老子在《道德经》中写道：“知足者富。”
In the Tao Te Ching, Laozi wrote: "He who knows contentment is rich."
两千多年后的今天，这句话读来依然发人深省。
Read today, more than two thousand years later, these words remain deeply thought-provoking.
我们的物质条件远远超过从前，幸福感却未必随之增长。
Our material conditions far surpass those of the past, yet our sense of happiness has not necessarily grown with them.
心理学家把这种现象称为“享乐适应”：新车带来的兴奋不出三个月便烟消云散，人们随即又盯上了下一个目标。
Psychologists call this "hedonic adaptation": the thrill of a new car evaporates within three months, and people promptly fix their eyes on the next target.
我认识一位乡下的老木匠，他住着旧屋，用着老工具，却总是笑呵呵的；他说：“够用就好，贪多是累。”
I know an old carpenter in the countryside who lives in an old house and works with old tools, yet is always beaming; he says: "Enough is enough — craving more only wears you out."
知足并非不思进取，而是分得清什么值得追逐，什么只是虚荣的负担。
Contentment is not a lack of ambition; it is knowing exactly what is worth chasing and what is merely the burden of vanity.
欲望像海水，越喝越渴；感恩像清泉，细水长流。
Desire is like seawater — the more you drink, the thirstier you become; gratitude is like a clear spring — a gentle stream that never runs dry.
幸福从来不在远方的清单上，而在低头可见的日常里。
Happiness was never on some faraway wish list; it lies in the everyday things we see the moment we lower our heads.
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Key words 生词
发人深省fā rén shēn xǐngto set one thinking deeply; thought-provoking
享乐xiǎnglèpleasure-seeking; to indulge in pleasure
烟消云散yān xiāo yún sànto vanish like smoke and dispersing clouds
虚荣xūróngvanity
追逐zhuīzhúto chase; to pursue
细水长流xì shuǐ cháng liúa small but steady stream lasts long
Grammar note 语法点
未必
'Not necessarily' — a softer, more literary way to negate certainty than 不一定. 例：物质条件好了，幸福感却未必增长。
贵的东西未必适合你。— Expensive things do not necessarily suit you.
Literary 者
Classical 者 turns a verb or phrase into 'one who…', common in proverbs and formal writing. 例：知足者富 = 知足的人富有。
仁者爱人。— The benevolent one loves others.
Check yourself 小测验
1. What does the text say about "hedonic adaptation"?
2. What is the old carpenter's attitude toward possessions?
3. According to the text, what is contentment?