▸ 小李xiǎo lǐ的de爷爷yé ye有yǒu一个yī ge奇怪qí guài的de习惯xí guàn。

Xiao Li's grandpa has a strange habit.

▸ 他tā把bǎ现金xiàn jīn放在fàng zài家里jiā lǐ的de一个yī ge旧jiù盒子hé zi里lǐ。

He keeps his cash in an old box at home.

▸ 银行yín háng就jiù在家zài jiā门口mén kǒu，可是kě shì他tā不bù愿意yuàn yì把bǎ钱qián都dōu放fàng进去jìn qù。

The bank is right outside his door, but he refuses to put all his money in it.

▸ 小李xiǎo lǐ觉得jué de爷爷yé ye太tài奇怪qí guài了le：“钱qián放在fàng zài家里jiā lǐ，多duō不bù安全ān quán！”

Xiao Li thinks grandpa is so strange: "Keeping money at home — how unsafe!"

▸ 小李xiǎo lǐ自己的zì jǐ de钱qián都dōu在zài手机shǒu jī里lǐ。

Xiao Li's own money is all on his phone.

▸ 他用tā yòng手机shǒu jī付钱fù qián，用yòng手机shǒu jī存钱cún qián，口袋kǒu dài里lǐ常常cháng cháng一块yī kuài钱qián都dōu没有méi yǒu。

He pays with his phone and saves with his phone; often there isn't a single yuan in his pocket.

▸ 爷爷yé ye看了kàn le直zhí摇头yáo tóu：“钱qián在zài手机shǒu jī里lǐ？看不见kàn bù jiàn，摸不着mō bù zháo，这zhè才不cái bù安全ān quán呢ne！”

Grandpa just shakes his head: "Money inside a phone? You can't see it or touch it — THAT's what's unsafe!"

▸ 爷爷yé ye和hé孙子sūn zǐ，每个人měi ge rén都dōu觉得jué de对方duì fāng疯fēng了le。

Grandpa and grandson each think the other one is crazy.

▸ 可是kě shì，真的zhēn de有人yǒu rén疯fēng了吗le ma？

But is either of them really crazy?

▸ 有yǒu一本yī běn书shū叫jiào《金钱jīn qián心理学xīn lǐ xué》，作者zuò zhě是shì一位yī wèi美国měi guó作家zuò jiā。

There is a book called The Psychology of Money, written by an American author.

▸ 他说tā shuō：关于guān yú钱qián的de决定jué dìng，很少hěn shǎo是shì数学shù xué问题wèn tí，更多gèng duō是shì心理xīn lǐ问题wèn tí。

He says decisions about money are rarely math problems — they are mostly psychology problems.

▸ 每个人měi ge rén都是dōu shì在zài不同bù tóng的de世界shì jiè里lǐ学会xué huì钱qián的de意思yì si的de。

Everyone learned what money means in a different world.

▸ 爷爷yé ye年轻nián qīng的de时候shí hou，日子rì zi很难hěn nán，东西dōng xi一yī年nián比bǐ一yī年nián贵guì。

When grandpa was young, life was hard and things got more expensive every year.

▸ 他tā亲眼qīn yǎn看见kàn jiàn邻居lín jū的de钱qián在zài几个jǐ ge月yuè里lǐ变得biàn de不值钱bù zhí qián。

He watched with his own eyes as a neighbor's money became worthless within months.

▸ 所以suǒ yǐ对duì他tā来lái说shuō，看得见kàn de jiàn、摸得着mō de zháo的de现金xiàn jīn才cái让ràng人rén放心fàng xīn。

So for him, only cash he can see and touch feels safe.

▸ 小李xiǎo lǐ长大zhǎng dà的de时候shí hou，生活shēng huó越来越yuè lái yuè方便fāng biàn。

When Xiao Li was growing up, life kept getting more convenient.

▸ 他tā从来没有cóng lái méi yǒu丢diū过guò钱qián，手机shǒu jī里lǐ的de钱qián也yě从来没有cóng lái méi yǒu出chū过guò问题wèn tí。

He has never lost money, and the money on his phone has never once gone wrong.

▸ 所以suǒ yǐ对duì他tā来lái说shuō，现金xiàn jīn才是cái shì麻烦má fan：会huì丢diū，会huì脏zāng，还要hái yào找zhǎo零钱líng qián。

So for him, cash is the hassle: it gets lost, it gets dirty, and you have to make change.

▸ 你nǐ看kàn，两liǎng个人gè rén都dōu没有méi yǒu疯fēng。

You see — neither of them is crazy.

▸ 他们tā men只是zhǐ shì在zài用yòng自己的zì jǐ de经历jīng lì做zuò决定jué dìng。

They are simply making decisions from their own experience.

▸ 你nǐ觉得jué de别人bié ren的de决定jué dìng很hěn奇怪qí guài，常常cháng cháng是shì因为yīn wèi你nǐ没有méi yǒu过guò他的tā de生活shēng huó。

When someone's decision looks strange to you, it's usually because you never lived their life.

▸ 那天nà tiān晚上wǎn shang，小李xiǎo lǐ问wèn爷爷yé ye：“您nín年轻nián qīng的de时候shí hou，钱qián出chū过guò什么事shén me shì？”

That evening, Xiao Li asked grandpa, "What happened with money when you were young?"

▸ 爷爷yé ye讲jiǎng了le他tā年轻nián qīng时shí的de故事gù shì，小李xiǎo lǐ第一次dì yī cì安静ān jìng地de听tīng完了wán le。

Grandpa told the story of his younger days, and for the first time Xiao Li listened quietly to the end.

▸ 后来hòu lái，小李xiǎo lǐ还是hái shi用yòng手机shǒu jī付钱fù qián，爷爷yé ye还是hái shi用yòng他的tā de旧jiù盒子hé zi。

Afterwards, Xiao Li still pays with his phone, and grandpa still uses his old box.

▸ 可是kě shì他们tā men不再bù zài觉得jué de对方duì fāng疯fēng了le。

But they no longer think each other is crazy.

▸ 关于guān yú钱qián，没有méi yǒu人rén是shì疯子fēng zi——每个人měi ge rén都dōu只是zhǐ shì相信xiāng xìn自己zì jǐ见过jiàn guò的de世界shì jiè。

When it comes to money, nobody is crazy — everyone simply believes the world they have seen.

Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.