这是一则来源于《汉书·霍光传》的寓言故事，《汉书》，又称《前汉书》，是中国第一部纪传体断代史，“二十四史”之一。由汉朝东汉时期史学家儒客大家班固编撰，前后历时二十余年，于建初年中基本修成，后唐朝颜师古为之释注。其中《汉书》八表由班固之妹班昭补写而成，《汉书》天文志由班固弟子马续补写而成。《汉书》是继《史记》之后中国古代又一部重要史书，与《史记》、《后汉书》、《三国志》并称为“前四史”。《汉书》全书主要记述了上起汉高祖元年（公元前206年），下至新朝王莽地皇四年（公元23年）共230年的史事。

《古代寓言·谁该坐上座》

客有过主人者，见其灶直突，傍有积薪。客谓主人：“更为曲突，远徙其薪。不者，且有火患。”主人嘿然不应。俄而家果失火。邻里共救之，幸而得息。于是杀牛置酒，谢其邻人：灼烂者在于上行，余客以功次座。而不录言曲突者。人谓主人曰：“乡使听客之言，不费牛酒，终无火患。今论功而请宾，曲突徙薪之恩泽，焦头烂额为上客耶？”主人乃寤而请之。

——《汉书》

Who Deserved the Place of Honour?

A man passing a friend's house noticed that the kitchen chimney was straight, and a pile of fuel was stacked beside the stove.

"You had better build another chimney with a bend in it," he advised the householder. "and move that fuel away, otherwise it may catch fire."

But the master of the house ignored his advice.

Later the house did catch fire; but luckily the neighbours came and helped to put it out. Then that family killed an ox and prepared wine to express their thanks to the neighbours. Those who had received burns were seated in the places of honour, and the rest according to their merit; but no mention was made of the man who had advised them to build a new chimney.

"If you had taken that man's advice," someone said to the master of the house, "you could have saved the expense of the ox and wine, and avoided a fire. Now you are entertaining your friends to thank them for what they did. But is it right to ignore the man who advised you to rebuild the chimney and move the firewood, while you treat those who received burns as guests of honour?"

Then the master of the house realize his mistake, and invited the man who had given him good advice.

--The Han Dynasty History

（杨宪益、戴乃迭 译）

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