The Chengyu 梁上君子 literally means “on the ceiling beams (梁上, liáng shàng) lies a gentleman (君子, jūn zǐ). It is used to describe a thief. Chen Shi, an Eastern Han government official, was a respectable man who lived an honest life, demonstrated intellectual prowess. The townspeople would rather be punished by law than be criticized by Chen Shi, as his words were of great wisdom and kindness. One day, after returning home, Chen Shi noticed something odd in the foyer. A thief, clad in tight black robes with his head in an equally black bandana, crouched silently on the ceiling beams above. He leapt back and forth, making his way to the central hall. Seeing this, Chen Shi summoned his children and grandchildren together for a meeting; one by one they shuffled into the great hall. The thief stayed frozen above the beams, careful not to reveal himself to the crowd. Chen Shi paused, motioned for silence, and spoke: “My children - you must study to become honest members of society. You cannot take shortcuts in life to get what you want. Some people do bad things - they may not be bad people, but they seek the joys of life without putting in work. Look! Just like the gentleman crouching above us!” All eyes turned to the thief, who was frozen in shock. Flustered and embarrassed, the thief climbed down and knelt in front of Chen Shi. “Please, good lord, have mercy!” Chen Shi smiled, patting the thief on the shoulder. “You seem to be a good person going through tough times - how about I help you out with a small loan?” The grateful thief quickly left and started a new life.
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