【楊愛民】
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成語：糟糠之妻不下堂 (ZAO KANG ZHI QI BU XIA TANG): A wife who has shared her husband’s hard lot, must never be cast aside; the wife one married in poverty should not be discarded in one’s affluence; a wife who shared poverty may not be divorced in times of comfort; a man’s first wife who has shared a lot of poverty or hard times with her husband should not be divorced by the husband when he has once become a VIP or a man of affluence.
出處：後漢書，宋弘傳。
故事：東漢光武時代，朝中有位大臣名宋弘，為人正直而不徇私。當時光武帝想找一個博學多聞的人在他身邊為他服務。宋弘就推薦桓譚給光武帝，說，“桓譚的學問能與西漢時的楊雄（辭賦家）和劉尚（經學家）比美。”於是，光武帝便拜桓譚為低級官給事中，讓他在身邊服務。可是，桓譚經常奏淫穢的鄭樂娛樂皇帝。這件事傳至宋弘的耳朵裡立即叫桓譚來見他，並詰問他不該奏淫穢的音樂給皇帝聽。過後，宋弘又去見光武帝，因為桓譚演奏淫穢的音樂向光武帝道歉，對皇帝說，“我原來的意思是叫他以忠正輔佐王室。現在，滿朝中都愛聽鄭樂，這實在是我的罪。” 光武帝立即開除了桓譚，並說這是他自己的錯。從此，更欽佩宋弘的道德作風。
當時，光武帝有個姐姐湖陽公主，剛死了丈夫，她一向敬佩宋弘。光武帝便單獨召見宋弘，說，“俗語說，一個人地位高了，就要改交另一批高貴的朋友。一個人發了財就要拋棄原來的妻子，換個新的。你覺得這是人之常情嗎？”宋弘說，“我聽說，無論一個人變得如何富有，都不應該忘記他在貧困時所結交的朋友。一個人不管變得如何富貴，也不應該拋棄他的結髮妻子。”光武帝和他姐姐聽了宋弘的話，只好放棄自己的打算。
用法：古人云：“貧賤之交不可忘；【糟糠之妻】不下堂。”此乃君子之道也。
故事英譯：During the time of Emperor Guang Wu of East Han, there was a courtier, named Song Hong, was upright and never play favoritism. In the meantime, Emperor Guang Wu wanted to have an erudite person who served beside him. Courtier Song Hong recommended Mr. Huan Tan to Emperor Guang Wu and said to the emperor, “Huan Tan’s knowledge could be compared with Mr. Yang Xiong of West Han who was an outstanding rhymed literature writer and Mr. Liu Shang who was a scholar of classist.” The emperor gave Huan Tan a low-class title of courtiers, and let him always serve beside the emperor: at each feast, let Huan Tan play zither. However, Huan Tan often played the obscene music of Kingdom Zheng for entertaining the emperor. This affair was transmitted to Song Hong’s ears, let Huan Tan go to see him immediately, and blamed Huan Tan that he shouldn’t play the salacious music to amuse the emperor. Afterward, he went to see Emperor Guang Wu and apologized to the emperor for Huan Tan’s performance, and said, “My original idea to recommend him to Your Majesty was that I hope he would be loyal and honest to assist the court. Now, all the members of the court would like to enjoy the Zheng’s music that was really my guilt.” Since then Emperor Guang Wu more respected Song Hong’s morale and style. Emperor Guang Wu fired Huan Tan immediately and confessed that it was his fault. Since then Emperor Guang Wu more admired Song Hong.
In the meantime, Emperor Guang Wu had an elder sister Princess Hu Yang, who had just lost her husband and always respected Song Hong’s behavior, so the monarch summoned Song Hong alone, and said to him, “It is said that when one was promoted to a higher position, he would like to make another group of noblemen to be friends. One who had made a great fortune would give up his original wife and get a new one. Do you think that it is the human nature?” Song Hong said, “I heard that one should not forget the friends who were made in his poverty, and no matter how rich or how noble one has been, he should not abandoned his original wife.” Emperor Guang Wu and his sister heard Song Hong’s idea, they could not but given up their intention.
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