在一般的社会里，有两种很要不得的风气，一种是对请益者「秘技藏私」，对有能者「嫉妒障碍」；另一种是对优势群「趋炎附势」，对弱势群「落井下石」。怎么说呢？

In society, there are two kinds of contemptible behavior. The first is to keep your skill and knowledge to yourself and refuse to impart them to those who request to be taught, being jealous and obstructive of those who have ability .The second is to draw near to those who are powerful, hoping to get some influence from them, while making things worse for those who are weak and in a bad situation. What do I mean?

第一种的坏风气，是自己有某方面的学识技艺，人家来请教时，悭吝不肯指导传授，生怕别人学成了比自己更行 ，总要藏一手，不肯倾囊相授；到最后，这些学识技艺跟他进了棺材，就此失传了！而这种人多半自视甚高，对外呢，不是轻蔑，就是妒忌；不但同行相忌，异行也互相诋毁攻讦，弄得社会乌烟瘴气，鸡犬不宁。

The first kind of vile practice is when people stingily refuse to impart knowledge and skills to those who seek instruction, out of fear that others will surpass them. Such people always hold something back and don’t pass on all that they know. In the end, their skills and knowledge go with them into the coffin and are lost forever! These people usually have an overly high opinion of themselves and regard others with either contempt or jealousy. Not only are they jealous of those in their own field, they also slander and attack those in other fields, wreaking havoc in society and destroying the peace.

真正有仁慈心的人，考虑的是他人，是社会国家整体，绝不怕把自己所知所能的学识技艺与经验分享他人。其实，个人的荣辱，在人类进化史里，只是横切面的一尘沙点，有什么值得计较的呢？自负藏私，只能显示自己的识见浅薄；而嫉妒计较，正是暴露自己的缺乏自信。仁者自然不为，智者也不屑为。

People who are truly kind and humane always consider the well-being of others as well as the society and country as a whole. They never hesitate to share their own knowledge, abilities, skills, and experience with others. In reality, an individual’s glory or disgrace, when compared against the evolutionary history of humankind, is only a tiny cross-section of a mote of dust. Why should we be so concerned about it? To hide one’s own abilities away only reveals one’s own shallow understanding. To be jealous and obstructive exposes one’s own lack of self-confidence. Humane ones spontaneously avoid such behavior, and wise ones would not stoop to it.

在一个盛大的宴会中，一个小气的医生回答了一位女士很多关于医药方面的问题之后，便偷偷问邻座的律师﹕「我该不该向那位女士收费？」律师郑重地回答﹕「你用专门知识指导她，她当然应该给钱！」第二天，医生就寄出一张收费通知，请那位女士送十块钱来。不久，邮差送来了一封律师的信，信上写着﹕「请付律师费二十元。」这一则笑话，对吝于指导人的，真是一大讽刺。

Once, during a large, formal party, a woman asked a petty-minded doctor numerous medical questions. The doctor answered each question. Afterwards, he secretly asked the lawyer next to him, "Should I collect a fee from that woman?" The lawyer’s sober reply was, "Since you have imparted your expertise to her, you should certainly ask her to pay!" The following day, the doctor mailed a bill to the woman for ten dollars. Soon afterwards, the postman delivered a letter from the lawyer. The letter said, "Please pay a legal fee of twenty dollars." This joke makes fun of people who are stingy about teaching others.

英国的格林费尔自剑桥大学医科毕业后，因为他的道德、学识和医术都很好，不多久就成了很有名望的医生。有一次，他旅经北极附近一个叫拉不拉多的地方；那里又荒凉又寒冷，三千多个居民靠捕鱼维生，生活很苦，病了也没医药，只有等死。格林费尔认为这儿的人更需要他，就留下来专为渔民服务，也不收钱。几十年间，不知救活了多少人，渔民都十分感激他，当他是神仙般尊敬。

Greenfair, after graduating from Cambridge University Medical School in England, soon became an eminent doctor known for his virtue, knowledge, and medical skill. Once he was traveling past a place called Lapland, near the North Pole. It was cold and barren, and the three thousand inhabitants made their living by fishing. Their lives were wretched. If they fell sick, they had no medicine and could only wait for death to take them. Greenfair felt that those people needed him more, so he stayed there to treat the fishermen for free. In several decades’ time, he saved countless people. The fishermen were deeply grateful and respected him as they would a divinity .

他六十岁生日那天，渔民为他开了个庆祝大会。正当大家开心说笑的时候 ，忽然有人来请他到六十哩外的一个村子治病；格林费尔马上拿了医药箱，和大家告别，就冒着大风雪走了。他真是个慈悲济世的菩萨啊！

On his sixtieth birthday, they held a great celebration in his honor. In the midst of the merriment and laughter, suddenly some- one showed up and asked him to go treat a patient in a village sixty miles away. Greenfair immediately grabbed his medicine chest, bid goodbye, and set off in the blizzard. He was truly a compassionate Bodhisattva who came to save the world!

第二种的坏风气，源自「喜新厌旧」的心态；对物品是这样，对人也是这样。谄富骄贫，趋炎附势，正所谓「锦上添花时常有，雪中送炭古来稀」。这种心态再衍发下去，有时为了攀附，更不惜把别人踩在脚下；甚至看人倒楣了，再落井下石，非至赶尽杀绝不罢休。真是说来令人齿冷，听着教人心寒！但是这样无情无义的人，其实才是真可怜悯者，更需要人好好教化！

The second kind of vile practice stems from an attitude of liking the new and growing weary of the old. This attitude is held toward things as well as people. Such a person butters up to rich people and is haughty toward the poor. He fawns upon power. As it is said, "There are always people willing to add flowers to brocade, but rarely are there people who will deliver coal when it’s snowing." In order to elevate his own status, a person with this attitude will not hesitate to step on others. When he sees others in trouble, he will make things worse for them and not stop until he has done them in. Such behavior really makes one’s blood run cold. Actually, such a person, who lacks feeling and conscience, is truly pitiful and in need of teaching.

汉朝古诗里，有一首诗是叙述一个男人遇着他前妻的对白。那女人大概是看前夫一张苦瓜脸，穿着又邋遢吧，于是很关心地问候他新人好不好？她是在「三从四德」的旧教下长大的典型中国妇女，这样地不计前嫌，并不算稀奇；倒是那个男人，既已喜新厌旧在前，新婚不如意，竟还拿新妻和旧妻织绢布的手艺、速度来做比较，说﹕「将缣来比素，新人不如故！」年幼时，觉得这种男人真是贪功爱财，寡廉鲜耻。大了一些，常读历史，比较能明因果，知体谅了，就只有深深地感谢；感谢中国「温柔敦厚」的「诗教」，让我们知所宽恕。

In the poetry of the Han Dynasty, there is one poem which describes the dialogue that takes place when a man runs into his former wife. Probably noting the grim expression on her former husband’s face and the disheveled look of his clothes, the woman inquired after his new wife out of concern. Having been raised in the old society, where a woman was taught to serve her father, husband, and son and possess four feminine virtues, her generous behavior was quite normal. The man, who had abandoned his former wife for a new woman who turned out to be dissatisfactory, had the gall to compare the new wife’s skill in weaving to the former wife’s. He said, "In terms of weaving, the new one is not as good as the former!" In my youth, such a man struck me as being totally utilitarian and devoid of modesty . When I grew older, having read a lot of history, I began to understand the law of cause and effect and learned to be more understanding. I am deeply grateful that China has these instructional poems, which teach us to be gentle, virtuous, kind, and forgiving.

中国春秋时代，天子弱而诸侯强，到了战国时代，权力更由诸侯王转移到王族中声望最高的人物。这些斗阀中，最杰出的是「战国四公子」。当时王侯贵族盛行养士，竞相招揽有才艺之士做家中食客，名列「四公子」之首的齐国孟尝君，更是号称有「食客三千」。

During the Spring and Autumn Period in China, the emperor was weak and the feudal lords were strong. By the Warring States Period, the power shifted from the feudal lords to several people of the highest status in the royal family. Among these, the most eminent were known as the Four Princes of the Warring States Period. It was customary for these lords to surround themselves with talented men. They invited such men of ability to be lodgers in their home. For example, the leader of the Four Princes, Lord Meng Chang of the State of Qi, became known as "the one with three thousand lodgers."

当孟尝君因声名威望而招来齐君疑惧，将他罢相遣归原封邑薛地后，孟尝君家中的食客走了一大半。后来孟尝君靠着忠心相随的冯歡，不但让齐君把他再请回去当宰相，更增加他千户的封邑。那些远走高飞的食客又一一回来了，孟尝君便想羞辱一下那些人。冯歡忙劝阻他说，肚子饿了就挨近，吃饱了就跑远；温热的就靠拢，寒冷的就离弃﹕这本是人的通病，并非他们对事物的本身有好恶。身有好恶，只是因心中想要的东西在不存在，而产生不同的动向。不要因为这种情况怪罪他们，而杜绝了延揽人才之路。

Lord Meng Chang’s increasing renown brought on the suspicions of the King of Qi, who removed him from his post as Minister and sent him back to his estate in Xue. At that point, the majority of Meng Chang’s lodgers deserted him. Later, due to the efforts of his loyal follower, Feng Huan, not only was Lord Meng Chang welcomed back as minister, but he was given a thousand more families to oversee. The lodgers who had previously deserted him came back one by one. Lord Meng Chang wanted to shame them, but Feng Huan hastily stopped him, saying, "When they were hungry, they drew near; having eaten their fill, they ran off. When it was warm here, they came close; when it was cold, they deserted. This fault is common to all people. It was not that they did not like the situation here; however, when they did not find what they want, they naturally thought about going elsewhere. You shouldn’t blame them for this, for that would hinder you from recruiting other men of ability ."

孟尝君体悟这道理是不错的，就听从了冯歡的劝谏。从这小故事，我们对冯歡其人，即使不敢说他是个真正的仁者，若称之为深明事理因果的智者，可一点也没过誉啊！

Meng Chang recognized the truth of Feng Huan’s words and took his advice. In light of this story, although we dare not say that Feng Huan was one of true humaneness, it would not be exaggerating to say that he was a wise man who deeply understand the causes and results of matters.