From A Chinese Garden of Serenity (1959), by Hung Tzu-ch’eng, translated by Chao Tze-chiang:

How can the spending of thousands of gold coins to form acquaintance with eminent or influential people, be as good as pouring half the rice out of a gourd to relieve the hunger of the poor? How can the building of a stately edifice to attract more guests, be as good as repairing a thatched hut to shelter the humble and the neglected?