從前有個叫龐太祖的人，不僅家財萬貫，子孫也很多，可以稱為財丁兩旺。不過，到了晚年，他卻被這些錢財折磨得無法安穩過日子。
原來他的兒子和孫子們，見龐太祖年老不中用，全都盤算著如何侵占家產。每個人都私下趕製各種武器，準備等龐太祖死後互相廝殺來搶奪財產。龐太祖知道後，非常害怕到時會家破人亡，人財兩空。
想來想去，他決定暗中雇用兩位挑夫，將所有的金銀挑去山上埋掉。沒想到挑夫們也是貪心的人，他們人在挑金銀，心裡卻是各自盤算要如何獨吞埋在山上的金銀。
有一天早上，瘦挑夫說：「每天這樣挑擔，實在很辛苦，你先上山，我去買些飯菜，來慰勞一下，好不好？」胖挑夫點頭同意。瘦挑夫買完酒菜後，又到藥店買毒藥，放進其中一碗飯菜裡，接著到山上。瘦挑夫把有毒的飯菜端給胖挑夫說：「早上都是你在挖坑，辛苦了，請多吃一些。」胖挑夫很餓，就將飯菜吃個精光。胖挑夫吃完說：「早上都是我在挖坑，現在你先挖，我休息一下就去幫忙。」瘦挑夫就拿起鋤頭去挖坑。
沒想到胖挑夫居然拿起扁擔，把瘦挑夫打死。胖挑夫正高興時，毒藥藥性發作，也一命嗚呼，這就叫做「人為財死！」，山上的鳥飛來吃兩位挑夫的軀體，吃到胖挑夫的鳥，也全部中毒死亡，這就叫做「鳥為食亡！」
There was once a man named Pang Tai-zu. He was very rich, and he had many children. Everyone knew how prosperous he was. However, as Pang Tai-zu grew old, he became worried, and he could not sleep at night.
This was because his children saw that he was getting old, and everyone wanted the family fortune for themselves. Everyone made weapons secretly, hoping to kill their brothers and keep all the gold for themselves. So, they waited for Pang Tai-zu to die so that they could take his gold. After learning this, Pang Tai-zu feared that his family would meet tragedy and lose their lives.
After thinking for a long time, Pang Tai-zu decided to secretly hire two bearers, to carry his gold deep into the mountains and bury it. But he did not know that the bearers were greedy people too. As they carried the gold, they thought of how to get rid of the other and take all the gold for himself.
One morning, the thin bearer said, “Carrying this gold up the mountain everyday is such hard work! Why don’t you go ahead, and I’ll buy some food for us?” The fat bearer nodded in agreement. After buying the food, the thin bearer went to buy some poison and poisoned the food. Then he went up the mountain to find the fat bearer. He gave the fat bearer the poisoned food and said, “You have been working all morning. You must be hungry. Have some food.” The fat bearer was very hungry indeed, and he ate all the food. Then, the fat bearer said, “I have been digging all morning. It’s your turn now. Let me rest a while. I will join you later.” The thin bearer nodded and started to dig.
Suddenly, the fat bearer used a wooden pole and beat the thin bearer to death. Before the fat bearer could rejoice, the poison in his food killed him too. The moral of this story is, “People die for money!” The birds in the mountain saw the bodies of the bearers and flew down to eat them. the birds who ate the poisoned bearer died too. This is why we say, “Birds die for food!”
