Life is but a thought: Nan Huaijin's 15 Life Wisdom Lessons

Chapter 35 Thrifty frugality is also simple simplicity (1)
thrift to self-cultivation
Frugality is conducive to improving one's moral cultivation and enhancing one's self-control, so that he can control his life and destiny.

"Laozi" said: "I have three treasures, which are called compassion, said frugality, and said not daring to be the first in the world."

Mr. Nan Huaijin also said in "The Analects of Confucius: Zhuge Liang who Wrongly Changed the Confucian Crown and Changed the Gossip Robe" to cultivate oneself with "thriftiness". Frugality is not just about saving money; This is the word "thrifty".

From ancient times to the present, many people have practiced "frugality" and cultivated morality.

In a certain year of Yuanfeng in the Song Dynasty, Su Dongpo came to Huangzhou after being demoted.

One night, Su Dongpo sat at the table, took out 4500 coins and divided them into 30 shares.His wife Ji Zhang put the money he divided into 30 small cloth bags, and then hung the small cloth bags one by one on the beam with a fork.

Su Dongpo's eldest son, Su Mai, looked at his father's actions and had some doubts, so he asked, "Father, why did you divide the money into 30 shares and hang it up?"

Su Dongpo looked at him, smiled and said, "This is called life! One serving a day, 150 yuan, only surplus, no shortage."

Su Mai then nodded, his eyes widened, and he waited for his father to continue.

"As for hanging on the beams, that's the old way of Jia Yun in Hangzhou," Su Dongpo continued, "There are fewer and fewer cloth bags every day, and the days pass one by one. It can remind you not to waste your time and cherish every day."

While the father and son were talking, the door rang.It was the neighbor Dr. Pang Anchang who knocked on the door.Dafu and Su Dongpo were good friends and kept in touch frequently.He came this time because several rich men in the city wanted to build the Nantian Gate, and Mrs. Tuo Pang asked Su Dongpo to inscribe it.

Su Dongpo readily agreed, and then chatted with him.The two talked very speculatively, and Pang Anchang didn't leave until the middle of the night.

After Pang Anchang left, Su Dongpo spread out the rice paper and waved it happily.As soon as the word "Nan Tian" was written, Su Mai's exclamation came: "Catch the thief, catch the thief!"

Su Dongpo quickly dropped his pen and strode out of the study, just in time to bump into the thief.The thief fell to the ground, trembling with fright, and hurriedly said for mercy.

At this time, Ji Zhang also rushed to hear the news with a lamp, Su Mai took a wooden stick, and his family surrounded the thieves.The thief hurriedly took out his small purse and begged for mercy: "Master, the younger one is Ruan Xiaosan. He lives in the back village. There are old people on the top and young ones on the bottom. He can't live well. I heard that the master came from the city and he has too much money. put it, just hang it on the beam, so I just..."

Su Dongpo couldn't help laughing out loud when he heard this. He asked Ruan Xiaosan to open the purse and count it, and then said to him, "This is my family's daily living expenses. If you take one bag, I will starve all day."

After Ruan Xiaosan opened it, he was shocked: "This 150 yuan is about the same as ordinary people! My lord, everyone says you are rich, so why are you so frugal?"

Su Dongpo smiled slightly and said: "The desire for food and drink is so poor. Every extra frugality is the way to cherish blessings and prolong life."

Ruan Xiaosan couldn't understand Su Dongpo's polite words, and looked bewildered.The son Su Mai on the side explained: "My father means that there is no limit to physical desires, and you become a thief if you don't pay attention to thrift."

Ruan Xiaosan hurriedly waved his hands, and said in a crying voice, "Please forgive me! I made such a bad move because I was so poor that I couldn't get rid of it, and it was the first time."

Hearing what he said, Su Dongpo immediately asked Su Mai to invite Pang Anchang to testify.After a while, Pang Anchang came.Seeing that Ruan Xiaosan was kneeling in front of him, he said to Su Dongpo: "What he said is indeed true. His old mother is paralyzed in bed, and he has taken medicine from me several times. His wife is dumb and has three children. Life is going well." very hard."

After hearing this, Su Dongpo expressed sympathy for him, and thought that he was forced by life and was a first-time offender, so he was released.Ruan Xiaosan thanked him so much, kowtowed again and again, and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute!" Su Dongpo called him, then turned around and went to the study room, brandished a large brush, marked an ink dot in the shape of a money bag on the rice paper, rolled up the rice paper, and gave it to Ruan Xiaosan, "The money on the beam The bag only has 150 coins, and it won’t be of much use if you take it away. This paper bag has [-] coins, so you must keep it carefully.”

Ruan Xiaosan took the paper, looking a little dubious, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions, and left in a hurry.Seeing Su Dongpo's actions, Mr. Da Da, who was standing aside, asked, "What kind of medicine do you sell in your gourd?"

Su Dongpo smiled and did not answer, then he asked Pang Anchang to notify the rich men to come to pick up his inscriptions tomorrow morning.

The next day, several rich men came to Su Dongpo's house to pick up calligraphy as promised. It really is a good calligraphy!The rich man could not help but praise.Huh?They look at me and I look at you. It turns out that the word "gate" in Nantianmen is missing.They hurriedly asked Su Dongpo why, Su Dongpo smiled and said: "Oh, I remembered, I forgot this at Ruan Xiaosan's house in Houcun, you go and get it!"

At this time, Ruan Xiaosan was looking at the ink dots on the rice paper at home, and he thought: Is this worth [-] yuan?Could Master Su be joking with me on purpose?Perhaps, when he gave me this point, he was scolding me for not knowing anything.Just as he was lost in thought, several rich men came to his door, and they asked Ruan Xiaosan for that ink dot.Thinking of Su Dongpo's words, Ruan Xiaosan offered [-] yuan, and would not pay anything less. The rich man knew that Su Dongpo's calligraphy was valuable, so he had to agree.

After the rich man left, Ruan Xiaosan quickly divided the [-] yuan into two parts, kept [-] yuan for himself, wrapped the [-] yuan in cloth, and sent it to Su Dongpo's house.

Seeing Ruan Xiaosan's sincerity, Su Dongpo quickly waved his hands and said, "I have 150 yuan a day, which is enough."

Ruan Xiaosan didn't quite understand, so he asked Su Dongpo: "Master, you are full of treasures. You can write a little and it is worth [-] yuan. Why do you want to live such a miserable life?"

Su Dongpo smiled and said: "A gentleman advocates thrift. Firstly, he means to enjoy peace and prosperity, secondly, he means to broaden his stomach to nourish Qi, and thirdly, he means to spend less to raise money. These are the three kinds of nourishment."

Ruan Xiaosan scratched his head, and nodded with a vague understanding.

Of course, Ruan Xiaosan didn't understand the meaning of "Three Supports", but Su Dongpo's virtue of advocating thrift and the spirit of living are worth emulating and learning from later generations.Just think about it, if you are a frugal person, it means you are a good planner and planner.Just like Su Dongpo, divide the money into many shares, and only have money left over every day, and you can’t overspend. Isn’t this just exercising and setting an example for your children, and being a person with self-control and planning?

The famous Chinese writer Qian Zhongshu once said: "The mission of a writer is to resist any temptation, to have a pen that is good at expressing one's thoughts, and to have a strong shoulder. In a nutshell, it is: mind, pen and backbone." Qian Zhongshu In his twenties, he was well-known all over the world, but it was such a master who suffered inhuman treatment in his prime. Not only his reputation was damaged, his economic benefits were cancelled, his dignity was also insulted, but Qian Zhongshu was able to Adhere to a normal heart, be diligent and thrifty in learning.It can be said that Mr. Qian Zhongshu has fully reached the realm of "self-cultivation through frugality".

In short, thrift is conducive to improving one's moral cultivation and enhancing one's self-control, so that he can control his life and destiny.

A gentleman avoids difficulties with frugality

Frugal people are always saving constantly in order to meet all kinds of accidents that may happen to themselves and their loved ones.They shield their families from bullying and indifference and selfishness.

"Book of Changes No" once recorded: "A gentleman avoids difficulties with frugality." This sentence clarifies on the one hand: the virtue of frugality helps prevent problems before they happen, and prevent extravagant and corrupt behaviors.On the other hand, when faced with crisis, especially when faced with the difficulty of material scarcity, having the virtue of frugality helps to overcome the crisis.

Ji Wenzi was an aristocrat of the Lu State in the Spring and Autumn Period and a famous diplomat who had been an official for more than 30 years.

Ji Wenzi was frugal all his life, and took thrift as the foundation of his life.Not only did he demand this of himself, he also strictly demanded that his family also live a frugal life.He only pays attention to simplicity and cleanliness in dressing, and does not pay attention to the material, whether it is expensive or not.In all his clothes, except for court clothes, there are few decent clothes, and every time he goes out, the carriage and horses he rides are also extremely simple.

His frugality has always been the talk of others after dinner.One day, Zhongsun Ta persuaded Ji Wenzi, saying: "As a senior official, you have high morals and high esteem, but I heard that you don't allow your wives and concubines to wear silk clothes at home, and you don't feed your horses with grain, and you don't pay attention to your appearance and clothing. It looks too shabby? If people from other countries see it, it will be out of proportion! This is to damage the dignity of our country. At that time, people from other countries will say: "Look! The Shangqing of the State of Lu has passed What kind of life do you live in? So, you should change this way of life, which is good for you, for others, and for the country.'”

Ji Wenzi smiled lightly after hearing this, and responded: "I also want to decorate my home luxuriously and elegantly, but look at the people in our country, how many people eat food that is too rough to swallow? How many people wear dilapidated clothes Clothes? How many people are suffering from cold and starvation? Seeing this, how can I have the heart to buy property for myself? If the common people have rough tea and poor clothes, but I dress up as wives and concubines, and focus on raising food and horses, how can there be any difference? The conscience of an official! Besides, I heard that the prosperity and glory of a country can only be judged by the noble character of its subjects, not by their beautiful wives and concubines and good horses. If so, how can I judge according to What did you say to do?"

After listening to Ji Wenzi's words, Zhongsun showed shame on his face.At the same time, he admired and respected Ji Wenzi even more.From then on, he also followed Ji Wenzi's example and paid great attention to the simplicity of life. His wives and concubines only wore clothes made of ordinary cloth, and the horses at home were only fed with chaff and weeds.

From this story, we can see the benefits of thrift.Being thrifty means managing our time and money scientifically, and making the most wise use of the resources we have in our lives.

Carnegie said: "Thriftiness is the mentor of life. A frugal person is diligent in thinking and good at making plans. He has his own life plan and has considerable independence." If you develop the habit of thrift, then It means that you have the ability to control your own desires, which means that you are beginning to dominate yourself, and any difficulties will hardly trap you.

Once upon a time, there was a very talented young man who made a lot of money and had great confidence in the future.Perhaps he was overconfident, but he was generous, extremely generous!Within a few years, the money he earned was running out.

On an accidental day, his wife suddenly fainted to the ground.After being sent to the hospital, it was discovered that his wife was seriously ill. In order to save her life, he had to ask a famous surgeon to perform an operation on her.However, the hospital has a rule that the surgery must be paid in full.

Only then did the helpless young man begin to regret his extravagance.Now, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and borrow money everywhere, which was a huge sum of money!

In the end, the wife's life was saved, but with that came the medical expenses and the children's sickness after illness, and the anxiety that plagued the young man overworked him.Later, he made less and less money every year.A few years later, he had become destitute.

If a young man is not so "overconfident" and not so extravagant at the beginning, he will calmly get through when he encounters difficulties.It's a pity that because of his momentary choice, it led to the current consequences.We are not prophets and do not know what will happen in the future.The only thing we can do is to prevent and prevent emergencies from happening.Also, plan ahead.Otherwise, what kind of embarrassment it would be if there is no money in the bank in case of an emergency!

The Persian poet Saadi once said: "Whoever is frugal on weekdays will easily get through difficulties when poor; whoever is luxurious and extravagant when rich is poor will die of hunger and cold." Mr. Nan Huaijin also said: "In times of chaos Sometimes, there are many people who should save money, but seldom do so. They are all trying to save face and talk about ostentation. It doesn’t matter if there is no rice for the pot, and the ostentation will be shown first.” Ordinary people often say that those who are currently drunk live in a completely different world than those who have the foresight to save for emergencies and illnesses or for retirement.

Frugal people are always saving constantly in order to meet all kinds of accidents that may happen to themselves and their loved ones.They shield their families from bullying and indifference and selfishness.

The world is impermanent. In one second, our life may be rich, but in the next second we may be in danger of being short of food and clothing.If we can have a frugal heart and be prepared to deal with disasters, then when the crisis comes, we can deal with it calmly and not suffer too much.

save money and love others

"Frugal and loving" is not only a political proposition, not only that a leader should "love" his subordinates, but also that the people he guides should be the state of life, a harmonious social ideal, a level of civilization , the social blueprint of future China.

Mr. Nan Huaijin mentioned in "The Analects of Confucius: Three Mirrors": "Frugal use while loving others", economical policy measures, economical economic principle is to be economical.Why is it economical?Not for me, but for "lover".

"Frugal and loving" is not only a political proposition, not only that a leader should "love" his subordinates, but also that the people he guides should be the state of life, a harmonious social ideal, a level of civilization , the social blueprint of future China.

To put it simply, Mr. Nan Huaijin advocates frugality, which he thinks is a sign of love.Frugality is not only a cornerstone of wealth, but also the foundation of good quality, and it is also a sign of a person's excellence.For example, thrift can see a person's self-control ability and prove that a person is not a victim of material desires.Such a person can control his own money, control his own destiny, and even change the destiny of others.

In history, the most famous "thrifty emperor" is Hanwen Emperor Liu Heng.Wu Yan, a litterateur in the Northern Song Dynasty, commented on it as "seeing the court without using shoes". "Shoes" are straw sandals, shoes mainly woven with grass and hemp. Because the materials are very economical and inexhaustible, common people can bring them by themselves. The Han Dynasty called it "not borrowing".

During the period of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, most of the people who wore straw sandals were poor people, but Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty Liu Heng also wore straw sandals, and even wore them to go to court.Not only the straw sandals, but also his dragon robe is very frugal, which is called "Ti Yi" by people. "Ti" is a kind of very rough and dull silk.Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty cherished his clothes very much. He wore them for more than a year, and when they were broken, he asked the queen to mend them for him before wearing them again.Emperor Wenwen of the Han Dynasty not only asked himself to wear coarse clothes, but also asked the harem to do the same.

At that time, long clothes mopping the floor were very fashionable women's attire, but in order to save fabrics, Emperor Hanwen did not allow people in the harem to wear such clothes, even for his favorite wife.

Once, Emperor Wen of Han wanted to build a terrace, so he found craftsmen and asked them to figure out how much it would cost.The craftsmen said: "It's not too much, one hundred catties of gold is enough."

Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty was taken aback when he heard this, and quickly asked: "How many middle-class families' property is this one hundred catties of gold equivalent to?"

The craftsmen buried their heads in the calculation and replied, "Ten households."

After hearing this, Emperor Hanwen shook his head and waved his hands, and said, "Don't build a terrace soon. The imperial court has very little money now, so let's save it!"

In order to be more economical, during the spring plowing, Emperor Wen of Han personally took the ministers to the fields to cultivate, and the queen also led the maids to pick mulberry and raise silkworms.Before his death, he also arranged a frugal event - his own funeral.

(End of this chapter)