hanlib

田仲

T'ien-chung

齊有居士田仲者。

There was in the Ch'i state a retired scholar who was named T'ien-chung.

齊王養以厚祿。而不責以事。田仲安之。

The ruler of Ch'i state supported him with a liberal salary, but did not entrust him with any work, and on account of that T'ien-chung felt himself quite at ease.

屈榖往見而謂之曰。

Ch'ü-ku came to see him and said to him,

吾有匏。堅如石。厚而無竅。

I have a bottle-gourd which is hard as stone, and thick but has no cavity.

願獻之。

I wish to present it to you.

仲曰。所貴夫匏者。爲其可以盛也。

T'ien-chung said, "That for which this bottle-gourd is valued consists in its ability to be used for containing things.

今厚而無竅。則不能剖以盛物。

Now that gourd of yours is thick but has no cavity; therefore it cannot be split in order to hold things.

吾無所用之。

I have no reason to use it.

屈穀曰。今君仰人而食亦無益於人國。殆堅匏之類也。

Ch'ü-ku replied, "Now you feed yourself by relying upon other people and are also of no use to their state and therefore are nearly of the same class as the hard bottle-gourd."

Introduction to Literary Chinese - Lesson 3, Text 2