A farmer in the state of Song once got a piece of stone with jade¹（翡翠，碧玉） in it.

 

He presented this stone to Prime Minister Zi Han. But Zi Han refused to accept it. The farmer explained, "It looks like just a stone, but there is jade inside. It actually is a piece of treasure and suitable for honorable men like you, not for us common people."

 

"I know there is jade inside," Zi Han said," but I disagree with you. I think to have the virtue² of declining things that do not belong to oneself is the real treasure. "

 

宋国人有个农夫得到一块含宝玉的石头后，将它献给了相国子罕。

 

子罕拒绝接受这块石头，农夫解释说：“表面上它是块石头，但里面含有宝玉，是个宝物，适合您这样的贵人使用，我们普通百姓用它就不合适了。”

 

子罕说：“我知道里面是宝玉。但我的观点和你不同，我认为具有不接受不应得的东西的品德才是真正的宝玉。”

点击收听单词发音