Chinese Wisdom Stories · Volume 1 · Story guide

子路受牛Zilu Accepts the Ox

zǐ lù shòu niú

HSK4+典故

Zilu saves a man who is drowning. The man gives him an ox as thanks, and Zilu accepts it. Confucius says this will encourage more people to save others.

Where this story comes from

《吕氏春秋·察微》

Lüshi Chunqiu, chapter “Cha Wei”

The story

鲁国有一条法律:如果有人赎回沦为奴隶的鲁国人,可以从国库领取赏金。子贡赎了人,却不肯领赏。孔子批评他,说这样会让以后想救人的人不好意思拿赏金,反而不愿意救人。子路救了一个溺水的人,对方送他一头牛,他收下了。孔子很高兴,说:以后鲁国人会更愿意救人了。

What the idiom means

子路受牛指奖励善行能鼓励更多人做好事;比喻评价一件事要看它对整个社会的长远影响。

Zilu accepts an ox as a reward for saving someone — visible rewards can encourage more people to do good.

How to use it

做好事应该被看见,子路受牛的故事提醒我们,合理的奖励会带来更多的善行。

zuò hǎo shì yīng gāi bèi kàn jiàn , zǐ lù shòu niú de gù shì tí xǐng wǒ men , hé lǐ de jiǎng lì huì dài lái gèng duō de shàn xíng 。

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Part of the Chinese Wisdom Stories series