范元琰性情温和，为人善良，乡里皆称其德行高尚。一日，元琰于归途中，见一渔夫失足落水，呼救声急切。元琰不假思索，脱衣涉水，奋力将渔夫救起。渔夫感激涕零，欲以财物相谢，元琰却婉言拒绝，仅曰：“施恩不图报，此乃人之本分。”
又有一年，邻家庄稼遭灾，颗粒无收，众人愁眉不展。元琰闻之，倾尽家中储粮，分发给邻里，以解燃眉之急。有人劝他留些自用，以免日后匮乏，元琰笑答：“人有难时，当共渡难关，若我独善其身，岂非愧对天地？”
元琰虽生活清贫，但乐于助人，常为乡邻排忧解难。其善举传遍乡野，人人敬仰。后世之人提及此事，无不感慨：“范元琰虽无豪言壮语，然其行止可见大义，真君子也！”
翻译：
Fan Yuanran was a kind person. One day, he saw a fisherman fall into the water while returning home. The fisherman called for help urgently. Without hesitation, Fan Yuanran took off his clothes and waded into the water to save him. After being rescued, the fisherman was very grateful and wanted to give him some money as a reward. However, Fan Yuanran politely refused and said, "Helping others should not be done with the expectation of repayment; this is what people should do."
Another year, a neighboring family's crops were destroyed by disaster, leaving them without food. People were very worried. When Fan Yuanran heard about it, he gave all the grain in his house to his neighbors to help them through their difficulties. Someone advised him to keep some for himself so that he would not run out later. Fan Yuanran smiled and replied, "When others are in trouble, we should help each other. If I only think of myself, how can I face the world?"
Although Fan Yuanran lived a simple life, he was always ready to help others. He often helped villagers solve problems. His good deeds spread throughout the countryside, and everyone respected him. Later generations who heard about these stories couldn't help but sigh: "Even though Fan Yuanran didn't say much, his actions showed great virtue. He was truly a gentleman!"
