《增廣賢文》。又名《昔時賢文》《古今賢文》,是中國明代時期編寫的道家兒童啟蒙書目。書名最早見之于明萬歷年間的戲曲《牡丹亭》,據(jù)此可推知此書最遲寫成于萬歷年間?!对鰪V賢文》集結中國從古到今的各種格言、諺語。后來,經(jīng)過明、清兩代文人的不斷增補,才改成現(xiàn)在這個模樣,稱《增廣昔時賢文》,通稱《增廣賢文》。
《增廣賢文·114》 佚名
芙蓉白面,
不過帶肉骷髏;
美艷紅妝,
盡是殺人利刃。
讀書而寄興于吟詠風雅,
定不深心;
修德而留意于名譽事功,
必無實證。
一人非之,
便立不定,
只見得有得失,
何曾知有義命?
A dazzling beauty
Often means a man-killing knife,
A flower-like lady
Is a mere flesh-covered skeleton.
One who cultivates his moral character
In order to establish his fame
Cannot acquire real accomplishment,
One who reads books
In order to show off his refinement
Cannot acquire deep comprehension.
Something denied by even only one person
May not stand firm,
You notice its controversy
And neglect its reason;
Something unknown to even only one person
May not stay stable,
You doubt its influence and forget that
It concerns the mandate of heaven1.
(1) This refers to the natural laws of the universe and includes the concept of predestination