English Original
In the Qin Dynasty, there lived a scholar addicted to antiques. He was so fond of collecting them that he would buy them no matter how costly they were.
One day, a man came to his door to peddle a worn-out straw mat. He claimed, "Duke Ai of Lu once gave Confucius a seat to discuss state affairs. This is the very mat Confucius sat upon."
Overjoyed, the scholar believed the story and exchanged the land near his manor for the mat.
A few days later, another man came to sell a walking stick. He declared, "This staff was used by Gu Gong Dan Fu, ancestor of King Wen of Zhou, when he led his people away from Bin to elude the Di invaders. It is centuries older than Confucius's mat. What will you offer me, sir?"
Thrilled as if finding a treasure, the scholar gave the man all the money in his house.
Soon after, a third man arrived with a broken bowl, boasting, "Sir, neither the mat nor the staff is genuine. This bowl, however, was made during the reign of King Jie of the Xia Dynasty, far more ancient than the Zhou."
Convinced the bowl was the oldest artifact, the scholar traded his house and courtyard for it.
Thus, the scholar possessed the straw mat, the walking stick, and the broken bowl, but he had lost his entire fortune. Though left with neither food nor proper clothing, his passion for antiques remained undimmed, and he could not bear to part with his three "treasures."
From then on, the Qin scholar was seen begging in the streets: draped in Duke Ai's straw mat, leaning on Gu Gong Dan Fu's staff, and holding King Jie's broken bowl. He continually cried out, "Kind elders and neighbors, if anyone has an ancient coin from Jiang Tai Gong's Nine Government Offices, please spare me one!"
中文翻译
秦朝时，有个读书人，好古成癖。他酷爱收藏古董，无论价格多么昂贵，都要买下来。
一天，有人登门兜售一张破草席，对秦士说：“当年，鲁哀公赐座给孔子，询问政事。这张正是孔子坐过的席子。”
秦士喜出望外，信以为真，便用庄园附近的田地换下了这张破席子。
过了几天，又有一人来卖拐杖，声称：“这根手杖是周文王祖先古公亶父所用，当年他为躲避狄人侵略，率领部众离开豳地时便拄着它。论年代，比孔子坐过的席子还早几百年。先生准备用什么酬谢我呢？”
秦士如获至宝，将家中全部钱财都给了此人。
不久，第三人端着一只破碗前来夸耀：“先生，那席子和手杖都不是真古董，而这碗确是夏桀时代所造，比周朝古老得多。”
秦士深信这碗最为古老，于是用自己居住的宅院换下了这只破碗。
至此，秦士拥有了草席、手杖和破碗，却也倾家荡产。尽管衣食无着，他对古物的痴迷丝毫未减，始终舍不得丢弃这三件“宝贝”。
从此，秦士披着鲁哀公的席子，拄着古公亶父的拐杖，端着夏桀时的破碗，沿街乞讨，嘴里不停地叫喊着：“父老乡亲们，谁有姜太公的九府古钱，请赏我一文吧！”