春秋时期,宋国有个叫子罕的官员他品德高尚,为政清廉,从不接受别人的礼物,在百姓中很有威望。有一次,一个宋国人得到一块含宝玉的石头后赠给子罕。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。子罕却笑着说:“我以不贪为宝,你以玉为宝,假如你将玉给了我,我们两人岂不都失去了宝。不如各自保管自己的宝物吧。”献宝人听后十分震撼和惭愧。
There was an official named Zihan in the State of Song during the Spring and Autumn period, who was virtuous and upright and never accepted gifts from others. He was very prestigious among the people. One day, a peasant got a piece of stone with jade in it and presented it to Zihan. But Zihan refused to accept it. The peasant explained, “It looks like an ordinary stone, but in fact there is jade inside, so it is actually a treasure and only suitable for honorable person like you, not for us common people.” Zihan smiled and said, “I value not being greedy, but you value jade. If I accepted your treasure, we would both lose our treasures. Why don’t you keep your treasure? Thus, I will keep mine.” On hearing this, the man who presented the treasure was shocked and ashamed.