The husband carries things on his back and
the wife carries things on her head.(夫負妻戴)
There are some highly admired figures in
Chinese history. They are not famous for their wealth or power, but for their
disdain for money and power. They pursued inner peace and had lofty ideals and
high moral standards. They didn't conform to social norms and lived life on
their own terms.
During the Jin dynasty, a scholar named
Huangfu Mi wrote a biography about these people. One story, in particular, is
summarised below:
In ancient China, there was a great leader
named Yao.
When Yao grew old, he had to make a crucial
decision: who would be his successor?
At that time, a man named Shun was highly
respected by all the people for his exceptional ability and virtue. In
contrast, Yao's son was mediocre in both ability and virtue.
Ultimately, Yao decided to pass the
leadership to Shun.
After ascending to the throne, Shun
governed the people diligently. In his old age, he began to consider who his
suitable successor might be.
He felt his son was not capable enough. He
was very close to the people and, for this reason, he met a young farmer from
Shihu.
Shun believed that this young farmer had
the knowledge and talent to be his successor.
He said to the young farmer,
'I want you to be my successor. You can
take over my leadership of this vast land and its many people.'
Upon hearing these words, the young farmer
replied,
'You are a diligent and good leader. You
have taken on great responsibility and governed the country very well.
You are a very capable person. However,
becoming the leader of this land and its people is not my life's goal. Please
forgive me, but I do not wish to be your successor.'
Having said this, the farmer took his
belongings on his back and his wife took theirs on her head. Hand in hand, they
left Shihu. They moved to a place unknown to anyone, making a life choice
unlike that of most people — a decision made with their own minds.
The idiom literally translates as 'the
husband carries things on his back and the wife carries things on her head'.
It describes a couple who made the same
life choice: a reclusive lifestyle.
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts
did you gain from this story?
Do you and your wife share the same vision
for your lives? What are the differences in your values and ideas?
I hope this story gives you some new
insights.
夫負妻戴(The husband carries things on his back
and the wife carries things on her head.)
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。
在中國的上古時代有一個偉大的領袖，這個領袖的名字叫做(堯)。
(堯)年老的時候他面臨了一個重大的抉擇，這個抉擇就是他必須要確定他的繼任者。
當時一個名字叫做(舜)的人的能力與品德都非常的好，(舜)受到所有的百姓的尊敬。與(舜)相反，(堯)的兒子的能力與品德都很平凡。
(堯)最後決定把領袖的位置交棒給(舜)。
(舜)繼任之後非常用心的治理所有的百姓，在他年老的時候，他開始思考誰是他的合適的接班人。
(舜)認為自己的兒子不夠優秀，(舜)跟百姓非常的親近，因為這個原因他認識一個住在(石戶)這個地方的一個年輕的農夫。
(舜)認為這個年輕的農夫的見識與才能都足以當自己的接班人。
所以他對這個年輕的農夫說。
我要讓你成為我的繼任者，你可以接替我領導這片廣大的土地與眾多的百姓。
這個年輕的農夫聽到(舜)的話後，他對(舜)說。
你是一個勤奮工作的好領導，你承擔了巨大的責任、你把國家治理非常好。
你是一個很有能力的人。但成為一個廣大的土地與眾多的百姓的領袖並非我的人生目標，請原諒我，我不願意成為你的繼任者。
說完這些話後，這個農夫就背著他的家當，這個農夫的妻子在頭上頂著他們的行囊，兩個人牽著手離開(石戶)這個地方。
農夫跟他的妻子搬家到那個地方沒有人知道，他們夫妻很同心的做出了一個跟大多數人不相同的人生選擇。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是丈夫背著東西、妻子頭頂著東西。。
這句成語被用來形容一對夫妻有相同的人生選擇，這對夫妻選擇過一種隱居的生活方式。。
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。
你跟你的妻子的生活願景是一樣的嗎?你跟你的妻子的價值觀與想法有哪些差異呢?
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