Tao Yuanming was a famous writer in ancient China. He is famous not only for his poems, but also for his contempt for fame and wealth and his refusal to imitate them.
Born in 365 AD, Tao Yuanming was the earliest pastoral poet in China. Tao Yuanming lived in an era of regime change, social unrest and people's lives were very difficult. In the autumn of 405 AD, Tao Yuanming came to Pengze, not far from his hometown, as a county magistrate in order to support his family. This winter, his boss sent an official to inspect. This official is a vulgar and arrogant person. As soon as he arrived at the border of pengze county, he sent for the county magistrate to visit him.
Tao Yuanming got the news and had to leave at once, although he looked down on such a person who gave orders in the name of more than one company. Unexpectedly, his secretary stopped Tao Yuanming and said, "This official should pay great attention to details, dress neatly and be modest, or he will speak ill of you in front of his boss."
Tao Yuanming, who has always been upright and lofty, couldn't help it any longer. He sighed and said, "I would rather starve to death than bow to such a poor man because of the official salary of five dou meters." He immediately wrote his resignation letter and left the county magistrate's post for more than 80 days. From then on, he no longer became an official.
There is one less bureaucrat in the officialdom and one more writer in the literary world. Tao Yuanming's story of "five buckets of rice don't bow their heads" has become a portrayal of China intellectuals' integrity. In daily life, if a person is unwilling to sacrifice his integrity for some material benefits, he often says, "Don't bow down for a bucket of rice." .
2. Sheep continue to hang fish.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Nanyang was the satrap of Yang Xu. He hated the corruption and extravagance of the bureaucrats at that time. He is modest and simple, usually wearing shabby clothes, covered with patched quilts and riding in shabby carriages. The tableware is coarse pottery, and you eat coarse tea and light rice. His subordinate Jian is also very decent and has a good relationship with Yang Jian. He thinks his superiors are too poor. He heard that Yang Xu likes to eat raw fish, so he bought a fish for Yang Xu. Jiao Jian, fearing that sheep would continue to be rejected, said with a smile, "My Lord hasn't been to Nanyang for a long time, so I may not know that this is the famous' March Carp' here, so I bought one for you. Usually you treat me like a brother, so this fish is just a little respect from my younger brother to my older brother. You know, I am by no means a flatterer, so please accept it! " When the sheep continued to see Jiao Jian say this, he felt that he was an outsider and said with a smile, "In that case, it is better to be respectful than obedient." After Jiao Jian left, Yang Xu hung the fish outside and never touched it again. In March of the following year, Jiao Jian bought another carp, thinking that it would be enough to send one a year, knowing that if he bought too many sheep, he would not want it. To Yang Xuyan Palace, Jiao Jiangang explained his purpose. Yang Xu pointed to the sun-dried "March carp" and said, "What you sent last year is still here!" Jiao Jian froze, shook his head, sighed and left with live fish.
3. Bao Zheng's "Honesty Discipline"
In the Northern Song Dynasty, Bao Zheng was famous for his integrity and honesty, and the people called him "Bao Qingtian". Bao Zheng lived in a high position all his life, being honest and selfless, and hated corrupt officials. In his later years, he was worried about the corruption of future generations, so he set up a stone tablet at home, engraved with the famous "Family Training and Integrity" to warn future generations. It means something like this: "All the descendants of the Bao family who embezzle and accept bribes cannot be called descendants of the Bao family, and even cannot be buried in their family's cemetery after death. Those who do not follow this instruction are not descendants of Bao Gong. "
Ma Yinchu refused to take bribes.
Ma Yinchu was a famous economist and social activist in modern China. Before liberation, he was the finance director of Zhejiang Province. One day, a man who wanted to be a county magistrate in Deqing County entrusted Ma Yinchu with 1,000 yuan and asked Ma Yinchu to open the back door and let him be a county magistrate. Ma Yinchu flew into a rage and scolded, "Shameless thing, this kind of person can hit his joints with money today. If he really becomes a county magistrate, he must be a corrupt official. With this one, he can't be a county magistrate. Immediately ordered the money back. Premier Zhou Enlai's clothes and Premier Zhou's pajamas have been worn for more than 20 years. Mended and mended, it has been worn to the ground, and I am reluctant to throw it away. A shirt is old enough to change the cuff collar, and a dress has been patched in different colors. He wears it. When someone asked him to change it, he always said, "The old one can be worn. "
5. Madame Curie's view of money.
Madame Curie, the inventor of radium and winner of two Nobel Prizes, devoted her life to science and hated money and honor. She spent most of her prize money on scientific experiments and gave it to poor students and friends in need. She gave up the huge sum of "radium patent" and resolutely announced the radium smelting technology to the world, and donated the world's first gram of radium worth 6.5438+0 million francs to the cancer treatment institute.
6. Li Siguang "I want to go back to China, not dollars."
From 65438 to 0948, Li Siguang came to the United States at the invitation of the International Geological Society and published The Birth of a New Xia Hai, which caused a sensation in Europe. One morning, Li Siguang read a piece of news in the newspaper: "... 65438+February 2, Shenyang was liberated, ..." He was so excited that tears filled his eyes. His dream for many years was about to come true, and a new China was born! At the annual meeting of international students in China held at Cambridge University, he said excitedly: "Although I am 60 years old and have been in poor health, I must return to my motherland and contribute the rest of my life to New China!" But this move angered the Kuomintang authorities. The secretary of the Kuomintang embassy in Britain found Li Siguang, took out a check for $5,000 and said, "You publicly denied People's Republic of China (PRC) to the world." He also threatened: "If you refuse, I will take necessary measures to detain you abroad." Li Siguang was extremely angry and immediately reprimanded: "Can I buy my heart home with money? I want to go back to China, not dollars! " After many hardships, Li Siguang finally set foot on the land of the motherland and realized his wish to play for China.