Huai Nan Zi (淮南子)

夫道者，覆天載地，廓四方，柝八極，高不可際，深不可測，包裹天地，稟授無形。原流泉浡，沖而徐盈，混混滑滑，濁而徐清。故植之而塞於天地，橫之而彌於四海，施之無窮而無所朝夕。舒之幎於六合，卷之不盈於一握。約而能張，幽而能明，弱而能強，柔而能剛。橫四維而含陰陽，紘宇宙而章三光。甚淖而滒，甚纖而微。山以之高，淵以之深，獸以之走，鳥以之飛，日月以之明，星歷以之行，麟以之遊，鳳以之翔。

The Dao (Laozi uses this word for the origin of all things and the way they operate, which itself cannot be named) covers Heaven and bears the Earth, opens out the four quarters and divides the eight extremes; it is so high that it has no top and so deep that it cannot be fathomed. It wraps Heaven and Earth and bestows the formless on all things. It is like a spring that wells up, empty yet gradually filling, flowing and gushing, muddy yet gradually becoming clear. So set upright, it fills Heaven and Earth; laid across, it spreads over the four seas; applied without end, it has no pause from morning to evening. Unfolded, it covers the six directions; rolled up, it does not fill a handful. Bound, it can open out; dark, it can be bright; weak, it can be strong; soft, it can be firm. It spans the four corners and contains yin and yang, it holds the cosmos together and makes the three lights of sun, moon, and stars shine. It is moist and sticky, and also extremely fine and subtle. Mountains are high because of it, abysses are deep because of it, beasts run because of it, birds fly because of it, the sun and moon shine because of it, the stars and calendar move because of it, the qilin roams because of it, and the phoenix soars because of it.

泰古二皇，得道之柄，立於中央，神與化遊，以撫四方。是故能天運地滯，輪轉而無廢，水流而不止，與萬物終始。風興雲蒸，事無不應；雷聲雨降，並應無窮。鬼出電入，龍興鸞集；鈞旋轂轉，周而復匝。已彫已琢，還反於樸。無為為之而合於道，無為言之而通乎德，恬愉無矜而得於和，有萬不同而便於性，神託於秋豪之末，而大宇宙之總。其德優天地而和陰陽，節四時而調五行。呴諭覆育，萬物群生，潤於草木，浸於金石，禽獸碩大，豪毛潤澤，羽翼奮也，角觡生也，獸胎不贕，鳥卵不毈，父無喪子之憂，兄無哭弟之哀，童子不孤，婦人不孀，虹蜺不出，賊星不行，含德之所致也。

The two ancient sovereigns obtained the pivot of the Dao and stood at the center, and their spirits roamed together with the process of creation to pacify the four quarters. So they could make Heaven move and Earth settle, turning like a wheel that never stops and flowing like water that never ceases, ending and beginning together with the ten thousand things. When the wind rises and clouds steam, there is nothing that does not respond; when thunder sounds and rain falls, all answer in unison without end. They appear like spirits and enter like lightning; dragons rise and phoenixes gather; like the potter's wheel turning and the cart hub revolving, round after round. Already carved and already polished, they return to the uncarved block (the raw, unworked wood, a figure for the original state untouched by human carving). Doing things through non-action (not forcing one's will on things but letting them run according to their own nature, which does not mean doing nothing at all) accords with the Dao; speaking through non-action reaches de (the efficacy that the Dao shows in particular things, not virtue in the moral sense). With calm and joy and no self-regard one attains harmony; the ten thousand things differ from one another yet each is suited to its own nature; the spirit lodges in the tip of an autumn hair yet is as great as the whole of the cosmos. His virtue surpasses Heaven and Earth, harmonizes yin and yang, regulates the four seasons, and arranges the five phases. Warmth covers and nurtures, and the myriad things are born together; moisture reaches grasses and trees and soaks into metal and stone; birds and beasts grow large, their fine hair glossy, their wings rise, their antlers and horns grow; animal embryos do not die young and bird eggs do not crack and spoil; fathers have no grief over lost sons, elder brothers have no mourning for younger brothers, children are not orphaned and women are not widowed, rainbows do not appear and ominous stars do not move; all this is brought about by containing virtue.

夫太上之道，生萬物而不有，成化像而弗宰。跂行喙息，蠉飛蝡動，待而後生，莫之知德；待之後死，莫之能怨。得以利者不能譽，用而敗者不能非。收聚畜積而不加富，佈施稟授而不益貧。旋縣而不可究，纖微而不可勤。累之而不高，墮之而不下，益之而不眾，損之而不寡，斲之而不薄，殺之而不殘，鑿之而不深，填之而不淺。忽兮怳兮，不可為象兮；怳兮忽兮，用不屈兮；幽兮冥兮，應無形兮；遂兮洞兮，不虛動兮。與剛柔卷舒兮，與陰陽俛仰兮。昔者馮夷、大丙之御也，乘雲車，入雲蜺，遊微霧，騖怳忽，歷遠彌高以極往，經霜雪而無跡，照日光而無景，扶搖抮抱羊角而上，經紀山川，蹈騰昆侖，排閶闔，淪天門。末世之御，雖有輕車良馬，勁策利鍛，不能與之爭先。是故大丈夫恬然無思，澹然無慮；以天為蓋，以地為輿；四時為馬，陰陽為御；乘雲陵霄，與造化者俱。縱志舒節，以馳大區。可以步而步可以驟而驟。令雨師灑道，使風伯埽塵。電以為鞭策，雷以為車輪。上游於霄雿之野，下出於無垠之門。劉覽偏照，復守以全。經營四隅，還反於樞。故以天為蓋，則無不覆也；以地為輿，則無不載也；四時為馬，則無不使也；陰陽為御，則無不備也。是故疾而不搖，遠而不勞，四支不動，聰明不損，而知八紘九野之形埒者，何也？執道要之柄，而遊於無窮之地。是故天下之事，不可為也，因其自然而推之。萬物之變，不可究也，秉其要歸之趣。

The supreme Dao gives birth to the ten thousand things but does not claim them as its own, and completes their forms but does not rule over them. Those that walk on feet and breathe through mouths, those that fly and those that crawl, wait for it and are then born, and none knows to be grateful; wait for it and then die, and none can resent it. Those who gain benefit cannot praise it, and those who fail by using it cannot blame it. Gathering and storing does not make it richer, and bestowing and giving does not make it poorer. It winds around and hangs far away and cannot be exhausted, and is so fine that it cannot be counted. Heap it up and it is no higher; knock it down and it is no lower; add to it and it is no more; subtract from it and it is no less; cut it and it is no thinner; kill it and it is no more cruel; dig it out and it is no deeper; fill it in and it is no shallower. Vague indeed, it cannot be made into an image; indistinct indeed, its function never runs dry; dim and dark indeed, it responds without form; deeply penetrating indeed, it moves without emptiness. It unrolls and rolls up together with the hard and the soft, and bows and rises together with yin and yang. In the past Feng Yi and Da Bing drove a cart, riding a cloud carriage, entering the clouds and rainbows, roaming in fine mist, galloping in the indistinct, passing through the high and distant and going on to the very end, passing through frost and snow without a trace, standing in sunlight without a shadow, riding the whirlwind and coiling up like a ram's horn wind, managing mountains and rivers, treading across the Kunlun, pushing open the Gate of Heaven, Changhe, and sinking into the Gate of Heaven. The charioteers of later ages, even with light carriages and fine horses, hard whips and sharp goads, could not compete with them for first place. So the great man is calm and without reflection, tranquil and without planning; he takes Heaven as his carriage canopy and Earth as his carriage bed; takes the four seasons as his horses and yin and yang as his drivers; rides the clouds and soars over the cloud heights, keeping company with the one who creates and transforms. He releases his mind and slows the pace to gallop over the vast regions. If he can walk slowly he walks slowly, if he can gallop he gallops. He has the Rain Master sprinkle the road and the Wind Count sweep the dust; takes lightning as his whip and thunder as his wheels; above he roams the lofty, distant, empty wilds, and below he goes out through the gate without bounds. He surveys everything in view and then keeps hold of the whole; he manages the four quarters and returns to the pivot. So taking Heaven as the canopy, there is nothing it does not cover; taking Earth as the carriage bed, there is nothing it does not bear; taking the four seasons as horses, there is nothing they cannot be sent to; taking yin and yang as drivers, there is nothing they do not provide. So he is fast without shaking, far without weariness; his four limbs do not move and his hearing and sight are not harmed, yet he can know the forms and boundaries of the eight corners and nine fields. Why? Because he holds the pivot of the Dao and roams in the land without limit. So the affairs of the world cannot be forced; one must seek them by following what is self-so (what is so of itself, so by its own nature, not 'Nature' as the natural world). The changes of the ten thousand things cannot be exhausted; one must grasp the essential point to which they all return.

夫鏡水之與形接也，不設智故，而方圓曲直弗能逃也。是故響不肆應，而景不一設，叫呼彷彿，默然自得。人生而靜，天之性也。感而後動，性之害也。物至而能神應，知之動也。知與物接，而好憎生焉。憎成形，而知誘於外，不能反己，而天理滅矣。故達於道者，不以人易天，外與物化，而內不失其情。至無而供其求，時聘而要其宿。小大修短，各有其具，萬物之至，騰踴餚亂而不失其數。是以處上而民弗重，居前而眾弗害，天下歸之，姦邪畏之。以其無爭於萬物也，故莫敢與之爭。

A mirror and water meet the shapes of things without setting up any cleverness, yet square and round, crooked and straight cannot escape them. So an echo does not answer in a reckless way, a shadow does not prepare each form in advance, a call is merely like a sound, and the thing is obtained in its own silence. A person is born still, which is the nature given by Heaven. To move after being stirred is the harm done to the nature. To respond with the spirit when outside things arrive is the stirring of knowing. When knowing meets things, likes and dislikes are born. Once dislike takes shape, knowing is lured away by the outside, cannot return to itself, and the heavenly principle is extinguished. So one who has reached the Way does not use human effort to alter Heaven; outwardly he changes together with things, but inwardly he does not lose his own feelings. Empty to the utmost, he can supply what is sought; galloping with the times, he can hold to his destination. Small or large, long or short, each has its allotment; when the ten thousand things arrive, leaping and jumbled, he does not lose his fixed measure. So placed above, the hundred clans do not feel him heavy; walking in front, the crowd is not obstructed; the world turns toward him and the wicked fear him. Because he does not compete with the ten thousand things, no one dares compete with him.

夫臨江而釣，曠日而不能盈羅，雖有鉤箴芒距，微綸芳餌，加之以詹何、娟嬛之數，猶不能與網罟爭得也。射者扞烏號之弓，彎棋衛之箭，重之羿、逢蒙子之巧，以要飛鳥，猶不能與羅者競多。何則？以所持之小也。張天下以為之籠，因江海以為之罟，又何亡魚失鳥之有乎！故矢不若繳，繳不若無形之像。

Going to the river to fish, one cannot fill even a basket in a whole day; even with hooks, needles, barbs, fine lines, and fragrant bait, and adding the skills of Zhan He and Juan Huan, one still cannot compete with a net for what is caught. An archer draws the Wuhao bow, bends the Qiwei arrow, and adds the skill of Yi and Pang Meng's disciple to intercept flying birds, yet still cannot compete in quantity with someone who sets up a net. Why? Because what is held in the hand is too small. Spread out the world as a cage and make the rivers and seas into a net, and where could a fish or bird escape! So an arrow is not as good as a cord attached to a line, and the cord is not as good as taking the image of the formless.

夫釋大道而任小數，無以異於使蟹捕鼠，蟾蠩捕蚤，不足以禁姦塞邪，亂乃逾滋。昔者夏鯀作三仞之城，諸侯背之，海外有狡心。禹知天下之叛也，乃壞城平池，散財物，焚甲兵，施之以德，海外賓伏，四夷納職，合諸侯於塗山，執玉帛者萬國。故機械之心藏於胸中，則純白不粹，神德不全，在身者不知，何遠之所能懷！是故革堅則兵利，城成則沖生，若以湯沃沸，亂乃逾甚。是故鞭噬狗，策蹄馬，而欲教之，雖伊尹、造父弗能化。欲寅之心亡於中，則飢虎可尾，何況狗馬之類乎！故體道者逸而不窮，任數者勞而無功。

To discard the great Way and employ petty skills is no different from sending a crab to catch rats or a toad to catch fleas; it is not enough to prohibit treachery and block wickedness, and disorder will only grow. In the past Gun of Xia built a city wall three ren high, and the lords rebelled against him, and beyond the seas they harbored deceitful hearts. Yu knew the world would rebel, so he tore down the wall and filled the moat, scattered goods, burned armor and weapons, and applied virtue; beyond the seas they submitted, the four barbarians paid tribute, and at Mount Tu he assembled the lords, with ten thousand states coming with jade and silk. So when a heart of cunning is hidden in the chest, pure white is no longer pure, divine virtue is incomplete, and what lies in one's own person is not even known; how far could one then win over others! So when armor is firm, weapons become sharper; when city walls are built, siege carts appear; it is like pouring hot water onto boiling water, and disorder only becomes worse. So to whip a biting dog or goad a kicking horse and then try to train them, even Yi Yin and Zao Fu could not transform them. Once the mind of wanting to harm (the base text has a character here that older editors mostly took as meaning 'harm') is gone from within, even a hungry tiger can be followed, how much more dogs and horses! So one who embodies the Way is at ease and does not run dry; one who employs petty numbers toils and has no merit.

夫峭法刻誅者，非霸王之業也；箠策繁用者，非致遠之術也。離朱之明，察箴末於百步之外，不能見淵中之魚。師曠之聰，合八風之調，而不能聽十里之外。故任一人之能，不足以治三畝之宅也。脩道理之數，因天地之自然，則六合不足均也。是故禹之決瀆也，因水以為師；神農之播穀也，因苗以為教。

Harsh laws and cruel punishments are not the work of a hegemon or king; frequent use of the whip is not the way to go far. Li Zhu's eyes were keen enough to see the tip of a needle at a hundred paces, yet he could not see fish in a deep pool. Shi Kuang's ears were sharp enough to combine the tunes of the eight winds, yet he could not hear beyond ten li. So to rely on a single person's talent is not enough to govern a house of three mu. If one cultivates the constant measures of the Way and follows the self-so of Heaven and Earth, then even the six directions are not enough to level out. So Yu opened and dredged the rivers and took the water itself as his teacher; Shennong sowed the hundred grains and took the seedlings themselves as his teaching material.

夫萍樹根於水，木樹根於土，鳥排虛而飛，獸蹠實而走，蛟龍水居，虎豹山處，天地之性也。兩木相摩而然，金火相守而流，員者常轉，窾者主浮，自然之勢也。是故春風至則甘雨降，生育萬物，羽者嫗伏，毛者孕育，草木榮華，鳥獸卵胎，莫見其為者，而功既成矣。秋風下霜，倒生挫傷，鷹鵰搏鷙，昆蟲蟄藏，草木註根，魚鱉湊淵，莫見其為者，滅而無形。木處榛巢，水居窟穴，禽獸有芄，人民有室，陸處宜牛馬，舟行宜多水，匈奴出穢裘，於越生葛絺，各生所急以備燥溼，各因所處以禦寒暑，並得其宜，物便其所。由此觀之，萬物固以自然，聖人又何事焉！九疑之南，陸事寡而水事眾，於是民人被髮文身，以像鱗蟲，短綣不恊，以便涉遊，短袂攘卷，以便刺舟，因之也。鴈門之北，狄不穀食，賤長貴壯，俗尚氣力，人不弛弓，馬不解勒，便之也。故禹之裸國，解衣而入，衣帶而出，因之也。今夫徙樹者，失其陰陽之性，則莫不枯槁。故橘樹之江北則化而為枳，鴝鵒不過濟，貈渡汶而死，形性不可易，勢居不可移也。是故達於道者，反於清淨；究於物者，終於無為。以恬養性，以漠處神，則入於天門。所謂天者，純粹樸素，質直皓白，未始有與雜糅者也。所謂人者，偶䁟智故，曲巧偽詐，所以俛仰於世人而與俗交者也。故牛岐蹄而戴角，馬被髦而全足者，天也。絡馬之口，穿牛之鼻者，人也。循天者，與道遊者也。隨人者，與俗交者也。

Duckweed roots in water, trees root in earth, birds part the void to fly, beasts tread solid ground to run, flood dragons live in water, tigers and leopards live in mountains; this is the nature of Heaven and Earth. Two pieces of wood rubbed together catch fire, metal and fire together melt and flow, the round often turns, the hollow tends to float; this is the tendency of self-so. So when the spring wind arrives, sweet rain falls and gives birth to the ten thousand things; those with feathers brood, those with fur bear young, grasses and trees flourish, birds and beasts lay eggs and bear embryos, and no one sees the one who does it, yet the work is done. When the autumn wind brings frost, upside-down growing plants are damaged, hawks and eagles strike, insects hibernate, plants pour their nourishment back into roots, fish and turtles head for the deep pools, and no one sees the one who does it, and what is destroyed has no form. Those who dwell in trees use nests of hazel branches, those who dwell in water use burrows, birds and beasts have grass bedding, and people have houses; on land oxen and horses suit, traveling by boat suits places with much water; the Xiongnu produce coarse furs and the Yue produce kudzu fabric, each producing what is urgently needed to guard against dryness and damp, each adapting to where it dwells to resist cold and heat, all getting what suits them, each thing at ease in its place. From this we see that the ten thousand things naturally rely on self-so; why should the sage do anything more! South of Mount Jiuyi, there is little to do on land and much on water, so the people wear their hair loose and tattoo their bodies to imitate scaly creatures, wear short clothes without trousers to wade and swim easily, and roll up their short sleeves to pole boats; this is following the local conditions. North of Yanmen, the Di people do not eat grain, make light of the old and value the strong, their custom honors strength, and people do not slacken their bows nor horses unbridle; this suits the local conditions. So when Yu arrived in the Land of the Naked, he took off his clothes to enter and put on his sash to leave, which is also following. Now one who transplants trees, if he loses their yin and yang nature, will find that none fail to wither. So a tangerine tree planted north of the Yangtze turns into a trifoliate orange, the mynah cannot fly across the Ji River, a badger dies when it crosses the Wen River; forms and natures cannot be altered, and the conditions where they live cannot be shifted. So one who has reached the Way returns to clarity and stillness; one who has exhausted things returns to non-action. By using calm to nurture the nature and tranquil quietude to settle the spirit, one enters the Gate of Heaven. What is called Heaven is pure and plain, straight and white, never mixed with admixtures. What is called the human is the uneven clever skill, crooked cunning and deceit, used to bow and rise before the world and mingle with the vulgar. So an ox with split hooves and horns on its head, a horse with a mane and whole hooves, is Heaven. Halters on a horse's mouth and a ring through an ox's nose are the human. One who follows Heaven roams together with the Dao. One who follows what is human mingles with the vulgar.

夫井魚不可與語大，拘於隘也；夏蟲不可與語寒，篤於時也；曲士不可與語至道，拘於俗，束於教也。故聖人不以人滑天，不以欲亂情，不謀而當，不言而信，不慮而得，不為而成，精通於靈府，與造化者為人。

A fish in a well cannot be told of the vastness, because it is confined by narrowness; a summer insect cannot be told of cold, because it is limited by its season; a scholar of the village cannot be told of the supreme Dao, because he is bound by vulgar custom and tied up by doctrines. So the sage does not use human effort to disturb Heaven, does not use desires to disturb his feelings; without planning he is fitting, without speaking he is trusted, without deliberating he gains, without acting he succeeds; his vital breath reaches the spirit's dwelling and keeps company with the one who creates and transforms.

夫善遊者溺，善騎者墮，各以其所好，反自為禍。是故好事者未嘗不中，爭利者未嘗不窮也。昔共工之力，觸不周之山，使地東南傾。與高辛爭為帝，遂潛於淵，宗族殘滅，繼嗣絕祀。越王翳逃山穴，越人燻而出之，遂不得已。由此觀之，得在時，不在爭；治在道，不在聖。土處下，不爭高，故安而不危；水下流，不爭先，故疾而不遲。昔舜耕於歷山，期年，而田者爭處墝埆，以封壤肥饒相讓；釣於河濱，期年，而漁者爭處湍瀨，以曲隈深潭相予。當此之時，口不設言，手不指麾，執玄德於心，而化馳若神。使舜無其志，雖口辯而戶說之，不能化一人。是故不道之道，莽乎大哉！夫能理三苗，朝羽民，徙裸國，納肅慎；未發號施令而移風易俗者，其唯心行者乎！法度刑罰，何足以致之也？是故聖人內修其本，而不外飾其末，保其精神，偃其智故，漠然無為而無不為也，澹然無治也而無不治也。所謂無為者，不先物為也；所謂無不為者，因物之所為。所謂無治者，不易自然也；所謂無不治者，因物之相然也。

Those who are good at swimming often drown, those who are good at riding often fall, each making disaster for himself because of what he likes. So of those who like to stir up affairs, none is without injury; of those who contend for profit, none is without exhaustion. In the past Gong Gong butted Mount Buzhou with force, making the earth tilt toward the southeast. He contended with Gaoxin to be emperor and sank into the deep pool, his clan was destroyed and his heirs' sacrifices were cut off. King Yi of Yue fled into a mountain cave, and the people of Yue smoked him out with smoke, and so he was made king because there was no alternative. From this we see that gain lies in timing, not in contention; order lies in the Way, not in sageliness. Earth lies below and does not compete to be high, so it is safe and not in peril; water flows down and does not compete to go first, so it is swift and not slow. In the past Shun farmed at Mount Li, and after a full year, the farmers vied to take the barren land and yielded the rich fertile land to others; he fished on the river bank, and after a full year, the fishermen vied to take the rapids and yielded the curved banks and deep pools to others. At that time his mouth set up no speeches and his hands gave no commands, he held mysterious virtue in his heart, and his teaching spread like a spirit. If Shun had not had that aim, then even with a skilled tongue going door to door, he could not have transformed a single person. So that Way which cannot be spoken, how vast and boundless it is! To be able to govern the Three Miao, make the feathered people come to court, move the Land of the Naked, and take in the Sushen, to change customs without yet issuing orders, is probably only possible for one who practices with the heart! How could laws and punishments be enough to bring this about? So the sage cultivates his own root within and does not decorate the branches outside, preserves the spirit and stops cunning, being quiet and doing nothing yet nothing is left undone, being tranquil and governing nothing yet nothing is left ungoverned. What is called non-action is not rushing ahead of things to do; what is called leaving nothing undone is following what things do of themselves. What is called non-governing is not altering what is self-so; what is called leaving nothing ungoverned is following how things suit one another.

萬物有所生，而獨知守其根；百事有所出，而獨知守其門。故窮無窮，極無極，照物而不眩，響應而不乏，此之謂天解。故得道者志弱而事強，心虛而應當。所謂志弱而事強者，柔毳安靜，藏於不敢，行於不能，恬然無慮，動不失時，與萬物回周旋轉，不為先唱，感而應之。是故貴者必以賤為號，而高者必以下為基。託小以包大，在中以制外，行柔而剛，用弱而強，轉化推移，得一之道，而以少正多。所謂其事強者，遭變應卒，排患扞難，力無不勝，敵無不凌，應化揆時，莫能害之。是故欲剛者必以柔守之，欲強者必以弱保之。積於柔則剛，積於弱則強，觀其所積，以知禍福之鄉。強勝不若己者，至於若己者而同；柔勝出於己者，其力不可量。故兵強則滅，木強則折，革固則裂，齒堅於舌而先之敝。是故柔弱者，生之榦也；而堅強者，死之徒也。先唱者，窮之路也；後動者，達之原也。何以知其然也？凡人中壽七十歲，然而趨舍指湊，日以月悔也，以至於死，故蘧伯玉年五十而有四十九年非。何者？先者難為知，而後者易為攻也。先者上高，則後者攀之；先者踰下，則後者蹶之；先者隤陷，則後者以謀；先者敗績，則後者違之。由此觀之，先者，則後者之弓矢質的也。猶錞之與刃，刃犯難而錞無患者，何也？以其託於後位也。此俗世庸民之所公見也，而賢知者弗能避也。所謂後者，非謂其底滯而不發，凝結而不流，貴其周於數而合於時也。

The ten thousand things each have a source from which they are born, but only one who has attained the Way knows to keep to the root; the hundred affairs each have a door they come out of, but only he knows to keep to the door. So he can exhaust the inexhaustible and reach the limitless, illuminating things without dazzlement and responding without running short; this is called Heaven's release. So the one who has attained the Way has a weak will and a strong undertaking, an empty heart and fitting response. What is meant by a weak will and strong undertaking is: soft as down and quiet, hidden in not daring, acting within not being able, calm and without plans, moving without losing the moment, turning and circling together with the ten thousand things, not rushing to lead but responding only when moved. So the honored must use the humble as title, and the lofty must use the low as a base. He lodges in the small to enclose the great, stays in the middle to restrain the outside, acts softly yet can be firm, uses weakness yet can be strong, turns and shifts, obtains this Way of the One, and uses the few to set the many right. What is meant by his undertaking being strong is that when meeting change and responding to the sudden, he removes hardship and calamity; there is no force he cannot overcome and no enemy he cannot rise above; responding to change and weighing the moment, nothing can harm him. So one who wants to be firm must keep it through softness, and one who wants to be strong must preserve it through weakness. Accumulate on softness and it becomes firm; accumulate on weakness and it becomes strong; look at what is accumulated and you can know the direction of fortune and misfortune. The strong can only overcome those not as strong as himself, and when meeting one equal to himself he is leveled; the soft can overcome those who surpass him, and his power cannot be measured. So a strong army will perish, strong wood will break, hard leather will crack, and teeth, harder than the tongue, wear out first. So softness and weakness are the trunk of life, and hardness and strength are of the category of death. To lead first is the road to exhaustion; to move afterward is the source of success. How do we know this? An ordinary person lives to seventy, yet in his choices and conduct he regrets every day by the month right up to death; so Qu Boyu at fifty had forty-nine years of mistakes. Why? What walks in front is hard to foresee, and what follows behind is easy to attack. When the one in front climbs high, the one behind clings to him; when the one in front jumps down, the one behind treads on him; when the one in front collapses, the one behind uses a plan; when the one in front is defeated, the one behind avoids it. From this we see that the one in front is the bow, arrow, and target for the ones behind. It is like a spear's shaft and blade: the blade goes into danger and hardship while the shaft has no calamity, because it lodges at the rear. This is something even vulgar common people can see, yet the worthy and wise cannot avoid. What is called behind does not mean stagnating without issuing or congealing without flowing; what is valuable is to be thorough in method and match the moment.

夫執道理以耦變，先亦制後，後亦制先。是何則？不失其所以制人，人不能制也。時之反側，間不容息，先之則太過，後之則不逮。夫日回而月周，時不與人遊，故聖人不貴尺之璧，而重寸之陰，時難得而易失也。禹之趨時也，履遺而弗取，冠掛而弗顧，非爭其先也，而爭其得時也。是故聖人守清道而抱雌節，因循應變，常後而不先。柔弱以靜，舒安以定，攻大䃺堅，莫能與之爭。

Holding to the principle to match change, the first can restrain the later and the later can restrain the first. Why? If one does not lose that by which one restrains others, others cannot restrain him. In the turning of time, the gap cannot hold even a single breath; to rush ahead is excessive, to lag behind is not to catch up. The sun turns and the moon circles, and time does not roam together with people; so the sage does not value a jade disc a foot across but values an inch of time, for time is hard to get and easy to lose. When Yu hurried for time, he did not pick up a shoe that fell off, and did not turn back when his cap caught on something; it was not to contend to be first but to catch the right time. So the sage keeps the clear Way and embraces the female measure, following and responding to change, always staying behind and not rushing first. With softness and weakness he seeks stillness, with ease and peace he seeks stability, attacking the great and grinding the hard, no one can contend with him.

天下之物，莫柔弱於水，然而大不可極，深不可測，修極於無窮，遠淪於無涯，息耗減益，通於不訾，上天則為雨露，下地則為潤澤，萬物弗得不生，百事不得不成，大包群生而無好憎，澤及蚑蟯而不求報，富贍天下而不既，德施百姓而不費，行而不可得窮極也，微而不可得把握也，擊之無創，刺之不傷，斬之不斷，焚之不然，淖溺流遁，錯繆相紛而不可靡散，利貫金石，強濟天下，動溶無形之域，而翱翔忽區之上，邅回川穀之間，而滔騰大荒之野，有餘不足，與天地取與，授萬物而無所前後，是故無所私而無所公，靡濫振蕩，與天地鴻洞，無所左而無所右，蟠委錯紾，與萬物始終，是謂至德。夫水所以能成其至德於天下者，以其淖溺潤滑也。故老聃之言曰：「天下至柔，馳騁天下之至堅。出於無有，入於無間。吾是以知無為之有益。」夫無形者，物之大祖也；無音者，聲之大宗也。其子為光，其孫為水，皆生於無形乎！夫光可見而不可握，水可循而不可毀，故有像之類，莫尊於水。

Of all things under heaven, none is softer or weaker than water, yet it is so vast it has no end, so deep it cannot be fathomed, so long it is endless, sinking so far it has no shore; it waxes, wanes, increases and decreases, penetrating beyond measure. Rising to heaven it becomes rain and dew, descending to earth it becomes moisture; without it the myriad things cannot live and the hundred affairs cannot be accomplished. It embraces all that lives without liking or disliking, and its grace reaches even the tiniest creatures without asking for return; it enriches and supports the world without being exhausted, its virtue is bestowed on the people without being spent. It travels without end yet cannot be grasped for all its fineness; strike it and it bears no wound, stab it and it is not hurt, cut it and it is not severed, burn it and it does not ignite; it is soft and flows away, tangled and mixed, yet cannot be dispersed. Its sharpness can pierce metal and stone, its strength can aid the world; it moves in the realm without form, soars above the region of the indistinct, lingers among ravines and valleys, and surges over the great wilds; in surplus and in lack it takes and gives together with heaven and earth, bestowing on the myriad things without before or after. So it has neither private nor public, vast and rolling, communicating with heaven and earth; it has neither left nor right, coiling and interlacing, sharing beginning and end with the myriad things. This is called supreme virtue. The reason water can fulfill its supreme virtue in the world is that it is soft and smooth. So Lao Dan's words say: "The softest thing in the world gallops over the hardest thing in the world. It comes out of what has nothing and enters where there is no gap. From this I know the benefit of non-action." The formless is the great ancestor of things; the soundless is the great source of sounds. Its child is light and its grandchild is water; do they not all come from the formless! Light can be seen but not grasped, and water can be stroked along its flow but cannot be destroyed; so among things that have form, none is more honored than water.

出生入死，自無蹠有，自有蹠無，而以衰賤矣。是故清靜者，德之至也；而柔弱者，道之要也；虛無恬愉者，萬物之用也。肅然應感，殷然反本，則淪於無形矣。所謂無形者，一之謂也。所謂一者，無匹合於天下者也。卓然獨立，塊然獨處，上通九天，下貫九野，員不中規，方不中矩，大渾而為一葉，累而無根，懷囊天地，為道關門，穆忞隱閔，純德獨存，佈施而不既，用之而不勤。是故視之不見其形，聽之不聞其聲，循之不得其身，無形而有形生焉，無聲而五音鳴焉，無味而五味形焉，無色而五色成焉。是故有生於無，實出於虛，天下為之圈，則名實同居。音之數不過五，而五音之變不可勝聽也。味之和不過五，而五味之化不可勝嘗也。色之數不過五，而五色之變不可勝觀也。故音者，宮立而五音形矣；味者，甘立而五味亭矣；色者，白立而五色成矣；道者，一立而萬物生矣。是故一之理，施四海；一之解，際天地。其全也，純兮若樸；其散也，混兮若濁。濁而徐清，沖而徐盈，澹兮其若深淵，汎兮其若浮云，若無而有，若亡而存。萬物之總，皆閱一孔；百事之根，皆出一門。其動無形，變化若神；其行無跡，常後而先。是故至人之治也，掩其聰明，滅其文章，依道廢智，與民同出於公。約其所守，寡其所求，去其誘慕，除其嗜慾，損其思慮。約其所守則察，寡其所求則得。夫任耳目以聽視者，勞形而不明；以知慮為治者，苦心而無功。是故聖人一度循軌，不變其宜，不易其常，放準修繩，曲因其當。

To come out of life and go into death, to go from nothing toward something and from something toward nothing, is to decline and be debased by this. So clarity and stillness are the utmost of virtue, softness and weakness are the pivot of the Way, and emptiness, quietness, and ease are the use of the myriad things. To respond solemnly to what stirs and return richly to the root is to sink into formlessness. What is called formless is the One. What is called the One has no match in the world. It stands alone, towering, and dwells alone, massive; above it reaches the nine heavens, below it threads the nine fields; it is round yet does not fit the compass and square yet does not fit the set square; it is great, muddy, and one (the received text reads 'one leaf' here), piled up yet without root, embracing and enclosing heaven and earth, serving as the gate of the Way; hushed and hidden, pure virtue exists alone, spreading without being exhausted and used without toil. So when you look at it you cannot see its form, when you listen you cannot hear its sound, when you touch it you cannot reach its body; though formless, form is born from it; though soundless, the five tones sound from it; though flavorless, the five flavors are manifest from it; though colorless, the five colors are completed from it. So being is born of non-being and the solid comes from the empty; the world forms one circle, and name and reality dwell together. The number of tones is no more than five, yet the variations of the five tones cannot be heard to the end. The harmony of tastes is no more than five, yet the variations of the five tastes cannot be tasted to the end. The number of colors is no more than five, yet the variations of the five colors cannot be seen to the end. So of tones, once the gong note is set, the five tones take form; of tastes, once sweetness is set, the five flavors are balanced; of colors, once white is set, the five colors are completed; of the Way, once the One is set, the myriad things are born. Therefore the principle of the One spreads to the four seas, and the unraveling of the One touches heaven and earth. When it is whole it is pure like uncarved wood; when it is dispersed it is muddled like turbid water. Turbid, yet gradually clearing; empty, yet gradually filling; thin like a deep pool, drifting like floating clouds, like nothing yet existing, like lost yet preserved. The meeting place of the myriad things all passes through a single opening; the root of the hundred affairs all comes out of a single door. Its movement has no form and its transformation is like a spirit; its going leaves no trace, always behind yet ahead. So the governance of the perfect person covers up cleverness and extinguishes ornament, relies on the Way and discards wisdom, and with the people goes forth together in the public good. He restrains what he guards, reduces what he seeks, removes allurements, eliminates cravings, and diminishes anxious thought. Restraining what he guards lets him see clearly, and reducing what he seeks lets him attain. One who employs his ears and eyes to hear and see wearies his form and does not become clear; one who governs with wisdom and thought toils in mind and has no achievement. So the sage unifies the standards and follows the tracks, does not change what is fitting or alter the constant Way, setting up the level and trimming the ink line, following in bends what is appropriate.

夫喜怒者，道之邪也；憂悲者，德之失也；好憎者，心之過也；嗜慾者，性之累也。人大怒破陰，大喜墜陽；薄氣發瘖，驚怖為狂；憂悲多恚，病乃成積；好憎繁多，禍乃相隨。故心不憂樂，德之至也；通而不變，靜之至也；嗜慾不載，虛之至也；無所好憎，平之至也；不與物散，粹之至也。能此五者，則通於神明。通於神明者，得其內者也。是故以中制外，百事不廢；中能得之，則外能收之。中之得，則五藏寧，思慮平，筋力勁強，耳目聰明，疏達而不悖，堅強而不鞼，無所大過而無所不逮，處小而不逼，處大而不窕，其魂不躁，其神不嬈，湫漻寂寞，為天下梟。

Joy and anger are a deviation of the Way; grief and sorrow are a fault of virtue; liking and disliking are a mistake of the mind; cravings and desires are a burden on nature. When a person is greatly angered he breaks yin, and when greatly pleased he drops yang; if thin qi is stirred he loses his voice, if frightened he goes mad; with much sorrow and anger illness accumulates; with much liking and disliking disaster follows. So that the mind is neither grieving nor happy is the utmost of virtue; to be accomplished without wild change is the utmost of stillness; for cravings not to be loaded in is the utmost of emptiness; to have no liking or disliking is the utmost of evenness; not to be scattered along with things is the utmost of purity. One who can achieve these five penetrates the spirit-light. One who penetrates the spirit-light is one who has gained the inner. So by using the inner to regulate the outer, the hundred affairs are not neglected; when the inner can be gained, the outer can be gathered in. When there is a gain within, the five organs are at peace, thought is level, sinews and strength are robust, ears and eyes are sharp; one is open and not confused, firm and not breaking, without great fault and without anything unreachable, not cramped when in a small place and not hollow when in a large one, the soul not restless and the spirit not disturbed, clear, still, and silent, a leader of the world.

大道坦坦，去身不遠，求之近者，往而復反。迫則能應，感則能動；物穆無窮，變無形像。優遊委縱，如響之與景；登高臨下，無失所秉；履危行險，無忘玄伏。能存之此，其德不虧，萬物紛糅，與之轉化，以聽天下，若背風而馳，是謂至德。至德則樂矣。古之人有居巖穴而神不遺者，末世有勢為萬乘而日憂悲者。由此觀之，聖亡乎治人，而在於得道；樂亡乎富貴，而在於德和。知大己而小天下，則幾於道矣。所謂樂者，豈必處京臺、章華，遊雲夢、沙丘，耳聽九韶、六瑩，口味煎熬芬芳，馳騁夷道，釣射鷫鷞之謂樂乎？吾所謂樂者，人得其得者也。夫得其得者，不以奢為樂，不以廉為悲，與陰俱閉，與陽俱開。故子夏心戰而臞，得道而肥。聖人不以身役物，不以欲滑和，是故其為懽不忻忻，其為悲不惙惙，萬方百變，消搖而無所定，吾獨慷慨，遺物而與道同出。是故有以自得之也，喬木之下，空穴之中，足以適情。無以自得也，雖以天下為家，萬民為臣妾，不足以養生也。能至於無樂者，則無不樂；無不樂，則至極樂矣。

The great Way is broad and flat, not far from oneself; seek it near, and when you go out you will return. When close, it responds; when stirred, it moves; deep and subtle, endless, its changes have no form. Leisurely and unconstrained, it is like an echo following a sound or a shadow following a form; ascending high or looking down, one does not lose what one holds; walking in danger and crossing peril, one does not forget the mysterious hidden. One who can keep this in his heart will not diminish his virtue, and the myriad things, jumbled and mixed, transform together with him; using this to listen to the world is like running with the wind at one's back; this is called supreme virtue. One who has supreme virtue is happy. Among the ancients there were those who dwelt in rock caves with spirits undispersed, and in the last age there are those whose power reaches ten thousand chariots yet who grieve every day. From this we see that sagehood does not lie in governing others but in attaining the Way; joy does not lie in wealth and rank but in harmony of virtue. To know oneself as great and the world as small is to come near the Way. What is called joy: must one live in Jing Terrace or Zhanghua, roam Yunmeng and Shaqiu, hear the Nine Shao and Six Ying with one's ears, taste fried and fragrant delicacies with the mouth, gallop on broad roads and shoot and fish for rare birds, to be called joyful? What I call joy is a person attaining what he should attain. A person who has attained what he should attain does not take extravagance as joy or thrift as sorrow, closes with yin and opens with yang. So Zixia grew thin when struggling within, and grew fat on attaining the Way. The sage does not use his own body to be bound by things and does not use desire to disturb harmony, so his gladness is not elated and his sorrow is not heavy; through ten thousand directions and a hundred changes he roams without being fixed, alone and magnanimous, abandoning things and coming forth with the Way. So whoever has what he can find self-contentment in, beneath tall trees or in an empty cave, is sufficiently at ease. One who has nothing in which to find self-contentment, even if he took the world as his household and the myriad people as servants, would not suffice to nourish his life. One who can reach the state of having no joy has nothing that is not joy; having nothing that is not joy is supreme joy.

夫建鍾鼓，列管絃，席旃茵，傅旄象，耳聽朝歌北鄙靡靡之樂，齊靡曼之色，陳酒行觴，夜以繼日，強弩弋高鳥，走犬逐狡兔，此其為樂也，炎炎赫赫，怵然若有所誘慕。解車休馬，罷酒徹樂，而心忽然若有所喪，悵然若有所亡也。是何則？不以內樂外，而以外樂內，樂作而喜，曲終而悲，悲喜轉而相生，精神亂營，不得須臾平。察其所以，不得其形，而日以傷生，失其得者也。是故內不得於中，稟授於外而以自飾也，不浸於肌膚，不浹於骨髓，不留於心志，不滯於五藏。故從外入者，無主於中，不止。從中出者，無應於外，不行。故聽善言便計，雖愚者知說之；稱至德高行，雖不肖者知慕之。說之者眾而用之者鮮，慕之者多而行之者寡。所以然者，何也？不能反諸性也。夫內不開於中而強學問者，不入於耳而不著於心。此何以異於聾者之歌也？效人為之而無以自樂也，聲出於口則越而散矣。

They set up bells and drums, arrange pipes and strings, spread felt cushions and attach yak-tail and ivory ornaments, with ears hearing the decadent music of the northern towns of Zhaoge, accompanied by soft and charming women, set out wine and pass cups, night after day, shoot high birds with strong crossbows, release hounds to chase cunning hares; such joy, blazing and glaring, startling as though something were tempting and enticing. When they unyoke the carriages and rest the horses, stop the wine and remove the music, the heart suddenly feels as if something were lost, disappointed as if something had been forfeited. Why is this? It is not that they use inner joy to meet the outer; rather they use outer joy to entertain the inner; when the music begins they are glad, when the song ends they grieve, grief and gladness give rise to each other in turn, the spirit is disordered and distraught and cannot be calm even for a moment. Examining why it is so, one does not obtain its form, yet every day it injures life; these are people who have lost what they should have attained. So if they do not have it within, and receive from outside and decorate themselves, it does not soak into the skin, does not penetrate to the bone marrow, does not stay in the will, and does not linger in the five organs. So what comes in from outside, without a master within, cannot stay. What comes out from within, without response outside, cannot proceed. So when one hears good words and plans, even the foolish know to be pleased; when one speaks of supreme virtue and lofty conduct, even the unworthy know to admire. Many are pleased and few adopt; many admire and few practice. Why is this? Because they cannot return to their nature. One who does not open inward to the center but forces himself to study cannot get it into his ears and cannot make it adhere in his heart. How is this different from a deaf man singing? Imitating others and having nothing in which to take his own pleasure, the sound leaves the mouth and then is gone and scattered.

夫心者，五藏之主也，所以制使四支，流行血氣，馳騁於是非之境，而出入於百事之門戶者也。是故不得於心而有經天下之氣，是猶無耳而欲調鐘鼓，無目而欲喜文章也，亦必不勝其任矣。故天下神器，不可為也，為者敗之，執者失之。夫許由小天下而不以己易堯者，志遺於天下也。所以然者，何也？因天下而為天下也。天下之要，不在於彼而在於我，不在於人而在於我身，身得則萬物備矣。徹於心術之論，則嗜慾好憎外矣。是故無所喜而無所怒，無所樂而無所苦，萬物玄同也，無非無是，化育玄燿，生而如死。

The mind is the master of the five organs; it directs the four limbs, circulates blood and qi, gallops in the realm of right and wrong, and goes in and out of the gates of the hundred affairs. So to have the energy to run the world without having it in the mind is like having no ears yet wanting to tune bells and drums, or having no eyes yet wanting to love ornament; one will surely not be equal to the task. So the world is a sacred vessel that cannot be forcibly made; one who makes it ruins it, and one who grasps it loses it. That Xu You made light of the world and would not exchange himself for Yao was because his will had abandoned the world. Why is this? Because he followed the world in order to act for the world. The essential of the world is not there but in me, not in others but in my own self; once the self is attained, the myriad things are complete. When one has penetrated the discussions of the art of the mind, cravings, likes, and dislikes are outside. So there is nothing to be pleased by and nothing to be angry at, nothing to be joyful about and nothing to be bitter about; the myriad things are one in mystery, with no wrong and no right, transforming and shining darkly, alive as though dead.

夫天下者亦吾有也，吾亦天下之有也，天下之與我，豈有間哉！夫有天下者，豈必攝權持勢，操殺生之柄而以行其號令邪？吾所謂有天下者，非謂此也，自得而已。自得，則天下亦得我矣。吾與天下相得，則常相有，己又焉有不得容其間者乎！所謂自得者，全其身者也。全其身，則與道為一矣。故雖遊於江潯海裔，馳要褭，建翠蓋，目觀掉羽、武象之樂，耳聽滔朗奇麗激抮之音，揚鄭、衛之浩樂，結激楚之遺風，射沼濱之高鳥，逐苑囿之走獸，此齊民之所以淫泆流湎，聖人處之，不足以營其精神，亂其氣志，使心怵然失其情性。處窮僻之鄉，側谿谷之間，隱於榛薄之中，環堵之室，茨之以生茅，蓬戶甕牖，揉桑為樞，上漏下溼，潤浸北房，雪霜滖灖，浸潭眾蔣，逍遙於廣澤之中，而仿洋於山峽之旁，此齊民之所為形植黎黑，憂悲而不得志也，聖人處之，不為愁悴怨懟，而不失其所以自樂也。是何也？則內有以通於天機，而不以貴賤貧富勞逸失其志德者也。故夫烏之啞啞，鵲之唶唶，豈嘗為寒暑燥溼變其聲哉！是故夫得道已定，而不待萬物之推移也，非以一時之變化而定吾所以自得也。吾所謂得者，性命之情處其所安也。

The world is also mine and I am also the world's; between the world and me, where is the gap! One who holds the world, must he seize the handle of power, hold the seat of authority, and wield the handle of killing and giving life to issue commands? What I call having the world is not this, but only self-attainment. When I have attained myself, the world has also attained me. When I and the world attain each other, we constantly keep each other, and how could I not find room to stay within it! What is called self-attainment is keeping oneself whole. Keeping oneself whole is being one with the Way. So even if one roams the river's edge and the sea's shore, gallops fine horses, sets up kingfisher canopies, watches the Feather and Wu-Xiang music and dances, listens to the sweeping, lofty, strange, and splendid sounds, raises the grand music of Zheng and Wei, gathers up the lingering wind of Jiechu, shoots high birds on the shores of the marsh and chases running beasts in the parks, these are what common people indulge in and wallow in; the sage, dwelling in them, is not enough to disturb his spirit or disorder his energy, or make his heart startled and lose its nature. Dwelling in a poor and remote village, turning sideways between the ravines, hiding in the thickets, in a hut with walls all around, thatched with raw rushes, door of mugwort and window of a jar, a door-hinge of bent mulberry, leaking above and damp below, soaking the northern room, with snow and frost falling together, soaking the wild rice grasses, roaming at ease in the broad marsh and wandering by the mountain gorge, these are what common people shrink and darken for, grieve over, and fail to achieve their aims; the sage, dwelling in them, does not grieve or resent, and does not lose what he takes his own pleasure in. Why is this? Because within he has what connects to the heavenly spring, and does not use noble or humble, poor or rich, toil or ease to lose his aim and virtue. So the crow caws and the magpie chatters, but when have they changed their voice because of cold, heat, dryness, or damp! So once attaining the Way is settled, one does not wait for the shifting of things, and does not use a moment's change to fix what I take as my self-attainment. What I call attainment is the state of nature and destiny dwelling in the place where it is at ease.

夫性命者，與形俱出其宗，形備而性命成，性命成而好憎生矣。故士有一定之論，女有不易之行，規矩不能方圓，鉤繩不能曲直。天地之永，登丘不可為脩，居卑不可為短。是故得道者，窮而不懾，達而不榮，處高而不機，持盈而不傾，新而不朗，久而不渝，入火不焦，入水不濡。是故不待勢而尊，不待財而富，不待力而強，平虛下流，與化翱翔。若然者，藏金於山，藏珠於淵，不利貨財，不貪勢名。是故不以康為樂，不以慊為悲，不以貴為安，不以賤為危，形神氣志，各居其宜，以隨天地之所為。夫形者，生之舍也；氣者，生之充也；神者，生之制也。一失位，則三者傷矣。是故聖人使人各處其位，守其職，而不得相乾也。故夫形者非其所安也而處之則廢，氣不當其所充而用之則洩，神非其所宜而行之則昧。此三者，不可不慎守也。

Nature, destiny, and form come forth together from that source; when form is complete, nature and destiny are achieved, and when nature and destiny are achieved, liking and disliking arise. So scholars have fixed opinions and women have conduct that cannot be changed; the compass and square cannot make round and square apart from themselves, and the hook and cord cannot make curved and straight otherwise. Heaven and earth are so long-lasting that climbing a hill cannot count as being tall and standing low cannot count as being short. So one who attains the Way is not frightened in poverty, does not take himself as glorious when successful, is not in danger when high, does not tip over when holding fullness, is not showy when new, does not change when old, does not burn in fire, and does not get wet in water. So he does not wait for power to be honored, does not wait for wealth to be rich, does not wait for strength to be strong; level and empty, he dwells in the lower reaches and soars with creation and transformation. A person like this hides gold in the mountains and hides pearls in the depths, does not regard goods and wealth as profitable, and does not covet power or fame. So he does not take ease and health as joy, does not take insufficiency as sorrow, does not take nobility as safe and does not take lowliness as dangerous; form, spirit, qi, and will each dwell where they are suited, following the workings of heaven and earth. Form is the lodging of life, qi (the flowing stuff that makes up and runs through all things) is the fullness of life, and spirit is the master of life. Once one loses its place, all three are injured. So the sage lets each person dwell in his place and keep his duty, and does not let them encroach on each other. So if form is made to stay in a place where it is not at ease, it will waste; if qi is used where it should not be filled, it will leak; if spirit is made to act where it is not suited, it will be dim and dull. These three must be carefully guarded.

夫舉天下萬物，蚑蟯貞蟲，蝡動蚑作，皆知其所喜憎利害者，何也？以其性之在焉而不離也，忽去之，則骨肉無倫矣。今人之所以眭然能視，營然能聽，形體能抗，而百節可屈伸，察能分白黑、視醜美，而知能別同異、明是非者，何也？氣為之充，而神為之使也。何以知其然也？凡人之志各有所在而神有所繫者，其行也，足蹪趎埳、頭抵植木而不自知也，招之而不能見也，呼之而不能聞也。耳目非去之也，然而不能應者，何也？神失其守也。故在於小則忘於大，在於中則忘於外，在於上則忘於下，在於左則忘於右。無所不充，則無所不在。是故貴虛者以豪末為宅也。

Take all things under heaven, tiny insects and shelled creatures, wriggling and crawling; all know what they like and dislike, what benefits and harms them. Why? Because their nature is there and has not departed; once suddenly removed, flesh and bone lose their order. Why is it that people today can open their eyes and see, hear keenly, move their bodies and lift, bend and stretch the hundred joints, observe and distinguish black from white, see beauty from ugliness, know how to tell sameness from difference and distinguish right from wrong? It is because qi fills them and spirit employs them. How do we know this is so? When people's aims each lie somewhere and the spirit is tied to something, as they walk, they step into a pit or bump their head on a wooden pillar without knowing; when called to they do not see, when shouted at they do not hear. Their ears and eyes have not left, yet they cannot respond; why? Because the spirit has lost what it guards. So in the small they forget the great, within they forget without, above they forget below, on the left they forget the right. There is nothing that is not filled, so there is nothing that is not present. So one who values emptiness takes the tip of a hair as his house.

今夫狂者之不能避水火之難而越溝瀆之險者，豈無形神氣志哉？然而用之異也。失其所守之位，而離其外內之舍，是故舉錯不能當，動靜不能中，終身運枯形於連嶁列埒之門，而蹪蹈於汙壑阱陷之中，雖生俱與人鈞，然而不免為人戮笑者，何也？形神相失也。故以神為主者，形從而利；以形為制者，神從而害。貪饕多欲之人，漠歐於勢利，誘慕於名位，冀以過人之智植於高世，則神日以耗而彌遠，久淫而不還，形閉中距，則神無由入矣。是以天下時有盲妄自失之患。此膏燭之類也，火逾然而消逾亟。夫精神氣志者，靜而日充者以壯，躁而日耗者以老。是故聖人將養其神，和弱其氣，平夷其形，而與道沈浮俛仰，恬然則縱之，迫則用之。其縱之也若委衣，其用之也若發機。如是，則萬物之化無不遇，而百事之變無不應。

Now a madman cannot avoid the disasters of water and fire or cross the dangers of ditches and channels; does he not have form, spirit, qi, and will? Yet the way in which he uses them is different. He loses the place he guards and leaves the dwellings of outside and inside, so his actions cannot be fitting and his movement and stillness cannot hit the measure; all his life he moves a withered body along continuous high ground and in the doorways of lined embankments and falls into foul ditches and pitfalls; though alive he is by nature equal to others, he does not escape being mocked and laughed at; why? Because form and spirit have lost each other. So those who take spirit as the master find form following with benefit; those who restrain by form find spirit following with harm. The greedy and desire-ridden are driven in a daze by power and profit, tempted and drawn by fame and rank, hoping to use extraordinary wit to stand above the world; their spirit is consumed day by day and goes farther and farther away, indulging long and not returning; the form is closed and the inside refuses, and the spirit has no way to enter. Thus the world constantly has the misfortune of reckless action and losing oneself. This is like oil and candles: the more the flame burns, the faster they are consumed. As for spirit, essence, qi, and will, those that are still and fill up day by day are vigorous, and those that are restless and are consumed day by day grow old. So the sage nourishes his spirit, harmonizes and softens his qi, levels his form, and rises and falls with the Way; when at ease he lets go, and when pressed he uses them. Letting go of it is as natural as taking off clothes, and using it is as swift as pulling a crossbow trigger. In this way, there is no change of the myriad things he cannot meet and no shift of the hundred affairs he cannot answer.

有始者，有未始有有始者，有未始有夫未始有有始者。有有者，有無者，有未始有有無者，有未始有夫未始有有無者。

There is a stage that has a beginning; there is a stage that has not yet begun to have a beginning; there is a stage that has not yet begun to have the 'has not yet begun to have a beginning'. There is 'being'; there is 'non-being'; there is a stage that has not yet begun to have 'being and non-being'; there is a stage that has not yet begun to have the 'has not yet begun to have being and non-being'.

所謂有始者，繁憤未發，萌兆牙櫱，未有形埒垠堮，無無蝡蝡，將欲生興而未成物類。有未始有有始者，天氣始下，地氣始上，陰陽錯合，相與優遊競暢於宇宙之間，被德含和，繽紛蘢蓯，欲與物接而未成兆朕。有未始有夫未始有有始者，天含和而未降，地懷氣而未揚，虛無寂寞，蕭條霄雿，無有彷彿，氣遂而大通冥冥者也。有有者，言萬物摻落，根莖枝葉，青蔥苓蘢，萑蔰炫煌，蠉飛蝡動，蚑行噲息，可切循把握而有數量。有無者，視之不見其形，聽之不聞其聲，捫之不可得也，望之不可極也，儲與扈冶，浩浩瀚瀚，不可隱儀揆度而通光耀者。有未始有有無者，包裹天地，陶冶萬物，大通混冥，深閎廣大，不可為外，析豪剖芒，不可為內，無環堵之宇而生有無之根。有未始有夫未始有有無者，天地未剖，陰陽未判，四時未分，萬物未生，汪然平靜，寂然清澄，莫見其形，若光燿之間於無有，退而自失也，曰：「予能有無，而未能無無也。及其為無無，至妙何從及此哉！」

What is called having a beginning is when the flourishing vital energy has not yet come forth, sprouts and buds have not yet formed borders, writhing and stirring, about to rise but not yet forming kinds of things. What is called not yet having a beginning is when heaven's qi starts to descend and earth's qi starts to rise, yin and yang intermingle, and they roam leisurely and compete in freedom in the universe, clothed in virtue and holding harmony, lush and luxuriant, wishing to meet things but not yet forming any sign. What is called the not yet having the 'has not yet begun to have a beginning' is when heaven holds harmony but has not yet descended, earth embraces qi but has not yet risen, empty and silent, desolate and vacant, with no hint of shadow or shape, qi penetrating and greatly connected in the darkness. What is called 'being' refers to the myriad things scattered about, roots, stems, branches, and leaves, green and lush, bright and resplendent, flying and wriggling, crawling and breathing, which can be touched and grasped and have number. What is called 'non-being' is that looking at it you cannot see its form, listening to it you cannot hear its sound, touching it you cannot feel it, gazing at it you cannot see its edge, wide and vast, unable to be measured by any instrument, yet it can penetrate to brilliance. What is called not yet having 'being and non-being' is wrapping heaven and earth and molding the myriad things, greatly connected and mixed in obscurity, deep, vast, and great, so large that it cannot be made outside, so fine that splitting a hair or dividing a tip cannot make it inside, with no walled house, yet giving rise to the root of being and non-being. What is called not yet having the 'has not yet begun to have being and non-being' is when heaven and earth are not yet split, yin and yang not yet divided, the four seasons not yet separated, and the myriad things not yet born; vast and calm, silent and clear, no one has seen its form, like a flash of light between being and non-being, and when drawn back it is lost to oneself, saying: "I can have being and non-being, but I cannot yet make non-non-being. When it is made into non-non-being, from where will the supreme subtlety catch up with this!"

夫大塊載我以形，勞我以生，逸我以老，休我以死。善我生者，乃所以善我死也。夫藏舟於壑，藏山於澤，人謂之固矣。雖然，夜半有力者負而趨，寐者不知，猶有所遁。若藏天下於天下，則無所遁其形矣。

The great earth carries me by form, wearies me by life, gives me ease by old age, and lets me rest by death. To treat my life well is precisely to treat my death well. If one hides a boat in a valley and hides a mountain in a great marsh, people think it secure. Even so, in the middle of the night a strong man comes and carries it off on his back, and the sleeper does not know; still there is something that escapes. If one hides the world in the world, there is nowhere for its form to escape.

物豈可謂無大揚攉乎？一範人之形而猶喜。若人者，千變萬化而未始有極也。弊而復新，其為樂也，可勝計邪！譬若夢為鳥而飛於天，夢為魚而沒於淵，方其夢也，不知其夢也，覺而後知其夢也。今將有大覺，然後知今此之為大夢也。始吾未生之時，焉知生之樂也？今吾未死，又焉知死之不樂也？昔公牛哀轉病也，七日化為虎。其兄掩戶而入覘之，則虎搏而殺之。是故文章成獸，爪牙移易，志與心變，神與形化。方其為虎也，不知其嘗為人也；方其為人，不知其且為虎也。二者代謝舛馳，各樂其成形。狡猾鈍惛，是非無端，孰知其所萌！

Can one say that things have no rough outline at all? Once cast in a mold into human form, one is glad. A person like this goes through a thousand changes and ten thousand transformations and never has an end. When worn out he is renewed again; how could the joy of that be counted! It is like dreaming that one becomes a bird and flies up to the sky, or dreaming that one becomes a fish and sinks into the deep; while dreaming one does not know it is a dream, and only after waking does one know it was a dream. Now there will be a great awakening, and only then will we know that this present life is a great dream. When I had not yet been born, how could I know the joy of living? Now that I have not yet died, how can I know that death is not joyful? Long ago Gong Niu'ai fell ill with a disease of transformation and in seven days turned into a tiger. His elder brother closed the door and went in to peek, and the tiger sprang and killed him. So the pattern became that of a beast, the claws and teeth changed, the will and mind changed, spirit and form were transformed. When he was a tiger, he did not know that he had been a man; when he was a man, he did not know that he would become a tiger. The two replace each other and race by turns, each delighted in the form already taken. Cunning and dullness, right and wrong have no starting point; who knows from where they sprout!

夫水嚮冬則凝而為冰，冰迎春則泮而為水，冰水移易於前後，若周員而趨，孰暇知其所苦樂乎！是故形傷於寒暑燥溼之虐者，形苑而神壯；神傷乎喜怒思慮之患者，神盡而形有餘。故罷馬之死也，剝之若槁；狡狗之死也，割之猶濡。是故傷死者其鬼嬈，時既者其神漠。是皆不得形神俱沒也。夫聖人用心，杖性依神，相扶而得終始，是故其寐不夢，其覺不憂。

Water turns toward winter and freezes into ice, and ice meets spring and melts into water; ice and water change places in sequence, running in a circle like the circumference; who has leisure to know what is bitter or sweet for them! So those whose form is injured by cold, heat, dryness, and damp have a withered form while the spirit is still strong; those whose spirit is injured by joy, anger, thought, and worry have an exhausted spirit while the form still has surplus. So when a worn-out horse dies, split open it is like dry wood; when a cunning dog dies, cut open it is still moist. So those who die of injury have ghosts that trouble people; those whose years are spent have spirits that are faint. These are cases where form and spirit could not sink together. The sage uses the heart, relies on nature, depends on spirit, and the two support each other and so reach end and beginning; so he sleeps without dreaming and wakes without worry.

古之人有處混冥之中，神氣不蕩於外，萬物恬漠以愉靜，攙搶衡杓之氣莫不彌靡，而不能為害。當此之時，萬民猖狂，不知東西，含哺而遊，鼓腹而熙，交被天和，食於地德，不以曲故是非相尤，茫茫沈沈，是謂大治。於是在上位者，左右而使之，毋淫其性；鎮撫而有之，毋遷其德。是故仁義不布而萬物蕃殖，賞罰不施而天下賓服。其道可以大美興，而難以算計舉也。是故日計之不足，而歲計之有餘。

The people of ancient times lived in the muddled obscurity, their spirit and qi not swaying outward, the myriad things calm and quiet and joyful; evil influences like comets, meteors, and ill-omened stars all fell away and could not become harm. At that time the myriad people roamed freely and were content, not knowing east from west, wandering with food in their mouths and playing with swollen bellies, taking turns wrapped in heaven's harmony and eating earth's virtue, not blaming each other with cleverness and right and wrong, dim and deep; this is called great order. Those in high positions then used them left and right, not letting their nature go astray; they soothed and kept them, not letting their virtue change. So benevolence and righteousness were not dispensed and yet the myriad things multiplied; rewards and punishments were not applied and yet the world submitted. That Way can be raised up with great beauty but is hard to enumerate by calculation. So counting by days it seems not enough, but counting by years it is more than enough.

夫魚相忘於江湖，人相忘於道術。古之真人，立於天地之本，中至優遊，抱德煬和，而萬物雜累焉，孰肯解構人間之事，以物煩其性命乎！夫道有經紀條貫，得一之道，連千枝萬葉。是故貴有以行令，賤有以忘卑，貧有以樂業，困有以處危。夫大寒至，霜雪降，然後知松柏之茂也。據難履危，利害陳於前，然後知聖人之不失道也。是故能戴大員者履大方，鏡太清者視大明，立太平者處大堂，能遊冥冥者與日月同光。是故以道為竿，以德為綸，禮樂為鉤，仁義為餌，投之於江，浮之於海，萬物紛紛，孰非其有！

Fish forget each other in rivers and lakes, and people forget each other in the way of the Way. The true persons of ancient times stood on the root of heaven and earth, centered and at ease, embracing virtue and warming themselves in harmony, with the myriad things stacked in disorder there; who would be willing to entangle himself in human affairs and use outer things to trouble his nature and life! The Way has threads and strands, and one who obtains this one Way can link a thousand branches and ten thousand leaves. So the noble have what they use to give commands, the lowly have what they use to forget lowliness, the poor have what they use to delight in their work, and the distressed have what they use to dwell in danger. When great cold arrives and frost and snow fall, only then do we know the flourishing of the pine and cypress. Holding fast in difficulty and treading on danger, with benefit and harm arrayed before him, only then do we know that the sage does not lose the Way. So one who can bear the great round heaven treads the great square earth; one who can be a mirror of the Great Purity sees the great brightness; one who can stand in Great Peace dwells in the great hall; one who can roam in the obscure shares the light of sun and moon. So he takes the Way as his fishing rod, virtue as his line, ritual and music as the hook, benevolence and righteousness as the bait, and casts them into the river, floating in the great sea; the myriad things in profusion, which of them is not his!

夫挾依於跂躍之術，提挈人間之際，撢掞挺挏世之風俗，以摸蘇牽連物之微妙，猶得肆其志，充其欲，何況懷瑰瑋之道，忘肝膽，遺耳目，獨浮游無方之外，不與物相弊摋，中徙倚無形之域而和以天地者乎！若然者，偃其聰明而抱其太素，以利害為塵垢，以死生為晝夜，是故目觀玉輅琬象之狀，耳聽白雪、清角之聲，不能以亂其神。登千仞之谿，臨蝯眩之岸，不足以滑其和。譬若鍾山之玉，炊以鑪炭，三日三夜而色澤不變。則至德天地之精也。是故生不足以使之，利何足以動之；死不足以禁之，害何足以恐之。明於死生之分，達於利害之變，雖以天下之大，易骭之一毛，無所概於志也。

Those who rely on the petty arts of hopping and jumping, who carry the dealings among people, who stir and shove the customs of the world, groping at and linking the subtleties of things, can still indulge their will and fill their desires; how much more one who embraces the magnificent Way, forgets liver and gall, discards ears and eyes, floats alone beyond all directions, is not mutually destroyed with things, and leans halfway in the region of the formless and is in harmony with heaven and earth! Such a person sets down cleverness and embraces great plainness, regards benefit and harm as dust and dirt, and regards life and death as day and night; so his eyes may look on the forms of jade carriages and fine ivory, his ears may hear the sounds of White Snow and Qing Jue, and none can disturb his spirit. Climbing a valley a thousand fathoms deep and standing at a cliff that makes monkeys dizzy is not enough to stir his harmony. It is like the jade of Zhong Mountain, cooked in a furnace of coals for three days and three nights without any change in luster; that is supreme virtue, the essence of heaven and earth. So life is not enough to command him, and how could profit move him; death is not enough to restrain him, and how could harm frighten him. Understanding the division between life and death and penetrating the shifts of benefit and harm, even if offered the whole world in exchange for a single hair on his shin, his will would not be touched.

夫貴賤之於身也，猶條風之時麗也；毀譽之於己，猶蚊虻之一過也。夫秉皓白而不黑，行純粹而不糅，處玄冥而不闇，休於天鈞而不䃣，孟門、終隆之山不能禁，雖體道能不敗，湍瀨旋淵、呂梁之深不能留也，太行石澗、飛狐、句望之險不能難也。是故身處江海之上，而神遊魏闕之下。非得一原，孰能至於此哉！

Honor and humility are to his body like the east wind blowing by for a moment; praise and blame are to him like a mosquito or gadfly flying past once. Holding to whiteness without turning black, practicing purity without becoming mixed, dwelling in the dark without being dim, resting at the heavenly wheel without being damaged, the mountains of Mengmen and Zhonglong cannot hold him, and even if he embodies the Way he can remain unharmed; the depths of rapids, whirlpools, and Lüliang cannot detain him, and the dangers of the Taihang stone gorges, Feihu, and Juwang cannot make trouble for him. So his body is on the river and sea while his spirit roams beneath the palace gates. Without having attained that single source, who could reach this point!

是故與至人居，使家忘貧，使王公簡其富貴而樂卑賤，勇者衰其氣，貪者消其欲。坐而不教，立而不議，虛而往者實而歸，故不言而能飲人以和。是故至道無為，一龍一蛇，盈縮卷舒，與時變化。外從其風，內守其性，耳目不燿，思慮不營。其所居神者，臺簡以遊太清，引楯萬物，群美萌生。是故事其神者神去之，休其神者神居之。道出一原，通九門，散六衢，設於無垓坫之宇，寂漠以虛無。非有為於物也，物以有為於己也。是故舉事而順於道者，非道之所為也，道之所施也。

So one who lives with the perfect person lets his household forget poverty, lets kings and lords make light of wealth and rank and delight in lowliness, lets the brave diminish their spirit and the greedy dissolve their desires. Sitting, he does not teach; standing, he does not discuss; those who go empty come back full, so without speaking he lets people drink of harmony. So the supreme Way is non-action, now a dragon, now a snake, filling and contracting, curling and unfolding, changing with the times. Outwardly he follows the wind and inwardly he guards his nature, ears and eyes not dazzled and thought not troubled. Where he lets his spirit rest is on the terrace of simplicity, roaming in the Great Clarity, drawing in the myriad things as all beauty sprouts. So one who employs his spirit has it leave him, and one who lets his spirit rest has it dwell with him. The Way comes forth from a single source, passes through nine gates, and spreads to six crossroads, set within a boundless universe, silent and empty. It is not that it does something to things, but that things do something to themselves. So work that follows the Way is not what the Way does but what the Way bestows.

夫天之所覆，地之所載，六合所包，陰陽所呴，雨露所濡，道德所扶，此皆生一父母而閱一和也。是故槐榆與橘柚合而為兄弟，有苗與三危通為一家。夫目視鴻鵠之飛，耳聽琴瑟之聲，而心在雁門之間，一身之中，神之分離剖判，六合之內，一舉而千萬裡。是故自其異者視之，肝膽胡、越；自其同者視之，萬物一圈也。百家異說，各有所出，若夫墨、楊、申、商之於治道，猶蓋之無一橑，而輪之無一輻，有之可以備數，無之未有害於用也。己自以為獨擅之，不通之於天地之情也。今夫治工之鑄器，金踴躍於鑪中，必有波溢而播棄者，其中地而凝滯，亦有以象於物者矣。其形雖有所小用哉，然未可以保於周室之九鼎也，又況比於規形者乎？其與道相去亦遠矣！

What heaven covers, what earth bears, what the six directions enclose, what yin and yang breathe warmth on, what rain and dew moisten, what the Way and virtue support, all these come from one father and mother and pass through the same harmony. So the locust and elm join as brothers with the orange and pomelo, and the Youmiao and Sanwei are connected as one family. The eyes watch swans flying and the ears listen to the sound of zithers while the mind is among the Yanmen passes. Within one body the spirit can separate and divide; within the six directions a single movement is thousands of miles. So seen from difference, the liver and gall are like Hu and Yue; seen from sameness, the myriad things are a single circle. The hundred schools have different teachings, each coming from somewhere. As for Mo, Yang, Shen, and Shang regarding the Way of governing, they are like a carriage canopy lacking one rib or a wheel lacking one spoke: with it the count is complete, and without it use is not necessarily harmed. To consider oneself uniquely in charge is not to understand the real conditions of heaven and earth. Now when a smith casts a vessel, the metal leaps in the furnace, and there must be some that overflows and is spilled, and what falls to the ground and congeals may also resemble some thing. Though that form has a little use, it cannot be kept like the Nine Tripods of the house of Zhou, let alone compared to forms that match the compass! It is also far from the Way!

今夫萬物之疏躍枝舉，百事之莖葉條櫱，皆本於一根，而條循千萬也。若此則有所受之矣，而非所授者。所受者無授也而無不受也。無不受也者，譬若周雲之蘢蓯，遼巢彭濞而為雨，沈溺萬物而不與為溼焉。今夫善射者有儀表之度，如工匠有規矩之數，此皆所得以至於妙。然而奚仲不能為逢蒙，造父不能為伯樂者，是曰諭於一曲，而不通於萬方之際也。今以涅染緇則黑於涅，以藍染青則青於藍。涅非緇也，青非藍也，茲雖遇其母而無能復化已。是何則？以諭其轉而益薄也。何況夫未始有涅藍造化之者乎，其為化也，雖鏤金石，書竹帛，何足以舉其數！由此觀之，物莫不生於有也，小大優遊矣。

Now the myriad things spread out and leap up, branches stretching forth, and the stems, leaves, shoots, and sprouts of the hundred affairs all stem from a single root yet follow their threads into the thousands and ten thousands. In this way, there is something that receives, but there is no giver. What is received has no single giver, yet there is nothing that does not receive. Because there is nothing that does not receive, it is like dense clouds, lush and thick, billowing into rain that drowns the myriad things without itself getting wet along with them. Now a good archer has bearing and rules, like a craftsman with the numbers of compass and square, and all of these reached the wonderful because they gained something. But Xizhong could not be Pang Meng, and Zao Fu could not be Bo Le; this says that they penetrated one corner but did not penetrate the ends of the ten thousand directions. Now dyeing black with black dye makes it darker than the dye, and dyeing blue with indigo makes it bluer than indigo. The dye is not the black, and the blue is not the indigo, and here even if one met its mother again it could not change further. Why is this? To show that it grows thinner with each turn. How much more so for that which has not yet begun to have a dye or indigo to transform: its changes, even if engraved in metal and stone or written on bamboo and silk, how could they exhaust the number! From this we see that nothing is not born from being, and large and small can all roam freely.

夫秋豪之末，淪於無間而復歸於大矣；蘆苻之厚，通於無㙬而復反於敦龐。若夫無秋豪之微，蘆苻之厚，四達無境，通於無圻，而莫之要御夭遏者，其襲微重妙，挺挏萬物，揣丸變化，天地之間何足以論之！夫疾風絎木，而不能拔毛髮；雲臺之高，墮者折脊碎腦，而鶫勁適足以翱翔。夫與蚑蟯同乘天機，夫受形於一圈，飛輕微細者，猶足以脫其命，又況未有類也？由此觀之，無形而生有形，亦明矣。是故聖人託其神於靈府，而歸於萬物之初，視於冥冥，聽於無聲，冥冥之中獨見曉焉，寂漠之中獨有照焉。其用之也以不用，其不用也而後能用之；其知也乃不知，其不知也而後能知之也。

At the tip of an autumn hair it sinks to a place without any gap, yet returns again to greatness; as thin as a reed membrane, it reaches without limit, yet returns again to thickness. As for what lacks even the fineness of an autumn hair or the thickness of a reed membrane, it reaches in all four directions with no boundary, through to where there is no shore, and nobody can bind or block it; it follows the subtle and values the wondrous, shoves the myriad things and juggles transformations; how could heaven and earth be enough to discuss it! A fierce wind can snap trees (the received text has a variant character here, which older collations mostly take as 'snap') but cannot pull out a hair; from a terrace as high as the Cloud Terrace, a person who falls breaks his spine and smashes his brain, yet a small bird finds it just enough for soaring. Riding the heavenly mechanism together with tiny insects and receiving form from the same circle, those who fly lightly and have a fine body can still escape its fate; how much more what has no kind yet? From this it is clear that the formless gives birth to the formed. So the sage entrusts his spirit to the spirit-house, returns to the beginning of the myriad things, looks in the darkness and listens in the silence; in the darkness alone he sees brightness, and in silence alone he has illumination. His use relies on non-use, and only because of non-use can he use; his knowledge is non-knowing, and only because of non-knowing can he know.

夫天不定，日月無所載；地不定，草木無所植；所立於身者不寧，是非無所形。是故有真人然後有真知。其所持者不明，庸詎知吾所謂知之非不知歟？今夫積惠重厚，累愛襲恩，以聲華嘔苻嫗掩萬民百姓，使知之訢訢然，人樂其性者，仁也。舉大功，立顯名，體君臣，正上下，明親疏，等貴賤，存危國，繼絕世，決挐治煩，興毀宗，立無後者，義也。閉九竅，藏心志，棄聰明，反無識，芒然仿佯於塵埃之外，而消搖於無事之業，含陰吐陽，而萬物和同者，德也。是故道散而為德，德溢而為仁義，仁義立而道德廢矣。

If heaven is not settled, the sun and moon have nowhere to be carried; if earth is not settled, plants and trees have nowhere to be planted; if the thing on which one establishes oneself is not at peace, right and wrong have nowhere to take form. So only when there is a true person is there true knowledge. What he holds is not clear, so how can he know that what I call knowledge is not non-knowledge? Now to pile up kind favors and heap up love, to warm the myriad people with sound and splendor, making them rejoice so that each delights in his own nature, this is benevolence. To raise great merit, establish a famous name, embody the relation of ruler and minister, set above and below right, mark close and distant, distinguish noble from humble, preserve endangered states, continue broken lines, settle disorder, govern the troublesome, revive ruined clans, and establish heirs for those without descendants, this is righteousness. To close the nine orifices, hide the will, cast away cleverness, return to non-awareness, wander dimly beyond the dust, roam freely in the work of no-work, containing yin and exhaling yang, in harmony with the myriad things, this is virtue. So when the Way is dispersed it becomes virtue, and when virtue overflows it becomes benevolence and righteousness, and once benevolence and righteousness are established, the Way and virtue are discarded.

百圍之木，斬而為犧尊，鏤之以剞𠜾，雜之以青黃，華藻鎛鮮，龍蛇虎豹，曲成文章，然其斷在溝中，壹比犧尊、溝中之斷，則醜美有間矣，然而失木性，鈞也。是故神越者其言華，德蕩者其行偽。至精亡於中，而言行觀於外，此不免以身役物矣。夫趨舍行偽者，為精求於外也，精有湫盡，而行無窮極，則滑心濁神，而惑亂其本矣。其所守者不定，而外淫於世俗之風，所斷差跌者，而內以濁其清明，是故躊躇以終，而不得須臾恬澹矣。

A great tree a hundred spans around is cut down and made into a sacrificial wine vessel, carved with an engraver's knife (the received text has a rare character for 'carve' here), mixed with blue and yellow, its patterns bright and brilliant, with dragons, snakes, tigers, and leopards woven in winding patterns; yet the section cut off from it is thrown away in the ditch. Compare the sacrificial vessel with the piece in the ditch: ugliness and beauty differ, but in losing the nature of wood they are the same. So those whose spirit is dispersed have flowery speech, and those whose virtue is dissolute have false conduct. The utmost essence is lost within, while words and actions are watched without, and this is unavoidably using oneself to be driven by things. The pursuits, rejections, and false conduct are the essence seeking outside; essence has a time when it dries up, but conduct has no end, and so it disorders the heart, muddies the spirit, and confuses its root. What he holds is not settled, and outwardly he is also drowned in worldly custom; his decisions err, and inside the clear brightness is muddied, so he hesitates to the end and cannot have even a moment of calm.

是故聖人內修道術，而不外飾仁義，不知耳目之宣，而遊於精神之和。若然者，下揆三泉，上尋九天，橫廓六合，揲貫萬物，此聖人之遊也。若夫真人，則動溶於至虛，而遊於滅亡之野，騎蜚廉而從敦圄，馳於外方，休乎宇內，燭十日而使風雨，臣雷公，役夸父，妾宓妃，妻織女，天地之間，何足以留其志！是故虛無者道之舍，平易者道之素。

So the sage cultivates the Way within and does not decorate benevolence and righteousness outside; he does not care about the dazzle of ears and eyes but roams in the harmony of the spirit. Such a person can below measure the Three Springs and above reach the Nine Heavens, can open the six directions horizontally and thread through the myriad things; this is the roaming of a sage. As for the true person, he moves in the utmost emptiness and roams in the wilds of extinction, rides Feilian and follows Dunyu, gallops beyond the borders and rests within the universe, shines like ten suns, commands wind and rain, takes Lei Gong as minister, employs Kuafu, takes Fufei as concubine and the Weaver Girl as wife; between heaven and earth, how could anything hold his will! So emptiness is the lodging of the Way and ease is the substance of the Way.

夫人之事其神而嬈其精，營慧然而有求於外，此皆失其神明而離其宅也。是故凍者假兼衣於春，而暍者望冷風於秋，夫有病於內者必有色於外矣。夫梣木色青翳，而蠃瘉蝸睆，此皆治目之藥也。人無故求此物者，必有蔽其明者。聖人之所以駭天下者，真人未嘗過焉；賢人之所以矯世俗者，聖人未嘗觀焉。夫牛蹄之涔，無尺之鯉；塊阜之山，無丈之材。所以然者何也？皆其營宇狹小，而不能容巨大也。又況乎以無裹之者邪！此其為山淵之勢亦遠矣。夫人之拘於世也，必形繫而神洩，故不免於虛。使我可係羈者，必其有命在於外也。

When a person drives his own spirit and disturbs his own essence, busying his cleverness and seeking outside, all of this is losing the spirit-light and leaving its house. So one who suffers from cold wears extra clothes even in spring, one who suffers from heat longs for a cool wind even in autumn, and one who has an illness within must have a complexion outside. The ash tree can cure eye films, and shellfish can heal eye disease; all these are medicines for the eyes. When a person for no reason seeks these things, something must be obscuring his sight. What the sage startles the world with, the true person has not passed through; what the worthy uses to correct custom, the sage has not looked at. In the water pooled in an ox's hoofprint there is no carp a foot long; on a hill as small as a clod there is no timber ten feet long. Why is this? Because their dwellings are narrow and cannot contain what is huge. How much more so for one who wraps himself with 'nothing'! This is also far from the force of mountains and abysses. A person bound by the world must have his form tied while his spirit leaks out, so he cannot avoid emptiness. If I can be tied and bridled, there must be a fate outside.

至德之世，甘瞑於溷澖之域，而徙倚於汗漫之宇，提挈天地而委萬物，以鴻濛為景柱，而浮揚乎無畛崖之際。是故聖人呼吸陰陽之氣，而群生莫不顒顒然，仰其德以和順。當此之時，莫之領理，決離隱密而自成，渾渾蒼蒼，純樸未散，旁薄為一，而萬物大優，是故雖有羿之知而無所用之。

In the age of supreme virtue, people gladly closed their eyes in the realm of vast containment, leaned in the universe of boundless expanse, supported heaven and earth while handing the myriad things away, took the primal vapor as a shadow-post, and floated about at a boundless edge without borders. So the sage breathes the qi of yin and yang, and all living things look up to him, relying on his virtue to be in harmony. At that time no one governed; separation, concealment, and secrecy accomplished themselves, vast and indistinct, purity had not yet scattered, and all merged into one; the myriad things were greatly at ease, so even an intellect like Yi's would have had no place to be used.

及世之衰也，至伏羲氏，其道昧昧芒芒然，吟德懷和，被施頗烈，而知乃始昧昧晽晽，皆欲離其童蒙之心，而覺視於天地之間，是故其德煩而不能一。乃至神農、黃帝，剖判大宗，竅領天地，襲九竅，重九窽，提挈陰陽，嫥捖剛柔，枝解葉貫，萬物百族，使各有經紀條貫，於此萬民睢睢盱盱然，莫不竦身而載聽視，是故治而不能和下。棲遲至於昆吾、夏後之世，嗜慾連於物，聰明誘於外，而性命失其得。施及周室之衰，澆淳散樸，雜道以偽，儉德以行，而巧故萌生。周室衰而王道廢，儒墨乃始列道而議，分徒而訟。於是博學以疑聖，華誣以脅眾，絃歌鼓舞，緣飾《詩》、《書》以買名譽於天下。繁登降之禮，飾紱冕之服，聚眾不足以極其變，積財不足以贍其費，於是萬民乃始慲觟離跂，各欲行其知偽，以求鑿枘於世而錯擇名利，是故百姓曼衍於淫荒之陂，而失其大宗之本。夫世之所以喪性命，有衰漸以然，所由來者久矣。

When the world declined, it came to the House of Fuxi, whose Way was dim and vague, containing virtue and embracing harmony, his bestowal still broad and fierce, but intelligence had begun to see dimly and clearly, all wanting to leave the mind of childhood and see by awakening between heaven and earth, so his virtue was complicated and could not be one. Later came Shennong and the Yellow Emperor, who split open the great source, opened up heaven and earth, followed the nine orifices, layered the nine orifices, supported yin and yang, juggled hardness and softness, divided and threaded the branches and leaves, and gave the myriad things and hundred clans each their threads and strands, so that the myriad people opened their eyes wide and none failed to stand tall to listen and look; so they could govern but could not harmonize those below. Passing to the ages of Kunwu and the House of Xia, cravings were tied to outer things, cleverness was lured outside, and nature and destiny lost what they should have had. Extending to the decline of the house of Zhou, purity was thinned, simplicity was scattered, falsehood was mixed into the Way, conduct was used to pare down virtue, and cunning arose. When the house of Zhou declined and the kingly way was abandoned, the Confucians and Mohists began to discuss the Way separately and split into disciples to dispute. Then they used broad learning to cast doubt on the sage and used flashy, deceiving words to coerce the multitude, singing, strumming, drumming, and dancing, decorating the Odes and Documents to buy fame from the world. Fussy rituals of ascending and descending, ornamented robes and caps, gathering a multitude did not suffice to exhaust their changes, and piling up goods and wealth did not suffice to supply their expense; so the myriad people began to strain and stretch on tiptoe, each wanting to apply cleverness and falsehood to fit together tenon and mortise in the world and pick profit and fame; so the common people crept onto the slopes of license and lost the root of the great source. That the world has lost nature and destiny is a gradual decline like this, and it has been so for a very long time.

是故聖人之學也，欲以返性於初，而遊心於虛也。達人之學也，欲以通性於遼廓，而覺於寂漠也。若夫俗世之學也則不然，握德𢶊性，內愁五藏，外勞耳目，乃始招蟯振繾物之豪芒，搖消掉捎仁義禮樂，暴行越智於天下，以招號名聲於世。此我所羞而不為也。

So the sage's learning is to return nature to the beginning and let the mind roam in emptiness. The learning of the accomplished is to open nature to the vast and awaken in the silence. The learning of the common world is not like this: it grasps virtue and disturbs nature (the received text has a rare character here), inside it grieves the five organs, outside it tires the ears and eyes, and then begins to tease and pull at the tips of hairs of things, shake off and toy with benevolence, righteousness, ritual, and music, and expose its conduct and cleverness to the world in order to call out for fame. This I am ashamed of and will not do.

是故與其有天下也，不若有說也；與其有說也，不若尚羊物之終始也，而條達有無之際。是故舉世而譽之不加勸，舉世而非之不加沮，定於死生之境，而通於榮辱之理，雖有炎火洪水彌靡於天下，神無虧缺於胸臆之中矣。若然者，視天下之間，猶飛羽浮芥也，孰肯分分然以物為事也！水之性真清而土汨之，人性安靜而嗜慾亂之。夫人之所受於天者，耳目之於聲色也，口鼻之於芳臭也，肌膚之於寒燠，其情一也，或通於神明，或不免於痴狂者，何也？其所為制者異也。是故神者智之淵也，淵清則智明矣；智者心之府也，智公則心平矣。

So rather than possess the world, it is better to possess that delight; rather than possess delight, it is better to wander at ease in the beginning and end of things and to extend through the borders of being and non-being. So when the whole world praises him he is not more diligent, and when the whole world condemns him he is not more downcast; settled in the realm of life and death and penetrating the principle of honor and disgrace, even if blazing fire and great floods filled the world, his spirit would not be diminished in his breast. Such a person looks at the world as flying feathers and floating mustard seeds; who would be willing to busily take outer things as affairs! Water's nature is truly clear, and earth stirs it up; human nature is truly calm, and cravings disturb it. What people receive from heaven, the ears and eyes for sound and color, the mouth and nose for fragrance and stench, the skin for cold and warmth, are the same in feeling; yet some connect with the spirit-light and some cannot avoid madness; why? Because what they use to restrain differs. So the spirit is the depth of wisdom, and when the depth is clear, wisdom is bright; wisdom is the storehouse of the mind, and when wisdom is impartial, the mind is level.

人莫鑑於流沫，而鑑於止水者，以其靜也；莫窺形於生鐵，而窺於明鏡者，以睹其易也。夫唯易且靜，形物之性也。由此觀之，用也必假之於弗用也，是故虛室生白，吉祥止也。夫鑑明者塵垢弗能薶，神清者嗜慾弗能亂。精神已越於外，而事復返之，是失之於本，而求之於末也。外內無符而欲與物接，弊其玄光而求知之於耳目，是釋其炤炤，而道其冥冥也，是之謂失道。心有所至而神喟然在之，反之於虛則消鑠滅息，此聖人之遊也。故古之治天下也，必達乎性命之情。其舉錯未必同也，其合於道一也。

No one looks at himself in flowing foam but looks at still water, because it is still; no one peers at his form in raw iron but peers in a bright mirror, because he sees it as level and smooth. Only what is level and also still is the nature of the form of things. From this we see that use must rely on non-use, so an empty room gives rise to white light and auspiciousness settles there. If a mirror is bright, dust cannot bury it; if the spirit is clear, cravings cannot disturb it. If the spirit has already passed to the outside and then one uses affairs to bring it back, one has lost it at the root and seeks it at the tip. If outer and inner do not correspond and one still wants to meet things, wearing out that mysterious light and seeking knowledge from ears and eyes, one throws away brightness and walks into the dark, which is called losing the Way. When the mind arrives somewhere and the spirit sighs and follows, returning to emptiness dissolves and stills; this is the roaming of the sage. So in ancient times, in governing the world, they necessarily penetrated the true state of nature and destiny. Their measures were not necessarily the same, but their accord with the Way was identical.

夫夏日之不被裘者，非愛之也，燠有餘於身也。冬日之不用翣者，非簡之也，清有餘於適也。夫聖人量腹而食，度形而衣，節於己而已，貪汙之心奚由生哉！故能有天下者，必無以天下為也；能有名譽者，必無以趨行求者也。聖人有所於達，達則嗜慾之心外矣；孔、墨之弟子，皆以仁義之術教導於世，然而不免於儡。身猶不能行也，又況所教乎？是何則？其道外也。夫以末求返於本，許由不能行也，又況齊民乎！誠達於性命之情，而仁義固附矣，趨舍何足以滑心！

In summer one does not put on fur, not out of cherishing that fur, but because the warmth in one's body is already more than enough. In winter one does not use a fan, not out of slighting that fan, but because coolness is already more than enough for comfort. The sage eats by measuring his belly and dresses by measuring his body, regulating only himself; where could a greedy heart come from! So one who can possess the world is surely one who has not taken the world as a thing of importance; one who can possess a good name is surely one who has not sought it by running about. The sage has what he has penetrated, and once he has penetrated, the heart of craving and desire is outside him. The disciples of Confucius and Mo Di all taught the world with the arts of humaneness and rightness, yet they did not escape defeat. They could not practice them in their own persons, so how much less the people they taught? Why was this? Their Way lay outside. Seeking to return to the root by way of the branches, even Xu You could not do it, how much less ordinary people! If one truly penetrates the nature and destiny, humaneness and rightness will naturally attach, and how could taking or leaving things be enough to disturb the heart!

若夫神無所掩，心無所載，通洞條達，恬漠無事，無所凝滯，虛寂以待，勢利不能誘也，辯者不能說也，聲色不能淫也，美者不能濫也，智者不能動也，勇者不能恐也，此真人之道也。若然者，陶冶萬物，與造化者為人，天地之間，宇宙之內，莫能夭遏。夫化生者不死，而化物者不化，神經於驪山、太行而不能難，入於四海九江而不能濡，處小隘而不塞，橫扃天地之間而不窕。不通此者，雖目數千羊之群，耳分八風之調，足蹀陽阿之舞，而手會綠水之趨，智終天地，明照日月，辯解連環，澤潤玉石，猶無益於治天下也。靜漠恬澹，所以養性也；和愉虛無，所以養德也。外不滑內，則性得其宜；性不動和，則德安其位。養生以經世，抱德以終年，可謂能體道矣。若然者，血脈無鬱滯，五藏無蔚氣，禍福弗能撓滑，非譽弗能塵垢，故能致其極。非有其世，孰能濟焉？有其人不遇其時，身猶不能脫，又況無道乎？且人之情，耳目應感動，心志知憂樂，手足之㩌疾𧒃、闢寒暑，所以與物接也。蜂蠆螫指而神不能憺，蚉蝱噆膚而知不能平，夫憂患之來，攖人心也，非直蜂蠆之螫毒而蚊勁之慘怛也，而欲靜漠虛無，柰之何哉！

As for the spirit having nothing that screens it, the heart having nothing that it carries, being open, clear and unobstructed, calm and free of affairs, without stagnation, awaiting with emptiness and stillness, not lured by power and profit, not moved by eloquent persuaders, not corrupted by music and sensuality, not overflowing with beautiful things, not swayed by the clever, not frightened by the brave: this is the Way of the true person. Such a person molds the myriad things and keeps company with the creator; between heaven and earth and within the universe, nothing can cut him short. He who transforms life does not die, he who transforms things is not transformed; his spirit passes through Mount Li and Mount Taihang without being troubled, enters the four seas and nine rivers without being wetted, dwells in a narrow pass without being blocked and spans the space between heaven and earth without being sparse. One who does not penetrate this, even if his eyes can count flocks of several thousand sheep, his ears distinguish the tunes of the eight winds, his feet tread the Yang A dance, his hands match the rhythm of the Green Water melody, his wisdom exhaust heaven and earth, his clarity illuminate sun and moon, his debate untie linked rings, and his glossy brilliance be like jade, still gains nothing for governing the world. Quiet, still, calm and plain is what nourishes nature; harmonious, joyful and empty is what nourishes virtue. When the outer does not disturb the inner, nature gets what suits it; when nature does not stir up harmony, virtue rests in its place. One who nourishes life to pass through the age and holds virtue to the end of the years may be called able to embody the Way. In such a person the blood vessels have no stagnation and the five organs have no foul air; calamity and fortune cannot disturb him, and blame and praise cannot soil him with dust, so he is able to reach the utmost. If there were not such an age, who could accomplish it? Having such a person but not meeting the times, he cannot even escape himself, how much less if the Way is absent? Moreover, the feelings of a person are such that the ears and eyes respond and are moved, the heart knows sorrow and joy, and the hands and feet swiftly avoid cold and heat, by which he connects with things. When a wasp stings a finger, the spirit cannot be at ease; when a mosquito bites the skin, awareness cannot be level. When sorrow and trouble come and seize a person's heart, it is not merely like the venom of a wasp or the bite of a mosquito, yet one wishes to be still, quiet and empty; what can be done about that!

夫目察秋豪之末，耳不聞雷霆之聲；耳調玉石之聲，目不見太山之高。何則？小有所志而大有所忘也。今萬物之來，擢拔吾性，攓取吾情，有若泉源，雖欲勿稟，其可得邪！今夫樹木者，灌以瀿水，疇以肥壤，一人養之，十人拔之，則必無餘櫱，又況與一國同伐之哉？雖欲久生，豈可得乎！今盆水在庭，清之終日，未能見眉睫；濁之不過一撓，而不能察方員。人神易濁而難清，猶盆水之類也，況一世而撓滑之，曷得須臾平乎！

The eyes can see the tip of an autumn hair, yet the ears cannot hear the sound of thunder; the ears can tune the sounds of jade and stone, yet the eyes cannot see the height of Mount Tai. Why? When one concentrates on the small, one forgets the large. Now when the myriad things come, they pluck out my nature and seize my feelings, like a spring welling up; even if I wished not to accept it, how could I do so! Now one who plants a tree waters it with flowing water and tends it with rich soil; if one person nurtures and ten people uproot it, surely no shoots will be left, how much more if the whole state attacks it together? Even if one wished to live long, how could one obtain it! Now put a basin of water in the courtyard, and let it settle for a whole day, and it may still not reflect even one's eyebrows and lashes; stir it up and with a single disturbance you cannot make out the square or round. A person's spirit is easily muddied and hard to clear, like the basin of water, how much more if one disturbs it for a whole lifetime; how could there be even a moment of calm!

古者至德之世，賈便其肆，農樂其業，大夫安其職，而處士脩其道。當此之時，風雨不毀折，草木不夭，九鼎重味，珠玉潤澤，洛出丹書，河出綠圖，故許由、方回、善卷、披衣得達其道。何則？世之主有欲利天下之心，是以人得自樂其間。四子之才，非能盡善，蓋今之世也，然莫能與之同光者，遇唐、虞之時。逮至夏桀、殷紂，燔生人，辜諫者，為炮烙，鑄金柱，剖賢人之心，析才士之脛，醢鬼侯之女，葅梅伯之骸。當此之時，嶢山崩，三川涸，飛鳥鎩翼，走獸擠腳。當此之時，豈獨無聖人哉？然而不能通其道者，不遇其世。夫鳥飛千仞之上，獸走叢薄之中，禍猶及之，又況編戶齊民乎？由此觀之，體道者不專在於我，亦有繫於世矣。

In the ancient age of supreme virtue, merchants were at ease in their markets, farmers delighted in their work, grand masters were secure in their posts, and retired scholars cultivated their Way. At that time, wind and rain did not break things, plants and trees did not die young, the flavors of the Nine Tripods were rich, pearls and jade were lustrous, the Luo River produced the red writing and the Yellow River produced the green chart, so Xu You, Fang Hui, Shan Juan and Pi Yi could penetrate their Way. Why? The rulers of the world had a heart that wished to benefit the world, so people could take their own joy within it. The talents of these four were not wholly good, probably comparable to those of today, yet none today shines like them, because they met the time of Tang and Yu. When it came to Jie of Xia and Zhou of Yin, they roasted living people, dismembered remonstrators, made the burning pillar and cast bronze pillars, cut open the hearts of worthies and chopped the shins of talented scholars, minced the daughter of the Marquis of Gui into sauce and made the bones of Mei Bo into pickles. At that time Mount Yao collapsed, the three rivers dried up, flying birds broke their wings, and running beasts hurt their feet. At that time, was there really no sage? Yet they could not penetrate their Way, because they did not meet that age. Birds fly a thousand fathoms above and beasts run in thickets and brush, yet calamity still catches up with them, how much more ordinary registered commoners? Looking at it this way, embodying the Way does not rest on me alone, but also depends on the age.

夫歷陽之都，一夕反而為湖，勇力聖知與罷怯不肖者同命。巫山之上，順風縱火，膏夏紫芝與蕭艾俱死。故河魚不得明目，稚稼不得育時，其所生者然也。故世治則愚者不能獨亂，世亂則智者不能獨治。身蹈於濁世之中，而責道之不行也，是猶兩絆騏驥，而求其致千里也。置猿檻中，則與豚同，非不巧捷也，無所肆其能也。舜之耕陶也，不能利其裡；南面王，則德施乎四海，仁非能益也，處便而勢利也。古之聖人，其和愉寧靜，性也；其志得道行，命也。是故性遭命而後能行，命得性而後能明。烏號之弓，谿子之弩，不能無弦而射。越舲蜀艇，不能無水而浮。今矰繳機而在上，罔罟張而在下，雖欲翱翔，其勢焉得？故《詩》云：「采采卷耳，不盈傾筐。嗟我懷人，寘彼周行。」以言慕遠世也。

The city of Liyang in a single night turned over and became a lake, and the brave and strong, the sage and wise, shared one fate with the weak, timid and unworthy. On Mount Wu, when fire is set downwind, the fragrant zizhi herbs die together with the artemisia. So the fish in the river cannot brighten their eyes, and tender crops cannot ripen in season, because the places where they were born make it so. So when the age is well governed, a fool alone cannot throw the age into disorder; when the age is in disorder, a wise man alone cannot set the age right. To be sunk in a turbid age and yet blame the Way for not being practiced is like hobbling the two feet of a fine steed and demanding it run a thousand li. Put a monkey in a cage and it is the same as a pig, not because it is not agile but because there is no place to use its ability. When Shun farmed and made pottery, he could not benefit his village; when he faced south and became king, his virtue extended to the four seas, not because his humaneness had increased but because his position was convenient and the circumstances favorable. The sages of ancient times, harmonious, joyful and tranquil, had that as nature; having their aims fulfilled and the Way practiced was destiny. So nature meets destiny and only then can it act; destiny gets nature and only then can it be made clear. The Wuhao bow and the Xizi crossbow cannot shoot without a string. The Yue boat and the Shu skiff cannot float without water. Now with the trigger of the arrow-and-cord above and nets spread below, even if one wished to soar, how could the circumstances be obtained? So the Classic of Poetry says: "I pick and pick the cocklebur, and still cannot fill my slanted basket. Alas, I long for that person, and set the basket on the great road." This is used to express yearning for a distant age.

天墬未形，馮馮翼翼，洞洞灟灟，故曰太昭。道始於虛霩，虛霩生宇宙，宇宙生氣。氣有涯垠，清陽者薄靡而為天，重濁者凝滯而為地。清妙之合專易，重濁之凝竭難，故天先成而地後定。天地之襲精為陰陽，陰陽之專精為四時，四時之散精為萬物。積陽之熱氣生火，火氣之精者為日；積陰之寒氣為水，水氣之精者為月。日月之淫為精者為星辰。

Before Heaven and Earth had taken form, all was vague and billowing, deep and surging, one undifferentiated chaos, and so it was called the Great Brightness. The Way began in empty vastness; empty vastness produced the universe, and the universe produced qi. Qi had boundaries: the clear and yang rose thin and soft to become Heaven, while the heavy and turbid settled and congealed to become Earth. It is easier for the clear and subtle to unite and concentrate, and harder for the heavy and turbid to congeal, so Heaven was completed first and Earth settled afterward. The essence of Heaven and Earth overlapping each other became yin and yang; the essence of yin and yang concentrated became the four seasons; the essence of the four seasons dispersed became the myriad things. The hot qi of accumulated yang produced fire, and the essence of fire qi became the sun; the cold qi of accumulated yin became water, and the essence of water qi became the moon. The surplus essence of sun and moon became the stars.

天受日月星辰，地受水潦塵埃。昔者共工與顓頊爭為帝，怒而觸不周之山，天柱折，地維絕。天傾西北，故日月星辰移焉；地不滿東南，故水潦塵埃歸焉。天道曰圓，地道曰方。方者主幽，圓者主明。明者，吐氣者也，是故火曰外景；幽者，含氣者也，是故水曰內景。吐氣者施，含氣者化，是故陽施陰化。天之偏氣，怒者為風；地之含氣，和者為雨。

Heaven receives the sun, moon and stars, and Earth receives water, floods and dust. In the past Gong Gong contended with Zhuanxu to be emperor, and in rage struck Mount Buzhou, so the pillar of Heaven broke and the cords of Earth snapped. Heaven tilted to the northwest, so the sun, moon and stars moved there; Earth was not full in the southeast, so water, floods and dust flowed there. The Way of Heaven is called round and the Way of Earth is called square. The square governs the dim and the round governs the bright. The bright exhales qi, so fire is called the outer light; the dim holds qi, so water is called the inner light. What exhales qi bestows and what holds qi transforms, so yang bestows and yin transforms. The partial qi of Heaven, when enraged, becomes wind; the held qi of Earth, when harmonized, becomes rain.

陰陽相薄，感而為雷，激而為霆，亂而為霧。陽氣勝則散而為雨露，陰氣勝則凝而為霜雪。毛羽者，飛行之類也，故屬於陽。介鱗者，蟄伏之類也，故屬於陰。

Yin and yang press close to each other: their response becomes thunder, their agitation becomes thunderbolts, and their scattering becomes mist. When yang qi prevails, it disperses into rain and dew; when yin qi prevails, it congeals into frost and snow. Those with fur and feathers are the flying kind, so they belong to yang. Those with shells and scales are the hibernating kind, so they belong to yin.

日者，陽之主也，是故春夏則群獸除，日至而麋鹿解。月者，陰之宗也，是以月虛而魚腦減，月死而蠃蛖膲。火上蕁，水下流，故鳥飛而高，魚動而下。物類相動，本標相應，故陽燧見日則燃而為火，方諸見月則津而為水，虎嘯而谷風至，龍舉而景雲屬，麒麟鬥而日月食，鯨魚死而彗星出，蠶珥絲而商弦絕，賁星墜而勃海決。

The sun is the master of yang, so in spring and summer the beasts shed their coats, and at the solstice the elk and deer drop their horns. The moon is the ancestor of yin, so when the moon wanes the brains of fish decrease, and when the moon dies, snails and clams shrink. Fire rises and water descends, so birds fly high and fish swim downward. Things of a kind move one another, and root and branch respond to each other, so a yang burning mirror, on seeing the sun, kindles fire; a fangzhu mirror, on seeing the moon, moistens into water; when the tiger roars, wind comes through the valleys; when the dragon rises, auspicious clouds attach to it; when the qilin fight, the sun and moon are eclipsed; when the whale dies, a comet appears; when the silkworm spins thread, the shang string snaps; when a meteor falls, the Bohai Sea breaks its banks.

人主之情，上通於天，故誅暴則多飄風，枉法令則多蟲螟，殺不辜則國赤地，令不收則多淫雨。

The feelings of the ruler reach upward to Heaven, so executing the cruel brings many whirlwinds, bending the laws and ordinances brings many insect plagues, killing the innocent turns the land red throughout the state, and orders issued and not withdrawn bring excessive rains.

四時者，天之吏也；日月者，天之使也；星辰者，天之期也；虹蜺彗星者，天之忌也。

The four seasons are Heaven's officials, the sun and moon are Heaven's envoys, the stars are Heaven's appointed meetings, and rainbows and comets are Heaven's prohibitions.

天有九野，九千九百九十九隅，去地五億萬裡，五星，八風，二十八宿，五官，六府，紫宮，太微，軒轅，咸池，四守，天阿。

Heaven has nine fields and nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine corners, five hundred million myriad li from the earth; and it has the five planets, the eight winds, the twenty-eight lunar lodges, the five officials, the six storehouses, as well as the Purple Palace, Taiwei, Xuanyuan, Xianchi, the Four Guardians and Tian'e.

何謂九野？中央曰鈞天，其星角、亢、氐。東方曰蒼天，其星房、心、尾。東北曰變天，其星箕、鬥、牽牛。北方曰玄天，其星須女、虛、危、營室。西北方曰幽天，其星東壁、奎、婁。西方曰顥天，其星胃、昴、畢。西南方曰朱天，其星觜嶲、參、東井。南方曰炎天，其星輿鬼、柳、七星。東南方曰陽天，其星張、翼、軫。

What are the nine fields? The center is called Jun Tian (Even Heaven), and its stars are Jiao, Kang and Di. The east is called Cang Tian (Azure Heaven), and its stars are Fang, Xin and Wei. The northeast is called Bian Tian (Changing Heaven), and its stars are Ji, Dou and Qianniu. The north is called Xuan Tian (Dark Heaven), and its stars are Xunu, Xu, Wei and Yingshi. The northwest is called You Tian (Hidden Heaven), and its stars are Dongbi, Kui and Lou. The west is called Hao Tian (Bright Heaven), and its stars are Wei, Mao and Bi. The southwest is called Zhu Tian (Vermilion Heaven), and its stars are Zixi, Shen and Dongjing. The south is called Yan Tian (Blazing Heaven), and its stars are Yugui, Liu and Qixing. The southeast is called Yang Tian (Yang Heaven), and its stars are Zhang, Yi and Zhen.

何謂五星？東方，木也，其帝太皞，其佐句芒，執規而治春。其神為歲星，其獸蒼龍，其音角，其日甲乙。南方，火也，其帝炎帝，其佐朱明，執衡而治夏。其神為熒惑，其獸朱鳥，其音徵，其日丙丁。中央，土也，其帝黃帝，其佐后土，執繩而制四方。其神為鎮星，其獸黃龍，其音宮，其日戊己。西方，金也，其帝少昊，其佐蓐收，執矩而治秋。其神為太白，其獸白虎，其音商，其日庚辛。北方，水也，其帝顓頊，其佐玄冥，執權而治冬。其神為辰星，其獸玄武，其音羽，其日壬癸。

What are the five planets? The east is Wood; its emperor is Taihao, its assistant minister is Gou Mang, who holds the compass and governs spring. Its spirit is Jupiter (Suixing), its beast is the Azure Dragon, its tone is jue, and its days are jia and yi. The south is Fire; its emperor is the Flame Emperor, its assistant minister is Zhu Ming, who holds the balance beam and governs summer. Its spirit is Mars (Yinghuo), its beast is the Vermilion Bird, its tone is zhi, and its days are bing and ding. The center is Earth; its emperor is the Yellow Emperor, its assistant minister is Houtu, who holds the cord and regulates the four directions. Its spirit is Saturn (Zhenxing), its beast is the Yellow Dragon, its tone is gong, and its days are wu and ji. The west is Metal; its emperor is Shaohao, its assistant minister is Ru Shou, who holds the square and governs autumn. Its spirit is Venus (Taibai), its beast is the White Tiger, its tone is shang, and its days are geng and xin. The north is Water; its emperor is Zhuanxu, its assistant minister is Xuanming, who holds the weight and governs winter. Its spirit is Mercury (Chenxing), its beast is the Black Tortoise-Snake (Xuanwu), its tone is yu, and its days are ren and gui.

太陰在四仲，則歲星行三宿；太陰在四鉤，則歲星行二宿。二八十六，三四十二，故十二歲而行二十八宿。日行十二分度之，歲行三十度十六分度之七，十二歲而周。熒惑常以十月入太微，受制而出行列宿，司無道之國，為亂為賊，為疾為喪，為饑為兵，出入無常，辯變其色，時見時匿。鎮星以甲寅元始建鬥，歲鎮行一宿，當居而弗居，其國亡土；未當居而居之，其國益地，歲熟。日行二十八分度之一，歲行十三度百一十二分度之五，二十八歲而周。太白元始以正月建寅，與熒惑晨出東方，二百四十日而入，入百二十日而夕出西方，二百四十日而入，入三十五日而復出東方。出以辰戌，入以丑未。當出而不出，未當入而入，天下偃兵；當入而不入，當出而不出，天下興兵。辰星正四時，常以二月春分效奎、婁，以五月夏至效東井、輿鬼，以八月秋分效角、亢，以十一月冬至效鬥、牽牛。出以辰戌，入以丑未，出二旬而入。晨候之東方，夕候之西方。一時不出，其時不和；四時不出，天下大飢。

When Taiyin is in the four mid-positions (zi, wu, mao, you), Jupiter travels three lodges; when Taiyin is in the four hooks, Jupiter travels two lodges. Two eights make sixteen and three fours make twelve, so in twelve years it completes the twenty-eight lodges. Each day it travels one twelfth degree (the original text seems to have a gap here), each year thirty degrees and seven sixteenths, and in twelve years makes one circuit. Mars always enters Taiwei in the tenth month, and after being regulated comes out again and passes through the lodges, inspecting states without the Way, causing disorder, banditry, plague, mourning, famine and war; its entry and exit have no fixed rule, it changes its color, and sometimes appears and sometimes hides. Saturn begins from the jiayin origin, established at Dou, and each year it guards one lodge; if it should stay and does not stay, that state loses land; if it should not stay and stays, that state gains land and has good harvests. Each day it travels one twenty-eighth degree, each year thirteen degrees and five one-hundred-twelfths, and in twenty-eight years makes one circuit. Venus at its origin is established at yin in the first month, appears in the east in the morning together with Mars, enters after two hundred and forty days, stays hidden for a hundred and twenty days and then appears in the west at dusk, enters after two hundred and forty days, stays hidden thirty-five days and then appears again in the east. It appears in chen and xu and enters in chou and wei. If it should come out and does not, or should not enter and enters, the world ceases war; if it should enter and does not, or should come out and does not, the world raises war. Mercury is used to rectify the four seasons; it is always verified in the second month at the spring equinox at Kui and Lou, in the fifth month at the summer solstice at Dongjing and Yugui, in the eighth month at the autumn equinox at Jiao and Kang, and in the eleventh month at the winter solstice at Dou and Qianniu. It appears in chen and xu and enters in chou and wei, and having come out stays twenty days before entering. One watches for it in the east in the morning and in the west at dusk. If it does not come out in one season, that season will not be harmonious; if it does not come out in all four seasons, the world will suffer great famine.

何謂八風？距日冬至四十五日條風至，條風至四十五日明庶風至，明庶風至四十五日清明風至，清明風至四十五日景風至，景風至四十五日涼風至，涼風至四十五日閶闔風至，閶闔風至四十五日不周風至，不周風至四十五日廣莫風至。條風至則出輕繫，去稽留。明庶風至則正封疆，修田疇。清明風至則出幣帛，使諸侯。景風至則爵有位，賞有功。涼風至則報地德，祀四郊。閶闔風至則收縣垂，琴瑟不張。不周風至則修宮室，繕邊城。廣莫風至則閉關梁，決刑罰。

What are the eight winds? Forty-five days after the winter solstice, the Tiao wind arrives; forty-five days after the Tiao wind, the Mingshu wind arrives; forty-five days after the Mingshu wind, the Qingming wind arrives; forty-five days after the Qingming wind, the Jing wind arrives; forty-five days after the Jing wind, the Liang wind arrives; forty-five days after the Liang wind, the Changhe wind arrives; forty-five days after the Changhe wind, the Buzhou wind arrives; forty-five days after the Buzhou wind, the Guangmo wind arrives. When the Tiao wind arrives, release prisoners with light offenses and remove delays. When the Mingshu wind arrives, rectify the borders and tend the fields. When the Qingming wind arrives, bring out silks and send missions to the feudal lords. When the Jing wind arrives, give rank to those in office and reward those with merit. When the Liang wind arrives, repay the virtue of Earth and sacrifice at the four suburbs. When the Changhe wind arrives, put away the hanging musical instruments and no longer string the qin and se. When the Buzhou wind arrives, repair the palaces and fix the border cities. When the Guangmo wind arrives, close the passes and bridges and decide punishments.

何謂五官？東方為田，南方為司馬，西方為理，北方為司空，中央為都。

What are the five officials? The east is Tian (Fields), the south is Sima (Marshal), the west is Li (Judge), the north is Sikong (Works), and the center is Du (Capital).

何謂六府？子午、丑未、寅申、卯酉、辰戌、巳亥是也。

What are the six storehouses? They are zi-wu, chou-wei, yin-shen, mao-you, chen-xu and si-hai.

太微者，太一之庭也。紫宮者，太一之居也。軒轅者，帝妃之舍也。咸池者，水魚之囿也。天阿者，群神之闕也。四宮者，所以為司賞罰。太微者主朱雀，紫宮執鬥而左旋，日行一度，以周於天。日冬至峻狼之山，日移一度，凡行百八十二度八分度之五，而夏至牛首之山。反覆三百六十五度四分度之一而成一歲。

Taiwei is the court of Taiyi. The Purple Palace is the dwelling of Taiyi. Xuanyuan is the residence of the emperor's consorts. Xianchi is the garden of the water fish. Tian'e is the gate-tower of the multitude of spirits. The four palaces are used to oversee rewards and punishments. Taiwei oversees the Vermilion Bird. The Purple Palace holds the Big Dipper and rotates to the left, one degree each day, circling around Heaven. At the winter solstice the sun reaches Mount Junlang and moves one degree each day, traveling a total of one hundred and eighty-two degrees and five eighths, and reaches Mount Niushou at the summer solstice. Going back and forth through three hundred sixty-five and a quarter degrees makes one year.

天一元始，正月建寅，日月俱入營室五度。天一以始建七十六歲，日月復以正月入營室五度，無餘分，名曰一紀。凡二十紀，一千五百二十歲大終，日月星辰復始甲寅元。日行一度，而歲有奇四分度之一，故四歲而積千四百六十一日而復合故舍，八十歲而復故日。

The origin of Tianyi is established at yin in the first month, with the sun and moon both entering Yingshi at five degrees. Seventy-six years after the beginning of Tianyi, the sun and moon again enter Yingshi at five degrees in the first month, with no remainder; this is called one ji. Twenty ji in all, one thousand five hundred and twenty years, make the great end, and the sun, moon and stars begin again from the jiayin origin. The sun travels one degree each day, and the year has an extra quarter degree, so in four years it accumulates one thousand four hundred and sixty-one days and again meets the old position, and in eighty years returns to the old day.

子午、卯酉為二繩，丑寅、辰巳、未申、戌亥為四鉤。東北為報德之維也，西南為背陽之維，東南為常羊之維，西北為蹏通之維。日冬至則鬥北中繩，陰氣極，陽氣萌，故曰冬至為德。日夏至則斗南中繩，陽氣極，陰氣萌，故曰夏至為刑。陰氣極則北至北極，下至黃泉，故不可以鑿地穿井。萬物閉藏，蟄蟲首穴，故曰德在室。陽氣極則南至南極，上至朱天，故不可以夷丘上屋。萬物蕃息，五穀兆長，故曰德在野。日冬至則水從之，日夏至則火從之，故五月火正而水漏，十一月水正而陰勝。陽氣為火，陰氣為水。水勝故夏至溼，火勝故冬至燥。燥故炭輕，溼故炭重。日冬至井水盛，盆水溢，羊脫毛，麋角解，鵲始巢；八尺之修，日中而景丈三尺。日夏至而流黃澤，石精出，蟬始鳴，半夏生，蟁蝱不食駒犢，鷙鳥不搏黃口；八尺之景，脩徑尺五寸。景脩則陰氣勝，景短則陽氣勝。陰氣勝則為水，陽氣勝則為旱。陰陽刑德有七舍。何謂七舍？室、堂、庭、門、巷、術、野。十二月德居室三十日，先日至十五日，後日至十五日而徙，所居各三十日。德在室則刑在野，德在堂則刑在術，德在庭則刑在巷，陰陽相德則刑德合門。八月、二月，陰陽氣均，日夜分平，故曰刑德合門。德南則生，刑南則殺，故曰二月會而萬物生，八月會而草木死。

Zi-wu and mao-you are the two cords, and chou-yin, chen-si, wei-shen and xu-hai are the four hooks. The northeast is the corner of Repaying Virtue, the southwest is the corner of Turning from Yang, the southeast is the corner of Changyang, and the northwest is the corner of Titong. At the winter solstice, the Big Dipper points north and falls right on the cord; yin qi reaches its extreme and yang qi sprouts, so it is said the winter solstice is virtue. At the summer solstice the Big Dipper points south and falls right on the cord; yang qi reaches its extreme and yin qi sprouts, so it is said the summer solstice is punishment. When yin qi reaches its extreme it goes north to the northern pole and down to the Yellow Springs, so one must not dig the ground or sink wells. The myriad things are closed and stored, and hibernating insects pull their heads into their burrows, so it is said virtue is in the room. When yang qi reaches its extreme it goes south to the southern pole and up to Vermilion Heaven, so one must not level hills or climb onto roofs. The myriad things multiply, the five grains begin to grow, so it is said virtue is in the field. At the winter solstice water follows the sun, and at the summer solstice fire follows the sun, so in the fifth month fire holds the command and water seeps away, and in the eleventh month water holds the command and yin prevails. Yang qi is fire and yin qi is water. Water prevails, so the summer solstice is damp; fire prevails, so the winter solstice is dry. Because of dryness, charcoal is light; because of dampness, charcoal is heavy. At the winter solstice, well water is abundant, basin water overflows, sheep shed their wool, elk shed their horns, and magpies begin to build nests; with an eight-foot gnomon, the shadow at noon is thirteen feet long. At the summer solstice, sulfur emerges from the marshes, stone essence appears, cicadas begin to sing, the ban xia plant grows, mosquitoes and gadflies do not bite colts and calves, raptors do not strike yellow-mouthed chicks; with an eight-foot gnomon the shadow is one foot five inches long. When the shadow is long, yin qi prevails; when the shadow is short, yang qi prevails. When yin qi prevails there is water, and when yang qi prevails there is drought. Yin and yang, punishment and virtue, have seven lodgings. What are the seven lodgings? The room, hall, courtyard, gate, lane, path and field. In the twelve months, virtue stays in the room for thirty days, moving fifteen days before the solstice and fifteen days after the solstice, and each stay is thirty days. When virtue is in the room, punishment is in the field; when virtue is in the hall, punishment is on the path; when virtue is in the courtyard, punishment is in the lane; when yin and yang are matched, punishment and virtue meet at the gate. In the eighth month and the second month, yin and yang qi are equal and day and night are evenly divided, so it is said punishment and virtue meet at the gate. When virtue faces south it gives life, and when punishment faces south it kills, so it is said that in the second month they meet and the myriad things are born, and in the eighth month they meet and plants and trees die.

兩維之間，九十一度十六分度之五，而升日行一度，十五日為一節，以生二十四時之變。鬥指子則冬至，音比黃鐘；加十五日指癸則小寒，音比應鐘；加十五日指醜則大寒，音比無射；加十五日指報德之維，則越陰在地，故曰距日冬至四十六日而立春，陽氣凍解，音比南呂；加十五日指寅則雨水，音比夷則；加十五日指甲則雷驚蟄，音比林鐘；加十五日指卯中繩，故曰春分則雷行，音比蕤賓；加十五日指乙則清明風至，音比仲呂；加十五日指辰則穀雨，音比姑洗；加十五日指常羊之維，則春分盡，故曰有四十六日而立夏，大風濟，音比夾鐘；加十五日指巳則小滿，音比太蔟；加十五日指丙則芒種，音比大呂；加十五日指午則陽氣極，故曰有四十六日而夏至，音比黃鐘；加十五日指丁則小暑，音比大呂；加十五日指未則大暑，音比太蔟；加十五日指背陽之維則夏分盡，故曰有四十六日而立秋，涼風至，音比夾鐘；加十五日指申則處暑，音比姑洗；加十五日指庚則白露降，音比仲呂；加十五日指酉中繩，故曰秋分雷戒，蟄蟲北鄉，音比蕤賓；加十五日指辛則寒露，音比林鐘；加十五日指戌則霜降，音比夷則；加十五日指𨂜通之維，則秋分盡，故曰有四十六日而立冬，草木畢死，音比南呂；加十五日指亥則小雪，音比無射；加十五日指壬則大雪，音比應鐘；加十五日指子。故曰：陽生於子，陰生於午。陽生於子，故十一月日冬至，鵲始加巢，人氣鍾首。陰生於午，故五月為小刑，薺麥亭歷枯，冬生草木必死。

Between the two corners is ninety-one degrees and five sixteenths, and the rising sun travels one degree each day; fifteen days make one node, which generates the changes of the twenty-four periods. When the Dipper handle points to zi it is the winter solstice, with the tone matched to Huangzhong; after another fifteen days it points to gui, which is Minor Cold, with the tone matched to Yingzhong; after another fifteen days it points to chou, which is Major Cold, with the tone matched to Wuyi; after another fifteen days it points to the corner of Repaying Virtue, and it passes yin while in the earth, so it is said that forty-six days after the winter solstice comes the start of spring, when yang qi loosens the frozen ground, with the tone matched to Nanlu; after another fifteen days it points to yin, which is Rain Water, with the tone matched to Yize; after another fifteen days it points to jia, which is the Waking of Insects by thunder, with the tone matched to Linzhong; after another fifteen days it points to mao, falling right on the cord, so it is said that at the spring equinox thunder moves, with the tone matched to Ruibin; after another fifteen days it points to yi and the Qingming wind arrives, with the tone matched to Zhonglu; after another fifteen days it points to chen, which is Grain Rain, with the tone matched to Guxi; after another fifteen days it points to the corner of Changyang, the spring equinox ends, so it is said that forty-six days later comes the start of summer, when the great wind stops, with the tone matched to Jiazhong; after another fifteen days it points to si, which is Grain Buds, with the tone matched to Taicou; after another fifteen days it points to bing, which is Grain in Ear, with the tone matched to Dalu; after another fifteen days it points to wu, when yang qi reaches its extreme, so it is said that forty-six days later comes the summer solstice, with the tone matched to Huangzhong; after another fifteen days it points to ding, which is Minor Heat, with the tone matched to Dalu; after another fifteen days it points to wei, which is Major Heat, with the tone matched to Taicou; after another fifteen days it points to the corner of Turning from Yang and the summer division ends, so it is said that forty-six days later comes the start of autumn, when the cool wind arrives, with the tone matched to Jiazhong; after another fifteen days it points to shen, which is End of Heat, with the tone matched to Guxi; after another fifteen days it points to geng and white dew falls, with the tone matched to Zhonglu; after another fifteen days it points to you, falling right on the cord, so it is said that at the autumn equinox thunder is put away and hibernating insects turn north, with the tone matched to Ruibin; after another fifteen days it points to xin, which is Cold Dew, with the tone matched to Linzhong; after another fifteen days it points to xu, which is Frost's Descent, with the tone matched to Yize; after another fifteen days it points to the corner of Titong (the original has a rare character here), the autumn division ends, so it is said that forty-six days later comes the start of winter, when plants and trees all die, with the tone matched to Nanlu; after another fifteen days it points to hai, which is Minor Snow, with the tone matched to Wuyi; after another fifteen days it points to ren, which is Major Snow, with the tone matched to Yingzhong; after another fifteen days it points to zi again. So it is said: Yang is born at zi and yin is born at wu. Because yang is born at zi, in the eleventh month at the winter solstice, magpies begin to add to their nests and human qi gathers in the head. Because yin is born at wu, the fifth month is the minor punishment, when shepherd's purse, wheat and dog mustard wither, and plants and trees born in winter must die.

斗杓為小歲，正月建寅，月從左行十二辰。咸池為太歲，二月建卯，月從右行四仲，終而復始。太歲迎者辱，背者強，左者衰，右者昌。小歲東南則生，西北則殺，不可迎也，而可背也，不可左也，而可右也，其此之謂也。大時者，咸池也；小時者，月建也。

The Dipper handle is the small year; the first month is established at yin, and each month it travels left through the twelve branches. Xianchi is the Great Year (Taisui); the second month is established at mao, and each month it travels right through the four mid-positions, then begins again. Facing the Taisui brings disgrace, turning one's back to it brings strength, to its left is decline and to its right is prosperity. The small year, when in the southeast gives life and when in the northwest kills; one must not face it but may turn one's back, one must not be on its left but may be on its right. This is what is meant. The great time is Xianchi, and the small time is the month's establishment.

天維建元，常以寅始起，右徙一歲而移，十二歲而大周天，終而復始。

The Heavenly cord establishes the origin, always beginning at yin and moving to the right, shifting one branch each year, and after twelve years makes a great circuit of Heaven, ending and beginning again.

淮南元年冬，太一在丙子，冬至甲午，立春丙子。二陰一陽成氣二，二陽一陰成氣三，合氣而為音，合陰而為陽，合陽而為律，故曰五音六律。音自倍而為日，律自倍而為辰，故日十而辰十二。月日行十三度七十六分度之二十六，二十九日九百四十分日之四百九十九而為月，而以十二月為歲。歲有餘十日九百四十分日之八百二十七，故十九歲而七閏。日冬至子午，夏至卯酉，冬至加三日，則夏至之日也。歲遷六日，終而復始。

In the winter of the first year of Huainan, Taiyi was at bingzi, the winter solstice was jiawu, and the start of spring was bingzi. Two yin and one yang combine to make two qi, two yang and one yin combine to make three qi; combining qi makes tones, combining yin makes yang, combining yang makes pitches, so it is said the five tones and six pitches. Tones doubled by themselves make the days, pitches doubled by themselves make the branches, so the days number ten and the branches number twelve. The moon travels thirteen degrees and twenty-six seventy-sixths each day, and twenty-nine days and four hundred ninety-nine nine-hundred-fortieths of a day make one month, and twelve months are taken as one year. One year has a remainder of ten days and eight hundred twenty-seven nine-hundred-fortieths of a day, so in nineteen years there are seven intercalary months. The sun's winter solstice is at zi-wu and its summer solstice at mao-you; add three days to the winter solstice and it is the day of the summer solstice. Each year moves six days, ending and beginning again.

壬午冬至，甲子受制，木用事，火煙青。七十二日丙子受制，火用事，火煙赤。七十二日戊子受制，土用事，火煙黃。七十二日庚子受制，金用事，火煙白。七十二日壬子受制，水用事，火煙黑。七十二日而歲終，庚子受制。歲遷六日，以數推之，七十歲而復至甲子。甲子受制則行柔惠，挺群禁，開闔扇，通障塞，毋伐木。丙子受制則舉賢良，賞有功，立封侯，出貨財。戊子受制則養老鰥寡，行糦鬻，施恩澤。庚子受制則繕牆垣，修城郭，審群禁，飾兵甲，儆百官，誅不法。壬子受制則閉門閭，大搜客，斷刑罰，殺當罪，息關梁，禁外徙。

With the winter solstice on renwu, jiazi takes control, Wood holds the command, and the fire smoke is blue-green. Seventy-two days later bingzi takes control, Fire holds the command, and the fire smoke is red. Seventy-two days later wuzi takes control, Earth holds the command, and the fire smoke is yellow. Seventy-two days later gengzi takes control, Metal holds the command, and the fire smoke is white. Seventy-two days later renzi takes control, Water holds the command, and the fire smoke is black. Seventy-two days later the year ends, and gengzi takes control. Each year moves six days, and by calculation after seventy years it returns to jiazi. When jiazi takes control, carry out gentle favors, relax the prohibitions, open gates, clear obstructions, and do not fell trees. When bingzi takes control, promote the worthy and good, reward the meritorious, establish marquises, and bring out goods and wealth. When wuzi takes control, support the aged, widowers and widows, serve porridge and food, and bestow favor. When gengzi takes control, repair walls, mend city walls, examine the prohibitions, put armor and weapons in order, warn the hundred officials, and execute the lawless. When renzi takes control, close gates and village gates, search thoroughly for outside visitors, decide punishments, kill those who deserve it, halt the passes and bridges, and forbid moving outward.

甲子氣燥濁，丙子氣燥陽，戊子氣溼濁，庚子氣燥寒，壬子氣清寒。丙子干甲子，蟄蟲早出，故雷早行。戊子干甲子，胎夭卵毈，鳥蟲多傷。庚子干甲子，有兵。壬子干甲子，春有霜。戊子干丙子，霆。庚子干丙子，夷。壬子干丙子，雹。甲子干丙子，地動。庚子干戊子，五穀有殃。壬子干戊子，夏寒雨霜。甲子干戊子，介蟲不為。丙子干戊子，大旱，眾封熯。壬子干庚子，大剛，魚不為。甲子干庚子，草木再死再生。丙子干庚子，草木復榮。戊子干庚子，歲或存或亡。甲子干壬子，冬乃不藏。丙子干壬子，星隊。戊子干壬子，蟄蟲冬出其鄉。庚子干壬子，冬雷其鄉。

The qi of jiazi is dry and turbid, the qi of bingzi is dry and yang, the qi of wuzi is damp and turbid, the qi of gengzi is dry and cold, the qi of renzi is clear and cold. When bingzi encroaches on jiazi, hibernating insects emerge early, so thunder moves early. When wuzi encroaches on jiazi, embryos die young and eggs spoil, and birds and insects are often harmed. When gengzi encroaches on jiazi, there is war. When renzi encroaches on jiazi, there is frost in spring. When wuzi encroaches on bingzi, there are thunderbolts. When gengzi encroaches on bingzi, there are wounds from leveling. When renzi encroaches on bingzi, there is hail. When jiazi encroaches on bingzi, the earth shakes. When gengzi encroaches on wuzi, the five grains suffer calamity. When renzi encroaches on wuzi, summer is cold and frost falls. When jiazi encroaches on wuzi, shelled creatures do not mature. When bingzi encroaches on wuzi, there is great drought and many fiefs are scorched dry. When renzi encroaches on gengzi, it is too hard and fish do not mature. When jiazi encroaches on gengzi, plants and trees die twice and live twice. When bingzi encroaches on gengzi, plants and trees flourish twice. When wuzi encroaches on gengzi, the year sometimes survives and sometimes perishes. When jiazi encroaches on renzi, winter in the end does not close and store. When bingzi encroaches on renzi, stars fall. When wuzi encroaches on renzi, hibernating insects leave their homes in winter. When gengzi encroaches on renzi, thunder sounds in winter in that region.

季春三月，豐隆乃出，以將其雨。至秋三月，地氣不藏，乃收其殺，百蟲蟄伏，靜居閉戶，青女乃出，以降霜雪。行十二時之氣，以至於仲春二月之夕，乃收其藏而閉其寒，女夷鼓歌，以司天和，以長百穀禽鳥草木。孟夏之月，以熟穀禾，雄鳩長鳴，為帝候歲。

In the third month of late spring, Fenglong comes out, leading the rain. In the three months of autumn, when the earth's qi no longer closes and stores, the killing qi is gathered in, a hundred insects hibernate, people stay quietly with doors shut, and the Blue Maiden comes out and sends down frost and snow. The qi of the twelve seasons moves on, until the evening of the second month of mid-spring, when what was stored is gathered in and the cold qi is shut away; Nüyi beats a drum and sings, presiding over the harmony of Heaven, to nurture and grow the hundred grains, birds, plants and trees. In the first month of summer she makes the grain ripen, and the male dove calls long, watching for the harvest on behalf of the emperor.

是故天不發其陰，則萬物不生；地不發其陽，則萬物不成。天圓地方，道在中央。日為德，月為刑。月歸而萬物死，日至而萬物生。遠山則山氣藏，遠水則水蟲蟄，遠木則木葉槁。日五日不見，失其位也，聖人不與也。

So if Heaven does not release its yin, the myriad things are not born; if Earth does not release its yang, the myriad things are not completed. Heaven is round and Earth is square, and the Way is in the center. The sun is virtue and the moon is punishment. When the moon returns, the myriad things die; when the sun arrives, the myriad things live. When far from mountains, the mountain qi is shut away; when far from water, the water creatures hibernate; when far from trees, the tree leaves wither. If the sun is not seen for five days, it has lost its position, and the sage does not approve.

日出於暘谷，浴於咸池，拂於扶桑，是謂晨明。登於扶桑，爰始將行，是謂朏明。至於曲阿，是謂旦明。至於曾泉，是謂蚤食。至於桑野，是謂晏食。至於衡陽，是謂隅中。至於昆吾，是謂正中。至於鳥次，是謂小還。至於悲谷，是謂餔時。至於女紀，是謂大還。至於淵虞，是謂高舂。至於連石，是謂下舂。至於悲泉，爰止其女，爰息其馬，是謂縣車。至於虞淵，是謂黃昏。至於蒙谷，是謂定昏。日入於虞淵之汜，曙於蒙谷之浦，行九州七舍，有五億萬七千三百九里，禹以為朝、晝、昏、夜。

The sun comes out of Yanggu, bathes in Xianchi, and brushes past Fusang; this is called Morning Light. It climbs onto Fusang and then begins to travel; this is called Dawn Brightness. When it reaches Qu'e, this is called Early Meal. When it reaches Zengquan, this is called Morning Meal. When it reaches Sangye, this is called Late Meal. When it reaches Hengyang, this is called Yuzhong. When it reaches Kunwu, this is called Midday. When it reaches Niaoci, this is called Small Return. When it reaches Beigu, this is called Bushi. When it reaches Nüji, this is called Great Return. When it reaches Yuanyu, this is called High Pounding Time. When it reaches Lianshi, this is called Low Pounding Time. When it reaches Beiquan, it stops Xihe and rests the horses; this is called Hanging the Chariot. When it reaches Yuyuan, this is called Dusk. When it reaches Menggu, this is called Settled Dusk. The sun enters the water's edge of Yuyuan and dawns at the estuary of Menggu, traveling the nine provinces and seven lodgings, five hundred million seven thousand three hundred and nine li, which Yu used to divide into morning, day, dusk and night.

夏日至則陰乘陽，是以萬物就而死；冬日至則陽乘陰，是以萬物仰而生。晝者陽之分，夜者陰之分，是以陽氣勝則日修而夜短，陰氣勝則日短而夜修。

At the summer solstice yin rides on yang, so the myriad things tend toward death; at the winter solstice yang rides on yin, so the myriad things rise up and live. Day is the share of yang, night is the share of yin, so when yang qi prevails the days are long and the nights short, and when yin qi prevails the days are short and the nights long.

帝張四維，運之以鬥，月徙一辰，復反其所。正月指寅，十二月指醜，一歲而匝，終而復始。指寅，則萬物螾螾也，律受太蔟。太蔟者，蔟而未出也。指卯，卯則茂茂然，律受夾鐘。夾鐘者，種始莢也。指辰，辰則振之也，律受姑洗。姑洗者，陳去而新來也。指巳，巳則生已定也，律受仲呂。仲呂者，中充大也。指午，午者，忤也，律受蕤賓。蕤賓者，安而服也。指未，未，昧也，律受林鐘。林鐘者，引而止也。指申，申者，呻之也，律受夷則。夷則者，易其則也，德以去矣。指酉，酉者，飽也，律受南呂。南呂者，任包大也。指戌，戌者，滅也，律受無射。無射，入無厭也。指亥，亥者，閡也，律受應鐘。應鐘者，應其鐘也。指子，子者，茲也，律受黃鐘。黃鐘者，鐘已黃也。指醜，醜者，紐也，律受大呂。大呂者，旅旅而去也。其加卯酉，則陰陽分，日夜平矣。故曰規生矩殺，衡長權藏，繩居中央，為四時根。

The emperor spreads the four corners and uses the Big Dipper to turn them, moving one branch each month and returning to the starting place. In the first month it points to yin, in the twelfth month to chou, making one circuit in a year, ending and beginning again. When it points to yin, the myriad things stir and wriggle, and the pitch received is Taicou. Taicou means gathered and not yet out. When it points to mao, mao means lush, and the pitch received is Jiazhong. Jiazhong means seeds begin to form pods. When it points to chen, chen means to rouse it, and the pitch received is Guxi. Guxi means the old goes out and the new arrives. When it points to si, si means life is already settled, and the pitch received is Zhonglu. Zhonglu means the center is full and large. When it points to wu, wu means opposing, and the pitch received is Ruibin. Ruibin means settled and submitting. When it points to wei, wei means obscure, and the pitch received is Linzhong. Linzhong means drawn out and stopped. When it points to shen, shen means groaning, and the pitch received is Yize. Yize means changing its rule, virtue having already departed. When it points to you, you means full, and the pitch received is Nanlu. Nanlu means bearing and enclosing the great. When it points to xu, xu means extinguished, and the pitch received is Wuyi. Wuyi means entering without weariness. When it points to hai, hai means separation, and the pitch received is Yingzhong. Yingzhong means answering that bell. When it points to zi, zi means here is born, and the pitch received is Huangzhong. Huangzhong means the bell has already turned yellow. When it points to chou, chou means knotting, and the pitch received is Dalu. Dalu means going away in company. When added to mao and you, yin and yang separate and day and night are equal. So it is said the compass governs life, the square governs killing, the balance governs growth, the weight governs storage, and the cord dwells in the center, the root of the four seasons.

道曰規，始於一，一而不生，故分而為陰陽，陰陽合和而萬物生，故曰「一生二，二生三，三生萬物」。天地三月而為一時，故祭祀三飯以為禮，喪紀三踴以為節，兵重三罕以為制。以三參物，三三如九，故黃鐘之律九寸而宮音調。因而九之，九九八十一，故黃鐘之數立焉。黃者，土德之色；鐘者，氣之所種也。日冬至德氣為土，土色黃，故曰黃鐘。律之數六，分為雌雄，故曰十二鐘，以副十二月。十二各以三成，故置一而十一，三之，為積分十七萬七千一百四十七，黃鐘大數立焉。凡十二律，黃鐘為宮，太蔟為商，姑洗為角，林鐘為徵，南呂為羽。物以三成，音以五立，三與五如八，故卵生者八竅。律之初生也，寫鳳之音，故音以八生。黃鐘為宮，宮者，音之君也，故黃鐘位子，其數八十一，主十一月，下生林鐘。林鐘之數五十四，主六月，上生太蔟。太蔟之數七十二，主正月，下生南呂。南呂之數四十八，主八月，上生姑洗。姑洗之數六十四，主三月，下生應鐘。應鐘之數四十二，主十月，上生蕤賓。蕤賓之數五十七，主五月，上生大呂。大呂之數七十六，主十二月，下生夷則。夷則之數五十一，主七月，上生夾鐘。夾鐘之數六十八，主二月，下生無射。無射之數四十五，主九月，上生仲呂。仲呂之數六十，主四月，極不生。徵生宮，宮生商，商生羽，羽生角，角生姑洗，姑洗生應鐘，比於正音，故為和。應鐘生蕤賓，不比正音，故為繆。日冬至，音比林鐘，浸以濁。日夏至，音比黃鐘，浸以清。以十二律應二十四時之變，甲子，仲呂之徵也；丙子，夾鐘之羽也；戊子，黃鐘之宮也；庚子，無射之商也；壬子，夷則之角也。

The Way is called the compass and begins from one. But one does not give birth, so it divides into yin and yang, and yin and yang unite in harmony and the myriad things are born; hence it is said, "One gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, three gives birth to the myriad things." Heaven and Earth take three months to make one season, so in sacrifice three servings of rice are a ritual, in mourning three leaps are a rule, in military matters three repetitions of orders are an institution. Using three to test things, three threes make nine, so the Huangzhong pitch is nine inches long and the gong tone is in harmony. So multiplying by nine again gives nine nines, eighty-one, and the number of Huangzhong is settled. Yellow is the color of the virtue of Earth, and the bell is where qi is planted. At the winter solstice, the qi of virtue is Earth, and the color of Earth is yellow, so it is called Huangzhong. The number of the pitches is six, divided into male and female, so it is said twelve bells, matching the twelve months. Each of the twelve is completed by three, so one is set down and eleven are added, multiplied by three, and the accumulated parts come to one hundred seventy-seven thousand one hundred forty-seven, and the great number of Huangzhong is settled. In all twelve pitches, Huangzhong is gong, Taicou is shang, Guxi is jue, Linzhong is zhi, and Nanlu is yu. Things are completed with three and tones are established with five; three and five make eight, so egg-born creatures have eight orifices. When the pitches were first born, they imitated the sound of the phoenix, so tones are born with eight. Huangzhong is gong, and gong is the ruler of tones, so Huangzhong is placed at zi, its number is eighty-one, it governs the eleventh month, and gives birth downward to Linzhong. Linzhong's number is fifty-four, it governs the sixth month, and gives birth upward to Taicou. Taicou's number is seventy-two, it governs the first month, and gives birth downward to Nanlu. Nanlu's number is forty-eight, it governs the eighth month, and gives birth upward to Guxi. Guxi's number is sixty-four, it governs the third month, and gives birth downward to Yingzhong. Yingzhong's number is forty-two, it governs the tenth month, and gives birth upward to Ruibin. Ruibin's number is fifty-seven, it governs the fifth month, and gives birth upward to Dalu. Dalu's number is seventy-six, it governs the twelfth month, and gives birth downward to Yize. Yize's number is fifty-one, it governs the seventh month, and gives birth upward to Jiazhong. Jiazhong's number is sixty-eight, it governs the second month, and gives birth downward to Wuyi. Wuyi's number is forty-five, it governs the ninth month, and gives birth upward to Zhonglu. Zhonglu's number is sixty, it governs the fourth month, and having reached the extreme gives birth no more. Zhi gives birth to gong, gong gives birth to shang, shang gives birth to yu, yu gives birth to jue, jue gives birth to Guxi, Guxi gives birth to Yingzhong; this attaches to the correct tones and so is harmony. Yingzhong gives birth to Ruibin, which does not attach to the correct tones and so is error. At the winter solstice the tone is matched to Linzhong and gradually becomes turbid. At the summer solstice the tone is matched to Huangzhong and gradually becomes clear. The twelve pitches are used to respond to the changes of the twenty-four periods: jiazi is the zhi of Zhonglu, bingzi is the yu of Jiazhong, wuzi is the gong of Huangzhong, gengzi is the shang of Wuyi, and renzi is the jue of Yize.

古之為度量輕重，生乎天道。黃鐘之律脩九寸，物以三生，三九二十七，故幅廣二尺七寸。音以八相生，故人脩八尺，尋自倍，故八尺而為尋。有形則有聲，音之數五，以五乘八，五八四十，故四丈而為匹。匹者，中人之度也。一匹而為制。秋分蔈定，蔈定而禾熟。律之數十二，故十二蔈而當一粟，十二粟而當一寸。律以當辰，音以當日，日之數十，故十寸而為尺，十尺而為丈。其以為量，十二粟而當一分，十二分而當一銖，十二銖而當半兩。衡有左右，因倍之，故二十四銖為一兩。天有四時，以成一歲，因而四之，四四十六，故十六兩而為一觔。三月而為一時，三十日為一月，故三十觔為一鈞。四時而為一歲，故四鈞為一石。其以為音也，一律而生五音，十二律而為六十音，因而六之，六六三十六，故三百六十音以當一歲之日。故律曆之數，天地之道也。下生者倍，以三除之；上生者四，以三除之。

In ancient times measures of length and weight were produced from the Way of Heaven. The Huangzhong pitch is nine inches long, things are produced with three, three nines make twenty-seven, so the width of cloth is two feet seven inches. Tones are produced successively with eight, so a person is eight feet tall, and the span (xun) is double oneself, so eight feet make one span. Where there is form there is sound, and the number of tones is five; five times eight, five eights are forty, so four zhang make one pi (bolt). A pi is the measure of an average person. One pi makes one regulation. At the autumn equinox the awns (the beards of grain ears) are settled, and when the awns are settled the grain ripens. The number of pitches is twelve, so twelve awns equal one millet grain, and twelve millet grains equal one inch. Pitches are matched to the branches and tones to the days; the number of days is ten, so ten inches make a foot and ten feet make a zhang. For capacity, twelve millet grains equal one fen, twelve fen equal one zhu, and twelve zhu equal half a liang. A balance has left and right, so it is doubled, and twenty-four zhu make one liang. Heaven has four seasons that make one year, so multiply by four, four fours make sixteen, so sixteen liang make one jin. Three months make one season, thirty days make one month, so thirty jin make one jun. Four seasons make one year, so four jun make one shi. Applied to tones, one pitch produces five tones, and twelve pitches make sixty tones, so multiplying by six, six sixes make thirty-six, so three hundred sixty tones correspond to the days of the year. So the numbers of the pitches and calendar are the Way of Heaven and Earth. For downward generation, double and then divide by three; for upward generation, multiply by four and then divide by three.

太陰元始，建於甲寅，一終而建甲戌，二終而建甲午，三終而復得甲寅之元。歲徙一辰，立春之後，得其辰而遷其所順，前三後五，百事可舉。

The origin of Taiyin is established at jiayin; after one cycle it is established at jiaxu, after two cycles at jiawu, and after three cycles it again reaches the jiayin origin. Each year it moves one branch, and after the start of spring, having reached that branch, it moves again to what it follows, three ahead and five behind, and all affairs can be undertaken.

太陰所建，蟄蟲首穴而處，鵲巢鄉而為戶。太陰在寅，朱烏在卯，勾陳在子，玄武在戌，白虎在酉，蒼龍在辰。

In the place where Taiyin is established, hibernating insects pull their heads into their burrows and magpies turn the doors of their nests toward that direction. When Taiyin is at yin, the Vermilion Bird is at mao, Gouchen is at zi, Xuanwu is at xu, the White Tiger is at you, and the Azure Dragon is at chen.

寅為建，卯為除，辰為滿，巳為平，主生；

Yin is Establish, mao is Remove, chen is Full, and si is Balance, and they govern life;

午為定，未為執，主陷；

wu is Fix and wei is Hold, and they govern falling;

申為破，主衡；

shen is Break and governs the balance;

酉為危，主杓；

you is Danger and governs the handle;

戌為成，主少德；

xu is Success and governs lesser virtue;

亥為，主大德；

hai is (the original seems to have a gap here; for the twelve spirits of Establish and Remove, it should be "Receive"), and governs great virtue;

子為開，主太歲；

zi is Open and governs Taisui;

醜為閉，主太陰。

chou is Close and governs Taiyin.

太陰在寅，歲名曰攝提格，其雄為歲星，舍鬥、牽牛，以十一月與之晨出東方，東井、輿鬼為對。

When Taiyin is at yin, the year is named Shetige; its male is Jupiter, lodged at Dou and Qianniu, and in the eleventh month appears with it in the east in the morning; Dongjing and Yugui are opposite.

太陰在卯，歲名曰單閼，歲星舍須女、虛、危，以十二月與之晨出東方，柳、七星、張為對。

When Taiyin is at mao, the year is named Shan'e; Jupiter lodges at Xunu, Xu and Wei, and in the twelfth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Liu, Qixing and Zhang are opposite.

太陰在辰，歲名曰執，歲星營室、東壁，以正月與之晨出東方，翼、軫為對。

When Taiyin is at chen, the year is named Zhixu (the original has "Zhi" only); Jupiter is at Yingshi and Dongbi, and in the first month appears with it in the east in the morning; Yi and Zhen are opposite.

太陰在巳，歲名曰大荒落，歲星舍奎、婁，以二月與之晨出東方，角、亢為對。

When Taiyin is at si, the year is named Dahuangluo; Jupiter lodges at Kui and Lou, and in the second month appears with it in the east in the morning; Jiao and Kang are opposite.

太陰在午，歲名曰敦，歲星舍胃、昴、畢，以三月與之晨出東方，氐、房、心為對。

When Taiyin is at wu, the year is named Dunzang (the original has "Dun" only); Jupiter lodges at Wei, Mao and Bi, and in the third month appears with it in the east in the morning; Di, Fang and Xin are opposite.

太陰在未，歲名曰協洽，歲星舍觜、參，以四月與之晨出東方，尾、箕為對。

When Taiyin is at wei, the year is named Xieqia; Jupiter lodges at Zi and Shen, and in the fourth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Wei and Ji are opposite.

太陰在申，歲名曰涒灘，歲星舍東井、輿鬼，以五月與之晨出東方，鬥、牽牛為對。

When Taiyin is at shen, the year is named Tuntan; Jupiter lodges at Dongjing and Yugui, and in the fifth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Dou and Qianniu are opposite.

太陰在酉，歲名曰作鄂，歲星舍柳、七星、張，以六月與之晨出東方，須女、虛、危為對。

When Taiyin is at you, the year is named Zuo'e; Jupiter lodges at Liu, Qixing and Zhang, and in the sixth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Xunu, Xu and Wei are opposite.

太陰在戌，歲名曰閹茂，歲星舍翼、軫，以七月與之晨出東方，營室、東壁為對。

When Taiyin is at xu, the year is named Yanmao; Jupiter lodges at Yi and Zhen, and in the seventh month appears with it in the east in the morning; Yingshi and Dongbi are opposite.

太陰在亥，歲名曰大淵獻，歲星舍角、亢，以八月與之晨出東方，奎、婁為對。

When Taiyin is at hai, the year is named Dayuanxian; Jupiter lodges at Jiao and Kang, and in the eighth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Kui and Lou are opposite.

太陰在子，歲名曰困敦，歲星舍氐、房、心，以九月與之晨出東方，胃、昴、畢為對。

When Taiyin is at zi, the year is named Kundun; Jupiter lodges at Di, Fang and Xin, and in the ninth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Wei, Mao and Bi are opposite.

太陰在醜，歲名曰赤奮若，歲星舍尾、箕，以十月與之晨出東方，觜雟、參為對。

When Taiyin is at chou, the year is named Chifenruo; Jupiter lodges at Wei and Ji, and in the tenth month appears with it in the east in the morning; Zi and Shen are opposite.

太陰在甲子，刑德合東方宮，常徙所不勝，合四歲而離，離十六歲而復合。所以離者，刑不得入中宮，而徙於木。太陰所居德，辰為刑。德，綱日自倍因，柔日徙所不勝。刑，水辰之木，木辰之水，金、火立其處。

When Taiyin is at jiazi, punishment and virtue meet in the eastern palace, and constantly move to the place they cannot overcome; after four years joined they separate, and after sixteen years apart they join again. The reason they separate is that punishment cannot enter the central palace, and moves to Wood. Where Taiyin dwells is virtue, and the branch is punishment. Virtue on yang days doubles itself and follows its course, on yin days moves to what it cannot overcome. Punishment: a Water branch goes to Wood, a Wood branch goes to Water, and Metal and Fire stand in place.

凡徙諸神，朱鳥在太陰前一，鉤陳在後三，玄武在前五，白虎在後六，虛星乘鉤陳而天地襲矣。

In all movements of the various spirits, the Vermilion Bird is one position ahead of Taiyin, Gouchen is three positions behind, Xuanwu is five positions ahead, the White Tiger is six positions behind, and the Xu star rides on Gouchen so that Heaven and Earth overlap each other.

凡日，甲剛乙柔，丙剛丁柔，以至於癸。

For all days, jia is hard and yi is soft, bing is hard and ding is soft, and so on through gui.

木生於亥，壯於卯，死於未，三辰皆木也。

Wood is born at hai, strong at mao, and dies at wei; these three branches are all Wood.

火生於寅，壯於午，死於戌，三辰皆火也。

Fire is born at yin, strong at wu, and dies at xu; these three branches are all Fire.

土生於午，壯於戌，死於寅，三辰皆土也。

Earth is born at wu, strong at xu, and dies at yin; these three branches are all Earth.

金生於巳，壯於酉，死於醜，三辰皆金也。

Metal is born at si, strong at you, and dies at chou; these three branches are all Metal.

水生於申，壯於子，死於辰，三辰皆水也。

Water is born at shen, strong at zi, and dies at chen; these three branches are all Water.

故五勝生一，壯五，終九，五九四十五，故神四十五日而一徙；以三應五，故八徙而歲終。

So the five overcomings: birth is at one, strength at five, and end at nine; five nines are forty-five, so the spirits move once every forty-five days; using three to match five, they move eight times and the year ends.

凡用太陰，左前刑，右背德，擊鉤陳之沖辰，以戰必勝，以攻必剋。

In all uses of Taiyin, the left front is punishment and the right rear is virtue; attacking the position opposite Gouchen, one is sure to win in battle and sure to conquer in assault.

欲知天道，以日為主，六月當心，左周而行，分而為十二月，與日相當，天地重襲，後必無殃。

If you wish to know the Way of Heaven, take the sun as chief; in the sixth month it faces the Xin lodge, goes around to the left, divides into twelve months, matches the sun, Heaven and Earth overlap each other, and afterward there will surely be no calamity.

星正月建營室，二月建奎、婁，三月建胃，四月建畢，五月建東井，六月建張，七月建翼，八月建亢，九月建房，十月建尾，十一月建牽牛，十二月建虛。

Stars: in the first month, establish at Yingshi; in the second month, at Kui and Lou; in the third month, at Wei; in the fourth month, at Bi; in the fifth month, at Dongjing; in the sixth month, at Zhang; in the seventh month, at Yi; in the eighth month, at Kang; in the ninth month, at Fang; in the tenth month, at Wei; in the eleventh month, at Qianniu; in the twelfth month, at Xu.

星分度：

The degrees of the stars:

角十二，亢九，氐十五，房五，心五，尾十八，箕十一四分一，鬥二十六，牽牛八，須女十二，虛十，危十七，營室十六，東壁九，奎十六，婁十二，胃十四，昴十一，畢十六，觜雟二，參九，東井三十，輿鬼四，柳十五，，張、翼各十八，軫十七，凡二十八宿也。

Jiao has twelve degrees, Kang nine, Di fifteen, Fang five, Xin five, Wei eighteen, Ji eleven and a quarter, Dou twenty-six, Qianniu eight, Xunu twelve, Xu ten, Wei seventeen, Yingshi sixteen, Dongbi nine, Kui sixteen, Lou twelve, Wei fourteen, Mao eleven, Bi sixteen, Zixi two, Shen nine, Dongjing thirty, Yugui four, Liu fifteen, (the base text probably has an omission here; older editions often have something like 'Qixing seven'), Zhang and Yi eighteen each, and Zhen seventeen. In all these make the twenty-eight lunar lodges.

星部地名：

The regions corresponding to the lunar lodges:

角、亢，鄭；氐、房、心宋；尾、箕，燕；鬥、牽牛，越；須女，吳；虛、危，齊；營室、東壁，衛；奎、婁，魯；胃、昴、畢，魏；觜雟、參，趙；東井、輿鬼，秦；柳、七星、張，周；翼、軫，楚。

Jiao and Kang correspond to Zheng; Di, Fang and Xin to Song; Wei and Ji to Yan; Dou and Qianniu to Yue; Xunu to Wu; Xu and Wei to Qi; Yingshi and Dongbi to Wei; Kui and Lou to Lu; Wei, Mao and Bi to Wei (Wei of the Wei state); Zixi and Shen to Zhao; Dongjing and Yugui to Qin; Liu, Qixing and Zhang to Zhou; Yi and Zhen to Chu.

歲星之所居，五榖豐昌，其對為沖，歲乃有殃。當居而不居，越而之他處，主死國亡。

Where Jupiter resides, the five grains flourish; the place opposite to it suffers calamity that year. If it should be in a place and is not, and passes over into another, the ruler dies and the state is destroyed.

太陰治春則欲行柔惠溫涼，太陰治夏則欲佈施宣明，太陰治秋則欲脩備繕兵，太陰治冬則欲猛毅剛彊。三歲而改節，六歲而易常，故三歲而一饑，六歲而一衰，十二歲一康。

When Taiyin governs spring, it wishes to carry out gentleness, kindness, warmth and coolness; when Taiyin governs summer, it wishes to spread and proclaim; when Taiyin governs autumn, it wishes to repair and prepare, and mend weapons; when Taiyin governs winter, it wishes to be fierce, resolute and firm. Every three years the season changes and every six years the norm changes; therefore there is one famine in three years, one decline in six years, and one time of well-being in twelve years.

甲齊，乙東夷，丙楚，丁南夷，戊魏，己韓，庚秦，辛西夷，壬衛，癸越，子周，醜翟，寅楚，卯鄭，辰晉，巳衛，午秦，未宋，申齊，酉魯，戌趙，亥燕。

Jia is Qi, Yi is the Eastern Yi, Bing is Chu, Ding is the Southern Yi, Wu is Wei, Ji is Han, Geng is Qin, Xin is the Western Yi, Ren is Wei (Wei of the Wei state), Gui is Yue, Zi is Zhou, Chou is Di, Yin is Chu, Mao is Zheng, Chen is Jin, Si is Wei, Wu is Qin, Wei is Song, Shen is Qi, You is Lu, Xu is Zhao, and Hai is Yan.

甲乙寅卯，木也；丙丁巳午，火也；戊己四季，土也；庚辛申酉，金也；壬癸亥子，水也。

Jia, Yi, Yin and Mao are wood; Bing, Ding, Si and Wu are fire; Wu, Ji and the four seasonal ends are earth; Geng, Xin, Shen and You are metal; Ren, Gui, Hai and Zi are water.

水生木，木生火，火生土，土生金，金生水。

Water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, and metal generates water.

子生母曰義，母生子曰保，子母相得曰專，母勝子曰制，子勝母曰困。

When child generates mother it is called righteousness; when mother generates child it is called protection; when child and mother are in accord it is called concentration; when mother overcomes child it is called restraint; when child overcomes mother it is called distress.

以勝擊殺，勝而無報。以專從事，專而有功。以義行理，名立而不墯。以保畜養，萬物蕃昌。以困舉事，破滅死亡。

If one uses overcoming to attack and kill, one wins but has no retribution. If one uses concentration to handle affairs, one is single-minded and successful. If one uses righteousness to carry out principle, one's name is established and does not fall. If one uses protection to nurture, the myriad things flourish. If one uses distress to undertake affairs, one is destroyed and dies.

北斗之神有雌雄，十一月始建於子，月從一辰，雄左行，雌右行，五月合午謀刑，十一月合子謀德。

The spirit of the Northern Dipper has a female and a male. In the eleventh month it begins to stand at Zi, and each month follows one position; the male goes to the left and the female goes to the right. In the fifth month they meet at Wu and plan punishment; in the eleventh month they meet at Zi and plan virtue.

太陰所居辰為猒日，猒日不可以舉百事。堪輿徐行，雄以音知雌，故為奇辰。數從甲子始，子母相求，所合之處為合。十日十二辰，週六十日，凡八合。合於歲前則死亡，合於歲後則無殃。

The position where Taiyin resides is a day of suppression, and on a day of suppression a hundred matters cannot be undertaken. Kanyu walks slowly, and the male knows the female by sound, so it is a strange position. The count begins from Jiazi, and the child and mother seek each other; where they meet is a conjunction. Ten days and twelve positions make a cycle of sixty days, with eight conjunctions in all. A conjunction before the year's position means death; a conjunction after the year's position means no calamity.

甲戌，燕也；乙酉，齊也；丙午，越也；丁巳，楚也；庚申，秦也；辛卯，戎也；壬子，代也；癸亥，胡也；戊戌、己亥，韓也；己酉、己卯，魏也；戊午、戊子，八合天下也。

Jiaxu is Yan, Yiyou is Qi, Bingwu is Yue, Dingsi is Chu, Gengshen is Qin, Xinmao is the Rong, Renzi is Dai, Guihai is the Hu, Wuxu and Jihai are Han, Jiyou and Jimao are Wei, and Wuwu and Wuzi, these are the eight conjunctions in the world.

太陰、小歲、星、日、辰五神皆合，其日有雲氣風雨，國君當之。

When Taiyin, the Minor Year, the star, the sun and the hour, these five spirits all come together, on that day there are clouds, wind and rain, and the ruler of the state bears it.

天神之貴者，莫貴於青龍，或曰天一，或曰太陰。太陰所居，不可背而可鄉。北斗所擊，不可與敵。

Among the heavenly spirits, the most noble is none other than the Azure Dragon, which is also called Tianyi or Taiyin. The place where Taiyin resides may be faced but not turned the back on. What the Northern Dipper strikes cannot be made an enemy.

天地以設，分而為陰陽，陽生於陰，陰生於陽，陰陽相錯，四維乃通，或死或生，萬物乃成。蚑行喙息，莫貴於人。孔竅肢體，皆通於天。

After Heaven and Earth were established, they separated into yin and yang; yang is born from yin and yin is born from yang; when yin and yang interlace, the four corners are open, and some die and some live, and then the myriad things are completed. Among creatures that crawl and breathe, none is nobler than man. His orifices and limbs all connect with Heaven.

天九重，人亦有九竅。天有四時，以制十二月；人亦有四肢，以使十二節。天有十二月，以制三百六十日；人亦有十二肢，以使三百六十節。故舉事而不順天者，逆其生者也。

Heaven has nine layers, and man too has nine orifices. Heaven has four seasons, which govern the twelve months; man too has four limbs, which command the twelve joints. Heaven has twelve months, which govern the three hundred and sixty days; man too has twelve limbs, which command the three hundred and sixty joints. Therefore one who does things without following Heaven goes against his own life.

以日冬至數來歲正月朔日，五十日者，民食足；不滿五十日，日減一；有餘日，日益一升。有其歲司也。

From the winter solstice counting to the first day of the first month of the next year, if it is full fifty days, the people's food is sufficient; if it is less than fifty days, subtract one for each day; if there are extra days, add one sheng for each day. Each has its own charge for that year.

攝提格之歲：歲早水晚旱，稻疾，蠶不登，菽、麥昌，民食四升，寅。在甲曰閼蓬

In a Sheti-ge year: the year's harvest has early flood and late drought, rice has blight, silkworms do not yield, beans and wheat flourish, and the people's food is four sheng. It corresponds to Yin. In terms of the stems, it is called E Feng for Jia.

單閼之歲：歲和，稻、菽、麥、蠶昌，民食五升，卯。在乙曰旃蒙。

In a Danyan year: the harvest is harmonious, and rice, beans, wheat and silkworms all flourish; the people's food is five sheng. It corresponds to Mao. In terms of the stems, it is called Zhan Meng for Yi.

執徐之歲：歲早旱晚水，小饑，蠶閉，麥熟，民食三升，辰。在丙曰柔兆。

In a Zhixu year: the harvest has early drought and late flood, a small famine, silkworms stay hidden, wheat ripens, and the people's food is three sheng. It corresponds to Chen. In terms of the stems, it is called Rou Zhao for Bing.

大荒落之歲：歲有小兵，蠶小登，麥昌，菽疾，民食二升，巳。在丁曰強圉。

In a Dahuangluo year: there are small wars, silkworms yield a little, wheat flourishes, beans have blight, and the people's food is two sheng. It corresponds to Si. In terms of the stems, it is called Qiang Yu for Ding.

敦之歲：歲大旱，蠶登，稻疾，菽、麥昌，禾不為，民食二升，午。在戊曰著雝。

In a Dunzang year (the base text omits one character): a great drought, silkworms yield, rice has blight, beans and wheat flourish, grain does not mature, and the people's food is two sheng. It corresponds to Wu. In terms of the stems, it is called Zhu Yong for Wu.

協洽之歲：歲有小兵，蠶登，稻昌，菽、麥不為，民食三升，未。在己曰屠維。

In a Xieqia year: there are small wars, silkworms yield, rice flourishes, beans and wheat do not mature, and the people's food is three sheng. It corresponds to Wei. In terms of the stems, it is called Tu Wei for Ji.

涒灘之歲：歲和，小雨行，蠶登，菽、麥昌，民食三升，申。在庚曰上章。

In a Tuntan year: the harvest is harmonious, small rains are widespread, silkworms yield, beans and wheat flourish, and the people's food is three sheng. It corresponds to Shen. In terms of the stems, it is called Shang Zhang for Geng.

作鄂之歲：歲有大兵，民疾，蠶不登，菽、麥不為，禾蟲，民食五升，酉。在辛曰重光。

In a Zuoe year: there are great wars, the people suffer illness, silkworms do not yield, beans and wheat do not mature, grain breeds insects, and the people's food is five sheng. It corresponds to You. In terms of the stems, it is called Zhong Guang for Xin.

掩茂之歲：歲小饑，有兵，蠶不登，麥不為，菽昌，民食七升，戌。在壬曰玄黓。

In a Yanmao year: a small famine and wars, silkworms do not yield, wheat does not mature, beans flourish, and the people's food is seven sheng. It corresponds to Xu. In terms of the stems, it is called Xuan Yi for Ren.

大淵獻之歲：歲有大兵，大饑，蠶開，菽、麥不為，禾蟲，民食三升。

In a Dayuanxian year: there are great wars and a great famine, silkworms open, beans and wheat do not mature, grain breeds insects, and the people's food is three sheng.

困敦之歲：歲大霧起，大水出，蠶、稻、菽、麥昌，民食三鬥，子。在癸曰昭陽。

In a Kundun year: a great fog rises and great floods come out, silkworms, rice, beans and wheat flourish, and the people's food is three dou. It corresponds to Zi. In terms of the stems, it is called Zhao Yang for Gui.

赤奮若之歲：歲有小兵，早水，蠶不出，稻疾，菽不為，麥昌，民食一升。

In a Chifenruo year: there are small wars, early flood, silkworms do not come out, rice has blight, beans do not mature, wheat flourishes, and the people's food is one sheng.

正朝夕，先樹一表東方，操一表卻去前表十步，以參望日始出北廉。日直入，又樹一表於東方，因西方之表以參望日，方入北廉則定東方。兩表之中，與西方之表，則東西之正也。日冬至，日出東南維，入西南維。至春、秋分，日出東中，入西中。夏至，出東北維，入西北維，至則正南。

To fix the east-west line, first set up a gnomon in the east, then take another gnomon and move it ten paces back from the first one, and use it to sight the northern edge of the sun when it has just risen. When the sun enters the line straight, set up another gnomon in the east, and sighting the sun with the gnomon in the west, when it enters the northern edge exactly, the east is fixed. The middle between the two gnomons and the gnomon in the west is the true east-west line. At the winter solstice the sun rises at the southeast corner and sets at the southwest corner. At the spring and autumn equinoxes the sun rises due east and sets due west. At the summer solstice it rises at the northeast corner and sets at the northwest corner, and when it reaches due south it is at its meridian.

欲知東西、南北廣袤之數者，立四表以為方一里韻，先春分若秋分十餘日，從韻北表參望日始出及旦，以候相應，相應則此與日直也。輒以南表參望之，以入前表數為法，除舉廣，除立表袤，以知從此東西之數也。假使視日出，入前表中一寸，是寸得一里也。一里積萬八千寸，得從此東萬八千里。視日方入，入前表半寸，則半寸得一里。半寸而除一里積寸，得三萬六千里，除則從此西里數也。並之東西里數也，則極徑也。未春分而直，已秋分而不直，此處南也。未秋分而直，已春分而不直，此處北也。分、至而直，此處南北中也。從中處欲知中南也，未秋分而不直，此處南北中也。從中處欲知南北極遠近，從西南表參望日，日夏至始出與北表參，則是東與東北表等也，正東萬八千里，則從中北亦萬八千里也。倍之，南北之裡數也。其不從中之數也，以出入前表之數益損之，表入一寸，寸減日近一里，表出一寸，寸益遠一里。

If you want to know the extent of east-west and north-south, set up four gnomons to make a square one li on a side, and for ten or so days before the spring or autumn equinox, sight the sun from the north gnomon of the square at the time of sunrise and dawn, and wait for correspondence; when they correspond, this point and the sun are in one straight line. Then sight with the south gnomon, take the amount it enters in front of the first gnomon, divide it by the width taken, divide it by the height of the gnomon set up, and thus know the figure from here toward east and west. If, for instance, looking at sunrise, it enters the front gnomon by one inch, then one inch gives one li. A li accumulates eighteen thousand inches, so you obtain eighteen thousand li eastward from here. Looking at the sun exactly as it sets, if it enters the front gnomon by half an inch, then half an inch gives one li. Dividing the accumulated inches of one li by half an inch, you obtain thirty-six thousand li, and what is obtained from the division is the li to the west from here. Adding them together gives the east-west distance in li, which is also the diameter of the pole. If it is straight before the spring equinox and still not straight after the autumn equinox has passed, this place is in the south. If it is straight before the autumn equinox and still not straight after the spring equinox has passed, this place is in the north. If it is straight at the equinoxes and solstices, this place is in the middle between north and south. If from the middle you want to know a southward offset, and it is not straight before the autumn equinox, this is also a situation of the same kind as being in the middle between north and south. If from the middle you wish to know the distance to the north and south poles, sight the sun from the southwest gnomon; when the sun at the summer solstice has just risen and lines up with the north gnomon, then east is equal to the northeast gnomon, with true east at eighteen thousand li, so from the middle going north is also eighteen thousand li. Doubling it gives the north-south distance in li. For those not at the middle, add or subtract according to the amount that enters or leaves the front gnomon: if the gnomon enters one inch, subtract one li for each inch nearer the sun; if the gnomon goes out one inch, add one li for each inch farther.

欲知天之高，樹表高一丈，正南北相去千里，同日度其陰，北表一尺，南表尺九寸，是南千里陰短寸，南二萬裡則無景，是直日下也。陰二尺而得高一丈者，南一而高五也，則置從此南至日下里數，因而五之，為十萬裡，則天高也。若使景與表等，則高與遠等也。

To know the height of Heaven, set up a gnomon one zhang high, with a distance of a thousand li due north and south between them, and measure its shadow on the same day. The north gnomon's shadow is one foot and the south gnomon's shadow is one foot nine inches. This means that for each thousand li to the south the shadow shortens by one inch; at twenty thousand li to the south there is no shadow, which is directly under the sun. If the shadow is two feet and the gnomon is one zhang, then the ratio is one to five south, so multiply the li from here southward to directly under the sun by five, giving one hundred thousand li, which is the height of Heaven. If the shadow equals the gnomon, then the height equals the distance.

孟春之月，招搖指寅，昏參中，旦尾中。其位東方，其日甲乙，盛德在木，其蟲鱗，其音角，律中太蔟，其數八，其味酸，其臭羶，其祀戶，祭先脾。東風解凍，蟄蟲始振蘇，魚上負冰，獺祭魚，候鴈北。天子衣青衣，乘蒼龍，服蒼玉，建青旗，食麥與羊，服八風水，爨萁燧火，東宮御女青色，衣青採，鼓琴瑟，其兵矛，其畜羊，朝於青陽左丟，以出春令。布德施惠，行慶賞，省徭賦。立春之日，天子親率三公九卿大夫以迎歲於東郊，修除祠位，幣禱鬼神，犧牲用牡。禁伐木，毋覆巢、殺胎夭，毋麛，毋卵，毋聚眾、置城郭，掩骼薶骴。孟春行夏令，則風雨不時，草木旱落，國乃有恐。行秋令，則其民大疫，飄風暴雨總至，黎莠蓬蒿並興。行冬令，則水潦為敗，雨霜大雹，首稼不入。正月官司空，其樹楊。

In the first month of spring, the Zhaoyao star points to Yin; at dusk the star Shen is at the meridian, and at dawn the star Wei is at the meridian. Its direction is east; its days are Jia and Yi; its flourishing virtue is in wood; its creatures are the scaly; its note is Jue; its pitch pipe corresponds to Taicou; its number is eight; its flavor is sour; its smell is goatish; it sacrifices to the household door, and in the sacrifice the spleen is used first. The east wind thaws the ice, hibernating insects begin to stir, fish rise toward the ice, otters offer fish, and wild geese go north. The Son of Heaven wears azure clothes, rides the azure dragon horse, wears azure jade, sets up the azure banner, eats wheat and mutton, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a millet-stalk fire-drill, the ladies of the eastern palace wear azure clothes in azure colors, the zither and lute are played, the weapon is the spear, the livestock is the sheep, and he holds court in the left side chamber of the Qingyang hall to proclaim the spring ordinances. He spreads virtue and grants kindness, holds celebrations and rewards, and reduces labor service and taxes. On the day of the beginning of spring, the Son of Heaven personally leads the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers and high officials to greet the year in the eastern suburbs, repairs and clears the shrine places, prays to the spirits with coins and silk, and uses male victims. Felling trees is forbidden; do not overturn nests, kill unborn or young creatures, take fawns, or take eggs; do not gather crowds or build city walls; bury the withered bones and rotting flesh. If in the first month of spring the summer ordinances are carried out, wind and rain will not come in season, plants and trees will fall from drought, and there will be fear in the state. If the autumn ordinances are carried out, the people will suffer a great plague, whirlwinds and violent rains will arrive together, and goosefoot, weeds and fleabane will rise together. If the winter ordinances are carried out, floods will cause disaster, rain, frost and large hail will come, and the first crops cannot enter the granaries. The official of the first month is the Minister of Works, and the tree is the poplar.

仲春之月，招搖指卯，昏弧中，旦建星中。其位東方，其日甲乙，其蟲鱗，其音角，律中夾鍾，其數八，其味酸，其臭羶，其祀戶，祭先脾。始雨水，桃李始華，蒼庚鳴，鷹化為鳩。天子衣青衣，乘蒼龍，服蒼玉，建青旗，食麥與羊，服八風水，爨萁燧火，東宮御女青色，衣青採，鼓琴瑟，其兵矛，其畜羊，朝於青陽太廟。命有司，省囹圄，去桎梏，毋笞掠，止獄訟，養幼小，存孤獨，以通句萌。擇元日，令民社。是月也，日夜分，雷始發聲，蟄蟲鹹動蘇。先雷三日，振鐸以令於兆民曰：「雷且發聲，有不戒其容止者，生子不備，必有兇災。」令官市，同度量，鈞衡石，角鬥稱，端權概。毋竭川澤，毋漉陂池，毋焚山林，毋作大事，以妨農功。祭不用犧牲，用圭璧，更皮幣。仲春行秋令，則其國大水，寒氣總至，寇戎來徵。行冬令，則陽氣不勝，麥乃不熟，民多相殘。行夏令，則其國大旱，颼氣早來，蟲螟為害。二月官倉，其樹杏。

In the second month of spring, Zhaoyao points to Mao; at dusk the star Hu is at the meridian, and at dawn the star Jian is at the meridian. Its direction is east; its days are Jia and Yi; its creatures are the scaly; its note is Jue; its pitch pipe corresponds to Jiazhong; its number is eight; its flavor is sour; its smell is goatish; it sacrifices to the household door, and in the sacrifice the spleen is used first. Rain begins to fall, peaches and plums begin to blossom, the oriole sings, and hawks turn into doves. The Son of Heaven wears azure clothes, rides the azure dragon horse, wears azure jade, sets up the azure banner, eats wheat and mutton, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a millet-stalk fire-drill, the ladies of the eastern palace wear azure clothes in azure colors, the zither and lute are played, the weapon is the spear, the livestock is the sheep, and he holds court in the Qingyang grand hall. He orders the officials to inspect the prisons, remove fetters and shackles, not to flog or whip, and to stop litigation; to nurture the young, and to inquire after the orphaned and solitary, so as to open the way for crooked sprouts. A chosen first day is set for the people to sacrifice at the altar of the soil. In this month day and night are equal, thunder begins to sound, and the hibernating insects all stir and revive. Three days before thunder, a wooden bell is rung to proclaim to the myriad people: "Thunder is about to sound; if anyone does not take care of his conduct, his child will be born imperfect and there will surely be disaster." He orders the market officials to standardize weights and measures, level the scales and weights, correct the dou and steelyards, and set the weights and levelers right. Do not let rivers and marshes run dry, do not drain the ponds, do not burn mountains and forests, and do not undertake great works, so as not to hinder farm work. In sacrifices victims are not used; use scepters and discs instead, and change to hides and coins. If in the second month of spring the autumn ordinances are carried out, there will be great floods in the state, cold air will arrive together, and invaders will come to attack. If the winter ordinances are carried out, yang qi will not prevail, wheat will not ripen, and the people will often harm one another. If the summer ordinances are carried out, there will be a great drought in the state, hot air will come early, and insects and borers will do harm. The official of the second month is the granary officer, and the tree is the apricot.

季春之月，招搖指辰，昏七星中，旦牽牛中。其位東方，其日甲乙，其蟲鱗，其音角，律中姑洗，其數八，其味酸，其臭羶，其祀戶，祭先脾。桐始華，田鼠化為鴽，虹始見，萍始生。天子衣青衣，乘蒼龍，服蒼玉，建青旗，食麥與羊，服八風水，爨萁燧火，東宮御女青色，衣青採，鼓琴瑟，其兵矛，其畜羊，朝於青陽右丟。舟牧覆舟，五覆五反，乃言具於天子。天子烏始乘舟，薦鮪於寢廟，乃為麥祈實。是月也，生氣方盛，陽氣發洩，句者畢出，萌者盡達，不可以內。天子命有司，發囷倉，助貧窮，振乏絕，開府庫，出幣帛，使諸侯，聘名士，禮賢者。命司空，時雨將降，下水上騰，循行國邑，周視原野，修利隄防，導通溝瀆，達路除道，從國始，至境止。田獵畢弋，罝罘羅𦉾，餧毒之藥，毋出九門。乃禁野虞，毋伐桑柘。鳴鳩奮其羽，戴鵀降於桑，具撲曲筥筐，后妃齋戒，東鄉親桑，省婦使，勸蠶事。命五庫，令百工審金鐵皮革、筋角箭榦、脂膠丹漆，無有不良。擇下旬吉日，大合樂，致歡欣。乃合㹎牛騰馬，遊牝於牧。令國儺，九門磔攘，以畢春氣。行是月令，甘雨至三旬。季春行冬令，則寒氣時發，草木皆肅，國有大恐。行夏令，則民多疾疫，時雨不降，山陵不登。行秋令，則天多沈陰，淫雨早降，兵革並起。三月官鄉，其樹李。

In the third month of spring, Zhaoyao points to Chen; at dusk the star Qixing is at the meridian, and at dawn Qianniu is at the meridian. Its direction is east; its days are Jia and Yi; its creatures are the scaly; its note is Jue; its pitch pipe corresponds to Guxian; its number is eight; its flavor is sour; its smell is goatish; it sacrifices to the household door, and in the sacrifice the spleen is used first. Paulownia begins to blossom, field mice turn into quails, rainbows begin to appear, and duckweed begins to grow. The Son of Heaven wears azure clothes, rides the azure dragon horse, wears azure jade, sets up the azure banner, eats wheat and mutton, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a millet-stalk fire-drill, the ladies of the eastern palace wear azure clothes in azure colors, the zither and lute are played, the weapon is the spear, the livestock is the sheep, and he holds court in the right side chamber of the Qingyang hall. The boat master inspects the boats, capsizing them five times and turning them over five times, and only then reports to the Son of Heaven that they are ready. The Son of Heaven then begins to ride in a boat and presents sturgeon at the ancestral temple, to pray for the wheat to bear grain. In this month the life force is at its height, yang qi flows out, everything bent comes fully out, and every sprout reaches through, and nothing may be gathered in. The Son of Heaven orders the officials to open the granaries to help the poor, relieve those in want, open the storehouses and take out coins and silk, send envoys to the feudal lords, call on famous scholars and treat the worthy with ritual. He orders the Minister of Works: "The seasonal rain is about to fall and the water below will rise; tour the state capitals, inspect the fields, repair the embankments, clear the ditches, open the roads and clear the paths, starting from the capital and ending at the borders." Hunting nets, shooting with tethered arrows, snares and traps, and poisoned bait shall not go out of the nine gates. Then the forest wardens are forbidden, and mulberry and cudrania trees are not to be cut. The turtledove raises its wings, the hoopoe alights on the mulberry; they prepare the thin curved baskets, and the queen and consorts fast and personally go east to pick mulberry leaves, inspect the women's work, and encourage the silkworm affairs. He orders the five storehouses to have the hundred artisans examine metal, iron, hide, leather, sinew, horn, arrow shafts, fat, glue, cinnabar and lacquer, so that none is defective. A good day in the last ten days is chosen for a grand assembly of music, to bring joy and delight. Then bulls and stallions are brought together, and the female animals are allowed to roam in the pastures. He orders the state to perform the exorcism, and at the nine gates animals are sacrificed and rites of dispelling are performed, to conclude the qi of spring. If the orders of this month are carried out, sweet rain will arrive for three decades. If in the third month of spring the winter ordinances are carried out, cold air will break out from time to time, plants and trees will all be withered, and there will be great fear in the state. If the summer ordinances are carried out, the people will have many illnesses and epidemics, seasonal rain will not fall, and the hills will have no harvest. If the autumn ordinances are carried out, the sky will be often overcast, excessive rain will fall early, and arms and armor will rise together. The official of the third month is the village chief, and the tree is the plum.

孟夏之月，招搖指巳，昏翼中，旦婺女中。其位南方，其日丙丁，盛德在火，其蟲羽，其音徵，律中仲呂，其數七，其味苦，其臭焦，其祀灶，祭先肺。螻蟈鳴，丘螾出，王瓜生，苦菜秀。天子衣赤衣，乘赤騮，服赤玉，建赤旗，食菽與雞，服八風水，爨柘燧火，南宮御女赤色，衣赤採，吹竽笙，其兵戟，其畜雞，朝於明堂左丟，以出夏令。立夏之日，天子親率三公九卿大夫以迎歲於南郊。還，乃賞賜，封諸侯，修禮樂，饗左右。命太尉，贊傑俊，選賢良，舉孝悌，行爵出祿，佐天長養。繼修增高，無有隳壞，毋興土功，毋伐大樹。令野虞，行田原，勸農事，驅獸畜，勿令害穀。天子以彘嘗麥，先薦寢廟。聚畜百藥，靡草死，麥秋至，決小罪，斷薄刑。孟夏行秋令，則苦雨數來，五穀不滋，四鄰入保。行冬令，則草木早枯，後乃大水，敗壞城郭。行春令，則螽蝗為敗，暴風來格，秀草不實。四月官田，其樹桃。

In the first month of summer, Zhaoyao points to Si; at dusk the star Yi is at the meridian, and at dawn Wunu is at the meridian. Its direction is south; its days are Bing and Ding; its flourishing virtue is in fire; its creatures are the feathered; its note is Zhi; its pitch pipe corresponds to Zhonglu; its number is seven; its flavor is bitter; its smell is scorched; it sacrifices to the stove, and in the sacrifice the lung is used first. Mole crickets sing, earthworms come out, Wang gourd grows, and bitter greens flower. The Son of Heaven wears red clothes, rides the red bay, wears red jade, sets up the red banner, eats beans and chicken, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a cudrania fire-drill, the ladies of the southern palace wear red clothes in red colors, the yu and sheng are blown, the weapon is the halberd, the livestock is the chicken, and he holds court in the left side chamber of the Mingtang to proclaim the summer ordinances. On the day of the beginning of summer, the Son of Heaven personally leads the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers and high officials to greet the year in the southern suburbs. On returning, he grants rewards, enfeoffs feudal lords, refines rites and music, and feasts those around him. He orders the Grand Commandant to commend the outstanding and talented, select the worthy and good, recommend the filial and brotherly, grant ranks and issue stipends, to assist Heaven's growing and nurturing. It continues to rise higher; there should be no destruction, no earthworks begun, and no great trees felled. He orders the field wardens to tour the plains and fields, encourage farming, and drive away beasts and livestock so that they do not harm the grain. The Son of Heaven tastes wheat with pork and presents it first at the ancestral temple. Hundreds of medicines are gathered, the soft grasses die, the wheat autumn arrives, small offenses are decided and light punishments are settled. If in the first month of summer the autumn ordinances are carried out, bitter rains will come repeatedly, the five grains will not grow, and the four neighbors will enter the fortresses. If the winter ordinances are carried out, plants and trees will wither early, and later there will be great floods destroying city walls. If the spring ordinances are carried out, locusts will cause harm, violent winds will come, and flowering plants will not set seed. The official of the fourth month is the field officer, and the tree is the peach.

仲夏之月，招搖指午，昏亢中，旦危中。其位南方，其日丙丁，其蟲羽，其音徵，律中蕤賓，其數七，其味苦，其臭焦，其祀灶，祭先肺。小暑至，螳蜋生，鵙始鳴，反舌無聲。天子衣赤衣，乘赤騮，服赤玉，載赤旗，食菽與雞，服八風水，爨柘燧火，南宮御女赤色，衣赤採，吹竽笙，其兵戟，其畜雞，朝於明堂太廟。命樂師，修鞀鼙琴瑟管簫，調竽篪，飾鐘磬，執干鏚戈羽。命有司，為民祈祀山川百源，大雩帝，用盛樂。天子以雉嘗黍，羞以含桃，先薦寢廟。禁民無刈藍以染，毋燒灰，毋暴布，門閭無閉，關市無索，挺重囚，益其食，存鰥寡，振死事，遊牝別其群，執騰駒，班馬政。日長至，陰陽爭，死生分，君子齋戒，慎身無躁，節聲色，薄滋味，百官靜，事無徑，以定晏陰之所成。鹿角解，蟬始鳴，半夏生，木堇榮。禁民無發火，可以居高明，遠眺望，登丘陵，處臺榭。仲夏行冬令，則雹霰傷穀，道路不通，暴兵來至。行春令，則五穀不孰，百螣時起，其國乃饑。行秋令，則草木零落，果實蚤成，民殃於疫。五月官相，其樹榆。

In the second month of summer, Zhaoyao points to Wu; at dusk the star Kang is at the meridian, and at dawn the star Wei is at the meridian. Its direction is south; its days are Bing and Ding; its creatures are the feathered; its note is Zhi; its pitch pipe corresponds to Ruibin; its number is seven; its flavor is bitter; its smell is scorched; it sacrifices to the stove, and in the sacrifice the lung is used first. Minor Heat arrives, mantises are born, shrikes begin to sing, and the mockingbird is silent. The Son of Heaven wears red clothes, rides the red bay, wears red jade, carries the red banner, eats beans and chicken, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a cudrania fire-drill, the ladies of the southern palace wear red clothes in red colors, the yu and sheng are blown, the weapon is the halberd, the livestock is the chicken, and he holds court in the grand hall of the Mingtang. He orders the music master to repair the small drums, large drums, zithers, lutes, pipes and flutes, to harmonize the yu and chi, to decorate the bells and chimes, and to hold shields, axes, spears and feathers. He orders the officials to pray and sacrifice to the mountains, rivers and hundred sources on behalf of the people, and to hold the great rain sacrifice for rain from the Lord on High, with grand music. The Son of Heaven tastes millet with pheasant and presents cherries, presenting them first at the ancestral temple. The people are forbidden to cut indigo for dyeing, to burn ashes, or to sun cloth; village gates are not to be closed, no levies are made at passes and markets, heavy prisoners are treated leniently and their food increased, widowers and widows are inquired after, those who died in public service are relieved, the breeding mares in the pastures should be separated from their herds, the prancing colts tethered, and horse regulations issued. The days reach their longest, yin and yang contend, death and life divide, the noble man fasts, is careful not to be restless, moderates sound and color, keeps flavors plain, the hundred officials are quiet, and in doing things one must not act hastily and directly, so as to settle what the yin of dusk has brought about. Deer antlers fall off, cicadas begin to sing, half-summer plants grow, and hibiscus blooms. The people are forbidden to start fires; one may live in a high bright place, look far into the distance, climb the hills, and dwell in terraces and pavilions. If in the second month of summer the winter ordinances are carried out, hail and sleet will damage the grain, roads will be blocked, and violent troops will arrive. If the spring ordinances are carried out, the five grains will not ripen, hundreds of locusts will rise from time to time, and the state will go hungry. If the autumn ordinances are carried out, plants and trees will wither and fall, the fruit will ripen early, and the people will suffer in epidemics. The official of the fifth month is the minister, and the tree is the elm.

季夏之月，招搖指未，昏心中，旦奎中。其位中央，其日戊己，盛德在土，其蟲蠃，其音宮，律中百鐘，其數五，其味甘，其臭香，其祀中霤，祭先心。涼風始至，蟋蟀居奧，鷹乃學習，腐草化為蚈。天子衣黃衣，乘黃騮，服黃玉，建黃旗，食稷與牛，服八風水，爨柘燧火，中宮御女黃色，衣黃採，其兵劍，其畜牛，朝於中宮。乃命漁人，伐蛟取鼉，登龜取黿。令滂人，入材葦。命四監大夫，令百縣之秩芻以養犧牲，以供皇天上帝、名山大川、四方之神、宗廟社稷，為民祈福行惠。令弔死問疾，存視長老，行稃鬻，厚席蓐，以送萬物歸也。命婦官染採，黼黻文章，青黃白黑，莫不質良，以給宗廟之服，必宣以明。是月也，樹木方盛，勿敢斬伐；不可以合諸侯，起土功，動眾興兵，必有天殃。土潤溽暑，大雨時行，利以殺草糞田疇，以肥土疆。季夏行春令，則穀實解落，多風欬，民乃遷徙。行秋令，則丘隰水潦，稼牆不孰，乃多女災。行冬令，則風寒不時，鷹隼蚤摯，四鄙入保。六月官少內，其樹梓。

In the third month of summer, Zhaoyao points to Wei; at dusk the star Xin is at the meridian, and at dawn the star Kui is at the meridian. Its direction is the center; its days are Wu and Ji; its flourishing virtue is in earth; its creatures are the naked; its note is Gong; its pitch pipe corresponds to Baizhong; its number is five; its flavor is sweet; its smell is fragrant; it sacrifices to the central courtyard, and in the sacrifice the heart is used first. The cool wind begins to arrive, crickets dwell in the southwest corner of the room, hawks begin to learn to strike, and rotting grass turns into fireflies. The Son of Heaven wears yellow clothes, rides the yellow bay, wears yellow jade, sets up the yellow banner, eats millet and beef, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a cudrania fire-drill, the ladies of the central palace wear yellow clothes in yellow colors, the weapon is the sword, the livestock is the ox, and he holds court in the central palace. He then orders the fishermen to hunt river dragons and take alligators, and to climb up to take tortoises and soft-shelled turtles. He orders the marsh keepers to gather timber and reeds. He orders the four supervising high officials to have the hundred counties deliver fodder grass by rank, to feed the sacrificial animals, to supply Heaven and the Lord on High, famous mountains and great rivers, the spirits of the four directions, and the ancestral temples and altars of soil and grain, and to pray for blessings and carry out kindness for the people. He orders condolences for the dead and inquiries about the sick, checks on the elderly, gives out gruel, and thickens mats and bedding, to see off the departure of the myriad things. He orders the women's officials to dye colors, with embroidered patterns and designs, azure, yellow, white and black, none that is not of good quality, to supply the garments of the ancestral temple, which must be bright and clear. In this month trees are in full vigor and are not to be felled; one may not assemble the feudal lords, begin earthworks, or move crowds and raise troops, for there will surely be Heaven's calamity. The earth is moist and the heat is humid, and heavy rains fall in season, which are favorable for killing grass and enriching the fields, to fertilize the soil. If in the third month of summer the spring ordinances are carried out, grain kernels will drop off, there will be many wind-borne coughs, and the people will migrate. If the autumn ordinances are carried out, the hills and low-lying places will flood, crops and walls will not ripen, and there will be many calamities for women. If the winter ordinances are carried out, wind and cold will not come in season, hawks and falcons will strike early, and the four borderlands will enter the fortresses. The official of the sixth month is the minor treasurer, and the tree is the catalpa.

孟秋之月，招搖指申，昏鬥中，旦畢中。其位西方，其日庚辛，盛德在金，其蟲毛，其音商，律中夷則，其數九，其味辛，其臭腥，其祀門，祭先肝。涼風至，白露降，寒蟬鳴，鷹乃祭鳥，用始行戮。天子衣白衣，乘白駱，服白玉，建白旗，食麻與犬，服八風水，爨柘燧火，西宮御女白色，衣白採，撞白鐘，其兵戈，其畜狗，朝於總章左丟，以出秋令。求不孝不悌、戮暴傲悍而罰之，以助損氣。立秋之日，天子親率三公九卿大夫以迎秋於西郊。還，乃賞軍率武人於朝。命將率，選卒厲兵，簡練桀俊，專任有功，以徵不義，詰誅暴慢，順彼四方。命有司，修法制，繕囹圄，禁姦塞邪，審決獄，平詞訟。天地始肅，不可以贏。是月農始升穀，天子嘗新，先薦寢廟。命百官，始收斂，完隄防，謹障塞，以備水潦，修城郭，繕宮室，毋以封侯，立大官，行重幣，出大使。行是月令，涼風至三旬。孟秋行冬令，則陰氣大勝，介蟲敗穀，戎兵乃來。行春令，則其國乃旱，陽氣復還，五穀無實。行夏令，則冬多火災，寒暑不節，民多瘧疾。七月官庫，其樹楝。

In the first month of autumn, Zhaoyao points to Shen; at dusk the star Dou is at the meridian, and at dawn the star Bi is at the meridian. Its direction is west; its days are Geng and Xin; its flourishing virtue is in metal; its creatures are the furred; its note is Shang; its pitch pipe corresponds to Yize; its number is nine; its flavor is pungent; its smell is fishy; it sacrifices to the gate, and in the sacrifice the liver is used first. The cool wind arrives, white dew descends, cold cicadas sing, hawks begin to offer birds, and executions and punishments begin to be carried out. The Son of Heaven wears white clothes, rides the white black-maned horse, wears white jade, sets up the white banner, eats hemp seed and dog, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a cudrania fire-drill, the ladies of the western palace wear white clothes in white colors, white bells are struck, the weapon is the dagger-axe, the livestock is the dog, and he holds court in the left side chamber of the Zongzhang hall to proclaim the autumn ordinances. He seeks out those who are unfilial and unbrotherly, and those who are violent, arrogant and fierce, and punishes them, to help bring about the diminishing qi. On the day of the beginning of autumn, the Son of Heaven personally leads the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers and high officials to greet autumn in the western suburbs. On returning, he rewards the military commanders and warriors at court. He orders the generals to select soldiers and sharpen weapons, choose outstanding men, entrust only those with merit to campaign against the unrighteous, rebuke and execute the violent and arrogant, and make the four quarters obedient. He orders the officials to revise laws and regulations, repair prisons, prohibit treachery and block evil, examine and decide cases, and settle lawsuits. Heaven and Earth begin to turn severe and withering, and one must not be full to the brim. In this month farmers begin to present grain, the Son of Heaven tastes the new harvest and presents it first at the ancestral temple. He orders the hundred officials to begin gathering in, to make the embankments firm, to guard the barriers carefully against floods, to repair city walls and mend palaces; none of this should be used for enfeoffing marquises, setting up high offices, giving heavy coins or sending out great envoys. If the orders of this month are carried out, the cool wind will arrive for three decades. If in the first month of autumn the winter ordinances are carried out, yin qi will greatly prevail, armored insects will ruin the grain, and armies of the Rong will come. If the spring ordinances are carried out, there will be drought in the state, yang qi will return again, and the five grains will not bear fruit. If the summer ordinances are carried out, there will be many fires in winter, cold and heat will be unregulated, and the people will have much malaria. The official of the seventh month is the storehouse officer, and the tree is the chinaberry.

仲秋之月，招搖指酉，昏牽牛中，旦觜嶲中。其位西方，其日庚辛，其蟲毛，其音商，律中南呂，其數九，其味辛，其臭腥，其祀門，祭先肝。涼風至，候鴈來，玄鳥歸，群鳥翔。天子衣白衣，乘白駱，服白玉，建白旗，食麻與犬，服八風水，爨柘燧火，西宮御女白色，衣白採，撞白鐘，其兵戈，其畜犬，朝於總章太廟。命有司，申嚴百刑，斬殺必當，無或枉撓。決獄不當，反受其殃。是月也，養長老，授几杖，行稃鬻飲食。乃命宰祝，行犧牲，案芻豢，視肥臞全粹，察物色，課比類，量小大，視少長，莫不中度。天子乃儺，以御秋氣。以犬嘗麻，先薦寢廟。是月可以築城郭，建都邑，穿竇窖，修囷倉。乃命有司，趣民收斂畜採，多積聚，勸種宿麥，若或失時，行罪無疑。是月也，雷乃始收，蟄蟲培戶，殺氣浸盛，陽氣日衰，水始涸，日夜分。一度量，平權衡，正鈞石角鬥稱，理關市，來商旅，入貨財，以便民事。四方來集，遠方皆至，財物不匱，上無乏用，百事乃遂。仲秋行春令，則秋雨不降，草木生榮，國有大恐。行夏令，則其國乃旱，蟄蟲不藏，五穀皆復生。行冬令，則風災數起，收雷先行，草木蚤死。八月官尉，其樹柘。

In the second month of autumn, Zhaoyao points to You; at dusk Qianniu is at the meridian, and at dawn Zixi is at the meridian. Its direction is west; its days are Geng and Xin; its creatures are the furred; its note is Shang; its pitch pipe corresponds to Nanlu; its number is nine; its flavor is pungent; its smell is fishy; it sacrifices to the gate, and in the sacrifice the liver is used first. The cool wind arrives, migrating wild geese come, swallows depart, and flocks of birds fly. The Son of Heaven wears white clothes, rides the white black-maned horse, wears white jade, sets up the white banner, eats hemp seed and dog, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a cudrania fire-drill, the ladies of the western palace wear white clothes in white colors, white bells are struck, the weapon is the dagger-axe, the livestock is the dog, and he holds court in the grand hall of the Zongzhang. He orders the officials to strictly reaffirm the hundred penalties; executions must be fitting, with no wrongful twisting; if cases are decided improperly, one suffers calamity oneself instead. In this month the aged are supported, given arm rests and staffs, and gruel and food and drink are provided. He then orders the steward and invocator to inspect the sacrificial animals, examine the fodder-fed and grain-fed, see whether they are fat or lean, whole and pure, check their color, compare their types, measure their size, look at their age, so that none fails to meet the standard. The Son of Heaven then performs the exorcism to ward off the qi of autumn. He tastes hemp seed with dog and presents it first at the ancestral temple. In this month city walls may be built, capitals and towns founded, cellars dug and granaries repaired. He then orders the officials to urge the people to gather in livestock and produce, to store up much, and to encourage planting of winter wheat; if one misses the time, the crime is settled without doubt. In this month thunder begins to withdraw, hibernating insects thicken the entrances to their burrows, killing qi gradually grows, yang qi declines day by day, water begins to dry up, and day and night are equal. Weights and measures are standardized, scales leveled, the jun and shi weights and the dou and steelyards corrected, passes and markets are managed, merchants and travelers are invited, goods and wealth are collected in, to benefit the people's affairs. The four quarters gather, those from afar all arrive, goods and wealth are not scarce, those above are not lacking in resources, and the hundred matters can then be accomplished. If in the second month of autumn the spring ordinances are carried out, autumn rains will not fall, plants and trees will bloom, and there will be great fear in the state. If the summer ordinances are carried out, there will be drought in the state, hibernating insects will not hide, and the five grains will all grow again. If the winter ordinances are carried out, wind calamities will rise repeatedly, thunder will withdraw too early, and plants and trees will die early. The official of the eighth month is the commandant, and the tree is the cudrania.

季秋之月，招搖指戌，昏虛中，旦柳中。其位西方，其日庚辛，其蟲毛，其音商，律中無射，其數九，其味辛，其臭腥，其祀門，祭先肝。候鴈來，賓雀入大水為蛤，菊有黃華，豺乃祭獸戮禽。天子衣白衣，乘白駱，服白玉，建白旗，食麻與犬，服八風水，爨柘燧火，西宮御女白色，衣白採，撞白鐘，其兵戈，其畜犬，朝於總章右丟。命有司，申嚴號令，百官貴賤，無不務入，以會天地之藏，無有宣出。乃命冢宰，農事備收，舉五穀之要，藏帝籍之收於神倉。是月也，霜始降，百工休。乃命有司曰：寒氣總至，民力不堪，其皆入室。上丁入學習吹，大饗帝，嘗犧牲，合諸侯，制百縣，為來歲受朔日，與諸侯所稅於民，輕重之法，貢歲之數，以遠近土地所宜為度。乃教於田獵，以習五戎。命太僕及七騶，鹹駕戴荏，授車以級，皆正設於屏外。司徒搢樸，北嚮以贊之。天子乃厲服廣飾，執弓操矢以獵。命主祠，祭禽四方。是月草木黃落，乃伐薪為炭，蟄蟲鹹俛，乃趨獄刑，毋留有罪，收祿秩之不當，供養之不宜者。通路除道，從境始，至國而後已。是月，天子乃以犬嘗麻，先薦寢廟。季秋行夏令，則其國大水，冬藏殃敗，民多鼽窒。行冬令，則國多盜賊，邊竟不寧，土地分裂。行春令，則颼風來至，民氣解隋，師旅並興。九月官候，其樹槐。

In the third month of autumn, Zhaoyao points to Xu; at dusk the star Xu is at the meridian, and at dawn the star Liu is at the meridian. Its direction is west; its days are Geng and Xin; its creatures are the furred; its note is Shang; its pitch pipe corresponds to Wuyi; its number is nine; its flavor is pungent; its smell is fishy; it sacrifices to the gate, and in the sacrifice the liver is used first. Migrating wild geese come, guest sparrows enter the great water and turn into clams, chrysanthemums have yellow flowers, and jackals begin to offer animals and slaughter birds. The Son of Heaven wears white clothes, rides the white black-maned horse, wears white jade, sets up the white banner, eats hemp seed and dog, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a cudrania fire-drill, the ladies of the western palace wear white clothes in white colors, white bells are struck, the weapon is the dagger-axe, the livestock is the dog, and he holds court in the right side chamber of the Zongzhang hall. He orders the officials to strictly reaffirm commands, so that the hundred officials, noble and humble, all attend to bringing in the harvest, to join with the closing and storing of Heaven and Earth, and let nothing be released. He then orders the Grand Steward that when the farm work is completed and prepared, to raise the account of the five grains and store the harvest of the Emperor's field in the sacred granary. In this month frost begins to fall and the hundred artisans rest. He then orders the officials: "Cold air arrives all together and the people's strength cannot bear it; let them all go indoors." On the first Ding day he enters the school to practice blowing, makes a great offering to the Lord, tastes the sacrificial animals, assembles the feudal lords, regulates the hundred counties, issues the calendar for the next year, and the rules for the lightness or heaviness of tax the feudal lords levy on the people and the number of yearly tribute, taking the suitability of distant and near land as the standard. He then teaches hunting to practice the five weapons. He orders the Grand Coachman and the seven grooms to all harness the carriages and wear mugwort, to grant carriages by rank, all set up properly outside the screen. The Minister of Education, holding the plain staff, stands facing north to assist the ritual. The Son of Heaven then wears the fierce attire, elaborately adorned, and takes bow and arrows to hunt. He orders the sacrificial master to offer captured birds to the four directions. In this month plants and trees turn yellow and fall, firewood is then cut to make charcoal, hibernating insects all lie prostrate, and so prison punishments are expedited, leaving no guilty persons, and unfitting stipends and inappropriate provisions are withdrawn. Roads are opened and paths cleared, starting from the borders and ending at the capital. In this month the Son of Heaven tastes hemp seed with dog and presents it first at the ancestral temple. If in the third month of autumn the summer ordinances are carried out, there will be great floods in the state, winter storage will suffer ruin, and the people will have many blocked noses. If the winter ordinances are carried out, there will be many robbers in the state, the borders will be uneasy, and the land will split. If the spring ordinances are carried out, the cool wind will arrive, the people's spirits will be slack, and armies will rise together. The official of the ninth month is the scout, and the tree is the locust.

孟冬之月，招搖指亥，昏危中，旦七星中。其位北方，其日壬癸，盛德在水，其蟲介，其音羽，律中應鐘，其數六，其味鹹，其臭腐，其祀井，祭先腎。水始冰，地始凍，雉入大水為蜃，虹藏不見。天子衣黑衣，乘玄驪，服玄玉，建玄旗，食黍與彘，服八風水，爨松燧火，北宮御女黑色，衣黑採，擊磬石，其兵鎩，其畜彘，朝於玄堂左丟，以出冬令。命有司，修群禁，禁外徙，閉門閭，大鶉客，斷罰刑，殺當罪，阿上亂法者誅。立冬之日，天子親率三公九卿大夫以迎歲於北郊。還，乃賞死事，存孤寡。是月，命太祝禱祀神位，占龜策，審卦兆，以察吉凶。於是天子始裘，命百官謹蓋藏，命司徒行積聚，修城郭，警門閭，修楗閉，慎管籥，固封璽，修邊境，完要塞，絕蹊徑，飭喪紀，審棺槨衣衾之薄厚，營丘壟之小大高痺，使貴賤卑尊各有等級。是月也，工師效功，陳祭器，案度程，堅致為上。工事苦慢，作為淫巧，必行其罪。是月也，大飲蒸，天子祈來年於天宗，大禱祭於公社，畢，饗先祖。勞農夫，以休息之。命將率講武，肄射御，角力勁。乃命水虞漁師，收水泉池澤之賦，毋或侵牟。孟冬行春令，則凍閉不密，地氣發洩，民多流亡。行夏令，則多暴風，方冬不寒，蟄蟲復出。行秋令，則雪霜不時，小兵時起，土地侵削。十月官司馬，其樹檀。

In the first month of winter, Zhaoyao points to Hai; at dusk the star Wei is at the meridian, and at dawn Qixing is at the meridian. Its direction is north; its days are Ren and Gui; its flourishing virtue is in water; its creatures are the shelled; its note is Yu; its pitch pipe corresponds to Yingzhong; its number is six; its flavor is salty; its smell is rotten; it sacrifices to the well, and in the sacrifice the kidney is used first. Water begins to freeze, the ground begins to harden, pheasants enter the great water and turn into clams, and rainbows hide and are not seen. The Son of Heaven wears black clothes, rides the black dark horse, wears black jade, sets up the black banner, eats millet and pork, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a pine fire-drill, the ladies of the northern palace wear black clothes in black colors, stone chimes are struck, the weapon is the long lance, the livestock is the pig, and he holds court in the left side chamber of the Xuantang hall to proclaim the winter ordinances. He orders the officials to repair the various prohibitions, to forbid migration outward, to close the village gates, to search thoroughly for outside guests (the base text has a wrong character here, which should read 'search'), to decide punishments, to execute those who deserve it, and to execute those who flatter superiors and disturb the law. On the day of the beginning of winter, the Son of Heaven personally leads the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers and high officials to greet the year in the northern suburbs. On returning, he rewards those who died in public service and inquires after the orphaned and widowed. In this month he orders the Grand Invocator to pray and sacrifice to the spirit tablets, consult the tortoise and milfoil, and examine the hexagrams and omens to judge good and ill fortune. The Son of Heaven then begins to wear fur and orders the hundred officials to guard carefully the covering and storing, orders the Minister of Education to tour the stores, repair city walls, be vigilant at village gates, repair bolts and locks, be careful of keys, make seals firm, repair the borders, complete the fortresses, cut off byways, and regulate funeral rites, examining the thickness of coffins, outer coffins, clothes and quilts, and the size, height and lowness of burial mounds, so that noble and humble, honored and lowly each have their grades. In this month the master craftsmen present their results, display the sacrificial vessels, and follow the standards, with solidity above all. Where the work is crude and poor, or made with excessive cleverness, the offenders are punished. In this month there is a great drinking and offering, the Son of Heaven prays for the coming year to Heaven's ancestor, offers a great prayer at the public altar, and when it is finished feasts the ancestors. He consoles the farmers and lets them rest. He orders the generals to discuss military matters, practice archery and charioteering, and compare strength. Then he orders the water wardens and fishing masters to collect the levies of springs, ponds and marshes, and not to encroach. If in the first month of winter the spring ordinances are carried out, freezing and closing will not be tight, earth qi will escape, and the people will mostly flee. If the summer ordinances are carried out, there will be many violent winds, it will not be cold in the midst of winter, and hibernating insects will come out again. If the autumn ordinances are carried out, snow and frost will not come in season, small wars will rise from time to time, and land will be encroached on and cut away. The official of the tenth month is the Minister of War, and the tree is the sandalwood.

仲冬之月，招搖指子，昏壁中，旦軫中。其位北方，其日壬癸，其蟲介，其音羽，律中黃鐘，其數六，其味鹹，其臭腐，其祀井，祭先腎。冰益壯，地始坼，鳱鴠不鳴，虎始交。天子衣黑衣，乘鐵驪，服玄玉，建玄旗，食黍與彘，服八風水，爨松燧火，北宮御女黑色，衣黑採，擊磬石，其兵鎩，其畜彘，朝於玄堂太廟。命有司曰：土事無作，無發室居，及起大眾，是謂發天地之藏，諸蟄則死，民必疾疫，有隨以喪。急捕盜賊，誅淫泆詐偽之人，命曰騮月。命奄尹，申宮令，審門閭，謹房室，必重閉，省婦事。乃命大酋，秫稻必齊，麴蘗必時，湛竪必潔，水泉必香，陶器必良，火齊必得，無有差忒。天子乃命有司，祀四海大川名澤。是月也，農有不收藏積聚、牛馬畜獸有放失者，取之不詰。山林藪澤，有能取疏食、田獵禽獸者，野虞教導之。其有相侵奪，罪之不赦。是月也，日短至，陰陽爭，君子齋戒，處必掩，身欲靜，去聲色，禁嗜慾，寧身體，安形性。是月也，荔挺出，芸始生，丘螾結，麋角解。水泉動則伐樹木，取竹箭，罷官之無事、器之無用者，塗闕庭門閭，築囹圄，所以助天地之閉。仲冬行夏令，則其國乃旱，氛霧冥冥，雷乃發聲。行秋令，則其時雨水，瓜瓠不成，國有大兵。行春令，則蟲螟為敗，水泉鹹竭，民多疾癘。十一月官都尉，其樹棗。

In the second month of winter, Zhaoyao points to Zi; at dusk the star Bi is at the meridian, and at dawn the star Zhen is at the meridian. Its direction is north; its days are Ren and Gui; its creatures are the shelled; its note is Yu; its pitch pipe corresponds to Huangzhong; its number is six; its flavor is salty; its smell is rotten; it sacrifices to the well, and in the sacrifice the kidney is used first. Ice grows thicker, the ground begins to crack, the dawn bird does not sing, and tigers begin to mate. The Son of Heaven wears black clothes, rides the iron-black horse, wears black jade, sets up the black banner, eats millet and pork, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a pine fire-drill, the ladies of the northern palace wear black clothes in black colors, stone chimes are struck, the weapon is the long lance, the livestock is the pig, and he holds court in the grand hall of the Xuantang. He orders the officials, saying: "Earthworks are not to be done, living quarters are not to be dug out, and crowds are not to be mobilized; this is called digging out the storehouse of Heaven and Earth, and the hibernating creatures will die, the people will surely suffer epidemics, and mourning will follow." Seize robbers and thieves with urgency, and execute the licentious and the deceitful; this month is called the Month of Release. He orders the chief of the palace eunuchs to reaffirm the palace orders, inspect the gates and village doors, be careful about rooms and chambers, which must be closed layer upon layer, and reduce women's work. He then orders the Grand Brewer: "Glutinous millet and rice must be uniform, yeast must be of the right time, soaking must be clean, spring water must be fragrant, pottery must be good, and heat must be right, without any error." The Son of Heaven then orders the officials to sacrifice to the four seas, great rivers and famous marshes. In this month, if any farmers have not stored and gathered grain, or if horses, oxen and livestock have strayed off, whoever takes them is not questioned. In mountain forests and marshes, those who can take vegetables and food, and hunt birds and beasts, are taught by the field wardens. If there is mutual seizing, the crime is punished without pardon. In this month the days are shortest, yin and yang contend, the noble man fasts, his dwelling must be sheltered, his body quiet, he sets aside sound and color, forbids cravings and desires, settles his body, and rests his form and nature. In this month the lizhi plant comes up, rue begins to grow, earthworms coil up, and elk antlers fall off. As soon as the springs stir, trees are felled, bamboo for arrows is taken, offices with nothing to do and useless vessels are abolished, the palace gates and village doors are plastered, and prisons are repaired, to help complete the closing and storing of Heaven and Earth. If in the second month of winter the summer ordinances are carried out, there will be drought in the state, dense fog and murk, and thunder will sound. If the autumn ordinances are carried out, it will rain at that time, melons and gourds will not ripen, and the state will have great wars. If the spring ordinances are carried out, insects and borers will do harm, springs will all dry up, and the people will have many plagues. The official of the eleventh month is the chief commandant, and the tree is the jujube.

季冬之月，招搖指醜，昏婁中，旦氐中。其位北方，其日壬癸，其蟲介，其音羽，律中大呂，其數六，其味鹹，其臭腐，其祀井，祭先腎。鴈北鄉，鵲加巢，雉雊，雞呼卵。天子衣黑衣，乘鐵驪，服玄玉，建玄旗，食麥與彘，服八風水，爨松燧火，北宮御女黑色，衣黑採，擊磬石，其兵鎩，其畜彘，朝於玄堂右丟。命有司，大儺旁磔，出土牛。命漁師始漁，天子親往射漁，先薦寢廟。令民出五種，令農計耦耕事，修耒耜，具田器。命樂師大合吹而罷。乃命四監，收秩薪，以供寢廟及百祀之薪燎。是月也，日窮於次，月窮於紀，星周於天，歲將更始，令靜農民，無有所使。天子乃與公卿大夫飾國典，論時令，以待嗣歲之宜。乃命太史，次諸侯之列，賦之犧牲，以供皇天上帝社稷之芻享。乃命同姓之國，供寢廟之芻豢；卿士大夫至於庶民，供山林名川之祀。季冬行秋令，則白露早降，介蟲為䄏，四鄙入保。行春令，則胎夭傷，國多痼疾，命之曰逆。行夏令，則水潦敗國，時雪不降，冰凍消釋。十二月官獄，其樹櫟。

In the third month of winter, Zhaoyao points to Chou; at dusk the star Lou is at the meridian, and at dawn the star Di is at the meridian. Its direction is north; its days are Ren and Gui; its creatures are the shelled; its note is Yu; its pitch pipe corresponds to Dalu; its number is six; its flavor is salty; its smell is rotten; it sacrifices to the well, and in the sacrifice the kidney is used first. Wild geese go north, magpies build nests, pheasants call, and chickens call to their eggs. The Son of Heaven wears black clothes, rides the iron-black horse, wears black jade, sets up the black banner, eats wheat and pork, takes the water of the eight winds, takes fire with a pine fire-drill, the ladies of the northern palace wear black clothes in black colors, stone chimes are struck, the weapon is the long lance, the livestock is the pig, and he holds court in the right side chamber of the Xuantang hall. He orders the officials to hold the great exorcism and also the sacrifice of dismembering animals at the sides, and to bring out the clay ox. He orders the fishing masters to begin fishing, and the Son of Heaven personally goes to shoot fish, presenting them first at the ancestral temple. He has the people bring out the seeds of the five grains, has the farmers plan the work of plowing in pairs, repair plows and spades, and prepare all field tools. He orders the music master to hold a grand assembly of blowing and then stop. He then orders the four supervisors to collect firewood by rank, to supply the firewood for the ancestral temples and the hundred sacrifices. In this month the sun exhausts its station, the moon exhausts its cycle, the stars have gone round the heavens, and the year is about to begin again; the farmers are ordered to be quiet and not to be put to any use. The Son of Heaven then, together with the dukes, ministers and high officials, puts in order the state statutes and discusses the seasonal ordinances, to await what is suitable for the coming year. He then orders the Grand Historian to arrange the ranks of the feudal lords and assign sacrificial animals, to supply the fodder offerings for Heaven, the Lord on High, and the altars of soil and grain. He then orders the states of the same surname to supply fodder animals for the ancestral temples; from ministers and high officials down to the common people, they supply the sacrifices to the mountains, forests and famous rivers. If in the third month of winter the autumn ordinances are carried out, white dew will fall early, armored insects will become a plague, and the four borderlands will enter the fortresses. If the spring ordinances are carried out, unborn and young creatures will be harmed, the state will have many chronic illnesses, and this is called perversity. If the summer ordinances are carried out, floods will ruin the state, seasonal snow will not fall, and ice will thaw. The official of the twelfth month is the prison officer, and the tree is the oak.

東方之極，自碣石山過朝鮮，貫大人之國，東至日出之次，榑木之地，青土樹木之野，太皞、句芒之所司者，萬二千里。其令曰：挺群禁，開閉闔，通窮窒，達障塞，行優遊，棄怨惡，解役罪，免憂患，休罰刑，開關梁，宣出財，和外怨，撫四方，行柔惠，止剛強。

The east extreme goes from Mount Jieshi, through Korea, through the state of the Great Men, east to the station where the sun rises, the land of Fusang, and the wilds of azure earth and trees, which Taihao and Gou Mang govern, twelve thousand li. Its ordinance says: relax the various prohibitions, open what is shut, clear what is blocked, open barriers and obstructions, act at leisure, abandon resentment and hatred, release those in labor-service penalty, remove worries, stop punishments, open passes and bridges, release goods and wealth, harmonize resentment outside, comfort the four quarters, carry out gentleness and kindness, and stop harshness.

南方之極，自北戶孫之外，貫顓頊之國，南至委火炎風之野，赤帝、祝融之所司者，萬二千里。其令曰：爵有德，賞有功，惠賢良，救飢渴，舉力農，振貧窮，惠孤寡，憂罷疾，出大祿，行大賞，起毀宗，立無後，封建侯，立賢輔。

The south extreme goes from beyond Beihusun, through the state of Zhuanxu, south to the wilds of Weihuo and the scorching wind, which the Red Emperor and Zhurong govern, twelve thousand li. Its ordinance says: give ranks to those with virtue, reward those with merit, favor the worthy and good, relieve the hungry and thirsty, promote those who work hard at farming, relieve the poor, favor orphans and widows, care for the weary and ill, issue great stipends, carry out great rewards, revive ruined lineages, establish heirs for those without descendants, enfeoff feudal lords, and establish worthy assistants.

中央之極，自昆侖東絕兩恆山，日月之所道，江、漢之所出，眾民之野，五穀之所宜，龍門、河、濟相貫，以息壤堙洪水之州，東至於碣石，黃帝、后土之所司者，萬二千里。其令曰：平而不阿，明而不苛，包裹覆露，無不囊懷，溥氾無私，正靜以和，行稃鬻，養老衰，弔死問疾，以送萬物之歸。

The central extreme goes from Kunlun east across the two Heng mountains, the path of the sun and moon, the place where the Jiang and Han rivers come out, the wilds of the multitude of people, the land suited to the five grains, where Longmen, the Yellow River and the Ji flow through one another, and the province where the floods were blocked with self-growing soil, east to Mount Jieshi, which the Yellow Emperor and Houtu govern, twelve thousand li. Its ordinance says: be level and upright without partiality, discerning without harshness, enfolding and covering, so that nothing is not enclosed and embraced, universal and without selfishness, upright, quiet and harmonious, give out gruel, support the aged and weak, condole with the dead and inquire after the sick, to see off the departure of the myriad things.

西方之極，自昆侖絕流沙、沈羽，西至三危之國，石城金室，飲氣之民，不死之野，少皞、蓐收之所司者，萬二千里。其令曰：審用法，誅必辜，備盜賊，禁姦邪，飾群牧，謹著聚，修城郭，補決竇，塞蹊徑，遏溝瀆，止流水，雝谿谷，守門閭，陳兵甲，選百官，誅不法。

The west extreme goes from Kunlun across the flowing sands and Shenyu, west to the state of Sanwei, the stone cities and gold chambers, the people who drink qi, and the wilds of the deathless, which Shaohao and Rushou govern, twelve thousand li. Its ordinance says: be careful in using the law, execute only in accordance with the crime, guard against robbers and thieves, prohibit treachery and evil, put the herdsmen in order, be careful about storing and gathering, repair city walls, mend breaches, block byways, stop ditches, stop flowing water, dam streams and valleys, guard village gates, display arms and armor, select the hundred officials, and execute the lawless.

北方之極，自九澤窮夏晦之極，北至令正之谷，有凍寒積冰、雪雹霜霰、漂潤群水之野，顓頊、玄冥之所司者，萬二千里。其令曰：申群禁，固閉藏，修障塞，繕關梁，禁外徙，斷罰刑，殺當罪，閉關閭，大搜客，止交遊，禁夜樂，蚤閉晏開，以塞姦人，已德，執之必固。天節已幾，刑殺無赦，雖有盛尊之親，斷以法度。毋行水，毋發藏，毋釋罪。

The north extreme goes from the Nine Marshes, through the extreme of Xiahui, north to the valley of Lingzheng, with frozen cold and piled ice, snow, hail, frost and sleet, and the wilds where water floats and soaks, which Zhuanxu and Xuanming govern, twelve thousand li. Its ordinance says: reaffirm the various prohibitions, make closing and storing firm, repair barriers and fortresses, repair passes and bridges, forbid migration outward, decide punishments, execute those who deserve it, close passes and gates, search thoroughly for outside guests, stop social visits, forbid night music, close early and open late, to block treacherous people; once one has caught them, hold them firmly. The season of Heaven is nearing its end; punishment and execution are not to be pardoned; even if there is a most honored relative, decide according to the law. Do not let water run, do not dig up what is stored, and do not release guilty persons.

孟春與孟秋為合，仲春與仲秋為合，季春與季秋為合，孟夏與孟冬為合，仲夏與仲冬為合，季夏與季冬為合。孟春始贏，孟秋始縮；仲春始出，仲秋始內；季春大出，季秋大內；孟夏始緩，孟冬始急；仲夏至修，仲冬至短；季夏德畢，季冬刑畢。故正月失政，七月涼風不至；二月失政，八月雷不藏；三月失政，九月不下霜；四月失政，十月不凍；五月失政，十一月蟄蟲冬出其鄉；六月失政，十二月草木不脫；七月失政，正月大寒不解；八月失政，二月雷不發；九月失政，三月春風不濟；十月失政，四月草木不實；十一月失政，五月下雹霜；十二月失政，六月五穀疾狂。春行夏令洩，行秋令水，行冬令肅。夏行春令風，行秋令蕪，行冬令格。秋行夏令華，行春令榮，行冬令耗。冬行春令洩，行夏令旱，行秋令霧。

The first month of spring and the first month of autumn correspond to each other; the second month of spring and the second month of autumn; the third month of spring and the third month of autumn; the first month of summer and the first month of winter; the second month of summer and the second month of winter; and the third month of summer and the third month of winter. The first month of spring begins to have surplus and the first month of autumn begins to contract; the second month of spring begins to go out and the second month of autumn begins to take in; the third month of spring is the great going out and the third month of autumn is the great taking in; the first month of summer begins to slacken and the first month of winter begins to tighten; the second month of summer has the longest days and the second month of winter the shortest; the third month of summer completes virtue and the third month of winter completes punishment. Therefore if government fails in the first month, the cool wind does not arrive in the seventh month; if it fails in the second month, thunder does not withdraw in the eighth month; if it fails in the third month, frost does not fall in the ninth month; if it fails in the fourth month, there is no freezing in the tenth month; if it fails in the fifth month, hibernating insects leave their homes in winter in the eleventh month; if it fails in the sixth month, plants and trees do not shed in the twelfth month; if it fails in the seventh month, the great cold does not thaw in the first month; if it fails in the eighth month, thunder does not sound in the second month; if it fails in the ninth month, spring wind does not stop in the third month; if it fails in the tenth month, plants and trees do not bear fruit in the fourth month; if it fails in the eleventh month, hail and frost fall in the fifth month; if it fails in the twelfth month, the five grains are frantic in the sixth month. In spring, carrying out the summer ordinances causes leakage, autumn ordinances cause flood, winter ordinances cause severity. In summer, carrying out the spring ordinances causes wind, autumn ordinances cause weeds, winter ordinances cause obstruction. In autumn, carrying out the summer ordinances causes blossoming, spring ordinances cause flourishing, winter ordinances cause depletion. In winter, carrying out the spring ordinances causes leakage, summer ordinances cause drought, autumn ordinances cause fog.

制度陰陽，大制有六度：天為繩，地為準，春為規，夏為衡，秋為矩，冬為權。繩者，所以繩萬物也。準者，所以準萬物也。規者，所以員萬物也。衡者，所以平萬物也。矩者，所以方萬物也。權者，所以權萬物也。繩之為度也，直而不爭，脩而不窮，久而不弊，遠而不忘，與天合德，與神合明，所欲則得，所惡則亡，自古及今，不可移匡，厥德孔密，廣大以容，是故上帝以為物宗。準之為度也，平而不險，均而不阿，廣大以容，寬裕以和，柔而不剛，銳而不挫，流而不滯，易而不穢，發通而有紀，周密而不洩，準平而不失，萬物皆平，民無險謀，怨惡不生，是故上帝以為物平。規之為度也，轉而不復，員而不垸，優而不縱，廣大以寬，感動有理，發通有紀，優優簡簡，百怨不起，規度不失，生氣乃理。衡之為度也，緩而不後，平而不怨，施而不德，弔而不責，當平民祿，以繼不足，絎絎陽陽，唯德是行，養長化育，萬物蕃昌，以成五穀，以實封疆，其政不失，天地乃明。矩之為度也，肅而不悖，剛而不憒，取而無怨，內而無害，威厲而不懾，令行而不廢，殺伐既得，仇敵乃克，矩正不失，百誅乃服。權之為度也，急而不贏，殺而不割，充滿以實，周密而不洩，敗物而弗取，罪殺而不赦，誠信以必，堅愨以固，糞除苛慝，不可以曲，故冬正將行，必弱以強，必柔以剛，權正而不失，萬物乃藏。明堂之制，靜而法準，動而法繩，春治以規，秋治以矩，冬治以權，夏治以衡，是故燥溼寒暑以節至，甘雨膏露以時降。

In regulating yin and yang, there are six great standards: Heaven is the marking line, Earth is the leveling gauge, spring is the compass, summer is the balance beam, autumn is the carpenter's square, and winter is the weight. The marking line is what binds the myriad things. The leveling gauge is what levels the myriad things. The compass is what makes the myriad things round. The balance beam is what evens out the myriad things. The square is what makes the myriad things square. The weight is what weighs the myriad things. The marking line as a standard is straight without contending, long without running out, lasting without decay, far without being forgotten; it unites its virtue with Heaven and its brightness with the spirits; what is wanted is obtained and what is hated is lost, and from ancient times until now it cannot be shifted or corrected; its virtue is very fine, vast yet able to contain, and so the Lord on High takes it as the ancestor of things. The leveling gauge as a standard is level and not steep, even and not partial, vast and able to contain, ample and harmonious, soft and not hard, sharp and not blunted, flowing and not stagnant, plain and not foul, open and with order, thorough and without leakage; the gauge is level and does not err, so all things are level, the people have no treacherous schemes and resentment and hatred do not arise, and so the Lord on High takes it as the leveler of things. The compass as a standard turns without returning, is round without being fawning, is generous without license, vast and broad, moves with principle, opens with order, easygoing and simple, so that a hundred grievances do not arise; when the compass-measure is not lost, the vital qi is set in order. The balance beam as a standard is slow without lagging behind, level without inviting resentment, gives without claiming virtue, offers condolences without demanding anything, matches the common people's salaries, and supplies what is lacking; it is broad and bright, practicing only virtue, nurturing, growing and transforming, so that the myriad things flourish, the five grains are brought to fruition and the borders are filled; when its government is not lost, Heaven and Earth are bright. The square as a standard is stern without being perverse, firm without confusion, takes without inviting resentment, receives without harming, is awe-inspiring without making people cower excessively, its orders are carried out without being dropped, killing and attacking are done rightly, enemies are conquered; when the square is true and not lost, the hundred punishments are accepted. The weight as a standard is urgent without excess, kills without tearing apart, is full and solid, thorough and without leakage, ruins things yet does not take them, does not pardon those whose crimes deserve death, is sincere and certain to be carried out, firm and secure, sweeping away harsh evil, and cannot be bent; therefore when winter's rectification is about to be carried out, it must go from weak to strong and from soft to hard, and when the weight is true and does not err, the myriad things are shut and stored. In the institutions of the Bright Hall, in stillness one takes the leveling gauge as model, and in movement one takes the marking line as model; in spring one governs by the compass, in autumn by the square, in winter by the weight, and in summer by the balance; so dryness and moisture, cold and heat arrive in due measure, and sweet rain and rich dew fall in due season.

昔者，師曠奏白雪之音，而神物為之下降，風雨暴至。平公癃病，晉國赤地。庶女叫天，雷電下擊，景公臺隕，支體傷折，海水大出。夫瞽師、庶女，位賤尚葈，權輕飛羽，然而專精厲意，委務積神，上通九天，激厲至精。由此觀之，上天之誅也，雖在壙虛幽間，遼遠隱匿，重襲石室，界障險阻，其無所逃之亦明矣。

In the past, Music Master Kuang played the sound of 'White Snow,' and divine beings descended because of it, and wind and rain came violently. Duke Ping developed a wasting illness, and the land of Jin turned barren. A commoner woman cried out to Heaven, and lightning struck down; Duke Jing's terrace collapsed, his limbs were broken, and the sea waters surged out. A blind musician and a commoner woman were as lowly as weeds, their authority as light as a flying feather, yet by concentrating their essence and sharpening their will, putting aside affairs and gathering their spirit, they reached up to the Nine Heavens and stirred the utmost essence. From this it is seen that the punishment of Heaven, even if one is in empty and secluded places, far away and hidden, within layered stone chambers or barriers and dangerous passes, has nowhere to escape, and this is clear.

武王伐紂，渡於孟津，陽侯之波，逆流而擊，疾風晦冥，人馬不相見。於是武王左操黃鉞，右秉白旄，瞋目而捴之曰：“餘任天下，誰敢害吾意者！”於是，風濟而波罷。魯陽公與韓構難，戰酣日暮，援戈而捴之，日為之反三舍。夫全性保真，不虧其身，遭急迫難，精通於天。若乃未始出其宗者，何為而不成！夫死生同域，不可脅陵，勇武一人，為三軍雄。彼直求名耳，而能自要者尚猶若此，又況夫宮天地，懷萬物，而友造化，含至和，直偶於人形，觀九鑽一，知之所不知，而心未嘗死者乎！

When King Wu attacked Zhou, he crossed the river at Mengjin, and the waves of the Lord of Yang struck against the current, a fierce wind darkened everything, and men and horses could not see one another. King Wu held the yellow battle-axe in his left hand and the white yak-tail banner in his right, glared and waved it, saying: "I bear the world; who dares obstruct my intention!" The wind stopped and the waves subsided. Duke Luyang, in enmity and war with Han, was in the thick of battle as the sun set; he picked up his spear and waved it, and the sun turned back three lodgings. Those who preserve their nature and hold to what is true, without damaging themselves, meeting urgent difficulty, are in communication with Heaven. As for those who have never left that source, what could they not accomplish! Death and life are in one realm and cannot be threatened or insulted; a man of martial courage can be the hero of the three armies. Those men were merely seeking fame, and if those who bound themselves by their own pledge are like this, how much more is one who takes Heaven and Earth as his house, embraces the myriad things, befriends the Creator, holds utmost harmony, who only happens for a while to take the form of a human being, who observes the nine and delves into the one, who knows what is unknown, and whose mind has never died!

昔雍門子以哭見於孟嘗君，已而陳辭通意，撫心發聲。孟嘗君為之增欷歍唈，流涕狼戾不可止。精神形於內，而外諭哀於人心，此不傳之道。使俗人不得其君形者而效其容，必為人笑。故蒲且子之連鳥於百仞之上，而詹何之騖魚於大淵之中，此皆得清淨之道，太浩之和也。夫物類之相應，玄妙深微，知不能論，辯不能解，故東風至而酒湛溢，蠶咡絲而商弦絕，或感之也。畫隨灰而月運闕，鯨魚死而彗星出，或動之也。故聖人在位，懷道而不言，澤及萬民。君臣乖心，則背譎見於天，神氣相應，徵矣。故山雲草莽，水雲魚鱗，旱雲煙火，涔雲波水，各象其形類，所以感之。

In the past, Master Yongmen went to see Lord Mengchang with weeping; afterward he set out his words, conveyed his meaning, and struck up a sound from his heart. Lord Mengchang therefore grew more and more sobbing and choked, and tears streamed unstoppably. Spirit took shape within, and outside conveyed grief to people's hearts; this is a way that cannot be taught. If a common person who has not got that spirit within imitates its outward appearance, he will surely be laughed at. So Pu Qiezi could entangle birds from a height of a hundred ren, and Zhan He could drive fish in a great deep; all of this is obtaining the Way of purity and stillness and the harmony of the great vastness. Things of a kind respond to one another, so profound and subtle that wisdom cannot discuss it and argument cannot explain it; thus when the east wind comes, wine overflows, and when silkworms spin silk, the shang string snaps; perhaps this is because of some stimulus. When one draws with ash, the lunar halo is incomplete; when a whale dies, a comet appears; perhaps this is because of some movement. So when a sage is in position, holding the Way and not speaking, his kindness reaches the myriad people. When ruler and ministers are estranged in heart, strange omens appear in the sky; spirit and qi respond to one another, and the verification is clear. So mountain clouds look like grasses, water clouds look like fish scales, drought clouds look like smoke and fire, and clouds of standing water look like waves of water, each resembling its own kind; this is how stimulus and response work.

夫陽燧取火於日，方諸取露於月，天地之間，巧曆不能舉其數，手徽忽怳，不能覽其光，然以掌握之中，引類於太極之上，而水火可立致者，陰陽同氣相動也。此傅說之所以騎辰尾也。故至陰飂々，至陽赫赫，兩者交接成和，而萬物生焉。眾雄而無雌，又何化之所能造乎？所謂不言之辯，不道之道也。故召遠者使無為焉，親近者使無事焉，惟夜行者為能有之。故卻走馬以糞，而車軌不接於遠方之外，是謂坐馳陸沈，晝冥宵明，以冬鑠膠，以夏造冰。夫道者，無私就也，無私去也。能者有餘，拙者不足，順之者利，逆之者兇。譬如隋侯之珠，和氏之璧，得之者富，失之者貧，得失之度，深微窈冥，難以知論，不可以辯說也。何以知其然？今夫地黃主屬骨，而甘草主生肉之藥也，以其屬骨，責其生肉，以其生肉，論其屬骨，是猶王孫綽之慾倍偏枯之藥，而欲以生殊死之人，亦可謂失論矣！

The burning-mirror takes fire from the sun, and the moon-mirror takes dew from the moon; between Heaven and Earth, those skilled in calendar calculation cannot list all their numbers, and the hand cannot take in their light in the faint and indistinct, yet in the grasp, by drawing things of the same kind from above the Supreme Ultimate, water and fire can be summoned at once; this is yin and yang of the same qi moving each other. This is why Fu Yue rode on the tail of the Chen constellation. So utmost yin is cold and rustling and utmost yang is blazing, and when the two meet they form harmony, and the myriad things are born. If there were many males and no females, what transformation could they bring about? This is what is called the argument without words and the Way that is not spoken. So to call those far away, one makes them do nothing; for those near, one makes them have nothing to do; only one who travels at night can keep it. So one turns back the galloping horses to fertilize the fields, and cart tracks do not extend beyond far lands; this is called sitting while racing, dry land sinking, daylight dark and night bright, winter melting glue and summer making ice. The Way has none who come to it privately and none who leave it privately. The able have a surplus, the clumsy fall short; if one follows its benefit one prospers, if one goes against it one meets misfortune. It is like the pearl of Marquis Sui or the jade of He: those who obtain it are rich, those who lose it are poor, and the measure of gain and loss is deep, subtle and obscure, hard to discuss with knowledge and not to be explained by argument. How do we know this is so? Now rehmannia is the medicine for joining bones, and licorice is the medicine for growing flesh; if one blames it for joining bones on the basis of its growing flesh, or discusses its joining of bones on the basis of its growing flesh, it is like Wangsun Chuo wanting to double the medicine for hemiplegia in order to revive someone who is completely dead, which can also be called losing the argument!

若夫以火能焦木也，因使銷金，則道行矣。若以慈石能運鐵也，而求其引瓦，則難矣。物固不可以輕重論也。夫燧之取火於日，慈石之引鐵，蟹之敗漆，葵之鄉日，雖有明智，弗能然也。故耳目之察，不足以分物理；心意之論，不足以定是非。故以智為治者，難以持國，唯通於太和，而持自然之應者，為能有之。故嶢山崩而薄落之水涸，區冶生而淳鉤之劍成。紂為無道，左強在側；太公並世，故武王之功立。由是觀之，利害之路，禍福之門，不可求而得也。

As for taking fire's ability to scorch wood and so using it to melt metal, that is workable by the Way. But if one takes the loadstone's ability to move iron and then asks it to attract tiles, that is difficult. Things cannot in principle be discussed by weight. The burning-mirror takes fire from the sun, the loadstone attracts iron, crabs ruin lacquer, and sunflowers turn toward the sun; even a wise person cannot explain why. So what ears and eyes observe is not enough to distinguish the principles of things, and what the mind discusses is not enough to determine right and wrong. So those who govern by wisdom find it hard to hold a state; only those who penetrate the great harmony and hold to natural response can keep it. So when Mount Yao collapsed, the water of Boluo dried up, and when Ou Ye was born, the Chunjun sword was made. Zhou was without the Way and Zuo Qiang was at his side; Taigong lived at the same time, and so King Wu's achievement was established. From this we see that the road of benefit and harm and the gate of misfortune and fortune cannot be obtained by force.

夫道之與德，若韋之與革，遠之則邇，近之則遠。不得其道，若觀鯈魚。故聖若鏡，不將不迎，應而不藏，故萬化而無傷。其得之，乃失之；其失之，非乃得之也。今失調弦者，叩宮宮應，彈角角動，此同聲相和者也。夫有改調一弦，其於五音無所比，鼓之而二十五絃皆應，此未始異於聲，而音之君已形也。故通於太和者，昏若純醉而甘臥以遊其中，而不知其所由至也。

The Way and virtue are like soft hide and tanned leather: the farther you are from it, the nearer it becomes; the nearer you are to it, the farther it becomes. One who does not grasp its Way is like watching a fleeting fish. So the sage is like a mirror, neither sending off nor welcoming, responding without storing, and so is transformed ten thousand times without being hurt. When he has got it, it is as if he has lost it; when he has lost it, it is not that he has got it again. Now one who tunes a stringed instrument, when he strikes the gong string, the gong responds, and when he plucks the jiao string, the jiao moves; this is the harmony of like sounds. If someone changes the tuning of one string so that it matches none of the five notes, and then plucks it, all twenty-five strings respond; this is not a failure to be the same sound, but the ruler of notes has taken form. So one who penetrates the great harmony is dim like one completely drunk, content to lie down and roam within it, without knowing where it comes from.

純溫以淪，鈍悶以終，若未始出其宗，是謂大通。今夫赤螭、青虯之遊冀州也，天清地定，毒獸不作，飛鳥不駭，入榛薄，食薦梅，噆味含甘，步不出頃畝之區，而蛇鱔輕之，以為不能與之爭於江海之中。若乃至於玄雲之素朝，陰陽交爭，降扶風，雜凍雨，扶搖而登之，威動天地，聲震海內，蛇鱔著泥百仞之中，熊羆匍匐丘山盤巖，虎豹襲穴而不敢咆，猿狖顛蹶而失木枝，又況直蛇鱔之類乎！鳳凰之翔至德也，雷霆不作，風雨不興，川穀不澹，草木不搖，而燕雀佼之，以為不能與之爭於宇宙之間。還至其曾逝萬仞之上，翱翔四海之外，過昆侖之疏圃，飲砥柱之湍瀨，邅回蒙泛之渚，尚佯冀州之際，徑躡都廣，入日抑節，羽翼弱水，暮宿風穴，當此之時，鴻鵠鶬鸖莫不憚驚伏竄，注喙江裔，又況直燕雀之類乎！此明於小動之跡，而不知大節之所由者也。

Pure, warm and sinking, dull and obscure to the end, as if never having left that source: this is called great penetration. Now the red hornless dragon and the green dragon roam over Jizhou, the sky is clear and the earth settled, poisonous beasts do not act, flying birds are not startled; they enter thickets, eat dense plum, chew and taste the sweet, and their steps do not go beyond an area of a few mu; snakes and eels look down on them, thinking they cannot contend with them in the rivers and seas. But when dark clouds gather in the morning, yin and yang struggle with each other, a whirlwind descends mixed with freezing rain, and they mount the whirlwind and rise, their might shakes Heaven and Earth and their sound shakes the seas, snakes and eels cling in mud a hundred ren deep, bears and brown bears crawl on hills and rocks, tigers and leopards hide in their burrows and dare not roar, apes and monkeys stumble and lose their branches; how much more so the whole class of snakes and eels! When the phoenix soars in the age of utmost virtue, thunder does not stir, wind and rain do not arise, streams and valleys do not overflow, grass and trees do not sway, and swallows and sparrows are proud, thinking they cannot contend with it in the universe. But when it flies high above ten thousand ren and soars beyond the four seas, passing the Garden of Kunlun and drinking from the rapids at Dizhu, lingering at the isles of Mengfan and roaming at the edge of Jizhou, directly treading over Duguang, entering the place where the sun sets, lowering its pace, with its wings on the Weak Water and roosting at dusk in the Wind Cave, at that time swans, cranes and storks all cower in fright, hiding and scattering, pointing their beaks toward the riverbank; how much more so the whole class of swallows and sparrows! This is the case of those who understand the traces of small movements but do not know where great restraint comes from.

昔者王良、造父之禦也，上車攝轡，馬為整齊而斂諧，投足調均，勞逸若一，心怡氣和，體便輕畢，安勞樂進，馳騖若滅，左右若鞭，周旋若環，世皆以為巧，然未見其貴者也。若夫鉗且、大丙之禦，除轡銜，去鞭棄策，車莫動而自舉，馬莫使而自走也，日行月動，星耀而玄運，電奔而鬼騰，進退屈伸，不見朕垠，故不招指，不咄叱，過歸雁於碣石，軼鶤雞於姑餘，騁若飛，騖若絕，縱矢躡風，追猋歸忽，朝發榑桑，日入落棠，此假弗用而能以成其用也。非慮思之察，手爪之巧也，嗜慾形於胸中，而精神逾於六馬，此以弗禦禦之者也。

In the past, when Wang Liang and Zaofu drove carriages, as they mounted and took the reins, the horses became orderly, restrained and harmonious, their steps well matched, effort and rest equal; with their hearts at ease and qi harmonious, their bodies light, comfortable in toil and glad to advance, their racing seemed to vanish; left and right seemed to have whips, and turning about seemed like a ring. People of the world all thought it clever, but had not yet seen what is truly precious. As for when Qianqie and Dabing drove, they removed the reins and bits and dropped the whips and goads; the carriage rose by itself without anyone moving it, and the horses walked by themselves without anyone driving them, the sun moved and the moon shifted, stars glittered and heaven turned, lightning raced and ghosts leaped, advancing, retreating, bending and stretching without any sign or limit to be seen; so they did not wave or point, did not shout, outran returning geese at Jieshi and surpassed the kunji bird at Guyu; they galloped as if flying and rushed as if cut off, following the arrow, treading on the wind, chasing the gale, and returning into the faint; starting in the morning from Fusang, they reached Luotang by sunset. This is borrowing from not using to accomplish its use. It is not the discernment of thought or the skill of hand and claw. Desires take shape in the chest, and the spirit surpasses the six horses; this is one who drives by not driving.

昔者黃帝治天下，而力牧、太山稽輔之，以治日月之行律，治陰陽之氣，節四時之度，正律曆之數，別男女，異雌雄，明上下，等貴賤，使強不掩弱，眾不寡，人民保命而不夭，歲時孰而不兇，百官正而無私，上下調而無尤，法令明而不暗，輔佐公而不阿，田者不侵畔，漁者不爭隈。道不拾遺，市不豫賈，城郭不關，邑無盜賊，鄙旅之人相讓以財，狗彘吐菽粟於路，而無仇爭之心。於是日月精明，星辰不失其行，風雨時節，五穀登孰，虎狼不妄噬，鷙鳥不塾搏，鳳皇翔於庭，麒麟遊於郊，青龍進駕，飛黃伏皂，諸北、儋耳之國，莫不獻其貢職，然猶未及虙戲氏之道也。

In the past, when the Yellow Emperor governed the world, Li Mu and Taishan Ji assisted him in regulating the movements of sun and moon, regulating the qi of yin and yang, setting the measures of the four seasons, correcting the numbers of the pitch-pipes and calendar, distinguishing male and female, setting apart male and female animals, marking high and low, and grading noble and humble, so that the strong did not overwhelm the weak and the many did not do violence to the few, people preserved their lives without dying early, the seasons ripened without failure, the hundred officials were upright and without selfishness, high and low were in harmony without resentment, laws and orders were clear and not dark, assistants were fair and not partial, farmers did not encroach on field boundaries, and fishermen did not fight over the curved banks. On the roads no one picked up what was lost, in the market no one raised prices in advance, city gates were not shut, there were no thieves in the towns, border travelers yielded property to one another, and dogs and pigs spat out beans and millet on the road without any spirit of strife. Then sun and moon were bright, the stars did not lose their courses, wind and rain came in season, the five grains ripened, tigers and wolves did not bite wantonly, birds of prey did not strike without cause, phoenixes soared in the courtyard and qilin roamed in the suburbs, the green dragon came into the harness and the flying yellow steed lay in the stable, and the states of the Zhubei and Danger had none that did not present tribute; yet it still did not match the Way of Fuxi.

往古之時，四極廢，九州裂，天不兼覆，地不周載，火爁炎而不滅，水浩洋而不息，猛獸食顓民，鷙鳥攫老弱，於是女媧煉五色石以補蒼天，斷鼇足以立四極。殺黑龍以濟冀州，積蘆灰以止淫水。蒼天補，四極正，淫水涸，冀州平，狡蟲死，顓民生。背方州，抱圓天，和春陽夏，殺秋約冬，枕方寢繩，陰陽之所壅沈不通者，竅理之；逆氣戾物，傷民厚積者，絕止之。當此之時，臥倨倨，興眄眄，一自以為馬，一自以為牛，其行蹎蹎，其視瞑瞑，侗然皆得其和，莫知所由生，浮游不知所求，魍魎不知所往。當此之時，禽獸蝮蛇，無不匿其爪牙，藏其螫毒，無有攫噬之心。考其功烈，上際九天，下契黃壚，名聲被後世，光暉重萬物。乘雷車，服駕應龍，驂青虯，援絕瑞，席蘿圖，黃雲絡，前白螭，後奔蛇，浮游消搖，道鬼神，登九天，朝帝於靈門，宓穆休於太宜之下。然而不彰其功，不揚其聲，隱真人之道，以從天地之固然。何則？道德上通，而智故消滅也。

In ancient times, the four poles collapsed and the nine regions split apart; Heaven could not cover all, Earth could not carry all; fire raged and did not go out, water flooded and did not stop; fierce beasts ate the good people and birds of prey seized the old and weak. Then Nuwa smelted five-colored stones to patch the azure sky, cut off the feet of the great turtle to set up the four poles, killed the black dragon to rescue Jizhou, and piled up reed ashes to stop the flood. The azure sky was patched, the four poles were straightened, the flood dried up, Jizhou was at peace, the cunning creatures died, and the good people lived. She carried the square regions on her back and embraced the round heaven, harmonized spring and warmed summer, brought autumn to its end and bound winter; pillowing on the square and sleeping on the marking line, she opened up what yin and yang had clogged and blocked, and cut off the rebellious qi that harmed things and harmed people and had built up thickly. At that time, people lay down relaxed and rose with gazing eyes, one moment thinking themselves horses and the next thinking themselves oxen; they walked stumbling and looked with half-closed eyes, all simple and in harmony, not knowing where they came from, drifting without knowing what they sought, wandering like spirits without knowing where they went. At that time birds, beasts and vipers all hid their claws and fangs and hid their stings and poison, with no heart to seize or bite. Examine her merit: above it reached the Nine Heavens, below it joined the Yellow Springs; her name covers later ages and her radiance overlays the myriad things. She rode a thunder chariot, drove the winged dragon, with green dragons as outriders, held the supreme jade token and spread the map of vines, yellow clouds wound about her, with a white hornless dragon in front and galloping serpents behind, drifting at ease, guiding spirits, ascending the Nine Heavens, paying court to the Lord at the Spirit Gate, and resting peacefully beneath the Taiyi. Yet she did not display her merit or publicize her fame, hid the way of the true person, and followed the natural course of Heaven and Earth. Why? When Way and virtue reach upward, wisdom and cleverness are extinguished.

逮至夏桀之時，主暗晦而不明，道瀾漫而不修，棄捐五帝之恩刑，推蹶三王之法籍。是以至德滅而不揚，帝道掩而不興，舉事戾蒼天，發號逆四時，春秋縮其和，天地除其德，仁君處位而不安，大夫隱道而不言，群臣準上意而懷當，疏骨肉而自容，邪人參耦比周而陰謀，居君臣父子之間，而競載驕主而像其意，亂人以成其事。是故君臣乖而不親，骨肉疏而不附，植社槁而墵裂，容臺振而掩覆，犬群嗥而入淵，豕銜蓐而席澳，美人挐道墨面而不容，曼聲吞炭內閉而不歌，喪不盡其哀，獵不聽其樂，西老折勝，黃神嘯吟，飛鳥鎩翼，走獸廢腳，山無峻幹，澤無窪水，狐狸首穴，馬牛放失，田無立禾，路無莎薠，金積折廉，璧襲無理，磬龜無腹，蓍策日施。

By the time of Jie of Xia, the ruler was dim and unclear, the Way was loose and not cultivated; he abandoned the kindness and punishments of the Five Emperors and overturned the laws and records of the Three Kings. Then utmost virtue was extinguished and not displayed, the Emperor's Way was covered and did not arise; affairs were done contrary to Heaven and commands issued against the four seasons; spring and autumn drew back their harmony, and Heaven and Earth removed their virtue; benevolent rulers in position were uneasy, high officers hid the Way and did not speak, ministers guessed their ruler's mind and sought to match it in their hearts, estranged blood relatives in order to preserve themselves, and wicked men formed pairs and cliques and plotted, placed between ruler and minister, father and son, vying to carry a proud ruler on their backs and imitate his will, disordering people in order to accomplish their own purposes. So ruler and ministers drifted apart and were not close, flesh and blood were estranged and did not cleave, the altar tree that was set up withered and split, the Rong Platform shook and collapsed, dogs howled in packs and entered the abyss, pigs carried straw in their mouths and spread it by the water's edge; beautiful women pulled at their hair and blackened their faces and did not adorn themselves, singers swallowed charcoal, shut within, and did not sing; funerals were without full grief and hunting was without its music; the Queen Mother of the West broke her ornaments, the Yellow Spirit whistled and groaned, flying birds broke their wings and running beasts lost the use of their legs; mountains had no towering main peaks, marshes had no standing water, foxes drew their heads into their dens, horses and oxen were let loose and lost, there was no standing grain in the fields and no sedge on the roads; bronze vessels piled up and their corners broke, jade discs overlapped and had no grain, chime stones and tortoises had no belly, and milfoil stalks were used every day.

晚世之時，七國異族，諸侯製法，各殊習俗，縱橫間之，舉兵而相角，攻城濫殺，覆高危安，掘墳墓，揚人骸，大沖車，高重京，除戰道，便死路，犯嚴敵，殘不義，百往一反，名聲苟盛也。是故質壯輕足者為甲卒，千里之外，家老羸弱，悽愴於內，廝徒馬圉，軵車奉饟，道路遼遠，霜雪亟集，短褐不完，人羸車弊，泥塗至膝，相攜於道，奮首於路，身枕格而死，所謂兼國有地者，伏屍數十萬，破車以千百數，傷弓弩矛戟矢石之創者，扶舉於路，故世至於枕人頭，食人肉，菹人肝，飲人血，甘之於芻豢故。故自三代以後者，天下未嘗得安其情性，而樂其習俗，保其修命，而不夭於人虐也。所以然者何也？諸侯力征，天下不合而為一家。

In the late ages, the seven states were not of one clan, the feudal lords each made their own laws and had different customs, the strategists sowed discord among them, and raised troops to try strength against one another; they attacked cities and killed wantonly, overturned the high and endangered the secure, dug up graves and scattered people's bones, used great battering carriages and heaped up ever higher mounds of corpses, opened battle paths and eased the roads to death, braved strong enemies and destroyed the unrighteous; of a hundred who went forth only one returned, and fame was trivially great. So men of strong frame and light foot became armored soldiers, a thousand li away, while the old and weak at home grieved within; servants and grooms pushed carts and carried provisions on long roads, frost and snow gathered repeatedly, short coarse garments were incomplete, people were thin and carts worn, mud reached the knee, and they supported one another along the road, looking up on the road and dying with their bodies pillowed on the cart rails. Those called the ones who annexed states and held land left dead bodies of several hundred thousand, broken carts by the hundreds and thousands, and those wounded by bows, crossbows, spears, halberds, arrows and stones were carried and supported along the roads; so it came to people pillowing on human heads, eating human flesh, making human livers into pickles and drinking human blood, finding this as sweet as grass-fed and grain-fed meat. So from the Three Dynasties onward, the world has never been able to settle its nature, delight in its customs and keep its lifespan without dying early from human cruelty. Why is this? The feudal lords used force to attack one another and the world was not united as one family.

逮至當今之時，天子在上位，持以道德，輔以仁義，近者獻其智，遠者懷其德，拱揖指麾而四海賓服，春秋冬夏皆獻其貢職，天下混而為一，子孫相代，此五帝之所以迎天德也。夫聖人者，不能生時，時至而弗失也。輔佐有能，黜讒佞之端，息巧辯之說，除刻削之法，去煩苛之事，屏流言之跡，塞朋黨之門，消知能，修太常，隳肢體，絀聰明，大通混冥，解意釋神，漠然若無魂魄，使萬物各複歸其根，則是所修伏犧氏之跡，而反五常之道也。

By the present time, the Son of Heaven is in position, holds it by Way and virtue, assists it by benevolence and righteousness, those near offer wisdom and those far cherish his virtue; with hands folded and a pointing gesture the four seas submit, all four seasons offer tribute, and the world is blended into one, with descendants succeeding one another; this is how the Five Emperors welcomed the virtue of Heaven. The sage cannot produce the time, but when the time comes he does not lose it. He assists the capable, dismisses the beginnings of slander and flattery, stops the arguments of clever debate, removes harsh laws, abolishes vexatious affairs, banishes the traces of rumor, blocks the gate of cliques, extinguishes cleverness, cultivates the great constant, destroys the service of the limbs, reduces keen hearing and sight, penetrates greatly into the dark and merged, unties the intent and releases the spirit, being quiet as if without soul and spirit, letting the myriad things each return to their root; this is the cultivating of the traces of Fuxi, and returning to the Way of the five constants.

夫鉗且、大丙不施轡銜而以善禦聞於天下，伏戲、女媧不設法度而以至德遺於後世。何則？至虛無純一而不𡁕喋苛事也。《周書》曰：“掩雉不得，更順其風。”今若夫申、韓、商鞅之為治也，挬拔其根，蕪棄其本，而不窮究其所由生，何以至此也？鑿五刑，為刻削，乃背道德之本，而爭於錐刀之末，斬艾百姓，殫盡太半，而忻忻然常自以為治，是猶抱薪而救火，鑿竇而出水。夫井植生梓而不容甕，溝植生條而不容舟，不過三月必死。所以然者何也？皆狂生而無其本者也。河九折注於海而流不絕者，崑崙之輸也。潦水不洩，瀇瀁極望，旬月不雨則涸而枯澤，受瀷而無源者。譬若羿請不死之藥於西王母，姮娥竊以奔月，悵然有喪，無以續之。何則？不知不死之藥所由生也。是故乞火不若取燧，寄汲不若鑿井。

Qianqie and Dabing used no reins or bits yet were famous throughout the world for good driving, and Fuxi and Nuwa set no laws or measures yet left their utmost virtue to later ages. Why? Because of utmost emptiness, nothingness and pure oneness, not being petty and fussy about vexing affairs (the source text has a rare character here). The Book of Zhou says: "If you cover and catch a pheasant and cannot get it, change and follow its wind." Now the governance of Shen Buhai, Han Fei and Shang Yang uproots the root and neglects and abandons the foundation, without investigating from which it arises; how did it come to this? They opened up the five punishments and made harsh cutting, and in the end turned away from the root of Way and virtue and contended over the tip of an awl or knife, hacking down the people and finishing off more than half of them, yet delightedly always regarded themselves as governing, like carrying firewood to put out a fire, or digging a hole in order to let water out. An catalpa planted by a well cannot hold a jar, and a branch planted by a ditch cannot hold a boat; within three months it will die. Why? All are wild growth without root. The Yellow River turns nine times and flows into the sea without ceasing because Kunlun is sending it; standing flood water, if not drained, spreads as far as the eye can see, but if it does not rain for ten days or half a month it dries into a dry marsh, because it receives only small water and has no source. It is like Yi asking the Queen Mother of the West for the medicine of immortality, which Heng'e stole and fled to the moon, disappointed as if she had lost something, with nothing with which to continue. Why? She did not know where the medicine of immortality is born. So to seek fire it is better to take a burning-mirror, and to borrow and fetch water is not as good as digging a well yourself.

古未有天地之時，惟像無形，窈窈冥冥，芒芠漠閔，澒濛鴻洞，莫知其門。有二神混生，經天營地，孔乎莫知其所終極，滔乎莫知其所止息，於是乃別為陰陽，離為八極，剛柔相成，萬物乃形，煩氣為蟲，精氣為人。是故精神，天之有也；而骨骸者，地之有也。精神入其門，而骨骸反其根，我尚何存？是故聖人法天順情，不拘於俗，不誘於人，以天為父，以地為母，陰陽為綱，四時為紀。天靜以清，地定以寧，萬物失之者死，法之者生。夫靜漠者，神明之定也；虛無者，道之所居也。是故或求之於外者，失之於內；有守之於內者，失之於外。譬猶本與末也，從本引之，千枝萬葉，莫不隨也。

In ancient times, before there were Heaven and Earth, there were only images and no forms; it was deep and dark, vague and silent, a vast and boundless chaos, and no one knew its gate. Two spirits were born together out of the mix, one ordering Heaven and one building Earth; they were so vast that no end was known and so immense that no rest was known. Then they were divided into yin and yang, and scattered into the eight poles; hard and soft completed one another, the myriad things took form, the turbid and troublesome qi became insects, and the fine and subtle qi became human beings. So spirit belongs to Heaven and bones and body belong to Earth. When spirit enters its gate and bones and body return to their root, what is left of me? Therefore the sage models himself on Heaven and follows his true feelings, is not bound by custom and not lured by others; he takes Heaven as father and Earth as mother, yin and yang as the main cord, and the four seasons as the thread. Heaven is still and clear, Earth is settled and calm; the myriad things die when they lose this and live when they model themselves on it. Stillness and silence are the peace of spirit and brightness, and emptiness and nothingness are where the Way dwells. So those who seek outward lose it within, and those who guard within lose it outside. It is like root and branches: pull from the root, and the thousand branches and ten thousand leaves all follow.

夫精神者，所受於天也；而形體者，所稟於地也。故曰：一生二，二生三，三生萬物。萬物背陰而抱陽，沖氣以為和。故曰：一月而膏，二月而胅，三月而胎，四月而肌，五月而筋，六月而骨，七月而成，八月而動，九月而躁，十月而生。形體以成，五臟乃形。是故肺主目，腎主鼻，膽主口，肝主耳，外為表而內為裡，開閉張歙，各有經紀。故頭之圓也象天，足之方也象地。天有四時、五行、九解、三百六十六日，人亦有四支、五藏、九竅、三百六十六節。天有風雨寒暑，人亦有取與喜怒。故膽為云，肺為氣，肝為風，腎為雨，脾為雷，以與天地相參也，而心為之主。是故耳目者，日月也；血氣者，風雨也。日中有踆烏，而月中有蟾蜍。日月失其行，薄蝕無光；風雨非其時，毀折生災；五星失其行，州國受殃。夫天地之道，至紘以大，尚猶節其章光，愛其神明，人之耳目曷能久燻勞而不息乎？精神何能久馳騁而不既乎？是故血氣者，人之華也，而五藏者，人之精也。夫血氣能專於五藏而不外越，則胸腹充而嗜慾省矣；胸腹充而嗜慾省，則耳目清、聽視達矣。耳目清，聽視達，謂之明。五藏能屬於心而乖，則㪍志勝而行不僻矣；㪍志勝而行之不僻，則精神盛而氣不散矣。精神盛而氣不散則理，理則均，均則通，通則神，神則以視無不見，以聽無不聞也，以為無不成也。是故憂患不能入也，而邪氣不能襲。故事有求之於四海之外而不能遇，或守之於形骸之內而不見也。故所求多者所得少，所見大者所知小。夫孔竅者，精神之戶牖也，而氣志者，五藏之使候也。耳目淫於聲色之樂，則五藏搖動而不定矣；五藏搖動而不不定，則血氣滔蕩而不休矣；血氣滔蕩而不休，則精神馳騁於外而不守矣；精神馳騁於外而不守，則禍福之至，雖如丘山，無由識之矣。

Spirit is received from Heaven, and the physical form is received from Earth. Hence it is said: one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to the myriad things. The myriad things carry yin on their backs and embrace yang, and the empty qi brings about harmony. Hence it is said: in the first month it is fat, in the second month it is flesh, in the third month it is an embryo, in the fourth month muscle, in the fifth month sinews, in the sixth month bones, in the seventh month it is formed, in the eighth month it can move, in the ninth month it stirs restlessly, and in the tenth month it is born. When the body is complete, the five organs take form. So the lungs govern the eyes, the kidneys govern the nose, the gallbladder governs the mouth, and the liver governs the ears; outside is the surface and inside is the interior, opening, closing, expanding and contracting each with its own order. So the round head resembles Heaven and the square feet resemble Earth. Heaven has four seasons, five phases, nine divisions and three hundred and sixty-six days; humans also have four limbs, five organs, nine orifices and three hundred and sixty-six joints. Heaven has wind, rain, cold and heat; humans also have taking and giving, joy and anger. So the gallbladder is cloud, the lungs are qi, the liver is wind, the kidneys are rain, and the spleen is thunder, taking part with Heaven and Earth, and the heart is the master. So the ears and eyes are the sun and moon, and blood and qi are wind and rain. In the sun is a three-legged crow, and in the moon is a toad. If the sun and moon lose their movement, there are eclipses and no light; if wind and rain are not in season, they destroy and break and bring calamity; if the five planets lose their course, the states suffer disaster. The Way of Heaven and Earth is utterly vast, yet it still moderates its radiance and treasures its spirit and brightness; how can the ears and eyes of a human long be wearied without rest? How can spirit long gallop without exhaustion? So blood and qi are the flower of a person, and the five organs are the essence of a person. If blood and qi can concentrate in the five organs and not overflow outward, the chest and belly are full and desires are reduced; when chest and belly are full and desires reduced, ears and eyes are clear and hearing and sight are penetrating. When ears and eyes are clear and hearing and sight penetrating, this is called brightness. If the five organs can be subordinate to the heart and not diverge (the source text reads 'and diverge,' probably missing 'not'), the resolute will (the source text has a rare character here) prevails and conduct is not crooked; when the resolute will prevails and conduct is not crooked, spirit is abundant and qi does not scatter. When spirit is abundant and qi does not scatter, there is order; with order there is evenness; with evenness there is penetration; with penetration one enters the divine; and entering the divine, there is nothing one cannot see with it, nothing one cannot hear with it, and nothing one cannot accomplish with it. So worry cannot enter and evil qi cannot invade. So some who seek beyond the four seas do not meet it, and some who guard within the body do not see it. So those who seek much get little, and those who see big know little. The orifices are the doors and windows of spirit, and qi and will are the messengers of the five organs. If ears and eyes indulge in the pleasure of sounds and colors, the five organs sway and are unsettled; if the five organs sway and are unsettled, blood and qi surge without rest; if blood and qi surge without rest, spirit gallops outside and does not guard; and if spirit gallops outside and does not guard, then even if misfortune and fortune arrive like hills and mountains, one cannot tell them apart.

使耳目精明玄達而無誘慕，氣志虛靜恬愉而省嗜慾，五藏定寧充盈而不洩，精神內守形骸而不外越，則望於往世之前，而視於來事之後，猶未足為也，豈直禍福之間哉？故曰：其出彌遠者，其知彌少。以言乎精神之不可使外淫也。是故五色亂目，使目不明；五聲嘩耳，使耳不聰；五味亂口，使口爽傷；趣舍滑心，使行飛揚。此四者，天下之所養性也，然皆人累也。故曰：嗜慾者，使人之氣越；而好憎者，使人之心勞；弗疾去，則志氣日耗。

Make ears and eyes sharp, bright, deep and penetrating without being lured or attached; make qi and will empty, still, calm and joyful, with reduced desires; make the five organs settled and full and not leaking outward; make spirit stay within the body and not overflow outward; then looking before past ages and seeing after future events is not enough to be done, to say nothing of what lies between misfortune and fortune. So it is said: the farther one goes out, the less one knows. This means spirit must not be allowed to run to excess outside. So the five colors disturb the eyes and make the eyes unclear; the five sounds clamor in the ears and make the ears not keen; the five flavors disturb the mouth and make the mouth injured; and pursuit and rejection confuse the heart and make conduct flighty. These four are what the world uses to nourish nature, yet all are burdens on a person. So it is said: desires make a person's qi overflow and likes and dislikes make a person's heart weary; if one does not hasten to remove them, will and qi are consumed day by day.

夫人之所以不能終其壽命，而中道夭於刑戮者，何也？以其生生之厚。夫惟能無以生為者，則所以修得生也。夫天地運而相通，萬物總而為一。能知一，則無一之不知也；不能知一，則無一之能知也。譬吾處於天下也，亦為一物矣，不識天下之以我備其物與？且惟無我而物無不備者乎？然則我亦物也，物亦物也，物之與物也，又何以相物也？雖然，其生我也，將以何益？其殺我也，將以何損？夫造化者既以我為坯矣，將無所違之矣。吾安知夫刺灸而欲生者之非惑也？又安知夫絞經而求死者之非福也？或者生乃徭役也？而死乃休息也？天下茫茫，孰知之哉？其生我也不強求已，其殺我也不強求止。欲生而不事，憎死而不辭，賤之而弗憎，貴之而弗喜，隨其天資而安之不極。吾生也有七尺之形，吾死也有一棺之土。吾生之比於有形之類，猶吾死之淪於無形之中也。然則吾生也物不以益眾，吾死也土不以加厚，吾又安知所喜憎利害其間者乎？夫造化者之攫援物也，譬猶陶人之埏埴也，其取之地而已為盆盎也，與其未離於地也無以異，其已成器而破碎漫瀾而複歸其故也，與其為盆盎亦無以異矣。夫臨江之鄉，居人汲水以浸其園，江水弗憎也；苦洿之家，決洿而注之江，洿水弗樂也。是故其在江也，無以異其浸園也；其在洿也，亦無以異其在江也。是故聖人因時以安其位，當世而樂其業。

The reason people cannot complete their lifespan and die young by punishment and execution: why? It is because they nourish life too richly. Only one who does not make life his business can cultivate long life. Heaven and Earth move and communicate, and the myriad things combine as one. If one can know the One, there is nothing one does not know; if one cannot know the One, there is nothing one can know. It is as if I, living under Heaven, am also one thing; I do not know whether the world is complete with its myriad things because of me, or whether it lacks me alone and yet nothing is lacking. Then I am a thing, and things are things; between thing and thing, by what do they thing one another? Even so, if it gives me life, what will it add? If it kills me, what will it take away? Since the Creator has already made me into a raw clay form, there is nothing to oppose. How do I know that those who live by acupuncture and moxibustion are not deluded? And how do I know that those who hang themselves to seek death do not have good fortune? Perhaps life is forced labor and death is rest? The world is vast; who knows? If it gives me life, I do not insist on its stopping; if it kills me, I do not insist on holding it back. If I want to live I do not exert myself for it, if I hate death I do not shirk it; treated lowly I do not hate it, treated as noble I do not rejoice in it; I follow my natural endowment, settle in it and do not go to extremes. Living, I have a body of seven feet; dead, I will have a coffin's worth of earth. My being alive is, compared with the class of things that have form, as my dying is sinking into formlessness. Then, my being alive does not make things more numerous, my dying does not make the earth thicker, so how do I know what there is to like or dislike, to profit or harm in between? The Creator picks and draws things as a potter kneads clay: taken from the ground and already made into basins and jars, it is no different from when it had not left the ground; having become a vessel and then broken and scattered and returned to its original place, it is no different from having been made into basins and jars. In a village by a river, the residents draw water to irrigate gardens, and the river does not hate it; a household troubled by a foul pond breaks open the pond and lets it flow into the river, and the water of the pond is not glad. So the water in the river is no different from irrigating, and the water in the foul pond is no different from being in the river. So the sage settles in his position according to the time and delights in his work in the face of the age.

夫悲樂者，德之邪也；而喜怒者，道之過也；好憎者，心之暴也。故曰：其生也，天行；其死也，物化。靜則與陰俱閉，動則與陽俱開。精神澹然無極，不與物散，而天下自服。故心者，形之主也；而神者，心之寶也。形勞而不休則蹶，精用而不已則竭。是故聖人貴而尊之，不敢越也。夫有夏後氏之璜者，匣匱而藏之，寶之至也。夫精神之可寶也，非直夏後氏之璜也。是故聖人以無應有，必究其理；以虛受實，必窮其節；恬愉虛靜，以終其命。是故無所甚疏，而無所甚親。抱德煬和，以順於天。與道為際，與德為鄰，不為福始，不為禍先，魂魄處其宅，而精神守其根，死生無變於己，故曰至神。所謂真人者也，性合於道也。故有而若無，實而若虛；處其一不知其二，治其內不識其外。明白太素，無為複樸，體本抱神，以遊於天地之樊。芒然仿佯於塵垢之外，而消搖於無事之業。浩浩蕩蕩乎，機械之巧弗載於心。是故死生亦大矣，而不為變。雖天地覆育，亦不與之摟抱矣。審乎無瑕，而不與物糅；見事之亂，而能守其宗。若然者，正肝膽，遺耳目，心志專於內，通達耦於一，居不知所為，行不知所之，渾然而往，逯然而來，形若槁木，心若死灰。忘其五藏，損其形骸。不學而知，不視而見，不為而成，不治而辯，感而應，迫而動，不得已而往，如光之耀，如景之放，以道為紃，有待而然。抱其太清之本，而無所容與，而物無能營。廓惝而虛，清靖而無思慮。大澤焚而不能熱，河、漢涸而不能寒也。大雷毀山而不能驚也，大風晦日而不能傷也。是故視珍寶珠玉，猶石礫也；視至尊窮寵，猶行客也；視毛嬙、西施，猶䫏醜也。以死生為一化，以萬物為一方，同精於太清之本，而遊於忽區之旁。有精而不使，有神而不行，契大渾之樸，而立至清之中。是故其寢不夢，其智不萌，其魄不抑，其魂不騰。

Sorrow and joy are a slant of virtue, joy and anger are errors of the Way, and likes and dislikes are cruelties of the heart. So it is said: life is Heaven's movement and death is the transformation of things. In stillness one closes together with yin, and in movement one opens together with yang. When spirit is calm and without end and does not disperse with things, the world submits of itself. So the heart is the master of the body and spirit is the treasure of the heart. If the body is wearied and does not rest it collapses, and if essence is used without ceasing it dries up. So the sage values and respects it and dares not go beyond it. One who has the jade of the House of Xia keeps it in a casket and chest, the utmost of treasure. Spirit is more precious than the jade of Xia. So the sage responds to being with nothingness and must exhaust its principle; receives the full with the empty and must exhaust its measure; with calm, joy, emptiness and stillness he ends his life. So no one is especially distant and no one especially close. Embracing virtue, warmed by harmony, he follows Heaven. He meets the Way, takes virtue as neighbor, does not begin fortune and does not lead misfortune, his soul rests in its dwelling and his spirit guards its root, and life and death do not change him; this is called utmost spirit. One called a true person is one whose nature accords with the Way. So he has but seems to have not, is real yet seems empty; dwelling in one he does not know two, governing within he does not recognize outside. He is clear about the great plain, acts without acting and returns to simplicity, embodies the root and embraces the spirit, and roams within the fences of Heaven and Earth. Vaguely he roams beyond the dust and dirt, and at ease in the work of non-doing. Vast and boundless! The cleverness of machines is not stored in his heart. So death and life are great, yet he is not changed by them. Even if Heaven and Earth overturn and generate, he does not become entangled with them. He examines where there is no flaw and does not mix with things; he sees the disorder of affairs and yet holds to the source. Such a person straightens his liver and gallbladder, discards ears and eyes, his mind and will are single within, penetrating and joined to the One; he dwells without knowing what he does, walks without knowing where he goes, goes vaguely and comes lightly; his body is like withered wood and his heart like dead ashes. He forgets the five organs and diminishes the body. He knows without studying, sees without looking, accomplishes without acting, discerns without governing; he responds when stimulated, moves when pressed, goes only when he cannot do otherwise, like the radiance of light, like the spreading of a shadow, taking the Way as the path, and waiting for something before he acts. He embraces the root of the Great Clarity without letting himself go, and things cannot trouble him. Open and empty, pure and still, he has no thoughts. A great marsh may burn and not make him hot, the Yellow River and Han may dry up and not make him cold, great thunder may destroy mountains and not startle him, great wind may darken the sun and not hurt him. So he sees treasures, pearls and jade as pebbles; sees the highest honor and utmost favor as passing guests; sees Mao Qiang and Xi Shi as ugly. He regards life and death as one transformation and the myriad things as one direction, unites his essence with the root of the Great Clarity, and roams by the edge of the realm of the vague. He has essence but does not use it, has spirit but does not make it go; he accords with the simplicity of the great chaos and stands in the utmost clarity. So when he sleeps he does not dream, wisdom does not sprout, the animal soul is not depressed, and the spirit soul does not leap.

反覆終始，不知其端緒，甘暝太宵之宅，而覺視於昭昭之宇，休息於無委曲之隅，而遊敖於無形埒之野。居而無容，處而無所，其動無形，其靜無體，存而若亡，生而若死，出入無間，役使鬼神。淪於不測，入於無間，以不同形相嬗也，終始若環，莫得其倫。此精神之所以能登假於道也。是故真人之所遊。若吹呴呼吸，吐故內新，熊經鳥伸，鳧浴蝯躩，鴟視虎顧，是養形之人也，不以滑心。使神滔蕩而不失其充，日夜無傷而與物為春，則是合而生時於心也。

Reversing and repeating, ending and beginning, he does not know their ends; he is content to close his eyes in the house of the great night, and wake to look in the bright universe, rest in a corner without bends, and roam in the wilds without boundary. Dwelling without manner, staying without place, moving without form and still without body, existing as if not existing, living as if dead, going in and out without gap, commanding the ghosts and spirits. He sinks into the unfathomable and enters where there is no gap, replacing one another in different forms, ending and beginning like a ring, and no one grasps its order. This is how spirit can reach up to the Way. So this is where the true person roams. As for blowing and breathing, exhaling the old and inhaling the new, hanging like a bear, stretching like a bird, bathing like a duck, leaping like an ape, staring like an owl, looking back like a tiger, these are for those who nourish the body, and they should not be used to disturb the heart. Let spirit surge without losing fullness, with no harm day or night, and be spring-like together with things; this is the time when union is born in the heart.

且人有戒形而無損於心，有綴宅而無耗精。夫癩者趨不變，狂者形不虧，神將有所遠徙，孰暇知其所為！故形有摩而神未嘗化者，以不化應化，千變萬化，而未始有極。化者，複歸於無形也；不化者，與天地俱生也。夫木之死也，青青去之也。夫使木生者豈木也？猶充形者之非形也。故生生者未嘗死也，其所生則死矣；化物者未嘗化也，其所化則化矣。輕天下，則神無累矣；細萬物，則心不惑矣；齊死生，則志不懾矣；同變化，則明不眩矣。眾人以為虛言，吾將舉類而實之。

Moreover, there are people whose bodies are injured by warnings yet whose hearts are not damaged, and whose houses are linked together yet whose essence is not worn out. A leper walks without change, a madman's form is not diminished, and when the spirit is about to move far away, who has leisure to know what he does! So one whose body wears away but whose spirit has never changed responds to change with the unchanging, and through a thousand changes and ten thousand transformations has never reached an end. What transforms returns to formlessness; what does not transform is born together with Heaven and Earth. When a tree dies, its greenness leaves it. Is what makes a tree live the tree? It is like how what fills the body is not the body. So what gives life to life has never died, though what it gave life to dies; what transforms things has never transformed, though what it transforms is transformed. If one regards the world lightly, spirit has no burden; if one regards the myriad things as small, the heart is not confused; if one equates death and life, the will is not frightened; if one makes transformation one, brightness is not dazzled. The multitude think this is empty talk, so I will bring up similar cases to prove it.

人之所以樂為人主者，以其窮耳目之欲，而適躬體之便也。今高臺層榭，人之所麗也；而堯樸桷不斫，素題不枅。珍怪奇異，人之所美也；而堯糲粢之飯，藜藿之羹。文繡狐白，人之所好也；而堯布衣掩形，鹿裘禦寒。養性之具不加厚，而增之以任重之憂。故舉天下而傳之於舜，若解重負然。非直辭讓，誠無以為也。此輕天下之具也。禹南省方，濟於江，黃龍負舟，舟中之人五色無主，禹乃熙笑而稱曰：“我受命於天，竭力而勞萬民，生寄也，死歸也，何足以滑和？”視龍猶蝘蜓，顏色不變，龍乃弭耳掉尾而逃。禹之視物亦細矣。鄭之神巫相壺子林，見其徵，告列子。列子行泣報壺子。壺子持以天壤，名實不入，機發於踵。壺子之視死生亦齊矣。子求行年五十有四，而病傴僂，脊管高於頂，下迫頤，兩脾在上，燭營指天。匍匐自窺於井，曰：“偉哉！造化者其以我為此拘拘邪？”此其視變化亦同矣。故睹堯之道，乃知天下之輕也；觀禹之志，乃知天下之細也；原壺子之論，乃知死生之齊也；見子求之行，乃知變化之同也。

The reason people delight in being rulers is that they can fully satisfy the desires of ears and eyes and fit the convenience of the body. Now lofty terraces and layered pavilions are what people find beautiful; yet Yao's rafters were not hewn and the headings on his beams were not given brackets. Rare and strange delicacies are what people find fine; yet Yao ate coarse grain rice and goosefoot and bean-leaf soup. Embroidered robes and white fox furs are what people love; yet Yao covered his body with cloth and warded off cold with a deer-skin coat. He did not add to the utensils for nourishing his nature but took on the worry of heavy responsibility. So he lifted the world and passed it to Shun like putting down a heavy load. It was not just declining; he truly had nothing to do with it. This is the basis for regarding the world lightly. Yu, traveling south to inspect the sacred peaks, crossed the river, and a yellow dragon carried his boat on its back; the people in the boat turned pale and lost their wits, but Yu laughed contentedly and declared: "I received my mandate from Heaven and exert myself in toil for the myriad people; life is lodging and death is returning; how could this be enough to disturb my harmony?" He looked on the dragon as a gecko, his color did not change, and the dragon pressed its ears down, dropped its tail and fled. Yu's view of things was also small enough. The divine shaman of Zheng read the physiognomy of Huzi Linzi, saw the omen, and told Liezi. Liezi went weeping to report to Huzi. Huzi held to heaven and earth, with names and realities not entering, and his spring of action issuing from his heels. Huzi's view of death and life was also equal enough. Ziqiu lived to fifty-four, and illness made him a hunchback, with his spine rising above his head and pressing down to his chin, his two hip joints pointing up and his navel pointing to the sky. He crawled by himself to look into a well and said: "How marvelous! Has the Creator really made me this crooked?" His view of transformation was also one enough. So seeing Yao's Way, one learns how light the world is; observing Yu's will, one learns how small the world is; tracing Huzi's discourse, one learns the sameness of death and life; and seeing Ziqiu's conduct, one learns the oneness of transformation.

夫至人倚不拔之柱，行不關之塗，稟不竭之府，學不死之師。無往而不遂，無至而不通。生不足以掛志，死不足以幽神，屈伸俯仰，抱命而婉轉。禍福利害，千變萬化，孰足以患心！若此人者，抱素守精，蟬蛻蛇解，遊於太清，輕舉獨往，忽然入冥。鳳凰不能與之儷，而況斥鷃乎！勢位爵祿，何足以概志也！晏子與崔杼盟，臨死地而不易其義。殖、華將戰而死，莒君厚賂而止之，不改其行。故晏子可迫以仁，而不可劫以兵；殖、華可止以義，而不可縣以利。君子義死，而不可以富貴留也；義為，而不可以死亡恐也。彼則直為義耳，而尚猶不拘於物，又況無為者矣。

The perfected person leans on a pillar that cannot be pulled out, walks a road that cannot be closed, receives from a storehouse that cannot be exhausted, and studies under a teacher who does not die. There is no going that does not succeed and no arriving that does not get through. Life is not enough to hang on his will, death is not enough to confine his spirit; bending, stretching, lowering and raising, he embraces his fate and turns with it. Misfortune and fortune, benefit and harm, in a thousand changes and ten thousand transformations, how could they be enough to make his heart anxious! Such a person embraces simplicity and guards his essence, sheds like a cicada and slips off like a snake, roams in the Great Clarity, rises lightly and goes alone, and suddenly enters the obscure. The phoenix cannot be ranked beside him, to say nothing of the quail! How could power, rank, titles and salaries be enough to move his will? Master Yan swore a covenant with Cui Zhu and, close to the place of death, did not change his righteousness. Qi Liangzhi and Hua Zhou were about to die in battle, and the ruler of Ju tried to stop them with rich bribes, but they did not change their conduct. So Master Yan could be pressed by benevolence but could not be threatened with weapons; Zhi and Hua could be stopped by righteousness but could not be hung by profit. A noble person dies for righteousness and cannot be kept by wealth and rank; he acts for righteousness and cannot be frightened by death. Those men were merely acting directly for righteousness and still were not bound by things; how much more so one who practices non-action.

堯不以有天下為貴，故授舜。公子劄不以有國為尊，故讓位。子罕不以玉為富，故不受寶。務光不以生害義，故自投於淵。由此觀之，至貴不待爵，至富不待財。天下至大矣，而以與佗人；身至親矣，而棄之淵；外此，其餘無足利矣。此之謂無累之人，無累之人，不以天下為貴矣！上觀至人之論，深原道德之意，以下考世俗之行，乃足羞也。故通許由之意，《金滕》、《豹韜》廢矣；延陵季子不受吳國，而訟間田者慚矣；子罕不利寶玉，而爭券契者愧矣；務光不汙於世，而貪利偷生者悶矣。故不觀大義者，不知生之不足貪也；不聞大言者，不知天下之不足利也。

Yao did not regard holding the world as valuable, and so he handed it to Shun. Prince Zha did not regard having a state as exalted, and so he yielded his position. Zihan did not regard jade as wealth, and so he did not accept the treasure. Wu Guang did not harm righteousness for the sake of life, and so he threw himself into the abyss. From this we see that the utmost honor does not wait for rank, and the utmost wealth does not wait for property. The world is great enough, yet he gave it to someone else; his own person is dear enough, yet he threw it into the abyss; beyond this, there is nothing left that is worth reckoning as profit. These are called people without burden. A person without burden does not regard the world as valuable! Looking up at the discussions of the perfected and deeply tracing the meaning of Way and virtue, then looking down at the conduct of common society, is enough to feel ashamed. So when one understands Xu You's meaning, the 'Golden Casket' and the 'Leopard Quiver' are abandoned; when Jizi of Yanling would not accept Wu, those who fight over idle fields are ashamed; when Zihan did not regard jewels as profit, those who fight over contracts are put to shame; when Wu Guang would not be stained by the age, those who greedily seek profit and steal their lives are dispirited. So one who has not observed great righteousness does not know that life is not worth being greedy for; one who has not heard great words does not know that the world is not worth reckoning as profit.

今夫窮鄙之社也，叩盆拊瓴，相和而歌，自以為樂矣。嘗試為之擊建鼓，撞巨鐘，乃性仍仍然，知其盆瓴之足羞也。藏《詩》、《書》，修文學，而不知至論之旨，則拊盆叩瓴之徒也。夫以天下為者，學之建鼓矣。尊勢厚利，人之所貪也；使之左據天下圖，而右手刎其喉，愚夫不為。由此觀之，生尊於天下也。聖人食足以接氣，衣足以蓋形，適情不求餘，無天下不虧其性，有天下不羨其和。有天下，無天下，一實也。今贛人敖倉，予人河水，饑而餐之，渴而飲之，其入腹者不過簞食瓢漿，則身飽而敖倉不為之減也。腹滿而河水不為之竭也。有之不加飽，無之不為之饑，與守其篅𥫱、有其井，一實也。人大怒破陰，大喜墜陽，大憂內崩，大怖生狂。除穢去累，莫若未始出其宗，乃為大通。清目而不以視，靜耳而不以聽，鉗口而不以言，委心而不以慮。棄聰明而反太素，休精神而棄知故，覺而若昧，以生而若死，終則反本未生之時，而與化為一體。死之與生，一體也。

Now in the impoverished and rustic village altar rites, they beat on basins and slap on jars and sing in harmony with one another, thinking themselves joyful. Try beating the great drum and striking the huge bell for them, and only then will they know that basins and jars are enough to feel ashamed of. One who hides the Odes and Documents and studies literature but does not know the meaning of the utmost discourse is in the same class as slapping basins and beating jars. Treating the world as a serious matter is the great drum of the schools. Honored power and rich profit are what people covet; if one were made to press the map of the world with the left hand and cut his own throat with the right, even a fool would not do it. From this we see that life is more honored than the world. The sage eats enough to meet his qi, wears enough to cover his body, follows his feelings and does not seek surplus; having no world does not diminish his nature, and having the world he does not envy its harmony. To have the world and to not have the world is the same. Now if one gave someone the Ao Granary and gave someone the Yellow River water, when hungry he eats and when thirsty he drinks, and what goes into his belly is no more than a bamboo bowl of rice and a gourd of drink; when his body is full the Ao Granary is not reduced by it, and when his belly is full the Yellow River is not dried up by it. Having it does not make him fuller, not having it does not make him hungry; this is the same as guarding one's own barn and having one's own well. When a person is greatly angry, yin is broken; when greatly joyful, yang is dropped; great grief causes collapse inside; great fear gives rise to madness. Removing filth and getting rid of burdens is not as good as never having left that source; this is great penetration. Let the eyes be clear but do not use them to see, keep the ears still but do not use them to hear, clamp the mouth but do not use it to speak, put down the mind but do not use it to think. Abandon keen hearing and sight and return to the great plain, rest the spirit and abandon cleverness; awake yet seeming dim, alive yet seeming dead; at the end return to the root, to before birth, and become one body with transformation. Death and life are one body.

今夫繇者揭钁臿，負籠土，鹽汗交流，喘息薄喉。當此之時，得茠越下，則脫然而喜矣。巖穴之間，非直越下之休也。病疵瘕者，捧心抑腹，膝上叩頭，踡跼而諦，通夕不寐。當此之時，噲然得臥，則親戚兄弟歡然而喜，夫修夜之寧，非直一噲之樂也。故知宇宙之大，則不可劫以死生；知養生之和，則不可縣以天下；知未生之樂，則不可畏以死；知許由之貴於舜，則不貪物。牆之立，不若其偃也，又況不為牆乎！冰之凝，不若其釋也，又況不為冰乎！自無蹠有，自有蹠無，終始無端，莫知其所萌，非通於外內，孰能無好憎？無外之外，至大也；無內之內，至貴也；能知大貴，何往而不遂！衰世湊學，不知原心反本，直雕琢其性，矯拂其情，以與世交。故目雖欲之，禁之以度；心雖樂之，節之以禮。趨翔周旋，詘節卑拜，肉凝而不食，酒澄而不飲，外束其形，內總其德，鉗陰陽之和，而迫性命之情，故終身為悲人。達至道者則不然，理情性，治心術，養以和，持以適，樂道而忘賤，安德而忘貧。性有不欲，無欲而不得；心有不樂，無樂而不為。無益情者不以累德，而便性者不以滑和。故縱體肆意，而度制可以為天下儀。

Now consider those conscripted for labor, lifting hoes and spades and carrying baskets of earth, with salty sweat streaming and breath pressing at the throat. At such a time, if they could rest in the shade of wild grass and trees, they would be suddenly delighted. Among the rocks and caves it is more than the rest of shade. A person with a lump in the abdomen clutches his heart and presses his belly, knocks his forehead against his knees, curls up and cries out, and does not sleep all night. At such a time, if suddenly he could lie down, his kin and brothers would be glad, and the peace of the long night is more than a moment's joy. So one who knows the greatness of the universe cannot be coerced by death and life; one who knows the harmony of nourishing life cannot be bought with the world; one who knows the joy before birth cannot be frightened by death; one who knows that Xu You was nobler than Shun does not covet things. A wall that stands is not as good as when it falls, let alone never making a wall at all! Ice that has frozen is not as good as when it melts, let alone never making ice at all! Going from non-being to being, and from being to non-being, with no beginning or end, no one knows where it sprouts from; if one did not penetrate both outer and inner, who could be without likes and dislikes? The outside of what has no outside is the utmost greatness; the inside of what has no inside is the utmost nobility; one who can know great nobility, where would he not succeed! In a declining age, people gather and study, not knowing to trace back to the heart and return to the root, but only carve their nature and oppose their feelings in order to deal with the world. So though the eyes desire, they forbid them by regulation; though the heart delights, they restrain it with ritual. They hurry and turn, bend their joints and bow low; they will not eat meat that has congealed or drink wine that has cleared; outwardly they bind the body and inwardly they hold in virtue, restraining the harmony of yin and yang and pressing the nature of life, so they spend their whole lives as sorrowful people. One who penetrates the supreme Way is not like this: he puts his nature and feelings in order, governs the arts of the heart, nourishes with harmony and holds with fitness, delights in the Way and forgets lowliness, rests in virtue and forgets poverty. What his nature does not desire, he has no desire for and so is not frustrated; what his heart does not delight in, he has no delight and so does not do it. What does not benefit the feelings he does not use to burden virtue; what is convenient to the nature he does not use to disturb harmony. So he lets his body go and loosens his intention, and yet his standards can serve as the pattern for the world.

今夫儒者不本其所以欲，而禁其所欲；不原其所以樂，而閉其所樂。是猶決江河之源，而障之以手也。夫牧民者，猶畜禽獸也，不塞其囿垣，使有野心，系絆其足，以禁其動，而欲修生壽終，豈可得乎！夫顏回、季路、子夏、冉伯牛，孔子之通學也，然顏淵夭死，季路菹於衛，子夏失明，冉伯牛為厲。此皆迫性拂情，而不得其和也。故子夏見曾子，一臞一肥。曾子問其故，曰：“出見富貴之樂而欲之，入見先王之道又說之。兩者心戰，故臞；先王之道勝，故肥。”推其志，非能貪富貴之位，不便侈靡之樂，直宜迫性閉欲，以義自防也。雖情心鬱殪，形性屈竭，猶不得已自強也。故莫能終其天年。

Now the Confucians do not trace the root of what we desire but forbid what is desired; they do not trace the root of what we delight in but shut off what gives pleasure. It is like breaching the source of a river and blocking it with the hand. Shepherding the people is like keeping birds and beasts: one does not close up the walls of the park, letting them have wild hearts, but shackles their feet to stop them moving; to hope thereby to cultivate life and live out one's years, how could it be attained! Yan Hui, Ji Lu, Zixia, and Ran Boniu were Confucius' well-versed students, yet Yan Yuan died young, Ji Lu was made into minced meat in Wei, Zixia went blind, and Ran Boniu contracted a foul disease. All of these pressed their nature and opposed their feelings and did not attain harmony. So when Zixia met Zengzi, he was lean at one moment and fat at another. Zengzi asked the reason, and he said: "When I go out and see the joys of wealth and rank, I want them; when I come in and see the Way of the former kings, I am glad. The two fight in my heart, so I am lean; when the Way of the former kings wins, I am fat." Taking his aspiration, it was not that he could do without coveting the position of wealth and honor or did not find profit in luxurious pleasure; it was merely that he was forced to shut off his desires and protect himself with righteousness. Even if the feelings and heart were depressed to death and the body and nature bent and exhausted, he still forced himself, having no choice. So none of them lived out their natural years.

若夫至人，量腹而食，度形而衣，容身而遊，適情而行，餘天下而不貪，委萬物而不利，處大廓之宇，遊無極之野，登太皇，馮太一，玩天地於掌握之中。夫豈為貧富肥臞哉！故儒者非能使人弗欲，而能止之；非能使人勿樂，而能禁之。夫使天下畏刑而不敢盜，豈若能使無有盜心哉！越人得髯蛇，以為上餚，中國得之而棄之無用。故知其無所用，貪者能辭之；不知其無所用，廉者不能讓也。夫人主之所以殘亡其國家，損棄其社稷，身死於人手，為天下笑，未嘗非為非欲也。夫仇由貪大鐘之賂而亡其國，虞君利垂棘之璧而禽其身，獻公豔驪姬之美而亂四世，桓公甘易牙之和而不以時葬，胡王淫女樂之娛而亡上地。使此五君者適情辭餘，以己為度，不隨物而動，豈有此大患哉！

As for the perfected person, he eats by measuring his belly, dresses by measuring his body, wanders when the body can be accommodated, and acts when his feelings are suited; he leaves the world's surplus without coveting it and hands over the myriad things without taking profit, dwells in the vast cosmos, wanders in the boundless wilds, ascends the Great August and leans on the Great One, and plays with Heaven and Earth in the palm of his hand. How would he care about rich and poor, fat and lean! So the Confucians cannot make people have no desires but can only restrain them; they cannot make people not delight but can only forbid it. To make the world fear punishment and not dare steal is nowhere near as good as being able to make them have no heart to steal. The people of Yue, getting a bearded snake, treat it as a top delicacy, but in the Central Plains, getting it, they throw it away as useless. So when one knows it is useless, even the greedy can decline it; when one does not know it is useless, even the incorruptible cannot yield it. The reason rulers ruin and lose their states, discard their altars of the land and grain, die in others' hands, and are laughed at by the world has never been other than unfitting desire. The lord of Chouyou, greedy for the bribe of a great bell, lost his state; the lord of Yu, greedy for the jade of Chuiji, was captured; Duke Xian, enamored of Li Ji's beauty, brought disorder for four generations; Duke Huan, indulgent over Yi Ya's seasoned flavors, did not bury his corpse in time; the king of the Hu, immersed in the pleasure of female musicians, lost his upper lands. If these five rulers had suited their feelings, declined what was surplus, taken themselves as the measure, and not moved with things, how would such great calamities have occurred!

故射者非矢不中也，學射者不治矢也；禦者非轡不行，學禦者不為轡也。知冬日之箑、夏日之裘無用於己，則萬物之變為塵埃矣。故以湯止沸，沸乃不止，誠知其本，則去火而已矣。

So an archer's arrow does not miss, yet one learning archery does not go and refine the arrow; a driver's reins work, yet one learning to drive does not go and make reins. Knowing that a fan in winter and a fur coat in summer are useless to oneself, the changes of the myriad things become dust. So using hot water to stop boiling will not stop the boiling; truly knowing its root, one simply takes away the fire and it is done.

人主之術，處無為之事，而行不言之教。清靜而不動，一度而不搖，因循而任下，責成而不勞。是故心知規而師傅諭導，口能言而行人稱辭，足能行而相者先導，耳能聽而執正進諫。是故慮無失策，謀無過事，言為文章，行為儀錶於天下。進退應時，動靜循理，不為醜美好憎，不為賞罰喜怒，名各自名，類各自類，事猶自然，莫出於己。故古之王者，冕而前旒所以蔽明也，黈纊塞耳所以掩聰，天子外屏所以自障。故所理者遠，則所在者邇；所治者大，則所守者小。

The art of the ruler lies in dwelling in non-action and carrying out teaching without words. He is pure and still and does not act rashly, unifies standards and does not waver, follows and entrusts those below, and holds them to account without toiling himself. So though the mind knows the rules, he lets tutors instruct and guide him; though the mouth can speak, he lets envoys relay his words; though the feet can walk, he lets ushers guide him in front; though the ears can hear, he lets the upright officials remonstrate. So there is no miscalculation in his thought and no error in his plans, his words become writings and his conduct becomes the model for the world. Advancing and withdrawing he responds to the time, in motion and stillness he follows principle; he does not generate likes and dislikes from ugliness or beauty, nor joy and anger from reward and punishment; names each become their names, categories each become their categories, affairs remain natural, and nothing comes out of himself. So the kings of old had tassels hanging in front of their caps to screen their sight, and yellow cotton plugs to stop their ears to cover their hearing, and the Son of Heaven had a screen outside to shield himself. So the farther the realm he governs, the nearer he stays; the greater the realm he governs, the smaller what he keeps.

夫目妄視則淫，耳妄聽則惑，口妄言則亂。夫三關者，不可不慎守也。若欲規之，乃是離之；若欲飾之，乃是賊之。天氣為魂，地氣為魄，反之玄房，各處其宅，守而勿失，上通太一。太一之精，通於天道，天道玄默，無容無則，大不可極，深不可測，尚與人化，知不能得。昔者神農之治天下也，神不馳於胸中，智不出於四域，懷其仁誠之心。甘雨時降，五穀蕃植，春生夏長，秋收冬藏。月省時考，歲終獻功，以時嘗谷，祀於明堂。明堂之制，有蓋而無四方，風雨不能襲，寒暑不能傷，遷延而入之，養民以公。其民樸重端愨，不紛爭而財足，不勞形而功成。因天地之資而與之和同，是故威厲而不殺，刑錯而不用，法省而不煩。故其化如神。其地南至交阯，北至幽都，東至暘穀，西至三危，莫不聽從。當此之時，法寬刑緩，囹圄空虛，而天下一俗，莫懷奸心。

When the eyes look rashly they grow licentious, when the ears listen rashly they grow confused, and when the mouth speaks rashly it creates disorder. These three gates must be guarded carefully. If one wants to correct them, one only departs from them; if one wants to embellish them, one only harms them. The qi of Heaven becomes the hun soul and the qi of Earth becomes the po soul; they return to the dark chamber, each dwelling in its house; guarding them and not losing them, one penetrates upward to the Great One. The essence of the Great One penetrates the Way of Heaven; the Way of Heaven is dark and silent, without appearance or law, so great that it cannot be exhausted and so deep that it cannot be fathomed, and yet it changes together with people, and wisdom cannot grasp it. In the past, when Shennong governed the world, his spirit did not gallop in his chest, his wisdom did not go beyond the four regions, and he held a heart of humaneness and sincerity. Sweet rain fell in season, the five grains grew thick, things were born in spring, grew in summer, were harvested in autumn, and stored in winter. He inspected month by month and evaluated season by season, presented achievements at year's end, tasted the grain in its season, and sacrificed at the Bright Hall. The Bright Hall had a roof but no walls on four sides; wind and rain could not invade, and cold and heat could not harm; people entered slowly, and he nourished the people with impartiality. His people were simple, sincere, and upright; without quarrels their wealth was sufficient, without toil their work was accomplished. Following the resources of Heaven and Earth and harmonizing with them, he was stern but did not kill, punishments were set aside and unused, and laws were few and not troublesome. So his transformation was like the work of spirits. His land reached Jiaozhi in the south, Youdu in the north, Yanggu in the east, and Sanwei in the west, and none did not obey. At that time laws were lenient and punishments mild, prisons were empty, the world shared one custom, and no one harbored treacherous intent.

末世之政則不然。上好取而無量，下貪狼而無讓，民貧苦而仇爭，事力勞而無功，智詐萌興，盜賊滋彰，上下相怨，號令不行。執政有司，不務反道矯拂其本，而事修其末，削薄其德，曾累其刑，而欲以為治，無以異於執彈而來鳥，捭梲而狎犬也，亂乃逾甚。夫水濁則魚噞，政苛則民亂。故夫養虎豹犀象者，為之圈檻，供其嗜慾，適其饑飽，違其怒恚。然而不能終其天年者，形有所劫也。是以上多故則下多詐，上多事則下多態，上煩擾則下不定，上多求則下交爭。不直之於本，而事之於末，璧猶揚堁而弭塵，抱薪以救火也。故聖人事省而易治，求寡而易澹，不施而仁，不言而信，不求而得，不為而成。塊然保真，抱德推誠，天下從之，如響之應聲，景之像形，其所修者本也。刑罰不足以移風，殺戮不足以禁奸，唯神化為貴。至精為神。

The government of a declining age is not like this. Those above love to take and have no measure, those below are greedy and wolfish and do not yield; the people are poor and quarrel with hatred, toil with their strength and have no achievement, wisdom and deceit sprout and flourish, robbers and thieves become more conspicuous, high and low resent each other, and orders cannot be carried out. The officials in charge do not strive to return to the Way and set right the root but cultivate the branches, thinning their virtue and piling layer upon layer of punishments, and think that this is governing. It is no different from holding up a slingshot to call birds or raising a stick to tease a dog; disorder only grows worse. When water is muddy, fish gasp upward; when government is harsh, the people riot. So those who raise tigers, leopards, rhinos, and elephants make them enclosures and fences, supply their appetites, match their hunger and fullness, and avoid their anger. Yet they cannot live out their natural years, because the body is held in constraint. So when those above are full of cleverness, those below are full of deceit; when those above are full of affairs, those below are full of pretenses; when those above are troublesome, those below are unsettled; when those above demand much, those below contend with one another. Not seeking straightness from the root but working on the branches is like raising dust to stop dust or embracing firewood to save from fire. So the sage keeps affairs few and so governs easily, seeks little and so is easily satisfied; without bestowing he is humane, without speaking he is trusted, without seeking he obtains, and without doing he accomplishes. Solid and whole, he preserves truth, embraces virtue, and pushes forward sincerity, and the world follows him like an echo answers sound and a shadow follows form; what he cultivates is the root. Punishments are not enough to change customs, and killing is not enough to stop treachery; only spiritual transformation is valuable, and the utmost essence is spirit.

夫疾呼不過聞百步，志之所在，逾於千里。冬日之陽，夏日之陰，萬物歸之，而莫使之然。故至精之像，弗招而自來，不麾而自住，窈窈冥冥，不知為之者誰，而功自成。智者弗能誦，辯者弗能形。昔孫叔敖恬臥，而郢人無所害其鋒；市南宜遼弄丸，而兩家之難無所關其辭。鞅鞈鐵鎧，瞋目扼腕，其於以禦兵刃，縣矣；券契束帛，刑罰斧鉞，其於以解難，薄矣；待目而照見，待言而使令，其於為治，難矣。蘧伯玉為相，子貢往觀之，曰：“何以治國？”曰：“以弗治治之。”簡子欲伐衛，使史黯往覿焉，還報曰：“蘧伯玉為相，未可以加兵。”固塞險阻，何足以致之！故皋陶瘖而為大理，天下無虐刑，有貴於言者也；師曠瞽而為太宰，晉無亂政，有貴於見者也。故不言之令，不視之見，此伏犧、神農之所以為師也。

A shout does not carry beyond a hundred paces, yet where the will lies it exceeds a thousand li. The sun of winter and the shade of summer are what the myriad things turn to, yet no one makes them so. So the response of the utmost essence comes without being summoned and stops without being signaled; it is dim and dark, and one does not know who does it, and the achievement completes itself. The wise cannot recite it and the eloquent cannot describe it. In the past Sun Shu'ao lay at ease, and the men of Ying had no way to bring their blades against him; Shi Nan Yiliao played with pellets, and the troubles of two houses had no way to involve his words. To put on a leather coat and iron armor, glare and grip one's wrist to resist blades is far inferior; to use tallies and silk bundles, punishments and axes to resolve difficulties is thin; to wait for the eyes to see and for words to give orders in order to govern is hard. When Qu Boyu was a minister, Zigong went to observe him and said: "What do you use to govern the state?" He answered: "I govern by not governing." When Jianzi wanted to attack Wei, he had Shi An go to spy, and he returned and reported: "Qu Boyu is the minister; troops cannot be sent against it." How could solid fortresses and defiles bring this about! So Gao Yao was mute yet served as chief judge, and the world had no cruel punishments, for there is something nobler than speech; Shi Kuang was blind yet served as chief steward, and Jin had no disorderly governance, for there is something nobler than sight. So the order that is not spoken and the seeing that is not looked at: this is how Fuxi and Shennong became teachers.

故民之化也，不從其所言而從所行。故齊莊公好勇，不使鬥爭，而國家多難，其漸至於崔杼之亂。頃襄好色，不使風議，而民多昏亂，其積至昭奇之難。故至精之所動，若春氣之生，秋氣之殺也，雖馳傳鶩置，不若此其亟。故君人者，共猶射者乎！於此豪末，於彼尋常矣。故慎所以感之也。夫榮啟期一彈，而孔子三日樂，感於和；鄒忌一徽，而威王終夕悲，感於憂。動諸琴瑟，形諸音聲，而能使人為之哀樂，縣法設賞而不能移風易俗者，其誠心弗施也。甯戚商歌車下，桓公喟然而寤。至精入人深矣。故曰：樂聽其音，則知其俗；見其俗，則知其化。孔子學鼓琴於師襄，而諭文王之志，見微以知明矣。延陵季子聽魯樂，而知殷、夏之風，論近以識遠也。作之上古，施及千歲，而文不滅；況於並世化民乎！湯之時，七年旱，以身禱於桑林之際，而四海之雲湊，千里之雨至。抱質效誠，感動天地，神諭方外。令行禁止，豈足為哉！古聖王至精形於內，而好憎忘於外，出言以副情，發號以明旨，陳之以禮樂，風之以歌謠，業貫萬世而不壅，橫扃四方而不窮，禽獸昆蟲與之陶化，又況於執法施令乎！

So the transformation of the people does not follow what the ruler says but what he does. Duke Zhuang of Qi loved courage and did not tell people to fight, yet the state had many troubles and gradually came to Cui Zhu's disorder. King Qingxiang loved women and did not tell people to criticize him, yet the people were much confused and disorderly, accumulating to the disaster of Zhao Qi. So what the utmost essence moves is like the growth of spring qi and the killing of autumn qi; even riding fast relay horses cannot match its speed. So a ruler is probably like an archer! A hair's breadth off at this end becomes a fathom off at the other. So one must be careful about what moves the people. Rong Qiqi played once and Confucius was happy for three days, moved by harmony; Zou Ji plucked once and King Wei grieved the whole night, moved by sorrow. Movement lies on zither and lute, form lies in sound, and it can make people grieve or rejoice because of it; hanging up laws and setting up rewards without being able to change customs is because sincerity has not been applied. Ning Qi sang a shang song under a cart, and Duke Huan sighed and awakened. The utmost essence enters people deeply. So it is said: hear its music and you know its customs; see its customs and you know its transformation. Confucius studied zither with Shi Xiang and understood King Wen's aspiration; seeing the subtle, one knows the clear. Jizi of Yanling listened to the music of Lu and knew the airs of Yin and Xia; from near discussion one recognizes the distant. What was made in high antiquity extended a thousand years without its patterns perishing; how much more in transforming the people of one's own time! In the time of Tang, there was a drought for seven years, and he prayed in the mulberry grove with his own body; clouds from the four seas gathered and rain came from a thousand li. Embracing sincerity and offering truthfulness, he moved Heaven and Earth, and spirit enlightened what lay beyond the regions. That orders were carried out and prohibitions stopped is hardly worth counting! The ancient sage kings had the utmost essence formed within and likes and dislikes forgotten outside; their words matched their feelings, their orders made clear their meaning, they displayed them with ritual and music and gently admonished with songs, their enterprise ran through ten thousand ages without being blocked and spanned the four quarters without being exhausted, and birds, beasts, and insects were molded together with it; how much more so in enforcing laws and issuing orders!

故太上神化，其次使不得為非，其次賞賢而罰暴。衡之於左右，無私輕重，故可以為平；繩之於內外，無私曲直，故可以為正。人主之於用法，無私好憎，故可以為命。夫權輕重不差蟁首，扶撥枉橈不失針鋒，直施矯邪不私闢險。奸不能枉，讒不能亂，德無所立，怨無所藏，是任術而釋人心者也。故為治者不與焉。

So the highest is spiritual transformation, next is making it impossible for people to do wrong, and next is rewarding the worthy and punishing the violent. A balance has no private lightness or heaviness toward left and right, so it can serve as a standard of level; a plumb line has no private crookedness or straightness toward inside and outside, so it can serve as a standard of straight. A ruler has no private likes and dislikes in applying the law, so he can serve as the one who gives orders. He weighs light and heavy without error of a mosquito's head, straightens crooked and bent without error of a needle's point, straightens the slanting and corrects the deviant, and does not privately avoid difficulty. Treachery cannot bend, slander cannot disturb, virtue has no place to establish itself and resentment no place to hide; this is one who entrusts the art and lets go of the human heart. So the one who governs does not take part in it.

夫舟浮於水，車轉於陸，此勢之自然也。木擊折轊，水戾破舟，不怨木石而罪巧拙者，知故不載焉。是故道有智則惑，德有心則險，心有目則眩。兵莫憯於志，而莫邪為下；寇莫大於陰陽，而枹鼓為小。

A boat floats on water and a cart turns on land; this is the naturalness of circumstance. When a log strikes and breaks the axle head, or water churns and wrecks a boat, one does not blame the wood or stone but ascribes it to skill or clumsiness; this is because cleverness is not lodged in the heart. So where there is wisdom within the Way, there is confusion; where there is a heart within virtue, there is danger; where there are eyes within the heart, there is dizziness. No weapon is more cruel than the will, and Moye is only below it; no bandit is greater than yin and yang, and the drumstick and drum are only small.

今夫權衡規矩，一定而不易，不為秦、楚變節，不為胡、越改容，常一而不邪，方行而不流，一日刑之，萬世傳之，而以無為為之，故國有亡主，而世無廢道；人有困窮，而理無不通。由此觀之，無為者，道之宗。故得道之宗，應物無窮，任人之才，難以至治。湯、武，聖主也，而不能與越人乘幹舟而浮於江湖；伊尹，賢相也，而不能與胡人騎騵馬而服駒駼；孔、墨博通，而不能與山居者入榛薄險阻也。由此觀之，則人知之於物也淺矣，而欲以遍照海內，存萬方，不因道之數，而專己之能，則其窮不達矣。故智不足以治天下也。桀之力，制觡伸鉤，索鐵歙金，椎移大犧，水殺黿鼉，陸捕熊羆；然湯革車三百乘，困之鳴條，擒之焦門。由此觀之，勇力不足以持天下矣。智不足以為治，勇不足以為強，則人材不足任，明也。而君人者不下廟堂之上，而知四海之外者，因物以識物，因人以知人也。故積力之所舉，則無不勝也；眾智之所為，則無不成也。陷井之無黿鼉，隘也；園中之無修木，小也。夫舉重鼎者，力少而不能勝也，及至其移徙之，不待其多力者。故千人之群無絕梁，萬人之聚無廢功。

Now the balance, compass, and square are fixed and unchanged; they do not alter their standard for Qin or Chu, nor change their look for the Hu or Yue; constantly one and not crooked, square in conduct and not drifting, once they are molded they are passed down for ten thousand generations, made by non-action. So a state has perished rulers but the world has no abandoned Way; people have hardship and poverty but principle has nothing that does not go through. From this we see that non-action is the ancestor of the Way. So one who gains the ancestor of the Way responds to things without end; one who merely relies on one person's talent can hardly attain order. Tang and Wu were sage rulers, yet they could not float on rivers and lakes in a small boat with the people of Yue; Yi Yin was a worthy minister, yet he could not ride a wild horse with the Hu and subdue a colt; Confucius and Mozi were broadly learned, yet they could not enter thickets and defiles with mountain dwellers. From this we see that a person's knowledge of things is shallow, yet if he wants to illuminate everything within the seas and preserve the myriad regions, without following the numbers of the Way but relying solely on his own ability, then hardship will not be passed through. So wisdom is not enough to govern the world. The strength of Jie could subdue the horn, straighten hooks, twist iron, and compress metal, push over great sacrificial oxen, kill great turtles and crocodiles in water, and catch bears and brown bears on land; yet Tang with three hundred leather chariots trapped him at Mingtiao and captured him at Jiaomen. From this we see that bravery and strength are not enough to hold the world. Wisdom is not enough to govern, bravery is not enough to be strong, so it is clear that a single person's talents are not enough to be solely relied on. A ruler who does not descend from the temple hall yet knows what is beyond the four seas recognizes things through things and knows people through people. So what is lifted by accumulated strength cannot fail to prevail; what is done by many minds cannot fail to succeed. A sunken well has no great turtles because it is narrow; a garden has no tall trees because it is small. To lift a heavy tripod, little strength cannot prevail; but when it comes to moving it, there is no need to wait for a person of exceptional strength. So in a crowd of a thousand no bridge is cut off, and in a gathering of ten thousand no work is abandoned.

夫華騮、綠耳，一日而至千里，然其使之搏兔，不如豺狼，伎能殊也。鴟夜撮蚤蚊，察分秋豪，晝日顛越，不能見丘山，形性詭也。夫螣蛇遊霧而動，應龍乘雲而舉，猿得木而捷，魚得水而鶩。故古之為車也，漆者不畫，鑿者不斫，工無二伎，士不兼官，各守其職，不得相姦，人得其宜，物得其安。是以器械不苦，而職事不嫚。夫責少者易償，職寡者易守，任輕者易權。上操約省之分，下效易為之功，是以君臣彌久而不相厭。君人之道，其猶零星之屍也，儼然玄默，而吉祥受福。是故得道者不為醜飾，不為偽善，一人被之而不袤，萬人蒙之而不褊。是故重為惠，若重為暴，則治道通矣。為惠者，尚佈施也。無功而厚賞，無勞而高爵，則守職者懈於官，而遊居者亟於進矣。為暴者，妄誅也。無罪者而死亡，行直而被刑，則修身者不勸善，而為邪者輕犯上矣。故為惠者生奸，而為暴者生亂。奸亂之俗，亡國之風。是故明主之治，國有誅者而主無怒焉，朝有賞者而君無與焉。誅者不怨君，罪之所當也；賞者不德上，功之所致也。民知誅賞之來，皆在於身也。故務功修業，不受贛於君。是故朝廷蕪而無跡，田野闢而無草。故太上，下知有之。橋直植立而不動，俯仰取制焉；人主靜漠而不躁，百官得修焉。譬而軍之持麾者，妄指則亂矣。慧不足以大寧，智不足以安危，與其譽堯而毀桀也，不如掩聰明而反修其道也。

The Hualiu and Lu'er horses could go a thousand li in a day, yet if made to grapple with a hare they are no match for a jackal or wolf; their abilities differ. The owl at night picks up fleas and mosquitoes and can discern the tip of an autumn hair, but by day it stumbles and cannot see hills and mountains; its form and nature are strange. The flying serpent moves in the mist, the winged dragon rises on clouds, the ape is nimble when it has a tree, and the fish rushes when it has water. So in making carts in ancient times, the lacquerer did not paint, the carver did not hew, and craftsmen did not have two skills; officers did not hold double offices, each kept his post and could not encroach on others; people got what suited them and things got where they were at ease. Thus tools were not crude and duties were not neglected. Those whose responsibilities are few are easily repaid, those with few duties easily keep them, and those with light assignments are easily weighed. The ruler holds the share of brevity, and those below contribute effort to work that is easy to do; thus ruler and minister do not tire of each other however long they last. The way of a ruler is like impersonating the dead at a minor sacrifice: solemn and dark and silent, yet receiving auspicious blessings. So one who has the Way does not make ugliness polished or do good out of pretense; one person wears it and does not feel it is long, ten thousand people are covered by it and do not feel it is narrow. So to take bestowing favors as weighty is to be as careful as with inflicting cruelty, and the Way of governance will go through. Bestowing favors means esteeming giving. Generous rewards without merit and high rank without labor make those who keep their posts lax toward office and those who loiter eager to advance. Inflicting cruelty means executing rashly. When the innocent die and the upright are punished, those who cultivate themselves are not encouraged toward good, and those who do wrong easily offend their superiors. So bestowing favors breeds treachery and inflicting cruelty breeds disorder. A custom of treachery and disorder is the wind of a perishing state. So the governing of an enlightened ruler is such that in the state there are those who are executed yet the ruler has no anger, and at court there are those who are rewarded yet the ruler has no private grant. Those executed do not resent the ruler, because the crime deserved it; those rewarded are not grateful to those above, because merit brought it. The people know that executions and rewards all come from themselves. So they strive for merit and cultivate their work and do not receive gifts from the ruler. So the court is overgrown and without traces, and the fields are opened without weeds. So of the highest sort, those below only know that he exists. A bridge laid straight and a pillar standing do not move, yet raising and lowering all take their norms from them; the ruler is still and quiet and not restless, and the hundred officials can be well ordered. It is like the one holding the signal flag in an army: if he points rashly, there is disorder. Cleverness is not enough to complete great peace, wisdom is not enough to secure against danger; rather than praise Yao and revile Jie, it is better to cover up one's brightness and return to cultivating that Way.

清靜無為，則天與之時；廉儉守節，則地生之財；處愚稱德，則聖人為之謀。是故下者萬物歸之，虛者天下遺之。夫人主之聽治也，清明而不暗，虛心而弱志。是故群臣輻湊並進，無愚智賢不肖，莫不盡其能。於是乃始陳其禮，建以為基。是乘眾勢以為車，禦眾智以為馬。雖幽野險途，則無由惑矣。

With pure stillness and non-action, Heaven gives him its seasons; with integrity and frugality and keeping restraint, Earth produces wealth for him; dwelling in simplicity and extolling virtue, the sage plans for him. So one who dwells low, the myriad things turn to; one who is empty, the world sends gifts to. When the ruler listens and governs, he is clear and not dim, and humble of heart and soft of will. So the ministers gather like spokes and advance together, and whether foolish or wise, worthy or unworthy, none fails to exhaust his ability. Only then does one begin to set out ritual and establish works as a foundation. This is riding the many circumstances as a cart and driving the many minds as horses. Even through dark wilds and dangerous roads, there is no way to be misled.

人主深居隱處以避燥濕，閨門重襲以避奸賊，內不知閭裡之情，外不知山澤之形，帷幕之外，目不能見十裡之前，耳不能聞百步之外；天下之物，無不通者，其灌輸之者大，而斟酌之者眾也。是故不出戶而知天下，不窺牖而知天道，乘眾人之智，則天下之不足有也。專用其心，則獨身不能保也。是故人主覆之以德，不行其智，而因萬人之所利。夫舉踵天下而得所利，故百姓載之上，弗重也，錯之前，弗害也，舉之而弗高也，推之而弗厭。

The ruler dwells deep and hidden to avoid dryness and dampness, and his inner gates are layered to avoid treachery and thieves; inside he does not know the real conditions of the villages, outside he does not know the shape of the mountains and marshes; beyond his curtains his eyes cannot see ten li ahead and his ears cannot hear beyond a hundred paces; yet there is nothing in the world he does not understand, because the channels feeding him are large and those who weigh matters are many. So without going out of his door he knows the world, without peering through a window he knows the Way of Heaven; riding on the wisdom of the multitude, even the whole world is not enough to count as his possession. If he used his own mind alone, he could not even preserve his own person. So the ruler covers with virtue, does not exercise his own wisdom, and follows what benefits the myriad people. When he stands on tiptoe the world receives benefit, so the people bear him above and do not feel him heavy, place him in front and do not feel harmed, lift him and do not feel he is high, push him and do not tire of him.

主道員者，運轉而無端，化育如神，虛無因循，常後而不先也；臣道員者，運轉而無方，論是而處當，為事先倡，守職分明，以立成功也。是故君臣異道則治，同道則亂。各得其宜，處其當，則上下有以相使也。夫人主之聽治也，虛心而弱志，清明而不暗。是故群臣輻湊並進，無愚智賢不肖，莫不盡其能者，則君得所以制臣，臣得所以事君，治國之道明矣。文王智而好問，故聖；武王勇而好問，故勝。夫乘眾人之智，則無不任也；用眾人之力，則無不勝也。千鈞之重，烏獲不能舉也；眾人相一，則百人有餘力矣。是故任一人之力者，則烏獲不足恃；乘眾人之制者，則天下不足有也。

The way of the ruler is round, revolving without end, transforming like a spirit, empty and following, always staying behind and not rushing ahead; the way of the minister is square (the base text writes 'round', and an older collation reads it as 'square'), revolving without a fixed direction, discussing what is right and dwelling where fitting, doing affairs by taking the lead and guiding, keeping duties clear in order to establish success. So when ruler and minister have different ways there is order, and when their ways are the same there is disorder. Each gets what suits him and dwells where he should, and above and below have what they use to employ each other. The ruler listens and governs with humble heart and soft will, clear and not dim. So the ministers gather like spokes and advance together, and whether foolish or wise, worthy or unworthy, none fails to exhaust his ability; the ruler gains what controls the ministers, the ministers gain what serves the ruler, and the Way of governing a state is clear. King Wen was wise and liked to ask questions, so he was a sage; King Wu was brave and liked to ask questions, so he prevailed. Riding on the wisdom of the multitude, there is nothing one cannot take on; using the strength of the multitude, there is nothing one cannot overcome. A weight of a thousand jun cannot be lifted by Wu Huo; when the multitude join as one, a hundred people have strength to spare. So relying solely on one person's strength, even Wu Huo is not enough to depend on; riding on the control of the multitude, even the world is not enough to count as one's possession.

禹決江疏河，以為天下興利，而不能使水西流；稷闢土墾草，以為百姓力農，然不能使禾冬生。豈其人事不至哉？其勢不可也。夫推而不可為之勢，而不修道理之數，雖神聖人不能以成其功，而況當世之主乎！夫載重而馬羸，雖造父不能以致遠；車輕馬良，雖中工可使追速。是故聖人舉事也，豈能拂道理之數，詭自然之性，以曲為直，以屈為伸哉！未嘗不因其資而用之也。是以積力之所舉，無不勝也，而眾智之所為，無不成也。聾者可令嚼筋，而不可使有聞也；瘖者可使守圉，而不可使言也。形有所不周，而能有所不容也。是故有一形者處一位，有一能者服一事。力勝其任，則舉之者不重也；能稱其事，則為之者不難也。毋小大修短，各得其宜，則天下一齊，無以相過也。聖人兼而用之，故無棄才。人主貴正而尚忠，忠正在上位，執正營事，則讒佞奸邪無由進矣。譬猶方員之不相蓋，而巨直之不相入。夫鳥獸之不可同群者，其類異也；虎鹿之不同遊者，力不敵也。是故聖人得志而在上位，讒佞奸邪而欲犯主者，譬猶雀之見鸇而鼠之遇狸也，亦必無餘命也。

Yu breached the Yangtze and opened the Yellow River to bring benefit to the world, but he could not make water flow west; Ji opened land and cleared wild grass to exert effort in farming for the people, but he could not make grain grow in winter. Was it that human effort was not made? It is that circumstance does not allow it. To push what circumstance does not allow while not cultivating the numbers of principle, even a spiritual sage cannot complete his work, let alone rulers of the present age! If the load is heavy and the horse weak, even Zaofu cannot reach far; if the cart is light and the horses good, even a middling driver can catch up in speed. So how could a sage in his affairs go against the numbers of principle or distort the nature of the natural, treating the crooked as straight and the bent as extended? He has never failed to use things according to their resources. So what is lifted by gathering the strength of the multitude never fails to prevail; what is done by the wisdom of the multitude never fails to succeed. A deaf person may be made to chew sinew but cannot be made to hear; a mute may be made to guard a city but cannot be made to speak. The body has what it cannot make complete, and ability has what it cannot contain. So one kind of form occupies one position, and one kind of ability takes one task. When strength is equal to the post, lifting it feels not heavy; when ability matches the task, doing it feels not hard. Whether small or large, long or short, each gets what suits him, and the world is even and uniform, with nothing by which to surpass one another. The sage employs all of them together, so there is no talent abandoned. The ruler values uprightness and esteems loyalty; when loyal and upright people hold high positions and handle affairs by the upright way, slanderers, flatterers, and villains have no way to enter. It is like how square and round cannot cover each other, and how the great and the straight cannot be fitted into each other. Birds and beasts cannot flock together because their kinds differ; tigers and deer do not roam together because their strengths are not matched. So when a sage attains his aim and holds high position, the slanderers and villains who would offend the ruler are like sparrows seeing a falcon or mice meeting a wildcat, certainly with no life left.

是故人主之一舉也，不可不慎也。所任者得其人，則國家治，上下和，群臣親，百姓附。所任非其人，則國家危，上下乖，群臣怨，百姓亂。故一舉而不當，終身傷。得失之道，權要在主。是繩正於上，木直於下，非有事焉，所緣以修者然也。故人主誠正，則直士任事，而奸人伏匿矣；人主不正，則邪人得志，忠者隱蔽矣。夫人主之所以莫抓玉石而抓瓜瓠者，何也？無得於玉石，弗犯也。使人主執正持平，如從繩準高下，則群臣以邪來者，猶以卵投石，以火投水。故靈王好細要，而民有殺食自饑也；越王好勇，而民皆處危爭死。由此觀之，權勢之柄，其以移風易俗矣。堯為匹夫，不能仁化一裡，桀在上位，令行禁止。由此觀之，賢不足以為治，而勢可以易俗明矣。《書》曰：“一人有慶，萬民賴之。”此之謂也。

So every move of a ruler must be careful. If those he employs are the right people, the state is ordered, high and low are in harmony, ministers are close, and the people turn to him. If those he employs are not the right people, the state is in danger, high and low are estranged, ministers resent, and the people riot. So a single wrong move brings injury for a whole life. The way of gain and loss, the key lies with the ruler. It is like a line being straight above and wood being straight below; it is not that anything else is involved, but that what is followed to put it in order makes it so. So when the ruler is sincere and upright, straight officers take on affairs and villains hide; when the ruler is not upright, crooked people attain their ends and the loyal are concealed. Why is it that a ruler does not reach for jade or stone but reaches for gourds and melons? Because nothing is gained from jade and stone, so he does not touch them. Let the ruler hold the upright Way and keep fairness, like measuring height by following the line and ink; ministers who come with crookedness are like hurling an egg at a stone or throwing fire into water. So when King Ling of Chu liked slender waists, there were people among the people who reduced their food and starved themselves; when the king of Yue liked bravery, the people all stood in danger and competed to die. From this we see that the handle of power is used to change customs. When Yao was a commoner, he could not transform even one village with humaneness; when Jie was on the throne, orders were carried out and prohibitions stopped. From this we see clearly that worth is not enough to govern while circumstance can change customs. The Book of Documents says: "When one man has blessings, the myriad people rely on him." This is what that means.

天下多眩於名聲，而寡察其實。是故處人以譽尊，而遊者以辯顯，察其所尊顯，無它故焉，人主不明分數利害之地，而賢眾口之辯也。治國則不然，言事者必究於法，而為行者必治於官。上操其名以責其實，臣守其業以效其功，言不得過其實，行不得逾其法。群臣輻湊，莫敢專君。事不在法律中，而可以便國佐治，必參五行之，陰考以觀其歸，並用周聽，以察其化。不偏一曲，不黨一事。是以中立而遍，運照海內，群臣公正，莫敢為邪，百官述職，務致其公跡也。主精明於上，官勸力於下，奸邪滅跡，庶功日進，是以勇者盡於軍。亂國則不然。有眾鹹譽者無功而賞，守職者無罪而誅。主上暗而不明，群臣黨而不忠，說談者遊於辯，修行者競於住。主上出令，則非之以與；法令所禁，則犯之以邪。為智者務於巧詐，為勇者務於鬥爭。大臣專權，下吏持勢，朋黨周比，以弄其上。國雖若存，古之人曰亡矣。且夫不治官職，而被甲兵，不隨南畝而有賢聖之聲者，非所以教於國也。騏驥、騄駬，天下之疾馬也，驅之不前，引之不止，雖愚者不加體焉。今治亂之機，轍跡可見也，而世主莫之能察，此治道之所以塞。權勢者，人主之車輿；爵祿者，人臣之轡銜也。是故人主處權勢之要，而持爵祿之柄，審緩急之度，而適取予之節。是以天下盡力而不倦。

The world is mostly dazzled by names and seldom examines their reality. So those who live at leisure are honored by praise, and those who persuade are conspicuous by eloquence; if we examine why they are honored and prominent, there is no other cause than that the ruler does not understand where shares and benefits and harms lie and takes the eloquence of many mouths for worth. Governing a state is not like this. Those who discuss matters must trace them in law, and those who do work must be governed by officials. Those above hold names to demand their reality, and ministers keep their own work to present their achievements; words may not exceed their reality, and conduct may not exceed its law. The ministers gather like spokes, and no one dares claim the ruler for himself. If a matter is not within the laws but can benefit the state and assist in governing, one must act on it only after repeated testing, secretly examine where it leads, use it along with listening widely to observe its changes. Do not be one-sided on a crooked path and do not form a clique over one matter. So one who stands in the middle and is all-embracing turns and illuminates all within the seas; the ministers are impartial, and none dares do wrong; the hundred officials report their duties and strive to present just deeds. When the ruler above is discerning and the officials below strive, treachery vanishes, and many achievements advance day by day, so the brave exhaust their strength in the army. A disordered state is not like this. There are those praised by everyone in unison who are rewarded without merit, and those who keep their posts are executed without crime. The ruler above is dim and not clear, the ministers form cliques and are not loyal, those who talk wander in eloquence, and those who cultivate conduct fight and seize positions (the base text writes 'dwelling', but 'dwelling' is an error for 'position'). When the ruler issues an order, they use cliques to criticize it; what the law prohibits, they offend with crookedness. Those who act as wise strive for craftiness and deceit, and those who act as brave strive for fighting. Great ministers monopolize power, lower officials seize authority, and cliques form to toy with those above. Though the state seems to still exist, the ancients would say it had already perished. Moreover, those who do not govern their offices and instead wear armor and carry weapons, and those who do not follow the southern fields yet have the name of worthies and sages, are not to be taught to the state. Qiji and Lu'er are the world's swift horses, but if you drive them and they do not go forward, or pull them and they will not stop, even a fool would not put them to use. Now the pivot of order and disorder, its wheel tracks can already be seen, yet no ruler of the age can discern it; this is why the Way of governing is blocked. Power is the ruler's carriage; rank and salary are the minister's reins and bit. So the ruler dwells at the key point of power, holds the handle of rank and salary, examines the measure of slowness and urgency, and suits the restraint of taking and giving. So the world exerts its strength without tiring.

夫臣主之相與也，非有父子之厚，骨肉之親也，而竭力殊死，不辭其軀者，何也？勢有使之然也。昔者豫讓，中行文子之臣。智伯伐中行氏，併吞其地。豫讓背其主而臣智伯。智伯與趙襄子戰於晉陽之下，身死為戮，國分為三。豫讓欲報趙襄子，漆身為厲，吞炭變音，擿齒易貌。夫以一人之心而事兩主，或背而去，或欲身徇之，豈其趨舍厚薄之勢異哉？人之恩澤使之然也。紂兼天下，朝諸侯，人跡所及，舟楫所通，莫不賓服。然而武王甲卒三千人，禽之於牧野。豈周民死節，而殷民背叛哉？其主之義德厚而號令行也。夫疾風而波興，木茂而鳥集，相生之氣也。是故臣不得其所欲於君者，君亦不能得其所求於臣也。君臣之施者，相報之勢也。是故臣盡力死節以與君，君計功垂爵以與臣。是故君不能賞無功之臣，臣亦不能死無德之君。君德不下流於民，而欲用之，如鞭蹄馬矣。是猶不待雨而熟稼，必不可之數也。

Ministers and ruler deal with each other without the thickness of father and son or the closeness of flesh and blood, yet they exhaust their strength, fight to the death, and do not decline to sacrifice their bodies. Why? Circumstance makes them so. In the past Yu Rang was a minister of Zhonghang Wenzi. Zhi Bo attacked the Zhonghang clan and annexed their land. Yu Rang turned away from his lord and became Zhi Bo's minister. Zhi Bo fought Zhao Xiangzi below the walls of Jinyang, and Zhi Bo was killed and his state divided into three. Yu Rang wanted to take revenge on Zhao Xiangzi; he smeared lacquer on his body to get leprosy, swallowed charcoal to change his voice, and knocked out his teeth to change his looks. With one heart serving two lords, sometimes turning away and leaving, sometimes wishing to follow in death with his body, was it that his circumstance of leaning toward or away, thick or thin, differed? It is the grace of people that made him so. Zhou held the whole world and made the feudal lords come to court; where human tracks reached and boats and oars passed, none did not submit. Yet King Wu with three thousand armored soldiers captured him at Muye. Was it that the people of Zhou were willing to die for their principles while the people of Yin turned against him? It is that the ruler's righteousness and virtue were thick and his orders could be carried out. When a gale comes, waves rise; when trees are lush, birds gather; these are mutually producing qi. So a minister cannot get from the ruler what he wants, and the ruler cannot get from the minister what he seeks. The bestowing and giving of ruler and minister is a circumstance of mutual repayment. So the minister gives his strength and dies for principle for the ruler, and the ruler counts merit and lowers rank for the minister. So the ruler cannot reward a minister without merit, and a minister cannot die for a ruler without virtue. If a ruler's virtue does not flow down to the people yet he wants to use them, it is like whipping a horse that will not accept the bridle. This is like not waiting for rain and yet wanting the crops to ripen; certainly it is a number that cannot be done.

君人之道，處靜以修身，儉約以率下。靜則下不擾矣，儉則民不怨矣；下擾則政亂，民怨則德薄；政亂則賢者不為謀，德薄則勇者不為死。是故人主好鷙鳥猛獸，珍怪奇物，狡躁康荒，不愛民力，馳騁田獵，出入不時，如此，則百官務亂，事勤財匱，萬民悉苦，生業不修矣。人主好高臺深池，雕琢刻鏤，黼黻文章，絺綌綺繡，寶玩珠玉；則賦斂無度，而萬民力竭矣。堯之有天下也，非貪萬民之富而安人主之位也，以為百姓力征，強淩弱，眾暴寡，於是堯乃身服節儉之行，而明相愛之仁，以和輯之。是故茅茨不翦，採椽不斷，大路不畫，越席不緣，大羹不和，粢食不毇。巡狩行教，勤勞天下，周流五嶽。豈其奉養不足樂哉！舉天下而以為社稷，非有利焉。年衰志憫，舉天下而傳之舜，猶卻行而脫屣也。衰世則不然。一日而有天下之富，處人主之勢，則竭百姓之力，以奉耳目之欲，志專在宮室臺榭，陂池苑囿，猛獸熊羆，玩好珍怪。是故貧民糟糠不接於口，而虎狼熊羆厭芻豢；百姓短褐不完，而宮室衣錦繡。人主急茲無用之功，百姓黎民，憔悴於天下。是故使天下不安其性。

The way of a ruler lies in using stillness to cultivate himself and thrift to set an example for those below. With stillness, those below are not disturbed; with thrift, the people do not resent. When those below are disturbed, government is disordered; when the people resent, virtue is thin. When government is disordered, the worthy do not plan for him; when virtue is thin, the brave do not die for him. So when a ruler likes raptors and fierce beasts, rare and strange things, is cunning, restless, and indulges desires, takes pleasure in ease and neglect, does not spare the people's strength, gallops about hunting, and goes out and in at irregular times, then the hundred officials strive to make disorder, labor is heavy and wealth scarce, the myriad people are all distressed, and their livelihoods are not cultivated. When a ruler likes high terraces and deep ponds, carving and engraving, embroidered ornaments and patterns, kudzu cloth, damask, and embroidery, treasures, jade, and pearls, taxes have no limit and the strength of the myriad people is exhausted. When Yao held the world, it was not that he coveted the wealth of the myriad people or was content with the position of ruler; it was that the people used force against each other, the strong bullied the weak and the many oppressed the few, so Yao personally practiced thrift and made manifest the humaneness of mutual love to harmonize them. So his thatched roof was not trimmed, his oak rafters were not hewn, his great carriage was not painted, his rush mats had no border, his great soup was not seasoned, and his rice was not finely pounded. He toured and inspected to carry out teaching, toiled for the world, and made the rounds of the Five Peaks. Was his upkeep not pleasant enough! He took the world as the altar of the land and grain, not for any benefit of his own. When the years declined and his heart grew sorrowful, he passed the world to Shun as easily as walking backward or taking off shoes. A declining age is not like this. In a single day one has the wealth of the world and sits in the position of ruler, and then exhausts the strength of the people to supply the desires of ears and eyes, and his mind is solely on palaces, terraces, ponds, parks, fierce beasts, bears, brown bears, playthings, and rare and strange things. So the poor have no chaff to reach their mouths while tigers, wolves, bears, and brown bears are sated with livestock; the people's coarse short clothes are incomplete while in the palace they wear brocade and embroidery. The ruler hastens to this useless work, and the common people languish in the world. So he makes it impossible for the world to be at ease in its nature.

人主之居也，如日月之明也。天下之所同側目而視，側耳而聽，延頸舉踵而望也。是故非澹薄無以明德，非寧靜無以致遠，非寬大無以兼覆，非慈厚無以懷眾，非平正無以制斷。是故賢主之用人也，猶巧工之制木也，大者以為舟航柱梁，小者以為楫楔，修者以為櫚榱，短者以為朱儒枅櫨。無小大修短，各得其所宜；規矩方圓，各有所施。天下之物，莫兇於雞毒，然而良醫橐而藏之，有所用也。是故林莽之材，猶無可棄者，而況人乎？今夫朝廷之所不舉，鄉曲之所不譽，非其人不肖也，其所以官之者非其職也。鹿之上山，獐不能跂也，及其下，牧豎能追之；才有所修短也。是故有大略者，不可責以捷巧；有小智者，不可任以大功。人有其才，物有其形，有任一而太重，或任百而尚輕。是故審豪釐計者，必遺天下之大數；不失小物之選者，惑於大數之舉。譬猶狸之不可使搏牛，虎之不可使捕鼠也。今人之才，或欲平九州，並方外，存危國，繼絕世，志在直道正邪，決煩理挐，而乃責之以閨閣之禮，奧窔之間；或佞巧小具，諂進愉說，隨鄉曲之俗，卑下眾人之耳目，而乃任之以天下之權，治亂之機。是猶以斧劗毛，以刀抵木也，皆失其宜矣。

The dwelling of a ruler is as bright as the sun and moon. The whole world turns its eyes sideways to look, its ears sideways to listen, stretches its necks and stands on tiptoe to gaze. So without plainness there is no way to manifest virtue, without tranquility no way to reach far, without breadth no way to cover all, without kindness and generosity no way to comfort the multitude, and without evenness and uprightness no way to decide. So a worthy ruler employs people like a skilled craftsman cutting wood: the large is used for boats, masts, pillars, and beams, the small for oars and wedges, the long for bolts and rafters, and the short for dwarf pillars and brackets. Whether small, large, long, or short, each gets what suits it; compass, square, round, and straight each have their use. Among the things of the world none is fiercer than the poison of the cormorant, yet a good doctor stores it in a bag, because it has a use. So even timber from woods and thickets has nothing to throw away, let alone people? Now those whom the court does not promote and whom the villages do not praise are not unworthy; it is that the office given to them is not their duty. A deer climbs a mountain, and the roe cannot keep up on tiptoe, but when it comes down the mountain a shepherd boy can catch it; talents have strengths and weaknesses. So one with great strategy cannot be demanded to be nimble and clever, and one with small wisdom must not be entrusted with great deeds. People have their talents and things have their forms; some are overburdened by one task and some find a hundred tasks light. So one who examines hairs and strands to count will surely miss the great numbers of the world; one who does not lose small things in his selection will be confused in the movements of great numbers. It is like how a wildcat cannot be made to grapple with an ox and a tiger cannot be made to catch mice. Now among people's talents, some want to pacify the nine regions, annex lands beyond the borders, preserve endangered states, and continue lost lines; their aim lies in the straight Way, in correcting crookedness, deciding confusion, and ordering tangles, yet they are demanded to follow the rituals of the inner chambers and matters of the recesses of the home; others have only the small skills of flattery and cleverness, advancing by fawning and pleasing, following village customs and humbling themselves before the eyes and ears of the crowd, yet are entrusted with the world's power and the pivot of order and disorder. This is like using an axe to shave hair or a knife to fell wood; both lose what is fitting.

人主者，以天下之目視，以天下之耳聽，以天下之智慮，以天下之力爭。是故號令能下究，而臣情得上聞。百官修同，群君輻湊，喜不以賞賜，怒不以罪誅。是故威立而不廢，聰明光而不蔽，法令察而不苛，耳目達而不暗，善否之情，日陳於前而無所逆。是故賢者盡其智，而不肖者竭其力。德澤兼覆而不偏，群臣勸務而不怠，近者安其性，遠者懷其德。所以然者，何也？得用人之道，而不任己之才者也。故假輿馬者，足不勞而致千里；乘舟楫者，不能遊而絕江海。夫人主之情，莫不欲總海內之智，盡眾人之力，然而群臣志達效忠者，希不困其身。使言之而是，雖在褐夫芻蕘，猶不可棄也；使言之而非也，雖在卿相人君，揄策於廟堂之上，未必可用。是非之所在，不可以貴賤尊卑論也。是明主之聽於群臣，其計乃可用，不羞其位；其言可行，而不責其辯。暗主則不然。所愛習親近者，雖邪枉不正，不能見也；疏遠卑賤者，竭力盡忠，不能知也。有言者窮之以辭，有諫者誅之以罪。如此而欲照海內，存萬方，是猶塞耳而聽清濁，掩目而視青黃也，其離聰明則亦遠矣！

The ruler sees with the eyes of the world, hears with the ears of the world, thinks with the wisdom of the world, and contends with the strength of the world. So his orders reach all the way down and the real conditions of the ministers reach upward to be heard. The hundred officials are well ordered and coordinated, the ministers gather like spokes (the base text writes 'many rulers'), joy is not expressed by rewards and anger is not expressed by punishments. So his authority stands and is not abandoned, his intelligence shines and is not obscured, his laws are clear and not harsh, his ears and eyes are open and not dim, and the real conditions of the good and the not good are laid out before him daily without contradiction. So the worthy exhaust their wisdom and the unworthy exhaust their strength. His virtue and grace cover all without partiality, the ministers strive in their tasks without laziness, those near rest in their nature and those far embrace his virtue. Why is it so? Because he has the Way of employing people and does not rely solely on his own talent. So one who relies on carriage and horses reaches a thousand li without tiring his feet; one who rides a boat, not knowing how to swim, can cross rivers and seas. The ruler's feeling is that none fails to want to gather up the wisdom within the seas and use the strength of the multitude fully, yet few ministers whose aims are achieved and who give loyal service avoid having their own bodies brought to hardship. If words are right, even from a straw-gatherer in coarse clothes they cannot be discarded; if words are not right, even drawn up by ministers and rulers in the temple hall they are not necessarily usable. Where right and wrong lie cannot be discussed by noble and humble, high and low. So an enlightened ruler listening to his ministers does not feel ashamed of a person's rank if his plan can be used, and does not demand eloquence if his words can be practiced. A dim ruler is not like this. Those he loves, is familiar with, and keeps close, even if crooked and not upright, he cannot see; those distant and lowly, though they exhaust themselves in loyalty, he cannot know. If someone speaks, he exhausts him with words; if someone remonstrates, he executes him for a crime. If so, yet he wants to illuminate all within the seas and preserve the myriad regions, it is like stopping up the ears to hear clear and muddy sounds or covering the eyes to see blue and yellow; far from intelligence indeed.

法者，天下之度量，而人主之準繩也。縣法者，法不法也；設賞者，賞當賞也。法定之後，中程者賞，缺繩者誅。尊貴者不輕其罰，而卑賤者不重其刑，犯法者雖賢必誅，中度者雖不肖必無罪，是故公道通而私道塞矣。古之置有司也，所以禁民，使不得自恣也；其立君也，所以剬有司，使無專行也；法籍禮儀者，所以禁君，使無擅斷也。人莫得自恣，則道勝；道勝而理達矣，故反於無為。無為者，非謂其凝滯而不動也，以其言莫從己出也。夫寸生於𥢕，𥢕生於日，日生於形，形生於景，此度之本也。樂生於音，音生於律，律生於風，此聲之宗也。法生於義，義生於眾適，眾適合於人心，此治之要也。故通於本者不亂於末，睹於要者不惑於詳。法者，非天墮，非地生，發於人間，而反以自正。是故有諸己不非諸人，無諸己不求諸人。所立於下者，不廢於上；所禁於民者，不行於身。所謂亡國，非無君也，無法也。變法者，非無法也，有法者而不用，與無法等。是故人主之立法，先自為檢式儀錶，故令行於天下。孔子曰：“其身正，不令而行；其身不正，雖令不從。”故禁勝於身，則令行於民矣。

Law is the world's measure and the ruler's standard. Laws are hung up in order to dispose according to law of those who do not keep the law; rewards are established in order to reward those who ought to be rewarded. Once the law is fixed, those who accord with the form are rewarded, and those who fall short of the line and ink are executed. The honored are not given lighter penalties, the lowly are not given heavier punishments; those who violate the law are executed even if worthy, and those who accord with the law are not guilty even if unworthy, so the public way opens and the private way is blocked. In ancient times officials were established to restrain the people so that they could not indulge themselves; a ruler was set up to regulate the officials so that they could not act arbitrarily; legal records and ritual rules were used to restrain the ruler so that he could not decide on his own. When people cannot indulge themselves, the Way prevails; when the Way prevails, principle goes through, so one returns to non-action. Non-action does not mean stagnant and unmoving, but that his words do not come out of himself. The cun (inch) comes from the finest unit of measure (the base text's character here is an obscure one), the fine unit comes from the day, the day from form, and form from shadow; this is the root of measures. Music comes from tone, tone from pitch, and pitch from wind; this is the ancestor of sound. Law comes from righteousness, righteousness comes from what suits the multitude, and what suits the multitude accords with human hearts; this is the essential of governing. So one who penetrates the root is not confused over branches, and one who sees the essential is not misled by details. Law does not fall from the sky or grow from the earth; it comes from among human beings and in turn is used to correct oneself. So what one has oneself, one does not criticize in others; what one lacks oneself, one does not demand from others. What is established below is not abolished above; what is prohibited for the people is not practiced by oneself. What is called a perished state is not one without a ruler but one without law. One who alters the law is not one without law; having law but not using it is equal to having none. So when a ruler establishes law, he first takes himself as the model and standard, and only then can it be put into effect in the world. Confucius said: "If one's own person is upright, orders are carried out without being given; if one's own person is not upright, even if orders are given they are not followed." So when prohibitions first prevail over oneself, orders can be carried out among the people.

聖主之治也，其猶造父之禦。齊輯之於轡銜之際，而急緩之於唇吻之和；正度於胸臆之中，而執節於掌握之間；內得於心中，外合於馬志。是故能進退履繩，而旋曲中規；取道致遠，而氣力有餘。誠得其術也。是故權勢者，人主之車輿也；大臣者，人主之駟馬也。體離車輿之安，而手失駟馬之心，而能不危者，古今未有也。是故輿馬不調，王良不足以取道；君臣不和，唐、虞不能以為治。執術而禦之，則管、晏之智盡矣；明分以示之，則蹠、蹻之奸止矣。夫據除而窺井底，雖達視猶不能見其晴，借明於鑒以照之，則寸分可得而察也。是故明主之耳目不勞，精神不竭，物至而觀其象，事來而應其化，近者不亂，遠者治也。是故不用適然之數，而行必然之道，故萬舉而無遺策矣。今夫禦者，馬體調於車，禦心和於馬，則歷險致遠，進退周遊，莫不如志。雖有騏驥騄駬之良，臧獲禦之，則馬反自恣，而人弗能制矣。故治者不貴其自是，而貴其不得為非也。故曰：勿使可欲，毋曰弗求，勿使可奪，毋曰不爭。如此，則人材釋而公道行矣。美者正於度，而不足者建於用，故海內可一也。夫釋職事而聽非譽，棄公勞而用朋黨，則奇材佻長而幹次，守官者雍遏而不進。如此，則民俗亂於國，而功臣爭於朝。故法律度量者，人主之所以執下，釋之而不用，是猶無轡銜而馳也，群君百姓反弄其上。是故有術則制人，無術則制於人。吞舟之魚，蕩而失水，則制於螻蟻，離其居也；猿狖失木，而禽於狐狸，非其處也。君人者釋所守而與臣下爭，則有司以無為持位，守職者以從君取容。是以人臣藏智而弗用，反以事轉任其上矣。夫富貴者之於勞也，達事者之於察也，驕恣者之於恭也，勢不及君；君人者不任能而好自為之，則智日困而自負其責也。數窮於下，則不能伸理；行墮於國，則不能專制。

A sage ruler governing the world is like Zao Fu driving a carriage. Between the reins and bit he brings the horses into line; in the harmony of lips and mouth he controls fast and slow; within his chest he sets the standards straight; in his grip he holds the measure; within he gains it in his heart, and outwardly he matches the horses' wills. So he can advance and retreat following the plumb line, turn and curve in accord with the compass, take the road to a distant place, and still have strength to spare. He truly has got the art. So power is the ruler's carriage, and the great ministers are the ruler's team of four. If the body is away from the carriage's safety and the hand has lost the heart of the four horses, and yet one is not in danger, there has never been such a case from ancient times to now. So if carriage and horses are not in harmony, even Wang Liang cannot take the road; if ruler and ministers are not in accord, even Yao and Shun could not govern. Hold the art to drive, and the wisdom of Guan Zhong and Yan Ying is exhausted; mark out duties to show them, and the wickedness of Robber Zhi and Zhuang Qiao is stopped. Leaning on the well curb to peer to the bottom, even if one's sight reaches it, one still cannot see the clarity of the well bottom; but with the aid of a mirror's brightness shining on it, one can inspect it to the inch. So the ears and eyes of an enlightened ruler are not wearied, his spirit is not exhausted; when things arrive he looks at their image, when affairs come he responds to their changes, those near are not disordered and the far places are also governed. So he does not use chance and luck but follows the Way of necessity, and so in ten thousand actions there is no oversight in his plans. Now a driver whose horses' bodies are in harmony with the carriage and whose heart is in harmony with the horses can pass through difficulty to reach far places, advance, retreat and circle, with nothing not as he intends. Even with fine horses like Qi, Ji, Hua and Liu, if a slave drove them, the horses would run wild on their own and the man could no longer restrain them. So the one who governs does not value being right himself but values that others cannot do wrong. So it is said: do not let what can be desired appear, and do not say do not seek; do not let what can be contested appear, and do not say do not contest. When it is so, men of talent put down their private aims and the public way proceeds. What is fine is set right by law and measure, what is lacking is established in use, and all within the seas can be unified. If one abandons duties and listens to slander and praise, discards the labor for the public and employs cliques, then marvelous talents jump the ranks and disturb the order, and those who keep their offices are blocked and cannot advance. When it is so, popular custom is disordered in the state and meritorious ministers contend at court. So laws and measures are what the ruler uses to hold those below; to put them down and not use them is like galloping without reins and bit, and the ministers and people in turn play with those above (the base text has a variant reading here). So with art one can restrain people, and without art one is restrained by others. A fish that can swallow a boat, if it flounders and loses water, is restrained by mole crickets and ants, because it has left its dwelling; a monkey that loses its trees is seized by a fox, because it is not in its place. A ruler who puts down what he should keep and contends with his ministers, the officials keep their positions by doing nothing, and those who guard their duties follow the ruler to please him. So ministers hide their wisdom and do not use it, and instead transfer affairs to those above. The rich and noble toward toil, the people who understand affairs toward clear examination, the arrogant toward respect, are none of them a match for the ruler in power; a ruler who does not employ the capable and likes to do things himself finds his wisdom more distressed every day and takes the burden of responsibility himself. When methods are exhausted below, principle cannot be extended; when conduct falls in the state, one cannot rule alone.

智不足以為治，威不足以行誅，則無以與天下交也。喜怒形於心者，欲見於外，則守職者離正而阿上，有司枉法而從風，賞不當功，誅不應罪，上下離心，而君臣相怨也。是以執政阿主，而有過則無以責之。有罪而不誅，則百官煩亂，智弗能解也；毀譽萌生，而明不能照也。不正本而反自然，則人主逾勞，人臣逾逸，是猶代庖宰剝牲，而為大匠斫也。與馬競走，筋絕而弗能及，上車執轡，則馬死於衡下。故伯樂相之，王良禦之，明主乘之，無禦相之勞而致千里者，乘於人資以為羽翼也。是故君人者，無為而有守也，有為而無好也。有為則讒生，有好則諛起。昔者齊桓公好味，而易牙烹其首子而餌之；虞君好寶，而晉獻以璧馬釣之；胡王好音，而秦穆公以女樂誘之。是皆以利見制於人也。故善建者不拔。夫火熱而水滅之，金剛而火銷之，木強而斧伐之，水流而土遏之，唯造化者，物莫能勝也。故中欲不出謂之扃，外邪不入謂之塞。中扃外閉，何事之不節！外閉中扃，何事之不成？弗用而後能用之，弗為而後能為之。精神勞則越，耳目淫則竭。故有道之主，滅想去意，清虛以待，不伐之言，不奪之事，循名責實，使有司，任而弗詔，責而弗教，以不知為道，以奈何為寶。如此，則百官之事，各有所守矣。攝權勢之柄，其於化民易矣。衛君役子路，權重也；景、桓公臣管晏，位尊也。怯服勇而愚制智，其所託勢者勝也。故枝不得大於幹，末不強於本，則輕重大小，有以相制也。若五指之屬於臂，搏援攫捷，莫不如志。言以小屬於大也。是故得勢之利者，所持甚小，其存甚大；所守甚約，所制甚廣。是故十圍之木，持千鈞之屋；五寸之鍵，制開闔之門。豈其材之巨小足哉？所居要也。孔丘、墨翟，修先聖之術，通六藝之論，口道其言，身行其志，慕義從風，而為之服役者不過數十人。

If wisdom is not enough to govern and authority is not enough to carry out punishment, there is no way to deal with the world. If joy and anger take shape in the heart and desire shows outside, those who keep their posts leave the right to flatter those above, and officials bend the law and follow the wind; rewards do not match merit, punishments do not match crimes, high and low are of different hearts, and ruler and ministers resent each other. So those in power flatter the ruler, and when there is fault there is no way to demand it of him. If there is guilt and it is not punished, the hundred officials are in confusion and wisdom cannot untie it; when slander and praise sprout, enlightenment cannot illuminate them. If one does not set the root right and return to naturalness, the ruler grows ever more toilsome and the ministers ever more at ease, like taking the place of the chef to butcher the animal or the master carpenter to chop and plane. Racing a horse, one's sinews break and one still cannot catch up; mounting a carriage and holding the reins, the horse dies beneath the yoke. So Bo Le appraises horses, Wang Liang drives, and the enlightened ruler rides, without the toil of driving and appraising, and reaches a thousand li, riding on the resources of others as wings. So a ruler does nothing and yet has what he keeps; he acts and yet has no fondness. If he acts, slander is born; if he has a fondness, flattery arises. Formerly Duke Huan of Qi loved fine flavors, and Yi Ya cooked his own eldest son to bait him; the lord of Yu loved treasure, and Duke Xian of Jin used jade discs and horses to fish him in; the King of the Hu loved music, and Duke Mu of Qin lured him with women musicians. All these were restrained by others because of profit. So what is well established cannot be pulled out. Fire is hot and water puts it out, metal is hard and fire melts it, wood is strong and the axe fells it, water flows and earth checks it; only the creator is such that nothing can overcome him. So when inner desire does not come out it is called a bolt, and when outer wickedness cannot get in it is called a stop. With the inside bolted and the outside closed, what affair cannot be regulated! With the outside closed and the inside bolted, what affair cannot be accomplished? Only after not using can one use; only after not acting can one act. When the spirit toils, it scatters further; when ears and eyes are lewd, they are exhausted. So a ruler who has the Way extinguishes imagination and removes intention, waits in clear emptiness, does not boast of his own words, does not encroach on his ministers' affairs, follows names to demand reality, employs the officials, assigns without ordering, makes responsible without personally teaching, takes not knowing as the Way and 'What shall I do?' as a treasure. When it is so, the affairs of the hundred officials each have their keeper. Holding the handle of power, it is easy to transform the people. The lord of Wei employed Zilu because of the weight of his power; Duke Jing and Duke Huan took Guan Zhong and Yan Ying as ministers because of the honor of their position. The timid subduing the brave and the foolish restraining the wise is because the power they rely on prevails. So a branch cannot be larger than the trunk and the tip cannot be stronger than the root; light and heavy, large and small have what restrains each other. As the five fingers belong to the arm, striking and grasping are swift, with nothing not as intended. This means using the small to belong to the great. So one who gets the advantage of power holds very little and keeps very much; what he guards is very simple and what he restrains is very broad. So a log of ten spans' girth supports a house of a thousand jun; a bolt of five inches restrains the opening and closing of a gate. Is it that the size of the material itself is enough? It is that the place it holds is vital. Confucius and Mozi cultivated the arts of the former sages and understood the discourses of the six arts, praised their words with their mouths and practiced their aims with their bodies, and those who admired righteousness and followed their wind to serve them numbered only a few dozen.

使居天子之位，則天下遍為儒、墨矣。楚莊王傷文無畏之死於宋也，奮袂而起，衣冠相連於道，遂成軍宋城之下，權重也。楚文王好服獬冠，楚國效之，趙武靈王貝帶鵔鸃而朝，趙國化之。使在匹夫布衣，雖冠獬冠，帶貝帶、鵔鸃而朝，則不免為人笑也。夫民之好善樂正，不待禁誅而自中法度者，萬無一也。下必行之令，從之者利，逆之者兇，日陰未移，而海內莫不被繩矣。故握劍鋒，以離北宮子，司馬蒯蕢不使應敵；操其觚，招其末，則庸人能以制勝。今使烏獲、藉蕃從後牽牛尾，尾絕而不從者，逆也；若指之桑條以貫其鼻，則五尺童子，牽而週四海者，順也。夫七尺之橈而制船之左右者，以水為資；天子發號，令行禁止，以眾為勢也。夫防民之所害，開民之所利，威行也，若發堿決唐。故循流而下易以至，背風而馳易以遠。桓公立政，去食肉之獸，食粟之鳥，系罝之網，三舉而百姓說。紂殺王子比干而骨肉怨，斮朝涉者之脛而萬民叛，再舉而天下失矣。故義者，非能遍利天下之民也，利一人而天下從風；暴者，非盡害海內之眾也，害一人而天下離叛。故桓公三舉而九合諸侯，紂再舉而不得為匹夫。故舉錯不可不審。

If they had been placed in the position of Son of Heaven, the whole world would have become Confucian and Mohist. King Zhuang of Chu was grieved that Wen Wuwei had died in Song; he flung his sleeves and rose, and his clothes and caps followed one after another along the road, and he formed an army under the walls of Song; this was the weight of power. King Wen of Chu liked to wear the xie cap, and the state of Chu imitated him; King Wuling of Zhao came to court with a cowrie belt and a pheasant-feather ornament, and the state of Zhao was transformed by him. If one were a commoner in plain clothes, even wearing the xie cap, cowrie belt and pheasant feather to go to court, one could not escape being laughed at. That people like good and delight in rectitude and conform to law and measure of themselves without waiting for prohibition and punishment: there is not one in ten thousand. An order that must be carried out below, where those who comply profit and those who defy meet misfortune, and before the shadow of the sun has moved, there is no one within the seas not bound by the plumb line. So when one grasps the blade of a sword, even Beigong Zi and Sima Kuaibi could not use it to meet an enemy; holding the hilt and raising the point, an ordinary man could use it to win. Now if one had Wu Huo and Ji Fan pull an ox's tail from behind, the tail would break and the ox would not follow; that is going against it. If one strung a mulberry twig through its nose, a five-foot child could lead it around the four seas; that is going with it. A seven-foot oar can control the left and right of a boat, because it relies on water; the Son of Heaven issues commands, and orders are carried out and prohibitions kept, because he takes the multitude as his power. Prevent the harm the people suffer and open the benefit they receive, and authority can be exercised, like opening salt flats and breaching dikes. So going downstream one arrives easily, and galloping with the wind at one's back one goes far easily. When Duke Huan set up his government, he removed the meat-eating beasts, the grain-eating birds and the catching nets, and in three actions the people were pleased. Zhou killed the prince Bi Gan and his flesh and blood resented him, and cut off the shins of men who crossed the water in the morning and the ten thousand people rebelled; in two actions he lost the world. So righteousness is not something that benefits all the people of the world; it benefits one person and the world follows its wind. Cruelty does not harm all the multitude within the seas; it harms one person and the world rebels. So Duke Huan, with three actions, gathered the feudal lords nine times; Zhou, with two actions, could not even be a commoner. So one's measures cannot be anything but careful.

人主租斂於民也。必先計歲收，量民積聚，知饑饉有餘不足之數，然後取車輿衣食供養其欲。高臺層榭，接屋連閣，非不麗也，然民有掘穴狹廬所以託身者，明主弗樂也。肥醲甘脆，非不美也，然民有糟糠菽粟不接於口者，則明主弗甘也。匡床蒻席，非不寧也，然民有處邊城，犯危難，澤死暴骸者，明主弗安也。故古之君人者，其慘怛於民也。國有饑者，食不重味；民有寒者，而冬不被裘。歲登民豐，乃始縣鐘鼓，陳干鏚，君臣上下，同心而樂之，國無哀人。故古之為金石管絃者，所以宣樂也；兵革斧鉞者，所以飾怒也；觴酌俎豆，酬酢之禮，所以效善也；衰絰菅屨，闢踴哭泣，所以諭哀也。此皆有充於內而成像於外。及至亂主，取民則不裁其力，求於下則不量其積，男女不得事耕織之業，以供上之求，力勤財匱，君臣相疾也。故民至於焦唇沸肝，有今無儲，而乃始撞大鍾，擊鳴鼓，吹竽笙，彈琴瑟，是猶貫甲冑而入宗廟，被羅紈而從軍旅，失樂之所由生矣。夫民之為生也，一人蹠耒而耕，不過十畝，中田之獲，卒歲之收，不過畝四石，妻子老弱，仰而食之，時有涔旱災害之患，無以給上之徵賦車馬兵革之費。由此觀之，則人之生，憫矣！夫天地之大，計三年耕而餘一年之食，率九年而有三年之畜，十八年而有六年之積，二十七年而有九年之儲，雖涔旱災害之殃，民莫困窮流亡也。故國無九年之畜，謂之不足；無六年之積，謂之憫急；無三年之畜，謂之窮乏。故有仁君明王，其取下有節，自養有度，則得承受於天地，而不離饑寒之患矣。若貪主暴君，撓於其下，侵漁其民，以適無窮之慾，則百姓無以被天和而履地德矣。

When a ruler collects rent and tax from the people, he must first calculate the year's harvest, weigh the people's stores, and know the numbers of famine and of surplus and shortage, and only then take carriages, clothing and food to nourish his own desires. High terraces and layered pavilions, houses joined to houses and towers connected, are not unbeautiful, but if some people still dig caves and live in narrow huts to shelter themselves, an enlightened ruler takes no joy in them. Rich, fat, sweet and crisp food is not unpleasant, but if some people cannot even get husks, beans and millet to their mouths, an enlightened ruler finds it not sweet. Comfortable beds and soft mats are not unrestful, but if some people are stationed at border cities, braving danger and difficulty, dying in marshes with their bones exposed, an enlightened ruler is not at ease. So in ancient times rulers were pained and grieved for the people. When there were hungry people in the state, they did not add a second dish to their own meals; when there were cold people among the people, they did not wear fur even in winter. Only when the year was good and the people abundant did they begin to hang up bells and drums and set out shields and axes, ruler and ministers, high and low, rejoicing with one heart, with no sorrowful person in the state. So in ancient times metal, stone, strings and pipes were made to give vent to joy; armor, axes and halberds to adorn anger; the rites of wine cups, ritual stands, offering and returning to test the good; mourning dress, straw sandals, beating the breast, leaping and weeping to make grief known. All these are fullness within, taking image outside. When it came to disordered rulers, taking from the people did not weigh their strength, demanding from below did not weigh their stores, and men and women could not do the work of plowing and weaving to supply what those above demanded; their strength was diligent and their wealth scarce, and ruler and ministers hated each other. So when the people were so desperate that lips were scorched and the liver and bowels boiled, with today but no reserve for tomorrow, only then did they begin to strike great bells, beat resounding drums, blow reed organs and pluck zithers; this is like wearing armor into the ancestral temple or putting on silk gauze to go to war, losing the cause from which music is born. As for the people's livelihood, one man treading the plow does no more than ten mu, the harvest of middling land in a year is no more than four shi per mu, and wife, children, old and weak depend on it to eat; at times there is the trouble of long rain, drought and disaster, and there is no way to supply what those above levy for carriages, horses, armor and weapons. From this it can be seen that human life is distressing. Heaven and Earth are so great that, reckoned out, three years of plowing leave a year of food, about nine years leave three years of stores, eighteen years leave six years of reserve, and twenty-seven years leave nine years of storage, and even if there were the calamity of long rain, drought and disaster, the people would not be in distress or flee. So a state without nine years of storage is called insufficient; without six years of reserve is called pressed and urgent; without three years of storage is called destitute. So a benevolent lord and enlightened king takes from below with moderation and supports himself within limits, and so can receive the favor of Heaven and Earth and not depart from the worry of hunger and cold. As for greedy rulers and tyrants, they disturb those below, encroach on and plunder their people to fit unlimited desires, and the people have no way to receive Heaven's harmony and tread on Earth's virtue.

食者，民之本也；民者，國之本也；國者，君之本也。是故人君者，上因天時，下盡地財，中用人力，是以群生遂長，五穀蕃殖，教民養育六畜，以時種樹，務修田疇，滋植桑麻，肥墝高下，各因其宜，丘陵阪險不生五穀者，以樹竹木。春伐枯槁，夏取果蓏，秋畜疏食，冬伐薪蒸，以為民資。是故生無乏用，死無轉屍。故先王之法，畋不掩群，不取蓏夭。不涸澤而漁，不焚林而獵。豺未祭獸，罝罦不得布於野；獺未祭魚，網罟不得入於水；鷹隼未摯，羅網不得張於溪穀；草木未落，斤斧不得入山林；昆蟲未蟄，不得以火燒田。孕育不得殺，鷇卵不得探，魚不長尺不得取，彘不期年不得食。是故草木之發若蒸氣，禽獸之歸若流泉，飛鳥之歸若煙云，有所以致之也。故先王之政，四海之雲至，而修封疆；蝦蟆鳴燕降，而達路除道；陰降百泉，則修橋梁；昏張中，則務種穀；大火中，則種黍菽；虛中，則種宿麥；昴中，則收斂畜積，伐薪木。上告於天，下布之民。先王之所以應時修備，富國利民，實曠來遠者，其道備矣。非能目見而足行之也，欲利之也。欲利之也，不忘於心，則官自備矣。心之於九竅四支也，不能一事焉。然而動靜聽視皆以為主者，不忘於欲利之也。故堯為善而眾善至矣，桀為非而眾非來矣。善積則功成，非積則禍極。

Food is the root of the people; the people are the root of the state; the state is the root of the ruler. So a ruler follows the seasons of Heaven above, makes full use of the wealth of Earth below, and employs human strength in between, so that the multitude of beings grow smoothly and the five grains flourish. He teaches the people to raise the six domestic animals, to plant trees at the proper time, and to strive to manage the fields and cultivate mulberry and hemp, whether the land is fertile or poor, high or low, each according to what is suitable. On hills, slopes and steep places where the five grains do not grow, bamboo and trees are planted. In spring they cut withered wood, in summer they gather melons and fruits, in autumn they store vegetables and grain, and in winter they cut firewood and kindling, for the people's use. So the living lack nothing for use, and the dead leave no corpses that have been moved about. So the law of the former kings was that in hunting one does not encircle a whole herd and does not take young fruits or young animals. One does not drain a marsh to fish, and does not burn the forest to hunt. Before the jackal has made its offering of animals, nets for catching beasts may not be spread in the fields; before the otter has made its offering of fish, nets may not enter the water; before the hawks and falcons have struck, snares may not be stretched in the valleys; before the grass and trees have fallen, axes may not enter the mountains and forests; before the insects have gone into hibernation, fire may not be used to burn the fields. Pregnant animals may not be killed, young birds and eggs may not be sought, fish under a foot long may not be taken, and pigs under a year old may not be eaten. So grass and trees sprout like steam, birds and beasts come like a flowing spring, and flying birds come like smoke and clouds, because there is a reason that draws them. So in the government of the former kings, when the clouds of the four seas came they repaired the boundaries; when frogs croaked and swallows descended they opened the roads and cleared the paths; when the yin breath descended to the hundred springs they repaired the bridges; when the star Zhang was at the zenith at dusk they strove to plant grain; when the Great Fire star was at the zenith they planted millet and beans; when the star Xu was at the zenith they planted wheat for the next year; when the Pleiades were at the zenith they gathered and stored and cut firewood. Above they reported to Heaven, below they proclaimed to the people. The former kings followed the seasons in preparing, enriching the state and benefiting the people, filling the empty and drawing in people from afar, and that Way was complete. It was not that their eyes could see or their feet cover everywhere, but that in their hearts they wished to benefit them. Wishing to benefit them, not forgetting it in the heart, the offices were naturally complete. The heart cannot do any one of the things of the nine orifices and four limbs, yet in movement and stillness, hearing and sight, they all treat it as master; it does not forget to wish to benefit them. So when Yao did good, all good came; when Jie did wrong, all wrong came. When good accumulates, merit is achieved; when wrong accumulates, disaster reaches its extreme.

凡人之論，心欲小而志欲大，智欲員而行欲方，能欲多而事欲鮮。所以心欲小者，慮患未生，備禍未發，戒過慎微，不敢縱其欲也；志欲大者，兼包萬國，一齊殊俗，並覆百姓，若合一族，是非輻湊而為之轂；智欲員者，環複轉運，終始無端，旁流四達，淵泉而不竭，萬物並興，莫不回應也；行欲方者，直立而不撓，素白而不汙，窮不易操，通不肆志；能欲多者，文武備具，動靜中儀，舉動廢置，曲得其宜，無所擊戾，無不畢宜也；事欲鮮者，執柄持術，得要以應眾，執約以治廣，處靜持中，運於璿樞，以一合萬，若合符者也。故心小者，禁於微也；志大者，無不懷也；智員者，無不知也；行方者，有不為也；能多者，無不治也；事鮮者，約所持也。

In general, in discussing people, the heart should be small and the will large, wisdom should be round and conduct square, ability should be many and affairs few. The heart should be small: it thinks about trouble before it is born, guards against disaster before it breaks out, is wary of faults and careful in small matters, and does not dare indulge its own desires. The will should be large: it embraces ten thousand states, unifies different customs, covers the people all together like one clan, with right and wrong gathering like spokes, making itself the hub. Wisdom should be round: it revolves and moves, its beginning and end without a start, flowing out in all four directions like a deep spring that does not dry up, all things rising together and none not answered. Conduct should be square: it stands upright without bending, plain and white without stain, in distress not changing its principles, in success not letting the will go wild. Ability should be many: it has both the civil and the martial, movement and stillness accord with propriety, every action, discarding and setting aside, each turn and bend finds what is suitable, without conflict or perversity, with nothing unsuitable. Affairs should be few: it holds the handle of power, takes the art, grasps the essential to respond to the many, holds the simple to govern the broad, stays in stillness and keeps to the center, turns on the jade pivot, joins ten thousand with one like fitting tallies. So the small heart is to prohibit in the subtle; the large will is that nothing is not embraced; the round wisdom is that nothing is not known; the square conduct is that there are things it does not do; many abilities mean that nothing cannot be governed; few affairs mean that what is held is simple.

古者天子聽朝，公卿正諫，博士誦詩，瞽箴師誦，庶人傳語，史書其過，宰徹其膳。猶以為未足也，故堯置敢諫之鼓，舜立誹謗之木，湯有司直之人，武王立戒慎之鞀。過若豪釐，而既已備之也。夫聖人之於善也，無小而不舉；其於過也，無微而不改。堯、舜、禹、湯、文、武，皆坦然天下而南面焉。當此之時，鼛鼓而食，奏《雍》而徹，已飯而祭灶，行不用巫祝，鬼神弗敢祟，山川弗敢禍，可謂至貴矣。然而戰戰慄栗，日慎一日。由此觀之，則聖人之心小矣。《詩》云：惟此文王，小心翼翼，昭事上帝，聿懷多福。”其斯之謂歟！武王伐紂，發鉅橋之粟，散鹿臺之錢，封比干之墓，表商容之閭，朝成湯之廟，解箕子之囚。使各處其宅，田其田，無故無新，惟賢是親，用非其有，使非其人，晏然若故有之。由此觀之，則聖人之志大也。文王、周公觀得失，遍覽是非，堯、舜所以昌，桀、紂所以亡者，皆著於明堂，於是略智博問，以應無方。由此觀之，則聖人之智員矣。成、康繼文、武之業，守明堂之制，觀存亡之跡，見成敗之變，非道不言，非義不行，言不苟出，行不苟為，擇善而後從事焉。由此觀之，則聖人之行方矣。孔子之通，智過於萇弘，勇服於孟賁，足躡效菟，力招城關，能亦多矣。然而勇力不聞，伎巧不知，專行教道，以成素王，事亦鮮矣。《春秋》二百四十二年，亡國五十二，弒君三十六，採善鉏醜，以成王道，論亦博矣。然而圍於匡，顏色不變，絃歌不輟，臨死亡之地，犯患難之危，據義行理而志不懾，分亦明矣。然為魯司寇，聽獄必為斷，作為《春秋》，不道鬼神，不敢專己。夫聖人之智，固已多矣。其所守者約，故舉而必榮。愚人之智，固已少矣，其所事者多，故動而必窮矣。吳起、張儀，智不若孔、墨，而爭萬乘之君，此其所以車裂支解也。夫以正教化者，易而必成；

In ancient times when the Son of Heaven attended court, the dukes and ministers remonstrated with straight words, the court scholars recited poems, the blind music masters admonished, the music masters chanted, commoners passed on words, the historians recorded his faults, and the chief cook removed his meals. Even so they thought it not enough, so Yao set up a drum for those daring to remonstrate, Shun set up a post for criticism, Tang had a man in charge of straight speech, and King Wu set up a rattle of caution. Though a fault be as small as a hair, they already guarded against it. Toward good, the sages never failed to promote even the smallest; toward faults, never failed to correct even the slightest. Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen and Wu all faced the world openly and sat facing south. At that time they ate while the great drum was beaten, withdrew the mats while the Yong was played, offered to the hearth god after the meal, used no shamans or invocators in their affairs, and ghosts and spirits dared not make mischief and mountains and rivers dared not send disaster; one may say they were of the utmost honor. Yet they were still trembling and fearful, more careful day by day. From this it can be seen that the sage's heart is small. The Book of Poetry says: "This King Wen was cautious and reverent, served the Lord on High brightly, and thereby brought many blessings." This is what is meant! When King Wu attacked Zhou, he opened the grain stores at Juqiao, distributed the money of Deer Terrace, raised the tomb of Bi Gan, honored the village of Shang Rong, paid homage at the temple of Cheng Tang, and released Jizi from prison. He let each person live in his own house and plow his own fields, with no old acquaintance and no new connection, close only to the worthy; what he used was not his own originally, whom he employed were not originally his own people, yet he was at ease as if it had always been so. From this it can be seen that the sage's will is large. King Wen and the Duke of Zhou observed gains and losses and surveyed right and wrong, and what caused Yao and Shun to flourish and Jie and Zhou to perish was all written in the Mingtang; so they simplified wisdom and asked widely, in order to answer affairs with no fixed direction. From this it can be seen that the sage's wisdom is round. Kings Cheng and Kang continued the work of Wen and Wu, kept the institutions of the Mingtang, observed the traces of survival and ruin and saw the changes of success and failure; what was not the Way they did not speak, what was not righteous they did not do, and they did not let words leave their mouths carelessly or do deeds carelessly, but chose the good and then acted. From this it can be seen that the sage's conduct is square. Confucius's ability: his wisdom surpassed Chang Hong, his courage could subdue Meng Ben, his feet could overtake a cunning hare, and his strength could lift the bar of a city gate; his abilities were many too. Yet his courage and strength were not known to people and his skill was not known, and he devoted himself to practicing the teaching and the Way and became an uncrowned king; his affairs were few too. In the two hundred and forty-two years of the Spring and Autumn Annals, fifty-two states perished and thirty-six rulers were murdered, and he took the good and removed the ugly in order to complete the kingly way; his discourse was broad too. Yet when besieged in Kuang, his face did not change and he did not stop playing and singing; approaching the ground of death and braving the danger of calamity, he held to righteousness and practiced principle and his will was not cowed; his duty was clear too. Yet when he was Minister of Justice of Lu, in hearing lawsuits he must make decisions; in writing the Annals, he did not praise ghosts and spirits and did not dare rely on himself alone. The sage's wisdom was already much; what he held was simple, so every action was surely glorious. The fool's wisdom was already little, and his undertakings were many, so every move surely ended in distress. Wu Qi and Zhang Yi were not equal to Confucius and Mozi in wisdom, yet contended for rulers of ten thousand chariots, and this is why they were torn apart by carriages. Teaching and transforming with the right is easy and surely succeeds;

以邪巧世者，難而必敗。凡將設行立趣於天下，舍其易成者，而從事難而必敗者，愚惑之所致也。凡此六反者，不可不察也。遍知萬物而不知人道，不可謂智；遍愛群生而不愛人類，不可謂仁。仁者愛其類也，智者不可惑也。仁者雖在斷割之中，其所不忍之色可見也。智者雖煩難之事，其不暗之效可見也。內恕反情，心之所欲，其不加諸人，由近知遠，由己知人，此仁智之所合而行也。小有教而大有存也，小有誅而大有寧也，唯惻隱推而行之，此智者之所獨斷也。故仁智錯，有時合，合者為正，錯者為權，其義一也。府吏守法，君制義，法而無義，亦府吏也，不足以為政。

seeking cleverness in the world with the crooked is hard and surely fails. In general, when one is about to set up conduct and fix a direction in the world, to abandon what succeeds easily and take up what is hard and surely fails is caused by foolish confusion. These six opposites must be carefully examined. To know all things but not the human way cannot be called wise; to love all living beings but not human beings cannot be called benevolent. Benevolence is loving one's own kind, and wisdom is not being deceived. A benevolent person, even when cutting and severing, shows a look of being unable to bear it; a wise person, even in troublesome matters, shows evidence of not being dim. To be considerate within and return to feeling, not imposing on others what one does not want in one's own heart, knowing the far from the near and others from oneself: this is benevolence and wisdom joined and carried out. To teach in small things and preserve in great ones, to punish in small matters and bring peace in great ones, only by extending compassion in practice: this is what the wise decide alone. So benevolence and wisdom sometimes cross and sometimes agree; agreement is the standard and crossing is expedient, but righteousness is one. A government clerk keeps the law, and the ruler decides on righteousness; having law and no righteousness, one is only a clerk and is not enough to handle government.

耕之為事也勞，織之為事也擾，擾勞之事而民不捨者，知其可以衣食也。人之情不能無衣食，衣食之道，必始於耕織，萬民之所公見也。物之若耕織者，始初甚勞，終必利也。眾愚人之所見者寡，事可權者多，愚之所權者少，此愚者之所多患也。物之可備者，智者盡備之；可權者，盡權之；此智者所以寡患也。故智者先忤而後合，愚者始於樂而終於哀。今日何為而榮乎？旦日何為而義乎？此易言也。今日何為而義，旦日何為而榮，此難知也。問瞽師曰：“白素何如？”曰：“縞然。”曰：“黑何若？”曰：“黮然。”授白黑而示之，則不處焉。人之視白黑以目，言白黑以口，瞽師有以言白黑，無以知白黑，故言白黑與人同，其別白黑與人異。

Plowing as a task is toilsome, and weaving as a task is troublesome, yet the people do not give up troublesome and toilsome tasks because they know they can give clothing and food. Human feeling cannot be without clothing and food, and the way of clothing and food must begin from plowing and weaving; this is what all the people plainly see. Things like plowing and weaving are toilsome at the beginning and surely beneficial at the end. What the multitude of fools see is little, while the matters that can be adapted are many, and what fools can adapt is little; this is why fools have many troubles. For things that can be guarded against, the wise guard against all of them; for those that can be adapted, they adapt all of them; this is why the wise have few troubles. So the wise first conflict and afterward agree, while fools begin in joy and end in sorrow. Why is it glorious today? Why is it righteous tomorrow? This is easy to say. Why is it righteous today and glorious tomorrow? This is hard to know. Ask a blind music master: "What does white plain silk look like?" He says: "White like plain silk." Ask: "What does black look like?" He says: "Black like dark silk." Show him white and black and he cannot judge. People see black and white with their eyes and speak of black and white with their mouths; the blind music master has words to explain black and white but no way to know black and white; so we say that saying black and white is the same as other people, but distinguishing black and white is different from other people.

入孝於親，出忠於君，無愚智賢不肖，皆知其為義也，使陳忠孝行而知所出者，鮮矣！凡人思慮，莫不先以為可而後行之，其是或非，此愚智之所以異。凡人之性，莫貴於仁，莫急於智。仁以為質，智以行之，兩者為本，而加之以勇力、辯慧、捷疾、劬錄、巧敏、遲利、聰明、審察，盡眾益也。身材未修，伎藝曲備，而無仁智以為表幹，而加之以眾美，則益其損。故不仁而有勇力果敢，則狂而操利劍；不智而辯慧懷給，則棄驥而不式。雖有材能，其施之不當，其處之不宜，適足以輔偽飾非，伎藝之眾，不如其寡也。故有野心者，不可借便勢；有愚質者，不可與利器。魚得水而遊焉則樂，唐決水涸，則為螻蟻所食。有掌修其堤防，補其缺漏，則魚得而利之，國有以存，人有以生。國之所以存者，仁義是也；人之所以生者，行善是也。國無義，雖大必亡；人無善志，雖勇必傷。治國上使不得與焉。孝於父母，弟於兄嫂，信於朋友，不得上令而可得為也。釋己之所得為，而責於其所不得制，悖矣。士處卑隱，欲上達，必先反諸己。上達有道，名譽不起，而不能上達矣；取譽有道，不信於友，不能得譽；信於友有道，事親不說，不信於友；說親有道，修身不誠，不能事親矣；誠身有道，心不專一，不能專誠。道在易而求之難，驗在近而求之遠，故弗得也。

At home to be filial to parents and abroad to be loyal to the ruler, whether foolish or wise, worthy or unworthy, all know this is righteousness; but those who, asked to state loyal and filial conduct, know the root from which it comes are few. In general, in human thought, there is none who does not first think something is permissible and then do it; whether it is right or wrong is where the foolish and the wise differ. Of human nature, nothing is more precious than benevolence and nothing more urgent than wisdom. Take benevolence as substance and wisdom as practice, with both as the root, and add courage and strength, eloquence and intelligence, quickness, diligence, skill, sharpness, keenness and discernment, and one takes in all the gains. If one's stature is not yet cultivated and skills are complete in every turn, but without benevolence and wisdom as surface and trunk, adding all the other fine things only increases its harm. So to be unbenevolent but have courage and strength and daring is like a madman holding a sharp sword; to be unwise but have eloquence and swiftness is like discarding a fine horse and not using the front rail. Even with talent, if applied improperly and put in an unsuitable place, it only helps falsehood and adorns faults; with many skills, it is better to have few. So a man with a wild heart cannot be lent the advantage of a favorable situation; a man with a foolish nature cannot be given sharp tools. A fish that gets water swims happily, but when the pond bursts and the water dries up it is eaten by mole crickets and ants. If someone manages the repair of the dike and patches the breach, the fish gain benefit; a state has what it exists by and a person has what he lives by. What a state exists by is benevolence and righteousness; what a person lives by is doing good. A state without righteousness, though large, will surely perish; a person without a will to good, though brave, will surely be wounded. In governing a state, those above should not let people take part in it. To be filial to parents, fraternal to elder brothers and their wives, and trustworthy to friends can be done without waiting for orders from above. To put down what one can do and demand what one cannot control is perverse. A scholar who is in low and hidden station and wishes to reach upward must first turn back to himself. There is a way to reach upward: if one's reputation does not rise, one cannot reach upward; there is a way to gain praise: if one is not trusted by friends, one cannot gain praise; there is a way to be trusted by friends: if in serving one's parents one cannot please them, one cannot be trusted by friends; there is a way to please parents: if in cultivating oneself one is not sincere, one cannot serve parents; there is a way to make oneself sincere: if the heart is not single, one cannot be wholly sincere. The Way is in an easy place but is sought in a hard one; the effect is near but is sought far away; so it is not obtained.

道至高無上，至深無下，平乎準，直乎繩，圓乎規，方乎矩，包裹宇宙而無表裡，洞同覆載而無所礙。是故體道者，不哀不樂，不喜不怒，其坐無慮，其寢無夢，物來而名，事來而應。主者，國之心，心治則百節皆安，心擾則百節皆亂。故其心治者，支體相遺也；其國治者，君臣相忘也。黃帝曰：「芒芒昧昧，從天之道，與元同氣。」故至德者，言同略，事同指，上下一心，無岐道旁見者，遏障之於邪，開道之於善，而民鄉方矣。故《易》曰：「同人於野，利涉大川。」道者，物之所導也；德者，性之所扶也；仁者，積恩之見證也；義者，比於人心而合於眾適者也。故道滅而德用，德衰而仁義生。故上世體道而不德，中世守德而弗壞也，末世繩繩乎唯恐失仁義。君子非仁義無以生，失仁義，則失其所以生；小人非嗜慾無以活，失嗜慾，則失其所以活。故君子懼失仁義，小人懼失利。觀其所懼，知各殊矣。《易》曰：「即鹿無虞，惟入於林中，君子幾不如舍，往吝。」其施厚者其報美，其怨大者其禍深。薄施而厚望，畜怨而無患者，古今未之有也。是故聖人察其所以往，則知其所以來者。聖人之道，猶中衢而致尊邪：過者斟酌，多少不同，各得其所宜。是故得一人，所以得百人也。人以其所願於上，以交其下，誰弗戴？以其所欲於下，以事其上，誰弗喜？《詩》云：「媚茲一人，應侯慎德。」慎德大矣，一人小矣。能善小，其能善大矣。

The Way is so high it has no above and so deep it has no below, level as a water gauge, straight as a plumb line, round as a compass, square as a carpenter's square; it wraps up the universe without inside or outside, and is open and unobstructed like the covering Heaven and bearing Earth. So one who embodies the Way is neither sad nor joyful, neither pleased nor angry; sitting he has no thoughts, sleeping he has no dreams; when things come he gives them names, when affairs come he responds. The ruler is the heart of the state; when the heart is in order, the hundred joints are at ease; when the heart is disturbed, the hundred joints are in disorder. So those whose hearts are in order forget their limbs, and when a state is in order, ruler and ministers forget each other. The Yellow Emperor said: "Vague and dim, follow the Way of Heaven, share the breath with the primal." So people of supreme virtue have words of one plan and affairs of one direction, high and low are of one heart, no divergent roads or side views; they stop and block the wicked, open and guide the good, and the people incline to what is square and right. So the Book of Changes says: "Uniting with others in the wilds is favorable for crossing the great river." The Way is what things are led by; virtue is what nature is supported by; benevolence is the witness of accumulated kindness; righteousness is what matches the human heart and accords with what is suitable to the multitude. So when the Way vanished, virtue came to be used; when virtue declined, benevolence and righteousness were born. So in high antiquity people embodied the Way without speaking of virtue; in the middle age they kept virtue without ruin; in the last age they were cautious and fearful only of losing benevolence and righteousness. A gentleman without benevolence and righteousness has no way to live; losing benevolence and righteousness, he loses what he lives by. A petty man without desires has no way to live; losing desires, he loses what he lives by. So the gentleman fears losing benevolence and righteousness, and the petty man fears losing profit. Looking at what they fear, one knows how they differ. The Book of Changes says: "Chasing a deer without a forester, one only enters the forest; the gentleman sees the subtle signs and would rather give it up; going on brings regret." If the kindness given is thick, the repayment is fine; if the resentment is great, the disaster is deep. Giving thinly but hoping for much, storing up resentment and having no trouble, has never been seen since ancient times. So the sage looks at where one has gone and knows where one came from. The Way of the sage is like setting a wine vessel on a road open in four directions: those who pass pour as they like, differing in amount, each getting what is suitable. So to gain one person is the way to gain a hundred. If a person uses what he hopes for from those above to treat those below, who would not support him? If he uses what he wants from those below to serve those above, who would not be pleased? The Book of Poetry says: "Love this one man, and so be careful of his virtue." Being careful of virtue is great, and the one man is small. One who can do the small well can also do the great well.

君子見過忘罰，故能諫；見賢忘賤，故能讓；見不足忘貧，故能施。情繫於中，行形於外。凡行戴情，雖過無怨；不戴其情，雖忠來惡。后稷廣利天下，猶不自矜。禹無廢功，無廢財，自視猶觖如也。滿如陷，實如虛，盡之者也。凡人各賢其所說，而說其所快。世莫不舉賢，或以治，或以亂，非自遁，求同乎己者也。己未必得賢，而求與己同者，而欲得賢，亦不幾矣！使堯度舜則可，使桀度堯，是猶以升量石也。今謂狐狸，則必不知狐，又不知狸。非未嘗見狐者，必未嘗見狸也。狐、狸非異，同類也。而謂狐狸，則不知狐、狸。是故謂不肖者賢，則必不知賢；謂賢者不肖，則必不知不肖者矣。

The gentleman, seeing fault, forgets punishment, and so can remonstrate; seeing the worthy, forgets his own lowliness, and so can yield; seeing lack, forgets poverty, and so can give. Feeling is tied within and conduct shows outside. Whenever conduct carries feeling, even if there is fault there is no resentment; when it does not carry feeling, even loyalty brings hatred. Hou Ji broadly benefited the world and yet did not boast; Yu had no abandoned merit and no abandoned wealth, and to himself still seemed lacking. When full, he looked collapsed; when filled, he looked empty: this is one who has exhausted it. Ordinary people each take what they like as worthy and delight in what pleases them. There is no age that does not promote the worthy, yet some use them to bring order and some to bring disorder, and it is not that they deceive themselves but that they seek people who are the same as themselves. If he himself has not necessarily obtained worth, but seeks those the same as himself and still hopes to obtain the worthy, it is nearly impossible. Letting Yao measure Shun is possible; letting Jie measure Yao is like measuring a shi with a sheng. Now say 'fox-raccoon dog': one surely does not know the fox, nor the raccoon dog. It is not that one has never seen a fox and so surely never seen a raccoon dog. Fox and raccoon dog are not different kinds but the same kind. Yet to say 'fox-raccoon dog' means not knowing fox or raccoon dog. So to call the unworthy worthy is surely not to know the worthy; to call the worthy unworthy is surely not to know the unworthy.

聖人在上，則民樂其治；在下，則民慕其意。小人在上位，如寢關曝纊，不得須臾寧。故《易》曰：「乘馬班如，泣血漣如。」言小人處非其位，不可長也。物莫無所不用，天雄烏喙，藥之兇毒也，良醫以活人；侏儒鼓師，人之困慰者也，人主以備樂。是故聖人制其剟材，無所不用矣。勇士一呼，三軍皆闢，其出之也誠。故倡而不和，意而不戴，中心必有不合者也。故舜不降席而王天下者，求諸己也。故上多故，則民多詐矣，身曲而景直者，未之聞也。說之所不至者，容貌至焉；容貌之所不至者，感忽至焉。感乎心，明乎智，發而成形，精之至也。可以形勢接，而不可以昭誋。戎、翟之馬，皆可以馳驅，或近或遠，唯造父能盡其力；三苗之民，皆可使忠信，或賢或不肖，唯唐、虞能齊其美。必有不傳者。中行繆伯手搏虎，而不能生也，蓋力優而克不能及也。用百人之所能，則得百人之力；舉千人之所愛，則得千人之心。闢若伐樹而引其本，千枝萬葉則莫得弗從也。慈父之愛子，非為報也，不可內解於心；聖人之養民，非求用也，性不能已。若火之自熱，冰之自寒。夫有何修焉！及恃其力，賴其功者，若失火舟中。故君子見始，其知終矣。媒妁譽人，而莫之德也；取庸而強飯之，莫之愛也。雖親父慈母，不加於此，有以為，則恩不接矣。故送往者，非所以迎來也；施死者，非專為生也。誠出於己，則所動者遠矣。錦繡登廟，貴文也；圭璋在前，尚質也。文不勝質，之謂君子。故終年為車，無三寸之鎋，不可以驅馳；匠人斫戶，無一尺之楗，不可以閉藏。故君子行斯乎其所結。心之精者，可以神化，而不可以導人；目之精者，可以消澤，而不可以昭誋。在混冥之中，不可諭於人。故舜不降席而天下治，桀不下陛而天下亂，蓋情甚乎叫呼也。無諸己，求諸人，古今未之聞也。

When a sage is above, the people delight in his government; when below, the people admire his intention. A petty man in a high position is like sleeping on the door bar or drying floss silk, not at peace for a moment. So the Book of Changes says: "Riding a horse that circles and does not advance, weeping blood in streams." It means a petty man in a position not his own cannot last long. There is no place where things cannot be used. Aconite and monkshood are among the fierce poisons in medicine, yet a good physician uses them to save lives; dwarfs and drummers are among the unfortunate among people, yet the ruler uses them to prepare music. So the sage cuts out those leftover materials and finds nothing that cannot be used. When a brave man gives one shout, the three armies all avoid him, because what he has sent out is sincere. So if one leads and no one answers, or has intention and no one supports him, there must be something in the heart that does not match. So Shun did not step down from his mat and yet became king of the world, because he sought it in himself. So when those above have much cleverness, the people have much deceit; that a body is bent and its shadow straight has never been heard. Speaking what cannot be reached, the countenance reaches; what the countenance cannot reach, feeling reaches. Feeling lies in the heart, clarity lies in wisdom, and when sent out it takes form; this is the utmost of essence. One can deal with it through momentum but cannot give it clear warnings. The horses of the Rong and Di can all be driven, near or far, but only Zao Fu can exhaust their strength; the people of the Three Miao can all be made loyal and trustworthy, worthy or unworthy, but only Yao and Shun could unify their goodness. There must be something that cannot be handed down. Zhonghang Miubo struck a tiger with his bare hands but could not keep it alive; probably his strength was superior but his care and nurture could not keep up. Using what a hundred people can do, one gains the strength of a hundred; raising what a thousand people love, one gains the hearts of a thousand. It is like felling a tree and pulling its root: the thousand branches and ten thousand leaves all follow. A kind father loves his son not for repayment but because his heart cannot let go; a sage nourishes the people not seeking to use them but because his nature cannot stop of itself. Like fire that is hot of itself and ice that is cold of itself, what is there to cultivate! When it comes to relying on their strength and depending on their merit, it is like fire on a boat. So the gentleman, seeing the beginning, knows the end. A matchmaker praising someone gets no thanks; a hired laborer forced to eat is loved by no one. Even a real father and kind mother are no more than this: once there is something to be done, kindness cannot continue. So sending off the departed is not for welcoming the coming; giving to the dead is not exclusively for the living. If sincerity comes from oneself, what it moves is far away. Brocade and embroidery entering the temple show valuing pattern; jade tablets and scepters in front show esteem for substance. When pattern does not exceed substance, one is called a gentleman. So when making a carriage the whole year without a three-inch linchpin one cannot drive; when a craftsman hews a gate without a foot-long bolt one cannot shut and store. So when the gentleman acts, he is careful at the point where it ends. The essence of the heart can transform divinely but cannot be used to instruct people; the essence of the eye can melt and moisten but cannot give clear warning. In the dim and obscure one cannot instruct others. So Shun did not step down from his mat and the world was in order, and Jie did not step down from his steps and the world was in disorder; probably feeling is stronger than shouting. To have nothing oneself and yet seek it from others has never been heard since ancient times.

同言而民信，信在言前也；同令而民化，誠在令外也。聖人在上，民遷而化，情以先之也。動於上，不應於下者，情與令殊也。故《易》曰：「亢龍有悔。」三月嬰兒，未知利害也，而慈母之愛諭焉者，情也。故言之用者，昭昭乎小哉！不言之用者，曠曠乎大哉！身君子之言，信也；中君子之意，忠也。忠信形於內，感動應於外，故禹執干鏚，舞於兩階之間，而三苗服。鷹翔川，魚鱉沈，飛鳥揚，必遠害也。子之死父也，臣之死君也，世有行之者矣，非出死以要名也，恩心之藏於中，而不能違其難也。故人之甘甘，非正為蹠也，而蹠焉往。君子之慘怛，非正為偽形也，諭乎人心。非從外入，自中出者也。義正乎君，仁親乎父。故君之於臣也，能死生之，不能使為苟簡易；父之於子也，能發起之，不能使無憂尋。故義勝君，仁勝父，則君尊而臣忠，父慈而子孝。聖人在上，化育如神。太上曰：「我其性與！」其次曰：「微彼，其如此乎！」故《詩》曰：「執轡如組。」《易》曰：「含章可貞。」運於近，成文於遠。

When the same words are spoken and the people believe, trust lies before the words; when the same orders are issued and the people are transformed, sincerity lies outside the orders. When a sage is above, the people move and are transformed because feeling is already there first. If one moves above and those below do not respond, feeling and orders are different. So the Book of Changes says: "The arrogant dragon has cause for regret." A three-month infant does not yet know profit and harm, yet the love of a kind mother can instruct him; this is feeling. So the use of speech is bright but small; the use of not speaking is vast and great. To personally practice a gentleman's words is trust; to accord in the heart with the gentleman's intention is loyalty. When loyalty and trust take form within, the response outside moves; so Yu held shield and axe and danced between the two steps, and the Three Miao submitted. When a hawk flies above a river, fish and turtles sink and flying birds soar, surely to get far from harm. A son dying for his father or a minister dying for his ruler, which people in the world practice, is not throwing away their lives to seek fame; kindness is hidden within and they cannot avoid that difficulty. So people take the sweet as sweet, not because they are specially going to tread on it, but they go and tread on it naturally. The gentleman's compassion is not specially to put on a show, yet it can make the human heart understand. It does not come in from outside but goes out from inside. Righteousness is set right toward the ruler, and benevolence is affection toward the father. So a ruler toward his ministers can make them die or live, but cannot make them do careless or easy things; a father toward his son can rouse him but cannot keep him from deep worry. So when righteousness prevails over the ruler and benevolence over the father, the ruler is honored and the ministers loyal, the father kind and the son filial. When a sage is above, his transformation is like that of a spirit. The highest says: "I suppose it is nature!" The next says: "Without him, could it be like this!" So the Book of Poetry says: "Holding the reins like weaving a ribbon." The Book of Changes says: "Containing pattern, one can be correct." It turns near and completes its pattern far.

夫察所夜行，周公慚乎景，故君子慎其獨也。釋近斯遠，塞矣。聞善易，以正身難。夫子見禾之三變也，滔滔然曰：「狐向丘而死，我其首禾乎！」故君子見善則痛其身焉。身苟正，懷遠易矣。故《詩》曰：「弗躬弗親，庶民弗信。」小人之從事也，曰苟得，君子曰苟義。所求者同，所期者異乎！擊舟水中，魚沈而鳥揚，同聞而殊事，其情一也。僖負羈以壺餐表其閭。趙宣孟以束脯免其軀，禮不隆，而德有餘，仁心之感恩接而よ怛生。故其入人深。俱之叫呼也，在家老則為恩厚，其在責人則生爭鬥。故曰：兵莫憯於意志，莫邪為下；寇莫大於陰陽，枹鼓為小。聖人為善，非以求名，而名從之。名不與利期，而利歸之。故人之憂喜，非為蹗，蹗焉往生也。故至人不容。故若眯而撫，若跌而據。聖人之為治，漠然不見賢焉，終而後知其可大也。若日之行，騏驥不能與之爭遠。

Look at what is done in the night: even the Duke of Zhou would be ashamed before his own shadow, and so the noble person is careful when alone. To set aside the near and seek the far is to be blocked. It is easy to hear of goodness, but hard to use it to set oneself right. The Master, seeing the three changes of the grain stalk, said earnestly: "The fox dies with its head toward its mound; perhaps I should have my head toward the grain!" So the noble person on seeing goodness feels pain in himself. If one's own person is upright, it is easy to bring distant people to him. So the Odes say: "If you do not do it yourself, the common people will not trust you." The petty person acts and says that he got it by being careless; the noble person says he has been careless and fits righteousness. What they seek is the same, but what they hope for differs! Strike the boat in the water and the fish sink while the birds rise; they hear the same thing but act differently, while the feeling is one. Xi Fuji, with one pot of rice, had his lane commended; Zhao Xuanmeng, with a bundle of dried meat, saved his own body; the ritual was not lavish but the virtue was more than enough, for the kindness of a humane heart connected and compassion rose up (the source text has a damaged character here, and the sense is compassion). So it enters a person very deeply. The same shout, in the home toward the old is warm kindness, and in blaming others is a quarrel. So it is said: no weapon is more cruel than the will, with Moye the lowest; no robber is greater than yin and yang, with the drumstick and war drum the smaller. When the sage does good, it is not to seek fame, yet fame follows. Fame has no agreement with profit, yet profit turns toward it. So people's worry and joy are not for the sake of treading on it, yet naturally arise there. So the perfect person has no adornment. It is like an eye with a speck, one rubs it; like one who has stumbled, one holds on. In the sage's governing, one sees silently no place where the worthy are, and only after the end does one know it can be great. It is like the sun's course, in which no fine steed can compete in distance.

今夫夜有求，與瞽師併，東方開，斯照矣。動而有益，則損隨之。故《易》曰：「剝之不可遂盡也。故受之以複。」積薄為厚，積卑為高，故君子日孳孳以成輝，小人日怏怏以至辱。其消息也，離朱弗能見也。文王聞善如不及，宿不善如不祥。非為日不足也，其憂尋推之也。故《詩》曰：「周雖舊邦，其命維新。」懷情抱質，天弗能殺，地弗能霾也。聲揚天地之間，配日月之光，甘樂之者也。苟向善，雖過無怨；苟不向善，雖忠來患。故怨人不如自怨，求諸人不如求諸己得也。聲自召也，貌自示也，名自命也，文自官也，無非己者。操銳以刺，操刃以擊，何怨乎人？故管子文錦也，雖醜登廟；子產練染也，美而不尊。虛而能滿，淡而有味，被褐懷玉者。故兩心不可以得一人，一心可以得百人。男子樹蘭，美而不芳，繼子得食，肥而不澤，情不相與往來也。

Now if one seeks something at night, one is like a blind musician; but once the east opens, one sees. One movement that brings gain, and loss follows. So the Changes say: "Stripping cannot go on stripping to the end, so what follows is Return." The thin accumulates into the thick, the low accumulates into the high, so the noble person is diligent daily to complete his radiance, while the petty person is discontented daily until he reaches disgrace. The rise and fall of it, even Li Zhu could not see. When King Wen heard of goodness he was like one who could not catch up; a night-old lapse in goodness was like an ill omen. It was not that days were insufficient; deep anxiety pushed him. So the Odes say: "Zhou, though an old state, has a mandate that is new." Holding feeling and embracing substance, heaven cannot kill him and earth cannot bury him. His fame spreads between heaven and earth, matching the light of the sun and moon; this is for those who delight in this. If one turns toward goodness, even with faults there is no resentment; if one does not turn toward goodness, even loyalty will bring trouble. So resenting others is not as good as resenting oneself, and seeking from others is not as effective as seeking from oneself. Sound is summoned by oneself, appearance is shown by oneself, a name is named by oneself, and literary form is made official by oneself; nothing is not of oneself. One who holds a sharp tool and stabs, or holds a blade and strikes, what does he resent in others? So Guan Zhong was patterned brocade, and even with ugliness he entered the temple; Zichan was boiled and dyed silk, beautiful but not honored. To be empty yet able to be filled, to be plain yet have flavor, is one who wears coarse clothes and carries jade in his bosom. So two hearts cannot win a single person, while one heart can win a hundred. A man plants orchids: beautiful but not fragrant; a stepson gets food: fat but without gloss; this is because feeling does not pass between them.

生所假也，死所歸也。故宏演直仁而立死，王子閭張掖而受刃，不以所託害所歸也。故世治則以義衛身，世亂則以身衛義。死之日，行之終也，故君子慎一用之。無勇者，非先懾也，難至而失其守也；貪婪者，非先欲也，見利而忘其害也。虞公見垂棘之璧，而不知虢禍之及己也。故至道之人，不可遏奪也。人之慾榮也，以為己也，於彼何益？聖人之行義也，其憂尋出乎中也，於己何以利？故帝王者多矣，而三王獨稱；貧賤者多矣，而伯夷獨舉。以貴為聖乎？則聖者眾矣；以賤為仁乎？則賤者多矣。何聖人之寡也。獨專之意樂哉！忽乎日滔滔以自新，忘老之及己也。始乎叔季，歸乎伯孟，必此積也。不身遁，斯亦不遁人。故若行獨梁，不為無人不兢其容。故使人信己者易，而蒙衣自信者難。情先動，動無不得；無不得，則無莙，發莙而後快。故唐、虞之舉錯也，非以偕情也，快己而天下治；桀、紂非正賊之也，快己而百事廢。喜憎議而治亂分矣。

Life is a place borrowed for lodging, and death is where one returns. So Hong Yan stood and died for the sake of humaneness, and Prince Lü opened his armpits to receive the blade, not letting the lodging harm where he would return. So when the age is ordered one guards the person with righteousness, and when the age is disordered one guards righteousness with the person. The day of death is the end of conduct, so the noble person is careful and single-minded in using it. One without courage is not one who has already been cowed; it is that when difficulty arrives he loses what he holds to. A greedy person is not one who first has desires; it is that on seeing profit he forgets its harm. The Duke of Yu saw the jade disk of Chuiji but did not realize that Guo's disaster had arrived at himself. So one who has reached the utmost Way cannot be stopped or seized. People want honor for their own sake; what benefit is it to the other side? The sage practices righteousness, and that deep anxiety comes from within; what profit is it to himself? So of emperors and kings there are many, but only the Three Kings are celebrated; of the poor and humble there are many, but only Bo Yi is singled out. Is it that being noble makes one sage? Then sages would be many; is it that being humble makes one humane? Then the humane would be many. Why are sages so few? A single-minded intent alone is joyful! Suddenly day by day, earnestly renewing oneself, one forgets that old age has arrived. From the younger brothers up to the eldest, it must have accumulated like this. If one does not flee oneself, one also does not let others flee. So it is like walking on a single log bridge, where one is careful to compose oneself even when no one is there. So making others believe in oneself is easy, while believing in oneself under one's clothes is hard. Feeling moves first, and when it moves there is nothing that is not obtained; where nothing is not obtained there is no obstruction, and when the obstruction is opened there is relief. So the conduct of Yao and Shun was not to indulge feeling; relieving themselves, they governed the world; Jie and Zhou were not just about to harm others, but relieving themselves, a hundred affairs were ruined. When likes and dislikes are discussed, order and disorder part ways.

聖人之行，無所合，無所離，譬若鼓，無所與調，無所不比。絲管金石，小大修短有敘，異聲而和；君臣上下，官職有差，殊事而調。夫織者日以進，耕者日以卻，事相反，成功一也。申喜聞乞人之歌而悲，出而視之，其母也。艾陵之戰也，夫差曰：「夷聲陽，句吳其庶乎！」同是聲而取信焉異。有諸情也。故心哀而歌不樂，心樂而哭不哀。夫子曰：「弦則是也，其聲非也。」文者，所以接物也，情繫於中而欲發外者也。以文滅情，則失情；以情滅文，則失文。文情理通，則鳳麟極矣。言至德之懷遠也。輸子陽謂其子曰：「良工漸乎矩鑿之中。」矩鑿之中，固無物而不周。聖王以治民，造父以治馬，醫駱以治病。同材而各自取焉。上意而民載，誠中者也。未言而信，弗召而至，或先之也，忣於不己知者，不自知也。矜怛生於不足，華誣生於矜。誠中之人，樂而不忣，如鴞好聲，熊之好經。夫有誰為矜。春女思，秋士悲，而知物化矣。號而哭，嘰而哀，而知聲動矣；容貌顏色，理詘𠈐倨佝，徇知情偽矣。故聖人慄慄乎其內，而至乎至極矣。

The conduct of the sage has nothing it joins and nothing it leaves, like a drum, which has nothing in tune with it yet nothing that does not attach to it. Strings, pipes, metal and stone, small and large, long and short have their order, and their sounds differ yet harmonize; ruler and minister, high and low, offices differ, and their affairs differ yet are coordinated. The weaver advances daily and the plowman retreats daily; their tasks are opposite but the accomplishment is one. Shen Xi heard a beggar's song and was grieved, and on going out to look, it was his mother. At the battle of Ailing, Fuchai said: "The sound of the barbarians is yang; Gouwu is probably about done!" The same sound but a different degree of trust, because feeling is within it. So when the heart is grieved, even a song is not joyful; when the heart is joyful, even weeping is not sorrowful. The Master said: "The string is still that string, but the sound is not." Form is used to deal with things, and feeling is tied within and wishes to come out. If one uses form to extinguish feeling, one loses feeling; if one uses feeling to extinguish form, one loses form. When form, feeling and principle connect, phoenixes and unicorns arrive. This says that utmost virtue can draw distant people. Shu Ziyang said to his son: "A good craftsman gradually accomplishes his work within the square and the chisel." Within the square and chisel, there is surely nothing that is not covered. The sage king uses it to govern the people, Zao Fu uses it to govern horses, and the physician Luo uses it to treat illness. With the same material, each takes what he uses. When those above have an intent, the people take it up and carry it out, because sincerity is within. Before speaking he is believed, without being summoned he arrives, because someone was already there. One who is anxious not to be known by others does not know himself. Boasting and angry resentment arise from insufficiency, and flashiness and falsehood arise from boasting. One in whom sincerity is within is joyful and not hasty, like the owl that loves its own call or the bear that loves to hang itself. Who is there to boast? A woman in spring longs and a scholar in autumn is saddened, and so one knows that things are changing; crying out and weeping, sighing and grieving, and so one knows the sound is stirring; in appearance and color, the lines of curve and straightness, arrogance and stooping (the source text has a rare character here), one can know whether feeling is true or false. So the sage within is awed and reaches the utmost.

功名遂成，天也；循理受順，人也。太公望、周公旦，天非為武王造之也；崇侯、惡來，天非為紂生之也；有其世，有其人也。教本乎君子，小人被其澤；利本乎小人，君子享其功。昔東戶季子之世，道路不拾遺，耒耜餘糧宿諸畮首，使君子小人各得其宜也。故一人有慶，兆民賴之。凡高者貴其左，故下之於上曰左之，臣辭也；下者貴其右，故上之於下曰右之，君讓也。故上左遷，則失其所尊也；臣右還，則失其所貴矣。小快害道，斯須害儀。子產騰辭，獄繁而無邪，失諸情者，則塞於辭矣。成國之道，工無偽事，農無遺力，士無隱行，官無失法。譬若設網者，引其綱而萬目開矣。舜、禹不再受命，堯、舜傳大焉，先形乎小也。刑于寡妻，至於兄弟，禪於家國，而天下從風。故戎兵以大知小，人以小知大。君子之道，近而不可以至，卑而不可以登，無載焉而不勝，大而章，遠而隆，知此之道，不可求於人，斯得諸己也。釋己而求諸人，去之遠矣。

Achieving merit and fame is Heaven's; following principle and receiving what accords is the person's. Taigong Wang and Dan, the Duke of Zhou, Heaven did not create for King Wu; Chong Hou and E Lai, Heaven did not produce for Zhou; when there is that age, there are such people. Teaching takes the noble person as its root while petty people receive its blessing; profit takes the petty person as its root while noble persons enjoy its merit. In the age of Dong Hu Jizi, nothing dropped on the road was picked up, and plow and surplus grain were left on the field ridges, so that noble and petty each found what suited them. So when one man has good fortune, the myriad people rely on him. For the high, the left is valued, so those below say 'to the left of you' to those above, which is the minister's wording; for the lower, the right is valued, so those above say 'to the right of you' to those below, which is the ruler's humility. So if the one above moves left, he loses what he is honored for; if the minister returns to the right, he loses what he values. Small relief harms the Way, and a moment's relief harms decorum. Zichan broadened his wording, and though lawsuits were many there was no deviance; those who lose feeling are blocked by wording. The way of accomplishing a state: craftsmen have no false work, farmers have no neglected strength, scholars have no hidden conduct, officials have no mistaken law. It is like one who casts a net: pull the main cord and the ten thousand meshes open. Shun and Yu did not receive the mandate a second time; Yao and Shun passed on the great, first taking form in the small. Set the model with one's legitimate wife, reaching brothers, extending to household and state, and the world follows like grass in wind. So in using troops one knows the small from the great, and in people one knows the great from the small. The Way of the noble person is near but cannot be walked to, lowly but cannot be climbed; nothing loads it and fails to bear it; it is great and bright, far and flourishing; knowing this Way, one cannot seek it from others, for it is obtained from oneself. To set oneself aside and seek from others is to leave it far behind.

君子者，樂有餘而名不足，小人樂不足而名有餘。觀於有餘不足之相去，昭然遠矣。含而弗吐，在情而不萌者，未之聞也。君子思義而不慮利，小人貪利而不顧義。子曰：「鈞之哭也，曰：『子予奈何兮乘我何』其哀則同，其所以哀則異。」故哀樂之襲人情也深矣。鑿地漂池，非止以勞苦民也。各從其蹠而亂生焉。其載情一也，施人則異矣。故唐、虞日孳孳以致於王，桀、紂日怏怏以致於死，不知後世之譏己也。凡人情，說其所苦即樂，失其所樂則哀。故知生之樂，必知死之哀。有義者不可欺以利，有勇者不可劫以懼，如饑渴者不可欺以虛器也。人多欲虧義，多憂害智，多懼害勇。嫚生乎小人，蠻夷皆能之；善生乎君子，誘然與日月爭光，天下弗能遏奪。故治國樂其所以存，亡國亦樂其所以亡也。金錫不消釋則不流刑，上憂尋不誠則不法民。憂尋不在民，則是絕民之系也。君反本，而民系固也。至德小節備，大節舉。齊桓舉而不密，晉文密而不舉。晉文得之乎閨內，失之乎境外；齊桓失之乎閨內，而得之乎本朝。

The noble person has joy more than fame, while the petty person has fame more than joy. Look at the distance between having more and having less; it is plainly very far. To hold something in without letting it out, to be in feeling without it sprouting, has never been heard of. The noble person thinks of righteousness and does not consider profit; the petty person is greedy for profit and ignores righteousness. Confucius said: "The same weeping, saying 'Alas, what can be done! What can be done to me!'; the sorrow is the same, yet what is grieved over differs." So grief and joy enter people's feelings deeply. Digging the ground and releasing pond water is not merely to make the people toil. Each person follows his own tendency and so disorder arises. The feeling carried is one, but what is given to others differs. So Yao and Shun were diligent daily until they became kings, while Jie and Zhou were discontented daily until they died, not knowing that later ages would mock them. In the feelings of people, speaking of what pains them gives pleasure, and losing what delights them brings grief. So one who knows the joy of life must know the sorrow of death. A righteous person cannot be deceived by profit, a brave person cannot be coerced by fear, just as a hungry and thirsty person cannot be fooled by an empty vessel. Much desire diminishes righteousness, much worry harms wisdom, and much fear harms courage. Contempt arises from petty people, and even barbarians can do it; goodness arises from the noble person, and gently competes with the sun and moon for brilliance, and the world cannot stop or seize it. So a state that is ordered delights in what allows it to survive, and a state that is lost also delights in what causes its ruin. Metal and tin do not flow into the mold unless smelted, and the deep anxiety of those above, unless sincere, cannot be a model for the people. If deep anxiety is not in the people, the link with the people is cut off. If the ruler returns to the root, the people's link will be firm. Utmost virtue is complete in the small measures and brings out the large ones. Duke Huan of Qi brought out the large but was not thorough; Duke Wen of Jin was thorough but did not bring out the large. Duke Wen gained within the women's quarters and lost beyond the border; Duke Huan lost within the women's quarters and gained in his own court.

水下流而廣大，君下臣而聰明。君不與臣爭功，而治道通矣。管夷吾、百里奚經而成之，齊桓、秦穆受而聽之。照惑者，以東為西，惑也；見日而寤矣。衛武侯謂其臣曰：「小子無謂我老而羸我，有過必謁之。」是武侯如弗羸之必得羸。故老而弗舍，通乎存亡之論者也。人無能作也，有能為也；有能為也，而無能成也。人之為，天成之。終身為善，非天不行；終身為不善，非天不亡。故善否，我也；禍福，非我也。故君子順其在己者而已矣。性者，所受於天也；命者，所遭於時也。有其材，不遇其世，天也。太公何力，比干何罪，循性而行指，或害或利。求之有道，得之在命。故君子能為善，而不能必其得福；不忍為非，而未能必免其禍。君，根本也；臣，枝葉也。根本不美，枝葉茂者，未之聞也。有道之世，以人與國；無道之世，以國與人。堯王天下而憂不解，授舜而憂釋。憂而守之，而樂與賢終，不私其利矣。

Water flows downward and so becomes vast; a ruler stoops to his ministers and so becomes keen and bright. If the ruler does not compete with the ministers for merit, the way of governing flows. Guan Yiwu and Baili Xi managed and accomplished, and Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Mu of Qin accepted and followed. One who is deluded takes east for west, which is delusion; on seeing the sun he awakens. Marquis Wu of Wei said to his ministers: "Young men, do not think I am old and treat me as weak; when I make a mistake you must tell me." This is Marquis Wu's knowing that if he did not treat himself as weak he would surely gain weakness. So one who does not abandon himself even when old is one who understands the discourse of survival and loss. People cannot create, but can act; having the ability to act, they cannot accomplish. People do, and Heaven accomplishes. One who does good all his life, if not for Heaven could not carry it out; one who does not good all his life, if not for Heaven would not perish. So good and not good are me; misfortune and blessing are not me. So the noble person only goes along with what is on his own side. Nature is received from Heaven; fate is what is met in one's time. To have the talent and not meet the age is Heaven's doing. What strength did Taigong have, what crime did Bigan have? Following nature and carrying out their aims, some were harmed and some benefited. In seeking there is the Way, but in attaining it depends on fate. So the noble person can do good but cannot be sure to gain blessing; he cannot bear to do wrong but cannot be sure to avoid misfortune. The ruler is the root and the ministers are the branches and leaves. It has never been heard that the root is not fine and the branches are flourishing. In an age with the Way, the person is entrusted to the state; in an age without the Way, the state is entrusted to a person. Yao ruled the world as king and his anxiety was not resolved; only when he handed the world to Shun was the anxiety put down. Anxious yet holding on to it, he delighted in ending with the worthy, and did not take profit as private.

凡萬物有所施之，無小不可；為無所用之，碧瑜糞土也。人之情，於害之中爭取小焉，於利之中爭取大焉。故同味而嗜厚膊者，必其甘之者也；同師而超群者，必其樂之者也。弗甘弗樂，而能為表者，未之聞也。君子時則進，得之以義，何幸之有！不時則退，讓之以義，何不幸之有！故伯夷餓死首陽之下，猶不自悔，棄其所賤，得其所貴也。福之萌也綿綿，禍之生也分分。禍福之始萌微，故民嫚之。唯聖人見其始而知其終。故傳曰：「魯酒薄而邯鄲圍，羊羹不斟而宋國危。」明主之賞罰，非以為己也，以為國也。適於己而無功於國者，不施賞焉；逆於己便於國者，不加罰焉。故楚莊謂共雍曰：「有德者受吾爵祿，有功者受吾田宅。是二者，女無一焉，吾無以與女。」可謂不逾於理乎！其謝之也，猶未之莫與。周政至，殷政善，夏政行。行政善，善未必至也。至至之人，不慕乎行，不慚乎善。含德履道，而上下相樂也，不知其所由然。有國者多矣，而齊桓、晉文獨名；泰山之上有七十壇焉，而三王獨道。君不求諸臣，臣不假之君，修近彌遠，而後世稱其大。不越鄰而成章，而莫能至焉。故孝己之禮可為也，而莫能奪之名也。必不得其所懷也。

In all the myriad things there are uses, and none is so small as to be unfit; with nothing to use it, even jade is dung. In human feeling, within harm one strives for the small and within profit one strives for the large. So with the same flavors, one who likes thick-cut meat must be one who finds it sweet; with the same teacher, one who surpasses his peers must be one who delights in it. That one who is neither satisfied nor delighted can be a model has never been heard. When the time arrives the noble person advances, gaining by righteousness; what luck is there in it! When the time has not arrived he withdraws, declining by righteousness; what misfortune is there in it! So Bo Yi starved to death beneath Mount Shouyang yet did not himself regret it, for he abandoned what he regarded as low and gained what he regarded as precious. The sprouting of blessing is slender and fine, while the arising of misfortune is tangled and clamorous. When blessing and misfortune first sprout they are tiny, so the people take them lightly. Only the sage sees their beginning and knows their end. So the tradition says: "The wine of Lu was thin and Handan was besieged; the lamb stew was not served and Song was in danger." The rewards and punishments of an enlightened ruler are not for himself but for the state. One who suits himself but has no merit for the state is not rewarded; one who opposes himself but benefits the state is not punished. So King Zhuang of Chu said to Gong Yong: "A person of virtue receives my rank and stipend, a person of merit receives my fields and houses. Of these two you have neither, and I have no way to give you." It can be said he did not overstep principle! He declined, and no one gave to him either. The government of Zhou reached the utmost, the government of Yin was good, and the government of Xia could be carried out. A government that can be carried out is good, but good does not necessarily reach the utmost. One who reaches the utmost does not envy what can be carried out and is not ashamed of the good. Holding virtue and treading the Way, high and low rejoice in each other without knowing why. Of those who held states there were many, but only Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin alone had fame; atop Mount Tai there were seventy altars, but only the Three Kings alone are celebrated. The ruler does not seek from his ministers and the ministers do not borrow from the ruler; cultivating the near, he goes ever farther, and later ages celebrate his greatness. Without leaving the neighborhood he accomplished literary brilliance, yet no one could reach it. So Xiaoji's ritual could be done, yet no one could take away his name. It must be that what he cherished could not be obtained.

義載乎宜之謂君子，宜遺乎義之謂小人。通智得而不勞，其次勞而不病，其下病而不勞。古人味而弗貪也，今人貪而弗味。歌之修其音也，音之不足於其美者也。金石絲竹，助而奏之，猶未足以至於極也。人能尊道行義，喜怒取予，欲如草之從風。召公桑蠶耕種之時，馳獄出拘，使百姓皆得反業修職。文王辭千里之地，而請去炮烙之刑。故聖人之舉事也，進退不失時，若夏就絺綌，上車授綏之謂也。老子學商容，見舌而知守柔矣；列子學壺子，觀景柱而知持後矣。故聖人不為物先，而常制之，其類若積薪樵，後者在上。人以義愛，以黨群，以群強。是故德之所施者博，則威之所行者遠；義之所加者淺，則武之所制者小矣。鐸以聲自毀，膏濁以明自鑠，虎豹之文來射，猿狖之捷來措。故子路以勇死，萇弘以智困。能以智知，而未能以智不知也。故行險者不得履繩，出林者不得直道，夜行瞑目而前其手，事有所至，而明有所害。人能貫冥冥入於昭昭，可與言至矣。鵲巢知風之所起，獺穴知水之高下，暉目知晏，陰諧知雨，為是謂人智不如鳥獸，則不然。故通於一伎，察於一辭，可與曲說，未可與廣應也。甯戚擊牛角而歌，桓公舉以大政；雍門子以哭見孟嘗君，涕流沾纓。歌哭，眾人之所能為也，一發聲，入人耳，感人心，情之至者也。故唐、虞之法可效也。其諭人心，不可及也。簡公以懦殺，子陽以猛劫，皆不得其道者也。故歌而不比於律者，其清濁一也；繩之外與繩之內，皆失直者也。紂為象箸而箕子嘰，魯以偶人葬而孔子歎，見所始則知所終。故水出於山，入於海；稼生乎野，而藏乎倉。聖人見其所生，則知其所歸矣。

Righteousness borne on what is fitting is called a noble person; what is fitting that loses righteousness is called a petty person. The wise who penetrate gain it without toil; the next toil without illness; the lowest toil though ill. The ancients tasted and were not greedy; people today are greedy and do not taste. In song one refines the tones, yet the tones are not enough to reach its beauty. Metal, stone, strings and bamboo assist the performance, yet are not enough to reach the extreme. If a person can honor the Way and practice righteousness, then in joy and anger, taking and giving, desires are like grass following the wind. The Duke of Shao, in the season of silkworms and plowing, released those held in prison so that the hundred clans could all return to their basic work and tend to their duties. King Wen declined a thousand li of land and asked to abolish the roasting punishment. So the sage in conduct does not lose the time, like wearing hemp cloth in summer or giving a strap when one boards a carriage. Laozi studied with Shang Rong and, seeing the tongue, knew to keep to softness; Liezi studied with Huzi and, watching shadow and pillar, knew to hold behind. So the sage does not rush before things yet often restrains them; that kind is like piled firewood with the later laid on top. People love by righteousness, form crowds by parties, and become strong by crowds. So where virtue is applied broadly, awe reaches far; where righteousness is applied shallowly, the restraint of arms is small. Bells and clappers destroy themselves by sound, fat melts itself by light, the leopard's and tiger's patterns invite the arrow, and the monkey's quickness invites the spear. So Zilu died by courage and Chang Hong was brought to hardship by wisdom. One can use wisdom to know, but cannot use wisdom not to know. So one who walks a dangerous road cannot step on the plumb line, and one who leaves a forest cannot walk a straight path; walking at night with eyes closed and hands stretched in front, things have their reach, and brightness has its harm. Only one who can pierce through the dim into the bright can be spoken to of the utmost. The magpie building its nest knows where the wind comes from, the otter digging its burrow knows the height of the water, those with a clear gaze know when it will be clear, and those with yin harmony know rain; so it is said that human wisdom is not as good as that of birds and beasts, but it is not so. So one who understands one skill, one who examines one phrase, can be spoken to in detail but not broadly responded to. Ning Qi sang beating an ox horn, and Duke Huan raised him to great affairs; Master Yongmen went to see Lord Mengchang by weeping, and his tears wet the cap strings. Singing and weeping are what all can do; one sound goes out, enters a person's ear and stirs his heart, which is feeling reaching its extreme. So the law of Yao and Shun can be imitated. How they enlightened people's hearts cannot be matched. Duke Jian was killed through weakness, and Zi Yang was kidnapped through fierceness; both lacked the Way. So a singing that does not conform to the pitch has clear and muddy as one; outside the cord and inside the cord both lose straightness. When Zhou made ivory chopsticks, Jizi sighed; when Lu used clay figures in burial, Confucius lamented; seeing the beginning one knows the end. So water comes out of the mountain and enters the sea; crops grow in the field and are stored in the granary. The sage, seeing where something grows, knows where it will return.

水濁者魚噞，令苛者民亂。城峭者必崩，岸青者必陀。故商鞅立法而支解，吳起刻削而車裂。治國譬若張瑟，大絃絚，則小絃絕矣。故急轡數策者，非千里之禦也。有聲之聲，不過百里；無聲之聲，施於四海。是故祿過其功者損，名過其實者蔽。情行合而名副之，禍福不虛至矣。身有醜夢，不勝正行；國有妖祥，不勝善政。是故前有軒冕之賞，不可以無功取也；後有斧鉞之禁，不可以無罪蒙也。素修正者，弗離道也。君子不謂小善不足為也而舍之，小善積而為大善；不謂小不善為無傷也而為之，小不善積而為大不善。是故積羽沈舟，群輕折軸。故君子禁於微。壹快不足以成善，積快而為德；壹恨不足以成非，積恨而成怨。故三代之稱，千歲之積譽也；桀、紂之謗，千歲之積毀也。

When water is muddy, fish poke their mouths up to breathe; when laws and orders are harsh, the people become disorderly. A city wall that is steep is sure to collapse, and a riverbank that is high and sheer is sure to cave in. So Shang Yang set up laws and was dismembered, and Wu Qi was severe and was torn apart by chariots. Governing a state is like stringing a zither: if the large strings are stretched too tight, the small strings break. So one who draws the reins very tight and repeatedly lashes the whip is not one who can drive a thousand li. A sound that has a voice does not go beyond a hundred li; a sound without a voice is applied to the four seas. When a stipend exceeds one's merit, it is a loss; when a name exceeds one's reality, it is a cover. When feeling and conduct agree and the name matches them, misfortune and blessing do not arrive for nothing. Ugly dreams in the body cannot overcome upright conduct; ominous signs in the state cannot overcome good government. So before you are the rewards of coach and cap, which you must not take without merit; behind you is the prohibition of axe and halberd, which you must not incur without crime. One who is always cultivating himself does not leave the Way. The noble person does not say that a small good is not enough to do and so discard it; small goods accumulate into a great good; he does not say that a small bad does no harm and so do it; small bads accumulate into a great bad. So feathers accumulated in quantity can sink a boat, and light things in a crowd can break an axle. So the noble person guards against it in the minute. A single moment of ease is not enough to make goodness, but ease accumulated becomes virtue; a single grudge is not enough to make wrong, but grudges accumulated become resentment. So the Three Dynasties are celebrated for praise accumulated over a thousand years, and Jie and Zhou are reviled for blame accumulated over a thousand years.

天有四時，人有四用。何謂四用？視而形之，莫明於目；聽而精之，莫聰於耳；重而閉之，莫固於口；含而藏之，莫深於心。目見其形，耳聽其聲，口言其誠，而心致之精，則萬物之化鹹有極矣。地以德廣，君以德尊，上也；地以義廣，君以義尊，次也；地以強廣，君以強尊，下也。故粹者王，駁者霸，無一焉者亡。昔二皇鳳皇至於庭，三代至乎門，周室至乎澤。德彌粗，所至彌遠；德彌精，所至彌近。君子誠仁，施亦仁，不施亦仁；小人誠不仁，施亦不仁，不施亦不仁。善之由我，與其由人若，仁德之盛者也，故情勝欲者昌，欲勝情者亡。欲知天道，察其數；欲行地道，物其樹；欲知人道，從其欲。勿驚勿駭，萬物將自理；勿撓勿攖，萬物將自清。

Heaven has four seasons and a person has four uses. What are the four uses? In seeing and giving form to it, nothing is clearer than the eye; in hearing and making it refined, nothing is keener than the ear; in closing off what is weighty, nothing is firmer than the mouth; in holding and storing, nothing is deeper than the mind. The eye sees its form, the ear hears its sound, the mouth speaks its truth, and the mind carries it to refinement, and then the changes of the myriad things all reach their limit. When the earth is broadened by virtue and the ruler honored by virtue, that is the highest; when the earth is broadened by righteousness and the ruler honored by righteousness, that is the next; when the earth is broadened by force and the ruler honored by force, that is the lowest. So the pure become kings, the mixed become hegemons, and those with neither perish. Formerly in the time of the Two Sovereigns, the phoenix reached the courtyard; in the Three Dynasties, the gate; in the house of Zhou, the marshes. The coarser the virtue, the farther the reach; the finer the virtue, the nearer. The noble person is truly humane, whether he gives or does not give he is humane; the petty person is truly inhumane, whether he gives or does not give he is inhumane. When goodness comes from oneself just as it comes from others, one is a person of flourishing humane virtue. So where feeling overcomes desire there is prosperity, and where desire overcomes feeling there is ruin. If you want to know the Way of Heaven, observe its numbers; if you want to carry out the way of earth, discern its trees; if you want to know the way of man, follow his desires. Do not startle, do not alarm, and the myriad things will govern themselves; do not stir, do not entangle, and the myriad things will clear themselves.

察一曲者，不可與言化；審一時者，不可與言大。日不知夜，月不知晝，日月為明而弗能兼也，唯天地能函之。能包天地，曰唯無形者也。驕溢之君無忠臣，口慧之人無必信。交拱之木，無把之枝；尋常之溝，無吞舟之魚。根淺則末短，本傷則枝枯。福生於無為，患生於多欲，害生於弗備，穢生於弗耨。聖人為善若恐不及，備禍若恐不免。蒙塵而欲毋眯，涉水而欲無濡，不可得也。是故知己者不怨人，知命者不怨天。福由己發，禍由己生。

One who only observes a single crooked path cannot be spoken to of transformation; one who only examines a single season cannot be spoken to of the great. The sun does not know the night and the moon does not know the day; the sun and the moon become bright but cannot be had together, and only heaven and earth can contain them. That which can wrap heaven and earth is called only the formless. A proud ruler has no loyal ministers, and one with a clever mouth is not necessarily trustworthy. A tree that can be embraced by two arms has no branch as thick as a handful; a ditch a fathom wide has no fish that can swallow a boat. If the roots are shallow the tips are short; if the base is injured the branches wither. Blessing comes from the lord who does not act, misfortune from many desires, harm from lack of precaution, and filth from not weeding. The sage does good as if afraid not to catch up, and guards against misfortune as if afraid not to escape. To be covered in dust and hope not to get it in the eyes, to wade in water and hope not to get wet, cannot be done. So one who knows himself does not blame others, and one who knows fate does not blame Heaven. Blessing comes from oneself and misfortune is born of oneself.

聖人不求譽，不闢誹，正身直行，眾邪自息。今釋正而追曲，倍是而從眾，是與俗儷走，而內無繩，故聖人反己而弗由也。道之有篇章形埒者，非至者也。嘗之而無味，視之而無形，不可傳於人。大戟去水，亭曆愈張，用之不節，乃反為病。物多類之而非，唯聖人知其微。善禦者不忘其馬，善射者不忘其弩，善為人上者不忘其下。誠能愛而利之，天下可從也。弗愛弗利，親子叛父。天下有至貴而非勢位也，有至富而非金玉也，有至壽而非千歲也。原心反性，則貴矣；適情知足，則富矣；明死生之分，則壽矣。言無常是，行無常宜者，小人也；察於一事，通於一伎者，中人也；兼覆蓋而並有之，度伎能而裁使之者，聖人也。

The sage does not seek praise and does not avoid slander; he sets his own person right and walks straight, and the many evils stop of themselves. Now to abandon the upright and chase the crooked, to turn from what is right and follow the crowd, is to run alongside custom with no plumb line within, so the sage returns to himself and does not take this road. A Way that has chapters and bounds is not the utmost. Taste it and it has no flavor, look at it and it has no form, and it cannot be handed to others. Euphorbia can remove dropsy and pepperwort can treat swelling, but used without restraint they become the illness instead. Many things resemble one another without being the same, and only the sage knows their subtlety. One who is good at driving does not forget his horse, one who is good at archery does not forget his crossbow, and one who is good at being above others does not forget those below. If one can truly love them and benefit them, the world will follow. Without love and benefit, even a son will turn against his father. In the world there is the utmost nobility that is not power and position, the utmost wealth that is not gold and jade, and the utmost longevity that is not living a thousand years. To return to the root of the mind and return to nature is nobility; to fit one's feeling and know sufficiency is wealth; to understand the distinction of death and life is longevity. One whose words have no constant right and whose conduct has no constant fitting is a petty person; one who examines a single matter and comprehends a single skill is a middling person; one who covers all and holds them together, gauges abilities and uses them with discernment, is a sage.

率性而行謂之道，得其天性謂之德。性失然後貴仁，道失然後貴義。是故仁義立而道德遷矣，禮樂飾則純樸散矣，是非形則百姓眩矣，珠玉尊則天下爭矣。凡此四者，衰世之造也，末世之用也。夫禮者，所以別尊卑，異貴賤；義者，所以合君臣、父子、兄弟、夫妻、朋友之際也。今世之為禮者，恭敬而忮；為義者，佈施而德；君臣以相非，骨肉以生怨，則失禮義之本也，故搆而多責。夫水積則生相食之魚，土積則生自淫之獸，禮義飾則生偽匿之本。夫吹灰而欲無眯，涉水而欲無濡，不可得也。古者，民童蒙不知東西，貌不羨乎情，而言不溢乎行。其衣致煖而無文，其兵戈銖而無刃，其歌樂而無轉，其哭哀而無聲。鑿井而飲，耕田而食。無所施其美，亦不求得。親戚不相毀譽，朋友不相怨德。及至禮義之生，貨財之貴，而詐偽萌興，非譽相紛，怨德並行，於是乃有曾參、孝己之美，而生盜蹠、莊蹻之邪。故有大路龍旂，羽蓋垂緌，結駟連騎，則必有穿窬拊楗、抽箕踰備之姦；有詭文繁繡，弱緆羅紈，必有菅屩跐踦，短褐不完者。故高下之相傾也，短脩之相形也，亦明矣。夫蝦蟆為鶉，水蠆為𧐟莣，皆生非其類，唯聖人知其化。夫胡人見黂，不知其可以為布也；越人見毳，不知其可以為旃也。故不通於物者，難與言化。昔太公望、周公旦受封而相見，太公問周公曰：「何以治魯？」周公曰：「尊尊親親。」太公曰：「魯從此弱矣！」周公問太公曰：「何以治齊？」太公曰：「舉賢而上功。」周公曰：「後世必有劫殺之君！」其後，齊日以大，至於霸，二十四世而田氏代之；魯日以削，至三十二世而亡。故易曰：「履霜，堅冰至。」聖人之見終始微言！故糟丘生乎象箸，炮烙生乎熱鬥。子路撜溺而受牛謝，孔子曰：「魯國必好救人於患。」子贛贖人而不受金於府，孔子曰：「魯國不復贖人矣。

Following one's nature in conduct is called the Way, and attaining one's Heaven-given nature is called virtue. When nature is lost, humaneness is then valued; when the Way is lost, righteousness is then valued. So once humaneness and righteousness are established, the Way and virtue move away; once ritual and music are embellished, simplicity scatters; once right and wrong take shape, the hundred clans are dazzled; once pearls and jade are honored, the world contends. These four are made in a declining age and used in a final age. Ritual is used to distinguish high and low and differentiate noble and humble; righteousness is used to unite the relations of ruler and minister, father and son, elder and younger brothers, husband and wife, and friends. Now those in the world who practice ritual are respectful but bear grudges; those who practice righteousness give but think themselves virtuous; ruler and minister criticize each other, flesh and blood give rise to resentment, and thus the root of ritual and righteousness is lost, so they build up resentment and demand much. Where water accumulates, fish that eat one another are born; where earth accumulates, beasts that are lewd by themselves are born; where ritual and righteousness are embellished, a root of falseness and concealment is born. To blow ashes and hope not to get them in the eyes, to wade in water and hope not to get wet, cannot be done. In ancient times the people were ignorant and did not know east from west, their appearance did not exceed their feelings, and their words did not exceed their conduct. Clothing sought only warmth and had no patterns, weapons were blunt and heavy without edge, singing and music had no turns, and weeping and mourning had no sound. They dug wells to drink and plowed fields to eat. They had no place to show off their goodness and did not seek to gain. Relatives did not slander or praise each other, and friends did not resent each other's kindness. When ritual and righteousness arose and goods and wealth were valued, deceit and falsehood sprouted, criticism and praise tangled together, and resentment and kindness ran side by side; then there was the goodness of Zeng Shen and Xiaoji, and the wickedness of Robber Zhi and Zhuang Qiao was born. So where there are great chariots with dragon banners, feathered canopies and hanging tassels, and linked teams of four horses, there are sure to be those who climb walls, pry bolts and pull out door pivots to climb over; where there are strange and beautiful patterns, rich embroidery, fine cloth and silk gauze, there are sure to be those with straw sandals who limp, with coarse short clothes that are not whole. So the leaning of high and low toward each other and the measuring of long and short against each other become clear. The toad turns into a quail, and the water larva turns into that insect (the source text has a rare character here); all are born as other than their kind, and only the sage knows their transformation. A northern barbarian seeing coarse hemp does not know it can be made into cloth; a southern Yue person seeing fine fur does not know it can be made into felt. So one who does not understand things is hard to speak to about transformation. Formerly Taigong Wang and Dan, Duke of Zhou, were enfeoffed and met; Taigong asked the Duke of Zhou: "How will you govern Lu?" The Duke of Zhou said: "Honor those who should be honored and love those who should be loved." Taigong said: "Lu will grow weak from this!" The Duke of Zhou asked Taigong: "How will you govern Qi?" Taigong said: "Raise the worthy and honor merit." The Duke of Zhou said: "In later ages there will surely be a ruler who is seized and killed!" Later, Qi grew greater day by day until it became hegemon, and after twenty-four generations the Tian clan replaced it; Lu grew weaker day by day and was lost in the thirty-second generation. So the Changes say: "Stepping on frost, solid ice is coming." The sage sees the slight signs of end and beginning! So the lees mound came from ivory chopsticks, and the roasting punishment from the iron. Zilu rescued a drowning person and accepted an ox in thanks, and Confucius said: "Lu will surely love to rescue people from trouble." Zigong ransomed someone and did not collect the money from the government, and Confucius said: "Lu will no longer have anyone ransoming people.

」子路受而勸德，子贛讓而止善。孔子之明，以小知大，以近知遠，通於論者也。由此觀之，廉有所在，而不可公行也。故行齊於俗，可隨也；事周於能，易為也。矜偽以惑世，伉行以違眾，聖人不以為民俗。廣廈闊屋，連闥通房，人之所安也，鳥入之而憂。高山險阻，深林叢薄，虎豹之所樂也，人入之而畏。川穀通原，積水重泉，黿鼉之所便也，人入之而死。咸池、承云，九韶、六英，人之所樂也，鳥獸聞之而驚。深谿峭岸，峻木尋枝，猿狖之所樂也，人上之而慄。形殊性詭，所以為樂者乃所以為哀，所以為安者乃所以為危也。乃至天地之所覆載，日月之所照誋，使各便其性，安其居，處其宜，為其能。故愚者有所脩，智者有所不足；柱不可以摘齒，筐不可以持屋；馬不可以服重，牛不可以追速；鉛不可以為刀，銅不可以為弩；鐵不可以為舟，木不可以為釜。各用之於其所適，施之於其所宜，即萬物一齊，而無由相過。夫明鏡便於照形，其於以函食，不如簞；犧牛粹毛，宜於廟牲，其於以致雨，不若黑蜧。由此觀之，物無貴賤。因其所貴而貴之，物無不貴也；因其所賤而賤之，物無不賤也。夫玉璞不厭厚，角䚩不厭薄；漆不厭黑，粉不厭白。此四者相反也，所急則均，其用一也。今之裘與蓑，孰急？見雨則裘不用，升堂則蓑不御，此代為常者也。譬若舟、車、楯、肆、窮廬，故有所宜也。故老子曰「不上賢」者，言不致魚於木，沉鳥於淵。故堯之治天下也，舜為司徒，契為司馬，禹為司空，后稷為大田師，奚仲為工。其導萬民也，水處者漁，山處者木，谷處者牧，陸處者農。地宜其事，事宜其械，械宜其用，用宜其人。澤皋織網，陵阪耕田，得以所有易所無，以所工易所拙，是故離叛者寡，而聽從者眾。譬若播棋丸於地，員者走澤，方者處高，各從其所安，夫有何上下焉！

" (He continued:) Zilu accepted and encouraged virtue, while Zigong declined and stopped goodness. Confucius's clarity knew the great from the small and the far from the near; he was one who understood discourse. From this it appears that integrity has its place, but cannot be openly and universally practiced. So conduct that matches custom can be followed; a matter and an ability well matched are easy to do. To boast, to be false and so bewilder the age, to put on lofty conduct that goes against the crowd, the sage does not take as custom. Broad halls and wide houses with doors linked and rooms connected are where people are at ease, but a bird entering them is anxious. High mountains and steep barriers, deep forests and thickets are where tigers and leopards are glad, but a person entering is afraid. Valleys that reach to their source, with pooled water and layered springs, are convenient for turtles and crocodiles, but a person entering dies. The Xianchi, Chengyun, Jiushao and Liuying music are what people enjoy, but birds and beasts hearing them are startled. Deep gorges and steep banks and tall trees with long branches are where monkeys are glad, but a person climbing them trembles. Forms differ and natures are strange, so what makes one glad is just what makes another grieve, and what makes one safe is just what makes another endangered. As for what heaven and earth cover and carry and the sun and moon shine on, let each find his own nature convenient, be at ease in his own dwelling, stay where he is suited, and do what he is able to do. So the foolish have something they do well and the wise have something they lack; a pillar cannot pick teeth, a basket cannot prop up a house; a horse cannot bear heavy loads and an ox cannot chase speed; lead cannot be made into a knife, bronze cannot be made into a crossbow; iron cannot be made into a boat, wood cannot be made into a cauldron. When each is used where suited and applied where fitting, the myriad things are equalized, and none can surpass another. A bright mirror is convenient for reflecting forms, but used to hold food it is not as good as a bamboo basket; an ox for sacrifice with pure coat is fit for the temple, but used to pray for rain it is not as good as the black water-dragon. From this it appears that things have no noble or lowly. If one honors a thing for what it is honored for, no thing is not honored; if one despises a thing for what it is despised for, no thing is not despised. A rough jade is not disliked for being thick, and a horn vessel is not disliked for being thin (the source text has a rare character here); lacquer is not disliked for being black, and powder is not disliked for being white. These four are opposite, yet what is urgent is equal, and the use is one. Now furs and rain capes, which is more urgent? When one sees rain the fur is not used; when one ascends the hall the rain cape is not worn; they take turns being the norm. It is like boat, cart, shield, shop and humble hut, each with its own fitting. So Laozi's saying 'do not exalt the worthy' means not sending fish up a tree or sinking birds in an abyss. So when Yao governed the world, Shun was minister of education, Xie was minister of war, Yu was minister of works, Hou Ji was chief of agriculture, and Xi Zhong was official of crafts. He guided the myriad people: those by the water fished, those in the mountains cut wood, those in valleys herded, and those on the plains farmed. The land suited that task, the task suited that tool, the tool suited that use, and the use suited that person. At marshes and shores they wove nets, on hills and slopes they plowed, taking what they had in exchange for what they lacked, taking what they were skilled at in exchange for what they were poor at, so that those who rebelled were few and those who obeyed were many. It is like scattering chess pieces and round pellets on the ground: the round ones roll to the hollow, the square ones stay on the high ground, each following what is comfortable; what high and low is there!

若風之遇簫，忽然感之，各以清濁應矣。夫猿狖得茂木，不捨而穴；狟貉得埵防，弗去而緣；物莫避其所利而就其所害。是故鄰國相望，雞狗之音相聞，而足跡不接諸侯之境，車軌不結千里之外者，皆各得其所安。故亂國若盛，治國若虛，亡國若不足，存國若有餘。虛者非無人也，皆守其職也；盛者非多人也，皆徼於末也；有餘者非多財也，欲節事寡也；不足者非無貨也，民躁而費多也。故先王之法籍，非所作也，其所因也。其禁誅，非所為也，其所守也。凡以物治物者不以物，以睦；治睦者不以睦，以人；治人者不以人，以君；治君者不以君，以欲；治欲者不以欲，以性；治性者不於性，以德；治德者不以德，以道。原人之性，蕪濊而不得清明者，物或堁之也。羌、氐、僰、翟，嬰兒生皆同聲，及其長也，雖重象狄騠，不能通其言，教俗殊也。今三月嬰兒，生而徙國，則不能知其故俗。由此觀之，衣服禮俗者，非人之性也，所受於外也。夫竹之性浮，殘以為牒，束而投之水，則沉，失其體也。金之性沉，託之於舟上則浮，勢有所支也。夫素之質白，染之以涅則黑；縑之性黃，染之以丹則赤。人之性無邪，久湛於俗則易。易而忘本，合於若性。故日月欲明，浮雲蓋之；河水欲清，沙石濊之；人性慾平，嗜慾害之。惟聖人能遺物而反己。夫乘舟而惑者，不知東西，見鬥極則寤矣。夫性，亦人之鬥極也。有以自見也，則不失物之情；無以自見，則動而惑營。譬若隴西之遊，愈躁愈沉。孔子謂顏回曰：「吾服汝也忘，而汝服於我也亦忘。雖然，汝雖忘乎，吾猶有不忘者存。」孔子知其本也。夫縱欲而失性，動未嘗正也，以治身則危，以治國則亂，以入軍則破。是故不聞道者，無以反性。故古之聖王，能得諸己，故令行禁止，名傳後世，德施四海。是故凡將舉事，必先平意清神。神清意平，物乃可正。

Like wind meeting a flute, suddenly stirring it, each responds with its own clear or muddy tone. A monkey that finds a thick tree does not leave it to make a burrow; a badger that finds earthen banks does not leave but follows along them; no creature avoids what benefits it and goes toward what harms it. So neighboring states see each other and hear each other's chickens and dogs, yet their footprints do not reach into each other's borders and their cart tracks do not meet a thousand li away, for each finds contentment where it is. So a disordered state seems flourishing, a well-ordered state seems empty, a perishing state seems insufficient, and a surviving state seems to have surplus. Emptiness does not mean no people, but that all keep to their duties; flourishing does not mean many people, but that all seek secondary occupations; surplus does not mean much wealth, but that desires are restrained and affairs are few; insufficiency does not mean no goods, but that the people are hasty and spend much. So the legal codes of the former kings were not made by themselves but followed from what was handed down; their prohibitions and executions were not done by themselves but were upheld. All who use things to govern things do not use things but use harmony; those who govern harmony do not use harmony but use people; those who govern people do not use people but use the ruler; those who govern the ruler do not use the ruler but use desire; those who govern desire do not use desire but use nature; those who govern nature do not rest on nature but use virtue; those who govern virtue do not use virtue but use the Way. Tracing the origin of human nature, it is overgrown and cannot be bright and clear because dust at times covers it. The Qiang, Di, Bo and Di peoples, as infants all have the same voice at birth, but by the time they grow up, even with layers of interpreters, their speech cannot be understood, because teaching and custom differ. Now take an infant of three months and move it to another state at birth, and it will not know its original custom. From this it appears that clothing, ritual and custom are not human nature but are received from outside. The nature of bamboo is to float, but when broken into slips, bound and thrown into water, it sinks, having lost its original substance. The nature of metal is to sink, but when carried on a boat it floats, because the situation supports it. The substance of plain silk is white, but when dyed with black mineral it becomes black; the nature of fine silk is yellow, but when dyed with cinnabar it becomes red. Human nature has no deviance, but after long immersion in custom it changes. When it changes and the root is forgotten, it fits that other nature. So the sun and moon wish to be bright but floating clouds cover them; the river wishes to be clear but sand and stones muddy it; human nature wishes to be level but appetites and desires harm it. Only the sage can leave things and return to himself. One who is lost on a boat does not know east from west, and awakens on seeing the Northern Dipper and the Pole Star. Nature too is a person's Dipper and Pole Star. If one has something by which to see oneself, one does not lose the feeling of things; if one has nothing by which to see oneself, the least move brings confusion and disorder. It is like swimming in the Longxi River: the more hurried, the more one sinks. Confucius said to Yan Hui: "When I submit to you I forget, and when you submit to me you forget. Even so, though you forget, there is something I do not forget that remains." Confucius knew that root. One who indulges desire and loses nature has never moved rightly; used to govern the person it endangers, used to govern the state it brings disorder, used to enter the army it brings defeat. So one who has not heard the Way has no way to return to nature. The sage kings of ancient times could obtain it from themselves, so their orders were carried out and their prohibitions stopped, their names passed down to later ages and their virtue extended to the four seas. So whenever one is about to act, one must first level one's intention and clear one's spirit. When spirit is clear and intention level, things can be set right.

若璽之抑埴，正與之正，傾與之傾。故堯之舉舜也，決之於目；桓公之取甯戚也，斷之於耳而已矣。為是釋術數而任耳目，其亂必甚矣。夫耳目之可以斷也，反情性也；聽失於誹譽，而目淫於采色，而欲得事正，則難矣。夫載哀者聞歌聲而泣，載樂者見哭者而笑。哀可樂者，笑可哀者，載使然也，是故貴虛。故水擊則波興，氣亂則智昏。智昏不可以為政，波水不可以為平。故聖王執一而勿失，萬物之情既矣，四夷九州服矣。夫一者至貴，無適於天下。聖人託於無適，故民命繫矣。為仁者必以哀樂論之，為義者必以取予明之。目所見不過十里，而欲遍照海內之民，哀樂弗能給也。無天下之委財，而欲遍澹萬民，利不能足也。且喜怒哀樂，有感而自然者也。故哭之發於口，涕之出於目，此皆憤於中而形於外者也。譬若水之下流，煙之上尋也，夫有孰推之者！故強哭者雖病不哀，強親者雖笑不和。情發於中而聲應於外，故釐負羈之壺餐，愈於晉獻公之垂棘；趙宣孟之束脯，賢於智伯之大鐘。故禮豐不足以效愛，而誠心可以懷遠。故公西華之養親也，若與朋友處，曾參之養親也，若事嚴主烈君，其於養，一也。故胡人彈骨，越人契臂，中國歃血也，所由各異，其於信，一也。三苗髽首，羌人括領，中國冠笄，越人劗鬋，其於服，一也。帝顓頊之法，婦人不闢男子於路者，拂之於四達之衢，今之國都，男女切踦，肩摩於道，其於俗，一也。故四夷之禮不同，皆尊其主而愛其親，敬其兄；獫狁之俗相反，皆慈其子而嚴其上。夫鳥飛成行，獸處成群，有孰教之！故魯國服儒者之禮，行孔子之術，地削名卑，不能親近來遠。越王句踐劗髮文身，無皮弁搢笏之服，拘罷拒折之容，然而勝夫差於五湖，南面而霸天下，泗上十二諸侯皆率九夷以朝。胡、貉、匈奴之國，縱體拖髮，箕倨反言，而國不亡怴A未必無禮也。

Like a seal pressed into clay, the straight is given straightness and the tilted is given tilt. So when Yao raised Shun, he decided by the eyes; when Duke Huan took Ning Qi, deciding by the ears was enough. Therefore if one sets aside technique and trusts the ears and eyes, disorder will surely be worse. Ears and eyes can be relied on for judgment only when one returns to feeling and nature; if hearing errs in slander and praise and the eye is lewd about colors, to hope to get the right of affairs becomes hard. A person who carries grief weeps on hearing singing, and a person who carries joy laughs on seeing someone weep. To take what is joyful as sad and what is sad as laughable is the work of what one carries, so emptiness is valued. When water is struck waves arise; when energy is disordered the intelligence darkens. A darkened intelligence cannot manage government, and water with waves cannot serve as a level. So the sage king holds to the One and does not lose it, and the feelings of the myriad things are exhausted and the four barbarians and nine provinces submit. The One is the utmost honored, with no rival in the world. The sage entrusts himself to having no rival, and the people's fate is held together. One who practices humaneness must discuss it in terms of grief and joy, and one who practices righteousness must make it plain through taking and giving. What the eye sees is no more than ten li, yet to wish to shine on all the people within the seas, grief and joy cannot be supplied; with no stored wealth of the whole world, yet to wish to support all the myriad people, benefits cannot suffice. Moreover joy, anger, grief and delight arise by themselves in response to stimulus. So weeping comes from the mouth and tears from the eyes, all are pent up within and take form without. Like water flowing down and smoke rising, who pushes them! So one who is forced to weep, even if he weeps himself sick, is not sad; one who is forced to be close, even if he laughs, is not harmonious. Feeling rises from within and sound echoes outside, so Xi Fuji's single pot of rice was worth more than Duke Xian of Jin's Chuiji jade disk, and Zhao Xuanmeng's bundle of dried meat was worth more than Zhi Bo's great bell. So lavish ritual is not enough to prove love, but sincere heart can draw distant people. Gongxi Hua served his parents as if getting along with friends; Zengzi served his parents as if serving a stern master and a fierce ruler; in respect of serving, they are one. The northern barbarians knock bones, the southern Yue cut arms, the Middle Kingdom smears blood, each by a different route; in respect of trust, they are one. The Sanmiao tie their hair into a mallet knot, the Qiang bind their collars, the Middle Kingdom wears caps and hairpins, and the Yue cut their hair; in respect of dress, they are one. Under the law of Emperor Zhuanxu, a woman who did not make way for a man on the road was whipped at the crossroads; now in the capital cities, men and women's feet touch and shoulders rub on the roads; in respect of custom, it is one. So the rituals of the four barbarians differ, yet all respect their rulers, love their relatives and honor their elder brothers; the customs of the Xianyun are the opposite, yet all cherish their children and are stern toward those above. Birds fly in rows and beasts stay in herds; who teaches them! So Lu wore the rituals of the Confucians and practiced Confucius's art, and its land was cut and its name lowered, and it could not draw near or bring in the distant. King Goujian of Yue cut his hair and tattooed his body, had no leather cap and hand-held tablet in dress, and had no bowing and stooping in bearing, yet he defeated Fuchai at the Five Lakes and faced south as hegemon of the world, and the twelve feudal lords along the Si River led the nine Yi tribes to come to court. The states of the northern Hu, Mo and Xiongnu, with bodies unrestrained, hair loose, sitting with legs spread and speaking in the opposite manner, yet their states did not perish (the source text has a damaged character here, and the sense is 'those'); it is not necessarily that they have no ritual.

楚莊王裾衣博袍，令行乎天下，遂霸諸侯。晉文君大布之衣，牂羊之裘，韋以帶劍，威立於海內。豈必鄒、魯之禮之謂禮乎！是故入其國者從其俗，入其家者避其諱，不犯禁而入，不忤逆而進，雖之夷狄徒裸之國，結軌乎遠方之外，而無所困矣。禮者，實之文也；仁者，恩之效也。故禮因人情而為之節文，而仁發恲以見容。禮不過實，仁不溢恩也，治世之道也。夫三年之喪，是強人所不及也，而以偽輔情也。三月之服，是絕哀而迫切之性也。夫儒、墨不原人情之終始，而務以行相反之制，五縗之服。悲哀抱於情，葬薶稱於養，不強人之所不能為，不絕人之所能已，度量不失於適，誹譽無所由生。古者，非不知繁升降槃還之禮也，蹀採齊、肆夏之容也，以為曠日煩民而無所用，故制禮足以佐實喻意而已矣。古者，非不能陳鐘鼓，盛筦簫，揚干鏚，奮羽旄，以為費財亂政，制樂足以合歡宣意而已，喜不羨於音。非不能竭國麋民，虛府殫財，含珠鱗施，綸組節束，追送死也，以為窮民絕業而無益於槁骨腐肉也，故葬薶足以收斂蓋藏而已。昔舜葬蒼梧，市不變其肆；禹葬會稽之山，農不易其畝；明乎生死之分，通乎侈儉之適者也。亂國則不然，言與行相悖，情與貌相反，禮飾以煩，樂優以淫，崇死以害生，久喪以招行，是以風俗濁於世，而誹譽萌於朝，是故聖人廢而不用也。義者，循理而行宜也；禮者，體情制文者也。義者宜也，禮者體也。昔有扈氏為義而亡，知義而不知宜也；魯治禮而削，知禮而不知體也。有虞氏之祀，其社用土，祀中霤，葬成畝，其樂咸池、承雲、九韶，其服尚黃。夏后氏，其社用松，祀戶，葬牆置翣，其樂夏籥、九成、六佾、六列、六英，其服尚青。殷人之禮，其社用石，祀門，葬樹松，其樂大濩、晨露，其服尚白。周人之禮，其社用栗，祀灶，葬樹柏，其樂大武、三象、棘下，其服尚赤。

King Zhuang of Chu wore robes with broad lapels and wide gowns, and his order was carried out throughout the world, and so he became hegemon over the feudal lords. Lord Wen of Jin wore clothes of coarse cloth and a fur coat of ewe skin, and wore his sword with a belt of tanned leather, and his authority was established within the seas. Why must the rites of Zou and Lu alone be called ritual! So on entering a state, follow its customs; on entering a house, avoid that house's taboos; enter without violating prohibitions and advance without going against anything, and even if one goes to the naked states of the barbarians, with chariot tracks linked beyond distant lands, one will not be in difficulty. Ritual is the embellishment of reality; benevolence is the verification of kindness. So ritual follows human feeling and gives it restraint and adornment, and benevolence arises from within and shows in the countenance. Ritual does not exceed reality, and benevolence does not overflow kindness; this is the Way of an ordered age. The three years' mourning compels people to do what they cannot, and uses artifice to assist feeling. The three months' mourning cuts off grief and presses on the nature. The Confucians and Mohists do not trace the beginning and end of human feeling, but strive to practice opposite systems and the five grades of mourning dress. Grief held in feeling, with burial matched to maintenance, not forcing people to do what they cannot and not cutting off what they can stop, with measures that do not lose what is suitable, then there is no source for slander and praise. In ancient times it was not that they did not know the complicated rites of ascending, descending and turning about, nor did they not know the demeanor of stepping to the 'Cai Qi' and 'Si Xia'; they thought that it wasted days and troubled the people without use, so they fixed the rites merely enough to assist reality and make clear the meaning. In ancient times it was not that they could not set out bells and drums, fill the pipes and flutes, raise the shields and axes, and sweep up the feathers and yak tails; they thought it wasted wealth and disordered government, so they fixed music merely enough to join in joy and express feeling, so that joy did not exceed the music. It was not that they could not exhaust the strength of the state and use up the people's labor, empty the treasuries and use up wealth, put pearls in the mouth and lay jade like scales on the body, and tie the dead with silk bands to send them off; they thought it would make the people poor and cut off their livelihood and do no good to dry bones and rotting flesh, so burial was merely enough to shroud, cover and conceal. In the past Shun was buried at Cangwu, and the markets did not change their shops; Yu was buried on Mount Kuaiji, and the farmers did not change their fields; they understood the distinction between death and life and comprehended the suitable measure of lavishness and thrift. In a disordered state it is not so: words and deeds contradict each other, feeling and appearance are opposed, ritual is elaborated into complexity, music is soft and licentious, they exalt death to harm life, and lengthy mourning to display conduct, so customs are muddied in the world and slander and praise sprout in court, and so the sage abolishes them and does not use them. Righteousness follows principle and practices what is suitable; ritual examines feeling and makes embellishment. Righteousness is what is fitting, and ritual is what embodies. In the past the Youhu clan perished for the sake of righteousness, knowing righteousness but not what is fitting; Lu governed by ritual and was weakened, knowing ritual but not what it embodies. The sacrifices of the Youyu clan used earth for the altar of the soil, sacrificed to the central courtyard, buried in the fields, had the music Xianchi, Chengyun and Jiushao, and favored yellow in dress. The Xia dynasty used pine for the altar of the soil, sacrificed to the door, set up feather screens on the wall at burial, had the music Xia Yue, Jiucheng, Liuyi, Liulie and Liuying, and favored blue-green in dress. The rites of the Yin people used stone for the altar of the soil, sacrificed to the gate, planted pine at burial, had the music Dahu and Chenlu, and favored white in dress. The rites of the Zhou people used chestnut for the altar of the soil, sacrificed to the stove, planted cypress at burial, had the music Dawu, Sanxiang and Jixia, and favored red in dress.

禮樂相詭，服制相反，然而皆不失親疏之恩，上下之倫。今握一君之法籍，以非傳代之俗，譬由膠柱而調瑟也。故明主制禮義而為衣，分節行而為帶。衣足以覆形，從典墳，虛循撓，便身體，適行步，不務於奇麗之容，隅眥之削。帶足以結紐收衽，束牢連固，不亟於為文句疏短之。故制禮義，行至德，而不拘於儒墨。所謂明者，非謂其見彼也，自見而已。所謂聰者，非謂聞彼也，自聞而已。所謂達者，非謂知彼也，自知而已。是故身者，道之所託，身得則道得矣。道之得也，以視則明，以聽則聰，以言則公，以行則從。故聖人裁製物也，猶工匠之斲削鑿枘也，宰庖之切割分別也，曲得其宜而不折傷。拙工則不然，大則塞而不入，小則窕而不周，動於心，枝於手，而愈醜。夫聖人之斲削物也，剖之判之，離之散之；已淫已失，復揆以一；既出其根，復歸其門；已雕已琢，還反於樸。合而為道德，離而為儀表。其轉入玄冥，其散應無形。禮義節行，又何以窮至治之本哉！世之明事者，多離道德之本，曰禮義足以治天下，此未可與言術也。所謂禮義者，五帝三王之法籍風俗，一世之跡也。譬若芻狗土龍之始成，文以青黃，絹以綺繡，纏以朱絲，尸祝袀袨，大夫端冕以送迎之。及其已用之後，則壤土草薊而已，夫有孰貴之！故當舜之時，有苗不服，於是舜修政偃兵，執干鏚而舞之。禹之時，天下大雨，禹令民聚土積薪，擇丘陵而處之。武王伐紂，載屍而行，海內未定，故不為三年之喪始。禹遭洪水之患，陂塘之事，故朝死而暮葬。此皆聖人之所以應時耦變，見形而施宜者也。今之修干鏚而笑钁插，知三年非一日，是從牛非馬，以徵笑羽也。以此應化，無以異於彈一絃而會棘下。夫以一世之變，欲以耦化應時，譬猶冬被葛而夏被裘。夫一儀不可以百發，一衣不可以出歲。儀必應乎高下，衣必適乎寒暑。

Their ritual and music strangely differ and their dress systems are opposed, yet none lost the kindness between near and distant kin or the order between high and low. Now to cling to one ruler's statutes and criticize customs passed down through generations is like gluing the bridges of a zither to tune it. So the enlightened ruler makes ritual and righteousness his garment, and distinguishes measured conduct as his belt. A garment is enough to cover the body, follows the canon, and with an empty mind follows the bends; it is convenient for the body and fit for walking, and does not strive after remarkable and beautiful appearance or sharp cuts at the edges. The belt is enough to fasten and gather up the lapels, tied firmly and joined solidly, and does not hurry to make interlaced patterns of ornament (the character here in the original was lost in transcription). So he establishes ritual and righteousness and practices the utmost virtue, without being confined to Confucians and Mohists. What is called clarity does not mean seeing that other person, but seeing for oneself. What is called acuity does not mean hearing that other person, but hearing for oneself. What is called comprehension does not mean knowing that other person, but knowing for oneself. So the person is where the Way lodges; when the person has the Way, he has it. When the Way is had, one sees with it and is clear, hears with it and is acute, speaks with it and is impartial, and acts with it and people follow. So the sage cuts things as a craftsman carves a tenon, or as a cook carves and divides; every bend gets its due and nothing is broken or harmed. A clumsy worker is not so: if too large it jams and cannot go in, if too small it is loose and does not fit all round; moving from the heart and forking in the hand, it grows uglier. The sage carves things, splits them, divides them, scatters them; having passed and having lost, he again uses the One to measure; having come out of the root, he returns to the gate; having carved and polished, he returns to simplicity. Combined, it becomes the Way and virtue; scattered, it becomes the models. Turning into the dark and obscure, spreading out to respond to the formless. Ritual, righteousness and measured conduct, what can they use to exhaust the root of perfect order! Those in the world who understand affairs mostly leave the root of the Way and virtue and say that ritual and righteousness are enough to govern the world; one cannot yet talk with them about method. What are called ritual and righteousness are the statutes and customs of the Five Emperors and Three Kings, the traces of one age. They are like straw dogs and clay dragons just made: painted in blue and yellow, wrapped in embroidered silk, bound with red cords, and the impersonators of the dead in black robes and great officers in formal caps send them off and welcome them. Once they have been used, they are only earth and weeds, and who still values them! So in the time of Shun, the Youmiao did not submit, and Shun cultivated government and halted weapons, and danced holding shield and axe. In Yu's time, there was great rain in the world, and Yu had the people gather earth and pile up firewood and chose hills to live on. When King Wu attacked Zhou he went carrying the spirit tablet in his chariot, and as the realm within the seas was not yet settled, he did not begin the three years' mourning. Yu met the trouble of the flood and the work on dikes and ponds, so he was buried in the evening of the day he died. All these are how the sages responded to the times, matched changes, and applied what was fitting on seeing the form. Now to practice shield and axe and laugh at hoe and spade, to know three years and criticize one day, is to follow the ox and criticize the horse, or to laugh at the yu note using the zhi note. To respond to change with this is no different from plucking one string and trying to match 'Jixia.' To take the changes of one age and try to match change and follow the times is like wearing kudzu in winter and fur in summer. A single crossbow cannot be fired a hundred times, and a single garment cannot be worn for a whole year. A crossbow must respond to high and low, and a garment must suit cold and heat.

是故世異則事變，時移則俗易。故聖人論世而立法，隨時而舉事。尚古之王，封於泰山，禪於梁父，七十餘聖，法度不同，非務相反也，時世異也。是故不法其已成之法，而法其所以為法。所以為法者，與化推移者也。夫能與化推移為人者，至貴在焉爾。故狐梁之歌可隨也，其所以歌者不可為也；聖人之法可觀也，其所以作法不可原也；辯士言可聽也，其所以言不可形也。淳均之劍不可愛也，而歐冶之巧可貴也。今夫王喬、赤誦子，吹嘔呼吸，吐故內新，遺形去智，抱素反真，以遊玄眇，上通雲天。今欲學其道，不得其養氣處神，而放其一吐一吸，時詘時伸，其不能乘雲升假亦明矣。五帝三王，輕天下，細萬物，齊死生，同變化，抱大聖之心，以鏡萬物之情，上與神明為友，下與造化為人。今欲學其道，不得其清明玄聖，而守其法籍憲令，不能為治亦明矣。故曰：「得十利劍，不若得歐冶之巧；得百走馬，不若得伯樂之數。」樸至大者無形狀，道至眇者無度量，故天之圓也不得規，地之方也不得矩。往古來今謂之宙，四方上下謂之宇，道在其間，而莫知其所。故其見不遠者，不可與語大；其智不閎者，不可與論至。昔者馮夷得道，以潛大川；鉗且得道，以處昆侖。扁鵲以治病；造父以御馬，羿以之射，倕以之斲，所為者各異，而所道者一也。夫稟道以通物者，無以相非也。譬若同陂而溉田，其受水均也。今屠牛而烹其肉，或以為酸，或以為甘，煎熬燎炙，齊味萬方，其本一牛之體。伐楩柟豫樟而剖梨之，或為棺槨，或為柱梁，披斷撥檖，所用萬方，然一木之樸也。故百家之言，指奏相反，其合道一體也。譬若絲竹金石之會樂同也，其曲家異而不失於體。伯樂、韓風、秦牙、管青，所相各異，其知馬一也。故三皇五帝，法籍殊方，其得民心均也。

So when the age is different, affairs change; when the times shift, customs alter. So the sage discusses the age and sets up laws and handles affairs by the times. The kings who honored antiquity performed the Feng sacrifice at Mount Tai and the Shan sacrifice at Liangfu; the seventy-odd sages had different standards, not because they strove to be opposite, but because the ages differed. So one does not imitate laws already made but imitates what the laws were made from. The reason for making laws moves along with change. One who can move with change and be a person has the highest value right there. So the songs of Huliang can be sung along with, but why he sang so cannot be done; the sage's laws can be looked at, but how they were made cannot be traced; the words of the debater can be listened to, but why he spoke so cannot be given form. The Chunjun sword is not to be loved, but Ou Ye's skill is to be valued. Now Wang Ze and Chisongzi, breathing in and out, spitting out the old and taking in the new, abandoning the body and discarding knowledge, embracing simplicity and returning to the true, roam in the dark and subtle and go up to the clouds and sky. If one wants to learn their Way but does not get how they nourish qi and dwell in spirit, but imitates their puffing and inhaling and bending and stretching at times, one cannot ride the clouds and rise far away, and this is obvious. The Five Emperors and Three Kings took lightly the world and treated the myriad things as trivial, made death and life equal and treated changes as the same, held the heart of the great sage to mirror the feelings of all things, above were friends with the spirits and below were companions of the creative transformations. Now if one wants to learn their Way but does not get their clarity, mystery and sagehood, but keeps to statutes and ordinances, one cannot govern, and this is obvious. So it is said: "To obtain ten sharp swords is not as good as to obtain the skill of Ou Ye; to obtain a hundred running horses is not as good as to obtain the method of Bo Le." Simplicity at its greatest has no form, and the Way at its most subtle has no measure, so the roundness of heaven cannot be drawn with a compass and the squareness of earth cannot be drawn with a carpenter's square. The past and the present are called 'zhou' (time), the four directions and up and down are called 'yu' (space), and the Way is in the midst of them, yet no one knows where it is. So one whose view is not far cannot be spoken with about the great; one whose wisdom is not broad cannot be spoken with about the ultimate. In the past Feng Yi gained the Way and used it to dive in the great rivers; Qian Qie gained the Way and used it to dwell on Kunlun. Bian Que used it to cure illness, Zao Fu used it to drive horses, Yi used it to shoot, and Chui used it to carve, and what they did was each different, but the Way they followed was one. Those who receive the Way and apply it to things have no ground to criticize one another. It is like irrigating fields from the same pond: the water they receive is equal. Now slaughter an ox and cook its meat: some make it sour, some make it sweet, boiled, simmered, roasted and grilled, blending flavors in ten thousand ways, yet the root is the body of one ox. Fell pian, nan, yu and zhang trees and split them, and some make coffins, some pillars and beams, split open and broken, used in ten thousand ways, yet they are the raw wood of one tree. So the words of the hundred schools point in opposite directions but, as they accord with the Way, are one body. It is like music joined from silk, bamboo, metal and stone, which is the same music though each school's tunes differ without losing the whole. Bo Le, Han Feng, Qin Ya and Guan Qing each judged horses in a different way, but their knowledge of horses was one. So the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had statutes pointing in different directions, but in gaining the hearts of the people they were equal.

故湯入夏而用其法，武王入殷而行其禮，桀、紂之所以亡，而湯、武之所以為治。故剞劂銷鋸陳，非良工不能以制木；鑪橐埵坊設，非巧冶不能以冶金。屠牛吐一朝解九牛，而刀以剃毛；庖丁用刀十九年，而刀如新剖硎。何則？遊乎眾虛之閒。若夫規矩鉤繩者，此巧之具也，而非所以巧也。故瑟無絃，雖師文不能以成曲；徒絃，則不能悲。故絃，悲之具也，而非所以為悲也。若夫工匠之為連鐖、運開、陰閉、眩錯，入於冥冥之眇，神調之極，遊乎心手眾虛之閒，而莫與物為際者，父不能以教子。瞽師之放意相物，寫神愈舞，而形乎絃者，兄不能以喻弟。今夫為平者準也，為直者繩也。若夫不在於繩準之中，可以平直者，此不共之術也。故叩宮而宮應，彈角而角動，此同音之相應也。其於五音無所比，而二十五絃皆應，此不傳之道也。故蕭條者，形之君；而寂寞者，音之主也。天下是非無所定，世各是其所是而非其所非，所謂是與非各異，皆自是而非人。由此觀之，事有合於己者，而未始有是也；有忤於心者，而未始有非也。故求是者，非求道理也，求合於己者也；去非者，非批邪施也，去忤於心者也。忤於我，未必不合於人也；合於我，未必不非於俗也。至是之是無非，至非之非無是，此真是非也。若夫是於此而非於彼，非於此而是於彼者，此之謂一是一非也。此一是非，隅曲也；夫一是非，宇宙也。今吾欲擇是而居之，擇非而去之，不知世之所謂是非者，不知孰是孰非。老子曰：「治大國若烹小鮮。」為寬裕者曰勿數撓，為刻削者曰致其鹹酸而已矣。晉平公出言而不當，師曠舉琴而撞之，跌衽宮壁。左右欲塗之，平公曰：「舍之！以此為寡人失。」孔子聞之曰：「平公非不痛其體也，欲來諫者也。」韓子聞之曰：「群臣失禮而弗誅，是縱過也。有以也夫，平公之不霸也！

So Tang entered Xia and used its laws, and King Wu entered Yin and practiced its rites; what Jie and Zhou were destroyed by was exactly what Tang and Wu governed by. So when the carving knife is melted down and the saw is laid out, only a good craftsman can use them to control wood; when the furnace bellows and casting molds are set up, only a skillful smelter can use them to melt metal. A butcher in one morning dismembers nine oxen and his knife can still shave hair; Cook Ding used his knife for nineteen years and it was still like newly from the whetstone. Why? He roamed among the many gaps. As for the compass, square, hook and cord, these are the tools of skill, but they are not what makes the skill. So a zither without strings could not make a tune even by Shi Wen; with only strings it still could not be sad. So the string is the instrument of sadness, but it is not what makes the sadness. As for the craftsman making linked mechanisms, openings and closings, hidden latches, and interlaced dazzling designs, entering the subtlety of the obscure and reaching the extreme of spirit-like tuning, roaming among the many gaps of heart and hand with no contact with the things, a father cannot teach it to his son. A blind musician sets his mind to copying things, and his depiction of spirit surpasses dance, and takes form on the strings; an elder brother cannot explain it to a younger. Now what is used to seek the level is the water level, and what is used to seek the straight is the plumb line and ink line. As for what can be level and straight without being within the line and level, this is an unshared art. So strike gong and gong responds, pluck jiao and jiao stirs; this is notes of the same kind responding. As for what has no connection to the five notes yet all twenty-five strings respond, this is the Way that is not taught. So desolation is the lord of form, and stillness is the master of sound. In the world there is no fixed right and wrong, and each age takes its own right as right and its own wrong as wrong; so-called right and wrong differ, each thinking himself right and others wrong. Seen from this, matters that suit oneself have never really been right, and those that go against one's heart have never really been wrong. So one who seeks the right does not seek principle but seeks what suits himself; one who removes the wrong does not refute the perverse but removes what goes against his heart. What goes against me may not be unsuitable to others; what suits me may not escape the criticism of the age. The right of the utmost right has no wrong, and the wrong of the utmost wrong has no right; this is true right and wrong. As for what is right here and wrong there, or wrong here and right there, this is called one right and one wrong. This right and wrong is a corner's bend; that right and wrong is the cosmos. Now I want to choose what is right and live in it, and choose what is wrong and discard it, but I do not know what the world calls right and wrong, or which is right and which is wrong. Laozi said: "Governing a large state is like cooking a small fish." Those who advocate leniency say not to stir it again and again, and those who advocate severity say it is enough to season it with salt and sour. Duke Ping of Jin spoke improperly, and Shi Kuang raised his zither and struck him, so that his lapel fell against the palace wall. His attendants wanted to wipe away the mark, and Duke Ping said: "Leave it! Let it be my fault." Confucius heard of it and said: "Duke Ping did not fail to feel pain in his body; he wanted to draw in those who remonstrate." Master Han heard of it and said: "For ministers to violate propriety and not be executed is to indulge faults. The reason Duke Ping did not become hegemon has a cause!

」故賓有見人於宓子者，賓出，宓子曰：「子之賓獨有三過：望我而笑，是攓也。談語而不稱師，是返也。交淺而言深，是亂也。」賓曰：「望君而笑，是公也。談語而不稱師，是通也。交淺而言深，是忠也。」故賓之容一體也，或以為君子，或以為小人，所自視之異也。故趣舍合，即言忠而益親；身疏，即謀當而見疑。親母為其子治扢禿，而血流至耳，見者以為其愛之至也；使在於繼母，則過者以為嫉也。事之情一也，所從觀者異也。從城上視牛如羊，視羊如豕，所居高也。窺面於盤水則員，於杯則隋。面形不變其故，有所員、有所隋者，所自窺之異也。今吾雖欲正身而待物，庸遽知世之所自窺我者乎！若轉化而與世競走，譬猶逃雨也，無之而不濡。常欲在於虛，則有不能為虛矣；若夫不為虛而自虛者，此所慕而不能致也。故通於道者，如車軸，不運於己，而與轂致千里，轉無窮之原也。不通於道者，若迷惑，告以東西南北，所居聆聆，一曲而闢，然忽不得，復迷惑也。故終身隸於人，闢若俔之見風也，無須臾之閒定矣。故聖人體道反性，不化以待化，則幾於免矣。治世之體易守也，其事易為也，其禮易行也，其責易償也。是以人不兼官，官不兼事，士農工商，鄉別州異。是故農與農言力，士與士言行，工與工言巧，商與商言數。是以士無遺行，農無廢功，工無苦事，商無折貨，各安其性，不得相干。故伊尹之興土功也，修脛者使之蹠钁，強脊者使之負土，眇者使之準，傴者使之塗，各有所宜，而人性齊矣。胡人便於馬，越人便於舟，異形殊類，易事而悖，失處而賤，得勢而貴。聖人總而用之，其數一也。夫先知遠見，達視千里，人才之隆也，而治世不以責於民。博聞強志，口辯辭給，人智之美也，而明主不以求於下。敖世輕物，不汙於俗，士之伉行也，而治世不以為民化。

" (He continues:) So there was a guest who introduced someone to Mi Zi, and when the guest went out, Mi Zi said: "Your guest has three faults alone: looking at me and smiling is arrogance. Speaking and not calling me teacher is contradiction. Having shallow friendship but speaking deeply is disorder." The guest said: "Looking at you and smiling is being impartial. Speaking and not calling you teacher is being open. Having shallow friendship but speaking deeply is loyalty." So the guest's demeanor was one and the same, yet some took him as a gentleman and some as a petty man, because they look from different angles. So when inclinations and choices agree, even if one speaks loyally one is all the closer; when the person is distant, even if the plan is apt it is suspected. A birth mother treats her son's head sore until blood flows to his ear, and those who see think her love is at its utmost; if it were a stepmother, passersby would think it was jealous hatred. The facts of the matter are one, but what one looks from differs. Viewed from the city wall an ox looks like a sheep and a sheep looks like a pig, because the position is high. A face seen in a basin of water looks round, and seen in a cup looks oval. The shape of the face does not change from the original, but there is what is round and what is oval, because the vessel one sees by is different. Now even if I wanted to rectify myself to deal with things, how would I know from where the world sees me! If one transforms and races with the world, it is like fleeing the rain; there is no place that does not get wet. One who always wants to dwell in emptiness has something that cannot be made empty; as for making no emptiness yet being empty, this is what is admired but cannot be reached. So one who has reached the Way is like an axle: it does not turn on its own, yet with the hub it reaches a thousand li, turning at the source of the inexhaustible. One who has not reached the Way is like one confused: told east, west, south, north, he hears clearly where he dwells, but with one turn he is off, and suddenly does not get it, and is confused again. So one subordinate to others all one's life is like a wind-watching bird seeing the wind, never at rest for a moment. So the sage embodies the Way and returns to his nature, does not transform himself but waits for transformation, and will nearly avoid it. The substance of a well-ordered age is easy to keep, affairs easy to do, ritual easy to practice, and demands easy to repay. So people do not hold several offices at once, officials do not hold several tasks at once; scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants are separated in villages and differ by districts. So farmers talk with farmers about effort, scholars with scholars about conduct, artisans with artisans about skill, and merchants with merchants about numbers. So scholars have no conduct left out, farmers have no work abandoned, artisans have no shoddy work, merchants have no damaged goods, each is content with his nature, and none may encroach on another. When Yi Yin carried out earth works, he let the long-legged tread the hoe, let the strong-backed carry earth, let the one-eyed look at the level, and let the hunchbacked do the plastering; each had what suited him, and human natures were made equal. The Hu people are at ease with horses and the Yue people with boats; forms differ and kinds differ, and if the work is changed there is confusion; losing one's place makes one lowly, and getting one's position makes one noble. The sage gathers and uses them all, and the principle is one. Foreknowledge and farsightedness, sight that reaches a thousand li, are the height of human talent, but a well-ordered age does not demand this of the people. Wide learning and strong memory, a quick tongue and agile speech are the beauty of human intelligence, but an enlightened ruler does not seek this from below. To look down on the world and take lightly things, not be stained by custom, is the lofty conduct of a scholar, but a well-ordered age does not take this as the people's teaching.

神機陰閉，剞劂無跡，人巧之妙也，而治世不以為民業。故萇弘、師曠，先知禍福，言無遺策，而不可與眾同職也；公孫龍折辯抗辭，別同異，離堅白，不可與眾同道也；北人無擇非舜而自投清泠之淵，不可以為世儀；魯般、墨子以木為鳶而飛之，三日不集，而不可使為工也。故高不可及者，不可以為人量；行不可逮者，不可以為國俗。夫挈輕重不失銖兩，聖人弗用，而縣之乎銓衡；視高下不差尺寸，明主弗任，而求之乎浣準。何則？人才不可專用，而度量可世傳也。故國治可與愚守也，而軍制可與權用也。夫待騕褭飛兔而駕之，則世莫乘車；待西施、毛嬙而為配，則終身不家矣。然非待古之英俊，而人自足者，因所有而並用之。夫騏驥千里，一日而通；駑馬十舍，旬亦至之。由是觀之，人材不足專恃，而道術可公行也。亂世之法，高為量而罪不及，重為任而罰不勝，危為禁而誅不敢。民困於三責，則飾智而詐上，犯邪而幹免。故雖峭法嚴刑，不能禁其姦。何者？力不足也。故諺曰：「鳥窮則噣，獸窮則，人窮則詐。」此之謂也。道德之論，譬猶日月也，江南河北不能易其指，馳鶩千里不能易其處。趨舍禮俗，猶室宅之居也，東家謂之西家，西家謂之東家，雖皋陶為之理，不能定其處。故趨舍同，誹譽在俗；意行鈞，窮達在時。湯、武之累行積善，可及也；其遭桀、紂之世，天授也。今有湯、武之意，而無桀、紂之時，而欲成霸王之業，亦不幾矣。昔武王執戈秉鉞以伐紂勝殷，搢笏杖殳以臨朝。武王既沒，殷民叛之，周公踐東宮，履乘石，攝天子之位，負扆而朝諸侯，放蔡叔，誅管叔，克殷殘商，祀文王於明堂，七年而致政成王。夫武王先武而後文，非意變也，以應時也；周公放兄誅弟，非不仁也，以匡亂也。故事周於世則功成，務合於時則名立。昔齊桓公合諸侯以乘車，退誅於國以斧鉞；

Divine mechanisms, hidden latches, carving without a trace are the marvel of human skill, but a well-ordered age does not take this as the people's livelihood. So Chang Hong and Shi Kuang foresaw misfortune and fortune and their words left no plan unfilled, but they cannot be put in the same office as ordinary people; Gongsun Long argued in opposing debate, distinguished sameness and difference, and separated hardness and whiteness, but cannot be put on the same road as ordinary people; Beiren Wuze criticized Shun and threw himself into the clear cold deep, but cannot serve as a model for the world; Lu Ban and Mozi made a kite of wood that flew and did not come down for three days, but they cannot be made craftsmen. So what is so high that it cannot be matched cannot be made a measure for people; conduct so lofty that it cannot be reached cannot be made the custom of a state. To lift and judge heavy and light without a grain's error, the sage does not use himself but hangs it on a scale; to see high and low without an inch's error, the enlightened ruler does not entrust it to himself but seeks it from the water level. Why? Human talent cannot be relied on exclusively, but measures can be passed on through generations. So when a state is governed, it can be kept together with fools, and military regulations can be used along with flexible adaptation. If one waited for Yaoniao and Feitu to drive them, no one in the world would ride in a carriage; if one waited for Xi Shi and Mao Qiang to be a spouse, one would never make a household. Yet one does not wait for the outstanding of ancient times; people are sufficient of themselves, using together what they have. The fine horse Qiji covers a thousand li and arrives in a day; a nag goes ten stages and arrives in ten days too. Seen from this, human talent is not enough to rely on exclusively, but the art of the Way can be put into practice openly. The laws of a disordered age set the measure high and blame those who cannot reach it, set the task heavy and punish those who cannot bear it, and set prohibitions dangerous and execute those who dare not act. The people, caught in these three demands, ornament their cleverness to deceive those above and violate evil to seek exemption. So even with stern laws and harsh punishments, wickedness cannot be stopped. Why? Because their strength is not enough. So the proverb says: "When a bird is cornered it pecks, when a beast is cornered it (the character here in the original was lost in transcription), and when a person is cornered he cheats." This is what is meant. The discussion of the Way and virtue is like the sun and moon: north of the Yangzi and south of the Yellow River cannot alter their direction, and galloping a thousand li cannot alter where they are. Choices of ritual and custom are like the dwelling of a house: if the east family is called the west family and the west family called the east family, even Gao Yao as judge could not settle where it is. So when inclinations and choices are the same, slander and praise lie in custom; when intentions and conduct are even, hardship and success lie in the times. Tang and Wu accumulated conduct and accumulated goodness, which can be matched; that they met the age of Jie and Zhou was Heaven's gift. Now one who has the intent of Tang and Wu but not the times of Jie and Zhou, and wants to accomplish the work of hegemon and king, is almost certain to fail. In the past King Wu took up the spear and held the battle-axe to attack Zhou and defeat Yin, and held the tablet and leaned on the staff to come to court. When King Wu died, the Yin people rebelled, and the Duke of Zhou stepped into the Eastern Palace, trod on the mounting stone, acted for the Son of Heaven, carried the axe and leaned on the screen and had the feudal lords come to court, banished Cai Shu, executed Guan Shu, conquered Yin and broke Shang, sacrificed to King Wen in the Hall of Light, and after seven years handed the government to King Cheng. King Wu put the martial before the civil, not because his intent changed but to answer the times; the Duke of Zhou banished his brother and executed his brother, not out of lack of benevolence but to set the disorder right. So when affairs are in step with the age, achievement is complete; when tasks fit the times, a name is established. In the past Duke Huan of Qi assembled the feudal lords in an ordinary carriage, and at home punished with axe and battle-axe;

晉文公合諸侯以革車，退行於國以禮義。桓公前柔而後剛，文公前剛而後柔，然而令行乎天下，權制諸侯鈞者，審於勢之變也。顏闔，魯君欲相之，而不肯，使人以幣先焉，鑿培而遁之，為天下顯武。使遇商鞅、申不害，刑及三族，又況身乎！世多稱古之人而高其行，並世有與同者而弗知貴也，非才下也，時弗宜也。故六騏驥、四駃騠，以濟江河，不若窾木便者，處世然也。是故立功之人，簡於行而謹於時。今世俗之人，以功成為賢，以勝患為智，以遭難為愚，以死節為戇，吾以為各致其所極而已。王子比干非不知箕子被髮佯狂以免其身也，然而樂直行盡忠以死節，故不為也。伯夷、叔齊非不能受祿任官以致其功也，然而樂離世伉行以絕眾，故不務也。許由、善卷非不能撫天下、寧海內以德民也，然而羞以物滑和，故弗受也。豫讓、要離非不知樂家室、安妻子以偷生也，然而樂推誠行，必以死主，故不留也。今從箕子視比干，則愚矣；從比干視箕子，則卑矣；從管、晏視伯夷，則戇矣；從伯夷視管、晏，則貪矣。趨舍相非，嗜慾相反，而各樂其務，將誰使正之？曾子曰：「擊舟水中，鳥聞之而高翔，魚聞之而淵藏。」故所趨各異，而皆得所便。故惠子從車百乘以過孟諸，莊子見之，棄其餘魚。鵜胡飲水數鬥而不足，鱔鮪入口若露而死，智伯有三晉而欲不澹，林類、榮啟期衣若縣衰而意不慊。由此觀之，則趣行各異，何以相非也！夫重生者不以利害己，立節者見難不苟免，貪祿者見利不顧身，而好名者非義不苟得。此相為論，譬猶冰炭鉤繩也，何時而合！若以聖人為之中，則兼覆而並之，未有可是非者也。夫飛鳥主巢，狐狸主穴，巢者巢成而得棲焉，穴者穴成而得宿焉。趨舍行義，亦人之所棲宿也，各樂其所安，致其所蹠，謂之成人。故以道論者，總而齊之。

Duke Wen of Jin assembled the feudal lords with war chariots, and at home carried out affairs with ritual and righteousness. Duke Huan was gentle first and firm after, Duke Wen was firm first and gentle after, yet their orders were carried out in the world and their authority held the feudal lords evenly, because they examined the changes of circumstance. When Yan He was wanted by the ruler of Lu as prime minister, he refused, and when envoys first sent gifts of cloth, he dug through the wall and fled, and became a famous brave man of the world. Had he met Shang Yang or Shen Buhai, punishment would have reached his three clans, let alone himself! People of the age mostly praise the ancients and raise their conduct high, but do not know to value those of their own time who are the same as them, not because their talent is low but because the times do not suit. So six qiji horses and four fine steeds crossing rivers are not as convenient as an empty log, because the world makes it so. So one who establishes achievement is simple in conduct and careful about the times. Now people of the vulgar age take success as worthiness, take overcoming trouble as wisdom, take encountering hardship as foolishness, and take dying for integrity as stubbornness; I think each reaches the limit of what he has. Prince Bi Gan was not unaware that Jizi let down his hair and feigned madness to avoid harm to himself, but he delighted in acting straight, giving his all in loyalty and dying for his integrity, so he did not do so. Bo Yi and Shu Qi were not unable to receive salary and office and achieve merit, but they delighted in leaving the world and living with lofty conduct apart from the crowd, so they did not engage in it. Xu You and Shan Juan were not unable to take possession of the world and bring peace within the seas and bestow virtue on the people, but they were ashamed to disturb harmony with things, so they did not accept. Yu Rang and Yao Li were not unaware that they could take pleasure in their families and be at ease with wives and children and live on by compromise, but they delighted in pushing sincerity forward to act, and would surely die for their lord, so they did not stay. Now seen from Jizi, Bi Gan is foolish; seen from Bi Gan, Jizi is base; seen from Guan Zhong and Yan Ying, Bo Yi is stubborn; seen from Bo Yi, Guan Zhong and Yan Ying are greedy. Inclinations and choices criticize each other, desires oppose each other, yet each delights in what he does; who is to set it right? Zengzi said: "Strike the boat in the water; birds hear it and fly high, and fish hear it and hide in the deep." So their inclinations differ, yet each obtains what is convenient. Huizi followed a hundred carriages passing Mengzhu, and Zhuangzi, seeing it, threw away his leftover fish. The pelican drinks several dou of water and is still not satisfied, while an eel in the mouth dies like dew; Zhi Bo had the three Jin and his desire was still not full; Lin Lei and Rong Qiqi wore clothes like hanging mourning cloth, and their hearts were not discontented. Seen from this, inclinations and conduct differ, so on what basis can they criticize one another? Those who value life do not harm themselves for profit; those who stand on integrity do not seek to escape hardship by compromise; those greedy for salary do not regard themselves when they see profit; those who love fame do not obtain anything improperly unless it is right. For these to criticize one another is like ice and charcoal, hook and cord; when could they ever join? If one takes the sage as the mean, he covers them all and has all of them, and there is nothing to call right or wrong. Flying birds take the nest as master and foxes take the den as master; when the nest is finished they find a roost and when the den is finished they find a lodging. Inclinations, choices and practice of righteousness are also where people roost and lodge, each delighting in what he is at ease with, and one who reaches what he aspired to is called a complete person. So one who discusses by the Way gathers them and makes them equal.

治國之道，上無苛令，官無煩治，士無偽行，工無淫巧，其事經而不擾，其器完而不飾。亂世則不然。為行者相揭以高，為禮者相矜以偽，車輿極於雕琢，器用逐於刻鏤，求貨者爭難得以為寶，詆文者處煩撓以為慧，爭為佹辯，久稽而不訣，無益於治。工為奇器，歷歲而後成，不周於用。故神農之法曰：「丈夫丁壯而不耕，天下有受其飢者。婦人當年而不織，天下有受其寒者。」故身自耕，妻親織，以為天下先。其導民也，不貴難得之貨，不器無用之物。是故其耕不強者，無以養生；其織不強者，無以揜形；有餘不足，各歸其身。衣食饒溢，姦邪不生，安樂無事而天下均平，故孔丘、曾參無所施其善，孟賁、成荊無所行其威。衰世之俗，以其知巧詐偽，飾眾無用，貴遠方之貨，珍難得之財，不積於養生之具。澆天下之淳，析天下之樸，牿服馬牛以為牢。滑亂萬民，以清為濁，性命飛揚，皆亂以營。貞信漫瀾，人失其情性。於是，乃有翡翠犀象、黼黻文章以亂其目，芻豢黍梁、荊吳芬馨以嚂其口，鐘鼓管簫、絲竹金石以淫其耳，趨舍行義、禮節謗議以營其心。於是，百姓糜沸豪亂，暮行逐利，煩挐澆淺，法與義相非，行與利相反。雖十管仲，弗能治也。且富人則車輿衣纂錦，馬飾傅旄象，帷幕茵席，綺繡絛組，青黃相錯，不可為象；貧人則夏被褐帶索，含菽飲水以充腸，以支暑熱，冬則羊裘解札，短褐不掩形，而煬灶口；故其為編戶齊民無以異，然貧富之相去也，猶人君與僕虜，不足以論之。夫乘奇技、偽邪施者，自足乎一世之閒；守正修理、不苟得者，不免乎飢寒之患；而欲民之去末反本，由是發其原而壅其流也。夫雕琢刻鏤，傷農事者也；錦繡纂組，害女工者也。農事廢，女工傷，則飢之本而寒之原也。夫飢寒並至，能不犯法幹誅者，古今之未聞也。故仕鄙在時不在行，利害在命不在智。

The Way of governing a state is that above there are no harsh orders, officials have no troublesome administration, scholars have no hypocritical conduct, artisans have no excessive skill, affairs are regular and not disturbed, and implements are sound and not ornamented. In a disordered age it is not so. Those who practice conduct raise one another up to appear lofty, those who practice ritual boast of falseness to one another, carriages are carved to the extreme, implements chase after engraving, those who seek goods compete to treat the hard to obtain as treasure, and those who ornament phrases take annoyance as wisdom, competing to make sophistry, keeping delay without decision, with no benefit to government. Craftsmen make rare vessels that take a year to complete and are not fit for use. So the law of Shen Nong said: "If a man in his prime does not plow, there will be some in the world who go hungry because of him. If a woman in her years does not weave, there will be some in the world who are cold because of her." So he plowed himself and his wife wove herself, to set an example for the world. He guided the people not to value hard-to-get goods and not to regard useless things as vessels. So those who do not plow diligently have no way to nourish life; those who do not weave diligently have no way to cover the body; surplus and shortage each return to oneself. When clothing and food are plentiful, wickedness does not arise, safety and joy reign and the world is level, so Confucius and Zeng Shen had nowhere to practice their goodness and Meng Ben and Cheng Jing had nowhere to practice their might. The custom of a declining age uses cleverness, craft and falsehood, ornaments many useless things, values goods from afar, treasures hard-to-get wealth, and does not accumulate implements for nourishing life. It thins the simplicity of the world, splits the plainness of the world, and shuts the working horses and oxen in pens. It disturbs the ten thousand people, takes clear for turbid, makes natures fly about and all confused and bewildered. Constancy and trust overflow and are lost, and people lose their feelings and nature. Then there are kingfisher feathers, rhinoceros and elephant ivory, embroidered robes and patterns to disturb the eyes, animals, millet and sorghum, the fragrance of Jing and Wu to make the mouth greedy, bells, drums, pipes, flutes, silk, bamboo, metal and stone to make the ears licentious, and inclinations, choices, righteousness, ritual and criticism to bewilder the heart. Then the people are like boiling gruel or porcupines scattering, going out at night to chase profit, vexed and thin, law and righteousness criticizing each other, conduct and profit opposed. Even ten Guan Zhongs could not govern it. Moreover the rich person's carriage is dressed in woven brocade, the horse harness is attached with yak tails and ivory, with curtains, mats, silk embroidery and cords, blue and yellow interlaced, and no image could be made like it; the poor person wears coarse clothes tied with rope in summer, fills the stomach with beans and water, enduring the heat, and in winter his sheepskin coat falls to pieces and his short coat cannot cover his form, so he warms himself at the stove mouth; so while all are equal registered households with no difference, the gap between rich and poor is like that between a ruler and a slave, which is beyond reckoning. Those who ride on rare skill and perform false and wicked acts are self-sufficient in one age; those who keep to what is right, cultivate order and do not obtain anything improperly do not escape the trouble of hunger and cold; yet one wants the people to leave the branch and return to the root, and by this one opens the source and blocks the flow. Carving and engraving harm farm work; brocade, embroidery and cords hinder women's work. When farm work is abandoned and women's work harmed, this is the root of hunger and the source of cold. When hunger and cold come together, that one would not break the law and offend against punishment has never been heard from ancient times to now. So the lowliness of one's official career lies in the times and not in conduct, and gain and harm lie in fate and not in wisdom.

夫敗軍之卒，勇武遁逃，將不能止也；勝軍之陳，怯者死行，懼不能走也。故江河決，沉一鄉，父子兄弟相遺而走，爭升陵阪，上高丘，輕足先升，不能相顧也；世樂志平，見鄰國之人溺，尚猶哀之，又況親戚乎！故身安則恩及鄰國，志為之滅；身危則忘其親戚，而人不能解也。遊者不能拯溺，手足有所急也；灼者不能救火，身體有所痛也。夫民有餘即讓，不足則爭。讓則禮義生，爭則暴亂起。扣門求水，莫弗與者，所饒足也；林中不賣薪，湖上不鬻魚，所有餘也。故物豐則欲省，求澹則爭止。秦王之時，或人葅子，利不足也；劉氏持政，獨夫收孤，財有餘也。故世治則小人守政，而利不能誘也；世亂則君子為姦，而法弗能禁也。

In a defeated army, even the brave flee, and the general cannot stop them; in a victorious army's ranks, even the timid die in the lines, and fear cannot make them run. So when a river bursts its banks and floods a village, fathers and sons and brothers abandon one another and run, vying to climb the hills and slopes, and when they reach the high mound, those with light feet go up first and cannot look after one another. When the world is happy and minds are calm, they pity even the people of neighboring states who are drowning, let alone relatives! So when one's own person is safe, kindness reaches neighboring states and the heart is spent entirely for them; when one's own person is in danger, one forgets relatives, and others cannot save him. A swimmer cannot rescue a drowning man, because his hands and feet are pressed; one who is burned cannot put out a fire, because his body is in pain. When the people have surplus they yield, and when they lack they contend. When they yield, ritual and righteousness arise; when they contend, violence and disorder rise. Knock at a door asking for water and none will refuse, because it is plentiful; in the forest firewood is not sold and on the lake fish are not sold, because they are in surplus. So when things are abundant, desire is reduced; when what is sought is satisfied, contention stops. In the time of the King of Qin, there were people who made their sons into minced meat, because profit was not sufficient; when the Liu family held power, even a solitary man took in orphans, because wealth was in surplus. So when the age is well ordered, petty men keep to what is right and profit cannot tempt them; when the age is disordered, gentlemen turn to wickedness and law cannot stop them.

太淸問於無窮子曰：「子知道乎？」無窮子曰：「吾弗知也。」又問於無為「吾知道有數。」曰：「其數奈何？」無為曰：「吾知道之可以弱，可以強；可以柔，可以剛；可以陰，可以陽；可以窈，可以明；可以包裹天地，可以應待無方。此吾所以知道之數也。」太淸又問於無始曰：「曏者，吾道於無窮，曰：『吾弗知之。」又問於無為，無為曰：『吾知道。』曰：『子之知道，亦有數乎？』無為曰：『吾知道有數。』曰：『其數奈何？』無為曰：『吾知道之可以弱，可以強；可以柔，可以剛；可以陰，可以陽；可以窈，可以明；可以包裹天地，可以應待無方。吾所以知道之數也。』若是，則無為知與無窮之弗知，孰是孰非？」無始曰：「弗知之深，而知之淺；弗知內，而知之外；弗知精，而知之粗。」太淸仰而歎曰：「然則不知乃知邪？知乃不知邪？孰知知之為弗知，弗知之為知邪？」無始曰：「道不可聞，聞而非也；道不可見，見而非也；道不可言，言而非也。孰知形之不形者乎？」故老子曰：「天下皆知善之為善，斯不善也。」故「知者不言，言者不知」也。

Taiqing asked Wuqiongzi: "Do you know the Way?" Wuqiongzi said: "I do not know." He asked Wuwei, and Wuwei said: "I know the Way has measures." He asked: "What are the measures?" Wuwei said: "I know that the Way can be weak and can be strong; can be soft and can be hard; can be yin and can be yang; can be dim and can be bright; can embrace Heaven and Earth and can respond without fixed direction. These are the measures by which I know the Way." Taiqing then asked Wushi: "Earlier I asked Wuqiong about the Way, and he said: 'I do not know.' I asked Wuwei, and Wuwei said: 'I know the Way.' I asked: 'You know the Way; does it have measures?' Wuwei said: 'I know the Way has measures.' I asked: 'What are the measures?' Wuwei said: 'I know that the Way can be weak and can be strong; can be soft and can be hard; can be yin and can be yang; can be dim and can be bright; can embrace Heaven and Earth and can respond without fixed direction. These are the measures by which I know the Way.' In this case, which is right and which is wrong, Wuwei's knowing or Wuqiong's not knowing?" Wushi said: "Not knowing is deep and knowing is shallow; not knowing is inner and knowing is outer; not knowing is fine and knowing is coarse." Taiqing looked up and sighed, saying: "Then is not knowing knowing? And is knowing not knowing? Who knows that knowing is not knowing and not knowing is knowing?" Wushi said: "The Way cannot be heard; what is heard is not it. The Way cannot be seen; what is seen is not it. The Way cannot be spoken; what is spoken is not it. Who knows how to give form to what has no form?" So Laozi said: "When all in the world know good as good, it is already not good." So "those who know do not speak, and those who speak do not know."

白公問於孔子曰：「人可以微言？」孔子不應。白公曰：「若以石投水中，何如？」曰：「呉、越之善沒者能取之矣。」曰：「若以水投水，何如？」孔子曰：「菑、澠之水合，易牙嘗而知之。」白公曰：「然則人固不可以微言乎？」孔子曰：「何謂不可？誰知言之謂者乎？夫知言之謂者，不以言言也。爭魚者濡，逐獸者趨，非樂之也。故至言去言，至為無為，夫淺知之所爭者，末矣。」白公不得也，故死於浴室。故老子曰：「言有宗，事有君。夫唯無知，是以不吾知也。」白公之謂也。

Duke Bai asked Confucius: "Can people speak in secret?" Confucius did not answer. Duke Bai said: "What if one throws a stone into water?" Confucius said: "Those in Wu and Yue who are good at diving can take it out." Duke Bai said: "What if one throws water into water?" Confucius said: "The Zi and Sheng rivers joined together, and Yi Ya could tell them by tasting." Duke Bai said: "Then people can never speak in secret?" Confucius said: "Why say they cannot? Who knows what words mean? One who knows what words mean does not use words to speak. Those who fight over fish get wet, and those who chase beasts run; it is not that they enjoy it. So the utmost words are without words, the utmost doing is non-doing, and what shallow knowledge contends over is the trivial end." Duke Bai did not get it, and so died in the bathhouse. So Laozi said: "Words have an ancestor, and affairs have a lord. It is only because they have no knowledge that they do not understand me." This speaks of Duke Bai.

惠子為惠王為國法，已成而示諸先生，先生皆善之，奏之惠王。惠王甚説之。以示翟煎，曰：「善」！惠王曰：「善，可行乎？」翟煎曰：「不可。」惠王曰：「善而不可行，何也？」翟煎對曰：「今夫舉大木者，前呼邪許，後亦應之。此舉重勸力之歌也，豈無鄭、衞激楚之音哉？然而不用者，不若此其宜也。治國有禮，不在文辯。」故老子曰：「法令滋彰，盜賊多有。」此之謂也。

Huizi drew up national laws for King Hui, and when they were done he showed them to the various gentlemen, who all thought them good, and he presented them to King Hui. King Hui was delighted. He showed them to Zhai Jian, and Zhai Jian said: "Good!" King Hui said: "If they are good, can they be carried out?" Zhai Jian said: "They cannot." King Hui said: "If good, yet cannot be carried out, why?" Zhai Jian replied: "Now those who lift a great log call 'yi xu' in front and others answer behind. This is a song to urge strength when lifting heavy things; does it lack the sounds of Zheng and Wei or the Jichu tune? Yet they are not used because they are not as suitable as this. Governing a state has ritual; it is not in fine phrases and clever debate." So Laozi said: "The more laws and decrees are made prominent, the more thieves and bandits there are." This is what is meant.

田駢以道術説齊王，王應之曰：「寡人所有，齊國也。道術雖以除患，願聞國之政。」田駢對曰：「臣之言無政，而可以為政。譬之若林木無材，而可以為材。願王察其所謂，而自取齊國之政焉已。雖無除其患害，天地之間，六合之內，可陶冶而變化也。齊國之政，何足問哉！」此老聃之所謂「無狀之狀，無物之象」者也。若王之所問者，齊也；田駢所稱者，材也。材不及林，林不及雨，雨不及陰陽，陰陽不及和，和不及道。

Tian Pian expounded the art of the Way to the King of Qi, and the King answered him: "What I possess is the state of Qi. Though the art of the Way may remove troubles, I would like to hear about the government of the state." Tian Pian replied: "My words have no government, but can be used to govern. It is like a forest of trees with no ready timber, yet it can become timber. I hope Your Majesty will look at what I have said and take from it for the government of Qi yourself. Even if it does not remove troubles, within heaven and earth and the six directions, all can be moulded and transformed. The government of Qi, why is it worth asking about!" This is what Lao Dan called "the form of the formless, the image of the thing without being." What the King asked about was Qi; what Tian Pian spoke of was timber. Timber does not match the forest, the forest does not match rain, rain does not match yin and yang, yin and yang do not match harmony, and harmony does not match the Way.

白公勝得荊國，不能以府庫分人。七日，石乙入曰：「不義得之，又不能佈施，患必至矣！不能予人，不若焚之，毋令人害我！」白公弗聽也。九日，葉公入，乃發大府之貨以予眾，出髙庫之兵以賦民，因而攻之。十有九日而禽白公。夫國非其有也，而欲有之，可謂至貪也；不能為人，又無以自為，可謂至愚矣！譬白公之嗇也，何以異於梟之愛其子也？故老子曰：「持而盈之，不如其已。揣而鋭之，不可長保也。」

Bai Gong Sheng took the state of Jing and could not distribute the treasury to people. On the seventh day, Shi Yi went in and said: "Gaining by unrighteousness and also being unable to give, trouble will surely come! If you cannot give it to people, it is better to burn it, and not let others harm me!" Duke Bai did not listen. On the ninth day, Lord Ye came in, and opened the goods of the great treasury and gave them to the multitude, took out the weapons from the high armory and divided them among the people, and used the momentum to attack him. In nineteen days he captured Duke Bai. The state was not his, yet he wanted to possess it, which may be called utmost greed; he could not do for others, and had no way to do for himself, which may be called utmost folly! How is Duke Bai's stinginess different from the owl's love for its young? So Laozi said: "To hold it and let it fill is not as good as stopping. To hammer it and let it sharpen cannot be kept long."

趙簡子以襄子為後，董閼於曰：「無恤賤，今以為後，何也？」簡子曰：「是為人也，能為社稷忍羞。」異日，知伯與襄子飲，而批襄子之首。大夫請殺之。襄子曰：「先君之立我也，曰：能為社稷忍羞。豈曰能刺人哉！」處十月，知伯圍襄子於晉陽，襄子疎隊而撃之，大敗知伯，破其首以為飲器。故老子曰：「知其雄，守其雌，其為天下谿。」

Zhao Jianzi made Xiangzi his heir, and Dong Anyu said: "Wu Xu is of lowly birth; now to make him heir, why?" Jianzi said: "This man is such that he can bear shame for the altars of the state." Later one day, Zhi Bo was drinking with Xiangzi and struck Xiangzi's head with his hand. The great officers asked to kill him. Xiangzi said: "The former ruler set me up, saying: he can bear shame for the altars of the state. Where did he say I could stab people!" Ten months later, Zhi Bo besieged Xiangzi at Jinyang, and Xiangzi spread out his troops and attacked, greatly defeated Zhi Bo, and broke his skull to make a drinking vessel. So Laozi said: "Know the male, keep to the female, and you become the stream of the world."

齧缺問道於被衣，被衣曰：「正女形，壹女視，天和將至。攝女知，正女度，神將來舍。德將來附若美，而道將為女居。憃乎若新生之犢，而無求其故。」言未卒，齧缺繼以仇夷。被衣行歌而去，曰：「形若槁骸，心如死灰。直實不知，以故自持。墨墨恢恢，無心可與謀。彼何人哉！」故老子曰：「明白四達。能以無知乎！」

Nie Que asked Bei Yi about the Way, and Bei Yi said: "Correct your form, concentrate your gaze, and the harmony of Heaven will come. Gather in your knowledge, correct your measures, and the spirit will come to dwell. Virtue will come to attach itself like beauty, and the Way will become your dwelling. Be simple like a newborn calf, and do not seek its reasons." Before he had finished, Nie Que fell asleep like someone at ease. Bei Yi left singing, saying: "The form is like a dry skeleton, the heart is like dead ashes. Genuine and straight, not knowing, keeping oneself by reasons. Dark and vast, one has no mind to plan with him. What manner of man is he!" So Laozi said: "Understanding and reaching in all four directions. Can it be done without knowledge!"

趙襄子攻翟而勝之，取尤人、終人。使者來謁之，襄子方將食，而有憂色。左右曰：「一朝而兩城下，此人之所喜也。今君有憂色，何也？」襄子曰：「江、河之大也，不過三日，飄風暴雨，日中不須臾。今趙氏之德行無所積，今一朝兩城下，亡其及我乎！」孔子聞之，曰：「趙氏其昌乎！」夫憂，所以為昌也；而喜，所以為亡也。勝非其難也，持之者其難也。賢主以此持勝，故其福及後世。齊、楚、呉、越，皆嘗勝矣，然而卒取亡焉，不能乎持勝也。唯有道之主能持勝。孔子勁杓國門之關，而不肯以力聞。墨子為守攻，公輸般服，而不肯以兵知。善持勝者，以強為弱。故老子曰：「道沖，而用之又弗盈也。」

Zhao Xiangzi attacked the Di and won the battle, taking the cities of You and Zhong. The messenger came to report as Xiangzi was about to eat, but he wore a look of worry. Those at his side said: "Two cities have fallen in a single morning, which is what people rejoice at. Now my lord has a look of worry; why?" Xiangzi said: "The Yangtze and the Yellow River are so great, yet their floods last no more than three days; a whirlwind or heavy rain does not last past noon. Now the House of Zhao has not accumulated virtue, and two cities have fallen in one morning; ruin is probably coming for me!" Confucius heard of it and said: "The House of Zhao will probably flourish!" Worry is what makes one flourish; joy is what makes one perish. Winning is not hard; holding on to it is hard. A worthy ruler uses this to hold on to victory, so his fortune reaches later generations. Qi, Chu, Wu, and Yue all once won, but in the end met ruin, because they could not hold on to victory. Only a ruler who has the Way can hold on to victory. Confucius had the strength to lift the bar of a city gate but was unwilling to be known for strength. Mozi did defense and offense so that Gongshu Ban was subdued, but was unwilling to be known for arms. One who is good at holding on to victory treats strength as weakness. So Laozi said: "The Dao is empty; one uses it and it is never filled."

惠孟見宋康王，蹀足謦欬，疾言曰：「寡人所説者，勇有功也，不説為仁義者也客將何以教寡人？」惠孟對曰：「臣有道於此，人雖勇，刺之不入。雖巧有力，撃之不中。大王獨無意邪？」宋王曰：「善。此寡人之所欲聞也。」惠孟曰：「夫刺之而不入，撃之而不中，此猶辱也。臣有道於此，使人雖有勇弗敢刺，雖有力不敢撃，夫不敢刺不敢撃，非無其意也。臣有道於此，使人本無其意也。夫無其意，未有愛利之也。臣有道於此，使天下丈夫、女子，莫不歡然皆欲愛利之心。此其賢於勇有力也，四累之上也。大王獨無意邪！」宋王曰：「此寡人所欲得也。」惠孟對曰：「孔、墨是已。孔丘、墨翟，無地而為君，無官而為長。天下丈夫、女子，莫不延頸舉踵，而願安利之者。今大王，萬乘之主也。誠有其志，則四境之內皆得其利矣。此賢於孔、墨也遠矣。」宋王無以應。惠孟出。宋王謂左右曰：「辯矣！客之以説勝寡人也。」故老子曰：「勇於不敢則活。」由此觀之，大勇反為不勇耳。昔堯之佐九人，舜之佐七人，武王之佐五人；堯、舜、武王於九、七、五者，不能一事焉。然而垂拱受成功者，善乘人之資耳。故人與驥逐走，則不勝驥；託於車上，則驥不能勝人。北方有獸，其名曰蹶，鼠前而兔後，趨則頓，走則顛，常為蛩蛩駏驉取甘草以與之。蹶有患害，蛩蛩駏驉必負而走。此以其能，託其所不能。故老子曰：「夫代大匠斫者，希不傷其手。」

Hui Meng went to see King Kang of Song, who stamped his foot and coughed and said hurriedly: "What I like is bravery that achieves merit; I do not like those who practice benevolence and righteousness. (The base text seems to have a lacuna here.) With what will you teach me, guest?" Hui Meng replied: "I have a Way here: though a man be brave, a stab at him will not go in; though skillful and strong, a blow at him will not hit. Does Your Majesty have no interest in this?" The King of Song said: "Good. This is what I wanted to hear." Hui Meng said: "That a stab does not go in and a blow does not hit is still a humiliation. I have a Way here that makes people, even if brave, not dare to stab, and even if strong, not dare to strike. Not daring to stab and not daring to strike is not the same as not having the intention. I have a Way here that makes people simply not have the intention. Not having the intention is still not loving and benefiting him. I have a Way here that makes all the men and women of the world gladly want to have a heart of love and benefit. This is four levels above being brave, strong, and worthy. Does Your Majesty have no interest in this!" The King of Song said: "This is what I want to obtain." Hui Meng replied: "Confucius and Mozi are just this. Kong Qiu and Mo Di, with no land, were rulers; with no office, were heads. The men and women of the world all stretched their necks and stood on tiptoe, willing to be at peace benefited by them. Now Your Majesty is the ruler of ten thousand chariots. If you truly have that aim, everyone within the four borders will receive benefit. This is far more worthy than Confucius and Mozi." The King of Song had no reply. Hui Meng went out. The King of Song said to those at his side: "A fine debater! The guest has overcome me with argument." So Laozi said: "One who is brave in not daring will live." From this we see that the greatest bravery becomes non-bravery. In the past Yao had nine assistants, Shun had seven, and King Wu had five; toward those nine, seven, and five persons, Yao, Shun, and King Wu could not do even one thing themselves. Yet with robes hanging and hands folded they received the success; this is being good at riding on others' resources. So a man racing a Ji horse cannot beat the Ji; put on a carriage, the Ji cannot beat the man. In the north there is an animal called the jue, which is like a rat in front and a hare behind; when it walks fast it stops, and when it runs it falls, and it always has the qiongqiong juxu fetch sweet grass for it. When the jue is in trouble, the qiongqiong juxu always carries it on its back and runs. This is using what one can do to entrust what one cannot. So Laozi said: "One who cuts in place of the master carpenter seldom fails to injure his own hand."

薄疑説衞嗣君以王術。嗣君應之曰：「予所有者，千乘也。願以受教。」薄疑對曰：「烏獲舉千鈞，又況一斤乎？」杜赫以安天下説周昭文君，文君謂杜赫曰：「願學所以安周。」赫對曰：「臣之所言不可，則不能安周；臣之所言可，則周自安矣。」此所謂弗安而安者也。故老子曰：「大制無割，故致數輿無輿也。」

Bo Yi used the art of kingship to persuade Lord Si of Wei. Lord Si answered him: "What I have is a thousand chariots; I hope to be taught from this." Bo Yi replied: "Wu Huo can lift a thousand jun, so what of a single jin?" Du He used the pacification of the world to persuade Lord Zhaowen of Zhou, and the lord said to Du He: "I hope to learn how to pacify Zhou." He replied: "If what I say is not acceptable, Zhou cannot be pacified; if what I say is acceptable, Zhou will pacify itself." This is called pacifying without pacifying. So Laozi said: "Great cutting does not cut apart; so one summons many carriages and it is as if there is no carriage."

魯國之法，魯人為人妾於諸侯，有能贖之者，取金於府。子贛贖魯人於諸侯。來，而辭不受金。孔子曰：「賜失之矣。夫聖人之舉事也，可以移風易俗，而受教順可施後世，非獨以適身之行也。今國之富者寡而貧者眾，贖而受金，則為不廉；不受金，則不復贖人。自今以來，魯人不復贖人於諸侯矣。」孔子亦可謂知禮矣。故老子曰：「見小曰明。」

By the law of Lu, if a Lu person was held as a concubine among the lords and someone could redeem her, gold was taken from the treasury. Zigong redeemed a Lu person from the lords. On returning, he declined to accept the gold. Confucius said: "Si made a mistake. When a sage handles a matter, it can change customs, and the teaching he receives can be carried out to later generations; it is not merely to suit one's own conduct. Now in the state the rich are few and the poor many; if one redeems someone and accepts the gold, one is not honest; if one does not accept the gold, no one will redeem people again. From now on, the people of Lu will no longer redeem people from the lords." Confucius too can be said to have known ritual. So Laozi said: "To see the small is called insight."

魏武侯問於李克曰：「呉之所以亡者，何也？」李克對曰：「數戰而數勝。」武侯曰：「數戰數勝，國之福。其獨以亡，何故也？」對曰：「數戰則民疲，數勝則主驕。以驕主使疲民，而國不亡者，天下鮮矣！驕則恣，恣則極物；疲則怨，怨則極慮；上下倶極，呉之亡猶晩矣！夫差之所以自剄於幹遂也。」老子曰：「功成名遂，身退，天之道也。」

Marquis Wu of Wei asked Li Ke: "Why did Wu perish?" Li Ke replied: "It fought many battles and won many times." Marquis Wu said: "To fight many battles and win many times is the fortune of a state. Why did it alone perish from this?" He replied: "With many battles, the people grow weary; with many victories, the ruler grows proud. For a proud ruler to drive weary people and the state not perish is rare in the world! Pride leads to license, and license uses up resources; weariness leads to resentment, and resentment uses up thought; with both high and low at the extreme, Wu's ruin was already late! That is why Fuchai killed himself at Gansui." Laozi said: "When merit is accomplished and fame achieved, to withdraw oneself is the Way of Heaven."

甯越欲干齊桓公，困窮無以自達，於是為商旅，將任車，以商於齊，暮宿於郭門之外。桓公郊迎客，夜開門，辟任車，爝火甚盛，從者甚眾，甯越飯牛車下，望見桓公而悲。撃牛角而疾商歌。桓公聞之，撫其僕之手曰：「異哉！歌者非常人也。」命後車載之。桓公及至，從者以請。桓公贛之衣冠而見，説以為天下。桓公大説，將任之。君臣爭之曰：「客，衞人也。衞之去齊不遠，君不若使人問之。問之而故賢者也，用之未晩。」桓公曰：「不然。問之，患其有小惡也。以人之小惡而忘人之大美，此人主之所以失天下之士也。」凡聽必有驗，一聽而弗復問，合其所以也。且人固難合也，權而用其長者而已矣。當是舉也，桓公得之矣。故老子曰：「天大、地大、道大、王亦大，域中有四大，而王處其一焉。」以言其能包裹之也。

Ning Yue wanted to seek an audience with Duke Huan of Qi but was poor and had no means of access, so he became a merchant and drove a cargo cart to Qi to trade, and lodged outside the outer gate at night. Duke Huan went to the outskirts to meet a guest, and at night the gate was opened and the cargo cart was moved aside, torches were bright and many attendants followed. Ning Yue, feeding his ox beneath the cart, saw Duke Huan and was moved to sorrow. He struck the ox's horn and sang a merchant's song urgently. Duke Huan heard it, pressed his driver's hand, and said: "Remarkable! The singer is no ordinary man." He ordered the rear carriage to carry him. When Duke Huan arrived, his attendants came to ask for instructions. Duke Huan gave him clothes and a cap and received him, and when they spoke, he took him to be fit for ruling the world. Duke Huan was greatly pleased and was about to employ him. The ministers argued: "The guest is from Wei. Wei is not far from Qi; it would be better for the ruler to send someone to ask. If he turns out to be the worthy man he seems, it would not be too late to use him." Duke Huan said: "Not so. If I ask, I fear I would find some small fault in him. To forget a person's great excellence because of a small fault is how a ruler loses the scholars of the world." In general, if what one hears must be verified, then hearing once and not asking again is fitting for using him. Moreover it is hard for people to be perfect in all ways; weigh them and use their strong side, and that is enough. In this action, Duke Huan gained his man. So Laozi said: "Heaven is great, Earth is great, the Dao is great, and the king is also great; within the realm there are four greatnesses, and the king occupies one of them." This means he can embrace.

大王亶父居邠，翟人攻之。事之以皮帛、珠玉而弗受。曰「翟人之所求者地。無以財物為也。」大王亶父曰：「與人之兄居而殺其弟，與人之父處而殺其子，吾弗為。皆勉處矣！為吾臣，與翟人奚以異？且吾聞之也，不以其所養害其養。」杖策而去。民相連而從之，遂成國於岐山之下。大王亶父可謂能保生矣。雖富貴，不以養傷身；雖貧賤，不以利累形。今受其先人之爵祿，則必重失之。所自來者久矣，而輕失之，豈不惑哉！故老子曰：「貴以身為天下，焉可以託天下；愛以身為天下，焉可以寄天下矣！」

Danfu the Great King lived at Bin, and the Di attacked him. He served them with furs, silks, pearls, and jade, but they would not accept, saying: "What the Di want is land; they do not care about goods." Danfu the Great King said: "To live with someone's elder brother and kill his younger brother, to live with someone's father and kill his son, I will not do. You all stay and live well! What difference is there between being my subjects and being the subjects of the Di? Moreover I have heard that one does not use what one uses to nourish to harm what is nourished." Leaning on his staff he left. The people followed him in an unbroken line, and so he established a state beneath Mount Qi. Danfu the Great King can be said to have been able to preserve life. Even if rich and honored, he did not harm his body with the means of nourishment; even if poor and lowly, he did not burden his form with gain. Now people who receive the rank and stipend of their predecessors surely value losing them. Yet that from which oneself comes is very ancient, and one makes light of losing it; is that not delusion! So Laozi said: "One who values his own person more than the world can be entrusted with the world; one who holds his own person dearer than the world can be given the world to lodge in!"

中山公子牟謂詹子曰：「身處江海之上，心在魏闕之下，為之奈何？」詹子曰：「重生。重生則輕利。」中山公子牟曰：「雖知之，猶不能自勝。」詹子曰：「不能自勝，則從之；從之，神無怨乎！不能自勝而強弗從者，此之謂重傷。重傷之人，無壽類矣。」故老子曰：「知和曰常，知常曰明，益生曰祥，心使氣曰強。」是故「用其光，復歸其明也。」

Prince Mou of Zhongshan said to Master Zhan: "My body is by the rivers and seas, but my heart is beneath the Wei palace gate; what should I do?" Master Zhan said: "Value life. If you value life, you will make light of gain." Prince Mou of Zhongshan said: "Though I know this, I still cannot overcome it myself." Master Zhan said: "If you cannot overcome it yourself, then follow it; if you follow it, the spirit will have no resentment! To be unable to overcome it and yet force yourself not to follow it is called double injury. A person with double injury is not of the kind who lives long." So Laozi said: "To know harmony is called constancy; to know constancy is called insight; to increase life is called ominous; for the mind to direct the breath is called forced." So "use its light and return to its brightness."

楚莊王問詹何曰：「治國奈何？」對曰：「何明於治身，而不明於治國？」楚王曰：「寡人得立宗廟社稷，願學所以守之。」詹何對曰：「臣未嘗聞身治而國亂者也，未嘗聞身亂而國治者也。故本任於身，不敢對以末。」楚王曰：「善。」故老子曰：「修之身，其德乃眞也。」

King Zhuang of Chu asked Zhan He: "How should a state be governed?" He replied: "Do I understand how to govern the body but not how to govern a state?" The King of Chu said: "I have been able to establish ancestral temples and altars of land and grain, and I hope to learn how to keep them." Zhan He replied: "I have never heard of a body that was in order and a state in disorder, nor of a body in disorder and a state in order. So the root lies in the body, and I dare not answer with the branches." The King of Chu said: "Good." So Laozi said: "Cultivate it in the body, and virtue is genuine."

桓公讀書於堂，輪扁斫輪於堂下。釋其椎鑿，而問桓公曰：「君之所讀者，何書也？」桓公曰：「聖人之書。」輪扁曰：「其人焉在？」桓公曰：「已死矣。」輪扁曰：「是直聖人之糟粕耳。」桓公曰悖然作色而怒曰：「寡人讀書，工人焉得而譏之哉！有説則可，無説則死！」輪扁曰：「然。有説。臣試以臣之斫輪語之。大疾則苦而不入，大徐則甘而不固，不甘不苦，應於手，厭於心，而可以至妙者，臣不能以教臣之子，而臣之子亦不能得之於臣。是以行年七十，老而為輪。今聖人之所言者，亦以懷其實，窮而死，獨其糟粕在耳。」故老子曰：「道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。」

Duke Huan was reading in the hall, and Wheelwright Bian was cutting a wheel below the hall. He put down his mallet and chisel and asked Duke Huan: "What book is your lordship reading?" Duke Huan said: "The books of the sages." Wheelwright Bian said: "Where are those people?" Duke Huan said: "They are already dead." Wheelwright Bian said: "Then what you read is only the dregs of the sages." Duke Huan flushed with anger and said: "I read books; how can a craftsman criticize it! If you have an explanation, fine; if not, you die!" Wheelwright Bian said: "Yes, I have one. Let me use my work of cutting wheels to explain. If I go too fast, it is rough and does not fit in; if too slowly, it is slippery and not firm; neither slippery nor rough, it responds in the hand and is satisfied in the mind, and one can reach the marvelous; I cannot teach it to my son, and my son cannot get it from me. So at seventy I am old and still make wheels. Now what the sages said also held its reality within, and they died having exhausted it, leaving only the dregs." So Laozi said: "The Dao that can be spoken is not the constant Dao; the name that can be named is not the constant name."

昔者，司城子罕相宋，謂宋君曰：「夫國家之安危，百姓之治亂，在君行賞罰。夫爵賞賜予，民之所好也，君自行之；殺戮刑罰，民之所怨也，臣請當之。」宋君曰：「善。寡人當其美，子受其怨。寡人自知不為諸侯笑矣。」國人皆知殺戮之專，制在子罕也，大臣親之，百姓畏之，居不至期年，子罕遂卻宋君而專其政。故老子曰：「魚不可脫於淵，國之利器，不可以示人。」

In the past Zihan, Minister of Works, served as chancellor of Song and said to the lord of Song: "The safety or danger of the state and the order or disorder of the hundred clans lie in how the lord carries out rewards and punishments. Granting rank and reward is what the people like, so let the lord carry it out himself; killing and punishment are what the people resent, so let me bear them." The lord of Song said: "Good. I will take the fine part and you will take the resentment. I know I will not be laughed at by the lords." The people of the state all knew that the power of killing was in Zihan's hands, the great ministers drew close to him, the hundred clans feared him, and before a full year had passed, Zihan forced out the lord of Song and took over his government. So Laozi said: "A fish cannot leave the deep pool; the sharp tools of the state cannot be shown to people."

王壽負書而行，見徐馮於周，徐馮曰：「事者，應變而動，變生於時，故知時者無常行。書者，言之所出也。言出於知者，知者藏書。」於是王壽乃焚書而舞之。故老子曰：「多言數窮，不如守中。」

Wang Shou was walking carrying books on his back, and in Zhou he met Xu Feng. Xu Feng said: "Affairs move in response to change, and change arises from the time, so one who knows the time has no fixed rules of conduct. Books are where words come from. Words come from the one who knows, and the one who knows hides the book." Then Wang Shou burned his books and danced. So Laozi said: "With much speech, the numbers run out; it is better to hold to the center."

令尹子佩請飲莊王。莊王許諾。子佩疎揖，北面立於殿下。曰：「昔者君王許之，今不果往。意者臣有罪乎？」莊王曰：「吾聞子具於強臺。強臺者，南望料山，以臨方皇，左江而右淮，其樂忘死，若吾薄德之人，不可以當此樂也。恐留而不能反。」故老子曰：「不見可欲，使心不亂。」

The Prime Minister Zipei asked King Zhuang to drink wine. King Zhuang agreed. Zipei respectfully bowed with clasped hands and stood facing north below the hall, and said: "Earlier Your Majesty agreed, yet now you do not really come. I wonder if I have committed an offense?" King Zhuang said: "I heard that you prepared it at Qiang Terrace. From Qiang Terrace one looks south to Mount Liao, below is Fanghuang, the Yangtze is on the left and the Huai on the right; the joy there makes one forget death, and a man of thin virtue like me cannot bear such joy. I fear I would stay and not be able to return." So Laozi said: "Not seeing what can be desired keeps the mind from disorder."

晉公子重耳出亡，過曹，無禮焉。釐負羈之妻謂釐負羈曰：「君無禮於晉公子，吾觀其從者，皆賢人也。若以相夫子反晉國，必伐曹，子何不先加德焉？」釐負羈遺之壺飯而加璧焉。重耳受其飯而反其璧。及其反國，起師伐曹，克之。令三軍無入釐負羈之里。故老子曰：「曲則全，枉則正。」

Prince Chong'er of Jin was in exile and passed through Cao, and the lord of Cao treated him without courtesy. Xi Fuji's wife said to Xi Fuji: "The lord was discourteous to the Prince of Jin, and I see that his followers are all worthy men. If they help that gentleman return to Jin, he will surely attack Cao; why do you not first show him kindness?" Xi Fuji sent him a jug of food with a jade disc added. Chong'er accepted the food and returned the jade. When he returned to his state, he raised troops to attack Cao and took it. He ordered the three armies not to enter Xi Fuji's lane. So Laozi said: "Bent, it is preserved; crooked, it becomes straight."

越王勾踐與呉戰而不勝，國破身亡，困於會稽。忿心張膽，氣如湧泉，選練甲卒，赴火若滅。然而請身為臣，妻為妾，親執戈，為呉兵先馬走，果禽之於幹遂。故老子曰：「柔之勝剛也，弱之勝強也，天下莫不知，而莫之能行。」越王親之，故霸中國。

King Goujian of Yue fought Wu and did not win; his state was broken and he himself nearly perished, trapped at Kuaiji. His heart was filled with indignation and his courage swelled, his spirit like a gushing spring; he selected and trained armored soldiers and would charge into fire as if to put it out. Yet he asked to be a servant himself, with his wife as a concubine, and himself carried a halberd and served as a forerunner and foot soldier for Wu's army, and in the end captured the King of Wu at Gansui. So Laozi said: "The soft overcomes the hard and the weak overcomes the strong; everyone in the world knows it, yet none can practice it." The King of Yue practiced it himself, and so became hegemon of the Central States.

趙簡子死，未葬，中牟入齊。已葬五日，襄子起兵攻圍之。未合而城自壞者數十丈。襄子撃金而退之。軍吏諫曰：「君誅中牟之罪，而城自壞，是天助我，何故去之？」襄子曰：「吾聞之叔向曰：『君子不乘人於利，不迫人於險。』使之治城，城治而後攻之。」中牟聞其義，乃請降。故老子曰：「夫唯不爭，故天下莫能與之爭。」

When Zhao Jianzi died and was not yet buried, Zhongmu rebelled and went over to Qi. Five days after the burial, Xiangzi raised troops and besieged it. Before the encirclement was complete, the city wall collapsed of itself for several dozen zhang. Xiangzi struck the gong and had the army retreat. The military officers remonstrated: "Your lordship is punishing Zhongmu's crime, and the wall has collapsed of itself, which is Heaven helping us; why leave?" Xiangzi said: "I heard from Shuxiang: 'A gentleman does not take advantage when others are in profit, and does not press when others are in danger.' Let them repair the city, and attack after the city is repaired." When Zhongmu heard of his righteousness, they asked to surrender. So Laozi said: "Precisely because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him."

秦穆公謂伯樂曰：「子之年長矣。子姓有可使求馬者乎？」對曰：「良馬者，可以形容筋骨相也。相天下之馬者，若滅若失，若亡其一。若此馬者，絶塵弭轍。臣之子皆下材也，可告以良馬，而不可告以天下之馬。臣有所與供儋纏採薪者方九堙，此其於馬，非臣之下也。請見之。」穆公見之，使之求馬。三月而反報曰：「已得馬矣。在於沙丘。」穆公曰：「何馬也？」對曰：「牡而黃。」使人往取之，牝而驪。穆公不説。召伯樂而問之曰：「敗矣。子之所使求者。毛物、牝牡弗能知，又何馬之能知？」伯樂喟然大息曰：「一至此乎！是乃其所以千萬臣而無數者也。若堙之所觀者，天機也。得其精而忘其粗，在內而忘其外，見其所見而不見其所不見，視其所視而遺其所不視。若彼之所相者，乃有貴乎馬者！」馬至，而果千里之馬。故老子曰：「大直若屈，大巧若拙。」

Duke Mu of Qin said to Bo Le: "Your years are advanced. Is there any of your descendants whom I can have seek horses?" He replied: "For a good horse, one can judge by looking at its form and sinews. To judge a horse of the world, it is as if it vanishes, as if it is lost, as if one forgets oneself. A horse like that can run without raising dust or leaving tracks. My sons are all of lower talent; I can tell them about good horses but cannot tell them about horses of the world. I have a man who carried firewood ropes with me, called Fang Jiuyin, and he is not below me in horses. Please let him come to see you." Duke Mu met him and sent him to seek a horse. After three months he returned and reported: "I have found a horse. It is at Shaqiu." Duke Mu said: "What kind of horse?" He replied: "A stallion, yellow." Men were sent to fetch it, and it was a mare, black. Duke Mu was displeased. He summoned Bo Le and asked him: "It has failed. The man you sent to seek the horse cannot even tell color or sex; how could he know horses?" Bo Le sighed deeply and said: "Has it come to this! This is exactly why he surpasses me ten thousand times over and beyond counting. What Yin looks at is the working of Heaven. He obtains the essence and forgets the coarse, sees the inside and forgets the outside, sees what is to be seen and does not see what is not to be seen, looks at what is to be looked at and discards what is not to be looked at. What he judges is perhaps more valuable than horses!" When the horse arrived, it was indeed a thousand-li horse. So Laozi said: "The greatest straightness seems bent; the greatest skill seems clumsy."

呉起為楚令尹，適魏。問屈宜若曰：「王不知起之不肖，而以為令尹。先生試觀起之為人也。」屈子曰：「將奈何？」呉起曰：「將衰楚國之爵，而平其制祿；損其有餘，而綏其不足；砥礪甲兵，時爭利於天下。」屈子曰：「宜若聞之，昔善治國家者，不變其故，不易其常。今子將衰楚國之爵，而平其制祿；損其有餘，而綏其不足；是變其故，易其常也。行之者不利。宜若聞之曰：『怒者，逆德也，兵者兇器也。爭者人之所本也。』今子陰謀逆德，好用㐫器，始人之所本，逆之至也。且子用魯兵，不宜得志於齊，而行志焉；子用魏兵，不宜得志於秦，而得志焉。宜若聞之，非禍人不能成禍。吾固惑吾王之數逆天道，戾人理，至今無禍。差須夫子也。」呉起惕然曰：「尚可更乎？」屈子曰：「成形之徒，不可更也。子不若敦愛而篤行之。」老子曰：「挫其鋭，解其紛，和其光，同其塵。」

Wu Qi, serving as prime minister of Chu, went to Wei. He asked Qu Yiruo: "The king does not know that Qi is unworthy and has made me prime minister. Master, try to see what kind of person I am." Master Qu said: "What do you intend to do?" Wu Qi said: "I intend to reduce the ranks of Chu and equalize its salary system, cut from those with surplus and comfort those who lack, hone armor and weapons, and contend for profit in the world at the right time." Master Qu said: "I, Yiruo, have heard that in the past those who were good at governing states did not change the old ways and did not alter the constant rules. Now you are going to reduce the ranks of Chu, equalize the salary system, cut from those with surplus and comfort those who lack; this is changing old ways and altering constant rules. Those who carry it out will not benefit. I have heard: 'Contrary virtue is righteousness; weapons are ill-omened instruments (the base text writes a variant of 'ill-omened'); contention is the root of man.' Now you secretly plan against virtue, love to use ill-omened instruments, and begin from the root of man; this is going against it to the utmost. Moreover when you used Lu troops, you should not have achieved your aim in Qi, yet you carried out your aim; when you used Wei troops, you should not have achieved your aim in Qin, but you did. I have heard that unless one harms others one cannot bring about disaster. I have long wondered that our king has so often gone against the Way of Heaven and violated human principle and yet no disaster has come; perhaps he was waiting for you, sir." Wu Qi was alarmed and said: "Can it still be changed?" Master Qu said: "Things that have already taken shape cannot be changed. You had better love with generosity and act with sincerity." Laozi said: "Blunt its sharpness, untie its tangles, soften its glare, and merge with its dust."

晉伐楚，三舍不止。大夫請撃之。莊王曰：「先君之時，晉不伐楚。及孤之身，而晉伐楚，是孤之過也。若何其辱群大夫？」曰：「先臣之時，晉不伐楚。今臣之身，而晉伐楚，此臣之罪也。請三撃之。」王俯而泣，涕沾襟，起而拜群大夫。晉人聞之，曰：「君臣爭以過為在己，且輕下其臣，不可伐也。」夜還師而歸。老子曰：「能受國之垢，是謂社稷主。」

When Jin attacked Chu, it retreated three days' march and still did not stop. The grand masters asked to strike. King Zhuang said: "In the time of the former lord, Jin did not attack Chu. Now that it has come to me, Jin attacks Chu; this is my fault. How can I let the grand masters be humiliated?" The grand masters said: "In the time of our predecessors, Jin did not attack Chu. Now it has come to us, and Jin attacks Chu; this is our fault. We ask to strike out three times." The king bent over and wept, his tears soaking his collar, and rose and bowed to the grand masters. When the people of Jin heard of it, they said: "Ruler and ministers vie to take the fault on themselves, and the ruler is willing to place himself below his ministers; he cannot be attacked." At night they withdrew their army. Laozi said: "One who can bear the filth of the state is called the master of the altars of land and grain."

宋景公之時，熒惑在心。公懼，召子韋而問焉。曰：「熒惑在心，何也？」子韋曰：「熒惑，天罰也；心，宋分野，禍且當君。雖然，可移於宰相。」公曰：「宰相，所使治國家也。而移死焉。不祥。」子韋曰：「可移於民。」公曰：「民死，寡人誰為君乎？寧獨死耳！」子韋曰：「可移於歳。」公曰「歳，民之命；歳饑，民必死矣。為人君而欲殺其民以自活也，其誰以我為君者乎？是寡人之命，固已盡矣！子韋無復言矣。」子韋還走，北面再拜曰：「敢賀君。天之處髙而聽卑。君有君人之言三，天必有三賞君。今夕星必徙三舍，君延年二十一歳。」公曰：「子奚以知之？」對曰：「君有君人之言三，故有三賞，星必三徙舍。舍行七里，三七二十一，故君移年二十一歳。臣請伏於陛下以伺之。星不徙，臣請死之。」公曰：「可」。是夕也，星果三徙舍。故老子曰：「能受國之不祥，是謂天下王。」

In the time of Duke Jing of Song, the planet Yinghuo stayed in the Heart constellation. The duke was afraid and summoned Zi Wei to ask: "Yinghuo is in the Heart; what does it mean?" Zi Wei said: "Yinghuo is Heaven's punishment; the Heart is the field-allotment of Song, and calamity will fall on my lord. Even so, it can be transferred to the chancellor." The duke said: "The chancellor is the one I use to govern the state. To shift death onto him is ill-omened." Zi Wei said: "It can be transferred to the people." The duke said: "If the people die, whom would I rule as lord? I would rather die alone!" Zi Wei said: "It can be transferred to the year star." The duke said: "The year is the people's life; if the year has famine, the people will surely die. To be a ruler and want to kill the people so as to live myself, who would still take me as ruler? This is my fate, and it was already used up! Say no more, Zi Wei." Zi Wei withdrew, faced north and bowed twice, saying: "I dare to congratulate my lord. Heaven dwells high and hears what is low. My lord has spoken three sentences of a true ruler, and Heaven will surely give my lord three rewards. Tonight the star will surely move three lodgings, and my lord will have twenty-one more years." The duke said: "How do you know?" He replied: "My lord has spoken three sentences of a true ruler, so there are three rewards, and the star will surely move three lodgings. One lodging is seven li, three times seven is twenty-one, so my lord's years are extended by twenty-one. Please let me lie below the steps in attendance. If the star does not move, let me die for it." The duke said: "Very well." That night the star did indeed move three lodgings. So Laozi said: "One who can bear the ill omens of the state is called the king of the world."

昔者，公孫龍在趙之時，謂弟子曰：「人而無能者，龍不能與遊。」有客衣褐帶索而見曰：「臣能呼。」公孫龍顧謂弟子曰：「門下故有能呼者乎？」對曰：「無有。」公孫龍曰：「與之弟子籍。」後數日，往説燕王。至於河上，而航在一汜，使善呼者呼之。一呼而航來。故曰：聖人之處世，不逆有伎能之士。故老子曰：「人無棄人，物無棄物，是謂襲明。」

In the past, when Gongsun Long was in Zhao, he said to his disciples: "A person with no ability, I will not associate with." A guest wearing coarse clothes and tied with a rope came to see him and said: "I can shout." Gongsun Long turned to his disciples and said: "Is there someone among us who can shout?" They replied: "No." Gongsun Long said: "Give him a disciple's registration." A few days later he went to persuade the King of Yan. When they reached the river, the boat was on the other side, and he had the man good at shouting call it. At one shout the boat came. So it is said: when a sage deals with the world, he does not reject a person with skill. So Laozi said: "No person is abandoned, no thing is abandoned; this is called following the brightness."

子發攻蔡，逾之。宣王郊迎，列田百頃，而封之執圭。子發辭不受。曰：「治國立政，諸侯入賓，此君之德也；發號施令，師未合而失敵遁，此將軍之威也；兵陳戰而勝敵者，此庶民之力也。夫乘民之功勞，而取其爵祿者，非仁義之道也。」故辭而弗受。故老子曰：「功成而不居。夫惟不居，是以不去。」

Zifa attacked Cai and passed through it. King Xuan met him in the outskirts, and set out a hundred qing of fields to enfeoff him with the jade tablet. Zifa declined and did not accept, saying: "To govern the state and set up policies so that the lords come in and submit is the virtue of the ruler; to issue orders so that the army has not yet met the enemy before it flees is the awe of the general; to draw up ranks and fight and defeat the enemy is the strength of the common soldiers. To ride on the people's merit and take their rank and stipend is not the way of benevolence and righteousness." So he declined and did not accept. So Laozi said: "Merit is accomplished and one does not dwell on it. Precisely because he does not dwell on it, it does not leave him."

晉文公伐原，與大夫期三日。三日而原不降。文公令去之。軍吏曰：「原不過一二日將降矣。」君曰：「吾不知原三日而不得下也。以與大夫期，盡而不疲，失信得原，吾弗為也。」原人聞之，曰：「有君若此，可弗降也？」遂降。溫人聞，亦請降。故老子曰：「窈兮冥兮，其中有精，其精甚眞，其中有信。」故「美言可以市尊，美行可以加人」。

Duke Wen of Jin attacked Yuan and agreed with his grand masters on a three-day limit. After three days Yuan did not surrender. Duke Wen ordered withdrawal. The military officers said: "Yuan will surrender in a day or two." The ruler said: "I did not know that Yuan could not be taken in three days. I agreed with the grand masters on a time limit; if the time is up and the army is not worn out, to lose good faith and gain Yuan, I would not do." When the people of Yuan heard this, they said: "With a ruler like this, could we not surrender?" Then they surrendered. When the people of Wen heard, they also asked to surrender. So Laozi said: "Dim and dark, within it there is essence; the essence is very real, and within it there is good faith." So "fine words can buy respect, and fine conduct can be added above others."

公儀休相魯，而嗜魚。一國獻魚，公儀子弗受。其弟子諫曰：「夫子嗜魚。弗受，何也？」答曰：「夫唯嗜魚，故弗受。夫受魚而免於相，雖嗜魚，不能自給魚；毋受魚而不免於相，則能長自給魚。」此明於為人為己者也。故老子曰：「後其身而身先，外其身而身存。非以其無私邪？故能成其私。」一曰：知足不辱。

Gongyi Xiu was prime minister of Lu, yet he was fond of fish. Everyone in the state offered him fish, and Master Gongyi did not accept. His disciple remonstrated: "Master, you are fond of fish. Why do you not accept?" He replied: "Precisely because I am fond of fish, I do not accept. If I accept fish and am dismissed as prime minister, even though I am fond of fish, I would not be able to supply myself with fish; if I do not accept fish and am not dismissed as prime minister, I can long supply myself with fish." This is someone who understands how to act for others and for himself. So Laozi said: "Place oneself behind, and the self comes forward; place the self outside, and the self is preserved. Is it not because he has no selfishness that he can achieve his selfishness?" Another saying: knowing sufficiency brings no disgrace.

狐丘丈人謂孫叔敖曰：「人有三怨，子知之乎？」孫叔敖曰：「何謂也？」對曰：「爵髙者，士妬之；官大者，主惡之；祿厚者，怨處之。」孫叔敖曰：「吾爵益髙，吾志益下；吾官益大，吾心益小；吾祿益厚，吾施益博。是以免三怨，可乎？」故老子曰：「貴必以賤為本，髙必以下為基。」

The old man of Huqiu said to Sunshu Ao: "People have three kinds of resentment; do you know them?" Sunshu Ao said: "What are they?" He replied: "When rank is high, scholars envy him; when office is great, the ruler dislikes him; when stipend is generous, resentment lies there." Sunshu Ao said: "The higher my rank, the lower my aims; the greater my office, the smaller my heart; the more generous my stipend, the broader my giving. In this way, may I avoid the three resentments?" So Laozi said: "The noble must take the humble as root, and the high must take the low as base."

大司馬捶鉤者，年八十矣，而不失鉤芒。大司馬曰：「子巧邪？有道邪？」曰：「臣有守也。臣年二十好捶鉤，於物無視也。非鉤無察也。」是以用之者，必假於弗用也，而以長得其用。而況持而不用者乎？物孰不濟焉！故老子曰：「從事於道者，同於道。」

The man who hammered belt hooks at the Grand Marshal's, at eighty years old, had never lost the edge of the hook. The Grand Marshal said: "Are you skilled? Do you have a Way?" He said: "I have something I keep to. At twenty I liked hammering hooks, and toward things I had nothing to look at; if it was not a hook, I did not examine it." So what one uses must rely on what one does not use, and one can long preserve its use. How much more for what one holds and does not use! What is there that does not give help! So Laozi said: "Those who pursue the Dao are the same as the Dao."

文王砥德修政，三年而天下二垂歸之。紂聞而患之，曰：「余夙興夜寐，與之競行，則苦心勞形，縱而置之，恐伐余一人。」崇侯虎曰：「周伯昌行仁義而善謀，太子發勇敢而不疑，中子旦恭儉而知時。若與之從，則不堪其殃；縱而赦之，身必危亡。冠雖弊，必加於頭。及未成，請圖之。」屈商乃拘文王於羑里。於是散宜生乃以千金求天下之珍怪，得騶虞、鷄斯之乘，玄玉百工，大貝百朋，玄豹、黃羆、靑豻、白虎文皮千合，以獻於紂。因費仲而通。紂見而説之，乃免其身，殺牛而賜之。文王歸，乃為玉門，築靈臺，相女童，撃鐘鼓，以待紂之失也。紂聞之，曰：「周伯昌改道易行，吾無憂矣。」乃為炮烙，剖比干，剔孕婦，殺諫者。文王乃遂其謀。故老子曰：「知其榮，守其辱，為天下穀。」

King Wen honed his virtue and cultivated government, and in three years the world turned toward him from two sides. Zhou heard of it and was worried, saying: "If I rise early and sleep late to compete with him in action, I will exhaust my mind and body; if I let him go and set him aside, I fear he will attack me alone." Chong Hou Hu said: "The Earl of Zhou, Chang, practices benevolence and righteousness and is good at planning; Crown Prince Fa is brave and without doubt; Zhongzi Dan is respectful, frugal, and knows the time. If one goes along with them, one cannot bear the calamity; if one lets them go and pardons them, one will surely perish. Even if a cap is worn out, it is still put on the head. Take advantage while it is not yet done and plan." Qu Shang then detained King Wen at Youli. Then San Yisheng used a thousand gold to seek rare and strange things of the world, and obtained a Zouyu and a Jisi mount, a hundred pieces of black jade, a hundred pairs of great cowries, and a thousand sets of patterned skins of black leopard, yellow bear, blue wild dog, and white tiger, and presented them to Zhou. He made the connection through Fei Zhong. Zhou saw them and was pleased, and so freed him, killed an ox and gave it to him. King Wen went back and made the Jade Gate, built the Spirit Terrace, looked at young girls, struck bells and drums, to wait for Zhou's faults. Zhou heard of it and said: "The Earl of Zhou, Chang, has changed his ways; I no longer have worries." So he made the hot-pillar punishment, cut open Bi Gan, slit open pregnant women, and killed those who remonstrated. King Wen then completed his plan. So Laozi said: "Know its glory but keep to its disgrace, and become the valley of the world."

成王問政於尹佚曰：「吾何德之行，而民親其上？」對曰：「使之時而敬順之。」王曰：「其度安在？」曰：「如臨深淵，如履薄冰。」王曰：「懼哉！王人乎。」尹佚曰：「天地之間，四海之內，善之則吾畜也，不善則吾仇也。昔夏、商之臣反仇桀、紂，而臣湯、武，宿沙之民皆自攻其君，而歸神農，此世之所明知也。如何其無懼也？」故老子曰：「人之所畏，不可不畏也。」

King Cheng asked Yin Yi about government: "What virtue should I practice so that the people draw close to those above?" He replied: "Employ them in season and respectfully follow them." The king said: "Where is that measure?" He said: "Like facing a deep abyss, like treading on thin ice." The king said: "Frightening! To be a ruler." Yin Yi said: "Between Heaven and Earth and within the four seas, if you treat them well they are my livestock, and if you treat them badly they are my enemies. In the past the ministers of Xia and Shang turned and became hostile to Jie and Zhou and submitted to Tang and Wu; the people of Su Sha all attacked their own ruler and turned to Shennong, which is clearly known in the world. How could one not fear?" So Laozi said: "What people fear, one must not fail to fear."

蹠之徒問蹠曰：「盜亦有盜乎？」蹠曰：「奚適其無道也！夫意而中藏者，聖也；入先者，勇也；出後者，義也；分均者，仁也；知可否者，智也。五者不備，而能成大盜者，天下無之。」由此觀之，盜賊之心，必托聖人之道而後可行。故老子曰：「絶聖棄智，民利百倍。」

The followers of Zhi asked Zhi: "Do robbers also have a Way?" Zhi said: "How could there not be a Way! To guess correctly where things are hidden is sageliness; to enter first is bravery; to come out last is righteousness; to divide evenly is benevolence; to know whether it is feasible or not is wisdom. There is no one in the world who has become a great robber without having all five. From this we see that the heart of a robber must rely on the Way of the sages before it can be put into practice. So Laozi said: 'Cut off sageliness and abandon wisdom, and the people's benefit will be a hundredfold.'"

楚將子發好求技道之士。楚有善為偸者，往見曰：「聞君求技道之士。臣，偸也，願以技齎一卒。」子發聞之，衣不給帶，冠不暇正，出見而禮之。左右諫曰：「偸者，天下之盜也。何為之禮？」君曰：「此非左右之所得與。」後無幾何，齊興兵伐楚，子發將師以當之，兵三卻。楚賢良大夫皆盡其計而悉其誠，齊師愈強。於是市偸進請曰：「臣有薄技，願為君行之。」子發曰：「諾」。不問其辭而遣之。偸則夜解齊將軍之幬帳而獻之。子發因使人歸之。曰：「卒有出薪者，得將軍之帷，使歸之於執事。」明又復往，取其枕。子發又使人歸之。明日又復往，取其簪。子發又使歸之。齊師聞之，大駭。將軍與軍吏謀曰：「今日不去，楚君恐取吾頭。」乃還師而去。故曰：無細而能薄，在人君用之也。故老子曰：「不善人，善人之資也。」

The Chu general Zifa liked to seek scholars with skill in some art. In Chu there was a man good at stealing who went to see him and said: "I have heard that you seek scholars with skill in some art. I am a thief, and I hope to serve as a soldier by my skill." When Zifa heard of it, he could not tie his sash in time and could not set his cap straight, but went out to see him and treated him with courtesy. Those at his side remonstrated: "A thief is a robber of the world. Why treat him with courtesy?" He said: "This is not something you can take part in." Not long afterward, Qi raised troops to attack Chu, and Zifa led the army to resist, and his troops retreated three times. The worthy grand masters of Chu all exhausted their schemes and offered all their sincerity, but the Qi army grew ever stronger. Then the thief from the market came forward and asked: "I have a slight skill and hope to carry it out for you." Zifa said: "Good." Without asking his words, he sent him out. The thief that night untied the curtain of the Qi general and brought it back. Zifa then sent someone to return it, saying: "A soldier who went out to gather firewood obtained the general's curtain, and I have sent it back to your attendants." The next day he went again and took his pillow. Zifa again sent it back. The next day he went again and took his hairpin. Zifa again had it returned. When the Qi army heard of it, they were greatly alarmed. The general planned with his officers: "If we do not leave today, the Chu ruler may take my head." So they withdrew their army and left. So it is said: nothing is so minor, no skill so slight, but it depends on the ruler's using it. So Laozi said: "The bad person is the resource of the good person."

顏回謂仲尼曰：「回益矣。」仲尼曰：「何謂也？」曰：「回忘禮樂矣。」仲尼曰：「可矣。猶未也。」異日復見，曰：「回益矣。」仲尼曰：「何謂也？」曰：「回忘仁義也。」仲尼曰：「可矣。猶未也。」異日復見。曰：「回坐忘矣。」仲尼遽然曰：「何謂坐忘？」顏回曰：「墮支體，黜聰明，離形去知，洞於化通。是謂坐忘。」仲尼曰：「洞則無善也，化則無常矣。而夫子薦賢。丘請從之後。」故老子曰：「載營魄抱一，能無離乎！專氣至柔，能如嬰兒乎！」

Yan Hui said to Zhongni: "Hui has made progress." Zhongni said: "What do you mean?" He said: "Hui has forgotten ritual and music." Zhongni said: "Good, but not yet there." Some days later they met again, and he said: "Hui has made progress." Zhongni said: "What do you mean?" He said: "Hui has forgotten benevolence and righteousness." Zhongni said: "Good, but not yet there." Some days later they met again, and he said: "Hui can sit and forget." Zhongni was startled and said: "What is sitting and forgetting?" Yan Hui said: "I drop my limbs and body, discard hearing and sight, leave form and discard knowing, and penetrate into the great transformation. This is called sitting and forgetting." Zhongni said: "Penetrating, there is no good; transforming, there is no constancy. And you, sir, are the worthy one. May I, Qiu, ask to follow behind you." So Laozi said: "Carrying the soul and embracing the One, can you not separate? Concentrating the breath to reach softness, can you be like an infant?"

秦穆公興師，將以襲鄭。蹇叔曰：「不可。臣聞襲國者，以車不過百里，以人不過三十里，為其謀未及發洩也，甲兵未及鋭弊也，糧食未及乏絶也，人民未及疲病也。皆以其氣之髙與其力之盛至，是以犯敵能威。今行數千里，又數絶諸侯之地；以襲國，臣不知其可也。君重圖之。」穆公不聽。蹇叔送師，衰絰而哭之。師遂行，過周而東。鄭賈人絃髙矯鄭伯之命，以十二牛勞秦師而賓之。三師乃懼而謀曰：「吾行數千里以襲人，未至而人已知之。其備必先成，不可襲也。」還師而去。當此之時，晉文公適薨，未葬。先軫言於襄公曰：「昔吾先君與穆公交，天下莫不聞，諸侯莫不知，今君薨未葬，而不弔吾喪，而不假道，是死吾君而弱吾孤也。請撃之。」襄公許諾。先軫舉兵而與秦師遇於殽。大破之，禽其三帥以歸。穆公聞之，素服廟臨，以説於眾。故老子曰：「知而不知，尚矣；不知而知，病也！」

Duke Mu of Qin raised troops and was about to attack Zheng by surprise. Jian Shu said: "It cannot be done. I have heard that in attacking a state by surprise, chariots go no more than a hundred li and men no more than thirty li, so that the plan does not leak, the weapons are not yet blunt and worn, the provisions are not yet scarce, and the people are not yet exhausted. All rely on the height of morale and the abundance of strength on arrival, and so the attack on the enemy has awe. Now to travel several thousand li and repeatedly pass through the lands of the lords to attack a state by surprise, I do not know how it can be done. My lord, plan again." Duke Mu did not listen. Jian Shu saw the army off wearing mourning clothes and wept over them. The army set out and passed Zhou going east. Xian Gao, a merchant of Zheng, pretended to have the order of the Earl of Zheng and, with twelve oxen, rewarded the Qin army and received them as guests. The three commanders were then afraid and planned: "We have traveled several thousand li to attack, and before we arrive they already know. Their defenses will surely be ready first; we cannot attack." They turned the army back and left. At that time Duke Wen of Jin had just died and was not yet buried. Xian Zhen said to Duke Xiang: "In the past our former ruler had friendly relations with Duke Mu, and there was no one in the world who had not heard of it and no lord who did not know it; now our ruler has died and is not yet buried, yet they do not condole at our funeral and do not ask for passage, treating our ruler as dead and our orphan as weak. Please attack." Duke Xiang agreed. Xian Zhen raised troops and met the Qin army at Xiao. He defeated them utterly, and captured the three commanders and returned. When Duke Mu heard of it, he wore plain clothes and wept at the temple to explain it to the people. So Laozi said: "To know yet seem not to know is best; not to know yet think one knows is a disease!"

齊王后死，王欲置後而未定。使群臣議。薛公欲中王之意，因獻十珥而美其一。旦日，因問美珥之所在。因勸立以為王后。齊王大説，遂尊重薛公。故人主之意欲見於外，則為人臣之所制。故老子曰：「塞其兌，閉其門，終身不勤。」

When the Queen of Qi died, the king wanted to set up a new queen but had not decided. He had his ministers discuss it. Lord Xue wanted to match the king's mind, so he presented ten earrings and made one of them especially beautiful. The next day he asked whom the beautiful earring belonged to. Then he urged that she be made queen. The King of Qi was greatly pleased and so valued Lord Xue. So when a ruler's wishes show on the outside, he is controlled by his ministers. So Laozi said: "Block its holes, shut its doors, and for life you will not toil."

盧敖游乎北海，經乎太陰，入乎玄闕，至於蒙穀之上。見一士焉，深目而玄鬢，涙注而鳶肩，豐上而殺下。軒軒然方迎風而舞。顧見盧敖，慢然下其臂，遁逃乎碑。盧敖就而視之，方倦龜殼而食蛤梨。盧敖與之語曰：「唯敖為背群離黨，窮觀於六合之外者，非敖而已乎？敖幼而好遊，至長不渝。周行四極，唯北陰之未窺。今卒睹夫子於是，子殆可與敖為友乎？」若士者，齤然而笑曰：「嘻！子，中州之民，寧肯而遠至此，此猶光乎日月而載列星，陰陽之所行，四時之所生，其比夫不名之地，猶窔奧也。若我南遊乎岡㝗之野，北息乎沉墨之鄕，西窮窅冥之黨，東關鴻蒙之光，此其下無地而上無天，聽焉無聞，視焉無眴。此其外猶有汰沃之汜。其餘一舉而千萬里，吾猶未能之在。今子游始於此，乃語窮觀，豈不亦遠哉！然子處矣！吾與汗漫期於九垓之外，吾不可以久駐。」若士舉臂而竦身，遂入雲中。盧敖仰而視之，弗見，乃止駕，柸治，悖若有喪也。曰：「吾比夫子，猶黃鵠與壤蟲也。終日行，不離咫尺，而自以為遠。豈不悲哉！」故莊子曰：「小年不及大年，小知不及大知，朝菌不知晦朔，蟪蛄不知春秋。」此言明之有所不見也。

Lu Ao was roaming in the North Sea, passed through Taiyin, entered Xuanque, and arrived above the Meng Valley. He saw a scholar with deep-set eyes and dark black hair, a face with streaming tears and shoulders like a kite's, with a full upper body and a narrow lower body. He was dancing high-spiritedly facing the wind. Turning his head and seeing Lu Ao, he slowly lowered his arms and fled behind a stone stele. Lu Ao approached and looked: he was leaning on a tortoise shell eating clams. Lu Ao spoke to him: "I, Ao, am someone who has turned away from the crowd and sought to see everything beyond the six directions; is it not so that only I am like that? I loved roaming since youth and have not changed even in adulthood. I have traveled to the four extremes, and only the Northern Shade I had not yet peeped into. Now suddenly I see you here, sir; perhaps you could be a friend to me?" The scholar laughed with his teeth showing: "Ha! You are a person of the Central Land, and you are willing to come so far. This place is still lit by the sun and moon, bears the ranked stars, and is moved by yin and yang and where the four seasons arise; compared with the nameless lands, it is still like the inner depths of a room. As for me, in the south I roam to the empty wilds (the base text has a rare character here), in the north I rest in the land of deep ink, in the west I exhaust the dim and dark places, in the east I pass through the light of the primal chaos; here there is no earth below and no sky above, listening there is nothing heard, looking there is no dazzle. Beyond this there are still the shores of the Taiwo waters. The rest is a single leap of thousands and ten thousands of li, and I have not yet been there. Now your roaming has only just begun here, and you speak of seeing everything; is that not far off the mark! But you stay! I have an appointment with Hanman beyond the nine corners of the world, and cannot stay long." The scholar raised his arms and leapt up, and then entered the clouds. Lu Ao looked up at him but could not see him, so he stopped his carriage and, dismayed, felt as if he had lost something. He said: "Compared to you, sir, I am like a swan beside a worm in the dirt. All day I travel without leaving a few inches, and yet think myself far-traveled. Is that not sad!" So Zhuangzi said: "Small years do not reach great years, small knowledge does not reach great knowledge; the morning mushroom does not know the dark and bright of the month, the cicada does not know spring and autumn." This explains that there are things one cannot see.

季子治亶父三年，而巫馬期絻衣短褐，易容貌，往觀化焉。見得魚釋之。巫馬期問焉，曰：「凡子所為魚者，欲得也。今得而釋之，何也？」漁者對曰：「季子不欲人取小魚也。所得者小魚，是以釋之。」巫馬期歸，以報孔子曰：「季子之德至矣。使人暗行，若有嚴刑在其側者。季子何以至於此？」孔子曰：「丘嘗問之以治，言曰：『誡於此者刑於彼。』季子必行此術也。」故老子曰：「去彼取此。」

When Jizi governed Danfu for three years, Wuma Qi wore hemp clothes and short coarse cloth and changed his appearance to observe the transformation by teaching. He saw a man who caught a fish and then released it. Wuma Qi asked him: "What one fishes for is to catch. Now you have caught it and released it; why?" The fisherman replied: "Jizi does not want people to take small fish. What I caught was a small fish, so I released it." Wuma Qi returned and reported to Confucius: "Jizi's virtue is at its utmost. He makes people act in secret as if a severe punishment were at their side. How did Jizi reach this point?" Confucius said: "I once asked him about government, and he said: 'If you are sincere here, it takes shape there.' Jizi must be carrying out this method." So Laozi said: "Discard that and take this."

罔兩問於景曰：「昭昭者，神明也？」景曰：「非也。」罔兩曰：「子何以知之？」景曰：「扶桑受謝，日照宇宙，昭昭之光，輝燭四海，闔戸塞牖，則無由入矣。若神明，四通並流，無所不極，上際於天，下蟠於地。化育萬物而不可為象，俯仰之間而撫四海之外。昭昭何足以明之！」故老子曰：「天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅。」

The Penumbra asked the Shadow: "Is what is bright the spirit?" The Shadow said: "No." The Penumbra said: "How do you know?" The Shadow said: "The Fusang tree changes in turn, and sunlight shines over the cosmos; the bright light shines on and illuminates the four seas; but if you shut the door and block the window, it cannot get in. As for the spirit, it flows through all four directions at once, there is nowhere it does not reach the utmost, above it touches heaven and below it coils over earth. It transforms and nurtures the ten thousand things but cannot be made into an image, and between bowing and rising it reaches beyond the four seas. How could brightness be enough to explain it!" So Laozi said: "The softest thing in the world gallops over the hardest thing in the world."

光耀問於無有曰：」子果有乎？其果無有乎？」無有弗應也。光耀不得問，而就視其狀貌，冥然、忽然，視之不見其形，聽之不聞其聲，搏之不可得，望之不可極也。光耀曰：「貴矣哉！孰能至於此乎！予能有無矣，未能無無也；及其為無無，又何從至於此哉！」故老子曰：「無有入於無間，吾是以知無為之有益也。」

Light asked Non-Being: "Do you truly exist, or do you truly not exist?" Non-Being did not answer. Light, unable to get an answer, looked closely at its appearance: dim, vague, and when he looked he saw no form, when he listened he heard no sound, when he grasped it he could not get it, and when he gazed he could not reach its limit. Light said: "How noble! Who can reach this point! I can have non-being, but I cannot yet have non-non-being; when it comes to non-non-being, from where could one reach this point!" So Laozi said: "Non-being enters where there is no gap, and from this I know that non-action is beneficial."

白公勝慮亂。罷朝而立，倒杖策，錣上貫頤，血流至地而弗知也。鄭人聞之，曰：「頤之忘，將何不忘哉！」此言精神之越於外，智慮之蕩於內，則不能漏理其形也。是故神之所用者遠，則所遺者近也。故老子曰：「不出戸以知天下，不窺牖以見天道。其出彌遠，其知彌少。」此之謂也。

Bai Gong Sheng brooded over plans for rebellion. After leaving court he stood holding a horse staff upside down, with the sharp end piercing up through his chin, blood flowing to the ground, yet he did not know. The people of Zheng heard of it and said: "He has forgotten even his own chin; what is there that he has not forgotten!" This means that the more the spirit goes outward and the more knowing and thought toss within, the less one can attend thoroughly to one's own form. So when what the spirit uses is far, what it overlooks is near. So Laozi said: "Without going out the door one knows the world; without peeping out the window one sees the Way of Heaven. The farther one goes out, the less one knows." This is what it means.

秦皇帝得天下，恐不能守，發邊戍，築長城，修關梁，設障塞，具傳車，置邊吏。然劉氏奪之，若轉閉錘。昔者武王伐紂，破之牧野，乃封比干之墓，表商容之閭，柴箕子之門，朝成湯之廟，發鉅橋之粟，散鹿臺之錢，破鼓折枹，馳弓絶絃，去舍露宿以示平易，解劍帶笏以示無仇。於此天下歌謠而樂之，諸侯執幣相朝，三十四世不奪。故老子曰：「善閉者，無關鍵而不可開也；善結者，無繩約而不可解也。」

After the Emperor of Qin gained the world, he feared he could not hold it, and so he raised border garrisons, built the Great Wall, fortified passes and bridges, set up barriers and fortresses, prepared post carriages, and set up border officials. Yet the Liu family took it as easily as turning a closed lock. In the past, when King Wu attacked Zhou and defeated him at Muye, he raised the tomb of Bi Gan, honored the village of Shang Rong, protected Jizi's gate with firewood, paid respects at the temple of Cheng Tang, opened the Juqiao granary, distributed the money from Lutai, broke the drums and snapped the drumsticks, loosened the bows and cut the strings, left his houses and slept in the open to show plainness, and untied his swords and carried the tablet to show he had no enemies. So the world sang and was joyful, the lords took silks and met one another in court, and for thirty-four generations the dynasty was not taken. So Laozi said: "One who is good at shutting needs no bolt or lock, yet cannot be opened; one who is good at tying needs no cord, yet cannot be untied."

尹需學禦，三年而無得焉。私自苦痛，常寢想之。中夜，夢受秋駕於師。明日往朝，師望之，謂之曰：「吾非愛道於子也，恐子不可予也。今日教子以秋駕。」尹需反走，北面再拜曰：「臣有天幸，今夕固夢受之。」故老子曰：「致虛極，守靜篤，萬物並作，吾以觀其復也。」

Yin Xu studied chariot driving and for three years did not get it. In private he suffered over it and thought of it constantly even in sleep. At midnight he dreamed that he received the autumn driving technique from his teacher. The next day he went to pay respects, and the teacher, looking at him, said: "It is not that I begrudge the Way and will not give it to you; I feared you could not be given it. Today I will teach you the autumn driving." Yin Xu withdrew, faced north and bowed twice, saying: "I have been fortunate in Heaven's favor; tonight I had already received it in a dream." So Laozi said: "Reach the utmost emptiness, hold to the fullness of stillness; the myriad things arise together, and I use this to observe their return."

昔孫叔敖三得令尹，無喜志；三去令尹，無憂色。延陵季子，呉人願一以為王而不肯；許由，讓天下而弗受；晏子與崔杼盟，臨死地不變其儀；此皆有所遠通也。精神通於死生，則物孰能惑之！荊有佽非，得寶劍於干隊，還反度江，至於中流，陽侯之波，兩蛟挾繞其船，佽非謂枻船者曰：「嘗有如此而得活者乎？」對曰：「未嘗見也。」於是佽非瞑目，勃然攘臂拔劍曰：「武士可以仁義之禮説也，不可劫而奪也。此江中之腐肉朽骨，棄劍而已。余有奚愛焉！」赴江刺蛟，遂斷其頭，船中人盡活。風波畢除，荊爵為執圭。孔子聞之，曰：「夫善哉！腐肉朽骨棄劍者，佽非之謂乎！」故老子曰：「夫唯無以生為者，是賢於貴生焉。」

Formerly Sunshu Ao three times obtained the post of chief minister without joy in his heart, and three times lost it without a look of sorrow. Jizi of Yanling, whom the people of Wu would have made king in a single day, refused; Xu You gave up the world and would not accept it; Master Yan swore a covenant with Cui Zhu and, close to death, did not change his expression; all these had a far-reaching understanding. When the spirit penetrates life and death, what can confuse it! In Jing there was Ci Fei, who obtained a precious sword at Gandui, and on returning crossed the river, and in the middle of the stream, the waves of the river god rose, and two flood dragons coiled around his boat. Ci Fei said to the boatman: "Has anyone ever survived something like this?" The reply was: "Never seen it." Ci Fei closed his eyes, suddenly rolled up his sleeves, drew his sword and said: "A warrior may be spoken to by the courtesies of benevolence and righteousness, but cannot be coerced and robbed. This rotten flesh and decaying bone in the river, I will just throw away the sword. What is there for me to begrudge!" He plunged into the river and stabbed the dragons, cutting off their heads, and all the people in the boat survived. The wind and waves were all gone, and Jing enfeoffed him as a holder of the jade tablet. Confucius heard of it and said: "Good! One who throws away his sword for rotten flesh and decaying bone: this is surely said of Ci Fei!" So Laozi said: "Only one who does not make life his business is worthier than one who values life."

齊人淳于髡以從説魏王，魏王辯之。約車十乘，將使荊，辭而行。人以為從未足也，復以衡説，其辭若然。魏王乃止其行而疎其身。失從心志，而又不能成衡之事。是其所以固也。夫言有宗，事有本，失其宗本，技能雖多，不若其寡也。故周鼎著倕，而使齧其指，先王以見大巧之不可也。故愼子曰：「匠人知為門，能以門，所以不知門也，故必杜，然後能門」。

Chunyu Kun of Qi persuaded the King of Wei with the vertical alliance, and the King of Wei thought him eloquent. Ten carriages were arranged, and he was about to go on a mission to Jing, and took his leave. Someone thought the vertical alliance was not enough and spoke of the horizontal alliance as well, but the words were just the same. The King of Wei then stopped his journey and distanced himself from him. He lost the purpose of the vertical alliance and could not achieve the horizontal alliance. This is why he was narrow. Words have a main point, and affairs have a root; if one loses the main point and the root, even many skills are worse than few. So Chui was cast on the Zhou cauldron with his finger in his mouth, which the former kings used to show that great skill is not to be had. So Shenzi said: "A craftsman who knows how to make doors and can make doors does not know the door; so there must first be a bolt, and only then can a door be made."

墨者有田鳩者，欲見秦惠王。約車申轅，留於秦，週年不得見。客有言之楚王者，往見楚王，楚王甚悅之。予以節，使於秦。至，因見。予之將軍之節。惠王見而説之。出舍，喟然而歎，告從者曰：「吾留秦三年不得見，不識道之可以從楚也。」物故有近之而遠，遠之而近者。故大人之行，不掩以繩，至所極而已矣。此所謂《管子》「梟飛而維繩」者。

There was a Mohist named Tian Jiu who wished to see King Hui of Qin. He arranged for carriages and a good shaft, stayed in Qin for a full year, and could not get an audience. A guest spoke of him to the King of Chu, and he went to see the King of Chu, who was very pleased with him. The King gave him a credential and sent him on a mission to Qin. On arriving, he thereby gained an audience. They gave him a general's credential. King Hui saw him and was pleased. After leaving the guesthouse, he sighed and told those who followed him: "I stayed in Qin for three years and could not get an audience; I did not know that the way could go through Chu." Things truly exist in which getting close to them makes them farther and getting away makes them closer. So the conduct of a great man does not need to be covered by line and ink; reaching the farthest point is enough. This is what the Guanzi calls "the owl flies yet is tied to a rope."

灃水之深千仞，而不受塵垢，投金鐵針焉，則形見於外。非不深且淸也，魚鱉龍蛇莫之肯歸也。是故石上不生五穀，禿山不遊麋鹿，無所陰蔽隱也。昔趙文子問於叔向曰：「晉六將軍，其孰先亡乎？」對曰：「中行、知氏。」文子曰：「何乎？」對曰：「其為政也，以苛以察，以切為明，以刻下為忠，以計多為功，譬之猶廓革者也。廓之，大則大矣，裂之道也。」故老子曰：「其政悶悶，其民純純，其政察察，其民缺缺。」

The Feng River is a thousand fathoms deep yet does not accept dust and dirt. If a gold or iron needle is thrown in, its shape shows from outside. It is not that it is not deep and clear, yet fish, turtles, dragons and snakes are not willing to turn to it. So five grains do not grow on stones, and bald hills have no deer roaming, because there is no shade or hiding place. Formerly Zhao Wenzi asked Shuxiang: "Of the six generals of Jin, who will perish first?" He answered: "The Zhonghang and Zhi clans." Wenzi said: "Why?" He answered: "In governing, they take harshness as discernment, take urgency as clarity, take harshness toward those below as loyalty, and take many schemes as merit, like stretching a hide. Stretch it and it grows large indeed, but it is a way to tear." So Laozi said: "When government is muddled, the people are simple; when government is keen, the people are deficient."

景公謂太卜曰：「子之道何能？」對曰：「能動地。」晏子往見公，公曰：「寡人問太卜曰：『子之道何能？』對曰：『能動地。』地可動乎？」晏子默然不對。出，見太卜，曰：「昔吾見句星在房、心之間，地其動乎？」太卜曰：「然」。晏子出。太卜走往見公曰：「臣非能動地，地固將動也。」田子陽聞之，曰：「晏子默然不對者，不欲太卜之死；往見太卜者，恐公之欺也。晏子可謂忠於上而惠於下矣。」故老子曰：「方而不割，廉而不劌。」

Duke Jing said to the grand diviner: "What can your art do?" He replied: "It can make the earth move." Master Yan went to see the Duke, and the Duke said: "I asked the grand diviner: 'What can your art do?' He replied: 'It can make the earth move.' Can the earth be moved?" Master Yan was silent and did not answer. Going out, he saw the grand diviner and said: "Earlier I saw the star Gou between the Fang and Xin lunar mansions; the earth is probably going to move, is it not?" The grand diviner said: "Yes." Master Yan left. The grand diviner ran to see the Duke and said: "I cannot actually make the earth move; the earth was going to move anyway." Tian Ziyang heard of it and said: "Master Yan's silence and not answering was because he did not want the grand diviner to die; his going to see the grand diviner was out of fear that the Duke would be deceived. Master Yan can be said to be loyal to his superior and kind to those below." So Laozi said: "Upright without cutting, with edges without piercing."

魏文侯觴諸大夫於曲陽，飲酒酣，文侯喟然歎曰：「吾獨無豫讓以為臣乎？」蹇重舉白而進之，曰：「請浮君。」君曰：「何也？」對曰：「臣聞之，有命之父母，不知孝子；有道之君，不知忠臣。夫豫讓之君，亦何如哉？」文侯受觴而飲釂不獻。曰：「無管仲、鮑叔以為臣，故有豫讓之功。」故老子曰：「國家昏亂有忠臣。」

Marquis Wen of Wei gave a wine feast for the grandees at Quyang, and when the drinking was merry, Marquis Wen sighed deeply and said: "Do I alone have no Yu Rang as a minister?" Jian Zhong raised the penalty cup and presented it, saying: "Please let me punish His Lordship with one cup." The ruler said: "Why?" He replied: "I have heard that parents who have been given a mandate do not know a filial son, and a ruler who has the Way does not know a loyal minister. As for Yu Rang's ruler, what was he like?" Marquis Wen took the cup and drained it without returning the toast, saying: "If I had had Guan Zhong and Bao Shu as ministers, there would have been no merit for Yu Rang." So Laozi said: "When the state is in disorder, there are loyal ministers."

孔子觀桓公之廟，有器焉，謂之宥巵。孔子曰：善哉！予得見此器。」顧曰：「弟子取水。」水至，灌之。其中則正，其盈則覆。孔子造然革容曰：「善哉，持盈者乎！」子貢在側曰：「請問持盈。」曰：「益而損之。」曰：』何謂益而損之？」曰：「夫物盛而衰，樂極則悲，日中而移，月盈而虧。是故聰明睿智，守之以愚；多聞博辯，守之以陋；武力毅勇，守之以畏；富貴廣大，守之以儉；德施天下，守之以讓。此五者，先王所以守天下而弗失也；反此五者，未嘗不危也。」故老子曰：「服此道者不欲盈。夫唯不盈，故能弊而不新成。」

Confucius was viewing the temple of Duke Huan, where there was a vessel called the Youzhi tilting cup. Confucius said: "Good! I get to see this vessel." He turned and said: "Disciples, fetch water." The water came and was poured in. When the water was in the middle it stood upright, and when full it overturned. Confucius suddenly changed his expression and said: "Good, one who holds to fullness!" Zigong, beside him, said: "May I ask about holding to fullness." Confucius said: "Increase it and then reduce it." He asked: "What does it mean to increase and then reduce?" Confucius said: "When a thing flourishes it declines, when joy reaches its limit it turns to sorrow, when the sun reaches the middle of the sky it moves on, and when the moon is full it wanes. So one who is intelligent and wise guards it with foolishness; one who is widely learned and eloquent guards it with plainness; one who is martial and valiant guards it with caution; one who is rich, noble and great guards it with frugality; one whose virtue extends to the world guards it with yielding. These five are how the former kings kept the world and did not lose it; to go against these five has never failed to bring danger." So Laozi said: "One who holds this Way does not wish to be full. Only because he is not full can he wear out the old and not take himself as newly made."

武王問太公曰：「寡人伐紂天下，是臣殺其主而下伐其上也。吾恐後世之用兵不休，鬥爭不已，為之奈何？」太公曰：「甚善，王之問也！夫未得獸者，唯恐其創之小也；已得之，唯恐傷肉之多也。王若欲久持之，則塞民於兌，道全為無用之事，煩擾之教，彼皆樂其業，供其情，昭昭而道冥冥，於是乃去其瞀而載之木，解其劍而帶之笏。為之三年之喪，令類不蕃，髙辭卑讓，使民不爭。酒肉以通之，竽瑟以娯之，鬼神以畏之，繁文滋禮以弇其質，厚葬久喪以亶其家，含珠鱗、施綸組以貧其財，深鑿髙壟以盡其力，家貧族少，慮患者貧，以此移風，可以持天下弗失。」故老子曰：「化而欲作，吾將鎭之以無名之樸也。」

King Wu asked Taigong: "I attacked Zhou and obtained the world, and this was ministers killing a lord, those below attacking those above. I fear that in later ages they will use troops without rest and fight without stopping; what should be done?" Taigong said: "Very good, that the King asks this! One who has not yet caught the beast fears only that the wound is small; one who has caught it fears only that the damage to the flesh is great. If the King wishes to keep it long, he should stop up the people's orifices and lead them to do wholly useless things and troublesome teaching, so that all take pleasure in their own work and supply their own feelings, going from brightness into dimness. Then remove the helmets and put on wooden caps, unbuckle swords and carry tablets. Set three-year mourning for them so that clans do not multiply, with lofty speech and humble yielding, so that the people do not contend. Open their channels with wine and meat, entertain them with pipes and zithers, make them fear with spirits, cover substance with elaborate forms and ritual, exhaust their households with lavish burials and long mourning, impoverish their wealth with mouth pearls, scale-like jade offerings, and silk ribbons for wrapping, and use up their strength by digging deep and building high tombs. When households are poor and clans are few, there will be few who worry about calamity; by using this to shift customs, one can keep the world and not lose it." So Laozi said: "When change arises and desires stir, I will quiet them with the nameless simplicity."

古者有鍪而綣領以王天下者矣，其德生而不辱，予而不奪，天下不非其服，同懷其德。當此之時，陰陽和平，風雨時節，萬物蕃息，烏鵲之巢可俯而探也，禽獸可羈而從也，豈必褒衣博帶，句襟委章甫哉！古者民澤處復穴，冬日則不勝霜雪霧露，夏日則不勝暑蟄蚊虻。聖人乃作為之築土構木，以為宮室，上棟下宇，以蔽風雨，以避寒暑，而百姓安之。伯余之初作衣也，緂麻索縷，手經指掛，其成猶網羅。後世為之機杼勝複以便其用，而民得以揜形禦寒。古者剡耜而耕，摩蜃而耨，木鉤而樵，抱甀而汲，民勞而利薄。後世為之耒耜耰鉏，斧柯而樵，桔皋而汲，民逸而利多焉。古者大川名谷，沖絕道路，不通往來也，乃為窬木方版，以為舟航，故地勢有無，得相委輸。乃為靻蹻而超千里，肩荷負儋之勤也，而作為之楺輪建輿，駕馬服牛，民以致遠而不勞。為鷙禽猛獸之害傷人而無以禁御也，而作為之鑄金鍛鐵，以為兵刃，猛獸不能為害。故民迫其難則求其便，困其患則造其備，人各以其所知，去其所害，就其所利。常故不可循，器械不可因也，則先王之法度有移易者矣。古之制，婚禮不稱主人，舜不告而娶，非禮也。立子以長，文王舍伯邑考而用武王，非制也。禮三十而娶，文王十五而生武王，非法也。夏后氏殯於阼階之上，殷人殯於兩楹之間，周人殯於西階之上，此禮之不同者也。有虞氏用瓦棺，夏后氏堲周，殷人用槨，周人牆置翣，此葬之不同者也。夏后氏祭於闇，殷人祭於陽，周人祭於日出以朝，此祭之不同者也。堯大章，舜九韶，禹大夏，湯大濩，周武象，此樂之不同者也。故五帝異道而德覆天下，三王殊事而名施後世，此皆因時變而制禮樂者。譬猶師曠之施瑟柱也，所推移上下者無寸尺之度，而靡不中音。故通於禮樂之情者能作音，有本主於中，而以知榘彠之所周者也。

In ancient times there were people who wore helmets and curved collars and yet ruled the world as kings, and their virtue let people live without insult, gave and did not take, and the world did not criticize their clothing but together cherished their virtue. At that time yin and yang were in harmony, wind and rain came in season and in measure, the myriad things multiplied, crows' and magpies' nests could be peered into by stooping, and birds and beasts could be tethered and would follow; why must one have loose robes and wide sashes, curved lapels and a Zhangfu cap trailing! In ancient times the people lived by marshes and in layered caves, unable in winter to bear frost, snow, fog and dew, and in summer unable to bear the heat and hibernating gnats and mosquitoes. The sages therefore built earthworks and wooden frames for them and made houses, with ridgepoles above and eaves below, to shelter from wind and rain and avoid cold and heat, and the people were at peace. Bo Yu first made clothes, spinning hemp and twisting thread, warping with the hand and hooking with the fingers, and what he made was still like a net. Later ages made looms and shuttles for convenience, and the people could cover their bodies and ward off the cold. In ancient times they sharpened spades to plow, ground clamshells to weed, cut firewood with wooden hooks and drew water carrying clay jars; the people toiled and the gain was thin. Later ages made plows, spades, harrows and hoes, cut firewood with axe handles, and drew water with well sweeps; the people were at ease and the gain was greater. In ancient times great rivers and famous valleys cut the roads, and travel was blocked, so they hollowed logs and joined planks to make boats, and so the goods and lack of different places could be sent to each other. Then they made shoes to walk a thousand li, which was the toil of carrying on shoulder and back, and for this they bent wood to make wheels, set up carriages, harnessed horses and yoked oxen, and the people could reach far places without toil. Fierce birds and beasts harmed people with no means of defense, so they cast metal and forged iron and made weapons, and fierce beasts could not do harm. So when people are pressed by hardship they seek convenience, and when trapped by calamity they make defenses; each uses what he knows, removes what harms him and moves toward what benefits him. Old customs cannot be clung to, implements cannot be followed without change; then the standards of the former kings may be altered. Under the ancient system, the marriage rite did not use the word host, and Shun married without informing his parents, which was against ritual. Heirs were established by age, and King Wen set aside Bo Yikao and used King Wu, which was against the system. Ritual set marriage at thirty, and King Wen had King Wu at fifteen, which was against the rule. The lord of Xia placed the coffin above the eastern steps, the Yin people between the two pillars, and the Zhou people above the western steps; this is a difference in ritual. The House of Yu used earthen coffins, the lord of Xia used baked clay around the coffin, the Yin people used an outer coffin, and the Zhou people set up fans on the wall; this is a difference in burial. The lord of Xia sacrificed in the dim hours, the Yin people sacrificed in daylight, and the Zhou people held the morning offering at sunrise; this is a difference in sacrifice. Yao's Da Zhang, Shun's Nine Shao, Yu's Da Xia, Tang's Da Huo, and Zhou's Wu Xiang are differences in music. So the Five Emperors differed in Way yet their virtue covered the world, and the Three Kings differed in affairs yet their names were passed on to later ages; all of them set rites and music according to the changes of the times. It is like Shi Kuang setting the zither bridges: what he moves up and down has no measure of inches or feet, yet there is nothing that does not match the tone. So one who understands the feelings of ritual and music can make music; with a root within as master, he knows what the compass, square, laws and standards cover.

魯昭公有慈母而愛之，死為之練冠，故有慈母之服。陽侯殺蓼侯而竊其夫人，故大饗廢夫人之禮。先王之制，不宜則廢之；末世之事，善則著之；是故禮樂未始有常也。故聖人制禮樂，而不制於禮樂。治國有常，而利民為本。政教有經，而令行為上。苟利於民，不必法古。苟周於事，不必循舊。夫夏、商之衰也，不變法而亡。三代之起也，不相襲而王。故聖人法與時變，禮與俗化，衣服器械各便其用，法度制令各因其宜。故變古未可非，而循俗未足多也。百川異源而皆歸於海，百家殊業而皆務於治。王道缺而詩作，周室廢、禮義壞而春秋作。詩、春秋，學之美者也，皆衰世之造也，儒者循之以教導於世，豈若三代之盛哉！以詩、春秋為古之道而貴之，又有未作詩、春秋之時。夫道其缺也，不若道其全也。誦先王之詩、書，不若聞得其言；聞得其言，不若得其所以言。得其所以言者，言弗能言也。故道可道者，非常道也。周公事文王也，行無專制，事無由己；身若不勝衣，言若不出口，有奉持於文王，洞洞屬屬，而將不能，恐失之，可謂能子矣。武王崩，成王幼少，周公繼文王之業，履天子之籍，聽天下之政，平夷狄之亂，誅管、蔡之罪，負扆而朝諸侯，誅賞制斷，無所顧問，威動天地，聲懾四海，可謂能武矣。成王既壯，周公屬籍致政，北面委質而臣事之，請而後為，復而後行，無擅姿之志，無伐矜之色，可謂能臣矣。故一人之身而三變者，所以應時矣。何況乎君數易世，國數易君，人以其位達其好憎，以其威勢供嗜慾，而欲以一行之禮，一定之法，應時偶變，其不能中權，亦明矣。故聖人所由曰道，所為曰事。道猶金石，一調不更；事猶琴瑟，每絃改調。故法制禮義者，治人之具也，而非所以為治也。故仁以為經，義以為紀，此萬世不更者也。若乃人考其才，而時省其用，雖日變可也。天下豈有常法哉！

Duke Zhao of Lu had a foster mother whom he loved, and when she died he wore the mourning cap of silk for her, and so there is mourning dress for a foster mother. Marquis Yang killed the Marquis of Liao and took his wife, and so at the great feast the ritual of the wife was abolished. In the system of the former kings, what was unfitting was abolished; in the affairs of late ages, what was good was made prominent; so rites and music have never had fixed rules. So the sage makes rites and music and is not bound by rites and music. Governing a state has constants, but the benefit of the people is the root. Government and instruction have regular forms, but that orders can be carried out is the best. If it benefits the people, one need not model it on antiquity. If it is complete for affairs, one need not follow the old. When Xia and Shang declined, they perished without changing the law. When the Three Dynasties rose, they became kings without copying one another. So the sage's law changes with the times and ritual transforms with custom, and clothes and implements are each made convenient for their use, and regulations and orders each follow what is fitting. So to change the ancient cannot be criticized and to follow custom is not worth praising. The hundred rivers differ in source but all go to the sea, and the hundred schools differ in work but all strive for order. When the kingly way was damaged, the Songs were produced; when the house of Zhou was abandoned and ritual and righteousness were ruined, the Spring and Autumn Annals was produced. The Songs and the Spring and Autumn Annals are what is fine in learning, and both were made in declining ages; for Confucians to follow them to teach the world, how can they match the flourishing of the Three Dynasties! To take the Songs and Annals as the ancient Way and value them, there were times before the Songs and Annals were made. To praise what was damaged is not as good as praising what was whole. To recite the odes and documents of the former kings is not as good as hearing and obtaining his words; to hear and obtain his words is not as good as obtaining why he said them. To obtain why he said them is what words cannot say. So the Way that can be spoken is not the constant Way. The Duke of Zhou served King Wen without acting on his own authority, matters did not depend on himself; his body seemed unable to bear his clothes, his words seemed unable to leave his mouth, and in what he carried out for King Wen, he was earnest and attentive as if unable, fearing to lose it; he can be said to have been able to be a son. When King Wu died, King Cheng was young, and the Duke of Zhou carried on King Wen's work, stepped on the Son of Heaven's seat and registers, listened to the government of the world, put down the disorder of the barbarians, executed the crimes of Guan and Cai, and, bearing an axe and standing before the screen, had the feudal lords come to court, punished and rewarded and decided without any need to consult; his awe shook Heaven and Earth and his reputation overawed the four seas; he can be said to have been able to be martial. When King Cheng grew up, the Duke of Zhou returned the seat and registers and handed over government, faced north and offered the gift of a subject, serving as a minister, requesting before acting and reporting back after acting, without a willful heart and without a look of boasting; he can be said to have been able to be a minister. So one man changed three times, which is how he answered the times. How much more so when a ruler repeatedly changes ages and a state repeatedly changes rulers, and people use their position to reach their likes and dislikes and use authority to supply their appetites, yet want to use one rite of conduct and one fixed law to match the times and changes; that they cannot match what is appropriate is also clear. So what a sage follows is called the Way, and what he does is called affairs. The Way is like metal and stone, with one tone and no change; affairs are like the zither, with each string retuned. So laws, institutions, ritual and righteousness are tools for governing people, but they are not what governs. So taking benevolence as the constant and righteousness as the guiding thread is what does not change through ten thousand generations. As for assessing a person's talent according to the person and examining the use according to the time, even if it changed daily, that would be fine. Where in the world are there fixed rules!

當於世事，得於人理，順於天地，祥於鬼神，則可以正治矣。古者人醇工龐，商樸女重，是以政教易化，風俗易移也。今世德益衰，民俗益薄，欲以樸重之法，治既弊之民，是猶無鏑銜策錣而御馯馬也。昔者，神農無制令而民從，唐、虞有制令而無刑罰，夏后氏不負言，殷人誓，周人盟。逮至當今之世，忍詢而輕辱，貪得而寡羞，欲以神農之道治之，則其亂必矣。伯成子高辭為諸侯而耕，天下高之。今時之人，辭官而隱處，為鄉邑之下，豈可同哉！古之兵，弓劍而已矣，槽矛無擊，脩戟無刺。晚世之兵，隆沖以攻，渠幨以守，連弩以射，銷車以鬥。古之伐國，不殺黃口，不獲二毛。於古為義，於今為笑。古之所以為榮者，今之所以為辱也。古之所以為治者，今之所以為亂也。夫神農、伏羲不施賞罰而民不為非，然而立政者不能廢法而治民。舜執干鏚而服有苗，然而征伐者不能釋甲兵而制彊暴。由此觀之，法度者，所以論民俗而節緩急也；器械者，因時變而制宜適也。夫聖人作法而萬物制焉，賢者立禮而不肖者拘焉。製法之民，不可與遠舉；拘禮之人，不可使應變。耳不知清濁之分者，不可令調音；心不知治亂之源者，不可令製法。必有獨聞之耳，獨見之明，然後能擅道而行矣。夫殷變夏，周變殷，春秋變周，三代之禮不同，何古之從！大人作而弟子循。知法治所由生，則應時而變；不知法治之源，雖循古，終亂。今世之法籍與時變，禮義與俗易，為學者循先襲業，據籍守舊教，以為非此不治，是猶持方枘而周員鑿也，欲得宜適致固焉，則難矣。今儒墨者稱三代、文武而弗行，是言其所不行也；非今時之世而弗改，是行其所非也。稱其所是，行其所非，是以盡日極慮而無益於治，勞形竭智而無補於主也。今夫圖工好畫鬼魅，而憎圖狗馬者，何也？鬼魅不世出，而狗馬可日見也。夫存危治亂，非智不能；

What suits worldly affairs, obtains human principle, follows Heaven and Earth, and is auspicious to the spirits, can then be set right and governed. In ancient times people were pure and generous, craftsmen sturdy and solid, merchants plain, and women steady, so government and instruction were easy to transform and customs easy to change. In the present age virtue has declined further and popular customs grown thinner, and to use the law of plain sincerity to govern a people who are already corrupted is like trying to drive a wild horse with no bit or bridle, no whip and no sharp point (a character that is rare was lost in the original transcription). Formerly, Shennong had no ordinances and the people followed; Tang Yao and Yu Shun had ordinances but no punishments; the lord of Xia did not go back on his word, the Yin people swore oaths, and the Zhou people made covenants. When it came to the present age, people put up with insults and curses and make light of shame, are greedy and have little shame, and if one wished to govern with Shennong's Way, there would surely be disorder. Bocheng Zigao declined to be a feudal lord and went to farm, and the world esteemed him. People of today who resign from office and live in seclusion become the lowest of the village; how can they be the same! In ancient times soldiers had only bows and swords, spears were not thrust and long halberds not stabbed. The soldiers of late ages assault with high siege carriages, defend with great screens, shoot with linked crossbows, and fight with melting carriages. In ancient times when attacking a state, they did not kill yellow-mouthed children or capture gray-haired old men. In antiquity this was righteousness; today it is a joke. What the ancients counted as glory is exactly what is counted as shame now. What the ancients counted as order is exactly what is counted as disorder now. Shennong and Fuxi did not apply rewards and punishments and the people did no wrong, but those who set up government cannot abandon the law in governing the people. Shun held shield and axe and made the Miao submit, but those who campaign cannot put down armor and weapons and restrain the strong and violent. From this it follows that laws and standards are used to weigh popular customs and regulate the slow and urgent; implements and tools are set to what is suitable according to the changes of the times. The sage makes laws and the myriad things are restrained by them; the worthy establishes ritual and the unworthy are bound by it. A people restrained by laws cannot be used for far-reaching undertakings; people bound by ritual cannot be made to respond to change. One whose ear does not know the distinction of clear and turbid cannot be asked to tune sounds; one whose heart does not know the source of order and disorder cannot be asked to make laws. One must have an ear that hears alone and an eye that sees alone, and only then can one take the Way into his own hands and carry it out. Yin changed Xia, Zhou changed Yin, and the Spring and Autumn period changed Zhou; the rituals of the Three Dynasties differ, so what antiquity is there to follow! A great man creates and his disciples follow. If one knows how legal order arose, one changes with the times; if one does not know the source of legal order, even following the ancients, one ends in disorder. Now the legal records of the present age change with the times and ritual and righteousness change with custom, but those who study follow their predecessors, adhere to old work, rely on texts and keep old teaching, thinking that without this there is no governing, like trying to fit a square tenon into a round mortise, wanting to get a fit that is suitable and firm, which is difficult. Now the Confucians and Mohists praise the Three Dynasties, Wen and Wu, but do not practice it, which is to speak of what they do not practice; they criticize the present age but do not change, which is practicing what they criticize. They praise what is right and practice what is wrong, so all day they use up their thoughts with no benefit to governance, wear out their bodies and exhaust their wisdom with no help to the ruler. Now painters like to paint ghosts and demons and dislike painting dogs and horses; why? Ghosts and demons do not appear in the world, whereas dogs and horses can be seen every day. To preserve the endangered and govern disorder, without wisdom one cannot;

道而先稱古，雖愚有餘。故不用之法，聖王弗行；不驗之言，聖王弗聽。天地之氣，莫大於和。和者，陰陽調，日夜分，而生物。春分而生，秋分而成，生之與成，必得和之精。故聖人之道，寬而栗，嚴而溫，柔而直，猛而仁。太剛則折，太柔則卷，聖人正在剛柔之間，乃得道之本。積陰則沉，積陽則飛，陰陽相接，乃能成和。夫繩之為度也，可卷而伸也，引而伸之，可直而睎，故聖人以身體之。夫脩而不橫，短而不窮，直而不剛，久而不忘者，其唯繩乎！故恩推則懦，懦則不威；嚴推則猛，猛則不和；愛推則縱，縱則不令；刑推則虐，虐則無親。昔者，齊簡公釋其國家之柄，而專任大臣將相，攝威擅勢，私門成黨，而公道不行，故使陳成田常、鴟夷子皮得成其難。使呂氏絕祀而陳氏有國者，此柔懦所生也。鄭子陽剛毅而好罰，其於罰也，執而無赦。舍人有折弓者，畏罪而恐誅，則因猘狗之驚以殺子陽，此剛猛之所致也。今不知道者，見柔懦者侵，則矜為剛毅；見剛毅者亡，則矜為柔懦。此本無主於中，而見聞舛馳於外者也，故終身而無所定趨。譬猶不知音者之歌也，濁之則鬱而無轉，清之則燋而不謳。及至韓娥、秦青、薛談之謳，侯同、曼聲之歌，憤於志，積於內，盈而發音，則莫不比於律而和於人心。何則？中有本主以定清濁，不受於外而自為儀表也。今夫盲者行於道，人謂之左則左，謂之右則右，遇君子則易道，遇小人則陷溝壑。何則？目無以接物也。故魏兩用樓翟、吳起而亡西河，湣王專用淖齒而死於東廟，無術以御之也。文王兩用呂望、召公奭而王，楚莊王專任孫叔敖而霸，有術以御之也。夫絃歌鼓舞以為樂，盤旋揖讓以修禮，厚葬久喪以送死，孔子之所立也，而墨子非之。兼愛尚賢，右鬼非命，墨子之所立也，而楊子非之。全性保真，不以物累形，楊子之所立也，而孟子非之。

To speak of the Way yet always speak first of antiquity, even a fool has enough to spare. So the sage kings do not practice laws that are not used, and do not listen to words that are not borne out. Of the qi of Heaven and Earth, none is greater than harmony. Harmony is when yin and yang are in tune and day and night are divided, and things are born. Birth occurs at the spring equinox and completion at the autumn equinox, and birth and completion must obtain the essence of harmony. So the Way of the sage is generous yet solid, strict yet warm, soft yet straight, and fierce yet benevolent. Too hard and it breaks, too soft and it curls; the sage stands exactly between hard and soft and so obtains the root of the Way. When yin gathers it sinks, when yang gathers it flies, and only when yin and yang meet can harmony be formed. A cord used as a measure can be rolled up and stretched; pulled out, it can be straight and sighted along, so the sage examines it with his own body. That which is long but not crosswise, short but not exhausted, straight but not harsh, and lasting without being forgotten, is perhaps only the cord! So when kindness is pushed, one becomes timid, and when one is timid one has no authority; when strictness is pushed, one becomes fierce, and when one is fierce there is no harmony; when love is pushed, one becomes lax, and when lax there is no command; when punishment is pushed, one becomes cruel, and when cruel there is no closeness. Formerly Duke Jian of Qi let go the handle of the state and relied solely on great ministers and generals, who seized authority and monopolized power, formed cliques in private houses, so that the public way could not be carried out, and so Chen Chengtian Chang and Chiyi Zipi were able to achieve their rebellion. This left the Lu line cut off from sacrifice and the Chen line holding the state; this came from softness and timidity. Zi Yang of Zheng was resolute and fond of punishment, and in punishing he held fast and would not pardon. A retainer broke a bow and, fearing guilt and execution, took advantage of the stir of a mad dog to kill Zi Yang; this was brought about by harshness. Now those who do not know the Way, when they see the soft and timid invaded, pride themselves on being firm; when they see the firm perish, they pride themselves on being soft. This is because there is no root within as master, and what is seen and heard outside runs about in confusion, so for life they have no settled direction. It is like one who does not know music singing: when the voice is low it is dull and has no turns, when it is clear it is shrill and does not make a tune. As for the singing of Han E, Qin Qing and Xue Tan, the songs of Hou Tong and Man Sheng, with indignation in the aim and accumulation within, they fill up and then give voice, and none fails to match the pitches and harmonize people's hearts. Why? Because within there is a root as master to settle the clear and turbid, not receiving it from outside but making oneself the standard. Now a blind man walking on the road, if people say left he goes left and if they say right he goes right; meeting a noble man, he walks the road easily, and meeting a petty man, he falls into a ditch. Why? Because his eyes have no way to meet things. So Wei employed Lou Huan, Zhai Huang and Wu Qi all together and lost Xihe, and King Min relied only on Nao Chi and died in the eastern temple, because they had no art to control them. King Wen employed Lu Wang and Duke Shao both and became king, and King Zhuang of Chu relied only on Sunshu Ao and became hegemon, because they had an art to control them. Singing, strings, drums and dances as music, bowing and yielding as the cultivation of ritual, and lavish burial and long mourning to see off the dead were established by Confucius, and Mozi criticized them. Universal love, honoring the worthy, reverence for spirits and rejection of fate were established by Mozi, and Yang Zi criticized them. Preserving life, keeping what is genuine and not letting things burden the body were established by Yang Zi, and Mencius criticized them.

趨捨人異，各有曉心。故是非有處，得其處則無非，失其處則無是。丹穴、太蒙、反踵、空同、大夏、北戶、奇肱、脩股之民，是非各異，習俗相反，君臣上下，夫婦父子，有以相使也。此之是，非彼之是也；此之非，非彼之非也；譬若斤斧椎鑿之各有所施也。禹之時，以五音聽治，懸鐘鼓磬鐸，置鞀，以待四方之士，為號曰：「教寡人以道者擊鼓，諭寡人以義者擊鐘，告寡人以事者振鐸，語寡人以憂者擊磬，有獄訟者搖鞀。」當此之時，一饋而十起，一沐而三捉髮，以勞天下之民，此而不能達善效忠者，則才不足也。秦之時，高為臺榭，大為苑囿，遠為馳道，鑄金人，發適戍，入芻稿，頭會箕賦，輸於少府。丁壯丈夫，西至臨洮、狄道，東至會稽、浮石，南至豫章、桂林，北至飛狐、陽原，道路死人以溝量。當此之時，忠諫者謂之不祥，而道仁義者謂之狂。逮至高皇帝，存亡繼絕，舉天下之大義，身自奮袂執銳，以為百姓請命於皇天。當此之時，天下雄俊豪英暴露於野澤，前蒙矢石，而後墮谿壑，出百死而紿一生，以爭天下之權，奮武厲誠，以決一旦之命。當此之時，豐衣博帶而道儒墨者，以為不肖。逮至暴亂已勝，海內大定，繼文之業，立武之功，履天子之圖籍，造劉氏之貌冠，總鄒、魯之儒墨，通先聖之遺教，戴天子之旗，乘大路，建九斿，撞大鐘，擊鳴鼓，奏咸池，揚干鏚。當此之時，有立武者見疑。一世之間，而文武代為雌雄，有時而用也。今世之為武者則非文也，為文者則非武也，文武更相非，而不知時世之用也。此見隅曲之一指，而不知八極之廣大也。故東面而望，不見西牆；南面而視，不睹北方；唯無所嚮者，則無所不通。國之所以存者，道德也；家之所以亡者，理塞也。堯無百戶之郭，舜無置錐之地，以有天下。禹無十人之眾，湯無七里之分，以王諸侯。

Orientation, taking and leaving differ for everyone, and each has a clear heart. So right and wrong have their places; when one finds the place there is no wrong, and when one loses the place there is no right. The peoples of Danxue, Taimeng, Fanzhong, Kongtong, Daxia, Beihu, Qigong and Xiugu differ in right and wrong, and their customs are opposite; they have rulers and subjects, high and low, husband and wife, father and son, but use them to direct one another. What is right here is not what is right there; what is wrong here is not what is wrong there; it is like axes, hammers and chisels each having its own use. In the time of Yu, he listened to government by the five notes, hung bells, drums, chimes and clappers, and set up a hand drum to await scholars from the four quarters, and gave the order: "Those who teach me with the Way, strike the drum; those who instruct me with righteousness, strike the bell; those who inform me of affairs, shake the clapper; those who inform me of worries, strike the chime; those with lawsuits, shake the hand drum." At that time, he rose ten times during a single meal, and held his hair three times during a single washing, toiling for the people of the world, and if even so there were still those who could not reach him to do good and offer loyalty, it was because his talent was not enough. In the time of Qin, terraces and pavilions were built high, parks were opened wide, speedways were built long, golden statues were cast, exiles were sent to garrison, fodder and straw were collected, taxes were collected by head count in baskets and sent to the privy treasury. Strong men in their prime went west to Lintao and Didao, east to Kuaiji and Fushi, south to Yuzhang and Guilin, and north to Feihu and Yangyuan, and the dead on the roads could be measured by ditches. At that time, those who remonstrated loyally were called inauspicious, and those who spoke of benevolence and righteousness were called mad. When it came to the High Emperor, he preserved the lost and continued the severed, raised the great righteousness of the world, and himself rolled up his sleeves and took a sharp weapon, to petition Heaven on behalf of the people. At that time the heroes and outstanding men of the world lay exposed in the wilds, arrows and stones before them and ravines behind them, going through a hundred deaths to seek a single life, to contend for the power of the world, rousing martial spirit and stirring sincerity, to decide the fate in a single morning. At that time, those who wore loose robes and wide sashes and praised the Confucians and Mohists were regarded as unworthy. When the violence and disorder had been overcome and all within the seas was settled, they inherited the literary tradition and established martial achievements, stepped on the Son of Heaven's registers, made the Liu family's hat, gathered the Confucians and Mohists of Zou and Lu, penetrated the surviving teachings of the former sages, wore the Son of Heaven's banner, rode the great chariot, raised nine pennants, struck the great bell, beat the resounding drum, played the Xianchi, and raised shields and axes. At that time, those who established martial matters were suspected. Within one age, the civil and the martial alternated as female and male, each used at its time. Now those who do martial things criticize the civil, and those who do civil things criticize the martial; civil and martial criticize one another yet do not know the use of the time. This is seeing a finger in a corner and not knowing the breadth of the eight extremes. So if one faces east and looks, one cannot see the western wall; if one faces south, one cannot see the north; only one who faces no direction has nowhere he cannot reach. What preserves a state is the Way and virtue; what destroys a family is blocked principle. Yao had no walled town of a hundred households and Shun had no land to stick an awl in, yet they held the world. Yu had no crowd of ten men and Tang had no fief of seven li, yet they became kings among the feudal lords.

文王處岐周之間也，地方不過百里，而立為天子者，有王道也。夏桀、殷紂之盛也，人跡所至，舟車所通，莫不為郡縣，然而身死人手，而為天下笑者，有亡形也。故聖人見化以觀其徵。德有盛衰，風先萌焉。故得王道者，雖小必大；有亡形者，雖成必敗。夫夏之將亡，太史令終古先奔於商，三年而桀乃亡。殷之將敗也，太史令向藝先歸文王，年而紂乃亡。故聖人之見存亡之跡，成敗之際也，非待鳴條之野，甲子之日也。今謂彊者勝則度地計眾，富者利則量粟稱金，若此，則千乘之君無不霸王者，而萬乘之國無不破亡者矣。存亡之跡，若此其易知也，愚夫惷婦皆能論之。趙襄子以晉陽之城霸，智伯以三晉之地擒；湣王以大齊亡，田單以即墨有功。故國之亡也，雖大不足恃；道之行也，雖小不可輕。由此觀之，存在得道而不在於大也，亡在失道而不在於小也。詩云：「乃眷西顧，此惟與宅。」言去殷而遷於周也。故亂國之君，務廣其地而不務仁義，務高其位而不務道德，是釋其所以存，而造其所以亡也。故桀囚於焦門，而不能自非其所行，而悔不殺湯於夏臺；紂居於宣室，而不反其過，而悔不誅文王於羑里。二君處彊大勢位，修仁義之道，湯、武救罪之不給，何謀之敢當！若上亂三光之明，下失萬民之心，雖微湯、武，孰弗能奪也？今不審其在己者，而反備之於人，天下非一湯、武也，殺一人，則必有繼之者也。且湯、武之所以處小弱而能以王者，以其有道也；桀、紂之所以處彊大而見奪者，以其無道也。今不行人之所以王者，而反益己之所以奪，是趨亡之道也。武王克殷，欲築宮於五行之山。周公曰：「不可！夫五行之山，固塞險阻之地也。使我德能覆之，則天下納其貢職者迴也。使我有暴亂之行，則天下之伐我難矣。」此所以三十六世而不奪也。周公可謂能持滿矣。

King Wen lived between Qi and Zhou, his land did not exceed a hundred li, yet he was established as Son of Heaven, because he had the kingly Way. When Jie of Xia and Zhou of Yin were at their height, wherever human footprints reached and boats and carriages passed, all were made commanderies and counties, yet they died at others' hands and were laughed at by the world, because they had the form of ruin. So the sage sees transformation and observes its omens. Virtue has flourishing and decline, and the wind sprouts first. So one who has the kingly Way, though small, must become great; one who has the form of ruin, though successful, must fail. When Xia was about to perish, Zhonggu, the grand scribe, first fled to Shang, and three years later Jie was lost. When Yin was about to fall, Xiang Yi, the grand scribe, first turned to King Wen, and (a rare character was lost in transcription) years later Zhou was lost. So the sage sees the traces of survival and ruin and the junctures of success and failure, without waiting for the field of Mingtiao or the day of jiazi. Now those who say that the strong win measure the land and count the people, and that the rich profit measure the grain and weigh the gold; if so, no ruler of a thousand chariots would fail to become a hegemon or king and no state of ten thousand chariots would fail to be broken and lost. The traces of survival and ruin are this easy to know, and even foolish husbands and wives can discuss them. Zhao Xiangzi became hegemon relying on the city of Jinyang, and Zhibo was captured relying on the land of the Three Jin; King Min perished relying on great Qi, and Tian Dan achieved merit relying on Jimo. So a state's perishing, even if large, is not enough to rely on; where the Way is practiced, even if small, it must not be despised. From this it follows that survival lies in obtaining the Way and not in largeness, and ruin lies in losing the Way and not in smallness. The Book of Songs says: "Then he looked west, and then made a home with it." This speaks of leaving Yin and moving to Zhou. So the rulers of disordered states strive to widen their land and do not strive for benevolence and righteousness, strive to raise their position and do not strive for the Way and virtue; this is to abandon what preserves them and create what destroys them. So Jie was imprisoned at Jiaomen and could not criticize his own conduct, but regretted not having killed Tang at Xiatai; Zhou lived in Xuanshi and did not turn back his own faults but regretted not having executed King Wen at Youli. The two rulers, in strong and great positions, had they cultivated the Way of benevolence and righteousness, Tang and Wu would not have been in time to make amends for their offenses, so what plot would they dare undertake! If above they disordered the brightness of the three lights and below lost the hearts of the myriad people, even without Tang and Wu, who could not seize them? Now one does not examine what lies in oneself but guards against others; the world does not have only one Tang and one Wu, and killing one person, there will surely be another to follow. Moreover, the reason Tang and Wu could become kings from small and weak positions was that they had the Way; the reason Jie and Zhou were seized from strong and great positions was that they lacked the Way. Now to not practice what makes a person king and instead add to what gets oneself seized is the way toward ruin. When King Wu conquered Yin, he wished to build a palace on the Mountain of the Five Phases. The Duke of Zhou said: "No! The Mountain of the Five Phases is a place of fortified, dangerous barriers. If my virtue can cover it, then the roads by which the world brings tribute will wind about. If I have violent and disorderly conduct, it will be hard for the world to attack me." This is why they were not seized for thirty-six generations. The Duke of Zhou can be said to have been able to keep fullness.

昔者，周書有言曰：「上言者，下用也；下言者，上用也。上言者，常也；下言者，權也。」此存亡之術也。唯聖人為能知權。言而必信，期而必當，天下之高行也。直躬其父攘羊而子證之，尾生與婦人期而死之。直而證父，信而溺死，雖有直信，孰能貴之！夫三軍矯命，過之大者也。秦穆公興兵襲鄭，過周而東。鄭賈人弦高將西販牛，道遇秦師於周、鄭之間，乃矯鄭伯之命，犒以十二牛，賓秦師而卻之，以存鄭國。故事有所至，信反為過，誕反為功。何謂失禮而有大功？昔楚恭王戰於陰陵，潘尪、養由基、黃衰微、公孫丙相與篡之。恭王懼而失體，黃衰微舉足蹶其體，恭王乃覺。怒其失禮，奪體而起，四大夫載而行。昔蒼吾繞娶妻而美，以讓兄，此所謂忠愛而不可行者也。是故聖人論事之局曲直，與之屈伸偃仰，無常儀表，時屈時伸。卑弱柔如蒲韋，非攝奪也；剛強猛毅，志厲青云，非本矜也；以乘時應變也。夫君臣之接，屈膝卑拜，以相尊禮也；至其迫於患也，則舉足蹶其體，天下莫能非也。是故忠之所在，禮不足以難之也。孝子之事親，和顏卑體，奉帶運履；至其溺也，則捽其髮而拯，非敢驕侮，以救其死也。故溺則捽父，祝則名君，勢不得不然也。此權之所設也。故孔子曰：「可以共學矣，而未可以適道也。可與適道，未可以立也。可以立，未可與權。」權者，聖人之所獨見也。故忤而後合者，謂之知權；合而後舛者，謂之不知權。不知權者，善反醜矣。故禮者，實之華而偽之文也，方於卒迫窮遽之中也，則無所用矣。是故聖人以文交於世，而以實從事於宜，不結於一跡之塗，凝滯而不化，是故敗事少而成事多，號令行於天下而莫之能非矣。猩猩知往而不知來，乾鵠知來而不知往，此脩短之分也。

Formerly the Book of Zhou had a saying: "The words above are what those below use; the words below are what those above use. The words above are the constant; the words below are the expedient." This is the art of survival and ruin. Only a sage can know the expedient. To always keep one's word and always keep an appointment is a lofty conduct in the world. Zhigong's father stole a sheep and his son testified; Weisheng made an appointment with a woman and died there. To be straight and testify against one's father, to be trustworthy and drown, even if there is straightness and trustworthiness, who would value it? For the three armies to falsely claim orders is among the great offenses. Duke Mu of Qin raised troops to attack Zheng, passing Zhou and heading east. Xian Gao, a merchant of Zheng, was about to go west to sell oxen and met the Qin army on the road between Zhou and Zheng, and so falsely used the command of the Earl of Zheng, rewarded them with twelve oxen, treated the Qin army as guests, and made them withdraw, thereby preserving the state of Zheng. So in matters, when circumstances reach a certain point, trustworthiness becomes a fault and deceit becomes merit. What is meant by losing ritual yet having great merit? Formerly King Gong of Chu fought at Yinling, and Pan Wang, Yang Youji, Huang Shuaiwei and Gongsun Bing rescued him by grabbing him out. King Gong was frightened and his body became limp, and Huang Shuaiwei raised his foot and kicked his body, and only then did King Gong wake. He was angry at the lack of ritual, roused himself and got up, and the four grandees carried him away. Formerly Cang Wurao took a wife who was beautiful and gave her up to his elder brother, which is what is called loyal love that cannot be put into practice. So the sage discusses the straitness and crookedness of affairs, bending and stretching, bowing and rising with them, without a fixed standard, sometimes bending and sometimes stretching. Being lowly, weak and soft like rushes and reeds is not being seized; being firm, strong and fierce, with an aim raised to the blue clouds, is not originally boasting; it is used to ride the times and respond to change. In the meeting of ruler and minister, to bend the knee and bow low is used for mutual respect and ritual; but when pressed by calamity, one raises his foot and kicks his body, and no one in the world can criticize it. So where loyalty is, ritual is not enough to blame it. A filial son serving his parent speaks with a pleasant face and a lowered body, holding the sash and handing over the shoes; but when the parent is drowning, he seizes him by the hair to rescue him, not daring to be arrogant or insulting but using it to save him from death. So to seize the father's hair when he is drowning, and to call the ruler by his name when praying, are things the situation forces. This is why the expedient is established. So Confucius said: "One may study together, yet not yet go to the Way together. One may go to the Way together, yet not yet stand together. One may stand together, yet not yet use the expedient together." The expedient is what the sage alone sees. So those who first clash and then unite are said to know the expedient; those who first unite and then fall into confusion are said not to know it. For those who do not know the expedient, what is good turns ugly. So ritual is the flower of reality and the form of falsehood, and in the midst of urgency and desperation it is of no use. So the sage meets the world with form and acts for what is fitting with reality, not tied to a road of one footprint, stagnant and unchanged, so there is less failure and more success, and his commands go through the world without anyone able to criticize them. The orangutan knows how to go but not how to come, the dry swan knows how to come but not how to go; this is the difference of long and short.

昔者萇弘，周室之執數者也，天地之氣，日月之行，風雨之變，律曆之數，無所不通，然而不能自知，車裂而死。蘇秦，匹夫徒步之人也，靻蹻贏蓋，經營萬乘之主，服諾諸侯，然不自免於車裂之患。徐偃王被服慈惠，身行仁義，陸地之朝者三十二國，然而身死國亡，子孫無類。大夫種輔翼越王句踐，而為之報怨雪恥，擒夫差之身，開地數千里，然而身伏屬鏤而死。此皆達於治亂之機，而未知全性之具者。故萇弘知天道而不知人事，蘇秦知權謀而不知禍福，徐偃王知仁義而不知時，大夫種知忠而不知謀。聖人則不然，論世而為之事，權事而為之謀，是以舒之天下而不窕，內之尋常而不塞。使天下荒亂，禮義絕，綱紀廢，彊弱相乘，力征相攘，臣主無差，貴賤無序，甲冑生蟣蝨，燕雀處帷幄，而兵不休息，而乃始服屬臾之貌，恭儉之禮，則必滅抑而不能興矣。天下安寧，政教和平，百姓肅睦，上下相親，而乃始立氣矜，奪勇力，則必不免於有司之法矣。是故聖人者，能陰能陽，能弱能彊，隨時而動靜，因資而立功，物動而知其反，事萌而察其變，化則為之象，運則為之應，是以終身行而無所困。故事有可行而不可言者，有可言而不可行者，有易為而難成者，有難成而易敗者。所謂可行而不可言者，趨舍也；可言而不可行者，偽詐也；易為而難成者，事也；難成而易敗者，名也。此四策者，聖人之所獨見而留意也。誳寸而伸尺，聖人為之；小枉而大直，君子行之。周公有殺弟之累，齊桓有爭國之名，然而周公以義補缺，桓公以功滅醜，而皆為賢。今以人之小過揜其大美，則天下無聖王賢相矣。故目中有疵，不害於視，不可灼也；喉中有病，無害於息，不可鑿也。河上之丘冢，不可勝數，猶之為易也。水激興波，高下相臨，差以尋常，猶之為平。昔者曹子為魯將兵，三戰不勝，亡地千里。

Formerly Chang Hong was a keeper of the arts and numbers of the house of Zhou, and the qi of Heaven and Earth, the movement of the sun and moon, the changes of wind and rain and the numbers of pitch pipes and calendars were all known to him, but he could not know himself and was torn apart by carriages and died. Su Qin was a commoner on foot, wearing straw sandals and carrying a bamboo hat, who managed rulers of ten thousand chariots and made the feudal lords agree, yet he could not himself escape the calamity of being torn apart by carriages. King Yan of Xu wore kindness and mercy and personally practiced benevolence and righteousness, and thirty-two states came to court him over land, but he died and his state was lost, and no descendant of his kind remained. The grandee Zhong assisted King Goujian of Yue, avenged his shame for him, captured Fuchai, and opened up several thousand li of land, but he himself fell on the Shulou sword and died. All these understood the pivot of order and disorder yet did not know the tool for preserving life. So Chang Hong knew the Way of Heaven but not human affairs, Su Qin knew stratagems but not fortune and misfortune, King Yan of Xu knew benevolence and righteousness but not the times, and the grandee Zhong knew loyalty but not planning. The sage is not like this; he judges the age and handles affairs, weighs affairs and makes plans, so that he extends to the world without being loose, and enters the narrowest space without being blocked. Suppose the world is desolate and in disorder, ritual and righteousness are cut off, the guiding threads are slack, the strong and weak encroach on each other, they seize from each other by force, ruler and ministers are not distinguished, noble and lowly have no order, armor breeds lice, swallows and sparrows nest in tent curtains, and troops do not rest; if one then begins to take on a yielding appearance and a ritual of respect and frugality, one will surely be wiped out and unable to rise. When the world is at peace, government and instruction are harmonious, the people are solemn and harmonious, high and low are close, and one then begins to stand on his pride and seize by martial courage, one will surely not escape the officials' law. So the sage can be yin and can be yang, can be weak and can be strong, moves and rests with the times, establishes merit in accordance with the resources; when things move he knows their reverse, when affairs sprout he sees their change, when they transform he gives them an image, when they turn he gives them a response, so he carries it out all his life and is not trapped. So among affairs, there are those that can be practiced but not spoken, those that can be spoken but not practiced, those easy to do but hard to complete, and those hard to complete and easy to ruin. What can be practiced but not spoken is orientation, taking and leaving; what can be spoken but not practiced is falsehood and deceit; what is easy to do but hard to complete is a task; what is hard to complete and easy to ruin is a name. These four stratagems are what the sage alone sees and keeps in mind. To bend an inch to stretch a foot, the sage does; to bend in small matters and be straight in great ones, the noble man practices. The Duke of Zhou had the burden of killing his brother, and Duke Huan of Qi had the name of contending for the state, but the Duke of Zhou made up the lack with righteousness and Duke Huan wiped out the shame with merit, and both became worthy. Now if one covers a person's great beauty with his small faults, the world would have no sage kings or worthy chancellors. So a flaw in the eye does not hinder seeing, but one must not burn it; a disease in the throat does not hinder breathing, but one must not cut it open. The mounds by the river are too many to count, yet they are counted as level. When water is stirred up into waves, high and low neighbor each other with a difference of several feet, yet they are counted as level. Formerly Cao Zi led troops for Lu, fought three battles without winning and lost a thousand li of land.

使曹子計不顧後，足不旋踵，刎頸於陳中，則終身為破軍擒將矣。然而曹子不羞其敗，恥死而無功。柯之盟，揄三尺之刃，造桓公之胸，三戰所亡，一朝而反之，勇聞於天下，功立於魯國。管仲輔公子糾而不能遂，不可謂智；遁逃奔走，不死其難，不可謂勇；束縛桎梏，不諱其恥，不可謂貞。當此三行者，布衣弗友，人君弗臣。然而管仲免於累紲之中，立齊國之政，九合諸侯，一匡天下。使管仲出死捐軀，不顧後圖，豈有此霸功哉！今人君論其臣也，不計其大功，總其略行，而求其小善，則失賢之數也。故人有厚德，無問其小節；而有大譽，無疵其小故。夫牛蹄之涔不能生鱣鮪，而蜂房不容鵠卵，小形不足以包大體也。夫人之情，莫不有所短。誠其大略是也，雖有小過，不足以為累。若其大略非也，雖有閭裡之行，未足大舉。夫顏喙聚，梁父之大盜也，而為齊忠臣。段幹木，晉國之大駔也，而為文侯師。孟卯妻其嫂，有五子焉，然而相魏，寧其危，解其患。景陽淫酒，被髮而御於婦人，威服諸侯。此四人者，皆有所短，然而功名不滅者，其略得也。季襄、陳仲子立節抗行，不入洿君之朝，不食亂世之食，遂餓而死。不能存亡接絕者何？小節伸而大略屈。故小謹者無成功，訾行者不容於眾，體大者節疏，蹠距者舉遠。自古及今，五帝三王，未有能全其行者也。故易曰：「小過亨，利貞。」言人莫不有過，而不欲其大也。夫堯、舜、湯、武，世主之隆也；齊桓、晉文，五霸之豪英也。然堯有不慈之名，舜有卑父之謗，湯、武有放弒之事，五伯有暴亂之謀。是故君子不責備於一人，方正而不以割，廉直而不以切，博通而不以訾，文武而不以責。求於一人則任以人力，自修則以道德。責人以人力，易償也；自修以道德，難為也。難為則行高矣，易償則求澹矣。

Suppose Cao Zi had counted without regard for what came after, not turned his heels, and cut his throat in the ranks; then for life he would have been a general who lost his army and was captured. But Cao Zi did not take defeat as shame but took dying without merit as disgrace. At the covenant of Ke, he drew a three-foot blade and pressed it against Duke Huan's chest, and what had been lost in three battles was reversed in one morning; his courage was known to the world, and his merit was established in the state of Lu. Guan Zhong assisted Prince Jiu and could not bring him to success, so he cannot be called wise; fleeing and running away, not dying for that hardship, he cannot be called brave; bound in fetters, not avoiding that shame, he cannot be called steadfast. With these three conducts, a commoner would not take him as a friend and a ruler would not take him as a minister. But Guan Zhong was freed from bonds, established the government of Qi, convened the feudal lords nine times and set the world right at once. If Guan Zhong had put his life on the line and thrown away his body, with no regard for the plans behind, where would this hegemonic achievement have come from! Now a ruler assessing his ministers does not count their great merit but gathers their rough conduct and seeks their small virtues, and this loses the numbers of the worthy. So when a person has great virtue, do not ask about his small economies; when he has great fame, do not pick at his small incidents. The water in an ox's hoofprint cannot produce sturgeon or tuna, and a bee's cell cannot hold a swan's egg, because small forms are not enough to contain great bodies. In human nature, there is no one without shortcomings. If the broad outlines are right, even with small faults, they are not enough to be a burden. If the broad outlines are not right, even with good conduct in the village, it is not worth raising up. Yan Chuanju was a great bandit of Liangfu but became a loyal minister of Qi. Duangan Mu was a great broker of Jin but became the teacher of Marquis Wen. Meng Mao married his own sister-in-law and had five sons, yet served as chancellor of Wei, calmed its danger and solved its troubles. Jing Yang was drunk on wine, with hair loose and driven by women, yet his awe subdued the feudal lords. These four all had shortcomings, yet their merit and fame did not perish, because they got the broad outlines right. Ji Xiang and Chen Zhongzi established lofty integrity and acted high-mindedly, did not enter the court of a foul ruler, did not eat the food of a disordered age, and so starved to death. They could not preserve the lost or continue the severed; why? Small economies were stretched and the broad outline was bent. So the careful and cautious do not succeed, those who slander others' conduct are not accepted by the many, those of large frame have widely spaced joints, and those with large feet stride far. From antiquity to now, among the Five Emperors and Three Kings, none could be complete in conduct. So the Changes says: "Small excess, prosperous; correctness is beneficial." This says that no one is without faults, but one should not let them grow large. Yao, Shun, Tang and Wu were the most flourishing among the rulers of the world; Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin were the heroes among the Five Hegemons. Yet Yao had the name of being unkind, Shun the slander of treating his father lowly, Tang and Wu the acts of banishing and killing, and the Five Hegemons violent and disorderly schemes. So the noble man does not seek completeness from one person; he is upright but does not use it to cut, honest and straight but does not use it to press, broad and penetrating but does not use it to disparage, civil and martial but does not use it to demand. In seeking from others, he assigns according to human strength; in cultivating himself, he uses the Way and virtue. Demanding from people by their strength is easy to repay; cultivating oneself by the Way and virtue is hard to do. What is hard to do makes conduct lofty; what is easy to repay makes demands satisfied.

夫夏后氏之璜不能無考，明月之珠不能無纇，然而天下寶之者，何也？其小惡不足妨大美也。今志人之所短，而忘人之所修，而求得其賢乎天下，則難矣。夫百里奚之飯牛，伊尹之負鼎，太公之鼓刀，甯戚之商歌，其美有存焉者矣。眾人見其位之卑賤，事之洿辱，而不知其大略，以為不肖。及其為天子三公，而立為諸侯賢相，乃始信於異眾也。夫發於鼎俎之間，出於屠酤之肆，解於累紲之中，興於牛頜之下，洗之以湯沐，祓之以爟火，立之於本朝之上，倚之於三公之位，內不慚於國家，外不愧於諸侯，符勢有以內合。故未有功而知其賢者，堯之知舜；功成事立而知其賢者，市人之知舜也。為是釋度數而求之於朝肆草莽之中，其失人也必多矣。何則？能效其求，而不知其所以取人也。夫物之相類者，世主之所亂惑也；嫌疑肖象者，眾人之所眩耀。故狠者類知而非知，愚者類仁而非仁，戇者類勇而非勇。使人之相去也，若玉之與石，美之與惡，則論人易矣。夫亂人者，芎藭之與藳本也，蛇床之與麋蕪也，此皆相似者。故劍工惑劍之似莫邪者，唯歐冶能名其種；玉工眩玉之似碧盧者，唯猗頓不失其情；闇主亂於姦臣小人之疑君子者，唯聖人能見微以知明。故蛇舉首尺，而修短可知也；象見其牙，而大小可論也。薛燭庸子，見若狐甲於劍而利鈍識矣；臾兒、易牙，淄、澠之水合者，嘗一哈水而甘苦知矣。故聖人之論賢也，見其一行而賢不肖分矣。孔子辭廩丘，終不盜刀鉤；許由讓天子，終不利封侯。故未嘗灼而不敢握火者，見其有所燒也；未嘗傷而不敢握刃者，見其有所害也。由此觀之，見者可以論未發也，而觀小節可以知大體矣。故論人之道，貴則觀其所舉，富則觀其所施，窮則觀其所不受，賤則觀其所不為，貧則觀其所不取。視其更難，以知其勇；動以喜樂，以觀其守；委以財貨，以論其仁；

The jade huang of the Xia clan cannot be without a flaw, and the bright-moon pearl cannot be without a blemish, yet the world treasures them; why? Small defects are not enough to harm great beauty. Now if one remembers what is short in people and forgets what is long in them, and wants to find worthy men in the world, it is hard. Baili Xi fed oxen, Yi Yin carried a cauldron on his back, Taigong wielded the butcher's knife, and Ning Qi sang the Shang songs; their excellence was there. The multitude saw their low status and shameful tasks, did not know their grand outline, and took them to be unworthy. Only when they became Three Dukes of the Son of Heaven and worthy chancellors of the feudal lords did people begin to believe they were different. Rising from between the cauldron and the chopping block, coming out of the butcher's and seller's stalls, being freed from bonds, and rising from under an ox's jaw, they were washed with hot water, purified with a torch fire, stood in the court, leaned on the seat of the Three Dukes, were not ashamed before the state within or before the feudal lords without; there was something in them that matched inwardly with power. So to know someone is worthy before he has merit is Yao's knowing Shun; to know someone is worthy after merit is achieved and affairs established is the market people's knowing Shun. So if one sets aside the measure and seeks in courts, markets, and thickets, one will surely lose many. Why? One can imitate such seeking but does not know how to select people. Things that resemble each other are what confuse the rulers of the age; what is suspiciously similar is what dazzles the multitude. So the savage resemble the wise but are not wise, the foolish resemble the benevolent but are not benevolent, the stubborn resemble the brave but are not brave. If the distance between people were like that between jade and stone, beauty and ugliness, judging people would be easy. What confuses people is Chuanxiong and Gaoben, snake-bed and Miwu, which all resemble each other. So sword-smiths are confused by swords resembling Moye, and only Ouye can name the kind; jade-workers are dazzled by jade resembling Bilu, and only Yi Dun does not lose the facts; dim rulers are confused by treacherous ministers and petty men resembling gentlemen, and only a sage can see the subtle and know the clear. So when a snake raises its head a foot, its length can be known; when an elephant shows its tusks, its size can be judged. Xue Zhu and Yong Zi, seeing on a sword what looks like fox armor, could tell its keenness or dullness; Yu Er and Yi Ya, with the Zi and Sheng rivers mixed, could taste a mouthful and know sweet from bitter. So when a sage judges worth, he sees one act and the worthy and unworthy are separated. Confucius declined Lingqiu and in the end did not steal a knife-hook; Xu You gave up the Son of Heaven's throne and in the end did not take being enfeoffed as profit. So one who has never been burned dares not grasp fire because he has seen what it burns; one who has never been wounded dares not grasp a blade because he has seen what it harms. From this we see that what is seen can be used to judge what has not yet been shown, and observing small acts one can know the whole. So the way of judging people: for the noble, observe whom he promotes; for the rich, observe what he gives; for the poor, observe what he will not accept; for the lowly, observe what he will not do; for the destitute, observe what he will not take. See how he changes in a hard place to know his courage; move him with joy to see how he holds; entrust wealth to him to judge his benevolence;

振以恐懼，以知其節；則人情備矣。古之善賞者，費少而勸眾；善罰者，刑省而姦禁；善予者，用約而為德；善取者，入多而無怨。趙襄子圍於晉陽，罷圍而賞有功者五人，高赫為賞首。左右曰：「晉陽之難，赫無大功，今為賞首，何也？」襄子曰：「晉陽之圍，寡人社稷危，國家殆，群臣無不有驕侮之心，唯赫不失君臣之禮。」故賞一人，而天下為忠之臣者莫不終忠於其君。此賞少而勸善者眾也。齊威王設大鼎於庭中，而數無鹽令曰：「子之譽，日聞吾耳。察子之事，田野蕪，倉廩虛，囹圄實。子以姦事我者也。」乃烹之。齊以此三十二歲道路不拾遺。此刑省姦禁者也。秦穆公出遊而車敗，右服失馬，野人得之。穆公追而及之岐山之陽，野人方屠而食之。穆公曰：「夫食駿馬之肉，而不還飲酒者，傷人。吾恐其傷汝等。」遍飲而去之。處一年，與晉惠公為韓之戰，晉師圍穆公之車，梁由靡扣穆公之驂，獲之。食馬肉者三百餘人，皆出死為穆公戰於車下，遂克晉，虜惠公以歸。此用約而為德者也。齊桓公將欲征伐，甲兵不足，令有重罪者出犀甲一戟，有輕罪者贖以金分，訟而不勝者出一束箭。百姓皆說，乃矯箭為矢，鑄金而為刃，以伐不義而徵無道，遂霸天下。此入多而無怨者也。故聖人因民之所喜而勸善，因民之所惡而禁姦，故賞一人而天下譽之，罰一人而天下畏之。故至賞不費，至刑不濫。孔子誅少正卯而魯國之邪塞，子產誅鄧析而鄭國之姦禁，以近諭遠，以小知大也。故聖人守約而治廣者，此之謂也。天下莫易於為善，而莫難於為不善也。所謂為善者，靜而無為也；所謂為不善者，躁而多欲也。適情辭餘，無所誘惑，循性保真，無變於己，故曰為善易。越城郭，踰險塞，姦符節，盜管金，篡弒矯誣，非人之性也，故曰為不善難。

rouse him with fear to know his integrity; then human nature is complete. In ancient times those who were good at rewarding spent little yet encouraged many; those good at punishing had light penalties yet treachery was stopped; those good at giving used sparingly yet it became virtue; those good at taking took in much yet were not resented. Zhao Xiangzi, besieged at Jinyang, when the siege was lifted rewarded five men of merit, and Gao He was first in the rewards. Those around him said: "In the trouble at Jinyang, He had no great merit; why is he now first in rewards?" Xiangzi said: "When Jinyang was besieged, my altars were endangered, the state was in peril, and none of the ministers failed to harbor a proud and insulting heart; only He did not lose the ritual of ruler and minister." So by rewarding one man, all in the world who are loyal ministers devoted themselves to their ruler. This is rewarding few and encouraging many toward good. King Wei of Qi set up a great cauldron in the courtyard and enumerated against the magistrate of Wuyan: "Praise of you reached my ears every day. But examining your affairs, the fields are wild, the granaries empty, and the prisons full. You serve me with treachery." Then he boiled him. Because of this, for thirty-two years Qi had no one picking up lost items on the road. This is light punishment while treachery is stopped. Duke Mu of Qin went out on a trip and his carriage broke down; the right-hand horse ran off and country people got it. Duke Mu pursued it to the south of Mount Qi and found the country people had butchered it and were eating. Duke Mu said: "Eating fine horse meat without drinking wine afterward will harm people. I fear it would harm you." He gave them all wine before leaving. A year later, in battle with Duke Hui of Jin at Han, the army of Jin surrounded Duke Mu's carriage, and Liang You Mi seized Duke Mu's outside horse, about to capture him. The more than three hundred who had eaten the horse meat all risked their lives to fight beneath the carriage for Duke Mu, so he defeated Jin and returned with Duke Hui as a captive. This is using sparingly and it becoming virtue. When Duke Huan of Qi was about to campaign, armor and weapons were insufficient; he ordered that those with grave crimes provide one rhinoceros armor and a halberd, those with light crimes ransom with metal, and those who lost a lawsuit provide a bundle of arrows. The people were all pleased, and so they straightened arrows into shafts and cast metal into blades, to attack the unrighteous and punish the Way-less, and so he became hegemon of the world. This is taking in much and not being resented. So the sage encourages good by what the people like and prohibits treachery by what the people hate, so by rewarding one man the world praises and by punishing one man the world fears. So the supreme reward is not costly and the supreme punishment is not excessive. Confucius executed Shaozheng Mao and the evil in Lu was stopped; Zichan executed Deng Xi and the treachery in Zheng was stopped; using the near to instruct the far, using the small to know the large. So the sage keeps to simplicity and rules widely; this is what is meant. In the world nothing is easier than doing good and nothing is harder than doing wrong. What is called doing good is stillness and non-action; what is called doing wrong is haste and many desires. To suit one's nature and decline surplus, not be tempted, follow nature and keep what is true, not changing oneself; hence it is said doing good is easy. To climb over walls, cross barriers, forge tallies, steal locks and gold, usurp, murder, and slander is not human nature; hence it is said doing wrong is hard.

今人所以犯囹圄之罪，而陷於刑戮之患者，由嗜慾無厭，不循度量之故也。何以知其然？天下縣官法曰：「發墓者誅，竊盜者刑。」此執政之所司也。夫法令者罔其姦邪，勒率隨其蹤跡，無愚夫憃婦，皆知為姦之無脫也，犯禁之不得免也。然而不材子不勝其欲，蒙死亡之罪，而被刑戮之羞。然而立秋之後，司寇之徒繼踵於門，而死市之人血流於路。何則？惑於財利之得，而蔽於死亡之患也。夫今陳卒設兵，兩軍相當，將施令曰：「斬首拜爵，而屈撓者要斬。」然而隊階之卒皆不能前遂斬首之功，而後被要斬之罪，是去恐死而就必死也。故利害之反，禍福之接，不可不審也。事或欲之，適足以失之；或避之，適足以就之。楚人有乘船而遇大風者，波至而自投於水。非不貪生而畏死也，惑於恐死而反忘生也。故人之嗜慾，亦猶此也。齊人有盜金者，當市繁之時，至掇而走。勒問其故曰：「而盜金於市中，何也？」對曰：「吾不見人，徒見金耳！」志所欲，則忘其為矣。是故聖人審動靜之變，而適受與之度，理好憎之情，和喜怒之節。夫動靜得，則患弗過也；受與適，則罪弗累也；好憎理，則憂弗近也；喜怒節，則怨弗犯也。故達道之人，不苟得，不讓福；其有弗棄，非其有弗索；常滿而不溢，恆虛而易足。今夫霤水足以溢壺榼，而江，河不能實漏卮，故人心猶是也。自當以道術度量，食充虛，衣禦寒，則足以養七尺之形矣。若無道術度量而以自儉約，則萬乘之勢不足以為尊，天下之富不足以為樂矣。孫叔敖三去令尹而無憂色，爵祿不能累也；荊佽非兩蛟夾繞其船而志不動，怪物不能驚也。聖人心平志易，精神內守，物莫足以惑之。夫醉者，俛入城門，以為七尺之閨也；超江、淮，以為尋常之溝也；酒濁其神也。怯者，夜見立表，以為鬼也；見寢石，以為虎也；懼揜其氣也。又況無天地之怪物乎！

Now the reason people commit crimes that lead to prison and fall into the misfortune of punishment and execution is that their cravings are not satisfied and they do not follow measure. How do we know it? The world hangs the laws of the government and says: "Those who dig up graves are executed; thieves are punished." This is what the government manages. The laws net the wicked and force them to follow the tracks, and there is no foolish man or ignorant woman who does not know that those who commit treachery have no way to escape and those who break the prohibition cannot be spared. Yet an unworthy son cannot overcome his desire, and takes on the crime of death and the shame of execution. Even so, after the start of autumn, the like of the Minister of Crime arrive one after another at the door, and the blood of those executed in the market flows along the road. Why? They were confused by the gain of wealth and blinded by the fear of death. Now suppose soldiers are drawn up and arms set out, two armies facing each other, and orders are about to be issued: "Those who take a head will be given rank, those who yield will be cut in two." But the soldiers in the ranks, none of whom can advance to achieve the merit of taking a head, afterward receive the crime of being cut in two; this is leaving the fear of death and running to certain death. So the reversal of benefit and harm and the intersection of fortune and misfortune must be examined. Sometimes one wants a thing and exactly that is enough to lose it; sometimes one avoids it and exactly that is enough to bring it about. A man of Chu on a boat met a great wind, and when the waves came he threw himself into the water. It was not that he did not love life and fear death, but that he was confused by fear of death and instead forgot life. So people's cravings are like this too. A man of Qi stole gold; right when the market was busiest, he arrived and grabbed it and ran. When pressed for his reason, saying: "You stole gold in the middle of the market; why?" he answered: "I did not see people, only gold!" When the aim is on what one wants, one forgets what one is doing. So the sage examines the changes of movement and stillness, fits the measure of receiving and giving, sets in order the feelings of liking and disliking, and harmonizes the rhythm of joy and anger. When movement and stillness are fitting, misfortune does not exceed; when receiving and giving are appropriate, crime does not entangle; when liking and disliking are ordered, worry does not approach; when joy and anger have measure, resentment does not offend. So one who has penetrated the Way does not carelessly gain and does not decline good fortune; what is his he does not throw away, what is not his he does not demand; he is always full and does not overflow, always empty and easily satisfied. Now the water of eaves can overfill a jug and cup, yet the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers cannot fill a leaking vessel; the human heart is like this. One should measure oneself by the arts of the Way: food that fills an empty stomach, clothing that resists cold, is enough to nourish a body of seven chi. If one has no art of the Way to measure, and cannot be frugal oneself, then the power of ten thousand chariots is not enough to count as honor and the wealth of the world is not enough to count as joy. Sunshu Ao three times left the post of prime minister without a sign of worry, because rank and salary could not entangle him; Jing Cifei, with two flood dragons coiling around his boat, did not move his mind, because monsters could not frighten him. The sage's mind is level and his will easy, his spirit is guarded within, and nothing can confuse him. A drunk person bows to enter a city gate, thinking it a seven-chi inner door; he crosses the Yangtze and Huai thinking they are ordinary ditches; it is wine that has muddied his spirit. A timid person at night sees a standing marker and thinks it a ghost, sees a lying rock and thinks it a tiger; it is fear that has covered his qi. How much more so with monsters that do not belong to heaven and earth!

夫雌雄相接，陰陽相薄，羽者為雛，毛者為駒犢，柔者為皮肉，堅者為齒角，人弗怪也；水生蠬蜄，山生金玉，人弗怪也；老槐生火，久血為燐，人弗怪也。山出梟陽，水生罔象，木生畢方，井生墳羊，人怪之，聞見鮮而識物淺也。天下之怪物，聖人之所獨見；利害之反覆，知者之所獨明達也。同異嫌疑者，世俗之所眩惑也。夫見不可布於海內，聞不可明於百姓，是故因鬼神禨祥而為之立禁，總形推類而為之變象。何以知其然也？世俗言曰：「饗大高者而彘為上牲，葬死人者裘不可以藏，相戲以刃者太祖軵其肘，枕戶橉而臥者鬼神蹠其首。」此皆不著於法令，而聖人之所不口傳也。夫饗大高而彘為上牲者，非彘能賢於野獸麋鹿也，而神明獨饗之，何也？以為彘者，家人所常畜而易得之物也，故因其便以尊之。裘不可以藏者，非能具綈綿曼帛溫煖於身也，世以為裘者，難得貴賈之物也，而不可傳於後世，無益於死者，而足以養生，故因其資以讋之。相戲以刃太祖軵其肘者，夫以刃相戲，必為過失，過失相傷，其患必大，無涉血之仇爭忿鬥，而以小事自內於刑戮，愚者所不知忌也，故因太祖以累其心。枕戶橉而臥，鬼神履其首者，使鬼神能玄化，則不待戶牖之行，若循虛而出入，則亦無能履也，夫戶牖者，風氣之所從往來，而風氣者，陰陽相捔者也，離者必病，故託鬼神以伸誡之也。凡此之屬，皆不可勝著於書策竹帛而藏於官府者也，故以禨祥明之。為愚者之不知其害，乃借鬼神之威以聲其教，所由來者遠矣。而愚者以為禨祥，而狠者以為非，唯有道者能通其志。今世之祭井灶、門戶、箕、臼杵者，非以其神為能饗之也，恃賴其德，煩苦之無已也。是故以時見其德，所以不忘其功也。觸石而出，膚寸而合，不崇朝而雨天下者，唯太山；赤地三年而不絕流，澤及百里而潤草木者，唯江、河也；

When male and female meet and yin and yang press on each other, those with feathers become chicks (the received text lost a rare character here), those with fur become colts and calves, the soft become skin and flesh, the hard become teeth and horns, and people do not find it strange; water produces flood dragons and clams, mountains produce metal and jade, and people do not find it strange; old locust trees produce fire, and old blood becomes phosphorus, and people do not find it strange. Mountains produce Xiaoyang, waters produce Wangxiang, trees produce Bifang, wells produce Fenyang, and people find them strange because they have heard and seen little and know things shallowly. The monsters of the world are what a sage alone sees; the reversals of benefit and harm are what the wise alone understand. Likeness, difference, and doubt are what dazzle common customs. What one sees cannot be proclaimed within the seas, what one hears cannot be explained to the people, so based on spirits and omens one sets up prohibitions, sums up forms and extends by analogy to make images. How do we know this? Common sayings say: "In sacrificing to the Great Height, use a pig as the top offering; a corpse should not be buried with fur; one who plays with blades gets his elbow pushed by the Great Ancestor; one who sleeps with his head on the threshold has his head stepped on by spirits." None of these is written in laws, nor passed down by the sages' mouths. When sacrificing to the Great Height with a pig as the top offering, it is not that a pig is worthier than wild beasts and deer yet the spirits alone enjoy it; why? Because the pig is something households constantly keep and easily obtain, so out of convenience they honor it. Fur should not be buried, not because silk and floss cannot warm the body; the world takes fur as a hard-to-get and expensive thing, which cannot be passed to later generations and is of no benefit to the dead but suffices to nourish the living, so on account of resources they make people fear. If one plays with blades and the Great Ancestor pushes the elbow, playing with blades surely leads to mistakes; injuring each other by mistake, the misfortune is surely great; with no blood feud, people fight out of anger and, over a small matter, enter punishment and execution themselves, which fools do not know to fear, so they borrow the Great Ancestor to tie up their minds. Sleeping with head on the threshold and spirits stepping on it: if spirits could mysteriously transform, they would not need doors and windows to go through, and if they passed in and out through emptiness, there would be nothing to step on. Doors and windows are where wind and air come and go, and air is where yin and yang strike; anyone who meets it surely falls ill, so they borrow spirits to give a warning. All matters of this kind cannot be fully written in books and on bamboo and silk and kept in government offices, so they are marked with fortune and misfortune. Because fools do not know harm, they borrow the awe of spirits to declare the teaching; it has come from far off. Fools think it is fortune and misfortune, the savage think it is not; only one who has the Way can penetrate that intent. Now the world sacrifices to the well and stove, doors and windows, the winnowing basket (the received text lost a rare character here), the mortar and pestle, not because they think those spirits can enjoy it, but because they rely on their virtue and have troubled them without ceasing. So seeing their virtue in season is to not forget merit. Coming out from touching rock, joining finger-breadths, and within a morning bringing rain over the world, only Mount Tai; for three years of red earth not breaking its flow and reaching a hundred li to moisten plants and trees, only the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers;

是以天子秩而祭之。故馬免人於難者，其死也葬之；牛，其死也，葬以大車為薦。牛馬有功，猶不可忘，又況人乎！此聖人所以重仁襲恩。故炎帝於火，死而為灶；禹勞天下，死而為社；后稷作稼穡，死而為稷；羿除天下之害，死而為宗布。此鬼神之所以立。北楚有任俠者，其子孫數諫而止之，不聽也。縣有賊，大搜其廬，事果發覺，夜驚而走，追，道及之，其所施德者皆為之戰，得免而遂反，語其子曰：「汝數止吾為俠。今有難，果賴而免身。而諫我，不可用也。」知所以免於難，而不知所以無難，論事如此，豈不惑哉！宋人有嫁子者，告其子曰：「嫁未必成也。有如出，不可不私藏。私藏而富，其於以復嫁易。」其子聽父之計，竊而藏之。若公知其盜也，逐而去之。其父不自非也，而反得其計。知為出藏財，而不知藏財所以出也，為論如此，豈不勃哉！今夫僦載者，救一車之任，極一牛之力，為軸之折也，有如轅軸其上以為造，不知軸轅之趣軸折也。楚王之佩玦而逐菟，為走而破其玦也，因珮兩玦以為之豫，兩玦相觸，破乃逾疾。亂國之治，有似於此。夫鴟目大而視不若鼠，蚈足眾而走不若蛇，物固有大不若小，眾不若少者。及至夫彊之弱，弱之彊，危之安，存之亡也，非聖人，孰能觀之！大小尊卑，未足以論也，唯道之在者為貴。何以明之？天子處於郊亭，則九卿趨，大夫走，坐者伏，倚者齊。當此之時，明堂太廟，懸冠解劍，緩帶而寢。非郊亭大而廟堂狹小也，至尊居之也。天道之貴也，非特天子之為尊也，所在而眾仰之。夫蟄蟲鵲巢，皆嚮天一者，至和在焉爾。帝者誠能包稟道，合至和，則禽獸草木莫不被其澤矣，而況兆民乎！

so the Son of Heaven sacrifices to them by rank. A horse that helped a person escape a calamity, when it dies, is buried; an ox, when it dies, is buried with a large cart as its pad. Oxen and horses that have merit are not to be forgotten; how much more people! This is how the sage layers benevolence and accumulates kindness. So the Flame Emperor invented fire, and when he died became the Stove God; Yu toiled for the world, and when he died became the God of the Soil; Hou Ji invented farming, and when he died became the God of Grain; Yi removed the world's harms, and when he died became Zongbu. This is how spirits were established. In northern Chu there was a man who acted as a knight-errant, and his sons and grandsons repeatedly remonstrated and stopped him but he did not listen. In the county there was a thief and they searched his hut widely; the matter was indeed discovered, and at night he fled in alarm; he was pursued and caught on the road, and those to whom he had given kindness fought for him, so he escaped and finally returned, and told his son: "You repeatedly stopped me from being a knight-errant. Now in trouble, I indeed relied on it and escaped. Your remonstrance with me cannot be used." He knew how he escaped calamity but did not know how to avoid calamity; to judge matters like this, is it not confusion! A man of Song marrying off his daughter told her: "Marriages do not necessarily last. If you are divorced, you must put things aside privately. If you save privately and are rich, remarrying will be easy." The daughter followed her father's plan, stole and hid things. Her husband's parents learned she stole, and drove her out. Her father did not blame himself and instead thought he had had a good plan. He knew to save wealth in case of divorce but did not know that saving wealth is exactly why one is divorced; to make judgments like this, is it not perverse! Now one who hires a cart to carry goods, to save a cartload's weight and use up an ox's strength, fearing the axle will break, adds another shaft and axle on top as a spare, not knowing that adding axles and shafts is exactly heading for the axle breaking. The King of Chu, wearing a jade ring-pendant, chased a hare, and because of running the pendant broke, so he wore two pendants as a precaution, and the two pendants struck each other and broke even faster. The governance of disorderly states has things like this. The owl's eyes are large but it sees worse than a mouse; the centipede's feet are many but it runs worse than a snake; things surely include cases where large is not as good as small and many is not as good as few. When the strong turns weak, the weak turns strong, danger turns to safety, survival turns to ruin, who but a sage can observe it! Large and small, noble and humble are not enough to judge; only where the Way is present is there honor. How to show it? When the Son of Heaven is at the suburban lodge, the nine ministers hurry, grand officers run, those sitting lie down, those leaning straighten. At that time, in the Hall of Light and the Great Temple, caps are taken off and swords unfastened and people sleep with loose belts. It is not that the suburban lodge is large and the temple hall small, but that the supremely honored dwells there. The honor of the Way of Heaven is not just that of the Son of Heaven; wherever it is, the multitude look up to it. Hibernating insects and magpie nests all face heaven's one, because supreme harmony is there. If the emperor can truly embrace and receive the Way and accord with supreme harmony, there is no bird, beast, plant, or tree that does not receive his benefit, let alone the myriad people!

洞同天地，渾沌為樸，未造而成物，謂之太一。同出於一，所為各異，有鳥、有魚、有獸，謂之分物。方以類別，物以群分，性命不同，皆形於有。隔而不通，分而為萬物，莫能及宗，故動而謂之生，死而謂之窮。皆為物矣，非不物而物物者也，物物者亡乎萬物之中。稽古太初，人生於無，形於有，有形而制於物。能反其所生，故未有形，謂之真人。真人者，未始分於太一者也。聖人不為名屍，不為謀府，不為事任，不為智主。藏無形，行無跡，遊無朕，不為福先，不為禍始，保於虛無，動於不得已。欲福者或為禍，欲利者或離害。故無為而寧者，失其所以甯則危；無事而治者，失其所以治則亂。星列於天而明，故人指之；義列於德而見，故人視之。人之所指，動則有章；人之所視，行則有跡。動有章則詞，行有跡則議。故聖人掩明於不形，藏跡於無為。王子慶忌死於劍，羿死於桃棓，子路菹於衛，蘇秦死於口。人莫不貴其所有，而賤其所短，然而皆溺其所貴，而極其所賤。所貴者有形，所賤者無朕也。故虎豹之強來射，蝯狖之捷來措。人能貴其所賤，賤其所貴，可與言至論矣。

Vast and open, one with heaven and earth, chaos made into uncarved wood, not yet created yet bringing things to completion, called the Great One. All come out of the One together yet what each does differs; there are birds, fish, and beasts, called the division of things. Squares are separated by kind and things divided by group, natures and destinies differ, all taking form on being. Divided and not communicating, divided into the myriad things, none can return to the source; so movement is called life and death is called exhaustion. All have become things; it is not that which is not a thing yet makes things become things; that which makes things become things is lost among the myriad things. Examining the ancient Great Beginning, a person is born from nothing and takes form on being, and once having form is restrained by things. Those who can return to what they were born from, while not yet having form, are called true persons. The true person has not yet separated from the Great One. The sage does not be the corpse-impersonator of fame, does not be the storehouse of schemes, does not take on tasks, and does not be the master of wisdom. He hides in the formless, walks without traces, roams without signs, does not be first in fortune or the beginning of disaster, keeps himself in emptiness and moves only when he cannot do otherwise. One who wants fortune sometimes meets disaster, and one who wants profit sometimes leaves harm. So one who is at peace through non-action, if he loses what gives him peace, is in danger; one who governs through non-doing, if he loses what lets him govern, falls into disorder. Stars are lined up in the sky and bright, so people point at them; righteousness is lined up on virtue and manifest, so people look at it. What people point at has a mark with the slightest move; what people look at leaves traces with the slightest act. When movement has a mark, one is criticized; when acts leave traces, one is discussed. So the sage covers brightness in the unformed and hides traces in non-action. Prince Qingji died by a sword, Yi died by a peach-wood club, Zilu was made into mince in Wei, and Su Qin died by his mouth. People all value what they have and make light of what they lack, yet all sink into what they value and go to the extreme of what they make light of. What they value has form, and what they make light of has no sign. So the tiger and leopard's strength invites arrows and the monkey's speed invites spears. One who can value what he makes light of and make light of what he values can be talked to of the supreme discourse.

自信者，不可以誹譽遷也；知足者，不可以勢利誘也。故通性情者，不務性之所無以為；通命之情者，不憂命之所無奈何；通於道者，物莫不足滑其調。詹何曰：「未嘗聞身治而國亂者也，未嘗聞身亂而國治者也。」矩不正，不可以為方；規不正，不可以為員；身者，事之規矩也。未聞枉己而能正人者也。原天命，治心術，理好憎，適情性，則治道通矣。原天命，則不惑禍福；治心術，則不妄喜怒；理好憎，則不貪無用；適情性，則欲不過節。不惑禍福，則動靜循理；不妄喜怒，則賞罰不阿；不貪無用，則不以欲用害性；欲不過節，則養性知足。凡此四者，弗求於外，弗假於人，反己而得矣。

One who is self-assured cannot be moved by slander and praise; one who knows sufficiency cannot be tempted by power and profit. So one who penetrates the nature of things does not engage in what nature cannot do; one who penetrates the state of destiny does not worry about what destiny cannot help; one who penetrates the Way cannot be disturbed in his tune by anything. Zhan He said: "I have never heard of a case where the self was in order and the state in disorder, nor of one where the self was in disorder and the state in order." If the set square is not true, one cannot make a square; if the compass is not true, one cannot make a circle; the self is the compass and square of affairs. I have never heard of one who is himself crooked being able to straighten others. Trace back to the mandate of heaven, order the art of the mind, set in order likes and dislikes, and fit nature and feeling, and the way of governing is open. Tracing back to the mandate of heaven, one is not confused by fortune and misfortune; ordering the art of the mind, one does not recklessly feel joy or anger; setting likes and dislikes in order, one does not covet the useless; fitting nature and feeling, one's desires do not exceed measure. Not confused by fortune and misfortune, movement and stillness follow principle; not recklessly joyful or angry, rewards and punishments are not partial; not coveting the useless, one is not harmed in nature by desire; desires not exceeding measure, one nourishes nature and knows sufficiency. These four things are not sought outside and not borrowed from others; return to oneself and one has them.

天下不可以智為也，不可以慧識也，不可以事治也，不可以仁附也，不可以強勝也。五者皆人才也，德不盛，不能成一焉。德立則五無殆，五見則德無位矣。故得道則愚者有餘，失道則智者不足。渡水而無遊數，雖強必沉；有遊數，雖羸必遂。又況托於舟航之上乎！為政之本，務在於安民；安民之本，在於足用；足用之本，在於勿奪時；勿奪時之本，在於省事；省事之本，在於節欲；節欲之本，在於反性；反性之本，在於去載。去載則虛，虛則平。平者，道之素也；虛者，道之舍也。能有天下者，必不失其國；能有其國者，必不喪其家；能治其家者，必不遺其身；能修其身者，必不忘其心；能原其心者，必不虧其性；能全其性者，必不惑於道。故廣成子曰：「慎守而內，周閉而外，多知為敗。毋視毋聽，抱神以靜，形將自正。不得之己而能知彼者，未之有也。」故《易》曰：「括囊，無咎無譽。」能成霸王者，必得勝者也；能勝敵者，必強者也；能強者，必用人力者也；能用人力者，必得人心也；能得人心者，必自得者也；能自得者，必柔弱也。強勝不若己者，至於與同則格，柔勝出於己者，其力不可度。故能以眾不勝成大勝者，唯聖人能之。

The world cannot be handled with cleverness, cannot be recognized with intelligence, cannot be governed with deeds, cannot be made to submit with humaneness, and cannot be conquered with strength. These five are all human talents, and if virtue is not abundant, not one of them can succeed. Once virtue is established, the five are without danger; once the five are displayed, virtue has no place. So when one has the Way, even a fool has more than enough; when one loses the Way, even the wise are not enough. To cross water without the art of swimming, even the strong will surely sink; with the art of swimming, even the thin and weak will surely arrive. How much more when one entrusts oneself to a boat! The root of governing is to work for the people's security; the root of the people's security is sufficient expenditure; the root of sufficient expenditure is not encroaching on the farming seasons; the root of not encroaching on the farming seasons is reducing affairs; the root of reducing affairs is restraining desires; the root of restraining desires is returning to nature; the root of returning to nature is removing the burdens imposed from outside. Remove the burden and there is emptiness; with emptiness there is evenness. Evenness is the substance of the Way, and emptiness is its dwelling. One who can possess the world will surely not lose his state; one who can possess his state will surely not lose his family; one who can govern his family will surely not neglect his person; one who can cultivate his person will surely not forget his heart; one who can trace back to the source of his heart will surely not diminish his nature; one who can keep his nature whole will surely not be confused by the Way. So Guang Chengzi said: "Guard the inside carefully and seal the outside tightly; much knowledge is ruin. Do not look and do not listen; embrace the spirit to be still, and the body will straighten itself. No one has ever known that other thing without getting it from within himself." So the Book of Changes says: "Tie up the mouth of the bag; no blame and no praise." One who can achieve hegemony or kingship must be a winner; one who can defeat the enemy must be strong; one who can be strong must be one who uses the strength of people; one who can use the strength of people must have won the hearts of people; one who can win people's hearts must have gained it from himself; one who can gain it from himself must be soft and weak. The strong overcome those weaker than themselves, but when they meet their equals they fight; the soft overcome those who surpass them, and their strength cannot be measured. So being able to use what the multitude cannot overcome to achieve great victory is something only the sage can do.

善遊者，不學刺舟而便用之，勁者，不學騎馬而便居之。輕天下者，身不累於物，故能處之。泰王亶父之居邠，狄人攻之，事之以皮幣珠玉而不聽，乃謝耆老而徙岐周。百姓攜幼扶老而從之，遂成國焉。推此意，四世而有天下，不亦宜乎！無以天下為者，必能活天下者。霜雪雨露，生殺萬物，天無為焉，猶之貴天也。厭文搔法，治官理民者，有司也，君無事焉，猶尊君也。闢地墾草者，后稷也；決河濬江者，禹也；聽獄制中者，皋陶也；有聖名者，堯也。故得道以禦者，身雖無能，必使能者為己用。不得其道，伎藝雖多，未有益也。方船濟乎江，有虛船從一方來，觸而覆之，雖有忮心，必無怨色。有一人在其中，一謂張之，一謂歙之，再三呼而不應，必以醜聲隨其後。向不怒而今怒，向虛而今實也。人能虛己以遊於世，孰能訾之！

One who is good at swimming does not need to learn rowing to use a boat conveniently; one who is strong does not need to learn horse riding to be at ease in the saddle. One who treats the world lightly is not burdened by things, and so can dwell there. The Great King Danfu lived in Bin, and when the Di people attacked him, he served them with furs, silks, pearls and jade but they would not listen, so he took leave of the elders and moved to Qizhou. The people carried their children and supported their elders and followed him, and thus a state was formed. Following this idea, within four generations they possessed the world, which was only fitting! One who does not take the world as a matter of importance must be one who can nourish the world. Frost, snow, rain and dew let the myriad things live and die; Heaven does nothing, yet Heaven is still valued. Those who are satisfied with regulations, fiddle with the laws, govern officials and manage the people are the responsible officials, and the ruler has nothing to do, yet the ruler is still honored. The one who opened land and cleared wasteland was Houji; the one who broke open rivers and cleared the Yangtze was Yu; the one who heard cases and decided them fairly was Gao Yao; the one with the name of sage was Yao. So one who drives with the Way, even if he himself is incapable, will surely have the capable work for him. Without that Way, however many skills he has, they are of no use. When boats are crossing the river side by side and an empty boat comes from one side and bumps into one and capsizes it, even if one has a heart of resentment, one will surely show no anger. If there is a person in it, one shouts to him to open the boat out, then shouts to him to draw it in, and if after calling again and again he does not answer, one will surely follow with ugly words. Before there was no anger and now there is, because before it was empty and now it is occupied. If a person can empty himself and roam through the world, who can slander him!

釋道而任智者必危，棄數而用才者必困。有以欲多而亡者，未有以無欲而危者也；有以欲治而亂者，未有以守常而失者也。故智不足免患，愚不足以至於失寧。守其分，循其理，失之不憂，得之不喜，故成者非所為也，得者非所求也。入者有受而無取，出者有授而無予，因春而生，因秋而殺，所生者弗德，所殺者非怨，則幾於道也。聖人不為可非之行，不憎人之非己也；修足譽之德，不求人之譽己也；不能使禍不至，信己之不迎也；不能使福必來，信己之不攘也。禍之至也，非其求所生，故窮而不憂；福之至也，非其求所成，故通而弗矜。知禍福之制不在於己也，故閒居而樂，無為而治。聖人守其所以有，不求其所未得。求其所無，則所有者亡矣；修其所有，則所欲者至。故用兵者，先為不可勝，以待敵之可勝也；治國者，先為不可奪，待敵之可奪也。舜修之曆山，而海內從化；文王修之岐周，而天下移風。使舜趨天下之利，而忘修己之道，身猶弗能保，何尺地之有！

One who sets aside the Way and relies on cleverness will surely be in danger, and one who discards method and uses talent will surely be in hardship. There are those who perish from having many desires, but none who are endangered from having no desires; there are those who fall into disorder from wanting to govern, but none who lose it by keeping to the constant. So cleverness is not enough to avoid trouble, and foolishness is not enough to lose one's peace. Keep to one's own share and follow that principle; losing does not grieve and gaining does not delight, so what is accomplished is not what one did, and what is gained is not what one sought. What comes in is received but not demanded, what goes out is handed over but not given, born by spring and killed by autumn, and those born are not grateful and those killed do not resent; this comes close to the Way. The sage does not do deeds that can be criticized, but does not hate others criticizing him; he cultivates virtue worthy of praise, but does not seek praise from others; he cannot make calamity not arrive, but trusts himself not to go out to meet it; he cannot make fortune certainly come, but trusts himself not to push it away. Calamity's arrival is not born from something sought, so in hardship he does not grieve; fortune's arrival is not accomplished by something sought, so in success he does not boast. Knowing that the regulation of calamity and fortune does not lie in himself, he lives at leisure in joy and governs by non-action. The sage guards what he has and does not seek what he has not yet gained. Seeking what one does not have destroys what one has; cultivating what one has brings what one wants. So one who uses the military first makes himself unconquerable and then awaits the enemy to be conquerable; one who governs a state first makes himself unseizable and then awaits the enemy to be seizable. Shun cultivated at Mount Li and all within the seas followed and were transformed; King Wen cultivated at Qizhou and the world changed its customs. Suppose Shun had chased the profit of the world and forgotten to cultivate his own Way: he could not have protected even himself, how could he have had a foot of land!

故治未固於不亂，而事為治者，必危；行未固於無非，而急求名者，必挫也。福莫大無禍，利莫美不喪。動之為物，不損則益，不成則毀，不利則病，皆險，道之者危。故秦勝乎戎，而敗乎殽；楚勝乎諸夏，而敗乎栢莒。故道不可以勸而就利者，而可以寧避害者。故常無禍，不常有福；常無罪，不常有功。聖人無思慮，無設儲，來者弗迎，去者弗將。人雖東西南北，獨立中央，故處眾枉之中，不失其直，天下皆流，獨不離其壇域。故不為善，不避醜，遵天之道；不為始，不專己，循天之理；不豫謀，不棄時，與天為期；不求得，不辭福，從天之則。不求所無，不失所得，內無旁禍，外無旁福。禍福不生，安有人賊！

So one whose governance is not yet firm enough to be free of disorder but who busies himself with governing will surely be in danger; one whose conduct is not yet firm enough to be free of faults but who is urgent to seek a name will surely be defeated. No fortune is greater than having no calamity, and no profit is better than not losing. Action toward things either diminishes or increases, either succeeds or breaks, either benefits or harms; all are dangerous, and those who walk this road are in peril. So Qin overcame the Rong yet was defeated at Xiao; Chu overcame the central states yet was defeated at Baiju. So the Way cannot be used to urge people to pursue profit, but can give peace to those who avoid harm. So one constantly has no calamity but not constantly has fortune; one constantly has no guilt but not constantly has merit. The sage has no deliberation and sets up no stores; he does not welcome what comes and does not see off what goes. Though people go east, west, south and north, he stands alone in the center, so being in the midst of all bends he does not lose straightness, and while the whole world flows he alone does not leave his altar ground. So he does not do good, does not avoid ugliness, following the Way of Heaven; he does not initiate, does not monopolize for himself, following the principle of Heaven; he does not plan ahead, does not abandon the time, keeping an appointment with Heaven; he does not seek to gain, does not decline fortune, following the pattern of Heaven. He does not seek what he does not have and does not lose what he has gained; within there is no calamity from the side, without there is no fortune from the side. When calamity and fortune are not born, how could people harm him!

為善則觀，為不善則議；觀則生貴，議則生患。故道術不可以進而求名，而可以退而修身；不可以得利，而可以離害。故聖人不以行求名，不以智見譽。法修自然，己無所與。慮不勝數，行不勝德，事不勝道。為者有不成，求者有不得。人有窮而道無不通，與道爭則兇。故《詩》曰：「弗識弗知，順帝之則。」有智而無為，與無智者同道；有能而無事，與無能者同德。其智也，告之者至，然後覺其動也；使之者至，然後覺其為也。有智若無智，有能若無能，道理為正也。故功蓋天下，不施其美；澤及後世，不有其名。道理通而人偽滅也。

To do good is to be watched, and to do what is not good is to be criticized; being watched creates honor, and being criticized creates trouble. So the arts of the Way cannot be used to advance and seek a name but can be used to retreat and cultivate oneself; they cannot be used to gain profit but can be used to avoid harm. So the sage does not use conduct to seek a name and does not use intelligence to seek praise. His method cultivates what is natural, and he himself does not take part. Deliberation cannot surpass method, conduct cannot surpass virtue, and affairs cannot surpass the Way. Among those who act there are those who do not succeed, and among those who seek there are those who do not obtain. A person has limits, but the Way has nothing it does not reach; to contend with the Way is ominous. So the Classic of Poetry says: "Without knowing and without recognizing, following the pattern of the Lord." One who has intelligence but does not act is of one Way with one who has no intelligence; one who has ability but has no affairs is of one virtue with one who has no ability. His intelligence is such that after the one who informs him has arrived, only then is it felt to move; after the one who commands him has arrived, only then is it felt to act. Having intelligence like having none and having ability like having none, the principle is right. So his merit covers the world but he does not boast of its beauty; his favor reaches later generations but he does not claim a name. When principle is penetrated, human deceit is extinguished.

名與道不兩明，人受名則道不用，道勝人則名息矣。道與人競長。章人者，息道者也；人章道息，則危不遠矣。故世有盛名，則衰之日至矣。欲屍名者必為善，欲為善者必生事，事生則釋公而就私，貨數而任己。欲見譽於為善，而立名於為質，則治不修故，而事不須時。治不修故，則多責；事不須時，則無功。責多功鮮，無以塞之，則妄發而邀當，妄為而要中。功之成也，不足以更責；事之敗也，不足以敝身。故重為善若重為非，而幾於道矣。

Name and the Way cannot both be made manifest; if people receive the name, the Way is not used; if the Way surpasses people, the name comes to rest. The Way competes with people over who is longer. What makes people manifest puts the Way to rest; when people are manifest and the Way is at rest, danger is not far off. So when there is great fame in the world, the day of decline arrives. One who wants to be the master of fame must do good, and one who wants to do good must generate affairs; once affairs are generated, he sets aside the public and goes toward the private, uses techniques and numbers on goods and relies on himself. Wanting to be praised for doing good and to establish a name for doing substance, his governing does not cultivate the old constants and his affairs do not wait for the time. When governing does not cultivate the old constants, demands are many; when affairs do not wait for the time, there is no merit. With many demands and little merit, there is no way to block it, so he acts recklessly hoping to get it right, and acts recklessly hoping to hit the target. The achievement of merit is not enough to make up for the demands, and the failure of affairs is not enough to shelter oneself. So valuing doing good as one values doing wrong comes close to the Way.

天下非無信士也，臨貨分財，必控籌而定分，以為有心者之於平，不若無心者也。天下非無廉士也，然而守重寶者必關戶而全封，以為有欲者之於廉，不若無欲者也。人舉其疵則怨人，鑒見其醜則善鑒，人能接物而不與己焉，則免於累矣。公孫龍粲於辭而貿名，鄧析巧辯而亂法，蘇秦善說而亡國。由其道，則善無章；修其理，則巧無名。故以巧鬥力者，始於陽，常卒於陰；以慧治國者，始於治，常卒於亂。使水流下，孰弗能治；激而上之，非巧不能。故文勝則質掩，邪巧則正塞之也。德可以自修，而不可以使人暴；道可以自治，而不可以使人亂；雖有聖賢之寶，不遇暴亂之世，可以全身，而未可以霸王也。湯、武之王也，遇桀、紂之暴也；桀、紂非以湯、武之賢暴也，湯、武遭桀、紂之暴而王也。故雖賢王，必待遇。遇者，能遭於時而得之也，非智能所求而成也。君子修行而使善無名，佈施而使仁無章，故士行善而不知善之所由來，民澹利而不知利之所由出。故無為而自治。善有章則士爭名，利有本則民爭功，二爭者生，雖有賢者，弗能治。

It is not that the world has no trustworthy people, but when dividing goods and wealth, one must use counting rods to settle the shares, thinking that people with a heart for fairness are not as good as those without a heart. It is not that the world has no honest people, but one guarding a great treasure must shut the door and seal it completely, thinking that people with desires are not as good for honesty as those without desires. When others point out his flaws he resents them, but when a mirror shows him his ugliness he thinks the mirror is good; if a person can receive things without adding himself, he is free from entanglement. Gongsun Long had clear speech but threw names into confusion, Deng Xi was a skilled debater but disturbed the law, and Su Qin was good at persuasion and ruined states. Follow their way and good has no brightness; cultivate their principles and skill has no name. So those who use skill to compete in strength begin in yang and always end in yin; those who use cleverness to govern a state begin in order and always end in disorder. Let water flow downward, and who cannot manage it; force it upward, and without skill it cannot be done. So when ornament prevails, substance is covered; when crooked skill prevails, uprightness is blocked. Virtue can be cultivated by oneself but cannot be made to withstand violence from others; the Way can be governed by oneself but cannot be kept from disorder by others; even with the treasure of a sage or worthy, if one does not meet a violent and chaotic age, one can preserve oneself but cannot become a hegemon or king. Tang and Wu became kings because they met the violence of Jie and Zhou; Jie and Zhou were not violent because Tang and Wu were worthy, but Tang and Wu met their violence and became kings. So even a worthy king must wait for his opportunity. Opportunity is being able to meet the time and obtain it, not something accomplished by seeking with intelligence and ability. The gentleman cultivates conduct and lets goodness have no name, distributes and lets humaneness have no brightness, so scholars do good without knowing where the good comes from, and the people are content with profit without knowing where the profit comes from. So with non-action it governs itself. If good has brightness, scholars compete for names; if profit has a root, the people compete for merit; when the two kinds of competition arise, even if there are worthy men, they cannot govern.

故聖人掩跡於為善，而息名於為仁也。外交而為援，事大而為安，不若內治而待時。凡事人者，非以寶幣，必以卑辭。事以玉帛，則貨殫而欲厭；卑禮婉辭，則論說而交不結；約束誓盟，則約定而反無日。雖割國之錙錘以事人，而無自恃之道，不足以為全。若誠外釋交之策，而慎修其境內之事。盡其地力，以多其積；厲其民死，以牢其城；上下一心，君臣同志；與之守社稷，斅死而民弗離，則為名者不伐無罪，而為利者不攻難勝，此必全之道也。民有道所同道，有法所同守，為義之不能相固，威之不能相必也，故立君以一民。君執一則治，無常則亂。君道者，非所以為也，所以無為也。何謂無為？智者不以位為事，勇者不以位為暴，仁者不以位為患，可謂無為矣。夫無為，則得於一也。一也者，萬物之本也，無敵之道也。

So the sage in doing good conceals the traces, and in being humane puts the name to rest. To form external alliances for support, or to serve the great to seek safety, is not as good as governing within and waiting for the time. All who serve others use either precious gifts or humble words. If one serves with jade and silk, the goods are used up while desire is still unsatisfied; with humble courtesy and gentle speech, one may discuss friendship but not conclude it; with pacts and oaths, the agreement lasts only a few days. Even if one cuts off a bit of the state to serve others, without the Way that one can rely on oneself, it is not enough to preserve oneself. If one truly puts aside the policy of external alliance and carefully governs affairs within the borders, exhausts the strength of the land to increase stores, urges the people to die to defend the walls, with high and low of one heart and ruler and ministers of one will, guarding the altars of soil and grain with them, teaching them to die so that the people do not leave, then those who act for fame will not attack the innocent, and those who act for profit will not attack what is hard to defeat; this is the way that surely preserves. The people have a Way they walk in common and laws they keep in common; because rightness cannot make them firm toward one another and authority cannot make them certain toward one another, a ruler is established to unify the people. If the ruler holds to the One, there is order; if he has no constancy, there is disorder. The Way of the ruler is not for acting but for non-action. What is non-action? The wise do not use rank to do business, the brave do not use rank to be violent, and the humane do not use rank to make trouble: that can be called non-action. With non-action, one obtains the One. The One is the root of the myriad things, a Way with no opponent.

凡人之性，少則倡狂，壯則暴強，老則好利，一人之身，既數變矣，又況君數易法，國數易君！人以其位通其好憎，下之徑衢，不可勝理，故君失一則亂，甚於無君之時。故《詩》曰：「不愆不忘，率由舊章。」此之謂也。君好智則倍時而任己，棄數而用慮，天下之物博而智淺，以淺澹博，未有能者也。獨任其智，失必多矣。故好智，窮術也；好勇，則輕敵而簡備，自負而辭助。一人之力以禦強敵，不杖眾多而專用身才，必不堪也。故好勇，危術也。好與，則無定分。上之分不定，則下之望無止。若多賦斂，實府庫，則與民為仇。少取多與，數未之有也。故好與，來怨之道也。仁智勇力，人之美才也，而莫足以治天下。由此觀之，賢能之不足任也，而道術之可修明矣。

In general, a person's nature is wild when young, violent and strong when in prime, and fond of profit when old; one person's body has already changed many times, how much more so a ruler changing the laws many times and a state changing the ruler many times! A person relies on position to carry out his likes and dislikes, and the paths below are open in all directions and cannot all be managed, so when the ruler loses the One there is disorder, worse than when there was no ruler. So the Classic of Poetry says: "Without fault, without forgetting, follow the old statutes." This is what is meant. If a ruler loves cleverness, he turns his back on the time and relies on himself, discards method and uses deliberation; the things of the world are broad and cleverness is shallow, and to satisfy the broad with the shallow is impossible. Relying alone on one's own cleverness, errors will surely be many. So loving cleverness is a method that leads to exhaustion. If one loves bravery, one makes light of the enemy and slights defenses, relies on oneself and declines help. To resist a strong enemy with the strength of one person, not relying on the multitude but using only one's own talent, one will surely not be able to bear it. So loving bravery is a dangerous method. If one loves giving, there is no fixed share. When the share above is not fixed, the expectations below have no end. If one collects more taxes and fills the treasury, one makes enemies of the people. To take little and give much has never existed in calculation. So loving giving is the way that invites resentment. Humaneness, cleverness, bravery and strength are fine human talents, but none of them is enough to govern the world. Looking at it this way, worthy ability is not enough to be entrusted, while the arts of the Way can be cultivated and made clear; this is also understood.

聖人勝心，眾人勝欲。君子行正氣，小人行邪氣。內便於性，外合於義，循理而動，不繫於物者，正氣也。重於滋味，淫於聲色，發於喜怒，不顧後患者，邪氣也。邪與正相傷，欲與性相害，不可兩立。一置一廢。故聖人損欲而從事於性。目好色，耳好聲，口好味，接而說之，不知利害，嗜慾也。食之不甯於體，聽之不合於道，視之不便於性。三官交爭，以義為制者，心也。割痤疽，非不痛也；飲毒藥，非不苦也；然而為之者，便於身也。渴而飲水，非不快也；饑而大飧，非不澹也；然而弗為者，害於性也。此四者，耳目鼻口不知所取去，必為之制，各得其所。由是觀之，欲之不可勝，明矣。

The sage overcomes the heart; ordinary people are overcome by desires. The gentleman practices upright qi and the petty man practices crooked qi. One who is within beneficial to nature, without in accord with rightness, moving along principle and not tied to things, practices upright qi. One who values flavors, indulges in sound and sensuality, acts out of joy and anger and pays no attention to later trouble practices crooked qi. Crookedness and uprightness harm each other, and desires and nature hinder each other; they cannot both stand, and one is set in place while the other is cast aside. So the sage reduces desires and devotes himself to nature. The eyes love color, the ears love sound, the mouth loves flavor, and when they touch things they are delighted, not knowing benefit and harm: this is craving and desire. Eating it makes the body uneasy, hearing it does not accord with the Way, seeing it does not benefit nature. The three senses contend with each other, and what regulates them with rightness is the heart. Cutting out a carbuncle is not painless; drinking bitter medicine is not not bitter; yet one does it because it benefits the body. Drinking water when thirsty is not not pleasant; eating heartily when hungry is not not satisfying; yet one does not do it because it harms nature. For these four, the ears, eyes, nose and mouth do not know what to take and what to leave, and must be regulated for them so that each gets its place. Looking at it this way, it is clear that desires cannot be allowed to prevail.

凡治身養性，節寢處，適飲食，和喜怒，便動靜，使在己者得，而邪氣因而不生，豈若憂瘕疵之與痤疽之發，而豫備之哉！夫函牛之鼎沸，而蠅蚋弗敢入；崑山之玉瑱，而塵垢弗能汙也。聖人無去之心，而心無醜；無取之美，而美不失。故祭祀思親不求福，饗賓脩敬不思德，唯弗求者能有之。處尊位者，以有公道而無私說，故稱尊焉，不稱賢也;有大地者，以有常術而無鈐謀，故稱平焉，不稱智也。內無暴事以離怨於百姓，外無賢行以見忌於諸侯，上下之禮，襲而不離，而為論者莫然不見所觀焉，此所謂藏無形者。非藏無形，孰能形！三代之所道者，因也。故禹決江河，因水也；后稷播種樹穀，因地也；湯、武平暴亂，因時也。故天下可得而不可取也，霸王可受而不可求也。

In general, in governing the body and nourishing nature, regulate sleeping and dwelling, suit food and drink, harmonize joy and anger, make movement and stillness beneficial, and keep it in what one has gained; then crooked qi will not arise because of this, and how could one be like one who worries about growths and carbuncles breaking out and guards against them in advance! In a cauldron able to hold an ox, when it boils, flies and gnats dare not enter; on the jade ornament of Kunshan, dust and dirt cannot stain it. The sage has no heart that needs to be removed, so there is no ugliness in the heart; he has no beauty he seeks, so beauty is not lost. So in sacrifice he thinks of his kin and does not seek blessing, in feasting guests he cultivates reverence and does not think of virtue; only one who does not seek can have it. One in an honored position, because he has the public Way and no private doctrine, is called honored and not called worthy; one who has the great earth, because he has constant methods and no scheming, is called even-handed and not called clever. Within, he has no violent affairs to create enmity with the people; without, he has no worthy conduct to arouse the jealousy of the feudal lords; the rites of high and low follow tradition and do not depart; those who discuss him blankly see nothing to look at; this is called hiding in formlessness. If not hiding in formlessness, who could have form! The Way followed by the Three Dynasties was to follow what is. So Yu opened up the rivers by following the water; Houji sowed trees and grains by following the land; Tang and Wu put down violence and disorder by following the time. So the world can be obtained but cannot be seized by force, and hegemony and kingship can be received but cannot be sought by force.

在智則人與之訟，在力則人與之爭。未有使人無智者，有使人不能用其智於己者也；未有使人無力者，有使人不能施其力於己者也。此兩者，常在久見。故君賢不見，諸侯不備；不肖不見，則百姓不怨；百姓不怨，則民用可得；諸侯弗備，則天下之時可承。事所與眾同也，功所與時成也，聖人無焉。故老子曰：「虎無所措其爪，兕無所措其角。」蓋謂此也。鼓不滅於聲，故能有聲；鏡不沒於形，故能有形；金石有聲，弗叩弗鳴；管簫有音，弗吹無聲。聖人內藏，不為物先倡，事來而制，物至而應。飾其外者傷其內，扶其情者害其神，見其文者蔽其質，無須臾忘為質者，必困於性。百步之中，不忘其容者，必累其形。

If one stays on cleverness, people will dispute with him; if one stays on strength, people will contend with him. No one can make others have no cleverness, but one can make others unable to use their cleverness on oneself; no one can make others have no strength, but one can make others unable to apply their strength to oneself. These two things are constantly manifest for a long time. So if the ruler's worth is not displayed, the feudal lords do not guard against him; if his unworthiness is not displayed, the people do not resent him; if the people do not resent, the people's service can be obtained; if the feudal lords do not guard, the times of the world can be received. Affairs are shared with the multitude, merit is accomplished with the time, and the sage does not take part. So Laozi said: "The tiger has nowhere to place its claws, and the rhinoceros has nowhere to place its horn." This probably is what he meant. The drum is not exhausted in its sound, so it can have sound; the mirror does not sink into form, so it can have form; metal and stone have sound but do not ring unless struck; pipes and flutes have tones but have no sound unless blown. The sage stores within and does not rush ahead of things to lead; when affairs come he regulates them, when things arrive he responds. Ornament outside harms the inside, propping up feelings hinders the spirit, and displaying culture covers substance. One who does not forget for a moment to be substantial will surely be trapped by nature. One who does not forget his own appearance in a hundred paces will surely burden his form.

故羽翼美者傷骨骸，枝葉美者害根莖，能兩美者，天下無之也。天有明，不憂民之晦也，百姓穿戶鑿牖，自取照焉；地有財，不憂民之貧也，百姓伐木芟草，自取富焉。至德道者若丘山，嵬然不動，行者以為期也。直己而足物，不為人贛，用之者亦不受其德，故寧而能久。天地無予也，故無奪也；日月無德也，故無怨也。喜德者必多怨，喜予者必善奪。唯滅跡於無為，而隨天地自然者，唯能勝理，而為受名。名興則道行，道行則人無位矣。故譽生則毀隨之，善見則怨從之。利則為害始，福則為禍先。唯不求利者為無害，唯不求福者為無禍。侯而求霸者，必失其侯；霸而求王者，必喪其霸。故國以全為常，霸王其寄也；身以生為常，富貴其寄也。能不以天下傷其國，而不以國害其身者，為可以托天下也。

So when feathers and wings are beautiful, they harm the bones; when branches and leaves are beautiful, they harm the roots and stems; one who can make both beautiful, there is none in the world. Heaven has light and does not worry about the people's darkness, and the people open doors and cut windows and take light for themselves; earth has wealth and does not worry about the people's poverty, and the people cut trees and reap grass and make themselves rich. One of supreme virtue who accords with the Way is like a hill or mountain, towering and unmoving, which travelers take as their marker. If he sets himself right and things are sufficient, he gives people no rewards, and those who benefit do not feel his virtue, so he is at peace and lasts long. Heaven and earth do not give, so they do not take away; the sun and moon have no virtue, so they have no resentment. One who likes virtue must have much resentment, and one who likes giving must be good at taking. Only one who extinguishes traces in non-action and follows heaven and earth's naturalness can overcome principle and receive the name. When fame arises, the Way is carried out; when the Way is carried out, people have no place. So when praise is born, blame follows; when goodness is manifest, resentment follows. Profit is the beginning of harm, and blessing is the prelude to misfortune. Only one who does not seek profit has no harm, and only one who does not seek blessing has no misfortune. One who is a marquis and seeks to be hegemon will surely lose being marquis; one who is a hegemon and seeks to be king will surely lose being hegemon. So for a state the constant is preservation, and being hegemon or king is a lodging; for the body the constant is life, and wealth and rank are a lodging. One who can neither harm his state for the sake of the world nor hinder his body for the sake of the state can be entrusted with the world.

不知道者，釋其所已有，而求其所未得也。苦心愁慮以行曲，故福至則喜，禍至則怖，神勞於謀，智遽於事，禍福萌生，終身不悔，己之所生，乃反愁人。不喜則憂，中未嘗平。持無所監，謂之狂生。人主好仁，則無功者賞，有罪者釋；好刑，則有功者廢，無罪者誅。及無好者，誅而無怨，施而不德，放準循繩，身無與事，若天若地，何不覆載！故合而舍之者，君也；制而誅之者，法也。民已受誅，怨無所滅，謂之道。道勝，則人無事矣。聖人無屈奇之服，無瑰異之行，服不視，行不觀，言不議，通而不華，窮而不懾，榮而不顯，隱而不窮，異而不見怪，容而與眾同；無以名之，此之謂大通。升降揖讓，趨翔周遊，不得已而為也，非性所有於身，情無符檢，行所不得已之事，而不解構耳，豈加故為哉！

One who does not know the Way sets aside what he already has and seeks what he has not yet got. Toiling in mind and worrying in thought, he goes in crooked paths, so he is glad when fortune comes and afraid when misfortune comes; his spirit toils in planning, his intelligence is pressed in affairs, fortune and misfortune sprout, he never regrets in his whole life, and what he himself brought forth he then grieves about in others. If not happy, he is worried, and his inner state has never been level. One who holds on with nothing to examine is called a wild man. If a ruler likes benevolence, those without merit are rewarded and those with guilt are released; if he likes punishment, those with merit are discarded and those without guilt are executed. As for one who has no preferences, he executes without resentment, gives without taking himself as virtuous, sets the level and follows the ink line, and does not himself take part in affairs; like heaven and like earth, what does he not cover and carry! So what joins and releases is the ruler, and what cuts and executes is the law. When the people have already been executed, resentment has nowhere to be extinguished; this is called the Way. When the Way prevails, people have nothing to do. The sage has no strange clothing and no marvelous conduct; his clothes are not noticed, his conduct is not observed, his words are not discussed; he is accomplished without flashiness, in hardship not frightened, in glory not conspicuous, hidden yet not exhausted, different yet not regarded as odd, with the same bearing as the multitude; there is no way to give him a name, and this is called great penetration. Ascending and descending, bowing and yielding, hurrying and gliding, going round, are done only because there is no choice, not because they belong to nature's being in the body; the feelings have no proof, and he does what he cannot avoid doing without untying the construction, so how could he be deliberately adding something!

故不得已而歌者，不事為悲；不得已而舞者，不矜為麗。歌舞而不事為悲麗者，皆無有根心者。善博者不欲牟，不恐不勝，平心定意，捉得其齊，行由其理，雖不必勝，得籌必多。何則？勝在於數，不在於欲。駎者不貪最先，不恐獨後，緩急調乎手，禦心調乎馬，雖不能必先載，馬力必盡矣。何則？先在於數，而不在於欲也。是故滅欲則數勝，棄智則道立矣。賈多端則貧，工多技則窮，心不一也。故木之大者害其條，水之大者害其深。有智而無術，雖鑽之不通；有百技而無一道，雖得之弗能守。故《詩》曰：「淑人君子，其儀一也。其儀一也，心如結也。」君子其結於一乎！舜彈五絃之琴，而歌《南風》之詩，以治天下。周公殽臑不收於前，鐘鼓不解於縣，以輔成王而海內平。匹夫百畮一守，不遑啟處，無所移之也。以一人兼聽天下，日有餘而治不足，使人為之也。處尊位者如屍，守官者如祝宰。屍雖能剝狗燒彘，弗為也，弗能無虧；俎豆之列次，黍稷之先後，雖知弗教也，弗能害也。不能祝者，不可以為祝，無害於為屍；不能禦者，不可以為僕，無害於為佐。故位愈尊而身愈佚；身愈大而事愈少。譬如張琴，小弦雖急，大弦必緩。

So one who sings because he cannot help singing does not make a task of sadness; one who dances because he cannot help dancing does not boast of beauty. Those who sing and dance without making a task of sadness or beauty are people without roots in their heart. One who is good at gambling games does not want to grab and is not afraid of not winning, keeps his mind level and his intention steady, throws his dice evenly and moves his pieces by principle, and though he need not win, the counters he gains will surely be many. Why? Winning lies in the number, not in desire. One who races horses does not covet being first or fear being alone behind; slow and fast are coordinated in his hands, the driver's heart is coordinated with the horse, and though he cannot be sure to arrive first, the horse's strength will surely be used up. Why? Being first lies in the number, not in desire. So when desire is extinguished the number wins, and when cleverness is discarded the Way is established. A merchant with many dealings is poor, and an artisan with many skills is destitute, because the heart is not single. So when a tree is large it harms its twigs, and when water is great it harms its depth. One who has cleverness but no art, even drilling will not get through; one who has a hundred skills but no one Way, even if he gains them cannot keep them. So the Book of Odes says: "The fine man, the gentleman, his demeanor is single. His demeanor is single, and his heart is as if tied." The gentleman is probably tied to the One! Shun played the five-stringed zither and sang the poem of the South Wind to govern the world. The Duke of Zhou, with the leg-bone meat of sacrifice before him, had no time to put it away, and bells and drums were not untied from their hangings, and so he assisted King Cheng and within the seas there was peace. A common man with a hundred mu keeps to one spot, with no leisure to rest and no way to move. If one man tried to listen to the whole world at once, his days would be more than enough but the matters to govern would not be, so he has others do it. One in the honored position is like the corpse-impersonator, and one who keeps office is like the invocator and steward. The corpse-impersonator, though he could skin dogs and roast pigs, does not do it, and does not suffer for being unable to; the order of the stands and vessels and the precedence of millet and grain, though he knows them, he does not teach, and not being able to do them does no harm. One who cannot invoke cannot serve as invocator but it does not hinder him from serving as corpse-impersonator; one who cannot drive cannot serve as driver but it does not hinder him from serving as assistant. So the higher the position, the more at ease the body; the greater the body, the fewer the tasks. It is like stringing a zither: the small strings, though tight, mean the large strings must be loose.

無為者，道之體也；執後者，道之容也。無為制有為，術也；執後之制先，數也。放於術則強，審於數則寧。今與人卞氏之璧，未受者，先也；求而致之，雖怨不逆者，後也。三人同舍，二人相爭，爭者各自以為直，不能相聽，一人雖愚，必從旁而決之，非以智，不爭也。兩人相鬥，一羸在側，助一人則勝，救一人則免，鬥者雖強，必制一羸，非以勇也，以不鬥也。由此觀之，後之制先，靜之勝躁，數也。倍道棄數，以求苟遇，變常易故，以知要遮，過則自非，中則以為候，暗行繆改，終身不寤，此之謂狂。有禍則詘，有福則嬴，有過則悔，有功則矜，遂不知反，此謂狂人。員之中規，方之中矩，行成獸，止成文，可以將少，而不可以將眾。蓼菜成行，瓶甌有堤，量粟而舂，數米而炊，可以治家，而不可以治國。滌杯而食，洗爵而飲，浣而後饋，可以養家老，而不可以饗三軍。

Non-action is the substance of the Way; holding to the rear is the appearance of the Way. Using non-action to restrain action is art; using the rear to restrain the front is number. Put in art one is strong; examine the numbers and one is at peace. Now if someone gives a person Bian's jade disk, the one who has not yet received it is first; the one who seeks it and has it delivered, even if resentful he does not oppose, is last. If three people lodge in one house and two argue, each of the arguers considers himself right and they cannot listen to each other; the one man, though foolish, will surely settle it from the side, not by wisdom but by not contending. If two people fight and one thin weak person is beside them, helping one means winning and rescuing one means saving him; though the fighters are strong, they are surely restrained by one weak person, not by courage but by not fighting. From this we see that the rear restrains the front and stillness overcomes restlessness; this is number. To turn away from the Way and discard number so as to seek carelessly for chance encounters, changing the constant and altering the old, using cleverness to block, blaming oneself when one misses and taking hits as omens, acting in the dark and altering mistakenly, never waking in one's life, is called wildness. When there is misfortune one bows, when there is fortune one overflows, when there is a fault one regrets, when there is merit one boasts, and so one does not know to return; this is called a wild man. Round to fit the compass and square to fit the set square, walking in the form of beasts and stopping in ornamented pattern, one can lead the few but cannot lead the many. Knotweed arranged in rows, bottles and jars with embankments, measuring grain to pound and counting rice to cook, can govern a household but cannot govern a state. Washing the cup to eat and washing the goblet to drink, washing and then serving food, can nourish the elders of the household but cannot feast the three armies.

非易不可以治大，非簡不可以合眾。大樂必易，大禮必簡。易故能天，簡故能地。大樂無怨，大禮不責，四海之內，莫不繫統，故能帝也。心有憂者，筐床衽席，弗能安也；菰飯犓牛，弗能甘也；琴瑟鳴竽，弗能樂也。患解憂除，然後食甘寢甯，居安遊樂。由是觀之，生有以樂也，死有以哀也。今務益性之所不能樂，而以害性之所以樂，故雖富有天下，貴為天子，而不免為哀之人。凡人之性，樂恬而憎憫，樂佚而憎勞。心常無欲，可謂恬矣；形常無事，可謂佚矣。遊心於恬，舍形於佚，以俟天命。自樂於內，無急於外，雖天下之大，不足以易其一概。日月廋而無溉於志，故雖賤如貴，雖貧如富。大道無形，大仁無親，大辯無聲，大廉不嗛，大勇不矜。五者無棄，而幾向方矣。軍多令則亂，酒多約則辯；亂則降北，辯則相賊。故始於都者，常大於鄙；始於樂者，常大於悲；其作始簡者，其終本必調。今有美酒嘉餚以相饗，卑體婉辭以接之，欲以合歡；爭盈爵之間反生鬥，鬥而相傷，三族結怨，反其所憎，此酒之敗也。

Without ease, one cannot govern the great; without simplicity, one cannot unite the multitude. Great music is surely easy, and great ritual is surely simple. Because it is easy it can resemble heaven, and because it is simple it can resemble earth. Great music has no resentment, great ritual has no demands, and within the four seas none is not bound, so one can be called emperor. One who has worry in his heart cannot be at ease even on a basket bed and a mat; cannot find sweetness even in wild rice and fattened oxen; cannot be happy even with zither, lute, and reed organ. When trouble is resolved and worry is removed, then one eats with relish and sleeps in peace, finds dwelling comfortable and goes about happily. From this we see that life has things to enjoy and death has things to mourn. Now people strive to increase what nature cannot enjoy and hinder what nature does enjoy, so even if they hold the world as wealth and are honored as Son of Heaven, they cannot avoid becoming sorrowful. A person's nature enjoys calm and hates distress, enjoys ease and hates toil. When the heart is constantly without desire, it can be said to be calm; when the body is constantly without tasks, it can be said to be at ease. Let the mind roam in calm and let the body rest in ease to await the decree of Heaven. One who is happy within and not hurried without could not be swayed by an entire world for one of his own scruples. Sun and moon hide yet do not irrigate the will, so even if lowly one is like the noble, even if poor one is like the rich. The great Way has no form, great benevolence has no close or distant, great eloquence has no sound, great integrity is not deficient, and great courage does not boast. If these five are not discarded, one is nearly directed toward uprightness. When military orders are many there is disorder; when drinking rules are many there is wrangling; disorder leads to surrender and defeat, and wrangling leads to mutual harm. So what begins in fine abundance is often greater than the crude; what begins in joy is often greater than sorrow; what begins simple will surely end in harmony. Now when people have fine wine and good dishes and feast each other, with humble bodies and gentle words in their dealings, wanting to join in delight, in the end they fight over a full cup and come to blows, and in fighting injure each other and three clans bear grudges, and what was liked becomes what is hated; this is the ruin of wine.

《詩》之失僻，樂之失刺，禮之失責。徵音非無羽聲也，羽音非無徵聲也，五音莫不有聲，而以徵羽定名者，以勝者也。故仁義智勇，聖人之所備有也，然而皆立一名者，言其大者也。陽氣起於東北，盡於西南，；陰氣起於西南，盡於東北。陰陽之始，皆調適相似，日長其類，以侵相遠，或熱焦沙，或寒凝水，故聖人謹慎其所積。水出於山，而入於海；稼生於野，而藏於廩。見所始則知終矣。席之先雚蕈，樽之上玄酒，俎之先生魚，豆之先泰羹，此皆不快於耳目，不適於口腹，而先王貴之，先本而後末。聖人之接物，千變萬軫，必有不化而應化者。夫寒之與暖相反，大寒地坼水凝，火弗為衰其暑；大熱爍石流金，火弗為益其烈。寒暑之變，無損益於己，質有之也。聖人常後而不先，常應而不唱；不進而求，不退而讓；隨時三年，時去我先；去時三年，時在我後；無去無就，中立其所。

The fault of the Odes is being off-center, the fault of music is mockery, and the fault of ritual is demanding. The zhi note is not without the yu sound, and the yu note is not without the zhi sound; there is no note of the five without sound, yet zhi and yu are used to fix the name because of which prevails. So benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, and courage are all possessed by the sage, yet each is named by one, speaking of what is greatest. Yang qi rises in the northeast and ends in the southwest; (the received text may have a redundant passage here) yin qi rises in the southwest and ends in the northeast. At the beginning of yin and yang, they are all balanced and alike, but day by day they grow their own kind and gradually drift apart, some becoming hot enough to scorch sand and some becoming cold enough to freeze water, so the sage is careful about what accumulates. Water comes out of mountains and enters the sea; crops grow in the wilds and are stored in granaries. Seeing what begins, one knows what ends. On mats first reeds are used, on goblets first plain water, on stands first raw fish, on bowls first plain broth; these are not to please the ears and eyes or suit the mouth and belly, yet the former kings valued them, putting the root before the branch. The sage, in meeting things, through a thousand changes and ten thousand turns, always has something unchanging with which to answer change. Cold and warm are opposites; in great cold the earth cracks and water freezes, and fire does not diminish its heat because of it; in great heat stones melt and metal flows, and fire does not add to its fierceness because of it. The changes of cold and heat neither add to nor take from itself, for it has this by its substance. The sage is always behind and does not race ahead, always responds and does not lead; does not advance to seek, does not retreat to yield; follows the time for three years and time leaves me ahead; leaves the time for three years and time is behind me; he neither goes nor approaches, standing in the middle where he is.

天道無親，唯德是與。有道者，不失時與人；無道者，失於時而取人。直己而待命，時之至不可迎而反也；要遮而求合，時之去不可追而援也。故不曰我無以為而天下遠，不曰我不欲而天下不至。古之存己者，樂德而忘賤，故名不動志；樂道而忘貧。故利不動心。名利充天下，不足以概志，故廉而能樂，靜而能澹。故其身治者，可與言道矣。自身以上，至於荒芒爾遠矣，自死而天下無窮爾滔矣，以數雜之壽，憂天下之亂，猶憂河水之少，泣而益之也。龜三千歲，浮游不過三日，以浮游而為龜憂養生之具，人必笑之矣。故不憂天下之亂，而樂其身之治者，可與言道矣。君子為善，不能使福必來；不為非，而不能使禍無至。福之至也，非其所求，故不伐其功；禍之來也，非其所生，故不悔其行。內修極而橫禍至者，皆天也，非人也。故中心常恬漠，累積其德，狗吠而不驚，自信其情。故知道者不惑，知命者不憂。萬乘之主卒，葬其骸於廣野之中，祀其鬼神於明堂之上，神貴於形也。故神制則形從，形勝則神窮。聰明雖用，必反諸神，謂之太沖。

The Way of Heaven has no close or distant and is only with virtue. One who has the Way does not lose the time and gives to others; one who lacks the Way errs in the time and takes from others. Set yourself right and wait for fate; when the time comes you cannot welcome it and make it return; if you block it to seek union, when the time has gone you cannot pursue it and pull it back. So do not say that I have no way to act and the world is far, or that I do not want it and the world does not come. In ancient times those who preserved themselves delighted in virtue and forgot lowliness, so fame did not move their will; delighted in the Way and forgot poverty, so profit did not move their heart. Though fame and profit filled the world, they were not enough to stir their will, so they were incorrupt and happy, still and satisfied. So only one who governs himself can be talked to of the Way. From oneself upward to the vast wilderness is that far, and from death the world is endless and rolling; with a short, mixed life to worry about the disorder of the world is like worrying about too little water in the river and adding to it by weeping. A tortoise lives three thousand years, a mayfly floats and flits no more than three days; if one used the mayfly to worry about the tortoise's tools for nourishing life, people would laugh at him. So only one who does not worry about the disorder of the world but delights in the order of himself can be talked to of the Way. When the gentleman does good, he cannot make fortune surely come; when he does not do wrong, he cannot make misfortune not arrive. When fortune comes, it is not what he sought, so he does not boast of his merit; when misfortune comes, it is not what he produced, so he does not regret his conduct. When one has cultivated oneself to the utmost within and unexpected calamity arrives, it is all Heaven, not man. So his heart is constantly calm and still, accumulating his virtue, not startled even by a barking dog, and trusting his own feelings. So one who knows the Way is not confused and one who knows fate is not worried. A ruler of ten thousand chariots dies, his bones are buried in the wilds, and his spirit is sacrificed to in the bright hall, because the spirit is more valued than the form. So when spirit restrains, form follows; when form prevails, spirit is exhausted. Cleverness may be used, but it must return to spirit; this is called the Great Void.

古之用兵者，非利土壤之廣而貪金玉之略，將以存亡繼絕，平天下之亂，而除萬民之害也。凡有血氣之蟲，含牙帶角，前爪後距，有角者觸，有齒者噬，有毒者螫，有蹄者趹。喜而相戲，怒而相害，天之性也。人有衣食之情，而物弗能足也。故群居雜處，分不均，求不澹，則爭；爭，則強脅弱，而勇侵怯。人無筋骨之強，爪牙之利，故割革而為甲，鑠鐵而為刃。貪昧饕餮之人，殘賊天下，萬人搔動，莫寧其所。有聖人勃然而起，乃討強暴，平亂世，夷險除穢，以濁為清，以危為寧，故不得不中絕。兵之所由來者遠矣！黃帝嘗與炎帝戰矣，顓頊嘗與共工爭矣。故黃帝戰於涿鹿之野，堯戰于丹水之浦，舜伐有苗，啟攻有扈。自五帝而弗能偃也，又況衰世乎！

The ancients who used arms did not covet broad territory or the plunder of gold and jade, but meant to preserve what was perishing and continue what was broken, to settle the disorder of the world and remove the harm to the myriad people. All creatures with blood and breath hold teeth and wear horns, have claws in front and spurs behind; those with horns gore, those with teeth bite, those with poison sting, those with hooves kick. When glad they play with each other, when angry they harm each other, which is the nature of Heaven. Humans have the desire for clothing and food, and things are not sufficient for them. So when they live together mixed, the shares are unequal and demands unsatisfied, and they contend; in contention the strong threaten the weak and the brave bully the timid. Humans lack the strength of sinews and bones and the sharpness of claws and teeth, so they cut hides to make armor and smelt iron to make blades. The greedy and gluttonous ravage the world, ten thousand people are in turmoil, and none is at ease where he is. Then a sage rose in force, attacking the violent and settling the age of disorder, leveling the steep and clearing the filth, turning the muddy into the clear and the dangerous into peace, so those ravagers had to be cut off in the middle. Weapons have come from far back! The Yellow Emperor once fought the Flame Emperor, and Zhuanxu once contended with Gonggong. So the Yellow Emperor fought in the wilds of Zhuolu, Yao fought on the banks of the Dan River, Shun attacked the Youmiao, and Qi attacked the Youhu. Even from the Five Emperors it could not be stopped, let alone in a declining age!

夫兵者，所以禁暴討亂也。炎帝為火災，故黃帝禽之；共工為水害，故顓頊誅之。教之以道，導之以德而不聽，則臨之以威武；臨之威武而不從，則制之以兵革。故聖人之用兵也，若櫛發耨苗，所去者少，而所利者多。殺無辜之民，而養無義之君，害莫大焉；殫天下之財，而澹一人之慾，禍莫深焉。使夏桀、殷紂有害於民而立被其患，不至於為炮烙；晉厲、宋康行一不義而身死國亡，不至於侵奪為暴。此四君者，皆有小過而莫之討也，故至於攘天下，害百姓，肆一人之邪，而長海內之禍，此大倫之所不取也。所為立君者，以禁暴討亂也。今乘萬民之力，而反為殘賊，是為虎傅翼，曷為弗除！夫畜池魚者必去猵獺，養禽獸者必去豺狼，又況治人乎！

Weapons are used to stop violence and punish disorder. The Flame Emperor caused fire disasters, so the Yellow Emperor captured him; Gonggong caused flood harm, so Zhuanxu executed him. Teach with the Way and lead with virtue, and if they do not listen, bring martial might to bear; if martial might is brought to bear and they still do not comply, restrain them with arms and armor. So when the sage uses weapons it is like combing the hair and hoeing seedlings: little is removed and much is gained. To kill innocent people in order to feed an unrighteous ruler, no harm is greater; to exhaust the wealth of the world to satisfy one man's desire, no disaster is deeper. If Jie of Xia and Zhou of Yin had been struck with consequences as soon as they harmed the people, they would not have reached the roasting pillar; if Duke Li of Jin and King Kang of Song had met death and the loss of their states for a single unrighteous act, they would not have gone on to rob and become tyrants. These four rulers all had small faults without anyone attacking them, so they went on to seize the world and harm the people, indulged one man's wickedness, and fanned the calamity within the seas, which the great principle does not allow. So the ruler is established to stop violence and punish disorder. If now he rides on the strength of the myriad people and becomes a ravager, it is like putting wings on a tiger; why not remove him! One who raises fish in a pond must remove the otters, one who raises birds and beasts must remove jackals and wolves; how much more so in governing people!

故霸王之兵，以論慮之，以策圖之，以義扶之，非以亡存也，將以存亡也。故聞敵國之君，有加虐於民者，則舉兵而臨其境，責之以不義，刺之以過行。兵至其郊，乃令軍師曰：“毋伐樹木，毋抉墳墓，毋燒五穀，毋焚積聚，毋捕民虜，毋收六畜。”乃發號施令曰：“其國之君，傲天悔鬼，決獄不辜，殺戮無罪，此天之所以誅也，民之所以仇也。兵之來也，以廢不義而複有德也。有逆天之道，帥民之賊者，身死族滅！以家聽者，祿以家；以裡聽者，賞以裡；以鄉聽者，封以鄉；以縣聽者，侯以縣。”克國不及其民，廢其君而易其政。尊其秀士而顯其賢良，振其孤寡，恤其貧窮，出其囹圄，賞其有功，百姓開門而待之，淅米而儲之，唯恐其不來也。此湯、武之所以致王，而齊桓之所以成霸也。故君為無道，民之思兵也，若旱而望雨，渴而求飲。夫有誰與交兵接刃乎！故義兵之至也，至於不戰而止。

So the armies of a hegemon or king are thought through by discussion, planned by strategy, and supported by righteousness; they are not used to destroy what exists but to preserve what is about to be lost. So when he hears that the ruler of an enemy state is cruel to his people, he raises troops and approaches his border, blaming him for unrighteousness and rebuking his erroneous conduct. When the army reaches his outskirts, he gives orders to the commanders: "Do not cut down trees, do not dig up graves, do not burn the five grains, do not burn stores, do not seize the people as captives, do not take the six domestic animals." Then he issues orders: "The ruler of that state looks down on Heaven, insults the spirits, decides cases wrongly against the innocent, and kills those without guilt; this is why Heaven executes him and the people hate him. The coming of the army is to abolish unrighteousness and restore the virtuous. Those who go against Heaven's Way and lead the people in robbery will die in person and be wiped out in clan! Those who follow by household will be given the household as salary; those who follow by neighborhood will be rewarded with the neighborhood; those who follow by township will be enfeoffed with the township; those who follow by county will be made marquis of the county." Capturing a state without harming the people, deposing its ruler and changing its government, he honors fine scholars and promotes the worthy, relieves orphans and widows, cares for the poor, releases those in prison, rewards those with merit, and the people open their doors to wait, washing rice to store, only afraid he will not come. This is how Tang and Wu came to be kings and how Duke Huan of Qi achieved hegemony. So when a ruler is Way-less, the people long for an army like those in drought long for rain and the thirsty seek a drink. Who then will cross weapons with him! So when the army of righteousness arrives, it ends without battle.

晚世之兵，君雖無道，莫不設渠塹，傅堞而守，攻者非以禁暴除害也，欲以侵地廣壤也。是故至於伏屍流血，相支以日，而霸王之功不世出者，自為之故也。夫為地戰者，不能成其王；為身戰者，不能立其功。舉事以為人者，眾助之；舉事以自為者，眾去之。眾之所助，雖弱必強；眾之所去，雖大必亡。兵失道而弱，得道而強；將失道而拙，得道而工；國得道而存，失道而亡。所謂道者，體圓而法方，背陰而抱陽，左柔而右剛，履幽而戴明。變化無常，得一之原，以應無方，是謂神明。

The armies of the late age are such that even when the ruler is Way-less, there are none who do not set up trenches and attach parapets to defend, and the attackers are not stopping violence or removing harm but wish to seize land and enlarge their territory. So they reach the point of corpses lying and blood flowing, standoffs lasting days, and the merit of a hegemon or king does not appear in the world, because of what they themselves have done. One who fights for land cannot become king; one who fights for himself cannot establish merit. One who acts for others is helped by the multitude; one who acts for himself is left by the multitude. What the multitude help, though weak, will be strong; what the multitude leave, though large, will perish. An army that loses the Way is weak and one that gains the Way is strong; a general who loses the Way is clumsy and one who gains the Way is skilled; a state that gains the Way survives and one that loses the Way perishes. What is called the Way has a round substance and a square rule, carries yin on its back and embraces yang, is soft on the left and hard on the right, treads on the dark and wears the bright. Its changes have no constant pattern, it obtains the source of the One, and answers without a fixed direction; this is called spirit-light.

夫圓者，天也；方者，地也。天圓而無端，故不可得而觀；地方而無垠，故莫能窺其門。天化育而無形象，地生長而無計量，渾渾沉沉，孰知其藏。凡物有朕，唯道無朕。所以無朕者，以其無常形勢也。輪轉而無窮，象日月之運行，若春秋有代謝，若日月有晝夜，終而複始，明而複晦，莫能得其紀。制刑而無刑，故功可成；物物而不物，故勝而不屈。刑，兵之極也，至於無刑，可謂極之矣。是故大兵無創，與鬼神通，五兵不厲，天下莫之敢當。建鼓不出庫，諸侯莫不慴㥄沮膽其處。故廟戰者帝，神化者王。所謂廟戰者，法天道也；神化者，法四時也。修政於境內，而遠方慕其德；制勝於未戰，而諸侯服其威。內政治也。

What is round is Heaven, and what is square is Earth. Heaven is round and has no end, so it cannot be obtained and viewed; Earth is square and has no boundary, so no one can peer into its gate. Heaven transforms and nurtures without image, Earth grows without measure, deep and murky; who knows where it hides? All things have omens, but only the Way has no omen. It has no omen because it has no constant configuration. It turns without end, like the sun and moon in motion, like spring and autumn succeeding each other, like day and night of sun and moon, ending and beginning again, brightening and darkening again, and no one can grasp its guiding thread. To regulate form without form, so that merit can be achieved; to let things be things without being transformed by things, so that one wins without yielding. Form is the extreme of the military, and reaching formlessness may be called the utmost. So the great army has no wounds and communicates with ghosts and spirits, the five weapons are not whetted and no one in the world dares oppose them. The standing drum does not come out of the armory, and the feudal lords all cower, lose their courage, grow dejected and stay where they are (the original has a rare character here). So one who fights in the temple hall becomes emperor, and one who transforms like a spirit becomes king. The so-called temple battle is imitating the Way of Heaven; the spirit-like transformation is imitating the four seasons. Cultivating governance within the borders, distant peoples admire his virtue; winning before fighting, the feudal lords submit to his might. This is because domestic government is well ordered.

古得道者，靜而法天地，動而順日月，喜怒而合四時，叫呼而比雷霆，音氣不戾八風，詘伸不獲五度。下至介鱗，上及毛羽，條修葉貫，萬物百族，由本至末，莫不有序。是故入小而不逼，處大而不窕，浸乎金石，潤乎草木，宇中六合，振豪之末，莫不順比。道之浸洽，滒淖纖微，無所不在，是以勝權多也。夫射，儀度不得，則格的不中；驥，一節不用，而千里不至。夫戰而不勝者，非鼓之日也，素行無刑久矣。故得道之兵，車不發軔，騎不被鞍，鼓不振塵，旗不解卷，甲不離矢，刃不嘗血，朝不易位，賈不去肆，農不離野。招義而責之，大國必朝，小城必下。因民之慾，乘民之力，而為之去殘除賊也。故同利相死，同情相成，同欲相助。順道而動，天下為向；因民而慮，天下為鬥。獵者逐禽，車馳人趨，各盡其力，無刑罰之威，而相為斥闉要遮者，同所利也；同舟而濟於江，卒遇風波，百族之子，捷捽招杼船，若左右手，不以相德，其憂同也。故明王之用兵也，為天下除害，而與萬民共用其利。民之為用，猶子之為父，弟之為兄。威之所加，若崩山決塘，敵孰敢當！故善用兵者，用其自為用也；不能用兵者，用其為己用也。用其自為用，則天下莫不可用也；用其為己用，所得者鮮矣。兵有三詆，治國家，理境內，行仁義，佈德惠，立正法，塞邪隧，群臣親附，百姓和輯，上下一心，君臣同力，諸侯服其威，而四方懷其德。修政廟堂之上，而折沖千里之外，拱揖指捴，而天下回應，此用兵之上也。地廣民眾，主賢將忠，國富兵強，約束信，號令明，兩軍相當，鼓錞相望，未至兵交接刃，而敵奔亡，此用兵之次也。知土地之宜，羽險隘之利，明奇正之變，察行陳解贖之數，維枹綰而鼓之，白刃合，流矢接，涉血屬腸，輿死扶傷，流血千里，暴骸盈場，乃以決勝，此用兵之下也。

The ancients who obtained the Way, when still, took Heaven and Earth as their model, and when moving, followed the sun and moon; their joy and anger matched the four seasons, their calls and cries paralleled thunder and thunderbolts, their voice and breath did not go against the eight winds, and their bending and stretching did not err from the five measures. From shelled and scaled creatures below to furred and feathered above, branches arranged and leaves linked, the myriad things and hundred clans, from root to tip, nothing lacks order. So entering the small it is not cramped, dwelling in the great it is not loose; it soaks into metal and stone and moistens plants and trees; within the universe and six directions, down to the tip of a hair, nothing fails to conform. The Way's permeation is as fine as mud, and everywhere, so its authority to win is great. In archery, if the posture and measure are not right, the target cannot be hit; with a fine steed, if one joint is not used, a thousand li cannot be reached. Fighting without winning is not a matter of the day the drum is struck; the daily conduct has been formless for a long time. So the army of one who has obtained the Way: the chariots do not release their wheel blocks, the cavalry do not put on saddles, the drums do not raise dust, the banners are not unrolled, the armor does not leave the arrows, the blades do not taste blood, the court does not change its position, merchants do not leave their shops, farmers do not leave the fields. When he raises rightness to demand redress, great states will certainly come to pay court and small cities will certainly surrender. He relies on the people's desires and uses the people's strength, and for them removes cruelty and eliminates bandits. So when profits are shared, people die for each other; when feelings are shared, they help each other succeed; when desires are shared, they help each other. Moving along the Way, the world tends toward him; thinking in line with the people, the world fights for him. Hunters chasing game, with chariots speeding and men running, each exhaust their strength, with no threat of punishment yet they block and watch for each other, because their profit is shared; in the same boat crossing a river, suddenly meeting wind and waves, the sons of the hundred clans quickly grab the oars and row like left and right hands, not praising each other's virtue for it, because their worry is shared. So the enlightened king uses the military to remove harm from the world, and shares that benefit with the myriad people. The people are employed like sons for fathers and younger brothers for elder brothers. Where his authority reaches, it is like a mountain collapsing and a dike bursting; who among the enemy dares to resist! So one who is good at using the military uses them for themselves; one who cannot use the military uses them for himself. If one uses them for themselves, nothing in the world cannot be used; if one uses them for oneself, what one gains is little. The military has three kinds of resistance: governing the state, managing the territory, practicing humaneness and rightness, bestowing virtue and favor, setting up correct laws, blocking crooked paths, with ministers close and the people harmonious, high and low of one heart, ruler and ministers of one strength, the feudal lords submit to his might and the four quarters cherish his virtue; cultivating governance in the temple hall and crushing battering chariots a thousand li away, folding hands in a bow and giving directions, the world responds: this is the highest use of the military. With broad land and many people, a worthy ruler and loyal generals, a rich state and strong army, trustworthy agreements, clear commands, two armies matched and drums and banners facing each other, before the weapons even cross blades the enemy flees: this is the next best use of the military. Knowing what the land is suited for, knowing the advantages of narrow passes (the original has "yu" here, a corruption of "zhi"), understanding the changes of the unorthodox and the orthodox, observing the numbers of dispersal and assembly in marching formations, taking up drumsticks to beat the drum, white blades meeting and flying arrows crossing, wading through blood and trailing intestines, chariots carrying the dead and supporting the wounded, with blood flowing for a thousand li and exposed bones filling the field, and only then deciding victory: this is the lowest use of the military.

今夫天下皆知事治其末，而莫知務修其本，釋其根而樹其枝也。夫兵之所以佐勝者眾，而所以必勝者寡。甲堅兵利，車固馬良，畜積給足，士卒殷軫，此軍之大資也，而勝亡焉。明於星辰日月之運，刑德奇該之數，背鄉左右之便，此戰之助也，而全亡焉。良將之所以必勝者，恆有不原之智，不道之道，難以眾同也。夫論除謹，動靜時，吏卒辨，兵甲治，正行伍，連什伯，明鼓旗，此尉之官也。前後知險易，見敵知難易，發斥不忘遺，此候之官也。隧路亟，行輜治，賦丈均，處軍輯，井灶通，此司空之官也。收藏於後，遷舍不離，無淫輿，無遺輜，此輿之官也。凡此五官之於將也，猶身之有股肱手足也。必擇其人，技能其才，使官勝其任，人能其事。告之以政，申之以令，使之若虎豹之有爪牙，飛鳥之有六翮，莫不為用。然皆佐勝之具也，非所以必勝也。

Now the whole world knows to work on governing the branches, but no one knows to work on cultivating the root; this is setting aside the roots and putting up the branches. Weapons are what assist victory in many cases, but what ensures victory in few. Sturdy armor and sharp weapons, solid chariots and good horses, abundant stores and supplies, and many soldiers are the great resources of the army, but victory does not lie in these. Understanding the movements of stars, sun and moon, the numbers of punishment, virtue, odd and complete, and the advantages of facing and turning left and right are aids to battle, but preservation does not lie in these. The reason a good general surely wins is that he constantly has wisdom that cannot be traced, a Way that cannot be spoken of, hard to share with the multitude. As for discussing and being careful, moving and resting at the proper time, officers and soldiers distinguished, weapons and armor in order, ranks and files straight, squads and hundreds linked, drums and banners clearly marked: these are the duties of the captain. Knowing the ease and difficulty of the road ahead and behind, seeing the enemy and knowing the difficulty or ease, sending out scouts without forgetting or omitting: these are the duties of the scout. The road quick, march and baggage in order, supplies even by the foot and measure, camps harmonious, wells and stoves connected: these are the duties of the master of works. Storing at the rear, moving and lodging without leaving anything behind, no chariots overloaded, no baggage left behind: these are the duties of the wagon master. All five of these officials are to the general as limbs are to the body. One must choose the right person, give him the talent, let the official be equal to his post and the person able to do that task. Tell him the policy, make clear the order, and let them be like tigers and leopards with claws and fangs, or flying birds with six flight feathers, none unused. Yet all of these are tools to assist victory and not what ensures victory.

兵之勝敗，本在於政。政勝其民，下附其上，則兵強矣；民勝其政，下畔其上，則兵弱矣。故德義足以懷天下之民，事業足以當天下之急，選舉足以得賢士之心，謀慮足以知強弱之勢，此必勝之本也。地廣人眾，不足以為強；堅甲利兵，不足以為勝；高城深池，不足以為固；嚴令繁刑，不足以為威。為存政者，雖小必存；為亡政者，雖大必亡。昔者楚人地，南卷沅、湘，北繞潁、泗，西包巴、蜀，東裹郯、淮，潁、汝以為洫，江、漢以為池，垣之以鄧林，綿之以方城，山高尋云，溪肆無景，地利形便，卒民勇敢。蛟革犀兕，以為甲冑，修鎩短鏦，齊為前行，積弩陪後，錯車衛旁，疾如錐矢，合如雷電，解如風雨。然而兵殆於垂沙，眾破於栢舉。楚國之強，大地計眾，中分天下，然懷王北畏孟嘗君，背社稷之守，而委身強秦，兵挫地削，身死不還。二世皇帝，勢為天子，富有天下。人跡所至，舟楫所通，莫不為郡縣，然縱耳目之欲，窮侈靡之變，不顧百姓之饑寒窮匱也。興萬乘之駕，而作阿房之宮，發閭左之戍，收太半之賦，百姓之隨逮肆刑，挽輅首路死者，一旦不知千萬之數。天下敖然若焦熱，傾然若苦烈，上下不相寧，吏民不相憀。戍卒陳勝，興於大澤，攘臂袒右，稱為大楚，而天下回應。當此之時，非有牢甲利兵，勁弩強沖也，伐棘棗而為矜，周錐鑿而為刃，剡摲筡，奮儋钁，以當修戟強弩，攻城掠地，莫不降下，天下為之麋沸螘動，雲徹席捲，方數千里。勢位至賤，而器械甚不利，然一人唱而天下應之者，積怨在於民也。武王伐紂，東面而迎歲，至汜而水，至共頭而墜，彗星出而授殷人其柄。當戰之時，十日亂於上，風雨擊於中，然而前無蹈難之賞，而後無遁北之刑，白刃不畢拔而天下得矣。

The victory or defeat of the military is rooted in governance. If governance prevails over the people and those below attach to those above, the military is strong; if the people prevail over governance and those below turn on those above, the military is weak. So if virtue and rightness are enough to draw in the people of the world, if undertakings are enough to bear the world's emergencies, if selection is enough to win the hearts of worthy scholars, and if planning is enough to know the strength and weakness of the situation, these are the roots of sure victory. Broad land and many people are not enough to count as strength; solid armor and sharp weapons are not enough to count as victory; high walls and deep moats are not enough to count as security; strict orders and heavy punishments are not enough to count as authority. One who carries out the governance of survival will survive even if small; one who carries out the governance of ruin will perish even if large. In the past the land of the Chu people rolled up the Yuan and Xiang to the south, wound around the Ying and Si to the north, embraced Ba and Shu to the west, and wrapped Tan and Huai to the east, with the Ying and Ru as moats, the Yangtze and Han as ponds, the Deng forest as walls and the Fangcheng wall stretching on, with mountains so high they reached the clouds and streams so deep they cast no shadow; the terrain was advantageous and the soldiers and people were brave. With armor and helmets made of crocodile hide and rhinoceros, long spears and short lances in neat front ranks, repeating crossbows following behind, and interlocked chariots guarding the sides, they were swift as awls and arrows, joined like thunder and lightning, scattered like wind and rain. Yet their army was in peril at Chuisha, and their multitude was broken at Boju. Chu's strength, counting by the size of the land and the multitude, was to divide the world in half, yet King Huai, fearing Lord Mengchang in the north, abandoned the guarding of the altars and entrusted his person to mighty Qin; his army was defeated, his land was cut away, and he died without returning. The Second Emperor held power as Son of Heaven and had all under heaven. Everywhere human traces reached and boats could pass, all became commanderies and counties, yet he indulged the desires of ears and eyes, exhausted the changes of extravagance, and paid no attention to the hunger, cold and poverty of the people. He raised the carriage of ten thousand chariots and built the Epang Palace, summoned the garrison from the left of the village gates, took the greater part of the taxes, and the people, seized by followers and subjected to harsh punishment, died pulling shafts with their heads toward the road, in numbers beyond count in a single morning. The world was scorched as if by heat, and overturned as if by bitter fire, high and low unable to comfort each other, officials and people unable to rely on each other. The garrison soldier Chen Sheng rose at Daze, bared his right arm and proclaimed Great Chu, and the world responded. At that time there were no solid armor, sharp weapons, strong crossbows or powerful assault weapons; they cut brambles and jujube wood for spear shafts, used awls and chisels for blades, sharpened bamboo, and rose up with carrying poles and hoes to resist long halberds and strong crossbows, attacking cities and seizing land, and none failed to surrender, so that the world was like boiling gruel and swarming ants, scattering like clouds and rolling up like mats, over several thousand li. His position was extremely lowly and his weapons were very poor, yet one man led and the world responded, because resentment had accumulated in the people. King Wu attacking Zhou faced east to meet Jupiter, came to the Si river and met water, reached Gongtou and the mountain collapsed, and a comet appeared and handed the handle to the Yin people. At the time of the battle ten suns were in disorder above and wind and rain struck in the middle, but ahead there was no reward for those who went to face danger, and behind there was no punishment for those who fled in defeat; the white blades had not even all been drawn when the world was won.

是故善守者無與禦，而善戰者無與鬥，明於禁舍開塞之道，乘時勢，因民欲，而取天下。故善為政者積其德，善用兵者畜其怒；德積而民可用，怒畜而威可立也。故文之所以加者淺，則勢之所勝者小；德之所施者博，而威之所制者廣；威之所制者廣，則我強而敵弱矣。故善用兵者，先弱敵而後戰者也，故費不半而功自倍也。湯之地方七十裡而王者，修德也；智伯有千里之地而亡者，窮武也。故千乘之國，行文德者王；萬乘之國，好用兵者亡。故全兵先勝而後戰，敗兵先戰而後求勝。德均則眾者勝寡，力敵則智者勝愚，智侔則有數者禽無數。凡用兵者，必先自廟戰。主孰賢？將孰能？民孰附？國孰治？蓄積孰多？士卒孰精？甲兵孰利？器備孰便？故運籌於廟堂之上，而決勝乎千里之外矣。

So one who is good at defense has no one who can attack him, one who is good at battle has no one who can fight him; understanding the way of prohibiting and releasing, opening and closing, riding on the circumstances and relying on the people's desires, he takes the world. So one who is good at governing accumulates virtue, and one who is good at using the military stores up anger; when virtue is accumulated, the people can be used, and when anger is stored, authority can be established. So where culture reaches is shallow, what power overcomes is small; where virtue is applied widely, what authority regulates is wide; when what authority regulates is wide, I am strong and the enemy weak. So one who is good at using the military first makes the enemy weak and only then fights, so the expense is less than half and the merit doubles of itself. Tang had land of only seventy li and became king by cultivating virtue; Zhi Bo had land of a thousand li and perished by exhausting force. So in a state of a thousand chariots, one who practices civil virtue becomes king; in a state of ten thousand chariots, one who loves using the military perishes. So the army that survives wins first and then fights, and the army that is defeated fights first and then seeks victory. When virtue is equal, the many overcome the few; when strength is equal, the clever overcome the foolish; when cleverness is equal, those with method capture those without. In all use of the military, one must first fight in the temple hall oneself: which ruler is worthy? Which general is capable? Which people attach to him? Which state is well governed? Whose stores are more abundant? Whose soldiers are better trained? Whose armor and weapons are sharper? Whose equipment is more convenient? So by planning in the temple hall, victory is decided a thousand li away.

夫有形埒者，天下訟見之；有篇籍者，世人傳學之。此皆以形相勝者也。善形者弗法也，所貴道者，貴其無形也。無形則不可制迫也，不可度量也，不可巧詐也，不可規慮也。智見者，人為之謀；形見者，人為之功；眾見者，人為之伏；器見者，人為之備。動作周還，倨句詘伸，可巧詐者，皆非善者也。善者之動也，神出而鬼行，星耀而玄逐，進退詘伸，不見朕㙬，鸞舉麟振，鳳飛龍騰。發如秋風，疾如駭龍。當以生擊死，以盛乘衰，以疾掩遲，以飽制饑。若以水滅火，若以湯沃雪，何往而不遂！何之而不用達！在中虛神，在外漠志，運於無形，出於不意。與飄飄往，與忽忽來，莫知其所之；與條出，與間入，莫知其所集。卒如雷霆，疾如風雨，若從地出，若從天下，獨出獨入，莫能應圉。疾如鏃矢，何可勝偶？一晦一明，孰知其端緒！未見其發，固已至矣。

What has form and outline, the world competes to see; what has books and records, the people of the age pass on and study. All these are using form to overcome one another. One who is good at form does not take this as a model, and what he values in the Way is its formlessness. What is formless cannot be controlled or pressed, cannot be measured, cannot be deceived with cunning, cannot be planned or deliberated against. When cleverness is displayed, people plot against it; when form is displayed, people win merit against it; when the multitude is displayed, people set ambushes for it; when equipment is displayed, people guard against it. Movement and maneuvering, haughtiness, bending and stretching, whatever can be deceived with cunning, are none of them good. The movements of one who is good come out like spirits and walk like ghosts, shine like stars and chase like the dark, advancing and retreating, bending and stretching, with omens not to be seen (the original has a rare character here), the phoenix rising, the qilin stirring, the phoenix flying and the dragon soaring. Launching like the autumn wind, swift as a startled dragon. Just when using the living to strike the dead, using the flourishing to ride the declining, using the swift to cover the slow, using the full to restrain the hungry. Like using water to put out fire, like pouring hot water on snow, where would it not arrive! Where would it not penetrate! Inside the spirit is empty, outside the will is calm, turning in formlessness and emerging from the unexpected. Going with the drifting and coming with the sudden, no one knows where it goes; coming out with the thread and entering with the gap, no one knows where it gathers. Sudden as thunderbolts, swift as wind and rain, as if coming out of the ground, as if descending from heaven, entering and leaving alone, no one can respond and resist. Swift as arrowheads, how could it be overcome or matched? Now dark, now bright, who knows its beginning! Before one sees it launch, it has already arrived.

故善用兵者，見敵之虛，乘而勿假也，追而勿舍也，迫而勿去也。擊其猶猶，陵其與與，疾雷不及塞耳，疾霆不暇掩目。善用兵，若聲之與響，若鏜之與鞈，眯不給撫，呼不給吸。當此之時，仰不見天，俯不見地，手不麾戈，兵不盡拔，擊之若雷，薄之若風，炎之若火，淩之若波。敵之靜不知其所守，動不知其所為。故鼓鳴旗麾，當者莫不廢滯崩阤，天下孰敢厲威抗節而當其前者！故淩人者勝，待人者敗，為人杓者死。兵靜則固，專一則威，分決則勇，心疑則北，力分則弱。故能分人之兵，疑人之心，則錙銖有餘；不能分人之兵，疑人之心，則數倍不足。故紂之卒，百萬之心；武王之卒，三千人皆專而一。故千人同心，則得千人力；萬人異心，則無一人之用。將卒吏民，動靜如身，乃可以應敵合戰。故計定而發，分決而動，將無疑謀，卒無二心，動無墮容，口無虛言，事無嘗試，應敵必敏，發動必亟。

So one who is good at using the military, seeing the enemy's emptiness, rides it and does not give leave, chases it and does not give up, presses it and does not leave. He strikes when they hesitate, and overruns them when they delay; the quick thunder cannot be stopped by plugging the ears, the quick bolt cannot be stopped by covering the eyes. Good use of the military is like sound and echo, like bell and drum responding; when dust blinds the eye there is no time to wipe it, when one calls there is no time to breathe. At such a time, looking up one cannot see heaven and looking down one cannot see earth, the hand does not wave the spear, the weapons are not all drawn, striking him like thunder, pressing him like wind, burning him like fire, overrunning him like waves. The enemy, when still, does not know what to guard, and when moving, does not know what to do. So when the drum sounds and the banners wave, those who oppose are all stunned and collapse, and who in the world dares to raise his might and hold his standard and stand in front! So one who overruns others wins, one who waits for others is defeated, and one who becomes a target for others dies. When the troops are still they are firm, when united they have authority, when their duties are decided they are brave, when their hearts doubt they are defeated, when their strength is scattered they are weak. So being able to scatter others' troops and make their hearts doubt, even a small amount is more than enough; being unable to scatter others' troops and make their hearts doubt, even several times as many are not enough. So Zhou's soldiers had a million hearts, while King Wu's soldiers, three thousand men, were all of one mind. So when a thousand men are of one heart, one obtains the strength of a thousand men; when ten thousand men have different hearts, there is not the use of one man. Generals, soldiers, officers and people, moving and resting like one body, can then meet and fight the enemy. So plans are settled before launching, duties are decided before moving, the general has no doubtful schemes, the soldiers have no divided hearts, movement has no sagging appearance, the mouth has no empty words, and affairs have no trial and error; meeting the enemy is certainly swift and launching is certainly urgent.

故將以民為體，而民以將為心。心誠則支體親刃，心疑則支體撓北。心不專一，則體不節動；將不誠心，則卒不勇敢。故良將之卒，若虎之牙，若兕之角，若鳥之羽，若蚈之足，可以行，可以舉，可以噬，可以觸。強而不相敗，眾而不相害，一心以使之也。故民誠從其令，雖少無畏；民不從令，雖眾為寡。故下不親上，其心不用；卒不畏將，其形不戰。守有必固，而攻有必勝，不待交兵接刃，而存亡之機固以形矣。

So the general takes the people as his body, and the people take the general as their heart. If the heart is sincere, the limbs go close to blades; if the heart doubts, the limbs bend and flee. If the heart is not single, the body cannot regulate movement; if the general is not sincere in heart, the soldiers are not brave. So the soldiers of a good general are like the tiger's teeth, the rhinoceros's horn, the bird's feathers, the centipede's feet, able to walk, able to lift, able to bite, able to gore. Strong without ruining one another, many without hindering one another, because one heart commands them. So if the people truly follow orders, even if few they have no fear; if the people do not follow orders, even if many they become few. So when those below are not close to those above, the heart is not used; when soldiers do not fear the general, the form does not fight. Defense is certainly firm and attack certainly victorious, without waiting for weapons to cross blades, since the pivot of survival and ruin has already taken form.

兵有三勢，有二權。有氣勢，有地勢，有因勢。將充勇而輕敵，卒果敢而樂戰，三軍之眾，百萬之師，志厲青云，氣如飄風，聲如雷霆，誠積逾而威加敵人，此謂之氣勢。硤路津關，大山名塞，龍蛇蟠，卻笠居，羊腸道，發笱門，一人守隘，而千人弗敢過也，此謂地勢。因其勞倦怠亂，饑渴凍暍，推其摿摿，擠其揭揭，此謂因勢。善用間諜，審錯規慮，設蔚施伏，隱匿其形，出於不意，敵人之兵無所適備，此謂知權。陳卒正，前行選，進退俱，什伍搏，前後不相撚，左右不相干，受刃者少，傷敵者眾，此謂事權。

The military has three kinds of advantage and two kinds of authority. There are the advantage of momentum, the advantage of terrain, and the advantage of circumstance. When the general is full of courage and makes light of the enemy, the soldiers are resolute and delight in battle, and the three armies and million men have wills raised to the blue clouds, qi like a whirlwind, voice like thunder, sincerity piled up in the past and authority applied to the enemy, this is called the advantage of momentum. Narrow roads, river crossings and passes, great mountains and famous fortresses, coiled like dragons and snakes, settled like an upturned hat, sheep-gut paths, gates like an arrow basket, where one man guards the pass and a thousand dare not pass, this is called the advantage of terrain. Relying on the other side's weariness, laxity and disorder, hunger, thirst, cold and heat, pushing him in turmoil and pressing him restless, this is called the advantage of circumstance. Skillfully using spies, carefully planning and interweaving schemes, setting ambushes in grass and trees, hiding one's form and striking when unexpected, so the enemy's troops have no way to prepare, this is called knowing authority. Ranks of soldiers upright, the front row selected, advance and retreat in unison, squads gathering together, the front and rear not tangled, left and right not interfering, few receiving blades and many wounding the enemy, this is called the authority of affairs.

權勢必形，吏卒專精，選良用才，官得其人，計定謀決，明於死生，舉錯得失，莫不振驚，故攻不待沖隆雲梯而城拔，戰不至交兵接刃而敵破，明於必勝之攻也。故兵不必勝，不苟接刃；攻不必取，不為苟發。故勝定而後戰，鈴縣而後動。故眾聚而不虛散，兵出而不徒歸。唯無一動，動則淩天振地。抗泰山，蕩四海，鬼神移徙，鳥獸驚駭。如此，則野無校兵，國無守城矣。靜以合躁，治以待亂，無形而制有形，無為而應變，雖未能得勝於敵，敵不可得勝之道也。敵先我動，則是見其形也；彼躁我靜，則是疲其力也。形見則勝可制也，力疲則威可立也。視其所為，因與之化；觀其邪正，以制其命。餌之以所欲，以疲其足。彼若有間，急填其隙，極其變而束之，盡其節而僕之。敵若反靜，為之出奇，彼不吾應，獨盡其調。若動而應，有見所為，彼持後節，與之推移。彼有所積，必有所虧。精若轉左，陷其右陂。敵潰而走，後必可移。敵迫而不動，名之曰奄遲，擊之如雷霆，斬之若草木，耀之若火電，欲疾以速，人不及步鋗，車不及轉轂，兵如植木，弩如羊角，人雖眾多，勢莫敢格。

When authority and advantage are sure to take form, officers and soldiers are devoted and refined, the good are selected and the talented used, offices get the right people, plans are set and schemes decided, life and death are understood, and every move and loss and gain startles; so in attack, without waiting for battering chariots and cloud ladders the city is taken, and in battle, before weapons cross blades the enemy is broken, this is understanding the attack that surely wins. So if the army is not sure to win, it does not carelessly cross blades; if the attack is not sure to take, it does not carelessly launch. So victory is settled before fighting, and the balance is hung before moving. So a gathered multitude does not scatter in vain, and an army sent out does not return in vain. Only one time it does not move, and once it moves it shakes heaven and earth. It raises Mount Tai and shakes the four seas, ghosts and spirits move away, and birds and beasts are startled. Thus there is no army in the field to contend with, and no city in the state that has to be defended. Using stillness to match haste, using order to await disorder, using formlessness to regulate form, using non-action to respond to change, even if one has not won from the enemy, the enemy cannot find the way to win. If the enemy moves before me, he is displaying his form; if he is hasty and I am still, I make his strength weary. When form is displayed, victory can be regulated; when strength is weary, authority can be established. Look at what he does, and transform together with him by following; observe his crookedness and straightness to regulate his fate. Lure him with what he wants to tire out his feet. If there is a gap on his side, hurry to fill that gap, exhaust his changes and bind him, use up his measures and make him fall. If the enemy returns to stillness, make a surprise move for him; if he does not respond to me, I exhaust my own tune alone. If he moves and responds, displaying something he does, and if he holds a later measure, I shift with him. Where there is accumulation on his side there must be a deficit. If his elite turns left, he falls into his own right flank. If the enemy scatters and runs, one can surely follow behind. If the enemy presses but does not move, it is called slow-stalling; strike him like thunder, cut him like grass and trees, shine on him like fire and lightning, be swift and rapid, so that people have no time to step and chariots no time to turn the hub; the troops are like standing wood and the crossbows like ram's horns; however many people there are, none dares to block the advantage.

諸有象者，莫不可勝也；諸有形者，莫不可應也。是以聖人藏形於無，而遊心於虛。風雨可障蔽，而寒暑不可開閉，以其無形故也。夫能滑淖精微，貫金石，窮至遠，放乎九天之上，蟠乎黃盧之下，唯無形者也。善用兵者，當擊其亂，不攻其治，是不襲堂堂之寇，不擊填填之旗。容未可見，以數相持，彼有死形，因而制之。敵人執數，動則就陰，以虛應實，必為之禽。虎豹不動，不入陷阱；麋鹿不動，不離罝罘；飛鳥不動，不絓網羅；魚鱉不動，不擐蜃喙。物未有不以動而制者也。是故聖人貴靜，靜則能應躁，後則能應先，數則能勝疏，博則能禽缺。故良將之用卒也，同其心，一其力，勇者不得獨進，怯者不得獨退。止如丘山，發如風雨，所淩必破，靡不毀沮，動如一體，莫之應圉。是故傷敵者眾，而手戰者寡矣。夫五指之更彈，不若卷手之一挃；萬人之更進，不如百人之俱至也。今夫虎豹便捷，熊羆多力，然而人食其肉而席其革者，不能通其知而壹其力也。夫水勢勝火，章華之臺燒，以升勺沃而救之，雖涸井而竭池，無奈之何也；舉壺榼盆盎而以灌之，其滅可立而待也。

Whatever has an image can be overcome; whatever has a form can be answered. Therefore the sage hides his form in nothingness and lets his mind roam in emptiness. Wind and rain can be blocked, but cold and heat cannot be opened or shut, because they have no form. What can slip through the subtle and fine, pierce metal and stone, reach the utmost distance, rise above the nine heavens and coil below the Yellow Springs, is only the formless. One skilled at using soldiers strikes the enemy's disorder and does not attack his order; therefore he does not attack imposing invaders or strike at massed banners. If the appearance cannot yet be seen, hold with numbers; where the other side has the form of death, restrain him there. If the enemy holds to numbers, once he moves he goes toward the shadow; if one answers the solid with the empty, he will surely be captured. Tigers and leopards that do not move do not enter pits; elk and deer that do not move do not meet nets; flying birds that do not move are not caught in snares; fish and turtles that do not move do not get into the trap of a clam's beak. There is nothing that is not restrained through movement. Therefore the sage values stillness: stillness can answer restlessness, behind can answer ahead, density can overcome sparseness, and breadth can seize the deficient. So a good general uses his soldiers with one heart and one strength, so that the brave cannot advance alone and the timid cannot retreat alone. In stopping they are like hills and mountains, in setting out like wind and rain; whatever they ride over is surely broken, nothing is not ruined, and they move as one body, with no one able to answer or resist. Therefore many are wounded among the enemy, while few fight with their own hands. Five fingers flicking in turn are not as good as a fist clenched in one blow; ten thousand men advancing in turns are not as good as a hundred arriving together. Now tigers and leopards are swift and bears are strong, yet men eat their flesh and use their hides for mats, because they cannot connect their understanding and unify their strength. Water's force overcomes fire; when the Zhanghua Terrace burned, people poured water from dippers and ladles to save it, and even if they had drawn dry the wells and exhausted the ponds, nothing could be done; but if they lifted flasks, cups, basins and jars to pour, the fire could be put out while one stood waiting.

今人之與人，非有水火之勝也，而欲以少耦眾，不能成其功，亦明矣。兵家或言曰：“少可以耦眾。”此言所將，非言所戰也。或將眾而用寡者，勢不齊也；將寡而用眾者，用力諧也。若乃人盡其才，悉用其力，以少勝眾者，自古及今，未嘗聞也。神莫貴於天，勢莫便於地，動莫急於時，用莫利於人。凡此四者，兵之幹植也。然必待道而後行，可一用也。夫地利勝天時，巧舉勝地利，勢勝人。故任天者可迷也，任地者可束也，任人者可迫也，任人者可惑也。夫仁勇信廉，人之美才也，然勇者可誘也，仁者可奪也，信者易欺也，廉者易謀也。將眾者有一見焉，則為人禽矣。由此觀之，則兵以道理制勝，而不以人才之賢，亦自明矣。

Now between men there is no such overcoming as between water and fire, yet one wants to match the many with the few; that it cannot accomplish anything is clear. Some in the military school say: "The few can match the many." This speaks of what one commands, not of what one fights with. If someone commands the many but uses only a few, the force is not united; if he commands the few but uses the many, the effort is harmonious. As for men who exhaust their talent and use all their strength, from antiquity until now I have never heard of using the few to overcome the many. Nothing in spirit is nobler than Heaven, nothing in terrain is more advantageous than Earth, nothing in movement is more urgent than timing, and nothing in use is sharper than man. These four are the trunk of military affairs. But one must wait for the Way and only then act; then they can be used together. Advantage of terrain overcomes timing of Heaven, skilful action overcomes advantage of terrain, and force overcomes man. Therefore one who relies on Heaven can be confused, one who relies on earth can be bound, one who relies on man can be hard pressed, and one who relies on man can be deluded. Humaneness, courage, trustworthiness and integrity are fine talents in men, but the brave can be lured, the humane can be taken advantage of, the trustworthy are easily deceived, and the honest are easily plotted against. If a commander of the multitude has even one of these showing, others will seize him. From this we see that military affairs win by principle, not by the worthiness of men's talents, which is evident of itself.

是故為麋鹿者，則可以罝罘設也；為魚鱉者，則可以網罟取也；為鴻鵠者，則可以矰繳加也；唯無形者，無可奈也。是故聖人藏於無原，故其情不可得而觀；運於無形，故其陳不可得而經。無法無儀，來而為之宜；無名無狀，變而為之象。深哉睭々，遠哉悠悠，且冬且夏，且春且秋，上窮至高之末，下測至深之底，變化消息，無所凝滯，建心乎窈冥之野，而藏志乎九旋之淵，雖有明目，孰能窺其情！兵之所隱議者，天道也；所圖畫者，地形也；所明言者，人事也；所以決勝者，鈐勢也。故上將之用兵也，上得天道，下得地利，中得人心，乃行之以機，發之以勢，是以無破軍敗兵。及至中將，上不知天道，下不知地利，專用人與勢，雖未必能萬全，勝鈐必多矣。下將之用兵也，博聞而自亂，多知而自疑，居則恐懼，發則猶豫，是以動為人禽矣。

If you are an elk or deer, you can be trapped with nets; if you are a fish or turtle, you can be caught with nets and traps; if you are a swan, tethered arrows can be applied; only the formless cannot be dealt with. Therefore the sage hides in a place without source, and so his feelings cannot be observed; he turns in the formless, and so his formation cannot be arranged. With no law and no model, when something comes he gives it what suits it; with no name and no shape, when it changes he gives it an image. How deep, abyssal; how far, boundless; now winter, now summer, now spring, now autumn; above he exhausts the end of the highest, below he fathoms the bottom of the deepest; he changes and ebbs and flows without stagnation, sets his mind in the wilds of the dim and obscure and hides his will in the abyss of nine turnings; even with bright eyes, who could peep into his feelings! What the army secretly discusses is the way of Heaven; what it plots is the form of the land; what it makes clear is human affairs; and what it relies on to decide victory is power and position. So when a superior general uses troops, above he gets the Way of Heaven, below he gets the advantage of earth, and in the middle he gets the hearts of men, and then he acts by device and sets out by force, so there is no broken army or defeated troops. As for the middling general, he does not know the Way of Heaven above or the advantage of earth below, and only relies on men and force; even if he is not necessarily perfectly safe, the likelihood of victory is great. As for the inferior general in using troops, he has wide learning but confuses himself, knows much but doubts himself, is fearful in camp and hesitant in action, so that when he moves, he is captured by others.

今使兩人接刃，巧詘不異，而勇士必勝者，何也？其行之誠也。夫以巨斧擊桐薪，不待利時良日而後破之。加巨斧於桐薪之上，而無人力之奉，雖順招搖，挾刑德，而弗能破者，以其無勢也。故水激則悍，矢激則遠。夫栝淇衛箘簵，載以銀錫，雖有薄縞之幨，腐荷之矰，然猶不能獨射也。假之筋角之力，弓弩之勢，則貫兕甲而徑於革盾矣。夫風之疾，至於飛屋折木，虛舉之下大遲，自上高丘，人之有所推也。是故善用兵者，勢如決積水於千仞之堤，若轉員石於萬丈之溪，天下見吾兵之必用也，則孰敢與我戰者！故百人之必死也，賢於萬人之必北也。況以三軍之眾，赴水火而不還踵乎！雖誂合刃於天下，誰敢在於上者！

Now if two men are made to cross blades, there is no difference in skill or clumsiness, yet the brave man will surely win; why? Because his conduct is sincere. If one strikes paulownia firewood with a huge axe, one does not wait for a favorable hour or good day before splitting it. If a huge axe is laid on paulownia firewood without human strength lifting it, even if it follows the Zhaoyao star and holds Punishment and Virtue, it cannot split it, because there is no force. Therefore water, when stirred, becomes fierce, and arrows, when driven, go far. The arrows with Gua, Qi, Wei, and Junlu shafts, mounted with silver and tin, even if there were a thin silk curtain or a rotten lotus tether, could not be shot on their own. With the strength of sinew and horn and the force of the bow and crossbow, they pierce rhinoceros armor and pass right through leather shields. The speed of wind can lift houses and break trees; an empty cart is greatly slow below, but comes down from a high hill because someone pushes it. So one who is good at using soldiers is like breaking open a dammed lake on a thousand-fathom embankment, or rolling a round stone in a ten-thousand-fathom stream; when the world sees that my troops will surely be used, who dares fight with me! Therefore a hundred men surely dying is better than ten thousand men surely defeated. How much more when with the multitude of three armies one goes into water and fire without turning back the heels! Even if one challenges the whole world to cross blades, who would dare stand above!

所謂天數者，左青龍，右白虎，前朱雀，後玄武。所謂地利者，後生而前死，左牡而右牝。所謂人事者，慶賞信而刑罰必。動靜時，舉錯疾。此世傳之所以為儀錶者，固也，然而非所以生。儀錶者，因時而變化者也。是故處於堂上之陰，而知日月之次序；見瓶中之冰，而知天下之寒暑。夫物之所以相形者微，唯聖人達其至。故鼓不與於五音，而為五音主；水不與於五味，而為五味調；將軍不與於五官之事，而為五官督。故能調五音者，不與五音者也；能調五味者，不與五味者也；能治五官之事者，不可揆度者也。是故將軍之心，滔滔如春，曠曠如夏，湫漻如秋，典凝如冬，因形而與之化，隨時而與之移。夫景不為曲物直，響不為清音濁。觀彼之所以來，各以其勝應之。是故扶義而動，推理而行，掩節而斷割，因資而成功。使彼知吾所出，而不知吾所入；知吾所舉，而不知吾所集。始如狐狸，彼故輕來；合如兕虎，敵故奔走。夫飛鳥之摯也，俯其首；猛獸之攫也，匿其爪；虎豹不外其爪，而噬不見齒。故用兵之道，示之以柔，而迎之以剛；示之以弱，而乘之以強；為之以歙，而應之以張；將欲西，而示之以東；先忤而後合，前冥而後明。若鬼之無跡，若水之無創。故所向非所之也，所見非所謀也。舉措動靜，莫能識也。若雷之擊，不可為備。所用不復，故勝可百全。與玄明通，莫知其門，是謂至神。

What is called Heaven's number: the Azure Dragon is on the left, the White Tiger on the right, the Vermilion Bird in front, and the Black Tortoise behind. What is called earth's advantage: life behind and death in front, male on the left and female on the right. What is called human affairs: rewards and celebrations are trustworthy and punishments are certain to be carried out. Movement and stillness follow the season, and actions are swift. These are what the world has passed down as models, and so it is, but they are not what gives rise to things. Models change according to the time. So by the shadow in the hall one knows the order of sun and moon; seeing ice in a bottle one knows the cold and heat of the world. The subtlety by which things take form is something only the sage fully penetrates. Thus the drum does not take part in the five notes, yet is the master of the five notes; water does not take part in the five flavors, yet is the harmonizer of the five flavors; the general does not take part in the work of the five offices, yet is the supervisor of the five offices. So what can harmonize the five notes is what does not take part in the five notes; what can harmonize the five flavors is what does not take part in the five flavors; what can govern the work of the five offices is what cannot be measured. So the general's mind is flowing like spring, expansive like summer, clear and still like autumn, congealed like winter; he transforms together with form and shifts together with time. A shadow does not straighten for a crooked object, and an echo does not turn muddy for a clear sound. Observing where the other side comes from, each answers with his own victory. Therefore he moves by relying on righteousness, acts by pushing principle, cuts by following measure, and succeeds by relying on resources. He lets the other side know where I go out but not where I go in, know what I raise but not where I gather. At the start I am like a fox, so the other side comes lightly; when closed up I am like a rhinoceros and tiger, so the enemy runs. A flying bird about to strike lowers its head; a fierce beast about to seize hides its claws; tigers and leopards do not show their claws outside, and when they bite they do not let their teeth be seen. Thus the way of using troops is to show softness to him and meet him with hardness; show weakness and ride him with strength; make a contraction and answer with expansion; if about to go west, show him the east; first resist, then join; dim before, bright after. Like ghosts without traces, like water without wounds. So where one aims is not where one goes, and what he sees is not what is planned. Actions and stillness, no one can recognize. Like a thunderclap, it cannot be guarded against. What is used is not repeated, so victory can be secured a hundred times. Connected with the dark and bright, no one knows its gate; this is called utmost spirit.

兵之所以強者，民也；民之所以必死者，義也；義之所以能行者，威也。是故合之以文，齊之以武，是謂必取。威儀並行，是謂至強。夫人之所樂者，生也；而所憎者，死也。然而高城深池，矢石若雨，平原廣澤，白刃交接，而卒爭先合者，彼非輕死而樂傷也，為其賞信而罰明也。是故上視下如子，則下視上如父；上視下如弟，則下視上如兄。上視下如子，則必王四海；下視上如父，則必正天下。上親下如弟，則不難為之死；下視上如兄，則不難為之亡。是故父子兄弟之寇，不可與鬥者，積恩先施也。故四馬不調，造父不能以致遠；弓矢不調，羿不能以必中；君臣乘心，則孫子不能以應敵。是故內修其政，以積其德；外塞其醜，以服其威；察其勞佚，以知其飽饑。故戰日有期，視死若歸。故將必與卒同甘苦，俟饑寒，故其死可得而盡也。故古之善將者，必以其身先之。暑不張蓋，寒不被裘，所以程寒暑也；險隘不乘，上陵必下，所以齊勞佚也；軍食孰然後敢食，軍井通然後敢飲，所以同饑渴也；合戰必立矢射之所及，以共安危也。故良將之用兵也，常以積德擊積怨，以積愛擊積憎，何故而不勝！

What makes the troops strong is the people; what makes the people surely die is righteousness; what lets righteousness be carried out is authority. So join them with civil means and bring them into order with military means; this is called certain capture. When authority and propriety go together, this is called utmost strength. What people enjoy is life and what they hate is death. Yet with high walls and deep moats, arrows and stones like rain, on flat plains and broad marshes where white blades meet, soldiers still compete to meet first; it is not that they take death lightly and enjoy being wounded, but that rewards are trustworthy and penalties clear. So when those above look at those below like children, those below look at those above like fathers; when those above look at those below like younger brothers, those below look at those above like elder brothers. If those above look at those below like children, they will surely be king within the four seas; if those below look at those above like fathers, they will surely set the world right. If those above love those below like younger brothers, those below will not find it hard to die for them; if those below look at those above like elder brothers, they will not find it hard to perish for them. So invaders who are like fathers, sons and brothers cannot be fought, since accumulated kindness was applied first. When four horses are not in harmony, even Zao Fu could not reach far; when bow and arrow are not in harmony, even Yi could not be sure to hit; when ruler and ministers are of divided mind, even Sun Zi could not face the enemy. So within, one repairs one's government to accumulate virtue; outside, one blocks disgrace to establish authority; one examines toil and ease to know fullness and hunger. So when the day of battle is fixed, they look on death as going home. Therefore the general must share sweetness and bitterness with his soldiers, wait together for hunger and cold, and thus their deaths can be obtained to the utmost. In ancient times those who were good generals always put themselves first. In heat they did not spread a canopy, in cold they did not put on furs, in order to measure the heat and cold; in dangerous narrow passes they did not ride in carriages, and going up hills they always got down, to equalize toil and ease; they dared eat only after the army's food was cooked and dared drink only after the army's well was dug, to share hunger and thirst; in joined battle they must stand where arrows could reach, to share safety and danger. So when a good general uses troops, he often uses accumulated virtue to strike accumulated resentment and accumulated love to strike accumulated hatred; what reason could there be for failing to win!

主之所求於民者二：求民為之勞也，欲民為之死也。民之所望於主者三：饑者能食之，勞者能息之，有功者能德之。民以償其二積，而上失其三望，國雖大，人雖眾，兵猶且弱也。若苦者必得其樂，勞者必得其利，斬首之功必全，死事之後必賞，四者既信於民矣，主雖射雲中之鳥，而釣深淵之魚，彈琴瑟，聲鍾竽，敦六博，投高壺，兵猶且強，令猶且行也。是故上足仰，則下可用也；德足慕，則威可立也。

What the ruler seeks from the people is of two kinds: he asks the people to labor for him and wants them to die for him. What the people look to the ruler for is of three kinds: that the hungry can be fed, that the toiling can rest, and that those with merit are given reward. The people repay with the two accumulations, while the superior loses the three hopes; though the state is large and the people many, the army is still weak. If the suffering are sure to get joy, the toiling sure to get benefit, the merit of beheading sure to be preserved, and the posterity of those who die in service sure to be rewarded, once these four have won the people's trust, even if the ruler shoots birds in the clouds, fishes in deep pools, plays zithers and lutes, strikes bells and pipes, plays liubo and throws arrows into the high pot, the army is still strong and orders are still carried out. So when what is above is enough to look up to, those below can be used; when virtue is enough to be admired, authority can be established.

將者必有三隧、四義、五行、十守。所謂三隧者，上知天道，下習地形，中察人情。所謂四義者，便國不負兵，為主不顧身，見難不畏死，決疑不闢罪。所謂五行者，柔而不可卷也，剛而不可折也，仁而不可犯也，信而不可欺也，勇而不可淩也。所謂十守者，神清而不可濁也，謀遠而不可慕也，操固而不可遷也，知明而不可蔽也，不貪於貨，不淫於物，不嚂於辯，不推於方，不可喜也，不可怒也。是謂至於，窈窈冥冥，孰知其情！發必中銓，言必合數，動必順時，解必中揍。通動靜之機，明開塞之節，審舉措之利害，若合符節。疾如彍弩，勢如發矢。一龍一蛇，動無常體，莫見其所中，莫知其所窮。攻則不可守，守則不可攻。

A general must have three paths, four principles, five conducts and ten guardings. The three paths are knowing the Way of Heaven above, being familiar with the form of the land below, and observing human feelings in the middle. The four principles are to benefit the state and not fail the soldiers, to act for the ruler and disregard oneself, to see hardship and not fear death, and to decide doubts and not avoid blame. The five conducts are being soft and not able to be rolled up, being hard and not able to be broken, being humane and not able to be offended, being trustworthy and not able to be deceived, and being brave and not able to be bullied. The ten guardings are that the spirit is clear and cannot be muddied, plans are far-reaching and cannot be envied, adherence is firm and cannot be moved, knowledge is bright and cannot be obscured, one is not greedy for goods, not carried away by things, not gluttonous for debate, not shifted by a method, cannot be pleased, and cannot be angered. This is called reaching the utmost; dim and obscure, who could know its feelings! What he sets forth surely accords with the balance, his words surely fit the numbers, his movements surely follow the time, and what he unties surely hits the grain. He understands the pivot of movement and stillness, knows the measure of opening and closing, examines the advantage and harm of actions as if matching tallies. He is as swift as a drawn crossbow and his force is like a released arrow. Like a dragon and a snake, his movement has no constant form; no one sees where he hits and no one knows where he is exhausted. If attacking, he cannot be defended against; if defending, he cannot be attacked.

蓋聞善用兵者，必先修諸己，而後求諸人；先為不可勝，而後求勝；修己於人，求勝於敵。己未能治也，而攻人之亂，是猶以火救火，以水應水也。何所能制！今使陶人化而為埴，則不能成盆盎；工女化而為絲，則不能織文錦。同莫足以相治也，故以異為奇。兩爵相與鬥，未有死者也；鸇鷹至，則為之解，以其異類也。故靜為躁奇，治為亂奇，飽為饑奇，佚為勞奇。奇正之相應，若水火金木之代為雌雄也。善用兵者持五殺以應，故能全其勝；拙者處五死以貪，故動而為人禽。兵貴謀之不測也，形之隱匿也。出於不意，不可以設備也。謀見則窮，形見則制。

I have heard that one who is good at using soldiers must first cultivate himself and then seek from others; he first makes himself unconquerable and then seeks victory; he cultivates himself with others and seeks victory over the enemy. If one has not yet governed oneself and goes to attack another's disorder, it is like using fire to save fire and using water to answer water. How can one restrain him? Now if a potter were made to turn into clay, he could not make a basin or jar; if a weaving woman turned into silk, she could not weave patterned brocade. What is the same has nothing by which to govern each other, so one uses difference as the surprise. When two sparrows fight, none dies; when a falcon comes, they are separated for it, because it is not of the same kind. So stillness is the surprise to restlessness, order is the surprise to disorder, fullness is the surprise to hunger, and ease is the surprise to toil. Surprise and orthodox answer each other like water, fire, metal and wood alternately becoming female and male. One who is good at using soldiers holds the five killings in response, and so can preserve victory; one who is clumsy stands in the five deaths and covets, and so when he moves he is captured by others. In military affairs, the value lies in plans that cannot be measured and forms that are hidden. Go out where he does not expect, so that no preparation can be set. When the plan is exposed it is exhausted, and when the form is exposed it is restrained.

故善用兵者，上隱之天，下隱之地，中隱之人。隱之天者，無不制也。何謂隱之天？大寒甚暑，疾風暴雨，大霧冥晦，因此而為變者也。何謂隱之地？山陵丘阜，林叢險阻，可以伏匿而不見形者也。何謂隱之人？蔽之於前，望之於後，出奇行陳之間，發如雷霆，疾如風雨，扌搴巨旗，止鳴鼓，而出入無形，莫知其端緒者也。故前後正齊，四方如繩，出入解續，不相越淩，翼輕邊利，或前或後，離合散聚，不失行伍，此善修行陳者也。明於奇正賌、該陰陽、刑德、五行、望氣、候星、龜策、禨祥，此善為天道者也。設規慮，施蔚伏，見用水火，出珍怪，鼓譟軍，所以營其耳也。曳梢肆柴，揚塵起堨，所以營其目者，此善為詐佯者也。錞鉞牢重，固植而難恐，勢利而不能誘，死亡不能動，此善為充榦者也。剽疾輕悍，勇敢輕敵，疾若滅沒，此善用輕出奇者也。相地形，處次舍，治壁壘，審煙斥，居高陵，捨出處，此善為地形者也。因其饑渴凍暍，勞倦怠亂，恐懼窘步，乘之以選卒，擊之以宵夜，此善因時應變者也。易則用車，險則用騎，涉水多弓，隘則用弩，晝則多旌，夜則多火，晦冥多鼓，此善為設施者也。凡此八者，不可一無也，然而非兵之貴者也。

Therefore one who is good at using soldiers hides above in Heaven, below in Earth, and in the middle in man. What is hidden in Heaven cannot be restrained. What is meant by hiding in Heaven? Great cold and great heat, fierce wind and violent rain, thick fog and darkness: one transforms with these. What is meant by hiding in Earth? Hills, mounds, forests and dangerous passes, where one can ambush and hide without showing one's form. What is meant by hiding in man? Screening in front, watching from behind, producing surprises amid the formations, going out like thunderclaps and moving swiftly like wind and rain, taking down the great banner and stopping the sounding drums, entering and leaving without form, so that no one knows the beginning of it. So front and rear are in order, four sides like cords, entering and leaving, separating and connecting without overstepping one another; the two wings are light and the sides convenient, now forward, now back, joining, parting, scattering and gathering, without losing the ranks; this is being good at drilling formations. To understand the surprise and the orthodox, and to be versed in yin and yang, punishment and virtue, the five phases, observing qi, watching stars, tortoise and milfoil, and good and ill omens: this is being good at the Way of Heaven. To set up plans and calculations, to apply ambushes of grass and trees, to see the use of water and fire, to bring out rare and strange things, and to raise clamor in the army is to confuse the ears. To drag branches, let loose brushwood, and raise dust is to confuse the eyes; this is being good at feints and deceptions. Heavy axes firmly held, minds firmly set and hard to frighten, not drawn by power and profit, not moved by death: this is being good at filling out the trunk. To be swift, light and fierce, brave and make light of the enemy, as quick as disappearing: this is being good at using lightness to produce surprise. Observing the terrain, arranging camps, setting up barricades, examining beacons and scouts, living on high mounds and camping where the water comes out: this is being good at terrain. Relying on the other side's hunger, thirst, cold, sunburn, weariness, slackness and disorder, fear and distress, one rides them with select soldiers and strikes them at night: this is being good at responding to change in time. On level ground use chariots, in danger use cavalry, in water crossings use many bows, in narrow places use crossbows, by day use many banners, at night many fires, and in murk many drums: this is being good at arrangements. Of these eight, none can be lacking, yet they are not what military affairs value most.

夫將者，必獨見獨知。獨見者，見人所不見也；獨知者，知人所不知也。見人所不見，謂之明；知人所不知，謂之神。神明者，先勝者也。先勝者，守不可攻，戰不可勝，攻不可守，虛實是也。上下有隙，將吏不相得，所持不直，卒心積不服，所謂虛也。主明將良，上下同心，氣意俱起，所謂實也。若以水投火，所當者陷，所薄者移，牢柔不相通而勝相奇者，虛實之謂也。故善戰者不在少，善守者不在小，勝在得威，敗在失氣。夫實則鬥，虛則走，盛則強，衰則北。吳王夫差地方二千里，帶甲七十萬，南與越戰，棲之會稽，北與齊戰，破之艾陵，西遇晉公，禽之黃池，此用民氣之實也。其後驕溢縱欲，拒諫喜諛，憢悍遂過，不可正喻，大臣怨懟，百姓不附，越王選卒三千人，禽之幹隧，因制其虛也。夫氣之有虛實也，若明之必晦也。故勝兵者非常實也，敗兵者非常虛也。善者能實其民氣，以待人之虛也；不能者虛其民氣，以待人之實也。故虛實之氣，兵之貴者也。

A general must see alone and know alone. To see alone is to see what others do not see; to know alone is to know what others do not know. To see what others do not see is called brightness; to know what others do not know is called spirit. Spirit and brightness are those who win first. To win first is to defend so as not to be attacked, to fight so as not to be conquered, and to attack so as not to be defended against; that is emptiness and fullness. When there are gaps between above and below, the generals and officials do not get along, what is held is not upright, and the soldiers' hearts accumulate nonsubmission, this is called emptiness. When the ruler is bright and the general is good, above and below are of one mind, and qi and intent rise together, this is called fullness. Like throwing water into fire, what is resisted sinks, what is pressed moves aside; solid and soft do not communicate and victory is strange; this is what is meant by emptiness and fullness. So one good at fighting does not depend on having few men, and one good at defending does not depend on small land; victory lies in obtaining authority, and defeat lies in losing qi. When full, fight; when empty, run; when flourishing, be strong; when declining, be defeated. King Fuchai of Wu had land of two thousand li and seventy thousand armored soldiers; in the south he fought Yue and made Yue roost at Kuaiji, in the north he fought Qi and defeated Qi at Ailing, in the west he met the Duke of Jin and captured him at Huangchi; this was using the fullness of the people's qi. Afterward he became proud, overflowing and indulged his desires, refused remonstrance and loved flattery, was fierce and followed his errors, and could not be instructed with what was right; his great ministers resented him and the common people did not follow; the King of Yue selected three thousand soldiers and captured him at Gansui, relying on the emptiness that restrained him. Qi has emptiness and fullness, like brightness necessarily becoming darkness. So a victorious army is not always full, and a defeated army is not always empty. A good man can fill the people's qi to await the emptiness of others; one who cannot makes the people's qi empty to await the fullness of others. So the qi of emptiness and fullness is what military affairs value.

凡國有難，君自宮召將，詔之曰：“社稷之命在將軍，即今國有難，願請子將而應之。”將軍受命，乃令祝史太卜齋宿三日，之太廟，鑽靈龜，卜吉日，以受鼓旗。君入設廟門，西面而立，將入廟門，趨至堂下，北面而立。主親操鉞，持頭，授將軍其柄，曰：“從此上至天者，將軍制之。”複操斧，持頭，授將軍其柄，曰：“從此下至淵者，將軍制之。”將已受斧鉞，答曰：“國不可從外治也，軍不可從中禦也。二心不可以事君，疑志不可以應敵。臣既以受制於前矣，鼓旗斧鉞之威，臣無還請。願君亦以垂一言之命於臣也。君若不許，臣不敢將。君若許之，臣辭而行。”乃爪鬋，設明衣也，鑿兇門而出。乘將軍車，載旌旗斧鉞，累若不勝。其臨敵決戰，不顧必死，無有二心。是故無天於上，無地於下，無敵於前，無主於後，進不求名，退不避罪，唯民是保，利合於主，國之實也，上將之道也。如此，則智者為之慮，勇者為之鬥，氣厲青云，疾如馳騖。是故兵未交接而敵人恐懼，若戰勝敵奔，畢受功賞，吏遷官，益爵祿，割地而為調，決於封外，卒論斷於軍中。顧反於國，放旗以入斧鉞，報畢於君，曰：“軍無後治。”乃縞素闢舍，請罪於君。君曰：“赦之。”退，齋服。大勝三年反舍，中勝二年，下勝期年。兵之所加者，必無道國也，故能戰勝而不報，取地而不反。民不疾疫，將不夭死，五穀豐昌，風雨時節，戰勝於外，福生於內，是故名必成而後無餘害矣。

Whenever the state is in difficulty, the ruler summons the general from the palace and announces to him: "The fate of the altars of soil and grain lies with the general. Now the state is in difficulty, and I hope you will lead the army and meet it." When the general has accepted the command, the invocator, historian and grand diviner fast and stay overnight for three days, go to the grand temple, drill the numinous tortoise, divine a good day, and receive the drums and banners. The ruler enters, sets up at the temple gate, and stands facing west; the general enters the temple gate, hurries to the foot of the hall and stands facing north. The lord personally takes the battle-axe, holds its head, and hands the handle to the general, saying: "From here up to Heaven, let the general decide." Again he takes the hatchet, holds its head, and hands the handle to the general, saying: "From here down to the abyss, let the general decide." When the general has received the axes, he replies: "A state cannot be governed from outside, and an army cannot be driven from the court. A man of two minds cannot serve his ruler, and a doubtful will cannot face the enemy. Since I have already been given control in the field, I shall not return to ask about the authority of the drums, banners and axes. I hope that my lord will also lay down one word of command for me. If my lord does not permit it, I dare not lead; if my lord permits it, I take my leave." He then cuts his nails, puts on the clothes for the dead, and goes out through a gate broken open for ill omens. He rides the general's chariot, carrying banners and axes, bearing himself as if he could not bear the burden. In confronting the enemy and deciding battle, he disregards death and has no second thought. So he has no Heaven above, no earth below, no enemy in front, and no master behind; in advancing he does not seek fame, in retreating he does not avoid blame, but only preserves the people, with benefit joined to the ruler; this is the treasure of the state and the way of the supreme general. Thus, the wise plan for him, the brave fight for him, his spirit rises to the blue clouds, and he is as swift as a galloping horse. So before arms even meet, the enemy is afraid; if he wins and the enemy flees, all receive rewards for merit, officials are promoted, ranks and stipends increased, land is cut off to make peace, and decisions are made outside the border while the soldiers pass judgment in the army. Turning back to the state, he puts down the banners and sends the axes into the temple, reports to the ruler when it is finished, and says: "The army has no further governing." He then wears plain white and avoids the main hall, and begs the ruler's pardon. The ruler says: "Pardoned." He withdraws and wears fasting garments. For a great victory he returns to the main hall after three years, for a middling victory after two years, and for a lesser victory after one year. Where the army is brought to bear, it must be a state without the Way, so one can win without being avenged, and take land without returning it. The people do not suffer plague, the general does not die young, the five grains flourish, and wind and rain come in season; victory outside brings blessing from within, so his fame is surely achieved and afterward there is no lingering harm.

魄問於魂曰：「道何以為體？」曰：「以無有為體。」魄曰：「無有有形乎？」魂曰：「無有。」「何得而聞也？」魂曰：「吾直有所遇之耳！視之無形，聽之無聲，謂之幽冥。幽冥者，所以喻道，而非道也。」魄曰：「吾聞得之矣！乃內視而自反也。」魂曰：「凡得道者，形不可得而見，名不可得而揚。今汝已有形名矣，何道之所能乎！」魄曰：「言者，獨何為者？」「吾將反吾宗矣。」魄反顧，魂忽然不見，反而自存，亦以淪於無形矣。人不小學，不大迷；不小慧，不大愚。人莫鑑於沫雨，而鑑於澄水者，以其休止不蕩也。詹公之釣，千歲之鯉不能避；曾子攀柩車，引輴者為之止也；老母行歌而動申喜，精之至也。瓠巴鼓瑟，而淫魚出聽；伯牙鼓琴，駟馬仰秣；介子歌龍蛇，而文君垂泣。故玉在山而草木潤，淵生珠而岸不枯。螾無筋骨之強，爪牙之利，上食晞堁，下飲黃泉，用心一也。清之為明，杯水見眸子；濁之為闇，河水不見太山。視日者眩，聽雷者聾，人無為則治，有為則傷。無為而治者，載無也。為者，不能有也；不能無為者，不能有為也。人無言而神，有言者則傷。無言而神者載無，有言則傷其神。之神者，鼻之所以息，耳之所以聽，終以其無用者為用矣。物莫不因其所有而用其所無，以為不信，視籟與竽。念慮者不得臥，止念慮，則有為其所止矣。兩者俱忘，則至德純矣。聖人終身言治，所用者非其言也，用所以言也。歌者有詩，然使人善之者，非其詩也。鸚鵡能言，而不可使長。是何則？得其所言，而不得其所以言。故循跡者，非能生跡者也。神蛇能斷而復續，而不能使人勿斷也。神龜能見夢元王，而不能自出漁者之籠。四方皆道之門戶牖嚮也，在所從闚之。故釣可以教騎，騎可以教御，御可以教刺舟。越人學遠射，參天而發，適在五步之內，不易儀也。

The po asked the hun: "What does the Way take as its substance?" The hun said: "It takes non-being as its substance." The po said: "Does non-being have form?" The hun said: "No." "Then how can it be heard of?" The hun said: "I merely happened to meet it! Look at it, it has no form; listen to it, it has no sound; it is called the dim and obscure. The dim and obscure is used to illustrate the Way, but it is not the Way." The po said: "I have heard it, I have obtained it! It is looking within and turning back to oneself." The hun said: "Whoever attains the Way, his form cannot be seen and his name cannot be spread. Now you already have form and name, what Way could you still have!" The po said: "What, then, is the point of speaking?" The hun said: "I am going to return to my source." The po looked back and the hun suddenly vanished; turning back to examine himself, he too sank into the formless. Without small learning one will not have great confusion; without small wisdom one will not have great foolishness. People do not look at their reflection in foam or rain water but in clear still water, because it stops and does not shake. When Zhan Gong fished, even a thousand-year-old carp could not hide; when Zengzi clung to the hearse, those pulling the cart stopped; when an old mother walked along singing and moved Shen Xi, it was the utmost of sincerity. When Hu Ba played the zither, fish came out to listen; when Bo Ya played the qin, the horses pulling the carriage lifted their heads from the fodder; when Jie Zitui sang the Song of the Dragon and the Snake, Wen Jun shed tears. So when jade is in a mountain, the plants and trees are moist, and when pearls are born in the depths, the banks do not wither. The earthworm has no strength of sinew and bone or sharpness of claw and tooth, yet above it eats dry earth and below it drinks the Yellow Springs, because it is single in its mind. When clear it is bright, so one cup of water reveals the pupils; when muddy it is dark, so the Yellow River cannot reflect Mount Tai. One who looks at the sun is dazzled, and one who hears thunder is deafened. Man governs by non-action and harms by action. Governing by non-action is bearing non-being. One who acts cannot preserve; one who cannot be without action cannot act either. Man is spiritual without speech and harmed by speech. Being spiritual without words bears non-being; speech harms his spirit. As for this spirit, the nose uses it to breathe and the ears use it to hear, yet in the end it takes what is useless as the use. Nothing does not rely on what it has in order to use what it lacks; if you do not believe it, look at the pipes and the reed organ. One who is full of thoughts cannot sleep; if he stops the thoughts, there is again the action of stopping. Forgetting both, supreme virtue becomes pure. The sage speaks of governing all his life, but what he uses is not his words but that by which he speaks. A song has a poem, but what makes people feel it is good is not the poem. A parrot can speak but cannot be made to govern long. Why? It obtains the words spoken but cannot obtain that by which one speaks. So one who follows footprints is not the one who can produce footprints. The divine snake can be cut and joined again, but cannot make people not cut it. The divine tortoise could appear in a dream to Lord Yuan but could not escape the fisherman's basket by itself. The four directions are all gates and windows of the Way; it depends on which side one peeps from. Thus fishing can teach riding, riding can teach driving a carriage, and driving a carriage can teach punting a boat. The man of Yue learning distant archery shot toward the sky, but the arrow fell within five paces, because he did not change the model.

世已變矣，而守其故，譬猶越人之射也。月望，日奪其光，陰不可以乘陽也。日出星不見，不能與之爭光也。故末不可以強於本，指不可以大於臂。下輕上重，其覆必易。一淵不兩鮫。水定則清正，動則失平。故惟不動，則所以無不動也。江、河所以能長百穀者，能下之也。夫惟能下之，是以能上之。天下莫相憎於膠漆，而莫相愛於冰炭。膠漆相賊，冰炭相息也。牆之壞，愈其立也，冰之泮，愈其凝也，以其反宗。泰山之容，巍巍然高，去之千里，不見埵堁，遠之故也。秋豪之末，淪於不測。是故小不可以為內者，大不可以為外矣。蘭生幽谷，不為莫服而不芳。舟在江海，不為莫乘而不浮。君子行義，不為莫知而止休。夫玉潤澤而有光，其聲舒揚，渙乎其有似也。無內無外，不匿瑕穢，近之而濡，望之而隧。夫照鏡見眸子，微察秋豪，明照晦冥。故和氏之璧，隨侯之珠，出於山淵之精，君子服之，順祥以安寧，侯王寶之，為天下正。陳成子恆之劫子淵捷也，子罕之辭其所不欲而得其所欲，孔子之見黏蟬者，白公勝之倒杖策也，衛姬之請罪於桓公，子見子夏曰「何肥也」，魏文侯見之反被裘而負芻也，兒說之為宋王解閉結也，此皆微眇可以觀論者。人有嫁其子而教之曰：「爾行矣，慎無為善！」曰：「不為善，將為不善邪？」應之曰：「善且由弗為，況不善乎！」此全其天器者。拘囹圄者以日為脩，當死市者以日為短。日之脩短有度也，有所在而短，有所在而脩也，則中不平也。故以不平為平者，其平不平也。嫁女於病消者，夫死則後難復處也。故沮舍之下不可以坐，倚牆之傍不可以立。執獄牢者無病，罪當死者肥澤，刑者多壽，心無累也。良醫者，常治無病之病，故無病。聖人者，常治無患之患，故無患也。夫至巧不用劍，善閉者不用關楗。淳于髡之告失火者，此其類。以清入濁必困辱，以濁入清必覆傾。

The world has already changed, but if one still keeps the old law, it is like the man of Yue shooting. When the moon is fullest the sun takes its light, and yin cannot press on yang. When the sun comes out the stars disappear, and they cannot contend with it in light. Therefore the branch cannot be stronger than the root, and the finger cannot be larger than the arm. When the bottom is light and the top heavy, overturning is surely easy. One deep pool cannot hold two crocodiles. Water, when still, is clear and level; when moved, it loses its level. Therefore only non-movement is the basis for all that moves. The reason the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers can be chiefs of a hundred valleys is that they can dwell below them. Because they can dwell below, they can dwell above. In the world nothing hates each other more than glue and lacquer, and nothing loves each other more than ice and charcoal. Glue and lacquer harm each other, and ice and charcoal put each other to rest. A wall that has collapsed is better than when it stood, and ice that has melted is better than when it was frozen, because it has returned to its source. The appearance of Mount Tai is lofty and towering, yet from a thousand li one cannot see a single clod of earth of it, because of the distance. At the tip of an autumn hair, one sinks into the unmeasurable. So the small cannot be made more inward, and the great cannot be made more outward. Orchids grow in secluded valleys and are not less fragrant because no one wears them. A boat on the rivers and seas does not cease to float because no one rides it. The noble man practices righteousness and does not stop because no one knows. Jade is moist and has luster, its sound is extended and gentle, and it flows as if resembling something. It has no inside or outside and hides no flaw or stain; approach it and it moistens you, look at it and it is deep. Look into a mirror and you see the pupils, minutely examine the autumn hair, and brightness reaches into darkness. So the jade disc of He and the pearl of the Marquis of Sui come from the essence of mountains and abysses; the noble man who wears them is auspicious and at peace, and marquises and kings treasure them and make them the standard of the world. Chen Chengzi Heng coerced Ziyuan Jie; Zihan declined what he did not want and obtained what he wanted; Confucius saw the man catching cicadas with glue; Lord Bai Sheng held his whip upside down; Ji of Wei begged pardon of Duke Huan; Confucius saw Zixia and said, "Why have you grown fat?"; Marquis Wen of Wei saw a man wearing a fur coat inside out and carrying fodder; Er Yue untied a knot for the King of Song: all these are subtle things that can be observed and discussed. Someone, marrying off his daughter, instructed her: "Go, and do not do anything good!" The daughter said: "If I do not do good, shall I do bad?" He replied: "If you do not even do good, how much less bad!" This is one who preserves the heavenly vessel. A man shut in prison feels the days are long, and a man sentenced to execution in the marketplace feels the days are short. The length of days has a measure; because of what one is in, they seem short or long, owing to the lack of balance in the mind. So one who takes what is unbalanced as balanced does not have a balance that is balanced. If one marries a daughter to a man with diabetes, once the husband dies it is hard to live with him again. So one should not sit under a house about to fall, and one should not stand beside a leaning wall. The man in charge of the prison is not ill, the man condemned to death is plump, and those who have suffered mutilation often live long, because their minds have no burdens. A good physician often treats the illness that has not yet become illness, so there is no illness. The sage often treats the trouble that has not yet become trouble, so there is no trouble. A truly skilled man does not use a sword, and one who is good at closing does not use a bolt. Chunyu Kun's telling people about the fire was of this kind. To enter the muddy with clear surely brings hardship and humiliation; to enter the clear with muddy surely overturns.

君子之於善也，猶採薪者見一芥掇之，見青蔥則拔之。天二氣則成虹，地二氣則洩藏，人二氣則成病。陰陽不能且冬且夏；月不知晝，日不知夜。善射者發不失的，善於射矣，而不善所射。善釣者無所失，善於釣矣，而不善所釣。故有所善，則不善矣。鐘之與磬也，近之則鐘音充，遠之則磬音章，物固有近不若遠，遠不若近者。今曰稻生於水，而不能生於湍瀨之流；紫芝生於山，而不能生於盤石之上；慈石能引鐵，及其於銅，則不行也。水廣者魚大，山高者木脩。廣其地而薄其德，譬猶陶人為器也，揲挻其土而不益厚，破乃愈疾。聖人不先風吹，不先雷毀，不得已而動，故無累。月盛衰於上，則蠃蛖應於下，同氣相動，不可以為遠。執彈而招鳥，揮梲而呼狗，欲致之，顧反走。故魚不可以無餌釣也，獸不可以虛氣召也。剝牛皮，鞟以為鼓，正三軍之眾，然為牛計者，不若服於軛也。狐白之裘，天子被之而坐廟堂，然為狐計者，不若走於澤。亡羊而得牛，則莫不利失也；斷指而免頭，則莫不利為也。故人之情，於利之中則爭取大焉，於害之中則爭取小焉。將軍不敢騎白馬，亡者不敢夜揭炬，保者不敢畜噬狗。雞知將旦，鶴知夜半，而不免於鼎俎。山有猛獸，林木為之不斬；園有螫蟲，藜藿為之不採。為儒而踞裡閭，為墨而朝吹竽，欲滅跡而走雪中，拯溺者而欲無濡，是非所行而行所非。今夫闇飲者，非嘗不遺飲也，使之自以平，則雖愚無失矣。是故不同於和而可以成事者，天下無之矣。求美則不得美，不求美則美矣；求醜則不得醜，求不醜則有醜矣；不求美又不求醜，則無美無醜矣，是謂玄同。申徒狄負石自沉於淵，而溺者不可以為抗；弦高誕而存鄭，誕者不可以為常。事有一應，而不可循行。人有多言者，猶百舌之聲。人有少言者，猶不脂之戶也。六畜生多耳目者不詳，讖書著之。

The noble man regards goodness as a woodcutter does a blade of grass: when he sees one he picks it up, and when he sees green onions he pulls them out. If Heaven has two qi, it makes a rainbow; if Earth has two qi, it releases what it stores; if man has two qi, he becomes ill. Yin and yang cannot be both winter and summer at once; the moon does not know the daytime and the sun does not know the night. One who is good at shooting does not miss the target when he shoots; he is good at shooting but not good at what he shoots at. One who is good at fishing does not lose anything; he is good at fishing but not good at what he fishes. So where there is something one is good at, there is something one is not good at. With bells and chimes, near by the sound of the bell fills, while far away the sound of the chime is clear; things naturally have those that are not as good near as far, and not as good far as near. Now it is said that rice grows in water but cannot grow in a swift rapid; purple lingzhi grows on mountains but cannot grow on top of a boulder; magnet can attract iron but fails on copper. Where waters are wide fish are large, and where mountains are high trees grow long. To broaden the land while thinning virtue is like a potter making vessels: he throws and kneads the clay without adding thickness, and it breaks all the faster. The sage does not blow ahead of the wind or destroy ahead of the thunder; he moves only when he must, and so has no burdens. The moon above waxes and wanes and the shellfish below respond; qi of the same kind move one another, and one cannot say it does not count because of distance. If you hold up a slingshot to call birds or wave a stick to call dogs, you wish to summon them but they run away. So fish cannot be caught without bait, and beasts cannot be called out of nothing. A flayed ox hide stretched into a drum can bring order to the multitude of three armies, but if one reckons for the ox, it would be better to remain under the yoke. A white fox fur coat worn by the Son of Heaven as he sits in the temple hall, but if one reckons for the fox, it would be better to run in the marshes. Losing a sheep but gaining an ox, there is none who does not take the loss as gain; cutting off a finger to save one's head, there is none who does not take it as gain. So human nature, in profit, competes to take the larger; in harm, competes to take the smaller. A general does not dare ride a white horse, a fugitive does not dare carry a torch at night, and a bodyguard does not dare keep a biting dog. A rooster knows the dawn is coming and a crane knows midnight, but they cannot avoid going into the cauldron and onto the chopping board. In mountains with fierce beasts, the trees are not cut for that reason; in gardens with stinging insects, the goosefoot is not picked for that reason. To be a Confucian but squat at the village gate, to be a Mohist but play the reed organ in the morning, to want to erase traces but run into the snow, to save the drowning but not want to get wet, is to do what should not be done and what one opposes. Now one drinking wine in the dark has not failed to spill it; let him steady it himself, and even a fool would not lose it. So there is no one in the world who can achieve what differs from harmony. Seeking beauty, one does not obtain beauty; not seeking beauty, one is beautiful; seeking ugliness, one does not obtain ugliness; seeking not to be ugly, one has ugliness; neither seeking beauty nor seeking ugliness, there is no beauty or ugliness; this is called mysterious sameness. Shentu Di carried a stone and sank himself into the abyss, but the drowning cannot take him as a model of lofty uprightness; Xian Gao told a lie and saved Zheng, but liars cannot take him as a constant rule. A matter may happen to correspond once, but one should not copy it. Some people speak much, like the cry of a mockingbird. Some people speak little, like a door without oil. When the six domestic animals bear many ears or many eyes, it is an ill omen, as written in the books of prognostication.

百人抗浮，不若一人挈而趨。物固有眾而不若少者，引車者二六而後之。事固有相待而成者，兩人俱溺，不能相拯，一人處陸則可矣。故同不可相治，必待異而後成。千年之松，下有茯苓，上有兔絲；上有叢蓍，下有伏龜；聖人從外知內，以見知隱也。喜武非俠也，喜文非儒也，好方非醫也，好馬非騶也，知音非瞽也，知味非庖也，此有一概而未得主名也。被甲者，非為十步之內也，百步之外則爭深淺，深則達五藏，淺則至膚而止矣。死生相去，不可為道里。楚王亡其猿，而林木為之殘；宋君亡其珠，池中魚為之殫；故澤失火而林憂。上求材，臣殘木；上求魚，臣乾谷。上求楫，而下致船；上言若絲，下言若綸。上有一善，下有二譽；上有三衰，下有九殺。大夫種知所以強越，而不知所以存身；萇弘知周之所存，而不知身所以亡；知遠而不知近。畏馬之闢也不敢騎，懼車之覆也不敢乘，是以虛禍距公利也。不孝弟者或詈父母，生子者所不能任其必孝也，然猶養而長之。范氏之敗，有竊其鐘，負而走者，鎗然有聲，懼人聞之，遽掩其耳。憎人聞之，可也；自掩其耳，悖矣。升之不能大於石也，升在石之中；夜之不能修其歲也，夜在歲之中；仁義之不能大於道德也，仁義在道德之包。先針而後縷，可以成帷；先縷而後針，不可以成衣。針成幕，虆成城。事之成敗，必由小生，言有漸也。染者先青而後黑則可，先黑而後青則不可。工人下漆而上丹則可，下丹而上漆則不可。萬事由此，所先後上下，不可不審。水濁而魚噞，形勞則神亂。故國有賢君，折沖萬裡。因媒而嫁，而不因媒而成；因人而交，不因人而親。行合趨同，千里相從；行不合趨不同，對門不通。海水雖大，不受胔芥。日月不應非其氣，君子不容非其類也。人不愛倕之手，而愛己之指；不愛江、漢之珠，而愛己之鉤。以束薪為鬼，以火煙為氣。

A hundred men holding gourds to float are not as good as one man carrying one and walking fast. Things naturally are such that many men are sometimes not as good as few; a cart that needs twelve men to pull still falls behind. And affairs are naturally such that they succeed only by waiting on each other: if two men both drown, they cannot save each other, but one man on the bank is enough. So things that are the same cannot govern one another; one must wait for difference before success. Under a thousand-year-old pine there is poria and above it dodder; above there are clustered milfoil, and below there is a hidden tortoise; the sage knows the inside from the outside, and knows the hidden from what is seen. One who likes martial arts is not necessarily a knight-errant, one who likes letters is not necessarily a Confucian, one who likes technique is not necessarily a physician, one who likes horses is not necessarily a horse officer, one who knows music is not necessarily a blind music master, and one who knows flavors is not necessarily a cook; this is having only a rough outline and not yet gaining the master name. Those who put on armor do not do so for within ten paces; beyond a hundred paces they contend over deep or shallow wounds, deep reaching the five viscera and shallow reaching only the skin. The distance between death and life cannot be measured by road miles. When the King of Chu lost a gibbon, the forest trees were cut down because of it; when the Lord of Song lost a pearl, the fish in the pond were all drained out for it; so when a marsh catches fire the forest worries. If the superior seeks timber, the subordinates ruin the trees; if the superior seeks fish, the subordinates dry up the streams. If the superior seeks a boat paddle, the subordinates deliver a whole boat; the words of the superior are like silk and the words below are like thick rope. If there is one part of goodness above, there are two parts of praise below; if there are three parts of cutting above, there are nine parts of reduction below. Minister Zhong knew how to make Yue strong but not how to preserve himself; Chang Hong knew why Zhou survived but not why he himself would perish; he knew the far but not the near. Those who fear a horse might bolt do not dare ride it, and those who fear a cart might overturn do not dare ride in it; this is blocking public benefit with an empty misfortune. Among the unfilial there are those who will curse their parents; one who has a child cannot guarantee that he will certainly be filial, yet still raises him to grow up. When the Fan family was defeated, someone stole their bell and ran off carrying it; the bell rang clang, and fearing people would hear, he hurriedly covered his own ears. To hate others hearing it is understandable; to cover one's own ears is absurd. A sheng cannot be larger than a shi, since the sheng is within the shi; a night cannot be longer than a year, since the night is within the year; benevolence and righteousness cannot be greater than the Way and virtue, since benevolence and righteousness are enclosed within the Way and virtue. Using the needle first and thread after, one can make a curtain; using thread first and needle after, one cannot make a garment. A needle can complete a tent, and a basket of earth can complete a wall. The success or failure of things surely arises from the small, which means there is gradual progress. For a dyer, blue first and black after is possible, but black first and blue after is not. For a craftsman, lacquer first and red after is possible, but red first and lacquer after is not. All affairs are like this; before and after, above and below, one must examine them. When water is muddy fish gasp at the surface, and when the body is toiled the spirit is disordered. Therefore a state with a worthy ruler can break the enemy's thrust ten thousand li away. One marries through a matchmaker but is not made close by the matchmaker; one makes friends through others but does not become intimate through others. When conduct agrees and direction is the same, they follow each other even from a thousand li; when conduct does not agree and direction differs, they do not even communicate from opposite doors. Though the sea is vast, it does not accept rotten flesh and scraps. The sun and moon do not respond to what is not of their qi, and the noble man does not take in what is not of his kind. People do not love Chui's hand but love their own fingers; they do not love the pearls of the Jiang and Han but love their own belt hooks. They take a bundle of firewood for a ghost and the smoke of a fire for qi.

以束薪為鬼，朅而走；以火煙為氣，殺豚烹狗。先事如此，不如其後。巧者善度，知者善豫。羿死桃部，不給射；慶忌死劍鋒，不給搏。滅非者戶告之曰：「我實不與我諛亂。」謗乃愈起。止言以言，止事以事，譬猶揚堁而弭塵，抱薪而救火。流言雪汙，譬猶以涅拭素也。矢之於十步貫兕甲，於三百步不能入魯縞；騏驥一日千里，其出致釋駕而僵。大家攻小家則為暴，大國並小國則為賢。小馬非大馬之類也，小知非大知之類也。被羊裘而賃，固其事也；貂裘而負籠，甚可怪也。以潔白為汙辱，譬猶沐浴而抒溷，薰燧而負彘。治疽不擇善惡醜肉而並割之，農夫不察苗莠而並耘之，豈不虛哉！壞塘以取龜，發屋而求狸，掘室而求鼠，割唇而治齲，桀、蹠之徒，君子不與。殺戎馬而求狐狸，援兩鱉而失靈龜，斷右臂而爭一毛，折鏌邪而爭錐刀，用智如此，豈足高乎！寧百刺以針，無一刺以刀；寧一引重，無久持輕；寧一月饑，無一旬餓。萬人之蹪，愈於一人之隧。有譽人之力儉者，舂至旦，不中員呈，猶謫之。察之，乃其母也。故小人之譽人，反為損。東家母死，其子哭之不哀。西家子見之，歸謂其母曰：「社何愛速死，吾必悲哭社。」夫欲其母之死者，雖死亦不能悲哭矣。謂學不暇者，雖暇亦不能學矣。見窾木浮而知為舟，見飛蓬轉而知為車，見鳥跡而知著書，以類取之。以非義為義，以非禮為禮，譬猶裸走而追狂人，盜財而予乞者，竊簡而寫法律，蹲踞而誦詩、書。割而舍之，鏌邪不斷肉；執而不釋，馬氂截玉。聖人無止，無以歲賢昔，日愈昨也。馬之似鹿者千金，天下無千金之鹿；玉待礛諸而成器，有千金之璧而無錙錘之礛諸。受光於隙照一隅，受光於牖照北壁，受光於戶照室中無遺物，況受光於宇宙乎？天下莫不藉明於其前矣！由此觀之，所受者小則所見者淺，所受者大則所照者博。

Mistake a bundle of firewood for a ghost and one gets up and runs; mistake the smoke of a fire for a vapor omen and one slaughters pigs and cooks dogs. To be like this beforehand is not as good as afterward. The skillful are good at measuring and the wise are good at anticipating. Yi died beneath a peachwood club and had no time to shoot; Qingji died on a sword's point and had no time to grapple. One who wants to put out gossip goes door to door saying: "I truly had no part in it; others used me to talk nonsense." Slander only rises more. To stop words with words and stop affairs with affairs is like throwing up earth to stop dust or embracing firewood to save from fire. To wash off filth with rumor is like using black dye to wipe white silk. An arrow within ten paces can pierce a rhinoceros hide, but at three hundred paces it cannot even go through thin Lu silk; a fine horse runs a thousand li a day, but when it spends all its strength and is unharnessed it collapses stiff. When a big family attacks a small family, it is called violence; when a big state annexes a small state, it is considered worthy. A small horse is not of the same kind as a large horse, and small knowledge is not of the same kind as great knowledge. To be hired wearing a sheepskin coat is one's proper lot; to carry a basket wearing a sable coat would be very strange. To regard whiteness as a stain is like bathing and then going to clean a latrine, or lighting incense and then carrying pigs on one's back. To treat an abscess by cutting out good and bad flesh together, or for a farmer to hoe seedlings and weeds together, is that not absurd! To drain a pond to catch a turtle, tear down a house to seek a wildcat, dig up a room to seek a rat, or cut a lip to cure a cavity, are the acts of men of Jie and Zhi's kind, in which the gentleman takes no part. To kill a war horse to seek a fox, to catch two terrapins and lose the spirit turtle, to cut off the right arm to fight over a hair, to break the Moye sword to fight over an awl or knife; using wisdom like this, what is worth esteeming! It is better to be pricked a hundred times by a needle than stabbed once by a knife; better to pull one heavy load than to hold something light for a long time; better to be hungry for a month than to starve for ten days. Ten thousand people stumbling is better than one person falling to death. There was one who praised a person for being diligent and thrifty, pounding rice until dawn without reaching the quota, and was still scolded. Looking into it, it was his mother. So when petty people praise others, it ends up as harm. When the mother in the east house died, her son wept without grief. The son of the west house saw it and went home and said to his mother: "Mother, why be stingy; hurry up and die, and I will surely weep sorrowfully for you." One who wants his mother to die cannot weep sorrowfully even if she dies. One who says he has no leisure for study cannot study even if he has leisure. Seeing an empty log float, one knows it can be made into a boat; seeing a tumbleweed turn, one knows it can be made into a cart; seeing bird tracks, one knows one can write books; these are inferences by kind. To treat what is not righteousness as righteousness and what is not ritual as ritual is like running naked to chase a madman, stealing goods to give to a beggar, stealing bamboo slips to write laws, or squatting while reciting the Odes and Documents. If you cut once and then put down the blade, even the Moye sword cannot cut flesh through; if you hold on without letting go, even a horse's tail can saw through jade. The sage never stops; he does not take the years to feel that the worthies of the past were better, but that today surpasses yesterday. A horse that resembles a deer is worth a thousand in gold, but in the world there is no deer worth a thousand in gold; jade waits for whetstones to become a vessel, yet one may have a jade disk worth a thousand in gold but no whetstone worth a bit. Light received from a crack illuminates only one corner, light from a window illuminates the north wall, light from a door illuminates everything in the room without omission, let alone light from the cosmos! Nothing in the world does not borrow the brightness before it! From this we see that where what is received is small, what is seen is shallow; where what is received is great, what is illuminated is broad.

江出岷山，河出昆侖，濟出王屋，潁出少室，漢出嶓冢，分流舛馳，注於東海，所行則異，所歸則一。通於學者若車軸，轉之中，不運於己，與之致千里，終而復始，轉無窮之源。不通於學者若迷惑，告之以東西南北，所居聆聆，背而不得，不知凡要。寒不能生寒，熱不能生熱，不寒不熱能生寒熱。故有形出於無形，未有天地能生天地者也，至深微廣大矣！雨之集無能霑，待其止而能有濡；矢之發無能貫，待其止而能有穿；唯止能止眾止。因高而為臺，就下而為池，各就其勢，不敢更為。聖人用物，若用朱絲約芻狗，若為土龍以求雨。芻狗待之而求福，土龍待之而得食。魯人身善制冠，妻善織履，往徙於越而大困窮。以其所修而遊不用之鄉，譬若樹荷山上，而畜火井中。操釣上山，揭斧人淵，欲得所求，難也。方車而蹠越，乘桴而入胡，欲無窮，不可得也。楚王有白蝯，王自射之，則搏矢而熙；使養由基射之，始調弓矯矢，未發而蝯擁柱號矣，有先中中者也。咼氏之璧，夏後之璜，揖讓而進之，以合歡；夜以投入，則為怨；時與不時。畫西施之面，美而不可說；規孟賁之目，大而不可畏；君形者亡焉。人有昆弟相分者，無量，而眾稱義焉。夫惟無量，故不可得而量也。登高使人慾望，臨深使人慾闚，處使然也。射者使人端，釣者使人恭，事使然也。曰殺罷牛可以贖良馬之死，莫之為也。殺牛，必亡之數，以必亡贖不必死，未能行之者矣。季孫氏劫公家，孔子說之，先順其所為，而後與之入政，曰：「舉枉與直，如何而不得？舉直與枉，勿與遂往。」此所謂同汙而異塗者。眾曲不容直，眾枉不容正，故人眾則食狼，狼眾則食人。欲為邪者必相明正，欲為曲者必相達直。公道不立，私慾得容者，自古及今，未嘗聞也。此以善託其醜。眾議成林，無翼而飛，三人成市虎，一里能撓椎。

The Yangtze comes from Mount Min, the Yellow River from Kunlun, the Ji from Wangwu, the Ying from Shaoshi, and the Han from Bozhong; they branch, flow, and cross, and all pour into the Eastern Sea; the roads they take differ but where they return is one. One who penetrates learning is like an axle: in the revolving (the base text's character here is an obscure one, lost in transcription) it does not turn by itself, yet follows it to a thousand li, ending and beginning again, turning at an endless source. One who does not penetrate learning is like one deluded: tell him east, west, south, north, and at the moment he hears and understands, but once he turns around he has lost it and does not grasp the essentials. Cold cannot produce cold, heat cannot produce heat; only what is neither cold nor hot can produce cold and heat. So the formed comes from the formless, and what was before Heaven and Earth could produce Heaven and Earth, which is the utmost depth, subtlety, and vastness! Rain cannot wet while it is gathering, but only when it stops can there be moisture; an arrow cannot pierce while it is being shot, but only when it stops can there be piercing; only stopping can stop the many stoppings. One builds a terrace on what is high and makes a pond on what is low, each following its circumstance and not daring to alter it. The sage uses things like binding a straw dog with red silk, or making an earthen dragon to ask for rain. The straw dog depends on it to seek blessing, and the earthen dragon depends on it to get food. A man of Lu who was himself good at making caps and whose wife was good at weaving shoes moved to Yue and was greatly impoverished. To roam with what one has cultivated into a land where it has no use is like planting lotus on a mountain or keeping fire in a well. To go up a mountain with a fishing rod or enter a deep pool with an axe, wanting to obtain what one seeks, is hard. To go to Yue with carts side by side, or to enter the Hu lands on a raft, and hope not to be in hardship, cannot be obtained. The king of Chu had a white ape, and when the king himself shot at it, it grasped the arrows and played; when he had Yang Youji shoot, he had only just adjusted the bow and straightened the arrow, before it was released the ape was clinging to a pillar and wailing, because there was a hit before the hit. The jade disk of Mr. He and the jade half-disk of the Xia ruler, presented with bows and yielding, were used to unite in joy; thrown at someone at night, they would create resentment; this is about timing and untimeliness. If one paints Xi Shi's face, it is beautiful but not lovable; if one outlines Meng Ben's eyes, they are large but not frightening; what governs the form is lost. When brothers divide property and there is no limit, people call them righteous. Precisely because there is no limit, it cannot be measured. Climbing a height makes one want to look out, and standing at a depth makes one want to peer in, because of the place. Archery makes people upright and fishing makes people reverent, because of the activity. To say that killing an exhausted ox can redeem a fine horse's death, no one does it. Killing the ox is a number of certain loss, and using certain loss to redeem what may not die cannot be put into practice. When the Jisun clan coerced the ducal house, Confucius went to persuade him, first following what he did and then entering government with him, saying: "If you promote the crooked together with the straight, how could you fail? If you promote the straight together with the crooked, do not go along straight to the end." This is what is called sharing the same filth but taking different roads. A multitude of crooked things cannot tolerate the straight, and a multitude of the bent cannot tolerate the upright, so when people are many they eat wolves, and when wolves are many they eat people. Those who want to do evil will surely praise uprightness to each other, and those who want to be crooked will surely recommend straightness to each other. That when the public way is not established private desires can be tolerated has never been heard from antiquity to the present. This is entrusting ugliness to goodness. Many opinions can gather into a forest, wingless they fly, three people can say there is a tiger in the market, and one li can bend a mallet.

夫遊沒者，不求沐浴，已自足其中矣。故食草之獸不疾易藪，水居之蟲不疾易水，行小變而不失常。信有非禮而失禮：尾生死其梁柱之下，此信之非也；孔氏不喪出母，此禮之失者。曾子立孝，不過勝母之閭；墨子非樂，不入朝歌之邑；曾子立廉，不飲盜泉；所謂養志者也。紂為象箸而箕子唏，魯以偶人葬而孔子嘆，故聖人見霜而知冰。有鳥將來，張羅而待之，得鳥者，羅之一目也；今為一目之羅，則無時得鳥矣。今被甲者，以備矢之至；若使人必知所集，則懸一札而已矣。事或不可前規，物或不可慮，卒然不戒而至，故聖人畜道以待時。髡屯犁牛，既犐以㹋，決鼻而羈，生子而犧，尸祝齊戒以沉諸河，河伯豈羞其所從出，辭而不享哉！得萬人之兵，不如聞一言之當。得隋侯之珠，不若得事之所由。得咼氏之璧，不若得事之所適。撰良馬者，非以逐狐狸，將以射麋鹿。砥利劍者，非以斬縞衣，將以斷兕犀。故「高山仰止，景行行止」，鄉者其人。見彈而求鴞炙，見卵而求晨夜，見黂而求成布，雖其理哉，亦不病暮。象解其牙，不憎人之利之也；死而棄其招簀，不怨人取之。人能以所不利利人，則可。狂者東走，逐者亦東走，東走則同，所以東走則異。溺者入水，拯之者亦入水，入水則同，所以入水者則異。故聖人同死生，愚人亦同死生，聖人之同死生通於分理，愚人之同死生不知利害所在。徐偃王以仁義亡國，國亡者非必仁義；比干以忠靡其體，被誅者非必忠也。故寒顫，懼者亦顫，此同名而異實。明月之珠出於蛖蜄，周之簡圭生於垢石，大蔡神龜出於溝壑。萬乘之主，冠錙錘之冠，履百金之車。牛皮為賤，正三軍之眾。欲學歌謳者，必先徵羽樂風；欲美和者，必先始於陽阿、採菱；此皆學其所不學，而欲至其所欲學者。燿蟬者務在明其火，釣魚者務在芳其餌。明其火者，所以燿而致之也；

One who can swim and dive does not seek to bathe, since he is already sufficient in the water. So grass-eating beasts do not hurry to change marshes, and water-dwelling insects do not hurry to change water; they walk small changes without losing constancy. There is faithfulness that does not accord with ritual and so loses ritual: Weisheng died under a bridge pillar, which was a mistake of faithfulness; the Kong family did not mourn for a divorced mother, which was a lack of ritual. Zengzi established filial piety and did not pass through the lane named Shengmu; Mozi condemned music and did not enter the city of Zhaoge; Zengzi established integrity and did not drink from the Dao Spring; these are what are called those who nourish their aims. When Zhou made ivory chopsticks, Jizi sighed; when Lu used effigies for burial, Confucius lamented; so the sage sees frost and knows ice. If a bird is about to come and one spreads a net to wait for it, what catches the bird is one mesh of the net; if one makes a net of a single mesh, there will be no time to catch a bird. Putting on armor now is to guard against arrows coming; if one made people certain to know where they would be hit, one plate of armor would suffice. There are matters that cannot be planned in advance and things that cannot be thought of; they arrive suddenly without warning, so the sage accumulates the Way to await the time. A brindled plow ox, already castrated, with its nose cut and a halter put on, may yet bear a calf used for sacrifice; the officiants fast and sink it in the river; would the River Earl be ashamed of its origin and decline to accept it! To obtain an army of ten thousand is not as good as hearing one fitting word. To obtain the pearl of the Marquis of Sui is not as good as obtaining the reason for a matter. To obtain the jade of Mr. He is not as good as obtaining what suits the affair. One who selects a fine horse does so not to chase foxes but to shoot elk and deer. One who sharpens a keen sword does so not to cut silk garments but to cut rhinoceroses. So 'the high mountain is looked up to; the bright road is walked on' is aspiration for that person. Seeing a bow one seeks roasted owl, seeing an egg one seeks a rooster that crows at dawn and roosts at night, seeing hemp one seeks woven cloth; though the principle is there, one need not blame it for being late. The elephant takes off its tusks and does not hate that people are greedy for profit; when a person dies the mattress is thrown away and he does not resent others taking it. When a person can use what is not beneficial to himself to benefit others, that is fine. A madman runs east and those chasing him also run east; running east is the same, but why they run east is different. A drowning man enters the water and those saving him also enter the water; entering the water is the same, but why they enter differs. So the sage regards death and life as the same, and the fool also regards death and life as the same; the sage's sameness of death and life penetrates the principle of distinction, while the fool's sameness of death and life is not knowing where benefit and harm lie. King Yan of Xu lost his state because of humaneness and righteousness, but those who lose their states are not necessarily humane and righteous; Bi Gan had his body cut open for loyalty, but those who are killed are not necessarily loyal. So one shivers when cold and shivers when frightened; this is the same name for different realities. The bright moon pearl comes from a clam, the jade tablet of Zhou is born from filthy stone, and the great Cai spirit turtle comes from a ditch. The lord of ten thousand chariots wears a cap worth a trifle and treads a carriage worth a hundred in gold. Oxhide is cheap, yet it can bring the multitudes of the three armies into order. One who wants to learn songs must first learn the zhi and yu modes of music; one who wants to harmonize beauty must begin from Yang'e and Cailing; all these are learning what one is not trying to learn in order to reach what one wants to learn. One who lights up cicadas must make the fire bright, and one who fishes must make the bait fragrant. Making the fire bright is to illuminate and summon them;

芳其餌者，所以誘而利之也。欲致魚者先通水，欲致鳥者先樹木。水積而魚聚，木茂而鳥集。好弋者先具繳與矰，好魚者先具罟與罛，未有無其具而得其利。遺人馬而解其羈，遺人車而稅其𨏢，所愛者少而所亡者多，故里人諺曰：「烹牛而不鹽，敗所為也。」堯有遺道，嫫母有所美，西施有所醜。故亡國之法有可隨者，治國之俗有可非者。琬琰之玉，在洿泥之中，雖廉者弗釋；弊箄甑瓾，在袇茵之上，雖貪者不搏。美之所在，雖汙辱，世不能賤；惡之所在，雖高隆，世不能貴。春貸秋賦民皆欣，春賦秋貸眾皆怨；得失同，喜怒為別，其時異也。為魚德者，非挈而入淵，為蝯賜者，非負而緣木，縱之其所而已。貂裘而雜，不若狐裘而粹，故人莫惡於無常行。有相馬而失馬者，然良馬猶在相之中。今人放燒，或操火往益之，或接水往救之，兩者皆未有功，而怨德相去亦遠矣。郢人有買屋棟者，求大三圍之木，而人予車轂，跪而度之，巨雖可，而修不足。蘧伯玉以德化，公孫鞅以刑罪，所極一也。病者寢席，醫之用針石，巫之用糈藉，所救鈞也。貍頭愈鼠，雞頭已瘻，虻散積血，斲木愈齲，此類之推者也。膏之殺鱉，鵲矢中蝟，爛灰生蠅，漆見蟹而不乾，此類之不推者也。推與不推，若非而是，若是而非，孰能通其微！天下無粹白狐，而有粹白之裘，掇之眾白也。善學者，若齊王之食雞，必食其蹠數十而後足。刀便剃毛，至伐大木，非斧不剋，物固有以剋適成不逮者。視方寸於牛，不知其大於羊；總視其體，乃知其大相去之遠。孕婦見兔而子缺唇，見麋而子四目。小馬大目，不可謂大馬；大馬之目眇，可謂之眇馬；物固有似然而似不然者。故決指而身死，或斷臂而顧活，類不可必推。厲利劍者必以柔砥，擊鐘磬者必以濡木，轂強必以弱輻，兩堅不能相和，兩強不能相服。故梧桐斷角，馬氂截玉。

making the bait fragrant is to lure them so that it is advantageous to get them. If you want to bring in fish, first open the water channel; if you want to bring in birds, first plant trees. When water accumulates, fish gather; when trees are lush, birds assemble. One who likes shooting with a cord first prepares cords and arrows; one who likes fishing first prepares nets and fish traps; no one has gained the benefit without preparing the equipment. To give someone a horse but untie its halter, or give someone a cart but remove its axle bearings, is to love little and lose much, so the village saying goes: "Cooking an ox without salt ruins what you did." Yao had a lapse in the Way, Momu had a beautiful part, and Xi Shi had an ugly part. So the laws of a perished state have things that can be followed, and the customs of a well-governed state have things that can be criticized. Jade of wan and yan kinds, if in filthy mud, even an incorruptible person will not let go of; a broken basket and a cracked steamer, if placed on a brocade cushion, even a greedy person will not grab. Where beauty lies, though in disgrace, the world cannot despise it; where ugliness lies, though high and eminent, the world cannot honor it. Lending in spring and collecting in autumn, the people are glad; collecting in spring and lending in autumn, everyone resents it; gain and loss are the same, but joy and anger differ, because the timing differs. To bestow virtue on fish is not to lift them and put them into a deep pool; to give to an ape is not to carry it up a tree; one just releases them to where they belong. A mottled sable coat is not as good as a pure fox coat, so nothing is more hateful in a person than having no constant conduct. There are horse appraisers who err, but the fine horse is still among the ones he appraised. Now when a fire is set, some add fire to it and some fetch water to save from it; neither has yet achieved merit, but the distance between resentment and gratitude is also far. A man of Ying who wanted to buy a roof beam sought a large timber of three armspans in thickness; another gave him a cart hub, and he knelt to measure it; the thickness was acceptable, but the length was insufficient. Qu Boyu transformed with virtue, Gongsun Yang governed crimes with punishments, but where they arrived was one. A sick person lies on a mat; the doctor uses needles and stones, the shaman uses fine rice and straw pads; what they save is the same. A wildcat's head can cure mouse fistulas, a chicken's head can stop fistula sores, gadflies can disperse stagnant blood, and the woodpecker can cure cavities; these can be inferred by kind. Oil can kill terrapins, magpie dung can hit hedgehogs, rotten ashes breed flies, lacquer meeting crab does not dry; these cannot be inferred by kind. Inferring or not inferring, seeming wrong yet right, seeming right yet wrong, who can penetrate its subtlety! In the world there are no pure white foxes, but there are pure white fur coats, gathered from many white pieces. One who is good at learning is like the king of Qi eating chicken: he must eat dozens of chicken feet before being satisfied. A knife is convenient for shaving hair, but when it comes to felling a great tree nothing but an axe will do; things inherently have what is suited to overcome that others cannot reach. Looking only at one square inch of an ox, one does not know it is bigger than a sheep; looking at its whole body, one knows how greatly it differs. A pregnant woman who sees a rabbit has a child with a harelip, and one who sees an elk has a child with four eyes. A small horse with large eyes cannot be called a large horse; a large horse with blind eyes can be called a blind horse; things inherently seem like this and also seem not like this. So some die when a finger is cut off, and some live when an arm is cut off; categories cannot be inferred in fixed fashion. To sharpen a keen sword one must use a soft whetstone; to strike bells and chime stones one must use soft, moist wood; for a hub that is hard one must use soft spokes; two hard things cannot harmonize and two strong things cannot subdue each other. So paulownia can cut horn and a horse's tail can saw jade.

媒但者，非學謾也，但成而生不信。立慬者，非學鬥爭也，慬立而生不讓。故君子不入獄，為其傷恩也；不入市，為其侳廉也；積不可不慎者也。走不以手，縛手走不能疾；飛不以尾，屈尾飛不能遠；物之用者必待不用者。故使之見者，乃不見者也；使鼓鳴者，乃不鳴者也。嘗一臠肉，知一鑊之味；懸羽與炭，而知燥溼之氣；以小明大。見一葉落，而知歲之將暮；睹瓶中之冰，而知天下之寒；以近論遠。三人比肩，不能外出戶；一人相隨，可以通天下。足蹍地而為跡，暴行而為影，此易而難。莊王誅裡史，孫叔敖制冠浣衣；文公棄荏席，後黴黑，咎犯辭歸，故桑葉落而長年悲也。鼎錯日用而不足貴，周鼎不爨而不可賤，物固有以不用而為有用者。地平則水不流，重鈞則衡不傾，物之尤必有所感，物固有以不用為大用者。先裸而浴則可，以浴而裸則不可；先祭而後饗則可，先饗而後祭則不可；物之先後各有所宜也。祭之日而言狗生，取婦夕而言衰麻，置酒之日而言上冢，渡江、河而言陽侯之波。或曰知其且赦也而多殺人，或曰知其且赦也而多活人，其望赦同，所利害異。故或吹火而然，或吹火而滅，所以吹者異也。烹牛以饗其裡，而罵其東家母，德不報而身見殆。文王汙膺，鮑申傴背，以成楚國之治。裨諶出郭而知，以成子產之事。朱儒問徑天高於脩人，脩人曰：「不知。」曰：「子雖不知，猶近之於我。」故凡問事，必於近者。寇難至，躄者告盲者，盲者負而走，兩人皆活，得其所能也。故使盲者語，使躄者走，失其所也。郢人有鬻其母，為請於買者曰：「此母老矣！幸善食之而勿苦。」此行大不義，而欲為小義者。介蟲之動以固，貞蟲之動以毒螫，熊羆之動攫搏，兕牛之動以觝觸，物莫措其所修而用其短也。治國者若鎒田，去害苗者而已。今沐者墮髮，而猶為之不止，以所去者少，所利者多。

One who is a matchmaker and falsifies is not learning deception; once falsification is established, he is no longer trusted. One who establishes himself as brave and fierce is not learning to fight; once bravery and ferocity are established, he does not yield. So the gentleman does not enter a prison, fearing it injures kindness; he does not enter a market, fearing it blunts integrity; accumulated habits must be handled carefully. Running is not done with the hands, but if the hands are tied one cannot run fast; flying is not done with the tail, but if the tail is bent one cannot fly far; what is used certainly waits on what is not used. So what enables people to see is that which cannot be seen; what makes a drum sound is that which does not resound. Tasting one piece of meat, one knows the flavor of the whole pot; hanging up feathers and charcoal, one knows the qi of dryness and dampness; this is using the small to clarify the great. Seeing one leaf fall, one knows the year is drawing late; seeing ice in a jar, one knows the cold of the world; this is using the near to discuss the far. Three people shoulder to shoulder cannot get out of a door; one person following can go through the whole world. When feet step on the ground they form tracks, and walking in sunlight forms a shadow; this is easy and yet hard. After King Zhuang of Chu killed his village historian, Sun Shu'ao made caps and washed clothes; Duke Wen discarded his mat, which later grew moldy and black, and Jiu Fan took leave to return; so when mulberry leaves fall, the elderly grieve. A tripod used daily is not valuable, while the tripod of Zhou, not used for fire, cannot be despised; things inherently become useful by being unused. When the ground is level, water does not flow; when the weights are equal, the balance does not tilt; when things reach the extreme, there is surely a response; things inherently become of great use by being unused. It is permissible to be naked first and then bathe, but not to bathe and then be naked; to sacrifice first and then partake, but not to partake and then sacrifice; for things, before and after each have their appropriateness. On the day of sacrifice one says the dog has had pups; on the evening of a wedding one speaks of mourning garments; on the day of a feast one speaks of tomb-sweeping; when crossing the Yangtze or Yellow River one speaks of the waves of Marquis Yang. Some say that knowing a general amnesty is coming, one should kill more people; others say that knowing a general amnesty is coming, one should save more people; the hope for amnesty is the same, but benefit and harm differ. So some blow on fire and it burns, some blow on fire and it goes out; so the blowing differs. To cook an ox to entertain the villagers but curse the east house's mother, virtue is not repaid and one's own person sees danger. King Wen had a sunken chest and Bao Shen was hunchbacked, yet they brought about the good governing of Chu. Pi Chen knew once he went out beyond the outer wall, and so accomplished Zichan's affairs. A short man asked a tall man how high Heaven is, and the tall man said: "I don't know." The short man said: "Though you don't know, you are still closer than I am." So in asking about anything, one must ask those who are near. When bandits and calamity came, a lame man told a blind man, and the blind man carried him on his back and ran; both lived, each getting what he was able to do. So if one made the blind man speak and the lame man run, they would lose their place. A man of Ying who sold his mother begged the buyer: "This mother is old! I hope you will feed her well and not make her suffer." This is one doing a great unrighteousness yet wanting to do a small righteousness. The shelled insect's movement uses its hardness, the bee's movement uses its poisonous sting, the bear's movement uses its seizing and grappling, and the wild ox's movement uses its butting; no creature sets aside its strength to use its weakness. One who governs a state is like one hoeing a field, merely removing what harms the seedlings. Now one who washes his hair loses hairs, yet still washes without stopping, because what is lost is little and what is gained is much.

砥石不利而可以利金，擏不正而可以正弓，物固有不正而可以正，不利而可以利。力貴齊，知貴捷。得之同，速為上；勝之同，遲為下。所以貴鏌邪者，以其應物而斷割也。𠟣靡勿釋，牛車絕轔。為孔子之窮於陳、蔡而廢六藝，則惑；為醫之不能自治其病，病而不就藥，則勃矣。

A whetstone that is not sharp can sharpen metal, and a bow frame that is not straight can straighten bows; things inherently include those that are not straight yet can straighten and not sharp yet can sharpen. In strength uniformity is valued, in wisdom quickness is valued. When what is gained is the same, the quick one is superior; when what is won is the same, the slow one is inferior. So the Moye sword is valued because it cuts through whatever it meets. (An obscure character in the base text.) Grinding without letting go can even wear through a doorsill with an ox cart. To abandon the Six Arts because Confucius was in trouble in Chen and Cai is to be deluded; to refuse medicine when ill because a doctor cannot cure his own illness is to be perverse.

以一世之度制治天下，譬猶客之乘舟，中流遺其劍，遽契其舟桅，暮薄而求之，其不知物類亦甚矣！夫隨一隅之跡，而不知因天地以遊，惑莫大焉。雖時有所合，然而不足貴也。譬若旱歲之土龍，疾疫之芻狗，是時為帝者也。曹氏之裂布，蛷者貴之，然非夏后氏之璜。無古無今，無始無終，未有天地而生天地，至深微廣大矣。足以蹍者淺矣，然待所不蹍而後行；智所知者褊矣，然待所不知而後明。遊者以足蹶，以手㧊，不得其數，愈蹶愈敗；及其能遊者，非手足者矣。鳥飛反鄉，兔走歸窟，狐死首丘，寒將翔水，各哀其所生。毋貽盲者鏡，毋予躄者履，毋賞越人章甫，非其用也。椎固有柄，不能自椓；目見百步之外，不能自見其眥。狗彘不擇甂甌而食，偷肥其體而顧近其死；鳳皇高翔千仞之上，故莫之能致。月照天下，蝕於詹諸；騰蛇遊霧，而殆於蝍蛆；烏力勝日，而服於鵻禮；能有修短也。莫壽於殤子，而彭祖為夭矣。短綆不可以汲深，器小不可以盛大，非其任也。怒出於不怒，為出於不為。視於無形，則得其所見矣；聽於無聲，則得其所聞矣。至味不慊，至言不文，至樂不笑，至音不叫，大匠不斲，大豆不具，大勇不鬥，得道而德從之矣。譬若黃鐘之比宮，太簇之比商，無更調焉。以瓦鉒者全，以金鉒者跋，以玉鉒者發，是故所重者在外，則內為之掘。逐獸者目不見太山，嗜慾在外，則明所蔽矣。聽有音之音者聾，聽無音之音者聰；不聾不聰，與神明通。卜者操龜，筮者端策，以問於數，安所問之哉！舞者舉節，坐者不期而𢬵皆如一，所極同也。日出暘谷，入於虞淵，莫知其動，須臾之間，俛人之頸。人莫欲學御龍，而皆欲學御馬，莫欲學治鬼，而皆欲學治人，急所用也。解門以為薪，塞井以為臼，人之從事，或時相似。水火相憎，鏏在其間，五味以和。骨肉相愛，讒賊間之，而父子相危。

To govern the world by the institutions of one age is like a passenger on a boat who loses his sword in midstream and hurriedly carves a mark on the gunwale, planning to look for it after landing at dusk; he does not understand the nature of things, which is quite excessive! To follow only the traces of one corner and not know how to roam by relying on Heaven and Earth: no confusion is greater than this. Although one may sometimes hit the mark, it is not worth valuing. It is like the clay dragon in a year of drought and the straw dog at a time of plague, which are treated as emperors only at that time. A cloth torn by Master Cao is valued by a man who is bitten by the qiu insect, but it is not the jade of the House of Xia. There is no ancient and no modern, no beginning and no end; before there were Heaven and Earth it produced Heaven and Earth, and it is of utmost depth, subtlety and vastness. The ground one stands on is shallow, yet one must wait for the ground one does not stand on before one can walk; what wisdom knows is narrow, yet one must wait for what it does not know before one can be bright. A swimmer who kicks with his feet and paddles with his hands without getting the knack fails the more he kicks; only when he really can swim does he no longer rely on his hands and feet. Birds fly back to their native land, hares run back to their burrows, a dying fox points its head toward its hill, and the cold-general bird soars above the water, each mourning and thinking of the place where it was born. Do not give a mirror to a blind man, do not give shoes to a lame man, and do not bestow ceremonial caps on the people of Yue, for they are not what they use. A mallet has a handle but cannot strike itself; eyes can see a hundred paces away but cannot see their own corners. Pigs and dogs eat without choosing between basins and jars, and fatten their bodies by stealth only to draw closer to death; the phoenix soars above a thousand ren, and so no one can bring it in. The moon shines on the world yet is eaten by the toad; the flying serpent roams in the mist yet is endangered by the centipede; the crow's strength surpasses the sun's, yet it submits to the zhuili bird; they have what is long and what is short. No one lives longer than one who died young, and Peng Zu became one who died early. A short rope cannot draw from a deep well, a small vessel cannot hold great affairs; they are not what they can bear. Anger comes out of not being angry, and action out of non-action. Look at the formless and you obtain what is seen; listen to the soundless and you obtain what is heard. The utmost flavor is not greedy for sating, the utmost speech is not ornamented, the utmost joy does not laugh, the utmost sound does not shout, the great craftsman does not hack and cut, the great bean is not fully prepared, the great courage does not fight; when one obtains Way and virtue, they follow. It is like the Huangzhong note matched with gong and the Taicu note matched with shang, with no need to change the tuning. One who gambles with tiles keeps them whole, one who gambles with gold goes crooked, one who gambles with jade scatters; so what is valued lies outside, and within one is hollowed out. One who chases beasts cannot see Mount Tai with his eyes; with desires outside, brightness is covered. One who hears the sound that has sound becomes deaf, and one who hears the sound that has no sound becomes keen; neither deaf nor keen, he communicates with the spirits. Those who divine hold the tortoise and those who consult yarrow hold the stalks, and having gone to ask about the numbers, what more is there to ask? Dancers raise their hands according to the beat, and those who sit, without agreeing, all look like one, arriving at the same place. The sun comes out from the Sunny Valley and enters the Abyss of Yu, and no one knows it is moving, yet in a moment it lowers people's necks. No one wants to learn to drive a dragon, but everyone wants to learn to ride a horse; no one wants to learn to manage ghosts, but everyone wants to learn to manage people; this is from hurrying toward what is used. People take down a door for firewood and plug a well as a mortar; in doing things, people are sometimes like this. Water and fire hate each other, but with a cauldron between them the five flavors are harmonized. Bone and flesh love each other, but when slander and thieves sow discord, father and son harm each other.

夫所以養而害所養，譬猶削足而適履，殺頭而便冠。昌羊去蚤蝨而來蚙窮，除小害而致大賊，欲小快而害大利。牆之壞也，不若無也，然逾屋之覆。璧瑗成器，礛諸之功；鏌邪斷割，砥礪之力。狡兔得而獵犬烹，高鳥盡而強弩藏。虻與驥，致千里而不飛，無糗糧之資而不飢。失火而遇雨，失火則不幸，遇雨則幸也，故禍中有福也。鬻棺者欲民之疾病也，畜粟者欲歲之荒饑也。水靜則平，平則清，清則見物之形，弗能匿也，故可以為正。川竭而谷虛，丘夷而淵塞，唇竭而齒寒。河水之深，其壤在山。鈞之縞也，一端以為冠，一端以為𥿉，冠則戴致之，𥿉則蹍履之。知己者不可誘以物，明於死生者不可卻以危，故善遊者不可懼以涉。親莫親於骨肉，節族之屬連也，心失其制，乃反自害，況疏遠乎！聖人之於道，猶葵之與日也，雖不能與終始哉，其鄉之誠也。宮池涔則溢，旱則涸；江水之原，淵泉不能竭。蓋非橑不能蔽日，輪非輻不能追疾，然而橑輻未足恃也。金勝木者，非以一刃殘林也；土勝水者，非以一墣塞江也。躄者見虎而不走，非勇，勢不便也。傾者易覆也，倚者易軵也。幾易助也，濕易雨也。設鼠者機動，釣魚者泛杭，任動者車鳴也。芻狗能立而不能行，蛇床似麋蕪而不能芳。謂許由無德，烏獲無力，莫不醜於色，人莫不奮於其所不足。以兔之走，使犬如馬，則逮日歸風；及其為馬，則又不能走矣。冬有雷電，夏有霜雪，然而寒暑之勢不易，小變不足以妨大節。黃帝生陰陽，上駢生耳目，桑林生臂手，此女媧所以七十化也。終日之言必有聖之事，百發之中必有羿、逢蒙之巧，然而世不與也，其守節非也。牛蹄彘顱亦骨也，而世弗灼，必問吉凶於龜者，以其歷歲久矣。近敖倉者不為之多飯，臨江、河者不為之多飲，期滿腹而已。蘭芝以芳，未嘗見霜；鼓造闢兵，壽盡五月之望。舌之與齒，孰先礱也？

What is used to nourish harms what is nourished, like cutting the foot to fit the shoe or cutting the head to suit the cap. The fragrant plant that removes fleas and lice invites centipedes; removing a small harm invites a great thief, wanting small pleasure but harming great benefit. A broken wall is worse than no wall, but still better than a collapsed house. A jade disc becomes a vessel by the work of a gritty stone; Moye can cut because of the strength of the whetstone. A cunning hare, once the hunting dog is obtained, is cooked; a high-flying bird, once the strong crossbow is exhausted, is put away. A gadfly following a fine horse reaches a thousand li without flying and is not hungry without provisions. A fire breaks out and it rains: the fire is a misfortune and the rain a fortune, so within misfortune there is fortune. One who sells coffins hopes people will fall ill, and one who hoards grain hopes for a famine year. When water is still it is level, level it is clear, clear one sees the shape of things which cannot hide, so it can serve as a standard. When rivers dry up, valleys are empty; when hills are leveled, abysses are filled; when lips are gone, teeth are cold. The depth of the Yellow River has its soil on the mountains. The same white silk, made into a cap at one end and into socks at the other: the cap is worn on the head and the socks are trodden on. One who knows himself cannot be lured by things, and one who understands life and death cannot be driven back by danger, so a good swimmer cannot be made afraid by fording water. No one is closer than flesh and blood, and sinews and joints and the clan are connected; if the heart loses its restraint, one then harms oneself, how much more distant people! The sage's relation to the Way is like the sunflower's relation to the sun: although it cannot end and begin together with it, its yearning is sincere. A palace pond overflows when rain accumulates and dries up in drought; the source of the river, the abyssal spring, cannot be exhausted. A carriage canopy without ribs cannot shade the sun, and a wheel without spokes cannot run fast, yet ribs and spokes are not enough to rely on. Metal overcomes wood, but it is not with one blade that a forest can be destroyed; earth overcomes water, but it is not with one clod that a river can be blocked. A lame man who sees a tiger and does not run is not brave; it is that the circumstance is not convenient. What leans is easily overturned and what props is easily turned. What is near is easily helped and what is damp easily rains. When the mousetrap is triggered, when the fishing float shakes, when a load moves, the cart creaks. A straw dog can stand but cannot walk, and snake-bed grass resembles angelica but is not fragrant. To say that Xu You had no virtue or that Wu Huo had no strength, no one would fail to look displeased; people always rise up at the point where they feel their own lack. With the running of a hare, if one made a dog like a horse, it could catch up with the sun and chase the wind; but when it really becomes a horse, it cannot run like that anymore. There is thunder and lightning in winter and frost and snow in summer, but the tendency of cold and heat does not change; small changes are not enough to harm the great measure. The Yellow Emperor produced yin and yang, Shangpian produced ears and eyes, Sanglin produced arms and hands; this is why Nuwa had seventy transformations. Someone who talks all day is bound to say something of a sage's matters; of a hundred shots there is bound to be a skill of Yi and Pang Meng; but people of the world do not praise it because the restraint he observes is not right. An ox hoof and a pig skull are also bones, yet the world does not use them for scorching; they always ask the tortoise about good and ill fortune, because it has passed through many years. Those who live near the Ao Granary do not eat more because of it, and those who live by the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers do not drink more because of it, hoping only to fill their bellies. Orchid and ganoderma, because they are fragrant, have never seen frost; the Gu Zao creature can ward off weapons, but its lifespan ends at the full moon of the fifth month. The tongue and the teeth: which is worn out first?

錞之與刃，孰先獘也？繩之與矢，孰先直也？今媆之與蛇，蠶之與蠋，狀相類而愛憎異。晉以垂棘之璧得虞、虢，驪戎以美女亡晉國。聾者不歌，無以自樂；盲者不觀，無以接物。觀射者遺其𠙜，觀書者忘其愛，意有所在，則忘其所守。古之所為不可更，則推車至今無蟬匷。使但吹竽，使氐厭竅，雖中節而不可聽，無其君形者也。與死者同病，難為良醫；與亡國同道，難與為謀。為客治飯而自藜藿，名尊於實也。乳狗之噬虎也，伏雞之搏狸也，恩之所加，不量其力。使景曲者，形也；使響濁者，聲也。情洩者，中易測。華不時者，不可食也。蹠越者，或以舟，或以車，雖異路，所極一也。佳人不同體，美人不同面，而皆說於目；梨橘棘栗不同味，而皆調於口。人有盜而富者，富者未必盜；有廉而貧者，貧者未必廉。蔐苗類絮而不可為絮，黂不類布而可以為布。出林者不得直道，行險者不得履繩。羿之所以射遠中微者，非弓矢也；造父之所以追速致遠者，非轡銜也。海內其所出，故能大；輪復其所過，故能遠。羊肉不慕螘，螘慕於羊肉，羊肉羶也；醯酸不慕蚋，蚋慕於醯酸。嘗一臠肉而知一鑊之味，懸羽與炭而知燥濕之氣，以小見大，以近喻遠。十頃之陂可以灌四十頃，而一頃之陂可以灌四頃，大小之衰然。明月之光可以遠望，而不可以細書；甚霧之朝可以細書，而不可以遠望尋常之外。畫者謹毛而失貌，射者儀小而遺大。治鼠穴而壞裡閭，潰小皰而發痤疽，若珠之有纇，玉之有瑕，置之而全，去之而虧。榛巢者處林茂，安也；窟穴者託埵防，便也。王子慶忌足躡麋鹿，手搏兕虎，置之冥室之中，不能搏龜鱉，勢不便也。湯放其主而有榮名，崔杼弒其君而被大謗，所為之則同，其所以為之則異。呂望使老者奮，項託使嬰兒矜，以類相慕。使葉落者風搖之，使水濁者魚撓之。虎豹之文來射，蝯狖之捷來乍。

The mouth of a bell and a blade: which is destroyed first? The cord and the arrow: which is straight first? Now eels and snakes, silkworms and caterpillars look alike but are loved and hated differently. Jin used the jade of Chuiji and obtained Yu and Guo; the Li Rong used beautiful women and destroyed the state of Jin. A deaf person does not sing, having nothing with which to please himself; a blind person does not look, having nothing with which to meet things. One who watches archery forgets his own wine vessel (the source text has a rare character here), and one who reads forgets what he loves; when the mind is on something, one forgets what one guards. If what the ancients did could not be changed, then pushing carts would to this day not have developed into carriages shed like cicada shells. Have an entertainer blow the yu and an Di person stop the holes; although they keep the beat, it is not worth listening to, since the master of form is missing. To suffer the same illness as the dead makes it hard to be a good doctor; to be of the same way as a perishing state makes it hard to plan with him. To cook for a guest and eat goosefoot oneself is a name that is more honored than the reality. A suckling dog bites a tiger and a brooding hen fights a wildcat; when favor is added from above, one does not measure one's strength. What makes a shadow bend is the form; what makes an echo muddy is the sound. When feelings leak out, what is inside is easy to measure. Flowers that bloom out of season cannot be eaten. Those who go to Yue, some by boat and some by cart; although the roads differ, where they arrive is one. Fair women have different bodies and beauties different faces but all please the eye; pears, oranges, jujubes and chestnuts have different tastes but all suit the mouth. Some people get rich by theft, but the rich are not necessarily thieves; some are poor by integrity, but the poor are not necessarily honest. Reed sprouts look like cotton wool but cannot serve as cotton, and hemp does not look like cloth but can be made into cloth. One who comes out of a forest cannot walk on a straight road, and one who walks on a dangerous road cannot tread on the ink line. What makes Yi shoot far and hit the tiny is not the bow and arrow; what makes Zaofu chase fast and reach far is not the reins and bit. The sea holds what flows into it and so can be great; a wheel turns over what it passes and so can go far. Mutton does not envy ants, but ants envy mutton, for mutton is rank; vinegar's sourness does not envy gnats, but gnats envy vinegar's sourness. By tasting one piece of meat one knows the flavor of a whole pot; by hanging feathers and charcoal one knows the dryness and moisture of the air; one sees the large by the small and illustrates the far by the near. A pond of ten qing can irrigate forty qing, and a pond of one qing can irrigate four qing; such is the graded difference of large and small. The light of the bright moon can be seen from afar but cannot be used to write fine characters; on a very foggy morning one can write fine characters but cannot see beyond the ordinary distance. A painter who is cautious about hairs loses the appearance, and an archer who aims at small things misses the large. If one treats a rat hole and wrecks the lanes, or squeezes a small boil and causes a carbuncle, it is like a pearl with a flaw or jade with a blemish: leave it and it is whole, remove it and it is damaged. Those in a thicket nest, dwelling in a dense forest, are at ease; those in burrows, relying on embankments and earth mounds, find it convenient. Prince Qingji could tread on elk and deer with his feet and fight rhinoceroses and tigers with his hands, but placed in a dark room he could not fight a turtle, because the circumstances were not convenient. Tang banished his lord and had glorious fame, while Cui Zhu murdered his ruler and was greatly condemned; what they did was the same but why they did it was different. Lü Wang made old men rouse themselves and Xiang Tuo made infants proud; it is mutual envy by category. What makes leaves fall is the wind shaking them, and what makes water muddy is fish stirring it. The patterns of tigers and leopards invite arrows, and the agility of apes and monkeys invites spears.

行一棋不足以見智，彈一弦不足以見悲。三寸之管而無當，天下弗能滿；十石而有塞，百鬥而足矣。以篙測江，篙終而以水為測，惑矣。漁者走淵，木者走山，所急者存也。朝之市則走，夕過市則步，所求者亡也。豹裘而雜，不若狐裘之粹；白璧有考，不得為寶；言至純之難也。戰兵死之鬼憎神巫，盜賊之輩醜吠狗。無鄉之社易為黍肉，無國之稷易為求福。鱉無耳，而目不可以瞥，精於明也。瞽無目，而耳不可以察，精於聰也。遺腹子不思其父，無貌於心也；不夢見像，無形於目也。蝮蛇不可為足，虎豹不可使緣木。馬不食脂，桑扈不啄粟，非廉也。秦通崤塞，而魏築城也。飢馬在廄，寂然無聲；投芻其旁，爭心乃生。引弓而射，非弦不能發矢，弦之為射，百分之一也。道德可常，權不可常，故遁關不可復，亡犴不可再。環可以喻員，不必以輪；絛可以為繶，不必以紃。日月不並出，狐不二雄，神龍不匹，猛獸不群，鷙鳥不雙。循繩而斲則不過，懸衡而量則不差，植表而望則不惑。損年則嫌於弟，益年則疑於兄，不如循其理，若其當。人不見龍之飛，舉而能高者，風雨奉之。蠹眾則木折，隙大則牆壞。懸垂之類，有時而隧；枝格之屬，有時而弛。當凍而不死者，不失其適；當暑而不暍者，不亡其適；未嘗適，亡其適。湯沐具而蟣蝨相弔，大廈成而燕雀相賀，憂樂別也。柳下惠見飴，曰可以養老；盜蹠見飴，曰可以黏牡；見物同，而用之異。蠶食而不飲，二十二日而化；蟬飲而不食，三十日而脫；蜉蝣不食不飲，三日而死；人食礜石而死，蠶食之而不飢；魚食巴菽而死，鼠食之而肥；類不可必推。瓦以火成，不可以得火；竹以水生，不可以得水。揚堁而欲弭塵，被裘而以翣翼，豈若適衣而已哉！槁竹有火，弗鑽不燃；土中有水，弗掘無泉。蛖象之病，人之寶也；人之病，將有誰寶之者乎？

A single move at chess is not enough to see wisdom, and plucking a single string is not enough to see sorrow. A three-inch pipe without a bottom cannot be filled even by the whole world; a ten-shi vessel with a stopper needs only a hundred dou. Measuring a river with a pole, when the pole reaches its end one takes the water as measured out; that is confusion. Fishermen run to the deep abyss and woodcutters run to the mountains, because what they urgently need is there. One who goes to market in the morning runs, and one who passes through the market in the evening walks, because what he seeks is gone. A leopard-fur coat that is mottled is not as good as a pure fox-fur coat; a white jade disc with a flaw cannot be treasured; this speaks of the difficulty of utmost purity. The ghosts of soldiers killed in battle hate shamans, and bandit gangs dislike barking dogs. A village-less altar finds it easy to prepare millet and meat, and a state-less grain-god finds it easy to seek blessing. A turtle has no ears yet its eyes cannot glance aside, being refined in sight. A blind person has no eyes yet his ears cannot observe, being refined in hearing. A posthumous child does not long for his father, having no appearance in his heart; he does not dream of an image, having no shape in his eyes. One cannot add feet to a viper, nor make a tiger or leopard climb a tree. Horses do not eat fat and the sangu bird does not peck millet, but that is not integrity. Qin opened the Xiao Pass and Wei built a wall. A hungry horse in a stable is silent; when fodder is thrown to one side, the spirit of contention arises. When drawing a bow and shooting, without a string there is no arrow shot, but the string makes up only one hundredth of the shooting. Way and virtue can be constant, but expedient measures cannot be constant, so one who escapes through a pass cannot come again, and one who escapes from prison cannot offend again. A ring can be a metaphor for the round without needing a wheel; a braid can serve as a rope without needing a strong cord. The sun and moon do not come out together, a fox does not have two males, a divine dragon does not pair, fierce beasts do not form herds, and raptors do not form pairs. Cutting along a line does not overshoot, hanging a balance to weigh does not err, and setting up a gnomon to look does not confuse. If one subtracts years, one is disliked by one's younger brother, and if one adds years, one is suspected by one's elder brother; it is better to follow the principle, as it should be. People do not see a dragon fly yet it ascends high, because wind and rain support it. If worms are numerous, the wood breaks; if cracks are wide, the wall collapses. Things that hang down sometimes fall, and branching things sometimes slacken. Those who should freeze but do not die have not lost their suitability; those who should suffer heat but do not have not forgotten their suitability; one who has never been suited has truly lost suitability. When the bath is prepared the lice mourn one another, and when the great hall is completed the swallows and sparrows congratulate one another; worry and joy differ. Liuxia Hui saw malt sugar and said it could nurse the old; Robber Zhi saw malt sugar and said it could glue door bolts; the thing seen was the same but the use was different. Silkworms eat but do not drink and transform in twenty-two days; cicadas drink but do not eat and molt in thirty days; mayflies neither eat nor drink and die in three days; people who eat arsenic die, but silkworms who eat it are not hungry; fish that eat croton die but rats that eat it grow fat; categories cannot be inferred rigidly. Tiles are made by fire but cannot obtain fire again; bamboo grows by water but cannot obtain water again. Throwing up earth to stop dust, or wearing fur while fanning oneself, how can that match clothing that is suitable! Dry bamboo has fire in it, but without drilling it does not burn; the earth has water in it, but without digging there is no spring. The illness of the oyster and the elephant is a treasure for people; who then would treasure the illness of people?

為酒人之利而不酤，則竭；為車人之利而不僦，則不達。握火提人，反先之熱。鄰之母死，往哭之，妻死而不泣，有所劫以然也。西方之裸國，鳥獸弗闢，與為一也。一膊炭熯，掇之則爛指；萬石俱熯，去之十步而不死；同氣異積也。大勇小勇，有似於此。今有六尺之席，臥而越之，下材弗難；植而踰之，上材弗易；勢施異也。百梅足以為百人酸，一梅不足以為一人和。有以飯死者而禁天下之食，有以車為敗者而禁天下之乘，則悖矣。釣者靜之，𦋯者扣舟；罩者抑之，罣者舉之；為之異，得魚一也。見象牙乃知其大於牛，見虎尾乃知其大於狸，一節見而百節知也。小國不鬥於大國之間，兩鹿不鬥於伏兕之旁。佐祭者得嘗，救鬥者得傷。蔭不祥之木，為雷電所撲。或謂冢，或謂隴；或謂笠，或謂簦。頭蝨與空木之瑟，名同實異也。日月欲明而浮雲蓋之，蘭芝欲修而秋風敗之。虎有子，不能搏攫者，輒殺之，為墮武也。龜紐之璽，賢者以為佩；土壤布在田，能者以為富。予拯溺者金玉，不若尋常之纏索。視書，上有酒者，下必有肉，上有年者，下必有月，以類而取之。蒙塵而眯，固其理也；為其不出戶而堁之也。屠者羹藿，為車者步行，陶者用缺盆，匠人處狹廬，為者不必用，用者弗肯為。轂立，三十輻各盡其力，不得相害。使一輻獨入，眾輻皆棄，豈能致千里哉？夜行者掩目而前其手，涉水者解其馬載之舟，事有所宜，而有所不施。橘柚有鄉，雚葦有叢。獸同足者相從遊，鳥同翼者相從翔。田中之潦，流入於海；附耳之言，聞於千里也。蘇秦步，曰何故；趍，曰何趍馳；有為則議，多事固苛。皮將弗睹，毛將何顧！畏首畏尾，身凡有幾！欲觀九州之土，足無千里之行；心無政教之原，而欲為萬民之上；則難。旳旳者獲，提提者射，故大白若辱，大德若不足。

If one refuses to buy wine because the wine-seller profits, one will go dry; if one refuses to hire a carriage because the carriage-owner profits, one cannot arrive. If you hold a fire to throw at someone, you burn yourself first. When a neighbor's mother dies you go and weep for her, but when your own wife dies you do not weep; it is because of some compulsion that one does so. In the naked state of the west, birds and beasts do not flee, because they are one with them. A piece of burning charcoal, if you take hold of it, burns your fingers; ten thousand dan burning together, ten paces away you do not die; it is the same qi but gathered differently. Great courage and small courage are somewhat like this. Now there is a six-foot mat; lying down and stepping over it is not hard even for the lowest talent, but standing up and leaping over it is not easy even for the highest talent; the setup of the circumstance differs. A hundred plums are enough to give a hundred people sourness, but one plum is not enough to flavor one person. To forbid the whole world to eat because someone choked on food, or to forbid the whole world to ride in carriages because someone overturned one, would be perverse. A fisherman is still, while one who knocks the boat taps it; one who uses a basket presses down and one who hangs a net lifts up; the methods differ, but the catch is the same. Seeing ivory, one knows it is bigger than an ox; seeing a tiger's tail, one knows it is bigger than a wildcat; seeing one section one knows a hundred sections. A small state does not fight among great states, and two deer do not fight beside a crouching rhinoceros. One who helps at a sacrifice gets to taste, and one who breaks up a fight gets injured. Taking shade under an ill-omened tree, one is struck by lightning. Some call it a tomb mound and some a ridge; some call it a bamboo hat and some an umbrella. Lice on the head and a lute of hollow wood have the same name but different realities. The sun and moon want to be bright but are covered by floating clouds, orchids want to grow but are ruined by the autumn wind. A tigress has cubs, and those that cannot seize and grab she kills, fearing they will let down her martial character. A seal with a tortoise knob, the worthy take and wear; soil spread over fields, the capable take and enrich themselves with. Giving gold and jade to one who is rescuing a drowning person is not as good as an ordinary rope. In reading, if there is wine above there must be meat below, if there is the year above there must be the month below; one infers by category. When dust gets into the eye, that is how it should be; but to blame it for not leaving the gate and still stirring up dust is wrong. A butcher drinks bean-leaf soup, a wheelwright goes on foot, a potter uses a broken basin, and a craftsman lives in a narrow house; those who make a thing do not necessarily use it, and those who use it will not make it. When a hub stands, the thirty spokes each exert their strength and cannot hinder one another. If one spoke alone is let in and the multitude of spokes are discarded, how could one reach a thousand li? One who walks at night puts his hand forward covering his eyes, and one who fords a river unyokes the horse and loads it onto the boat; each matter has what is fitting and what is not to be applied. Oranges and pomelos have their homeland, and reeds have their clumps. Beasts with the same feet roam together, and birds with the same wings soar together. Water standing in a field flows into the sea; words whispered near the ear travel a thousand li. When Su Qin walked, people asked why; when he ran, people asked why he rushed; with action there is comment, and with fuss there is naturally blame. When the skin is about to be invisible, why care about the hair! Fearful of head and fearful of tail, how much of the body is left! Wanting to see the soil of the nine regions while one's feet have no journey of a thousand li, having no source of government and teaching in one's heart yet wanting to be above the myriad people: that is hard. What is conspicuous is caught, what is calm is shot; so great whiteness seems tarnished and great virtue seems insufficient.

未嘗稼穡粟滿倉，未嘗桑蠶絲滿囊，得之不以道，用之必橫。海不受流胔，太山不上小人，旁光不升俎，?駁不入牲。中夏用箑，快之，至冬而不知去；褰衣涉水，至陵而不知下；未可以應變。有山無林，有谷無風，有石無金。滿堂之坐，視鉤各異，於環帶一也。獻公之賢，欺於驪姬；叔孫之智，欺於豎牛。故鄭詹入魯，春秋曰「佞人來，佞人來」。君子有酒，鄙人鼓缶，雖不見好，亦不見醜。人性便絲衣帛，或射之則被鎧甲，為其所不便以得所便。輻之入轂，各值其鑿，不得相通，猶人臣各守其職，不得相干。嘗被甲而免射者，被而入水；嘗抱壺而度水者，抱而蒙火；可謂不知類矣。君子之居民上，若以腐索御奔馬，若蹍薄冰，蛟在其下，若入林而遇乳虎。善用人者，若蚈之足，眾而不相害；若唇之與齒，堅柔相摩而不相敗。清醠之美，始於耒耜；黼黻之美，在於杼軸。布之新不如紵，紵之獘不如布，或善為新，或惡為故。𩉇䩉在頰則好，在顙則醜。繡，以為裳則宜，以為冠則譏。馬齒非牛蹄，檀根非椅枝，故見其一本而萬物知。石生而堅，蘭生而芳，少自其質，長而愈明。扶之與提，謝之與讓，故之與先，諾之與已也，之與矣，相去千里。汙準而粉其顙；腐鼠在壇，燒薰於宮；入水而憎濡，懷臭而求芳；雖善者弗能為工。再生者不穫，華大旱者不胥時落。毋曰不幸，甑終不墮井。抽簪招燐，有何為驚！使人無度河，可；中河使無度，不可。見虎一文，不知其武；見驥一毛，不知善走。水蠆為蟌，孑孑為蚊，兔齧為螚，物之所為，出於不意，弗知者驚，知者不怪。銅英青，金英黃，玉英白，𢊱燭捔，膏燭澤也，以微知明，以外知內。象肉之味不知於口，鬼神之貌不著於目，捕景之說不形於心。冬冰可折，夏木可結，時難得而易失。木方茂盛，終日採而不知；秋風下霜，一夕而殫。

One who never farmed yet has granaries full of grain, one who never raised silkworms yet has bags full of silk, has gained it not by the Way, and in using it will surely be wasteful. The sea does not accept drifting rotting meat, Mount Tai does not let petty people ascend it, a bladder does not go onto the sacrificial stand, and a mottled animal does not enter the sacrifice. In midsummer one uses a fan for comfort but in winter does not know to put it away; one lifts one's clothes to wade water but upon reaching a hillside does not know to put them down; this cannot respond to change. There are mountains without forests, valleys without wind, and stones without metal. A whole hall of people sit and look at belt hooks, each differing, but as for wrapping around the belt they are one. Duke Xian, so worthy, was deceived by Li Ji; Shusun, so wise, was deceived by Shu Niu. So when Zheng Zhan entered Lu, the Spring and Autumn Annals says: 'The flatterer has come, the flatterer has come.' The gentleman has wine and the rustic beats a clay jar; though not necessarily good, it is not necessarily ugly either. Human nature finds silk and brocade clothes comfortable, but when someone shoots at him, he puts on armor; he uses what is uncomfortable to obtain what is comfortable. Spokes entering a hub each face their own mortise and cannot connect with each other, like ministers each keeping to their duties and unable to meddle in one another's. One who once put on armor and was spared an arrow goes into water wearing armor; one who once crossed water holding a gourd holds a gourd to block fire; one can say they do not understand categories. A gentleman dwelling above the people is like driving a galloping horse with a rotten rope, like treading on thin ice with a flood-dragon below, like entering a forest and meeting a nursing tiger. One good at using people is like the centipede's legs: many yet not harming one another; like lips and teeth: hard and soft rub against each other yet do not ruin each other. The fineness of clear vinegar begins with the plow; the fineness of embroidered ceremonial dress lies in the shuttle and loom. When cloth is new it is not as good as ramie; when ramie is worn it is not as good as cloth; some are good at making the new and some dislike making the old. A dimple on the cheek is attractive; on the forehead it is ugly. Embroidery made into a skirt is suitable; made into a cap it is ridiculed. A horse's tooth is not an ox's hoof, and a sandalwood root is not a catalpa branch; so seeing one root of it, one knows the myriad things. Stone is hard from birth and orchid fragrant from birth; from childhood it has that quality, and when grown it is more evident. Fu and ti, xie and rang, gu and xian, nuo and yi, zhi and yi: these pairs of words are a thousand li apart. To soil the nose but powder the forehead; a rotten rat in the hall but burning incense in the palace; entering water yet hating to get wet; carrying stink in one's bosom yet seeking fragrance; even the best at it cannot make it skillful. A regrown crop is not harvested; flowers that open large in drought fall without waiting for their time. Do not speak of misfortune; the steamer will never fall into the well. To pull out a hairpin to summon will-o'-the-wisps, what is there to be startled by! To tell someone not to cross a river is fine; to tell him not to cross once he is in mid-river is not. Seeing one stripe of a tiger, one does not know its ferocity; seeing one hair of a thoroughbred, one does not know its speed. A water scorpion becomes a dragonfly, a wriggler becomes a mosquito, a rabbit gnawer becomes a nuo-insect; what things do comes from the unexpected, and those who do not know are startled while those who know do not find it strange. Copper's flower is blue, gold's flower is yellow, jade's flower is white; a hemp candle leans, a fat candle is moist; from the subtle one knows the clear and from the outer one knows the inner. The taste of elephant meat is not known in the mouth, the appearance of ghosts and spirits does not show in the eyes, and the theory of catching shadows does not take shape in the mind. Winter ice can be broken and summer wood can be tied; time is hard to obtain and easy to lose. When trees are in full lush growth, picking them all day is not noticed; when autumn wind brings frost, one night finishes them.

病熱而強之餐，救暍而飲之寒，救經而引其索，拯溺而授之石，欲救之，反為惡。雖欲謹亡馬，不發戶轔；雖欲豫就酒，不懷蓐。孟賁探鼠穴，鼠無時死，必噬其指，失其勢也。山雲蒸，柱礎潤；伏苓掘，兔絲死。一家失熛，百家皆燒；讒夫陰謀，百姓暴骸。粟得水濕而熱，甑得火而液，水中有火，火中有水。疾雷破石，陰陽相薄。湯沐之於河，有益不多。流潦注海，雖不能益，猶愈於已。一目之羅，不可以得鳥；無餌之釣，不可以得魚；遇士無禮，不可以得賢。兔絲無根而生，蛇無足而行，魚無耳而聽，蟬無口而鳴，有然之者也。鶴壽千歲，以極其遊；蜉朝生而暮死，而盡其樂。紂醢梅伯，文王與諸侯構之；桀辜諫者，湯使人哭之。狂馬不觸木，猘狗不自投於河，雖聾蟲而不自陷，又況人乎！愛熊而食之鹽，愛獺而飲之酒，雖欲養之，非其道。心所說，毀舟為杕；心所欲，毀鐘為鐸。管子以小辱成大榮，蘇秦以百誕成一誠。質的張而弓矢集，林木茂而斧斤入，非或召之，形勢所致者也。待利而後拯溺人，亦必以利溺人矣。舟能沉能浮，愚者不加足。騏驥驅之不進，引之不止，人君不以取道里。刺我行者，欲與我交；訾我貨者，欲與我市。以水和水不可食，一絃之瑟不可聽。駿馬以抑死，直士以正窮；賢者擯於朝，美女擯於宮。行者思於道，而居者夢於床；慈母吟於巷，適子懷於荊。赤肉懸則烏鵲集，鷹隼鷙則眾鳥散，物之散聚，交感以然。食其食者不毀其器，食其實者不折其枝。塞其源者竭，背其本者枯。交畫不暢，連環不解，其解之不以解。臨河而羨魚，不如歸家織網。明月之珠，蛖之病而我之利；虎爪象牙，禽獸之利而我之害。易道良馬，使人慾馳；飲酒而樂，使人慾歌。是而行之，故謂之斷；非而行之，必謂之亂。矢疾，不過二里也；步之遲，百舍不休，千里可致。聖人處於陰，眾人處於陽；

To force a person with a fever to eat, to give cold drink to one with heatstroke, to pull the rope of one who has hanged himself, to hand a stone to a drowning man: wanting to save him, one only does evil. Though one wants to look carefully for a lost horse, one does not open the cart's doorsill; though one wants to prepare in advance to take wine, one does not carry a mat in one's bosom. When Meng Ben probed a rat's hole, the rat never died at once, and it surely bit his finger, because he lost his advantage. When mountain clouds rise, the pillar base becomes moist; when poria is dug out, dodder dies. When one house loses a spark, a hundred houses burn; when a slanderer plots, the people lie exposed as bones. When millet gets damp it heats up; when a steamer meets fire it melts to juice; there is fire in water and water in fire. A sudden thunderclap splits stone; yin and yang press upon each other. Pouring bath water into a river benefits it, though not much. Accumulated water pouring into the sea cannot add to it, yet is still better than stopping. A one-mesh net cannot catch birds; a hook without bait cannot catch fish; treating officers without ritual cannot attract the worthy. Dodder has no root yet grows, snakes have no feet yet walk, fish have no ears yet hear, cicadas have no mouths yet cry; there is a reason for each. The crane lives a thousand years to exhaust its roaming; the mayfly is born at dawn and dies at dusk, yet exhausts its pleasure. Zhou minced Mei Bo into paste, and King Wen planned against him with the feudal lords; Jie laid out the remonstrators' corpses, and Tang sent people to weep. A mad horse does not crash into trees, a rabid dog does not throw itself into a river, and even ignorant insects do not fall into traps; how much more people! To love a bear but feed it salt, or love an otter but give it wine, though one wants to nurture them, is not the way. When the heart delights in something, one takes apart a boat to make a pen; when the heart wants something, one destroys a bell to make a bell-clapper. Guan Zi used a minor disgrace to achieve great glory, and Su Qin used a hundred absurdities to achieve one sincerity. When a target is set up, bows and arrows converge; when a forest is lush, axes enter; it is not that someone summons them but that circumstance leads them. To wait until it is profitable to save a drowning man will surely use profit to make people drown. A boat can sink or float, and clumsy people do not put their feet on it. A thoroughbred that will not go forward when driven and will not stop when pulled is not used by a ruler for traveling roads. One who criticizes my conduct wants to associate with me; one who disparages my goods wants to trade with me. Adding water to water cannot be eaten, and a zither with one string cannot be listened to. A fine horse dies from being restrained, a straight officer is impoverished by uprightness; the worthy are cast out by the court and beautiful women are cast out by the palace. Travelers think at the roadside, and those who stay at home dream in bed; a loving mother sighs in the lane, and her son who has gone out yearns in Chu. When red meat is hung up, crows and magpies gather; when hawks strike, the birds scatter; the scattering and gathering of things happen by mutual response. One who eats its food does not break its vessel; one who eats its fruit does not break its branch. If the source is blocked it dries up; if the root is turned from it withers. Crossed drawn lines are not clear and linked rings cannot be undone, yet undoing them does not rely on force. To face a river and envy the fish is not as good as going home to weave a net. The bright moon pearl is a clam's illness but my benefit; tiger claws and elephant tusks are the beasts' benefit but my harm. A level road and a good horse make people want to gallop; the joy of wine makes people want to sing. To act on what is right is called decisive; to act on what is wrong must be called disorder. An arrow is fast but does not go beyond two li; walking slowly, with a hundred stops without rest, one can reach a thousand li. The sage dwells in the shade, the multitude dwell in the sun;

聖人行於水，眾人行於霜。異音者不可聽以一律，異形者不可合於一體。農夫勞而君子養焉，愚者言而智者擇焉。捨茂林而集於枯，不弋鵠而弋烏，難與有圖。寅丘無壑，泉原不溥；尋常之壑，灌千頃之澤。見之明白，處之如玉石；見之闇晦，必留其謀。以天下之大，託於一人之才，譬若懸千鈞之重於木之一枝。負子而登牆，謂之不祥，為其一人隕而兩人傷。善舉事者，若乘舟而悲歌，一人唱而千人和。不能耕而欲黍粱，不能織而喜採裳，無事而求其功，難矣。有榮華者必有憔悴，有羅紈者必有麻蒯。鳥有沸波者，河伯為之不潮，畏其誠也；故一夫出死，千乘不輕。蝮蛇螫人，傅以和堇則愈，物故有重而害反為利者。聖人之處亂世，若夏暴而待暮，桑榆之間，逾易忍也。水雖平，必有波；衡雖正，必有差；尺寸雖齊，必有詭。非規矩不能定方圓，非準繩不能正曲直；用規矩準繩者，亦有規矩準繩焉。舟覆乃見善遊，馬奔乃見良御。嚼而無味者弗能內於喉，視而無形者不能思於心。兕虎在於後，隨侯之珠在於前，弗及掇者，先避患而後就利。逐鹿者不顧兔，決千金之貨者不爭銖兩之價。弓先調而後求勁，馬先馴而後求良，人先信而後求能。陶人棄索，車人掇之；屠者棄銷，而鍛者拾之；所緩急異也。百星之明不如一月之光，十牖之開不如一戶之明。矢之於十步貫兕甲，及其極，不能入魯縞。太山之高，背而弗見；秋豪之末，視之可察。山生金，反自刻；木生蠹，反自食；人生事，反自賊。巧治不能鑄木，工巧不能斲金者，形性然也。白玉不琢，美珠不文，質有餘也。故跬步不休，跛鱉千里；累積不輟，可成丘阜。城成於上，木直於下，非有事焉，所緣使然。凡用人之道，若以燧取火，疏之則弗得，數之則弗中，正在疏數之間。從朝視夕者移，從枉準直者虧；聖人之偶物也，若以鏡視形，曲得其情。

the sage walks on water, the multitude walk on frost. Different tones cannot be listened to by one pitch, and different forms cannot be joined into one body. The farmer toils and the gentleman is fed; the fool speaks and the wise selects. To abandon a lush forest and perch on a dead tree, to not shoot swans but shoot crows, is hard to plan with. A mound without a ravine does not have a wide spring; an ordinary ravine can irrigate a marsh of a thousand qing. Seeing what is clear, one disposes as if jade were split apart; seeing what is obscure, one must leave room for deliberation. To entrust a world as great as this to the talent of one person is like hanging a weight of a thousand jun on a single branch. To climb a wall carrying a child is called ill-omened, because if one falls two are hurt. One good at launching undertakings is like singing a sad song on a boat: one person sings and a thousand join in. Wanting millet and sorghum without being able to farm, loving colored clothes without being able to weave, seeking achievement without doing the work is hard. Where there is splendor there is surely withering; where there are fine silks there are surely hemp and rush. A bird that stirs up waves keeps the River Earl from surging, out of fear of its sincerity; so when one commoner exerts himself to the death, even a lord of a thousand chariots does not dare to belittle him. When a viper bites a person, applying hehe and aconite cures him; things inherently include those that seem gravely harmful yet turn into benefit. The sage in a disordered age is like one bathing in the summer sun waiting for evening; between mulberry and elm, it is easier to endure. Water, though level, surely has waves; a balance, though straight, surely has error; inches and feet, though even, surely have deviation. Without compass and square one cannot fix the square and circle; without a plumb line one cannot straighten crooked from straight; those who use compass, square, and line have their own compass, square, and line. Only when a boat capsizes does one see who is good at swimming, and only when a horse bolts does one see the good driver. One who chews something tasteless cannot swallow it, and one who looks at something formless cannot think of it in the heart. A rhinoceros and tiger behind, the Marquis of Sui's pearl in front; there is no time to pick it up; first one avoids calamity and then goes for benefit. One chasing a deer pays no attention to a hare, and one deciding on goods worth a thousand in gold does not haggle over a few grains. First tune the bow and then seek strength; first train the horse and then seek quality; first be trustworthy and then seek ability. The potter throws away the rope and the cartwright picks it up; the butcher throws away the iron scraps and the smith picks them up; what is urgent differs. The brightness of a hundred stars is not as good as the light of one moon; opening ten windows is not as good as opening one door. An arrow within ten paces can pierce a rhinoceros hide, but at its extreme it cannot enter thin Lu silk. Mount Tai is so high, but with your back to it you cannot see it; the tip of an autumn hair can be discerned by looking closely. The mountain bears metal and in turn is cut itself; wood bears borers and in turn is eaten itself; people produce affairs and in turn injure themselves. A skilled smelter cannot cast wood, and a skilled carpenter cannot chop metal; their forms and natures are so. White jade not carved and fine pearls not decorated have a surplus of substance. So if one does not stop for half a step, even a lame turtle can go a thousand li; if one accumulates without interruption, one can make a hill. A city is built from above and wood is straight below; it is not that they intend to do the work but that what they follow makes it so. In general the way of using people is like using a flint to strike fire: if too sparse you cannot get it, if too dense you cannot strike it, and it lies between sparse and dense. Looking from morning to see it as evening is to have moved; going from the crooked to correct it by the straight is to be lacking; the sage matches external things like looking at one's form in a mirror, fully capturing its feelings.

楊子見逵路而哭之，為其可以南可以北；墨子見練絲而泣之，為其可以黃可以黑。趍舍之相合，猶金石之一調，相去千歲，合一音也。鳥不幹防者，雖近弗射；其當道，雖遠弗釋。酤酒而酸，買肉而臭，然酤酒買肉不離屠沽之家，故求物必於近之者。以詐應詐，以譎應譎，若披蓑而救火，毀瀆而止水，乃愈益多。西施、毛嬙，狀貌不可同，世稱其好，美鈞也。堯、舜、禹、湯，法籍殊類，得民心一也。聖人者，隨時而舉事，因資而立功，涔則具擢對，旱則修土龍。臨淄之女，織紈而思行者，為之悖戾。室有美貌，繒為之纂繹。徵羽之操，不入鄙人之耳；抮和切適，舉坐而善。過府而負手者，希不有盜心；故侮人之鬼者，過社而搖其枝。晉陽處父伐楚以救江，故解捽者不在於捌格，在於批伔。木大者根擢，山高者基扶，蹠巨者志遠，體大者節疏。狂者傷人，莫之怨也；嬰兒詈老，莫之疾也；賊心亡。尾生之信，不如隨牛之誕，而又況一不信者乎！憂父之疾者子，治之者醫；進獻者祝，治祭者庖。

Yangzi wept on seeing a fork in the road, because it could go south or north; Mozi wept on seeing bleached silk, because it could become yellow or black. When what is chosen and what is abandoned coincide, it is like bells and chimes sharing a pitch, a thousand years apart yet forming one sound. A bird that does not run into defenses is not shot even if near; one that blocks the road is not spared even if far. Wine bought turns sour and meat bought turns rotten, yet buying wine and meat still cannot do without the butcher and vintner's house, so in seeking things one must seek the near. To answer deceit with deceit and craft with craft is like putting on a straw cloak to save from fire or breaking a ditch to stop water, only making it more. Xi Shi and Mao Qiang did not have the same appearance, yet people call both good, because beauty is equal. Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang differed in their legal records and categories, but winning the people's hearts was one. The sage undertakes affairs according to the time and achieves merit based on resources: when water accumulates he prepares draw buckets, and in drought he builds earthen dragons. The women of Linzi weave fine silk yet think of those traveling far, and what they weave comes out perverse. When there is a beautiful person in the room, the silk is woven tight. The playing of zhi and yu melodies does not enter the ears of rustics, while a brisk and pleasing tune has the whole hall calling out its praise. Those who pass the treasury with hands behind their backs seldom lack a thief's heart; so those who mock people and ghosts shake the tree branches when passing the altar. When Chufu of Jinyang attacked Chu to save Jiang, the way to part those wrestling is not to pry them apart but to strike the vital point. A tree with great roots can be uprooted, a mountain with a high base can be propped up, one with big feet has far-reaching aims, and one with a large body has loose joints. When a madman hurts someone, no one resents it; when an infant scolds an old man, no one hates it; it is because there is no malicious heart. Weisheng's faithfulness is not as good as Suiniu's absurdity, let alone those who are never trustworthy! The one who worries about a father's illness is the son, and the one who treats it is the physician; the one who offers is the invocator, and the one who prepares the offerings is the cook.

清淨恬愉，人之性也；儀表規矩，事之制也。知人之性，其自養不勃；知事之制，其舉錯不惑。發一端，散無竟，周八極，總一筦，謂之心。見本而知末，觀指而睹歸，執一而應萬，握要而治詳，謂之術。居智所為，行智所之，事智所秉，動智所由，謂之道。道者，置之前而不𨎌，錯之後而不軒，內之尋常而不塞，布之天下而不窕。是故使人高賢稱譽己者，心之力也；使人卑下誹謗己者，心之罪也。夫言出於口者不可止於人，行發於邇者不可禁於遠。事者，難成而易敗也；名者，難立而易廢也。千里之隄，以螻螘之穴漏；百尋之屋，以突隙之煙焚。

Purity, stillness, tranquility, and joy are human nature; deportment, norms, and rules are the institutions of affairs. Knowing human nature, nourishing oneself will not go astray; knowing the institutions of affairs, one's moves will not be confused. What issues from one point and scatters to no end, pervading the eight poles and all returning to one tube, is called the heart. Seeing the root, one knows the branch; observing the direction, one sees the destination; holding to one to respond to ten thousand and grasping the essentials to govern in detail is called the art. At rest knowing what one does, in walking knowing where one goes, in work knowing what one holds, in movement knowing what one follows is called the Way. The Way, placed in front is not low, placed behind is not high, put into the ordinary is not blocked, spread across the world has no gaps. So what makes people attach a lofty and worthy name to oneself is the strength of the heart; what makes people attach a low slander to oneself is the fault of the heart. Words that leave the mouth cannot be stopped at others; conduct that issues from near cannot be forbidden far away. Affairs are hard to complete and easy to ruin; names are hard to establish and easy to abandon. A dike of a thousand li leaks through the hole of a mole cricket or ant; a house of a hundred fathoms burns from the smoke through a chimney crack.

堯戒曰：「戰戰慄慄，日慎一日。人莫蹪於山，而蹪於蛭。」是故人皆輕小害，易微事，以多悔。患至而後憂之，是猶病者已惓而索良醫也，雖有扁鵲、俞跗之巧，猶不能生也。夫禍之來也，人自生之；福之來也，人自成之。禍與福同門，利與害為鄰，非神聖人，莫之能分。凡人之舉事，莫不先以其知規慮揣度，而後敢以定謀。其或利或害，此愚智之所以異也。曉自然以為智，知存亡之樞機，禍福之門戶，舉而用之，陷溺於難者，不可勝計也。使知所為是者，事必可行，則天下無不達之塗矣。是故知慮者，禍福之門戶也；動靜者，利害之樞機也。百事之變化，國家之治亂，待而後成。是故不溺於難者成，是故不可不慎也。

Yao warned: "Trembling and fearful, more careful each day. No one stumbles on a mountain, but one stumbles on an anthill." So people all take small harms lightly and make little of minor affairs, and so have many regrets. To worry only after trouble arrives is like a sick person seeking a good doctor only after he is already worn out; even with the skill of Bian Que or Yu Fu he cannot be made to live. Calamity's coming is produced by people themselves; blessing's coming is accomplished by people themselves. Calamity and blessing share a gate, and benefit and harm are neighbors; except for a divine sage, no one can separate them. In everything people undertake, none fails to first plan and gauge with their wisdom and only then dares to decide. Some find benefit and some find harm; this is why the foolish and wise differ. Taking the natural as wisdom, one knows the pivots of survival and ruin and the doors of calamity and blessing, yet when they raise it to use it and fall into hardship, they are too many to count. If one knew that what one does is right, the matter would surely be workable, and then there would be no road in the world that does not go through. So thought and deliberation are the doors of calamity and blessing; movement and stillness are the pivots of benefit and harm. The changes of a hundred matters and the order and disorder of a state wait on them before being completed. So those who do not fall into hardship succeed, and so one must be careful.

天下有三危：少德而多寵，一危也；才下而位高，二危也；身無大功而受厚祿，三危也。故物或損之而益，或益之而損。何以知其然也？昔者楚莊王既勝晉於河、雍之間，歸而封孫叔敖，辭而不受，病疽將死，謂其子曰：「吾則死矣，王必封女。女必讓肥饒之地，而受沙石之間有寑丘者，其地確石而名醜。荊人鬼，越人禨，人莫之利也。」孫叔敖死，王果封其子以肥饒之地，其子辭而不受，請有寑之丘。楚國之俗，功臣二世而爵祿，惟孫叔敖獨存。此所謂損之而益也。

There are three dangers in the world: little virtue yet much favor is the first danger; low talent yet high position is the second danger; no great merit on one's person yet receiving generous salary is the third danger. So among things there are those that increase by being diminished and those that diminish by being increased. How do we know it is so? In the past King Zhuang of Chu had already defeated Jin between the He and Yong rivers, and on returning enfeoffed Sun Shu'ao, who declined to accept. When he was dying of a carbuncle, he told his son: "If I die, the king will surely enfeoff you. You must decline the rich and fertile land and accept the place between sandy stones named Qinqiu, whose land is barren and whose name is ugly. The men of Jing believe in ghosts and the men of Yue believe in omens; no one will covet its benefit." When Sun Shu'ao died, the king indeed offered his son rich and fertile land; the son declined and requested Qinqiu. By the custom of Chu, the stipend of meritorious ministers was taken back after two generations, and only Sun Shu'ao's line alone endured. This is what is called increasing by being diminished.

何謂益之而損？昔晉厲公南伐楚，東伐齊，西伐秦，北伐燕，兵橫行天下而無所綣，威服四方而無所詘，遂合諸侯於嘉陵。氣充志驕，淫侈無度，暴虐萬民。內無輔拂之臣，外無諸侯之助。戮殺大臣，親近導諛。明年出遊匠驪氏，欒書、中行偃劫而幽之，諸侯莫之救，百姓莫之哀，三月而死。夫戰勝攻取，地廣而名尊，此天下之所願也，然而終於身死國亡。此所謂益之而損者也。

What is called diminishing by being increased? In the past Duke Li of Jin attacked Chu in the south, Qi in the east, Qin in the west, and Yan in the north; his troops marched across the world without being bent, his authority awed the four quarters without submission, and so he gathered the feudal lords at Jialing. Filled with qi and arrogant in will, his extravagance had no limit, and he abused the myriad people. Inside he had no ministers to assist and correct him, and outside no help from the feudal lords. He killed great ministers and kept flatterers close. The following year, he went touring to the Jiangli clan, where Luan Shu and Zhonghang Yan seized and confined him, and none of the feudal lords rescued him, none of the people grieved, and in three months he died. To win in battle and seize, to widen land and honor one's name is what the world wants, yet in the end he lost his life and his state. This is what is called diminishing by being increased.

夫孫叔敖之請有寑之丘，沙石之地，所以累世不奪也；晉厲公之合諸侯於嘉陵，所以身死於匠驪氏也。眾人皆知利利而病病也，唯聖人知病之為利，知利之為病也。夫再實之木根必傷，掘藏之家必有殃，以言大利而反為害也。張武教智伯奪韓、魏之地而擒於晉陽，申叔時教莊王封陳氏之後而霸天下。孔子讀《易》至《損》《益》，未嘗不憤然而歎，曰：「益損者，其王者之事與！事或欲以利之，適足以害之；或欲害之，乃反以利之。利害之反，禍福之門戶，不可不察也。」

Sun Shu'ao asked for Qinqiu, a land of sand and stone, so his line was not deprived for generations; Duke Li of Jin gathered the feudal lords at Jialing, and so died at Jiangli. Everyone knows to regard benefit as benefit and illness as illness; only the sage knows that illness can become benefit and that benefit can become illness. A tree that bears fruit twice has its roots damaged, and a household that digs up hoards will surely have calamity; this means great profit becomes harm. Zhang Wu taught Zhi Bo to seize the lands of Han and Wei, and yet he was captured at Jinyang; Shen Shushi taught King Zhuang to enfeoff Chen's descendants, and yet he became hegemon of the world. Confucius, reading the Book of Changes, on reaching Sun (Decrease) and Yi (Increase), never failed to sigh with feeling and say: "Increase and decrease, perhaps these are the business of a king! There are matters one wants to use to benefit a thing which are just enough to harm it, and matters one wants to harm which instead benefit it. The reversal of benefit and harm is the door of calamity and blessing and must be examined."

陽虎為亂於魯，魯君令人閉城門而捕之，得者有重賞，失者有重罪。圍三匝，而陽虎將舉劍而伯頤。門者止之曰：「天下探之不窮，我將出子。」陽虎因赴圍而逐，揚劍提戈而走。門者出之，顧反取其出之者，以戈推之，攘袪薄腋。出之者怨之曰：「我非故與子反也，為之蒙死被罪，而乃反傷我。宜矣其有此難也！」魯君聞陽虎失，大怒，問所出之門，使有司拘之，以為傷者受大賞，而不傷者被重罪。此所謂害之而反利者也。

When Yang Hu made trouble in Lu, the ruler of Lu had the city gates closed to catch him, with great reward for those who caught him and heavy penalty for those who let him go. He was surrounded three times, and Yang Hu was about to raise his sword and cut his throat. The gatekeeper stopped him and said: "The search in the world has no end; I will let you out." Yang Hu then burst out of the encirclement and chased, raising his sword and holding his dagger-axe as he ran. The gatekeeper let him out, and he turned and seized the man who let him out, pushing him with the dagger-axe and pulling open his sleeve to press close to his armpit. The one who let him out resented him and said: "It was not that I originally meant to oppose you; I braved death and punishment for you, and you instead hurt me. That you have this trouble is deserved!" When the ruler of Lu heard that Yang Hu had escaped, he was furious and asked through which gate he had gone out, had the officials detain people, greatly rewarded the one who was wounded, and increased the penalty for those who were not wounded. This is what is called harming him but instead benefiting him.

何謂欲利之而反害之？楚恭王與晉人戰於鄢陵，戰酣，恭王傷而休。司馬子反渴而求飲，豎陽穀奉酒而進之。子反之為人也，嗜酒而甘之，不能絕於口，遂醉而臥。恭王欲復戰，使人召司馬子反，辭以心痛。王駕而往視之，入幄中而聞酒臭。恭王大怒曰：「今日之戰，不穀親傷，所恃者，司馬也，而司馬又若此，是亡楚國之社稷，而不率吾眾也。不穀無與復戰矣！」於是罷師而去之，斬司馬子反為僇。故豎陽穀之進酒也，非欲禍子反也，誠愛而欲快之也，而適足以殺之。此所謂欲利之而反害之者也。

What is called wanting to benefit him but instead harming him? King Gong of Chu fought the men of Jin at Yanling, and in the heat of battle King Gong was wounded and resting. Sima Zifan was thirsty and asked for a drink, and the attendant Yang Gu offered wine. Zifan, being fond of wine and finding it sweet, could not stop drinking and so lay down drunk. King Gong wanted to fight again and sent someone to summon Sima Zifan, who declined saying his heart ached. The king drove his carriage to see him, and on entering the tent smelled the odor of wine. King Gong was furious and said: "In today's battle, I myself was wounded, and what I relied on was the Sima; the Sima being like this, he is ruining the altars of Chu and not leading my multitude. I have no partner for fighting again!" So he disbanded the army and left, and had Sima Zifan beheaded to show the people. So when the attendant Yang Gu offered wine, he did not want to harm Zifan; he truly loved him and wanted to give him pleasure, but it was just enough to kill him. This is what is called wanting to benefit him but instead harming him.

夫病溼而強之食，病暍而飲之寒，此眾人之所以為養也，而良醫之所以為病也。悅於目，悅於心，愚者之所利也，然而有道者之所闢也。故聖人先忤而後合，眾人先合而後忤。有功者，人臣之所務也；有罪者，人臣之所闢也。

To force someone ill with dampness to eat, or to give someone with heatstroke something cold to drink, is what ordinary people do to nourish, but a good doctor sees it as what causes illness. What pleases the eye and pleases the heart is the profit of fools but what those who have the Way avoid. So the sage first opposes and then agrees, while ordinary people first agree and then oppose. To have merit is what ministers strive for; to have guilt is what ministers avoid.

或有功而見疑，或有罪而益信，何也？則有功者離恩義，有罪者不敢失仁心也。魏將樂羊攻中山，其子執在城中，城中縣其子以示樂羊。樂羊曰：「君臣之義，不得以子為私。」攻之愈急。中山因烹其子，而遺之鼎羹與其首，樂羊循而泣之，曰：「是吾子。」已，為使者跪而啜三杯。使者歸報，中山曰：「是伏約死節者也，不可忍也。」遂降之。為魏文侯大開地，有功。自此之後，日以不信。此所謂有功而見疑者也。

Some have merit and are suspected, some have guilt and are trusted more; why? One who has merit has left kindness and righteousness, while one who has guilt dares not lose his benevolent heart. Yue Yang, a general of Wei, attacked Zhongshan, and his son was held in the city; the city hung his son up to show Yue Yang. Yue Yang said: "The righteousness between ruler and minister does not allow a son to be treated as private." He attacked even more fiercely. Zhongshan then boiled his son and sent the cauldron soup and his head to Yue Yang; Yue Yang stroked it and wept, saying: "This is my son." When he had finished, he knelt before the envoy and drank three cups. The envoy went back and reported, and Zhongshan said: "This is a man who keeps his pledge and dies for his principle; we cannot hold out any longer." So they surrendered. He greatly expanded land for Marquis Wen of Wei and had merit. After that, he was trusted less and less each day. This is what is called having merit and being suspected.

何謂有罪而益信？孟孫獵而得麑，使秦西巴持歸烹之，麑母隨之而。秦西巴弗忍，縱而予之。孟孫歸，求麑安在，秦西巴對曰：「其母隨而啼，臣誠弗忍，竊縱而予之。」孟孫怒，逐秦西巴。居一年，取以為子傅。左右曰：「秦西巴有罪於君，今以為子傅，何也？」孟孫曰：「夫一麑而不忍，又何況於人乎！」此謂有罪而益信者也。

What is meant by having guilt and being trusted more? Mengsun, while hunting, caught a fawn and had Qinxi Ba take it back to be cooked, and the fawn's mother followed it (the source text has a rare character here, lost in transcription). Qinxi Ba could not bear it, released it and returned it. When Mengsun came back, he asked where the fawn was, and Qinxi Ba answered: "Its mother followed it crying, and I truly could not bear it, so I privately released it and gave it back." Mengsun was angry and drove Qinxi Ba away. A year later he summoned him again to be tutor to his son. His attendants said: "Qinxi Ba is guilty toward you, yet now he is made tutor to your son; why?" Mengsun said: "He could not bear even a fawn, how much less a person!" This is having guilt and being trusted more.

故趨舍不可不審也，此公孫鞅之所以抵罪於秦，而不得入魏也。功非不大也，然而累足無所踐者，不義之故也。事或奪之而反與之，或與之而反取之。

So taking and rejecting must not fail to be examined; this is why Gongsun Yang took the blame in Qin and yet could not enter Wei. His merit was not small, but he was left with no place to put his feet, because of unrighteousness. In affairs, there are cases where taking from someone is actually giving to him, and cases where giving to someone is actually taking from him.

智伯求地於魏宣子，宣子弗欲與之。任登曰：「智伯之強，威行於天下，求地而弗與，是為諸侯先受禍也。不若與之。」宣子曰：「求地不已，為之奈何？」任登曰：「與之，使喜，必將復求地於諸侯，諸侯必植耳。與天下同心而圖之，一心所得者，非直吾所亡也。」魏宣子裂地而授之。又求地於韓康子，韓康子不敢不予。諸侯皆恐。又求地於趙襄子，襄子弗與。於是智伯乃從韓、魏圍襄子於晉陽。三國通謀，禽智伯而三分其國。此所謂奪人而反為人所奪者也。

Zhi Bo asked Wei Xuanzi for land, and Xuanzi did not want to give it. Ren Deng said: "Zhi Bo is strong and his power runs through the world; if he asks for land and is not given it, we would be taking disaster upon ourselves on behalf of the feudal lords. It is better to give." Xuanzi said: "If his demand for land has no end, what then?" Ren Deng said: "Give it to him and make him happy; he will surely ask the other feudal lords for land, and they will surely prick up their ears. If we plan against him in concert with the world, what we gain in common will be more than what we lose." Wei Xuanzi cut off land and gave it to him. Then he asked Han Kangzi for land, and Han Kangzi did not dare refuse. The feudal lords were all afraid. Then he asked Zhao Xiangzi for land, and Xiangzi refused. So Zhi Bo took Han and Wei with him and besieged Xiangzi at Jinyang. The three states conspired together, captured Zhi Bo and divided his state in three. This is what is called seizing from others and being seized in turn.

何謂與之而反取之？晉獻公欲假道於虞以伐虢，遺虞垂棘之璧與屈產之乘。虞公惑於璧與馬，而欲與之道。宮之奇諫曰：「不可！夫虞之與虢，若車之有輪，輪依於車，車亦依輪。虞之與虢，相恃而勢也。若假之道，虢朝亡而虞夕從之矣。」虞公弗聽，遂假之道。荀息伐虢，遂克之。還反伐虞，又拔之。此所謂與之而反取者也。

What is meant by giving to someone and then taking from him? Duke Xian of Jin wanted to borrow a road from Yu to attack Guo, and sent Yu the jade of Chuiji and the horses of Quchan. The Duke of Yu was dazzled by the jade and horses and wanted to lend the road. Gong Zhiqi remonstrated: "You must not! Yu and Guo are like a cart and its wheel: the wheel depends on the cart and the cart depends on the wheel. Yu and Guo are in a position of mutual dependence. If you lend the road, Guo will perish in the morning and Yu will follow in the evening." The Duke of Yu did not listen and lent the road. Xun Xi attacked Guo and conquered it. Turning back, he attacked Yu and took it as well. This is what is called giving to someone and then taking from him.

聖王布德施惠，非求其報於百姓也；郊望禘嘗，非求福於鬼神也。山致其高而雲起焉，水致其深而蛟龍生焉，君子致其道而福祿歸焉。夫有陰德者必有陽報，有陰行者必有昭名。古者，溝防不修，水為民害，禹鑿龍門，闢伊闕，平治水土，使民得陸處。百姓不親，五品不慎，契教以君臣之義，父子之親，夫妻之辨，長幼之序。田野不脩，民食不足，后稷乃教之闢地墾草，糞土種穀，令百姓家給人足。故三後之後，無不王者，有陰德也。周室衰，禮義廢，孔子以三代之道教導於世，其後繼嗣至今不絕者，有隱行也。秦王趙政兼吞天下而亡，智伯侵地而滅，商鞅支解，李斯車裂，三代種德而王，齊桓繼絕而霸。故樹黍者不獲稷，樹怨者無報德。

When sage kings spread virtue and bestow kindness, it is not to seek repayment from the people; when they perform the suburban sacrifices and the seasonal sacrifices, it is not to seek blessing from the spirits. When a mountain reaches its height, clouds rise; when water reaches its depth, dragons are born; when a noble person reaches his Way, blessings and salaries come to him. Those who have hidden virtue must have visible reward, and those who have hidden conduct must have a manifest name. In ancient times, when ditches and dikes were not maintained, the water became a harm to the people; Yu cut through Dragon Gate and opened Yique, leveled the waters and lands, and let the people live on dry ground. When the people were not close and the five relationships were not carefully kept, Xie taught them with the righteousness of ruler and minister, the closeness of father and son, the distinction of husband and wife, and the order of old and young. When the fields were not cultivated and the people's food was not enough, Houji taught them to clear land and break grass and to fertilize the soil and plant grain, so that every family was supplied and every person had enough. So the descendants of the Three Lords all became kings, because they had hidden virtue. When the Zhou house declined and ritual and righteousness were abandoned, Confucius taught the Way of the Three Dynasties in the world, and his line of descendants has continued without interruption to this day, because he had hidden conduct. Zheng, King of Qin, swallowed up the world and perished; Zhi Bo invaded lands and was destroyed; Shang Yang was dismembered and Li Si was torn apart by carriages; the Three Dynasties planted virtue and became kings, and Duke Huan of Qi continued broken lines and became hegemon. So one who plants millet cannot harvest panicled millet, and one who sows resentment cannot receive the repayment of virtue.

昔者，宋人好善者，三世不解。家無故而黑牛生白犢，以問先生，先生曰：「此吉祥，以饗鬼神。」居一年，其父無故而盲，牛又復生白犢，其父又復使其子以問先生。其子曰：「前聽先生言而失明，今又復問之，奈何？」其父曰：「聖人之言，先忤而後合。其事未究，固試往復問之。」其子又復問先生，先生曰：「此吉祥也，復以饗鬼神。」歸致命其父，其父曰：「行先生之言也。」居一年，其子又無故而盲。其後楚攻宋，圍其城。當此之時，易子而食，析骸而炊，丁壯者死，老病童兒皆上城，牢守而不下。楚王大怒，城已破，諸城守者皆屠之。此獨以父子盲之故，得無乘城。軍罷圍解，則父子俱視。夫禍福之轉而相生，其變難見也。

In the past, there was a man of Song who loved goodness and did not tire of it for three generations. In his house, for no reason, a black ox gave birth to a white calf, and he asked a diviner, who said: "This is auspicious; take it and sacrifice it to the spirits." A year later, the father suddenly went blind for no reason, and the ox again gave birth to a white calf, and the father again sent his son to ask the diviner. The son said: "We followed the diviner's words before and went blind; now we go to ask again; what shall we do?" The father said: "The words of the sages first oppose and then agree. The matter is not finished; go and ask again for now." The son went again to ask the diviner, who said: "This is auspicious; take it again and sacrifice it to the spirits." He returned and reported to his father, who said: "Do as the diviner says." A year later, the son also went blind for no reason. Later Chu attacked Song and besieged the city. At that time they swapped children to eat and split bones to burn; strong men died and the old, sick and children all went up on the wall, defending firmly, and the city could not be taken. The King of Chu was furious, and when the city was finally broken, all the defenders were slaughtered. This family, because father and son were blind, were spared from going up on the wall. When the army withdrew and the siege was lifted, father and son both recovered their sight. Misfortune and fortune turn and give birth to each other, and their changes are hard to see.

近塞上之人有善術者，馬無故亡而入胡，人皆弔之。其父曰：「此何遽不為福乎！」居數月，其馬將胡駿馬而歸，人皆賀之。其父曰：「此何遽不能為禍乎！」家富良馬，其子好騎，墮而折其髀，人皆弔之。其父曰：「此何遽不為福乎！」居一年，胡人大入塞，丁壯者引弦而戰，近塞之人，死者十九，此獨以跛之故，父子相保。故福之為禍，禍之為福，化不可極，深不可測也。

Among those living near the frontier, there was a man skilled at calculation. A horse of his, for no reason, ran off into the land of the Hu, and people all came to console him. His father said: "How is this not a blessing?" A few months later the horse came back leading a fine horse of the Hu, and people all congratulated him. His father said: "How could this not become a misfortune?" The family became rich in fine horses, and the son liked to ride, fell and broke his thigh, and people all came to console him. His father said: "How is this not a blessing?" A year later, the Hu came in great numbers into the frontier, and the strong men drew their bows and fought; of those living near the frontier, nine out of ten died, but this family, because of the lameness, kept father and son safe together. So fortune turns into misfortune and misfortune into fortune; the changes cannot be exhausted and are too deep to measure.

或直於辭而不害於事者，或虧於耳以忤於心而合於實者。高陽魋將為室，問匠人。匠人對曰：「未可也。木尚生，加塗其上，必將撓。以生材任重塗，今雖成，後必敗。」高陽魋曰：「不然。夫木枯則益勁，塗乾則益輕。以勁材任輕塗，今雖惡，後必善。」匠人窮於辭，無以對，受令而為室。其始成，竘然善也，而後果敗。此所謂直於辭而不可用者也。

Some words are blunt but do not harm the matter, and some words sound deficient and go against the heart yet match reality. Gaoyang Wei was about to build a house and asked the carpenter. The carpenter answered: "It cannot be done yet. The wood is still green, and if plaster is added it will surely warp. If green material bears heavy plaster, even if it is finished now it will surely fail later." Gaoyang Wei said: "Not so. Wood becomes stronger when it dries, and plaster becomes lighter when it dries. If strong material bears light plaster, even if it is poor now, it will surely be good later." The carpenter was out of words and had no reply, and took the order to build the house. When it was first built it was beautiful, but later it indeed failed. This is what is called blunt words that cannot be used.

何謂虧於耳、忤於心而合於實？靖郭君將城薛，賓客多止之，弗聽。靖郭君謂謁者曰：「無為賓通言。」齊人有請見者曰：「臣請道三言而已；過三言，請烹。」靖郭君聞而見之，賓趨而進，再拜而興，因稱曰：「海大魚。」則反走。靖郭君止之曰：「願聞其說。」賓曰：「臣不敢以死為熙。」靖郭君曰：「先生不遠道而至此，為寡人稱之！」賓曰：「海大魚，網弗能止也，釣弗能牽也。蕩而失水，則螻螘皆得志焉。今夫齊，君之淵也。君失齊，則薛能自存乎？」靖郭君曰：「善。」乃止不城薛。此所謂虧於耳、忤於心而得事實者也。

What is meant by words that sound deficient and go against the heart yet match reality? Lord Jingguo was about to build a wall for Xue, and many guests came to stop him, but he would not listen. Lord Jingguo said to the usher: "Do not announce any guests." There was a man of Qi who asked for an audience, saying: "I ask only to speak three words; if I go beyond three words, boil me." Lord Jingguo heard this and saw him; the guest hurried forward, bowed twice and rose, and then said: "Sea big fish." Then he turned and ran. Lord Jingguo stopped him and said: "I hope to hear the explanation." The guest said: "I dare not joke with death." Lord Jingguo said: "You did not come a long way to this place for nothing; tell it to me!" The guest said: "The big fish of the sea cannot be stopped by a net or held by a hook. But if it once moves and leaves the water, even mole crickets and ants can have their way with it. Now Qi is your abyss. If you lose Qi, can Xue survive by itself?" Lord Jingguo said: "Good." So he stopped and did not build the wall for Xue. This is what is called words that sound deficient and go against the heart yet obtain the fact.

夫以「無城薛」止城薛，其於以行說，乃不若「海大魚」。故物或遠之而近，或近之而遠；或說聽計當而身疏，或言不用、計不行而益親。

To use "do not build a wall for Xue" to stop the wall-building is, in action, actually not as good as "sea big fish." So with things, there are those that are nearer when you leave them and farther when you approach; there are those whose words are heard and whose plans are right yet who are themselves distanced, and those whose words are not used and whose plans are not carried out yet who are drawn closer.

何以明之？三國伐齊，圍平陸。括子以報於牛子曰：「三國之地不接於我，踰鄰國而圍平陸，利不足貪也。然則求名於我也。請以齊侯往。」牛子以為善。括子出，無害子入，牛子以括子言告無害子。無害子曰：「異乎臣之所聞。」牛子曰：「國危而不安，患結而不解，何謂貴智！」無害子曰：「臣聞之，有裂壤土以安社稷者，聞殺身破家以存其國者，不聞出其君以為封疆者。」牛子不聽無害子之言，而用括子之計，三國之兵罷，而平陸之地存。自此之後，括子日以疏，無害子日以進。故謀患而患解，圖國而國存，括子之智得矣。無害子之慮無中於策，謀無益於國，然而心調於君，有義行也。今人待冠而飾首，待履而行地。冠履之於人也，寒不能煖，風不能障，暴不能蔽也，然而冠冠履履者，其所自託者然也。夫咎犯戰勝城濮，而雍季無尺寸之功，然而雍季先賞而咎犯後存者，其言有貴者也。故義者，天下之所賞也。百言百當，不如擇趨而審行也。或無功而先舉，或有功而後賞。何以明之？昔晉文公將與楚戰城濮，問於咎犯曰：「為奈何？」咎犯曰：「仁義之事，君子不厭忠信；戰陳之事，不厭詐偽。君其詐之而已矣。」辭咎犯，問雍季，雍季對曰：「焚林而獵，愈多得獸，後必無獸。以詐偽遇人，雖愈利，後無復。君其正之而已矣。」於是不聽雍季之計，而用咎犯之謀，與楚人戰，大破之。還歸賞有功者，先雍季而後咎犯。左右曰：「城濮之戰，咎犯之謀也。君行賞先雍季，何也？」文公曰：「咎犯之言，一時之權也。雍季之言，萬世之利也。吾豈可以先一時之權，而後萬世之利也哉！」智伯率韓、魏二國伐趙，圍晉陽，決晉水而灌之。城下緣木而處，縣釜而炊。襄子謂張孟談曰：「城中力已盡，糧食匱乏，大夫病，為之奈何？」張孟談曰：「亡不能存，危不能安，無為貴智士。

What proves this? Three states attacked Qi and besieged Pinglu. Kuozi reported to Niuzi: "The land of the three states does not border ours; they crossed a neighboring state to besiege Pinglu; the benefit is not worth coveting. Then it is that they seek fame from me. Please let the Marquis of Qi go out." Niuzi thought it good. Kuozi went out and Wuhaizi came in, and Niuzi told Wuhaizi what Kuozi had said. Wuhaizi said: "This is different from what I have heard." Niuzi said: "The state is in danger and not secure, trouble is knotted and not resolved; what is the use of valuing wisdom?" Wuhaizi said: "I have heard of those who cut up land to secure the altars of the state, and of those who sacrificed their lives and broke their families to preserve their states, but I have never heard of making one's own ruler go out to serve as a border guard." Niuzi did not listen to Wuhaizi and used Kuozi's plan, the troops of the three states withdrew, and the land of Pinglu was preserved. After this, Kuozi was kept further away day by day, and Wuhaizi was employed more and more. So planning against trouble and trouble being resolved, planning for the state and the state being preserved: Kuozi's wisdom was achieved. Wuhaizi's thoughts did not hit on a good plan and his schemes did not benefit the state, but his heart was in harmony with his ruler and he acted with righteousness. People today wait for a cap to adorn the head and wait for shoes to tread the ground. Caps and shoes, for a person, cannot warm him in cold, cannot block wind, cannot shield from scorching sun, yet people still wear caps and shoes because of what they are attached to. Jiu Fan won the victory at Chengpu and Yong Ji had not an inch of merit, yet Yong Ji was rewarded first and Jiu Fan was placed after, because Yong Ji's words had something precious in them. So righteousness is what the world rewards. A hundred sentences that are right a hundred times are not as good as choosing the direction and carrying it out carefully. Some without merit are raised first, and some with merit are rewarded later. What proves this? In the past, Duke Wen of Jin was about to fight Chu at Chengpu and asked Jiu Fan: "What shall we do?" Jiu Fan said: "In matters of benevolence and righteousness, the noble person never tires of loyalty and good faith; in matters of battle formation, one never tires of deceit. Your Majesty should just deceive them." He took leave of Jiu Fan and asked Yong Ji, who answered: "If you burn a forest to hunt, you will get more beasts at first but later there will certainly be no beasts. If you treat people with deceit, though you will profit more at first, afterward there will be nothing further to do. Your Majesty should simply be upright." So he did not listen to Yong Ji's plan but used Jiu Fan's scheme, fought the men of Chu and greatly defeated them. On returning he rewarded those with merit, putting Yong Ji first and Jiu Fan after. His attendants said: "The battle of Chengpu was Jiu Fan's plan. Why does Your Majesty put Yong Ji first in the rewards?" Duke Wen said: "Jiu Fan's words were an expedient for the moment. Yong Ji's words were a benefit for ten thousand generations. How can I put the expedient of the moment ahead of the benefit of ten thousand generations!" Zhi Bo led the two states of Han and Wei to attack Zhao and besieged Jinyang, breaking open the Jin River to flood it. Below the city they lived on wooden platforms, hanging cauldrons to cook. Xiangzi said to Zhang Mengtan: "The strength in the city is already exhausted, provisions are short, and the high officers are ill; what shall we do?" Zhang Mengtan said: "If it is lost it cannot be preserved, and if it is in danger it cannot be secured; what is the use of valuing wise men.

臣請試潛行，見韓、魏之君而約之。」乃見韓、魏之君，說之曰：「臣聞之，唇亡而齒寒。今智伯率二君而伐趙，趙將亡矣。趙亡，則君為之次矣。及今而不圖之，禍將及二君。」二君曰：「智伯之為人也，粗中而少親。我謀而洩，事必敗。為之奈何？」張孟談曰：「言出君之口，入臣之耳，人孰知之者乎？且同情相成，同利相死，君其圖之！」二君乃與張孟談陰謀，與之期。張孟談乃報襄子。至其日之夜，趙氏殺其守隄之吏，決水灌智伯。智伯軍救水而亂，韓、魏翼而擊之，襄子將卒犯其前，大敗智伯軍，殺其身而三分其國。襄子乃賞有功者，而高赫為賞首。群臣請曰：「晉陽之存，張孟談之功也。而赫為賞首，何也？」襄子曰：「晉陽之圍也，寡人國家危，社稷殆，群臣無不有驕侮之心者，唯赫不失君臣之禮，吾是以先之。」由此觀之，義者，人之大本也。雖有戰勝存亡之功，不如行義之隆。故君子曰：「美言可以市尊，美行可以加人。」或有罪而可賞也，或有功而可罪也。西門豹治鄴，廩無積粟，府無儲錢，庫無甲兵，官無計會，人數言其過於文侯。文侯身行其縣，果若人言。文侯曰：「翟璜任子治鄴，而大亂。子能道則可，不能，將加誅於子。」西門豹曰：「臣聞：王主富民，霸主富武，亡國富庫。今王欲為霸王者也，臣故蓄積於民。君以為不然，臣請升城鼓之，甲兵粟米可立具也。」於是乃升城而鼓之。一鼓，民被甲括矢，操兵弩而出。再鼓，負輦粟而至。文侯曰：「罷之！」西門豹曰：「與民約信，非一日之積也。一舉而欺之，後不可復用也。燕常侵魏八城，臣請北擊之，以復侵地。」遂舉兵擊燕，復地而後反。此有罪而可賞者也。解扁為東封，上計而入三倍，有司請賞之。文侯曰：「吾土地非益廣也，人民非益眾也，入何以三倍？」對曰：「以冬伐木而積之，於春浮之河而鬻之。

(He continued:) Let me try to go out secretly and meet the rulers of Han and Wei to make an agreement." So he met the rulers of Han and Wei and persuaded them: "I have heard that when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold. Now Zhi Bo leads the two lords to attack Zhao, and Zhao is about to perish. When Zhao perishes, you will be next. If you do not plan now, disaster will come to you two lords." The two lords said: "Zhi Bo is coarse in the middle and has few close ones. If our plan leaks out, it will surely fail. What shall we do?" Zhang Mengtan said: "The words come from your mouths and enter my ears; who would know? Moreover, those who sympathize help one another succeed, and those with the same interests die for one another; you should plan." The two lords then plotted secretly with Zhang Mengtan and fixed a date with him. Zhang Mengtan then reported to Xiangzi. On the night of that day, the Zhao clan killed the officials guarding the dike and released the water to flood Zhi Bo. Zhi Bo's army was thrown into great confusion rescuing itself from the water, Han and Wei attacked from the two flanks, and Xiangzi led his soldiers charging at the front; they greatly defeated Zhi Bo's army, killed him in person and divided his state in three. Xiangzi then rewarded those with merit, and Gao He was first in rewards. The ministers asked: "That Jinyang survived was Zhang Mengtan's merit. Why do you make He first in rewards?" Xiangzi said: "When Jinyang was besieged, my state was in danger and the altars were in peril, and none of the ministers failed to have a proud and slighting heart; only He did not lose the ritual between ruler and minister, and so I put him first." From this we see that righteousness is the great root of man. Even merit in winning battles and preserving the state is not as good as the flourishing of practicing righteousness. So the noble person says: "Fine words can buy honor, and fine conduct can be raised above others." Some have guilt and can be rewarded, and some have merit and can be blamed. When Ximen Bao governed Ye, there was no stored grain in the granaries, no saved money in the treasury, no armor or weapons in the armory, and no accounts in the offices, and people many times told Marquis Wen of his faults. Marquis Wen personally toured his county, and it was indeed as people said. Marquis Wen said: "Zhai Huang employed you to govern Ye and it is in great disorder. If you can explain it, fine; if not, I will punish you." Ximen Bao said: "I have heard: a king enriches the people, a hegemon enriches the military, and a perishing state enriches its treasury. Now Your Majesty wants to be a hegemonic king, and so I have placed the accumulated wealth with the people. If you do not think so, let me climb the wall and beat the drum, and armor, weapons and grain can be assembled at once." So he climbed the wall and beat the drum. At the first drum, the people put on armor, bundled arrows and came out holding weapons and crossbows. At the second drum, they carried grain on their backs and in carts and arrived. Marquis Wen said: "Enough!" Ximen Bao said: "Agreeing with the people on trust is not built up in a day. If I deceive them once, I cannot use them afterward. Yan once invaded eight cities of Wei; I request to attack north to recover the invaded land." So he raised troops and attacked Yan, recovered the territory and then returned. This is having guilt and yet being rewarded. Xie Bian served as border official of the east, and his annual report showed income tripled, and the officials asked that he be rewarded. Marquis Wen said: "My land has not become wider and my people not more numerous; why has the income tripled?" He answered: "In winter I cut timber and stored it, and in spring I floated it down the river and sold it.

」文侯曰：「民春以力耕，暑以強耘，秋以收斂。冬間無事，以伐林而積之，負軛而浮之河，是用民不得休息也。民以敝矣，雖有三倍之入，將焉用之？」此有功而可罪者也。賢主不苟得，忠臣不苟利。何以明之？中行穆伯攻鼓，弗能下。餽聞倫曰：「鼓之嗇夫，聞倫知之。請無罷武大夫，而鼓可得也。」穆伯弗應。左右曰：「不折一戟，不傷一卒，而鼓可得也，君奚為弗使？」穆伯曰：「聞倫為人，佞而不仁。若使聞倫下之，吾可以勿賞乎？若賞之，是賞佞人。佞人得志，是使晉國之武舍仁而後佞，雖得鼓，將何所用之！」攻城者，欲以廣地也。得地不取者，見其本而知其末也。秦穆公使孟盟舉兵襲鄭，過周以東。鄭之賈人弦高、蹇他相與謀曰：「師行數千里，數絕諸侯之地，其勢必襲鄭。凡襲國者，以為無備也。今示以知其情，必不敢進。」乃矯鄭伯之命，以十二牛勞之。三率相與謀曰：「凡襲人者，以為弗知。今已知之矣，守備必固，進必無功。」乃還師而反。晉先軫舉兵擊之，大破之殽。鄭伯乃以存國之功賞弦高，弦高辭之曰：「誕而得賞，則鄭國之信廢矣。為國而無信，是俗敗也。賞一人而敗國俗，仁者弗為也。以不信得厚賞，義者弗為也。」遂以其屬徙東夷，終身不反。故仁者不以欲傷生，知者不以利害義。聖人之思修，愚人之思叕。忠臣者務崇君之德，諂臣者務廣君之地。何以明之？陳夏徵舒弒其君，楚莊王伐之，陳人聽令。莊王以討有罪，遣卒戍陳，大夫畢賀。申叔時使於齊，反還而不賀。莊王曰：「陳為無道，寡人起九軍以討之，徵暴亂，誅罪人，群臣皆賀，而子獨不賀，何也？」申叔時曰：「牽牛蹊人之田，田主殺其人而奪之牛。罪則有之，罰亦重矣。今君王以陳為無道，興兵而攻，因以誅罪人，遣人戍陳。諸侯聞之，以王為非誅罪人也，貪陳國也。蓋聞君子不棄義以取利。

(He continued:)" Marquis Wen said: "In spring the people exert themselves to plow, in summer they strenuously weed, in autumn they harvest. In winter they are idle with nothing to do, and you made them go and cut forests and store them, harness yokes and float them down the river; this is not letting the people rest. The people are already exhausted, so even if the income is tripled, what shall I use it for?" This is having merit and yet being blamed. A worthy ruler does not take improperly, and a loyal minister does not profit improperly. What proves this? Zhonghang Mubo attacked Gu and could not take it. Kui Wenlun said: "I know the steward of Gu. Without troubling warriors and high officers, Gu can be obtained." Mubo did not agree. His attendants said: "Without breaking a single halberd or injuring a single soldier, Gu can be obtained; why does Your Lordship not send him?" Mubo said: "Wenlun is a flatterer and not benevolent. If I let Wenlun take it, can I fail to reward him? If I reward him, I reward a flatterer. If flatterers succeed, the warriors of Jin will abandon benevolence and turn to flattery, and even if I got Gu, what would I use it for?" Attacking a city is wanting to widen land. Having the land and not taking it is seeing the root and knowing the branch. Duke Mu of Qin had Mengming raise troops to attack Zheng by surprise, passing Zhou going east. The Zheng merchants Xian Gao and Jian Ta planned together: "The army has traveled several thousand li, passing through the lands of many feudal lords many times; the tendency must be to attack Zheng by surprise. Anyone who attacks a state by surprise thinks it is unprepared. If we show that we already know their situation, they will surely not dare to advance." So under the pretext of the Lord of Zheng's order, they took twelve oxen to reward the army. The three generals planned together: "Whoever attacks someone by surprise thinks the other does not know. Now that they already know, their defense will surely be firm, and advancing will surely bring no merit." So they turned the army back. Xian Zhen of Jin raised troops and attacked and greatly defeated them at Mount Xiao. The Lord of Zheng then rewarded Xian Gao for the merit of preserving the state, but Xian Gao declined, saying: "If I receive a reward for deceit, Zheng's good faith will be abolished. To govern a state without good faith is to ruin its customs. To reward one person and ruin the state's customs, a benevolent person does not do. To receive a rich reward by dishonesty, a righteous person does not do." So he took his people and moved to the eastern barbarians and never came back for the rest of his life. So a benevolent person does not let desire harm life, and a wise person does not let profit obstruct righteousness. The sage's thoughts are long and the fool's thoughts are short. A loyal minister strives to raise his ruler's virtue, and a flattering minister strives to widen his ruler's land. What proves this? Xia Zheng Shu of Chen murdered his ruler, and King Zhuang of Chu went to attack him, and the people of Chen obeyed the orders. King Zhuang, because he was punishing the guilty, sent soldiers to garrison Chen, and the high officers all came to congratulate him. Shen Shushi, who had been on a mission to Qi, came back and did not congratulate him. King Zhuang said: "Chen did lawless things, and I raised nine armies to punish him, put down violence and disorder and executed the guilty one, and all the ministers congratulated me; you alone do not congratulate me; why?" Shen Shushi said: "A man leading an ox trampled another's field; the field's owner killed the man and also took his ox. There was guilt, but the punishment was too heavy. Now Your Majesty, because Chen was without the Way, raised an army and attacked it, thereby executed the guilty one and sent men to garrison Chen. When the feudal lords hear of it they will think the king did not execute the guilty but coveted the state of Chen. I have heard that the noble person does not abandon righteousness to take profit."

」王曰：「善！」乃罷陳之戍，立陳之後。諸侯聞之，皆朝於楚。此務崇君之德者也。張武為智伯謀曰：「晉六將軍，中行文子最弱，而上下離心，可伐以廣地。」於是伐範、中行。滅之矣，又教智伯求地於韓、魏、趙。韓、魏裂地而授之，趙氏不與，乃率韓、魏而伐趙，圍晉陽三年。三國陰謀同計，以擊智氏，遂滅之。此務為君廣地者也。夫為君崇德者霸，為君廣地者滅。故千乘之國，行文德者王，湯、武是也；萬乘之國，好廣地者亡，智伯是也。非其事者勿仞也，非其名者勿就也，無故有顯名者勿處也，無功而富貴者勿居也。夫就人之名者廢，仞人之事者敗，無功而大利者後將為害。譬猶緣高木而望四方也，雖愉樂哉，然而疾風至，未嘗不恐也。患及身，然後憂之，六驥追之，弗能及也。是故忠臣之事君也，計功而受賞，不為苟得；積力而受官，不貪爵祿。其所能者，受之勿辭也；其所不能者，與之勿喜也。辭所能則匿，欲所不能則惑。辭所不能而受所能，則得無損墮之勢，而無不勝之任矣。昔者智伯驕，伐範、中行而克之，又劫韓、魏之君而割其地。尚以為未足，遂興兵伐趙。韓、魏反之，軍敗晉陽之下，身死高梁之東，頭為飲器，國分為三，為天下笑。此不知足之禍也。老子曰：「知足不辱，知止不殆，可以修久。」此之謂也。或譽人而適足以敗之，或毀人而乃反以成之。何以知其然也？費無忌復於荊平王曰：「晉之所以霸者，近諸夏也。而荊之所以不能與之爭者，以其僻遠也。楚王若欲從諸侯，不若大城城父，而令太子建守焉，以來北方，王自收其南。是得天下也。」楚王悅之，因命太子建守城父，命伍子奢傅之。居一年，伍子奢遊人於王側，言太子甚仁且勇，能得民心。王以告費無忌，無忌曰：「臣固聞之，太子內撫百姓，外約諸侯，齊、晉又輔之，將以害楚，其事已構矣。

(He continued:) The King said: "Good!" So he called off the garrison of Chen and established an heir of Chen. When the feudal lords heard of this, they all came to court at Chu. This is striving to raise the ruler's virtue. Zhang Wu planned for Zhi Bo, saying: "Of the six generals of Jin, Zhonghang Wenzi is the weakest, and high and low are of different hearts; we can attack him and widen our land." So he attacked Fan and Zhonghang. After destroying them, he again taught Zhi Bo to ask Han, Wei and Zhao for land. Han and Wei ceded land and gave it to him, but the Zhao clan did not give it, so he led Han and Wei to attack Zhao and besieged Jinyang for three years. The three states secretly shared one plan, attacked the Zhi clan, and destroyed him. This is striving to widen the ruler's land. One who raises the ruler's virtue becomes hegemon; one who widens the ruler's land perishes. So a state of a thousand chariots that practices civil virtue becomes king, as Tang and Wu did; a state of ten thousand chariots that likes to widen land perishes, as Zhi Bo did. Do not claim what is not your affair, do not take what is not your name, do not stay in a famous place without cause, and do not remain in wealth and honor without merit. One who takes another's name will be discarded, one who claims another's affair will fail, and one who gets great profit without merit will later be harmed. It is like climbing a tall tree to look in all four directions: though it is pleasant, once a strong wind comes there is no one who is not afraid. If one worries only after trouble has reached one's body, even chasing it with six fine horses one cannot catch up. So when a loyal minister serves his ruler, he reckons his merit to receive reward and does not take carelessly; he accumulates strength to receive office and is not greedy for rank and salary. What he can do he accepts without declining; what he cannot do, though given, he is not glad of. To decline what he can do is concealment, and to want what he cannot do is delusion. If one declines what one cannot do and accepts what one can, one is free of the momentum of injury and fall and has no task one cannot meet. Formerly Zhi Bo was arrogant, attacked Fan and Zhonghang and conquered them, and then forced the rulers of Han and Wei to cede their land. Still thinking it not enough, he raised troops to attack Zhao. Han and Wei rebelled, his army was defeated beneath Jinyang, he died east of Gaoliang, his head was made into a drinking vessel, his state was divided into three, and he was laughed at by the world. This was the disaster of not knowing contentment. Laozi said: "One who knows contentment is not disgraced; one who knows when to stop is not in danger and can last long." This is what is meant. Sometimes praising a person is just enough to ruin him, and sometimes slandering a person instead makes him. How is this known? Fei Wuji reported to King Ping of Jing: "The reason Jin became hegemon is that it is close to the central states. The reason Jing cannot contend with it is that it is remote. If Your Majesty wishes to follow the feudal lords, it would be best to build up Chengfu greatly and have Crown Prince Jian guard it, to draw in the north, while Your Majesty himself takes the south. This is obtaining the world." The King of Chu was pleased and ordered Crown Prince Jian to guard Chengfu and Wu Zishe to be his tutor. After a year, Wu Zishe had people spread words beside the King that the Crown Prince was very benevolent and brave and could win the people's hearts. The King told Fei Wuji, and Wuji said: "I had heard so already. The Crown Prince soothes the people within, binds the feudal lords outside, and Qi and Jin also help him; he is going to harm Chu, and the matter is already formed.

」王曰：「為我太子，又尚何求？」曰：「以秦女之事怨王。」王因殺太子建而誅伍子奢。此所謂見譽而為禍者也。何謂毀人而反利之？唐子短陳駢子於齊威王威王欲殺之，陳駢子與其屬出亡，奔薛。孟嘗君聞之，使人以車迎之。至，而養以芻豢黍粱五味之膳，日三至。冬日被裘罽，夏日服絺紵，出則乘牢車，駕良馬。孟嘗君問之曰：「夫子生於齊，長於齊，夫子亦何思於齊？」對曰：「臣思夫唐子者。」孟嘗君曰：「唐子者，非短子者耶？」曰：「是也。」孟嘗君曰：「子何為思之？」對曰：「臣之處於齊也，糲粢之飯，藜藿之羹，冬日則寒凍，夏日則暑傷。自唐子之短臣也，以身歸君，食芻豢，飯黍粢，服輕煖，乘牢良，臣故思之。」此謂毀人而反利之者也。是故毀譽之言，不可不審也。或貪生而反死，或輕死而得生，或徐行而反疾。何以知其然也？魯人有為父報讎於齊者，刳其腹而見其心，坐而正冠，起而更衣，徐行而出門，上車而步馬，顏色不變。其御欲驅，撫而止之曰：「今日為父報讎以出死，非為生也。今事已成矣，又何去之！」追者曰：「此有節行之人，不可殺也。」解圍而去之。使被衣不暇帶，冠不及正，蒲伏而走，上車而馳，必不能自免於千步之中矣。今坐而正冠，起而更衣，徐行而出門，上車而步馬，顏色不變，此眾人所以為死也，而乃反以得活。此所謂徐而馳，遲於步也。夫走者，人之所以為疾也；步者，人之所以為遲也。今反乃以人之所為遲者反為疾，明於分也。有知徐之為疾，遲之為速者，則幾於道矣。故黃帝亡其玄珠，使離朱、捷剟索之，而弗能得之也，於是使忽怳，而後能得之。聖人敬小慎微，動不失時，百射重戒，禍乃不滋。計福勿及，慮禍過之；同日被霜，蔽者不傷；愚者有備，與知者同功。夫爝火在縹煙之中也，一指所能息也；唐漏若鼷穴，一墣之所能塞也。

(He continued:) The King said: "He is my crown prince; what else is he seeking?" He said: "He resents Your Majesty over the matter of the Qin woman." The King then killed Crown Prince Jian and put Wu Zishe to death. This is what is called being praised and becoming a disaster. What is meant by slandering a person and instead benefiting him? Tang Zi spoke of the faults of Chen Pianzi before King Wei of Qi, and King Wei wanted to kill him, so Chen Pianzi fled with his followers and went to Xue. Lord Mengchang heard of it and sent a carriage to meet him. When he arrived, he fed him meals of grass-fed and grain-fed meats, millet and the five flavors, delivered three times a day. In winter he wore fur and wool, in summer he wore fine kudzu and ramie, and when he went out he rode a sturdy carriage drawn by fine horses. Lord Mengchang asked him: "Master, you were born in Qi and grew up in Qi; what do you miss of Qi?" He answered: "I miss that Tang Zi." Lord Mengchang said: "Tang Zi is the one who spoke of your faults, is he not?" He said: "Yes." Lord Mengchang said: "Why do you miss him?" He answered: "When I lived in Qi I ate coarse grain and goosefoot soup, and in winter I froze and in summer I suffered from heat. Since Tang Zi spoke of my faults, I turned myself toward you, my lord; I eat meat and millet, wear light and warm clothes, and ride a sturdy fine carriage; this is why I miss him." This is a case where slandering a person instead benefited him. So the words of slander and praise must be carefully examined. Some who cling to life die instead, some who make light of death live, and some who walk slowly instead go fast. How is this known? A man of Lu took revenge in Qi for his father; he cut open the belly and saw the heart, sat down and straightened his cap, got up and changed his clothes, walked slowly out the gate, got on his carriage and let the horses walk slowly, his face unchanged. His driver wanted to gallop, but he stroked him and stopped him, saying: "Today I took revenge for my father, I came out to seek death, not to live. Now that the thing is done, why leave?" The pursuers said: "This is a man of principle; he cannot be killed." They lifted the encirclement and left. If he had put on his clothes without having time to tie his belt, had no time to straighten his cap, run crawling, mounted his carriage and galloped, he could surely not have escaped disaster himself within a thousand paces. Now he sat and straightened his cap, got up and changed his clothes, walked slowly out the gate, got on his carriage and let the horses walk slowly, his face unchanged; this is what the crowd thought would mean death, but he instead lived by it. This is what is called slow being faster than hurrying, and late being swifter than walking. Running is what people think of as fast; walking is what people think of as slow. Now taking what people think slow as fast is to understand the distinctions. One who knows that slow can become fast and late can become swift is close to the Way. So the Yellow Emperor lost the dark pearl and had Li Zhu and Jie Yan look for it but they could not find it, so he sent Hu Huang and only then was it found. The sage is careful about the small and cautious about the subtle, his movements never lose their time, and with a hundred shooting and driving, many layers of precaution, disaster does not grow. In reckoning blessing, do not fail to catch up; in worrying about disaster, exceed it. On the same day of frost, one who is covered is not harmed; a fool who takes precautions has the same merit as the wise. A torch in thin smoke can be put out with one finger; a dike leak like a mouse hole can be stopped with one clod of earth.

及至火之燔孟諸而炎雲臺，水決九江而漸荊州，雖起三軍之眾，弗能救也。夫積愛成福，積怨成禍。若癰疽之必潰也，所浼者多矣。諸御鞅復於簡公曰：「陳成常、宰予二子者，甚相憎也。臣恐其構難而危國也。君不如去一人。」簡公不聽。居無幾何，陳成常果攻宰予於庭中，而弒簡公於朝。此不知敬小之所生也。魯季氏與郈氏鬥雞，郈氏介其雞，而季氏為之金距。季氏之雞不勝，季平子怒，因侵郈氏之宮而築之。郈昭伯怒，傷之魯昭公曰：「

When the fire burns to Mengzhu and the flames reach Yuntai, or the water breaches the Nine Rivers and floods Jingzhou, even rousing the multitude of the three armies could not save it. Accumulated love becomes blessing and accumulated resentment becomes disaster. Like an abscess that must burst, what it stains is many. Zhu Yuyang reported to Duke Jian: "Chen Chengchang and Zai Yu hate each other very much. I fear they will make trouble and endanger the state. It would be better for you, my lord, to remove one." Duke Jian did not listen. Not long after, Chen Chengchang indeed attacked Zai Yu in the courtyard and killed Duke Jian at court. This arises from not knowing to be wary of the small. In Lu, the Ji clan and the Hou clan had a cockfight; the Hou clan put armor on his cock, and the Ji clan fitted metal spurs on his. The Ji clan's cock did not win, and Ji Pingzi was angry, so he took over part of the Hou clan's house to build on. Hou Zhaobo was angry and slandered him to Duke Zhao of Lu:

禱於襄公之廟，舞者二人而已，其餘盡舞於季氏。季氏之無道無上，久矣。弗誅，必危社稷。」公以告子家駒子家駒曰：「季氏之得眾，三家為一。其德厚，其威強，君胡得之！」昭公弗聽，使郈昭伯將卒以攻之。仲孫氏、叔孫氏相與謀曰：「無季氏，死亡無日矣。」遂興兵以救之。郈昭伯不勝而死，魯昭公出奔齊。故禍之所從生者，始於雞定；及其大也，至於亡社稷。故蔡女蕩舟，齊師大侵楚。兩人搆怨，廷殺宰予，簡公遇殺，身死無後，陳氏代之，齊乃無呂。兩家鬥雞，季氏金距，郈公作難，魯昭公出走。故師之所處，生以棘楚。禍生而不蚤滅，若火之得燥，水之得濕，浸而益大。癰疽發於指，其痛遍於體。故蠹啄剖梁柱，虻走牛羊，此之謂也。人皆務於救患之備，而莫能知使患無生。夫使患無生，易於救患，而莫能加務焉，則未可與言術也。晉公子重耳過曹，曹君欲見其骿脅，使之袒而捕魚。釐負羈止之曰：「公子非常也。從者三人，皆霸王之佐也。遇之無禮，必為國憂。」君弗聽。重耳反國，起師而伐曹，遂滅之。身死人手，社稷為墟，禍生於袒而捕魚。齊、楚欲救曹，不能存也。聽釐負羈之言，則無亡患矣。今不務使患無生，患生而救之，雖有聖知，弗能為謀耳。患禍之所由來者，萬端無方。是故聖人深居以避辱，靜安以待時。小人不知禍福之門戶，妄動而絓羅網，雖曲為之備，何足以全其身！譬猶失火而鑿池，被裘而用箑也。且唐有萬穴，塞其一，魚何遽無由出？室有百戶，閉其一，盜何遽無從入？夫牆之壞也於隙，劍之折必有齧，聖人見之密，故萬物莫能傷也。太宰子朱侍飯於令尹子國，令尹子國啜羹而熱，投卮漿而沃之。明日，太宰子朱辭官而歸。其僕曰：「楚太宰，未易得也。辭官去之，何也？」子朱曰：「令尹輕行而簡禮，其辱人不難。」明年，伏郎尹而笞之三百。

(He continued:) "At the sacrifice in the temple of Duke Xiang, there were only two dancers; all the rest were dancing at the Ji clan's. The Ji clan has been unprincipled and above the law for a long time. If he is not put to death, he will surely endanger the altars of state." The Duke told Zijia Ju, and Zijia Ju said: "The Ji clan has won over the multitude, and the three clans have joined as one. His virtue is thick and his power is strong; how could you, my lord, win?" Duke Zhao did not listen and had Hou Zhaobo lead soldiers to attack. The Zhongsun and Shusun clans planned together: "Without the Ji clan, our ruin is a matter of days." So they raised troops to rescue him. Hou Zhaobo did not win and died, and Duke Zhao of Lu fled to Qi. So where disaster came from began with a cockfight, and when it grew large it reached the ruin of the altars of state. So when a woman of Cai rocked a boat, the army of Qi invaded Chu on a large scale. Two men formed a grudge and killed Zai Yu at court, Duke Jian was murdered and died without heirs, the Chen clan replaced him, and Qi then had no Lü family. Two families had a cockfight, the Ji clan fitted metal spurs, Lord Hou began the quarrel, and Duke Zhao of Lu fled. So where armies camp, brambles grow. If disaster is born and not put out early, it is like fire finding dryness and water finding dampness, soaking and growing larger. An abscess begins at a fingertip and the pain spreads through the body. So a woodworm's pecking can split a beam and pillar, and a gadfly can drive cattle and sheep running about; this is what is meant. People all strive to prepare against disaster, but none can know how to keep disaster from arising. To keep disaster from arising is easier than rescuing from disaster, yet none strives further, so one cannot talk of art with him. When Prince Chong'er of Jin passed through Cao, the lord of Cao wanted to see his fused ribs and had him go fishing with his shirt off. Xi Fuji stopped him and said: "The prince is no ordinary man. His three followers are all aides of a hegemon-king. To treat them without ritual will surely become a worry to the state." The lord did not listen. When Chong'er returned to his state, he raised an army and attacked Cao and destroyed it; the lord died at another's hand and the altars of state became ruins; disaster was born from fishing with a bare back. Qi and Chu wanted to rescue Cao but could not preserve it. If he had listened to Xi Fuji, there would have been no worry of ruin. Now if one does not strive to keep disaster from arising and rescues only after it arises, even with the wisdom of a sage it cannot be planned. Where trouble and disaster come from has ten thousand ends and no fixed direction. So the sage dwells deep to avoid disgrace and keeps calm and still to await the time. The petty man does not know the gates of disaster and fortune, moves rashly and hangs on the net, and even with winding precautions, how could they be enough to preserve his person? It is like digging a pond after the fire has broken out, or wearing fur and using a fan. Moreover a pond has ten thousand holes; block one, and how would the fish have no way out? A house has a hundred doors; shut one, and how would a thief have no way in? A wall's collapse is due to its cracks, and a sword's breaking must come from a nick; the sage sees what is fine and dense, so nothing can harm him. The Grand Steward Zizhu was eating with the Chancellor Ziguo, and Chancellor Ziguo, scalded by the soup, threw the liquid in his cup to splash. The next day Grand Steward Zizhu resigned and went home. His servant said: "The Grand Steward of Chu is not easy to get. Why resign and leave?" Zizhu said: "The Chancellor is light in conduct and casual in ritual; to disgrace people is not hard for him." The following year, he had the Langyin pressed down and beaten three hundred times.

夫仕者先避之，見終始微矣。夫鴻鵠之未孚於卵也，一指蔑之，則靡而無形矣；及至其筋骨之已就，而羽翮之既成也，淩乎浮云，背負青天，膺摩赤霄，翱翔乎忽荒之上，析惕乎虹蜺之間，雖有勁弩利矰微繳，蒲且子之巧，亦弗能加也。江水之始出於岷山也，可攓衣而越也；及至乎下洞庭，騖石城，經丹徒，起波濤，舟杭一日不能濟也。是故聖人者，常從事於無形之外，而不留思盡慮於成事之內，是故患禍弗能傷也。人或問孔子曰：「顏回何如人也？」曰：「仁人也。丘弗如也。」「子貢何如人也？」曰：「辯人也。丘弗如也。」「子路何如人也？」曰：「勇人也。丘弗如也。」賓曰：「三人皆賢夫子，而為夫子役，何也？」孔子曰：「丘能仁且忍，辯且訥，勇且怯。以三子之能，易丘一道，丘弗為也。」孔子知所施之也。秦牛缺徑於山中而遇盜，奪之車馬，解其橐笥，拖其衣被。盜還反顧之，無懼色憂志，驩然有以自得也。盜遂問之曰：「吾奪子財貨，劫子以刀，而志不動，何也？」秦牛缺曰：「車馬所以載身也，衣服所以揜形也。聖人不以所養害其養。」盜相視而笑曰：「夫不以欲傷生，不以利累形者，世之聖人也。以此而見王者，必且以我為事也。」還反殺之。此能以知知矣，而未能以知不知也；能勇於敢，而未能勇於不敢也。凡有道者，應卒而不乏，遭難而能免，故天下貴之。今知所以自行也，而未知所以為人行也，其所論未之究者也。人能由昭昭於冥冥，則幾於道矣。詩曰：「人亦有言，無哲不愚。」此之謂也。事或為之，適足以敗之；或備之，適足以致之。何以知其然也？秦皇挾錄圖，見其傳曰：「亡秦者，胡也。」因發卒五十萬，使蒙公、楊翁子將，築脩城，西屬流沙，北擊遼水，東結朝鮮，中國內郡輓車而餉之。

The official who withdrew first saw the subtlety of beginning and end. A swan has not yet hatched in its egg, and one finger pressed on it would crush it formless; but when its sinews and bones are complete and its wings and feathers have grown, it soars above the floating clouds, carries the blue sky on its back, brushes the red sky with its breast, glides above the vast void and wanders among rainbows, and even with a strong crossbow, sharp arrows and fine lines, and the skill of Pu Juzi, they cannot be applied to it. The river begins from Mount Min where one can lift one's clothes and step across; but when it descends to Dongting, rushes to Shicheng and passes Dantu, raising waves, a boat cannot cross it in a day. So the sage always works beyond the formless and does not use up all his thoughts on matters already completed, so trouble and disaster cannot harm him. Someone asked Confucius: "What kind of man is Yan Hui?" He said: "A benevolent man. I am not equal to him." "What kind of man is Zigong?" He said: "An eloquent man. I am not equal to him." "What kind of man is Zilu?" He said: "A brave man. I am not equal to him." The guest said: "All three are more worthy than you, Master, yet they are employed by you; why?" Confucius said: "I can be benevolent and also stern, eloquent and also halting, brave and also timid. Exchanging the abilities of the three for my one Way, I would not do it." Confucius knew what to apply them to. Niu Que of Qin met bandits on a mountain path, and they seized his carriage and horses, opened his bags and chests, and dragged away his clothes and bedding. The bandits looked back at him and he had no look of fear or worry, but was cheerful and content. The bandits then asked him: "We seized your goods and threatened you with knives, yet your will did not move; why?" Niu Que of Qin said: "Carriages and horses are used to carry the body, and clothes are used to cover the form. The sage does not harm what he nourishes with what he nourishes." The bandits looked at each other and laughed: "One who does not let desire harm his life and does not let profit burden his body is a sage of the world. If he takes this to see a king, the king will surely take us seriously." They turned back and killed him. This is being able to use wisdom to know but not able to use wisdom to not know; being able to be brave in daring but not brave in not daring. In general, a man who has the Way meets sudden things without being at a loss and escapes in times of trouble, so the world honors him. Now he knew how to act for himself but not how to act for others, and what he argued had not been fully thought through. If a person can go from brightness into darkness, he is close to the Way. The Book of Poetry says: "People too have a saying: none of the wise is not foolish." This is what is meant. There are things that, in doing them, are just enough to ruin them, and things that, in guarding against them, are just enough to bring them on. How is this known? The First Emperor of Qin held a record of prophecies and saw it said in the text: "The one who destroys Qin is Hu." So he sent out five hundred thousand soldiers, had Lord Meng and Yang Wengzi lead them, and built the Great Wall, linking the flowing sands in the west, striking the Liao River in the north, and joining Chosen in the east, with the inner commanderies of China hauling carts to supply provisions.

又利越之犀角、象齒、翡翠、珠璣，乃使尉屠睢發卒五十萬，為五軍，一軍塞鐔城之嶺，一軍守九疑之塞，一軍處番禺之都，一軍守南野之界，一軍結餘幹之水，三年不解甲弛弩，使監祿無以轉餉，又以卒鑿渠而通糧道，以與越人戰，殺西嘔君譯籲宋。而越人皆入叢薄中，與禽獸處，莫肯為秦虜。相置桀駿以為將，而夜攻秦人，大破之，殺尉屠睢，伏屍流血數十萬。乃發適戍以備之。當此之時，男子不得脩農畝，婦人不得剡麻考縷，羸弱服格於道，大夫箕會於衢，病者不得養，死者不得葬。於是陳勝起於大澤，奮臂大呼，天下席捲，而至於戲。劉、項興義兵隨，而定若折槁振落，遂失天下。禍在備胡而利越也。欲知築脩城以備亡，不知築脩城之所以亡也；發適戍以備越，而不知難之從中發也。夫鵲先識歲之多風也，去高木而巢扶枝，大人過之則探鷇，嬰兒過之則挑其卵，知備遠難而忘近患。故秦之設備也，烏鵲之智也。或爭利而反強之，或聽從而反止之。何以知其然也？魯哀公欲西益宅，史爭之，以為西益宅不祥。哀公作色而怒，左右數諫不聽，乃以問其傅宰折睢曰：「吾欲益宅，而史以為不祥。子以為何如？」宰折睢曰：「天下有三不祥，西益宅不與焉。」哀公大悅而喜。頃，復問曰：「何謂三不祥？」對曰：「不行禮義，一不祥也。嗜慾無止，二不祥也。不聽強諫，三不祥也。」哀公默然深念，憤然自反，遂不西益宅。夫史以爭為可以止之，而不知不爭而反取之也。智者離路而得道，愚者守道而失路。夫兒說之巧，於閉結無不解。非能閉結而盡解之也，不解不可解也。至乎以弗解解之者，可與及言論矣。或明禮義、推道體而不行，或解搆妄言而反當。何以明之？孔子行遊，馬失，食農夫之稼，野人怒取馬而繫之。子貢往說之，卑辭而不能得也。

He was also greedy for the rhinoceros horn, ivory, kingfisher feathers and pearls of the land of Yue, so he had Wei Tusui send five hundred thousand soldiers, divided into five armies: one army blocking the pass of Tancheng, one guarding the fortress of Jiuyi, one stationed at the capital of Panyu, one guarding the border of Nanye, and one tied to the waters of Yugan; for three years they did not take off their armor or loosen their crossbows, and Supervisor Lu had no way to transport military provisions, so he used soldiers to dig a canal to open a grain route, fought the people of Yue, and killed Yi Xusong, the lord of Xi Ou. The people of Yue all went into the thickets and lived with birds and beasts, and none was willing to be a captive of Qin. They set up brave and outstanding men as generals in turn, attacked the Qin people at night, defeated them greatly, killed Wei Tusui, and lay corpses and shed blood in the hundreds of thousands. So they sent convict garrisons to guard against them. At this time men could not tend the fields, women could not split hemp and spin thread, the weak and thin wore the yoke on the roads, officials gathered with winnowing baskets at crossroads, the sick could not be nursed and the dead could not be buried. Then Chen Sheng rose from Daze, raised his arm and shouted loudly, and the world was swept up as far as Xi. Liu and Xiang raised righteous troops and followed, pacifying it like breaking withered branches and shaking down fallen leaves, and so Qin lost the world. The disaster lay in guarding against the Hu while being greedy for Yue. Hoping to guard against ruin by building the Great Wall, he did not know that building the Great Wall was exactly why he perished; sending convict garrisons to guard against Yue, he did not know that the trouble would come from within. A magpie knows in advance that the year will be windy, so it leaves the tall tree and makes its nest on a bending branch; but when an adult passes, he takes the chicks, and when a child passes, he picks out the eggs; it knows to guard against a far difficulty and forgets the near trouble. So Qin's preparations were the wisdom of crows and magpies. Sometimes contending for profit makes a person stronger, and sometimes obeying stops him. How is this known? Duke Ai of Lu wanted to enlarge his residence to the west, and the historians argued against it, thinking enlarging a residence to the west was inauspicious. Duke Ai changed color and was angry, and his attendants remonstrated many times without being heard, so he asked his tutor Zai Zhesui: "I want to enlarge my residence, and the historians think it inauspicious. What do you think?" Zai Zhesui said: "There are three inauspicious things in the world, and enlarging a residence to the west is not among them." Duke Ai was delighted. After a while he asked again: "What are the three inauspicious things?" He answered: "Not practicing ritual and righteousness is the first inauspicious thing. Desires without limit are the second. Not listening to strong remonstrance is the third." Duke Ai was silent and thought deeply, reflected on himself with indignation, and so did not enlarge his residence to the west. The historians thought that contending could stop it but did not know that not contending instead obtained it. The wise leave the road and gain the Way; the foolish keep to the Way and lose the road. With his skill at speaking, Er Yue could untie any knot, even a dead knot. It was not that he could untie all dead knots, but that he did not try to untie those that could not be untied. When it comes to those who untie by not untying, one can talk about discourse with them. Some who make clear ritual and righteousness and trace the substance of the Way cannot make it work, and some who untie tangles and speak loosely instead fit the mark. What proves this? Confucius was traveling and his horse ran away and ate a farmer's crops, and the rustic, angry, led the horse off and tied it up. Zigong went to persuade him, but his words were humble and he could not obtain it.

孔子曰：「夫以人之所不能聽說人，譬以大牢享野獸，以九韶樂飛鳥也。予之罪也，非彼人之過也。」乃使馬圉往說之。至，見野人曰：「子耕於東海，至於西海。吾馬之失，安得不食子之苗？」野人大喜，解馬而與之。說若此其無方也，而反行。事有所至，而巧不若拙，故聖人量鑿而正枘。夫歌採菱，發陽阿，鄙人聽之，不若此延路、陽局，非歌者拙也，聽者異也。故交畫不暢，連環不解，物之不通者，聖人不爭也。仁者，百姓之所慕也；義者，眾庶之所高也。為人之所慕，行人之所高，此嚴父之所以教子，而忠臣之所以事君也。然世或用之而身死國亡者，不同於時也。昔徐偃王好行仁義，陸地之朝者三十二國。王孫厲謂楚莊王曰：「王不伐徐，必反朝徐。」王曰：「偃王，有道之君也，好行仁義，不可伐。」王孫厲曰：「臣聞之，大之與小，強之與弱也，猶石之投卵，虎之啗豚，又何疑焉！且夫為文而不能達其德，為武而不能任其力，亂莫大焉。」楚王曰：「善！」乃舉兵而伐徐，遂滅之。知仁義而不知世變者也。申菽、杜茞，美人之所懷服也，及漸之於滫，則不能保其芳矣。古者，五帝貴德，三王用義，五霸任力。今取帝王之道，而施之五霸之世，是由乘驥逐人於榛薄，而蓑笠盤旋也。今霜降而樹穀，冰泮而求穫，欲其食則難矣。故易曰「潛龍勿用」者，言時之不可以行也。故「君子終日干乾，夕惕若厲，無咎」。終日干乾，以陽動也；夕惕若厲，以陰息也。因日以動，因夜以息，唯有道者能行之。夫徐偃王為義而滅，燕子噲行仁而亡，哀公好儒而削，代君為墨而殘。滅亡削殘，暴亂之所致也，而四君獨以仁義儒墨而亡者，遭時之務異也。非仁義儒墨不行，非其世而用之，則為之擒矣。夫戟者，所以攻城也；鏡者，所以照形也。宮人得戟則以刈葵，盲者得鏡則以蓋卮，不知所施之也。

Confucius said: "To persuade people with what they cannot bear to hear is like entertaining wild beasts with a grand sacrificial feast or delighting flying birds with the Nine Shao music. It is my fault, not that man's." So he sent a stable hand to speak. When he arrived, he saw the rustic and said: "You plow from the Eastern Sea to the Western Sea. My horse ran away; how could he not eat your sprouts?" The rustic was delighted, untied the horse and gave it to him. Persuasion like this has no method and yet worked. When things reach their point, cleverness is not as good as clumsiness; so the sage sizes up the mortise before straightening the tenon. Singing Cai Ling and performing Yang A, rustics listen to them less than to Yan Lu and Yang Ju; it is not that the song is clumsy but that the listeners differ. So intersecting drawn lines do not run through, linked rings do not come undone, and when things do not communicate the sage does not contend. Benevolence is what the people admire, and righteousness is what the multitude esteem. To be what others admire and to practice what others esteem is what a stern father uses to teach his son and a loyal minister uses to serve his ruler. Yet in the world there are those who used it and died and lost their states, because they were out of step with the times. Formerly King Yan of Xu loved to practice benevolence and righteousness, and thirty-two states on land came to pay court. Wang Sunli said to King Zhuang of Chu: "If Your Majesty does not attack Xu, they will surely turn around and pay court to Xu." The King said: "King Yan is a ruler who has the Way and likes to practice benevolence and righteousness; he cannot be attacked." Wang Sunli said: "I have heard that large and small, strong and weak are like a stone thrown at an egg or a tiger eating a piglet; what is there to doubt! Moreover, one who does civil virtue but cannot make his virtue reach, and does martial affairs but cannot use his strength, there is no greater disorder." The King of Chu said: "Good!" So he raised troops, attacked Xu, and destroyed it. This was a man who knew benevolence and righteousness but did not know the changes of the age. Shen Shu and Du Zhi are fragrant plants that beautiful people wear, but when soaked in slop water they cannot keep their fragrance. In ancient times the Five Emperors valued virtue, the Three Kings used righteousness, and the Five Hegemons relied on force. Now to apply the Way of emperors and kings to the age of the Five Hegemons is like riding a fine horse through thickets chasing someone, or wearing a straw rain cape and hat while spinning around. Now if one plants grain only when frost descends and seeks a harvest only when the ice melts, it will be hard to have anything to eat. So the Book of Changes says: "The hidden dragon should not act," meaning that in that time one cannot practice. So it says: "The gentleman is vigilant all day long, and at night is wary as if in danger, and so is without fault." Being vigilant all day long is acting according to yang; being wary as if in danger at night is resting according to yin. To act by day and rest by night can only be practiced by one who has the Way. King Yan of Xu perished because of righteousness, Zikuai of Yan died because of practicing benevolence, Duke Ai was weakened by loving Confucianism, and the lord of Dai was ruined because of Mohism. Destruction, weakening and ruin are caused by violence and disorder, yet these four rulers alone perished because of benevolence, righteousness, Confucianism and Mohism, because the times they met were different. It is not that benevolence, righteousness, Confucianism and Mohism cannot be practiced; but if one uses them in an age that is not theirs, one is seized. A halberd is for attacking cities; a mirror is for reflecting form. A palace woman who got a halberd used it to cut mallows, and a blind man who got a mirror used it to cover a cup, because they did not know what to apply it to.

故善鄙不同，誹譽在俗；趨舍不同，逆順在君。狂譎不受祿而誅，段幹木辭相而顯，所行同也，而利害異者，時使然也。故聖人雖有其志，不遇其世，僅足以容身，何功名之可致也！知天之所為，知人之所行，則有以任於世矣。知天而不知人，則無以與俗交；知人而不知天，則無以與道遊。單豹倍世離俗，巖居谷飲，不衣絲麻，不食五穀，行年七十，猶有童子之顏色，卒而遇飢虎，殺而食之。張毅好恭，過宮室廊廟必趨，見門閭聚眾必下，冢徒馬圉，皆與伉禮，然不終其壽，內熱而死。豹養其內而虎食其外，毅修其外而疾攻其內。故直意適情，則堅強賊之；以身役物，則陰陽食之。此皆載務而戲乎其調者也。得道之士，外化而內不化。外化，所以入人也；內不化，所以全其身也。故內有一定之操，而外能詘伸、贏縮、卷舒，與物推移，故萬舉而不陷。所以貴聖人者，以其能龍變也。今捲捲然守一節，推一行，雖以毀碎滅沉，猶且弗易者，此察於小好，而塞於大道也。趙宣孟活飢人於委桑之下，而天下稱仁焉；荊佽非犯河中之難，不失其守，而天下稱勇焉；是故見小行則可以論大體矣。田子方見老馬於道，喟然有志焉，以問其御曰：「此何馬也？」其御曰：「此故公家畜也。老罷而不為用，出而鬻之。」田子方曰：「少而貪其力，老而棄其身，仁者弗為也。」束帛以贖之。罷武聞之，知所歸心矣。齊莊公出獵，有一蟲舉足將搏其輪，問其御曰：「此何蟲也？」對曰：「此所謂螳螂者也。其為蟲也，知進而不知卻，不量力而輕敵。」莊公曰：「此為人，而必為天下勇武矣！」迴車而避之。勇武聞之，知所盡死矣。故田子方隱一老馬而魏國載之，齊莊公避一螳螂而勇武歸之。湯教祝網者，而四十國朝；文王葬死人之骸，而九夷歸之；武王蔭暍人於樾下，左擁而右扇之，而天下懷其德；

So good and mean are not the same, and slander and praise lie with custom; taking and rejecting differ, and going against or with lies with the ruler. Kuang Jue did not accept salary and was put to death, while Duangan Mu declined the chancellorship and became illustrious; their conduct was the same but profit and harm differed, because the times made it so. So even if a sage has that will, if he does not meet his age, he barely has enough to keep himself; what merit and fame could he reach! One who knows what Heaven does and what people practice has what to live in the world with. One who knows Heaven but not people has nothing to deal with custom; one who knows people but not Heaven has nothing to roam with the Way. Shan Bao turned his back on the world, lived in a cave and drank valley water, wore no silk or hemp, ate no five grains, lived to seventy and still had the complexion of a boy, but in the end met a hungry tiger and was killed and eaten. Zhang Yi liked respect; when passing palaces, halls and temples he always hurried, when seeing a crowd at a village gate he always got down from his carriage, and even to gravediggers and grooms he gave equal ritual, yet he could not live out his years and died of inner heat. Bao nourished his inside and the tiger ate his outside; Yi cultivated his outside and illness attacked his inside. So to follow feeling directly, strength harms it; to use the body to serve outer things, yin and yang eat into it. These all carry out affairs while playing with what harmonizes them. A gentleman who has attained the Way changes outwardly but not inwardly. Changing outwardly is how he enters among people; not changing inwardly is how he preserves himself. So within he has a settled principle and outside he can bend and stretch, grow and shrink, roll and unroll, shifting with things, so in ten thousand actions he does not fall into a snare. So a sage is valued because he can change like a dragon. Now to stubbornly keep one point and push one practice, even if it breaks, shatters, destroys and sinks, and still not be willing to change, is to be clear about small likings while blocked from the great Way. Zhao Xuanmeng saved a starving man beneath a mulberry tree and the world called him benevolent; Jing Cifei braved the danger in the river without losing what he held, and the world called him brave; so seeing a small deed one can discuss the great substance. Tian Zifang saw an old horse on the road and sighed with feeling, asking his driver: "What horse is this?" The driver said: "This was raised by the ducal house in the past. Now it is old and worn out and cannot be used, so it was led out for sale." Tian Zifang said: "To covet its strength when young and abandon its body when old is something a benevolent man does not do." He redeemed it with a bundle of silk. When tired warriors heard of this, they knew where to turn their hearts. Duke Zhuang of Qi was out hunting, and an insect raised its legs as if about to attack his wheel; he asked his driver: "What insect is this?" He answered: "This is what is called a mantis. As an insect, it knows to advance and does not know to retreat, and does not weigh its strength and makes light of its enemy." Duke Zhuang said: "If it were a man, it would surely be the bravest warrior in the world!" He turned the carriage to avoid it. When warriors heard of this, they knew to give their utmost. So Tian Zifang sheltered one old horse and Wei supported him, and Duke Zhuang of Qi avoided one mantis and the brave turned to him. Tang taught the one who set a net to bless it, and forty states came to court; King Wen buried the bones of the dead, and the nine Yi tribes turned to him; King Wu shaded a man suffering from heatstroke beneath a tree, holding him with his left hand and fanning him with his right, and the world remembered his virtue;

越王句踐一決獄不辜，援龍淵而切其股，血流至足，以自罰也，而戰武士必其死。故聖人行之於小，則可以覆大矣；審之於近，則可以懷遠矣。孫叔敖決期思之水而灌雩婁之野，莊王知其可以為令尹也。子發辯擊劇而勞佚齊，楚國知其可以為兵主也。此皆形於小微，而通於大理者也。聖人之舉事，不加憂焉，察其所以而已矣。今萬人調鐘，不能比之律；誠得知者，一人而足矣。說者之論，亦猶此也。誠得其數，則無所用多矣。夫車之所以能轉千里者，以其要在三寸之轄。夫勸人而弗能使也，禁人而弗能止也，其所由者非理也。昔者，衛君朝於吳，吳王囚之，欲流之於海。說者冠蓋相望，而弗能止。魯君聞之，撤鐘鼓之縣，縞素而朝。仲尼入見曰：「君胡為有憂色？」魯君曰：「諸侯無親，以諸侯為親。大夫無黨，以大夫為黨。今衛君朝於吳王，吳王囚之而欲流之於海。孰意衛君之仁義而遭此難也！吾欲免之而不能，為奈何？」仲尼曰：「若欲免之，則請子貢行。」魯君召子貢，授之將軍之印，子貢辭曰：「貴無益於解患，在所由之道。」斂躬而行，至於吳，見太宰嚭。太宰嚭甚悅之，欲薦之於王。子貢曰：「子不能行說於王，奈何吾因子也！」太宰嚭曰：「子焉知嚭之不能也？」子貢曰：「衛君之來也，衛國之半曰，不若朝於晉；其半曰，不若朝於吳。然衛君以為吳可以歸骸骨也，故束身以受命。今子受衛君而囚之，又欲流之於海，是賞言朝於晉者，而罰言朝於吳也。且衛君之來也，諸侯皆以為蓍龜兆。今朝於吳而不利，則皆移心於晉矣。子之慾成霸王之業，不亦難乎！」太宰嚭入，復之於王。王報出令於百官曰：「比十日，而衛君之禮不具者死！」子貢可謂知所以說矣。魯哀公為室而大，公宣子諫曰：「室大，眾與人處則譁，少與人處則悲。願公之適。」公曰：「寡人聞命矣。」築室不輟。

Gou Jian, King of Yue, once judged a lawsuit and wronged someone; he drew Longyuan and cut his own thigh until blood flowed to his foot, to punish himself, and his warriors were sure to die for him. So when a sage acts in small things, he can cover the great; examining the near, he can soothe the far. Sunshu Ao breached the waters of Qisi to irrigate the fields of Yulou, and King Zhuang knew he could be chancellor. Zi Fa distinguished labor and ease and made labor and ease equal, and Chu knew he could be commander of the army. These all take form from the small and yet communicate with the great principle. When a sage acts, he does not add further worry but only observes why things are so. Now ten thousand men tuning bells cannot match the pitch-pipes; if one truly gets someone who knows, one man is enough. The arguments of those who persuade are also like this. If one truly gets the method, many are not needed. A carriage can turn for a thousand li because the key lies in a three-inch linchpin. To urge a person and not be able to make him do it, to forbid a person and not be able to make him stop, is because the way taken is not the principle. Formerly the lord of Wei went to pay court to Wu, and the King of Wu imprisoned him and wanted to exile him to the sea. Persuaders, with caps and canopies, saw each other along the way, but could not stop it. The lord of Lu heard of it, took down the hanging bells and drums, and went to court wearing plain white. Zhongni came to see him and said: "Why does my lord look worried?" The lord of Lu said: "Among the feudal lords there are no kin, so I take the feudal lords as kin. Among the senior officials there is no party, so I take the senior officials as my party. Now the lord of Wei has paid court to the King of Wu, and the King of Wu imprisoned him and wants to exile him to the sea. Who would have thought that the lord of Wei, so benevolent and righteous, would meet this calamity! I want to spare him but cannot; what shall I do?" Zhongni said: "If you want to spare him, please send Zigong." The lord of Lu summoned Zigong and gave him the seal of a general, and Zigong declined: "Rank is no use in untying trouble; it lies in the way taken." He gathered himself and went, arrived in Wu, and saw the Grand Steward Pi. The Grand Steward Pi liked him very much and wanted to recommend him to the King. Zigong said: "If you cannot persuade the King, how can I rely on you?" The Grand Steward Pi said: "How do you know Pi cannot?" Zigong said: "When the lord of Wei came, half the people of Wei said it would be better to pay court to Jin, and half said it would be better to pay court to Wu. But the lord of Wei thought Wu could send his bones back, so he bound himself and came to receive the command. Now you accept the lord of Wei but imprison him and want to exile him to the sea, which rewards those who said to pay court to Jin and punishes those who said to pay court to Wu. Moreover when the lord of Wei came, the feudal lords all took him as an omen of the yarrow and tortoise. Now to pay court to Wu is not advantageous, so they will all shift their hearts to Jin. If you want to complete the work of a hegemon-king, is that not hard!" The Grand Steward Pi went in and reported to the King. The King gave an order to the hundred officials: "Within ten days, those who do not have the rites for the lord of Wei prepared will be put to death!" Zigong may be said to have known how to persuade. Duke Ai of Lu built a house that was too large, and Gongxuan Zi remonstrated: "If the house is large, when you are with many people it is noisy and when with few it is sad. I hope Your Grace will make it suitable." The Duke said: "I hear the command." But the building went on without stopping.

公宣子復見曰：「國小而室大，百姓聞之必怨吾君，諸侯聞之必輕吾國。」魯君曰：「聞命矣。」築室不輟。公宣子復見曰：「左昭而右穆，為大室以臨二先君之廟，得無害於子乎？」公乃令罷役除版而去之。魯君之慾為室誠矣，公宣子止之必矣，然三說而一聽者，其二者非其道也。夫臨河而釣，日入而不能得一鯈魚者，非江河魚不食也，所以餌之者非其欲也。及至良工執竿，投而擐唇吻者，能以其所欲而釣者也。夫物無不可奈何，有人無奈何。鉛之與丹，異類殊色，而可以為丹者，得其數也。故繁稱文辭，無益於說，審其所由而已矣。物類之相摩，近而異門戶者，眾而難識也。故或類之而非，或不類之而是；或若然而不然者，或不若然而然者。諺曰：「鳶墮腐鼠，而虞氏以亡。」何謂也？曰：虞氏，梁之大富人也。家充盈殷富，金錢無量，財貨無貲。升高樓，臨大路，設樂陳酒，積博其上。遊俠相隨而行樓下。博上者射朋張，中反兩而笑，飛鳶適墮其腐鼠而中游俠。遊俠相與言曰：「虞氏富樂之日久矣，而常有輕易人之志。吾不敢侵犯，而乃辱我以腐鼠。如此不報，無以立務於天下。請與公僇力一志，悉率徒屬，而必以滅其家。」此所謂類之而非者也。何謂非類而是？屈建告石乞曰：「白公勝將為亂。」石乞曰：「不然。白公勝卑身下士，不敢驕賢。其家無筦籥之信，關楗之固。大斗斛以出，輕斤兩以內。而乃論之，以不宜也。」屈建曰：「此乃所以反也。」居三年，白公勝果為亂，殺令尹子椒、司馬子期。此所謂弗類而是者也。何謂若然而不然？子發為上蔡令，民有罪當刑，獄斷論定，決於令尹前，子發喟然有悽愴之心。罪人已刑而不忘其恩。此其後，子發盤罪威王而出奔。刑者遂襲恩者，恩者逃之於城下之廬。追者至，踹足而怒曰：「子發視決吾罪而被吾刑，怨之憯於骨髓。

Gongxuan Zi came again and said: "The state is small and the house is large; when the people hear of it they will surely resent our lord, and when the feudal lords hear of it they will surely look down on our state." The lord of Lu said: "I hear the command." But the building went on without stopping. Gongxuan Zi came again and said: "On the left is the Zhao temple and on the right the Mu temple; if you build a large chamber facing the temples of the two former lords, can it fail to harm you?" The Duke then gave an order to stop the work and remove the rammed-earth frames and leave. The lord of Lu truly wanted to build the house, and Gongxuan Zi's wish to stop it was also firm, yet it took three times of saying for him to listen once; the two earlier times were not the right way. Fishing by a river, if by sunset one cannot catch even a small fish, it is not that the fish of the river will not eat, but that the bait used is not what they want. When a skilled fisherman takes the rod, the moment it is cast he hooks the lip, because he can fish with what they want. There is nothing in things that cannot be dealt with, though some people cannot deal with it. Lead and cinnabar are different in kind and color, yet they can become cinnabar, because one gets the method. So piling up elaborate wording does not help persuasion; just examine the way taken. Things of similar kind rub against each other, near but not of the same household, are many and hard to recognize. So some look like it but are not, some do not look like it but are; some look like this and so are not this, and some do not look like this yet are this. A proverb says: "A kite dropped a rotten rat and the Yu family was ruined by it." What does that mean? It says: the Yu family was a great rich family of Liang. Their house was full and prosperous, their money without measure and their goods beyond estimate. They climbed a high tower facing the main road, set out music and wine, and gambled above. Knights-errant went along beneath the tower. A man gambling above threw and hit, turned over two and laughed, and a flying kite happened to drop a rotten rat which hit one of the knights-errant. The knights-errant said to one another: "The Yu family has been rich and happy for a long time and often has a mind to look down on people. We did not dare offend them, yet they used a rotten rat to insult us. If we do not take revenge for this, we have nothing with which to make a name in the world. Let us join strength with one heart, lead all our followers, and surely wipe out their house." This is what is meant by looking like it but not being it. What is meant by not looking like it but being it? Qu Jian told Shi Qi: "Gongsun Sheng of Bai is about to rebel." Shi Qi said: "It is not so. Bai Gong Sheng lowers himself to treat scholars and does not dare be arrogant toward the worthy. His house has no trustworthy lock and key and no strong door bolt. He sends out grain with a large measure and takes in with light weights. You discuss him this way, which is not fitting." Qu Jian said: "This is exactly why he wants to rebel." After three years Bai Gong Sheng indeed rebelled and killed the Chancellor Zijiao and the Marshal Ziqi. This is what is meant by not looking like it but being it. What is meant by looking like this and so not being this? Zi Fa was magistrate of Shangcai, and there was a man who had a crime deserving punishment; the case had been decided, and he was sentenced before the Chancellor, and Zi Fa sighed with a sorrowful heart. The criminal, having already been punished, did not forget his kindness. Afterward Zi Fa fled from King Wei because of a crime. The man who had been punished then shielded the one who had shown kindness, and the one who had shown kindness fled to a house beneath the city. When the pursuers arrived, they stamped their feet in anger and said: "Zi Fa watched my crime be sentenced and had me punished, and my resentment and pain reach my bone marrow.

使我得其肉而食之，其知厭乎！」追者以為然而不索其內，果活子發。此所謂若然而不然者。何謂不然而若然者？昔越王句踐卑下吳王夫差，請身為臣，妻為妾，奉四時之祭祀，而入春秋之貢職，委社稷，效民力，隱居為蔽，而戰為鋒行，禮甚卑，辭甚服，其離叛之心遠矣，然而甲卒三千人以擒夫差於姑胥。此四策者，不可不審也。夫事之所以難知者，以其竄端匿跡，立私於公，倚邪於正，而以勝惑人之心者也。若使人之所懷於內者，與所見於外者，若合符節，則天下無亡國敗家矣。夫狐之捕雉也，必先卑體彌耳，以待其來也。雉見而信之，故可得而擒也。使狐瞋目植睹，見必殺之勢，雉亦知驚憚遠飛，以避其怒矣。夫人偽之相欺也，非直禽獸之詐計也，物類相似若然，而不可從外論者，眾而難識矣，是故不可不察也。

(He continued:) "If I could get his flesh to eat, how would I know contentment!" The pursuers thought it truly so and did not search inside the house, and so indeed saved Zi Fa. This is what is called looking like this and so not being this. What is meant by not being this but looking like this? Formerly Gou Jian, King of Yue, humbled himself before Fu Chai, King of Wu, and asked to be his subject himself and have his wife be a concubine, to offer sacrifices at the four seasons, deliver tribute in spring and autumn, hand over his altars of state and offer the people's strength; living in seclusion he would act as shield, in battle he would act as vanguard; the ritual was very humble and the words very submissive, and the heart of rebellion seemed very far; yet with three thousand armored soldiers at Gusu he captured Fu Chai. These four strategies must be carefully examined. Why things are hard to know is that they hide their clues and conceal their traces, set up the private within the public, lean on the crooked above the straight, and deceive people's hearts by victory. If what people hold in their hearts and what one sees outside matched like fitted tallies, the world would have no ruined states or families. When a fox catches a pheasant, it must first lower its body and let its ears droop and wait for it to come. The pheasant sees it and trusts it, and so can be caught. If the fox glared and looked upright, showing the posture of one who must kill, the pheasant would also know to be startled and fly far away to avoid its anger. People deceive each other with falsehood, not only the schemes of birds and beasts; things resemble each other like this, but cannot be judged from outside; they are many and hard to recognize, so one must examine them.

或曰：「無為者，寂然無聲，漠然不動，引之不來，推之不往。如此者，乃得道之像。」吾以為不然。嘗試問之矣：「若夫神農、堯、舜、禹、湯，可謂聖人乎？」有論者必不能廢。以五聖觀之，則莫得無為，明矣。古者，民茹草飲水，採樹木之實，食蠃蠬之肉。時多疾病毒傷之害，於是神農乃始教民播種五穀，相土地宜，燥濕肥墝高下，嘗百草之滋味，水泉之甘苦，令民知所闢就。當此之時，一日而遇七十毒。堯立孝慈仁愛，使民如子弟。西教沃民，東至黑齒，北撫幽都，南道交趾。放讙兜於崇山，竄三苗於三危，流共工於幽州，殛鯀於羽山。舜作室，築牆茨屋，闢地樹穀，令民皆知去巖穴，各有家室。南征三苗，道死蒼梧。禹沐浴霪雨，櫛扶風，決江疏河，鑿龍門，闢伊闕，修彭蠡之防，乘四載，隨山刊木，平治水土，定千八百國。湯夙興夜寐，以致聰明，輕賦薄斂，以寬民氓，布德施惠，以振困窮，吊死問疾，以養孤孀。百姓親附，政令流行，乃整兵鳴條，困夏南巢，譙以其過，放之曆山。此五聖者，天下之盛主，勞形盡慮，為民興利除害而不懈。奉一爵酒不知於色，挈一石之尊則白汗交流，又況贏天下之憂，而海內事者乎？其重於尊亦遠也！且夫聖人者，不恥身之賤，而愧道之不行；不憂命之短，而憂百姓之窮。是故禹之為水，以身解於陽盱之河。湯旱，以身禱於桑山之林。聖人憂民，如此其明也，而稱以「無為」，豈不悖哉！

Someone says: "Non-action is being silent and without sound, still and unmoving, so that when pulled it does not come and when pushed it does not go. Only that is the image of attaining the Way." I think it is not so. I once tried asking: "Can people like Shennong, Yao, Shun, Yu and Tang be called sages?" Those who discuss it will certainly not be able to discard them. If one looks at these five sages, none was able to be without action; this is plain. In ancient times the people ate grass and drank water, picked the fruit of trees and ate the flesh of snails and clams. At that time there was much harm from disease, poison and injury, so Shennong first taught the people to sow the five grains, observed what the land was suited for, dry or damp, fertile or poor, high or low, and tasted the flavors of the hundred herbs and the sweetness or bitterness of water springs, so that the people knew what to avoid and what to approach. At that time he met seventy poisonings in a single day. Yao set up filial piety, kindness and benevolence and made the people like sons and younger brothers. In the west he taught the Wo people, in the east he reached the Black-Toothed, in the north he soothed Youdu, and in the south he took the road to Jiaozhi. He banished Huandou to Mount Chong, drove the Three Miao to Sanwei, exiled Gong Gong to Youzhou, and executed Gun at Mount Yu. Shun built houses, built walls and thatched roofs, and opened land and sowed grain, so that the people all knew to leave caves and each had a home. In the south he campaigned against the Three Miao and died on the road to Cangwu. Yu bathed in long rain and used the fierce wind as his comb, breached the rivers and cleared the channels, cut through Longmen, opened Yique, repaired the dikes of Pengli, rode the four kinds of conveyance, cut trees along the mountains to mark the way, leveled the waters and the land, and settled eighteen hundred states. Tang rose early and slept late to exhaust his intelligence, lightened taxes and collected little to treat the people generously, spread virtue and gave kindness to relieve the poor, condoled with the dead and inquired after the sick to support orphans and widows. The people drew close and government orders were carried out, so he drilled troops at Mingtiao, trapped Xia at Nanchao, charged him with his faults and exiled him to Mount Li. These five sages were the glorious rulers of the world; they toiled in body and exhausted their thoughts, and did not tire in making benefit and removing harm for the people. Holding up a cup of wine one's face does not show it, but lifting a stone-sized vessel the sweat pours out; how much more to bear the world's worries and the affairs within the seas! Its weight is far more than that of a vessel! Moreover a sage is not ashamed of his own lowliness but ashamed that the Way is not practiced; he does not worry about a short life but worries that the people are poor. So when Yu controlled the floods, he absolved himself in the river at Yangxu. When Tang met drought, he prayed in his own person in the forest of Mount Sang. The sages worried about the people so clearly, yet they are called 'non-acting'; is that not perverse!

且古之立帝王者，非以奉養其欲也；聖人踐位者，非以逸樂其身也。為天下強掩弱，眾暴寡，詐欺愚，勇侵怯，懷知而不以相教，積財而不以相分，故立天子以齊一之。為一人聰明而不足以遍照海內，故立三公九卿以輔翼之。絕國殊俗、僻遠幽間之處，不能被德承澤，故立諸侯以教誨之。是以地無不任，時無不應，官無隱事，國無遺利。所以衣寒食饑，養老弱而息勞倦也。若以布衣徒步之人觀之，則伊尹負鼎而幹湯，呂望鼓刀而入周，百里奚轉鬻，管仲束縛，孔子無黔𥥍，墨子無暖席。是以聖人不高山，不廣河，蒙恥辱以幹世主，非以貪祿慕位，欲事起天下利，而除萬民之害。蓋聞傳書曰：「神農憔悴，堯瘦，舜黴黑，禹胼胝。」由此觀之，則聖人之憂勞百姓甚矣。故自天子以下至於庶人，四胑不動，思慮不用，事治求澹者，未之聞也。

Moreover in ancient times emperors and kings were established not to nourish their own desires, and sages took the seat not to enjoy ease for themselves. Because in the world the strong cover the weak, the many are cruel to the few, the deceitful cheat the foolish, and the brave encroach on the timid, those who have knowledge do not use it to teach each other, those who have wealth do not share it with each other; so a Son of Heaven was established to unify them. Because one person's intelligence is not enough to illuminate all within the seas, the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers were established to assist him. In remote states with different customs and in out-of-the-way and secluded places, virtue could not reach and favor could not be received, so feudal lords were established to instruct them. So there was no land not employed, no season without response, no hidden affair in the offices, and no benefit left out in the state. So they gave clothes to the cold and food to the hungry, nourished the old and weak and let the weary rest. If one looks at commoners in plain clothes who traveled on foot: Yi Yin carried a cauldron to seek employment from Tang, Lü Wang beat a knife and entered Zhou, Boli Xi was sold from place to place, Guan Zhong was bound, Confucius's chimney was never blackened, and Mozi's mat was never warm. So the sages did not think mountains high or rivers wide, but bore disgrace to seek employment from rulers of the age, not out of greed for salary or love of position, but wanting to do things, raise the benefit of the world, and remove the harm of the myriad people. I have heard from the transmitted books: "Shennong was haggard, Yao was thin, Shun was dark, and Yu had calluses on his hands and feet." From this it can be seen that the sages' worry and toil for the people was very great. So from the Son of Heaven down to commoners, never has it been heard that anyone's four limbs did not move and his thoughts were not used, yet affairs were in order and demands were met.

夫地勢，水東流，人必事焉，然後水潦得穀行。禾稼春生，人必加功焉，故五穀得遂長。聽其自流，待其自生，則鯀、禹之功不立，而後稷之智不用。若吾所謂無為者，私志不得入公道，嗜慾不得枉正術，循理而舉事，因資而立，權自然之勢，而曲故不得容者，事成而身弗伐，功立而名弗有，非謂其感而不應，攻而不動者。若夫以火熯井，以淮灌山，此用己而背自然，故謂之有為。若夫水之用舟，沙之用鳩，泥之用輴，山之用虆，夏瀆而冬陂，因高為田，因下為池，此非吾所謂為之。聖人之從事也，殊體而合於理，其所由異路而同歸，其存危定傾若一，志不忘於欲利人也。何以明之？昔者楚欲攻宋，墨子聞而悼之，自魯趨而十日十夜，足重趼而不休息，裂衣裳裹足，至於郢，見楚王。曰：「臣聞大王舉兵將攻宋，計必得宋而後攻之乎？亡其苦眾勞民，頓兵挫銳，負天下以不義之名，而不得咫尺之地，猶且攻之乎？」王曰：「必不得宋，又且為不義，曷為攻之！」墨子曰：「臣見大王之必傷義而不得宋。」王曰：「公輸，天下之巧士，作雲梯之械，設以攻宋，曷為弗取！」墨子曰：「令公輸設攻，臣請守之。」於是公輸般設攻宋之械，墨子設守宋之備，九攻而墨子九卻之，弗能入。於是乃偃兵，輟不攻宋。段干木辭祿而處家，魏文侯過其閭而軾之。其僕曰：「君何為軾？」文侯曰：「段干木在，是以軾。」其僕曰：「段干木布衣之士，君軾其閭，不已甚乎？」文侯曰：「段干木不趨勢利，懷君子之道，隱處窮巷，聲施千里，寡人敢勿軾乎！段干木光於德，寡人光於勢；段干木富於義，寡人富於財。勢不若德尊，財不若義高。干木雖以己易寡人不為。吾日悠慚於影，子何以輕之哉！

By the lay of the land, water flows east, but people must do work before flood water can follow the channel. Grain is born in spring, but people must tend it before the five grains can grow. If one left it to flow of itself and waited for it to grow of itself, then the achievements of Gun and Yu could not be established and the wisdom of Hou Ji could not be used. What I call non-action is that private will does not enter the public way, appetites and desires do not bend the right method, one carries out affairs following principle, establishes by what resources there are, weighs the natural tendency, does not admit clever deceit, does not boast of oneself when a task is done, and does not claim the name when merit is established; it does not mean that when stirred one does not respond or when attacked one does not move. To roast a well with fire or to irrigate a mountain with the Huai is to use oneself against nature, and is therefore called action. To use boats on water, dove carts on sand, sleds on mud, and baskets on mountains, to dig channels in summer and make ponds in winter, to make fields on the high and ponds on the low, is not what I call action. The sage's works differ in form yet accord with principle, the roads they take differ yet end in the same place, and in preserving what is in peril and settling what is overturned they are as one, their aim never forgetting to benefit people. What proves this? Formerly Chu wanted to attack Song, and when Mozi heard of it he was grieved, and traveled from Lu on foot for ten days and ten nights, his feet in layers of calluses and without rest, tearing his clothes to wrap his feet, and reached Ying and saw the king of Chu. He said: "I have heard that Your Majesty is raising troops to attack Song; do you calculate that you are sure to get Song and only then attack? Or would you toil the multitude and exhaust the people, blunt the army's edge, bear the name of unrighteousness before the world, and gain not a foot of land, and still attack?" The king said: "I surely cannot get Song, and would be doing something unrighteous besides; why attack!" Mozi said: "I see that Your Majesty will surely harm righteousness yet not get Song." The king said: "Gongshu is the cleverest craftsman in the world and has made cloud ladders; with these he will attack Song; why could I not get it!" Mozi said: "Let Gongshu set up the attack, and I ask to defend." So Gongshu Ban set up the instruments to attack Song, and Mozi set up the defenses of Song; nine times they attacked Mozi and nine times were repulsed, unable to enter. Only then did they stop the troops and not attack Song. Duanmu Gan declined a stipend and lived at home, and when Marquis Wen of Wei passed his lane he bowed over the carriage rail. His attendant said: "Why does my lord bow over the rail?" Marquis Wen said: "Duanmu Gan is here, so I bow." The attendant said: "Duanmu Gan is a commoner scholar; is it not excessive for my lord to bow to his lane?" Marquis Wen said: "Duanmu Gan does not attach himself to power and profit, holds the Way of the noble person and lives hidden in a poor lane, and his fame extends a thousand li; how dare I not bow! Duanmu Gan shines in virtue, and I shine in power; Duanmu Gan is rich in righteousness, and I am rich in wealth. Power is not as honored as virtue, and wealth is not as high as righteousness. Duanmu Gan would not exchange himself for me. Every day facing my shadow I am quietly ashamed; why do you look down on him!

」其後秦將起兵伐魏，司馬庾諫曰：「段干木賢者，其君禮之，天下莫不知，諸侯莫不聞，舉兵伐之，無乃妨於義乎！」於是秦乃偃兵，輟不攻魏。

(He continued:) " After this, Qin was about to raise troops to attack Wei, and Sima Yu remonstrated: "Duanmu Gan is a worthy; his ruler treats him with ritual courtesy, and there is no one in the world who does not know it, no feudal lord who has not heard of it; if we raise troops to attack, I fear it would harm righteousness!" So Qin stopped its troops and did not attack Wei.

夫墨子跌蹄而趨千里，以存楚、宋；段干木闔門不出，以安秦、魏。夫行與止也，其勢相反，而皆可以存國，此所謂異路而同歸者也。今夫救火者，汲水而趨之，或以甕瓴，或以盆盂，其方員銳橢不同，盛水各異，其於滅火鈞也。故秦、楚、燕、魏之歌也，異轉而皆樂；九夷八狄之哭也，殊聲而皆悲；一也。夫歌者，樂之徵也；哭者，悲之效也。憤於中則應於外，故在所以感。夫聖人之心，日夜不忘於欲利人，其澤之所及者，效亦大矣。

Mozi hurried with sore feet a thousand li to preserve Chu and Song; Duanmu Gan shut his door and did not go out to secure Qin and Wei. Acting and resting were opposite in tendency, yet both could preserve a state; this is what is meant by roads that differ but end in the same place. Now those who put out a fire run carrying water, some with jars and some with basins and bowls; square, round, pointed and oval differ, and the water they hold differs, but in extinguishing the fire they are equal. So the songs of Qin, Chu, Yan and Wei differ in melody but are all joyful; the weeping of the nine Yi and eight Di differs in sound but is all sad; they are one. Singing is the proof of joy, and weeping is the proof of sorrow. What is pent up within responds outside, so it rests on what is felt. The mind of the sage, day and night, never forgets to benefit people, and where his kindness reaches, its effect too is great.

世俗廢衰，而非學者多。「人性各有所修短，若魚之躍，若鵲之駁，此自然者，不可損益。」吾以為不然。夫魚者躍，鵲者駁也，猶人馬之為人馬，筋骨形體，所受於天，不可變。以此論之，則不類矣。夫馬之為草駒之時，跳躍揚蹄，翹尾而走，人不能制，齧咋足以噆肌碎骨，蹶蹄足以破顱陷匈；及至圉人擾之，良禦教之，掩以衡扼，連以轡銜，則雖歷險超塹弗敢辭。故其形之為馬，馬不可化；其可駕禦，教之所為也。馬，聾蟲也，而可以通氣志，猶待教而成，又況人乎！且夫身正性善，發憤而成仁，帽憑而為義，性命可說，不待學問而合於道者，堯、舜、文王也；沉湎耽荒，不可教以道，不可喻以德，嚴父弗能正，賢師不能化者，丹朱、商均也。曼頰皓齒，形誇骨佳，不待脂粉芳澤而性可說者，西施、陽文也；啳𦝢哆噅，籧蒢戚施，雖粉白黛黑弗能為美者，嫫母、仳倠也。夫上不及堯、舜，下不及商均，美不及西施，惡不若嫫母，此教訓之所諭也，而芳澤之所施。且子有弒父者，然而天下莫疏其子，何也？愛父者眾也。儒有邪辟者，而先王之道不廢，何也？其行之者多也。今以為學者之有過而非學者，則是以一飽之故，絕穀不食，以一蹪之難，輟足不行，惑也。

As the age declines, many criticize learning. "The nature of each person has its strengths and shortcomings, like a fish leaping or a magpie's mottled coat; this is natural and cannot be added to or reduced." I think it is not so. A fish's leaping and a magpie's mottling are like people and horses being people and horses: sinew, bone and form are received from Heaven and cannot be changed. To argue from this is not analogous. When a horse is still a colt, it leaps and tosses its hooves and runs with its tail up; people cannot restrain it; its bite is enough to tear flesh and crush bone, its kick enough to split a skull and cave in a chest; but once the groom trains it and a good driver teaches it, with the yoke fitted and reins and bit attached, it does not refuse to go through dangerous passes and over moats. So its form as a horse cannot change, but that it can be driven is accomplished by teaching. A horse is an unknowing creature, yet it can be brought into communion with the will, and still it needs teaching to be completed; how much more people! Moreover, those whose person is upright and nature good, who become humane from the urge and righteous from fervor, whose nature and life can be pleased and who accord with the Way without waiting for learning, are Yao, Shun and King Wen; those sunk in indulgence and idleness, who cannot be taught by the Way or enlightened by virtue, whom a stern father cannot set right and a worthy teacher cannot transform, are Danzhu and Shangjun. Those with soft cheeks and white teeth, fine form and good bones, whose nature can be pleasing without waiting for powder and perfume, are Xi Shi and Yang Wen; those with crooked mouth and gaping lips, chicken-breast and hunchback, who even with white powder and black eyebrow paint cannot become beautiful, are Mo Mu and Chi Ju. Above, one cannot match Yao and Shun; below, one is not like Shangjun; in beauty one cannot match Xi Shi; in ugliness one is not like Mo Mu; this is what teaching and instruction can enlighten and what perfume and powder can be applied to. Besides, there are sons who kill their fathers, yet no one in the world keeps his own son at a distance; why? Because those who love their fathers are many. There are Confucians who are devious, yet the Way of the former kings is not abandoned; why? Because those who practice it are many. Now to criticize learning because some scholars make mistakes is to stop eating grain because one once ate too much, or to stop walking because one once stumbled; it is delusion.

今有良馬，不待策錣而行，駑馬，雖兩錣之不能進，為此不用策錣而禦，則愚矣。夫怯夫操利劍，擊則不能斷，刺則不能入，及至勇武攘卷一搗，則摺肋傷幹，為此棄幹將、鏌邪而以手戰，則悖矣。所謂言者，齊於眾而同於俗。今不稱九天之頂，則言黃泉之底，是兩末之端議，何可以公論乎！夫橘柚冬生，而人曰冬死，死者眾；薺麥夏死，人曰夏生，生者眾。江、河之回曲，亦時有南北者，而人謂江、河東流；攝提鎮星日月東行，而人謂星辰日月西移者；以大氐為本。胡人有知利者，而人謂之駤；越人有重遲者，而人謂之訬；以多者名之。若夫堯眉八彩，九竅通洞，而公正無私，一言而萬民齊；舜二瞳子，是謂重明，作事成法，出言成章；禹耳參漏，是謂大通，興利除害，疏河決江；文王四乳，是謂大仁，天下所歸，百姓所親；皋陶馬喙，是謂至信，決獄明白，察於人情；禹生於石；契生於卵；史皇產而能書；羿左臂修而善射。若此九賢者，千歲而一齣，猶繼踵而生。今無五聖之天奉，四俊之才難，欲棄學而循性，是謂猶釋船欲蹍水也。

Now there is a fine horse that goes without needing the whip, and a nag that cannot advance even with two lashes of the whip; so to say one need not use the whip to drive them is foolish. A coward holding a sharp sword cannot cut with a strike and cannot pierce with a thrust, but when a brave man rolls up his sleeves and thumps, he breaks ribs and wounds the trunk; so to cast aside Ganjiang and Moye and fight with the hands is perverse. What are called discussions are to be in step with the multitude and the same as custom. Now if one does not speak of the top of the nine heavens, one speaks of the bottom of the Yellow Springs; these are arguments from two extremes; how can they be taken as public judgment! Oranges and pomelos grow in winter yet people say they die in winter, because more die; shepherd's purse and wheat die in summer yet people say they grow in summer, because more grow. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers bend and sometimes run north or south, yet people say the Yangtze and Yellow River flow east; the planets Sheti and Zhen, the sun and the moon move eastward, yet people say the stars, sun and moon shift west; this takes the general tendency as the basis. Among the northern barbarians some are clever, yet people call them dull; among the southern Yue some are slow and heavy, yet people call them quick; this names things by the majority. Yao's eyebrows had eight colors, his nine orifices were clear, he was fair and without selfishness, and one word of his unified the myriad people; Shun had two pupils, called double brightness, and his deeds became law and his words became statutes; Yu's ear had three holes, called great penetration, and he promoted benefit and removed harm, dredging rivers and opening the Yangtze; King Wen had four nipples, called great humaneness, and the world turned to him and the hundred clans were close to him; Gao Yao had a horse's mouth, called utmost trust, and he decided cases clearly and was discerning about human feelings; Yu was born from a stone; Xie was born from an egg; Shi Huang could write from birth; Yi had a long left arm and was good at archery. Of these nine worthies, one appears once in a thousand years, and it is as though they were born heel to heel. Now we lack the Heaven-given gift of the five sages and the talent of the four brilliant ones is hard to come by; to want to discard learning and follow nature is like letting go of the boat and wanting to tread water.

夫純鉤、魚腸之始下型，擊則不能斷，刺則不能入，及加之以砥礪，摩其鋒鍔，則水斷龍舟，陸剸犀甲。明鏡之始下型，矇然未見形容，及其粉以玄錫，摩以白旃，鬢眉微豪，可得而察。夫學，亦人之砥錫也，而謂學無益者，所以論之過。知者之所短，不若愚者之所修；賢者之所不足，不若眾人之有餘。何以知其然？夫宋畫吳冶，刻刑鏤法，亂修曲出，其為微妙，堯、舜之聖不能及。蔡之幼女，衛之稚質，梱纂組，雜奇彩，抑墨質，揚赤文，禹、湯之智不能逮。夫天之所覆，地之所載，包於六合之內，托於宇宙之間，陰陽之所生，血氣之精，含牙戴角，前爪後距，奮翼攫肆，蚑行蟯動之蟲，喜而合，怒而鬥，見利而就，避害而去，其情一也。雖所好惡，其與人無以異。然其爪牙雖利，筋骨雖強，不免制於人者，知不能相通，才力不能相一也。各有其自然之勢，無稟受於外，故力竭功沮。

When Chunjun and Yuchang swords are first cast in the mold, a strike cannot cut and a thrust cannot pierce, but when whetstone is added and the edge is ground, they can cut a dragon boat on water and slice through rhinoceros armor on land. When a bright mirror is first cast in the mold, it is dim and shows no form, but when it is rubbed with dark tin powder and polished with white felt, the hairs of the temples and eyebrows can be examined. Learning too is a person's whetstone and tin powder, yet to say learning has no benefit is to criticize its fault. What the wise lack in is less than what the foolish are good at, and what the worthy lack is less than what the multitude has to spare. How do we know it is so? The painters of Song and the smelters of Wu, who carve molds and engrave forms, bring out intricate, turning designs, and their subtlety could not be reached even by the sagacity of Yao and Shun. The young girls of Cai and the maidens of Wei weave and braid, mixing rare colors, pressing down the black ground and raising the red pattern, and the wisdom of Yu and Tang could not catch up with them. What Heaven covers, Earth carries, what is enclosed within the six directions and carried between heaven and earth, produced by yin and yang, the essence of blood and breath, creatures that hold teeth and wear horns, with front claws and rear spurs, that beat wings and seize prey, that crawl and wriggle: when pleased they join, when angry they fight, on seeing profit they approach, on avoiding harm they depart, and their feeling is one. Though they like and dislike, they are no different from humans. But although their claws and teeth are sharp and their sinews and bones strong, they cannot avoid being controlled by humans, because their intelligence cannot communicate and their strength and talent cannot be united. Each has its natural condition and does not receive from outside, so strength is spent and accomplishment fails.

夫雁順風，以愛氣力，銜蘆而翔，以備矰弋。螘知為垤，獾貉為曲穴，虎豹有茂草，野彘有艽莦，槎櫛堀虛，連比以像宮室，陰以防雨，景以蔽日。此亦鳥獸之所以知求合於其所利。今使人生於闢陋之國，長於窮櫩漏室之下，長無兄弟，少無父母，目未嘗見禮節，耳未嘗聞先古，獨守專室而不出門，使其性雖不愚，然其知者必寡矣。昔者，蒼頡作書，容成造曆，胡曹為衣，后稷耕稼，儀狄作酒，奚仲為車，此六人者，皆有神明之道，聖智之跡，故人作一事而遺後世，非能一人而獨兼有之。各悉其知，貴其所欲達，遂為天下備。今使六子者易事，而明弗能見者何？萬物至眾，而知不足以奄之。周室以後，無六子之賢，而皆修其業；當世之人，無一人之才，而知其六賢之道者何？教順施續，而知能流通。由此觀之，學不可已，明矣！

Wild geese follow the wind to conserve their strength and fly holding reeds in their beaks to guard against arrows with strings. Ants know how to build mounds, badgers and raccoon dogs make winding burrows, tigers and leopards have thick grass, wild boars have wild grass, and they dig crisscross tunnels connected like palaces, where the shade is used to keep off rain and shadows used to screen the sun. This too is how birds and beasts know to seek out what benefits them. Now suppose a person were born in a remote and rude state, grew up under a poor eave and leaking room, grew up with no brothers and in youth had no parents, whose eyes had never seen ritual and whose ears had never heard the ancients, and who guarded a single room alone and never went out; though his nature is not stupid, what he knows must be little. Formerly Cang Jie made writing, Rong Cheng made the calendar, Hu Cao made clothing, Hou Ji farmed, Yi Di made wine, and Xi Zhong made carts; these six all had the Way of spiritual clarity and the traces of sagely wisdom, so a person does one thing and leaves it to later ages; it is not that one person alone can hold everything. Each exhausts his knowledge and values what he wishes to master, and so the world's equipment is completed. Now if these six were made to exchange their tasks, even with clear sight they could not see; why? The myriad things are very many, and knowledge is not enough to cover them. After the Zhou house, there were none of the worthiness of the six, yet all cultivated their work; people of the present age do not have the talent of one person, yet know the Way of the six worthies; why? Teaching is passed on and carried forward, and knowledge and ability flow through. From this it appears that learning cannot be stopped; this is clear!

今夫盲者目不能別晝夜，分白黑，然而搏琴撫弦，參彈複徽，攫援摽拂，手若蔑蒙，不失一弦。使未嘗鼓瑟者，雖有離朱之明，攫掇之捷，猶不能屈伸其指。何則？服習積貫之所致。故弓待檠而後能調，劍待砥而後能利。玉堅無敵，鏤以為獸，首尾成形，礛諸之功。木直中繩，揉以為輪，其曲中規，檃括之力。唐碧堅忍之類，猶可刻鏤，揉以成器用，又況心意乎！且夫精神滑淖纖微，倏忽變化，與物推移，雲蒸風行，在所設施。君子有能精搖摩監，砥礪其才，自試神明，覽物之博，通物之壅，觀始卒之端，見無外之境，以逍遙仿佯於塵埃之外，超然獨立，卓然離世，此聖人之所以遊心。若此而不能，間居靜思，鼓琴讀書，追觀上古及賢大夫，學問講辯，日以自娛，蘇援世事，分白黑利害，籌策得失，以觀禍福，設儀立度，可以為法則，窮道本末，究事之情，立是廢非，明示後人，死有遺業，生有榮名。如此者，人才之所能逮。然而莫能至焉者，偷慢懈惰，多不暇日之故。夫瘠地之民多有心力者，勞也；沃地之民多不才者，饒也。由此觀之，知人無務，不若愚而好學。自人君公卿至於庶人，不自強而功成者，天下未之有也。《詩》云：「日就月將，學有緝熙於光明。」此之謂也。名可務立，功可強成，故君子積志委正，以趣明師，勵節亢高，以絕世俗。

Now a blind person's eyes cannot tell day from night or distinguish white from black, yet plucking the zither and stroking the strings, playing in multiple parts and repeating the markers, snatching, pulling, lifting and brushing, his hands are like flying dust and mist, and he does not miss a single string. If one who has never played the zither were made to try, even with Li Zhu's clarity or the speed of a fast grabber, he could not bend and stretch his fingers properly. Why? It is the result of habituation and accumulated practice. So a bow must wait for the frame to be adjusted, and a sword must wait for the whetstone to become sharp. Jade is hard and invincible, yet when carved into a beast with head and tail formed, it is the work of the grinding stone. Wood that is straight enough to fit the cord can be bent into a wheel and curved to fit the compass by the force of the straightening frame. Even hard things like tang and bi stone can be carved and bent into utensils, how much more the mind! Moreover spirit is slippery, subtle and fine, changing suddenly and shifting with things, steaming like clouds and moving like wind, depending on how it is applied. If the noble person can refine his sharpness and polish his mirror, whet his talent, test his own spirit, view the breadth of things, penetrate the blockages of things, observe the beginning and end, see the realm that has no outside, to roam and wander beyond the dust, standing apart and aloof, this is where the sage lets his mind roam. If one still cannot do this, then in leisure he may think quietly, play the zither and read, trace the ancients up to the worthy grand masters, study and discuss and debate, amusing himself every day, put worldly affairs in order, distinguish black and white and benefit and harm, calculate gain and loss to observe blessing and misfortune, set up norms and standards that can serve as rules, exhaust the root and branch of the Way, fully examine the feelings in affairs, establish what is right and abolish what is wrong, and plainly show it to later people, so that in death he leaves a legacy and in life has glorious fame. This is what people of talent can reach. Yet no one reaches it, because of idleness and laziness, and mostly because they have no spare days. The people of poor land often have strength of mind, because of toil; the people of fertile land are often untalented, because of abundance. From this it appears that a wise person without effort is not as good as a fool who loves learning. From rulers and ministers to commoners, there has never been one in the world who succeeded without exerting himself. The Odes say: "Day by day I advance, month by month I go forward, and learning gains continuous brilliance." This is what is meant. A name can be set up by striving and merit can be accomplished by exertion, so the noble person accumulates resolve and entrusts it to rectitude, goes toward a bright teacher, and spurs his integrity to lofty heights, to be cut off from the vulgar world.

何以明之？昔者南榮疇恥聖道之獨亡於己，身淬霜露，敕蹻趹，跋涉山川，冒蒙荊棘，百舍重跰，不敢休息，南見老聃。受教一言，精神曉泠，純聞條達，欣然七日不食，如饗太牢，是以明照四海，名施後世，達略天地，察分秋豪，稱譽葉語，至今不休。此所謂名可強立者。吳與楚戰，莫囂大心撫其禦之手曰：「今日距強敵，犯白刃，蒙矢石，戰而身死，卒勝民治，全我社稷，可以庶幾乎？」遂入不返，決腹斷頭，不旋踵運軌而死。申包胥竭筋力以赴嚴敵，伏屍流血，不過一卒之才，不如約身卑辭，求於諸侯。於是乃贏糧跣走，跋涉穀行，上峭山，赴深溪，遊川水，犯津關，躐蒙籠，蹶沙石，蹠達膝曾繭重胝，七日七夜，至於秦庭。鶴跱而不食，晝吟宵哭，面若死灰，顏色黴墨，涕液交集，以見秦王。曰：「吳為封豨修蛇，蠶食上國，虐始於楚。寡君失社稷，越在草茅，百姓離散，夫婦男女，不遑啟處，使下臣告急。」秦王乃發車千乘，步卒七萬，屬之子虎，逾塞而東，擊吳濁水之上，果大破之，以存楚國。烈藏廟堂，著於憲法。此功之可強成者也。夫七尺之形，心知憂愁勞苦，膚知疾痛寒暑，人情一也。聖人知時之難得，務可趣也，苦身勞形，焦心怖肝，不避煩難，不違危殆。蓋聞子發之戰，進如激矢，合如雷電，解如風雨，員之中規，方之中矩，破敵陷陳，莫能壅禦，澤戰必克，攻城必下。彼非輕身而樂死，務在於前，遺利於後，故名立而不墮。此身強而成功者也。是故田者不強，囷倉不盈；官禦不厲，心意不精；將相不強，功烈不成；侯王懈惰，後世無名。《詩》云：「我馬唯騏，六轡如絲。載馳載驅，周爰諮謨。」以言人之有所務也。

What proves it? Formerly Nanrong Chou, ashamed that the sage Way was lost in himself alone, bore frost and dew on his body, tied his sandals and ran, crossed mountains and rivers and braved thorns, traveled a hundred stages with layered calluses and dared not rest, and went south to see Laozi. He received one sentence of instruction, and his spirit became clear, cool and bright, pure and unobstructed, and he went seven days happily without eating, as though enjoying the grand sacrifice; therefore his brilliance lit the four seas, his name extended to later ages, he reached through heaven and earth, discerned the tip of an autumn hair, and the words of praise passed down have not stopped to this day. This is what is meant by a name that can be set up by effort. When Wu fought Chu, Mo'ao Daxin took his charioteer's hand and said: "Today, resisting a strong enemy, braving white blades and covered by arrows and stones, I will die in battle; if in the end we win and the people are governed and my altars are preserved, would that be about enough?" He went in and did not return, cutting open his belly and severing his head, dying without turning his heels or turning his chariot track. Shen Baoxu exhausted his strength to rush to a strict enemy, but lying corpses and flowing blood amount only to the talent of a soldier; it is better to restrain oneself and speak humbly to ask help from the feudal lords. So he carried provisions and ran barefoot, crossed streams and valleys, climbed steep mountains, plunged into deep gorges, swam rivers, braved fords and passes, trod through thickets and stumbled on sand and stones, with his soles to his knees layered with calluses, for seven days and nights, until he reached the Qin court. He stood like a crane without eating, chanting by day and weeping by night, with a face like dead ashes and a dark complexion, tears flowing together, and went to see the king of Qin. He said: "Wu is like a great boar and a long snake, eating up the central states like silkworms, and its cruelty began with Chu. My ruler has lost his altars and fled to the grass and thatch, the hundred clans are scattered, and husbands and wives, men and women have no time to settle; he sent this humble servant to report the emergency." The king of Qin then sent a thousand chariots and seventy thousand infantry and gave them to Zi Hu, who crossed the border eastward and struck Wu on the Zhuo River, and indeed greatly defeated them and preserved the state of Chu. The merit was stored in the temple and written into the statutes. This is merit that can be accomplished by effort. A body of seven feet, whose mind knows worry and toil and whose skin knows pain and cold and heat; human feeling is one. The sage knows that the time is hard to find and that affairs can be pursued; he toils his body and exhausts his form, scorches his heart and frightens his liver, does not avoid trouble and does not avoid danger. I hear that when Zi Fa fought, his advance was like a sharp arrow, his joining like thunder and lightning, his dispersal like wind and rain, round formations fit the compass and square formations fit the square, he broke the enemy and breached formations and none could stop him; in marsh battles he always won and in assaults on cities he always took them. He was not one who was light about his life and glad to die, but one who strove to be first and left the profit to those behind, so his name was established and did not fall. This is accomplishment by one's own exertion. So if farmers are not strenuous, the granaries are not full; if officials and drivers are not honed, their minds are not refined; if generals and chancellors are not strenuous, their achievements are not completed; if lords and kings are lazy, they have no name in later ages. The Odes say: "My horse is a fine bay, the six reins like silk threads. Galloping and driving, consulting and planning everywhere." This says that people have something they strive for.

通於物者，不可驚以怪；喻於道者，不可動以奇；察於辭者，不可耀以名；審於形者，不可遯以狀。世俗之人，多尊古而賤今，故為道者必托之於神農、黃帝而後能入說。亂世暗主，高遠其所從來，因而貴之。為學者蔽於論而尊其所聞，相與危坐而稱之，正領而誦之。此見是非之分不明。夫無規矩，雖奚仲不能以定方圓；無準繩，雖魯般不能定曲直。是故鍾子期死而伯牙絕弦破琴，知世莫賞也；惠施死而莊子寢說言，見世莫可為語者也。夫項託七歲為孔子師，孔子有以聽其言也。以年之少，為閭丈人說，救敲不給，何道之能明也？

One who understands things cannot be startled by the strange; one who is enlightened about the Way cannot be moved by the marvelous; one who examines words cannot be dazzled by names; one who scrutinizes forms cannot be evaded by appearances. People of the world mostly honor the ancient and despise the present, so those who speak of the Way must rely on Shennong and the Yellow Emperor before people will listen. Disordered ages and dim lords make their sources sound high and far off and so value them. Students are obscured by debates and honor what they have heard, sitting upright and reciting to each other with straightened collars. This shows that they do not see the distinction between right and wrong. Without the compass and square, even Xi Zhong could not fix round and square; without the plumb line, even Lu Ban could not fix crooked and straight. So when Zhong Ziqi died, Bo Ya cut his strings and smashed his zither, knowing that no one in the world would appreciate it; when Hui Shi died, Zhuangzi stopped speaking, seeing that no one in the world was left to talk with him. Xiang Tuo at seven was Confucius's teacher, and Confucius had reason to listen to his words. If one uses youth as a reason to tell it to old men in the lanes, rescuing them by beating would not be in time; what Way can be made clear?

昔者，謝子見於秦惠王，惠王說之，以問唐姑梁，唐姑梁曰：「謝子，山東辯士，固權說以取少主。」惠王因藏怒而待之。後日複見，逆而弗聽也。非其說異也，所以聽者易。夫以徵為羽，非弦之罪；以苦為甘，非味之過。楚國有烹猴而召其鄰人，以為狗羹也，而甘之。後聞其猴也，據地而吐之，盡寫其食。此未始知味者也。邯鄲師有出新曲者，託之李奇，諸人皆爭學之。後知其非也，而皆棄其曲，此未始知音者也。鄙人有得玉璞者，喜其狀，以為寶而藏之。以示人，人以為石也，因而棄之。此未始知玉者也。故有符於中，則貴是而同今古；無以聽其說，則所從來者遠而貴之耳。此和氏之所以泣血於荊山之下。

Formerly Xie Zi was admitted to see King Hui of Qin, and King Hui was pleased with him and asked Tang Gu Liang about him. Tang Gu Liang said: "Xie Zi is a persuader from east of the mountains, who relies on expedient arguments to please a young ruler." King Hui then waited for him with hidden anger. When he saw him again another day, he went against him and did not listen. It was not that what he said was different; what was used for listening had changed. Taking the zhi note for the yu note is not the fault of the string; taking bitter for sweet is not the fault of the taste. In Chu there was one who cooked a monkey and invited his neighbor, who thought it was dog stew and found it sweet and delicious. Later he heard it was monkey, and lay on the ground and vomited, and discharged everything he had eaten. This is a person who had not known the taste. In Handan a music master composed a new tune, and attributed it to Li Qi, and everyone competed to learn it. Later when they learned it was not his, they all abandoned the tune; these are people who did not know music. A rustic once obtained a piece of rough jade and, liking its shape, thought it a treasure and hid it away. When he showed it to others, they thought it a stone, and so he threw it away. This is a person who did not know jade. So when there is a response within oneself, one values what is correct and sees present and ancient as the same; when one has nothing by which to hear the argument, one takes what comes from afar as precious. This is why Mr. He wept blood beneath Mount Jing.

今劍或絕側羸文，齧缺卷銋，而稱以頂襄之劍，則貴人爭帶之；琴或撥刺枉橈，闊解漏越，而稱為楚莊之琴，側室爭鼓之。苗山之鋋，羊頭之銷，雖水斷龍舟，陸剸兕甲，莫之服帶。山桐之琴，澗梓之腹，雖鳴廉修營，唐牙莫之鼓也。通人則不然。服劍者期於銛利，而不期於墨陽、莫邪；乘馬者期於千里，而不期於驊騮、綠耳；鼓琴者期於鳴廉修營，而不期於濫肋、號鍾；誦《詩》、《書》者期於通道略物，而不期於《洪範》、《商頌》。聖人見是非，若白黑之於目辨，清濁之於耳聽。眾人則不然。中無主以受之，譬若遺腹子之上隴，以禮哭泣之，而無所歸心。故夫孿子之相似者，唯其母能知之；玉石之相類者，唯良工能識之；書傳之微者，惟聖人能論之。今取新聖人書，名之孔、墨，則弟子句指而受者必眾矣。故美人者，非必西施之種；通士者，不必孔、墨之類。曉然意有所通於物，故作書以喻意，以為知者也。誠得清明之士，執玄鑒於心，照物明白，不為古今易意，攄書明指以示之，雖闔棺亦不恨矣。

Now there are swords whose side is broken, whose grain is flawed, whose edge is chipped and curled, yet called the sword of Xiang Xiang, and nobles compete to wear it; there are zithers whose pegs are bent and crooked, whose fittings are loose and leaking, yet called the zither of Zhuang of Chu, and concubines compete to play it. The spear of Miaoshan and the dagger head of Yangtou, even if they could cut a dragon boat on water and slice rhinoceros armor on land, no one would wear them. The mountain paulownia zither and gorge catalpa belly, even if they sounded pure and rich, Shi Kuang and Bo Ya would not play them. A person of understanding is not like this. In carrying a sword he hopes it is sharp, not that it be Moyang or Moye; in riding a horse he hopes it goes a thousand li, not that it be Hualiu or Lu'er; in playing the zither he hopes it sounds pure and rich, not that it be Lanle or Haozhong; in reciting the Odes and Documents he hopes to penetrate the Way and survey things, not that it be the Hongfan or the Hymns of Shang. The sage sees right and wrong as white and black are distinguished by the eyes and clear and muddy by the ear. The multitude is not like this. Having no master within to receive it, they are like a posthumous son going to his father's grave, weeping according to ritual but with no heart to return to. So twins resemble each other, and only their mother can tell them apart; jade and stone are alike, and only a good craftsman can distinguish them; the subtlety of books and traditions can only be discussed by the sage. Now take the books of new sages, named Kong and Mo, and there are surely many disciples who point to every phrase and accept it. So a beauty is not necessarily of the Xi Shi kind; a person of penetration is not necessarily of the Kong and Mo kind. One whose mind clearly penetrates things writes books to convey meaning for those who will understand. A scholar who truly has clarity, whose heart holds a dark mirror and who sees things plainly, and does not change his mind for ancient or modern, when the book's meaning is unrolled for him, would have no regret even when the coffin lid is closed.

昔晉平公令官為鍾。鍾成，而示師曠。師曠曰：「鍾音不調。」平公曰：「寡人以示工，工皆以為調。而以為不調，何也？」師曠曰：「使後世無知音者則已，若有知音者，必知鍾之不調。」故師曠之慾善調鍾也，以為後之有知音者也。三代與我同行，五伯與我齊智，彼獨有聖智之實，我曾無有閭裡之聞，窮巷之知者何？彼並身而立節，我誕謾而悠忽。今夫毛嬙、西施，天下之美人，若使之銜腐鼠，蒙蝟皮，衣豹裘，帶死蛇，則布衣韋帶之人過者，莫不左右睥睨而掩鼻。嘗試使之施芳澤，正娥眉，設笄珥，衣阿錫，曳齊紈，粉白黛黑，佩玉環，揄步，雜芝若，籠蒙目視，冶由笑，目流眺，口曾撓，奇牙出，𩉇酺搖，則雖王公大人，有嚴志頡頏之行者，無不憚悇癢心而悅其色矣。今以中人之才，蒙愚惑之智，被汙辱之行，無本業所修，方術所務，焉得無有睥面掩鼻之容哉！

Formerly Duke Ping of Jin had his officials make a bell. When the bell was finished, he showed it to Shi Kuang. Shi Kuang said: "The bell's tone is not in tune." Duke Ping said: "I showed it to the craftsmen, and all thought it in tune; yet you think it not in tune; why?" Shi Kuang said: "If later ages had no one who knew tones, that would be that; but if there is one who knows tones, he will surely know the bell is not in tune." So Shi Kuang wished to tune the bell well for the sake of the later person who would know tones. The Three Dynasties walked with me, the Five Hegemons matched my wisdom, and they alone had the reality of sagely wisdom, while I have not even the reputation of a village lane or the understanding of a poor alley; why? They set their persons side by side with integrity, while I was careless and drifting. Now Mao Qiang and Xi Shi are the beauties of the world, but if they were made to hold a rotten mouse in their mouths, cover themselves with hedgehog skin, wear leopard fur and carry a dead snake, men in plain cloth and leather belts passing by would all look askance and hold their noses. Now try having them apply fragrance and ointment, shape their moth eyebrows, wear hairpins and earrings, dress in fine silk and trail Qi gauze, with white powder and black eyebrow paint, wear jade rings, move with swaying steps, mingled with iris and orchids, glance faintly, smile charmingly, with a sweeping gaze and a twitching mouth, showing rare teeth and dimples shaking, even kings, dukes and great men with stern aims and lofty conduct would all be moved in heart and itch and be pleased by her looks. Now if someone with the talent of an average person, covered with the knowledge of the deluded and clothed in disgraceful conduct, has no basic occupation to cultivate and no techniques to pursue, how could he lack the appearance of those who look askance and hold their noses!

今鼓舞者，繞身若環，曾撓摩地，扶旋猗那，動容轉曲，便媚擬神。身若秋藥被風，發若結旌，騁馳若騖；木熙者，舉梧檟，據句枉，蝯自縱，好茂葉，龍夭矯，燕枝拘，援豐條，舞扶疏，龍從鳥集，搏援攫肆，蔑蒙踴躍。且夫觀者莫不為之損心酸足，彼乃始徐行微笑，被衣修擢。夫鼓舞者非柔縱，而木熙者非眇勁，淹浸漬漸摩使然也。是故生木之長，莫見其益，有時而修；砥礪靡堅，莫見其損，有時而薄。藜藿之生，蠕蠕然日加數寸，不可以為櫨棟；楩楠豫章之生也，七年而後知，故可以為棺舟。夫事有易成者名小，難成者功大。君子修美，雖未有利，福將在後至。故《詩》云：「日就月將，學有緝熙於光明。」此之謂也。

Now the drum dancers whirl around the body like rings, with their sinews touching the ground, twisting, turning and swaying, moving their expressions and turning in curves, charming like spirits. Their bodies are like autumn grass in wind, their hair like a knotted banner, and their gallop like a racing horse; the puppet players raise the paulownia and catalpa puppets and lean on bends, like monkeys letting themselves go, delighting in dense leaves, like dragons undulating, like swallows constrained on branches, clinging to rich boughs, dancing with spread canopy, dragons following and birds gathering, grappling and seizing, like dust and mist leaping. Moreover none of the spectators fails to be moved to sadness and numb of foot; yet when they first began they walked slowly with a smile and wore their clothes with care. The drum dancers were not born supple and the puppet players were not born slight and strong; it is the effect of soaking and gradual rubbing. So a growing tree does not appear to increase, but at times it has grown; whetting and grinding wears down the hard, yet it is not seen to diminish, but at times it has become thin. Goosefoot and bean leaves grow, wriggling a few inches in a day, but cannot be used as pillars or beams; the pian, nan and yuzhang trees grow, and only after seven years are they known, so they can be made into coffins and boats. In affairs, what is easily accomplished has a small name, and what is hard to accomplish has great merit. The noble person cultivates the good, and though there is no profit yet, blessing will arrive later. So the Odes say: "Day by day I advance, month by month I go forward, and learning gains continuous brilliance." This is what is meant.

天設日月，列星辰，調陰陽，張四時，日以暴之，夜以息之，風以幹之，雨露以濡之。其生物也，莫見其所養而物長；其殺物也，莫見其所喪而物亡。此之謂神明。聖人象之，故其起福也，不見其所由而福起；其除禍也，不見其所以而禍除。遠之則邇，延之則疏；稽之弗得，察之不虛；日計無算，歲計有餘。夫濕之至也，莫見其形而炭已重矣；風之至也，莫見其象而木已動矣。日之行也，不見其移；騏驥倍日而馳，草木為之靡；縣烽未轉，而日在其前。故天之且風，草木未動而鳥已翔矣；其且雨也，陰曀未集而魚已噞矣。以陰陽之氣相動也。

Heaven sets up the sun and moon, arranges the stars, harmonizes yin and yang, and unfolds the four seasons; the sun is used to dry, night is used to rest, wind is used to blow things dry, and rain and dew are used to moisten. It gives birth to things without one seeing what nourishes them, yet things grow; it kills things without one seeing what destroys them, yet things die. This is called spirit-like clarity. The sage models himself on it, so he raises up blessing without one seeing the path it follows, yet blessing arises; he removes misfortune without one seeing how, yet misfortune is removed. Distance it and it comes nearer; lengthen it and it becomes more distant; test it and it cannot be obtained, yet observe it and it is not empty; count by the day and there is no count, yet count by the year and there is a surplus. When dampness comes, one does not see its form, yet the charcoal is already heavy; when wind comes, one does not see its image, yet the trees are already moving. As the sun moves, one does not see it shift; a fine steed galloping at twice the sun's speed would cause the plants and trees to fall, and before a hanging beacon turned, the sun is already ahead. So when Heaven is about to bring wind, the plants and trees have not yet moved when birds are already soaring; when it is about to rain, dark clouds have not yet gathered when fish are already gasping at the surface. It is the qi of yin and yang stirring each other.

故寒暑燥濕，以類相從；聲響疾徐，以音應也。故《易》曰：「鳴鶴在陰，其子和之。」高宗諒暗，三年不言，四海之內寂然無聲；一言聲然，大動天下。是以天心呿唫者也，故一動其本而百枝皆應，若春雨之灌萬物也，渾然而流，沛然而施，無地而不澍，無物而不生。故聖人者懷天心，聲然能動化天下者也。故精誠感於內，形氣動於天，則景星見，黃龍下，祥鳳至，醴泉出，嘉穀生，河不滿溢，海不溶波。故《詩》云：「懷柔百神，及河嶠嶽。」逆天暴物，則日月薄蝕，五星失行，四時干乖，晝冥宵光，山崩川涸，冬雷夏霜。《詩》曰：「正月繁霜，我心憂傷。」天之與人，有以相通也。

So cold, heat, dryness and dampness follow each other by kind; sounds, loud or slow, answer by tone. The Changes say: "The crane calls in the shade, and its young respond." When Gaozong was in mourning he did not speak for three years, and within the four seas all was silent; but when a word came forth, the world was greatly moved. This is the opening and closing of Heaven's heart, so when one moves that root a hundred branches respond, as spring rain pours onto the myriad things, flowing evenly and falling copiously, so that no land is not moistened and no thing is not born. So the sage, holding Heaven's heart, can with one sound move and transform the world. When utmost sincerity stirs within and form and breath move Heaven, then auspicious stars appear, yellow dragons descend, propitious phoenixes arrive, sweet springs well up, fine grain grows, rivers do not overflow, and the sea does not raise great waves. So the Odes say: "He soothes the hundred spirits, down to the rivers and high mountains." When one goes against Heaven and tyrannizes things, the sun and moon are eclipsed, the five planets lose their course, the four seasons offend and run contrary, in daylight there is darkness and at night there is light, mountains collapse and rivers dry up, and in winter there is thunder and in summer frost. The Odes say: "In the first month there is much frost; my heart is sad." Heaven and humans have that by which they communicate.

故國危亡而天文變，世惑亂而虹霓現，萬物有以相連，精祲有以相蕩也。故神明之事，不可以智巧為也，不可以筋力致也。天地所包，陰陽所嘔，雨露所濡，化生萬物，瑤碧玉珠，翡翠玳瑁，文彩明朗，潤澤若濡，摩而不玩，外而不渝，奚仲不能旅，魯般不能造，此謂之大巧。宋人有以象為其君為楮葉者，三年而成，莖柯豪芒，鋒殺顏澤，亂之楮葉之中而不可知也。列子曰：「使天地三年而成一葉，則萬物之有葉者寡矣。夫天地之施化也，嘔之而生，吹之而落，豈此契契哉！」故凡可度者，小也；可數者，少也。至大，非度所能及也，至眾，非數所能領也。故九州不可頃畝也，八極不可道里也，太山不可丈尺也，江海不可鬥斛也。

So when the state is in danger of perishing, the celestial signs change; when the age is deluded and disordered, rainbows appear; the myriad things have that by which they are linked, and essences and ill influences have that by which they stir each other. So matters of spirit-like clarity cannot be done by cleverness and cannot be brought about by sinew and strength. What Heaven and Earth enfold, what yin and yang nurture, what rain and dew moisten, the transformation of the myriad things: jade, green gems, pearls, kingfisher feathers and tortoiseshell, with bright patterns and glossy sheen like dew, which does not wear away when rubbed and does not change outside, Xi Zhong could not arrange them and Lu Ban could not make them; this is called great skill. In Song there was a man who carved paper-mulberry leaves from ivory for his lord, and after three years he finished them, with stems, branches, fine points, edges and sheen of color so that they could not be told apart when mixed in with real leaves. Liezi said: "If Heaven and Earth took three years to complete one leaf, there would be few things with leaves among the myriad things. In the bestowing and transforming of Heaven and Earth, what is nurtured is born and what is blown falls; why would it labor so!" So whatever can be measured is small; whatever can be counted is few. The utmost great is not what measuring can reach; the utmost many is not what counting can command. So the nine provinces cannot be measured by qing and mu, the eight extremes cannot be measured by roads and li, Mount Tai cannot be measured by zhang and chi, and rivers and seas cannot be measured by dou and hu.

故大人者，與天地合德，日月合明，鬼神合靈，與四時合信。故聖人懷天氣，抱天心，執中含和，不下廟堂而衍四海，變習易俗，民化而遷善，若性諸己，能以神化也。《詩》云：「神之聽之，終和且平。」夫鬼神視之無形，聽之無聲，然而郊天、望山川，禱祠而求福，雩兌而請雨，卜筮而決事。《詩》云：「神之格思，不可度思，矧可射思。」此之謂也。天致其高，地致其厚，月照其夜，日照其晝，陰陽化，列星朗，非其道而物自然。故陰陽四時，非生萬物也；雨露時降，非養草木也。神明接，陰陽和，而萬物生矣。故高山深林，非為虎豹也；大木茂枝，非為飛鳥也；流源千里，淵深百仞，非為蛟龍也。致其高崇，成其廣大，山居木棲，巢枝穴藏，水潛陸行，各得其所寧焉。

So the great person matches Heaven and Earth in virtue, the sun and moon in brightness, ghosts and spirits in numinous power, and the four seasons in trustworthiness. So the sage embraces Heaven's breath and holds Heaven's heart, holds the mean and contains harmony, and without descending from the temple hall extends to the four seas; he changes habits and alters customs, and the people, transformed, turn toward goodness as if it were in their own nature; this is being able to transform by spirit. The Odes say: "The spirits hear it, and in the end it is harmonious and peaceful." Ghosts and spirits look at what has no form and hear what has no sound, yet people still sacrifice to Heaven in the suburbs, look toward the mountains and rivers, pray and make offerings to seek blessing, perform rain sacrifices to ask for rain, and use tortoise and milfoil to decide matters. The Odes say: "The coming of the spirit cannot be fathomed; how much less can one grow weary of it." This is what is meant. Heaven reaches its height, Earth reaches its thickness, the moon shines on its night, the sun shines on its day, yin and yang change and the stars are bright; it is not that they intend to do that way but that things are naturally so. So yin and yang and the four seasons do not give birth to the myriad things; rain and dew falling in season do not nourish the plants and trees. Spirit-like clarity meets, yin and yang harmonize, and the myriad things are born. So high mountains and deep forests are not for tigers and leopards; great trees and dense branches are not for flying birds; sources flowing a thousand li and pools a hundred ren deep are not for dragons. They reach their height and accomplish their greatness, and those that live in mountains, perch in trees, nest on branches, hide in burrows, dive in water or walk on land each find what gives them peace.

夫大生小，多生少，天之道也。故丘阜不能生雲雨，滎水不能生魚鱉者，小也。牛馬之氣蒸，生蟣蝨；蟣蝨之氣蒸，不能生牛馬。故化生於外，非生於內也。夫蛟龍伏寢於淵，而卵割於陵。螣蛇雄鳴於上風，雌鳴於下風而化成形，精之至也。故聖人養心，莫善於誠，至誠而能動化矣。今夫道者，藏精於內，棲神於心，靜漠恬淡，訟繆胸中，邪氣無所留滯，四枝節族，毛蒸理洩，則機樞調利，百脈九竅莫不順比，其所居神者得其位也，豈節拊而毛修之哉！

The great gives birth to the small and the many gives birth to the few; this is the Way of Heaven. So hills and mounds cannot produce clouds and rain, and shallow water cannot produce fish and turtles, because they are small. The steam of oxen and horses produces lice and nits, but the steam of lice and nits cannot produce oxen and horses. So transformation is born from outside, not from within. The flood dragon sleeps hidden in the pool, but its eggs hatch on the hills. The flying serpent's male cries upwind and the female cries downwind and they transform into form, because essence has reached its limit. So there is nothing better than sincerity for the sage to nurture the mind with, and utmost sincerity can move and transform. Now one who has the Way stores his essence within and lets spirit dwell in the heart, still, quiet and calm, with harmony in the chest, with no evil qi lingering and stagnating; the joints of the four limbs and the pores steam and let qi out, the pivots are smooth and the hundred vessels and nine orifices are all in order, and the spirit that dwells there gets its place; what need is there to stroke every joint and tidy every hair?

聖主在上，廓然無形，寂然無聲，官府若無事，朝廷若無人。無隱士，無軼民，無勞役，無冤刑，四海之內，莫不仰上之德，象主之指，夷狄之國，重譯而至，非戶辯而家說之也，推其誠心，施之天下而已矣。《詩》曰：「惠此中國，以綏四方。」內順而外寧矣。太王亶父處邠，狄人攻之，杖策而去。百姓攜幼扶老，負釜甑，逾梁山，而國乎岐周，非令之所能召也。秦穆公為野人食駿馬肉之傷也，飲之美酒，韓之戰，以其死力報，非券之所責也。密子治亶父，巫馬期往觀化焉，見夜漁者，得小即釋之，非刑之所能禁也。孔子為魯司寇，道不拾遺，市買不豫賈，田漁皆讓長，而斑白不戴負，非法之所能致也。

When a sage ruler is above, he is vast and formless, silent and soundless; the offices seem to have no business and the court seems to have no people. There are no hidden scholars and no neglected people, no corvee labor and no unjust punishments; within the four seas, none fails to look up to his virtue and take the ruler's direction as a model, and the states of the barbarians come through layers of translation, not because he argued house by house or explained family by family, but only because he extended his sincere heart and applied it to the world. The Odes say: "Bestow kindness on this central kingdom to settle the four quarters." When the inside is compliant, the outside is at peace. Taiwang Danfu lived in Bin, and when the Di people came to attack, he left leaning on his staff. The hundred clans carried their young and supported their old, bearing cauldrons and steamers on their backs, crossed Mount Liang and founded a state at Qizhou, which an order could not have summoned them to do. Duke Mu of Qin, because rustics had eaten his fine horse, gave them fine wine to drink, and at the battle of Hanyuan they repaid him with their utmost strength, which could not have been demanded by contract. When Mizi governed Danfu, Wu Maqi went to observe the teaching, and saw a man fishing at night who released the small ones he caught, which a punishment could not have prevented. When Confucius was Minister of Crime in Lu, nothing dropped on the road was picked up, in the market there was no cheating in buying and selling, the old were given precedence in hunting and fishing, and the gray-haired did not carry loads; this is not what law could bring about.

夫矢之所以射遠貫牢者，弩力也；其所以中的剖微者，正心也；賞善罰暴者，政令也；其所以能行者，精誠也。故弩雖強，不能獨中；令雖明，不能獨行；必自精氣所以與之施道。故攄道以被民，而民弗從者，誠心弗施也。天地四時，非生萬物也，神明接，陰陽和，而萬物生之。聖人之治天下，非易民性也，拊循其所有而滌蕩之，故因則大，化則細矣。禹鑿龍門，闢伊闕，決江濬河，東注之海，因水之流也。后稷墾草發菑，糞土樹穀，使五種各得其宜，因地之勢也。湯、武革車三百乘，甲卒三千人，討暴亂，制夏、商，因民之慾也。故能因，則無敵於天下矣。夫物有以自然，而後人事有治也。故良匠不能斫金，巧冶不能鑠木，金之勢不可斫；而木性不可鑠也。埏埴而為器，窬木而為舟，鑠鐵而為刃，鑄金而為鍾，因其可也。駕馬服牛，令雞司夜，令狗守門，因其自然也。民有好色之性，故有大婚之禮；有飲食之性，故有大饗之誼；有喜樂之性，故有鐘鼓管絃之音；有悲哀之性，故有衰絰哭踴之節。故先王之製法也，因民之所好而為之節文者也。因其好色而制婚姻之禮，故男女有別；因其喜音而正《雅》、《頌》之聲，故風俗不流；因其甯家室、樂妻子，教之以順，故父子有親；因其喜朋友而教之以悌，故長幼有序。然後修朝聘以明貴賤，饗飲習射以明長幼，時搜振旅以慣用兵也，入學庠序以修人倫。此皆人之所有於性，而聖人之所匠成也。

What makes an arrow shoot far and pierce what is hard is the power of the crossbow; what makes it hit the target and split the minute is a right mind; rewarding the good and punishing the violent are government decrees; what makes them carried out is sincerity. So though the crossbow is strong, it cannot hit by itself; though orders are clear, they cannot be carried out by themselves; essence and breath must be used to apply the Way to them. So to spread the Way to cover the people and yet the people do not follow is because the sincere heart has not been applied. Heaven, Earth and the four seasons do not give birth to the myriad things; spirit-like clarity meets, yin and yang harmonize, and only then are the myriad things born. When the sage governs the world, he does not change the people's nature, but soothes what they have and cleanses it, so following the great works while forced transformation is minor. Yu cut through Longmen and opened Yique, opened the Yangtze and dredged the rivers, pouring them east into the sea, following the flow of the water. Hou Ji cleared grass and opened wasteland, fertilized soil and planted grain, so that the five grains each found their suitable place, following the lay of the land. Tang and Wu, with three hundred war chariots and three thousand armored soldiers, punished tyranny and disorder and subdued Xia and Shang, following the desires of the people. So one who can follow is without rival in the world. Things have their naturalness, and only then do human affairs have order. So a good craftsman cannot cut metal and a skilled smelter cannot melt wood, for the tendency of metal cannot be cut and the nature of wood cannot be melted. To knead clay into vessels, hollow out wood into boats, melt iron into blades, and cast metal into bells is following what is possible. Yoking horses and harnessing oxen, having chickens watch the night and dogs guard the gate, is following nature. The people have the nature of loving beauty, so there is the great rite of marriage; they have the nature of eating and drinking, so there is the righteousness of the great feast; they have the nature of delight in music, so there are sounds of bells, drums, pipes and strings; they have the nature of grief, so there are the regulations of mourning garb, weeping and stamping. So the former kings made laws following what the people like and giving it measure and form. Following the love of beauty they established the rites of marriage, so that men and women are distinguished; following the delight in music they set right the sounds of the Elegantiae and Hymns, so that customs did not drift; following the contentment of home and the joy in wives and children they taught them compliance, so that father and son have closeness; following the delight in friends they taught them brotherly respect, so that old and young have order. Then they cultivated court visits to make plain noble and humble, feasting and archery practice to make plain old and young, reviews and drills at set times to accustom people to arms, and entering the schools to cultivate human relations. All these are what people have in their nature, and the sage shaped them.

故無其性，不可教訓；有其性，無其養，不能遵道。繭之性為絲，然非得工女煮以熱湯而抽其統紀，則不能成絲；卵之化為雛，非慈雌嘔暖覆伏，累日積久，則不能為雛；人之性有仁義之資，非聖人為之法度而教導之，則不可使向方。故先王之教也，因其所喜以勸善，因其所惡以禁奸。故刑罰不用，而威行如流；政令約省，而化耀如神。故因其性則天下聽從，拂其性則法縣而不用。昔者，五帝三王之蒞政施教，必用參五。何謂參五？仰取象於天，俯取度於地，中取法於人，乃立明堂之朝，行明堂之令，以調陰陽之氣，以和四時之節，以闢疾病之菑。俯視地理，以制度量，察陵陸水澤肥墽高下之宜，立事生財，以除饑寒之患。中考乎人德，以制禮樂，行仁義之道，以治人倫而除暴亂之禍。乃澄列金木水火土之性，故立父子之親而成家；別清濁五音六律相生之數，以立君臣之義而成國；察四時季孟之序，以立長幼之禮而成官。此之謂參。制君臣之義，父子之親，夫婦之辨，長幼之序，朋友之際，此之謂五。乃裂地而州之，分職而治之，築城而居之，割宅而異之，分財而衣食之，立大學而教誨之，夙興夜寐而勞力之。此治之綱紀也。

So without that nature one cannot be taught; with that nature but without nurture one cannot follow the Way. The nature of a cocoon is silk, but without a woman worker to boil it in hot water and draw out the thread, it cannot become silk; an egg transforms into a chick, but without a kind hen to warm and sit on it for days and days, it cannot become a chick; a person's nature has the stuff of humaneness and righteousness, but without a sage to make laws and standards and teach him, he cannot be made to turn toward uprightness. So the teaching of the former kings encouraged good by what people like and prohibited evil by what they dislike. So punishments were not used, and their awe moved like flowing water; government orders were simple, and their transforming influence shone like spirit. So following nature the world obeyed, and going against nature the law would hang unused. In the past, when the Five Emperors and Three Kings ruled and taught, they must have used the triple and the quintuple. What is the triple and the quintuple? Looking up they took images from Heaven, looking down they took measures from Earth, and in the middle they took models from humans; then they established the court of the Bright Hall, carried out the orders of the Bright Hall, to harmonize the energy of yin and yang, to harmonize the seasons of the four seasons, and to avoid the calamity of disease. Looking down on the earth's patterns, they fixed measures, observed what fertile and barren land, hills, plains, water and marshes high and low were suited for, established works and produced wealth to remove the trouble of hunger and cold. In the middle they examined human virtue, to make ritual and music and carry out the way of humaneness and righteousness, to govern human relations and remove the calamity of violence and disorder. Then they clarified the natures of the five phases of metal, wood, water, fire and earth, and thereby established the closeness of father and son and completed the family; they distinguished clear and muddy and the numbers of mutual generation of the five notes and six pitches, to establish the righteousness of ruler and minister and complete the state; they observed the order of first, middle and last months of the four seasons to establish the ritual of old and young and complete the offices. This is called the triple. Fixing the righteousness of ruler and minister, the closeness of father and son, the distinction of husband and wife, the order of old and young, and the relation of friends is called the quintuple. Then they divided the land into provinces, divided duties to manage them, built walls to dwell in, divided house plots to distinguish, shared wealth to supply clothing and food, set up great schools to teach, and rose early and slept late to labor. These are the cords and threads of governance.

然得其人則舉，失其人則廢。堯治天下，政教平，德潤洽，在位七十載，乃求所屬天下之統，令四嶽揚側陋。四嶽舉舜而薦之堯。堯乃妻以二女，以觀其內；任以百官，以觀其外。既入大麓，烈風雷雨而不迷，乃屬以九子，贈以昭華之玉，而傳天下焉。以為雖有法度，而朱弗能統也。夫物未嘗有張而不馳，成而不毀者也。惟聖人能盛而不衰，盈而不虧。神農之初作琴也，以歸神；及其淫也，反其天心。夔之初作樂也，皆合六律而調五音，以通八風；及其衰也，以沉湎淫康，不顧政治，至於滅亡。蒼頡之初作書，以辯治百官，領理萬事，愚者得以不忘，智者得以志遠；至其衰也，為奸刻偽書，以解有罪，以殺不辜。湯之初作囿也，以奉宗廟鮮犞之具，簡士卒，習射禦，以戒不虞；及至其衰也，馳騁獵射，以奪民時，疲民之力。堯之舉禹、契、后稷、皋陶，政教平，奸宄息，獄訟止而衣食足，賢者勸善而不肖者懷其德；及至其末，朋黨比周，各推其與，廢公趨私，內外相推舉，奸人在朝，而賢者隱處。

But if they got the right person they raised him, and if they lost the right person they set it aside. When Yao governed the world, government and teaching were level and virtue moistened all, and after seventy years in the position he sought someone to entrust with the line of the world and had the Four Mountains recommend the humble. The Four Mountains recommended Shun to Yao. Yao then married his two daughters to him to observe his inner side, and gave him the hundred officials to use to observe his outer side. When he entered the great forest, fierce wind, thunder and rain did not confuse him, and so Yao entrusted nine sons to him, gave him the Zhaohua jade, and passed the world to him. He thought that even with laws and standards, Danzhu could not take them over. Nothing has ever been drawn taut and not slackened, or completed and not destroyed. Only the sage can flourish and not decline, be full and not diminish. Shennong first made the zither, to bring spirits back; when it grew licentious, it turned against Heaven's heart. Kui first made music, all fitting the six pitches and tuning the five notes, to communicate with the eight winds; when it declined, they sank into indulgence and ease, neglected governance, and went to destruction. Cang Jie first made writing, to distinguish and govern the hundred officials and manage the myriad affairs, so that the foolish could not forget and the wise could extend their aims; when it declined, people made cunning and false documents to free the guilty and kill the innocent. Tang first made hunting parks, to provide fresh game for the ancestral temple and train soldiers, practice archery and driving, to guard against the unforeseen; when it declined, they galloped and hunted, took the people's seasons and exhausted the people's strength. Yao raised Yu, Xie, Hou Ji and Gao Yao, government and teaching were level, treachery ceased, lawsuits stopped, clothing and food were sufficient, the worthy were encouraged to do good and the unworthy longed for his virtue; at the end, cliques formed and joined, each recommending members of his own party, abandoning public good for private, inside and out recommending each other, with traitors at court and the worthy hidden.

故《易》之失也，卦；《書》之失也，敷；樂之失也，淫；《詩》之失也，闢；禮之失也，責；《春秋》之失也，刺。天地之道，極則反，盈則損。五色雖朗，有時而渝；茂木豐草，有時而落；物有隆殺，不得自若。故聖人事窮而更為，法弊而改制，非樂變古易常也，將以救敗扶衰，黜淫濟非，以調天地之氣，順萬物之宜也。聖人天覆地載，日月照，陰陽調，四時化，萬物不同，無故無新，無疏無親，故能法天。天不一時，地不一利，人不一事，是以緒業不得不多端，趨行不得不殊方。五行異氣而皆適調，六藝異科而皆同道。溫惠柔良者，《詩》之風也；淳龐敦厚者，《書》之教也；清明條達者，《易》之義也；恭儉尊讓者，禮之為也；寬裕簡易者，樂之化也；刺幾辯義者，《春秋》之靡也。故《易》之失，鬼；樂之失，淫；《詩》之失，愚；《書》之失，拘；禮之失，忮；《春秋》之失，訾。六者，聖人兼用而財制之。失本則亂，得本則治。其美在和，其失在權。

So the failing of the Changes lies in the hexagrams; the failing of the Documents lies in expounding; the failing of music lies in licentiousness; the failing of the Odes lies in deviance; the failing of ritual lies in reproach; the failing of the Annals lies in satire. The Way of Heaven and Earth reverses when it reaches the extreme and diminishes when full. Though the five colors are bright, at times they change; luxuriant trees and rich grass at times fall; things have their growth and decline and cannot stay as they were. So when the sage's affairs are exhausted he does something else, and when the laws are worn he changes the system, not out of pleasure in altering the ancient and changing the constant, but to save the failing and support the declining, to dismiss licentiousness and help set right the wrong, to harmonize the energy of Heaven and Earth and follow what is fitting for the myriad things. The sage, like Heaven covering and Earth carrying, with sun and moon shining, yin and yang in balance, the four seasons transforming, the myriad things differing, no old and no new, no distant and no close, can therefore model himself on Heaven. Heaven is not one season, Earth not one profit, a person not one task, and therefore undertakings cannot but be many-sided and directions and conduct cannot but differ. The qi of the five phases differs yet all are suitably balanced; the six arts differ in subject yet all share the same Way. Warm, kind, gentle and good is the manner of the Odes; simple, sturdy, sincere and generous is the teaching of the Documents; clear, bright and penetrating is the meaning of the Changes; respectful, frugal, honoring and yielding is the work of ritual; broad, gentle, simple and easy is the transformation of music; satirizing and discriminating righteousness is the literary form of the Annals. So the failing of the Changes lies in spirits; the failing of music lies in licentiousness; the failing of the Odes lies in foolishness; the failing of the Documents lies in rigidity; the failing of ritual lies in jealousy; the failing of the Annals lies in carping. The sage uses all six and discerns among them. If one loses the root there is disorder; if one holds the root there is order. Fineness lies in harmony, and failure lies in expediency.

水火金木土穀，異物而皆任；規矩權衡準繩，異形而皆施；丹青膠漆，不同而皆用，各有所適，物各有宜。輪圓輿方，轅從衡橫，勢施便也；驂欲馳，服欲步，帶不厭新，鉤不厭故，處地宜也。《關睢》興於鳥，而君子美之，為其雌雄之不乖居也；《鹿鳴》興於獸，君子大之，取其見食而相呼也；泓之戰，軍敗君獲，而《春秋》大之，取其不鼓不成列也；宋伯姬坐燒而死，《春秋》大之，取其不逾禮而行也。成功立事，豈足多哉！方指所言而取一概焉爾。王喬、赤松，去塵埃之間，離群慝之紛，吸陰陽之和，食天地之精，呼而出故，吸而入新，虛輕舉，乘雲遊霧，可謂養性矣，而未可謂孝子也。周公誅管叔、蔡叔，以平國弭亂，可謂忠臣也，而未可謂弟也。湯放桀，武王伐紂，以為天下去殘除賊，可謂惠君，而未可謂忠臣矣。樂羊攻中山未能下，中山烹其子，而食之以示威，可謂良將，而未可謂慈父也。

Water, fire, metal, wood, earth and grain are different things, yet all are put to use; the compass, square, scale, level, plumb line and cord differ in form, yet all are applied; cinnabar, blue pigment, glue and lacquer are different, yet all are used, each having what suits it, and each thing having what is fitting. Wheels are round and carriage bodies square, shafts run lengthwise and yokes crosswise, which is the convenience of the arrangement; the outside horses want to gallop and the inside horses want to walk, sashes do not tire of being new and hooks do not tire of being old, which is suitability to place. The 'Guan Ju' begins with birds, and the gentleman finds it beautiful because the male and female do not part but live together; the 'Lu Ming' begins with beasts, and the gentleman values it because they call one another when they see food; at the battle of Hong, the army was defeated and the ruler captured, and the Spring and Autumn Annals valued it because he did not strike before the ranks were formed; Bo Ji of Song sat and was burned to death, and the Annals valued it because she did not overstep ritual to move. In accomplishing success and establishing affairs, what is there to say at length! One simply takes an outline from what it points to. Wang Qiao and Chisongzi left the dust and the confusion of the crowd of evils, breathed the harmony of yin and yang, ate the essence of heaven and earth, exhaled the old and inhaled the new, rose lightly in emptiness, rode clouds and traveled in mist, and one can say they nourished their nature, yet they cannot be called filial sons. The Duke of Zhou executed Guan Shu and Cai Shu to pacify the state and stop disorder, and one may say a loyal minister, yet he cannot be called a good younger brother. Tang banished Jie and King Wu attacked Zhou, thinking to remove cruelty and harm from the world, and one may say benevolent rulers, yet they cannot be called loyal ministers. Yue Yang attacked Zhongshan and could not take it; Zhongshan boiled his son, and he ate the soup to show his might, and one may say a good general, yet he cannot be called a kind father.

故可乎可，而不可乎不可；不可乎不可，而可乎可。舜、許由異行而皆聖，伊尹、伯夷異道而皆仁，箕子、比干異趨而皆賢。故用兵者，或輕或重，或貪或廉，此四者相反，而不可一無也。輕者欲發，重者欲止，貪者欲取，廉者不利非其有。故勇者可令進鬥，而不可令持牢；重者可令埴固，而不可令淩敵；貪者可令進取，而不可令守職；廉者可令守分，而不可令進取；信者可令持約，而不可令應變。五者相反，聖人兼用而財使之。夫天地不包一物，陰陽不生一類。海不讓水潦以成其大，山不讓土石以成其高。夫守一隅而遺萬方，取一物而棄其餘，則所得者鮮矣，而所治者淺矣。

So what can be approved is approved, and what cannot is not; what cannot is not approved, and what can is approved. Shun and Xu You acted differently yet both were sages, Yi Yin and Bo Yi took different roads yet both were benevolent, and Jizi and Bi Gan took different directions yet both were worthy. So among those who use troops, there are the light and the heavy, the greedy and the honest; these four are opposed to one another, yet not one can be dispensed with. The light want to set out, the heavy want to stop, the greedy want to take, and the honest do not count as profit what is not theirs. So the brave can be sent to advance and fight but cannot be made to hold a stronghold; the heavy can be made to hold firm but cannot be made to charge the enemy; the greedy can be made to advance and take but cannot be made to hold their post; the honest can be made to keep their lot but cannot be made to advance and take; the trustworthy can be made to keep an agreement but cannot be made to adapt to change. The five are opposed, and the sage employs them all and assigns them. Heaven and Earth do not embrace only one kind of thing, and yin and yang do not give birth to only one class. The sea does not reject flood waters and so achieves its greatness; the mountain does not reject earth and stones and so achieves its height. To keep to one corner and leave out ten thousand regions, to take one kind of thing and discard the rest, gains little and governs shallowly.

治大者道不可以小，地廣者制不可以狹，位高者事不可以煩，民眾者教不可以苛。夫事碎難治也，法煩難行也，求多難澹也。寸而度之，至丈必差；銖而稱之，至石必過。石稱丈量，徑而寡失；簡絲數米，煩而不察。故大較易為智，曲辯難為慧。故無益於治，而有益於煩者，聖人不為；無益於用，而有益於費者，智者弗行也。故功不厭約，事不厭省，求不厭寡。功約，易成也；事省，易治也；求寡，易澹也。眾易之，於以任人，易矣。孔子曰：「小辯破言，小利破義，小藝破道，小見不達，必簡。」河以逶蛇，故能遠；山以陵遲，故能高；陰陽無為，故能和；道以優遊，故能化。

The way of governing the great cannot be petty, the system of a broad land cannot be narrow, the affairs of a high position cannot be troublesome, and the teaching of a multitude cannot be harsh. When affairs are fragmentary they are hard to govern, when laws are complicated they are hard to carry out, and when demands are many they are hard to satisfy. Measure by the inch and when you reach a zhang you are certain to be off; weigh by the zhu and when you reach a shi you are certain to be over. Weigh by the shi and measure by the zhang, and it is direct and few mistakes are made; counting threads one by one and rice grains one by one is troublesome and cannot be examined. So a broad outline is easy to be wise about, but winding argument is hard to treat as clever. So what is of no benefit to government but of benefit to bother, the sage does not do; what is of no benefit to use but of benefit to waste, the wise do not practice. So in achievement do not tire of being simple, in affairs do not tire of reduction, in demands do not tire of being few. If achievement is simple, it is easy to complete; if affairs are reduced, they are easy to govern; if demands are few, they are easy to satisfy. If the multitude all find it easy, and it is used to assign people, it becomes easy. Confucius said: "Petty argument breaks words, petty profit breaks righteousness, petty skill breaks the Way, and petty views cannot get through; one must be simple." The river can go far because it winds; the mountain can be high because it stretches gently; yin and yang are without action, so they can be harmonious; and the Way, because it is at leisure, can transform.

夫徹於一事，察於一辭，審於一技，可以曲說，而未可廣應也。蓼菜成行，甂甌有𦳚，稱薪而爨，數米而炊，可以治小，而未可以治大也。員中規，方中矩，動成獸，止成文，可以愉舞，而不可以陳軍。滌杯而食，洗爵而飲，盥而後饋，可以養少，而不可以饗眾。今夫祭者，屠割烹殺，剝狗燒豕，調平五味者，庖也；陳簠簋，列樽俎，設籩豆者，祝也；齊明盛服，淵默而不言，神之所依者，屍也。宰、祝雖不能，屍不越樽俎而代之。故張瑟者，小弦急而大弦緩；立事者，賤者勞而貴者逸。舜為天子，彈五絃之琴，歌《南風》之詩，而天下治。周公餚臑不收於前，鐘鼓不解於懸，而四夷服。趙政晝決獄而夜理書，御史冠蓋接於郡縣，覆稽趨留，戍五嶺以備越，築修城以守胡，然奸邪萌生，盜賊群居，事愈煩而亂愈生。

One who is expert in a single matter, perceptive of a single sentence, or precise in a single skill can explain it in detail but cannot respond broadly. Knotweed planted in rows, pots with handles, weighing firewood to burn and counting rice to cook can govern the small but cannot govern the great. Round fitting the compass and square fitting the carpenter's square, moving to form the base animal and stopping to form patterns, can be used for pleasant dance but cannot be used to array an army. Washing a bowl to eat, washing a goblet to drink, and washing the hands before serving food can nourish a few but cannot feast a multitude. Now in sacrifice, those who slaughter, cut, cook and kill, skin the dog and roast the pig, and blend the five flavors are the cooks; those who set out the fu and gui vessels, arrange the wine vessels and chopping stands, and put out the bian and dou are the invocators; one who fasts, is solemn, wears the full robes, and remains silent and still, in whom the spirit lodges, is the impersonator of the dead. Though the cook and invocator may not be capable, the impersonator does not step over the wine vessels and stands to take their place. So one who strings a zither makes the small strings tight and the large strings slack; one who establishes affairs has the humble toil and the noble at ease. Shun, as Son of Heaven, played a five-string zither and sang the poem 'South Wind', and the world was well ordered. The Duke of Zhou did not clear the meat dishes from before him and did not take the bells and drums down from their hangings, and the four barbarian peoples submitted. Zhao Zheng judged cases by day and handled documents by night, the censors' caps and canopies met one another in prefectures and counties, and he reviewed and checked who was to go or stay, garrisoned the Five Ridges to guard against Yue, and built the Great Wall to guard against the Hu, yet wickedness sprouted and thieves and bandits gathered in bands, and the more troublesome it was, the more it grew.

故法者，治之具也，而非所以為治也，而猶弓矢，中之具，而非所以為中也。黃帝曰：「芒芒昧昧，因天之威，與元同氣。」故同氣者帝，同義者王，同力者霸，無一焉者亡。故人主有伐國之志，邑犬群嗥，雄雞夜鳴，庫兵動而戎馬驚。今日解怨偃兵，家老甘臥，巷無聚人，妖菑不生，非法之應也，精氣之動也。故不言而信，不施而仁，不怒而威；是以天心動化者也。施而仁，言而信，怒而威；是以精誠感之者也。施而不仁，言而不信，怒而不威，是以外貌為之者也。故有道以統之，法雖少，足以化矣；無道以行之，法雖眾，足以亂矣。

So law is a tool of government but it is not what makes government, as the bow and arrow are tools of hitting but not what makes the hit. The Yellow Emperor said: "Vast and dim, relying on the might of Heaven, sharing one breath with the Primal." So those who share the same breath are called emperors, those who share the same righteousness are called kings, those who share the same strength are called hegemons, and those who have none of these perish. So when a ruler has the intent to attack a state, the dogs of the town howl in packs, roosters crow at night, weapons in the armory stir and war horses are startled. Today, when resentment is resolved and the troops are halted, the household elders lie down contentedly, the lanes have no gatherings, and omens and disasters do not arise; this is not the response of law but the stirring of essence and spirit. So not speaking but being trusted, not giving but being benevolent, not angry but being awesome, is moving and transforming by the heart of Heaven. To give and then be benevolent, to speak and then be trusted, to be angry and then be awesome, is arousing by sincerity. To give but not be benevolent, to speak but not be trusted, to be angry but not be awesome is acting by outward appearance. So when the Way governs, though laws are few they are enough to teach and transform; when there is no Way to carry them out, though laws are many they are enough to cause disorder.

治身，太上養神，其次養形；治國，太上養化，其次正法。神清志平，百節皆寧，養性之本也；肥肌膚，充腸腹，供嗜慾，養生之末也。民交讓爭處卑，委利爭受寡，力事爭就勞，日化上遷善而不知其所以然，此治之上也。利賞而勸善，畏刑而不為非，法令正於上而百姓服於下，此治之末也。上世養本，而下世事末，此太平之所以不起也。夫欲治之主不世出，而可與興治之臣不萬一，以萬一求不世出，此所以千歲不一會也。水之性，淖以清，窮穀之汙，生以青苔，不治其性也。掘其所流而深之，茨其所決而高之，使得循勢而行，乘衰而流，雖有腐髊流漸，弗能汙也。其性非異也，通之與不通也。風俗猶此也。誠決其善志，防其邪心，啟其善道，塞其奸路，與同出一道，則民性可善，而風俗可美也。所以貴扁鵲者，非貴其隨病而調藥，貴其息脈血，知病之所從生也。所以貴聖人者，非貴隨罪而鑒刑也，貴其知亂之所由起也。若不修其風俗，而縱之淫闢，乃隨之以刑，繩之以法，雖殘賊天下，弗能禁也。

In governing oneself, the best is to nourish the spirit and next to nourish the body; in governing a state, the best is to nourish transformation and next to set laws right. When the spirit is clear and the will is level, and all the joints are at peace, this is the root of nourishing nature; to fatten the skin, fill the belly and supply desires is the tip of nourishing life. When the people yield to one another and compete to take the lowly place, give up profit and compete to receive less, vie to take the toil, and day by day are transformed to move upward to goodness without knowing why, this is the best of governing. To encourage goodness with rewards and profit and fear punishment and so not do wrong, with laws and orders upright above and the people submitting below, is the lowest of governing. The earlier ages nourished the root and the later ages busied themselves with the tip, which is why peace has not arisen. A ruler who wants to govern does not appear in every age, and the ministers who can bring about order with him are not one in ten thousand; to seek, with one in ten thousand, what does not appear in every age is why a thousand years cannot meet once. The nature of water is soft, moist and clear; exhaust the filth of the valley streams and moss grows, because one does not govern its nature. Dig deeper where it flows, and fill with thatch where it bursts and raise it higher, let it follow the force and flow by the low ground, and even if rotten bones flow along, it cannot be fouled. The nature is not different, but whether it is open or blocked. Customs are also like this. Truly open up that good intent, stop that evil heart, open that good road, block that wicked path, and go out along the same way with them, and the nature of the people can be good and customs can be fine. So Bian Que is valued, not because he adjusted medicine as the illness went, but because he felt the pulse and blood and knew where the illness arose. So the sage is valued, not because he judged punishments following offenses, but because he knew where disorder arose. If one does not cultivate customs but indulges licentiousness and then follows with punishments and takes law to bind them, even if one ravages the world one cannot stop it.

禹以夏王，桀以夏亡；湯以殷王，紂以殷亡。非法度不存也，紀綱不張，風俗壞也。三代之法不亡，而世不治者，無三代之智也；六律具存，而莫能聽者，無師曠之耳也。故法雖在，必待聖而後治；律雖具，必待耳而後聽。故國之所以存者，非以有法也，以有賢人也；其所以亡者，非以無法也，以無賢人也。晉獻公欲伐虞，宮之奇存焉，為之寢不安席，食不甘味，而不敢加兵焉。賂以寶玉駿馬，宮之奇諫而不聽，言而不用，越疆而去，荀息伐之，兵不血刃，抱寶牽馬而去。故守不待渠塹而固，攻不待沖降而拔，得賢之與失賢也。故臧武仲以其智存魯，而天下莫能亡也；璩伯玉以其仁甯衛，而天下莫能危也。《易》曰：「豐其屋，蔀其家，窺其戶，闃其無人。」無人者，非無眾庶也，言無聖人以統理之也。民無廉恥，不可治也；非修禮義，廉恥不立。民不知禮義，弗能正也；非崇善廢醜，不向禮義。無法不可以為治也；不知禮義，不可以行法。法能殺不孝者，而不能使人為孔、曾之行；法能刑竊盜者，而不能使人為伯夷之廉。孔子弟子七十，養徒三千人，皆入孝出悌，言為文章，行為儀錶，教之所成也。墨子服役者百八十人，皆可使赴火蹈刃，死不還踵，化之所致也。夫刻肌膚，鑱皮革，被創流血，至難也；然越為之，以求榮也。聖王在上，明好惡以示之，經誹譽以導之，親賢而進之，賤不肖而退之，無被創流血之苦，而有高世尊顯之名，民孰不從！

Yu became king through Xia, and Jie perished through Xia; Tang became king through Yin, and Zhou perished through Yin. It was not that the laws and standards did not exist, but that the guiding threads were not stretched and the customs were ruined. The laws of the Three Dynasties did not perish, but the age was not well governed because it lacked the wisdom of the Three Dynasties; the six pitch pipes were all there, but no one could hear them, because there was no Shi Kuang's ear. So though the law is there, one must wait for a sage and then it can be governed; though the pitch pipes are complete, one must wait for ears and then they can be heard. So a state survives not because it has laws but because it has worthy people; it perishes not because it lacks laws but because it lacks worthy people. When Duke Xian of Jin wanted to attack Yu and Gong Zhiqi was there, he could not sleep easily on his mat or enjoy his food and did not dare to send troops. When he bribed them with jade and fine horses, Gong Zhiqi remonstrated and was not heeded, his words not used, and he crossed the border and left; Xun Xi attacked, the weapons did not draw blood, and he left carrying the treasure and leading the horses. So defense that does not wait for moats is firm, and attack that does not wait for siege wagons is taken, by getting a worthy man or losing him. So Zang Wuzhong used his wisdom to preserve Lu, and the world could not destroy it; Qu Boyu used his benevolence to give Wei peace, and the world could not endanger it. The Book of Changes says: "Enlarge the house, cover his home, peer at his door, it is silent and no one is there." That no one is there does not mean there are no multitudes, but that there is no sage to oversee. People without a sense of shame cannot be governed; if ritual and righteousness are not cultivated, shame cannot be established. If people do not know ritual and righteousness they cannot be set straight; if one does not honor good and abolish ugliness, they do not turn toward ritual and righteousness. Without law one cannot govern; without knowing ritual and righteousness one cannot enforce law. Law can kill the unfilial but cannot make people do the deeds of Confucius and Zeng Shen; law can punish thieves but cannot make people have the integrity of Bo Yi. Confucius's disciples were seventy and he nurtured three thousand followers, who all entered the home in filial piety and went out in brotherly respect, whose words became writing and whose conduct became models, which teaching accomplished. Mozi had one hundred and eighty in his service, all of whom could be made to go through fire and tread on blades and die without turning back, which transformation brought about. To carve the flesh, prick the skin and leather, and be wounded and bleed is extremely hard; yet the people of Yue did this to seek honor. When a sage king is above and makes clear what is loved and hated to show them, leads them by the way of slander and praise, draws near the worthy and advances them, looks down on the unworthy and retires them, they have no pain of wounds and bleeding yet have the lofty name of being honored above the age; who among the people would not follow!

古者設法而不犯，刑錯而不用，非可刑而不刑也；百工維時，庶績咸熙，禮義修而任賢德也。故舉天下之高，以為三公；一國之高，以為九卿；一縣之高，以為二十七大夫；一鄉之高，以為八十一元士。故智過萬人者謂之英，千人者謂之俊，百人者謂之豪，十人者謂之傑。明於天道，察於地理，通於人情。大足以容眾，德足以懷遠，信足以一異，知足以知變者，人之英也；德足以教化，行足以隱義，仁足以得眾，明足以照下者，人之俊也；行足以為儀錶，知足以決嫌疑，廉足以分財，信可使守約，作事可法，出言可道者，人之豪也；守職而不廢，處義而不比，見難不苟免，見利不苟得者，人之傑也。英、俊、豪、傑，各以小大之材，處其位，得其宜，由本流末，以重製輕，上唱而民和，上動而下隨，四海之內，一心同歸，背貪鄙而向義理，其於化民也，若風之搖草木，無之而不靡。今使愚教知，使不肖臨賢，雖嚴刑罰，民弗從也。小不能制大，弱不能使強也。

In ancient times laws were set up and not violated, punishments were set aside and not used, not because they could punish and did not; the hundred artisans kept to the seasons and all kinds of achievements flourished, because ritual and righteousness were cultivated and the worthy and virtuous employed. So one who is eminent in the world becomes one of the three dukes; one eminent in a state becomes one of the nine ministers; one eminent in a county becomes one of the twenty-seven great officers; one eminent in a district becomes one of the eighty-one principal gentlemen. So one whose wisdom exceeds ten thousand people is called a Ying, over a thousand is called a Jun, over a hundred is called a Hao, and over ten is called a Jie. One who understands the Way of Heaven, discerns the patterns of Earth, and comprehends human feeling; whose greatness suffices to embrace the multitude, whose virtue suffices to soothe the distant, whose good faith suffices to unify the different, and whose wisdom suffices to know changes, is a Ying among people; one whose virtue suffices to teach, whose conduct suffices to conceal righteousness, whose benevolence suffices to win the multitude, and whose clarity suffices to illuminate those below, is a Jun among people; one whose conduct suffices to be a model, whose wisdom suffices to decide doubts, whose integrity suffices to divide wealth, who can be trusted to keep an agreement, whose actions can be imitated and whose words can be quoted, is a Hao among people; one who holds his post without neglect, lives by righteousness without forming cliques, does not escape hardship by compromise and does not gain profit by compromise, is a Jie among people. The Ying, Jun, Hao and Jie each take the talent, great or small, and occupy his position and get what suits him, flowing from root to tip, with the heavy controlling the light, when those above sing the people respond, when those above move those below follow; within the four seas, with one heart returning together, they turn their backs on greed and meanness and go toward righteousness and principle, and in transforming the people they are like wind swaying grass and trees, none not bending. Now if one lets the foolish teach the wise and lets the unworthy oversee the worthy, even with harsh punishments the people will not follow. The small cannot control the great, and the weak cannot command the strong.

故聖主者舉賢以立功，不肖主舉其所與同。文王舉太公望、召公奭而王，桓公任管仲、隰朋而霸，此舉賢以立功也。夫差用太宰嚭而滅，秦任李斯、趙高而亡，此舉所與同。故觀其所舉，而治亂可見也；察其黨與，而賢不肖可論也。夫聖人之屈者，以求伸也；枉者，以求直也；故雖出邪辟之道，行幽昧之途，將欲以直大道，成大功。猶出林之中不得直道，拯溺之人不得不濡足也。伊尹憂天下之不治，調和五味，負鼎俎而行。五就桀，五就湯，將欲以濁為清，以危為寧也。周公股肱周室，輔翼成王，管叔、蔡叔奉公子祿父而欲為亂，周公誅之以定天下，緣不得已也。管子憂周室之卑，諸侯之力征，夷狄伐中國，民不得寧處，故蒙恥辱而不死，將欲以憂夷狄之患，平夷狄之亂也。孔子欲行王道，東西南北七十說而無所偶，故因衛夫人、彌子瑕而欲通其道。此皆欲平險除穢，由冥冥至炤炤，動於權而統於善者也。

So the sage ruler raises the worthy to establish achievement, and the unworthy ruler raises those like himself. King Wen raised Taigong Wang and Shao Gong Shi and became king, and Duke Huan employed Guan Zhong and Xi Peng and became hegemon; this is raising the worthy to establish achievement. Fuchai used the Grand Steward Pi and perished, and Qin employed Li Si and Zhao Gao and was destroyed; this is raising those like himself. So by looking at whom one raises, order and disorder can be seen; by examining one's allies, the worthy and the unworthy can be judged. The bending of a sage is to seek to stretch out; the crooked is to seek straightness; so even if he walks a wicked road and a dark path, it is to reach the great Way directly and achieve great merit. Like leaving the woods one cannot walk straight, and rescuing one who is drowning one cannot keep one's feet dry. Yi Yin, worried that the world was not well ordered, blended the five flavors and went carrying the cauldron and chopping board. Five times he went to Jie, five times he went to Tang, to turn the muddy into the clear and the dangerous into peace. The Duke of Zhou was the limbs of the Zhou house and assisted King Cheng, and Guan Shu and Cai Shu, supporting the prince Lufu, wanted to make trouble, and the Duke of Zhou executed them to settle the world, doing so out of no choice. Guan Zi was worried that the Zhou house was humble and weak, that the feudal lords attacked each other with force and the barbarians attacked the Central States, and that the people could not live in peace, so he bore shame and did not die, in order to address the barbarian threat and put down the barbarian disorder. Confucius wanted to practice the kingly way, and traveled east, west, south and north to persuade seventy times without meeting a ruler, so he used the Lady of Wei and Mi Zixia, wanting to bring his Way through. All these wanted to level the dangerous and remove the foul, from the dark to the bright, moving by expediency and unifying toward goodness.

夫觀逐者於其反也，而觀行者於其終也。故舜放弟，周公殺兄，猶之為仁也；文公樹米，曾子架羊，猶之為知也。當今之世，醜必托善以自為解，邪必蒙正以自為闢。遊不論國，仕不擇官，行不闢汙，曰伊尹之道也；分別爭財，親戚兄弟構怨，骨肉相賊，曰周公之義也；行無廉恥，辱而不死，曰管子之趨也；行貨賂，趣勢門，立私廢公，比周而取容，曰孔子之術也。此使君子小人，紛然淆亂，莫知其是非者也。故百川並流，不注海者不為川穀；趨行蹐馳，不歸善者不為君子。故善言歸乎可行，善行歸乎仁義。田子方、段幹木輕爵祿而重其身，不以欲傷生，不以利累形，李克竭股肱之力，領理百官，輯穆萬民，使其君生無廢事，死無遺憂，此異行而歸於善者。張儀、蘇秦家無常居，身無定君，約從衡之事，為傾覆之謀，濁亂天下，撓滑諸侯，使百姓不遑啟居，或從或橫，或合眾弱，或輔富強，此異行而歸於醜者也。

To judge those who chase, look at their return; to judge those who walk, look at their end. So Shun banished his younger brother and the Duke of Zhou killed his elder brother, and yet they were still benevolent; Lord Wen planted rice and Zengzi hung up sheep, and yet they were still wise. In the present age, what is ugly must lean on good to explain itself, and what is wicked must wear the guise of rectitude to excuse itself. Traveling without regard to the state, serving as an official without choosing the office, acting without avoiding the foul is called the Way of Yi Yin; dividing and fighting over wealth, relatives and brothers making enemies, flesh and blood harming each other is called the righteousness of the Duke of Zhou; conduct without shame, bearing disgrace without dying, is called Guan Zi's inclination; bribery, attaching oneself to the doors of power, setting up the private and abolishing the public, forming cliques to gain favor is called Confucius's art. This makes gentlemen and petty men confused and no one knows right from wrong. So the hundred rivers flow together, and those that do not enter the sea do not become rivers, streams and valleys; those who run in their inclinations and do not return to goodness do not become gentlemen. So good words return to what can be done, and good conduct returns to benevolence and righteousness. Tian Zifang and Duangan Mu made light of rank and salary and valued their persons, did not harm life with desire, and did not burden the body with profit; Li Ke exhausted the strength of his limbs, managed the hundred officials and harmonized the myriad people, and made his ruler have no neglected affair in life and no worry left after death; these are cases where conduct differed but returned to goodness. Zhang Yi and Su Qin had no fixed home and no fixed ruler, made agreements for vertical and horizontal alliances, devised plots of overturning, muddied and confused the world, and disturbed the feudal lords, so that the people had no time to settle; some followed the vertical, some the horizontal, some joined the many weak and some assisted the rich and strong; these are cases where conduct differed but returned to ugliness.

故君子之過也，猶日月之蝕，何害於明！小人之可也，猶狗之晝吠，鴟之夜見，何益於善！夫知者不妄發，擇善而為之，計義而行之，故事成而功足賴也，身死而名足稱也。雖有知能，必以仁義為之本，然後可立也，知能蹐馳，百事並行。聖人一以仁義為之準繩，中之者謂之君子，弗中者謂之小人。君子雖死亡，其名不滅；小人雖得勢，其罪不除。使人左據天下之圖而右刎喉，愚者不為也，身貴於天下也。死君親之難，視死若歸，義重於身也。天下，大利也，比之身則小；身之重也，比之義則輕；義所全也。《詩》曰：「愷悌君子，求福不回。」言以信義為準繩也。欲成霸王之業者，必得勝者也；能得勝者，必強者也；能強者，必用人力者也；能用人力者，必得人心者也；能得人心者，必自得者也。

So the faults of the gentleman are like the eclipses of the sun and moon; how do they harm the brightness! What is acceptable in the petty man is like a dog barking by day and an owl seeing at night; how does it benefit goodness! The wise do not act rashly, choose good to do, calculate righteousness to carry out, so that the affair is accomplished and the achievement is enough to rely on, and when the person dies the name is enough to be praised. Even if one has knowledge and ability, one must take benevolence and righteousness as the root, and then one can establish oneself; knowledge and ability run, and the hundred affairs go side by side. The sage uses benevolence and righteousness uniformly as the plumb line; those who hit it are called gentlemen, and those who miss it are called petty men. A gentleman, even when dead, his name is not extinguished; a petty man, even when in power, his crimes are not removed. If you had someone press the map of the world with his left hand and cut his throat with the right, even a fool would not do it, because the person is more valuable than the world. To die for a ruler's or parent's trouble, regarding death as returning home, is because righteousness is heavier than the person. The world is a great profit, but small compared to the person; the person is weighty, but light compared to righteousness; righteousness is what is to be preserved. The Book of Poetry says: "The kind and easy gentleman seeks blessing without crookedness." This means to take good faith and righteousness as the plumb line. One who wants to accomplish the work of hegemon or king must be victorious; one who can be victorious must be strong; one who can be strong must use the strength of people; one who can use the strength of people must win the hearts of people; one who can win the hearts of people must have obtained himself.

故心者，身之本也；身者，國之本也。未有得己而失人者也，未有失己而得人者也。故為治之本，務在寧民；寧民之本，在於足用；足用之本，在於勿奪時；勿奪時之本，在於省事；省事之本，在於節用；節用之本，在於反性。未有能搖其本而靜其末，濁其源而清其流者也。故知性之情者，不務性之所無以為；知命之情者，不憂命之所無奈何。故不高宮室者，非愛木也；不大鐘鼎者，非愛金也。直行性命之情，而制度可以為萬民儀。

So the heart is the root of the person, and the person is the root of the state. There has never been one who has not obtained himself but lost others, and none who has lost himself but obtained others. So the root of governing is to strive to give the people peace; the root of giving the people peace is sufficiency; the root of sufficiency is not taking their seasons; the root of not taking their seasons is reducing affairs; the root of reducing affairs is economy of use; and the root of economy of use is returning to nature. There has never been one who could shake the root and have the tip be still, or muddy the source and have the stream be clear. So one who knows the truth of nature does not strive for what nature cannot do; one who knows the truth of fate does not worry about what fate cannot help. So not building palaces high is not out of sparing wood; not making bells and cauldrons large is not out of sparing metal. By practicing directly the truth of nature and fate, the institutions can become the model for the ten thousand people.

今目悅五色，口嚼滋味，耳淫五聲，七竅交爭以害其性，日引邪欲而澆其身夫調和，身弗能治，奈天下何！故自養得其節，則養民得其心矣。所謂有天下者，非謂其履勢位，受傳籍，稱尊號也，言運天下之力，而得天下之心。紂之地，左東海，右流沙，前交趾，後幽都，師起容關，至浦水，士億有餘萬，然皆倒矢而射，傍戟而戰。武王左操黃鉞，右執白旄以麾之，則瓦解而走，遂土崩而下。紂有南面之名，而無一人之德，此失天下也。故桀、紂不為王，湯、武不為放。周處酆鎬之地，方不過百里，而誓紂牧之野，入據殷國，朝成湯之廟，表商容之閭，封比干之墓，解箕子之囚。乃折枹毀鼓，偃五兵，縱牛馬，搢笏而朝天下，百姓歌謳而樂之，諸侯執禽而朝之，得民心也。闔閭伐楚，五戰入郢，燒高府之粟，破九龍之鍾，鞭荊平王之墓，舍昭王之宮，昭王奔隨，百姓父兄攜幼扶老而隨之，乃相率而為致勇之寇，皆方命奮臂而為之鬥。當此之時，無將卒以行列之，各致其死，卻吳兵，復楚地。靈王作章華之臺，發乾溪之役，外內搔動，百姓疲敝，棄疾乘民之怨而立公子比。百姓放臂而去之，餓於乾溪，食莽飲水，枕塊而死。楚國山川不變，土地不易，民性不殊，昭王則相率而殉之，靈王則倍畔而去之，得民之與失民也。

Now the eyes delight in the five colors, the mouth chews flavors, the ears are lured by the five sounds, and the seven orifices contend with one another to harm nature, day by day drawing in evil desires to drench the body. If one cannot even govern one's own body in harmony, what of the world! So when one's own nourishing is done with moderation, one wins the hearts of the people one nourishes. What is called possessing the world does not mean treading on its power and position, receiving the registers and taking the honored title, but moving the strength of the world and winning the heart of the world. The land of Zhou had the Eastern Sea on its left, the flowing sands on its right, Jiaozhi in front, and Youdu behind; his army, unhurried, closed to the Pu river, and the scholars numbered over a hundred million, yet they all turned their arrows backward to shoot and turned their halberds crosswise to fight. When King Wu held the yellow battle-axe in his left hand and the white yak-tail banner in his right and gave the signal, they fell apart and ran, and collapsed like earth falling away. Zhou had the name of facing south but not a single person's goodwill; this was losing the world. So Jie and Zhou are not counted as kings, and Tang and Wu are not counted as having banished them. Zhou in the land of Feng and Hao did not exceed a hundred li square, and at Muye took the oath of campaign against Zhou, entered and occupied the state of Yin, paid court at the temple of Cheng Tang, honored the lane of Shang Rong, ennobled the tomb of Bi Gan, and released Jizi from prison. Then they broke the drumsticks and ruined the drums, laid down the five weapons, let go the oxen and horses, and held the tablet at court to the world, and the people sang and rejoiced, and the feudal lords came to court bearing birds as gifts; this was winning the hearts of the people. When Helu attacked Chu, he entered Ying after five battles, burned the grain of the high storehouse, broke the bell of the nine dragons, whipped the tomb of King Ping of Jing, and lived in King Zhao's palace; King Zhao fled to Sui, and the people, fathers and elders carrying the young and supporting the old, followed him, and together they became a corps ready to die, all fighting for him with all their might. At that time no generals or soldiers drew up ranks; each fought to the death, drove back the Wu troops, and recovered the land of Chu. King Ling built the Zhanghua Terrace and launched the Qianxi campaign, inside and outside were in uproar and the people were exhausted, and Qiji, riding on the people's resentment, set up Prince Bi. The people let go their arms and left him, and he starved at Qianxi, eating grass and drinking water, and died with a clod of earth for a pillow. The mountains and rivers of Chu did not change, the land did not alter, and the nature of the people was not different, yet King Zhao was followed in death by them and King Ling was abandoned and left by them; this is winning the people and losing the people.

故天子得道，守在四夷；天子失道，守在諸侯。諸侯得道，守在四鄰；諸侯失道，守在四境。故湯處亳七十里，文王處酆百里，皆令行禁止於天下。周之衰也，戎伐凡伯於楚丘以歸。故得道則以百里之地令於諸侯，失道則以天下之大畏於冀州。故曰：無恃其不吾奪也，恃吾不可奪。行可奪之道，而非篡弒之行，無益於持天下矣。凡人之所以生者，衣與食也，今囚之冥室之中，雖養之以芻豢，衣之以綺繡，不能樂也。以目之無見，耳之無聞，穿隙穴，見雨零，則快然而歎之，況開戶發牖，從冥冥見炤々乎！從冥冥見炤々，猶尚肆然而喜，又況出室坐堂，見日月光乎！見日月光，曠然而樂，又況登泰山，履石封，以望八荒，視天都若蓋，江河若帶，又況萬物在其間者乎！其為樂豈不大哉！且聾者，耳形具而無能聞也；盲者，目形存而無能見也。夫言者，所以通己於人也；聞者，所以通人於己也，喑者不言，聾者不聞，既喑且聾，人道不通。故有喑、聾之病者，雖破家求醫，不顧其費，豈獨形骸有喑、聾哉！心志亦有之。夫指之拘也，莫不事申也；心之塞也，莫知務通也；不明於類也。夫觀六藝之廣崇，窮道德之淵深，達乎無上，至乎無下，運乎無極，翔乎無形，廣於四海，崇於太山，富於江河，曠然而通，昭然而明，天地之間無所繫戾，其所以監觀，豈不大哉！人之所知者淺，而物變無窮，曩不知而今知之，非知益多也，問學之所加也。夫物常見則識之，嘗為則能之，故因其患則造其備，犯其難則得其便。夫以一世之壽，而觀千歲之知，知今古之論，雖未嘗更也，其道理素具，可不謂有術乎！人慾知高下而不能，教之用管準則說；欲知輕重而無以，予之以權衡則喜；欲知遠近而不能，教之以金目則快射。又況知應無方而不窮哉！犯大難而不懾，見煩繆而不惑，晏然自得，其為樂也，豈直一說之快哉！

So when the Son of Heaven has the Way, his defense is the four barbarians; when the Son of Heaven loses the Way, his defense is the feudal lords. When feudal lords have the Way, their defense is the four neighbors; when feudal lords lose the Way, their defense is their four borders. So Tang at Bo with seventy li, and King Wen at Feng with a hundred li, both had their orders carried out and prohibitions obeyed throughout the world. When Zhou declined, the Rong attacked Fan Bo at Chuqiu and took him back. So with the Way one can issue orders to the feudal lords from a land of a hundred li, and without the Way one fears Jizhou with an empire as large as the world. So it is said: do not rely on others not taking from me, rely on my not being takeable. To walk the way of being taken and yet criticize usurpation and regicide does no good to holding the world. What people live by is clothing and food; now imprison a person in a dark room, and even if you feed him meats and dress him in embroidered silk, he cannot be happy. Because his eyes cannot see and ears cannot hear, if one pierces a crack and he sees the rain falling, he sighs with delight, let alone opening the door and window and seeing the bright from the dark! Seeing the bright from the dark, he is still unrestrained in joy, how much more going out of the room and sitting in the hall and seeing the light of the sun and moon! Seeing the light of the sun and moon, he is vastly joyful, how much more climbing Mount Tai, treading on the stone sealed platform, gazing at the eight wildernesses, seeing heaven as a canopy and the rivers like belts, and the ten thousand things in between! Would that joy not be greater! Moreover, the deaf have the form of ears but cannot hear; the blind have the form of eyes but cannot see. Speech is how one makes oneself reach others; hearing is how one makes others reach oneself; the mute do not speak and the deaf do not hear, and being both mute and deaf, the human way is cut off. So those with the illness of being mute or deaf, even if it breaks their families to seek a doctor, do not mind the cost; is it only the body that can be mute or deaf! The mind can also. When a finger is cramped, none does not seek to straighten it; when the mind is blocked, none knows to strive for opening; this is not understanding categories. To observe the breadth and loftiness of the Six Arts, exhaust the depth of the Way and virtue, reach what has nothing above and what has nothing below, move in the limitless, soar in the formless, broader than the four seas, higher than Mount Tai, richer than the rivers, vastly through and brightly clear, with no discord between heaven and earth, so that one surveys and observes, would that not be greater! What people know is shallow, and the changes of things are inexhaustible; one who did not know before knows now not because knowledge has increased but because inquiry and study have added to it. What is often seen is recognized, what has been done can be done, so by dealing with trouble one makes preparations, and by braving difficulty one finds convenient ways. With the lifespan of one age to observe the knowledge of a thousand years, to know the theories of past and present, though one has not experienced them, their principle is complete in itself; can one say there is no art in it! If people want to know high and low but cannot, teaching them to use a tube level makes them glad; if they want to know light and heavy but have no way, giving them a balance makes them glad; if they want to know far and near but cannot, teaching them to use a sighting bar lets them shoot with delight. How much more to know how to respond without fixed direction and not be at a loss! Facing great difficulty without fear, seeing confusion without doubt, content and at ease, that joy is not merely the pleasure of one explanation!

夫道，有形者皆生焉，其為親亦戚矣；享穀食氣者皆受焉，其為君亦惠矣；諸有智者皆學焉，其為師亦博矣。射者數發不中，人教之以儀則喜矣，又況生儀者乎！人莫不知學之有益於己也，然而不能者，嬉戲害人也。人皆多以無用害有用，故智不博而日不足，以鑿觀池之力耕，則田野必闢矣；以積土山之高修堤防，則水用必足矣；以食狗馬鴻雁之費養士，則名譽必榮矣；以弋獵博弈之日誦《詩》讀《書》，聞識必博矣。故不學之與學也，猶喑、聾之比於人也。凡學者能明於天下之分，通於治亂之本，澄心清意以存之，見其終始，可謂知略矣。天之所為，禽獸草木；人之所為，禮節制度。構而為宮室，制而為舟輿是也。治之所以為本者，仁義也；所以為末者，法度也。凡人之所以事生者，本也；其所以事死者，末也。本末，一體也；其兩愛之，一性也。先本後末，謂之君子；以末害本，謂之小人。君子與小人之性非異也，所在先後而已矣。草木之性，洪者為本，而殺者為末；禽獸之性，大者為首，而小者為尾。末大於本則折，尾大於要則不掉矣。故食其口而百節肥，灌其本而枝葉美，天地之性也。天地之生物也有本末，其養物也有先後，人之於治也，豈得無終始哉！

The Way: all that has form is born from it, so as a parent it is already close; all who eat grain and breathe qi receive it, so as a ruler it is already kind; all who have wisdom learn from it, so as a teacher it is already broad. An archer who fails to hit many times is glad when someone teaches him the form, how much more the source of form! There is no one who does not know that learning benefits himself, yet they cannot do it, because play harms people. People mostly harm the useful with the useless, so wisdom is not broad and days are not enough; if the effort used to dig sightseeing ponds were spent on plowing, the fields would surely be opened; if the height used to pile earth hills were used to build dikes, the supply of water would surely suffice; if the expense of feeding dogs, horses and wild geese were used to feed scholars, reputation would surely be glorious; if the days spent hunting with arrows and playing board games were spent reciting the Poetry and Documents, learning would surely be broad. So not learning versus learning is like the mute and deaf compared to people. All who learn can understand the allotments of the world, penetrate the root of order and disorder, keep the heart clear and the mind pure, and see end and beginning, and one may say they know the outline. What Heaven makes is birds, beasts, plants and trees; what people make are rituals and institutions. Building palaces and making boats and carriages is all. What governing takes as the root is benevolence and righteousness; what it takes as the tip is law and standards. What people use to engage in life is the root; what they use to engage in death is the tip. Root and tip are one body; loving both is one nature. Putting the root first and the tip after is called a gentleman; harming the root with the tip is called a petty man. The nature of the gentleman and the petty man is not different, only in the order of before and after. In the nature of plants and trees, the large is the root and the small is the tip; in the nature of birds and beasts, the large is the head and the small is the tail. When the tip is larger than the root it breaks; when the tail is larger than the waist it cannot be turned. So when you feed its mouth, the hundred joints fatten; when you water its root, the branches and leaves are fine; this is the nature of heaven and earth. Heaven and Earth give birth to things with root and tip, and nourish them with before and after; how can people in governing be without beginning and end!

故仁義者，治之本也。今不知事修其本，而務沼其末，是釋其根而灌其枝也。且法之生也，以輔仁義，今重法而棄義，是貴其冠履而忘其頭足也。故仁義者，為厚基者也。不益其厚而張其廣者毀，不廣其基而增其高者覆。趙政不增其德而累其高，故滅；智伯不行仁義而務廣地，故亡其國。語曰：不大其棟，不能任重。重莫若國，棟莫若德。國主之有民也，猶城之有基，木之有根。根深則本固，基美則上寧。五帝三王之道，天下之綱紀，治之儀錶也。今商鞅之啟塞，申子之三符，韓非之孤憤，張儀、蘇秦之從衡，皆掇取之權，一切之術也。非治之大本，事之恆常，可博聞而世傳者也。子囊北而全楚，北不可以為庸；弦高誕而存鄭，誕不可以為常。今夫《雅》、《頌》之聲，皆發於詞，本於情，故君臣以睦，父子以親，故《韶》、《夏》之樂也，聲浸乎金石，潤乎草木。今取怨思之聲，施之於弦管，聞其音者，不淫則悲，淫則亂男女之辨，悲則感怨思之氣。豈所謂樂哉！

So benevolence and righteousness are the root of governing. Now not knowing to cultivate the root, but striving to govern the tip, is putting down the root to water the branches. Moreover the origin of law is to assist benevolence and righteousness; now to value law and discard righteousness is to value cap and shoes and forget head and feet. So benevolence and righteousness are the foundation of thickness. To broaden it without adding to the thickness will make it collapse; to heighten it without widening the foundation will make it fall. Zhao Zheng did not add virtue but piled up height, and so was destroyed; Zhi Bo did not practice benevolence and righteousness but strove to widen his land, and so lost his state. A common saying says: if the beam is not made larger, it cannot bear heavy weight. Nothing is heavier than a state, and no beam is more of a beam than virtue. A ruler of a state has the people as a city has its foundation and a tree has its roots. When the root is deep the trunk is firm, and when the foundation is fine the top is at peace. The Way of the Five Emperors and Three Kings is the guiding thread of the world and the model of governing. Now Shang Yang's opening and blocking, Master Shen's three tallies, Han Fei's solitary indignation, and Zhang Yi and Su Qin's vertical and horizontal alliances are all expedients picked up and arts of the moment. They are not the great root of governing or the constants of affairs, which can be widely known and passed down through generations. Zi Nang retreated and preserved Chu, but retreat cannot serve as a constant rule; Xian Gao deceived and preserved Zheng, but deception cannot serve as a constant. Now the sounds of the 'Ya' and 'Song' all issue from words and are rooted in feeling, so ruler and minister thereby are in harmony and father and son thereby are close, and so the music of the 'Shao' and 'Xia' sinks into metal and stone and moistens grass and trees. Now apply sounds of resentment and longing to strings and pipes, and those who hear that sound are either licentious or sad; licentiousness confuses the distinction between men and women, and sadness stirs the breath of resentment and longing. How can that be called music!

趙王遷流於房陵，思故鄉，作《山水》之謳，聞者莫不殞涕。荊軻西刺秦王，高漸離、宋意為擊築而歌於易水之上。聞者莫不瞋目裂眥，髮植穿冠。因以此聲為樂而入宗廟，豈古之所謂樂哉！故弁冕輅輿，可服而不可好也；大羹之和，可食而不可嘗也；朱弦漏越，一唱而三歎，可聽而不可快也。故無聲者，正其可聽者也；其無味者，正其足味者也。吠聲清於耳，兼味快於口，非其貴也。故事不本於道德者，不可以為儀；言不合乎先王者，不可以為道；音不調乎《雅》、《頌》者，不可以為樂。故五子之言，所以便說掇取也，非天下之通義也。聖王之設政施教也，必察其終始，其縣法立儀，必原其本末，不苟以一事備一物而已矣。見其造而思其功，觀其源而知其流，故博施而不竭，彌久而不垢。未水出於山而入於海，稼生於田而藏於倉。聖人見其所生，則知其所歸矣。故舜深藏黃金於嶄巖之山，所以塞貪鄙之心也。儀狄為酒，禹飲而甘之，遂疏儀狄而絕旨酒，所以遏流湎之行也。師延為平公鼓朝歌北鄙之音，師曠曰：「此亡國之樂也。」大息而撫之，所以防淫闢之風也。

When King Qian of Zhao was exiled to Fangling, he longed for his old home and composed the song 'Mountains and Waters,' and none who heard it did not shed tears. When Jing Ke went west to stab the King of Qin, Gao Jianli and Song Yi struck the zhu zither and sang on the bank of the Yi River. Those who heard it all glared, split their eye corners, and their hair stood up and pierced their caps. So to take this kind of sound as music into the ancestral temple, how could it be what the ancients called music! So caps, ceremonial dress and carriages can be worn but not loved; the harmony of the great soup can be eaten but not greedily tasted; the red-stringed zither with bottom holes, one singing and three sighing, can be heard but not sought for pleasure. So the soundless is what rectifies what can be heard; the flavorless is what rectifies what is enough in flavor. Pleasant sounds that clear the ear and combined flavors that please the mouth are not what is valued. So affairs not rooted in the Way and virtue cannot be taken as models; words not accordant with the former kings cannot be taken as the Way; sounds not in tune with the 'Ya' and 'Song' cannot be taken as music. So the words of the five masters are for convenient explanation and picking up expedients, not the common righteousness of the world. When the sage kings set up government and gave teaching, they necessarily examined end and beginning, hung up laws and established models, and necessarily traced root and tip, not merely taking one thing to prepare one object. Seeing its making, they thought of its achievement; looking at the source, they knew the stream; so they spread widely and did not run dry, and the longer it lasted the less it was fouled. Water comes out of the mountains and enters the sea; crops grow in the fields and are stored in granaries. The sage, seeing what is born, knows where it will return. So Shun hid gold deep in the steep mountains in order to stop the heart of greed and meanness. Yi Di made wine and Yu drank it and found it sweet, and so he kept far from Yi Di and renounced fine wine to stop the conduct of drowning in drink. Shi Yan played for Duke Ping the sounds of the northern borders of Zhaoge, and Shi Kuang said: "This is the music of a ruined state." Sighing, he stopped him, in order to prevent the wind of licentiousness.

故民知書而德衰，知數而厚衰，知券契而信衰，知機械而實衰也。巧詐藏於胸中，則純白不備，而神德不全矣。琴不鳴，而二十五絃各以其聲應；軸不運，而三十輻各以其力旋。弦有緩急小大，然後成曲；車有勞逸動靜，而後能致遠。使有聲者，乃無聲者也；能致千里者，乃不動者也。故上下異道則治，同道則亂。位高而道大者從，事大而道小者兇。故小快害義，小慧害道，小辯害治，苛削傷德。大政不險，故民易道；至治寬裕，故下不相賊；至忠復素，故民無匿情。商鞅為秦立相坐之法，而百姓怨矣；吳起為楚減爵祿之令。而功臣畔矣。商鞅之立法也，吳起之用兵也，天下之善者也。然商鞅之法亡秦，察於刀筆之跡，而不知治亂之本也。吳起以兵弱楚，習於行陳之事，而不知廟戰之權也。晉獻公之伐驪，得其女，非不善也，然而史蘇歎之，見其四世之被禍也。吳王夫差破齊艾陵，勝晉黃池，非不捷也，而子胥憂之，見其必禽於越也。小白奔莒，重耳奔曹，非不困也，而鮑叔、咎犯隨而輔之，知其可與至於霸也。勾踐棲於會稽，修政不殆，謨慮不休，知禍之為福也。襄子再勝而有憂色，畏福之為禍也。

So when the people know writing, virtue declines; when they know numbers, thickness declines; when they know tallies and contracts, trust declines; when they know machines, simplicity declines. Cunning and deceit hidden in the breast, pure white is not complete, and spirit and virtue are not whole. A zither does not sound by itself; the twenty-five strings each respond with their own sound. An axle does not turn by itself; the thirty spokes each turn with their own strength. Strings have loose and tight, small and great, and then they form a tune; a carriage has toil and ease, moving and still, and then can reach far. What makes it have sound is the soundless; what can reach a thousand li is the unmoving. So when above and below follow different ways, there is order; when they follow the same way, there is disorder. One whose position is high and whose Way is great is followed; one whose affairs are large and whose Way is small meets misfortune. So petty quickness harms righteousness, petty cleverness harms the Way, petty debate harms governing, and harsh cutting harms virtue. Great government is not perilous, so the people easily follow it; perfect governing is generous, so those below do not harm one another; perfect loyalty returns to plainness, so the people have no hidden feelings. Shang Yang set up the law of mutual liability for Qin, and the people resented it; Wu Qi issued orders reducing ranks and salaries for Chu, and the meritorious ministers rebelled. Shang Yang's laws and Wu Qi's use of troops were the best in the world. Yet Shang Yang's law destroyed Qin, being keen on the traces of knife and brush but not knowing the root of order and disorder. Wu Qi weakened Chu with troops, being skilled in affairs of battle lines but not knowing the expediency of battle in the temple. When Duke Xian of Jin attacked Li and obtained his daughter, it was not unfavorable, yet Shi Su sighed, seeing that four generations would be struck by disaster. King Fuchai of Wu broke Qi at Ailing and defeated Jin at Huangchi; it was not unsuccessful, yet Zixu worried, seeing that he would surely be captured by Yue. Xiaobai fled to Ju and Chong'er to Cao; they were not without hardship, yet Bao Shu and Jiu Fan followed and assisted them, knowing they could reach hegemony with them. Goujian lodged at Kuaiji, cultivated government without slackening, planned without rest, and knew that misfortune could become fortune. Xiangzi won twice but had a worried look, fearing that fortune might become misfortune.

故齊桓公亡汶陽之田而霸，智伯兼三晉之地而亡。聖人見禍福於重閉之內，而慮患於九拂之外者也。原蠶一歲再收，非不利也，然而王法禁之者，為其殘桑也。離先稻熟，而農夫耨之，不以小利傷大獲也。家老異飯而食，殊器而享，子婦跣而上堂，跪而斟羹，非不費也，然而不可省者，為其害義也。待媒而結言，聘納而取婦，初絻而親迎，非不煩也，然而不可易者，所以防淫也。使民居處相司，有罪相覺，於以舉奸，非不掇也，然而傷和睦之心，而構仇讎之怨。故事有鑿一孔而生百隟，樹一物而生萬葉者，所鑿不足以為便，而所開足以為敗，所樹不足以為利，而所生足以為濊。愚者惑於小利，而忘其大害。昌羊去蚤蝨，而人弗庠者，為其來蛉窮也；狸執鼠，而不可脫於庭者，為捕雞也。故事有利於小而害於大，得於此而亡於彼者。故行棋者或食兩而路窮，或予踦而取勝。偷利不可以為行，而智術不可以為法。

So Duke Huan of Qi lost the fields of Wenyang yet became hegemon, and Zhi Bo annexed the land of the three Jin yet perished. The sage sees fortune and misfortune within layers of closed doors and worries about calamity beyond nine reversals. Silkworms of the second brood, collected twice a year, are not unprofitable, yet the king's law forbids it because it harms the mulberry. Self-seeded rice ripens before the planted rice, and the farmer hoes it out, not letting small profit harm the great harvest. The household elders do not eat at the same meal or use the same vessels, and the sons and wives go barefoot into the hall and kneel to pour the soup, which is not without expense, but cannot be spared because it protects righteousness. Waiting for a matchmaker to tie the words, presenting betrothal gifts, taking a wife, and putting on a ceremonial cap to receive her personally is not without trouble, but cannot be changed, because it is to prevent licentiousness. Making people watch one another in their dwellings and discover one another's crimes, in order to expose wickedness, is not without sharpness, but harms the heart of harmony and forms the resentment of enemies. So there are affairs in which cutting one hole produces a hundred cracks, and planting one kind of thing produces ten thousand leaves; what is cut is not enough to bring convenience, and what is opened is enough to ruin; what is planted is not enough to give profit, and what is produced is enough to foul. The fool is confused by small profit and forgets great harm. Changyang rids fleas and lice, but people do not use it as a mat, because it brings centipedes; the wildcat can catch mice, but it cannot be kept in the courtyard, because it catches chickens. So there are affairs that benefit in small and harm in large, gaining here and losing there. So in a board game some win by taking two stones yet run out of moves, and some win by giving a single stone. Stealing profit cannot be taken as conduct, and cunning methods cannot be taken as law.

故仁知，人材之美者也。所謂仁者，愛人也；所謂知者，知人也。愛人則無虐刑矣，知人則無亂政矣。治由文理，則無悖謬之事矣；刑不侵濫，則無暴虐之行矣。上無煩亂之治，下無怨望之心，則百殘除而中和作矣，此三代之所昌。故《書》曰：「能哲且惠，黎民懷之。何憂讙兜，何遷有苗。」智伯有五過人之材，而不免於身死人手者，不愛人也；齊王建有三過人之巧，而身虜於秦者，不知賢也。故仁莫大於愛人，知莫大於知人，二者不立，雖察慧捷巧，劬祿疾力，不免於亂也。

So benevolence and wisdom are the beauty of human talent. What is called benevolence is loving people; what is called wisdom is knowing people. If one loves people there are no cruel punishments, and if one knows people there are no disorderly governments. When governing proceeds through patterns and principles, there are no perverse affairs; when punishments do not exceed bounds, there are no violent acts. When there is no troublesome governing above and no resentful heart below, all the hundred cruelties are removed and the mean and harmony arise; this is how the Three Dynasties flourished. The Book of Documents says: "If one is wise and kind, the common people will be loyal. Why worry about Huan Dou, why banish the Youmiao." Zhi Bo had five talents surpassing others, yet could not avoid dying at others' hands because he did not love people; King Jian of Qi had three skills surpassing others, yet was himself captured by Qin because he did not know the worthy. So nothing in benevolence is greater than loving people, and nothing in wisdom is greater than knowing people; if these two are not established, then even with sharp perception, quick wit and nimble skill, diligent toil and swift strength, one cannot escape disorder.

夫作為書論者，所以紀綱道德，經緯人事，上考之天，下揆之地，中通諸理，雖未能抽引玄妙之中才，繁然足以觀終始矣。總要舉凡，而語不剖判純樸，靡𢿱大宗，懼為人之惽惽然弗能知也；故多為之辭，博為之說，又恐人之離本就末也。故言道而不言事，則無以與世浮沉；言事而不言道，則無以與化遊息。故著二十篇，有《原道》、有《俶真》、有《天文》、有《墜形》、有《時則》、有《覽冥》、有《精神》、有《本經》、有《主術》、有《繆稱》、有《齊俗》、有《道應》、有《氾論》、有《詮言》、有《兵略》、有《說山》、有《說林》、有《人間》、有《修務》、有《泰族》也。

Writing books and treatises is to give the guiding threads of the Way and virtue and weave together human affairs, examining above in Heaven and measuring below in Earth, penetrating the various principles in between; though it has not been able to draw out the talent of the mystery, it is abundant enough to look at from end to end. Gathering the main points and giving the outline, yet without analyzing the pure and plain and scattering the great source, one fears that people will be muddled and not understand; so one gives many words to it and sets up broad theories, and again fears that people will leave the root and chase the tip. So to speak only of the Way and not of affairs would leave nothing by which to float and sink with the age; to speak only of affairs and not of the Way would leave nothing by which to roam and rest with transformation. So twenty chapters were written: 'Original Way,' 'Beginning of Truth,' 'Heavenly Patterns,' 'Terrestrial Forms,' 'Seasonal Rules,' 'Surveying the Obscure,' 'Spirit,' 'Basic Canons,' 'The Ruler's Art,' 'Mistaken Titles,' 'Equalizing Customs,' 'Responses of the Way,' 'Wide-Ranging Discussion,' 'Explanatory Words,' 'Military Strategy,' 'Discourses on the Mountain,' 'Discourses in the Forest,' 'Among Human Affairs,' 'Cultivating Tasks,' and 'The Great Clan.'

《原道》者，盧牟六合，混沌萬物，象太一之容，測窈冥之深，以翔虛無之軫，托小以苞大，守約以治廣，使人知先後之禍富，動靜之利害。誠通其志，浩然可以大觀矣。欲一言而寤，則尊天而保真；欲再言而通，則賤物而貴身；欲參言而究，則外物而反情。執其大指，以內治五藏，瀸濇肌膚，被服法則，而與之終身，所以應待萬方，鑒耦百變也。若轉丸掌中，足以自樂也。

'Original Way' covers the six directions and mixes the myriad things, takes on the form of the Great One, measures the depth of the dark and obscure, and soars in the borders of emptiness, relying on the small to embrace the great and keeping to the concise to govern the broad, letting people know the fortune and misfortune of what comes first and after and the benefit and harm of movement and stillness. If one truly comprehends its aim, one can take a vast view. If one thinks of one sentence and awakens, then one honors Heaven and preserves the true; if one thinks of a second and comprehends, one looks down on things and values the person; if one thinks of a third and exhausts it, one casts off things and returns to feeling. Holding to the main idea, one governs the five organs within, moistens the skin, wears it as a rule, and follows it for life, so that one answers ten thousand regions and mirrors the hundred changes. Like rolling a pellet in the palm, it is enough for one's own delight.

《俶真》者，窮逐終始之化，嬴垀有無之精，離別萬物之變，合同死生之形。使人遺物反己，審仁義之間，通同異之理，觀至德之統，知變化之紀，說符玄妙之中，通回造化之母也。

'Beginning of Truth' exhausts the changes of beginning and end, the essence of waxing and waning, being and non-being, distinguishes the changes of the myriad things, and unites the forms of death and life. It lets people leave things and return to themselves, examine what lies between benevolence and righteousness, penetrate the principle of sameness and difference, look at the unity of perfect virtue, know the guiding threads of change, speak of correspondences within the mysterious, and reach the mother of creation and transformation.

《天文》者，所以和陰陽之氣，理日月之光，節開塞之時，列星辰之行，知逆順之變，避忌諱之殃，順時運之應，法五神之常，使人有以仰天承順，而不亂其常者也。

'Heavenly Patterns' is used to harmonize the qi of yin and yang, order the light of the sun and moon, regulate the seasons of opening and closing, arrange the movements of the stars, know the changes of reversal and compliance, avoid the calamities of taboos, follow the responses of the seasons' course, and imitate the constants of the five spirits, so that people have the means to look up to Heaven and follow it without disturbing its constants.

《地形》者，所以窮南北之修，極東西之廣，經山陵之形，區川穀之居，明萬物之主，知生類之眾，列山淵之數，規遠近之路。使人通回周備，不可動以物，不可驚以怪者也。

'Terrestrial Forms' is used to exhaust the length of north and south and reach the breadth of east and west, to lay out the forms of mountains and hills, to mark out the dwellings of rivers, streams and valleys, to make clear the masters of the myriad things, to know the multitude of living kinds, to list the numbers of mountains and abysses, and to plan the roads far and near. It lets people be thoroughly equipped, neither moved by things nor frightened by strange things.

《時則》者，所以上因天時，下盡地力，據度行當，合諸人則，形十二節，以為法式，終而複始，轉於無極，因循仿依，以知禍福，操舍開塞，各有龍忌，發號施令，以時教期。使君人者知所以從事。

'Seasonal Rules' is used to rely above on the seasons of Heaven and exhaust below the strength of Earth, to act appropriately according to measures and numbers and accord with human standards, forming the twelve nodes as a model, ending and beginning again, turning without limit, following and imitating in order to know fortune and misfortune, with holding and discarding, opening and closing each having its taboos; issuing proclamations and orders, instructing according to the seasons and the times of assembly. It lets rulers know what they should engage in.

《覽冥》者，所以言至精之通九天也，至微之淪無形也，純粹之入至清也，昭昭之通冥冥也。乃始攬物引類，覽取撟掇，浸想宵類，物之可以喻意象形者，乃以穿通窘滯，決瀆壅塞，引人之意，系之無極，乃以明物類之感，同氣之應，陰陽之合，形埒之朕，所以令人遠觀博見者也。

'Surveying the Obscure' is used to explain that the utmost essence reaches the nine heavens, the utmost subtlety sinks to the formless, the pure enters the utmost clarity, and the bright reaches the dark. It begins by gathering things and drawing kinds, collecting and picking up, soaking in thoughts of like kinds, and what things can be used as a metaphor or image of meaning is used to pierce what is cramped or stuck and open blocked channels, drawing the human mind and tying it to the limitless, and so shows the response of things of a kind, the answer of the same qi, the union of yin and yang, and the omens of forms and boundaries, so that people see far and widely.

《精神》者，所以原本人之所由生，而曉寤其形骸九竅，取象與天，合同其血氣，與雷霆風雨比類其喜怒，與晝宵寒暑並明，審死生之分，別同異之跡，節動靜之機，以反其性命之宗，所以使人愛養其精神，撫靜其魂魄，不以物易己，緊守虛無之宅者也。

'Spirit' traces where the human root comes from, and makes clear that the body and nine orifices take their image from Heaven, unites the blood and qi, compares joy and anger with thunder, wind and rain, shines together with day and night and cold and heat, examines the distinction between life and death, distinguishes the traces of sameness and difference, regulates the mechanisms of movement and stillness, to return to the source of nature and fate. So it lets people cherish and nourish the spirit, soothe and quiet the souls, not change themselves with things, and hold fast the house of emptiness.

《本經》者，所以明大聖之德，通維初之道，埒略衰世古今之變，以褒先世之隆盛，而貶末世之曲政也。所以使人黜耳目之聰明，精神之感動，樽流遁之觀，節養性之和，分帝王之操，列小大之差者也。

The Ben Jing (Fundamental Norms) is used to make clear the virtue of the great sages and to connect with the Way of the primal beginning; it outlines the changes of declining ages, past and present, to praise the flourishing of earlier ages and criticize the crooked governance of the last age. It makes people discard the cleverness of ears and eyes and the stirring of the spirit, stop wandering sightseeing, moderate the harmony that nourishes nature, distinguish the conduct of emperors and kings, and set out the differences between small and great.

《主術》者，君人之事也。所以因作任督責，使群臣各盡其能也。明攝權操柄，以制群下，提名責實，考之參伍，所以使人主秉數持要，不妄喜怒也。其數直施而正邪，外私而立公，使百官條通而輻輳，各務其業，人致其功。此主術之明也。

The Zhu Shu (The Art of the Ruler) concerns the affairs of one who is a ruler. So it makes ministers each exhaust their abilities according to the duties they hold and the supervision applied to them. Openly holding the handles of power, he controls those below; he brings forth names and demands substance, and checks by comparing and combining. So it makes the ruler hold the techniques and keep to the essentials, and not be wildly joyful or angry. Those techniques apply straightness to set right the crooked, repel the private and establish the public, make the hundred officials run in order like spokes toward a hub, each attending to his own task and each person achieving his merit. This is the clarity of the ruler's art.

《繆稱》者，破碎道德之論，差次仁義之分，略雜人間之事，總同乎神明之德，假像取耦，以相譬喻，斷短為節，以應小具。所以曲說攻論，應感而不匱者也。

The Miu Cheng (Subtle Sayings) breaks up the discourse on the Way and virtue into pieces, ranks the divisions of benevolence and righteousness, outlines and mixes in affairs of the human world, and brings together the virtue of the spirit; it borrows forms and images to find matches, to compare them with one another, and cuts them short into sections to answer the small needs. So crooked sayings and attacking arguments respond to stimuli and never run short.

《齊俗》者，所以一群生之短修，同九夷之風氣，通古今之論，貫萬物之理，財制禮義之宜，擘畫人事之終始者也。

The Qi Su (Equalizing Customs) is used to equalize the long and short of the multitude of living things, unify the customs of the nine barbarian tribes, connect the arguments of past and present, penetrate the principles of the ten thousand things, regulate what is fitting in ritual and righteousness, and map out the beginning and end of human affairs.

《道應》者，攬掇遂事之蹤，追觀往古之跡，察禍福利害之反，考驗乎老莊之術，而以合得失之勢者也。

The Dao Ying (Responses of the Way) collects the traces of events already completed, looks back at the traces of the past, examines the reversals of fortune, misfortune, benefit, and harm, tests them against the arts of Laozi and Zhuangzi, and fits the tendencies of gain and loss.

《氾論》者，所以箴縷縩繺之間，攕揳唲齵之郤也。接徑直施，以推本樸，而兆見得失之變，利病之反，所以使人不妄沒於勢利，不誘惑於事態，有符曮晲，兼稽時勢之變，而與化推移者也。

The Fan Lun (Comprehensive Discussions) is used to sew up the seams between things and fill the uneven gaps. It follows by applying the straight Way to seek the original simplicity, foresees the changes of gain and loss and the reversals of benefit and harm, and so makes people not recklessly sink into power and profit, nor be lured by circumstances; it has verifications one can look at, and also examines the changes of the times, shifting along with transformation.

《詮言》者，所以譬類人事之指，解喻治亂之體也。差擇微言之眇，詮以至理之文，而補縫過失之闕者也。

The Quan Yan (Explanatory Sayings) is used to compare and classify the intent of human affairs and explain the substance of order and disorder. It selects the wonder of subtle words, explains them with writings of the ultimate principle, and mends the gaps of faults.

《兵略》者，所以明戰勝攻取之數，形機之勢，詐譎之變，體因循之道，操持後之論也。所以知戰陣分爭之非道不行也，知攻取堅守之非德不強也。誠明其意，進退左右無所失擊危，乘勢以為資，清靜以為常，避實就虛，若驅群羊，此所以言兵者也。

The Bing Lue (Military Strategy) is used to make clear the methods of winning battles and taking cities, the power of the form of the opportunity, the changes of deception and trickery, to examine the way of following circumstances, and to hold the doctrine of moving after the enemy. So it makes known that without the Way, battle formations and contention cannot proceed, and without virtue, attacking, taking, and holding firm cannot be made strong. When one truly understands its intent, there is no mistake in advancing, retreating, left, or right; one rides on the situation and uses the resources at hand, takes calm and stillness as constant, avoids the solid and goes to the empty, like driving a flock of sheep; this is how military affairs are explained.

《說山》、《說林》者，所以竅窕穿鑿百事之壅遏，而通行貫扃萬物之窒塞者也。假譬取象，異類殊形，以領理人之意，解除結細，說捍摶囷而以明事埒事者也。

The Shuo Shan and Shuo Lin (Discourses on Mountains and Forests) are used to open and bore through the blockages of the hundred affairs and make passable the obstructions of the ten thousand things. They borrow analogies and take images, with things of different kinds and unlike forms, to guide people's understanding, untie knots, and explain coils, in order to show the omens of events.

《人間》者，所以觀禍福之變，察利害之反，鑽脈得失之跡，標舉終始之壇也。分別百事之微，敷陳存亡之機，使人知禍之為福，亡之為得，成之為敗，利之為害也。誠喻至意，則有以傾側偃仰世俗之間，而無傷乎讒賊螫毒者也。

The Ren Jian (Among Humans) is used to observe the changes of fortune and misfortune, examine the reversals of benefit and harm, study the traces of gain and loss, and set out the shifting altars of beginnings and ends. It distinguishes the subtleties of the hundred affairs and sets out the springs of survival and ruin, making people know that misfortune can become fortune, loss can become gain, success can become failure, and benefit can become harm. When one truly understands to the ultimate meaning, one has the means to lean and bend within the world's customs and not be hurt by slander and poison.

《修務》者，所以為人之於道未淹，味論未深，見其文辭，反之以清靜為常，恬淡為本，則懈墮分學，縱欲適情，欲以偷自佚，而塞於大道也。今夫狂者無憂，聖人亦無憂。聖人無憂，和以德也；狂者無憂，不知禍福也。故通而無為也，與塞而無為也同；其無為則同，其所以無為則異。故為之浮稱流說其所以能聽，所以使學者孳孳以自幾也。

The Xiu Wu (Cultivating Effort) was written because people have not yet mastered the Way, their savoring of the discourse is not deep, and on seeing the literary words they instead take calm and stillness as constant and tranquil indifference as root; they then become lazy and study apart, indulge desires and follow their moods, wish to steal ease for themselves, and block the great Way. Now a madman has no worries, and a sage has no worries. A sage has no worries because he uses virtue to harmonize; a madman has no worries because he does not know fortune and misfortune. So the non-action of the enlightened is the same as the non-action of the blocked; the non-action is the same, and yet what the non-acting do is different. So it supplies floating talk and flowing sayings so that people can listen, and has students seek diligently so that they draw near for themselves.

《泰族》者，橫八極，致高乘，上明三光，下和水土，經古今之道，治倫理之序，總萬方之指，而歸之一本，以經緯治道，紀綱王事，乃原心術，理性情，以館清平之靈，澄澈神明之精，以與天和相嬰薄，所以覽五帝三王，懷天氣，抱天心，執中含和，德形於內，以莙凝天地，發起陰陽，序四時，正流方，綏之斯寧，推之斯行，乃以陶冶萬物，遊化群生，唱而和，動而隨，四海之內，一心同歸。故景星見，祥風至，黃龍下，鳳巢列樹，麟止郊野。德不內形，而行其法藉，專用制度，神祇弗應，福祥不歸，四海不賓，兆民弗化。故德形於內，治之大本。此《鴻烈》之《泰族》也。

The Tai Zu (The Grand Clan) spans the eight extremes and reaches the highest vehicle, above clarifies the three luminaries and below harmonizes water and earth, manages the Way of past and present, governs the order of human relations, and gathers the directions of the ten thousand regions, returning them to one root, in order to weave the warp and weft of the Way of government and set the guiding threads of royal affairs. It then traces back to the art of the mind, regulates nature and feelings, to lodge and nurture the clear and calm spirit and clarify the essence of the divine light, and to intertwine with Heaven's harmony. So it surveys the Five Emperors and Three Kings, embraces the breath of Heaven and the mind of Heaven, holds the center and contains harmony, so that virtue takes shape from within and is used to coagulate Heaven and Earth, arouse yin and yang, order the four seasons, and set the flowing directions right. Comforting brings peace, and extending it brings practice; then it molds and fires the ten thousand things and transforms the multitude of living beings, so that when one sings, others harmonize, and when one moves, others follow, and within the four seas one heart goes the same way. So the auspicious star appears, the auspicious wind arrives, the yellow dragon descends, phoenixes nest in rows of trees, and the qilin stays in the suburbs. If virtue does not take shape from within but practices laws and records and relies solely on institutions, the spirits do not respond, auspicious omens do not come, the four seas do not submit, and the myriad people are not transformed. So virtue taking shape from within is the great root of governing. This is the Tai Zu of the Hong Lie.

凡屬書者，所以窺道開塞，庶後世使知舉錯取捨之宜適，外與物接而不眩，內有以處神養氣，宴煬至和，而己自樂所受乎天地者也。故言道而不明終始，則不知所仿依；言終始而不明天地四時，則不知所避諱；言天地四時而不引譬援類，則不知精微；言至精而不原人之神氣，則不知養生之機；原人情而不言大聖之德，則不知五行之差；言帝道而不言君事，則不知小大之衰；言君事而不為稱喻，則不知動靜之宜；言稱喻而不言俗變，則不知合同大指；已言俗變而不言往事，則不知道德之應；知道德而不知世曲，則無以耦萬方；知氾論而不知詮言，則無以從容；通書文而不知兵指，則無以應卒已；知大略而不知譬喻，則無以推明事；知公道而不知人間，則無以應禍福；知人間而不知修務，則無以使學者勸力。欲強省其辭，覽總其要，弗曲行區入，則不足以窮道德之意。故著書二十篇，則天地之理究矣，人間之事接矣，帝王之道備矣！

In general, this composed work is used to peer into the Way and open blockages, to let later ages know what is suitable in raising and setting aside, taking and rejecting; outwardly one deals with things without dazzlement, inwardly one has the means to dwell with the spirit and nurture the breath, resting in warm and perfect harmony, and delighting in what one receives from Heaven and Earth. So if one speaks of the Dao without making clear beginning and end, one does not know what to rely on; if one speaks of beginning and end without making clear Heaven, Earth, and the four seasons, one does not know what to avoid; if one speaks of Heaven, Earth, and the four seasons without drawing analogies and citing categories, one does not know the subtle; if one speaks of the utmost subtlety without tracing back the spirit and breath of man, one does not know the springs of nourishing life; if one traces human feelings without speaking of the virtue of the great sage, one does not know the differences of the five phases; if one speaks of the Way of emperors without speaking of the ruler's affairs, one does not know the gradations between small and great; if one speaks of the ruler's affairs without making comparisons and metaphors, one does not know what suits movement and rest; if one speaks of comparisons and metaphors without speaking of changes in customs, one does not know how to unite the great aims; if one has spoken of changes in customs without speaking of past affairs, one does not know the response of the Way and virtue; if one knows the Way and virtue but not the crookedness of the world, one has nothing with which to match the ten thousand regions; if one knows comprehensive discussion but not explanatory sayings, one has nothing with which to be at ease; if one understands writings but not the intent of military affairs, one has nothing with which to respond to sudden events; if one knows the general outline but not metaphors, one has nothing with which to explain things; if one knows the public Way but not the human world, one has nothing with which to respond to fortune and misfortune; if one knows the human world but not cultivating effort, one has nothing with which to urge students to exert themselves. If one tries to cut down the words and gather the main points without bending and entering by turns, one is not enough to exhaust the meaning of the Way and virtue. So in composing twenty chapters, the principles of Heaven and Earth are exhausted, the affairs of the human world are connected, and the Way of emperors and kings is complete!

其言有小有巨，有微有粗，指奏卷異，各有為語。今專言道，則無不在焉，然而能得本知末者，其唯聖人也。今學者無聖人之才，而不為詳說，則終身顛頓乎混溟之中，而不知覺寤乎昭明之術矣。今《易》之《乾》、《坤》，足以窮道通義也，八卦可以識吉凶、知禍福矣，然而伏羲為之六十四變，周室增以六爻，所以原測淑清之道，而扌麏逐萬物之祖也。夫五音之數不過宮商角徵羽，然而五絃之琴不可鼓也。必有細大駕和，而後可以成曲。今畫龍首，觀者不知其何獸也，具其形，則不疑矣。今謂之道則多，謂之物則少，謂之術則博，謂之事則淺，推之以論，則無可言者，所以為學者，固欲致之不言而已也。夫道論至深，故多為之辭，以抒其情；萬物至眾，故博為之說，以通其意。辭雖壇卷連漫，絞紛遠緩，所以洮汰滌蕩至意，使之無凝竭底滯，卷握而不散也。夫江河之腐胔，不可勝數，然祭者汲焉，大也。一杯酒白，蠅漬其中，匹夫弗嘗者，小也。誠通乎二十篇之論，睹凡得要，以通九野，徑十門，外天地，捭山川，其於逍遙一世之間，宰匠萬物之形，亦優遊矣。若然者，挾日月而不烑，潤萬物而不秏。曼兮洮兮，足以覽矣，藐兮浩兮，曠曠兮，可以遊矣。

Those words are small and great, subtle and coarse, and their intentions differ in every detail, each spoken for its own purpose. If one speaks only of the Dao, it is everywhere, but only a sage can get the root and know the branch. Today's students do not have the talent of a sage, and if they are not given detailed explanations, they will stumble all their lives in the murky darkness and not know to awaken to the art of brightness. Now the Qian and Kun hexagrams of the Book of Changes are enough to exhaust the Way and reach righteousness, and the eight trigrams can distinguish good and ill omens and know fortune and misfortune; yet Fu Xi made the sixty-four changes, and the House of Zhou added the six lines, to trace back and measure the fine and clear Way and gather and chase the ancestors of the ten thousand things. The numbers of the five notes are no more than gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu, but a zither of five strings cannot be played; one must have fine and large sounds in harmony before a tune can be made. Now if one draws only the head of a dragon, those who look do not know what beast it is; once its form is complete, they do not doubt. Now there is much said about the Way and little about things, much broad speech about methods and little about affairs; if pressed to argue, there is nothing to say, so those who study naturally wish to reach that which is not said. The discourse on the Way is extremely deep, so much phrasing is given to it to pour out its feeling; the ten thousand things are extremely many, so wide exposition is given to it to open up its meaning. Though the words are coiling, linking, and sprawling, twisting and tangled, distant and slow, they are used to wash and sweep the ultimate meaning so that it does not congeal, dry up, stagnate, or accumulate, but is held rolled up without scattering. The rotten meat in the Yangtze and the Yellow River cannot be counted, yet the one who sacrifices draws water from them because they are great. A cup of white wine with a fly soaked in it, even a commoner will not taste it, because it is small. If one truly masters the discourse of the twenty chapters, sees the whole and grasps the main points, one can penetrate the nine fields, pass through the ten gates, set heaven and earth aside, and divide mountains and rivers; and in roaming freely within a single age and governing the forms of the ten thousand things, one will also be at leisure. Like this, one carries sun and moon without being scorched and moistens the ten thousand things without being depleted. Vast and flowing, one has seen enough; distant and boundless, empty and wide, one can roam.

文王之時，紂為天子，賦斂無度，殺戮無止，康梁沉湎，宮中成市，作為炮烙之刑，刳諫者，剔孕婦，天下同心而苦之。文王四世累善，修德行義，處岐周之間，地方不過百里，天下二垂歸之。文王欲以卑弱制強暴，以為天下去殘除賊而成王道，故太公之謀生焉。

In the time of King Wen, Zhou was Son of Heaven, and his taxes had no limit and his killings no end; he indulged in pleasure and drink, the palace became a marketplace, he made the hot-pillar punishment, cut open those who remonstrated, and slit open pregnant women, and the whole world shared the sense of suffering. For four generations King Wen's house accumulated goodness, cultivated virtue and practiced righteousness; dwelling between Qi and Zhou, his territory did not exceed a hundred li, and yet the world turned to him from both sides. King Wen wanted to use humility and weakness to restrain the strong and violent, to remove cruelty and harm for the world and accomplish the kingly Way, and so the strategy of Taigong arose.

文王業之而不卒，武王繼文王之業，用太公之謀，悉索薄賦，躬擐甲冑，以伐無道而討不義，誓師牧野，以踐天子之位。天下未定，海內未輯，武王欲昭文王之令德，使夷狄各以其賄來貢，遼遠未能至，故治三年之喪，殯文王於兩楹之間，以俟遠方。武王立三年而崩，成王在褓繈之中，未能用事，蔡叔、管叔，輔公子祿父而欲為亂，周公繼文王之業，持天子之政，以股肱周室，輔翼成王，懼爭道之不塞，臣下之危上也，故縱馬華山，放牛桃林，敗鼓折枹，搢笏而朝，以寧靜王室，鎮撫諸侯。成王既壯，能從政事，周公受封於魯，以此移風易俗。孔子修成、康之道，述周公之訓，以教七十子，使服其衣冠，修其篇籍，故儒者之學生焉。

King Wen managed it but did not complete it; King Wu carried on King Wen's work, used Taigong's strategy, drew on the thin levies to the last, personally put on armor and helmet to attack the one without the Way and punish the unrighteous, took the oath with his troops at Muye, and mounted the throne of the Son of Heaven. The world was not yet settled and within the seas was not yet at peace; King Wu wished to make clear King Wen's excellent commands and have the barbarians each bring goods as tribute, but those far away could not yet come, so he held a three-year mourning and placed King Wen's coffin between the two pillars to wait for the distant. King Wu died after standing for three years, and King Cheng was still in swaddling clothes and could not yet handle affairs; Uncle Cai and Uncle Guan, assisting Prince Lufu, wished to start a rebellion. The Duke of Zhou carried on King Wen's work, held the government of the Son of Heaven, served as the limbs of the House of Zhou and assisted King Cheng, fearing that struggles over the Way could not be blocked and that subjects would harm those above, so he released horses on Mount Hua and cattle in the Peach Forest, broke the drums and snapped the drumsticks, and attended court with a tablet stuck in his sash, in order to calm the royal house and pacify the lords. When King Cheng was grown and could attend to affairs, the Duke of Zhou was enfeoffed in Lu, and used it to change customs and alter habits. Confucius cultivated the Way of Cheng and Kang and transmitted the teachings of the Duke of Zhou to instruct his seventy disciples, making them wear his clothes and caps and cultivate his texts, and so the students of the Confucians came forth.

墨子學儒者之業，受孔子之術，以為其禮煩擾而不說，厚葬靡財而貧民，服傷生而害事，故背周道而行夏政。禹之時，天下大水，禹身執虆垂，以為民先，剔河而道九岐，鑿江而通九路，闢五湖而定東海，當此之時，燒不暇撌，濡不給扢，死陵者葬陵，死澤者葬澤，故節財、薄葬、閑服生焉。

Mozi studied the work of the Confucians and received the art of Confucius, but thought that their rituals were fussy and unpleasant, that lavish burial wasted wealth and impoverished the people, and that mourning dress harmed life and hindered affairs, so he turned his back on the Zhou way and followed the government of Xia. In the time of Yu, there was a great flood in the world, and Yu himself took basket and spade and set an example for the people, dredged the rivers and opened nine branches, cut through the Yangtze and opened nine routes, opened up the five lakes and settled the East Sea; at that time, when fire was burning there was no time to put it out, when wet there was no time to wipe off, those who died on hills were buried on hills and those who died in marshes were buried in marshes, and so thrift in spending, light burial, and simple dress arose.

齊桓公之時，天子卑弱，諸侯力征，南夷北狄，交伐中國，中國之不絕如線。齊國之地，東負海而北障河，地狹田少，而民多智巧，桓公憂中國之患，苦夷狄之亂，欲以存亡繼絕，崇天子之位，廣文、武之業，故《管子》之書生焉。齊景公內好聲色，外好狗馬，獵射亡歸，好色無辨。作為路寢之臺，族鑄大鍾，撞之庭下，郊雉皆呴，一朝用三千鍾贛，梁丘據、子家噲導於左右，故晏子之諫生焉。

In the time of Duke Huan of Qi, the Son of Heaven was humble and weak, the lords attacked each other by force, and the southern Yi and northern Di took turns attacking the Central States, so that the Central States hung on like a single thread. The land of Qi leaned on the sea to the east and was blocked by the river to the north, with narrow land and little farmland, and its people were full of cleverness. Duke Huan worried about the troubles of the Central States and was pained by the disorder of the barbarians, and wished to preserve what was perishing and continue what was cut off, raise the position of the Son of Heaven, and broaden the work of Wen and Wu, so the book of Guanzi arose. Duke Jing of Qi loved music and women within and dogs and horses without; he hunted and shot and forgot to return, and loved women without discrimination. He built a terrace at the main chamber, cast a great bell all at once, and struck it in the courtyard so that pheasants in the wilds cried out, and in a single morning gave away three thousand zhong of grain; Liangqiu Ju and Zijia Kuai led him on at his side, and so Yan Zi's remonstrances arose.

晚世之時，六國諸侯，溪異谷別，水絕山隔，各自治其境內，守其分地，握其權柄，擅其政令。下無方伯，上無天子，力征爭權，勝者為右，恃連與國，約重致，剖信符，結遠援，以守其國家，持其社稷，故縱橫修短生焉。

In later ages, the lords of the six states lived in different valleys, separated by waters and mountains, each governed what was within its own borders, held its allotted land, grasped the handles of power, and monopolized the governing decrees. Below there was no regional lord, above there was no Son of Heaven; they fought by force to seize power, and the winner was on top, relying on allied states, binding with heavy gifts, splitting tallies of good faith, and making distant alliances to guard their states and hold their altars, and so the schools of vertical and horizontal alliances, of long and short, arose.

申子者，朝昭釐之佐，韓、晉別國也。地墽民險，而介於大國之間，晉國之故禮未滅，韓國之新法重出，先君之令未收，後君之令又下，新故相反，前後相繆，百官背亂，不知所用。故刑名之書生焉。

Shen Buhai was the assistant of Marquis Zhaoxi of Han, in the state that had split from Jin. The land was barren and the people were treacherous, squeezed between great states; the old rites of Jin had not yet been extinguished while the new laws of Han emerged again; the orders of the former lord had not been withdrawn while the orders of the later lord came down; new and old contradicted each other, the front and rear were in error, and the hundred officials were confused and did not know what to follow. So the writings on penalties and names arose.

秦國之俗，貪狼強力，寡義而趨利。可威以刑，而不可化以善；可勸以賞，而不可厲以名。被險而帶河，四塞以為固，地利形便，畜積殷富。孝公欲以虎狼之勢而吞諸侯，故商鞅之法生焉。

The custom of Qin was greedy, wolfish, and given to force, lacking in righteousness and bent on profit. It could be overawed with punishments but not transformed by goodness; it could be encouraged with rewards but not sharpened by renown. It lay clad in dangerous terrain and girdled by the river, with four barriers as its fortress, with convenient advantages of land and terrain, and abundant stores. Duke Xiao wished to swallow the lords with the force of tigers and wolves, and so the laws of Shang Yang arose.

若劉氏之書，觀天地之象，通古今之事，權事而立制，度形而施宜，原道之心，合三王之風，以儲與扈冶。玄眇之中，精搖靡覽，棄其畛挈，斟其淑靜，以統天下，理萬物，應變化，通殊類，非循一跡之路，守一隅之指，拘繫牽連之物，而不與世推移也。故置之尋常而不塞，布之天下而不窕。

As for the book of the Liu house, it observes the images of Heaven and Earth, penetrates the affairs of past and present, weighs events to establish institutions, measures forms to apply what is fitting, traces the mind of the Way, and joins the customs of the Three Kings, in order to store up vastness. Within the dark and subtle, its essence shakes and surveys everything, discarding the coarse and weighing the fine and tranquil, to unify the world, order the ten thousand things, respond to change, and connect different kinds; it does not follow the tracks of a single road, keep to the direction of a single corner, or cling to entangled things without shifting with the world. So placed in a space of a few feet it does not block, and spread across the world it leaves no gap.