shēn身wú无cháng长wù物
To have nothing but oneself; to be extremely poor or unencumbered by material possessions.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Gong lived a simple and frugal life. When he accompanied his father from Kuaiji to the capital Jiankang, his friend Wang Chen paid him a visit. They conversed joyfully.
Wang Chen noticed that the bamboo mat Wang Gong was sitting on was very good, so Wang Gong promptly gave it to him and used a straw mat instead. Upon learning this, Wang Chen felt apologetic.
Wang Gong then said: "You do not understand me, sir; I, Gong, am a person with no superfluous possessions."