9月16日

《六事箴言》選
清 葉玉屏 ( 生卒年不詳 )

富貴驕人，固不善，學問驕人害亦不細。

把念頭沉潛得下，何理不可得；
把志氣奮發得起，何事不可做。

父母教子，當於稍有知識時，
見生動之物，必教勿傷，以養其仁；
尊長親朋，必教恭敬，以養其禮；
然諾不爽，言笑不苟，以養其信。

天地萬物之理，皆始於從容，而卒於急促。
急促者，盡氣也；從容者，初氣也。
事從容則有餘味，人從容則有餘年。

土薄則易崩，器薄則易壞；
酒醇厚則能久藏，布帛厚則堪久服。
存心厚薄，固壽夭福禍之分也。

人生減省一分，便超脫一分。
如交遊減便免紛擾，言語減便寡愆尤，
思慮減則精神不耗，聰明減則混沌可完。
不求日減而求日增者，真桎梏此生耳。

孝子事親，
不可使吾親生冷淡心，不可使吾親生煩惱心，
不可使吾親生驚怖心，不可使吾親生愁悶心，
不可使吾親有難言心，不可使吾親有愧恨心。

──選自《六事箴言》

September 16

Six Admonitions
Ye Yuping (Years unknown, Qing Dynasty)
English translation: Miao Guang

While being proudly wealthy is not ideal,
the troubles caused by being proudly knowledgeable
can be just as bad.

To be able to hold one's thoughts,
    no reasons will pass one by;
To be able to let one’s ambitions soar,
    nothing will be impossible to achieve.

In educating their children, parents should know:
Upon their children's maturing perceptions,
    they must teach them to not hurt living organisms that they see,
    so as to nurture their kindness.
Upon meeting respectable ones, elders, relatives, and friends,
    they must teach their children to be respectful,
    so as to nurture their manners.
Upon learning the importance of a promise,
    they should teach the children to be stern in speech,
    so as to nurture their honor.

Principles behind all matters in the world
    begin with unhurriedness and end with haste.
Haste wears out energy,
    while unhurriedness accumulates it.
When carried out with unhurriedness,
    space will be left for matters;
    and time left in people's lives.

If thin, soil will collapse, and vessels will shatter easily;
If thick, wine will store for long, and fabrics will be durable.
The strength of your heart determines the thick and thins of your life.

Every bit saved is an extra bit of freedom.
Traveling less attracts less trouble,
Speaking less minimizes faults,
Thinking less, you consume less thoughts,
Being less witty gives an extra disguise of ignorance,
Those who seek more instead of less in their daily lives
    result in lives lived in shackles.

As a dutiful son, one must be sure not to cause the following
emotions in their parents: indifference, unhappiness, fear, sorrow and
sadness, hesitation to speak their thoughts, or resentment.

── from Liushi Zhenyan (Six Admonitions)