You can skip your Instagram yoga gratitude break today, here’s another one from Taiwanese Buddhist essayist Lin Qingxuan (林清玄). HSK 4-5.
我做了一个梦。
梦见我在街上问人：“请问您可不可以给我一些困难、一些挫折，一些痛苦？”
所有的人都拒绝我，我着急地恳求别人：“那么，我雇用您，每小时五百元，请您给我一些折磨！”
那些陌生人摇摇头，沉默地离开，我因找不到愿意折磨我的人而惊醒。
我坐在床上发呆，是呀！困难，折磨，痛苦是多么珍贵！如果一切平顺，谁会静下来沉思，谁会生起智慧，谁又能在平凡安逸的日子中超越自我、登上高峰呢？
如果没有困难，谁又会谦卑地跪下来祈祷？谁又能相信有无边的宇宙？谁又能寄情于来生呢？
我深深地感谢着困难、挫折与痛苦。
也深深地感恩那些曾经折磨过我的人，他们是多么慈悲呀！我并未花钱聘雇他们，他们却以宝贵的时间来考验我、提升我，为了增长我的智慧。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, frien… |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 梦 | mèng | dream (CL:場|场[chang2]); (bound form) to dream |
| 梦见 | mèng jiàn | to dream about (sth or sb); to see in a dream |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 街上 | jiē shang | on the street; in town |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 请问 | qǐng wèn | Excuse me, may I ask...? |
| 您 | nín | you (courteous, as opposed to informal 你[ni3]) |
| 可不 | kě bu | see 可不是[ke3 bu5 shi4] |
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may; possible; able to; not bad; pretty good |
| 给 | gěi | to; for; for the benefit of; to give; to allow; to do sth (for sb); (grammatical equivalent of 被); (grammatical equivalent of 把); (sentence intensifier) |
| 一些 | yī xiē | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er |
| 困难 | kùn nan | difficult; challenging; straitened circumstances; difficult situation |
| 挫 | cuǒ | obstructed; to oppress; to lower the tone; to dampen |
| 折 | zhē | to snap; (bound form) to sustain a loss (in business) |
| 痛 | tòng | ache; pain; sorrow; deeply; thoroughly |
| 苦 | kǔ | bitter; hardship; pain; to suffer; to bring suffering to; painstakingly |
| 所有 | suǒ yǒu | all; to have; to possess; to own |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 拒 | jǔ | to resist; to refuse |
| 绝 | jué | to cut short; extinct; to disappear; to vanish; absolutely; by no means; variant of 絕|绝[jue2] |
| 着急 | zháo jí | to worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry; Taiwan pr. [zhao1ji2] |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 恳 | kén | earnest |
| 求 | qíu | to seek; to look for; to request; to demand; to beseech |
| 别人 | bié ren | other people; others; other person |
| 那么 | nà me | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ...; then; in that case |
| 雇用 | gù yòng | to employ; to hire |
| 每 | měi | each; every |
| 小时 | xiǎo shí | hour; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 五 | wǔ | five; 5 |
| 百 | Bǎi | surname Bai |
| 元 | Yuán | surname Yuan; Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) |
| 请 | qǐng | to ask; to invite; please (do sth); to treat (to a meal etc); to request |
| 磨 | mó | to rub; to grind; to polish; to sharpen; to wear down; to die out; to waste time; to pester; to insist |
| 那些 | nà xiē | those |
| 陌 | mǒ | raised path |
| 生人 | shēng rén | stranger; living person; to give birth; to be born (in a certain time or place) |
| 摇 | yāo | to shake; to wave; to rock; to sway |
| 头 | tóu | head; hair style; the top; end; beginning or end; a stub; remnant; chief; boss; side; aspect; first; leading; classifier for pigs or livestock; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 沉 | chēn | to sink; heavy; deep; to immerse; to keep down |
| 默 | mò | silent; to write from memory |
| 离开 | lí kāi | to depart; to leave |
| 因 | yīn | old variant of 因[yin1]; cause; reason; because |
| 找不到 | zhǎo bu dào | can't find |
| 愿 | yuàn | honest and prudent; variant of 願|愿[yuan4]; (bound form) wish; hope; desire; to be willing; to wish (that sth may happen); may ...; vow; pledge |
| 意 | yì | (bound form) idea; thought; meaning; sense; (bound form) intention; feeling; inclination; state of mind; (bound form) Italy (abbr. for 意大利[Yi4 da4 li4]) |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 惊醒 | jīng xǐng | to rouse; to be woken by sth; to wake with a start; to sleep lightly |
| 坐 | Zuò | surname Zuo |
| 床 | chuáng | bed; couch (furniture that one can lie down on) (CL:張|张[zhang1]); bed; bottom (of rivers, oceans, gardens etc); frame; chassis; classifier for blankets, quilts etc; variant of 床[chuang2] |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 发 | fā | to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop; to make a bundle of money; classifier for gunshots (rounds); hair; Taiwan pr. [fa3] |
| 呆 | dai | foolish; stupid |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 多么 | duō me | how (wonderful etc); what (a great idea etc); however (difficult it may be etc); (in interrogative sentences) how (much etc); to what extent |
| 珍贵 | zhēn guì | precious |
| 如 | rú | as; as if; such as |
| 果 | guǒ | fruit; result; resolute; indeed; if really |
| 一切 | yī qiè | everything; every; all |
| 平顺 | Píng shùn | see 平順縣|平顺县[Ping2 shun4 Xian4] |
| 谁 | shéi | who; also pr. [shui2] |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering; (suffix) union; group; association; (bound form) a moment (Tai… |
| 静 | jìng | still; calm; quiet; not moving |
| 下 | xià | down; downwards; below; lower; later; next (week etc); second (of two parts); to decline; to go down; to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc); measure word to show the frequency … |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 思 | sī | to think; to consider |
| 生 | shēng | to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born; to arise; to occur; to light (a fire); to live; to be alive; life; raw; uncooked; unprocessed; unfamiliar; strange; (bound form) stu… |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; sta… |
| 智慧 | zhì huì | wisdom; intelligence |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 平凡 | píng fán | commonplace; ordinary; mediocre |
| 安 | An | surname An |
| 逸 | ||
| 日子 | rì zi | day; a (calendar) date; days of one's life |
| 中 | Zhōng | (bound form) China; Chinese; surname Zhong |
| 超 | chao | to exceed; to surpass; to pass; ultra- |
| 越 | Yuè | generic word for peoples or states of south China or south Asia at different historical periods; abbr. for Vietnam 越南 |
| 自我 | zì wǒ | the self; oneself; self-; (psychology) ego |
| 登上 | dēng shàng | to climb over; to ascend onto; to mount |
| 高峰 | gāo fēng | peak; summit; height |
| 呢 | ne | (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?"); (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation… |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 谦 | qian | modest |
| 卑 | bēi | low; base; vulgar; inferior; humble |
| 跪 | guǐ | to kneel |
| 祈祷 | qí dǎo | to pray; to say a prayer |
| 相 | Xiāng | surname Xiang |
| 信 | xìn | letter; mail; CL:封[feng1]; to trust; to believe; to profess faith in; truthful; confidence; trust; at will; at random |
| 有无 | yǒu wú | to have or have not; surplus and shortfall; tangible and intangible; corporeal and incorporeal |
| 边 | biān | side; edge; margin; border; boundary; CL:個|个[ge4]; simultaneously |
| 宇 | yǔ | room; universe |
| 宙 | ||
| 寄 | jì | to entrust; to place in sb's care; (bound form) to depend on; to attach oneself to; to reside temporarily; (bound form) foster (as in 寄女[ji4 nu : 3] foster daughter); to send by po… |
| 情 | qíng | (bound form) feelings; emotion; sentiment; passion; (bound form) situation; condition |
| 于 | Yú | surname Yu; (of time or place) in; at; on; (indicating any indirect relation) to; toward; vis-à-vis; with regard to; for; (indicating a source) from; out of; (used in comparison) than; (used i… |
| 深 | shēn | old variant of 深[shen1]; (lit. and fig.) deep |
| 感 | gǎn | to feel; to move; to touch; to affect; feeling; emotion; (suffix) sense of ~ |
| 谢 | Xiè | surname Xie |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 与 | yú | variant of 歟|欤[yu2] |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 恩 | ēn | variant of 恩[en1]; favor; grace; kindness; (coll.) used like 嗯[en4] in online chat, expressing agreement |
| 曾经 | céng jīng | once; already; former; previously; ever; (past tense marker used before verb or clause) |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 慈 | cī | compassionate; merciful; humane |
| 悲 | bēi | sad; sadness; sorrow; grief |
| 并 | bìng | and; furthermore; also; together with; (not) at all; simultaneously; to combine; to join; to merge; to combine; to amalgamate; short name for Taiyuan 太原[Tai4 yuan2]; variant of 並|并[bing4] |
| 未 | wèi | not yet; did not; have not; not; 8th earthly branch: 1-3 p.m., 6th solar month (7th July-6th August), year of the Sheep; ancient Chinese compass point: 210° |
| 花钱 | huā qián | to spend money |
| 聘 | pǐn | to employ; to appoint; (coll.) (of a woman) to get married; to be marrried off; Taiwan pr. [ping4] |
| 雇 | gù | variant of 雇[gu4]; to employ; to hire; to rent |
| 却 | què | old variant of 卻|却[que4]; but; yet; however; while; to go back; to decline; to retreat; nevertheless; even though |
| 以 | yǐ | old variant of 以[yi3]; abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yi3 se4 lie4] |
| 宝贵 | bǎo guì | valuable; precious; to value; to treasure; to set store by |
| 时间 | shí jiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time; (point in) time |
| 考验 | kǎo yàn | to test; to put to the test; trial; ordeal |
| 提升 | tí shēng | to promote (to a higher-ranking position); to lift; to hoist; (fig.) to elevate; to raise; to improve |
| 为了 | wèi le | for; for the purpose of; in order to |
| 增长 | zēng zhǎng | to grow; to increase |
I had a dream.
I dreamed that I asked someone on the street: “Excuse, me, can you give me some challenge, some setback, some pain?”
Everyone refused me, and anxiously I begged someone else: “Then, I’ll hire you, 500 RMB per hour, please torment me!”
Those strangers shook their heads, silently leaving, and as I was unable to find anyone to torment me, I woke with a start.
I sat on the edge of my bed staring into space, yes! Challenges, torment, pain, how precious they are! If everything is going smoothly, who would settle down to ponder deeply, who would become wise, and who in their common and comfortable days would surpass selfishness, rise to higher heights?
Without difficulty, who would humbly kneel down and pray? Who could believe in the boundlessness of the universe? Who could express their feelings about the next life?
I deeply thank difficulty, setbacks and pain.
And I feel deep gratitude for those people who once tormented me, how merciful they are! I didn’t even spend money to hire them, but they still used their precious time to come test me, elevate me, to grow my wisdom.