【大紀元5月30日訊】
魯國丞相公孫儀喜歡吃魚。國人知悉後，都爭著買魚獻給他。可是，他從不領情，一律辭謝。
其弟覺得很奇怪，便問道：「你明明喜歡吃魚，為甚麼卻不肯接受人民的魚呢？」
公孫儀回答說：「正因為我喜歡吃魚，所以才不能接受。」
其弟不明所以，搖著頭說：「我不明白……」
公孫儀解釋道：「如果我接受人家的魚，我便欠他一份人情。欠人人情，少不免會枉法。一旦枉法，我就會被革職。那時，就是我喜歡吃魚，也沒有人願意獻魚給我吃了。即使我自己想買魚吃，也買不起呢！反之，如果我一律不接受，我既可保留我丞相的職位，也可隨時買魚吃。」
The Prime Minister’s Favourite Dish
Gongsun Yi, the Prime Minister of Lu, loved to eat fish. All the people in the state knew this and were eager to offer him fish, but Gongsun Yi always refused their gifts.
“Surely you like fish,” said his younger brother in surprise. “Why won’t you accept the people’s gifts?”
“Just because I like fish,” replied Gongsun Yi,”I can’t accept them.”
His brother shook his head in confusion. “I don’t understand…”
“Well, if I accept a person’s fish, I owe him a favour,” explained Gongsun Yi. “Owing somebody a favour,” explained Gongsun Yi. “Owing somebody a favour,” explained Gongsun Yi. “Owing somebody a favour means that I may have to bend the law at times. Once I break the law, I will lose my job. At that time–even though I still like fish–nobody will bother to offer it to me. And even if I want to buy it on my own, I won’t be able to afford it. However, if I refuse the gifts of fish now, I can keep my post as Prime Minister, and I can eat fish anytime I want.”
轉自：《翀仔寓言網》@(http://www.dajiyuan.com)
