《增广贤文》。又名《昔时贤文》《古今贤文》，是中国明代时期编写的儿童启蒙书目。书名最早见之于明万历年间的戏曲《牡丹亭》，据此可推知此书最迟写成于万历年间。《增广贤文》集结中国从古到今的各种格言、谚语。后来，经过明、清两代文人的不断增补，才改成现在这个模样，称《增广昔时贤文》，通称《增广贤文》。作者一直未见任何书载，只知道清代同治年间儒生周希陶曾进行过重订。《增广贤文》把社会诸多方面的阴暗现象高度概括，冷冰冰地陈列在读者面前。《增广贤文》绝大多数句子都来自经史子集、诗词曲赋、戏剧小说以及文人杂记，其思想观念都直接或间接地来自儒道经典，从广义上来说，它是雅俗共赏的“经”的普及本。不需讲解就能读懂，通过读《增广贤文》同样能领会到经文的思想观念和人生智慧。《增广贤文》还是谚语的选集。

《增广贤文》

真士无心邀福，
天即就无心处牖其衷；
险人著意避祸，
天即就著意处夺其魄。
权贵龙骧，
英雄虎战，
以冷眼观之，
如蝇竞血，
如蚁聚鳝；
是非蜂起，
得失蝟兴，
以冷情当之，
如冶化金，
如汤消雪。


Although a person of integrity
Has no intention to pursue it,
Fortune may still be granted to him by heaven;
Although a crafty and fawning person
Is keenly attentive to escape it,
Misfortune
May still descend on him from heaven.
If you look with cold eyes at
Heroes fighting like tigers
And nobles competing like dragons,
You will find they are actually no better
Than flies fighting over blood stains
And ants competing over the smell of mutton.
If you treat people coldly
Whilst they are struggling like
Swarming bees and defending hedgehogs
For the sake of right or wrong
And for the sake of loss or gain,
You will find what they struggle for
Is mere snow to be thawed by hot water
And iron to be melted by heating.

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