《Caigentan (菜根譚) – Complete Works | Former Collection》 #12 [012]

《Caigentan (菜根譚)》 Complete Works (Vol. 1) #12 [012]

📜 Original Text

面前的田地要放得寬,使人無不平之歎;身後的惠澤要流得長,使人有不匱之思。

📚 Translation

One should generously bestow what lies before them, so that no one feels compelled to lament injustice;
and the beneficence left after death should flow enduringly, so that people feel no sense of want in their hearts.

🔍 Explanation

This passage teaches the wisdom of practicing generous giving during one’s lifetime and leaving behind enduring beneficence after death.

The phrase “the field before one’s eyes” symbolizes immediate gains or positions. Generously bestowing such resources fosters harmony, free from envy or resentment. Likewise, if the “beneficence after death” continues to flow, the giver remains remembered as cherished and respected, their virtue living on in others’ memories.

True integrity arises not from clinging to present desires, but from living with foresight and intention.
This teaching reminds us that a meaningful life is not defined by solitary prosperity, but by shared abundance and enduring gratitude.

✍️ Hanja Breakdown

• 面 (miàn) face, front
• 前 (qián) front, before
• 面前 (miànqián) in front of, before one’s eyes; current reality or possession
• 的 (de) attributive particle (~’s / of)
• 田 (tián) field, land
• 地 (dì) ground, domain, circumstance
• 田地 (tiándì) fields, assets; metaphorically, one’s own portion or holdings
• 要 (yào) must, should
• 放 (fàng) to release, bestow
• 得 (dé) to enable, cause a state or outcome
• 寬 (kuān) broad, generous
• 放得寬 (fàngdekuān) to bestow with generosity; to act magnanimously
• 使 (shǐ) to cause, to make (causative verb)
• 人 (rén) person, people
• 無 (wú) not have, without
• 不 (bù) not
• 平 (píng) fair, level
• 不平 (bùpíng) injustice, resentment
• 之 (zhī) possessive particle (~’s / of)
• 歎 (tàn) sigh, lament
• 不平之歎 (bùpíngzhītàn) lamentation over injustice
• 身 (shēn) body, self
• 後 (hòu) after, behind
• 身後 (shēnhòu) after one’s death
• 惠 (huì) grace, kindness
• 澤 (zé) favor, beneficence
• 惠澤 (huìzé) benevolence, favor granted
• 流 (liú) to flow, endure
• 長 (cháng) long, enduring
• 流得長 (liúdecháng) to flow on endlessly, to last
• 有 (yǒu) to have
• 匱 (kuì) to lack, to be deficient
• 不匱 (bùkuì) not lacking, inexhaustible
• 思 (sī) to think, reflect, cherish
• 不匱之思 (bùkuìzhīsī) enduring thought of abundance and gratitude

📌 Phrase Analysis: 放得寬 / 流得長

1. 放得寬 (fàngdekuān)

• Meaning: To make one’s bestowal generous
• Structure: 放 (bestow) + 得 (to enable a result) + 寬 (generous)
→ To act in a way that results in magnanimity

2. 流得長 (liúdecháng)

• Meaning: To make the flow last long
• Structure: 流 (to flow) + 得 (to enable) + 長 (long)
→ To ensure enduring influence or remembrance

?? The Grammatical Function of 得 (dé) in Classical Chinese

In Classical Chinese, 得 plays a nuanced role beyond its modern counterpart used in resultative complements. It is fundamentally a causative/resultative connector, indicating that an action has led (or should lead) to a specific state or outcome.

🔹 Core Function

To express the attainment of a state through an action.

Structure:
Verb + 得 + (Adjective or Result)

Function:
Shows that a verb leads to a resultant state or condition.

Examples:

放得寬: To give so generously that generosity is attained.

行得正: To act such that uprightness is the result.


Possibility Usage (rare in literary texts):

• Subject + 得 + Verb

e.g., 吾得見君乎? — "Could I see you?"


In Caigentan, both 放得寬 and 流得長 clearly employ 得 to convey action-induced outcomes — not just results that occurred, but results that should be caused through one's conduct.

📝 Linguistic Characteristics of Caigentan

Caigentan reflects a blend of classical 文言文 (wenyanwen) style and 白話文 (baihua) influences from late Ming literature.

While classical Chinese typically uses 之 (zhī) for possessives, Caigentan often uses 的 (de) — as seen in 面前的田地 and 身後的惠澤.

Likewise, 得 functions similarly to modern resultative or degree complements, bridging the transition between classical and vernacular forms.

This stylistic mixture reflects the linguistic transition of its era.
The late Ming Dynasty saw the rise of baihua in novels and drama, with landmark works such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West, and The Plum in the Golden Vase embracing colloquial narration.

While Caigentan maintains a classical tone, its structure occasionally mirrors spoken Chinese. This dual character makes it not only a philosophical classic but also a linguistic artifact of a transformative period in Chinese literary history.