Having nothing more than one's person; possessing no superfluous things; living a very simple and frugal life, often implying poverty.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there was a scholar named Wang Gong. He led a simple and frugal life, valuing modesty over luxury, and people believed he would become a valuable person.
One year, Wang Gong traveled with his father from Kuaiji to the capital, Jiankang. His cousin, Wang Chen, came to visit him, and they sat on a bamboo mat, talking intimately.
As they conversed, Wang Chen noticed how smooth and comfortable the mat felt. Thinking Wang Gong, being from Kuaiji (a region known for bamboo), must have brought many such mats, he praised it and hinted at wanting one. Without hesitation, Wang Gong immediately gave Wang Chen the very mat he was sitting on. Wang Chen expressed his gratitude profusely and left.
In reality, that was Wang Gong's only bamboo mat. After giving it away, he switched to using a straw mat. Upon learning this, Wang Chen was greatly surprised and felt very apologetic. He went back to Wang Gong to express his regrets.
Wang Gong just smiled and said, "You don't quite understand me. I, Wang Gong, have never had any superfluous possessions in my life."