To satisfy his own desires, he harmed the
people.(殘民以逞)
The period from 770 BC to 476 BC was known
as the Spring and Autumn Period in China, followed by the Warring States Period
from 476 BC to 221 BC.
During this time, China's highest leader
was the king of the Zhou dynasty. The Zhou king established more than 100
vassal states, each of which became a kingdom. These kingdoms fought many
fierce wars for land and resources, creating an extremely chaotic era.
In 607 BC, the Kingdom of Zheng sent an
army to attack the Kingdom of Song. The Kingdom of Song sent a general named
Hua Yuan to lead their army in response.
Ultimately, the Kingdom of Song lost the
war. The main reason for their defeat was a soldier named Yang Zhen.
Misunderstanding that Hua Yuan had slighted him, Yang Zhen betrayed the
kingdom.
He was later despised by the people of
Song. At the time, the people of Song said...
'Although Yang Zhen possessed a human
appearance, his actions resembled those of a wild beast.' He was driven by his
inner desires and unable to control himself rationally.
Because Hua Yuan had inadvertently
neglected him, Yang Zhen's heart was filled with resentment. In an attempt to
vent his anger, he committed acts that harmed the entire Song Kingdom, causing
it to lose a crucial war. To satisfy his own desires, he harmed the people. He
was a wicked and immoral person.
Hua Yuan was captured by the Zheng Kingdom
during the war, but later escaped and returned to the Song Kingdom.
Despite losing the war, he retained his
original position and political resources due to his noble status.
Several months later, the Song Kingdom
began a project to repair its city walls and appointed Hua Yuan as the person in
charge.
Accompanied by a few of his confidants, Hua
Yuan inspected the workers' progress and heard them singing a mocking song
about him. The song tells the story of a man with a large belly, wide eyes and
a long, thick beard. He had lost a war and his armour had been taken by the
enemy; he had now returned to the Song Kingdom.
Hua Yuan's companions were angry when they
heard the workers' words, but Hua Yuan, a tolerant man, knew that as a leader
he bore the greatest responsibility for the lost war.
He told his confidants, "Ignore these
workers. There are so many people, and I cannot defend myself or explain the
truth to everyone. These people and workers have their own mouths; our best
choice is to ignore them.'
This idiom translates as: 'To satisfy his
own desires, he harmed the people.'
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts did you gain from this story?
Are there people in your country who have harmed others to satisfy their own desires? If you were Hua Yuan, would you be angry with these workers?
I hope
this story gives you some new insights.
殘民以逞(To satisfy his own desires, he harmed
the people.)
西元前770年到西元前476年這段時間是中國的春秋時代，西元前476年到西元前221年這段時間是中國的戰國時代。
當時中國的最高領導人是周王朝的國王。周王朝的國王把土地分封給100多個諸侯，這些諸侯各自成立的自己的王國，這些王國之間為了爭奪土地與資源而發生許多慘烈的戰爭，那是一個極度混亂的年代。
西元前607年，鄭王國派出軍隊攻打宋王國，宋王國派出一個名叫(華元)的將軍帶領著軍隊迎戰。
宋王國後來輸了這場戰爭，輸掉這場戰爭的主因是一個名字叫做(羊斟)的士兵，羊斟因為誤會自己被(華元)輕視所以就背叛宋王國，
(羊斟)這個士兵後來被宋王國的人民所唾棄，當時的宋王國的人民說。
羊斟雖然有人的外表，但是他所做的行為像是野獸一樣，他被內心的慾望所掌握，他無法理性的控制自己。
因為(華元)不小心忽視了(羊斟)，羊斟的內心就充滿了怨恨，羊斟為了發洩心中的怒氣，他做出傷害了整個宋王國的行為，他讓宋王國輸了一場重要的戰爭。他為了滿足自己的慾望，他做出了傷害人民百姓的事情。他是一個不良善又不道德的人。
(華元)在這場戰爭中被鄭王國俘虜，(華元)後來想辦法逃離鄭王國回到了宋王國。
他雖然輸掉這場戰爭，但是由於他的貴族的身分，他仍然可以擁有著原本的地位與政治資源。
幾個月後，宋王國要進行一項修繕城牆的工程，(華元)被派遣擔任主要的負責人。
當(華元)帶著幾個他的親信一起巡視確認工人們的工程進度時，他聽到工人們正在唱著一首嘲笑他的歌。這首歌的意思是有一個男人，他有著很大的肚子，他瞪大了眼睛，他臉上的鬍子又長又密，他輸掉了一場戰爭，他身上的盔甲被敵人奪走，他現在回到了宋王國。
華元的親信們聽到這些工人的話後很生氣，但是華元是一個寬容而且知道羞恥的人，他知道自己是一個領導者，自己要對這場失敗的戰爭負最大的責任。
他寬容地對他的親信們說。
不要理會這些工人們，百姓如此的多，我難以為自己辯白，我不可能跟所有人去解釋真實的情況。
嘴巴長在這些百姓與工人們的身上，我們最好的選擇就是不要理會他們。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是他為了滿足自己的慾望，他做出了傷害人民百姓的事情。
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?
你的國家中有沒有那些人曾經為了滿足自己的慾望而做出傷害所有人的事情呢?你如果是華元你會對這些工人生氣嗎?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為左傳-宣公2年
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