Hua Shu (化書)

道之委也，虛化神，神化氣，氣化形，形生而萬物所以塞也。道之用也，形化氣，氣化神，神化虛，虛明而萬物所以通也。是以古聖人窮通塞之端，得造化之源，忘形以養氣，忘氣以養神，忘神以養虛。虛實相通，是謂大同。故藏之為元精，用之為萬靈，含之為太一，放之為太清。是以坎離消長於一身，風雲發洩於七竅，真氣燻蒸而時無寒暑，純陽流注而民無死生，是謂神化之道者也。

The Dao (the word Laozi borrows for the origin of all things and the way they run, itself beyond naming) piles down: the void transforms into spirit, spirit transforms into qi (the flowing stuff that makes up and runs through all things), qi transforms into form, and once form is born, the myriad things are thereby clogged. When the Dao is put to work, form transforms into qi, qi transforms into spirit, spirit transforms into the void, and when the void is clear, the myriad things are thereby open and connected. So the sages of old searched out the beginnings of openness and blockage and found the source of creation: they forgot form to nourish qi, forgot qi to nourish spirit, and forgot spirit to nourish the void. When void and solid interpenetrate, this is called the Great Sameness. So when stored away it is the primal essence, when put to use it is the ten thousand numinous powers, when held in it is the Supreme One, and when released it is the Supreme Clarity. Thus kan and li wax and wane within a single body, wind and cloud issue from the seven orifices, true qi steams and rises so that the four seasons have no cold or heat, and pure yang flows and pours so that the people have neither death nor birth; this is called the Way of spirit transformation.

蛇化為龜，雀化為蛤。彼忽然忘曲屈之狀，而得蹣跚之質；此倏然失飛鳴之態，而得介甲之體。斫削不能加其功，繩尺不能定其象，何化之速也。且夫當空團塊，見塊而不見空；粉塊求空，見空而不見塊。形無妨而人自妨之，物無滯而人自滯之，悲哉！

A snake turns into a tortoise, and a sparrow turns into a clam. The snake suddenly forgets its coiling shape and gains the body of a waddling crawler; the sparrow in a moment loses its flying and singing posture and gains a shelled body. Knives and axes can no longer work on them, and cords and rulers can no longer fix their forms; how swift the change! Pack emptiness into a lump, and you see the lump and not the emptiness; grind the lump into powder to seek emptiness, and you see the emptiness and not the lump. Form was never an obstacle; people obstruct themselves. Things were never stagnant; people stagnate themselves. How sad!

老楓化為羽人，朽麥化為蝴蝶，自無情而之有情也。賢女化為貞石，山蚯化為百合，自有情而之無情也。是故土木金石，皆有情性精魄。虛無所不至，神無所不通，氣無所不同，形無所不類。孰為彼，孰為我？孰為有識，孰為無識？萬物，一物也；萬神，一神也，斯道之至矣。

An old maple turns into a feathered immortal, and rotten wheat turns into a butterfly: from the insentient to the sentient. A virtuous woman turns into a chaste stone, and a mountain earthworm turns into a lily: from the sentient to the insentient. So earth, wood, metal and stone all have feeling, nature, essence and soul. The void reaches everywhere, spirit connects everywhere, qi is the same everywhere, and form resembles everywhere. Which is that, and which is I? Which has awareness, and which has none? The myriad things are one thing, and the myriad spirits are one spirit; this is the utmost of the Dao.

目所不見，設明鏡而見之；耳所不聞，設虛器而聞之。精神在我，視聽在彼。跰趾可以割，陷吻可以補，則是耳目可以妄設，形容可以偽置。既假又假，既惑又惑。所以知魂魄魅我，血氣醉我，七竅囚我，五根役我。惟神之有形，由形之有疣。苟無其疣，何所不可？

What the eyes cannot see, set a bright mirror and one can see; what the ears cannot hear, set an empty vessel and one can hear. The spirit is in me, but the seeing and hearing are in the vessel. Webbed toes can be cut apart, and a sunken lip can be filled in, which shows that ears and eyes can be set up falsely and appearances can be faked. False upon false, bewildered upon bewildered. So I know that my soul and spirit are bewitching me, my blood and breath are intoxicating me, my seven orifices are imprisoning me, and my five roots are driving me. That spirit has a form is like a wart growing on the body. If there were no wart, what would be wrong with that?

作環舞者宮室皆轉，瞰迴流者頭目自旋。非宮室之幻惑也，而人自惑之；非迴流之改變也，而人自變之。是故粉巾為兔，藥石為馬，而人不疑；甘言巧笑，圖臉畫眉，而人不知。唯清靜者，物不能欺。

One who dances in a circle feels the halls and rooms all spinning; one who looks down at a whirlpool feels his own head and eyes revolving. It is not the halls that bewilder, it is the person who is bewildered; it is not the whirlpool that changes, it is the person who has changed. So when a powder cloth is turned into a rabbit, or medicinal stones into a horse, people do not doubt it; yet honeyed words and sweet smiles, painted faces and drawn eyebrows, people do not even notice. Only the person of purity and stillness cannot be deceived by things.

術有火練鉛丹以代穀食者，其必然也。然歲豐則能飽，歲儉則能飢，是非丹之恩，蓋由人之誠也。則是我本不飢而自飢之，丹本不飽而自飽之。飢者大妄，飽者大幻，蓋不齊其道也。故人能一有無，一死生，一情性，一內外，則可以蛻五行、脫三光，何患乎一日百食，何慮乎百日一食。

There is a certain art that uses fire-refined lead cinnabar in place of grain, and it sounds as if it must work. Yet in a bountiful year one eats one's fill, and in a lean year one goes hungry; this is not the cinnabar's kindness but depends on people's sincerity. So I was not hungry to begin with but made myself hungry, and the cinnabar was not filling to begin with but I made myself full. Hunger is a great delusion and fullness is a great illusion, because the Dao has no uniformity. So if a person can see being and non-being as one, death and life as one, feeling and nature as one, and inner and outer as one, he can shed the five phases of the world and slip free of the three lights; why worry about eating a hundred meals a day, or fret over eating one meal in a hundred days?

以一鏡照形，以餘鏡照影。鏡鏡相照，影影相傳，不變冠劍之狀，不奪黼黻之色。是形也與影無殊，是影也與形無異。乃知形以非實，影以非虛，無實無虛，可與道俱。

Use one mirror to reflect the form, and use the other mirrors to reflect the image. Mirrors reflect one another and images pass along to one another, without changing the shape of the cap and sword and without taking away the color of the embroidered robes. This form and image have no distinction, and this image and form have no difference. So one comes to know that form is not real and image is not unreal; with neither real nor unreal, one can be together with the Dao.

物有善於蟄藏者，或可以御大寒，或可以去大飢，或可以萬歲不死。以其心冥冥兮無所知，神怡怡兮無所之，氣熙熙無所為。萬慮不能惑，求死不可得。是以大人體物知身，體身知神，體神知真，是謂吉人之津。

There are creatures good at hibernating, which may withstand great cold, or do away with great hunger, or live ten thousand years without dying. This is because their hearts are dim and know nothing, their spirits are placid and have nowhere to go, and their qi is serene and does nothing. Ten thousand worries cannot confuse them, and even seeking death one cannot find it. So the great person studies things and knows the body, studies the body and knows the spirit, studies the spirit and knows the true, and this is called the ferry of the fortunate.

梟夜明而晝昏，雞晝明而夜昏，其異同也如是。或謂梟為異，則謂雞為同；或謂雞為異，則謂梟為同。孰梟雞之異晝夜乎？晝夜之異梟雞乎？孰晝夜之同梟雞乎？梟雞之同晝夜乎？夫耳中磬，我自聞；目中花，我自見。我之晝夜，彼之晝夜，則是晝不得謂之明，夜不得謂之昏。能齊昏明者，其唯大人乎！

An owl sees well at night and is dim by day, while a chicken sees well by day and is dim at night; this is how they differ and agree. Some say the owl is the odd one and the chicken is the normal one; others say the chicken is the odd one and the owl is the normal one. Is it the owl and the chicken that make day and night different, or day and night that make the owl and the chicken different? Is it day and night that make the owl and the chicken alike, or the owl and the chicken that make day and night alike? The chime in the ear is something I hear myself; the flowers in the eye are something I see myself. My day and night are their day and night, so day cannot be called bright and night cannot be called dim. Only the great person, I suppose, can make dimness and brightness one!

小人常有四鏡：一名璧，一名珠，一名砥，一名盂。璧視者大，珠視者小，砥視者正，盂視者倒。觀彼之器，察我之形，由是無大小、無長短、無妍醜、無美惡。所以知形氣謟我，精魄賊我，奸臣貴我，禮樂尊我。是故心不得為之君，王不得為之主。戒之如火，防之如虎。純儉不可襲，清靜（宋本：淨）不可侮，然後可以跡容廣而躋三五。

The petty person always has four mirrors: one called the jade disk, one called the pearl, one called the whetstone, and one called the bowl. Seen in the disk, he looks large; seen in the pearl, he looks small; seen in the whetstone, he looks upright; seen in the bowl, he looks upside down. Looking at those vessels and examining my own form, there is from this no large or small, no long or short, no beauty or ugliness, no good or evil. So I know that form and qi are flattering me, essence and soul are plotting against me, treacherous ministers are elevating me, and ritual and music are honoring me. So the heart cannot be its own ruler, and a king cannot be its master. Guard against it as against fire, and beware of it as of a tiger. Pure frugality cannot be encroached on, and purity and stillness (the Song edition has "净") cannot be insulted; only then can one's traces be allowed to be broad, and one can take one's place beside the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

射似虎者，見虎而不見石；斬暴蛟者，見蛟而不見水。是知萬物可以虛，我身可以無。以我之無，合彼之虛。自然可以隱，可以顯，可以死，可以生而無所拘。夫空中之塵若飛雪，而目未嘗見；穴中之蟻若牛鬥，而耳未嘗聞，況非見聞者乎！

One who shoots at a stone that looks like a tiger sees the tiger and does not see the stone; one who slays a fierce flood-dragon sees the dragon and does not see the water. From this we know the myriad things can be empty and my body can be nothing. Take my nothingness and join it to the emptiness of things, and naturally (ziran: "of itself so, as it has always been," not "nature" in the sense of the outdoors) one can hide, can appear, can die, can live, and be without hindrance. Dust in the air is like flying snow, yet the eyes have never seen it; ants in a hole are like oxen fighting, yet the ears have never heard it; how much less what was never seen or heard to begin with!

龍化虎變，可以蹈虛空，虛空非無也；可以貫金石，金石非有也。有無相通，物我相同。其生非始，其死非終。知此道者，形不可得斃，神不可得逝。

Dragons transform and tigers change; one can tread on the void, and the void is not nothing; one can pass through metal and stone, and metal and stone are not something. Being and non-being interpenetrate, and things and I are the same. Birth is not a beginning, and death is not an ending. One who knows this Dao cannot have his form killed, and cannot have his spirit extinguished.

遊雲無質，故五色舍焉；明鏡無瑕，故萬物象焉。謂水之含天也，必天之含水也。夫百步之外，鏡則見人，人不見影，斯為驗也。是知太虛之中無所不有，萬耀之內無所不見。則世人且知心仰寥廓，而不知跡處虛空。寥廓無所間，神明且不遠。是以君子常正其心，常儼其容。則可以游泳於寥廓，交友于神明而無咎也。

Drifting clouds have no substance, so the five colors dwell in them; a bright mirror has no flaw, so the myriad things take shape upon it. If one says water contains the sky, then surely the sky also contains water. A hundred paces away, a mirror can reflect a person, yet that person cannot see his own reflection; this is the proof. From this we know that within the Great Void there is nothing that is not present, and within the myriad brilliances there is nothing that is not seen. People only know that the heart gazes up at the vast expanse, but do not know that their own traces are right in the void. The vast expanse has no partition, and spirit and illumination are not far. So the noble person always keeps his heart upright and his bearing solemn, and can then swim in the vast expanse and befriend the spirits without blame.

有言臭腐之狀，則輒有所噦；聞珍羞之名，則妄有所咽。臭腐瞭然虛，珍羞必然無，而噦不能止，咽不能已。有懼菽醬若蝤蠐者，有愛鮑魚若鳳膏者。知此理者，可以齊奢儉，外榮辱，黜是非，忘禍福。

Some people, the moment they hear of something rotten and stinking, at once want to retch; on hearing the name of a delicacy, they swallow saliva out of nowhere. The rot is plainly unreal and the delicacy surely absent, yet the retching cannot be stopped and the swallowing cannot cease. Some fear bean paste as they fear grubs, and some love salted fish as they love phoenix marrow. One who understands this principle can make extravagance and frugality one, put honor and disgrace outside himself, dismiss right and wrong, and forget misfortune and fortune.

虛化神，神化氣，氣化形，形化精，精化顧盼，而顧盼化揖讓，揖讓化升降，升降化尊卑，尊卑化分別，分別化冠冕，冠冕化車輅，車輅化宮室，宮室化掖衛，掖衛化燕享，燕享化奢蕩，奢蕩化聚斂，聚斂化欺罔，欺罔化刑戮，刑戮化悖亂，悖亂化甲兵，甲兵化爭奪，爭奪化敗亡。其來也勢不可遏，其去也力不可拔。是以大人以道德游泳之，以仁義漁獵之，以刑禮籠罩之，蓋保其國家而護其富貴也。故道德有所不實，仁義有所不至，刑禮有所不足，是教民為奸詐，使民為淫邪，化民為悖逆，驅民為盜賊。上昏昏然不知其弊，下恍恍然不知其病，其何以救之哉！

The void transforms into spirit, spirit into qi, qi into form, form into essence, essence into glances, glances into bows and yielding, bows and yielding into ascending and descending, ascending and descending into high and low rank, high and low rank into distinctions, distinctions into caps and crowns, caps and crowns into carriages, carriages into palaces, palaces into attendants and guards, attendants and guards into banquets, banquets into extravagance, extravagance into hoarding and extortion, hoarding and extortion into deceit, deceit into executions, executions into rebellion, rebellion into armies, armies into struggle and plunder, and struggle and plunder into defeat and ruin. When it comes, its momentum cannot be checked; when it goes, its strength cannot be pulled out. So the great person swims within it with the Way and its virtue, hunts with benevolence and righteousness, and casts a net over it with punishment and ritual, in order to preserve the state and protect wealth and rank. But the Way and virtue have places where they do not take hold, benevolence and righteousness have places they cannot reach, and punishment and ritual fall short somewhere; this teaches the people deceit, makes them licentious, transforms them into rebels, and drives them into banditry. Above, they are dim and do not know the ill; below, they are dazed and do not know the sickness; with what can one save them!

世人皆知莧菹可以剖鱉，而不知朱草可以剖人。小人由是知神可以分，氣可以泮，形可以散。散而為萬，不謂之有餘；聚而為一，不謂之不足。若狂風飄發，魂魄夢飛；屐齒斷蚓，首尾皆動。夫何故？太虛，一虛也；太神，一神也；太氣，一氣也；太形，一形也。命之則四，根之則一。守之不得，舍之不失，是謂正一。

People in the world all know that pickled amaranth can cut open a soft-shelled turtle, but do not know that the vermilion herb can cut open a person. From this the petty person knows that spirit can be divided, qi can be dissolved, and form can be scattered. Scattered into ten thousand, it is not called surplus; gathered into one, it is not called deficiency. As when a wild wind suddenly rises, the soul flies in dreams; as when a clog's tooth cuts an earthworm, head and tail still move. Why? The Great Void is one void, the Great Spirit is one spirit, the Great Qi is one qi, and the Great Form is one form. Name them and they are four; trace them to the root and they are one. One cannot hold on to it and cannot let go of it; this is called the Correct One.

天地盜太虛生，人蟲盜天地生，營（右蟲旁）虰盜人蟲生。營虰者，腸中之蟲也，搏（有口旁）我精氣，鑠我魂魄，盜我滋味，而有其生。有以見我之必死，所以知天之必頹。天其頹乎，我將安有；我其死乎，營虰將安守？所謂奸臣盜國，國破則家亡；蠹蟲蝕木，木盡則蟲死。是以大人錄精氣，藏魂魄，薄滋味，禁嗜慾，外富貴。雖天地老而我不傾，營虰死而我長生，奸臣去而國太平。

Heaven and Earth live by stealing from the Great Void, human parasites live by stealing from Heaven and Earth, and the ying-hong worms (the base text notes that the first character has the insect radical on its right side) live by stealing from human parasites. The ying-hong is a worm in the intestines; it sucks (the base text's "搏" is annotated as having a mouth radical) my vital essence, wears down my soul, steals my flavors, and so lives. From this one can see I will surely die, and so know Heaven must collapse. If Heaven collapses, what will I have left; if I die, what will the ying-hong have to hold on to? As the saying goes, a treacherous minister steals the state, and when the state falls the family is lost; a wood-boring worm eats the tree, and when the tree is gone the worm dies. So the great person gathers in his vital essence, stores away his soul, lets his tastes grow plain, forbids his appetites, and puts wealth and rank outside himself. Even when Heaven and Earth grow old I will not topple; when the ying-hong dies I will live long; when the treacherous minister is removed the state will be at peace.

稚子弄影，不知為影所弄；狂夫侮像，不知為像所侮。化家者不知為家所化，化國者不知為國所化，化天下者不知為天下所化。三皇，有道者也，不知其道化為五帝之德。五帝，有德者也，不知其德化為三王之仁義。三王，有仁義者也，不知其仁義化為秦漢之戰爭。醉者負醉，疥者療疥，其勢彌顛，其病彌篤，而無反者也。

A child plays with his shadow and does not know he is being played with by the shadow; a madman insults a divine image and does not know he is being insulted by the image. One who transforms a household does not know he is transformed by the household; one who transforms a state does not know he is transformed by the state; one who transforms the world does not know he is transformed by the world. The Three Sovereigns were people with the Way, and they did not know that their Way would be transformed into the de of the Five Emperors (de: the capacity a thing shows when the Way takes concrete shape, not virtue in the moral sense). The Five Emperors were people with de, and they did not know that their de would be transformed into the benevolence and righteousness of the Three Kings. The Three Kings were people of benevolence and righteousness, and they did not know that their benevolence and righteousness would be transformed into the wars of Qin and Han. The drunk still carries the drunk on his back, and the one with scabies still goes to treat scabies; the more the momentum topples, the worse the illness, yet no one turns back.

陽燧召火，方諸召水，感激之道，斯不遠矣。高視者強，低視者賊；斜視者狡，平視者仁；張視者怒，細視者佞；遠視者智，近視者拙；外視者昏，內視者明。是故載我者身，用我者神，用神合真，可以長存。

A burning mirror can summon fire and a moon mirror can summon water; the principle of resonance and stirring is not far off. One who looks up is strong, one who looks down is a thief; one who looks sidelong is cunning, one who looks level is benevolent; one who stares wide is angry, one who squints is flattering; one who looks far is wise, one who looks near is clumsy; one who looks outward is dim, one who looks inward is clear. So what carries me is the body, what uses me is the spirit, and by using spirit to join with the true one can last long.

虛化神，神化氣，氣化血，血化形，形化嬰，嬰化童，童化少，少化壯，壯化老，老化死。死復化為虛，虛復化為神，神復化為氣，氣復化為物。化化不間，由環之無窮。夫萬物非欲生，不得不生；萬物非欲死，不得不死。達此理者虛而乳之，神可以不化，形可以不生。

The void transforms into spirit, spirit into qi, qi into blood, blood into form, form into an infant, the infant into a child, the child into a youth, the youth into a prime adult, the prime adult into an elder, and old age into death. Death again transforms into the void, the void again into spirit, spirit again into qi, and qi again into things. Between one transformation and the next there is no break, like a ring with no end. The myriad things do not wish to be born, but cannot help being born; the myriad things do not wish to die, but cannot help dying. One who understands this principle keeps to the void and nurtures it, so that spirit need not transform and form need not be born.

爪發者，我之形。何爪可割而無害，發可截而無痛？蓋榮衛所不至也。則是我本無害而筋骨為之害，我本無痛而血肉為之痛。所以知喜怒非我作，哀樂非我動，我為形所昧，形為我所愛。達此理者，可以出生死之外。

Nails and hair are my form. Why can the nails be cut without harm and the hair trimmed without pain? Because the circulating blood and defensive qi do not reach there. So I was never harmed to begin with; it is the sinews and bones that cause the harm. I was never pained to begin with; it is the blood and flesh that cause the pain. So I know that joy and anger are not made by me, and sorrow and delight are not stirred by me; I am darkened by form, and form is cherished by me. One who understands this principle can go beyond life and death.

太上者，虛無之神也；天地者，陰陽之神也；人蟲者，血肉之神也。其同者神，其異者形。是故形不靈而氣靈，語不靈而聲靈，覺不靈而夢靈，生不靈而死靈。水至清而結冰不清，神至明而結形不明。水泮返清，形散返明。能知真死者，可以遊太上之京。

The Supreme is the spirit of the void and nothingness; Heaven and Earth are the spirit of yin and yang; human parasites are the spirit of blood and flesh. What is the same is the spirit, and what differs is the form. So form is not numinous but qi is numinous, speech is not numinous but sound is numinous, waking is not numinous but dreaming is numinous, life is not numinous but death is numinous. Water is utterly clear, but frozen into ice it is not clear; spirit is utterly bright, but congealed into form it is not bright. When ice thaws, it returns to clarity; when form scatters, it returns to brightness. One who knows what true death is can roam in the capital of the Supreme.

牝牡之道，龜龜相顧，神交也；鶴鶴相唳，氣交也。蓋由情愛相接，所以神氣可交也。是故大人大其道以合天地，廓其心以符至真，融其氣以生萬物，和其神以接兆民。我心熙熙，民心怡怡。心怡怡兮不知其所思，形惚惚兮不知其所為。若一氣之和合，若一神之混同，若一聲之哀樂，若一形之窮通。安用旌旗，安用金鼓，安用賞罰，安用行伍？斯可以將天下之兵，滅天下之敵。是謂神交之道也。

The way of female and male: when tortoises look at each other, it is a meeting of spirits; when cranes call to each other, it is a meeting of qi. Because affection connects them, spirit and qi can meet. So the great person broadens his Way to join Heaven and Earth, opens his heart to tally with the ultimate truth, harmonizes his qi to give birth to the myriad things, and attunes his spirit to meet the multitudes. My heart is joyful and the people's hearts are glad. Hearts glad, and one does not know what one is thinking; forms dim, and one does not know what one is doing. Like the harmony of a single qi, the blending of a single spirit, the sorrow and joy of a single voice, the hardship and success of a single body. What need then for banners, what need for gongs and drums, what need for rewards and punishments, what need for ranks and files? In this way one can lead the soldiers of the world and wipe out the enemies of the world. This is called the way of the meeting of spirits.

虛化神，神化氣，氣化形，形氣相乘而成聲。耳非聽聲也，而聲自投之；谷非應響也，而響自滿之。耳，小竅也；谷，大竅也。山澤，小谷也；天地，大谷也。一竅鳴，萬竅皆鳴；一谷聞，萬谷皆聞。聲道氣，氣道神，神道虛；虛含神，神含氣，氣含聲。聲氣形相道相含，雖秋蚊之翾翾，蒼蠅之營營，無所不至也。由此知之，雖絲毫之慮，必有所察；雖啾嚓之言，必有所聞。唯大人之機，天地莫能見，陰陽莫能知，鬼神莫能窺。夫何故？道德仁義之所為。

The void transforms into spirit, spirit into qi, qi into form, and when form and qi ride on each other, sound results. The ear does not go out to listen for sound; the sound throws itself in. The valley does not go out to answer with an echo; the echo fills itself in. The ear is a small orifice and the valley a large orifice; mountains and marshes are small valleys, and Heaven and Earth are the great valley. When one orifice sounds, ten thousand orifices all sound; when one valley hears, ten thousand valleys all hear. Sound leads to qi, qi leads to spirit, and spirit leads to the void; the void contains spirit, spirit contains qi, and qi contains sound. Sound, qi and form lead to one another and contain one another, so even an autumn mosquito's fluttering flight or a fly's buzzing reaches everywhere. From this we know that even the slightest thought is surely noticed, and even whispered words are surely heard. Only the great person's trigger cannot be seen by Heaven and Earth, cannot be known by yin and yang, and cannot be peeked at by ghosts and spirits. Why? Because it is done by the Way, its virtue, benevolence and righteousness.

雲龍風虎，得神氣之道者也。神由母也，氣由子也，以神召氣，以母召子，孰敢不至也？夫蕩穢者，必召五帝之氣，苟召不至，穢何以蕩？伏虺者，必役五星之精，苟役不至，虺何以伏？小人由是知陰陽可以作，風雲可以會，山陵可以拔，江海可以覆。然召之於外，不如守之於內，然後用之於外，則無所不可。

Clouds follow dragons and wind follows tigers, and this comes from obtaining the way of spirit and qi. Spirit is the mother and qi is the child; use spirit to summon qi, use the mother to summon the child, and who would dare not come? One who sweeps away foulness will surely summon the qi of the Five Emperors; if it cannot be summoned, with what would he sweep away the foulness? One who subdues venomous snakes will surely command the essence of the five stars; if it cannot be commanded, with what would he subdue the vipers? From this the petty person knows that yin and yang can be manipulated, wind and clouds can be brought together, mountains and hills can be pulled up, and rivers and seas can be overturned. But summoning outward is not as good as holding within, and then, applied to the outside, there is nothing that cannot be done.

猛虎行，草木偃；毒鴆怒，土石揭。威之所爍，氣之所搏，頑嚚為之作。小人由是知鋏可使之飛,山河可使之移，萬物可使之相隨。夫神全則威大，精全則氣雄。萬惑不能溺，萬物可以役。是故一人所以能敵萬人者，非弓刀之技，蓋威之至也；一人所以能悅萬人者，非言笑之惠，蓋和之至也。

When a fierce tiger walks, the grass and trees all fall flat; when a poisonous bird rages, earth and stones are all thrown up. What is scorched by its awe and struck by its qi, even the dull and obstinate are stirred into motion. From this the petty person knows that a long sword can be made to fly, mountains and rivers can be made to move, and the myriad things can be made to follow. When spirit is whole, awe is great; when essence is whole, qi is mighty. Ten thousand deceptions cannot drown it, and the myriad things can all be commanded. So that one person can face ten thousand is not the skill of bow and blade but awe at its utmost; that one person can please ten thousand is not the kindness of words and smiles but harmony at its utmost.

蟲之無足：蛇能屈曲，蛭能掬蹙，蝸牛能蓄縮。小人所以見其機，由是得其師，可以坐致萬里而不馳。是故足行者有所不達，翼飛者有所不至，目視者有所不見，耳聽者有所不聞。夫何故？彼知形而不知神，此知神而不知形。以形用神則亡，以神用形則康。

Among legless creatures: the snake can coil and bend, the leech can cup its body and inch along, and the snail can retract and shrink. The petty person sees this trigger and from it gains a model, so that he can reach ten thousand li while sitting, without running. So what one walks to with the feet has places it cannot reach, what one flies to with wings has places it cannot arrive at, what one sees with the eyes has things unseen, and what one hears with the ears has things unheard. Why? Those people know form but do not know spirit, while these people know spirit but do not know form. Using form to use spirit leads to ruin; using spirit to use form leads to wellbeing.

水竇可以下溺，杵糠可以療噎。斯物也，始制於人，又複用於人。法本無祖，術本無狀，師之於心，得之於象。陽為陰所伏，男為女所制，剛為柔所克，智為愚所得。以是用之，則鐘鼓可使之啞，車轂可是之鬥，妻子可使之改易，君臣可使之離合。萬物本虛，萬法本無，得虛無之竅者，知法術之要乎！

A water hole can let a drowning person go down, and pounding chaff can cure choking. These things were first made by people and later used on people. The art never had an ancestor and the technique never had a shape; one models it from the heart and gets it from images. Yang is subdued by yin, the male is controlled by the female, the hard is overcome by the soft, and the clever is bested by the foolish. Using this, bells and drums can be made mute, cart hubs can be made to fight (the base text reads "可是之斗"; "是" should read "使"), a wife can be made to change, and ruler and ministers can be made to part or unite. The myriad things are empty to begin with, and the myriad methods are nothing to begin with; only one who has the orifice of emptiness and nothingness knows the essentials of the arts, I suppose!

魍魎附巫祭言禍福事，每來則飲食言語皆神，每去則飲食言語皆人。不知魍魎之附巫祭也，不知巫祭之附魍魎也。小人由是知心可以交，氣可以易，神可以奪，魄可以錄。形為神之宮，神為形之容。以是論之，何所不可？

A wang-liang spirit attaches itself to a shaman and speaks of misfortune and fortune; each time it comes, the eating, drinking and speech are like a god's, and each time it leaves, they are like a human's. One cannot tell whether the spirit attaches itself to the shaman or the shaman attaches himself to the spirit. From this the petty person knows that hearts can be exchanged, qi can be altered, spirit can be seized, and the soul can be registered. Form is the palace of spirit, and spirit is the countenance of form. Discussed on this basis, what is not possible?

鬼之神可以御，龍之變可以役，蛇虺可以不能螫，戈矛可以不能擊。唯無心者火不能燒，水不能溺，兵刃不能加，天命不能死。其何故？志於樂者猶忘飢，志於憂者猶忘痛，志於虛無者可以忘生死。

The spirit of ghosts can be driven, the transformations of dragons can be commanded, snakes and vipers can be made unable to sting, and spears and halberds can be made unable to strike. Only one without a heart for it cannot be burned by fire, drowned by water, or struck by weapons, and cannot be made to die by the decree of Heaven. Why? One whose aim is in joy can forget hunger, one whose aim is in sorrow can forget pain, and one whose aim is in emptiness and nothingness can forget life and death.

方咫之木置於地之上，使人蹈之而有餘。方尺之木置於竿之端，使人踞之而不足。非物有小大，蓋心有虛實。是故冒大暑而撓者愈熱，受灸灼而懼者愈痛。人無常心，物無常性。小人由是知水可使不溼，火可使不燥。

A plank only a cun or two square, laid on the ground, feels more than ample to stand on; a plank one chi square, set on top of a pole, feels too small to crouch on. It is not that things are large or small, but that hearts are empty or full. So one who is still restless in the great summer heat grows hotter, and one who still fears moxibustion burning feels more pain. People have no constant heart, and things have no constant nature. From this the petty person knows that water can be made not to wet, and fire can be made not to scorch.

狐狸之怪，雀鼠之魅，不能幻明鏡之鑑者，明鏡無心之故也。是以虛空無心而無所不知，昊天無心無萬象自馳，行師無狀而敵不敢欺，大人無慮而元精自歸，能師於無者，無所不之。

The weirdness of foxes and the sorcery of sparrows and rats cannot change what a bright mirror reflects, because the bright mirror has no mind of its own. So emptiness has no mind and yet knows everything; the vast heavens have no mind and yet the myriad phenomena race along of themselves (in the base text the wording is “without the myriad phenomena,” and one reading holds that “without” should be “and”); a marching army has no fixed shape, so the enemy dares not deceive it; the great person has no anxious thoughts, so the primal essence returns of itself. One who can take nothingness as his teacher reaches everywhere.

轉萬斛之舟者，由一尋之木；發千鈞之弩者，由一寸之機。一目可以觀大天，一人可以君兆民。太虛茫茫而有涯，太上浩浩而有象。得天地之綱，知陰陽之房，見精神之藏，則數可以奪，命可以活，天地可以反覆。

What turns a great ship of ten thousand bushels is a rudder only a fathom long; what looses a crossbow of a thousand catties is a trigger only an inch long. One eye can watch the great heavens, and one person can rule over the myriad people. The Great Void is boundless yet has limits, and the Supreme is vast yet has form. One who gets hold of the cords of heaven and earth, knows the chambers of yin and yang, and sees the storehouse of the spirit can seize the numbers of fate, rescue a life, and reverse heaven and earth.

至淫者化為婦人，至暴者化為猛虎，心之所變，不得不變。是故樂者其形和，喜者其形逸，怒者其形剛，憂者其形戚。斯亦變化之道也。小人由是知顧六尺之軀，可以為龍蛇，可以為金石，可以為艹木。大哉斯言！

A person of extreme lewdness turns into a woman, and a person of extreme violence turns into a fierce tiger; what the mind transforms, one cannot help but be transformed. So the person who is joyful has a harmonious form, the one who is glad has an easy form, the one who is angry has a hard form, and the one who is sorrowful has a grieving form. This too is the way of transformation. From this the petty person learns to look after this six-foot body, which can turn into a dragon or snake, into gold or stone, or into grass and trees (the base text has a variant form of the character for “grass”). How grand these words are!

悲則雨淚，辛則雨涕；憤則結癭，怒則結疽。心之所欲，氣之所屬，無所不育。邪苟為此，正必為彼。是以大人節悲辛，誡憤怒；得灝氣之門，所以收其根；知元神之囊，所以韜其光；若蚌內守，若石內藏，所以為珠玉之房。

Grief makes tears fall and pungency makes nasal fluid flow; resentment forms goiters and anger forms carbuncles. What the mind desires and to which the breath turns, nothing fails to be produced. If the crooked can make this, the upright surely can make that. So the great person controls grief and pungency and guards against resentment and anger; getting hold of the gate of the vast primal breath, he gathers in its root; knowing the pouch of the primal spirit, he conceals its light; like a clam guarding within, like a stone storing within, he becomes the chamber of pearls and jade.

夫蠮螉之蟲，孕螟蛉之子，傳其情，交其精，混其氣，和其神。隨物大小，俱得其真。蠢動無定情，萬物無定形。小人由是知馬可使之飛，魚可使之馳，土木偶可使之有知，嬰兒似乳母，斯道不遠矣。

The mud wasp takes the offspring of the caterpillar as its own, passing on its feelings to it, mingling its essence, blending its breath, and uniting its spirit. According to the size of the creature, each obtains its true form. Crawling creatures have no fixed feelings, and the myriad things have no fixed forms. From this the petty person learns that a horse can be made to fly, a fish can be made to run, and a clay or wooden puppet can be made to have awareness. An infant comes to resemble its wet nurse; this Way is not far off.

胡夫而越婦，其子髯面而矬足；蠻夫而羌婦，其子抝鼻而昂首。梨接桃而本強者其實毛，梅接杏而本強者其實甘。以陰孕陽，以柔孕剛，以曲孕直，以短孕長，以大孕小，以圓孕方，以水孕火，以丹孕黃。小人由是知可以為金石，可以為珠玉，可以為異類，可以為怪狀，造化之道也。

When a man of the northern barbarian lands marries a woman of Yue, the child has a beard on the face but short legs; when a man of the southern tribes marries a woman of the Qiang, the child has a crooked nose and holds the head high. When a pear is grafted onto a peach with a strong stock, the fruit is furry; when a plum is grafted onto an apricot with a strong stock, the fruit is sweet. With yin one impregnates yang, with the soft the hard, with the curved the straight, with the short the long, with the large the small, with the round the square, with water fire, with cinnabar yellow. From this the petty person learns that one can make gold and stone, make pearls and jade, make strange kinds, and make odd shapes; this is the way of creation and transformation.

陰陽相搏，不根而生芝菌；燥溼相育，不母而生蝤蠐。是故世人體陰陽而根之，斆燥溼而母之，無不濟者。小人由是知陶煉五行，火之道也；流行無窮，水之道也；八卦環轉，天地之道也；神物乃生，變化之道也。是以君子體物而知身，體身而知道。夫大人之道幽且微，則不知其孰是孰非。

When yin and yang strike against each other, with no root, there grow mushrooms; when dryness and moisture nurture each other, with no mother, there are grubs. So when people observe yin and yang to serve as roots for it, and imitate dryness and moisture to serve as mothers for it, nothing fails to work. From this the petty person learns that smelting the five phases is the way of fire, circulating without end is the way of water, the eight trigrams turning in a circle is the way of heaven and earth, and spiritual things thereupon coming forth is the way of change and transformation. So the gentleman observes things and knows the body, observes the body and knows the Way. The Way of the great person is deep and subtle, so that one cannot tell which is right and which is wrong.

海魚有以蝦為目者，人皆笑之。殊不知古人以囊螢為燈者，又不知晝非日之光則不能馳，夜非燭之明則有所欺。觀傀儡之假而不自疑，嗟明友之逝而不自悲，賢興愚莫知，唯抱純白、養太玄者，不入其機。

Among the fish of the sea there is one that uses a shrimp as its eyes, and people laugh at it. They do not know that the ancients packed fireflies in bags to serve as lamps, nor that without the light of the sun by day one cannot run, and without the brightness of a candle by night one is deceived. People watch a puppet's falseness without doubting themselves, and sigh over a friend's passing without grieving for themselves; no one knows the worthy from the foolish. Only one who embraces pure white and nurtures the Great Mystery (the profound and unfathomable) does not fall into that trap.

磵松所以能凌霜者，藏正氣也；美玉所以能犯火者，蓄至精也。是以大人晝運靈旗，夜錄神芝（宋本、元本作：晝運生靈，夜錄神鬼），覺所不覺，思所不思，可以冬御風而不寒，夏御火而不熱。故君子藏正氣者，可以遠鬼神、伏奸佞；蓄至精者，可以福生靈、保富壽。夫何為？多少之故也。

The pine by the mountain stream can brave the frost because it stores upright energy; fine jade can withstand fire because it holds supreme essence. So the great person by day moves the spirit banner and by night records the divine fungus (the Song and Yuan editions read “by day moves living spirits, by night records spirits and ghosts”); he perceives what others do not perceive and thinks what others do not think, so that in winter he can ride the wind and not be cold, and in summer he can drive the fire and not be hot. So the gentleman who stores upright energy can keep far from ghosts and spirits and subdue the treacherous and flattering; one who holds supreme essence can bless living beings and secure wealth and longevity. By what means? Merely by the amount.

動靜相磨，所以化火也；燥溼相蒸，所以化水也；水火相勃，所以化雲也；湯盎投井，所以化雹也；飲水雨日，所以化虹霓也。小人，由是知陰陽可以召，五行可以役，天地可以別構，日月可以我作。有聞是言者，必將以為誕。夫民之形也，頭圓而足方，上動而下靜，五行運於內，二曜明於外。斯亦別構之道也。

Movement and stillness rub against each other and so transform into fire; dryness and moisture steam each other and so transform into water; water and fire stir each other and so transform into clouds; a basin of hot soup thrown into a well transforms into hail; water that has been drunk and sprayed toward rain and sun transforms into a rainbow. From this the petty person learns that yin and yang can be summoned, the five phases can be commanded, heaven and earth can be built anew, and the sun and moon can be made by me. Whoever hears these words will surely take them as absurd. Yet the human form has a round head and square feet, moves above and is still below, has the five phases circulating within and the sun and moon shining without; this too is the principle of building anew.

操琴瑟之音，則翛然而閒；奏鄧衛之音，則樂然而逸；碎瓴甓之音，則背膂凜森；撾鼓鼙之音，則鴻毛躑躅，其感激之道也如是。以其和也，召陽氣，化融風，生萬物也。其不和也，作陰氣，化厲風，辱萬物也。氣由聲也，聲由氣也，氣動則聲發，聲發則氣振，氣振則風行而萬物變化也。是以風雲可以命，霜雹可以致，鳳凰可以歌，熊羆可以舞，神明可以友，用樂之術也甚大。

Play the sounds of the zither and lute, and one is carefree and at ease; play the tunes of Zheng and Wei, and one is delighted and idle (the base text has a different character for “Zheng,” which should read “Zheng”); smash tiles and bricks to make a sound, and one's spine prickles; beat the war drums, and one hesitates like a feather. The principle of resonance and stirring is just like this. Because it is harmonious, it summons yang energy, which turns into a mild wind and gives life to the myriad things. Because it is not harmonious, it stirs up yin energy, which turns into a harsh wind and crushes the myriad things. Energy comes from sound, and sound from energy; when energy moves, sound is emitted, and when sound is emitted, energy is stirred; when energy is stirred, wind moves and the myriad things change. So wind and clouds can be commanded, frost and hail can be summoned, phoenixes can be made to sing, bears and brown bears can be made to dance, and spirits can be made friends; the art of using music is very great.

虛含虛，神含神，氣含氣，明含明，物含物。達此理者，情可以通，形可以同。同於火者化為火，同於水者化為水，同於日月者化為日月，同於金石者化為金石。唯大人無所不同，無所不化，足可以與虛皇並駕。

The empty contains the empty, spirit contains spirit, energy contains energy, brightness contains brightness, and things contain things. One who comprehends this principle can have feelings that interlink and a form that is shared. What becomes the same as fire becomes fire, what becomes the same as water becomes water, what becomes the same as sun and moon becomes sun and moon, and what becomes the same as gold and stone becomes gold and stone. Only the great person is the same as everything and transforms into everything, and is fit to drive alongside the Empty Sovereign.

鏡非求鑑於物，而物自投之；橐非求飽於氣，而氣自實之。是故鼻以虛受臭，耳以虛受聲，目以虛受色，舌以虛受味。所以心同幽冥，則物無不受；神同虛無，則事無不知。是以大人奪其機，藏其微，羽符至怪，陰液甚奇，可以守國，可以救時，可以坐為帝王之師。

A mirror does not seek objects to reflect; objects cast themselves upon it. A bellows does not seek air to fill it; the air fills it of itself. So the nose uses emptiness to receive smells, the ear uses emptiness to receive sound, the eye uses emptiness to receive color, and the tongue uses emptiness to receive taste. So when the mind is the same as the dark and obscure, there is nothing it cannot receive; when the spirit is the same as emptiness and nothingness, there is nothing it cannot know. So the great person seizes the mechanism, hides the subtle, makes the feather tally utterly marvelous and the yin fluid utterly wondrous; he can guard a state, save the age, and sit and be the teacher of emperors.

琥珀不能呼腐芥，丹砂不能入焦金，磁石不能取憊鐵，元氣不能發陶爐。所以大人善用五行之精，善奪萬物之靈，食天人之祿，駕風馬之榮。其道也在忘其形而求其情。

Amber cannot attract rotten mustard seeds, cinnabar cannot enter scorched gold, a magnet cannot draw spent iron, and primal breath cannot set a kiln in motion. So the great person is good at using the essence of the five phases, good at seizing the spirit of the myriad things, enjoying the emolument of the heavenly and human and riding the glory of the wind-horse. This Way lies in forgetting the form and seeking the feeling.

儒有講五常之道者，分之為五事，屬之為五行，散之為五色，化之為五聲，俯之為五嶽，仰之為五星，物之為五金，族之為五靈，配之為五味，感之為五情。所以聽之者若酰雞之遊太虛，如井蛙之浮滄溟，莫見其鴻蒙之涯，莫測其浩渺之程。日暮途遠，無不倒行。殊不知五常之道一也，忘其名則得其理，忘其理則得其情。然後牧之以清靜，棲之以杳冥，使混我神氣，符我心靈。若水投水，不分其清；若火投火，不間其明。是謂奪五行之英，盜五常之精，聚之則一芥可包，散之則萬機齊亨。其用事也如酌醴以投器，其應物也如懸鏡以鑑形。於是乎變之為萬象，化之為萬生，通之為陰陽，虛之為神明。所以運帝王之籌策，代天地之權衡，則仲尼其人也。

There are Confucians who discuss the Way of the five constants: they divide it into five matters, assign them to the five phases, spread them into five colors, transform them into five sounds, view them below as the five peaks and above as the five stars, make them in things into five metals, in kinds into five spirits, match them as five flavors, and stir them as five emotions. Those who listen are like gnats roaming the great void or like frogs in a well floating on the vast ocean, unable to see the edge of the primal chaos or fathom the distance of the vast expanse. With the day waning and the road long, they all end up walking backward. They do not know that the Way of the five constants is one: forget the names and you obtain the principle, forget the principle and you obtain the feeling. Then nurture it with purity and stillness, let it settle in the dim and obscure, and let it blend with my spirit and breath and tally with my mind. It is like water poured into water, with no distinction of clear and murky; like fire cast into fire, with no gap in the brightness. This is called seizing the finest flower of the five phases and stealing the essence of the five constants. Gathered, it can be wrapped in a single mustard seed; spread out, ten thousand pivots all run smoothly. Used on affairs, it is like pouring sweet wine into a vessel; responding to things, it is like hanging a mirror to reflect forms. Thus it becomes the myriad phenomena, transforms into the myriad lives, passes through to become yin and yang, and in emptiness becomes spirit and brightness. So one who could carry the stratagems of emperors and kings and stand in for the balance of heaven and earth would be none other than Zhongni (Confucius).

天下賢愚，營營然若飛蛾之投夜燭，蒼蠅之觸曉窗。知往而不知返，知進而不知退。而但知避害而就利，不知聚利而就害。夫賢於人而不賢於身，何賢之謂也？博於物而不博於己，何博之謂也？是以大人利害俱忘，何往不臧？

The wise and the foolish of the world busily rush like moths flying at a night candle, like flies bumping at a morning window. They know to go forward but not to return, to advance but not to retreat. They know only to avoid harm and seek advantage, and do not know that gathering advantage is itself approaching harm. If one is worthier than others yet not worthy in oneself, what is the use of being called worthy? If one is learned about things yet not learned about oneself, what is the use of being called learned? So the great person forgets both advantage and harm; where would he fail to be good?

虎踞於林，蛇遊於澤，非鴟鳶之讎；鴟鳶從而號之，以其蓄異心之故也。牛牧于田，豕眠於圃，非烏鵲之馭；烏鵲從而乘之，以其無異心之故也。是故麟有利角，眾獸不伏；鳳有利觜，眾鳥不賓；君有奇智，天下不臣。善馳者終於蹶，善鬥者終於敗。有數則終，有智則窮。巧者為不巧者所使，詐者為不詐者所理。

Tigers crouching in the forest and snakes gliding in the marsh are not enemies of owls and kites; yet the owls and kites follow them screeching, because they harbor different hearts. Oxen grazing in the fields and pigs sleeping in the garden are not mounts for crows and magpies; yet the crows and magpies follow and ride them, because they harbor no different heart. So the unicorn has a sharp horn, but the beasts do not submit; the phoenix has a sharp beak, but the birds do not pay homage; a ruler has extraordinary cleverness, but the world does not become his subjects. One who is good at running will in the end stumble; one who is good at fighting will in the end be defeated. Those who have arts and calculations will come to an end; those who have cleverness and craft will be exhausted. The skillful are employed by the unskillful, and the deceitful are governed by the undeceitful.

天子作弓矢以威天下，天下盜弓矢以侮天子。君子作禮樂以防小人，小人盜禮樂以僭君子。有國者好聚斂，蓄粟帛、具甲兵以御賊盜，賊盜擅甲兵、踞粟帛以奪其國，或曰：“安危德也。”又曰：“興亡數也。”苟德可以恃，何必廣粟帛乎？苟數可以憑，何必廣甲兵乎？

The Son of Heaven makes bows and arrows to overawe the world, yet the world steals bows and arrows to insult the Son of Heaven. The gentleman makes rites and music to guard against petty people, yet petty people steal rites and music to usurp the gentleman. A ruler of a state likes to hoard, stocking up grain and silk and preparing armor and weapons to resist bandits, yet bandits make use of the armor and weapons and occupy the grain and silk to seize his state. Some say: “Safety and danger lie in virtue.” Others say: “Rise and fall lie in fate.” If virtue could be relied on, why store up so much grain and silk? If fate could be depended on, why prepare so much armor and weapons?

無所不能者，有大不能；無所不知者，有大不知，夫忘弓矢然後知射之道，忘策轡然後知馭之道，忘弦匏然後知樂之道，忘智慮然後知大人之道。是以天下之主，道德出於人；理國之主，仁義出於人；亡國之主，聰明出於人。

One who can do everything has a great inability; one who knows everything has a great ignorance. Only after forgetting bow and arrow does one know the Way of archery; only after forgetting whip and reins does one know the Way of driving; only after forgetting strings and gourd pipes does one know the Way of music; only after forgetting cleverness and deliberation does one know the Way of the great person. So the ruler of the world finds the Way and virtue coming from others; the ruler who governs a state finds benevolence and righteousness coming from others; the ruler who ruins a state finds sharp wits coming from others.

有國之禮，享郊廟，敬鬼神也；亹龜策占吉凶也。敬鬼神，信禍福之職也；占吉凶，信興亡之數也。柰何有大不信，窮民之力以為城郭，奪民之食以為儲蓄？是福可以力取，是禍可以力敵；是疑貳於鬼神，是欺惑於龜策，是不信於天下之人；斯道也，賞不足勸，罰不足懼，國不足守。

The rites of a state include offering sacrifices at the suburban altars and ancestral temples, which is revering ghosts and spirits, and laying out tortoise shells and divination stalks to ask about good and ill fortune. To revere ghosts and spirits is to believe in the portion of fortune and misfortune; to ask about auspicious and inauspicious omens is to believe in the fate of rise and fall. Yet how can there be such great disbelief: exhausting the people's strength to build city walls, taking the people's food to make stores? This is to think that fortune can be taken by force and misfortune can be fought off by force; it is to be doubtful toward ghosts and spirits, to deceive the tortoise shells and stalks, and to distrust the people of the world. By this way, rewards are not enough to encourage, punishments are not enough to frighten, and the state is not enough to defend.

黃雀之為物也，日遊於庭，日親於人而常畏人，而人常撓之。玄鳥之為物也，時遊於戶，時親於人而不畏人，而人不撓之，彼行促促，此行佯佯；彼鳴啾啾，此鳴鏘鏘；彼視矍矍，此視汪汪；彼心慼慼，此心堂堂。是故疑人者為人所疑，防人者為人所防。君子之道，仁與義、中與正，何憂何害！

The yellow sparrow is a creature that roams the courtyard every day and is close to people every day, yet it is always afraid of people, and people always disturb it. The swallow is a creature that sometimes roams the doors and sometimes is close to people yet is not afraid of people, and people do not disturb it. The one walks in hurried little steps, the other strolls leisurely; the one chirps shrilly, the other sings clearly; the one looks about nervously, the other gazes broadly; the one is anxious in heart, the other is open-hearted. So one who suspects others is suspected by others, and one who guards against others is guarded against by others. In the Way of the gentleman, there is benevolence and righteousness, the middle and the upright; what is there to worry about, what harm can there be!

籠中之猿，踴躍萬變不能出於籠；匣中之虎，狂怒萬變不能出於匣；小人之機，智慮萬變不能出於大人之道。夫大人之道，如地之負，如天之垂。無日不怨，無人不欺，怨不我怒，欺不我夷，然後萬物知其所歸。

The ape in a cage, though it leaps and varies ten thousand ways, cannot get out of the cage; the tiger in a box, though it rages and varies ten thousand ways, cannot get out of the box; the petty person's cleverness, though its schemes vary ten thousand ways, cannot get out of the Way of the great person. The Way of the great person is like the earth bearing and the heavens covering. There is no day without resentment and no person who does not deceive, yet resentment does not make me angry and deceit does not make me wounded; only then do the myriad things know where to go home.

仁義者常行之道，行之不得其術，以至於亡國。忠信者常用之道，用之不得其術，以至於獲罪。廉潔者常守之道，守之不得其術，以至於暴民。財辯者常御之道，御之不得其術，以至於罹禍。蓋拙在用於人，巧在用於身。使民親稼則怨，誡民輕食則怒。夫餌者魚之嗜，羶者蟻之慕，以餌投魚魚必以懼，以羶投蟻蟻必去，由不得化之道。

Benevolence and righteousness are constantly practiced Ways, but if practiced without the proper method, they can lead to the ruin of a state. Loyalty and trustworthiness are constantly used Ways, but if used without the proper method, they can lead to being found guilty. Incorruptibility is a constantly kept Way, but if kept without the proper method, it can lead to tyrannizing the people. Wealth and eloquence are constantly managed Ways, but if managed without the proper method, they can lead to disaster. Clumsiness lies in using others; skill lies in using oneself. If you make the people close to farming, the people resent it; if you warn the people to hold food lightly, the people are angry. Bait is what fish crave and rankness is what ants long for; throw bait to fish and the fish surely become frightened, throw rankness to ants and the ants surely leave, because the Way of transformation has not been grasped.

感父之慈，非孝也；喜君之寵，非忠也。感始於不感，喜始於不喜。多感必多怨，多喜必多怒。感喜在心，由物之有毒，由蓬之藏火，不可不慮。是以君子之業，爵之不貴，禮之不大，親之不知，疏之不疑，辱之不得，何感喜之有。

To be grateful for a father's kindness is not filial piety; to delight in a ruler's favor is not loyalty. Gratitude begins from having none; delight begins from having none. Much gratitude is sure to bring much resentment, and much delight is sure to bring much anger. Gratitude and delight in the heart are like poison in a thing or fire hidden in a bundle of weeds; one cannot but take heed. So in the work of the gentleman, to be given rank is not to be honored, to be given courtesy is not to be exalted; when drawn close he does not notice, when kept at a distance he does not doubt, and when insulted he does not receive it; what is there to be grateful or delighted about?

太醫之道，脈和而實者為君子，生之道也；撓而浮者為小人，死之道也。太卜之道，策平而慢者為君子，吉之道也；曲而利者為小人，兇之道也。以是論之，天下之理一也，是故觀其國，則知其臣；觀其臣，則知其君；觀其君，則知其興亡。臣可以擇君而仕，君可以擇臣而任。夫揖讓可作而躁靜不可作，衣冠可詐而形器不可詐，言語可文而聲音不可文。

In the Way of the Grand Physician, a pulse that is harmonious and full belongs to the gentleman and is the way of life; a pulse that is scratchy and floating belongs to the petty person and is the way of death. In the Way of the Grand Diviner, a stalk reading that is level and slow belongs to the gentleman and is the way of good fortune; one that is crooked and sharp belongs to the petty person and is the way of ill fortune. By this reasoning, the principle of the world is one. So look at his state and you know his ministers, look at his ministers and you know his ruler, look at his ruler and you know rise and fall. A minister can choose a ruler before taking office, and a ruler can choose ministers before employing them. Bowing and yielding can be feigned, but agitation and calm cannot be feigned; robes and caps can be fraudulent, but bodily form and vessel cannot be faked; words can be embellished, but voice cannot be embellished.

藏於人者謂之機，奇於人者謂之謀。殊不知道德之機，眾人所知；仁義之謀，眾人所無。是故有賞罰之教則邪道進，有親疏之分則小人入。夫棄金於市，盜不敢取；詢政於朝，讒不敢語，天下之至公也。

What is hidden in people is called a pivot, and what is more peculiar than people is called a scheme. They do not know that the pivot of the Way and virtue is known to all, while the scheme of benevolence and righteousness is lacking in the multitude. So where there is a teaching of rewards and punishments, the crooked path comes in; where there is a distinction of near and far, petty persons come in. If gold is thrown away in the marketplace, robbers dare not take it; if affairs of government are asked about in court, slanderers dare not speak. This is the utmost impartiality of the world.

畫者不敢易於圖象，苟易之，必有咎。刻者不敢侮於本偶，苟侮之，必貽禍。始製作於我，又要敬於我，又置禍於我。是故張機者用於機，設險者死於險，建功者辱於功，立法者罹於法。動一竅則百竅相會，舉一事則萬事有害，所以機貴乎明，險貴乎平，功貴乎無狀，法貴乎無象。能出刻畫者，可以名之為大象。

Painters dare not alter their images, for if they alter them they will surely suffer harm. Carvers dare not insult their wooden figures (the base text has a different character for “wooden,” which should read “wooden”), for if they insult them they will leave misfortune behind. At first the thing was made by me, yet now I must revere it, and misfortune is put upon me. So one who sets up mechanisms dies by mechanisms, one who sets up dangers dies by dangers, one who builds merit is disgraced by merit, and one who establishes laws is caught by laws. Move one aperture and a hundred apertures meet; take up one matter and ten thousand matters are harmed. So mechanisms prize clarity, dangers prize levelness, merit prizes having no shape, and law prizes having no trace. One who can go beyond carving and drawing may be called the Great Image.

夫酒醴者，迫之飲愈不飲，恕之飲愈欲飲。是故抑人者人抑之，容人者人容之；貸其死者樂其死，貸其輸者樂其輸。所以民盜君之德，君盜民之力。能知反覆之道者，可以居兆民之職。

With wine, the more you press someone to drink, the less he will drink; the more leeway you give him, the more he will want to drink. So one who suppresses others is suppressed by others, and one who is tolerant of others is tolerated by others; those whose death is forgiven are happy to die, and those whose defeat is forgiven are happy to lose. So the people steal the ruler's virtue, and the ruler steals the people's strength. One who knows the Way of reversal can bear the task of governing the myriad people.

侯者人所貴，金者人所重，眾人封公而得侯者不美，眾人分玉而得金者不樂。是故賞不可妄行，恩不可妄施。其當也由為爭奪之漸，其不當也即為亂亡之基。故我自卑則賞不能大，我自儉則恩不得奇。歷觀亂亡之史皆驕侈，恩賞之所以為也。

A marquis's rank is what people prize, and gold is what people value. If the crowd is made dukes and one receives only a marquisate, he is not pleased; if the crowd divides jade and one receives only gold, he is not happy. So rewards must not be given rashly, and favors must not be bestowed rashly. Even when fitting, they are still the beginning of contention; when not fitting, they are the foundation of disorder and ruin. So if I am humble myself, rewards cannot be great; if I am frugal myself, favors cannot be extraordinary. Looking through the histories of disorder and ruin, all were due to arrogance and extravagance, produced precisely by favors and rewards.

民不怨火而怨使之禁火，民不怨盜而怨使之防盜。是故濟民不如不濟，愛民不如不愛。天有雨露，所以招其怨；神受禱祝，所以招其謗。夫禁民火不如禁心火，防人盜不如防我盜，其養民也如是。

The people do not resent fire but resent the one who makes them prohibit fire; the people do not resent robbers but resent the one who makes them guard against robbers. So relieving the people is not as good as not relieving them, and loving the people is not as good as not loving them. Heaven has rain and dew, and so draws resentment; the spirits receive prayers and invocations, and so draw slander. To prohibit the people's fire is not as good as to prohibit the fire of the mind, and to guard against others' robbery is not as good as to guard against my own robbery; this is how to nourish the people.

曠然無為之謂道，道能自守之謂德，德生萬物之謂仁，仁救安危之謂義，義有去就之謂禮，禮有變通之謂智，智有誠實之謂信，通而用之之謂聖。道，虛無也，無以自守，故授之以德。德，清靜也，無以自用，故授之以仁。仁用而萬物生，萬物生必有安危，故授之以義。義濟安拔危，必有臧否，故授之以禮。禮秉規持範，必有疑滯，故授之以智。智通則多變，故授之以信，信者，成萬物之道也。

Being vast and without conscious action (not forcing intervention by subjective will and letting things run according to their nature, which is not the same as doing nothing at all) is called the Way; the Way's being able to keep itself is called virtue; virtue's giving birth to the myriad things is called benevolence; benevolence's rescuing from safety and danger is called righteousness; righteousness's having departures and approaches is called ritual; ritual's having adaptation is called wisdom; wisdom's having sincerity is called trustworthiness; and penetrating through and putting to use is called sagehood. The Way is empty and nothing and cannot keep itself, so it hands over to virtue. Virtue is pure and still and cannot use itself, so it hands over to benevolence. When benevolence is used the myriad things are born, and when the myriad things are born there must be safety and danger, so it hands over to righteousness. Righteousness relieves safety and removes danger, and there must be approval and disapproval, so it hands over to ritual. Ritual holds to rules and there must be doubts and blockages, so it hands over to wisdom. When wisdom penetrates there are many changes, so it hands over to trustworthiness. Trustworthiness is the Way of completing the myriad things.

道德者，天地也。五常者，五行也。仁，發生之謂也，故君於木。義，救難之謂也，故君於金。禮，明白之謂也，故君於火。智，變通之謂也，故君於水。信，愨然之謂也，故君於土。仁不足則義濟之，金伐木也。義不足則禮濟之，火伐金也。禮不足則智濟之，水伐火也。智不足則信濟之，土伐水也。始則五常相濟之業，終則五常相伐之道，斯大化之往也。

The Way and virtue are heaven and earth, and the five constants are the five phases. Benevolence means giving rise, so it belongs to wood. Righteousness means rescuing from hardship, so it belongs to metal. Ritual means clarity, so it belongs to fire. Wisdom means adaptation, so it belongs to water. Trustworthiness means sincerity, so it belongs to earth. When benevolence is lacking, righteousness comes to aid it, which is metal cutting wood. When righteousness is lacking, ritual comes to aid it, which is fire cutting metal. When ritual is lacking, wisdom comes to aid it, which is water cutting fire. When wisdom is lacking, trustworthiness comes to aid it, which is earth cutting water. The beginning is the work of the five constants aiding each other, and the end is the principle of the five constants cutting each other; this is the going and returning of the great transformation.

夫禽獸之於人也何異？有巢穴之居，有夫婦之配，有父子之性，有死生之情。烏反哺，仁也；隼憫胎，義也；蜂有君，禮也；羊跪乳，智也；雉不再接，信也。孰究其道？萬物之中，五常百行無所不有也，而教之為綱罟，使之務畋漁。且夫焚其巢穴，非仁也；奪其親愛，非義也；以斯為享，非禮也；教民殘暴，非智也；使萬物懷疑，非信也。夫羶臭之慾不止，殺害之機不已。羽毛雖無言，必狀我為貪狼之與封豕；鱗介雖無知，必名我為長鯨之與巨虺也。胡為自安，焉得不恥？籲！直疑自古無君子。

In what way do birds and beasts differ from people? They have dwellings of nests and dens, the pairing of mates, the natural bond of parent and child, and feelings about death and life. The crow feeding its parent in return is benevolence; the falcon taking pity on the unborn is righteousness; bees having a ruler is ritual; the lamb kneeling to suckle is wisdom; the pheasant not mating again is trustworthiness. Who has investigated this Way? Among the myriad things, the five constants and the hundred conducts are all present, yet people are taught to make nets and snares and set to hunting and fishing. To burn their nests is not benevolence; to take away their loved ones is not righteousness; to offer them in sacrifice is not ritual; to teach the people cruelty is not wisdom; to make the myriad things doubtful is not trustworthiness. The craving for rank meat never stops, and the scheming heart of killing never ends. Though the feathered ones cannot speak, they surely regard me as a greedy wolf and a great boar; though the scaled and armored ones are ignorant, they surely call me a long whale and a giant viper. How can one still be at ease, and how can one not feel shame? Alas! One almost suspects that from ancient times there has never been a gentleman.

犧牲之享，羔雁之薦，古之禮也。且古之君子，非不知情之憂喜、聲之哀樂能動天地、能感鬼神。刀杌前列，則憂喜之情可知矣；鷹犬齊至，則哀樂之聲可知矣。以是祭天地，以是禱神明，天地必不享，苟享之必有咎；神明必不歆，苟歆之必有悔。所以知神龍見，喪風雲之象也；鳳凰來，失尊戴之象也；麒麟出，亡國土之象也。觀我之義，禽必不義也；以彼為祥，禽必不祥也。

The offering of sacrificial victims and the presenting of lambs and geese were rites of ancient times. The gentlemen of old did not fail to know that the sorrow and joy of feeling and the grief and gladness of sound can move heaven and earth and reach the ghosts and spirits. With the knife and chopping block set out before them, the feelings of sorrow and joy could be known; with hawks and hounds arriving together, the sounds of grief and gladness could be known. If one offers sacrifice to heaven and earth with these, or prays to the spirits with these, heaven and earth will surely not partake, and if they do partake there will be harm; the spirits will surely not enjoy the offering, and if they do enjoy it there will be regret. So we know that when a divine dragon appears it is a sign of losing wind and clouds; when a phoenix arrives it is a sign of losing the honor of being esteemed; when a unicorn comes out it is a sign of losing one's land. Look at our righteousness: the birds will surely consider it unrighteous; take them as auspicious omens: the birds will surely consider it inauspicious.

非兔狡，獵狡也；非民詐，吏詐也。慎勿怨盜賊，盜賊惟我召；慎勿怨叛亂，叛亂稟我教。不有和睦，焉得仇讎；不有賞勸，焉得鬥爭。是以大人無親無疏，無愛無惡，是謂太和。

It is not that the hare is cunning but that the hunter is cunning; it is not that the people are deceitful but that the officials are deceitful. Never blame the robbers, for the robbers were summoned by me; never blame the rebellion, for the rebellion received my teaching. Without harmony, where would enemies come from; without rewards and encouragement, where would struggle come from? So the great person has neither near nor far, neither love nor hate; this is called Supreme Harmony.

海魚有吐墨水上庇其身而遊者，人因墨而漁之。夫智者多屈，辯者多辱，明者多蔽，勇者多死。扃鐍固，賊盜喜；忌諱嚴，敵國幸。禁可以越者，號也；兵可以奪者，符也。蜀敗於山，晉敗於馬。夫大人之機，道德仁義而已矣。

Among the fish of the sea there are some that spit out ink to hide their bodies before swimming, yet people catch them by following the ink. The wise often suffer wrongs, the eloquent often suffer insults, the clear-sighted are often blinded, and the brave often go to their deaths. The more securely the door is locked, the more delighted the thieves; the stricter the taboos, the more rejoiced the enemy states. What prohibitions can be overstepped are titles; what military power can be seized are tallies. Shu was defeated on the mountains, and Jin was defeated on the horse. The mechanism of the great person is nothing more than the Way, virtue, benevolence, and righteousness.

譽人者人譽之，謗人者人謗之，是以君子能罪己，斯罪人也；不報怨，斯報怨也。所謂神弓鬼矢，不張而發，不注而中。天得之以假人，人得之以假天下。

One who praises others is praised by others, and one who slanders others is slandered by others. So the gentleman, by being able to put the blame on himself, blames others in the true sense; by not repaying resentment, he repays resentment in the true sense. What is called the divine bow and ghostly arrow is shot without being drawn and hits without being aimed. Heaven obtains it and lends it to people; people obtain it and lend it to the world.

救物而稱義者，人不義之；行惠而求報者，人不報之。民之情也，讓之則多，爭之則少，就之則去，避之則來；與之則輕，惜之則奪。是故大義無狀，大恩無象。大義成，不知者荷之；大恩就，不識者報之。

One who rescues things but calls himself righteous is not considered righteous by others; one who bestows kindness but seeks repayment is not repaid by others. The nature of the people is this: yield and they are many, contend and they are few; approach and they leave, avoid and they come; give and they hold it lightly, begrudge and they seize it. So great righteousness has no shape and great kindness has no trace. When great righteousness is accomplished, those who do not know it receive it; when great kindness is completed, those who do not recognize it repay it.

心不疑乎手，手不疑乎筆，忘手筆，然後知書之道。和暢，非巧也；淳古，非樸也；柔弱，非美也；強梁，非勇也。神之所浴，氣之所沐。是故點策蓄血氣，顧盼含情性。無筆黑之跡，無機智之狀；無剛柔之容，無馳騁之象。若皇帝之道熙熙然，君子之風穆穆然。是故觀之者，其心樂，其神和，其氣融，其政太平，其道無朕。夫何故？見山思靜，見水思動，見雲思變，見石思貞，人之常也。

The mind does not doubt the hand, and the hand does not doubt the brush; forget hand and brush, and only then do you know the Way of writing. Harmony is not skill, antique purity is not simplicity (the uncarved block, the original state not yet shaped by human artifice), softness and weakness are not beauty, and stiffness and strength are not courage. It is what the spirit bathes and what the breath moistens. So each dot and stroke stores blood and breath, and each glance contains temperament. There is no trace of brush and ink, no shape of cleverness; no look of hardness or softness, no sign of galloping. It is like the Way of the emperor, genial and gentle, and the manner of the gentleman, grave and calm. So those who look on feel joy in the mind, harmony in the spirit, and ease in the breath, government is at peace, and the Way has no omen. Why? Seeing a mountain one wishes for stillness, seeing water one wishes for movement, seeing clouds one wishes for change, and seeing stones one wishes for firmness; this is the common human feeling.

鳳不知美，鴟不知惡，陶唐氏不知聖，有苗氏不知暴。使陶唐氏恃其聖，非聖也；有苗氏知其暴，不暴也。眾人皆能寫人之形，而不能寫己之形；皆能求人之惡，而不能求己之惡；皆能知人之禍，而不能知己之禍。是以大人聽我聲，察我色，候我形，伺我氣，然後知人之情偽。

The phoenix does not know it is beautiful, the owl does not know it is ugly, Tang Yao did not know he was a sage, and the Miao tribe did not know they were cruel. If Tang Yao had relied on his sagehood, he would not have been a sage; if the Miao had known they were cruel, they would not have been cruel. Everyone can sketch another's form but cannot sketch his own; everyone can look for others' faults but cannot look for his own; everyone can know others' misfortune but cannot know his own. So the great person listens to my voice, examines my complexion, watches my form, and observes my breath, and then knows the truth and falsehood of human feeling.

觀其文章，則知其人之貴賤焉；觀其書篆，則知其人之情性焉；聞其琴瑟，則知其人之道德焉；聞其教令，則知其人之吉凶焉。小人由是知唐堯之容淳淳然，虞舜之容熙熙然，伯禹之容蕩蕩然，殷湯之容堂堂然，文王之容巍巍然，武王之容諤諤然，仲尼之容皇皇然。則天下之人，可以自知其愚與賢。

Look at a person's writing and you know his nobility or lowliness; look at his calligraphy and seals and you know his temperament; listen to his zither and lute and you know his Way and virtue; listen to his teachings and orders and you know his good or ill fortune. From this the petty person learns that Tang Yao's countenance was gentle and unadorned, Yu Shun's was genial, Yu the Great's was expansive, Tang of Shang's was dignified, King Wen's was lofty, King Wu's was outspoken, and Zhongni's was anxious and earnest. Then the people of the world can know for themselves whether they are foolish or worthy.

螻蟻之有君也，一拳之宮，與眾處之；一塊之臺，與眾臨之；一粒之食，與眾蓄之，一蟲之肉，與眾咂之；一罪之疑，與眾戮之。故得心相通而後神相通。神相通而後氣相通，氣相通而後形相通。故我病則眾病，我痛則眾痛，怨何由起，叛何由始？斯太古之化也。

Ants and mole crickets have a ruler: a palace of a fist's size is shared with the multitude; a terrace of one clod is overlooked together with the multitude; one grain of food is stored together with the multitude; the flesh of one insect is sipped together with the multitude; a crime that is in doubt is punished together with the multitude. So when minds are in communication, spirits communicate; when spirits communicate, breaths communicate; when breaths communicate, forms communicate. So when I am ill, all are ill; when I am in pain, all are in pain; from where could resentment arise, and from where could rebellion begin? This is the transformation of remote antiquity.

能歌者，不能者聽之；能舞者，不能者觀之；巧者，不巧者辨之；賢者，不賢者任之。夫養木者必將伐之，待士者必將死之。綱之以冠冕，釣之以爵祿。若馬駕車輅，貴不我得；彘食糟糠，肥不我有。是以大人道不虛貴，德不虛守；貧有所倚，進有所恃。退者非樂寒賤，而甘委棄。

Those who can sing, the ones who cannot sing listen to; those who can dance, the ones who cannot dance watch; the skillful, the unskillful come to identify; the worthy, the unworthy come to employ. One who raises trees will in the end cut them down, and one who treats a scholar will in the end have him die. They snare with caps and ceremonial hats and fish with titles and stipends. Like a horse pulling a lord's carriage, the honor does not reach me; like a pig eating dregs and chaff, the fatness is not mine. So the great person's Way is not honored in vain and his virtue is not guarded in vain; poverty has something to lean on and advancement has something to rely on. Those who withdraw do not delight in being cold and lowly and are content to be cast aside.

躑躅之酒，烏啄之脯，莨菪（宀為廠）之膏，冶葛之乳。初啖之若芥，再啖之若黍，復啖之若丸，又啖之若脯。小人由是知強弩可以漸引，巨鼎可以漸舉，水火可以漸習，虎兕可以漸侶。逆者我所化，辱者我所與，不應者我所命，不臣者我所取。所以信柔馬不可馭，漸賊不可御。得之以為萬化之母。

Wine made from azalea, dried meat made from aconite, ointment of henbane (the base text has a note about a variant character), and milk of gelsemium. The first time one eats it, it is like a mustard seed; the second, like millet; the third, like a pellet; the fourth, like dried meat. From this the petty person learns that a strong crossbow can be gradually drawn, a great cauldron can be gradually lifted, water and fire can be gradually grown used to, and tigers and rhinoceroses can gradually be made companions. What is rebellious is what I transformed, what is insulted is what I gave, what does not respond is what I commanded, and what does not submit is what I took. So one truly knows that a gentle horse cannot be driven, and a bandit slowly raised cannot be resisted. Having grasped this, take it as the mother of all transformations.

止人之鬥者使其鬥，抑人之忿者使其忿；善救鬥者預其鬥，善解忿者濟其忿。是故心不可伏，而伏之愈亂；民不可理，而理之愈怨。水易動而自清，民易變而自平。其道也在不逆萬物之情。

One who restrains others from fighting makes them fight instead; one who suppresses others' anger makes them angrier instead; one who is good at breaking up fights enters the fight beforehand, and one who is good at dissolving anger brings the anger about. So the mind cannot be forcibly subdued, for the more it is subdued the more it is disordered; the people cannot be forcibly managed, for the more they are managed the more they resent. Water moves easily yet clears of itself; the people change easily yet settle of themselves. This Way lies in not going against the feelings of the myriad things.

術有降萬物之蘊毒者，則交臂鉤指，象之為符。是故若夭矯之勢者鱗之符，若飛騰之勢者羽之符，若偃蹇之勢者毛之符，若拳局之勢者介之符，所以知拱折者人之符。夫拱手者，人必拱之；折腰者，人必折之，禮之本也。而疏之為萬象，別之為萬態。教之蹈舞，非蹈舞也；使之禱祝，非禱祝也，我既寡實，彼亦多虛。而責人之無情，固無情也；而罪禮之無驗，固無驗也。

There is one art that can subdue the poisons stored in the myriad things: cross the arms and hook the fingers, forming the shape of a talisman. So what resembles a curving, writhing posture is the talisman of the scaled, what resembles a soaring posture is the talisman of the feathered, what resembles a crouching posture is the talisman of the furred, and what resembles a curled-up posture is the talisman of the shelled; from this we know that clasping the hands and bowing at the waist is the talisman of humans. Whoever clasps hands, others will surely clasp hands to him; whoever bows at the waist, others will surely bow to him; this is the root of ritual. Yet it has been scattered into myriad images and divided into myriad forms. Teaching people to dance is not truly dancing; making people pray is not truly praying. Since I lack substance, he too has too much falsehood. To blame people for lacking feeling is to be without feeling oneself from the start; to fault ritual for having no effect is to have no effect from the start.

為惡者畏人識，必有識者；為善者欲人知，必有不知者。是故人不識者，謂之大惡；人不知者，謂之至善。好行惠者恩不廣，務奇特者功不大，善博奕者智不遠，文綺麗者名不久。是以君子惟道是貴，惟德自守，所以能萬世不朽。

One who does evil fears being recognized, and so is surely recognized by some; one who does good wants to be known, and so is surely unknown to some. So what people do not recognize is called the great evil, and what people do not know is called the supreme good. One who likes to bestow favors has a narrow reach of kindness, one who strives for the extraordinary has small achievements, one who is good at board games and chess has no far-reaching wisdom, and one whose writing is ornate has a name that does not last. So the gentleman values only the Way and keeps himself only by virtue, and so can remain undying for ten thousand generations.

一日不食則憊，二日不食則病，三日不食則死。民事之急，無甚於食，而王者奪其一，卿士奪其一，兵吏奪其一，戰伐奪其一，工藝奪其一，商賈奪其一，道釋之族奪其一，稔亦奪其一，儉亦奪其一。所以蠶告終而繰葛苧之衣，稼雲畢而飯橡櫟之實。王者之刑理不平，斯不平之甚也；大人之道救不義，斯不義之甚也。而行切切之仁，用慼慼之禮，其何以謝之哉！

One day without food brings exhaustion, two days bring illness, and three days bring death. Among the people's urgent needs, none is greater than food. Yet the king takes one share, the high officials take one share, the soldiers and clerks take one share, warfare takes one share, crafts take one share, merchants take one share, the clans of the Daoists and Buddhists take one share, and a plentiful year also takes one share, and a lean year also takes one share. So even when the silkworm season is over they still weave coarse kudzu and ramie clothes, and even when the harvest is over they still eat acorns. The king's punishments and governance are unfair, and this is the greatest unfairness; the great person's Way relieves unrighteousness, and this is the greatest unrighteousness. Yet people go on practicing that petty benevolence and using that sorrowful ritual; what could one use to atone?

為巫者鬼必附之，設像者神必主之，蓋樂所饗也。戎羯之禮，事母而不事父；禽獸之情，隨母而不隨父；凡人之痛，呼母而不呼父，蓋乳哺之教也。虎狼不過於嗜肉，蛟龍不過於嗜血，而人無所不嗜。所以不足則鬥，不與則判，鼓天下之怨，激烈士之忿。食之道非細也。

One who acts as a shaman will surely have ghosts attach to him, and one who sets up a divine image will surely have a spirit come to take charge, because they take pleasure in being offered sacrifice. In the rites of the Rong and Jie peoples they serve the mother and not the father; in the nature of birds and beasts they follow the mother and not the father; when ordinary people are in pain they call for their mother and not their father, because the suckling taught them so. Tigers and wolves crave only meat, and flood dragons crave only blood, but humans crave everything. So when there is not enough they fight, when not given they rebel and leave, stirring up the resentment of the world and rousing the anger of heroic men. The principle of food is no small matter.

養馬者主，而牧之者親；養子者母，而乳之者親。君臣非所比，而比之者祿也；子母非所愛，而愛之者哺也。駑馬本無知，嬰兒本無機，而知由此始，機由此起。所以有愛惡，所以有彼此，所以稔鬥爭而蓄奸詭。

The one who keeps horses is the master, yet the one who tends them is closer to them; the one who raises a child is the mother, yet the one who nurses is closer. Ruler and minister were originally not comparable, and what brings them together is salary; mother and child are not close originally through love, and what makes them love each other is feeding. An inferior horse is originally ignorant and an infant is originally without scheming; knowledge begins from this, and scheming rises from this. So there is love and hate, there is this and that, and thus quarrels are brewed and crookedness and deceit are stored up.

王取其絲，吏取其綸；王取其綸，吏取其綍。取之不已，至於欺罔；欺罔不已，至於鞭撻；鞭撻不已，至於盜竊；盜竊不已，至於殺害；殺害不已，至於刑戮。欺罔非民愛而裒斂者教之，殺害非民原而鞭撻者訓之。且夫火將逼而投於水，知必不免，且貴其緩；虎將噬而投於谷，知必不可，或覬其生。以斯為類，悲哉！

When the king takes silk threads, the officials take cords; when the king takes cords, the officials take ropes. Taking without end leads to deception; deception without end leads to flogging; flogging without end leads to theft; theft without end leads to killing; killing without end leads to execution. Deception is not what the people love but is taught by those who gather taxes; killing is not the people's original wish but is trained by those who flog. When fire is about to catch up with someone and he throws himself into water, he knows he cannot avoid it and only seeks to delay a little; when a tiger is about to bite and he throws himself into a ravine, he knows he cannot live and yet may hope to survive. Compare these cases; how sad!

夫君子不肯告人以飢，恥之甚也。又不肯矜人以飽,愧之甚也。既起人之恥愧，必激人之怨咎，食之害也如是。而金籩玉豆，食之飾也；鼓鍾戛石，食之遊也；張組設繡，食之惑也；窮禽竭獸，食之暴也；滋味厚薄，食之忿也；貴賤精粗，食之爭也。欲之愈不止，求之愈不已，貧食愈不足，富食愈不美。所以奢僭由茲而起，戰伐由茲而始。能均其食者，天下可以治。

The gentleman is unwilling to tell people he is hungry, for it is very shameful, and is also unwilling to boast to others that he is full, for it is very embarrassing. Having aroused people's shame, he will surely stir up their resentment; this is the harm of food. Gold baskets and jade vessels are the ornament of food; drums, bells, and chimes are the amusement of food; spread embroidery and ribbons are the delusion of food; exhausting birds and beasts is the cruelty of food; the richness or thinness of flavors is the quarrel of food; the high and low, fine and coarse are the contention of food. The more desire does not stop, the more seeking does not cease; the poor never eat enough, and the rich never eat well enough. So extravagance and usurpation rise from this, and warfare begins from this. One who can equalize food can govern the world.

嚼燔骨者，焦唇爛舌不以為痛；飲醇酎者，噦腸嘔胃不以為苦。饞嗜者由忘於痛苦，飢窘者必輕於性命。痛苦可忘，無所不欺；性命可輕，無所不為。是以主者以我欲求人之慾，以我飢求人之飢。我怒民必怒，我怨民必怨。能知其道者，天下胡為乎叛？

One who chews burning bones, with scorched lips and ruined tongue, does not take it as pain; one who drinks strong liquor, with stomach and intestines vomiting, does not take it as bitter. The gluttonous thus forget pain, and the starving surely take life lightly. If pain can be forgotten, there is nothing they will not deceive; if life can be taken lightly, there is nothing they will not do. So those who manage affairs use my desire to seek others' desire and my hunger to seek others' hunger. When I am angry the people are surely angry, and when I resent the people surely resent. If one could know this Way, why would the world still rebel?

民有嗜食而飽死者，有婪食而鯁死者，有感食而義死者，有辱食而憤死者，有爭食而鬥死者，人或笑之。殊不知官所以務祿，祿所以務食；賈所以務財，財所以務食。而官以矯佞饞讟而律死者，賈以波濤江海而溺死者，而不知所務之端，不知得死之由，而遷怨於輩流，歸咎於江海，食之迷也。

Among the people there are those who die of bursting from food they craved, those who die choking from greed for food, those who die for the sake of righteousness over food, those who die in rage from insult over food, and those who die in fights over food, and some laugh at them. They do not know that holding office is for the salary and the salary is for food; trading is for wealth and wealth is for food. Officials are put to death by law for crookedness, flattery, and slander, and merchants are drowned in waves of rivers and seas, yet they do not know the beginning of what they sought, do not know the reason they must die, and shift the resentment onto colleagues and the blame onto rivers and seas; this is being deluded by food.

食之慾也，思鹽梅之狀，則輙有所咽而不能禁；見盤餚之盛，則若有所吞而不能遏。飢思啖牛，渴思飲海。故欲之於人也如賊，人之於欲也如戰。當戰之際，錦繡珠玉不足為富，冠冕旌旗不足為貴，金石絲竹不聞其音，宮室臺榭不見其麗。況民腹常餒，民情常迫，而諭以仁義，其可信乎？講以刑政，其可畏乎？

Take the craving for food: think of the appearance of salt and plum and one at once wants to swallow and cannot hold back; see the abundance of dishes on the platter and it is as if there is something one swallows and cannot stop. When hungry one wants to swallow an ox, and when thirsty one wants to drink the sea dry. So desire is to a person like a thief, and a person is to desire like a battle. In the midst of battle, brocade and pearls are not enough to count as wealth, caps and banners are not enough to count as honor, gold, stone, silk, and bamboo are not heard as sound, and palaces and terraces are not seen as splendid. How much more when the people's bellies are constantly hungry and the people's feelings constantly pressed; if one lectures them with benevolence and righteousness, can they believe it? If one speaks to them of punishments and governance, can they fear it?

執膠竿捕黃雀，黃雀從而噪之；捧盤飱享烏鳥，烏鳥從而告之。是知至暴者無所不異，至食者無所不同。故蛇豕可以友而群，虎兕可以狎而馴，四夷可以率而賓。異族猶若此，況復人之人。

Take a sticky pole to catch yellow sparrows, and the sparrows follow it, chattering; offer a plate of food to crows, and the crows follow and tell their fellows. From this we know that the utmost cruelty is the same in everything different, and the utmost feeding is the same in everything alike. So snakes and pigs can be made friends and flocked together, tigers and rhinoceroses can be made intimate and tame, and the four barbarian peoples can be led to submit as guests. Foreigners are like this; how much more people among people.

庚氏穴池，構竹為憑檻，登之者其聲“策策”焉。辛氏穴池，構木為憑檻，登之者其聲“堂堂”焉。二氏俱牧魚於池中，每憑檻投餌，魚必踴躍而出。他日但聞“策策”“堂堂”之聲，不投餌亦踴躍而出，則是庚氏之魚可名“策策”，辛氏之魚可名“堂堂”，食之化也。

Mr. Geng dug a pond and made a railing of bamboo; those who climbed up made a “ce-ce” sound. Mr. Xin dug a pond and made a railing of wood; those who climbed up made a “tang-tang” sound. Both families raised fish in their ponds, and every time they leaned on the railing and threw bait, the fish would surely leap up. Later, merely hearing the “ce-ce” and “tang-tang” sounds, the fish would leap up even without bait. So the fish of Mr. Geng could be called “ce-ce,” and the fish of Mr. Xin could be called “tang-tang.” This is the transformation of food.

瘡者人之痛，火者人之急，而民喻飢謂之瘡，比餓謂之火，蓋情有所切也。夫鮑魚與腐屍無異，鱁鮧與足垢無殊，而人常食之。飽猶若是，飢則可知。苟其飢也無所不食，苟其迫也無所不為。斯所以為興亡之機。

A sore is a person's pain and fire is a person's urgency. The people compare hunger to a sore and starvation to fire, because feeling presses urgently. Salted fish and rotting corpses are no different, and fish-gut sauce and foot dirt are no different, yet people constantly eat them. When full they are still like this, so when hungry one can imagine. If hungry they will eat anything, and if pressed they will do anything. This is the pivot of rise and fall.

人所以惡雀鼠者，謂其有（襄攴）竊之行；雀鼠所以疑人者，謂其懷盜賊之心。夫上以食而辱下，下以食而欺上，上下得不惡下，下不得不疑上，各有所切也。夫剜其肌、啖其肉，不得不哭；扼其喉、奪其哺，不得不怒。民之瘠也由剜其肌，民之餒也由奪其哺。嗚呼，惜哉！

The reason people hate sparrows and rats is that they say these have the practice of stealing (the base text has a variant character beside the word for “steal”); the reason sparrows and rats suspect people is that people harbor the hearts of thieves. Those above insult those below over food, and those below deceive those above over food; those above cannot but hate those below, and those below cannot but suspect those above, each having their own urgent need. To carve out his flesh and eat his meat, one cannot but cry; to seize his throat and take away his food, one cannot but be angry. The people are thin because their flesh is carved out, and the people are hungry because their food is taken away. Alas, how lamentable!

牛可使之駕，馬可使之負，犬可使之守，鷹可使之擊，蓋食之所感也。獼猴可使之舞，鸚鵡可使之語，鴟鳶可使之死鬥，螻蟻可使之合戰，蓋食有所教也。魚可使之吞鉤，虎可使之入陷，雁可使之觸綱，敵國可使之自援，蓋食有所利也，天地可使之交泰，神明可使之掖衛，高尚可使之屈折，夷狄可使之委伏，蓋食有所奉也。故自天子至於庶人，暨乎萬族，皆可以食而通之。我服布素則民自暖，我食葵藿則民自飽。善用其道者，可以肩無為之化。

Oxen can be made to pull carts, horses to carry loads, dogs to keep watch, and hawks to strike, because of what food stirs. Monkeys can be made to dance, parrots to speak, owls and kites to fight to the death, and ants to wage battle, because food teaches them. Fish can be made to swallow the hook, tigers to enter the pit, geese to touch the net, and enemy states to come to the rescue on their own, because food has its advantage. Heaven and earth can be made to commune, spirits can be made to guard, the lofty can be made to bend, and the barbarians can be made to submit, because food is offered. So from the Son of Heaven down to the common people, and to the myriad kinds, all can be connected through food. If I wear plain cloth the people will be warm of themselves, and if I eat mallow and bean leaves the people will be full of themselves. One who is good at using this Way can bear the transformation of non-action.

獵食者母，分乳者子。全生者子，觸綱者母。母不知子之所累，子不知母之所苦。王者衣纓之費、盤餚之直，歲不過乎百萬，而封人之土地，與人之富貴，百萬之百萬。如咂王之肌，如飲王之血。樂在於下，怨在於上，利歸於眾，咎歸於王。夫不自貴，天下安敢貴；不自富，天下安敢富？

The one who hunts for food is the mother, and the one who shares the milk is the child. The one who preserves life is the child, and the one who touches the net is the mother. The mother does not know she is burdened by the child, and the child does not know what troubles the mother. The cost of the king's robes and cap-strings and the price of his platters of food amount to no more than a million in a year, yet the lands given to others and the wealth and honor given to others are a million millions. It is like sipping the king's flesh and drinking the king's blood. The joy is below and the resentment is above; the profit goes to the multitude and the blame goes to the ruler. If he himself is not honored, how would the world dare to be honored; if he himself is not rich, how would the world dare to be rich?

有智者憫鴟鳶之擊腐鼠，嗟螻蟻之駕斃蟲，謂其為蟲不若為人。殊不知當歉歲則爭臭斃之屍，值嚴圍則食父子之肉。斯豺狼之所不忍為，而人為之，則其為人不若為蟲。是知君無食必不仁，臣無食必不義，士無食必不禮，民無食必不智，萬類無食必不信。是以食為五常之本，五常為食之末。苟王者能均其衣，能讓其食，則黔黎相悅，仁之至也；父子相愛，義之至也；飢飽相讓，禮之至也；進退相得，智之至也；許諾相從，信之至也。教之善也在於食，教之不善也在於食。其物甚卑，其用甚尊；其名尤細，其化尤大。是謂無價之寶。

The wise take pity on owls and kites that strike at rotting rats, and sigh at ants carrying dead insects, saying it is better to be human than an insect. They do not know that in a famine people fight over rotting corpses, and in a harsh siege they eat the flesh of fathers and sons. This is what even jackals and wolves cannot bear to do, yet people do it, so it is not better to be a human than an insect. From this we know that a ruler without food is surely not benevolent, a minister without food is surely not righteous, a scholar without food is surely not ritually proper, the people without food are surely not wise, and the myriad kinds without food are surely not trustworthy. So food is the root of the five constants, and the five constants are the tip of food. If the king can equalize clothing and give way on food, then the common people rejoicing in each other is the utmost of benevolence; father and son loving each other is the utmost of righteousness; hunger and fullness yielding to each other is the utmost of ritual; advance and retreat suiting each other is the utmost of wisdom; promises being followed is the utmost of trustworthiness. The goodness of teaching lies in food, and the badness of teaching also lies in food. This thing is very lowly, yet its use is very honored; its name is very small, yet its transformation is very great. This is called the priceless treasure.

夫水火，常用之物，用之不得其道，以至於敗家，蓋失於不簡也。飲饌，常食之物，食之不得其道，以至於亡身，蓋失於不節也。夫禮失於奢，樂失於淫。奢淫若水，去不復返，議欲救之，莫過乎儉。儉者，均食之道也。食均則仁義生，仁義生則禮樂序，禮樂序則民不怨，民不怨則神不怒，太平之業也。

Water and fire are commonly used things, but if used without the proper Way, they can ruin a household, because the fault lies in lack of simplicity. Drink and food are commonly eaten things, but if eaten without the proper Way, they can destroy the body, because the fault lies in lack of moderation. Ritual fails in extravagance and music fails in excess. Extravagance and excess are like water that goes and does not return; if one is to discuss rescue, nothing surpasses frugality. Frugality is the Way of equalizing food. When food is equalized, benevolence and righteousness arise; when benevolence and righteousness arise, ritual and music are in order; when ritual and music are in order, the people do not resent; when the people do not resent, the spirits are not angry; this is the work of great peace.

服絺綌者不寒，而衣之布帛愈寒；食藜藿者不飢，而飯之黍稷愈飢。是故我之情也，不可不慮；民之心也，不可不防。凡民之心，見負石者則樂於負塗，見負塗者則樂於負芻。飢寒無實狀，輕重無必然，皆豐儉相形，彼我相平，我心重則民心重，我負輕則民負輕。能至於儉者，可以與民為權衡。

One who wears fine and coarse kudzu cloth does not feel the cold, but give him cloth and silk and he feels colder still; one who eats goosefoot and bean leaves does not feel hunger, but give him millet and he feels hungrier still. So my feelings cannot but be considered, and the people's hearts cannot but be guarded against. The heart of the people, seeing one carrying stones, is glad to carry mud, and seeing one carrying mud, is glad to carry grass. Hunger and cold have no real form, and the light and heavy have no fixed standard; they all come from comparing abundance and frugality and balancing self and other. If my heart is heavy, the people's hearts are heavy; if my burden is light, the people's burden is light. One who reaches frugality can serve the people as a balance.

禮貴於盛，儉貴於不盛；禮貴於備，儉貴於不備；禮貴於簪紱，儉貴於布素；禮貴於炳煥，儉貴於寂寞。富而之愈不樂，貴而貴之愈不美，賞而賞之愈不足，愛而愛之愈不敬。金玉者，富之常；官爵者，貴之常。渴飲則甘，飢食則香。夫惟儉，所以能知非常。

Ritual prizes abundance, but frugality prizes not being abundant; ritual prizes completeness, but frugality prizes not being complete; ritual prizes hairpins and sashes, but frugality prizes plain cloth; ritual prizes splendor, but frugality prizes quiet. Having become rich and still seeking riches, one is less happy; having become honored and still seeking honor, one is less content; being rewarded and rewarded again, one is never satisfied; being loved and loved again, one is less respectful. Gold and jade are the usual state of wealth, and office and rank are the usual state of honor. When thirsty, drinking is sweet; when hungry, eating is delicious. Only through frugality can one know what is out of the ordinary.

觀食象者食牛不足，觀戴冕者戴冠不足。不足有所自，不廉有所始。是知王好奢則臣不足，臣好奢則士不足，士好奢則民不足，民好奢則天下不足。夫天下之物十之，王好一，民亦一；王好五，民亦五；王好十，民亦十。以十論之，則是十家為一家，十國為一國，十天下為一天下，何不弊之有！

One who has seen people eat elephant finds eating ox not enough; one who has seen people wear the ceremonial crown finds wearing a cap not enough. Insufficiency has its source, and lack of integrity has its beginning. From this we know that when the king likes extravagance the ministers are not satisfied, when ministers like extravagance the scholars are not satisfied, when scholars like extravagance the people are not satisfied, and when the people like extravagance the world is not satisfied. Reckon the world's goods in tens: if the king likes one, the people also like one; if the king likes five, the people also like five; if the king likes ten, the people also like ten. Counting by tens, ten households become one household, ten states become one state, and ten worlds become one world; how could there be no harm!

其夫好飲酒者，其妻必貧。其子好臂鷹者，其家必困。剩養一僕，日飯三甌，歲計千甌。以一歲計之，可享千兵。王者歲率是享，則必告勞而聚怨，病在於增不在於損。王駕牛車，民驕於行；王居土陛，民恥於平。杜之於漸，化之於儉。所以見葛藟不足者，則樂然服布素之衣；見窳杯而食者，則欣然用陶匏之器，民之情也。

If the husband is fond of drinking, the wife will surely be poor. If the son is fond of keeping hunting hawks, the household will surely be in difficulty. Keep one more servant, at three bowls of rice a day, and that is a thousand bowls in a year. Reckoned over a year, that could support a thousand soldiers. If a king enjoys this every year, he will surely end up weary and full of accumulated resentment, and the trouble grows rather than lessens. When the king rides in an ox cart, the people take pride in going on foot; when the king lives on an earthen stair, the people are ashamed of level ground. Block it at the start, and transform it by frugality. So those who see people not even having enough coarse kudzu cloth gladly put on plain cotton, and those who see people eating from crude cups gladly use vessels of clay and gourd; this is the feeling of the people.

世有慳號者，人以為大辱，殊不知始得為純儉之道也。於己無所與，於民無所取。我耕我食，我蠶我衣。妻子不寒，婢僕不飢。人不怨之，神不罪之。故一人知儉則一家富，王者知儉則天下富。

In the world there are those called stingy, whom others think greatly disgraced, not knowing that they are only just beginning to find the way of pure frugality. They give nothing to themselves and take nothing from the people. I plow and I eat, I tend silkworms and I clothe myself. My wife is not cold, and my maids and servants are not hungry. People do not resent him, and the spirits do not blame him. So when one person knows frugality, one household is rich; when a king knows frugality, the whole world is rich.

君之於民，異名而同愛。君樂馳騁，民亦樂之；君喜聲色，民亦喜之；君好珠玉，民亦好之；君嗜滋味，民亦嗜之。其名則異，其愛則同。所以服布素者，愛士之簪組；服士之簪組者，愛公卿之劍佩；服公卿之劍佩者，愛王者之旒冕，是故王者居兆民所愛之地，不得不慮也。況金根玉輅奪其貨，高臺崇榭奪其力，是賈民之怨，是教民之愛。所以積薪聚米，一歲之計，而易金換玉，一日之費，不得不困，不得不儉。

Toward the people, the ruler differs in name but loves the same things. If the ruler delights in galloping about, the people delight in it too; if the ruler is fond of music and women, so are the people; if the ruler likes pearls and jade, so do the people; if the ruler craves rich flavors, so do the people. The names differ, but the loves are the same. So one who wears plain cloth loves the hairpin and sash of the scholar, one who wears the scholar’s hairpin and sash loves the sword and pendants of the high ministers, and one who wears the high minister’s sword and pendants loves the beaded crown of the king. Therefore a king, standing on the ground that the myriad people love, cannot but take care. How much more so when golden carriages and jade chariots take away their goods, and high terraces and lofty pavilions take away their labor; this is buying the people’s resentment, this is teaching the people to covet. So stacked firewood and gathered rice are a year’s livelihood, but converted into gold and jade they are a single day’s expense, and one cannot but be in want, and cannot but be frugal.

乳童拱手，誰敢戲之，豈在乎黼黻也。牧豎折腰，誰敢背之，豈在乎刑政也。有賓主之敬，則雞黍可以為大享，豈在乎簫韶也。有柔淑之態，則荊苧可以行婦道，豈在乎組繡也。而王者之制，設溝隍以御之，陳棨戟以衛之，蓄粟帛以養之，張欄檻以遠之。蓋有機於民，不得不藏；有私於己，不得不防。夫能張儉之機，民自不欺；用儉之私，我自不疑。夫儉者，可以為大人之師。

When a nursing child folds its hands, who would dare to tease him; does it depend on embroidered robes? When a herd boy bows at the waist, who would dare to defy him; does it depend on punishments and government? Where there is the respect of host and guest, even chicken and millet can serve as a great feast; does it depend on the music of pipes and the Shao? Where there is a gentle and good manner, even thorn-pins and ramie cloth can carry out the way of a wife; does it depend on ribbons and embroidery? Yet the rulers’ institutions set up moats and ditches to defend, display ceremonial halberds to guard, store grain and silk to feed themselves, and put up railings to keep others far away. Because one has scheming toward the people, one cannot but hide things; because one has private interests toward oneself, one cannot but guard against others. One who can open the mechanism of frugality will find that the people naturally do not deceive; one who uses the private interest of frugality will find that he naturally does not suspect. Frugality can be the teacher of great persons.

儉於聽可以養虛，儉於視可以養神，儉於言可以養氣，儉於私可以獲富，儉於公可以保貴，儉於門闥可以無盜賊，儉於環衛可以無叛亂，儉於職官可以無奸佞，儉於嬪嬙可以保壽命，儉於心可以出生死。是知儉可以為萬化之柄。

Frugality in listening can nourish emptiness, frugality in looking can nourish the spirit, frugality in speaking can nourish qi, frugality in private spending can bring wealth, frugality in public spending can preserve rank, frugality at gates and doors can mean no thieves, frugality in the guards can mean no rebellion, frugality in official posts can mean no flatterers and traitors, frugality among the palace ladies can preserve life, and frugality in the heart can lead one out of life and death. From this we know that frugality can be the handle of the myriad transformations.

王者皆知御一可以治天下也，而不知孰謂之一。夫萬道皆有一：仁亦有一，義亦有一，禮亦有一，智亦有一，信亦有一。一能貫五，五能宗一。能得一者，天下可以治。其道蓋簡而出自簡之，其言非玄而人自玄之。是故終迷其要，竟惑其妙。所以議守一之道，莫過乎儉；儉之所律，則仁不蕩，義不亂，禮不奢，智不變，信不惑。故心有所主，而用有所本，用有所本而民有所賴。

Kings all know that holding to “the One” can govern the world, but do not know what the One is. Every way has one: benevolence has one, righteousness has one, ritual has one, wisdom has one, good faith has one. The One can run through the five, and the five can look up to the One. One who can attain the One can govern the world. This Way is originally simple, but people make it complicated themselves; these words are not mysterious, people make them mysterious themselves. So in the end they lose the essential and even doubt its wonder. Therefore in discussing the Way of holding to the One, nothing surpasses frugality. What frugality binds is this: benevolence does not run wild, righteousness does not become disordered, ritual does not become extravagant, wisdom does not shift, good faith is not confused. So the heart has what it is anchored to, and use has what it is rooted in; when use has a root, the people have something to rely on.

君儉則臣知足，臣儉則士知足，士儉則民知足，民儉則天下知足。天下知足，所以無貪財，無競名，無奸蠹，無欺罔，無矯佞。是故禮義自生，刑政自寧，溝壘自平，甲兵自停，遊蕩自耕，所以三皇之化行。

When the ruler is frugal, the ministers know contentment; when the ministers are frugal, the scholars know contentment; when the scholars are frugal, the people know contentment; when the people are frugal, the whole world knows contentment. When the world knows contentment, it does not covet wealth or contend for fame, and there are no crooks and parasites, no deceit, no flattery and falsehood. So ritual and righteousness arise of themselves, punishments and government are at peace of themselves, ditches and ramparts fill in of themselves, armor and weapons come to rest of themselves, and wanderers go off to farm of themselves; the transformation of the Three Sovereigns is thereby carried out.

奢者三歲之計，一歲之用；儉者一歲之計，三歲之用。至奢者猶不及，至儉者尚有餘。奢者富不足，儉者貧有餘。奢者心常貧，儉者心常富。奢者好親人，所以多過，儉者能遠人，所以寡禍。奢者事君必有所辱，儉者事君必保其祿。奢者多憂，儉者多福，能終其儉者，可以為天下之牧。

The extravagant use up three years of livelihood in one year; the frugal have one year of livelihood that lasts three years. The most extravagant are still not satisfied; the most frugal still have a surplus. The extravagant, though rich, still lack; the frugal, though poor, still have enough. The extravagant are always poor at heart; the frugal are always rich at heart. The extravagant like to be close to people, and so have many faults; the frugal can keep people at a distance, and so have few misfortunes. The extravagant, serving a ruler, will surely suffer disgrace; the frugal, serving a ruler, will surely keep their salary. The extravagant have many worries; the frugal have much blessing. One who holds frugality to the end can be a governor of the world.

懸雕籠、事玉粒養黃雀，黃雀終不樂。垂禮樂、設賞罰教生民，生民終不泰。夫心不可安而自安之，道不可守而自守之，民不可化而自化之。所以儉於臺榭則民力有餘，儉於寶貨則民財有餘，儉於戰伐則民時有餘。不與之由與之也，不取之由取之也。海伯亡魚，不出於海；國君亡馬，不出於國。

Hang up a carved cage and feed the yellow bird with grains of jade, and the yellow bird will in the end not be happy. Lay down ritual and music and set up rewards and punishments to teach the people, and the people will in the end not be at peace. The heart cannot be forced to rest, yet it rests of itself; the Way cannot be forced to be kept, yet it keeps itself; the people cannot be forced to be transformed, yet they transform themselves. So when terraces and pavilions are frugal, the people have strength to spare; when treasures and goods are frugal, the people have wealth to spare; when war and conquest are frugal, the people have time to spare. Not giving is the same as giving, and not taking is the same as taking. The sea lord who loses his fish cannot go out to sea; the ruler of a state who loses his horses cannot go out of the state.

夫禮者，道出於君而君由不知，事出於職而職由不明。儒者棲山林，敬師友，窮理樂，講本末。暨乎見羽葆車輅之狀，鐘鼓簫韶之作，則矍然若鹿，怡然若豕；若醉於酒，若溺於水，莫知道之本，莫窮禮之旨。謂弓為弧，則民不知矣；謂馬為駟，則民莫信矣。所以數亂於多，不亂於少；禮惑於大，不惑於小。能師於儉者，可以得其要。

As for ritual, the Way comes out of the ruler and yet the ruler himself does not know it, and affairs come out of office and yet the official himself does not understand it. Confucians dwell in mountains and forests, reverently serve teachers and friends, probe to the bottom of principle and music, and discuss root and branch. But when they see the form of feather-canopied carriages and the performance of bells, drums, and the Shao music, they are startled like deer and pleased like pigs; they are like men drunk with wine or drowned in water, not knowing the root of the Way and not reaching the meaning of ritual. Call a bow a “hu” and the people do not know it; call a horse a “si” and the people do not believe it. So numbers become confused through being many and not through being few; ritual becomes bewildering through being grand and not through being small. One who can take frugality as his teacher can grasp the essential.

奢者好動，儉者好靜；奢者好難，儉者好易；奢者好繁，儉者好簡；奢者好逸樂，儉者好恬淡。有保一器畢生無璺者，有掛一裘十年不斃者。斯人也可以親百姓，可以司粟帛，可以掌符璽，可以即清靜之道。

The extravagant like action, the frugal like stillness; the extravagant like difficulty, the frugal like ease; the extravagant like complexity, the frugal like simplicity; the extravagant like ease and pleasure, the frugal like calm and plainness. There are those who keep a single vessel all their lives without a crack, and those whose single fur coat hangs ten years without spoiling. Such persons can be close to the common people, can be put in charge of grain and silk, can hold the tallies and seals, and can draw near the Way of quietude.

夫仁不儉，有不仁；義不儉，有不義；禮不儉，有非禮；智不儉，有無智；信不儉，有不信。所以知儉為五常之本，五常為儉之末。夫禮者，益之道也；儉者，損之道也。益者損之旨，損者益之理。禮過則淫，儉過則樸。自古及今，未有亡於儉者也。

When benevolence is not frugal, there is unbenevolence; when righteousness is not frugal, there is unrighteousness; when ritual is not frugal, there is what is contrary to ritual; when wisdom is not frugal, there is lack of wisdom; when good faith is not frugal, there is faithlessness. So we know that frugality is the root of the Five Constants, and the Five Constants are the twigs of frugality. Ritual is the way of increase, and frugality is the way of reduction. Increase is the aim of reduction, and reduction is the principle of increase. Ritual carried too far becomes excess, and frugality carried too far becomes simplicity. From ancient times to the present, no one has perished through frugality.

謙者人所尊，儉者人所寶。使之謙必不謙，使之儉必不儉。我謙則民自謙，我儉則民自儉。機在此不在彼，柄在君不在人。惡行之者惑，是故為之文。

Humility is what people honor, and frugality is what people treasure. If you tell people to be humble, they will surely not be humble; if you tell people to be frugal, they will surely not be frugal. If I am humble, the people become humble of themselves; if I am frugal, the people become frugal of themselves. The mechanism is here and not there, and the handle is with the ruler and not with the people. Those who dislike putting it into practice will be confused, and so I have written down these words.