得能莫忘
dé néng mò wàng
"If you gain an ability, do not ignore it"
Paar, in my edition of the 千字文, parenthetically notes that the ability (or as he puts it, "capacity") is "for virtue": should you develop the capacity for virtue, don't neglect it. There's nothing in the line that immediately points to "virtue" as an underlying object of discussion, other than that the character most frequently associated with virtue, 德, is pronounced the same way and in the same tone. Not that this would've necessarily been the case when the Thousand Character Classic was assembled, since spoken Chinese has, like all languages, changed a great deal over time; nevertheless, you could replace 得 with 德 in this line and it'd still make sense.
Whether or not one's newly-acquired ability or capacity is for virtue or something else entirely, this is another good bit of practical wisdom that takes little effort—literally—to ignore. How many of us have been told we have a real knack for something, especially something we worked hard to get good at, only to turn our attention elsewhere and let our skills atrophy?
If you couldn't tell already, I'm pretty much always up for talking shit about Confucian moralizing, and moralizing in general, but I guess I've reached the point in life when watching someone piss away talent, or the stronger points of their character, for no good reason bothers me more than it would have in the past. I still don't think that anyone should be pressured into doing something they don't want to do—just because you're good at, say, painting doesn't mean you're obligated to paint—but it can be a bummer to see potential get squandered, even if it's that person's right to squander it.
微臣
史大偉
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