ChineseStudy

44. Fame and Life

Contents

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English translation

Which is dearer, reputation or your own life?

The question asks us to reorder our priorities. Public recognition may be attractive, but it should not be placed above one’s own life and well-being.

Which is worth more, your own life or possessions?

Possessions are means to be used, not masters to be served. Harming oneself to accumulate them reverses what should come first.

Which is more damaging: gaining what you seek, or losing yourself?

A gain purchased at the cost of serious harm to oneself may not be a real gain. Any judgment of profit and loss must include its consequences.

Therefore, excessive attachment is sure to exact a great cost; storing up too much is sure to bring heavy loss.

The more something is treated as indispensable, the greater the expense and burden it can create. Excessive accumulation also increases the risks of guarding, conflict, and loss.

Know what is enough, and you will avoid disgrace. Know when to stop, and you will avoid danger. In this way, you can endure.

Contentment sets a boundary for desire, and knowing when to stop gives action proper measure. This is not passive withdrawal, but stopping before excess turns harmful.

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