話

說

多

，

不

如

少

hua

shuo

duo

bu

ru

shao

言語

比不上

words

to utter

a lot

not as good as

a little

話說得多，不如說得少好。
To talk just a little is better than to chatter non-stop all day long.

為

其

是

，

勿

佞

巧

wei

qi

shi

wu

ning

qiao

只有

那

真實、正確

不要

浮華不實

巧妙的

only

it

is right

do not

flatter, cunning

clever

只有真確的才說，不要花言巧語。
Talk only about what you are sure of. Do not use cunning or flowery words.

苛

薄

語

，

穢

污

詞

ke

bo

yu

hui

wu

ci

尖銳

壓迫

言語

下流

誣衊

詞句

cruel, harsh

mean

words

dirty

false

phrases

尖銳壓迫的言語，下流誣衊的詞句；
Do not dirty your mouth with swear words, or slander with false speech.

市

井

氣

，

切

戒

之

shi

jing

qi

qie

jie

zhi

市場

水井

氣息

一定、徹底

戒止

它

market

well

atmosphere

must, completely

to stop

it

指人匯聚的場所，以及粗俗鄙陋的氣息，都一定要徹底戒止。
Be sure to stay away from coarse and vulgar manners.

有句話說﹕「口開神氣散。」的確！話說多了是很傷神。所以當父母師長苦口婆心諄諄教誨我們時，不要嫌他們嘮叨，反而應該聽從，以表敬重；須知他們正在嘔心瀝血，耗損著自己的生命來教化我們哩！但是，假如有人以串門聊天為樂，這種人就算因此耗神短命，也不值得敬重了！為什麼呢？

It is said, "When the mouth opens, one's energy scatters." It's true! Talking a lot can really be exhausting. And so when our parents or teachers earnestly admonish us, instead of being annoyed at their fussing, we should respectfully obey their words. We should realize that they are expending their life-blood and energy to teach us. However, people who exhaust themselves through idle chatter do not deserve our respect. Why not?

你或許會說﹕有的人只是話多，心裡頭藏不住一點兒秘密，並不兩舌惡口，應該不算大毛病吧？其實不然。須知「舌動是非生」，即使那個人不存心搬弄是非，是非已經由口耳相傳，而在空氣中浮沉泛濫，最後還是難免弄到有人生氣，有人傷心，甚至引發悲劇，更別提一些個故意搬弄是非，或是綺語妄言的人了！所以沒事最好少開口，非說不可時，也應有憑有據，長話短說；切不可加油添醋，以免「禍從口出」，損人又不利己，何苦來哉？

 You might say, "Some people are just talkative because they cannot keep things to themselves. If they do not cause dissension or say mean things, talking should not be a big offense." Actually, that is not so. You should know, "When the tongue wags, there is bound to be gossip." Even if the person did not mean to gossip, his words are spread by word of mouth and float in the air; it is very likely that someone will end up getting upset or hurt, even to the point that a tragedy occurs. How much the worse it is if someone deliberately spreads rumors or speaks profane or false words. Therefore, it is best to avoid talking when possible, and when it is absolutely necessary, speak only the facts and don't ramble on and on. At all costs, avoid exaggerating or embellishing the truth, for "disasters emerge from the mouth." Such talk hurts others and is unbeneficial to oneself, so why speak it？

在古早的臺灣民俗故事裡，「白賊七」是個家喻戶曉的小人物。他怎麼叫做白賊七呢？「白賊」，是閩南語「騙子」、「謊話」或「欺騙」的意思。他在大家族排行第七，自小父母雙亡，跟著叔嬸過活。他不但反應敏捷，口才也好極了。見了什麼人，遇著什麼事，他無不唱作俱佳，繪聲繪影地把沒的說成有了，死的也說活轉過來，只可惜都是謊話順口溜，所以才得了這個不雅的外號。若要講他那些令人啼笑皆非的惡作劇 ，可真是三天三夜也說不完。因此村子裡的人見了他 ，莫不敬而遠之，以免成了他捉弄的對象。

In ancient Taiwanese folklore, there is a character named White Thief Seven. How did he get such a name? White Thief is the Taiwanese term meaning a fraud, a lie, or to cheat. He was the seventh child in his family. Orphaned at a young age, he lived with his uncle and aunt. He was both quick-witted and a good talker. No matter whom he met or what the situation was, he was able to tell such a convincing story that he could create something out of nothing and bring the dead back to life. It's too bad that everything he said was a lie, which is how he got his unflattering nickname. We could spend three days and nights telling his malicious deeds that left people not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and we still would not finish. The village people all kept a respectful distance, so as not to become the objects of his jests.

有一天傍晚，又有戶被捉弄的人家氣呼呼地上門來告狀，他叔叔氣得七竅生煙，把他鎖到柴房裡去，也不給晚飯吃。夜裡天冷，他只穿一件單衣，又餓又凍，好不難過；沒辦法，他只好在房裡頭打圈兒跑，跑得氣喘吁吁，汗流浹背。這時，他嬸嬸不忍他凍著，悄悄來看他，只見他熱呼呼地身上還冒煙呢，真是十分驚訝。白賊七就說﹕「嬸嬸，您不曉得吧？我這是件寶衣，冬暖夏涼。神仙見我可憐，給了我穿，您可不能說出這祕密哇！」

One evening, yet another family that had been the victim of his practical jokes came to complain to the uncle. The uncle was so furious that he locked "White Thief Seven" in the wood shed without dinner. It was very cold at night, and he was only wearing a single layer of clothing. Hungry and cold, he practiced boxing and jogged around the room until he was breathing hard and sweating profusely. At that moment, his aunt, feeling sorry for him, quietly came to take a look at him. She was amazed to see that he was warm to the point steaming. White Thief Seven said, "Auntie, this is a precious shirt I have here, which keeps me warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The gods took pity on me and gave it to me to wear. But don't tell anyone--it's a secret!" 

嬸嬸羨慕地想用身上的夾襖和他換，白賊七推托了一會，才不捨地把衣脫下，邊說﹕「 嬸嬸養我這麼多年，就算我孝敬您老人家吧！」於是他換上夾襖，回房裡舒舒服服睡大覺去了，把只穿著他那件單衣的嬸嬸鎖在柴房裡試驗寶衣的功效。天亮了，叔叔開了柴房一看，血氣衰弱的嬸嬸早凍死在那兒了。叔叔氣瘋了，把白賊七自被窩裡抓起，裝進麻袋，用麻繩綁緊袋口，扛到了河邊往水裡頭一扔。

The aunt enviously eyed his shirt and offered to trade her own padded jacket with him. White Thief Seven thought for a while, and then took off his shirt with a show of great reluctance, saying, "You have raised me all these years, and now I have really been filial to you!" Then he put on her padded jacket and went into the house for a comfortable snooze, locking the poor aunt in the woodshed to try out his precious shirt. The next morning, the uncle opened the woodshed to find the frail aunt frozen to death. Insane with fury, he yanked White Thief Seven from his cozy nest, shoved him into a burlap sack, tied it shut tightly, and carried it to the river bank, where he threw it into the river.

可是也不知是叔叔體力不足，扔得不夠遠，還是白賊七命大，這麻繩被淺水處漂來的樹枝鉤住，麻袋就沒沉下；白賊七竟鬆脫了繩子，爬出麻袋，游回岸上。他拖著那麻袋，抄小路走，在叔叔回家的路上出現，叔叔驚嚇得像撞著了鬼似的。白賊七又信口胡謅道﹕「我坐這寶貝麻袋到龍宮玩了一趟，要不是惦念您老人家，我還不想回來哩！」又形容龍宮多麼美輪美奐，食物又是山珍海味；叔叔羨慕得不斷央求他﹕「我老得快進棺材了，也沒見識過龍宮，你就讓我去玩一會吧！」白賊七裝著很勉強地答應了。

But either his strength was insufficient or he did not throw the sack far enough, or White Thief Seven was fated to live, for the sack was snagged by some branches and did not sink. White Thief Seven loosened the rope, slipped out of the bag, and swam to shore. Dragging the bag, he took the back roads and appeared in the path of his uncle, who was on his way home. The uncle was scared out his wits, thinking it was a ghost. White Thief Seven said, "I sat in the precious bag and went to the Dragon Palace to play for a while. I would still be there now, except that I came back because I missed you!" He went onto describe how magnificent the Dragon Palace was, with its exotic delicacies. The uncle enviously begged, "I'm nearly in the grave, and I've never even seen the Dragon Palace. Can you let me go once?" With feigned reluctance, White Thief Seven agreed.

叔姪倆於是到了河邊，叔叔等不及地先鑽進麻袋裡去了；白賊七再加進一塊大石頭，綁緊袋口往深水處一扔，然後回家去享用叔叔的家產了。這白賊七後來惡貫滿盈，成了眾矢之的，據說死得很慘；不只這樣，恐怕死後魂魄還要在無邊地獄受拔舌耕犁、灌屎灌尿的苦，永無出期呢！你們想想﹕這豈不是害人又誤己？。

They both went to the river bank, and the uncle impatiently jumped into the sack first. White Thief Seven then added a big stone, tied up the bag tightly, and threw the bag into the deep part of the river. Then he went home to enjoy himself on his uncle's family estate. White Thief Seven later did so many wicked deeds that he is said to have been the target of every arrow. He died in a brutal way, and after death his soul probably went to the Unintermittent Hells to eternally suffer having his tongue ripped out and being drenched with urine and excrement. Think it over﹕ Is this not a case of banning others as well as oneself?

所以，教育子弟就要從小要求嚴格，務求謹言篤行，實事求是；絕不能放縱他們在街坊店肆間流連，學來油滑虛浮的口舌，或是江湖浪子的行徑。等到他們荒唐事積少成多，由小變大，到發生鉅害或重案時，再要收拾爛攤子已收拾不了，想管教又管教不來時，不只孩子一生毀了，家庭也破碎了，那就悔之晚矣！

Therefore, one should teach children strictly and insist on honesty. Never let them roam through the streets, where they pick up slippery ways of talking and learn the manners of vagabonds. When their minor misdeeds add up to the point that a major crime or major harm is done, it will be impossible to rectify the situation. When you want to discipline children and can no longer do it, not only will the children's lives be ruined, but the family will be broken, and it will be too late for regret.