防民之口甚於防川(You are like a bad water engineer. You build a dike to block people's words, unaware that the harm you cause is greater than that of an engineer who only knows how to build dikes to prevent flooding.)

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，例如將皇帝、王等傳統頭銜，統一簡化為國王，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。

中國的周王朝的第十任國王的名字叫做姬胡，歷史書上記載了一個他的故事。

姬胡是一個很固執的人，他堅持自己的想法，他的個性很殘暴，他不願意聽取別人的意見。他成為國王之後，他所推行的一些政策遭到諸侯們還有首都內的百姓們的反對。

他為了壓制百姓們的不滿的聲音，他用了一個極其錯誤的手段，他監聽那些提出反對意見的百姓們，他嚴厲懲罰那些反對他的政策的百姓。

有一個很正直的名字叫做(姬虎)的大臣看到這個情況後，他對姬胡提出了他的諍言。姬虎對姬胡說。

一個好的水利工程師在治理河川氾濫的情況時，他不會只建一座非常高的堤防，他還同時會採用疏導與清淤的方式。

因為這個好的水利工程師知道，如果一條河流沒有疏導與清淤，那麼經過幾年後，這條河道就會開始淤積，到時候如果遭遇巨大的豪雨，這條河的河水就會氾濫甚至漫過堤防，到時候就會造成百姓們極其巨大的災禍。

你就像是一個不好的水利工程師，你建造一座堤防想阻擋百姓們口中所說的話，你不知道你這樣做所造成的危害會比一個只知道建造堤防來防治水災的水利工程師更大。

中國古代的那些偉大的領導者在管理國家時，他們會採納在社會的各個階層的人們所提供的經驗與建議，那些偉大的領導者在推行出新的政策前會考慮到民眾的想法與看法，因為只有這樣，新的政策才能夠被順利地推行。

你現在所採取的這種作法讓百姓們不敢說話，百姓們不敢發出自己的聲音，百姓們不敢表達自己真實的意見，我認為現在社會上的百姓們的怒氣被壓抑住了，你如果繼續這樣做，對我們的國家會造成很大的危害。

姬胡沒有聽取(姬虎)的建議。

經過了三年，百姓們的憤怒爆發，百姓們把姬胡趕出周王朝的首都。

周王朝的中央政府有14年的時間沒有國王，周王朝由一些大臣共同治理。

這句成語的直接翻譯的意思是你就像是一個不好的水利工程師，你建造一座堤防想阻擋百姓們口中所說的話，你不知道你這樣做所造成的危害會比一個只知道建造堤防來防治水災的水利工程師更大。

這句成語的中文只有幾個字，但是蘊含的訊息量很大，為了清楚表達意思，翻譯成英文句子會變得非常長。

親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的感受或有怎樣的想法呢。

你的國家如何治理河川氾濫的問題嗎?你是否有過因為堅持自己的想法而遭到損失的經驗呢?

我希望這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。

出處為國語-卷1-邵公諫厲王弭謗

https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E5%9C%8B%E8%AA%9E/%E5%8D%B701

圖片出處為百度百科

You are like a bad water engineer. You build a dike to block people's words, unaware that the harm you cause is greater than that of an engineer who only knows how to build dikes to prevent flooding. (防民之口甚於防川)

This blog was originally created to introduce Chinese culture to international friends. For the sake of and ease of understanding, traditional titles such as 'emperor' and 'king' have been simplified to 'King', and the given name is used as much as possible. This is for the convenience of translation, not historical research. If you wish to consult rigorous historical materials, please refer to the simplicity listed sources at the end of the article.

The tenth king of the Zhou dynasty in China was named Ji Hu, and his story is recorded in history books.

Ji Hu was a very stubborn person. He was set in his ways, had a cruel personality and was unwilling to listen to the opinions of others. After becoming king, some of his policies were opposed by the feudal lords and the capital's population.

In an attempt to suppress people's discontent, he employed a gravely flawed method: he eavesdropped on those who voiced their dissent and severely punished those who opposed his policies.

Seeing this situation, a minister named Ji Hu offered his honest advice to the king. Ji Hu said to Ji Hu:

'A good water engineer doesn't just build a very high dike to manage river flooding; he also employs dredging and silt removal methods.'

This is because a good water engineer knows that if a river isn't dredged, it will silt up over time. Then, if it rains heavily, the river will overflow and even breach the embankments, causing immense disaster for the people.'

You are like a bad water engineer. You build a dike to block people's words, unaware that the harm you cause is greater than that of an engineer who only knows how to build dikes to prevent flooding.

The great leaders of ancient China adopted the experiences and suggestions of people from all walks of life when governing the country. They considered the thoughts and opinions of the people before implementing new policies because they knew that this was the only way to ensure their success.

Your current approach silences people. They dare not voice their opinions or express their true views. I believe that people's anger is being suppressed. If you continue in this way, it will cause great harm to our country.

Ji Hu did not heed (Ji Hu's) advice.

Three years later, the people's anger erupted and they drove him out of the Zhou dynasty's capital.

The central government of the Zhou Dynasty was without a king for 14 years, during which time the dynasty was governed jointly by a group of ministers.

This idiom translates as 'You are like a bad water engineer. You build a dike to block people's words, unaware that the harm you cause is greater than that of an engineer who only knows how to build dikes to prevent flooding'.

This idiom contains only a few Chinese characters, but carries a great deal of information. To clearly express its meaning in English would require a very long sentence.

Dear friend, what are your thoughts or feelings after hearing this story?

How does your country manage river flooding? Have you ever suffered losses because you stuck to your own ideas?

I hope this story gives you some new insights.