There was a scholar in the Zhou Dynasty who had tried several times in his life to seek for an official post, but failed again and again till his temples turned white.

　　One day, as he was walking on the road, he looked back upon the past and shed tears of sorrow. Someone asked him: "Why are you weeping?"

　　He replied: "Several times I have failed to win recognition. Now I am old and no longer have any opportunity. That is why I am weeping."

　　The man asked again: "Then how is it that you have never won recognition?"

　　He replied: "When I was young, I studied the classics hard and had all the literary qualifications. When I sought for an official post, unexpectedly the king liked to appoint old men. After the king died, his successor liked to appoint warriors1. I made a determined2 effort to learn martial3 arts, but when I had learned the military skills, the king who liked martial arts passed away. Now the new king likes to appoint young men, but I am already old. Thus I have never won recognition in my whole life and have never held an official post."

　　周朝有個讀書人，一生中幾次謀求做官，可是直到兩鬢斑白仍然沒有做成。

　　一天，他走在路上，回首往事，傷心地掉下了眼淚。有人問道：“您為什么哭泣呢?”

　　他回答說：“我?guī)状味嫉貌坏劫p識?，F(xiàn)在年紀大了，再也沒有機會了，因此哭泣。”

　　那人又問：“那您怎么一次都得不到賞識呢?”

　　他回答說：“我少年時苦讀經(jīng)書，文才兼?zhèn)?，去求官，不料君王喜歡任用老年人。君王死后，繼位的君王又喜歡任用武士，我發(fā)憤改學武藝，誰知武功剛學成，好武的君王又死去了?，F(xiàn)在新立的君王卻喜歡任用年輕人，而我已經(jīng)老了。就這樣，我終生不曾得到一次賞識，也沒有做過一次官。”