Fable (3)
寓言(三)
1 It is usual that NBA player’s annual salary is beyond ten million dollars. For example, Yao Ming from China is an NBA player. In the Year of 2004 when he served in NBA for his second season, his income ranked him as one of the nabobs in China. Nevertheless, NBA player’s labor union still negotiates every year with the owner requesting an even better compensation for the players, which is avarice that common people can’t understand, but avarice is prevalent in all ages.
美國職業籃球的球員年薪動則千萬，比如姚明這位NBA職業球員，今年(2004)是他第二季在NBA打球，可是他的收入已經使他成為大陸巨富之一。然而NBA的球員工會還是不時地為球員提出加薪要求，這種貪念在我們市井小民心裡似乎是不可思議的事，可是永不滿足的現象，則是古今皆然的。
2 Zengzi had been an official for years. He himself said, “When I was an official in the beginning, one hundred and ninety-two liters of rice as annual salary made me contented. Now I felt insufficient to one million and twenty thousand liters of rice. To ask for more salary, I even quarreled with my boss.”
曾子做官已經很多年了，他自己就說：「當我剛出道為官時，年薪192升米就心滿意足了，可是我現在年薪不足1,020,000升米就覺得不夠，為了爭取加薪還跟老闆鬧的很不愉快。」
曾子再仕而心再化，曰：「吾及親仕，三釜而心樂；後仕，三千鍾不洎，吾心悲。」
3 Confucius and his disciples heard the story of Zengzi’s salary. A disciple asked Confucius, “Is it a fault to acquire salary by this way?”
曾子這話傳到孔子那兒，有學生問孔子：「像曾子這樣爭酬勞算不算是一種過失？」
弟子問於仲尼曰：「若參者，可謂無所縣其罪乎？」
4 With a headshake, Confucius signed for Zengzi, one of his favorite disciples. “Of course, it is a fault! If he doesn’t care much for salary, why does he feel sorrowful? A man who works for his ideals won’t sorrow over the level of his salary. The money and salary is like the bird and mosquito flying over him.
孔子搖搖頭為自己這位得意門生嘆息道：「當然算了！如果不是那麼在乎酬勞他心悲幹什麼？一個為理想工作的人，他心裡是不會因為薪水多少而悲哀難過的。錢財、報酬對他言，如鳥雀、蚊蟲自面前飛過，這些身外物他是不會太在意的。」
曰：「既已縣矣！夫無所縣者，可以有哀乎？彼視三釜、三千鍾，如觀雀蚊虻相過乎前也。」
Three Fus equals to one hundred and ninety-two liter.
三釜=192升米。
One Dou is ten litters
一斗=10升米
One Fu equals to six Dou and four liter, namely sixty-four litter.
一釜=六斗四升米 =64升米
Three times of Sixty-four litter is one hundred and ninety-two liter.
64升米x3=192升米
Three Thousand Zhong equals to one million and twenty thousand liter.
三千鍾=1,020,000升米。
One Hu equals to five Dou
一斛=五斗米
One Zhong is six Hu and four Dou, namely thirty-four Dou, or three hundred and forty liter.
一鍾=六斛四斗米=34 斗米=340 升米
Three Thousand times of three hundred and forty liter is one million and twenty thousand liter.
340升米x3000=1,020,000升米