The sky and the earth that amaze me(皇天后土)
In the Jin Dynasty of China, there was a
famous official whose name was Li Mi.
He is a very honest official, and he is
also a very filial person.
When he was 44 years old, the then king
wanted to hire him as an important official in the central government.
He wrote a letter to decline the king's
offer of invitation.
The letter he wrote is considered one of
the most moving lyric essays in Chinese history.
Why did he refuse such a high position and
salary?
The fifth paragraph of the letter reads as
follows.
I am forty-four years old this year, and my
grandmother is ninety-six years old.
My grandmother's life is nearing the end,
and the Jin Dynasty can go on for a very, very long time.
According to the observations of the
ancients, the adult crows in the birds will feed those old crows.
Even birds know gratitude, how could we
not?
So I implore you to allow me to keep my
grandmother until she dies.
I am not making this request because I want
to avoid responsibility.
My act of caring for my grandmother was
years and years and continued.
These actions of mine come from my heart,
and everyone in this city and province where I live can see my sincerity.
I don't feel ashamed when I face the heaven
and the earth that amaze me.
Again I beg you to have mercy on me and to
trust my honesty.
Please let me fulfill this little wish to
take care of my grandmother until she dies.
When she dies, I will agree to your
appointment.
At that time, I will do my best to serve
the Jin Dynasty, and I will be loyal and responsible to you.
I am such a humble person, and I am writing
this letter with a very frightened heart. Please grant me this small request.
This idiom means the sky and the earth that
amaze me. This idiom is usually used when a person takes an oath.
Dear friends, what are your feelings or
thoughts after listening to this story?
If you were the king, would you agree to
his request? Are you responsible for your own heart?
I hope this story will give you something
new to gain.
皇天后土(The sky and the earth that amaze me)
中國的晉王朝，有一個著名的官員，他的名字叫做(李密)。
他是一個很正直的官員，他也是一個很孝順的人。
他44歲的時候，當時的國王想聘請他當任中央政府的重要官員。
他寫了一封信婉拒國王的禮聘。
他寫的這封信被認為是中國歷史上最感人的抒情文之一。
他為何要拒絕這麼高的職位與薪水呢?
這封信的第五段內容如下。
我今年已經四十四歲，我的祖母已經九十六歲了。
我的祖母的人生已經接近盡頭，晉王朝還可以延續非常非常久。
根據古人的觀察，鳥類中的成年烏鴉會奉養那些老年的烏鴉。
連鳥類都知道感恩，我們怎麼能不這樣做呢?
所以我懇請你能夠准許我讓我奉養我的祖母直到她死去。
我並不是因為想要逃避責任所以提出這個要求。
我照顧我的祖母的行為是經年累月並且持續不斷的。
我的這些行為出自我的內心，我居住的這城市與這個省的所有人都看的見我的真誠。
我面對那令我敬畏的天與地時我不覺得羞愧。
我再次懇求你憐憫我，並且相信我的誠實。
請讓我完成這件小小的心願，讓我照顧我的祖母直到她死去。
等她死去後，我就會答應你的聘任。
我屆時會盡全力來報效晉王朝，我會對你忠心與盡責。
我是一個如此卑微的人，我抱持的很惶恐的心寫這一封信，請你答應我這個如此微小的請求。
這句成語的意思是這令我敬畏的天空與大地。這句成語通常被使用在一個人宣誓的時候。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的感受或有怎樣的想法呢。
你如果是國王你會答應他的請求嗎?你是否有對自已的內心負責?
我希望這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為晉-李密-陳情表
