻兩個人與他的母親住在一起。
他的妻子非常的愛他，他也很愛他的妻子，他們雖然貧窮，但他們仍然用心的生活，由於董華賺的收入不足以應付家中的支出，他的妻子便依靠縫紉與幫別人洗衣服來貼補家用。
在他30幾歲的時候，他所住的地方發生的嚴重的天災，當地的糧食產量銳減，糧食的價格飆升，他與他的妻子和他的母親已經好幾天沒有東西可以吃了，他們家中的三個人都陷入悲傷與極度窘迫的情境。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是連一根錐子尖的大小的土地所有權都沒有。
這句成語被用來形容一個人極度的貧窮。
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。
你曾經因為大環境的變化造成你的經濟情況惡化嗎?你如果今天被解職，你認為你可以做什麼工作呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為清-紀昀-閱微草堂筆記-卷23灤陽續錄5
https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E9%96%B1%E5%BE%AE%E8%8D%89%E5%A0%82%E7%AD%86%E8%A8%98/%E5%8D%B723