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Fourteenth of the Series of Short Texts: The Rat of Yong Mou's Clan

author:Chinese character culture lecture hall

【Original】

Those who always have a certain clan are afraid of the sun (1), and they are very jealous. Thinking that they are born with a child, the rat - the son of the god also, because of the love of rats, not livestock cats and dogs, forbidden servants do not hit the rats. Cangmiao (2) Cook, and do not ask questions. From the rats to tell each other, all come to a certain clan, full of food and no disaster. A certain room has no finisher, the lime (3) does not finish the clothes, and the diet rate (4) the rat is also. Day is tiring (5) walking with people, and at night, it is snickering and fighting, and its sound is all kinds of, you can't sleep, and you can't get tired of it.

A few years old, a certain clan migrated to another state. Later generations came to live, and the rats were the same. His people said: "It is a yin and evil thing, and the theft is especially violent." And why is it so? "False (6) five or six cats, closed the door to remove the tiles and fill the cave, buy (7) the servant (8) catch it." Killing rats like mounds, abandoning hidden places, stinking for months. alack! He is also eternal because he is full of food and no misfortune! (Tang Liu Zongyuan, "The Rat of Yong Mou's Clan")

Fourteenth of the Series of Short Texts: The Rat of Yong Mou's Clan

【Notes】

(1) Fear of the day: fear of committing the day of taboo. In the old days, superstitions believed that every year, month, and day had a fierce auspiciousness, and it was ominous to do something on a fierce day.

(2) Lǐn): Granary.

(3) yí: Hanger.

(4) Large rate: mostly.

(5) Tired: one after the other.

(6) False: borrowed.

(7) Purchase: Employment.

(8) Luo: Search.

【Comment】

The text satirizes certain people who rely on the power of their masters and are protected and connived, who act as a blessing and wanton, who think that they can eat all day without misfortune, but do not know that what they do can only make the righteous people deeply resentful. Once they lose the protection of their masters, their end will come. The cautionary significance of this article is that the security obtained by relying on external protection cannot be sustained.

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