欲不可縱(We must not indulge our desires.)
本部落格寫作緣起，原是為了向國際友人介紹中華文化。因此行文中，為求簡明易懂，例如將官職等傳統頭銜，統一簡化為不同等級的行政官員，並盡量直稱其名。此為譯介之便，非為考據之疏。若您欲查閱嚴謹史料，請以文末所附典籍出處為準。
中國的南北王朝時代，有一個著名的大臣與文學家，他的名字是顏之推。
他寫了一本書分享自己的人生經驗給他的孩子，他所寫的這本書被大家所喜愛與傳播，這本書其中的許多內容至今為止仍然深刻地影響著許多中國人。
他在這本書中寫過一段話如下。
儒家有一本書名叫做禮記的經典書籍。這本書中有一段話，我們不可以放縱自己的慾望，我們要有遠大的志向，不可以因為一些小小的成就就感到自滿。
我分享我讀完這些話之後的感受讓你們知道。
我們活著的這個宇宙非常的大，但是其實這個宇宙也有邊界，跟宇宙相比我們每個人的內心的慾望與情感卻是沒有邊界的，這些情感與欲望是無窮的。
我們應該要覺察這一點，我們應該要知道滿足，我們應該要減少自己的慾望並且自己為自己內心的慾望設立一個界限。
我們歷代的祖先中，有一個人的名字叫做(顏含)。他曾經留下這段話給他的後代，我現在把這些話語傳承給你們。
他說。
我們要以我們家中的每一代人都是知識份子為榮，我們不應該以我們家裡很有錢為榮。
我們擔任政府的官員，我們的動機是要服務這個社會而非藉此謀取個人的利益，我希望你們以後如果有機會成為官員，最好擔任一個中級的行政官員就好，因為這個層級的官員是整個行政系統中最重要的法令執行與推動者。
我也希望你們認真對待你們的婚姻，我希望你們看重你們要結婚的對象的人品與學識，你們不應該刻意去追求那些有權力與有錢的家庭中的子孫。
我這輩子都把這些話銘記在心，我把這些話當作至理名言，現在我轉告給你們。
這句成語的意思是不可以放縱你的慾望。
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。
你的祖先有留下那些智慧的話嗎?你如果將要死去，你想留下那些智慧的話給你的子孫呢?
我期待這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為顏之推-顏氏家訓-卷5-止足篇
https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E9%A1%8F%E6%B0%8F%E5%AE%B6%E8%A8%93/%E5%8D%B7%E7%AC%AC5
We must not indulge our desires.(欲不可縱)
This blog was created to introduce Chinese
culture to international readers. For the sake of simplicity and ease of
understanding, traditional titles such as official ranks have been replaced
with 'administrative officials of different ranks', and names have been used
wherever possible. This is for the sake of translation convenience, not
historical accuracy. If you wish to consult rigorous historical sources, please
refer to the bibliographical references at the end of the article.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties
period in China, there was a famous minister and writer named Yan Zhitui.
He wrote a book in which he shared his life
experiences with his children. This book was widely loved and disseminated, and
many of its ideas still influence Chinese people today.
He wrote the following passage in this
book:
'There is a classic Confucian book called
the Book of Rites. In it, there is a passage that says, 'We must not indulge
our desires; we should have lofty aspirations and not become complacent because
of small achievements.'
I would now like to share my thoughts on
reading these words.
The universe we live in is vast, yet it has
boundaries. In comparison, the desires and emotions within each of us are
boundless and infinite.
We should be aware of this. We should learn
contentment. We should reduce our desires and set limits for them.
Among our ancestors was a man named Yan
Han. He left these words to his descendants, and I now pass them on to you.
He said:
We should be proud of the fact that every
generation in our family has been made up of intellectuals, rather than of the
fact that our family is wealthy.
As government officials, we should be
motivated by a desire to serve society rather than seeking personal gain. If
you have the opportunity to become officials in the future, I hope that you
will aim for a mid-level administrative position, as officials at this level
are the most important enforcers and promoters of laws in the entire
administrative system.
I also hope that you take your marriages
seriously. I hope you value the character and education of your spouses. You
should not deliberately seek to marry into powerful and wealthy families.
I have kept these words in my heart all my
life and consider them to be profound truths. Now, I am passing them on to you.
This idiom means that we must not indulge
our desires.
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts
have you gained from this story?
Did your ancestors leave behind any such
wisdom? If you were to die tomorrow, what wisdom would you want to leave behind
for your descendants?
I hope this story brings you new insights.