English Original
Dong Menwu, a man from the state of Wei, was not overwhelmed by grief when his son died.
His maidservant was surprised and asked, "Master, you doted on your son more than anyone else. Now that he has passed away, I see little sorrow in you. Why is that?"
Dong Menwu replied, "I once had no son, and I was not sad then. Now my son is gone, it is just as it was before. So why should I be sad?"
中文翻译
魏国人东门吴在儿子去世后，并未表现出过度的悲伤。
他的婢女感到奇怪，便问道：“主人，您以前对儿子的疼爱无人能及。如今他死了，却不见您有多少忧伤之情，这是为什么呢？”
东门吴回答她说：“我以前没有儿子，那时并不忧伤。现在儿子死了，等于回到了没有儿子的时候，这和从前一样。我为什么要忧伤呢？”