Neglecting State Affairs and Deceiving the
Emperor(誤國欺君)
During the late Ming dynasty in China, a
famous writer named Ling Mengchu wrote a collection of short stories. Most of
the stories in this book were based on earlier works, and through his
reinterpretation, readers can experience the social realities and atmosphere of
the time.
The preface to one of these stories reads
as follows:
'We all fear and hate robbers, and some
people even use the term "robber" to describe their bullies. However,
I believe that robbers exist in society in various forms.
A central government official who neglects
state affairs, deceives the emperor and exploits the people with his power is a
robber, for example.
Similarly, consider a member of a wealthy
family who, relying on their family's influence, acts arrogantly, bullies the
poor and engages in illegal activities. Due to their family's influence, they
can influence judicial decisions and, despite their many misdeeds, escape
punishment. This person is a robber.
There are also intellectuals who associate
with others who are equally knowledgeable yet immoral. They exploit legal
loopholes with their verbal skills to help the wicked win cases and prevent the
innocent from receiving a fair trial. These people are also robbers.
If we examine people in all walks of life
from this perspective, we will find those who commit evil without shame in
every industry. They lack morality and behave like animals. They are all
robbers.
This idiom translates directly as
'neglecting state affairs and deceiving the ruler'.
Dear friend, what insights or thoughts have
you gained from this story?
Are there many people like this in your society? Do you think it's possible to cultivate a person's moral character through education?
I hope this story gives you some new insights.
誤國欺君(Neglecting State Affairs and
Deceiving the Emperor)
中國的明王朝末年，有一個著名的文學家，他的名字叫做(凌濛初)，他寫過一本短篇小說集。他這本小說中的故事題材大多取自前代著述，經過他的再創作後，讀者可以從這些故事中感受到當時的社會現實和時代氣息。
這本書中的其中一個故事的前言如下。
我們每個人都很怕遇到強盜也很討厭強盜，有些人還會用強盜這的名詞來形容那些欺負自己的人。但是我認為這個世界上到處都是強盜，這些強盜以各種不同的樣貌存在於這個社會中。
例如一個中央政府的官員，這個官員耽誤國事與欺瞞君王，他憑藉著自己的權力剝削百姓，他就算是一個強盜。
例如一個富有人家的一個成員，這個人倚靠著家族中的勢力所以行為囂張而且態度傲慢，這個人欺負一些貧苦的百姓然後做很多不法的生意，這個人因為家族勢力很大所以可以影響司法的判決，他做了那麼多壞事但不會受到相對應的懲罰，這個人就算是一個強盜。
還有一些知識分子，他們跟很多一樣有知識但沒有道德的人聚在一起，他們運用言語的技巧專法律的漏洞，他們幫助那些邪惡的人打贏官司，它們讓那些善良的人得不到公平的審判，這些人就算是強盜。
如果用這個觀點去檢視我們生活中會遇見的各行各業的人，在每個行業中都會有那些作惡且不會感到羞愧的人，這些人沒有道德感，他們的行為就像是動物一樣，這些人就都算是強盜。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是耽誤國事與欺瞞君王。
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。
你生活的社會中有很多像這種類似強盜一樣的人嗎?你認為人是否可以透過教育來讓一個人更有道德感呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為凌濛初-初刻拍案驚奇-卷8