《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》

满招损，
谦受益。
百年光阴，
如驹过隙。
世事明如镜，
前程暗似漆。
有麝自然香，
何必当风立。
良田万顷，
日食三餐；
大厦千间，
夜眠八尺。
救生不救死，
寄物不寄失。
人生孰不需财，
匹夫不可怀壁。
廉官可酌贪泉水，
志士不受嗟来食。
适志在花柳灿烂、笙歌沸腾处，
那都是一场幻境界；
得趣于木落草枯、声稀味淡中，
才觅得一些真消息。

Modesty brings benefit,
Pride brings suffering.
A hundred years' time
Is as short as a horse jumping across a crack.
World affairs
Are as bright and clear as a mirror,
Prospects
Are as dark as the society painted black.
An enjoyable aroma emanates from musk,
To enjoy it
You do not need the help of the wind.
You eat only three meals a day,
Even if you have thousands of hectares of land;
To sleep you need only eight feet of space,
Even if you have hundreds of mansions.
Save the living instead of the dead,
Place hope in things practical
Instead of in things forlorn.
All people are in need of property,
But true valuables
Cannot be kept by the average person.
A noble man refuses help handed out in scorn,
An incorruptible official
Resist all temptation.
A person who desires sensual pleasures
Can only obtain fantasy,
A person who pursues joy through a simple life
Can acquire truly valuable knowledge.

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