盧云燕
DuringtheWarringStatesPeriod(475-221BC),therewasamancalledYueYangziinStateWei.Onedayhesawapieceofgoldontheroadandpickeditup.Hetookithomeandgaveittohiswife.Buthiswifewasnothappy.Thevirtuouswomansaid,“Ihearthatamanofmoralitydoesntdrinkathiefswaterandamanofprobityrefusestoacceptalms.Whatdoyouthinkoftheactionofpickingupanotherslostvaluablethingandpossessingitforonesown?”
YueYangzi,feelingashamed,sentthegoldbacktowherehefoundit.
Thenextyear,YueYangzifeltthatheshouldgooutandvisitscholarstoenrichhisknowledge.Sohesetoff.
Ayearlater,hecamebackhomesuddenly.
“Whyhaveyoureturned?”askedhiswifeinsurprise,“Youveonlyspentoneyearstudyingwithscholars.”“IcomebackbecauseImissedyouverymuch.”YueYangzisaid.
Withoutsayinganything,hiswifetookapairofscissorsandwenttotheloomatwhichshehadworked.Pointingatthehalfdonebrocade,sheproclaimed:“Thisbrocadeiswovenfromthefinestsilk.Iwoveonestrandafteranothertoproducethebrocade.NowifIcutit,allmypreviousworkwillbewasted.Itsthesamewithyourstudies.Youcanacquireknowledgeonlythroughdiligence.Now,youvestoppedhalfway.Isntitthesameascuttingthebrocadeontheloom?”
YueYangziwasmovedbywhatshesaid.Heagainlefthometovisitscholars.
Severalyearslaterhebecamealearnedman.
戰(zhàn)國(guó)時(shí)期,魏國(guó)有個(gè)叫樂羊子的人。有一天,樂羊子在路上看到一塊金子,他就撿起金子,帶回了家并把它拿給妻子看??伤拮右稽c(diǎn)兒也不高興。這個(gè)賢惠的女人對(duì)他說:“我聽人說‘壯士不飲盜泉之水;廉潔的人不食嗟來之食。把別人遺失的貴重之物撿起來據(jù)為己有,你怎么看待這種行為呢?”
樂羊子聽了妻子的話,覺得很慚愧,就把那塊金子又還回原來的地方。
第二年,樂羊子決定離開家去拜師求學(xué)。于是他出發(fā)了。
一年后,樂羊子突然回到家中。
他的妻子很驚訝地問:“你怎么回來了?你才和那些學(xué)者學(xué)了一年呀?!睒费蜃诱f:“我太想你了,所以回來看看。”
他的妻子聽了以后,二話不說,拿起把剪刀走到她的織布機(jī)前。她指著那塊已經(jīng)完成了一半的錦緞?wù)f:“這塊錦緞?dòng)玫氖亲詈玫慕z。我一絲絲的累積起來織成這錦緞。如果我現(xiàn)在把它剪斷,就等于前功盡棄。你求學(xué)也是這樣。只有勤勉才能學(xué)到知識(shí)?,F(xiàn)在,你半途而廢,和剪斷織布機(jī)上的錦緞?dòng)惺裁磪^(qū)別?”
樂羊子被妻子的話所感動(dòng),于是立刻離開家,繼續(xù)拜師求學(xué)。
幾年后,樂羊子終于完成學(xué)業(yè),成為一個(gè)博學(xué)的人。