Original Text
There was a wealthy man, to whom many merchants would come to borrow money. One day, as he was going out, a young man followed behind his horse. When asked what business he had, it turned out he too had come to borrow capital. The wealthy man agreed. Upon arriving at the wealthy man's home, there happened to be several dozen copper coins on the table. The young man began to play with the coins, stacking them into several piles of varying heights. The wealthy man then declined the young man's request and did not lend him the money. When someone asked the wealthy man the reason, he said, "This man must be fond of gambling and is not a proper person. The skills he is familiar with unconsciously reveal themselves through his hands and feet." Upon inquiring about the young man, it was found that he was indeed fond of gambling.
Commentary
In this passage, the game of 'stacking coins with hands' resembles modern bank competitions in counting money, both being professional in nature and unattainable by outsiders. The young borrower, due to his gambling habits, had long cultivated the practice of piling up coins for amusement in his idle hours, a habit difficult to break. Thus, before the wealthy moneylender, who was equally versed in this art, he inadvertently revealed his true colors.
Why would a wealthy man refuse to lend him money? Because a gambler is "not an upright man," and one who gambles long will surely lose; lending him money is like throwing a meat bun to a dog, never to be seen again.