Keep your mouth shut and your tongue
hidden.(閉口藏舌)
China experienced a period of great turmoil
spanning over 50 years, from 907 to 960 AD.
Many kingdoms rose and fell rapidly during
this time. This period is known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era.
One prominent political figure of that time
was Feng Dao, who held important positions in several kingdoms. Despite the
changing dynasties, he remained highly regarded and held high office in each
one.
He wrote a short poem, the gist of which is
as follows:
'The mouth is like a door; we must guard it
carefully to prevent harm from escaping.
The tongue is like a knife; we must
carefully use it to avoid being hurt.
If a person can always remember to keep their
mouth shut and their tongue hidden, they can enjoy complete security and avoid
disaster.'
This idiom translates directly as 'Keep
your mouth shut and your tongue hidden.'
Dear friend, what thoughts or inspiration
do you have after hearing this story? Have you ever experienced loss because
you said something hurtful? Have you ever held a grudge against someone because
of something they said? I hope this story gives you some new insights.
閉口藏舌(Keep your mouth shut and your tongue
hidden.)
中國在西元907-西元960年這段期間內，50多年的時間非常動亂。
很多王國快速興起，很多王國又快速消亡。這段時間被稱為五代十國。
當時有一個著名的政治人物，他的名字叫做馮道，他在好幾個王國中都擔任常重要的職務，縱使王國更迭，但是他在每個王國中都能夠被重視與擔任大官。
他寫過一手很短的詩，這首詩的大概內容如下。
人的嘴巴就像是一個門，我們必須小心看守以避免禍害從這門內走出去。
人的舌頭就像是一把刀，我們必須小心僅上以避免身體被這把刀所斬傷。
一個人如果可以時刻記得把嘴巴閉起來把舌頭藏起來，那麼這個人就可以享受到全方位的安全，這個人就可以不受災禍。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是把嘴巴閉起來把舌頭藏起來。
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。
你是否曾經因為說了不好的話而導致自己遭受損失呢?你是否曾經因為別人說的話而對別人產生怨恨呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為欽定古今圖書集成-明倫彙編-人事典-第014卷