原文

湛文简常设义田，族人冠、婚、丧葬者，读书者，给谷有差。庞弼唐请分为三等，以田七十亩为上，五十亩为中，一二十亩为下。上者勿给，中者量给，下者全给。若田至三五顷以上，须每年量出租谷入于家庙，以助周急之需，庶所积厚而施无穷。

白话

中文

湛若水（文简是其谥号）常常设立义田。同宗族的人中，凡是举行冠礼、婚礼、丧礼或读书求学的，都根据不同情况分发谷物。庞弼唐建议将族人分为三等：拥有田地七十亩的为上等，五十亩的为中等，一二十亩的为下等。上等的不发给谷物，中等的酌情发给，下等的则全额发给。如果有人拥有的田地达到三五顷（三百至五百亩）以上，则需要每年从田租收入中拨出一部分谷物捐给家族祠堂，用来帮助族人应对紧急需求，这样积累的财富就能丰厚，施济也就能长久不断。

英文

Zhan Ruoshui (whose posthumous title was Wenjian) often established charitable fields (Yi Tian). Clansmen who were undergoing capping ceremonies (coming-of-age), getting married, holding funerals, or pursuing education were given grain rations according to their circumstances. Pang Bitang suggested dividing the clansmen into three classes: those with seventy mu of land were considered upper class, those with fifty mu were middle class, and those with ten to twenty mu were lower class. The upper class received no grain, the middle class received a measured amount, and the lower class received the full amount. If someone owned land exceeding three to five qing (three hundred to five hundred mu), they were required to contribute a portion of their annual rental grain income to the ancestral temple to assist clansmen with urgent needs. This way, the accumulated wealth would be substantial, and the charitable support could continue indefinitely.

文化解读/分析

“义田”是中国古代宗族社会一种重要的慈善和互助制度，体现了儒家“仁爱”和宗族共同体观念。湛若水设立义田，旨在通过集体的力量，保障族人在人生重要节点（冠、婚、丧）和追求上进（读书）时的基本需求，维持宗族的稳定和发展。庞弼唐提出的分级补助方法，则显示了义田管理上的精细化考量，力求公平且有效地利用资源，优先帮助最需要的人。同时，规定拥有大量田产的富裕族人捐助谷物给家庙，不仅强化了富裕阶层的宗族责任，也为义田提供了可持续的资金来源，确保其“所积厚而施无穷”。这种制度对于加强宗族凝聚力、缓解内部矛盾、促进教育、传承文化具有重要的社会价值和民俗意义。

关键词

义田, 宗族, 慈善, 互助, 湛若水, 庞弼唐, 广东, 清代, 民俗, 社会福利, 家庙, 土地制度