English Original
One day, a man named Ai Zi said to a rich man, "Your sons are foolish and know nothing 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 good virtue," he retorted. "What you say is nonsense!"
"Then let's test them," Ai Zi suggested. The rich man agreed.
The father summoned his two sons. Ai Zi asked them, "Do you know where rice comes from?"
The elder son smiled confidently. "Anyone with sense knows that," he said. "It comes from the kitchen."
The younger son blinked. "You're wrong!" he exclaimed. "It doesn't come from the kitchen. It comes from the bag."
The rich man looked at his sons and flushed with anger. "You fools!" he shouted. "Why didn't you ask me if you didn't know? You're both wrong! Rice comes neither from the kitchen nor from the bag. It comes from the barn!"
The moral of the story is that pretending to know something you are ignorant of often leads to foolish actions.
中文翻译
一天，一个名叫艾子的人对一位富人说：“您的儿子们愚笨无知，对世事一窍不通。您去世后，他们如何能管理好您的家产呢？”
富人听了很生气，反驳道：“人人都夸我的儿子聪明过人、品德高尚。你简直是一派胡言！”
“那我们考考他们如何？”艾子建议道。富人同意了。
富人叫来了他的两个儿子。艾子问他们：“你们知道大米是从哪里来的吗？”
大儿子自信地笑了。“这谁不知道，”他说，“大米是从厨房来的。”
小儿子眨了眨眼，大声说：“你错了！大米不是从厨房来的，是从袋子里倒出来的。”
富人看着儿子们，气得满脸通红。“你们两个蠢材！”他喊道，“不知道为什么不问我？你们都错了！大米既不是从厨房来的，也不是从袋子里来的，是从粮仓来的！”
这则故事的寓意是：对自己不懂的事情假装知道，往往会做出愚蠢的行为。