During the Spring and Autumn period, a severe famine struck the State of Qi. A wealthy man named Qian Ao placed some food by the roadside to give to the starving people.
One day, a famished man came shuffling along, covering his face with his sleeve and dragging his feet. Seeing this, Qian Ao held food in his left hand and water in his right, and shouted rudely, “Hey, you! Come and eat!”
The man raised his eyes, looking at Qian Ao, and said, “It is precisely because I refuse to accept such insulting charity that I have ended up in this starving state!”
Qian Ao went after him to apologise, but he refused to eat and eventually starved to death.
When Zeng Zi heard about this, he said, “I’m afraid that’s unnecessary! When Qian Ao called out rudely, of course he could refuse, but after Qian Ao apologised, he could have eaten.”
Origin: Book of Rites, Tan Gong I
#14 不食嗟来之食
春秋时期，齐国发生了严重的饥荒。有一个名叫黔敖的富人，在路边准备了一些食物，施舍给过路的灾民。
一天，一个饿得摇摇晃晃的人用袖子遮着脸，拖着鞋子，有气无力地走过来。黔敖看到后，左手拿着食物，右手端着水，用傲慢的口气喊道：“喂，你！过来吃吧！”
那人抬起头，看着黔敖，说：“我正是因为不愿意接受这种带有侮辱性的施舍，才饿到今天这个地步的！”
黔敖上前去向他道歉，但他还是拒绝吃而最终饿死了。
曾子听到这件事后说：“恐怕不用这样吧！黔敖无礼呼唤时，当然可以拒绝，但他道歉之后，就可以去吃。”
出自 《礼记 檀弓上》