《Caigentan(採根談) – Volume 1, #55》 Learning Becomes Weapons in Impure Hands

[055] For Those with an Impure Mind, Learning Becomes Weapons and Provisions for a Thief

📜 Original Text

心地清淨,方可讀書學古。
不然,見一善行,竊以濟私;
聞一善言,假以覆短,
是又藉寇兵而齎盜糧矣。

📚 English Translation

When one’s mind is clear and pure, only then is one truly fit to read books and learn the teachings of the ancients.
Otherwise, when witnessing a good deed, one might secretly exploit it for selfish gain;
and when hearing a good word, one might falsely use it to cover up one’s own flaws.
This is like lending weapons to a bandit and providing provisions to a thief.

✍️ Hanja Breakdown

• 心 (xīn): mind, heart.
• 地 (dì): ground, foundation.
• 心地 (xīndì): the state of one’s mind, one’s inner disposition.
• 清 (qīng): clear, pure.
• 淨 (jìng): clean, pure.
• 清淨 (qīngjìng): clarity and purity of mind, free from defilements.
• 方 (fāng): only then, just then.
• 可 (kě): may, can, qualified to.
• 讀 (dú): to read.
• 書 (shū): book, writing.
• 讀書 (dúshū): reading books.
• 學 (xué): to learn, study.
• 古 (gǔ): ancient, old.
• 學古 (xuégǔ): to learn from the ancients, study classical teachings.
• 不然 (bùrán): otherwise, if not so.
• 見 (jiàn): to see.
• 一 (yī): one, a single.
• 善 (shàn): good, virtuous.
• 行 (xíng): conduct, action.
• 善行 (shànxíng): good deeds.
• 竊 (qiè): secretly, stealthily, to steal.
• 以 (yǐ): by means of, using.
• 濟 (jì): to help, benefit, serve.
• 私 (sī): private, selfish interest.
• 竊以濟私 (qiè yǐ jìsī): secretly using it for selfish gain.
• 聞 (wén): to hear.
• 言 (yán): words, speech.
• 善言 (shànyán): good words, wise sayings.
• 假 (jiǎ): to borrow, to feign, to use falsely.
• 覆 (fù): to cover, conceal.
• 短 (duǎn): shortcomings, faults.
• 假以覆短 (jiǎ yǐ fùduǎn): falsely using it to cover one’s flaws.
• 是 (shì): this is.
• 又 (yòu): again, also.
• 藉 (jiè): to borrow, to supply.
• 寇 (kòu): bandit, enemy.
• 兵 (bīng): weapons, soldiers.
• 藉寇兵 (jiè kòubīng): supplying weapons to a bandit.
• 齎 (jī): to bring, to provide.
• 盜 (dào): thief.
• 糧 (liáng): provisions, food.
• 齎盜糧 (jī dàoliáng): providing food to a thief.
• 藉寇兵而齎盜糧 (jiè kòubīng ér jī dàoliáng): supplying weapons to a bandit and provisions to a thief.

🔍 Commentary: Why an Impure Mind Makes Learning Dangerous

This chapter of Cai Gen Tan cautions that knowledge, when entrusted to someone with an impure heart, can become even more dangerous. Learning is meant to guide people toward righteousness and illuminate their lives. But when a person’s inner disposition is clouded by selfishness and hypocrisy, knowledge turns into a tool for furthering their own interests and concealing their flaws.

1. Seeing Good Deeds and Exploiting Them

"見一善行, 竊以濟私" — “Upon seeing a good deed, one secretly exploits it for selfish gain.”

Witnessing another’s virtuous behavior should inspire us to learn and emulate them. But with an impure mind, the person imitates the external form of the deed, not its spirit, seeking only personal advantage.

For instance, someone may notice a colleague’s dedication and think, “If I act like that, I might get noticed and promoted,” feigning diligence without sincerity — essentially ‘stealing’ goodness for selfish gain.

2. Hearing Good Words and Using Them to Hide Faults

"聞一善言, 假以覆短" — “Upon hearing a good word, one falsely uses it to cover their own flaws.”

Hearing wise counsel, such as “honesty is the best policy,” should lead to genuine self-improvement. Yet some use such teachings as mere rhetoric to conceal their own hypocrisy. A manager who loudly preaches “teamwork” while only serving their own interests is an example of such behavior — cloaking faults under the guise of virtue.

⚔️ "Supplying Weapons and Food to a Thief" (藉寇兵而齎盜糧)

Caigentan uses this striking metaphor to warn: entrusting knowledge to an impure mind is like equipping an enemy with weapons and sustaining them with food — it ultimately harms both themselves and others. Learning carries the power to uplift, but when misused, it becomes a means of greater harm.

📌 Note: This Alludes to Li Si’s Jian Zhu Ke Shu (諫逐客書)

The phrase “藉寇兵而齎盜糧” also appears in the Jian Zhu Ke Shu (諫逐客書, “Admonition Against Expelling Foreigners”) by Li Si (李斯), an advisor to Qin Shi Huang.

In that essay, Li Si argued that Qin’s prosperity was due to the contributions of talented outsiders. To expel them, he warned, was tantamount to weakening oneself and strengthening the enemy — “like lending weapons and provisions to a thief.”

This shows that the metaphor used in Cai Gen Tan likely borrows this classical allusion (diǎngù 典故) to illustrate its point.

📌 What is an Allusion (典故, Diǎngù)?

Diǎngù (典故) refers to quoting or drawing from historical events, stories, or phrases found in ancient texts to add depth and resonance to one’s writing. It conveys wisdom and context succinctly and powerfully — a hallmark of classical Chinese prose.

✨ Why use allusions?

• Adds depth and subtlety to the message.
• Evokes timeless wisdom and cultural resonance.
• Makes readers reflect: “Ah, this comes from a classic.”