The Slave in Charge of Guarding Money(守錢奴)
During China's Song dynasty, there was a renowned thinker, poet and calligrapher named Huang Tingjian. His story is recorded in history books.
He had a good friend named Sun Junfang who had once served as a court physician specialising in treating the imperial family.
Sun Junfang retired and returned to his hometown. He pursued a life completely different from that of most people, living a relaxed and enjoyable life which Huang Tingjian greatly envied.
Huang Tingjian once wrote a poem for Sun Junfang, the general meaning of which is as follows:
'Money and power cannot make our short lives happier.
If a person only pursues money, they become a slave to it.
If a person only pursues power, they become a prisoner of the power structure.
Sun Junfang, a renowned court physician, proposed a remedy for a common psychological problem that he had observed. He prescribed a thorough understanding of the true nature and truth of everything we encounter in life.
When a person is free from desire, they are free from the control and humiliation of others. We can all choose to live a happy and simple life. Life is beautiful, and we should cherish our brief existence and experience the joy of being sincere with our friends and the freedom of inner peace.
Let me share Sun Junfang's life principles with you.
His principles are very simple: we can achieve happiness by reducing our desires.
Desires can make our lives unhappy. Our desires usually stem from four basic human needs: food, clothing, money and power.
If you are obsessed with any one of these, you will be unhappy.
If you are controlled by all four at the same time, you will live a life of extreme sorrow and pain.
However, if you can eliminate these four desires, like Sun Junfang, you will experience constant happiness and contentment and always be at peace.
This idiom refers to a slave whose job it was to guard money. It is used to describe someone who is very rich but very stingy.
Dear friend, what insights or thoughts have you gained from this story?
What desires are you currently unable to fulfil? Do you think that acquiring a large sum of money would truly satisfy you?
I hope this story helps you gain some new insights.
守錢奴(The Slave in Charge of Guarding Money)
中國的宋王朝有一個著名的思想家，他也是一個著名的詩人與書法家，他的名字叫做黃庭堅，歷史書上記載了一個他的故事。
他有一個名字叫做(孫君昉)的好朋友，孫君昉曾經在皇宮中擔任專門為皇室看診的宮廷御醫。
孫君昉退休回到自己的家鄉，他有著跟大多數人完全不同的人生追求，他過著一種令黃庭堅非常羨慕的輕鬆愉快的生活。
黃庭堅曾經寫過一首詩送給孫君昉，這首詩的大概意思如下。
金錢與權力無法讓我們短暫的人生變得更快樂。
如果一個人只知道追求金錢，那麼這個人就會像是一個負責看管金錢的奴隸。
如果一個人只知道追求權力，那麼這個人就會像是一個被權力圈所挾制的囚徒。
孫君昉是著名的宮廷御醫，針對他所看到的這個人們普遍都擁有的心理疾病，他提出他的藥方。
他的藥方的內容就是我們要透徹地了解我們人生中所遇見的所有事物的本質與真相。
當一個人沒有任何的慾望時，他就不會受到別人的控制與羞辱，我們每個人都可以選擇過一種很開心很簡單的生活，人生如此美好，我們應該把握短暫的人生去體驗與摯友真誠相待且內心無拘無束的自在之樂。
讓我分享孫君昉的人生原則給你聽。
孫君昉的人生原則非常的簡單，我們可以藉由降低我們的慾望。
欲望會讓我們的人生變得不快樂，我們人類的慾望通常來自於我們對於飲食、服裝、金錢與權力這四種貪念。
如果你被其中一種貪念所纏擾，你就會變得不快樂。
如果你同時被這四種貪念所控制，那麼你就會度過極度憂愁與痛苦的一生。
如果你可以像孫君昉一樣戒除這四種貪念，那麼你就能夠常常感受快樂與滿足，你就能時刻保持平靜與自在。
這句成語的意思是一個負責看管金錢的奴隸。
這句成語被用來形容一個很有錢但很吝嗇的人。
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。
你現在有那些你無法得到滿足的慾望呢？你認為你得到大筆的金錢候你就可以真正的得到滿足嗎？
我期待這故事有助於你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為宋-黃庭堅-山谷集-卷8-四休居士詩并序