The Original and Translation of "Diligence and Fitness"

The original text and translation of "Training Thrift to Show Health" are as follows:

Original text:

I am a poor family, and there is no evil in the world. I don't like luxury by nature. I am a baby. My elders gave me gorgeous gold and silver clothes, and I don't want to be ashamed to give them up. Twenty surnames, Wenxi, no flowers for a solo banquet. In the same year, he said, "Your gift is inviolable." This is a flower. Take clothes to keep out the cold and eat to fill your stomach all your life; I dare not use despicable means to correct vulgarity, I just follow my nature.

Everyone is proud of luxury, and my heart is only beautiful if it is frugal. Everyone laughs at me, and I don't think I'm sick. Ying said, "Confucius said,' Better be the next, not the next.' He also said,' it's hard to stand up.' He also said,' it is not enough to discuss those who are ashamed of their poor food and clothing because they are determined to be Taoist priests.' The ancients thought thrift was a virtue, but today people criticize it. Hey, what a surprise! "

In recent years, customs have been particularly extravagant, with soldiers dressed like soldiers and farmers stepping on silk. I remember that among the heavenly saints, the first male is the official, and the guests never drink alcohol, or three or five lines, but not more than seven lines. Wine is in the market, such as pears, chestnuts, dates and persimmons; The dishes stop at bacon, sugar and vegetable soup, made of porcelain and lacquerware. At that time, the literati were all natural, and people were wrong.

Know the number and be diligent, thin and affectionate. Recently, in the scholar-bureaucrat family, wine is not an internal law, melon and fruit dishes are not rare from afar, food is not good, utensils are not complete, and they dare not receive guests and visit friends before they dare to publish books. If not, people will refute it and think it is despicable. So people who don't follow the custom will put on fresh clothes. Ha ha! Customs are so corrupt, although the incumbent can't forbid it, bear with it!

I also heard that Li Wenjing was the prime minister in the past, and he lived in Fengqiumen. Only horses are allowed to circle in advance in the hall, or it is too narrow. The public laughed and said, "Being in the first place should be passed on to future generations. This is the sincerity of the Prime Minister's office, and it is too lenient for the ceremony hall. " Duke Lu's participation in politics was an admonition to the official, and he was urgently called by a true sectarian messenger, so he got it in a restaurant, entered it, asked him where he came from, and treated him honestly.

He said, "Why do you drink in the hotel to take care of the officials?" Yes, I said, "The minister's family is poor, and the guests have no utensils, dishes and fruits, so I will treat them in the restaurant." There is nothing hidden above, and it is beneficial. Zhang Wenjie is a relative. When he was the secretary of Heyangzhang, relatives or rules said, "I received a lot of money today, which I donated myself." Although the public is confident and clear about the contract, there are also many outsiders who are ridiculed by Gongsun Bu. The public should follow the crowd less. "

Gong sighed and said, "Although my family has plenty of food and clothing today, why not?" Considering human nature, frugality is easy and difficult. How often can I get paid today? Can the body last forever? Once it is different from today, family members are used to luxury for a long time, and they will lose money if they can't be frugal. If I live, go, live and die, it's often like a day? "blare! A great sage's foresight is beyond the reach of mediocre people!

Yu Sun said, "Thrift is virtue." This is a waste and a great evil. "* * *, the same; He who speaks with virtue comes from thrift. If a husband is frugal, he will have a small desire, while if a gentleman has a small desire, he will not do anything. If he can be straight, he will be straight. Little people have few desires. If they can use them carefully, they will stay away from evil. So: "Thrift is also a virtue. "Waste is more desire. If a gentleman wants more, he will be greedy for money, and he will waste his way and suffer quickly; If a villain wants more, he will seek more, and he will perish; So they will bribe officials and steal their hometown. Therefore, luxury is a great evil. "

I used to try my father's porridge to make a living. Meng Xunzi knew that there would be talents later. Ji Wenzi is the three kings, my concubine doesn't wear clothes and silks, my horse doesn't eat millet, and a gentleman thinks loyalty. Guan Zhong's name is Zhu Yi, but Confucius despises his gadgets. Uncle Wen Zi likes spirit and history? Know the disaster; Besides, if you have money, you will offend death. He used to live on food and money until Sun was so arrogant that he lost everything.

Shi Chong boasted and died in the East City. In recent days, Duke Kelai has been extravagant for a while, but he has made great achievements, and his descendants have learned the wind. Now he is poor. The rest are famous for their frugality, and many people have lost themselves because of extravagance and waste. I can't count them. Here are a few people to teach you. If you are not a disciple, you should cultivate your children and let them know the customs of their predecessors. ?

Translation:

I was born in a humble family, and I passed on a clean family style from generation to generation. I don't like extravagance and waste by nature. Growing up, my elders dressed me in gold and silver ornaments and gorgeous clothes, always ashamed to say it and threw it away. At the age of twenty, I took part in the imperial examination, and I was the only one who didn't wear flowers at the Wen wedding banquet.

In the same year, the person who raised him said, "The emperor's kindness cannot be violated." So I put a flower on my head. In my life, I only need to bring enough clothes to keep out the cold and enough food to satisfy my hunger, but I dare not deliberately wear dirty clothes to show my uniqueness and gain a good reputation. I just do things according to my nature.

Most people are proud of extravagance and waste, but frugality and simplicity are the only beauty in my heart. People laugh at my stubbornness and meanness, and I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

Answer them: "Confucius said:' It is better to be humble and shabby than to be extravagant and extravagant', and said:' Few people make mistakes because of thrift', and said:' A scholar who is interested in seeking truth and is ashamed of his poor clothes is not worth talking to'. The ancients regarded thrift as a virtue, but today people ridicule it. Oh, how strange! "

In recent years, the atmosphere is particularly extravagant and wasteful. Most runners wear scholar's clothes, while farmers wear shoes made of silk. I remember that during the reign of Saint, my father was a judge of the Ministry of Pastoral Affairs. When guests come, they should prepare wine and vegetables, sometimes three glasses of wine, or five glasses of wine, not more than seven at most.

Wine is bought from the market, fruits are limited to pears, dates, chestnuts and persimmons, dishes are limited to dried meat, meat sauce and vegetable soup, and tableware is porcelain and lacquerware. At that time, it was all like this in the families of literati, and people would not have any criticism. Although there are many parties, it is only a courtesy, and there are few social activities, but the friendship is deep.

Recently, if wine is not brewed in the palace, if fruits and dishes are not treasures and specialties in the distance, if food is not a variety, and tableware is not full of tables, they are afraid to date guests and friends. It is often after months of processing and gathering that they dare to send an invitation.

If you don't do this, people will rush to accuse him of meanness. So if you don't follow the custom, fewer people will fall with the wind. Alas! The atmosphere has deteriorated into this. Can powerful people have the heart to encourage even if they can't ban it?

I also heard that when Li Wenjing was prime minister, he built a house at Fengqiumen, and only one horse could turn in front of the hall. Some people say the place is too narrow. Li Wenjing said with a smile, "The house should be passed on to future generations. The hall where the Prime Minister works is indeed very narrow, but the hall as a sacrifice and ceremony is already very wide. "

When the political activist Lu Gong served as an admonisher, the real sect summoned him urgently and found him in a hotel. After entering the DPRK, Shinzong asked him where he was from, and he answered truthfully. The emperor said, "since you are an adviser to dignitaries, why do you drink in pubs?" Duke Lu replied, "My family was poor, and the guests came. There were no tableware, vegetables and fruits, so I invited them to the pub to drink."

The emperor respected Duke Lu more because he didn't hide it. When Zhang Wenjie was the prime minister, he enjoyed his life as a judge of Heyang Festival. Someone close to him advised him: "You are getting a lot of salary now, but you are enjoying your life frugally. Although you know this is true honesty and frugality, outsiders have a lot of comments on you, thinking that being cheated like Gong can't be changed.

You should follow the habits of ordinary people a little. "Zhang Wenjie sighed and said," With my present salary, is there anything I can't do, even if the whole family wears silk and satin to paste fish? However, it is human nature that it is easy to change from frugality to luxury and difficult to change from luxury to frugality. Can I always have such a high salary? Can the body live forever?

If one day I resign or die, the situation will be different from now. Family members are used to luxury for a long time, and they can't be frugal immediately, which will definitely lead to nowhere to be found. No matter whether I am an official, dismissed from office, alive or dead, how can the living conditions at home never change? "alas! What can ordinary people compare with the foresight of a great sage?

Yu Sun said: "Thrift is the greatest virtue; Luxury is the greatest evil. " * * *, which is the same, means that a virtuous person starts with thrift. Because, if you are frugal, you will have less greed. If you have less greed, you will not be enslaved by foreign things and you will be able to take the right path.

People without status, with less greed, can restrain themselves, save money, avoid crime and make their families rich, so "frugality is the characteristic of all good virtues." Luxury leads to greed. If you have status, you will be greedy and love money. If you don't take the right path, you will cause disaster. Without status, you will be greedy, profligate, bankrupt and lose your life in many ways.

Therefore, officials who are extravagant are bound to take bribes, and ordinary people who are extravagant are bound to steal other people's money. Therefore, "luxury is the greatest evil."

In the past, my father lived on porridge, so Meng Xunzi inferred that his descendants would produce excellent people. When Ji Wenzi assisted Lu Wengong, Gong Xuan and Xiang Gong, the concubines did not wear silk clothes and the horses did not feed the millet. At that time, prestigious people thought he was loyal to public office. All the musical instruments used by Guan Zhong are engraved with various patterns, and the hat he wears is decorated with a red hat belt. In the house where he lives, even the bucket arches are carved with mountain patterns, and even the short columns on the beams are decorated with exquisite patterns.

Confucius looked down on him and thought that he was not a great talent. Uncle is having a dinner at home, Shi? It is inferred that he is doomed to misfortune. When his son's uncle was young, he was sentenced to be rich at home and fled outside. He once spent 10,000 coppers on food and drink in one day, and by the time of his grandson's generation, his family was ruined because of his arrogance.

Shi Chong boasted about his luxurious life and eventually died in the execution ground. In modern times, Clegg was the first, but because of his great achievements, people did not criticize him. His descendants also learned from his family style, and now most of them are poor. There are many others, who have established their fame because of thrift and committed suicide because of luxury. We can't list them all. Here are some people to teach you. You should not only practice frugality yourself, but also use it to teach your children and grandchildren and let them know the styles and customs of their predecessors.