釋氏稽古略 3.309

3.309

癸丑二年以渝州刺史柳玭為瀘州刺史。柳氏自公綽以來。世以孝悌禮法為士大夫。所宗玭為御史大夫。上欲以為相。宦官惡之故久謫於外。玭甞誡其子弟曰。凡門地高可畏不可恃也。立身行己。一事有失則得罪重於他人。死無以見先人於地下。此其所以可畏也。門高則驕心易生。族盛則為人所嫉。懿行實才人未之信。小有玭纇眾皆指之。此其所以不可恃也。故膏梁子弟學宜加勤行宜加勵。僅得比他人耳玭（玉病）纇（絲節）。

In the guichou year, the second year [of Jingfu] (893), the Prefect of Yuzhou, Liu Pin, was made Prefect of Luzhou. Ever since Gongchuo, the Liu clan had for generations been revered by the scholar-officials for their filial piety, fraternal duty, and propriety. When Pin served as Grand Censor, the Sovereign wished to make him prime minister, but the eunuchs disliked him and thus he had long been demoted abroad. Pin once admonished his sons and younger brothers, saying: "In general, an exalted lineage is to be feared, not to be relied upon. In establishing oneself and carrying out one's conduct, if there is a single failure, one's culpability is heavier than that of others, and in death one will have no means to face one's ancestors in the underworld. This is why it is to be feared. When a lineage is exalted, pride easily arises; when a clan is flourishing, it is envied by others. Excellent conduct and true talent will not yet be believed by people, while for the slightest flaw (pin) or defect (lei), everyone will point it out. This is why it is not to be relied upon. Therefore, scions of wealthy families should be all the more diligent in their learning and all the more encouraging in their conduct; only then can they merely equal other people." (Pin means a flaw in jade; lei means a knot in silk.)