Imitating Others' Wrong Behaviours.(尤而效之)
During China's Spring and Autumn period,
there was a very famous minister in the Kingdom of Jin whose views and actions
had a profound influence on later generations. He is considered a model of
noble character and refined integrity. His name was Jie Zitui, and his story is
recorded in many historical books.
The Kingdom of Jin had a king named Ji
Chong'er. In order to escape the political struggles and assassinations within
the royal family of the Jin Dynasty, he spent approximately 19 years in exile
in various kingdoms.
With the help of the Qin Kingdom, he
returned to Jin at the age of 62 and ascended the throne. He was a grateful
man. After becoming King of Jin, he generously rewarded the followers and
ministers who had accompanied him during his years in exile.
Jie Zitui told the ministers who had been
in exile with Ji Chong'er for decades:
'You should not accept Ji Chong'er's gifts.
You must remain clear-headed. You must remember that Ji Chong'er's return to
Jin and his ascension to the throne were ordained by Heaven."
The ministers ignored Jie Zitui and readily
accepted the king's gifts.
Jie Zitui returned home dejectedly and his
mother noticed how distressed he was.
After hearing what had happened, she said
to him, "Those ministers have served the king for so long. Accepting his
gifts isn't necessarily wrong. I think you should adjust your thinking and
accept the king's gifts like them.'
Jie Zitui replied firmly, 'If someone
commits a wrong act, they must bear the consequences. If someone sees someone
commit a wrong act and then imitates that person, they bear a heavier burden of
guilt than the original person.
"I disagree with their actions and
have criticised their behaviour severely.
I can no longer work with these people. I
have decided to leave my job and live in seclusion on a mountain.
After hearing Jie Zitui's words, his mother
replied, "If you believe this is the best course of action and have made
up your mind, then I support your decision." I will follow you and live in
seclusion in the mountains.
After leaving the central government of the
Jin Kingdom, Jie Zitui severed all ties with his relatives and friends.
The King of Jin mobilised many people several
times to find Jie Zitui, hoping to invite him back to work in the central
government. However, these efforts all failed and Jie Zitui never appeared in
public again.
This idiom translates as "imitate the
wrong behaviour of others".
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts
have you gained from this story?
Do you have any colleagues whose behaviour
you find distasteful? Would you be willing to suffer losses to uphold your
moral principles? I hope this story gives you some new insights.
尤而效之(Imitating Others' Wrong Behaviours.)
中國的春秋時代的晉王國有一個非常著名的大臣，他的觀點與行為對後代的影響非常大，他被認為是一個高尚人格與高雅節操的典範，他的名字叫做介之推，在許多歷史書上都記載了有關於他的故事。
晉王國有一任的國王的名字叫做(姬重耳)，為了躲避晉王朝的皇室內的政治鬥爭與暗殺，他流亡在其他的王國大約19年的時間。
在秦王國的協助下，姬重耳在他62歲那一年回到了晉王國並繼承王位成了國王。姬重耳是一個知道感謝的人，他成為晉王國的國王後，他大大的獎勵了那些長期跟著他一起在逃難到各個王國中流浪的隨從與大臣。
介之推對那些與姬重耳一起流亡幾十年的大臣們說。
你們不應該接受姬重耳的餽贈，你們應該要保持清醒，你們應該要知道，姬重耳可以回到晉王國並且成為國王的這件事是出於上天的安排。
那幾個大臣沒有理會介之推，他們欣然地接受了國王的好意。
介之推很沮喪地回到家，他的母親看出介之推的心情不好。
他的母親在了解這件事情的原委之後對介之推說。
其實那些大臣已經跟在國王身邊那麼久了，他們接受國王的饋贈也不算是一件不對的事。我認為你就調整你的想法，跟那些大臣一樣一起接受國王的好意。
介之推很堅決地回答。
如果有一個人做了錯誤的行為，那麼這個人就要承擔自己的罪。如果有一個人在看到別人做了錯誤的行為之後還去仿效這個人的錯誤行為，那麼這個人要承擔的罪比原本那個人更重。
我不認同他們的做法，而且我也嚴厲的批評了他們的行為。
我也無法再跟這些人一起工作了，我決定要離開這份工作然後找一座山去山上隱居。
聽完介之推的話後，他的母親回答。
如果你認為這樣做最好，而且你已經決定好要這樣做了，那麼我支持你所做的決定。我會跟著你一起但山上隱居。
介之推後來離開晉王國的中央政府後，他斷絕了所有的親戚與朋友之間的聯絡。
晉王國的國王有好幾次動員了很多人去找介之推，他想要邀請介之推再次回到中央政府內工作，但是這幾次的行動都失敗了，介之推從此再也沒有出現在世人的眼前。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是仿效別人的錯誤行為。
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。
你的工作夥伴中有人令你覺得很討厭嗎?你願意為了捍衛自己的道德感而讓自己遭受到損失呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為左傳-僖公24年
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E6%98%A5%E7%A7%8B%E5%B7%A6%E6%B0%8F%E5%82%B3/%E5%83%96%E5%85%AC
出處為呂氏春秋-季冬記-介立
https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%91%82%E6%B0%8F%E6%98%A5%E7%A7%8B/%E5%8D%B7%E5%8D%81%E4%BA%8C