《Caigentan(菜根譚) Original Text, Former Collection #19》 [019]
《Caigentan(菜根譚) Original Text, Former Collection #19》 [019]
📜 Original Text
完名美節,不宜獨任,分些與人,可以遠害全身;
辱行污名,不宜全推,引些歸己,可以韜光養德。
📚 English Translation
Perfect fame and noble integrity should not be borne alone; share a portion with others, and you may steer clear of harm and preserve yourself.
Disgraceful conduct and a stained name should not be entirely pushed onto others; accept part of the blame yourself, and you may keep a low profile and cultivate inner virtue.
🔍 Commentary: Wisdom in Sharing Honor and Shouldering Blame
This succinct yet profound teaching from Cai Gen Tan offers timeless insight: practice humility in moments of glory and accept responsibility in times of disgrace.
The first sentence advises:
“Perfect fame and noble integrity should not be borne alone; share a portion with others, and you may steer clear of harm and preserve yourself.”
Claiming all the honor for oneself often invites envy and resentment, which can soon turn into trouble.
But if you distribute even a little of the credit to those around you, you build goodwill and can avoid unexpected dangers.
This is more than virtue—it is wise self-preservation.
The second sentence states:
“Disgraceful conduct and a stained name should not be entirely pushed onto others; accept part of the blame yourself, and you may keep a low profile and cultivate inner virtue.”
When faced with dishonor, completely denying responsibility only damages your credibility.
But if you quietly bear a portion of the blame, you avoid public scrutiny while deepening your moral character.
To “conceal one's brilliance” (韜光) here means not to flaunt your moral superiority, but to nurture it privately.
This posture of quiet responsibility reflects true inner strength.
Ultimately, the passage affirms:
“Share the merit, shoulder the blame.”
By humbly distributing praise and quietly owning fault, you not only avoid harm but also build enduring virtue.
✨ One-Line Summary
"Share the merit, shoulder the blame — true virtue grows quietly, not loudly."
✍️ Hanja Breakdown
Repeated in full for ease of study, regardless of order.)
- 完 (wán) – complete, perfect
- 名 (míng) – name, reputation, fame
- 完名: unblemished reputation, perfect fame
- 美 (měi) – beautiful, excellent
- 節 (jié) – integrity, self-restraint
- 美節: noble character, moral integrity
- 不 (bù) – not
- 宜 (yí) – appropriate, proper
- 不宜: should not, improper
- 獨 (dú) – alone
- 任 (rèn) – to take on, bear
- 獨任: to shoulder alone, monopolize
- 分 (fēn) – divide, share
- 些 (xiē) – a little, some
- 與 (yǔ) – to give, share with
- 分些與人: share a portion with others
- 可 (kě) – can, may
- 以 (yǐ) – by means of
- 可以: may, can
- 遠 (yuǎn) – distant, to avoid
- 害 (hài) – harm, danger
- 遠害: avoid harm
- 全 (quán) – whole, preserve
- 身 (shēn) – body, self
- 全身: preserve oneself
- 辱 (rǔ) – disgrace, insult
- 行 (xíng) – conduct, behavior
- 辱行: shameful behavior
- 污 (wū) – defiled, stained
- 名 (míng) – reputation
- 污名: stained name
- 全 (quán) – entirely
- 推 (tuī) – to shift, push
- 全推: shift all blame
- 引 (yǐn) – pull, accept
- 些 (xiē) – a bit
- 歸 (guī) – return, attribute
- 己 (jǐ) – self
- 引些歸己: take a portion of the blame
- 韜 (tāo) – conceal
- 光 (guāng) – light, brilliance
- 韜光: hide one's brilliance (i.e., remain low-key)
- 養 (yǎng) – to cultivate, nurture
- 德 (dé) – virtue, morality
- 養德: cultivate virtue
📘 Note: This Hanja breakdown is intentionally repetitive to assist learners at any entry point in the text. It ensures each term is explained in full, regardless of prior appearances.
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