It wagged its tail and begged for food.(搖尾求食)
Sima Qian was China's most eminent
historian. His Records of the Grand Historian is China's most classic
historical book. 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, a few years after he began
writing the Records of the Grand Historian, Sima Qian displeased the king of
the Han dynasty with one of his views and was sentenced to castration.
This was an extremely humiliating and
unacceptable punishment for a man, and Sima Qian considered suicide. However,
he thought of his dream, his promise to his father and all the work he had put
into this book. Ultimately, he decided to endure the humiliation and continue
living.
The following is a rough translation of a
passage from a letter Sima Qian wrote to a close friend:
'If a tiger lives deep in the mountains,
all other animals will be intimidated and terrified at its sight. But if a
tiger is caught in a trap and caged, it loses its dignity.
In order to tame the tiger, people use food
as a weapon. They deliberately withhold food from it. Forced to survive by
wagging its tail, the tiger begs for food.
I feel that my situation is very similar to
that of the tiger. I've always been careful to avoid anything that could land
me in prison or subject me to interrogation. Why am I so cautious? It's
because, as an intellectual, I have a strong sense of dignity and pride, and I
avoid situations where I feel insulted.
However, despite my caution, I still found myself
in such a situation. I recall that my hands and feet were bound, there was a
shackle around my neck and I was whipped and imprisoned.
During that time, the prison officials
intimidated me with threats and controlled me through their authority.
In hindsight, I realise that during that
period, I was so terrified of the guards that I would kowtow and beg for mercy
whenever I saw them. I was utterly petrified when I saw the jailers. In
hindsight, I realise that I did many things that abandoned my dignity and
pride, just to survive.
This idiom literally translates as 'wagging
one's tail and begging for food'.
It is used to describe someone who depends
on others for survival and does things that compromise their dignity.
It is also used to describe someone who
flatters and fawns over the powerful to gain money or benefits.
Dear friend, what insights or thoughts did
you gain from this story?
Have you ever experienced a loss of
dignity? Have you heard any sad stories about prison?
I hope this story gives you some new
insights.
搖尾求食(It wagged its tail and begged for
food.)
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。
公元前99年，在司馬遷開始寫史記這本書的幾年之後，他所提出的一個看法讓當時的漢王朝的國王不開心，他被判處了宮刑的刑罰。
這是一個對於男人來說非常難堪又難以接受的刑罰，因此司馬遷一度想自殺但他想到自己的夢想，他想到他對他的父親的承諾，他想到自己為了這本書付出的那些努力與準備。他後來決定選擇忍受這種屈辱而繼續活著。
司馬遷寫給自己的好朋友的一封信中有一段話的大意如下。
一隻老虎如果住在深山中，所有的動物看到這隻老虎時都會感到震懾與恐懼，一隻老虎如果被人用陷阱抓到然後被關在籠子裡面，那麼這隻老虎就失去了自己的尊嚴。
人們為了馴服這隻老虎，就會用食物當武器，人們會故意不給老虎食物，這隻老虎在長期沒有東西吃的時候，為了活下去，牠只能搖著尾巴乞求人們給牠食物。
我覺得我所遭遇的情況跟這隻老虎很像，，我一直很小心地避免自己做出任何會讓自己身陷牢獄的事，也會避免自己遭遇到被審問的情況，為何我會這樣小心謹慎呢，這是因為身為一個知識份子，我有強大的尊嚴與驕傲，我避免自己陷入那些人格與尊嚴被侮辱的情境中。
但是，儘管我如此小心，但我還是落入了這種被人格與尊嚴被侮辱的情境，回想起前一陣子的遭遇，那個時候我的手腳被捆綁，我的頸上戴著枷鎖，我的皮膚暴露並遭受鞭打，我被囚禁在監獄之中。
在那段期間中，那些看守與管理監獄的官吏們用威嚇的力量來恫嚇我，他們用威權的力量來約束我。
現在回想起來，在那段期間內，當我看到那些獄吏時，我就嚇到跟那些獄吏磕頭求饒，當我看到那些獄卒時我就感到就驚惶恐懼，我現在回想起來，我那個時候為了活下去，做出了許多拋棄了我的尊嚴與驕傲的事情。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是搖著尾巴乞求食物。
這句成語被用來形容一個人為了活下去而依附別人，這個人做出許多失去自己尊嚴的事情。
這句成語也被用來形容一個人諂媚與巴結權貴並藉著這個方式讓自己獲得金錢或利益。
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。
你曾經因為那件事感受到失去自己的尊嚴嗎?你是否聽過那些關於監獄中的令人難過的故事呢?
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