Offering Loyal and Truthful Words(納忠效信)
Sima Qian was China's most eminent
historian. He and his father both served as officials in the central
government, responsible for recording history. While this position was not
particularly high-ranking or well-paid, it was highly respected.
Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian
is China's most classic historical work. In his youth, he travelled throughout
China conducting detailed fieldwork. In middle age, he began to compile Chinese
history from 2700 BC to 100 BC based on the materials he had collected.
In 99 BC, an event occurred that profoundly
impacted Sima Qian's life. He angered the king and was sentenced to castration,
a punishment that severely damaged his male dignity.
In a letter to a close friend named Ren An,
he reflected on his life and expressed self-doubt.
'Because of my ancestors, I was able to
become an official responsible for recording history. Time flies; I have
already served in this position for over twenty years.'
Recently, when reflecting on my performance
since starting this job, I realised that I had not performed well.
At the highest level, I should offer the
King loyal and truthful advice, earn the people's praise through my exceptional
strategy and talent, and impart wisdom and intelligence to the King through my
records.
At an average level, I should help the king
to identify and address shortcomings or deficiencies in national policies, and
recommend capable and virtuous individuals for positions in the central
government to strengthen our nation.
As a civil servant, however, my performance
has been poor. I have not achieved anything outstanding, nor have I received
any promotions or rewards for my work. I have not brought honour to my family
through my exceptional performance.
I cannot change careers because my physical
abilities and aptitude are not good. Unlike military officers, I cannot use my
abilities to defend the country against foreign enemies or achieve outstanding
military exploits.
Thinking about this makes me feel ashamed.
I feel that I have made no contributions and have no strengths; my only ability
is to cater to the King's thoughts and opinions.
This idiom literally translates as
'Offering Loyal and Truthful Words'.
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts did you gain from this story?
Have you ever experienced self-doubt
following a significant setback? Can you evaluate your work performance fairly
and objectively? I hope this story will provide you with some new insights.
納忠效信(Offering Loyal and Truthful Words(納忠效信)
司馬遷是中國最傑出的歷史學家。他的父親與他都在中央政府內擔任負責記錄歷史的官員，這個工作沒有非常高的地位與非常好的薪水，但是這是一個非常令人尊敬的職位。
司馬遷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，發生了一件對司馬遷的生命影響巨大的事情。他因為惹怒了國王所以被判處一個極度損害男性尊嚴的刑罰，他被判處宮刑。
在他寫給他的一個叫做(任安)的好朋友的信中，他回憶起他的人生，他表現出一種自我懷疑的心態。
因為我的祖先的關係，所以我才能夠成為一個負責記錄歷史的官員，時間過得真快，我在這個職位上也已經待了20幾年了。
最近我回顧我開始工作之後的表現，我認為我在工作上的表現並不好。
就我這個職位的最高標準，我應該要向國王貢獻忠誠與真實的言語，我應該要憑藉著自己非凡的謀略和才幹贏得眾人的讚美，我應該要讓國王從我的紀錄中得到智慧與聰明。
就我這個職位的普通表現，我應該要協助國王發現國家政策中那些不足或者缺失的地方並且加以補齊，我應該要推薦有能力且品德高尚的人們進入中央政府，讓我們的國家變得更加強大。
就一個文職官員而言，我的工作表現並不好，我沒有在工作上累積出好的成績並且因為自己的工作表現讓自己得到晉升與獎勵，我沒有因為自己的傑出表現讓家族得到榮耀。
我的身體體能與素質並不好，因此我無法轉換跑道，我沒有辦法像是那些武官一樣可以用自己的能力保衛國家並且對抗外敵並且建立卓越的戰功。
想到這邊我就覺得我很慚愧，我覺得我完全沒有貢獻與長處，我唯一的能力就只有能夠迎合國王的想法與意見。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是貢獻忠誠與真實的言語。
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。
你是否曾經因為巨大的打擊而產生自我懷疑的想法呢?你是否可以公平且客觀地評價自己的工作表現呢?
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