English Original
A rich man in the Qi Kingdom had two foolish sons, whom he loved dearly.
One day, a man named Ai Zi said to him, "Your sons are ignorant of the world. How will they manage your property after you're gone?"
The rich man grew angry. "Everyone praises my sons for their intelligence and virtue. What you say is sheer nonsense!"
"Then let us test them," Ai Zi suggested. The rich man agreed.
The father summoned his sons. Ai Zi asked, "Do you know where rice comes from?"
The elder son smiled. "Anyone with sense knows it comes from the kitchen."
The younger son blinked. "You're wrong! It comes from the bag."
The rich man, red with anger, scolded them. "You are both wrong! Why didn't you ask me? Rice comes from the barn!"
The moral of the story is that pretending to know something you are ignorant of leads to foolish actions.
中文翻译
齐国有个富人，他有两个愚笨的儿子，但他非常疼爱他们。
一天，一个名叫艾子的人对他说：“您的儿子对世事一无所知。您去世后，他们如何管理您的家产呢？”
富人听了很生气，说道：“人人都夸我的儿子聪明，称赞他们品德高尚。你简直是一派胡言！”
“那我们测试一下他们，如何？”艾子建议道。富人同意了。
富人把两个儿子叫来。艾子问道：“你们知道米是从哪里来的吗？”
大儿子笑着说：“凡是有常识的人都知道，米是从厨房里来的。”
小儿子眨了眨眼说：“你错了！米明明是从米袋里来的。”
富人看着儿子们，气得脸都红了。“你们两个太蠢了！不知道答案为什么不问我？你们都错了！米既不是从厨房来的，也不是从米袋来的，它是从谷仓里来的！”
这个故事的寓意是：对自己不懂的事情假装知道，就会做出愚蠢的事。