Even an incorruptible official would struggle to adjudicate impartially in the event of internal disputes within a large family.(清官難斷家務事)
Even an incorruptible official would
struggle to adjudicate impartially in the event of internal disputes within a
large family.(清官難斷家務事)
During the late Ming dynasty in China,
there was a famous writer named Feng Menglong who compiled a collection of
short stories.
One of these stories is about a loyal old
servant named Aji. The story is set in the mid-Ming Dynasty, a peaceful era of
national strength.
Aji lived in a small village in Zhejiang
Province and was over fifty years old.
He had worked as a servant for a family
named Xu all his life. Every day, he rose early and went to bed late,
diligently helping the Xu family cultivate the land.
The Xu family had three sons, named from
eldest to youngest: Xu Yan, Xu Zhao and Xu Zhe. Xu Yan made all decisions
within the family, big and small. The three brothers lived together in three
separate households, sharing their property.
One day, the youngest brother, Xu Zhe,
suddenly contracted typhoid fever and died within seven days. Following his
death, Xu Yan and Xu Zhao believed that his wife and children would be a
financial burden in the future, so they decided to get rid of them as soon as
possible.
Without informing Xu Zhe's wife, Xu Yan and
Xu Zhao divided their shared property into three equal parts, intending for
each family to receive one share.
They invited several respected elders from
the village to their home. After the elders arrived, they called Xu Zhe's
widow, son and daughter to the main hall.
Xu Yan publicly announced that they would
divide their property into three equal parts and that the families would be
financially independent of each other from that point on.
Xu Zhe's wife's surname was Yan, and we
will refer to her as Ms Yan in the following story.
The terms of the property division
document, which was drafted by Xu Yan and Xu Zhao, were unfair to Ms Yan.
However, she was unable to refuse and was forced to accept them.
Where was Aji while all this was happening?
He was at the market buying things.
Xu Yan and Xu Zhao knew that Aji was very
righteous and, to avoid him interfering with the property division ceremony,
they gave him lots of shopping tasks to do early in the morning. Aji spent the
whole morning busy buying various items at the market.
When he returned home, his wife told him
that the Xu brothers had invited several respected elders to their home and
were dividing the Xu family's property into three parts to be distributed among
three families.
Aji angrily told his wife...
'The old master of the Xu family left a
will stating that the three brothers could not divide the property after his
death. Xu Zhe had only recently passed away, yet Xu Yan and Xu Zhao were
already dividing the property, thus violating the old master's wishes.
After Xu Zhe's death, Ms Yan had to care
for five children alone. If the property is divided, I believe that Ms Yan and
her children will soon face financial difficulties due to a lack of stable
income.
'This division of property is so unjust and
wrong! I'm going to the hall to express my opinion!'
Aji's wife stopped him and asked, 'What
right do you have to express your opinion? You're just a long-term hired
servant. Do you think they'll listen to you? There's a proverb that says even
an honest official finds it hard to adjudicate fairly in a family dispute.'
'Xu Yan and Xu Zhao have invited several
respected elders from the village to witness the division of the property.
These elders have all agreed. Do you think your objection will be of any use?'
Upon hearing his wife's words, Aji realised
that he was powerless to change the situation. He was heartbroken. He left the
Xu family home and happened to meet a neighbour who said to him, '...
'After the Xu family divided their
property, you were assigned to Ms Yan.' You will now be working as a maid in
her household. She has lost her husband and has five children to support, so
your future will likely be very difficult.'
Upon hearing this, Aji understood the real
reason why he had been assigned to Ms Yan. He knew that Xu Yan and Xu Zhao
thought he was too old and unfit to help with farm work, which is why they had
assigned him to Ms Yan's family. He was extremely angry.
This idiom directly translates to: Even an
incorruptible official would find it hard to adjudicate fairly in internal
disputes within a large family.
Dear friend, what insights or thoughts did
you gain from this story?
Have you ever been saddened by the
injustices of the world? Have you ever been angry because you have been looked
down upon?
I hope this story will provide you with
some new insights.
清官難斷家務事(Even an incorruptible official
would struggle to adjudicate impartially in the event of internal disputes
within a large family.)
中國的明王朝末年，有一個著名的文學家，他的名字叫做(馮夢龍)，他寫過一本短篇小說集。
他的這本小說集中有一個有關於一個忠誠的老僕人的故事，這個老僕人的名字叫做(阿寄)，馮夢龍說的這個故事發生在明王朝的中葉，那是一個國力強盛的和平時代。
(阿寄)住在浙江省的一個小村莊內，他的年紀已經50幾歲了。
他在一戶性徐的家庭擔任一個終身雇傭的僕人，他每天都早起然後很晚睡，他很勤勞地幫忙徐家耕作農地。
徐家有三個兄弟，這三個兄弟的名字從大到小分別是(徐言)、(徐召)和(徐哲)。(徐言)掌握了家中所有的大事與小事的決定權，他們三個兄弟所組成的三個家庭住在一起，他們家中的財產共有共享。
有一天，三兄弟中的老么徐哲忽然患上了傷寒，徐哲生病後經過短短七天就病逝了。徐哲病逝後，徐言與徐召兩個人都認為徐哲的妻子與兒女對自己的未來會造成極大的經濟負擔，所以他們要盡快擺脫徐哲的妻子與兒女。
在沒有告知徐哲的妻子的情況下，徐言與徐召兩個人商議好要把他們現在共有的財產平分成為三等份然後每個家庭各自拿一份。
徐言與徐召倆個人邀請了住在村莊中的有名望的幾位長者來到他家，等這些長者都來到他家之後，他們倆個人就叫徐哲的遺孀和兒子與女兒也一起到大廳中。
徐言公開宣公開宣布我們要把我們的財產分拆成三等份，之後每個家庭的經濟獨立且毫無相關。
徐哲的妻子姓顏，接下來的故事中，我們稱呼她為顏女士。
徐言與徐召擬定的這份拆分財產的文件中的條件對顏女士並不公平，但是顏女士無法拒絕，她只能被迫接受。
當這些事情發生的時候，阿寄在哪裡呢?阿寄正在市場上買東西。
徐言與徐召知道阿寄很有正義感，他們為了避免阿寄在家中會影響這件分拆家產見證會的進行，他們兩個人一大早指派了阿寄很多採買的任務，所以阿寄整個早上都在市場中忙碌的採買各種物品。
當阿寄從市場回家之後，他的妻子對他說徐言與徐召邀請了住在村莊中的有名望的幾位長者來到他家中，他們正在將徐家的財產拆分成三份然後給三個家庭。
阿寄很生氣的對他的妻子說。
當初徐家的老主人留下遺囑，這個遺囑的內容表示他們三個兄弟之後不能拆分家產，徐哲才過世不久，徐言與徐召就要分拆財產，他們倆個人的這種行為經違背了老主人的遺願。
徐哲過世後，顏女士一個人要照顧五個小孩，如果拆分財產後，我認為在不久的將來，顏女士與他的小孩將會因為沒有固定的收入所以導致經濟陷入困難。
拆分財產這件事情太不正義也太不應該了，我要去大廳中表達我的意見。
阿寄的妻子拉住他並對他說。
你要用什麼身分去表達你的意見呢?你只是一個長期被雇傭的僕人，你認為他們會聽從你的意見嗎?有一句常見的諺語，這句諺語的意思是一個清廉的官員也難以公正的裁定一個大家庭中的內部糾紛。
徐言與徐召邀請了很多住在村莊中的有名望的幾位長者來見證這場財產拆分，這些有名望的長者都表示沒有反對意見了，你認為你的反對意見有用嗎?
阿寄聽完他的妻子的話後，他知道自己沒有能力改變這個現況，他的心情很難過，他走出徐家，剛好遇到一個鄰居，這個鄰居對他說。
徐家分拆財產後，你被分配給顏女士，你以後就要在顏女士的家庭中幫傭了，她失去了丈夫又有五個小孩要扶養，你以後應該會很辛苦。
阿寄聽到這個鄰居的話後，他的內心知道他為何會被分配給顏女士的真正原因，他知道徐言與徐昭認為他的年紀太大已經沒有體力協助農地中的工作，所以才把他分配給顏女士的家庭，他的心中感到非常的氣憤。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是一個清廉的官員也難以公正的裁定一個大家庭中的內部糾紛。
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。
你曾經因為人世間的不公平而感到難過嗎?你曾經因為被輕視而感到氣憤嗎?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為馮夢龍-醒世恆言-卷35-徐老僕義憤成家
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