Don't bully the young and the poor. What does this mean?

"Don't bully poor young people" means don't look down on poor young people because they have unlimited potential and possibilities.

source

This sentence comes from chapter 46 of Wu's novel The Scholars.

Excerpts from the original text

"It is better to bully the white beard than to bully the poor boy.

One day, the dragon will wear a phoenix. I don't believe my pants will wear holes. "

translate

"I would rather look down on an old man with a white beard than a poor young man.

Because one day, even dragons and phoenixes will be impressed by them. Do not believe, people will get rid of poverty one day. "

Make an appreciative comment

The Scholars is a novel that depicts various people's different expressions of "fame and fortune" in a realistic way, and criticizes the social phenomena and human ills at that time by satirizing and exposing the corruption of official administration, the malpractice of imperial examination and the hypocrisy of ethics at that time. Among them, the famous saying "Don't bully the poor" is a classic quotation in the novel, which expresses the author's expectation for young people and appeal to society.

Creation background

The Qing Dynasty was the end of feudal society in China. During this period, there was serious class division and social injustice in China society, especially the existence of the imperial examination system aggravated social instability and turmoil, making it difficult for many poor young people to obtain official positions and promotion opportunities. Wu's The Scholars exposes and criticizes the social phenomena and ills in this period, and expresses his appeal for social reform and democratization.

To annotate ...

White beard: refers to the white-haired old man;

Puncture: refers to a hole.

Enlightenment of life

"Don't bully poor young people" conveys a very important meaning, that is, don't despise young people, especially those who have not realized their dreams for economic reasons. They may create extraordinary achievements after experiencing the storms of life. This sentence also applies to life.

I once knew a young man who had been working in a small company since graduation. His income was not high and he had no social status. But he has been studying and thinking hard, constantly improving his ability, and finally successfully starting a business and realizing his ideal. If we had despised him and not given him a chance, we would have missed this young man with potential.

In addition, this sentence also reminds us not to only pay attention to the superficial conditions, but ignore the internal quality and ability. Sometimes, even if a person looks poor, he may have the spirit of perseverance and courage, and it is this quality that makes him finally overcome difficulties and succeed. Therefore, we should respect everyone, give them equal opportunities and attention, and don't despise them because of superficial conditions.

In short, whether in the workplace or in life, we should keep in mind the spirit of "not bullying the poor", respect everyone's efforts and values, and don't easily evaluate and suppress them.