1. What are the classical Chinese texts about frugality?
Xun Jian shows Kang Sima Guang I am from the Han family, and I have inherited it from generation to generation with innocence.
My nature does not like luxury and extravagance. I am a suckling child. When the elders dress me in gold, silver and beauty, I often throw them away in shame. Twenty years ago, I heard that no flowers were worn at the wedding banquet.
In the same year, he said: "You cannot violate your gift." It is a hairpin with a flower.
Throughout my life, I have had enough clothes to keep out the cold and food to fill my belly; I don’t dare to suffer from dirt and evil just to correct my name, but I just follow my nature. Everyone is proud of extravagance, but in my heart, frugality is the beauty.
Everyone scoffs at me for being stubborn, but I don’t think I’m sick. In response, Confucius said: "It is better to be solid than to be inferior." He also said, "There are very few people who fail to make promises." He also said, "It is not enough for a scholar to aspire to the Tao and be ashamed of the bad clothes and food.
"The ancients regarded frugality as a virtue, but today people criticize it for being frugal. Hee, what a surprise! In recent years, customs have become particularly extravagant, with soldiers wearing uniforms and farmers wearing silk shoes.
I remember that in Tianshengzhong, my ancestor was the judge of the herds of the group. When guests arrived, they would not even drink wine, but there were three or five rows, but no more than seven rows. The wine is drunk in the market, and the fruits are pears, chestnuts, dates, persimmons, etc.; the food is preserved meat, vegetable soup, and the utensils are painted with enamel.
At that time, all the scholar-bureaucrats were like this, and people were not at odds with each other. Know how to count but be courteous and diligent, have few things but have deep feelings.
In the houses of scholar-bureaucrats these days, the wine is not the custom, the fruits and dishes are not rare from far away places, the food is not rich, the utensils are not full, they dare not meet guests and friends, they often gather together for several months, and then they dare to send out letters. If you don't do this, people will argue about it and think it is stingy.
Therefore, those who do not follow the popular trend will be successful. Alas! The customs are so decadent that even though those in power cannot restrain them, they can only help them! I also heard that Duke Li Wenjing was the prime minister in the past. He was the Prime Minister in the Fengqiu Gate. Taizhu has been generous enough to listen to the matter.
"Gong Lu was involved in politics as an admonishment officer. Zhenzong sent an envoy to summon him hurriedly. When he entered the restaurant, he asked him where he was and found out what he was doing. It said: "You are an official of the Qing Dynasty, why do you drink in a wine shop?" He said to him: "My family is poor, and the guests have no utensils, food, or fruits, so I go to the wine shop to drink.
" The above said that there is no Hidden, beneficial and important. When Zhang Wenjie was the prime minister and he supported himself as the secretary of Heyang Zhang, his relatives said: "My father is receiving a lot of salary now, and I am serving you like this."
Although the public is confident that he will keep the contract, outsiders are quite proud of him. Gongsun Bu was ridiculed.
Gongsun sighed and said, "My family is well clothed and well fed, so why not? It's common sense to change from frugality to luxury." , It is difficult to change from extravagance to frugality. How can I last forever with my current salary? If my family has been accustomed to extravagance for a long time, I will lose my place.
How often do I lose my position and die in one day? "Oh! The foresight and foresight of a great sage is beyond the reach of others! Yu Sun said: "Frugality is the most important virtue; extravagance is the most evil." The same thing means that all those who are virtuous come from frugality.
A frugal husband will have few desires: a gentleman with few desires will not be servile to things and can walk on a straight path; a villain with few desires will be able to use his body with restraint and avoid offending the rich family. Therefore, it is said: "Frugality is the first virtue.
" Extravagance leads to too many desires: a gentleman's too many desires lead to greed for wealth and honor, which leads to misfortune; a villain's too many desires lead to excessive pursuits and ruins the family. You will lose your life; therefore, if you are an official, you will bribe, and if you are in the countryside, you will steal. Therefore, it is said: "Luxury is the greatest evil."
In the past, when his father was eating porridge to make ends meet, Meng Xizi knew that there would be a wise man after him. Ji Wenzi looked at the three kings. The concubine did not wear silk and the horse did not eat millet. The gentleman thought he was loyal.
Guan Zhong carved Gui Zhu Hong, Shan? Confucius despised the small utensils of algae. The uncle Wenzi enjoyed the Duke Ling of Wei, Shi Loi knew that he was in trouble; when he was garrison, he was offended by his wealth and perished.
How could the sun eclipse ten thousand yuan, and the grandson be overflowing with pride and ruin the whole family? Shi Chong praised others for his extravagance, but he died in Dongshi because of it.
In modern times, Kou Laigong was a wealthy man for a while, but because of his great achievements, no one could blame him. His descendants followed his family tradition, and many of them are now poor. There are many others who have made a name for themselves by being frugal and have ruined themselves by being extravagant. It is impossible to count them all. Let me mention a few of them to teach you.
You are not a mere disciple, but you should serve in obedience. You should teach your descendants so that they can know the customs of their predecessors.
Translation: I was originally (born in) a poor family, and my family tradition has been passed down from generation to generation.
I don’t like luxury by nature. Ever since I was a baby, my elders have put gorgeous clothes decorated with gold and silver on me, but I have always been shy about throwing them away. When I was twenty years old, I was listed among the Jinshi subjects. When I attended the wedding banquet, I was the only one who did not wear flowers. In the same year, I said: "Flowers are given by the king." , can't violate (not wear) "
(I) just put a flower (on the brim). I always wear clothes to protect myself from the cold, and food to fill my stomach. I don’t dare to wear dirty and tattered clothes (deliberately) to go against the common sense and to gain reputation.
Just follow my nature. Many people regard luxury and waste as glory, but I alone regard frugality and simplicity as a virtue.
Others ridiculed me for being stubborn and incomprehensible, but I did not regard this as a flaw and answered them: "Confucius said: 'It is better to be stubborn and incomprehensible than to be proud.' He also said: 'Because it is frugal. And those who make mistakes are very few.
'Also said: 'Scholars are aspiring to the truth, but they are ashamed of not being well fed, not well clothed, and not living as well as others. (This kind of person is) not worth talking to (him). "The ancients regarded frugality as a virtue, but now people ridicule frugality, (thinking it is) a flaw, hehe, (really) strange." The trend in recent years! It was especially extravagant and wasteful. Most of the errands wore the clothes of scholars, and the peasants wore shoes made of silk fabrics.
I remember during the Tiansheng period (when my father was the judge of Qun Mu), it was not uncommon for guests to come without setting up a banquet, (but) sometimes the wine was poured three times, and sometimes the wine was poured five times. , no more than seven times (no more pouring). The wine was bought from the market, the fruits were limited to pears, chestnuts, dates, persimmons, etc., the food to go with the wine was limited to dried meat, meat sauce, and vegetable soup, and the tableware was made of porcelain and lacquerware.
At that time, all the families of the scholar-officials were like this, and they did not laugh at or criticize him. (At that time) gatherings were frequent and courteous, food was scarce but feelings were deep.
In the families of scholar-bureaucrats these days, the wine (if) is not (made according to) the method of brewing in the palace, the fruits and snacks (if) are not rare and exotic products from far away, and the food (if) is not (if) There are many varieties. If the table is not full of tableware, we would not dare to date and entertain guests and friends. For date entertainment, it often takes several months to prepare before you dare to send out invitations.
If someone does not do this, people will criticize him, thinking that he has not seen the world and is reluctant to spend money. Therefore, there are fewer (people) who do not follow the custom and go with the wind.
Alas, the culture is so corrupted that even though people in high positions and power cannot stop it, they cannot bear to encourage it.
2. Ancient famous sayings about thrift
●Building a family is like picking dirt with a needle, and losing a family is like squandering through the sand. ●Build by diligence and frugality, and ruined by extravagance. ●Diligence and frugality will never lead to poverty, and living on a mountain will be empty. ●From frugality to luxury. It’s easy, but it’s difficult to go from extravagance to frugality ●If you don’t save small money, you will spend big money indiscriminately (UK) ●When you are married, your excrement is like treasure; when you are a prodigal, your money is like grass ●If you spend money now, it will be empty in the future ●Every spoonful of accumulated money Don’t pour things out in buckets (Kazakhs) ●Don’t eat the fruits of your hard work in one sitting (Uyghurs) ●If a family has tens of thousands of grains, the pile won’t grow long ●Killing cattle to eat meat, it’s better to keep it and squeeze it Milk (Tibetan) ●Be extravagant when you have money, starve when you have no money ●Desire for food and clothing, be diligent and thrifty ●Hold your hands tightly, and you will have it every year ●Diligence can make up for weakness, saving can make up for poverty ●Think before and after, always have food and clothing ●Be careful with your budget, The person who wears salt and oil is always a good drinker (Spain) ●He who earns ten thousand kilo of food has to live a simple life ●Those who know how to eat eat a thousand meals, and those who don’t know how to eat eat one meal ●Be careful with their budget, and they are constantly wearing salt and oil ●Close their clothes Those who break the cloak are often good drinkers (Spain) ●If you earn thousands of kilo of food, you still have to live a simple life ●Those who know how to eat will eat a thousand meals, and those who don’t know how to eat will only have one meal ●Pudge carefully to have food and clothing; eat and drink lavishly, and own the house Selling pot ● Small wealth comes from frugality, big wealth comes from nature ● Don’t drink or smoke, save countless money in three years ● Frugality is the secret to getting rich (UK) ● Frugality itself is a fortune (UK) ● Accumulate small profits and make a fortune Rich (Britain) ●Frugality is a never-ending feast in your life (Emerson) ●Small things don’t make your wallet empty (Toto More) ●Coins are round, so they roll away easily (Torian) No.) ●A penny saved is equal to a penny produced (UK) ●What you save is how much you get (Denmark) ●There is no seed of gold, it comes from thrifty people ●Save a mouthful when you are full, and get a bucket when you are hungry ●Long flowing water, Don’t worry when encountering disaster ● Save money on cigarettes and alcohol, and ask for help in emergencies ● Save money when there is a famine, save money when there is a famine ● Use money when there is trouble ● Calculate enough for half a year, and you won’t suffer in a famine ● Have savings every year, and be prepared for famine People who live forever ●The inevitable consequence of luxury is that the disintegration of customs in turn causes the corruption of taste (UK) ●Luxury destroys the purity of people’s souls, because unfortunately, the more you get, the more greedy you become, and indeed you always feel Unable to satisfy oneself (Angel) ●Luxury is like wine, which both excites and debilitates people (Karl) ●Luxury and pornography are just a phenomenon of social corruption, not the cause (Lu Xun) ●Pursue by any means People who live a high-level material life must have low-level thoughts and morals (Qianfu) ●Luxury is the death of morality (Switzerland) ●Luxury is the starting point of national weakness (Cuba) ●Satisfaction is natural wealth, luxury is man-made Poverty (Greece) ●There are vast tracts of fertile land and a liter of solar eclipse.
There are thousands of mansions and seven feet of sleeping space at night. ●Why bother with eight treasures and nine tripods when you need one full meal? A seven-foot body can be used in thousands of households? ●I forgot to shrink my hands when I had more money behind me, and I have no way to turn back. ●Think of each porridge and meal as hard-earned, half a thread of constant thought. Material resources are difficult. ●Cherish clothes and clothes, cherish food and food. Hard work ● A porridge and a meal are exchanged for beads of sweat ● If you are not a householder, you don’t know how expensive firewood and rice are ● Who loves to be romantic and high-style, *** pity the times and frugality in dressing up ● When eating, you must know the kindness of cattle and horses, and when wearing silk, you should remember the sericulture ● Finished things cannot be damaged. 3. Classical Chinese essays about diligence and thrift
Diligence and thrift Wang Wen The ancients said: "Frugality is the greatest virtue; extravagance is the greatest evil." Destruction comes from luxury."
Diligence and thrift are a traditional virtue of the Chinese people and a fine tradition of the Chinese nation. Whether it is as small as a person or a family, as large as a country or the entire human race, if you want to survive and develop, you cannot do without the four words of diligence and thrift.
It can be said that self-cultivation, family management, and country governance are all inseparable from diligence and frugality. Zhuge Liang regarded "quietness to cultivate one's self, frugality to cultivate virtue" as the way to "cultivation"; Thoughts are not easy to come by; half a thread, half a thread, constant thinking of "material resources are difficult" as the motto of "keeping the family together"; *** taking "strict economy and building the country with diligence" as the experience of "governing the country".
Reference: /view/192213.
4. Classical Chinese essays on frugality
Teaching frugality to show good health
Sima Guang
I am from the Han family, and I have inherited it from generation to generation with innocence. My nature does not like luxury and extravagance, and I am a suckling child. When the elders dress me in gold, silver, and beauty, I often throw them away in shame. Twenty years ago, I heard that no flowers were worn at the wedding banquet. In the same year, he said: "You cannot violate your gift." It is a hairpin with a flower. All my life I have been wearing clothes to protect myself from the cold, and eating enough food to fill my belly. I don’t dare to suffer from dirt and evil just to correct my name, but I just follow my nature.
Everyone is proud of extravagance, but in my heart, frugality is the beauty. Everyone scoffs at me for being stubborn, but I don't think I'm sick. In response, Confucius said: "It is better to be solid than to be inferior." He also said, "There are very few people who fail to make promises." He also said, "Those who are determined to follow the Tao but are ashamed of wearing bad clothes and eating bad food are not worthy of discussion." The ancients said. Frugality is a virtue, but today people criticize others for being thrifty. Hee, what a surprise!
In recent years, customs have become particularly extravagant, with soldiers wearing uniforms and farmers wearing silk shoes. I remember that in Tianshengzhong, my ancestor was the herdsman and judge of the group. When guests arrived, they would always bring wine, maybe three or five items, but no more than seven items. The wine is drunk in the market, and the fruits are pears, chestnuts, dates, persimmons, etc.; the food is preserved meat, vegetable soup, and the utensils are painted with enamel. At that time, all the scholar-bureaucrats' families were like this, and people did not disagree with each other. Know how to count but be courteous and diligent, have few things but have deep feelings. Recently, in the houses of scholar-bureaucrats, the wine is not the best, the fruits and dishes are not rare from far away places, the food is not rich, the utensils are not full, they dare not meet guests and friends, they often gather together for several months, and then they dare to send out letters. If you don't do this, people will argue about it and think it is stingy. Therefore, those who do not follow the customs will be successful. Alas! The customs are so decadent that even though those in power cannot restrain them, they can still help them!
I also heard that in the past, Duke Li Wenjing was the prime minister, and his residence was in the Fengqiu Gate. The prime minister is honest and narrow-minded in listening to matters, and he has been lenient in listening to matters because of Taizhu. "Gong Lu joined the government as an admonishment officer, and Zhenzong sent an envoy to summon him urgently. When he entered the restaurant, he asked him where he was and found out what he was doing. He said: "You are an official of the Qing Dynasty, why do you drink in a wine shop?" He said to him: "My family is poor, and the guests have no utensils, food, or fruits, so I go to the wine shop to drink." The above said that there is no concealment, which is beneficial to the importance. When Zhang Wenjie was the prime minister and he supported himself as the secretary of Heyang Zhang, his relatives or friends said: "My lord is receiving a lot of salary now, and I am serving you like this. Although the lord is confident that he will keep the promise, outsiders are quite ridiculed by Gongsun Bubei." It is better to be less and follow the crowd." The public sighed and said: "My salary today is good for my family, so why not? It is human nature to go from frugality to luxury, but from luxury to frugality is difficult. How can I last forever with my salary today? How can my body last forever? If my family has been living in luxury for a long time, I will lose my position and my body will die. "Oh! The foresight and foresight of a great sage is beyond the reach of others!
Yu Sun said: "Frugality is the ultimate virtue; extravagance is the greatest evil." *** means the same thing, saying that all those who are virtuous come from frugality. If a husband is frugal, he will have few desires: if a gentleman has few desires, he will not serve things and can walk in a straight line; if a villain has few desires, he will be able to use his body with restraint and avoid offending the rich family. Therefore, it is said: "Frugality is the root of virtue." Extravagance leads to too many desires: a gentleman's too many desires lead to greed for wealth and honor, which leads to misfortune; a villain's too many desires lead to excessive pursuit of useless things, ruining his family and his life; that is why he is an official. You must bribe, and you must steal when you live in the countryside. Therefore, it is said: "Luxury is the greatest evil."
In the past, when his father was eating porridge to make ends meet, Meng Xizi knew that there would be a wise man after him. Ji Wenzi looked at the three kings. The concubine did not wear silk and the horse did not eat millet. The gentleman thought he was loyal. Guan Zhong carved Gui, Zhu Hong and Shanzao, but Confucius despised their small utensils. The uncle Wenzi enjoyed the Duke Ling of Wei, Shi Loi knew that he was in trouble; when he was garrison, he was offended by his wealth and perished. How could one eclipse ten thousand yuan a day, and his grandson be so arrogant that his whole family be ruined? Shi Chong praised others for his extravagance, but he died in Dongshi because of it. In recent times, Kou Laigong was a wealthy man, but because of his great achievements, no one could blame him. His descendants followed his family tradition, and many of them are now poor. There are many others who have made a name for themselves by being frugal and have ruined themselves by being extravagant. It is impossible to enumerate them. Let me give you a few examples to teach you. You are not just a mere disciple, you should serve and train your descendants so that they can know the customs of their predecessors. 5. Are there any classical Chinese articles about diligence and frugality?
1. A gentleman uses frugality to overcome difficulties.
General idea: A gentleman uses the virtue of frugality to avoid danger. 2. Be diligent in your country and frugal in your family.
General idea: Be diligent in national affairs and frugal in family life. 3. Frugality is the greatest virtue; extravagance is the greatest evil.
General idea: Frugality is the greatest virtue among good deeds; luxury is the greatest evil among evil deeds. 4. People's livelihood depends on diligence, and diligence means nothing.
General idea: The livelihood of ordinary people depends on hard work. Only by working hard can there be no shortage of property. 5. Frugality leads to prosperity, while immorality leads to ruin.
The general idea: Frugality will lead to prosperity, while licentiousness and pleasure will lead to ruin. 6. It’s noon on the day of hoeing, and the sweat is dripping from the soil.
Who knows that every meal on the plate is hard work. General idea: The farmer was hoeing under the scorching sun at noon, and drops of sweat fell on the soil where the seedlings grew.
Who knows that every grain of food on the plate is obtained with such hard work. 7. Looking back at the virtuous countries and families in the past, success was achieved through diligence and frugality, and failure was caused by luxury.
General idea: Throughout history, whether it is a country or a family, they all thrive on thrift and fail on extravagance. 8. Worry and labor can rejuvenate a country, while leisure can lead to death.
Main idea: Worrying about state affairs can make the country prosperous, while pursuing ease and enjoyment can lead to one's own destruction. 9. It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality.
General idea: It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is very difficult to go from luxury to frugality. 10. Take it in moderation and use it in moderation, and you will always have enough.
General idea: If you ask for things in a planned way and consume them in a controlled manner, you will always be rich. 11. Only frugality can help integrity, and only forgiveness can make you virtuous.
General idea: Only frugality can make people honest and honest, and only tolerance can make people develop good moral character. 12. A porridge and a meal, when you think about the difficulty of getting there; half a thread, half a thread, always think about the material resources.
General idea: Even if it is a piece of porridge or a meal, you should remember that it is not easy to come by; even if it is half a piece of silk or half a thread, you should also think of the hard work. 6. What are some classical Chinese articles about frugality?
1. A gentleman uses frugality to overcome difficulties.
General idea: A gentleman uses the virtue of frugality to avoid danger. 2. Be diligent in your country and frugal in your family.
General idea: Be diligent in your national career and be frugal in your family life. 3. Frugality is the greatest virtue; extravagance is the greatest evil.
General idea: Frugality is the greatest virtue among good deeds; luxury is the greatest evil among evil deeds. 4. People's livelihood depends on diligence, and diligence means nothing.
General idea: The livelihood of ordinary people depends on hard work. Only by working hard can there be no shortage of property. 5. Frugality leads to prosperity, while immorality leads to ruin.
The general idea: Frugality will lead to prosperity, while licentiousness and pleasure will lead to ruin. 6. It’s noon on the day of hoeing, and the sweat is dripping from the soil.
Who knows that every meal on the plate is hard work. General idea: The farmer was hoeing under the scorching sun at noon, and drops of sweat fell on the soil where the seedlings grew.
Who knows that every grain of food on the plate is obtained with such hard work. 7. Looking back at the virtuous countries and families in the past, success was achieved through diligence and frugality, and failure was caused by luxury.
General idea: Throughout history, whether it is a country or a family, they all thrive on thrift and fail on extravagance. 8. Worry and labor can rejuvenate a country, while leisure can lead to death.
Main idea: Worrying about state affairs can make the country prosperous, while pursuing ease and enjoyment can lead to one's own destruction. 9. It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality.
General idea: It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is very difficult to go from luxury to frugality. 10. Take it in moderation and use it in moderation, and you will always have enough.
General idea: If you ask for things in a planned way and consume in a controlled way, you will always be rich. 11. Only frugality can help integrity, and only forgiveness can make you virtuous.
General idea: Only frugality can make people honest and honest, and only tolerance can make people develop good moral character. 12. A porridge and a meal, when you think about the difficulty of getting there; half a thread, half a thread, always remember that material resources are difficult.
General idea: Even if it is a piece of porridge or a meal, you should remember that it is not easy to come by; even if it is half a piece of silk or half a thread, you should also think of the hard work. 7. Famous ancient sayings about frugality
A gentleman uses frugality to overcome difficulties.
Source: "Book of Changes". A careless gentleman uses the virtue of frugality to avoid danger.
Tips that "The Book of Changes" contains simple dialectical thinking, and there are many places that explain the principles of changes in things. This sentence contains dialectical thinking.
On the one hand, clarifying the virtue of frugality helps to nip problems in the bud and prevent extravagance and corruption; on the other hand, when faced with crises, especially when facing difficulties of material scarcity, having the virtue of frugality Virtues help overcome crises. The author of "The Book of Changes" believes that everything in the world has its smooth and unsmooth times, and its smooth and unsmooth times. When it is not smooth and unyielding, it is necessary to cultivate one's moral character and not overly express oneself in order to tide over the difficulties.
Be diligent in your country and be frugal in your family. Source: "Shang Shu Dayu Mo".
Be diligent in your national career and be frugal in your family life. It reminds us that diligence and thrift are the traditional virtues of our people.
The legendary ancient sages all did this, and they devoted themselves to national affairs. Dayu worked diligently in the great cause of flood control, and he passed through many houses but never entered.
Yao was particularly concerned about the masses and believed that when others were hungry and cold, it was because he did not do his job well and it was his own fault. The ancient sages lived a very frugal life. They often wore coarse clothes, ate coarse rice, and drank wild vegetable soup.
Because Yao, Shun, and Yu were diligent and frugal in their careers and lives, they won the support of the people. Frugality is the greatest virtue; extravagance is the greatest evil.
Source: "Zuo Zhuan·The Twenty-Fourth Year of Duke Zhuang". Being careless and frugal is the greatest virtue among good deeds; luxury is the greatest evil among evil deeds.
It reminds me that Duke Zhuang of Lu ordered people to paint red paint on the pillars of the temple and carve patterns on the rafters. These are extravagant and illegal things. When the doctor Yusun admonished him, he said this and pointed out that doing so actually injects "great evil" into the "great virtue" of the ancestors. Not only does it fail to please the ancestors, but it insults them.
It can be seen that the ancients viewed frugality from the perspective of etiquette standards and virtue, while regarding extravagance and waste as a vice. Today, with great material abundance, abstaining from extravagance and being frugal, and not wasting money are still virtues worthy of our admiration.
People's livelihood depends on diligence, and diligence means nothing. Source: "Zuo Zhuan·Xuan Gong Twelve Years".
The livelihood of ordinary people depends on hard work. Only if they work hard can they not be short of money. Cue this is an old adage.
The ancients understood that as long as the people work hard and the society is stable, the people and the country will become rich. We should still maintain the virtue of diligence and work hard in our respective positions. In this way, the country will be more prosperous and the people's lives will be richer.
Thrift leads to prosperity, while immorality leads to ruin. Source: "Mozi Ci Guo".
If you are careless and frugal, you will prosper; if you are careless and hedonistic, you will be ruined. Tip: Among the scholars of the pre-Qin period, Mozi was famous for his willingness to live an ascetic-like life.
He hated the rulers' arrogance and extravagance, and advocated frugality. He publicized his views everywhere and attracted a large number of people to become his disciples, making him unique among the pre-Qin scholars.
It is noon on the day of hoeing, and the sweat is dripping from the soil. Who would have thought that every meal on the plate is hard work?
Source: Li Shen's "Compassion for the Farmers". The careless farmer was hoeing under the scorching sun at noon, and drops of sweat fell on the soil where the seedlings grew.
Who knows that every grain of food on the plate is obtained with such hard work. It reminds me that the language of this poem is simple but the connotation is profound.
There is a story that a rich man's son didn't know how difficult it was to farm. He often went to a restaurant to eat dumplings, but he would spit out all the dumpling wrappers and only eat the meat filling. Later, his home suffered a fire and Lilou Meige was razed to the ground overnight. He became a beggar and had to go to this restaurant to beg for food. The owner served him dumpling wrappers, which moved him deeply.
The boss said, "You're welcome. These are the skins you threw away. I just picked them up and dried them in the sun." The rich man's son was very ashamed. Later, he worked hard and lived frugally, and his family became rich again.
This story also confirms the truth of "who knows that every grain of food on the plate is hard work". Looking back at the virtuous countries and families in the past, success was achieved by diligence and frugality, and failure was achieved by luxury.
Source: Li Shangyin's "Ode to History". Throughout history, whether it's a country or a family, they all prospered through diligence and frugality and died from extravagance.
Tips: Throughout the ages, most successful entrepreneurs have gone through a stage of hard work, so they pay more attention to thrift. But for entrepreneurs, it is just the opposite. They have not experienced the hardships of starting a business and are prone to coveting luxury and enjoyment. Their ultimate fate must be the decline of their business and the demise of their country.
This is the truth revealed by thousands of years of history. Worry and labor can rejuvenate a country, while leisure can lead to death.
Source: "New History of the Five Dynasties: Preface to the Biography of Lingguan". Being careless and worrying about state affairs can make the country prosperous, while pursuing ease and enjoyment can lead to one's own destruction.
It reminds Li Cunxu, Emperor Zhuangzong of the Later Tang Dynasty during the Five Dynasties, that he worked hard at the beginning and defeated all his opponents to become emperor. But later he indulged in music and opera, doted on actors, and did not want to make progress. His subordinates rebelled, and actors launched revolts. He died in a military rebellion after three years in office.
When Ouyang Xiu wrote "The Biography of Lingguan", he was inspired by this period of history and elaborated on the principle that "worry and labor can rejuvenate a country, while leisure and leisure can destroy one's life." Chinese culture has a strong sense of urgency, especially when the country is in turmoil and the people are in dire straits.
Confucius said, "If a person has no long-term worries, he must have immediate worries." Mencius said, "Be born in worries and die in peace and happiness." They emphasized the importance of maintaining a sense of worry from the perspectives of individuals and the country respectively. Even during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, Wei Zheng advised the emperor to "be prepared for danger in times of peace, refrain from extravagance and be frugal" in order to achieve long-term peace and stability.
It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Source: Sima Guang's "Exercise Jian Xi Kang".
It is easy to change from frugality to luxury, but it is very difficult to change from luxury to frugality. It reminds me that this is what Sima Guang quoted from others to teach his descendants.
It emphasizes the need to consciously maintain frugality and avoid extravagance, and contains the meaning of self-encouragement and warning to the world. Everyone wants to live a good life, and this is understandable.
But excessive luxury is not advisable, and this pursuit is never-ending. King Zhou of Shang used a pair of ivory chopsticks, and his ministers were about to run away. The reason was that they saw that King Zhou's greed would become unstoppable.
Therefore, persisting in frugality requires the ability to have self-discipline. If you take it with moderation and use it with restraint, you will always have enough.
Source: Volume 234 of Zizhi Tongjian. If you take things carelessly and in a planned way and consume them in a controlled way, you will always be rich.
Tip: These are the words written by Lu Zhi of the Tang Dynasty to the emperor, aiming to emphasize the point.