When
a person succeeds In an imperial examination, His thatched house will
become brilliant; When a gentleman has exhausted his savings, He will not
be able To keep his respectable appearance. It is easy To turn into
extravagance from thrift, It is difficult To turn into thrift from
extravagance. Something formed at an early age Seems
congenial, Something accustomed to Becomes a convention. When
sustaining your livelihood, You must be thrifty; When entertaining your
guests, Do not be stingy.
A
person cannot be young twice, Although an old tree Can sprout new leaves
in spring. A youngster scant in desires has good looks, An old man free
from official pursuits Has leisurely dreams. There may be books that you
have not read, There should not be things done by you That you cannot
share with other human beings.
Among
brothers, uncles and nephews, The rich should spare the poor Some of their
fortune. Among the elder and younger, the close and far, The rules should
be seriously observed. The sight of a single grain of rice Should remind
you of the difficulties Inherent in growing it, The sight of a single
strip of cloth Should make you learn by heart The hard work involved.
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