第9章 说话而杀身 积财而丧命

You will be endangered if you are too talkative or accumulate too much wealth.

人皆欲会说话，苏秦[1]乃因会说而杀身；人皆欲多积财，石崇[2]乃因多积财而丧命。

中文注释

[1]苏秦，战国时著名的纵横家、外交家和谋略家。口才极佳，游说六国合纵以抗秦，曾一度受封为六国宰相，使秦国不敢窥函谷关有十五年之久，后至齐，从事反间活动，被齐国众大夫因争宠派人刺杀。

[2]石崇，西晋时期文学家、大臣、富豪，“金谷二十四友”之一。永康元年（300年），贾后等为赵王司马伦所杀，司马伦党羽孙秀向石崇索要其宠妾绿珠不果，因而诬陷其为乱党，遭夷三族。晋惠帝复位后，以九卿礼安葬石崇。

今文解译

谁都想能说会道，可是战国的苏秦却因为太会说话而惨遭刺杀。

谁都想发家致富，可是西晋的石崇却因为敛财太多而命丧黄泉。

English Translation

Everyone wishes to have a glib tongue,disregarding the fact that Su Qin*was assassinated for his gift of the gab.

Everyone desires to be a richer,not knowing that Shi Chong*was killed for his over-accumulated wealth.

English Annotation

*Su Qin（?—317BC），a statesman,diplomat,political strategist during the Warring States Period,and one of the leading figures of the School of Diplomacy（or School of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances），also called Su Zi.

*Shi Chong（249—300),a man of letters as well as a powerful and rich man of the Western Jin Dynasty.