The fickleness of human relationships is more striking among the rich than among the poor.
Suspicion and jealousy are more painful between kindred than between strangers.
Thus, if people cannot face such a painful situation with a cool head and a peaceful mind, they can hardly escape being in a constant state of vexation.
炎凉之态，富贵更甚于贫贱；妒忌之心，骨肉尤狠于外人。此处若不当以冷肠，御以平气，鲜不日坐烦恼障中矣。
Notes
This passage from Cai Gen Tan (Tending the roots of wisdom) pierces humanity’s shadowed corners where interests and relationships collide.
It exposes the cruel fickleness within circles of wealth and the uniquely destructive nature of envy among kin, urging calm detachment as the antidote to endless torment.
Human fickleness and sycophancy manifest more brutally among the wealthy than the poor. The chilling warmth of high society cuts deeper because it stems from active, calculated opportunism — not mere passive desperation.
Jealousy and suspicion inflict sharper wounds among close relatives than strangers. Rooted in comparison within intimacy and covert power struggles, kin disguise envy as ‘concern,’ weaponizing trust to deliver betrayals more insidious and agonizing than any outsider’s attack.
The text asserts: Acknowledging human complexity liberates us from suffering. By shattering illusions — that wealth must breed kindness or blood must negate selfishness — it guides us to see clearly, accept calmly, and live wisely amid life’s contradictions.
Leave a Reply