Singing while playing games. (擊壤而歌)
In ancient China, there was a great leader
named Yao.
History tells us a story about him.
Yao was a very responsible leader who cared
especially for the weak and poor.
He believed that the root of the people's
suffering lay with the leaders. When he saw people starving, freezing or
committing crimes, he would blame himself, saying:
'It is because of my inadequate leadership
that the people suffer from hunger, cold and crime.
I must find a way to improve; I must ensure
that everyone can live happily.'
He treated all his people with tolerance.
As well as improving their living standards, he focused on raising their moral
standards. He treated everyone with justice and benevolence, and people at the
time learned from his example. People loved one another and social order was
excellent.
One day, after a hard day's work, an old
man played an ancient game called 'Jirang' with some friends in front of his
house.
This game uses wooden blocks shaped like
shoes, called 'rang'.
First, a piece of (rang) is placed upright
on the ground as the target. Players then throw another piece of (rang) at the
target from about thirty-four paces away. Whoever hits the target wins.
This game is somewhat similar to Western
bowling, but whereas in bowling the ball is rolled to knock down the pins, in
this game a piece of clay is thrown from a distance to knock down an upright
piece of (rang) on the ground.
The old man sang a song while playing. The
lyrics are as follows:
'We mainly make our living by farming. Our
daily lives are very regular. We get up at sunrise to work and return home to
rest at sunset.
We dig our own wells and drink clean, sweet
water.
We cultivate our own fields and harvest
plump grains.
"Yao's leadership is so effective that
we experience no interference or pressure. This is the highest praise we can
give for Yao's governance."
This idiom translates as "playing a
game while singing".
It is used to describe a peaceful society
where everyone is happy and content.
Dear friend, what thoughts or inspiration
did you have after hearing this story?
Are there any special games in your
country? What leisure activities do you enjoy after a hard day's work to relieve
stress?
I hope this story gives you some new
insights.
擊壤而歌(Singing while playing games.)
中國的上古時代有一位偉大的領袖，他的名字叫做(堯)。
歷史書上記載了一個有關他的故事。
(堯)是一個非常有責任感的領袖，他特別照顧那些弱勢與貧窮的人民。
他相信人民的苦難根源在於領導者，當他看到有百姓挨餓、受凍或犯罪時，他會深切地自責，他會對自己說。
都是我的領導不夠好，所以才會讓百姓挨餓、受凍、犯罪。
我要想辦法改進，我一定要讓所有的百姓都能夠幸福的生活。
他用寬容的心對待所有的百姓，他除了改善人民的生活水平外，還特別注重如何提升人民的道德水平，他用正義與仁愛所有的百姓，當時的百姓們也學習他的模範，人們之間相互親愛，社會秩序非常良好。
有一天，一位老人在辛勤工作後，與幾位朋友在家門口玩一種名叫(擊壤)的古老遊戲。
這種遊戲的器具是用木頭製成、形狀像鞋子的木塊，叫做「壤」。
這種遊戲的玩法是先將一塊(壤)側立在地上作為目標，然後玩家從約三十四步之外，用手中的另一塊壤投擲它，擊中者即為勝利者。
這個遊戲的玩法，有點像西方玩保齡球，其差異處在於保齡球是滾球擊倒球瓶，而(擊壤)是從遠處投擲一個木塊去擊倒另一個豎立在地上的木塊。
這個老人在玩遊戲的過程中唱了一首歌，他唱歌的歌詞如下。
我們主要以務農為生，我們每天生活都非常的規律，我們在日出時起床工作、在日落時返家休息。
我們自己挖井，飲用清甜的井水。
我們自己耕田，收穫飽滿的穀物。
(堯)的領導方式完美到讓我們完全感覺不到絲毫的干擾與壓力，這種感覺是我們對對(堯)的治理的最高的讚美。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是邊玩遊戲邊唱歌。
這句成語被用來形容一個非常和平的社會中，所有百姓們快樂且滿足的社會景象。
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。
你的國家內有沒有那些特別的遊戲呢?你辛苦工作一天後，你會做那些休閒活動來釋放自己的壓力呢
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為困學紀聞-卷20-雜識-117條
https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%9B%B0%E5%AD%B8%E7%B4%80%E8%81%9E/%E5%8D%B720
出處為說道-君苑-6條