原文
吾广谬以富饶特闻，仕宦者以为货府，无论官之大小，一捧粤符，靡不欢欣过望。长安戚友，举手相庆，以为十郡膻境，可以属餍脂膏。于是争以母钱贷之，以五当十，而厚责其赢利。其人至官，未及视事，即以攫金为事，稍良者或恣睢掠拾，其巧黠者则广布爪牙，四张囊橐，与胥吏表里为奸。官得三而胥吏得七，蚩蚩小氓，以边徼荒远见欺，淫刑枉法，其亦何求而不得乎。尝见一二婪吏矣，凡构讼者，两造皆勒其长夫。父告其子，则勒其父长夫。兄告其弟，则勒其兄长夫。而子弟亦不得免，皆勒长夫。家有美花珍果，墓有乔木，亦必勒其长夫。一长夫折金十四余两，胥役携之入署，此婪吏者匿笑而受之曰：吾不若是锱铢之取也，吾则无以应上官之诛求也。嗟夫，吾粤之为官者，计其诛求之状，亦大抵以上中下三等相吞而已矣。上官眈眈乎中，中复眈眈乎下，下则无所眈眈也，亦惟于匹夫匹妇之微，穷其巧力而已矣。所由者，官者戾虫，民者甘饵。京师者，饿虎之山。权贵者，择肉之主。其不足以为水者，东粤之膏脂，不足以为薪者，东粤之筋骨。其以珠贝为泥沙者，取之匹夫而不足。以金钱为粪土者，取之匹妇而已有余也。嗟夫，吾粤金山珠海，天子南库，自汉唐以来，无人而不艳之。计天下所有之食货，东粤几尽有之；东粤之所有食货，天下未必尽有之也。故今之官于东粤者，无分大小，率务朘民以自封。既得重赀，则使其亲串与民为市，而百十奸民从而羽翼之，为之龙断而罔利。于是民之贾十三，而官之贾十七。官之贾本多而废居易，以其奇筴，绝流而渔，其利尝获数倍。民之贾虽极其勤苦，而不能与争，于是民之贾日穷，而官之贾日富，官之贾日富，而官之贾日多。遍于山海之间，或坐或行，近而广之十郡，远而东西二洋，无不有也。民贾于官，官复贾于民，官与贾固无别也，贾与官亦复无别。无官不贾，且又无贾而不官，民畏官亦复畏贾。畏官者，以其官而贾也。畏贾者，以其贾而官，于是而民之死于官之贾者十之三，死于贾之官者十之七矣。嗟夫，在昔国之富藏之于民，今也藏之于官，复藏于官而贾者。藏于贾而官者，民曰穷而盗贼日炽，其祸不知所底，非有圣君贤相，端本澄源，以节俭为之倡率，禁难得之货，明贪墨之刑，则东粤一隅，何以有匹夫匹妇之性命也哉。噫。
白话
中文
我们广东被错误地认为特别富饶，来这里做官的人都把它当作是聚敛财富的府库。无论官职大小，一旦接到任命（捧到广东的官印），无不欣喜若狂，远超期望。京城里的亲戚朋友都举手相互庆贺，认为广东这十个郡（泛指广东全境）是肥缺美差，可以大饱私囊，满载而归。于是（京城的权贵）争相用本金借贷给这些外放的官员，利息高达一倍（以五作十），并且要求丰厚的利润回报。这些人到任后，还没来得及处理公务，就把搜刮钱财当作首要任务。稍微好一点的官员或许只是放纵自己掠夺搜刮；那些奸猾狡诈的，则广泛安插亲信爪牙，四处张开搜刮钱财的口袋，和衙门里的胥吏内外勾结，狼狈为奸。官员能得到赃款的三成，而胥吏们能得到七成。无知的小民百姓，因为地处边远荒僻而被欺压，（贪官污吏）滥用刑罚，歪曲法律，他们想要什么东西，又有什么是得不到的呢？我曾经见过一两个贪婪的官吏，凡是有人打官司，原告被告双方都被勒索要提供“长夫”（长期服役的劳力，或折算成银两）。父亲告儿子，就勒索父亲出长夫；哥哥告弟弟，就勒索哥哥出长夫；而被告的子弟也不能幸免，都要被勒索长夫。家里种有漂亮的花、珍奇的果树，或者祖坟上有高大的树木，也必定要被勒索长夫。一个长夫折算成银子要十四两多，胥吏拿着钱送进官署，那个贪官便暗自偷笑着收下，还说：“我如果不是这样连细微的钱财都搜刮，我拿什么来应付上级官员的索求呢？”唉！我们广东做官的人，考察他们搜刮勒索的情况，也大概是上级吞噬中级、中级吞噬下级这三等罢了。上级官员虎视眈眈地盯着中级官员，中级官员又虎视眈眈地盯着下级官员，下级官员没有更下级的可以吞噬，也就只能对那些微不足道的普通男女百姓用尽他们的奸巧和暴力了。造成这种情况的原因是：官员是凶恶的害虫，百姓是甜美的诱饵；京城是饿虎盘踞的山林；权贵是挑选肥肉享用的主人。（对于他们来说）广东的民脂民膏还不够用来解渴（比喻贪欲极大），广东百姓的筋骨还不够用来当柴烧。那些把珍珠宝贝看作泥沙的人，从普通男人那里搜刮还嫌不够；那些把金钱看作粪土的人，从普通女人那里搜刮就已经绰绰有余了。唉！我们广东号称金山珠海，是天子的南方宝库，从汉朝、唐朝以来，没有人不羡慕这里的富庶。计算天下所有的物产财富，广东差不多都有；而广东所拥有的物产财富，天下其他地方却未必都有。所以现在到广东做官的人，不论官职大小，大都致力于剥削百姓来充实自己的腰包。等到搜刮到巨额资财后，就让自己的亲信和百姓做买卖，还有成百上千的奸猾之民依附他们，为他们垄断市场、牟取暴利。于是，（在市场上）普通商人只能占到三成的利益，而有官员背景的商人能占到七成。官商资本雄厚，囤积居奇很容易，他们凭借着各种奇特的计谋，垄断流通渠道来渔利，他们的利润常常能获得数倍。普通商人即使极其勤劳辛苦，也无法与他们竞争。于是，普通商人日益穷困，而官商日益富有；官商日益富有，官商的数量也日益增多。他们遍布在山岭和海滨之间，有的坐地经营，有的流动贩运，近的在广东十郡之内，远的到达东洋、西洋（泛指东南亚及更远海外），无处不在。百姓（被迫）依附官员做买卖，官员又反过来和百姓做买卖，官员和商人本来就没有区别了，商人和官员也没有区别了。没有哪个官员不经商，而且也没有哪个（大）商人不依附官府势力。百姓害怕官员，也同样害怕这些商人。害怕官员，是因为他们利用官职来经商；害怕商人，是因为他们凭借经商而行使官府的权力。因此，百姓死于官员经商之手的占十分之三，死于依仗官势的商人之手的占十分之七。唉！过去国家的财富是藏在民众手中的，如今却藏在官员手中，甚至藏在那些经商的官员手中，藏在那些有官府背景的商人手中。百姓都说穷困，而盗贼却日益猖獗，这场祸患不知道会发展到什么地步。如果没有圣明的君主和贤良的宰相，从根本上整顿吏治，澄清源头，倡导并率先厉行节俭，禁止奇珍异宝的流通，明确惩治贪污的刑罚，那么广东这一角落，普通男女百姓的性命又如何能够保全呢？唉！
英文
Our Guangdong is mistakenly known for its exceptional wealth, and those who become officials here treat it as a treasure trove. Regardless of the rank, upon receiving an appointment in Guangdong, they are all overjoyed beyond expectation. Relatives and friends in the capital congratulate each other, considering the ten prefectures of Guangdong a lucrative post where they can gorge themselves on riches. Consequently, powerful figures in the capital compete to lend them principal money at exorbitant rates (like five becoming ten), demanding high returns. When these officials arrive at their posts, before even attending to their duties, they make grabbing money their priority. The slightly better ones might just indulge in plunder; the cunning ones deploy their henchmen widely, open their bags everywhere, and collude with the yamen clerks and runners. The official gets three-tenths of the illicit gains, while the clerks and runners get seven-tenths. The ignorant common people, deceived due to the remote and undeveloped nature of the border region, suffer from excessive punishments and distorted laws. What can these corrupt officials not obtain when they seek it? I have seen one or two greedy officials myself. For anyone involved in a lawsuit, both the plaintiff and defendant are extorted to provide "changfu" (long-term laborers, or a monetary equivalent). If a father sues his son, the father is extorted for changfu; if an elder brother sues his younger brother, the elder brother is extorted for changfu; and the sons and younger brothers are not exempt either, all are extorted for changfu. Even having beautiful flowers or rare fruit trees at home, or tall trees at a gravesite, necessitates providing changfu. One changfu is converted to over fourteen taels of silver. Clerks bring the money into the yamen, and the greedy official accepts it with a hidden smile, saying: "If I didn't take even these small amounts, how could I meet the demands of my superiors?" Alas! For officials in Guangdong, the pattern of extortion is generally one of superiors preying on mid-level officials, who in turn prey on lower officials. The lowest officials have no one below them to prey on, so they just exhaust their cunning and force on the humble common men and women. The reason is: officials are vicious pests, the people are sweet bait; the capital is a mountain of hungry tigers; the powerful are masters choosing their meat. For them, the fat of Guangdong is not enough to quench their thirst (a metaphor for immense greed), and the sinews and bones of Guangdong's people are not enough to serve as firewood. Those who treat pearls and shells like mud and sand find that taking from common men is not enough; those who treat gold and money like dirt find that taking from common women is more than enough. Alas! Our Guangdong, known as mountains of gold and seas of pearls, the Emperor's southern treasury, has been coveted by everyone since the Han and Tang dynasties. Considering all the goods and commodities in the world, Guangdong has almost all of them; but the world doesn't necessarily have all the goods and commodities found in Guangdong. Therefore, officials in Guangdong today, regardless of rank, generally focus on exploiting the people to enrich themselves. Once they amass great wealth, they have their relatives engage in trade with the people, aided by hundreds or thousands of wicked locals who help them monopolize markets and reap illicit profits. Consequently, common merchants get only three-tenths of the profit or market share, while official-backed merchants get seven-tenths. The official merchants have large capital and can easily hoard goods, using their cunning strategies to cut off supply chains and fish for profits, often gaining returns several times the norm. Common merchants, despite working extremely hard, cannot compete. Thus, common merchants become poorer daily, while official merchants become richer daily, and the number of official merchants increases daily. They are everywhere between the mountains and the sea, whether stationary or traveling, nearby in Guangdong's ten prefectures or far away in the East and West Oceans (Southeast Asia and beyond) – they are omnipresent. People trade under officials; officials also trade among the people. There is no real distinction between officials and merchants; nor between merchants and officials. No official doesn't engage in trade, and furthermore, no (major) merchant isn't connected to official power. The people fear officials, and they also fear these merchants. They fear officials because they use their office to trade. They fear merchants because they use their trade connections to act like officials. Consequently, three-tenths of the people suffer ruin from officials engaged in trade, and seven-tenths suffer ruin from merchants acting with official power. Alas! In the past, the nation's wealth was stored among the people. Now, it is stored with officials, and further stored with officials who trade, and traders who act like officials. The people cry poverty, and banditry flourishes daily. The end of this disaster is unknown. Unless there is a sage ruler and wise ministers to correct the fundamentals, clarify the source, promote frugality, ban rare luxury goods, and enforce strict punishments for corruption, how can the lives of common men and women in the corner of Guangdong be secured? Alas!
文化解读/分析
此条目名为“贪吏”，实则是一篇对清初广东官场腐败及其对社会经济造成毁灭性影响的深刻控诉和系统分析，具有极高的史料价值和文化批判意义。
- 官场腐败的系统性揭露: 屈大均详细描绘了广东官场腐败的完整链条：从官员任命伊始（被视为肥缺），到京城权贵的投资与期望，再到官员到任后与胥吏勾结、层层盘剥（上级剥削下级，下级压榨百姓），形成了一个系统性的贪腐网络。他指出了腐败的普遍性（“无论官之大小”、“无分大小”），以及其运作方式（内外勾结、勒索“长夫”、滥用刑罚）。
- 官商勾结与经济破坏: 文章后半部分着重揭示了“官贾合一”的现象。官员利用权力经商，或扶持亲信、勾结奸民垄断市场（“龙断”），利用资本和信息优势（“奇筴”、“绝流而渔”）排挤普通商人，导致“民穷官（贾）富”的恶性循环。这种官商勾结不仅破坏了正常的市场秩序，更直接掠夺了民间财富，将社会财富从“藏富于民”转变为“藏富于官（贾）”。
- 对民生的深切同情与忧虑: 字里行间充满了对“蚩蚩小氓”、“匹夫匹妇”的深切同情。他痛斥贪官污吏视民脂民膏、百姓筋骨如草芥，揭示了百姓在官、贾双重压迫下的悲惨境遇（“死于官之贾者十之三，死于贾之官者十之七矣”）。并指出这种状况直接导致民生凋敝、盗贼蜂起，危及社会稳定和百姓生存。
- 地方认知与中央关系: 屈大均点明了外界（京师权贵）对广东“富饶”的错误认知是官员贪腐的重要诱因。他既承认广东物产丰富（“金山珠海”、“天子南库”），又痛陈这种富饶在贪腐体制下反而成为百姓的灾难。文章也暗示了地方腐败与中央权贵之间的利益输送关系（“无以应上官之诛求”）。
- 强烈的批判精神与改革呼吁: 作为一位有良知的知识分子和明末遗民，屈大均对清初广东的吏治腐败表达了强烈的愤慨和深沉的忧虑（“嗟夫”、“噫”等感叹词贯穿全文）。他最后呼吁“圣君贤相”进行“端本澄源”的改革，倡导节俭、禁止奢侈、严惩贪墨，体现了他对政治清明、民生安定的渴望。此文不仅是民俗记录，更是一篇充满血泪的社会批判文献。
关键词
贪吏, 广东新语, 屈大均, 清代, 广东, 官场腐败, 贪污, 胥吏, 官商勾结, 吏治, 剥削, 民生疾苦, 长夫, 勒索, 市场垄断, 藏富于民, 社会批判, 地方史, 经济史, 岭南文化