“Do not think about your own acts of kindness, but never forget kindness received.” — Chinese philosopher Zhu Zi
The ancient Chinese believed that if we can do favours for others without seeking something in return, but forever remember a favour from someone else, we will naturally gain enormous blessings.
Our benevolence is not pure if we do a good deed but are disappointed or complain if we do not see a return, or if we doubt the principle of “good and evil are rewarded in kind.”
Famous Han Dynasty general Han Xin was very poor when he was young. One day, he had nothing to eat and had no choice but to sit at the riverside and try to catch fish to sell in order to buy food.
Many women were at the river washing clothes. One noticed that Han Xin looked hungry and emaciated and gave him her food.
For more than 10 days, he ate this food given out of kindness. He felt a great debt of gratitude and told the woman, “In the future I will thoroughly repay your kindness.”
However, she replied, “A real man ought to earn his own living. I give you food because I see you and pity you. I would do the same for anyone else. I do not seek any repayment.”
Years later, when Han Xin returned to his hometown with great honour and wealth, he found the woman and thanked her by giving her 1,000 pieces of gold.
This is the origin of the Chinese idiom “yī fàn qiān jīn” (一飯千金), which literally means “one meal, 1,000 gold (pieces).”
