Not to pocket the money one picks up

Not to pocket the money one picks up

Refers to returning lost property to its owner without concealing or claiming it as one's own property, which reflects a noble moral quality and social fashion.

Among them, Jin" originally refers to money, but now refers to all kinds of valuables; "Mei" means to hide or conceal.

This story is related to Lin Ji's return of the lost property:

Lin Ji, a native of Nan'an, Quanzhou (now Nan'an, Fujian) in the Northern Song Dynasty, was known for his integrity.

During the Yuanfeng period of the Northern Song Dynasty, on his way to Beijing for the imperial examination, his act of returning lost property to its owner was recorded in the "History of the Song Dynasty" and later local chronicles

One year, Lin Ji decided to go to the capital Bianliang (now Kaifeng, Henan) to take the imperial examination, hoping to serve the country with his talents.

He slept in the open air all the way, traveling day and night.

When he arrived in Bianliang, he found an inn to stay in.

The inn was very lively, with many guests coming and going.

After Lin Ji settled in, he accidentally found a cloth bag under the bed while tidying up the room.

He curiously opened it and found that it was full of silver, roughly estimated to be hundreds of taels.

Lin Ji was shocked and realized that it must have been accidentally left behind by the previous guest who stayed here.

Lin Ji thought that these silvers were a huge fortune for ordinary people, but he could never take them for himself.

He asked the store owner: "Who was the previous guest?"

The store owner replied: "A merchant from Shu, who has left for two days."

Lin Ji did not move a penny, but wrote on the wall: "In a certain year and month, Lin Ji from Quanzhou temporarily stayed in this house and found money and property. Please ask the owner to find me at Daxiangguo Temple in the north of the city."

He also asked the store owner: "If the Shu merchant returns, be sure to tell me this."

The Shu merchant returned anxiously after discovering the lost silver, and went straight to Daxiangguo Temple after seeing the inscription.

Lin Ji verified that it was correct and returned all the silver.

The merchant wanted to give half of the reward as a reward, but Lin Ji refused with a straight face: "If you are greedy for money, why do you return it?"

The merchant thanked him and left.

Later, the story of Lin Ji returning the lost money spread in the local area, and people praised his noble character.

Lin Ji was a commoner, but he was honest and upright, and his deeds are still praised by the world today.

"Returning lost money" is not only a yardstick of morality, but also the eternal belief of Chinese civilization that human nature is good.