By Li Yu

There is no other way for the poor to enjoy themselves but to “take a step back.”I feel poor, but there are others poorer than me in the world; I see myself as a humble person, but there are others who are humbler than me. My wife and children can be a terrible burden, yet there are homeless people who have lost their wives and children and can receive no support from them; I have suffered from the calluses on my hands and feet caused by long-time labor, but there are also people in prison who cannot work freely. If you always think in this way, the seemingly sea of suffering will become a land of paradise.If you always compare yourself with those who are better than you, you will be endlessly insecure and fall into a state of despair and depression.

One midsummer night, a rich man sojourned at a post house during his journey. Mosquitoes swarmed into his bed-curtain and he couldn’t drive them out.Memories of the sumptuous living conditions of his home came flooding back: memories of his spacious living room, his crisp, cool pillow mat and the many lovely concubines fanning him as he slept the night away in luxuriant indulgence. He didn’t have even the slightest inkling of how blazingly hot summer could be back then. The only thing on his mind as he lay there perspiring in the sultry heat was how badly he was suffering. And it was his pleasant memories of comfort and luxury that annoyed him all the more and kept him wide awake throughout the night.

This article was originally written by Li Yu (1611－1680), a Chinese playwright,novelist and publisher in the late-Ming and early-Qing dynasties, and translated into Modern Chinese by Han Zhonghua. The English version was translated by Qin Run according to Han’s Modern Chinese version

贫贱行乐之法

文/[清]李渔 译/韩中华

穷人行乐的方法，没别的秘诀，仍然只有“退一步”这种方法。我感到自己穷，可还有比我更穷的；我觉得自己低贱，但还有比我更低贱的；我把妻子儿女当作累赘，却还有失去妻儿无依无靠、想要妻子儿女这种累赘而得不到的人；我为自己因劳动使得手脚上都是老茧而感到劳苦，但还有被关在监狱，想要安心劳作却办不到的人。如果这样来想，那么苦海就都变成乐土了。如果向前推算，同胜过自己的人相比，那么一刻也得不到安稳，就会陷入被束缚和使人忧郁的心境了。

有个富人旅途中住在驿站，时值盛夏，帐子里进了很多蚊子，怎么也赶不出去。他想起在家时，厅堂宽敞，枕席冰凉，又有许多姬妾拿着扇子为他扇风，一点感觉不出是在过夏天，怎么也想不到现在会困苦到这个地步。因为总想着非常快乐的情景，心就更加烦了，整个晚上都睡不着。

有一个亭长露宿在台阶下，被许多蚊子叮咬，他只好在院子里跑动，让四肢保持不停的运动，使蚊子没办法落在身上。他的身子跑得很辛苦，口中却不断大声地赞叹，好像是苦中有乐。富人不理解，就把他叫来询问：“你受的苦比我多十倍百倍，我觉得非常痛苦你却觉得快乐，这是为什么？”亭长说：“我想起有一年被仇家陷害，被关在监狱里。当时也是夏天，狱卒怕我逃跑，每天晚上都捆住我的手脚，使我不能动弹。那时蚊子比今晚多一倍，想要躲一下也不可能，只能任凭蚊子叮咬。……