A Sincere and Earnest Heart of Loyalty(拳拳之忠)
Sima Qian was China's most eminent
historian. His Records of the Grand Historian is China's most classic
historical text. In his youth, he travelled throughout China conducting
detailed field investigations. In middle age, he began to organise Chinese history
from 2700 BC to 100 BC based on the materials he had collected.
In 99 BC, Li Ling, a general of the Han
dynasty, led an army of just 5,000 men against the Xiongnu Kingdom's army of
80,000. Due to the overwhelming disparity in numbers, Li Ling's army was
defeated. Rather than committing suicide for his country, Li Ling chose to
surrender and was captured by the Xiongnu Kingdom.
Upon hearing this news, the Han emperor was
extremely angry. In this state of mind, he ordered that all of Li Ling's family
members be executed for his betrayal of the Han dynasty.
When the decree was announced, most
ministers disagreed, but none dared to voice their opposition. They knew that
speaking out against the enraged king would likely provoke his wrath.
Sima Qian was the only person in the entire
central government to bravely voice his opposition to the decree to Emperor Wu
of Han (Liu Che). Sima Qian believed that, if he highlighted Li Ling's past
actions and achievements, the Han king would reconsider his decision. However,
events did not unfold as Sima Qian had anticipated.
The Han king thought that Sima Qian was
trying to influence his judgement with flawed logic. To someone who had reigned
for over 42 years, it was a severe insult to be questioned in this way. Consequently,
the emperor's anger extended to Sima Qian, who was sentenced to castration.
According to Sima Qian's account, he
treated the king of the Han dynasty with sincere and earnest heart of loyalty.
However, this loyalty led to terrible misfortune. According to Han dynasty law,
he could have paid a fine to mitigate his punishment, but the fine for avoiding
castration was extremely high and beyond his means.
Sima Qian tried to borrow money from
friends and relatives, but they feared that lending to him would incur the
king's wrath and extend to them. Therefore, they all told him that they had no
money to lend.
Ultimately, Sima Qian had no choice but to
accept castration, a highly inhumane and humiliating punishment. Afterwards, he
felt immense sorrow and pain. He intensified his grief, feeling that the world
was mocking him. He fell into a state of complete isolation, unwilling to
engage with the outside world.
This idiom translates as "A Sincere
and Earnest Heart of Loyalty".
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts
did you gain from this story?
If you were Sima Qian's close friend, would
you lend him money? Have any of your friends become withdrawn due to emotional
trauma?
I hope this story gives you some new
insights.
拳拳之忠(A Sincere and Earnest Heart of
Loyalty)
司馬遷是中國最傑出的歷史學家。他寫的史記是中國最經典的歷史書。他在青年時代走遍了全中國，進行詳細的田野調查。他在中年之後根據所蒐集的材料，開始整理中國從公元前2700年到公元前100年間的中國歷史。
西元前99年，漢王朝有一個名字叫做李陵的將軍，他領導著一隻只有五千人的軍隊與八萬的匈奴王國的軍隊對戰，由於雙方的兵力太過懸殊，所以李陵率領的軍隊戰敗了，李陵選擇投降而非自殺殉國，他被俘虜到匈奴王國。
漢王朝的國王聽到這個消息後感到極度的憤怒，他在這種情緒下公告了一條命令，由於李陵背叛了漢王朝，因此所有李陵的家人全部都要被處死。
這條命令公告之後，多數的大臣們心中都不認同，但是卻都沒有人敢提出反對的意見，大臣們知道，在盛怒的國王面前，如果提出反對意見，那麼國王的怒氣可能會延伸到自己身上。
當時的整個中央政府中只有司馬遷勇敢地對劉徹說出的他反對這項命令的觀點，在司馬遷的心中，國王是非常理性且明理的，他認為舉出了李陵之前的一些行為表現與功勞之後，漢王朝的國王就會重新審視自己的這項決定，但是事情的發展並不像司馬遷所預期。
漢王朝的國王認為司馬遷想要用他那套的錯誤的邏輯來影響自己的判斷，漢王朝的國王認為司馬遷質疑自己的決定，這種質疑對一個已經擔任國王超過42年的人來說，是一種嚴重的侮辱，所以漢王朝的國王的怒氣延伸到司馬遷的身上，司馬遷被判處宮刑。
根據司馬遷的自述，他用一顆真誠且懇切的忠誠的心來對待漢王朝的國王，但是他卻因為自己的忠誠而遭遇的這樣的巨大災禍，根據漢王朝的法律，他其實可以繳納罰款來使自己的刑罰減輕，但是要抵銷宮刑的這筆罰款金額非常的高，他自己根本沒有能力繳納。
司馬遷去跟朋友或親戚借錢，但是這些朋友與親戚都擔心會因為借錢給司馬遷而造成國王的怒氣再次延伸到自己的身上，所以這些親戚與朋友都對司馬遷說我們沒有錢可以借你。
就在這種情況之下，司馬遷最後只能接受宮刑這種非常不人道而且損害男性尊嚴的刑罰，司馬遷被刑罰之後，他的內心感到無比的悲哀與痛苦，他放大自己的哀痛，他感到這個世界的人都在嘲笑自己，他陷入了一種完全封閉而不想要與外界對話的情緒之中。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是一顆真誠且懇切的忠誠的心。
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。
你如果是司馬遷的好朋友你敢借錢給司馬遷嗎?你周圍是否有朋友曾經因為心理受傷害而陷入內心封閉的情況呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為司馬遷-報任少卿書
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E5%A0%B1%E4%BB%BB%E5%B0%91%E5%8D%BF%E6%9B%B8