English Original
This story originates from The Historical Records. The idiom "the latecomers surpass the old-timers" is now used to indicate that successors can excel their predecessors, which differs from its original context when Ji An used the phrase.
Ji An lived during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 24). He was respected for his integrity, fairness, and outspokenness. Pragmatic and effective, he governed his prefecture with such order that the imperial court promoted him to a central position overseeing the appointment and dismissal of local officials.
Once, Emperor Wu declared his intention to implement Confucian policies of benevolence and justice for the people's welfare. Before the emperor finished speaking, Ji An interjected that such pronouncements were unnecessary. He bluntly questioned why the emperor would pretend to uphold benevolence while being inwardly greedy and avaricious. Stunned, Emperor Wu abruptly ended the audience. The court officials feared for Ji An's safety, but the emperor later merely remarked that Ji An was rather blunt and straightforward.
Consequently, Ji An was never promoted again. While he remained in his post, his junior colleagues Gongsun Hong and Zhang Tang were continuously promoted, eventually becoming Prime Minister and Imperial Censor, respectively. One day, Ji An remarked to Emperor Wu that the emperor's use of ministers was like piling firewood—the later arrivals end up on top. Emperor Wu, recognizing the complaint, turned to his ministers and said, "Indeed, one must never stop learning. Look, Ji An's remarks grow increasingly indiscreet."
中文翻译
这个故事出自《史记》。成语“后来者居上”现在用来表示后来的人可以超过先前的，这与汲黯当初说这句话时的原意有所不同。
汲黯生活在西汉汉武帝时期（公元前206年–公元24年）。他因正直、公正和敢于直言而受人尊敬。他讲求实际效果，虽然行事不张扬，却将他治理的郡县管理得井井有条。因此，朝廷将他从东海郡太守提拔到中央，担任主管地方官员任免的官职。
一次，汉武帝宣称要实施儒家的仁政，为百姓谋福利。皇帝话音刚落，汲黯就说皇帝没必要说这些。他直言不讳地问道，皇帝内心如此贪得无厌，何必费心假装实施仁政呢？这话噎得皇帝说不出话来。汉武帝顿时脸色大变，宣布退朝。满朝文武官员都提心吊胆，生怕汲黯因此招来灾祸。回去后，汉武帝对身边的人说，汲黯有点太鲁莽、太直率了。
因此，汲黯再也没有得到晋升。当他担任主管官员任免的官职时，公孙弘和张汤还都是地位低微的小官。后来，他们不断得到提拔。公孙弘成了丞相，张汤成了御史大夫。然而，汲黯的官职却原封不动。一天，汲黯对汉武帝说，皇帝使用大臣就像堆柴火一样，意思是后来者居上。汉武帝当然看出汲黯是在抱怨。于是，他转向大臣们说：“人确实不能不学习。你们看，汲黯说话越来越轻率了。”