偶爾看到這篇文章，唐代名臣張說的小品文， 估計是閑來隨筆， 寥寥數語， 通俗易懂， 不但把錢的本質說個透徹， 還給自己描了一副俏皮老頭的自畫像， 這古人皮起來，也是沒誰了。 問世間錢為何物， 直叫人生死相許。
看得我拍案叫絕， 不禁動了歪腦筋， 翻成現代漢語， 再翻成英語， 搏諸君一笑。 想來老先生應該不會入夢來找我要版權費吧。
《錢本草》
張說
錢，味甘，大熱，有毒。偏能駐顏采澤流潤，善療饑寒，解困厄之患立驗。能利邦國、汙賢達、畏清廉。貪者服之，以均平為良；如不均平，則冷熱相激，令人霍亂。其藥，采無時，采之非理則傷神。此既流行，能召神靈，通鬼氣。如積而不散，則有水火盜賊之災生；如散而不積，則有饑寒困厄之患至。一積一散謂之道，不以為珍謂之德，取與合宜謂之義，無求非分謂之禮，博施濟眾謂之仁，出不失期謂之信，入不妨己謂之智。以此七術精煉，方可久而服之，令人長壽。若服之非理，則弱誌傷神，切須忌之。
現代文翻譯
錢， 有甜味， 性大熱， 有毒。 可以保持青春， 養顏護膚， 也能治療饑餓寒冷， 即時解決困境。 錢對國家有利， 也能汙損賢達人的德行， 但錢害怕清廉的人。 對貪婪的人， 最好隻取小量， 否則容易出現冷熱不均， 好像得了霍亂。 這個藥， 沒有特定的采摘季， 如果非理性采摘容易傷神。 錢一旦流通起來， 可以召喚神靈， 驅使鬼役。 如果積累太多而不用， 容易引起水災火災， 招引盜賊。 如果全部花光而不積累， 則會有饑寒困頓的隱患。 怎麽積累， 如何使用都大有講究， 不把錢當珍寶， 是德行好； 用合理的方法賺取，是有義氣； 不過分攥取， 是有節製；能夠花錢做慈善， 是仁心善意； 有借有還，是信用好； 不會在錢裏迷失自己，是有智慧。 隻有熟練掌握這七種方法， 才能保障長期安全的使用錢， 且延年益壽。 如果不理性的使用， 則會削弱誌向， 損害精神， 必須盡量避免。
Money, tastes sweet, has feverous heat, is poisonous. It helps retain the youth and beauty; keeps people warm and well fed; and it is a quick solution to life hardships. Money is good for a country’s development, but can corrupt a wise man easily, and the only thing that it is scared of is honesty. For greedy people, it is better to take a small dosage; otherwise, it could cause clash of cold and heat, and show the symptoms of cholera. Money does not have a specific harvest season. When it gets picked by a wrong method, it could hurt people spiritually. As soon as the money gets into circulation, it could release the mighty power as it can summon both god and ghost. When too much money is accumulated, it will cause catastrophes such as flood and fire, and also attract the thieves and robbers. If all the money gets spent without any saving, then there will be potential risk for hunger, cold and hardships. It takes great wisdom to know how to keep the subtle balance between saving and spending. It is the high standard of morality not to over treasure money. Making money decently is called righteousness. Not being obsessed by money is called moderation. Willing to spend money for charity is called benevolence. Repaying debt on time is called reliable. Do not lose yourself for money is called wisdom. Only mastering the seven methodologies mentioned above, money not only can be used safely in long term, but also help to prolong the lifespan of the owner. What should be avoided at all costs is using money the wrong way, which will weaken a person’s mental power and harm his/her spirit.
