What Is Thrift?

Hard work and frugality mean hard work and frugality, describing hard work and frugal life. From Lu Yao's "Ordinary World", Volume 5, Chapter One: "Thus a dual lifestyle that is both dare to eat and drink, but also frugal and thrifty." Many celebrities in history have touching stories about frugality and thrift. . ^[1] Hard work and frugality can be savings in food and clothing.

Thrift

Extravagant

sequence

The ancients said: "Thrift, the common of virtue; also luxury, the great of evil"; Hard work and thrift are a traditional virtue of the Chinese people and a fine tradition of the Chinese nation. As small as a person, a family, as large as a country or the entire world, the four words of diligence and thrift are indispensable for survival and development. It can be said that self-cultivation, Qi family, and country governance are inseparable from diligence and thrift. Zhuge Liang regards "quietness and self-cultivation, thrift and self-cultivation" as the way of "cultivation." "Half-strength, constant reading of material resources" is used as the preaching of the "Qi Family"; Mao Zedong took "striving for economy, diligently building the country" as his "ruling country" experience.

In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, there was a song that sang well: "Diligence is our heirloom, socialism cannot be separated. Whether it is an inch of steel, a grain of rice, a foot of cloth, a penny, we must use it skillfully. Good steel is used on the blade In the past, thousands of days of firewood cannot be burned in a day. " At that time, the Chinese people regarded diligence and thrift as the code of conduct for life and career. However, with the enhancement of our national strength and the improvement of our lives, some people have lost the fine tradition of diligence and thrift. If you do nt see him, in the current society, we will be out of the ordinary and blindly compare to the abnormal consumption; the extravagant consumption of extravagant and extravagant spending; the deliberate waste of excessive packaging and extreme landscaping; the random waste of "changming lamp" and "long flowing water" abound. Countless. Among these unfavorable phenomena, "big money" and "public money" play a major role. This social phenomenon has aroused widespread concern in society and has received the attention of the party and the state. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China put forward the strategic decision of "constructing a conservation-oriented society" in a timely manner, and referred to the acceleration of the construction of a conservation-oriented society, referring to "the process of modernization and national security, the people's welfare and fundamental interests, and the survival and long-term of the Chinese nation." "Development", and carry out economic activities with great fanfare and in-depth persistence across the country to accelerate the construction of a conservation-oriented society.

The virtues of industriousness and frugality, such as Gan Lin, can make the poor land produce rich flowers; the virtues of industriousness and frugality are like rain and dew, which can make the rich land bear the fruits of wisdom. In the construction of a conservation-oriented society, we must firmly establish a saving consciousness of "waste is also corruption", overcome the bad mentality of "spending public money without distress", and form a good atmosphere of "exaggeration and waste, shame and frugality, and diligence and frugality." A fashion, a habit, a spirit.

Zhu Yuanzhang with four dishes and one soup

In Fengyang, Zhu Yuanzhang's hometown, there is also a rumor of four dishes and one soup: "The emperor invited guests, four dishes and one soup, radish and chives, really sweet and fragrant; green onions and tofu, with profound meaning, clear and innocent, greedy officials panic. When Zhu Yuanzhang celebrated the queen's birthday, she used only two bowls of carrots, leeks, and greens, and green onion and tofu soup. And chapter three of the law: No matter who set up the banquet in the future, only four dishes and one soup are allowed, and anyone who violates it will be punished severely.

Diligent and thrifty Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong asked others to do it first. He spent his whole life with coarse tea and light rice, slept on a hard board bed, and wore a thick cloth, and his life was extremely simple. A nightgown had been made up 73 times and worn for 20 years. In times of economic hardship, he took the initiative to cut pay and lower living standards, and did not eat fish or fruits. In the 1960s, he once held a meeting until noon. He left everyone for lunch. At the table, a large pot of meatballs boiled cabbage and a few small dishes of pickles. Great people set an example for the Chinese people in terms of diligence and thrift.

Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth II often said that a British proverb is "Save pennies, pounds come". She turned off the lights in Buckingham Palace's small hall and corridor every night. She insisted that the toothpaste used by the royal family should be squeezed out.

Toyota Corporation

The Japanese company Toyota, which claims to have "there must be a road to the mountain and a Toyota to the road", starts cost-effectively in cost management. The labor insurance gloves are broken, and the office paper is used. Use the reverse side for the front side, and put a brick in the water tank of the toilet to save water. It is amazing that one is a country's respect and one is a world-renowned transnational company.

Folk story

In the past, under the Funiu Mountain in the Central Plains, a peasant named Wu Cheng lived. He lived diligently and frugally and lived a carefree and happy life.

According to legend, before the end of his life, he gave two sons a plaque with the words "Diligent and Thrifty," admonishing them, "If you want to be free from hunger all your life, you must follow these two words. Later, when the brothers separated, they saw the plaque in half, and the boss got a "qin" and the old man got a "thrift".

The boss respected Gao Xuan's family and respected Gao Xuan's family every day. However, his wife lived a big life, and the children often ate two bites of white crickets and threw them away. Over time, there was no food left in the house.

Since the second child got half a plaque, he also used the word "frugal" as a "god" to put it in the middle hall, but he forgot the word "qin" out of the clouds. He was neglected in farming and refused to cultivate intensively, so he didn't harvest much grain every year. Although the family has a few mouthfuls of clothing and food, it is also difficult to last. Encountered a severe drought this year, the eldest brother and the second child's home were already empty.

They anxiously tore off the plaque and crushed the words "diligence" and "thrift" to the ground. At this time, a note suddenly flew into the house from the window, and the two brothers quickly picked it upsee, it said: "Only diligent and frugal, like a bowl with no bottom, always dissatisfied!" You must be hungry and hungry! "The brothers suddenly realized that the words" diligence "and" frugality "could not be separated from each other. After learning their lessons, the two posted the words "duty and frugality" on their doors, reminding themselves to warn their wives, children, and children to do what they did, and their lives were better and better.

Ji Wenzi's Story

Born in the family of the third generation, Ji Wenzi is a noble and well-known diplomat in Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period. He has been an official for more than 30 years. He was frugal all his life, and thrift was the foundation of his life, and required his family to live a frugal life. He only needs to be simple and neat in dressing. There are no decent clothes except for the Korean clothes. Every time he goes out, the ride is very simple.

Seeing him being so frugal, a man named Zhongsun told him to say, "You are a high-ranking man with high morals, but I heard that you are not allowed to wear silk clothes at home, and you do nt feed horses with food. You yourself Do nt pay attention to the appearance and clothing, is nt it too shabby to make people in other countries laugh at you? This will also hurt the decentness of our country. People will say what kind of life the senior officials of Lu Guo have had. You Why not change this way of life? This is good for our country, why not? "

After listening, Ji Wenzi smiled calmly and said to the person seriously: "I also want to make the home luxurious and elegant, but look at the people in our country, there are many people eating food that is too rough to swallow and wearing shabby Clothes, and some people are starving in the cold; thinking of this, how can I have the heart to buy a home for myself? If the common people all have coarse tea clothes, and I dress up as wives and concubines, and raise food and horses, what else can I do? Official conscience! Moreover, I heard that a country's national strength and glory can only be manifested by the high moral character of its subjects, and not judged by their beautiful wives, wives and good steeds. Even so, how can I Accept your suggestion? "This remark made Zhong Sun feel ashamed, and at the same time made him feel more respect for Ji Wenzi.

Since then, he has followed the example of Ji Wenzi and paid great attention to the simplicity of life. His wife and children only wore clothes made of ordinary cloth, and the horses at home were only fed with grain bran and weeds.

Selling Dogs to Marry Girls

There is a big official in the Eastern Jin Dynasty called Wu Yinzhi. He lost his father at an early age and had a hard time with his mother. He developed the habit of being frugal and simple. After being an official, he still hated luxury and refused to move into the government house prepared for him by the court. For many years, the family only lived in a few thatched houses. Later, his daughter got married, and people thought he would take care of it. Who knows the great joy, the Wu family is still deserted. General Xie Shi's housekeeper came to Hexi and saw a servant coming out with a dog. The steward asked: "Your lady is getting married today, why isn't it going to be organized at all?" The servant frowned and said, "Don't mention, my master is too frugal. The lady got married today. The master only ordered to prepare last night. I thought the owner should spend it this time. Who knows that the owner told me to go to the market this morning to sell this dog and use the money of the dog to buy things. You said, how much can a dog sell? Ordinary people marry their daughters more than the master of my family! "The steward sighed." Everyone said that Master Wu is a rare official, and it seems to be a well-deserved reputation. "

House beam hanging money

One of the eight people in the Tang and Song dynasties, Su Shi, a 21-year-old junior jinshi, had been a 40-year official before and after. He always paid attention to frugality during his official career and often spent his time carefully. In 1080 AD, Su Shi was demoted and demoted to Huangzhou. Because his salary was reduced a lot, he couldn't live a poor life. Later, with the help of his friends, he got a piece of land and cultivated it by himself. In order not to spend a penny, he also implements planned expenses: first calculate all the money, and then divide it into 12 shares, and use it every month; each share is divided into 30 small portions, and only a small portion is used every day. After the money is all in part, it is hung on the beam of the house according to the amount, and one bag is taken every morning to serve as a living expenses for the whole day. After getting a small amount of money, he still has to weigh carefully, and can't buy anything that can't be bought, only the surplus, and no overruns. The accumulated money was saved by Su Shi in a bamboo tube in case of accident.

But sometimes, excessive savings also cause unnecessary losses. In European literature and art, you have to mention the images of the four major ghosts on the screen, the most famous of which is Ou Yani. The old Grand Taichung in Grand Taichung calculated everything during his lifetime. When he was able to open his eyes, when he could open his eyes, he stared at the gold with his eyes for a few hours. When the priest brought the gilded cross to his lips, kissed him to the icon of Christ, and performed the dying ritual for him, he made a terrifying gesture, trying to hold the gold cross in his hand. This last effort sent His life is so irresistible! Dear friends, diligence is good, but unnecessary diligence often causes defects in human nature. This is worth noting.

Premier Zhou's clean and honest politics story

Work is negligent, sorry for the people there

"As the Premier of the State Council, my work is negligent. I'm sorry for the people there."

Premier Zhou's clean and honest politics is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. It is not superficial, but real. In the early 1970s, Dingxi, Gansu, which is known as the Bitter Armor, had not had a torrential rain for more than 20 consecutive months. Many people not only lacked clothing and food, but also had difficulty drinking water. At a working conference held by the Central Committee, Comrade Song Ping from Gansu reported the disaster situation in Dingxi. After listening to the report, Premier Zhou looked very grim. He said that we must do everything possible to organize the masses, develop production, increase income, and change the face. Later, the Central Working Conference held a plenary session. At the conference, Premier Zhou said with a heavy heart: "I have heard about the difficult life of the people in central Gansu. I feel sad and disturbed. After more than 20 years of liberation, the lives of the people there are still so difficult As the Premier of the State Council, my work is negligent. I'm sorry for the people there. "Soon after the meeting, the Prime Minister sent a working group to Gansu to bring relief supplies such as food, cotton, and quilts. A few years later, when people saw that the people in Dingxi were still wearing cotton uniforms that the Prime Minister had personally arranged and distributed, they were full of emotion.

As long as I am prime minister, the conference hall is not allowed to be renovated

The integrity of Premier Zhou is extremely majestic, and his influence is unparalleled today. At the entrance of the State Council Chamber, there was a wooden screen engraved with the words "hard and simple", which is a portrayal of the work style of the Prime Minister. At the meetings of the State Council, people heard the Prime Minister's proposal to renovate the conference hall more than once. The Prime Minister said: "As long as I am the Prime Minister, the conference hall is not allowed to be renovated." In 1959, in the atmosphere of the Great Leap Forward, the Ministry of Water Resources The report requested that a water conservancy construction exhibition hall be constructed near Miyun Reservoir. One day, in the West Flower Hall meeting, the Prime Minister suddenly turned his head to Qian Zhengying, deputy minister of water resources, and said, "Qian Zhengying, President He told me, you build a fairly high-level building at Miyun Reservoir, is there such a thing?" Qian Answer: "Yes, it is a water conservancy exhibition hall." The Prime Minister was silent for a while, shook his head, and said softly: "I did not expect that you would do this kind of thing." Qian heard the shame and felt contented, like a knife cut in his heart. Uncomfortable. If according to the ideas of some cadres, the Prime Minister has neither severely criticized nor instructed to deal with it, there is no deterrence of disciplinary commissions, and there is no danger of losing the official, so he can pass through the border completely. However, inspired by Premier Zhou's great personality, Qian returned to the party and immediately conveyed it at the party meeting. The party group of the Ministry of Water Resources immediately decided to transfer the building worth more than 4 million yuan to a research institute of the Ministry of the First Machinery Industry for free, and wrote a report of in-depth inspection to the central government.

Must be held accountable for the deposed person

In 1960, the central government established a streamlined leadership group to streamline redundant employees in accordance with the policy of "adjustment, consolidation, enrichment, and improvement." In order to arrange the lives of the employees being streamlined, Premier Zhou racked his brains. In a draft document on streamlining, the Prime Minister added the words "party and government leading organs" before the sentence "Be responsible for the streamlined personnel to the end", emphasizing the responsibility of the leading organs. When talking about streamlining the resettlement of employees in the draft document, he added a paragraph, emphasizing that "for all streamlined employees, various subsidies and help methods must be adopted for proper resettlement." Under the care and urging of him, most of the resettlement and living issues of more than 20 million streamlined people across the country have been properly resolved, and no major problems have occurred.

You're wrong, of course.

"Of course you are not telling lies, but more importantly, we oppress you."

At the beginning of 1962, the Central Committee held an enlarged conference (also known as the 7,000-person conference). During the conference, Premier Zhou participated in a panel discussion in Fujian Province. When he heard that the comrades below reflected the harmful effects of bad styles such as forced orders, exaggeration, and falsehood on work and the relationship between the party and the masses, he said a very heavy heartfelt and touching words. He said: "In the past few years, the party's style has been impure, and there has been exaggeration and falsehood. We must promote the truth. How can we do this? To tell the truth, first of all, leaders must like to listen to the truth , Opposed to telling lies. Everyone tells lies, seeing the colors of leaders, isn't that the same as the official habits of the old society? ... Of course, you are not telling lies, but more importantly, we oppress you. " Then, the Prime Minister also emphasized that it is necessary to promote real strength, do practical things, and achieve results. ". He said," Tell the truth, drum up your energy, do practical things, and get results. To sum up these four sentences is to seek truth. "

This is much better than the people

Premier Zhou's diet is light, with one meal at a time. Eat the rest of the food, and then eat until the next meal, never waste a grain of rice, a leaf. The State Council often holds state affairs meetings, which cannot be concluded before noon, and the cafeteria will make working meals. The Prime Minister stipulates that the standard for working meals is "four dishes and one soup", and everyone pays for meal tickets after a meal, and no one is allowed to make an exception. After the Prime Minister has eaten the meal, he will always pick up a leaf and wipe the bottom of the bowl, eat the soup, and eat the leaf. When eating, I occasionally drop a rice grain on the table and immediately pick it up and eat it. Some people were puzzled by his frugality. The Prime Minister said, "This is much better than the people!" During the three-year difficult period, the Prime Minister and the people of the whole country shared the same bitterness and took the lead not to eat pork, eggs, or rice. Once, the cook said to him, "You are so old, you do nt work day and night, and you do nt eat too much. Do nt eat coarse grains!" The Prime Minister said, "No, you must eat it, eat it, do nt You will forget the past, you will not forget the people! "

Home affairs should be managed by the local party and government departments

Premier Zhou was born in Huai'an and spent his childhood in Huai'an. Therefore, he had deep feelings for Huai'an. He loves Huai'an, but he loves the great motherland and never gives extra care because Huai'an is his hometown. In 1960, when the responsible comrade of the Huaian County Party Committee arrived in Beijing, he met with Premier Zhou. After reporting the situation of 100,000 acres of cotton in Huai'an County, he wanted to set up a spinning mill. It stands to reason that this was not a big deal for the Prime Minister, but it was a difficult time at the time. On the one hand, Premier Zhou encouraged them and on the other hand guided them to say: If you grow cotton, you need to set up a spinning mill, and Shanghai's spinning mills will eat Not full. No agreement was reached in the end. In 1962, the prime minister's hometown of Huai'an suffered a severe flood and a large area of farmland in northern Jiangsu was flooded. The Jiangsu provincial government wrote to the prime minister asking for support. After reading the letter, the Prime Minister was heartbroken. Allocating manpower and material resources to support the quake-hit areas is absolutely necessary, as long as the Prime Minister can say a word. But the Prime Minister said: The affairs in my hometown should be under the control of the local party and government departments, and they should decide what to do. The Prime Minister has deep feelings for his hometown, but he has never been impartial in matters involving his hometown and has always acted impartially.

Lei Feng's Saving Story

One Sunday, Uncle Lei Feng's comrade-in-arms Wang vigorously washed all the soldiers' socks and clothes. When Uncle Lei Feng was drying clothes and found that his old socks were missing, he looked around. At this time, Wang Dali said: "Lei Feng, you have so many deposits, and you are so reluctant to buy a pair of socks. You see, it s not uncomfortable to wear these socks on your feet?" Work is all right! "Wang Dali said," Don't you think it's ugly? "" We soldiers don't wear socks for others to see. "These words have already shown Uncle Lei Feng's saving spirit. He only received a bonus of 6 yuan per month, but he kept the money in the bank. After a year passed, Lei Feng donated all the money saved to the people in the disaster area, but he was reluctant to buy new socks.