释义Annotation
「餐腥啄腐」由「餐腥」与「啄腐」两个词组构成，形容那些追求肮脏利益、贪婪低下之人。成语出自《庄子·秋水》中著名的「鵷雏与鸱」寓言。庄子以鵷雏（凤凰一类的神鸟）比喻志向高洁的君子，以鸱（猫头鹰）比喻贪婪庸俗的小人。
故事中，鵷雏从南海飞往北海，只栖息于梧桐树，只食用竹米，只饮用甘泉，其志向高远、品格纯洁。而鸱却在腐臭的死鼠上「赫然而怒」，以为鵷雏要来抢夺。庄子以此讽刺世俗之人以小人之心度君子之腹，把自己的贪婪投射到他人身上。
「餐腥啄腐」正是对那些眼光短浅、追逐私利之人的批判。这些人无法理解高尚的志向和纯洁的追求，只能在自己的认知范围内以「腐鼠」为最高追求，并且时刻担心他人来抢夺。
"Can sheng zhuo fu" combines "eating filth" and "pecking at rot" to describe those who pursue dirty profits and are greedy and base. The idiom originates from the famous parable of the "primordial dove and the owl" in Zhuangzi's "Autumn Floods." Zhuangzi uses the primordial dove (a mythical phoenix-like bird) as a metaphor for the noble person with lofty aspirations, and the owl as a metaphor for the greedy and vulgar petty person.
In the story, the primordial dove flies from the Southern Sea to the Northern Sea, resting only on parasol trees, eating only bamboo seeds, and drinking only sweet springs — embodying lofty aspirations and pure character. Meanwhile, the owl flares in anger over a rotten rat, convinced the dove has come to steal it. Zhuangzi uses this to satirize worldly people who measure the heart of noble persons with their own petty minds, projecting their own greed onto others.
"Can sheng zhuo fu" is a critique of those with shortsighted vision who pursue selfish interests. Such people cannot understand noble aspirations or pure pursuits; within their own limited understanding, they treat the "rotten rat" as the highest prize and constantly worry that others will come to seize it.
当代启示Modern Application
在当代社会，「餐腥啄腐」的形象依然鲜活。那些在商业竞争中不择手段、在官场中贪污腐败之人，正是庄子笔下「鸱」的化身。他们以自己追逐私利的逻辑去揣度他人，认为天下人都像自己一样贪得无厌。
在互联网时代，这一寓言同样具有警示意义。网络上充斥着各种「鸱得腐鼠」式的焦虑与争执——人们往往将自己的恐惧和贪婪投射到他人身上，把正常的竞争和合作解读为阴谋和抢夺。这种心态不仅伤害人际关系，也阻碍了社会的良性发展。
从个人修养的角度，庄子提醒我们：应当追求「鵷雏」般高洁的志向，而非「餐腥啄腐」般低下的趣味。真正的君子应当有超越物质追求的精神境界，不为外物所累，不以物喜、不以己悲，保持内心的澄明与自由。
In contemporary society, the image of "can sheng zhuo fu" remains vivid. Those who use any means necessary in business competition, who are corrupt in government — these are precisely the "owls" of Zhuangzi's pen. They measure others by their own logic of pursuing selfish interests, believing that all people under heaven are as greedy as themselves.
In the internet age, this parable carries equal warning significance. The online world is filled with "owl getting rotten rat" anxieties and disputes — people often project their own fears and greed onto others, interpreting normal competition and cooperation as conspiracy and seizure. This mentality not only damages relationships but also hinders healthy social development.
From the perspective of personal cultivation, Zhuangzi reminds us that we should pursue the lofty aspirations of the "primordial dove" rather than the base tastes of "eating filth and pecking at rot." The truly noble person possesses a spiritual realm that transcends material pursuits, unburdened by external things, not elated by gain or mournful by loss, maintaining inner clarity and freedom.