Collection and arrangement of the footprints of the salamander shadow
(October 19, 2018)
Translation of Xu Hong’s seal script
Heaven will give you a great responsibility Such a person must first strain his mind and will, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body and skin, deplete his body, and mess up his actions, so he can use his mind and forbearance to gain what he cannot.
Source: "Mencius·Gaozi Xia"
Mencius said: "Shun was born among the acres of land, Fu Shuo was raised among the boards, and Jiao Ge was raised among the fish and salt. Among them, Guan Yiwu was promoted to the scholar, Sun Shuao was promoted to the sea, and Baili Xi was promoted to the city. Therefore, when heaven is about to entrust a great responsibility to this person, his mind and body must be taxed, his muscles and bones must be tired, his body and skin must be hungry, and his body must be depleted before he can do it. If you don't mess with what you do, you will be able to do what you can't do. If you are stuck in your heart, you will be able to change it, and then you will be able to do it. When a scholar comes out, he will be invincible to foreign patients, and his country will be destroyed. Then he will be born in sorrow and trouble, and die in peace and happiness."
Mencius said: " Shun rose from the fields, Fu Yüeh was raised to office from among the builders of the wall, Chiao Ke from a career in selling fish and salt, Kuan Ch'i-wu after being released from the hands of the prison officer, and Sun Shu-ao from the sea. Being promoted to the imperial court, Baili Xi was promoted from the market to the throne.
Therefore, when God is going to place a great responsibility on such a person, he must first make him suffer in his heart. Tire his muscles and bones, subject him to hunger, cause his skin to become thin, make him suffer from poverty, make his work confused and always unsatisfactory, through which his heart will be alert, his character will be firm, and his strength will be strengthened.
People often make mistakes before they can correct them; they are troubled and blocked in their minds before they can make a difference; all this is reflected in their faces and expressed in their words, and then they are understood by others. . If there are no ministers who uphold the law and wise men to assist the monarch in a country, if there are no hostile countries and foreign troubles abroad, it will often lead to destruction.
This can be seen that sorrow and misfortune can make people survive. , and ease and enjoyment make people languid and die."