[ad_1]
“Eternal and Wonderful Prose”Qian Materia Medica》Let’s talk about money: Money is a medicine. (Image source: Adobe stock)
What is money? It’s metalcurrencya general equivalent, is a medium of exchange; it is called Quan in elegant terms, Brother Kong Fang in jest, Aduwu in disdain, Qingfu in deity, Tongzi in Shangqing Dynasty, Deng Tong in generation, etc.
Lu Bao, a hermit in the Western Jin Dynasty, wrote a wonderful article called “The Theory of the God of Money”. He called money a divine treasure with vast supernatural powers and boundless magic power. Money can make ghosts appear, but without money it is difficult to walk.
Zhang, a famous minister of the Tang Dynasty, said that money is a herbal medicine in the ancient and wonderful article “Qian Materia Medica”. Reading it is like medicine that can cure diseases and strengthen the body; understanding it, it seems that it can cure all kinds of diseases; the short article is full of wit and interesting, and it is thought-provoking if you think about it carefully. People who love money must read this article.
Original text: “Money has a sweet taste, is hot and poisonous. It is good at rejuvenating the beauty, collecting water and moistening. It is good at curing hunger and relieving people from hardships. It can benefit the country, harm the virtuous and fear the incorruptible. Those who are greedy will take it. If the medicine is not balanced, the cold and heat will interact with each other, causing cholera. If the medicine is not picked at the right time, it will hurt the spirit. There is water and fire Disasters arise from thieves; if they are dispersed but not accumulated, there will be dangers of hunger, cold, and misfortune. The way to accumulate and disperse is not to consider the virtue of preciousness, but to take the meaning of appropriateness, not to seek the etiquette of non-distribution, and to gain wealth. The benevolence of giving to others is the result of not losing the faith of what is called by oneself. Only by refining the wisdom of oneself can one be able to obey it for a long time and make people live longer. If it is irrational, it will weaken the will and hurt the spirit. It must be avoided.”
Zhang Shuo (667-730), whose courtesy name was Daoji, was a native of Luoyang in the Tang Dynasty. Literary man, poet, politician. In the reign of Wu Zetian, he responded to imperial edicts and was granted the title of school book by the prince; in the reign of Zhongzong, he was appointed as the Minister of Huangmen and other positions; in the reign of Ruizong, he joined Tong Zhongshu’s family to make peace; in the reign of Xuanzong, he was appointed Zhongshu Ling and was granted the title Duke of Yan. Zhang Shuo is known as the famous prime minister of Kaiyuan Dynasty, a generation of Wen Zong, who once had power in both the government and the public. The first half of my life was smooth and smooth, and I enjoyed all the glory and wealth. But “water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it.” Zhang said that he was greedy for money and good things, and he amassed money without restraint. In the end, he was impeached by the court because of his greed, and was later demoted to Yueyang as a local official. From then on, his future was ruined. In other words, Zhang Shuo has been in officialdom for more than 40 years and has accumulated 17 years of history writing skills. He has completely fallen for money.
In his later years, Zhang Shuo learned from the pain and poured all his life’s gains and losses, insights and lessons into this “Qian Materia Medica”. Although this article is short, only 188 words, it is full of details and has profound meaning. It vividly depicts the pros and cons of money and the ways of accumulation and accumulation. Reading it can help you see the mysteries and mysteries behind money, and correctly understand and control money.
01 Money is poison and also an antidote
“Qian is sweet, hot and poisonous.
It is good at keeping the appearance, nourishing and moistening, and is good at treating hunger.
Eliminate difficulties and troubles. ”
“Qian Materia Medica” begins with: “Qian is sweet, hot and poisonous.” Are these short words spicy? It bluntly illustrates the double-edged sword nature of money. Money can bring material wealth and enjoyment. Having money makes people look radiant and nourish their lives, like taking a tonic.
As the saying goes, medicine is three parts poison. Money is no exception, it is both a poison and an antidote. Once pursued excessively, money will turn into poison, corroding people’s hearts and causing all kinds of greed and sin.
The story of Cai Chongda is a vivid footnote to this point of view. When he was young, due to lack of money, he had to choose cheap medicines for his father. Witnessing his father suffering from the side effects of the medicines deeply hurt his heart. From then on, he worked hard to earn royalties through writing, improve his family’s financial situation, and avoid more tragedies caused by lack of money. Money has become the antidote to his family at this moment.
02 Greed for money leads to disaster and you will reap the consequences.
“If you can benefit the country, you will suffer the loss of the wise and fear the incorruptible.
Those who are greedy will submit to it and regard equality as good;
If it is not even, the hot and cold will clash and cause cholera. ”
“It can benefit the country, but it harms the virtuous and is afraid of incorruptibility.” This sentence reveals another aspect of money – although it can benefit the country and the people, it can also easily cause virtuous people to suffer losses, and they are even more afraid of the scrutiny of incorruptible people. Greedy people, if they cannot control their desire for money, will eventually suffer the consequences.
In the history books, there are incorruptible people like Bao Zheng and Hai Rui who have been passed down through the ages and are famous in history.
But there are always some corrupt officials who are reviled by the world.
Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, Xiao Yan, wanted to motivate his ministers by rewarding them with copper coins, but unexpectedly, several greedy ministers were injured after carrying too many copper coins and were eventually dismissed from office due to their greed. Liang Ji, the general of the Han Dynasty, was greedy and plundered people’s wealth, and finally ended up in ruins.
Yan Song and his son had dominated the world for twenty years, and the world was filled with resentment. Yan Shifan was so arrogant that he even laughed in the treasure house at home and said, “I am not as rich as the imperial court!”
After Liu Jin came to power, he took advantage of the opportunity to specialize in government affairs, dominate and exploit the common people, and became the leader of the “Eight Tigers”. People at the time called him the “Emperor”. When his house was confiscated, he had 2.5 million taels of gold and more than 50 million taels of silver.
Lao Tzu says: “No disaster is greater than dissatisfaction, and no blame is greater than desire.” Greed is like a bottomless pit. Once it is opened, it is difficult to fill it, and in the end it will only drag people into an abyss of eternal destruction.
03 “A gentleman loves money and gets it in a wise way”
One accumulation and one dispersion is called the way. (Image source: Adobe stock)
“The meaning of taking what is appropriate is not the etiquette of not asking for anything but not distinguishing it.”
Confucius once said: “Getting rich and noble without justice is like a floating cloud to me.” A true gentleman loves money but is not greedy for it. They know how to obtain wealth through legitimate channels and stick to the bottom line of morality and law. “Qian Materia Medica” warns that when making money, you must be aboveboard, do not take ill-gotten gains, and do not be greedy for ill-gotten gains.
“If it accumulates and is not dispersed, there will be disasters like water, fire, robbers, and thieves;
If it is dispersed but not accumulated, there will be danger of hunger, cold and distress. ”
If you just save money without spending it, there will be disasters such as water, fire, robbers, etc. If you only squander without saving, you will suffer from hunger, cold, poverty and other disasters.
Whether it is an individual or a country, the accumulation and distribution of money need to maintain a principle of balance and moderation. Let money serve people instead of people becoming slaves to money.
04 “One accumulation and one dispersion is the way” Money has seven magic weapons
“One accumulation and one dispersion is called the Tao.
Don’t think it’s a precious virtue,
The meaning of taking and fitting the name,
It is a gift without asking for anything,
Giving to others is called benevolence.
It’s called trust that it doesn’t miss its deadline.
Enter the wisdom that you may call yourself. ”
“Tao, virtue, righteousness, propriety, benevolence, faith, and wisdom” can be described as the seven magic weapons of money. So what is the “Tao” of money?
“One accumulation and one dispersion is called Tao, not taking it seriously is called virtue, and giving generously to everyone is called benevolence.” This sentence expresses the subtle relationship between the accumulation and dissemination of money. Wise people know that while accumulating wealth, they should also give away money in a timely manner and give back to society. Only in this way can wealth remain flowing and growing.
Appropriate accumulation and appropriate dispersion are called rules, not treating them as treasures is called nobility, obtaining and giving appropriately is called moderation, not having any improper thoughts is called observing etiquette, giving money widely to help all living beings is called benevolence, and spending money in a moderate manner Not exceeding expectations is called honesty, and earning a normal income without damaging one’s nature is called wisdom.
“Qian Materia Medica” tells us that money is a medicine and a touchstone for testing human nature. The article vividly describes the nature, advantages and disadvantages of money, and the method of accumulation and dispersion. It uses money as a metaphor for medicine, diagnoses and treats current disadvantages, and discusses the pros and cons. It is rich in philosophy and profound instructiveness. It can be called a wonderful article.
Source: Look at China
Short URL:
All rights reserved. Reprinting in any form requires permission from this site.It is strictly prohibited to create mirror websites.
[Honorary Members Wanted]Streams can merge into the sea, and small kindnesses can achieve great love. We sincerely recruit 10,000 honorary members from Chinese people all over the world: each honorary member only needs to pay a subscription fee per year and become an honorary member of the “Look at China” website, which can help us break through censorship and blockade and provide services to at least 10,000 mainland Chinese compatriots. Provide independent and true key information to warn them in times of crisis and save them from great plagues and other social crises.
