Although he lived in poverty, he would
never do anything illegal or immoral to obtain money.(窮不苟求)
In Chinese history, there are some highly
admired figures. They are famous not because of their wealth or power, but because
they disregarded money and power. They pursued inner peace and had lofty ideals
and high moral standards. They did not conform to social norms and lived life
on their own terms.
During the Jin dynasty, a scholar named
Huangfu Mi wrote a biography about such individuals. One story in particular is
summarised below.
During the Warring States period in China,
a man named Chen Zhongzi lived in the Kingdom of Qi. He was poor and earned a
living by weaving and selling straw sandals, while his wife contributed to
household expenses by weaving cloth for others.
He lived in a remote rural area within the
Kingdom of Qi. The main reason he moved from the capital of Qi to this remote
place was his brother.
His brother, Chen Dai, held a high-ranking
position in the central government of Qi and enjoyed a good salary.
Chen Zhongzi despised his brother,
considering him immoral and believing that he had committed many unjust acts in
order to gain power and money.
His relatives and friends constantly
compared him to his older brother, so he moved away from the capital of the
Kingdom of Qi.
Although he lived in poverty, he had strong
principles and refused to do anything illegal or immoral for money.
One year, a severe famine struck his area.
He went without food for three days and was completely exhausted. He struggled
to climb to a well to drink.
Suddenly, he saw several plums lying on the
ground under a tree beside the well. They were too ripe to be eaten.
After struggling to eat the few worm-eaten,
nearly rotten plums that had fallen days earlier, his vision gradually returned
as he regained his strength.
Despite his difficult life, he lived a
fulfilling and contented existence.
This idiom translates directly as: He was
poor, but he refused to do anything illegal or immoral to obtain money.
Dear friend, what thoughts or inspiration
did you have after hearing this story?
Have you ever been so hungry that you
couldn't think straight? Do you appreciate all the food you eat every day?
I hope this story gives you some new
insights.
窮不苟求(Although he lived in poverty, he
would never do anything illegal or immoral to obtain money.)
中國的歷史上有一些很令人崇拜的名人，這些人有名不是因為他們有錢，也不是因為他們有權，這些人被後人所記得的原因是因為他們輕視金錢與權力，他們追求自己內心的平靜，他們有崇高的理想與道德標準，他們不遵循社會的規範，他們活成自己想要的樣子。
晉王朝有一個名字叫做皇甫謐的學者，他寫了一本傳記來專門介紹這些人的故事。其中有一個故事的大意如下。
中國的戰國時代，齊王國有一個名字叫做陳仲子的男人，他的經濟狀況很差，他靠編織草鞋販售維生，他的妻子靠著替人織布來一起分擔家中的開銷。
他住在楚王國的境內的一個偏遠的鄉下，他會搬離齊王國的首都來到這個偏僻的地方，最重要的原因就是因為他的哥哥。
他的哥哥叫做陳戴，他的哥哥在齊王國的中央政府內擔任高級官員並且有著很好的薪俸。
陳仲子瞧不起他的哥哥，他認為他的哥哥是一個不道德的人，他的哥哥為了獲得權力與金錢做了很多不正義的事。
他很討厭他的哥哥，但是他周遭的親友們都會拿他跟他的哥哥做比較，所以他搬離了齊王國的首都。
他的生活貧困但是他很有自己的原則，他不會為了獲取金錢而做一些不合法或不道德的事情。
有一年，他住的那個地方發生了嚴重的飢荒，他連續三天沒有東西可以吃，他的體力已經耗盡，他掙扎地爬到井邊想要喝水。
就在這個時候他突然看到井邊的樹下有幾棵因為太成熟而掉落在地上的李子。
他掙扎著吃掉那幾顆已經掉到地上不知道幾天的被蟲蛀過的已經快要壞掉的李子之後，他因極度虛弱而模糊的視力才漸漸恢復
他雖然生活得很艱難，但是他活得很踏實很自在。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是他的生活貧困但是他不會為了獲取金錢而做一些不合法或不道德的事情。
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。
你有曾經因為餓到眼睛看不清楚的經驗嗎?你是否珍惜那些你每天吃的所有食物呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為晉-皇甫謐-高士傳
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E9%AB%98%E5%A3%AB%E5%82%B3