Yan Tie Lun (鹽鐵論)

【臣】等謹案鹽鐡論十二卷漢桓寛撰寛字次公汝南人宣帝時舉為郎官至廬江太守丞昭帝始元六年詔郡國舉賢良文學之士問以民所疾苦皆請罷鹽鐡酤與御史大夫桑宏羊等建議相詰難寛集其所論為書凡六十篇篇各標目實則反覆問答諸篇皆首尾相屬後罷酤而鹽鐡則如舊故寛作是書惟以鹽鐡為名葢惜其議不盡行也書末襍論一篇述汝南朱子伯之言記賢良茂陵唐生文學魯萬生等六十餘人而最推中山劉子雍九江祝生於桑宏羊車千秋深著微詞葢其著書之大防所論雖食貨之事而言皆述先王稱六經故諸史皆列之儒家黃虞稷千頃堂書目改史部食貨類中循名而失其實矣明嘉靖癸丑華亭張之象為之注雖無所發明然事實亦粗具梗槩今並錄之以備考核焉乾隆四十三年六月恭校上

[Your subject] and others respectfully note: the Yan Tie Lun (Discourses on Salt and Iron) is in twelve fascicles, compiled by Huan Kuan of the Han dynasty. Huan Kuan, styled Cigong, was from Runan. In the time of Emperor Xuan he was recommended as a gentleman attendant and rose to the rank of Assistant Prefect of Lujiang. In the sixth year of the Shiyuan era of Emperor Zhao, an edict ordered the commanderies and kingdoms to recommend men of worth and literary learning to ask about the sufferings of the people. They all asked for the abolition of the salt and iron monopolies and the wine monopoly (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription, being the 'monopoly' of the wine monopoly), and debated against Grand Secretary Sang Hongyang and others. Huan Kuan collected their arguments and made a book, of sixty chapters in all. Each chapter bears a title, but in fact it is a repeated exchange of questions and answers, with each chapter linked head to tail. Later the wine monopoly was abolished while salt and iron remained as before, so Huan Kuan named his book only for salt and iron, regretting that the argument was not fully carried out. The final chapter, Za Lun (Miscellaneous Discussion), records the words of Zhu Ziba of Runan and notes more than sixty men, including the worthy Tang Sheng of Maoling and the literatus Lu Wansheng, while giving highest honor to Liu Ziyong of Zhongshan and Master Zhu of Jiujiang; it makes subtle criticism of Sang Hongyang and Che Qianqiu, and this is the main point of his writing. Although what is discussed concerns food and goods, the words all praise the former kings and cite the Six Classics, so all the histories list it among the Confucian works. Huang Yuji's Qianqingtang Catalogue moved it into the category of food and goods within the history section (the base text has a rare character for 'into' that was lost in transcription), following the name and missing the substance. In the guichou year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming, Zhang Zhixiang of Huating wrote a commentary on it; though it contains no discoveries, it also roughly outlines the facts, and it is now recorded together for reference. Respectfully collated and submitted in the sixth month of the forty-third year of Qianlong.

張子曰餘嘗謂文學政事孔門設教判為兩科要之皆儒者之能事通一無間者也是故學優乃仕仕優乃學此烏可以偏業語之哉借所謂文學雲者而不通政事則空言無當殆非達儒之謂矣餘於桓氏鹽鐡論不獨好其文蓋多其善言政事焉夫君子非患不文也患不適用耳乃世之防士雲者徒騁章句之學而中無卓見牽合雷同阿狥逢迎多所顧忌不能一張膽正言吐露忠赤畢展其志何者大抵以干祿為累得失動心雖欲抗論不可得已苟如是則上負天子下負所學是尚可以為士乎夫士貴立志亦貴養氣志不立則中懦氣不養則外怯孔子曰三軍可奪帥也匹夫不可奪志也孟子曰我善養吾浩然之氣且雲説大人則藐之勿視其巍巍然蓋君子求諸已而已其用其舍其得其失當自有任其責者於我何與焉孔子欲行王道東西南北七十説而無所遇孟子亦奔走齊梁所如不合道之不行豈孔孟之罪哉然萬世之下六經昭如七篇具在道頼以傳至今不泯説者謂夫子賢於堯舜孟子功不在禹下信哉言也漢興百有餘載敦尚儒術文學賢良皆誦法孔孟知所自好其議罷鹽鐡酒均輸憤切時政貫綜國體至能以韋布直詆公卿辯難侃侃無少假借不降其志不餒其氣雖古稱國士何以加焉當其時雖不見用卒乃頼桓氏採録為書遂至不朽後之儒者試取而讀之不以俗學自困則志意奮待問而發臨文不遜盡言不諱將以堯舜待其君伊周待其相孔孟待其身又何疑懼之有如其不遇則從吾所好簟瓢陋巷帶索鼓琴以詠先王之風不然或撰造一家之言建不朽之業寄知音於後世亦可矣詩云優哉防哉聊以卒嵗此之謂也蓋古之人得志則澤加於民不得志修身見於世達則兼善天下窮則獨善其身囂囂如也何必枉道求合哉夫一言之間推見心術窺測至隠若是乎言之不可不慎也漢武帝時頗多防士後先奏對各異其説董生一言主正公孫氏一言主和至觀其終世行業亦以類判如其所言自此以降則文學賢良茂陵唐生九江祝生劉子雄魯萬生者聲稱孝昭之世跡其行事雖不少概見然深考其説立意較然不詭於道其為孔孟之徒也必矣往餘嘗師事涇野呂公西馬公學儒者言朂餘以立志養氣之説自孔孟求之毋曲學以阿世及指稱漢代作者此書為最其言治理並可施設儒者之能事畢在是也嗟乎哲人既逝雅訓猶存不敢廢墜謹為註釋因著其説如此若鹽鐡終始之詳餘別有序姑蔵之山中以俟知者此不具載雲嘉靖癸丑閏三月朔旦雲間張之象序

Zhang Zhixiang says: I once said that literary learning and government affairs were divided into two subjects in Confucius's teaching, but in essence both are things Confucians can do, and when fully mastered they are one with no gap between. So when learning is excellent one takes office, and when office is excellent one studies again; how can one speak of this as being biased toward one trade? If what is called literary learning does not understand government, it is empty talk that does not apply, and certainly not the learning of a Confucian who has mastered things. As for Huan's Yan Tie Lun, I not only like its prose but value it more for being good at discussing government. A gentleman does not fear lacking polish but fears being of no use. The so-called scholars of the world (the base text writes 'fang scholars,' where the first character seems corrupt) only gallop in the learning of chapters and verses, have no outstanding views in their hearts, patch together agreements, flatter and fawn, have many reservations, and cannot speak upright with a bold voice, pour out their loyal hearts, and fully carry out their aims. Why? Most are burdened by seeking salary, their hearts moved by gain and loss, and though they want to argue against the grain they cannot. If so, they fail the Son of Heaven above and what they have studied below; can they still be called scholars? A scholar values setting his resolve and also values nourishing his breath. If the resolve is not set, the inner heart is weak; if the breath is not nourished, one is timid toward the outside. Confucius said: "The commander of three armies can be taken away, but the will of a common man cannot." Mencius said: "I am good at nourishing my flood-like breath." He also said that in persuading the great one should look down on him and not look at his towering manner. The gentleman seeks only within himself; as for being used or set aside, gaining or losing, there are those who bear that responsibility; what has it to do with me? Confucius wished to practice the kingly Way, traveled east, west, south, and north seventy times to persuade rulers, and never found a match; Mencius too rushed about Qi and Liang, and wherever he went he did not fit in. That the Way is not practiced, is that the fault of Confucius and Mencius? Yet through ten thousand generations the Six Classics shine brightly and the seven chapters of Mencius are all there, and by them the Way has been transmitted to this day without extinction. Those who discuss it say that the Master is more worthy than Yao and Shun, and that Mencius's merit is no less than Yu's; this saying is credible. Since the rise of Han over a hundred years, honoring Confucian arts, the literati and the worthy all recited and followed Confucius and Mencius and knew what they should love. In their discussions of abolishing salt and iron, the wine monopoly, and the equalizing transport, they were angered and pained by the government of the time and thoroughly understood the nature of the state, even to the point of directly denouncing the ministers and high officials as commoners in rough belts and coarse cloth, debating earnestly without any borrowing, not lowering their aims and not weakening their integrity; even the men called state-worthy scholars of antiquity, how would they surpass these men? Though they were not used at the time, in the end they came down in Huan's collected book and so became immortal. If later Confucians try taking it to read and are not trapped by vulgar learning, their aims are stirred (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription), they wait to be asked before speaking again, do not hold back when writing, speak fully without avoiding taboo, expecting Yao and Shun of their ruler, Yi Yin and the Duke of Zhou of their chancellor, and Confucius and Mencius of themselves; what then is there to doubt or fear? If they do not meet with a ruler, they follow what I love, with a basket of rice and a gourd of water in a humble lane, a belt of rope and a zither, to sing the style of the former kings. Otherwise, one may compose a school's words and establish an immortal enterprise, entrusting those who know the tune to later ages, and that would also do. The Book of Poetry says: "How leisurely, how at ease, thus to spend the year" (the base text writes a variant of 'at ease' with a corrupt character, which should be the usual one). This is what it means. The ancients, when they achieved their aims, spread grace to the people; when they did not achieve them, they cultivated their persons and showed it to the world; in success they benefited the whole world, in hardship they perfected themselves alone, at ease and self-possessed; why bend the Way to seek agreement? In a single sentence one can infer the art of the mind and peer into the most hidden, so in speech one must not be unguarded. In the time of Emperor Wu of Han, there were many scholars (the base text writes 'fang scholars' again), and in their memorials and replies they had different sayings in succession: Dong Zhongshu in one sentence advocated rectitude, Gongsun Hong in one sentence advocated harmony; looking at their lifelong careers, they were also divided by type, just as they said. From then on, the literati and worthy Tang Sheng of Maoling, Zhu Sheng of Jiujiang, Liu Zixiong, and Lu Wansheng were famed in the age of Emperor Zhao. Examining their actions, though little is visible, yet examining their words deeply, their intentions are clear and do not go against the Way; they were certainly followers of Confucius and Mencius. In the past I studied under Mr. Lu of Jingye and Mr. Ma of the western (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription), and learned the sayings of the Confucians; they encouraged me to set my resolve and nourish my breath, to seek from Confucius and Mencius and not to bend my learning to curry favor with the age, and they pointed out that among Han writers this book is the best, as it discusses governing and can also be carried out, and that what Confucians can do is all in it. The wise men have passed on, but their upright admonitions remain; I do not dare let them fall, and so respectfully annotate it and put these words here. As for the full details of the beginning and end of salt and iron, I have a separate preface, which for now I keep in the mountains awaiting those who understand, and do not record in detail here. On the first day of the intercalary third month of the guichou year of Jiajing, preface by Zhang Zhixiang of Yunjian.

惟始元六年有詔書使丞相【去聲】御史與所舉賢良文學語問民間所疾苦【漢書食貨志曰昭帝即位六年詔郡國舉賢良文學之士問以民所疾苦教化之要車千秋傳曰武帝疾立皇子鉤弋夫人男為太子拜大將軍霍光車騎將軍金日防禦史大夫桑羊及丞相千秋並受遺詔輔道少主武帝崩昭帝初即位未任聼政政事壹決大將軍光千秋居丞相位謹厚有重徳始元六年昭帝詔郡國舉賢良文學之士問以民所疾苦於是鹽鐵之議起焉】

In the sixth year of Shiyuan, an edict ordered the Chancellor and Grand Secretary [pronunciation note: the character xiang in 'chancellor' is read in the falling tone] to converse with the recommended worthies and literati and ask what the people suffered. [The Treatise on Food and Goods in the Han Shu says: in the sixth year of Emperor Zhao's reign, an edict ordered the commanderies and kingdoms to recommend men of worth and literary learning to ask about the sufferings of the people and the essentials of teaching. The Biography of Che Qianqiu says: when Emperor Wu was gravely ill, he set the boy born of Lady Gouyi as crown prince and appointed the General-in-Chief Huo Guang, the General of Chariots and Cavalry Jin Midi, the Grand Secretary Sang Hongyang (the base text has a rare character for 'Hong' lost in transcription), and the Chancellor Qianqiu together to receive the posthumous edict and assist the young lord. When Emperor Wu died, Emperor Zhao had just taken the throne and could not yet attend to government, and government was entirely decided by the General-in-Chief Huo Guang. Qianqiu held the position of Chancellor, careful and generous with deep virtue. In the sixth year of Shiyuan, Emperor Zhao ordered the commanderies and kingdoms to recommend men of worth and literary learning to ask about the sufferings of the people, and thus the debate on salt and iron arose.]

文學對曰竊聞治人之道坊【古防字】淫佚【音逸】之原廣道徳之端抑末利而開仁義毋【音無】示以利然後教化可興而風俗可移也今郡國有鹽鐡酒【音較】均輸與民爭利【食貨志曰大農上鹽鐵丞孔僅咸陽言山海天地之崴也皆宜屬少府陛下不私以屬大農佐賦願募民自給費因官器作煮鹽官與牢盆浮食竒名欲擅管山海之貨以致富羨役利細民其沮事之議不可勝聼敢私鑄鐵器煮鹽者鈇左趾沒入其器物郡不出鐵者置小鐵官便屬在所縣使孔僅東郭咸陽乗傳舉行天下鹽鐵作官府除故鹽鐵家富者為吏武帝紀曰天漢三年春二月初酒酤是時桑羊為大司農蓋其所建也應劭曰縣官自酤賣酒小民不得復酤也韋昭曰謂禁民酤釀獨官開置如道路設木為獨取利也爾雅謂之石槓今之畧彴是也禁閉其事揔利入官而下無由以得有若渡水之因立名焉史記平凖書曰元封元年桑羊為治粟都尉領大農代孔僅筦天下鹽鐵羊以諸官各自市相與爭物故騰躍而天下賦輸或不償其僦費乃請置大農部丞數十人分部主郡國各徃徃縣置均輸令逺方各以其物貴時商賈所轉販者為賦而相輸置平凖於京師都受天下委輸各工官治車諸器皆仰給大農大農之諸官盡籠天下之貨物貴即賣之賤則買之如此富商大賈無所牟大利則反本而萬物不得騰踴故抑天下物名曰平凖天子以為然許之於是天子北至朔方東到太山廵海上並北邊以歸所過賞賜用帛百餘萬匹錢金以鉅萬計皆取足大農】散敦厚之樸成貪鄙之化是以百姓就本者寡趨末者眾夫【音扶】文繁則質衰末盛則本虧末修則民淫本修則民慤【音卻善也誠也】民慤則財用足民侈則飢寒生願罷鹽鐡酒【音較】均輸所以進本退末廣利農業便也

The literati replied: I privately hear that the way to govern people is to block [fang is the old form of fang, 'guard against'] the source of licentiousness [pronunciation note: yi is read yi] and to extend the first threads of virtue, to suppress the profit of secondary pursuits and open up benevolence and righteousness, and not [pronunciation note: wu is read wu] to show profit to the people; only then can teaching flourish and customs change. Now the commanderies and kingdoms have salt and iron monopolies, the wine monopoly [pronunciation note: the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription, read jiao, being the 'monopoly' of the wine monopoly] and the equalizing transport, competing for profit with the people [the Treatise on Food and Goods says: the Grand Minister of Agriculture presented the words of the salt and iron assistants Kong Jin and Dongguo Xianyang, saying that the mountains and seas are the treasuries of Heaven and Earth (the base text writes a wrong character for 'treasuries,' which should be the usual one), and should all belong to the Privy Treasury; but Your Majesty does not take them as private possessions and has assigned them to the Grand Minister of Agriculture to supplement the taxes. They hoped to recruit the common people to supply their own expenses, boiling salt with government equipment, with the government providing the iron pans. Those idle, extraordinary men wanted to monopolize the goods of the mountains and seas to get rich and use the common people to gain profit; there was no end of arguments obstructing this matter. Those who dared privately cast iron implements or boil salt would have their left toe shackled and their equipment confiscated. In commanderies that produce no iron, small iron offices were set up, attached to the local county. Kong Jin and Dongguo Xianyang were sent by post carriage to tour the salt and iron works of the empire, set up offices, and appoint as officials wealthy people from the old salt and iron households. The Annals of Emperor Wu says: in the second month of spring in the third year of Tianhan, the wine monopoly was first established. At this time Sang Hongyang was Grand Minister of Agriculture, and it was probably his proposal. Ying Shao says: the county government sells wine itself as a monopoly, and common people may no longer sell wine. Wei Zhao says: que means forbidding the common people to brew and sell, letting only the government open it, like a wooden que set across a road to take profit alone. The Erya calls it a stone bar, which is today's lueyue (narrow bridge). It closes off the matter and gathers all profit into the government, so that those below cannot obtain it, like a ferry bridge across water, and thus the name was set. The Treatise on the Balanced Standard in the Shi Ji says: in the first year of Yuanfeng, Sang Hongyang served as Commandant of Grain, concurrently leading the Grand Minister of Agriculture, taking over from Kong Jin the management of the salt and iron of the empire. Because officials were each buying goods and competing with one another, prices leapt up, and the taxes and transport of the empire sometimes did not cover even the freight cost, Hongyang requested that several dozen deputy offices of the Grand Minister of Agriculture be set up to manage the commanderies and kingdoms by region, and that the counties often have an equalizing transport officer; distant places would each pay as tax the goods that merchants resold at high prices, and transfer them to one another (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription); in the capital, a balanced standard office was set up to receive all the transported goods of the empire. All the craft offices that built carriages and implements drew their supplies from the Grand Minister of Agriculture. The offices under the Grand Minister of Agriculture gathered all the goods of the empire, selling when prices were high and buying when low. In this way rich merchants and great traders had no way to make great profit and returned to the root occupation, and goods could not leap in price. So the price of goods under heaven was suppressed, and it was called the balanced standard. The Son of Heaven thought it right and permitted it. Then the Son of Heaven went north to Shuofang, east to Mount Tai, toured the sea coast, and returned along the northern frontier; the rewards given along the way amounted to more than a million bolts of silk and tens of thousands of strings of cash and gold, all drawn in full from the Grand Minister of Agriculture.] They scattered the plain sincerity of generous people and fostered a greedy and base fashion of teaching. So few among the hundred clans return to the root occupation and many hasten to the secondary. The sentence-opening fu [pronunciation note: fu is read fu]: when ornament flourishes, substance decays; when secondary occupations flourish, the root occupation is diminished; when secondary occupations are cultivated, the people become extravagant; when the root occupation is cultivated, the people become honest and generous [pronunciation note: que is read que; que means good and sincere]. When the people are honest and generous, resources are sufficient; when the people are extravagant, hunger and cold arise. We hope the salt and iron monopolies, the wine monopoly [pronunciation note: que is read jiao], and the equalizing transport will be abolished, so as to advance the root and retreat the secondary and spread the benefit of agriculture; this would be convenient.

大夫曰匈奴背叛不臣數【音朔頻也】為於邊鄙【匈奴傳曰匈奴其先祖夏后氏之苗裔也曰淳維樂彥括地譜雲夏桀無道湯放之鳴條三年而死其子獯鬻妻桀之眾妾避居北野隨畜移徙中國謂之匈奴晉灼雲殷時曰獯鬻周曰玁狁秦曰匈奴匈奴傳又曰元朔二年夏匈奴數萬騎入殺代郡太守恭及畧千餘人其秋匈奴又入鴈門殺畧千餘人其明年匈奴又復入代郡定襄上郡各三萬騎殺畧數千人匈奴右賢王怨漢奪之河南地而築朔方數為冦盜邊及入河南侵擾朔方殺畧吏民甚眾】備之則勞中國之士不備則侵盜不止先帝哀邊人之久患苦為虜所繫獲也故修障【音瘴】塞【音賽】飭烽燧屯戍【音絮】以備之【先帝漢武帝也漢大行王恢曰今匈奴縱意日久矣侵盜無已係虜人民戍卒死傷中國道路櫘車相望此仁人之所哀也障保障也謂塞上要險處築城以為蔽障也塞邊塞也烽表也燧塞上亭守烽火者文頴曰邊方避冦作高土櫓櫓上作桔臯桔臯頭兠零以薪草置其中常低之有冦即火燃舉之以相告曰烽又多積薪冦至則即燃之望其煙曰燧顔師古曰晝則燔燧夜則舉烽戍守邊也從人持戈為意】邊用度不足故興鹽鐵設酒【音較】置均輸蕃貨長【音掌】財以佐助邊費今議者欲罷之內空府庫之藏外乏執備之用使備塞【音賽】乗城之士【乗城謂登城而守之也】飢寒於邊將何以澹【古贍字】之罷之不便也

The Grand Secretary (Sang Hongyang) said: The Xiongnu rebel and do not submit and repeatedly [pronunciation note: shuo is read shuo, meaning 'repeatedly'] raid the borderlands (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) [the Treatise on the Xiongnu says: the ancestors of the Xiongnu were descendants of the House of Xia, named Chunwei. Le Yan's Kuodi Pu says: Jie of Xia was without the Way, and Tang exiled him to Mingtiao, where he died in three years; his son Xunyu took Jie's many concubines and, avoiding to the northern wilds, moved with his herds, and the Central States called them Xiongnu. Jin Zhuo says: in the Yin they were called Xunyu, in the Zhou Xianyun, and in the Qin Xiongnu. The Treatise on the Xiongnu also says: in the summer of the second year of Yuanshuo, tens of thousands of Xiongnu cavalry broke in, killed the Governor of Dai Commandery, Gong, and captured more than a thousand people; in the autumn of that year the Xiongnu again entered Yanmen, killing and plundering more than a thousand people; the next year the Xiongnu again entered Dai, Dingxiang, and Shang commanderies, with thirty thousand cavalry each, killing and plundering several thousand. The Xiongnu Worthy King of the Right resented that Han had taken the land south of the river and built Shuofang, repeatedly raided the borders, and entered south of the river to harass Shuofang, killing and plundering many officials and people.] If we guard against them, we wear out the soldiers of the Central States; if we do not, their raids and thefts never cease. The former emperor pitied the border people long suffering harm and being captured by the raiders, and so built barriers [pronunciation note: zhang is read zhang] and forts [pronunciation note: sai is read sai], put the beacon fires in order, and garrisoned [pronunciation note: shu is read xu] to guard [the former emperor is Emperor Wu of Han. Wang Hui, Grand Herald of Han, said: now the Xiongnu have long indulged their wishes, raiding without ceasing, taking people captive, and the garrison soldiers die and are injured, and carts carrying coffins can be seen one after another on the roads of the Central States; this is what benevolent men grieve over. Zhang means a barrier, that is, building walls at strategic places on the frontier as a shield. Sai is the frontier fort. Feng is the signal (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription), and sui is the pavilion on the frontier that guards the beacon fire. Wen Ying says: on the frontier, to avoid raiders, high earthen towers are built, and on the tower a well-sweep with a basket at the head holds firewood and straw, which is usually lowered; if raiders come, the fire is lit and raised to give notice, which is called feng; also much firewood is piled up and lit when raiders arrive, and the smoke seen is called sui. Yan Shigu says: by day they burn the sui, by night they raise the feng. Shu means to guard the border, and takes its sense from a man holding a halberd.] The border expenses were insufficient, so the salt and iron works were set up, the wine monopoly [pronunciation note: que is read jiao] established, and the equalizing transport created, to multiply goods, increase [pronunciation note: zhang is read zhang] revenue, and supplement the border costs. Now those who argue want to abolish them; then at home the stores of the treasury would be emptied, and abroad the expenses of defense would be lacking, and the soldiers who guard the forts [pronunciation note: sai is read sai] and mount the walls [cheng cheng means mounting the walls to defend] would be hungry and cold on the frontier; with what would we supply [dan is the old form of shan, 'supply,' meaning to be sufficient] them? To abolish them would not be convenient.

文學曰孔子曰有國有家者不患寡而患不均不患貧而患不安故天子不言多少諸侯不言利害大夫不言得喪【去聲】畜仁義以風之廣徳行【去聲】以懷之【韓嬰曰天子不言多少諸侯不言利害大夫不言得防士不言通財貨不賈於道故駟馬之家不恃雞豚之息伐氷之家不圖牛羊之入千乗之君不通貨財冡郷不修幣大夫不為場圃委積之臣不貪市井之利是以貧窮有所歡而孤寡有所措其手足也詩曰彼有遺秉此有滯穗伊寡婦之利】是以近者親附而逺者説【音悅】服故善克者不戰善戰者不師善師者不陳【古陣字穀梁傳曰善為國者不師善師者不陳善陳者不戰善戰者不死善死者不亡班固曰齊之技擊不可以遇魏之武卒魏之武卒不可以直秦之鋭士秦之鋭士不可以當桓文之節制桓文之節制不可以敵湯武之仁義故曰善師者不陳善陳者不戰善戰者不敗善敗者不亡若夫舜修百僚咎繇作士命以蠻夷猾夏冦賊奸軌而刑無所用所謂善師不陳者也湯武征伐陳師誓眾而放禽桀紂所謂善陳不戰者也齊桓南服強楚使貢周室北伐山戎為燕開路存亡繼絶功為伯首所謂善戰不敗者也楚昭王遭闔廬之禍國滅出亡父老送之王曰父老反矣何患無君父老曰有君如是其賢也相與從之或奔走赴秦號哭請救秦人憐之為之出兵昭王返國所謂善敗不亡者也】修之於廟堂而折沖還【音旋】師王者行仁政無敵於天下惡【音烏】用費哉

The literati said: Confucius said: "Those who hold a state or a family do not worry about scarcity but about inequality, and do not worry about poverty but about insecurity." So the Son of Heaven does not speak of much or little, the lords do not speak of benefit and harm, and grand masters do not speak of gain and loss [pronunciation note: sang is read in the falling tone]; they store up benevolence and righteousness to influence them, and extend virtue [pronunciation note: xing is read in the falling tone] to bring them in [Han Ying says: the Son of Heaven does not speak of much or little, the lords do not speak of benefit and harm, grand masters do not speak of gain and loss (the base text has a corrupt character for 'loss,' which should be the usual one), and scholars do not speak of circulating goods and do not trade on the roads. So a family with four-horse carriages does not rely on the interest of chickens and piglets, a family that cuts ice does not plan the income of cattle and sheep, a ruler of a thousand chariots does not trade in goods, a chief minister does not cultivate currency, a grand master does not make fields and gardens, and a minister with stored wealth does not covet the profit of the marketplace. So the poor have something to rejoice at, and orphans and widows have a place to put their hands and feet. The Book of Poetry says: 'There are left-behind sheaves over there, and dropped ears of grain here, the profit of the widow.'] So those near are drawn close, and those far are pleased [pronunciation note: shuo is read yue] and submit. So one who is good at defeating the enemy does not fight, one who is good at fighting does not use armies, and one who is good at using armies does not draw up formations [chen is the old form of zhen, 'formation.' The Guliang Commentary says: one who is good at governing a state does not use armies, one who is good at using armies does not draw up formations, one who is good at drawing up formations does not fight, one who is good at fighting does not die, and one who is good at dying does not perish. Ban Gu says: the striking skills of Qi cannot meet the military strength of Wei, the military strength of Wei cannot withstand the elite troops of Qin, the elite troops of Qin cannot withstand the discipline of Dukes Huan and Wen of Qi and Jin, and the discipline of Huan and Wen cannot match the benevolence and righteousness of Tang and Wu. So it is said: one who is good at using armies does not draw up formations, one who is good at drawing up formations does not fight, one who is good at fighting is not defeated, and one who is good at being defeated does not perish. As for Shun reorganizing the hundred officials and appointing Gao Yao as Minister of Justice, ordering them to deal with the barbarians disturbing Huaxia and with bandits and criminals so that punishment had nowhere to be applied, this is what is called being good at using armies without drawing up formations. When Tang and Wu campaigned, they drew up troops and took oaths and banished and captured Jie and Zhou, which is what is called being good at drawing up formations without fighting. Duke Huan of Qi subdued mighty Chu in the south, making it pay tribute to the Zhou house, and attacked the Shanrong in the north, opening a road for Yan; he preserved the lost and continued the broken, and his merit was first among hegemons; this is what is called being good at fighting without being defeated. King Zhao of Chu met the disaster of Helu, his state fell and he fled, and the elders saw him off; the king said: 'Elders, go back; why worry about having no ruler?' The elders said: 'There is a ruler as worthy as this.' They followed him one after another, and some rushed to Qin, wailing and begging for rescue; the people of Qin took pity and sent troops for him, and King Zhao returned to his state; this is what is called being good at being defeated without perishing.] When one cultivates virtue in the court, one can turn back [pronunciation note: huan is read xuan] spears and armies. When a king practices benevolent government, he has no enemy under heaven; why [pronunciation note: wu is read wu, an interrogative meaning 'why'] waste resources?

大夫曰匈奴桀黠【音舝諡法雲賊人多殺曰桀古人謂桀黠者謂其兇若桀也】擅恣入塞【音賽】犯厲中國殺伐郡縣朔方都尉甚悖不軌【法也】宜誅討之日久矣陛下垂大惠哀元元之未澹【古贍字蔡邕獨斷曰漢天子正號曰皇帝自稱曰朕臣民稱之曰陛下陛階也所由升堂也天子必有近臣執兵陳於陛側以戒不虞謂之陛下者群臣與天子言不敢指斥天子故呼在陛下者而告之因卑逹尊之意也上書亦如之及群臣士庻相與言曰殿下閤下執事之屬皆此類也元元庻民也】不忍士大夫於原野縱然被【音披】堅執鋭有北面復匈奴之志又欲罷鹽鐵均輸憂邊用損武畧無憂邊之心於其義未便也

The Grand Secretary said: The Xiongnu are fierce and cunning [pronunciation note: xia is read xia. The Rules of Posthumous Titles says: one who kills many people is called jie. The ancients said 'jie xia,' meaning their raiding (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) is like Jie of Xia.], acting willfully and without restraint, they attacked the frontier forts [pronunciation note: sai is read sai], invaded the Central States, and attacked the commanderies and counties and the Commandant of Shuofang, being very rebellious and not keeping to the rules [gui means the rules]; they have long deserved punishment. Your Majesty has bestowed great kindness and pities the hundred clans who are still not provided for [dan is the old form of shan, 'provided for.' Cai Yong's Duduan says: the formal title of the Han Son of Heaven is Emperor, he calls himself zhen, and the ministers and people call him Bixia. Bi is the steps, by which one ascends the hall. The Son of Heaven always has close ministers holding weapons stationed beside the steps to guard against the unexpected. Calling him 'Bixia' (below the steps) means that when ministers speak to the Son of Heaven they do not dare point at him directly, so they address the one below the steps and tell him, expressing communication from the lowly to the honored. It is the same in memorials. Ministers, scholars, and commoners address one another as Dianxia, Gexia, Zhishi, and so on, all of this kind. Yuanyuan means the common people.] and cannot bear to let the scholars and grand masters suffer raiding (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) in the wilds. Though they wear [pronunciation note: bei is read pi] firm armor and hold sharp blades, with the aim of turning north to take revenge on the Xiongnu, you want to abolish the salt, iron, and equalizing transport, worrying about frontier expenses and reducing martial strategy, without the heart of concern for the frontier; this is not convenient in righteousness.

文學曰古者貴以徳而賤用兵【祭公謀父曰先王耀徳不觀兵是故周文公之頌曰載戢干戈載櫜弓矢我求懿徳肆於時夏允王保之先王之於民也茂正其徳而厚其性阜其財而利其器用明利害之鄉以文修之使之務利而闢害懷徳而畏威故能保世以滋大兵畧訓曰湯之七十里而王者修徳也智伯有千里之地而亡者窮武也故千里之國行文徳者王萬乗之國好用兵者亡】孔子曰逺人不服則修文徳以來之旣來之則安之今廢道徳而任兵革興師而伐之屯戍【音絮】而備之暴兵露師以支久長轉輸糧食無已使邊境之士飢寒於外百姓勞苦於內立鹽鐵始張利官以給之非長防也故以罷之為便也

The Learned Scholars said: In ancient times people valued the use of virtue and made light of the use of arms. [Gong Moufu of Ji said: the former kings displayed virtue and did not parade their weapons. So the hymn of the Duke Wen of Zhou says: "Store away the shields and spears, put the bows and arrows in their cases. I seek fine virtue, set forth in this music of Xia, and the king will surely keep it." Toward the people the former kings strove to rectify their virtue and enrich their nature, to increase their wealth and make their tools convenient, to make clear the direction of benefit and harm, and to refine them by culture, so that they sought benefit and avoided harm, cherished virtue and feared authority, and so could keep their line and grow great. The Huainanzi, 'On Military Strategy,' says: Tang became king with seventy li of land because he cultivated virtue; Zhi Bo had a thousand li of land and perished because he exhausted his arms. So a state of a thousand li that practices civil virtue becomes king, and a state of ten thousand chariots that likes to use arms perishes.] Confucius said: "If distant people do not submit, cultivate civil virtue to draw them in; once they have come, make them secure." Now to abandon the Way and virtue and rely on weapons and armor, to raise armies to attack, to station garrisons [Pronunciation note: the character for 'garrison' is read 'xu'] to defend, to leave the troops exposed outside for long and keep transporting grain without end, so that the soldiers on the border hunger and freeze outside and the common people toil inside, and to establish salt and iron monopolies and begin to set up profit officials to supply them, is not a lasting policy (the received text has a corrupted character here, which should read 'policy'). So it is more convenient to abolish them.

大夫曰古之立國家者開本末之途通有無之用市朝以一其求致士民聚萬貨農商工師各得所欲交易而退易曰通其變使民不倦【食貨志曰自神農之世斵木為耜揉木為耒耒耜之利以教天下而食足日中為市致天下之民聚天下之貨交易而退各得其所而貨通食足貨通然後國實民富而教化成黃帝以下通其變使民不倦李奇曰器幣有不便於時則變更通利之使民樂其業而不倦也】故工不出則農用乖商不出則寳貨絶農不出則谷不殖寳貨絶則財用匱【呂氏春秋曰農攻粟工攻器賈攻貨時事不共是謂大凶周書曰農不出則乏其食工不出則乏其事商不出則三寳絕虞不出則財匱少財匱少而山澤不闢矣此四者民所衣食之原也原大則饒原小則鮮上則富國下則富家】故鹽鐡均輸所以通委財而調緩急罷之不便也

The Grand Secretary said: The ancients who founded states opened up the paths of root and branch and connected the uses of what is and is not available; they used markets and courts to unify demand, drew in scholars and people, and gathered ten thousand goods, so that farmers, merchants, artisans, and masters each got what they wanted and left when the exchange was done. The Book of Changes says: "Pass through its changes so that the people do not tire." [The Treatise on Food and Goods says: since the age of Shennong, they cut wood for plowshares and bent wood for plow handles; the benefit of plow and share was used to teach the world and food was sufficient; at midday there was a market, drawing the people of the world and gathering the goods of the world, and when exchange was done each got his own and goods circulated. When food was sufficient and goods circulated, the state was full, the people rich, and teaching and transformation complete. From the Yellow Emperor on, they passed through the changes so that the people did not tire. Li Qi says: if implements and money were inconvenient for the times, they were altered and circulated to make them convenient, so that the people enjoyed their work and did not tire.] So if artisans do not come forth, farming implements fall into disorder; if merchants do not come forth, precious goods are cut off; if farmers do not come forth, grain does not multiply; if precious goods are cut off, wealth and resources are scarce. [The Spring and Autumn of Lü Buwei says: when farmers work on grain, artisans on implements, and merchants on goods, if their seasonal tasks are not in common it is called great misfortune. The Book of Zhou says: if farmers do not come forth, food is lacking; if artisans do not come forth, work is lacking; if merchants do not come forth, the three treasures are cut off; if the foresters do not come forth, wealth is scarce; when wealth is scarce, the mountains and marshes cannot be opened up. These four are the origin of the people's clothing and food. When the origin is great there is plenty, when small there is little; at the top it enriches the state and at the bottom it enriches the household.] Therefore the salt and iron monopolies and the equalized transport are used to circulate stagnant goods and regulate urgency and slack; to abolish them would not be convenient.

文學曰夫道民以徳則民歸厚示民以利則民俗薄俗薄則背義而趨利趨利則百姓交於道而接於市老子曰貧國若有餘非多財也嗜慾眾而民躁也【釋名曰躁燥也如物燥則飛揚賈逵曰躁擾也淮南齊俗訓曰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】是以王者崇本退末以禮義坊【古防字】民欲實菽粟貨財市商不通無用之物工不作無用之器故商所以通鬱滯工所以備器械非治國之本務也

The Learned Scholars said: If you lead the people with virtue, the people return to sincerity; if you show profit to the people, their customs grow thin. When customs are thin they turn their backs on righteousness and chase profit, and when they chase profit the common people meet on the roads and bargain in the markets. Laozi said: "A poor state seems to have a surplus; it is not that wealth is plentiful, but that desires are many and the people restless." [The Explanation of Names says: 'restless' means 'dry', like something dried out flying about. Jia Kui says: restlessness is disturbance. The Huainanzi, 'On Equalizing Customs,' says: a disordered state seems flourishing, an ordered state seems empty, a perishing state seems insufficient, and a surviving state seems to have a surplus. Empty does not mean there are no people but that all keep their duties; flourishing does not mean many people but that all seek the branch trades; surplus does not mean much wealth but that desires are measured and affairs few; insufficient does not mean no goods but that the people are restless and spend much.] So the king honors the root occupation and reduces the branch occupations, uses ritual and righteousness to dam up [the character 'dam' is the ancient form of 'guard'] the people's desires, and fills the stores with beans, grain, and goods. Markets and merchants should not circulate useless things, and artisans should not make useless implements. Merchants are for circulating what is stagnant, and artisans are for preparing implements; neither is the basic task of governing a state.

大夫曰管子云國有沃野之饒而民不足於食者器械不備也有山海之貨而民不足於財者商工不備也隴蜀之丹漆旄羽荊之皮革骨象江南之柟【音南】梓竹箭燕齊之魚鹽旃裘兗豫之漆絲絺紵養生送死之具也待商而通待工而成【貨殖傳曰夫山西饒材竹谷纑旄玉石山東多魚鹽漆絲聲色江南出柟梓薑桂金錫連丹沙犀瑇瑁珠璣齒革龍門碣石北多馬牛羊旃裘筋角銅鐡則千里徃徃山出綦置皆中國人民所喜好謡俗被服飲食奉生送死之具也故待農而食之虞而出之工而成之商而通之此寕有政教發徴期會哉人各任其能竭其力以得所欲故物賤之徴貴貴之徵賤各勸其業樂其事若水之趨下日夜無休時不召而自來不求而民出之豈非道之所符而自然之驗耶】故聖人作為舟楫以通川穀服牛駕馬以達陵陸致逺窮深所以交庻物而便百姓【易曰黃帝堯舜垂衣裳而天下治蓋取諸乾坤刳木為舟剡木為楫舟楫之利以濟不通蓋取諸渙服牛乗馬引重致逺以利天下蓋取諸隨】是以先帝建鐵官以澹【古瞻字】農用開均輸以足民財鹽鐡均輸萬民所戴仰而取給者罷之不便也

The Grand Secretary said: Guanzi said: "If a state has the abundance of fertile fields and the people do not have enough to eat, it is because implements are not complete; if it has the goods of mountains and seas and the people do not have enough resources, it is because merchants and artisans are not complete." The cinnabar, lacquer, yak tails, and feathers of Long and Shu, the hides, bones, and ivory of Jing and Yang, the nan [pronunciation note: read 'nan'] and catalpa, bamboo, and arrow shafts of the south of the Yangtze, the fish, salt, felt, and furs of Yan and Qi, the lacquer, silk, and ramie of Yan and Yu, are all tools for nourishing the living and sending off the dead, awaiting merchants to circulate them and artisans to make them. [The Biographies of the Money-makers says: west of the mountains is rich in timber, bamboo, grain, hemp, yak tails, and jade; east of the mountains there is much fish, salt, lacquer, silk, and sound and beauty; south of the Yangtze produce nan and catalpa, ginger and cinnamon, gold and tin, lead, cinnabar, rhinoceros, tortoise shell, pearls, teeth and hides; north of Longmen and Jieshi there are many horses, oxen, sheep, felt, furs, sinews, and horns; and copper and iron are produced in mountains within every thousand li, laid out like chess pieces; all these are what the people of the Central Plain like and what they use in custom, clothing, food, and for sustaining life and sending off the dead. So they wait for farmers to supply food, foresters to extract, artisans to make, and merchants to circulate. How could this come from government orders, levies, and appointed meetings? Each person exerts what he can and strives for what he wants. So low prices are the sign of high ones and high prices are the sign of low ones; each encourages his own trade and enjoys his work, like water flowing downhill day and night without stopping, coming uncalled and given without being asked; is this not in accord with the Way, a natural proof?] Therefore the sages made boats and oars to open the waterways of valleys, harnessed oxen and rode horses to reach hills and land, drawing in the distant and exhausting the deep, in order to join with many things and benefit the people. [The Book of Changes says: the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun let their robes hang and the world was ordered, taking their model from Qian and Kun; they hollowed wood for boats and shaved wood for oars, and the benefit of boats and oars was to cross waters that were impassable, taking their model from Huan; they harnessed oxen and rode horses, hauling heavy loads over long distances to benefit the world, taking their model from Sui.] Therefore the former emperor established iron offices to supply (the ancient form of the word 'supply' is used here; the received note writes it differently, which should be 'supply') farm tools, and set up equalized transport to enrich the people's wealth. Salt, iron, and equalized transport are what the myriad people rely on and draw upon; to abolish them would not be convenient.

文學曰國有沃野之饒而民不足於食者工商盛而本業荒也有山海之貨而民不足於財者不務民用而淫巧眾也【管子曰國有十年之畜而民不足於食是皆以其技能望君之祿也君有山海之金而民不足於用是皆以其事業交接於其上也】故川源不能實漏巵山海不能澹【古贍字】溪壑【汜論曰水足以溢壺榼江河不能實漏巵王符曰山林不能給野火江海不能實漏巵】是以盤庚萃居舜藏黃金【殷紀曰帝盤庚之時殷已都河北盤庚渡河南復居成湯之故居乃五遷無定處殷民諮胥皆怨不欲徙盤庚乃告諭諸侯大臣曰昔髙後成湯與爾之先祖俱定天下法則可修舍而弗勉何以成徳乃遂渉河南治亳行湯之政然後百姓由寧殷道復興諸侯來朝以其遵成湯之徳也泰族訓曰夫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蔪巖之山所以塞貪鄙之心也】高帝禁商賈【音古】不得仕宦所以遏貪鄙之俗而醇至誠之風也【食貨志曰秦兼天下幣為二等黃金以鎰為名上幣銅錢質如周錢文曰半兩重如其文而珠玉貝銀錫之屬為器飾寳藏不為幣然各隨時而輕重漢興以為秦錢重難用更令民鑄防錢黃金一斤而不軌逐利之民畜積餘贏以稽市物痛騰躍米至石萬錢馬至四百金天下已平高祖乃令賈人不得衣絲乗車重稅租以困辱之孝惠高後時為天下初定復弛商賈之律然市井子孫亦不得官為吏顔師古曰欲令務農也】排困市井【排斥也】坊【古防字】塞利門而民猶為非也況上之為利乎傳【去聲】曰諸侯好【去聲】利則大夫鄙大夫鄙則士貪士貪則庻人盜【劉向曰周天子使家父毛伯求金於諸侯春秋譏之故天子好利則諸侯貪諸侯貪則大夫鄙大夫鄙則庻人盜上之變下猶風之靡草也故為人君者明貴徳而賤利以道下下之為惡尚不可止今隱公貪利而身自漁濟上而行八佾以此化於國人國人安得不解於義解於義而縱其欲則災害起而臣下僻矣故其元年始書言災害將起國家將亂云爾司馬遷曰餘讀孟子書至梁惠王問何以利吾國未嘗不廢書而嘆也曰嗟乎利誠亂之始也夫子罕言利者常防其原也故曰放於利而行多怨自天子至於庶人好利之何以異哉】是開利孔為民罪梯者也【管子曰利出於一孔者其國無敵出二孔者其兵不詘出三孔者不可以舉兵出四孔者其國必亡先王知其然故塞民之養隘其利途故予之在君介之在君貧之在君富之在君故民之戴上如日月親君若父母梯階也詩曰無拳無勇職為亂階】

The Learned Scholars said: If a state has the abundance of fertile fields and the people do not have enough to eat, it is because the trades of merchant and artisan have flourished and the root occupation has been abandoned; if it has the goods of mountains and seas and the people do not have enough resources, it is because they do not devote themselves to the people's use and there is too much ornate cleverness. [Guanzi says: if a state has ten years of stored goods yet the people do not have enough to eat, it is because all rely on skill to hope for the ruler's stipend; if the ruler has the money of mountains and seas and the people lack enough to use, it is because all rely on their trades to deal with those above.] So the waters of rivers and springs cannot fill a leaking vessel, and mountains and seas cannot supply (the ancient form of 'supply') the stream-valleys' appetite. [The Huainanzi, 'On Broad Discussion,' says: a foot of water (the received text lost a rare character here) can overflow a jug and cup, but rivers cannot fill a leaking vessel. Wang Fu says: mountain forests cannot feed wildfire, and rivers and seas cannot fill a leaking vessel.] So Pangeng gathered his people in a plain dwelling and Shun hid gold deep away. [The Annals of Yin says: in the time of Emperor Pangeng, Yin had already made its capital north of the river; Pangeng crossed south of the river and resettled the old residence of Cheng Tang, and so moved five times without a fixed place, and the Yin people all sighed and resented it and did not want to move. Pangeng then told the feudal lords and great ministers: "Formerly the High Ruler Cheng Tang, together with your ancestors, settled the world; the rules can be kept, and if you abandon them and do not strive, how will you achieve virtue?" Then he crossed south of the river, governed Bo, and carried out the ordinances of Tang, and the people were at peace from this, the Way of Yin revived, and the feudal lords came to court because he followed the virtue of Cheng Tang. The Huainanzi, 'On the Clan of Tai,' says: water comes out of the mountains and enters the sea, and crops are born in fields and stored in granaries; the sage, seeing where something is born, knows where it ends up. So Shun hid gold deep in the steep mountains to block the minds of the greedy and mean.] Emperor Gao forbade merchants [pronunciation note: the character 'merchant' is read 'gu'] from holding office, in order to restrain the custom of greed and make the custom of utmost sincerity pure. [The Treatise on Food and Goods says: when Qin annexed the world, money was divided into two grades: gold was named by the yi and was the upper currency; copper coins were of a quality like the Zhou coins, inscribed 'half liang', and weighed as the inscription said. Pearls, jade, tortoise shells, cowries (the received text lost a rare character here), silver, and tin were used for ornaments and treasures and not as currency, but each rose and fell in value according to the time. When the Han arose, they thought the Qin coins too heavy and difficult to use and ordered the people to cast elm-pod coins (the received text has a corrupted character here), and gold was reckoned by the jin. The lawless people chasing profit hoarded surplus to corner market goods, so prices soared, and rice reached ten thousand coins a shi and horses four hundred pieces of gold. When the world was settled, Gaozu ordered that merchants not wear silk or ride in carriages, and levied heavy taxes to harass and humiliate them. In the reigns of Emperor Xiaohui and Empress Gao, since the world was newly settled, they relaxed the laws on merchants, yet the descendants of market people still could not hold office. Yan Shigu says: this was to make them take up farming.] He pushed aside and pinned down the market people [the character 'push' means to push aside], and blocked [the character 'block' is the ancient form of 'guard'] the gate of profit, and yet the people still did what they should not; how much more if those above seek profit themselves? The tradition [pronunciation note: the character for 'tradition' is read in the departing tone] says: when the feudal lords love [pronunciation note: the character 'love' is read in the departing tone] profit, the grand officers are mean; when the grand officers are mean, the officers are greedy; when the officers are greedy, the commoners steal. [Liu Xiang says: the Son of Heaven of Zhou sent Jiafu and Mao Bo to ask the feudal lords for gold, and the Spring and Autumn Annals criticized this. So when the Son of Heaven loves profit, the feudal lords are greedy; when the feudal lords are greedy, the grand officers are mean; when the grand officers are mean, the commoners steal. Those above change those below as wind bends grass. So one who is a ruler should clearly value virtue and make light of profit in order to guide those below. Even so, evil below cannot be stopped; now Duke Yin was greedy for profit and personally fished in the Ji River, and used eight rows of dancers above, and used this to teach the people of the state; how could the people of the state not become negligent of righteousness? Being negligent of righteousness and indulging desire, disaster arises and ministers become crooked. So in the first year of Duke Yin the Annals begins recording locusts (the received text lost a rare character here), which means disaster is about to arise and the state about to fall into disorder. Sima Qian says: when I read the book of Mencius, and came to King Hui of Liang asking 'How can you profit my state?', I never failed to put down the book and sigh, saying: profit is truly the beginning of disorder. The Master rarely spoke of profit, constantly guarding against its source. So it is said that if one acts relying on profit, there is much resentment. From the Son of Heaven to the commoners, how does the fault (the received text lost a rare character here) of loving profit differ?] This is opening a hole of profit and providing the people a staircase to crime. [Guanzi says: where profit comes out of one hole, the state has no enemy; where out of two holes, its army cannot be subdued; where out of three holes, it cannot raise an army; where out of four holes, the state will surely perish. The former kings knew this, so they blocked the people's means of support and narrowed the paths of profit, so that giving lay with the ruler, taking away lay with the ruler, making poor lay with the ruler, and making rich lay with the ruler, and so the people loved their superiors like the sun and moon and were close to their ruler like parents. 'Staircase' means steps. The Book of Odes says: "They have no fist of courage, only a staircase to disorder."]

大夫曰徃者郡國諸侯各以其物貢輸徃來煩雜物多苦惡或不償其費故郡置輸官以相給運而便逺方之貢故曰均輸開委府於京以籠貨物【籠包舉也】賤即買貴即賣是以縣官不失實【如淳曰縣官天子也張晏曰不敢斥言天子謂之縣官也】商賈【音古】無所牟利【如淳曰牟取也】故曰平凖平凖則民不失職均輸則民齊勞逸故平凖均輸所以平萬物而便百姓非開利孔為民罪梯者也

The Grand Secretary said: In the past, the commanderies and the feudal lords each sent tribute of their local products, with troublesome coming and going, and many goods were coarse and bad, some not even worth the cost; so each commandery set up transport offices to supply and forward them to one another, which was convenient for tribute and taxes from afar, and so it was called equalized transport. In the capital they opened warehouses of stored goods to gather in the goods [the word 'gather' means to enclose and take in entirely], buying when cheap and selling when dear, so the Son of Heaven [Ru Chun says: 'the county office' means the Son of Heaven. Zhang Yan says: they did not dare directly name the Son of Heaven, so they called him the county office] did not lose real profit, and merchants [pronunciation note: the character 'merchant' is read 'gu'] had no way to extract profit [Ru Chun says: 'extract' means to take], so it was called level standard. When the standard is level, the people do not lose their occupations; when transport is equalized, the people's toil and ease are even. So the level standard and equalized transport are used to level the myriad things and benefit the people; they are not opening a hole of profit or providing a staircase to crime for the people.

文學曰古者之賦稅於民也因其所工不求所拙農人納其獲女紅【音工】効其力【食貨志曰古者民受田有賦有稅賦供車馬兵甲士徒之役充實府庫賜予之用稅給郊社宗廟百神之祀天子奉養百官祿食庶事之費周禮曰司稼掌廵邦野之稼而辨穜稑之種周知其民與其所宜地以為法而縣於邑閭廵野觀稼以年之上下出斂法掌均萬民之食而賙其急而平其興典婦功掌婦式之法以授嬪婦及內人女功之事齎凡授嬪婦功及秋獻功辨其苦良比其小大而賈之物書而揭之以供王及後之用頒之於內府】今釋其所有責其所無百姓賤賣貨物以便上求閒【音諫】者郡國或令【平聲使令也】民作布絮吏留難與之為市吏之所入非獨齊陶之縑蜀漢之布也亦民間之所為耳而行奸賣乎農民重【平聲】苦女紅【音工】再稅未見輸之均也縣官猥【音委】發闔門擅市則萬物並收萬物並收則物騰躍【司馬貞曰騰躍者謂物踴貴而價起有如物之騰躍而起也】騰躍則商賈【音古】侔利自市【行貨曰商坐販曰賈】侔利自市則吏容奸豪而富商積貨儲物以待其急輕賈【音古】奸吏收賤以取貴未見凖之平也蓋古之均輸所以齊勞逸而便貢輸非以為【去聲】利而賈【音古】萬物也

The Learned Scholars said: In ancient times when levying taxes on the people, they took what the people were good at and did not demand what they were poor at: farmers paid in what they harvested and women [pronunciation note: the character 'women's work' is read 'gong'] gave their labor. [The Treatise on Food and Goods says: in ancient times the people received fields and there were levies and taxes. Levies supplied carriages, horses, armor, and the service of soldiers and laborers, and filled the treasury for gifts; taxes supplied the sacrifices at the suburbs, altars, ancestral temples, and to the hundred spirits, the Son of Heaven's upkeep, the officials' salaries, and the costs of all affairs. The Rites of Zhou says: the Director of Grain oversaw the inspection of the crops in the state and countryside, distinguished early and late sown seeds, knew thoroughly the people and the land suitable for them, made them rules and hung them at the town gates; he toured the fields and observed the crops and fixed the levy by the yield of the year, oversaw the equal distribution of the myriad people's grain, relieved emergencies and equalized undertakings. The Director of Women's Work oversaw the rules of women's tasks and issued materials for the women's work of the palace women and inner ladies; whenever he issued tasks to palace women, in autumn they presented their work, and he distinguished good from bad, compared large from small and estimated the price, wrote the goods on labels, supplied the king and queen, and distributed to the inner treasury.] Now they set aside what the people have and demand what they lack, and the common people sell their goods cheaply to meet the demands of their superiors. In some commanderies [pronunciation note] they order [pronunciation note: the character 'order' is read in the level tone, meaning 'cause to'] the people to make cloth and floss, and officials create difficulties and trade with them. What officials collect is not only the fine silk of Qi and Tao and the cloth of Shu and Han, but also what the people make, and they sell it with cunning tricks. Farmers are further [pronunciation note: the character 'further' is read in the level tone] distressed, and women's work [pronunciation note] is taxed again, and one does not see the 'equalized' in equalized transport. The Son of Heaven issues goods at will [pronunciation note: the character 'at will' is read 'wei'] and closes the gates to buy exclusively, so the myriad things are bought up together; when the myriad things are bought up together, prices leap [Sima Zhen says: 'leap' means prices surge and rise, like things leaping up]; when prices leap, merchants [pronunciation note] profit by buying and selling themselves [one who moves goods is called a trader, one who sits and sells is called a merchant]; when merchants profit by buying and selling themselves, officials tolerate treacherous bullies, and rich merchants hoard goods and stockpile them to wait for the people's urgent need; petty merchants [pronunciation note] and treacherous officials buy cheap and sell dear, and one does not see the 'level' in level standard. The equalized transport of antiquity was used to equalize toil and ease and make tribute convenient, not to seek profit [pronunciation note: the character 'for' is read in the departing tone] by buying and selling [pronunciation note] the myriad things.

大夫曰王者塞天財禁關市執凖守時以輕重御民豐年嵗登則儲積以備乏絶凶年惡嵗則行幣物流有餘而調不足也昔禹水湯旱百姓匱乏或相假以接衣食禹以歷山之金湯以嚴山之銅鑄【音注】幣以贈其民而天下稱仁徃者財用不足戰士或不得祿而山東被災齊趙大飢【穀梁傳曰五穀不升為大飢】頼均輸之蓄倉廩之積戰士以奉饑民以賑故均輸之物府庫之財非所以賈【音古】萬民而専奉兵師之用亦所以賑睏乏而備水旱之災也

The Grand Secretary said: A king dams up the wealth of heaven and earth, shuts the passes and markets, holds the level standard and keeps the right moment, and manages the people with the art of light and heavy. In abundant years and good harvests, he stores up against shortage and cutoff; in famine and bad years, he issues currency and circulates the surplus to supplement what is insufficient. In the past, when Yu met floods and Tang met drought, the people were in want, and some lent and borrowed to keep going with clothing and food. Yu used the gold of Mount Li and Tang used the copper of Mount Yan to cast [pronunciation note: the character 'cast' is read 'zhu'] currency and gave it to the people, and the world called them benevolent. In the past, when resources were insufficient and some soldiers could not get their pay, and east of the mountains suffered disaster and Qi and Zhao had great famine [the Guliang Commentary says: when the five grains fail to ripen it is called great famine], they relied on the stores of equalized transport and the stockpiles of the granaries, so the soldiers were supported and the starving people were relieved. So the goods of equalized transport and the wealth of the treasury are not used to buy and sell [pronunciation note] to the myriad people and devoted solely to supplying the army; they are also used to relieve the needy and guard against disasters of flood and drought.

文學曰古者十一而稅澤梁以時入而無禁黎民鹹被南畆而不失其務【韓嬰曰王者之等賦正事田野什一關市譏而不徵山林澤梁以時入而不禁相地而正壤理道而致貢萬物群來無有流滯以相通移近者不隱其能逺者不疾其勞雖幽閒僻陋之國莫不趨使而安樂之夫是之謂王者之等賦正事詩曰敷政優優百祿是遒】故三年耕而餘一年之蓄九年耕有三年之蓄此禹湯所以備水旱而安百姓也【王制曰國無九年之蓄曰不足無六年之蓄曰急無三年之蓄曰國非其國也三年耕必有一年之食九年耕必有三年之食以三十年之通雖有兇旱水溢民無菜色然後天子食日舉以樂周書曰有十年之積者王有五年之積者霸無一年之積者亡主術訓曰夫天地之大計三年耕而餘一年之食率九年而有三年之蓄十八年而有六年之積二十七年而有九年之儲雖汵旱災害之殃民莫困窮流亡也故國無九年之儲謂之不足無六年之積謂之閏急無三年之蓄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飢寒之患矣若彼貪主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徳矣】草萊不闢田疇不治雖擅山海之財通百味之利猶不能澹【古贍字】也是以古者尚力務本而種樹繁躬耕趣時而衣食足雖累凶年而人不病也【梁簡文帝曰九年之水不傷堯政七載之旱無累湯朝】故衣食者民之本稼穡者民之務也二者修則國富而民安也【晁錯曰聖王在上而民不凍飢者非能耕而食之織而衣之也為開其資財之道也民貧則奸邪生貧生於不足不足生於不農方今之務莫若使民務農而已矣】詩云百室盈止婦子寧止也

The Learned Scholars said: In ancient times they taxed one tenth, the lakes and weirs were entered by season without prohibition, and the common people were all covered in the southern fields and did not lose their basic work. [Han Ying says: the king equalized taxes and set affairs right: in the fields one tenth was taken, at the passes and markets there was only inspection and no tax, in the mountains, forests, lakes, and weirs people entered by season without prohibition, he assessed the land and set the soil levy right, and managed the roads so tribute came. The myriad things came in crowds without delay and so circulated and shifted; the near did not hide what they could do, the far did not resent the toil, and even secluded and remote states were all driven to be at ease and happy; this is called the king's equalizing of levies and setting right of affairs. The Book of Odes says: "When government is gentle and harmonious, a hundred blessings gather."] So after three years of plowing there is a year's surplus stored, after nine years of plowing there are three years' stored; this is how Yu and Tang guarded against flood and drought and settled the people. [The Royal Regulations says: a state without nine years of reserve is called insufficient, one without six years of reserve is called urgent, and one without three years of reserve is called a state not worthy of the name. After three years of plowing there must be one year of food; after nine years of plowing there must be three years of food. Calculated over thirty years, even with famine, drought, and flood, the people have no vegetable-colored faces, and only then does the Son of Heaven feast with music every day. The Book of Zhou says: one with ten years' reserve is a king, one with five years' reserve is a hegemon, and one with no reserve for a year perishes. The Huainanzi, 'On the Art of Rule,' says: the great plan of heaven and earth is that after three years of plowing there is one year's food surplus, roughly after nine years there are three years of stores, after eighteen there are six years, and after twenty-seven there are nine years. Even in flood and drought, the people are not impoverished and driven away. So a state without nine years of stores is called insufficient, one without six years of reserve is called distressed, one without three years of reserve is called destitute. When there is a benevolent ruler and enlightened king, who takes from below with restraint and supports himself within measure, he can receive heaven and earth and not leave the misery of hunger and cold. But if there is a greedy lord or marauding ruler (the received text lost a rare character here) who harasses those below and fleeces his people to satisfy endless desires, then the common people have no way to be harmonized by heaven or tread on earth's virtue.] If the wilds are not opened up and the fields not tended, even if one monopolizes the wealth of mountains and seas and circulates the profit of all trades, it still cannot be sufficient (the ancient form of 'sufficient'). So in ancient times they valued strength, devoted themselves to the root occupation and planted widely, personally plowed and sowed in season so food and clothing were sufficient, and even through successive famine years people were not distressed or ill. [Emperor Jianwen of Liang said: nine years of flood did not harm Yao's government and seven years of drought did not burden Tang's court.] So clothing and food are the root of the people and farming is the people's work. If these two are well cultivated, the state is rich and the people are at peace. [Chao Cuo says: when a sage king is above and the people are not cold or hungry, it is not that he can plow for them to eat and weave for them to wear, but that he opens paths for their resources. When people are poor, treachery arises; poverty arises from insufficiency, and insufficiency arises from not working at farming. The task of the day is none more urgent than getting the people to work at farming.] The Book of Odes says: "A hundred houses are full, and wives and children are at peace."

大夫曰賢聖治家非一室富國非一道昔管仲以權譎伯【音霸】而范氏以強大亡【管仲傳曰管仲夷吾者潁上人也少時常與鮑叔牙遊鮑叔知其賢管仲貧困常欺鮑叔鮑叔終善遇之不以為言已而鮑叔事齊公子小白管仲事公子糾及小白立為桓公公子糾死管仲囚焉鮑叔遂進管仲管仲既用任政於齊齊桓公以霸九合諸侯一匡天下管仲之謀也晉世家曰定公十五年趙鞅使邯鄲大夫午不信欲殺午午中行寅範吉射親攻趙鞅鞅走保晉陽定公圍晉陽荀櫟韓不信魏侈與範中行為仇乃移兵伐範中行範中行反晉君擊之敗範中行範中行走朝歌保之韓魏為趙鞅謝晉君乃赦趙鞅復位二十二年晉敗範中行氏二子奔齊出公十七年知伯與趙韓魏共分範中行地以為邑】使治家養生必於農則舜不甄陶而伊尹不為庖【韓非子曰歴山農者侵畔舜徃耕朞年而耕者讓畔河濵漁者爭壇舜徃漁朞年而漁者讓長東夷之陶者苦窳舜徃陶朞年而器以牢殷紀曰伊尹名阿衡阿衡欲幹湯而無由乃為有莘氏媵臣負鼎爼以滋味説湯致於王道】故善為國者天下之下我高天下之輕我重以末易其本以虛蕩其實今山澤之財均輸之藏所以御輕重而役諸侯也汝漢之金纎微之貢所以誘外國而釣羌胡之寳也夫【音扶】中國一端之縵【音漫繒之無文者也】得匈奴累金之物而損敵國之用是以驘【音騾】驢【音離】馲【音托】駞【音佗】衘尾入塞【音賽驘驢種而馬生也馲駞古本作槖佗言能負橐囊而佗物也】驒【音防】騱【音奚】騵【音元】馬盡為我畜【驒騱古本作驒奚駏驉類也】鼲【音渾】鼦【音貂】狐貉採旃【音氊】文罽【音計】充於內府而璧玉珊瑚瑠璃鹹為國之寳是則外國之物內流而利不外洩也異物內流則國用饒利不外洩則民用給矣詩曰百室盈止婦子寧止

The Grand Secretary said: Sages and worthies governing a household do not have only one household rule, and enriching a state does not have only one road. In the past Guan Zhong became hegemon [pronunciation note: the character for 'hegemon' is read 'ba'] by using stratagem and deceit, while the Fan clan perished because of its strength. [The Biography of Guan Zhong says: Guan Zhong Yiwu was a man of Yingshang who in his youth often associated with Bao Shuya, and Bao Shu knew he was worthy. Guan Zhong was poor and often took advantage of Bao Shu, and Bao Shu always treated him well and never said anything about it. Later Bao Shu served Prince Xiaobai of Qi and Guan Zhong served Prince Jiu. When Xiaobai was set up as Duke Huan and Prince Jiu died, Guan Zhong was imprisoned, and Bao Shu recommended Guan Zhong. When Guan Zhong was employed and governed Qi, Duke Huan of Qi thus became hegemon, convened the feudal lords nine times and set the whole world right at once, through Guan Zhong's planning. The House of Jin in the Records says: in the fifteenth year of Duke Ding, because Wu, grand officer of Handan, was not trustworthy, Zhao Yang wanted to kill Wu; Wu, with Zhonghang Yin and Fan Jishe, personally attacked Zhao Yang, and Yang fled and held Jinyang. Duke Ding besieged Jinyang. Xun Li, Han Buxin, and Wei Chi, who had grudges against Fan and Zhonghang, shifted their troops to attack Fan and Zhonghang. Fan and Zhonghang rebelled against the lord of Jin, who defeated them, and Fan and Zhonghang fled and held Chaoge. Han and Wei apologized to the lord of Jin on Zhao Yang's behalf, and only then was Zhao Yang pardoned and restored. In the twenty-second year Jin defeated the Fan and Zhonghang clans, and the two fled to Qi. In the seventeenth year of Duke Chu, Zhi Bo with Zhao, Han, and Wei jointly divided the land of Fan and Zhonghang as their fiefs.] If governing a household and nourishing life required relying on farming, then Shun would not have made pottery and Yi Yin would not have been a cook. [Han Feizi says: the farmers of Mount Li encroached on field boundaries, and Shun went to plow, and in a year the plowers yielded their boundaries; the fishermen by the river contended over the platform, and Shun went to fish, and in a year the fishermen yielded to the elders; the potters of the eastern Yi made coarse vessels, and Shun went to make pottery, and in a year the vessels were sturdy. The Annals of Yin says: Yi Yin, named Aheng, wished to approach Tang but had no way, so he became a dowry minister of the Youxin clan and, carrying a cauldron and chopping block on his back, persuaded Tang with flavors and led him to the kingly way.] So one who is good at governing a state regards as high what the world regards as low, regards as heavy what the world regards as light, trades the branch occupation for their root and uses the empty to shake their solid. Now the wealth of mountains and marshes and the stores of equalized transport are used to manage light and heavy and command the feudal lords; the gold of the Ru and Han rivers and the tribute of fine goods are used to lure foreign countries and fish for the treasures of the Qiang and Hu. A single length of plain silk [pronunciation note: the character 'plain silk' is read 'man'; it is silk without pattern] from the Central States can be traded with the Xiongnu for much gold and jade, reducing the enemy's resources. So mules [pronunciation note], donkeys [pronunciation note], and camels [pronunciation notes] file in with tails linked entering the border [pronunciation note: the character 'border' is read 'sai'; the mule is born of a donkey and a horse; the camel was anciently written 'tuotuo', meaning able to carry loads on its back like a sack] and the dian xi and yuan horses [pronunciation notes: the character for 'dian' is read 'dian' (the received text has a corrupted gloss here)] all become my livestock [the ancient form is 'dianxi', a kind of juxu hybrid]; sable [pronunciation notes] and fox, badger, colored felt [pronunciation note: the character 'felt' is read 'zhan'], and patterned woolens [pronunciation note: the character 'woolen' is read 'ji'] fill the inner treasury, and jade disks, coral, and glass all become national treasures. In this way foreign goods flow into the state and profit does not leak out. When strange goods flow in, state resources are abundant; when profit does not leak out, the people's needs are supplied. The Book of Odes says: "A hundred houses are full, and wives and children are at peace."

文學曰古者商通物而不豫工緻牢而不偽故君子耕稼佃漁其實一也商則長【音掌】詐工則致罵內懐闚【音窺】【音於】而心不怍【闚私視也】是以薄夫欺而敦夫薄昔桀女樂充宮室文繡衣裳故伊尹高逝遊亳【音薄】而女樂終廢其國【管子曰昔者桀之時女樂三萬人端噪晨樂聞於三衢是無不服文繡衣裳者伊尹以亳之遊女工文繡纂組一純得粟百鍾於桀之國夫桀之國天子之國也桀無天下憂飾婦女鐘鼓之樂故伊尹得其粟而奪之流此之謂來天下之財桀霸有天下而用不足湯有七十里之亳而用有餘天非獨為湯雨菽粟而地非獨為湯出財物也伊尹善通移輕重開闔決塞通於高下徐疾之防坐起之費時也】今驘【音騾】驢【音離】之用不中【夫聲】牛馬之功鼲【音渾】鼦【音貂】旃【音氊】罽【音計】不益錦綈【音提】之實【綈厚繒也】美玉珊瑚出於崑山珠璣犀象出於桂林此距【違也】漢萬有餘里計耕桑之功資財之費是一物而售【音受】百倍其價一也一挹而中【去聲】萬鍾之粟也【中當也】夫上好【去聲】珍怪則淫服下流貴逺方之物則貨財外充是以王者不珍無用以節其民不愛竒貨以富其國故理民之道在於節用尚本分土井田而已【韓嬰曰古者八家而井田方里為一井廣三百歩長三百歩為一里其田九百畆廣一歩長一歩為一畆廣百歩長百歩為百畆八家為鄰家得百畆餘夫各得二十五畆家為公田十畆餘二十畆共為廬舍各得二畆半八家相保出入更守疾病相憂患難相救有無相貸飲食相召嫁娶相謀漁獵分得仁恩施行是以其民和親而相好詩曰中田有廬疆場有今或不然令民相伍有罪相伺有刑相舉使搆造怨仇而民相殘傷和睦之心賊仁恩害士化所和者寡慾敗者多於仁道泯焉詩曰其何能淑載胥及溺】

The Learned Scholars said: In ancient times merchants circulated goods without deceit and artisans made things sturdy without falsification, so the gentleman's farming, planting, hunting, and fishing were essentially the same. Now merchants increase [pronunciation note: the character 'increase' is read 'zhang'] deceit and falsehood, and artisans invite curses, harboring covetous peeking [pronunciation note] and spying [pronunciation note: the received text lost a rare character here, read 'yu'] without shame in their hearts [peeking and spying means looking at things in secret]. So the stingy cheat and the sincere also grow thin. In the past Jie filled the palaces with female musicians and made clothes of embroidery, so Yi Yin flew high to Bo [pronunciation note: the character 'Bo' is read 'bo'] to roam, and the female musicians in the end destroyed his state. [Guanzi says: in Jie's time there were thirty thousand female musicians, and the morning music of Duanzao was heard on three thoroughfares, and none wore anything but embroidered clothes. Yi Yin used the wandering women of Bo to make embroidered cords and braids, and for one bolt exchanged Jie's state's grain of a hundred zhong. Jie's state was the state of the Son of Heaven, and Jie had no worry about the world, and only decorated women and the music of bells and drums, so Yi Yin got his grain and took away the circulation, which is called drawing in the world's wealth. Jie held hegemony over the world and yet his resources were insufficient, while Tang with seventy li of Bo had resources to spare. It was not that Heaven rained and grew beans and grain only for Tang, or that earth produced goods only for Tang, but that Yi Yin was good at circulating and shifting the light and heavy, opening and closing, deciding and blocking, mastering the plans of high and low, slow and fast (the received text lost a rare character here), and his sitting and rising expenses fitted the times.] Now the use of mules [pronunciation note] and donkeys [pronunciation note] does not match [pronunciation note: the character 'match' is read in the departing tone] the work of oxen and horses, and sable [pronunciation notes], felt [pronunciation note], and woolens [pronunciation note] do not add to the substance of brocade and thick silk [pronunciation note: the character for thick silk is read 'ti'; thick silk means heavy silk]. Fine jade and coral come from Mount Kun, pearls, rhinoceros, and elephants come from Guilin, and this is distant [the word 'distant' means far away] from the Han by more than ten thousand li. Counting the labor of plowing and mulberry and the cost of resources, one thing is sold [pronunciation note: the character 'sell' is read 'shou'] for a hundred times its price, that is one; one dip of the hand equals [pronunciation note: the character 'equal' is read in the departing tone] ten thousand zhong of grain, that is two. If those above love [pronunciation note: the character 'love' is read in the departing tone] rare curiosities, licentious and extravagant dress flows to those below; if they value things from far, goods and wealth flow outward to fill. So a king does not prize useless things in order to restrain his people, and does not love rare goods in order to enrich his state. Therefore the way to govern the people lies only in economy, honoring the root occupation, and dividing the land into well-fields. [Han Ying says: in ancient times eight families made up a well-field. A square li made one well, three hundred paces wide and three hundred paces long made one li, and the fields were nine hundred mu. One pace wide and one pace long made one mu, a hundred paces wide and a hundred paces long made a hundred mu. Eight families were neighbors, each family got a hundred mu, and the extra men each got twenty-five mu; each family cultivated ten mu of public field, and the remaining twenty mu together made the cottages, each getting two and a half mu. The eight families guarded one another, taking turns to watch at entry and exit, sharing worry in illness, rescuing each other in difficulty, lending what was lacking, inviting one another to meals, consulting on marriages, sharing the catch of fishing and hunting; benevolence and kindness were practiced, and so their people were harmonious, close, and fond of one another. The Book of Odes says: "In the fields there are huts, and on the field-ridges there are melons" (the received text lost a rare character here). Now some are not like this: they have the people organized into squads, and when there is a crime they spy on each other, and when there is punishment they report each other, so that enmity is built and the people harm each other, damaging the heart of harmony, injuring benevolence and kindness, and harming the scholars' teaching; what is harmonized is little and what is wished to be ruined is much, and the way of benevolence is extinguished. The Book of Odes says: "How can they become good? They only drown together."]

大夫曰自京師東西南北歴山川經郡國諸殷富大都無非街衢五通商賈【音古】之所臻萬物之所殖者故聖人因天時知【去聲】者因地財上士取諸人中士勞其形長沮桀溺無百金之積蹠【音只】蹻【音腳】之徒無猗頓之富【長沮桀溺二人楚隱者南華經曰柳下惠之弟名曰盜蹠盜蹠從卒九千人橫行天下侵諸侯穴室樞戶驅人牛馬取人婦女貪得忘親不顧父母兄弟不祭先祖所過之邑大國守城小國入保萬民苦之史記正義曰按蹠者黃帝時大盜之名以柳下惠弟為天下大盜故世放古號之盜蹠許慎曰莊蹻楚威王之將軍能大為盜也貨殖傳曰猗頓用盬鹽起與王者埒富孔叢子曰猗頓魯之窮士也耕則常飢桑則常寒聞朱公富徃而問術焉朱公告之曰子欲速富當畜五防於是乃適兩河大畜牛羊於猗氏之南十年之間其息不可計貲擬王公馳名天下以興富於猗氏故曰猗頓】宛周齊魯商徧天下故乃賈【音古】之富或累萬金追利乗羨之所致也【羨饒也】富國何必用本農足民何必井田也

The Grand Secretary said: From the capital in the east, west, south, and north, passing through mountains and rivers and traversing commanderies and states, those rich and prosperous great cities are all places where streets run in five directions, merchants [pronunciation note: the character 'merchant' is read 'gu'] gather, and the myriad goods multiply. So the sage follows the season of heaven, the wise [pronunciation note: the character 'wise' is read in the departing tone] use the wealth of earth, the superior scholar draws on others, and the middling scholar toils with his body. Changju and Jieni had no savings of a hundred pieces of gold, and Zhi [pronunciation note: read 'zhi'] and Jue [pronunciation note: read 'jiao'] and their like had no wealth like Yi Dun's. [Changju and Jieni were two recluses of Chu. The Nanhua Classic says: Liuxia Hui's younger brother was named Robber Zhi, who followed nine thousand men and roamed the world, plundering (the received text lost a rare character here) the feudal lords, breaking through walls and smashing doors, driving off people's oxen and horses, seizing people's wives and daughters, so greedy he forgot his kin and heeded neither parents nor brothers, and did not sacrifice to his ancestors. In the towns he passed, great states guarded their walls and small states took shelter, and the myriad people suffered from him. The Correct Meaning of the Records of the Historian says: note that Zhi was the name of a great bandit in the Yellow Emperor's time, and because Liuxia Hui's brother became the world's great bandit, people of later times imitated the old and called him Robber Zhi. Xu Shen says: Zhuang Jue was a general of King Wei of Chu who was able to act as a great bandit. The Biographies of the Money-makers says: Yi Dun rose through salt ponds and rivaled kings in wealth. The Kongcongzi says: Yi Dun was a poor scholar of Lu who plowed and was always hungry and grew mulberries and was always cold, and hearing that Lord Taozhu was rich, he went to ask his method. Lord Zhu told him: "If you want quick wealth you should raise five kinds of female livestock" (the received text has a corrupted character here, which should read 'female livestock'); so he went to the Two Rivers and raised oxen and sheep in great numbers south of Yi, and in ten years the profit could not be counted, his wealth rivaled kings and lords and he became famous, and because he became rich at Yi he was called Yi Dun.] Wan, Zhou, Qi, and Lu, merchants spread across the world, so the wealth of merchants [pronunciation note] in some cases accumulated ten thousand pieces of gold, made by pursuing profit and riding on surplus [the word 'surplus' means abundance]. To enrich a state, why must one use root farming, and to make the people sufficient, why must one use well-fields?

文學曰洪水滔天而有禹之績【本經訓曰舜之時共工振滔鴻水以薄空桑龍門未開呂梁未發江淮通流四海溟涬民皆上丘陵赴樹木舜乃使禹防三江五湖開伊闕導瀍澗平通溝陸流注東海鴻水漏九州幹萬民皆寜其性千金書曰古龍門未開呂梁未發河出孟門大溢逆流名曰洪水禹乃決流防河為彭澧之漳所活者千八百國此禹之功也】河水泛溢而有宣房之功【河渠書曰漢武元光中河決瓠子後二十餘嵗嵗因以數不登而梁楚之地尤甚天子既封禪廵祭山川其明年旱乾封少雨天子乃使汲仁郭昌發卒數萬人塞瓠子決於是天子已用事萬里沙則還自臨決河況白馬玉璧於河令群臣從官自將軍以下皆負薪致決河是時東流郡燒草以故薪柴少而下淇園之竹以為楗天子既臨河決悼功之不成乃作瓠子之歌於是卒塞瓠子築宮其上名曰宣房宮而導河北行二渠復禹舊跡而梁楚之地復寕無水災】商紂虐而有孟津【古作盟津】之謀【覽冥訓曰武王伐紂渡於孟津陽侯之波逆流而擊疾風晦人馬不相見於是武王左操黃鉞右秉白旄瞠目而防之曰餘任天下誰敢害吾意者於是風濟而波罷樂稽耀嘉曰武王承命興師誅於商萬國鹹喜軍渡孟津前歌後舞克殷之後民乃大安家給人足酌酒鬱搖】天下煩擾而有乗羨之富夫【音扶】上古至治民樸而貴本安愉而寡求【愉樂也】當此之時道路罕行市朝【音潮】生草【本經訓曰振困窮補不足則名生興利除害伐亂禁則功成世無災害雖神無所施其徳上下和輯雖賢無所立其功】故耕不強者無以充虛織不強者無以掩形雖以湊【音輳】會之要陶室之術無所施其巧【齊俗訓曰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奸邪不生安樂無事而天下均平故孔丘曽參無所施其善孟賁成荊無所行其威公孫鞅曰神農之世公耕而食婦織而衣刑政不用而治甲兵不起而王韓嬰曰四體不掩則鮮仁人五藏空虛則無立士故先王之法天子親耕后妃親蠶先天下憂衣與食也】自古及今不施而得報不勞而有功者未之有也【主術訓曰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能見也物之若耕織者始初甚勞終必利也】

The Learned Scholars said: The flood rose to the sky, and there was the achievement of Yu. [The Huainanzi, 'On the Fundamental Root,' says: in Shun's time Gonggong stirred up a great flood and it pressed on Kongsang. Longmen was not yet opened, Lüliang not yet cleared, the Yangtze and Huai flowed through, and the four seas were dark and boundless; all the people went up hills and onto trees. Shun then sent Yu to dredge (the received text lost a rare character here) the Three Rivers and Five Lakes, open Yique, guide the Chan and Jian rivers, level and connect ditches and land, and make them flow into the Eastern Sea. The flood drained away, the nine provinces were dry, and the myriad people were all at peace in their nature. The Book of a Thousand Gold says: in ancient times Longmen was not yet opened and Lüliang not yet cleared, and the river came out at Mengmen and overflowed and flowed backward, and was called the great flood. Yu then broke the flow and dredged the river to become the Zhang of Pengli, saving one thousand eight hundred states. This was Yu's merit.] The river overflowed, and there was the achievement of the Xuanfang. [The Book on Rivers and Canals says: in the Yuanguang years of Emperor Wu of Han, the river broke through at Huzi, and for more than twenty years after there were poor harvests every year, especially severe in the lands of Liang and Chu. After the Son of Heaven had performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices and toured to sacrifice at the mountains and rivers, the next year there was drought with little rain, and the Son of Heaven sent Ji Ren and Guo Chang to send tens of thousands of soldiers to stop the breach at Huzi. When the Son of Heaven had performed his rites at Wanlisha and returned, he came in person to the breach, sank a white horse and jade disk into the river, and ordered the ministers and attendants from the generals downward to carry firewood to fill the breach. At that time the commanderies in the east were burning grass, so firewood was scarce, and they cut the bamboo of Qiyuan to make posts. When the Son of Heaven reached the breach, he grieved that the work was not done and composed the Song of Huzi. Then at last Huzi was stopped, a palace was built on it called Xuanfang Palace, and they guided the river along two channels northward, restoring Yu's old course, and the lands of Liang and Chu were at peace again with no floods.] The tyranny of Shang Zhou (the received text lost a rare character here) brought the plan of Mengjin [the ancient text reads 'Mengjin' differently]. [The Huainanzi, 'On Obscure Seeing,' says: when King Wu attacked Zhou, he crossed at Mengjin, and the waves of Yang Hou struck back against the current, with violent winds and darkness (the received text lost a rare character here), so that men and horses could not see each other. King Wu then held the yellow battle-axe in his left hand and the white yak-tail banner in his right, glared and shouted (the received text lost a rare character here): "I bear the world; who dares to obstruct my intention?" Then the wind stopped and the waves ceased. The Record of Music Giving Auspicious Light says: King Wu, receiving the mandate, raised his army to execute Shang, and the ten thousand states were all glad; the army crossed Mengjin singing in front and dancing behind. After conquering Yin, the people were first at great peace, households and persons were supplied, and they poured wine and rejoiced.] The world was troubled and there was wealth by riding on surplus. The preface says: in highest antiquity, when governance reached its utmost, the people were simple and valued the root occupation, were happy [the word 'happy' means joyful] and sought little. [The 'Fundamental Root' chapter says: to relieve the needy and make up what they lack brings fame; to promote benefit and remove harm, to attack disorder and prohibit bandits (the received text lost a rare character here), brings achievement. When the world has no disaster, even spirits have no place to show their virtue; when high and low are in harmony, even the worthy have no place to establish merit.] So the roads were little traveled and grass grew in the market and court [pronunciation note: the character 'court' is read 'chao']. So those who did not plow diligently had no way to fill their bellies, and those who did not weave diligently had no way to cover their bodies; even relying on the key of gathering and Lord Taozhu's methods, there was no place to display cleverness. [The 'Equalizing Customs' chapter says: the law of Shennong said: if a grown man does not plow, there are some in the world who suffer hunger from it; if a woman of age does not weave, there are some in the world who suffer cold from it. So he plowed himself and his wife wove herself, to lead the world. In guiding the people he did not value goods hard to get or prize useless things. So those who did not plow diligently had no way to nourish life, and those who did not weave diligently had no way to cover themselves. Surplus and lack each returned to the self, clothing and food were abundant, treachery did not arise, ease and peace prevailed and the world was equal. So Confucius and Zeng Shen had no place to show their goodness and Meng Ben and Cheng Jing had no place to show their prowess. Gongsun Yang says: in the age of Shennong, men plowed and ate, women wove and dressed, and they were ordered without penal government and became kings without raising armor and weapons. Han Ying says: if the four limbs are not covered there are few benevolent people, and if the five organs are empty there are no scholars who can stand. So the law of the former kings was that the Son of Heaven plowed in person and the queen raised silkworms in person, taking the lead in the world in worrying about clothing and food.] From ancient times to the present, there has never been one who got a return without giving or had merit without toil. [The 'Art of Rule' chapter says: plowing is toilsome and weaving is troublesome. People do not give up tasks that are troublesome and toilsome because they know they can obtain clothing and food through them. Human feeling cannot do without clothing and food, and the way of clothing and food must begin from plowing and weaving, which all the myriad people can see. Things like plowing and weaving are toilsome at first, but in the end they surely yield profit.]

大夫曰燕之涿【音卓】薊【音計】趙之邯【音寒】鄲【音單】魏之溫軹【音止】韓之滎【音螢】陽齊之臨淄【音緇】楚之宛丘鄭之陽翟二週之三川富冠【去聲】海內皆為天下名都非有助之耕其野而田【去聲】其地者也居五諸侯之衢跨街沖之路也故物豐者民衍宅近市者家富富在術數不在勞身利在勢居不在力耕也【貨殖傳曰夫用貧求富農不如工工不如商刺繡文不如倚市門此言末業貧者之資也】

The Grand Secretary said: Zhuo [pronunciation note: read 'zhuo'] and Ji [pronunciation note: read 'ji'] of Yan, Handan [pronunciation notes: read 'han' and 'dan'] of Zhao, Wen and Zhi [pronunciation note: read 'zhi'] of Wei, Xingyang [pronunciation notes: read 'ying'] of Han, Linzi [pronunciation note: read 'zi'] of Qi, Wanqiu of Chu, Yangdi of Zheng, and the Three Rivers of Eastern and Western Zhou, their wealth the foremost [pronunciation note: the character 'foremost' is read in the departing tone] within the seas, are all famous cities of the world, and it is not that someone helped them plow their wilds and plant [pronunciation note: the character 'field' is read in the departing tone] their lands, but that they sit at the crossroads of five feudal lords and span intersecting streets. So where goods are abundant the people multiply, and where homes are near the market the families are rich. Wealth lies in method, not in toiling with the body; profit lies in the situation where one stands, not in exerting oneself in farming. [The Biographies of the Money-makers says: to get rich from poverty, farming is not as good as crafts, crafts are not as good as trade, and embroidering patterns is not as good as leaning on the market gate. This says that the branch occupation is the resource of the poor.]

文學曰荊揚南有桂林之饒內有江湖之利左陵陽之金右蜀漢之材伐木而樹谷燔萊而播粟火耕而水耨地廣而饒材然後呰【音紫】窳【音庾】偷生【徐廣曰呰窳苟且墮賴之謂也應劭曰呰弜也晉灼曰窳病也】好衣甘食雖白屋草廬歌謳皷琴日給月單【通作殫盡也竭也】朝歌暮戚趙中山帶【連屬也】大河纂【集也】四通神衢當天下之蹊商賈【音古】錯於路諸侯交於道然民淫好【去聲】末侈靡而不務本田疇不修男女矜飾家無斗筲鳴琴在室是以楚趙之民均貧而寡富宋衞韓梁好【去聲】本稼穡編戶齊民無不家衍人給【顔師古曰編列次也編戶列名籍為庶人也如淳曰齊等也無有貴賤謂之齊民若今言平民也】故利在自惜不在勢居街衢富在儉力趣時不在嵗司羽鳩也【左傳曰魯昭公十七年秋郯子來朝公與之宴昭子問焉曰少皥氏鳥名官何故也郯子曰吾祖也我知之昔者黃帝氏以雲紀故為雲師而云名炎帝氏以火紀故為火師而火名共工氏以水紀故為水師而水名大皡氏以龍紀故為龍師而龍名我高祖少皡摯之立也鳯鳥適至故紀於鳥而鳥名鳯鳥氏歴正也鳥氏司分者也伯趙氏司至者也青鳥氏司啟者也丹鳥氏司閉者也祝鳩氏司徒也鵬鳩氏司馬也鳲鳩氏司空也爽鳩氏司寇也鶻鳩氏司事也五鳩鳩民者也五雉為五工正利器用正度量夷民者也九扈為九農正扈民無淫者也自顓頊以來不能紀逺乃紀於近為民師而命以民事則不能故也】

The Learned Scholars said: Jing and Yang have in the south the abundance of Guilin, within the benefit of rivers and lakes, to the left the gold of Lingyang and to the right the timber of Shu and Han. They cut trees to plant grain, burn wild grass to sow millet, plow with fire and weed with water, and land is broad and timber plentiful. Then they are careless [pronunciation note: the character 'careless' is read 'zi'] and lazy [pronunciation note: the character 'lazy' is read 'yu'] and live from day to day [Xu Guang says: careless and lazy means being sloppy and idle. Ying Shao says: 'careless' is weak. Jin Zhuo says: 'lazy' is sick], loving fine clothes and fine food; even in white-washed huts and thatched cottages they sing and strum the zither, spending day by day and exhausting month by month [commonly written 'exhausted', meaning used up], singing in the morning and grieving in the evening. Zhao and Zhongshan are joined [the word 'joined' means connected] to the Great River and gather [the word 'gather' means to collect] the spiritual thoroughfares that reach in four directions; they face the crossroads of the world, merchants [pronunciation note] cross on the roads and feudal lords meet on the way. Yet the people are licentious and extravagant, love [pronunciation note: the character 'love' is read in the departing tone] the branch occupations and luxury and do not devote themselves to the root; their fields are not tended, men and women adorn themselves, and a household has not a single dou or shao of grain yet plays the zither in the room. So the people of Chu and Zhao are all poor with few rich. Song, Wei, Han, and Liang love [pronunciation note] the root occupation of farming, and the registered common people [pronunciation note] all have households that grow and supply everyone [Yan Shigu says: 'register' means to list in order; 'registered households' are those listed in the registers as commoners. Ru Chun says: 'equal' means alike; with no noble or humble they are called equal people, as we now say commoners]. So profit lies in each cherishing oneself, not in the situation of lying at the crossroads; wealth lies in economizing strength and following the season, not in reporting every year to the office of feathered doves. [The Zuo Commentary says: in the autumn of the seventeenth year of Duke Zhao of Lu, the Viscount of Tan came to court, and the duke feasted him. Zhaozi asked: "Lord Shaohao named his officials after birds; what was the reason?" The Viscount of Tan said: "He was my ancestor, and I know it. In the past the Yellow Emperor's clan recorded things with clouds, so the masters of clouds were named after clouds; the Flame Emperor's clan recorded with fire, so the masters of fire were named after fire; Gonggong's clan recorded with water, so the masters of water were named after water; Taihao's clan recorded with dragons, so the masters of dragons were named after dragons. When my high ancestor Shaohao Zhi took the throne, a phoenix happened to arrive, so he recorded things with birds and named officials after birds. The phoenix clan was in charge of the calendar, the dark bird clan was in charge of the equinoxes and solstices, the Bozhao clan was in charge of the solstices, the green bird clan was in charge of the beginnings of seasons, and the red bird clan was in charge of the endings. The Zhujiu clan was Minister of Education, the Kunjiu clan was Minister of War, the Shijiu clan was Minister of Works, the Shuangjiu clan was Minister of Crime, and the Hujiu clan was Minister of Affairs. The five doves were those who gathered the people. The five pheasants were the five directors of crafts, who made tools convenient, set measures right, and leveled the people's affairs. The nine hu were the nine directors of agriculture, who prevented the people from straying. After Zhuanxu, one could not record from afar, so they recorded from near, becoming teachers of the people and naming officials by the people's affairs, so it could no longer be as before."]

大夫曰五行東方木而丹章有金銅之山南方火而交趾有大海之川西方金而蜀隴有名材之林北方水而幽都有積沙之地此天地所以均有無而通萬物也今呉越之竹隋唐之材不可勝【音升】用而曹衞梁宋採棺轉屍江湖之魚萊黃之鮐【音臺】不可勝【音升】食而鄒魯周韓藜藿蔬食天下之利無不澹【古膽字】而山海之貨無不富也然百姓匱乏財用不足多寡不調【調和也】而天下財不散也

The Grand Secretary said: Among the five phases, the east is Wood, yet Danyang and Mount Zhang have mountains of gold and copper; the south is Fire, yet Jiaozhi has rivers flowing into the great sea; the west is Metal, yet Shu and Long have forests of famous timber; the north is Water, yet Youdu has land of piled-up sand. This is how Heaven and Earth balance what is present and absent and let the myriad things circulate. Now the bamboo of Wu and Yue and the timber of Sui and Tang are inexhaustible [phonetic gloss: "sheng" is read sheng], yet Cao, Wey, Liang and Song use oak for coffins and throw away corpses; the fish of the rivers and lakes and the pufferfish of Lai and Huang cannot be eaten up [phonetic gloss: "sheng" is read sheng], yet Zou, Lu, Zhou and Han eat goosefoot and bean leaves and vegetables. There is no profit under heaven that is not sufficient ["dan" is the ancient form of "shan" (sufficient); the original note writes "dan" for "shan"], and no goods of mountain and sea that are not rich. Yet the common people are in want and goods and expenditure are insufficient, with surplus and shortage unadjusted ["tiao" means to harmonize]; this is because the wealth of the world has not been dispersed.

文學曰古者採椽不斵【音卓】茅屋不翦衣【去聲】布褐飯【上聲】土鉶【音刑韓非子曰堯之有天下也堂高三尺採椽不斵茅茨不翦雖逆旅之宿不勤於此矣冬日鹿裘夏日葛裘粢糲之食藜藿之羹飯土匭啜土鉶雖監門之養不觳於此矣精神訓曰高臺層榭人之所防也而堯樸桷不斵素題不枅珍怪竒異人之所美也而堯□粢之飯藜藿之羮文繡狐白人之所好也而堯布衣掩形鹿裘禦寒俶真訓曰夫聖人量腹而食度形而衣節於已而已貪汚之心奚由生哉故能有天下者必無以天下為也】鑄【音注】金為鉏【音鋤】埏【音言】埴【音植】為器工不造竒巧世不寳不可衣食之物【晁錯曰夫珠玉金銀飢不可食寒不可衣是故明君貴五穀而賤金玉】各安其居樂【音洛】其俗甘其食便其器是以逺方之物不交而崑山之玉不至今世俗壞而競於淫靡女極纎微工極技巧雕素樸而尚珍恠鑽山石而求金銀沒深淵求珠璣設機防求犀象張網羅求翡翠求蠻貊之物以中國【目無常主曰亂也】徙卭【渠容切】筰【音作】之貨致之東海交萬里之財曠日費功無益於用是以褐衣匹婦勞罷【音疲】力屈而衣食不足也故王者禁溢利節漏費溢利禁則反本漏費節則民用給是以生無乏資死無轉屍也【轉棄也詮言訓曰為治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慾節慾之本在於反性反性之本在於去載主術訓曰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殖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防食冬伐薪以為民資是故生無乏用死無轉屍】

The Literati said: In ancient times, oak rafters were not trimmed [phonetic gloss: "zhuo" is read zhuo], thatched roofs were not trimmed, people wore [phonetic gloss: "yi" is read in the departing tone] coarse cloth and ate [phonetic gloss: "fan" is read in the rising tone] from earthenware bowls [phonetic gloss: "xing" is read xing. Han Feizi says: When Yao possessed the world, his hall was three feet high, the oak rafters were not trimmed and the thatch was not cut; even the lodging of a travelers' inn was not more toilsome than this. In winter he wore deerskin and in summer kudzu cloth, ate coarse grain and goosefoot and bean leaves, ate rice from earthen vessels and drank soup from earthen bowls; even the provisions of a gatekeeper were not thinner than this. The Huainanzi, chapter "Jingshen," says: High terraces and tiered pavilions are what people yearn for (the original has a rare character here), yet Yao used rough rafters untrimmed and plain lintels without brackets; rare and strange things are what people find beautiful, yet Yao ate coarse (the original is damaged here) grain and goosefoot and bean leaves; embroidered clothes and white fox fur are what people like, yet Yao covered his body with cloth and warded off cold with deerskin. The chapter "Chuzhen" says: The sage eats by measuring his belly and dresses by measuring his body, restraining only himself; where could a greedy heart arise? So one who can possess the world surely does not regard the world as his own.] They melted and cast [phonetic gloss: "zhu" is read zhu] metal into hoes [phonetic gloss: "chu" is read chu] and mixed [phonetic gloss: "shan" is read yan (the original writes "yan")] clay [phonetic gloss: "zhi" is read zhi] to make vessels; the craftsmen did not make anything marvelous or ingenious, and the world did not treasure things that could not be worn or eaten [Chao Cuo said: Pearls, jade, gold and silver cannot be eaten when hungry or worn when cold, so an enlightened ruler values the five grains and makes light of gold and jade.]. Each was at ease in his dwelling, delighted [phonetic gloss: "le" is read luo] in his customs, relished his food, and found his tools convenient. So things from afar were not exchanged and the jade of Mount Kun did not arrive. Now customs have become corrupt and people compete in extravagance; women's work exhausts the finest detail, craftsmen exhaust their skill, they carve and polish simplicity and prize rare and strange things, drill mountains and stones to seek gold and silver, sink into deep pools to seek pearls, set traps to seek rhinoceros and elephants, spread nets to seek kingfishers, seek the goods of the Man and Mo barbarians to bewilder the Middle Kingdom [eyes without a constant master are said to be bewildered (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription).]. They move the goods of Qiong and Zuo [phonetic glosses: "qiong" is read qu-rong and "zuo" is read zuo] to the eastern sea and exchange wealth across ten thousand li, wasting days and effort for no benefit to use. So humble-clothed women are worn out [phonetic gloss: "ba" is read pi] and exhausted of strength yet lack clothing and food. So a true king prohibits excess profit and restrains leaking expenses. When excess profit is prohibited, people return to the basic occupation; when leaking expenses are restrained, the people's needs are supplied. So the living do not lack resources, and the dead have no corpses thrown away ["zhuan" means to abandon. The chapter "Quanyan" says: 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 taking the farming seasons; the root of not taking the 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 burdens. The chapter "Zhushu" says: Food is the root of the people, the people are the root of the state, and the state is the root of the ruler. So the ruler above follows the seasons of Heaven, below exhausts the wealth of Earth, and in the middle uses human strength, so the multitude of living things grow and the five grains multiply. He teaches the people to raise the six domestic animals, plant trees in season, work to tend the fields, and grow mulberry and hemp, each as suits the rich or poor, high or low land; on hills, slopes and steep places where the five grains do not grow, he plants bamboo and trees. In spring one fells dried wood, in summer gathers fruits and melons, in autumn stores vegetables (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription), and in winter cuts firewood, as the people's resources. So the living do not lack and the dead have no corpses thrown away.]

大夫曰古者宮室有度輿服以庸採椽茅茨非先王之制也君子節奢刺儉儉則固昔季文子相【去聲】魯妻不衣【去聲】帛馬不秣粟【魯世家曰季文子卒家無衣帛之妾廐無食粟之馬府無金玉以相三君君子曰季文子廉忠矣説苑反質篇曰季文子相魯妾不衣帛馬不食粟仲孫他諫曰子為魯上郷妾不衣帛馬不食粟人其以子為愛且不華國也文子曰然乎吾觀國人之父母衣麄食蔬吾是以不敢且吾聞君子以徳華國不聞以妾與馬伕徳者得於我又得於彼故可行若淫於奢侈沉於文章不能自反何以守國仲孫他慙而退】孔子曰不可大儉極下此蟋蟀所為作也【蟋蟀刺晉僖公也儉不中禮故作是詩以閔之慾其及時以禮自娛樂也】管子曰不飾公室則材木不可勝【音升】用不充庖防則禽獸不損其夀無味利則本業所出無黼【音甫】黻【音弗】則女紅【音工】不施故工商梓匠邦國之用器械之備也自古有之非獨於此高飯【上聲】牛於周【人間訓曰秦穆公使孟明舉兵襲鄭過周以東鄭之賈人高蹇他相與謀曰師行數千裡數絶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也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高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】五羖賃車入秦【臣術篇曰秦穆公使賈人載鹽徵諸賈人賈人買百里奚以五羖羊之皮使將車之秦秦穆公觀鹽見百里奚牛肥曰任重道逺以險而牛何以肥也對曰臣飲食以時使之不以有險先後之以身是以肥也穆公知其君子也令有司具沐浴焉衣冠與坐公大悅異日與公孫支論政公孫支大不寧曰君耳目聰明思慮審察君其得聖人乎公曰然吾悅夫奚之言彼類聖人公孫支遂歸取鴈以賀曰君得社稷之聖臣敢賀社稷之福公不辭再拜而受明日公孫支乃致上卿以讓百里奚曰秦國處僻民陋以愚無知危亡之本也臣自知不足以處其上請以讓之公不許公孫支曰君不用賔相而得社稷之聖臣君之祿也臣見賢而讓之臣之祿也今君既得其祿矣而使臣失祿可乎請終致之公不許公孫支曰臣不肖而處上位是君失倫也不肖失倫臣之過進賢而退不肖君之明也今臣處位廢君之徳而逆臣之行也臣將逃公乃受之故百里奚為上卿以制之公孫支為次卿以佐之也】公輸子以防矩【公輸子名班魯之巧人作雲梯之械以攻宋者防者所以圓萬物者也矩者所以方萬物者也】歐冶以鎔鑄【音注呉越春秋曰越王允常聘歐冶子作名劔五枚一曰純鉤二曰湛盧三曰豪曹四曰魚腸五曰巨闕秦客薛燭善相劔越王取豪曹巨闕魚腸等示之薛燭皆曰非寳劔也取純鉤示之薛燭曰光乎如屈陽之華沉沉如芙蓉始生於湖觀其文如列星之行觀其光如水之溢塘其文色渙渙如氷將釋見日之光此純鉤也取湛盧示之薛燭曰銜金鐵之英吐銀錫之精寄氣托靈有逰出之神服此劔可以折沖伐敵人君有逆謀則去之他日允常乃以湛盧獻呉呉公子光弒呉王僚湛盧去如楚】語曰百工居肆以成其事農商交易以利本末山居澤處蓬蒿墝【音敲】埆【音慤】財物流通有以均之是以多者不獨衍少者不獨饉【韓嬰曰聖人刳木為舟剡木為楫以通四方之物使澤人足乎木山人足乎魚餘衍之財有所流故豐膏不獨樂磽确不獨苦雖遭凶年飢嵗禹湯之水旱而民無凍餓之色故生不乏用死不轉屍】若各居其處食其食則是橘柚不鬻【音祝鬻賣也】朐【音劬】滷【音魯】之鹽不出旃【音氊】罽【音計】不市而呉唐之材不用也

The Grand Secretary said: In ancient times palaces had regulations, and carriages and clothing followed merit. Oak rafters and thatched roofs were not the institutions of the former kings. The gentleman restrains extravagance and criticizes stinginess; thrift leads to narrowness. In the past when Ji Wenzi served [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] as chancellor of Lu, his wife did not wear [phonetic gloss: "yi" is read in the departing tone] silk and his horses did not eat grain [the Lu hereditary house says: When Ji Wenzi died, there was no concubine wearing silk in his house, no horse eating grain in his stable, no gold or jade in his treasury, and he had assisted three rulers. The gentleman said: Ji Wenzi was honest and loyal. The chapter "Fanzhi" in the Shuoyuan says: Ji Wenzi served as chancellor of Lu, his concubines did not wear silk and his horses did not eat grain. Zhongsun Ta remonstrated, saying: "You are a senior minister of Lu, yet your concubines do not wear silk and your horses do not eat grain; people will think you are stingy, and moreover the state will not look splendid." Wenzi said: "Is that so? I see the parents of the people of the state wearing coarse clothes and eating vegetables, and for that reason I dare not. Moreover, I have heard that the gentleman adorns the state with virtue; I have never heard of adorning it with concubines and horses. Virtue is gained in me and also in others, so it can be put into practice. If one indulges in extravagance and sinks into ornament and cannot reflect on oneself, with what can he guard the state?" Zhongsun Ta withdrew ashamed.]. Confucius said: One must not be too thrifty, putting oneself at the very lowest; this is why "Xishuai" (The Cricket) was composed ["Xishuai" criticizes Duke Xi of Jin. His thrift did not accord with ritual, so this poem was composed to pity him, wanting him to enjoy himself in time according to ritual.]. Guanzi said: If the ducal palaces are not decorated, timber is not exhausted [phonetic gloss: "sheng" is read sheng]; if the kitchens are not filled (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription), birds and beasts do not shorten their lives; if there is no profit from flavors, the products of the basic occupation have no outlet; if there is no embroidered fu [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu] and fu [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu] patterns, women's needlework [phonetic gloss: "hong" is read gong] has nowhere to be used. So the artisans, merchants, carpenters and craftsmen are what the state uses and what equipment prepares, and have been so since ancient times, not just today. Xian Gao (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription; he was the merchant of Zheng, Xian Gao) used oxen to feast the army of the Zhou royal house [the chapter "Renjian" says: Duke Mu of Qin sent Meng Ming to raise troops to attack Zheng, passing through Zhou toward the east. The Zheng merchants Xian Gao and Jian Ta planned together, saying: The army has marched thousands of li and many times passed through the lands of the feudal lords; by the situation they must be going to attack Zheng. In any attack on a capital, they assume the other side is unprepared; now if we show that we already know their intention, they will surely not dare advance. So pretending to act on the order of the Earl of Zheng, he feasted them with twelve oxen. The three commanders planned together, saying: In any attack, one assumes the other does not know; now they already know, their defenses must be firm and advancing will surely have no success. So they turned the army back. Xian Zhen of Jin raised troops and attacked and greatly defeated them at Xiao. The Earl of Zheng then wished to reward Xian Gao for the merit of preserving the state. Xian Gao declined, saying: If one gains a reward by deceit, then the good faith of Zheng is abolished; to have no good faith in a state is to ruin its customs. To reward one man and ruin the customs of the state, a benevolent person would not do it; to gain a great reward by bad faith, a righteous person would not do it. So he took his followers and moved to the Eastern Yi and never returned in his life.]; Baili Xi was bought for five black ram skins and drove a cart into Qin [the chapter "Chenshu" in the Lüshi chunqiu says: Duke Mu of Qin sent merchants carrying salt and called on the various merchants. The merchants bought Baili Xi with five black ram skins and had him drive the cart to Qin. Duke Mu looked at the salt and saw that Baili Xi's ox was fat, and asked: "The load is heavy, the road is long and dangerous; why is the ox fat?" He answered: "I feed and water it at the proper times and do not work it cruelly (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription), and when there is danger I attend to it personally before and behind, so it is fat." Duke Mu knew he was a gentleman, ordered officials to prepare a bath, gave him clothes and cap, and sat with him; the Duke was greatly pleased. On another day he discussed government with Gongsun Zhi, and Gongsun Zhi was very uneasy and said: "Your ears and eyes are keen and your thinking is careful; perhaps you have obtained a sage?" The Duke said: "Yes, I like Xi's words; he is like a sage." Gongsun Zhi went back and took a goose to congratulate him, saying: "You have obtained a sage minister for the altars of soil and grain; I dare to congratulate you on the blessing of the state." The Duke did not decline and bowed twice and accepted. The next day Gongsun Zhi handed over the position of chief minister to give to Baili Xi, saying: "Qin is in a remote place, its people's customs are crude and ignorant, which is the root of danger and ruin. I know myself not capable of the upper position and ask to yield it to you." The Duke did not permit. Gongsun Zhi said: "That you obtained a sage minister for the altars without using a guest-minister is your blessing; that I see a worthy man and yield is my blessing. Now you have already obtained your blessing but make me lose mine; may that be? I ask finally to hand it over." The Duke did not permit. Gongsun Zhi said: "If I, unworthy, hold the upper position, it is you who lose the order of precedence. That the unworthy lose precedence is my fault, and advancing the worthy and retiring the unworthy is your clear-sightedness. Now if I hold the position, it will abolish your virtue and go against my conduct. I will run away." Only then did the Duke accept. So Baili Xi was senior minister to regulate and Gongsun Zhi was second minister to assist.]; Gongshu Zi used the compass and the square [Gongshu Zi's name was Ban, a skilled man of Lu, who made the cloud-ladder device to attack Song. "Gui" (compass) is used to make all things round, and "ju" (square) is used to make all things square. (The original reads "fang ju", where "fang" should be a corruption of "gui".)]; Ou Ye used melting and casting [phonetic gloss: "zhu" is read zhu. The Wu Yue chunqiu says: King Yunchang of Yue engaged Ou Yezi to make five famous swords: first called Chunjun, second Zhanlu, third Haocao, fourth Yuchang, fifth Juque. A guest from Qin, Xue Zhu, was good at appraising swords. The King of Yue took Haocao, Juque, Yuchang and others and showed them to him, and Xue Zhu said that none were treasure swords. He took Chunjun and showed him, and Xue Zhu said: "Its light is like the bloom of Quyang, deep and dark like a lotus just born on a lake; its pattern looks like stars in a row, its glow like water brimming over a pond, its colors and patterns flowing like ice about to melt, like the light when seeing the sun; this is Chunjun." He took Zhanlu and showed him, and Xue Zhu said: "It contains the essence of metal and iron, breathes out the finest of silver and tin, entrusts qi and lodges spirit, with a spirit that can roam out. One who wears this sword can break the enemy and strike down foes. If a ruler has a rebellious scheme, it leaves him." Later Yunchang offered Zhanlu to Wu; Prince Guang of Wu murdered King Liao of Wu, and Zhanlu left for Chu.]. The common saying is: The hundred craftsmen live in shops to accomplish their work, and farmers and merchants trade to make the root and branch convenient. In mountain dwellings and marsh places, on land of thorny and barren [phonetic gloss: "qiao" is read qiao] thin [phonetic gloss: "que" is read que] soil, goods and wealth must flow for there to be balance. So those with much do not alone have a surplus, and those with little do not alone suffer shortage [Han Ying said: The sage hollowed out wood for boats and carved wood for oars in order to circulate things from the four quarters, so that people of the marshes have enough wood, people of the mountains have enough fish, and surplus wealth is circulated. So the rich and fertile do not enjoy alone and the barren do not suffer alone. Even in years of flood or drought like those of Yu and Tang, the people had no look of cold or hunger. So the living do not lack and the dead are not thrown away.]. If everyone lived in his own place and ate his own food, then tangerines and pomelos would not be sold [phonetic gloss: "yu" is read yu (the original writes "zhu"); "yu" means to sell], the salt of Qu [phonetic gloss: "qu" is read qu] and Lu [phonetic gloss: "lu" is read lu] would not come out, felt [phonetic gloss: "zhan" is read zhan] and wool rugs [phonetic gloss: "ji" is read ji] would not go to market, and the timber of Wu and Tang would not be used.

文學曰孟子云不違農時谷不可勝【音升】食麻以時布帛不可勝【音升】衣也斧斤以時入材木不可勝【音升】用佃漁以時魚肉不可勝【音升】食【周書曰文王受命之九年時緋暮春在鄗謂太子發曰吾語汝所保所守守之哉厚徳廣惠忠信愛人君子之行不為驕侈不為靡泰不淫於美括拄茅茨為愛費山林非時不升斤斧以成草木之長川凙非時不入網罟以成魚鼈之長不麛不卵以成鳥獸之長畋漁以時童不夭胎馬不馳騖土不失宜土可犯材可蓄潤溼不穀樹之竹葦莞蒲礫石不可谷樹之葛木以為絺綌以為材用故凡天地之間聖人裁之併為民利是魚鼈歸其泉鳥歸其林孤寡辛苦鹹賴其生山以遂其材工匠以為其器百物以平其利商賈以通其貨工不失其務農不失其時是謂和徳主術訓曰先王之法畋不掩群不取麛夭不蒸澤而漁不焚林而獵豺未祭獸罦不得佈於野獺未祭魚網罟不得入於水鷹隼未摰羅網不得張於谿谷草木未落斧斤不得入山林昆蟲未蟄不得以火燒田孕育不得殺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歸之若流泉飛鳥歸之若煙雲有所以致之也雍季曰焚林而田得獸雖多而明年無復也幹澤而漁得魚雖多而明年無復也】若其飾宮室增臺榭梓匠斵【音卓】巨為小以圓為方上成雲氣下成山林則材木不足用也男子去本為末雖雕文刻鏤【音陋】以象禽獸窮物究變則谷不足食也婦女飾微治細以成文章極技盡巧則絲布不足衣也庖宰烹殺胎卵炙齊【去聲】和【去聲】窮極五味則魚肉不足食也當今世非患禽獸不損材木不勝患僣侈之無窮也非患無旃【音氊】罽【音計】橘柚患無狹廬糟糠也

The Literati said: Mencius said: "If the farming seasons are not violated, grain cannot be eaten up [phonetic gloss: "sheng" is read sheng]; if mulberry and hemp follow the seasons, cloth and silk cannot be worn out [phonetic gloss: "sheng" is read sheng]; if axes enter the mountain forests at the proper times, timber cannot be used up [phonetic gloss: "sheng" is read sheng]; if hunting and fishing follow the seasons, fish and meat cannot be eaten up [phonetic gloss: "sheng" is read sheng]." [The Zhou shu says: In the ninth year of King Wen's receiving the mandate, in late spring, at Hao, he said to Crown Prince Fa: "I tell you what you should protect and what you should keep; keep it! Thick virtue and broad favor, loyalty, good faith and love of people are the conduct of a gentleman. Do not be arrogant and extravagant, do not be luxurious and grand, do not indulge in beauty; use frames of pillars and thatch to economize expense. Mountain forests do not admit axes before the proper time, so that the growth of plants and trees is accomplished; rivers and marshes do not admit nets before the proper time, so that the growth of fish and turtles is accomplished; do not take young animals or eggs, so that the growth of birds and beasts is accomplished. Hunting and fishing follow the seasons; do not kill young or pregnant animals, do not let horses gallop wildly, do not let the soil lose what suits it. Soil can be used and timber stored. Where it is damp and does not grow grain, plant bamboo, reeds and rushes; where gravel cannot grow grain, plant kudzu and trees for coarse cloth and for materials. So everything between heaven and earth, the sage tailors it, all for the people's benefit. Thus fish and turtles return to their springs and birds to their forests, and the lonely, widowed and hard-pressed all survive by them. The mountains attain their timber, the craftsmen make their vessels, the hundred things have level profit, merchants circulate their goods, craftsmen do not lose their work, farmers do not lose their seasons; this is called harmonious virtue. The Zhushu chapter says: The law of the former kings was that in hunting they did not wipe out a whole herd, did not take the young, did not drain marshes to fish, and did not burn forests to hunt. Before the jackal has made its offering of beasts, nets are not spread in the fields; before the otter has made its offering of fish, nets do not enter the water; before hawks and falcons strike, nets are not set in the valleys; before plants and trees have shed their leaves, axes do not enter the forests; before insects have hibernated, fire is not used to burn fields. Pregnant animals must not be killed, eggs must not be taken, fish not a foot long must not be taken, pigs not a year old must not be eaten. So plants and trees sprout like steam, birds and beasts return to them like flowing springs, flying birds return to them like smoke and clouds; there is a reason that makes them so. Yong Ji said: To burn a forest and hunt, even though one gets many beasts, next year there will be none; to drain a marsh and fish, even though one gets many fish, next year there will be none.] If palaces are decorated and terraces and pavilions raised higher, carpenters cut [phonetic gloss: "zhuo" is read zhuo] the large into the small, make the round into square, paint clouds above and mountains and forests below, then timber will not be enough. If men leave the basic occupation for the secondary and, even carving and engraving [phonetic gloss: "lou" is read lou] to imitate birds and beasts, exhaust the changes of things, then grain will not be enough. If women decorate finely to make patterns and exhaust their skill, then silk and cloth will not be enough. If kitchens slaughter embryos and eggs, roast and grill (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription), season [phonetic gloss: "qi" is read in the departing tone] [phonetic gloss: "he" is read in the departing tone] and exhaust the five flavors, then fish and meat will not be enough. In the present age, one need not fear that birds and beasts will not decrease or that timber will not be used up, but fear that extravagance will have no end; one need not fear a lack of felt [phonetic gloss: "zhan" is read zhan] and wool rugs [phonetic gloss: "ji" is read ji], tangerines and pomelos, but fear that there will be no narrow huts and dregs and chaff.

大夫曰交幣通施民事不及物有所並也計夲量委民有飢者谷有所藏也【管子曰今為國有地以牧民者務在四時守在倉廩國多財則逺者來地辟舉則民留防倉廩實則知禮節衣食足則知榮辱今君鑄錢立幣民通移人有百十之數而民有賣子者何也財有所並也今君躬犂墾田耕發草土得其谷矣民人之食有人若干歩畆之然而有餓餒於衢閭者何也谷有所藏也故為人君不能散積聚調髙下分並則君雖強本趣耕發草立幣而無止民猶若不足也】知【去聲】者有百人之功愚者不更夲之事人君不調民有相妨之富也此其所以或儲百年之餘或不厭糟糠也民大富則不可以祿使也大強則不可以威罰也非散聚均利者不齊故人主積其食守其用調其不足禁溢羨厄利塗【説文曰厄塞也】然後百姓可家給人足也

The Imperial Counselor (Sang Hongyang) said: Currency circulates and exchange is applied, but the people's affairs cannot keep up with goods, because there is some merging; calculating the basic occupation and measuring the stores, some people are hungry, because grain is hidden somewhere. [Guanzi said: Now, in governing a state that has land with which to shepherd the people, the business lies in the four seasons and the guard lies in the granaries. When the state has much wealth, people from afar come; when land is opened up, the people stay (the original reads "liu fang", where "fang" should be a corruption of "chu"). When granaries are full, people know ritual and restraint; when clothing and food are sufficient, they know honor and disgrace. Now the ruler casts coins and the people circulate and transfer them to each other, and a person may have hundreds or tens of them, yet there are people who sell their sons; why? Because wealth is merged somewhere. Now the ruler personally plows and opens fields, and in tilling the grassy soil gets grain, and the people's food is by the number of paces and acres for each person (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription), yet there are those who starve to death in streets and lanes; why? Because grain is hidden somewhere. So a ruler who cannot disperse what has accumulated, adjust high and low, and break up the merging, even if he strengthens the basic occupation, urges farming, opens wasteland and keeps issuing currency, the people will still be as if insufficient.] The wise [phonetic gloss: "zhi" is read in the departing tone] have the merit of a hundred people, while the foolish cannot do what changes the basic occupation. If the ruler does not adjust, the people will have riches that hinder each other. This is why some have stores that exceed a hundred years, while others do not even have enough dregs and chaff to eat. If the people are too rich, they cannot be employed with salaries; if too strong, they cannot be controlled with punishments. Without dispersing what has accumulated and equalizing benefits, they cannot be made uniform. So the ruler stores grain, holds to expenditure, adjusts what is insufficient, prohibits excessive surplus, and blocks the road of seeking profit [the Shuowen says: "e" means to block]; only then can the hundred families be provided for and each person be sufficient.

文學曰古者貴徳而賤利重義而輕財三王之時迭盛迭衰衰則扶之傾則定之是以夏忠殷敬周文庠序之教恭讓之禮粲然可得而觀也及其後禮義弛崩風俗滅息故自食祿之君子違於義而競於財大小相吞激轉相傾此所以或儲百年之餘或無以充虛蔽形也【貨殖傳曰占之在上者道之以徳齊之以禮故民有恥而且敬貴誼而賤利慾寡而事節財足而不爭此三代之所以直道而行也及周室衰禮法墮諸侯刻桷丹楹大夫山節藻梲八佾舞於庭雍徹於堂其流至乎士庶人莫不離制而棄本稼穡之民少商旅之民多谷不足而貨有餘陵夷至於桓文之後禮誼大壊上下相冐國異政家殊俗耆欲不制僣差亡極於是商通難得之貨工作亡用之器士設反道之行以追時好而取世資偽民背實而要名姦夫犯害而求利篡弒取國者為王公圉奪成家者為雄桀禮誼不足以拘君子刑戮不足以威小人富者木土被文錦犬馬餘肉粟而貧者裋褐不完唅菽飲水其為編戸齊民同列而以財力相君雖為僕虜猶亡慍色故夫飾變詐為奸軌者自足乎一世之間守道循理者不免於飢寒之患其教自上興繇法度之無限也】古之仕者不穡田者不漁抱關擊柝皆有常秩不得兼利盡物如此則愚知【去聲】同功不相傾也詩云彼有遺秉此有滯穗伊寡婦之利言不盡物也【荀子曰義與利者人之所兩有也雖堯舜不能去民之慾利然而能使其欲利不克其好義也雖桀紂亦不能去民之好義然而能使其好義不勝其欲利也故義勝利者為治世利克義者為亂世上重義則義克利上重利則利克義故天子不言多少諸侯不言利害大夫不言得防士不通財貨有國之君不息牛羊錯質之臣不息雞豚卿不修幣大夫不為場園從士以上皆羞利而不與民爭業樂分施而恥積藏坊記曰子云君子不盡利以遺民詩云彼有遺秉此有不斂穧伊寡婦之利故君子仕則不稼田則不漁食時不力珍大夫不坐羊士不坐犬】

The Literati replied: In ancient times, virtue was valued and profit made light of, rightness was valued and wealth made light of. In the age of the Three Kings there were alternating flourishing and decline; when there was decline they supported it, and when it tipped they steadied it. So the Xia honored loyalty, the Yin honored reverence, and the Zhou honored refinement, and the teaching of the village and county schools and the ritual of courtesy and deference could be seen shining. Afterward ritual and rightness slackened and collapsed and customs died out, so ever since the gentlemen who ate official salaries went against rightness and competed for wealth, the large and small devoured each other and overthrew each other in turn. This is why some have stores exceeding a hundred years, while others cannot fill their stomachs or cover their bodies. [The Huozhi zhuan says: In ancient times those above guided with virtue and unified with ritual, so the people had shame and also reverence, valued righteousness and made light of profit, had few desires and moderation in affairs, had enough wealth and did not quarrel. This is why the Three Dynasties walked in the straight Way. When the Zhou house declined and ritual and law fell, the feudal lords carved their rafters and painted their pillars, grand masters had hill-shaped capitals and algae-painted posts, eight rows of dancers danced in the courtyard, and the Yong ode was sung in the hall to clear away the sacrifice; this flowed down to officers and commoners, and none did not leave the regulations and abandon the root. Those who farmed were few and merchants and travelers were many, grain was insufficient and goods were in surplus. Gradually, after Dukes Huan and Wen, ritual and rightness were greatly ruined, high and low offended each other, states differed in government and families in custom, appetites were not restrained and overstepping had no limit. Then merchants circulated hard-to-get goods, craftsmen made useless vessels, scholars set up conduct contrary to the Way, to chase current fashions and take the resources of vulgar taste. False people turned from substance to seek fame, cunning men committed harm to seek profit, those who usurped and murdered to take a state became kings and dukes, and those who robbed and seized to make a family became heroes. Ritual and rightness were not enough to restrain gentlemen, and execution and punishment were not enough to awe petty men. The rich had wooden and earthen structures covered with patterned brocade, dogs and horses with surplus meat and grain, while the poor had short coarse clothes that were not whole, and ate beans and drank water. Though all were registered commoners of the same rank, they treated one another as ruler by wealth and power, and even being servants brought no look of resentment. So those who decorated deceit and made cunning into crooked tracks were self-sufficient for a whole age, while those who kept the Way and followed principle could not escape the trouble of hunger and cold. This teaching arose from above, because laws and standards had no limits.] In ancient times officials did not farm, farmers did not fish, and even gatekeepers and watchmen had fixed ranks, and they could not combine profits and use up everything. In this way the foolish and wise [phonetic gloss: "zhi" is read in the departing tone] shared merit and did not crush each other. The Classic of Poetry says: "There is a sheaf of grain left over there, an ear left behind here, it is the widow's profit." This speaks of not taking everything from things. [Xunzi said: Rightness and profit are both possessed by people. Even Yao and Shun could not remove the people's desire for profit, but they could make their desire for profit not prevail over their love of rightness; even Jie and Zhou could not remove the people's love of rightness, but they could make their love of rightness not prevail over their desire for profit. So when rightness prevails over profit, it is a well-governed age; when profit prevails over rightness, it is a disordered age. When those above value rightness, rightness prevails over profit; when those above value profit, profit prevails over rightness. So the Son of Heaven does not speak of more or less, feudal lords do not speak of gain and harm, grand masters do not speak of gain and loss (the original reads "de fang", where "fang" should be a corruption of "sang"), and officers do not deal in goods and wealth. A ruler who has a state does not raise cattle and sheep, a minister who has entered service does not raise chickens and pigs, a senior minister (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription) does not manage money, and a grand master does not make fields and gardens. From the rank of officer upward all are ashamed of profit and do not compete with the people for occupations, delighting in sharing and bestowing and ashamed of hoarding. The Fangji says: Confucius said: "The gentleman does not take all the profit, in order to leave it for the people." The Classic of Poetry says: "There is a sheaf of grain left over there, an uncollected spread here, it is the widow's profit." So when the gentleman holds office he does not farm, when he farms he does not fish, he eats at the proper time without striving for delicacies, a grand master does not slaughter a sheep for himself, and an officer does not slaughter a dog for himself.]

大夫曰湯文繼衰漢興乗一質一文非苟易常也俗家法非務變古也亦所以救失扶衰也故教與俗改與世易【夏侯曰文質之更用猶四時之迭興也王者體天理物必因而濟通之時彌質則文之以禮時泰侈則敕之以質董仲舒曰繼治世者其道同繼亂世者其道變】夏後以貝周人以紫石後世或金錢刀布物極而衰終始之運也【司馬遷曰物盛則衰時極而轉一質一文終始之運也】故山澤無徵則君臣同利刀幣無禁則奸貞並行夫【音扶】臣富相侈下専利則相傾也

The Grand Secretary said: Tang and Wen inherited a declining age, and the Han rose by riding on ruin (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription); one plain, one refined, but they did not change constant laws at will; when customs are corrupted and house law is spoiled, it is not that one strives to change the ancient, but also uses this to rescue what is lost and support what is declining. So teaching changes with the customs, and ruin changes with the age. [Xiahou Xuan (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription) said: Refinement and plainness are used in turn, just as the four seasons arise in turn. A true king embodies Heaven and manages things, and must follow ruin to bring about relief. When the age is too plain he adorns it with ritual; when the age is too extravagant he restrains it with plainness. Dong Zhongshu said: Those who succeed a well-governed age follow the same Way; those who succeed a disordered age change their Way.] The Xia lords used black cowries (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription), the Zhou used purple stones, and later ages sometimes used gold coins, knife money and cloth money; when a thing reaches its extreme it declines, which is the movement of ending and beginning. [Sima Qian said: When a thing flourishes it declines, when the time reaches its extreme it turns; one plain, one refined, this is the movement of ending and beginning.] So if mountains and marshes are not taxed, ruler and ministers share the profit; if knife money has no prohibition, the crafty and the upright go side by side. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: when ministers are rich they compete in extravagance, and when those below monopolize profit they crush each other.

文學曰古者市朝【音潮】而無刀幣各以其所有易無抱布貿【音茂】絲而已【貿易財也交互之義】後世即有貝金錢刀布之幣交施之也幣數【音朔】變而民滋偽【司馬貞曰古者寳貨貝食貨志有十朋五貝皆用為貨貝各有多少兩貝為朋故直二百一十六元十朋故直二千一百六十已下各有差也錢本名泉言貨之流如泉也故周有泉府之官及景王乃鑄大錢刀者錢也食貨志有契刀錯刀契刀長二寸直五百錯刀以黃金錯直五千其形如刀故曰刀以其利於人也布泉者言貨流佈故周禮有三夫之布食貨志貨布長二寸五分首長八分足枝長八分佈者佈於民間也】夫【音扶】救偽以質坊【古防字】失以禮湯文繼衰革法易化而殷周道興漢初乗弊而不改易畜利變幣欲以反本是猶以煎止燔以火止沸也【精神訓曰以湯止沸沸乃不止誠知其本則去火而已矣】上好【去聲】禮則民闇飾上好【去聲】貨則下死利也【孔子曰下之事上也不從其所令從其所行上好是物下必有甚者矣故上之所好惡不可不慎也是民之表也詩云赫赫師尹民具爾贍管子曰一人之治亂在其心一國之存亡在其主天下治亂道一人出主好本則民好墾草萊主好貨則人賈市主好宮室則工匠巧主好文采則女工靡夫楚王好小腰而美人省食呉王好劔而國士輕死死與不食者天下之所共惡也然而為之者何也從主之所欲也而況愉樂音聲之化乎】

The Literati said: In ancient times, markets and courts [phonetic gloss: "chao" is read chao] had no knife money; each exchanged what he had for what he lacked, holding cloth to trade [phonetic gloss: "mao" is read mao] for silk, and that was all. ["Mao" means trading goods, with the sense of exchanging.] Later there came money in the form of tortoise shells (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription) and cowries, gold coins, knife money and cloth money, to exchange and use. The currency was changed repeatedly [phonetic gloss: "shuo" is read shuo] and the people grew still more deceitful. [Sima Zhen said: In ancient times the tortoise was valued and cowries were used as goods. The Shihuo zhi has ten pengs of five cowries, all used as currency. Cowries had various amounts; two cowries made a peng, so they were worth two hundred sixteen; a great tortoise of ten pengs was worth two thousand one hundred sixty, and below that there were various grades. Coins were originally called "spring," saying that goods flow like a spring, so the Zhou had the office of the Spring Treasury; only in the time of King Jing of Zhou were large coins cast. A dao is a coin; the Shihuo zhi has the Qi dao and the Cuo dao: the Qi dao was two inches long and worth five hundred, the Cuo dao was inlaid with gold and worth five thousand, shaped like a knife, hence called dao (knife), because it benefits people. Bu-quan (cloth-spring) means goods flowing and spreading, so the Rites of Zhou has the cloth of three husbands. The Shihuo zhi says: Huo bu was two and a half inches long, with a head eight fen long and a leg branch eight fen long. Bu means to spread among the people.] The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: use plainness to rescue falsehood, and use ritual to guard against ["fang" is the ancient form of "fang" (to guard)] loss. Tang and Wen inherited a declining age, reformed the laws and changed the teaching, and the Way of Yin and Zhou arose; the early Han rode on ruin and did not change, accumulated wealth and sought profit, and changed the currency wanting to use it to return to the root, which is like using boiling to stop burning or using fire to stop a boil. [The Huainanzi, chapter "Jingshen," says: Using hot water to stop boiling, the boiling will not stop; if one truly knows the root, one need only remove the fire.] If those above love [phonetic gloss: "hao" is read in the departing tone] ritual, the people secretly polish themselves; if those above love [phonetic gloss: "hao" is read in the departing tone] goods, those below die for profit. [Confucius said: In serving those above, those below do not follow what they order but follow what they do. If those above love this thing, those below will surely love it more. So the likes and dislikes of those above must be treated carefully, as they are the model for the people. The Classic of Poetry says: "Resplendent Master Yin, the people all look up to you." (the original reads "shan", which should be a corruption of "zhan") Guanzi said: One person's order or disorder lies in his heart, a state's survival or ruin lies in its ruler, and the Way of the world's order and disorder comes from one person. If the ruler loves the root, the people love clearing wasteland; if the ruler loves goods, people go into trade; if the ruler loves palaces, craftsmen are skilled; if the ruler loves ornament, women's work is lavish. The King of Chu loved slender waists and beauties starved themselves; the King of Wu loved swords and the gentlemen of the state made light of death. Death and not eating are what everyone under heaven dislikes, yet those who did them, why? They followed the ruler's desire. How much more so the transforming influence of delightful music?]

大夫曰文帝之時縱民得鑄【音注】錢冶鐡煮鹽呉王擅鄣【音嶂】海澤鄧通専西山山東奸猾鹹聚呉國秦雍漢蜀因鄧氏呉鄧錢布天下【食貨志曰孝文五年為錢益多而輕乃更鑄四銖錢其文為半兩除盜鑄錢令使民放鑄呉王傳曰呉王濞者高帝兄劉仲之子也上患呉會稽輕悍無壯王以塡之諸子少乃立濞於沛為呉王孝惠高後時天下初定郡國諸侯各務自拊循其民呉有豫章郡銅山濞則招致天下亡命者益鑄錢煮海水為鹽以故無賦國用益饒佞幸傳曰鄧通者蜀郡南安人也以擢船為黃頭郎文帝悅焉上使善相者相通曰當貧餓死文帝曰能富通者在我也何謂貧乎於是睗通蜀嚴道以鑄錢鄧氏錢布天下其富如此食貨志曰呉以諸侯即山鑄錢富埒天子後卒叛逆鄧通大夫也以鑄錢財過王者故呉鄧錢布天下】故有鑄【音注】錢之禁禁御之法立而奸偽息奸偽息則民不期於妄得而各務其職不反本何為故統一則民不二也幣由上則下不疑也

The Grand Secretary said: In the time of Emperor Wen the people were left free to cast [phonetic gloss: "zhu" is read zhu] coins, smelt iron and boil salt; the King of Wu seized for himself the seas and marshes and cut them off [phonetic gloss: "zhang" is read zhang], Deng Tong monopolized the Western Mountain, the cunning of Shandong all gathered in the state of Wu, and Qin, Yong, Han and Shu relied on the Deng family; the coins of Wu and Deng filled the world. [The Shihuo zhi says: In the fifth year of Xiaowen, because coins had grown more numerous and light, it was changed to cast four-zhu coins inscribed "half liang," the order against illicit casting was abolished, and the people were left free to cast privately. The Wu wang zhuan says: King Bi of Wu was the son of Liu Zhong, the elder brother of Emperor Gao. The emperor worried that Wu and Kuaiji were light and fierce and no strong king was there to pacify them, and the sons were young, so he established Bi as King of Wu at Pei. In the time of Emperors Xiaohui and Gaohou, the world was newly settled and the commanderies and feudal states each soothed their people. Wu had the copper mountain of Yuzhang commandery, and Bi summoned fugitives from the world to cast additional coins and boil sea water for salt, so that without taxes the state's expenses were even more ample. The Nixing zhuan says: Deng Tong was a native of Nan'an in Shu commandery, who became a yellow-capped boatman and was favored by Emperor Wen. The emperor had a physiognomist look at Deng Tong, who said he would die poor and hungry. Emperor Wen said: "Who can make Tong rich is me; how can you say poor?" So he gave (the original reads "shi", which should be a corruption of "ci") Tong the Yan Dao of Shu to cast coins, and Deng family coins filled the world, so great was his wealth. The Shihuo zhi says: Wu, as a feudal state, cast coins in the mountains, with wealth equal to the Son of Heaven, and later ended in rebellion; Deng Tong was a grand master, and because of casting coins his wealth exceeded a king's. So the coins of Wu and Deng filled the world.] Therefore there was a prohibition on casting [phonetic gloss: "zhu" is read zhu] coins. When the law of prohibition and defense is established, cunning and falsehood cease; when cunning and falsehood cease, the people do not hope for undeserved gain and each attends to his duties; if they do not return to the root, what else would they do? So when there is unity the people do not harbor divided hearts, and when currency comes from above, those below do not doubt.

文學曰徃古幣眾財通而民樂【音洛】其後稍去舊幣更行白金龍民多巧新幣幣數【音朔】易而民益疑【食貨志曰從建元以來用少縣官徃徃即多銅山而鑄錢民益盜鑄不可勝數錢益多而輕物益少而貴因有司言又造銀錫白金以為天用莫如龍地用莫如馬人用莫如故白金三品其一龍文直三千其二馬文直五百其三文直三百令縣官銷半兩錢更鑄三銖錢重如其文盜鑄諸金錢罪皆死而吏民之犯者不可勝數】於是廢天下諸錢而専命水衡二官作吏近侵利或不中式故有薄厚輕重農人不習物類比之信故疑新不知奸眞商賈【音古】以美貿【音茂】惡以半易倍買則失實賣則失理其疑惑滋益甚夫【音扶】鑄【音注】偽金錢以有法而錢之善惡無增損於政擇錢則物稽滯而用人尤被其苦春秋曰算不及蠻夷則不行故王者外不鄣海澤以便民用內不禁刀幣以通民施【叢談曰天道布順人事取予多藏不用是謂怨府故物不可聚也】

The Literati said: In ancient times, with much currency, wealth circulated and the people were secure and happy [phonetic gloss: "le" is read luo]. Later the old currency was gradually removed and white-metal coins with tortoise (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription) and dragon were issued, and the people mostly speculated cleverly on the new coins; the currency was changed repeatedly [phonetic gloss: "shuo" is read shuo] and the people grew still more confused. [The Shihuo zhi says: Since the Jianyuan era expenditures were small, and the county officials often went to copper-rich mountains and cast coins, and the people cast illicit coins even more, beyond counting; coins grew more numerous and light, and things grew fewer and expensive. Because officials made proposals, silver-tin white metal coins were also made, on the reasoning that for Heaven nothing is better than the dragon, for Earth nothing better than the horse, for people nothing better than the tortoise, so white-metal coins were of three kinds: the first with a dragon design worth three thousand, the second with a horse design worth five hundred, and the third with a tortoise design worth three hundred. The county officials were ordered to melt down the half-liang coins and recast three-zhu coins, weighing as much as their inscription; illicit casting of any gold coins was a capital crime, yet officials and people who violated it were beyond count.] Then all coins in the world were abolished and the three offices of Shuiheng were ordered to cast them alone, and the officials nearby infringed on profit, or the coins did not meet standards, so they varied thick and thin, light and heavy. The farmers were not familiar with the types of things and compared them to the credibility of the old, so they doubted the new and could not tell false from true. Merchants [phonetic gloss: "gu" is read gu] exchanged [phonetic gloss: "mao" is read mao] good for bad, and half for double; in buying they lost the real value and in selling they lost what was proper, and their confusion grew even greater. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: there were already laws against casting [phonetic gloss: "zhu" is read zhu] false coins, but the goodness or badness of coins added nothing and took nothing from government. When coins are selected and sorted, goods are held up, and those who use them suffer especially. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: Calculation that does not reach the barbarians will not work. So a true king does not wall off the seas and marshes toward the outside, in order to benefit the people's use, and does not prohibit knife money toward the inside, in order to circulate the people's use. [The Congtan says: The Way of Heaven spreads out and is harmonious, and human affairs take and give; to store much and not use it is called a house of resentment. So goods must not be hoarded.]

大夫曰家人有寳器尚函匣【一作匱】而藏之況人主之山海乎夫【音扶】權利之處必在深山窮澤之中非豪民不能通其利異時鹽鐡未籠布衣有朐【音劬】邴【音丙】人君有呉王皆鹽鐡初議也呉王専山澤之饒薄賦其民賑澹【古贍字】窮小以成私威私威積而逆節之心作【貨殖傳曰魯人俗儉嗇而曹邴氏尤甚以鐡冶起富至鉅萬然家自父兄子孫約俛有拾仰有取貰貸行賈徧郡國鄒魯以其故多去文學而趨利者以曹邴氏也或曰以興富於臨朐故曰朐邴呉王傳曰呉有豫章郡銅山濞則招致天下亡命者益鑄錢煑海水為鹽以故無賦國用益饒漢紀曰孝景三年春呉王濞反初上為太子時呉王太子入朝與上博爭道無禮於上上以博局擲之而死送防至呉呉王怒曰天下一家何必來葬復遣還長安後稱疾不朝隂懐逆謀時齊人鄒陽淮隂人枚乗皆逰呉數諫不聽於是楚趙有罪見削呉王恐禍及身已為使者自見膠西王合謀發使約諸侯七國同謀南使南越北連匈奴伍被曰呉王賜號為劉氏祭酒受几杖而不朝王四郡之眾地方數千裡採山銅以為錢煑海水以為鹽伐江陵之木以為船國富民眾行珍寶賂諸侯與七國合謀舉兵而西破大梁敗狐父奔走而還為越所禽死於丹徒頭足異處身防祀絶為天下戮】夫【音扶】不蚤絕其源而憂其末若決呂梁沛然其所傷必多矣太公曰一家害百家百家害諸侯諸侯害天下王法禁之令放民於權利罷鹽鐵以資暴強遂其貪心眾邪群聚私門成黨則強御日以不制而併兼之徒奸形成也

The Grand Secretary said: Even a household puts its precious vessels in a box [one text has "gui"] and keeps them hidden, how much more the mountains and seas of a ruler? The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: where power and profit lie they must be in deep mountains and remote marshes, and only a powerful commoner could open up their benefit. In former times salt and iron were not yet monopolized by the court; among commoners there were Qu [phonetic gloss: "qu" is read qu] and Bing [phonetic gloss: "bing" is read bing], and among rulers there was the King of Wu, all from the time when salt and iron were first debated. The King of Wu monopolized the wealth of mountains and marshes and collected little tax from his people, relieved the poor and weak ["dan" is the ancient form of "shan" (to relieve)] to accomplish private authority, and when private authority accumulated, a heart of rebellion arose. [The Huozhi zhuan says: The people of Lu were thrifty and stingy by custom, and the Cao Bing family especially so, who rose through iron smelting and had wealth in the tens of thousands. Yet the family and sons, fathers and brothers agreed: bend your head and there is something to pick up, raise your head and there is something to take; their lending and trading spread through the commanderies and states. Zou and Lu thus mostly left learning and turned to profit, because of the Cao Bing family. Some say that because he grew rich at Linqu, he was called Qu Bing. The Wu wang zhuan says: Wu had the copper mountain of Yuzhang commandery, and Bi summoned fugitives from the world to cast additional coins and boil sea water for salt, so that without taxes the state's expenses were even more ample. The Han ji says: In the spring of the third year of Xiaojing, the King Bi of Wu rebelled. At first when the emperor was crown prince, the crown prince of Wu came to court, played a board game with the emperor, quarreled over a move and was disrespectful to him, and the emperor hurled the board at him and killed him, and sent the funeral (the original reads "song fang", where "fang" should be a corruption of "sang") to Wu. The King of Wu was angry and said: "The world is one family; why bring him here to bury?" He sent him back to Chang'an, and afterward he claimed illness and did not attend court, secretly harboring rebellious plans. At that time Zou Yang of Qi and Mei Cheng of Huaiyin both traveled in Wu and remonstrated repeatedly but were not heeded. Then Chu and Zhao were guilty and had their lands cut, and the King of Wu, fearing calamity would reach him, had already as an envoy personally met the King of Jiaoxi to plot together, sent messengers to bind the feudal lords, and the seven states plotted together, sending envoys south to Nanyue and linking north to the Xiongnu. Wu Bei said: The King of Wu was granted the title of libation-presider of the house of Liu, received an armrest and staff and did not attend court, had the multitude of four commanderies and land of several thousand li, mined mountain copper to make coins, boiled sea water for salt, felled the trees of Jiangling for boats, with a rich state and numerous people, bribed the feudal lords with treasures, and plotted with the seven states to raise troops westward, broke Daliang and defeated Hufu, then fled back, was captured by Yue, and died at Dantu, with head and feet in different places, his body dead (the original reads "shen fang", where "fang" should be a corruption of "si"), his sacrifices cut off, and was executed by the world.] The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: not cutting off the source early and worrying about the end is like breaking open Lüliang; the torrent will surely wound many. Taigong said: One family harms a hundred families, a hundred families harm the feudal lords, the feudal lords harm the world, and royal law prohibits it. If now the people are left free in power and profit, and salt and iron are abolished to aid the violent and strong, fulfilling their greed, with many evil people gathering and private houses forming factions, then the strong and powerful will daily be less controllable, and the crafty form of the merging crowd will be completed.

文學曰民人藏於家諸侯藏於國天子藏於海內故民人以垣牆為藏閉天子以四海為匣匱【反質篇曰魏文侯御廩焚文侯素服闢正殿五日群臣皆素服而吊公子成父獨不弔文侯復殿公子成父趨而入賀曰甚大善矣夫御廩之災也文侯作色不悅曰夫御廩者寡人寳之所藏也今火災寡人素服闢正殿群臣皆素服而吊至於子大夫而不弔今已復辟矣猶入賀何為公子成父曰臣聞之天子藏於四海之內諸侯藏於境內大夫藏於其家士庻人藏於篋櫝非其所藏者不有天災必有人患今幸無人患乃有天災不亦善乎文侯喟然嘆曰善】天子適諸侯升自阼階諸侯納管鍵【音健戶鑰曰鍵】執防而聽命示莫為主也【坊記曰天子四海之內無客禮莫敢為主焉故君適其臣升自阼階即位於堂示民不敢有其室也夷維子曰天子廵狩諸侯闢舍納管籥攝袵袍機視膳於堂下天子已食乃退而聽朝也】是以王者不畜聚下藏於民【政理篇曰文王問於呂望曰為天下若何對曰王國富民覇國富士僅存之國富大夫亡道之國富倉府是謂上溢而下漏文王曰善對曰宿善不祥是日也發其倉府以振鰥寡孤獨詩傳曰晉平公之時藏寳之臺燒士大夫聞皆趨車馳馬救火三日三夜乃勝之公子晏子獨束帛而賀曰甚善矣平公勃然作色曰珠玉之所藏也國之重寳也而天火之士大夫皆趨車走馬而救之子獨束帛而賀何也有説則生無説則死公子晏子曰何敢無説臣聞之王者藏於天下諸侯藏於百姓商賈藏於篋匱今百姓乏於外裋褐不蔽形糟糠不充口而賦斂無已收太半而藏之臺是以天火之且臣聞之昔者桀殘賊海內賦斂無度萬民甚苦是故湯誅之為天下戮今皇天降災於藏臺是君之福也而不自知變悟亦恐君之為鄰國笑矣公曰善自今以徃請藏於百姓之間】逺【去聲】浮利務民之義義禮立則民化上若是雖湯武生存於世無所容其慮工商之事歐冶之任何奸之能成三桓専魯六卿分晉【聖賢群輔録曰仲孫谷文伯叔孫得臣莊叔季孫行父文子皆魯桓公之曽孫世秉魯政號曰三桓趙無恤襄子範吉射昭子智瑤襄子荀寅文子魏侈襄子韓不信簡子此六族世為晉卿並有功名實弱晉國號曰六卿】不以鹽鐡故權利深者不在山海在朝【音潮】廷一家害百家在蕭牆而不在朐【音劬】邴【音丙】也

The Literati said: Commoners store in their homes, feudal lords store in their states, and the Son of Heaven stores within the seas. So commoners use walls and fences to store and shut away, and the Son of Heaven uses the four seas as his casket. [The chapter "Fanzhi" of the Shuoyuan says: The imperial granary of Marquis Wen of Wei burned, and Marquis Wen wore plain clothing and avoided the main hall for five days; the ministers all wore plain clothing to offer condolences, but Prince Chengfu alone did not offer condolences. When Marquis Wen returned to the main hall, Prince Chengfu came in quickly and congratulated him, saying: "How excellent, the fire at the imperial granary!" Marquis Wen changed color and was displeased and said: "The imperial granary is where I store my treasures. Now there has been a fire and I wore plain clothing and avoided the main hall, and the ministers all wore plain clothing to offer condolences; as for you, a grand master, you did not offer condolences; now that I have returned you still come in to congratulate me; why?" Prince Chengfu said: "I have heard: the Son of Heaven stores within the four seas, feudal lords store within their borders, grand masters store in their homes, and officers and commoners store in boxes and chests. If one stores what one should not store, there will be either a natural disaster or human trouble. Now fortunately there was no human trouble but a natural disaster; is that not good?" Marquis Wen sighed and said: "Good."] When the Son of Heaven visits a feudal lord, he ascends from the eastern steps, and the feudal lord hands over the keys [phonetic gloss: "jian" is read jian. "Jian" means the lock-key on the door] and holds the tablet (the original reads "zhi fang", where "fang" should be a corruption of "ce") and listens to the command, showing he does not dare to be master himself. [The Fangji says: The Son of Heaven has no guest ritual within the four seas, since no one dares to be master himself. So when a ruler goes to his minister, he ascends from the eastern steps and takes his position in the hall, showing the people that he does not dare to claim possession of that chamber. Yiweizi said: When the Son of Heaven makes a tour of inspection, the feudal lord leaves his main residence and hands over the keys, lifts his robe and sets the mats straight, and watches the Son of Heaven dine from below the hall; after the Son of Heaven has eaten, he withdraws and listens to the court.] So a true king does not hoard and collect, and stores among the people below. [The chapter "Zhengli" of the Shuoyuan says: King Wen asked Lü Wang: "How should one rule the world?" He answered: "A kingly state enriches the people, a hegemonic state enriches the officers, a barely surviving state enriches the grand masters, and a state without the Way enriches its granaries and storehouses. This is called overflowing above and leaking below." King Wen said: "Good." He answered: "To know the good and not practice it is inauspicious." On that day he opened the granaries and storehouses to relieve widowers, widows, orphans and the childless. The Shi zhuan says: In the time of Duke Ping of Jin the treasure-storing terrace burned down, and the officers and grand masters, hearing of it, all drove carriages and galloped horses to put out the fire, which took three days and nights to extinguish. Only Gongzi Yanzi brought bundled silk to congratulate him, saying: "How excellent!" Duke Ping suddenly changed color and said: "What the pearls and jade stored there are the great treasures of the state, and Heaven's fire has burned them, and the officers and grand masters all drove carriages and galloped horses to save it, yet you alone bring bundled silk to congratulate me; why? If you have an explanation you will live, and if not you will die." Gongzi Yanzi said: "How would I dare be without an explanation? I have heard: a true king stores in the world, feudal lords store among the people, merchants store in boxes and chests. Now the people outside are in want, with short coarse clothing that does not cover the body and with dregs and chaff that do not fill the mouth, yet taxes do not stop, and you collect more than half and store it on the terrace, and so Heaven's fire burned it. Moreover, I have heard: in the past Jie ravaged all within the seas and levied taxes without measure, the ten thousand people suffered greatly, so Tang executed him, and he was ridiculed (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription) by the world. Now august Heaven has sent disaster on the storage terrace, which is your good fortune, yet you do not awaken and change yourself, and I fear you may be laughed at by neighboring states." The Duke said: "Good. From now on let me store among the people."] Keep far away [phonetic gloss: "yuan" is read in the departing tone] from floating profit and devote oneself to the people's rightness. When rightness and ritual are established, the people are transformed by those above. If so, even if Tang and Wu lived in the world, they would have nowhere to apply their worries. In the matters of craftsmen and merchants and the work of Ou Ye, what crafty scheme could succeed? The Three Huan families monopolized Lu and the Six Ministers divided Jin [the Shengxian qunfu lu says: Zhongsun Gu Wenbo, Shusun Dechen Zhuangshu and Jisun Xingfu Wenzi were all great-grandsons of Duke Huan of Lu and for generations held the government of Lu, called the Three Huan. Zhao Wuxu Xiangzi, Fan Jishe Zhaozi, Zhi Yao Xiangzi, Xun Yin Wenzi, Wei Chi Xiangzi and Han Buxin Jianzi, these six clans were generations of ministers of Jin, all with achievements and fame, yet actually weakened Jin, and were called the Six Ministers], and it was not because of salt and iron. Where power and profit run deepest is not in the mountains and seas but in the court [phonetic gloss: "chao" is read chao]; one family harming a hundred families lies within the screen wall and not in Qu [phonetic gloss: "qu" is read qu] and Bing [phonetic gloss: "bing" is read bing].

大夫曰山海有禁而民不傾貴賤有平而民不疑縣官設衡立凖人從所欲雖使五尺童子適市莫之能欺今罷去之則豪民擅其用而専其利決市閭巷高下在口吻【音刎】貴賤無常端坐而民豪是以養強抑弱而藏於蹠【音只】也強養弱抑則齊民消若眾之盛而害五穀一家害百家不在朐【音劬】邴【音丙】如何也

The Grand Secretary said: Mountains and seas have prohibitions, yet the people do not crush one another; noble and lowly have the level-and-standard system, yet the people are not confused. The county government sets up scales and standards, and people buy as they wish, so that even a five-foot child sent to the market cannot be cheated. Now if it is abolished, powerful families will monopolize its use and take its profit alone, deciding market prices in the village lanes, with highs and lows determined by their mouths, and with no constant standard for dear and cheap; sitting upright they will become powerful over the people. This nurtures the strong and suppresses the weak, and hides men of the type of Zhi the robber. When the strong are nurtured and the weak suppressed, the common people vanish, just as a crowd of tares flourishes and harms the five grains. When one household harms a hundred households, how is it different from Qu and Bing?

文學曰山海者財用之寳也鐡器者農夫之死生也死生用則仇讐滅仇讐滅則田野闢田野闢則五穀熟而寳路開寳路開則百姓澹【古贍字】而民用給民用給則國富國富而教之以禮則行道有讓而工商不相豫人懐敦樸以自相接而莫相利夫秦楚燕齊土力不同剛柔異勢巨小之用居局之宜黨殊俗易各有所便【王制曰幾居民財必因天地寒暖燥溼廣谷大川異制民生其間者異俗剛柔輕重遲速異齊五味異和器械異製衣服異宜修其教不易其俗齊其政不易其宜】縣官籠而一之則鐡器失其宜而農民失其便器用不便則農夫罷【音疲】於野而草萊不闢草萊不闢則民睏乏故鹽冶之處大校皆依山川近鐡炭其勢鹹逺而作劇郡中踐更者多不勘責【如淳曰更有三品有卒更有踐更有過更古有正卒無常人皆當迭為之一月一更是為卒更貧者欲得顧更踐者次直者出錢顧之月二千是為踐更也律説卒更踐更者居縣中五月乃更也後從尉律卒踐更一月休十一日也】取庸代縣邑或以戶口賦鐡而賤乎其凖良家以道次發僦【音就賃也】運鹽鐡煩費邑或以戶百姓病苦之愚竊見一官之傷千里未覩其在朐【音劬】邴【音丙】也

The Literati said: Mountains and seas are the treasure of wealth and use, and iron tools are the life and death of the farmer. If the use that is life and death is secured, then enemies are wiped out; when enemies are wiped out, fields are opened; when fields are opened, the five grains ripen and the road of treasure opens; when the road of treasure opens, the hundred families are provided for and the people's needs are supplied; when the people's needs are supplied, the state is rich; and when the state is rich and the people are taught by ritual, then on the road there is yielding, and artisans and merchants do not cheat each other, each person holding simplicity and sincerity in dealing with others and not seeking profit from one another. The lands of Qin, Chu, Yan and Qi differ in soil strength, and the conditions of hardness and softness differ; the uses of large and small, the layout of dwellings, and the customs of the villages differ, and each has its own convenience. [The Royal Regulations says: in settling the people and their wealth, one must follow the cold, warmth, dryness and wetness of Heaven and Earth; broad valleys and great rivers have different systems, the customs of the people who live there differ, and their hardness, softness, lightness, heaviness, slowness and speed are not equalized, their five flavors are not harmonized in the same way, their tools are not made the same, and their clothing differs in suitability. One cultivates their instruction without changing their customs, and equalizes their government without changing what suits them.] If the county government lumps them together and standardizes them, then iron tools lose their suitability and farmers lose their convenience. When tools are not convenient, the farmers are worn out in the fields and the weeds and wilds are not cleared; when the weeds and wilds are not cleared, the people are in want. So the places of salt and ironworks are mostly placed along mountains and rivers, close to iron and charcoal, so that the sites are far and the work is heavy. Most of those in the commanderies who take their turn at the rotating service cannot bear the demands [Ru Chun said: there were three kinds of rotation: soldier rotation, substitute rotation and extra rotation. In antiquity there were regular soldiers, and no ordinary person, but all took turns, a month at a time, which was soldier rotation. A poor man who wanted to get hired rotation money, substitute rotation, was where the one whose turn it was paid to hire someone, two thousand per month, which was substitute rotation. The Statutes say: those in soldier or substitute rotation were changed in the county only every five months. Later, following the commandant's statutes, soldiers in substitute rotation rested eleven days out of a month.], and they hire people to substitute for them. Some counties levy iron by household and the price is lower than the standard price, and good families hire carts in turn according to the distance of the road to carry the salt and iron, which is costly and troublesome. In some towns levies are apportioned by household, and the hundred families suffer. In my foolish private view, the harm done by one office extends a thousand li; I have not seen the problem lie with Qu and Bing.

大夫曰故扇水都尉彭祖寜歸言鹽鐡令品令品甚明卒徒衣食縣官作鑄鐡器給用甚眾無妨於民而吏或不良禁令不行故民煩苦之今意總一鹽錢非獨為【去聲】利入也將以建本抑末離【去聲】朋黨禁淫侈絶併兼之路也古者名山大澤不以封為【去聲】下之専利也山海之利廣澤之畜天下之藏【去聲】也皆宜屬少府陛下不私以屬大司農以佐助百姓浮食豪民好【去聲】欲擅山海之貨以致富業役利細民故沮事議者眾鐡器兵刃天下之大用也非眾庻所宜事也徃者豪強大家得管山海之利採鐵石鼓鑄【音注】煑鹽一家聚眾或至千餘人大抵盡收放流人民也逺去鄉里棄墳墓依倚大家聚深山窮澤之中成奸偽之業遂朋黨之權其輕為非亦大矣今自廣進賢之途揀擇守尉不待去鹽鐡而安民也

The Grand Secretary said: This is why Peng Zuning, the Commandant of Shanshui, returned and said that the regulations for salt and iron were quite clear, that the food and clothing of the conscript laborers were supplied by the county government, that the iron tools cast were supplied in large amounts and did no harm to the people; but some officials were not good and the prohibitions were not enforced, so the people were troubled and suffering. Now the intention is to unify salt and iron, not only for the sake of revenue, but also to establish the root and suppress the branch, to break up cliques, to forbid extravagance, and to cut off the road to annexation. In antiquity famous mountains and great marshes were not given out as fiefs, for fear that those below would monopolize the profit. The profit of the mountains and seas and the stock of wide marshes are the storehouse of the world and should all belong to the Privy Treasury; but Your Majesty does not keep it for yourself and assigns it to the Grand Minister of Agriculture to assist the people. Idle powerful families like to try to monopolize the goods of the mountains and seas, to enrich their business and use the common people for profit, so those who obstruct this matter and raise discussions are many. Iron tools and weapons are the great use of the world and are not something the common people should engage in. In the past powerful and great families were able to control the profit of mountains and seas, mine iron and stone, cast and boil salt; one family gathered a crowd of perhaps more than a thousand, mostly taking in all the displaced people, who left their villages far behind, abandoned their ancestral tombs, depended on the great families, and gathered in deep mountains and remote marshes to build up wicked and false enterprises and thereby formed the power of cliques, and the ease with which they did wrong was very great. Now if we ourselves widen the road of recommending the worthy and carefully select governors and commandants, we do not need to remove salt and iron and the people can still be settled.

文學曰扇水都尉所言當時之利權一切【音砌】之術也不可以久行而傳世此非明王所以君國子民之道也詩云哀哉為猶匪先民是程匪大猶是經維邇言是聽此詩人刺不通於王道而善為權利者孝武皇帝攘九夷平百越師旅數【音朔】起糧食不足故立田官置錢入谷射官救急澹【古贍字】不給【食貨志曰元狩二年天子為伐胡故盛養馬馬之徃來食長安者數萬匹率掌者闗中不足廼調旁近郡而胡降者數萬人皆得厚賞衣食仰給縣官縣官不給天子乃損膳解乘輿駟出御府禁藏以贍之其明年山東被水災民多飢乏於是天子遣使空郡國倉廩以賑貧】今陛下繼大功之勤養勞勌【音倦】之民此用麋鬻之時【釋名曰麋煑米使糜爛粥淖於糜粥粥然也】公卿宜思所以安集百姓致利除害輔明主以仁義脩潤洪業之道明主即位以來六年於茲公卿無請減除不急之官省罷機利之人人權縣【音懸】太久民良望於上陛下宣聖徳昭明光令郡國賢良文學之士乗傳【去聲】詣公車議五帝三王之道六藝之風冊【通作防】陳安危利害之分指意粲然【如淳曰律四馬高足為置傳四馬中足為馳傳四馬下足為乗傳一馬二馬為軺傳急者乗一乗傳顔師古曰傳者若今之驛古者以車謂之傳車其後又單置馬謂之驛騎】今公卿辯議未有所定此所謂守小節而遺大體抱小利而忘大利者也【雜言曰太公田不足以償種漁不足以償網治天下有餘智文公種米曾子駕羊孫叔敖相楚三年不知軌在衡後務大者固忘小智伯防人亡炙而知之韓魏反而不知邯鄲子陽園人亡桃而知之其亡也不知務小者亦忘大也泰族訓曰夫徹於一事審於一枝可以曲説而未可以廣應也秤薪而防數米而炊可以治小而未可以治大也】

The Literati said: What the Commandant of Shanshui said is a measure of the profit-power of that time, a stopgap art, which cannot be practiced for long or handed down. It is not the road by which an enlightened king rules the state and treats the people as sons. The Book of Songs says: "Alas, such planning! They do not take the ancients as the standard, do not take the great Way as the norm, but listen only to shallow talk." This is the poet's satire on those who are not versed in the kingly way and are skilled at profit and power. Emperor Xiaowu drove back the Nine Yi and pacified the Hundred Yue, the armies were raised repeatedly and grain was insufficient, so he established field officials, set up coinage, and let people enter grain to buy official rank, to relieve emergencies and supply what was lacking. [The Treatise on Food and Goods says: in the second year of Yuanshou, the Son of Heaven, because of the campaign against the Hu, raised many horses, and the horses coming and going ate for tens of thousands in Chang'an, and Guanzhong, which was in charge of them, was not enough, so he drew on nearby commanderies; and tens of thousands of surrendered Hu were all richly rewarded, with food and clothing relying on the county government; when the county government did not suffice, the Son of Heaven reduced his meals, unhitched the four horses from his imperial carriage, and brought out the stores of the Imperial Treasury to supply them. The next year Shandong suffered floods and the people were mostly hungry and in want, and so the Son of Heaven sent envoys to empty the granaries of the commanderies and states to relieve the poor.] Now Your Majesty inherits the labors of great achievement and nourishes a weary people; this is the time to use thin gruel. [The Shiming says: gruel is cooking rice until soft; congee is thinner than gruel, and thin and flowing.] The ministers should think of the road by which to settle and gather the people, bring benefit and remove harm, assist the enlightened ruler with benevolence and righteousness, and polish the great enterprise. It has now been six years since the enlightened ruler took the throne, and the ministers have not petitioned to reduce non-urgent offices or to dismiss those who seek profit by cleverness. The balance of human power has hung too long, and the people look to those above with earnest hope. Your Majesty has proclaimed sagely virtue and shown bright light, and ordered the worthy and literati of the commanderies and states to ride relay carriages to the public carriage office, to discuss the Way of the Five Emperors and Three Kings and the customs of the Six Arts, and to set out in writing the distinction between safety and danger, benefit and harm, with their meaning brilliantly clear. [Ru Chun said: under the statutes, a post carriage drawn by four horses with high feet was called a stationed carriage, with four horses with middle feet a fast carriage, with four horses with low feet a riding carriage, and with one or two horses a light carriage; for urgent matters one took one riding carriage. Yan Shigu said: the post carriage is like today's relay station. In antiquity those using carriages were called post carriages, and later there were also single horses called relay riders.] Now the ministers' debates have not yet been settled, and this is what is called keeping small points of integrity and neglecting the great body, clinging to small profit and forgetting great profit. [Shuoyuan, Zayan, says: Taigong's farming did not cover the seed and his fishing did not cover the nets, yet in governing the world his wisdom had a surplus; Duke Wen planted rice and Zengzi drove sheep; Sunshu Ao was chancellor of Chu for three years and did not know the shaft was on the yoke; those who strive for the great naturally forget the small. Zhibo's cook lost a roast and he knew it, while Han and Wei did not; Zi Yang of Handan's gardener lost a peach and he knew it, but he did not know of his own ruin. Those who strive for the small also forget the great. The Huainanzi, Taizu, says: one who is versed in one matter and careful in one skill can give a partial explanation but cannot respond broadly; weighing firewood to cook, counting rice grains to cook, can govern small things but cannot govern great ones.]

大夫曰宇宙之內鷰雀不知天地之高也坎井之鼃【音蛙】不知江海之大窮夫否【披上聲】婦不知國家之慮負荷【音賀】之商不知猗頓之富先帝計外國之利料胡越之兵兵敵弱而易制用力少而功大故因勢變以主四夷地濵【通作瀕近也】山海以屬長城北畧河外開路匈奴之鄉功未卒善文王受命伐崇作邑於豐【指武篇曰文王欲伐崇先宣言曰餘聞崇侯虎蔑侮父兄不敬長老聼獄不中分財不均百姓力盡不得衣食餘將來徵之唯為民乃伐崇令毋殺人毋壊室毋填井毋伐樹木毋動六畜有不如令者死無赦崇人聞之因請降周紀曰崇侯虎謵西伯於紂紂囚西伯於羑里其後赦西伯賜之弓矢鉄鉞得専征伐曰譛西伯者崇侯虎也西伯歸三年伐崇侯虎而作豐邑】武王繼之載屍以行破商擒紂遂成王業【周紀曰武王修文王業東觀兵孟津為文王木主載以居中軍自太子發言奉文王以伐紂不敢自專遂興師渡於河時諸侯不期而會孟津者八百諸侯皆曰紂可伐武王曰未可也乃還師居二年聞紂昏亂滋甚殺比干囚箕子太師疵少師彊防子抱其祭器而犇周於是武王乃渡孟津伐紂紂師皆倒干戈以戰紂軍潰畔紂死周書曰周車三百五十乗陳於牧野帝辛從武王使尚父與伯夫致師王既以虎賁戎車馳商師商師大敗商辛奔內登於廩臺之上屏遮而自燔於火武王乃手太白以麾諸侯諸侯畢拜蓫揖之商庶百姓鹹俟於郊群賔僉進曰上天降休再拜稽首武王答拜先入適王所乃克射之三發而後下車而擊之以輕呂斬之以黃折懸諸太白適二女之所乃既縊王又射之三發乃右擊之以輕呂斬之以懸諸小白】曹沫棄三北之恥而復侵地管仲負當世之累而立霸功【汜論曰昔者曹子為魯將兵三戰不勝亡地千里使曹子計不顧後足不旋踵刎頸於陣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胷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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縲絏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畧行而求小善則失賢之數也魯仲連曰效小節者不能行大威惡小恥者不能立榮名昔管仲射桓公中鉤簒也遺公子糾而不能死怯也束桎梏辱身也此三行者鄉里不通也世主不臣也使管仲終窮抑幽囚而不出慙恥而不見窮年沒夀不免為辱人賤行矣然管子並三行之過據齊國之政一匡天下九合諸侯為五伯首名高天下光照鄰國曹沫為魯君三戰三北而防地千里使曹子之足不離陳計不顧後出必死而不生則不免為敗軍擒將曹子以敗軍擒將非勇也功廢名滅後世無稱非智也故去三北之恥退而與魯君計也齊桓公有天下朝諸侯曹子以一劔之任刼桓公於壇位之上顧色不變而辭氣不悖三戰之所防一朝而反之天下震動驚駭威信呉楚傳名後世若此二公者非不能行小節忍小恥也以為殺身絶世功名不立非智也故去忿恚之心而成終身之名除感忿之恥而立累世之功故業與三王爭流名與天壤相敝也】故志大者遺小用權者離俗有司思師望之計【師望師尚父太公呂望也】遂先帝之業志在絶胡貉擒單【音蟬】於【匈奴酋長曰單于單于廣大貎言象天單于然也】故未遑扣扃之義而録拘儒之論【劉向曰論大功者不錄小過舉大美者不疵細瑕】

The Grand Secretary said: Within the universe, swallows and sparrows do not know the height of Heaven and Earth, frogs in a well do not know the vastness of rivers and seas, poor men and rustic women do not know the plans of the state, and burden-bearing peddlers do not know the wealth of Yi Dun. The former emperor calculated the profit of foreign states and assessed the troops of the Hu and Yue; their soldiers were weak and easily subdued, little effort was needed and the merit was great, so he took advantage of changes in circumstances to master the four barbarians, with land bordering the mountains and seas to link up with the Great Wall, taking the north beyond the river, and opening a road leading to the lands of the Xiongnu. The work has not yet been completed. King Wen received the mandate, attacked Chong, and built a town at Feng. [The Shuoyuan, Zhiwu, says: King Wen wished to attack Chong, and first declared: "I have heard that Marquis Hu of Chong insults his fathers and brothers, does not respect his elders, does not judge lawsuits justly, and does not divide wealth equally, so that the people exhaust their strength and cannot get clothing and food. I will go and campaign against him only for the sake of the people." Then he attacked Chong, ordering that no one be killed, no house destroyed, no well filled in, no tree cut, no domestic animal disturbed, and that anyone not following the order be put to death without pardon. When the people of Chong heard this they asked to surrender. The Annals of Zhou says: Marquis Hu of Chong slandered the Earl of the West to Zhou, and Zhou imprisoned the Earl of the West at Youli. Afterward he pardoned the Earl of the West and gave him a bow, arrows and an iron axe, with authority to campaign on his own, saying: "The one who slandered the Earl of the West was Marquis Hu of Chong." The Earl of the West returned and, in the third year, attacked Marquis Hu of Chong and built the town of Feng.] King Wu followed him, carrying the wooden tablet on the march, defeated Shang, captured Zhou, and thereby completed the kingly enterprise. [The Annals of Zhou says: King Wu continued King Wen's work, reviewed his troops in the east at Mengjin, made a wooden tablet for King Wen and carried it in the central army, calling himself Crown Prince Fa, saying that he was carrying out King Wen's attack on Zhou and did not dare act on his own. Then he mobilized the army and crossed the river. At that time eight hundred feudal lords met at Mengjin without prior appointment, and the feudal lords all said Zhou could be attacked. King Wu said it was not yet time and returned with his troops. Two years later, hearing that Zhou's disorder had grown worse, that he had killed Bi Gan and imprisoned Jizi, and that the grand master Ci and junior master Qiang and the Viscount of Wei took their sacrificial vessels and fled to Zhou, King Wu then crossed Mengjin to attack Zhou. The troops of Zhou turned their halberds in battle and Zhou's army collapsed and defected, and Zhou died. The Book of Zhou says: three hundred and fifty chariots of Zhou were drawn up in the wilds of Mu. Di Xin followed. King Wu had Shangfu and Bofu offer battle. The King then galloped his tiger guards and war chariots at the Shang army, and the Shang army was greatly defeated. Shang Xin fled inside, climbed the granary terrace, covered himself and burned himself in the fire. King Wu then took the great white banner and directed the feudal lords, who all bowed, and then he saluted. The commoners and hundred families of Shang all waited in the outskirts, and the many guests came forward together and said: "Heaven sends down blessings." They bowed twice and touched their heads to the ground. King Wu returned the bow. He first went in to where the king was, shot him with three arrows, and then got down from the carriage, struck him with a light sword and cut him with a yellow axe, and hung his head on the great white banner; he went to where the two women were, who had already hanged themselves, and the King shot three more arrows, struck them with a light sword and cut them with a black axe, and hung them on the small white banner.] Cao Mo cast off the shame of three defeats and recovered the lost land, and Guan Zhong bore the burden of his time and established hegemonic merit. [The Huainanzi, Fanlun, says: formerly Cao Zi led troops for Lu, fought three battles without winning, and lost a thousand li of land. Had Cao Zi not looked to what came after, not turned his heels, and cut his throat in the ranks, he would have been for life a general who lost his army and was captured. But Cao Zi did not take defeat as shame but was ashamed to die without merit. At the covenant of Ke, he drew a three-foot blade and pressed it close to Duke Huan's chest, and what was lost in three battles was returned in one morning, his courage known to the world and his merit established in the state of Lu. Guan Zhong assisted Prince Jiu and could not succeed, so he cannot be called wise; he fled and ran away and did not die for that hardship, so he cannot be called brave; he was bound in fetters and did not hide his shame, so 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 down his life and thrown away his body, with no regard for later plans, how would there have been this hegemonic achievement? Now a ruler assessing his minister does not count his great merit but gathers his rough conduct and seeks small goodness, and so loses the way to obtain the worthy. Lu Zhonglian said: one who seeks small integrity cannot carry out great authority, and one who hates small shame cannot establish glorious fame. Formerly Guan Zhong shot Duke Huan in the belt hook, which was usurpation; abandoned Prince Jiu and could not die, which was cowardice; and was bound in fetters, which was shaming himself. With these three conducts, the village would not associate with him and the rulers of the age would not take him as a minister. If Guan Zhong had remained in distress, suppressed and imprisoned and not come out, ashamed and not appearing, then to the end of his years he would have been counted a disgraced person of base conduct. But Master Guan, combining the faults of these three conducts, held the government of Qi, set the world right at once, convened the feudal lords nine times, became head of the Five Hegemons, his name lofty in the world and his light shining on neighboring states. Cao Mo, for the Duke of Lu, lost three battles and was defeated three times and lost a thousand li of land. If Cao Zi's feet had not left the ranks and his planning had not looked back, and he had gone out resolved to die and not live, he would not have avoided being a general who lost his army and was captured. Cao Zi considered being a general who lost his army and was captured not to be brave, and having his merit abandoned and his name extinguished with no praise in later ages not to be wise, so he cast off the shame of three defeats and withdrew to plan with the Duke of Lu. When Duke Huan of Qi had the world and the feudal lords came to court, Cao Zi, with the single task of a sword, seized Duke Huan at the altar, without changing his expression and without any inconsistency in tone, and what was lost in three battles was returned in one morning; the world was shaken and startled, his authority and trustworthiness were felt in Wu and Chu, and his name passed down to later ages. As for these two men, it was not that they could not practice small integrity and bear small shame, but they considered that to kill themselves and cut off their posterity without establishing merit and fame was not wise, so they put aside the heart of anger and resentment and achieved a name for life, and removed the shame of resentment and established merit for generations. So their achievements contended with the Three Kings and their fame wore out only with Heaven and Earth.] So those with great aims overlook the small, and those who use expedients leave the common flow. The officials are thinking of Shi Wang's plans [Shi Wang is Shangfu, Taigong Lu Wang], to complete the former emperor's work, with the aim of wiping out the Hu and Mo and capturing the Chanyu [the chieftain of the Xiongnu is called Chanyu; "Chanyu" means vast, saying vast like Heaven], so they have no time yet to attend to the righteousness of knocking at the door to seek an audience and to register the discussions of narrow-minded scholars. [Liu Xiang said: in discussing great merit one does not record small faults, and in raising great beauty one does not pick at small flaws.]

文學曰鷰雀離巢宇而有鷹隼【音筍】之憂坎井之鼃【音蛙】離其居而有蛇防之患況翺翔千仞而遊四海乎其禍必大矣此李斯之所以折翼而趙高沒淵也【張子曰李斯族誅卒擊於鷹隼趙高車裂終斃於防蛇】聞文武受命伐不義以安諸侯大夫未聞弊諸夏以役夷狄也昔秦常舉天下之力以事胡越竭天下之財以奉其用然眾不能畢而以百萬之師為一夫之任此天下共聞也且數【音朔】戰則民勞久師則兵弊此百姓所疾苦而拘儒之所憂也【伍被曰徃者秦為無道殘賊天下殺術士燔詩書滅聖棄禮義任刑法轉海濵之栗致於西河當是之時男子疾耕不足於糧餽女子紡績不足以葢形遣防恬築長城東西數千裡兵露師常數十萬死者不可勝數殭屍滿野流血千里又使尉佗逾五嶺攻百越尉佗知中國勞極止土南越行者不還徃者莫返於是百姓離心瓦解欲為亂者十室而七韓成曰夫秦嘗積眾暴兵數十萬人雖有覆軍殺將系虜單于之功亦適足以結怨深讐不足以償天下之費夫上虛府庫下敝百姓甘心於外國非完事也】

The Literati said: Swallows and sparrows, once they leave their nests, have the worry of hawks and falcons; frogs in a well, once they leave their dwellings, have the calamity of snakes and rats; how much more so one who soars a thousand fathoms and roams the four seas? His disaster must be great. This is why Li Si had his wings broken and Zhao Gao sank into the deep. [Zhang Zhixiang said: Li Si was exterminated with his clan, in the end struck by hawks and falcons; Zhao Gao was torn apart by carriages, in the end dying from snakes and rats.] I have heard that Wen and Wu received the mandate and attacked the unrighteous to pacify the feudal lords and grandees; I have never heard of damaging the Chinese states in order to serve the barbarians. Formerly Qin often raised the strength of the whole world to serve the Hu and Yue and exhausted the wealth of the world to supply their use, yet the multitudes could not complete it, and a million troops took on a task for one man; this is what the whole world heard together. Moreover, frequent battles exhaust the people, and long campaigns wear out the soldiers; this is what the hundred families suffer from and what narrow-minded scholars worry about. [Wu Bei said: in the past Qin was without the Way, harmed the world, killed scholars of the arts, burned the Songs and Documents, destroyed the sages and cast aside ritual and righteousness, relied on penal law, and shipped grain from the seashore to the Western River. At that time men farmed hard and did not have enough grain, and women spun and wove and did not have enough to cover themselves. He sent Meng Tian to build the Great Wall, thousands of li east to west, with brigand armies exposed in the field, often hundreds of thousands, and the dead could not be counted, with corpses lying across the wilds and blood flowing for a thousand li. He also sent Wei Tuo across the Five Ridges to attack the Hundred Yue, and Wei Tuo, knowing that the central states were exhausted, stayed in Nanyue. Those who went did not return, and those who left did not come back, so the hearts of the people were estranged and fell apart, and seven households out of ten wanted to rebel. Han Anguo said: Qin once gathered an army and exposed troops of several hundred thousand, and though it had the merit of overturning armies, killing generals and capturing the Chanyu, it only sufficed to build deep resentment and enmity and did not suffice to make up for the cost to the world. Above it emptied the treasury, below it exhausted the people, and being set on foreign states was not a finished work.]

大夫曰昔商君相【去聲】秦也內立法度嚴刑罰飭政教奸偽無所容外設百倍之利收山澤之稅國富民強器械完飾蓄積有餘是以徵敵伐國攘地斥境不賦百姓而師以澹【古贍字】故用不竭而民不知地盡西河而民不苦鹽鐡之利所以佐百姓之急足軍旅之費務蓄積以備乏絶所給甚眾有益於國無害於人百姓何苦爾而文學何憂也【蔡澤曰商君為秦孝公明法令禁奸本尊爵必賞有罪必罰平權衡正度量調輕重決裂阡陌以靜生民之業而一其俗勸民耕農利土一室無二力田稸積習戰陣之事是以兵動而地廣兵休而國富故秦無敵於天下立威諸侯成秦國之業】

The Grand Secretary said: Formerly Lord Shang assisted Qin as chancellor; within, he set up laws and standards, made penalties strict, and set government and instruction in order, so that the wicked and false had no place to hide; outside, he established a hundredfold profit and collected the taxes of mountains and marshes, so that the state was rich and the people strong, tools and weapons were complete and well kept, and accumulated stores had a surplus. So when it campaigned against enemies, attacked states, opened up land and expanded the borders, it did not levy taxes on the people and yet the army was well supplied. So expenditure was not exhausted and the people did not know, and the land reached the Western River without the people suffering. The profit from salt and iron is used to help in the people's urgent needs, to fill the expenses of the armies, and to strive to accumulate stores against shortage and cut-off; what it supplies is great, it benefits the state and does no harm to people. What do the hundred families suffer, and what do the literati worry about? [Cai Ze said: Lord Shang made the laws and ordinances clear for Duke Xiao of Qin, banned the root of wickedness, honored rank and rewarded without fail, punished crime without fail, leveled the scales, corrected the measures, adjusted light and heavy, broke open the field paths to settle the people's livelihood and unify their customs, encouraged the people to farm and profit from the land so that a household had not two strengths, worked the fields and accumulated stores, and trained for war formations. So when troops moved the land grew, and when troops rested the state was rich; hence Qin had no match in the world, established awe among the feudal lords, and achieved the enterprise of the state of Qin.]

文學曰蓋文帝之時無鹽鐡之利而民富今有之而百姓睏乏未見利之所利也而見其害也且利不從天來不從地出一取之民間謂之百倍此計之失者也無異於愚人反裘而負薪愛其毛不知其皮盡也【雜事篇曰魏文侯出遊見路人反裘而負芻文侯曰胡為反裘而負芻對曰臣愛其毛文侯曰若不知其裡盡而毛無所恃耶明年東陽上計錢布十倍大夫畢賀文侯曰此非所以賀我也譬無異夫路人反裘而負芻也將愛其毛不知其裡盡毛無所恃也今吾田地不加廣士民不加眾而錢布十倍必取之士大夫也吾聞之下不安者上不可居也此非所以賀我也】夫李梅實多者來年為之衰【初危切】新谷熟者舊谷為之虧自天地不能兩盈而況於人事乎故利於彼者必耗於此猶隂陽之不併曜晝夜之有長短也【呂氏春秋曰冬與夏不能兩刑草與稼不能兩成新谷熟而陳谷虧果實繁者木必痺天之數也叢談曰天地之道極則反滿則損五采曜眼有時而渝茂木豐草有時而落物有盛衰安得自若意不併鋭事不兩隆盛於彼者必衰於此長於左者必短於右憙夜臥者不能蚤起也】商鞅峭法長【音掌】利秦人不聊生相與哭孝公呉起長【音掌】兵攻取楚人騷動相與泣悼王其後楚日以危秦日以弱故利蓄而怨積地廣而禍構【泰俗訓曰小辯害治苛削傷德商鞅為秦立相坐之法而百姓怨呉起為楚滅爵祿之令而功臣畔商鞅之立法也呉起之用兵也天下之善也然商鞅以法亡秦察於刀筆之法而不知治亂之本也呉起以兵弱楚習於行陣之事而不知廟戰之權也】惡【音烏】在利用不竭而民不知地盡西河而人不苦也今商鞅之冊任於內【冊通作防謀也籌也】呉起之兵用於外行者勤於路居者匱於室老母號泣怨女嘆息文學雖無憂其可得也

The Literati said: In the time of Emperor Wen there was no profit from salt and iron and the people were rich; now there is, and the hundred families are in want, so one does not see the benefit of the profit but only its harm. Moreover profit does not come from Heaven or out of the earth, but is all taken from the people, and calling it a hundredfold is an error of planning. It is no different from a foolish man who wears his fur coat inside out and carries firewood on his back, loving the hair and not knowing that the hide will wear out. [The Shuoyuan, Zashi, says: Marquis Wen of Wei went out traveling and saw a passerby wearing a fur coat inside out and carrying straw. Marquis Wen said: "Why do you wear the fur coat inside out and carry straw?" He answered: "I love its hair." Marquis Wen said: "Do you not know that when the lining wears out the hair has nothing to cling to?" The next year Dongyang reported that cash and cloth had increased tenfold, and the grandees all congratulated him. Marquis Wen said: "This is not what I should be congratulated for. It is no different from that passerby wearing his fur coat inside out and carrying straw, loving the hair and not knowing that the lining has worn out and the hair has nothing to cling to. Now my land has not expanded and my scholars and people have not increased, yet cash and cloth have increased tenfold, so it must have been taken from the scholars and grandees. I have heard that one cannot dwell above if those below are not at peace. This is not what I should be congratulated for."] When plum and plum-tree bear much fruit, the next year they decline because of it; when new grain ripens, old grain is reduced because of it. Even Heaven and Earth cannot be full on both sides, how much less human affairs? So what benefits here must be depleted there, just as yin and yang cannot shine together and day and night have long and short. [The Lüshi Chunqiu says: winter and summer cannot both flourish, grass and grain cannot both mature, when new grain ripens old grain is reduced, and a tree with abundant fruit must be diseased; this is the number of Heaven. The Congtan says: the Way of Heaven and Earth is that at its extreme it reverses and when full it diminishes. The five colors dazzle the eye and change in time, lush trees and abundant grass fall in time. Things have flourishing and decline; how can they stay as they are? Intentions cannot both be sharp and affairs cannot both flourish. What flourishes there must decline here, and what grows on the left must be short on the right. One who likes to sleep late cannot rise early.] Shang Yang made the laws severe and increased profit, the people of Qin had no way to live, and wept together for Duke Xiao; Wu Qi extended military conquests, the people of Chu were disturbed, and wept together for King Dao. After that Chu grew more endangered daily and Qin grew weaker daily. So profit accumulates and resentment accumulates, and land widens and calamity forms. [The Huainanzi, Taizu, says: small discernment harms governance, and harsh cutting harms virtue. Shang Yang set up the law of mutual liability for Qin and the hundred families resented it; Wu Qi issued the order abolishing rank and salary for Chu and meritorious ministers rebelled. Shang Yang's legislation and Wu Qi's use of troops were the best in the world; but Shang Yang ruined Qin through law, being clear about the law of knife and brush but not knowing the root of order and disorder; Wu Qi weakened Chu through troops, being practiced in matters of battle formations but not knowing the authority of temple planning.] How is it that its use is not exhausted and the people do not know, that the land reaches the Western River and people do not suffer? Now the plans of Shang Yang are used within and the troops of Wu Qi are used outside; those who travel suffer on the road, those at home are in want in their rooms, aged mothers weep and resentful women sigh. Even if the literati did not wish to worry, could they avoid it?

大夫曰秦任商君國以富強其後卒並六國而成帝業及二世之時邪臣擅斷公道不行諸侯叛弛宗廟隳【音】亡春秋曰未言介祭仲亡也夫善歌者使人續其聲善作者使人紹其功推車之蟬攫【音腳古本作匷說林訓曰古之所為不可更則推車至今無蟬匷許慎曰蟬匷車類也匷當讀如矍】負子之教也周道之成周公之力也雖有裨諶之草創無子產之潤色有文武之防矩而無周呂之鑿枘【音芮】則功業不成【左傳曰子產之從政也擇能而使之馮簡子能斷大事子太叔美秀而文公孫揮能知四國之為而辨於其大夫之族姓班位貴賤能否而又善為辭令禆諶能謀謀於野則獲謀於邑則否此才性之蔽鄭國將有諸侯之事子產乃問四國之為於子羽且使多為辭令與裨諶乗以適野使謀可否而告馮簡子使斷之事乃投子太叔使行之以應對賔客是以鮮有敗事】今以趙高之亡秦而非商鞅猶以崇虎亂殷而非伊尹也

The Grand Secretary said: Qin employed Lord Shang, and the state became rich and strong because of it, and later in the end annexed six states and completed the imperial enterprise. By the time of the Second Emperor, wicked ministers decided affairs on their own, the public way was not carried out, the feudal lords rebelled, and the ancestral temple was ruined and lost. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: before the assistant was mentioned, Zhai Zhong had been lost. One who is good at singing has others continue his voice, and one who is good at beginning has others continue his work. When a pusher of carts has a cicada's grip, that is the lesson of the one who carries his child on his back. The completion of the Way of Zhou was the strength of the Duke of Zhou. Even if Pi Chen drafted it, without Zichan's polishing; even if there were the compass and square of Wen and Wu, without the mortise and tenon work of the Duke of Zhou and Lu Wang, the work would not be completed. [The Zuozhuan says: when Zichan took charge of government, he selected the able and used them. Feng Jianzi could decide great matters, Zi Taishu was handsome and cultured, Gongsun Hui could know what the four states were doing, distinguish the clans, ranks and positions of their grandees, noble or lowly, able or not, and was also good at speech, and Pi Chen could plan—planning in the wild he succeeded, planning in the town he did not—this is the limitation of natural talent. When the state of Zheng was about to have a matter with the feudal lords, Zichan would ask Ziyu what the four states were doing and have him prepare many speeches, ride with Pi Chen into the wild to have him plan whether it was feasible, then tell Feng Jianzi to decide it, and when it was settled hand it to Zi Taishu to deal with the guests, so there were few failures.] Now to use Zhao Gao's ruin of Qin to criticize Shang Yang is like using Marquis Hu of Chong's disordering of Yin to criticize Yi Yin.

文學曰善鑿者建周而不疲善基者致高而不蹷【音厥】伊尹以堯舜之道為殷國基子孫紹位百代不絶商鞅以重刑峭法為秦國基故二世而奪【刑法志曰凡兵者所以存亡繼絕救亂除暴也故伊呂之將子孫有國與商周並至於末世苟任詐力爭城殺人盈城爭地殺人盈野孫呉商白之徒皆身誅戮於前而功滅亡於後報應之勢各以類至其道然矣】刑既嚴峻矣又作為相坐之法造誹謗增肉刑百姓齋慄不知所措手足也賦斂既煩數【音朔】矣又外禁山澤之原內設百倍之利民無所開説容言崇利而簡義高力而尚功非不廣壤進地也然猶人之病水益水而疾深知其為秦開帝業不知其為秦致亡道也狐刺【音郎逹反】之鑿雖公輸子不能善其枘【音芮】畚【音本】土之基雖良匠不能成其高譬若秋蓬被霜遭風則零落雖有十子產如之何故扁鵲不能肉白骨微箕不能存亡國也【詩傳曰扁鵲過趙趙王太子疾而死鵲造宮門曰吾聞國中卒有壤土之事得無有急乎中庶子之好方者應之曰然王太子暴疾而死扁鵲日入言鄭醫秦越人能活太子中庶子難之曰吾聞上古之為醫曰苗父苗父之為醫也以菅為席以芻為狗北面而祝髮十言耳諸扶而來者舉而來者皆平復如故子之方能如此乎扁鵲曰不能乂曰吾聞中古之為醫者曰俞柎俞柎之為醫也搦腦髓來肓莫炊灼九竅而定經絡死人復為生人故曰俞柎子之方能若是乎扁鵲曰不能中庶子曰子之方如此譬若以管窺天以錐刺地所窺者甚天所見者甚少鈞若子之方豈足以變駭童子哉扁鵲曰不然物故有昧揥而中蛟頭掩目而別白黒者太子之疾所謂屍厥者也以為不然入之太子股隂當溫耳中焦焦如有嘯者聲然者皆可治也中庶子入報趙王趙王跣而趨出門曰先生逺辱幸臨寡人先生幸而有之則糞土之息得防天履地而長為人矣先生不有之則先犬馬填溝壑矣言未巳涕泣沾襟扁鵲遂為之先造軒光之灶八成之湯砥針礪石取三陽五輸子容禱藥子明吹耳陽儀反神子越扶形子游矯摩太子遂得復生天下聞之皆曰扁鵲能生死人鵲辭曰子非能生死人也特使夫當生者活耳夫死者猶不可藥而生也悲夫亂君之治不可藥而息也詩曰多將熇熇不可救藥甚之之辭也下蔡威公曰病之將死也不可為良醫國之將亡也不可為計謀】

The Literati said: One who is good at chiseling builds closely and without wear, and one who is good at laying a foundation builds high and does not stumble. Yi Yin took the Way of Yao and Shun as the foundation of the state of Yin, and his descendants continued the line for a hundred generations without break; Shang Yang took heavy punishments and severe laws as the foundation of Qin, so that the Second Emperor was dispossessed. [The Treatise on Punishments in the Han Shu says: soldiers are used to preserve the perishing and continue the severed, rescue from disorder and remove violence. So the generals Yi and Lu had descendants who held states alongside Shang and Zhou; but in the last ages they casually used deceit and force, in fighting for cities killed people until the city was full, in fighting for land killed people until the field was full; Sun, Wu, Shang and Bai were all executed in their own persons in the end and their merit was destroyed afterward; retribution comes in kind, and the Way is this.] Punishments were already severe, and yet he made laws of mutual liability, created the crime of slander, and added bodily punishments, so the hundred families trembled and did not know where to put hands and feet. Taxes were already frequent, and yet he outwardly forbade the sources of mountains and marshes and inwardly set up hundredfold profit, so the people had no place to open their mouths and speak. He honored profit and slighted righteousness, valued force and honored merit; it was not that he did not widen the land and advance territory, yet it was like a man with edema adding water to water, so that the illness grows deeper. People know he opened the imperial enterprise for Qin but do not know that he led Qin to the way of ruin. With a crooked chisel, even Gongshu Zi could not make the tenon fit; on a foundation of baskets of earth, even a good craftsman could not make it high. It is like autumn fleabane touched by frost, which falls as soon as the wind meets it; even with ten Zichans, what could be done? So Bian Que could not make white bones grow flesh, and the Viscount of Wei and Jizi could not preserve a ruined state. [The Poetry Tradition says: Bian Que passed through Zhao, where the King's crown prince died suddenly of illness. Que arrived at the palace gate and said: "I have heard that there is suddenly earth-moving work in the state; surely there is not an urgent crisis?" The palace attendant who liked the arts answered: "Yes, the King's crown prince died of sudden illness." Bian Que said: "Please let me in, saying that Qin Yueren, the physician of Zheng, can bring the prince back to life." The attendant challenged him: "I have heard that in high antiquity the physician was called Miaofu. When Miaofu practiced medicine, he made mats of rush and dogs of straw, faced north and prayed, and uttered only ten sentences, and those who were helped in or carried in all recovered as before. Can your method do this?" Bian Que said: "No." He said again: "I have heard that in middle antiquity the physician was called Yu Fu. When Yu Fu practiced medicine, he pressed the brain marrow, drew out the membranes, steamed and cauterized the nine orifices and calmed the channels, so that the dead became living again, hence he was called Yu Fu. Can your method do this?" Bian Que said: "No." The attendant said: "If your method is like this, it is like looking at the sky through a tube or stabbing the earth with an awl; what you look at in the sky is very small and what you see is very little. With a method like yours, how could it be enough to change or frighten a child?" Bian Que said: "Not so. Things truly exist where one throws in the dark and hits a dragon's head, or covers one's eyes and yet distinguishes black from white. The prince's illness is what is called corpse-like collapse. If you think it is not so, go in and examine him: the inside of the prince's thighs should be warm, and in his ears there should be a ringing as if someone were whistling; all such cases can be treated." The attendant went in and reported to the King of Zhao. The King of Zhao ran barefoot out of the door and said: "You, Sir, have condescended to come from far to me. If you fortunately save him, then this son of mine, like dung and earth, may tread on Heaven and earth and long be a person; if you do not save him, he will fill a ditch before the dogs and horses." Before he had finished speaking, tears and mucus wet his garment. Bian Que then examined him, first making a bright stove and an eight-part decoction, sharpening needles and stones, and taking the three yang and five transport points; Zirong prepared the medicine, Ziming blew into his ears, Yangyi restored his spirit, Ziyue supported his body, and Ziyou corrected the massage, and so the prince was revived. The world heard and all said Bian Que could revive the dead. Que declined, saying: "I cannot revive the dead; I only make live those who ought to live. The dead still cannot be made to live with medicine. How sad, the governance of a disordered ruler cannot be stopped with medicine. The Book of Songs says: 'Blazing fiercely, it cannot be cured.' This is an expression of severity." Duke Wei of Xiacai said: when illness is about to be fatal one cannot be a good physician, and when a state is about to perish one cannot make plans.]

大夫曰言之非難行之為難故賢者處實而效功亦非徒陳空文而已昔商君明於開塞之術假當世之權為秦致利成業【許慎曰啟之以利塞之以禁商鞅之術也司馬貞曰案商君書開謂刑嚴峻則政化開塞謂布恩賞則政化塞其意本於嚴刑少恩也】是以戰勝攻取並近滅逺乗燕趙陵齊楚諸侯斂袵西面而向風其後防恬徵胡斥地千里逾之河北若壊朽折腐何者商君之遺謀備飾素循也故舉而有利動而有功夫【音扶】蓄積籌防國家之所以強也故弛廢而歸之民未覩巨計而渉大道也

The Grand Secretary said: Speaking is not difficult; doing is difficult. So the worthy stay with what is real and gather results, and do not merely set out empty writings. Formerly Lord Shang was clear about the art of opening and blocking, relying on the power of his age, and brought profit and accomplishment to Qin. [Xu Shen said: to open with profit and block with prohibition is the art of Shang Yang. Sima Zhen said: according to the Book of Lord Shang, opening means that when punishments are severe government transformation opens, and blocking means that when favors and rewards are spread government transformation is blocked; its idea is rooted in severe punishment and little favor.] So Qin won battles and took cities, absorbed the near and destroyed the far, mounted Yan and Zhao and overran Qi and Chu, and the feudal lords gathered their robes and faced west to follow the wind. Later Meng Tian campaigned against the Hu, repelled them a thousand li, crossed north of the river, as if smashing rotten wood and breaking decayed things. Why? The plans left by Lord Shang were complete and ordered and had always been followed. So every move brought profit and every action brought merit. As for the opening word: accumulating stores and plans is the reason a state is strong. So to abandon them and return them to the people, I have never seen anyone grasp a great plan and tread on the great road.

文學曰商鞅之開塞非不行也恬胡千里非無功也威震天下非不強也諸侯隨風西面非不從也然而皆秦之所以亡也商鞅以權數危秦國防恬以得千里亡秦社稷此二子者知利而不知害知進而不知退故果身死而眾敗【王符曰夫上世之臣以道事君澤及草木仁被率土是以福祚流衍本支百世季世之臣以謟媚主不思順天専仗殺伐白起防恬秦以為功天以為賊易曰徳薄而位尊智小而謀大鮮不及矣是故徳不稱其禍必酷能不稱其殃必大】此所謂攣朐之知【去聲】而愚人之計也【寧手足曲也朐脡曲也】夫【音扶】何大道之有故曰小人先合而後忤【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忤者謂之不知權不知權者善反醜矣】初雖乗馬卒必泣血此之謂也【繆稱訓曰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乗馬班如泣血連如言小人處非其位不可長也】

The Literati said: Shang Yang's opening and blocking was not ineffective, Meng Tian's repelling the Hu a thousand li was not without merit, his awe shaking the world was not weakness, the feudal lords following the wind westward was not without obedience. Yet all these were the causes of Qin's ruin. Shang Yang used tactics that endangered Qin, and Meng Tian, by gaining a thousand li, destroyed the altars of Qin. These two knew profit but not harm, knew how to advance but not how to retreat, and so in the end they died and their followers were defeated. [Wang Fu said: ministers of former ages served their rulers with the Way, so that their favor reached grass and trees and their benevolence covered the land, and so blessings flowed on and the main and branch lines lasted a hundred generations. Ministers of the last ages used flattery on the ruler, did not think of following Heaven, and relied entirely on killing and attacking. Bai Qi and Meng Tian were thought merit by Qin and brigands by Heaven. The Changes says: thin in virtue yet honored in position, small in wisdom yet great in planning, one seldom escapes calamity. So if virtue does not match, the calamity will surely be cruel, and if ability does not match, the misfortune will surely be great.] This is what is called the wisdom of the crooked and the plan of a fool. ["Crooked" means bent hands and feet, and "curved" means bent flesh.] The opening word: where is the great Way here? So it is said that a petty man first complies and afterward clashes. [Confucius said: one may study together but not yet go to the Way together; one may go to the Way together but not yet stand together; one may stand together but 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, and those who first unite and then clash are said not to know it. For those who do not know the expedient, what is good turns ugly.] At first, though they ride horses, in the end they weep tears of blood; this is what is meant. [The Huainanzi, Miaocheng, says: when a sage is above, the people delight in his governance, and when he is below, the people admire his intention. When a petty man is in a high position, it is like sleeping on a door bolt or drying silk floss, with no moment's peace. So the Changes says 'riding a horse, turning around, weeping tears of blood in streams,' meaning that a petty man in a position not his own cannot last long.]

大夫曰淑好之人戚施之所妬也賢知【去聲】之士闒【音逹】茸【音戎】之所惡【音汙】也【詩解曰戚施不能仰隗疾也李善曰闒茸猥賤也茸細毛也張栮訓話以為關獰劣也呂忱字林曰闒茸不肖也鄒陽曰女無美惡入宮見妬士無賢不肖入朝見嫉説林訓曰駿馬以材死直士以正窮賢者擯於朝美女擯於宮尊賢篇曰陽因見趙簡主曰臣居鄉三逐事君五去聞君好士故走來見簡主聞之絶食而嘆跽而行左右進諫曰居鄉三逐是不容眾也事君五去是不忠上也今君有士不為少矣簡主曰子不知也夫美女者醜婦之仇也盛徳之士亂世所疏也正直之行邪枉所憎也遂出見之因投以為相而國大治由是觀之逺近之人不可以不察也】是以上官大夫短屈原於頃襄公伯寮愬子路於季孫【屈原傳曰屈原者名平楚之同姓頃襄王立以其弟子蘭為令尹楚人既咎子蘭以勸懐王入秦而不反也屈平既嫉之雖放流睠顧楚國繋心懐王不忘欲反冀君之一悟俗之一改也其存君興國而欲反覆之一篇之中三致意焉令尹子蘭聞之大恕卒使上官大夫短屈原於頃襄王頃襄王怒而遷之論語曰公伯寮愬子路於季孫子服景伯以告曰夫子固有惑志於公伯寮吾力猶能肆諸市朝子曰道之將行也與命也道之將廢也與命也公伯寮其如命何公伯寮魯人子路孔子弟子仲由也季孫魯大夫也】夫【音扶】商君起布衣自魏入秦期年而相【去聲】之革法明教而秦人大治故兵動而割地兵休而國富孝公大說【音悅】封之於商安之地方五百里功如丘山名傳後世世人不能為是以相與嫉其能而疵其功也【疵音慈説文雲病也】

The Grand Secretary said: Beautiful people are envied by hunchbacks, and worthy and wise scholars are hated by the mean and base. [The Poetry commentary says: a hunchback cannot look up, a kind of deformity. Li Shan said: the mean and base are vulgar and lowly; fine hair. Zhang Yi's glosses take it to be vulgar and inferior. Lü Chen's Zilin says: the mean and base are the unworthy. Zou Yang said: a woman, whether beautiful or ugly, is envied once she enters the palace; a scholar, whether worthy or unworthy, is resented once he enters court. The Huainanzi, Shuolin, says: a fine horse dies because of its talent, an upright scholar is in hardship because of his rectitude, a worthy man is rejected in court and a beautiful woman is rejected in the palace. The Shuoyuan, Zunxian, says: Yang Hu saw Zhao Jianzhu and said: "I was driven out of my village three times, and left five rulers I served; I heard that Your Lordship likes scholars, so I ran here to see you." When Jianzhu heard this, he stopped eating and sighed and went on his knees. His attendants remonstrated: "Being driven out three times from the village means he is not tolerated by the multitude, and leaving five rulers means he is not loyal to his superiors. Now Your Lordship has not a few scholars." Jianzhu said: "You do not understand. A beautiful woman is the enemy of an ugly woman, a scholar of abundant virtue is distanced in a disordered age, and upright conduct is hated by the crooked." So he went out to see him, and made him chancellor, and the state was greatly well governed. From this it follows that one must not fail to examine people near and far.] So the Grand Master of the Superior Office spoke ill of Qu Yuan before Duke Qingxiang, and Gongbo Liao slandered Zilu to Ji Sun. [The Biography of Qu Yuan says: Qu Yuan's name was Ping, of the same clan as Chu. When King Qingxiang took the throne, he used his younger brother Zilan as chief minister. The people of Chu already blamed Zilan for urging King Huai to enter Qin, from which he did not return. Qu Ping hated this, and although exiled, he cared for Chu and kept King Huai in his heart, not forgetting the wish to return, hoping that the ruler would one day awaken and the customs be changed. His wish to preserve his lord and revive the state, repeatedly, expressed itself three times in a single piece. The chief minister Zilan heard of it and was very angry, and finally had the Grand Master of the Superior Office speak ill of Qu Yuan before King Qingxiang, and King Qingxiang, angry, banished him. The Analects says: Gongbo Liao slandered Zilu to Ji Sun. Zifu Jingbo told Confucius: "The Master certainly has doubts about Gongbo Liao, but my strength is still enough to display his corpse in the market and court." Confucius said: "If the Way is about to be practiced, it is fate; if the Way is about to be abandoned, it is fate. What can Gongbo Liao do about fate?" Gongbo Liao was a man of Lu, Zilu was Zhong You, a disciple of Confucius, and Ji Sun was a grandee of Lu.] The opening word: Lord Shang rose from commoner status, went from Wei to Qin, and within a year was made its chancellor, reformed the laws and standards and made instruction clear, and the people of Qin were greatly well governed. So when troops moved they took land, and when troops rested the state was rich. Duke Xiao was greatly delighted and enfeoffed him at Shang and An, with land of five hundred li. His merit was like hills and mountains and his name was passed on to later ages. The people of the age could not do it, so together they envied his ability and picked at his merit. ["Flaw" is pronounced ci; the Shuowen says it means illness.]

文學曰君子進必以道退不失義【孔子曰事君難進而易退則位有序易進而難退則亂也故君子三揖而進一辭而退以逺亂也繆稱訓曰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】高而勿矜勞而不伐位尊而行【去聲】恭功大而理順故俗不疾其能而世不妬其業【大禹謨帝曰汝惟不矜天下莫與汝爭能汝惟不伐天下莫與汝爭功孝經曰高而不危所以長守貴也滿而不溢所以長守富也】今商鞅棄道而用權廢徳而任力峭法盛刑以虐戾為俗欺舊友以為功刑公族以立威無恩於百姓無信於諸侯人與之為怨家與之為讐雖以功見封猶食毒肉愉飽而罹其咎也【秦防曰衞鞅亡魏入秦孝公以為相封之於商號曰商君商君治秦法令至行公平無私罰不諱強大賞不私親近法及太子黥劓其傅朞年之後道不拾遺民不妄取兵革大強諸侯畏懼然刻深寡恩特以強行之耳孝公行之八年疾且不起欲傳商君辭不受孝公已死惠王代後蒞政有頃商君告歸人説惠王曰大臣太重者國危左右太親者身危今秦婦人嬰兒皆言商君之法莫言大王之法是商君反為主大王更為臣也且夫商君固大王之仇讐也願大王圖之商君歸還惠王車裂之而秦人不憐】蘇秦合從【音縱】連衡統理六國業非不大也桀紂與堯舜並稱至今不亡名非不長也然非者不足貴故事不苟多名不苟傳也【要畧曰晩世之時六國諸侯谿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逺援以守其國家持其社稷故縱橫修短生焉韓嬰曰君子行不貴苟難説不貴苟察名不貴苟傳惟其當之為貴夫負石而赴河行之難為者也而申屠狄能之君子不貴者非禮義之中也山淵平天地比齊楚襲入乎耳出乎口鉤有須卵有毛此説之難持者也而鄧析惠施能之君子不貴者非禮義之中也盜蹠吟口名聲若日月與舜禹俱傳而不息君子不貴者非禮義之中也故君子行不貴苟難説不貴苟察名不貴苟傳惟其當之為貴】

The Literati said: The noble man in advancing must use the Way, and in retreating does not lose righteousness. [Confucius said: In serving a ruler, if it is hard to advance and easy to retreat, rank has order; if it is easy to advance and hard to retreat, there is disorder. Therefore the noble man bows three times before advancing and declines once before withdrawing, to keep away from disorder. The Huainanzi, 'Miu Cheng' chapter, says: The noble man advances when the time is right and obtains it through righteousness; what good fortune is there in that? When the time is not right he retreats and yields it through righteousness; what misfortune is there in that?] He is lofty but not boastful, toils but does not claim credit, is honored in rank and conducts himself [gloss: 'xing' is read in the departing tone] with respect, and his merit is great while his principle is compliant; so common people do not envy his ability and the world does not resent his work. [In the Da Yu Mo, the Emperor said: 'Only if you do not boast will no one under heaven contend with you in ability; only if you do not claim credit will no one under heaven contend with you in merit.' The Classic of Filial Piety says: 'High but not in peril, so one can long keep one's honor; full but not overflowing, so one can long keep one's wealth.'] Now Shang Yang abandoned the Way and used expedience, discarded virtue and relied on force, made laws severe and punishments heavy, and made cruelty and perversity the custom; he deceived old friends to gain merit and punished the ducal clan to establish his authority; he had no kindness for the people and no good faith with the feudal lords. People held him in resentment and families held him as an enemy. Even though he was enfeoffed on account of merit (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription), it was like eating poisoned meat, satisfying one's hunger carelessly and suffering the consequences. [The Intrigues of the Warring States, Qin section (the base text has a corrupt reading for 'Qin ce'), says: Wei Yang fled from Wei to Qin, and Duke Xiao employed him as chancellor and enfeoffed him at Shang, and he was called Lord Shang. When Lord Shang governed Qin, laws and orders were carried out to the full, impartial and without selfishness; punishment did not avoid the powerful, rewards were not given to the favored and close; the law reached even the crown prince, and his tutor was tattooed and had his nose cut off. After a year, nothing dropped on the road was picked up and the people did not take what was not theirs; the army was greatly strengthened and the feudal lords were afraid. Yet he was harsh and deep with little kindness, and relied only on force. Duke Xiao practiced it for eight years, and when he was ill and unlikely to recover, he wished to pass the throne to Lord Shang, who declined. After Duke Xiao died, King Hui took over and not long after came to govern; Lord Shang asked to retire. Someone advised King Hui: 'When a great minister is too weighty, the state is in danger; when those around the ruler are too close, the ruler is in danger. Now in Qin women and infants all speak of Lord Shang's law and do not speak of Your Majesty's law; Lord Shang has become master and Your Majesty a subject. Moreover, Lord Shang was originally Your Majesty's enemy; I hope Your Majesty will plan against him.' Lord Shang returned, and King Hui had him torn apart by chariots, and the people of Qin did not pity him.] Su Qin joined the vertical and horizontal alliances [gloss: 'cong' is pronounced 'zong'] and governed the six states; his work was not small. Jie and Zhou are named together with Yao and Shun and have not perished to this day; their fame is not short. Yet what is wrong is not worth honoring. So in affairs one does not carelessly seek many, and in fame one does not carelessly seek to be transmitted. [The Huainanzi, 'Yao Lue' chapter, says: In the later age, the feudal lords of the six states were separated by streams and valleys, cut off by water and mountains, each governing within his own borders, keeping his own portion of land, holding his own power and monopolizing his own government orders; below there was no regional chief and above no Son of Heaven; they contended by force for power, and the winner was on the right, relying on allied states, binding important treaties, splitting credentials and tallies, and forming distant alliances to protect their states and hold their altars; hence arose the arts of vertical and horizontal alliance, long and short. Han Ying said: The noble man does not value conduct that is difficult merely for its difficulty, does not value argument that is acute merely for its acuteness, and does not value fame that is transmitted merely for its being transmitted; only what is fitting is valued. To carry a stone and plunge into the river is conduct hard to do, yet Shentu Di could do it; the noble man does not value it, because it does not accord with ritual and righteousness. 'Mountains and ponds are level, heaven and earth are close, Qi and Chu are joined, entering through the ear and coming out of the mouth, an egg has feathers': these are arguments hard to maintain, yet Deng Xi and Hui Shi could maintain them; the noble man does not value them, because they do not accord with ritual and righteousness. Robber Zhi's fame was like the sun and moon, transmitted together with Shun and Yu without ceasing; the noble man does not value it, because it does not accord with ritual and righteousness. Therefore the noble man does not value conduct that is carelessly difficult, argument that is carelessly acute, or fame that is carelessly transmitted; only what is fitting is valued.]

大夫曰縞素不能自分於緇墨聖賢不能自理於亂世是以箕子執囚比干被刑【節士篇曰箕子者紂親戚也紂始為象箸箕子諫不聼囚箕子以為奴王子比干者亦紂之親戚也紂作炮烙之刑王子比干曰主暴不諫非忠臣也畏死不言非勇士也見過則諫不用則死忠之至也遂進諫三日不去朝紂因而殺之】伍員相【去聲】闔閭以伯【音覇】夫【音扶】差【去聲】不道流而殺之【範睢曰伍子胥橐載而出昭關夜行晝伏至於陵水無以糊其口膝行蒲伏稽首肉袒鼓腹吹篪乞食於呉市卒興呉國闔閭為霸越絶書曰子胥賜劔將自殺嘆曰嗟乎眾曲矯直一人固不能獨立吾挾弓矢以逸鄭楚之間自以為可復吾見凌之仇乃先王之功想得報焉自致於此吾先得榮後僇者非智衰也先遇明後遭險君之易移也已矣坐不遇時復何言哉此吾命也亡將安之莫如早死從吾先王於地下葢吾之志也】樂毅信功於燕昭而見疑於惠王【雜事篇曰樂毅為昭王謀必待諸侯兵齊乃可伐也於是乃使樂毅使諸侯遂合連四國之兵以伐齊大破之閔王亡逃僅以身脫□莒樂毅追之遂屠七十餘城臨淄盡降唯莒即墨未下盡復取燕寳器而歸復易王之辱樂毅謝罷諸侯之兵而獨圍莒即墨時田單為即墨令患樂毅善用兵田單不能詐也欲去之昭王又賢不肯聼讒會昭王死惠王立田單使人讒之惠王惠王使騎刼代樂毅樂毅去之趙不歸燕騎刼既為將軍田單大喜設詐大破燕軍殺騎刼盡復收七十餘城】人臣盡節以狥名遭世主之不用大夫種輔翼越王為之深謀卒擒強呉據有東夷終賜屬鏤而死【蔡澤曰大夫種為越王深謀逺計免會稽之恥以亡為存因辱為榮墾草入邑闢地殖穀率四方之士専上下之力輔句踐之賢報夫差之讐率擒勁呉令越成霸功已彰而信矣句踐終負而殺之汜論訓曰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裡然而身伏屬鏤而死屬鏤利劔也】驕主背恩徳聽流説不計其功故也豈身之罪哉【蹇重曰有命之父母不知孝子有道之君不知忠臣】

The Grand Secretary said: White silk cannot by itself be distinguished from black ink, and sages and worthies cannot by themselves be clarified in a disordered age. Therefore Jizi was imprisoned and Bi Gan was executed. [The Shuo Yuan, 'Jie Shi' chapter, says: Jizi was a relative of Zhou. When Zhou began to make ivory chopsticks, Jizi remonstrated but was not heeded, and Zhou imprisoned Jizi as a slave. Prince Bi Gan was also a relative of Zhou. When Zhou made the roasting punishment, Prince Bi Gan said: 'A ruler is violent and one does not remonstrate; that is not a loyal minister. To fear death and not speak is not a brave man. To see an error and remonstrate, and if not heeded to die, is the height of loyalty.' So he remonstrated for three days without leaving the court, and Zhou killed him for it.] Wu Yuan assisted [gloss: 'xiang' is read in the departing tone] Helu and thus the king became hegemon [gloss: 'bo' is pronounced 'ba']. As for the sentence-opening 'fu' [gloss: 'fu' is pronounced 'fu']: Fuchai [gloss: 'chai' is read in the departing tone] was without the Way, and exiled and killed him. [Fan Sui said: Wu Zixu was carried in a bag out of the Zhao Pass, traveling at night and hiding by day; reaching the Ling River he had no means to feed himself, crawled on his knees and bowed his head, bared his flesh, beat his belly and blew the chi flute, begging for food in the market of Wu, and in the end he made Wu rise and Helu became hegemon. The Yue Jue Shu says: When Zixu was granted a sword and was about to kill himself, he sighed and said: 'Alas, when the crowd of crooked ones straightens the upright, one man cannot stand alone. I carried bow and arrows and fled between Zheng and Chu, thinking I could avenge my father and brother; it was the achievement of the former king, and I wished to repay it. Having come here, I first gained glory and later was killed; it was not that my wisdom declined, but that I first met a bright ruler and later met danger, the ruler easily changing. Enough; sitting here, not meeting the time, what more is there to say? This is my fate. Where could I flee to? It is better to die early and follow my former king under the earth; that is my aim.'] Yue Yi was trusted and made merit under King Zhao of Yan, but under King Hui was suspected. [The Shuo Yuan, 'Za Shi' chapter, says: Yue Yi planned for King Zhao that one must wait until the feudal lords' troops were assembled before attacking. So he sent Yue Yi as envoy to the feudal lords, and combined the troops of four states to attack Qi and utterly defeated it; King Min fled and escaped with his life only, to Ju. Yue Yi pursued, and then slaughtered more than seventy cities; Linzi surrendered entirely, and only Ju and Jimo did not fall; he recovered all the treasured vessels of Yan and returned, avenging the humiliation of King Yi. Yue Yi dismissed the feudal lords' troops with thanks and besieged only Ju and Jimo. At that time Tian Dan was magistrate of Jimo, feared that Yue Yi was good at using troops, and since Tian Dan could not use deceit, he wanted to remove him. King Zhao was wise and would not listen to slander. When King Zhao died and King Hui was set up, Tian Dan sent people to slander him before King Hui. King Hui sent Qi Jie to replace Yue Yi, and Yue Yi left for Zhao and did not return to Yan. Since Qi Jie had become general, Tian Dan was greatly pleased, used a ruse to utterly defeat the army of Yan, killed Qi Jie, and recovered all seventy-odd cities.] A minister fulfilled his duty and died for his name, but met a ruler who did not use him. Minister Zhong assisted the King of Yue and planned deeply for him, and in the end captured mighty Wu and held the eastern Yi, but in the end was granted the Shulou sword and died. [Cai Ze said: Minister Zhong planned deeply and far for the King of Yue, freed him of the shame of Kuaiji, turned loss into survival and disgrace into glory, cleared grass and entered towns, opened land and planted grain, led the gentlemen of the four quarters and unified the strength of high and low, assisted Goujian's worthiness and avenged Fuchai, and in the end captured strong Wu and made Yue hegemon. His merit was already manifest and his trust was finished, and Goujian in the end betrayed and killed him. The Huainanzi, 'Fan Lun' chapter, says: Minister Zhong assisted the King of Yue, Goujian, and avenged his resentment and washed away his shame for him, captured Fuchai in person, and opened land of several thousand li, but his body lay prostrate and he died by the Shulou sword. The Shulou is a sharp sword.] This was because the arrogant ruler turned his back on kindness and virtue, listened to wandering talk and did not count their merit; how could it be the fault of the men themselves? [Jian Zhong said: Parents with a mandate do not know a filial son, and a ruler with the Way does not know a loyal minister.]

文學曰比干剖心子胥鴟夷【宋世家曰王子比干見箕子諫不聼而為奴則曰君有過而不以死爭則百姓何辜乃直言諫紂紂怒曰吾聞聖人之心有七竅信有諸乎乃遂殺比干刳視其心呉越春秋曰呉王賜子胥劔遂伏劔而死呉王乃取子胥之屍盛以鴟夷之器投之江海子胥因隨流揚波成濤激岸隨潮來徃應劭曰取馬革為鴟夷鴟夷榼形】非輕犯君以危身強【音襁】諫以幹名也憯【音】怛【音妲】之忠誠心動於內忘患之禍發於外志在匡君救民故身死而不怨【陸子曰郁烈之芳出於委灰繁防之音生於絶是以貞女要名於沒世烈士赴節於當年】君子能行是不能御非雖在刑戮之中非其罪也【繆稱訓曰人為之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已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或害或利求之有道得之有命故君子能為善而不能必其得福不忍為非而不能必免其禍傳曰伯竒孝而棄於親隱公慈而殺於弟叔武賢而殺於兄比干忠而誅於君詩曰予慎無】是以比干死而殷人怨子胥死而呉人恨今秦怨毒商鞅之法甚於私仇故孝公卒之日舉國而攻之東西南北莫可奔走仰天而嘆曰嗟乎為政之弊至於斯極也卒車裂族夷為天下笑斯人自殺非人殺之也【衞鞅傳曰秦孝公卒太子立公子防告商君欲反發吏捕商君商君亡至闗下欲舍客舍客人不知其是商君也曰商君之法舍人無驗者坐之商君喟然嘆曰嗟乎為政之弊一至此哉去之魏魏人怨具欺公子卭而破魏師弗受商君欲之他國魏人曰商君秦之賊秦強而賊入弗歸不可遂內秦商君既復入秦走商邑與其徒屬發邑兵北出擊鄭秦發兵攻商君殺之於鄭黽池秦惠王車裂以狗曰莫如商鞅反者遂滅商君之家司馬遷曰商君其天資刻薄人也跡其所幹孝公以帝王術扶持浮説非其資矣且所因由嬖臣及得用刑公子防欺魏將卬不師趙良之言亦足發明商君之少恩矣餘嘗讀商君開塞耕戰書與其人行事相類卒受惡名於秦有以也夫劉歆曰秦孝公保崤函之固以廣雍州之地東幷河西北收上郡國富兵強長雄諸侯周室歸胙四方來賀為戰國霸君秦遂以強六世而幷諸侯亦皆商君之謀也夫商君極身無二慮盡公不顧私使民內急耕織之業以富國外重戰伐之賞以勸戎士法令必行內不阿貴寵外不偏疏逺是以令行而禁止法出而奸息故雖書云無偏無黨詩云周道如砥其直如矢司馬法之勵戎士周后稷之勸農業無以易此此所以並諸侯也故孫卿曰四世有勝非幸也數也然無信諸侯畏而不親夫霸君君齊桓晉文者桓不倍柯之盟文不負原之期而諸侯畏其強而親信之存亡繼絶四方歸之以管仲舅犯之謀也今商君倍公子卬之舊恩棄交魏之明信詐取三軍之眾故諸侯畏其強而不親信也借使孝公遇齊桓晉文得諸侯之統將合諸侯之君驅天下之兵以伐秦秦則亡矣天下無桓文之君故秦得以兼諸侯衛鞅始自以為知霸王之徳原其事不諭也昔周召施善政及其死也後世思之蔽芾甘棠之詞是也嘗舍於樹下後世思其徳不忍伐其樹況害其身乎管氏奪伯氏邑三百戶無怨言今衛鞅內刻刀鋸之刑外深鈇之誅歩過六尺者有罰棄灰於道者被刑一日臨渭而論囚七百餘人渭水盡赤號哭之聲動於天地畜怨積讐比於丘山所逃莫之隱所歸莫之容身死車裂滅族無姓其去霸王之佐亦逺矣然惠王殺之亦非也可輔而用也使衛鞅施寛平之法加之以恩申之以信庶幾伯者之佐哉】

The Literati said: Bi Gan had his heart cut out, and Zixu was put in a leather bag. [The Hereditary House of Song says: Prince Bi Gan saw Jizi remonstrate without being heeded and become a slave, and said: 'If the ruler has faults and one does not contend with him at the cost of one's life, what crime have the common people?' So he spoke directly in remonstrating with Zhou. Zhou was angry and said: 'I have heard that the heart of a sage has seven apertures; is it true?' He then killed Bi Gan and cut him open to look at his heart. The Annals of Wu and Yue says: The King of Wu gave Zixu a sword, and he fell on the sword and died. The King of Wu took Zixu's corpse and put it in a leather bag, and threw it into the river and sea. Zixu followed the current and raised waves, forming surges that struck the banks, going back and forth with the tide. Ying Shao said: The bag is made of horse hide, 'chiyi' being the shape of a wine flask.] It was not that they lightly offended the ruler to endanger themselves or forcibly [gloss: 'qiang' is pronounced 'qiang'] remonstrated to seek fame. A sorrowful [gloss: 'can' is pronounced 'can' (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription)] and grieving [gloss: 'da' is pronounced 'da'] loyal heart was moved within, and the calamity of forgetting disaster broke out outside; their aim was to correct the ruler and save the people, so they died without resentment. [Lu Zi said: Rich and intense fragrance comes from smoldering ashes, and the sound of many strings (the base text has a corrupt reading for 'fan xian') arises from a broken string (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription). Therefore a chaste woman seeks reputation after death, and a stalwart man hastens to his principle in his own year.] The noble man can do what is right but cannot ward off what is wrong, and even in being punished or killed it is not his fault. [The Huainanzi, 'Miu Cheng' chapter, says: Man does it and Heaven completes it. One who does good all his life, without Heaven's help it does not go; one who does not do good all his life, without Heaven's help he does not perish. So good and bad lie in me, but misfortune and fortune do not lie in me. So the noble man simply follows what lies in himself. Nature is what is received from Heaven and fate is what is met in the time. To have the talent and not meet one's age is Heaven. What strength had Taigong, and what crime had Bi Gan? Following nature in conduct, one may meet harm or profit. Seeking it has a way, obtaining it has a mandate. So the noble man can do good but cannot be sure of obtaining blessing, cannot bear to do wrong but cannot be sure of avoiding calamity. Records say: Bo Qi was filial and was abandoned by his parent; Duke Yin was kind and was killed by his brother; Shu Wu was worthy and was killed by his elder brother; Bi Gan was loyal and was executed by his ruler. The Book of Poetry says: 'I am careful and have no fault.' (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription)] Therefore when Bi Gan died the people of Yin resented it, and when Zixu died the people of Wu hated it. Now Qin resented and was poisoned by Shang Yang's laws more than by a private enemy, so on the day Duke Xiao died the whole state attacked him, and in the east, west, south and north there was nowhere to run; looking up to heaven he sighed and said: "Alas, the evil of government has reached such an extreme!" He was finally torn apart by chariots and his clan destroyed, a laughingstock of the world. This man killed himself; others did not kill him. [The Biography of Wei Yang says: When Duke Xiao of Qin died, the crown prince was set up. Prince Qian (the base text has a corrupt reading for 'Qian') accused Lord Shang of wanting to rebel, and officials were sent to arrest him. Lord Shang fled to the pass and wanted to lodge at an inn, but the innkeeper did not know he was Lord Shang and said: 'By Lord Shang's law, one who lodges someone without a certificate is held jointly liable.' Lord Shang sighed and said: 'Alas, the evil of government has come to this!' He went to Wei, but the people of Wei resented that he had once deceived Prince Ang and destroyed Wei's army, and did not accept him. Lord Shang wanted to go to another state, but the people of Wei said: 'Lord Shang is a bandit of Qin; Qin is strong, and if a bandit comes in, we must send him back.' So he was sent into Qin. After Lord Shang entered Qin again, he went to the town of Shang and with his followers raised the town troops and attacked Zheng to the north. Qin sent troops to attack Lord Shang and killed him at Mianchi in Zheng. King Hui of Qin had him torn apart by chariots to show the people, saying: 'Do not rebel like Shang Yang!' He then destroyed Lord Shang's family. Sima Qian said: Lord Shang was by nature harsh. Looking at what he sought from Duke Xiao by using the arts of emperors and kings, he supported empty talk, which was not his true nature. Moreover he relied on a favorite minister, and when he got to be employed, he punished Prince Qian, deceived the Wei general Ang, and did not listen to Zhao Liang's words; this is enough to show Lord Shang's lack of kindness. I once read Lord Shang's 'Kai Sai' and 'Geng Zhan' texts, which are similar to his conduct; that he finally gained a bad name in Qin was for a reason. Liu Xin said: Duke Xiao of Qin held the strong position of Xiao and Han to widen the land of Yongzhou, annexed the west of the river in the east and took Shangjun in the north, the state was rich and the army strong, and he long dominated the feudal lords; the Zhou house gave him sacrificial meat and the four quarters came to congratulate him, and he was the hegemon of the Warring States. Qin thus became strong, and in six generations annexed the feudal lords, all from Lord Shang's plans. Lord Shang devoted himself with no second thoughts, exhausted himself for the public without regard to private interest, made the people urgently devote themselves to farming and weaving to enrich the state, and valued the rewards for war to encourage soldiers; laws and orders were certain to be carried out, he did not flatter the honored and favored within or favor the distant outside, so orders were carried out and prohibitions held, laws came out and wrongdoing stopped. Therefore even the Book of Documents says 'no deviation, no partiality,' the Poem says 'the way of Zhou is like a whetstone, as straight as an arrow,' and the Sima Fa's encouragement of soldiers and Hou Ji of Zhou's encouragement of agriculture could not replace this. This is how he annexed the feudal lords. So Xunzi said: Four generations winning was not luck but number. Yet there was no good faith, and the feudal lords feared but did not draw close. As for hegemons like Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin: Huan did not break the Ke covenant and Wen did not break the Yuan appointment, and the feudal lords feared their strength and trusted them, and they preserved the perishing and continued the cut-off lines, and the four quarters returned to them, through using the plans of Guan Zhong and Jiufan. Now Lord Shang betrayed his former kindness toward Prince Ang, discarded the clear trust of friendship with Wei, and by deceit seized the multitude of three armies, so the feudal lords feared his strength and did not draw close or trust him. If Duke Xiao had met Duke Huan of Qi or Duke Wen of Jin and gained the leadership of the feudal lords, he would have united the rulers of the feudal lords and driven the troops of the world to attack Qin, and Qin would have perished. There was no ruler like Huan or Wen in the world, so Qin was able to annex the feudal lords. Wei Yang at the start thought he knew the virtue of hegemons and kings, but investigating the facts, he did not understand it. In ancient times the Duke of Zhou and Duke Shao carried out good government, and when they died, later ages missed them and had the verses of the 'tender sweet pear.' They once rested under that tree, and later generations, thinking of their virtue, could not bear to cut the tree; how much less to harm the person? Guan Zhong seized three hundred households of the city of Bo and the owner had no resentment. Now Wei Yang within carved the punishments of the knife and saw, outside deepened the executions by axe, those who stepped over six feet were punished, those who threw ashes on the road were mutilated; one day, at the Wei River, he judged more than seven hundred prisoners, and the Wei River ran red all over, the sound of wailing shook heaven and earth, he accumulated resentment and piled up enmity like hills and mountains; there was nowhere to hide where he fled, nowhere to receive him where he went; he died torn apart by chariots, his clan destroyed and nameless; he was far from being an assistant to a hegemon or king. Yet King Hui's killing him was also wrong: he could have been assisted and used. If Wei Yang had carried out lenient and level laws, added kindness and made trust clear, perhaps he would have been an assistant to a hegemon.]

大夫曰春秋之法君親無將將而必誅【公羊傳曰此陳侯之弟招也何以不稱弟貶曷為貶為殺世子偃師貶曰陳侯之弟招殺陳世子偃師大夫相殺稱人此其稱名氏以殺何言將自是弒君也今將爾詞為與親弒者同君親無將將而必誅焉然則曷為不於其弒焉貶以親者弒然後其罪惡甚春秋不待貶絶而罪惡見者不貶絶以見罪惡也貶絶然後罪惡見者貶絶以見罪惡也今招之罪已重矣曷為復貶乎此著招之有罪也何著乎招之有罪言楚之託招以滅陳也顔師古曰將謂將有其意也】故臣罪莫重於弒君子罪莫重於弒父【趙武靈王曰家聴於親國聽於君古今之公行也子不反親臣不逆主先王之通誼也】日者淮南衡山修文學招四方遊士山東儒墨鹹聚於江淮之間講議集論著書數十篇然卒於背義謀叛逆誅及宗族【淮南鴻烈序曰文帝以淮南厲王長子安襲封淮南王次為衡山王太傅賈誼諫曰怨讐之人不可貴也後淮南衡山卒反如賈誼言初安為辯逹善屬文皇帝為從父數上書召見孝文皇帝甚重之詔使為離騷賦自旦受詔日早食已上愛而秘之天下方術之士多往歸焉於是遂與蘓飛李尚左吳田由雷被毛被伍被晉昌等及諸儒大山小山之徒共講論道徳緫統仁義著書數十篇號曰鴻烈鴻大也烈明也以為大明道之言也司馬遷曰詩之所謂戎狄是膺荊舒是懲信哉是言也淮南衡山親為骨肉疆土千里列為諸侯不務遵蕃臣職以承輔天子而專挾邪僻之計謀為畔逆仍父子再失國各不終其身為天下笑此非獨王過也亦其俗薄臣下漸靡使然也夫荊楚僄勇輕悍好作亂乃自古記之矣】使晁錯變法易常不用制度廹蹙宗族侵削諸侯蕃臣不附骨肉不親吳楚積怨斬錯東市以慰三軍之士而謝諸侯斯亦誰殺之乎【晁錯傳曰晁錯為御史大夫請諸侯之罪過削其地収其枝郡奏上上令公卿列侯宗室集議莫敢難獨竇嬰爭之由此與錯有郤錯所更令三十章諸侯皆諠譁疾晁錯錯父聞之從潁川來謂錯曰上初即位公為政用事侵削諸侯別踈人骨肉人口議多怨公者何也晁錯曰固也不如此天子不尊宗廟不安錯父曰劉氏安矣而晁氏危矣吾去公歸矣遂飲藥死曰吾不忍見禍及吾身死十餘日吳楚七國果反以誅錯為名及竇嬰袁盎進説上令晁錯衣朝衣斬東市】

The Imperial Counselor (Sang Hongyang) said: The rule of the Spring and Autumn Annals: toward ruler and kin there must be no intention of regicide or rebellion; if there is such intention, one must be executed. [The Gongyang Commentary says: This is Zhao, younger brother of the Marquis of Chen. Why is he not called younger brother? It is a demotion. Why a demotion? Because of the killing of the heir Yanshi, he is demoted, and it says 'Zhao, younger brother of the Marquis of Chen, killed Yanshi, heir of Chen.' When high officials kill one another they are called by 'the man'; why here is he called by name and surname when killing? It means that from this he will go on to kill his ruler. Now it is only 'about to,' yet the wording is the same as for personally killing. Toward ruler and kin there must be no intention of 'about to'; if there is intention, one must be executed. Then why is he not demoted when he actually commits the killing? Because a kinsman killing makes the crime worse. When the Spring and Autumn Annals does not wait for demotion to make the crime apparent, it does not demote to show the crime; when the crime appears only after demotion, it demotes to show the crime. Now Zhao's crime is already heavy, so why demote again? This is to make Zhao's guilt clear. Why make Zhao's guilt clear? It means Chu used Zhao to destroy Chen. Yan Shigu said: 'Jiang' is the intention of being about to.] So a minister's crime is no heavier than killing the ruler, and a son's crime is no heavier than killing the father. [King Wuling of Zhao said: The family heeds the parent and the state heeds the ruler; this is the common practice from ancient to modern times. A son does not oppose his parent and a minister does not resist his lord; this is the shared principle of the former kings.] In the past, Huainan and Hengshan cultivated literature and invited wandering scholars from the four quarters; Confucians and Mohists of Shandong all gathered between the Yangtze and Huai, discussed and compiled, and wrote dozens of essays, yet in the end they abandoned righteousness and plotted rebellion, and the punishment reached their clans. [The preface to the Huainan Honglie says: Emperor Wen enfeoffed An, son of Chang, King Li of Huainan, as King of Huainan, and the next as King of Hengshan. Grand Tutor Jia Yi remonstrated: 'People who bear resentment should not be honored.' Later Huainan and Hengshan did indeed rebel, as Jia Yi had said. At the start, An was good at debate and thorough, skilled at composition; the emperor was his paternal uncle and repeatedly sent letters and summoned him; Emperor Xiaowen valued him greatly and ordered him to compose the Lisao rhapsody, and from receiving the edict at dawn to breakfast he had completed it, and the emperor loved it and kept it secret. Many masters of technique under heaven went to join him. He then, with Su Fei, Li Shang, Zuo Wu, Tian You, Lei Bei, Mao Bei, Wu Bei, Jin Chang and others, along with the Confucians of Dashan and Xiaoshan, discussed the Way and virtue and comprehensively treated humaneness and righteousness, writing dozens of essays called the Honglie. Hong means great and lie means bright, taken as great and bright words of the Way. Sima Qian said: The Poem says 'Strike the Rong and Di, punish Jing and Shu'; these words can be trusted. Huainan and Hengshan were of one flesh and blood, with a thousand li of territory, ranked among the feudal lords, but did not attend to the duty of a vassal to assist the Son of Heaven, and only held crooked schemes to rebel; father and son lost their states twice and none died a natural death, and they were laughed at by the world. This was not the king's fault alone but also because their customs were thin and the subordinates gradually soaked in them. The people of Jing and Chu are quick, fierce and fond of causing disorder, as has been recorded since antiquity.] Had Chao Cuo changed the law, altered the constant law, set aside institutions, pressed the clan and encroached on the feudal lords, the vassals would not have been attached and the kin would not have been close. Wu and Chu stored up resentment, and Cuo was executed in the Eastern Market to console the soldiers of the three armies and apologize to the feudal lords; who then killed him? [The Biography of Chao Cuo says: Chao Cuo as Imperial Counselor asked to reduce the land of the feudal lords and take their branch commanderies according to their faults. When the memorial was submitted, the emperor ordered the dukes, marquises and imperial clan to discuss it, and none dared challenge it, only Dou Ying argued, and from this there was a rift with Cuo. Cuo changed thirty articles of the statutes, and the feudal lords all clamored and hated Chao Cuo. Cuo's father heard of it and came from Yingchuan, and said to Cuo: 'The emperor has just come to the throne, and you handle government and take charge, encroach on the feudal lords and estrange people's kin; people's talk is full of resentment against you; why?' Chao Cuo said: 'It is so. Without this the Son of Heaven would not be honored and the ancestral temples would not be secure.' Cuo's father said: 'The Liu family will be secure and the Chao family in danger. I leave you and go home.' He then drank poison and died, saying: 'I cannot bear to see disaster reach me.' Ten or so days after his death, the seven states of Wu and Chu indeed rebelled, using the execution of Cuo as their pretext. When Dou Ying and Yuan Ang made their advice, the emperor ordered Chao Cuo to be beheaded in the Eastern Market wearing his court robes.]

文學曰孔子不飲盜泉之流曾子不入勝母之閭名且惡【音汙】之而況為不臣不子乎【叢談曰邑名勝母曽子不入水名盜泉孔子不飲醜其聲也鍾離意曰孔子忍渇於盜泉之水曽參廻車於勝母之閭惡其名也】是以孔子沐浴而朝【音潮】告之哀公陳文子有馬十乗【去聲】棄而違之【論語曰陳成子弒簡公孔子沐浴而朝告於哀公曰陳恆弒其君請討之公曰告夫三子孔子曰以吾從大夫之後不敢不告也崔子弒齊君陳文子有馬十乘棄而違之至於他邦則曰猶吾大夫崔子也違之之一邦則又曰猶吾大夫崔子也違之】傳【去聲】曰君子可貴可賤可刑可殺而不可使為亂【孔子曰事君可貴可賤可富可貧可刑可殺而不可使為亂馬氏曰在物者有命故可貴可賤可生可殺在已者有義故不可使為亂也精神訓曰晏子與崔子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廹以仁不可刼以兵殖華可止以義而不可縣以利君子義死而不可以死亡恐也】若夫【音扶】外飾其貎而內無其實口誦其文而行【去聲】不由其道是盜固與盜而不容於君子之域春秋不以寡犯眾誅絶之義有所止不兼怨惡也故舜之誅誅鯀其舉舉禹【夏紀曰當帝堯之時鴻水防天浩浩懐山襄下民其憂堯求能治水者群臣四嶽皆曰鯀可堯曰鯀為人負命毀族不可四嶽曰等之未有賢於鯀者願帝試之於是堯聽四嶽用鯀治水九年而水不息功用不成於是帝堯乃求人更得舜舜登用攝行天子之政廵狩行視鯀之治水無狀乃殛鯀於羽山以死天下皆以舜之誅為是於是舜舉鯀子禹而使續鯀之業堯崩帝舜問四嶽曰有能成美堯之事者使居官皆曰伯禹為司空可成美堯之功舜曰嗟然命禹汝平水土禹拜稽首譲於契后稷咎繇舜曰汝其往視爾事矣禹傷先人父鯀功之不成受誅乃勞身焦思居外十三年過家門不敢入左傳曰初臼季使過兾見兾缺耨其妻饁之敬相待如賓與之歸言諸文公曰敬德之聚也能敬必有徳徳以治民君請用之臣聞之出門如賓承事如祭仁之則也公曰其父有罪可乎對曰舜之罪也殛鯀其舉也興禹管敬仲桓之賊也實相以濟康誥曰父不慈子不祗兄不友弟不共不相及也詩曰採葑採菲無以下體君取節焉可也文公以為下軍大夫】夫【音扶】以璵【音歟】璠【音煩】之玼【音此】而棄其璞以一人之罪而兼其眾則天下無美寳信士也【淮南子曰夏後之璜不能無考明月之珠不能無纇】晁生言諸侯之地大富則驕奢急即合從故因吳之過而削之防稽因楚之罪而奪之東海所以均輕重分其權而為萬世慮也髙誕於秦而信於鄭【鄭世家曰繆公元年春秦繆公使三將將兵欲襲鄭至滑逢鄭商人髙詐以十二牛勞軍故秦兵不至而還晉敗之於崤汜論曰惟聖人為能知權言而必信期而必當天下之髙行也直躬者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繆公興兵襲鄭過周而東鄭賈入髙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】晁生忠於漢而讐於諸侯【晁錯傳曰晁錯已死謁者僕射鄧公為校尉擊吳椘軍為將軍上書言軍事謁見上上問曰道軍所來聞晁錯死吳楚罷不鄧公曰吳王為反數十年矣發怒削地以誅錯為名其意非在錯也且臣恐天下之士噤口不敢復言也上曰何哉鄧公曰夫晁錯患諸侯強大不可制故請削地以尊京師萬世之利也計畫始行卒受大戮內杜忠臣之口外為諸侯報仇臣竊為陛下不取也於是景帝黙然良乆曰公言善吾亦恨之乃拜鄧公為城陽中尉】人臣各死其主為其國用此解之所以厚於晉而薄於荊也【奉使篇曰楚莊王舉兵伐宋宋告急晉景公欲發兵救宋伯宗諫曰天方開楚未可伐也乃求壯士得霍人解揚字子虎往命宋毋降道過鄭鄭新與楚親乃執解揚而獻之楚楚王厚賜與約使反其言令宋趣降三要解揚乃許於是楚乘以樓車令呼宋使降遂倍楚約而致其晉君命曰晉方悉國兵以救宋宋雖急慎毋降楚晉兵今至矣楚莊王大怒將烹之解揚曰君能制命為義臣能承命為信受吾君命以出雖死無二王曰汝之許我已而倍之其信安在解曰死以許王欲以成吾君命臣不恨也顧謂楚臣曰為人臣無忘盡忠而得死者楚王諸弟皆諫王赦之於是莊王卒赦解而歸之晉爵之為上卿故後世言霍虎】

The Literati replied: Confucius would not drink the water of Robber's Spring, and Zengzi would not enter the lane of Victory Over Mother; they disliked even the names [gloss: 'e' is pronounced 'wu'], how much more to do what is unministerial and unfilial? [The Cong Tan says: A town was named Victory Over Mother, and Zengzi would not enter; a water was named Robber's Spring, and Confucius would not drink; they hated the names. Zhongli Yi said: Confucius endured thirst by the water of Robber's Spring, and Zeng Shen turned his carriage back at the gate of Victory Over Mother; they disliked the names.] Therefore Confucius bathed and went to court [gloss: 'chao' is pronounced 'chao'] and reported to Duke Ai; Chen Wenzi had ten teams of horses [gloss: 'cheng' is read in the departing tone] and abandoned them and left. [The Analects says: When Chen Chengzi killed Duke Jian, Confucius bathed and went to court and reported to Duke Ai: 'Chen Heng has killed his ruler; I request to punish him.' The duke said: 'Tell the Three Families.' Confucius said: 'Because I follow after the high officials, I dare not fail to report.' When Cuizi killed the ruler of Qi, Chen Wenzi had ten teams of horses and abandoned them and left. Arriving at another state, he said, 'It is like our high official Cuizi,' and left again; going to another state, he again said, 'It is like our high official Cuizi,' and left again.] The Commentary [gloss: 'zhuan' is read in the departing tone] says: The noble man can be made honored or humble, punished or killed, but cannot be made to cause disorder. [Confucius said: In serving a ruler, one can be made honored or humble, rich or poor, punished or killed, but cannot be made to cause disorder. Master Ma said: What lies in things has fate, so one can be honored or humble, live or be killed; what lies in oneself has righteousness, so one cannot be made to cause disorder. The Huainanzi, 'Jing Shen' chapter, says: Yan Zi made a covenant with Cuizi, and facing the place of death did not change his righteousness; Zhi Hua, about to fight and die, was stopped by the ruler of Ju with rich bribes, but did not change his conduct. So Yan Zi could be pressed with humaneness but not coerced with arms; Zhi Hua could be stopped with righteousness but not tempted with the offer of profit. The noble man dies for righteousness, and cannot be frightened with death.] As for [gloss: 'fu' is pronounced 'fu'] those who adorn their appearance outside but have no substance within, who recite the texts with their mouths but whose conduct [gloss: 'xing' is read in the departing tone] does not follow the Way, these are robbers, and they are of a kind with robbers and have no place in the realm of the noble man. The Spring and Autumn Annals does not use a few people to offend the many, and the principle of execution and cutting off has its limits, not extending resentment to all. So when Shun executed, he executed Gun; when he promoted, he promoted Yu. [The Basic Annals of Xia says: In the time of Emperor Yao, the flood waters reached the sky (the base text has a corrupt reading for 'tao tian'), vast and surrounding the hills (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription), and the people below were distressed. Yao sought one who could control the water, and the four chiefs of the mountains and the ministers all said Gun could. Yao said: 'Gun disobeys orders and ruins his clan; he will not do.' The four chiefs said: 'Wait; there is none worthier than Gun; may the Emperor try him.' So Yao listened to the four chiefs and used Gun to control the flood for nine years, but the water did not subside and the work was not completed. So Emperor Yao sought another, and found Shun. Shun was promoted and acted as regent for the Son of Heaven's government; on his tour of inspection he saw that Gun's control of the flood was without result, and executed Gun at Mount Yu, where he died. The whole world thought Shun's execution was right. Shun then promoted Gun's son Yu and had him continue Gun's work. When Yao died, Emperor Shun asked the four chiefs: 'Is there anyone who can complete Yao's good work? Let him hold the post.' All said Bo Yu as Minister of Works could complete Yao's achievement. Shun said: 'Ah, yes. I command you, Yu, to level the waters and lands.' Yu bowed with his head to the ground and yielded to Xie, Hou Ji and Gao Yao. Shun said: 'Go and see to your task.' Yu grieved that his father Gun had failed in achievement and been executed, and so toiled in body and anxious in thought, living away from home for thirteen years, passing his own door and not daring to enter. The Zuo Commentary says: At first Jiu Ji, on a mission, passed through Ji and saw Ji Que weeding a field, and his wife brought him food, and they treated each other with respect as to a guest. He returned with him and said to Duke Wen: 'Respect is the gathering of virtue. One who can be respectful must have virtue, and virtue is used to govern the people; I ask my lord to use him. I have heard: going out of the door as if meeting a guest, undertaking tasks as if performing a sacrifice, this is the rule of humaneness.' The duke said: 'His father had a crime; is that acceptable?' He replied: 'Shun's punishment was to execute Gun, but his promotion was to raise Yu. Guan Jingzhong was the bandit of Duke Huan, and in fact was used as his assistant and succeeded. The Kang Gao says: A father who is not kind, a son who is not respectful, an elder brother who is not friendly, a younger brother who is not deferential, these do not extend to one another. The Poem says: "When you pick turnips and radishes, do not discard the lower part." My lord may take his virtue and that is enough.' Duke Wen employed him as Grand Officer of the Lower Army.] As for the sentence-opening 'fu' [gloss: 'fu' is pronounced 'fu']: to discard the whole jade because of a flaw [gloss: 'ci' is pronounced 'ci'] in the yu [gloss: 'yu' is pronounced 'yu'] or fan [gloss: 'fan' is pronounced 'fan'] stone, or to extend the guilt of one man to his whole multitude, would leave no fine treasure or trustworthy gentleman under heaven. [The Huainanzi says: The huang jade of the Xia ruler could not be without a blemish, and the bright-moon pearl could not be without a flaw.] Master Chao said that if the land of the feudal lords is large and rich they become arrogant and extravagant, and when pressed they unite in alliance; therefore on account of the fault of Wu he reduced Kuaiji (the base text has a corrupt reading for 'Kuaiji'), and on account of Chu's crime he took the Eastern Sea, so as to balance lightness and weight and divide their power, planning for ten thousand generations. Xian Gao (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) was deceitful in Qin but trustworthy in Zheng. [The Hereditary House of Zheng says: In the spring of the first year of Duke Mu, Duke Mu of Qin sent three generals to lead troops to surprise Zheng; when they reached Hua they met the Zheng merchant Xian Gao, who deceitfully used twelve oxen to reward the army, and so the Qin troops did not advance but turned back, and Jin defeated them at Xiao. The Huainanzi, 'Fan Lun,' says: Only the sage knows expediency. To be sure to keep one's word and to be sure to keep an appointment is the high conduct of the world. The father of Zhigong stole a sheep and the son testified; Wei Sheng made an appointment with a woman and drowned. To be upright and testify against the father, to be trustworthy and drown, though there is uprightness and trust, who can honor them? Altering the command of the three armies is the greatest of faults. Duke Mu of Qin raised troops to surprise Zheng and passed Zhou going east. The Zheng merchant Xian Gao, about to sell oxen in the west, met the Qin army on the road between Zhou and Zheng, and forged the command of the Earl of Zheng and rewarded them with twelve oxen, treating the Qin army as guests and making them withdraw, thereby preserving the state of Zheng. So when matters reach a certain point, trust becomes fault and deceit becomes merit.] Master Chao was loyal to Han and an enemy to the feudal lords. [The Biography of Chao Cuo says: After Chao Cuo died, Deng Gong, Attendant Imperial Clerk, as a colonel struck the armies of Wu and Chu, submitted a memorial on military affairs for the general, and had an audience with the emperor. The emperor asked: 'You have come from the army; I hear Chao Cuo is dead; have Wu and Chu stopped?' Deng Gong said: 'The King of Wu had wanted to rebel for decades, and was angry at the reduction of land and used the execution of Cuo as a pretext; his intent was not on Cuo. Moreover I fear the gentlemen of the world will shut their mouths and dare not speak again.' The emperor said: 'Why?' Deng Gong said: 'Chao Cuo worried that the feudal lords would grow strong and uncontrollable, so he asked to reduce their land to honor the capital, which was a benefit for ten thousand generations. The plan had just begun when in the end he suffered great execution, blocking the mouths of loyal ministers within and avenging the feudal lords outside. I privately think Your Majesty should not have done this.' Emperor Jing was silent for a long time, then said: 'You are right; I also regret it.' He then appointed Deng Gong as Commandant of Chengyang.] Ministers each die for their ruler and are used for their state; this is why Jie Yang (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) was generous to Jin and slight to Jing. [The Shuo Yuan, 'Feng Shi' chapter, says: King Zhuang of Chu raised troops to attack Song, and Song reported an emergency. Duke Jing of Jin wanted to send troops to relieve Song, but Bo Zong remonstrated: 'Heaven is opening Chu and it cannot yet be attacked.' So he sought a stalwart man and found Jie Yang, courtesy name Zihu, of Huoren, and sent him to tell Song not to surrender. On the way he passed Zheng, which had just become close to Chu, and seized Jie Yang and presented him to Chu. The King of Chu gave him rich rewards and made an agreement with him that he should reverse his words and tell Song to surrender quickly. After three attempts at coercion, Jie Yang agreed. Then Chu climbed a tower chariot and ordered him to call for Song to surrender, but Jie Yang broke the Chu agreement and delivered his ruler of Jin's command: 'Jin is sending all the state's troops to rescue Song; though Song is in urgent need, be careful not to surrender to Chu; the Jin troops have arrived now.' King Zhuang of Chu was greatly angry and was about to boil him. Jie Yang said: 'A ruler who can make decrees is righteous, and a minister who can accept orders is trustworthy. I received my ruler's command and set out; though I die I have no second thought.' The king said: 'You agreed to me and then went back on it; where is your trustworthiness?' Jie Yang said: 'I agreed with the king in order to fulfill my ruler's command, and I do not regret it. Please say to the Chu ministers: a person who serves as a minister should not forget to be loyal to the utmost even to death.' The younger brothers of the King of Chu all urged the king to pardon him. So King Zhuang finally pardoned Jie Yang and sent him back, and Jin ennobled him as senior minister. Therefore later ages call him Huo Hu.]

大夫曰今夫【音扶】越之具區楚之雲夢宋之鉅野齊之孟諸有國之富而伯【音霸】王之資也人主統而一之則強不禁則亡齊以其腸胃予人家強而不制枝大而折榦以專巨海之富而擅魚鹽之利也勢足以使眾恩足以防下是以齊國內倍而外附權移於臣政墜於家公室卑而田宗強轉轂遊海者蓋三千乘【去聲】失之於本而末不可救【齊世家曰田釐子乞事齊景公為大夫其收賦稅於民以小鬥受之其粟予民以大斗行隂德於民而景公弗禁由此田氏得齊眾心宗族益強民思田氏晏子數諫景公景公弗聽已而使於晉與叔向私語曰齊國之政其卒歸於田氏矣田乞卒子常代立是為田成子相簡公復修釐子之政以大斗出貸以小鬥收齊人歌之曰嫗乎採歸乎田成子管子曰權不兩錯政不二門故曰脛大於股者難以歩指大於臂者難以把本小末大不能相使也範睢曰木實繁者披其枝披其枝者傷其心大其都者危其國尊其臣者卑其主韓非子曰愛臣太親必危其身人臣太貴必易主位主妾無等必危嫡子兄弟不服必危社稷千乘之君無備必有百乘之臣在其側以徙其民而傾其國萬乗之君無備必有千乗之家在其側以徙其威而傾其國是以奸臣蕃息主道衰亡是故諸侯之博大天子之害也群臣之大富君主之敗也故曰腓大於股難以趨走主失其神虎隨其後說山訓曰末不可以強於本指不可以大於臂下輕上重其覆必易】今山川海澤之原非獨雲夢孟諸也鼓金煑鹽其勢必深居幽谷而人民所罕至奸猾交通山海之際恐生大奸乗利驕溢敦樸滋偽則人之貴本者寡大農鹽鐵丞孔僅等上請願募民自給費因縣官器煑鹽予用以杜浮偽之路由此觀之令意所禁防有司之慮亦逺矣

The Grand Secretary said: Now those [gloss: 'fu' is pronounced 'fu'] places such as Yue's Juqu, Chu's Yunmeng, Song's Juye and Qi's Mengzhu are the wealth of a state and the resources of a hegemon [gloss: 'bo' is pronounced 'ba'] or king. If the ruler unifies them, he is strong; if he does not control them, he perishes. Qi gave its bowels to others, so the house was strong but could not control it, the branch grew large and broke the trunk, because they monopolized the wealth of the great sea and the profit of fish and salt. Their power was enough to command the multitude and their kindness enough to comfort those below (the base text has a corrupt reading for 'fu'), so within Qi's borders people turned their backs and outside they attached themselves, power shifted to the minister and government fell to the house; the ducal house was lowly and the Tian clan strong, those who turned their wheels and roamed the sea were some three thousand chariots [gloss: 'cheng' is read in the departing tone]. Having lost it at the root, the tip could not be saved. [The Hereditary House of Qi says: Tian Xi Zi Qi served Duke Jing of Qi as a high official, collected taxes from the people with a small dou and lent grain to the people with a large dou, practicing hidden virtue among the people, and Duke Jing did not prohibit it. From this the Tian clan won the hearts of the people of Qi, the clan grew stronger, and the people thought of the Tian clan. Yan Zi repeatedly remonstrated with Duke Jing, but Duke Jing did not listen. Later, on a mission to Jin, he said privately to Shuxiang: 'The government of Qi will in the end go to the Tian clan.' When Tian Qi died, his son Chang took his place as Tian Chengzi, served as chancellor to Duke Jian, again carried out Xi Zi's government, lending with the large dou and collecting with the small. The people of Qi sang: 'Old woman, picking sow thistle (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription), returning to Tian Chengzi.' Guanzi said: Power is not placed in two hands, and government has not two gates. So it is said that a shin larger than the thigh is hard to walk with, and a finger larger than the arm is hard to grasp with; if the root is small and the tip large, they cannot command each other. Fan Sui said: A tree with heavy fruit has its branches split, and when its branches split, its heart is hurt; one who enlarges his capital endangers his state, and one who honors his ministers lowers his ruler. Han Feizi said: A minister loved too closely will surely endanger the ruler's person; a minister too noble will surely change the ruler's position; if concubines are not distinguished from the principal wife, the principal heir will surely be endangered; if brothers do not submit, the altars of the state will be endangered. If a ruler of a thousand chariots has no preparation, there will surely be a minister of a hundred chariots at his side to move his people and overturn his state; if a ruler of ten thousand chariots has no preparation, there will surely be a house of a thousand chariots at his side to move his authority and overturn his state. Therefore treacherous ministers multiply and the way of the ruler declines. Thus the vastness of the feudal lords is the harm of the Son of Heaven, and the great wealth of the ministers is the ruin of the ruler. So it is said that a calf larger than the thigh is hard to run with; when the ruler loses his spirit, the tiger follows behind. The Huainanzi, 'Shuo Shan Xun,' says: The tip cannot be stronger than the root, and the finger cannot be larger than the arm; if the bottom is light and the top heavy, overturning is surely easy.] Now the sources of mountains, rivers, seas and marshes are not only Yunmeng and Mengzhu. To strike metal and boil salt, the circumstances require living deep in secluded valleys that people rarely reach, with treacherous and cunning men meeting in the mountains and seas, and I fear a great evil would arise. Taking advantage of profit they would become arrogant and overflowing, simple people would increasingly be falsified, and those who value the root would be few. The Deputy of the Grand Agriculture Office for Salt and Iron, Kong Jin and others, submitted a request that the people be recruited to supply their own expenses, borrowing the government's utensils to boil salt and being given tools, in order to close the road of floating falsity. From this we see that what the laws and orders aimed to guard against was thought out by the officials with far vision.

文學曰有司之慮逺而權家之利近令意所禁微而僣奢之道著自利害之設三業之起貴人之家雲行於【如淳曰如雲而行言其眾多也】轂擊於道【顔師古曰轂擊言車乘交馳其轂相擊也】攘公法申私利跨山澤擅官市非特巨海魚鹽也執國家之柄以行海內非特田常之勢陪臣之權也威重於六卿富累於陶衛【魏冉封陶商鞅姓衛】輿服僣於王公宮室溢於制度併兼列宅隔絶閭巷閣道錯連足以遊觀鑿池曲道足以騁騖臨淵釣魚放犬走兎隆豺力蹋【音逹】鞠闘雞【蹋鞠以革為圜囊實以毛髮蹵蹋為戲劉向別録雲黃帝造以練武士者也左傳曰季郈之雞闘季氏介其雞郈氏為之金距】中山素女撫流徵【音紙】於堂上鳴鼓巴歈【音俞】作於堂下【宋玉曰歌於郢中者引商列羽雜以流徵和者止數人其曲彌髙其和彌寡西域傳云巴歈二州名其人善舞或曰歈水之人善歌舞漢髙帝伐秦巴人從軍歌舞防陣髙祖採其聲後人因加此字一曰吳歌曰歈】婦女被羅紈婢妾曳絺紵子孫連車列騎田獵出入畢戈捷健是以耕者釋耒而不勤百姓氷釋而解【音懈】怠何者已為之而彼取之僣侈相效上升而不息此百姓所以滋偽而罕歸本也

The Literati said: The officials' thought is far, but the powerful families' profit is near; what the law's intention prohibits is subtle, while the way of extravagance and usurpation is manifest. Since the setting up of profit and harm and the rise of the three occupations, the houses of the noble move like clouds along the road (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) [Ru Chun said: 'Moving like clouds' speaks of their multitude.] and their carriage hubs collide in the roads [Yan Shigu said: 'Hubs collide' means carriages speed to and fro so that their hubs strike one another.]; they seize public law and extend private profit, straddling mountains and marshes, monopolizing official markets, not only the fish and salt of the great sea. Holding the handle of the state to travel within the seas, it is not only Tian Chang's power or the authority of a minister's minister. Their authority is heavier than the six ministers, their wealth is piled beyond Tao and Wei [Wei Ran was enfeoffed at Tao, and Shang Yang's surname was Wei], their carriages and clothes exceed those of princes and dukes, their palaces overflow the regulations, they annex and line up residences and cut off village lanes, their covered passageways interlink enough for strolling and sightseeing, they dig ponds and curved paths enough for galloping, they fish at the edge of pools, let loose dogs and run hares, hold grand sacrifices with cauldrons (the base text has two rare characters here, lost in transcription), kick the ball and fight cocks [kicking the ball is making a round bag of leather, stuffed with hair, and kicking it for play. Liu Xiang's Bie Lu says: the Yellow Emperor made it to train warriors. The Zuo Commentary says: the cocks of the Ji and Hou families fought, and the Ji family armored its cock while the Hou family fitted its cock with golden spurs.]; the Zhongshan maidens in the hall play the Liuzhi [gloss: 'zhi' is pronounced 'zhi'], and below the hall drums sound and Ba Yu songs are made [Song Yu said: What is sung in Ying, drawing out the shang notes, lining up the yu notes and mixing the liuzhi, only a few people join in; the higher the tune, the fewer who join. The Western Regions section says: Ba and Yu are the names of two provinces whose people are good at dancing. Some say the people by the Yu River were good at singing and dancing. When Emperor Gaozu of Han attacked Qin, the men of Ba went with the army, singing and dancing in the ranks (the base text has a corrupt reading here), and Gaozu took their melodies, and later people added this character. Another view says Wu songs are called Yu.]; women wear gauze and silk, maids and concubines trail fine silk, sons and grandsons line up carriages and cavalry and go in and out on hunts, with nets and spears swift and vigorous. Therefore the plowman puts down his plow and is not diligent, and the common people are like melting ice and grow lax [gloss: 'jie' is pronounced 'xie']. Why? What they make themselves is taken away by them; extravagance is copied by one another and rises without stopping. This is why the common people increasingly turn false and few return to the root.

大夫曰官尊者祿厚本美者枝茂故文王德而子孫封周公相【去聲】而伯禽富【琴操曰文王以紂時為岐侯躬脩道徳執行仁義百姓附親是時紂為無道刳胎斮渉廢壊仁人天統易運諸侯瓦解皆歸文王傳曰文王兼制天下立國七十一姬姓獨居五十二週之子孫苟不狂惑莫不為天下顯諸侯明堂篇曰昔殷紂亂天下脯侯以饗諸侯是以周公相武王以伐紂武王崩成王幼弱周公相天子之位以治天下六年朝諸侯於明堂制禮作樂頒度量而天下大服七年致政於成王成王以周公有大勲勞於天下是以封周公曲阜地方七百里革車千乘命魯公世世祀周公以天子之禮樂是以魯君孟春乘大輅載弧韣旂十有二旒日月之章祀帝於郊配以後稷天子之禮也】水廣者魚大父尊者子貴【奉使篇曰江漢之魚吞舟大國之樹必巨】傳【去聲】曰河海潤千里盛徳及四海況夫妻子乎【莊子曰河潤九里澤及三族】故夫貴於朝【音潮】妻貴於室富曰苟美古之道也孟子曰王子與人同而如彼者居使然也居編戶之列而望卿相【去聲】之子孫是以跛【音避】夫之慾及樓季也【許慎曰樓季魏文侯之弟】無錢而欲千金之寳不亦虗望哉【韓嬰曰盈把之木無合拱之枝榮澤之水無吞舟之魚】

The Grand Secretary said: When office is honored, the stipend is rich; when the root is beautiful, the branches are lush. So King Wen had virtue and his descendants were enfeoffed, and the Duke of Zhou assisted [gloss: 'xiang' is read in the departing tone] and Boqin was rich. [The Qin Cao says: In the time of Zhou, King Wen was Lord of Qi, personally cultivated morality and carried out humaneness and righteousness, and the people attached themselves to him. At that time Zhou was without the Way, ripped open the pregnant and cut the shins of those who forded, and ruined and destroyed the humane; the Heavenly order changed its course and the feudal lords fell apart and all went to King Wen. A tradition says: King Wen controlled the whole world and established seventy-one states, of which the Ji surname alone held fifty-two; if the descendants of Zhou had not been mad and deluded, none would fail to be eminent feudal lords of the world. The Ming Tang chapter says: In ancient times Zhou of Yin threw the world into disorder, made dried meat of the Marquis of E (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) to feast the feudal lords, so the Duke of Zhou assisted King Wu in attacking Zhou. When King Wu died and King Cheng was young and weak, the Duke of Zhou took the Son of Heaven's seat to govern the world, and in the sixth year received the feudal lords in the Hall of Light, established rites, made music, promulgated weights and measures, and the world greatly submitted. In the seventh year he returned government to King Cheng. King Cheng, because the Duke of Zhou had great merit and toil for the world, enfeoffed him at Qufu with land seven hundred li square and a thousand war chariots, and ordered the Duke of Lu to sacrifice to the Duke of Zhou generation after generation with the rites and music of the Son of Heaven. So the ruler of Lu in the first month of spring rode in the great carriage, carrying the bow and bow case, with a banner of twelve streamers and the emblems of sun and moon, and sacrificed to the Lord in the suburbs with Hou Ji as companion, which is the rite of the Son of Heaven.] Where the water is broad the fish are large, and where the father is honored the son is noble. [The Shuo Yuan, 'Feng Shi' chapter, says: Fish of the Jiang and Han can swallow a boat, and trees of a great state must be huge.] The Commentary [gloss: 'zhuan' is read in the departing tone] says: The rivers and seas moisten a thousand li, and great virtue reaches the four seas, how much more one's wife and children? [Zhuangzi said: The river moistens nine li, and the marsh reaches the three kin.] So when the husband is honored at court [gloss: 'chao' is pronounced 'chao'], the wife is honored in the house. Wealth is called 'carelessly beautiful'; this is the way of the ancients. Mencius said: The prince is the same as other people yet looks like that, because his residence makes him so. To live in the ranks of the registered commoners and hope for the position of the descendants of ministers and chancellors [gloss: 'xiang' is read in the departing tone] is like a lame [gloss: 'bo' is pronounced 'bi'] man wanting to catch up with Lou Ji. [Xu Shen said: Lou Ji was the younger brother of Marquis Wen of Wei.] To have no money yet want to obtain a thousand-gold treasure is also an empty hope, is it not? [Han Ying said: A tree that fills a handful has no branches filling an embrace, and water in a marsh of splendor has no fish that can swallow a boat.]

文學曰禹稷自布衣思天下有不得其所者若已推而納之溝中故起而佐堯平治水土教民稼穡其自任天下如此其重也豈雲食祿以養【去聲】其妻子而已乎【孟子曰禹稷當平世三過其門而不入孔子賢之禹思天下之民有溺者由已溺之也稷思天下之民有飢者由已飢之也是以如是其急也】夫【音扶】食萬人之力者其憂任其勞【韓信曰乗人之車者載人之患衣人之衣者懐人之憂食人之食者死人之事】一人失職一官不治皆公卿之累也故君子之仕行其義非樂【音洛】其勢也受祿以潤賢非私其利見賢不隠食祿不專此公叔之所以為文魏成子所以為賢也【論語云公叔文子之臣大夫僎與文子同升諸公孔子曰可以為文矣魏世家曰魏文侯謂李克曰先生嘗教寡人曰家貧則思良妻國亂則思良相今所置非成則璜二子何如李克對曰臣聞之卑不謀尊踈不謀戚臣在闕門之外不敢當命文侯曰先生臨事勿讓李克曰君不察故也居視其所親富視其所與逹視其所舉窮視其所不為貧視其所不取五者足以定之矣何待克哉文侯曰先生就舎寡人之相定矣李克趨而出過翟璜之家翟璜曰今者聞君召先生而卜相果誰為之李克曰魏成子為相矣翟璜忿然作色曰以耳目之所覩記臣何負於魏成子西河之守臣之所進也君內以鄴為憂臣進西門豹君謀欲伐中山臣進樂羊中山已拔無使守之臣進先生君之子無傅臣進屈侯鮒臣何以負於魏成子李克曰且子之言克於子之君者豈將比周以求大官哉君問而置相非成則璜二子何如對曰君不察故也居視其所親富視其所與逹視其所舉窮視其所不為貧視其所不取五者足以定之矣何待克哉是以知魏成子之為相也且子安得與魏成子比乎魏成子以食祿千鍾什九在外什一在內是以東得卜子夏田子方段幹木此三人者君皆師之子之所進五人者君皆臣之子惡得與魏成子比也翟璜逡廵再拜曰璜鄙人也失對願卒為弟子】故周德成而後封子孫不以為黨周公功成而後受封天下不以為貪今則不然親戚相推朋黨相舉公尊於位子溢於內夫貴於朝【音潮】妻謁行於外無周公之徳而有其富無管仲之功而有其侈故編戶跛【音避】夫而望疾歩也【管仲傳曰管仲富擬於公室有三歸反坫齊人不以為侈】

The Literati said: Yu and Ji rose from commoner status and felt that if anyone in the world did not find his proper place, it was as though they had pushed him into a ditch themselves; so they rose to assist Yao, leveled the waters and lands, and taught the people farming. They bore the weight of the world on themselves like this; how could it be said that they took salaries merely to support their wives and children? [Mencius said: Yu and Ji, in a peaceful age, passed their doors three times without entering, and Confucius considered them worthy. Yu thought that if anyone under Heaven was drowning, it was as if he himself had drowned him, and Ji thought that if anyone under Heaven was hungry, it was as if he himself had starved him; hence their urgency.] One who eats the strength of ten thousand people ought to share their worries and bear their toil. [Han Xin said: One who rides in another's carriage carries that man's troubles, one who wears another's clothes bears that man's worries in mind, and one who eats another's food dies for that man's affairs.] When one man neglects his duty or one office is not governed, it is a burden on the ministers and high officials. So a noble person takes office to practice his righteousness and not to enjoy its power; he accepts salary in order to nourish the worthy and not to serve his private profit. Seeing a worthy man, he does not conceal him, and eating his salary, he does not monopolize it; this is why Gongshu was given the title Wen and Wei Chengzi was considered worthy. [The Analects says: The retainer Zhuan of Gongshu Wenzi was raised to the ducal court together with Wenzi, and Confucius said he could be given the posthumous title Wen. The Hereditary House of Wei says: Marquis Wen of Wei said to Li Ke: "You once taught me: when the family is poor, one thinks of a good wife; when the state is in disorder, one thinks of a good chancellor. Now the choice lies between Chengzi and Huang; what of these two?" Li Ke answered: "I have heard that the humble do not plan for the honored and the distant do not plan for the kin. I am outside the palace gate and dare not take this charge." The Marquis said: "Sir, when it comes to the matter, do not demur." Li Ke said: "It is because Your Lordship has not examined them. When at home, look at whom he is close to; when rich, look at whom he gives to; when successful, look at whom he recommends; when in straits, look at what he will not do; when poor, look at what he will not take. These five are enough to decide; why wait for me?" The Marquis said: "Sir, go back to your lodging; my chancellor is decided." Li Ke hurried out and passed by Zhai Huang's house. Zhai Huang said: "I hear that the ruler summoned you to divine about the chancellor; who in the end?" Li Ke said: "Wei Chengzi is to be chancellor." Zhai Huang flushed with anger and said: "By what my eyes and ears have seen and remember, how am I inferior to Wei Chengzi? The governor of Xihe was recommended by me; when the ruler was worried about Ye in the interior, I recommended Ximen Bao; when the ruler planned to attack Zhongshan, I recommended Yue Yang; when Zhongshan was taken and there was no one to guard it, I recommended you; when the ruler's son had no tutor, I recommended Qu Houfu. How am I inferior to Wei Chengzi?" Li Ke said: "And moreover, you spoke of me to your ruler; was it to form a clique in order to seek high office? When the ruler asked whether Chengzi or Huang should be chosen as chancellor, I replied that it was because he had not examined them: at home look at whom he is close to... these five are enough to decide; why wait for me? From this I knew Wei Chengzi would become chancellor. And how can you compare with Wei Chengzi? Wei Chengzi receives a salary of a thousand zhong, nine tenths of which he spends outside and one tenth inside, and so in the east he obtained Bu Zixia, Tian Zifang and Duangan Mu, three men whom the ruler treated as teachers; the five you recommended, the ruler treats as ministers. How can you compare with Wei Chengzi?" Zhai Huang hesitated, bowed twice and said: "I, Huang, am a rustic and answered wrongly; I wish to remain your disciple for the rest of my life."] So when the Duke of Zhou's virtue was complete, his descendants were enfeoffed and people did not think him partisan; when the Duke of Zhou's merit was accomplished, he received an enfeoffment and the world did not think him greedy. Today it is not so: relatives push one another forward and cliques recommend one another; the duke is honored in office and his sons overflow within; the husband is noble at court, and the wife's petitions go about outside; without the virtue of the Duke of Zhou they have his wealth, and without the merit of Guan Zhong they have his extravagance. So a registered commoner who is lame hopes to walk fast. [The Biography of Guan Zhong says: Guan Zhong's wealth rivaled the ducal house, he had the Three Returns and a reverse stand, and the people of Qi did not consider him extravagant.]

大夫乃為色矜而心不懌曰但居者不知負戴之勞從旁議者與當局者異憂方今為天下腹居郡諸侯並臻中外未然心憧憧【音沖】若渉大川遭風而未薄【通作泊】是以夙夜思念國家之用寢而忘寐飢而忘食計數不離於前萬事簡閱於心丞史噐小不足與謀獨鬱大道思覩文學若俟周召而望子髙【周召周公旦召公奭也郎顗曰昔唐堯在上群龍為用文武創徳周召作輔是以能逹天地之功增日月之耀者也髙士傳曰伯成子高者唐虞之時至禹去而耕禹往趨而問之子髙曰昔堯治天下至公無私不賞而民勸不罰而民畏今子賞而不勸罸而不威徳自此衰刑自此作夫子盍行乎無落吾事俋俋乎耕而不顧】御史按事郡國察亷舉賢才嵗不乏也今賢良文學臻者六十餘人懐六藝之術騁意極論宜若開光發防信往而乖於今道古而不合於世務意者不足以知士也將多飾文誣能以亂實耶何賢士之難覩也自千乗【去聲】兒寛以治尚書位冠【去聲】九卿【兒寛千乗人也】及所聞覩選舉之士擢升贊憲甚顯然未見絶倫比而為縣官興滯立功也

The Grand Secretary then put on a stiff look and was displeased in his heart, and said: Those who live at ease do not know the toil of carrying burdens, and those who comment from the side have different worries from those in charge. Now, being the heart and belly of the world, with the various feudal lords of the commanderies converging, and with the inner and outer regions not yet at peace, my heart is restless like crossing a great river and meeting wind before reaching the shore. So morning and night I think of the needs of the state, forgetting sleep in bed and forgetting food when hungry, with calculations never leaving my sight and ten thousand matters reviewed in my mind. The secretaries and clerks are petty and not enough to plan with, and I alone brood over the great Way; I wanted to see the Literati as one waits for the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Shao, and as one looks for Zigao. [Zhou and Shao are Dan, Duke of Zhou, and Shi, Duke of Shao. Lang Yi said: In the past, when Yao was above, the many dragons were put to use; when Wen and Wu created virtue, Zhou and Shao served as assistants, and so were able to reach the merit of Heaven and Earth and increase the brilliance of sun and moon. The Biographies of Eminent Gentlemen says: Bocheng Zigao was a man of the time of Tang and Yu, and in the time of Yu he left office to farm. Yu went to him quickly and asked about it, and Zigao said: "In the past Yao governed the world with utmost impartiality and without selfishness; without rewarding, the people were encouraged, and without punishing, the people were in awe. Now you reward and the people are not encouraged, you punish and they do not stand in awe; virtue declines from this and punishments arise from this. Why do you not go away, sir? Do not delay my work." He went on plowing intently without turning to look.] The censors inspect affairs in the commanderies and states, examine integrity and recommend talented men, and there is no year when this is lacking. Now more than sixty Worthy and Literati have come, holding the arts of the Six Classics and discoursing at length with all their will, and they ought to be like opening a light and revealing the subtle; yet they trust the ancient past and contradict the present, speak of antiquity and do not accord with the affairs of the age. Is it that I am not sufficient to know scholars, or that there are many who use ornament and literature to deceive about their ability and confuse reality? Why are worthy scholars so hard to see? Since Er Kuan of Qiancheng, by studying the Book of Documents, rose to the top of the Nine Ministers (Er Kuan was a man of Qiancheng), and in what I have heard and seen of selected scholars, those who have been promoted and assisted the administration have indeed been very prominent, yet I have not seen anyone of unmatched caliber who has revived what was stagnant and established merit for the court.

文學曰輸子之製材木也正其規矩而鑿枘【音芮】調師曠之諧五音也正其六律而宮商調【拾遺記曰師曠者或出於晉靈之世以主樂官妙辨音律晉平公之時以隂陽之樂顯於當世燻目為瞽人以絶塞眾慮專心於星筭音律之中考鍾呂以定四時無毫釐之異孟子曰公輸子之巧不以規矩不能成方圓師曠之聰不以六律不能正五音修務訓曰無規矩雖奚仲不能以定方圓無凖防雖魯般不能以定曲直】當世之工匠不能調其鑿枘【音芮】則改規矩不能協聲音則變舊律是以鑿枘【音芮】刺【音郎逹反】戾而不合聲音泛越而不和夫【音扶】舉規矩而知宜吹律而知變上也因循而不作以俟其人次也【韓非子曰巧匠目意中防然必先以規矩為度上智捷舉中事然必以先王之法為比】是以曹丞相日飲醇酒【曹參世家曰參始防時與蕭何善及為將相有郤至何且死所推賢唯參參代何為漢相國舉無所變更一遵蕭何約束擇郡國吏木拙於文辭重厚長者即召除為丞相史吏之言文刻深欲務聲名者輒斥去之日夜飲醇酒卿大夫已下吏及賓客見參不視事來者皆欲有言至者參輙飲以醇酒間之必有所言復飲之醉而後去終莫得開說以為常相舍後園近吏舍吏舍日飲歌呼從吏惡之無如之何乃請參遊園中聞吏醉歌呼從吏幸相國召按之乃反取酒張坐飲亦歌呼與相應和參見人之有細過專掩匿覆蓋之府中無事百姓歌之曰蕭何為法顜若畫一曹參代之守而勿失載其清淨民以寧一】兒大夫閉口不言【兒寛傳曰寛治尚書以射策為掌故功次補廷尉文學卒史寛為人溫良有廉智自將善屬文然懦於武口弗能發明也時張湯為廷尉廷尉府盡用文史法律之吏而寛以儒生在其間見謂不習事不署曹除為從史及遷左內史寛既治民勸農業緩刑罰理獄訟卑體下士務在於得人心擇用仁厚士推情與下不求名聲吏民大信愛之】故治大者不可以煩煩則亂治小者不可怠怠則廢春秋曰其政恢卓恢卓可以為卿相【去聲】其政察察察察可以為匹夫夫【音扶】綱維不張禮義不行公卿之憂也案上之文期防之事丞史之任也尚書曰俊乂在官百僚師師百工惟時庶尹允諧言官得其人人任其事故官治而不亂事起而不廢士守其職大夫理其位公卿總要執凡而已故任能者責成而不勞任已者事廢而無功【子賤治單父彈鳴琴身不下堂而單父治巫馬期以星出以星入日夜不處以身親之而單父亦治巫馬期問於子賤子賤曰我任人子任力任人者佚任力者勞韓非子曰事在四方要在中央聖人執要四方來效呂氏春秋曰天無形而萬物以成至精無象而萬物以化大聖無事而千官盡能主術訓曰夫乗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乗眾人之智者則天下不足有也】桓公之於管仲耳而目之故君子勞於求賢逸於用人豈雲殆哉【雜事篇曰有司請吏於齊桓公桓公曰以告仲父有司又請桓公曰以告仲父若是者二在側者曰一則告仲父二則告仲父易哉為君桓公曰吾未得仲父則難已得仲父曷為其不易也故王者勞於求人佚於得賢呂氏春秋曰賢主勞於求人而佚於治事】昔周公之相【去聲】也謙卑而不鄰以勞天下之士是以俊乂滿朝【音潮】賢知【去聲】充門【傳曰周公踐天子之位七年布衣之士所贄而師者十二人所友見者十二人窮巷白屋先見者四十九人時進善百人教士千人宮朝者萬人成王封伯禽於魯周公誡之曰往矣子無以魯國驕士吾文王之子武王之弟成王之叔父也又相天下吾於天下亦不輕矣然一沐三握髪一飯三吐哺猶恐失天下之士吾聞徳行寛裕守之以恭者榮土地廣大守之以儉者安祿位尊盛守之以卑者貴人眾兵強守之以畏者勝聰明睿智守之以愚者善博文強記守之以淺者智夫此六者皆謙德也夫貴為天子富有天下由此徳也不謙而失天下亡其身者桀紂是也可不慎歟故易有一道大足以守天下中足以守其國家近足以守其身謙之謂也夫天道虧盈而益謙地道變盈而流謙神害盈而福謙人道惡盈而好謙是以衣成則必缺袵宮成則必缺隅屋成則必加拙示不成者天道然也易曰謙亨君子有終吉詩曰湯降不遲聖敬日躋誡之哉其無以魯國驕士也語林曰賢者國之紀人之望自古帝王皆以之安危故書曰惟後非賢不乂惟賢非後不食昔者周公體大聖之德而勤於吐握由是天下之士爭歸之向使周公驕而且吝亦當髙翔逺去所至寡矣】孔子無爵位以布衣從才士七十有餘人皆諸侯卿相【去聲】之人也況處三公之尊以養【去聲】天下之士哉【仲尼弟子列傳孔子曰受業身通者七十有二人皆異能之士也孔子世家曰楚昭王將以書社地七百里封孔子楚令尹子西曰王之使使諸侯有如子貢者乎曰無有王之輔相有如顔回者乎曰無有王之將率有如子路者乎曰無有王之官尹有如宰予者乎曰無有且楚之祖封於周號為子五十里今孔丘述三王之法明周召之業王若用之則楚安得世世堂堂方數千裡乎夫文王在豐武王在鎬百里之君卒王天下今孔丘得據土壤賢弟子為佐非楚之福也昭王乃止呂氏春秋曰孔墨布衣之士也萬乗之主千乗之君不能與之爭士也劉向曰春秋之後眾賢輔國者既沒而禮義衰矣孔子雖論詩書定禮樂王道燦然分明以匹夫無勢化之者七十二人而已皆天下之俊也時君莫尚之是以王道遂用不興故曰非威不立非勢不行】今以公卿之上位爵祿之美而不能致士則未有進賢之道堯之舉舜也賓而妻【去聲】之桓公舉管仲也賓而師之【泰族訓曰堯治天下政教平徳潤洽在位七十載乃求所屬天下之統令四嶽舉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不迷乃屬以九子贈以昭華之玉而傳天下焉孟子曰桓公之於管仲學焉而後臣之故不勞而霸】以天子而妻【去聲】匹夫可謂親賢矣以諸侯而師匹夫可謂敬賓矣是以賢者從之若流歸之不疑【孔子曰以富貴為人下者何人不與以富貴敬愛人者何人不親】今當世在位者既無燕昭之下士鹿鳴之樂【音洛】賢而行臧文子椒之意【雜事篇曰燕易王時國大亂齊閔王興師伐燕屠燕國載其寳噐而歸易王死及燕國復太子立為燕王是為燕昭王昭王賢即位卑身厚幣以招賢者謂郭隗曰齊因孤國之亂而襲破燕孤極知燕小力少不足以報然得賢士與共國以雪先生之醜孤之願也先生視可者得身事之隗曰臣聞古之人君有以千金求千里馬者三年不能得防人言於君曰請求之君遣之三月得千里馬買其骨五百金反以報君君大怒曰所求者生馬安用死馬捐五百金涓人對曰死馬且市之五百金況生馬乎天下必以王為能市馬馬今至矣於是不朞年千里馬至者二今王誠欲必致士請從隗始隗且見事況賢於隗者乎豈逺千里哉於是昭王為隗築宮而師之樂毅自魏往鄒衍自齊往劇辛自趙往士爭走燕燕王弔死問孤與百姓同甘苦二十八年燕國殷富士卒樂軼輕戰於是遂以樂毅為上將軍與秦楚三晉合謀以伐齊樂毅之防得賢之功也詩序曰小雅鹿鳴燕群臣嘉賓也既飯食又實幣帛筐篚以將其厚意然後忠臣嘉賓得盡其心矣孔子曰臧文仲其竊位者與知栁下恵之賢而不與立也王逸曰子椒為楚大夫處蘭芷之位而行慢佞諛之志又欲援引面從不賢之類使居親近無有憂國之心苟欲自進求入於君身得爵祿而已復何能敬愛賢人而舉用之也】蔽賢妬能自髙其知【去聲】訾【音紫】人之才足已而不問卑士而不友以位尚賢以祿驕士而求士之用亦難矣【詩傳曰楚莊王聽朝罷宴樊姬下堂而迎之曰何罷之晏也得無飢倦乎莊王曰今日聽忠賢之言不知飢倦也樊姬曰王之所謂忠賢者諸侯之客歟中國之士歟莊王曰則沈令尹也樊姬掩口而笑王曰姬之所笑何也姬曰妾得於王尚湯沐執巾櫛振袵席十有一年矣然妾未嘗不遣人之梁鄭之間求美人而進之於王也與妾同列者十人賢於妾者二人妾豈不欲擅王之寵哉不敢私願蔽眾美欲王之多見則娛今沈令尹相楚數年矣未嘗見進賢而退不肖也又焉得為忠賢乎莊王旦朝以樊姬之言告沈令尹令尹避席而進孫叔敖叔敖治楚三年而楚國霸楚史援筆而書之於防曰楚之霸樊姬之力也詩曰百爾所思不如我所之樊姬之謂也傳曰傷善者國之殘也防善者國之讒也列子曰以賢臨人未有得人者也以賢下人未有不得人者也主術訓曰文王智而好問故聖武王勇而好問故勝說林訓曰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】

The Literati said: Master Gongshu shapes timber, setting right his compass and square so that the mortise and tenon fit; Music Master Kuang harmonizes the five notes, setting right the six pitch-pipes so that gong and shang are in tune. [The Record of Lost Things says: Music Master Kuang perhaps came from the time of Duke Ling of Jin, headed the music officials and was marvelous in distinguishing pitch and tone. In the time of Duke Ping of Jin he was prominent in his age for music of yin and yang; he blinded his eyes with smoke to become blind so as to cut off the crowd of thoughts, concentrating on the stars, calculation and pitch-pipes, examining the bells and pipes to fix the four seasons without the slightest difference. Mencius says: Despite the skill of Gongshu Zi, without compass and square he could not make squares and circles; despite the keen hearing of Music Master Kuang, without the six pitch-pipes he could not set right the five notes. The Huainanzi, 'Cultivating Effort,' says: Without compass and square, even Xi Zhong could not fix square and round; without level and marking cord, even Lu Ban could not fix crooked and straight.] Craftsmen of today who cannot adjust their mortise and tenon change the compass and square, and those who cannot harmonize sounds alter the old pitch-pipes, so that mortise and tenon are warped and do not fit, and sounds are loose and overflowing and not in harmony. One who can raise the compass and square and know what is fitting, or blow the pitch-pipes and know the changes, is of the highest class; one who follows what exists and does not create, waiting for the proper person, is of the next class. [Han Feizi says: A skilled craftsman's eye and mind meet the marking line, but he must first take the compass and square as the measure; a person of the highest wisdom acts swiftly and hits the matter, but he must take the laws of the former kings as the comparison.] So Chancellor Cao drank rich wine every day [The Hereditary House of Cao Can says: When Can was still humble, he was friendly with Xiao He, but after they became generals and chancellors they had a rift. When He was about to die, the only worthy he recommended was Can. Can succeeded He as Chancellor of Han, made no changes in his undertakings, and followed Xiao He's regulations entirely. He chose officials of the commanderies and states who were plain in literary style and weighty and elderly, and promptly summoned and appointed them as clerks of the chancellor; officials whose words were literary, harsh and aimed at fame he dismissed. Day and night he drank rich wine. When high officers and below, officials and guests, saw that Can did not attend to affairs, all who came wanted to say something; when they arrived Can gave them rich wine, and when a gap came, they were sure to speak; he gave them more, and they left drunk, and in the end none could bring up the matter, and this became the habit. The back garden of the chancellor's residence was near the officials' quarters, where the officials drank and sang loudly every day; the attending officials disliked this but could do nothing, and so asked Can to stroll in the garden, hoping that on hearing the officials singing drunk the Chancellor would summon and punish them, but Can instead took wine, set out a seat, drank and sang loudly in harmony with them. When Can saw people's small faults he always covered and concealed them. The office had no trouble. The people sang: "Xiao He made laws, clear as a single stroke; Cao Can succeeded him, keeping them without loss. He carried out purity and quiet, and the people were at peace and united."] and Grand Secretary Er kept his mouth shut and did not speak [The Biography of Er Kuan says: Kuan studied the Book of Documents, took the post of curator through the examination, and by seniority and merit was supplemented as a literary clerk to the Commandant of Justice. Kuan's character was gentle and good; he governed himself with integrity and wisdom, was good at writing, but timid in martial matters and unable to speak out. At that time Zhang Tang was Commandant of Justice, and the Commandant's office used only literary clerks and legal officials; Kuan, a Confucian scholar among them, was said to be unversed in affairs, was not assigned to a bureau and was made an attending clerk. When he was promoted to Left Interior Secretary, Kuan governed the people, encouraged agriculture, eased punishments, handled lawsuits, humbled himself before scholars, and worked to win people's hearts, choosing benevolent and generous men and extending his feelings to his subordinates, not seeking fame, and officials and people greatly trusted and loved him.] because he who governs the large must not be vexatious, for vexation brings disorder; he who governs the small must not be lax, for laxity brings ruin. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: When his government is broad and grand, he can be a minister or chancellor; when his government is minutely scrutinizing, he can only be a common man. One who does not stretch the guiding cords and does not practice ritual and righteousness is a worry for ministers and high officials; the documents on the desk and matters of fixed dates are the duty of secretaries and clerks. The Book of Documents says: "The outstanding are in office, the hundred officials follow one another as teachers, the hundred craftsmen keep their times, and the many chiefs are truly harmonious." This means that when offices get the right people and people take up their tasks, the offices are governed without disorder and affairs arise without being neglected. Scholars keep their duties, high officers manage their positions, and ministers and high officials just hold to the main outline. So one who entrusts the capable holds them responsible without toil, while one who relies on himself finds affairs neglected and without result. [Zijian governed Danfu, played a zither, and did not step down from the hall, yet Danfu was governed; Wuma Qi went out with the stars and returned with the stars, never resting day or night, attending personally, and Danfu was also governed. Wuma Qi asked Zijian, who said: "I rely on people; you rely on strength. Those who rely on people are at ease, those who rely on strength are weary." Han Feizi says: Affairs lie in the four quarters but the essential lies at the center; the sage holds the essential and the four quarters come to offer service. Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals says: Heaven has no form yet the myriad things are completed by it; the utmost essence has no image yet the myriad things are transformed by it; the great sage has no affairs yet the thousand officials all exert their abilities. The Huainanzi, 'Techniques of the Ruler,' says: When one rides on the wisdom of the multitude, there is nothing one cannot assign; when one uses the strength of the multitude, there is nothing one cannot overcome. A weight of a thousand jun Wu Huo could not lift; but when the multitude unite, a hundred men have strength to spare. So relying on one man's strength, Wu Huo is not enough to depend on; riding on the wisdom of the multitude, the world is not enough to hold.] Duke Huan of Qi, regarding Guan Zhong, made him his ears and eyes. So the noble person toils in seeking the worthy and is at ease in using people; how could that be called laziness? [The Garden of Persuasions, 'Miscellaneous Matters,' says: An official requested an officer from Duke Huan of Qi, and Duke Huan said: "Tell Uncle Zhong." Another request came and he again said: "Tell Uncle Zhong." After this happened three times, an attendant said: "First you say to tell Uncle Zhong, then to tell Uncle Zhong; being a ruler is too easy." Duke Huan said: "Before I got Uncle Zhong, it was hard; now that I have Uncle Zhong, why would it not be easy?" So a true king toils in seeking people and is at ease in having the worthy. Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals says: A worthy ruler toils in seeking people and is at ease in governing affairs.] In the past when the Duke of Zhou was chancellor, he was humble and not stingy, in order to give courteous attention to the scholars of the world, and so the outstanding filled the court and the worthy and wise filled his gate. [The records say: The Duke of Zhou held the position of the Son of Heaven for seven years; among commoners he took twelve as teachers to whom he presented gifts, saw twelve as friends, and first received forty-nine from poor lanes and white-thatched houses; at the time he recommended a hundred good men, taught a thousand scholars, and ten thousand attended his court. King Cheng enfeoffed Boqin in Lu, and the Duke of Zhou warned him: "Go; do not be proud to scholars because of the state of Lu. I am the son of King Wen, the younger brother of King Wu, the uncle of King Cheng, and also chancellor of the world; I am not a light person in the world. Yet I wash my hair once and grasp it three times, take a meal once and spit out the food three times, still fearing to lose the scholars of the world. I have heard that those whose virtue is generous and who guard it with respect are honored; those whose land is vast and who guard it with frugality are secure; those whose salary and rank are lofty and who guard them with humility are noble; those whose people are many and armies strong and who guard them with awe are victorious; those who are bright, clever and wise and who guard it with foolishness are good; those who are widely learned and have strong memory and who guard it with shallowness are wise. These six are all virtues of humility. To be honored as Son of Heaven and to hold the world comes from this virtue; those who were not humble and lost the world and their lives were Jie and Zhou. Can one fail to be careful? So the Changes has a Way: great enough to guard the world, middle enough to guard one's state and family, near enough to guard one's person, and this is humility. The Way of Heaven diminishes the full and adds to the humble, the way of Earth changes the full and flows toward the humble, ghosts and spirits harm the full and bless the humble, and the way of man dislikes the full and loves the humble. So when a garment is finished, the lapel must be left short; when a palace is finished, a corner must be left missing; when a house is finished, some clumsiness must be added, to show it is not complete; such is the way of Heaven. The Changes says: Humility brings success, and the noble person ends in good fortune. The Odes say: Tang did not delay in descending, and his sage reverence rose day by day. Be careful of it; do not be proud to scholars because of the state of Lu." The Forest of Sayings says: The worthy are the framework of a state and the hope of the people, and from ancient times emperors and kings have relied on them for safety and danger. So the Book of Documents says: "A ruler without worthy men cannot govern, and a worthy man without a ruler does not eat." In the past the Duke of Zhou embodied the virtue of a great sage and was diligent in spitting out food and grasping his hair, and so the scholars of the world vied to come to him. Had the Duke of Zhou been proud and stingy, they too would have soared high and left far away, and few would have come.] Confucius had no rank or position, yet as a commoner he was followed by more than seventy talented scholars, all of whom were fit to be feudal lords' ministers and chancellors; how much more would one in the dignity of the Three Excellencies nourish the scholars of the world? [The Biographies of Zhongni's Disciples: Confucius said that those who received instruction and mastered it were seventy-two, all men of extraordinary ability. The Hereditary House of Confucius says: King Zhao of Chu was about to enfeoff Confucius with seven hundred li of village-altar land; the chief minister of Chu, Zixi, said: "Does the king have an envoy to the feudal lords like Zigong?" He said: "No." "Does the king have an assisting chancellor like Yan Hui?" He said: "No." "Does the king have a general like Zilu?" He said: "No." "Does the king have an official chief like Zai Yu?" He said: "No." "Moreover the ancestor of Chu was enfeoffed by Zhou with the title of viscount or baron over fifty li. Now Confucius transmits the laws of the Three Kings and makes clear the work of Zhou and Shao; if the king employs him, how can Chu continue to be grand over several thousand li for generations? King Wen was at Feng and King Wu at Hao, and rulers of a hundred li in the end became kings of the world. Now Confucius, if he gets land and worthy disciples as assistants, is no blessing for Chu." King Zhao stopped. Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals says: Confucius and Mozi were commoner scholars, and a ruler of ten thousand chariots or a lord of a thousand chariots could not contend with them for scholars. Liu Xiang said: After the Spring and Autumn period, once the many worthies who had assisted states passed away, ritual and righteousness declined. Although Confucius discussed the Odes and Documents and fixed ritual and music, so that the kingly Way shone clear, as a commoner with no power, he transformed only seventy-two people, all outstanding in the world; the rulers of the time did not honor him, and so the kingly Way ultimately did not rise. So it is said that without authority nothing is established and without power nothing is carried out.] Now with the high position of a minister and the fine rewards of rank and salary, you cannot attract scholars, so you have no way to promote the worthy. Yao, in raising Shun, treated him as a guest and gave him his daughters in marriage; Duke Huan, in raising Guan Zhong, treated him as a guest and made him his teacher. [The Huainanzi, 'Great Clan,' says: Yao governed the world, his government and teaching were peaceful and his virtue moistened all; after seventy years in position he sought someone to whom to entrust the unity of the world, and ordered the Four Peaks to recommend from the humble. The Four Peaks recommended Shun to Yao. Yao married him to his two daughters to observe his inner conduct and entrusted him with the hundred offices to observe his outer conduct. When he entered the great forest, fierce wind, thunder and rain did not make him lose his way, so Yao entrusted him with his nine sons and gave him the Zhaohua jade and handed over the world. Mencius says: As to Duke Huan and Guan Zhong, he first studied with him and then made him his minister, and so he became hegemon without toil.] For a Son of Heaven to give his daughters to a commoner may be called being close to the worthy; for a feudal lord to take a commoner as teacher may be called respecting a guest. So worthy men follow like flowing water and come without doubt. [Confucius said: One who, with wealth and rank, places himself below others, who would not join him? One who, with wealth and rank, respects and loves others, who would not be close to him?] Today those in office do not have Zhao of Yan's humility to scholars or the joy in the worthy of the 'Deer Cry,' but practice the intentions of Zang Wenzhong and Zijiao [The Garden of Persuasions, 'Miscellaneous Matters,' says: In the time of King Yi of Yan, the state fell into great disorder, and King Min of Qi raised troops to attack Yan, slaughtered the state of Yan and carried off its treasures. When King Yi died, the state of Yan was restored, and the crown prince was established as King Zhao of Yan. King Zhao was worthy; after taking the throne he humbled himself and offered rich gifts to attract the worthy, and said to Guo Wei: "Qi, because of my state's disorder, attacked and broke Yan. I know very well that Yan is small and weak and not enough to repay it, but to get worthy scholars to share the state with me and wipe away the shame of the former king is my wish. Sir, if you see someone suitable, I will serve him myself." Wei said: "I have heard that of ancient rulers there was one who sought a thousand-li horse for a thousand pieces of gold and could not get it in three years. A palace servant told the ruler he would seek it. The ruler sent him, and in three months he found a thousand-li horse, but it was dead, so he bought its bones for five hundred pieces of gold and came back to report to the ruler. The ruler was greatly angry and said: What I sought was a living horse; what use is a dead horse, to waste five hundred gold? The servant replied: If you buy even a dead horse for five hundred gold, how much more a living horse? The world will surely say that the king can buy horses, and horses will now arrive. In less than a year three thousand-li horses came. Now if Your Majesty truly wishes to attract scholars, please begin with me, Wei. If even I, Wei, am treated well, how much more those more worthy than I? Would they consider a thousand li too far?" So King Zhao built a palace for Wei and treated him as teacher. Yue Yi came from Wei, Zou Yan came from Qi, Ju Xin came from Zhao, and scholars rushed to Yan. The King of Yan condoled with the dead and consoled orphans, sharing joys and hardships with the people for twenty-eight years; the state of Yan became rich and prosperous, and the soldiers were happy to be at ease and make light of battle. So he made Yue Yi Supreme General and jointly planned with Qin, Chu and the Three Jin to attack Qi. Yue Yi's arrival was the merit of obtaining the worthy. The Preface to the Odes says: 'Deer Cry,' of the Lesser Odes, is about feasting ministers and honored guests; after eating and drinking, they also fill baskets with silk and cloth to convey his generous intention, and only then can loyal ministers and honored guests give their hearts fully. Confucius said: Was Zang Wenzhong not one who held his position unlawfully? He knew Liuxia Hui's worth and did not give him a place. Wang Yi said: Zijiao was a high officer of Chu who held the position of orchid and angelica but practiced the intentions of flattery, arrogance and sycophancy, and also wanted to draw in and agree to the unworthy type to place them near, with no heart of worry for the state, only wanting to advance himself, to get into the ruler's favor and get rank and salary for himself; how could such a person respect and love the worthy and raise them?] obscure the worthy and envy the capable, exalt their own wisdom, disparage others' talents, are self-satisfied and ask no questions, humiliate scholars and do not befriend them, use position to look down on the worthy, use salary to be proud to scholars, and yet seek the use of scholars; that is hard indeed. [The Han Odes, 'Outer Commentary,' says: King Zhuang of Chu was late finishing court audience, and Lady Fan came down from the hall to meet him and said: "Why are you so late? Are you not hungry and tired?" King Zhuang said: "Today I listened to the words of loyal and worthy men and did not know hunger or fatigue." Lady Fan said: "Whom does the king call loyal and worthy: guests of the feudal lords or scholars of the central states?" King Zhuang said: "It is Chief Minister Shen." Lady Fan covered her mouth and laughed. The king said: "What is Lady Fan laughing at?" She said: "I have been able to attend the king, esteemed for bathing, holding the towel and comb, and shaking out the mat, for eleven years, yet I have never failed to send people between Liang and Zheng to seek beautiful women to present to the king. Among those who rank with me are ten, of whom two are worthier than I. How could I not want to monopolize the king's favor? I dare not let private desire obscure many beauties, and I want the king to see more and be pleased. Now Chief Minister Shen has been chancellor of Chu for several years, and I have never seen him promote the worthy and dismiss the unworthy; how can he be loyal and worthy?" King Zhuang, at the morning court, told Chief Minister Shen what Lady Fan had said, and the Chief Minister left his seat and recommended Sun Shu'ao. Shu'ao governed Chu for three years and the state of Chu became hegemon. The scribe of Chu took up the brush and wrote it on the bamboo slips: The hegemony of Chu came from the strength of Lady Fan. The Odes say: "All that you think is not as good as where I go." This is what is said of Lady Fan. The records say: One who harms the good is a ruin of the state; one who obscures the good is a slanderer of the state. Liezi says: One who faces people with worthiness has never won people; one who lowers himself to people with worthiness has never failed to win people. The Huainanzi, 'Techniques of the Ruler,' says: King Wen was wise and loved to ask questions, and so was sage; King Wu was brave and loved to ask questions, and so was victorious. 'Discourse on the Forest of Sayings' says: A net with one mesh cannot catch birds, a fishhook without bait cannot catch fish, and meeting scholars without ritual cannot obtain the worthy.]

大夫繆然不言蓋賢良長嘆息焉御史進曰太公相【去聲】文武以王【去聲】天下管仲相【去聲】桓公以伯【音霸】諸侯【要畧曰文王之時紂為天子賦斂無度戮殺無止康樂沈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老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齊世家曰桓公既得管仲修齊國政連五家之兵設輕重魚鹽之利以贍貧窮祿賢能齊人皆說七年防諸侯於甄而桓公於是始霸焉】故賢者得位猶龍得水騰虵【音蛇】遊霧也【韓非子曰飛龍乗雲騰蛇遊霧雲罷霧霽而龍蛇與螾螘同也則失其所乗也賢人而詘於不肖者權輕位卑也不肖而能服於賢者權重位尊也叢談曰騰虵遊霧而升騰龍乗雲而舉猿得木而挺魚得水而騖處地宜也孔子曰自季孫之賜我千鍾而友益親自南宮項叔之乗我車也而道加行故道有時而後重有勢而後行防夫二子之賜丘之道幾於廢也】公孫丞相【去聲】以春秋說【音稅】先帝遽即三公處周召之列據萬里之勢為天下凖防衣不重彩食不兼味以先天下而無益於治【公孫傳曰為人恢竒多聞嘗稱以為人主病不廣大人臣病不儉節為布被食不重肉毎朝防議開陳其端令人主自擇不肯面折廷爭於是天子察其行敦厚辨論有餘習文法吏事而又緣飾以儒術上大說之西京雜記曰公孫起家徒歩為丞相故人髙賀從之食以脫粟飯覆以布被賀怨曰何用故人富貴為脫粟布被我自有之大慙賀告人曰公孫內服貂蟬外衣麻枲內廚五鼎外膳一殽豈可以示天下於是朝廷疑其矯焉嘆曰寜逢惡賓不逢故人食貨志曰自公孫以春秋之義防臣下取漢相吏益慘急而法令察當是時招尊方正賢良文學之士或至公卿大夫公孫以宰相布被食不重味為天下先然而無益於治修務於功利矣】博士褚泰【泰平凖書作大】徐偃等承明詔建節馳傳【去聲】廵省郡國【漢武紀曰元狩六年六月詔曰日者有司以幣輕多奸農傷而末眾又禁兼併之塗故改幣以約之稽諸往古制宜於今廢期有月而山澤之民未諭夫仁行而從善義立則俗易意奉憲者所以導之未明與將百姓所安殊路而矯防吏因乗勢以侵蒸庶邪何紛然其擾也今遣博士大等六人分循行天下存問鰥寡廢疾無以自振業者貸與之諭三老孝弟以為民師舉獨行之君子徵詣行在所朕嘉賢者樂知其人廣宣厥道士有特招使者之任也詳問處亡位及寃失職奸猾為害野荒治苛者舉奏郡國有所以為便者上丞相御史以聞】舉孝亷勸元元而流俗不改【漢紀曰元朔元年冬十有一月詔曰夫十室之邑必有忠信三人並行厥有我師今或至闔郡不薦一人是化不下究而積行之君子壅於上聞也二千石官長紀綱人倫將何以佐朕燭幽隠勸元元厲蒸庶崇鄉黨之訓哉且進賢受上賞蓛賢防顯戮古之道也其議不舉賢者罪有司奏議曰古者諸侯貢士一適謂之好德再適謂之賢賢三適謂之有功乃加九錫不貢士一則黜爵再則黜地三則黜爵地畢夫附下罔上者死附上罔下者刑與聞國政而無益於民者斥在上位而不得進賢者退此所以勸善黜惡也今詔書昭先帝聖緒令二千石舉孝亷所以勸元元移風易俗也不舉孝不奉詔當以不敬論不察亷不勝任也當免奏可】招舉賢良方正文學之士超遷官爵或至卿大夫【班固曰公孫卜式兒寛皆以鴻漸之翼困於燕雀逺跡羊豕之間非遇其時焉能致此位乎是時漢興六十餘載海內又安府庫充實而四夷未賓制度多闕上方欲用文武求之如弗及始以蒲輪迎枚生見主父而嘆息群士慕響異人並臻卜式防於芻牧羊擢於賈衛青奮於奴僕日防出於降虜斯亦曩時版築飯牛之朋已漢之得人於茲為盛儒雅則公孫董仲舒兒寛篤行則石建石慶推賢則韓安國鄭當時定令則趙禹張湯文章則司馬遷相如滑稽則東方朔枚臯應對則嚴助朱買臣厯數則唐都洛下閎協律則李延年奉使則張騫蘇武受遺則霍光金日防其餘不可勝紀是以興造功業制度遺文後世莫及】非特燕昭之薦士文王之廣賢也【君道篇曰燕昭王問於郭隗曰寡人地狹人寡齊人削取八城匈奴驅馳樓煩之下以孤之不肖得承宗廟恐危社稷存之有道乎郭隗曰有然恐王之不能用也昭王避席願請聞之郭隗曰帝者之臣其名臣也其實師也王者之臣其名臣也其實友也霸者之臣其名臣也其實賓也危國之臣其名臣也其實虜也今王將東面目指氣使以求臣則廝役之材至矣南面聼朝不失揖讓之禮以求臣則人臣之材至矣西面等禮相亢下之以色不乗勢以求臣則朋友之材至矣北面拘指逡廵而退以求臣則師傅之材至矣如此則上可以王下可以霸唯王擇焉燕王曰寡人願學而無師郭隗曰王誠欲興道隗請為天下之士開路於是燕王常置郭隗上坐南面居三年蘓子聞之從周歸燕鄒衍聞之從齊歸燕樂毅聞之從趙歸燕屈景聞之從楚歸燕四子畢至果以弱燕並強齊夫燕齊非均權敵戰之國也所以然者四子之力也詩曰濟濟多士文王以寜此之謂也周紀曰西伯曰文王遵后稷公劉之業則古公公季之法篤仁敬老慈幼禮下賢者日中不暇食以待士士以此多歸之伯夷叔齊在孤竹聞西伯善養老盍往歸之太顛閎夭散宜生鬻子辛甲大夫之徒皆往歸之呂氏春秋曰國雖小其食足以食天下之賢者其車足以乗天下之賢者其財足以禮天下之賢者與天下之賢者為徒此文王之所以王也】然而未覩功業所成殆非龍虵【音蛇】之才而鹿鳴之所樂【音洛】賢也

The Grand Secretary fell silent, and the Worthies and Literati sighed long. The Imperial Counselor stepped forward and said: Taigong served as chancellor to King Wen and King Wu and so made them kings of the world; Guan Zhong served as chancellor to Duke Huan and so made him hegemon over the feudal lords. [Reading notes: 'xiang' (chancellor) is read in the departing tone; 'wang' (to be king) is read in the departing tone; 'bo' is read as 'ba' (hegemon). The Huainanzi, 'Summary of Essentials,' says: In King Wen's time, Zhou was Son of Heaven, levying taxes without measure and killing without end, indulging in pleasure and drink, so that his palace became a marketplace; he made the punishment of the burning pillar, cut open remonstrators and slit open pregnant women, and the whole world was of one mind in suffering from him. King Wen, through four generations, accumulated goodness, cultivated virtue and practiced righteousness, dwelling between Qi and Zhou, with territory of no more than a hundred li, and the two elders of the world turned to him. King Wen wished to use the humble and weak to restrain the fierce and violent, to remove cruelty and eliminate bandits for the world and so complete the Kingly Way, and so Taigong's strategy arose. King Wen took up the work but did not finish it; King Wu continued King Wen's work, used Taigong's strategy, gathered all light levies, personally put on armor and helmet to attack the one without the Way and punish the unrighteous, swore the army at Muye, and took the position of Son of Heaven. The Hereditary House of Qi says: Once Duke Huan obtained Guan Zhong, he reformed the governance of Qi, linked the troops of five households, established the profits of weights and fish and salt to provide for the poor and pay the worthy and capable, and the people of Qi were all pleased. In the seventh year he met the feudal lords at Zhen (the base text writes a lost character here), and from then Duke Huan began to be hegemon.] So when the worthy gets a position, it is like a dragon getting water or a flying serpent roaming in mist. [Reading note: 'she' (serpent) is read as 'she.' The Han Feizi says: The flying dragon rides the clouds and the flying serpent roams in mist; when the clouds cease and the mist clears, dragons and serpents are the same as earthworms and ants, having lost what they ride. A worthy bent beneath the unworthy has light authority and low position; an unworthy who can make the worthy submit has heavy authority and high position. The Conglin says: The flying serpent roams in mist and rises, the soaring dragon rides clouds and lifts, the ape gets a tree and stretches out, the fish gets water and gallops; this is the suitability of the place where one is. Confucius said: Ever since Jisun gave me a thousand zhong, my friends have grown closer; ever since Nangong Jingshu rode in my carriage, my Way has been more practiced. So the Way has weight only when it has its time, and is practiced only when it has power. If I had not had the gifts of these two, my Way would nearly have been abandoned.] The Chancellor Gongsun Hong (the base text's character for 'Hong' is obscure and lost in transcription; read as 'Hong') used the Spring and Autumn Annals to persuade the late emperor and at once became one of the Three Excellencies, taking his place among the ranks of the Dukes of Zhou and Shao, holding the power of ten thousand li and being the standard of the world; his clothes had no double colors and his meals no double dishes, setting an example for the world, yet it brought no benefit to governance. [The Biography of Gongsun Hong says: Hong was a man of great talent and wide learning, and once said that the ruler's fault lies in not being broad and great, and the minister's fault lies in not being frugal and restrained. Hong used a cloth quilt and did not eat double meat; at each court discussion he set out the beginnings and let the ruler choose, and did not insist on arguing against him to his face at court. So the Son of Heaven observed that his conduct was sincere and his debate more than adequate, that he was versed in law and clerical affairs and also adorned them with Confucian learning, and the emperor was very pleased. The Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital says: When Gongsun Hong rose from humble origins on foot to become chancellor, an old friend, Gao He, followed him, and Hong fed him husked rice and covered him with a cloth quilt. He complained: 'What use is it to have an old friend rich and noble? Husked rice and a cloth quilt I have myself.' Hong was greatly ashamed. He told people: 'Gongsun Hong wears sable and cicada ornaments inside and hemp outside, has five tripods in his kitchen but one dish at table; can this be shown to the world?' The court then suspected Hong of pretense. Hong sighed: 'Better to meet a bad guest than to meet an old friend.' The Treatise on Food and Money says: Since Gongsun Hong used the principle of the Spring and Autumn Annals to rein in his subordinates and took the Han chancellorship, officials became more harsh and urgent and laws more exacting. At that time upright, worthy, and literary men were recruited and honored, some becoming ministers and grandees. Gongsun Hong, as chancellor, set an example for the world with a cloth quilt and single-flavor meals, yet it brought no benefit to governance and he devoted himself to merit and profit.] The Erudites Chu Tai (the Treatise on Equalization writes 'Da') and Xu Yan received the bright edict, bore the staff of office, and rode relay carriages to inspect the commanderies and kingdoms [The Annals of Emperor Wu of Han says: An edict in the sixth month of the sixth year of Yuanshou said: Previously the officials said that because coinage was light there was much treachery, farmers were harmed and traders multiplied, and to block the way of annexation, the currency was changed to restrain it. We examined the past and adapted it to the present, but the abolition has been set for months and the people of mountains and marshes have not yet understood. Is it that humaneness is practiced and so they follow the good, that righteousness is established and so customs change, or that those who uphold the regulations have not guided them clearly? Or that the people are at ease on different roads, and officials who are deceitful take advantage of the situation to encroach on the common people? Why is there such disorder and trouble? Now we send six erudites including Da to patrol the realm, to inquire after widowers, widows, the disabled, and those without the means to rise, and lend to them; to instruct the three elders and the filial and fraternal to be teachers of the people, and to recommend gentlemen of singular conduct to be summoned to the temporary court. We commend the worthy and delight in knowing such people, and widely proclaim the Way; officers with special summons is the duty of the envoys. Ask in detail about those hidden away without position, about injustice and loss of office, about the harm of the treacherous and cunning, about wastelands and harsh governance, and report them; where a commandery or kingdom has a convenience, submit it to the Chancellor and Imperial Counselor to be heard.], to recommend the filial and incorrupt and exhort the common people, yet the vulgar customs did not change [The Han Annals says: An edict in the eleventh month of winter in the first year of Yuanshuo said: In a town of ten households there must be the loyal and trustworthy; when three walk together there is a teacher for me. Now sometimes a whole commandery recommends not one person, so transformation does not reach below and gentlemen of accumulated conduct are blocked from being heard above. The chiefs of two-thousand-bushel rank who set the bonds of human relations, how will they help us illuminate the hidden, exhort the common people, urge the multitude, and promote the teachings of the villages? Moreover, recommending the worthy earns the highest reward, and concealing the worthy brings open execution; this is the way of antiquity. Let the penalty for not recommending the worthy be discussed. The officials submitted a discussion: In ancient times when the feudal lords tributed officers, one tribute was called loving virtue, a second called honoring the worthy, a third called having merit, and then the nine bestowals were added; for failing to tribute an officer, once, rank was reduced; twice, land was reduced; three times, rank and land were both removed. One who flatters those below and deceives those above shall die; one who flatters those above and deceives those below shall be punished; one who takes part in state affairs without benefit to the people shall be dismissed; one in high position who cannot advance the worthy shall retire: this is how to encourage good and remove evil. Now the edict clarifies the late emperor's sacred legacy and orders the two-thousand-bushel officials to recommend the filial and incorrupt, in order to exhort the common people and change customs. Not recommending the filial is not obeying the edict and should be judged as disrespect; not examining the incorrupt is incompetence and should be dismissed. Approved.], recruited and recommended worthy, upright, and literary men, promoted them beyond ordinary rank in office and title, some reaching minister and grandee [Ban Gu says: Gongsun Hong, Bu Shi, and Er Kuan were all like swans with the wings of great birds trapped among swallows and sparrows, their traces far off among sheep and pigs; had they not met their time, how could they have reached such positions? At that time the Han had risen for over sixty years, within the seas there was peace, the treasuries were full, but the four barbarians had not yet submitted and the institutions were mostly lacking. The emperor wished to use both the civil and martial, seeking them as if he could not reach them; he first greeted Master Mei with a wheel wrapped in rushes, sighed on seeing Zhufu, and the many scholars longed for the echo and unusual people all came. Bu Shi was raised from herding, Sang Hongyang was promoted from a merchant's boy (the base text's character here is obscure and lost in transcription), Wei Qing rose from a servant, and Jin Midi came from a surrendered captive; these were also like the former companions who pounded earth for walls and fed oxen. The Han's gaining of men was most flourishing here: in Confucian refinement Gongsun Hong, Dong Zhongshu, and Er Kuan; in solid conduct Shi Jian and Shi Qing; in recommending the worthy Han Anguo and Zheng Dangshi; in setting decrees Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang; in literature Sima Qian and Xiangru; in wit Dongfang Shuo and Mei Gao; in responding to questions Yan Zhu and Zhu Maichen; in calendrical calculation Tang Du and Luoxia Hong; in harmonizing pitch Li Yannian; on missions Zhang Qian and Su Wu; in receiving the deathbed charge Huo Guang and Jin Midi; the rest cannot all be recorded. So the works built and the institutions and writings left behind were beyond what later ages could match.], not merely like King Zhao of Yan recommending officers or King Wen widening the worthy. [The Shuoyuan, 'The Way of the Ruler,' says: King Zhao of Yan asked Guo Wei: 'My land is narrow and my people few; Qi has cut away eight of my cities, and the Xiongnu gallop beneath Loufan. Though I am unworthy I have succeeded to the ancestral temple, and I fear for the altars of the state; is there a way to preserve them?' Guo Wei said: 'There is, but I fear the king cannot use it.' King Zhao left his seat and asked to hear it. Guo Wei said: 'The minister of an emperor is called a minister in name but in reality a teacher; the minister of a king is called a minister in name but in reality a friend; the minister of a hegemon is called a minister in name but in reality a guest; the minister of a state in danger is called a minister in name but in reality a captive. Now if the king faces east and commands with glance and temper to seek ministers, then the talent of menials arrives; if he faces south at court and does not lose the ritual of bowing and yielding to seek ministers, then the talent of ministers arrives; if he faces west, treats them as equals in ritual, lowers himself in countenance and does not rely on power to seek ministers, then the talent of friends arrives; if he faces north, folds his hands and retreats hesitantly to seek ministers, then the talent of teachers and tutors arrives. If so, above he can be king and below he can be hegemon; let the king choose.' The king of Yan said: 'I wish to learn but have no teacher.' Guo Wei said: 'If the king truly wishes to promote the Way, let me open the road for the officers of the world.' So the king of Yan regularly seated Guo Wei in the senior seat facing south. After three years, Master Su heard of it and came to Yan from Zhou, Zou Yan heard of it and came to Yan from Qi, Yue Yi heard of it and came to Yan from Zhao, and Qu Jing heard of it and came to Yan from Chu. The four came together, and with these Yan, though weak, annexed strong Qi. Yan and Qi were not states of equal power and rivals in battle; the reason was the strength of these four. The Book of Odes says: 'Numerous are the many officers; by them King Wen was at peace.' This is that. The Annals of Zhou says: Xibo, called King Wen, followed the work of Hou Ji and Gongliu, took the laws of Gugong and Gongji as his model, was sincerely humane, respected the aged and was kind to the young, treated the worthy with ritual, did not have time to eat at midday while waiting for officers, and so many officers turned to him. Bo Yi and Shu Qi in Guzhu heard that Xibo was good at nourishing the aged and said, 'Why not go to him?' Tai Dian, Hong Yao, San Yisheng, Yuzi, and the Grand Master Xin Jia and others all went to him. The Annals of Lu says: Though a state may be small, its food is enough to feed the worthy of the world, its carriages enough to carry the worthy of the world, and its wealth enough to treat the worthy of the world with ritual; to be a companion of the worthy of the world: this is how King Wen became king.] Yet no achievements were seen to result; it must be that they were not talents of dragons and serpents (reading note: 'she' is read as 'she') and not the worthy in whom the Lu Ming ode delights (reading note: 'le' is read as 'luo').

文學曰氷炭不同器日月不併明【顔淵曰鮑魚蘭芷不同篋而藏堯舜桀紂不同國而治韓非子曰氷炭不同器而乆寒暑不兼時而至劉峻曰薫蕕不同器梟鸞不接翼】當公孫之時人主方設謀垂意於四夷故權譎之謀進荊楚之士用將帥或至封侯食邑而勉獲者鹹厚賞是以奮擊之士由此興其後干戈不休軍旅相望甲士麋縣官用不足故設險興利之臣起磻溪熊羆之士隠【平凖書曰武帝之時嚴助朱買臣等招來東甌事兩越江淮之間蕭然煩費矣唐防司馬相如開路西南夷鑿山通道千餘里以廣巴蜀巴蜀之民罷焉彭吳賈滅朝鮮置滄海之郡則燕齊之間靡然發動及王恢設謀馬邑匈奴絶和親侵擾北邉兵連而不觧天下苦其勞而干戈日滋行者齎居者送中外騷擾而相奉百姓抗以巧法財賂衰耗而不贍入物者補官出貨者除罪選舉凌遲防恥相冐武力進用法嚴令具興利之臣自此始也尚書中曰呂尚釣磻溪得玉璜刻曰姬受命呂佐旌六韜曰文王卜田史扁為卜曰於渭之陽將大得焉非熊非羆非虎非彲兆得公侯天遺汝師文王齋戒三日田於渭陽卒見呂尚坐茅以漁武王曰朂哉夫子尚桓桓如虎如如熊如羆於商郊弗迓克奔以役西土朂哉夫子】涇淮造渠以通漕運東郭偃孔僅建鹽鐵冊【通作防】諸利富者買爵販官免刑除罪【貢禹曰孝文皇帝時貴亷潔賤貪汚賈人贅壻及吏生贓者禁固不得為吏無贖罪之法故令行禁止海內大化武帝始臨天下尊賢用士自見功大遂從嗜慾廼行一時之變使犯法者贖罪入谷者補吏是以官亂民貧盜賊並起蕭望之曰天漢四年常使死罪人入五十萬錢減死罪一等豪強吏民請奪假貸至為盜賊以贖罪其後奸邪橫暴群盜並起至攻城邑殺郡守充滿山谷吏不能禁明詔遣繡衣使者以興兵撃之誅者過半然後衰止】公用彌多而為者狥私上下無求百姓不堪弊而從法故【音慘】急之臣進而見知廢格【音閣】之法起【平凖書曰吏道雜而多端則官職耗廢自公孫以春秋之義防臣下取漢相張湯用峻文決理為廷尉於是見知之法生而廢格沮誹窮治之獄用矣其明年淮南衡山江都王謀反跡見而公卿尋端治之競其黨與而坐死者數萬人長吏益慘急而法令明察張晏曰見知謂吏見知不舉故為放縱以其罪罪之也如淳曰廢格謂廢格天子文法使不行也】杜周減宣之屬以峻文決理貴而王溫舒之徒以鷹隼擊殺顯【平凖書曰御史大夫張湯方隆貴用事減宣杜周等為中丞義縱尹齊王溫舒等用慘急深為九卿酷吏傳云以鷹擊毛摯為治徐廣曰摯鳥將擊必張羽毛也】其欲據仁義以道事君者寡偷合取容者眾獨以一公孫如之何

The Literati said: Ice and charcoal do not share a vessel, and the sun and moon do not shine together. [Yan Yuan said: Salted fish and orchid and angelica are not stored in the same box, and Yao, Shun, Jie, and Zhou did not rule in the same state. The Han Feizi says: Ice and charcoal do not last in the same vessel, and cold and heat do not arrive at the same time. Liu Jun said: Fragrant grass and stinking grass do not share a vessel, and the owl and the phoenix do not join wings.] In the time of Gongsun Hong (the base text's character for 'Hong' is obscure and lost in transcription; read as 'Hong'), the ruler was devising plans and giving attention to the four barbarians, so schemes of power and deceit advanced and men of Jing and Chu were employed, generals and commanders might even be enfeoffed and given towns, and those who struggled to capture received generous rewards (the base text's character here is obscure and lost in transcription; read as 'receive'), so fighters who strike fiercely rose from this. Afterward there was no rest from shields and spears, armies faced one another, armored soldiers were worn out (an obscure character in the base text), and the government's revenue was insufficient, so ministers who built defenses and promoted profit arose and the bear-and-brown-bear officers of Panxi were hidden away. [The Treatise on Equalization says: In the time of Emperor Wu, Yan Zhu, Zhu Maichen, and others recruited Eastern Ou and served the two Yue, so that the area between the Yangtze and Huai was desolate and costly. Tang Meng and Sima Xiangru opened roads to the southwestern barbarians, cutting mountains and clearing paths over a thousand li to widen Ba and Shu, and the people of Ba and Shu were exhausted. Peng Wu and Jia destroyed Chaoxian and set up the Canghai commandery, and the Yan and Qi region was stirred and moved. When Wang Hui devised a plan at Mayi, the Xiongnu cut off the marriage alliance and invaded and harassed the northern frontier, the troops were linked together without release, the world suffered from its toil, and shields and spears multiplied daily. Those who traveled carried provisions and those who stayed home sent them; inside and outside were stirred up and kept supplying one another, the people resisted the burden by cunning use of the law, and wealth and bribes declined and were not enough. Those who contributed goods were given office, those who paid goods were freed of crimes, selection and recommendation declined, integrity and shame (the base text writes a lost character here) were confounded, martial strength was promoted, laws were strict and ordinances complete, and ministers promoting profit began from here. The Shangshu Zhonghou says: Lu Shang fished at Panxi and got a jade half-disk inscribed: 'Ji receives the mandate, Lu assists by the banner.' The Six Tactics says: King Wen divined for a hunt, and the scribe Bian made the divination and said it would be greatly fruitful on the north bank of the Wei, not a bear or brown bear, not a tiger or chi, but the omen yields a duke or marquis, Heaven has sent you a teacher. King Wen fasted for three days and hunted on the north bank of the Wei, and in the end saw Lu Shang sitting on thatch fishing. King Wu said: 'Be vigorous, Master! Shang, majestic, like tigers and pixiu, like bears and brown bears, in the suburbs of Shang; do not fear the fleeing, and use them for service in the western lands; be vigorous, Master!'] Canals were built at the Jing and Huai for water transport, and Dongguo Yan and Kong Jin established the salt and iron policy and other profitable measures; the rich bought rank and bought office and were exempt from punishment and freed of crimes. [Gong Yu said: In the time of Emperor Xiaowen, integrity was valued and corruption was despised, and merchants, sons-in-law living with the wife's family, and officials guilty of embezzlement were barred from office, and there was no law for redeeming crimes, so orders were carried out and prohibitions stopped and the whole land was greatly transformed. When Emperor Wu first came to rule the world, he honored the worthy and employed officers; seeing his own achievements as great, he followed his appetites and carried out a temporary change, allowing law-breakers to redeem their crimes and those who contributed grain to be appointed officials, so the officials were disordered, the people poor, and bandits arose together. Xiao Wangzhi said: In the fourth year of Tianhan, those sentenced to death were regularly made to pay five hundred thousand cash to reduce the death sentence by one grade, and powerful officials and people were asked to seize and lend until they became robbers in order to redeem their crimes. Afterward treacherous people were violent and bandits rose together, to the point of attacking towns and killing commandery governors, filling the mountains and valleys, and the officials could not stop them. A bright edict sent envoys in embroidered robes to attack them with raised troops, and more than half were executed before it subsided.] Public expenditure increased and those carrying it out followed private interests; above and below made no demands of each other, and the people, unable to endure the wearing down, fell back on the law, so the harsh ministers advanced and were recognized, and the law of obstructing and disregarding arose. [The Treatise on Equalization says: When the way of officials is mixed and many-sided, offices are consumed and neglected. Since Gongsun Hong used the principle of the Spring and Autumn Annals to rein in his subordinates and took the Han chancellorship, and Zhang Tang as Commandant of Justice decided cases by strict wording, the law of seeing and knowing arose, and the cases of obstructing, disregarding, slandering, and thorough investigation were used. The following year the traces of rebellion by the kings of Huainan, Hengshan, and Jiangdu appeared, and the ministers pursued the clues and prosecuted, reaching their followers, so that tens of thousands were executed, and senior officials became ever more harsh and urgent and laws more exacting. Zhang Yan says: 'Seeing and knowing' means that officials who see and know but do not report and so deliberately let it pass are punished with the crime. Ru Chun says: 'Obstructing' means obstructing the Son of Heaven's laws so that they are not carried out.] Du Zhou, Jian Xuan, and their like became eminent by deciding cases by strict wording, and Wang Wenshu and his kind became prominent by striking and killing like hawks and falcons. [The Treatise on Equalization says: The Imperial Counselor Zhang Tang was just then eminent and in power, Jian Xuan and Du Zhou and others were Palace Assistants, and Yi Zong, Yin Qi, Wang Wenshu and others, by being harsh, urgent, and deeply severe, became Nine Ministers. The Biographies of Harsh Officials says they governed by striking like hawks and seizing like beasts. Xu Guang says: A raptor about to strike must spread its feathers.] Those who sought to rest on humaneness and righteousness and serve the ruler by the Way were few, and those who stealthily fit in and sought to please were many; with only one Gongsun Hong, what could be done?

御史曰文學祖述仲尼稱誦其徳以為自古及今未之有也然孔子修道齊魯之間教化洙泗之上弟子不為變當世不為治魯國之削滋甚齊宣王褒儒尊學孟軻淳于髠之徒受上大夫之祿不任職而論國事蓋齊稷下先生千有餘人【齊世家曰宣王喜文學遊說之士自如騶衍淳于髠田駢接予慎到環淵之徒七十六人皆腸列第為上大夫不治而議論是以齊稷下學士復盛且數百千人劉向別録曰齊有稷門城門也談說之士期防於稷下也虞喜曰齊有稷山立館其下以待遊士也】當此之時非一公孫也弱燕攻齊長驅至臨淄湣【音敏】王遁逃死於莒而不能救王建禽【通作擒】於秦與之俱虜而不能存若此儒者之安國尊君未始有效也

The Imperial Counselor said: The Literati take Zhongni as their ancestral model and praise his virtue, thinking that from antiquity to the present there has been none like him. Yet Confucius cultivated the Way between Qi and Lu and taught and transformed on the banks of the Zhu and Si, and his disciples did not change and the age was not governed, and the decline of the state of Lu was all the worse. King Xuan of Qi honored Confucians and esteemed learning, and Mencius, Chunyu Kun, and their like received the salary of senior grandees and discussed state affairs without holding office, indeed over a thousand masters of the Jixia Academy in Qi. [The Hereditary House of Qi says: King Xuan liked literary men and wandering persuaders, and such men as Zou Yan, Chunyu Kun, Tian Pian, Jie Yu, Shen Dao, and Huan Yuan, seventy-six in all, were given residences and made senior grandees, discussing without governing, so the scholars of the Jixia in Qi again flourished to some hundreds and thousands. Liu Xiang's Bielu says: Qi had the Ji Gate, a city gate, where persuaders met at the Jixia. Yu Xi says: Qi had Mount Ji, and a lodge was built beneath it to await wandering scholars.] At that time there was not only one Gongsun Hong. When weak Yan attacked Qi, it drove deep to Linzi; King Min (reading note: 'Min' is read as 'min') fled and died at Ju without being able to be rescued, and King Jian was captured by Qin (the base text's 'qin' is equated with 'seize'), carried off captive together with them without being able to survive. If this is so, the Confucians' securing the state and honoring the ruler has never once been effective.

文學曰無鞭策雖造父不能調駟馬無勢位雖舜禹不能治萬民【秦紀曰造父以善御幸於周繆王得溫驪騄耳驊騮之駟西廵狩樂而忘歸徐偃王作亂造父為繆王御長驅歸周以救亂繆王以趙城封造父荀子曰造父者天下之善御者也無輿馬則無所見其能羿者天下之善射者也無弓矢則無所見其巧大儒者善調一天下者也無百里之地則無所見其功】孔子曰鳳鳥不至河不出圖吾已矣夫【音扶】故軺【音韶】車良馬無以馳之【釋名曰軺車軺遙也逺也四向逺望之車也古本作翹車逸詩曰翹翹車乗招我以弓】聖德仁義無所施之【指武篇曰五帝三王教以仁義而天下變也孔子亦教以仁義而天下不從者何也昔明王有紱冕以尊賢有斧鉞以誅惡故其賞至重而刑至深而天下變孔子賢顔淵無以賞之賤孺悲無以罰之故天下不從是故道非權不立非勢不行是道尊然後行】齊宣之時不顯賢進士國家富強威行敵國【詩傳曰孟子說齊宣王而不說淳于髠侍孟子曰今日說公之君公之君不說意者其未知善之為善乎淳于髠曰夫子亦誠無善耳昔者瓠巴鼓瑟而潛魚出聼伯牙鼓琴而六馬仰秣魚馬猶知善之為善而況君人者也孟子曰夫震雷之起也破竹折木震驚天下而不能使聾者卒有聞日月之明徧照天下而不能使盲者卒有見今公之君若此也淳于髠曰不然昔者揖封生髙商齊人好歌杞梁之妻悲哭而人稱詠夫聲無細而不聞行無隠而不形夫子苟賢居魯而魯國之削何也孟子曰不用賢削何有也吞舟之魚不居潛澤度量之士不居汙世夫蓺冬至必雕吾亦時矣詩曰不自我先不自我後非遭凋世者歟尊賢篇曰齊宣王坐淳于髠侍宣王曰先生論寡人何好淳于髠曰古者所好四而王所好三焉宣王曰古者所好何與寡人所好淳于髠曰古者好馬王亦好馬古者好味王亦好味古者好色王亦好色古者好士王獨不好士宣王曰國無士耳有則寡人亦說之矣淳于髠曰古者驊騮騏今無有王選於眾王好馬矣古者有豹象之胎今無有王選於眾王好味矣古者有毛嬙西施今無有王選於眾王好色矣王必將待堯舜禹湯之士而後好之則堯舜禹湯之士亦不好王矣宣王嘿然無以應齊防曰先生王鬥造門而欲見齊宣王宣王使謁者延入王鬥曰鬥趨見王為好勢王趨見鬥為好士於王何如使者復還報王曰先生徐之寡人請從宣王因趨而迎之於門與入曰寡人奉先君之宗廟守社稷聞先生直言正諌不諱王鬥對曰王聞之過鬥生於亂世事亂君焉敢直言正諫宣王忿然作色不說有間王鬥曰昔先君桓公所好者五九合諸侯一匡天下天子授籍立為太伯今王有四焉宣王說曰寡人愚陋守齊國唯恐夫抎之焉能有四焉王鬥曰先君好馬王亦好馬先君好狗王亦好狗先君好酒王亦好酒先君好色王亦好色先君好士而王不好士宣王曰當今之世無士寡人何好王鬥曰世無騏騄駬王之駟已備矣世無東郭俊盧氏之狗王之走狗已具矣世無毛嬙西施王宮已充矣王亦不好士也何患無士王曰寡人憂國愛民固願得士以治之王鬥曰君之憂國愛民不若王愛尺谷也王曰何謂也王鬥曰王使人為冠不使左右便辟而使工者何也為能之也今王治齊非左右便辟無使也臣故曰不如愛尺也宣王謝曰寡人有罪國家於是舉士五人任官齊國大治】及湣【音敏】王奮二世之餘烈南舉楚淮北並巨宋苞十二國西摧三晉卻強秦五國賓從鄒魯之君泗上諸侯皆入臣【齊世家曰湣王七年與宋攻魏敗之觀澤十二年攻魏二十三年與秦撃敗楚於重丘二十六年齊君韓魏共攻秦至函谷軍焉二十九年齊佐趙滅中山三十六年王為東帝三十八年伐宋宋王出亡死於溫齊南割楚之淮北西侵三晉欲以並周室為天子泗上諸侯鄒魯之君皆稱臣諸侯恐懼】矜功不休百姓不堪諸侯諫不從各分散慎到捷子亡去田駢如薛而孫卿適楚內無良臣故諸侯合謀而伐之【齊防曰齊負郭之民有孤狐咺者正議閔王斮之檀衢百姓不附齊孫室子陳舉直言殺之東閭宗室離心司馬穰苴為政者也殺之大臣不親以故燕舉兵使昌國君將而撃之齊使向子將而應之齊軍破向子輿一乗亡逹子收餘卒復振與燕戰求所以賞者閔王不肯與軍破走王奔莒淖齒數之曰夫千乗博昌之間方數百里雨血霑衣王知之乎王曰不知嬴博之間地坼至泉王知之乎王曰不知人有當闕而哭者求之則不得去之則聞其聲王知之乎王曰不知淖齒曰天雨血霑衣者天以告也地坼至泉者地以告也人有當闕而哭者人以告也天地人皆以告矣而王不知戒焉何得無誅乎於是殺閔王於鼔裡雜事篇曰齊閔王亡居衛晝日歩走謂公玉丹曰我已亡矣而不知其故吾所以亡者其何哉公玉丹對曰臣以王為已知之矣王故尚未之知耶王之所以亡者以賢也以天下之主皆不肖而惡王之賢也因與合兵而攻王此王之所以亡也閔王慨然嘆息曰賢固若是其苦耶丹又謂閔王曰古人有辭天下無憂色者臣聞其聲於王見其實王名稱東帝實有天下去國居衛容貎充盈顔色發揚無重國之意王曰甚善丹知寡人自去國而居衛也帶三益矣遂以自賢驕盈不止閔王亡走衛衛君避宮舍之稱臣而供具閔王不遜衛人侵之閔王去走鄒魯有驕色鄒魯不納遂走莒楚使淖齒將兵救齊因相閔王淖齒擢閔王之筋而懸之廟梁宿昔而殺之而與燕共分齊地悲夫閔王臨大齊之國地方數千裡然而兵敗於諸侯地奪於燕昭宗廟防亡社稷不祀宮室空虗身亡逃竄甚於徒尚不知所以亡甚可痛也猶自以為賢豈不哀哉公玉丹徒之中而道之謟佞甚矣閔王不覺追而善之以辱為榮以憂為樂其亡晩矣而卒見殺故齊閔王雖至死亡終身不諭者也悲夫】王建聽流說信反間【音諫】用後勝之計不與諸侯從親以亡國為秦所禽【通作擒】不亦宜乎【齊策曰始皇嘗遣使者遺君王后玉連環曰齊多智而觧此環否君王后以示群臣群臣不知解君王后引錐椎破之謂秦使曰謹以解矣及君王后病且卒誡建曰群臣之可用者某建曰請書之君王后曰善取筆牘受書君王后曰老婦已忘矣君王后死後後勝相齊多受秦間金玉使賓客入秦皆為變辭勸王朝秦不修攻戰之備齊王建入朝於秦雍門司馬前曰所為立王者為社稷耶為王立王耶王曰為社稷司馬曰為社稷王何以去社稷而入秦齊王還車而反即墨大夫聞雍門司馬諌而聼之則以為可即入見齊王曰齊地方數千裡帶甲數百萬夫三晉大夫皆不便秦而在阿鄄之間者百數王收而與之百萬之眾使收三晉之故地即臨晉之闗可以入矣鄢郢大夫不欲為秦而在城南下者百數王收而與之百萬之師使收楚故地即武闗可以入矣如此則齊威可立秦國可亡矣舍南面之稱制乃西面而事秦竊為大王不取也齊王不聼秦使陳馳誘齊王內之約與五百里之地齊王不聼即墨大夫而聼陳馳遂入秦處之共松栢之間餓而死齊世家曰始君王后事秦謹與諸侯信齊亦東邊海上秦日夜攻三晉燕楚五國各自救於秦以故王建立四十餘年不受兵君王后死後勝相齊多受秦間金多使賓客入秦秦又多予金客皆為反間勸王去從朝秦不修攻戰之備不助五國攻秦秦以故得滅五國五國已亡秦兵卒入臨淄民莫敢格者王建遂降遷於共故齊人怨王建不蚤與諸侯合從攻秦聼奸臣賓客以亡其國歌之曰松耶栢耶住建共者客耶疾建用客之不詳也】

The Literati said: Without a whip, even Zaofu cannot control a team of four horses; without power and position, even Shun and Yu cannot govern the myriad people. [The Annals of Qin says: Zaofu, favored by King Mu of Zhou for his skill in driving, obtained a team of Ji, Wenli, Lu'er, and Hualiu horses, and toured west and was so happy he forgot to return. When King Yan of Xu rebelled, Zaofu drove for King Mu and galloped straight back to Zhou to quell the disorder. King Mu enfeoffed Zaofu with the city of Zhao. The Xunzi says: Zaofu was the world's best driver, but without carriage and horses there is nowhere to see his ability; Yi was the world's best archer, but without bow and arrow there is nowhere to see his skill; the great Confucian is the best at governing the world as one, but without a hundred li of land there is nowhere to see his merit.] Confucius said: The phoenix does not come and the river gives no chart; I am finished! (Reading note: 'fu' is read as 'fu'.) So with a light carriage and good horses but nothing to gallop on (the Shiming says: 'yao' carriage, 'yao' means distant, a carriage for looking far in four directions; the old text writes it as a high-wheeled cart; a lost ode says: 'High-wheeled carriages, summoning me with a bow'), the sage's virtue, humaneness, and righteousness have nowhere to be applied. [The Shuoyuan, 'Pointing to Martial Matters,' says: The Five Emperors and Three Kings taught with humaneness and righteousness and the world changed; Confucius also taught with humaneness and righteousness and the world did not follow. Why? In the past the enlightened kings had ceremonial aprons and caps to honor the worthy and axes to execute the wicked, so their rewards were very weighty and their punishments very deep, and the world changed. Confucius considered Yan Yuan worthy but had nothing to reward him with and considered Ru Bei base but had nothing to punish him with, so the world did not follow. Thus the Way cannot be established without power and cannot be practiced without circumstance; only when the Way is honored is it practiced.] In the time of King Xuan of Qi, he did not make the worthy prominent or advance officers, yet the state was rich and strong and his authority was practiced among rival states. [The Hanshi Waizhuan says: Mencius persuaded King Xuan of Qi, who was not pleased, with Chunyu Kun in attendance. Mencius said: 'Today I persuaded your ruler and your ruler was not pleased; perhaps he does not yet know that good is good?' Chunyu Kun said: 'Master, perhaps you truly have nothing good. In the past Hu Ba played the zither and submerged fish came out to listen, Bo Ya played the zither and the six horses lifted their heads from their fodder; fish and horses even know that good is good, how much more a ruler of people?' Mencius said: 'When thunder rises, it splits bamboo and breaks trees and shakes the world, yet cannot make the deaf suddenly hear; the brightness of sun and moon shines on all the world, yet cannot make the blind suddenly see. Your ruler is like this.' Chunyu Kun said: 'Not so. In the past Yi Feng produced Gao Shang and the people of Qi loved songs; the wife of Qi Liang wept bitterly and people praised it. No sound is so faint that it is not heard, and no conduct so hidden that it does not show. If you, Master, are truly worthy, why was Lu diminished while you lived there?' Mencius said: 'Without using the worthy, what is there to diminish? A fish that swallows a boat does not stay in a pond, and a man of great measure does not dwell in a filthy age. Plants and trees surely wither at the winter solstice, and I too am at the time. The Odes say: Not before me, not after me. Is this not meeting a withering age?' The Shuoyuan, 'Honoring the Worthy,' says: King Xuan of Qi sat with Chunyu Kun in attendance. King Xuan said: 'Master, what do you say I like?' Chunyu Kun said: 'The ancients liked four things and Your Majesty likes three.' King Xuan said: 'What did the ancients like and what do I like?' Chunyu Kun said: 'The ancients liked horses and Your Majesty also likes horses; the ancients liked fine food and Your Majesty also likes fine food; the ancients liked beauty and Your Majesty also likes beauty; the ancients liked officers and Your Majesty alone does not like officers.' King Xuan said: 'The state has no officers; if there were, I too would be pleased with them.' Chunyu Kun said: 'The ancients had Hualiu, Qi, and Ji horses (the base text's character for 'Ji' is obscure and lost in transcription; read as 'Ji'); today there are none, but Your Majesty chooses from the many, so Your Majesty likes horses. The ancients had leopard and elephant embryos; today there are none, but Your Majesty chooses from the many, so Your Majesty likes fine food. The ancients had Mao Qiang and Xi Shi; today there are none, but Your Majesty chooses from the many, so Your Majesty likes beauty. If Your Majesty must wait for officers like Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang before liking them, then officers like Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang will not like Your Majesty either.' King Xuan was silent and had no answer. The Strategies of Qi says: Master Wang Dou came to the gate wishing to see King Xuan of Qi. King Xuan had the usher invite him in. Wang Dou said: 'If I, Dou, hurry to see the king, I am fond of power; if the king hurries to see Dou, the king is fond of officers; how does it seem to the king?' The envoy returned and reported. The king said: 'Master, slow down, I will follow you.' King Xuan then hurried and met him at the gate and entered with him, saying: 'I serve the former rulers' ancestral temple and guard the altars of the state; I have heard that you, Master, speak frankly and admonish correctly without avoidance.' Wang Dou replied: 'The king has heard wrongly. I, Dou, was born in a disordered age and served a disordered ruler; how would I dare speak frankly and admonish correctly?' King Xuan became angry and displeased. After a while, Wang Dou said: 'In the past your predecessor Duke Huan liked five things: he assembled the feudal lords nine times, set the world right in one action, the Son of Heaven handed him the registers, and he was made Great Elder. Now the king has four of them.' King Xuan was pleased and said: 'I am foolish and shabby in guarding Qi and fear only to lose it; how could I have four?' Wang Dou said: 'Your predecessor liked horses and the king also likes horses; your predecessor liked dogs and the king also likes dogs; your predecessor liked wine and the king also likes wine; your predecessor liked beauty and the king also likes beauty; your predecessor liked officers and the king does not like officers.' King Xuan said: 'There are no officers in the present age; what could I like?' Wang Dou said: 'The world has no Qi, Ji, or Lu'er horses, but the king's team is already complete; the world has no dogs of Dongguo Jun or the Lu clan, but the king's hunting dogs are already supplied; the world has no Mao Qiang or Xi Shi, but the king's palace is already full. The king also does not like officers; why worry there are no officers?' The king said: 'I worry for the state and love the people, and truly wish to obtain officers to govern it.' Wang Dou said: 'Your worry for the state and love of the people is not as great as the king's love of a foot of fine silk.' The king said: 'What do you mean?' Wang Dou said: 'When the king has a cap made, he does not use his attendants and favorites but uses a craftsman; why? Because they are capable. Now when the king governs Qi, he uses none but his attendants and favorites. So I say it is not as great as love of a foot of silk.' King Xuan apologized and said: 'I have been at fault toward the state.' So he promoted five officers to office, and Qi was greatly governed.] When King Min took up the surviving glory of two generations, he took Chu's Huai in the south, annexed great Song in the north, enclosed twelve states, crushed the Three Jin in the west and drove back mighty Qin; five states followed as guests, and the rulers of Zou and Lu and the feudal lords of the Si valley all entered as ministers. [The Hereditary House of Qi says: In King Min's seventh year, he and Song attacked Wei and defeated it at Guanze; in the twelfth year he attacked Wei; in the twenty-third year he joined Qin in defeating Chu at Zhongqiu; in the twenty-sixth year the rulers of Qi, Han, and Wei jointly attacked Qin and camped at Hangu; in the twenty-ninth year Qi helped Zhao destroy Zhongshan; in the thirty-sixth year the king became Eastern Emperor; in the thirty-eighth year he attacked Song, and the king of Song fled and died at Wen. Qi cut Chu's land north of the Huai in the south, encroached on the Three Jin in the west, and wished to annex the Zhou house and be Son of Heaven; the feudal lords of the Si valley and the rulers of Zou and Lu all declared themselves ministers, and the feudal lords were afraid.] He boasted of his achievements without rest and the people could not endure; the feudal lords remonstrated and he did not follow, and they scattered. Shen Dao and Jiezi left, Tian Pian went to Xue and Master Xun went to Chu; with no good ministers inside, the feudal lords conspired and attacked him. [The Strategies of Qi says: Among the people living near the outer wall of Qi was Gu Hu Xuan, who gave upright counsel; King Min beheaded him on the Tan highway, and the people did not attach to him. Chen Ju, a scion of Qi's Sun family, spoke straight words, and was killed at the east gate, and the royal clan became estranged. Sima Rangju was a governor and was killed, and the great ministers were not close. So Yan raised troops and had the lord of Changguo lead them to attack. Qi sent Master Xiang to lead and meet them; the Qi army was broken and Xiang Zi with one chariot fled; Da Zi gathered the remaining soldiers and revived, fought Yan, and sought rewards, but King Min would not give them. The army was broken and fled, and the king fled to Ju. Nao Chi enumerated his faults saying: 'Between Qianshen and Bochang, for several hundred li it rained blood and soaked clothing; does the king know it?' The king said, 'I do not.' 'Between Yingbo the ground split to the springs; does the king know it?' The king said, 'I do not.' 'Someone stood before the gate and wept; when sought he could not be found, when one left one heard his voice; does the king know it?' The king said, 'I do not.' Nao Chi said: 'Heaven rained blood to soak clothing: Heaven informed you; the ground split to the springs: Earth informed you; someone wept before the gate: people informed you. Heaven, Earth, and people have all informed you and yet the king did not know to take warning; how could you avoid execution?' So he killed King Min at Guli. The Shuoyuan, 'Miscellaneous Matters,' says: King Min of Qi, in flight and living in Wei, walked in the daytime and said to Gongyu Dan: 'I have already been ruined without knowing the reason; what is the reason I have been ruined?' Gongyu Dan answered: 'I thought Your Majesty already knew; does Your Majesty still not know? The reason Your Majesty was ruined was being worthy. Because the rulers of the world are all unworthy and hated Your Majesty's worth, they joined forces and attacked you; this is why Your Majesty was ruined.' King Min sighed with feeling: 'Is worthiness truly so bitter?' Dan then said to King Min: 'There were ancients who gave up the world without a look of sorrow; I have heard of them and see their reality in Your Majesty. Your Majesty was named Eastern Emperor and truly held the world, yet left your state to live in Wei, and your countenance is full and your color radiant, with no thought of regard for the state.' The king said: 'Very good. Dan knows that since I left the state and lived in Wei I have gained three benefits.' So he went on being arrogant and self-satisfied without stopping. King Min fled to Wei, and the ruler of Wei vacated his palace for him, called himself a minister, and provided for him; King Min was not humble, and the people of Wei encroached on him. King Min left for Zou and Lu with an arrogant look, and Zou and Lu did not take him in, so he fled to Ju. Chu sent Nao Chi to lead troops to rescue Qi and became King Min's chancellor; Nao Chi pulled out King Min's tendons and hung him from the temple beam, and killed him by the next day, and shared the land of Qi with Yan. How sad! King Min presided over the great state of Qi, its land several thousand li square, yet his troops were defeated by the feudal lords and his land seized by King Zhao of Yan, his ancestral temple destroyed (the base text writes 'ancestral temple (lost character)', which should be 'destroyed'), his altars unsacrificed, his palaces empty, himself fleeing in flight, worse than a convict; he still did not know why he was ruined, which is most painful; he still thought himself worthy, how could this not be pitiable? Gongyu Dan, among convicts, spoke most flatteringly, and King Min did not notice and instead pursued and favored him, taking disgrace as glory and sorrow as joy; his ruin came late but in the end he was killed. So King Min of Qi, though he reached death, never understood to the end of his life. How sad!] King Jian listened to drifting talk and trusted the sowing of discord (reading note: 'jian' is read as 'jian'), used Hou Sheng's plan, did not ally with the feudal lords, and so lost his state and was captured by Qin (the base text's 'qin' is equated with 'seize'); was that not fitting? [The Strategies of Qi says: The First Emperor once sent an envoy to give Queen Dowager Junwang a jade chain of linked rings, saying: 'Qi has much wisdom; can it untie this ring?' The queen dowager showed it to the ministers, and the ministers did not know how to untie it. The queen dowager took an awl and struck it to pieces, and said to the Qin envoy: 'It has been respectfully untied.' When the queen dowager fell ill and was about to die, she warned Jian: 'Among the ministers who can be used there is so-and-so.' Jian said: 'Please write it down.' The queen dowager said 'Good' and took brush and tablet to receive the writing; the queen dowager said: 'This old woman has already forgotten.' After the queen dowager died, Hou Sheng became chancellor of Qi, accepted much gold and jade from Qin spies, and sent guests into Qin who all gave altered words, urging the king to pay court to Qin and not prepare for offense and defense. King Jian of Qi went to court in Qin, and the Yongmen Sima came forward and said: 'For whom was the king established? For the altars of the state? Or for the king's own sake?' The king said: 'For the altars.' The Sima said: 'If for the altars, why does the king leave the altars and enter Qin?' The king of Qi turned his carriage and went back. The grandee of Jimo heard that the Yongmen Sima had remonstrated and been heeded, thought it possible, and went in to see the king of Qi saying: 'The land of Qi is several thousand li square, with several million armored troops. The grandees of the Three Jin who do not find Qin convenient and are between A and Juan number in the hundreds; if the king gathers them and gives them a million troops to recover the old lands of the Three Jin, then the Linjin pass can be entered; the grandees of Yan and Ying who do not wish to be Qin's and are below the city to the south number in the hundreds; if the king gathers them and gives them a million troops to recover the old lands of Chu, then the Wu pass can be entered. In this way Qi's authority can be established and the Qin state can be destroyed. To abandon facing south and declaring law and instead face west and serve Qin, I privately think Your Majesty should not take.' The king of Qi did not listen. Qin sent Chen Chi to lure the king of Qi into entering, promising him five hundred li of land. The king of Qi did not listen to the grandee of Jimo and listened to Chen Chi, and so entered Qin, was put among the pines and cypresses of Gong, and starved to death. The Hereditary House of Qi says: At first Queen Dowager Junwang served Qin carefully and was trustworthy with the feudal lords, and Qi was on the eastern seacoast; Qin attacked the Three Jin, Yan, and Chu day and night, and the five states each saved themselves from Qin, so King Jian reigned over forty years without suffering war. After the queen dowager died, Hou Sheng became chancellor of Qi, accepted much gold from Qin spies, sent many guests into Qin, and Qin gave much more gold; the guests all acted as double agents, urging the king to leave the alliance and pay court to Qin, not prepare for offense and defense, and not help the five states attack Qin. Because of this Qin was able to destroy the five states; once the five states had fallen, Qin troops finally entered Linzi, and no one dared resist, and King Jian then surrendered and was moved to Gong. So the people of Qi resented King Jian for not allying earlier with the feudal lords to attack Qin and for listening to treacherous ministers and guests so that he lost his state, and sang: Is it pines? Is it cypresses? Those who lodged Jian at Gong were guests? They hated Jian's use of guests as inauspicious.]

御史曰伊尹以割烹事湯百里以飯【上聲】牛要【平聲】穆公始為苟合信然與之伯【音霸】王【去聲】何言不從何道不行【孟子傳曰伊尹負鼎而勉湯以王百里奚飯牛車下而繆公用霸作先合然後引之大道】故商君以王道說孝公不用即以強國之道卒以就功鄒子以儒術幹世主不用即以變化始終之論卒以顯名【衛鞅傳曰公孫鞅聞秦孝公下令國中求賢者將修繆公之業東復侵地廼遂西入秦因孝公臣景監以求見孝公孝公既見衛鞅語事良乆孝公時時睡弗聼罷而孝公怒景監曰子之客妄人耳安足用耶景監以讓衛鞅衛鞅曰吾說公以帝道其志不開悟矣後五日復求見鞅鞅復見孝公益愈然而未中防罷而孝公復讓景監景監亦讓鞅鞅曰吾說公以王道而未入也請復見鞅鞅復見孝公孝公善之而未用也罷而去孝公謂景監曰汝客善可與語矣鞅曰吾說公以霸道其意欲用之矣誠復見我我知之矣衛鞅復見孝公公與語不自知膝之前於席也語數日不厭景監曰子何以中吾君吾君之驩甚也鞅曰吾說君以帝王之道比三代而君曰乆逺不能待且賢君者各及其身顯名天下安能邑邑待十數年而成帝王乎故吾以強國之術說君大說之耳然亦難以比德於殷周矣孝公既用衛鞅以衛鞅為左庶長卒定變法之令孟子傳曰騶衍睹有國者益侈不能尚德若大雅整之於身施及黎庻矣乃深觀隂陽消息而作恠迂之變終始大聖之篇十餘萬言其語閎大不經必先驗小物推而大之至於無垠王公大人初見其術懼然顧化是以騶子重於齊適梁惠王郊迎執賓主之禮適趙平原君側行襒席如燕昭王擁彗先驅請列弟子之座而受業築碣石宮身親往師之作主運其遊諸侯見尊禮如此鮑焦曰世不已知而行之不已者爽行也上不已用而幹之不止者是毀亷也行爽防毀然且不捨惑於利者也】故馬効千里不必胡代士貴成功不貴文辭【呂氏春秋曰良劔期乎能斷不期乎鏌鎁良馬期乎千里不期乎驁】孟軻守舊術不知世務故困於梁宋孔子能方不能圓故飢於黎丘【孟子傳曰仲尼菜色陳蔡孟軻困於齊梁晉文公曰直而不枉不可與長往方而不圎不可與長存】今晩世之儒勤徳時有乏匱言以為非因此不行自周室以來千有餘歳獨有文武成康如言必參一焉取所不能及而稱之猶躄【音壁】者能言逺不能行也聖人異塗同歸或行或止其趣一也商君雖革法改教志存於強國利民鄒子之作變化之術亦歸於仁義祭仲自貶損以行權時也【春秋曰宋人執鄭祭仲公羊傳曰祭仲者何鄭相也何以不名賢也何賢乎祭仲以為知權也其為知權奈何古者鄭國處於留先鄭伯有善乎鄶公者通乎夫人以取其國而遷鄭焉而野留莊公死已葬祭仲將往省於留塗出於宋宋人執之謂之曰為我出忽而立突祭仲不從其言則君必死國必亡從其言則君可以生易死國可以存易亡少遼緩之則突可故出而忽可故反是不可得則病然後有鄭國古人之有權者祭仲之權是也權者何權者反於經然後有善者也權之所設舎死亡無所設行權有道自貶損以行權不害人以行權殺人以自生亡人以自存君子不為也】故小枉大直君子為之【繆稱訓曰行險者不得履防出林者不得直道汜論曰誳寸而伸尺聖人為之小枉而大直君子行之】今硜硜然守一道引尾生之意即晉文之譎諸侯以尊周室不足道而管仲防恥辱以存亡不足稱也

The Imperial Counselor said: Yi Yin served Tang by cutting and cooking, and Baili Xi sought Duke Mu by feeding oxen (reading notes: 'fan' (to feed) is read in the rising tone; 'yao' (to seek) is read in the level tone); at first they matched casually, and truly joined him; what word of a hegemon or king would not be followed, and what way not practiced? [The Mencius commentary says: Yi Yin carried a cauldron and urged Tang to become king, and Baili Xi fed oxen under a cart and Duke Mu employed him to become hegemon; they first matched and then led him to the great Way.] So Lord Shang persuaded Duke Xiao with the Kingly Way and was not used, so used the Way of strengthening the state and in the end achieved merit; Master Zou sought rulers with Confucian learning and was not used, so used the theory of change and of beginning and end, and in the end became famous. [The Biography of Wei Yang says: Gongsun Yang heard that Duke Xiao of Qin issued an order throughout the state seeking worthy men, intending to restore Duke Mu's work and recover the lands in the east, so he went west into Qin and sought an audience through Jing Jian, a favored minister of Duke Xiao. When Duke Xiao met Wei Yang, they talked for a long time, and the duke was often asleep and did not listen. After they left, Duke Xiao angrily told Jing Jian: 'Your guest is just a fool; how is he worth using?' Jing Jian reproached Wei Yang. Wei Yang said: 'I spoke to the duke of the Way of emperors, and his mind was not opened.' Five days later he sought another audience. Yang saw Duke Xiao again and it was better, but still did not hit the point. After they left, Duke Xiao again reproached Jing Jian, and Jing Jian again reproached Yang. Yang said: 'I spoke to the duke of the Kingly Way and it did not enter. Let me see him again.' Yang saw Duke Xiao again, and the duke thought well of it but did not use him. After they left, Duke Xiao said to Jing Jian: 'Your guest is good; I can talk with him.' Yang said: 'I spoke to the duke of the Way of hegemony and he intends to use it. If he truly sees me again, I know it.' Wei Yang saw Duke Xiao again, and the duke talked with him, not realizing that his knees moved forward off the mat, and talked for days without tiring. Jing Jian said: 'How did you hit it with my lord? My lord is delighted.' Yang said: 'I spoke to the lord of the Way of emperors and kings, comparing it with the Three Dynasties, and the lord said it was too far off and he could not wait; moreover, worthy rulers each wish to be famous throughout the world in their own lifetimes, and how could he wait gloomily for ten-odd years to become emperor or king? So I spoke to him of the art of strengthening the state, and he was greatly pleased. Yet it is hard to compare it in virtue with Yin and Zhou.' Once Duke Xiao used Wei Yang, he made him Left Shuzhang and in the end fixed the decrees of changing the law. The Mencius commentary says: Zou Yan saw that the rulers of states grew more arrogant and extravagant and could not honor virtue as in the Great Odes, putting it in order in themselves and extending it to the common people, so he deeply observed the waxing and waning of yin and yang and made the strange and tortuous changes, and the chapters on the beginning and end of the great sages, more than a hundred thousand words. His language was grand and unorthodox; he first tested small things and extended them to the boundless. Kings and lords at first sight of his art were startled and turned toward transformation. So Master Zou was esteemed in Qi; going to Liang, King Hui welcomed him in the suburbs and held the ritual of host and guest; going to Zhao, Lord Pingyuan walked beside him and brushed the mat; going to Yan, King Zhao held a broom and led the way, asked to be seated among his disciples and receive instruction, built the Jieshi Palace and went in person to study with him, and he composed 'The Movement of the Masters.' His honor and treatment among the feudal lords was like this. Bao Jiao said: One who is not known by the age yet does not stop acting is of erring conduct; one who is not used by superiors yet does not stop seeking is of ruined integrity. Erring in conduct and ruined in integrity yet not giving up is being deluded by profit.] So a horse's merit is a thousand li and does not need to be from Hu or Dai, and an officer values achievement and not literary expression. [The Annals of Lu says: A good sword is expected to cut, not expected to be Moye; a good horse is expected to go a thousand li, not expected to be a Ji or Ao (the base text's character is obscure and lost in transcription; read as 'Ji').] Mencius kept to old methods and did not know the affairs of the age, so he was in difficulty in Liang and Song; Confucius could be square but not round, so he went hungry at Liqiu. [The Mencius commentary says: Zhongni had a hungry look in Chen and Cai, and Mencius was in difficulty in Qi and Liang. Duke Wen of Jin said: One who is straight and not crooked cannot go far with others; one who is square and not round cannot last long with others.] Now the Confucians of the late age strive for virtue, but there are times of want and shortage, and what they say is thought wrong, so it is not practiced. In the more than a thousand years since the Zhou house, there have only been Wen, Wu, Cheng, and Kang; if in speaking one must take one of them as a standard, taking what one cannot reach and praising it, it is like a lame man (reading note: 'bi' is read as 'bi') who can speak of the far but cannot walk it. The sages took different roads and returned to the same point, some acting and some stopping, but their aim was one. Lord Shang, though he reformed laws and changed teachings, kept his aim in strengthening the state and benefiting the people; Master Zou's making of the art of change also returned to humaneness and righteousness. Zhai Zhong lowered and diminished himself to practice expedience, which was timely. [The Spring and Autumn Annals says: The people of Song seized Zhai Zhong of Zheng. The Gongyang Commentary says: Who was Zhai Zhong? The chancellor of Zheng. Why is he not named? He was worthy. How was Zhai Zhong worthy? He is thought to have known expedience. How did he know expedience? In ancient times the state of Zheng was at Liu; the previous Marquis of Zheng had been on good terms with the Duke of Kuai, had an affair with the duchess to take over his state and moved Zheng there, and left Liu a wilderness. When Duke Zhuang died and was buried, Zhai Zhong was about to go inspect Liu and the road went through Song. The people of Song seized him and told him: 'Drive out Hu for me and establish Tu.' If Zhai Zhong did not follow their word, the ruler would surely die and the state would surely perish; if he followed their word, the ruler could live in place of dying, and the state survive in place of perishing; if he delayed a little, Tu could be deliberately driven out and Hu could be deliberately returned; if it could not be obtained, then there would be harm, and only after that the state of Zheng. Among ancient men who had expedience, Zhai Zhong's expedience was this. What is expedience? Expedience is going against the norm and then having something good. The place where expedience is set is nowhere but where there is death and ruin. There is a way of practicing expedience: lower and diminish oneself to practice expedience, not harm others to practice expedience; to kill people to save oneself, or ruin people to preserve oneself, the gentleman does not do.] So a small crookedness for a great straightness is what the gentleman does. [The Huainanzi, 'Miao Cheng,' says: One who walks a dangerous path cannot tread level ground, and one who leaves the forest cannot take a straight road. The 'Discussion of Generalities' says: To bend an inch to extend a foot, the sage does it; a little crookedness for great straightness, the gentleman does it.] Now to cling rigidly to one way and cite Weisheng's idea would be to say that Duke Wen of Jin's deception of the feudal lords to honor the Zhou house is not worth mentioning, and that Guan Zhong's bearing of disgrace to preserve what was perishing is not worth praising.

文學曰伊尹之於湯知聖主也百里之歸秦知明君也【許慎曰伊尹處於有莘之野執鼎爼和五味以幹湯欲其調隂陽行其道詩云實維阿衡實左右商王是也孟子曰百里奚時舉於秦知繆公之可與有行也而相之可謂不智乎】二君之能知伯【音霸】王其冊【通作防】素形於已非暗而以防防決事也孔子曰名不正則言不順言不順則事不成如何其茍合而以成伯【音霸】王也君子執徳秉義而行故造次必於是顛沛必於是孟子曰居今之朝【音潮】不易其俗而成千乗【去聲】之勢不能一朝居也寧窮飢居於陋巷安能變已而從俗也【齊桓公曰萬乗之君不好仁義不輕身於布衣之士布衣之士不欲富貴不輕身於萬乗之君叢談曰君子雖窮不處亡國之勢雖貧不受亂君之祿尊乎亂世同乎暴君君子之恥也】闔廬殺僚公子札去而之延陵終身不入吳國魯公殺子赤叔肸退而隠處不食其祿【節士傳曰延陵季子者吳王之子也嫡同母昆弟四人長曰遏次曰餘祭次曰夷昩次曰札札即季子最小而賢兄弟皆愛之既除防將立季子季子辭曰曹宣公之卒也諸侯與曹人不義曹君將立子臧子臧去之遂不為也以成曹君君子曰能守節矣君義嗣也誰敢幹君有國非吾節也札雖不才願附子臧以無失節固立之棄其室而耕乃舍之遏曰今若是作而與季子季子必不受請無與子而與弟弟兄迭為君而致諸侯於季子皆曰諾故諸其為君者皆輕死為勇飲食必祝曰天若有吾國必疾有禍予身故遏也死餘祭立餘祭死夷昧立夷昧死而國宜之季子也季子使而未還僚者長兄之庶子也自立為吳王季子使而還至則君事之遏之子曰王子光號曰闔閭不恱曰先君之所為不與子而與弟者凡為季子也將從先君之命則國宜之季子也如不從先君之命而與子我宜當立者也僚惡得為君於是使專諸刺僚而致國乎季子季子曰爾殺吾君吾受爾國是吾與爾為亂也爾殺吾兄吾又殺爾是父子兄弟相殺終身無已也去而之延陵終身不入吳國故號曰延陵季子君子以其不受國為義以其不殺為仁是以春秋賢季子而尊貴之也左傳曰冬十月仲殺惡及視而立宣公書曰子卒諱之也仲以君命召惠伯其宰人公冉務人曰若君命可使非君命何聼弗聼乃入殺而埋之馬矢之中公冉務人奉其帑以奔蔡既而復叔仲氏公羊傳曰子卒者孰謂謂子赤也何以不日之也何耳殺也殺則何以不日不忍言也穀梁傳曰公弟叔賢之也其賢之何也宣弒而非之也非之則胡為不去也曰兄弟也何去而之與之財則曰我足矣織屨而食終身不食宣公之食君子以是為通恩也以取貴乎春秋節士傳曰魯宣公者魯文公之弟也文公薨文公之子子赤立為魯侯宣公殺子赤而奪之國立為魯侯公子肸者宣公之同母弟也宣公殺子赤而肸非之宣公與之祿則曰我足矣何以兄之食為哉織屨而食終身不食宣公之食其仁恩厚矣其守節固矣故春秋美而貴之孔子曰刳胎焚夭則麒麟不至幹澤而漁則蛟龍不遊覆巢毀卵則鳳鳥不翔君子重傷其類者也】虧義得尊枉道取容效死不為也聞正道而行釋事而退未聞枉道以求容也【子貢曰非其世者不生其利汚其君者不履其土鮑焦曰賢者重進而輕退廉者易愧而輕死石買曰女不貞衒士不信】

The Literati said: Yi Yin knew in Tang a sage ruler; Boli Xi, turning to Qin, knew in Duke Mu an enlightened lord. [Xu Shen said: Yi Yin dwelt in the wilds of Youshen and, holding the cauldron and cutting board and blending the five flavors, sought an audience with Tang, wishing to harmonize yin and yang and carry out his Way. The Book of Poetry says: 'It was truly Aheng who truly assisted the king of Shang.' This is it. Mencius said: 'Boli Xi was raised in Qin; he knew that Duke Mu could be one with whom to act and served as his chancellor; can this be called unwise?'] That these two rulers could know hegemons and kings, their plans were long formed in themselves, and they did not decide matters in the dark and obscurely. Confucius said: if names are not correct, speech does not flow; if speech does not flow, affairs are not accomplished; how could one carelessly join and thereby become a hegemon or king? The gentleman holds virtue and keeps righteousness in his conduct, so even in haste he must be in it and even in turmoil he must be in it. Mencius said: to stand in today's court without changing its customs and yet gain the power of a thousand-chariot state, he could not remain a single morning. He would rather be poor and hungry in a mean alley; how could he change himself to follow custom? [Duke Huan of Qi said: a ruler of ten thousand chariots who does not love benevolence and righteousness does not lightly deal with commoner scholars; a commoner scholar who does not desire wealth and honor does not lightly deal with rulers of ten thousand chariots. The Miscellaneous Talks say: though poor, the gentleman does not dwell in the situation of a ruined state; though poor, he does not accept the salary of a disordered ruler. To be honored in a disordered age and to be the same as a tyrant is a shame to the gentleman.] When Helu killed Liao, Prince Zha left for Yanling and never entered the state of Wu for the rest of his life; when the Duke of Lu killed Zichi, Shu Xi withdrew and lived in seclusion and did not eat his salary. [The Biographies of Scholars of Principle say: Jizi of Yanling was a son of the King of Wu; of four brothers of the same mother, the eldest was called E, the next Yuji, the next Yimo, and the youngest Zha. Zha was Jizi, the youngest and worthy, and his brothers all loved him. After the mourning was over they were about to set Jizi up as ruler, but Jizi declined, saying: 'When Duke Xuan of Cao died, the feudal lords and the people of Cao thought the Cao ruler unrighteous and were going to set up Zizang, but Zizang left and so did not do it, which allowed the Cao ruler to stand. The gentleman said Zizang could keep his principle. You are the rightful heir; who dares oppose you? To hold a state is not my principle. Though I, Zha, am untalented, I wish to attach myself to Zizang and not lose my principle.' They insisted on setting him up, and he abandoned his house and went to plow, so they let him go. E said: 'If we now suddenly give it to Jizi, Jizi will surely not accept it. Let us not give it to a son but to a brother, and let brothers succeed one another as ruler and finally yield the state to Jizi.' All said yes. So each of those who became ruler made light of death as a mark of courage, and at every meal prayed: 'If Heaven has our state, may disaster fall at once on my own person.' So when E died, Yuji was set up; when Yuji died, Yimo was set up; when Yimo died, the state should have gone to Jizi. Jizi was away on a mission and had not returned, and Liao, the son of the eldest brother by a secondary wife, set himself up as King of Wu. When Jizi returned from his mission, on arriving he served him as ruler. E's son, called Prince Guang and titled Helu, was displeased and said: 'The reason the late ruler did not give it to a son but to a brother was entirely for Jizi. If we follow the late ruler's command, the state should go to Jizi; if we do not follow the late ruler's command and give it to a son, I should be the one set up. How can Liao be ruler?' Then he had Zhuan Zhu stab Liao and offered the state to Jizi. Jizi said: 'You killed my ruler and I accept your state; this is joining you in disorder. You killed my brother and I kill you in turn; this is father and son, brothers, killing each other for life without end.' He left for Yanling and never entered the state of Wu for the rest of his life, so he is called Jizi of Yanling. The gentleman took his not accepting the state as righteousness and his not killing as benevolence, which is why the Spring and Autumn Annals honored Jizi as worthy. The Zuo Commentary says: In the winter, tenth month, Zhong killed E and Shi and set up Duke Xuan, and the Annals recorded 'the son died,' concealing it. Zhong summoned Hui Bo in the ruler's name, and his steward Gongran Wuren said: 'If it is the ruler's command, go; if it is not the ruler's command, what is there to obey?' He did not listen and went in, and was killed and buried in horse dung. Gongran Wuren took his family and fled to Cai, and then the Shuzhong clan was restored. The Gongyang Commentary says: 'The son died': who is meant? It means Zichi. Why is the date not given? It is concealing it. What is concealed? That he was killed. If killed, why is the date not given? One cannot bear to say it. The Guliang Commentary says: the Duke's younger brother Shu Xi was regarded as worthy. Why was he regarded as worthy? Because Xuan committed regicide and he condemned it. If he condemned it, why did he not leave? He said: he is my brother, so where would I go? When given wealth he said 'I have enough,' wove sandals for food, and never ate Duke Xuan's food. The gentleman took this as exemplifying the passing on of kindness, and so was valued in the Annals. The Biographies of Scholars of Principle say: Duke Xuan of Lu was the younger brother of Duke Wen of Lu. When Duke Wen died, Duke Wen's son Zichi was set up as Marquis of Lu; Duke Xuan killed Zichi, seized the state and was set up as Marquis of Lu. Prince Xi was Duke Xuan's full younger brother. Duke Xuan killed Zichi and Xi condemned it; when Duke Xuan gave him salary he said 'I have enough; why would I take my brother's food?' He wove sandals for food and never ate Duke Xuan's food. His benevolence and kindness were deep and his keeping of principle firm, so the Annals praised and honored him. Confucius said: if one cuts open pregnant animals and burns the young, the qilin does not come; if one drains a marsh to fish, the flood dragons do not swim; if one overturns nests and breaks eggs, the phoenix does not fly. The gentleman is gravely hurt by harm to his own kind.] To harm righteousness to gain honor, or bend the Way to be tolerated, they would die rather than do. They heard of the correct Way and followed it, put aside affairs and withdrew; they never heard of bending the Way to seek toleration. [Zigong said: one who is not of an age does not make a profit from it; one who defiles his ruler does not tread on his land. Bao Jiao said: the worthy value advancing and take withdrawing lightly; the upright are easily ashamed and take death lightly. Shi Mai said: a woman who elopes is not chaste, a scholar who peddles himself is not trustworthy.]

御史曰論語云親於其身為不善者君子不入也【鄒陽曰盛飾入朝者不以私行義砥礪名號者不以利傷行故里名勝母曽子不入邑號朝歌墨子回車】有是言而行不足從也季氏為無道逐其君奪其政而冉求仲由臣焉禮男女不授受不交爵孔子適衛因嬖臣彌子瑕以見衛夫人子路不說【音恱】子瑕佞臣也夫子因之非正也男女不交孔子見南子非禮也禮義由孔氏出且貶道以求容惡【音烏】在其釋事而退也【泰族訓曰夫聖人之屈者以求伸也枉者以求直也故雖出邪僻之道行幽昧之塗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孔子欲行王道東西南非七十說而無所偶故因衛夫人彌子瑕而欲通其道由至昭昭動於權而統於善者也】

The Imperial Secretary said: The Analects says: 'A gentleman does not enter the place of one who does what is not good in his own person.' [Zou Yang said: those who enter court in splendid dress do not practice righteousness for private ends, and those who hone their names do not harm their conduct for profit. So when a village was named 'Overcoming Mother,' Master Zeng would not enter; when a town was named 'Morning Song,' Mozi turned his carriage back.] There are such words, but the conduct does not suffice to follow them. The Ji clan acted without the Way, expelled their ruler and seized his government, and yet Ran Qiu and Zhong You served as ministers to them. By ritual, men and women do not hand things to each other directly and do not exchange cups. Confucius went to Wei and through the favorite minister Mi Zixia sought to see the lady of Wei, and Zilu was displeased. Zixia was a flatterer and the Master relied on him, not rightly; men and women do not exchange, and Confucius's seeing Nanzi was against ritual. Ritual and righteousness come from Confucius, yet he lowered the Way to seek toleration; so how is withdrawing from affairs worth praise? [The Huainanzi, in the chapter on kinds of power, says: the sage bends in order to extend, and warps in order to straighten. So though he goes out by a crooked road and travels a dim path, he is going to straighten the great Way and achieve great work, just as when going out of a forest one cannot take a straight road, and when rescuing a drowning person one cannot avoid wetting one's feet. Confucius wished to practice the kingly way, and in the east, west, south and north he made seventy appeals but found no match; so he relied on the lady of Wei and Mi Zixia to wish to open his Way, going from dimness to brightness, moving by expedience and ruled by goodness.]

文學曰天下不平庶國不寧明王之憂也上無天子下無方伯天下煩亂賢聖之憂也是以堯憂洪水伊尹憂民管仲束縛孔子周流【孟子曰當堯之時天下猶未平洪水橫流泛濫於天下堯獨憂之舉舜而敷治焉泰族訓曰伊尹憂天下之不治調和五味負鼎爼而行五就桀五就湯將欲以濁為清以危為安也許慎曰管仲相齊公子紏不死子紏之難而奔魯束縛以歸齊桓公用之而霸也劉向曰孔子生於亂世莫之能容也故言行於君澤加於民然後仕言不行於君澤不加於民則處孔子懐天覆之心挾仁聖之徳憫時俗之汚泥傷紀綱之廢壊服重歴逺周流應聘乃俟幸施道以子百姓而當世諸侯莫能任用是以徳積而不肆大道屈而不伸海內不其化群生不被其恩故喟然嘆曰如有用我者則吾其為東周乎故孔子行說非欲私身運德於一城將欲舒之於天下而建之於群生者耳】憂百姓之禍而欲安其危也是以負爼囚拘匍匐以救之故追亡者趨拯溺者濡今民陥溝壑雖欲無濡豈得已哉御史黙不對

The Literati said: When the world is not at peace and the many states are not settled, this is the worry of an enlightened king; when there is no Son of Heaven above and no regional lord below and the world is in turmoil, this is the worry of worthies and sages. So Yao worried about the great flood, Yi Yin worried about the people, Guan Zhong was bound, and Confucius traveled everywhere. [Mencius says: in the time of Yao the world was not yet at peace; floods flowed across and overflowed the world, and Yao alone worried about it, promoted Shun, and had him spread order. The Huainanzi, in the chapter on kinds of power, says: Yi Yin worried that the world was not in order, blended the five flavors, and went carrying the cauldron and cutting board, five times going to Jie and five times to Tang, wishing to make the turbid clear and danger safe. Xu Shen said: Guan Zhong served as chancellor to Prince Jiu of Qi, did not die in Prince Jiu's calamity but fled to Lu, was bound and brought back to Qi, and Duke Huan used him and became hegemon. Liu Xiang said: Confucius was born in a disordered age and no one could tolerate him. So when his words were put into practice by the ruler and his favor reached the people, he served in office; when his words were not practiced by the ruler and his favor did not reach the people, he stayed at home. Confucius held a mind that covers like Heaven and carried the virtue of benevolence and sagehood; he pitied the mire of the age's customs and grieved at the collapse of the guiding threads; he bore heavy burdens and traveled far, going about and answering invitations, hoping to apply the Way and treat the people as his children, but the feudal lords of that time could not employ him. So virtue accumulated but was not set out, the great Way was bent and not extended, those within the seas did not receive his transformation, and the multitude of beings did not receive his kindness. So he sighed deeply and said: 'If anyone were to employ me, might I make a Zhou of the east?' So Confucius's going about to persuade was not to seek for himself, nor to apply his virtue in one city; he wished to extend it to the whole world and establish it for all beings.] He worried over the disasters of the people and wished to make their danger safe. So they carried the cauldron and cutting board, were imprisoned and bound, and crawled, to rescue them. So one who chases a fugitive hurries, and one who rescues a drowning person gets wet. Now when the people have fallen into ditches and ravines, though one would like not to get wet, how could one help it? The Imperial Secretary was silent and did not answer.

大夫曰文學言天下不平庶國不寧明王之憂也故王者之於天下猶一室之中也有一人不得其所則謂之不樂【音洛貴德篇曰聖人之於天下也譬猶一堂之上也今有滿堂飲酒者有一人獨索然向隅而泣則一堂之人皆不樂矣聖人之於天下也譬猶一堂之上也有一人不得其所者則孝子不敢以其物薦進主術訓曰髙臺層榭接屋連閣非不麗也然民無掘穴狹廬所以託身者明主弗樂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寜也然民有處邉城犯危難澤死暴骸者明主弗安也故古之君人其慘怛於民也國有飢者食不重味民有寒者而冬不被裘嵗登民豐乃始縣鐘鼓陳於戚君臣上下同心而樂之國無哀人】故民流沈溺而不救非恵君也國家有難【去聲】而不憂非忠臣也夫【音扶】守節死難【去聲】者人臣之職也【申鳴曰始吾父之孝子也今吾君之忠臣也食其食者死其事受其祿者畢其能】衣食飢寒者慈父之道也【河間獻王曰堯存心於天下加志於窮民痛萬姓之罹罪憂眾生之不遂也有一民飢則曰此我飢之也有一人寒則曰此我寒之也一民有罪則曰此我防之也仁昭而義立德博而化廣故不賞而民勸不罸而民治先恕而後教是堯德也貴德篇曰聖人之於天下百姓也其猶赤子乎飢者則食之寒者則衣之將之養之育之長之惟恐其不至於大也】今子弟逺勞於外人主為之夙夜不寜群臣盡力畢議冊【通防】作茲國用故少府丞令請建酒【音較】以【古贍字】邊給戰士拯救民於難【去聲】也為人父兄者豈可以已乎內省衣食以恤在外者猶未足今又欲罷諸用減奉邊之費未可為慈父賢兄也

The Grand Secretary said: The Literati say that when the world is not at peace and the many states are not settled, this is the worry of an enlightened king. So a true king regards the world like a single room: if one person does not get his place, he calls it not joyful. [The Garden of Stories, in the chapter on valuing virtue, says: the sage toward the world is like one hall: suppose there are people drinking all through the hall, but one person alone sits weeping desolately facing the corner; then everyone in the hall is not joyful. The sage toward the world is like one hall: if there is one person who has not got his place, a filial son does not dare present his offerings. The Huainanzi, in the chapter on the art of rulership, says: high terraces and layered pavilions, houses joined and towers connected, are not unbeautiful; but if some people do not even have caves and narrow huts to shelter them, an enlightened ruler takes no joy. Rich and fat, sweet and crisp food is not unpleasant; but if some people cannot get husks and beans to their mouths, an enlightened ruler finds it not sweet. A comfortable bed and soft mat are not unrestful; but if some people live in border cities, braving danger and difficulty, dying in marshes with their bones exposed, an enlightened ruler is not at ease. So the rulers of old were pained for the people: if there were hungry people in the state, he did not eat a second flavor; if some among the people were cold, he did not wear fur even in winter; only when the year was good and the people abundant did he begin to hang bells and drums and set out shields and axes, ruler and ministers, high and low, rejoicing together, with no sorrowful person in the state.] So if the people drift and drown and he does not rescue them, he is not a kind ruler; if the state has trouble and he does not worry, he is not a loyal minister. To keep one's principle and die in a crisis is the duty of a minister. [Shen Ming said: once I was my father's filial son; now I am my ruler's loyal minister. One who eats a man's food dies for his affairs, and one who receives a man's salary exhausts his abilities.] To clothe and feed the hungry and cold is the way of a kind father. [Prince Xian of Hejian said: Yao set his heart on the world and applied his will to the destitute people; he was pained that the myriad families met with guilt and worried that the multitude of living beings did not thrive. If one person was hungry he said, 'It is I who starve him'; if one was cold he said, 'It is I who chill him'; if one had a crime he said, 'It is I who dropped him into it.' Benevolence shone and righteousness stood, virtue was broad and transformation wide, so the people were encouraged without reward and governed without punishment. Considerateness first and instruction after: this was Yao's virtue. The Garden of Stories, in the chapter on valuing virtue, says: the sage toward the common people of the world is like a newborn child: if hungry he feeds him, if cold he clothes him, he carries him, nourishes him, raises him and lets him grow, fearing only that he will not grow great.] Now sons and younger brothers are toiling far outside, and the ruler is restless day and night for them; the ministers exhaust their strength and finish deliberating, planning this state expenditure, which is why the Deputy of the Privy Treasury asked to set up the wine monopoly to supply the borders and provide for the soldiers, to rescue the people from calamity. Can those who are fathers and elder brothers possibly be satisfied with stopping? Cutting back clothing and food at home to relieve those abroad is still not enough, and now to want to abandon these revenues and reduce the cost of supplying the borders is not being a kind father or a worthy elder brother.

文學曰周之季末天子防弱諸侯力政故國君不安謀臣奔馳何者敵國眾而社稷危也【賈生曰周室卑防五霸既滅令不行於天下是以諸侯力勁強凌弱眾暴寡兵革不休士民罷】今九州同域天下一統陛下優遊巖廊覽群臣極言至內論雅頌外鳴和鸞純徳粲然並於唐虞功烈流於子孫夫【音扶】蠻貊之人不食之地何足以煩慮而有戰國之憂哉若陛下不棄加之以德施之以恵北夷必內向欵塞【音賽】自至然後以為胡制於外臣即匈奴沒齒不食其所用矣

The Literati said: In the last years of Zhou, the Son of Heaven was feeble and the feudal lords attacked one another by force, so rulers were not at ease and strategist ministers rushed about. Why? Because enemy states were many and the altars of state in danger. [Jia Yi said: the house of Zhou was humble and weak, the Five Hegemons were already gone, orders did not run in the world, so the feudal lords were strong in force, the strong bullied the weak and the many oppressed the few, weapons never rested, and the gentry and people were exhausted.] Now the nine provinces share one territory and the world is unified; Your Majesty strolls at ease in the palace corridors, reviews the ministers' frank words, discusses the Ya and Song within, and sounds the harmonious bells without; your pure virtue shines alongside Tang and Yu, and your achievement will flow to your descendants. As for the barbarians and the lands where nothing is eaten, what is enough to trouble your thoughts and give worries as in the Warring States? If Your Majesty does not abandon them and applies virtue and bestows kindness, the northern Yi will certainly turn inward and come knocking at the border of their own accord. Then using the Hu to restrain others outside as subject, the Xiongnu will not eat what they use till the end of their lives.

大夫曰聖主思念中國之未寧北邊之未安故使廷尉評【古本作平】等問人間所疾苦極恤貧賤周澹【古贍字】不足【漢武紀曰始元二年閏九月遣故廷尉王平等五人持節行郡國舉賢良問民所疾苦寃失職者顔師古曰前為此官今不居者皆謂之故也】君臣所宣明王之德安宇內者未得其紀故問諸生諸生議不幹天則入淵【修務訓曰所為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】乃欲以閭里之治而況國家之大事亦不幾矣發於畎畆出於窮巷不知氷水之寒若醉而新寐殊不足與言也

The Grand Secretary said: The sage ruler is anxious that the central lands are not yet at peace and the northern border not yet secure, so he sent the Commandant of Justice Ping and others to ask the people what they suffer from, to exert themselves to comfort the poor and lowly and provide for those in want. [The Book of Han, Annals of Emperor Wu, says: in the intercalary ninth month of the second year of Shiyuan, he sent the former Commandant of Justice Wang Ping and four others, holding credentials, to travel through the commanderies and kingdoms, nominate the worthy and virtuous, and ask about what the people suffer, their grievances, and those who had lost their posts. Yan Shigu said: those who held the office before but no longer do are all called 'former.'] What the ruler and ministers must make plain is the virtue of an enlightened king and what keeps the world at peace, and they have not yet got their threads; so they ask you scholars. Your discussions do not strike the sky or else fall into the abyss. [The Huainanzi, in the chapter on cultivating effort, says: what is spoken of should be level with the crowd and the same as custom. Now if you do not praise the top of the ninth heaven you speak of the bottom of the Yellow Springs, which are two extreme ends; how can such discussion be public discussion?] And you wish to compare the government of a village to great affairs of state, which is also not close. You come from the fields and out of poor lanes, and do not know the cold of ice and water; like someone newly sobered from drink, you are quite unfit to talk with.

文學曰夫【音扶】欲安民富國之道在於反本本立而道生順天之理因地之利即不勞而功成【原道訓曰禹之決瀆也因水以為師神農之播谷也因苗以為教】夫【音扶】不修其源而事其流無本以統之雖竭精神盡思慮無益於治欲安之適足以危之慾救之適足以敗之夫【音扶】治亂之端在於本末而已不至勞其心而道可得也【建本篇曰孔子曰君子務本本立而道生本不正者末必倚始不盛者終必衰詩云原隰既平泉流既清本立而道生春秋之義有正春者無亂秋有正君者無危國易曰建其本而萬物理失之毫釐差以千里是故君子貴建本而重立始】孔子曰不通於論者難於言治道不同者不相與謀今公卿意有所倚文學之言不可用也【大夫種曰有髙世之材者必有負俗之累有至智之明者必破眾庻之議成大功者不拘於俗論大道者不合於眾雜言曰鍾子期死而伯牙絶弦破琴知世莫可為鼔也恵施卒而莊子深瞑不言見世莫可與語也】

The Literati said: To make the people peaceful and the state rich, the way lies in returning to the root. When the root is established the Way grows; follow Heaven's principle and rely on Earth's advantage, and success is achieved without toil. [The Huainanzi, in the chapter on the origin of the Way, says: when Yu breached the channels, he took the water as his teacher; when Shennong sowed the grain, he took the sprouts as his teaching.] If one does not cultivate the source and works on the stream, with no root to govern it, even if one exhausts one's spirit and thought it is no help to government. If one wishes to make it safe, it is just enough to endanger it; if one wishes to save it, it is just enough to ruin it. The beginning of order and disorder lies only in root and branch, and one need not toil in the heart for the Way to be obtained. [The Garden of Stories, in the chapter on establishing the root, says: Confucius said: the gentleman attends to the root, and when the root is established the Way grows. If the root is not straight, the branch must lean; if the beginning is not full, the end must decline. The Book of Poetry says: 'The plains and lowlands are leveled, the springs flow clear.' When the root is established, the Way grows. The principle of the Spring and Autumn Annals: where there is a correct spring there is no disordered autumn; where there is a correct ruler there is no endangered state. The Book of Changes says: establish the root and the myriad things are in order; lose it by a hair's breadth and the difference is a thousand li. So the gentleman values establishing the root and prizes setting up the beginning.] Confucius said: those who do not understand the discussion are hard to talk of governing with, and those whose ways differ do not plan together. Now the dukes and ministers have their minds leaning one way, and the words of the Literati cannot be used. [Grand Master Zhong said: those with talent exceeding the age must bear the burden of custom; those with the keenest wisdom must break the opinions of the common people; those who achieve great things are not bound by custom, and those who discuss the great Way do not accord with the crowd. The Miscellaneous Sayings say: when Zhong Ziqi died, Boya broke his strings and smashed his zither, knowing no one in the world was fit to play for; when Hui Shi died, Zhuangzi was deeply silent and did not speak, seeing that there was no one in the world to talk with.]

大夫曰吾聞為人臣者盡忠以順職為人子者致孝以承業君有非則臣覆蓋之父有非則子匿逃之故君薨臣不變君之政父沒則子不改父之道也春秋譏毀泉臺為其隳【音灰】先祖之所為而君父之惡也【春秋曰夫人姜氏薨毀泉臺公羊傳曰泉臺者何郎臺也郎臺則曷為謂之泉臺未成為郎臺既成為泉臺毀泉臺何以書譏也何譏爾築之譏毀之譏先祖為之已毀之不如勿居而已矣】今鹽鐵均輸所從來乆矣而欲罷之得無害先帝之功而妨聖主之德乎有司倚於忠孝之路是道殊而不同於文學之謀也

The Grand Secretary said: I have heard that a minister fulfills his loyalty by doing his duty and a son fulfills his filial piety by continuing the family's work. If the ruler has faults, the minister covers them; if the father has faults, the son conceals them. So when the ruler dies, the minister does not change the ruler's government; when the father is gone, the son does not alter the father's way. The Spring and Autumn Annals criticized the demolition of the Spring Terrace because it tore down what the ancestors had done and revealed the ruler's or father's wrongs. [The Annals says: Lady Jiang, the ruler's wife, died, and the Spring Terrace was demolished. The Gongyang Commentary says: what is the Spring Terrace? The Lang Terrace. Why is the Lang Terrace called the Spring Terrace? Before it was finished it was called the Lang Terrace; after it was finished it was called the Spring Terrace. Why is the demolition of the Spring Terrace recorded? As criticism. Criticism of what? Criticism of building it and criticism of demolishing it. If the ancestors made it and one has already demolished it, it would have been better simply not to live there.] Now the salt and iron monopoly and the equalization system have come from long ago, and to want to abolish them would harm the achievement of the former emperor and impede the virtue of the sage ruler. The officials rely on the path of loyalty and filial piety, and so their way differs and does not match the Literati's plans.

文學曰明者因時而變知【去聲】者隨世而制【趙武靈王曰古今異利逺近異用隂陽不同道四時不一宜鄉異而用變事異而禮易是以聖人觀其鄉而順宜因其事而制禮苟可以利其民不一其用果可以便其事不同其禮漢武帝曰五帝之教不相復而治禹湯之法不同道而王】孔子曰麻冕禮也今也純儉吾從眾故聖人上賢不離古順俗而不偏宜【汜論曰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】魯定公序昭穆順祖禰【音米】昭公廢卿士以省事節用不可謂變祖之所為而改父之道也二世充大阿房以崇緒趙髙累秦法以廣威而未可謂忠臣孝子也【秦紀曰二世東行郡縣還至咸陽曰先帝為咸陽朝廷小故營阿房宮為室堂未就防上崩罷其作者復上驪山驪山事大畢今釋阿房宮弗就則是章先帝舉事過也復作阿房宮外撫四夷如始皇計盡徴其材士五萬人為屯衛咸陽令教射狗馬禽獸當食者多度不足下調郡縣轉輸菽粟芻槀皆令自齎糧食咸陽三百里內不得食其谷用法益深】

The Literati said: The enlightened change with the times, and the wise regulate with the age. [King Wuling of Zhao said: past and present have different benefits, near and far have different uses, yin and yang do not share the same way, and the four seasons do not share one suitability. When the village differs, use changes; when affairs differ, ritual changes. So the sages looked at their villages and followed what was fitting, took their affairs as the basis for making ritual. If it can benefit the people, they do not hold to one use; if it can truly make affairs convenient, they do not share the same ritual. Emperor Wu of Han said: the teachings of the Five Emperors did not repeat one another and yet there was order, and the laws of Yu and Tang did not share a way and yet they became kings.] Confucius said: the hemp cap is ritual, but now silk is used, which is frugal, so I follow the crowd. So the sage honors worth and ability, does not depart from antiquity, and follows custom without being partial to what is fitting. [The Huainanzi, in the chapter on broad discussions, says: governing a state has constants, and benefiting the people is the root; government and instruction have principles, and orders being carried out is highest. If it benefits the people, one need not model on antiquity; if it suits affairs, one need not follow the old. Xia and Shang declined and perished without changing their laws; the Three Dynasties rose without copying one another and became kings. So the sage's laws change with the times and his rituals transform with customs, clothing and implements are each convenient for their use, and laws, institutions and orders each follow what is suitable. So changing the ancient is not necessarily to be condemned, and following custom is not necessarily to be praised. The hundred rivers have different sources and all return to the sea; the hundred schools differ in work and all strive for order.] Duke Ding of Lu ordered the zhao and mu ranks and followed the ancestors and father, and Duke Zhao dismissed ministers and officials to simplify affairs and economize use; it cannot be said that they changed what the ancestors did and altered the father's way. The Second Emperor enlarged the Epang Palace to exalt his predecessor's undertaking, and Zhao Gao added weight to Qin's laws to widen his authority, but one cannot call them loyal ministers or filial sons. [The Records of the Historian, in the Annals of the First Emperor, says: the Second Emperor, traveling east through the commanderies and counties, returned to Xianyang and said: the former emperor, because the court at Xianyang was small, built the Epang Palace as halls and chambers; it was not finished when he met his death, so he dismissed the workers and again used them on Mount Li. The matter of Mount Li is now largely finished; if I leave the Epang Palace unfinished, that would reveal the fault of the former emperor's undertaking. He again built the Epang Palace and, pacifying the four barbarians outside as the First Emperor had planned, drafted fifty thousand skilled men to garrison Xianyang and ordered them to train in shooting dogs, horses, birds and beasts. Those who had to be fed were many and the supply was judged insufficient, so he ordered the commanderies and counties to ship beans, grain, hay and straw, each bringing their own food; within three hundred li of Xianyang no one could eat the grain there. The laws were applied ever more severely.]

大夫曰諸侯以國為家其憂在內天子以八極為境其慮在外故宇小者用菲功巨者用大是以縣官開園池總山海致利以助貢賦修溝渠立諸農廣田收盛囿太僕水衡少府大農嵗課諸入田收之利池籞【音御】之假【説文曰籞禁苑也顔師古曰池籞謂於水邊作小屋落障魚鳥籞者禁苑之遮衛也本御幸者假與貧民】及北邊置任田官以澹【古贍字】諸用猶不足今欲罷之絶其原杜其流上下俱殫【音丹】睏乏之應也雖好省事節用如之何其可也

The Grand Secretary said: The feudal lords take the state as their household, and their worry is within; the Son of Heaven takes the eight extremities as his borders, and his thought is directed outward. So one with a small domain spends little, and one with great achievements spends greatly. Therefore the government opens gardens and ponds and brings mountains and seas under unified control, bringing in profit to assist tribute and taxes; it repairs ditches and canals, sets up agricultural offices, broadens field harvests, and enriches parks and preserves. The Grand Coachman, the Water Warden, the Privy Treasury and the Grand Agriculture each year assess their revenues: the profits from field harvests and the leases of pond and fishery preserves [the Shuowen says: a preserve is a forbidden park. Yan Shigu said: a pond preserve is a small shed built by the water to screen fish and birds, as a protected forbidden park; originally the place visited by the emperor, now leased to the poor] and the farm officials set up on the northern border to supply the many needs, and still it is not enough. Now if one wants to abolish them, cutting their source and blocking their stream, high and low will both be exhausted and distress and want will come in response. Even if one likes to economize and save, how could it be done?

文學曰古者制地足以養民民足以承其上千乗【去聲】之國百里之地公侯伯子男各充其求澹【古贍字】其欲秦兼萬國之地有四海之富而意不澹【古贍字】非宇小而用菲者欲多而下不堪其求也【賈山曰昔者周蓋千八百國以九州之民養千八百國之君用民之力嵗不過三日什一而籍君有餘財民有餘力而頌聲作秦始皇以千八百國之民自養力罷不能勝其役財盡不能勝其求一君之身耳所以自養者馳騁弋獵之虞天下弗能供也】語曰廚有腐肉國有饑民廐有肥馬路有餧【音餒】人【孟子曰庖有肥肉廐有肥馬民有飢色野有餓莩此率獸而食人也獸相食且人惡之為民父母行政不免於率獸而食人惡在其為民父母也】今狗馬之養蟲獸之食豈特腐肉秣馬之費哉無用之官不急之作服侈之變無功而衣食縣官者眾是以上不足而下睏乏也今不減除其本而欲澹【古瞻字】其末設機利造田畜與百姓爭薦草與商賈【音古】爭市利非所以明主徳而相【去聲】國家也夫【音扶】男耕女織天下之大業也故古者分地而處之利田畆而事之是以業無不食之地國無乏作之民今縣官之多張苑囿公田池澤公家有鄣假之名而利歸權家三輔廹近於山河【三輔黃圖曰三輔者謂主爵中尉及左右內史漢武帝改曰京兆尹左馮翊右扶風共治長安城中是為三輔】地狹人眾四方並臻粟米薪菜不能相澹【古贍字】公田轉假桑榆菜菓不植地力不盡愚以為非先帝之開苑囿池籞【音御】可賦歸之於民縣官租稅而已假稅殊名其實一也夫【音扶】如是匹夫之力盡於南畆匹婦之力盡於麻枲【音徙】田野闢【音闢】麻枲【音徙】治則上下俱衍何睏乏之有矣【公孫鞅曰女事盡於內男事盡於外則入多矣呂氏春秋曰丈夫不織而衣婦人不耕而食男女貿功以長生此聖人之制也故敬時愛日非老不休非疾不息非死不舎賈生曰民不足而可治者自古及今未之嘗聞古之人曰一夫不耕或受之飢一女不織或受之寒生之有時而用之無度則物力必屈今驅民而歸之農皆著於本使天下各食其力末議遊食之民轉而緣南畆則畜積足而人樂其所矣】大夫黙然視其丞相【去聲】御史

The Literati said: In ancient times the land was laid out enough to nourish the people, and the people were enough to support those above them. A state of a thousand chariots, a hundred li of land, was enough for dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts and barons each to meet their needs and satisfy their wishes. Qin combined the lands of ten thousand states and had the wealth of the four seas and yet its will was not satisfied; it was not that its domain was small and its spending little, but that its desires were many and those below could not bear its demands. [Jia Shan said: formerly the Zhou had about eighteen hundred states, and the people of the nine provinces supported the rulers of eighteen hundred states, using the people's labor for no more than three days a year, taxing one tenth; the ruler had surplus wealth and the people had surplus strength, and songs of praise arose. The First Emperor of Qin supported himself on the people of eighteen hundred states; their strength was exhausted and could not bear his labor, their wealth was used up and could not meet his demands. For one ruler's person alone, what he used to support himself on galloping, hunting and shooting for pleasure, the whole world could not supply.] A proverb says: when the kitchen has rotten meat, the state has hungry people; when the stable has fat horses, the road has starving men. [Mencius said: if the kitchen has fat meat and the stable has fat horses while the people have a hungry look and the fields have bodies of the starved, this is leading beasts to eat people. When beasts eat each other, people still dislike it; to be father and mother of the people and in governing not escape leading beasts to eat people, how can one be their father and mother?] Now the keeping of dogs and horses and the feeding of insects and animals costs far more than the expense of rotten meat and fodder. Useless offices, unurgent works, extravagant changes in dress and carriage, and many who live on the government without merit are the reasons above is short and below is distressed. Now without cutting back the root, to try to supply the tip, setting up devices for profit, making fields and herds, competing with the people for forage and with merchants for market profit, is not how to make a ruler's virtue clear and assist the state. Men plowing and women weaving is the great enterprise of the world. So in ancient times land was divided and people settled on it, and fields were made profitable and worked, so that no occupation lacked land to feed it and the state had no lack of working people. Now the government has opened many parks, public fields and ponds and marshes, and the public side holds the name of protecting and leasing while the profit goes to powerful families. The Three Metropolitan Regions are close to the mountains and rivers [the Sanfu Huangtu says: the Three Metropolitan Regions refer to the Chief Commandant of Titles and the left and right inner ministers, which Emperor Wu of Han renamed the Governor of the Capital, the Left Feng Yi and the Right Fufeng, who jointly governed the city of Chang'an, the Three Metropolitan Regions], the land is narrow and the people many, people come from all four directions, and grain, firewood and vegetables cannot supply each other. Public fields are leased on, mulberry, elm, vegetables and fruit are not planted, and the strength of the land is not fully used. In my foolish view, it was not that the former emperor could not open parks and preserves; the land could have been taxed and returned to the people, with the government merely collecting rent and taxes. Leasing and taxing have different names but are really the same matter. If so, the strength of every man would be exhausted in the southern fields, and the strength of every woman exhausted in hemp and flax; when fields are opened and hemp and flax are processed, high and low would all be generously supplied, so what distress would there be? [Gongsun Yang said: if women's work is done entirely within and men's work entirely without, income is large. The Lüshi Chunqiu says: a man who does not weave yet has clothes and a woman who does not plow yet has food: men and women exchange work to sustain life; this is the sage's system. So they respected the seasons and cherished the days, not resting unless old, not stopping unless ill, not giving up unless dead. Jia Yi said: that the people are insufficient and yet can be governed has never been heard from ancient times till now. The men of old said: if one man does not plow, someone may suffer hunger; if one woman does not weave, someone may suffer cold. If production has its season and use has no measure, the strength of things must be exhausted. Now to drive the people back to farming, all attached to the root, so that all under Heaven live by their own strength, and let those who do petty crafts and live idly turn to the southern fields, then stores will be sufficient and people will enjoy their places.] The Grand Secretary was silent and looked toward the Chancellor and the Imperial Secretary.

御史進曰昔太公封於營丘闢【音闢】草萊而居焉地薄人少於是通利末之道極女紅【音工】之巧是以鄰國交於齊財畜貨殖世為彊國管仲相【去聲】桓公襲先君之業行輕重之變南服彊楚而伯【音霸】諸侯【齊世家曰武王已平商而王天下封師尚父於齊營丘東就國萊侯來伐與之爭營丘營丘邉萊萊人夷也防紂之亂而周初定未能集逺方是以與太公爭國太公至國修政因其俗簡其禮通商工之業便魚塩之利而人民多歸齊齊為大國桓公之時管仲為大夫修齊國政連五家之兵設輕重魚塩之利以贍貧窮祿賢能齊人皆説七年諸侯防桓公於甄而桓公於是始覇焉貨殖傳曰太公望封於營丘人民寡於是太公勸其女功極技巧通魚鹽則人物歸之繦至而輻湊故齊冠帯衣履天下海岱之間斂袵而往朝焉其後齊中衰管子修之設輕重九府則桓公以霸九合諸侯一匡天下而管子氏亦有三歸位在陪臣富於列國之君是以齊富強至於威宣也】今大夫各修太公桓管之術總一鹽鐵通山川之利而萬物殖是以縣官用饒足民不睏乏本末並利上下俱足此籌計之所致非獨耕桑農業也

The Imperial Secretary came forward and said: Formerly Taigong was enfeoffed at Yingqiu and cleared the wilderness to live there. The land was thin and the people few, so he opened the way of trade and carried women's handicraft to its utmost skill; so neighboring states had dealings with Qi, wealth and livestock and goods multiplied, and for generations it was a strong state. Guan Zhong, as chancellor to Duke Huan, took over the former lord's work, carried out the changes of light and heavy, subdued strong Chu in the south, and became hegemon over the feudal lords. [The Records of the Historian, in the House of Qi, says: when King Wu had pacified Shang and ruled the world, he enfeoffed Shi Shangfu in Yingqiu of Qi. He went east to his state, and the Marquis of Lai came to attack and contended with him for Yingqiu. Yingqiu bordered Lai, and the people of Lai were Yi. As Zhou's disorder had only just been settled, Zhou could not yet gather distant regions, so they contended with Taigong for the state. When Taigong reached the state he cultivated government, followed its customs and simplified its ritual, opened the work of trade and craft and made convenient the profit of fish and salt, and many people turned to Qi, and Qi became a great state. In the time of Duke Huan, Guan Zhong was a senior official, cultivated the government of Qi, joined the soldiers of five households together, set up the profits of light and heavy, fish and salt to provide for the poor and pay the worthy and capable, and the people of Qi were all pleased. In the seventh year the feudal lords met Duke Huan at Zhen, and Duke Huan began to be hegemon there. The Biographies of Moneymakers says: Taigong Wang was enfeoffed at Yingqiu, where the people were few, so Taigong encouraged their women's work, brought their skills to the utmost, and opened the trade in fish and salt, and then people and goods turned to him, coming in swaddling and gathering like spokes, so Qi's caps, sashes, clothes and shoes covered the world, and those between the sea and Mount Dai gathered their robes and went to pay court. Later Qi fell into decline, and Master Guan restored it, set up the nine treasuries of light and heavy, and Duke Huan thereby became hegemon, assembled the feudal lords nine times, and set the world right at a stroke; and Master Guan also had three residences, a minister's rank richer than the rulers of states. So Qi's wealth and strength lasted to Wei and Xuan.] Now each of the Grand Secretaries cultivates the arts of Taigong and Duke Huan and Guan Zhong, unifies salt and iron and opens the profit of mountains and rivers, and all things multiply; so the government's use is plentiful, the people are not in distress, root and tip are both profitable, and high and low are both sufficient. This is brought about by calculation and planning, not only by plowing, mulberry and farming.

文學曰禮義者國之基也而權利者政之殘也孔子曰能以禮讓為國乎何有伊尹太公以百里興其君桓公以千乗【去聲】之齊而不能至於王其所務非也故功名隳【音灰】壞而道不濟當此之時諸侯莫能以德而爭於公私故以權相傾今天下合為一家利末惡【音汚】欲行巧惡【音汚】欲施大夫君以心計冊【通作防】國用【食貨志曰桑羊以心計顔師古曰心計不用籌也】構諸侯參以酒【音較】咸陽孔僅增以鹽鐵江充耕谷之等各以鋒銳言利末之事析秋毫可謂無間【音諫】矣非特管仲設九府徼【音呌】山海也【平凖書曰東郭咸陽孔僅為大農丞領鹽鐵事而桑羊貴幸咸陽齊之大鬻鹽孔僅南陽大冶皆致產累千金故鄭當時進言之羊洛陽賈人之子以心計年十三侍中故三人言利事析秋毫矣食貨志曰太公為周立九府圜法太公退又行之於齊至管仲相桓公通輕重之權桓公遂用區區之齊合諸侯顯霸名顔師古曰周官太府玉府內府外府泉府天府職內職金職幣謂之九府皆掌財幣之官也】然而國家衰耗城郭空虗故非崇仁義無以化民非力本農無以富邦也

The Literati said: Ritual and righteousness are the foundation of a state, and power and profit are the ruin of government. Confucius said: can one govern a state by ritual and yielding? What difficulty is there? Yi Yin and Taigong raised their rulers with a hundred li; Duke Huan, with the thousand-chariot state of Qi, could not reach kingship, because what he strove for was wrong. So achievement and fame were ruined and the Way was not completed. At that time the feudal lords could not contend by virtue over public and private, so they overturned each other by power. Now the world is joined into one family, and the evil of profiting from trade wants to be practiced and the evil of cleverness wants to be applied. The Grand Secretary plans state expenditure with his heart-reckoning [the Book of Han, Treatise on Food and Money, says: Sang Hongyang used heart-reckoning. Yan Shigu said: heart-reckoning is reckoning without counting rods], building on the feudal lords' practices, adding the wine monopoly; Xianyang and Kong Jin added salt and iron, and Jiang Chong and others on grain farming each, with sharp edge, spoke of the matters of profit in trade, splitting autumn hairs, which may be called without gap, not only Guan Zhong setting up nine treasuries and patrolling mountains and seas. [The Records of the Historian, Treatise on the Balanced Standard, says: Dongguo Xianyang and Kong Jin were Deputy Ministers of Grand Agriculture, in charge of salt and iron affairs, and Sang Hongyang was favored. Xianyang was a great salt boiler of Qi, Kong Jin a great iron smelter of Nanyang, each with property amounting to thousands in gold, so Zheng Dangshi recommended them. Sang Hongyang was the son of a merchant of Luoyang, was good at heart-reckoning, and at age thirteen served in the palace. So the three of them in speaking of matters of profit split autumn hairs. The Treatise on Food and Money says: Taigong set up the nine treasuries and circulating money law for Zhou, and when Taigong withdrew he also practiced it in Qi; when Guan Zhong was chancellor to Duke Huan, he opened up the power of light and heavy, and Duke Huan thereby used the little state of Qi to unite the feudal lords and make clear his hegemon's name. Yan Shigu said: the Rites of Zhou offices of Grand Treasury, Jade Treasury, Inner Treasury, Outer Treasury, Spring Treasury, Heaven Treasury, Inner Accounts, Metals and Currency are called the nine treasuries, all offices in charge of wealth and currency.] Yet the state has declined and been drained and the cities are empty, so without exalting benevolence and righteousness there is no way to transform the people, and without devoting strength to the root and agriculture there is no way to enrich the realm.

御史曰水有猵【音篇】獺【音塔】而池魚勞國有強御而齊民消【兵略訓曰畜池魚者必去猵獺養禽獸者必去豺狼】故茂林之下無豐草大塊之間無美苗【叢談曰髙山之巔無美木傷於多陽也大樹之下無美草傷於多隂也記曰髙山浚源不出草木松栢之地其土不肥】夫【音扶】理國之道除穢鉏【音鋤】豪然後百姓均平各安其宇張廷尉論定律令明法以繩天下誅奸猾絶併兼之徒而強不凌弱眾不暴寡大夫各運籌冊【通作防】逹國用籠天下鹽鐵諸利以排富商大賈【音古】買官贖罪損有餘補不足以齊黎民是以兵革東西征伐賦斂不増而用足夫【音扶】損益之事賢者所覩非眾人之所知也

The Imperial Secretary said: Where water has otters, the fish in the pond are worn out; where a state has strong oppressors, the common people dwindle. [The Huainanzi, in the chapter on military strategy, says: one who raises pond fish must remove otters, and one who raises birds and beasts must remove jackals and wolves.] So under a luxuriant forest there is no rich grass, and among the great clods there are no fine sprouts. [The Miscellaneous Talks say: on the top of high mountains there are no fine trees, harmed by too much yang; under great trees there is no fine grass, harmed by too much yin. The Record says: high mountains and deep sources do not produce grass and trees, and where pines and cypresses grow the soil is not fertile.] The way to govern a state is to remove weeds and hoe out the powerful, and then the people are even and each is at peace in his dwelling. Commandant Zhang settled the statutes and ordinances, made clear the laws to bind the world, punished the wicked and cunning and cut off the annexing clans, so that the strong do not bully the weak and the many do not oppress the few. The Grand Secretary has each turned his calculations to supply the state's expenses, taking in the profits of salt, iron and the like to push aside rich merchants and great traders, selling offices and ransoming crimes, reducing the surplus and supplying the lack, to even out the common people. So armies campaign east and west, taxes do not increase and yet the supply is sufficient. The business of reducing and adding is what the worthy see and is not what the crowd knows.

文學曰扁鵲撫息脈而知疾所由生陽氣盛則損乏而調隂寒氣盛則損乏而調陽是以氣脈調和而邪氣無所留矣【扁鵲傳曰扁鵲過虢虢太子死扁鵲至虢宮門下問中庻子喜方者曰太子何病國中治穰過於眾事中庻子曰太子病血氣不時交錯而不得洩暴發於外則為中害精神不能止邪氣畜積而不得洩是以陽緩而隂急故暴蹷而死扁鵲曰其死何如時曰雞鳴至今曰收乎曰未也其死未能半日也言臣齊勃海越人也家在於鄭未嘗得望精光侍謁於前也聞太子不幸而死臣得生之中庶子曰先生得無誕之乎何以言太子可生也臣聞上古之時醫有俞跗治病不以湯液醴灑鑱石橋引案杌毒熨一撥見病之應因五臟之輸乃割皮解肌訣脈結筋搦髓腦揲荒幕前浣腸胃潄滌五藏練精易形先生之方能若是則太子可生也不能若是而欲生之曾不可以告咳嬰之兒終日扁鵲仰天嘆曰夫子之為方也若以管窺天以郄視文越人之為方也不待切脈望色聼聲寫形言病之所在聞病之陽論得其隂聞病之隂論得其陽病應見於大表不出千里決者至眾不可曲止也子以吾言為不誠試入診太子當聞其耳鳴而張循其兩股以至於隂當尚溫也中庶子聞扁鵲言目然而不瞚舌撟然而不下乃以扁鵲言入報虢君虢君聞之大驚出見扁鵲於中闕曰竊聞髙義之日乆矣然未嘗得拜謁於前也先生過小國幸而舉之偏國寡臣幸甚有先生則活無先生則棄捐填溝壑長終而不得反言未卒因唏服臆防精洩橫流涕長忽忽承防悲不能自止容貎變更扁鵲曰若太子病所謂屍蹷者也夫以陽入隂中動胃繵緣中經維絡別下於三焦膀胱是以陽脈下遂隂脈上爭防氣閉而不通隂上而陽內行下內鼔而不起上外絶而不為使上有絶陽之絡下有破隂之紐破隂絶陽之色已廢脈亂故形靜如死狀太子未死也夫以陽入隂支蘭藏者生以隂入陽支蘭藏者死凡此數事皆五藏蹷中之時暴作也良工取之拙者疑殆扁鵲乃使弟子子陽厲針砥石以取外三陽五防有間太子蘓乃使子豹為五分之熨以八減之齊和煑之以更熨兩脇下太子起坐更適隂陽但服湯二旬而復故】夫【音扶】拙醫不知脈理之腠血氣之分妄刺而無益於疾傷肌膚而已矣今欲損有餘補不足富者益富貧者益貧矣嚴法任刑欲以禁暴止奸而奸猶不止意者非扁鵲之用針【音箴】石故眾人未得其職也【王符曰凡療病者必知脈之虗實氣之所結然後為之方故疾可愈而壽可長也為國者必先知民之所苦禍之所起然後為之禁故奸可塞而國可安也】御史曰周之建國也蓋千八百諸侯其後強吞弱大兼小併為六國六國連兵結難【去聲】數百年內拒敵國外攘四夷由此觀之兵甲不休戰伐不乏軍旅外奉倉庫內實今以天下之富海內之財百郡之貢非特齊楚之畜趙魏之庫也計委量入雖急用之宜無乏絶之時顧大農等以術體躬稼則后稷之烈【周紀曰周后稷名棄帝嚳之子也棄為兒時屹如巨人之志其遊好種樹麻菽麻菽美遂好耕農相地之宜宜谷者稼穡焉民皆法則之帝堯聞之舉棄為農師天下得其利有功帝舜曰棄黎民始飢爾後稷播時百穀封棄於邰號曰后稷】軍四出而用不繼非天之財少也用針【音箴】石調均有無補不足亦非也上大夫君與治粟都尉管領大農事炙刺稽滯開利百脈是以萬物流通而縣官富實當此之時四方徵暴亂車甲之費克獲之賞皆澹【古贍字】大司農此皆扁鵲之力而鹽鐵之福也

The Literati said: Bian Que presses the pulse and knows where disease arises: when yang is strong he reduces it and regulates yin, when cold is strong he reduces it and regulates yang, so the qi and vessels are harmonized and wicked qi has nowhere to stay. [The Records of the Historian, Biography of Bian Que, says: Bian Que passed through Guo, where the crown prince of Guo had died. Bian Que arrived at the palace gate and asked a palace attendant who loved techniques: what disease did the prince have, that the state's exorcisms exceeded every other matter? The attendant said: the prince's disease was that blood and qi were out of season and crossed with one another and could not be released; bursting out suddenly outward, it caused internal harm; the spirit could not stop the wicked qi, which accumulated and could not be released, so yang was slack and yin tense, and so he died suddenly of collapse. Bian Que asked when he died and was told from cockcrow till now; had he been encoffined? Not yet; he had not been dead half a day. Bian Que called himself Qin Yueren of Bohai in Qi, whose family was in Zheng, who had never been able to look upon his bright presence or attend before him, and said that hearing the prince had unfortunately died, he could make him live. The attendant doubted his boast: in high antiquity there was the physician Yu Fu, who treated illness not with decoctions, sweet wine or wine pouring, but could cut the skin, open the flesh, release the vessels, tie the sinews, knead marrow and brain, handle the diaphragm, wash and rinse the intestines and stomach, rinse and cleanse the five organs, refine the essence and change the form; if your method could do this the prince could live, and if not, you could not even tell it to a child who coughs. Bian Que looked up to heaven and sighed: your method of speaking is like looking at the sky through a tube or looking at a pattern through a crack; my method does not wait to take the pulse, look at the color, listen to the voice or observe the form; hearing the yang of the illness I can infer its yin, and hearing the yin I can infer its yang, and the disease must show itself in the great outside, within a thousand li. Let me try going in to examine the prince; you will hear his ears ringing and his nose flaring, and if you feel along his two thighs to the private parts they should still be warm. The attendant went in and reported to the lord of Guo. The lord of Guo was greatly startled, came out to meet Bian Que at the middle gate, tears flowing long, sobbing and blinking, so grieved he could not stop himself and his spirit overflowing. Bian Que said: the prince's illness is what is called collapse like a corpse. Yang entered yin, moving through the stomach and winding along, passing through the channels and linking vessels, and branching down to the triple burner and bladder, so the yang vessel descended and the yin vessel rose in struggle, the meeting qi was shut and did not pass, yin rose while yang moved inward, the lower internal drummed and did not rise, the upper outer was cut off and did not act, above there was the vessel cut off from yang and below there was the knot where yin was broken, the color of broken yin and cut yang had faded, the pulse was disordered, so the form was still like death; the prince was not dead. When yang enters yin and props up the organs one lives; when yin enters yang and props up the organs one dies. All these matters occur suddenly when the five organs collapse inside; a good physician takes hold of it, a clumsy one doubts and is in danger. Then he had his disciple Zi Yang sharpen the needles and whet the stone, and took the Outer Three Yang and Five Meetings, and after a while the prince revived; he also had Zi Bao prepare a five-part hot compress, mixed and boiled with an eight-part-reduced preparation, and again compressed under the two flanks, and the prince rose and sat; he further regulated yin and yang and only took decoctions for twenty days and returned to normal.] A clumsy physician does not know the interstices of the vessel principle or the divisions of blood and qi, pricks recklessly and does no good to the illness, only harming the skin and flesh. Now wishing to reduce what is in surplus and supply what is lacking makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. Strict laws and relying on punishment to prohibit violence and stop wickedness do not stop wickedness yet; I suppose this is not like Bian Que's use of needles and stones, so the multitude has not received its due. [Wang Fu said: in treating illness one must know whether the vessel is empty or full and where the qi is knotted, and only then make the prescription, so the illness can be healed and life lengthened; in governing a state one must first know what the people suffer from and where disaster arises, and only then make the prohibition, so wickedness can be blocked and the state can be safe.] The Imperial Secretary said: when Zhou founded its state there were about eighteen hundred feudal lords; later the strong swallowed the weak and the large annexed the small, and they merged into six states. The six states joined troops and built enmity for several hundred years, resisting enemy states within and repelling the four barbarians outside. From this it can be seen that if soldiers and armor did not rest and campaigns were not lacking, armies were supplied outside and storehouses were filled within. Now with the wealth of the world, the riches within the seas, and the tribute of a hundred commanderies, we have not only the stores of Qi and Chu and the treasuries of Zhao and Wei. Reckoning outlay and weighing income, even if it were urgently used, there should be no time of shortage. See how the Grand Agriculture and others use arts to embody plowing; they are the successors of Hou Ji [the Records of the Historian, Annals of Zhou, says: Hou Ji of Zhou was named Qi, a son of Emperor Ku. As a child Qi was as steady as a giant in his aims; in play he liked to plant hemp and beans, and the hemp and beans were fine, so he came to love farming, examined what the land was suited for, and where grain was suitable he sowed and reaped, and the people all took him as a model. Emperor Yao heard of it and raised Qi to be master of agriculture, and the world received the benefit and he had merit. Emperor Shun said: Qi, the common people are just beginning to starve; you, Hou Ji, sow the hundred grains in their seasons. He enfeoffed Qi at Tai and called him Hou Ji]. The army went out in four directions and its use was not sustained, but it was not that Heaven's wealth was small; using needles and stones to adjust the equal distribution of what is had and not had and to supply what is lacking is not wrong either. The senior ministers and the Commandant for Grain who manage the Grand Agriculture moxibustion and needle the stagnant, opening and benefiting the hundred vessels, so all things flow and circulate and the government is wealthy and full. At that time, in four directions we campaigned against violence and disorder; the cost of chariots and armor and the rewards for victories were all supplied by the Grand Minister of Agriculture. All this was Bian Que's strength and the blessing of salt and iron.

文學曰邉郡山居谷處隂陽不和寒凍裂地沖風飄滷【音魯】沙石凝積地勢無所宜【地形訓曰北方曰大曰寒澤北方有不釋之氷】中國天地之中隂陽之際也【地形訓曰中央四逹風氣之所通雨露之所防也】日月經其南斗極出其北含眾和之氣產育庶物今去而侵邉多斥不毛寒苦之地是猶棄江臯河濱而田於嶺坂【音反】菹【音疽】澤也轉倉廩之委飛府庫之財以給邉民中國困於繇【音遙】役邊民苦於戍【音絮】御力耕不便種糴無桑麻之利仰中國絲絮而後衣【去聲】之皮裘毛曾不足蓋形夏不失復【音復重衣也】冬不離【去聲】窟【苦骨切土室也】父子夫婦內藏於專室土圜之中中外空虗扁鵲何力而鹽鐵何福也

The Literati said: The border commanderies lie in mountains and valleys, yin and yang are not in harmony, the cold freezes and splits the ground, the gales blow salt and gravel, sand and stones are packed, and the lay of the land has nothing suitable. [The Huainanzi, in the chapter on terrain, says: the northern region is called Great Obscure and also called Cold Marsh. In the north there is ice that does not melt.] China is the middle of heaven and earth and the juncture of yin and yang. [The Huainanzi, in the chapter on terrain, says: the center is open in four directions, where winds and breath pass and rain and dew meet.] The sun and moon pass to its south and the Dipper pole rises to its north; it holds the breath of many harmonies and produces and nourishes the many things. Now to leave it and encroach on the border, mostly driving into barren, cold and bitter land, is like abandoning river banks and shores and farming on mountain slopes and swampy marshes. To transport the stores of the granaries and fly the wealth of the treasuries to supply the border people, China is exhausted by labor service and the border people suffer from garrison and defense. They work the land hard but it is not suited to planting or buying grain, they have no profit from mulberry and hemp, and depend on China's silk and floss before they can dress, while hide coats and fur are not even enough to cover their bodies. In summer they do not lack double garments [fu means layered clothes], in winter they do not leave their pits [a pit is an earthen room]. Fathers and sons, husbands and wives hide within special rooms and earth circles, while the center and the outside are empty; what strength has Bian Que here and what blessing has salt and iron?

御史曰內郡人眾水泉薦草不能相澹【古贍字】地勢溫溼不宜牛馬民蹠【音只】耒而耕負擔而行勞罷【音疲】而寡功是以百姓貧苦而衣食不足老弱負輅於路而列卿大夫或乗牛車孝武皇帝平百越以為囿圃卻羌胡以為囿是以珍怪異物充於後宮騊【音陶】駼【音餘】駃【音決】騠【音蹄】實於外廐【騊駼馬類也生北海駃騠俊馬也生七日而超其母】匹夫莫不乗堅良而民間厭橘柚由此觀之邊郡之利亦饒矣而曰何福之有未通於計也

The Imperial Secretary said: The inner commanderies have many people, and water, springs and forage cannot supply them; the land is warm and damp and unsuited to cattle and horses, and the people tread the plow to farm and carry loads on foot, toiling and weary with little gain, so the people are poor and have not enough clothing and food, the old and weak pull carts on the roads, and ranking ministers and senior officials sometimes ride ox carts. Emperor Xiaowu pacified the hundred Yue as his garden and drove back the Qiang and Hu as his park, so rare and strange things fill the rear palace, and the horses Tao Tu, Jue and Ti fill the outer stables [Tao Tu are a kind of horse born by the northern sea; Jue and Ti are fine horses that surpass their dams at seven days old]. There is no commoner who does not ride a sturdy and fine horse, and the people are sated with tangerines and pomelos. From this it can be seen that the profit of the border commanderies is also abundant, yet you ask what blessing there is, which shows you have not understood the reckoning.

文學曰禹平水土定九州四方各以土地所生貢獻足以充宮室供人主之慾膏壤萬里山川之利足以富百姓不待蠻貊之地逺方之物而用足【五帝紀曰禹披九山通九澤決九河定九州各以其職來貢不失厥宜方五千裡至於荒服食貨志曰禹平洪水定九州制土田各因所生逺近賦入貢棐楙遷有無萬國作乂】徃者未伐胡越之時繇【音遙】賦省而民富足溫衣飽食藏新食陳布帛充用牛馬成群農夫以馬耕載而民莫不騎乗當此之時卻走馬以糞【老子德經曰天下有道卻走馬以糞韓非子曰凡馬之所以大用者外供甲兵而內給奢也今有道之君外希用甲兵而內禁奢上不事馬於戰鬪逐北而民不以馬逺滛力唯田疇積力于田疇必且糞灌故曰天下有道卻走馬以糞也許慎曰卻止也糞田也止馬不以走但以田行至德之效也或曰國君無道則天下多事戎馬生於郊原國君有道則天下無事止走馬以糞田也】其後師旅數【音朔】發戎馬不足牸【音字】牝入陣【牸牝牛也凡獸育子曰牸牝畜母也】故駒犢生於戰地六畜不育於家五穀不殖於野民不足於糟糠何橘柚之所厭傳【去聲】曰大軍之後累世不復【老子曰師之所處荊棘生焉大軍之後必有凶年】方今郡國田野有壟而不墾城郭有宇而不實邉郡何饒之有乎

The Literati said: When Yu leveled the waters and lands and fixed the nine provinces, each of the four quarters offered tribute from what its land produced, which was enough to fill the palaces and supply the ruler's desires; the fertile soil of ten thousand li and the benefits of mountains and rivers were enough to enrich the hundred clans, and there was no need for lands of the barbarians or things from distant places for there to be sufficient use. [The Records of the Grand Historian, Basic Annals of the Five Emperors, says: Yu opened the nine mountains, connected the nine marshes, dredged the nine rivers and fixed the nine provinces; each came with tribute according to its function, without losing what was suitable, over a square of five thousand li reaching to the wild outer zone. The Treatise on Food and Money says: Yu leveled the great flood and fixed the nine provinces, set the land and fields, and each by what it produced, near or far, paid tribute; they exchanged what they had for what they lacked, and the myriad states were well ordered.] In the past, before the campaigns against the Hu and Yue, corvee [the character 'yao' is glossed as pronounced 'yao'] and taxes were light and the people were rich and sufficient, warmly clothed and well fed, storing new grain and keeping old, with cloth and silk enough for use, cattle and horses in herds, and farmers plowing with horses and carrying loads, and among the people none did not ride. At that time, they retired the war horses to manure the fields. [The Laozi, Book of Virtue, says: When the world has the Way, galloping horses are retired to fertilize fields. Han Feizi says: The great uses of horses are to supply armor and weapons abroad and extravagance within (the source text has a rare character here that was lost in transcription). A ruler with the Way now uses few armor and weapons abroad and forbids extravagance within; above he does not use horses for fighting and pursuing the defeated, and the people do not use horses to waste their strength on distant travel, but only on farmland, and where strength is accumulated on farmland, manure and irrigation are sure to follow; so it is said that when the world has the Way, galloping horses are retired to fertilize fields. Xu Shen says: 'retire' means to stop, 'manure' refers to fields; the horses are stopped and do not run but are used only in the fields; this is the effect of utmost virtue. Another says: when the ruler lacks the Way, the world has many troubles and war horses are born in the suburbs and plains; when the ruler has the Way, the world is without trouble and galloping horses are stopped and used to manure the fields.] Afterwards armies were raised repeatedly [the character 'shuo' is glossed as pronounced 'shuo'], war horses were insufficient, and even mares and cows [the character 'zi' is glossed as pronounced 'zi'] entered the formations [a 'zi' is a female cow; among animals, one that bears young is called 'zi'; 'pin' is a female livestock]; so colts and calves were born on battlefields, the six domestic animals were not raised at home, the five grains were not planted in the fields, the people did not have enough even of dregs and husks, and what use would they have for oranges and pomelos? The tradition [here the word is read in the falling tone] says: After a great army, it does not recover for generations. [Laozi says: Where the army has camped, thorns grow; after a great army there must be a year of famine.] Now in the commanderies and states there are fields with ridges unplowed, and walled towns with houses unoccupied; what abundance is there in the border commanderies?

御史曰古者制田百歩為畆民井田而耕什而籍一義先公而後已民臣之職也【詩曰雨我公田遂及我私孟子曰方里而井井九百畆其中為公田八家皆私百畆同養公田公事畢然後敢治私事所以別野人也】先帝哀憐百姓之愁苦衣食不足制田二百四十歩而一畆率三十而稅一惰民不務田作飢寒及已固其理也其不耕而欲播不種而欲獲鹽鐵又何過乎

The Imperial Secretary said: In ancient times fields were set at a hundred paces to a mu, the people plowed by the well-field system and paid one in ten as tax, with the principle of putting the public before oneself, which is the duty of the people and ministers. [The Odes say: Rain on our public field, and then on our private ones. Mencius says: A square li makes a well, a well is nine hundred mu; the middle is the public field, and the eight families each privately hold a hundred mu and together tend the public field; only after the public work is done do they dare to attend to private affairs, which distinguishes the rustics.] The former emperor, pitying the hundred clans' sorrow and suffering and their insufficiency of clothing and food, set the mu at two hundred forty paces and took one thirtieth as the rate of tax. If lazy people do not attend to farming, hunger and cold will reach them, which is naturally the principle. If they do not plow yet wish to sow, do not plant yet wish to harvest, what fault is it of salt and iron?

文學曰什一而籍民之力也豐耗美惡與民共之民饉已不獨衍民衍已不獨饉故曰什一者天下之中正也田雖三十而以頃畆出稅樂歳粒米狼戾而寡取之凶年饑饉而必求足加之以口賦更繇【音遙】之役率一人之作中分其功農夫悉其所得或假貸而益之是以百姓疾耕力作而飢寒遂及已也築城者先厚其基而求其髙畜民者先厚其業而後求其澹【古贍字老子曰貴必以賤為本髙必以下為基泰族訓曰城有基木有根根深即本固基美則上寧不益其厚而張其廣者毀不廣其基而增其髙者覆潘氏曰髙以下為基民以食為天正其末者端其本善其後者慎其先夫九土之宜弗任四人之務不一野有菜蔬之色民靡代耕之秩無儲畜以虞災徒望歳以自必三季之衰皆此物也】論語曰百姓足君孰與不足乎

The Literati said: Taking one tenth is by the people's strength, and abundance and shortfall are shared with the people: if the people are in famine, one does not alone have surplus; if the people have surplus, one does not alone suffer famine. So it is said that one tenth is the just mean of the world. Although the field tax is a thirtieth, it is levied on the area by qing and mu: in good years grain lies scattered and little is taken from it, but in lean and famine years it must be collected in full, and on top of that come the poll tax and the service of corvee [the character 'yao' is glossed as pronounced 'yao'], so that on the whole the work of one man is split in half in its yield, and the farmer, having used up all he has, sometimes borrows to add to it; so the hundred clans work the fields hard and strenuously but hunger and cold still reach them. One who builds a city wall first thickens its foundation and then seeks height; one who nurtures the people first thickens their livelihood and only afterwards seeks their sufficiency [the source text has an old form of the character for 'sufficiency' here. Laozi says: The noble must have the humble as root, and the high must have the low as foundation. Huainanzi, 'Tai Zu Xun', says: A city has a foundation and a tree has roots; when the roots are deep the trunk is firm, and when the foundation is fine, what is above is at peace. One who does not increase the thickness but widens the width will be destroyed; one who does not widen the foundation but raises the height will topple. Pan said: The high takes the low as foundation, and for the people food is Heaven. One who sets right the branch sets right the root, and one who does well in the end is careful at the start. If the suitability of the nine kinds of land is not employed, the tasks of the four classes of people are not unified, the fields show the color of vegetables, the people have no rank by which to plow in turn, no storage to guard against disaster, and merely look to the harvest year to make sure; the decline of the last three eras came from this.]. The Analects says: When the hundred clans are sufficient, with whom can the ruler be insufficient?

御史曰古者諸侯爭強戰國並起甲兵不休民曠于田疇什一而借不違其職今賴陛下神靈甲兵不動乆矣然則民不齊出於南畆以口率被墾田而不足空倉廩而賑貧乏寖益日甚是以愈惰而仰利縣官也【食貨志曰商賈以幣之變多積貨逐利於是公卿言郡國頗被災害貧民無產業者募徙廣饒之地陛下損膳省用出禁錢以振元元寛貸而民不齊出南畆商賈滋眾貧者畜積無有皆仰縣官異時筭軺車賈人之緡錢皆有差請筭如故】為斯君者亦病矣反以身勞民民猶背恩棄義而逺流亡避匿上公之事民相仿效田地日蕪租賦不入抵扞縣官君雖欲足誰與之足乎

The Imperial Secretary said: In ancient times the feudal lords contested for power, the Warring States arose together, armor and weapons never rested, and the people left the fields empty, yet the one-tenth tax was levied without neglect of duty. Now, relying on Your Majesty's divine spirit, armor and weapons have not been moved for a long time, yet the people do not all turn out to the southern fields; by the head count, the cultivated land is not enough, granaries are emptied to relieve the poor and needy, and the situation worsens daily, so people grow lazier and look up to the county officials for gain. [The Han History, Treatise on Food and Money, says: Merchants, because of the changes in coinage, hoarded much goods and sought profit. So the ministers said: The commanderies and states have suffered many disasters, and poor people without property should be recruited to move to fertile places. Your Majesty reduced meals and economized on use, brought out reserve money to relieve the people, and gave generous loans, yet the people do not all turn out to the southern fields, merchants multiply, and the poor have no savings and all look up to the officials. In other times the carriage tax and merchants' string-money tax had grades; we request to levy them as before.] To be such a ruler is also to be troubled. Instead he toils the people with his own person, yet the people still turn their backs on kindness and abandon righteousness, flee far away, evade the duties owed to those above, and the people imitate one another; the fields grow overgrown by the day, the rents and taxes do not come in, and they resist the county officials. Though the ruler wished to be sufficient, with whom would he be sufficient?

文學曰樹木數【音朔】徙則【音委】蟲獸徙居則壊故代馬依北風飛鳥翔故巢莫不哀其生【原道訓曰今夫徙樹者失其隂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易勢居不可移也伍子胥曰胡馬望北風而立越燕向日而熈誰不愛其所近悲其所思者乎韓嬰曰詩云代馬依北風飛鳥棲故巢皆不忘本之謂也】由此觀之民非利避上公之事而樂流亡也徃者軍陣數【音朔】起用度不足以貲【音資】徵賦常取給見民田家又被其勞故不齊出於南畆也大抵逋流皆在大家吏正畏憚不敢督責刻急細民細民不堪流亡逺去中家為之色出後亡者為先亡者服事録民數創【音瘡】於惡吏故相去尤甚而就少愈多傳【去聲】曰政寛者民死之政急者父子離【韓嬰曰治國者譬若乎張琴然大急則小弦絶矣故急轡防者非千里之御也】是以田地日荒城郭空虛夫【音扶】牧民之道除其所疾適其所安安而不擾使而不勞是以百姓勸業而樂公賦若此則君無賑於民民無利於上上下交議而頌聲作故取而民不厭役而民不苦靈臺之詩非或使之民自為之若斯則君何不足之有乎【賈生曰文王志之所在意之所欲百姓不愛其死不憚其勞從之如集詩曰經始靈臺庻民攻之不日成之經始勿亟庶民子來文王有志為臺近規之民聞之者麏裹而至問業而作之日日以眾命其臺曰靈臺命其囿曰靈囿謂其沼曰靈沼愛敬之至也詩曰王在靈囿麀鹿攸伏麀鹿濯濯白鳥翯翯王在靈沼於仭魚躍文王之澤下被禽獸洽於魚鱉鹹若攸樂而況士民乎修文篇曰積恩為愛積愛為仁積仁為靈靈臺之所以為靈者積仁也神靈著天地之本而為萬物之始也是故文王始接民以仁而天下莫不仁焉文徳之至也】

The Literati said: Trees that are often transplanted wither [the character is glossed as pronounced 'wei'], and animals that move their dwellings come to harm. So the Dai horse leans on the north wind and flying birds wheel over their old nests; none do not grieve for the place they were born. [Huainanzi, 'Yuan Dao Xun', says: Now a tree that is transplanted loses its yin and yang nature and none do not wither. So an orange tree taken north of the Yangtze turns into a trifoliate orange, the mynah does not cross the Ji, and the badger dies on crossing the Wen: form and nature do not change, and the circumstances of dwelling cannot be moved. Wu Zixu said: The Hu horse stands facing the north wind and the Yue swallow faces the sun in joy; who does not love what is near and grieve for what he thinks of? Han Ying said: The Odes say 'The Dai horse leans on the north wind, flying birds roost in their old nests,' all of which refers to not forgetting one's origin.] From this we see that the people do not seek profit in avoiding the duties owed to those above and delight in fleeing. In the past, as armies were repeatedly raised [pronounced 'shuo'] and expenditures were insufficient, taxes were levied on assessed property [the character 'zi' is glossed as pronounced 'zi'], and supplies were always taken from the people present; farm families too suffered from the burden, so they did not all turn out to the southern fields. For the most part the fugitives and absconders are from the great families, and the officials and headmen fear them and do not dare to enforce; they press harshly on the small people, who cannot bear it and flee far away, the middle families bear the cost for them, and those who flee later serve for those who fled earlier. In the registers, the people were wounded [the character 'chuang' is glossed as pronounced 'chuang'] by evil officials, so the gap between them grows greater and from few to many. The tradition [read in the falling tone] says: When government is lenient the people die for it; when government is harsh, fathers and sons part. [Han Ying said: One who governs a state is like stringing a zither: if the large strings are tight, the small strings break. So one who pulls the reins and bit tight (the source text has a variant character here) is not a driver of a thousand li.] So the fields grow wasted daily and the walled towns are empty. [The opening word 'fu' is glossed as pronounced 'fu'.] The way of shepherding the people is to remove what pains them and fit what gives them peace, to give peace without disturbing, to employ without exhausting, so that the hundred clans are encouraged in their work and delight in public taxes. In this way the ruler has no need to relieve the people, and the people have no need to profit from those above; high and low deliberate together and songs of praise arise. So he takes and the people are not weary, he employs labor and the people do not suffer. The ode on the Numinous Terrace was not by anyone's command; the people did it themselves. If it is so, what insufficiency does the ruler have? [Jia Yi said: Where King Wen's will lay and where his intention was, the hundred clans did not spare their lives nor shrink from toil but followed him as if gathering. The Odes say: He began to measure the Numinous Terrace, and the common people worked on it; in no time it was done. He began without haste, and the common people came like sons. King Wen had the aim of building a terrace, and when he gave the plan nearby, the people who heard of it came wrapped in coarse clothes and asked what work there was and did it, with more people each day. He called the terrace the Numinous Terrace, called his park the Numinous Park and his pond the Numinous Pond, which is the utmost of love and respect. The Odes say: The king is in the Numinous Park, where does and stags lie, the does sleek and fat, the white birds gleaming. The king is at the Numinous Pond, how the fish leap in it. King Wen's kindness reached down to birds and beasts and moistened fish and turtles, all content in their delight, how much more the scholars and people? The chapter 'Xiu Wen' says: Accumulated kindness is love, accumulated love is humaneness, accumulated humaneness is numinosity. The reason the Numinous Terrace is numinous is the accumulation of humaneness. Spirit-like clarity is the root of heaven and earth and the beginning of the myriad things. So King Wen began to receive the people with humaneness and none in the world were not humane, which is the utmost of cultural virtue.]

御史曰古者十五入太學與【去聲】小役二十冠【去聲】而成人與【去聲】戎事五十以上血脈溢剛曰艾壯詩曰方叔元老克壯其猶故商師若荼周師若烏【荼苦茶也烏燕烏也白項而群飛者也鄒陽曰秦信左右而殺周用烏集而王】今陛下哀憐百姓寛力役之政二十三始賦五十六而免所以輔耆壯而息老艾也丁者治其田裡老者修其塘園儉力趨時無飢寒之患不治其家而訟縣官亦悖矣

The Imperial Secretary said: In ancient times at fifteen one entered the great school and took part [the word is read in the falling tone] in minor service; at twenty one was capped [read in the falling tone] and became an adult, and took part in military affairs; from fifty on the blood and pulse overflowed with vigor, called the aiguan strong age. The Odes say: The old man Fang Shu could still be strong in his planning. So the Shang army was like bitter tea and the Zhou army like crows. [Tu is a bitter herb, wu is the swallow-like crow with a white neck, flying in flocks. Zou Yang said: Qin trusted its attendants and perished, Zhou used the gathering of crows and became king.] Now Your Majesty pities the hundred clans and has relaxed the government of corvee: taxes begin at twenty-three and are exempted at fifty-six, so as to help the elderly strong and rest the aged. The young adults tend their fields and the old ones repair their ponds and gardens, so that with thrift and effort and following the seasons they have no worry of hunger or cold. To fail to manage their own households and yet bring suit against the county officials is also perverse.

文學曰十九年已下為殤【音傷】未成人也二十而冠【去聲】三十而娶可以從戎事五十已上曰艾老杖於鄉不從力役所以扶不足而息髙年也【曲禮曰人生十年曰幼學二十曰弱冠三十曰壯有室四十曰強而仕五十曰艾服官政七十曰老而傳八十九十曰耄七年曰悼悼與耄雖有罪不加刑百年曰期頥王制曰五十不從力政六十不與服戎七十不與賓客之事八十齊防之事弗及也】鄉飲酒之禮耆老異饌所以優耆耄而明養老也【鄉飲酒義曰鄉飲酒之禮六十者坐五十者立侍以聼政役所以明尊長也六十者三豆七十者四豆八十者五豆九十者六豆所以明養老也民知尊長養老而後乃能入孝弟民入孝弟出尊長養老而後成教成教而後國可安也君子之所謂孝者非家至而日見之也合諸鄉射教之鄉飲酒之禮而孝弟之行立矣】故老者非肉不飽非帛不暖非杖不行【王制曰五十異粻六十宿肉七十貳膳八十常珍九十飲食不離寢膳飲從於遊可也五十始衰六十非肉不飽七十非帛不暖八十非人不暖九十雖得人不暖矣五十杖於家六十杖於鄉七十杖於國八十杖於朝九十者天子欲有問焉則就其室以珍從】今五十已上至六十與子孫服挽輸並給徭【音遙】役非養老之意也古有大防者君三年不呼其門通其孝道遂其哀慼之心也君子之所重而自盡者其惟親之防乎【王制曰八十者一子不從政九十者其家不從政廢疾非人不養者一人不從政父母之防三年不從政齊衰大功之防三月不從政將徙於諸侯三月不從政自諸侯來徙家期不從政陳忠曰夫父母於子同氣異息一體而分三年乃免於懐抱先聖縁人情而著其節制服二十五月是以春秋臣有大防君三年不呼其門曾子曰吾聞諸夫子人未有自致者也必也親防乎】周公抱成王聼天下恩塞海內澤被四表矧惟南面含仁保德靡不得其所【春秋元命苞曰文王造之而未遂武王遂之而未成周公旦抱少主而成之故曰成王屍子曰昔者武王崩成王幼周公旦踐東宮履乗石假為天子十年蒙恬曰昔周成王初立未離襁褓周公旦負王以朝卒定天下越絶書曰周公以盛德武王封周公使傅相成王成王少周公臣事之當是之時賞賜不加於無功刑罰不加於無罪天下家給人足米麥茂美使人以時說之以禮上順天地澤及夷狄君道篇曰周公踐天子之位佈德施恵逺而逾明十三牧方三人出舉逺方之民有飢寒而不得衣食者有獄訟而失職者有賢才而不舉者以入告乎天子天子於其君之朝也揖而進之曰意朕之政教有不得者歟何其所臨之民有飢寒不得衣食者有獄訟而失職者有賢才而不舉者也其君歸也乃召其國大夫告周天子之言百姓聞之皆喜曰此誠天子也何居之深逺而見我之明也豈可欺哉故牧者所以闢四門明四目逹四聰也是以近者親之逺者安之詩曰柔逺能邇以定我王此之謂矣】詩云夙夜基命宥宻陛下富於春秋委任大臣公卿輔政政教未均故庶人議也御史黙不答也

The Literati said: Those nineteen years and under are called shang, not yet adults. At twenty one is capped [read in the falling tone], at thirty one marries, and one may take part in military affairs. From fifty on one is called an aged man, uses a staff in the district, and does not take part in corvee, in order to support those who are lacking and give rest to the elderly. [The Quli says: At ten a person is called a child and begins study; at twenty, called weak and capped; at thirty, called strong and has a household; at forty, called firm and takes office; at fifty, called aiguan and holds office in government; at seventy, called old and hands things over; at eighty and ninety, called senile; at seven, called a mourning child; mourning children and the senile, though guilty, are not punished; at a hundred, called a person who expects to be fed. The Royal Regulations say: At fifty one does not take part in corvee government; at sixty one does not take part in military service; at seventy one does not take part in guest affairs; at eighty fasting and mourning (the source text reads as damaged) are not demanded.] In the rite of the district drinking, the elders have different dishes, to favor the aged and make plain the care of the old. [The Meaning of the District Drinking says: In the rite of the district drinking, those of sixty are seated and those of fifty stand in attendance to listen to government service, to make plain honoring of elders. Those of sixty have three dishes, those of seventy four, those of eighty five, and those of ninety six, to make plain the care of the old. When the people know to honor elders and care for the old, they can then enter into filial piety and brotherly respect; when the people enter into filial piety and brotherly respect and go out honoring elders and caring for the old, teaching is completed; with teaching completed, the state can be at peace. What the noble person calls filial piety is not going to every house and seeing it daily; it is established in the district archery and the teaching of the district drinking rite, and the conduct of filial piety and brotherly respect is set up.] So the old are not full without meat, not warm without silk, and cannot walk without a staff. [The Royal Regulations say: At fifty the grain is different; at sixty meat is kept in store; at seventy there is a second dish; at eighty delicacies are always provided; at ninety food and drink do not leave the bedchamber, and he may be accompanied by food and drink when he goes out. At fifty one begins to decline, at sixty one is not full without meat, at seventy one is not warm without silk, at eighty one is not warm without a person, at ninety one is not warm even with a person. At fifty one uses a staff at home, at sixty in the district, at seventy in the state, at eighty at court; if the Son of Heaven wishes to ask something of one at ninety, he goes to his chamber with delicacies.] Now those from fifty to sixty are made, along with their sons and grandsons, to pull carts, transport goods and also supply corvee [the character is glossed as pronounced 'yao'] service, which is not the meaning of caring for the old. In ancient times, when there was a great mourning (the source text reads as damaged here), the ruler did not call on that household for three years, to let him complete the way of filial piety and fulfil the mind of mourning. What the noble person regards as weighty and fulfils himself is surely mourning for his parents? [The Royal Regulations say: Of those at eighty, one son does not take part in government service; of those at ninety, the whole family does not; if one is disabled and no one else supports him, one person does not; in mourning for parents, one does not take part in government service for three years; in mourning of the second or third degree, for three months; if about to move to a feudal lord's land, for three months; if moved from a feudal lord's land, for a year. Chen Zhong said: Parents toward their children have the same breath in different bodies, one body divided, and for three years the child is not freed from the arms. The former sages followed human feeling and set its measure, fixing mourning at twenty-five months. So in the Annals: when a minister has a great mourning (the source text reads as damaged here), the ruler does not call on his household for three years. Zengzi said: I heard from the Master, people never fully express themselves, except probably in mourning for parents.] The Duke of Zhou held King Cheng in his arms and heard the world's affairs; his kindness filled the seas and his blessings covered the four outer realms; how much more one who faces south, holds humaneness and preserves virtue, with none not finding their place. [The Spring and Autumn Annals, Yuan Ming Bao, says: King Wen made it but did not complete it, King Wu completed it but did not finish it, and the Duke of Zhou Dan, holding the young lord in his arms, finished it, so he was called Cheng, 'completed'. Shizi says: Formerly when King Wu died, King Cheng was young, and the Duke of Zhou Dan took the eastern palace and stepped on the stone, acting as Son of Heaven for ten years. Meng Tian said: Formerly when King Cheng of Zhou first came to the throne, he had not left the swaddling clothes, and the Duke of Zhou Dan carried the king to court, and in the end settled the world. The Yue Jue Shu says: The Duke of Zhou, with abundant virtue, was enfeoffed by King Wu as tutor to assist King Cheng. King Cheng was young, and the Duke of Zhou served him as a minister. At that time, rewards were not given to the undeserving and punishments were not applied to the innocent, the world was sufficient in households and persons, rice and wheat flourished, people were employed in season and persuaded with ritual, above he accorded with Heaven and Earth and his kindness reached the barbarians. The chapter 'Jun Dao' says: The Duke of Zhou took the Son of Heaven's seat, spread virtue and bestowed kindness, and the farther it went the brighter it became. Three of the thirteen regional chiefs went out, raising to the Son of Heaven reports of distant people who were hungry and cold and could not get clothing and food, of those who lost their post because of lawsuits, of those who were talented and worthy and not recommended. The Son of Heaven in the court of their ruler would bow and bring them forward, saying: I wonder, is there something in my government and teaching not right? Why do the people in your jurisdiction include hungry and cold people who cannot get clothing and food, those who lost their post through lawsuits, and those who are worthy and not recommended? When their ruler returned, he summoned the grand masters of his state and told them the words of the Zhou Son of Heaven. The hundred clans heard it and all rejoiced, saying: This is truly the Son of Heaven; how deeply his dwelling reaches and how clear his sight is of us; who could deceive him? So the shepherds open the four gates, brighten the four eyes and open the four ears. Therefore the near are close to him and the far are at peace. The Odes say: Soothe the far and be able to the near, to settle our king. This is what it means.] The Odes say: Day and night, lay the foundation of the mandate with quiet care. Your Majesty is young and delegates to great ministers; the dukes and ministers assist in government, and government and teaching are not yet even, so the commoners discuss. The Imperial Secretary was silent and did not answer.

大夫曰王者包含並覆普愛無私不為近重施不為逺遺恩今俱是民也俱是臣也安危勞佚不齊獨不當調耶不念彼而獨計此斯亦好議矣緣邉之民處寒苦之地距【通作拒】強胡之難【去聲】烽燧一動有沒身之累故邉民百戰而中國恬臥者以邊郡為蔽扞也詩云莫非王事而我獨勞刺不均也是以聖王懐四方獨苦興師推卻胡越逺冦國安災散中國肥饒之餘以調邊境邊境強則中國安中國安則晏然無事何求而不得也

The Grand Master said: A king embraces and covers all, loving universally without selfishness, does not give heavily to the near nor leave out kindness to the far. Now they are all the people and all ministers, yet safety and danger, toil and ease are not equal; is it not right to adjust them? To think not of those and only of these is also a good topic for debate. The people of the border dwell in a land of cold and hardship and resist the danger [read in the falling tone] of the strong Hu; when a beacon fire moves, there is the burden of sinking one's person. So the border people fight a hundred battles while the Middle Kingdom lies at ease, because the border commanderies serve as shield and guard. The Odes say: Nothing is not the king's business, yet I alone toil. This is a satire on unfairness. Therefore the sage kings, cherishing that the four quarters alone suffer, raised armies and pushed back the Hu and Yue; when distant raiders are removed the state is at peace and calamity disperses, and they used the surplus of the fertile Middle Kingdom to balance the border regions. When the borders are strong the Middle Kingdom is at peace, and when the Middle Kingdom is at peace it lies calm with no trouble; what is sought that is not gained?

文學曰古者天子之立於天下之中縣內方不過千里諸侯列國不及不食之地禹貢至於五千里民各供其君諸侯各保其國是以百姓均調而繇【音遙】役不勞也今推胡越數千裡道路廻逺士卒勞罷【音疲】故邉民有刎頸之禍而中國有死亡之患此百姓所以囂囂而不黙也【囂囂喧也又眾多貎詩云防口囂囂】夫【音扶】治國之道由中及外自近者始近者親附然後來逺百姓內足然後防外故群臣論或欲田輪臺明主不許以為先救近務及時本業也故下詔曰當今之務在於禁苛暴止擅賦力本農公卿宜承意請減除不任以佐百姓之急今中國弊落不憂務在邉境意者地廣而不耕多種而不耨費力而無功【漢紀曰徵和四年捜粟都尉桑羊與御史大夫奏言故輪臺以東皆故國處有灌溉田其旁小國少錐刀貴黃鐵綿繒可以易谷臣愚以為可遣屯田詣輪臺置校尉二人通利溝渠田一歳有積穀募民敢徙者詣田所就畜積為產業稍稍築亭連城而西以威西國輔烏孫為便事上上乃下詔深陳既往之悔曰前有司則欲益民賦以助邉用是困老弱孤獨也今又請田輪臺曩者朕之不明興師逺攻遣貳師將軍古者出師卿大夫與謀參以蓍不吉不行乃者遍召群臣又筮之卦得大過爻在九五曰匈奴困敗方士占星氣太卜蓍皆為吉匈奴必破時不可失卜諸將貳師最吉朕親發貳師詔之必無深入今計謀卦兆皆反謬貳師軍敗士卒離散略盡悲痛常在朕心今有司請逺田輪臺欲起亭燧是唯益擾天下非所以憂民也朕不忍聞當今務在禁苛暴止擅賦務本勸農無乏武備而已由是不復出軍封丞相為富民侯而勸耕農自是田多墾闢而兵革休息善謀篇曰孝武皇帝自將師伏兵於馬邑誘致單于單于既入塞道覺之奔走而去其後交兵接刄結怨連禍相攻撃十年兵凋民勞百姓空虗道殣相望槥車相屬冦盜滿山天下搖動孝武皇帝后悔之御史大夫桑羊請佃輪臺詔卻曰當今之務務在禁暴止擅賦今乃逺西佃非所以慰民也朕不忍聞封丞相號曰富民侯遂不復言兵事國家以寧繼嗣以定從韓安國之本謀也】詩云無田甫田維莠驕驕其斯之謂歟

The Literati said: In ancient times the Son of Heaven stood in the middle of the world, the inner domain was no more than a thousand li square, the feudal states were arrayed and did not reach the lands that did not provide food, and the Tribute of Yu reaches five thousand li. The people each supplied their own ruler, the feudal lords each protected their own state, so the hundred clans were evenly balanced and corvee [the character is glossed as pronounced 'yao'] did not weary them. Now pushing the Hu and Yue back several thousand li, the roads are long and winding, and the soldiers are toiled and exhausted [the character 'ba' is glossed as pronounced 'pi']; so the border people suffer the calamity of cut necks and the Middle Kingdom suffers the trouble of death and loss, and this is why the hundred clans clamor and do not keep silent. [The word for clamor is for noise, and also describes a multitude. The Odes say: Slanderous (the source text reads as damaged) mouths are clamoring.] [The opening word 'fu' is glossed as pronounced 'fu'.] The way of governing a state goes from the center outward, beginning with what is near. When the near are close and attached, the far come; when the hundred clans are sufficient within, then one can guard outside. So when ministers discussed whether to farm at Luntai, the enlightened ruler did not allow it, thinking to first rescue the near tasks and attend to the basic occupation at the right time. So he issued an edict saying: The task of the present lies in forbidding harshness and violence, stopping arbitrary taxation, and strengthening the basic work of farming. The dukes and ministers should receive this intent and request to reduce and remove what is not suitable, to help the urgent needs of the hundred clans. Now the wearing down of the Middle Kingdom is not worried over, and the task is set on the border; I suppose the land is wide but not plowed, much is planted but not weeded, and effort is spent without result. [The Han Annals says: In the fourth year of Zhenghe, Sang Hongyang (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription), commandant for grain collection, and the Imperial Secretary memorialized: Formerly east of Luntai were all old states, with irrigated fields; the small states nearby lack awls and knives, and prize yellow iron, cotton and silk, which can be exchanged for grain. We humbly think that colony troops can be sent to Luntai, two commandants set up, the canals and ditches opened, so that within a year the fields will have accumulated grain, and those among the people who dare to move there will be recruited to the field area and take up stores as livelihood, gradually building posts and linking cities westward, which would be convenient for awing the western states and assisting the Wusun. When the memorial was submitted, the emperor issued an edict deeply expressing regret for the past, saying: Earlier the officials wished to increase the people's taxes to help the border expenses, which would trouble the old, weak, orphaned and solitary; now they again request to farm at Luntai. In the past, when I was not enlightened, I raised armies for distant campaigns and sent the General of Ershi. In ancient times when armies set out, the ministers and grand masters took part in the plans, consulted with milfoil and tortoise (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription), and if not auspicious did not proceed. Recently I summoned all the ministers and divined again, and the hexagram obtained was Great Excess, with the line at nine in the fifth place, saying that the Xiongnu would be in distress and defeated. The diviners observing star-energy and the Grand Diviner with milfoil and tortoise all said it was auspicious, that the Xiongnu would surely be broken and the moment could not be lost. We divined for the generals, and the General of Ershi was most auspicious. I personally dispatched the General of Ershi, and ordered him not to go deep in. Now the plans and the divination signs are all contrary and mistaken, the army of Ershi was defeated, the soldiers were scattered and almost lost, and grief and pain are always in my heart. Now the officials request to farm far away at Luntai and want to raise posts and beacons, which would only add to the disturbance of the world and is not a way to care for the people; I cannot bear to hear of it. The task of the present is to forbid harshness and violence, stop arbitrary taxation, concentrate on the root and encourage farming, and not lack military preparedness, and that is all. From then on armies were no longer sent out, and the chancellor was enfeoffed as Marquis of Enriching the People to encourage farming. From this time many fields were opened and the weapons of war rested. The chapter 'Shan Mou' says: Emperor Xiaowu led the army himself and hid troops at Mayi to lure the Chanyu; the Chanyu, having entered the pass, sensed it on the road and ran away. Afterwards they crossed swords and bound resentment and disaster, attacking each other for ten years, soldiers dwindled and the people toiled, the hundred clans were emptied, corpses lay by the road in sight of each other, light coffin carts followed in a line, bandits filled the mountains, and the world was shaken. Emperor Xiaowu regretted it later. When the Imperial Secretary Sang Hongyang requested to farm at Luntai, the edict refused it, saying: The task of the present is to forbid violence and stop arbitrary taxation; now to farm far in the west is not a way to comfort the people, and I cannot bear to hear of it. He enfeoffed the chancellor with the title Marquis of Enriching the People, and from then on no longer spoke of military affairs. The state was thereby at peace and the succession was settled, following the original plan of Han Anguo.] The Odes say: Do not plow the great fields, only the weeds grow rank. Does this not refer to this?

大夫曰湯武之伐非好【去聲】用兵也【越絶書曰殷湯遭夏桀無道殘賊天下於是湯用伊尹行至聖之心見桀無道虐行故伐夏放桀而王道興躍革亂補移風易俗改制作新海內畢貢天下承風湯以文聖此之謂也文王死九年天下八百諸侯皆一旦防於孟津之上不言同辭不呼自來盡知武王忠信欲從武王與之伐紂當是時比干箕子防子尚在武王賢之未敢伐也還諸侯歸二年紂賊比干囚箕子防子去之刳姙婦殘朝渉武王見賢臣已亡乃朝天下興師伐紂殺之武王未下車封比干之墓發太倉之粟以贍天下封防子於宋此武王以禮信也】周宣王闢【音闢】國千里非貪侵也【詩序曰厲王暴虐周人逐之玁狁內侵逼近京邑宣王承其難命尹吉甫伐之有功而歸嚴尤曰當週宣王時玁狁內侵命將徵之盡境而還其視匈奴之侵譬猶蟁蝱之螫驅之而已故天下稱明】所以除冦賊而安百姓也故無功之師君子不行無用之地聖王不貪先帝舉湯武之師定三垂之難【去聲】一面而制敵匈奴遁逃因河山以為防故去沙石鹹【音鹹】滷【音魯】不食之地故割什【音鬥】闢【音僻】之縣棄造陽之地以與胡省曲塞【音賽】據河險守要害以寛繇【音遙】役保士民【匈奴傳曰漢遂取河南地築朔方復繕故秦時蒙恬所為塞因河為固漢亦棄上谷之什闢縣造陽地以與胡是歳漢之元朔二年也孟康曰縣鬥闢曲近胡顔師古曰鬥絶也縣之鬥曲入匈奴界者其中造陽地也】由此觀之聖主用心非務廣地以勞眾而已矣

The Grand Master said: The campaigns of Tang and Wu were not out of a fondness [read in the falling tone] for using arms. [The Yue Jue Shu says: When Tang of Yin met Jie of Xia, who lacked the Way and ravaged the world, Tang employed Yi Yin and acted with a supremely sagely heart; seeing Jie's lawlessness and cruelty, he attacked Xia and banished Jie, so the kingly way arose, corrected disorder and repaired abuses (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription), changed customs, altered the system and made things new, and all within the seas sent tribute and the world followed his influence. Tang is called civil and sage; this is what is meant. Nine years after King Wen died, the eight hundred feudal lords of the world all at once met at Mengjin, without agreeing on a word or calling one another, coming of themselves, all knowing King Wu's loyalty and trustworthiness and wishing to follow King Wu to attack Zhou. At that time Bigan, Jizi and Weizi (the source text reads as damaged) were still there, and King Wu esteemed them and did not dare attack, and sent the feudal lords home. Two years later Zhou murdered Bigan, imprisoned Jizi, Weizi left, and he cut open pregnant women and crippled those who waded the river in the morning. King Wu, seeing that the worthy ministers were already gone, then convened the world and raised troops to attack and kill Zhou. Before King Wu had descended from his carriage, he sealed Bigan's tomb, opened the Grand Granary's grain to feed the world, and enfeoffed Weizi at Song. This is King Wu acting with ritual and trust.] King Xuan of Zhou opened [the character 'bi' is glossed as pronounced 'bi'] a thousand li of land, but not out of greed for invasion. [The Preface to the Odes says: King Li was tyrannical and the Zhou people drove him out, and the Xianyun invaded within, pressing near the capital. King Xuan inherited this trouble, ordered Yin Jifu to attack them, and he returned with merit. Yan You said: In the time of King Xuan of Zhou the Xianyun invaded, and he ordered a general to campaign against them, who went as far as the border and returned. He regarded the Xiongnu invasion as like the sting of mosquitos and gadflies, merely to be driven off, so the world called him enlightened.] It was to remove raiders and bandits and to give peace to the hundred clans. So a campaign without merit is not conducted by the noble person, and land without use is not coveted by sage kings. The former emperor raised the armies of Tang and Wu, settled the troubles [read in the falling tone] of the three borders, controlled the enemy from one side, and the Xiongnu fled; relying on the river and mountains as defense, he abandoned the sand, gravel and salt [the character 'xian' glossed as pronounced 'xian'] flats [the character 'lu' glossed as pronounced 'lu'] where nothing is eaten, and so cut off the counties of Doupi [the character 'shi' glossed as pronounced 'dou'; 'bi' glossed as pronounced 'pi'], gave up the land of Zaoyang to the Hu, reduced the winding frontier [pronounced 'sai'], held the river's dangers and guarded the strategic points, in order to relax corvee [pronounced 'yao'] and protect the officers and people. [The Account of the Xiongnu says: The Han then took the land south of the river and built Shuofang, and again repaired the frontier works built in Qin times by Meng Tian, relying on the river for strength. The Han also abandoned the Doupi county of Shanggu and the land of Zaoyang to the Hu. This was the second year of Yuanshuo of the Han. Meng Kang said: A Doupi county is a sharply curving one close to the Hu. Yan Shigu said: 'Dou' means cut off; of the counties sticking out into the Xiongnu border, among them was the land of Zaoyang.] From this we see that the sage ruler's intention was not merely to widen land and toil the multitude.

文學曰秦之用兵可謂極矣恬斥境可謂逺矣【人間訓曰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將築修城西屬流沙北撃遼水東結朝鮮中國內郡挽車而餉之又利越之犀角象齒翡翠珠璣乃使尉屠雎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千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雎伏屍流血數十萬乃發適戍以備之當此之時男子不得修農畆婦人不得剡麻考縷羸弱服格於道大夫箕防於衢病者不得養死者不得塟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】今逾防恬之塞【音賽】立郡縣冦虜之地地彌逺而民滋勞朔方以西長安以北新郡之功外城之費不可勝【音升】計非徒是也司馬唐鑿西南夷之塗巴蜀於卭【音笻】筰【音作】橫海征南夷樓舩戍東越荊楚罷【音疲】於甌駱左將伐朝鮮開臨洮【音姚】燕齊困於穢貉張騫通殊逺納無用府庫之藏流於外國非特什【音鬥】闢【音僻】之費造陽之役也【漢紀曰南夷道君長有十數夜郎最大其西靡漠之屬以十數靡漠最大自靡漠以北君長以十數卭都最大自越嶲以東北君長以十數莋都最大自莋都以東北君長以十數冉駹最大自冉駹以東北君長以十數白馬景大此皆巴蜀外西南夷也秦時嘗通伍尺之道於此諸國頗置長吏漢興皆棄之及大行王恢之救越也使鄱陽令唐防使於南越越食蒙以枸醬蒙問所從來曰從西北牂牁江江漢廣數千裡出番禺城下防因上書曰南越地東西皆萬餘里名為外臣實一州土今以長沙豫章往來水道絶難竊聞夜郎精兵可數十萬若從夜郎浮舩下牂牁出其不意此制越一竒也可通夜郎道為置吏上許之乃拜中郎將發巴蜀兵千餘人奉幣帛見夜郎侯喻以徳意為置長吏旁小邑皆貪漢贈帛以為道逺漢中不能有也故皆且聼命司馬相如亦言西南夷卭筰可作都上恱之以相如為中郎將往喻意皆聼命後西南夷數反發兵興徭役費用甚多相如知其難通業已逹之乃假巴蜀之諭以諷上且以宣其使防於百姓博望侯張騫者漢中人也初為郎應募使月氏時匈奴殺月氏王遂西徙故漢欲與月氏擊匈奴騫行為匈奴所得留騫十餘歳與妻有子然騫常持節不失後亡到月氏月氏未有報匈奴意騫留一歳餘乃還並南山從羌中來歸復為匈奴所得留之歳餘防單于死國內亂騫乃與其胡妻來歸漢拜為大中大夫初騫行百餘人惟騫與唐邑氏奴二人得還騫身所到大宛大月支大夏康居而傳聞其旁國名具為上言之西域本三十六國後分為五十四國皆在匈奴之西本志曰孝武之世圖利制匈奴患其兼從西國結黨南羌乃表河曲列四郡開玉門闗通西域以斷匈奴之右臂隔絶南羌月氏單于失援由是逺遁漠北而漠南無王庭遭值文景黙養民五世天下殷富財力有餘士馬強盛故能積群貨覩犀象瑇瑁則開犍為朱崖七郡感防醬竹杖則開牂牁越嶲聞天馬葡萄則通大宛安息自是之後明珠文貝犀象翠羽之珍盈於後宮毺琪瑠葡萄龍文魚目汗血名馬充於黃門巨象獅兕猛獸大雀之群實於外囿殊方異物四面而至】由此觀之非人主用心好事之臣為縣官計過也大夫曰挾管仲之知【去聲】者非為廝【音斯】役之使【去聲】也懐陶朱之慮者不居貧困之處【韓非子曰管仲相齊曰臣貴矣然而臣貧桓公曰使子有三歸之家曰臣富矣然而臣卑桓公使立於髙國之上曰臣尊矣然而臣踈乃立為仲父管仲父出朱蓋青衣置鼓而歸庭有陳鼎家有三歸孔子曰良大夫也其侈偪上拾遺記曰范蠡相越日致千金家僮閒筭術者萬人收四方難得之貨盈積于越都以為噐銅鐵之類積如山之阜或藏之井壍謂之寳井竒容麗色溢於閨房歴古以來未之有也】文學能言而不能行居下而訕上處貧而非富大言而不從髙厲而行【去聲】卑誹譽訾【音紫】議以要【平聲】名採善於當世夫【音扶】祿不過秉握者不足以言治家不滿儋石者不足以計事儒皆貧羸衣冠不完安知國家之政縣官之事乎何什【音鬥】闢【音僻】造陽也

The Literati said: Qin's use of arms may be called extreme, and Meng Tian's (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription) pushing back of the border may be called far. [The Huainanzi, 'Ren Jian Xun', says: The First Emperor of Qin held a prophetic chart, saw its text saying that what would destroy Qin was the Hu, and so levied five hundred thousand soldiers and sent Lord Meng and Elder Yang to lead them to build the long wall, joined in the west to the Flowing Sands, to the north striking at the Liao River and in the east linking Korea, with the inner commanderies of the Middle Kingdom pulling carts to supply them. He also coveted the rhinoceros horns, ivory, kingfisher feathers and pearls of Yue, and sent Commandant Tu Ju to levy five hundred thousand soldiers as five armies: one army blocked the ridge at Tancheng, one guarded the pass at Jiuyi, one stationed itself at the capital of Panyu, one guarded the border at Nanye, and one joined the waters of Yugan, for three years without removing armor or slackening crossbows. The supervisor Lu had no means to forward supplies, and used soldiers to dig a canal to open a grain road, to fight with the Yue people; he killed the lord of Xi Ou, Yi Xu Song, but the Yue people all went into thickets and lived with beasts, refusing to be Qin's captives, and set up fierce and valiant men as generals and attacked the Qin by night, greatly defeating them, killing Commandant Tu Ju, with corpses lying and blood flowing in the hundreds of thousands, and so Qin sent convict garrisons to guard against them. At that time men could not tend the fields and women could not shave hemp or sort thread, the weak and frail wore fetters on the roads, grand masters sat in baskets at the crossroads, the sick could not be cared for and the dead could not be buried. So Chen Sheng rose at Daze, raised his arm and shouted, and the world was swept to Xi. Liu and Xiang raised righteous armies and followed to settle it, like snapping dry wood and shaking down leaves, and so Qin lost the world. The disaster lay in guarding against the Hu and seeking profit in Yue.] Now one goes beyond Meng Tian's (the source text reads as damaged) frontier [pronounced 'sai'] and sets up commanderies and counties in the land of the raiders; the farther the land, the more the people toil. West of Shuofang and north of Chang'an, the cost of the work on the new commanderies and outer walls cannot be counted [the character 'sheng' glossed as pronounced 'sheng']. Not only that: Sima Xiangru and Tang Meng opened the road through the southwestern barbarians, and Ba and Shu were worn out (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription) by Qiong [glossed as pronounced 'qiong'] and Zuo [glossed as pronounced 'zuo']; Hengha attacked the southern barbarians, and tower ships garrisoned eastern Yue, and Jing and Chu were exhausted [the character 'ba' glossed as pronounced 'pi'] by Ou and Luo; the General of the Left attacked Korea and opened Lintao [glossed as pronounced 'yao'], and Yan and Qi were in hardship from the Hui and Mo; Zhang Qian opened up distant places and took in useless things, and the stores in the treasuries flowed out to foreign states: this is not merely the cost of Doupi and the labor of Zaoyang. [The Han Annals says: In the southern barbarian road there were a dozen or so chiefs, of whom Yelang was largest; west of it the Mimo group numbered a dozen or so, of whom Mimo was largest; north of Mimo a dozen or so chiefs, of whom Qiongdu was largest; northeast of Yuexi a dozen or so chiefs, of whom Zuodu was largest; northeast of Zuodu a dozen or so chiefs, of whom Ranmang was largest; northeast of Ranmang a dozen or so chiefs, of whom Baima was largest: these were all the southwestern barbarians outside Ba and Shu. In Qin times a five-foot road had once been opened, and long officials were placed in these states; when the Han arose they were all abandoned. When the Grand Herald Wang Hui rescued Yue, he sent Tang Meng, magistrate of Poyang, as envoy to Nan Yue. Yue fed Tang Meng with sauce made of betel, and Meng asked where it came from, and was told it came from the Zangke River in the northwest, whose river was several thousand li wide and came out beneath the walls of Panyu. Meng then submitted a memorial saying: The land of Nan Yue is over ten thousand li east to west; it is nominally an outer vassal but in fact a province's worth of land. Now travel between it and Changsha and Yuzhang is extremely hard by waterway. I privately heard that Yelang has elite troops that could number several hundred thousand; if one floated boats from Yelang down the Zangke and came out unexpectedly, this would be a remarkable way to control Yue. One may open the Yelang road and set officials there. The emperor approved, and appointed Meng as general of the household, who sent more than a thousand soldiers of Ba and Shu bringing silks to see the Marquis of Yelang, explaining the imperial virtue and setting up long officials. The small neighboring towns all coveted the Han gifts of silk, and thinking the road was far and the Han could not finally hold it, all temporarily followed orders. Sima Xiangru also said the southwestern barbarians' Qiong and Zuo could be made into a capital. The emperor was pleased and sent Xiangru as general of the household to explain, and they all followed orders. Later the southwestern barbarians repeatedly rebelled, troops were sent and corvee raised, and the expenses were very great. Xiangru knew it was hard to open, and since he had already carried it out, he used the pretext of a notice to Ba and Shu to admonish the emperor and to publicize the intent of his mission (the source text reads as damaged) among the hundred clans. Zhang Qian, Marquis of Bowang, was from Hanzhong; he first served as a gentleman and answered the call to be sent to the Yuezhi. At that time the Xiongnu had killed the king of the Yuezhi, who moved west, so the Han wished to join the Yuezhi in attacking the Xiongnu. Qian set out and was captured by the Xiongnu, who kept him for over ten years, and he had a wife and child, but Qian always kept his tally and did not lose it. Later he fled to the Yuezhi, but the Yuezhi had no intention of taking revenge on the Xiongnu; Qian stayed over a year and then returned, following the southern mountains and coming back through the Qiang lands, and was again captured by the Xiongnu and kept over a year. When the Chanyu died and there was disorder in the country, Qian came back to the Han with his Hu wife and was appointed Grand Palace Counselor. When Qian set out, there were over a hundred men, but only Qian and a slave of the Tangyi clan could return. Qian himself had been to Dayuan, the Greater Yuezhi, Daxia and Kangju, and reported the names of their neighboring states to the emperor in full. The Western Regions had originally thirty-six states, later divided into fifty-four, all west of the Xiongnu. This treatise says: In the age of Emperor Xiaowu he planned to control the Xiongnu, worried that they might combine with the western states and join the southern Qiang, so he memorialized to open the bend of the river, set out four commanderies, open the Yumen Pass and open the Western Regions in order to cut off the Xiongnu's right arm and isolate the southern Qiang and Yuezhi. The Chanyu lost his support, and therefore fled far to the north of the desert, and south of the desert there was no royal court. Meeting the quiet nurturing of the people through five generations of Emperors Wen and Jing, the world was rich, wealth and strength were ample, and officers and horses were strong, so on seeing rhinoceros, ivory and tortoiseshell they opened Jianwei and the seven commanderies of Zhuya, on being stirred by betel sauce and bamboo staffs they opened Zangke and Yuexi, and on hearing of heavenly horses and grapes they opened Dayuan and Anxi. From then on, bright pearls and patterned shells, rhinoceros, ivory and kingfisher feathers filled the rear palace, rugs, jade and glass, grapes, dragon-patterned and fish-eyed gems, and blood-sweating famous horses filled the Yellow Gates, and herds of great elephants, lions, rhinoceros, fierce beasts and great birds filled the outer parks, with strange things from distant lands arriving from all sides.] From this we see that it was not the ruler's intention but the schemes of meddling ministers who plotted for the county officials. The Grand Master said: One who has the wisdom [pronounced in the falling tone] of Guan Zhong does not become a menial servant [the character 'si' glossed as pronounced 'si'] sent [pronounced in the falling tone]; one who holds the plans of Tao Zhu does not dwell in poverty. [Han Feizi says: When Guan Zhong was chancellor of Qi, he said: I am noble, yet I am poor. Duke Huan said: I will give you the three returns household. He said: I am rich, yet I am lowly. Duke Huan had him placed above Gao and Guo. He said: I am honored, yet I am distant. So he was made Second Father. When Guan Zhong went out, he rode under a red canopy in blue clothes, had drums set out on his return, had cauldrons arrayed in the courtyard, and his household had the three returns. Confucius said: A fine grand master, but his extravagance pressed on his superior. The Record of Gleanings says: Fan Li, chancellor of Yue, gained a thousand gold daily, and had ten thousand household servants skilled in calculation, and gathered rare goods from the four quarters that filled the Yue capital to make utensils; bronze and iron and such piled up like hills, some stored in wells and pits called treasure wells; extraordinary appearance and beautiful looks overflowed in his chambers, which had never existed since ancient times.] The Literati can speak but cannot act, live below and slander those above, are poor and condemn the rich, talk big but do not follow through, speak loftily but act [the character 'xing' pronounced in the falling tone] lowly, carp and slander and criticize [the character 'zi' glossed as pronounced 'zi'] to seek [the character 'yao' read in the level tone] fame and pick up praise in the present age. [The opening 'fu' is glossed as pronounced 'fu'.] One whose stipend does not exceed a handful cannot speak of government, and one whose household does not fill a dan or shi cannot reckon affairs. The Confucians are all poor and thin, with their clothing and caps incomplete; what do they know of the government of the state and the business of the county officials? What have they to do with Doupi and Zaoyang?

文學曰夫【音扶】賤不周知【去聲】貧不妨行【去聲】顔淵屢空不為不賢孔子不容不為不聖【孔子曰賢哉囘也一簞食一瓢飲在陋巷人不堪其憂回也不改其樂賢哉回也又曰回也其庶乎屢空孔子厄於陳蔡顔回曰夫子之道至大天下莫能容雖然夫子推而行之世不我用有國之醜也夫子何病焉不容然後見君子孔子欣然嘆曰有是哉】及將以貎舉人以才進士則太公終身鼔刀而戚不離飯【上聲】牛矣【王逸曰太公避紂居東海之濱聞文王作興盍往歸之至朝歌益窮困自鼓刀而屠遂西釣於渭濱文王夢得聖人於是出獵而見之遂載以歸用以為師言吾先公望子乆矣因號為太公望或言周文王夢立令狐之津太公在後帝曰昌賜汝名師文王再拜太公夢亦如此文王出田見識所夢載與俱歸以為太公也雜事篇曰戚欲幹齊桓公窮困無以自進於是為商旅賃車以適齊暮宿於郭門之外桓公郊迎客夜開門闢賃車者執火甚盛從者甚眾戚飯牛於車下望桓公而悲擊牛角疾商歌桓公聞之撫其僕之手曰異哉此歌者非常人也命後車載之桓公反至從者以請桓公曰賜之衣冠將見之寗戚見說桓公以合境內明日復見說桓公以為天下桓公大說將任之群臣爭之曰客衛人去齊五百里不逺不若使人問之固賢人也任之未晚也桓公曰不然問之恐其有小忘人之大美此人主所以失天下之士也且人固難全權用其長者遂舉大用之而授之以為卿當此舉也桓公得之矣所以覇也】古之君子守道以立名修身以俟時不以窮變節不以賤易志【詮言曰古之存已者樂德而忘賤故名不動志樂道而忘貧故利不動心繆稱訓曰天下有至貴而非勢位也有至富而非金玉也】惟仁之處惟義之行臨財不苟見利反義不義而富無名而貴仁者不為也【孫卿曰古之賢人食則餰粥不足衣則短褐不完然而非禮不進非義不受】故曾參閔子不以其仁易晉楚之富伯夷不以其行【去聲】易諸侯之位是以齊景公有馬千駟而不能與之爭名【立節篇曰曾子衣衣以耕魯君使人往致邑焉曰請以此修衣曽子不受往復反又不受使者曰先生非求於人人則獻之奚為不受曾子曰臣聞之受人者畏人予人者驕人縱子有賜不我驕也我能勿畏乎終不受孔子曰參之言足以全其節也孟子曰曾子曰晉楚之富不可及也彼以其富我以其仁彼以其爵我以其義吾何歉乎哉仲尼弟子傳曰閔損字子騫不仕大夫不食汙君之祿季氏使閔子騫為費宰子騫曰善為我辭焉如有復我者則吾必在汶上矣伯夷傳曰伯夷叔齊孤竹君之二子也父欲立叔齊及父卒叔齊讓伯夷伯夷曰父命也遂逃去叔齊亦不肯立而逃之國人立其中子論語曰伯夷叔齊餓於首陽之下民到於今稱之齊景公有馬千駟民無得而稱焉詩曰誠不以富亦只以異其此之異與繆稱訓曰伯夷餓死首山之下猶不自悔棄其所賤得其所貴也說山訓曰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摶美之所在雖汙辱世不能賤惡之所在雖髙隆世不能貴】孔子曰賢哉回也一簞食一瓢飲在於陋巷人不堪其憂回也不改其樂【音洛】故惟仁者能處約樂【音洛】貧【髙士傳曰孔子謂顔回曰家貧居卑胡不仕乎對曰不願仕回有郭外之田五十畆足以給鬻郭內十畆足以為絲麻鼓琴足以自娛所學夫子者足以自樂也回不願仕夫子愀然變色曰美哉】小人富斯暴貧斯濫矣陽子曰為仁不富為富不仁苟先利而後義取奪不厭公卿積億萬大夫積千金士積百金利己並財以聚百姓寒苦流離於路【流離梟鳥闗西謂之流離藉以為漂散之義也】儒獨何以完其衣冠也

The Literati said: [The opening 'fu' is glossed as pronounced 'fu'.] Humble status does not harm wisdom [the word 'zhi' pronounced in the falling tone], and poverty does not hinder conduct [the word 'xing' pronounced in the falling tone]. Yan Yuan was often empty-handed, yet he was not unworthy; Confucius was not accepted in his age, yet he was not unsage [Confucius said: How worthy was Hui! One bamboo bowl of food, one gourd dipper of drink, in a lowly lane; others could not bear the hardship, but Hui did not change his joy; how worthy was Hui! He also said: Hui comes near, but is often empty-handed. When Confucius was in distress between Chen and Cai, Yan Hui said: The Master's Way is utterly great, so the world cannot accept it; even so the Master pushes it and practices it, and if the age does not use us, that is the shame of those who have states. What is the Master's trouble? Only after not being accepted does one see the noble person. Confucius was delighted and sighed: So it is!]. If one raised people by appearance and promoted scholars by talent, then Taigong would have wielded the butcher's knife all his life, and Ning Qi (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription) would not have left feeding oxen [Wang Yi says: Taigong avoided Zhou and lived on the eastern seashore, and hearing that King Wen was rising, thought he would go and join him. On arriving at Zhaoge he became even poorer and himself wielded the butcher's knife, and then went west to fish on the bank of the Wei. King Wen dreamed of obtaining a sage, and so went out hunting and saw him, carried him back in his carriage and made him his teacher, saying: My late lord Gong has long hoped for you, and so called him Taigong Wang. Another account says King Wen of Zhou dreamed he stood at the ford of Linghu, with Taigong behind him, and the Lord said: Chang, I give you a famous teacher. King Wen bowed twice, and Taigong had the same dream. King Wen went out to hunt, saw the one in his dream and took him back and made him Taigong. The 'Miscellaneous Matters' chapter says: Ning Qi wanted to seek out Duke Huan of Qi, but was in hardship with no means to advance, so he hired out as a cart hand for merchants to go to Qi, and lodged at night outside the outer gate. Duke Huan went out to welcome a guest in the suburb and opened the gate at night, clearing away the hired carts, with a great many torches and many attendants. Ning Qi was feeding his ox beneath the cart, and looking at Duke Huan he grieved and struck the ox's horn and sang quickly a Shang song. Duke Huan heard it and patted the hand of his attendant, saying: How strange, this singer is no ordinary man. He ordered the rear carriage to carry him. When Duke Huan returned, his attendants asked about it. Duke Huan said: Give him clothes and a cap, and I will see him. When Ning Qi came, he spoke to Duke Huan about uniting the realm; the next day he came again and spoke to Duke Huan about ruling the world. Duke Huan was greatly pleased and was about to appoint him. The ministers contested it, saying: This guest is a man of Wei, not far from Qi, only five hundred li away; it would be better to send someone to ask about him, and if he is indeed worthy, it will not be too late to appoint him. Duke Huan said: Not so. If I ask about him I fear he may have some small flaw (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription) and I would forget the man's great excellence, which is how rulers lose the scholars of the world. Besides, people are hard to find perfect, so one uses their strengths with discretion. So he raised him to great office and gave him the rank of minister. In this action Duke Huan found him, and so became hegemon.]. The noble persons of old kept the Way to establish their name and cultivated themselves to await their time, not changing their integrity in hardship nor altering their will in lowliness [Huainanzi, 'Quan Yan Xun', says: The ancients who preserved themselves delighted in virtue and forgot lowliness, so fame did not move their will; they delighted in the Way and forgot poverty, so profit did not move their heart. 'Miu Cheng Xun' says: In the world there is the utmost nobility that is not power and rank, and the utmost wealth that is not gold and jade.]. They dwelt only where there was humaneness and acted only in righteousness, were not careless in handling wealth, and on seeing profit turned back to righteousness; the humane do not become rich by unrighteousness or noble without a name [Xunzi says: The worthy of old had to eat thin gruel without having enough, and wore short coarse clothes that were not whole, yet they did not advance without ritual and did not accept without righteousness.]. So Zeng Shen and Min Zi did not exchange their humaneness for the wealth of Jin and Chu, Bo Yi did not exchange his conduct [the word 'xing' pronounced in the falling tone] for a feudal lord's rank, and so Duke Jing of Qi, with a thousand teams of four horses, could not compete with them in fame [The 'Li Jie' chapter says: Zengzi wore tattered clothes to plow, and the ruler of Lu sent someone to give him a town, saying: Please use this to mend your clothes. Zengzi did not accept; they went and returned, and again he did not accept. The messenger said: Master, you do not ask from people, but they offer it; why do you not accept? Zengzi said: I have heard that one who receives from people fears them, and one who gives to people is arrogant to them. Even if you give and he is not arrogant to me, can I not fear? In the end he did not accept. Confucius said: Shen's words are enough to complete his integrity. Mencius says: Zengzi said the wealth of Jin and Chu cannot be matched. They have their wealth, I have my humaneness; they have their rank, I have my righteousness; what do I lack? The Biographies of Confucius's Disciples says: Min Sun, courtesy name Ziqian, did not serve a grand master and did not eat the stipend of a defiled ruler. The Ji clan sent Min Ziqian to be steward of Fei, and Ziqian said: Please decline well for me. If anyone comes back to me again, I will surely be at the Wen River. The Biography of Bo Yi says: Bo Yi and Shu Qi were two sons of the lord of Guzhu. Their father wanted to establish Shu Qi; when the father died, Shu Qi yielded to Bo Yi. Bo Yi said: It was Father's command. And fled. Shu Qi also would not take the throne and fled, and the people established the middle son. The Analects says: Bo Yi and Shu Qi starved at the foot of Mount Shouyang, and the people to this day praise them; Duke Jing of Qi had a thousand teams of four horses, and the people have nothing to praise in him. The Odes say: Truly not for wealth, but only for being different. Does this not refer to this? The Huainanzi, 'Miu Cheng Xun', says: Bo Yi starved to death beneath the head of the mountain and still did not regret it, abandoning what he found low and gaining what he found precious. 'Shuo Shan Xun' says: The jade wan and yan, though in foul mud, an honest man will not let go of; a worn bamboo steamer and jar, though on a cushion, even a greedy man will not take up. Where beauty lies, though it be in filth the age cannot hold it low; where ugliness lies, though it be high and lofty, the age cannot make it noble.]. Confucius said: How worthy was Hui, one bamboo bowl of food, one gourd dipper of drink, in a lowly lane; others could not bear the hardship, but Hui did not change his joy [the word 'le' glossed as pronounced 'luo']. So only the humane can dwell in poverty and take joy [pronounced 'luo'] in poverty [The Biographies of Lofty Scholars says: Confucius said to Yan Hui: Your family is poor and your dwelling lowly; why do you not take office? He answered: I do not wish to. Hui has fifty mu of fields outside the outer wall, enough to supply thin gruel; ten mu inside the wall, enough for silk and hemp; playing the zither is enough to amuse myself, and what I have learned from the Master is enough to be glad of. Hui does not wish to take office. The Master changed color with feeling and said: How fine!]. The petty person when rich is violent, and when poor is reckless. Yang Zi said: To practice humaneness is not to be rich, to be rich is not to be humane. If one puts profit first and righteousness last, one is never satisfied with taking: the dukes and ministers pile up a hundred million, grand masters pile up a thousand gold, scholars pile up a hundred gold, and profit for oneself combines wealth to gather, while the hundred clans are cold and suffering, drifting [the word is the name of the owl called 'liuli', as the people of Guanxi call it, borrowed to mean scattering] on the roads. How can the Confucians alone keep their clothes and caps whole?

大夫曰餘結髪束脩年十三幸得宿衛【平凖書曰桑羊賈人子以心計年十三侍中】給事輦轂之下以至卿大夫之位獲祿受賜六十有餘年矣車馬衣服之用妻子僕養之費量入為出儉節以居之奉【音俸】祿賞賜一二籌冊【通作防】之積浸以致富成業故分土若一賢者能守之分財若一知【去聲】者能籌之夫【音扶】子貢之廢著【音貯】陶朱公之三至千金豈必賴之民哉運之方寸轉之息耗取之貴賤之間耳【貨殖傳曰子貢既學於仲尼退而仕於衛廢著鬻財於曹魯之間七十子之徒賜最為饒益原憲不厭糟糠匿於窮巷子貢結駟連騎束帛之幣以聘享諸侯所至國君無不分庭與之抗禮夫使孔子名布揚於天下者子貢先後之也此所謂得勢而益彰者乎又曰范蠡既雪防稽之恥乃喟然作而嘆曰計然之防七越用其五而得意既已施於國吾欲用之家乃乘扁舟浮於江湖變名易姓適齊為防夷子皮之陶為朱公朱公以為陶天下之中諸侯四通貨物所交易也乃治產積居與時逐而不責於人故善治生者能擇人而任時十九年之中三致千金再分散與貧交疏昆弟此所謂富好行其德者後年衰老而聼子孫子孫修業而息之遂至鉅萬故言富者皆稱陶朱公】

The Grand Master said: I tied up my hair and presented my dried-meat tuition, and at thirteen I was fortunate to serve in the palace guard [the Records of the Grand Historian, Treatise on Balanced Standard, says: Sang Hongyang (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription) was a merchant's son, and by his mental calculation became an attendant at thirteen], serving beneath the imperial carriage up to the rank of minister and grand master, receiving stipends and gifts for over sixty years. In the use of carriages, horses and clothing and the costs of wife, children and servants, I measured income and spent accordingly and lived thriftily. Stipends [pronounced 'feng'] and rewards, by the accumulation of a calculation here and there [the character for 'tally slips' is glossed as written 'ce'], gradually led to wealth and an established estate. So if land is divided evenly, the worthy can keep it; if wealth is divided evenly, the wise [the word 'zhi' read in the falling tone] can reckon it. [The opening 'fu' is glossed as pronounced 'fu'.] Zigong's trading [the character 'zhu' glossed as pronounced 'zhu'] and Tao Zhu Gong's three times reaching a thousand gold, did they necessarily depend on the people? They turned it in the space of an inch of the mind, shifting between gain and loss, taking it between the high and low prices, and that is all. [The Records of the Grand Historian, Biographies of Merchants, says: Zigong, having studied under Zhongni, withdrew and served in Wei, and traded goods and made money between Cao and Lu. Among the seventy disciples, Ci was the richest. Yuan Xian did not tire of dregs and husks and hid in a poor lane; Zigong had linked teams of four horses and bundles of silk gifts to visit the feudal lords, and the rulers of every state he came to received him as equals in the courtyard. That Confucius's name spread through the world was due to Zigong's coming before and after him. This is what is meant by gaining power and becoming more renowned. It also says: After Fan Li had avenged the shame of Kuaiji (the source text reads as damaged), he sighed and said: Ji Ran's strategy had seven parts, Yue used five and attained its aim; having already applied it to the state, I want to use it for my household. So he took a small boat and floated on the rivers and lakes, changed his name and surname, went to Qi as Chiyi Zipi (the source text reads as damaged), and went to Tao as Lord Zhu. Lord Zhu considered that Tao was in the center of the world, with the feudal lords reaching it from all sides and goods exchanged there. So he managed property and stored goods, chasing the times and not demanding from people. So one who is good at managing livelihood can choose people and rely on the times. In nineteen years he three times reached a thousand gold, and twice distributed it to the poor, distant friends and brothers; this is what is meant by a rich man who likes to practice his virtue. In later years, when he was old, he left it to his descendants, who cultivated the work and increased it until it reached tens of thousands of times more. So all who speak of wealth call it Lord Tao Zhu.]

文學曰古者事業不二利祿不兼然後諸業不相逺而貧富不相懸也【齊俗訓曰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詮言曰賈多端則貧士多技則窮心不一也】夫【音扶】乗爵祿以謙讓者名不可勝【音升】舉也因權勢以求利者入不可勝【音升】數也食湖池管山海芻蕘者不能與之爭澤商賈【音古】不能與之爭利子貢以布衣致之而孔子非之況以勢位求之者乎【孔子曰賜不受命而貨殖焉】故古者大夫思其仁義以充其位不為權利以充其私也

The Literati said: In ancient times, occupations were not doubled and profit and salary were not combined; thus the various trades were not far apart and rich and poor were not widely separated. [The Huainanzi, 'Equalizing Customs,' says: The body of a well-ordered age is easy to guard, its affairs easy to do, its rites easy to practice and its duties easy to repay. So people did not hold two offices, officials did not take on two kinds of work, and scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants lived in separate districts and prefectures. Thus farmers discussed effort with farmers, scholars discussed conduct with scholars, artisans discussed skill with artisans and merchants discussed numbers with merchants. Therefore scholars left no failing in conduct, farmers had no wasted labor, artisans had no difficult tasks, merchants had no broken goods, each was at peace with his nature and they did not interfere with each other. The 'Explaining Sayings' says: A merchant with many sidelines is poor and a scholar with many skills is in straits, because the heart is not single.] Those who rise by rank and salary with modesty and yielding have fame too great to list; those who seek profit by power and position have income too great to count. They eat from lakes and ponds and control the mountains and seas, so that firewood-gatherers cannot compete with them for marshes and merchants cannot compete with them for profit. Zigong obtained it as a commoner and yet Confucius disapproved of him; how much more of those who seek it by power and position? [Confucius said: Ci does not accept fate and goes in for trade.] So in ancient times a high officer thought of benevolence and righteousness to fill his position and did not use power and profit to fill his private purse.

大夫曰山嶽有饒然後百姓澹【古贍字】焉河海有潤然後民取足焉夫【音扶】尋常之汚不能溉陂澤丘阜之木不能成宮室小不能苞大少不能澹【古贍字】多【泰族訓曰髙山深林非為虎豹也大木茂枝非為飛鳥也流源千里淵深百仭非為蛟龍也致其崇髙成其廣大山居木棲巢枝穴藏水潛陸行各得其所寧焉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鼈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傳曰坎井無黿鼉者隘也園中無修林者小也】未有不能自足而能足人者也未有不能自治而能治人者也故善為【去聲】人者能自為【去聲】者也善治人者能自治者也文學不能治內安能理外乎

The Grand Secretary said: When mountains have abundance, the common people are supplied by them; when rivers and seas have moisture, the people take enough from them. A puddle of a fathom cannot irrigate a pond or marsh, and the trees of a hillock cannot make a palace. The small cannot contain the great, and the few cannot supply the many. [The Huainanzi, 'Great Clan,' says: High mountains and deep forests are not made for tigers and leopards, great trees and thick branches are not made for flying birds, and sources flowing a thousand li and abysses a hundred ren deep are not made for dragons. Reaching their height and completing their vastness, creatures living on mountains, perching in trees, nesting on branches, hiding in holes, submerging in water or walking on land each find their place and peace. Great produces small and many produces few; this is the Way of Heaven. So a hillock cannot produce clouds and rain, and the Xing water cannot produce fish and turtles, being small. The steam of oxen and horses breeds nits and lice, but the steam of nits and lice cannot breed oxen and horses, so what transforms is born outside and not within. The Commentary says: A shallow well has no giant turtles because it is narrow, and a garden without tall forests is small.] There has never been one who could not be self-sufficient yet could supply others, nor one who could not govern himself yet could govern others. So one who is good at acting for others can act for himself, and one who is good at governing others can govern himself. If the Literati cannot govern within, how can they manage the outside?

文學曰行逺者假於車濟江海者因於舟【荀子曰假輿馬者非利足也而致千里假舟楫者非能水也而絶江河慎子曰行海者坐而致越有舟也行陸者立而至秦有車也】公輸子能因人主之材木以搆宮室臺榭而不能自為專室狹廬材不足也歐冶能因國君以為金鑪大鐘而不能自為一鼎盤材無其用也君子因人主之正朝以和百姓潤眾庶而不能自饒其家勢不便也故舜耕於歴山恩不及州里太公屠牛於朝歌利不及妻子及其見用恩流八荒德溢四海【雜言曰舜耕之時不能利其都人及為天子天下戴之故君子窮則善其身逹則利於天下俶真訓曰舜之耕陶也不能利其裡南靣王則徳施乎四海仁非能益也處便而勢利也是故烏號之弓谿子之弩不能無而射越舲蜀艇不能無水而浮】故舜假之堯太公因之周君子能修身以假道者不能枉道而假財也大夫曰道懸於天物佈於地知【去聲】者以衍愚者以困【孫卿曰仁義之於人也譬之若貨財粟米之於家也多有之者富少有之者貧至無有者窮覽防訓曰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貨殖傳曰農工虞商此四者民所衣食之原也原大則饒原小則鮮上則富國下則富家貧富之道莫之奪予而巧者有餘拙者不足】子貢以著【音眝】積顯於諸侯陶朱公以貨殖尊於當世富者交焉貧者澹【古贍字】焉故上自人君下及布衣之士莫不戴其德稱其仁原憲孔伋當世被飢寒之患顔回屢空於窮巷當此之時迫於窟穴拘於縕袍雖欲假財信奸佞亦不能也【詩傳曰原憲居魯環堵之室茨以生蒿蓬戸甕牖揉桑以為樞上漏下溼匡坐而歌子貢聞之乘肥馬衣輕裘中紺而表素軒車不容巷往見原憲原憲冠桑葉冠杖藜杖而應門正冠則纓絶捉襟則肘見納履則踵決子貢曰噫先生何病也原憲仰而應之曰憲聞之無財之謂貧學而不能行之謂病憲貧也非病也若夫希世而行比周而交學以為人敎以為己仁義之慝輿馬之餙憲不忍為也子貢逡廵面有愧色不辭而去原憲曵杖拖屨行歌商頌而反聲滿天地如出金石天子不得而臣也諸侯不得而友也故養志者忘身身且不愛孰能累之詩曰我心匪石不可轉也我心匪席不可卷也此之謂也立節篇曰子思居於衛縕袍無表二旬而九食田子方聞之使人遺狐白之裘恐其不受因謂之曰吾假人遂忘之吾與人也如棄之子思辭而不受子方曰我有子無何故不受子思曰伋聞之妄與不如遺棄物於溝壑伋雖貧也不忍以身為溝壑是以不敢當也】

The Literati said: One who travels far must borrow a carriage, and one who crosses rivers and seas must rely on a boat [Xunzi says: Those who borrow carriages and horses have no better feet yet cover a thousand li; those who borrow boats and oars are not able swimmers yet cross rivers. Shenzi says: One who travels by sea can sit and reach Yue because he has a boat; one who travels by land can stand and reach Qin because he has a carriage.]. Gongshu Zi could use a ruler's timber to build palaces, terraces and pavilions, yet could not make a single room or narrow hut for himself; his material was not enough. Ou Ye could use a ruler to make great furnaces and bells but could not make himself one cauldron or basin, as his material had no use. A noble person can use a ruler's correct court to harmonize the common people and benefit the multitude but cannot enrich his own household, because the circumstances are not convenient. So Shun plowed on Mount Li and his kindness did not reach his district; Taigong butchered oxen at Zhaoge and his benefit did not reach his wife and children; but when they were employed, their kindness flowed to the eight wildernesses and their virtue overflowed the four seas [The Miscellaneous Sayings says: When Shun was plowing he could not benefit the people of his city, but when he became Son of Heaven, the world looked up to him. So the noble person, when in straits, perfects himself, and when successful, benefits the world. The Huainanzi, 'Genuine Beginnings,' says: When Shun plowed and made pottery he could not benefit his village, but when he faced south as king, his virtue was spread over the four seas. Benevolence cannot add benefit by itself; it must be in a convenient position with power. Thus even the bow Wuhao and the crossbow of Xi Zi cannot shoot without a string, and Yue dragon boats and Shu boats cannot float without water.]. So Shun relied on Yao and Taigong relied on Zhou. A noble person can cultivate himself and rely on the Way, but cannot bend the Way to rely on wealth. The Grand Secretary said: The Way hangs in Heaven and things are spread on Earth; the wise use them to flourish and the foolish are hemmed in by them [Xunzi says: Benevolence and righteousness for a person are like goods, wealth, grain and rice for a household: those who have many are rich, those who have few are poor, and those who have none are in straits. The Huainanzi, 'Peering into the Obscure,' says: The Way has none who come privately and none who leave privately; the capable have a surplus and the clumsy fall short; those who follow it benefit and those who go against it meet misfortune. It is like the pearl of Marquis Sui or the jade of He, which enriches those who obtain it and impoverishes those who lose it. The Records of the Grand Historian, 'Biographies of Money-Makers,' says: Farmers, artisans, foresters and merchants are the four sources of the people's food and clothing. If the source is large, there is abundance; if small, there is scarcity. At the top it enriches the state and at the bottom it enriches the family. The way of rich and poor is not given or taken by anyone, and the skillful have a surplus and the clumsy fall short.]. Zigong rose to fame among the feudal lords by hoarding goods, and Lord Tao Zhu was honored in his age by trade; the rich associated with them and the poor were supplied by them. So from rulers above to commoner scholars below, none failed to look up to their virtue and praise their benevolence. Yuan Xian and Kong Ji met with hunger and cold in their time, and Yan Hui was often empty-handed in a narrow lane. At such times, hemmed in by hovels and bound to a patched gown, even if one wanted to rely on wealth or trust a flatterer, one could not [The Han Odes, 'Outer Commentary,' says: Yuan Xian lived in Lu in a house with walls round, thatched with raw wormwood, with a door of weeds and a window of a jar-mouth, with a mulberry-branch pivot, leaking above and damp below, yet sat upright and played and sang. Zigong heard of it, rode a fat horse and wore a light fur coat, dark blue within and plain white outside, his carriage too wide for the lane, and went to see Yuan Xian. Yuan Xian wore a cap of mulberry leaves and leaned on a goosefoot staff as he answered the door; when he straightened his cap the strap broke, when he gripped his robe his elbows showed, when he put on his shoes the heels split. Zigong said: Alas, sir, what is your illness? Yuan Xian looked up and answered: I have heard that to have no wealth is called poverty, and to study and be unable to practice is called illness. I, Xian, am poor, not ill. As for acting to curry favor with the age, associating in cliques, studying to impress others, teaching for oneself, and the evils of benevolence and righteousness and the decoration of carriages and horses, Xian cannot bear to do such things. Zigong hesitated, shame showed in his face, and he left without a word. Yuan Xian dragged his staff and shoes, walked back singing the Hymns of Shang, his voice filling Heaven and Earth as if from bronze and stone. The Son of Heaven could not make him a minister and the feudal lords could not make him a friend. So one who nurtures his will forgets his body; if he does not even cherish his body, who can burden him? The Odes say: My heart is not a stone, it cannot be rolled; my heart is not a mat, it cannot be rolled up. This is what it means. The 'Establishing Integrity' chapter says: Zisi lived in Wei with a patched gown without a lining, eating nine meals in twenty days. Tian Zifang heard of it and sent someone to give him a white fox-fur coat, and fearing he would not accept it, said: I lend things to people and then forget them; when I give to people it is as if I throw it away. Zisi declined and did not accept. Zifang said: I have and you have not; why do you not accept? Zisi said: I have heard that giving carelessly is worse than throwing things into a ravine. Though I am poor, I cannot bear to make myself into a ravine, and so I dare not accept.]

文學曰孔子云富而可求也雖執鞭之事吾亦為之如不可求從吾所好【立節篇曰卑賤貧窮非士之恥也夫士之所恥者天下舉忠而士不與焉舉信而士不與焉舉防而士不與焉三者在乎身名傳於後世與日月並而不息雖無道之世不能汚焉然則非好死而惡生也非富貴而樂貧賤也由其道遵其理尊貴及已士不辭也孔子曰富而可求雖執鞭之士吾亦為之富而不可求從吾所好也大聖之操也詩云我心匪石不可轉也我心匪席不可卷也言不失己也能不失己然後可與濟難矣此士君子之所以越眾也】君子求義非苟富也故刺子貢不受命而貨殖焉君子遭時則富且貴不遇退而樂道不以利累已故不違義而妄取隠居修節不欲妨行【去聲】故不毀名而趨勢雖附之以韓魏之家非其志則不居富貴不能榮謗毀不能傷也故原憲之縕袍賢於季孫之狐貉趙宣孟之魚食甘於知【去聲】伯之芻豢子思之銀佩美於虞公之垂棘【齊俗訓曰釐負羇之壺餐愈於晉獻公之垂棘趙宣孟之束脯賢於智伯之大鐘】魏文侯軾段幹木之閭非以其有勢也晉文公見韓慶下車而趨非其多財以其富於仁充於徳也故貴何必財亦仁義而已矣【修務訓曰段幹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幹木在是以軾其僕曰段幹木布衣之士君軾其閭不已甚乎文侯曰段幹木不趨勢利懐君子之道隠居窮巷聲施千里寡人敢勿軾乎段幹木光於德寡人光於勢段幹木富於義寡人富於財勢不若德尊財不若義髙幹木雖以己易寡人不為吾曰悠悠慙於影子何以輕之哉其後秦將起兵伐魏司馬庾諫曰段幹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雜事篇曰魏文侯過段幹木之閭而軾其僕曰君何為軾曰此非段幹木之閭乎段幹木蓋賢者也吾安敢不軾且吾聞段幹木未嘗肯以己易寡人也吾安敢髙之段幹木光乎德寡人光乎地段幹木富乎義寡人富乎財地不如德財不如義寡人當事之遂致祿百萬而時往問之國人皆喜相與誦之曰吾君好正段幹木之敬吾君好忠段幹木之隆居無幾何秦興兵欲攻司馬唐且諫秦君曰段幹木賢者也而魏禮之天下莫不聞無乃不可加兵乎秦君以為然乃按兵而輟不攻】

The Literati said: Confucius said: "If wealth could be sought, even if it meant holding a whip as a groom, I would do it; but if it cannot be sought, I follow what I love." [The 'Establishing Integrity' chapter says: Humility, low rank and poverty are not what a scholar is ashamed of. What a scholar is ashamed of is this: when the world lifts up loyalty and the scholar has no part in it, when the world lifts up good faith and the scholar has no part in it, when the world lifts up integrity and the scholar has no part in it. These three lie in oneself, and a name handed down to later ages, standing alongside the sun and moon without ceasing, cannot be defiled even in an age without the Way. Yet it is not that one likes death and hates life, or hates wealth and honor and delights in poverty and humility; if one follows the Way and keeps to principle and rank and honor come to oneself, a scholar does not refuse them. Confucius said: If wealth could be sought, I would do even a groom's task; if wealth cannot be sought, I follow what I love. This is the conduct of the great sage. The Odes say: My heart is not a stone, it cannot be rolled; my heart is not a mat, it cannot be rolled up. This speaks of not losing oneself. One who does not lose himself can then help others in hardship. This is how a noble scholar surpasses the crowd.] A noble person seeks righteousness and does not improperly seek riches. So he criticized Zigong for not accepting fate and going in for trade. A noble person who meets his time is both rich and honored, and if he does not meet it he withdraws and delights in the Way; he does not burden himself with profit and so does not violate righteousness by taking recklessly; living in seclusion and cultivating integrity, he does not want to harm his conduct and so does not ruin his name to chase power. Even if one added to him the households of Han and Wei, he would not accept them if it were against his will. Wealth and rank cannot give him glory, and slander cannot hurt him. So Yuan Xian's patched gown was worthier than Ji Sun's fox and badger furs, Zhao Xuanmeng's meal of fish was sweeter than Zhi Bo's grass-fed and grain-fed meat, and Zisi's silver pendant was finer than Duke Yu's jade of Chuiji [The Huainanzi, 'Equalizing Customs,' says: Xi Fuji's pot of rice was better than Duke Xian of Jin's jade of Chuiji, and Zhao Xuanmeng's bundle of dried meat was worthier than Zhi Bo's great bell.]. Marquis Wen of Wei bowed to the rail at Duangan Mu's village gate, not because he had power; Duke Wen of Jin got down from his carriage and hurried when he saw Han Qing, not because he had much wealth, but because of his richness in benevolence and fullness in virtue. So what matters about honor is not wealth, but only benevolence and righteousness [The Huainanzi, 'Cultivating Effort,' says: Duangan Mu declined salary and lived at home; Marquis Wen of Wei, passing his village gate, bowed to the rail. His attendant said: Why does Your Lordship bow? Marquis Wen said: Duangan Mu is there, so I bow. His attendant said: Duangan Mu is a commoner scholar; is it not excessive for you to bow at his village gate? Marquis Wen said: Duangan Mu does not chase power and profit, holds the way of a noble person, lives in seclusion in a narrow lane, and his fame spreads a thousand li; dare I not bow? Duangan Mu shines in virtue and I shine in power; Duangan Mu 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. Even if Duangan Mu would exchange himself for me, he would not do so. If I am leisurely in the day I am ashamed before my shadow; how could I treat him lightly? Later the general of Qin was about to raise troops to attack Wei, and Sima Yu remonstrated: Duangan Mu is a worthy man whom his ruler honors with ritual, which the world all knows and all the feudal lords have heard; to raise troops to attack it, would it not obstruct righteousness? So Qin stopped its army and gave up attacking Wei. The 'Miscellaneous Matters' chapter says: Marquis Wen of Wei passed Duangan Mu's village gate and bowed to the rail. His attendant said: Why do you bow? He said: Is this not Duangan Mu's village? Duangan Mu is a worthy man; how dare I not bow? Moreover I have heard that Duangan Mu would never exchange himself for me; how dare I be above him? Duangan Mu shines in virtue and I shine in land; Duangan Mu is rich in righteousness and I am rich in wealth. Land is not as good as virtue and wealth not as good as righteousness; I should serve him. So he gave him a salary of a million and often went to ask after him. The people of the state were all glad and recited together: My ruler loves uprightness, such is his respect for Duangan Mu; my ruler loves loyalty, such is his honoring of Duangan Mu. Before long, Qin raised troops to attack. Sima Tang Qie remonstrated with the ruler of Qin: Duangan Mu is a worthy man, whom Wei honors with ritual, as the world all knows; would it not be improper to attack with troops? The ruler of Qin thought it right and held back the army and did not attack.]

大夫曰夫【音扶】懐枉而言正自托扵無慾而實不從此非士之情也昔李斯與包丘子俱事荀卿既而李斯入秦遂取三公據萬乘【去聲】以制海內功侔伊望【謂伊尹太公望也】名巨太山而包丘子不免扵甕牖蒿廬如潦嵗之鼃【音蛙】口非不眾也然卒死扵溝壑而已今內無以養外無以稱貧賤而好【去聲】義雖言好【去聲】義亦不足貴者也

The Grand Secretary said: One who harbors private crookedness while speaking of uprightness, who entrusts himself to having no desire and in truth does not follow it, this is not the true feeling of a scholar. In the past Li Si and Master Baoqiu both served Xunzi; afterward Li Si went into Qin and took the position of one of the Three Excellencies, holding the power of a ruler of ten thousand chariots to control all within the seas, his merit matching Yi Yin and Taigong Wang (that is, Yi Yin and Lu Shang) and his fame comparable to Mount Tai; while Master Baoqiu could not escape a jar-mouth window and a wormwood hut, like a frog in a flood year, whose mouths are many yet who in the end only die in a ditch. Now if one has nothing within with which to nourish oneself and nothing outside with which to be praised, and is poor and humble yet loves righteousness, then even though he speaks of loving righteousness, it is not worth honoring.

文學曰方李斯之相【去聲】秦也始皇任之人臣無二然而荀卿為之不食覩其罹不測之禍也【李斯傳曰斯長男由為三川守諸男皆尚秦公主女悉嫁秦諸公子三川守李由吿歸咸陽置酒扵家百官長皆前為夀門庭車騎以千數李斯喟然而嘆曰嗟乎吾聞之荀卿曰物禁太盛夫斯乃上蔡布衣閭巷之黔首上不知其駑下遂擢至此當今人臣之位無居臣上者可謂富貴極矣物極則衰吾未知所稅駕也申屠剛曰損益之際孔父攸嘆持滿之戒老氏所慎蓋功葢天下者不安威震人主者不全】包丘子飯麻蓬藜修道白屋之下樂【音洛】其志安之扵廣廈芻豢無赫赫之勢亦無慼慼之憂【陸雲曰富貴者人之所欲也而古之逸民天下細萬物而欲專一丘之歡擅一壑之美豈不以身重扵宇宙而恬貴扵芬華哉天地不易其樂萬物不幹其志然後可以妙有生之極固無疆之休】夫【音扶】晉獻垂棘非不美也宮之竒見之而嘆知荀息之圖之也知【去聲】伯富有三晉非不盛也然不知襄子之謀之也季孫之狐貉非不麗也然不知魯君之患之也【人間訓曰晉獻公欲假道扵虞以伐虢遺虞垂棘之璧與屈產之乘虞公惑扵璧與馬而欲與之道宮之竒諫曰不可夫虞之與虢若車之有輪輪依扵車車亦依輪虞之與虢相恃為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防之趙世家曰襄子立四年智伯與趙韓魏盡分其範中行故地智伯益驕請地韓魏韓魏與之請地趙趙不與以其圍鄭之辱智伯怒遂率韓魏攻趙趙襄子懼乃奔保晉陽三國攻晉陽嵗餘引汾灌其城城不浸者三版城中懸釜而炊易子而食襄子懼乃夜使張孟同私於韓魏韓魏與合謀三國反滅智伯共分其地魯世家曰哀公患三桓將欲因諸侯以刼之三桓亦患公作難故君臣多間泰族訓曰晉獻公之伐驪得其女非不善也然而史蘇嘆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擒扵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扵覇也勾踐棲扵防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故齊桓亡汶陽之田而覇智伯兼三晉之地而亡聖人見禍福扵重閉之內而慮患扵九拂之外者也】故晉獻以寶馬釣虞虢襄子以城壊誘知【去聲】伯身禽【通作擒】扵趙而虞虢卒並扵晉以其務得不顧其後貪土地而利寶馬也【申旗曰昔者六晉之時智氏最強滅破範中行又帥韓魏以圍趙襄子扵晉陽決晉水以灌晉陽城不沉者三版耳智伯出行水韓康子御魏桓子驂乘智伯曰始吾不知水之可亡人之國也乃今知之汾水利以灌安邑絳水利以灌平陽魏桓子肘韓康子康子履魏桓子躡其踵肘足接扵車上而智氏分矣身死國亡為天下笑繆稱訓曰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】孔子曰人無逺慮必有近憂今之在位者見利不虞害貪得不顧恥以利易身以財易死無仁義之徳而有富貴之祿若防坎穽【音淨】食扵縣【音懸】門之下此李斯之所以具五刑也【傳曰李斯楚上蔡人也從荀卿學帝王之術入秦秦卒用其計二十餘年竟並天下以斯為丞相二世立以郎中趙髙之譖乃具斯五刑腰斬咸陽】南方有鳥名鵷雛非竹實不食非醴泉不飲飛過太山太山之鴟俛【音免】啄腐鼠見鵷鶵而嚇【音黒】今公卿以其富貴笑儒者為之常行得無若太山鴟嚇【音黒】鵷鶵乎【南華經曰恵子相梁荘子往見之或謂恵子曰荘子來欲代子相扵是恵子恐搜扵國中三日三夜莊子徃見之曰南方有鳥其名鵷鶵子知之乎夫鵷鶵發扵南海而飛扵北海非梧桐不棲非竹實不食非醴泉不飲扵是鴟得腐防鵷鶵過之仰而視之曰嚇今子欲以子之梁國而嚇我耶】

The Literati said: When Li Si was chancellor of Qin, the First Emperor trusted him and no minister was his equal, yet Xunzi would not eat because of him, seeing that he would meet with unforeseen disaster [The Records of the Grand Historian, 'Biography of Li Si,' says: Si's eldest son You was governor of Sanchuan and his other sons all married princesses of Qin and his daughters all married princes of Qin. When You, the governor of Sanchuan, returned to Xianyang on leave, wine was set out at home, and the heads of all the offices came forward to offer wishes, and there were a thousand carriages and horses at the gate. Li Si sighed and said: Alas, I have heard Xunzi say that things should not be overly full. I was a commoner from Shangcai, a black-haired person of the village lanes; not knowing my inferiority, I was promoted to this. Now there is no minister's position above mine, and one could say that wealth and honor have reached the limit. When things reach their limit they decline; I do not know where I will unhitch my carriage. Shentu Gang said: In the matter of reduction and increase Confucius sighed, and the warning against holding to fullness is what Laozi took care over. One whose merit covers the world is not at ease, and one whose might shakes the ruler is not secure.]. Master Baoqiu ate hemp, wormwood and goosefoot, practiced the Way beneath a white-thatched roof, took joy in his will, and was as content in it as in a great hall and grass-fed meat, with no glaring power and no anxious worry [Lu Yun said: Wealth and rank are what people desire, yet the recluses of ancient times regarded the world lightly and the myriad things as petty, and wanted only to monopolize the joy of one hill and the beauty of one gully; is that not valuing the self above the universe and finding rank flowery and tranquil? Heaven and Earth did not change their joy and the myriad things did not disturb their will, and so they could fathom the utmost of life and secure boundless blessing.]. For the jade of Chuiji of Jin Xian was not unbeautiful, yet Gong Zhiqi saw it and sighed, knowing that Xun Xi was plotting against it; Zhi Bo's possession of the Three Jin was not unflourishing, yet he did not know that Xiangzi was plotting against him; and Ji Sun's fox and badger furs were not unbeautiful, yet he did not know that the ruler of Lu was worried about him [The Huainanzi, 'Among Men,' says: Duke Xian of Jin wanted to borrow the road from Yu to attack Guo, and sent Yu the jade of Chuiji and horses of Quchan. The Duke of Yu was dazzled by the jade and horses and wanted to give him the road. Gong Zhiqi remonstrated: It cannot be done. Yu and Guo are like a cart and its wheel: the wheel depends on the cart and the cart also depends on the wheel; Yu and Guo rely on each other for strength. 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, then returned and attacked Yu, and conquered it as well. The Records of the Grand Historian, 'Hereditary House of Zhao,' says: In the fourth year after Xiangzi was established, Zhi Bo with Zhao, Han and Wei divided up all the former land of Fan and Zhonghang. Zhi Bo grew more arrogant and demanded land from Han and Wei, who gave it to him; he demanded land from Zhao, who did not give it, because of the humiliation at the siege of Zheng. Zhi Bo was angry and led Han and Wei to attack Zhao. Zhao Xiangzi was afraid and fled to hold Jinyang. The three states attacked Jinyang for over a year, diverting the Fen River to flood the city, the city not flooded to only three planks; in the city they hung cauldrons to cook and exchanged children to eat. Xiangzi was afraid, and at night sent Zhang Mengtong secretly to Han and Wei, who made a plan with him; the three states turned and destroyed Zhi Bo and divided his land. The Hereditary House of Lu says: Duke Ai worried about the Three Huan families and wanted to use the feudal lords to threaten them; the Three Huan also worried that the Duke would cause trouble, so there were many rifts between ruler and ministers. The Huainanzi, 'Great Clan,' says: Duke Xian of Jin attacked Li and obtained its woman, which was not bad, yet Shi Su sighed, seeing disaster over four generations. King Fuchai of Wu broke Qi at Ailing and defeated Jin at Huangchi, which was not unvictorious, yet Zixu worried, seeing that he would be captured by Yue. Xiaobai fled to Ju and Chong'er fled to Cao, which was not unhard, yet Bao Shu and Jiu Fan followed and assisted them, knowing they could reach hegemony together. Gou Jian lodged at Kuaiji, cultivated government without slackness and planned without rest, knowing disaster could become fortune. Xiangzi had two victories yet wore a look of worry, fearing fortune turning into disaster. So Duke Huan of Qi lost the fields of Wenyang and became hegemon, and Zhi Bo merged the lands of the Three Jin and perished. The sage sees misfortune and fortune within double barriers and plans against trouble beyond nine obstacles.]. So Jin Xian lured Yu and Guo with precious horses, Xiangzi lured Zhi Bo with a collapsing city, and the man himself was captured by Zhao while Yu and Guo were finally absorbed by Jin, because they strove to gain and did not look behind, being greedy for land and covetous of precious horses [Shen Qi said: In the time of the Six Jin, the Zhi family was strongest, destroyed Fan and Zhonghang, and then led Han and Wei to besiege Zhao Xiangzi at Jinyang, breaking the Jin River to flood Jinyang, the city not flooded to only three planks. Zhi Bo went out to inspect the water with Han Kangzi driving and Wei Huanzi in the right seat. Zhi Bo said: At first I did not know that water could be used to destroy a state, but now I know. The Fen River can be used to flood Anyi, and the Jiang River can be used to flood Pingyang. Wei Huanzi nudged Han Kangzi with his elbow, and Kangzi stepped on Huanzi, treading on his heel, their elbows and feet touching in the carriage, and the Zhi family was divided; he died and his state perished, a laughingstock of the world. The Huainanzi, 'Praising Titles,' says: One who is without courage is not first to be afraid, but when difficulty arrives loses his post; a greedy man is not first to desire, but on seeing profit forgets its harm. Duke Yu saw the jade of Chuiji and did not know that Guo's disaster would reach him.]. Confucius said: "One who has no far-reaching thought will certainly have near-at-hand worries." Those in office today see profit and do not foresee harm, are greedy for gain and ignore shame, exchange their bodies for profit and their deaths for wealth; lacking the virtue of benevolence and righteousness but having the salaries of wealth and rank, they are like falling into a pit or eating beneath a hanging gate; this is why Li Si underwent the five punishments [The record says: Li Si was a man of Shangcai in Chu, who studied the arts of emperors and kings under Xunzi and entered Qin. Qin in the end used his plans for more than twenty years and finally united the world, and made Si chancellor. After the Second Emperor was established, because of slander by Zhao Gao, the Court Gentleman, Si was subjected to the five punishments and cut in two at the waist in Xianyang.]. In the south there is a bird named Yuanchu that eats nothing but bamboo seeds and drinks nothing but sweet spring water, and flew past Mount Tai. An owl on Mount Tai, bent over pecking a rotten rat, saw the Yuanchu and shrieked. Today, for ministers and high officials to laugh at Confucian scholars with their wealth and rank as normal behavior, are they not like the owl of Mount Tai shrieking at the Yuanchu? [The Zhuangzi says: Huizi was chancellor of Liang, and Zhuangzi went to see him. Someone told Huizi: Zhuangzi is coming and wants to replace you as chancellor. Huizi was afraid and searched the state for three days and three nights. Zhuangzi went to see him and said: In the south there is a bird named Yuanchu; do you know it? The Yuanchu starts from the Southern Sea and flies to the Northern Sea, perching on nothing but parasol trees, eating nothing but bamboo seeds, and drinking nothing but sweet spring water. At that time an owl had got a rotten rat, and the Yuanchu flew past, and it looked up at it and said: Shoo! Now do you want to shoo me off with your state of Liang?]

大夫曰學者所以坊【古防字】固辭禮者所以文鄙行【去聲】也故學以輔徳禮以文質言思可道行思可樂【音洛】惡言不出扵口邪行【去聲】不及扵已動作應禮從容中【去聲】道故禮以之孫【音遜】以出之是以終日言無口過終身行無寃尤今人主張官立朝【音潮】以治民疏爵分祿以褒賢而曰縣【音懸】門腐防何辭之鄙倍而悖扵所聞也【人間訓曰虞氏梁之大富人也家充盈殷富金錢無量財貨無貲升髙樓臨大路設樂陳酒積博其上游俠相隨而行樓下博上者射朋張中反兩而笑飛鳶適墮其腐防而中防俠防俠相與言曰虞世審樂之日久矣而常有易人之志吾不敢侵犯而乃辱我以腐防如此不報無以立務扵天下請與公僇力一志悉率徒屬而必以滅其家】

The Grand Secretary said: Learning is what guards against coarse speech, and ritual is what refines crude conduct. So learning assists virtue and ritual adorns substance; one thinks whether words can be spoken and whether conduct can give joy, no evil words come out of the mouth, no wicked conduct reaches oneself, one's movements accord with ritual and one calmly hits the Way, and so ritual is put forth with modesty. Therefore all day long there is no fault of speech and all life long there is no resentment in conduct. Now rulers set up offices and establish courts to govern the people and divide ranks and salaries to honor the worthy, and yet you speak of hanging gates and rotten rats; how coarse and perverse your words are, contrary to what is heard! [The Huainanzi, 'Among Men,' says: The Yu family was a very rich man of Liang, whose household was full and wealthy, with limitless gold and coin and countless goods; he climbed a high tower overlooking a great road, set up music, laid out wine and piled up gambling stakes on it. Wandering knights walked together beneath the tower. Those gambling above shot at their rivals' targets and laughed over a double throw, and a flying kite happened to drop a rotten rat which hit a wandering knight. The wandering knights said to one another: The Yu family has been enjoying themselves for a long time and always has a spirit of looking down on people; we did not dare to offend, yet he insults us with a rotten rat. If we do not take revenge, we cannot establish our work in the world. Let us combine our strength and purpose, lead all our followers and be sure to destroy his house.]

文學曰聖主設官以授任能者處之分祿以養賢防者受之【說命曰官不及私暱惟其防爵罔及惡徳惟其賢】義貴無髙義取無多故舜受堯之天下太公不避周之三公【馮忌曰昔者堯見舜扵草茅之中席隴畝而庇桑隂隂移而天下傳尚書中曰文王至田扵溪水畔呂尚釣扵崖王下拜曰切望公七年乃今見光景於斯尚立變名答曰望釣得玉璜刻曰姬受命呂佐旌徳合昌來提撰爾雒鈴報在齊尊賢篇曰堯舜相見不違桑隂文王舉太公不以日久故賢聖之接也不待久而親防者之相見也不待試而知矣】苟非其人簞食【音嗣】豆羮猶為頼民也【頼幸也】故徳薄而位髙力小而任重鮮【上聲】不及矣【易曰鼎折足覆公餗其形渥兇子曰徳薄而位尊智小而謀大力小而任重鮮不及矣說林訓曰短綆不可以汲深器小不可以盛大非其任也陸子曰任重於力才盡則困用廣其器應博則兇是以物勝權而衡殆形過鏡則照窮故明主程才以効業貞臣底力而辭豐】夫【音扶】太山鴟啄腐鼠扵窮澤幽谷之中非有害於人也今之有司盜主財而食之扵刑法之旁不知機之是發又以嚇【音黒】人其患惡【音烏】得若太山之鴟乎

The Literati said: A sage ruler sets up offices to assign duties, and the capable fill them; he divides salaries to nourish the worthy, and the worthy receive them [The Book of Documents, 'Charge to Yue,' says: Offices are not for the favored and intimate but only for the capable; rank is not for evil virtue but only for the worthy.]. Righteousness values no one as too high and takes no one as too many. So Shun received Yao's world and Taigong did not shrink from Zhou's Three Excellencies [Feng Ji said: In the past Yao saw Shun among the thatch and weeds, sat on a mat in the fields in the shade of mulberry, and before the shade moved he had passed on the world. The Book of Documents, 'Mid-Records,' says: When King Wen arrived at the bank of the stream, Lü Shang was fishing by the cliff, and the king bowed and said: I have longed for you for seven years, and only now do I see your light and shadow here. Shang stood and changed his name and answered: I hoped to catch a jade pendant, engraved: Ji receives the mandate and Lü assists the banner; virtue matches Chang's coming to hold the bell of your Luo; the repayment lies in Qi. The 'Honoring the Worthy' chapter says: Yao and Shun met without leaving the mulberry shade, and King Wen raised Taigong without regard to length of time. So the meeting of the worthy and sage does not wait for long to become close, and when the worthy see each other they know without testing.]. If a man is not suitable, even a bamboo bowl of rice and a bean broth can be called a favor to the people. So one whose virtue is thin but position high, whose strength is small but burden heavy, rarely avoids failure [The Changes says: The tripod's leg is broken, spilling the duke's meal, and his form is soiled; misfortune. Confucius said: One whose virtue is thin but position honored, whose wisdom is small but plans great, whose strength is small but burden heavy, rarely escapes failure. The Huainanzi, 'Forest of Persuasions,' says: A short rope cannot draw from a deep well, a small vessel cannot hold a great matter; it is not their capacity. Master Lu said: If a burden exceeds one's strength, when talent is exhausted one is in difficulty; if use exceeds one's vessel, responding to broad demands brings misfortune. So an enlightened ruler measures talent to assign work and a loyal minister assesses his strength before declining abundance.]. The owl of Mount Tai pecks a rotten rat in the depths of remote marshes and secluded valleys, and does no harm to people. Today's officials steal the ruler's wealth and eat it beside the law and punishments, not knowing when the trigger will be sprung, and yet they shriek at people; how can their trouble be like that of the owl of Mount Tai?

大夫曰司馬子言天下穰穰皆為利徃【貨殖傳曰天下熈熙皆為利來天下穰穰皆為利徃】趙女不擇醜好鄭嫗【音預】不擇逺近商人不醜恥辱戎士不為死力士不在親事君不避其難【去聲】皆為利祿也儒墨內貪外矜徃來防說【音稅】棲棲然亦未為得也故尊榮者士之願也富貴者士之期也方李斯在荀卿之門闒【音達】茸【音戎】與之齊軫及其奮翼髙舉龍升驥騖過九軼二翺翔萬仞鴻鵠驊騮且同侶況跛【音避】牂【音戕牝羊也】燕雀之屬乎席天下之權【席猶因也若人之坐扵席也】御宇內之眾後車百乘【去聲】食祿萬鍾而拘儒布褐不完糟糠不飽非甘菽藿而卑廣廈亦不防得已雖欲嚇【音黒】人其何已乎【傳曰夫鳳凰之初起也翾翾十歩之雀喔咿而笑之及其升扵髙一屈一伸展而云間藩木之雀超然自知不及逺矣士褐衣縕著未嘗完也糲藿之食未嘗飽也世俗之士即以為羞耳及其出則安百議用則延民命世俗之士超然自知不及逺矣】

The Grand Secretary said: Sima Zi said that the whole world is bustling, all going toward profit [The Records of the Grand Historian, 'Biographies of Money-Makers,' says: The whole world is bustling, all coming for profit; the whole world is teeming, all going for profit.]. The women of Zhao do not choose between ugly and fair and the old women of Zheng do not choose between far and near; merchants are not ashamed of disgrace, warriors do not mind dying, strongmen do not care for their parents, and those who serve rulers do not avoid hardship, all for profit and salary. Confucians and Mohists, covetous within and showy without, go back and forth giving persuasions, restless and still not getting anywhere. So honor and glory are what scholars wish for, and wealth and rank are what scholars hope for. When Li Si was at Xunzi's door, he stood on a level with mediocre and base people; but when he spread his wings and rose, soaring like a dragon and galloping like a fine horse, passing nine and surpassing two, soaring over ten thousand ren, swans and cranes and fine steeds were his companions, to say nothing of lame ewes, swallows and sparrows. He took the power of the world as his mat ("mat" is like "relying on," as a person sits on a mat), governed the multitudes within the cosmos, had a hundred carriages following behind him and a salary of ten thousand zhong, while the pedantic Confucian had no whole coarse garment and was not full on chaff. It is not that they are content with bean leaves and look down on great halls; they have no choice. Even if they wanted to shriek at people, what good would it do? [The record says: When the phoenix first rises, a sparrow ten paces away chirps and laughs at it; but when it ascends high, bending and stretching and spreading in the clouds, the sparrow of the hedge knows by itself it cannot reach so far. A scholar in a rough gown with patches who has never had a whole garment and never been full on coarse bean leaves is thought shameful by worldly scholars; but when he goes out he settles a hundred disputes, and when employed he extends people's lives, and worldly scholars know by themselves that they cannot reach so far.]

文學曰君子懐徳小人懐土賢士殉名貪夫死利【駢拇篇曰小人則以身殉利士則以身殉名伯夷死名扵首陽之下盜跖死利扵東陵之上野語曰眾人重利廉士重名賢士尚志聖人貴精叢談曰眾人以毀形為恥君子以毀義為辱眾人重利防士重名】李斯貪其所欲致其所惡【音汙範睢曰欲而不知止失其所以欲有而不知足失其所以有】孫叔敖早見扵未萌三去相【去聲】而不悔【南華經曰肩吾問扵孫叔敖曰子三為令尹而不榮華三去之而無憂色吾始也疑子今視子之鼻間栩栩然子之用心獨奈何孫叔敖曰吾何以過人哉吾以其來不可卻也其去不可止也吾以為得失之非我也而無憂色矣吾何以過人哉且不知其在彼乎其在我乎其在彼耶忘乎我在我耶忘乎彼方將躊躇方將四顧何暇至乎人貴人賤哉】非樂【音洛】卑賤而惡【音汙】重祿也慮逺而避害謹也【傅亮曰昔之君子同名爵扵香餌故傾危不及思憂患而豫防則針石無用洪流壅扵防防合拱挫扵纖櫱介焉是式色斯而舉悟髙鳥以風逝鑑醴酒而投紱夫豈敝著而後謀通患結而後思復哉故詩曰謹爾侯度用戒不虞言防萌也】夫【音扶】郊祭之牛食養朞年衣【去聲】之文繡以入廟堂太宰執其鸞刀以啟其毛方此之時願任重而止峻坂不可得也【南華經曰楚威王聞荘周賢使使厚幣迎之許以為相荘周笑謂楚使者曰千金重利卿相尊位也子獨不見郊祭之犧牛乎養食之數嵗衣以文繡以入太廟當是之時雖欲為孤豚豈可得乎】商鞅困扵彭池吳起之伏王屍願被布褐而處窮鄙之蒿廬李斯相【去聲】秦席天下之勢志小萬乘【去聲】及其囚扵囹【音零】圄【音語】車制扵雲陽之市亦願負薪入鴻門行上蔡曲街徑不可得也【商鞅傳曰商君既入秦走商邑與其徒屬發邑兵北出擊鄭秦發兵攻商君殺之扵鄭黽池徐廣曰黽或作彭吳起傳曰諸侯患楚之強故楚之貴戚盡欲害吳起及悼王死宗室大臣作亂而攻吳起吳起走之王屍而伏之擊起之徒因射刺吳起並中悼王李斯傳曰二世二年具斯五刑論腰斬咸陽市斯出獄與其中子俱執顧謂其中子曰吾欲與若牽黃犬俱出上蔡東門逐狡兎豈可得哉】蘇秦吳起以權勢自殺商鞅李斯以尊重自滅皆貪祿慕榮以其身從【去聲】車百乘【去聲】曽不足以載其禍也【傳曰夫利為害夲而福為禍先惟不求利者為無害不求福者為無禍詩曰不忮不求何用不臧傅亮曰夫四道好謙三才忌滿祥萃虛室瞰髙屋豐屋有蔀家之災鼎食無百年之貴然而狥欲厚生者忽而不戒知進忘退者曽莫之懲前車已摧後鑾不息乘危以庶安行險以徼倖扵是有顛墜覆亡之禍殘生夭命之釁其故何哉流溺忘反而以身扵物也】

The Literati said: The noble person cherishes virtue, the petty person cherishes land; the worthy scholar dies for fame and the greedy man dies for profit [The Zhuangzi, 'Webbed Toes,' says: The petty man sacrifices himself for profit, and the scholar sacrifices himself for fame. Boyi died for fame at the foot of Mount Shouyang, and Robber Zhi died for profit on top of Mount Dongling. A rustic saying goes: The multitude values profit, the honest scholar values fame, the worthy scholar honors the will, and the sage values essence. The 'Collected Talk' says: The multitude consider damaging the body shameful, the noble person considers damaging righteousness disgraceful; the multitude value profit and the honest scholar values fame.]. Li Si was greedy for what he desired and brought on what he hated [The Strategies of the Warring States, Fan Ju said: One who desires and does not know to stop loses what he desires; one who has and does not know contentment loses what he has]. Sun Shu'ao saw it early before it sprouted and left office three times without regret [The Zhuangzi says: Jianwu asked Sun Shu'ao: You were chief minister three times and were not made proud, and left three times with no look of worry. At first I doubted you, but now I see how at ease the bridge of your nose is; what is your way of using the heart? Sun Shu'ao said: How do I surpass others? I felt that its coming could not be refused and its going could not be stopped; I thought gain and loss were not mine, and so had no look of worry. How do I surpass others? And furthermore, I do not know whether it is in it or in me. If it is in it, I forget myself; if it is in me, I forget it. I am hesitating, I am looking around, and what leisure have I to consider whether a person is noble or humble?]. It is not that he took joy in being lowly and hated high salary, but that he was far-sighted and avoided harm and was cautious [Fu Liang said: The noble persons of old regarded rank and title as fragrant bait, and so ruin and danger did not reach them; thinking of troubles and preventing them beforehand, acupuncture needles and stones are useless. A great flood is blocked by dikes, a tree of one embrace is broken by a slender shoot. Taking heed of this as a pattern, they rose at the first sign, recognized that high-flying birds go off with the wind, and reflected on sweet wine and threw away their official seals. How could they plan for passage only after being worn out, or think of recovery only after trouble was knotted? So the Odes say: Be careful of your marquis's measure, and guard against the unforeseen. This speaks of preventing the sprout.]. The ox of the suburban sacrifice is fed for a year, clothed in embroidery and brought into the temple hall, and the Grand Steward takes the bell-hilted knife to open its hair. At that moment, wishing to bear a heavy load and stop at a steep slope is not possible [The Zhuangzi says: King Wei of Chu heard that Zhuang Zhou was worthy and sent envoys with rich gifts to welcome him, promising to make him chancellor. Zhuang Zhou laughed and said to the envoys of Chu: A thousand gold is a great profit, and a chancellor's seat is an honored position. Have you not seen the ox for the suburban sacrifice? It is fed for several years and clothed in embroidery and led into the grand temple. At that moment, even if it wanted to be a lone piglet, could it?]. Shang Yang was in difficulty at Pengchi, Wu Qi hid at the king's corpse, and wishing to wear coarse cloth and live in a wormwood hut in a remote village; Li Si was chancellor of Qin, seated in the power of the world, his ambition belittling a ruler of ten thousand chariots, and when he was imprisoned in the jail and torn apart by carriages in the market of Yunyang, he too wished to carry firewood into Honggate and walk the winding streets of Shangcai, but could not [The Records of the Grand Historian, 'Biography of Lord Shang,' says: After Lord Shang entered Qin, he fled to Shang city, and with his followers raised the city troops and went north to attack Zheng. Qin sent troops against Lord Shang and killed him at Mianchi in Zheng. Xu Guang said: Mian is sometimes written Peng. 'Biography of Wu Qi' says: The feudal lords worried about Chu's strength, so all the nobles of Chu wanted to harm Wu Qi. When King Dao died, the royal kinsmen and great ministers rebelled and attacked Wu Qi. Wu Qi ran to the king's corpse and lay on it. Those who attacked Qi shot and stabbed Wu Qi and hit King Dao as well. 'Biography of Li Si' says: In the second year of the Second Emperor, Si was subjected to the five punishments and sentenced to be cut at the waist in the market of Xianyang. When Si came out of prison with his second son, he turned to him and said: I want to lead the yellow dog with you out of the east gate of Shangcai to chase the cunning hare, but how could we?]. Su Qin and Wu Qi killed themselves by power, and Shang Yang and Li Si destroyed themselves by high position; all coveted salary and longed for glory and so lost their lives. A hundred following carriages were not enough to carry their disaster [The record says: Profit is the root of harm and fortune comes before disaster. Only one who does not seek profit has no harm, and only one who does not seek fortune has no disaster. The Odes say: Neither jealous nor greedy, what can go wrong? Fu Liang said: The four paths favor humility, the three powers avoid fullness, auspice gathers in an empty room and ghosts peer into a lofty house. A luxurious house meets the calamity of a curtained home, and tripod meals do not last a hundred years of rank. Yet those who follow desire and enrich life are careless and not warned, and those who know advancing but forget retreating have never been checked. The carriage ahead is already broken yet the following carriage does not stop, riding on danger and hoping for safety, walking on peril and hoping for luck, and so there is the disaster of falling and perishing and the omen of ruined life and early death. Why? They are carried away and forget to return, and make their bodies light for things.]

大夫曰伯夷以防飢尾生以信死【古史考曰伯夷叔齊殷之末世孤竹君之二子也隠扵首陽山采薇而食之野有婦人謂之曰子義不食周粟此亦周之草木也扵是餓死雜篇曰尾生與女子期扵梁下女子不來水至不去抱梁柱而死】由小器而虧大體匹夫匹婦之為諒也絰扵溝瀆而莫之知也何功名之有蘇秦張儀知【去聲】足以強國勇足以威敵一怒而諸侯懼安居而天下息萬乘【去聲】之主莫不屈體卑辭幣請交此所謂天下名士也【拾遺記曰蘇秦張儀二人同志好學迭翦髪而鬻之以相養防傭力寫書非聖人之書不讀遇見墳典行途無所題記以墨書掌及股裡夜還而寫之析竹為簡二人毎假食扵路剝樹皮編以為書帙以盛天下良書嘗息大樹之下假息而寐有一先生問二子何勤苦也儀秦又問之子何國人答曰吾生扵歸谷亦云谷者歸也又云歸者谷名也乃謂其術教以千世出俗之辨即探內得二巻說書言輔時之事古史考雲穀子也歸相近也論衡曰蘇秦張儀學縦橫之術扵谷先生先生曰防說我泣出則防分天皇之紀秦說谷先生先生泣霑襟】夫【音扶】智不足與謀而權不能舉當世民斯為下也今舉亡【音無】而為有虗而為盈布衣穿履深念徐行若有遺亡非立功成名之士而亦未免於世俗也

The Grand Secretary said: Boyi starved for integrity and Weisheng died for good faith [The Ancient History Examined says: Boyi and Shuqi were the two sons of the Lord of Guzhu at the end of the Yin dynasty and lived in seclusion on Mount Shouyang, eating bracken. A woman in the wilds said to them: You say it is righteous not to eat the grain of Zhou; yet this too is plants and trees of Zhou. So they starved to death. The 'Miscellaneous' chapter says: Weisheng arranged to meet a woman beneath a bridge; the woman did not come, and when the water rose he did not leave but embraced the bridge pillar and died.]. They lost the great body by small vessels; the faithfulness of a common man and woman passes through ditches and drains without anyone knowing it; what merit and fame is there? Su Qin and Zhang Yi had wisdom enough to strengthen a state and courage enough to overawe enemies; with one anger the feudal lords were afraid, and living at ease the world was at rest, and none of the rulers of ten thousand chariots failed to bow their bodies and lower their words and present gifts to seek their friendship; these are what is called the famous scholars of the world [The Record of Lost Things says: Su Qin and Zhang Yi shared a will and loved study; they took turns cutting their hair and selling it to support each other, and hired themselves out to write books, reading only the writings of the sages. When they came upon ancient books and had nowhere to write notes while traveling, they wrote in ink on their palms and inner thighs, and copied them out at night, splitting bamboo into slips. They often begged food on the road, stripped tree bark and wove it into book-wrappers to hold the world's fine books. Once they rested under a great tree and dozed, and an old master asked the two why they toiled. Yi and Qin asked him: What state are you from? He replied: I was born at Guigu, which is also called Ghost Valley. 'Ghost' means returning, and 'Gui' is also the name of a valley. Then he talked about his techniques and taught them a thousand generations' eloquence beyond the ordinary, and he took from his bosom two scrolls of writing about assisting the times. The Ancient History Examined says he was Guiguzi; 'ghost' and 'gui' are close. The Balanced Discourses says: Su Qin and Zhang Yi studied the arts of vertical and horizontal alliances under Master Guigu. The master said: Try persuading me; if tears come out you may divide the Heavenly Sovereign's records. Qin persuaded Master Guigu, and the master wept until his collar was wet.]. Where wisdom is not enough to plan and power cannot move the age, one is of the lowest. Now one who takes nothing as something and emptiness as fullness, in cloth clothes and worn shoes, thinking deeply and walking slowly as if he had lost something, is not a scholar who builds merit and makes a name, and yet cannot escape the common run of the world.

文學曰蘇秦以從【音縦】顯扵趙張儀以衡【音橫】任扵秦【司馬貞曰山東地形從長蘇秦相六國合從親而擯秦闗西地形衡長張儀相六國連衡而事秦故蘓為合從張為連衡也】方此之時非不尊貴也然知【去聲】士隨而憂之知夫【音扶】不以道進必不以道退不以義得者必不以義亡季孟之權三桓之富不可及也孔子為之曰微為人臣權均扵君富侔扵國者亡故其位彌髙而罪彌重祿滋厚而罪滋多【文子曰身有榮華心有愁悴】夫【音扶】行者先全已而後求名仕者先闢【音避】害而後求祿【曽子曰飛鳥以山為卑而層巢其巔魚鱉以淵為淺而穿穴其中然所以得者餌也君子苟能無以利害身則辱安從至乎潘尼曰夫榮之所不能動者則辱之所不防加也利之所不能勸者則害之所不防嬰也譽之所不能益者則毀之所不防損也】夫【音扶】香餌【音貳】非不美也龍聞而深藏鸞鳳見而髙逝者知其害身也夫【音扶】為烏鵲魚鱉食香餌【音貳】而後狂飛奔走遜身屈遰【音逓圍繞也】無益扵死【吳越春秋曰髙飛之鳥死扵美食深淵之魚死扵芳餌太公家教曰網羅之鳥悔不髙飛吞餌之魚悔不忍飢】今有司盜秉國法進不顧罪卒然有急然後車馳人趨無益扵死所盜不足償扵臧獲【臧獲奴婢也】妻子奔亡無處所身在深牢莫知恤視方此之時何暇得以笑乎【蔡澤曰翠鵠犀象其處勢非不逺死也而所以死者惑扵餌也蘇秦智伯之智非不足以闢辱逺死也而所以死者惑扵貪利不止也】

The Literati said: Su Qin became prominent in Zhao through the vertical alliance and Zhang Yi was employed in Qin through the horizontal alliance [Sima Zhen said: The land east of the mountains is long north-south, and Su Qin, as chancellor of the six states, united them in vertical alliance to resist Qin; the land west of the pass is long east-west, and Zhang Yi, as chancellor of Qin, combined the six states in horizontal alliance to serve Qin. So Su made the vertical alliance and Zhang the horizontal.]. At that time they were not unhonored, yet wise scholars followed them and worried for them, knowing that one who does not advance by the Way will surely not retire by the Way, and one who did not obtain by righteousness will surely not perish by righteousness. The power of Ji and Meng and the wealth of the Three Huan families could not be matched, and Confucius said about them: Alas! A minister whose power equals the ruler's and whose wealth rivals the state is doomed. So the higher his position, the heavier his guilt, and the richer his salary, the more his offenses [The Wenzi says: The body has glory and the heart has sorrow.]. One who acts first preserves himself and then seeks a name, and one who serves first avoids harm and then seeks salary [Zengzi said: Flying birds think mountains are low and nest at their tops, and fish and turtles think abysses are shallow and burrow in them, yet what catches them is bait. If a noble person can avoid harming himself by profit, how would disgrace come? Pan Ni said: One who cannot be moved by glory cannot be burdened by disgrace; one who cannot be urged by profit cannot be ensnared by harm; one who cannot be increased by praise cannot be diminished by slander.]. Fragrant bait is not unbeautiful, yet tortoises and dragons hear of it and hide deep, and phoenixes see it and soar far away, knowing it would harm them. Crows, magpies, fish and turtles eat the fragrant bait and then fly wildly and run about, writhing and circling, but it is no help to their death [The Annals of Wu and Yue says: Birds that fly high die from fine food and fish in deep abysses die from fragrant bait. The Family Instructions of Taigong says: A bird in a net regrets not flying high, and a fish that swallowed bait regrets not enduring hunger.]. Now officials who steal and handle the state's law do not heed guilt when advancing; when an emergency suddenly arises, they rush by carriage and run on foot, but it is no help to their death. What they stole is not enough to repay bondservants (servants and slaves), their wives and children run away with nowhere to go, and while they are in deep prison no one cares. At such a time, what leisure have they to laugh? [Cai Ze said: The kingfisher, swan, rhinoceros and elephant live in positions not far from death, but they die because they are deluded by bait. The wisdom of Su Qin and Zhi Bo was not insufficient to avoid disgrace and keep away from death, but they died because they were deluded by endless greed for profit.]

大夫曰文學髙行【去聲】矯然若不可卷盛莭潔言皦【音皎】然若不可湼【音乃結反詩云我心匪席不可卷也孔子云不曰白乎而不緇皦潔白貌】然戍【音絮】卒陳勝釋挽【音挽】輅首為叛逆自立張楚【陳勝世家曰秦二世二年陳勝自立為將軍吳廣為都尉攻大澤鄉乃入據陳數日號令召三老豪傑與皆來防計事三老豪傑皆曰將軍身披堅執銳伐無道誅暴秦復立楚國之社稷功宜為王陳勝乃立為王號為張楚當此時諸郡縣苦秦吏者皆刑其長吏殺之以應陳勝李竒曰欲張大其楚國故稱張楚也】素非有囘由處士之行【去聲顔囘仲由皆孔子弟子】宰相【去聲】列臣之位也奮扵大澤不過旬月而齊魯儒墨薦紳之徒【徐廣曰薦紳即縉紳也古字假借】肆其長衣長衣官之也負孔氏之禮器詩書委質【音至】為臣【質即贄也古字假借正義曰贄之為言至也自五玉三帛二生一死皆所以為贄以見其君者也古之慾仕者出其疆必載質而行故謂為臣者曰委贄也】孔甲為涉博士【陳勝字涉孔鮒字甲孔子之八世孫也為陳王涉博士死扵陳下】卒俱死陳為天下大笑深蔵髙逝者固若是也

The Grand Secretary said: The Literati's lofty conduct is so upright it seems it cannot be rolled up, and their abundant integrity and pure words are so bright it seems they cannot be blackened [The Odes say: My heart is not a mat, it cannot be rolled up. Confucius said: Is it not said to be white? Dye it and it does not turn black. 'Jiao' means pure white in appearance]. Yet the garrison soldier Chen Sheng put down his cart-pole, was the first to rebel, and set himself up as Zhang Chu [The Records of the Grand Historian, 'Hereditary House of Chen She,' says: In the second year of the Second Emperor of Qin, Chen Sheng set himself up as general and Wu Guang as commandant, attacked Daze Township and entered to occupy Chen. After a few days they called the elders and heroes by proclamation to gather and discuss affairs. The elders and heroes all said: General, you put on armor and take up sharp weapons, attack the lawless and execute cruel Qin, and restore the altars of Chu; your merit deserves the title of king. So Chen Sheng established himself as king with the title Zhang Chu. At this time, the commanderies and counties suffering from Qin officials all punished their chief officials and killed them in response to Chen Sheng. Li Qi said: He wanted to enlarge his Chu state and so called it Zhang Chu ('Enlarged Chu').]. He had never had the conduct of a scholar like Yan Hui or Zhong You (Yan Hui and Zhong You were both disciples of Confucius), nor the position of a chancellor or ranked minister; he rose in Daze in barely a month, and the Confucians and Mohists and gentry of Qi and Lu [Xu Guang said: 'Jian shen' is 'jin shen,' ancient characters borrowed] spread their long robes (long robes are official dress) and carrying Confucius's ritual vessels and Odes and Documents, bowed and became his ministers ["Zhi" is "zhi" (gift), ancient characters borrowed. The Zhengyi says: 'Gift' means to arrive; from the five jades, three silks, two live animals and one dead one, all serve as gifts to present to one's ruler. Those in ancient times who wanted to hold office carried gifts when they went out of their borders, so one who became a minister was said to 'lay down a gift.']. Kong Jia served as erudite for She (Chen Sheng's style name was She, and Kong Fu's style name was Jia, a descendant of Confucius in the eighth generation, who served as erudite for King She of Chen and died at Chen), and all died at Chen and were laughed at by the whole world. Is this what those who hide deep and go far away are like?

文學曰周室衰禮義壊不能統理天下諸侯交爭相滅亡併為六國兵革不休民不得寧息秦以虎狼之心蠺食諸侯【顔師古曰食謂漸吞滅之如之食葉也】併吞戰國以為郡縣【秦紀曰始皇二十六年分天下以為三十六郡郡置守尉監】伐能矜功自以為過堯舜而羞與之同棄仁義而尚刑罰以為今時不師扵文而決扵武趙髙治獄扵內防恬治兵扵外百姓愁苦同心而患秦【揚雄曰神明所祚兆民所託罔不雲道徳仁義禮智獨秦崛起西戎邠荒岐雍之疆因襄文宣靈之僣跡立基孝公茂恵文奮昭荘至政破從擅衡併吞六國遂稱乎始皇盛從鞅儀韋斯之邪政馳騖起翦恬賁之用兵剗滅古文刮語燒書弛禮崇樂塗民耳目遂欲流唐漂虞滌殷蕩周防除仲尼之篇籍自勒功業改制度軌量鹹稽之扵秦紀是以耆儒碩老抱其書而逺遜禮官博士卷其舌而不談來儀之鳥肉角之獸狙獷而不臻甘露嘉醴景曜浸潭之瑞潛大茀經霣巨狄信之妖發神歇靈繹海水群飛二世而亡何其劇與帝王之道兢兢乎不可離己】陳王赫然奮爪牙為天下首事道雖兇而儒墨幹之者以為無王久矣道擁遏不得行自孔子以至扵茲而秦復重禁之故發憤扵陳王也【司馬遷曰嗟乎夫周室衰而闗雎作幽厲微而禮樂壊諸侯恣行政由強國故孔子閔王路廢而邪道興扵是論次詩書修起禮樂適齊聞韶三月不知肉味自衛返魯然後樂正雅頌各得其所世以混濁莫防用是以仲尼幹七十餘君無所遇曰苟有用我者期月而已矣西狩獲麟曰吾道窮矣故因史記作春秋以寓王法其辭微而指博後世學者多録焉自孔子卒後七十子之徒散防諸侯大者為師傅卿相小者友教士大夫防隠而不見故子路居衛子張居陳澹防子羽居楚子夏居西河子貢終於齊如田子方段幹木吳起禽滑釐之屬皆受業扵子夏之倫為王者師是時獨魏文侯好學後陵遲以至於始皇天下並爭扵戰國儒術既絀焉然齊魯之門學者獨不廢也扵威宣之際孟子荀卿之列鹹遵夫子之業而潤色之以學顯扵當世及至秦之季世焚詩書坑術士六藝從此缺焉陳涉之王也而魯諸儒持孔子之禮器徃歸陳王扵是孔甲為陳涉博士卒與涉俱死陳涉起匹夫驅瓦合適戊旬月以王楚不滿半嵗竟滅亡其事至微淺然而薦紳先生之徒負孔子禮器徃委質為臣者何也以秦焚其業積怨而發憤扵陳王也】孔子曰如有用我者吾其為東周乎庶防成湯文武之功為百姓除殘去賊豈貪祿樂【音洛】位哉

The Literati said: When the Zhou house declined and ritual and righteousness were ruined, it could not govern the world; the feudal lords fought one another and destroyed one another until they merged into six states, and weapons and armor never rested and the people could not find peace. Qin, with the heart of a tiger and wolf, devoured the feudal lords like a silkworm [Yan Shigu says: 'silkworm-eating' (the character here in the original was lost in transcription) means gradually swallowing them up, as a silkworm eats leaves], annexed the Warring States and made them commanderies and counties [the 'Annals of the First Emperor of Qin' in the Records of the Grand Historian says: in the twenty-sixth year of the First Emperor the realm was divided into thirty-six commanderies, each with a governor, a commandant and an inspector], boasted of its achievements and held itself above Yao and Shun, ashamed to be compared with them, abandoned benevolence and righteousness and exalted punishment, thinking that in the present age one should not take learning as a teacher but decide by force. Zhao Gao handled trials within, Meng Tian (the original reads 'fang tian') commanded troops without, and the people were wretched and bitter and with one heart were troubled by Qin [Yang Xiong says: What the spirits bless and the myriad people entrust themselves to is nothing but the Way and virtue, benevolence, righteousness, ritual and wisdom. Qin alone arose from the western Rong, in the wilds of Bin, Qi and Yong, built on the presumptuous traces of Dukes Xiang, Wen, Xuan and Ling, laid its foundation with Duke Xiao, flourished under Huiwen, and rose under Zhao and Zhuang, until Zheng broke the vertical alliance, monopolized the balance, annexed the six states, and took the title of First Emperor. It was greatly given to the wicked government of Shang Yang, Zhang Yi, Lu Buwei and Li Si, galloped in the use of troops by Bai Qi, Wang Jian, Meng Tian and Wang Ben, cut off and destroyed the ancient writings, scraped away speech and burned books, relaxed ritual and exalted music, smeared people's ears and eyes, and wanted to flood away Tang and Yu and wash out Yin and Zhou, cut off (the original reads 'fang chu') the books of Confucius, and have their own achievements carved, changing the institutions, wheel tracks and measures, all to be examined in the Annals of Qin. Because of this the old Confucians and great elders embraced their books and withdrew far, and the officials of ritual and erudites rolled up their tongues and did not speak. The birds that come to dance in ceremony and the fleshy-horned beasts shied away and did not arrive, the omens of sweet dew and fine wine and gleaming lights sank into hiding, great comets passed and fell, and the ill omens of giants and ghosts (the character here in the original was lost in transcription) were announced; the spirits were exhausted, the sea water flew about in swarms, and in two generations it perished; how drastic! The way of emperors and kings must be guarded with care and cannot be left.]. King Chen rose fiercely with claws and fangs and began the great affair of the world; though the Way was fierce, the Confucians and Mohists (the character here in the original was lost in transcription) approached him, because they thought there had been no true king for a long time, the Way was blocked and could not be practiced, from Confucius until now, and Qin again forbade it heavily, so they were roused to action for King Chen [Sima Qian says: Alas, when the Zhou house declined, the 'Guan Ju' was written; when You and Li grew weak, ritual and music were ruined, the feudal lords acted at will, and government came from the strong states. So Confucius grieved that the kingly road was abandoned and the wicked way arose, and therefore ordered and arranged the Poetry and Documents and revived ritual and music; when he went to Qi and heard the 'Shao,' for three months he did not know the taste of meat; after returning from Wei to Lu he set the music right, and the 'Ya' and 'Song' each found their place. The age was turbid and no one (the original reads 'mo fang') could use him, so Zhongni solicited more than seventy rulers and met none, saying: 'If anyone employs me, in a year I would have it done.' When a qilin was captured in the western hunt he said: 'My Way is exhausted.' So, based on the court histories, he wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals to lodge the king's law in it; its words are subtle and its meanings broad, and later scholars mostly copied it. After Confucius died, his seventy disciples scattered (the original reads 'san fang') among the feudal lords, the great ones becoming teachers, tutors, ministers and chancellors, the small ones becoming friends and teachers of officers, and some hid (the original reads 'fang yin') and did not appear. So Zilu lived in Wei, Zizhang in Chen, Tantai Ziyu in Chu, Zixia in Xihe, and Zigong ended in Qi. Tian Zifang, Duangan Mu, Wu Qi, Qin Guli and their like all received instruction from Zixia's kind and became teachers of kings. At that time only Marquis Wen of Wei loved learning. Later it declined gradually until the First Emperor, and the world contended in the Warring States; the Confucian art was already pushed aside, but among the learners at the gates of Qi and Lu it alone was not abandoned. In the time of Kings Wei and Xuan, Mencius and Xunzi and their line all followed the Master's work and polished it, and became known in their own age for learning. When it came to the last generation of Qin, the Poetry and Documents were burned and the learned scholars buried, and the Six Arts were thereafter lacking. When Chen She became king, the Confucians of Lu carried Confucius's ritual vessels and went to King Chen, and Kong Jia became an erudite for Chen She and in the end died with She. Chen She rose from the common people, drove a patched-together band of garrison conscripts, became king of Chu within a month, and was destroyed in less than half a year; his deeds were very slight, yet why did the gentlemen in official sashes carry Confucius's ritual vessels to go and pledge themselves as his ministers? Because Qin burned their work, and with accumulated resentment they were roused for King Chen.]. Confucius said: 'If anyone employs me, will I not make an Eastern Zhou?' He hoped to achieve the work of Cheng Tang, King Wen and King Wu, removing cruelty and thieves for the people; how could he be greedy for salary and delight (the original gives the pronunciation 'luo') in position?

大夫曰文學言行【去聲】雖有伯夷之亷不及栁下之貞不過髙瞻下視潔言汚行【去聲】觴酒豆肉遷延相讓辭小取大雞防狼吞趙綰王臧之等以儒術擢為上卿而有奸利殘忍之心主父偃以口舌取大官竊權重欺紿【音怠亦欺也】宗室受諸侯之賂卒皆誅死【儒林傳曰蘭陵王臧既受詩以事孝景帝為太子太傅免去今上初即位臧廼上書宿衛上累遷一嵗中為郎中令及代趙綰亦嘗受詩申公綰為御史大夫太皇竇太后好老子言不說儒術得趙綰王臧之過以讓上上盡下趙綰王臧吏後皆自殺主父偃傳曰偃上書闕下朝奏暮召入見拜偃為謁者一嵗中四遷偃大臣皆畏其口賂遺累千金元朔二年主父偃言齊王內淫佚行僻上拜偃為齊相至齊乃使人以王與姊奸事動王王以為終不得脫罪乃自殺有司以聞上大怒以為偃刼其王令自殺乃徴下吏治服受諸侯金實不刼王令自殺上欲勿誅是時公孫為御史大夫乃言曰齊王自殺無後國除為郡入漢主父偃夲首惡陛下不誅主父偃無以謝天下乃遂族主父偃】東方朔自稱辯略消堅釋石當世無雙然省其私行【去聲】狂夫不忍為【風俗通曰東方朔平原人也孝武皇帝時招延賢良文學之士待以不次之位故四方多上書言得失自鬻者扵是朔詣闕自陳十二失父長養兄嫂年十三學書十四擊劍十六誦詩十九學孫吳兵法又常服子路之言臣朔年二十三長九尺三寸目若懸珠齒若編貝勇若孟賁捷若慶忌亷如鮑叔信若尾生若此可以為天子大臣矣朔文辭不遜髙自稱譽由是見偉稍益親倖詔拜以為郎嘗在側侍中數召至前談語人主未嘗不說也時詔賜之食扵前飯已盡懐其餘肉持去衣盡汚數賜縑帛擔掲而去徒用所賜錢帛取少婦扵長安中好女率取婦一嵗所者即棄去更取婦所賜錢財盡索之扵女子人主左右諸郎半呼之狂人揚雄曰朔恢誕多端不名一行應諧似優不窮似智正諫似直穢徳似隠非夷齊是栁恵其滑稽之雄乎】況無東方朔之口其餘無足觀者也

The Grand Secretary said: The Literati speak of conduct (the original gives the pronunciation as the falling tone); though they claim the integrity of Bo Yi, they do not reach the constancy of Liuxia Hui (the character here in the original was lost in transcription), and amount to no more than looking high and glancing down, speaking clean and acting foul, passing a cup of wine and a dish of meat while courteously yielding, declining the small and taking the large, fighting like chickens and gulping like wolves. Zhao Wan and Wang Zang were raised to the rank of senior minister through Confucian arts yet had hearts of treacherous gain and cruelty; Zhufu Yan took high office with his tongue, stole heavy power, deceived (the original gives the pronunciation 'dai', also meaning to deceive) the imperial clan, accepted bribes from the feudal lords, and in the end all were executed [the 'Biographies of Confucians' in the Book of Han says: Wang Zang of Lanling had received the Poetry and served Emperor Xiaojing as Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince and was dismissed. When the present emperor first ascended the throne, Zang submitted a memorial to serve in the guard, and was repeatedly promoted, becoming Superintendent of the Palace within a year. When he replaced Zhao Wan, he had also studied the Poetry with Master Shen, and Wan became Imperial Counselor. The Grand Empress Dowager Dou liked the words of Laozi and disliked the Confucian art, found Zhao Wan's and Wang Zang's faults and blamed the emperor, and the emperor handed Zhao Wan and Wang Zang over to the officials, and later they both killed themselves. The 'Biography of Zhufu Yan' says: Yan submitted a memorial at the palace gate, was presented in the morning and summoned for audience in the evening, appointed an usher and promoted four times within a year. The great ministers all feared his mouth, and gifts and bribes amounted to thousands in gold. In the second year of Yuanshuo Zhufu Yan said that the King of Qi was licentious within and perverse in conduct, and the emperor appointed Yan prime minister of Qi. Arriving at Qi, he had people use the king's affair with his sister to move the king. The king thought he would never escape guilt and killed himself. The officials reported it and the emperor was furious, thinking Yan had coerced the king into killing himself, and summoned him down to the officials, and he confessed to taking gold from the feudal lords but in fact had not coerced the king into killing himself. The emperor wished not to execute him. At that time Gongsun Hong (the character here in the original was lost in transcription) was Imperial Counselor, and said: The King of Qi killed himself without heirs, and the state was abolished and became a commandery of Han. Zhufu Yan was the original chief of the wickedness; if Your Majesty does not execute Zhufu Yan, there is no way to answer the world. So he exterminated Zhufu Yan's clan.]. Dongfang Shuo called himself a debater and strategist who could melt iron and dissolve stone, matchless in his age, yet when one examines his private conduct (the original gives the pronunciation as the falling tone), even a madman would not bear to do it [the Fengsu Tong says: Dongfang Shuo was from Pingyuan. In the time of Emperor Xiaowu, worthy and literary men were invited and treated with irregular positions, so many from the four quarters submitted memorials discussing gains and losses and boasted and offered themselves. Then Shuo came to the palace gate and stated: I lost my father at twelve and was raised by my elder brother and his wife; at thirteen I learned writing, at fourteen swordsmanship, at sixteen recited the Poetry, at nineteen studied the military methods of Sunzi and Wu Qi, and I also constantly wore the words of Zilu. Your servant Shuo is twenty-three, nine chi three cun tall, with eyes like hanging pearls and teeth like strung shells, brave as Meng Ben, quick as Qing Ji, honest as Bao Shu, and trustworthy as Weisheng; with these I can be a great minister of the Son of Heaven. Shuo's writing was immodest and he praised himself highly, and for that he was considered remarkable, and gradually became more favored, was ordered appointed gentleman, and once served at the emperor's side in the palace and was often summoned to speak before him, and the ruler was never displeased. At that time when ordered to be given a meal before the emperor, when he had finished eating he put the leftover meat in his bosom and took it away, so that his clothes were all soiled; he was often given bolts of silk and carried them off on his shoulder; he used the money and silk he was given to take young wives from among the fine girls of Chang'an, and generally after a year would abandon a wife and take another, and all the money and wealth he was given was spent on women. Half of the gentlemen around the emperor called him a madman. Yang Xiong says: Shuo was grand and extravagant with many sides, not named for one conduct; in reply he was witty like an actor, never at a loss like a wise man, he remonstrated honestly like a straightforward man, and concealed his foul conduct like a hermit; he criticized Yi and Qi and approved Liuxia Hui; was he not the champion of wit?]. And those without Dongfang Shuo's mouth are not worth looking at at all.

文學曰志善者忘惡謹小者致大俎豆之間足以觀禮閨門之內足以論行【去聲】夫【音扶】服古之服誦古之道舍而為非者鮮【上聲】矣故君子時然後言義然後取不以道得之不居也【人間訓曰忠臣事君也計功而受賞不為苟得積力而受官不貪爵其所防者受之勿辭也其所不防者與之勿喜也】滿而不溢泰而不驕故袁盎親扵景帝秣馬不過一駟公孫即三公之位家不過十乗東方先生說聴言行扵武帝而不驕溢主父見困厄之日久此疾在位者不好【去聲】道而富且貴莫知防士也扵是取饒衍之餘以周窮士之急非為私家之業也【主父偃傳曰主父偃者齊臨菑人也學長短縦橫之術晚乃學易春秋百家言防齊諸生間莫防厚遇也齊諸儒生相與排擯不容扵齊家貧假貸無所得廼北逰燕趙中山皆莫防厚遇為客甚困孝武元光元年中以為諸侯莫足防者乃西入闗見衞將軍衛將軍數言上上不召資用乏留久諸公賓客多厭之乃上書□下朝奏暮召詔拜偃為謁者一嵗中四遷偃大臣皆畏其口賂遺累千金人防說偃曰大橫矣主父曰臣結髪防學四十餘年親不以為子昆弟不收賓客棄我我阨日久矣且丈夫生不五鼎食死即五鼎烹耳吾日暮途逺故倒行逆施之上拜主父為齊相至齊遍召昆弟賓客散五百金予之數之曰始吾貧時昆弟不我衣食賓客不我內門今吾相齊諸君迎我防千里吾與諸君絶矣毋復入偃之門】當世囂囂非患儒之雞防患在位者之虎飽嗌【音益】咽扵求覽無所孑遺耳【嗌咽也爾雅曰江東呼咽曰嗌覽通作攬撮持也詩云周餘黎民靡有孑遺】

The Literati said: One whose will is good forgets evil, and one who is careful in small things achieves great things. Among the sacrificial vessels one can observe ritual, and within the women's quarters one can discuss conduct (the original gives the pronunciation as the falling tone). 'Fu' at the start of a sentence (the original gives the pronunciation 'fu'): of those who wear ancient dress and recite the ancient Way, few (the original gives the pronunciation as the rising tone) abandon it and do wrong. So the gentleman speaks when the time is right, takes what is right, and does not stay in what he obtained not by the Way [the 'Renjian Xun' of the Huainanzi says: A loyal minister serving his ruler calculates his merit and receives a reward without improper gain; accumulates effort and receives office without greed for rank and salary. What is due he receives without refusing, and what is not due he accepts as given without joy.]. He is full but not overflowing, at ease but not arrogant. So Yuan Ang, though close to Emperor Jing, fed horses no more than one team of four; Gongsun Hong (the character here in the original was lost in transcription), on reaching the rank of one of the three dukes, had a household of no more than ten carriages; and Master Dongfang's words and conduct were heard by Emperor Wu without arrogance or excess. Zhufu was in hardship for a long time, and was pained that those in position did not love (the original gives the falling tone) the Way yet were rich and noble and none knew to honor (the original reads 'fang') scholars; so he took surplus and spread it to relieve the urgent needs of poor scholars, and it was not for private business [the 'Biography of Zhufu Yan' in the Records of the Grand Historian says: Zhufu Yan was from Linzi in Qi, studied the arts of vertical and horizontal alliance, and late in life studied the Changes, the Spring and Autumn Annals and the sayings of the hundred schools. Traveling (the original reads 'fang') among the scholars of Qi, none would give him generous treatment. The Confucian scholars of Qi together rejected him and he was not accepted in Qi. His family was poor and he borrowed but got nothing, so he went north to Yan, Zhao and Zhongshan, none of which would treat him generously, and he was in great hardship as a guest. In the first year of Yuanguang of Emperor Xiaowu, thinking none of the feudal lords worth traveling to, he went west into the pass and saw General Wei. General Wei spoke of him to the emperor several times, but the emperor did not summon him. His funds ran out and he stayed a long time, many gentlemen and guests were tired of him, so he submitted a memorial at the palace gate, was presented in the morning and summoned in the evening, and was ordered appointed usher and promoted four times in a year. The great ministers all feared his mouth, and bribes and gifts amounted to thousands in gold. Someone said to Yan: You are too overbearing. Zhufu said: I tied up my hair and traveled to study for more than forty years; my parents did not treat me as a son, my brothers did not take me in, and my guests abandoned me; I was in distress for a long time. Moreover a man who does not eat at five cauldrons in life will be boiled in five cauldrons in death. My day is late and the road is long, so I act contrary to the way. The emperor appointed Zhufu prime minister of Qi. Arriving at Qi, he summoned all his brothers and guests, scattered five hundred in gold to them, and counted them off, saying: When I was poor, my brothers did not clothe or feed me and my guests did not let me in their doors; now I am prime minister of Qi, and you gentlemen come to welcome me a thousand li away. I am done with you gentlemen and let none enter Yan's door again.]. The age is clamorous, and it is not the Confucians' thin integrity (the original reads 'ji fang') that is the trouble, but the tiger-like gorging of those in position, choking (the original gives the pronunciation 'yi') in their grabbing and seizing, leaving not a single survivor [yi means the throat. The Erya says: east of the river they call the throat 'yi.' 'Lan' is the same as 'lan' to grasp. The Poetry says: 'Of the remnant people of Zhou, there is not one survivor.']

大夫曰古者經井田制防裡丈夫治其田疇女子治其麻枲【音徙】無曠地無防人故非工商不得食扵利末非良農不得食扵收穫非執政不得食扵官爵今儒者釋耒耜而學不驗之語曠日彌久而無益扵理往來浮游不耕而食不蠶而衣巧為良民以奪農妨政此亦當世之所患也【傳曰土之美者善養禾君之眀者善養士李尋曰馬不伏櫪不可以趨道士不素養不可以重國】

The Grand Secretary said: In ancient times they laid out the well-field system and set up the township units, men tended their fields and women tended their hemp and flax (the original gives the pronunciation 'xi'), no land was left idle and no one was left wandering (the original reads 'fang'). So those who were not artisans or merchants could not eat from profit in the tip, those who were not good farmers could not eat from the harvest, and those who were not in government could not eat from official rank. Now the Confucians put down the plow and learn unverifiable talk, spending long days with no benefit to government, coming and going and wandering, eating without plowing and clothing themselves without raising silkworms, cleverly posing as good people to take from farmers and hamper government; this too is a trouble of the present age [tradition says: Fine earth is good at nurturing grain, and a clear-sighted ruler is good at nurturing scholars. Li Xun says: A horse that does not lie in the stable cannot run on the road; a scholar who is not nurtured at ordinary times cannot make the state weighty.]

文學曰禹蹙洪水身親其勞澤行路宿過門不入當此之時簮墮不掇冠掛【音掛】不顧而暇耕乎【修務訓曰禹沐浴霪雨梳櫛扶風決江疏河鑿龍門闢伊闕修彭蠡之防乘四載隨山刋木平治水土定千八百國聖人不貴尺璧而貴寸隂是故禹之趨時也履遺而弗取冠掛而弗顧】孔子曰詩人疾之不能黙丘疾之不防伏是以東西南北七十說【音稅】而不用然後退而修王道作春秋垂之萬世之後天下折中焉豈與匹夫匹婦耕織同哉【貴徳篇曰聖人見天下強凌弱眾暴寡幼孤羸露死傷系虜不忍其然是以孔子厯七十二君兾道之一行而得施其徳使民全扵生育烝庶安土萬物熈熈各樂其終卒不遇故睹麟而泣哀道不行徳澤不洽扵是退作春秋明素王之道以示後人思施其恵未嘗輟忘是以百王尊之志士法焉誦其文章傳今不絶徳及之也詩曰載馳載驅周爰諮謀此之謂也至公篇曰夫子行說七十諸侯無定處意欲使天下之民各得其所而道不行退而修春秋採毫毛之善貶纎介之惡人事浹王道備精和聖制上通扵天而麟至此天之知夫子也扵是喟然而嘆曰天以至明為不可蔽乎日何為而食地以至安為不可危乎地何為而動天地而尚有動蔽是故聖賢說扵世而不得行其道故災異並作也夫子曰不怨天不尤人下學而上達知我者其天乎】傳【去聲】曰君子當時不動而民無觀也故非君子莫治小人非小人無以養【去聲】君子當不耕織為匹夫匹婦也君子耕而不學則亂之道也【曹劌曰君子務治小人務力繆稱訓曰教夲乎君子小人被其澤利夲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冝也】

The Literati said: Yu pressed back the great flood, personally bearing the toil, traveling through marshes and lodging on the road, passing his door without entering. At that time, when his hairpin fell he did not pick it up, and when his cap hung (the original gives the pronunciation 'gua') he did not look back; did he have time to plow? [The 'Xiuwu Xun' of the Huainanzi says: Yu bathed in the continuous rain and combed his hair in the wind, cut channels in the Yangzi and dredged the rivers, cut Longmen and opened Yique, built the dikes of Pengli, rode his four conveyances and followed the mountains cutting trees, leveled and governed the waters and lands, and fixed one thousand eight hundred states. The sage does not value a foot of jade but values an inch of time. So in Yu's hastening with the times, a lost shoe was not taken and a hung cap was not looked at.] Confucius said: 'The poet was pained and could not be silent; I am pained and have no time (the original reads 'bu fang') to hide.' So he went east, west, south and north to persuade (the original gives the pronunciation 'shui') seventy times without being used, and only then withdrew and cultivated the kingly way and wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals, handed down for ten thousand generations, so that the world has taken it as the mean; how could that be the same as ordinary men and women plowing and weaving? [The chapter 'Valuing Virtue' says: The sage saw the strong in the world bullying the weak, the many oppressing the few, the young orphans and weak exposed, the dead and wounded bound and captured, and could not bear it, so Confucius went through seventy-two rulers, hoping the Way would be practiced once so he could apply his virtue, enabling the people to live and grow completely, the multitude to dwell in peace, the myriad things to be prosperous, each delighting in their end. In the end he was not met; so on seeing the qilin he wept, grieving that the Way was not practiced and virtuous kindness did not soak through, and withdrew and wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals, making clear the way of the uncrowned king to show later people, thinking of applying his kindness and never ceasing to remember it. So the hundred kings honor him, men of aspiration imitate him, and his writings are recited and handed down without end, because virtue reached them. The Poetry says: 'Galloping and driving, all around consulting and planning.' This is what is meant. The chapter 'Utmost Impartiality' says: The Master traveled to persuade seventy feudal lords with no fixed place, intending to let the people of the world each find their place, but the Way was not practiced, and he withdrew and cultivated the Spring and Autumn Annals, picking out the good in a hair's breadth and condemning the evil in a speck, so that human affairs were complete and the kingly way prepared, with fine harmony and sagely institution, reaching up to Heaven and so the qilin came, which was Heaven's knowing of the Master. Then he sighed and said: Is Heaven, with its utmost brightness, unable to be obscured? Why then does the sun eclipse? Is Earth, with its utmost security, unable to be endangered? Why then does the earth move? If even heaven and earth have movement and obscuration, so the sages and worthies persuade in the world and cannot carry out their Way, and so disasters and anomalies arise together. The Master said: I do not blame Heaven or men; I study below and reach above; is it Heaven that knows me?]. The commentary (the original gives the pronunciation as the falling tone) says: If the gentleman did not act at the time, the people would have nothing to observe. So without gentlemen none would govern the petty, and without the petty none would nourish (the original gives the pronunciation as the falling tone) the gentleman. One should not plow and weave as ordinary men and women. If a gentleman plowed and did not study, it would be the way to disorder [Cao Gui says: The gentleman devotes himself to governing, the petty man devotes himself to labor. The 'Miucheng Xun' of the Huainanzi says: Teaching is rooted in the gentleman and the petty are covered by its kindness; profit is rooted in the petty and the gentleman enjoys its fruits. In the time of Dong Hu Jizi, nothing lost was picked up on the road, and plows and leftover provisions were left overnight at the head of the fields, letting gentlemen and petty men each get what was fitting.]

大夫曰文學言治尚扵唐虞言義髙扵秋天有華言矣未見其實也昔魯穆公之時公儀為相【去聲】子思子原為之卿然北削扵齊以泗為境南畏楚人西賓秦國孟軻居梁兵折扵齊上將軍死而太子虜西敗扵秦地奪壤削亡河內河外夫【音扶】仲尼之門七十子之徒去父母捐室家負荷【去聲】而隨孔子不耕而學亂乃愈滋故玉屑滿篋不為有寶詩書負笈不為有道要在安國家利人民不苟文繁眾辭而已

The Grand Secretary said: The Literati speak of government as exalting Tang and Yu, and speak of righteousness as higher than the autumn sky; they have flowery words, but I have not seen the substance. In the time of Duke Mu of Lu, Gongyi was prime minister (the original gives the pronunciation as the falling tone), and Zisi and Ziyuan were his ministers, yet in the north Lu was cut back by Qi so that the Si river was its border, in the south it feared the men of Chu, and in the west it served Qin as a guest. When Mencius lived in Liang, its army was broken by Qi, its chief general died and the crown prince was captured, in the west it was defeated by Qin, its land was seized and territory reduced, and it lost the lands within and beyond the river. 'Fu' at the start of the sentence (the original gives the pronunciation 'fu'): Confucius's seventy disciples left their parents and gave up their families, carried burdens (the original gives the falling tone for 'he') and followed Confucius, and did not plow but studied, and disorder only grew. So a case full of jade shavings does not count as having treasure, and carrying the Poetry and Documents in a satchel does not count as having the Way. What is essential is to secure the state and benefit the people, and not to carelessly ornament many words.

文學曰虞不用百里之謀而滅秦穆用之以至伯【音覇】焉夫【音扶】不用賢則亡而不削何可得乎【尊賢篇曰齊景公問扵孔子曰秦穆公其國小處僻而覇何也對曰其國小而志大雖處僻而其政中其舉果其謀和其令不偷親舉五羖大夫扵繫累之中與之語三日而授之政以此取之雖王可也覇則小矣李康曰百里奚在虞而虞亡在秦而秦覇非不才扵虞而才於秦也】孟子適梁恵王問利答以仁義趨舍不合是以不用而去【孟子傳曰孟子騶人也受業子思之門人道既通防事齊宣王宣王不能用適梁梁恵王不果所言則見以為迂逺而濶扵事情當是之時秦用商君富國強兵楚魏用吳起戰勝弱敵齊威王宣王用孫子田忌之徒而諸侯東面朝齊天下方務扵合從連衡以攻伐為賢而孟軻乃述唐虞三代之徳是以所如者不合退而與萬章之徒序詩書述仲尼之意作孟子七篇】夫【音扶】懐寳而無語故有粟不食無益扵飢覩賢不用無益扵削紂之時內有微箕二子外有膠鬲棘子故其不能存言而不用諫而不聽雖賢惡【音烏】得有益扵治也

The Literati said: Yu did not use the plan of Baili and was destroyed, while Duke Mu of Qin used him and reached hegemony (the original gives the pronunciation 'ba' for 'bo'). 'Fu' at the start of the sentence (the original gives the pronunciation 'fu'): if one does not use the worthy one perishes, and how can one escape being reduced? [The chapter 'Honoring the Worthy' says: Duke Jing of Qi asked Confucius: Duke Mu of Qin, whose state was small and located in a remote place, became hegemon; why? He replied: His state was small but his ambition was great; though he was in a remote place his government was on the mean, his promotions were decisive, his plans were harmonious, his orders were not careless; he personally raised the Five Rams' Skins Grand Officer from among the bound and tied, spoke with him for three days, and gave him the government. With this he gained it; even to become king would have been possible, and hegemon was small. Li Kang says: When Baili Xi was in Yu, Yu perished; in Qin, Qin became hegemon; it was not that he lacked talent in Yu and had talent in Qin.] When Mencius went to Liang, King Hui asked about profit, and he answered with benevolence and righteousness; their inclinations did not match, and so he was not used and left [the 'Biography of Mencius' in the Records of the Grand Historian says: Mencius was from Zou and received instruction from a disciple of Zisi. When the Way was already mastered, he traveled (the original reads 'fang') to serve King Xuan of Qi, but King Xuan could not use him, and he went to Liang. King Hui of Liang did not carry out what he said, and saw him as impractical and remote from affairs. At that time, Qin used Lord Shang to enrich the state and strengthen the army, Chu and Wei used Wu Qi to defeat weak enemies, and Kings Wei and Xuan of Qi used Sun Bin, Tian Ji and the like, and the feudal lords faced east and paid court to Qi. The world was just devoting itself to vertical and horizontal alliances and counted attack and conquest as worthy, but Mencius recounted the virtue of Tang, Yu and the Three Dynasties, so where he went he did not match, and he withdrew and with Wan Zhang and others set out the Poetry and Documents and recounted Confucius's meaning, and wrote the seven chapters of the Mencius.]. 'Fu' at the start of the sentence (the original gives the pronunciation 'fu'): To hold a treasure and say nothing is like having grain and not eating it, which does nothing for hunger; seeing the worthy and not using them does nothing for reduction. In the time of Zhou, within there were the two men Wei and Ji, and without there were Jiao Ge and Ji Zi, yet he could not survive. If words are not used and remonstrance is not heeded, though one is worthy, how (the original gives the pronunciation 'wu') can there be benefit to government?

大夫曰橘柚生扵江南而民皆甘之於口味同也好音生扵鄭衞而人皆樂【音洛】之扵耳聲同也越人夷吾戎人由余待譯而後通而並顯齊秦人之心扵善惡同也【說林訓曰佳人不同體美人不同而而皆恱扵目棃橘棗栗不同味而皆調扵口】故曽子倚山而吟山鳥下翔師曠鼔琴百獸率舞未有善而不合誠而不應者也【說山訓曰曽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防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淳于髠曰昔者瓠巴鼓瑟而潛魚出聴伯牙鼓琴而六馬仰秣魚馬猶知善之為善而況君人者也】意未誠與【平聲】何故言而不見從行而不合也

The Grand Secretary said: Oranges and pomelos grow south of the Yangzi and the people all find them sweet, which is the same in taste. Good music arises from Zheng and Wei and people all enjoy (the original gives the pronunciation 'luo') it, which is the same in the ears. Yiwu of Yue and You Yu of the Rong had to wait for interpreters before communicating, yet both became prominent in Qi and Qin; people's hearts are the same in good and evil [the 'Shuolin Xun' of the Huainanzi says: Fine people do not have the same bodies and beautiful people do not have the same faces, yet all please the eye; pears, oranges, jujubes and chestnuts do not have the same flavors, yet all suit the mouth.]. So when Zengzi leaned on a hill and chanted, mountain birds came down and soared; when Shi Kuang played the zither, the hundred beasts danced in step. There has never been a good that was not matched nor sincerity that did not get an answer [the 'Shuoshan Xun' of the Huainanzi says: When Zengzi grasped the hearse, those pulling the cart stopped for him; when an old mother walked singing she moved Shen Xi; this is the utmost of essence. Hu Ba played the zither and the swimming fish came out to listen, Bo Ya played the zither and the four horses raised their heads from the fodder, Jie Zi sang of the dragon and snake and Lord Wen wept. So when jade is in a mountain the plants and trees are moistened, and when a pearl is born in a deep, the bank does not dry. Chunyu Kun said: In the past Hu Ba played the zither and the hidden fish came out to listen, Bo Ya played the zither and six horses raised their heads from the fodder. Fish and horses still know the good as good, how much more one who rules people?]. Is it that the intent is not sincere (the original gives the pronunciation as the level tone for 'yu')? Why are words not followed and conduct not matched?

文學曰扁鵲不防治不受針藥之疾賢聖不能正不食諫諍之君【傳曰人之將死惡聞酒肉之味邦之將亡惡聞忠臣之氣身死不為醫邦亡不為謀還自遺災也說林訓曰與死者同病難為良醫與亡國同道難與為謀雜言曰比干死紂而不防正其行子胥死吳而不防存其國二子者強諫而死適足明主之暴耳未始有益如秋毫之端也】故桀有闗龍逄而亡夏殷有三仁而商滅【莭士篇曰桀為酒池足以運舟糟丘足以望三里一鼓而牛飲者三千人闗龍逄進諫曰為人君身行禮義愛民節財故國安而身夀也今君用財若無盡用人若恐不防死不革天禍必降而誅必至矣君其革之立而不去朝桀因囚拘之君子聞之曰末之命矣夫論語隂嬉防曰庾子之旦金版刻書出地庭中曰臣族虐王禽宋均曰謂殺龍逄之後庾子旦庭中有此版異也龍同姓稱族王虐殺我必見禽也論語曰微子去之箕子為之奴比干諫而死孔子曰殷有三仁焉】不患無由余夷吾之倫患無桓穆之聽耳【傳曰昔戎將由余使秦秦穆公問以得失之要對曰古有國者未嘗不以恭儉也失國者未嘗不以驕奢也由余因論五帝三王之所以衰布衣之所以亡繆公然之扵是告內史王繆曰鄰國有聖人敵國之憂也由余聖人也將奈之何王繆曰夫戎王居僻陋之地未嘗見中國之聲色也君其遺之女樂以婬其志亂其政其臣下必疎因為由余請緩期使其君臣有間然後可圖繆公曰善乃使王繆以女樂二列遺戎王為由余請期戎王大恱許之扵是張酒聴樂日夜不休終嵗婬縦卒馬多死由余歸數諫不聴去之秦秦公子逆拜之為上卿遂並國十二闢地千里千金書曰管子束縛在魯桓公欲相鮑叔鮑叔曰吾君欲覇王則管夷吾在彼臣弗若也桓公曰夷吾寡人之賊也射我者也不可鮑叔曰夷吾為其君射人者也君若得而用之則彼亦將為君射人桓公不聽強相鮑叔鮑叔固辭讓弗相桓公果聽之扵是使人告魯曰管夷吾寡人之讐也願得之而親加手焉魯君許諾乃使吏鞹其拳膠其目盛之以防夷置之車中至齊境桓公使人以朝車迎之祓以灌火釁以犠猳焉生與之如國命有司除廟筵几而薦之曰自孤之聞夷吾之言也目益明耳益聰孤弗敢専故以吿於先君因顧而命管子曰夷吾佐餘管子還走再拜稽首受令而出管子治齊國舉事有功桓公必先賞鮑叔曰使齊國得管子者鮑叔也桓公可謂知行賞矣楚莊王曰世不絶聖國不絶賢晉平公防扵河而樂曰安得賢士與之樂此也船人盍胥跪而對曰主君亦不好士耳夫珠出扵江海玉出扵崑山無足而至者葢由主君之好也士有足而不至者葢主君無好士之意耳無患乎無士也王符曰夫十步之澤必有香草十室之邑必有忠信是故亂殷有三仁小衞多君子然衰國危君繼踵不絶者豈時無忠信正直之士哉誠苦其道不得行耳仲長統曰物有不求未有無物之嵗也士有不用未有少士之世也】是以孔子東西無所適遇屈原放逐扵楚國【泰族訓曰孔子欲行王道東西南北七十說而無所遇離騷經序曰楚襄王用防言遷屈原扵江南而屈原放在山野復作九章援天引聖以自證明終不見省】故曰直道而事人焉往而不三黜枉道而事人終非以此言而不見從行而不合者也【燕恵王曰昔者栁下恵吏扵魯三黜而不去防謂之曰可以去栁下恵曰苟與人之異惡徃而不黜乎猶且黜乎寧扵故國爾栁下恵不以三黜自累故前業不忘不以去為心故逺近無議】

The Literati said: Bian Que cannot (the original reads 'bu fang') cure a disease in one who will not accept needle or medicine, and sages and worthies cannot set right a ruler who will not accept remonstrance [tradition says: When a person is about to die he hates to smell the taste of wine and meat; when a state is about to perish it hates to hear the breath of loyal ministers. If one is dying and no physician is used, or the state is perishing and no plans are made, one only brings disaster on oneself. The 'Shuolin Xun' of the Huainanzi says: One who has the same illness as the dying is hard to make a good doctor, and one who follows the same road as a ruined state is hard to plan with. The chapter 'Miscellaneous Sayings' says: Bi Gan died for Zhou and could not (the original reads 'bu fang') correct his conduct, and Zixu died for Wu and could not (the original reads 'bu fang') preserve his state. The two men remonstrated strongly and died, which only made clear the ruler's cruelty, and brought not even a tip of an autumn hair's benefit.]. So Jie had Guan Longfeng and Xia perished, Yin had three benevolent men and Shang was destroyed [the chapter 'Gentlemen of Integrity' says: Jie made a pool of wine large enough to sail a boat on and a mound of dregs large enough to see for three li, and at one drumbeat three thousand drank like oxen. Guan Longfeng remonstrated, saying: A ruler should practice ritual and righteousness himself, love the people and be frugal with wealth, and so the state is at peace and he lives long. Now Your Lordship uses wealth as if it were endless and uses people as if afraid they will not die enough (the original reads 'bu fang'); if you do not reform, Heaven's calamity will certainly come down and execution will surely arrive. May Your Lordship reform it. He stood and did not leave the court, and Jie imprisoned him for it. The gentleman heard of it and said: It is fated, alas. The Lunyu apocrypha says: On the morning of the gengzi day, a gold tablet with inscription came out in the courtyard, saying: 'Subject clan, the king is cruel, he will be captured.' Song Jun says: This refers to after the killing of Longfeng; on the morning of gengzi this tablet strangeness appeared in the court. Longfeng was of the same surname as the Dragon, called the clan; the king cruelly killed us and will surely be captured. The Analects says: The Viscount of Wei left him, the Viscount of Ji became his slave, and Bi Gan remonstrated and died. Confucius said: Yin had three benevolent men.]. The trouble is not lack of men like You Yu and Yiwu, but only lack of listening like Duke Huan and Duke Mu [tradition says: In the past the Rong general You Yu was sent to Qin, and Duke Mu of Qin asked him the key points of gain and loss. He answered: In ancient times those who held states never failed to do so through reverence and frugality, and those who lost states never failed to do so through arrogance and extravagance. You Yu then discussed why the Five Emperors and Three Kings declined and why commoners perished. Duke Mu agreed, and told the Interior Historian Wang Mu: When a neighboring state has a sage, it is a worry to the rival state. You Yu is a sage; what shall we do about him? Wang Mu said: The king of the Rong lives in a remote and humble place and has never seen the sounds and colors of the Central States. Your Lordship may send him female musicians to seduce his will and disorder his government, and his ministers will surely become estranged, and meanwhile ask for You Yu a delay in his return, so that the Rong ruler and ministers have a rift, and then they can be dealt with. Duke Mu said: Good. So he sent Wang Mu with two troupes of female musicians to the king of the Rong, asking for You Yu's delay. The king of the Rong was delighted and agreed, and they set out wine and listened to music day and night, indulging all year, and in the end most of the horses died. When You Yu returned, he remonstrated several times without being heeded and left for Qin. The Qin prince welcomed him and made him a senior minister, and thereby annexed twelve states and opened a thousand li of land. The Qianjin Shu says: Guan Zi was bound in Lu, and Duke Huan wanted to make Bao Shu prime minister. Bao Shu said: If my lord wants to be a hegemon or king, there is Guan Yiwu, and I am not equal to him. Duke Huan said: Yiwu is my enemy, the one who shot me; it cannot be. Bao Shu said: Yiwu shot at people for his own ruler; if you obtain him and use him, he too will shoot at people for you. Duke Huan did not listen and forced Bao Shu to be prime minister, but Bao Shu firmly declined and would not. Duke Huan in the end followed him, and so sent a man to tell Lu: Guan Yiwu is my enemy; I wish to have him and lay hands on him myself. The ruler of Lu agreed, and so had officials bind his fists in leather, glue his eyes shut, put him in a leather bag, and place him in a carriage. When he reached the border of Qi, Duke Huan had people meet him with a court carriage, purified him with a torch fire, consecrated him with the blood of a pig, and brought him alive into the state, and ordered the officials to clear the temple and set out mats and tables to present him, saying: Since I heard Yiwu's words, my eyes are brighter and my ears keener; I dare not keep this for myself, so I report to the former rulers. Then he turned and ordered Guan Zi: Yiwu, assist me. Guan Zi turned back, bowed twice with his head to the ground, received the order and went out. Guan Zi governed Qi, and when his undertakings had success, Duke Huan always first rewarded Bao Shu, saying that the one who got Guan Zi for Qi was Bao Shu. Duke Huan may be said to know how to give rewards. King Zhuang of Chu said: The age never lacks sages and the state never lacks the worthy. Duke Ping of Jin was enjoying himself on the Yellow River and said: How can I get worthy scholars to enjoy this with me? The boatman Gai Xu knelt and replied: It is only that Your Lordship does not love scholars. Pearls come from rivers and seas and jade comes from Mount Kunlun; they have no feet and yet arrive, because of Your Lordship's love; scholars have feet and do not come, because Your Lordship has no intent to love scholars. There is no need to worry about lack of scholars. Wang Fu says: In a marsh ten paces across there must be fragrant plants, and in a town of ten households there must be loyalty and good faith. So disordered Yin had three benevolent men and small Wei had many gentlemen, yet failing states and endangered rulers have followed one another without end; was it that the times had no loyal, honest and upright scholars? It was truly only that their Way could not be practiced. Zhongchang Tong says: There are things not sought, but there has never been a year without things; there are scholars not used, but there has never been an age of few scholars.]. So Confucius found nowhere that suited him east or west, and Qu Yuan was banished from the state of Chu [the 'Taizu Xun' of the Huainanzi says: Confucius wanted to practice the kingly way, and went to persuade seventy times north, south, east and west without meeting anyone. The preface to the 'Lisao' says: King Xiang of Chu used slanderous (the original reads 'fang') words and moved Qu Yuan to south of the Yangzi, and Qu Yuan, banished to the mountains and wilds, again wrote the 'Nine Chapters,' invoking Heaven and citing the sages to prove himself, but in the end was not heeded.]. So it is said: One who serves people by the straight Way, where can he go without being dismissed three times; one who serves people by a crooked Way is in the end wrong. Thus words are not followed and conduct does not suit [King Hui of Yan says: In the past Liuxia Hui held office in Lu and was dismissed three times without leaving. Someone (the original reads 'fang') said to him: You can leave. Liuxia Hui said: If I am different from others, where can I go without being dismissed? If I am to be dismissed anyway, better in my old state. Liuxia Hui did not let three dismissals burden him, so his earlier work was not forgotten; he did not take leaving to heart, so there was no criticism far or near.]

大夫曰歌者不期扵利聲而貴在中【去聲】莭論者不期扵麗辭而務在事實【修務篇曰腹劍者期扵銛利而不期扵墨陽莫邪乘馬者期扵千里而不期扵驊騮綠耳鼓琴者期扵鳴亷修營而不期扵濫脅號鍾誦詩書者期扵通道畧物而不期扵洪範商頌】善聲而不知轉未可謂能歌也善言而不知變未可謂防說也持防而非矩執凖而非繩通一孔曉一理而不知權衡以所不覩不信人若蟬之不知雪堅據古人以應當世猶辰參之錯膠柱而調瑟固而難合矣【子產曰髙辛氏有二子長曰閼伯季曰實沈居曠林不相能也日操干戈以相征伐后帝不臧遷閼伯於商丘主辰遷實沈於大夏主參尚書大傳曰書之論事離離若參辰之錯行法言曰吾不睹參辰之相比也宋哀曰辰龍星也參虎星也我不見龍虎俱見也傳曰趙王以趙括為將代防頗藺相如曰王以名使括若膠柱而調瑟耳括徒防讀父書傳不知合變也】孔子所以不用扵世而孟軻見賤扵諸侯也【班固曰周道既衰壊扵幽厲禮樂征伐自諸侯出陵夷二百餘年而孔子興以聖徳遭季世知言之不用而道不行廼嘆曰鳳鳥不至河不出圖吾已矣夫文王既沒文不在茲乎扵是應聘諸侯以答禮行誼入西周南至楚畏匡戹陳奸七十餘君無所遇趙岐曰孟子生有淑質夙防其父防被慈母三遷之教長師孔子之孫子思治儒術之道通五經尤長扵詩書周衰之末戰國縦橫用兵爭強以相侵奪當世取士務上權謀以為上賢先王大道陵遲隳廢異端並起楊朱墨翟放蕩以干時惑眾者非一孟子憫悼堯舜湯文周孔之業將遂湮微正塗壅底仁義荒怠佞偽馳騁紅紫亂朱扵是則慕仲尼周流憂世遂以儒道幹扵諸侯思濟斯民然由不肯枉尺直尋時君鹹謂之迂濶扵事終莫能聽納其說】

The Grand Secretary said: A singer does not aim at sharp sound but values keeping (the original gives the pronunciation as the falling tone) the beat; a debater does not aim at beautiful phrases but strives for facts [the 'Xiuwu Xun' of the Huainanzi says: One who wears a sword aims at its sharpness and not at Moyang or Moye; one who rides a horse aims at a thousand li and not at Hualiu or Lu'er; one who plays the zither aims at clear and modest sound and not at Lanxie or Haozhong; one who recites the Poetry and Documents aims at understanding the Way and surveying things and not at the 'Hongfan' or 'Shang Song'.]. One who is good at sound but does not know how to turn cannot be called a singer; one who is good at words but does not know how to change cannot be called (the original reads 'fang') a speaker. To hold a compass (the original reads 'chi fang') but reject the square, to hold the level but reject the cord, to understand one hole and know one principle but not know the balance, and to disbelieve others for what one has not seen, like a cicada that does not know snow, clinging to the ancients to answer the present age, is like Chen and Shen stars out of step or gluing the bridges to tune a zither, rigid and hard to fit [Zichan says: Gaoxin had two sons, the elder named Yanbo and the younger Shichen, who lived in a wide forest and could not get along, and daily took up shield and spear to attack one another. The High God did not approve, and moved Yanbo to Shangqiu to preside over Chen, and moved Shichen to Daxia to preside over Shen. The Shangshu Dazhuan says: The Documents' discussions of affairs are scattered like the crossing courses of Shen and Chen. The Fayan says: I have not seen Shen and Chen near each other. Song Zhong says: Chen is the dragon star and Shen is the tiger star, and I have not seen dragon and tiger appear together. Tradition says: The King of Zhao made Zhao Kuo general to replace Lian (the original reads 'fang') Po. Lin Xiangru said: The King uses Kuo for his name, like gluing the bridges to tune a zither. Kuo can only (the original reads 'tu fang') read his father's books and does not know how to adapt to change.]. This is why Confucius was not used in his age and Mencius was despised by the feudal lords [Ban Gu says: When the Way of Zhou had declined and was ruined by You and Li, ritual, music and campaigns came from the feudal lords, and after declining gradually for over two hundred years, Confucius arose. With sagely virtue he met a last age, knew his words would not be used and the Way would not be practiced, and sighed: 'The phoenix does not come and the river does not bring forth its chart; it is over for me.' 'Since King Wen is dead, does his culture not rest here?' Then he accepted invitations from the feudal lords to answer with ritual and conduct, entered western Zhou and went south to Chu, feared at Kuang and in distress at Chen, solicited over seventy rulers and met none. Zhao Qi says: Mencius was born with a fine nature, lost his father early (the original reads 'su fang'), received his kind mother's teaching of three moves, and when grown studied under Confucius's grandson Zisi, mastered the way of Confucian learning and the Five Classics, being especially strong in the Poetry and Documents. At the end of Zhou's decline, in the vertical and horizontal Warring States, they used troops to contend for strength and invade and seize from one another, the age chose scholars by devoting itself to power and strategy as the highest worthiness, the great Way of the former kings decayed and was ruined, heterodoxies arose together, and Yang Zhu and Mo Di were licentious and approached the age to confuse the multitude, and not just one. Mencius grieved that the work of Yao, Shun, Tang, Wen, Zhou and Confucius would soon be buried and obscured, the straight road blocked, benevolence and righteousness abandoned, flattery and falsehood galloping, red and purple confusing vermilion, so he admired Confucius, traveled widely in worry for the age, and used the Confucian Way to approach the feudal lords, wishing to rescue the people, but because he would not bend a foot to straighten eight feet, the rulers of the time all said he was impractical and in the end none could accept his words.]

文學曰日月之光而盲者不能見雷電之聲而聾人不能聞【孟子曰夫震雷之起也破竹折木震驚天下而不能使聾者卒有聞日月之明徧照天下而不能使盲者卒有見泰族訓曰聾者耳形具而無能聞也盲者目形存而無能見也】夫【音扶】為不知音者言若語扵瘖【音因】聾何特蟬之不知重【平聲】雪耶【泰族訓曰夫言者所以通己扵人也聞者所以通人扵己也瘖者不言聾者不聞既瘖且聾人道不通故有瘖聾之病者雖破家求醫不顧其費豈獨形骸有瘖聾哉心志亦有之夫指之拘者莫不事申也心之塞也莫之務通也不眀扵類也齊俗訓曰其見不逺者不可與語大其智不閎者不足與論至繆稱訓曰察一曲者不可與言化審一時者不可與言大南華經曰井蛙不可以語扵海者拘扵隘也夏蟲不可以語扵寒者篤扵時也曲士不可以語扵道者束扵教也】夫【音扶】以伊尹之知【去聲】太公之賢而不防開辭扵桀紂非說者非聴者過也【張子曰桀罪諫者紂焚聖人以徴為羽非之罪也以甘為苦非味之過也】是以荊和抱璞而泣血曰安得良工而剖之屈原行吟澤畔曰安得臯陶而察之【雜事篇曰荊人卞和得玉璞而獻之荊厲王使玉尹相之曰石也王以和為謾而斷其左足厲王薨武王即位和復奉玉璞而獻之武王武王使玉尹相之曰石也又以為謾而防其右足武王薨共王即位和乃奉玉璞而哭扵荊山中三日三夜泣盡而繼之以血共王聞之使人問之曰天下刑之者眾矣子獨何哭之悲也對曰寳玉而名之曰石貞士而戮之以謾此臣之所以悲也共王曰惜矣吾先王之聴難剖石而易斬人之足夫死者不可生防者不可屬何聴之殊也乃使人理其璞而得寶焉故名之曰和氏之璧故曰珠玉者人主之所貴也和雖獻寶而美未為玉尹用也進寳且若彼之難也況進賢人乎賢人與奸臣猶仇讐也扵庸君意不合夫欲使奸臣進其讐扵不合意之君其難萬倍扵和氏之璧又無防兩足之臣以推其難猶防山也千嵗一合若繼踵然後覇王之君興焉其賢而不用不可勝載故有道者之未戮也冝白玉之璞未獻耳陳元曰至音不合眾聽故伯牙絶至寳不同眾好故卞和泣血楚辭曰屈原既放防扵江潭行吟澤畔顔色憔悴形容枯槁漁父見而問之曰子非三閭大夫與何故至扵斯屈原曰舉世皆濁而我獨清眾人皆醉而我獨醒是以見放漁父曰聖人者不凝滯扵物而能與世推移舉世皆濁何不淈其泥而揚其波眾人皆醉何不餔其糟而歠其釃何故懐瑾握瑜而自令見放為屈原曰吾聞之新沐者必彈冠新浴者必振衣安能以身之察察受物之汶汶者乎寧赴湘流葬扵江魚之腹中又安防以皎皎之白而防世俗之塵埃乎漁父莞爾而笑鼓枻而去歌曰滄浪之水清兮可以濯吾纓滄浪之水濁兮可以濯吾足遂去不復與言】夫【音扶】人君莫不欲求賢以自輔任能以治國然牽扵流說惑扵道諛是以賢聖蔽掩而防佞用事以此亡國破家而賢士飢扵巖穴也【君道篇曰武王問太公曰舉賢而以危亡者何也太公曰舉賢而不用是有舉賢之名而不得真賢之實也武王曰其失安在太公曰其失在君好用小善而已不得真賢也武王曰好用小善者何如太公曰君好聴譽而不惡防也以非賢為賢以非善為善以非忠為忠以非信為信其君以譽為功以毀為罪有功者不賞有罪者不罰多黨者進少黨者退是以群臣比周而蔽賢百吏群黨而多奸忠臣以誹死扵無罪邪臣以譽賞扵無功其國見扵危亡武王曰善吾今日聞誹譽之情矣尊賢篇曰桓公問扵管仲曰吾欲使酒腐扵爵肉腐扵俎得無害扵覇乎管仲對曰此極非其貴者耳然亦無害扵覇也桓公曰何如而害覇管仲對曰不知賢害覇知而不用害覇用而不任害覇任而不信害覇信而復使小人參之害覇桓公曰善雜事篇曰闔廬用子胥以興夫差殺之而以亡昭王用樂毅以勝恵王逐之而敗此的的然若黒白秦不用叔孫通項王不用陳平韓信而皆滅漢用之而大興此未遂也夫失賢者其禍如彼用賢者其福如此人君莫不求賢以自輔然而國以亂亡者所謂賢者不賢也防使賢者為之與不肖者議之使智者圖之與愚者謀之不肖嫉賢愚者嫉智是賢者之所以隔蔽也所以千載不合者也劉峻曰薫蕕不同器梟鸞不接翼渾敦檮杌踵武扵雲臺之上仲容庭堅耕耘扵岩石之下】昔趙髙無過人之志而居萬人之位是以傾覆秦國而禍殃其宗盡失其瑟何膠柱之調也【雜事篇曰秦趙髙者生而隠宮始皇聞其強力通扵獄法拜申車府令使教胡亥決獄胡亥幸之髙有罪始皇使防毅治之毅當髙法當死始皇以髙敏扵事赦之復其官二世即位趙髙說以嚴法刻刑令有罪者相坐誅滅大臣及宗室更為法律務益刻深易曰負且乘致防至貞吝大傳曰負也者小人之事也乘也者君子之器也小人而乘君子之器盜思奪之矣上慢下暴盜思伐之矣泰族訓曰位髙而道大者從事大而道小者兇人間訓曰天下有三危少徳而多寵一危也才下而位髙二危也身無大功而有厚祿三危也】

The Literati said: The blind cannot see the light of sun and moon, and the deaf cannot hear the sound of thunder [Mencius says: When a thunderclap rises it splits bamboo and breaks trees and shocks the world, but cannot suddenly make the deaf hear; the brightness of the sun and moon shines on the whole world, but cannot suddenly make the blind see. The 'Taizu Xun' of the Huainanzi says: The deaf have the form of ears but cannot hear, the blind have the form of eyes but cannot see.]. 'Fu' at the start of the sentence (the original gives the pronunciation 'fu'): to speak to one who does not know music is like talking to the mute (the original gives the pronunciation 'yin') and deaf; why only a cicada not knowing heavy (the original gives the level tone) snow? [The 'Taizu Xun' of the Huainanzi says: Speech is how one makes oneself reach others, and hearing is how one makes others reach oneself. The mute do not speak and the deaf do not hear, and when one is 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, but when the mind is blocked none strives for opening; this is not understanding categories. The 'Qisu Xun' says: One whose view is not far cannot be spoken with about the great, and one whose wisdom is not broad is not enough to discuss the ultimate. The 'Miucheng Xun' says: One who examines one corner cannot be spoken to about transformation, and one who examines one season cannot be spoken to about the great. Zhuangzi says: A frog in a well cannot be spoken to about the sea, because it is confined to its narrow space; a summer insect cannot be spoken to about ice, because it is bound to its season; a narrow scholar cannot be spoken to about the Way, because he is bound by teaching.]. 'Fu' at the start of the sentence (the original gives the pronunciation 'fu'): With the wisdom of Yi Yin and the worthiness of Taigong, they could not open their words to Jie and Zhou, and the fault was not the speaker's, but the listener's [Master Zhang says: Jie punished those who remonstrated and Zhou burned sages; taking the zhi note for the yu note is not the fault of the string (the character here in the original was lost in transcription), and taking sweet for bitter is not the fault of the taste.]. So Bian He, holding his jade uncut, wept blood, saying how can I get a good craftsman to split it; Qu Yuan walked chanting on the marsh bank, saying how can I get Gao Yao to examine it [the chapter 'Miscellaneous Affairs' says: Bian He of Jing obtained an uncut jade and presented it to King Li of Jing, who had his jade-worker examine it and was told it was stone. The King thought He deceived him and cut off his left foot. When King Li died and King Wu took the throne, He again offered the jade. King Wu had the jade-worker examine it and was told it was stone, again thought it a deception and cut off (the original reads 'fang') his right foot. When King Wu died and King Gong took the throne, He held the jade and wept in Mount Jing for three days and three nights, until his tears were exhausted and were followed by blood. King Gong heard of it and sent someone to ask: Many in the world have been punished; why do you alone weep so sadly? He replied: A precious jade named as a stone, a loyal scholar punished as a deceiver, this is why I grieve. King Gong said: A pity! The hearing of my former kings found it hard to split a stone and easy to cut off a man's foot. The dead cannot be revived and the cut off cannot be rejoined; why was the hearing so different? He then had the jade worked and obtained a treasure, and so named it the jade disc of Mr. He. So it is said that pearls and jade are what rulers value. Though He offered a treasure and it was fine, he was not used by the jade-worker. If offering a treasure is so hard, how much more offering a worthy person? The worthy and treacherous ministers are like enemies, and do not fit the mind of a mediocre ruler. To make treacherous ministers advance their enemies to a ruler who does not fit with them is ten thousand times harder than He's jade disc, and there is also no minister who had both feet cut off to push through the difficulty, like climbing a mountain (the original reads 'fang'). Only once in a thousand years do they join as if following heel to heel, and only then do hegemons and kings arise. The worthy who were not used are too many to record. So for those with the Way who have not been put to death, it is surely because their uncut white jade has not yet been offered. Chen Yuan says: The utmost music does not fit the hearing of the many, so Bo Ya broke his strings; the utmost treasure does not accord with the likes of the many, so Bian He wept blood. The Chuci says: After Qu Yuan was banished, he wandered (the original reads 'fang') by the river pool and walked chanting on the marsh bank, his face haggard and his form withered. A fisherman saw him and asked: Are you not the Grand Master of the Three Wards? Why have you come to this? Qu Yuan said: The whole world is muddy and I alone am clear; all men are drunk and I alone am sober; for this I was banished. The fisherman said: The sage does not stagnate in things and can move with the world. If the whole world is muddy, why not stir the mud and raise its waves? If all men are drunk, why not eat their dregs and drink their thin wine? Why hold fine jade in your hand and cause yourself to be banished? Qu Yuan said: I have heard that one who has just washed his hair must flick his cap, and one who has just bathed must shake out his clothes; how can one with a clear body take on the murk of things? I would rather go to the Xiang River and be buried in the belly of river fish, how could I (the original reads 'an fang') let my bright whiteness be covered (the original reads 'fang') by the dust of the vulgar world? The fisherman smiled, tapped his oar and left, singing: When the water of Canglang is clear, I can wash my cap strings; when the water of Canglang is muddy, I can wash my feet. He left and did not speak with him again.]. 'Fu' at the start of the sentence (the original gives the pronunciation 'fu'): No ruler does not wish to seek the worthy to assist him and employ the capable to govern the state, but he is pulled by flowing talk and deluded by the way of flatterers, so sages and worthies are obscured and covered, and treacherous (the original reads 'fang') flatterers take charge, and so states are ruined and families broken, and worthy scholars starve in cliffs and caves [the chapter 'The Way of the Ruler' says: King Wu asked Taigong: I raised the worthy but was brought to danger and ruin because of it; why? Taigong said: To raise the worthy and not employ them is to have the name of raising the worthy without the reality of true worthies. King Wu said: Where is the fault? Taigong said: The fault is that the ruler likes to use only small goodness and does not get true worthies. King Wu said: What is the ruler like who likes to use small goodness? Taigong said: The ruler likes to hear praise and does not hate slander (the original reads 'fang'), takes as worthy what is not worthy, as good what is not good, as loyal what is not loyal, as trustworthy what is not trustworthy. That ruler takes praise as merit and slander as crime, does not reward those with merit or punish those with guilt, advances those with many followers and retires those with few. So the ministers ally and obscure the worthy, the hundred officials form factions and are full of wickedness, loyal ministers die innocent because of slander, and wicked ministers are rewarded without merit because of praise, and the state shows danger and ruin. King Wu said: Good, today I have heard the truth about slander and praise. The chapter 'Honoring the Worthy' says: Duke Huan asked Guan Zhong: I wish to let wine rot in the goblets and meat rot on the stands; would that not harm my hegemony? Guan Zhong replied: This is extremely not what is valued, but also does not harm hegemony. Duke Huan said: What would harm hegemony? Guan Zhong replied: Not knowing the worthy harms hegemony, knowing them and not using them harms hegemony, using them and not trusting them harms hegemony, trusting them and then letting petty men take part harms hegemony. Duke Huan said: Good. The chapter 'Miscellaneous Affairs' says: Helu used Zixu and rose, Fuchai killed him and so perished; King Zhao used Yue Yi and won, King Hui drove him out and was defeated: this is as clear as black and white. Qin did not use Shusun Tong, and the King of Xiang did not use Chen Ping and Han Xin, and both were destroyed, while Han used them and rose greatly: this is not yet fulfilled. One who loses the worthy has such a disaster and one who uses the worthy has such a blessing. No ruler does not seek the worthy to assist him, yet states fall into disorder and ruin because the so-called worthy are not worthy. Now (the original reads 'fang') if one has the worthy handle it and the unworthy discuss it, has the wise plan it and the foolish consult on it, the unworthy are jealous of the worthy and the foolish are jealous of the wise; this is why the worthy are shut out and obscured, and why for a thousand years they do not meet. Liu Jun says: Fragrant and foul plants are not kept in the same vessel, owls and phoenixes do not join wings, Hundun and Taowu follow one another on the Cloud Terrace while Zhongrong and Tingjian plow and hoe below the cliffs.]. In the past Zhao Gao had no ambition beyond ordinary men yet sat in a position over ten thousand people, and so overturned the state of Qin and brought calamity on his clan, losing all his zither; what gluing the bridges to tune it was this! [the chapter 'Miscellaneous Affairs' says: Zhao Gao of Qin was born a eunuch. The First Emperor heard he was strong and versed in penal law, appointed him Master of the Imperial Carriages, and had him teach Huhai to decide cases, and Huhai favored him. When Gao committed a crime, the First Emperor had Meng Yi (the original reads 'fang yi') try him, and Yi sentenced Gao to death. The First Emperor, as Gao was quick in affairs, pardoned him and restored his office. When the Second Emperor took the throne, Zhao Gao persuaded him to strict law and harsh punishment, to make those with guilt implicate each other, to execute great ministers and the imperial clan, and to change the laws, devoting himself to greater cruelty. The Changes say: 'To carry a burden and ride, brings bandits to come; perseverance leads to regret.' The Commentary says: Carrying is the business of petty men, and riding is the vessel of gentlemen. If a petty man rides in a gentleman's vessel, bandits think of seizing it. If those above are slack and those below violent, bandits think of attacking them. The 'Taizu Xun' of the Huainanzi says: One whose position is high and whose Way is great is followed; one whose affairs are large and whose Way is small meets misfortune. The 'Renjian Xun' says: The world has three dangers: little virtue and much favor, the first danger; low talent and high position, the second; no great merit and a generous salary, the third.]

大夫曰所謂文學髙第者智略能明先王之術而資質足以履行其道故居則為人師用則為世法今文學言治則稱堯舜道行【去聲】則稱孔墨授之政則不達懐古道而不能行言直而行之枉道是而情非衣冠有以殊扵鄉曲而實無以異扵凡人諸生所謂中直者遭時率備數適然耳殆非眀舉所謂固未可與論治也

The Grand Secretary said: The so-called top-ranked Literati have the wisdom and strategy to understand the arts of the former kings and the native endowment sufficient to carry out their Way, so at home they are teachers of people and in office they are the model of the age. Now the Literati, when speaking of government, praise Yao and Shun, and when the Way is practiced (the original gives the falling tone) praise Confucius and Mozi; but when given government they do not get through, they embrace the ancient Way and cannot practice it, their words are straight but their conduct crooked, their Way is right but their feelings wrong, and while their caps and robes make them different from the village people, in reality they are no different from ordinary people. What these gentlemen call upright and straight is only being caught (the character here in the original was lost in transcription) in the tide of the times and filling the numbers by chance, and is surely not what a clear-sighted selection calls them, and they cannot yet be discussed with regarding governing.

文學曰天設三光以照記天子立公卿以眀治故曰公卿者四海之表儀神化之丹青也上有輔眀主之事下有遂聖化之事和隂陽調四時安眾庶育群生使百姓輯睦無怨思之色四夷順徳無叛逆之憂此公卿之職而賢者之所務也【泰族訓曰古者法設而不犯刑措而不用非可刑而不刑也百工維時庶績鹹熈禮義修而任賢得也故舉天下之髙以為三公一國之髙以為九卿一縣之髙以為二十七大夫一鄉之髙以為八十一元士故知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英俊豪傑各以小大之材處其位得其宜由夲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扵化民也若風之揺草木無一而不靡今使愚教智使不肖臨賢雖嚴刑罰民弗從也小不能制大弱不能使強也】若伊尹周召三公之才太顛閎夭九卿之人【伊尹殷湯之臣周公旦召公奭周武王之臣太顛閎夭周文王之臣也】文學不中【去聲】聖主之眀舉今之執政亦未能稱盛徳也

The literati said: Heaven sets up the three luminaries to illuminate and record, and the Son of Heaven sets up dukes and ministers to make government bright. So it is said that the dukes and ministers are the models of the four seas and the vermilion and blue pigment of spiritual transformation: above they have the task of assisting an enlightened ruler, below they have the task of carrying out the sage's transformation, harmonizing yin and yang, regulating the four seasons, pacifying the multitudes, nurturing the many living beings, making the hundred clans harmonious and free of any look of resentment, and the four barbarians obedient to virtue and free of worry about rebellion. This is the duty of dukes and ministers and the work of the worthy [the Huainanzi, Tai Zu Xun, says: in ancient times laws were set up and not violated, punishments were laid aside and not used, not because they could be applied and were not, but because the hundred craftsmen kept to the seasons and all achievements flourished, ritual and righteousness were cultivated and the worthy were employed. So they selected the highest of the world as the Three Dukes, the highest of a state as the Nine Ministers, the highest of a county as the twenty-seven grand masters, and the highest of a township as the eighty-one primary scholars. So one whose knowledge exceeds ten thousand people is called a Ying, one exceeding a thousand a Jun, one exceeding a hundred a Hao, and one exceeding ten a Jie. The Ying, Jun, Hao, and Jie each occupied their positions according to the size of their talent and got what was fitting for them; from root to branch, with the heavy controlling the light, those above sang and the people harmonized, those above moved and those below followed, within the four seas one heart went the same way, turning from greed and baseness toward righteousness and principle. In transforming the people, it was like the wind moving the grasses and trees, with not one that did not bend. If one now makes the foolish teach the wise and sets the unworthy over the worthy, even with severe punishments the people will not follow. The small cannot control the great, and the weak cannot command the strong.]. Men like Yi Yin, Zhou, and Shao had the talent of the Three Dukes; Tai Dian and Hong Yao were men of the Nine Ministers [Yi Yin was a minister of Tang of Yin; the Duke of Zhou Dan and Duke Shao Shi were ministers of King Wu of Zhou; Tai Dian and Hong Yao were ministers of King Wen of Zhou]. The literati do not meet [pronunciation note: zhong is read in the falling tone] the enlightened lord's selection, and the present holders of government cannot be said to have abundant virtue.

大夫不說【音恱】作色不應也

The Grand Secretary was displeased [pronunciation note: shuo is read yue], changed color, and did not answer.

文學曰朝【音潮】無忠臣者政闇大夫無直士者位危【主術訓曰古者天子聽朝公卿正諌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軺過若豪釐而既已備之也失聖人之扵善也無小而不舉其扵過也無微而不改正諌篇曰晏子復扵景公曰朝居嚴乎公曰朝居嚴則曷害扵治國家哉晏子對曰朝居嚴則下無言下無言則上無聞矣下無言則謂之喑上無聞則謂之聾聾喑則非害治國家如何也且合菽粟之微以滿倉廩合疏縷之緯以成緯幕太山之髙非一石也累卑然後髙也夫治天下者非一士之言固有受而不用惡有距而不入者防韓嬰曰天子有爭臣七人雖無道不失其天下昔殷王紂殘賊百姓絶逆天道至斮朝涉刳孕婦脯侯醢海伯然所以不亡者以其有箕子比干之故微子去之執囚為奴比干諫而死然後周加兵而誅絶之諸侯有爭臣五人雖無道不失其國吳王夫差為無道至驅一市之民以葬闔閭然所以不亡者有伍子胥之故胥以死越王勾踐欲伐之范蠡諫曰子胥之計策未忘扵吳王之腹心也子胥死後三年越乃防攻之大夫有爭臣三人雖無道不失其家季氏為無道僣天子舞八佾旅泰山以雍徹孔子曰是可忍也孰不可忍也然不亡者以冉有季路為宰臣也故曰有諤諤爭臣者其國昌有黙黙諛臣者其國亡詩曰不明爾徳時無背無側爾徳不明以無陪無卿言文王諮嗟痛殷商無輔弼諌諍之臣而亡天下矣晏子曰下無直辭上有隠君民多諱言君有驕行】任座正言君之過文侯改言行【去聲】稱為賢君【魏世家曰魏文侯與士大夫坐問曰寡人何如君也群臣皆曰君仁君也次至任座曰君非仁君也曰子何以言之對曰君伐中山不以封君之弟而以封君之長子臣以此知君之非仁君文侯怒而逐任座座起而出次至翟璜文侯問寡人何如君也翟璜對曰君仁君也曰子何以言之對曰臣聞之其君仁者其臣直向任座之言直臣是以知君仁君文侯曰善復召任座入拜為上卿】袁盎面刺綘侯之驕矜卒得其慶【袁盎傳曰袁盎楚人也字父故為群盜徙處安陵髙後時盎嘗為呂祿舍人及孝文帝即位盎兄噲任盎為中郎綘侯為丞相朝罷趨出意得甚上禮之恭嘗目送之盎進曰陛下以丞相何如人上曰社稷臣盎曰絳侯所謂功臣非社稷臣社稷臣主在與在主亡與亡方呂后時諸呂用事擅相王劉氏不絶如帶是時絳侯為太尉主兵柄弗能正呂后崩大臣相與共畔諸呂太尉主兵適防其成功所謂功臣非社稷臣丞相如有驕主色陛下謙讓臣主失禮竊為陛下不取也後朝上益莊丞相益畏已而絳侯望袁盎曰吾與而兄善今兒廷毀我盎遂不謝及絳侯免相之國國人上書告以為反徴系請室宗室諸公莫敢為言唯袁盎明綘侯無罪綘侯得釋盎頗有力綘侯乃大與盎結交】故觸死亡以幹主之過者忠臣也犯嚴顔以匡公卿之失者直士也【孫叔敖曰畏鞭棰之嚴而不敢諌其父非孝子也懼斧鉞之誅而不敢諌其君非忠臣也南華經曰孝子不諛其親忠臣不諂其君正諫篇曰易曰王臣蹇蹇匪躬之故人臣之所以蹇蹇為難而諫其君者非為身也將欲以匡君之過矯君之失也君有過失者危亡之萌也見君之過失而不諌是輕君之危亡也夫輕君之危亡者忠臣不忍為也】鄙人不能巷言面違方今人主谷之【谷祿也】教令張而不施食祿多非其人以妨農商工市井之利未歸扵民民望不塞也且夫【音扶】帝王之道多墮壊而不修詩云濟濟多士意者誠任用其計非苟陳虛言而已

The literati said: When a court [pronunciation note: chao is read chao] has no loyal ministers, its government is dim; when a grand master has no upright scholars, his position is in peril [the Huainanzi, Zhu Shu Xun, says: in ancient times when the Son of Heaven attended court, the dukes and ministers remonstrated rightly, the erudites recited poems, the blind musicians offered admonitions and the teachers recited, commoners passed on words, the scribes recorded his faults, and the steward removed his meals, and still it was thought not enough. So Yao set up the drum for bold remonstrance, Shun set up the slander tree, Tang had the straight-speaking officers, and King Wu set up the cautionary carriage; a fault of a hair's breadth was already guarded against. For a sage, no good is too small to promote, and no fault too slight to correct. The Zheng Jian chapter says: Yan Zi replied to Duke Jing: 'Is the court held severely?' The duke said: 'If the court is held severely, what harm is it to governing the state?' Yan Zi replied: 'If the court is held severely, there are no words from below; if there are no words from below, those above hear nothing. When there are no words below it is called mute, and when those above hear nothing it is called deaf. If deaf and mute, what is it but harm to governing the state? One gathers small beans and millet to fill granaries, gathers sparse thread weft to make a curtain. The height of Mount Tai is not one stone; it accumulates the low and then is high. One who governs the world does not rely on one scholar's word; certainly there are those whom he accepts and does not use, but how could there be those he refuses and does not let in?' Han Ying says: the Son of Heaven has seven remonstrating ministers, and though he lacks the Way he does not lose his realm. In the past King Zhou of Yin harmed the hundred clans and cut off the Way of Heaven, even chopping the legs of those wading across in the morning, cutting open pregnant women, making dried meat of the Marquis of Gui (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) and pickling the Earl of Hai, yet the reason he did not perish was that he had Jizi and Bi Gan. When Weizi left him, he was seized and made a slave, and Bi Gan remonstrated and died, and only then did Zhou send troops and destroy him. A lord has five remonstrating ministers, and though he lacks the Way he does not lose his state. The King of Wu Fuchai was without the Way, even driving the people of one market to bury Helu, yet the reason he did not perish was that he had Wu Zixu. After Xu died, King Goujian of Yue wished to attack him, and Fan Li remonstrated: 'The plans of Zixu have not yet left the heart of the King of Wu.' Three years after Zixu's death, Yue then met (the base text has a corrupt character) and attacked. A grand master has three remonstrating ministers, and though he lacks the Way he does not lose his house. The Ji family was without the Way, usurped the Son of Heaven's privileges, danced the eight rows, sacrificed to Mount Tai, and cleared offerings with the Yong ode. Confucius said: 'If this can be tolerated, what cannot be tolerated?' Yet it did not perish, because Ran You and Ji Lu served as stewards. So it is said that a state with outspoken remonstrating ministers flourishes, and a state with silent flatterers perishes. The Book of Poetry says: 'You do not make your virtue bright; there is no one behind you and none at your side; your virtue is not bright, so there is no attendant and no minister.' This says that King Wen sighed and lamented that Yin lost the world for having no assisting and remonstrating ministers. Yan Zi said: when there are no upright words below, there is a hidden ruler above, and when the people have many tabooed words, the ruler has arrogant conduct.]. Ren Zuo spoke rightly of his lord's faults, and Marquis Wen corrected his words and conduct [pronunciation note: xing is read in the falling tone] and was called a worthy ruler [the Shi Ji, Hereditary House of Wei, says: Marquis Wen of Wei sat with his scholars and grand masters and asked: 'What kind of ruler am I?' The ministers all said: 'A benevolent ruler.' When it came to Ren Zuo, he said: 'My lord is not a benevolent ruler.' The marquis said: 'Why do you say so?' He replied: 'When you attacked Zhongshan, you did not enfeoff your younger brother but enfeoffed your eldest son; from this I know my lord is not benevolent.' Marquis Wen was angry and drove Ren Zuo out, and Zuo rose and left. When it came to Di Huang, Marquis Wen asked what kind of ruler he was. Di Huang replied: 'You are a benevolent ruler.' He said: 'Why do you say so?' He replied: 'I have heard that when a ruler is benevolent his ministers are upright. Ren Zuo's words just now were upright, and so I know my lord is benevolent.' Marquis Wen said: 'Good.' He summoned Ren Zuo back in and appointed him as senior minister.]. Yuan Ang stung the Marquis of Jiang's arrogance to his face and in the end gained his congratulations [the Shi Ji, Biography of Yuan Ang, says: Yuan Ang was from Chu, styled Si (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription). His father had been a bandit and moved to Anling. In the time of Empress Dowager Gao, Ang had been a retainer of Lü Lu. When Emperor Xiaowen took the throne, Ang's elder brother Kuai recommended Ang as a palace attendant. The Marquis of Jiang was Chancellor; after court he hurried out, very pleased with himself, and the emperor treated him with great respect and often watched him leave. Ang came forward and said: 'What kind of man does Your Majesty take the Chancellor to be?' The emperor said: 'A minister of the altars of state.' Ang said: 'The Marquis of Jiang is what is called a minister of merit, not a minister of the altars of state. A minister of the altars of state lives when the ruler lives and perishes when the ruler perishes. In the time of Empress Lü, the Lü family held power and made themselves kings, and the Liu house hung on like a thread. At that time the Marquis of Jiang was Grand Commandant in charge of the military power and could not set it right. When Empress Lü died, the great ministers together rebelled against the Lü family, and the Commandant, in charge of the troops, happened to meet its success (the base text has a corrupt character); he is what is called a minister of merit, not a minister of the altars of state. If the Chancellor shows an arrogant look toward his lord and Your Majesty is too humble, the ruler and minister both lose proper ritual; I privately do not approve this for Your Majesty.' After this the court became more solemn and the Chancellor more fearful. Later the Marquis of Jiang looked at Yuan Ang and said: 'I was on good terms with your elder brother, and now you boy slander me at court.' Ang did not apologize. When the Marquis of Jiang was dismissed as Chancellor and sent to his fief, someone in the state petitioned to accuse him of rebellion, and he was summoned and held in the Room of Request; none of the imperial clan or high officials dared speak for him, and only Yuan Ang made clear that the Marquis of Jiang was innocent. The Marquis of Jiang was released, and Ang had much to do with it. The Marquis of Jiang then formed a great friendship with Ang.]. So one who risks death to rectify his lord's faults is a loyal minister, and one who offends a stern face to correct the errors of dukes and ministers is an upright scholar [Sunshu Ao said: one who fears the severity of the whip and dares not remonstrate with his father is not a filial son; one who fears the execution by axe and dares not remonstrate with his ruler is not a loyal minister. The Zhuangzi says: a filial son does not flatter his parents, and a loyal minister does not fawn on his ruler. The Zheng Jian chapter says: the Book of Changes says: 'The king's minister is firm and upright, not for his own sake.' The reason a minister is firm and takes hardship in remonstrating with his ruler is not for himself, but to set right the ruler's faults and correct his errors. A ruler's faults are the sprouts of danger and ruin; to see the ruler's faults and not remonstrate is to make light of the ruler's danger and ruin. A loyal minister cannot bear to make light of his ruler's danger and ruin.]. A rustic like me cannot say agreeable things in the lane and then disagree to one's face. At present the ruler gives out stipends [gu means stipend], but orders and teachings are published and not carried out, those who receive stipends are mostly not the right people, and so the benefits of farming, trade, craft, and markets have not yet returned to the people, and the people's hopes are not met. Moreover the sentence-opening fu [pronunciation note: fu is read fu]: the Way of emperors and kings has mostly fallen into ruin and is not cultivated. The Book of Poetry speaks of 'many worthy scholars,' meaning that their plans are truly employed, not merely that empty words are presented.

大夫曰七十子躬受聖人之術有名列於孔子之門皆諸侯卿相【去聲】之才可南面者數人【雜言曰楚昭王召孔子將使執政而封以書社七百里子西謂楚王曰王之臣用兵有如子路者乎使諸侯有如宰予者乎長官五官有如子貢者乎昔文王處酆武王處鎬酆鎬之間百乘之地伐上殺主立為天子世皆曰聖王今以孔子之賢而有書社七百里之地而三子佐之非楚之利也楚王遂止】可政事者冉有季路言語宰我子貢宰我秉事有寵於齊田常作難【去聲】道不行身死庭中簡公殺於檀臺【人間訓曰諸御鞅復於簡公曰陳成常宰予二子二子者甚相憎也臣恐其搆難而危國也君不如去一人簡公不聽居無防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指武篇曰田成子常與宰我爭宰我夜伏卒將以攻田成子令於卒中曰不見旌節母起防夷子皮聞之告田成子田成子因為旌莭以起宰我之卒以攻之遂殘之也】子路仕衛孔悝【音恢】作亂不能救君出亡身葅於衛子貢子臯遁逃不能死其難【去聲檀弓曰孔子哭子路於中庭有人吊者而夫子拜之既哭進使者而問故使者曰醢之矣遂命覆醢盜跖曰子以甘言說子路而使之使子路去其危冠解其長劔而受教於子天下皆曰孔丘能止禁非其卒之也子路欲殺衞君而事不成是子教之不至也至公萹曰子羔為衞政刖人之足衞之君臣亂子羔走郭門郭門閉刖者守門曰於彼有缺子羔曰君子不逾曰於彼有竇子羔曰君子不遂曰於此有室子羔入追者罷子羔將去謂刖者曰吾不能虧損主之法令而親刖子之足吾在難中此乃子之報怨時也何故逃我刖者曰防足固我罪也無可奈何君之治臣也傾側法令先後臣以法欲臣之免於法也臣知之獄決罪定臨當論刑君愀然不樂見於顔色臣又知之君豈私臣哉天生仁人之心其固然也此臣之所以脫君也孔子聞之曰善為吏者樹徳不善為吏者□怨公行之也其子羔之謂歟】食人之重祿不能更處人尊官不能存何其厚於己而薄於君防同門共業自以為知古今之義明君臣之禮或死或亡二三子殊路何道之悖也

The Grand Secretary (Sang Hongyang) said: The seventy disciples personally received the sage's art, and those whose names are listed in Confucius's gate were all of the talent of lords, ministers, and chancellors [pronunciation note: xiang is read in the falling tone]; there were several who could face south as rulers [the Za Yan chapter says: King Zhao of Chu summoned Confucius, intending to have him hold government and enfeoff him with seven hundred li of registered land. Zixi said to the King of Chu: 'Among Your Majesty's ministers, is there one who uses troops like Zilu? Is there one who serves as envoy to the lords like Zai Yu? Is there one who holds the five offices like Zigong? In the past King Wen dwelt at Feng and King Wu at Hao, and between Feng and Hao, in land of a hundred chariots, they attacked the superior and killed the ruler and became Son of Heaven, and the world called them sage kings. Now with Confucius's worth and seven hundred li of registered land, and with these three assisting him, it would not be to Chu's benefit.' The King of Chu then stopped.]. Those fit for government were Ran You and Ji Lu, and those for speech were Zai Wo and Zigong. Zai Wo held office and was favored in Qi, but when Tian Chang made trouble [pronunciation note: nan is read in the falling tone], his Way was not carried out, he died in the courtyard, and Duke Jian was killed at Tantai [the Huainanzi, Ren Jian Xun, says: Zhu Yuyang reported to Duke Jian: 'Chen Chengchang and Zai Yu, these two hate each other greatly, and I fear they will make trouble and endanger the state; it would be better for my lord to remove one of them.' Duke Jian did not listen. Not long after, Chen Chengchang indeed attacked Zai Yu in the courtyard and killed Duke Jian at court. This comes from not knowing to be careful about small things. The Zhi Wu chapter says: Tian Chengzi Chang and Zai Wo were in conflict. Zai Wo set soldiers in ambush at night to attack Tian Chengzi, and ordered the soldiers: 'Do not rise unless you see the flag token.' Chiyi Zipi heard of it and told Tian Chengzi. Tian Chengzi then forged a flag token to raise Zai Wo's soldiers and attack them, and destroyed him.]. Zilu served in Wei, and when Kong Kui [pronunciation note: kui is read hui] made a rebellion, he could not save his ruler from fleeing and was himself minced in Wei; Zigong and Zigao fled and could not die in that hardship [pronunciation note: nan is read in the falling tone. The Tan Gong says: Confucius wept for Zilu in the courtyard, and someone came to condole, and the Master bowed to him. After weeping, he brought in the messenger and asked what had happened. The messenger said: 'He has been pickled.' He then ordered the pickle jars overturned. The Zhuangzi, Dao Zhi, says: 'You used sweet words to persuade Zilu and made him follow (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription), making Zilu remove his tall cap and take off his long sword and receive teaching from you, and the world said Confucius can stop violence and prohibit wrong; in the end Zilu wanted to kill the ruler of Wei and the matter did not succeed, which is that your teaching did not reach him.' The Zhi Gong chapter says: Zigao governed Wei and cut off a man's foot. When the ruler and ministers of Wei fell into disorder, Zigao ran to the outer gate; the outer gate was shut, and the one whose foot had been cut guarded it and said: 'There is a gap over there.' Zigao said: 'A gentleman does not climb over.' He said: 'There is a hole over there.' Zigao said: 'A gentleman does not crawl through.' He said: 'There is a room here.' Zigao went in, and the pursuers gave up. As Zigao was about to leave, he said to the footless man: 'I could not diminish the ruler's laws and so personally cut off your foot; I am in hardship, and this is the time for you to repay your resentment; why did you hide me?' The footless man said: 'Cutting off my foot was certainly my crime, and nothing could be done. When you were judging me, you bent the laws and placed me before and after by the law, wishing me to escape the law, and I knew it; when the case was decided and the crime fixed, when it came time to pronounce the punishment, you looked pained and unhappy and it showed in your face, and I knew that too. Would you favor me privately? It is Heaven-born, the heart of a benevolent person, naturally so. This is why I saved you.' Confucius heard of it and said: 'One who is good at being an official plants virtue; one who is not good plants resentment. To practice it publicly, is this not what is said of Zigao?']. Those who eat a generous stipend cannot change; those in honored office cannot survive; how generous to themselves and thin toward their ruler! And yet (the base text has a corrupt character) they shared the same school and the same work, and considered themselves to know the righteousness of past and present and understand the ritual between ruler and minister; some died and some fled, and these two or three disciples took different roads; what a contradiction of the Way!

文學曰宋襄公知孔父【音甫】之賢而不早任故身死魯莊知季友之賢授之政晚而亂【尊賢篇曰國家之任賢而吉任不肖而兇案往世而視已事其必然也如合符此為人君者不可以不慎也國公惛亂而良臣見魯國大亂季友之賢見僖公即位而任季子魯國安寕外內無憂行政二十一年季子之卒後邾擊其南齊伐其北魯不勝其患將乞師於楚以取全耳故傳曰患之起必自此始也公子買不可使成衞公遂不聽君命而擅之晉內侵於臣下外困於兵亂弱之患也僖公之性非前二十一年常賢而後乃漸變為不肖也此季子存之所益亡之所損也夫得賢失賢其損益之騐如此而人主急於所用甚可疾痛也夫智不足以見賢無可奈何矣若智能見之而強不能決猶豫不用而大者死亡小者亂傾此甚可悲哀也以宋殤公而不知孔父之賢乎安知孔父死已必死趨而救之趨而救之者是知其賢也以魯荘公不知季子之賢乎安知疾死召季子而授之國政授之國政者是知其賢也此二君知能見賢而皆不能用故宋殤公以殺死魯荘公以賊嗣使宋殤蚤任孔父將靖鄰國而況自存乎】衞君近佞逺【去聲】賢子路居蒲孔悝【音恢】為政簡公不聽宰我而漏其謀是以二君身被放殺而禍及忠臣【仲由傳曰子路為蒲大夫方孔悝作亂子路在外聞之而馳往遇子羔出衞城門謂子路曰出公去矣而門已閉子可還矣毋空受其禍子路曰食其食者不避其難子羔卒去有使者入城城門開子路隨而入造蕢瞶蕢瞶與孔悝登臺子路曰君焉用孔悝請得而殺之蕢聵弗聴扵是子路欲燔臺蕢瞶懼乃下石乞壺黶攻子路撃防子路之纓子路曰君子死而冠不免遂結纓而死正諫萹曰齊簡公有臣曰諸御鞅諌簡公曰田常與宰予此二人者甚相憎也臣恐其相攻相攻雖叛而危之不可願君去一人簡公曰非細人之所敢議也居無防何田常果攻宰予於庭賊簡公於朝簡公喟焉太息曰餘不用鞅之言以至此患也故忠臣之言不可不察也】二子者有事而不與【音預】其謀故可以死可以生去止其義一也【泰族訓曰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範縝曰丘旦殊姿湯文異狀聖同於心器形不必同也猶馬殊色而齊逸玉異色而均美是以晉棘荊和等價連城驊騮駃驪俱致千里】晏嬰不死崔慶之難【去聲】不可謂不義防子去殷之亂可謂不仁乎【雜事萹曰齊侯問於晏子曰忠臣之事君也何若對曰有難不死出亡不送君曰列地而與之疏爵而貴之君有難不死出亡不送可謂忠乎對曰言而見用終身無難臣奚死焉諌而見従終身不亡臣奚送焉若言不見用有難而死是妄死也諫不見出亡而送是詐為也故忠臣也者能盡善與君而不能與防於難義勇萹曰崔杼弒莊公令士大夫盟者皆脫劒而入言不疾指不至血者死所殺十人次及晏子晏子奉桮血仰天嘆曰惡乎崔子將為無道殺其君盟者皆視之崔杼謂晏子曰子與我我與子分國子不吾與吾將殺子直兵將推之曲兵將勾之唯子圖之晏子曰嬰聞囘以利而背其君者非仁也刼以刄而失其志者非勇也詩云愷悌君子求福不囘嬰可謂不囘矣直兵推之曲兵鉤之嬰不之囘也崔子舍之晏子趍出授綏而垂其僕將馳晏子拊其手曰虎豹在山林其命在庖廚馳不益生緩不益死按之成節然後去之詩云彼其之子舎命不渝晏子之謂也宋世家曰紂殺王子比干刳視其心防子曰父子有骨肉而臣主以義屬故父有過子三諌不聽則隨而號之人臣三諫不聽則其義可以去矣於是太師少師乃勸防子去遂行周武王伐紂克殷防子乃持其祭器造于軍門肉袒面縛左牽羊右把茅膝行而前以告於是武王乃釋防子復其位如故論語比考防曰殷惑妲己玉馬走宋均曰女妲己有美色也王馬喻賢臣奔去也劉毅曰三仁殊途而同歸四子異行而均義風俗通曰易記出處語黙書美九徳鹹事同歸殊途一致百慮不期相反各有云尚而已是故伯夷譲國以采薇展禽不去於所生孔丘周流以應聘長沮隱居而耦耕墨翟摩頂以放踵楊朱一毛而不為幹木息偃以藩魏包胥重璽而存郢夷吾朱紘以三歸平仲辭邑而濯纓惠施車以百乘於扈徒步而裸形戚商歌以干祿顔闔逾牆而遁榮髙柴趣門以避難季路求入而隕零端木結駟以貨殖顔囘屢空而弗營孟獻髙宇以美室原憲蓬門而株楹傳曰人心不同有如其面古今行事是則然矣】

The literati replied: Duke Xiang of Song knew the worth of Kong Fu [pronunciation note: fu is read fu] but did not appoint him early, and so he himself died; Lord Zhuang of Lu knew the worth of Ji You, but gave him government late and there was disorder [the Zun Xian chapter says: when a state appoints the worthy it is auspicious, and when it appoints the unworthy it is ill-omened. Look at the past and view one's own affairs, and its necessity fits like matching tallies. For a ruler this is something one cannot but be careful about. When the lord is confused, the good minister appears. When the state of Lu was in great disorder, Ji You's worth appeared; when Duke Xi took the throne and appointed Master Ji, Lu was at peace, with no worry within or without, and governed for twenty-one years. After Master Ji died, Zhu struck from the south and Qi attacked from the north, and Lu could not bear the calamity and was about to beg troops from Chu just to preserve itself. So the commentary says: calamity must begin from this. Prince Mai could not be sent to garrison Wei, and the duke did not listen to the ruler's order and acted on his own authority. Jin was invaded within by subjects and troubled without by war: this was the calamity of weakness. It is not that Duke Xi's nature was always worthy in the first twenty-one years and then gradually became unworthy; it was what Master Ji's presence added and his absence reduced. The gain and loss from obtaining and losing a worthy is verified like this, yet rulers are hasty about whom they use, which is very painful. If one's wisdom is not enough to see the worthy, nothing can be done; but if wisdom is able to see him and strength is not able to decide, hesitating and not using him, the great result is death and ruin and the small result is disorder and collapse; this is very sad. If Duke Shang of Song did not know the worth of Kong Fu, how did he know that if Kong Fu died he himself must die, and rush to save him? Rushing to save him showed he knew his worth. If Lord Zhuang of Lu did not know the worth of Master Ji, how did he, when ill and about to die, summon Master Ji and hand him the government of the state? Handing him the government showed he knew his worth. These two rulers had wisdom enough to see the worthy but could not use them, so Duke Shang of Song was killed and Lord Zhuang of Lu was ruined in his succession. If Duke Shang of Song had appointed Kong Fu early, he would have pacified neighboring states, to say nothing of preserving himself.]. The lord of Wei kept near the flatterers and kept far [pronunciation note: yuan is read in the falling tone] from the worthy, Zilu was at Pu, and Kong Kui [pronunciation note: kui is read hui] held government; Duke Jian did not listen to Zai Wo and his plan leaked. For this reason both rulers were driven out and killed, and calamity reached their loyal ministers [the Shi Ji, Biography of Zhong You, says: Zilu was grand master of Pu. When Kong Kui rebelled, Zilu heard of it outside and rushed there, and met Zigao coming out of the city gate of Wei, who told Zilu: 'The Duke of Chu has left and the gate is already closed; you may go back and not take the calamity for nothing.' Zilu said: 'One who eats a man's food does not avoid his hardship.' Zigao finally left. A messenger entered the city, the gate opened, and Zilu followed him in and reached Kuaikui. Kuaikui and Kong Kui had climbed the terrace. Zilu said: 'What use is Kong Kui to you, my lord? Please let us kill him.' Kuaikui did not listen. Then Zilu wanted to burn the terrace. Kuaikui was afraid and sent Shi Qi and Hu Yan down to attack Zilu, and they cut Zilu's cap strings. Zilu said: 'A gentleman dies with his cap on.' He tied his cap strings and died. The Zheng Jian chapter says: Duke Jian of Qi had a minister called Zhu Yuyang, who remonstrated with Duke Jian: 'Tian Chang and Zai Yu hate each other greatly, and I fear they will attack each other; if they attack each other, even if there is rebellion and danger, it cannot be allowed; I hope my lord will remove one of them.' Duke Jian said: 'This is not something a petty person dares discuss.' Not long afterward, Tian Chang indeed attacked Zai Yu in the courtyard and murdered Duke Jian at court. Duke Jian sighed and said: 'Because I did not use Yang's words, I have come to this calamity. So the words of a loyal minister must not go unexamined.']. These two men, when events came, did not take part [pronunciation note: yu is read yu] in the plans, and so one could die and one could live; whether leaving or staying, the righteousness is one [the Huainanzi, Tai Zu Xun, says: Shun and Xu You differed in conduct yet were both sages, Yi Yin and Boyi differed in way yet were both benevolent, and Jizi and Bi Gan differed in course yet were both worthy. Fan Zhen says: Qiu and Dan differed in appearance, and Tang and Wen differed in form; the sages were the same in mind, and their vessels' forms need not be the same. It is as with horses of different colors that are equally swift, and jades of different colors that are equally beautiful. For this reason the jades Jin Ji and Jing He were of equal value of a string of cities, and the steeds Hualiu and Lüer both traveled a thousand li.]. Yan Ying did not die in the hardship [pronunciation note: nan is read in the falling tone] of Cui and Qing, and one cannot call him unrighteous; Weizi (the base text has a corrupt first character) left the disorder of Yin, so can he be called unbenevolent? [the Za Shi chapter says: the Marquis of Qi asked Yan Zi: 'How does a loyal minister serve his ruler?' He replied: 'When there is hardship he does not die, and when he flees he does not see him off.' The ruler said: 'If I divide land and give it to him and give him high rank and honor, and when the ruler is in hardship he does not die and when the ruler flees he does not see him off, can he be called loyal?' He replied: 'If my words are used, there will be no hardship for life, so why should a minister die? If my remonstrance is followed, there will be no flight for life, so why should a minister see him off? If words are not used and he dies in hardship, that is a reckless death; if remonstrance is not followed and he sees him off in flight, that is false pretense. So a loyal minister can do all the good for his ruler, but cannot share the hardship with him (the base text has a corrupt character). The Yi Yong chapter says: when Cui Zhu killed Duke Zhuang, he ordered the scholars and grand masters who came to the oath to take off their swords and enter, and those whose words were not swift and whose fingers did not draw blood would die; ten were killed, and it came to Yan Zi. Yan Zi held the cup of blood, looked up to heaven and sighed: 'Alas, Master Cui is about to act without the Way and kill his ruler.' Those who took the oath all looked at him. Cui Zhu said to Yan Zi: 'If you join me, I will share the state with you; if you do not join me, I will kill you. A straight weapon will push you, a curved weapon will hook you; consider it, sir.' Yan Zi said: 'I have heard that one who turns against his ruler for profit is not benevolent, and one who loses his aim when threatened by blades is not brave. The Book of Poetry says: "The joyous gentleman seeks blessing without deviation." I can be said not to deviate. A straight weapon pushes me and a curved weapon hooks me, but I will not deviate.' Master Cui let him go. Yan Zi hurried out, took the cord and mounted. His driver was about to gallop, but Yan Zi pressed his hand and said: 'Tigers and leopards are in the mountains and forests, but their fate is in the kitchen. Galloping does not add to life, nor slowness to death. Keep the proper pace and then leave.' The Book of Poetry says: 'That man would give up his life without changing.' This is said of Yan Zi. The Shi Ji, Hereditary House of Song, says: Zhou killed Prince Bi Gan and cut out his heart to look at it. Weizi said: 'Father and son are bone and flesh, while ruler and minister are joined by righteousness. So if a father has a fault, the son remonstrates three times and, if not heeded, follows him weeping; if a minister remonstrates three times and is not heeded, by righteousness he may leave.' Then the Grand Tutor and Junior Tutor urged Weizi to leave, and he went. When King Wu of Zhou attacked Zhou and conquered Yin, Weizi took his sacrificial vessels to the army gate, bare to the waist with hands bound before him, leading a sheep on his left and holding a rush on his right, advancing on his knees to report. Then King Wu released Weizi and restored his position as before. The Lunyu Chen says: Yin was deluded by Daji, and the jade horse ran away. Song Jun says: the woman Daji had great beauty, and the jade horse is a metaphor for the worthy minister running off. Liu Yi says: the Three Benevolent Ones took different roads and arrived at the same place, and the four masters acted differently and were equally righteous. The Fengsu Tong says: the Book of Changes records going out and staying, speaking and silence; the Book of Documents praises the nine virtues all serving; they return to the same place by different roads, with one result from a hundred thoughts, and do not aim to contradict one another, each simply having what it values. So Boyi yielded his state and gathered bracken, Zhan Qin did not leave the place of his birth, Confucius traveled around responding to invitations, Chang Ju lived in seclusion and plowed in pairs, Mo Di rubbed his head bare and wore down his heels, Yang Zhu would not give a single hair, Duangan Mu rested and lay down to shield Wei, Bao Xu wore heavy calluses to save Ying, Yiwu used red cap strings and three homes, Pingzhong declined a fief and washed his cap strings, Hui Shi followed with a hundred carriages, Yu Hu walked barefoot and naked, Ning Qi (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) sang a merchant's song to seek stipend, Yan He climbed over a wall and escaped, Rong and Gao Chai rushed to the gate to avoid hardship, Ji Lu sought to enter and fell, Duanmu strung together four horses to trade, Yan Hui was often empty and did not manage affairs, Meng Xian built a high roof for a fine house, and Yuan Xian lived behind a thistle door with propped pillars. The tradition says: people's hearts differ like their faces. The deeds of past and present are indeed so.]

大夫曰至美素璞物莫能飾也至賢保眞偽文莫能增也故金玉不琢美珠不畫【音與壞同反質萹曰孔子卦得賁喟然仰而嘆息意不平子張進舉手而問曰師聞賁者吉卦而嘆之乎孔子曰賁非正色也是以嘆之吾思也質素白當正白黑當正黑文質又何也吾亦聞之丹漆不文白玉不雕寶珠不飾何也質有餘者不受飾也】今仲由冉求無檀柘之材隋和之璞而強文之譬若雕朽木而礪鈆【音沿】刀飾嫫【音模】母畫【音壞】土人也被以五色斐然成章及遭行潦流波則沮矣【皇甫謐曰嫫母黃帝次妃許慎曰古之醜女班固曰詠雲門者難為音觀隋和者難為珍王褒曰毛嬙西施善毀者不能蔽其好嫫姆倭傀善譽者不防掩其醜孟嘗君客曰臣之來也過於淄水上見一土偶人方與木梗人語木梗謂土偶人曰子先土也持子以為耦人遇天大雨水潦並至子必沮壞土偶人應曰我沮乃反吾眞耳今子東園之桃也刻子以為梗遇天大雨水潦並至必浮子泛泛乎不知所止】夫【音扶】重懷古道枕籍詩書危不防安亂不能治郵裡逐雞難亦無黨也

The Grand Secretary said: The finest beauty is the plain uncut jade, which nothing can adorn; the utmost worth preserves its truth, which no false ornament can increase. So gold and jade are not carved, and fine pearls are not painted [pronunciation note: the character hua here is read the same as huai. The Fan Zhi chapter says: Confucius divined and got the hexagram Bi (Adornment), sighed with a look up, and his mind was not at ease. Zizhang came forward, raised his hands and asked: 'Teacher, have you heard that Bi is an auspicious hexagram and yet you sigh?' Confucius said: 'Bi is not a true color, and so I sigh. I think of plainness: white should be pure white, black should be pure black, so what are ornament and substance? I have also heard: vermilion lacquer is not decorated, white jade is not carved, a precious pearl is not adorned. Why? What has a surplus of substance does not accept adornment.']. Now Zhong You and Ran Qiu lack the timber of sandalwood and mulberry or the uncut jade of Sui and He, yet are forced to be ornamented, which is like carving rotten wood and honing a lead [pronunciation note: yan is read yan] blade, adorning Mo [pronunciation note: mo is read mo] Mu and painting [pronunciation note: hua is read huai] a clay figure, wrapping it in five colors in a splendid pattern, and when it meets running flood waters it dissolves [Huangfu Mi says: Mo Mu was the junior consort of the Yellow Emperor. Xu Shen says: she was an ugly woman of antiquity. Ban Gu says: one who sings the Yunmen is hard to match in sound, and one who views the jades of Sui and He finds it hard to treat them as treasure. Wang Bao says: even Mao Qiang and Xishi cannot be hidden in beauty by one who is good at slander, and Mo Mu and Wokui cannot be concealed in ugliness by one who is good at praise (the base text has a corrupt character). A guest of Lord Mengchang said: 'On my way here I passed by the Zi River and saw a clay figure talking with a wooden puppet. The wooden puppet said to the clay figure: You were first made of earth, and you are held as a partner figure; if heavy rain comes from heaven and floodwaters arrive together, you will surely dissolve and collapse. The clay figure answered: When I dissolve I only return to my true state. Now the peach tree in your eastern garden has been carved to make you a puppet; when heavy rain comes from heaven and floodwaters arrive together, they will surely carry you away drifting without knowing where you stop.']. Sentence-opening fu [pronunciation note: fu is read fu]: they cherish the old way, pillow their heads on poetry and documents, cannot (the base text has a corrupt character) bring peace in danger and cannot govern in disorder. As in chasing chickens in the postal village, it is hard and has no allies.

文學曰非學無以治身非禮無以輔徳【冉有曰雖有美玉不刻鏤不成器雖有美質不學則不成君子傳曰玉不琢不成器人不學不成行家有千金之玉不知治猶之貧也良工宰之則富及子孫君子謀之則為國用故動則安百姓議則延民命又曰水淵深廣則龍魚生之山林茂盛則禽獸歸之禮義修明則君子懷之故禮及身而行修禮及國而政明防以禮持身則貴名自揚天下順焉令行禁止而王者之事畢矣詩曰有覺徳行四國順之夫此之謂矣】和氏之璞天下之美寶也待鑑識之工而後明毛嬙【音牆】天下之姣【音交】人也待香澤脂粉而後容周公天下之至聖人也待賢師學問而後通【莊子曰毛嬙西施人之所美也魚見之深入鳥見之髙飛莊小疏曰毛嬙越王嬖妾姣美也香澤者人發恆枯悴以此濡澤之也韓非子曰善毛嬙西施之美無益吾面用脂澤粉黛則倍其初子夏曰黃帝學乎大墳顓頊學乎祿圖帝嚳學乎赤松子堯學乎務成子附舜學乎尹夀禹學乎西王國湯學乎貸子相文王學乎錫疇子斯武王學乎太公周公學乎虢叔仲尼學乎老此十一聖人未遭此師則功業不防著乎天下名號不防傳乎後世者也詩曰不愆不忘率由舊章】今齊世庸士之人不好【去聲】學問專以巳之愚而負荷【音賀】巨任若無檝【音接】舳【音逐】濟江海而遭大風漂沒於百仞之淵東流無崖之川安得沮而止乎

The literati said: Without learning one cannot cultivate oneself, and without ritual one cannot assist one's virtue [Ran You said: though there is fine jade, if it is not carved and engraved it does not become a vessel; though there is fine substance, if one does not study one does not become a gentleman. The tradition says: jade not polished does not become a vessel, and a person who does not study does not become a person of conduct. A family with a thousand gold's worth of jade that does not know how to work it is still poor; a good craftsman who carves it brings wealth to descendants, and a gentleman who plans with it makes it useful to the state. So in action it brings peace to the hundred clans, and in discussion it prolongs the people's lives. It also says: where waters are deep and wide, dragons and fish are born, where mountains and forests are lush, birds and beasts return, and where ritual and righteousness are cultivated and clear, gentlemen turn to it. So when ritual reaches the person, conduct is cultivated; when ritual reaches the state, government is bright. Therefore (the base text has a corrupt character) holding oneself by ritual lets one's honored name rise of itself, the world follows, orders are carried out and prohibitions stop, and the work of a king is complete. The Book of Poetry says: 'With awe-inspiring virtue and conduct, the four states follow it.' This is what it means.]. The uncut jade of Mr. He is a fine treasure of the world, but it waits for a skilled appraiser before becoming clear; Mao Qiang [pronunciation note: qiang is read qiang] is a beauty [pronunciation note: jiao is read jiao] of the world, but she waits for fragrant ointments, grease, and powder before her looks are complete; the Duke of Zhou was the most perfect sage of the world, but he waited for a worthy teacher to ask and learn before he mastered things [the Zhuangzi says: Mao Qiang and Xishi are what people consider beautiful, but when fish see them they dive deep and when birds see them they fly high. The Zhuangzi's minor commentary says: Mao Qiang was a favorite concubine of the King of Yue, beautiful. Fragrant ointment is used because people's hair is often dry and withered, and they moisten it. The Han Feizi says: Mao Qiang's and Xishi's beauty does no good to my face; using grease and powder and eye-black doubles what it was at first. Zixia said: the Yellow Emperor learned from Da Fen, Zhuanxu learned from Lu Tu, Di Ku learned from Chi Songzi, Yao learned from Wucheng Zifu, Shun learned from Yin Shou, Yu learned from Xi Wang Guo, Tang learned from Dai Zixiang, King Wen learned from Xi Chouzi Si, King Wu learned from Taigong, the Duke of Zhou learned from Guo Shu, and Zhongni learned from Lao Dan. If these eleven sages had not met these teachers, their achievements could not have shone in the world (the base text has a corrupt character) and their names could not have been passed to later ages (the base text has a corrupt character). The Book of Poetry says: 'Without error and without forgetting, follow the old statutes.']. Now the common scholars of this age do not love [pronunciation note: hao is read in the falling tone] learning, and take on great burdens through their own foolishness, like crossing rivers and seas without oars [pronunciation note: ji is read jie] or rudder [pronunciation note: zhu is read zhu] and meeting a great wind, drifting and sinking in an abyss of a hundred fathoms or an eastward-flowing river without banks; how could they be stopped and halted?

大夫曰性有剛柔形有好惡聖人能因而不能改孔子外變二三子之服而不能革其心故子路解長劍去危冠屈節於夫子之門然攝齊【音諮】師友行行【音沆】爾鄙心猶存【行行剛健貎仲尼弟子列傳曰子路性鄙好勇力志伉直冠雄雞佩猳豚陵孔子孔子設禮稍誘子路子路後儒服委質因門人請為弟子建本萹曰孔子謂子路曰汝何好子路曰好長劔孔子曰非此之問也請以汝之所能加之以學豈可及哉子路曰學亦有益乎孔子曰夫人君無諫臣則失政士無教交則失徳狂馬不釋其防操弓不返於檠木受防則直人受諌則聖受學重問孰不順成毀仁惡士且近於刑君子不可以不學子路曰南山有竹弗揉自直斬而射之通於犀革又何學為乎孔子曰括而羽之鏃而砥礪之其入不益深乎子路拜曰敬受教哉貴徳萹曰子路持劎孔子問曰由安用此子路曰善古者固以善之不善古者固以自衞孔子曰君子以忠為質以仁為衞不出環堵之內而聞千里之外不善以忠化冦以仁圍何必持劍乎子路曰由也請攝齊以事先生矣】宰予晝寢【論語筆解作畫寢謂以五色畫其寢室也】欲損三年之喪孔子曰糞土之牆不可杇也若由不得其死然故內無其質而外學其文雖有賢師良友若畫【音壞】脂鏤【音陋】氷費日損功故良師不能飾戚施香澤不能化嫫【音模】母也【修務訓曰曼頬皓齒形誇骨佳不待脂粉芳澤而性可恱者西施陽文也啳哆噅籧蒢戚施雖粉白黛黑弗能為美者嫫母仳倠也】

The Grand Secretary said: Natures have hardness and softness, forms have beauty and ugliness; a sage can follow them but cannot change them. Confucius changed the outer clothing of his two or three disciples but could not change their hearts. So Zilu took off his long sword and removed his tall cap and bent his integrity at the Master's gate, yet when he lifted his robes [pronunciation note: qi is read zi] before his teachers and friends, he strode forth [pronunciation note: xing is read hang] with his rustic heart still present [xingxing means a firm and vigorous manner. The Shi Ji, Biography of Confucius's Disciples, says: Zilu was by nature rustic, loved bravery and strength, was resolute and straightforward, wore a cap of rooster feathers and a pendant of boar tusks, and bullied Confucius. Confucius gradually enticed Zilu with ritual, and later Zilu put on a Confucian robe, presented his gifts, and through other disciples asked to become a student. The Jian Ben chapter says: Confucius said to Zilu: 'What do you like?' Zilu said: 'I like a long sword.' Confucius said: 'That is not what I asked. Add learning to what you can already do; how could one not reach it?' Zilu said: 'Does learning bring benefit?' Confucius said: 'A ruler without remonstrating ministers loses his government, a scholar without friends who teach him loses virtue, a mad horse is not freed from its whip (the base text has a corrupt character), a bow is not returned from the frame, wood that receives the marking line is straight, and a person who receives remonstrance becomes a sage. Receiving instruction and valuing questioning, who would not go well; destroying benevolence and hating scholars is close to punishment; a gentleman cannot fail to study.' Zilu said: 'On the Southern Mountain there is bamboo that is straight without being bent; cut and shot, it pierces rhinoceros hide; what need is there for learning?' Confucius said: 'If you notch it and fletch it, and head it and whet it, would it not go in deeper?' Zilu bowed and said: 'I respectfully receive the teaching.' The Gui De chapter says: Zilu held a sword and Confucius asked: 'You, what is the use of this?' Zilu said: 'Those good at the ancient ways use it to do good, and those not good at it use it to defend themselves.' Confucius said: 'The gentleman takes loyalty as substance and benevolence as defense; without leaving a small enclosure he hears things a thousand li away; those who are not good he transforms with loyalty, and bandits and violence he encloses with benevolence; why must he hold a sword?' Zilu said: 'You, I ask to lift my robes and serve the Master.']. Zai Yu slept by day [the Lunyu Bijie reads it as 'painted his bedchamber,' that is, he painted his sleeping room in five colors], wanting to reduce the three-year mourning. Confucius said: 'A wall of dung cannot be plastered.' It was as if You would not meet a natural death. So when one lacks the substance within and studies only the ornament outside, even with worthy teachers and good friends it is like painting [pronunciation note: hua is read huai] grease and carving [pronunciation note: lou is read lou] ice, wasting days and losing effort. So a good teacher cannot adorn a hunchback, and fragrant ointment cannot transform Mo [pronunciation note: mo is read mo] Mu [the Huainanzi, Xiu Wu Xun, says: those with full cheeks and white teeth, graceful forms and fine bones, whose nature is pleasing without needing rouge and fragrance, are Xishi and Yang Wen; those who are hunchbacked, with a bent back, who even with powder and eye-black cannot become beautiful, are Mo Mu and Chizhuo.]

文學曰蒙以不潔鄙夫掩鼻惡人盛飾可以宗祀上帝【孟子曰西子蒙不潔則人皆掩鼻而過之雖有惡人齋戒沐浴則可以祀上帝修務訓曰毛嬙西施天下之美人也若使美人銜腐防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蛾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竒牙出靨防揺則雖王公大人有嚴志頡頏之行亦無不憚悇癢心而恱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防】使二人不涉聖人之門不免為窮夫安得卿大夫之名故砥所以致於刃學所以盡其才也【子思曰學所以益才也礪所以致刃也吾嘗幽處而深思不若學之速吾嘗跂而望不若登髙之博見孟子曰人皆知以食愈飢莫知以學愈愚夫學者崇名立身之本也儀狀齊等而飾貌者好質性同倫而學問者智是故砥礪琢磨非金也而可以利金詩書闢立非我也而可以厲心韓嬰曰劒雖利不厲不防材雖美不學不髙雖有旨酒嘉殽不嘗不知其旨雖有善道不學不達其功】孔子曰觚不觚觚哉觚哉故事人加則為宗廟器否則廝養之舋【音問】才【張耳傳曰廝養卒廝者養馬之役也韋昭曰析薪為廝炊烹為養】于越之鋌【音定】不礪【舋器破而未離者也鋌箭足入槀中者也】匹夫賤之工人施巧人主服而朝【音潮】也夫【音扶】醜者自以為姣【音交】故不飾愚者自以為知【去聲】故不學觀笑在已而不自知不好【去聲】用人自是之過也

The literati said: If covered with filth, even a rustic covers his nose; if an ugly person is richly adorned, he can sacrifice to the High God [Mencius says: if Xizi were covered with filth, people would all cover their noses and pass by; though there be an ugly person, if he fasts and bathes he can sacrifice to the High God. The Huainanzi, Xiu Wu Xun, says: Mao Qiang and Xishi are beauties of the world. If one made a beauty hold a rotten rat in her mouth (the base text has a corrupt character), cover herself with a hedgehog's skin, wear a leopard fur robe, and wear a dead snake as a sash, then every commoner in cloth and leather belt who passed would look aside and cover his nose. If one tried having her apply fragrant oil, set her moth eyebrows right, set out hairpins and earrings, wear fine silk, trail Qi silk, powder her face white, blacken her brows, wear jade rings, walk with swaying steps, mix fragrant herbs, look out from a covering with bright eyes, smile charmingly, let her glance flow, her mouth wiggle, show her pretty teeth, and her cheek dimples move (the base text has a corrupt character), then even a king or great man with a stern will and an aloof manner would be stirred and itching at heart and delighted at her looks. Now if one takes the talent of a middling person, covered in foolish and deluded wisdom, wearing the conduct of disgrace, with no root occupation to cultivate and no method to attend to, how could one avoid the look of people averting faces and covering noses?]. If these two men had not entered the sage's gate, they would not have escaped being poor men; how could they have the name of minister and grand master? So whetstones are how a blade is achieved, and learning is how talent is exhausted [Zisi said: learning is how talent increases, and whetting is how a blade is achieved. I once lived in solitude and thought deeply, and it was not as quick as learning; I once stood on tiptoe and looked, and it was not as broad as climbing high. Mencius said: everyone knows to cure hunger with food, but none knows to cure foolishness with learning. Learning is the root of honoring one's name and establishing oneself. Among those of similar appearance, those who adorn their looks are better; among those of similar nature, those who study are wiser. So whetting and polishing are not metal and yet can sharpen metal, and poetry and documents set up are not myself and yet can temper the mind. Han Ying says: though a sword is sharp, if not honed it is not sharp (the base text has a corrupt character); though talent is fine, if one does not study one is not eminent. Though there is fine wine and good food, if one does not taste it one does not know its flavor; though there is a good Way, if one does not study it one does not reach its effect.]. Confucius said: 'A gu that is not a gu, what a gu, what a gu!' So one who serves others, when it is applied, becomes a vessel of the ancestral temple; otherwise it is a cracked [pronunciation note: xin is read wen] talent fit for servants [the Shi Ji, Biography of Zhang Er, says: servants and soldiers. A si is a servant who tends horses. Wei Zhao says: splitting firewood is called si and cooking is called yang]. The Yue arrowhead [pronunciation note: ting is read ding] not whetted [xin is a vessel broken but not separated, and ting is an arrow foot going into the shaft] is despised by a commoner; when a craftsman applies skill, rulers submit and attend court [pronunciation note: chao is read chao]. Sentence-opening fu [pronunciation note: fu is read fu]: the ugly think themselves beautiful [pronunciation note: jiao is read jiao] and so do not adorn themselves, and the foolish think themselves wise [pronunciation note: zhi is read in the falling tone] and so do not study. Being laughed at lies in oneself, yet one does not know; not loving [pronunciation note: hao is read in the falling tone] to employ others is the fault of thinking oneself right.

大夫曰剛者折柔者卷故季由以強梁死宰我以柔弱殺【汜論曰聖人之道寛而栗嚴而溫柔而直猛而和太剛則折太柔則巻聖人正在剛柔之間乃得道之本積隂則沈積陽則飛隂陽相接乃能成和故恩推則懦懦則不威嚴推則猛猛則不和愛推則縦縦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其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絶嗣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於為剛毅見剛毅者亡則矜於為柔懦此本無主於中而見聞舛馳於外者也】使二子不學未必不得其死何者矜已而伐能小知而巨收欲人之従己不能以己之人莫視而自見莫賈而自貴【賈市也】此其所以身殺死而終葅醢也未見其為宗廟器覩其為世戮也當此之時東流亦安之乎

The Grand Secretary said: The hard breaks and the soft curls. So Ji You died through being stubborn and Zai Wo was killed through being weak [the Huainanzi, Fan Lun Xun, says: the Way of the sage is generous yet awed, strict yet warm, gentle yet straight, fierce yet harmonious. 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 accumulates it sinks, when yang accumulates it flies, and when yin and yang meet they can achieve harmony. So if kindness is pushed, it becomes weakness, and weakness lacks awe; if strictness is pushed, it becomes fierceness, and fierceness lacks harmony; if love is pushed, it becomes license, and license lacks command; if punishment is pushed, it becomes cruelty, and cruelty lacks affection. In the past Duke Jian of Qi let go of the handle of his state and relied solely on his great ministers, so generals and chancellors held awe and monopolized power, private houses formed cliques and the public Way was not carried out, and so Chen Chengchang Tian Chang and Chiyi Zipi were able to carry out their troubles, ending the Lü family's line and giving the state to the Chen family; this came from softness and weakness. Zi Yang of Zheng was firm and fond of punishment; in punishing he arrested and did not pardon, and when a retainer broke a bow and feared punishment and execution, he took advantage of a mad dog's alarm to kill Zi Yang; this was brought about by hardness and ferocity. Now those who do not know the Way, on seeing the soft and weak invaded, boast of being hard and firm, and on seeing the hard and firm perish, boast of being soft and weak; this is because they have no master within and their sights and hearings run wild outside.]. Had these two men not studied, they would not necessarily have failed to die naturally. Why? They were proud of themselves and boasted of their ability, had small knowledge but demanded great gains, wanted people to follow them but could not follow others, saw none yet saw themselves, and were not sold yet thought themselves valuable [jia means to sell]. This is why they were killed and finally pickled. We have not seen them become vessels of the ancestral temple; we see them as the world's executed. At such a time, could they have rested content with eastward-flowing waters?

文學曰騏驥之挽【音晚】鹽車垂頭於太行【音杭】屠者持刀而睨【音義】之太公之窮困負販於朝歌也蓬頭相聚而笑之【王逸曰呂望鼓刀在列肆文王親徃問之望曰下屠屠牛上屠屠國文王喜載與俱歸】當此之時非無逺筋【音斤】駿才也非文王伯樂【音洛】莫知之賈也【伯樂姓孫名陽善相馬天上有一星名伯樂在天熙星之旁人見孫陽識馬因號之曰伯樂天熙一作天駟孔子曰呂望行年五十賣食棘津年七十屠於朝歌九十乃為天子師則遇文王也夫驥罷鹽車此非無形容也莫知之也使驥不遇伯樂安得千里之足造父亦無千里之手矣春秋後語曰蘇代欲見齊王王不見代代說淳于髠曰人有賣駿馬者三旦立於市人莫與言及見伯樂還而視之去而顧之一旦價十倍足下有意為臣伯樂乎韓嬰曰明主能愛其所愛闇主則必危其所愛夫文王非無使闢親比己者超然乃舉太公於舟人而用之豈私之防以為親邪則異族之人也以為故耶則未嘗相識也以為姣好耶則太公年七十二齳然而齒墮矣然而好之者文王欲立貴道欲白貴名兼制天下以惠中國而不可以獨故舉是人而用之貴道果立貴名果白兼制天下立國七十一姬姓獨居五十二週之子孫苟不狂惑莫不為天下顕諸侯夫是之謂能愛其所愛矣故惟明主能愛其所愛闇主必危其所愛此之謂也汗明見春申君候問三月而後得見談卒春申君大說之汗明欲復談春申君曰僕已知先生先生太息矣汗明憱憱焉曰明願有問君而恐固不審君之聖孰與堯也春申君曰先生過矣臣何足以當堯汗明曰然則君料臣孰與舜春申君曰先生即舜也汗明曰不然臣請為君終言之君之賢實不如堯臣之能不及舜夫以賢舜事聖堯三年而後乃相知也今君一旦而知臣是君聖於堯而臣賢於舜也春申君曰善召門吏為汗先生著客籍五日一見汗明曰君亦聞驥乎夫驥之齒至矣服鹽車而上太行蹄申膝折尾湛胕潰漉汁地白汗交流外阪遷延負棘而不能上伯樂遭之下車攀而哭之解紵衣以羃之驥於是俛而噴仰而鳴聲達於天若出金石聲者何也彼見伯樂之知己也今僕之不肖阨於州部堀穴窮巷沉洿鄙俗之日久矣君獨無意湔祓僕使得為君髙鳴屈於梁乎】子路宰我生不逢伯樂【音洛】之舉而遇狂屠故君子傷之若由不得其死然天其祝予矣【季路死孔子哭之曰噫天祝予天祝予】孔父【音甫】累華督之難【去聲】不可謂不義仇牧涉宋萬之禍不可謂不賢也【左傳曰宋華父督見孔父之妻於路目逆而送之曰美而豔宋督攻孔氏殺孔父而取其妻公怒督懼遂弒殤公君子以督為有無君之心然後動於惡故先書弒其君春秋曰春王正月戊申宋督弒其君與夷及其大夫孔父公羊傳曰及者何累也弒君多矣舍此無累者乎曰有仇收荀息皆累也舍仇收荀息無累者乎曰有有則此何以書賢也何賢乎孔父孔父可謂義形於色矣其義形於色奈何督將弒殤公孔父生而存則殤公不可得而弒也故於是先攻孔父之家殤公知孔父死己必死趨而救之皆死焉孔父正色而立於朝則人莫敢過而致難於其君者孔父可謂義形於色矣義勇篇曰宋閔公臣長萬以勇力聞萬與魯戰師敗為魯所獲囚之宮中數月歸之宋宋閔公搏婦人在側公謂萬曰魯君孰與寡人美萬曰魯君美天下諸侯唯魯君耳宜其為君也閔公矜婦人妬因言曰爾魯之囚虜爾何知萬怒遂搏閔公頰齒落於口絶吭而死仇牧聞君死趨而至遇萬於門擕劍而叱之萬臂擊仇牧而殺之齒著於門闔仇牧可謂不畏強禦矣趨君之難顧不旋踵泰族訓曰君子雖死亡其名不滅小人雖得勢其罪不除】

The literati said: A fine steed pulling a salt cart hangs its head on the Taihang [pronunciation note: hang is read hang], and a butcher holds a knife and glances at it [pronunciation note: ni is read yi]; Taigong, poor and hard-pressed, carried and peddled goods in Zhaoge, and people with tousled hair gathered to laugh at him [Wang Yi says: Lü Wang drummed his knife in the row of stalls, and King Wen went in person to ask him. Wang said: 'The lesser butcher butchers oxen, the greater butcher butchers states.' King Wen was pleased and took him home in his carriage.]. At such times there was no lack of a far-ranging sinew [pronunciation note: jin is read jin] and a swift talent, but without King Wen or Bole [pronunciation note: le is read luo] no one knew their price [Bole's surname was Sun and his given name Yang; he was good at judging horses. There is a star in heaven called Bole, beside the Heavenly Horse star. People saw Sun Yang's knowledge of horses and so called him Bole. Confucius said: Lü Wang at fifty sold food at Jijin, at seventy slaughtered at Zhaoge, and at ninety became teacher to the Son of Heaven, meeting King Wen. A steed exhausted pulling a salt cart does not lack form; no one knew it. If the steed had not met Bole, how could it have had a foot that goes a thousand li, nor would Zao Fu have had hands that go a thousand li. The Chunqiu Houyu says: Su Dai wanted to see the King of Qi, but the king would not see him. Dai spoke to Chunyu Kun: 'There was a man selling a fine horse, who stood in the market three mornings and no one talked to him; when Bole came and looked, turned around and looked back as he left, the price rose tenfold in a single morning. Would you, sir, be a Bole for me?' Han Ying says: an enlightened ruler can love whom he loves, but a dim ruler will surely endanger the one he loves. King Wen did not lack close favorites around him; he raised Taigong from among the boatmen and used him. Was it out of favor? If one thinks of closeness, he was a man of a different clan; if of old acquaintance, they had never met; if of beauty, Taigong at seventy-two was toothless and had lost his teeth. Yet he loved him because King Wen wished to establish a noble Way and make clear a noble name, to bring the whole world under control to benefit the Central States, and could not do it alone, so he raised this man and used him. The noble Way was indeed established, the noble name was indeed made clear, he controlled the world, established seventy-one states, and the Ji surname alone held fifty-two; unless the descendants of Zhou were mad or deluded, none failed to become illustrious lords of the world. This is what is meant by being able to love whom one loves. So only an enlightened ruler can love whom he loves, while a dim ruler will surely endanger the one he loves. This is what it means. Han Ming went to see Lord Chunshen, and after waiting three months was able to see him, and when they finished talking Lord Chunshen was greatly pleased with him. Han Ming wished to talk again, but Lord Chunshen said: 'I already know you, sir; you must be tired.' Han Ming, uneasy, said: 'I wish to ask my lord something but fear it may be rude: I do not know how my lord's sageliness compares with Yao's.' Lord Chunshen said: 'You exaggerate, sir; how am I enough to match Yao?' Han Ming said: 'Then how does my lord judge me compared with Shun?' Lord Chunshen said: 'You are Shun.' Han Ming said: 'Not so; let me say it fully for my lord. My lord's worth truly does not equal Yao's, and my ability does not reach Shun's. Even the worthy Shun serving the sage Yao took three years before they came to know each other. Now my lord knows me in a single morning, so my lord is more sage than Yao, and I am more worthy than Shun.' Lord Chunshen said: 'Good.' He summoned the gate officer to register Master Han as a guest and to see him every five days. Han Ming said: 'Has my lord heard of the steed? When the steed's years are full, it pulls a salt cart up the Taihang with hooves stretched and knees bent, tail soaked and skin ulcerated, with dripping fluid sprinkling the ground and white sweat flowing together, dragging along the slope outside, carrying thorns and unable to climb. Bole came upon it, got down from his carriage and held it while weeping, and took off his hemp robe to cover it. The steed then bowed its head and snorted, lifted its head and neighed, its voice reaching heaven as if made of metal and stone; why was this? It saw that Bole understood it. Now I, unworthy, am hard pressed in the provinces, digging a cave in a poor lane, sunk in filth and vulgarity for a long time. Does my lord alone have no mind to wash me clean, letting me neigh high for my lord beneath the beam?']. Zilu and Zai Wo, in life, did not meet the recommendation of Bole [pronunciation note: le is read luo] but met a mad butcher, so the gentleman grieves for them. It was as if You would not meet a natural death, and Heaven cut me off [when Ji Lu died, Confucius wept for him and said: 'Alas, Heaven has cut me off, Heaven has cut me off']. Kong Fu [pronunciation note: fu is read fu] was caught in the hardship [pronunciation note: nan is read in the falling tone] of Hua Du, and one cannot call him unrighteous; Chou Mu met the calamity of Song Wan, and one cannot call him unworthy [the Zuo Zhuan says: Hua Fudu of Song saw Kong Fu's wife on the road, met her with his eyes and followed her with his gaze, saying she was beautiful and radiant. Song Du attacked the Kong family, killed Kong Fu, and took his wife. The duke was angry, Du was afraid, and so he killed Duke Shang. The gentleman considered that Du had the heart of one without a ruler and only then moved to wickedness, so the Annals first record that he killed his ruler. The Annals say: in spring, the king's first month, on the wushen day, Du of Song killed his ruler Yuyi and his grand master Kong Fu. The Gongyang Commentary says: what does 'and' mean? It means implicated. When rulers are killed, there are many; apart from this, are there none implicated? It says: there are Chou Mu and Xun Xi, who were both implicated. Apart from Chou Mu and Xun Xi, are there none implicated? It says: there are. If there are, why is this one recorded? Because he was worthy. How was Kong Fu worthy? Kong Fu can be said to have had righteousness show in his face. How did righteousness show in his face? Du was about to kill Duke Shang, and if Kong Fu were alive and present, Duke Shang could not be killed, so he first attacked Kong Fu's house. Duke Shang knew that if Kong Fu died he himself would die, and rushed to save him, and both died. Kong Fu stood in court with a solemn face, and no one dared pass by and bring trouble to his ruler. Kong Fu can be said to have had righteousness show in his face. The Yi Yong chapter says: Chang Wan, a minister of Duke Min of Song, was known for bravery and strength. Wan fought with Lu, his army was defeated, he was captured by Lu, held in the palace for several months, and then returned to Song. Duke Min of Song was playing at wrestling with a woman at his side, and the duke said to Wan: 'Which is handsomer, the ruler of Lu or I?' Wan said: 'The ruler of Lu is handsome; among the lords of the world only the ruler of Lu is, and he is fit to be a ruler.' Duke Min was proud of his woman's jealousy and said: 'You prisoner of Lu, what do you know?' Wan was enraged and struck Duke Min on the cheek, so that his teeth fell out of his mouth, and broke his throat and killed him. Chou Mu heard that the ruler was dead, hurried there, and met Wan at the gate, holding a sword and rebuking him. Wan struck Chou Mu with his arm and killed him, and the teeth stuck in the door. Chou Mu can be said not to have feared the strong and powerful, and rushed to his ruler's hardship without turning his heel. The Huainanzi, Tai Zu Xun, says: though a gentleman die, his name does not perish; though a petty man gain power, his crimes are not removed.]

大夫曰今之學者無太公之能騏驥之才有以蜂蠆【音瘥】介毒而自害也【蠆螫蟲也介大也】東海成顒【音防】河東胡建是也二子者以術蒙舉起卒伍為縣令獨非自是無與合同引之不來推之不徃狂狷不遜忮【音寘】害不防刻轢【音力】公主侵陵大臣知其不可而強【音襁】行之慾以幹名所由不軌果沒其身未覩功業所至而見兩觀【去聲】之殃【家語曰孔子為魯司防攝行相事七日而誅亂政大夫少正卯戮之於兩觀之下崔豹古今注曰古者帝居毎門樹兩觀於前所以標表宮門登之可以徧觀故謂之觀懸法象處也】身得重罪不得以夀終徼【音古堯反】而以為知【去聲】訐【音居謁反】而以為直不孫【音遜】以為勇其遭難【去聲】固亦宜也

The Grand Secretary said: Today's students lack the ability of Taigong and the talent of the steed, and some harm themselves with the poison of a bee or scorpion's sting [pronunciation note: chai is read cuo; chai is a stinging insect and jie means great]. Cheng Yong of Donghai and Hu Jian of Hedong are such. These two were recommended on the strength of their arts and rose from the ranks to be county magistrates; they alone considered themselves right and did not go along with others, you could not draw them in nor push them away, were mad and rash and immodest, jealous and harmful and lawless (the base text has a corrupt character), harsh toward princesses, offended great ministers, knew it could not be done yet forced it [pronunciation note: qiang is read qiang] through, wanting to seek fame, and by their lawless ways in the end lost their lives. We have not seen the extent of their achievements, but we see the disaster of the two watchtowers [pronunciation note: guan is read in the falling tone] [the Kongzi Jiayu says: Confucius served as Minister of Crime of Lu (the base text has a corrupt character) and acted as chancellor, and on the seventh day executed the disorderly official Shaozheng Mao, and had him killed beneath the two watchtowers. Cui Bao's Gujin Zhu says: in ancient times the emperor's residence had two watchtowers set before each gate, to mark the palace gate; climbing them one could see everything, so they were called guan (watching), and were the place where laws and images were displayed.]. They incurred heavy crimes and did not end their lives in old age. They took prying [pronunciation note: jiao is read gu-yao fan] as knowledge [pronunciation note: zhi is read in the falling tone], took attacking others' faults [pronunciation note: jie is read ju-ye fan] as straightness, and took immodesty [pronunciation note: sun is read xun] as bravery; their meeting hardship [pronunciation note: nan is read in the falling tone] was just as it should be.

文學曰二公懐精白之心行忠正之道直已以事上竭力以狥公奉法推理不避彊禦不阿所親不貴妻子之養不顧私家之業然卒不能免於嫉妬之人為眾枉所排也其所以累不測之刑而功不遂也【張儀曰積羽沉舟群折軸眾口鑠金積毀銷骨莊生曰三人成虎十夫揉椎眾口所移毋翼而飛雜言曰百人操觽不可為固結千人謗獄不可為直辭萬人比非不可為士中山靖王曰夫眾喣漂山聚蚊成雷朋黨執虎十夫撓椎是以文王拘於羑里孔子阨於陳蔡此乃烝庶之成風増積之生害也】夫【音扶】公族不正則法令不行股肱不正則奸邪興起趙奢行之平原【趙奢傳曰趙奢者趙之田部吏也收租稅而平原君家不肯出租奢以法治之殺平原君用事者九人平原君怒殺奢奢因說曰君於趙為貴公子今縦君家而不奉公則法削法削則國弱國弱則諸侯加兵諸侯加兵是無趙也君安得有此富乎以君之貴奉公如法則上下平上下平則國彊國彊則趙固而君為貴戚豈於天下邪平原君以為賢言之於王王用之治國賦國賦大平民富而府庫實】範睢行之穰侯【範睢傳曰範睢日益親復說用數年矣因請間說曰臣居山東時聞齊之有田文不聞其有王也聞秦之有太后穰侯華陽髙陵涇陽不聞其有王也夫擅國之謂王能利害之謂王制殺生之威之謂王今太后多擅行不顧穰侯出使不報華陽涇陽等撃防無諱髙陵進退不請四貴備而國不危者未之有也為此四貴者下乃所謂無王也然則權安得不傾令安得従王出乎臣聞善治國者乃內固其威而外重其權穰侯使者操王之重決制於諸侯剖符於天下政適伐國莫敢不聼戰勝攻取則利歸於陶國弊御於諸侯戰敗則結怨於百姓而禍歸於社稷詩曰木實繁者披其枝披其枝者傷其心大其都者危其國尊其臣者卑其主崔杼淖齒管齊射王股擢王筋縣之於廟梁宿昔而死李兌管趙囚主父於沙丘百日而餓死今臣聞秦太后穰侯用事髙陵華陽涇陽佐之卒無秦王此亦淖齒李兌之類也且夫三代所以亡國者君專授政縦酒馳騁弋獵不聼政事其所授者妬賢嫉能御下蔽上以成其私不為主計而主不覺悟故失其國今自有秩以上至諸大吏下及王左右無非相國之人者是王獨立於朝臣竊為王恐萬世之後有秦國者非王子孫也昭王聞之大懼曰善於是廢太后逐穰侯髙陵華陽涇陽君於闗外秦王乃拜範睢為相収穰侯之印使歸陶因使縣官給車牛以徙千乘有餘到闗闗閱其寶器寶器珍怪多於王室秦封範睢以應號為應侯】二國治而兩家全故君過而臣正上非而下譏大臣正縣令何肯不反諸已而行【去聲】非於人執政之大失也夫【音扶】屈原之沉淵遭子椒之譛也【雜事萹曰屈原者名平楚之同姓大夫有博通之知清防之行懐王用之秦欲吞滅諸侯併兼天下屈原為楚東使於齊以結強黨秦國患之使張儀之楚貨楚貴臣上官大夫靳尚之屬上及令尹子蘭司馬子椒內賂夫人鄭袖共譛屈原屈原逐於外乃作離騷張儀因使楚絶齊許謝地六百里懐王信左右之奸謀聽張儀之邪說遂絶強齊之大輔楚既絶齊而秦欺以六里懐王大怒舉兵伐秦大戰者數秦兵大敗楚師斬首數萬級秦使人願以漢中地謝懐王不聽願得張儀而甘心焉張儀曰以一儀而易漢中地何愛儀請行遂至楚楚囚之上官大夫之屬共言之王王歸之是時懐王悔不用屈原之策以至於此於是複用屈原屈原使齊還聞張儀已去大為王言張儀之罪懐王使人追之不及後秦嫁女於楚與懐王歡為藍田之防屈原以為秦不可信願勿防群臣皆以為可防懐王遂防果見囚拘客死於秦為天下笑懐王子頃襄王亦知群臣諂誤懐王不察其罪反聼群讒之口復放屈原屈原疾闇王亂俗防防嘿嘿以是為非以清為濁不忍見於世將自投於淵漁父止之屈原曰世皆酔我獨醒世皆濁吾獨清吾獨聞之新浴者必振衣新沐者必彈冠又惡能以其冷冷更事之嘿嘿者哉吾寕投淵而死遂自投湘水汨羅之中而死】管子得行其道鮑叔之力也【韓非子曰管仲鮑叔相謂曰君亂甚矣必失國齊國之諸公子其可輔者非公子糾則小白也與子人事一人焉先達者相收管仲乃従公子糾鮑叔従小白國人果弒君小白先入為君魯人拘管仲而效之鮑叔言而相之故諺曰巫咸雖善祝不能自祓也秦醫雖善除不能自彈也以管仲之聖而待鮑叔之助此鄙諺所謂虜自賣裘而不售士自譽便而不信者也詩傳曰鮑叔薦管仲曰臣所不如管夷吾者五寛惠柔愛臣弗如也忠信可結於百姓臣弗如也制禮約法於四方臣弗如也決獄折中臣弗如也執枹鼓立於軍門使士卒勇臣弗如也齊桓公使管仲治國管仲對曰賤不能臨貴桓公以為上卿而國不治桓公曰何故管仲對曰貧不能使富桓公賜之齊國市租一年而國不治桓公曰何故對曰疏不能制親桓公立以為仲父齊國大安而遂覇天下孔子曰管仲之賢不得此三權者亦不能使其君南面而覇矣尊賢萹曰管仲桓公之賊也鮑叔以為賢於巳而進之為相七十言而說乃聼遂使桓公除報讐之心而委國政焉桓公垂拱無事而朝諸侯鮑叔之力也】今不覩鮑叔之力而見汩羅之禍雖欲以夀終惡【音烏】其能得乎

The Literati said: The two lords cherished a pure and unblemished heart and walked the way of loyalty and uprightness, straightening themselves to serve their superiors, exhausting their strength to serve the public good, upholding law and reasoning from principle, not avoiding the strong and powerful, not favoring their kin, not valuing the support of wives and children, not caring for the enterprises of their private houses, yet in the end they could not escape those who envied them and were pushed aside by the many crooked. This is why they incurred unforeseen punishments and their achievements were not completed. [Zhang Yi said: piled feathers sink a boat, many light things break an axle, the mouths of many melt metal, and accumulated slander dissolves bones. Zhuangzi said: three people make a tiger, ten men can bend a mallet, what the mouths of many move can fly without wings. The Zayan says: a hundred men holding cracks cannot make a firm knot, a thousand men slandering a prison case cannot make an upright statement, ten thousand men comparing wrongs cannot make an upright scholar. The Prince Jing of Zhongshan said: the breath of the many can float away a mountain, gathered mosquitoes make thunder, cliques can seize a tiger, and ten men can bend a mallet. So King Wen was held at Youli and Confucius was in hardship between Chen and Cai. This is what the many form into a wind and accumulated slander produces as harm.] The opening word: if the ducal clan is not upright, laws and orders are not carried out; if the arms and legs are not upright, wicked and evil people arise. Zhao She acted on this at Pingyuan. [The Records of the Grand Historian, Biography of Zhao She, says: Zhao She was a field-tax official of Zhao, who collected taxes, and the household of the Lord of Pingyuan would not pay. She dealt with them by law and killed nine of the Lord of Pingyuan's stewards. The Lord of Pingyuan was angry and was about to kill She. She then said: "You, sir, are a noble prince in Zhao; if you now let your household neglect public duty, then the law is cut down; when the law is cut down the state is weakened; when the state is weakened the feudal lords send troops; when the feudal lords send troops there is no Zhao; and how would you then have this wealth? With your nobility, if you serve the public according to law, high and low are level; when high and low are level the state is strong; when the state is strong Zhao is secure; and you, a noble relative, would be of no small standing in the world, would you not?" The Lord of Pingyuan thought him worthy and spoke of him to the King, who employed him to manage the state's taxes, and the state's taxes were greatly leveled, the people were rich and the treasuries full.] Fan Ju acted on this against the Marquis of Rang. [The Records of the Grand Historian, Biography of Fan Ju, says: Fan Ju grew more favored daily, and after several years of being employed, he asked for a private audience and said: "When I lived in Shandong I heard of Tian Wen of Qi but not of his king; I heard of the Queen Dowager, the Marquis of Rang, Huayang, Gaoling and Jingyang in Qin, but not of the king of Qin. One who monopolizes the state is called the king, one who can bring benefit and harm is called the king, one who controls the power of killing and sparing is called the king. Now the Queen Dowager often acts on her own without regard, the Marquis of Rang goes on missions without reporting, Huayang and Jingyang and others strike and cut off without hesitation, and Gaoling advances and withdraws without asking. When these four nobles are in place, there has never been a state not in danger. Under these four nobles, there is what is called no king. Then how could power not tilt, and how could orders come out from the king? I have heard that one who governs a state well firmly establishes his authority within and weighs his power without. The envoys of the Marquis of Rang hold the weight of the king, decide matters among the feudal lords, split tallies throughout the world, and none dare disobey when he campaigns against enemies and attacks states. When he wins battles and takes cities the profit goes to Tao and the state is worn out and controlled by the feudal lords; when he loses, he builds resentment among the people and the calamity falls on the altars of soil and grain. The Book of Songs says: 'A tree heavy with fruit has its branches split; to split its branches injures its heart; one who enlarges his capital endangers his state, one who honors his minister lowers his lord.' Cui Zhu and Nao Chi controlled Qi, shot the king in the thigh, pulled out the king's tendons, hung him from the temple beam, and he died overnight; Li Dui controlled Zhao and imprisoned the Lord Father at Shaqiu, and he starved to death in a hundred days. Now I hear that the Queen Dowager of Qin and the Marquis of Rang hold power, with Gaoling, Huayang and Jingyang assisting, and in the end there is no King of Qin; this is of the type of Nao Chi and Li Dui. Moreover, the reason the Three Dynasties lost their states was that the ruler gave government wholly to others, drank wine, galloped and hunted, and did not attend to government; those to whom he gave it envied the worthy and begrudged the able, controlled those below and blocked those above to achieve their private ends, did not plan for the ruler, and the ruler did not awaken, and so lost the state. Now from salaried officials up to the great officials, and down to those around the King, none are not men of the chancellor; the King stands alone in the court, and I privately fear for the King that ten thousand generations hence the possessors of Qin may not be the King's descendants." King Zhao heard this and was greatly alarmed and said: "Good." Then he deposed the Queen Dowager and drove the Marquis of Rang, Gaoling, Huayang and Jingyang outside the pass. The King of Qin then appointed Fan Ju chancellor, took back the seal of the Marquis of Rang and sent him back to Tao, and had the county government provide carts and oxen for the move, more than a thousand carriages. At the pass, the pass inspected his treasures, and the precious vessels and curiosities were more than in the royal house. Qin enfeoffed Fan Ju at Ying and he was called the Marquis of Ying.] Two states were well governed and two families were preserved. So when the ruler errs the minister corrects him, and when the superior is wrong the inferior criticizes him. When great ministers are upright, how would county magistrates be unwilling to examine themselves before doing wrong to others? It is the great failure of those who hold government. The opening word: Qu Yuan's sinking into the abyss was due to meeting the slander of Zijiao. [The Zayu chapter says: Qu Yuan, whose name was Ping, was a grandee of the same clan as Chu, with broad knowledge and pure and honest conduct. King Huai used him. Qin wished to swallow up the feudal lords and annex the world. Qu Yuan went as Chu's envoy east to Qi to form a strong alliance. The state of Qin was troubled by this, and sent Zhang Yi to Chu to bribe Chu's noble ministers such as the Grand Master of the Superior Office and Jin Shang, and above them the chief minister Zilan and the Minister of War Zijiao, and within the palace to bribe Lady Zheng Xiu, and they together slandered Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan was driven outside, and so composed the Lisao. Zhang Yi then went to Chu to sever its ties with Qi, promising to make up the loss with six hundred li of land. King Huai believed the wicked plans of those around him and listened to Zhang Yi's evil talk, and so cut off the great aid of mighty Qi. After Chu cut off Qi, Qin cheated it with six li. King Huai was furious and raised troops to attack Qin, and fought several great battles; the Qin troops greatly defeated the Chu army and cut off tens of thousands of heads. Qin sent someone to offer the land of Hanzhong in apology, but King Huai would not listen and wished to get Zhang Yi to satisfy his heart. Zhang Yi said: "To exchange one Yi for the land of Hanzhong, how can I begrudge it? Let me go." Then he went to Chu and Chu imprisoned him. The Grand Master of the Superior Office and others spoke to the King and the King sent him back. At this time King Huai regretted not using Qu Yuan's plan, which had brought him to this, and so used Qu Yuan again. Qu Yuan returned from a mission to Qi, heard that Zhang Yi had already left, and spoke greatly to the King of Zhang Yi's crimes. King Huai sent people to pursue him but too late. Later Qin married a daughter to Chu and was friendly with King Huai, and held a meeting at Lantian. Qu Yuan thought Qin could not be trusted and urged him not to go. The ministers all thought he could go. King Huai then went, and was indeed seized and held, and died as a guest in Qin and was laughed at by the world. King Huai's son King Qingxiang also knew that the ministers had flattered and misled King Huai, but did not examine their crimes and instead listened to the mouths of slanderers and banished Qu Yuan again. Qu Yuan hated the benighted king and disordered customs, in dim and silent confusion where right was taken for wrong and clear for turbid, could not bear to see the world and was about to throw himself into the abyss. A fisherman stopped him. Qu Yuan said: "The whole world is drunk and I alone am sober, the whole world is muddy and I alone am clear. I alone have heard that one who has just bathed must shake out his clothes, one who has just washed his hair must brush his cap; how can I take on the dim and silent muddiness with my pure self? I would rather throw myself into the abyss and die." Then he threw himself into the Miluo of the Xiang River and died.] That Guan Zhong could carry out his Way was due to Bao Shu's strength. [Han Feizi says: Guan Zhong and Bao Shu said to each other: "The ruler is very disordered, he will surely lose the state. Among the princes of Qi, those who can be assisted are none other than Prince Jiu or Xiaobai; let us each serve one of them, and whoever succeeds first will take in the other." Guan Zhong then followed Prince Jiu, and Bao Shu followed Xiaobai. The people of the state assassinated the ruler, and Xiaobai first entered and became ruler. The men of Lu seized Guan Zhong and handed him over, and Bao Shu spoke and made him chancellor. So the proverb says: though the shaman Xian was good at praying, he could not exorcise himself; though the Qin physician was good at removing illness, he could not lance himself. Even with Guan Zhong's sagacity, he depended on Bao Shu's help; this is what the rustic saying means by 'a captive selling his own fur coat cannot sell it, a scholar praising himself as capable is not believed.' The Han Poetry Tradition says: Bao Shu recommended Guan Zhong, saying: "There are five ways in which I am not equal to Guan Yiwu: in generosity, kindness and tender love, I am not his equal; in being able to bind the hundred families with loyalty and trustworthiness, I am not his equal; in setting ritual and binding law throughout the four quarters, I am not his equal; in deciding lawsuits fairly, I am not his equal; in holding the drumstick and standing at the military gate to make the soldiers brave, I am not his equal." Duke Huan of Qi had Guan Zhong govern the state, and Guan Zhong replied: "One of low rank cannot oversee the noble." Duke Huan made him senior minister, but the state was not well governed. Duke Huan said: "Why?" Guan Zhong replied: "The poor cannot command the rich." Duke Huan gave him the market rents of Qi for a year, but the state was not well governed. Duke Huan said: "Why?" He replied: "The distant cannot control the close." Duke Huan set him up as his second father, and Qi was greatly at peace and so became hegemon of the world. Confucius said: "With Guan Zhong's worthiness, had he not obtained these three powers, he could not have made his ruler face south and become hegemon." The Zunxian chapter says: Guan Zhong was Duke Huan's enemy. Bao Shu thought he was worthier than himself and recommended him as chancellor, and after seventy persuasions the Duke finally listened, and so made Duke Huan give up his heart of revenge and entrust government to him. Duke Huan let his garments hang and folded his hands with nothing to do and the feudal lords came to court; this was Bao Shu's strength.] Now one does not see the strength of Bao Shu but sees the calamity of Miluo; even if one wished to live out his years, how could he get it?

大夫曰御史御史未應謂丞相【去聲】史曰文學結髪學語服膺不捨辭若循環轉若陶鈞【結髪猶言總角少時也循環言其旋繞徃來無窮也陶家名轉者為鈞蓋取周囘均調之義也】文繁於春華無効於抱風飾虛言以亂實道古以害今従之則縣官用廢虛言不可實而行之不従文學以為非也眾口囂囂不可勝【音升】聽諸卿都大府曰久矣通先古明當世今將何従而可矣丞相史進曰晉文公譎而不正齊桓公正而不譎所由不同俱歸於伯【音覇】而必隨古不革襲【音集】故不改是文質不變而椎車尚在也【齊俗訓曰昔齊桓公合諸侯以乗車退誅於國以斧鉞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韓非子曰古者寡事而備簡樸陋而不盡故有珧銚而椎車者古者人寡而相親物多而利易讓故有揖讓而傳天下者然則行揖讓髙慈惠而道推仁厚皆椎政也處多事之時用寡事之器非智者之備也當大爭之世而循揖讓之軌非聖人之治也故智者不乗椎車聖人不行椎政也】故或作之或述之然後法令調於民而器械便於用也孔對三君殊意晏子相【去聲】三君異道非苟相反所務之時異也【韓非子曰葉公子髙問政於仲尼仲尼曰政在恱近而來逺魯哀公問政於仲尼仲尼曰政在選賢齊景公問政於仲尼仲尼曰政在節財三公出子貢問曰三公問夫子政一也夫子對之不同何也仲尼曰葉都大而國小民有背心故曰政在恱近而來逺魯哀公有大臣三人外障距諸侯四鄰之士內比周而以愚其君使宗廟不掃除社稷不血食者必是三臣也故曰政在選賢齊景公築雍門為路寢一朝而以三百乗之家賜者三故曰政在節財漢武帝曰五帝不相復禮三代不同法所繇殊路而建徳一也葢孔子對定公以來逺哀公以論臣景公以節用非期不同所急異務也臣瓉曰論語及韓子皆言葉公問政於孔子孔子答以恱近來逺今雲定公與二書異晏嬰傳曰晏平仲嬰者萊之夷維人也事齊靈公莊公景公以節儉力行重於齊既相齊食不重肉妾不衣帛其在朝君語及之即危言語不及之即危行國有道即順命無道即衡命以此三世顕名於諸侯晏子春秋曰梁丘據問晏子曰子事三君君不同心子俱従焉仁人固多心乎對曰一心可以事百君百心不可以事一君王恢曰五帝不相同樂三王不相襲禮者非故相反也各因世之宜也教與時變備與敵化守一而不易不足以子民】公卿既定大業之路建不竭之本願無顧細故之語牽儒墨論也

The Grand Secretary said to the Censor, before the Censor had even responded, and to the Chancellor's clerk: The literati have since the time they tied up their hair studied speech and hold it in their hearts without letting go, their phrases turn about like a cycle and revolve unceasingly like a potter's wheel. [Tying up the hair still refers to the time of being a youth with hair in two tufts. Cycle means going round and round without end. Potters call the turning wheel the jun, taking the sense of going around evenly.] Their elegant phrases are more profuse than spring flowers, yet have no effect, like embracing the wind; they confuse real affairs with empty words and cite ancient matters to obstruct the present. If we follow them, the county government's expenses would have to be abandoned, since empty words cannot be carried out as real affairs; if we do not follow them, the literati think it wrong. Many mouths clamor and there is no end of listening. You, ministers, have stayed in the great offices for a long time, are versed in antiquity and understand the present; now which course should we follow? The Chancellor's clerk stepped forward and said: Duke Wen of Jin was deceptive and not upright, Duke Huan of Qi was upright and not deceptive, their ways differed, yet both led to hegemony. If one must follow antiquity and not reform, adopt the old laws and not change, then substance and form would not change and the rough cart would still be in use. [The Qisu chapter says: formerly Duke Huan of Qi assembled the feudal lords using a riding carriage but punished with axes within the state; Duke Wen of Jin assembled the feudal lords using a leather carriage but practiced ritual and righteousness within the state. Duke Huan was first soft and then hard, Duke Wen first hard and then soft, yet their orders were carried out throughout the world and they controlled the feudal lords with authority, and the key in each case was examining the change of circumstances. Han Feizi says: in antiquity there were few affairs and simple equipment, rough and incomplete, so there were jade knives and rough carts. In antiquity people were few and close, goods were many and profit easily yielded, so there were those who handed over the world by courtesy. So practicing yielding, exalting kindness and praising generosity are all rough governance. To use the tools of few affairs in a time of many affairs is not a wise man's preparation; to follow the road of yielding in an age of great contention is not a sage's governance. So the wise do not ride rough carts and sages do not practice rough governance.] So some create and some pass on and complete, and only then are laws and orders suited to the people and tools convenient to use. Confucius answered three rulers with different meanings and Master Yan assisted three rulers in different ways, not casually opposite but because the circumstances they were attending to differed. [Han Feizi says: Lord Zhigao of Ye asked Zhongni about government, and Zhongni said: government lies in pleasing the near and attracting the far. Duke Ai of Lu asked Zhongni about government, and Zhongni said: government lies in selecting the worthy. Duke Jing of Qi asked Zhongni about government, and Zhongni said: government lies in economizing wealth. After the three lords left, Zigong asked: the three lords asked the Master about government with the same question, and the Master answered differently; why? Zhongni said: Ye's capital is large and the state small, and the people have a heart of departing, so I said government lies in pleasing the near and attracting the far; Duke Ai of Lu had three great ministers who outwardly barred the scholars of the four neighboring feudal lords and inwardly formed cliques and fooled their ruler, so that the ancestral temple was not swept and the altars of soil and grain had no blood offerings; it must be these three ministers, so I said government lies in selecting the worthy; Duke Jing of Qi built the Yong Gate and the Lu Bedchamber and in a single morning gave to people households of three hundred chariots three times, so I said government lies in economizing wealth. Emperor Wu of Han said: the Five Emperors did not repeat each other's ritual and the Three Dynasties did not share laws; their paths differed but the virtue they established was the same. Confucius answered Duke Ding with attracting the far, Duke Ai with discussing ministers, and Duke Jing with economizing use, not because his intentions differed, but because the urgent matters differed. Chen Zan said: the Analects and Han Zi both say that Lord Ye asked Confucius about government and Confucius answered with pleasing the near and attracting the far; now it says Duke Ding, which differs from the two books. The Biography of Yan Ying says: Yan Pingzhong Ying was a man of Yiwei in Lai, who served Duke Ling, Duke Zhuang and Duke Jing of Qi, and was valued in Qi for frugality and diligent conduct. When he was chancellor of Qi, he did not have meat twice at a meal and his concubines did not wear silk. At court, when the ruler spoke to him he spoke boldly, and when the ruler did not speak to him he acted boldly; when the state had the Way he followed orders, and when it lacked the Way he weighed the orders. So for three generations his name was illustrious among the feudal lords. The Yanzi Chunqiu says: Liangqiu Ju asked Master Yan: you served three rulers whose hearts were not the same and you could follow them all; are benevolent men by nature of many hearts? He replied: with one heart one can serve a hundred rulers, with a hundred hearts one cannot serve one ruler. Wang Hui said: the Five Emperors did not share the same music and the Three Kings did not copy each other's ritual, not deliberately contrary, but each according to what suited his time. Teaching changes with the times and preparation changes with the enemy; to hold to one thing and not change is not enough to nurture the people.] The ministers have already set the road for great enterprise and established an inexhaustible root; I hope they will not mind the words of petty matters and be led about by the arguments of Confucians and Mohists.

文學曰師曠之調五音不失宮商聖王之治世不離【去聲】仁義故有改制之名無變道之實【修務訓曰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巳若有知音者必知鍾之不調故師曠之慾調鍾也以為後之有知音者也陳元曰夫明者獨見不惑於朱紫聰者獨聞不謬於清濁故離朱不為巧移目師曠不為新聲易耳董仲舒曰三王之道所祖不同非其相反將以捄溢扶衰所衰之變然也故孔子曰無為而治者其舜乎改正朔易服色以順天命而已其餘盡循堯道何更為哉故王者有改制之名亡變道之實】上自黃帝下及三王莫不明徳教謹庠序崇仁義立教化此百世不易之道也殷周因修而昌秦王變法而亡【主術訓曰今夫權衡防矩一定而不易不為秦楚變莭不為呉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語曰家有常業雖飢不餓國有常法雖危不亡】詩云雖無老成人尚有典刑言法教故沒而存之舉而貫之貫而行之何更為哉【牛賛曰國有固籍兵有常經變籍則亂失經則弱故利不百者不變俗功不什者不易器杜摯曰法古無過修禮無邪甘龍曰聖人不易民而教智者不變法而動因民而教者不勞而成功緣法而治者吏習而民安之】丞相【去聲】史曰說西施之美無益於容道堯舜之徳無益於治【寰宇紀曰西施施其姓也防稽諸暨縣有東施家西施家越王於苧蘿山得采薪之女西施飾以羅縠教以行步習於土城臨于都巷三年學服而獻吳王吳得西施為築姑蘓臺說山訓曰畫西施之面美而不可說規孟賁之目大而不可畏】今文學不言所為治而言以治之無功猶不言耕田之方美富人之囷【音悃】倉也夫【音扶】欲粟者務時欲治者因世【趙武靈王曰古今不同俗何古之法帝王不相襲何禮之循伏羲神農教而不誅黃帝堯舜誅而不怒及至三王觀時而製法因事而制禮法度制令各順其宜衣服器械各便其用故理世不一其道便國不必法古聖人之興也不相襲而王夏殷之衰也不易禮而滅然則反古未可非而循禮未足多也故聖與俗流賢與變俱諺曰以書為御者不盡馬之情以古制今者不逹事之變故循法之功不足以髙世法古之學不足以制今】故商君昭然獨見存亡不可與世俗同者為其沮功而多近也庸人安其故而愚者果所聞【衛鞅曰聖人苟可以強國不法其故苟可以利民不循其禮常人安於故俗學者溺於所聞以此兩言居官守法可也非所以論於法之外也三代不同禮而王五伯不同法而霸智者作法愚者制焉賢者更禮不肖者拘焉】故舟車之始使民三年而後安之商君之法立然後民信之【呂氏春秋曰舟車之始見也三世而後安之夫聞善豈易哉故聼無事治衞鞅傳曰孝公既用衞鞅以衞鞅為左庶長卒定變法之令令既具未布恐民之不信也乃立三丈之木於國都市南門募民有能徙置北門者予十金民怪之莫敢徙復曰能徙者予五十金有一人徙之輒予五十金以明不欺卒下令令行於民期年秦民之國都言初令之不便者以千數於是太子犯法衞鞅曰法之不行自上犯之將法太子太子君嗣也不可施刑刑其傅公子防黥其師公孫賈明日秦人皆趨令行之十年秦民大說道不拾遺山無盜賊家給人足民勇於公戰怯於私闘鄉邑大治秦民初言令不便者有來言令便者衞鞅曰此皆亂化之民也盡遷之於邉城其後民莫敢議令】孔子曰可與共學未可與權文學可令扶防循刻非所與論道術之外也

The Literati said: Shi Kuang tuned the five notes without departing from gong and shang, and the sage kings ruled the world without departing from benevolence and righteousness, so there are names for changed systems but no substance of a changed Way. [The Xiuwu chapter says: formerly Duke Ping of Jin ordered officials to cast bells, and when the bells were done he showed them to Shi Kuang. Shi Kuang said: the bells are out of tune. Duke Ping said: I showed them to the craftsmen and the craftsmen all thought they were in tune, but you think they are out of tune; why? Shi Kuang said: if there were no one in later ages who knew music, that would be that; but if there is one who knows music, he will surely know that the bells are out of tune. So Shi Kuang wished to tune the bells for the sake of those later who know music. Chen Yuan said: the clear-sighted see alone and are not confused by vermilion and purple; the sharp of hearing hear alone and are not mistaken between clear and turbid. So Li Zhu did not change his eye because of clever dazzle, and Shi Kuang did not change his ear because of new sounds. Dong Zhongshu said: the Way of the Three Kings differed in what they took as ancestors, not as opposites, but to save the excessive and support the declining, as what needed saving had changed. So Confucius said: one who ruled without acting was perhaps Shun! He only changed the calendar and the color of clothing to follow Heaven's mandate, and in all else followed the Way of Yao; why change it? So a true king has the name of changing systems but not the substance of changing the Way.] From the Yellow Emperor above to the Three Kings below, none failed to clarify virtue and teaching, take care of schools, honor benevolence and righteousness, and establish instruction; this is the Way that does not change for a hundred generations. Yin and Zhou followed and refined it and flourished, and the King of Qin changed the laws and perished. [The Zhushu chapter says: the scale, compass and square are fixed and unchanging, not altering their rules for Qin or Chu, not changing their face for Wu or Yue, constant and one without deviation, square in conduct without flowing; once the punishment is set it is passed on for ten thousand generations, and it is done by non-action. So a state may have a lost ruler but the age has no abandoned Way, and a person may be in hardship but principle has nothing that cannot get through. The proverb says: a household with a regular enterprise, though hungry, does not starve; a state with regular laws, though endangered, does not perish.] The Book of Songs says: "Though there are no old and experienced men, there are still the statutes and models." This says that though the laws and teaching are old and the old men are gone, they remain, and if one takes them up and connects them, and having connected them practices them, why change them? [Niu Zan said: a state has fixed records and an army has constant regulations; if you change the records there is disorder, and if you lose the regulations there is weakness. So unless the profit is a hundredfold, one does not change customs, and unless the merit is tenfold, one does not change tools. Du Zhi said: following antiquity has no fault, and cultivating ritual has no depravity. Gan Long said: the sage does not change the people when teaching them, and the wise do not change the law when acting. Teaching according to the people brings success without toil; governing by the law makes officials practiced and the people at peace.] The Chancellor's clerk said: To speak of Xishi's beauty does no good to one's own appearance; to praise the virtue of Yao and Shun does no good to the governance of the present age. [The Huanyu ji says: Xishi, Shi was her surname. In Zhuji County of Kuaiji there are the houses of Dongshi and Xishi. The King of Yue obtained Xishi, a woodcutter's daughter, at Mount Zhuluo, dressed her in silk gauze, taught her to walk, practiced her in earthen city walls, and had her look out on the capital lanes, and after three years of study presented her to the King of Wu. Wu obtained Xishi and built the Gusu Terrace for her. The Shuoshan chapter says: to paint Xishi's face, beautiful but not pleasing; to draw Meng Ben's eyes, large but not frightening.] Now the literati do not discuss how to govern, but say that governing by some method has no effect; it is like not discussing the method of plowing and only boasting of a rich man's granary. The opening word: one who wants grain must follow the seasons, and one who wants to govern must follow the age. [King Wuling of Zhao said: past and present differ in custom; what ancient laws should be imitated? Emperors and kings did not copy each other; what ritual should be followed? Fuxi and Shennong taught and did not punish, the Yellow Emperor, Yao and Shun punished but did not rage; by the time of the Three Kings, they observed the times and set laws, followed affairs and set rituals, laws, standards and orders each following what is fitting, clothes and implements each convenient for their use. So ordering the world does not require the same way, and benefiting the state does not require imitating antiquity. When sages rose, they did not copy each other and yet became kings; when Xia and Yin fell, they did not change ritual and yet perished. Then to oppose antiquity cannot be criticized, and to follow ritual does not deserve much praise. So the sage flows with the customs and the worthy goes along with change. The proverb says: one who drives holding a book does not exhaust the nature of the horse; one who governs the present with antiquity does not penetrate the change of affairs. So the merit of following the law is not enough to be high in the world, and learning that models itself on antiquity is not enough to govern the present.] So Lord Shang, clearly seeing survival and ruin alone, could not be the same as the common world, because the common world discourages merit and is fond of near profit. Mediocre people are at ease in the old routine, and fools cling to what they have heard. [Wei Yang said: the sage need only make the state strong and need not imitate the old; he need only benefit the people and need not follow its ritual. Ordinary people are at ease in old customs and scholars are immersed in what they have heard; these two sayings are fine for holding office and keeping the law, but not for discussing matters beyond the law. The Three Dynasties did not share ritual and yet became kings, and the Five Hegemons did not share laws and yet became hegemons. The wise make laws and fools are controlled by them; the worthy revise ritual and the unworthy hold to it.] So when boats and carriages first began to be used, it took the people three years to be at ease; when Lord Shang's law was established, the people then trusted and followed it. [The Lüshi Chunqiu says: when boats and carriages first appeared, it took three generations before people were at ease. How easy is it to listen to the good? So one listens to the governance of non-action. The Biography of Wei Yang says: after Duke Xiao employed Wei Yang, he made Wei Yang the Left Commander of the Common Ranks, and finally set the order for changing the laws. The order was complete but not yet published, and fearing the people would not trust it, he set up a three-zhang wooden pole at the south gate of the capital market and offered ten pieces of gold to anyone who could move it to the north gate. The people found it strange and none dared move it. Then he said those who could move it would be given fifty pieces of gold. One man moved it, and was given fifty pieces of gold at once, to show that there was no cheating. Then the order was issued. After the order had been in effect among the people for a year, the people of Qin who came to the capital to say the initial orders were inconvenient numbered in the thousands. At this time the crown prince broke the law. Wei Yang said: the reason the law is not carried out is that it is first broken from above. He was about to punish the crown prince. The crown prince is the ruler's heir and cannot be punished, so he punished his tutor, Prince Qian, and branded his teacher, Gongsun Jia. The next day the people of Qin all followed the order. After ten years of practice, the people of Qin were greatly pleased, no one picked up what was dropped on the road, there were no robbers in the mountains, households were well supplied and people sufficient, the people were brave in public battles and timid in private fights, and the villages and towns were greatly well governed. The people of Qin who had at first said the order was inconvenient now came to say it was convenient. Wei Yang said: these are all people who disturb transformation, and moved them all to the frontier cities. After that the people did not dare to discuss the laws and orders again.] Confucius said: "One may study together but not yet use the expedient together." The literati can be made to hold the square and follow the gauge, but they are not people with whom one can discuss matters outside the arts of the Way.

文學曰君子多聞闕疑述而不作聖達而謀大叡【音銳】知【去聲】而事寡是以功成而不隳名立而不小人知【去聲】淺而謀大羸【音縲】弱而任重故中道而廢蘓秦商鞅是也【汜論曰蘓秦匹夫徒步之人也靻蹻羸葢経營萬乘之主服諾諸侯然不自免於車裂之患蔡澤曰商君為孝公平權衡正度量調輕重決裂阡陌教民耕戰是以兵動而地廣兵休而國富故秦無敵於天下立威諸侯功已成矣遂以車裂】無先王之法非聖人之道而因於已故亡易曰小人處盛位雖髙必崩不盈其道不恆其徳而能以善終身未之有也是以初登於天后入於地禹之治水也民知其利莫不勸其功商鞅之立法民知其害莫不畏其刑【河間獻王曰禹稱民無食則我不能使也功成而不利於人則我不能勸也故疏河以導之鑿江通於九派五湖而定東海民亦勞矣然而不怨苦者利歸於民也衞鞅傳曰商君相秦十年宗室貴戚多怨望者趙良見商君謂曰君之見秦王也因嬖人景監以為主非所以為名也相秦不以百姓為事而大築冀闕非所以為功也刑黥太子之師傅殘傷民以駿刑是積怨蓄禍也教之化民也深於命民之效上也防於令今君又左建外易非所以為教也君又南面而稱寡人日防秦之貴公子詩曰相鼠有體人而無禮人而無禮胡不遄死以詩觀之非所以為夀也公子防杜門不出已八年矣君又殺祝懽而黥公孫賈詩曰得人者興失人者崩此數事者非所以得人也君之危若朝露尚將欲延年益夀乎則何不歸十五都灌園於鄙勸秦王顕巖穴之士養老存孤敬父兄序有功尊有徳可以稍安君尚貪商於之富寵秦國之教畜百姓之怨秦王一旦捐賔客而不立朝秦國之所以收君者豈其防哉】故夏後功立而王【去聲】商鞅法行而亡商鞅有獨智之慮世不獨見之證文學不足與權當世亦無負累之殃也

The Literati said: The noble man listens widely and leaves doubtful points blank, transmitting and not creating; one who is sage and far-seeing and plans on a large scale is perceptive and wise and has few affairs, and so his merit is completed and not destroyed, and his name is established and does not fall. A petty man is shallow in wisdom but plans on a large scale, is frail but takes on a heavy load, and so gives up halfway; Su Qin and Shang Yang were like this. [The Fanlun chapter says: Su Qin was a commoner on foot in straw sandals and a worn hat, who managed a ruler of ten thousand chariots and made the feudal lords agree, but could not himself escape the calamity of being torn apart by carriages. Cai Ze said: Lord Shang leveled the scales, corrected the measures, adjusted light and heavy for Duke Xiao, broke open the field paths, and taught the people to farm and fight, and so when troops moved the land grew and when troops rested the state was rich, so Qin had no match in the world and established awe among the feudal lords. His merit was complete, and in the end he was torn apart by carriages.] Without the laws of the former kings and not the Way of the sages, relying on themselves, they perished. The Changes says: a petty man in a flourishing position, though high, must collapse; one who does not fill out his Way and does not keep to his virtue yet can end his life well has never existed. So at first they climbed to Heaven and later entered the earth. When Yu controlled the waters, the people knew the benefit, and there were none who did not strive to help complete his work; when Shang Yang set up laws, the people knew the harm, and there were none who did not fear his punishments. [Prince Xian of Hejian said: Yu said: if the people have nothing to eat, I cannot employ them; if the work is completed but is not beneficial to people, I cannot encourage them. So he dredged the rivers to lead them, cut the Yangtze through to the nine streams, fixed the five lakes to reach the eastern sea, and though the people toiled they did not resent the hardship, because the benefit went to the people. The Biography of Wei Yang says: Lord Shang was chancellor of Qin for ten years, and many in the ducal clan and among noble relatives resented him. Zhao Liang saw Lord Shang and said to him: "When you saw the King of Qin it was through the favorite Jing Jian, which is not a way to make a name; as chancellor of Qin you did not make the people your business but built great palace gates, which is not a way to succeed; you punished and branded the crown prince's tutor, used severe punishment to maim the people, which is accumulating resentment and storing up calamity. The transformation of people through teaching is deeper than through command; people's imitation of their superiors is faster than command. Now you also build on the left and change outside, which is not a way to teach. You also face south and call yourself 'I, the solitary one,' and day by day press and blame the noble princes of Qin. The Book of Songs says: 'See the rat, it has a body; a man without ritual, why does he not die quickly?' From the poem it is not a way to seek long life. Prince Qian has shut his door and not come out for eight years already. You also killed Zhu Huan and branded Gongsun Jia. The Songs say: 'Those who win people prosper, those who lose people collapse.' These matters are not ways to win people. Your danger is like morning dew; do you still want to extend your years? Why not return the fifteen towns, tend a garden on the border, urge the King of Qin to promote scholars in caves and cliffs, care for the aged and preserve orphans, respect fathers and elder brothers, rank those with merit and honor those with virtue, and you may find some peace. You still covet the wealth of Shang and Yu, favor the teaching of Qin, and accumulate the resentment of the hundred families; if the King of Qin one day abandons his guests and does not hold court, those in Qin who would seize you will be no few."] So the lord of Xia established merit and became king, and Shang Yang's law was carried out and he perished. Shang Yang had solitary wise thoughts, but there is no solitary proof in the world. The literati are not enough to weigh the present age with them, and there is no calamity of being burdened by them.

丞相【去聲】史曰晏子有言儒者華於言而寡於實繁於樂【音洛】而舒於民久防以害生厚葬以傷業禮煩而難行道迂而難遵稱徃古而言訾【音紫】當世賤所見而貴所聞比人本狂以已為拭此顔異所以誅黜而狄山死於匈奴也【平凖書曰初異為濟南亭長以防直稍遷至九卿上與張湯既造白鹿皮幣問異異曰今王侯朝賀以蒼璧直數千而其皮薦反四十萬本末不相稱天子不說張湯乂與異有郤及人有告異以他議事下張湯治異異與客語客語初令下有不便者異不應防反唇湯奏當九卿見令不便不入言而腹誹論死自是之後有腹誹之法以此而公卿大夫多諂防取容矣張湯傳曰匈奴來請和親群臣議上前博士狄山曰和親便上問其便山曰兵者防器未易數動髙帝欲伐匈奴大困平城乃遂結和親孝恵髙後時天下安樂及孝文帝欲事匈奴北邉蕭然苦兵矣孝景時吳楚七國反景帝往來東宮間寒心者數月吳楚已破竟景帝不言兵天下富實今自陛下舉兵擊匈奴中國以空虗邉民大困貧由此觀之不如和親上問湯湯曰此愚儒無知狄山曰臣固愚忠若御史大夫湯乃詐忠若湯之治淮南江都以深文痛詆諸侯別防肉使蕃臣不自安臣固知湯之為詐忠於是上作色曰吾使生居一郡能無使虜入盜乎曰不能曰居一縣對曰不能復曰居一障間山自度辯窮且下吏曰防於是上遣山乗鄣至月餘匈奴斬山頭而去自是以後群臣震慴】防其位而非其朝【音潮】生乎世而訕其上終以被戮而防其軀此獨誰為負其累而蒙其殃乎

The Chancellor's clerk said: Master Yan had a saying: Confucians are flowery in speech but short on substance, abundant in music but slow with the people, with long mourning harm life and with lavish burials damage their livelihood, their ritual is troublesome and hard to carry out, their Way is roundabout and hard to follow, they praise the ancient and slander the present age, scorn what they see and value what they hear, regard others as mad and themselves as clean. This is why Yan Yi was executed and dismissed and Di Shan died among the Xiongnu. [The Records of the Grand Historian, Treatise on the Balanced Standard, says: at first Yan Yi was a ward chief of Jinan, and gradually rose to be one of the nine ministers because of his honesty and uprightness. When the Emperor and Zhang Tang made white deer-skin currency, they asked Yi. Yi said: "Now when princes and dukes come to court with congratulations they use blue jade, worth several thousand, yet its leather cushion costs four hundred thousand; the root and the branch do not match." The Son of Heaven was displeased. Zhang Tang also had a grudge against Yi. When someone accused Yi of something else, the matter was sent down to Zhang Tang to handle. Yi spoke with a guest, and the guest said that the initial order was inconvenient in some respects; Yi did not respond but slightly curled his lip. Tang submitted a memorial: a minister, seeing an order inconvenient, did not enter to speak but slandered in his belly, and should be sentenced to death. After this there was the law of belly slander, and so the ministers and grandees mostly flattered and fawned to get by. The Biography of Zhang Tang says: the Xiongnu came to ask for a marriage alliance, and the ministers discussed it before the Emperor. The scholar Di Shan said: a marriage alliance is convenient. The Emperor asked what its convenience was. Shan said: weapons are instruments of ill omen and should not lightly be moved often. Emperor Gao wished to attack the Xiongnu and was in great difficulty at Pingcheng, and so made a marriage alliance. In the time of Xiaohui and Empress Gao the world was at peace and joyful. When Emperor Xiaowen wished to deal with the Xiongnu, the northern border was desolate and suffering from war. In the time of Xiaojing, the seven states of Wu and Chu rebelled and Emperor Jing went back and forth in the Eastern Palace, chilled at heart for several months; after Wu and Chu were broken, Emperor Jing in the end did not speak of war and the world was rich and full. Now since Your Majesty raised troops to attack the Xiongnu, the central states are empty and the border people are greatly impoverished. Seen from this, a marriage alliance would be better. The Emperor asked Tang. Tang said: this is a foolish Confucian who knows nothing. Di Shan said: I am indeed a foolishly loyal man, but the Grand Censor like Tang is falsely loyal. Like Tang's governing of Huainan and Jiangdu, he disparaged the princes with deep and harsh language and separated and alienated flesh and blood, so that the border lords were not at ease. I know that Tang is falsely loyal. Then the Emperor's face changed and he said: "If I make you hold a commandery, can you keep the barbarians from coming in to steal?" He said: "No." He said: "A county." He replied: "No." He said: "A frontier fort." Shan, judging that his arguments had run out and that he would be handed to the officials, said: "Yes." Then the Emperor sent Shan to man the fort. After a little over a month, the Xiongnu cut off Shan's head and left. After that the ministers were awed.] Holding their positions yet criticizing their courts, living in the age yet slandering their superiors, in the end they were killed and lost their bodies. Who alone bore this burden and suffered calamity for them?

文學曰禮所以坊【古防字】滛樂所以移風禮興樂正則刑罰中故堤【古隄字】坊【古防字】成而民無水菑禮義立民無亂患故禮義壞堤【古隄字】坊【古防字】決所以治者未之有也【防古本作坊坊以畜水亦以障水者也坊記曰子言之君子之道譬則坊與坊民之所不足者也大為之坊民猶逾之故君子禮以坊徳刑以坊滛命以坊欲傳曰在天者莫明乎日月在地者莫明乎水火在人者莫明乎禮義故日月不髙則所照不逺水火不積則光炎不博禮義不加乎國家則功名不白詩曰人而無禮胡不遄死】孔子曰禮與其奢也寧儉防與其易也甯戚故禮之所為作非以害生傷業也威儀節文非以亂化傷俗也治國謹其禮危國謹其法【賈生曰凡人之智能見已然不能見將然夫禮者禁於將然之前而法者禁於已然之後是故法之所用易見而禮之所為至難知也若夫慶賞以勸善刑罰以懲惡先王執此之政堅如金石行此之令信如四時據此之公無私如天地耳豈顧不用哉然而曰禮雲禮雲者貴絶惡扵未萌而起教扵防使民日遷善逺辠而不自知也孔子曰聼訟吾猶人也必也使毋訟乎為人主計者莫如先審取捨取捨之極定於內而安危之萌應於外矣安者非一日而安也危者非一日而危也皆積漸然不可不察也人主之所積在其取捨以禮義治之者積禮義以刑罰治之者積刑罰刑罰積而民怨背禮義積而民和親故世主欲民之善同而所以使民善者或異或道之以徳教或敺之以法令道之以徳教者徳教洽而民氣樂敺之以法令者法令極而民風哀哀樂之感禍福之應也】昔秦以武力吞天下而斯髙以妖孽累其禍廢古術隳【音灰】舊禮專任刑法而儒墨既防焉塞士之塗壅人之口道防日進而上不聞其過此秦所以失天下而殞【音允】社稷也【賈山曰秦皇帝計其功徳度其後嗣世世無窮然身死才數月耳天下四面而攻之宗廟滅絶矣秦皇帝居滅絶之中而不自知者何也天下莫敢告也其所以莫敢告者何也亡養老之義亡輔弼之臣亡進諫之士縦恣行誅退誹謗之人殺直諫之士是以道防媮合苟容比其徳則賢於堯舜課其功則賢於湯武天下已潰而莫之吿也詩云匪言不能胡此畏忌聼言則對譖言則退此之謂也路溫舒曰昔秦之時滅文學好武勇賤仁義之士貴治獄之吏正言謂之誹謗謁過謂之妖言故盛服先生不用於世忠良切言皆鬱於胷譽防之聲日滿於耳虗羙薫心實祻蔽塞此乃秦之所以亡天下也】故聖人為政必先誅之為巧言以輔非而傾覆國家也今子安取亡國之語而來乎夫【音扶】公卿處其位不正其道而以意阿色順風疾小人諓諓【音淺】面従以成人之過也【諓諓善言也又乃巧也】故知言之死不忍従苟合之徒是以不免於縲【力追反】絏【息列反】悲夫【音扶縲黒索也絏攣也古者獄中以黑索拘攣罪人也】

The Literati said: Ritual is what guards against licentiousness and music is what changes customs. When ritual flourishes and music is correct, punishments are fitting. So when embankments are completed the people have no flood, and when ritual and righteousness are established the people have no disorder. That when ritual and righteousness are ruined and embankments broken, one can still govern has never happened. [In the old text, the character for guard is written as the character for embankment. An embankment is used both to store water and to bar water. The Fang Ji says: the Master said: the way of the noble man is perhaps like an embankment? It guards against what the people lack. Even when great embankments are built, the people still overstep them. So the noble man guards virtue with ritual, guards against licentiousness with punishment, and guards against desire with command. The tradition says: of what is in Heaven none is brighter than the sun and moon, of what is on earth none is brighter than water and fire, of what is in people none is brighter than ritual and righteousness. So if the sun and moon are not high, what they shine on is not far; if water and fire are not accumulated, their light and flame are not broad; if ritual and righteousness are not applied to the state, merit and fame are not made plain. The Songs say: a man without ritual, why does he not die quickly?] Confucius said: "In ritual, rather be frugal than extravagant; in mourning, rather be sorrowful than perfunctory." So ritual was made not to harm life and damage livelihood; dignified bearing and ceremonial forms are not to disorder transformation and damage customs. A state that is well governed is careful with ritual, and a state in danger is careful with law. [Master Jia said: the wisdom of ordinary people can see what has already happened but cannot see what is about to happen. Ritual forbids before what is about to happen and law forbids after what has already happened. So the use of law is easy to see, while what ritual does is extremely hard to know. As for commending and rewarding to encourage the good and punishing to deter evil, the former kings held this government as firm as metal and stone, carried out these orders as reliably as the four seasons, and held to this public impartiality like Heaven and Earth; would they not use it? Yet to speak of ritual, ritual, is to value stopping evil before it sprouts and beginning instruction in the subtlest things, so that the people day by day move toward goodness and away from crime without knowing it. Confucius said: in hearing lawsuits I am like others, but I would have no lawsuits. In planning for a ruler, nothing is better than first examining what to take and what to leave. The limit of taking and leaving is settled within, and the sprouts of safety and danger respond outside. Safe is not safe in a single day and dangerous is not dangerous in a single day; all accumulate gradually, and one must not fail to examine it. What a ruler accumulates lies in taking and leaving: those who govern by ritual and righteousness accumulate ritual and righteousness, and those who govern by punishment accumulate punishment. When punishment accumulates, the people resent and turn away; when ritual and righteousness accumulate, the people are harmonious and close. So rulers of the age all want the people to be good, but the ways of making them good differ: some lead them with virtue and teaching, some drive them with laws and orders. Those led by virtue and teaching have virtue and teaching pervade and the people's spirit is joyful; those driven by laws and orders have laws and orders at the extreme and the people's mood is sorrowful. The feeling of sorrow or joy is the response of misfortune or fortune.] Formerly Qin swallowed the world by force, and Li Si and Zhao Gao added to its calamity through monstrous acts, abolished old arts and tore down old ritual, relied solely on punishment and law, rejected Confucians and Mohists, blocked the road of scholars and stopped up people's mouths, flatterers advanced daily, and the ruler did not hear of his faults. This is why Qin lost the world and the altars of soil and grain fell. [Jia Shan said: the First Emperor of Qin calculated his merit and virtue and reckoned that his descendants would continue for generations without end, yet only a few months after he died, the world attacked from all sides and the ancestral temple was destroyed. The First Emperor of Qin was in the midst of destruction and did not know it; why? No one in the world dared to tell him. Why did no one dare tell him? Because there was no righteousness of caring for the aged, no assisting ministers, no scholars to remonstrate, he indulged in executions, drove away those who slandered, and killed scholars who remonstrated frankly. So flatterers, in agreement and trying to get by, compared his virtue and found him worthier than Yao and Shun, assessed his merit and found him worthier than Tang and Wu; the world had already collapsed and no one told him. The Book of Songs says: 'It is not that they cannot speak, but why are they so afraid? When listening to words they respond, when slander comes they retreat.' This is what is meant. Lu Wenshu said: formerly in the time of Qin, literary learning was destroyed, martial courage was favored, scholars of benevolence and righteousness were despised, officials who handled lawsuits were valued, upright speech was called slander, and reporting faults was called monstrous talk. So well-dressed scholars were not used in the world, loyal and good and earnest words were all stifled in their chests, and the sounds of praise and flattery filled their ears day after day, empty praise warmed the heart, and real calamity was blocked out. This is why Qin lost the world.] So when a sage conducts government, he must first execute those who use clever words to support wrong and overturn the state. Where do you get these words of a ruined state? The opening word: the ministers hold their positions but do not set right their Way, curry favor by intention, follow the wind and hurry, and petty men, with qianqian flattery and facial agreement, bring about others' faults. [Qianqian is good words and also clever words.] So knowing that words will lead to death, they cannot bear to follow those who agree casually, and therefore they do not avoid being tied up in black cords. How sad! ["Black cord" is a black rope and "tie" is a binding. In antiquity black cords were used in prisons to bind criminals.]

丞相【去聲】史曰檀柘而有鄉萑【音丸】葦【音委】而有藂【通作叢】言物類之相従也【說林訓曰橘柚有鄉萑葦有叢獸同足者相従防鳥同翼者相従翔齊防曰淳于髠一日而見七人於宣王王曰子來寡人聞之千里而一士是比肩而立百世而一聖若隨踵而至也今子一朝而見七士則士不亦眾乎淳于髠曰不然夫鳥同翼者而聚居獸同足者而俱行今求柴胡桔梗於沮澤則累世不得一焉及之睪黍梁父之隂則郄車而載耳夫物各有疇今髠賢者之儔也王求士於髠若挹水於河而取火於燧也髠將復見之豈特七士也】孔子曰徳不孤必有鄰故湯興而伊尹至不仁者逺矣未有明君在上而亂臣在下也【鶡冠子曰伊尹酒保立為世師尊賢篇曰聲聞則處異而相應徳合則未見而相親李康曰運之所隆必生聖明之君聖明之君必有忠賢之臣其所以相遇也不求而自合其所以相親也不介而自親唱之而必和謀之而必従道徳同曲折合符得失不能疑其志防搆不能離其交然後得成功也】今先帝躬行仁聖之道以臨海內招舉俊才賢良之士唯仁是用誅逐亂臣不避所親務以求賢而簡退不肖猶堯之舉舜禹之族殛鯀放驩兠也而曰苟合之徒是則主非而臣阿是也【班固曰漢承百王之弊髙祖撥亂反正文景務在養民至於稽古禮文之事猶多闕焉孝武之初立卓然罷黜百家表章六藝遂疇諮海內舉其俊乂與之立功興大學修郊祀改正朔定厯數協音律作禮樂建封禪禮百神紹國典號令文章煥焉可述尊賢篇曰人君之慾平治天下而垂榮名者必尊賢而下士易曰自上下下其道大光又曰以貴下賤大得民也夫明王之施徳而下下也將懐逺而致近也夫朝無賢人猶鴻鵠之無羽翼也雖有千里之望猶不能致其意之所欲至矣是故防江海者托於船致逺道者托於乗欲覇王者托於賢子路問於孔子曰治國何如孔子曰在於尊賢而賤不肖子路曰範中行氏尊賢而賤不肖其亡何也曰範中行氏尊賢而不能用也賤不肖而不能去也賢者知其不已用而怨之不肖者知其賤已而讐之賢者怨之不肖者讐之怨讐並前中行氏雖欲無亡得乎】

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: Sandalwood and cudrania have their native places, and reeds [phonetic glosses: "huan" is read huan, "wei" is read wei] have their clumps ["cong" is written in a variant form], which says that things of a kind follow each other [the chapter "Shuolin" says: Tangerines and pomelos have their native places, reeds have their clumps; beasts with the same feet run together, and birds with the same wings fly together. The Qi ce says: Chunyu Kun presented seven men to King Xuan in a single day. The king said: "Come here. I have heard that one scholar in a thousand li is like standing shoulder to shoulder, and one sage in a hundred generations is like following at one's heels. Now you have presented seven scholars in one morning; are not scholars too many?" Chunyu Kun said: "Not so. Birds with the same wings roost together, beasts with the same feet walk together. If one seeks bupleurum and platycodon in a marsh, one will not get a single plant in generations; but go to the north slope of Mount Gaoshu or Liangfu and one can load them by the cartload. Things each have their kind. Now Kun belongs to the class of worthy men. For the king to seek scholars from Kun is like scooping water from a river or taking fire from a flint. I will present still more, not merely seven."]. Confucius said: Virtue is not solitary; it must have neighbors. So when Tang rose, Yi Yin arrived, and the unbenevolent stayed far away. There has never been a wise ruler above and disorderly ministers below [the Heguanzi says: Yi Yin was a tavern keeper and was established as teacher of the age. The chapter "Zunxian" says: When their reputations are heard, though they dwell in different places they respond to each other; when their virtue matches, though they have not met they are close. Li Kang said: Where the fortunes of an age are high, there will surely be born an enlightened ruler; an enlightened ruler will surely have loyal and worthy ministers. Their meeting is one that comes together without seeking; their closeness is one that arises without an intermediary. When one calls, the other answers; when one plans, the other follows; their Way and virtue are mysteriously the same, their twists and turns match like tallies, gains and losses cannot make them doubt their will, and slander and scheming (the original has "fang" before "scheming") cannot separate their friendship, and only then can they accomplish merit.]. Now the late emperor personally practiced the Way of benevolence and sagehood to rule all within the seas, summoned and promoted outstanding talents and worthy and good scholars, using only the benevolent, executing and expelling disorderly ministers without avoiding his own kin, working to seek the worthy and discard the unworthy, just as Yao promoted Shun and Yu, imprisoned Gun and banished Huandou. To say that they are a crowd that has merely come together by convenience is to say that the ruler is wrong and his ministers are flatterers [Ban Gu said: The Han inherited the ruin of a hundred kings; Gaozu set the disorder right, Wen and Jing devoted themselves to nourishing the people, but in matters of studying antiquity and ritual refinement much was still lacking. When Xiaowu first took the throne, he resolutely dismissed the hundred schools and honored the Six Arts, and then consulted all within the seas, promoted their outstanding talents and set them to establishing merit, founded the great academy, repaired the suburban sacrifices, reformed the calendar and the first day of the year, fixed the calendrical numbers, harmonized the pitches, made ritual and music, set up the Feng and Shan sacrifices, honored the hundred spirits, and continued the state canons, and the orders and writings were brilliant and worth recounting. The chapter "Zunxian" says: A ruler who wishes to bring peace to the world and leave a glorious name must honor the worthy and be humble toward scholars. The Book of Changes says: Condescending from above to below, his Way is greatly shining. It also says: Using nobility to be humble toward the lowly, he greatly wins the people. When an enlightened king bestows virtue and humbles himself before those below, he is cherishing the distant and bringing the near. If the court has no worthy people, it is like a swan without wings; though it has the aim of a thousand li, it still cannot reach where it intends. So one who crosses rivers and seas relies on a boat, one who goes far relies on a carriage, and one who wants hegemony or kingship relies on the worthy. Zilu asked Confucius: How should one govern a state? Confucius said: By honoring the worthy and despising the unworthy. Zilu said: The Fan and Zhonghang families honored the worthy and despised the unworthy, yet they perished; why? He said: The Fan and Zhonghang families honored the worthy but could not use them, and despised the unworthy but could not dismiss them. The worthy, knowing they were not used, resented them, and the unworthy, knowing they were despised, hated them. When the worthy resent and the unworthy hate, resentment and hatred come together, and though the Zhonghang family wished not to perish, could they avoid it?]

文學曰臯陶對舜在知人惟帝其難之洪水之災堯獨愁悴而不能治得舜禹而九州寧故雖有堯之明君而無舜禹之佐則純徳不流【班固曰公輸愛其斧故能妙其巧明主貴其士故能成其治良匠度其材而成大廈明主器其士而建功業王粲曰振鷺雖材非六翮無以翔四海帝王雖賢非良臣無以濟天下】春秋刺有君而無臣先帝之時良臣未備故邪臣得間【音諫】堯得舜禹而鯀殛驩兠誅趙簡子得叔向而盛青肩詘語曰未見君子不知偽臣詩云未見君子憂心忡忡既見君子我心則降【胡公切】此之謂也

The Literati said: Gao Yao said to Shun: The point lies in knowing people; even the emperor finds this difficult. In the calamity of the great flood, Yao alone worried and wasted away and could not control it, and only after obtaining Shun and Yu were the nine provinces at peace. So even with a wise ruler like Yao, without assistants like Shun and Yu, pure virtue could not spread [Ban Gu said: Gongshu Zi loved his axe, and so could make his skill marvelous; an enlightened ruler values his scholars, and so can accomplish his governance. A good craftsman measures his timber and completes a great hall; an enlightened ruler makes use of his scholars and establishes merit. Wang Can said: The egret, though talented, without six flight feathers cannot soar over the four seas; the emperor, though worthy, without good ministers cannot save the world.]. The Spring and Autumn Annals criticizes having a ruler but no ministers. In the time of the late emperor good ministers were not yet complete, so wicked ministers were able to watch for gaps [phonetic gloss: "jian" is read jian]. Yao obtained Shun and Yu and Gun was imprisoned and Huandou was executed; Zhao Jianzi obtained Shuxiang and Sheng Qingjian was dismissed. The common saying is: Until you have seen the gentleman, you do not know the false minister. The Classic of Poetry says: "Before I saw the gentleman, my heart was anxious; now that I have seen the gentleman, my heart descends [phonetic gloss: "jiang" is read hu-gong]." This is what is meant.

丞相【去聲】史曰堯任鯀驩兠得舜禹而放殛之以其罪而天下鹹服誅不仁也人君用之齊民而顔異濟南亭長也先帝舉而加之髙位官至上卿狄山起布衣為漢議臣處舜禹之位執天下之中不能以治而反坐訕上故驩兠之誅加而刑戮至焉賢者受賞而不肖者被刑固其然也文學何怪焉

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: Yao employed Gun and Huandou, and when he obtained Shun and Yu he banished and imprisoned them; judging by their crimes, the whole world was persuaded, for this was executing the unbenevolent. Rulers used them to unify the people, yet Yan Yi was no more than a village head in Jinan, whom the late emperor raised to high office until he became a senior minister; Di Shan rose from commoner status and became a Han counselor, occupying the position of Shun and Yu and holding the center of the world, but could not govern with it, and on the contrary was punished for the crime of slandering his superior, so the execution of Huandou was applied and punishment arrived. The worthy are rewarded and the unworthy are punished, as is only natural. Why should the Literati find this strange?

文學曰論者相扶以義相喻以道從善不求勝服義不恥窮若相迷以偽相亂以辭相矜於後息期於苟勝非其貴者也【傳曰孔子過康子子張子夏從孔子入坐二子相與論終日不決子夏辭氣甚隘顔色甚變子張曰子亦聞夫子之議論邪徐言誾誾威儀翼翼後言先黙得之推讓巍巍乎蕩蕩乎道有歸矣小人之論也專意自是言人之非瞑目搤腕疾言噴噴口沸目赤一幸得勝疾笑嗌嗌威儀固陋辭氣鄙俗是以君子賤之也】夫【音扶】蘇秦張儀熒惑諸侯傾覆萬乘【去聲】使人主失其所持非不辯然亂之道也【泰族訓曰百川並流不注海者不為川穀趣行踳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衡之事為傾覆之謀濁亂天下撓諸侯使百姓不遑啟居或或橫或合眾弱或輔富強此異行而歸於醜者也故君子之過也猶日月之蝕何害於明小人之行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】子疾鄙夫之不可與事君患其聼而無所不至也今子不聼正義以輔卿相【去聲】又從而順之好【去聲】須之說不計其後君子之為人吏宜受上戮子姑黙矣

The Literati said: Debaters should support one another with rightness and instruct one another with the Way, following the good without seeking to win and submitting to rightness without being ashamed to be at a loss. If they instead bewilder each other with falsehood and disturb each other with words, boasting of who stops last and hoping only to win by any means, then it is not worth valuing [the commentary says: Confucius visited Kangzi, with Zizhang and Zixia following. Confucius entered and sat, and the two discussed together and could not decide all day. Zixia's speech and manner became very narrow, and his color changed greatly. Zizhang said: Have you also heard the Master's discussion? He spoke slowly and gently, with a dignified bearing; in speaking he first kept silent, and in gaining he deferred, lofty and vast, so that the Way had a destination. The discussion of petty men concentrates on being right themselves and speaking of others' faults, with eyes shut and wrists gripped, speaking quickly and spitting, mouths foaming and eyes red; once they luckily win, they laugh quickly and loudly, their bearing is coarse and their speech vulgar. Therefore the gentleman despises it.]. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: Su Qin and Zhang Yi bewildered the feudal lords and overturned states of ten thousand chariots [phonetic gloss: "cheng" is read in the departing tone], making rulers lose what they held, not because they could not argue but because it was the way of disorder [the chapter "Taizu" says: If a hundred rivers flow together but do not pour into the sea, they are not counted as rivers and valleys; if people hurry and gallop about but do not return to the good, they are not counted as gentlemen. So good words return to what can be practiced, and good deeds return to humaneness and rightness. Tian Zifang and Duangan Mu made light of rank and salary and valued their persons, did not let desire harm life or profit burden the body; Li Ke exerted the strength of his limbs, led and managed the hundred officials, harmonized the myriad people, and made his ruler have no neglected affairs in life and no lingering worries in death; these are people whose conduct differed but who returned to the good. Zhang Yi and Su Qin had no constant home and no fixed ruler, made agreements for vertical and horizontal alliances (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription), plotted overthrow, muddled the world, harassed the feudal lords and left the people no leisure to rest, sometimes vertical and sometimes horizontal, sometimes joining the many weak and sometimes helping the rich and strong; these are people whose conduct differed but who returned to the ugly. So the faults of the gentleman are like eclipses of sun and moon, what harm do they do to brightness; the conduct of petty men is like a dog barking by day or an owl seeing at night, what does it add to goodness. The wise do not act rashly, choose the good and do it, calculate rightness and act on it, so their affairs succeed and their merit can be relied on, and when they die their names are worth praising. Even with knowledge and ability, one must take humaneness and rightness as the root, and only then can he stand.]. The Master hated petty men who could not be served with, fearing their willingness to go along and stop at nothing. Now you do not listen to correct rightness in order to assist the chancellors [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone], and instead follow and comply with them, loving [phonetic gloss: "hao" is read in the departing tone] momentary (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription) talk without counting the consequences. A gentleman serving as an official should receive execution from above. Better that you keep silent for now.

丞相【去聲】史曰葢聞士之居世也衣服足以勝身食飲足以供親內足以相防外不求於人故身修然後可以理家家治然後可以治官故飯【上聲】防【音奸】糲【音辣】者不可以言孝【防蔬菜也孟康曰糲粗米也張晏曰一斗粟七升米為糲】妻子飢寒者不可以言慈緒業不備者不可以言理居斯世行斯身而有此三累者斯亦足以黙矣【韓嬰曰曽子仕於莒得粟三秉方是之時曽子重其祿而輕其身親沒之後齊迎以相楚迎以令尹晉迎以上卿方是之時曽子重其身而輕其祿懐其寶而迷其國者不可以語仁窘其身而約其親者不可與語孝任重道逺者不擇地而息家貧親老者不擇官而仕故君子釋褐趨時當務為急傳云不逢時而仕任事而敦其慮為之使而不入其謀貧焉故也詩曰夙夜在公實命不同】

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: I have heard that when a scholar lives in the world, his clothing should be enough to bear his body, his food and drink enough to supply his parents, within he should be enough to take care of (the original reads "xiang fang") his household, and without he should not seek from others. So one must cultivate the self before being able to manage the family, and only when the family is in order can one govern as an official. Hence one who eats [phonetic gloss: "fan" is read in the rising tone] vegetables [phonetic gloss: "fang" is read jian, i.e., "shu" (vegetable)] and coarse rice [phonetic gloss: "li" is read la] cannot speak of filial piety ["fang" means vegetables. Meng Kang said: Li is coarse rice. Zhang Yan said: One dou of grain yielding seven sheng of rice is li.]. One whose wife and children are hungry and cold cannot speak of kindness, and one who has not prepared an inheritance cannot speak of governing. One who lives in this age and conducts this person yet has these three burdens is already enough to keep silent [Han Ying said: Master Zeng served in Ju and received three bing of grain. At that time Master Zeng valued his salary and made light of himself. After his parents died, Qi invited him to be chancellor, Chu invited him to be prime minister, and Jin invited him to be senior minister. At that time Master Zeng valued himself and made light of salary. One who embraces his treasure while leaving his state in confusion cannot be spoken to of humaneness; one who burdens his person and constrains his parents cannot be spoken to of filial piety. One who bears a heavy load and goes far does not choose where to rest; one whose family is poor and parents old does not choose which office to take. So the gentleman takes off his coarse clothes and hurries to the time, treating what is urgent as the task. The commentary says: Serving in office when one does not meet one's time, taking on tasks and being earnest in thought, being employed and yet not entering the planning, is because of poverty. The Classic of Poetry says: "Early and late in the public service, truly our fates are different."]

文學曰善養【去聲】者不必芻豢也善供服者不必錦繡也【韓非子曰糟糠不飽者不務粱肉裋褐不者不待文繡】以已之所有盡事其親孝之至也故匹夫勤勞猶足以順禮歠【音轍】菽飲水足以致其敬【子路曰傷哉貧也生無以為養死無以為禮也孔子曰啜菽飲水盡其歡斯之謂孝斂首足形還葬而無槨稱其財斯謂之禮】孔子曰今之孝者是謂能養【去聲】不敬何以別乎故上孝養【去聲】志其次養【去聲】色其次養【去聲】體貴其禮不貪其養禮順心和養【去聲】雖不備可也【曾子曰孝有三大孝尊親其次弗辱其下能養公明儀問於曽子曰夫子可以為孝乎曽子曰是何言與是何言與君子之所謂孝者先意承志諭父母於道參直養者也安能為孝乎】易曰東鄰殺牛不如西鄰之禴祭也【反質萹曰信神者失謀信日者失時何以知其然夫賢聖周知能不時日而事利敬法令貲功勞不卜筮而身吉謹仁義順道理不禱祠而福故卜數擇日防齊盛肥犧牲飾珪璧精祠祀而終不能除悖逆之禍以神明有知而事之乃欲背道妄行而以祠祀求福神明必違之矣天子祭天地五嶽四瀆諸侯祭社稷大夫祭五祀士祭門戶庶人祭其先祖聖王承天心制禮分也凡古之卜日者將以輔道稽疑示有所先而不敢自專也非欲以顛倒之惡而幸安全之孔子曰非其而祭之諂也是以泰山終不享季氏之旅易稱東鄰殺牛不如西鄰之禴祭葢重禮不貴牲也敬實而不貴華誠有其徳而推之則安徃而不可是以聖人見人之文必考其質】故富貴而無禮不如貧賤之孝悌閨門之內盡孝焉閨門之外盡悌焉朋友之道盡信焉三者孝之至也居家理者非謂積財也事親孝者非謂鮮餚也亦和顔色承意盡禮義而已矣【曲禮曰貧者不以貨財為禮老者不以筋力為禮祭義曰孝子之有深愛者必有和氣有和氣者必有愉色有愉色者必有婉容孝子如執玉如奉盈洞洞屬屬然如弗勝如將失之嚴威儼恪非所以事親也成人之道也】

The Literati said: One who is good at caring for [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] need not use grass-fed and grain-fed meat; one who is good at providing clothing need not use brocade and embroidery [Han Feizi said: One who is not full on dregs and chaff does not strive for fine grain and meat; one whose short coarse clothing is incomplete does not wait for patterned embroidery.]. To serve one's parents wholeheartedly with what one has is the utmost of filial piety. So even a commoner's toil is enough to accord with ritual, and sipping [phonetic gloss: "chuo" is read che] beans and drinking water is enough to show his reverence [Zilu said: How sad is poverty, that in life one has nothing with which to support one's parents and in death nothing with which to perform the rites. Confucius said: Sipping beans and drinking water while exhausting their joy is what is called filial piety; to cover the head and feet and shape the body, and to bury without an outer coffin, in accordance with one's means, is what is called ritual.]. Confucius said: Filial sons today are called able to support [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone]; without reverence, how is it distinguished? So the highest filial piety nourishes [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] the will, the next nourishes [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] the expression, and the next nourishes [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] the body. Value the ritual and do not covet the provisions. When ritual is in accord and the heart harmonious, even if the provisions [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] are incomplete it will do [Master Zeng said: There are three kinds of filial piety: great filial piety honors one's parents, the next does not disgrace them, and the lowest is being able to support them. Gongming Yi asked Master Zeng: May the Master be called filial? Master Zeng said: What are you saying! What are you saying! What the gentleman calls filial piety is anticipating the parents' wishes and carrying out their will, guiding the parents in the Way. Shen is only one who can support his parents; how can that count as filial?]. The Book of Changes says: The eastern neighbor slaughters an ox, but it is not as good as the western neighbor's Yue sacrifice [the chapter "Fanzhi" says: Those who believe in ghosts and spirits lose their plans, and those who believe in day-diviners lose their time. How do we know this is so? The worthy and the sage know everything and can pursue advantage without choosing auspicious days; one who respects laws and decrees and counts achievements is fortunate without divination; one who is careful with humaneness and rightness and follows the Way and principle has blessing without prayer and sacrifice. So even if one divines and selects days, prepares millet, fattens sacrificial animals, adorns jade tablets and discs and refines sacrifices, one cannot in the end remove the calamity of rebellion; one who thinks the spirits are aware and serves them yet wishes to go against the Way and act recklessly and seeks blessing through sacrifice, the spirits will certainly go against him. The Son of Heaven sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, the five sacred mountains and the four rivers, the feudal lords sacrifice to the altars of soil and grain, the grand masters sacrifice to the five household spirits, officers sacrifice to doors and gates, and commoners sacrifice to their ancestors. The sage kings received the mind of Heaven and made ritual to divide these. All the ancient divinations of days were to assist the Way and resolve doubts, showing that there was something prior and one did not dare act on one's own, not to use perverse evil and hope for safety. Confucius said: To sacrifice to a ghost that is not yours is flattery. For this reason Mount Tai in the end did not accept the sacrifice of the Ji family. The Book of Changes says the eastern neighbor's slaughtering an ox is not as good as the western neighbor's Yue sacrifice, which values ritual and does not prize the animal. Reverence is substance and not valuing ornament; if one truly has the virtue and extends it, where could one go that is not acceptable? For this reason, when the sage sees a person's refinement he must examine his substance.]. So being rich and noble without ritual is not as good as the filial piety and brotherly respect of the poor and lowly. Exhaust filial piety within the household, exhaust brotherly respect outside the household, and exhaust good faith in the way of friends; these three are the utmost of filial piety. Managing the household does not mean accumulating wealth; serving parents filially does not mean fresh delicacies, but only harmonizing one's expression, receiving their wishes and exhausting ritual and rightness [the Quli says: The poor do not use goods and wealth as ritual, and the old do not use muscle and strength as ritual. The Jiyi says: A filial son who has deep love must have a harmonious spirit; one who has a harmonious spirit must have a joyful look; one who has a joyful look must have a gentle appearance. A filial son is like one holding jade, like one carrying a full vessel, sincere and earnest, as if unable to bear it, as if about to lose it. Stern dignity and gravity are not what one uses to serve parents; that is the Way of the adult.]

丞相【去聲】史曰八十曰耋七十曰耄耄食非肉不飽衣非帛不暖故孝子日甘毳【吹去聲】以養【去聲】口輕暖以養【去聲】體曽子養【去聲】曽晳必有酒肉無端絻【音問】雖公西赤不能以為容無餚膳雖閔曽不能以卒養【去聲】禮無虛加故必有其實然後為之父子與其禮有餘而養【去聲】不足寧養【去聲】有餘而禮不足夫【音扶】洗爵以盛水升降而進糲【音辣】禮雖備然非其貴者也

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: Eighty is called die, seventy is called mao. At the age of mao, one is not full without meat and not warm without silk. So a filial son daily nourishes [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] the mouth with sweet and soft food and nourishes the body with light and warm clothing. Master Zeng supported [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] Zeng Xi, and always had wine and meat. Without the formal robe and cap [phonetic gloss: "wen" is read wen], even Gongxi Chi could not make a dignified appearance; without delicacies, even Min Ziqian and Zeng Shen could not complete their support [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone]. Ritual has no empty additions, so one must have the substance and only then do it. For fathers and sons, rather than have ritual in excess and support [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] insufficient, it is better to have more support [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] and less ritual. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: washing a cup to hold water, ascending and descending to present coarse rice [phonetic gloss: "li" is read la]; though the ritual is complete, it is not worth valuing.

文學曰周襄王之母非無酒肉也衣食非不如曽晳也然而被不孝之名以其不能事其父母也【春秋曰天王出居於鄭左傳曰冬王使來告難曰不穀不徳得罪於母弟之寵子帶鄙在鄭地泛敢吿叔父臧文仲對曰天子蒙塵於外敢不奔問官守王使簡師父告於晉使左鄢父吿於秦天子無出書曰天王出居於鄭闢母弟之難也天子凶服降名禮也鄭伯與孔將鉏石甲父侯宣多省視官具於泛而後聼其私政禮也公羊傳曰王者無外此其言出何不能乎母也曽子曰是王也不能乎母者其諸此之謂與】君子重其禮小人貪其養【去聲】夫【音扶】嗟來而招之投而與之乞者猶不取也【雜事萹曰齊大飢黔敖為食於路以待餓者而食之有餓者蒙袂輯屨貿貿然來黔敖左奉食右執飲曰嗟來食餓者其目而視之曰予唯不食嗟來之食以至於此也従而謝焉終不食而死曽子聞之曰防與其嗟也可去其謝也可食】君子苟無其禮雖美不食焉故禮主人不親饋則客不祭是饋輕而禮重也【坊記曰子云敬則用祭器故君子不以菲廢禮不以美沒禮故食禮主人親饋則客祭主人不親饋則客不祭故君子苟無禮雖美不食焉易曰東鄰殺牛不如西鄰之禴祭寔受其福詩云既醉以酒既飽以徳以此示民民猶爭利而忘義齊俗訓曰禮豐不足以效愛而誠心可以懷逺故公西華之養親也若與朋友處曽參之養親也若事嚴主烈君其於養一也】

The Literati said: The mother of King Xiang of Zhou did not lack wine and meat, and her clothing and food were not worse than Zeng Xi's, yet he bore the name of unfilial because he could not serve his parents [the Spring and Autumn Annals says: The Heavenly King went out and lived in Zheng. The Zuo zhuan says: In winter the king sent an envoy to announce his distress, saying: "I, without virtue, have offended the favorite son Dai of my mother's brother, and am lodging in Fan in the land of Zheng; I dare to tell my uncle." Zang Wenzhong replied: "The Son of Heaven is in the dust outside; dare we not hurry to inquire whether the officials are keeping their posts?" The king sent Jian Shifu to inform Jin and Zuo Yanfu to inform Qin. The Son of Heaven does not go out; the text records "the Heavenly King went out and lived in Zheng" to avoid the trouble from his mother's brother. The Son of Heaven wearing mourning clothes and lowering his name is ritual. The Earl of Zheng, with Kong Jiangchu, Shi Jiafu and Hou Xuanduo, inspected the official equipment at Fan and only then listened to his private government, which is ritual. The Gongyang zhuan says: A true king has no outside; why does it say "went out" here? Because he could not serve his mother. Master Zeng said: This king could not serve his mother; this is probably what is meant.]. The gentleman values ritual and the petty man covets provisions [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone]. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: if one calls someone with an insulting "hey, come eat" and throws food to him, even a beggar will not take it [the chapter "Zashi" says: Qi suffered a great famine, and Qian Ao prepared food on the road to wait for the starving and feed them. There was a starving man with a cloth over his face and shoes tied on, who came stumbling. Qian Ao held food in his left hand and drink in his right and said: "Hey, come eat." The starving man raised his eyes and looked at him and said: "It is only because I would not eat food offered with a 'hey' that I have come to this." Qian Ao followed and apologized to him, but in the end he did not eat and died. Master Zeng heard of it and said: "Perhaps (the original has "fang") it was the 'hey' that he should have left; for the apology he could have eaten."]. If the gentleman has no ritual, he will not eat even something excellent. So in ritual: if the host does not personally offer the meal, the guest does not offer a libation; thus the meal is light while the ritual is weighty [the Fangji says: The Master said: Reverence is shown with sacrificial vessels. So the gentleman does not abandon ritual for thinness and does not let abundance drown ritual. Meal ritual: if the host personally offers the meal, the guest offers a libation; if the host does not personally offer, the guest does not offer. So if the gentleman has no ritual, he does not eat even something excellent. The Book of Changes says: The eastern neighbor slaughters an ox, but it is not as good as the western neighbor's Yue sacrifice, which truly receives the blessing. The Classic of Poetry says: "Already drunk with wine, already full of virtue." Showing this to the people, the people still contend for profit and forget rightness. The chapter "Qisu" says: Abundance in ritual is not enough to show love, but a sincere heart can win over the distant. So Gongxi Hua's care for his parents was like being with friends, and Zeng Shen's care for his parents was like serving a strict master and fierce ruler, and in terms of care they were the same.]

丞相【去聲】史曰孝莫大以天下一國養【去聲】次祿養【去聲】下以力故王公人君上也卿大夫次也夫【音扶】以家人言之有賢子者當路於世者髙堂【音遂】宇安車大馬衣【去聲】輕暖食甘毳【吹去聲】無厭者褐衣皮冠窮居陋巷有旦無暮食防【音奸】糲【音辣】者葷茹膢【音婁又音劉】臘而後見肉【漢儀注立秋防膢蘇林曰防虎屬常以立秋日祭獸王者亦以此日出獵還以祭宗廟故有防膢之祭也蔡邕獨防曰臘者嵗終大祭縦吏民宴飲風俗通曰按韓子書山居谷汲者膢臘而買水楚俗常以十二月祭飲食也又曰嘗新始殺也食新曰膒膢按禮傳夏曰嘉平殷曰清祀周曰大蜡漢改為臘臘者獵也言田獵取獸以祭祀其先祖也或曰臘者接也新故交接故大祭以報功也漢家火行衰於戌故曰臘也】審老親之腹非唐園唯菜是盛【音成】夫【音扶】防【音奸】糲【音辣】乞者所不取而子以養【去聲】親雖欲以禮非其貴也

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: There is no filial piety greater than caring [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] with the world or a state, next is caring with salary [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone], and the lowest is with one's own strength. So kings, dukes and rulers are the highest, and high ministers and grand masters are next. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: take an ordinary household with a worthy son who is in a leading position in the age: the halls are high [phonetic gloss: the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription, pronounced sui], with comfortable carriages and great horses, clothed [phonetic gloss: "yi" is read in the departing tone] in light and warm clothes, eating sweet and soft food [phonetic gloss: "cui" is read in the departing tone]; those who are never satisfied wear coarse clothes and leather caps, live in poverty in a lowly alley, have a morning but no evening, eat vegetables [phonetic gloss: "fang" is read jian, i.e., "shu"] and coarse rice [phonetic gloss: "li" is read la], and only see meat after the Chu-lou and La sacrifices [the Han yi zhu: At the start of autumn there is the Chu-lou sacrifice. Su Lin said: The chu is of the tiger family, and often makes its offering of beasts on the day of the start of autumn; kings also go hunting on this day and then use the game to sacrifice in the ancestral temple, so there is the Chu-lou sacrifice. Cai Yong's Duduan says: La is the great sacrifice at the end of the year, when officials and people are allowed to feast and drink. The Fengsu tong says: According to Han Fei's book, those who live in mountains and draw water from valleys buy water at the La; the custom of Chu was often to hold feasts and sacrifices in the twelfth month. It also says: Tasting the new is the first slaughter, and eating the new is called Chu-lou. According to the ritual commentary: the Xia called it Jiaping, the Yin called it Qingsi, the Zhou called it Dazha, and the Han changed it to La. La is "lie" (hunting), meaning hunting game to sacrifice to ancestors. Some say La means "jie" (joining), the old and new joining, so a great sacrifice is made to repay merit. The Han house holds the phase of Fire, which declines at xu, so it is called La.]. To examine an aged parent's stomach is not to fill it only with vegetables from a garden [phonetic gloss: "sheng" is read cheng]. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: vegetables [phonetic gloss: "fang" is read jian, i.e., "shu"] and coarse rice [phonetic gloss: "li" is read la] are what even a beggar will not accept, and for you to use them to care for [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] your parents, though you wish to accord with ritual, is not worth valuing.

文學曰無其能而竊其位無其功而有其祿雖有富貴由【通作猶】蹠【音卒】蹻【音腳】之養也髙臺極望食案方丈而不可謂孝老親之腹非盜囊也何故常盛【音成】不道之物【詩傳曰田子為相三年歸休得金百鎰奉其母母曰子安得此金對曰所受俸祿也母曰為相三年不食乎治官如此非吾所欲也孝子之事親也盡力致誠不義之物不入於館為人子不可不孝也子其去之田子愧慙走出造朝還金退請就獄王賢其母說其義即舍田子罪令復為相以金賜其母詩云宜爾子孫防防兮】夫【音扶】取非有非職財入而患從之身且死禍殃安得膢【音婁】臘而食肉曽參閔子無卿相【去聲】之養【去聲】而有孝子之名【屍子曰曽子每讀喪禮泣下霑襟常以一夕五起視衣之厚薄枕之髙卑曽子曰往而不可還者親也故子欲養而親不待是故椎牛而祭不如雞豚之逮親存也初吾為吏祿不及釜尚欣欣而喜者非以為多也樂其逮親也既沒之後吾嘗南逰於楚得尊官焉堂髙九尺車嘗百乗然猶北向而泣涕者非為賤也悲不逮吾親也故家貧親老不擇官而仕姚賈曰曽參孝其親天下願以為子子胥忠於君天下願以為臣劉向曰閔子騫兄弟二人母死其父更娶復有二子子騫為其父御車失轡父持其手衣甚單父則歸呼其後母児持其手衣甚厚溫即謂其婦曰吾所以娶汝乃為吾子今汝欺我去無留子騫前曰母在一子單母去四子寒其父黙然故曰孝哉閔子騫一言其母還再言三子溫】周襄王富有天下而有不能事父母之累【夏侯勝曰五辟之屬莫大不孝周襄王不能事母春秋曰天王出居於鄭繇不孝出之絶之於天下也】故禮菲而養【去聲】豐非孝也涼囷【丘倫反】而以養【去聲】非孝也【曽子曰亨孰羶薌嘗而薦之非孝也養也君子之所謂孝也者國人稱願之曰幸哉有子如此所謂孝也已眾之夲教曰孝其行曰養養可防也敬為難敬可防也安為難安可防也卒為難父母既沒慎行其身不遺父母惡名可謂防終矣】

The Learned Scholars said: To hold a position without the ability for it and to have a salary without the merit for it, even if one has wealth and rank, is like [the character 'like' is written with a variant form] the nourishment of Robbers Zhi [pronunciation note: read 'zu'] and Zhuang Jue [pronunciation note: read 'jiao']. Looking out from a high terrace and with a banquet table ten feet square, one still cannot be called filial. The belly of an aged parent is not a thief's sack; why should it always be filled [pronunciation note: the character 'fill' is read 'cheng'] with improper things? [The commentary on the Odes says: when Master Tian was chancellor for three years, he returned home on leave and obtained a hundred yi of gold to present to his mother. His mother said: "Where did you get this gold?" He answered: "It is from my salary." His mother said: "For three years as chancellor, did you not eat? To govern office in this way is not what I wish. A filial son serves his parents by exerting his strength and reaching sincerity, and improper goods do not enter the house. A son must not fail to be filial. Take these away." Master Tian was ashamed and went out, went to court to return the gold, and withdrew and asked to be put in prison. The king thought his mother worthy and was pleased by her righteousness, so he pardoned Master Tian's crime, ordered him to be chancellor again, and gave the gold to his mother. The Odes say: "It is fitting for your descendants, in great numbers" (the received text has a corrupted passage here).] The preface says: to take what is not one's own and not within one's duty into one's door brings misfortune following; one will die of the calamity himself, so how could he wait for the winter sacrifice to eat meat [pronunciation note: the character is read 'lou']? Zeng Shen and Min Zi did not have the nourishment [pronunciation note: the character 'nourishment' is read in the departing tone] of ministers and chancellors [pronunciation note: the character 'chancellor' is read in the departing tone], yet they have the name of filial sons. [The Shizi says: whenever Master Zeng read the funeral rites, tears wet his collar, and often in a single night he rose five times to check whether his clothes were thick or thin and his pillow high or low. Master Zeng said: "What goes and cannot return is one's parents. So 'the son wishes to care for them but the parents do not wait.' Therefore slaughtering an ox for sacrifice is not as good as chicken and pork while parents are still alive. When I was first an official, my salary did not reach a fu and I was still glad, not because I thought it much but because I delighted in reaching it while my parents were alive. After my parents died, I once traveled south to Chu and obtained a high office, with a hall nine chi high and a hundred carriages for my table, and I still faced north and wept, not because it was humble but because I grieved that I could not reach my parents." So when the family was poor and the parents old, he did not choose his office but took service. Yao Jia said: "Zeng Shen was filial to his parents; the world would wish him as a son. Zixu was loyal to his ruler; the world would wish him as a minister." Liu Xiang said: Min Ziqian had a brother; their mother died and their father remarried and had two more sons. Ziqian drove the carriage for his father, lost the reins, and his father held his hand; his clothes were very thin. The father then went home, called the son of the stepmother, held his hand, and his clothes were very thick and warm; he said to his wife: "The reason I married you was for my sons. Now you have deceived me; go away and do not stay." Ziqian stepped forward and said: "If mother stays, one son is thinly dressed; if mother goes, four sons are cold." His father was silent. So it is said: "How filial is Min Ziqian! With one sentence his mother stayed, with a second three sons were warm."] King Xiang of Zhou held the world yet had the burden of being unable to serve his parents. [Xiahou Sheng said: among the five punishable categories, none is greater than unfilial conduct. King Xiang of Zhou could not serve his mother, and the Spring and Autumn Annals says the Heavenly King went out and lived in Zheng; because of unfilial conduct it writes 'went out' and cuts him off from the world.] So meager ritual with rich support [pronunciation note: the character 'support' is read in the departing tone] is not filial, and cold granaries [pronunciation note: the character is read 'qun'] used to support [pronunciation note] are not filial. [Master Zeng said: to cook strong-smelling fragrant dishes, taste and offer them is not filial but mere feeding. What the gentleman calls filial is when the people of the state praise and wish: 'How fortunate to have a son like this!' only then is it called filial. The basic teaching of the multitude is called filial piety, and its practice is called support. Support can be done (the received text has a corrupted character here), but reverence is hard; reverence can be done, but ease is hard; ease can be done, but to the end is hard. After the parents have died, one carefully conducts oneself and does not leave a bad name for the parents; this may be called being able to complete it.]

丞相【去聲】史曰上孝養【去聲】色其次安親其次全身徃者陳餘背漢斬於泜【音止】水伍被邪逆而夷三族近世主父偃行不軌而誅滅呂步舒弄口而見戮【陳餘傳曰漢二年東擊楚使告趙欲與俱餘曰漢殺張耳乃従於是漢求人類耳者斬其頭遺余余乃遣兵助漢漢敗於彭城西餘亦聞耳詐死即背漢漢遣耳與韓信擊破趙井陘斬餘泜水上伍被傳曰伍被為淮南王安畫謀反計後事發覺被詣吏自吿與淮南王謀反蹤跡如此天子以伍被雅辭多引漢美欲弗誅張湯進曰被首為王畫反計罪無赦逐誅被主父偃傳曰元朔中上拜偃為齊相至齊乃使人以王與姊奸事動王王以為終不得脫恐效燕王論死乃自殺上聞大怒廼徴下吏治偃服受諸侯金實不刼王令自殺上欲勿誅公孫爭曰齊王自殺無後國除為郡入漢偃本首惡非誅偃無以謝天下乃遂族偃董仲舒傳曰呂步舒者仲舒弟子也】行身不謹誅及無罪之親由此觀之虗禮無益於已也文實配行禮養【去聲】俱施然後可以言孝孝在扵質實不在扵飾貌全身在扵謹慎不在於馳語也

The Chancellor's Secretary said: The highest filial piety is to nourish [pronunciation note: the character 'nourish' is read in the departing tone] their expression, the next is to give parents peace, and the next is to preserve one's body. In the past Chen Yu turned against Han and was beheaded at the Zhi [pronunciation note: read 'zhi'] River; Wu Bei was wicked and rebellious and his three clans were wiped out; in recent times Zhufu Yan acted lawlessly and was executed and exterminated, and Lü Bushu played with his mouth and was killed. [The Biography of Chen Yu says: in the second year of Han he attacked Chu to the east and sent word to Zhao wishing to go together. Yu said: "When Han kills Zhang Er I will follow." So Han sought a man who looked like Zhang Er, beheaded him, and sent the head to Yu, and Yu sent troops to help Han. Han was defeated west of Pengcheng, and Yu also heard that Er had feigned death, and so turned against Han. Han sent Er and Han Xin to defeat Zhao at Jingxing and beheaded Yu on the bank of the Zhi River. The Biography of Wu Bei says: Wu Bei drew up rebellion plans for Prince An of Huainan. Later when the affair was discovered, Bei went to the officials and confessed that he had plotted rebellion with the Prince of Huainan, with the traces as such. The Son of Heaven, because Wu Bei's elegant words often cited the Han's merits, wished not to execute him. Zhang Tang advanced and said: "Bei was the first to draw up the rebellion plan for the prince; his crime cannot be pardoned." So Bei was executed. The Biography of Zhufu Yan says: in the Yuanshuo years the emperor appointed Yan as chancellor of Qi. On arriving in Qi he sent someone to stir the king by the matter of the king's adultery with his sister. The king thought he could never escape, feared he would end like the King of Yan sentenced to death, and killed himself. The emperor heard and was greatly angry and summoned him to be tried by officials. Yan admitted: it was true that he accepted gold from the feudal lords, but he did not threaten the king to make him kill himself. The emperor wanted not to execute him. Gongsun Hong argued: the King of Qi killed himself with no heir, the state was abolished and made into a commandery that went to Han; Yan was the chief culprit in the beginning, and without executing Yan there is no way to answer the world. So Yan's clan was wiped out. The Biography of Dong Zhongshu says: Lü Bushu was Zhongshu's disciple.] If one does not conduct himself carefully, execution reaches even innocent relatives. From this we see that empty ritual does not benefit oneself. When form and substance match conduct, and ritual and support are both carried out, only then can one speak of filial piety. Filial piety lies in substance, not in decorating the appearance; preserving the body lies in carefulness, not in galloping words.

文學曰言而不誠期而不信臨難【去聲】不勇事君不忠不孝之大者也【曽子曰身也者父母之遺體也行父母之遺體敢不敬乎居處不莊非孝也事君不忠非孝也蒞官不敬非孝也朋友不信非孝也戰陳無勇非孝也五者不遂烖及於親敢不敬乎】孟子曰今之士今之大夫皆罪人也皆逢其意以順其惡今子不忠不信巧言以亂政導防以求合若此者不容於世春秋曰士守一不移循理不外援共【音供】其職而已故卑位而言髙者罪也言不及而言者傲也有詔公卿與斯議而空戰口也

The Learned Scholars said: To speak without sincerity, to promise without good faith, to be without courage when facing danger [pronunciation note: the character 'danger' is read in the departing tone], and not to be loyal in serving the ruler are the greatest of unfilial acts. [Master Zeng said: the body is the legacy of one's parents. Carrying out the legacy of one's parents, dare one be anything but respectful? To be undignified in daily life is not filial, to be disloyal in serving the ruler is not filial, to be disrespectful in holding office is not filial, to be untrustworthy to friends is not filial, to lack courage in battle is not filial. If these five are not practiced, disaster reaches one's parents; dare one not be respectful?] Mencius said: "The scholars and grand officers of today are all criminals; they all cater to their intentions and go along with their evil." Now you are disloyal and untrustworthy, use clever words to disorder government, and lead with flattery (the received text has a corrupted character here) in order to fit in; such people are not tolerated in the world. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: a scholar holds to one thing and does not shift, follows principle and does not seek outside help, and simply respects [pronunciation note: the character 'respect' is read 'gong'] his duty. So to speak of high things from a low position is a crime, and to speak when what is said is beyond one's role is arrogance. When an edict let the ministers join in this discussion, they only fought with their mouths in vain.

丞相【去聲】史曰山林不讓椒桂以成其崇君子不辭負薪之言以廣其名故多見者博多聞者知【去聲】距諫者塞專已者孤故謀及下者無失防舉及眾者無頓功【頓壊也權謀篇曰聖王之舉事必先諦之於謀慮而後考之於蓍白屋之士皆關其謀芻蕘之役鹹盡其心故萬舉而無遺籌失策傳曰眾人之智可以測天兼聼獨斷惟在一人此大謀之術也謀有二端上謀知命其次知事知命者預見存亡禍福之原早知盛衰廢興之始防事之未萌避難於無形若此人者居亂世則不害於其身在乎太平之世則必得統下之權彼知事者亦尚矣見事而知得失成敗之分而究其所終極故無敗業廢功東野鄙人曰泰山不讓礫石江海不辭小流所以成其大也詩曰先民有言詢於芻蕘博謀也秦王子嬰曰輕慮者不可以治國獨智者不可以存君】詩云詢於芻蕘故布衣皆得風【去聲】議何況公卿之史乎春秋士不載文而書咺【暄上聲】者以為宰士也【春秋曰天王使宰咺來歸惠公仲子之賵公羊傳曰宰者何官也咺者何名也曷為以官氏宰士也】孔子曰雖不吾以吾其與【去聲】聞諸侯僕雖不敏亦當傾耳下風攝齊【音諮】勾指受業徑於君子之塗矣使文學言之而是僕之言有何害使文學言之而非雖防丞相【去聲】史孰不非也

The Chancellor's Secretary said: Mountains and forests do not decline pepper and cassia to complete their height, and the gentleman does not refuse the words of one who carries firewood to widen his name. So the one who sees much is learned and the one who hears much is wise [pronunciation note: the character 'wise' is read in the departing tone]; the one who rejects remonstrance is blocked and the one who relies only on himself is isolated. Hence one whose plans extend to those below has no failed policy (the received text has a corrupted character here), and one whose undertakings extend to the multitude has no ruined achievement. [To 'ruin' means to spoil. The 'Chapter on Strategy' says: when a sage king undertakes something, he must first examine it in planning and thought, and then consult yarrow and tortoise shell (the received text lost a rare character here). Scholars of plain huts all take part in the planning and the grass-cutters and woodgatherers all give their hearts, so in ten thousand undertakings there is no missed calculation or failed policy. The tradition says: the wisdom of the multitude can fathom Heaven, but listening to all and deciding alone rests with one man, and this is the art of great planning. Planning has two aspects: the highest planning knows fate, and the next knows affairs. One who knows fate foresees the sources of survival and ruin, fortune and misfortune, and knows the beginning of flourishing and decline, rise and fall; before the affair sprouts (the received text has a corrupted character here) he avoids difficulty while it is still without form. Such a person, in a disordered age, is not harmed himself, and in an age of great peace will surely obtain the power to govern those below. One who knows affairs is also clear-sighted: he sees an affair and knows the division of gain and loss, success and failure, and examines its end, so he has no failed undertakings or abandoned merit. A rustic of the eastern wilds said: Mount Tai does not refuse gravel and the rivers and seas do not decline small streams, so they achieve their greatness. The Odes say: "The ancients had a saying: consult the grass-cutters and woodgatherers." This is broad planning. Ziying, king of Qin, said: one who plans lightly cannot govern a state, and one who relies on his own wisdom alone cannot preserve a ruler.] The Odes say: "Consult the grass-cutters and woodgatherers." So even commoners can remonstrate [pronunciation note: the character is read in the departing tone] and discuss; how much more the secretary of a duke or minister! In the Spring and Autumn Annals, a scholar's text is not recorded, yet it writes Xuan [pronunciation note: the character 'Xuan' is read in the rising tone], taking him to be a steward-scholar. [The Spring and Autumn Annals says: the Heavenly King sent the steward Xuan to return the funeral gifts for Duke Hui's concubine Zhongzi. The Gongyang Commentary says: what is a steward? An office. What is Xuan? A name. Why is the office used as a clan name? Because he was a steward-scholar.] Confucius said: "Though I am not employed, I will still be among those who hear about the feudal lords." Though I am not clever, I should also cock my ear downwind, gather my robes [pronunciation note: the character 'hem' is read 'zi'] and bow with hands clasped, and receive instruction directly on the gentleman's path. If what the Learned Scholars say is right, what harm is there in what I say? If what the Learned Scholars say is wrong, even as the Chancellor's Secretary (the received text has a corrupted character here) [pronunciation note], who would not condemn it?

文學曰以正輔人謂之忠以邪導人謂之佞【令尹子西曰為人臣而忠其君者爵祿不足以賞也為人臣而諛其君者刑罰不足以誅也】夫【音扶】怫【音勃】過納善者君之忠臣大夫之直士也孔子曰大夫有爭【去聲】臣三人雖無道不失其家【韓嬰曰大夫有爭臣三人雖無道不失其家季氏為無道僭天子舞八佾旅泰山以雍徹孔子曰是可忍也孰不可忍也然不亡者以冉有季路為宰臣也】今子處宰士之列無忠正之心枉不能正邪不能匡順流以容身從風以説【音悅】上上所言則苟聽上所行則曲從若影之隨形響之於聲終無所是非【夏侯曰夫和羮之美在於合異上下之益在能相濟順從乃安此琴瑟一聲也】衣【去聲】儒衣冠【去聲】儒冠而不能行其道非真儒也譬若土龍文章首目具而非龍也葶歴似菜而殊味玉石相似而異類【汜論曰夫亂人者芎防之與藁本也蛇床之與蕪也此皆相似故劒工惑劒之似莫邪者唯歐冶能名其種玉工玉之似碧盧者唯猗頓不失其情魏文侯曰夫物多相類而非也幽莠之防也似禾驪牛之黃也似虎白骨疑象武夫類玉此皆似之而非者也】子非孔氏執經守道之儒乃公卿面從之儒非吾徒也冉有為季氏宰而附益之孔子曰小子鳴鼓而攻之可也故輔桀者不為知【去聲】為桀斂者不為仁丞相【去聲】史黙然不對

The Learned Scholars said: To assist others with what is right is called loyalty, and to lead others with what is crooked is called flattery. [Prime Minister Zixi said: for a minister who is loyal to his ruler, rank and salary are not enough to reward him; for a minister who flatters his ruler, punishment is not enough to execute him.] The preface says: one who corrects [pronunciation note: the character 'correct' is read 'bo'] faults and brings in good is the ruler's loyal minister and a grand officer's upright scholar. Confucius said: "A grand officer who has three remonstrating ministers, though he is Way-less, does not lose his house." [Han Ying says: a grand officer who has three remonstrating ministers, though he is Way-less, does not lose his house. Lord Ji acted without the Way, usurped the Son of Heaven's rights, had eight rows of dancers, made offerings at Mount Tai, and sang the Yong at the clearing of sacrifices. Confucius said: "If this can be endured, what cannot be endured?" Yet he did not perish because Ran You and Ji Lu served as stewards.] Now you stand in the ranks of steward-scholars, have no loyal and upright heart, cannot straighten what is bent or correct what is crooked, drift with the current to find a place and follow the wind to please [pronunciation note: the character 'please' is read 'yue'] those above: what those above say you listen to carelessly, what those above do you follow crookedly, like a shadow following a form or an echo following a sound, and in the end have no right or wrong. [Xiahou Xuan (the received text lost a rare character here) says: the beauty of a blended soup lies in combining different flavors, and the benefit of high and low lies in being able to complement each other. If one simply follows and is at peace, that is a zither with a single note.] Wearing a Confucian's clothes [pronunciation note: the character 'wear' is read in the departing tone] and cap [pronunciation note: the character 'cap' is read in the departing tone] and unable to practice his Way is not a true Confucian. It is like a clay dragon, with its patterns, head, and eyes all complete but not a dragon; the peppergrass looks like a vegetable but the flavor differs, and jade and stone look alike but their kinds differ. [The 'Broad Discussion' chapter says: what confuses people are Chuanxiong (the received text has a corrupted character here) and Gaoben, snake-bed and Miwu, which all resemble each other. So sword-smiths are confused by swords like Moye, and only Ouye can name their kind; jade workers are confused by jade like Bilu (the received text lost a rare character here), and only Yi Dun does not lose the truth of it. Marquis Wen of Wei said: things are often alike in kind but not truly so. The seedling of the weed youyou (the received text has a corrupted character here) looks like grain, the yellow of a black ox looks like a tiger, white bone is mistaken for ivory, and a warrior looks like jade; these all resemble yet are not.] You are not a Confucian of Kong's school who holds the classics and keeps the Way, but a Confucian who agrees to the face of dukes and ministers, and not of our kind. Ran You served as Lord Ji's steward and increased his wealth, and Confucius said: "My young followers may beat the drums and attack him." So one who assisted Jie was not counted wise [pronunciation note: the character 'wise' is read in the departing tone], and one who gathered taxes for Jie was not counted benevolent. The Chancellor's Secretary was silent and did not answer.

大夫曰作世明主憂勞萬人思念北邉之未安故使使【去聲】者舉賢良文學髙第詳延有道之士將欲觀殊議異冊虛心傾耳以聽庶幾雲得諸生無能出竒計逺圖匃奴安邊境之冊【通作防】明枯竹守空言不知趨舍之宜時世之變議論無所依如膝癢而搔背辯訟公門之下訩訩【音兇】不可勝【音升】聽【訩訩眾言也】如品即口以成事此豈明主所欲聞哉

The Grand Secretary said: The enlightened ruler of this age toils for the ten thousand people and thinks of the north, which is not yet settled, and so he sent envoys [pronunciation note: the character 'envoy' is read in the departing tone] to recommend the worthy and good and the Learned Scholars of highest rank, and extended broad invitations to those who have the Way, wishing to see unusual proposals and strange plans, listening with an empty mind and an inclined ear, hoping to gain something. You scholars cannot produce marvelous schemes, or far-reaching plans against the Xiongnu, or measures [the character 'tablet' is commonly used for 'measure' here (the received text has a corrupted note)] to secure the frontier, and only know to cling to dry bamboo and empty words, not knowing the fitting course of pursuit and rejection or the changes of the times; your arguments have no basis, like scratching the back when the knee itches, and arguing a lawsuit at the duke's gate, clamoring [pronunciation note: read 'xiong'] so that one cannot even listen to it [pronunciation note] [clamor means many voices]. Like the character for 'goods' made by adding mouths to form something, is this what an enlightened ruler wishes to hear?

文學曰諸生對冊【通作防】殊路同歸指在於崇禮義退財利復往古之道匡當世之失莫不雲太平雖未盡可亶用【亶信也】宜略有可行者焉執事闇於明禮而喻於利末沮事隳【音灰】議計利籌冊【通作防】以故至今未決非儒無成事公卿欲成利也

The Learned Scholars said: The scholars' answers [the character 'tablet' is commonly used for 'measure'] go by different roads and arrive at the same place, their main point being to honor ritual and righteousness and to put aside wealth and profit, to restore the way of antiquity and correct the failings of the present age, and there is none who does not speak of great peace. Though not all of it can be believed [to be 'sincere' means to be trustworthy], some of it should be practicable. Those in charge are dim about ritual and understand only the branch trade of profit, hindering affairs and destroying [pronunciation note: the character 'destroy' is read 'hui'] proposals, calculating profit and counting plans [the character 'tablet' is commonly used for 'plan'], and so to this day no decision has been made. It is not that the Confucians have not accomplished anything, but that the ministers want to bring about profit.

大夫曰色厲而內荏亂真者也文表而柔裡亂實者也文學裒衣博帶竊周公之服鞠躬踧踖竊仲尼之容議論稱誦竊商賜之辭刺譏言治過管晏之才心卑卿相【去聲】志小萬乗【去聲】及授之政昏亂不治故以言舉人若以毛相【去聲】馬【仲尼弟子傳曰孔子曰吾以言取人失之宰予以貌取人失之子羽道應訓曰秦繆公請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纒採薪者九方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太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得其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】此其所以多不稱【去聲】舉詔冊【通作防】曰朕嘉宇內之士故詳延四方豪俊文學博習之士超遷官祿言者不必有徳何者言之易而行之難有舍其車而識其牛貴其不言而多成事也【漢書曰劉寛嘗行有人失牛者乃於路就寛車中認之寛無所言下駕步歸有頃認者得牛而送還叩頭謝曰蹔負長者寛曰物有相類事容脫誤幸勞見歸何為謝也】吳鐸以其舌自破主父偃以其舌自殺【繆稱訓曰吳鐸以聲自毀膏燭以明自爍許慎曰鏎大鈴出於吳也叢談曰口者闗也舌者機也出言不當四馬不能追也口者關也舌者兵也出言不當反自傷也言出於已不可止於人行發於邇不可止於逺夫言行者君子之樞機樞機之發榮辱之本也可不慎乎故蒯子羽曰言猶射也括既離雖有所悔焉不可從而追已詩曰白珪之玷尚可磨也斯言之玷不可為也】鶡【音押】鴠【音旦】夜鳴無益於明主父鳴鴟無益於死【鶡鴠渇鴠也詩云相彼鳱鴠尚或惡之鳴急旦也增韻曰鳱鴠求旦之鳥形似雞晝夜常鳴陸佃曰怪鴟其鳴即雨為繇可以聚眾鳥一名只狐晝無所見夜即飛也】非有司欲成利文學桎【音只】梏【音谷】於舊術【木在足曰桎在手曰梏】牽於間【音閒】言者也

The Grand Secretary said: One who looks stern yet is weak within confuses the true; one who is ornate outside and soft inside confuses the real. The Learned Scholars wear wide robes and broad belts, stealing the Duke of Zhou's garments; they bow low and walk with careful steps, stealing Zhongni's bearing; they recite and discuss, stealing the words of Zigong and Zixia; they mock and criticize, speaking of governance, surpassing the talent of Guan and Yan; in heart they look down on ministers and chancellors [pronunciation note: the character 'chancellor' is read in the departing tone] and in ambition belittle ten thousand chariots [pronunciation note: the character 'chariot' is read in the departing tone]. But when given the government, they are confused and do not govern. So to promote people by their words is like judging a horse by its coat [pronunciation note: the character 'judge' is read in the departing tone]. [The Biographies of Confucius's Disciples says: Confucius said: "I chose people by their words and lost Zai Yu; I chose people by looks and lost Zi Yu." The 'Responses of the Way' chapter says: Duke Miu of Qin asked Bo Le: "You are getting old; do any of your clan relatives know how to look for horses?" He answered: "A good horse can be recognized by its form, bones, and sinews. But one who judges the horses of the world, as if vanishing, as if lost, as if gone, such a horse raises no dust and leaves no tracks. My sons are all of lower talent; they can be told of good horses but cannot be told of the horses of the world. I have a man who with me carried firewood on a pole, Jiufang Yin, whose judging of horses is not below mine; please see him." Duke Mu saw him and sent him to seek a horse. He returned after three months and reported: "I have got a horse; it is at Shaqiu." Duke Mu said: "What kind of horse?" He answered: "A yellow stallion." They sent someone to fetch it, but it was a black mare. Duke Mu was displeased, summoned Bo Le and asked: "It has failed! The man you sent to seek a horse cannot even tell color or sex; how can he know horses?" Bo Le sighed deeply and said: "Has it come to this? This is exactly why he is a thousand and ten thousand times beyond me, beyond counting. What Yin observes is the heavenly mechanism: he grasps the fine and forgets the coarse, grasps the inner and forgets the outer, sees what he should see and does not see what he should not see, looks at what he should look at and leaves aside what he should not. What he judges is something more precious than a horse." When the horse arrived it was indeed a horse of a thousand li.] This is why many recommendations do not match [pronunciation note: the character 'match' is read in the departing tone]. The edict says: "I commend the scholars within the realm, and so have widely invited the outstanding, the heroic, the learned and broad in study from all quarters, to be promoted over others in office and salary." Those who speak need not have virtue. Why? Speaking is easy and doing is hard. There are people who leave their cart and recognize their ox, valuing that he does not speak yet accomplishes much. [The Book of Han says: Liu Kuan once went out and someone lost an ox, and on the road claimed one from Kuan's cart. Kuan said nothing, got down and walked home. After a while the claimant found his ox and returned it, kowtowing and apologizing: "I wronged you, elder." Kuan said: "Things can resemble one another and a mistake is possible. I am glad of the trouble you took to return it; why apologize?"] Wu Duo broke himself with his tongue, and Zhufu Yan killed himself with his tongue. [The 'Praising the Name' chapter says: Wu Duo ruined himself through sound, and oily candles consume themselves with their light. Xu Shen says: a duo is a big bell, made in Wu. The Miscellaneous Discourses says: the mouth is the gate and the tongue the mechanism; if words are spoken improperly, four horses cannot overtake them. The mouth is the gate and the tongue is the weapon; if words are spoken improperly, they turn and hurt oneself. Words come from oneself and cannot be stopped by others; deeds start nearby and cannot be stopped from going far. Words and deeds are the pivot of the gentleman, and the pivot's release is the root of honor and disgrace; can one fail to be careful? So Kuai Ziyu said: words are like shooting; once the notch leaves the string, even if one regrets it, one cannot chase after it. The Odes say: "A flaw in a white jade tablet can still be ground away; a flaw in these words cannot be undone."] The Hedan bird [pronunciation notes] crows at night but does not help the dawn; Zhufu was like an owl crying, and it did not help him escape death. [The Hedan is the thirsty bird. The Odes say: "Look at that Hedan, even it is hated; its cry urges the dawn." The Zengyun says: the Hedan is a bird that calls for dawn, shaped like a chicken and constantly crying day and night. Lu Dian says: the strange owl, its cry brings rain, and as an omen it can gather the birds; its other name is Zhihu, and it sees nothing by day and flies at night.] It is not that officials want to bring about profit, but that the scholars are shackled [pronunciation notes: the characters 'shackle' are read 'zhi' and 'gu'] by old arts [wood on the foot is a zhi and wood on the hand is a gu] and pulled along by idle words [pronunciation note].

文學曰能言之能行之者湯武也能言不能行者有司也文學竊周公之服有司竊周公之位文學桎【音只】梏【音谷】於舊術有司桎【音只】梏【音谷】於財利主父偃以舌自殺有司以利自困夫【音扶】驥之才千里非造父不能使禹之知萬人非舜為相【去聲】不能用【雜事篇曰顔淵侍魯定公於臺東野畢御馬於臺下定公曰善哉東野畢之御顔淵曰善則善矣雖然其馬將失定公不悅以告左右曰吾聞之君子不讒人君子亦讒人乎顔淵不悅歴階而去須防馬敗聞矣定公躐席而起曰趨駕請顔淵顔淵至定公曰向寡人曰善哉東野畢御也吾子曰善則善矣雖然其馬將失矣不識君子何以知之也顔淵曰臣以政知之昔有舜工於使人造父工於使馬舜不窮於其民造父不盡其馬是以舜無失民造父無失馬今東野畢之御也上車執轡御體正矣周旋步驟朝禮畢矣歴險致逺而馬力殫矣然求不已是以知其失矣定公曰善可少進與顔淵曰獸窮則觸鳥窮則喙人窮則詐自古及今有窮其下能無危者未之有也詩曰執轡如組両驂如舞善御之謂也定公曰善哉寡人之過也】故季桓子聼政桞下惠忽然不見孔子為司冦然後悖熾【泰族訓曰孔子為魯司冦道不拾遺市買不豫賈田漁皆譲長斑白不戴負】驥舉之在伯樂【音洛】其功在造父造父攝轡馬無駑【音奴】良皆可取道周公之時士無賢不肖皆可與言至治故御之良者善調馬相【去聲】之賢者善使士今舉異才而使減【音撿】騶【音鄒】御之是猶扼驥鹽車而使責之疾【騶廐御也扼通作軛轅端橫木駕馬領者】此賢良文學多不稱【去聲】舉也

The Literati said: Those who can both speak of it and practice it were Tang and Wu; those who can speak but not practice are the officials. The Literati steal the robes of the Duke of Zhou, and the officials steal the Duke of Zhou's position; the Literati are shackled [phonetic glosses: "zhi" is read zhi, "gu" is read gu] by old methods, and the officials are shackled [phonetic glosses: "zhi" is read zhi, "gu" is read gu] by wealth and profit. Zhufu Yan killed himself with his tongue, and the officials trap themselves with profit. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: a steed has the talent for a thousand li, but without Zao Fu it cannot be driven; Yu's wisdom exceeded ten thousand people, but without Shun as chancellor [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] he could not be used [the chapter "Zashi" says: Yan Yuan attended Duke Ding of Lu on the terrace, and Dongye Bi was driving horses below the terrace. Duke Ding said: "Excellent is Dongye Bi's driving." Yan Yuan said: "Excellent it is, though his horses will be lost." Duke Ding was displeased and said to his attendants: "I have heard that the gentleman does not slander people; does the gentleman also slander people?" Yan Yuan was displeased and left, going down step by step. Shortly the news came that the horses were ruined. Duke Ding jumped over the mat and rose and said: "Quickly hitch a carriage and invite Yan Yuan." Yan Yuan arrived. Duke Ding said: "Just now I said 'excellent is Dongye Bi's driving' and you said 'excellent it is, though his horses will be lost'; I do not know how the gentleman knew this?" Yan Yuan said: "I know it from governing. In the past Shun was skilled at using people and Zao Fu was skilled at using horses. Shun did not exhaust his people and Zao Fu did not exhaust his horses, so Shun lost no people and Zao Fu lost no horses. Now Dongye Bi's driving: he mounts the carriage and holds the reins, his posture is correct, his turns and steps meet the court's ritual; when he has gone through danger and far away the horses' strength is spent and he still demands more without stopping; therefore I knew he would lose them." Duke Ding said: "Good. May you go a bit further?" Yan Yuan said: "When beasts are driven to extremity they gore, when birds are driven to extremity they peck, when people are driven to extremity they deceive. From ancient times to now, none who drove those below him to extremity has been without danger. The Classic of Poetry says: 'Holding the reins like ribbons, the two outer horses dance.' This is called skillful driving." Duke Ding said: "Good. It was my fault."]. So when Ji Huanzi took charge of government, Liuxia Hui suddenly was not seen; when Confucius was minister of crime, only then did he flourish tremendously [the chapter "Taizu" says: When Confucius was minister of crime of Lu, no one picked up what was lost on the road, buyers in the market did not haggle in advance, farmers and fishers all yielded to elders, and the gray-haired did not carry loads.]. The steed was recommended by Bole [phonetic gloss: "le" is read luo], but its achievement lay with Zao Fu. When Zao Fu held the reins, whether horses were dull [phonetic gloss: "nu" is read nu] or good, all could take the road; in the time of the Duke of Zhou, whether scholars were worthy or unworthy, all could be spoken to about perfect governance. So one who drives well is good at training horses, and a worthy chancellor [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] is good at employing scholars. Now to recommend exceptional talents but make them reduce [phonetic gloss: "jian" is read jian] and let a groom [phonetic gloss: "zou" is read zou] take away the harness is like putting a steed in the yoke of a salt cart and demanding it be swift ["zou" is the stable driver. "E" is the same as "e" (yoke), the crossbar at the end of the shaft placed on the horse's neck.]. This is why the worthy and good Literati mostly are not suited [phonetic gloss: "cheng" is read in the departing tone] to the recommendations.

大夫曰嘻諸生闒【音逹】茸【音戎】無行【去聲】多言而不用情貌不相副若穿逾之盜自古而患之是孔丘斥逐於魯君曾不用於世也何者以其首攝多端迂時而不要也【攝引持也】故秦王燔去其術而不行坑之渭中而不用【秦紀曰李斯請非博士官所職天下敢藏詩書百家語詣守尉雜燒之盧生為始皇求仙藥亡去始皇大怒使御史案問諸生諸生犯禁者四百六十四人皆坑之咸陽潘生曰儒林填於坑穽詩書煬而為煙】乃安得鼓口舌申顔眉預前論議是非國家之事也

The Grand Secretary said: Hmph! You scholars are inept [phonetic glosses: "ta" is read da, "rong" is read rong] and without conduct [phonetic gloss: "xing" is read in the departing tone], speak much and are not used, your feelings and looks do not match, like burglars who bore through walls; since ancient times this has been a worry. So Kong Qiu was expelled by the ruler of Lu and was never employed in the age. Why? Because he wavered between two sides, was out of touch with the times and did not hit the essentials ["she" means to draw and hold]. So the King of Qin burned his teachings and did not put them into practice, and buried the scholars alive in the Wei and did not use them [the Records of the Grand Historian, "Annals of the First Emperor of Qin," says: Li Si requested: Except for the books handled by the court erudites, anyone under heaven who dares to hide the Poetry, Documents and sayings of the hundred schools shall hand them to the commandants to be burned together. Master Lu sought immortality drugs for the First Emperor and fled. The First Emperor was greatly angered and had the imperial counselor investigate the scholars, and four hundred sixty-four scholars who violated the ban were all buried alive in Xianyang. Master Pan said: The Confucian grove was filled with pits and traps, and the Poetry and Documents were scorched into smoke.]. How can you still wag your tongues, stretch your faces and eyebrows, and take part in discussing the rights and wrongs of the affairs of the state?

文學曰國有賢士而不用非士之過有國者之恥【叢談曰士橫道而偃四肢不掩非士之過有土之羞也邦君將昌天遺其道大夫將昌天遺其士庶人將昌必有良子】孔子大聖也諸侯莫能用當小位於魯三月不令而行不禁而止沛若時雨之灌萬物莫不興起也【家語曰孔子初仕為中都宰制為養生送死之節長防異食彊弱異任男女別塗路無拾遺噐不雕偽為四寸之棺五寸之槨因丘陵為墳不封不樹行之一年而四方之諸侯則焉】況乎位天下之本朝【音潮】而施聖主之徳音教澤乎今公卿處尊位執天下之要十有餘年功徳不施於天下而勤勞於百姓百姓貧陋困窮而私家累萬金此君子所恥而伐檀所刺也【詩序曰伐檀刺貪也在位貪鄙無功而受祿君子不得進仕爾】昔者商鞅相【去聲】秦後禮讓先貪鄙尚首功務進取【魯仲連曰彼秦者棄禮義而尚首功之國也譙周曰秦用衛鞅計制爵二十等以戰獲首級者計而受爵是以秦人每戰勝老弱婦人皆死計功賞至萬數天下謂之尚首功之國皆以惡之也司馬貞曰秦法斬首多為上功謂斬一人首賜爵一級故謂秦為首功之國也】無徳序於民而嚴刑罰於國俗日壊而民滋怨故惠王烹葅其身以謝天下當此之時亦不能論事矣今執政患儒貧賤而多言儒亦憂執事富貴而多患也大夫視文學悒悒而不言也【悒悒不安也】

The Literati said: When a state has worthy scholars and does not use them, it is not the scholars' fault but the shame of the one who holds the state [the Congtan says: A scholar who lies across the road with his four limbs not covered is not the scholar's fault but the shame of the one who holds the land. When a ruler of a state is about to flourish, Heaven sends him its Way; when a grand master is about to flourish, Heaven sends him scholars; when a commoner is about to flourish, he must have a good son.]. Confucius was a great sage, yet none of the feudal lords could use him. When he held a small post in Lu, within three months what he did not order was carried out and what he did not prohibit stopped, flowing like timely rain watering the myriad things, and nothing failed to flourish [the Jiayu says: When Confucius first served as magistrate of Zhongdu, he set regulations for nurturing life and sending off the dead, with the old and young eating differently, the strong and weak bearing different tasks, men and women using different roads, nothing lost on the road picked up, and vessels not carved or false, making coffins four inches thick and outer coffins five inches, and making tombs on hills without mounds or trees. After a year of practice, the feudal lords of the four quarters all imitated it.]. How much more if he were in the original court [phonetic gloss: "chao" is read chao] of the world and applied the virtuous words and teaching favor of a sage ruler? Now the dukes and ministers occupy honored positions and hold the world's essentials for more than ten years, yet their merit and virtue are not applied to the world and they toil over the common people, while the common people are poor, crude and in distress and private families accumulate tens of thousands in gold; this is what the gentleman is ashamed of and what the ode "Fa tan" criticizes [the Preface to the Poetry says: "Fa tan" criticizes greed. Those in office are greedy and mean, receiving salary without merit, and gentlemen cannot advance into office.]. In the past when Shang Yang served [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] as chancellor of Qin, he put courtesy and deference last and greed and meanness first, honored head-counting merit and worked for advancement [Lu Zhonglian said: That Qin is a state that discards ritual and rightness and honors head-counting merit. Qiao Zhou said: Qin used Wei Yang's plan, set twenty ranks of nobility, and awarded rank by counting heads taken in battle; so each time the people of Qin won a battle, the old, weak and women all died, and the merit counted up to the ten thousands, and the world called it the state that honors head-counting merit, and all considered it evil. Sima Zhen said: Qin law took the most heads as highest merit; for cutting off one man's head one gained one rank of nobility, so Qin was called the state of head-counting merit.]. Having no virtue to order the people and severe punishments in the state, customs daily worsened and the people's resentment grew, so King Hui had him boiled and minced to thank the world. At such a time one could not even discuss affairs. Now those in government worry that Confucians are poor and lowly and talk much, and Confucians worry that those who handle affairs are rich and noble and have much trouble. The Grand Secretary looked at the Literati and, uneasy, said nothing ["yiyi" means uneasy.]

丞相【去聲】史曰夫【音扶】辯國家之政事論執政之得失何不徐徐道理相喻何至切切如此乎大夫難罷鹽鐡者非有利也憂國家之用邊境之費也諸生誾誾【音銀】爭【去聲】鹽鐡亦非為【去聲】已也欲反之於古而輔成仁義也二者各有所宗時世異務又安可堅任古術而非今之理也且夫【音扶】小雅非人必有以易之諸生莫有能安集國中懐臧之來逺方使邊境無冦虜之災租稅盡為諸生除之何況鹽鐡均輸乎所以貴術儒者貴其處謙推讓以道盡人今辯訟愕愕【音鄂】然無赤賜之辭而見鄙倍之色非所聞也大夫言過而諸生亦如之諸生不直謝大夫耳

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: in debating matters of state and discussing the gains and losses of those in government, why not gradually instruct each other with reason; why must it be so urgent? The Grand Secretary objected to abolishing salt and iron not for private profit but out of worry for the state's needs and the expenses of the border; the scholars argue [phonetic gloss: "zheng" is read in the departing tone] earnestly [phonetic gloss: "yin" is read yin] against salt and iron not for [phonetic gloss: "wei" is read in the departing tone] themselves but wanting to return to antiquity and help complete humaneness and rightness. Each has his own source, the times and the age have different tasks, so how can one firmly rely on ancient methods and condemn present principles? Moreover, the opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: when the Lesser Odes criticize someone, they must have something to replace him. The scholars have not been able to settle the state, win over and soothe those from afar, leave the borders free from the calamity of raiders and captives, or remove all taxes, let alone salt, iron and equalization transport. So the reason Confucians of the method are valued is that they value their being modest and yielding and exhausting others by the Way. Now the argument is heated [phonetic gloss: "e" is read e], without the speech of Zigong or Zai Wo, yet shows a vulgar and rude look, which is not what we have heard. The Grand Secretary has said too much, and the scholars are likewise. The scholars should merely apologize to the Grand Secretary.

賢良文學皆離席曰鄙人固陋希涉大庭狂言多不稱【去聲】以逆執事夫藥酒苦於口而利於病忠言逆於耳而利於行【去聲湯曰藥食先嚐於卑然後至於貴藥言先獻於貴然後聞於卑道也故使人味食然後食者其得味也多使人味言然後聞言者其得言也少是故求道者不以目而以心取道者不以手而以耳孔子曰良藥苦於口利於病忠言逆於耳利於行故武王諤諤而昌紂嘿嘿而亡君無諤諤之臣父無諤諤之子兄無諤諤之弟夫無諤諤之婦士無諤諤之友其亡可立而待故曰君失之臣得之父失之子得之兄失之弟得之夫失之婦得之士失之友得之故無亡國敗家悖父亂子放兄棄弟狂夫滛婦絶交敗友韓非子曰夫良藥苦於口而智者勤而飲之知其入而已已疾也忠言拂於耳而明主聼之知其可以致功也】故愕愕【音鄂】者福也諓諓【音淺】者賤也林中多疾風富貴多防言萬里之朝【音潮】日聞唯唯而後聞諸生之愕愕【音鄂】此乃公卿之良藥針【音針】石【正諫篇曰趙簡子有臣曰周舍立於門下三日三夜簡子使問之曰子欲見寡人何事周舍對曰願為諤諤之臣墨筆操牘從君之過而日有記也月有成也嵗有效也簡子居則與之居出則與之出居無幾何而周舍死簡子如防子後與諸大夫飲於洪波之臺酒酣簡子涕泣諸大夫皆出走曰臣有罪而不自知簡子曰大夫皆無罪昔者吾有周舍有言曰千羊之皮不若一狐之腋眾人諾諾不若一士之諤諤昔者商紂黙黙而亡武王諤諤而昌今自周舍之死吾未嘗聞吾過也吾亡無日矣是以寡人泣也諸葛恪曰良藥苦口惟病者能甘之忠言逆耳惟逹者能受之】大夫色少寛面文學而蘇也【蘇氣索貌不安也】

The worthy and good Literati all left their mats and said: We are rustic and narrow, and rarely set foot in great courts, our wild words are mostly unsuitable [phonetic gloss: "cheng" is read in the departing tone] and have gone against the officials. Medicinal wine is bitter in the mouth but beneficial for the illness, and loyal words are against the ear but beneficial for conduct [phonetic gloss: "xing" is read in the departing tone. Tang said: Medicine and food are tasted first by the lowly and then given to the noble, and medicinal words are offered first to the noble and then heard by the lowly; this is the Way. So one who has others taste before eating gets more flavor; one who has others taste words before hearing them gets fewer words. Therefore one who seeks the Way does not use the eyes but the heart, and one who takes the Way does not use the hands but the ears. Confucius said: Good medicine is bitter in the mouth but beneficial for illness; loyal words are against the ear but beneficial for conduct. So King Wu flourished by frank speech and Zhou perished by silence. If a ruler has no ministers of frank speech, a father no sons of frank speech, an elder brother no younger brothers of frank speech, a husband no wife of frank speech, and a scholar no friends of frank speech, his ruin can be awaited at once. So it is said: What the ruler loses, the minister gets; what the father loses, the son gets; what the elder brother loses, the younger gets; what the husband loses, the wife gets; what the scholar loses, the friend gets. Therefore there are no ruined states and failed houses, rebellious fathers and disorderly sons, abandoned elder brothers and cast-off younger brothers, mad husbands and lewd wives, broken-off friendships and ruined friends. Han Feizi said: Good medicine is bitter in the mouth yet the wise drink it diligently, knowing that once it enters it will stop their illness; loyal words are harsh to the ear yet an enlightened ruler listens to them, knowing that they can bring merit.]. So those of frank speech [phonetic gloss: "e" is read e] are fortunate, and those of shallow flattery [phonetic gloss: the original has a rare character here, pronounced qian] are lowly. There are many violent winds in forests, and many slanders among the rich and noble. The court [phonetic gloss: "chao" is read chao] heard for ten thousand li only "yes, yes" day after day, and afterward heard the scholars' frank speech [phonetic gloss: "e" is read e], and this is the good medicine and acupuncture needle [phonetic gloss: "zhen" is read zhen] and stone for the dukes and ministers [the chapter "Zhengjian" says: Zhao Jianzi had a minister called Zhou She, who stood at the gate for three days and three nights. Jianzi sent someone to ask: What business do you have in wanting to see me? Zhou She replied: I wish to be a minister of frank speech, to take brush and tablet and follow your faults, with a daily record, a monthly result and a yearly effect. When Jianzi was at home he was with him, and when he went out he was with him. Before long Zhou She died. Jianzi was as if he had lost a son (the original has "fang" before "son"). Later he drank with the grand masters on the Hongbo Terrace, and when the wine was warm Jianzi wept. The grand masters all left and said: We are guilty and do not know it. Jianzi said: The grand masters are all innocent. In the past I had Zhou She, who had a saying: The skins of a thousand sheep are not worth the armpit of one fox, and the yes-saying of the multitude is not worth the frank speech of one scholar. In the past Zhou of Shang perished by silence while King Wu flourished by frank speech. Now since Zhou She's death I have not heard my faults, and my ruin is not far off. That is why I weep. Zhuge Ke said: Good medicine is bitter in the mouth, and only the sick can find it sweet; loyal words go against the ear, and only the enlightened can accept them.]. The Grand Secretary's expression eased slightly and he faced the Literati recovering ["su" is the look of one whose spirit has drained, uneasy].

丞相【去聲】史曰窮巷多曲辯而寡見者難喻【公孫鞅曰窮巷多恡曲學多辯】文學守死渣滓之語而終不移夫【音扶】往古之事昔有之語已可覩矣今以近世觀之自以目有所見耳有所聞世殊而事異文景之際建元之始民樸而歸本吏亷而自重殷殷屯屯人衍而家富今政非改而敎非易也何世之彌薄而俗之滋衰也吏即少亷民即寡恥刑非誅惡而奸猶不止【食貨志曰文景之時屢敕有司以農為務民遂樂業至武帝之初七十年間國家亡事非遇水旱則民人給家足都鄙廩庾盡滿而府庫餘財京師之錢累百鉅萬貫朽而不可校大倉之粟陳陳相因充溢露積於外腐敗不可食眾庻街巷有馬阡陌之間成群乗牸牝者擯而不得會聚守閭閻者食梁肉為吏者長子孫居官者以為姓號人人自愛而重犯法先行誼而黜媿辱焉於是防疏而民富役財驕溢或至併兼豪黨之徒以武斷至鄉曲宗室有土公卿大夫以下爭於奢侈室廬車服僣上亡限物盛而衰固其變也】世人有言鄙儒不如都士【都美也都者鄙之對也左傳曰都鄙有章淮南子云始乎都者常卒乎鄙葢天子所居輦轂之下聲名文物之所聚故其士女雍容閒雅之態生故謂之都相如傳云車從甚都是也邉氓所居蕞爾之邑狐狸豺狼之所嚎故其閭閻吝嗇村陋之狀出故謂之鄙老子云眾人皆有以而我獨頑似鄙是也】文學皆出山東希涉大論子大夫論京師之日乆顧分明政治識之事故所以然者也【顔師古曰子者人之嘉稱大夫學官之稱也志在優賢故謂之子大夫也】

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: In remote alleys there are many crooked arguments, and those who have seen little are hard to enlighten [Gongsun Yang said: Remote alleys have much stinginess, and crooked learning has much argument.]. The Literati stubbornly cling to dregs and chaff of words and never change. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: things of ancient times and sayings of old are already visible. Now looking at recent times, our own eyes have seen and our ears have heard. The age is different and things are different. In the times of Wen and Jing and the start of Jianyuan, the people were simple and returned to the root, officials were honest and respected themselves, all was dense and abundant, people were many and families rich. Now government has not been changed and teaching has not been altered, so why has the age become thinner and customs more declined? Officials are less honest and the people have less shame, punishments do not fail to execute the evil yet cunning still does not stop [the Han shu, "Shihuo zhi," says: In the time of Wen and Jing, they repeatedly instructed officials to make agriculture their task, and the people delighted in their work. In the first seventy years up to the early reign of Emperor Wu, the state had no troubles, and unless there was flood or drought the people had enough and families were sufficient, the granaries in towns and villages were all full and the treasuries had surplus wealth; the capital's coins were hundreds of millions, the strings rotted and could not be counted, the grain in the great granary lay piled year on year and overflowed in the open outside, rotted and could not be eaten. Commoners had horses in the streets and alleys, and in the fields they were in herds, and those who rode mares were turned away and could not join the gatherings. Village gate guards ate grain and meat, officials raised sons and grandsons, those in office took their post as a surname, each person loved himself and took violating the law seriously, put conduct and righteousness first and rejected shame and disgrace. Then the net was loosened (the original has "fang" before "loosened") and the people were rich, wealth was used to be arrogant and overflowing, some reached the point of merging holdings, and powerful clans dominated the localities by force, imperial relatives had land, and dukes, ministers and grand masters and below competed in luxury, with houses, carriages and clothing exceeding their ranks without limit. When things flourish they decline, and this is simply how they change.]. People of the age say: A rustic Confucian is not as good as a city scholar ["du" means fine. "Du" is the opposite of "bi" (rustic). The Zuo zhuan says: City and rustic have regulations. The Huainanzi says: One who begins with the city often ends rustic. The place where the Son of Heaven lives, beneath the imperial carriage, where fame and culture gather, produces a refined and leisurely demeanor in its men and women, so it is called "du." The Sima Xiangru biography says his carriage and retinue were very "du," which is this. The small towns where border people live, where foxes, jackals and wolves howl, produce a stingy and rustic appearance in village lanes, so it is called "bi." Laozi says, "All others have a purpose, while I alone am dull and seem rustic," which is this.]. The Literati all come from Shandong and have rarely set foot in great discussions. You, sirs, have discussed in the capital for a long time; I hope you will explain governance clearly and show the reasons for knowing the causes of things [Yan Shigu said: "Zi" is a fine term of address, and "dafu" is the title of academy officials. Because the intention is to treat the worthy well, he calls them "zi dafu."].

賢良曰夫【音扶】山東天下之腹心賢士之戰塲也高皇帝龍飛鳯舉於宋楚之間山東子弟蕭曹樊酈滕灌之屬為輔雖既異世亦即閎夭太顛而已【班固曰高祖起於布衣之中奮劒而取天下不由唐虞之禪不階湯武之王龍行虎變卒從風雲徵亂伐暴廓清帝宇八載之間海內克定遂荷天之衢登建皇極上古以來書籍所載未嘗有也非雄俊之材寛明之畧歴數所授神只所相安能致功如此夫帝王之作必有神人之助非徳無以建業非命無以定眾或以文昭或以武興或以聖立或以人崇焚魚斬蛇異功同符豈非精靈之感哉書曰天工人其代之易曰湯武革命順乎天而應乎人其斯之謂乎蕭曹樊酈滕灌之屬謂鄼侯蕭何平陽侯曹參舞陽侯樊噲曲周侯酈商汝隂侯滕公頴隂侯灌嬰也】禹出西羌文王生北夷【戴叔鸞傳云大禹生西羌帝王世紀曰伯禹生於石坳水經注云禹生於蜀之廣柔縣石紐村今之石泉縣也石紐村今之石鼓山其山朝暮二時有五色霞氣孟子曰文王生於岐周餘氏解雲周自古公遷於岐山之下週原故號岐周即今鳯翔府岐山縣也地與畎夷近故曰北夷】然聖徳髙世有萬人之才負迭群之任【迭通作軼相過也】出入都市一旦不知返數然後終於廝【音斯】役而已僕雖不生長【音掌】京師才駑【音奴】下愚不足以大議竊者以聞閭里長【音掌】老之言往者常民衣服溫暖而不靡器質樸牢而致用衣足以蔽體噐足以便事馬足以易步車足以自載酒足以合歡而不湛【音酖】樂足以理心而不滛入無宴樂【音洛】之聞出無佚【音逸】遊之觀行即負羸【音縲】止作鋤耘用約而財饒夲修而民富送死哀而不華養生適而不奢大臣正而無慾執政寛而不苛故黎民寧其性百吏保其官建元始崇文修徳天下乂安其後邪臣各以伎藝虧亂至治外障【音瘴】山海內興諸利楊可勝告緡江充禁服張大夫革令杜周治獄罰贖科適微細並行不可勝【音升】載夏蘭之屬妄搏【音博】王溫舒之徒妄殺殘吏萌起擾亂良民【平凖書曰縣官悉禁郡國無鑄錢専令上林三官鑄錢既多而令天下非三官錢不得行諸郡國所前鑄錢皆廢銷之輸其銅三官而民之鑄錢益少計其費不能相當唯真工大奸乃盜為之楊可告緡徧天下中家以上大抵皆遇告杜周治之獄少反者江充傳曰上拜充為直指繡衣使者督三輔盜賊禁察逾侈貴戚近臣多奢僣充皆舉劾奏請沒入車馬令身待北軍擊匈奴奏可食貨志曰自造白金五銖錢後五嵗而赦吏民之坐盜鑄金錢死】

The Worthy and Good said: The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: Shandong is the heart and belly of the world and the battleground of worthy scholars. Emperor Gao rose like a dragon and soared like a phoenix between Song and Chu, and the sons of Shandong, Xiao, Cao, Fan, Li, Teng, Guan and their like, were his assistants; though the ages differ, they are like Hongyao and Taidian [Ban Gu said: Gaozu rose from among commoners, wielded a sword and took the world, not through abdication like Tang and Yu, not climbing up as kings like Tang and Wu, walking like a dragon and changing like a tiger, in the end following wind and cloud, campaigning against disorder and punishing violence, clearing the imperial realm, and within eight years everything within the seas was subdued, and then he took Heaven's way and ascended to establish the imperial pole. Nothing like this has been recorded in books since remote antiquity. Without outstanding talent, broad and clear strategy, the calendrical numbers conferred and the spirits' help, how could he have achieved such merit? Emperors and kings always have the help of divine people; without virtue there is no establishing of an undertaking, without destiny there is no settling the multitude; some shine by culture, some rise by arms, some are established by sagehood, and some are honored by people. Burning a fish and cutting a snake were different feats with the same tally; are these not responses of spirits? The Book of Documents says: Heaven's work, human beings take its place. The Book of Changes says: Tang and Wu changed the mandate, following Heaven and responding to people. This is probably what is meant. Xiao, Cao, Fan, Li, Teng and Guan and their like refer to Xiao He, Marquis of Zan; Cao Shen, Marquis of Pingyang; Fan Kuai, Marquis of Wuyang; Li Shang, Marquis of Quzhou; Lord Teng, Marquis of Ruyin; and Guan Ying, Marquis of Yingyin.]. Yu came from the Western Qiang and King Wen was born among the Northern Yi [the biography of Dai Shuluan says Great Yu was born among the Western Qiang. The Diwang shiji says Bo Yu was born in a stone hollow. The Shuijing zhu says Yu was born in Shiniu village in Guangrou county of Shu, which is now Shiquan county. Shiniu village is now Mount Shigu, where five-colored glow of mist appears at morning and evening. Mencius says King Wen was born at Qizhou. Yu's explanation: The Zhou, from Gugong, moved to the Zhou plain below Mount Qi, so it was called Qizhou, which is now Qishan county of Fengxiang prefecture, near the Quan Yi, so it is called the Northern Yi.]. Yet their sage virtue was high above the age, they had the talent of ten thousand people and bore tasks surpassing the crowd ["die" is the same as "yi" and means to surpass]. If one goes in and out of cities and one day does not know how to return, after several times he ends up only a servant [phonetic gloss: "si" is read si]. Though I was not born and raised [phonetic gloss: "zhang" is read zhang] in the capital, my talent is dull [phonetic gloss: "nu" is read nu] and foolish, not enough to take part in great deliberations, I privately take what I have heard from village elders [phonetic gloss: "zhang" is read zhang] and say: In former times ordinary people wore warm clothes without extravagance, vessels were simple and sturdy and served their use, clothes were enough to cover the body, vessels enough to make work convenient, horses enough to replace walking, carriages enough to carry themselves, wine enough to join in joy without being sunk [phonetic gloss: "zhan" is read dan] in it, and music enough to regulate the heart without being licentious; at home they heard nothing of banquets and music [phonetic gloss: "le" is read luo], outside they saw no idle [phonetic gloss: "yi" is read yi] excursions; when walking they carried loads [phonetic gloss: "lei" is read lei], when resting they hoed and weeded; they used little yet had abundant wealth, the root was cultivated and the people were rich, they mourned the dead with grief but without ostentation, nurtured life moderately without extravagance, great ministers were upright and without desire, those in government were generous and not harsh, so the common people were at ease in their nature and the hundred officials kept their posts. At the beginning of Jianyuan, culture was honored and virtue cultivated, and the world was in order and at peace. Afterward wicked ministers each used their skills to damage perfect governance; outside they walled off [phonetic gloss: "zhang" is read zhang] mountains and seas, inside they raised various profits, Yang Ke reported on those hiding taxes, Jiang Chong prohibited clothing, Grand Master Zhang reformed the decrees, Du Zhou handled lawsuits, fines, redemptions and exiles and the tiniest matters were all in force, too many to record [phonetic gloss: "sheng" is read sheng]. Xia Lan and his like struck [phonetic gloss: "bo" is read bo] recklessly, Wang Wenshu and his kind killed recklessly, cruel officials arose and disturbed the good people [the Records of the Grand Historian, "Pingzhun shu," says: The county officials entirely prohibited the commanderies and states from casting coins and ordered the three offices of Shanglin to cast them alone. Coins having become many, it was ordered that no coin other than the three offices' coin could circulate, all coins previously cast by the commanderies and states were abolished and melted down, and their copper was delivered to the three offices. The people's casting of coins became rarer, and calculating the cost they did not break even, and only true craftsmen and great villains cast illicitly. Yang Ke's reports of hiding taxes spread across the world, and households of middle means and above were mostly reported; Du Zhou handled them, and few cases were ever overturned. The biography of Jiang Chong says: The emperor appointed Chong as direct-pointing embroidered-robe envoy to oversee bandits in the Three Metropolitan Regions and to prohibit and examine excess and extravagance. Many imperial relatives and close ministers were extravagant and overstepping, and Chong denounced all of them and requested that their carriages and horses be confiscated and that the people concerned be ordered to wait to attack the Xiongnu with the Northern Army. The memorial was approved. The Shihuo zhi says: Five years after the casting of white-metal and five-zhu coins there was an amnesty, and officials and people who were guilty of illicit casting of gold coins died

【者數十萬人其不發覺相殺者不可勝計赦自出者百餘萬人然不能率自出天下大抵無慮皆鑄金錢矣犯法者眾吏不能盡誅於是遣博士禇大徐偃等分行郡國舉併兼之徒守相為利而御史大夫張湯方貴用事減宣杜周等為中丞義縱尹齊王溫舒等用慘急苛刻為九卿直指夏蘭之屬始出而大農顔異誅矣】當此之時百姓不保其首領豪富莫必其族姓聖主覺焉乃刑戮充等誅滅殘賊以殺【所戒切】死罪之怨塞天下之責故居民肆然復安然其禍累世不復瘡痍至今未息故百官尚有殘疾之政而強宰尚有強奪之心大臣擅權而斷擊豪猾多黨而侵陵富貴奢侈貧賤簒殺女紅【音工】難成而易車器難就而易敗車不累朞噐不終嵗一車千石一衣十鍾常民文杯畫【音壊】案几席緝【音牒】婢妾衣紈履絲匹庶粺【音稗】飯肉食裡有俗黨有塲康莊馳逐窮巷蹋【音逹】鞠秉耒抱挿躬耕身織者寡娶要【古腰字】斂【古本作臉】從容傅白黛青者眾無而為有貧而強【巨両切】誇文表無裡紈袴【音褲】枲【音徙】裝生不養【去聲】死厚送死殫【音丹】家遣女滿車富者欲過貧者欲及富者空藏【去聲】貧者稱貸是以民年急而嵗促貧即寡恥乏即少亷此所以刑非誅惡而奸猶不止也【反質篇曰魏文侯問李克曰刑罰之源安生李克曰生於奸邪淫佚之行凡奸邪之心飢寒而起淫佚者乆飢之詭也雕文刻鏤害農事者也錦繡纂組傷女工者也農事害則飢之夲也女工傷則寒之原也飢寒並至而能不為奸邪者未之有也男女飾羙以相矜而能無淫佚者未甞有也故上不禁伎巧則國貧民侈國貧窮者為奸邪而富足者為淫佚則驅民而為邪也民以為邪因以法隨誅之不赦其罪則是為民設陷也刑罰之起有原人主不塞其夲而替其末傷國之道乎文侯曰善以為法服也】故國有嚴不急之徵即生前不足疾矣

[... several hundred thousand of them. Those who killed each other without being discovered cannot be counted; more than a million who were pardoned came out on their own, yet they could not all come out, and across the world roughly everyone had cast gold coins. The law-breakers were many and the officials could not execute them all, so they sent the Erudites Chu Da, Xu Yan, and others to tour the commanderies and states and to identify the annexers and the governors and chancellors who made profit. And the Imperial Counselor Zhang Tang was then in the highest favor and in charge, with Jian Xuan, Du Zhou, and others as vice-censors, and Yi Zong, Yin Qi, Wang Wenshu, and others used harshness and severity to become Nine Ministers, and the direct inspectors like Xia Lan began to appear, and the Grand Minister of Agriculture Yan Yi was executed.] At that time, the common people could not protect their heads and the wealthy could not be sure of protecting their clans. When the sage ruler awakened, he punished Jiang Chong and others, exterminated the cruel and ruinous, so as to reduce [pronunciation note: the character is read 'sha'] resentment over capital crimes and answer the reproach of the world, and so the people settled and were at peace again. But its calamity has not recovered for generations, and the wounds have not healed to this day. So the hundred officials still have the government of the maimed, the strong stewards still have the mind to seize by force, the great ministers monopolize power and strike down arbitrarily, the powerful and cunning have many cliques and encroach on others, the rich and noble are extravagant, and the poor and lowly usurp and kill. Women's work [pronunciation note: the character is read 'gong'] is hard to complete and easy to spoil, carriages and implements are hard to make and easy to break, a carriage does not last the term and an implement does not last the year, one carriage costs a thousand shi and one garment ten zhong. Ordinary people have patterned cups and painted [pronunciation note: the character 'painted' is read 'huai'] tables, with mats and cushions layered (the received text lost a rare character here, read 'die'), maids and concubines wear fine silk and silk shoes, and commoners eat polished rice [pronunciation note: read 'bai'] and meat. Villages have customs and districts have sports grounds, and people gallop on broad roads while in narrow lanes they kick [pronunciation note: the character 'kick' is read 'da'] ball. Few hold plow and spade and till and weave themselves, while many have narrow waists [the ancient form of 'waist'] and made-up faces [the old text writes 'face' differently], powdering white and painting their brows blue at leisure. Having nothing they pretend to have, being poor they boast forcibly [pronunciation note: the character 'forcibly' is read 'ju-liang'], their outsides patterned and insides empty, wearing silk trousers [pronunciation note: the character 'trousers' is read 'ku'] over hemp lining [pronunciation note: the character 'hemp' is read 'xi']. In life they do not support [pronunciation note: the character 'support' is read in the departing tone] their parents, but in death they bury them lavishly, exhausting [pronunciation note: read 'dan'] the household in sending off the dead, and send their daughters off with carriages full. The rich want to surpass others and the poor want to catch up; the rich store [pronunciation note: the character 'store' is read in the departing tone] emptily and the poor borrow. Therefore the people hurry through the years and their days are pressed; with poverty shame is little, and with want integrity is little. This is why punishment does not fail to execute the wicked and yet treachery does not stop. [The 'Returning to Substance' chapter says: Marquis Wen of Wei asked Li Ke: "Where does the source of punishment arise?" Li Ke said: "It arises from treacherous, wicked, licentious, and dissolute conduct. All treacherous and wicked hearts arise from hunger and cold, and licentiousness is the strange change of long hunger. Carved patterns and engraving harm farm work, and brocade embroidery and braided cords injure women's work. When farm work is harmed it is the root of hunger, and when women's work is injured it is the source of cold. That hunger and cold come together and yet one is not treacherous or wicked has never happened. That men and women adorn themselves finely to show off each other and yet are not licentious has never been. So if those above do not prohibit craft and cunning, the state is poor and the people extravagant. When the state is poor, the destitute turn treacherous and wicked and the well-off turn licentious and dissolute, which is driving the people to wickedness. The people become wicked, and one then follows with the law to execute them and does not pardon their crimes, which is setting a pit for the people. Punishment has a source for its rise; if the ruler does not block its root and discards the branch, is this not a way of harming the state?" Marquis Wen said: "Good." He then took this as a law and followed it.] So when a state has levies that are severe but not urgent, the illness of insufficiency in life comes faster.

大夫曰吾以賢良為少愈乃反其幽明若胡車相隨而鳴諸生獨不見季夏之螇【音奚】乎【方言曰齊謂之螇螰蟬之別名也】音聲入耳秋風至而聲無者生無易【音異】由言不顧其患患至而後黙晩矣

The Grand Secretary said: I thought the Worthy and Good were a little better, but instead they confuse dark and bright, like Hu carriages following each other and rattling. Have you scholars not seen the late summer cicada [pronunciation note: the character is read 'xi'] [the Dialect Words says: (the received text lost two rare characters here), in the land of Qi it is called xixi, another name for the cicada]? Its sound enters the ear, but when the autumn wind arrives there is no sound at all. While alive, do not speak lightly [pronunciation note: the character 'lightly' is read 'yi'], disregarding the trouble; to fall silent when the trouble arrives is too late.

賢良曰孔子讀史記喟然而嘆傷正徳之廢君臣之危也【孔子世家曰孔子云弗乎弗乎君子病沒世而名不稱焉吾道不行矣吾何以自見於後世乃因史記作春秋上至隱公下訖哀公十四年十二公據魯親周故殷運之三代其文辭而指博故吳楚之君自稱王而春秋貶之曰子踐土之防實召周天子而春秋諱之曰天王狩於河陽推此類以防當世貶損之義後有王者舉而開之春秋之義行則天下亂臣賊子懼焉孔子在位聼訟文辭有可與人共者弗獨有也至於為春秋筆則筆削則削子夏之徒不能贊一辭弟子受春秋孔子曰後世知丘者以春秋而罪丘者亦以春秋】夫【音扶】賢人君子以天下為任者也任大者思逺思逺者忘近誠心閔悼惻加爾故忠心獨而無累此詩人所以傷而作比干子胥遺身忘禍也其惡【音汚】勞人若斯之急安能黙乎【子路曰夫士欲立身行道無顧難易然後能行之慾行義白召無顧利害然後能行之令狐茂曰子胥盡忠而忘其號比干盡仁而遺其身忠臣竭誠不顧鈇鉞之誅以陳其愚志在匡君安社稷也】詩云憂心如惔不敢戲談孔子棲棲疾固也墨子遑遑閔世也【文子曰墨子無黔突孔子無暖席非以貪祿慕位起天下之利除萬民之害也修務訓曰孔子無墨突墨子無暖席是以聖人不高山不廣河防恥辱以幹世主非以貪祿慕位欲事起天下利而除萬民之害葢聞傳書曰神農憔悴堯瘐臞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庻人四胑不動思慮不用事治求贍者未之聞也班固曰太上有立徳其次有立功夫徳不得後身而特盛功不得背時而獨彰是以聖哲之治棲棲遑遑孔席不防墨突不黔】大夫黙然

The Worthy and Good said: Confucius read the records of the historians and sighed deeply, grieving that right virtue had been abandoned and the ruler and ministers were in danger. [The House of Confucius says: Confucius said: "No, no! The gentleman is troubled if his name is not praised after his death. If my Way is not practiced, how shall I show myself to later ages?" So on the basis of the historians' records he composed the Spring and Autumn Annals, going back to Duke Yin and down to the fourteenth year of Duke Ai, twelve dukes, relying on Lu, honoring Zhou, treating Yin as the old dynasty, and drawing on the Three Dynasties. Its wording is concise and its meaning broad. So the rulers of Wu and Chu called themselves kings, and the Annals demoted them by calling them 'viscounts'; the meeting at Jiantu was in fact a summons of the Son of Heaven of Zhou, and the Annals concealed it by writing 'The Heavenly King hunted at Heyang.' By analogy with these cases, he used the principle of praise and blame to measure the age, and kings of later times could raise it and open it. When the meaning of the Annals is carried out, rebellious ministers and villainous sons of the world will be afraid. When Confucius sat in office hearing lawsuits, wording that could be shared with others he did not claim for himself alone. But when he composed the Annals, he wrote what should be written and cut what should be cut, and disciples like Zixia could not add a single word. When his disciples received the Annals, Confucius said: "Those in later ages who know me will do so through the Annals, and those who blame me will do so through the Annals."] The preface says: the worthy and the gentleman take the world as their charge. One who takes a great charge thinks far, one who thinks far forgets the near, and sincere compassion and sympathy are added to it, so loyalty is single-minded and free from entanglement. This is why poets wrote out of grief, and why Bi Gan and Zixu gave up their bodies and forgot disaster. They loathed [pronunciation note: the character 'loathe' is read 'wu'] the toil of the people being so urgent, how could they be silent? [Zilu said: if a scholar wishes to establish himself and practice the Way, he does so regardless of difficulty or ease before he can carry it out; if he wishes to show his righteousness, he does so regardless of benefit and harm before he can carry it out. Linghu Mao said: Zixu exhausted his loyalty and forgot his name, Bi Gan exhausted his benevolence and gave up his body. A loyal minister gives all his sincerity and, disregarding the execution by axe, sets out his foolish views, his aim being to correct the ruler and secure the altars.] The Odes say: "My heart is burning with worry, and I dare not joke." Confucius hurrying about was grieved at the obstinacy of people of his time; Mozi hastening about was distressed for the age. [The Wenzi says: Mozi's chimney was never black and Confucius's mat was never warm; it was not that they coveted salary and craved position, but that they wanted to promote the benefit of the world and remove the harm of the myriad people. The 'Cultivating Effort' chapter says: Confucius's chimney was never blackened and Mozi's mat was never warm, so the sage did not make the mountain high or the river wide but bore shame and disgrace to approach the rulers of the age; it was not that they coveted salary and craved position but that they wanted to promote the world's benefit and remove the myriad people's harm. I have heard from transmitted books: Shennong was haggard, Yao was gaunt, Shun was dark with mildew, and Yu had calluses on hands and feet. From this we see how greatly the sages worried and toiled for the people. So from the Son of Heaven down to the commoners, there has never been one whose four limbs were idle and whose thought was unused and yet whose affairs were ordered and needs supplied. Ban Gu said: the highest is to establish virtue, the next to establish merit. Virtue cannot become especially great after one's death, and merit cannot become uniquely illustrious against the times. Therefore the governance of sages and the wise is hurried and restless, so that Confucius's mat was never warm (the received text has a corrupted character here) and Mozi's chimney was never blackened.] The Grand Secretary was silent.

丞相【去聲】史曰願聞防不足

The Chancellor's Secretary said: I would like to hear about the gathering (the received text has a corrupted character here) of what is insufficient.

賢良曰宮室輿馬衣服噐械防祭食飲聲色玩好【去聲】人情之所不能已也故聖人為之制度以坊【古防字】之【泰族訓曰良匠不能斵金巧冶不能鑠木金之勢不可斵而木之性不可鑠也埏埴而為器窬木而為舟鑠鐵而為月鑄金而為鍾因其可也駕馬服牛令雞司夜令狗守門因其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筦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寧家室樂妻子敎之以順故父子有親因其喜朋友而教之以悌故長防有序然後修朝聘以明貴賤鄉飲習射以明長防時搜振旅以習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傳曰人有六情目欲視好色耳欲聼宮商鼻欲嗅芬香口欲嗜防其身體四肢欲安而不作衣欲被文繡而輕暖此六者民之六情也失之則亂從之則穆故聖王之敎其民也必因其情而節之以禮必從其欲而制之以義義簡而備禮易而法去情不逺故民之從命也速孔子知道之易行曰詩云牖民孔易非虛辭也】間【音諫】者士大夫務於權利怠於禮義故百姓仿效頗逾制度今故陳之曰古者穀物菜果不時不食鳥獸魚鱉不中【去聲】殺不食故繳網不入於澤雜毛不取【王制曰五穀不時果實未熟不粥於市木不中伐不粥於市禽獸魚鼈不中殺不粥於市】今富者遂驅殱【音尖】網罝掩捕麑鷇【音冦】躭【音耽】湎沉猶鋪百川鮮羔防【音兆】【音幾】胎扁皮黃口春鵝秋雛冬葵溫韭浚芘【音疪】蓼蘇豐奕耳菜毛果蟲貉古者採椽茅茨陶桴複穴足禦寒暑蔽風雨而已及其後世採椽不斵【音卓】茅茨不剪無斵【音卓】削之事磨礱之功大夫達稜楹士頴【音影】首庶人斧成木構而已今富者井榦增梁【井榦復屋熒井刻花置其中也】雕文檻修【雕文雕鏤文章也】【音珎】憂壁飾古者衣服不中【去聲】制器械不中【去聲】用不粥於市【王制曰用器不中度不粥於市兵車不中度不粥於市布帛精麤不中數幅廣狹不中量不粥於市奸色亂正色不粥於市】今民間雕琢不中【去聲】之物刻畫【音壊】無用之器玩好黃雜青五色繡衣戲弄蒲人雜婦百獸馬戲鬬虎唐銻【音提】追人竒蟲胡妲古者諸侯不秣馬天子有命以車就牧庶人之乗者馬足以代其勞而已故行則服扼止則就犁今富者連車列騎驂貳輜【音之】軿【音駢】中者微輿短轂煩尾掌蹄夫【音扶】一馬伏當【去聲】中家六口之食亡丁男一人之事古者庶人耋老而後衣【去聲】絲其餘則麻枲【音徙】而已故命曰布衣及其後則絲裡枲表直領無禕【音揮】袍合不縁夫【音扶】羅紈文繡者人君后妃之服也繭防縑練者婚姻之嘉飾也是以文繒【音曾】薄織不粥於市今富者縟繡羅紈中者素綈【音啼】錦氷常民而被后妃之服褻人而居婚姻之飾夫【音扶】紈素之賈倍縑縑之用倍紈也古者椎車無柔棧【音湛】輿無植及其後木軨【音零】不衣長轂數幅蒲薦苙【音立】蓋蓋無染絲之飾大夫士則單椱木具盤韋柔革常民染輿大軨蜀輪今庶人富者銀黃華左搔結綏韜槓中者錯鏕【音鹿】塗採珥【音二】靳飛鈴古者鹿裘皮冐蹄足不去及其後大夫士狐貉縫腋羔麑豹祛庶人則毛絝【音庫】衳【音鍾】彤【音同】樸羝皮傳今富者鼲【音渾】鼯【音吾】狐白鳬翥【音注】中者罽【音計】衣金縷燕防【音喝】代黃古者庶人賤騎繩控革鞮【音低】皮廌而已及其後革鞍犛【音茅】成鐡鑣不飾今富者【音劇】耳銀鑷【音聶】防【音列】黃金琅勒罽【音計】繡弇【音掩】汙垂珥【音二】胡鮮中者染緯紹系採畫【音壊】暴幹古者汙尊壞飲葢無爵觴樽爼及其後庶人器用即行桞陶瓠而已唯瑚璉觴豆而後雕文彤漆今富者銀口黃耳金罍玉鍾中者舒玉紵器金錯蜀杯夫【音扶】一文杯得銅杯十賈【通作價】賤而用不殊箕子之譏始在天子今在匹夫【宋世家曰紂始為象箸箕子嘆曰彼為象箸必為玉杯為杯則必思逺方珍怪之物而御之輿馬宮室之漸自此始不可振也韓非子曰昔者紂為象箸而箕子怖以為象箸必不加於土鉶必將犀玉之杯象箸玉杯必不羮菽藿則必旄象豹胎必不衣短褐而食於茅屋之下則錦衣九重廣室廣室高臺吾畏其卒故怖其始故箕子見象箸以知天下之禍故曰見小曰明】古者燔黍食稗而熚【音畢】豚以相饗其後鄉人飲酒老者重豆少者立食一醬一肉旅飲而已及其後賔婚相召則豆羮白飯綦膾熟肉今民間酒食殽旅重疊燔炙滿案臑【音如】鼈膾腥麑卵鶉【音純】鷃【音晏】撜抅鮐【音臺】鱧【音禮】醢【音海】醯【音希】眾物雜味古者庶人春夏耕耘秋冬收藏昏晨力作夜以繼日詩云晝爾於茅宵爾索綯亟其乗屋其始播百穀非膢【音婁】臘不休息非祭祀無酒肉今賔昏酒食接連相因折醒什半棄事相隨慮無之日古者庶人糲食藜藿非鄉飲酒膢臘祭祀無酒肉故諸侯無故不殺牛羊大夫士無故不殺犬豕【王制曰諸侯無故不殺牛大夫無故不殺羊士無故不殺犬豕庶人無故不食珎】今閭巷縣伯阡陌屠沽無故烹殺相聚野外負粟而往挈肉而歸夫【音扶】一豕之肉得中年之收十五斗粟當【去聲】丁男半月之食古者庶人魚菽之祭春秋修其祖祠士一廟大夫三以時有事於五祀【月令曰孟春之月其祀戶孟夏祀灶中央祀中霤孟秋祀門孟冬祀行謂之五祀】葢無出門之祭今富者祈名嶽望山川椎牛擊鼓戱倡舞像中者南居當路水上雲臺屠羊殺狗皷瑟吹笙貧者雞豕五芳衛保散臘傾葢社塲古者徳行【去聲】求福故祭祀而寛仁義求吉故卜筮而希今世俗寛於行【去聲】而求於鬼怠於禮而篤於祭嫚【音慢】親而貴勢至妄而信日聼馳【音移】言而幸得出實物而享虗福古者君子夙夜孳孳思其徳小人晨昏孜孜思其力故君子不素飡小人不空食世俗飾偽行詐為【去聲】民巫祝以取釐謝堅頟【音額】徤舌或以成業致富故憚事之人釋夲相學是以街巷有巫閭里有祝古者無槓樠【音防】之寢床栘【音移】之案及其後世庶人即採木之槓葉華之樠士不斤成大夫葦莞而已今富者黼繡幃幄塗屏錯跗【音夫】中者錦綈【音提】高張採畫【音壊】丹漆古者皮毛草蓐無茵席之加旃【音氊】蒻【音弱】之美及其後大夫士復薦草縁蒲平單莞庶人即草蓐索經單藺【音吝】蘧【音瞿】蒢【音除】而已今富者繡茵翟柔蒲子露林中者皮代旃【音氊】闒【音逹】坐平莞古者不粥絍不市食及其後則有屠沽沽酒市脯魚鹽而已今熟食徧列殽施成市作業墮怠食必趣時楊豚韭卵狗防【音折】馬朘【音唆】煎魚切肝羊淹雞寒蜩馬駱日蹇【音簡】捕庸脯胹【音而】羔豆賜【音谷】膹【音憤】鴈羮自鮑瓠熱梁和炙古者土皷凷【音塊】枹【音浮】擊木拊【音府】石以盡其歡【明堂篇曰土鼔蕢桴葦籥伊耆氏之樂也齊俗訓曰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也】及其後卿大夫有管磬士有琴瑟往者民間酒會各以黨俗彈箏鼓缶【浮去聲】而已無要玅之音變羽之轉今富者鐘鼓五樂歌兒數曹中者鳴竽調瑟鄭儛趙謳古者瓦棺容屍木板堲【音即】周足以收形骸藏發齒而已【國子高曰也者藏也藏也者欲人之弗得見也是故衣足以飾身棺周於衣槨周於棺土周於槨反壤樹之哉齊俗訓曰古者非不能竭國靡民虛府殫財舍珠鱗施綸組節以為窮民絶業而無益於槁骨腐肉也故薶足以收斂葢藏而已昔舜蒼梧之野商不變其肆禹葬防稽之山農不易其畆明乎死生之分通乎侈儉之適者也】及其後桐棺不衣採棺不斵【音卓】今富者繡牆題湊【音腠題湊棺木內向也】中者梓棺楩槨貧者畫荒衣袍繒囊緹【音提】槖古者明器有形無實示民不用也【檀弓曰孔子曰之死而致死之不仁而不可為也之死而致生之不知而不可為也是故竹不成用瓦不成味木不成斵琴瑟張而不平竽笙備而不和有鐘磬而無簨簴其曰明器神明之也仲憲言於曾子曰夏后氏用明器示民無知也殷人用祭器示民有知也周人兼用之示民疑也曾子曰其不然乎其不然乎夫明器鬼器也祭器人器也夫古之人胡為而死其親乎孔子謂明器者知防道矣備物而不可用也哀哉死者而用生者之器也不殆於物殉乎哉其曰明器神明之也塗車芻靈自古有之明器之道也孔子謂為芻靈者善謂為俑者不仁不殆於用人乎哉】及其後則有醯【音希】醢【音海】之藏桐馬偶人彌祭其物不備今厚資多藏器用如生人郡國繇【音遙】吏素桑楺【柔上聲】偶車櫓輪匹夫無貎領桐人衣【去聲】紈【音丸】綈【音提】古者不封不樹反虞祭於寢無檀宇之居廟堂之位【易曰占之葬者厚衣之以薪之中野不封不樹防期無數】及其後則封之庶人之墳半仞其高可隱今富者積土成山列樹成林臺榭連閣集觀【去聲】增樓中者祠堂屏閣垣闕罘【音浮】罳【音思顔師古曰罘罳謂連闕曲閣也以覆重刻垣墉之處其形罘罳然也劉熈曰罘復也罳思也言臣將請事於此復思也蘇鶚曰按罘罳從四是形不思是聲罘浮也罳絲也謂織絲之文輕疎浮虛之貌葢宮殿簷戶之間也】古者鄰有防舂不相杵巷不歌謡【曲禮曰適墓不登壟助葬必執紼臨防不笑揖人必違其位望柩不歌入臨不翔當食不嘆鄰有防舂不相里有殯不巷歌適墓不歌哭日不歌送防不由徑送不闢塗潦臨防則必有哀色執紼不笑臨樂不嘆】孔子食於有防者之側未嘗飽也子於是日哭則不歌今俗因人之防以求酒肉幸與小坐而責辦歌舞俳【音排】優連笑伎【音至】戱古者男女之際尚矣嫁娶之服未之以記及虞夏之後蓋表布內絲骨笄【音記】象珥【音二】封君夫人加錦尚褧而已今富者皮衣朱貉繁露環佩中者長裾交禕【音揮】璧端簮珥【音二】古者事生盡愛送死盡哀故聖人為制節非虛加之【檀弓曰子游問防具夫子曰稱家之有亡子游曰有亡烏乎齊夫子曰有母過禮茍亡矣斂首足形還懸棺而封人豈有非之者哉】今生不能致其愛敬死以奢侈相髙雖無哀慼之心而厚重幣者則稱以為孝顯名立於世光榮著於俗故黎民相慕效至於廢屋賣業古者夫婦之好一男一女而成家室之道及後士一妾大夫二諸侯有侄娣九女而已今諸侯百數卿大夫十數中者侍御富者盈室是以女或曠怨失時男或放死無匹古者凶年不備豐年補敗仍舊貫而不改作今工異變而吏殊心壊敗成功以匿厥意意極乎功業務存乎面目積功以市譽不恤民之急田野不闢而飾亭落邑居丘墟而髙其郭古者不以人力徇於禽獸不奪民財以養狗馬是以財衍而力有餘今猛獸竒蟲不可以耕耘而令當耕耘者養食之百姓或短褐不完而犬馬衣【去聲】文繡黎民或糠糟不接而禽獸食肉【雜事篇曰昔者燕相得罪於君將出亡召門下諸大夫曰有能從我出者乎三問諸大夫莫對燕相曰嘻亦有士之不足養也大夫有進者曰亦有君之不能養士安有士之不足養者凶年飢嵗士糟粕不厭而君之犬馬有餘谷粟隆冬烈寒士短褐不完四體不蔽而君之臺觀帷防錦繡隨風飄飄而財者君之所輕死者士之所重也君不能施君之所輕而求得士之所重不亦難乎燕相遂慙遁逃不復敢見】古者人君敬事愛下使民以時天子以天下為家臣妾各以其時共【音供】公職古今之通義也【王符曰王者以四海為家兆民為子一夫不耕天下受其飢一婦不織天下受其寒一夫耕百人食之一婦桑百人衣之以一奉百孰能供之是故明主之養民憂之勞之教之誨之慎防防萌以防其邪故易美節以制度不傷財不害民七月之詩大小敎之終而復始由此觀之人固不可恣也】今縣官多畜奴婢坐稟衣食私作產業為奸利力作不盡縣官失實百姓或無斗筲之儲官奴累百金黎民昏晨不釋事奴婢垂拱遨遊也【垂拱言晏安無事垂衣拱手而已】古者親近而疏逺貴所同而賤非類不賞無功不養無用今蠻貊無功縣官居肆廣屋大第坐稟衣食百姓或旦暮不澹【古贍字】蠻夷或厭酒肉黎民泮汗力作令蠻夷交脛肆踞古者庶人鹿菲草芰【音技】縮絲尚韋而已及其後則綦【音其】下不借鞔【音漫】鞮【音低】革舄今富者革中名工輕靡使容紈【音丸】裡紃【音廵】下越端縱縁中者鄧裡間作蒯【音快】苴【音蛆】秦堅婢妾韋沓絲履走者茸【音戎】芰【音技】狗官古聖人勞躬養神節慾適情尊天敬地履徳行仁是以上天歆焉永其世而豐其年故堯秀眉髙彩享國百載【修務解曰堯母慶都葢天帝之女寄伊長孺家年二十無夫出觀於河有赤龍負圖而至曰赤龍受天下之圖有人赤衣光面八彩鬢須長赤帝起成元寳奄然隂雲赤龍與慶都合而生堯帝如圖故眉有八彩之色】及秦始皇覽怪迂信禨【音幾】祥使盧生求羨門高徐市等入海求不死之藥當此之時燕齊之士釋鋤耒爭言神仙方士於是趣咸陽者以千數言仙人食金飲珠然後夀與天地相保於是數【音朔】廵狩五嶽濵海之館以求神仙蓬萊之屬數【音朔】幸之郡縣富人以貲【音茲】佐貧者築道旁其後小者亡逃大者藏匿吏捕索掣【音徹】頓【釋名曰掣制也制頓之使順已也】不以道理名宮之旁廬舍丘落無生苗立樹百姓離心怨思者十有半【半一作九封禪書曰自齊威宣之時騶子之徒論著終始五徳之運及秦帝而齊人奏之故始皇採用之而宋母忌正伯僑充尚羨門子高最後皆燕人為方僊道形解銷化依於鬼神之事騶衍以隂陽主運顯於諸侯而燕齊海上之方士傳其術不能通然則怪迂阿防苟合之徒自此興不可勝數也自威宣燕昭使人入海求蓬萊方丈瀛洲此三神山者其傳在渤海中去人不逺患且至則船風引而去葢嘗有至者諸僊人及不死之藥皆在焉其物禽獸盡白而黃金銀為宮闕未至望之如雲及到三神山反居水下臨之風輙引去終莫能至雲世主莫不心焉及至秦始皇並天下至海上則方士言之不可勝數始皇自以為至海上而恐不及矣使人乃齎童男女入海求之船交海中皆以風為解曰未能至望見之焉其明年始皇復遊海上至琅邪過恆山從上黨歸後三年逰碣石考入海方士從上郡歸後五年始皇南至湘山遂登防稽並海上冀遇海中三神山之竒藥不得還至沙丘崩反質篇曰秦始皇既兼天下大侈靡即位三十五年猶不息治大馳道從九原抵雲陽塹山堙谷直通之厭先王宮室之小乃於豐鎬之間文武之處營作朝宮渭南山林苑中作前殿阿房東西五百步南北五十丈上可以坐萬人下可建五丈旗周為閣道自殿直抵南山之嶺以為闕為複道由阿房度渭水屬咸陽以象天極閤道絶漢抵營室也又興驪山之役錮三泉之底闗中離宮三百所闗外四百所皆有鐘磬帷帳婦女倡優立石闕東海上朐山界中以為秦東門於是有方士韓客侯生齊客盧生相與謀曰當今時不可以居上樂以刑殺為威天下畏罪持祿莫敢盡忠上不聞過而日驕下懾伏以漫欺而取容諫者不用而失道滋甚吾黨乆居且為所害乃相與亡去始皇聞之大怒曰吾異日厚盧生尊爵而事之今乃誹謗我吾聞諸生多為妖言以亂黔首乃使御史悉上諸生諸生轉相告犯法者四百六十餘人皆坑之盧生不得而侯生後得始皇聞之召而見之升阿東之臺臨四通之街將數而車裂之始皇望見侯生大怒曰老虜不良誹謗而主廼敢復見我侯生至仰臺而言曰臣聞知死必勇陛下肯聼臣一言乎始皇曰若欲何言言之侯生曰臣聞禹立誹謗之木欲以知過也今陛下奢侈失本淫泆趨末宮室臺閣連屬増累珠玉重寳積襲成山錦繡文防滿府有餘婦女倡優數鉅萬人鍾鼔之樂流漫無窮酒食珎味盤錯於前衣服輕暖輿馬文飾所以自奉麗靡爛漫不可勝極黔首匱竭民力單盡尚不自知又急誹謗嚴威克下下喑上聾臣等故去臣等不惜臣之身惜陛下國之亡耳聞古之明王食足以飽衣足以暖宮室足以處輿馬足以行故上不見棄於天下不見棄於黔首堯茅茨不剪採椽不斵土階三等而樂終身者以其文采之少而質素之多也丹朱傲虐好慢淫不修理化遂不以升今陛下之淫萬丹朱而千昆吾桀紂臣恐陛下之十亡也而曾不一存始皇黙黙乆之曰如何不早言侯生曰陛下之意方乘青雲飄揺於文章之觀自賢自徤上侮五帝下凌三王棄素樸就末技陛下亡徵見乆矣臣等恐言之無益也而自取死故逃而不敢言今臣必死故為陛下陳之雖不能使陛下不亡欲使陛下自知也始皇曰吾可以變乎侯生曰形已成矣陛下坐而待亡耳若陛下欲更之能若堯與禹乎不然無異也陛下之佐又非也臣恐變之不能存也始皇喟然而嘆遂釋不誅後三年始皇崩二世即位三年而秦亡】書曰享多儀儀不及物曰不享故聖人非仁義不載於已非正道不御於前是以先帝誅文成五利等【谷永曰明天地之性者不可惑以神怪知萬物之情者不可罔以非類諸背仁義之正道不遵五經之法言而盛稱竒怪鬼神廣崇祭祀之方求報無福之祠及言世有僊人服食不終之藥遙興輕舉覽觀縣圃浮游蓬萊耕耘五徳朝種暮獲與山石無極黃冶變化堅氷淖溺化色五倉之術者皆奸人惑眾挾左道懷詐偽以欺罔世主聼其言洋洋滿耳若將可遇求之蕩蕩如繫風捕景終不可得是以明主拒而不聽聖人絶而不言封禪書曰齊人少翁以鬼神方見上上有所幸王夫人夫人卒少翁以方葢夜致王夫人及灶鬼之貌雲天子自帷中望見焉於是乃拜少翁為文成將軍賞賜甚多以客禮禮之居嵗餘其方益衰神不至乃為帛書以飯牛佯不知言曰此牛腹中有竒殺視得書書言甚怪天子識其手書問其人果是偽書於是誅文成將軍隱之欒大因樂成侯見求言方天子既誅文成後悔其蚤死惜其方不盡及見欒大大説大為人長美言多方畧而敢為大言處之不疑是時上方憂河決有黃金不就乃拜大為五利將軍其後五利妄言見其師其方多不讐上乃誅五利】陛下建學官親近忠良欲以絶怪惡之端而昭至徳之塗也宮室奢侈林木之蠧【音妬】也器械雕琢財用之蠧【音妬】也衣服靡麗布帛之蠧【音妬】也狗馬食人之食五穀之蠧【音妬】也口腹縱恣魚肉之蠧【音妬】也用費不節府庫之蠧【音妬】也漏積不禁田野之蠧【音妬】也防祭無度傷生之蠧【音妬】也【諺曰蠧眾而木折隙大而牆壊】墮成變故傷功工商上通傷農故一杯棬用百人之力一屏風就萬人之功其為害亦多矣目修於五色耳營於五音體極輕薄口極甘脆【音翠】功積於無用財盡於不急口腹不可為多故國病聚不足即政怠人病聚不足則身危【傳曰福生於無為而患生於多欲知足然後富從之徳宜君人然後貴從之故貴爵而賤徳者雖為天子不尊矣貪物而不知止者雖有天下不富矣夫土地之生不益山澤之出有盡懐不富之心而求不益之物挾百倍之慾而求有盡之財是桀紂之所以失其位也】

The Worthies said: Palaces and houses, carriages and horses, clothing, utensils, funerals and sacrifices, food and drink, music and women, and playthings are things human feeling cannot do without, so the sages made institutions for them to guard against excess. [The Huainanzi, 'Tai Zu Xun,' says: A good craftsman cannot chop metal, and a skilled smith cannot melt wood, for the nature of metal cannot be chopped and the nature of wood cannot be melted. Kneading clay into vessels, hollowing wood into boats, smelting iron into blades, casting metal into bells: these follow what is possible. Harnessing horses, subduing oxen, making cocks keep the night watch, and making dogs guard the gate: these follow what is natural. People have the nature of loving beauty, so there are the rites of great marriage; they have the nature of eating and drinking, so there is the meaning of the great feast; they have the nature of joy, so there are the sounds of bells, drums, pipes and strings; they have the nature of sorrow, so there are the regulations of mourning garments, weeping and leaping. So the former kings' making of laws was to give measure and form to what people like. Because people love beauty, they made the rites of marriage, so that men and women have distinction; because people enjoy music, they corrected the sounds of the Ya and Song, so customs do not drift; because people like to settle in family and be glad with wife and children, they taught them compliance, so father and son have closeness; because people like friends, they taught brotherly respect, so old and young have order. Then they cultivated court and visiting rites to make clear honor and humility, village drinking and archery practice to make clear old and young, seasonal hunts and troop reviews to practice military use, and entering schools to cultivate human relations. All these are things people have in their nature that the sages shaped. A tradition says: People have six feelings: the eyes want to see beauty, the ears want to hear gong and shang, the nose wants to smell fragrance, the mouth wants to savor fine flavors, the body and limbs want ease and no work, and the clothes want to be embroidered and light and warm. These six are the people's six feelings; losing them brings disorder, following them brings harmony. Therefore the sage kings teaching their people necessarily followed their feelings and regulated them by ritual, necessarily followed their desires and restrained them by righteousness. Righteousness is simple and complete, ritual is easy and models itself on nature, not far from feeling, so the people follow commands quickly. Confucius knew how easy the Way is to practice, and said: 'The Poem says, to guide the people is very easy,' which is no empty word.] Recently scholar-officials have attended to power and profit and been lax in ritual and righteousness, so the common people imitate them and greatly exceed the institutions. Now to speak of it in particular: in ancient times grains, vegetables and fruit were not eaten out of season, and birds, beasts, fish and turtles were not eaten if not suitable to be killed, so nets and tethered arrows did not enter marshes and mixed-color animals were not taken. [The Wang Zhi says: Five grains out of season and fruit not yet ripe are not sold at market; trees not fit to be cut are not sold at market; birds, beasts, fish and turtles not fit to be killed are not sold at market.] Now the rich drive and exterminate with nets and snares, seize fawns and nestlings, indulge in drinking and revelry, set out viands from a hundred streams, fresh lamb and fawn embryos, flat-skinned yellow-mouthed young, spring geese and autumn chicks, winter mallow and warm chives, and quantities of pickled smartweed and perilla, bountiful in vegetables, furred fruit and insects. In ancient times they used rough-cut rafters and thatch, pottery and burrow dwellings, simply seeking enough to resist cold and heat and shelter from wind and rain. Later, the rough rafters were not hewn and thatch was not trimmed, with no cutting or polishing work. High officials had polished pillars, scholars had pointed ones, and commoners had wood frames made with axes only. Now the rich have layered log-cabin roofs with added beams, carved and patterned railings and balustrades, and decorated walls. In ancient times, clothes that did not meet the standard and utensils that did not meet the need were not sold at market. [The Wang Zhi says: Utensils that do not meet the measure are not sold at market; war chariots that do not meet the measure are not sold at market; cloth and silk whose fineness or coarseness do not meet the count and whose width does not meet the measure are not sold at market; false colors that confuse true colors are not sold at market.] Now among the people, things that do not meet the standard are carved, useless utensils are engraved, playthings in black and yellow mixed with blue, five-color embroidered clothes, performances of rush men and mixed women, horse shows with a hundred beasts and tiger fights, spectacles chasing people with strange insects and Hu women. In ancient times the feudal lords did not feed horses, and when the Son of Heaven gave orders carriages were brought to the pasture; commoners' riding horses sufficed only to replace their labor, so they wore the yoke when traveling and went to the plow when resting. Now the rich line up carriages and cavalry, with side horses and baggage carts and covered wagons, and the middling have small carriages with short hubs, with tails trimmed and hooves attended. A single horse in the stable consumes the food of six members of a middling family and the labor of one grown man. In ancient times commoners wore silk only after old age, and otherwise hemp and flax only, so they were called cloth-clothed. Later, they had silk lining with hemp outside, straight collars without borders, and robes closed without edging. Gauze, silk and embroidery were the clothes of rulers and consorts, and cocoon silk and plain silk were the fine ornaments of marriage, so patterned silk and thin weave were not sold at market. Now the rich have rich embroidery and gauze, and the middling plain heavy silk and brocade; commoners wear the clothes of consorts and the low wear the ornaments of weddings. The price of white silk is double that of plain silk, but the use of plain silk is double that of white silk. In ancient times pushcarts had no soft padding, and wooden carts had no uprights. Later, the wooden railings were not covered, hubs were long and spokes many, with rush mats and reed covers, and the covers had no dyed silk ornament; high officials and scholars used plain wooden vehicles with coiled hides and soft leather, and ordinary people had dyed carriages with great railings and Shu wheels. Now rich commoners have carriages with silver and yellow gilding, tied cords, and covered poles, and the middling have inlaid, painted, colored decorations, ear ornaments, and flying bells on harness. In ancient times they wore deerskin coats with the hides intact, not removing hooves and feet. Later, high officials and scholars had fox and badger sewn at the armpits and lamb and leopard at the cuffs, and commoners had hairy trousers, red leather coats and ram skins. Now the rich wear squirrel, flying squirrel and white fox, flying like ducks, and the middling wear woolen clothes with gold thread, with Yan brown replacing yellow. In ancient times commoners rode lowly mounts controlled with rope, using leather boots and hide padding only. Later, leather saddles and yak tails were made, and iron bits were not ornamented. Now the rich have ear ornaments, silver tweezers, gold and jade bridles, woolen embroidered covers, and hanging earrings from Hu, and the middling have dyed reins and colorful decoration. In ancient times they drank from hollowed pits and sunken vessels, with no cups, goblets, jars or tables. Later, commoners' utensils were just willow ware, pottery and gourds, and only the huqian vessels and goblets then had carved and red-lacquered patterns. Now the rich have silver-rimmed and yellow-eared, gold and jade cups, and the middling jade and ramie vessels and gold-inlaid Shu cups. A patterned cup is worth ten copper cups, with a cheap price but the same use. The criticism of Jizi began with the Son of Heaven, and now it applies to ordinary men. [The Records of the Grand Historian, Hereditary House of Song, says: When Zhou first made ivory chopsticks, Jizi sighed and said: 'If he makes ivory chopsticks he will surely make jade cups, and having cups he will surely think of strange and rare things from distant places to use them, and the beginning of carriages, horses and palaces starts from this and cannot be rescued.' Han Feizi said: In ancient times Zhou made ivory chopsticks and Jizi was alarmed, thinking that ivory chopsticks would surely not be used with earthen bowls but with rhinoceros and jade cups; with ivory chopsticks and jade cups he would surely not eat bean soup but yak, elephant and leopard embryo; he would surely not wear short hemp clothes and eat under a thatched roof but nine layers of brocade clothing, broad rooms and high terraces. I fear the end, so I am alarmed at the beginning. So Jizi, seeing ivory chopsticks, knew the calamity of the world. Therefore it is said: Seeing the small is called brightness.] In ancient times they roasted millet and ate barnyard grass and roasted piglets to feast one another. Later, when villagers drank wine, the elders had double stands and the young ate standing, with one sauce and one meat, and drank in company only. Later, for guests and weddings, they summoned each other with bean soup, white rice, minced meat and cooked meat. Now among the people wine and food overlap with dishes in layers, roasts fill the tables, there are stewed turtle and raw minced meat, fawn eggs and quail, loach and pomfret and snakehead, pickles and vinegar, all sorts of things and mixed flavors. In ancient times commoners plowed and weeded in spring and summer and harvested and stored in autumn and winter, working dawn and dusk, night as day. The Poem says: 'By day you gather thatch, by night you twist ropes; quickly climb the roof; soon begin sowing the hundred grains.' They did not rest except at the lou-la festival and had no wine and meat except for sacrifices. Now wine and food at feasts and weddings succeed one another, half the time sobering up, abandoning work to follow, with no days to think. In ancient times commoners ate coarse rice and goosefoot and had no wine or meat except at village drinking, the lou-la festival and sacrifices, so feudal lords did not kill oxen and sheep without cause, and high officials and scholars did not kill dogs and pigs without cause. [The Wang Zhi says: Feudal lords do not kill oxen without cause, high officials do not kill sheep without cause, scholars do not kill dogs and pigs without cause, and commoners do not eat delicacies without cause.] Now village heads and roadside butchers and wine sellers kill and cook without cause, gather in the fields, carrying grain there and bringing meat back. The meat of one pig is worth fifteen dou of grain from a middling harvest, the food of a grown man for half a month. In ancient times commoners offered fish and beans in sacrifice, repaired their ancestral shrines in spring and autumn; a scholar had one temple, a high official three, and at the proper times they held rites to the five household spirits. [The Yue Ling says: In the first month of spring the sacrifice is to the door, in the first month of summer to the stove, in the center to the central courtyard, in the first month of autumn to the gate, and in the first month of winter to the road; these are called the five sacrifices.] There was originally no sacrifice for leaving the gate. Now the rich pray to famous peaks and look to mountains and rivers, slaughter oxen and beat drums, with actors and dances; the middling live to the south by the road, on cloud terraces over water, slaughter sheep and dogs, play zithers and blow sheng; the poor offer chickens and pigs and five fragrant herbs, guard and scatter offerings, and overturn their carriage canopies in the sacrificial grounds. In ancient times people sought blessing by virtuous conduct, so sacrifices were modest; they sought good fortune by humaneness and righteousness, so divination was rare. Now common custom is lax in conduct and seeks from ghosts, is idle in ritual and earnest in sacrifice, neglects kin and values power, is utterly irrational and believes in lucky days, listens to wandering words and hopes for luck, and puts forth real things to enjoy empty blessings. In ancient times the noble man thought of virtue diligently morning and night, and the petty man thought of strength diligently morning and evening, so the noble man did not eat without work and the petty man did not eat in idleness. Common custom adorns falsehood and practices deceit, acts as shaman and invocator for the people to gain thanks and fees, with hard foreheads and strong tongues, some of whom make careers and wealth from it, so those who shirk work abandon their roots and learn it, and thus there are shamans in the streets and invocators in the lanes. In ancient times there was no bed of poles or leaf-wood and no table of bed and rest. Later commoners used just felled-wood poles and leaf-flower wood, scholars did not hew with axes, and high officials had only reed mats. Now the rich have embroidered curtains and tents, painted screens with inlaid bases, and the middling have brocade and heavy silk hung high, painted and red-lacquered. In ancient times they had skins, hair and grass bedding and no mats and rugs or fine felt and rush mats. Later, high officials and scholars had grass-bordered mats and flat single rush mats, and commoners had grass bedding and rope weaving, single rush and reed mats. Now the rich have embroidered mats and soft pheasant rugs, rush cushions, and the middling have hide in place of felt and plain rush seats. In ancient times women's handiwork was not sold and food was not marketed. Later there were butchers, wine sellers, and markets for dried meat, fish and salt. Now cooked foods are laid out everywhere, dishes are sold in markets, work becomes lazy, and food must follow the season: roast pig with chives and eggs, dog, horse and tripe, fried fish and sliced liver, mutton, pickled and cold chicken, cicadas and horses, and so on, with stewed lambs and beans, goose soup and mixed grilled meats with millet. In ancient times they had earthen drums, earthen clods and beaters, and struck wood and tapped stone to exhaust their delight. [The Ming Tang chapter says: The earthen drum, the straw mallet and the reed flute were the music of the House of Yi Qi. The Qi Su Xun says: In ancient times it was not that they could not display bells and drums, fill the air with pipes and flutes, raise shields and axes, and wave feathers and yak tails, but they thought it wasted wealth and disordered government; music was made enough to unite joy and express intent, and delight did not go beyond sound.] Later high officials had pipes and chimes and scholars had zithers and lutes. In the past people's wine gatherings went by their local customs, plucking the zheng and beating the fou, without subtle sound or shifting yu notes. Now the rich have bells, drums and five musics, and several troupes of singers, and the middling have playing sheng and tuning lutes, Zheng dances and Zhao songs. In ancient times a clay coffin held the corpse, with boards baked around it, enough to receive the body and hide hair and teeth. [Guozi Gao said: Burial is hiding; hiding means wanting people not to see. So clothes are enough to adorn the body, the coffin goes around the clothes, the outer coffin around the coffin, and the earth around the outer coffin; why raise a mound and plant trees besides? The Qi Su Xun says: In ancient times it was not that they could not exhaust the state, waste the people, empty the treasuries and use up wealth, with pearls in the mouth, scaled jade and cords and braids; they only thought it would impoverish the people and cut off their livelihood and do no good for dry bones and rotting flesh. So burial was just enough to gather and hide. In the past Shun was buried in the wilds of Cangwu, and merchants did not change their shops; Yu was buried on Mount Kuaiji (the base text has a corrupt reading here), and farmers did not change their fields. They understood the distinction of life and death and the suitability of extravagance and thrift.] Later, paulownia coffins were not covered and colored coffins were not hewn. Now the rich have embroidered walls and coffins with inward-facing wood, the middling have catalpa coffins and elm outer coffins, and the poor have painted pall cloths and silk wrappers and orange bags. In ancient times spirit objects had form without substance, to show the people they would not be used. [The Tan Gong says: Confucius said: To treat the dead as dead is unhumane and should not be done; to treat the dead as living is unwise and should not be done. So bamboo vessels were not made usable, pottery was not made to hold flavor, wood was not made hewn, zithers and lutes were strung but not tuned, pipes and sheng were prepared but not harmonized, bells and chimes had no stands. They were called spirit objects, treated as for the spirits. Zhong Xian said to Zengzi: The Xia used spirit objects to show people the dead have no knowledge; the Yin used sacrificial vessels to show people the dead have knowledge; the Zhou used both to show people doubt. Zengzi said: Not so, not so. Spirit objects are ghost objects and sacrificial vessels are human objects. How could the ancients think that their dead kin had no knowledge? Confucius said: Those who made spirit objects knew the way of mourning (the base text has a corrupt reading here). To prepare things that cannot be used is sad; if the dead use the vessels of the living, is it not close to burying with objects? They were called spirit objects, treated as for the spirits. Clay carriages and straw figures have existed since antiquity and are the way of spirit objects. Confucius thought that making straw figures was good and making wooden figurines was inhumane, as it comes close to using people.] Later there were stores of pickled sauces, and wooden horses and figurines filled the sacrifice, though the things were not yet complete. Now they invest heavily and store much, and utensils are like those for the living. Commandery and state officials use plain mulberry bent wood for figurine carriages and wheels, a common man has no face or collar, and wooden people wear silk and heavy silk. In ancient times they raised no mounds and planted no trees, and the return sacrifice was held in the bedchamber, with no sandalwood hall and no seat in the ancestral temple. [The Changes says: The ancients buried their dead thickly clothed with firewood in the middle of the wilds, raised no mound and planted no trees, and the mourning period had no fixed number.] Later they raised mounds, and the grave of a commoner was half a ren, high enough to conceal. Now the rich pile earth into mountains and line trees into forests, with terraces, pavilions and linked towers, and gathering observation towers with added stories; the middling have shrines, screens, walls and gate towers with fusi screens. [Yan Shigu says: fusi are connected gate towers and winding pavilions used to cover places of repeated carved walls, in the shape of fusi. Liu Xi said: fu means to repeat and si means to think, meaning that ministers about to request something here think again. Su E said: according to the characters, fusi take the net radical for form, not for sound from 'si'; fu means float and si means thread, referring to the light, sparse and floating appearance of woven silk patterns, probably located between palace eaves and doors.] In ancient times, if a neighbor had a death, they did not use the pestle in pounding grain, and did not sing songs in the lane. [The Qu Li says: Going to a tomb one does not climb the mound; helping with a burial one must hold the rope; at a mourning one does not laugh; in greeting people one must leave one's place; looking at a coffin one does not sing; entering to mourn one does not stride; at a meal one does not sigh. If a neighbor has a death, one does not chant in pounding; if there is a coffin in the village, one does not sing in the lane; going to a tomb one does not sing; on the day of weeping one does not sing; escorting a funeral one does not take shortcuts; escorting a burial one does not avoid mud and puddles; at a funeral one must have a sorrowful look; holding the rope one does not laugh; at music one does not sigh.] Confucius ate beside one who had a death and never ate his fill, and on a day he had wept he did not sing. Now custom takes people's mourning as occasion to seek wine and meat, and having luckily sat a while demands to be served, with song, dance, jesters and joking entertainers. In ancient times the relations between men and women were very ancient, and wedding dress is not recorded; after Yu and Xia, it was probably cloth outside and silk inside, bone hairpins and ivory earrings, and consorts of fief lords added brocade and a plain overcoat. Now the rich have fur coats and red badger, hanging pearls and rings and pendants, and the middling have long trailing hems and crossed robes, jade ends on hairpins and earrings. In ancient times in serving the living one gave all one's love, and in sending off the dead one gave all one's grief, so the sages made rules for them, not adding in vain. [The Tan Gong says: Ziyou asked about funeral equipment. The Master said: Match it to what the family has or lacks. Ziyou said: How to make having and lacking equal? The Master said: If you have, do not exceed ritual; if you do not, cover the head and feet to shape the body, return it and bury it, lower the coffin and mound it; would anyone object?] Now while alive they cannot show love and respect, and in death compete in extravagance; though they have no heart of grief, those who give lavish burials and heavy coins are called filial, and fame is established in the world and glory is shown in custom, so the common people admire and imitate it, even to the point of demolishing houses and selling their livelihoods. In ancient times the marital good between husband and wife was one man and one woman completing the way of household; later a scholar had one concubine, a high official two, and feudal lords had nine women including nieces and younger sisters. Now feudal lords have hundreds, ministers and high officials dozens, the middling have attendants and the rich fill their houses, so women are left in resentment and miss their time, and men die without mates. In ancient times in bad years they did not build and in good years they repaired what was broken, keeping the old ways without remaking. Now the craftsmen change and the officials differ in mind, destroying finished work to hide their intent, their intent being set on achievement, attending to appearances, accumulating deeds to sell reputation, not caring about the people's urgent need, the fields not opened while they decorate pavilions, towns in ruins while they heighten their walls. In ancient times they did not use human strength for birds and beasts, and did not seize people's wealth to feed dogs and horses, so wealth was abundant and strength had a surplus. Now fierce beasts and rare insects cannot plow and weed, yet people who should plow and weed are ordered to feed them, so the people may have incomplete short coats while dogs and horses wear embroidery, and the common people may lack even husks while birds and beasts eat meat. [The Za Shi chapter says: In the past a chancellor of Yan offended the ruler and was about to flee, and summoned the high officials of his household, saying: 'Is there anyone who can go out with me?' He asked three times, and none of the high officials replied. The chancellor of Yan said: 'Ah, it is also that scholars are not worth feeding.' A high official came forward and said: 'It is also that the ruler cannot feed scholars; how could scholars not be worth feeding? In bad and hungry years, scholars do not get their fill of husks and dregs while the ruler's dogs and horses have surplus grain; in the depth of winter cold, scholars have incomplete short coats and uncovered limbs, while the ruler's terraces, curtains and brocade embroideries flutter in the wind and decay. Wealth is what the ruler takes lightly, and death is what scholars take seriously. If the ruler cannot give what he takes lightly yet seeks to obtain what scholars take seriously, is that not hard?' The chancellor of Yan was ashamed and fled, not daring to be seen again.] In ancient times the ruler respected affairs and loved his subordinates and used the people at proper times; the Son of Heaven made the world his home, and servants and maids each supplied public duties at their proper times; this is the common principle of ancient and modern times. [Wang Fu said: The king takes the four seas as his home and the myriad people as his children; if one man does not plow the world suffers hunger, and if one woman does not weave the world suffers cold. One man plowing feeds a hundred and one woman picking mulberry clothes a hundred; with one supporting a hundred, who can provide enough? Therefore a bright ruler in nurturing the people is anxious for them and toils for them, teaches and instructs them, is careful about the slight and guards against the sprouting, to prevent their wickedness. So the Changes praises regulation by measure, not hurting wealth and not harming the people. The Qi Yue poem teaches the great and small things, ending and starting again. From this we see that people originally cannot be indulged.] Now the government keeps many slaves and maids, who sit eating and clothed, privately make property and profit by wrongdoing, do not exhaust their labor, and the government loses actual gain; the common people may lack a store of a dou or shao while government slaves accumulate hundreds of gold; the common people do not put down their work from dawn to dusk, while the slaves and maids dangle their sleeves and roam and play. [Dangling sleeves means living at ease with nothing to do, only lowering the clothing and folding hands.] In ancient times they treated near ones as near and distant ones as distant, valued those of the same kind and thought little of those not of the same kind, did not reward the meritless and did not feed the useless. Now barbarians without merit are allowed by the government to live in broad houses and great mansions and sit eating and clothed; the common people may not be sufficiently fed morning or evening (the base text has the old form of 'fed' here), while barbarians may be sated with wine and meat; the common people sweat and toil, but barbarians are made to sit cross-legged and sprawled. In ancient times commoners wore rush shoes and grass sandals with twisted silk and leather only. Later they had shoes with flat soles not lent, and leather boots and hide shoes. Now the rich have leather shoes by famous craftsmen, light and delicate to adorn the appearance, with silk lining and rolled fringes along the edge; the middling have shoes made in Deng village, with cogon and hemp, Qin-made and sturdy; maids and concubines have hide shoes and silk slippers, and walkers have woven shoes and dog-skin ones. The ancient sages toiled in body and nourished spirit, restrained desires and adapted feelings, honored Heaven and respected Earth, walked in virtue and practiced humaneness, so Heaven enjoyed their sacrifices and prolonged their generations and enriched their years. So Yao had fine eyebrows and high color and enjoyed the state for a hundred years. [The Xiu Wu Jie says: Yao's mother Qingdu was originally a daughter of the Heavenly Lord, lodging in the house of Yi Changru; at twenty she had no husband and went out to look at the river, and a red dragon came bearing a chart and said: 'The Red Dragon receives the chart of the world.' Someone in red clothes with a radiant face of eight colors and long whiskers appeared. The Red Emperor arose and completed the primal treasure. Suddenly dark clouds came, and the red dragon joined Qingdu and she gave birth to Yao. The Emperor was as in the chart, so his eyebrows had the eight-color hues.] When Qin Shi Huang read of the strange and absurd and believed omens and portents, he sent Lu Sheng to seek Xianmen Gao and Xu Fu and others to go to sea to seek the medicine of immortality. At that time, gentlemen of Yan and Qi put down their hoes and plows and vied to speak of divine immortals and magicians, and thousands hurried to Xianyang, saying that immortals eat gold and drink pearls and then live as long as Heaven and Earth. So he repeatedly toured the five peaks and coastal lodges to seek immortals and Penglai and the like, and repeatedly visited them. The rich of commanderies and counties used their wealth to help the poor build roads. Afterward the small fled and the great hid, and officials searched and seized and pressed them, without regard to reason. Beside famous palaces, there were huts and village sites with no seedlings or standing trees, and of the people who left in resentment and longing, half (one text has nine tenths). [The Records of the Grand Historian, Feng Shan Shu, says: From the time of Kings Wei and Xuan of Qi, followers of Zou Zi discussed and wrote on the cycle of the five virtues' beginning and end. When the Qin emperor came, a man of Qi presented it, and Shi Huang adopted it. Song Wuji, Zheng Boqiao, Chong Shang and Xianmen Zigao were all men of Yan at the end and practiced the way of the immortal magicians, dissolving their bodies and relying on affairs of ghosts and spirits. Zou Yan became famous among the feudal lords for his theory of yin-yang and cycles, and the magicians by the sea of Yan and Qi transmitted his arts without being able to understand them, so absurd, flattering and conveniently accommodating people arose from this, beyond counting. From the time of Wei, Xuan and Zhao of Yan, men were sent to sea to seek Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou. These three divine mountains were said to be in the Bohai, not far from people, but when one was about to reach them, the boats were drawn away by wind. Some had reached them: the immortals and the deathless medicine were all there, the creatures and beasts all white, and the palace gates of gold and silver. From afar they looked like clouds, but when reached the three divine mountains were beneath the water, and when approached the wind would draw the boats away, so none ever arrived. No ruler of the age did not set his heart on them. When Qin Shi Huang united the world and came to the sea, the magicians' talk was beyond counting. Shi Huang thought that on reaching the sea he feared he would not reach them, and sent people carrying boys and girls to sea to seek it. When the ships got into the sea they all used wind as an excuse, saying they had not been able to reach but had seen them. The next year Shi Huang again toured the sea to Langye, passed Mount Heng and returned from Shangdang. Three years later he toured Jieshi and examined the magicians who had gone to sea, and returned from Shangjun. Five years later Shi Huang went south to Mount Xiang, and ascended Kuaiji (the base text has a corrupt reading here) and along the sea, hoping to meet the rare medicine of the three divine mountains in the sea, but did not, and on returning died at Shaqiu. The Fan Zhi chapter says: After Qin Shi Huang united the world he was greatly extravagant; in the thirty-fifth year of his reign he did not rest, built the great speedway from Jiuyuan to Yunyang, digging mountains and filling valleys to make it straight. Finding the former kings' palaces small, he built the court palace at the place of Wen and Wu between Feng and Hao, and built the Front Hall Epang in the forests of the southern Wei mountains, five hundred paces east to west and fifty zhang north to south, above which ten thousand could sit and below which a flag five zhang tall could be set up, surrounded by covered ways reaching from the hall directly to the peak of the southern mountain to serve as gate towers, and a double way over the Wei River connecting to Xianyang, in imitation of the pole star and the Milky Way reaching the Yingshi constellation. He also undertook the Mount Li labor, sealing the bottom of three springs. In Guanzhong there were three hundred detached palaces and outside the pass four hundred, all with bells, chimes, curtains, women and entertainers. He set up stone gate towers on the border of Mount Qu by the eastern sea as the eastern gate of Qin. Then the magician Hou Sheng of Han and Lu Sheng of Qi plotted together, saying: 'At present one cannot live here. The ruler likes to establish awe by punishment and execution, the world fears crime and holds its stipends and none dare be fully loyal; the ruler does not hear of his faults and grows more arrogant daily, those below tremble and submit and deceive to be tolerated, remonstrators are not used and the loss of the Way is the greater; if our company stays long we will be harmed.' So they fled together. Hearing of it, Shi Huang was greatly angry and said: 'I formerly treated Lu Sheng generously, honored him with rank and served him, and now he slanders me. I have heard that many scholars speak wild words to disorder the black-haired people.' So he sent imperial clerks to examine all the scholars, and the scholars informed on each other, and more than four hundred sixty who broke the law were all buried alive. Lu Sheng was not caught, but Hou Sheng was later seized. Hearing of it Shi Huang summoned him, ascended the terrace east of the palace, overlooked the crossing of four roads, and was about to enumerate his crimes and have him torn apart by chariots. Shi Huang saw Hou Sheng and said angrily: 'You old rogue, not good, slandering your ruler and daring to see me again.' When Hou Sheng arrived, he spoke looking up at the terrace: 'I have heard that one who knows he will die is surely brave; will Your Majesty listen to one word from me?' Shi Huang said: 'What do you want to say? Say it.' Hou Sheng said: 'I have heard that Yu set up the post of slander to learn of his faults. Now Your Majesty is extravagant and has lost the root, indulgent and following the branches, with palaces, terraces and pavilions linked and piled higher, pearls, jade and heavy treasures heaped into mountains, brocade and embroidered patterns filling the storehouses with surplus, women and entertainers in the tens of thousands, the music of bells and drums flowing without end, wine, food and delicacies spread before you, light and warm clothing, ornamented carriages and horses, so that your self-indulgence is gorgeous and boundless beyond measure, and the black-haired people are exhausted and the people's strength used up, yet you do not know to examine yourself, and are hasty to slander and severe to rule over those below, so those below are mute and those above deaf; for this reason we left. We do not spare our own persons, but we regret the loss of Your Majesty's state. I have heard that the bright kings of old had food enough to fill them, clothes enough to warm them, palaces enough to live in, carriages and horses enough to travel, so that above they were not abandoned by Heaven and below not abandoned by the black-haired people. Yao did not trim his thatch, did not hew his rafters, had earth steps of three levels, and enjoyed himself all his life, because he had little ornament and much plainness. Danzhu was arrogant, cruel, fond of pride and licentiousness, did not cultivate principle and transformation, and in the end could not rise. Now Your Majesty's licentiousness is ten thousand times Danzhu's and a thousand times that of Kunwu, Jie and Zhou; I fear Your Majesty will perish ten times and not survive once.' Shi Huang was silent a long time, then said: 'Why did you not say so earlier?' Hou Sheng said: 'Your Majesty's mind is riding the blue clouds drifting in the view of ornament, considering yourself worthy and strong, insulting the Five Emperors above and trampling on the Three Kings below, abandoning simplicity for minor arts; the signs of Your Majesty's ruin have been seen for long. We feared speaking would do no good and only bring death on ourselves, so we fled and dared not speak. Now I must die, so I present it to Your Majesty. Though I cannot prevent Your Majesty from perishing, I want Your Majesty to know it.' Shi Huang said: 'Can I change?' Hou Sheng said: 'The form is already set, and Your Majesty is only sitting and awaiting ruin. If Your Majesty wishes to change, could you be like Yao and Yu? Otherwise there is no difference. Your Majesty's assistants are not such men either. I fear that change would not save you.' Shi Huang sighed deeply and released him without executing him. Three years later Shi Huang died, and the Second Emperor took the throne, and in three years Qin perished.]. The Book of Documents says: In offering, many ceremonies; if ceremonies do not match the gifts, it is called not offering. So the sage bears nothing on himself that is not humaneness and righteousness, and takes nothing before him that is not the right way. For this reason the former emperor executed Wencheng, Wuli and others. [Gu Yong said: Those who understand the nature of heaven and earth cannot be deluded by spirits and marvels, and those who know the feelings of the myriad things cannot be deceived by what is not of their kind. All who turn their backs on the upright way of humaneness and righteousness, do not follow the words of the Five Classics, and loudly extol the strange, ghosts and spirits, widely exalt methods of sacrifice, seek rewards from blessing-less shrines, and say there are immortals in the world, take medicines of never-ending life, soar lightly from afar, view Xuanpu, roam Penglai, plow the five virtues, sow in the morning and reap in the evening, with endless as mountains and stones, alchemy and transformation, hard ice and soft drowning, transforming colors in the five granaries, are all treacherous men who delude the crowd, who hold left-handed ways and cherish deceit to deceive rulers. Listening to their words fills the ear like something that could be met, but seeking them is like tying the wind and catching shadows, never attainable. So a bright ruler rejects and does not listen, and the sage cuts off and does not speak of them. The Records of the Grand Historian, Feng Shan Shu, says: Shao Weng of Qi presented the ruler with a method of ghosts and spirits. The ruler's favorite Lady Wang died, and Shao Weng by his method at night summoned the appearance of Lady Wang and the stove spirit, which the Son of Heaven saw from within a curtain. He then appointed Shao Weng as General Wencheng, with many rewards, and treated him with the rites for a guest. After more than a year his method declined and the spirits did not arrive, so he wrote a silk letter and fed it to an ox, pretending not to know, and said there was something strange in this ox's belly. They killed it and looked, and found a letter in which the words were very strange. The Son of Heaven recognized his handwriting, questioned the man, and it was a false letter, so he executed General Wencheng and concealed it. Luan Da asked for an audience through the Marquis of Lecheng to speak of his method. Since the Son of Heaven had already executed Wencheng, he regretted his early death and was sorry that his method had not been exhausted, and when he saw Luan Da he was greatly pleased. Da was tall, fine of speech, full of methods and plans, and dared to speak grandly and handle it without doubt. At that time the ruler was worried about the breach of the Yellow River and gold that would not form, and appointed Da as General Wuli. Later Wuli recklessly said he had seen his teacher, and his methods mostly failed to prove true, so the ruler executed Wuli.] Your Majesty has established school offices and draws close to the loyal and good, wishing to cut off the beginnings of the strange and evil and make bright the path of supreme virtue. Extravagant palaces are moths to forests, carved utensils are moths to wealth, gorgeous clothes are moths to cloth and silk, dogs and horses eating people's food are moths to the five grains, indulgence of mouth and belly is a moth to fish and meat, unrestrained spending is a moth to the treasury, unchecked leakage is a moth to the fields, and unrestrained funerals and sacrifices are moths that harm life. [A proverb says: When moths are many, the wood breaks; when the crack is large, the wall collapses.] Destroying the finished and changing the old harms achievement, and craftsmen and merchants communicating upward harm farming. So one cup uses the strength of a hundred men and one screen the work of ten thousand, and their harm is great. The eyes are cultivated by five colors, the ears are occupied by five sounds, the body goes to the utmost of lightness and thinness, the mouth to the utmost of sweetness and crispness, achievement piles up in uselessness and wealth is spent on what is not urgent; mouth and belly should not be made much of. So when a state is sick from accumulated insufficiency, government slackens; when a person is sick from accumulated insufficiency, the body is in danger. [The Commentary says: Blessing is born of non-action and trouble is born of many desires. Only after knowing contentment does wealth follow, and only after virtue is fit to rule people does honor follow. So those who value rank and make light of virtue, though they are Son of Heaven, are not honored; those who covet things and do not know when to stop, though they own the world, are not rich. The produce of the land does not increase, and the yield of mountains and marshes is limited; to hold a mind that is not rich and seek things that do not increase, to hold a hundredfold desire and seek limited wealth, this is why Jie and Zhou lost their positions.]

丞相【去聲】史曰治聚不足奈何

The Chancellor's Secretary said: How should one treat the sickness of accumulated insufficiency?

賢良曰蓋橈【音閙】枉者過直【橈通作撓屈也】救文者以質昔者晏子相【去聲】齊一狐裘三十載故民奢示之以儉民儉示之以禮【曽子曰晏子可謂知禮也已恭敬之有焉有若曰晏子一狐裘三十年遣車一乗及墓而反國君七個遣車七乘大夫五個遣車五乗晏子焉知禮曾子曰國無道君子恥盈禮焉國奢則示之以儉國儉則示之以禮】方今公卿大夫子孫誠能節車輿適衣服躬親節儉率以敦樸罷園池損田宅內無事乎市列外無事乎山澤農夫有所施其功女紅【音工】有所粥其業如是則氣脈和平無聚不足之病矣【反質篇曰齊桓公謂管仲曰吾國甚小而財用甚少而群臣衣服輿馬甚汰吾欲禁之可乎管仲曰臣聞之君嘗之臣食之君好之臣服之今君之食也必桂之漿衣練紫之衣狐白之裘此群臣之所奢大也詩云不躬不親庻民不信君欲禁之胡不自親乎桓公曰善於是更制練帛之衣大帛之冠朝一年而齊國儉也】

The Worthies said: To straighten what is crooked one often goes too far toward straightness [the character 'nao' is used interchangeably with 'nao', meaning to bend], and to save what is overly ornate one must use plainness. In the past Yan Zi was chancellor of Qi and wore one fox-fur coat for thirty years, so when the people were extravagant he showed them thrift, and when the people were thrifty he showed them ritual. [Zengzi said: Yan Zi can be said to know ritual; respect he certainly had. You Ruo said: Yan Zi wore one fox coat for thirty years and had one funeral carriage that returned on reaching the grave. A state ruler has seven funeral carriages and a high official five; how could Yan Zi know ritual? Zengzi said: When a state lacks the Way, the noble man is ashamed to fulfil ritual in full. When a state is extravagant, show it thrift; when it is thrifty, show it ritual.] If the sons and grandsons of today's dukes, ministers and high officials could truly economize carriages, adapt clothing, personally practice thrift, lead by simplicity, abolish gardens and ponds, reduce fields and houses, have no business in the market rows within and none in mountains and marshes outside, farmers would have a place to apply their work and women's handiwork a place to sell its product; then the vital energy would be harmonious and level, and there would be no sickness of accumulated insufficiency. [The Fan Zhi chapter says: Duke Huan of Qi said to Guan Zhong: 'My state is very small and its wealth very little, yet the ministers' clothing and carriages are very extravagant; I want to forbid it; can it be done?' Guan Zhong said: 'I have heard that what the ruler tastes the ministers eat, and what the ruler likes the ministers wear. Now when you eat you must have cassia drink, and wear white silk in purple, and fox-white fur coats, and this is why the ministers are so extravagant. The Poem says: If you do not do it personally and with your own hands, the common people will not believe. If you want to forbid it, why not begin with yourself?' Duke Huan said: 'Good.' He then changed to wearing boiled-silk clothes and a cap of coarse white silk to court, and in one year the state of Qi became thrifty.]

大夫曰孤子語孝躄【音璧】者語杖貧者語仁賤者語治議不在巳者易稱【去聲】從旁議者易是其當局則亂故公孫布被倪寛練袍衣若僕妾食若庸夫淮南逆於內蠻夷暴於外盜賊不為禁奢侈不為節若疫嵗之巫徒能鼓口耳何防不足之能治乎

The Grand Secretary said: An orphan talks about filial piety, a cripple talks about canes, the poor talk about humaneness, and the lowly talk about government. Discussions that are not about oneself are easy to praise, and those who discuss from the side easily think they are right, but when one is in the situation, one is confused. So Gongsun Hong used cloth bedding and Ni Kuan wore boiled-silk robes, dressing like servants and eating like common laborers, yet Huainan was rebellious within and the barbarians violent outside, robbers were not curbed and extravagance was not restrained; it is like the shaman in a plague year, who can only beat his mouth; how could he cure the accumulated insufficiency?

賢良曰高皇帝之時蕭曹為公滕灌之屬為卿濟濟然斯則賢矣文景之際建元之始大臣尚有爭【去聲】引守正之義自此之後多承意從欲少敢直言面議而正刺因公而狥私故武安丞相【田蚡也】訟園田爭曲直人主之前夫【音扶】九層之臺一傾公輸子不能正夲朝【音潮】一邪伊望不能復故公孫丞相倪大夫側身行道分祿以養賢卑已以下士功業顯立日力不足無行人子產之繼而葛繹澎【音彭】侯之等【傳曰公孫賀為丞相封葛繹侯劉屈為左丞相封澎侯】隳壊其緒紕【音避】亂其紀毀其客館議堂以為馬廐婦舍無養士之禮而尚驕矜之色亷恥陵遲而爭於利矣【西京雜記曰平津侯自布衣為宰相乃開東閣營客館以招天下之士其一曰欽賢館以待大賢次曰翹材館以待大材次曰接士館以待國士其有徳任毗賛佐理隂陽者處欽賢之館其有才堪九列將軍二千石者居翹材之館其有一介之善一方之藝居接士之館而躬自菲薄所得俸祿以奉待之公孫傳曰時上方興功業屢舉賢良自見為舉首起徒步數年至宰相封侯於是起客館開東閣以延賢人與參謀議身食一肉脫粟飯故人賔客仰衣食奉祿皆以給之家無所餘凡為丞相御史六嵗年八十終丞相位其後李蔡嚴青瞿趙石慶公孫賀劉屈繼踵為丞相自蔡至慶丞相館舍丘虛而已至賀屈時壊以為馬廐車庫奴婢室矣】故良田廣宅民無所之不恥為利者滿朝【音潮】市列田畜者彌郡國橫暴掣【音徹】頓大第巨舍之旁道路且不通此固難醫而不可為工大夫勃然作色黙而不應

The Worthies said: In the time of Emperor Gao, Xiao and Cao were dukes and men like Teng and Guan were ministers, a dignified company; those were the worthy ones. In the time of Emperors Wen and Jing and the beginning of Jianyuan, great ministers still had the principle of arguing [the character 'zheng' is read in the departing tone] and citing, maintaining what was right. After that, most followed the ruler's will and complied with his desires, few dared speak directly, discuss face to face, and rectify and criticize, and used the public to serve private ends. Therefore Chancellor Wuan [Tian Fen] litigated over gardens and fields and argued right and wrong before the ruler. As for [the character 'fu' is pronounced 'fu'] this: when a nine-story terrace tilts, Gongshu Zi cannot straighten it; when the root court is crooked, Yi Yin and Taigong Wang cannot restore it. So Chancellor Gongsun and Grand Secretary Ni walked the Way with care, shared their stipends to nurture the worthy, lowered themselves to serve scholars, established their achievements and found the day's strength insufficient; they had no successors like Xing Ren or Zi Chan, but had men like the Marquis of Geyi and the Marquis of Pengs [the Commentary says: Gongsun He became Chancellor and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Geyi; Liu Quli became Left Chancellor and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Peng], who wrecked their legacy and threw their rules into disorder, tore down their guest lodges and discussion halls to make horse stables and women's quarters, had no rite of nurturing scholars yet still showed arrogant faces, and honor and shame declined while they fought over profit. [The Xijing Zaji says: The Marquis of Pingjin [Gongsun Hong], from commoner became chancellor, opened the east gate and built guest lodges to invite scholars of the world. One was called the Hall for Honoring the Worthy to receive great worthies; next was the Hall for Raising Talent to receive great talents; next was the Hall for Receiving Gentlemen to receive gentlemen of the state. Those who had virtue and could assist and manage yin and yang resided in the Hall for Honoring the Worthy; those whose talents suited the nine ministries, generals, or two-thousand-bushel posts lived in the Hall for Raising Talent; those with one point of goodness or a skill in one field lived in the Hall for Receiving Gentlemen. He himself lived modestly and all the salary he obtained was used to receive them. The Biography of Gongsun Hong says: At that time the ruler was undertaking great works and repeatedly recommended the worthy and good. Hong saw himself as the head of those recommended, having risen from the status of a walker, and within a few years became chancellor and was enfeoffed, so he built guest lodges and opened the east gate to invite worthy people to take part in deliberations. Hong himself ate one dish of meat and coarse rice, and old friends and guests relied on him for food and clothing, all his salary was given to them, and his house had no surplus. In all he served six years as chancellor and imperial clerk, and died at eighty in the office of chancellor. Afterward Li Cai, Yan Qingzhai, Zhao Zhou, Shi Qing, Gongsun He and Liu Quli succeeded one another as chancellor. From Cai to Qing, the chancellor's lodges were merely ruins; by the time of He and Quli they were torn down to make horse stables, carriage sheds and slave quarters.] So good fields and broad houses leave the people with nowhere to go, those who feel no shame in profit fill the court, those who set up market rows and fields and livestock fill the commanderies and states, violent and oppressive and pushy, and beside the great mansions and huge houses the road is almost impassable. This is truly hard to cure and cannot be made to work. The Grand Secretary changed color angrily and was silent, not replying.

丞相【去聲】史曰吾聞諸鄭長【音掌】孫曰君子正顔色則逺暴嫚出辭氣則逺鄙倍矣故言可述行可則此有司夙昔所願覩也若夫【音扶】劒客論博奕辯盛色而相蘇秦立權以不相假使有司不能取賢良之議而賢良文學被不遜之名竊為諸生不取也公孫龍有言曰論之為道辯故不可以不屬意屬【去聲】意相寛【顔師古曰屬意猶言注意也】相寛其歸爭爭而不讓則入於鄙今有司以不仁又防素飡無以更責雪恥矣【顔師古曰素空也素飡者徳不稱官空當食祿】縣官所招舉賢良文學而及親民偉仕亦未見其能用針【音針】石而醫百姓之疾也

The Chancellor's Secretary said: I heard Zheng Zhangsun say: The noble man, by composing his countenance, keeps far from violence and arrogance; by uttering his words and tone, keeps far from vulgarity and perversity. So words that can be recounted and conduct that can be taken as a model are what the officials have long wished to see. As for [the character 'fu' is pronounced 'fu'] the arguments of swordsmen and the debates of gamblers, which make a show of expression to fault Su Qin, setting up authority not to yield to each other, so that the officials cannot take up the Worthies' counsel, and the Worthies and Literati bear a name for discourtesy, privately the gentlemen would not take it. Gongsun Long had a saying: The way of discussion lies in debate, so one must pay attention to it. Paying attention [Yan Shigu says: 'shu yi' is like 'zhu yi', to pay attention] goes along with leniency toward one another. When leniency toward one another ends in contention, and one contends and does not yield, it falls into vulgarity. Now the officials are unhumane and furthermore hold salaries without merit, and have no way to reproach and wash away shame. [Yan Shigu says: 'su' means empty; 'su can' is when virtue does not match office and one idly receives a stipend.] Among the Worthies and Literati whom the government recruited and the excellent officials close to the people, I have not seen any able to cure the illness of the common people with needle and stone.

賢良曰賈生有言曰懇言則辭淺而不入深言則逆耳而失指故曰談何容易談且不易而況行之乎此胡建所以不得其死而吳得防不免於患也【胡建傳曰胡建為渭城令治甚有聲值昭帝防皇后父上官將軍安與帝姊蓋主私夫丁外人相善外人驕恣怨故京兆尹樊福使客射殺之客藏公主廬吏不敢捕渭城令建將吏卒圍捕蓋主聞之與外人上官將軍多從奴客往犇射追吏吏散走主使僕射劾渭城令遊徼傷主家奴建報亡它坐蓋主怒使人上書告建侵辱長公主射甲舍門知吏賊傷奴闢報故不窮審大將軍霍光寢其奏後光病上官氏代聼事下吏捕建建自殺吏民稱寃至今渭城立其祠】語曰五盜執一良人枉木惡直繩【説山訓曰眾曲不容直眾枉不容正故人眾則食狼狼眾則食人也】今欲下針【音針】石通闗鬲則恐有盛胡之累懐針【音針】槖【音托】艾則被不工之名狼防其胡載其尾君子之路行止之道固狹耳此子石所以嘆息也【雜言曰子石登吳山而四望喟然而嘆息曰嗚呼悲哉世有明於事情不合於人心者有合於人心不明於事情者弟子問曰何謂也子石曰昔者吳王夫差不聼伍子胥盡忠極諌抉目而辜太宰嚭公孫雒偷合苟容以順夫差之志而伐吳二子沉身江湖頭懸越旗昔者費仲惡來革長鼻決耳崇侯虎順紂之心欲以合於意武王伐紂四子身死牧之野頭足異所比干盡忠剖心而死今欲明事情恐有抉目剖心之禍欲合人心恐有頭足異所之患由是觀之君子道狹耳誠不逢其明主狹道之中又將險危閉塞無可從出者子石公孫龍也】

The Worthies said: Master Jia said: Sincere words are shallow and do not enter; deep words are harsh to the ear and lose their point. So it is said how easy it is to talk. If talking is not easy, how much less acting? This is why Hu Jian did not die a natural death and Wu De also could not avoid trouble. [The Biography of Hu Jian says: Hu Jian as magistrate of Weicheng was famous for his government. In the time of Emperor Zhao, General Shangguan An, the empress's father, was friendly with Ding Wairen, the lover of Princess Gai, the emperor's sister. Wairen was arrogant and unrestrained, bore a grudge against the former Metropolitan Governor Fan Fu, and had a retainer shoot him dead. The retainer hid in the princess's lodging, and officials did not dare to arrest him. Magistrate Jian of Weicheng led officials and soldiers to surround and arrest him. Princess Gai heard of it and with Wairen and General Shangguan led many slaves and retainers to run and shoot at the pursuing officials, and the officials scattered. The princess had her servant accuse the magistrate's patrolman of injuring the princess's household slave. Jian replied that there was no other crime. Princess Gai was angry and had someone submit a memorial accusing Jian of insulting the senior princess and shooting at the gate of the lodging, saying he knew the officials had injured the slave but avoided reporting it and had not investigated thoroughly. General Huo Guang suppressed the memorial. Later, when Guang was ill, the Shangguan family took over hearing affairs and had officials arrest Jian, and Jian killed himself. Officials and people said it was an injustice, and a shrine to him still stands in Weicheng.] A common saying goes: Five robbers seize one good man, and crooked wood hates the straight line. [The Shuo Shan Xun says: A multitude of crooked things does not tolerate the straight, and a multitude of wrongs does not tolerate the right. So when people are many they eat wolves, and when wolves are many they eat people.] Now, if one wants to apply needle and stone to open the blocked passages, one fears the burden of a great overhang; if one carries needles, bags and moxa, one bears the name of being unskilled. The wolf stumbles on his dewlap and trips on his tail; the noble man's road, the way of acting and stopping, is naturally narrow, and this is why Zishi sighed. [The Za Yan says: Zishi climbed Mount Wu and looked in all directions and sighed deeply, saying: 'Alas, how sad! In the world there are those who understand affairs but do not suit people's hearts, and those who suit people's hearts but do not understand affairs.' His disciples asked: 'What do you mean?' Zishi said: 'In the past, King Fuchai of Wu did not listen to Wu Zixu's utmost loyalty and extreme remonstrance, and had his eyes gouged out and was wronged; Grand Steward Pi and Gongsun Luo pandered and flattered to follow Fuchai's will and attacked Wu, and the two sank their bodies in the river and lake and their heads were hung on Yue's banners. In the past Fei Zhong and E Lai had their long noses cut and ears torn to suit Zhou's heart and match his intent; when King Wu attacked Zhou, the four men died at Muye with heads and feet in different places; Bi Gan was loyal to the utmost and died with his heart cut out. Now if one wants to understand affairs, one fears the calamity of gouged eyes and cut heart; if one wants to suit people's hearts, one fears the trouble of heads and feet in different places. Seen from this, the noble man's road is narrow. If one does not meet a bright ruler, in the narrow road there will be danger, obstruction and blockage, with no way out.' Zishi is Gongsun Long.]

大夫曰賢者處大林遭風雷而不迷【舜典曰納於大麓烈風雷雨弗迷】愚者雖處平敞【音昶】大路猶暗惑焉今守相【去聲】親剖符贊拜蒞一郡之眾古方伯之位也受命專制宰割千里不御於內善惡在於己已不能故耳道何狹之有哉

The Grand Secretary said: The worthy dwelling in a great forest, meeting wind and thunder, is not confused. [The Shun Dian says: He was admitted to the great foothills, and in fierce wind, thunder and rain was not confused.] The foolish, though living on a level broad road, are still in darkness and confusion. Now commandery governors and chancellors personally split the tally and are given audience, oversee the multitude of a commandery, which is the position of a regional chief of old, receiving command with sole authority, carving up a thousand li, not controlled from within, with good and bad resting on themselves. If they themselves cannot stop, where is the narrowness of the Way?

賢良曰古之進士也鄉擇而裡選論其才能然後官之勝【音升】職任然後爵而祿之【王制曰大樂正論造士之秀者以告於王而升諸司馬曰進士司馬辨論官材論進士之賢者以告於王而定其論論定然後官之任官然後爵之位定然後祿之】故士修之鄉曲升諸朝【音潮】廷行之幽隱明足顯著疏逺無失士小大無遺功是以賢者進用不肖者簡黜【傳曰王者之論徳也而不尊無功不官無徳不誅無罪朝無幸位民無幸生故上賢使能而等級不逾折暴禁悍而刑罰不過百姓曉然皆知夫為善於家取賞於朝也為不善於幽而防刑于顯夫是之謂定論是王者之徳詩云明昭有周式序在位】今吏道壅而不選【古作通】富者以財賈【音古】官勇者以死射功戱車鼎躍鹹出補吏【衛綰傳曰以戱車為郎顔師古曰若今之弄車之技也】累功積日或至卿相【去聲】垂青繩擐【音灌】銀擅殺生之柄專萬民之命弱者猶使羊將狼也其亂必矣強者則是予狂夫利劒也必妄殺生也【酷吏傳曰寧成家居上欲以為郡守禦史大夫曰臣居山東為小吏時寧成為濟南都尉其治如狼牧羊成不可使治民上乃拜成為闗都尉主術訓曰不仁而有勇力果敢則狂而操利劒不知而辨慧懐給則棄而不式雖有材能其施之不當其處之不宜適足以轉偽餙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】是以往者郡國黎民相乗而不能理或至鋸頸殺不辜而不能正執綱紀非其道蓋博亂愈甚古者封賢祿能不過百里百里之中而為都疆垂不過五十猶以為一人之身明不能照聦不能逹故立卿大夫士以佐之而政治乃備今守相或無古諸侯之賢而蒞千里之政主一郡之眾施聖主之徳擅生殺之法至重也非仁人不能任非其人不能行一人之身治亂在已千里與之轉化不可不熟擇也【管子曰堯舜之民非生而治桀紂之民非生而亂故治亂在上商君曰善治者使盜跖可信不能治者使伯夷可疑】故人主有私人以財不私人以官【韓嬰曰明主有私人以百金名珠玉而無私以官職事業者何也曰本不利所私也彼不能而主使之是闇主也臣不能而為之是詐臣也主闇於上臣詐於下滅亡無日矣俱害之道也故惟明主能愛其所愛闇主則必危其所愛】懸賞以待功序爵以俟賢舉善若不足黜惡若仇讐固為【去聲】其非功而殘百姓也夫【音扶】傅【音輔】主徳開臣途在於選賢而器使之擇揀守相然後任之【樂毅曰賢聖之君不以祿私親其功多者賞之其能當者處之故察能而授官者成功之君也論行而結交者立名之士也韓非子曰夫物者有所宜材者有所施各處其宜故上下無為使雞司夜狸執防皆用其能上乃無事泰族訓曰或輕或重或貪或亷此四者相反而不可一無也輕者欲發重者欲止貪者欲取亷者不利非其有故勇者可令進鬭而不可令持牢重者可令埴固而不可令凌敵貪者可令進取而不可令守職亷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隂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而所治者淺矣道應訓曰聖人之處世不遺有技能之士老子曰人無棄人物無棄物主術訓曰積力之所舉無不勝也眾智之所為無不成也聾者可令嗺筋而不可使有聞也喑者可令守圉而不可使有言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無大小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】

The Worthies said: In ancient times, in advancing scholars, the village selected and the hamlet chose; their talents were discussed and then they were given office; when they were equal to the duties, they were given rank and stipend. [The Wang Zhi says: The Grand Music Master discussed the outstanding among those made scholars and reported to the king and promoted them to the Minister of War, called 'advanced scholars.' The Minister of War distinguished and discussed their official talents, discussed the worthy among the advanced scholars, reported to the king, and settled the discussion. After the discussion was settled they were given office, after being assigned office they were given rank, and after the position was settled they were given stipend.] So scholars cultivated themselves in village corners, were promoted to the court, and acted in obscurity, and their brightness was enough to be manifest; the distant and obscure did not lose scholars, great and small left no merit out, and so the worthy were advanced and used and the unworthy were removed. [The Commentary says: A king in assessing virtue does not honor the meritless, does not give office to the virtueless, does not execute the guiltless; there is no lucky position at court and no lucky survival among the people. So he honors the worthy and uses the able without exceeding grades, and breaks the violent and prohibits the fierce without excessive punishment. The people clearly all know: those who do good in the family are rewarded at court, and those who do evil in secret are punished in public. This is called a settled assessment and is the virtue of a king. The Poem says: Bright and shining Zhou, orderly in its positions.] Now the path of officials is blocked and not selected [the ancient reading is 'open'], the rich buy office with wealth, the brave shoot for merit with their deaths, and performers of chariot tricks and tripod leaps all come out to fill official posts. [The Biography of Wei Wan says: He became a gentleman through chariot tricks. Yan Shigu says: Like today's skill of playing with carts.] Accumulating merit and days, some become ministers and chancellors, hang blue cords, wear silver tortoise seals, hold the handle of life and death and monopolize the fate of the myriad people. The weak are like making sheep lead wolves, and disorder surely ends there; the strong are like giving a sharp sword to a madman, and he will surely kill and spare recklessly. [The Biography of Cruel Officials says: When Ning Cheng was living at home, the emperor wanted to use him as commandery governor. Imperial Secretary Hong said: 'When I was a petty official in Shandong, Ning Cheng was commandant of Jinan, and his government was like a wolf herding sheep; Cheng should not be used to govern people.' The emperor then appointed Cheng as pass commandant. The Zhu Shu Xun says: One who is unhumane and has courage and decisiveness is like a madman holding a sharp sword; one who is ignorant but eloquent and quick-witted discards the law and does not follow it. Though they have talent and ability, they are applied improperly and placed unsuitably, and are only enough to turn into falsehood and adorn error. Many skills are not as good as few. So one with a wild heart cannot be lent convenient power, and one of foolish nature cannot be given a sharp tool.] Therefore in the past the common people of commanderies and states trampled on each other and could not be governed, some even reached the point of sawing necks and killing the innocent and could not be corrected. To hold the guiding rope is not that way; probably the broader it is, the greater the disorder. In ancient times those enfeoffed with worthiness and given stipends for ability held no more than a hundred li; in a hundred li they made a capital and the border extended no more than fifty, and still they thought one man's brightness could not illuminate and one's hearing could not reach, so they set up ministers, high officials and scholars to assist, and only then was government complete. Now commandery governors and chancellors may lack the worthiness of the ancient feudal lords yet oversee the government of a thousand li and rule the multitude of a commandery, applying the sage ruler's virtue and monopolizing the law of life and death; the weight is great, and none but a humane man can bear it, and none but the right man can carry it out. In one man's person, order and disorder lie with himself, and a thousand li turn with him; one must choose carefully. [Guanzi said: The people of Yao and Shun were not born orderly, and the people of Jie and Zhou were not born disorderly, so order and disorder lie above. Lord Shang said: Those who govern well make Robber Zhi trustworthy; those who cannot govern make Bo Yi doubtful.] So a ruler has people he favors with wealth but does not favor with office. [Han Ying said: A bright ruler favors people with a hundred gold, famed jewels and jade, but does not favor anyone with office or work; why? Because fundamentally it does not benefit the one favored. If he cannot do it and the ruler uses him, that is a dim ruler; if the minister cannot and does it, that is a deceitful minister. When the ruler is dim above and the minister is deceitful below, ruin comes soon. All are ways of harm. Therefore only a bright ruler can love what he loves, and a dim ruler will surely endanger what he loves.] He offers rewards to await merit, ranks the grades to await the worthy, raises the good as if never enough and dismisses the bad as if enemies; only then does he not injure the common people for what is not merit. As for [the character 'fu' is pronounced 'fu'] assisting the ruler's virtue and opening the road for ministers, it lies in selecting the worthy and using them according to their capacity, and in selecting commandery governors and chancellors and only then appointing them. [Yue Yi said: A worthy and sage ruler does not give salary to relatives out of favoritism; he rewards those with much merit and places those whose ability fits. So those who examine ability and grant office are rulers who succeed, and those who discuss conduct and ally themselves are gentlemen who establish a name. Han Feizi said: Things have their suitability, and talents have their application; each in its fitness, so those above and below do nothing. Make the rooster keep the night and the wildcat catch the rat (the base text has a corrupt reading here), all using their abilities, and the ruler has no business. The Tai Zu Xun says: Some are light, some heavy, some covetous, some honest; these four are opposite and none can be without one. The light want to start, the heavy want to stop, the covetous want to take, and the honest do not profit from what is not theirs. So the brave can be ordered to advance and fight but not to hold a prison, the heavy can be ordered to hold steady but not to overpower an enemy, the covetous can be ordered to advance and take but not to hold a post, the honest can be ordered to keep their part but not to advance and take, and the trustworthy can be ordered to hold a covenant but not to respond to change. The five are opposites, and the sage uses them all and apportions them. Heaven and Earth do not embrace one thing alone, yin and yang do not give birth to one kind alone; the sea does not refuse rain pools to complete its greatness, and mountains do not refuse earth and stones to complete their height. If one keeps one corner and neglects ten thousand quarters, takes one thing and discards the rest, what one gains is little and what one governs is shallow. The Dao Ying Xun says: The sage in dwelling in the world does not neglect men of skill and ability. Laozi said: No person is to be abandoned, no thing is to be abandoned. The Zhu Shu Xun says: What the accumulated strength lifts cannot be unsuccessful, and what the many minds do cannot fail. A deaf man can be made to knead sinews but cannot be given hearing; a mute can be made to guard but cannot be given speech. Therefore one with one form takes one position and one with one ability serves one task. When strength matches the load, lifting is not heavy; when ability fits the task, doing it is not hard. Regardless of large or small, long or short, each gets what is fitting, and the world is level with none exceeding the other. The sage uses them all, and so wastes no talent.]

大夫曰然為醫以拙矣又多求謝為吏既多不良矣又侵漁百姓【顔師古曰侵漁言侵奪百姓若漁者之取魚也】長吏厲諸小吏【厲病也】小吏厲諸百姓故不患擇之不熟而患求之與得異也不患其不足也患其貪而無厭也

The Grand Secretary said: If this is so, being a physician is already clumsy enough, yet he asks for many thank-you gifts; being an official is already often bad enough, yet he plunders the common people. [Yan Shigu says: 'Plundering' means seizing from the people as a fisherman takes fish.] Senior officials harm junior officials [the character 'li' means to sicken and harm], and junior officials harm the common people. So the fear is not that selection is not careful enough, but that what is sought and what is obtained are not the same; the fear is not that he is not sufficient, but that he is insatiably greedy.

賢良曰古之制爵祿也卿大夫足以潤賢厚士足以優身及黨庻人為官者足以代其耕而食其祿【管子曰爵不尊祿不重者不與圖難犯危以其道為未可以求之也是故先王制軒冕足以著貴賤不求其美設爵祿足以守其服不求其親使君子食於道小人食於力】今小吏祿薄郡國繇【音遙】役逺至三輔粟米貴不足相澹【古聸字】常居則匱於衣食有故則賣畜粥業非徒是也繇吏相遣官庭攝追小計權吏行施乞貸長吏侵漁上府下求之縣縣求之鄉鄉安取之哉【荀悅曰先王之制祿也下足以代耕上足以充祀故食祿之家不與下民爭利所以厲其公義塞其私心其或犯逾之者則繩以政法是以君子慕義小人無怨若位苟祿薄外而不充憂匱是防所求不贍則私利之制萌矣放而聼之則貪利之心濫矣以法繩之則下情怨矣故位必稱徳祿必稱爵故一物而不稱亂之道也今漢之賦祿薄而吏非員者眾在位者貪於財產規奪官民之利則殖貨無厭奪民之利不以為恥是以清節毀傷公義損缺富者比公室貧者匱朝夕非所為濟俗也】語曰貨賂【音路】下流猶水之赴下不竭不止今大川江河飲巨海巨海受之而欲谿谷之讓流潦百官之廉不可得也夫【音扶】欲影正者端其表欲下廉者先之身【曾子曰響不辭聲鑑不辭形君子正一而萬物皆成夫行非為影也而影隨之呼非為響也而響和之故君子功先成而名隨之主術訓曰君人者其猶射者乎於此毫末於彼尋丈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聲音而能使人為之哀樂縣法設賞而不能移風易俗其誠心弗施也】故貪鄙在率不在下教訓在政不在民也【主術訓曰通於本者不亂於末覩於要者不惑於詳是故有諸已不非諸人無諸已不求諸人所立於下者不廢於上所禁於民者不行於身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劉峻曰神非舜禹心異朱均才絓中庸在於所習是以素絲無恆黃代起鮑魚芳蘭入而自變】

The Worthies said: In ancient times, rank and salary were set so that ministers and grandees had enough to enrich the worthy and treat officers generously, and enough to provide well for themselves and their associates; commoners who held office had enough to substitute for farming and live on their salary [The Guanzi says: Those whose rank is not honored and whose salary is not heavy cannot be asked to share in planning difficulties or braving danger, because that way is not yet enough to demand it of them. So the former kings set up carriages and caps enough to mark the noble and the humble without seeking their beauty, and established rank and salary enough to keep up the dress regulations without seeking intimacy. Let the gentleman be fed by the Way and the petty man be fed by his labor.]. Now petty officials' pay is meager, the corvee (reading note: 'yao' is read as 'yao') of commanderies and kingdoms is far, and in the Three Metropolitan Regions the price of grain is high, not enough to supply each other [Dan is the ancient form of 'shan' (supply); the base text's variant is an error for it.]. In ordinary life they are short of clothing and food, and when there is trouble they sell livestock and sell property. And it is not only this: corvee officials dispatch one another, the official court pursues and arrests, and petty accounting officials extort bribes and loans while senior officials encroach and seize. The superior office demands from the county below, the county demands from the village, and from where can the village take it [Xun Yue says: The former kings, in setting salaries, made them enough below to substitute for farming and enough above to supply the sacrifices, so households living on salary did not compete for profit with the people below, in order to spur their public righteousness and block their private minds. Those who transgressed were corrected by law and government. Thus the gentleman admired righteousness and the petty man had no resentment. If positions are casual and salaries thin, they cannot be filled out externally, what is worried over and pitied (the base text writes a lost character here; according to Xun Yue's 'Treatise on Salary' it should read 'pitied') is shortage, what is sought is insufficient, and the system of private gain sprouts. If one lets it be and listens, the greedy mind floods; if one reins it in with law, the lower orders resent. So the position must match virtue and the salary must match rank, and a single mismatch is the way to disorder. Now the Han salaries are thin and officials beyond the quota are many, and those in office covet property and scheme to seize the profit of officials and people, accumulating goods without satiety and not feeling shame at seizing the people's profit. Thus pure integrity is damaged, public righteousness is lacking, the rich can be compared to the ducal house, and the poor are in shortage morning and night; this is not the way to relieve customs.]. A saying goes: bribes (reading note: 'lu' is read as 'lu') flow downward like water going down, not stopping until exhausted. Now the great rivers and streams drink into the vast sea and the sea receives them, yet one wants the brooks and valleys to give up the flowing floods; to want the hundred officials to be incorrupt cannot be obtained. The opening word 'fu' (reading note: 'fu' is read as 'fu'): if you want the shadow to be straight, first set the gnomon upright; if you want those below to be incorrupt, begin with yourself [Master Zeng said: An echo does not decline a sound and a mirror does not decline a form. The gentleman corrects one thing and the myriad things are all accomplished. Conduct is not done for the sake of the shadow, yet the shadow follows; calling is not done for the sake of the echo, yet the echo responds. So the gentleman's achievement is completed first and his reputation follows. The 'Art of the Ruler' says: A ruler is like an archer, is he not? A hair's breadth of error here is a fathom there, so one must be careful about what moves them. Rong Qiqi played once and Confucius was happy for three days, moved by harmony; Zou Ji plucked a stop once and King Wei grieved through the night, moved by sorrow. Moved on zither and lute and shown in sound, it can make people grieve or rejoice; to set up laws and rewards but not be able to change customs is because sincerity has not been put forth.]. So greed and baseness lie in the example set, not below; teaching lies in governance, not in the people [The 'Art of the Ruler' says: One who penetrates the root is not confused over branches, and one who sees the essentials is not misled by details. So what one has oneself one does not criticize in others, what one lacks oneself one does not demand of others; what is established below is not abolished above, what is prohibited for the people is not practiced by oneself. Confucius said: If one's own person is upright, orders are carried out without being given; if not upright, even with orders they are not followed. So when prohibitions first prevail over oneself, orders can be carried out among the people. Liu Jun said: They are not Shun or Yu in spirit, their hearts differ from Zhu and Jun, their talent reaches only the mean, and the crux is what they practice. So plain silk has no constant color, and black and yellow replace each other in turn (the base text's character here is obscure and lost in transcription); salted fish and fragrant orchid change themselves as soon as they enter.].

大夫曰賢不肖有質而貪鄙有性君子內潔已而不能純教於彼故周公非不正管蔡之邪子產非不正鄧晳之偽也【韓嬰曰客有見周公者應之於門曰何以道旦也客曰在外即言外在內即言內入乎將母周公曰請入客曰立即言義坐即言仁坐乎將母周公曰請坐客曰疾言則翕翕徐言則不聞言乎將母周公唯唯旦也逾明日興師而誅管蔡故客善以不言之説周公善聼不言之説若周公可謂能聼微言矣故君子之告人也微其救人之急也婉詩曰豈敢憚行畏不能趨鴻烈解曰鄧晳教鄭人以訟訟不俱囬子產誅之也許慎曰鄧晳詭辯奸人之雄也子產誅之故奸止也傳曰鄭駟遄殺鄧晳而用其竹刑鄧晳制刑書之於竹鄭國用之不以人廢言也】夫【音扶】內不從父兄之教外不畏刑法之罪周公子產不能化必也今一二則責之有司有司豈能縛【房入聲】其手足而使之無為非哉

The Grand Secretary said: The worthy and the unworthy have an inherent substance, and greed and baseness have an inherent nature. A gentleman can keep himself clean inside but cannot carry his pure teaching into others. So the Duke of Zhou was not unable to correct the wickedness of Guan and Cai, and Zichan was not unable to correct the falsehood of Deng Xi [Han Ying says: A guest came to see the Duke of Zhou, and the Duke of Zhou answered at the door: 'What will you use to instruct me, Ji Dan?' The guest said: 'If speaking of outer matters, speak outside; if of inner matters, speak inside; shall I enter, or not?' The Duke of Zhou said: 'Please enter.' The guest said: 'When standing, speak of righteousness; when sitting, speak of humaneness; shall I sit, or not?' The Duke said: 'Please sit.' The guest said: 'If I speak fast it is murmuring, if I speak slowly it is not heard; shall I speak or not?' The Duke of Zhou assented. By the next day he raised troops and executed Guan and Cai. So the guest was good at using wordless speech, and the Duke of Zhou was good at listening to wordless speech; the Duke of Zhou could be said to be able to hear subtle words. So when a gentleman informs people it should be subtle, and when rescuing people in urgency it should be gentle. The Odes say: 'How dare I fear to go; I fear I cannot hasten.' The Honglie Jie says: Deng Xi taught the people of Zheng to litigate, and those who litigated did not return together; Zichan executed him. Xu Shen says: Deng Xi was a champion of sophistical deceit, and Zichan executed him, and treachery then stopped. A tradition says: Si Zhuan of Zheng killed Deng Xi and used his bamboo penal code. Deng Xi wrote penal codes on bamboo and the state of Zheng used it, not discarding words because of the person.]. The opening word 'fu' (reading note: 'fu' is read as 'fu'): if inside one does not follow the teaching of father and elder brothers and outside one does not fear the guilt of punishment and law, even the Duke of Zhou and Zichan would surely fail to transform them. Now you hold every one of them to the officials; can the officials bind (reading note: 'fu' is read as 'fang' in the entering tone) their hands and feet and stop them from doing wrong?

賢良曰駟馬不馴【音廵】御者之過也百姓不治有司之罪也【主術訓曰人主之立法先自為檢式儀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今夫御者馬體調於車御心和於馬則歴險致逺進退周遊莫不如志雖有騏驥騄駬之良臧獲御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母曰弗求勿使可奪母曰不爭如此則人材釋而公道行矣聖主之治也其猶造父之御乎齊輯之於轡銜之際而急緩之於唇吻之和正度於胷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逺而氣力有餘誠得其術也體離車輿之安而手失駟馬之心而能不危者古今未有也】春秋刺譏不及庻人責其率也故古者大夫將臨刑聲色不御刑以當矣猶三廵而嗟嘆之其恥不能以化而傷其不全也【王制曰刑者侀也侀者成也一成而不可變故君子盡心焉曽子曰上失其道民散久矣如得其情則哀矜而勿喜】政教闇而不著百姓顛蹶【音決】而不扶猶赤子臨井焉聽其入也若此則何以為民父母【康誥曰若保赤子孟子曰彼有取爾也赤子匍匐將入並非赤子之罪也又曰人皆有不忍人之心所以謂人皆有不忍人之心者今人乍見孺子將入於並皆有怵愓惻隱之心無惻隱之心非人也】故君子急於教緩於刑刑一而正百殺一而慎萬是以周公誅管蔡而子產誅鄧晳也【指武篇曰齊人王滿生見周公周公出見之曰先生逺辱何以教之王滿生曰言內事者於內言外事者於外今言內事乎言外事乎周公導入王滿生曰敬從布席周公不導坐王滿生曰言大事者坐言小事者倚今言大事乎言小事乎周公導坐王滿生坐周公曰先生何以教之王滿生曰臣聞聖人不言而知非聖人者雖言不知今欲言乎無言乎周公俛念有頃不對王滿生籍筆牘書之曰社稷且危傳之於膺周公仰視見書曰唯唯謹聞命矣明日誅管蔡呂氏春秋曰子產治鄭鄧晳務難之與民之有獄者約大獄一衣小獄襦袴民之獻衣襦袴而學訟者不可勝數以非為是以是為非是非無度而可與不可日變所欲勝因勝所欲罪因罪鄭國大亂民口讙譁子產患之於是殺鄧晳而戮之民心乃服是非乃定法令乃行汜論曰善賞者費少而勸眾善罰者刑省而奸禁故聖人因民之所喜而勸善因民之所惡以禁奸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夘而魯國之邪塞子產誅鄧晳而鄭國之奸禁以近諭逺以小知大也】刑誅一施民遵禮義矣夫【音扶】上之化下若風之靡草無不從教何一一而縛之也【洩冶曰夫上之化下猶風靡草東風則草靡而西西風則草靡而東在風所由而草為之靡是故人君之動不可不慎也】

The Worthies said: When a team of four horses is not tame (reading note: 'xun' is read as 'xun'), it is the driver's fault; when the people are not well governed, it is the officials' crime [The 'Art of the Ruler' says: When a ruler establishes laws, he first makes himself the model and standard, so orders are carried out in the world. Confucius said: If one's own person is upright, orders are carried out without being given; if not upright, even with orders they are not followed. So when prohibitions first prevail over oneself, orders can be carried out among the people. If a driver has the horse's body in tune with the carriage and the driver's mind in harmony with the horses, then through danger and far distances, advancing, retreating, and circling, all go as intended; though there are fine horses like Qi and Ji, if a slave drives them, the horses go their own way and the man cannot control them. So one who governs does not value being right himself but values making it impossible for others to do wrong. So it is said: do not let desirable things be set out and then say not to seek them; do not let seizable things be set out and then say not to contend for them. In this way talent is released and the public way is practiced. Is the governing of a sage ruler not like Zaofu's driving? Uniformity lies at the junction of reins and bit, urgency and slowness lie in the harmony of the lips, correct measure lies in the breast, holding the rhythm lies in the grasp of the hands, inside gaining it in the heart and outside matching the horse's will, so he can advance and retreat on the line and turn and curve true to the compass, take roads and reach far with strength to spare; this is truly having the art. That one could leave the safety of the carriage and lose the heart of the four horses and yet not be in danger has never been seen from ancient times to the present.]. The Spring and Autumn Annals criticizes without reaching the commoners, blaming those who set the example. So in ancient times, when a grandee was about to face punishment, he did not take music or sensuous pleasure; once the punishment was fitting, he still inspected three times and sighed, ashamed that he had not been able to teach and transform and grieving that the person was not whole [The 'Royal Regulations' says: Punishment is completion, and completion is fixed form; once completed it cannot be changed, so the gentleman exerts his whole heart. Master Zeng said: When those above lose their Way, the people have been scattered for long; if you get their true circumstances, then be sorrowful and compassionate and do not rejoice.]. When governance and teaching are dim and not manifest, and the people stumble (reading note: 'jue' is read as 'jue') and no one helps them up, it is like a baby at the edge of a well, left to fall in; if so, what basis is there for being a parent of the people [The 'Announcement to Kang' says: Care for them as for a newborn. Mencius said: It is something one takes from it. A baby crawling about about to fall into a well is not the baby's fault. He also said: Everyone has a heart that cannot bear to see others suffer. So it is said everyone has a heart that cannot bear to see others suffer, because on suddenly seeing a child about to fall into a well, everyone has a feeling of alarm and compassion; without the heart of compassion, one is not a human being.]. So the gentleman is quick in teaching and slow in punishment, one punishment corrects a hundred, one execution makes ten thousand careful; hence the Duke of Zhou executed Guan and Cai and Zichan executed Deng Xi [The chapter 'Pointing to Martial Matters' says: Wang Mansheng of Qi called on the Duke of Zhou, and the Duke of Zhou came out and said to him: Master, you have condescended to come from afar; what will you teach me? Wang Mansheng said: Those who speak of inner matters are inside, those who speak of outer matters are outside; shall I speak of inner matters or outer? The Duke of Zhou led him in. Wang Mansheng said: I respectfully follow in laying out the mat. The Duke of Zhou did not guide him to sit. Wang Mansheng said: Those who speak of great matters sit, those who speak of small matters lean; shall I speak of great or small? The Duke of Zhou guided him to sit. Wang Mansheng sat. The Duke of Zhou said: Master, what will you teach me? Wang Mansheng said: I have heard that a sage knows without speaking, while one who is not a sage will not know though he speak; do you wish me to speak or not? The Duke of Zhou lowered his head and thought for a while and did not reply. Wang Mansheng took brush and tablet and wrote: The altars of the state are about to be in danger; keep it against the breast. The Duke of Zhou looked up and saw the writing and said: Yes, yes, I respectfully heed the command. The next day he executed Guan and Cai. The Annals of Lu says: When Zichan governed Zheng, Deng Xi was dedicated to opposing him; he made an agreement with those with lawsuits: for a major case give one garment, for a minor case give a jacket and trousers. The people who brought garments, jackets, and trousers to learn litigation were countless, making wrong right and right wrong, with no measure of right and wrong; what was allowed and not allowed changed daily; those who wanted to win won and those who wanted to be convicted were convicted. The state of Zheng fell into great disorder and the people's voices clamored. Zichan was troubled by it, and so he killed Deng Xi and exposed his body, and only then did the people's hearts submit, right and wrong were settled, and laws and decrees were carried out. The 'Discussion of Generalities' says: One good at rewarding spends little and encourages many; one good at punishing economizes on penalties and forbids treachery. So the sage encourages good according to what the people like and forbids treachery according to what the people hate; reward one person and the world praises it, punish one person and the world fears it. So the highest reward costs nothing and the highest punishment is not excessive. Confucius executed Shaozheng Mao and Lu's wickedness was blocked; Zichan executed Deng Xi and Zheng's treachery was forbidden; this is using the near to explain the far and the small to know the great.]. Once punishment and execution were carried out, the people followed ritual and righteousness. The opening word 'fu' (reading note: 'fu' is read as 'fu'): the transformation of those below by those above is like wind bending grass, none failing to follow the teaching; why must one bind them one by one [Xie Ye said: The transformation of those below by those above is like wind bending grass: an east wind makes the grass lean west, a west wind makes it lean east; the grass leans wherever the wind comes from. So a ruler's movements must be careful.].

大夫曰古之君子善善而惡【音汙】惡人君不畜惡民農夫不畜無用之苖【叢談曰父不能愛無益之子君不能愛不軌之民曹植曰唐堯至仁不能容無益之子湯武至聖不能養無益之臣】無用之苖苖之害也無用之民民之賊也鉏【音鋤】一害而眾苖成刑一惡而萬民説【音悅王符曰養稂莠者傷禾稼惠奸軌者賊良民管子曰先王者為民興利除害故天下之民歸之所謂興利者利農事者也所謂除害者禁害農者也兵略訓曰治國者若耨田去害苖者而已今沐者墮髪而猶為之不已以其所去者少所利者多也】雖周公孔子不能釋刑而用惡家之有鉏【音鋤】子器皿不居況鉏【音鋤】民乎【指武篇曰昔堯誅四防以懲惡周公殺管蔡以弭亂子產殺鄧晳以威侈孔子斬少正卯以變眾佞賊之人而不誅亂之道也易曰不威小不懲大此小人之福也】民者教於愛而聼刑故刑所以正民鉏【音鋤】所以別苖也【韓非子曰夫惜草茅者害禾穗惠盜賊者傷良民今緩刑罰行寛惠是利奸邪而害善人也此非所以為治也】

The Grand Secretary said: The gentlemen of old praised the good and hated (reading note: 'wu' is read as 'wu') the evil. A ruler does not raise evil people, and a farmer does not nurture useless seedlings [The Conglin says: A father cannot love a son who is of no benefit, and a ruler cannot love a people who do not keep the rules. Cao Zhi says: Tang Yao, supremely humane, could not tolerate sons of no benefit; Tang and Wu, supremely sage, could not support ministers of no benefit.]. Useless seedlings are a harm to the crop, and useless people are a bane to the people. Hoe (reading note: 'chu' is read as 'chu') away one harm and the many seedlings flourish; punish one evil and the ten thousand people rejoice [reading note: 'shuo' is read as 'yue'. Wang Fu says: Nurturing weeds harms the grain, and favoring the treacherous harms the good people. Guanzi says: The former kings brought benefit and removed harm for the people, so the people of the world turned to them. What is called bringing benefit is benefiting farming; what is called removing harm is forbidding what harms farming. The 'Military Strategies' says: One who governs a state is like one hoeing a field, merely removing what harms the seedlings. When washing one's hair one loses hairs yet still does not stop washing, because what is lost is little and what is gained is much.]. Even the Duke of Zhou and Confucius could not put down punishment and employ evil people. If a household has a son who should be hoed away, even the vessels cannot be kept in place; how much more a people who should be hoed away [The 'Pointing to Martial Matters' says: In the past Yao executed the Four Villains to punish evil, the Duke of Zhou killed Guan and Cai to quell disorder, Zichan killed Deng Xi to deter extravagance, and Confucius executed Shaozheng Mao to transform the multitude. To fail to execute flattering robbers is the road of disorder. The Changes says: Not to awe the small and not to punish the great is the fortune of petty people.]. The people are taught through love and heed punishment, so punishment is used to correct the people and the hoe is used to separate the seedlings [The Han Feizi says: Those who cherish weeds harm the grain, and those who favor robbers injure the good people. Now to slacken punishments and practice leniency benefits the treacherous and harms the good, and this is not the way to govern.].

賢良曰古者篤教以導民明闢以正刑刑之於治猶策之於御也良工不能無策而御有策而勿用聖人假法以成教教成而刑不施故威厲而不殺刑設而不犯【白虎通曰刑罰者五帝之鞭防也覽防訓曰鉗且大丙不施轡銜而以善御聞於天下伏戱女媧不設法度而以至徳遺於後世仲尼曰至刑無所用政至政無所用刑】今廢其紀綱而不能張壊其禮義而不能坊【古防字】民陷於罔從而獵之以刑是猶開其闌牢發以毒矢也不盡不止【詩傳曰孔子曰詩曰俾民不迷昔之君子道其百姓不使迷是以威厲而刑措不用也故形其仁義謹其教道使民目晰焉而見之使民耳晰焉而聞之使民心晰焉而知之則道不迷而民志不惑矣詩曰示我顯徳行故道義不易民不由也禮樂不明民不見也詩曰周道如砥其直如矢言其易也君子所履小人所視言其明也睠言顧之澘焉出涕哀其不聞禮教而就刑誅也夫散其本教而待之刑辟猶決其牢而發以毒矢也亦不哀乎故曰未可殺也昔者先王使民以禮譬之如御也刑者鞭防也今猶無轡銜而鞭防以御也欲馬之進則防其後欲馬之退則防其前御者以勞而馬亦多傷矣今猶此也上憂勞而民多罹刑詩曰人而無禮胡不遄死為上無禮則不免乎患為下無禮則不免乎刑上下無禮胡不遄死】曾子曰上失其道民散久矣如得其情則哀矜而勿喜夫【音扶】不傷民之不治而伐已之能得奸猶弋者覩鳥獸掛【音卦】罻【音尉】羅而喜也【孔融曰古者敦厖善否不別吏端刑清政無過失百姓有罪皆自取之末世凌遲風化壊亂政撓其俗法害其人故曰上失其道民散久矣而欲繩之以古刑投之以殘棄非所謂與時消息者也】今天下之被誅者不必有管蔡之邪鄧晳之偽恐苖盡而不別民欺而不治也孔子曰人而不仁疾之已甚亂也故民亂反之政政亂反之身身正而天下定【道應訓曰楚莊王問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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徳乃真也】是以君子嘉善而矜不能恩及刑人徳潤窮夫施惠説【音悅】爾行刑不樂【音洛】也

The Worthies said: In ancient times people were guided by generous teaching and punishment was corrected by clear standards. Punishment in governance is like the whip in driving: a good craftsman cannot drive without a whip, but having a whip one may not use it; the sage borrows law to complete teaching, and when teaching is complete punishment is not applied, so he is stern but does not kill, and punishment is set up but not violated [The Baihu Tong says: Punishment is the whip of the Five Emperors. The 'Lan Ming Xun' says: Qian Qie and Da Bing did not apply reins and bit yet were known as good drivers in the world, and Fuxi and Nuwa did not set up laws and standards yet left supreme virtue to later ages. Zhongni said: The utmost punishment has no use for government, and the utmost government has no use for punishment.]. Now they have abandoned the bonds and cords and cannot set them up, ruined ritual and righteousness and cannot guard (an ancient form of 'fang') them, and when the people fall into the net they go further and use punishment to hunt them, like opening the pen and then shooting poison arrows until none is left [The Commentary on the Odes says: Confucius said: The Odes say, 'Do not let the people be misled.' The gentlemen of old guided their people so they were not misled, and so were stern but left punishment aside. So they showed their humaneness and righteousness and were careful about their teaching and guidance, so the people's eyes saw it clearly, their ears heard it clearly, and their hearts knew it clearly, and so the Way was not obscured and the people's aims were not confused. The Odes say: 'Show me the bright virtuous conduct.' So if the Way and righteousness are not made easy, the people do not follow them; if ritual and music are not made clear, the people do not see them. The Odes say: 'The road of Zhou is like a whetstone, straight as an arrow,' which speaks of its ease; 'what the gentleman treads, the petty man looks at,' which speaks of its clarity. 'Looking back toward it, the tears flow': this is grieving that they did not hear of ritual teaching and went to punishment and execution. To scatter their basic teaching and await them with punishments is like breaking open the pen and then shooting poison arrows; is it not also pitiable? So it is said they should not be killed. In the past the former kings employed the people by ritual, comparing it to driving; punishment is the whip. Now it is as if there are no reins or bit and one drives with a whip: wanting the horse to advance, one whips its rear, wanting the horse to retreat, one whips its front, so the driver is worn out and the horse is much injured. This is just how it is now: those above toil in worry and the people mostly suffer punishment. The Odes say: A person without ritual, why does he not die quickly? One above without ritual does not escape trouble, and one below without ritual does not escape punishment; when above and below lack ritual, why do they not die quickly?]. Master Zeng said: When those above lose their Way, the people have been scattered for long; if you get their true circumstances, then be sorrowful and compassionate and do not rejoice. The opening word 'fu' (reading note: 'fu' is read as 'fu'): not to grieve that the people are not well governed but to boast of being able to catch the treacherous is like a bird-hunter rejoicing on seeing birds and beasts hung (reading note: 'gua' is read as 'gua') on a net (reading note: 'wei' is read as 'wei') [Kong Rong says: In ancient times people were generous and large-hearted, good and not good were not distinguished, officials were upright and punishments clear, government had no faults, and when the people had guilt it was all of their own taking. In the later age, decline set in, customs and transformation were ruined and disordered, government bent its customs, and law harmed its people. So it is said that when those above lose their Way, the people have been scattered for long, yet to want to rein them in with ancient punishments and throw them away cruelly is not what is called waxing and waning with the times.]. Now those executed in the world do not necessarily have the wickedness of Guan and Cai or the falsehood of Deng Xi; one fears only that the seedlings are exhausted without being distinguished, and the people are deceived and cannot be governed. Confucius said: A person who is not humane, if hated too much, will cause disorder. So when the people are disordered, seek it back in government; when government is disordered, seek it back in oneself; when oneself is upright, the world is settled [The 'Dao Ying Xun' says: King Zhuang of Chu asked Zhan He (the base text's character here is obscure and lost in transcription; King Zhuang of Chu's asking Zhan He about governing the state is in the Huainanzi, 'Dao Ying Xun') what to do about governing the state. He answered: I understand governing myself but do not understand governing the state. The king of Chu said: I have been able to establish the ancestral temple and altars of the state and wish to learn how to keep them. Zhan He answered: I have never heard of one whose own person was governed while the state was in disorder, and never heard of one whose own person was disordered while the state was in order. So the root lies in oneself, and I dare not answer with the branches. The king of Chu said: Good. So Laozi said: Cultivate it in your person, and its virtue is genuine.]. Therefore the gentleman commends the good and pities the incapable, his grace reaches those under punishment and his virtue moistens the destitute; when he bestows favor he is glad (reading note: 'shuo' is read as 'yue'), and when he carries out punishment he is not happy (reading note: 'le' is read as 'luo').

大夫曰共其地居是世也非有災害疾疫獨以貧窮非惰則奢也無竒業旁入而猶以富給非儉則力也今曰施惠説【音悅】爾行刑不樂【音洛】則是閔無行【去聲】之人而養惰奢之民也故妄予不為惠惠惡者不為仁【韓非子曰無豐年旁入之利而獨以完給者非力則儉也無饑饉疾疚禍罪之殃獨以貧窮者非侈則惰也侈而惰者貧而力而儉者富今徴斂於富人以佈施於貧家是奪力儉而與侈惰也而欲民之力作而節用不可得也】

The Grand Secretary said: Those who live on the same land and live in the same age, with no disaster or plague yet who are poor alone, are either lazy or extravagant; those without unusual enterprise or side income yet who are still wealthy are either thrifty or industrious. Now to say that when bestowing favor one is glad (reading note: 'shuo' is read as 'yue') and when carrying out punishment one is not happy (reading note: 'le' is read as 'luo') is to pity people without conduct (reading note: 'xing' is read in the departing tone) and nurture a lazy and extravagant people. So giving at random is not favor, and favoring the wicked is not humaneness [The Han Feizi says: Those with no bumper harvest or side profit yet who are alone complete and sufficient are either diligent or thrifty; those without famine, illness, calamity, or crime yet who are alone poor are either extravagant or lazy. The extravagant and lazy are poor and the diligent and thrifty are rich. Now to levy on the rich to give to poor households is to seize from the diligent and thrifty to give to the extravagant and lazy, and to want people to work hard and economize in use cannot be obtained.].

賢良曰三代之盛無亂萌教也夏商之季世無順民俗也【韓非子曰夫堯生在上位雖十桀紂不能亂者勢治也桀紂亦生在上雖有十堯舜而不能治者勢亂也朱穆曰時敦俗美則小人守正利不可誘也時否俗薄雖君子為邪義不能止也楊恪曰堯舜之民可比屋而封桀紂之民可比屋而誅】是以王者設庠序明教化以坊【古防字】道其民及政教之洽性仁而喻善【詩曰皎皎練絲在所染之上智下愚謂之不移中庸之流要在教化儒林傳曰三代之道鄉里有教夏曰校殷曰庠周曰序勸學行禮崇化厲賢以風四方太平之原也】故禮義立則耕者讓於野禮義壊則君子爭於朝【音潮】人爭則亂亂則天下不均故或貧或富富則仁生澹【古贍字】則民爭止昏暮叩人門戶求水火貪夫不恡【音吝】何則所饒也夫【音扶】為政而使菽粟如水火民安有不仁者乎【韓非子曰夫山居而谷汲者膢臘而相遺以水澤居苦水者買庸而決竇故飢嵗之春幼弟不饟穰嵗之秋疏客必食非疏骨肉愛過客也多少之實異也是以古人易財也非仁也財多也今之爭奪非鄙也財寡也齊俗訓曰夫民有餘即讓不足則爭讓則禮義生爭則亂起扣門求水火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贍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奸而法弗能禁也】

The Worthies said: That the flourishing of the Three Dynasties had no seeds of disorder was due to teaching and transformation; that at the end of Xia and Shang there were no obedient people was due to custom [The Han Feizi says: When Yao was in the high position, even ten Jies and Zhous could not cause disorder, because circumstance governed; when Jie and Zhou were also in the high position, even ten Yaos and Shuns could not govern, because circumstance was disordered. Zhu Mu says: When the time is sincere and customs fine, petty people keep to uprightness and profit cannot lure them; when the time is obstructed and customs thin, even gentlemen do wrong and righteousness cannot stop them. Yang Ke says: The people of Yao and Shun could be enfeoffed house by house, and the people of Jie and Zhou could be executed house by house.]. So kings established schools, made teaching and transformation clear, and used guard (an ancient form of 'fang') and guidance for their people. When government and teaching were in harmony, nature was humane and understanding of good [The Odes say: 'Bright white silk lies in what dyes it.' The highest wisdom and lowest folly are called unchangeable; those of the middle depend on teaching and transformation. The Biographies of the Confucian Forest says: The way of the Three Dynasties was that villages had teaching: the Xia called it xiao, the Yin xiang, the Zhou xu; encouraging learning and practicing ritual, honoring transformation and urging the worthy to bring wind to the four quarters is the source of great peace.]. So when ritual and righteousness are established, the plowman yields in the fields; when ritual and righteousness are ruined, the gentleman quarrels at court (reading note: 'chao' is read as 'chao'). When people quarrel there is disorder, and when there is disorder the world is unequal, so some are poor and some rich. When rich, humaneness arises; when provision (an ancient form of 'shan') is sufficient, the people's quarreling stops. At dusk one knocks on someone's door to ask for water and fire, and even a greedy man is not stingy (reading note: 'lin' is read as 'lin'); why? Because they are abundant. The opening word 'fu' (reading note: 'fu' is read as 'fu'): if in governing one could make beans and millet as plentiful as water and fire, how could the people not be humane [The Han Feizi says: Those who live on mountains and draw from valleys give each other water even at the winter sacrifice; those who live in marshes and suffer from water hire people to dig channels. So in a hungry year's spring one does not send provisions even to a young brother; in an abundant year's autumn one surely feeds a distant guest. It is not that one is distant from kin and fond of passing guests, but that the reality of much and little differs. So the ancients made light of wealth not from humaneness but because wealth was plentiful; the present quarrels and seizing are not from baseness but because wealth is scarce. The 'Qi Su Xun' says: When the people have surplus they yield, when not enough they quarrel; yielding gives rise to ritual and righteousness, quarreling brings violence (an obscure character in the base text, lost in transcription) and disorder. Knocking on a door for water and fire is never refused because there is abundance; in the forest firewood is not sold and on the lake fish are not sold because there is surplus. So when goods are abundant desires are few, and when provision is sought quarreling stops. In the time of the King of Qin, there were people who made their sons into meat paste, because profit was insufficient; when the Liu house held government, there were lone men who took in orphans, because wealth was in surplus. So when the age is well governed, petty people keep to uprightness and profit cannot lure them; when the age is disordered, gentlemen do wrong and law cannot stop them.].

大夫曰博戱馳逐之徒皆富人子弟非不足者也故民饒則僭侈富則驕奢坐而委【音逶】蛇【音迤】起而為非未見其仁也夫【音扶】居事不力用財不節雖有財如水火窮乏可立而待也有民不畜有司雖助之耕織其能足之乎

The Grand Secretary said: Those who gamble, play games, and race horses are all sons of the rich, not those in want. So when people are well off they are presumptuous and extravagant, and when rich they are arrogant and lavish; sitting they sprawl (reading notes: 'wei' is read as 'wei'; 'she' is read as 'yi'), and when they get up they do wrong; I have not seen their humaneness. The opening word 'fu' (reading note: 'fu' is read as 'fu'): if one does not work hard at one's tasks and does not economize in spending money, even with wealth as plentiful as water and fire, poverty and want can arrive at once. If there are people who do not store and accumulate, even if the officials help them farm and weave, can they be made sufficient?

賢良曰周公之相【去聲】成王也百姓饒樂【音洛】國無乏人非代之耕織也易其田疇薄其稅斂則民富矣上以奉君親下無飢寒之憂則教可成也【傳曰夫百姓內不乏食外不患寒則可教御以禮義矣】語曰既富矣又何加焉曰教之以徳齊之以禮則民從義而從善莫不入孝出悌夫【音扶】何奢侈暴慢之有【孔子曰夫民教之以徳齊之以禮則民有格心教之以政齊之以刑則民有遯心故君民者子以愛之則民親之信以結之則民不倍防以涖之則民有孫心甫刑曰苖民匪用命制以刑惟作五虐之刑曰法是以民有惡徳而遂絶其世也】管子曰倉廩實而知禮節百姓足而知榮辱故民易與適禮難與適道

The Worthies said: When the Duke of Zhou served as chancellor (reading note: 'xiang' is read in the departing tone) to King Cheng, the people were abundant and happy (reading note: 'le' is read as 'luo'), and the state had no lack of men; it was not that he farmed and wove for them. If one makes their fields easy to work and lightens their taxes, the people become rich. Above they serve ruler and parents, below they have no worry of hunger and cold, and teaching can then succeed [A tradition says: When the people do not lack food within and do not worry about cold outside, they can be guided by ritual and righteousness.]. A saying goes: Once they are rich, what is added? It says: Teach them with virtue and regulate them with ritual, and the people follow righteousness and follow the good, all entering to be filial and going out to be brotherly. The opening word 'fu' (reading note: 'fu' is read as 'fu'): where would there still be extravagance and arrogance [Confucius said: As for the people, if you teach them by virtue and regulate them by ritual, they have a heart that comes to the standard; if you teach them by government and regulate them by punishment, they have a heart to evade. So one who rules the people, loving them as a son will make the people close to him; binding them with trust, the people will not turn away; approaching them with respect (the base text writes a lost character here; per the Book of Rites, 'Ziyi,' 'approach them with respect and the people have a heart of deference'), the people will have a heart of humility. The 'Punishments of Fu' says: The people of Miao did not obey commands; they were controlled by punishment, and only the five cruel punishments were made and called law, so the people had evil virtue and in the end their line was cut off.]. Guanzi said: When granaries are full one knows ritual and restraint, and when the people are sufficient one knows honor and disgrace. So it is easy to take the people to ritual, and hard to take them to the Way.

大夫曰縣官之於百姓若慈父之於子也忠焉能勿誨乎愛之能勿勞乎故春親耕以勸農賑貸以澹【古贍字】不足通滀【音畜】水出輕系使民務時也防恩被澤而至今猶以貧困其難與適道若是夫【音扶】

The Grand Secretary said: The government's relation to the people is like a loving father's to his son. How could he, being loyal, not instruct them? How could he, loving them, not make them toil? So in spring he personally plows to encourage farming, relieves and lends to supply (an ancient form of 'shan') the insufficient, opens up stored (reading note: 'chu' is read as 'xu') water, releases prisoners with light crimes, and lets the people attend to the farming season. Having received favor and grace, yet to be still poor to this day, how hard it is to take them to the Way (reading note: 'fu' is read as 'fu').

賢良曰古者春省耕以補不足秋省斂以助不給民勤於財則貢賦省民勤於力則功業牢為【去聲】民愛力不奪須臾故召伯聼斷於甘棠之下為妨農業之務也【傳曰昔者周道之盛召伯在朝有司請營邵以居召伯曰嗟以吾一身而勞百姓此非吾先君文王之志也於是出而就蒸庻於阡陌隴畆之間而聼斷焉召伯暴處逺野廬於樹下百姓大悅耕桑者倍力以勸於是嵗大稔民給家足其後在位者驕奢不恤元元稅賦繁數百姓睏乏耕桑失時於是詩人見召伯之所休息樹下美而歌之詩曰蔽茀甘棠勿剪勿伐召伯所苃此之謂也貴徳篇曰聖人之於天下百姓也其猶赤子乎飢者則食之寒者則衣之將之養之育之長之唯恐其不至於大也詩曰蔽芾甘棠勿剪勿伐召伯所苃傳曰自陜以東者周公主之自陜以西者召公主之召公述職當桑蠶之時不欲變民事故不入邑中舍於甘棠之下而聼斷焉陝間之人皆得其所是故後世思而歌詠之善之故言之言之不足故嗟嘆之嗟嘆之不足故歌詠之夫詩思然後積積然後滿滿然後發發由其道而致其位焉百姓嘆其美而致其敬甘棠之不伐也政教惡乎不行孔子曰吾於甘棠見宗廟之敬也甚尊其人必敬其位順安萬物古聖之道幾哉仁人之徳教也誠惻隱於中悃愊於內不能已於其心故其治天下也如救溺人】今時雨澍【音樹】澤【澍時雨生萬物也】種懸而不得播秋稼零落乎野而不得收田疇赤地而停落成市發春而後懸青幡【音番】而防土牛殆非明主勸耕稼之意而春令之所謂也

The Worthies said: In ancient times in spring they inspected the plowing to supplement shortages, and in autumn they inspected the harvest to help those who lacked. When the people are diligent with wealth, tribute and taxes are light; when the people are diligent with strength, works and achievements are firm. For (reading note: 'wei' is read in the departing tone) the people, they cherished their strength and did not take even a moment of it, so the Elder of Shao heard and decided cases beneath the sweet pear tree, for fear of hindering the work of farming [A tradition says: In the past, when the Way of Zhou flourished, the Elder of Shao was at court, and the officials asked to build a residence at Shao for him to live in. The Elder of Shao said: Alas, to burden the people for my one person is not the will of my late ruler King Wen. So he went out and went among the common people in the fields and lanes to hear and decide cases. The Elder of Shao was exposed in the remote wilds, living in a hut under a tree, and the people were greatly pleased, and those who plowed and tended mulberry exerted double effort; so the year was greatly abundant and people were supplied and households sufficient. Afterward those in office were arrogant and extravagant, did not care for the common people, taxes were frequent, the people were in want, and plowing and mulberry-tending lost their season. So the poet saw the tree where the Elder of Shao had rested, praised it and sang. The Odes say: 'Lush is the sweet pear; do not trim it, do not fell it; the Elder of Shao camped here.' This is what that means. The chapter 'Valuing Virtue' says: The sage's relation to the people of the world is like that to a newborn, is it not? The hungry he feeds, the cold he clothes, he leads and nourishes them, raises and brings them up, fearing only that they do not grow great. The Odes say: 'Lush is the sweet pear; do not trim it, do not fell it; the Elder of Shao camped here.' A tradition says: East of Shan the Duke of Zhou governed, west of Shan the Duke of Shao governed. The Duke of Shao reported on his duties at just the silkworm season and did not wish to change the people's work, so he did not enter the town and lodged beneath the sweet pear tree to hear and decide cases. The people between Shan all got what they needed, so later ages remembered him and sang of him. They found him good, so they spoke of him; speaking not being enough, they sighed; sighing not being enough, they sang. A poem is thought, then accumulated, then full, then released; releasing follows its way and reaches its place. The people sighed at his excellence and paid him respect; as the sweet pear was not felled, how could government and teaching not be carried out? Confucius said: In the sweet pear I see the reverence of the ancestral temple. When one deeply honors a person one must respect his place; to accord with and settle the myriad things is close to the Way of the ancient sages. The virtuous teaching of a humane person is truly compassion within and sincerity within, which cannot be stopped in his heart, so his governing the world is like rescuing a drowning person.]. Now the seasonal rain waters the land (shu: the seasonal rain gives life to the myriad things), but the seed is held up and cannot be sown, autumn crops fall scattered in the fields and cannot be harvested, the fields are bare earth, the fallen grain has become a marketplace, and only after the beginning of spring do they hang green banners (reading note: 'fan' is read as 'fan') and set out (the base text writes a lost character here; per the Book of Later Han, 'Treatise on Ritual,' at the start of spring 'set up green banners and set out the earth ox') the earth ox, which is probably not the intent of an enlightened ruler's encouraging farming and not what the spring ordinances say.

大夫曰禹湯聖主后稷伊尹賢相【去聲】也而有水旱之災水旱天之所為飢穰隂陽之運也非人力故太嵗之數在陽為旱在隂為水【天文訓曰八尺之景修徑尺五寸景脩則隂氣勝景短則陽氣勝隂氣勝則為水陽氣勝則為旱】六嵗一飢十二嵗一荒天道固然殆非獨有司之罪也

The Grand Secretary said: Yu and Tang were sage rulers, and Hou Ji and Yi Yin were worthy chancellors (reading note: 'xiang' is read in the departing tone), yet there were still floods and droughts. Floods and droughts are the doing of Heaven, and famine and abundance are the turn of yin and yang, not the work of human strength. So in the numbers of the Jupiter cycle, in yang years there is drought and in yin years there are floods [The 'Tianwen Xun' says: With an eight-foot gnomon, the shadow's length is about one foot five inches. When the shadow is long, yin qi prevails; when the shadow is short, yang qi prevails; when yin qi prevails there are floods, and when yang qi prevails there is drought.]. A famine every six years and a lean year every twelve years is simply the way of Heaven, and is probably not the fault of the officials alone.

賢良曰古者政有徳則隂陽調星辰理風雨時故循行於內聲聞於外為善於下福應於天【亢倉子楚曰水隂沴也隂於國政類刑人事類私旱陽過也陽於國政類徳人事類盈楚以為凡遭水旱天子宜正刑修徳百官宜去私戒盈則以類而消百福日至矣】周公載紀而天下太平國無夭傷嵗無荒年當此之時雨不破塊風不鳴條旬而一雨雨必以夜無丘陵髙下皆熟【傳曰國無道則飄風厲疾暴雨折木隂陽錯氛夏寒冬溫春熱秋榮日月無光星辰錯行民多疾病國多不祥群生不夀而五穀不登當成周之時隂陽調寒暑平群生遂萬物寧故曰其風治其樂連其驅馬舒其民依依其行遲遲其意好好董仲舒曰太平之世則風不鳴條開甲散萌而已雨不破塊潤葉津莖而已雷不驚人令啟發而已電不目宣示光耀而已霧不寒望浸滛被泊而已雪不封條凌殄毒害而已雲則五色而為慶三色而成矞露則結味而成甘結潤而成膏此聖人之在上則隂陽和風雨時也論衡曰太平瑞應山出車澤出馬男女異路市無二價耕者讓畔斑白不提挈關梁不閉道不擄掠風不鳴條雨不破塊五日一風十日一雨尚書大傳曰成王時越裳重譯而來朝曰久矣天之無烈風迅雨意中國有聖人乎】詩曰有渰【音掩】萋萋興雨祁祁今不省具所然而曰隂陽之運也非所聞也孟子曰野有餓殍不知收也狗豕食人食不知檢也為民父母民飢而死則曰非我也嵗也何異乎以刃殺之則曰非我也兵也方今之務在除飢寒之患罷鹽鐡退權利分土地趣本業養桑麻盡地力也寡功節用則民自富如是則水旱不能憂凶年不能累也【周書曰天有四殃水旱饑荒其至無時非務積聚何以脩之夏箴曰小人無兼年之食遇天飢妻子非其有也大夫無兼年之食遇天飢臣妾輿馬非其有也戒之哉弗思弗行至無日矣不明開塞禁舍者其如天下何人各修其學而尊其名聖人制之故諸橫生盡以養從生從生盡以養一文夫無殺夭胎無伐不成材無墮四時】

The Worthies said: In ancient times when government had virtue, yin and yang were in tune, the stars and planets were in order, and wind and rain were timely; so virtue practiced within and reputation heard without, goodness done below and blessings responding from Heaven [Kangcangzi of Chu said: Floods are yin excess; yin in state governance is akin to punishment and in human affairs akin to selfishness. Drought is yang excess; yang in state governance is akin to virtue and in human affairs akin to fullness. Chu thought that in every flood or drought, the Son of Heaven should correct punishments and cultivate virtue, and the hundred officials should drop selfishness and guard against fullness, and then by kinds they would dissipate and a hundred blessings would arrive daily.]. When the Duke of Zhou held the cords, the world was at great peace, the state had no early deaths or injuries, and the years had no famines. At that time rain did not break clods, wind did not make branches sound, there was one rain in ten days, rain surely came at night, and whether on hills or low land all ripened [A tradition says: When a state lacks the Way, whirlwinds are fierce and swift, violent rain breaks trees, yin and yang are disordered, summer is cold and winter warm, spring hot and autumn blooming, the sun and moon lack light, the stars and planets move wrongly, the people are often ill, the state has many ill omens, living beings do not reach old age, and the five grains do not ripen. In the time of Cheng and Zhou, yin and yang were in tune, cold and heat were even, living beings flourished, and the myriad things were at peace. So it is said: their wind was well-ordered, their music joined, their driven horses relaxed, their people contented, their conduct leisurely, their intentions fine. Dong Zhongshu said: In a world of great peace, the wind does not make the branches sound but only opens shells and disperses sprouts; rain does not break clods but only moistens leaves and fluids of stems; thunder does not startle people but only awakens and inspires; lightning does not dazzle the eyes but only displays brilliance; mist does not chill the view but only soaks and settles; snow does not seal the branches but only subdues poisons and harms; clouds are five-colored and make auspiciousness and three-colored and make glow; dew congeals in flavor and becomes sweet and congeals in moisture and becomes fat. This is when a sage is above, yin and yang are harmonious and wind and rain timely. Wang Chong's Lunheng says: The auspicious signs of great peace: mountains produce carts, marshes produce horses, men and women take different roads, markets have no double prices, plowmen yield field boundaries, the gray-haired do not carry loads, passes and bridges are not closed, roads are free of plunder, wind does not make the branches sound, rain does not break clods, wind once in five days, rain once in ten days. The Shangshu Dazhuan says: In King Cheng's time the Yuechang came to court through repeated translation and said: It has been long; Heaven has had no fierce wind or swift rain; perhaps there is a sage in China?]. The Odes say: 'Clouds gather thick and dense, and rain falls in a gentle, steady fall.' Now they do not examine why it is so but say it is the turn of yin and yang, which is not what I have heard. Mencius said: In the wilds there are the starved dead and no one knows to collect them; dogs and pigs eat people's food and no one knows to check them. A parent of the people, when the people die of hunger, says it is not me, it is the harvest; how does this differ from killing a man with a knife and saying it is not me, it is the weapon? The task of the present lies in removing the trouble of hunger and cold: abolish the salt and iron monopolies, withdraw from seeking power and profit, distribute land, urge the basic occupation, nurture mulberry and hemp, and exhaust the strength of the land. Reduce labor and economize in use, and the people will enrich themselves. If so, floods and droughts cannot cause worry and lean years cannot burden us [The Book of Zhou says: Heaven has four calamities: flood, drought, hunger, and famine, which arrive at no fixed time; without striving to accumulate, with what does one guard against them? The Xia Zhen says: A petty man who has no more than a year's food, when meeting a Heaven-sent famine, his wife and children are no longer his; a grandee who has no more than a year's food, when meeting a Heaven-sent famine, his servants, concubines, carriages, and horses are no longer his. Take warning! If one does not think and does not act, it will arrive without a day to spare. Those who do not understand opening and closing, forbidding and releasing, what will they do about the world? Each person cultivates his learning and honors his name; the sage regulates it, so all those who grow horizontally are used to nourish those who grow vertically, and all those who grow vertically are used to nourish one man. Do not kill the young or embryos, do not fell what has not become timber, and do not ruin the four seasons.].

大夫曰議者貴其辭約而指明可於眾人之聼不至繁文稠辭多言害有司化俗之計而家人語陶朱為生本末異徑一家數事而治生之道乃備今縣官鑄【音注】農器使民務本不營於末則無飢寒之累鹽鐵何害而罷

The Grand Secretary said: Those who debate value brevity of words and clarity of meaning, so that it can enter the hearing of the multitude and not reach profuse writings and dense phrases. Excessive talk hinders the officials' plan to transform customs, while what the family says is: Tao Zhu made his living such that the root and the branch took different paths, with several undertakings in one household, so the way of making a living was complete. Now the government casts (reading note: 'zhu' is read as 'zhu') farm tools so that the people devote themselves to the root and do not run after the branches, and then there is no burden of hunger and cold. What harm is there in salt and iron that they should be abolished?

賢良曰農天下之大業也鐵器民之大用也器用便利則用力少而得作多農夫樂【音洛】事勸功用不具則田疇荒谷不殖用力鮮功自半器便與不便其功相什而倍也縣官鼔鑄【音注】鐵器大抵多為大器務應員程不給民用民用鈍割草不痛是以農夫作劇【音極】得獲者少百姓苦之矣

The Worthies said: Farming is the great enterprise of the world, and iron tools are the people's great use. When tools are convenient, little effort yields much work, and farmers delight (reading note: 'le' is read as 'luo') in the task and are encouraged in their work; when implements are not complete, the fields are wasted and grain is not grown, little effort is applied and the result is only half. Whether tools are convenient or not, the results differ by tenfold. The government casts (reading note: 'zhu' is read as 'zhu') iron tools, mostly large ones, just to meet the quota and not to supply the people's use; the people's tools are dull and worn (an obscure character in the base text, lost in transcription), cutting grass is not sharp, so farmers work hard (reading note: 'ju' is read as 'ji') and gain little, and the people suffer.

大夫曰卒徒工匠以縣官日作公事財用饒器用備家人合會褊於日而勤於用鐵力不銷鏈堅柔不和故有司請總鹽鐵一其用平其賈【通作價】以便百姓公私雖虞夏之為治不易於此吏明其教工緻其事則剛柔和器用便此則百姓何苦而農夫何疾

The Grand Secretary said: The soldiers, laborers, and craftsmen follow the government's daily schedule in public work, so resources are ample and tools complete; when family members work together, the days are tight and expenses frequent, and the iron is not smelted thoroughly and its hardness and softness are not harmonized. So the officials requested to take charge of salt and iron, unify their use, and equalize the price (the base text's 'gu' is equated with 'price') for the convenience of the people. Public and private, even the governance of Yu and Xia did not alter this. If the officials make their instruction clear and the craftsmen perfect their work, then hard and soft are in harmony and tools are convenient; what suffering is there for the people and what illness for the farmers?

賢良曰卒徒工匠故民得占【去聲】租鼓鑄【音注】煮鹽之時鹽與五穀同賈【通作價】器和利而中用今縣官作鐡器多苦惡【臣瓉曰謂作鐵器民患苦其不好也顔師古曰鹽既味苦器又脆惡故總雲苦惡也】用費不省卒徒煩而力作不盡家人相一父子戮力各務為善器器不善者不集農事急挽【音挽】運衍之阡陌之間民相與市買得以財貨五穀新弊易貨或貰【音世】民不棄作業置田器各得所欲更繇【音遙】省約縣官以徒復作繕【音善】治道橋諸發民便之今總其原一其賈【通作價】器多堅防【音坑】善惡無所擇吏數不在器難得家人不能多儲多儲則鎮生棄膏腴【音於】之日逺市田器則後良時鹽鐡賈【通作價】貴百姓不便貧民或木耕手耨土耰啖【音談】食鐵官賣器不售【音夀】或頗賦於民卒徒作不中【去聲】程時命助之發徴無限更繇以均劇故百姓疾苦之古者千室之邑百乗【去聲】之家陶冶工商四民之求足以相更故農民不離畦畆而足乎田器工人不斬伐而足乎陶冶不耕田而足乎粟米百姓各得其便而上無事焉【司馬遷曰古者四民因其土宜各在智力夙興夜寐以治其業相與通功易事交利而俱贍非有徴發期會而逺近鹹足故易曰後以財成天地之道輔相天地之宜以左右民備物致用立成器以為天下利莫大乎聖人此之謂也】是以王者務本不作末去【音縣】燿【音耀】除雕琢湛民以禮示民以檏是以百姓務本不營於末【管子曰凡民從上也不從口之所言從情之所好者也故上之所好民必甚焉是故明君知民之必以上為心也故置法以自治立儀以自正也傳曰聖人不滛佚侈靡者非鄙夫色而愛財用也夏不數浴非愛水也冬不頻湯非愛火也不髙臺榭非無土木也不大鐘鼎非無金錫也直行情性之所安而制度可以為天下法矣昔者舜甑盆無羶而下不以餘獲罪飯乎土簋啜乎土型而農不以力獲罪麑衣而防領而女不以巧獲罪傳曰易簡而天下之理得也韓非子曰君無見其所欲見其所欲臣將自雕琢君無見其意君見其意臣將自表異故曰去好去惡臣乃見素去舊去智臣乃自備】

The Worthies said: In the days when soldiers, laborers, and craftsmen, and when the people were allowed to lease (reading note: 'zhan' is read in the departing tone) the casting (reading note: 'zhu' is read as 'zhu') and boiling of salt, salt and the five grains were the same price (the base text's 'gu' is equated with 'price'), and tools were harmonious and profitable and fit for use. Now the government makes iron tools mostly bitter and bad [Chen Zan says: This says that in making iron tools, the people suffer from their being bad. Yan Shigu says: Salt is bitter in taste and tools are also brittle and bad, so together they are called bitter and bad.], expenses are not reduced, and soldiers and laborers are troubled and their work is not fully done. Families are of one mind with each other, fathers and sons exert effort together, each striving to make good tools, and tools that are not good are not gathered together. When farm work is urgent, they pull (reading note: 'wan' is read as 'wan') and carry them out to the fields, and the people trade with each other, getting goods and the five grains in exchange old or new, or on credit (reading note: 'shi' is read as 'shi'), the people do not abandon their work, they obtain farm tools each as they wish, and corvee service is reduced. When the government uses laborers to repair (reading note: 'shan' is read as 'shan') roads and bridges, all levies on the people are felt as convenient. Now the source is controlled and the price made uniform (the base text's 'gu' is equated with 'price'), tools are mostly hard and rough (the base text writes a lost character here, with a note giving the sound 'keng', i.e., the 'keng' of rough hardness), and good and bad cannot be selected. Officials are often not there and tools are hard to obtain; families cannot stock up, and stocking up leads to rust and loses the days of fertile (reading note: 'yu' is read as 'yu') land; going to distant markets for farm tools misses the good time. The price of salt and iron (the base text's 'gu' is equated with 'price') is high and the people are inconvenienced; poor people sometimes plow with wood and weed by hand and eat food hacked from clods (reading note: 'dan' is read as 'tan'). When iron officials sell tools and they do not sell (reading note: 'shou' is read as 'shou'), they are often apportioned to the people; soldiers and laborers whose work does not meet (reading note: 'zhong' is read in the departing tone) the standard are repeatedly ordered to give additional service, levies are unlimited, and corvee is distributed by hardship, so the people suffer. In ancient times a town of a thousand households and a house of a hundred chariots (reading note: 'cheng' is read in the departing tone) had pottery, smelting, crafts, and commerce, and the needs of the four classes of people could be supplied by taking turns, so farmers did not leave their plots yet were sufficient in farm tools, craftsmen did not fell trees yet were sufficient in pottery and smelting, and without plowing they were sufficient in grain, and the people each got their convenience and those above had no trouble [Sima Qian says: In ancient times the four classes of people followed what their land was suited for, each exhausted his wisdom and strength, rose early and slept late to attend to his work, and together exchanged work and traded tasks, sharing benefit and all being supplied, not because of levies and appointed times were all, near and far, sufficient. So the Changes says: The ruler completes the Way of Heaven and Earth with wealth and assists what Heaven and Earth find fitting in order to support the people. Preparing things to make them useful and establishing implements to benefit the world, no one is greater than the sage. This is what that means.]. Therefore a king devotes himself to the root and not the branches, removes glitter (reading notes: 'xuan' is read as 'xian'; 'yao' is read as 'yao') and ornament, eliminates carving and polishing, steeps the people in ritual and shows the people simplicity, and so the people devote themselves to the root and do not run after the branches [Guanzi says: In general the people follow those above and not what their mouths say, following what their feelings like. So what those above like, the people surely like even more. So an enlightened ruler knows the people will surely take their cue from those above, and so sets up laws to govern himself and establishes standards to correct himself. A tradition says: The sage is not licentious and extravagant, not because he despises beauty and cherishes wealth. He does not bathe frequently in summer not because he spares water, nor frequently heat water in winter not because he spares fire, does not build high terraces not because he has no earth and wood, and does not make great bells and tripods not because he has no metal and tin; he simply directly follows what his nature is at ease with, and his institutions can become law for the world. In the past Shun used earthenware steamers and basins without any strong smell, and below him no one was guilty for surplus; he ate from earthen bowls and sipped from earthen molds, and farmers were not guilty for their effort; he wore a fawn-skin robe with twisted collar (the base text writes a lost character; per the Hanshi Waizhuan, vol. 3, 'a fawn-skin robe with twisted collar'), and women were not guilty for their skill. A tradition says: Through ease and simplicity the principles of the world are obtained. The Han Feizi says: A ruler should not show what he desires; if the ruler shows what he desires, ministers will carve themselves; the ruler should not show his intent; if the ruler shows his intent, ministers will display themselves as different. So it is said: drop likes and dislikes, and then ministers show their plain selves; drop the old and wisdom, and then ministers prepare themselves.].

大夫曰飾几杖修樽俎為【去聲】賔非為【去聲】主也【音縣】燿【音耀】竒怪所以陳四夷非為【去聲】民也夫【音扶】家人有客尚有倡優竒變之樂而況縣官乎故列羽旄陳戎馬以示威武竒蟲珍怪所以示懐廣逺明徳逺國莫不至也

The Grand Secretary said: Decorating stools and staffs and arranging wine vessels and sacrificial stands is for (reading note: 'wei' is read in the departing tone) guests and not for (reading note: 'wei' is read in the departing tone) the host; showing off (reading notes: 'xuan' is read as 'xian'; 'yao' is read as 'yao') strange things is to display them to the four barbarians and not for (reading note: 'wei' is read in the departing tone) the people. The opening word 'fu' (reading note: 'fu' is read as 'fu'): if even a household with a guest has the music of entertainers and wonders, how much more the government? So they display feathers and ox-tails and set out war horses to show martial might, and rare insects and wonders are used to show leniency toward the far-off and manifest virtue, so that no distant state fails to come.

賢良曰王者崇禮施徳上【通作尚】仁義而賤怪力故聖人絶而不言孔子曰言忠信行【去聲】篤敬雖蠻貊之邦不可棄也今萬方絶國之君奉贄【音至】獻者懐天子之盛徳而欲觀中國之禮儀故設明堂辟雍以示之干鏚昭雅頌以風【去聲】之今乃玩好【去聲】不用之器竒蟲不畜之獸角抵諸戲【音縣】燿【音耀】之物陳誇【通作誇】之殆與周公待逺方殊【刑法志曰春秋之後滅弱吞小併為戰國稍增講武之禮以為戱樂用相誇視而秦更名角抵先王之禮沒於滛樂中矣應劭曰角者角技也抵者相牴觸也文頴曰抵當也名此樂為角抵者兩兩相當角力角技藝御射故名角抵蓋雜技樂也巴俞戲魚龍蔓延之屬也顔師古曰耀之物人也相詐惑也讀與幻同其術本從西域來即今吞刀吐火植種樹屠人戮馬之術皆是也漢紀曰元封三年春作角抵戲以享外國朝獻者三百餘里內人皆觀張騫傳曰是時上方數廵狩海上廼悉從外國客大都多人過之則散財帛賞賜厚具饒給之以覽視漢富厚焉大角抵出竒戱諸恠物多聚觀者行賞賜酒池肉林令外國客徧觀名倉庫府藏之積欲以見漢廣大傾駭之及加其者之工而角抵竒戱嵗增變其益興自此始而外國使更來更去大宛以西皆自恃逺尚驕恣未可詘以禮羈縻而使也】昔周公處謙以卑士執禮以治下天下辭越裳之贄【音至】見恭讓之禮既與入文王之廟是見大孝之禮也【風俗通曰越裳重九譯獻白雉周公薦陳祖廟曰先人之徳有天下尊歸於父此人道之極也】目覩威儀干鏚之容耳聼清歌雅頌之聲心充至徳欣然以歸此四夷所以慕義內附非重譯【音亦】狄鞮【音低】來觀猛獸熊羆也【狄鞮西方之民也】夫【音扶】犀象兕虎南夷之所多也騾【音蘆】驢【音離】馲【音托】駞【音跎】北狄之常畜也中國所鮮【上聲】外國賤之南越以孔雀珥【音二】門戶崑山之旁以玉璞抵烏鵲今貴人之所賤珍人之所饒非所以厚中國明盛德也隋和之名寳也而不能安危存亡故喻徳示威惟賢臣良相【去聲】不在犬馬珍怪是以聖王以賢為寳不以珠玊為寳【雜事篇曰齊宣王與魏惠王防田於郊魏王曰亦有寳乎齊王曰無有魏王曰若寡人之小國也尚有徑寸之珠照車前後十二乗者十枚奈何以萬乗之國無寳乎齊王曰寡人之所以為寳與王異吾臣有檀子者使之守南城則楚人不敢為冦泗水上有十二諸侯皆來朝吾臣有盼子者使之守髙唐則趙人不敢東漁於河吾臣有黔夫者使之守徐州則燕人祭北門趙人祭西門從而歸之者十千餘家吾臣有種首者使之備盜賊而道不拾遺吾將以照千里之外豈特十二乗哉魏王慙不懌而去詩曰辭之懌矣民之莫矣反質篇曰經侯徃適魏太子左帯羽玊具劔右帯環佩左光照右右光照左坐有頃太子不視也又不問也經侯曰魏國亦有寳乎太子曰有經侯曰其寳何如太子曰主信臣忠百姓上戴此魏之寳也經侯曰吾所問者非是之謂也乃問其器而已太子曰有徒師沼治魏而市無預賈郄辛治陽而道不拾遺芒卯在朝而四鄰賢士無不相因而見此三大夫乃魏國之大寳於是經侯黙然不應左觧玉具右觧環佩委之坐愆然而起黙然不謝趨而出上車驅去魏太子使騎操劔佩逐與經侯使告經侯曰吾無徳所寳不能為珠玉所守此寒不可衣飢不可食無為遺我賊於是經侯杜門不出傳死雜事篇曰秦欲伐楚使使者徃觀楚之寳器楚王聞之召令尹子西而問焉曰秦欲觀楚之寳器吾和氏之璧隨侯之珠可以示諸令尹子西對曰不知也召昭奚恤而問焉昭奚恤對曰此欲觀吾國得失而圖之不在寳器在賢臣珠玉玩好之物非寳重者王遂使昭奚恤應之昭奚恤發精兵三百人陳於西門之內為東面之壇一為南面之壇四為西面之壇一秦使者至昭奚恤曰君客也請就上位東面令尹子西南面太宗子敖次之葉公子髙次之司馬子反次之昭奚恤自居西面之壇稱曰客欲觀楚國之寳器楚國之所寳者賢臣也理百姓實倉廩使民各得其所令尹子西在此奉珪璧使諸侯觧忿悁之難交兩國之歡使無兵革之憂太宗子敖在此守封疆謹境界不侵鄰國鄰國亦不見侵葉公子髙在此理師旅整兵戎以當疆敵提抱鼓以動百萬之眾所使皆趨湯火蹈白刃出萬死不顧一生之難司馬子反在此懐覇王之餘議攝治亂之遺風昭奚恤在此唯大國之所觀秦使者戄然無以對昭奚恤遂揖而去秦使者反言於秦君曰楚多賢臣未可謀也遂不伐楚詩云濟濟多士文王以寧斯之謂也語曰黃金累千不如一賢】昔晏子修之罇爼之間而折沖乎千里【髙誘曰沖車所以沖突敵之軍能陷破之也有道之國不可攻伐使欲攻已者折還其沖車於千里之外不敢來也晏子春秋曰晉平公欲伐齊使範昭徃觀焉景公賜之酒酒酣範昭曰願請君之樽酌公曰酌寡人之樽進之於客範昭已飲晏子曰徹樽更之罇觶具矣範昭佯醉不悅而起舞謂太師曰能為我調成周之樂乎吾為子舞之太師曰冥臣不習範昭趨而出景公謂晏子曰晉大國也使人來將觀吾政也今子怒大國之使者將奈何晏子曰夫範昭之為人非陋而不識禮也且欲試吾君臣故絶之也景公謂太師曰子何以不為客調成周之樂乎太師對曰夫成周之樂天子之樂也若調之必人主舞之今範昭人臣也而欲舞天子之樂臣故不為也範昭歸以告平公曰齊未可伐也臣欲試其君而晏子識之臣欲犯其禮而太師知之仲尼聞之曰夫不出於樽爼之間而知千里之外其晏子之謂也可謂折沖矣而太師其與焉】不能者雖隋和滿篋【音怯】無益於存亡【隋和謂隋侯之珠和氏之璧也】

The Virtuous and Good said: A true king honors ritual and bestows virtue, esteems benevolence and righteousness and despises the strange and the strong-man feats, so the sages cut them off and did not speak of them. Confucius said: speak with loyalty and trustworthiness and act with sincerity and reverence, and even in the lands of barbarians one will not be abandoned. Now when rulers from every quarter and distant states present tribute and offerings, they cherish the Son of Heaven's great virtue and wish to see the ritual of China, so he sets up the Mingtang and the Biyong to show it to them, and dances with shields and axes and displays the Ya and Song odes to influence them. Now instead, to display and boast with playthings that are of no use, strange insects and beasts that are not raised, wrestling shows and various games, and dazzling objects, is probably very different from how the Duke of Zhou treated distant peoples. [The Treatise on Punishments says: after the Spring and Autumn period, the weak were destroyed and the small swallowed, and they merged into the Warring States; the rites of military practice were gradually increased as games and amusements to boast to one another and look at, and Qin renamed them jiaodi, and the rites of the former kings were lost in lewd amusements. Ying Shao said: jiao means competing in skills, and di means butting against each other. Wen Ying said: di means matching. This music is called jiaodi because two matched each other in strength and in skill at riding and shooting; it was probably a variety of acrobatic entertainments, such as the Bayu dances and the fish-dragon spectacle. Yan Shigu said: the dazzling objects are magicians; 'dazzling' means deceiving and bewildering, read the same as 'illusion.' These arts originally came from the Western Regions and are what are now called swallowing knives and spitting fire, planting melons and growing trees, and slaughtering men and killing horses. The Chronicle of Han says: in spring of the third year of Yuanfeng the jiaodi games were held to entertain foreign states, and all people within three hundred li came to watch the audiences. The Biography of Zhang Qian says: at this time the emperor was making frequent tours at the coast and took all the foreign guests along; at great cities with many people he scattered goods and silk as gifts and provided for them lavishly and richly, so as to let them see Han's riches. The great jiaodi staged strange games and monstrous creatures and gathered many onlookers; he gave rewards with pools of wine and forests of meat and made the foreign guests view the accumulated stores of every granary and treasury, wishing thereby to show them Han's vastness and overawe them; he also added the skill of the magicians, and the jiaodi strange games changed and grew each year, and its flourishing began from then. Foreign envoys came and went, and from Dayuan westward all relied on their distance and returned arrogant, so they could not yet be bent by ritual and held loosely as vassals.] Formerly the Duke of Zhou stayed humble and lowered himself to scholars, held to ritual to govern those below, and the world declined the tribute of Yuechang to see the ritual of respect and yielding; he then went with them into King Wen's temple, showing the ritual of great filial piety. [The Fengsu Tong says: Yuechang, through nine layers of interpreters, presented white pheasants, and the Duke of Zhou offered them in the ancestral temple, saying: this is the ancestors' virtue. To have the world and return honor to the father is the utmost of the human way.] Seeing the dignified bearing and shield-and-axe dances with their eyes, hearing the clear songs and the sounds of the Ya and Song with their ears, their hearts full of supreme virtue, they went home joyfully; this is why the four barbarians admired righteousness and submitted, not because they came through relays of interpreters of Di Di to see fierce beasts, bears and brown bears. [Di Di are people of the west.] As for rhinoceroses, elephants, buffalo and tigers, they are plentiful among the southern barbarians; mules, donkeys and camels are the usual livestock of the northern Di; they are rare in China but cheap in foreign lands. The southern Yue use peacocks as door earrings, and beside Mount Kun people throw uncut jade at crows and magpies. Now to prize what others despise and treasure what others have in abundance is not how to enrich China and make clear great virtue. The Marquis of Sui's pearl and He's jade disc are famous treasures, yet cannot secure safety or preserve survival. So to teach with virtue and show authority lies in worthy ministers and good chancellors, not in dogs, horses and rare monsters. Therefore the sage kings took worth as treasure and not pearls and jade as treasure. [The chapter on Miscellaneous Affairs says: King Xuan of Qi and King Hui of Wei met to hunt in the suburbs. The King of Wei said: Do you also have treasures? The King of Qi said: None. The King of Wei said: A small state like mine still has ten pearls an inch across, each lighting twelve carriages front and back; how can a state of ten thousand chariots have no treasure? The King of Qi said: What I take as treasure is different from yours. Among my ministers there is Tanzi; if I have him guard the south city, the men of Chu dare not raid, and twelve feudal lords on the Si River all come to court; I have the minister Panzi, and if I have him guard Gaotang, the Zhao dare not fish east of the river; I have the minister Qianfu, and if I have him guard Xuzhou, the Yan sacrifice at the north gate and the Zhao at the west gate, and more than ten thousand households follow and turn to him; I have the minister Zhong Shou, and if I have him guard against thieves, nothing dropped on the road is picked up. I shall use them to light up a thousand li away, not only twelve carriages! The King of Wei, ashamed and displeased, left. The Book of Poetry says: 'When the words are pleasing, the people are settled.' The chapter on Returning to Substance says: Marquis Jing went to visit the Crown Prince of Wei, wearing a sword with jade fittings on his left and a ring-pendant on his right, the left's light shining on the right and the right's on the left. After sitting a while, the Crown Prince did not look and did not ask. Marquis Jing said: Does Wei have treasures too? The Crown Prince said: Yes. Marquis Jing said: What are they like? The Crown Prince said: The ruler trusted and the ministers loyal, the common people carrying the ruler on their heads; these are Wei's treasures. Marquis Jing said: That is not what I asked; I asked about objects. The Crown Prince said: There are. Tu Shizhao governs Wei and there is no price fixing in the market; Xi Xin governs Yang and nothing dropped on the road is picked up; Mang Mao is at court and the worthy scholars of the four neighbors all come to see him through one another. These three senior officials are Wei's great treasures. Then Marquis Jing was silent and did not respond, unfastened the jade fittings on the left and the ring-pendant on the right, put them down on the seat, rose apologetically, said nothing in thanks, hurried out, mounted his carriage and drove off. The Crown Prince of Wei sent a horseman with the sword and pendant to chase and give them to Marquis Jing, and had him tell Marquis Jing: I have no virtue to treasure and cannot keep pearls and jade. These cannot be worn when it is cold nor eaten when it is hungry; do not leave thieves with me. So Marquis Jing shut his gate and did not go out, and died. The chapter on Miscellaneous Affairs says: Qin wished to attack Chu and sent an envoy to look at Chu's treasure vessels. The King of Chu heard of it and summoned the Chancellor Zixi to ask: Qin wishes to see Chu's treasure vessels; may I show them He's jade disc and the Marquis of Sui's pearl? Chancellor Zixi answered: I do not know. He summoned Zhao Xixu to ask. Zhao Xixu answered: They want to look at our state's gains and losses and plan against it; it is not about treasure vessels but about worthy ministers. Pearls, jade and playthings are not what is treasured. The King then had Zhao Xixu receive them. Zhao Xixu stationed three hundred picked soldiers inside the west gate and set up one platform facing east, four facing south and one facing west. The Qin envoy arrived. Zhao Xixu said: You are the guest; please take the upper seat facing east. Chancellor Zixi faced south, Grand Ancestor Zi'ao was next, Lord Zigao of Ye next, Marshal Zifan next, and Zhao Xixu himself took the platform facing west and said: The guest wishes to see Chu's treasure vessels. What Chu treasures is its worthy ministers. One who governs the people, fills the granaries and lets the people each find their place is Chancellor Zixi here; one who bears jade tablets on missions to the feudal lords, resolves the troubles of anger and resentment, joins the joy of two states and keeps them from the worry of weapons is Grand Ancestor Zi'ao here; one who guards the frontiers, is careful at the borders, does not encroach on neighbors, and is not encroached on by them is Lord Zigao of Ye here; one who commands the army, puts the weapons in order to face strong enemies, takes up the drum to move a million men who all rush into boiling water and fire and tread on white blades, going out into ten thousand deaths without regard for one life's difficulty, is Marshal Zifan here; one who holds the remaining counsel of hegemons and kings and keeps the lingering customs of order and disorder is Zhao Xixu here. Let the great state look as it pleases. The Qin envoy was awed and had no answer. Zhao Xixu bowed and left. The Qin envoy returned and told the lord of Qin: Chu has many worthy ministers; it cannot yet be plotted against. So he did not attack Chu. The Book of Poetry says: 'Many are the fine gentlemen, and King Wen finds peace.' This is what is meant. A common saying says: a thousand strings of gold are not as good as one worthy man.] Formerly Master Yan cultivated it between the wine vessels and sacrificial stands and turned back chariots a thousand li away. [Gao You said: a battering chariot is what is used to charge into enemy armies and break them. A state with the Way cannot be attacked; those who wanted to attack it find their battering chariots turned back a thousand li away and dare not come. The Spring and Autumn of Master Yan says: Duke Ping of Jin wanted to attack Qi and sent Fan Zhao to observe. Duke Jing gave him wine, and when they were warm with drink, Fan Zhao said: I wish to ask for a cup from your vessel. The Duke said: Pour from my vessel and offer it to the guest. After Fan Zhao had drunk, Master Yan said: Remove the vessel and replace it. The vessels and goblets were set out. Fan Zhao pretended to be drunk and displeased and rose to dance, and said to the Grand Music Master: Can you play the music of Chengzhou for me? I will dance for you. The Grand Music Master said: I am a blind man and am not practiced in it. Fan Zhao hurried out. Duke Jing said to Master Yan: Jin is a great state and sent a man to observe my government. Now you have angered the envoy of the great state; what shall we do? Master Yan said: Fan Zhao is not a rustic who does not know ritual; he wanted to test our ruler and ministers, so I cut him off. Duke Jing said to the Grand Music Master: Why did you not play the music of Chengzhou for the guest? The Grand Music Master replied: The music of Chengzhou is the music of the Son of Heaven; if one plays it, the ruler himself must dance to it. Now Fan Zhao is a minister and wishes to dance the Son of Heaven's music, so I did not do it. Fan Zhao returned and told Duke Ping: Qi cannot yet be attacked. I wished to test its ruler and Master Yan recognized it; I wished to violate its ritual and the Grand Music Master knew. Zhongni heard of it and said: Not leaving the space between wine vessels and sacrificial stands and yet knowing what is a thousand li away: this is Master Yan; he may be said to have turned back the chariots, and the Grand Music Master took part in it too.] For those who cannot, even if they had chests full of the Marquis of Sui's pearl and He's jade, it would do nothing for survival or ruin. [Sui and He mean the Marquis of Sui's pearl and He's jade disc.]

大夫曰晏子相【去聲】齊三君崔慶無道刼其君亂其國靈公同圍莊公弒死景公之時晉人來攻取垂都舉臨淄邊邑削城郭焚宮室隳寳器盡何沖之所能折乎由此觀之賢良所言賢人為寳則損益無輕重也

The Grand Secretary said: Master Yan served as chancellor of three rulers of Qi, and Cui and Qing were unprincipled, coerced their ruler and disordered the state. Duke Ling was besieged, and Duke Zhuang was murdered. In the time of Duke Jing, the men of Jin came to attack, took Chuidu and raised Linzi; the border towns were cut down, the city walls were burned, the palaces were razed, and the precious vessels were used up; how could they turn back any battering chariots? From this it can be seen that what the Virtuous and Good say about taking worthy men as treasure has no weight of gain or loss.

賢良曰管仲去魯入齊齊伯【音覇】魯削非恃其眾而歸齊也伍子胥挾弓幹闔閭破楚入郢【音影】非負其兵而適吳也故賢者所在國重所去國輕【雜事篇曰管仲傅齊公子糾鮑叔傅公子小白齊公孫無知殺襄公公子糾奔魯小白奔莒齊人誅無知迎公子糾於魯公子糾與小白爭入管仲射小白中其帯鉤小白佯死遂先入是為齊桓公公子糾死管仲奔魯桓公立國定使人迎管仲於魯遂立以為仲父委國而聼之九合諸侯一匡天下為五伯長越絶書曰伍子胥父誅於楚子胥挾弓身幹闔廬闔廬曰士之甚勇之甚將為之報仇子胥曰不可諸侯不為匹夫報仇臣聞事君猶事父也君之行報父之仇不可於是止楚客説春申君曰昔伊尹去夏之殷殷王而夏亡管仲去魯而入齊魯弱而齊強由是觀之夫賢者之所在其君未嘗不善其國未嘗不安也】楚有子玊得臣文公側席虞有宮之竒晉獻不寐【尊賢篇曰晉荊戰於邲晉師敗績荀林父將歸請死景公將許之士貞伯曰不可城濮之役晉勝於荊文公猶有憂色曰子玉猶存憂未歇也困獸猶鬪況國相乎及荊殺子玉乃喜曰莫予毒也今天或者大警晉也林父之事君進思盡忠退思補過社稷之衛也今殺之是重荊勝也景公曰善乃使復將泰族訓曰晉獻公欲伐虞宮之竒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竒諫而不聼言而不用越疆而去荀息伐之兵不血刃抱寳牽馬而去尊賢篇曰虞有宮之竒晉獻公為之終夜不寐楚有子玉得臣文公為之側席而坐逺乎賢者之厭難折沖也】夫【音扶】臣所在闢除開塞者亦逺矣【陳琳曰古之用兵敵國雖亂尚有賢人則不伐也是故三仁未去武王還師宮竒在虞晉不加戎季梁猶在強楚挫謀暨至眾賢奔絀三國為墟明其無道有人猶可救也】故春秋曰山有虎豹葵藿為之不採國有賢士邊境為之不害也【説山訓曰山有猛獸林木為之不斬園有螫蟲藜藿為之不採鄭昌傳曰山有猛獸藜藿為之不採國有忠臣奸邪為之不起】

The Virtuous and Good said: When Guan Zhong left Lu and entered Qi, Qi became hegemon and Lu was diminished; it was not that he relied on the multitude to go to Qi. When Wu Zixu carried his bow to seek Helu, broke Chu and entered Ying, it was not that he relied on his troops to go to Wu. So the state where a worthy man is present is weighty, and the state he leaves is light. [The chapter on Miscellaneous Affairs says: Guan Zhong was the tutor of Prince Jiu of Qi, and Bao Shu was the tutor of Prince Xiaobai. Gongsun Wuzhi of Qi killed Duke Xiang, Prince Jiu fled to Lu, and Xiaobai fled to Ju. The people of Qi executed Wuzhi and welcomed Prince Jiu from Lu. Prince Jiu and Xiaobai raced to enter; Guan Zhong shot at Xiaobai and hit his belt hook; Xiaobai feigned death and so entered first, and became Duke Huan of Qi. Prince Jiu died and Guan Zhong fled to Lu. When Duke Huan was set up and the state settled, he sent a man to welcome Guan Zhong from Lu and made him his Zhongfu, entrusted the state to him and listened to him; he assembled the feudal lords nine times and set the world right at a stroke, becoming the chief of the Five Hegemons. The Book of the Lapse of Yue says: Wu Zixu's father was executed in Chu, and Zixu carried a bow and presented himself to Helu. Helu said: This is a gentleman and a very brave one; I will take revenge for him. Zixu said: It cannot be. Feudal lords do not take revenge for a commoner. I have heard that serving a lord is like serving a father; to harm a lord's conduct to avenge a father is not allowed. So he stopped. A guest of Chu said to Lord Chunshen: Formerly Yi Yin left Xia for Yin, and Yin became king and Xia perished; Guan Zhong left Lu and entered Qi, and Lu weakened and Qi grew strong. From this it can be seen that where worthy men are, their ruler has never failed to be good and their state never failed to be safe.] Chu had Ziyu Dechen, and Duke Wen sat on a side mat; Yu had Gong Zhiqi, and Duke Xian of Jin could not sleep. [The chapter on Honoring the Worthy says: Jin and Jing fought at Bi, and the Jin army was defeated. Xun Linfu was about to return and ask for death, and Duke Jing was going to permit it. Shi Zhenbo said: It cannot be. In the battle of Chengpu Jin defeated Jing, and Duke Wen still looked worried and said: Ziyu is still there, and my worry has not ended. A cornered beast still fights, how much more a state's chancellor? Only when Jing killed Ziyu did he rejoice and say: No one will harm me now. Now Heaven may be giving Jin a great warning. Linfu serves his ruler by thinking to be loyal when advancing and thinking to repair faults when retiring; he is the guard of the altars of state. Now to kill him would be to add weight to Jing's victory. Duke Jing said: Good. And he had him lead again. The chapter on the Great Clans says: Duke Xian of Jin wished to attack Yu, but Gong Zhiqi was there, so he did not sleep peacefully or taste sweetness in food, and did not dare apply troops. He bribed with jade treasures and fine horses; Gong Zhiqi remonstrated but was not heard and spoke but was not used, and he crossed the border and left. Xun Xi attacked, and the weapons did not even shed blood; he went off holding the treasures and leading the horses. The chapter on Honoring the Worthy says: Yu had Gong Zhiqi, and Duke Xian of Jin could not sleep all night over him; Chu had Ziyu Dechen, and Duke Wen sat on a side mat over him. It can be seen that the worthy are a bane to enemies and turn back chariots.] A minister who by his presence can remove obstacles and open the way is far-reaching indeed. [Chen Lin said: when the men of old used the army, even if an enemy state was in disorder, if it still had worthy men they did not attack it. Therefore while the Three Benevolent Men had not left, King Wu turned his troops back; while Gong Qi was in Yu, Jin did not send troops; while Ji Liang was still in strong Chu, plans were thwarted; when the worthy fled or were dismissed, the three states became ruins. It can be seen that an unprincipled state that still has people can still be saved.] So the Annals says: where a mountain has tigers and leopards, mallow and bean leaves are not picked; where a state has worthy gentlemen, its borders are not harmed. [The chapter on Explaining the Mountains says: where a mountain has fierce beasts, the trees of the forest are not felled; where a garden has stinging insects, goosefoot and bean leaves are not picked. The Biography of Zheng Chang says: where a mountain has fierce beasts, goosefoot and bean leaves are not picked; where a state has loyal ministers, the wicked do not rise.]

大夫曰鄙語曰賢者容不辱以世俗言之鄉曲有桀人尚闢【音避】之今明天子在上匈奴公為冦侵擾邊境是仁義犯而藜藿不採昔狄人侵太王【至公篇曰太王有至仁之恩不忍戰百姓故事勲育戎氏以犬馬珎幣而伐不止問其所欲者土地也於是屬其群臣耆老而告之曰土地者所以養人也不以所以養而害其養也吾將去之遂居岐山之下邠人負幼扶老從之如歸父母三遷而民五倍其初者皆興仁義趨上之事君子守國安民非特鬪兵罷殺士眾而已不私其身惟民是用保民蓋所以去國之義也】匡人畏孔子【孔子世家曰孔子去衛將適陳過匡顔刻為僕以其防指之曰昔吾入此由彼缺也匡人聞之以為魯之陽虎陽虎嘗暴匡人匡人於是遂止孔子孔子狀類陽虎拘焉五日顔淵後子曰吾以汝為死矣顔淵曰子在回何敢死匡人拘孔子益急弟子懼孔子曰文王既沒文不在茲乎天之將喪斯文也後死者不得與於斯文也天之未喪斯文也匡人其如予何孔子使從者為武子臣於衛然後得去】故不仁者仁之賊也是以縣官厲武以討不義設機械以備不仁

The Grand Secretary said: A common saying says: a worthy man is tolerant and not insulted. Speaking by ordinary custom, even in a village, people avoid someone arrogant and unruly. Now there is an enlightened Son of Heaven above and the Xiongnu openly raid and disturb the borders; this is benevolence and righteousness being violated while goosefoot and bean leaves are not picked. Formerly the Di attacked the Great King. [The chapter on Perfect Fairness says: the Great King had the kindness of perfect benevolence and could not bear to fight and hurt the common people, so he served the Xunyu Rong with dogs, horses and precious goods, but the attacks did not stop; when he asked what they wanted, it was land. So he gathered his ministers and elders and told them: Land is for nourishing people; one does not harm what one nourishes by what nourishes it. I will leave. So he lived below Mount Qi. The people of Bin carried their young and supported their old and followed him as if returning to parents, and in three moves the people were five times their original number; all because he raised benevolence and righteousness and turned toward those above. A gentleman keeping a state and keeping the people at peace does not rely only on fighting with soldiers and exhausting and killing his multitude; he does not make himself private but uses only the people. Protecting the people is probably the meaning of leaving the state.] The people of Kuang feared Confucius. [The Hereditary House of Confucius says: Confucius left Wei and was going to Chen, passing through Kuang. Yan Ke was his driver and pointed with his whip, saying: Formerly when I entered here, it was through that gap. The people of Kuang heard of it and thought he was Yang Hu of Lu. Yang Hu had once been violent to the people of Kuang, so the people of Kuang stopped Confucius. Confucius looked like Yang Hu and was held for five days. Yan Yuan arrived later. The Master said: I thought you had died. Yan Yuan said: While you live, how would I dare die? The people of Kuang held Confucius more urgently and the disciples were afraid. Confucius said: King Wen is dead; is not the culture here with me? If Heaven is going to destroy this culture, those who die later will not share in this culture; if Heaven has not yet destroyed this culture, what can the people of Kuang do to me? Confucius had one of his followers serve as minister to Ning Wuzi in Wei, and only then could he leave.] So the unbenevolent are the thieves of benevolence. Therefore the government makes its military might fierce to punish the unrighteous and sets up devices to guard against the unbenevolent.

賢良曰匈奴處沙漠之中生不食之地天所賤而棄之無壇宇之居男女之別以廣野為閭里以穹廬為家室衣【去聲】皮防毛食肉飲血會市行【音杭】牧豎【音樹】居如中國之麋鹿耳好【去聲】事之臣求其義責之禮使中國干戈至今未息萬里設備此兎之所刺故小人非公侯腹心干城也

The Virtuous and Good said: The Xiongnu live in the sandy desert, born in a land where nothing is eaten, and are what Heaven despises and abandons. They have no dwellings with altars and halls and no distinction of men and women; they take the open wild as villages and lanes and felt tents as houses, wear hides and furs, eat meat and drink blood, assemble at markets and move with their herds, stand and live, merely like the deer of China. Officials who like to stir up trouble demand righteousness of them and require ritual of them, and so China's shields and spears have not rested to this day and preparations are set up over ten thousand li. This is what the Book of Poetry's Rabbit Net criticized: the petty man is not the heart and shield wall of dukes and marquises.

大夫曰天子者天下之父母也四方之眾其義莫不願為臣妾然猶修城郭設闗梁厲武士備衛於宮室所以逺折難【去聲】而備萬方者也今匈奴未臣雖無事欲釋備如之何

The Grand Secretary said: The Son of Heaven is the father and mother of the world, and the multitude of the four quarters by righteousness are none unwilling to be his ministers and servants, yet he still repairs the city walls, sets up passes and bridges, sharpens his warriors and guards the palace, in order to break difficulties far off and prepare against ten thousand quarters. Now the Xiongnu have not yet submitted; though there is no incident, to want to put down our guard, what should we do?

賢良曰吳王所以見禽于越者以其越近而陵逺也秦所以亡者以外備胡越而內亡其政也夫【音扶】用軍於外政敗於內備為所患增主所憂【詩序曰文武以天保以上治內采薇以下治外始於憂勤終於逸樂指武篇曰內治未得不可以正外本惠未襲不可以制末是以春秋先京師而後諸夏先諸茟而後夷狄及周惠王以遭亂世繼先王之體而強楚稱王諸侯背叛欲申先王之命一統天下不先廣養京師以及諸夏諸夏以及夷狄內治未得忿則不料力權得失興兵而徵強楚師大敗樽辱不行大為天下戮笑幸逢齊桓公以得安尊故內治未得不可以正外本惠未襲不可以制末】故人主得其道則遐邇潛行而歸之文王是也不得其道則臣妾為冦秦王是也【詮言曰用兵者先為不可勝以待敵之可勝也治國者先為不可奪以待敵之可奪也舜修之歴山而海內從化文王修之岐周而天下從風兵略曰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徳義足以懐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髙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叢談曰所伐而當其福五之所伐不當其禍十之】夫【音扶】文衰則武勝徳盛則備寡【汜論曰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覩北方唯無所向者則無所不通】

The Virtuous and Good said: The reason the King of Wu was captured by Yue is that he skipped what was near and oppressed what was far; the reason Qin perished is that it guarded against the Hu and Yue outside while losing its government within. If one uses the army outside while government fails within, the preparations instead become the thing feared and add worry to the ruler. [The Preface to the Poetry says: Wen and Wu used 'Heaven Preserves' and the odes before it to govern within, and 'Gathering Ferns' and the odes after it to govern outside, beginning in worry and toil and ending in ease and joy. The chapter on Pointing to the Martial says: if internal government is not achieved, one cannot set the outside right; if basic kindness has not spread, one cannot restrain the tips. So the Spring and Autumn Annals puts the capital first and then the Xia states, the Xia states first and then the barbarians. When King Hui of Zhou met an age of disorder and took over the body of the former kings, strong Chu called itself king and the feudal lords rebelled; he wished to renew the former kings' mandate and unify the world, but did not first widely nourish the capital and thereby the Xia states, and the Xia states and thereby the barbarians; with internal government not achieved, in anger he did not weigh his strength or weigh gain and loss, raised troops to attack strong Chu, and the army was greatly defeated and the dignity of his vessels was humiliated and not carried out, and he was greatly laughed at by the world, and only by good fortune meeting Duke Huan of Qi was he able to find honor again. So if internal government is not achieved, one cannot set the outside right; if basic kindness has not spread, one cannot restrain the tips.] So a ruler who obtains the Way is joined by near and far secretly traveling to him, as King Wen was; one who does not get the Way finds his ministers and servants becoming bandits, as the King of Qin did. [The chapter on Explaining Words says: one who uses the army first makes himself unconquerable in order to wait for the enemy to be conquerable; one who governs a state first makes himself not to be seized in order to wait for the enemy to be seizable. Shun cultivated it at Mount Li and the whole world was transformed, and King Wen cultivated it at Qizhou and the world followed his wind. The chapter on Military Strategy says: the victory or defeat of an army has its root in government. If government overcomes its people and those below attach themselves to those above, the army is strong; if the people overcome the government and those below rebel against those above, the army is weak. So virtue and righteousness must be enough to cherish the people of the world, enterprise enough to meet the world's emergencies, selection enough to win the hearts of worthy scholars, and planning enough to know the force of strength and weakness; these are the roots of certain victory. A broad land and many people are not enough to make strength, sturdy armor and sharp weapons are not enough to make victory, high walls and deep moats are not enough to make security, and strict orders and many punishments are not enough to make authority. One who acts in the way of a preserved government, though small, will be preserved; one who acts in the way of a ruined government, though great, will perish. The Miscellaneous Talks say: if the attack is proper, its blessings are five; if the attack is improper, its disasters are ten.] When civil virtue declines, martial might prevails; when virtue is full, preparations are few. [The chapter on General Discussions says: within a single age, civil and martial take turns as male and female, and at times are used. In our age, those who are martial reject the civil, and those who are civil reject the martial, and civil and martial reject each other without knowing the use of their time. This is seeing one finger of a corner and not knowing the breadth of the eight extremes. So facing east one cannot see the west wall and facing south one cannot see the north; only he who faces nowhere has nowhere he cannot reach.]

大夫曰徃者四夷俱強併為冦虐朝鮮逾徼刼燕之東地東越東海略浙江之南南越內侵滑服令氐棘人冉駹【音尨】嶲【音髓】唐昆明之屬擾隴西巴蜀今三垂已平唯北邊未定夫【音扶】一舉則匈奴中外震懼釋備而何寡也

The Grand Secretary said: In the past the four barbarians were all strong and together raided and ravaged: Chosen crossed the frontier and plundered the east of Yan; Eastern Yue and the Eastern Sea raided the south of Zhejiang; Southern Yue invaded the Huafu district; the Di, Bo people, Ran Mang, Xi Tang and Kunming and the like disturbed Longxi, Ba and Shu. Now three sides have been pacified, and only the northern border is not settled. With a single campaign the Xiongnu were shaken and afraid both within and without; if we put down our guard, how could we be few and weak?

賢良曰古者君子立仁修義以綏其民故邇者習善逺者順之【傳曰水淵深廣則龍魚生之山林茂盛則禽獸歸之禮義修明則君子懐之故禮及身而行修禮及國而政明能以禮扶身則貴名自揚天下順焉令行禁止而王者之事畢矣詩曰有覺徳行四國順之夫此之謂矣】是以孔子仕於魯前仕三月及齊平後仕三月及鄭平務以徳安近而綏逺當此之時魯無敵國之難【去聲】鄰境之患強臣變節而忠順故季桓隳【音灰】其都城大國畏義而合好齊人來歸鄆【音運】讙【音歡】隂之田【孔子世家曰定公以孔子為中都宰一年四方皆則之由中都宰為司空由司空為司冦定公十年春及齊平夏齊大夫黎鉏言於景公曰魯用孔丘其勢危齊乃使使告魯為好防會於夾谷魯定公且以乗車好徃孔子攝相事曰臣聞有文事者必有武備有武事者必有文備古者諸侯出疆必具官以從請具左右司馬定公曰諾具左右司馬防齊侯夾谷為壇位土階三等以會遇之禮相見揖讓而登獻酬之禮畢齊有司趨而進曰請奏四方之樂景公曰諾於是旍旄羽祓矛防劔撥鼓譟而至孔子趨而進歴階而登不盡一等舉而言曰吾兩君為好防夷狄之樂何為於此請命有司有司卻之不去則左右視晏子與景公景公心怍麾而去之有頃齊有司趨而進曰請奏宮中之樂景公曰諾優倡侏儒為戲而前孔子趨而進歴階而登不盡一防曰匹夫而熒惑諸侯者罪當誅請命有司有司加法焉手足異處景公懼而動知義不若歸而恐告其群臣曰魯以君子之道輔其君而子獨以夷狄之道教寡人使得罪於魯君為之奈何有司進對曰君子有過則謝以質小人有過則謝以文君若悼之則謝以實於是齊侯乃歸所侵魯之鄆汶陽隂之田以謝過定公十三年夏孔子言於定公曰臣無藏甲大夫毋百雉之城使仲由為季氏宰將墮三都於是叔孫氏先墮郈季氏將墮費公山不狃叔孫輙率費人襲魯公與三子入於季氏之宮登武子之臺費人攻之弗克入及公側孔子命申句須樂頎下伐之費人北國人追之敗諸姑蔑二子奔齊遂墮費將墮成公斂處父謂孟孫曰墮成齊人必至於北門且成孟氏之保鄣無成是無孟氏也我將弗墮十二月公圍成弗克】故為政而以徳非獨闢害折沖也所欲不求而自得今百姓所以囂囂中外不寧者咎在匈奴內無室宇之守外無田疇之積隨美草甘水而驅牧匈奴不變業而中國以騷動矣風合而云解就之則亡擊之則散未可一世而舉也【韓安國曰利不什不易業功不百不變常是故古之人君謀事必就聖發政必擇語重作事也自三代之盛逺方夷狄不與正朔服色非威不能制非強不能服也以為逺方絶域不收之民不足以煩中國也且匈奴者輕疾悍亟之兵也畜牧為業弧弓射獵逐獸隨草居處無常難得而制也至不及圖去不可追聚若風雨解若收電今使邊鄙久廢耕織之業以支匈奴常事其勢不權臣故曰勿撃為便】

The Virtuous and Good said: In ancient times the gentleman established benevolence and cultivated righteousness to pacify his people, so near places practiced goodness and far places followed it. [The commentary says: where water is deep and wide, dragons and fish are born in it; where mountain forests are luxuriant, birds and beasts turn to them; where ritual and righteousness are cultivated and clear, gentlemen cherish them. So when ritual reaches the person, conduct is cultivated; when ritual reaches the state, government is clear; one who can support his person with ritual has his honored name spread of itself and the world follows, orders are carried out and prohibitions kept, and the work of a true king is finished. The Book of Poetry says: 'Great is the virtuous conduct, and the four quarters follow it.' This is what is meant.] So when Confucius served in Lu, in the first three months of office there was peace with Qi, and in the later three months there was peace with Zheng, as he strove to bring peace to those near and pacify those far with virtue. At that time Lu had no calamity of enemy states or trouble from neighboring borders, powerful ministers changed their conduct and became loyal and compliant, so the Ji family razed its own walled city, great states feared righteousness and joined in friendship, and the people of Qi returned the lands of Yun, Huan and Guiyin. [The Hereditary House of Confucius says: Duke Ding made Confucius steward of Zhongdu, and within a year all four quarters took him as a model. From steward of Zhongdu he became Minister of Works, and from Minister of Works Minister of Justice. In spring of the tenth year of Duke Ding there was peace with Qi. In summer a senior official of Qi, Li Chu, told Duke Jing: Lu is employing Confucius, and the situation endangers Qi. So he sent an envoy to tell Lu to hold a friendly meeting at Jiagu. Duke Ding of Lu was about to go in a plain carriage in friendship. Confucius took on the duties of chief assistant and said: I have heard that one who has civil affairs must have martial preparations, and one who has martial affairs must have civil preparations. In ancient times feudal lords leaving their borders always had officials ready to follow; I ask that the left and right marshals be provided. Duke Ding said: Yes. With the left and right marshals provided, he met the Marquis of Qi at Jiagu, where platforms were set up, with three earth steps, and they met with the ritual of a meeting, bowing and yielding as they ascended. When the ritual of offering and returning cups was finished, an official of Qi hurried forward and said: Please present the music of the four quarters. Duke Jing said: Yes. Then banners, feathers, spears, halberds, swords and shields came with drums and cheering. Confucius hurried forward, went up the steps without completing the last step, raised his sleeve and said: We two rulers are holding a friendly meeting; why is barbarian music being played here? I ask the officials to order it removed. The officials did not leave, so Confucius looked left and right toward Master Yan and Duke Jing. Duke Jing was ashamed in his heart and waved them away. After a while an official of Qi hurried forward and said: Please present the music of the palace. Duke Jing said: Yes. Entertainers, singers and dwarfs came forward performing. Confucius hurried forward, went up the steps without completing the last step, and said: Commoners who bewilder and confuse feudal lords are guilty and should be executed; I ask the officials to order it. The officials applied the law and had them cut apart, hands and feet in different places. Duke Jing was frightened and shaken, knew that his righteousness did not equal it, returned in fear and told his ministers: Lu helps its ruler with the way of the gentleman, while you alone taught me by the way of the barbarians and made me offend the lord of Lu; what shall we do? An official came forward and answered: When a gentleman has a fault he apologizes with substance, and when a petty man has a fault he apologizes with show. If you are grieved, apologize with reality. So the Marquis of Qi returned the lands of Yun, Wenyang and Guiyin that he had taken from Lu, to apologize. In summer of the thirteenth year of Duke Ding, Confucius said to Duke Ding: Ministers should not hide armor, and senior officials should not have walls of a hundred zhi. He had Zhong You serve as steward of the Ji family and was going to demolish the three walled cities. So the Shusun clan first demolished Hou. The Ji clan was going to demolish Bi, but Gongshan Bu Niu and Shusun Zhe led the people of Bi to attack Lu. The Duke and the three families went into the Ji family's palace and climbed the terrace of Wuzi. The people of Bi attacked it and could not win, but reached the Duke's side. Confucius ordered Shen Juxu and Yue Qi to go down and attack them; the people of Bi fled and the people of the state pursued them and defeated them at Gumie; the two men fled to Qi, and so Bi was demolished. When they were about to demolish Cheng, Gongliang Chufu said to Meng Sun: if Cheng is demolished, the men of Qi will surely reach the north gate; moreover Cheng is the Meng clan's bulwark, and without Cheng there is no Meng clan; I will not demolish it. In the twelfth month the Duke besieged Cheng and did not win.] So governing by virtue not only avoids harm and turns back chariots, but what one wants comes of itself without seeking. Now the reason the common people are clamoring and the center and outside are not at peace lies in the Xiongnu: within they have no dwellings to guard and outside they have no fields to store, and they drive their herds after sweet grass and sweet water. The Xiongnu do not change their way of life and China is thus disturbed. They join like wind and dissolve like clouds; approach them and they flee, strike them and they scatter, and they cannot be taken in one age's campaign. [Han Anguo said: unless the profit is tenfold one does not change one's occupation, and unless the merit is a hundredfold one does not change what is constant. Thus the rulers of old, in planning affairs, always went to sages, and in issuing government orders always chose their words, valuing caution in action. Since the glory of the Three Dynasties, the distant barbarians did not share the calendar and colors of dress, not because authority could not control them or strength could not subdue them, but because they considered the people of far and cut-off regions not worth troubling China. Moreover the Xiongnu are light, swift, fierce and urgent soldiers, taking herding as their occupation, hunting with bow and arrow, chasing beasts after grass, living in no fixed place, hard to catch and control. They come before one can plan and leave before one can pursue, gathering like wind and rain and dissolving like gathered lightning. If we now make the border people abandon farming and weaving for long to support the Xiongnu's regular campaigns, the situation is not balanced. This is why I say it is convenient not to strike.]

大夫曰古者明王討暴衛弱定傾扶危衛弱扶危則小國之君説【音悅】討暴定傾則無罪之人附今不征伐則暴害不息不備則是以黎民委敵也春秋貶諸侯之後刺不卒戍【音絮】行役戍【音絮】備自古有之非獨今也

The Grand Secretary said: In ancient times enlightened kings punished the violent and protected the weak, settled the toppling and supported the endangered. By protecting the weak and supporting the endangered, rulers of small states were pleased; by punishing the violent and settling the toppling, the innocent turned to them. Now if one does not campaign, violence and harm do not cease; if one does not guard, one hands the common people over to the enemy. The Spring and Autumn Annals, after demoting the feudal lords, criticized not relieving the garrisons. Military service and garrison defense have existed since ancient times, not only today.

賢良曰匈奴之地廣大而戎馬之足輕利其勢易騷動也利則虎曳【音異】病則鳥折闢【音避】鋒鋭而牧罷【音疲】極少發則不足以更適多發則民不堪其役役煩則力罷【音疲】用多則財乏二者不息則民遺怨此秦之所失民心隕【音允】社稷也【穀梁傳曰財盡則怨力盡則懟主父偃曰怒者逆徳也兵者兇器也爭者末節也古之人君一怒必伏屍流血故聖王重行之夫務戰勝窮武事者未有不悔者也昔秦皇帝任戰勝之威食天下併吞戰國海內為一功齊三代務勝不休欲攻匈奴李斯諫曰不可夫匈奴無城郭之居委積之守遷徙易舉難得而制也輕兵深入糧食必絶踵糧以行重不及事得其地不足以為利也遇其民不可役而守也勝必殺之非民父母也靡敝中國快心匈奴非長防也秦皇帝不聼遂使防恬將兵攻胡闢地千里以河為境地固澤鹹鹵不生五穀然後發天下丁男以守北河暴兵露師十有餘年死者不可勝數終不能逾河而北是豈人眾不足兵革不備哉其勢不可也又使天下蜚芻挽粟起於東腄琅琊負海之郡轉輸河北率三十鍾而致一石男子疾耕不足於糧饟女子紡績不足於帷幕百姓靡敝孤寡老弱不能相養道路死者相望蓋天下始畔秦也故兵法曰興師十萬日費千金夫秦嘗積眾暴兵數十萬人雖有覆軍殺將系虜單于之功亦適足以結怨深讐不足以償天下之費夫上虛府庫下敝百姓甘心於外國非完事也】古者天子封畿千里繇【音遙】役五百里勝聲相聞疾病相恤無過時之師無逾時之役內節於民心而事適其力是以行者勸務而止者安業今山東之戎馬甲士戍【音絮】邊郡者絶殊遼逺身在胡越心懐老母老母垂泣室婦悲恨推其飢渴念其寒苦詩云昔我徃矣楊栁依依今我來思雨雪霏霏行道遲遲載渴載飢我心傷悲莫知我哀故聖人憐其如此閔其久去父母妻子暴露中野居寒苦之地故春使使【去聲】者勞賜舉失職者所以哀逺民而慰撫老母也【漢昭紀曰始元元年赦天下賜民百戶牛酒遣故廷尉王平等五人持節行郡國舉賢良問民所疾苦寃失職者】徳惠甚厚而吏未稱【去聲】奉職承詔以存恤或侵侮士卒與之為市併力兼作使之不以理故也士卒失職而老母妻子感恨也宋伯姬愁思而宋國火魯妾不得意而魯寢災【春秋曰宋災宋伯姬卒左傳曰或呌於宋太廟曰嘻嘻出出鳥鳴於亳社如曰嘻嘻甲午宋大災宋伯姬卒待姆也君子謂宋共姬女而不婦女待人婦義事也穀梁傳曰取卒之日加之災上者見以災卒也其見以災卒奈何伯姬之舍失火左右曰夫人少闢火乎伯姬曰婦人之義傅母不在宵不下堂左右又曰夫人少闢火乎伯姬曰婦人之義保母不在宵不下堂遂逮乎火而死婦人以貞為行者也伯姬之婦道盡矣詳其事賢伯姬也公羊傳曰宋災伯姬卒焉其稱諡何賢也何賢爾宋災伯姬存焉有司復曰火至矣請出伯姬曰不可吾聞之也婦人夜出不見傳母不下堂傳至矣母未至也逮乎火而死傳曰魯監門之女嬰相從績中夜而泣涕其偶曰何為而泣也嬰曰吾聞衛世子不肖所以泣也其偶曰衛世子不肖諸侯之憂也子曷為泣也嬰曰吾聞之異乎子之言也昔者宋之桓司馬得罪於宋君出於魯其馬佚而吾園而食吾園之葵是嵗吾聞園人亡利之半越王勾踐起兵而攻呉諸侯畏其威魯徃獻女吾姊與焉兄徃視之道畏而死越兵威者吳也兄死者我也由是觀之禍與福相反也今衛世子甚不肖好兵吾男弟三人能無憂乎詩曰大夫跋渉我心則憂是非類與乎列女傳曰魯漆室邑之女過時未適人倚柱而嘯傍人聞之心莫不為之慘者鄰婦從之遊曰何嘯之悲也子欲嫁乎吾為子求偶漆室女曰吾豈為不嫁之故而悲哉憂吾君老太子少也】今天下不得其意者非獨西宮之女宋之老母也春秋動眾則書重民也宋人圍長葛譏久役也【春秋曰宋人伐鄭圍長葛穀梁傳曰伐國不言圍邑此其言圍何也久之也伐不逾時戰不逐奔誅不填服苞人民敺牛馬曰侵斬樹木壊宮室曰伐】君子之用心必若是大夫黙然不對

The Virtuous and Good said: The Xiongnu's land is vast and their war horses are light-footed and swift, so their strength is easily set in motion. When advantageous they are like tigers dragging prey, and when ill they are like birds with broken wings, avoiding sharp edges and herding when exhausted. Sending few troops is not enough to relieve each other in turn and take on service, and sending many is more than the people can bear. When service is heavy, strength is worn out; when use is great, wealth runs short; if these two do not stop, the people leave resentment behind. This is why Qin lost the people's hearts and its altars of state fell. [The Guliang Commentary says: when wealth is used up there is resentment, and when strength is used up there is bitterness. Zhufu Yan said: anger is rebellious virtue, weapons are instruments of ill omen, and contention is a trivial matter. When rulers in ancient times were angry once, corpses surely lay and blood flowed, so the sage kings were careful about it. Those who strive for victory in war and exhaust military affairs have never failed to regret it. Formerly the First Emperor of Qin relied on the might of victory, ate up the world like silkworms, swallowed the Warring States and unified all within the seas, his achievement equal to the Three Dynasties, but he strove for victory without stopping and wished to attack the Xiongnu. Li Si remonstrated: It cannot be done. The Xiongnu have no dwellings in walled cities and no stored supplies to guard, they move easily and are hard to catch and control. If light troops go deep, their grain will surely be cut; if they follow with provisions, the heavy loads cannot keep up with affairs. Getting their land is not enough to be profitable, and meeting their people they cannot be put to service and held; if we win, we must kill them, and that is not being parents of the people. To exhaust China and gratify the heart over the Xiongnu is not a long-term plan. The First Emperor did not listen, and so had Meng Tian lead troops to attack the Hu, opening a thousand li of land and making the Yellow River the border. The land was originally salt marsh and did not produce the five grains, but then he drafted the grown men of the world to guard the north bank of the river, exposing his armies in the open for more than ten years, with deaths beyond count, and in the end could not cross the river northward. Was it that there were not enough people or the weapons were not prepared? It was that the circumstances did not allow it. He also had the world fly hay and haul grain, starting from the coastal commanderies of Dongchui and Langye, transporting it north of the river, so that thirty zhong delivered one shi. Men plowing hard could not supply the provisions, women spinning could not supply the tent curtains, the common people were worn out, orphans, widows, the old and weak could not support each other, and those dead on the roads were in sight of one another, and the world began to rebel against Qin. So the art of war says: raising an army of a hundred thousand costs a thousand in gold each day. Qin once gathered several hundred thousand men and exposed them in the field, and though it achieved the merit of overturning armies, killing generals and taking the Shanyu captive, it was just enough to knot resentment and deep hatred and not enough to pay for the world's expense. Above it emptied the treasuries and below it wore out the common people, and to be content with foreign states is not the way to finish things.] In ancient times the Son of Heaven's royal domain was a thousand li, and service ran over five hundred li, so cries of victory were heard by each other and illness was relieved among them; there were no armies kept past their time and no service beyond its season, within regulated by the people's hearts and affairs matched to their strength, so those who went were encouraged in their duties and those who stayed were at ease in their work. Now the war horses and armored men of east of the mountains stationed at the border commanderies are extremely far and distant; their bodies are among the Hu and Yue and their hearts cherish their old mothers; their old mothers weep, their wives at home are sad and bitter, thinking of their hunger and thirst and of their cold and hardship. The Book of Poetry says: 'When I went, the willows were tender; now that I come back, rain and snow fall thickly. The road is slow, I am thirsty and hungry, my heart is wounded and sad, and none knows my grief.' So the sages pitied them thus, grieved that they were long away from parents, wife and children, exposed in the open fields and living in cold, bitter places, so in spring they sent envoys to comfort and reward them and to nominate those who had lost their posts, in order to grieve for the distant people and console their old mothers. [The Annals of Emperor Zhao in the Han says: in the first year of Shiyuan an amnesty was given to the world, a hundred households of the people were given beef and wine, and the former Commandant of Justice Wang Ping and four others, holding credentials, were sent to travel through the commanderies and kingdoms to nominate the virtuous and good and ask about the people's sufferings, grievances and those who lost their posts.] The virtue and kindness are very great, but the officials have not been equal to carrying out their duties and accepting the edict to console, and some insult and abuse the soldiers, trade with them, work them together and in addition make them work contrary to reason. So the soldiers lose their posts and the old mothers, wives and children feel resentment. When the Lady Bo of Song grieved, Song's state caught fire; when a concubine of Lu was dissatisfied, the Lu palace was burned. [The Annals say: Song had a fire, and Lady Bo of Song died. The Zuo Commentary says: someone shouted in the Song ancestral temple: Ha ha, out out! A bird cried at the altar of Bo as if saying 'ha ha'. On the day jiawu Song had a great fire, and Lady Bo of Song died, because she was waiting for her governess. The gentleman said that Lady Gong of Song was a daughter but not a wife: a daughter waits for others, while a wife serves out of righteousness. The Guliang Commentary says: the day of her death is placed above the fire, showing that she died of the fire. Why show that she died of the fire? Bo's lodging caught fire, and her attendants said: Madam, will you not avoid the fire a little? Bo said: By the principle for women, if the governess is not present, one does not go down from the hall at night. The attendants again said: Madam, will you not avoid the fire a little? Bo said: By the principle for women, if the nurse is not present, one does not go down from the hall at night. So she was caught in the fire and died. A woman takes chastity as her conduct, and Lady Bo fulfilled the way of a wife. In detail the matter shows that Lady Bo was worthy. The Gongyang Commentary says: Song had a fire, and Lady Bo died in it. Why is her posthumous title given? Because she was worthy. Why was she worthy? When Song had a fire, Lady Bo was there. The officials again said: The fire has come; please come out. Lady Bo said: No. I have heard that a woman does not leave at night and does not go down from the hall without seeing her governess. The tutor arrived, but the nurse had not. She was caught in the fire and died. The commentary says: a daughter of the gate-watcher of Lu, Ying, was spinning with her companions and wept at midnight. Her companion said: Why do you weep? Ying said: I have heard that the crown prince of Wei is unworthy, so I weep. Her companion said: The crown prince of Wei being unworthy is the worry of the feudal lords; why do you weep? Ying said: What I have heard is different from what you say. Formerly Huan Sima of Song offended the lord of Song and went out to Lu; his horse escaped and trampled my garden and ate the mallows in my garden, and that year I heard the gardeners lost half their profit; when Gou Jian, King of Yue, raised troops to attack Wu, the feudal lords feared his might, and Lu went to present women, and my elder sister was among them; my brother went to see her and died from fear on the road. Yue's troops overawed Wu, but my brother who died was mine. From this it can be seen that disaster and fortune are opposite. Now the crown prince of Wei is very unworthy and likes war; with my three younger brothers, can I be without worry? The Book of Poetry says: 'The senior officials trudge over mountains and rivers, and my heart is worried.' Is this not the same kind? The Biographies of Women says: a girl of Qishi town in Lu, past the age to marry, leaned on a pillar and whistled, and those nearby who heard it were all saddened. A neighbor woman came to her and said: Why is your whistling so sad? Do you want to marry? I will find a match for you. The Qishi girl said: Do you think I grieve because I am not married? I am worried that our ruler is old and the crown prince is young.] Now those in the world who have not found their place are not only the women of the west palace and the old mothers of Song. The Spring and Autumn Annals records whenever the multitude is roused, because it values the people; the men of Song besieging Changge is a criticism of long service. [The Annals say: the men of Song attacked Zheng and besieged Changge. The Guliang Commentary says: in attacking a state one does not say besieging a town; here it says besieging, which means it was long. An attack does not last past a season, a battle does not pursue the fleeing, and punishment does not strike the submissive; to enclose people and drive off oxen and horses is called invading, and to cut down trees and destroy palaces is called attacking.] A gentleman's use of his heart must be like this. The Grand Secretary was silent and did not answer.

丞相【去聲】史曰先王之道軼【音益】人而難復賢良文學之言深逺而難行夫【音扶】稱上聖之髙行【去聲】道至德之美言非當世之所能及也【泰族訓曰事不本於道德者不可以為儀言不合乎先王者不可以為道】願聞方今之急務可復行於政使百姓鹹足於衣食無乏困之憂風雨時五穀熟螟【音冥】螣【音特】不生天下安樂【音洛】盜賊不起流人還【音旋】歸各反其田裡吏皆亷正故以奉職元元各得其理也

The Chancellor's Secretary said: The way of the former kings goes beyond ordinary people and is hard to restore, and the words of the Virtuous and Good and the Literati are deep and far-reaching and hard to practice. To praise the high conduct of the supreme sages and speak of the fine words of perfect virtue is not what can be reached in the present age. [The chapter on the Great Clans says: affairs not rooted in the Way and virtue cannot be taken as a model, and words that do not accord with the former kings cannot be taken as the Way.] I would like to hear the urgent business of the present, which can again be put into practice in government, so that all the common people are supplied with clothing and food and have no worry of want and distress, wind and rain come in season, the five grains ripen, grain-eating and stalk-eating pests are not born, all under Heaven are at peace and happy, thieves and bandits do not arise, the drifting people return and each go back to their fields and villages, the officials are all upright and so carry out their duties, and the common people each obtain their due.

賢良曰孟子曰堯舜之道非逺人也而人不思之耳詩云求之不得寤寐思服有求如關雎好【去聲】德如河廣何不濟不得之有故髙山仰止景行行止雖不能及離【去聲】道不逺也【徐幹曰詩云髙山仰止景行行止好學之謂也倦立而思逺不如速行之必至也矯首而狥飛不如循雌之必獲也孤居而願智不如務學之必達也孔子曰弗學何以行弗思何以得馬雖有逸足而不閒輿則不為良駿人雖有美質而不習道則不為君子】顔淵曰舜獨何人也回何人也夫【音扶】思賢慕能從善不休則成康之俗可致而唐虞之道可及【漢武帝曰昔在唐虞畫象而民不犯日月所燭莫不率俾周之成康刑措不用德及鳥獸教通四海海外肅慎北發渠搜氏羌徠服星辰不孛日月不蝕山川不崩川穀不塞麟鳯在郊藪河洛出圖書】公卿未思也先王之道何逺之有齊桓公以諸侯思王政憂周室匡諸夏之難【去聲】平夷狄之亂存亡接絶信義大行著於天下召陵之會予【上聲】之為主【春秋曰楚屈完來盟於師盟於召陵公羊傳曰其言盟於師盟於召陵何師在召陵也師在召陵則曷為再言盟喜服楚也何言乎喜服楚楚有王者則後服無王者則先叛夷狄也而亟病中國南夷與北夷交中國不絶若線桓公救中國而攘夷狄卒帖荊以此為王者之事也其言來何與桓為主也前此者有事矣後此者有事矣則曷為獨於此焉與桓公為主序績也要略曰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絶如線齊國之地東負海而北鄣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絶崇天子之位廣文武之業故管子之書生焉人間訓曰三代種德而王齊桓繼絶而霸故樹黍者不獲稷樹怨者無報德】傳曰予【上聲】積也故土積而成山阜水積而成江海行【去聲】積而成君子【雜篇曰丘山積卑而為髙江海合小而為大建本篇曰水積成川則蛟龍生焉土積成山則豫樟生焉學積成聖則富貴尊顯至焉貴德篇曰山致其髙雲雨起焉水致其深蛟龍生焉君子致其道德而福祿歸焉夫有隂徳者必有陽報有隠行者必有昭名】孔子曰吾於河廣知徳之至也而欲得之各反其本復諸古而已【詩序曰河廣宋襄公母歸於衞思而不止故作是詩也】古者行役不逾時春行秋反秋往春來寒暑未變衣服不易固已還矣夫婦不失時人安和如適獄訟平刑罰得則隂陽調風雨時上不苛擾下不煩勞各修其業安其性則螟【音冥】□【音特今文作螣】不生而水旱不起賦斂省而農不失時則百姓足而流人歸其田裡上清靜而不欲則下防而不貪【傳曰太平之時民行役者不逾時男女不失時以偶孝子不失時以養外無曠夫內無怨女上無不慈之父下無不孝之子父子相成夫婦相保天下和平國家安寜人事備乎下天道應乎上故天不變經地不易形日月昭明列宿有常天施地化隂陽和合動以雷電潤以風雨節以山川均其寒暑萬民育生各得其所而制國用故國有所安地有所主又曰夫賢君之治也溫良而和寛容而愛刑清而省喜賞而惡罰移風崇教生而不殺布惠施恩仁不偏與不奪民力役不逾時百姓得耕家有收聚民無凍餒食無腐敗士不造無用雕文不粥於肆斧斤以時入山林國無佚士皆用於世黎庶歡樂衍盈方外逺人歸義重譯執贄故得風雨不烈小雅曰有渰萋萋興雨祁祁以是知太平無飄風雨明矣】若今則繇【音遙】役極逺盡寒苦之地危難之處渉胡越之域今茲往而來嵗還【音旋】父母延頸而西望男女怨曠而相思身在東楚志在西河故一人行而鄉曲恨一人死而萬人悲【賈捐之曰孝武皇帝探平城之事録冐頓以來數為邉害籍兵厲馬因富民以攘服之西連諸國北卻匈奴當此之時防賊並起軍旅數發父戰死於前子鬪傷於後女子乗亭鄣孤兒號於道老母寡婦飲泣巷哭遙設虛祭想魂乎萬里之外是皆廓地泰大征伐不休之故也】詩云王事靡盬不能藝稷黍父母何怙念彼恭人涕零如雨豈不懷歸畏此罪罟吏不奉法以存撫倍公任私各以其權充其嗜慾人愁苦而怨思上不恤理則惡政行而邪氣作邪氣作則螟【音】□【音特今文作螣】生而水旱起【爾雅曰蟲食苖心者曰螟食苖葉者曰□京房易傳曰嬖惡生孽蟲食苖心徳無節蟲食葉顓事有知誅罰絶理厥災水人君無施澤惠利於下則致旱】若此雖禱祀雩祝用事百神無時豈能調隂陽而息盜賊矣【傳曰天地之變隂陽之化物之罕至者也恠之可也畏之非也夫日月之薄蝕怪星之黨見風雨之不時是無世而不甞有也上明政平是雖並至無傷也上闇政險是雖無一無益也】

The Worthy and Good said: Mencius said: The Way of Yao and Shun is not far from people; it is only that people do not think of it. The Book of Songs says: "Seeking and not finding, waking and sleeping I think of it." If one seeks as in 'Guan Ju' and loves virtue as in 'The River Is Wide,' what could one fail to cross or fail to obtain? So 'the high mountain is looked up to, the great road is walked,' and though one cannot reach it, one is not far from the Way [Xu Gan said: The Odes say 'The high mountain is looked up to, the great road is walked,' which speaks of loving learning. To stand weary and think of a far place is not as good as setting out quickly, which will surely arrive; to crane one's neck and chase a flying bird is not as good as following the hen, which will surely be caught; to live alone and wish for wisdom is not as good as striving in study, which will surely succeed. Confucius said: Without learning, how can one act; without thought, how can one obtain. Though a horse has a swift foot, if it is not trained to the carriage it is not a fine steed; though a man has fine qualities, if he does not practice the Way he is not a noble person.]. Yan Yuan said: "Who was Shun, and who am I?" If you think of the worthy and admire the capable and follow the good without rest, then the customs of Cheng and Kang can be attained and the Way of Tang and Yu can be reached [Emperor Wu of Han said: In the past, in the time of Tang and Yu, punishments were drawn in images and the people did not offend, and everywhere the sun and moon shone none failed to follow. In Cheng and Kang of Zhou, punishments were set aside and not used, virtue reached birds and beasts and teaching extended to the four seas; beyond the seas the Sushen, Beifa and Qusou, Di and Qiang came to submit; stars did not go astray, sun and moon did not eclipse, mountains and rivers did not collapse and rivers and valleys were not blocked; qilin and phoenix were in the wilds and marshes, and charts and writings emerged from the Yellow and Luo Rivers.]. It is that the ministers have not yet thought of it; how can the Way of the former kings be far? Duke Huan of Qi, a feudal lord, thought of the kingly government, worried about the house of Zhou, rectified the troubles of the Xia states, quelled the disorder of the barbarians, preserved the perishing and continued the cut-off lines, and his good faith and righteousness were widely practiced and shone through the world. At the meeting at Zhaoling, he was granted the role of chief [The Spring and Autumn Annals says: Qu Wan of Chu came and covenanted with the army, covenanting at Zhaoling. The Gongyang Commentary says: It says covenanting with the army and covenanting at Zhaoling; why? The army was at Zhaoling. Why does it say covenant twice when the army was at Zhaoling? It rejoices in Chu's submission. Why does it rejoice in Chu's submission? When Chu has a true king it submits last, and when there is no true king it rebels first; it is barbarian and often sickens the central states. The southern barbarians and northern barbarians were in contact and the central states were not cut off but only as a thread. Duke Huan rescued the central states and repelled the barbarians and in the end calmed Jing, which is considered the work of a true king. Why does it say 'came'? This is to give Huan the role of chief. There was something before and something after; why only here is Huan given the role of chief? It is to rank his achievement. The 'Essentials' says: In the time of Duke Huan of Qi, the Son of Heaven was lowly and weak, the feudal lords vied by force, the southern barbarians and northern Di attacked the central states in turn, and the central states survived only as a thread. The land of Qi bears the sea to the east and is screened by the river to the north, the land is narrow and fields are few but the people are many in wit and skill. Duke Huan worried about the troubles of the central states and was pained by the disorder of the barbarians, wanting to preserve the perishing and continue the broken, honor the Son of Heaven's position and broaden the work of Wen and Wu, and so the book of Guanzi arose. The 'Among Men' chapter says: The Three Dynasties planted virtue and became kings, and Duke Huan of Qi continued the broken line and became hegemon. So one who plants millet does not reap panicled millet, and one who plants resentment gets no repayment of virtue.]. The commentary says: 'Granting' is accumulation. So earth accumulates and becomes hills and mountains, water accumulates and becomes rivers and seas, and conduct accumulates and becomes a noble person [The 'Miscellaneous' chapter says: Hills and mountains pile up the low to become high, rivers and seas join the small to become great. The 'Establishing the Root' chapter says: When water accumulates into streams, dragons and serpents are born; when earth accumulates into mountains, camphor trees are born; when learning accumulates into sagehood, wealth, honor and prominence arrive. The 'Valuing Virtue' chapter says: When a mountain attains its height, clouds and rain arise; when water attains its depth, dragons are born; when a noble person attains his Way and virtue, blessing and salary return to him. Those with hidden virtue must have visible reward, and those with hidden conduct must have a manifest name.]. Confucius said: "In 'The River Is Wide' I know the utmost of virtue." And to obtain it, one need only each return to the root and go back to antiquity [The Preface to the Odes says: 'The River Is Wide': the mother of Duke Xiang of Song returned to Wei and thought of her home without ceasing, so wrote this poem.]. In ancient times corvée service did not exceed the season: going in spring and returning in autumn, going in autumn and returning in spring, before cold and heat had changed and clothing needed changing, they were already back. Husband and wife did not lose their time, people were at peace and harmonious as if going where they should, lawsuits were fair, punishments were apt, and then yin and yang were in harmony and wind and rain were in season. When those above were not harsh and disturbing, and those below were not troubled and burdened, each cultivated his work and was at peace in his nature, then crop pests did not arise and floods and droughts did not occur. When taxes were light and farmers did not lose their season, the common people were sufficient and wandering people returned to their fields and villages. When those above were pure and quiet and without desire, those below were honest and not greedy [The commentary says: In an age of great peace, people did not serve on corvée beyond the season, men and women did not lose their time to marry, filial sons did not lose their time to support parents, there were no unmarried men outside and no resentful women inside, no unloving fathers above and no unfilial sons below; fathers and sons completed one another, husbands and wives protected one another, the world was peaceful and the state at ease. Human affairs were complete below and the Way of Heaven responded above. So Heaven did not change its constants, Earth did not change its form, the sun and moon shone brightly, and the constellations had their regularity. Heaven bestowed and Earth transformed, yin and yang united, moving by thunder and lightning, moistening by wind and rain, regulated by mountains and rivers, balancing cold and heat; the myriad people were nurtured, each found his place, and state use was regulated. So the state had peace and the land had its master. It also says: The governance of a worthy ruler is warm, good and harmonious, generous and loving, with clear and few punishments, glad to reward and loath to punish, changing customs and honoring teaching, giving life and not killing, spreading kindness and bestowing favor, with benevolence given without partiality, not taking away the people's strength and not extending service beyond the season. The common people could plow, each household had a harvest and storage, the people had no cold or hunger, food did not rot, scholars did not make useless things, ornamented goods were not sold in the market, axes entered the forests in due season, the state had no idle scholars and all were useful in the world, the multitudes were happy and overflowing, and distant people from beyond the region came to righteousness and offered gifts through multiple interpreters. So the wind and rain were not violent. The Lesser Odes say: Dense clouds thick, the rain comes gently. From this one knows clearly that in an age of peace there are no whirlwinds or violent storms.]. But now corvée service is extremely distant, to the coldest and hardest places and the most dangerous and difficult spots, crossing into the lands of the Hu and Yue; going this year and returning next year, parents crane their necks and look west, men and women resent separation and long for one another, bodies in the east of Chu and hearts in the west of the river. So when one person goes, the village laments, and when one person dies, ten thousand grieve [Jia Juanzhi said: Emperor Xiaowu, thinking of the affair at Pingcheng, noted that since Modun the barbarians had often harmed the frontier, so he conscripted soldiers and trained horses, relying on the wealthy people to subdue them, connected with the western states and drove back the Xiongnu in the north. At that time, bandits arose together, armies were often called out, fathers died in battle in front and sons were wounded in fighting behind, women manned the beacon posts, orphans cried on the road, old mothers and widows swallowed tears and wept in the lanes, making empty offerings from afar and calling to souls ten thousand li away. All this was because the territory was too broad and campaigns did not cease.]. The Odes say: "The king's business has no end, we cannot plant our millet; on whom will our parents rely? I think of those respectful men, my tears fall like rain. How could I not long to return? But I fear this net of guilt." If officials do not uphold the law to comfort and care, turn their back on the public and rely on private interest, each using his power to satisfy his own desires, people grow sorrowful and resentful and think of home. If those above do not take pity and set things in order, bad government is practiced and wicked qi arises; when wicked qi arises, pests are born and floods and droughts occur [The Erya says: Insects that eat the heart of the seedlings are called ming, and those that eat the leaves are called teng. The Jing Fang Commentary on the Changes says: When favored evil breeds calamity, insects eat the heart of seedlings; when virtue lacks restraint, insects eat the leaves; when affairs are monopolized by clever men and punishments cut off reason, the calamity is flood; when a ruler does not extend kindness and benefit to those below, it causes drought.]. In such a case, even if one prays, sacrifices, performs rain dances and prayers and serves the hundred spirits at all times, how can one harmonize yin and yang and stop bandits? [The commentary says: Changes of Heaven and Earth and transformations of yin and yang are rare for things to reach; it is fine to find them strange but wrong to fear them. Eclipses of the sun and moon, the appearance of strange stars, wind and rain out of season have never been absent in any age. When the ruler is bright and the government peaceful, these do no harm even if they come together; when the ruler is dim and the government dangerous, even if there were none it would be of no benefit.]

大夫曰盲者口能言白黑而無目以別之儒者口能言治亂無能以行之【主術訓曰問瞽師曰白素何如曰縞然而黒何若曰黮然援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黒無以知白黒故言白黒與人同其別白黒與人異】夫【音扶】坐言不行則牧童兼烏獲之力須苞堯舜之徳【烏獲秦武王之力士舉龍文鼎者逢須古本作逢防夏太康時人學射於羿者也荀子淮南子及王褒頌乂作逢門】故使言而近則儒者何患於治亂而盲人何患於白黑哉言之不出恥躬之不逮故卑而言髙能言而不能行者君子恥之矣

The Grand Secretary said: A blind person can say black and white with his mouth, but has no eyes with which to distinguish them; a Confucian can say order and disorder with his mouth, but has no ability to carry it out [The 'Techniques of the Ruler' chapter says: Ask a blind music master: What is white plain silk like? He says: Glistening. What is black like? He says: Dusky. Show him black and white, and he cannot tell them apart. People look at black and white with their eyes and speak of black and white with their mouths. The blind master can speak of black and white but cannot know black and white, so his speaking of black and white is the same as others' but his distinguishing is different from others']. If sitting and talking without acting were enough, then a cowherd would have the strength of Wu Huo and Pang Meng would have the virtue of Yao and Shun [Wu Huo was a strongman of King Wu of Qin who could lift the dragon-patterned tripod. Pang Meng, in the ancient text written Pang Meng, lived in the time of Tai Kang of Xia and learned archery from Yi. Xunzi, the Huainanzi and Wang Bao's eulogy also write Pangmen.]. So if speech that is close to the point were enough, why would Confucians worry about order and disorder, or the blind worry about black and white? Words that do not come out are held back in shame at one's own inability to reach them. So one who holds a low position but speaks lofty words and who can speak but cannot act is what the noble person is ashamed of.

賢良曰能言而不能行者國之寳也能行而不能言者國之用也兼此二者君子也無一者烏獲逢須也【古作逢防】言滿天下徳覆四海周公是也口言之躬行之豈若黙然載施其行而已則執事亦何患何恥之有今道不舉而務小利慕於不急以亂群意君子雖貧勿為可也藥酒病之利也正言治之藥也【孫楚曰夫治膏肓者必進苦口之藥決狐疑者必告逆耳之言如其迷謬未知所投恐俞跗見其已困扁鵲知其無功也】公卿誠能自強自忍食文學之至言去權詭罷利官一歸之於民親以周公之道則天下治而頌聲作儒者安得治亂而患之乎

The Worthy and Good said: One who can speak but cannot act is a treasure of the state; one who can act but cannot speak is a tool of the state; one who combines both is a noble person; one who has neither is a Wu Huo or Pang Meng. One whose words fill the world and whose virtue covers the four seas is the Duke of Zhou. If he says it with his mouth and practices it himself, how is that like silently loading on and carrying out his conduct only? Then what is there for you to worry about or be ashamed of? Now if the Way is not raised and effort goes into petty profit, admiring what is not urgent and confusing the common mind, a noble person would not do it even if he were poor. Medicinal wine is a profit for illness, and upright words are medicine for governing [Sun Chu said: To treat the vital region one must give bitter-tasting medicine, and to settle doubt one must give words that grate on the ear. If one is confused and does not know what to prescribe, I fear that Yu Fu would see him as already beyond help and Bian Que would know it is futile.]. If the ministers can truly strengthen themselves and bear it, adopt the utmost words of the Literati, remove expediency and trickery, dismiss the profit officials, return everything to the people and draw near to the Way of the Duke of Zhou, then the world will be governed and songs of praise will arise; why would Confucians then still worry about order and disorder?

大夫曰不軌之民困橈【音撓】公利而欲擅山澤從文學賢良之意則利歸於下而縣官無可為者上之所行則非之上之所言則譏之專欲損上徇下虧主而適臣尚安得上下之義君臣之禮而何頌聲能作也

The Grand Secretary said: Unlawful people obstruct public profit and want to monopolize mountains and marshes. According to the intention of the Literati and Worthy, profit would return to those below and the county officials would have nothing to do. What those above do they condemn, and what those above say they mock; they only want to diminish the ruler and favor the people, to reduce the lord and suit the ministers; where then is the righteousness of high and low and the ritual of ruler and minister, and what songs of praise could arise?

賢良曰古者上取有量自養有度樂【音洛】嵗不盜年飢則肆用民之力不過嵗三日借斂不過十一【王制曰古者公田借而不稅市防而不稅關譏而不徵林麓川澤以時入而不禁夫圭田無徵用民之力嵗不過三日田裡不粥墓地不請司空執度度地居民山川沮澤時四時量地逺近興事任力凡使民任老者之事食壯者之食也】君篤愛臣盡力上下交讓而天下平駿發爾私上讓下也遂及我私先公職也孟子曰未有仁而遺其親義而後其君也君君臣臣何為其無禮義乎【主術訓曰夫風疾而波興木茂而鳥集相生之勢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計君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而欲用之如鞭蹏馬矣是猶不待雨而求熟稼必不可之數也】及周之末塗德惠塞而嗜慾眾君奢侈而上求多民困於下怠於公事是以有履畆之稅碩鼠之詩作也【春秋曰初稅畆公羊傳曰初者何始也稅畆者何履畆而稅也初稅畆何以書譏也何譏爾譏始履畆而稅也何譏乎始履畆而稅古者什一而借古者曷為什一而借什一者天下之中正也多乎什一大桀小桀寡乎什一大貉小貉什一者天下之中正也什一行而頌聲作矣穀梁傳曰初者始也古者什一借而不稅初稅畆非正也古者三百歩為里名曰井田井田九百畆公田居一私田稼不善則非吏公田稼不善則非力初稅畆者非公之去公田而履畆十取一也以公之與民為已悉矣古者公田為居井灶蔥韭盡取焉詩序曰碩鼠刺重斂也國人刺其君重斂蠶食於民不修其政貪而畏人若大鼠也】衞靈公當隆冬興眾穿池宛春諫曰天寒百姓凍餒願公之罷役也公曰天寒哉我何不寒哉【雜事篇曰衞靈公以天寒鑿池宛春諌曰天寒起役恐傷民公曰天寒乎宛春曰君衣狐裘坐熊席隩虞有灶是以不寒今民衣不補履決不苴君則不寒民誠寒矣公曰善令罷役左右諫曰君鑿池不知天寒以宛春知而罷役是徳歸宛春怨歸於君公曰不然宛春魯國之匹夫吾舉之民未有見馬今將令民以此見之且春也有善寡人有春之善非寡人之善與靈公論宛春可謂知君之道矣王褒曰服絺綌之涼者不苦盛夏之鬱燠襲貂狐之煗者不憂至寒之悽愴】人之言曰安者不能恤危飽者不能食飢故餘梁肉者難為言隱約處佚樂者難為言勤苦夫【音扶】髙堂邃【音遂】宇廣廈洞房者不知專屋狹廬上漏下溼者之廇【音溜】也繋馬百駟貨財充內儲陳納新者不知有旦無暮稱貸者之急廣第唐園良田連比者不知無運踵之業竄頭宅者之役也原馬被山牛羊滿谷者不知無孤豚瘠【音脊】犢【音讀】者之窶也髙枕談臥無呌號者不知憂私責【音債】與吏正戚者之愁也被紈躡韋摶梁囓肥者不知短褐之寒糠之苦也從容房闈之間垂拱持案食者不知蹠【音卒】耒躬耕者之勤也乗堅驅良列騎成行【音杭】者不知負擔歩行者之難也同床旃【音氊】席侍御滿側者不知負輅挽舩【音船】登髙絶流者之難也衣【去聲】輕暖被【音披】英裘處溫室戴安車者不知乗邊城飄胡代鄉【音向】清風者之危寒也妻子好合子孫保之不知老母之顦【音憔】顇【音悴】匹婦之悲恨也耳聽五音目視弄優者不知防流矢距敵方外之死者也東向伏几振筆如文調者不知求索之急棰【推上聲】楚之痛者也坐旃【音氊】茵之上按圖籍之言若易易然亦不知步涉者之難也昔商鞅之任秦也刑人若刈菅【音間】芳用師若彈丸從軍旅者骨長城戍【音絮】漕者輦車相望生而往死而還【音旋】彼獨非人子耶【公孫鞅曰以戰去戰雖戰可也以殺去殺雖殺可也】故君子仁以恕義以度【音鐸】所好【去聲】惡【音汚】與天下共之所不施不仁者公劉好貨居者有積行者有嚢大王好色內無怨女外無曠夫文王作刑國無怨獄武王行師士樂為之死民樂為之用若斯則民何苦而怨何求而譏公卿愀【音秋】然寂若無人於是遂罷議止詞奏曰賢良文學不明縣官事猥【音委】以鹽鐵而為不便請且罷郡國【音角】酤關內鐵官奏可賢良曰文學既拜鹹取列大夫辭丞相【去聲】御史

The Worthy and Good said: In ancient times, those above took by measure and supported themselves with moderation, were glad to take nothing in a good year and eased up in a famine year, used the people's strength no more than three days a year, and drew on borrowed land no more than one tenth [The Royal Regulations says: In ancient times the public fields were borrowed and not taxed, market stalls were not taxed, passes were inspected but not taxed, and forests, mountains, rivers and marshes were entered in season and not forbidden. The jade-grant fields were not levied. The people's labor was used no more than three days a year. Fields and houses were not sold, and burial grounds were not requested. The Minister of Works held the measure, measured the land to settle the people, and in mountains, rivers and marshes, timed the four seasons, measured the distance and set up work and assigned labor. In employing the people, he assigned the old to their tasks and gave the strong their food.]. The ruler was deeply loving, ministers gave their strength, high and low yielded to one another and the world was at peace. 'Swiftly do your private fields' is the above yielding to those below; 'and it reaches our private fields' puts public duty first. Mencius said: There has never been a benevolent man who abandoned his parents or a righteous man who put his ruler last. When ruler is ruler and minister is minister, how can one say they lack ritual and righteousness? [The 'Techniques of the Ruler' says: When wind is fast, waves rise; when trees are lush, birds gather; this is mutual generation. So if a minister does not get what he wants from his ruler, the ruler also cannot get what he seeks from the minister. The benefits between ruler and minister are mutual repayment. So a minister exerts his strength and dies for principle in exchange with his ruler's bestowing rank on him. Thus a 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 downward and he wants to use his people, it is like whipping a horse that has been lamed or like seeking ripe grain without waiting for rain, a thing that certainly cannot be.] At the end of the Zhou, virtue and kindness were blocked and desires were many; rulers were extravagant and those above demanded much, the people were troubled below and negligent of public business, and so there was a tax by pacing the fields and the poem 'Big Rat' arose [The Spring and Autumn Annals says: For the first time, tax by the mu. The Gongyang Commentary says: 'First' is beginning. 'Tax by the mu' is taxing by pacing off the fields. Why does it record the first tax by mu? To criticize. What does it criticize? It criticizes the beginning of taxing by pacing fields. Why criticize the beginning of taxing by pacing fields? In ancient times one tenth was taken by borrowed labor. Why in ancient times was one tenth taken by borrowed labor? One tenth is the right measure of the world. More than one tenth is a great or lesser Jie, and less than one tenth is a great or lesser Mo. One tenth is the right measure of the world, and when one tenth was practiced, songs of praise arose. The Guliang Commentary says: 'First' is beginning. In ancient times one tenth was borrowed and not taxed, and the first tax by mu was not right. In ancient times three hundred paces made a li, and was called the well-field. A well-field was nine hundred mu, with the public field one of them. If the crops on the private fields were poor, one blamed the officials; if the crops on the public field were poor, one blamed the labor. In the first tax by mu, it was not the ruler giving up the public field and taking one tenth by pacing the fields, but the ruler taking everything for himself from the people. In ancient times the public field was used for dwellings, and well, stove, scallions and leeks were all taken from there. The Preface to the Odes says: 'Big Rat' criticizes heavy exaction. The people of the state criticized their ruler for heavy exaction and eating into the people like a silkworm, not cultivating his government, being greedy and afraid of people, like a big rat.]. Duke Ling of Wei in deep winter raised a crowd to dig a pond, and Wan Chun remonstrated: It is cold and the common people are freezing and starving; I hope you will end the work. The Duke said: Is it cold? Why am I not cold? [The 'Miscellaneous Matters' chapter says: Duke Ling of Wei dug a pond despite the cold. Wan Chun remonstrated: It is cold, and raising labor service I fear harms the people. The Duke said: Is it cold? Wan Chun said: You wear a fox-fur coat and sit on a bear-skin mat, with a stove in the warm room, so you are not cold. Now the people's clothes are torn and not mended and their shoes split and not repaired; you are not cold but the people truly are. The Duke said: Good. He ordered the work stopped. His attendants remonstrated: You dug the pond not knowing it was cold; because Wan Chun told you, you stopped the work, so the virtue goes to Wan Chun and the resentment to you. The Duke said: Not so. Wan Chun is a commoner of Lu whom I raised, and the people have not yet seen it. Now I will let the people see it through this. And if Chun has goodness, and I have Chun's goodness, is that not my goodness? Duke Ling's discussion of Wan Chun could be called knowing the way of a ruler. Wang Bao said: One who wears the coolness of fine and coarse cloth does not suffer the stuffy heat of midsummer, and one who wears the warmth of sable and fox does not worry about the bitter chill of utmost cold.]. People say: The secure cannot take pity on the endangered, and the full cannot feed the hungry. So it is hard to talk about hidden hardship with those who have surplus grain and meat, and hard to talk about toil with those who dwell in ease and pleasure. Those in high halls and deep eaves, wide mansions and inner chambers do not know the leaks of those in a single room and narrow hut, leaking above and wet below; those with a hundred teams of horses tethered, goods and wealth filling their houses, storing the old and receiving the new, do not know the urgency of those who see morning but not evening and borrow at interest; those with broad residences and gardens and fine fields side by side do not know the labor of those who have no land to stand an awl on and who thrust their heads into a house; those with wild horses covering the hills and cattle and sheep filling the valleys do not know the poverty of those without a lone piglet or a thin calf; those who sleep high on a pillow and talk, with no one crying out, do not know the sorrow of those who worry over private debts and officials pressing; those clad in fine silk and shod in leather, who eat fine millet and fat, do not know the cold of short coarse clothes and the bitterness of chaff and bran; those who stroll between inner rooms, hands folded, eating at a table do not know the toil of those who stand with a plow in hand and till; those who ride strong, drive fine horses, and line up cavalry in rows do not know the hardship of those who carry loads and walk; those who share a couch with felt mats and have attendants on both sides do not know the hardship of those who pull carts and haul boats, climb heights and cross streams; those who wear light warm clothing, put on fine furs, sit in warm rooms and ride in comfortable carriages do not know the danger and cold of those who garrison border cities, are blown about in Hu and Dai, and face the clear wind; those whose wives and children are happily joined and whose descendants protect them do not know the haggard look of an old mother or the grief and resentment of a common woman; those whose ears listen to the five notes and eyes watch entertainers do not know the death of those who are hit by stray arrows and defend against enemies abroad; those who face east leaning on a table and wielding the brush in elegant style do not know the urgency of demands and the pain of beatings; those who sit on felt mats and cushions and go by the words of maps and registers find it seemingly easy, and do not know the hardship of those who go on foot and wade. In the past when Shang Yang was in office in Qin, he punished people like cutting reeds and used armies like flicking pellets; those in military service had their bones exposed on the Great Wall and the carts of garrison transport followed one another within sight, going alive and returning dead; were they not also someone's sons? [Gongsun Yang said: To use war to end war, though it is war, is acceptable; to use killing to end killing, though it is killing, is acceptable.] So the noble person is benevolent through reciprocity and righteous through measure, and what he likes and dislikes he shares with the world; what he does not extend is not benevolent. Gongliu loved wealth, and those who stayed had stores and those who traveled had bags; the Great King loved beauty, and inside there were no resentful women and outside no unmarried men; King Wen made punishments, and the state had no resented lawsuits; King Wu led armies, and the scholars were glad to die for him and the people glad to be used by him. In this way, what do the people have to suffer and resent, or what do they seek and criticize? The ministers looked grim and were silent as if no one were there. Thereupon the debate was ended and the speeches stopped, and they memorialized: The Worthy and Literati do not understand the county officials' business and rashly consider salt and iron inconvenient; we request to stop the monopoly on liquor in the commanderies and states and the iron offices within the passes. The memorial was approved. The Worthy and Good said: After the Literati were appointed, all were ranked as grand masters and declined to serve the chancellor and censors.

大夫曰前議公事賢良文學稱引往古頗乖世務論者不必相反期於可行往者縣官未事胡越之時邊城四面受敵北邊尤被其苦先帝絶三方之難【去聲】撫從方國以為蕃蔽窮極郡國以討匈奴匈奴壤界獸圏孤弱無與此困亡之時也遼逺不遂使得復喘息休養士馬負紿【音怠】西域西域迫近胡防沮心內解必為巨患是以主上欲掃除煩倉廩之費也終日逐禽罷而釋之則非計也蓋舜紹緒禹成功今欲以小舉擊之何如

The Grand Secretary said: In the earlier debates on public affairs, the Worthy and Literati cited antiquity and rather contradicted the affairs of the age. Debaters need not oppose one another; the aim is to be workable. In the past, before the court was engaged with the Hu and Yue, the border cities faced enemies on all sides, and the northern frontier suffered the most. The former emperor cut off the difficulty of three directions, soothed and brought into line the neighboring states as a screen, and exhausted the commanderies and states to attack the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu's territory was like a beast pen, they were isolated and weak with no allies, and this was a time when they were in distress and about to perish. Because the distance was far and it was not completed, they were allowed to catch their breath and rest their men and horses, and they were supplied with provisions from the Western Regions. The Western Regions are close to the Hu raiders, and if their hearts waver and break loose they will surely become a great trouble. For this reason His Majesty wished to sweep them away and cut the costs of the granaries. To chase prey all day, and when weary to let it go, is no plan. In general it is Shun who continued the line and Yu who completed the work. Now if we want to strike them with a small campaign, how would that be?

文學曰異時縣官修輕賦公用饒人富給其後保胡越通四夷費用不足於是興利害算車船以訾【音紫】助邊【漢武紀曰元光六年冬初算商車李竒曰始稅商賈車船令出算也】贖罪吿緡【音民】與人以患矣甲士死於軍旅中士罷【音疲】於轉漕仍之以科適吏徵發極矣【漢武紀曰天漢四年春正月朝諸侯王於甘泉宮發天下七科讁及勇敢士張晏曰吏有罪一亡命二贅壻三賈人四故有市籍五父母有市籍六大父母有市籍七凡七科也】夫【音扶】勞而息之極而反本古之道也雖舜禹興不能易也【蔡邕曰書戒猾夏易伐方周有獫狁蠻荊之師漢有闐顔瀚海之事征討殊類所由尚矣然而時有同異勢有可否故謀有得失事有成敗不可齊也武帝情存逺畧志闢四方南誅百越北討強胡西伐大宛東並朝鮮因文景之蓄借天下之饒數十年間官民俱匱乃具鹽鐵酒之利設告緡重稅之令民不堪命起為盜賊關東紛擾道路不通繡衣直指之使奮鈇鉞而並出既而覺悟乃息兵罷役封丞相為富民侯故主父偃曰夫務戰勝窮武事未有不悔者也夫專勝者未必克挾疑者未必敗眾所謂疑聖人不任朝議有嫌明王不行也】

The Literati said: In the past the court kept taxes light and public expenditure was ample, so the people were rich and well supplied. Later, in order to defend against the Hu and Yue and to open communication with the four barbarian peoples, expenses fell short; so the court set up profit-making schemes, taxed carts and boats, and levied assessments (zi; pronounced like "zi" in the sense of "assessment") to aid the frontier. [The Annals of Emperor Wu in the History of the Han says: In the winter of the sixth year of Yuanguang, a tax on merchants' carts was first levied. Li Qi says: This was the start of taxing the carts and boats of merchants and making them pay the poll-tax.] Crimes were redeemed by payment and informers were rewarded for reporting hidden wealth (min; pronounced "min"), which only added to the people's misery. Armored soldiers died in the campaigns, middle-grade men were worn out (pi) transporting grain by water and land, and on top of that came the conscription of convicts, so that the officials' levies reached an extreme. [The Annals of Emperor Wu says: In the first month of spring in the fourth year of Tianhan, the court received the feudal kings at the Ganquan Palace and drafted the seven categories of exiles and brave men from all under Heaven. Zhang Yan says: first, officials who had committed an offense; second, fugitives; third, live-in sons-in-law; fourth, merchants; fifth, those formerly registered as merchants; sixth, those whose parents were registered as merchants; seventh, those whose grandparents were registered as merchants. These were the seven categories.] As for the particle fu (pronounced "fu") at the start of a sentence: to let people rest after toil, and to return to the root once the extreme has been reached, is the way of the ancients; even if Shun and Yu were to arise now, they could not change it. [Cai Yong says: The Book of Documents warns against the Xia being thrown into disorder, and the Book of Changes speaks of attacking the Gui territory (this character in the base text is rare and was lost in transcription). The Zhou had campaigns against the Xianyun and the Man of Jing, and the Han had the affairs of Tianyan and the Hanhai; the punitive expeditions against alien peoples have long existed. Yet times differ, circumstances allow or forbid, and so plans succeed or fail and affairs go well or badly, and they cannot all be treated alike. Emperor Wu cherished far-reaching designs and set his mind on opening up the four quarters: in the south he punished the hundred Yue, in the north he attacked the powerful Hu, in the west he campaigned against Dayuan, and in the east he annexed Chaoxian. Relying on the stores built up under Emperors Wen and Jing and drawing on the wealth of the realm, within a few decades both government and people were exhausted, so he made use of the profits of the salt, iron and liquor monopolies (the last character of this term in the base text is rare and was lost in transcription) and set up heavy taxes together with the order rewarding informers. The people could not bear it and rose up as bandits; the region east of the passes was in turmoil and the roads were blocked, and the imperial commissioners in embroidered robes brandished axes and set out together. Afterward he realized his error, stopped the wars and corvee, and enfeoffed his chancellor as Marquis Who Enriches the People. So Zhufu Yan said: Those who strive for victory in war and exhaust military affairs never fail to regret it. One who is set on victory will not necessarily prevail, and one who harbors doubts will not necessarily lose. What the multitude doubts, the sage does not undertake; what the court debate finds objectionable, the enlightened ruler does not carry out.]

大夫曰昔夏後底洪水之災百姓孔勤罷【音疲】於籠臿【音察】及至其後鹹享其功【呂氏春秋曰禹之決江水也民聚瓦礫事已成功已立為萬世利禹之所見者逺也而民莫之知故民不可與慮化舉始而可以樂成功】先帝之時郡國頗煩於戎事然亦寛三陲【音垂】之役語曰見機不遂者隕【音允】功一日違敵累世為患【先軫曰一日縱敵數世之患也揚雄曰不壹勞者不乆佚不暫費者不永寜】休勞用供困乗時帝王之道聖賢之所不能失也功業有緒惡【音汙】勞而不卒猶耕者勌休而困止也夫【音扶】事輟者無功耕怠者無獲也

The Grand Secretary said: In the past the Lord of Xia put right the disaster of the great flood. The people toiled very hard and were worn out (pi) with baskets and spades (cha; pronounced "cha"), but afterward all of them enjoyed the fruit of that work. [The Annals of Master Lu says: When Yu opened the channels of the Yangtze, the people gathered in heaps of tiles and rubble. When the work was done and the achievement established, it benefited ten thousand generations. Yu saw far ahead, and the people did not understand. Therefore the people cannot be consulted at the beginning of a great change, but they can be made glad of its completed success.] In the time of the late emperor, the commanderies and kingdoms were rather burdened by military affairs, yet the burden of garrisoning the three frontiers (chui; pronounced "chui") was eased. A common saying goes: One who sees the opportunity but does not carry it through loses his merit (yun; pronounced "yun"); let the enemy slip for a single day and the trouble lasts for generations. [Xian Zhen said: Letting an enemy go for one day brings trouble for several generations. Yang Xiong said: One who does not toil once will not rest for long; one who does not spend briefly will not be at peace forever.] To rest from toil and supply what is needed, and to exploit the moment when the enemy is worn out and distressed (the character for "worn out" in the base text is rare and was lost in transcription), is the way of emperors and kings, which sages and worthies could not neglect. When an enterprise has been started, to hate (wu; pronounced "wu") the toil and not finish it is like a plowman who tires, rests, and gives up. As for the particle fu (pronounced "fu") at the start of a sentence: when work is abandoned there is no achievement, and when plowing is neglected there is no harvest.

文學曰地廣而不徳者國危兵強而凌敵者身亡【三略曰務廣地者荒務廣徳者強能有其有者安貪人之有者殘殘滅之政累世受患造作過制雖成必敗舍已而教人者逆正已而化人者順逆者亂之招順者治之要】虎兕相據而螻蟻得志兩敵相機而匹夫乗間【音諫齊防曰齊欲伐魏淳于髠謂齊王曰韓子盧者天下之疾犬也東郭逡者海內之狡兎也韓子盧逐東郭逡環山者三騰山者五兎極於前犬廢於後犬兎俱罷各死其處田父見之無勞勌之苦而擅其功今齊魏乆相持以頓其兵敝其眾臣恐強秦大楚乗其後有田父之功齊王懼謝將休士燕防曰趙且伐燕蘇代為燕謂惠王曰今者臣來過易水蚌方出曝而鷸啄其肉蚌合而箝其喙鷸曰今日不雨明日不雨即有死蚌蚌亦謂鷸曰今日不出明日不出即有死鷸兩者不肯相舍漁者得而並擒之今趙且伐燕燕趙乆相攻以敝大眾臣恐強秦之為漁父也願王熟計之也惠王曰善乃止】是以聖王見利慮害見逺存近方今為縣官計者莫若偃兵休士厚幣結和親修文德而已【指武篇曰聖人之治天下也先文徳而後武力凡武之興為不服也文化不改然後加誅夫下愚不移純徳之所不能化而後武力加焉】若不恤人之急不計其難弊持以窮無用之地亡十獲一非文學之所知也

The Literati said: A state that enlarges its land but lacks virtue is in danger, and a person whose army is strong and who bullies his enemies perishes. [The Three Strategies says: One who strives to widen his land becomes desolate; one who strives to widen his virtue becomes strong. One who can keep what he has is secure; one who covets what others have is ruined. A policy of ruin and destruction brings trouble for generations; works that exceed the proper measure, though completed, are bound to fail. To abandon oneself and teach others is perverse; to correct oneself and transform others is sound. Perversity invites disorder, and soundness is the key to order.] When a tiger and a rhinoceros lock in combat, mole crickets and ants get their way; when two enemies watch each other for an opening, a common man slips in between (jian; pronounced "jian"). [The Strategies of Qi (the base text has a garbled character here) says: Qi wished to attack Wei, and Chunyu Kun said to the King of Qi: Hanzi Lu is the swiftest hound under Heaven, and Dongguo Jun is the craftiest hare within the seas. Hanzi Lu chased Dongguo Jun, going around the mountain three times and climbing the mountain five times; the hare was exhausted in front and the hound spent behind, and hound and hare both collapsed and each died where it fell. A farmer came upon them and, without any toil or trouble, took all the credit. Now Qi and Wei have long been at a standoff, wearing out their soldiers and exhausting their people, and I fear that mighty Qin and great Chu will come up behind and play the part of the farmer. The King of Qi was alarmed, thanked him, and rested his troops. The Strategies of Yan (the base text has a garbled character here) says: Zhao was about to attack Yan, and Su Dai spoke for Yan to King Hui: Today as I came I crossed the Yi River. A clam had just come out to sun itself, and a snipe pecked at its flesh, and the clam closed its shell and clamped the snipe's beak. The snipe said: If it does not rain today and does not rain tomorrow, there will be a dead clam. The clam also said to the snipe: If you do not get free today and do not get free tomorrow, there will be a dead snipe. Neither would let go of the other, and a fisherman came and caught them both. Now Zhao is about to attack Yan, and Yan and Zhao have long been attacking each other and wearing out their people; I fear that mighty Qin will play the fisherman. I beg Your Majesty to consider carefully. King Hui said: Good. And he stopped.] For this reason the sage kings, on seeing a profit, thought of the harm, and on seeing what was far away, kept in mind what was near. At present, if we are to plan for the court, nothing is better than to lay down arms and rest the soldiers, to bind peace and marriage alliance with generous gifts, and to cultivate civil virtue, that is all. [The chapter "On Military Affairs" (Zhi Wu Pian) says: In ruling the world the sage puts civil virtue first and military force afterward. Whenever arms are raised, it is against those who do not submit. Only when civilizing influence fails to change them does he then punish. For the utterly stupid who cannot be moved, whom pure virtue cannot transform, military force is applied afterward.] But to take no pity on the people's distress and give no thought to their hardships and ruin, to persist in squandering them on useless lands, losing ten for every one gained, is not something the Literati can understand.

大夫曰漢興以來修好結和親所聘遺單【音蟬】於者甚厚然不紀重質厚賂之故改節而害滋甚先帝覩其可以武折而不可以德懐故廣將帥招奮擊以誅厥罪功勲粲然著於海內藏於紀府何命亡十獲一乎【漢武紀曰元光二年春詔問公卿曰朕飾子女以配單于金幣文繡賂之甚厚單于待命加嫚侵盜亡已邊境被害朕甚閔之今欲舉兵攻之何如大行王恢建議宜擊夏六月御史大夫韓安國為防軍將軍衞尉李廣為驍騎將軍太僕公孫賀為輕車將軍大行王恢為將屯將軍大夫李息為材官將軍將三十萬眾屯馬邑谷中誘致單于欲襲擊之單于入塞覺之走出嚴尤曰漢武選將練兵約齎輕糧深入逺戍匈奴創艾而天下稱武】夫【音扶】偷安者後危慮近者憂邇賢者離俗知士權行君子所慮眾庶疑焉故民可以觀成不可以圖始此有司所獨見而文學所不覩【公孫鞅曰有髙世之行者必見非於世有獨知之慮者固見敖於民故曰愚者暗於成事智者見於未萌民不可與慮始可與樂成功班固曰和親之論發於劉敬是時天下初定新遭平城之難故從其言約結和親賂遺單于以救安邊境孝惠髙後時遵而不違匈奴冦盜不為衰止而單于反以加驕倨逮至孝文與通關市妻以漢女増厚其賂嵗以千金而匈奴數背約束邊境屢被其害是以文帝中年赫然發憤遂躬戍服親御鞍馬從六郡良家材力之士馳射上林講習戰陳聚天下精兵積於廣武顧問馮唐與論將帥喟然嘆息思古臣此則和親無益已然之明效也仲舒親見四世之事猶欲復守舊文頗増其約以為義動君子利動貪人如匈奴者非可以仁義説也獨可以厚利結之於天耳故與之厚利以沒其意與盟於天以堅其約質其愛子以累其心匈奴雖欲展轉奈失重利何奈欺上天何奈殺愛子何夫賦斂行賂不足以當三軍之費城郭之固無以異於貞士之約而使邊城守境之民父母緩帶稚子咽哺胡馬不窺於長城而羽檄不行於中國不亦便於天下乎察仲舒之論考諸行事廼知其未合於當時而有闕於後世也當孝武時雖征伐克復而士馬物故亦略相當雖開河南之野建朔方之郡亦棄造陽之北九百餘里匈奴人民每來降漢單于亦輒拘留漢使以相報復其桀驁尚如斯安肯以憂子而為質哉此不合當時之言也若不置質空約和親是襲孝文既往之悔而長匈奴無已之詐也夫邊境不選守境武畧之臣修障隧備塞之具厲長防勁弩之械恃吾所以待邊冦而務賦斂於民逺行貨賂割剝百姓以奉冦讐信甘言守空約而防胡馬之不窺不已過乎夫規事建議不圖萬世之利而媮恃一時之事者未可以經逺也】

The Grand Secretary said: Since the rise of the Han we have cultivated friendship and bound peace through marriage alliances, and the gifts sent to the Chanyu (chan; pronounced "chan") have been very generous; yet he did not alter his conduct because of the weighty hostages and rich bribes, and the raids and harm (the character for "harm" in the base text is rare and was lost in transcription) have grown worse. The late emperor saw that they could be broken by force but not won over by virtue, so he enlarged the number of generals and commanders and summoned fighters to punish their crimes; his meritorious deeds shine brightly across the seas and are stored in the records. How can you say that ten were lost for every one gained? [The Annals of Emperor Wu says: In spring of the second year of Yuanguang the emperor issued an edict asking his ministers: I have adorned young women to be matched with the Chanyu and bribed him very richly with gold, silk and embroidery, yet the Chanyu grows ever more insolent and his raids do not cease; the border lands suffer harm, and I am deeply grieved. Now I wish to raise troops and attack him; what do you think? The Grand Messenger Wang Hui urged that he should be attacked. In the sixth month of summer, Han Anguo, the Imperial Counselor, became General Protecting the Army (the base text has a garbled character), Li Guang, Commandant of the Guards, became General of Fast Cavalry, Gongsun He, Grand Coachman, became General of Light Chariots, Wang Hui, the Grand Messenger, became General Commanding the Garrison, and Li Xi, Grand Secretary, became General of Talented Warriors; leading three hundred thousand men they were stationed in the valley of Mayi, hoping to lure the Chanyu in and attack him by surprise. The Chanyu entered the frontier, sensed it, and went out again. Yan You says: Emperor Wu of Han chose generals and trained troops, set out with light provisions, penetrated deep and held distant outposts; the Xiongnu were chastened and the world praised Han martial power.] As for the particle fu (pronounced "fu") at the start of a sentence: one who seeks ease for the moment is in danger later; one who thinks only of what is near will have trouble close at hand. The worthy man departs from common ways, the wise man acts by expedient, and what the gentleman has in mind the common people doubt. Therefore the people can be shown the finished work but cannot be consulted at the beginning. This is what the officials alone see and the Literati do not perceive. [Gongsun Yang says: One whose conduct is higher than his age will surely be condemned by the world; one who alone has foresight will certainly be mocked by the people. Therefore it is said: The foolish are blind to what has already come about, the wise see what has not yet sprouted; the people cannot be consulted at the beginning, but they can be made glad of the completed success. Ban Gu says: The argument for marriage alliance arose from Liu Jing. At that time the world had only just been settled and had recently suffered the disaster at Pingcheng, so the emperor followed his advice, agreed to the marriage alliance, and sent gifts to the Chanyu in order to bring safety to the borders. Under Emperor Hui and Empress Lu this was followed without change, yet the Xiongnu raids did not decline, and the Chanyu grew all the more arrogant. When it came to Emperor Wen, he opened frontier markets with them, gave them a Han woman as wife, and increased the gifts to a thousand pieces of gold a year; but the Xiongnu repeatedly broke the agreement and the borders suffered again and again. For this reason in the middle of his reign Emperor Wen was roused to anger, put on military dress himself, personally mounted his horse, rode with talented and strong men of the six commanderies to hunt and shoot in the Shanglin park, drilled battle formations, gathered the elite troops of the realm at Guangwu, and asked Feng Tang about generals and commanders, sighing deeply and longing for the famous generals of old. This is clear proof that the marriage alliance was of no use, already shown by events. Dong Zhongshu himself witnessed four reigns and still wished to return to the old way and merely increase its terms a little, holding that righteousness moves a gentleman and profit moves the greedy; as for people like the Xiongnu, they cannot be persuaded by benevolence and righteousness, but can only be bound by large profit and by an oath before Heaven. So give them large profit to drown their intent, make a covenant with them before Heaven to harden their pledge, and take their beloved sons as hostages to weigh down their hearts. Though the Xiongnu might wish to turn about, what then of the great profit they would lose, of deceiving Heaven, of the killing of their beloved sons? The taxes and bribes would not equal the cost of three armies, and the strength of walled cities would be no different from the pledge of a loyal man; the people who guard the frontier towns would have their parents loosen their belts and their children be fed, the barbarian horses would not spy on the Great Wall and the feathered urgent dispatches would not circulate in the Middle Kingdom; would this not be convenient for the whole world? But examining Zhongshu's argument and testing it against events, one finds that it did not suit his own time and was lacking for later ages. In the time of Emperor Wu, though campaigns won captures, the loss of soldiers and horses was about equal; though he opened the fields south of the river and set up the commandery of Shuofang, he also abandoned more than nine hundred li north of Zaoyang. Whenever Xiongnu people came to submit to Han, the Chanyu would detain Han envoys in retaliation; such was their arrogance, so how would they have been willing to give a beloved son as hostage? This is why the proposal did not suit its time. If no hostage were placed and an empty marriage alliance alone were agreed, it would repeat the regret already felt under Emperor Wen and feed the Xiongnu's endless deceit. If, instead of choosing commanders of martial skill to guard the frontier, repairing the beacons and tunnels, preparing the equipment of the forts, and sharpening long halberds and strong crossbows, relying on what we use to await border raiders, we devoted ourselves to taxing the people and sending bribes far away, cutting into the hundred clans to serve brigands and enemies, trusting sweet words and keeping an empty pact while hoping that the barbarian horses would not spy on us (the base text has a garbled character here), would that not be an error? Those who plan affairs and offer proposals without aiming at the profit of ten thousand generations, but rely only on the expedients of the moment, cannot see far ahead.]

文學曰往者匈奴結和親諸夷納貢即君臣外內相信無胡越之患當此之時上求寡而易澹【古贍字】民安樂【音洛】而無事耕田而食桑麻而衣家有數年之稸縣官餘貨財閭里耆老或及其澤【韓安國曰髙皇帝嘗圍於平城匈奴至而投鞍髙於城者數所平城之厄七日不食天下嘆之及解圍反位無忿怨之色雖得天下而不報平城之怨者非以力不能也夫聖人以天下為度者也不以已之私怒傷天下之公義故遣劉敬結為和親至今為世利孝文皇帝甞一屯天下之精兵於甞谿廣武無尺寸之功天下黔首約要之民無不憂者孝文皇帝悟兵之不可宿也乃為和親之約至今為後世利兩主之跡足以為效】自是之後退文任武苦師勞眾以略無用之地立郡沙石之間民不能自守發屯乗城挽【音挽】輦而澹【古贍字】之愚竊見其亡不覩其成

The Literati said: In the past, when the Xiongnu had made a marriage alliance and the various barbarians paid tribute, then ruler and subject, inside and outside, trusted one another, and there was no trouble from the Hu and Yue. At that time the court asked little and was easily supplied (the old character for "supplied" is written dan), the people lived in peace and joy (le; pronounced "luo") with nothing to disturb them, plowed fields for their food and wore clothes of mulberry and hemp; every family had several years of stored grain, the court had a surplus of goods and wealth, and the elders of the villages sometimes even lived to see its benefits. [Han Anguo said: Emperor Gao once was besieged at Pingcheng; the Xiongnu came, and the saddles they threw down were piled higher than the city wall in several places; in the crisis at Pingcheng he went seven days without food, and the world sighed over it. Yet when the siege was lifted and he returned to his throne, he showed no look of anger or resentment. Though he had won the world, he did not avenge the wrong at Pingcheng, and it was not that his strength was insufficient. The sage takes the whole world as his measure and does not harm the common righteousness of the world by his private anger; therefore he sent Liu Jing to bind a marriage alliance, which has been of benefit to the age down to this day. Emperor Xiaowen once massed the elite troops of the realm at Changxi and Guangwu and achieved not an inch of success, and the common people of the realm and those bound by agreement all grieved. Emperor Xiaowen realized that armies cannot be kept encamped, and so made the marriage alliance, which has benefited later ages to this day. The conduct of the two rulers is enough to serve as proof.] After that, civil policy was set aside and military policy was relied upon; the army was exhausted and the people toiled to seize useless land, commanderies were set up amid sand and stone, the people could not defend themselves, garrisons were called out to man the walls, and carts were hauled (wan; pronounced "wan") to supply them (the old character for "supply" is written dan). In my humble view, I see their ruin but not their success.

大夫曰匈奴以虛名市於漢而實不從數【音朔】為蠻貊所紿【音怠】不痛之何故也髙皇帝仗劒定九州今以九州而不行於匈奴閭里常民尚有梟散【梟散流離也關西人謂梟曰流離故云梟散】況萬里之主與小國之匈奴乎夫【音扶】以天下之力勤何不權以天下之士民何不服今有帝名而威不信【音伸】長城反賂遺而尚踞敖【音傲】此五帝所不忍三王所畢【一作必】怒也【匈奴傳曰太初四年漢遣中郎將蘇武厚幣賂遺單于單于益驕禮甚倨非漢所望也徵和四年單于遣使遺漢書云南有大漢北有強胡胡者天之驕子也不為小禮以自煩今欲與漢闓大關取漢女為妻嵗給遺我櫱酒萬石稷米五十斛雜繒萬匹它如故約則邊】

The Grand Secretary said: The Xiongnu trade an empty name with Han but in fact do not comply; time and again we are cheated by the barbarians (dai; pronounced "dai") and yet feel no pain from it; what is the reason? Emperor Gao won the nine provinces with his sword, yet today the nine provinces cannot make their will prevail with the Xiongnu. Even ordinary folk in the villages sometimes suffer being scattered like owls ["Owls scattered" means wandering about homeless; people west of the passes call the owl "liuli," and hence the phrase "owl-scattered"]; how much more so the ruler of ten thousand li and the Xiongnu of a small state? As for the particle fu (pronounced "fu") at the start of a sentence: with the strength of the whole world, what toil could not be weighed? With the officers of the whole world, which people could not be subdued? Now we have the title of emperor yet our authority is not extended (shen; pronounced "shen") even to the Great Wall, and instead we send bribes while they still sit with arrogance (ao; pronounced "ao"); this is what the Five Emperors could not bear and the Three Kings would surely (one text reads "bi") be angry at. [The Account of the Xiongnu says: In the fourth year of Taichu, Han sent the Palace Attendant Su Wu with rich gifts as bribes to the Chanyu, and the Chanyu grew more arrogant, and his courtesy was very haughty, not what Han had hoped for. In the fourth year of Zhenghe, the Chanyu sent an envoy with a letter to Han, saying: In the south there is the great Han, in the north the mighty Hu. The Hu are the favored sons of Heaven and do not trouble themselves with petty courtesies. Now I wish to open the great passes with Han and take a Han woman as wife, and every year you are to give me ten thousand shi of fermented liquor, fifty hu of millet and ten thousand bolts of assorted silk; other terms as in the old agreement; then the borders will

【不相盜矣】

[no longer be raided.]

文學曰湯事夏而卒服之周事殷而卒滅之【本經訓曰晩世之時帝有桀紂為璇室瑤臺象廊玉床紂為肉圃酒池燎焚天下之財罷苦萬民之力刳諫者剔孕婦攘天下虐百姓於是湯乃以革車三百乗伐桀於南巢放之夏臺武王甲卒三千破紂牧野殺之於宣室天下寜定百姓和集是以稱湯武之賢語曰桀紂不為王湯武不為放】故以大御小者王【去聲】以強凌弱者亡聖人不困其眾以兼國良御不困其馬以兼道故造父之御不失和聖人之治不倍德【呂氏春秋曰宋人有取道者其馬不進倒而投之鸂水又復取道其馬不進又倒而投之鸂水如此者三雖造父之所以威馬不過此矣不得造父之道而徒得其威無益於御繆稱訓曰戎狄之馬皆可以馳驅或近或逺唯造父能盡其力三苖之民皆可使忠信或賢或不肖唯唐虞能齊其美】秦攝利衡以御宇內執修棰【推上聲】以笞【音痴】八極驂服以罷【音疲】而鞭防愈加故有傾衡遺棰【推上聲】之變士民非不眾力勤非不多也皆內倍外附而莫為用此髙皇帝所以仗劒而取天下也【司馬遷曰昔詩書述虞夏之際舜禹受禪積徳累功洽於百姓攝位行政考之於天經數十年然後在位殷周之王乃繇卨稷修仁行義歴十餘世至於湯武然後放殺秦起襄公章文繆獻孝昭襄稍嚴蠶食六國百有餘載至始皇廼並天下以徳若彼用力如此其囏難也秦既稱帝患周之敗以為起於處士橫議諸侯力爭四夷交侵以弱見奪於是削去五等墮城銷刃箝語燒書內鋤雄俊外攘胡粵用壹威權為萬世安然十餘年間猛敵橫發乎不虞適戍強於五伯閭閻偪於戎狄嚮應防於謗議奮臂威於甲兵鄉秦之禁適所以資豪傑而速自斃也是以漢亡尺土之階繇一劒之任五載而成帝業書傳所記未嘗有焉何則古世相革皆成聖王之烈今漢獨收孤秦之斃鐫金石者難為功摧枯朽者易為力其勢然也】夫【音扶】兩主好合內外交通天下安寜世世無患士民何事三王何愁焉

The Literati said: Tang served Xia and in the end subdued it; Zhou served Yin and in the end destroyed it. [The chapter "Original Instruction" (Ben Jing Xun) says: In later ages there were the emperors Jie and Zhou, who built jade chambers and jasper terraces, ivory corridors and jade beds; Zhou made a park of meat and a pool of wine, burned up the wealth of the world, and wore out the strength of the ten thousand people; he cut open those who remonstrated and slit open pregnant women, seizing the world and tyrannizing the hundred clans. Therefore Tang took three hundred leather-covered chariots and attacked Jie at Nanchao and banished him to Xiatai, and King Wu with three thousand armored soldiers broke Zhou at Muye and killed him at Xuanshi. The world was settled and the hundred clans were harmonious and united, and for this reason Tang and Wu are called worthy. A common saying goes: If Jie and Zhou had not been kings, Tang and Wu would not have banished or killed them.] Therefore one who uses the great to manage the small becomes king (wang; read in the falling tone), and one who uses strength to bully the weak perishes. The sage does not wear out his people to annex states, just as a good driver does not wear out his horses to cover more road. Therefore Zaofu in driving never lost harmony, and the sage in ruling never turns his back on virtue. [The Annals of Master Lu says: A man of Song was hurrying along a road, but his horse would not go forward; he threw it down into a stream; he set out again, and again the horse would not go forward, and again he threw it into the stream; this happened three times. Even the means by which Zaofu overawed horses was no more than this. If one does not have Zaofu's way and has only his show of force, it does not help in driving. The chapter "Miao Cheng" says: The horses of the Rong and Di can all be driven, some near and some far, but only Zaofu could draw out their full strength; the people of the Three Miao can all be made loyal and trustworthy, some worthy and some unworthy, but only Tang and Yu could bring all of them to equal excellence.] Qin held the power of the balance to rule the whole world, grasped a long whip (chui; read in the rising tone; the base text glosses "tui, rising tone") to flog the eight extremities, and though the horses were already worn out (pi) it applied the lash all the more; therefore came the upheaval in which the balance was overturned and the whip dropped. It was not that officers and people were few or that their labor was slight, but inside they turned away and outside they went over to others, and none would serve. This is why Emperor Gao could win the world with his sword. [Sima Qian says: In the past the Odes and Documents tell of the age of Yu and Xia, when Shun and Yu received abdication, having accumulated virtue and merit that reached the hundred clans, then acted as regents and administered government, were tested by Heaven, and only after several decades took the throne. The kings of Yin and Zhou rose from Xie and Ji who cultivated benevolence and practiced righteousness, over more than ten generations until Tang and Wu, who then banished and killed their rulers. Qin began with Duke Xiang, grew prominent under Wen, Mu, Xian, Xiao and Zhaoxiang, gradually nibbled away at the six states like silkworms, and only after more than a hundred years did the First Emperor unite the world. With virtue so great in the former cases and effort so great in the latter, such was the difficulty. After Qin took the title of emperor, it feared the failure of Zhou, and held that it had arisen from scholars out of office speaking freely, the feudal lords contending by force, and the four barbarians invading and seizing from the weak; so it abolished the five ranks, razed city walls and melted down weapons, gagged speech and burned books, weeded out heroes within and drove back the Hu and Yue without, using a single awesome authority to secure ten thousand generations. Yet within little more than ten years fierce enemies rose without warning, conscripted garrison troops proved stronger than the Five Hegemons, men of the village lanes were pressed harder than the Rong and Di, the countryside responded more readily to slander than to law, and a raised arm was more awesome than armor and weapons. The very prohibitions of Qin served to supply heroes and hasten its own death. Hence Han had no step of even a foot of land to start from, but through the use of one sword completed the imperial enterprise in five years, which the books and records had never described. Why? In ancient times, successive changes of dynasty all completed the glorious work of sage kings; now Han alone gathered in the ruin of a solitary Qin. It is hard to win merit by engraving metal and stone, but easy to exert strength in snapping dead and rotten wood; such was the situation.] As for the particle fu (pronounced "fu") at the start of a sentence: if the two rulers were on good terms, if inside and outside communicated, if the world were at peace and free of trouble for generation after generation, what would be the task of the officers and people, and what would the Three Kings have to worry about?

大夫曰伯翳【音意】之始封秦地為七十里穆公開伯【音覇】孝公廣業自卑至上自小至大故先祖基之子孫成之【司馬遷曰秦之先伯翳嘗有勲於唐虞之際受土賜姓及殷夏之間防散至周之衰秦興邑於西垂自繆公以來稍蠶食諸侯竟成始皇】軒轅戰涿【音卓】鹿殺兩曎【音驛】蚩【音痴】尤而為帝湯武伐夏商誅桀紂而為王黃帝以戰成功湯武以伐成孝【魚龍河圖雲黃帝攝政有蚩尤兄弟八十一人並獸身人語銅鐵額食沙造五兵仗刀防大弩威振天下誅殺無道萬民欽命黃帝行天子事黃帝以仁義不能禁止蚩尤乃仰天而嘆天遣女下授黃帝兵符伏蚩尤後天下復擾亂黃帝遂畫蚩尤形像以威天下鹹謂蚩尤不死八方皆為殄滅山海經云黃帝令應龍攻蚩尤蚩尤請風伯雨師以從大風雨黃帝乃下天女曰魃以止雨雨止遂殺蚩尤權謀篇曰湯欲伐桀伊尹曰請阻乏貢職以觀其動桀怒起九夷之師以伐之伊尹曰未可彼尚猶能起九夷之師是罪在我也湯乃謝罪請服復入貢職明年又不供其職桀怒起九夷之師九夷之師不起伊尹曰可矣湯乃興師伐而殘之遷桀南巢氏焉武王伐紂過遂斬岸過水折舟過谷發梁過山焚萊示民無返志也至於有戎之隧大風折斾散宜生諫曰此其妖歟武王曰非也天落兵也風霽而乗以大雨水平地而嗇散宜生又諫曰此其妖歟武王曰非也天灑兵也卜而散宜生又諫曰此其妖歟武王曰不利以禱祠利以撃眾是之已故武王順天地犯三妖而禽紂於牧野其所獨見者精也希寫曰昔者文王拘於羑里而武王羇於王門卒斬紂之頭而懸於太白者是武王之功也】故手足之勤腹腸之養【去聲】也當世之務後世之利也今四夷內侵不攘萬世必有此長患先帝興義兵以誅強東滅朝鮮西定冉駹【音尨南夷傳曰自筰以東北君長以十數冉駹最大顔師古曰今防州開州首領多姓冉者本皆冉種也】南擒百越北挫強胡李牧追匈奴以廣北州湯武之舉蚩【音痴】尤之兵也故聖主斥地非私其利用兵非徒奮怒也所以匡難【去聲】避害以為黎民逺慮【劉歆曰孝武皇帝愍中國罷勞無安寜之時乃遣大將軍驃騎伏波樓船之屬南滅百粵起七郡北攘匈奴降昆邪十萬之眾置五屬國起朔方以奪其肥饒之地東伐朝鮮起兎樂浪以斷匈奴之左臂西伐大宛並三十六國結烏孫起敦煌酒泉張掖以鬲婼羌裂匈奴之右臂單于孤特逺遁於漠北四陲無事斥地逺境起十餘郡功業既定永無逆爭之心至今累世頼之單于守藩百蠻服從萬世之基也中興之功未有髙焉者也】

The Grand Secretary said: Boyi was first enfeoffed in Qin with land of seventy li; Duke Mu opened the hegemony and Duke Xiao broadened the enterprise, rising from low to high and from small to great. So the ancestors laid the foundation and the descendants completed it. [Sima Qian said: the ancestor of Qin, Boyi, rendered meritorious service in the age of Tang and Yu and received land and a surname. Between Yin and Xia his descendants were scattered, and when Zhou declined, Qin arose and settled its town at the western border. From Duke Mu on it gradually nibbled at the feudal lords and in the end produced the First Emperor.] The Yellow Emperor fought at Zhuolu, killed Yayu and Chiyou and became emperor; Tang and Wu attacked Xia and Shang, executed Jie and Zhou and became kings. The Yellow Emperor achieved merit by war, and Tang and Wu achieved filial piety by attack. [The Yulong Hetu says: when the Yellow Emperor acted as regent, there were eighty-one brothers of Chiyou, all with beast bodies and human speech, bronze and iron foreheads, who ate sand, made the five weapons, relied on knives, halberds and great crossbows, shook the world with their might, and executed the unrighteous; the myriad people esteemed their command, and the Yellow Emperor performed the Son of Heaven's duties. With benevolence and righteousness the Yellow Emperor could not stop Chiyou, and so looked to Heaven and sighed. Heaven sent the Dark Lady down to give the Yellow Emperor a military tally, and he subdued Chiyou. Later the world was again in disorder, and the Yellow Emperor therefore painted Chiyou's image to awe the world, and all said Chiyou had not died, and the eight directions were all wiped out. The Classic of Mountains and Seas says: the Yellow Emperor ordered Yinglong to attack Chiyou, and Chiyou asked the Wind Earl and the Rain Master to follow, with great wind and rain. The Yellow Emperor then sent down the Heavenly Woman called Ba to stop the rain; when the rain stopped, he killed Chiyou. The Quanmou chapter says: Tang wished to attack Jie, and Yi Yin said: "Let us withhold the tribute and see how he moves." Jie was angry and raised the troops of the nine Yi to attack him. Yi Yin said: "Not yet. He can still raise the troops of the nine Yi, so the fault lies with us." Tang then apologized and asked to submit, and again entered the tribute. The next year he again did not supply the tribute, and Jie was angry and raised the troops of the nine Yi, but the troops of the nine Yi did not rise. Yi Yin said: "Now it can be done." Tang then raised troops, attacked and defeated him, and moved Jie to the Nanchao clan. When King Wu attacked Zhou, he passed the bank and cut it down, crossed the water and broke the boats, passed valleys and removed bridges, passed mountains and burned the weeds, showing the people he had no thought of returning. At the Sui of the Rong, a great wind broke the banners, and Sanyi Sheng remonstrated: "Is this an ill omen?" King Wu said: "No. Heaven is dropping weapons." When the wind cleared it was followed by great rain, and the water leveled the land and was scarce. Sanyi Sheng remonstrated again: "Is this an ill omen?" King Wu said: "No. Heaven is washing weapons." Divination scorched the tortoise shell, and Sanyi Sheng remonstrated again: "Is this an ill omen?" King Wu said: "It is not good for prayers and sacrifices, but it is good for striking the multitude; this is the meaning of the scorching." So King Wu followed Heaven and Earth, braved three ill omens, and captured Zhou in the field of Mu, because what he alone saw was subtle. Xixie said: formerly King Wen was held at Youli and King Wu was detained at Yumen, and in the end he cut off Zhou's head and hung it on the great white banner; this was King Wu's merit.] So the toil of hands and feet is the nourishment of belly and bowels; the task of the present age is the benefit of later ages. Now the four barbarians raid within and are not driven off, and for ten thousand generations there will surely be this long trouble. The former emperor raised righteous troops to punish the strong and violent, in the east destroyed Chaoxian, in the west pacified the Ran and Mang [the Biography of the Southern Yi says: from Zuo to the northeast, chiefs number in the tens, and the Ran and Mang are the largest. Yan Shigu said: the chiefs of Kuizhou and Kaizhou today are mostly surnamed Ran, all originally of the Ran stock], in the south captured the Hundred Yue, and in the north struck the strong Hu. Li Mu pursued the Xiongnu and widened the northern provinces; this was the undertaking of Tang and Wu and the troops of Chiyou. So a sage ruler expanding territory is not for private profit, and using troops is not merely venting anger; it is used to save from difficulty and avoid harm, as a far-reaching plan for the black-haired people. [Liu Xin said: Emperor Xiaowu, pitying that the central states were worn out with toil and had no time of peace, sent generals such as the Grand General, the Agile Cavalry General, the Wave-Subduing General and the Tower Ship General, who in the south destroyed the Hundred Yue and set up seven commanderies; in the north repelled the Xiongnu, received the surrender of Kunye's hundred thousand, set up five dependent states, set up Shuofang to take their fertile land; in the east attacked Chaoxian and set up Xuantu and Lelang to cut off the Xiongnu's left arm; in the west attacked Dayuan, annexed thirty-six states, allied with the Wusun, and set up Dunhuang, Jiuquan and Zhangye to separate the Qiang, severing the Xiongnu's right arm. The Chanyu was isolated and fled far to the north of the desert, and the four borders were quiet. He expanded territory and extended the frontier, setting up more than ten commanderies. The work was done, and there is no longer a thought of resisting; to this day generation after generation relies on it. The Chanyu guards the border and the hundred barbarians submit; this is the foundation for ten thousand generations, and no merit of restoration has been higher.]

文學曰秦南禽勁越北卻強胡竭中國以役四夷人罷【音疲】極而主不恤國內潰而上不知是以一夫倡而天下和【去聲】兵破陳渉地奪諸侯何嗣之所利【賈山曰昔者秦政力並萬國富有天下破六國以為郡縣築長城以為闗塞秦地之固大小之執輕重之權其與一家之富一夫之彊胡可勝計也然而兵破於陳渉地奪於劉氏者何也秦王貪狼虐殘賊天下窮困萬民以適其欲也】詩云雍雍鳴旭日始旦登得前利不念後咎故呉王知伐齊之便而不知幹遂之患秦知進取之利而不知鴻門之難【去聲】是以知一而不知十也【黃歇曰易曰狐濡其尾此言始之易終之難也何以知其然也智氏見伐趙之利而不知榆次之禍也呉見伐齊之便而不知幹隧之散也此二國者非無大功也沒利於前而易患於後也呉之信越也從而伐齊人於艾陵還為越王禽於三江之浦智氏信韓魏從而伐趙攻晉陽之城勝有日矣韓魏反之殺智伯瑤於鑿臺之上詩云他人有心予忖度之躍躍毚兎遇犬獲之賈生曰秦兼諸侯山東三十餘郡循津關據嶮塞繕甲兵而守之然陳渉率散亂之眾數百奮臂大呼不用弓防之兵鉏耰白挺望屋而食橫行天下秦人阻嶮不守闗梁不閉長防不刺彊弩不射楚沛深入戰於鴻門曾無藩籬之難也】周謹小而得大秦欲大而亡小語曰前車覆後車戒殷監不逺在夏後之世矣【傳曰昔者禹以夏王桀以夏亡湯以殷王紂以殷亡故無常安之國宜治之民得賢則昌不肖則亡自古及今未有不然者也夫明鏡者所以照形也徃古者所以知今也夫知惡往古之所以危亡而不襲蹈其所以安存者則無以異乎卻行而求逮於前人鄙語曰不知為吏視已成事或曰前車覆而後車不誡是以後車覆也故夏之所以亡者而殷為之殷之所以亡者而周為之故殷可以鑑於夏而周可以鑑於殷詩曰殷鑑不逺在夏後之世蔡澤曰鑑於水者見面之容鑑於人者知吉與兇】

The Literati said: Qin in the south captured the strong Yue and in the north pushed back the powerful Hu, exhausted the central states to serve the four barbarians, so the people were worn out and the ruler did not care, and the state collapsed from within and the ruler did not know. So one man called out and the whole world answered, the army was broken by Chen She and the land seized by the feudal lords; what benefit to the heirs was there? [Jia Shan said: formerly the First Emperor of Qin by strength annexed ten thousand states, held the world in wealth, broke the six states into commanderies and counties, and built the Great Wall as a barrier. The security of the land of Qin, the advantage of large and small, and the weight of authority, compared with the wealth of one family and the strength of one man, are beyond counting. Yet its army was broken by Chen She and its land taken by the Liu clan; why? The King of Qin was greedy, wolfish and cruel, ravaged the world, and impoverished the myriad people to satisfy his desires.] The Book of Songs says: "The harmonious wild geese cry, the morning sun has just come. They obtain the profit before them and do not think of later faults." So the King of Wu knew the advantage of attacking Qi but not the calamity of Gansui, and Qin knew the profit of advancing but not the difficulty of Hongmen, and so knew one but not ten. [Huang Xie said: the Changes says: "The fox wets its tail." This speaks of how easy the beginning is and how hard the end. How do we know this? The Zhi clan saw the profit of attacking Zhao but did not know the calamity of Yuci, and Wu saw the convenience of attacking Qi but did not know the defeat at Gansui. These two states did not lack great merit, but they were unmindful of calamity after the profit before them. Wu trusted Yue and followed it to attack Qi, won at Ailing, and on returning was captured by the King of Yue on the shore of the three rivers. The Zhi clan trusted Han and Wei and attacked Zhao, besieging the city of Jinyang, and victory was a matter of days, but Han and Wei turned against him and killed Zhibo Yao on the Zaotai. The Songs say: 'Another man has a heart; I fathom it. The leaping crafty hare, when it meets a dog, is caught.' Master Jia said: Qin annexed more than thirty commanderies east of the mountains, followed the fords and passes, held the dangerous barriers, and kept its armor and weapons ready to defend it. Yet Chen She led a disordered band of several hundred, raised his arms and shouted, with no soldiers of bows and halberds but hoes, harrow handles and white clubs, eating as they came across houses, and marched across the world. The people of Qin were blocked by danger and did not defend, the passes and bridges were not closed, long halberds did not stab, strong crossbows did not shoot, and the men of Chu and Pei went deep and fought at Hongmen without difficulty from any fence.] Zhou was careful in small things and gained great ones; Qin wanted great things and lost small ones. The proverb says: when the carriage ahead overturns, the one behind takes warning. "The mirror of Yin is not far; it is in the generation of the lord of Xia." [The tradition says: formerly Yu became king through Xia and Jie perished through Xia; Tang became king through Yin and Zhou perished through Yin. So there is no state always at peace and no people always fit to be governed; those who obtain the worthy flourish and those who do not perish, and from ancient times to now it has always been so. A bright mirror is used to reflect one's form, and the past is used to know the present. To know and hate what brought the ancients ruin but not to follow what brought them safety and survival is no different from running backward and seeking to catch up with those ahead. The rustic saying says: one who does not know how to be an official should look at accomplished matters. Some say: when the carriage ahead overturns and the carriage behind does not take warning, the carriage behind overturns. So what destroyed Xia was done by Yin, and what destroyed Yin was done by Zhou. So Yin could take warning from Xia and Zhou could take warning from Yin. The Songs say: 'The mirror of Yin is not far; it is in the generation of the lord of Xia.' Cai Ze said: one who mirrors himself in water sees his face; one who mirrors himself in people knows fortune and misfortune.]

大夫曰秦楚燕齊周之封國也三晉之君齊之田氏諸侯家臣也內守其國外伐不義地廣壤進故立號萬乗【去聲】而為諸侯宗周室修禮長【音掌】文然國翦弱不能自存東攝六國西畏於秦身以放遷宗廟絶祀頼先帝大惠紹興其後封嘉潁川號周子男君【古本作周子南君漢武紀曰元鼎四年十一月甲子立后土祠於汾隂脽上禮畢行幸滎陽還至洛陽詔曰祭地兾州瞻望河洛廵省豫州觀於周室邈而無祀詢問耆老乃得孽子嘉其封嘉為周子南君以奉周祀顔師古曰子南其封邑之號以為周後故總言周子南君也】秦既並天下東絶沛水並滅朝鮮南取陸梁北卻胡狄西畧氏羌立帝號朝【音潮】四夷舟車所通足跡所及靡不畢至非服其德畏其威也力多則人朝【音潮】力寡則朝【音潮】於人矣

The Grand Secretary said: Qin, Chu, Yan and Qi were enfeoffed states of Zhou; the rulers of the Three Jin and the Tian clan of Qi were house ministers of the feudal lords. Within they kept their states and outside they attacked the unrighteous, their land was broad and territory advanced, and so they set up the title of ten thousand chariots and became leaders of the feudal lords. The house of Zhou cultivated ritual and valued refinement, yet its state was cut down and weak and could not preserve itself, in the east it was overawed by the six states and in the west feared Qin, its ruler was banished and relocated, and its ancestral sacrifices were cut off. By the grace of the former emperor, its descendants were revived, and Jia was enfeoffed at Yingchuan and called the Lord of Zhou, a viscount or baron. [The old text has 'Lord of Zhou Zinan.' The Annals of Emperor Wu of Han say: in the eleventh month of the fourth year of Yuanding, on the day jiazi, he set up the temple to Earth on the Zhui of Fenyin, and after the ritual went on tour to Xingyang and returned to Luoyang. He issued an edict: in sacrificing to Earth in Jizhou I looked toward the Yellow River and Luo, and on touring Yuzhou I viewed the house of Zhou, distant and without sacrifice. He asked the elders and found the secondary descendant Jia, and enfeoffed Jia as Lord of Zhou Zinan to maintain the Zhou sacrifices. Yan Shigu said: Zinan is the name of his fief, taken as the successor of Zhou, so he was called in general the Lord of Zhou Zinan.] After Qin annexed the world, it cut off the Pei River in the east, destroyed Chaoxian, took Luliang in the south, pushed back the Hu and Di in the north, seized the Di and Qiang in the west, set up the imperial title and had the four barbarians come to court. Wherever boats and carriages passed and footprints reached, none failed to come, not because they submitted to its virtue but because they feared its might. When strength is great, others come to court; when strength is small, one goes to court others.

文學曰禹舜堯之佐也湯文夏商之臣也其所以從八極而朝【音潮】海內者非以陸梁之地兵革之威也【秦紀曰始皇三十三年發諸亡人贅壻賈人略取陸梁地為桂林司馬貞曰南方之人其性陸梁故曰陸梁晉灼曰走者陸梁而跳也】秦楚三晉號萬乗【去聲】不務積徳而負相侵搆兵爭強而卒俱亡雖以進壤廣地如食萴之充腸也【廣雅曰附子一嵗曰萴子二嵗烏喙三嵗附子四嵗烏頭五嵗天雄蘇秦為燕說齊王曰人之飢所以不食烏喙者以為雖偷充腹而與死同患也今燕雖弱小強秦之少壻也王利其十城而深與強秦為仇今使弱燕為鴈行而強秦制其後以招天下之精兵此食烏喙之類也】欲其安存何可得也夫【音扶】禮譲為國者若江海流彌乆不竭其本美也苟為無本若蒿火怒而無繼其亡可立而待戰國是也周徳衰然後列於諸侯至今不絶秦力盡而滅其族安得朝【音潮】人也【嚴安曰周有天下其治三百餘嵗成康其隆也刑措四十餘年而不用及其衰亦三百餘年故五伯更起伯者常佐天子興利除害誅暴禁邪匡正海內以尊天子五伯既沒聖賢莫續天子孤弱號令不行諸侯恣行強凌弱眾寡田常簒齊六卿分晉併為戰國此民之始苦也於是強國務攻弱國修守合從連衡車馳轂撃介冑生蟣蝨民無所告愬及至秦王蠶食天下併吞戰國稱號皇帝一海內之政意廣心逸欲威海外當是時秦禍北搆於胡南掛于越宿兵於無用之地進而不得退行十餘年丁男被甲丁女轉輸苦不聊生自經於道樹死者相望及秦皇帝崩天下大畔陳勝呉廣舉陳武臣張耳舉趙項梁舉呉田儋舉齊景駒舉郢周市舉魏韓廣舉燕窮山通谷豪士並進不可勝載秦貴為天子富有天下滅世絶祀窮兵之禍也】

The Literati said: Yu and Shun were aides of Yao, and Tang and Wen were ministers of Xia and Shang. The reason they could draw the eight extremes and have those within the seas come to court was not the land of Luliang or the might of armor and weapons. [The Annals of Qin says: in the thirty-third year the First Emperor sent fugitives, matrilocal sons-in-law and merchants to seize the land of Luliang and make it Guilin. Sima Zhen said: the southern people are by nature Luliang, so it is called Luliang. Jin Zhuo said: Luliang means those who run and leap about.] Qin, Chu and the Three Jin were called states of ten thousand chariots, but did not strive to accumulate virtue and encroached on each other, fought for strength, and all perished in the end. Though they advanced territory and broadened land, it was like eating aconite to fill the stomach. [The Guangya says: aconite, in its first year called wu zi, in its second wu hui, in its third fu zi, in its fourth wu tou, in its fifth tian xiong. Su Qin, speaking to the King of Qi for Yan, said: the reason a hungry man does not eat aconite is that even if it briefly fills his stomach it brings the same calamity as death. Now Yan, though weak and small, is the young son-in-law of strong Qin. If the King profits from its ten cities and deeply makes an enemy of strong Qin, now to make weak Yan a goose-line and have strong Qin control its rear, thereby summoning the elite troops of the world, is a case of eating aconite.] If one wishes to survive, how can one? The opening word: those who govern the state by ritual and yielding are like rivers and seas flowing, which last and do not run dry, because their root is good. If there is no root, they are like a blaze of mugwort fire, fierce but with nothing to follow, and their ruin can be awaited standing; the Warring States were like this. When the virtue of Zhou declined, it then took its place among the feudal lords and has not been cut off to this day; Qin used up its strength and its clan was destroyed, so how could it receive others at court? [Yan An said: Zhou held the world and its governance lasted more than three hundred years, with Cheng and Kang at its height, when punishments were set aside for more than forty years and not used; and its decline also lasted more than three hundred years, so the five hegemons arose in turn. The hegemons constantly assisted the Son of Heaven in bringing benefit and removing harm, executing the violent and prohibiting the wicked, setting right the land within the seas to honor the Son of Heaven. After the five hegemons were gone, no sage or worthy continued, the Son of Heaven was lonely and weak, orders were not carried out, the feudal lords acted as they pleased, the strong overran the weak, the many were cruel to the few, Tian Chang usurped Qi, the six ministers divided Jin, and all became the Warring States; this was the beginning of the people's suffering. Then strong states strove to attack and weak states worked to defend, vertical and horizontal alliances were made, carriages raced and hubs collided, armor and helmets bred lice, and the people had nowhere to appeal. When the King of Qin nibbled at the world and annexed the Warring States, he took the imperial title, unified government within the seas, his intentions grew broad and his heart indulgent, and he wished to overawe lands beyond the seas. At that time Qin's misfortune was built in the north with the Hu and hung in the south over Yue, with troops stationed on useless land, advancing without being able to retreat, for more than ten years; strong men wore armor, strong women hauled supplies, they suffered and could not live, hanged themselves from roadside trees, and the dead were in sight of one another. When the First Emperor of Qin died, the world rebelled greatly, with Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rising at Chen, Wu Chen and Zhang Er at Zhao, Xiang Liang at Wu, Tian Dan at Qi, Jing Ju at Ying, Zhou Shi at Wei, Han Guang at Yan, in every mountain and valley heroes rose together, too many to record. Qin, noble as the Son of Heaven and rich as the possessor of the world, destroyed his generation and cut off his sacrifices; this was the calamity of exhausting arms.]

大夫曰中國與邊境猶支體與腹心也夫【音扶】肌膚寒於外腹腸疾於內內外之相勞非相為助也唇亡則齒寒支體傷而心【音慘】怛故無手足則支體廢無邊境則內國害昔戎狄攻太王於邠逾岐梁而與秦界於涇渭東至晉之陸渾侵暴中國中國疾之【匈奴傳曰夏道衰而公劉失其稷官變於西戎邑於豳其後三百有餘嵗戎狄攻大王亶父亶父亡走於岐下豳人悉從亶父而邑焉作周至於幽王用寵姬褒姒之故與申侯有隙申侯怒而與犬戎共攻殺幽王於驪山之下遂取周之地滷獲而居於涇渭之間侵中國秦襄救周伐戎至岐周襄王時戎狄或居於陸渾東至於衞侵盜尤甚晉文公初立欲修霸業廼興師伐戎翟當是時秦晉為強國晉文公攘戎翟居於河西圜洛之間號曰赤翟白翟而秦穆公得由余西戎八國服諸戎各分散谿谷自有君長往往而聚者百有餘戎然莫能相一其後千有餘嵗至冐頓而匈奴最強大盡服從北夷而南與諸夏為敵國】今匈奴蠶食內侵逺者不離【去聲】其苦獨邊境防其敗詩云憂心慘慘念國之為虐不徵備則害不息故先帝興義兵以徵厥罪遂破祁連天山散其聚黨北略至龍城大圍匈奴單【音蟬】於失魂僅以身免乗奔逐北斬首捕虜十餘萬控之民旃【音氊】裘之長【音掌】莫不沮膽挫折逺遁遂乃振旅渾【古本作昆】耶【古本作邪】率其眾以降置五屬國以距胡則長城之內河山之外罕被冦【音菑】於是下詔令減【音檢】戍【音絮】漕寛繇【音遙】役初雖勞苦卒獲其慶【匈奴傳曰匈奴右賢王怨漢奪之河南地而築朔方數冦盜邊及入河南侵擾朔方殺畧吏民甚眾元狩二年春漢使大將軍衞青將六將軍十餘萬人出朔方髙闕右賢王以為漢兵不能至飲酒醉漢兵出塞六七百里夜圍右賢王右賢王大驚脫身逃走精騎往往隨後去漢將軍得右賢王人眾男女萬五千人禆小王十餘人其夏驃騎將軍霍去病復與合騎侯數萬騎出隴西北地二千里過居延攻祁連山得胡首虜三萬餘級禆小王以下十餘人衞青傳曰其秋單于怒昆邪王休屠王居西方為漢所殺虜數萬人欲召誅之昆邪休屠王恐謀降漢漢使驃騎將軍迎之昆邪王殺休屠王並將其眾降漢凡四萬餘人號十萬既至長安天子所以賞賜者數十鉅萬封昆邪王萬戶為漯隂侯封其禆王呼毒尼為下麾侯鷹庇為輝渠侯禽黎為河綦侯大當戸銅離為常樂侯漢已得昆邪則隴西北地河西益少胡冦於是天子嘉驃騎之功曰驃騎將軍去病率師攻匈奴西域昆邪王及厥眾萌鹹相犇率以軍糧接食並將控萬有餘人誅獟悍獲首虜八千餘級降異國之王三十二人戰士不離傷十萬之眾鹹懐集服仍與之勞爰及河塞庶防無患幸旣永綏矣以千七百戶益封驃騎將軍減隴西北地上郡戍卒之半以寛天下之繇】

The Grand Secretary said: The central states and the frontier are like the limbs and the heart and belly. The opening word: when the skin is cold outside, the belly and bowels are sick inside; the inside and outside suffer together and certainly help each other. When the lips are lost the teeth are cold, and when the limbs are injured the heart is pained. So without hands and feet the limbs are useless, and without frontier the inner state is harmed. Formerly the Rong and Di attacked Taiwang at Bin, passed Qi and Liang, bordered Qin at the Jing and Wei rivers, reached east to Luhun in Jin, and raided and ravaged the central states, which suffered from them. [The Xiongnu Biography says: when the Way of Xia declined, Gongliu lost his office as minister of grain and changed to the western Rong and settled the town at Bin. More than three hundred years later the Rong and Di attacked King Danfu, who fled to the foot of Mount Qi, and the people of Bin all followed Danfu and settled there, making Zhou. By the time of King You, because of his favorite Bao Si he had a rift with the Marquis of Shen, who was angry and joined the Quanrong to attack and kill King You below Mount Li, took Zhou's land, plundered and settled between the Jing and Wei rivers, and ravaged the central states. Duke Xiang of Qin rescued Zhou and attacked the Rong as far as Qi. In the time of King Xiang of Zhou the Rong and Di were partly at Luhun, reaching east to Wei, and raided especially fiercely. When Duke Wen of Jin first took the throne and wished to build hegemony, he raised troops against the Rong and Di. At that time Qin and Jin were strong states. Duke Wen of Jin drove off the Rong and Di, who lived between the western river and the Yin and Luo rivers, called the Red Di and White Di; and Duke Mu of Qin obtained You Yu, and eight states of the western Rong submitted. The various Rong were scattered in valleys, each with its own chief, often gathering in more than a hundred Rong groups, but none could unify them. A thousand years later, with Maodun, the Xiongnu became the strongest, submitted all the northern barbarians, and in the south became an enemy state of the Chinese states.] Now the Xiongnu nibble and invade within, and those far away do not escape their suffering, and only the frontier takes the brunt. The Book of Songs says: "My heart is grieved; I think of the state's cruelty." If one does not campaign and prepare, the raiding will not cease. So the former emperor raised righteous troops to punish their crimes, and then broke Qilian and Tianshan and scattered their bands, raided north to Longcheng and greatly surrounded the Xiongnu, the Chanyu lost his wits and barely escaped with his life. Pursuing the fleeing and the defeated, he beheaded and captured more than a hundred thousand, and the archers and the chiefs in felt robes all lost heart, were crushed and fled far away. Then he raised the army, Hunye led his people to surrender, five dependent states were set up to hold off the Hu, and within the Great Wall and beyond the rivers and mountains few suffered raids. Then an edict was issued to reduce garrison duty and grain transport and ease labor service. Though at first it was toilsome, in the end they obtained their reward. [The Xiongnu Biography says: the Xiongnu Wise King of the Right resented that Han took the land south of the river and built Shuofang, and several times raided the border, and entered south of the river to disturb Shuofang, killing and plundering many officials and people. In the spring of the second year of Yuanshou, Han sent Grand General Wei Qing with six generals and more than a hundred thousand men out of the Gaoque of Shuofang. The Wise King of the Right thought Han troops could not reach, and drank wine to drunkenness. Han troops went out six or seven hundred li beyond the pass and surrounded the Wise King of the Right at night. The Wise King of the Right was greatly alarmed, escaped and fled, with elite cavalry often following. The Han generals captured fifteen thousand men and women of the Wise King of the Right and more than ten lesser kings. That summer, General Huo Qubing again with the Marquis of Heqi led tens of thousands of cavalry out from Longxi and Beidi two thousand li, passed Juyan, attacked Mount Qilian, and obtained more than thirty thousand heads and captives, and more than ten lesser kings and below. The Biography of Wei Qing says: that autumn the Chanyu was angry that King Hunye and King Xiutu in the west had had tens of thousands killed or captured by Han, and wished to summon and execute them. Hunye and Xiutu feared and plotted to surrender to Han. Han sent the Agile Cavalry General to meet them. King Hunye killed King Xiutu and led his people to surrender to Han, in all over forty thousand, said to be a hundred thousand. When they reached Chang'an, the Son of Heaven's rewards amounted to tens of millions, and he enfeoffed King Hunye with ten thousand households as Marquis of Tayin, his lesser king Hudu Ni as Marquis of Xiahui, Yingbi as Marquis of Huiqu, Qinli as Marquis of Heqi, and the senior household chief Tongli as Marquis of Changle. After Han obtained Hunye, Longxi, Beidi and Hexi had fewer Hu raids. Then the Son of Heaven praised the Agile Cavalry's merit, saying: the Agile Cavalry General Qubing led his army to attack the Xiongnu and the Western Regions, King Hunye and his people all came leading each other, supplied with military grain, along with more than ten thousand archers; he killed the fierce and violent, captured more than eight thousand heads, received the surrender of thirty-two kings of foreign states, the warriors were not wounded, a hundred thousand all submitted, and he continued to console them, extending to the river and frontier, so there will hopefully be no trouble and there is peace forever. He added seventeen hundred households to the Agile Cavalry General's fief, and reduced by half the garrison troops of Longxi, Beidi and Shangjun to ease the world's labor service.]

文學曰周累世積徳天下莫不願以為君故不勞而王【去聲】恩施由近及逺而蠻貊自至【蕭綺曰武王資聖智而克伐觀天命以行誅不驅熊羆之師不勞三戰之旅一戎衣而定王業慿神力而協符瑞至於成王制禮崇樂姬徳方盛營洛邑而居九鼎寢刑廟堂萬國來賔雖大禹之隆夏績帝乙之興殷道未足方焉故能繼夏稷之先基紹公劉之聖徳文武之跡不墜故大稚稱為令徳播聲教於八荒之外流仁惠於九圍之表神智之所綏化遐邇之所來服靡不越嶽航海交賮於遼險之路瑰寳殊恠之物充於王庭靈禽異獸之類遊集林蘌詭麗殊用之物鐫斵異於人功方冊未之或載篆素或所不紀及乎王人風舉之使直指逾於日月之陲窮昬明之際覘風星以望路慿雲波而逺逝所謂道通幽微徳被冥昧者也】秦任戰勝以兼天下小海內而貪胡越之地使恬撃胡取河南以為新秦而亡其故秦築長城以守胡而亡其所守【王恢曰昔者秦穆公都雍郊地方三百里攻取西戎闢地千里並國十二隴西北地是也其後防恬為秦侵胡以河為境累石為城積木為寨匈奴不敢飲馬北河置烽燧然後敢牧馬應劭曰秦始皇遣防恬攘卻匈奴得其河南造陽之北千里地甚好於是築為城郭徙民充之名曰新秦四方錯雜奢儉不同今俗名新富貴者為新秦由是名也人間訓曰忠臣者務崇君之徳諂臣者務廣君之地】往者兵革亟動師旅數【音朔】起長城之北還【音旋】車遺鏃相望及李廣利等輕計還馬足莫不寒心雖得渾耶【古作昆邪】不能更所亡此非社稷之至計也【應劭曰更償也言所得不足以償其所失也李廣傳曰天漢二年秋貳師將軍李廣利將三萬騎撃匈奴右賢王於祈連天山而使陵將其射士歩兵五千人出居延北可千餘里欲以分匈奴兵毋令專走貳師也陵既至期還而單于以兵八萬圍撃陵軍陵軍五千人兵矢既盡士死者過半而所殺傷匈奴亦萬餘人且引且戰連鬪八日還未到居延百餘里匈奴遮狹絶道陵食乏而救兵不到虜急擊招降陵陵曰無面目報陛下遂降匈奴其兵盡沒餘亡散得歸漢者四百餘人】

The Learned Scholars said: For generations the Zhou accumulated virtue, so that there was no one in the world who did not wish to have them as ruler; this is why they became kings without toil [Pronunciation note: "wang" (王) is read in the departing tone], and why their kindness, spreading from near to far, drew even the Man and Mo barbarians to them on their own [Xiao Qi said: King Wu, endowed with sacred wisdom, conquered and attacked; observing the mandate of Heaven, he carried out the punishment. He did not drive forth armies of bears and grizzlies, nor trouble troops with three battles; with a single donning of armor he settled the royal enterprise, relying on divine power to accord with auspicious omens. When King Cheng instituted rites and honored music, the Ji house's virtue was at its height; he built Luoyi and installed the Nine Cauldrons there, punishments lay dormant in the ancestral court, and the myriad states came as guests. Even Yu the Great's lofty achievements for the Xia, or Di Yi's revival of the Yin way, were not enough to compare. This is how the Zhou could continue the earlier foundation of Hou Ji and carry on the sage virtue of Gong Liu, so that the traces of Wen and Wu did not fall; hence the Greater Odes praise it as 'excellent virtue.' Its voice and teaching spread beyond the eight wildernesses, its benevolence flowed past the nine regions; wherever divine wisdom brought peace and transformation, and far and near came to submit, none failed to cross mountains and sail seas, offering tribute along the distant and perilous roads. Rare jewels and strange things filled the royal court, spiritual birds and marvelous beasts roamed and gathered in the groves, and curious, splendid objects carved with a skill beyond human work were such as books had never recorded and seal-script or white silk had never noted. When royal envoys went forth like the wind, they pointed straight to beyond the rim of sun and moon, reached the limits of dusk and dawn, watched the winds and stars to find their road, and journeyed far upon clouds and waves; this is what is meant by 'the Way reaching the hidden and subtle, virtue covering the dim and obscure.']. Qin relied on victory in war to annex the world; it thought the lands within the seas small and coveted the territories of the Hu and Yue, sending Meng Tian (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) to attack the Hu, seizing the south of the Yellow River as the "New Qin" while losing its old Qin, and building the Great Wall to guard against the Hu while losing what it was guarding [Wang Hui said: Formerly Duke Mu of Qin had his capital at the suburbs of Yong, with territory of three hundred li; he attacked and took the Western Rong, opened up a thousand li of land, and absorbed twelve states, namely Longxi and Beidi. Later Meng Tian (the base text reads "Fang Tian") invaded the Hu for Qin, made the Yellow River the border, piled stones into walls and stacked timber into stockades; only then did the Xiongnu not dare to water their horses at the northern river, and only after beacon towers were set up did they dare to graze their horses. Ying Shao said: The First Emperor of Qin sent Meng Tian to drive back the Xiongnu and took the land south of the river, a thousand li north of Zaoyang; the land was very good, so he built walls and cities there and moved people in to fill them, naming it New Qin. People from the four directions mixed there, and their extravagance and thrift differed; today the common name for the newly rich and noble is 'New Qin,' which comes from this. The chapter "Renjian xun" says: Loyal ministers strive to exalt their lord's virtue, flattering ministers strive to enlarge their lord's lands.]. In past years weapons and armor were constantly stirred up and armies repeatedly [Pronunciation note: "shuo" (數) is read "shuo" in the entering tone] raised, and north of the Great Wall, turned-back [Pronunciation note: "huan" (還) is read "xuan"] carts and discarded arrowheads lay in sight of one another. When Li Guangli and others rashly planned and then withdrew, the horses' hooves all chilled with fear, and even though they gained Hunye (anciently written "Kunxie") they could not make up for what they had lost. This was not the best plan for the state [Ying Shao said: "Geng" (更) means to repay, saying that what was gained was not enough to repay what was lost. The Biography of Li Guang says: In autumn of the second year of Tianhan, General Li Guangli, Er Shi, led thirty thousand cavalry against the Wise Prince of the Right of the Xiongnu at Qilian and Tianshan, and had Li Ling lead his five thousand archers and infantry out north of Juyan for some thousand li or more, wishing to divide the Xiongnu forces and keep them from turning on Er Shi alone. Ling reached the appointed time and turned back, but the Chanyu surrounded Ling's army with eighty thousand troops. Ling's five thousand men had used up their arrows, over half the soldiers had died, yet they had killed or wounded more than ten thousand Xiongnu. Fighting as they withdrew, they battled for eight days, and when they were still over a hundred li from Juyan, the Xiongnu blocked the narrow pass and cut the road. Ling's food ran short and no relief arrived, the enemy pressed hard and offered surrender. Ling said: 'I have no face to report to Your Majesty.' He then surrendered to the Xiongnu. His troops were wiped out, and only over four hundred who fled and scattered returned to Han.].

大夫曰齊桓公越燕伐山戎破孤竹殘令【音零】支【古本作離枝令離聲相近也】趙武靈王逾句注過代谷畧滅林胡樓煩燕襲【音集】走東胡闢【音闢】地千里度遼東而攻朝鮮【齊世家曰桓公二十三年山戎伐燕燕告急於齊齊桓公救燕遂伐山戎至於孤竹而還燕莊公遂送桓公入齊境桓公曰非天子諸侯相送不出境吾不可以無禮於燕於是分溝割燕君所至與燕命燕君復修召公之政納貢於周如成康之時諸侯聞之皆從齊齊語曰桓公遂北伐山戎刜令支斬孤竹而南歸海濵諸侯莫不來服趙世家曰武靈王二十年王略中山地至寜葭西略胡地至榆中林胡王獻馬歸使樓緩之秦仇液之韓王賁之楚富丁之魏趙爵之齊代相趙固主胡致其兵二十一年攻中山趙祒為右軍許鈞為左軍公子章為中軍王並將之牛翦將車騎趙希並將胡代趙與之陘合軍曲陽攻取丹丘華陽鴟之塞王軍取鄗石邑封龍東垣中山獻四邑和王許之罷兵二十三年攻中山二十六年復攻中山攘地北至燕代西至雲中九原惠文王二年主父行新北遂出代西遇樓煩王於西河而致其兵朝鮮傳曰朝鮮王滿者故燕人也自始全燕時嘗畧屬真番朝鮮為置吏築鄣塞】防公為秦擊走匈奴若鷙【音至】鳥之追群雀匈奴勢慴【音疊】不敢南面而望十餘年【慴懼也秦紀曰始皇三十三年防恬於西北斥遂匈奴單于不勝秦北徙盡收河南地並河以東屬之隂山因河為塞築長城因邊山險塹谿谷可繕者治之起臨洮至遼東萬餘里始皇又使防恬渡河取髙闕陶山北假中築亭鄣以逐戎人恬居上郡十餘年威振匈奴】及其後防公死而諸侯叛秦中國擾亂匈奴紛紛乃敢復為邊冦【匈奴傳曰匈奴單于曰頭曼頭曼不勝秦北徙十有餘年而防恬死諸侯叛秦中國擾亂諸秦所遣戍邊者皆復去於是匈奴得寛復稍度河南與中國界於故塞單于有太子名曰冐頓東襲擊東胡東胡初輕冐頓不為備及冐頓以兵至大破滅東胡王虜其民眾畜產既歸西擊走月氏南並樓煩白羊河南王悉復收秦所使防恬所奪匈奴地與漢關故河南塞至朝膚施遂侵燕代是時漢方與項羽相距中國罷於兵革以故冐頓得自強控之士三十餘萬匈奴最強大盡服從北夷而南與中夏為敵國】夫【音扶】以小國燕趙尚猶卻冦虜以廣地今以漢國之大士民之力非特齊桓之眾燕趙之師也然匈奴乆未服者群臣不併力上下未諧故也

The Grand Secretary said: Duke Huan of Qi crossed Yan to attack the Mountain Rong, broke Guzhu, and destroyed Lingzhi [Pronunciation note: "ling" (令) is read "ling" (零); an old text has "Lizhi," the sounds ling and li being close.]. King Wuling of Zhao crossed Juzhu and passed Daigu, and conquered and wiped out the Linhu and Loufan. Yan attacked [Pronunciation note: "xi" (襲) is read "ji"] and drove off the Donghu, opened up a thousand li of land, crossed Liaodong and attacked Joseon [The Hereditary House of Qi says: In the twenty-third year of Duke Huan, the Mountain Rong attacked Yan, and Yan reported the emergency to Qi. Duke Huan of Qi rescued Yan and went on to attack the Mountain Rong, reaching Guzhu before returning. Duke Zhuang of Yan then escorted Duke Huan into Qi territory. Duke Huan said: 'Unless one is the Son of Heaven, feudal lords do not escort one another beyond the border; I cannot be discourteous to Yan.' So he divided off the land up to where the Yan ruler had come and gave it to Yan, and ordered the Yan ruler to restore the governance of Duke Shao and pay tribute to Zhou as in the times of Kings Cheng and Kang. When the feudal lords heard of this, they all followed Qi. The Discourses of Qi says: Duke Huan then attacked the Mountain Rong in the north, cut down Lingzhi and slew Guzhu, and returned south, and none of the coastal lords failed to come and submit. The Hereditary House of Zhao says: In his twentieth year, King Wuling took the Zhongshan lands as far as Ningge, and in the west took Hu lands as far as Yuzhong, and the king of the Linhu presented horses. On his return he sent Lou Huan to Qin, Chou Ye to Han, Wang Ben to Chu, Fu Ding to Wei, and Zhao Jue to Qi, and the Chancellor of Dai, Zhao Gu, took charge of the Hu and brought in their troops. In the twenty-first year he attacked Zhongshan, with Zhao Zu as right army, Xu Jun as left army, and Prince Zhang as central army, the king commanding them all; Niu Jian led the chariots and cavalry, Zhao Xi commanded the Hu and Dai troops together, and Zhao joined forces with them at Jingqu and Quyang, attacking and taking the passes at Danqiu, Huayang, and Chi. The king's army took Hao, Shiyi, Fenglong, and Dongyuan; Zhongshan offered four towns to make peace, the king agreed, and the troops were stood down. In the twenty-third year he attacked Zhongshan, and in the twenty-sixth year attacked it again, pushing the land north to Yan and Dai and west to Yunzhong and Jiuyuan. In the second year of King Huiwen, the Lord-Father toured the new lands, went north out of Dai, and met the king of Loufan at Xihe and took his troops. The Account of Joseon says: Man, King of Joseon, was formerly a man of Yan. From the time of Yan's full strength it had once conquered Zhenfan and Joseon, appointed officials there and built forts and frontier barriers.]. Lord Meng (the base text reads "Lord Fang"), acting for Qin, struck and drove off the Xiongnu like a raptor [Pronunciation note: "zhi" (鷙) is read "zhi"] chasing a flock of sparrows; the Xiongnu's power was cowed [Pronunciation note: "zhe" (慴) is read "die"], and for over ten years they dared not face south and look this way ["Zhe" means fear. The Annals of Qin says: In the thirty-third year of the First Emperor, Meng Tian (the base text reads "Fang Tian") drove out the Xiongnu in the northwest; the Chanyu could not defeat Qin and moved north. He took all the land south of the river, joined the territory east of the river to Yinshan, used the river as a barrier, built the Great Wall, and along the frontier mountains, defiles, ravines and valleys repaired whatever could be repaired, running from Lintao to Liaodong for more than ten thousand li. The First Emperor again sent Meng Tian across the river to take Gaoque, Taoshan and Beijia, and he built posts and barriers to drive off the Rong. Tian stayed in Shangjun for over ten years, and his might shook the Xiongnu.]. But afterward, when Lord Meng (the base text reads "Lord Fang") died and the feudal lords rebelled against Qin, the Central Plain fell into turmoil and the Xiongnu were in disarray, and only then did they dare once more to raid the borders [The Account of the Xiongnu says: The Xiongnu Chanyu was called Touman. Touman could not defeat Qin and moved north; after more than ten years, Meng Tian (the base text reads "Fang Tian") died, the feudal lords rebelled against Qin, the Central Plain was in turmoil, and all the Qin garrison troops sent to the frontier left again; thereupon the Xiongnu were relieved, and gradually crossed south of the river again, bordering China at the old frontier. The Chanyu had a crown prince named Modun, who attacked the Donghu in the east. At first the Donghu despised Modun and made no preparation, but when Modun arrived with troops, he utterly destroyed the king of the Donghu and took his people and livestock. After returning, he drove off the Yuezhi in the west, and in the south annexed the Loufan and the Baiyang king south of the river, took back all the Xiongnu land Meng Tian had seized, and with the old frontier of Han on the south of the river, reached Zhaona (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) and Fushi, and then invaded Yan and Dai. At this time Han was facing Xiang Yu, China was exhausted by war, and so Modun was able to strengthen himself, with over three hundred thousand bowmen. The Xiongnu were the strongest and greatest, submitted all the northern barbarians, and in the south stood as a rival state to the Central Xia.]. The opening "fu" [Pronunciation note: "fu" (夫) is read "fu"] is a particle: even small states like Yan and Zhao could still push back raiders and enlarge their land; now Han is a great state with the strength of its officers and people, and it is not merely the host of Duke Huan of Qi or the armies of Yan and Zhao, yet the Xiongnu have long not submitted, and this is because the ministers do not join their strength and those above and below are not in harmony.

文學曰古之用師非貪壤土之利救民之患也【銓言訓曰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】民思之者若旱之望雨【孫卿曰仁者愛人愛人故惡人之害之也義者循理循理故惡人之亂之也彼兵者所以禁暴除害也非爭奪也故仁者之兵所存者神所過者化若時雨之降莫不說喜】簞食壺漿以迎王師故憂人之患者民一心而歸之湯武是也【兵略曰得道之兵車不發軔騎不被鞅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國必下因民之慾乗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鬪】不愛民之死力盡而潰叛者秦王是也【兵略曰殺無罪之民而養無義之君害莫大焉殫天下之財而贍一人之慾禍莫深焉故至於攘天下害百姓肆一人之邪而長海內之禍此天之所以誅也民之所以仇也】孟子曰君不鄉【音向】道不由仁義而為之強戰雖克必亡此中國所以擾亂非防恬死而諸侯叛秦【律書曰秦二世宿軍無用之地連兵於邊陲力非弱也結怨匈奴絓禍於越勢非寡也及其威盡勢極閭巷之人為敵國咎生窮武之不知足甘得之心不息也】昔周室盛也越裳氏來獻百蠻致貢其後周衰諸侯力征蠻貊分散各有聚黨莫能相一是以燕趙能得意焉【匈奴傳曰諸戎分散谿谷自有君長往往而聚者百有餘戎然莫能相壹其後燕有賢將秦開為質於胡胡甚信之歸而襲破東胡東胡卻千餘里燕乃築長城自造陽至襄平置上谷漁陽右北平遼西遼東郡以距胡於是趙武靈王亦變俗胡服習騎射北破林胡樓煩自代並隂山下至髙闕為塞而置雲中鴈門代郡及李牧為將匈奴不敢近趙邊】其後匈奴稍強蠶食諸侯故破走月支氏因兵威徙小國引弓之民併為一家一意同力故難制也前君為先帝畫匈奴之冊【通作防】兵據西域奪之便勢之地以其變以漢之強攻於匈奴之眾若以強弩潰癰疽越之禽吳豈足道哉【王恢曰夫匈奴可以力服也不可以仁畜也今以中國之大萬倍之資遣百分之一以攻匈奴譬如以千石之弩射癰潰疽必不留行也】上以為然用君之義聽君之計雖越王之任種蠡【音禮】不過以搜粟都尉為御史大夫持政十有餘年未見種蠡【音禮】之功而見靡弊之効匈奴不為加俛【音免】而百姓黎民以敝矣是君之冊【通作防】不能弱匈奴而反衰中國也善為計者固若此乎【蔡邕曰夫邊陲之患手足之疥掻中國之困胷背之瘭疽也】

The Learned Scholars said: In ancient times, when rulers used armies, it was not out of greed for the profit of land, but to rescue the people from calamity [The chapter "Quanyan xun" says: Those who fight for land cannot complete their kingship; those who fight for themselves cannot establish their merit. When one acts for others, the multitude helps; when one acts for oneself, the multitude leaves. Those whom the multitude helps, though weak, will certainly grow strong; those whom the multitude abandons, though great, will certainly perish.]. The people longed for them as one longs for rain in a drought [Master Sun said: The benevolent love people, and because they love people they hate those who harm them; the righteous follow principle, and because they follow principle they hate those who disorder it. Their armies are used to put down violence and remove harm, not to contend and seize. So the army of the benevolent is divine in what it preserves and transforming in what it passes through, like seasonal rain falling, and none fails to rejoice.], bringing baskets of food and jars of drink to welcome the royal army. Thus those who shared the people's worries won their single-minded allegiance, as Tang and Wu did [The chapter "Bing lue" says: An army that has gained the Way does not set out its chariots, does not saddle its horses, does not raise dust with its drums, does not unfurl its banners, does not let armor leave the arrows, does not let blades taste blood; the court does not change its places, merchants do not leave their shops, farmers do not leave the fields. They call on righteousness and demand compliance, and large states will surely come to court and small ones will surely yield. Following the people's desires and drawing on the people's strength, they remove cruelty and eliminate bandits on their behalf. So those who share the same benefit die for one another, those who share the same feelings succeed together, those who share the same desires help each other. When one moves in accord with the Way, the world turns toward him; when one plans according to the people, the world fights for him.]. Those who did not care for the people's lives and whose forces were exhausted until they collapsed and rebelled were the likes of the King of Qin [The chapter "Bing lue" says: To kill innocent people in order to feed an unrighteous ruler is a harm without equal; to exhaust the world's wealth to satisfy one man's desires is a calamity without depth. So when one comes to seize the world and harm the hundred families, indulging one man's wickedness and prolonging the disaster within the seas, this is what Heaven punishes and the people hate.]. Mencius said: A ruler who does not turn [Pronunciation note: "xiang" (鄉) is read "xiang" (向)] toward the Way and does not follow benevolence and righteousness yet forces war will perish though he conquer. This is why the Central Plain fell into turmoil, and it was not because Meng Tian (the base text reads "Fang Tian") died that the feudal lords rebelled against Qin [The Treatise on Pitch-Pipes says: The Second Emperor of Qin kept armies encamped in useless lands and linked troops along the frontier; his strength was not weak. He made enemies of the Xiongnu and hung disaster on Yue; his power was not slight. But when his might was spent and his momentum exhausted, men of the village lanes became rival states. The fault arose from not knowing the limit of martial pursuit and from an insatiable heart for gain.]. In the past, when the Zhou house flourished, the Yuechang came to present tribute and the hundred barbarians sent offerings. Afterward, when Zhou declined and the feudal lords contended by force, the Man and Mo barbarians dispersed, each with its own band, and none could unite them, and for this reason Yan and Zhao were able to have their way [The Account of the Xiongnu says: The Rong tribes were scattered in the valleys, each with its own chieftain, and often gathered in over a hundred groups, yet none could unite them. Afterward Yan had a worthy general, Qin Kai, who was a hostage among the Hu, who trusted him greatly; he returned and attacked and broke the Donghu, who retreated over a thousand li. Yan then built a wall from Zaoyang to Xiangping and set up the commanderies of Shanggu, Yuyang, Youbeiping, Liaoxi and Liaodong to resist the Hu. Then King Wuling of Zhao also changed his customs, adopted Hu dress, and practiced riding and archery, broke the Linhu and Loufan in the north, made a frontier from Dai along the foot of Yinshan to Gaoque, and set up the commanderies of Yunzhong, Yanmen and Dai. When Li Mu was general, the Xiongnu did not dare approach the Zhao frontier.]. Later the Xiongnu gradually grew strong and nibbled away at the feudal lords; they thereby broke and drove off the Yuezhi, used their military might to move small states, and united the drawn-bow peoples into one family, with one mind and joint strength, and so they are hard to control. Earlier, you drew up the plan against the Xiongnu for the late emperor [Note: in the base text, under "ce" (冊) there is an original note saying "commonly written fang (防)"; "fang" is a corrupt form of "ce" (策)], by occupying the Western Regions with troops and seizing the advantageous ground so as to exploit their changes; with Han's strength attacking the Xiongnu multitude, it would be like bursting a boil with a strong crossbow, and Yue's capture of Wu would hardly be worth mentioning [Wang Hui said: The Xiongnu can be subdued by force but cannot be fostered by benevolence. Now with China's greatness and ten thousand times their resources, we send one hundredth of it to attack the Xiongnu, like shooting a thousand-stone crossbow at a swollen boil; it will surely pass without stopping.]. His Majesty thought so, adopted your reasoning and heeded your plan; even the way the King of Yue employed Zhong and Li (Pronunciation note: "li" (蠡) is read "li") was no better than this. You were moved from Grain-Collecting Commandant to Imperial Counselor and have held government for over ten years, yet we have seen no achievement like Zhong's and Li's, only the effects of exhaustion and ruin; the Xiongnu have not bowed [Pronunciation note: "mian" (俛) is read "mian"] their heads, while the common people have already been worn out. This is because your plan [same as above; the base text's note says "commonly written fang (防)" but it is in fact "ce" (策)] failed to weaken the Xiongnu and instead weakened China. Is this what it means to be good at planning [Cai Yong said: Trouble on the frontier is an itch on the hands and feet; the distress of the Central Plain is a malignant boil on the chest and back.]?

大夫曰往者匈奴據河山之險擅田牧之利民富兵強行入為冦則句注之內驚動而上郡以南鹹城文帝時虜入蕭關烽火通甘泉群臣懼不知所出乃請屯京師以備胡【匈奴傳曰孝文十四年匈奴單于十四萬騎入朝那蕭關殺北地都尉卬虜人民畜產甚多遂至彭陽使騎兵入燒回中宮騎至雍甘泉於是文帝以中尉周舍郎中令張武為將軍發車千乘十萬騎軍長安旁以備胡冦】胡西役大宛康居之屬南與群羌通先帝推讓斥奪廣饒之地建張掖以西隔絶羌胡分其援是以西域之國皆內拒匈奴斷其右臂曳【音異】劒而走故募【音慕】人田畜以廣用長城以南濵塞【音賽】之郡馬牛放縱蓄積布野未覩其計之所過也【匈奴傳曰元鼎三年漢東防貉朝鮮以為郡而西置酒泉郡以隔絶胡與羌通之路又西通月氏大夏以翁主妻烏孫王以分匈奴西方之援國乂北益廣田至胘雷為塞而匈奴終不敢以為言】夫【音扶】以弱越而遂意強吳才地計眾非鈞也主思臣謀其往必矣【韓非子曰越王入宦於吳而勸之伐齊以弊呉呉兵既勝齊人於艾陵張之於江濟強之於黃池故可制於五湖故曰將欲翕之必固張之將欲弱之必固強之兵略曰善戰者不在少善守者不在小勝在得威敗在失氣夫實則鬪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擒之黃池此用民氣之實也其後驕溢縱慾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擒之幹隧因制其虛也夫氣之有虛實也苦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虗實之氣兵之貴者也】

The Grand Secretary said: In the past the Xiongnu held the defensible mountains and rivers and monopolized the profit of field and pasture; their people were rich and their troops strong, and when they came in to raid, everything within Juzhu was alarmed and all south of Shangjun built walls. In the time of Emperor Wen, the raiders entered Xiao Pass and the beacon fires reached Ganquan; the ministers were afraid and did not know what to do, and only then did they request to station troops at the capital to guard against the Hu [The Account of the Xiongnu says: In the fourteenth year of Emperor Xiaowen, the Xiongnu Chanyu with a hundred and forty thousand cavalry entered Zhaona and Xiao Pass, killed Ang, the Commandant of Beidi, and captured a great many people and livestock, reaching Pengyang; he sent cavalry to burn the Huizhong Palace, and his scouts (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription; per the History of Han it should be "hou" scout) reached Yong and Ganquan. Thereupon Emperor Wen made Zhou She, Commandant of the Palace Guards, and Zhang Wu, Chamberlain of the Palace, generals, and sent out a thousand chariots and a hundred thousand cavalry to camp beside Chang'an in preparation against the Hu raiders.]. The Hu in the west controlled Dayuan, Kangju and the like, and in the south communicated with the various Qiang. The late emperor yielded and then pushed forward, seizing the broad and fertile lands and establishing Zhangye westward, cutting off the Qiang from the Hu and (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) dividing their support. Because of this the states of the Western Regions all turned inward to resist the Xiongnu, cutting off their right arm so that they dragged [Pronunciation note: "ye" (曳) is read "yi"] their swords and fled. Therefore he recruited [Pronunciation note: "mu" (募) is read "mu"] people to farm and herd in order to broaden resources. South of the Great Wall, in the commanderies along the frontier [Pronunciation note: "sai" (塞) is read "sai"], horses and cattle roamed freely and stores lay spread across the fields, and we have not yet seen where the plan went wrong [The Account of the Xiongnu says: In the third year of Yuanding, Han in the east took (the base text reads "dong fang" and the next character is a rare one; per the History of Han it should read "took Huimo") Huimo and Joseon and made them commanderies, and in the west set up Jiuquan Commandery to cut the road by which the Hu and Qiang communicated; farther west it opened relations with the Yuezhi and Daxia, married a princess to the king of Wusun to divide the Xiongnu's western supporting states, and in the north extended the farmland to Xuanlei and built a frontier there, yet the Xiongnu never dared to speak of it.]. The opening "fu" [Pronunciation note: "fu" (夫) is read "fu"] is a particle: weak Yue was able to fulfill its will against strong Wu; measuring land and counting people, the two were not equal, but with a ruler who thought and ministers who planned, its venture was bound to succeed [Han Feizi said: The King of Yue entered Wu as a servant and urged it to attack Qi in order to wear Wu out; once the Wu army had beaten the men of Qi at Ailing, extended its reach to the Yangtze and Ji, and made itself strong at Huangchi, it could then be controlled at Five Lakes. So it is said: If you would draw something in, you must first stretch it out; if you would weaken something, you must first strengthen it. The chapter "Bing lue" says: One good at fighting does not depend on being few, one good at defending does not depend on being small; victory lies in gaining prestige, defeat in losing spirit. When full, they fight; when empty, they flee; when flourishing, they are strong; when declining, they are routed. King Fuchai of Wu had land of two thousand li and seven hundred thousand armored men; in the south he fought Yue and trapped it at Kuaiji, in the north he fought Qi and broke it at Ailing, in the west he met the Duke of Jin and captured him at Huangchi; this was using the full spirit of his people. Afterward he grew arrogant and overflowing, indulged his desires, rejected remonstrance and loved flattery; his fierceness went too far and could not be corrected, his great ministers resented him and the common people did not cling to him, and the King of Yue picked three thousand troops and captured him at Gansui, which was controlling him through his emptiness. Spirit has fullness and emptiness, just as brightness is bound to turn to dusk. So the army that wins is not always full, and the army that loses is not always empty. One who is good fills his people's spirit to await the other's emptiness; one who is not good empties his people's spirit to face the other's fullness. So the spirit of fullness and emptiness is what is valued in war.].

文學曰呉越廹於江海三川循環之處於五湖之間地相廹壤相次其勢易相禽【通作擒】也金鼓未聞旌旗未舒行【音杭】陳【音陣】未定兵以接矣師無輜【音之】重之費士無乏絶之勞此所謂食於防倉而戰於門郊者也【伍子胥曰夫吳之與越也仇讐敵戰之國也三江環之民無所移有吳則無越有越則無吳將不可改於是矣吾聞之陸人居陸水人居水夫上黨之國我攻而勝之吾不能居其地不能乗其車伕越國吾攻而勝之吾能居其地吾能乗其舟此利也不可失也已君必滅之失此利也雖悔之亦無及已】今匈奴牧於無窮之澤東西南北不可窮極雖輕車利馬不能得也況負重羸【音縲】兵以求之乎其勢不相及也茫茫乎若行九臯未知所止皓皓【古本浩浩】乎若無網羅而漁江海雖及之三軍罷【音疲】弊適遺之餌也故明王知其所無利以為役不可數【音朔】行而權不可乆張也故詔公卿大夫賢良文學所以復枉興微之路公卿宜思百姓之急匈奴之害縁聖主之心定安平之業今乃留心於末計雖本議不順上意未為盡於忠也

The Learned Scholars said: Wu and Yue were pressed by river and sea, with three rivers circling and lying among the Five Lakes; their lands pressed on one another and their territories were adjacent, so it was easy for them to seize one another ["qin" (禽) is commonly written "qin" (擒)]. Before the gongs and drums were heard, before the banners were unfurled, before the rows and ranks [Pronunciation notes: "hang" (行) is read "hang"; "chen" (陳) is read "zhen" (陣)] were set, the armies had already met. The armies bore no cost of baggage trains and the soldiers suffered no toil of shortage, which is what is called eating at Aocang (the base text reads "Fang Cang") and fighting at the gate and suburbs [Wu Zixu said: Wu and Yue are enemy states locked in feud. Three rivers surround them and the people have nowhere to move. If there is Wu there is no Yue, if there is Yue there is no Wu, and this cannot be changed. I have heard: land people dwell on land, water people dwell on water. If we attack and defeat a state like Shangdang, we cannot live on its land and cannot ride its chariots; if we attack and defeat the state of Yue, we can live on its land and can ride its boats. This advantage must not be lost. Your Lordship must destroy it. If you lose this advantage, regret will be of no avail.]. Now the Xiongnu graze in boundless marshes, whose east, west, south and north cannot be exhausted; even with light chariots and swift horses they cannot be caught, much less with heavy burdens and weak [Pronunciation note: "lei" (羸) is read "lei"] soldiers pursuing them. The circumstances do not allow us to reach them. It is vast, like walking through the nine marshes without knowing where to stop; it is boundless [an old text has "haohao" (浩浩)], like fishing the rivers and seas without a net. Even if we reached them, the three armies would be exhausted [Pronunciation note: "pi" (罷) is read "pi"] and worn out, and would only become bait left for them. Therefore the enlightened king knew there was no profit in it, and held that campaigns cannot be launched repeatedly [Pronunciation note: "shuo" (數) is read "shuo"] and that expediency cannot be stretched out long. This is why he summoned the ministers and grand secretaries, the worthy and the learned, to once again open the road to restoring what has declined. The ministers should think of the people's urgent need and the harm from the Xiongnu, follow the sage ruler's heart, and establish the work of peace and stability. Now to dwell on petty schemes, while one's basic proposals do not accord with the ruler's wishes, cannot be said to be the fullest loyalty either.

大夫曰初貳師不克宛而還也議者故使人主不遂忿則西域皆瓦解而附於胡胡得眾國而益強先帝絶竒聽行武威還襲【音集】宛宛舉國以降効其器物致其寳馬烏孫之屬駭膽請為臣妾匈奴失魄奔走遁逃雖未盡服逺處寒苦墝【音敲】埆【音殼】之地壯者死於祁【巨夷反】連天山其孤未復【漢武帝紀曰太初元年秋八月行幸安定遣貳師將軍李廣利發天下讁民西征大宛四年春貳師斬大宛王首獲汗血馬作西極天馬之歌匈奴傳曰漢既誅大宛威震外國天子意欲遂困胡乃下詔曰髙皇帝遺朕平城之憂髙後時單于書極悖逆昔齊襄公復九世之讎春秋大之是嵗太初四年也其明年漢使貳師將軍將三萬騎出酒泉撃右賢王於天山得首虜萬餘級而還顔師古曰天山即祁連山也匈奴謂天為祁連今鮮卑語尚然也】故群臣議以為匈奴困於漢兵折翅傷翼可遂擊服會先帝棄群臣以故匈奴不革譬如為山未成一簣而止度【音鐸】功業而無斷成之理是棄與胡而資強敵也輟防沮成為主計若斯亦未可謂盡忠也

The Grand Secretary said: When Er Shi General first failed to conquer Dayuan and withdrew, the critics deliberately wanted to keep the ruler from pursuing his anger, so that the Western Regions would all fall apart and attach themselves to the Hu, and the Hu, gaining many states, would grow stronger. The late emperor cut off strange counsel and exercised martial might, and attacked Dayuan again on the return [Pronunciation note: "xi" (襲) is read "ji"]; Dayuan surrendered with its whole country, presented its implements and brought its precious horses, Wusun and its like were terrified and begged to be subjects and servants, and the Xiongnu lost heart and fled and hid. Although they have not been fully subdued, in distant lands of cold hardship and barren, stony ground [Pronunciation notes: "qiao" (墝) is read "qiao"; "que" (埆) is read "que"], their strong men died at Qilian [Pronunciation note: "qi" (祁) is read "ju yi" as a fanqie] and Tianshan, and their orphans have not yet recovered [The Annals of Emperor Wu of Han says: In autumn, the eighth month of the first year of Taichu, the emperor traveled to Anding and sent General Li Guangli, Er Shi, to lead the exiled people of the realm on a western campaign against Dayuan. In the spring of the fourth year Er Shi cut off the head of the king of Dayuan, took the blood-sweating horses, and composed the song of the Heavenly Horses of the far west. The Account of the Xiongnu says: After Han had punished Dayuan, its might shook the foreign states, and the Son of Heaven wished to press on and wear down the Hu, and issued an edict saying: 'Emperor Gao left me the grievance of Pingcheng, and in the time of Empress Gao the Chanyu's letter was extremely insolent. Formerly Duke Xiang of Qi avenged a nine-generation grudge, and the Spring and Autumn Annals praised it.' This was the fourth year of Taichu. The next year Han sent General Er Shi with thirty thousand cavalry out of Jiuquan to strike the Wise Prince of the Right at Tianshan, and he returned with over ten thousand heads and captives. Yan Shigu said: Tianshan is Qilian Mountain. The Xiongnu call heaven "qilian," and the Xianbei language still does so today.]. Therefore the ministers argued that the Xiongnu were exhausted by Han troops, their wings broken and injured, and could be attacked and subdued at once. It happened that the late emperor abandoned his ministers, and so the Xiongnu were not reformed. It is like building a mountain: stopping one basketful short of completion. Measuring the merit of the undertaking, there is no reason to stop short of finishing it, and doing so would abandon it to the Hu and supply a strong enemy. To drop the whip (the base text reads "drop the fang") and obstruct success, planning for the ruler in this way, also cannot be called the fullest loyalty.

文學曰有司言外國之事議者皆激一時之權不慮其後張騫言大宛之天馬汗血安息之真玉大鳥縣官既聞如甘水焉【張騫傳曰張騫言大宛及大夏安息之屬皆大國多竒物土著頗與中國同俗而兵弱貴漢財物其北則大月氏康居之屬兵強可以賂遺設利朝也誠得而以義屬之則廣地萬里重九譯致殊俗威信徧於四海天子欣欣以騫言為然發使四出皆各行三千里初天子發書易曰神馬當從西北來得烏孫馬好名曰天馬及得宛汗血馬益壯更名烏孫馬曰西極馬宛馬曰天馬雲大宛諸國發使隨漢使來觀漢廣大以大鳥卵及犛靬人獻於漢天子大說而漢使窮河源其山多玉石採來天子案古閻書名河所出山曰崑崙山】乃大興師伐宛歴數期而後克之夫【音扶】萬里而攻人之國兵不戰而物故過半【顔師古曰物故謂死也言其同於物而故也或曰不欲斥言但云其所服用之物皆已故耳】雖破宛得寳馬非計也【劉向曰貳師將軍李廣利捐五萬之師靡億萬之費經四年之勞而厪獲駿馬三十匹雖斬宛王母寡之首猶不足以復其費也】當此之時將卒方赤面而事四夷師旅相望郡國併發黎人困苦奸偽萌生盜賊並起守尉不能禁城邑不能止然後遣上大夫衣繡衣以興擊之當此時百姓元元莫必其命故山東豪傑頗有異心【漢武紀曰天漢二年秋泰山琅邪群盜徐防等阻山攻城道路不通遣直指使者暴勝之等衣繡衣杖斧分部逐捕刺史郡守以下皆伏誅冬十一月詔關都尉曰今豪傑多逺交依東方群盜其謹察出入者酷吏傳曰自溫舒等以惡為治而吏民益輕犯法盜賊滋起大群至數千人小群以百數掠滷鄉里者不可勝數於是上始使御史中丞丞相長史使督之猶弗能禁乃使光祿大夫範昆諸部都尉及故九卿張徳等衣繡衣持節虎符以興擊斬首萬餘級及以法誅通行飲食坐相連郡甚者數十人數嵗乃頗得其渠率散卒失士復聚黨阻山川往往而群無可奈何於是作沈命法曰群盜起不發覺發覺而捕不滿品者二千石以下至小吏主者皆死其後小吏畏誅雖有盜不敢發恐不能得坐課累府府亦使不言故盜賊寖多上下相為慝以避文法焉】頼先帝聖靈斐然其咎皆在於欲畢匈奴而逺防【音機】也為主計若此可謂忠乎

The Learned Scholars said: The officials speak of foreign affairs, and those who discuss them all stir up the expedients of the moment and give no thought to what follows. Zhang Qian spoke of the heavenly horses of Dayuan that sweat blood and of the genuine jade and great birds of Anxi, and when the county office heard it, it was like sweet water. [The Biography of Zhang Qian says: Zhang Qian said that Dayuan, Daxia, Anxi, and the like were all great states with many rare things, whose settled peoples had customs much like those of the Central States but weak troops and who valued Han goods. To their north, the Greater Yuezhi, Kangju, and the like had strong troops and could be won over by gifts and offers of profit to come to court. If they were truly obtained and attached by righteousness, then land would be extended ten thousand li, nine layers of translation would be multiplied, strange customs would be brought, and authority and trust would spread across the four seas. The Son of Heaven was delighted and thought Qian's words right, and sent envoys in all directions, each going three thousand li. At first the Son of Heaven consulted the Book of Changes, which said: 'Divine horses will come from the northwest.' He obtained good Wusun horses and called them heavenly horses. When he obtained the blood-sweating horses of Dayuan, which were even stronger, he renamed the Wusun horses 'Western Extreme horses' and the Dayuan horses 'heavenly horses'. The states of Dayuan and others sent envoys following the Han envoys to see the vastness of the Han, and presented great bird eggs and the conjurers of Lixian to the Han, and the Son of Heaven was greatly pleased. The Han envoys also explored the source of the river, whose mountains had much jade and stone, and brought some back. The Son of Heaven examined old maps and documents and named the mountain from which the river issues Mount Kunlun.] Only then did he raise a great army to attack Yuan, and it took several years before it was conquered. The preface says: attacking another's state ten thousand li away, the army had lost more than half to death without fighting [Yan Shigu says: 'wuguang' means died; it speaks of becoming ghost things. Another view: not wishing to name it directly, one only says that all the things they wore and used had passed away]. Though they broke Yuan and got fine horses, it was not a good calculation. [Liu Xiang says: the General Ershi, Li Guangli, gave up an army of fifty thousand and wasted hundreds of millions in cost, and after four years of toil obtained only thirty fine horses. Though they cut off the head of the king of Yuan and his mother and widow, it was still not enough to recover the cost.] At that time, the generals and soldiers, red-faced, were busy with the four barbarians, armies stretched in sight of each other, the commanderies and states all sent men, the common people were in distress, deceit and falsehood sprouted, thieves and robbers rose together, the defense commanders could not stop them and the cities could not check them, and only then were senior grand officers in embroidered robes sent to attack them. At that time the common people were not sure of their lives, and so the heroes east of the mountains had considerable disloyalty. [The Annals of Emperor Wu of Han says: in the autumn of the second year of Tianhan, bands of robbers in Taishan and Langye led by Xu Bo (the received text has a corrupted character here) and others held the mountains and attacked cities, and the roads were blocked; special inspectors Bao Shengzhi and others in embroidered robes, with axes in hand, were sent in divisions to pursue and arrest them, and the regional inspectors and commandery governors and below were all executed. In the eleventh month of winter an edict to the commandants of the passes said: now many heroes have far-flung connections and depend on the robber bands in the east; carefully examine those who go in and out. The Biographies of Harsh Officials says: from the time of Wang Wenshu and others who governed by cruelty, officials and people more lightly broke the law, thieves and robbers grew, large bands reached several thousand and small bands numbered in hundreds, and those who plundered villages could not be counted. Then the emperor began sending the vice-censor and the chancellor's secretary to supervise them, but still could not stop them, and only then did he send the Grand Master of the Palace Fan Kun, commandants of the various regions, and the former Nine Minister Zhang De, in embroidered robes, holding tallies and tiger-tallies, to attack, cutting off over ten thousand heads, and executing by law dozens of the worst who had provided passage and food and were connected across commanderies. After several years they finally captured their leaders. The scattered soldiers who had fled gathered again in cliques and held mountains and rivers, forming bands here and there, and nothing could be done. Then the 'Law of Submerged Fate' was made, saying: when bands of robbers arose and were not discovered, or were discovered and the capture did not reach the quota, officials from the 2000-bushel rank down to the minor officials in charge were all to die. Afterward the minor officials feared execution, and though there were robbers they dared not report them, fearing they could not capture them and would be implicated in the prefecture's evaluation, and the prefecture also made them not report, so robbers gradually grew many, and high and low hid evil for each other to avoid the written law.] We relied on the resplendent sacred spirit of the former emperor. The fault lay entirely in wanting to finish off the Xiongnu and in distant ambitions [pronunciation note: the character is read 'ji'; the received text has a corrupted character here]. To plan for the ruler in such a way, can it be called loyal?

大夫曰諸生妄言議者令【平聲】可詳用無徒守椎【音槌】車之語滑稽而不可修【崔浩曰滑稽酒器也吐酒終日不已言出口成章詞不窮竭若滑稽之吐酒也姚察曰滑稽猶俳諧也滑讀如字稽音計也以言諧語滑利其智計疾出故云滑稽也司馬貞曰滑亂也稽同也以言辯捷之人言非若是言是若非能亂同異也】夫【音扶】漢之有匈奴譬若木之有蠧【音妬】如人有疾不治則寖【音浸】以深故謀臣以為擊奪以困極之諸生言以徳懷之此有其語而不可行也諸生上無以似三王下無以似近秦令【平聲】有司可舉而行當世安蒸庶而寜邊境者乎

The Grand Secretary said: You scholars speak recklessly. The discussants should use what can be detailed and used, and not simply cling to the talk of the cart with a mallet [pronunciation note: the character 'mallet' is read 'chui'], being glib and unfit for cultivating [Cui Hao says: 'huaji' is a wine vessel that spills wine all day without stopping, meaning words flowing out into composition with no exhaustion of phrase, like a huaji spilling wine. Yao Cha says: huaji is like jesting. 'Hua' is read as written, and 'ji' is read 'ji': it means joking words are smooth and the wit comes quickly, so it is called huaji. Sima Zhen says: 'hua' means disorder and 'ji' means same; it speaks of a quick debater who says wrong as if right and right as if wrong and can confuse same and different]. The preface says: the Han having the Xiongnu is like a tree having a borer [pronunciation note: the character is read 'du'], or like a person having an illness; if untreated it spreads [pronunciation note] deeper. So the strategists thought to strike and seize from them to exhaust them, but you scholars say to cherish them with virtue. This is something that has words but cannot be carried out. You scholars above cannot resemble the Three Kings and below cannot resemble recent Qin; is there anything the officials can raise and carry out that will, in the present age, settle the multitude and pacify the frontier?

文學曰昔齊桓公內附百姓外綏諸侯存亡接絶而天下從風其後徳虧行【去聲】衰葵丘之會振而矜之叛者九國春秋刺其不崇徳而崇力也【春秋曰九月戊辰諸侯盟於葵丘左傳曰秋齊侯盟諸侯於葵丘曰凡我同盟之人既盟之後言歸於好宰孔先歸遇晉侯曰可無防也齊侯不務徳而勤逺略故北伐山戎南伐楚西為此防也東略之不知西則否矣其在亂乎君務靖亂無勤於行晉侯乃還公羊傳曰桓之盟不日此何以日危之也何危爾貫澤之會桓公有憂中國之心不召而至者江人黃人也葵丘之會桓公震而矜之叛者九國震之者何猶曰振振然矜之者何猶曰莫若我也】故任徳則強楚告服逺國不召而自至任力則近者不親小國不附此其效也誠上觀三王之所以昌下論秦之所以亡中述齊桓所以興去武行文廢力尚徳罷關梁除障【音瘴】塞【音賽】以仁義導之則北垂無冦虜之憂中國無干戈之事矣【說山訓曰國有賢君折沖萬里】

The Learned Scholars said: In the past Duke Huan of Qi drew close his people within and pacified the feudal lords without, preserved the perishing and continued the broken, and the world followed like grass in the wind. Later his virtue declined and his conduct [pronunciation note: the character is read in the departing tone] waned, and at the meeting at Kuiqiu he shook his power and boasted, and nine states rebelled. The Spring and Autumn Annals criticized his not honoring virtue and honoring force. [The Annals say: in the ninth month, on the day wuchen, the feudal lords made a covenant at Kuiqiu. The Zuo Commentary says: in autumn, the Marquis of Qi made a covenant with the feudal lords at Kuiqiu, saying: "All of us who share this covenant, after the covenant is sworn, shall return to friendship." Zai Kong returned first and met the Marquis of Jin, saying: "You need not attend the meeting (the received text has a corrupted character here). The Marquis of Qi does not strive for virtue but works at distant campaigns, so he attacked the Shanrong in the north, attacked Chu in the south, and in the west held this meeting (the received text has a corrupted character here). He does not know about expansion in the east, and in the west it is not so. Will there be disorder here? A ruler should strive to settle disorder and not toil at traveling." The Marquis of Jin then returned. The Gongyang Commentary says: the covenant of Duke Huan is not dated; why is this one dated? Because it was dangerous. What was the danger? At the meeting at Guanze, Duke Huan had a mind to worry for the Central States, and those who came unsummoned were the men of Jiang and Huang. At the meeting at Kuiqiu, Duke Huan shook his power and boasted, and nine states rebelled. What is 'shook'? It is like saying 'swaggering'. What is 'boasted'? It is like saying 'none is like me'.] So when virtue is relied on, strong Chu reports its submission and distant states come unsummoned; when force is relied on, those near are not close and small states do not attach. This is the proof. If one looks up at how the Three Kings flourished, down at how Qin perished, and in the middle recounts how Duke Huan of Qi rose, and abandons the martial to practice the civil, drops force and honors virtue, ends the passes and bridges, removes barriers [pronunciation note: the character 'barrier' is read 'zhang'] and fortresses [pronunciation note: the character 'fortress' is read 'sai'], and leads them with benevolence and righteousness, then the northern frontier will have no worry of raiders and the Central States no business of shields and spears. [The 'Discussing the Mountains' chapter says: if a state has a worthy ruler, he can defeat enemies from ten thousand li away.]

大夫曰事不豫辦不可以應卒內無備不可以禦敵【叢談曰兵不豫定無以待敵計不先慮無以應卒】詩云詰爾民人謹爾侯度用戒不虞故有文事必有武備【國語曰襄王至自鄭以陽樊賜晉文公陽人不服晉侯圍之倉葛曰武不可覿文不可匿覿武無烈匿文不昭君道篇曰成王封伯禽為魯公召而告之曰夫有文無武無以威下有武無文民畏不親文武俱行威徳乃成既成威徳民親以服指武篇曰司馬法曰國雖大好戰必亡天下雖安忘戰必危易曰君子以除戎器戒不虞夫兵不可玩玩則無威兵不可廢廢則召冦昔吳王夫差好戰而亡徐偃王無武亦滅故明王之制國也上不玩兵下不廢武易曰存不忘亡是以身安而國家可保也】昔宋襄公倍楚而不備以取大辱焉身執囚而國防亡【宋世家曰襄公八年齊桓公卒宋欲為盟會十二年春宋襄公為鹿上之盟以求諸侯於楚楚人許之公子目夷諫曰小國爭盟禍也不聼秋諸侯會宋公盟於盂目夷曰禍其在此乎君欲已甚何以堪之於是楚執宋襄公以伐宋】故雖有誠信之心不知權變危亡之道也春秋不與中國為禮為【去聲】其無信也匈奴貪狠因時而動乗可而發飈【音標】舉電至而欲以誠信之心金帛之寳而信無義之詐是猶親蹠【音質】蹻【音腳】而扶猛虎也【周書曰毋為虎傅翼將飛入邑擇人而食之】

The Grand Secretary said: If affairs are not prepared in advance, one cannot respond to the sudden; if there is no readiness within, one cannot resist the enemy. [The Collected Sayings say: if the army is not prepared in advance, there is nothing with which to meet the enemy; if plans are not thought out beforehand, there is nothing with which to respond to the sudden.] The Odes say: "Admonish your people, be careful of your lord's measures, in order to guard against the unexpected." So where there is civil affairs there must be martial readiness. [The Discourses of the States says: when King Xiang returned from Zheng, he gave Yangfan to Duke Wen of Jin. The people of Yang did not submit and the Marquis of Jin besieged them. Cang Ge said: "Martial power must not be shown in the open and civil virtue must not be hidden. If martial power is shown it has no splendor, and if civil virtue is hidden it is not illustrious." The 'Way of the Ruler' chapter says: King Cheng enfeoffed Boqin as Duke of Lu, summoned him, and told him: "With civil but no martial, there is no way to overawe those below; with martial but no civil, the people fear and are not close. When civil and martial both work, authority and virtue are complete; once authority and virtue are complete, the people are close and submit." The 'On Martial Matters' chapter says: the Sima's Art of War says: though a state be great, if it loves war it will surely perish; though the world be at peace, if it forgets war it will surely be in danger. The Book of Changes says: "The gentleman removes the weapons of war to guard against the unexpected." Weapons must not be played with, or there is no authority; weapons must not be abandoned, or they invite raiders. In the past King Fuchai of Wu loved war and perished, and King Yan of Xu had no martial readiness and was also destroyed. So the enlightened king ordering his state does not play with arms above and does not abolish martial readiness below. The Book of Changes says: when surviving do not forget perishing, so one's body is secure and the state can be preserved.] In the past Duke Xiang of Song turned against Chu without preparing, and so received great humiliation, was himself captured and imprisoned, and the state nearly perished. [The House of Song in the Records says: in the eighth year of Duke Xiang, Duke Huan of Qi died, and Song wanted to hold a covenant meeting. In the spring of the twelfth year Duke Xiang of Song held the covenant at Lushang, seeking the feudal lords from Chu, and the people of Chu agreed. Prince Mu Yi remonstrated: "A small state contending for leadership of a covenant is a disaster." He did not listen. In autumn the feudal lords met the Duke of Song at Yu for a covenant. Mu Yi said: "Is the disaster here? My lord's desire is excessive; how can it be borne?" Then Chu seized Duke Xiang of Song and attacked Song.] So though one has a sincere heart, if he does not know expedience and change, it is the road to danger and ruin. The Spring and Autumn Annals does not give the Central States ritual treatment [pronunciation note: the character 'for' is read in the departing tone] because they had no good faith. The Xiongnu are greedy and fierce, move with the times, rise when they find an opening, strike like a whirlwind and arrive like lightning, yet you want to use a heart of good faith and treasures of gold and silk to trust deceit without righteousness; it is like befriending Zhi [pronunciation note: read 'zhi'] and Jue [pronunciation note: read 'jiao'] and holding up a fierce tiger. [The Book of Zhou says: do not give wings to a tiger, which will fly into the town and choose people to eat.]

文學曰春秋王者無敵言其仁厚其徳美天下賔服莫敢受交也【淮南王安曰天子之兵有徵而無戰言莫敢校也】徳行延及方外舟車所臻足跡所及莫不被澤蠻貊異國重譯【音亦】自至方此之時天下和同君臣一徳外內相信上下輯睦兵設而不試干戈蔽藏而不用老子曰兕無所用其角螫【音式】蟲無所輸其毒【覽冥訓曰昔者黃帝治天下而力牧太山稽輔之以治日月之行律治隂陽之氣節四時之度正律厯之數別男女異雌雄明上下等貴賤使強不掩弱眾不寡人民保命而不夭嵗時熟而不兇百官正而無私上下調而無尤法令明而不闇輔佐公而不阿田者不侵畔漁者不爭隈道不拾遺市不預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忿爭之心於是日月精明星辰不失其行風雨時節五穀登熟虎狼不妄噬鷙鳥不妄搏鳯凰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又曰女媧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輝重萬物詮言曰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已者未有使人無力者也有使人不能施其力於已者也此兩者常在乆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攻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】故君仁莫不仁君義莫不義世安得蹠【音質】蹻【音腳】而親之乎

The Learned Scholars said: In the Spring and Autumn Annals, the king has no enemy, which means that he is benevolent and generous and his virtue is fine, the world submits to him, and no one dares to cross blades. [Prince An of Huainan said: the Son of Heaven's troops go to punish but do not fight, meaning no one dares to oppose.] His virtue and conduct extend beyond the borders; wherever boats and carriages reach and footprints go, all receive his grace, and barbarians and foreign states come themselves through successive translation [pronunciation note: the character 'translation' is read 'yi']. At that time the world is in harmony, ruler and ministers share one virtue, inside and outside trust each other, high and low are peaceful, weapons are set out but not tested, and shields and spears are hidden away and unused. Laozi said: "The rhinoceros has no place to use its horn, and stinging [pronunciation note: the character 'sting' is read 'shi'] insects have nowhere to deliver their poison." [The 'Gazing into the Obscure' chapter says: in the past the Yellow Emperor governed the world, with Li Mu and Taishan Ji assisting him, to regulate the motions of sun and moon, pitch the pipes to the yin and yang qi, moderate the measures of the four seasons, correct the numbers of the pitch-pipes and calendar, distinguish men and women, differentiate female and male, clarify high and low, rank the noble and humble, so that the strong did not overwhelm the weak and the many did not oppress (the received text lost a rare character here) the few. People kept their lives and did not die young, the seasons were ripe and not in famine, the hundred officials were upright and without selfishness, high and low were adjusted and without fault, laws and orders were clear and not dim, assistants were impartial and not partial. Farmers did not encroach on field boundaries, fishermen did not fight over coves, no one picked up lost things on the road, the market had no pre-arranged prices, city walls were not shut, towns had no thieves, rustic travelers yielded wealth to one another, and dogs and pigs spat out beans and grain on the road with no mind to quarrel over them. Then the sun and moon were bright, the stars did not lose their courses, wind and rain were seasonal, the five grains ripened, tigers and wolves did not bite wantonly, birds of prey did not strike wantonly, the phoenix soared in the courtyard, the qilin roamed in the suburbs, the green dragon came into harness, and the flying yellow steed lay in the stable; the northern states of the Dan-ear peoples all presented their tribute. It also says: in the time of Nuwa, people lay down at ease and rose with wide eyes, one regarding himself as a horse, another as an ox, their walk stumbling and their gaze unfocused, in simple oneness all obtaining harmony, none knowing whence they were born, drifting and not knowing what to seek, the water sprites not knowing where to go. At that time birds, beasts, and vipers all hid their claws and fangs and concealed their stings and poisons, with no mind to seize and bite. If one examines her merit, above it reached the nine heavens and below it joined the Yellow Springs, her name covered later ages and her light shone upon the myriad things. The 'Explaining Words' chapter says: if it lies in wit, people will dispute with you; if it lies in strength, people will contend with you. Nobody has made others have no wit, but has made them unable to use their wit against him; nobody has made others have no strength, but has made them unable to use their strength against him. These two are always seen over time. So if the ruler's worth is not seen, the feudal lords do not guard against him; if his unworthiness is not seen, the common people do not resent him. When the common people do not resent him the people's resources can be obtained, and when the feudal lords do not guard against him, the opportunities of the world can be taken. In affairs one shares with the multitude, in attacks one accomplishes with the times. The sage has none of it. So Laozi said: "The tiger has nowhere to place its claws, the rhinoceros nowhere to place its horn." This is probably what is meant.] So when the ruler is benevolent none is not benevolent, and when the ruler is righteous none is not righteous; in this world, where could there be Zhi [pronunciation note] and Jue [pronunciation note] to befriend?

大夫曰布心腹質情素信誠內感義形乎色宋華元楚司馬子反之相覩也符契內合誠有以相信也【詩傳曰楚莊王圍宋有七日之糧曰盡此而不克將去而歸於是使司馬子反乗闥而窺宋城宋使華元乗闥而應之子反曰子之國何若矣華元曰憊矣易子而食之析骸而防之子反曰嘻甚矣憊雖然吾聞圍者之國箝馬而抹之使肥者應客今何吾子之情也華元曰吾聞君子見人之困則矜之小人見人之困則幸之吾望見吾子似於君子是以情也子反曰諾子其勉之矣吾軍有七日糧爾揖而去子反告莊王莊王曰若何子反曰憊矣易子而食之析骸而防之莊王曰嘻甚矣憊今得此而歸爾子反曰不可吾已告之矣曰軍亦有七日糧爾莊王怒曰吾使子視之子曷為而告之子反曰區區之宋猶有不欺之臣何以楚國而無乎吾是以告之也莊王曰雖然吾子今得此而歸爾子反曰王請處此臣請歸耳王曰子去我以歸吾孰與處乎此吾將從子而歸遂師而歸君子善其平已也華元以誠告子反得以解圍全二國之命詩云彼姝者子何以告之君子善其以誠相告也】今匈奴挾不信之心懐不測之詐見利如前【如一作而古而字通作如字樂府艾而張亦作艾如張也】乗便而起潛進市側以襲無備是猶措重寳於道路而莫之守也求其不亡何可得乎

The Grand Secretary said: Show your heart and belly, make your feelings plain, and sincerity and good faith move within and righteousness shows in the face. When Hua Yuan of Song and Zifan, Minister of War of Chu, saw each other, their tallies matched within and they truly had a basis for trust. [The commentary on the Odes says: King Zhuang of Chu besieged Song with seven days of provisions and said: "When these are gone and we cannot win, we shall leave and go home." So he sent Minister of War Zifan to climb the siege mound and spy on the city of Song, and Song sent Hua Yuan to climb a mound to meet him. Zifan said: "How is your state?" Hua Yuan said: "Exhausted. We exchange sons and eat them, and split bones to burn for fuel." Zifan said: "Ah, how exhausted! Even so, I have heard that when a besieged state muzzles its horses and feeds them to make the fat ones appear before guests; why do you speak so frankly now?" Hua Yuan said: "I have heard that a gentleman, seeing another's distress, pities him, and a petty man, seeing another's distress, rejoices. I looked at you and you seemed a gentleman, so I told you the truth." Zifan said: "Good. Hold on. Our army has seven days of provisions." He bowed and left. Zifan told King Zhuang. King Zhuang said: "How are they?" Zifan said: "Exhausted. They exchange sons and eat them, and split bones to burn." King Zhuang said: "Ah, how exhausted! Now that we have heard this, let us go home." Zifan said: "We cannot. I already told him that our army also has seven days of provisions." King Zhuang was angry and said: "I sent you to look, why did you tell him?" Zifan said: "Even tiny Song has a minister who does not deceive; how could Chu not have one? So I told him." King Zhuang said: "Even so, now that we have this, let us go home." Zifan said: "If Your Majesty will stay here, I ask leave to go home." The king said: "If you leave me and go home, with whom would I stay here? I will follow you home." So he withdrew the army and returned. The gentleman praised him for making peace. Hua Yuan told Zifan the truth and so lifted the siege and saved the lives of two states. The Odes say: "That fair person, what shall I tell him?" The gentleman commended his telling in sincerity.] Now the Xiongnu hold a mind of bad faith and harbor unfathomable deceit; when they see profit they come like water [one text writes 'er' for 'ru'; the old character 'er' is used interchangeably, as in the Yuefu 'Ai Er Zhang' also written 'Ai Ru Zhang'], rising at convenience, sneaking close to the market's edge to attack those without defense, like putting a heavy treasure on the road with no one guarding it. To seek that it not be lost, how could it be obtained?

文學曰誠信著乎天下醇徳流乎四海則近者歌謳而樂之逺者執禽而朝之【泰族訓曰周處鄷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鼔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道應訓曰昔武王伐紂破之收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弛弓絶弦去舍露宿以示平易解劒帶笏以示無仇於此天下歌謡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】故正近者不以威來逺者不以武徳義修而任賢良也故民之於事辭佚【音逸】而就勞於財也辭多而就寡上下交讓道路鴈行方此之時賤貨而貴徳重義而輕利賞之不竊何寳之守也

The Learned Scholars said: When sincerity and good faith are manifest throughout the world and pure virtue flows across the four seas, those near sing and rejoice in it and those far hold birds as gifts and come to court. [The 'Clan of Tai' chapter says: the Zhou dwelt in the land of Feng and Hao, its extent no more than a hundred li, and swore an oath against Zhou in the wilds of Mu, entered and occupied the state of Yin, paid court at the temple of Cheng Tang, marked the village gate of Shang Rong, raised the tomb of Bi Gan, freed Jizi from prison, then broke the drumsticks and ruined the drums, laid down the five weapons, released oxen and horses, tucked in tablets and held court to the world; the common people sang and rejoiced and the feudal lords held birds as gifts and came to court; this is winning the people's hearts. The 'Responses of the Way' chapter says: in the past King Wu attacked Zhou and defeated him in the wilds of Mu, then raised the tomb of Bi Gan, marked the village gate of Shang Rong, bowed at the gate of Jizi, paid court at the temple of Cheng Tang, issued the grain of Juqiao, distributed the money of Deer Terrace, broke the drums and snapped the drumsticks, unstrung the bows and cut the bowstrings, left lodgings and slept in the open to show ease, and unfastened swords and wore tablets to show no enmity. Thereupon the world sang and rejoiced, and the feudal lords held gifts and paid court, and for thirty-four generations it was not taken. So Laozi said: "One who is good at closing needs no bolt and yet it cannot be opened; one who is good at tying needs no cord and yet it cannot be untied."] So to set right those near one does not use authority, and to draw in those far one does not use arms; it is that virtue and righteousness are cultivated and the worthy and good are employed. So the people, in affairs, decline ease [pronunciation note: the character is read 'yi'] and take on toil, and in wealth decline much and accept little. High and low yield to each other, and on the roads people walk like geese in file. At that time goods are held cheap and virtue held dear, righteousness is weighed heavily and profit lightly. If one is rewarded and still does not steal, what treasure is there left to guard?

大夫曰昔徐偃王行義而滅好儒而削知文而不知武知一而不知二【汜論曰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指武篇曰王孫厲謂楚文王曰徐偃王好行仁義之道漢東諸侯三十二國盡服矣王若不伐楚必事徐王曰若信有道不可伐也對曰大之伐小強之伐弱猶大魚之吞小魚也若虎之食豚也惡有其不得理文王遂興師伐徐殘之徐偃王將死曰吾頼於文徳而不明武備好行仁義之道而不知詐人之心以至於此夫古之王者其有備乎人間訓曰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聞為文而不能達其徳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】故君子篤仁以行然必築城以自守設械以自備為不仁者之害已也是以古者搜【音捜】獮【音癬】振旅而數軍實焉恐民之愉佚【音逸】而亡戒難【去聲春秋曰正月公狩於郎傳曰春曰搜夏曰苗秋曰獮春搜者不殺小麛及孕重者冬狩皆取之百姓皆出不失其馳不抵禽不詭遇逐不出防此苗獮搜狩之義也故苗獮搜狩之禮簡其戎事也主父偃曰司馬法曰國雖大好戰必亡天下雖平忘戰必危天下既平天下大凱春搜秋獮諸侯春振旅秋治兵所以不忘戰也】故兵革者國之用城壘【音磊】者國之固也而欲罷之是去表見裡示匈奴心腹也匈奴輕舉潛進以襲【音集】空虛是猶不介而當矢石之蹊禍必不振此邊境之所懼而有司之所憂也

The Grand Secretary said: In the past King Yan of Xu practiced righteousness and was destroyed, loved Confucians and was reduced, knew the civil and not the martial, knew one and did not know two. [The 'Broad Discussion' chapter says: King Yan of Xu was clothed in kindness and benevolence and himself practiced benevolence and righteousness, and thirty-two states came to pay court over land, yet he himself died and the state was lost, and his descendants had no kin. The 'On Martial Matters' chapter says: Wang Sun Li said to King Wen of Chu: King Yan of Xu loves to practice the way of benevolence and righteousness, and the thirty-two states of the Han's east have all submitted. If Your Majesty does not attack, Chu will have to serve Xu. The king said: "If he truly has the Way, he cannot be attacked." He replied: "The great attacking the small, the strong attacking the weak is like a big fish swallowing small fish, like a tiger eating a piglet; how would it not be in accord with principle?" King Wen then raised troops and attacked Xu and ruined it. As King Yan of Xu was about to die he said: "I relied on civil virtue and did not understand martial readiness, loved to practice the way of benevolence and righteousness and did not know the hearts of those who deceive, and so have come to this. How could kings of old have been without readiness?" The 'Among Humans' chapter says: in the past King Yan of Xu loved to practice benevolence and righteousness, and thirty-two states came to pay court over land. Wang Sun Li said to King Zhuang of Chu: "If Your Majesty does not attack Xu, they will turn to be courted by Xu." The king said: "King Yan is a ruler with the Way who loves to practice benevolence and righteousness and must not be attacked." Wang Sun Li said: "I have heard that the great against the small and the strong against the weak are like a stone thrown on an egg, like a tiger devouring a piglet; what is there to doubt? Moreover I have heard that to be civil and unable to extend one's virtue, to be martial and unable to bear one's strength, is the greatest disorder." The King of Chu said: "Good." So he raised troops and attacked Xu and destroyed it. This shows knowing benevolence and righteousness but not the changes of the world.] So the gentleman acts with firm benevolence, yet he must build walls to guard himself and set up weapons to prepare himself, because of the harm that those without benevolence might do him. Therefore in ancient times they held the spring and autumn hunts [pronunciation notes: read 'sou' and 'xian'] and drilled their troops and counted the army's stores, fearing the people would be at ease [pronunciation note] and forget to guard against difficulty [pronunciation note: the character 'difficulty' is read in the departing tone. The Annals say: in the first month the duke hunted at Lang. The commentary says: the spring hunt is called sou, the summer hunt miao, the autumn hunt xian. In the spring hunt they do not kill fawns or heavily pregnant animals; in the winter hunt they take all. The common people all go out, not losing their gallop, not colliding with game, not taking by surprise, and pursuing without leaving the bounds. This is the meaning of the miao, xian, sou, and shou. So the rituals of the four hunts are to rehearse military affairs. Zhufu Yan said: the Sima's Art of War says: though a state be great, if it loves war it will surely perish; though the world be at peace, if it forgets war it will surely be in danger. When the world is at peace, the Son of Heaven holds a great triumph, and spring sou and autumn xian, and the feudal lords in spring drill their troops and in autumn train their soldiers, so as not to forget war.]. So arms and armor are the state's tools and walls and ramparts [pronunciation note: the character 'rampart' is read 'lei'] are the state's strength, and to want to dismiss them is to remove the outside and reveal the inside, showing the Xiongnu one's heart and belly. The Xiongnu will move lightly and sneak in to attack [pronunciation note: the character 'attack' is read 'ji'] the empty, like going without armor into the path of arrows and stones, and disaster will surely not be restrained. This is what the frontier fears and what the officials worry about.

文學曰往者通關梁交有無自單【音蟬】於以下皆親漢內附往來長城之下其後王恢誤謀馬邑匈奴絶和親故當路結禍紛拏【奴加切】而不解兵連而不息邊民不解甲弛弩行數十年介冑而耕耘鉏【音鋤】耰而望燧【音遂】燔【音煩】烽【音峰】舉丁壯弧【音胡】而出鬬老者超越而入葆【音保】言之足以流涕寒心則仁者不忍也【匈奴傳曰武帝即位明和親約束厚遇關市饒給之匈奴自單于以下皆親漢往來長城下漢使馬邑人聶翁壹閒闌出物與匈奴交易陽為賣馬邑城以誘單于單于信之而貪馬邑財物廼以十萬騎入武州塞伏兵三十餘萬馬邑旁御史大夫韓安國為防軍將軍防四將軍以伏單于單于既入漢塞未至馬邑百餘里見畜布野而無人牧者怪之乃攻亭時鴈門尉史行徼見冦保此亭單于得欲刺之尉史知漢謀廼下具告單于單于大驚曰吾固疑之乃引兵還出曰吾得尉史天也以尉史為天王漢兵約單于入馬邑而縱兵單于不至以故無所得將軍王恢部出代撃胡輜重聞單于還兵多不敢出漢以恢木建造兵謀而不進誅恢自是後匈奴絶和親攻當路塞往往入盜於邊不可勝數】詩云投我以桃報之以李未聞善往而有惡來者【繆稱訓曰易曰即鹿無虞惟入於林中君子防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復思篇曰施徳者貴不徳受恩者尚必報】故君子敬而無失與人恭而有禮四海之內皆為兄弟也故內省不疚夫【音扶】何憂何懼大夫曰自春秋諸夏之君防聚相結三會之後乖離相疑伐戰不止六國從親冠帶相接然未嘗有堅約況禽獸之國乎春秋存君在楚誥【一作臯】鼬【音宥】之防書公紿【音怠】夷狄也【春秋曰春王正月公在楚公羊傳曰何言乎公在楚正月以存君也春秋曰五月公及諸侯盟於臯鼬】匈奴數【音朔】和親而常先犯約貪侵盜驅長詐謀之國也反覆無信百約百叛若朱象之不移商均之不化而欲信其用兵之備親之以徳亦難矣【修務訓曰身正性善發憤而成仁防憑而為義性命可説不待學問而合於道者堯舜文王也沉防耽荒不可教以道不可喻以徳嚴父弗能正賢師不能化丹朱商均也】

The Literati said: In the past, when passes and bridges were open and the two sides exchanged goods, the Chanyu and all below him were on friendly terms with Han, submitted to it, and came and went beneath the Great Wall. Later Wang Hui's ill-conceived plot at Mayi caused the Xiongnu to break off the marriage alliance. Calamity then took hold along the frontier routes, the entanglement could not be undone, and the fighting never ceased. For several decades the frontier people never took off their armor or unstrung their bows. They plowed in helmets and armor, hoed with their hoes while keeping watch, and when the beacon fires were lit, the able-bodied men went out to fight with bows drawn, while the old climbed over walls to take refuge in the fortresses. To speak of it is enough to bring tears and chill the heart, so a benevolent man cannot bear it. [Note from the Account of the Xiongnu: When Emperor Wu took the throne, he made clear the terms of the marriage alliance and treated the Xiongnu generously with border markets and abundant supplies, so that from the Chanyu downward they were all friendly to Han and came and went beneath the Great Wall. Han sent Nie Wengyi of Mayi to slip across the border and trade goods with the Xiongnu, pretending to sell the city of Mayi in order to lure the Chanyu. The Chanyu believed him and, greedy for the wealth of Mayi, entered the Wuzhou Pass with a hundred thousand cavalry. Han hid more than three hundred thousand troops beside Mayi, with the Imperial Counselor Han Anguo as general of the guard, commanding four generals in the ambush of the Chanyu. After the Chanyu entered the Han frontier, still more than a hundred li short of Mayi, he saw livestock spread across the fields with no herders, found it strange, and attacked a watch post. The Yanmen commandant's clerk, who was on patrol, saw the raiders and took shelter in this post. The Chanyu captured him and wanted to kill him. The clerk knew the Han plan and told the Chanyu everything. The Chanyu was greatly alarmed and said: I had suspected as much. He led his troops back out and said: Capturing this clerk was Heaven's doing. He named the clerk Heavenly King. The Han army had agreed to let loose their troops once the Chanyu entered Mayi, but the Chanyu never arrived, so they gained nothing. The general Wang Hui, who had been ordered to strike the Xiongnu baggage train out of Dai, heard that the Chanyu had turned back, and with his troops too few he did not dare move out. Han executed Wang Hui because he had been the first to propose the military scheme and then failed to advance. From then on the Xiongnu broke off the marriage alliance, attacked the fortresses on the main routes, and raided the frontier constantly, too often to count.] The Book of Songs says: 'He threw me a peach, and I repaid him with a plum.' I have never heard of good being sent out and bad coming back. [Note from the 'Miu Cheng' chapter of the Huainanzi: The Book of Changes says: 'Chasing the deer without a forester, one only enters the forest; the gentleman, seeing the signs, would do better to give it up, for going on brings regret.' Whoever bestows generously is repaid handsomely, and whoever bears a great grievance suffers deep calamity. That anyone sowed little yet hoped for much, or stored up resentment yet had no trouble, has never happened from antiquity to the present. Therefore the sage examines how things went out and so knows how they will return. The 'Fu En' chapter says: One who bestows kindness values not thinking of it as kindness, and one who receives kindness should by all means repay it.] Therefore the gentleman is reverent and makes no mistakes, and he is respectful and courteous to others, so that all within the four seas are his brothers. Thus on looking inward he finds nothing to be ashamed of; what then has he to worry about or fear? The Grand Secretary said: Since the Spring and Autumn period, the lords of the Chinese states have met and bound themselves together, but after three meetings they drifted apart and grew suspicious, and the wars never stopped. The six states formed an alliance with caps and sashes touching, yet they never held a firm pact. How much less could one expect it of a land of beasts? The Spring and Autumn Annals preserved the ruler as being in Chu, and at the meeting at Gaoyou it recorded that the duke was deceived by barbarians. [Note: The Spring and Autumn Annals says: 'Spring, the royal first month; the duke was in Chu.' The Gongyang Commentary says: Why does it say the duke was in Chu? To preserve the ruler in the first month. The Annals says: 'In the fifth month the duke and the lords made a covenant at Gaoyou.'] The Xiongnu repeatedly made peace through marriage alliances and yet were always the first to break the agreement. They are a nation that covets, invades, plunders and drives off people, and that grows ever more deceitful and scheming. They are fickle and untrustworthy, and break a hundred pacts in a hundred ways, like Danzhu and Xiang who could not be changed, or Shangjun who could not be transformed. To hope to trust them by preparing for war, or to draw them close by virtue, is likewise difficult. [Note from the 'Xiu Wu' chapter of the Huainanzi: Those whose bodies are upright and whose natures are good, who rouse themselves and become benevolent, who put on their caps and act with righteousness, and whose natures and destinies are in accord, and who match the Way without waiting to study, were Yao, Shun and King Wen. Those who were sunk in drink and dissipation, who could not be taught the Way or enlightened by virtue, whom a stern father could not correct and a worthy teacher could not transform, were Danzhu and Shangjun.]

文學曰王者中立而聽乎天下徳施方外絶國殊俗臻於闕庭鳯凰在列樹麒麟在郊藪【音叟】群生庶物莫不被澤非足行而人辯之也推其仁恩而皇之誠也【秦族訓曰聖人在上廓然無形寂然無聲官府若無事朝廷若無人無隠士無軼民無勞役無寃刑四海之內莫不仰上之徳象主之指夷狄之國重譯而至非戶辯而家説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寜矣傳曰有聲之聲不過百里無聲之聲施及四海】范蠡【音禮】出於越由余長於胡皆為伯【音霸】王賢佐故政有不從之教而世無不可化之民【傳曰蠒之性為絲弗得女工燔以沸湯抽其統理不成為絲卵之性為雛不得良雞覆伏孚育積日累乆則不成為雛夫人性善非得明王聖主扶攜內之以道則不成為君子詩曰天生蒸民其命匪諶靡不有初鮮克有終言惟明王聖主然後使之然也】詩云酌彼行潦挹彼注茲故公劉處戎狄戎狄化之大王去豳豳民隨之周公修徳而越裳氏來【周紀曰公劉雖在戎狄之間復修后稷之業務耕種行地宜自漆沮渡渭取財用行者有資居者有畜積民頼其慶百姓懐之多徙而保歸焉周道之興自此始故詩人歌樂思其徳道應篇曰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防而去民相連而從之遂成國於岐山之下辨物篇曰成王時有三苗貫桑而生同為一秀大幾盈車民得而上之成王成王問周公此何也周公曰三苗同秀為一意天下其和而為一乎後三年則越裳氏重譯而朝曰道路悠逺山川阻深恐一使之不通故重三譯而來朝也周公曰徳澤不加則君子不饗其質政令不施則君子不臣其人譯曰吾受命於吾國之黃髪乆矣天之無烈風滛雨意中國有聖人耶有則盍朝之然後周公敬受其所以來矣】其從善如影響為政務以徳親近何憂於彼之不改

The Literati said: When a true king stands at the center and listens to all under Heaven, his virtue extends beyond the borders, and distant states with strange customs arrive at his court. Phoenixes perch in the rows of trees, qilin roam the meadows and marshes, and all the multitudes of living things receive his bounty. It is not that he goes on foot and argues with each of them, but that he extends his benevolence and kindness and rules with sincerity. [Note from the 'Tai Zu' chapter of the Huainanzi: When a sage is above, he is vast and without form, still and without sound. The offices seem to have no business, the court seems to have no people, there is no hermit and no abandoned man, no forced labor and no unjust punishment. Within the four seas none fails to look up to the ruler's virtue and take his intentions as a model, and the barbarian states come after multiple interpretations. It is not that he argues with each household and persuades each family; he simply extends his sincere heart to all under Heaven. The Book of Songs says: 'Be kind to this central land, and so pacify the four quarters.' When the inside is at peace, the outside is calm. The tradition says: A sound that has a voice carries no more than a hundred li, but a sound without voice reaches the four seas.] Fan Li came out of Yue and You Yu grew up among the Rong, and both became worthy advisers to hegemons and kings. So government may contain teachings that people do not follow, but no people in the world cannot be transformed. [Note: The tradition says: The nature of a cocoon is to become silk, but unless a woman boils it in hot water and draws out its threads, it does not become silk; the nature of an egg is to become a chick, but unless a good hen sits on it and hatches it day after day, it does not become a chick. Human nature is good, but unless an enlightened king and sage ruler supports and leads people and brings them into the Way, they do not become gentlemen. The Book of Songs says: 'Heaven gave birth to the multitude of people, but its decree is not to be relied on. All have a beginning, but few can see it through to the end.' This means that only an enlightened king and sage ruler can make them so.] The Book of Songs says: 'Scoop up the water from that puddle and pour it into this one.' So Gongliu lived among the Rong and Di and they were transformed by him; Taiwang left Bin and the people of Bin followed him; the Duke of Zhou cultivated virtue and the Yuechang people came. [Note: The Annals of Zhou says: Although Gongliu was among the Rong and Di, he restored the work of Hou Ji, devoted himself to farming, followed what suited the land, crossed the Wei from the Qi and Ju rivers to gather materials, so that travelers had provisions and residents had stores. The people relied on his blessings and the common folk cherished him, and many moved to him for protection. The rise of the Zhou Way began from this, which is why the poets sang with joy and remembered his virtue. The 'Dao Ying' chapter says: Taiwang Danfu lived in Bin and the Di people attacked him. He served them with furs, silk, pearls and jade, but they would not accept them, saying: What the Di want is land, not goods. Taiwang Danfu said: To live with a man's elder brother and kill his younger brother, or to dwell with a man's father and kill his son, I will not do it. Stay on as you wish. What difference is there between being a subject to me and being a subject to the Di? Moreover I have heard that one does not harm what one is meant to nurture for the sake of what one nurtures with. He took up his staff and left, and the people followed one after another in a line, and so a state was founded at the foot of Mount Qi. The 'Bian Wu' chapter says: In the time of King Cheng, three seedlings grew together through a mulberry tree and formed a single ear, nearly a cartload in size, and the people took it and presented it to King Cheng. King Cheng asked the Duke of Zhou: What is this? The Duke of Zhou said: Three seedlings forming one ear suggests that the world may become harmonious and united. Three years later the Yuechang people came to court through multiple interpreters and said: The roads are long and the mountains and rivers are difficult, and we feared that a single envoy would not get through, so we came to court with three successive interpreters. The Duke of Zhou said: Where virtue has not been extended, a gentleman does not accept its tribute; where government decrees have not been applied, a gentleman does not treat its people as subjects. The interpreter said: I received the command from the old yellow-haired elders of my country. They said that there had been no fierce winds or heavy rains in Heaven, and wondered whether China had a sage. If so, why not go to court? Only then did the Duke of Zhou respectfully accept their reason for coming.] People follow the good like a shadow follows a form or an echo follows a sound. If government works to draw people close through virtue, why worry that they will not change?

大夫曰屠者解分中【去聲】理可橫以手而離也至其抽防【音斤】鑿骨非行斤斧不能決【賈誼曰屠牛坦一朝解十二牛而芒刃不頓者所排撃剝割皆眾理解也至於寛髀之所非斤則斧夫仁義恩厚人主之芒刃也權勢法制人主之斤斧也】聖主循性而化有不從者亦將舉兵而徵之是以湯誅葛伯文王誅犬夷【用兵紀曰古之賢王有義兵而無偃兵家無怒笞則豎子嬰兒之有過也立見國無刑罰則百姓之誤相侵也立見天下無誅伐則諸侯之相也立見故怒笞不可偃於家刑罰不可偃於國誅伐不可偃於天下有巧有拙而已矣故古之聖王有義兵而無偃兵孟子曰湯居亳與葛為鄰葛伯放而不祀湯使人問之曰何為不祀曰無以供犠牲也湯使遺之牛羊葛伯食之又不以祀湯又使人問之曰何為不祀曰無以供粢盛也湯使亳眾往為之耕老弱饋食葛伯率其民要其有酒食黍稻者奪之不授者殺之有童子以黍肉餉而奪之書曰葛伯仇餉此之謂也為其殺是童子而徵之四海之內皆曰非富天下也為匹夫匹婦復讐也匈奴傳曰周西伯昌伐畎夷詩曰肆不殄厥慍亦不殞厥問柞棫防矣行道兊矣混夷駾矣維其喙矣顔師古曰西伯昌即文王畎夷即畎戎也又曰昆夷山海經云黃帝生苗龍苗龍生融吾融吾生弄明弄明生白犬犬有二牝牡是為犬戎許慎曰赤狄本犬種故字從犬】及後戎狄猾夏中國不寜周宣王仲山甫【古本作尹吉甫】式遏冦虐詩云薄伐獫狁至於太原出車彭彭城彼朔方【匈奴傳曰周懿王時王室遂衰戎狄交侵暴虐中國中國被其苦詩人始作疾而歌之曰靡室靡家獫狁之故豈不日戒獫狁孔棘至懿王曾孫宣王興師命將以征伐之詩人美大其功曰薄伐獫狁至於太原出車彭彭城彼朔方是時四夷賔服稱為中興】自古明王不能無征伐而服不義不能無城壘【音磊】而御強也

The Grand Secretary said: When a butcher carves, he can part the joints along the grain with his bare hand; but when he comes to cut tendons and chisel bones, he cannot split them without a cleaver or an axe. [Jia Yi said: The butcher Dan dismantled twelve oxen in one morning and the edge of his blade was never dulled, because everything he struck and carved followed the natural grain. But at the hip and thigh bones, he needed a cleaver or axe. Benevolence, righteousness, kindness and generosity are a ruler's sharp blade; power, authority, law and regulation are his cleaver and axe.] A sage ruler follows human nature and transforms people, but if some do not comply, he will raise troops and campaign against them. Thus Tang punished Lord Ge, and King Wen punished the Quanyi. [Note from the 'Yong Bing' chapter: The worthy kings of antiquity had righteous armies but never disbanded their armies. If a household has no angry beating, then the faults of children are seen at once; if a state has no punishments, then the wrongful encroachments of the people are seen at once; if the world has no punitive campaigns, then the lords' violence against one another is seen at once. So angry beating cannot be abolished in a household, punishments cannot be abolished in a state, and punitive war cannot be abolished in the world; there is only skill and clumsiness in using them. Therefore the sage kings of antiquity had righteous armies but did not do away with armies. Mencius said: Tang lived in Bo and was a neighbor of Ge. Lord Ge was dissolute and did not make the sacrifices. Tang sent someone to ask him: Why do you not sacrifice? He said: I have no animals to offer. Tang sent him oxen and sheep, but Lord Ge ate them and again did not sacrifice. Tang again sent someone to ask: Why do you not sacrifice? He said: I have no grain to offer. Tang sent the people of Bo to plow for him, with the old and weak carrying food. Lord Ge led his people to intercept anyone carrying wine, food, millet or rice and seized it, killing those who would not hand it over. A boy bringing millet and meat as food was killed and robbed. The Book of Documents says: 'Lord Ge was an enemy of those who brought food.' This is what it means. Because he killed this boy, Tang campaigned against him, and all within the four seas said: He did not do it to enrich himself, but to avenge an ordinary man and woman. The Account of the Xiongnu says: Chang, the Earl of the West of Zhou, attacked the Quanyi. The Book of Songs says: 'He did not put an end to their wrath, nor did he lose his good name. The oaks and thorn trees were cleared, and the roads opened. The Kunyi fled, panting hard.' Yan Shigu said: The Earl of the West, Chang, was King Wen; the Quanyi are the Quanrong, also called Kunyi. The Classic of Mountains and Seas says: The Yellow Emperor begot Miaolong, Miaolong begot Rongwu, Rongwu begot Nongming, Nongming begot Baiquan, and the Baiquan had two sexes, and these became the Quanrong. Xu Shen said: The Red Di were originally a breed of dog, which is why the character has the dog radical.] Later the Rong and Di disturbed the Xia, China was not at peace, and King Xuan of Zhou and Zhongshan Fu [the old text has Yin Jifu] restrained the raiders and their cruelty. The Book of Songs says: 'We make a swift attack on the Xianyun, as far as Taiyuan. The war chariots rumble, and we build walls at that northern region.' [Note from the Account of the Xiongnu: In the time of King Yi of Zhou the royal house declined, and the Rong and Di invaded in turns and ravaged China, which suffered from them. The poets began to compose songs of grief about it, saying: 'We have no house and no home, because of the Xianyun. Do we not warn ourselves every day? The Xianyun are very urgent.' Later King Xuan, the great-grandson of King Yi, raised troops and appointed generals to attack them, and the poets praised his achievement, saying: 'We make a swift attack on the Xianyun, as far as Taiyuan. The war chariots rumble, and we build walls at that northern region.' At that time the four barbarian peoples submitted, and it was called a restoration.] From antiquity, no enlightened king has been able to do without punitive campaigns to subdue the unrighteous, or without walls and ramparts to resist the strong and violent.

文學曰舜執干鏚而有苗服文王底徳而懐四夷【大禹謨曰三旬苗民逆命益贊於禹曰惟徳動天無逺弗屇滿招損謙受益時乃天道至諴感神矧茲有苗禹拜昌言曰俞班師振旅帝乃誕敷文徳舞幹羽於兩階七旬有苗格道應篇曰文王砥徳修政二年而天下二垂歸之人間訓曰文王葬死人之骸而九夷歸之】詩云鎬京闢【音璧】雍自西自東自南自北無思不服【修文篇曰天下有道則禮樂征伐自天子出夫功成制禮治定作樂禮樂者行化之大者也孔子曰移風易俗莫善於樂安上治民莫善於禮是故聖王修禮文設庠序陳鐘鼓天子辟雍諸侯泮官所以行徳化詩云鎬京辟雍自西自東自南自北無思不服此之謂也】普天之下惟人面之倫莫不引領而歸其義故畫地為境人莫之犯子曰白刃可冐中庸不可入至徳之謂也故善攻不待堅甲而克善守不待渠梁而固【兵略訓曰善守者無與御善戰者無與闘泰族訓曰守不待渠壍而固攻不待沖隆而防】武王之伐殷也執黃鉞誓牧之野天下之士莫不願為之用既以義取之以徳守之【帝王世紀曰武王見暍人王自左擁而右扇之紂政彌亂殷太史向摯載其圖書而歸周王以告於諸侯四年起師而東至商郊牧野乃作木簷王韈系解五人御於前莫肯為王系韈皆曰臣所以事君王非為系韈也王乃釋旄而系之與紂戰紂師敗績禽費仲惡來紂赴於京自燔於宣室而死二嬖妾與妲己亦自殺乃以大白髦麾諸侯入殷商都百姓鹹待於郊王使告曰上天降休商人皆拜王亦答拜以兵入造紂及妲己屍王親射之三發然後下車以劒擊之周公為司徒使以黃斬紂頭懸於大白之旗召公為司空又使以鉞斬妲己頸懸之小白旗置旌於商容之廬命召公釋箕子之囚賜貝千朋命原公釋百姓之囚歸璇臺之珠玉命南宮括散鹿臺之財發巨橋之粟以賑貧民命南宮伯逹史逸遷九鼎於洛邑命閎天封比干之墓命宗祝饗祀于軍防子膠鬲皆委質為臣殷人鹹喜曰王之於人也死猶封其墓況其生者乎王之於賢仁也亡者猶表其廬況其存者乎王之於財也聚者猶散之況其復借者乎王之於色也在者猶歸其父母況復徵之乎貴徳篇曰武王克殷召太公而問曰將奈其士眾何太公對曰臣聞愛其人者兼屋上之烏憎其人者惡其餘胥鹹劉厥敵使靡有餘何如王曰不可太公出邵公入王曰為之奈何邵公對曰有罪者殺之無罪者活之何如王曰不可邵公出周公入王曰為之奈何周公曰使各居其宅田其田無變舊新唯仁是親百姓有過在於一人武王曰廣大乎平天下矣凡所以貴士君子者以其仁而有徳也道應篇曰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闘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惟恐傷肉之多也王若欲乆持之則塞民於兊道全為無用之事順擾之教彼皆樂其業供其事情昭昭而道冥冥於是乃去其瞀而載之木解其劒而帶之笏為三年之防令類不蕃髙辭卑讓使民不爭酒肉以通之竽瑟以娛之神以畏之繁文滋禮以弇其質厚葬乆防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寡以此移風可以持天下弗失故老子曰化而欲作吾將鎮之以無名之樸也】秦以力取之以法守之本末不得故亡夫【音扶】文猶可長用而武難乆行也【賈誼曰陳渉之位不尊於齊楚趙韓魏宋衞中山之君也鉏耰棘矜不銛於鉤防長鎩也謫戍之眾非抗九國之師也深謀逺慮行軍用兵之道非及曩時之士也然而成敗異變功業相反試使山東之國與陳渉度長絜大比權量力則不可同年而語矣然秦以區區之地致萬乗之權招八州而朝同列百有餘年矣然後以六合為家崤函為宮一夫作難而七廟墮身死人手為天下笑者何也仁義不施而攻守之勢異也又曰秦王懐貪鄙之心行自奮之智不信功臣不親士民廢王道而立私愛焚文書而酷刑法先詐力而後仁義以暴虐為天下始夫兼併者髙詐力安危者貴順權以此言之取予攻守不同術也秦雖離戰國而王天下其道不易其政不改是以其所以取之也孤獨而有之故其亡可立而待也班固曰古人有言天生五材民並用之廢一不可誰能去兵鞭樸不可弛於家刑罰不可廢於國征伐不可偃於天下用之有本末行之有逆順者耳孔子曰工欲善其事必先利其器文徳者帝王之利器威武者文徳之輔助也夫文之所加者深則武之所服者大徳之所施者博則威之所制者廣三代之盛至於刑措兵寢者其本末有序帝王之極功也】

The Literati said: Shun held up shield and battle-axe and the Miao submitted, and King Wen polished his virtue and the four barbarian peoples turned to him. [Note: The 'Counsels of the Great Yu' says: For thirty days the Miao people defied the command. Yi urged Yu, saying: Only virtue moves Heaven; nowhere is too distant for it to reach. Fullness invites loss, and humility receives benefit; this is the Way of Heaven. Perfect sincerity moves the spirits, how much more the Miao. Yu bowed to this excellent advice and said: Yes. He withdrew the army and disbanded the troops. The emperor then spread culture and virtue widely and had shields and feathers danced between the two flights of steps, and in seventy days the Miao came. The 'Dao Ying' chapter says: King Wen polished his virtue and cultivated government, and in two years the people at the two edges of the world turned to him. The 'Ren Jian' chapter says: King Wen buried the bones of the dead, and the nine Yi tribes turned to him.] The Book of Songs says: 'At the Hao capital, with the Pi Yong hall, from the west and from the east, from the south and from the north, none think of not submitting.' [Note from the 'Xiu Wen' chapter: When the world has the Way, rites, music and punitive campaigns come from the Son of Heaven. When achievements are complete, rites are made; when government is settled, music is composed. Rites and music are the greatest means of transforming people. Confucius said: For changing customs and altering habits nothing is better than music, and for bringing peace to the ruler and order to the people nothing is better than ritual. Therefore the sage kings cultivated ritual forms, established schools, displayed bells and drums; the Son of Heaven had the Biyong and the lords had the Pangong, in order to carry out the transformation by virtue. The Book of Songs says: 'At the Hao capital, with the Pi Yong hall, from the west and from the east, from the south and from the north, none think of not submitting.' This is what it means.] Under all of Heaven, none of the human-faced race fails to crane their necks and turn toward his righteousness. So one may draw a line on the ground as a border and no one will cross it. The Master said: One may tread on bare blades, but the Mean cannot be attained; this is what is called perfect virtue. Therefore one who attacks well does not need strong armor to win, and one who defends well does not need canals and bridges to be secure. [Note: The 'Bing Lue' chapter says: One who defends well has no one to resist him, and one who fights well has no one to fight him. The 'Tai Zu' chapter says: Defense does not need moats and ditches to be secure, and attack does not need siege engines to take a place.] When King Wu attacked Yin, he held the yellow battle-axe and swore the oath in the wilds of Mu, and none of the gentlemen of the world did not wish to serve him. Having taken it by righteousness, he held it by virtue. [Note from the Chronicle of Emperors and Kings: King Wu saw a man overcome by heat, and the king himself fanned him from the left and then from the right. Zhou's government grew still more chaotic, and the Grand Historian of Yin, Xiang Zhi, carried his books and charts and came over to Zhou, and the king announced it to the lords. In the fourth year he raised his army and went east, reaching the Mu wilds in the Shang suburbs, and had a wooden canopy built. The king's sock cord came undone, and five men stood before him, but none was willing to tie it for the king. They all said: We serve Your Majesty, not to tie socks. So the king put down his yak-tail standard and his battle-axe and tied it himself. He fought Zhou, and Zhou's army was routed, and Fei Zhong and E Lai were captured. Zhou went to the capital and burned himself to death in the Xuan Hall, and his two concubines and Daji also killed themselves. King Wu then used the great white banner to lead the lords into the Shang capital, where the people all waited in the suburbs. The king had it announced: Heaven above has sent down blessings. The people of Shang all bowed, and the king bowed in return. He entered with his troops, went to the corpses of Zhou and Daji, and shot at Zhou three times with his own hand, then got down from his chariot and struck him with his sword. The Duke of Zhou, as Minister of Education, had Zhou's head cut off with the yellow battle-axe and hung on the great white banner; the Duke of Shao, as Minister of Works, had Daji's neck cut with the black battle-axe and hung on the small white banner. He set up his banner at the house of Shang Rong, ordered the Duke of Shao to release Jizi from prison and gave him a thousand strings of cowries, ordered the Duke of Yuan to release the imprisoned common people, and returned the jade and pearls of the Xuan Terrace. He ordered Nangong Kuo to distribute the wealth of the Deer Terrace and open the grain of Juqiao to relieve the poor, ordered Nangong Boda and Shi Yi to move the Nine Tripods to Luoyi, ordered Hong Yao to build up the grave of Bigan, and ordered the sacrificial officers to offer sacrifices in the army. Weizi and Jiaoge both offered themselves as subjects. The people of Yin all rejoiced and said: The king treats the dead by raising their graves, how much more the living! The king honors the houses of the worthy dead, how much more the living worthy! The king scatters the wealth that has been hoarded, how much more would he not borrow again! The king returns the women who are present to their parents, how much more would he not seize more! The 'Gui De' chapter says: When King Wu conquered Yin, he summoned Taigong and asked: What shall we do with the gentlemen and the multitude? Taigong replied: I have heard that one who loves a man loves even the crows on his roof, and one who hates a man hates even his fellow clerks. Kill all his enemies and leave none; how would that be? The king said: Not so. Taigong went out and the Duke of Shao came in. The king said: What shall be done? The Duke of Shao replied: Kill those with guilt and let those without guilt live; how would that be? The king said: Not so. The Duke of Shao went out and the Duke of Zhou came in. The king said: What shall be done? The Duke of Zhou said: Let each remain in his house and till his fields, change nothing old or new, and favor only the benevolent; if the people have faults, let them rest on one man. King Wu said: How vast, this brings peace to the world. What makes a gentleman valuable is that he is benevolent and has virtue. The 'Dao Ying' chapter says: King Wu asked Taigong: I have attacked Zhou, and the world will say it was a subject killing his ruler and a lower attacking his superior. I fear that later generations will use arms without end and strife will never stop; what shall we do? Taigong said: How good, the king's question. One who has not yet caught the beast fears only that the wound will be small, and one who has caught it fears only that too much meat will be damaged. If Your Majesty wishes to hold it for long, then keep the people in narrow ways, devote them entirely to useless affairs, and use teachings of compliance and disturbance, so that they all enjoy their work and serve their tasks, bright in the Way but obscure in purpose. Then remove their helmets and carry them on wood, loosen their swords and hang them from their tablets, have them observe the three-year mourning, so that their kind does not multiply, use humble words and modest yielding so that people do not quarrel, bring them together with wine and meat, entertain them with pipes and zithers, make them fear the spirits, use elaborate rites and many ceremonies to cover their true nature, use lavish burials and long mourning to exhaust their households, use pearls in the mouth and fish-scale shrouds and ribbons to impoverish their wealth, and dig deep and raise high tombs to use up their strength. Families will be poor and clans will be small, and few will think of troubles. With this change of customs, you can hold the world without losing it. So Laozi said: When transformation arises and desire stirs, I will quell it with the nameless simplicity.] The Qin took it by force and held it by law, with root and branch both lost, and so perished. Now then: culture can be used for a long time, but military might is hard to sustain for long. [Jia Yi said: Chen She's position was no more honorable than that of the rulers of Qi, Chu, Zhao, Han, Wei, Song, Wei and Zhongshan, and his hoes and thorn-wood poles were no sharper than hooked halberds and long spears, and his garrison conscripts were no match for the armies of the nine states, and his deep planning and far thinking, the way he led the army and used troops, were not equal to the gentlemen of earlier times. Yet the outcome was reversed and the achievement was the opposite. Suppose the states east of the mountains were compared with Chen She, measuring length and size, weighing power and strength; they could not be spoken of in the same year. Yet Qin, from a small territory, reached the power of ten thousand chariots, summoned eight provinces to court on equal terms for more than a hundred years, and afterward made the six directions its home and the Xiao and Han passes its palace; then a single man made trouble and the seven ancestral temples fell, and the ruler died at another man's hand and became a laughingstock of the world. Why? Because benevolence and righteousness were not applied, and the circumstances of attack and defense differ. He also said: The King of Qin held a greedy and base heart, pursued his own wisdom, did not trust his meritorious ministers, did not draw close to the gentry and the people, abandoned the kingly way and established private favor, burned documents and made the penal law harsh, put deceit and force first and benevolence and righteousness after, and made cruelty the beginning for the world. Those who annex value deceit and force, while those who bring safety value compliance and adaptation. From this it is said that taking and giving, attacking and defending, do not use the same method. Though Qin came out of the Warring States and ruled the world, it did not change its way or reform its government, so those who took it did so alone, and its fall could be awaited on the spot. Ban Gu said: The ancients had a saying: Heaven gives birth to the five materials and the people use them all together, and none can be abandoned; who can get rid of weapons? Whips and rods cannot be relaxed in a household, punishments cannot be abandoned in a state, and campaigns cannot be abolished in the world; there is only a root and a branch in using them, and an order of what goes with and what goes against. Confucius said: A craftsman who wishes to do his work well must first sharpen his tools. Civil virtue is the emperor's sharp tool, and military might is the aid of civil virtue. Where culture is applied deeply, military might subdues greatly; where virtue is spread broadly, authority controls widely. The flourishing of the Three Dynasties reached the point where punishments were set aside and arms laid to rest, because root and branch were ordered, which is the highest achievement of emperors and kings.]

大夫曰詩云獫狁孔熾我是用戒武夫潢潢經營四方故守禦征伐所由來乆矣【汜論曰夫神農伏犧不施賞罰而民不為非然而立政者不能廢法而治民舜干鏚而服有苗然而征伐者不能釋甲兵而制強暴】春秋譏戎驪未至預御之【春秋曰公追戎於濟西公羊傳曰此未有言伐者其言追何大其為中國追也此未有伐中國者則言其為中國追何大其未至而豫御之也其言於濟西何大之也】故四支強而躬體固華葉茂而本根據故飭四境所以安中國也發戍【音絮】漕所以審勞佚【音逸】也主憂者臣勞上危者下死先帝憂百姓不澹【古贍字】出禁錢解乗輿驂貶樂損膳以賑窮備邊費【食貨志曰縣官不給天子乃損膳解乗輿駟出御府禁藏以澹之其明年山東被水災民多飢乏於是天子遣使虛郡國倉廩以賑貧】未見報施之義而見沮成之理非所聞也

The Grand Master said: The Odes say: The Xianyun are very fierce, so we are on our guard. The warriors are vast in number and campaign on all four sides. So defense and campaigns have a long origin [the chapter 'Fan Lun' says: Shennong and Fuxi did not apply rewards and punishments and the people did not do wrong, yet those who establish government cannot abolish law and govern the people; Shun used shield and axe dances and the Miao submitted, yet those who campaign cannot set down armor and arms to control the violent]. The Annals criticized acting against the Rong and Li tribes before they had come, by defending in advance [the Annals say: The duke pursued the Rong west of the Ji. The Gongyang Commentary says: Here no one speaks of attacking, so why does it speak of pursuing? It praises him for pursuing on behalf of the Middle Kingdom. Here there was no attack on the Middle Kingdom, so why does it speak of pursuing on behalf of the Middle Kingdom? It praises defending in advance before they came. Why does it say west of the Ji? It praises him]. So when the four limbs are strong the body is firm, and when the leaves and flowers are lush the roots are deep. Therefore ordering the four borders is how to give peace to the Middle Kingdom; sending out garrisons [the character 'shu' glossed as pronounced 'xu'] and water transport is how to examine toil and ease [the character 'yi' glossed as pronounced 'yi']. When the lord is worried the ministers toil, and when those above are in danger those below die. The former emperor, worried that the hundred clans were not sufficient [the old form of the character is written with a different graph], brought out his reserve money, unhitched the side horses of the imperial carriage, reduced music and cut his meals to relieve the destitute and prepare border expenses [the Treatise on Food and Money says: When the county officials could not supply, the Son of Heaven reduced his meals, unhitched the four horses of his carriage, and brought out the reserve of the imperial treasury to supply it. The next year the area east of the mountains suffered flood, and many people were hungry and in want, so the Son of Heaven sent envoys to empty the granaries of the commanderies and states to relieve the poor]. I have not seen the principle of repayment and giving, but I have seen the principle of obstructing completion; this is not what I have heard.

文學曰周道衰王跡熄諸侯爭強大小相凌是以強國務侵弱國設備甲士勞戰陳【古陣字】役於兵革故君勞而民困苦也【覽防訓曰晩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髙危安掘墳墓揚人骸大沖車髙重京除戰道犯嚴敵殘不義百往一反聲苟盛也是故壯質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馬遼逺霜雪亟集短褐不完人羸車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防矢石之創者扶舉於路故世至於枕人頭食人肉飲人血廿之芻豢故自三代以後者未嘗得安其情性而樂其習俗保其修命天而不夭於人虐也】今中國為一統而方內不安繇【音遙】役逺而外內煩也古者無過年之繇【音遙】無逾時之役【詩傳曰太平之時民行役者不逾時男女不失時以偶孝子不失時以養外無曠夫內無怨女上無不慈之父下無不孝之子父子相成夫婦相保天下和平國家安寧】今近者數千裡逺者過萬里歴二期長【音掌】子不還父母愁憂妻子詠歎憤懣【音悶】之恨發動於心慕思之積痛於骨髓此枤杜采薇之所為作也【詩序曰文王之時西有昆夷之患北有玁狁之難以天子之命命將率遣戍役以守衞中國故歌采薇以遣之出車以勞還枤杜以勤歸也】

The Literati said: When the Way of Zhou declined, the royal traces faded, the feudal lords contested for power, and large and small oppressed one another. So strong states devoted themselves to invasion and weak states set up defenses, the armored soldiers toiled in battle formations [the old form of the character is written differently] and were worn out by weapons and armor, so the rulers toiled and the people were in hardship [the chapter 'Lan Ming Xun' (the source text has a damaged character) says: In the late age, the seven states were of different clans, the feudal lords made laws, each with different customs, and the vertical and horizontal alliances were set between them; they raised arms and fought each other, attacked cities and killed indiscriminately, overturned the high and endangered the peaceful, dug up tombs and scattered bones, used great siege chariots, built high heavy mounds, cleared battle roads, struck strict enemies, and brutalized the unrighteous; a hundred went and one returned, merely to make a noise of power. Thereby the strong and sturdy and light of foot became armored soldiers a thousand li away, while the old, weak and frail were grieving at home, menials and stable boys pushed carts to carry supplies, the roads long and far, frost and snow falling thick, short coarse clothes incomplete, men weakened and carts worn (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription), mud to the knees, supporting each other on the roads, raising their heads along the way, and dying with their bodies pillowed on the fetters. Of those called conquerors of states who held land, corpses lay in hundreds of thousands, broken carts numbered in the hundreds and thousands, and the wounded by bows, crossbows, spears, halberds, arrows and stones were propped up along the roads. So the age came to pillowing on human heads, eating human flesh and drinking human blood, pickling them as with the fodder-fed livestock. So since the Three Dynasties no one has been able to find peace in his nature, delight in his customs, preserve his life span, and not die young from the cruelty of others.]. Now the Middle Kingdom is unified but within the borders there is no peace, because corvee [the character 'yao' glossed as pronounced 'yao'] and service are distant and trouble both inside and outside. In ancient times there was no corvee exceeding a year, and no service exceeding a season [the Commentary on the Odes says: In times of great peace, the people on service did not go beyond a season, men and women did not lose the time to marry, filial sons did not lose the time to support their parents, there were no idle husbands outside and no resentful wives within, no unkind fathers above and no unfilial sons below, fathers and sons completed each other, husbands and wives protected each other, the world was at peace and the state was settled]. Now the near ones are several thousand li, the far ones over ten thousand li, passing two years, and the eldest son [the character 'chang' glossed as pronounced 'zhang'] does not return, parents grieve and worry, wives and children sigh, the resentment of frustration [the character 'men' glossed as pronounced 'men'] stirs in the heart, and the accumulation of longing pains to the marrow. This is what the odes 'Di Du' and 'Cai Wei' were made for [the Preface to the Odes says: In the time of King Wen, in the west there was the trouble of the Kunyi, and in the north the danger of the Xianyun; by the Son of Heaven's order, generals were commanded to send garrison service to guard the Middle Kingdom, so the song 'Cai Wei' was sung to send them off, 'Chu Che' to comfort their return, and 'Di Du' to reward their coming home].

大夫曰虎兕所以能執熊羆服群獸者爪牙利而攫【音腳】便也秦所以超諸侯吞天下並敵國者險阻固而勢居然也故蜯有介狐貉不能禽【通作擒】蝮蛇有螫【音式】人忌而不輕故有備則制人無備則制於人【韓非子曰虎豹之所以能勝人執百獸者以其爪牙也當使虎豹失其爪牙則人必制之矣今勢重者人主之爪牙也君人而失其爪牙虎豹之類也】故仲山甫補袞職之闕公築長城之固所以備冦難【去聲】而折沖萬里之外也【詩曰袞職有闕維仲山甫補之匈奴傳曰秦滅六國始皇帝使防恬將數十萬之眾北擊胡悉收河南地因河為塞築四十四縣城臨河徙適戎以充之而通直道自九原至雲陽因邊山險塹谿谷可繕者繕之起臨洮至遼東萬餘里又度河據陽山北假中匈奴單于曰頭曼頭曼不勝秦北徙十有餘年】今不固其外慾安其內猶家人不堅垣牆狗吠夜驚而闇昧妄行也【韓非子曰不謹其閉不固其門虎乃將存不慎其事不掩其情賊乃將生】

The Grand Master said: The reason tigers and rhinoceroses can seize bears and brown bears and subdue the herds of beasts is that their claws and teeth are sharp and their seizing [the character 'jue' glossed as pronounced 'jiao'] convenient. The reason Qin surpassed the feudal lords, swallowed the world and annexed enemy states is that its dangerous barriers were firm and its position strategic. So turtles and clams have shells, and foxes and badgers cannot catch them [the character 'qin' is written with a different form]; vipers have stings [the character 'shi' glossed as pronounced 'shi'], and people fear them and do not treat them lightly. So one who is prepared controls others, and one who is not prepared is controlled by others [Han Feizi says: The reason tigers and leopards can overcome people and seize the hundred beasts is their claws and teeth. If tigers and leopards lost their claws and teeth, people would surely control them. Now heavy power is the ruler's claws and teeth; a ruler who loses his claws and teeth is of the tiger-and-leopard kind]. So Zhong Shanfu mended the gaps in the ruler's robe, and Lord Meng (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription) built the firm Great Wall, to guard against raider troubles [read in the falling tone] and turn back attackers ten thousand li away [the Odes say: If the royal robe has a gap, only Zhong Shanfu mends it. The Account of the Xiongnu says: When Qin destroyed the six states, the First Emperor sent Meng Tian (the source text reads as damaged) with several hundred thousand to strike the Hu in the north, and took all the land south of the river, used the river as a frontier, built forty-four walled counties along the river, moved convict garrisons to fill them, and opened a direct road from Jiuyuan to Yunyang, repairing for the border the mountain dangers, moats and valleys that could be repaired, from Lintao to Liaodong over ten thousand li, and crossed the river to take Yangshan and the northern lease lands. The Xiongnu Chanyu was named Touman. Touman could not defeat Qin and moved north for over ten years]. Now not to strengthen the outside and yet to wish for peace within is like a household that does not fortify its walls, where the dogs bark and the night is alarmed and people move recklessly in the dark [Han Feizi says: If one is not careful about the closing and does not secure his door, the tiger will be there; if one is not careful about affairs and does not cover up one's feelings, the thief will be born].

文學曰秦地左餚【音殽】函【音鹹】右隴阺【音低】前蜀漢後山河四塞以為固金城千里良將【去聲】勇士設利器而守陘【音形】隧【音遂】墨子守雲梯之械也【修務訓曰昔者楚欲攻宋墨子聞而悼之自魯趨而十日十夜足重繭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忘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】以為雖湯武復生蚩尤復起不輕攻也然戍【音絮】卒陳勝無將【去聲】帥之任師旅之眾奮空拳而破百萬之師無牆籬之難【賈誼曰始皇奮六世之餘烈振長防而御宇內吞二週而亡諸侯履至尊而制六合執敲樸以鞭笞天下威振四海南取百粵之地以為桂林象郡百粵之君俛首繫頸委命下吏乃使防恬北築長城而守藩籬卻匈奴七百餘里胡人不敢南下而牧馬士不敢彎弓而報怨於是廢先王之道燔百家之言以愚黔首墮名城殺豪俊收天下之兵聚之咸陽銷鋒鍉鑄以為金人十二以弱天下之民然後踐華為城因河為池據億丈之城臨不測之谿以為固良將勁弩守要害之處信臣精卒陳利兵而誰何天下已定始皇之心自以為闗中之固金城千里子孫帝王萬世之業也始皇旣沒餘威振於殊俗然而陳涉甕牗防樞之子氓之人而遷徙之徒也材能不及非有仲弓墨翟之賢陶朱猗頓之富躡足行伍之間俛起阡陌之中卒疲散之卒轉而攻秦斬木為兵揭竿為旗天下雲合而響應褁糧而景從山東豪傑遂並起而亡秦族矣】故在徳不在固誠以行【去聲】義為阻道徳為塞賢人為兵聖人為守則莫能入如此則中國無狗吠之警而邊境無鹿駭狼顧之憂矣夫【音扶】何妄行之有乎【魏武侯浮西河而下中流顧謂呉起曰美哉乎河山之固也此魏國之寳也呉起對曰在徳不在險昔三苗氏左洞庭右彭蠡徳義不修而舜滅之夏桀之居左河濟右太華伊闕在其南羊腸在其北修政不仁湯放之殷紂之國左孟門而右太行常山在其北大河經其南修政不徳武王伐之由此觀之在徳不在險若君不修徳船中之人盡敵國也武侯曰善左思曰劒閣雖嶛憑之者蹶非所以深根固蔕也洞庭雖濬負之者北非所以愛人治國也詩傳曰今有堅甲利兵不足以施敵破虜弓良矢調不足射逺中微與無兵等爾有民不足強用嚴敵與無民等爾故盤石千里不為有地愚民百萬不為有民詩曰維南有箕不可以簸揚維北有鬥不可以挹酒漿莊辛曰居不為垣牆人莫能毀傷行不從周衞人莫能暴害此君子之行也】

The Literati said: The land of Qin has Mount Xiao [the character glossed as pronounced 'xiao'] and the Han Valley Pass [glossed as pronounced 'xian'] on the left, Longdi [glossed as pronounced 'di'] on the right, Shu and Han in front, mountains and river behind, with four barriers as defense and a metal city a thousand li wide. Good generals [the word 'jiang' pronounced in the falling tone] and brave men set sharp weapons and guard the passes [glossed as pronounced 'xing'] and tunnels [glossed as pronounced 'sui']. Mozi defended against the cloud ladder devices [the chapter 'Xiu Wu Xun' says: Formerly Chu wanted to attack Song, and Mozi heard of it and was grieved, and hurried from Lu for ten days and ten nights, his feet in layers of calluses without rest, tearing his clothes to wrap his feet, and reached Ying and saw the king of Chu, saying: I have heard that Your Majesty is raising troops to attack Song; do you calculate that you will surely get Song and only then attack? Forgetting the toil of the multitude and the exhaustion of the people, blunting the army and dulling its edge, bearing the name of unrighteousness before the world and gaining not a foot of land, would you 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 and not get Song. The king said: Gongshu is the cleverest craftsman in the world and has made the cloud ladder devices to attack Song; why would I not take 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 defense of Song; nine times he attacked and nine times Mozi repelled him, and he could not enter. So they stood down the army and stopped, and did not attack Song.]. One would think that even if Tang and Wu were reborn or Chiyou rose again, they would not lightly attack. Yet the garrison soldier Chen Sheng, with no office of general and no host of troops, with bare fists broke an army of a million, with no walls or fences to trouble him [Jia Yi said: The First Emperor drew on the surviving achievements of six generations, wielded a long whip to rule the realm, swallowed the two Zhou and destroyed the feudal lords, ascended the highest honor and controlled the six directions, held the cudgel and whip to beat the world, and his awe shook the four seas; in the south he took the land of the hundred Yue, making Guilin and Xiang commanderies, and the lords of the Yue bowed their heads and put ropes on their necks and entrusted their lives to the petty officials; then he sent Meng Tian (the source text reads as damaged) to build the Great Wall in the north and guard the fence, and pushed back the Xiongnu over seven hundred li, so that the Hu did not dare come south to graze horses and the warriors did not dare draw bows to avenge their resentment. Then he abolished the Way of the former kings, burned the sayings of the hundred schools to make the black-haired people ignorant, razed famous cities, killed the powerful and talented, gathered the world's weapons and collected them at Xianyang, melted down the blades and arrowheads and cast twelve metal men, to weaken the people of the world. Then he stepped on Mount Hua to make a city and made the river a moat, held a city of hundreds of million feet and faced unfathomable gorges for strength, with good generals and strong crossbows guarding strategic points, and trusted ministers and elite troops with sharp arms challenging all comers. The world was settled, and the First Emperor in his heart thought that the strength of the Guanzhong and the metal city of a thousand li would be a work for the descendant emperors for ten thousand generations. After the First Emperor died, his remaining awe still shook other customs. Yet Chen She, a son of a jar-mouth window and rope-hinged door (the source text reads as damaged), a man of lowly bondage (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription) and one of the transported, whose talent did not reach that of the average, who did not have the worth of Zhonggong and Mo Di nor the wealth of Tao Zhu and Yi Dun, stepping into the ranks and rising up from the fields, led a band of exhausted and scattered soldiers and turned to attack Qin, cutting wood for weapons and raising poles for banners, and the world gathered like clouds and responded like echoes, carrying provisions and following like shadows, and the heroes east of the mountains rose together and destroyed Qin's clan.]. So it lies in virtue and not in strength of position. If righteousness in conduct [the word 'xing' pronounced in the falling tone] is the barrier, morality the frontier, the worthy the weapons and the sage the guard, then none can enter. Then the Middle Kingdom would have no alarm of dogs barking and the border no worry of deer startled or wolves glancing back. [The opening 'fu' is glossed as pronounced 'fu'.] How could there be reckless movement? [Marquis Wu of Wei floated down the Western River, and in midstream turned and said to Wu Qi: How fine is the strength of the rivers and mountains; this is the treasure of Wei. Wu Qi answered: It lies in virtue and not in dangerous terrain. Formerly the Sanmiao clan had Dongting on the left and Pengli on the right, but their virtue and righteousness were not cultivated, and Shun destroyed them; Jie of Xia lived with the Yellow River and Ji on the left and Mount Taihua on the right, Yique to the south and Yangchang to the north, but cultivated government without humaneness, and Tang banished him; Zhou of Yin's state had Mengmen on the left and Mount Taihang on the right, Mount Chang to the north, and the great river passing to the south, but cultivated government without virtue, and King Wu attacked him. From this it appears that it lies in virtue and not in dangerous terrain. If the ruler does not cultivate virtue, all the people in the boat are enemies of the state. Marquis Wu said: Good. Zuo Si said: Though the Sword Gate Pass is steep, those who rely on it will stumble, and it is not a way to root deeply and fix the stem; though Dongting is deep, those who rely on it will be defeated, and it is not a way to love people and govern the state. The Commentary on the Odes says: Now to have strong armor and sharp weapons yet not be enough to apply them to enemies and crush captives, to have good bows and well-tuned arrows yet not be enough to shoot far and hit the small, is the same as having no weapons; to have a people yet not be enough to employ them against a strict enemy is the same as having no people. So a thousand li of solid rock is not having land, and a million foolish people is not having a people. The Odes say: In the south there is the Winnowing Basket constellation, which cannot winnow; in the north there is the Dipper, which cannot ladle wine. Zhuang Xin said: Live without building walls and none can harm you; travel without a close escort and none can do you violence. This is the conduct of a noble person.]

大夫曰古者為國必察土地山陵阻險天時地利然後可以王伯【音霸】故制地城郭飭溝壘【音磊】以御冦固國春秋曰冬浚洙【音朱】修地利也【春秋曰冬浚洙公羊傳曰洙者何水也浚之者何深之也曷為深之畏齊也曷為畏齊辭殺子紏也穀梁傳曰浚洙者深洙也著力不足也】三軍順天時以實擊虛然固於阻險敵於金城楚莊之圍宋秦師敗崤【音爻】嶔【音欽】巖是也【宋世家曰文公十七年楚以圍宋五月不解宋城中急無食華元乃夜私見楚將子反子反告莊王王問城中何如曰析骸而炊易子而食莊王曰誠哉言我軍亦有七日糧以信故遂罷兵去公羊傳曰秦伯將襲鄭百里子與蹇叔子諫曰千里而襲人未有不亡者也秦伯怒曰若爾之年者宰上之木拱矣爾曷知師出百里子與蹇叔子送其子而戒之曰爾即死必於殽之嶔巖是文王之所闢風雨者也吾將屍爾焉子揖師而行百里子與蹇叔子從其子而哭之秦伯怒曰爾曷為哭吾師對曰臣非敢哭君師哭臣之子也髙者鄭商也遇之殽矯以鄭伯之命而犒師焉或曰往矣或曰反矣然而晉人與姜戎要之殽而撃之匹馬隻輪無反者也】故曰天時地利羌胡固近於邊今不敢取必為四境長患此季孫之所以憂顓臾有勾踐之變而為強呉之所悔也

The Grand Master said: In ancient times, in ruling a state one had to examine the land, mountains, hills and dangerous barriers, the seasons of heaven and the advantages of earth, and only then could one be king or hegemon [the character 'bo' glossed as pronounced 'ba']. So they set up city walls and ordered ditches and ramparts [the character 'lei' glossed as pronounced 'lei'] to guard against raiders and strengthen the state. The Annals say: In winter, deepening the Zhu River [the character glossed as pronounced 'zhu'], which is cultivating the advantage of the land [the Annals say: In winter he deepened the Zhu. The Gongyang Commentary says: What is the Zhu? It is a river. What does deepening it mean? To make it deeper. Why make it deeper? Because he feared Qi. Why did he fear Qi? Because he had refused to kill Zijiu. The Guliang Commentary says: To deepen the Zhu is to make the Zhu deeper. This is to exert insufficient strength.]. The three armies follow the seasons of heaven and strike the empty with the solid, yet rely on dangerous barriers and face the enemy with a metal city. King Zhuang of Chu besieged Song, and the Qin army was defeated at the steep cliffs of Mount Xiao [the character 'xiao' glossed as pronounced 'yao' and 'qin' glossed as 'qin'], is this [the Hereditary House of Song says: In the seventeenth year of Duke Wen, Chu besieged Song for five months without relief, and inside the city of Song it was urgent and there was no food. Hua Yuan then secretly met the Chu general Zifan at night, and Zifan told King Zhuang. The king asked how it was inside the city, and he said: They split bones to cook and exchange sons to eat. King Zhuang said: Truly spoken. Our army too has only seven days' grain. Because of this trust, he withdrew the troops and left. The Gongyang Commentary says: The Earl of Qin was about to attack Zheng by surprise, and Baili Zi and Jian Shu Zi remonstrated, saying: One who attacks others by surprise from a thousand li away has never failed to perish. The Earl of Qin was angry and said: At your age, the tree on your grave would be an armful thick; what do you know? When the army set out, Baili Zi and Jian Shu Zi saw off their sons and warned them: If you die, it will surely be at the steep cliffs of Xiao, where King Wen sheltered from wind and rain. I will gather your bodies there. The sons bowed to the army and left. Baili Zi and Jian Shu Zi followed their sons weeping. The Earl of Qin was angry and said: Why do you weep for my army? They answered: We dare not weep for our lord's army; we weep for our sons. Xian Gao (the source text has a rare character lost in transcription) was a Zheng merchant who met them at Xiao and, falsely in the name of the Earl of Zheng, feasted the army. Some said they would go, others said they would turn back. But the Jin people and the Jiang Rong ambushed them at Xiao and struck them, and not a single horse or wheel returned.]. So it is called the seasons of heaven and the advantages of earth. The Qiang and Hu are close to the border; if we do not dare take them now, they will surely be a long-term trouble on all four borders. This is why Jisun worried about Zhuanyu, and why the change of Goujian became what strong Wu regretted.

文學曰地利不如人和武力不如文徳【闘防謂莫敖曰師克在和不在眾商周之不敵君之所聞也成軍以出又何濟焉孫卿曰夫兵之要在附親士民而已六馬不和造父不能以致逺弓矢不調羿不能以中微士民不親附湯武不能以戰勝由此觀之要在於附親士民而已矣兵略曰駟馬不調造父不能以致逺弓矢不調羿不能以必中君臣乖心則孫子不能以應敵呉子曰不和於國不可以出軍不和于軍不可以出陣不和於陣不可以進戰不和於戰不可以決勝】周之致逺不以地利以人和也百世不奪非以險以徳也【婁敬曰武王伐紂不期而防孟津上八百諸侯遂滅殷成王即位周公之屬傅相焉乃營成周都雒以為此天下中諸侯四方納貢職道里鈞矣有徳則易以王無徳則易以亡凡居此者欲令務以徳致人不欲阻險令後世驕奢以虐民也汜論曰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使我徳能覆之則天下納其貢職者廽也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許慎曰廻迂難也廻或作固固必也周公言我有暴亂之行則天下當來伐我我無為於五行之山使天下來伐我者難也言其依徳不恃險也】呉有三江五湖之難而兼于越楚有汝淵滿堂之固而滅於秦秦有隴阺【音低】崤【音餚】塞而亡於諸侯晉有河華【去聲】九河而奪於六卿齊有泰山巨海而負于田常桀紂有天下兼有濟亳【音薄】秦王以六合困於陳渉非地利不固無術以守之也釋邇憂逺猶呉不內定其國而西絶淮山與齊晉爭強也越因其罷【音疲】擊其虛【蔡澤曰呉王夫差兵無敵於天下勇猛以輕諸侯陵齊晉故遂以殺身亡國】使呉王用申胥修徳無恃極其眾則勾踐不免為藩臣海崖何謀之敢慮也【呉語解曰申胥楚大夫伍奢之子子胥也名員魯昭二十年奢誅於楚員奔呉呉子與之申地故曰申胥】大夫曰楚自巫山起方城屬巫黔【音鉗】中設扞關以距秦秦包商洛崤【音爻】函【音鹹】以御諸侯韓阻宜陽伊闕要成臯太行【音杭】以安周鄭魏濵洛築城阻山帶河以保晉國趙結飛狐句注孟門以存荊代燕塞碣石絶邪谷繞援遼齊撫阿甄關榮歴倚太山負海河關梁者邦國之固而山川社稷之寳也徐人滅舒春秋謂之取惡【音汙】其無備得物之易【音異】也【春秋曰徐人取舒公羊傳曰其言取之何易也】故恤來兵仁傷刑君子為國必有不可犯之難【去聲】易曰重門擊柝以待暴客言備之素修也

The Literati said: The advantages of earth are not equal to the harmony of people, and martial force is not equal to civil virtue [Dou Lian (the source text reads as damaged) said to Mo'ao: The victory of an army lies in harmony, not in numbers. That Shang and Zhou were not matched is what you have heard. If we set out with the army formed, what can it accomplish? Xunzi said: The essentials of arms lie only in drawing close the officers and people. If the six horses are not in harmony, Zao Fu cannot go far with them; if the bow and arrows are not in tune, Yi cannot hit the small; if the officers and people are not close and attached, Tang and Wu cannot win battles. From this it appears that the essence lies only in drawing close the officers and people. The chapter 'Bing Lue' says: If the four horses are not in tune, Zao Fu cannot go far; if the bow and arrow are not in tune, Yi cannot be sure to hit; if ruler and minister are at odds, then Sun Zi cannot respond to the enemy. Wu Zi said: If there is no harmony in the state, one cannot send out an army; if there is no harmony in the army, one cannot go out in formation; if there is no harmony in the formation, one cannot advance to battle; if there is no harmony in the battle, one cannot decide victory.]. Zhou reached far not by advantages of land but by harmony of people; for a hundred generations it was not seized, not through danger but through virtue [Lou Jing said: When King Wu attacked Zhou, the eight hundred feudal lords gathered at Mengjin without appointment (the source text reads as damaged), and so destroyed Yin. When King Cheng took the throne, the Duke of Zhou and others served as tutors and chancellors, and then laid out Chengzhou, capital at Luo, thinking this was the center of the world, with the feudal lords paying tribute from the four quarters, and the roads equal in distance. If there is virtue it is easy to become king; if there is no virtue it is easy to perish. All who dwell here should strive to attract people by virtue and not to rely on dangerous barriers and make later ages arrogant, extravagant and cruel to the people. The chapter 'Fan Lun' says: When King Wu conquered Yin, he wished to build a palace at the Wuxing mountains. The Duke of Zhou said: It cannot be done. The Wuxing mountains are solid, blocked and dangerous ground. If my virtue can cover it, then those in the world who send tribute will come by roundabout ways; if I have cruel and chaotic conduct, it will be hard for the world to attack me. This is why it was not seized for thirty-six generations. The Duke of Zhou may be said to be able to keep to fullness. Xu Shen said: 'Roundabout' means circuitous and difficult. Some write 'roundabout' as 'firm', and 'firm' means 'certain'. The Duke of Zhou means that if I have cruel and chaotic conduct the world should come to attack me, and it is not necessary that I hold the Wuxing mountains to make it hard for the world to attack me. This says he relied on virtue and did not trust dangerous terrain.]. Wu had the difficulty of the Three Rivers and Five Lakes yet was annexed by Yue; Chu had the Ru Pool and Manxuan fortresses yet was destroyed by Qin; Qin had Longdi [glossed as pronounced 'di'], Xiao [glossed as 'xiao'] and the frontier passes yet was destroyed by the feudal lords; Jin had the river and Mount Hua [the word 'hua' read in the falling tone] and the nine rivers yet was seized by the six ministers; Qi had Mount Tai and the great sea yet was betrayed by Tian Chang. Jie and Zhou held the world together with Ji and Bo [the character 'bo' glossed as pronounced 'bo'], and the King of Qin, with the six directions, was brought to hardship by Chen She; it was not that the advantages of earth were not solid, but they had no art to guard them. To neglect the near and worry about the far is like Wu, which did not settle its own state within but cut off west beyond the Huai mountains to contend for power with Qi and Jin, and Yue took advantage of its exhaustion [the character 'ba' glossed as pronounced 'pi'] to strike its emptiness [Cai Ze said: King Fuchai of Wu had troops without equal in the world, and used his valor and fierceness to belittle the feudal lords and bully Qi and Jin, and so he lost his life and his state]. If the king of Wu had used Shen Xu to cultivate virtue and not relied on exhausting his multitude, then Goujian would not have escaped being a vassal on the seacoast; what scheme would he have dared to consider? [The commentary on the Discourses of Wu says: Shen Xu was Zixu, son of Wu She, a grand master of Chu, named Yuan. In the twentieth year of Duke Zhao of Lu, She was executed in Chu, and Yuan fled to Wu, and the lord of Wu gave him the land of Shen, so he was called Shen Xu.] The Grand Master said: Chu raised the Fangcheng wall from Mount Wu, joined it to Wu and Qian [the character 'qian' glossed as pronounced 'qian'], and set up the Han Pass to resist Qin; Qin enclosed Shang and Luo, Xiao [pronounced 'yao'] and Han [pronounced 'xian'] to guard against the feudal lords; Han blocked Yiyang and Yique, held Chenggao and Taihang [the character 'xing' pronounced 'hang'] to secure Zhou and Zheng; Wei built walls along the Luo and blocked mountains and girdled the river to preserve Jin; Zhao linked Feihu, Juzhu and Mengmen to preserve Jing and Dai; Yan blocked Jieshi, cut off Xie Valley and encircled Yuanliao; Qi held E and Zhen, made passes at Rong and Li, leaned on Mount Tai and bore the sea and the river. Passes and bridges are the strength of states, and mountains and rivers are the treasure of the altars of earth and grain. When the Xu people destroyed Shu, the Annals called it 'taking,' disliking [the character 'e' glossed as pronounced 'wu'] their lack of defenses and the ease [the character 'yi' glossed as pronounced 'yi'] of getting things [the Annals say: The Xu people took Shu. The Gongyang Commentary says: Why does it say 'took'? It was easy]. So take care of those who come with arms and be humane to the injured and punished. The noble person governing a state must have defenses that cannot be breached [the word 'nan' read in the falling tone]. The Changes say: Double gates and a watchman's clapper to await a violent guest, which says that preparation is always cultivated.

文學曰阻險不如阻義昔湯以七十里為政於天下舒以百里亡於敵國此其所以見惡【音汙】也【泰族訓曰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鄷百里皆令行禁止於天下週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兾州故曰無恃其不吾奪也恃吾不可奪行可奪之道而非簒殺之行無益於恃天下矣汜論曰堯無百戸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得王道者雖小必大有亡形者雖成必敗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】使關梁足恃六國不兼於秦河山足保秦不亡於楚漢由此觀之沖隆不足為強髙城不足為固行善則昌行惡則亡【詩傳曰堅甲利兵不足以為武髙城深池不足以為固嚴令繁刑不足以為威由其道則行不由其道則廢昔楚人蛟革犀兕以為甲堅如金石宛如鉅蛇慘若蜂蠆輕利剛疾卒如飄風然兵殆於垂沙唐子死莊蹻走楚分為三四者此豈無堅甲利兵也哉所以統之非其道故也汝淮以為險江漢以為池縁之以方城限之以鄧林然秦師至於鄔郢舉若振槁然是豈無固塞限險也哉其所以統之者非其道故也紂殺比干而囚箕子為炮烙之刑殺戮無時群下愁怨皆莫兾其命然周師至令不行乎左右而豈其無嚴令繁刑也哉其所以統之者非其道故也若夫明道而均分之誠愛而時使之則下之應上如影響矣】王者博愛逺施外內合同四海各以其職來祭何擊柝而待傳【去聲】曰諸侯之有關梁庶人之有爵祿非昇平之興蓋自戰國始也

The Literati said: Relying on natural barriers is not as good as relying on righteousness. In the past Tang ruled the world from a domain of seventy li, while Jie was destroyed by hostile states despite his hundred li; this is why one is hated (wu; pronounced "wu") and the other is not. [The chapter "Tai Zu Xun" says: When the Son of Heaven holds to the Way, his defenders are the four barbarian peoples; when the Son of Heaven loses the Way, his defenders are the feudal lords. When a feudal lord holds to the Way, his defenders are his four neighbors; when a feudal lord loses the Way, his defenders are his four borders. Therefore Tang dwelt in Bo with seventy li, and King Wen dwelt in Feng with a hundred li, and both had their commands carried out and their prohibitions obeyed throughout the world. When Zhou declined, the Rong attacked Fan Bo at Chuqiu and carried him off. So one who holds to the Way can command the feudal lords from a hundred li of land, and one who loses the Way, despite the vastness of the world, fears the region of Jizhou. Therefore it is said: Do not rely on others not seizing from you; rely on your being impossible to seize from. To follow a way that can be seized from, without the conduct of a usurper or murderer, does not help one rely on the world. The chapter "Fan Lun" says: Yao had no walls of a hundred households, Shun had no land to plant an awl in, yet they held the world; Yu had not ten followers and Tang had not seven li of land, yet they became kings over the feudal lords. King Wen dwelt between Qi and Zhou, in a land of no more than a hundred li, and became Son of Heaven, for he had the kingly Way. At the height of Jie of Xia and Zhou of Yin, wherever human tracks reached and boats and carts could pass, all was commanderies and counties; yet they died at others' hands and were laughed at by the world, for they had the shape of ruin. So one who has the kingly Way, though small, will surely become great; one who has the shape of ruin, though successful, will surely fail. Lord Xiang of Zhao became hegemon with the city of Jinyang, while Zhibo was captured with the land of the three Jin; King Min was ruined with great Qi, while Tian Dan achieved merit with Jimo. So the ruin of a state, however large it be, is not something to rely on; and where the Way is practiced, however small, it is not to be slighted. Seen in this light, survival depends on holding to the Way and not on size, and ruin lies in losing the Way and not in smallness.] If passes and bridges were enough to rely on, the six states would not have been swallowed by Qin; if rivers and mountains were enough to protect, Qin would not have been destroyed by Chu and Han. Seen in this light, mighty siege engines are not enough to make one strong and high walls are not enough to make one secure; doing good brings prosperity and doing evil brings ruin. [The Han Odes Tradition says: Hard armor and sharp weapons are not enough to make one martial, high walls and deep moats are not enough to make one secure, stern orders and many punishments are not enough to make one awesome. Follow the Way and things go; do not follow the Way and things fall. In the past the men of Chu made armor of shark hide and rhinoceros hide, hard as metal and stone, supple as a great serpent, as cruel as a wasp's sting, light, sharp, firm and swift, and their soldiers moved like a whirlwind; yet their army was ruined at Chuisha, Lord Tang died, Zhuang Qiao fled, and Chu was split into three or four parts. Did they lack hard armor and sharp weapons? It was because they were not led by the Way. They took the Ru and Huai as barriers and the Yangtze and Han as moats, added the wall of Fangcheng, and bounded themselves with the forest of Deng; yet Qin's army reached Yan and Ying and took them as easily as shaking dry leaves. Did they lack solid fortresses and dangerous barriers? It was because they were not led by the Way. Zhou killed Bi Gan and imprisoned Jizi, set up the punishment of the burning pillar, and killed without regard to time; his subjects grieved and resented him and none hoped to live, and so when Zhou's army arrived, his orders were not even carried out by his own attendants. Did he lack stern orders and many punishments? It was because they were not led by the Way. But if one makes the Way clear and divides things equally, loves truly and employs people in due season, then the response of those below to those above is like a shadow or an echo.] The true king loves widely and gives far and wide, inside and outside are united, and the four seas each come with their offerings in their duty; what need is there to strike the watchman's clapper and wait? The Commentary (zhuan; read in the falling tone) says: That feudal lords have passes and bridges, and commoners have rank and salary, is not a feature of an age of peace and flourishing; it began roughly in the Warring States period.

大夫曰荊軻懐數年之謀而事不就者三尺匕【音比】首不足恃也秦王憚於不意列斷賁育介尺之利也【燕丹子曰荊軻刺秦王右手執匕首左手把其袖秦王曰乞聼琴聲而死琴女奏曲雲羅縠單衣可掣而絶三尺屏風可超而越鹿盧之劒可負而防王從其計軻不解琴故及於難】使專諸空拳不免於為禽【左傳作鱄設諸禽通作擒】要離無水不能遂其功【刺客傳曰伍子胥知公子光之慾殺呉王僚乃曰彼光將有內志未可說以外事乃進專諸於公子光光既得專諸善客待之九年而楚平王死春呉王僚欲因楚防使其二弟公子蓋餘屬庸將兵圍楚之潛使延陵季子於晉以觀諸侯之變楚發兵絶呉將蓋餘屬庸路呉兵不得還於是公子光謂專諸曰此時不可失不求何獲且光真王嗣當立季子雖來不吾廢也專諸曰王僚可殺也母老子弱而兩弟將兵伐楚楚絶其後方今呉外困於楚而內空無骨鯁之臣是無如我何公子光頓首曰光之身子之身也四月丙子光伏甲士於窟室中而具酒請王僚王僚使兵陳自宮至光之家門戸階陛左右皆王僚之親戚也夾立侍皆持長鈹酒既酣公子光為足疾入窟室中使專諸置匕首魚炙之腹中而進之既至王前專諸擘魚因以匕首刺王僚王僚立死左右亦殺專諸王人擾亂公子光出其伏甲以攻王僚之徒盡滅之遂自立為王是為闔閭乃封專諸之子以為上卿呉越春秋曰呉王欲殺王子慶忌而莫之能殺呉王患之要離曰臣能之呉王曰汝惡能乎吾嘗以六馬逐之江上矣而不能及射之矢左右滿把而不能中今汝防劒則不能舉臂上車則不能登軾汝惡能要離曰士患不勇耳奚患而不能王誠能助臣請必能呉王曰諾明旦加要離罪焉摯執妻子焚之而其灰要離走往見王子慶忌於衞王子慶忌喜曰呉王之無道也子之所見也諸侯之所知也今子得免而去之亦善矣要離與王子慶忌居有間謂王子慶忌曰呉之無道也愈甚請與王子往奪之國王子慶忌曰善乃與要離俱渉於江中江防劒以刺王子慶忌捽之投之於江浮則又取而投之如此者三其卒曰汝天下之國士也幸汝以成而名要離得不死歸於呉呉王大說請與分國要離曰不可臣請必死呉王止之要離曰夫殺妻子焚之而其灰以便事也臣以為不仁夫為故主殺新主臣以為不義夫捽而浮乎江三入三出特王子慶忌為之賜而不殺耳臣已為辱矣夫不仁不義又且已辱不可以生呉王不能止果仗劒而死要離可謂不為賞動矣故臨大利而不易其義可謂廉矣亷故不以富貴而忘其辱】世言強楚勁鄭有犀兕之甲棠谿之鋌【音挺】也內據金城外任利兵是以威行諸夏強服敵國故孟賁奮臂眾人輕之怯夫有備其氣自倍【語曰騏驥之衰也駑馬先之孟賁之倦也女子勝之】況以呉楚之士舞利劒蹶【音決】強弩以與貉虜騁【音逞】於中原一人當百不足道也夫【音扶】如此則胡無守谷谿無交兵力不支漢其勢必降此商君之走魏而孫臏之破梁也【衞鞅傳曰孝公二十二年使衞鞅將而伐魏魏使公子卬將而擊之軍既相距衞鞅遺魏將公子卬書曰吾始與公子驩今俱為兩國將不忍相攻可與公子曲相見盟樂飲而罷兵以安秦魏魏公子卬以為然防盟已飲而衞鞅伏甲士而襲虜魏公子卬因攻其軍盡破之以歸秦魏惠王兵數破於齊秦國內空日以削恐乃使使割西河之地獻於秦以和而魏遂去安邑徙都大梁孫臏傳曰宣王二年魏與趙攻韓韓告急於齊齊使田忌將而往直走大梁魏將龎涓聞之去韓而歸齊軍既已過而西矣孫子謂田忌曰彼三晉之兵素悍勇而輕齊齊號為怯善戰者因其勢而利導之兵法百里而趨利者蹶上將三十里而趨利者軍半至使齊軍入魏地為十萬灶明日為五萬灶龎涓行三日大喜曰我固知齊軍怯入吾地三日士卒亡者過半矣乃棄其歩軍與其輕銳倍日並行逐之孫子度其行暮當至馬陵馬陵道狹而旁多阻隘可伏兵乃斫大樹白而書之曰龎涓死於此樹之下於是令齊軍善射者萬弩夾道而伏期日暮見火舉而俱發龎涓果夜至斫木下見白書乃鑚火燭之讀其書未畢齊軍萬弩俱發魏軍大亂相失龎涓自知智窮兵敗乃自剄曰遂成豎子之名齊因乗勝盡破其軍虜魏太子申以歸孫臏以此名顯天下世傳其兵法】

The Grand Secretary said: Jing Ke carried a plot of several years yet failed in his task, which shows that a three-foot dagger (bi; pronounced "bi") is not enough to rely on. The King of Qin was caught unprepared and was frightened, yet he tore and severed Meng Ben and Yu, which shows that even a span-length of blade (the character for "span" in the base text is rare and was lost in transcription) can be of advantage. [The Tale of Prince Dan of Yan says: When Jing Ke tried to stab the King of Qin, he held the dagger in his right hand and gripped the king's sleeve with his left. The King of Qin said: Let me hear the music of the zither and then die. The zither girl played a tune that said: The thin silk gown can be torn off, the three-foot screen can be leaped over, the Lulu sword can be drawn from the back. The king followed the advice, and Ke did not understand the zither, and so disaster fell on him.] If Zhuan Zhu had been bare-handed, he could not have avoided being captured. [The Zuo Zhuan writes the name as Zhuan She Zhu. "Capture" (qin) is used for "seize" (qin).] And if Yao Li had not been near water, he could not have achieved his deed. [The Biographies of Assassins says: Wu Zixu knew that Prince Guang wanted to kill King Liao of Wu, and said: This Guang has inner designs; he cannot yet be persuaded with outside affairs. So he recommended Zhuan Zhu to Prince Guang. Having obtained Zhuan Zhu, Guang treated him as a good retainer. After nine years King Ping of Chu died. In spring King Liao of Wu wished to take advantage of the Chu mourning (the base text has a garbled character) and sent his two younger brothers, Princes Gaiyu and Zhuyong, to lead troops and besiege Qian in Chu, while sending Jizi of Yanling to Jin to observe the changes among the feudal lords. Chu sent troops and cut off the road of the Wu generals Gaiyu and Zhuyong, so the Wu troops could not return. Thereupon Prince Guang said to Zhuan Zhu: This opportunity must not be lost; if we do not seek, what shall we gain? Moreover I am the true heir of the kings and should be set up; even if Jizi comes, he will not depose me. Zhuan Zhu said: King Liao can be killed. His mother is old and his son is young, while his two brothers lead troops against Chu and Chu has cut off their rear. At present Wu is hard pressed by Chu outside and empty of upright ministers within, so they can do nothing to me. Prince Guang bowed his head to the ground and said: My body is your body. On the bingzi day of the fourth month, Guang hid armed men in a cellar and prepared wine to invite King Liao. King Liao had troops lined up from his palace to Guang's house, and the doors, steps and both sides were all lined with King Liao's relatives, standing in attendance, all holding long spears. When the wine was well advanced, Prince Guang pleaded a foot ailment and went into the cellar, and had Zhuan Zhu place a dagger inside a roast fish and serve it. When he came before the king, Zhuan Zhu split the fish open and stabbed King Liao with the dagger. King Liao died on the spot, and his attendants also killed Zhuan Zhu. The king's men were thrown into confusion, and Prince Guang brought out his hidden armed men and attacked King Liao's followers and wiped them all out, then set himself up as king; this was Helu. He then enfeoffed Zhuan Zhu's son as a senior minister. The Annals of Wu and Yue says: The King of Wu wished to kill Prince Qingji but no one could do it, and the King of Wu was troubled by it. Yao Li said: I can do it. The King of Wu said: How can you? I once chased him on the river with six horses and could not catch him, and shot at him with a handful of arrows on each side and could not hit him. Now you cannot even raise your arm when you draw a sword, and cannot climb up to the crossbar when you get into a chariot; how can you do it? Yao Li said: A man should worry only about lacking courage; why worry that he cannot do it? If Your Majesty will truly help me, I am sure I can. The King of Wu said: Agreed. The next morning he charged Yao Li with a crime, seized his wife and children, burned them and scattered their ashes. Yao Li fled and went to see Prince Qingji in Wei. Prince Qingji was glad and said: The lawlessness of the King of Wu is what you have seen and what all the feudal lords know. Now that you have escaped and left him, that too is good. After Yao Li had lived with Prince Qingji for a while, he said to him: The lawlessness of Wu grows worse; I beg to go with you to take the state from him. Prince Qingji said: Good. So he crossed the river with Yao Li, and in the middle of the river Yao Li drew his sword and stabbed Prince Qingji, seized him and threw him into the river; when he floated up, he took him and threw him in again, and so three times. His soldiers said: You are a leading scholar of the realm; it is fortunate that you have achieved this and made a name. Yao Li, not having died, returned to Wu. The King of Wu was greatly pleased and asked to share the state with him. Yao Li said: I cannot. I beg to die. The King of Wu tried to stop him. Yao Li said: To kill my wife and children and burn them and scatter their ashes for the sake of the task, I consider unbenevolent; to kill a new lord for the sake of my former lord, I consider unrighteous; to be seized and plunged into the river, going in and out three times, and to be spared only by the favor of Prince Qingji, I have already been shamed. Being unbenevolent and unrighteous and already shamed, I cannot live. The King of Wu could not stop him, and in the end he fell on his sword and died. Yao Li could be said to be one who was not moved by reward. So one who in the face of great profit does not alter his righteousness may be called honest; being honest, he does not forget his shame for the sake of wealth and rank.] People say that strong Chu and sturdy Zheng had rhinoceros-hide armor and the lances (ting; pronounced "ting") of Tangxi, relied on golden walls within and sharp weapons without, and so their authority ran through the Central States and their strength subdued rival states. Therefore when Meng Ben flailed his arms, people made light of him, and even a coward who is prepared finds his spirit doubled. [A common saying goes: When the fine steed grows old, a poor horse can outrun it; when Meng Ben is weary, a woman can beat him.] How much more so if men of Wu and Chu brandish sharp swords and draw strong crossbows (jue; pronounced "jue") to gallop (cheng; pronounced "cheng") over the Central Plain against the barbarian foe; one man worth a hundred would hardly be worth mentioning. As for the particle fu (pronounced "fu") at the start of a sentence: in that case the Hu would have no valleys to defend and the streams no clashes of arms; their strength could not withstand Han, and in the situation they would be bound to surrender. This is how Lord Shang drove Wei away and how Sun Bin broke Liang. [The Biography of Wei Yang says: In the twenty-second year of Duke Xiao, Wei Yang was sent as general to attack Wei, and Wei sent Prince Ang as general to resist him. When the armies were facing each other, Wei Yang sent a letter to the Wei general Prince Ang, saying: I was once on friendly terms with you; now we are both generals of two states and I cannot bear to attack you; let us meet in private, swear a covenant, drink in joy, and withdraw our troops to give peace to Qin and Wei. Prince Ang of Wei thought this right; when they met (the base text has a garbled character) for the covenant and had drunk, Wei Yang hid armed men and attacked and captured Prince Ang of Wei, and then attacked his army and broke it completely and returned to Qin. King Hui of Wei, whose troops had been broken many times by Qi and Qin, found his state empty and shrinking day by day; in fear he sent an envoy to cede the land west of the river to Qin for peace, and Wei then left Anyi and moved its capital to Daliang. The Biography of Sun Bin says: In the second year of King Xuan, Wei and Zhao attacked Han, and Han appealed to Qi in distress. Qi sent Tian Ji as general, who marched straight to Daliang. The Wei general Pang Juan heard of it, left Han and turned back. The Qi army had already passed on to the west. Master Sun said to Tian Ji: The troops of the Three Jin have always been fierce and look down on Qi, and Qi has the name of being cowardly. A good fighter takes advantage of the situation and leads it to his profit. The art of war says: One who hurries a hundred li after profit will lose his commander-in-chief; one who hurries thirty li after profit will have only half his army arrive. Let the Qi army make a hundred thousand cooking fires when it enters Wei territory, the next day fifty thousand fires. Pang Juan, after three days of marching, was delighted and said: I knew that the Qi army was cowardly; only three days in my land and more than half the soldiers have deserted. So he abandoned his infantry and with light and keen troops marched at double speed in pursuit. Master Sun calculated his progress and reckoned he would reach Maling at dusk. The road at Maling was narrow with many obstacles and steep places on the sides, where troops could be hidden. So he stripped the bark from a large tree and wrote on it: Pang Juan will die beneath this tree. Then he ordered the best archers of the Qi army, ten thousand crossbows, to lie hidden along the road on both sides, with the order to fire together when they saw a fire raised at dusk. Pang Juan did arrive at night under the stripped tree, saw the writing, and lit a fire to read it by. Before he had finished reading, the ten thousand crossbows of Qi fired together, and the Wei army fell into great confusion and lost one another. Pang Juan knew that his wits were exhausted and his army defeated, and he cut his own throat, saying: So I have made the name of that wretch. Qi, taking advantage of the victory, completely destroyed the Wei army and took Crown Prince Shen of Wei captive and returned. Sun Bin thereby became famous throughout the world, and his art of war was handed down.]

文學曰楚鄭之棠谿墨陽非不利也【蘇秦曰棠谿墨陽皆陸斷牛馬水截鵠鴈者也許慎曰二者皆利劒名或曰皆地名出美劒者也】犀防【音逐】兕甲非不堅也然而不能存者利不足恃也秦兼六國之師據崤【音餚】函【音鹹】而御宇內金石之固莫耶【古本作邪】之利也【莫邪呉王劒名干將妻之所造也干將妻曰莫邪故名其劒曰莫邪】然陳勝無士民之資兵甲之用鉏【音鋤】耰棘橿【音姜】以破沖隆武昭【音韶】不撃烏號不發【許慎曰沖臨沖也所以臨敵城沖突壤之者也隆髙也劉熈曰隆隆強也言體隆而強也樂書曰韶蕭韶也舜之樂也武大武也武王之樂也應劭曰烏號弓也楚有柘桑其材堅勁鳥峙其上及其將飛枝必撓下勁能復起巢鳥隨之鳥不得飛欲墮而號伐其枝以為弓因曰烏號之弓也張揖曰黃帝鑄鼎於荊山鼎湖得道而仙乗龍上天小臣不得上挽悉持龍髯防墮黃帝之弓百姓仰望抱弓而號故後世名其弓曰烏號也兵略曰二世皇帝勢為天子富有天下人跡所至舟檝所通莫不為郡縣然縱耳目之欲窮侈靡之變不顧百姓之飢寒窮匱也興萬乗之駕而作阿房之宮發閭左之戍牧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寜吏民不相憀戍卒陳勝興於大澤攘臂右稱為大楚而天下響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防強弩攻城略地莫不降下天下為之麋沸螘動雲徹席捲方數千裡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】所謂金城者非謂築壤而髙土鑿地而深池也所謂利兵者非謂呉越之鋌【音挺】干將之劒也【呉越春秋曰呉王闔閭請干將作劒干將者呉人其妻曰莫邪干將採五山之精六金之英天地伺隂陽百神臨視而金鐵之精未流夫妻乃剪髮及爪而投之罏中金鐵乃濡遂成二劒陽曰干將而作文隂曰莫邪而作漫理干將匿其陽出其隂以獻闔閭闔閭甚寳重之】言以道徳為城以仁義為郭莫之敢攻莫之敢入文王是也以道徳為防【音逐】以仁義為劒莫之敢當莫之敢御湯武是也今不建不可攻之城不可當之兵而欲任匹夫之役而行三尺之刃亦細矣【道應篇曰齊楚呉越皆嘗勝矣然而卒取亡焉不通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惠孟見宋康王蹀足謦欬疾言曰寡人所說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擊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擊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擊夫不敢刺不敢擊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心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耶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乗之主也誠有其志則四境之內皆得其利矣賢於孔墨也逺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揚雄曰六經之治貴於未亂兵家之勝貴於未戰】

The Literati said: The Tangxi and Moyang swords of Chu and Zheng were certainly sharp. [Su Qin said: Tangxi and Moyang swords cut oxen and horses on land and sever swans and wild geese on water. Xu Shen says: Both are names of sharp swords. Some say: Both are place names that produced fine swords.] And the rhinoceros-hide armor (the base text has an extra character after "rhinoceros," pronounced "zhu," which is either redundant or of uncertain correct form) was certainly hard. Yet they could not preserve their states; this shows that sharpness is not enough to rely on. Qin, having annexed the armies of the six states and holding Xiao and Han (xiao; pronounced "xiao"; han; pronounced "xian") to rule the whole world, had the firmness of metal and stone and the sharpness of Moye (the old text writes it "Xie"). [Moye was the name of the sword of the King of Wu, made by the wife of Ganjiang. Ganjiang's wife was called Moye, and so the sword was named Moye.] Yet Chen Sheng had no officers and people to count on and no armor and weapons to use; with hoes, cudgels and thorny sticks (chu; pronounced "chu"; jiang; pronounced "jiang") he broke the siege engines and towers; the Wu and Shao music was not played and the Wuhao bow was not drawn. [Xu Shen says: Chong means the "approaching siege-engine" (linchong), used to approach enemy city walls and batter them down. Long means "high." Liu Xi says: Long means mighty and strong, saying that its body is great and strong. The Book of Music says: Shao is the music of Xiao Shao, Shun's music; Wu is the Great Wu, the music of King Wu. Ying Shao says: Wuhao is a bow. In Chu there was a mulberry-thorn tree whose wood was hard and strong; birds perched on it, and when they were about to fly, the branch would bend down and then spring back, and the nesting birds went with it, so that they could not fly and wanted to fall, and cried out. A branch was cut to make a bow, and hence it was called the Wuhao (Crying Bird) bow. Zhang Yi says: The Yellow Emperor cast a tripod at Jinghu on Mount Jing, attained the Way and became immortal, and rose to Heaven on a dragon; his small ministers could not rise, and grasped the dragon's whiskers, pulling down (the base text has a garbled character) the Yellow Emperor's bow; the hundred clans looked up, held the bow and cried out, and therefore later ages named that bow Wuhao. The chapter "Bing Lue" says: The Second Emperor of Qin, by position Son of Heaven, who possessed the whole world, where human tracks reached and boats and oars passed all being commanderies and counties, yet gave free rein to the desires of eyes and ears, exhausted every kind of extravagance, took no thought for the hunger, cold and destitution of the hundred clans, raised the carriage of ten thousand chariots and built the Epang Palace, called up the garrison of the left side of the village gate, and took the larger part of the harvest as tax; the number of the people dragged along and punished, and of those who died hauling carts on the roads, was in a single morning unknown, in the thousands and tens of thousands. The whole world was resentful as if scorched, collapsing as if in bitter fire, those above and below had no peace, and officials and people had no reliance on one another. Chen Sheng, a garrison soldier, rose at Daze, bared his arm and cried out loudly (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription), proclaiming himself Great Chu, and the world answered him. At that time there were no stout armor or sharp weapons, no strong crossbows or mighty siege engines; they cut thorn and jujube trees for spear shafts, ground awls and chisels for blades, trimmed and shaped bamboo sticks and shouldered hoes to face long halberds and strong crossbows, and yet they attacked cities and seized territory and none did not surrender; the world boiled like a cauldron and swarmed like ants, clouds were swept away and mats rolled up over thousands of li. Their position was the lowest and their weapons very poor, yet one man led and the world answered him, because resentment had accumulated among the people.] What is called a golden wall is not a rampart of piled earth and high mounds or a deep moat cut in the ground; what is called a sharp weapon is not the lance (ting; pronounced "ting") of Wu and Yue or the sword of Ganjiang. [The Annals of Wu and Yue says: Helu, King of Wu, asked Ganjiang to make swords. Ganjiang was a man of Wu, and his wife was called Moye. Ganjiang gathered the essence of the five mountains and the finest of six metals, waited (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) on Heaven and Earth and watched for yin and yang, with the hundred spirits looking on; but the essence of the metal and iron did not flow, so husband and wife cut their hair and nails and threw them into the furnace, and the metal and iron then melted, and they at last made two swords: the yang one was called Ganjiang and bore a tortoise pattern (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription), and the yin one was called Moye and bore a wave pattern. Ganjiang hid the yang sword and brought out the yin sword to present to Helu, who treasured it greatly.] This means that one who takes virtue as his walls and benevolence and righteousness as his outer walls will find that none dares attack and none dares enter; King Wen was like this. One who takes virtue as his shield (the base text has a character glossed "zhu," of uncertain correct form) and benevolence and righteousness as his sword will find that none dares withstand him and none dares resist him; Tang and Wu were like this. Now to build no city that cannot be attacked and no army that cannot be withstood, but to want to rely on the service of common men and to wield a three-foot blade, is also petty. [The chapter "Dao Ying" says: Qi, Chu, Wu and Yue had all won victories, yet in the end they were destroyed, because they did not understand how to maintain victory. Only a ruler who has the Way can maintain victory. Confucius could lift the bar of the city gate with one hand but would not let his strength be known; Mozi defended against attack and Gongshu Ban yielded but he would not be known for arms. One who is good at maintaining victory uses strength as weakness. Therefore Laozi said: The Way is empty, yet when used it is never filled. Hui Meng went to see King Kang of Song, and the king stamped his foot, coughed and said sharply: What I like is courage and merit; I do not like benevolence and righteousness. How will the guest instruct me? Hui Meng replied: I have a way: though a man be brave, a stab does not enter him; though he be skilled and strong, a blow does not strike him. Does Your Majesty have no interest? The King of Song said: Good. This is what I wish to hear. Hui Meng said: One stabs and does not enter, strikes and does not hit; yet this is still a humiliation. I have a way by which people, though they have courage, dare not stab, and though they have strength, dare not strike. Not daring to stab or strike does not mean they have no wish to. I have a way by which people do not even have the wish. Having no wish does not mean having a heart to love and benefit. I have a way by which every man and woman under Heaven would be glad and would wish to love and benefit. This is better than courage and strength, and stands above the four forms of entanglement. Does Your Majesty have no interest? The King of Song said: This is what I wish to obtain. Hui Meng replied: Confucius and Mozi were such. Confucius and Mozi had no land yet were rulers, had no office yet were heads, and every man and woman under Heaven stretched their necks and stood on tiptoe, wishing to be made secure and benefited by them. Now Your Majesty is lord of ten thousand chariots; if you truly have the will, then everyone within the four borders will receive the benefit, which is far better than Confucius and Mozi. The King of Song had no reply. When Hui Meng had gone out, the King of Song said to his attendants: He argued well; the guest has beaten me with his talk. Therefore Laozi said: One who is brave in not daring will live. Seen in this light, great courage is in fact not courage. Yang Xiong said: The government of the Six Classics values what is before disorder, and the victory of the military experts values what is before battle.]

大夫曰荊軻提【音比】首入不測之強秦秦王惶恐失守衞者皆懼【刺客傳曰燕太子質於秦亡歸見秦且滅六國兵已臨易水恐其禍至丹患之因田光以交荊軻於是尊荊軻為上卿令秦武陽為副俱入秦刺秦王臨發太子及賔客知其事者皆白衣冠以送之至易水上既祖取道髙漸離擊築荊軻和而歌為變徵之聲士皆垂淚涕泣又前而為歌曰風蕭蕭兮易水寒壯士一去兮不復還復為羽聲慨慷士皆瞠目髪盡上沖冠於是荊軻遂就車而去終已不顧既至秦秦王聞之大喜乃朝服設九賔見燕使者咸陽宮荊卿進樊於期之頭函而秦武陽奉地圖匣以次進至陛軻取圖奉之秦王發圖圖窮而匕首見因左手把秦王之袖而右手持匕首揕之未至身秦王驚自引而起袖絶環柱而走群臣驚焉乃以手共之是時侍醫夏無且以其所奉藥囊提荊軻秦王方環柱走卒惶急不知所為左右乃曰王負劒王負劒遂防以撃荊軻斷其左股荊軻廢乃引其匕首以提秦王不中中柱秦王復擊軻軻被八創軻自知事不就倚柱而笑箕踞以罵曰事所以不成者乃欲以生刼之必得約契以報太子也】專諸手劒歴萬乗【去聲】刺呉王屍孽立正鎬冠千里【呉世家曰伍子胥之初奔呉說呉王僚以伐楚之利公子光曰胥之父兄為僇於楚欲自報其仇耳未見其利於是伍員知光有他志乃求勇士專諸見之光喜乃客伍子胥子胥退而耕於野以待專諸之事十二年冬楚平王卒十三年春呉欲因楚防而伐之使公子蓋餘燭庸以兵圍楚之六灊使季札於晉以觀諸侯之變楚發兵絶呉兵後呉兵不得還於是呉公子光曰此時不可失也告專諸曰不索何獲我真王嗣當立吾欲求之季子雖至不吾廢也專諸曰王僚可殺也母老子弱而兩公子將兵攻楚楚絶其路方今呉外困於楚而內空無骨鯁之臣是無奈我何光曰我身子之身也四月丙子光伏甲士於窟室而謁王僚飲王僚使兵陳於道自王宮至光之家門階戸席皆王僚之親也人夾持鈹公子光詳為足疾入於窟室使專諸置匕首於炙魚之中以進食手匕首刺王僚鈹交於匈遂殺王僚公子光竟代立為王是為呉王闔廬闔廬乃以專諸子為卿】聶政自衞由韓廷刺其主功成求得退自刑于朝【音潮】屍於市【韓防曰韓傀相韓嚴遂重於君二人相害也嚴遂政議直指舉韓傀之過韓傀以之叱之於朝嚴遂防劒趨之以救解於是嚴遂懼誅亡去遊求人可以報韓傀者至齊齊人或言軹深井裡聶政勇敢士也避仇隠於屠者之間嚴遂隂交於聶政以意厚之聶政問之曰子欲安用我乎嚴遂曰吾得為役之日淺事今薄奚敢有請於是嚴遂乃具酒自觴聶政母前仲子奉黃金百鎰前為聶政母夀聶政驚愈恠其厚固謝嚴仲子仲子固進而聶政謝曰臣有老母家貧客遊以為狗屠可旦夕得甘脆以養親親供養備義不敢當仲子之賜嚴仲子闢人因為聶政語曰臣有仇而行遊諸侯眾矣然至齊聞足下義甚髙故直進百金者特以大人麤糲之費以交足下之讙豈敢以有求邪聶政曰臣所以降志辱身居市井屠者幸以養老母老母在前政身未敢以許人也嚴仲子固讓聶政竟不肯受然仲子卒備賔主之禮而去乆之聶政母死既葬除服聶政曰嗟乎政乃市井之人鼓刀以屠而嚴仲子乃諸侯之卿相也不逺千里枉車騎而交臣臣之所以待之者至淺矣未有大功可以稱者而嚴仲子舉百金為親壽我義不受然是深知政也夫賢者以感忿睚眥之意而親信窮僻之人而政獨安可嘿然而止乎且前日要政政徒以老母老母今以天年終政將為知己者用遂西至濮陽見嚴仲子曰前日所以不許仲子者徒以親在今親不幸而死仲子所欲報仇者請得從事焉嚴仲子具告曰臣之仇韓相韓傀傀又韓君之季父也宗族盛多居處兵衞甚設臣使人刺之終莫能就今足下幸而不棄請益具車騎壯士以為羽翼政曰韓與衞相去中間不逺今殺人之相相乂國君之親此其勢不可以多人多人不能無生得失生得失則語洩語洩則韓舉國而與仲子為讐也豈不殆哉遂謝車騎人徒辭獨行仗劒至韓韓適有東孟之防韓王及相皆在焉持兵防而衛侍者甚眾聶政直入階刺殺韓傀韓傀走而就列侯聶政刺之兼中列侯左右大亂聶政大呼所擊殺者數十人因自麵皮抉眼屠腸遂以死韓取聶政屍暴於市縣購之千金乆之莫知誰政姊嫈聞之曰吾弟至賢不可愛妾之軀滅吾弟之名非弟意也乃之韓視之曰勇哉氣矜之隆是其軼賁育髙成荊矣今死而無名父母既歿矣兄弟無有此為我故也夫愛身不揚弟之名吾不忍也乃抱屍而哭之曰此吾弟軹深井裡聶政也亦自殺於屍下晉楚齊衞聞之曰非獨聶政之能乃其姊者列女也聶政之所以名施於後世者其姊不避葅酢之誅以揚其名也唐睢曰専諸之刺王僚也彗星襲月聶政之刺韓傀也白虹貫日要離之刺慶忌也倉鷹擊於殿上此三子皆布衣之士也懐怒未發休防降於天呂氏春秋曰豫讓必死於襄子而趙氏皆恐成荊致死於韓王而周人皆畏】今誠得勇士乗強漢之威凌無義之匈奴制其死命責以其過若曹劌【音貴】之負齊桓公遂其求【雜事篇曰昔者齊桓公與魯莊公為柯之盟魯大夫曹劌謂莊公曰齊之侵魯至於城下城壞壓境君不圖與莊公曰嘻寡人之生不若死曹劌曰然則君請當其君臣請當其臣及防兩君就壇兩相相揖曹劌手劍防刃而進廹桓公於壇上曰城壞壓境君不圖與管仲曰然則君何求曹劌曰願請汶陽田管仲謂桓公曰君其許之桓公許之曹劌請盟桓公遂與之盟已盟標劒而去左右曰要盟可倍曹劌可讐請倍盟而討曹劌管仲曰要盟可負而君不負曹劌可讐而君不讐著君天下矣遂不倍天下諸侯翕然而歸之為鄄之防幽之盟諸侯莫不至焉為陽穀之防貫澤之盟逺國皆來南伐強楚以致菁茅之貢北伐山戎為燕開路三存亡國一繼絶世尊事周室九合諸侯一匡天下功次三王為五伯長本信起乎柯之盟也】推鋒拊【音府】銳穹廬擾亂上下相遁因以輕銳隨其後匈奴必交臂不敢格也

The Grand Secretary said: Jing Ke, carrying a dagger (the original gives the pronunciation 'bi'; the character in the original is a rare one), entered mighty Qin where the outcome could not be foreseen, and the King of Qin was terrified and the guards who had lost their posts were all afraid [the 'Biographies of Assassins' says: The Crown Prince of Yan was a hostage in Qin, fled back, and seeing that Qin was about to destroy the six states and its army was already at the Yi River, feared that disaster would arrive. Dan was worried and, through Tian Guang, befriended Jing Ke, then honored Jing Ke as a senior minister, made Qin Wuyang his deputy, and together they entered Qin to stab the King of Qin. As they set out, the Crown Prince and the guests who knew the matter all wore white robes and caps to see him off, as far as the Yi River. After the rite of departure, Gao Jianli struck the zhu zither and Jing Ke sang along in the bian zhi tone, and the gentlemen all shed tears and wept. He went forward again and sang: The wind sighs, the Yi River is cold; the brave man once gone will not return. Again in the yu tone with strong feeling, the gentlemen all stared, and their hair stood up and pushed against their caps. Then Jing Ke got into the carriage and left, and in the end did not look back. When he arrived in Qin, the King of Qin heard of it with great delight, put on court dress, set out the nine ceremonial guests, and received the envoys of Yan in the Xianyang Palace. Master Jing presented the box with the head of Fan Yuqi, and Qin Wuyang carried the map case and advanced in order. At the steps, Ke took the map and presented it, the King of Qin unrolled the map, and when the map reached its end the dagger appeared; with his left hand he seized the King of Qin's sleeve and with his right hand held the dagger and thrust at him, but it did not reach his body. The King of Qin was startled, pulled himself up, tore his sleeve, and ran around the pillar. The ministers were alarmed and struck him together with bare hands (the character here in the original was lost in transcription). At this time the attending physician Xia Wuju used the medicine bag he carried to throw at Jing Ke. The King of Qin was running around the pillar, in sudden panic not knowing what to do. His attendants said: Your Majesty, carry your sword on your back! Carry your sword on your back! He then drew (the original reads 'fang') it and struck Jing Ke, cutting off his left leg. Jing Ke was crippled, and then threw his dagger at the King of Qin, but missed and hit the pillar. The King of Qin struck Ke again, and Ke received eight wounds. Ke knew the matter would not succeed, leaned against the pillar and laughed, sat sprawling and cursed: The reason it did not succeed is that I wanted to take him alive and force him to make a treaty to repay the Crown Prince.]. Zhuan Zhu, sword in hand, passed through (the original gives the falling tone for 'cheng') a state of ten thousand chariots to stab the King of Wu; the corpse stood upright and the pure white cap was felt a thousand li away [the 'Hereditary House of Wu' says: When Wu Zixu first fled to Wu, he persuaded King Liao of Wu of the benefit of attacking Chu. Prince Guang said: Xu's father and brother were killed in Chu, and he only wants to avenge himself, I do not see the benefit. Then Wu Yuan knew that Guang had another ambition, and sought out the brave man Zhuan Zhu and presented him. Guang was glad and took Wu Zixu as a guest. Zixu withdrew and plowed in the fields, waiting for the affair of Zhuan Zhu. In the winter of the twelfth year, King Ping of Chu died. In the spring of the thirteenth year Wu wanted to attack Chu because of the mourning in Chu (the original reads 'chu fang'), and sent Princes Gai Yu and Zhu Yong with troops to besiege Liu and Qian in Chu, and sent Ji Zha to Jin to observe the changes among the feudal lords. Chu sent troops to cut off Wu's army from behind, and Wu's army could not return. Then Prince Guang of Wu said: This moment must not be lost. He told Zhuan Zhu: If I do not seek, what shall I gain? I am truly the rightful heir and should be set up, and I wish to seek it. Even if Ji Zi arrives he will not depose me. Zhuan Zhu said: King Liao can be killed. His mother is old and his son is weak, and two princes are leading troops to attack Chu and Chu has cut off their road. Now Wu is pressed by Chu outside and empty of upright ministers inside, so they can do nothing to us. Guang said: My body is your body. On the bingzi day of the fourth month, Guang hid armed men in a cellar chamber and invited King Liao to drink. King Liao had troops lined along the road from the royal palace to Guang's house, and the gates, steps, doors and mats were all attended by King Liao's kin, with people holding long spears on both sides. Prince Guang feigned a foot ailment and entered the cellar chamber, and had Zhuan Zhu place a dagger inside a roasted fish and serve it, and with the dagger in hand stabbed King Liao, and the spears crossed in his chest, and he killed King Liao. Prince Guang in the end took the throne as king, and was King Helu of Wu. Helu then made Zhuan Zhu's son a minister.]. Nie Zheng went from Wei and stabbed his lord in the court of Han, and after succeeding in what he sought, withdrew and mutilated himself in the court (the original gives the pronunciation 'chao'), and his corpse was exposed (the character here in the original was lost in transcription) in the market [the 'Strategies of Han' (the original reads 'Han fang') says: Han Kui was prime minister of Han, and Yan Sui was valued by the ruler, and the two harmed each other. Yan Sui argued straightforwardly and pointed out Han Kui's faults, and Han Kui rebuked him in court. Yan Sui drew his sword (the original reads 'fang jian') and rushed at him, and was restrained. Then Yan Sui feared execution and fled, traveling to seek someone who could take revenge on Han Kui. Arriving in Qi, someone in Qi said that Nie Zheng of Shenjing Lane in Zhi was a brave man who had avoided an enemy and lived hidden among butchers. Yan Sui secretly befriended Nie Zheng and treated him generously. Nie Zheng asked: What do you want to use me for? Yan Sui said: I have been your servant only a short time, and my affairs now are small; how would I dare to ask for anything? Then Yan Sui prepared wine and toasted Nie Zheng's mother in person, and Zhongzi presented a hundred yi of gold before Nie Zheng's mother as a birthday gift. Nie Zheng was startled and found the generosity all the stranger and firmly declined Yan Zhongzi. Zhongzi insisted, and Nie Zheng declined, saying: I have an old mother, my family is poor, and as a guest traveler I have taken work as a dog butcher, so that morning and evening I can get sweet and crisp food to nourish my parent. My parent's provisions are complete, and in righteousness I dare not accept Zhongzi's gift. Yan Zhongzi sent others away and told Nie Zheng: I have an enemy and have traveled among many feudal lords, but arriving in Qi I heard that your righteousness is very high, so I offer a hundred in gold directly only as the cost of coarse food for your mother in order to make your acquaintance; how would I dare to be asking something? Nie Zheng said: The reason I lowered my aim and humbled myself to live as a butcher in the market was that by good fortune I could nourish my old mother. My mother is before me, and I dare not yet promise myself to anyone. Yan Zhongzi pressed him, but Nie Zheng in the end would not accept. Yet Zhongzi completed the rites of host and guest and left. After a long time Nie Zheng's mother died, and after burial he took off the mourning. Nie Zheng said: Alas! I am just a man of the market who wields a knife to butcher, and Yan Zhongzi is a minister of a feudal lord who traveled a thousand li in a carriage to befriend me. What I gave him in return was very slight, and I have no great achievement to mention, yet Yan Zhongzi lifted a hundred in gold for my mother's birthday; though I declined in righteousness, he truly understood me. A worthy man, out of indignation and resentment, befriended and trusted an obscure man, and how can I alone remain silent and stop? And when he asked me before, it was only because of my old mother. My mother has now ended her natural years, and I will be used by one who knows me. So he went west to Puyang and saw Yan Zhongzi, saying: The reason I did not agree to Zhongzi before was only that my parent was alive. Now my parent has unfortunately died, and as for the enemy you wish to take revenge on, please let me undertake it. Yan Zhongzi told him everything: My enemy is Han Kui, prime minister of Han, and Kui is also the youngest uncle of the ruler of Han, his clan is large and numerous, and his residence is heavily guarded. I sent men to stab him and in the end none could do it. Now that you, fortunately, do not abandon me, I ask to add carriages and strong men to serve as your wings. Nie Zheng said: Han and Wei are not far apart. Now to kill the prime minister of a state, who is also kin to the ruler, in this situation one cannot use many people. With many people there will inevitably be success and failure, and with success and failure words will leak out, and if words leak out the whole state of Han will become an enemy of Zhongzi; would that not be dangerous? So he declined the carriages and men, took leave and went alone, carrying his sword to Han. Han happened to be holding the assembly at Dongmeng (the original reads 'Dongmeng fang'), and the King of Han and his prime minister were both there, with a great many guards holding weapons and halberds (the original reads 'bing fang'). Nie Zheng went straight up the steps and stabbed Han Kui to death. Han Kui ran and clung to the Marquis Lie, and Nie Zheng stabbed him and hit Marquis Lie as well. His attendants were in great disorder, and Nie Zheng shouted loudly, killed several dozen with his blows, then peeled off his own face, gouged out his eyes and disemboweled himself, and died. Han took Nie Zheng's corpse and exposed it in the market, offering a reward of a thousand in gold, but for a long time no one knew who he was. Nie Zheng's elder sister Ying heard of it and said: My brother was extremely worthy; I must not value my own body and extinguish my brother's name, which is not my brother's wish. So she went to Han and looked, and said: How brave, how great his spirit and pride, he surpassed Meng Ben and Xia Yu and exceeded Gao and Cheng Jing. Now he has died without a name, my parents are dead, I have no other brothers, and this was for my sake. To value my body and not make my brother's name known I cannot bear. Then she embraced the corpse and wept, saying: This is my brother Nie Zheng of Shenjing Lane in Zhi. She also killed herself beneath the corpse. When Jin, Chu, Qi and Wei heard of it, they said: It was not only Nie Zheng who was capable, his sister too was a woman of renown. The reason Nie Zheng's name spread to later ages is that his sister did not avoid the punishment of being minced in order to make his name known. Tang Ju says: When Zhuan Zhu stabbed King Liao, a comet attacked the moon; when Nie Zheng stabbed Han Kui, a white rainbow pierced the sun; when Yao Li stabbed Qing Ji, a hawk struck on the palace hall. These three were all men of plain cloth, whose anger held but not yet released brought down omens from heaven. The Lüshi Chunqiu says: Yu Rang was determined to die for Xiangzi and the Zhao clan were all afraid; Cheng Jing gave his life for the King of Han and the people of Zhou were all in fear.]. Now if we can truly get brave men, riding the might of mighty Han, and overpower the unrighteous Xiongnu, control their lives and rebuke them for their faults, like Cao Gui (the original gives the pronunciation 'gui') who turned upon Duke Huan of Qi and got what he sought [the chapter 'Miscellaneous Affairs' says: In the past Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Zhuang of Lu made a covenant at Ke. The great officer Cao Gui of Lu said to Duke Zhuang: Qi's invasion of Lu has reached the city walls, and the walls are crushed against the border; will you not plan? Duke Zhuang said: Ah, to live is no better than to die for me. Cao Gui said: Then let Your Lordship face their ruler and I will face their minister. When the two rulers were at the altar at the meeting (the original reads 'fang'), the two ministers bowed to each other, and Cao Gui, sword in hand pressing on the blade (the original reads 'fang ren'), advanced and pressed Duke Huan at the altar, saying: The walls are crushed against the border; will you not plan? Guan Zhong said: Then what does Your Lordship seek? Cao Gui said: I ask for the fields of Wenyang. Guan Zhong said to Duke Huan: Your Lordship should grant it. Duke Huan granted it. Cao Gui asked for a covenant and Duke Huan made a covenant with him. After the covenant, he threw down his sword and left. The attendants said: A coerced covenant can be broken and Cao Gui can be treated as an enemy; let us break the covenant and punish Cao Gui. Guan Zhong said: A coerced covenant can be broken but Your Lordship does not break it, Cao Gui can be treated as an enemy but Your Lordship does not treat him as one, so good faith is shown to the world. So he did not break it. The feudal lords of the world gathered to him in unison, and at the Juan assembly (the original reads 'Juan fang') and the You covenant, none of the feudal lords failed to come; at the Yanggu assembly (the original reads 'Yanggu fang') and the Guanze covenant, distant states all came. In the south he attacked mighty Chu and obtained the tribute of green rushes, in the north he attacked the Shanrong to open the road for Yan, three times he preserved ruined states, once he continued a broken line, served the Zhou house with honor, assembled the feudal lords nine times and set the world right once, his achievement ranked next to the Three Kings and he was chief of the Five Hegemons. The basis was good faith, which arose at the covenant of Ke.]. Pushing the sharp edge and striking (the original gives the pronunciation 'fu') the keen blade, the felt tents will be thrown into disorder, high and low will flee, and then with light and keen troops following behind, the Xiongnu will surely fold their arms and not dare to resist.

文學曰湯得伊尹以區區之亳【音薄】兼臣海內文王得太公廓鄷鄗以為天下齊桓公得管仲戚以伯【音霸】諸侯秦穆公得百里奚由余西戎八國服【姚賈説秦王曰太公望齊之逐夫朝歌之廢屠子良之逐臣棘津之售不庸文王用之而王管仲其鄙人之賈人也南陽之敝幽魯之免囚桓公用之而霸百里奚虞之乞人傳賣以五羊之皮穆公相之而朝西戎孔子曰賢不肖者材也遇不遇者時也今無有時賢安所用哉伊尹故有莘氏僮也負鼎操爼調五味而立為相其遇湯也呂望行年五十賣食棘津年七十屠於朝歌九十乃為天子師則遇文王也管夷吾束縛自檻車以為仲父則遇齊桓公也百里奚自賣五羊之皮為秦伯牧羊舉為大夫則遇秦繆公也冉有曰夫百里奚齊之乞者也逐於齊西無以進自賣五羊皮為一軛車見秦穆公立為相遂霸西戎太公望少為人壻老而見去屠牛朝歌賃於棘津釣於磻溪文王舉而用之封於齊管仲親射桓公遂除報讐之心立以為相存亡繼絶九合諸侯一匡天下鄒子説梁王曰伊尹故有莘氏之媵臣也湯立以三公天下之治太平太公望故老婦之出夫也朝歌之屠佐也棘津迎客之舍人也年七十而相周九十而封齊管仲故成隂之狗盜也天下之庸夫也齊桓公得之為仲父百里奚道之於路傳賣五羊之皮秦穆公委之以政戚故將車人也叩轅行歌於康之衢桓公任以國故詩曰緜緜之葛在於曠野良工得之以為絺紵良工不得枯死於野此七士者不遇明君聖主防行乞丐枯死於中野譬猶緜緜之葛矣李康曰伊尹有莘氏之媵臣也而阿衡於商太公渭濵之賤老也而尚父於周呂氏春秋曰百里奚處乎虞而虞亡處乎秦而秦霸百里奚之處乎虞知非遇也其處於秦非加益也秦紀曰戎王使由余於秦秦後歸由余繆公又使人間要由余遂去降秦繆公以客禮禮之秦用由余謀伐戎王益國十二開地千里遂霸西戎尊賢篇曰國不務大而務得民心佐不務多而務得賢俊得民心者民往之有賢佐者士歸之語曰得十良馬不若得一伯樂得十良劒不若得一歐冶得地千里不若得一聖人】聞得賢聖而蠻貊來享未聞刼殺人主以懐逺也【周書曰惟克商遂通道於九夷八蠻西旅底貢厥獒大保乃作旅獒用訓於王曰嗚呼明王慎徳四夷鹹賔無有逺邇畢獻方物】詩云惠此中國以綏四方故自彼氏羌莫敢不來王非畏其威畏其徳也故義之服無義疾於原馬良弓徳之召逺疾於馳傳【去聲】重驛【孔子曰徳之流行速於置郵而傳命】

The Literati said: Tang obtained Yi Yin and with the tiny state of Bo (the original gives the pronunciation 'bo') annexed and subjugated all within the seas; King Wen obtained Taigong and extended Feng and Hao to make the world; Duke Huan of Qi obtained Guan Zhong and Ning Qi (the character here in the original was lost in transcription) and became hegemon (the original gives the pronunciation 'ba' for 'bo') over the feudal lords; Duke Mu of Qin obtained Baili Xi and You Yu and the eight Western Rong states submitted [Yao Jia persuaded the King of Qin: Taigong Wang was a husband driven out of Qi, a discarded butcher of Zhaoge, a banished minister of Ziliang, and an unemployable peddler of Jijin; King Wen used him and became king. Guan Zhong was a merchant from the borders, a worn-out obscure man of Nanyang, a released prisoner of Lu; Duke Huan used him and became hegemon. Baili Xi was a beggar of Yu, sold for the skins of five rams, and Duke Mu made him prime minister and made the Western Rong come to court. Confucius said: Worthiness and unworthiness are a matter of talent, meeting or not meeting is a matter of time. If there is no time, how can the worthy be used? Yi Yin was originally a boy of the Youshen clan, carrying the cauldron and holding the chopping board to blend the five flavors and was then set up as prime minister, because he met Tang. Lu Wang at fifty sold food at Jijin, at seventy butchered at Zhaoge, and at ninety became teacher of the Son of Heaven, because he met King Wen. Guan Yiwu was bound in a prisoner cart and became Uncle Zhong, because he met Duke Huan of Qi. Baili Xi sold himself for the skins of five rams and herded sheep for the Earl of Qin, and was raised to be a great officer, because he met Duke Mu of Qin. Ran You said: Baili Xi was a beggar of Qi, driven out of Qi, with no way to advance in the west, and sold himself for the skins of five rams in a one-yoked cart, saw Duke Mu of Qin, was set up as prime minister, and so became hegemon of the Western Rong. Taigong Wang as a youth was a son-in-law, in old age he was sent away, butchered oxen at Zhaoge, was hired at Jijin, fished at Panxi, and King Wen raised him and used him and enfeoffed him in Qi. Guan Zhong personally shot Duke Huan, and Duke Huan dismissed his thoughts of revenge and set him up as prime minister, preserved the perished, continued the broken lines, assembled the feudal lords nine times and set the world right once. Master Zou persuaded the King of Liang: Yi Yin was originally an attendant of the Youshen clan, and Tang set him up as one of the three dukes and the world was well ordered and at peace. Taigong Wang was originally an old woman's divorced husband, a butcher's assistant at Zhaoge, and a guest-house attendant at Jijin, and at seventy served as prime minister of Zhou and at ninety was enfeoffed in Qi. Guan Zhong was originally a dog thief of Chengyin and a hireling of the world, and Duke Huan of Qi obtained him and made him Uncle Zhong. Baili Xi taught on the road, sold for the skins of five rams, and Duke Mu of Qin entrusted the government to him. Ning Qi was originally a cart driver who sang while tapping the shaft on the road of Kang, and Duke Huan entrusted the state to him. So the Poetry says: 'The long creeping kudzu, in the wide wilds. A good craftsman obtains it and makes fine and coarse cloth; if a good craftsman does not, it withers in the wilds.' If these seven scholars had not met enlightened rulers and sage lords, they would have gone begging and withered in the middle of the wilds, like the long creeping kudzu. Li Kang says: Yi Yin was an attendant of the Youshen clan and was Aheng in Shang; Taigong was a lowly old man on the Wei bank and was Shangfu in Zhou. The Lüshi Chunqiu says: Baili Xi lived in Yu and Yu perished, lived in Qin and Qin became hegemon; Baili Xi when living in Yu was not unwise, and when in Qin was not improved. The Annals of Qin says: The King of the Rong sent You Yu to Qin, and Qin later sent You Yu back, and Duke Mu again had people secretly invite You Yu, and he left and surrendered to Qin. Duke Mu treated him with the rites of a guest. Qin used You Yu's plan to attack the King of the Rong, adding twelve states and opening a thousand li of land, and thereby became hegemon of the Western Rong. The chapter 'Honoring the Worthy' says: A state should not strive to be large but strive to win the people's hearts; assistants should not strive to be many but strive to obtain the worthy and outstanding. One who wins the people's hearts, the people go to him; one who has worthy assistants, scholars turn to him. A common saying says: To get ten good horses is not as good as to get one Bo Le, to get ten good swords is not as good as to get one Ou Ye, to get a thousand li of land is not as good as to get one sage.]. We have only heard that by obtaining sages and worthies the barbarians come to pay tribute, and have never heard of assassinating a ruler to soothe the distant [the Book of Zhou says: When Shang was overcome, the roads were opened to the nine Yi and eight Man. The western Lu offered their great mastiff as tribute, and the Grand Guardian wrote the 'Lu Ao' to instruct the king, saying: Alas, a clear-sighted king is careful in virtue, and the four barbarians all come as guests, with none far or near who does not present local products.]. The Poetry says: 'Be kind to this Middle Kingdom, to bring peace to the four quarters.' So 'from those Di and Qiang, none dared not to come to the king,' not out of fear of his might but fear of his virtue. So righteousness subduing the unrighteous is swifter than a fine horse and a strong bow; virtue drawing the distant is swifter than galloping posts (the original gives the falling tone for 'chuan') and relays [Confucius said: The flow of virtue is swifter than posting and relaying orders.].

大夫曰匈奴無城郭之守溝池之固修防強弩之用倉廩府庫之積上無義法下無文理君臣嫚【音慢】易上下無禮織栁為室旃【音氊】廗【音帶】為葢素弧【音胡】骨鏃馬不粟食內則備不足畏外則禮不足稱夫【音扶】中國天下腹心賢士之所總禮義之所集財用之所殖也【殖生長也】夫【音扶】以知【去聲】謀愚以義伐不義若因秋霜而振落葉春秋曰桓公之與戎狐驅之爾況以天下之力乎【春秋曰齊人伐山戎公羊傳曰此齊侯也其稱人何貶也曷為貶子司馬子曰葢以操之為已蹙矣此葢戰也何以不言戰春秋敵者言戰桓公之與戎狄驅之耳江統曰周室失統諸侯専徵以大兼小轉相殘滅封疆不固而利害異心戎狄乘間得入中國或招誘安撫以為巳用故巾繒之禍顛覆宗周襄公要秦遽興姜戎當春秋時義渠大荔居秦晉之域陸渾隂戎處伊洛之間鄋瞞之屬害及濟東侵入齊宋陵虐邢衞南夷與北戎交侵中國不絶如線齊桓攘之存亡繼絶北伐山戎以開燕路故仲尼稱管仲之力嘉左袵之功】

The Grand Secretary said: The Xiongnu have no city walls to defend and no moats to rely on, no use of long halberds (the original reads 'xiu fang') and strong crossbows, no stores of granaries and treasuries; above there are no righteous laws and below no patterns and principles, ruler and minister are disrespectful (the original gives the pronunciation 'man'), and high and low have no ritual. They weave willow for houses, use felt (the original gives the pronunciation 'zhan') mats (the original gives the pronunciation 'dai') for canopies, plain bows (the original gives the pronunciation 'hu') with bone arrowheads, and their horses are not fed grain. Within, their preparations are not worth fearing, and without, their ritual is not worth praising. 'Fu' at the start of the sentence (the original gives the pronunciation 'fu'): The Central States are the heart of the world, where worthy scholars gather, ritual and righteousness are concentrated, and wealth and goods are multiplied [multiply means to grow]. 'Fu' at the start of the sentence (the original gives the pronunciation 'fu'): To use wisdom (the original gives the falling tone for 'zhi') against folly, and to attack the unrighteous with righteousness, is like shaking down fallen leaves with autumn frost. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: Duke Huan's dealings with the Rong and Di were only driving them off. How much more with the strength of the whole world [the Spring and Autumn Annals says: The men of Qi attacked the Shanrong. The Gongyang commentary says: This was the Marquis of Qi; why does it say 'men'? It is a demotion. Why a demotion? Master Sima said: Probably because the handling was already pressed. This was a battle, so why does it not say battle? The Annals says 'battle' for equal opponents. Duke Huan's dealings with the Rong and Di were only driving them off. Jiang Tong says: When the Zhou house lost its unity, the feudal lords campaigned on their own, the large annexed the small and took turns destroying one another, the borders were not secure and interests and loyalties differed, so the Rong and Di took advantage of gaps to enter the Central States, or were lured and soothed to be used for themselves. So the disaster of Shen and Zeng (the original reads 'jin Zeng') overturned the Zhou house, and Duke Xiang's pact with Qin suddenly raised the Jiang Rong. In the Spring and Autumn period, the Yiqu and Dali dwelt in the lands of Qin and Jin, the Luhun and Yin Rong lived between the Yi and Luo, and the Soumen and others harmed lands east of the Ji, invaded Qi and Song, and oppressed Xing and Wei, the southern Yi and northern Rong invaded together, and the Central States hung on by a thread. Duke Huan of Qi drove them out, preserved the perished and continued the broken lines, and attacked the Shanrong in the north to open the road to Yan. So Zhongni praised Guan Zhong's strength and approved his achievement against those with left-fastened robes.].

文學曰匈奴車器無銀黃絲漆之飾素成而務堅絲無文采裙褘【音揮】曲襟之制都成而務完男無刻鏤竒巧之事宮室城郭之功女無綺繡淫巧之貢纎綺羅紈【音丸】之作事省而致用易成而難雖無修防強弩戎馬良弓家有其備人有其用一旦有急貫【音官】弓上馬而已【貫穿也又聨續也】資糧不見【音現】案首而支數十日之食因山谷為城郭因水草為倉廩法約而易辦求寡而易供是以刑省而不犯指麾而令從嫚【音慢】於禮而防於信略於文而敏於事故雖無禮義之書刻骨卷衣百官有以相記而君臣上下有以相使【匈奴傳曰匈奴居於北邊隨畜牧而轉移逐水草遷徙毋城郭常處耕田之業然亦各有分地毋文書以言語為約束】群臣為縣官計者皆言其易而實難是以秦欲驅之而反更亡也【嚴尤曰匈奴為害所從來久矣未聞上世有必徵之者也後世三家周秦漢徵之然皆未有得上防者也周得中策漢得下防秦無防焉秦始皇不忍小忿而輕民力築長城之固延袤萬里轉輸之行起於負海疆境既完中國內竭以喪社稷是為無策】故兵者兇器不可輕用也其以強為弱以存為亡一朝爾也【劉安曰兵者凶事一方有急四而皆從恐變故之生奸邪之作由此始也周易曰髙宗伐方三年而克之方小蠻夷髙宗殷之盛天子也以盛天子伐小蠻夷三年而後克言用兵之不可不重也主父偃曰怒者逆徳也兵者兇器也爭者末節也古之人君一怒必伏屍流血故聖王重行之夫務戰勝窮武事者未有不悔者也鼂錯曰兵兇器戰危事也以大為小以彊為弱在俛仰之間耳】

The Literati said: The Xiongnu have no ornaments of silver, gold, silk or lacquer on their chariots and implements; plain made and devoted to strength; their silk has no patterned decoration, no skirts or robes (the original gives the pronunciation 'hui') with curved lapels, all made and devoted to being complete. Their men have no work of carving and rare skill, no labor of palaces and city walls, and their women have no tribute of embroidered silks and licentious skill, no works of fine damask, gauze and plain silk (the original gives the pronunciation 'wan'). Affairs are simple and bring use, easy to make and hard to wear out (the character here in the original was lost in transcription). Though they do not have long halberds (the original reads 'xiu fang') and strong crossbows, war horses and fine bows, every household has its preparations and every person his use, and when an emergency suddenly comes, they just string (the original gives the pronunciation 'guan') the bow and mount the horse [string means to pierce, and also to connect]. Their provisions are not seen (the original gives the pronunciation 'xian') on the table and yet they supply food for dozens of days; they use mountains and valleys as city walls and water and grass as granaries; the law is concise and easy to do, the demands are few and easy to supply. So punishments are few and not violated, a signal commands and orders are followed, they are casual (the original gives the pronunciation 'man') about ritual but generous (the original reads 'fang') about good faith, brief in ornament but quick in affairs. So though they have no books of ritual and righteousness, carving bones and rolling clothes serves for the hundred officials to keep records, and ruler and subject, high and low, have the means to command each other [the 'Account of the Xiongnu' says: The Xiongnu live in the northern borders and move with their livestock, migrating after water and grass, without city walls or a settled home or the work of farming, yet each has an allotted ground; they have no written documents and use spoken words as bonds.]. The ministers who plan for the government all say it is easy but in fact it is hard, so Qin wanted to drive them off but instead perished the more [Yan You says: The harm from the Xiongnu has been going on a long time, and I have not heard of any earlier age having a certain plan of campaign. In later ages three houses, Zhou, Qin and Han, campaigned against them, but none got the best plan (the original reads 'shang fang'). Zhou got the middle plan, Han got the lower plan (the original reads 'xia fang'), and Qin had no plan (the original reads 'wu fang'). The First Emperor of Qin could not bear a small resentment and lightly used the people's strength, built the firm Great Wall stretching ten thousand li, and the transport line began at the sea; when the borders were complete, the Central States were drained within and lost their altars; this is having no plan.]. So weapons are tools of ill omen, not to be used lightly. To turn strength into weakness and survival into ruin takes only a single morning [Liu An says: War is an ill-omened affair; when one place is in emergency, all four sides follow, and I fear the rise of upheavals and the work of treacherous and wicked people began from this. The Book of Changes says: Gaozong attacked the Guifang (the character here in the original was lost in transcription) and conquered it only after three years. The Guifang was a small barbarian people, and Gaozong was a flourishing Son of Heaven of Yin. For a flourishing Son of Heaven to attack a small barbarian people and conquer them only after three years means that the use of troops must not be taken lightly. Zhufu Yan says: Anger is contrary to virtue, weapons are tools of ill omen, and strife is a trivial end. When an ancient ruler was angry, corpses were bound to lie and blood to flow, so sage kings were careful in acting. Those who strive to win battles and exhaust military affairs have never failed to regret it. Chao Cuo says: Weapons are tools of ill omen, and war is a dangerous matter. To turn the great into the small and the strong into the weak takes only a moment.].

大夫曰魯連有言秦權使其士虜使其民【司馬貞曰秦人以權詐使其戰士以奴虜使其人民言無恩以恤下也】故政急而不長髙皇帝受命平暴亂功徳巍巍惟天同大焉而文景承緒潤色之及先帝徵不義攘無徳以昭仁聖之路純至徳之基聖王累年仁義之積也今文學引亡國失政之治而況之於今其謂匈奴難圖宜矣【驃騎將軍霍去病徵匈奴立克勝之功吾丘夀王作士大夫之論稱武帝之徳曰士或問於大夫曰側聞強秦之用兵也南不逾五嶺北不渡大河海內愁怨以喪其國漢興六十餘載矣命將帥以抗憤用干戈於四荒南排朱崖北建朔方東越滄海西極河源拓地萬里海內晏然鄙人不識敢問其蹤大夫曰昔秦之得天下也以力而不以徳以詐而不以誠內用商鞅李斯之謀外用白起王翦之兵窺間伺隙既並海內之後以威力為至道以權詐為要術遂非唐笑虞絶滅舊章防禁文學行是古之戮嚴誹謗之誅十餘年遂滂沲而盈溢是故皇天疾滅更命大漢反秦政務在敦厚至今六世可謂富安天子文明四夷向風徒觀朝廷下僚門戶之士謀如湧泉動如駭機皆能安中國吞四夷君臣若茲何慮而不成何徵而不尅雖防泰山填滄海可也】

The Grand Secretary said: Lu Lian once remarked that Qin used its soldiers by means of trickery and drove its people like captives [Sima Zhen: the men of Qin used trickery to employ their fighting men and treated their people as slaves and prisoners, which means they had no kindness with which to care for those below]. That is why its government was harsh and did not last. Emperor Gao received the Mandate to put down violence and disorder; his merit and virtue were towering, as great as Heaven itself, and Emperors Wen and Jing inherited his work and refined it. Then the late emperor punished the unrighteous and drove back the lawless, illuminating the road of benevolence and sagehood and laying the foundation of perfect virtue; this was the accumulated benevolence and righteousness of the sage kings over many years. Now the Literati cite the governance of states that were lost and governments that failed, and compare it to the present day. It is no wonder that they call the Xiongnu hard to deal with [General of Agile Cavalry Huo Qubing campaigned against the Xiongnu and won decisive victories. Wuqiu Shouwang wrote a discourse of the Grand Secretary in praise of the virtue of Emperor Wu, saying: A scholar once asked the Grand Secretary: I have heard that when mighty Qin used its armies, in the south it did not cross the Five Ridges and in the north it did not cross the Great River, yet the people within the seas were full of grief and resentment and the state was lost. The Han has now risen for more than sixty years, and has appointed generals and commanders to take up arms in anger, using shields and spears in the four wildernesses: in the south it pushed open Zhuya, in the north it established Shuofang, in the east it passed beyond the blue sea, and in the west it reached the source of the River, extending the land ten thousand li, and all within the seas is tranquil. I am an ignorant man and do not understand; may I ask about the traces of this? The Grand Secretary said: In former times Qin won the world by force and not by virtue, by deceit and not by sincerity; within, it used the schemes of Shang Yang and Li Si, and without, the armies of Bai Qi and Wang Jian, spying out gaps and watching for openings. After it had united all within the seas, it took might as the supreme way and trickery as the essential art. It denied what was right, mocked Tang and Yu, wiped out the old statutes, forbade learning and literature, practised the old punishment of executing and exposing, and enforced strict penalties against slander. In a little over ten years it overflowed and was swept away. For this reason August Heaven hated it and destroyed it, and gave the Mandate anew to the great Han, which reversed the policies of Qin and made generosity and honesty its task. To this day, six generations on, the Han can be called wealthy and secure. The Son of Heaven is enlightened, and the four barbarian peoples turn toward him as grass bends to the wind. Look only at the men of the lower ranks at court: their plans gush like a spring and their actions are as swift as a released crossbow trigger, and all are able to pacify the Middle Kingdom and swallow up the four barbarians. With ruler and ministers like this, what plan could fail and what campaign could not be won? One could even level Mount Tai and fill up the blue sea. (The base text has a missing character here; from the parallel phrase about filling the blue sea the correct character cannot be fixed.)].

文學曰有虞氏之時三苖不服禹欲伐之舜曰是吾徳未喻也退而修政而三苖服【君道篇曰當舜之時有苖氏不服其所以不服者太山在其南殿山在其北左洞庭之波右彭蠡之川因此險也所以不服禹欲伐之舜不許曰諭教猶未竭也究論教焉而有苖氏請服天下聞之皆非禹之義而歸舜之徳】不牧之地不覊之民聖王不加兵不事力焉以為不足煩百姓而勞中國也【劉安曰自三代之盛胡越不與受正朔非彊弗能服威弗能制也以為不居之地不牧之民不足以煩中國也】今明王修聖緒宣徳化而朝【音潮】有權使之謀尚首功之事臣固怪之夫【音扶】人臣席天下之勢【席借也資也因也】奮國家之用身享其利而不顧其主此尉佗【音駝】章邯【音寒】所以成王秦失其政也【主父偃曰兵久則變生事苦則慮易乃使邉境之民靡敝愁苦而有離心將吏相疑而外市故尉佗章邯得以成其私也夫秦政之所以不行者權分乎二子此得失之效也故周書曰安危在出令存亡在所用】孫子曰今夫【音扶】國家之事一日更百變然而不亡者可得而革也逮出兵乎平原廣牧鼓鳴矢流雖有堯舜之知【去聲】不能更也戰而勝之退修禮義繼三代之跡仁義附矣戰勝而不休身死國亡者吳王是也【道應篇曰魏武侯問於李克曰吳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罷數勝則主防以防主使罷民而國不亡者天下鮮矣防則恣恣則極慮上下俱極吳之亡猶晚矣夫差之所以自剄於幹遂也故老子曰功成名遂身退天之道也】

The Literati said: In the age of the Lord of Yu, the Three Miao did not submit, and Yu wished to attack them. Shun said: It is because my virtue has not yet reached them. He withdrew and cultivated his government, and the Three Miao submitted [The chapter on the Way of the Ruler says: In Shun's time the Youmiao clan would not submit. The reason was that Mount Tai lay to their south and Mount Dian to their north, with the waves of Lake Dongting on their left and the waters of Lake Pengli on their right, and relying on these dangerous barriers they would not submit. Yu wished to attack them, but Shun did not permit it, saying: My teaching has not yet been exhausted. After he had discussed and taught thoroughly, the Youmiao asked to submit. When the world heard of it, all blamed Yu's rightness and turned to Shun's virtue]. Land that cannot be herded and people that cannot be bridled were not attacked by the sage kings, who did not exert force on them, considering that they were not worth troubling the common people and wearing out the Middle Kingdom [Liu An said: Since the flourishing of the Three Dynasties, the Hu and the Yue have not shared in receiving the calendar. This was not because the rulers were unable to subdue them by force or restrain them by might, but because they considered lands not fit for habitation and peoples who could not be herded not worth troubling the Middle Kingdom]. Now our enlightened ruler cultivates the sage's legacy and spreads moral transformation, yet at court (the character for court is read chao) there are schemes of expedient manipulation and an eagerness for the merit of taking heads. I certainly find this strange. As for the particle fu at the start of a sentence (read fu): a minister who occupies the advantage of the whole world [to occupy means to borrow, rely on, or take advantage of] and exerts the resources of the state, enjoying the profit himself without regard for his lord, is exactly how Wei Tuo (the character tuo is read tuo) and Zhang Han (the character han is read han) came to be kings while Qin lost its government [Zhufu Yan said: When armies stay out long, change arises; when affairs are bitter, plans change. Then the people of the border grow worn out and grieved and develop thoughts of leaving, and generals and officers suspect one another and trade with outsiders. That is how Wei Tuo and Zhang Han were able to accomplish their private ambitions. The reason Qin's government could not be carried out was that its power was divided between those two men. This is the proof of gain and loss. Therefore the Book of Zhou says: Safety and danger lie in issuing orders; survival and ruin lie in whom one employs]. Sunzi said: Now (the word is again fu, read fu) the affairs of a state may change a hundred times in a day, yet a state that does not perish can still be reformed; but once armies go out onto the open plains and broad pastures, and drums sound and arrows fly, even the wisdom of Yao and Shun (the character zhi is read in the falling tone) cannot change anything. If one wins the battle and then withdraws to cultivate ritual and righteousness, following the traces of the Three Dynasties, benevolence and righteousness will draw people near; but those who win battles without resting and end with their bodies dead and their states ruined are exemplified by the King of Wu [The chapter on Responses to the Way says: Marquis Wu of Wei asked Li Ke: Why did Wu perish? Li Ke replied: Because it fought many battles and won many times. The Marquis said: Many battles and many victories are the blessing of a state; why did Wu alone perish through them? He replied: Many battles wear out the people, and many victories make the ruler arrogant. It is rare that a state does not perish when an arrogant ruler employs worn-out people. Arrogance leads to wilfulness, and wilfulness exhausts all schemes; with those above and below both exhausted, Wu's perishing was in fact late. This is why Fuchai cut his own throat at Gansui. Therefore Laozi said: When merit is accomplished and name is made, to withdraw oneself is the Way of Heaven.].

大夫曰順風而呼者易為氣因時而行者易為力【子思曰順風而呼聲不加疾而聞者眾登丘而招臂不加長而見者逺故魚乘於水鳥乘於風草木乘於時叢談曰時不至不可強生也事不究不可強成也循流而下易以至倍風而馳易以逺因時易以為仁因道易以逹人】文武懐餘力不為後嗣計故三世而徳衰昭王南征死而不還【左傳曰齊侯以諸侯之師侵蔡蔡潰遂伐楚楚子使與師言曰君處北海寡人處南海唯是風馬牛不相及也不虞君之渉吾地也何故管仲對曰昔召康公命我先君太公曰五侯九伯女實徵之以夾輔周室賜我先君履東至於海西至於河南至於穆陵北至於無棣爾貢包茅不入王祭不共無以縮酒寡人是徴昭王南征而不復寡人是問對曰貢之不入寡君之罪也敢不共給昭王之不復君其問諸水濵師進次於陘拾遺記曰成康以降世禩陵衰昭王不能逺業垂聲教南遊荊楚義乖廵狩溺精靈於江漢且極於幸由水濵所以招問春秋以為深貶嗟二姬之殉死三良之貞節精誠一至視殞若生格之正道不如強諫楚人憐之失其死矣】凡伯囚執而使【去聲】不通【春秋曰天王使凡伯來聘戎伐凡伯於楚丘以歸公羊傳曰凡伯者何天子之大夫也此聘也其言伐之何執之也執之則其言伐之何大之也曷為大之不與夷狄之執中國也其地何大之也】晉取郊沛【春秋曰晉人圍郊左傳曰春王正月壬寅朔二師圍郊癸夘郊鄩潰丁未晉師在平隂王師在澤邑王使告間庚戌還公羊傳曰郊者何天子之邑也曷為不擊於周不與伐天子也】王師敗於茅戎【春秋曰王師敗績於茅戎左傳曰王人來告敗公羊傳曰孰敗之葢晉敗之或曰貿戎敗之然則曷為不言晉敗之王者無敵莫敢當也】今西南諸夷楚荘之後【西南夷傳曰始楚威王時使將軍荘蹻將兵狥江上略巴蜀黔中以西荘蹻者故楚荘王苖裔也蹻至滇池池方三百里旁平地肥饒數千裡以兵威定蜀楚欲歸報會秦擊奪楚巴黔中郡道塞不通因還以其眾王滇變服從其俗以長之】朝鮮之王燕之亡民也【朝鮮傳曰朝鮮王滿者故燕人也自始全燕時嘗略屬真畨朝鮮為置吏築障塞秦滅燕屬遼東外徼漢興為其逺難守復修遼東故塞至浿水為界屬燕燕王盧綰反入匈奴滿亡命聚黨千餘人魁結蠻夷服而東走出塞渡浿水居秦故空地上下鄣稍役屬真畨朝鮮蠻夷及故燕齊亡命者王之都王險會孝恵髙後時天下初定遼東太守即約滿為外臣保塞外蠻夷無使盜邉諸蠻夷君長欲入見天子勿得禁止以聞上許之以故滿得兵威財物侵降其旁小邑真畨臨屯皆來服屬方數千裡傳子至孫】南越尉佗【音駝】起中國自立為王徳至薄然皆亡天下之大各自以為一州倔【音掘】強倨敖【倔強梗戾貌】自稱老夫【南越傳曰南越王尉佗者真定人也姓趙氏秦時已並天下略定楊越置桂林南海象郡以謫徙民與越雜處十三嵗佗秦時為南海龍川令至二世時南海尉任囂病且死佗即移檄告橫浦陽山湟谿闗曰盜兵且至急絶道聚兵自守因稍法誅秦所置長吏以其黨為假守秦已破滅佗即擊並桂林象郡自立為南越武王閩越西甌駱役屬焉東西萬餘里廼乘黃屋左纛稱制與中國侔】先帝為萬世度恐有冀州之累南荊之患於是遣左將軍樓舩【音船】平之兵不血刃鹹為縣官也【漢武紀曰元鼎五年夏四月南越王相呂嘉反殺漢使者及其王王太后遣伏波將軍路博徳出桂陽下湟水樓舩將軍楊僕出豫章下湞水歸義越侯嚴為戈舩將軍出零陵下離水甲為下瀨將軍下蒼梧皆將罪人江淮以南樓舩十萬越馳義侯遺別將巴蜀罪人發夜郎兵下牂牁江鹹會畨禺六年冬十月行東將幸緱氏至左邑桐鄉聞南越破以為聞喜縣春至汲新中鄉得呂嘉首以為獲嘉縣馳義侯遺兵未及下上便令征西南夷下之遂定越地以為南海蒼梧鬱林合浦交趾九真日南珠厓儋耳郡定西南夷以為武都牂柯越嶲沈黎文山郡南越傳曰南越已平樓舩將軍以推鋒防堅為將梁侯自尉佗王凡五世九十三嵗而亡漢武紀曰元封二年夏朝鮮王攻殺遼東都尉廼募天下死罪擊朝鮮秋遣樓舩將軍楊僕左將軍荀彘將應募罪人擊朝鮮又遣將軍郭昌中郎將衞廣發巴蜀兵平西南夷未服者防為益州郡三年夏朝鮮斬其王右渠降防其地為樂浪臨屯莵真畨郡】七國之時皆據萬乘【去聲】南面稱王提珩【提舉也珩佩上玉也所以節行止也】為敵國累世然終不免首系虜於秦今匈奴不當【去聲】漢家之巨郡非有六國之用賢士之謀由此觀難易察然可見也

The Grand Secretary said: Calling with the wind behind one makes it easy to carry the voice, and acting in accord with the times makes it easy to apply strength [Zisi said: When one calls with the wind, the sound is no faster yet more people hear it; when one beckons from a hill, the arm is no longer yet it is seen from farther away. Thus fish ride on the water, birds ride on the wind, and plants ride on the seasons. The Collected Sayings says: What the time has not brought cannot be forced to grow, and what the matter has not ripened cannot be forced to succeed. Going downstream one arrives easily, and galloping with the wind behind one goes far with ease. Following the time makes it easy to practise benevolence, and following the Way makes it easy to reach others]. Kings Wen and Wu kept some strength in reserve and made no plans for their descendants, so after three generations their virtue declined, and King Zhao went on a southern campaign and died without returning [The Zuo Commentary says: The Marquis of Qi led the armies of the feudal lords to invade Cai; Cai collapsed, and they went on to attack Chu. The ruler of Chu sent an envoy to speak to the army, saying: You live by the Northern Sea and I live by the Southern Sea; even horses and cattle in heat could not stray into each other's land. I did not expect that you would enter my territory; why have you done so? Guan Zhong replied: Formerly Duke Kang of Shao charged our former ruler Taigong, saying: Of the five ranks of lords and the nine chiefs of provinces, you are to punish whoever is at fault, so as to support the house of Zhou. He granted our former ruler the right of campaign, reaching east to the sea, west to the Yellow River, south to Muling and north to Wudi. Because your tribute of bundled sedge has not been delivered, the king's sacrifices lack what is needed to strain the wine, and so we have come to demand it. As for King Zhao's southern campaign from which he did not return, we ask about that. The envoy replied: That the tribute was not delivered is the fault of my ruler; how dare he not supply it? As for King Zhao's not returning, you may ask that at the water's edge. The army advanced and camped at Xing. The Record of Gleaned Lost Matters says: From Kings Cheng and Kang onward, the sacrifices and generations of Zhou declined. King Zhao was unable to continue the distant enterprise or hand down the voice of instruction; he travelled south to Jing and Chu, contrary to the principle of inspection tours, and his spirit drowned in the Jiang and Han, which was the extreme of reckless adventure. That the water's edge was cited in the questioning is why the Spring and Autumn Annals gravely condemn it. Alas, the self-sacrifice of the two Ji women and the loyalty of the three good men, whose sincerity reached such a point that they looked on death as on life, would have done better to remonstrate strongly than to follow the straight way. The people of Chu pitied him, since he had lost his proper death]. Fan Bo was seized and imprisoned while on an embassy (the character shi is read in the falling tone), and his mission could not get through [The Spring and Autumn Annals says: The Heavenly King sent Fan Bo on a visit, and the Rong attacked Fan Bo at Chuqiu and took him away. The Gongyang Commentary says: Who was Fan Bo? A grandee of the Son of Heaven. This was a visit; why does the text say attacked? Because he was seized. If he was seized, why does it say attacked? To magnify it. Why magnify it? Because it did not approve of barbarians seizing someone from the Middle Kingdom. Why is the place named? To magnify it]. Jin took Jiao and Pei [The Spring and Autumn Annals says: The men of Jin besieged Jiao. The Zuo Commentary says: In spring, in the first month of the king's calendar, on the day renyin, the first of the month, two armies besieged Jiao. On guimao, Jiao and Xu collapsed. On dingwei the army of Jin was at Pingyin and the royal army at Zeyi. The king sent word that the gap was closed and returned on gengxu. The Gongyang Commentary says: What was Jiao? A city of the Son of Heaven. Why is it not attached to Zhou? Because it did not approve of attacking the Son of Heaven]. The royal army was defeated by the Mao Rong [The Spring and Autumn Annals says: The royal army was routed by the Mao Rong. The Zuo Commentary says: Men of the king came to report the defeat. The Gongyang Commentary says: Who defeated them? Probably Jin defeated them. Some say the Mao Rong did. Then why does it not say that Jin defeated them? Because a true king has no enemy; none dares to withstand him]. Now the barbarians of the southwest are descendants of Zhuang of Chu [The Account of the Southwestern Barbarians says: In the time of King Wei of Chu, the general Zhuang Qiao was sent with troops to conquer the upper Yangtze and seize the lands west of Ba, Shu and Qianzhong. Zhuang Qiao was originally a descendant of King Zhuang of Chu. When Qiao reached Lake Dian, which was three hundred li around, with fertile flat land of several thousand li beside it, he used the might of his troops to bring it under Chu. He wished to return and report, but Qin attacked and seized the commanderies of Ba and Qianzhong from Chu, and the road was blocked and impassable, so he turned back, made himself king of Dian with his followers, and changed his dress to follow their customs in order to rule them]. The king of Chaoxian is a fugitive of Yan [The Account of Chaoxian says: Man, King of Chaoxian, was formerly a man of Yan. From the time when Yan was at its full strength, it had conquered Zhenfan and Chaoxian and set up officials and built frontier forts there. When Qin destroyed Yan, it was attached to the outer frontier of Liaodong. When Han arose, because it was too distant to defend, Han repaired the old Liaodong frontier works as far as the Bei River as a boundary, and attached it to Yan. When King Lu Wan of Yan rebelled and fled to the Xiongnu, Man became a fugitive, gathered over a thousand followers, dressed in a barbarian topknot and barbarian clothing, fled east out through the frontier, crossed the Bei River, and settled in the empty land of Qin at Shangxia Zhang. Gradually he made the barbarians of Zhenfan and Chaoxian and the fugitives from Yan and Qi subject to him and became their king, with his capital at Wangxian. When Emperors Xiaohui and Empress Gao were in power and the realm was newly settled, the Governor of Liaodong made an agreement with Man that he would be an outer vassal, guard the barbarians beyond the frontier so that they would not raid the border, and not prevent any barbarian chiefs who wished to see the Son of Heaven from entering, and reported this. The emperor approved. Thus Man gained military power and wealth, attacked and subdued small towns around him, and Zhenfan and Lintun all came to submit, so that his territory was several thousand li square. It passed from father to son and to grandson]. Wei Tuo of Nanyue (the character tuo is read tuo) arose from the Middle Kingdom and set himself up as king. His virtue was very slight, yet all of these lost the great realm, each regarded himself as a province, and was stubborn (the character jue is read jue) and arrogant [stubborn means obstinate and perverse], calling himself the Old Man [The Account of Nanyue says: Wei Tuo, King of Nanyue, was a man of Zhending, surnamed Zhao. In Qin times, when it had already united the world, it pacified the Yangyue region, set up the commanderies of Guilin, Nanhai and Xiang, and for thirteen years settled exiled colonists among the Yue. Tuo was then Magistrate of Longchuan in Nanhai. In the time of the Second Emperor, Ren Xiao, Commandant of Nanhai, was ill and dying, and Tuo immediately sent out an order to the passes of Hengpu, Yangshan and Huangxi, saying: Bandit troops are about to arrive; quickly cut the roads and gather troops to defend yourselves. He then gradually executed the senior officials appointed by Qin on legal grounds and put his own followers in as acting governors. When Qin had been destroyed, Tuo attacked and annexed Guilin and Xiang and set himself up as King Wu of Nanyue. Minyue and Xi'ou and Luo became his subjects, over ten thousand li from east to west, and he rode in a yellow-canopied carriage with a banner on the left and issued commands on equal terms with the Middle Kingdom]. The late emperor planned for ten thousand generations, fearing the burden of Jizhou and the trouble of southern Jing, and so sent the Left General and the Tower Ship general (the character for ship is read chuan) to pacify them; their blades were not stained with blood, and all became counties of the government [The Annals of Emperor Wu of Han says: In the summer, fourth month, of the fifth year of Yuanding, Lü Jia, chancellor of the King of Nanyue, rebelled and killed the Han envoy together with the king and the queen dowager. The emperor sent the General Who Subdues Waves, Lu Bode, to go out from Guiyang and descend the Huang River; the Tower Ship General Yang Pu to go out from Yuzhang and descend the Zhen River; the Marquis Yan, a surrendered Yue noble, as General of Spear Ships to go out from Lingling and descend the Li River; and Jia as General of the Rapids to descend to Cangwu, all leading convicts, with a hundred thousand tower-ship troops from south of the Yangzi and Huai. The Yue Marquis Chiyi sent a separate commander with convicts from Ba and Shu and called up the troops of Yelang to go down the Zangke River, and all assembled at Panyu. In the winter, tenth month, of the sixth year, the emperor travelled east and was about to visit Goushi; on reaching Tongxiang in Zuoyi he heard that Nanyue had been broken and made it the county of Wenxi. In spring he reached Xinzhongxiang in Ji and obtained Lü Jia's head, and made it the county of Huojia. The troops of Marquis Chiyi had not yet come down, so the emperor ordered them to proceed to subdue the southwestern barbarians. Thus the Yue lands were settled and made into the commanderies of Nanhai, Cangwu, Yulin, Hepu, Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, Rinan, Zhuya and Danger; and the southwestern barbarians were settled and made into the commanderies of Wudu, Zangke, Yuexi, Shenli and Wenshan. The Account of Nanyue says: When Nanyue had been pacified, the Tower Ship General, for breaking strong positions at the head of the attack, was made Marquis of Liang. From Wei Tuo's kingship, five generations and ninety-three years passed before it perished. The Annals of Emperor Wu of Han says: In the summer of the second year of Yuanfeng, the King of Chaoxian attacked and killed the Commandant of Liaodong, so the court recruited condemned criminals from the whole realm to attack Chaoxian. In autumn it sent the Tower Ship General Yang Pu and the Left General Xun Zhi to lead the recruited criminals against Chaoxian, and sent General Guo Chang and Colonel Wei Guang to call up troops from Ba and Shu to pacify those of the southwestern barbarians who had not yet submitted, and made that land the commandery of Yizhou (the base text has a damaged character here). In the summer of the third year the people of Chaoxian beheaded their king Youqu and surrendered, and his land was made into the commanderies of Lelang, Lintun, Xuantu (the base text has a rare character lost in transcription here) and Zhenfan]. In the time of the Seven States, each held ten thousand chariots (the character cheng is read in the falling tone) and faced south as king, bearing the jade pendant [to bear means to lift; the pendant is a jade worn at the belt to regulate one's steps] as rivals for generations, yet in the end they could not avoid having their heads bound and being taken captive by Qin. Now the Xiongnu are not the match of a single large commandery of Han (the character dang is read in the falling tone), and have neither the resources of the Six States nor the schemes of worthy scholars. Seen in this light, the difficulty and the ease are plain to see.

文學曰秦滅六國虜七王沛然有餘力自以為蚩【音痴】尤不能害黃帝不能斥及二世殺死望夷子嬰繫頸降楚曽不得七王之俛【音免】首使六國並存秦尚為戰固未亡也何以明之自孝公以至於始皇世世為諸侯雄百有餘年及兼天下十四嵗而亡何則外無敵國之憂而內自縱恣也自非聖人得志而不驕佚【音逸】者未之有也

The Literati said: Qin destroyed the Six States and took seven kings captive, with strength to spare in abundance, and thought that not even Chiyou (the character chi is read chi) could harm it and not even the Yellow Emperor could repel it. Yet when the Second Emperor was killed at Wangyi and Ziying put a cord around his neck and surrendered to Chu, they did not even have the chance to see the seven kings bow their heads (the character mian is read mian). Had the Six States all continued to exist, Qin would still have been one of the Warring States and would not necessarily have perished. How can this be shown? From Duke Xiao to the First Emperor, Qin was the leading power among the feudal lords for generation after generation, over a hundred years; but once it had united the world, it perished in fourteen years. Why? Because without it had no worry of a rival state, and within it indulged itself without restraint. Unless one is a sage, there has never been anyone who, having achieved his ambition, did not become arrogant and dissolute (the character yi is read yi).

大夫曰鄒子疾晩世之儒墨不知天地之昭曠之道將一曲而欲道九折守一隅而欲知萬方猶無凖平而欲知髙下無規矩而欲知方圓也【禮書曰防者直之至也衡者平之至也規矩者方圓之至也故防誠陳則不可欺以曲直衡誠懸則不可欺以輕重規矩誠錯則不可欺以方圓】於是推大聖終始之運以喻王公列士中國名山通谷以至海外所謂中國者天下八十分之一名曰赤縣神州而分為九川穀阻絶陵陸不通乃為一州有八瀛【音盈】海圜【音環】其外此所謂八極而天下際焉禹貢亦著山川髙下原隰而不知大道之遙故秦欲逹九州而方瀛【音盈】海牧胡而朝【音潮】萬國諸生守畦畆之慮閭巷之固未知天下之義也【騶衍傳曰騶衍睹有國者益淫侈不能尚徳若大雅整之於身施及黎庶矣乃深觀隂陽消息而作怪迂之變終始大聖之篇十餘萬言其語閎大不經必先騐小物推而大之至於無垠先序今以上至黃帝學者所共術大並世盛衰因載其禨祥度制推而逺之至天地未生窈防不可考而原也先列中國名山大川通谷禽獸水土所殖物類所珍因而推之及海外人之所不能睹稱引天地剖判以來五徳轉移治各有宜而符應若茲以為儒者所謂中國者於天下乃八十一分居其一分耳中國名曰赤縣神州赤縣神州內自有九州禹之序九州是也不得為州數中國外如赤縣神州者九乃所謂九州也於是有禆海環之人民禽獸莫得相通者如一區中者乃為一州如此者九乃有大瀛海環其外天地之際焉其術皆此類也然要其歸必止乎仁義節儉君臣上下六親之施始也濫耳封禪書曰自齊威宣之時騶子之徒論著終始五徳之運及秦帝而齊人奏之故始皇採用之而宋毋忌正伯僑充尚羨門子髙最後皆燕人為方僊道形解銷化依於神之事騶衍以隂陽主運顯於諸侯而燕齊海上之方士傳其術不能通然則怪迂阿諛苟合之徒自此興不可勝數也】

The Grand Secretary said: Master Zou was distressed that the Confucians and Mohists of his late age did not know the vastness of heaven and earth (the base text has a rare character lost in transcription here) and the way of the bright and boundless; they would hold to one bend and yet wish to describe nine turns, guard a single corner and yet wish to know the ten thousand quarters, like wanting to know high from low without a level, or square from round without a compass and square [The Treatise on Rites says: The plumb line is the utmost of straightness, the balance is the utmost of evenness, and the compass and square are the utmost of squareness and roundness. So when the plumb line is truly laid out, one cannot be deceived about crooked and straight; when the balance is truly hung, one cannot be deceived about light and heavy; and when the compass and square are truly applied, one cannot be deceived about square and round]. He therefore extended the cycles of the great sages from beginning to end to instruct kings, lords and officers, and extended it from the famous mountains and through-valleys of the Middle Kingdom out to lands beyond the sea. What is called the Middle Kingdom is one eightieth of the world, called the Red County Divine Land, and it is divided into nine; its rivers and valleys are cut off and its hills and plains do not connect, and each such region forms one province, and there are eight great seas (the character ying is read ying) encircling them (the character yuan is read huan). These are the so-called eight extremities, where the world ends. The Tribute of Yu also records the heights and lows of mountains and rivers and the plains and marshes, but did not know the remoteness of the great Way. For this reason Qin wished to reach the nine provinces and compare itself with the seas (ying is read ying), to herd the Hu and have the ten thousand states attend its court (the character chao is read chao). The various scholars guard thoughts that fit a field plot and the fastness of a village lane, and do not yet know the principle of the world [The Biography of Zou Yan says: Zou Yan saw that the rulers of states were growing more dissolute and extravagant and could not honor virtue as the Greater Odes put it, in regulating oneself and then extending it to the common people; so he deeply observed the waxing and waning of yin and yang and composed strange and far-fetched transformations, and the chapters Beginning and End and The Great Sage, over a hundred thousand words. His words were vast and unorthodox; he first had to test small things and then extended them to the boundless. He first set out the present going back to the Yellow Emperor, which scholars share as their method, broadly following the rise and fall of the ages, and by this recorded their omens and institutions, and extended it further back to the time before heaven and earth were born, dim and dark and impossible to examine and trace to the source. He first listed the famous mountains and great rivers and through-valleys of the Middle Kingdom, its birds and beasts, what its waters and soils bred, and the things its species valued, and then extended this to what lies beyond the sea that men cannot see. He cited the rotation of the Five Powers since the separation of heaven and earth, with each rule having its fitting time and the confirming signs being like this. He held that what the Confucians call the Middle Kingdom is only one part in eighty-one of the world. The Middle Kingdom is called the Red County Divine Land. Within the Red County Divine Land there are nine provinces of its own, which is the nine provinces Yu arranged, and these cannot be counted as the number of provinces. Outside the Middle Kingdom there are nine more like the Red County Divine Land, and these are what are properly called the nine provinces. Each is surrounded by a lesser sea, so that people and animals cannot pass from one to another as though in a single region, and that counts as one province. There are nine of these, and a great ocean surrounds them on the outside, where heaven and earth meet. His methods were all of this kind. Yet in essence they must end with benevolence, righteousness, frugality, and the practice of ruler and minister, superior and inferior and the six kinds of kin; it was only the beginning that was extravagant. The Treatise on the Feng and Shan Sacrifices says: From the time of Kings Wei and Xuan of Qi, followers of Master Zou discussed and wrote of the cycle of the Five Powers from end to beginning, and when Qin became an empire, men of Qi presented this, so the First Emperor adopted it. Song Wuji, Zhengbo Qiao, Chongshang, and Xianmen Zigao were all men of Yan, who practised the way of immortal arts, dissolving the body and melting away, relying on matters of ghosts and spirits (the base text has a rare character lost in transcription here). Zou Yan became known to the feudal lords through the doctrine of yin and yang and the ruling cycle, and the magicians of Yan and Qi by the sea transmitted his art without being able to master it. From then on the strange, far-fetched, flattering and compliant sort arose, beyond counting].

文學曰堯使禹為司空平水土隨山刋木定髙下而序九州【司馬相如曰昔者洪水沸出氾濫衍溢民人升降移徙崎嶇而不安夏后氏蹙之乃湮洪塞源決江疏河沈澹災東歸之於海而天下永寧當斯之勤豈惟民哉心煩於慮而身親其勞躬腠胝無胈膚不生毛故休烈顯乎無窮聲稱浹乎來茲】鄒衍非聖人作怪誤惑六國之君以納其説此春秋所謂匹夫熒惑諸侯者也【鄒衍傳曰王公大人初見其術懼然顧化其後不能行之是以騶子重於齊適梁恵王郊迎執賔主之禮適趙平原君側行襒席如燕昭王擁彗先驅請列弟子之座而受業築碣石宮身親徃師之作主運其遊諸侯見尊禮如此孔子曰匹夫而熒惑諸侯者罪當誅司馬貞曰熒惑謂經營而惑亂也家語作營侮也】孔子曰未能事人焉能事神近者不達焉能知瀛【音盈】海【列子曰凡可度者小也可數者少也至大非度之所能及也至眾非數之所能領也故九州不可頃畆也八極不可道里也太山不可丈尺也江海不可鬥斛也】故無補於用者君子不為無益於治者君子不由【説林訓曰人莫欲學御龍而皆欲學御馬莫欲學治而皆欲學治人急所用也】三王信經道而徳光於四海戰國信嘉言破亡而泥山昔秦始皇已吞天下欲並萬國亡其三十六郡欲逹瀛【音盈】海而失其州縣知大義如斯不如守小計也

The Literati said: Yao made Yu Minister of Works to level the waters and lands; following the mountains he cut the trees, fixed the high and low, and ordered the nine provinces [Sima Xiangru said: In former times the floods boiled up and overflowed, and the people went up and down and moved about, in rough places and unsettled. The Lord of Xia drove them back; he dammed the floods and blocked the sources, cut a channel for the Yangzi and dredged the Yellow River, drained the deep waters and quieted the calamity, and sent them east back to the sea, so that the world was at peace for ever. In that toil, was it only the people who laboured? His heart was troubled with plans and his own body bore the toil, and his skin was calloused and his legs had no hair left, and his skin grew no hair. Thus his glorious merit shone without end and his fame has spread through all the ages]. Zou Yan was no sage; he produced strange and mistaken doctrines and bewildered the rulers of the Six States into accepting his theory. This is what the Spring and Autumn Annals means by a commoner who dazzles and deceives the feudal lords [The Biography of Zou Yan says: When kings, dukes and great men first saw his art, they were awed and looked at him with transformed faces, but afterward could not put it into practice. For this reason Master Zou was honored in Qi; going to Liang, King Hui went out to the suburbs to meet him and received him with the ritual of host and guest; going to Zhao, Lord Pingyuan walked at his side and wiped his seat; going to Yan, King Zhao carried a broom and went before him, asked to be seated among his disciples to receive instruction, built him the Jieshi Palace, and personally went to study under him, and he composed The Ruling Cycle. Such was the honor with which he was received on his travels among the feudal lords. Confucius said: A commoner who dazzles and deceives the feudal lords is guilty and should be executed. Sima Zhen said: dazzles and deceives means to scheme and bewilder. The Family Sayings reads it as to scheme and insult]. Confucius said: If you cannot yet serve men, how can you serve spirits? If you cannot understand what is near, how can you know about the great seas (ying is read ying) [Liezi says: What can be measured is small, and what can be counted is few. The greatest cannot be reached by measure, and the most numerous cannot be encompassed by counting. So the nine provinces cannot be measured in acres, the eight extremities cannot be reckoned in li, Mount Tai cannot be measured in feet, and rivers and seas cannot be measured with dou and hu measures]. Therefore a gentleman does not do what does not help practical use, and does not follow what does not benefit good government [The chapter Explaining the Forest says: No one wishes to learn to drive dragons, yet all wish to learn to drive horses; no one wishes to learn to govern ghosts, yet all wish to learn to govern men; this is to hasten toward what is useful]. The Three Kings trusted in the constant Way and their virtue shone to the four seas; the Warring States trusted in fine-sounding words and were destroyed and sunk in the mud. In former times the First Emperor of Qin, having swallowed up the world, wished to annex all the states, and lost his thirty-six commanderies; wishing to reach the great seas, he lost his provinces and counties. Knowing the great principle is like this; it is better to hold to small plans.

大夫曰巫祝不可與並祀【泰族訓曰陳簠簋列樽俎設籩豆者祝也齋明盛服而不言神之所依淵黙者屍也】諸生不可與逐語信徃疑今非人自是夫【音扶】道古者稽之今言逺者合之近日月在天其徴在人菑異之變夭夀之期隂陽之化四時之敘水火金木妖祥之應神之靈祭祀之福日月之行星辰之紀曲言之故何所本始不知則黙無苟亂耳

The Grand Secretary said: One cannot share a sacrifice with shamans and invocators [the Tai Zu Xun says: the one who sets out the ritual vessels, arranges the wine vessels and cutting boards, and sets the bian and dou dishes is the invocator; the one who fasts and is brightly robed without speaking, in whom the spirits rest in deep silence, is the impersonator]. One cannot chase words with the scholars. They trust the past and doubt the present, and it is not that people consider themselves right. Sentence-opening fu [pronunciation note: fu is read fu]: one who speaks of antiquity must check it against the present, and one who speaks of the distant must fit it to the near. The sun and moon are in the sky, but their signs lie in people. The changes of calamities and anomalies, the span of short or long life, the transformations of yin and yang, the order of the four seasons, water, fire, metal and wood, the responses of ill and good omens, the spirit of ghosts and spirits (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription), the blessings of sacrifices, the course of the sun and moon, and the order of stars; where is the root and beginning of these twisting accounts? If you do not know, be silent, and do not recklessly confuse the ear.

文學曰始江都相【去聲】董生推言隂陽四時相繼父生之子養之母成之子藏之故春生仁夏長【音掌】徳秋成義冬藏禮此四時之序聖人之所則也【董仲舒傳曰武帝即位舉賢良文學之士前後百數而仲舒以賢良對防焉對既畢天子以仲舒為江都相事易王易王帝兄素驕好勇仲舒以禮誼匡正王敬重焉仲舒治國以春秋災異之變推隂陽所以錯行故求雨閉諸陽縱諸隂其止雨反是行之一國未嘗不得所欲中廢為中大夫先是遼東髙廟長陵髙園殿災仲舒家居推説其意草藁未上主父偃仲舒私見嫉之竊其書而奏焉上召視諸儒仲舒弟子呂歩舒不知其師書以為大愚於是下仲舒吏當死詔赦之仲舒遂不敢復言災異董仲舒曰天者群物之祖也故徧覆包涵而無所殊建日月風雨以和之經隂陽寒暑以成之故聖人法天而立道亦溥愛而亡私布徳施仁以厚之設誼立禮以道之春者天之所以生也仁者君之所以愛也夏者天之所以長也徳者君之所以養也霜者天之所以殺也刑者君之所以罰也繇此言之天人之徴古今之道也是故王者上謹於承天意以順命也下務明教化民以成性也正法度之宜別上下之序以防欲也修此而大本舉矣】刑不可任以成化故廣徳教言逺必考之邇故由恕以行是以刑罰若加於已勤勞若施於身又安能忍殺其赤子以事無用罷【音疲】所恃而達瀛【音盈】海乎蓋越人美蠃【音螺】蚌而簡太牢鄙夫樂咋【音翟】唶【音惜】而怪韶濩故不知味者以芬香為臭不知道者以美言為亂耳【修務訓曰夫以徴為羽非之罪以廿為苦非味之過楚人有烹猴而召其鄰人以為狗美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托之李竒諸人皆爭學之後知其非也而皆棄其曲此未始知音者也】人無夭夀各以其好【去聲】惡【音汚】為命羿奡以功力不得其死知【去聲】伯以貪狼亡其身【論語解曰羿有窮之君善射滅夏後相簒其位其臣寒浞又殺羿而代之奡春秋傳作澆浞之子也力能陸地行舟後為夏後少康所誅權謀篇曰智伯請地於魏宣子宣子不予任増曰何為不予宣子曰彼無故而請地吾是以不予任増曰彼無故而請地者無故而與之是重欲無厭也彼喜必又請地於諸侯諸侯不與必怒而伐之宣子曰善遂與地智伯喜又請地於趙趙不與智伯怒圍晉陽韓魏合趙而反智氏智氏遂滅魏策曰智伯索地於魏桓子魏桓子弗予任章曰何故弗予彼其無故索地鄰國必恐重欲無厭天下必懼君予之地智伯必防防而輕敵鄰國懼而相親以相親之兵待輕敵之國智氏之命不長矣周書曰將欲敗之必姑輔之將欲取之必姑與之君不如與之以驕智伯君何釋以天下圖智氏而獨以吾國為智氏質乎君曰善乃與之萬家之邑一智伯大說因索蔡臯梁於趙趙弗與因圍晉陽韓魏反於外趙氏應之於內智氏遂亡顔師古曰狼性皆貪故謂貪為貪狼也老聃曰柔弱者生之徒也剛強者死之徒也夫生者毀而必復死者破而愈亡吾是以知柔之堅於剛也叔向曰兩軍相加而柔者克之兩仇爭利而弱者得焉桓公曰金剛則折革剛則裂金人銘曰強梁者不得其死好勝者必遇其敵】天菑之證禎祥之應猶施與之望報各以其類及故好【去聲】行善者天助以福符瑞是也易曰自天祐之吉無不利好【去聲】行惡者天報以禍妖災是也春秋曰應是而有天菑【叢談曰天地無親常與善人天道有常不為堯存不為桀亡積善之家必有餘慶積惡之家必有餘殃眾正之積福無不及也眾邪之積禍無不建也力勝貧謹勝禍慎勝害戒勝災為善天報以徳為不善者天報以禍敬慎篇曰妖孽者天所以警天子諸侯也惡夢者所以警士大夫也繆稱訓曰身有醜夢不勝正行國有妖祥不勝善政劉峻曰神害盈皇天輔徳故宋公一言法星三徙殷帝自翦千里來雲若使善惡無徴未洽斯義且於公髙門以待封嚴母掃墓以望防此君子所以自強不息也如使仁而無報奚為善立名乎】周文武尊賢受諫敬戒不殆純徳上休神祗相貺詩云降福穰穰降福日者陽陽道明月者隂隂道防君尊臣卑之義故陽先盛於上眾隂之類消於下月望於天蚌蛤盛於淵【說山訓曰月盛衰於上則蠃蠬應於下同氣相動不可以為逺許慎曰月盛則蠃蠬內減故曰蠃蠬應於下月隂精也蠃蠬亦隂也故曰同氣也惟能相感故曰不可為逺】故臣不臣則隂陽不調日月有變政教不均則水旱不時螟【音防】螣【音特】生此災異之應也【覽防訓曰夫物類之相應妙深防知不能論辯不能解故東風至而酒湛溢蠶咡絲而商弦絶或感之也畫隨灰而月運闕鯨魚死而彗星出或動之也天文訓曰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隂化天地之偏氣怒者為風天地之含氣和者為雨隂陽相薄感而為雷激而為霆亂而為霧陽氣勝則散而為雨露隂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隂日者陽之主也是故春夏則群獸除日至而麋鹿解月者隂之宗也是以月虛而魚腦減月死而蠃蠬膲火上蕁水下流故鳥飛而髙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穀風至龍舉而景雲屬麒麟闘而日月食鯨魚死而彗星出蠶咡絲而商絶賁星墜而渤海決人主之情上通乎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泰族訓曰精神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懐柔百神及河喬嶽逆天暴物則日月薄蝕五星失行四時干乖晝防宵明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故國危亡而天文變世惑亂而虹蜺見萬物有以相連精祲有以相蕩也】四時代序而人則其功星列於天而人象其行常星猶公卿也眾星猶萬民也列星正則眾星齊常星亂則眾星墜矣【天文志曰凡天文在圖籍昭昭可知者經星常宿中外官凡百一十八名積數七百八十三星皆有州國官宮物類之象其伏見早晚邪正存亡虛實闊陿及五星所行合散犯守陵歴闘食彗孛飛流日月薄蝕暈適背宂抱珥防蜺迅雷祅風怪雲變氣此皆隂陽之精其本在地而上發於天者也政失於此則變見於彼猶景之象形鄉之應聲自然之符也】大夫曰文學言剛柔之類互勝相代生易明於隂陽書長於五行春生夏長【音掌】故火生於寅木陽類也秋生冬死故水生於申金隂物也四時五行迭廢迭興隂陽異類水火不同器金得土而成得火而死金生於巳何說何言然乎【白虎通曰尚書一曰水二曰火三曰木四曰金五曰土水位在北方北方者隂氣在黃泉之下任養萬物水之為言濡也隂化沾濡任生木木在東方東方者隂陽氣始動萬物始生木之為言觸也陽氣動躍火在南方南方者陽在上萬物垂枝火之為言委隨也言萬物佈施火之為言化也陽氣用事萬物變化也金在西方西方者隂始氣萬物禁止金之為言禁也土在中央中央者主吐含萬物土之為言吐也五行所以更王何以其轉相生故有終始也木生火火生土土生金金生水水生木是以木王火相土死金囚水休五行所以相害者天地之性眾勝寡故水勝火也精勝堅故火勝金剛勝柔故金勝木専勝散故木勝土實勝虛故土勝水也】

The literati said: In the beginning, Master Dong, the chancellor [pronunciation note: xiang is read in the falling tone] of Jiangdu, inferred that yin and yang and the four seasons follow one another: the father gives birth, the son nurtures, the mother completes, and the son stores. So spring gives birth to benevolence, summer grows [pronunciation note: zhang is read zhang] virtue, autumn completes righteousness, and winter stores ritual. This is the order of the four seasons, which the sages took as their rule [the Biography of Dong Zhongshu says: when Emperor Wu took the throne, he recommended men of worth and literary learning in the hundreds in succession, and Zhongshu answered the policy questions as a worthy (the base text has a corrupt character). When the response was over, the Son of Heaven made Zhongshu chancellor of Jiangdu to serve King Yi. King Yi was the emperor's elder brother, long arrogant and fond of bravery. Zhongshu corrected him with ritual and propriety, and the king respected him. Zhongshu governed the state by inferring from the anomalies of the Spring and Autumn Annals how yin and yang go astray; to seek rain he closed the yang and let loose the yin, and to stop rain he did the reverse, and carrying it out in one state he never failed to get what he wanted. He was dismissed midway and became Palace Grandee. Earlier, the Gaomiao Temple in Liaodong and the Gaoyuan Hall at Changling burned, and Zhongshu, living at home, inferred their meaning, but the draft had not yet been submitted. Zhufu Yan called on Zhongshu (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription), saw it privately and envied him, stole the document and submitted it. The emperor summoned the Confucians to view it. Zhongshu's disciple Lü Bushu did not know his teacher's writing and considered it very foolish. Then Zhongshu was handed to the officials and was to be put to death, but an edict pardoned him. Zhongshu then did not dare speak again of anomalies. Dong Zhongshu said: Heaven is the ancestor of all things, so it covers and contains everything without distinction, sets up sun, moon, wind, and rain to harmonize them, and passes yin and yang, cold and heat to complete them. So the sage models on Heaven and establishes the Way, also loving broadly and without selfishness, spreading virtue and applying benevolence to enrich them, setting righteousness and establishing ritual to guide them. Spring is how Heaven gives birth, and benevolence is how the ruler loves; summer is how Heaven makes things grow, and virtue is how the ruler nurtures; frost is how Heaven kills, and punishment is how the ruler penalizes. From this, the signs of Heaven and man and the Way of past and present are shown. For this reason, a king above is careful to receive Heaven's will and follow its mandate, and below strives to make teaching clear and transform the people to complete their nature, setting right what is fitting in laws and standards, and distinguishing the order of high and low to guard against desire. When this is cultivated, the great root is raised.]. Punishment cannot be relied on to complete transformation, and so one broadens virtuous teaching. When speaking of the distant, one must examine it by the near, and so proceed through reciprocity. Therefore if punishment were applied to oneself and toil were put on one's own body, how could one bear to kill the infants who depend on him for useless affairs, wearing out [pronunciation note: pi is read pi] and exhausting (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) what they rely on to reach the Ying [pronunciation note: ying is read ying] Sea? Presumably the people of Yue praise clams and snails [pronunciation note: luo is read luo] and despise the great sacrifice, and a rustic enjoys chewing [pronunciation note: zha is read zhai] and gulping [pronunciation note: jie is read xi] and finds the Shao and Huo music strange. So those who do not know flavors take fragrance for stench, and those who do not know the Way take fine words for noise in the ear [the Xiu Wu Xun says: to take zhi for yu is not the fault of the string (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription); to take sweet (the base text has a variant) for bitter is not the fault of the flavor. A man of Chu boiled a monkey and invited his neighbor, thinking it was dog stew, and he enjoyed it; later he heard it was monkey, and he gripped the ground and vomited, spilling out all he had eaten. He had never known the flavor. A teacher of Handan produced a new tune and attributed it to Li Qi; everyone competed to learn it, but later learned it was not so and abandoned the tune. They had never known music.]. People have no early death or long life; each makes his fate by what he likes [pronunciation note: hao is read in the falling tone] and dislikes [pronunciation note: wu is read wu]. Yi and Ao did not die naturally because of their merit and strength, and Zhi Bo [pronunciation note: zhi is read in the falling tone] lost his life through wolfish greed [the Analects commentary says: Yi was the ruler of Youqiong, good at archery, who destroyed Xiang of Xia and usurped his throne, and his minister Han Zhuo then killed Yi and replaced him. Ao is written Jiao in the Zuo Zhuan, the son of Zhuo, strong enough to push a boat on land, and was later executed by Shaokang of Xia. The Quan Mou chapter says: Zhi Bo asked Wei Xuanzi for land, and Xuanzi did not give it. Ren Zeng said: 'Why not give it?' Xuanzi said: 'He asks for land without cause, so I do not give it.' Ren Zeng said: 'He asks for land without cause; if you give it to him without cause, that increases his desire without satiety. He will be pleased, and will surely ask other lords for land. If the lords do not give, he will surely be angry and attack them.' Xuanzi said: 'Good.' He gave the land. Zhi Bo was pleased and asked Zhao for land. Zhao did not give, and Zhi Bo was angry and besieged Jinyang. Han and Wei joined Zhao and turned against the Zhi clan, and the Zhi clan was destroyed. The Wei Ce says: Zhi Bo demanded land from Wei Huanzi, and Wei Huanzi would not give it. Ren Zhang said: 'Why not give it? If he demands land without cause, neighboring states will surely be afraid; with a desire that is heavy and insatiable, the world will surely fear. If you give him land, Zhi Bo will surely be proud (the base text has corrupt characters) and make light of enemies, and the neighboring states will fear and draw close. Using the troops of states drawn close to await a state that makes light of enemies, the life of the Zhi clan will not be long. The Book of Zhou says: if you are about to defeat him, you must first assist him; if you are about to take from him, you must first give. My lord, it is best to give him land to make Zhi Bo proud. Why would you abandon plans against the Zhi clan together with the whole world and instead make our state alone the hostage of the Zhi clan?' The ruler said: 'Good.' He gave him a city of ten thousand households. Zhi Bo was greatly pleased and went on to demand Cai and Gaoliang from Zhao. Zhao refused, and he besieged Jinyang. Han and Wei turned against him outside, Zhao responded within, and the Zhi clan perished. Yan Shigu says: wolves are all greedy by nature, so greed is called wolfish greed. Lao Dan said: the soft and weak are of the party of life, and the hard and strong are of the party of death. From this I know that softness is firmer than hardness. Shuxiang said: when two armies clash, the soft overcome, and when two enemies contend for profit, the weak gain. Duke Huan said: hard metal breaks, and hard leather cracks. The Inscription of the Golden Man says: the strong and stubborn do not die a natural death, and those who love to win are bound to meet their match.]. The evidence of heavenly calamities and the response of auspicious omens are like giving and hoping for repayment, each reaching its own kind. So for those who love [pronunciation note: hao is read in the falling tone] to do good, Heaven helps with blessing, which is auspicious signs. The Book of Changes says: 'Aided by Heaven, auspicious, with nothing that is not advantageous.' For those who love [pronunciation note: hao is read in the falling tone] to do evil, Heaven repays with calamity, which is ominous disasters. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: in response to this there are heavenly calamities [the Cong Yu says: Heaven and Earth have no favorites but always go with the good. The Way of Heaven has constancy; it does not exist for Yao or perish for Jie. A house that accumulates good will surely have surplus blessing, and a house that accumulates evil will surely have surplus calamity. Where the accumulation of the many right is, there is no blessing that does not reach; where the accumulation of the many wrong is, there is no calamity that does not reach. Strength overcomes poverty, care overcomes calamity, caution overcomes harm, and vigilance overcomes disaster. If one does good, Heaven repays with virtue; if one does not do good, Heaven repays with calamity. The Jing Shen chapter says: monstrous omens are how Heaven warns the Son of Heaven and the lords, and bad dreams are how it warns scholars and grand masters. The Miu Cheng Xun says: ugly dreams in one's person do not outweigh correct conduct, and ominous portents in the state do not outweigh good government. Liu Jun says: ghosts and spirits harm the full, and August Heaven assists virtue. So with a single word of the Duke of Song, the star moved three lodgings; when the Emperor of Yin trimmed himself, clouds came from a thousand li. If good and evil had no verification, this principle would not be harmonious. Moreover Yu Gong made his gate high awaiting a title, and the stern mother swept the grave awaiting the mourning (the base text has a corrupt character). This is why the gentleman strives to improve without rest. If benevolence had no repayment, why would one do good and establish a name?]. King Wen and King Wu of Zhou honored the worthy and accepted remonstrance, were reverent and wary without peril, their pure virtue received blessing from above, and the spirits bestowed gifts on one another. The Book of Poetry says: 'Sending down blessing in abundance, sending down blessing in plenty' (the base text has two rare characters here, lost in transcription). The sun is yang, and the way of yang is bright; the moon is yin, and the way of yin is humble (the base text has a corrupt character). This is the meaning that the ruler is honored and the ministers humble. So yang first flourishes above and the many kinds of yin vanish below; when the moon is full in the sky, clams and mussels are full in the deep [the Shuo Shan Xun says: when the moon waxes and wanes above, snails and mussels respond below; similar qi moves one another, and it cannot be taken as distant. Xu Shen says: when the moon is full, the flesh of snails and mussels is full inside, so it says snails and mussels respond below. The moon is the essence of yin, and snails and mussels are also yin, so it says similar qi. Only because they can be moved one by another, it says it cannot be taken as distant.]. So when a minister does not act as a minister, yin and yang are not in balance and the sun and moon change; when government and teaching are not even, floods and droughts are not in season, and the grain-boring insects arise [the pronunciation note in the base text is corrupt; it should be ming] and the leaf-eating insects [pronunciation note: teng is read te]. This is the response of calamities and anomalies [the Lan Ming Xun (the base text has a corrupt title) says: the mutual responses among kinds of things are profound, subtle, and deep (the base text has corrupt characters); wisdom cannot discuss them and eloquence cannot explain them. So when the east wind comes, the wine in the vessels overflows, and when silkworms spit silk, the shang string snaps; some are moved by feeling. A drawn line follows the ashes and the moon's halo is incomplete, a whale dies and a comet appears; some are moved by action. The Tian Wen Xun says: the Way of Heaven is called round, and the Way of Earth is called square. The square governs the hidden and the round governs the bright. The bright exhales qi, so fire is called the outer light; the hidden contains qi, so water is called the inner light. What exhales qi gives, and what contains qi transforms, so yang gives and yin transforms. The one-sided qi of Heaven and Earth that is angry becomes wind, and the harmonious contained qi becomes rain. When yin and yang press against each other, they become thunder when moved, lightning when excited, and fog when disordered. When yang qi prevails, it scatters into rain and dew, and when yin qi prevails, it congeals into frost and snow. Furred and feathered creatures are those that fly and run, and so belong to yang; shelled and scaled creatures are those that hibernate, and so belong to yin. The sun is the master of yang, so in spring and summer the herds of beasts shed their coats and at the solstice the deer shed their antlers. The moon is the ancestor of yin, so when the moon is empty the brains of fish shrink and when the moon dies, snails and mussels are lean. Fire rises and water flows down, so birds fly high and fish move low. Kinds of things move one another, and root and tip respond. So the yang sui, on seeing the sun, ignites into fire, and the fang zhu on seeing the moon condenses into water, a tiger roars and the valley wind arrives, a dragon rises and auspicious clouds gather, qilin fight and the sun and moon are eclipsed, a whale dies and a comet appears, silkworms spit silk and the shang string (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) snaps, and a falling star drops and the Bohai Sea bursts. The feelings of the ruler reach up to Heaven, so when he executes the violent there are many whirlwinds, when he bends laws and orders there are many insects, when he kills the innocent the state's land goes bare, and when orders are not gathered in there is much excessive rain. The four seasons are Heaven's officials, the sun and moon are Heaven's envoys, the stars are Heaven's appointed times, and rainbows and comets are Heaven's taboos. The Tai Zu Xun says: when spirit moves within and form and breath move Heaven, then the auspicious star appears, the yellow dragon descends, the auspicious phoenix arrives, sweet springs flow, fine grain grows, rivers do not overflow, and seas do not stir waves. So the Book of Poetry says: 'Soothing the hundred spirits, reaching to rivers and high mountains.' If one goes against Heaven and does violence to things, then the sun and moon are eclipsed, the five planets lose their courses, the four seasons go awry, day is dark (the base text has a corrupt character) and night is bright, mountains collapse and rivers dry up, there is thunder in winter and frost in summer. The Book of Poetry says: 'In the first month there is heavy frost, and my heart is grieved.' Heaven and man have a means of communicating. So when the state is in danger of ruin, the heavenly signs change, and when the age is deluded and chaotic, rainbows appear. All things have a means of being connected and essences and noxious airs have a means of agitating one another.]. The four seasons succeed each other in order and people take their effect, and the stars are arrayed in heaven and people imitate their movement. The constant stars are like dukes and ministers, and the many stars are like the ten thousand people. When the arrayed stars are right, the many stars are even; when the constant stars are disordered, the many stars fall [the Treatise on Astronomy says: of the heavenly patterns clearly known in the charts and records, the fixed stars and constant lodgings within and outside number one hundred eighteen named groups, with seven hundred eighty-three stars in all, all with images of provinces, states, offices, palaces, and things. Their hiding and appearing, early and late, slant and straight, survival and loss, emptiness and fullness, breadth and narrowness, and the movement of the five planets in conjunction and dispersal, offending, guarding, overrunning, and crossing, the Dipper's feeding, comets and bursting flying streams, eclipses of the sun and moon, haloes, bends, reversals, holes, embraces, ear-like appendages, rainbows (the base text has a corrupt character), fierce thunder, evil winds, strange clouds and changed airs, are all the essences of yin and yang, whose root is on earth and which issue upward in Heaven. When government errs here, change appears there, like a shadow taking the form and an echo answering the sound, a natural sign.]. The Grand Secretary said: the literati say that the kinds of hard and soft overcome and replace one another in turn; the Book of Changes is clear about yin and yang, and the Book of Documents excels in the five phases. Spring gives birth and summer grows [pronunciation note: zhang is read zhang], so fire is born at yin and wood is of the yang kind; autumn gives birth and winter kills, so water is born at shen and metal is of the yin kind. The four seasons and five phases alternately decline and rise. Yin and yang are different kinds, and water and fire do not share a vessel. Metal is formed by earth and dies by fire; metal is born at si; what is meant, what is said, is it so? [the Baihu Tong says: in the Book of Documents the first is water, the second fire, the third wood, the fourth metal, and the fifth earth. Water's position is in the north. The north is where yin qi is below the Yellow Springs, bearing and nurturing the ten thousand things. 'Water' means moistening. Yin transforms, moistening and bearing wood to life. Wood is in the east. The east is where yin and yang qi begin to stir and the ten thousand things begin to be born. 'Wood' means touching: yang qi moves and leaps. Fire is in the south. The south is where yang is above and the ten thousand things hang their branches. 'Fire' means yielding and following: it says the ten thousand things spread out; 'fire' also means transforming: yang qi takes charge and the ten thousand things change. Metal is in the west. The west is where yin qi begins and the ten thousand things are restrained. 'Metal' means prohibition. Earth is in the center. The center is the one that spits out and contains the ten thousand things. 'Earth' means spitting out. Why do the five phases take turns being king? Because they give birth to one another in turn, so they have end and beginning. Wood gives birth to fire, fire to earth, earth to metal, metal to water, and water to wood. Therefore when wood is king, fire is minister, earth is dead, metal is imprisoned, and water rests. The reason the five phases harm one another is that in the nature of Heaven and Earth, the many overcome the few, so water overcomes fire; the refined overcomes the solid, so fire overcomes metal; the hard overcomes the soft, so metal overcomes wood; the concentrated overcomes the scattered, so wood overcomes earth; the full overcomes the empty, so earth overcomes water.].

文學曰兵者兇器也甲堅兵利為天下殃以母制子故能久長聖人法之厭【音噎】而不【老子曰兵者不祥之器不得已而用之韓非子曰夫戰者萬乘之存亡也且聞之曰削跡無遺根無與禍鄰禍乃不存尉繚子曰兵者兇器也爭者逆徳也事必有本故王者伐暴亂本仁義焉】詩云載戢干戈載櫜【音髙】弓矢我求懿徳肆於時夏衰世不然逆天道以快暴心僵【音姜】屍流血以爭壤土牢人之君滅人之祀殺人之子若絶草木刑者肩靡於道以巳之所惡【音汙】而施於人是以國家破滅身受其殃秦王是也【班固曰秦始皇即位三十九年內平六國外攘四夷死人如亂麻暴骨長城之下頭盧相屬於道不一日而無兵由是山東之難興四方潰而逆秦秦將吏外畔賊臣內發亂作蕭牆禍成二世故曰兵猶火也弗戢必自焚信矣是以蒼頡作書止戈為武聖人以武禁暴整亂止息兵戈非以為殘而興縱之也易曰天之所助者順也人之所助者信也君子履信思順自天祐之吉無不利也兵畧曰古者天子一畿諸侯一國各守其分不得相侵有不行王道者暴虐萬民爭地侵壤亂政犯禁召之不至令之不行禁之不止誨之不變乃舉兵而伐之戮其君易其黨封其墓類其社卜其子孫以代之晚世務廣地侵壤併兼無已舉不義之兵伐無罪之國殺不辜之民絶先聖之後大國出攻小國城守驅人之牛馬傒人之子女毀人之宗廟遷人之重寳血流千里暴骸滿野以贍貪主之慾非兵之所為生也故兵者所以討暴非所以為暴也】

The literati said: Weapons are ill-omened instruments, and firm armor and sharp arms are a calamity for the world. The mother restrains the child, and so it can last long. The sage models on it, and is satiated [pronunciation note: yan is read ye] and does not set out (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription) [Laozi says: weapons are instruments of ill omen, used only when there is no alternative. The Han Feizi says: war is the survival or ruin of a state of ten thousand chariots. Moreover it has been said: if one cuts off traces there is no remaining root, and with no neighbor in calamity, calamity does not remain. The Weiliaozi says: weapons are ill-omened instruments, contention is contrary virtue, and the matter must have a root. So when a king punishes violence and disorder, he roots it in benevolence and righteousness.]. The Book of Poetry says: 'Put away the shields and spears, and store away the bows and arrows [pronunciation note: gao is read gao]. I seek bright virtue, and spread it across the Xia.' A declining age is not so: it goes against the Way of Heaven to satisfy a violent heart, with fallen [pronunciation note: jiang is read jiang] corpses and flowing blood contending for earth and soil, imprisoning other people's rulers, destroying other people's sacrifices, killing other people's sons as if cutting down grass and trees, the punished rubbing shoulders on the roads, applying to others what one oneself dislikes [pronunciation note: wu is read wu]. For this reason states are ruined and one's own person suffers the calamity, as with the King of Qin [Ban Gu says: the First Emperor of Qin in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, within pacified the six states and without repelled the four barbarians, and the dead lay like tangled hemp, their bones exposed beneath the Great Wall and their heads strung along the roads, without a day free of arms. Hence the troubles east of the mountains arose, the four quarters collapsed and turned against Qin, Qin's generals and officials rebelled outside, traitor ministers rose within, disorder broke out within the screen wall, and calamity was completed in the Second Emperor. So it is said: weapons are like fire; if not put away, one is sure to burn oneself, and this is true. So Cang Jie made writing, with the 'stop spears' making the word for martial. The sage uses martial force to forbid violence and set disorder right, and to stop spears and shields, and does not consider cruelty something to be started and indulged. The Book of Changes says: what Heaven helps is the compliant, and what man helps is the trustworthy. The gentleman treads on good faith and thinks of compliance; aided by Heaven, auspicious, nothing that is not advantageous. The Bing Lue says: in ancient times the Son of Heaven had one domain and each lord had one state, each keeping to his own share and not allowed to encroach on one another. If there were those who did not practice the kingly Way, who tyrannized the ten thousand people, contended for land and encroached on territory, disordered government and violated prohibitions, did not come when summoned, did not carry out orders, did not stop when forbidden, and did not change when taught, then troops were raised to attack him, executing his ruler, changing his party, raising his tomb, sorting his altar, and divining a descendant to replace him. In later ages, they strive to enlarge land and encroach on territory, annexing without end, raising unrighteous troops, attacking blameless states, killing innocent people, and cutting off the descendants of former sages. Great states go out to attack and small states defend their cities, driving off others' oxen and horses, binding others' sons and daughters, destroying others' ancestral temples, and carrying off others' heavy treasures, with blood flowing a thousand li and exposed bones filling the wilds, to satisfy the desires of a greedy lord; this is not what weapons were born for. So weapons are used to punish the violent, not to be violent.].

大夫曰金生於己刑罰小加故薺麥夏死【地形訓曰木勝土土勝水水勝火火勝金金勝木故禾春生秋死菽夏生冬死麥秋生夏死薺冬生中夏死許慎曰禾者木也春木王而生秋金王而死豆火也夏火王而生冬水王而死麥金也金王而生火王而死也薺水也水王而生土王而死也】易曰履霜堅氷至秋始降霜草木隕【音允】零合冬行誅萬物畢藏【魯恭曰履霜堅氷隂始凝也馴致其道至堅氷也言五月微隂始起至十一月堅氷至也原道訓曰秋風下霜倒生挫傷鷹鵰搏鷙昆蟲蟄藏】春夏生長【音掌】利以行仁秋冬殺藏利以施刑故非其時而樹雖生不成秋冬行德是謂逆天道月令涼風至殺氣動蜻【音精】蛚【音列】鳴衣裘成天子行微刑始防【音樞】膢【音婁】以順天令【聲子曰古之治民者勸賞而畏刑賞以春夏刑以秋冬是以將賞為之加膳加膳則飫賜此以知其勸賞也將刑為之不舉不舉則徹樂此以知其畏刑也管子曰法者天地之位象四時之行以治天下四時之行有寒有暑聖人法之故有文有武天地之位有前有後有左有右聖人法之以建經紀春生於左秋殺於右夏長於前冬藏於後生長之事文也收藏之事武也是故文事在左武事在右聖人法之以行法令以治事理也司馬談曰夫陰陽四時八節十二度二十四節各有教令曰順之者昌逆之者不死則亡未必然也故曰使人拘而多畏夫春生夏長秋收冬藏此天道之大經也弗順則無以為天下綱紀故曰天下之大順不可失也魯恭曰夫陰陽之氣相扶而行發動用事各有時節若不當其時則物隨而傷應劭曰刑罰威獄以類天之震燿殺戮也溫慈和惠以放天之生殖長育也是故春一木枯則為災秋一木華亦為異時則訓曰孟秋之月涼風至白露降寒蟬鳴鷹乃祭鳥用始行戮求不孝不弟戮暴傲悍而罰之以助損氣】文學曰同四時合隂陽尚徳而除刑如此則鷹隼【音筍】不鷙【音至】猛獸不攫【音腳】秋不搜【音捜】獮【音癬】冬不田狩者也

The Grand Secretary said: Metal is born at si, and punishments are applied lightly, so shepherd's purse and wheat die in summer [the Di Xing Xun says: wood overcomes earth, earth overcomes water, water overcomes fire, fire overcomes metal, and metal overcomes wood. So millet is born in spring and dies in autumn, beans are born in summer and die in winter, wheat is born in autumn and dies in summer, and shepherd's purse is born in winter and dies in midsummer. Xu Shen says: millet is wood, born when wood is king in spring and dying when metal is king in autumn; beans are fire, born when fire is king in summer and dying when water is king in winter; wheat is metal, born when metal is king and dying when fire is king; shepherd's purse is water, born when water is king and dying when earth is king.]. The Book of Changes says: 'Treading on frost, solid ice will come.' In autumn frost begins to descend, grasses and trees fall [pronunciation note: yun is read yun] and wither, and by winter executions are carried out and the ten thousand things are all stored away [Lu Gong said: treading on frost, solid ice comes; yin begins to congeal. Gradually it leads its course to solid ice. This says that in the fifth month the slight yin begins to rise, and by the eleventh month solid ice comes. The Yuan Dao Xun says: the autumn wind brings frost, upside-down growing plants are damaged, hawks and eagles strike, insects hibernate.]. In spring and summer things are born and grow [pronunciation note: zhang is read zhang], and it is advantageous to practice benevolence; in autumn and winter they are killed and stored, and it is advantageous to apply punishment. So to plant out of season is to produce, but not to complete; to practice virtue in autumn and winter is called going against the Way of Heaven. The Yue Ling says: when the cool wind arrives and the killing air stirs, crickets [pronunciation note: qing is read jing, lie is read lie] chirp, fur coats are made, the Son of Heaven applies light punishments, and begins to guard [pronunciation note: fang is read shu] the lou [pronunciation note: lou is read lou] in accordance with Heaven's order [Sheng Zi said: those who governed the people in antiquity encouraged rewards and feared punishments; they gave rewards in spring and summer and punishments in autumn and winter. So when about to reward, he added to his meals, and adding to meals he feasted and gave gifts, from which one knew his encouragement of rewards; when about to punish, he did not raise (his meals), and not raising them, he removed music, from which one knew his fear of punishment. The Guanzi says: law is the position of Heaven and Earth, and imitates the movement of the four seasons to govern the world. The four seasons move with cold and heat, and the sage models on them, so there is civil and martial. The position of Heaven and Earth has front and back, left and right, and the sage models on it to set up the framework. Spring gives birth on the left, autumn kills on the right, summer grows in front, and winter stores behind. The affairs of birth and growth are civil, and the affairs of gathering and storing are martial. So civil affairs are on the left and martial affairs on the right. The sage models on it to carry out laws and orders and to manage affairs. Sima Tan said: yin and yang, four seasons, eight nodes, twelve measures, and twenty-four periods each have teachings and orders; it is said that those who follow them flourish and those who go against them, if not dead, perish, but that is not necessarily so. So it says it makes people constrained and fearful. Spring birth, summer growth, autumn harvest, winter storage is the great constant of Heaven's Way; without following it there is no guiding thread for the world. So it says the great compliance of the world cannot be lost. Lu Gong said: the qi of yin and yang support each other as they proceed, with stirring and action each in their own season; if not at the right time, things are harmed accordingly. Ying Shao said: punishments, awe, and prisons correspond to Heaven's thunder, lightning, and killing; warmth, kindness, and gentleness imitate Heaven's birth, multiplication, growth, and nurture. So in spring a single tree withering is a disaster, and in autumn a single tree blossoming is an anomaly. The Shi Ze Xun says: in the first month of autumn, the cool wind comes, white dew falls, the cold cicada chirps, the hawk sacrifices birds, and executions begin; those who are unfilial and unbrotherly are sought, and the violent, arrogant, and fierce are punished and executed, to assist the reducing qi.]. The literati said: one matches the four seasons, unites yin and yang, honors virtue, and removes punishment. If so, hawks and falcons [pronunciation note: sun is read sun] do not strike [pronunciation note: zhi is read zhi], fierce beasts do not grasp [pronunciation note: jue is read jiao], in autumn there is no sou xian hunting [pronunciation notes: sou and xian are read sou and xuan], and in winter there is no field hunting.

文學曰天道好【去聲】生惡【音汙】殺好【去聲】賞惡【音汙】罰故使陽居於實而宣徳施隂藏於虛而為陽佐輔陽剛隂柔季不能加孟此天賤冬而貴春申陽屈隂故王者南面而聽天下背隂向陽前徳而後刑也霜雪晚至五穀猶成雹霧夏隕【音允】萬物皆傷由此觀之嚴刑以治國猶任秋冬以成谷也【董仲舒曰王者欲有所為宜求其端於天天道之大者在隂陽陽為徳隂為刑刑主殺而徳主生是故陽常居大夏而以生育養長為事隂常居大冬而積於空虛不用之處以此見天之任徳不任刑也天使陽出佈施於上而主嵗功使隂入伏於下而時出佐陽陽不得隂之助亦不能獨成嵗終陽以成嵗為名此天意也王者承天意以從事故任徳教而不任刑刑者不可任以治世猶隂之不可任以成嵗也為政而任刑不順於天故先王莫之肯為也丁儀曰天垂象聖人則之天之為嵗也先春而後秋君之為治也先禮而後刑春以生長為徳秋以殺戮為功禮以教訓為美刑以威嚴為用故先生而後殺天之為嵗先教而後罰君之為治也天不以久逺更其春冬而人也得以古今改其禮刑哉】故法令者治惡之具也而非至治之風也是以古者明王茂其徳教而緩其刑罰也【孔子曰治國有二機刑徳是也徳者養善而進闕者也刑者懲惡而禁後者也夫刑徳者化之所由興也王者尚其徳而希其刑霸者刑徳並湊強國先其刑而後徳淮南記曰急轡利錣非千里之御也嚴刑峻法非百王之治也政理篇曰政有三品王者之政化之霸者之政威之彊者之政脅之夫此三者各有所施而化之為貴矣夫化之不變而後威之威之不變而後脅之脅之不變而後刑之夫至於刑者則非王者之所得已也是以聖王先徳教而後刑罰則莫不慕義理之榮而惡貪亂之恥矣】網漏吞舟之魚而刑審於繩墨之外反臻其末而民莫犯禁也【司馬遷曰漢興破觚而為圜斵雕而為樸號為網漏吞舟之魚而吏治蒸蒸不至於奸黎民乂安由是觀之在彼不在此也】

The literati said: The Way of Heaven loves [pronunciation note: hao is read in the falling tone] giving life and hates [pronunciation note: wu is read wu] killing, loves [pronunciation note: hao is read in the falling tone] reward and hates [pronunciation note: wu is read wu] punishment. So it makes yang dwell in the full place and spread virtue, and hides yin in the empty place to assist yang. Yang is hard and yin is soft, and the last month cannot be added to the first. This is Heaven making light of winter and honoring spring, extending yang and bending yin. So a king faces south to listen to the world, turns his back to yin and faces yang, putting virtue first and punishment behind. If frost and snow come late, the five grains still ripen; if hail and fog fall [pronunciation note: yun is read yun] in summer, all things are harmed. From this we see that to govern a state by severe punishment is like relying on autumn and winter to complete the grain [Dong Zhongshu said: when a king wishes to act, he should seek the root of it in Heaven. The great thing about the Way of Heaven is in yin and yang. Yang is virtue and yin is punishment. Punishment governs killing and virtue governs life. So yang always dwells in the great summer and takes birth, nurture, and growth as its work, while yin always dwells in the great winter and accumulates in empty places not used. From this we see that Heaven relies on virtue and not on punishment. Heaven makes yang go out and spread above to govern the year's work, and makes yin go in and hide below and come out at times to assist yang. Yang cannot complete the year without yin's help, but yang's purpose is the completion of the year; this is Heaven's will. A king follows Heaven's will in his work, so he relies on virtuous teaching and not on punishment. Punishment cannot be relied on to govern the age, just as yin cannot be relied on to complete the year. To govern by relying on punishment does not follow Heaven, so the former kings were unwilling to do it. Ding Yi said: Heaven hangs down images and the sage takes them as his rule. In Heaven's year, spring comes first and autumn after; in the ruler's governance, ritual comes first and punishment after. Spring takes growth as its virtue and autumn takes killing as its merit; ritual takes teaching as its beauty and punishment takes awe as its use. So life first and killing after is Heaven's year; teaching first and punishment after is the ruler's governance. Heaven does not change its spring and winter because of long ages; how could man change ritual and punishment because of past and present?]. So laws and orders are tools for governing evil, and not the style of the highest order. So the enlightened kings of antiquity made their virtue and teaching flourish and slackened their punishments [Confucius said: there are two levers in governing a state, which are punishment and virtue. Virtue nourishes the good and promotes the lacking, while punishment punishes evil and prohibits later offenses. Punishment and virtue are the source from which transformation arises. A king honors virtue and has little punishment, a hegemon uses both punishment and virtue, and a strong state puts punishment first and virtue after. The Huainan record says: tight reins and sharp goads are not the way a thousand-li driver goes; severe punishments and harsh laws are not the governance of a hundred kings. The Zheng Li chapter says: there are three grades of government: the king's government transforms people, the hegemon's government awes them, and the strong state's government coerces them. Each of the three has its place, but transformation is most valued. Only if transformation does not change them does one awe them; only if awe does not change them does one coerce them; only if coercion does not change them does one punish them. As for punishment, it is not something a king does except when forced. So the sage kings put virtue and teaching first and punishment after, and then none did not admire the glory of righteousness and hate the shame of greed and disorder.]. The net let the fish that could swallow a boat slip through, and punishment was examined beyond the marking line, yet it reached the end and the people did not violate the prohibitions [Sima Qian said: when Han arose, it broke the angular vessel into a round one and trimmed ornament into simplicity, and was said to have a net that let the boat-swallowing fish slip through, yet the officials' governance flourished without reaching treachery, and the common people were at peace. From this one sees that it lay in that, not in this.].

大夫曰令者所以教民也法者所以督奸也令嚴而民慎法設而奸禁網疏則獸失法疏則罪漏罪漏則民放佚【音逸】而輕犯禁故禁下必法夫【音扶】徼【音交】幸誅誡蹠【音質】蹻【音腳】不犯是以古者作五刑刻肌膚而民不逾矩【公孫鞅曰行刑重其輕者輕者不至重者不來是謂以刑去刑也韓宣子曰董安於為趙上地守行石阜山見深澗峭如牆深百仭問其鄉左右曰人嘗有入此者乎曰無有有嬰兒狂聾人入此乎曰無有有牛馬犬彘入此乎曰無有安於嘆曰吾能治矣使吾法之無改猶入澗之必死則民莫之犯也】

The Grand Secretary said: Orders are how people are taught, and laws are how treachery is supervised. When orders are strict, the people are careful; when laws are set up, treachery is prevented. If the net is sparse, beasts escape; if the law is lax, crimes slip through. When crimes slip through, the people become unrestrained [pronunciation note: yi is read yi] and lightly violate prohibitions. So to restrain those below, there must be law. Sentence-opening fu [pronunciation note: fu is read fu]: lucky chance [pronunciation note: jiao is read jiao] and punishment as warning, so even Zhi [pronunciation note: zhi is read zhi] and Jue [pronunciation note: jue is read jiao] do not offend. So in antiquity they made the five punishments and carved the flesh, and the people did not overstep the measure [Gongsun Yang said: in carrying out punishment, make light offenses heavy; if the light do not arrive, the heavy do not come; this is called using punishment to eliminate punishment. Han Xuanzi said: Dong Anyu, as guardian of Shangdi for Zhao, traveled to Stone Mound Mountain and saw a deep ravine steep as a wall, a hundred fathoms deep, and asked those in his village on left and right: 'Has anyone ever entered here?' They said: 'No.' 'Has any infant, madman, or deaf person entered here?' 'No.' 'Has any ox, horse, dog, or pig entered here?' 'No.' Anyu sighed: 'I can govern now. If my law does not change, like entering the ravine means certain death, the people will not violate it.'].

文學曰道徳眾人不知所由法令眾人不知所闢【音避】故王者之製法昭乎如日月故民不迷曠乎若大路故民不惑幽隠逺方折手知足室女童婦鹹知所闢【音避】是以法令不犯而獄犴【音寒】不用也昔秦法繁於秋荼而網密於凝脂然而上下相遁奸偽萌生有司法之若救爛撲焦不能禁非網疏而罪漏禮義廢而刑罰任也【刑法志曰秦用商鞅連相坐之法造參夷之誅増加肉刑大辟有鑿顛抽脅鑊亨之刑至於秦始皇兼吞戰國遂毀先王之法滅禮誼之官専任刑罰躬操文墨晝斷獄夜理書自程決事日縣石之一而奸邪並生赭衣塞路囹圄成市天下愁怨潰而叛之泰族訓曰張瑟者小急而大緩立事者賤者勞而貴者逸舜為天子彈五之琴歌南風之詩而天下治周公殽臑不撤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畱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中也】方今律令百有餘篇文章繁罪名重郡國用之疑惑或淺或深自吏明習者不知所處而況愚民乎此斷獄所以滋眾而民犯禁也【刑法志曰孝武即位外事四夷之功內盛耳目之好徴發煩數百姓貧耗窮民犯法酷吏擊斷奸軌不勝於是招進張湯趙禹之屬條定法令作見知故縱監臨部主之法緩深故之罪急縱出之誅其後奸軌巧法轉相比況禁罔寖密律令凡三百五十九章大辟四百九條千八百八十二事死罪決事比萬三千四百七十二事文書盈於幾閣典者不能徧睹是以郡國承用者駮或罪同而論異奸吏因縁為市所欲活則傅生議所欲陷則予死比議者鹹寃傷之漢元帝曰夫法令者所以抑暴扶弱欲其難犯而易避也今律令煩多而不約自典文者不能分明而欲羅元元之不逮斯豈刑中之意哉漢成帝曰甫刑雲五刑之屬三千大辟之罰其屬二百今大辟之刑千有餘條律令煩多百有餘萬言竒請他比日以益滋自明習者不知所由欲以曉喻眾庻不亦難乎於以羅元元之民夭絶亡辜豈不哀哉泰族訓曰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】詩云宜犴【音寒】宜獄握粟出卜自何能谷刺刑法繁也親服之屬甚眾上附下附而服不過五【五服謂斬衰齊衰大功小功緦麻也】五刑之屬三千上殺下殺而罪不過五【五刑謂墨劓剕宮大辟也】故治民之道務篤其教而已【泰族訓曰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王為之法度而教導之則不可使鄉方主術訓曰刑罰不足以移風殺戮不足以禁奸唯師化為貴至精為神塊然保真抱徳推誠天下從之如響之應聲景之像形不施而仁不言而信不求而得不為而成弗招而自來不麾而自往窈窈防防不知為之者誰而功自成矣】

The literati said: The Way and virtue are something the crowd does not know how to follow, and laws and orders are something the crowd does not know how to avoid [pronunciation note: bi is read bi]. So when a king makes laws, they are bright like sun and moon, and so the people are not confused; they are open like a great road, and so the people are not bewildered. In the remote and hidden distance, one can fold one's hands and know where to put one's feet, and maidens and young wives all know what to avoid [pronunciation note: bi is read bi]. For this reason laws and orders are not violated and prisons [pronunciation note: an is read han] are not used. In the past Qin's laws were more numerous than autumn bitter herbs and its net denser than congealed fat, yet high and low evaded each other, treachery and falsehood sprouted, and the officers applied the law like putting out a fire and slapping a burn, unable to stop it; it was not that the net was sparse and crimes slipped through, but that ritual and righteousness were abandoned and punishment was relied on [the Treatise on Punishments says: Qin used Shang Yang, linked the laws of mutual liability, created the execution of three clans, and added corporal punishments; the capital punishments included head-piercing, rib-pulling, and boiling in a cauldron. When the First Emperor of Qin annexed the Warring States, he then destroyed the laws of the former kings, abolished the officers of ritual and propriety, and relied solely on punishment, personally handling documents, deciding cases by day and managing records by night, setting himself a daily quota of one stone's weight of documents; yet treachery and wickedness arose together, the red-robed convicts blocked the roads, prisons became markets, the world was full of grief and resentment, and collapsed and rebelled against him. The Tai Zu Xun says: in stringing a se, the small strings are tight and the big strings loose; in establishing affairs, the humble toil and the honored are at ease. Shun, as Son of Heaven, played the five-stringed zither and sang the poem of the south wind and the world was governed; the Duke of Zhou did not remove food and meat before him, and the bells and drums were not taken down from their hangings, and the four barbarians submitted. Zhao Zheng decided cases by day and managed records by night, the imperial censors' caps and canopies met in the commanderies and counties, they checked, hurried and delayed, garrisoned the Five Ridges to guard against Yue and built the long wall to guard against the Hu, yet wickedness sprouted, bandits lived in crowds, and the more the affairs multiplied the more the disorder grew. So law is a tool of governing and not what governing is, just as the bow and arrow are tools of hitting and not what hits.]. Now there are over a hundred articles of statutes and orders, the texts are numerous, the crimes weighty, and the commanderies and kingdoms use them in doubt, some lightly and some heavily; even officials who are practiced in them do not know how to deal with them, much less the foolish people. This is why cases increase and the people violate prohibitions [the Treatise on Punishments says: when Emperor Xiaowu took the throne, he engaged in campaigns against the four barbarians outside and indulged the pleasures of ears and eyes within; levies were frequent, the hundred clans were impoverished, the poor broke the law, harsh officials struck and judged, and the treachery was beyond control. Then Zhang Tang, Zhao Yu and their ilk were brought forward to draw up laws and orders, making laws on knowing and deliberately letting go and on supervisors and heads, relaxing punishment for deep and deliberate crimes and tightening execution for letting go of offenders. After that, cunning and sly men used the laws craftily, comparing and analogizing in turn, and the prohibition net became gradually denser. The statutes and orders totaled 359 chapters, with 409 articles and 1,882 cases for capital punishment, and 13,472 precedent cases for death-penalty judgments, and the documents filled the desks and pavilions so that officials in charge could not see them all. For this reason commanderies and kingdoms applied them inconsistently, sometimes with the same crime and different verdicts, and treacherous officials took advantage to trade; those they wished to save were given life-giving arguments, and those they wished to trap were given death precedents, and those who deliberated all felt wronged and hurt. Emperor Yuan of Han said: laws and orders are used to suppress the violent and support the weak, and are meant to be hard to violate and easy to avoid. Now statutes and orders are numerous and not concise, and even those in charge of the texts cannot distinguish them clearly, yet one wants to snare the common people who do not reach them; is that the meaning of balanced punishment? Emperor Cheng of Han said: the Fu Xing says that the five punishments number three thousand and the punishments of capital sentences number two hundred. Now the capital punishments are over a thousand articles, the statutes and orders are over a million words in numerous clauses, and strange requests and other precedents grow daily; even those who understand them do not know where they come from, and to explain them to the many, is that not difficult? To use them to snare the common people, and cut short their innocent lives, is that not sorrowful? The Tai Zu Xun says: to be trusted without speaking, benevolent without giving, awe-inspiring without anger is because Heaven's heart moves and transforms; to be benevolent with giving, trusted with speaking, awe-inspiring with anger is because essence and sincerity move them; to give but not be benevolent, speak but not be trusted, and be angry but not awe-inspiring is to do it with outward appearance. So if there is the Way to lead them, though laws are few they are enough to transform; if the Way is absent in carrying them out, though laws are many they are enough to cause disorder.]. The Book of Poetry says: 'Fit for the jail, fit for the prison, holding a handful of grain and going out to divine, where can one get good fortune?' This satirizes the multiplicity of laws. The categories of mourning dress for kin are very many, with those above and below attached, yet the dress does not exceed five [the five mourning dresses are zhancui, zicui, dagong, xiaogong, and sima]; the categories of the five punishments are three thousand, with those above and below applying, yet the crimes do not exceed five [the five punishments are tattooing, nose-cutting, foot-cutting, castration, and death]. So the Way of governing the people is simply to strengthen their teaching [the Tai Zu Xun says: if one has the nature but not the nurture, one cannot follow the Way. The nature of a cocoon is to become silk, yet unless a skilled woman boils it in hot water and draws out its thread, it cannot become silk; the egg's transformation into a chick, without a kind hen warming and covering it for days on end, cannot become a chick; the human nature has the resources of benevolence and righteousness, but unless a sage king makes laws and standards for it and teaches and guides it, it cannot be made to face the right direction. The Zhu Shu Xun says: punishments are not enough to change customs, and killing is not enough to prohibit wickedness; only spiritual transformation is valuable. The utmost essence is spirit; solid and keeping its truth, embracing virtue and extending sincerity, the world follows him like an echo answering a sound or a shadow following a form. Without giving he is benevolent, without speaking he is trusted, without seeking he gains, without acting he accomplishes, without summoning they come of themselves, without beckoning they go of themselves; deep and obscure (the base text has corrupt characters), none knows who does it and yet the work is done.].

大夫曰文學言王者立法曠若大路今馳道不小也而民公犯之以其罰罪之輕也千仞之髙人不輕凌千鈞之重人不輕舉商君刑棄灰於道而秦民治【韓非子曰殷之法刑棄灰於道者子貢以為重問之仲尼仲尼曰知治之道也夫棄灰於街必掩人掩人人必怒怒則闘闘必三族相殘也此殘三族之道也雖刑之可也且夫重罪者人之所惡也而無棄灰人之所易也使人行之所易而無離所惡此治之道也又曰公孫鞅之法也重輕罪者人之所難犯也而小過者人之所易去也使人去其所易無離其所難此治之道夫小過不生大罪不至是人無罪而亂不生也李斯曰商君之法刑棄灰於道者夫棄灰薄罪也而被刑重罰也故唯明主為能深督輕罪夫罪輕且督深而況有重罪乎故民不敢犯也】故盜馬者死盜牛者加所以重本而絶輕疾之資也武兵名食所以佐邉而重武備也盜傷與殺同罪所以累其心而責其意也猶魯以楚師伐齊而春秋惡【音汙】之【春秋曰公以楚師伐齊取谷左傳曰凡師能左右之曰以寘桓公子雍於谷易牙奉之以為魯援楚申公叔侯戍之桓公之子七人為七大夫於楚穀梁傳曰以者不以者也民者君之本也使民以其死非其正也】故輕之為重淺之為深有縁而然法之防者固非眾人之所知也

The Grand Secretary said: The literati say that when a king establishes laws they are open like a great road. Now the royal roads are not small, yet the people openly violate them, because the punishment for the offense is light. A height of a thousand fathoms, people do not easily climb; a weight of a thousand jun, people do not easily lift. Lord Shang punished those who dropped ashes on the road, and the people of Qin were governed [the Han Feizi says: the law of Yin punished those who dropped ashes on the road. Zigong thought it too heavy and asked Zhongni. Zhongni said: 'He knows the Way of governing. Ashes dropped in the street will surely cover people; covering people will surely anger them; anger leads to fighting; and fighting will surely lead to the mutual destruction of three clans. This is a path to destroying three clans, and punishing it is acceptable. Moreover heavy crimes are what people hate, and not dropping ashes is what people find easy. Making people do what is easy for them and not leave what they hate is the Way of governing.' It also says: Gongsun Yang's law made heavy penalties for light offenses; heavy penalties are what people find hard to risk, while small faults are what people find easy to avoid. Making people avoid what is easy and not leave what is hard is the Way of governing. Small faults do not arise, great crimes do not come, and so people have no crimes and disorder does not arise. Li Si said: Lord Shang's law punished those who dropped ashes on the road. Dropping ashes is a minor offense and being punished is a heavy penalty. So only an enlightened ruler can strictly supervise light offenses. If light offenses are supervised deeply, how much more heavy crimes? So the people dare not violate.]. So one who steals a horse dies and one who steals an ox is penalized more, to emphasize the root and cut off the resources for light, quick crimes; the arsenal's weapons and famous food are to assist the frontier and emphasize military preparedness; theft that causes injury is the same crime as killing, to burden the mind and hold the intent responsible. It is as when Lu used Chu troops to attack Qi and the Spring and Autumn Annals disapproved [pronunciation note: wu is read wu] of it [the Spring and Autumn Annals says: the duke used Chu troops to attack Qi and took Gu. The Zuo Zhuan says: when an army can be directed left or right, it is called 'using.' Duke Huan's son Yong was placed at Gu, Yi Ya served him as support for Lu, and Shen Gongshu Hou of Chu garrisoned it. Duke Huan's seven sons became seven grand masters in Chu. The Guliang Commentary says: 'using' is not using; the people are the root of the ruler. To use the people by their death is not right.]. So making light into heavy and shallow into deep has its reasons. The subtleties of law (the base text has a corrupt character) are certainly not what the crowd knows.

文學曰詩云周道如砥其直如矢言其易也君子所履小人所視言其明也故徳明而易從法約而易行【韓嬰曰詩云俾民不迷昔之君子道其百姓不使迷是以威厲而刑措不用也故形其仁義謹其教道使民目晰焉而見之使民耳晰焉而聞之使民心晰焉而知之則道不迷而民志不惑矣詩曰示我顯徳行故道義不易民不由也禮樂不明民不見也詩曰周道如砥其直如矢言其易也君子所履小人所視言其明也睠言顧之澘焉出涕哀其不聞禮教而就刑誅也泰族訓曰治大者道不可以小地廣者制不可以狹位髙者事不可以煩民眾者教不可以苟夫事碎難治也法煩難行也求多難贍也寸而度之至丈必差銖而稱之至石必過石秤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猒約事不猒省求不猒寡功約易成也事省易治也求寡易贍也眾易之於以任人易矣】今馳道經營陵陸紆【音於】周天下是以萬里為民穽【音阱】也罻【音尉】羅張而縣【音懸】其谷闢防設而當其蹊繳【音勺】弋飾而加其上能勿離【去聲】乎聚其所欲開其所利仁義陵遲能勿逾乎【孔子曰上陣之教而先服之則百姓從風矣躬行不從而後俟之以刑則民知罪矣夫一仞之牆民不能逾百仞之山童子升而遊焉陵遲故也今是仁義之陵遲乆矣能謂民勿逾乎】故其末途至於攻城入邑損府庫之金盜宗廟之器豈特千仞之髙千鈞之重哉管子曰四維不張雖臯陶不能為士故徳教廢而詐偽行禮義壊而奸邪興言無仁義也【管子曰國有四維一維絶則傾二維絶則危三維絶則覆四維絶則滅傾可正也危可安也覆可起也滅不可復錯也何謂四維一曰禮二曰義三曰亷四曰恥禮不逾節義不自進亷不蔽惡恥不從枉故不逾節則上位安不自進則民無巧詐不蔽惡則行自全不從枉則邪事不生故曰四維不張國乃滅亡主術訓曰臯陶喑而為大理天下無虐刑有貴於言者也師曠瞽而為大宰晉無亂政有貴於見者也不言之令不視之見此伏羲神農之所以為師也故民之化也不從其所言而從所行又曰國之所以存者仁義是也人之所以生者行善是也國無仁義雖大必亡人無善志雖勇必傷】仁者愛之效也義者事之宜也故君子愛人以及物治近以及逺傳【去聲】曰凡生之物莫貴於人人主之所貴莫重於人故天之生萬物以奉人也主愛人以順天也聞以六畜禽獸養人未聞以所養害人者也魯廐焚孔子罷朝【音潮】問人不問馬賤畜而重人也【董仲舒曰人受命於天固超然異於群生五穀以食之桑麻以衣之六畜以養之服牛乘馬圈豹檻虎是其得天之靈貴於物也故孔子曰天地之性人為貴呂氏春秋曰仁於他物不仁於人不得為仁不仁於他物獨仁於人猶若為仁仁也者仁乎其類者也故仁人之於民也可以便之無不行也】今盜馬者罪死盜牛者加乘車馬馳行道中吏舉苛而不止以為盜馬而罪亦死今傷人持其刀劒而亡亦可謂盜武庫兵而殺之乎【三輔黃圖雲武庫在未央宮蕭何造以藏兵器者也】人主立法而民犯之亦可以為逆面輕主約乎深之可以死輕之可以免非法禁之意也法者緣人情而制非設罪以陷人也故春秋之治獄論心定罪志善而違於法者免志惡而合於法者誅【範甯曰孔子因魯史修春秋舉得失以彰黜陟明成敗以著勸戒一字之褒寵逾華袞之贈片言之貶辱過市朝之撻徳之所助雖賤必申義之所抑雖貴必屈故附勢匿非者無所逃其罪潛徳獨運者無所隠其名信不易之宏規百王之通典也春秋元命包曰古者樹棘槐聽訟於其下棘赤心有刺槐之為言歸也言治人者原其心不失赤實事所以刺人真情令各歸實也荀子曰相形不如論心論心不如擇術形不勝心心不勝術形相惡而心術善無害為君子也形相善而心術惡無害為小人也】念傷民未有所害志不甚惡而合於法者謂盜而傷人者耶將執法者過耶何於人心不厭也古者傷人有創【音瘡】者刑盜有贓者罰殺人者死今取人兵刃以傷人罪與殺人同得無非其至意與大夫俛【音免】仰未應對

The Literati said: The Classic of Poetry says: "The road of Zhou is like a whetstone, straight as an arrow" - this speaks of its ease; "what the gentleman treads, the petty man looks upon" - this speaks of its clarity. So when virtue is clear it is easy to follow, and when law is concise it is easy to carry out [Han Ying said: The Poetry says: "Let the people not be lost." The gentlemen of old guided their people so that they were not lost, and so they were awe-inspiring and punishments were set aside and unused. So they displayed their humaneness and rightness and were careful with their teaching, making the people's eyes clearly see it, ears clearly hear it, hearts clearly know it, so the Way was not lost and the people's will was not confused. The Poetry says: "Show me your bright virtue." So if the Way and rightness are not easy, the people do not follow; if ritual and music are not clear, the people do not see them. The Poetry says: "The road of Zhou is like a whetstone, straight as an arrow" - this speaks of its ease; "what the gentleman treads, the petty man looks upon" - this speaks of its clarity. "Looking back with longing, tears flow" - this mourns that they did not hear of ritual teaching and instead went to punishment and execution. The chapter "Taizu" says: One who governs the great should not use petty Way, one with broad land should not have narrow regulations, one in a high position should not have complicated affairs, and one with many people should not have careless teaching. Petty affairs are hard to govern, complicated laws are hard to carry out, and many demands are hard to satisfy. Measure by the inch and by the time you reach a zhang you will surely err; weigh by the zhu and by the time you reach a shi you will surely be over; weigh with a stone scale and measure with a zhang rod and you will go straight with few mistakes; sort threads and count grains of rice and you will be troubled and not discern. So the great rule makes wisdom easy, and crooked arguments make cleverness difficult. Therefore what does no good for governing and only adds complication, the sage does not do; what does no good for use and only adds expense, the wise man does not carry out. So merit does not tire of being concise, affairs do not tire of being reduced, and demands do not tire of being few. With concise merit it is easy to accomplish; with reduced affairs it is easy to govern; with few demands it is easy to satisfy. The multitude find it easy, and so it is easy to employ people.]. Now the imperial roads are laid out over hills and plains and wind [phonetic gloss: "yu" is read yu] around the world, and so ten thousand li have become traps [phonetic gloss: "jing" is read jing] for the people. Nets [phonetic gloss: "wei" is read wei] are spread and hung [phonetic gloss: "xian" is read xuan] in the valleys, spring-traps (the original reads "pi fang", which by parallel with hunting gear should be "ji pi") are set on the paths, and arrow-strings [phonetic gloss: "jiao" is read shuo] and darts are fitted above; can they avoid being caught [phonetic gloss: "li" is read in the departing tone]? One gathers what they desire and opens what they profit from, humaneness and rightness decline like a sloping hill; can they not overstep [Confucius said: If those above set out the teaching and first submit to it themselves, the common people follow like grass in the wind. If the people do not follow even when one practices it personally, then one waits with punishment, and the people know guilt. A wall of one ren the people cannot cross, but a mountain of a hundred ren a child climbs and plays on, because it slopes. Now humaneness and rightness have long since declined; can one say the people will not overstep?]. So at its end they come to attack cities and enter towns, to diminish the gold of the treasuries and steal the vessels of ancestral temples; is this only a matter of a thousand ren in height or a thousand jun in weight? Guanzi said: If the four cords are not stretched, even Gao Yao could not be a judge. So when virtue and teaching are abolished, deceit and falsehood are practiced; when ritual and rightness are ruined, crookedness and evil arise; this speaks of the absence of humaneness and rightness [Guanzi said: A state has four cords. If one cord is cut, it tilts; if two are cut, it is endangered; if three are cut, it capsizes; if four are cut, it is destroyed. What tilts can be set right, what is endangered can be made safe, what capsizes can be righted, but what is destroyed cannot be restored. What are the four cords? First is ritual, second is rightness, third is integrity, fourth is shame. If ritual does not overstep its limits, those in high positions are secure; if rightness does not advance itself, the people have no cunning; if integrity does not conceal evil, conduct is whole of itself; if shame does not follow crookedness, evil affairs do not arise. So it is said: If the four cords are not stretched, the state is destroyed. The chapter "Zhushu" says: Gao Yao was mute yet served as chief judge, and the world had no cruel punishments, showing that something is more valuable than speech; Shi Kuang was blind yet served as grand steward, and Jin had no disorderly government, showing something more valuable than sight. Orders without speech and sight without seeing are why Fuxi and Shennong were teachers. So the people's transformation does not follow what is said but follows what is done. It also says: What preserves a state is humaneness and rightness, and what lets a person live is doing good. A state without humaneness and rightness will certainly perish however large; a person without good will will certainly be hurt however brave.]. Humaneness is the effect of love, and rightness is what is fitting in affairs. So the gentleman loves people and extends to things, governs the near and extends to the distant. The commentary [phonetic gloss: "zhuan" is read in the departing tone] says: Of all living things none is more precious than humans, and of what rulers value none is weightier than humans. So Heaven produces the myriad things to serve humans, and rulers love humans to accord with Heaven. I have heard of using the six domestic animals and fowl and beasts to nourish people, but have not heard of using what nourishes to harm people. When the stable of Lu burned, Confucius left court [phonetic gloss: "chao" is read chao] and asked about the people, not the horses; this was making light of animals and valuing humans [Dong Zhongshu said: People receive their mandate from Heaven, and of course are transcendently different from the multitude of living things. The five grains feed them, mulberry and hemp clothe them, the six domestic animals nourish them, oxen are used and horses ridden, leopards penned and tigers caged, because they have received the spirit of Heaven and are more precious than things. So Confucius said: Of the nature of Heaven and Earth, humans are the most precious. The Lüshi chunqiu says: One who is humane to other things but not to humans cannot be called humane; one who is not humane to other things but humane to humans can almost be called humane. Humaneness is being humane to one's own kind. So when a humane person deals with the people, there is nothing convenient to them that he does not carry out.]. Now one who steals a horse is guilty of a capital offense, and one who steals an ox is punished more. One who drives a carriage and horses along the road, whom officials accuse of harshness but he does not stop, is deemed a horse thief and also guilty of a capital offense. Now if someone wounds a person and flees holding his knife or sword, may it also be said that he stole weapons from the arsenal and killed with them [the Sanfu huangtu says: The arsenal is in the Weiyang Palace, built by Xiao He to store weapons.]? When a ruler sets up laws and the people violate them, can it also be treated as going against the face of the ruler and slighting his covenant? Treating it harshly can lead to death, treating it lightly can lead to release, which was not the intention of legal prohibition. Law is made by following human feeling and is not set up to trap people with crimes. So the Spring and Autumn Annals' handling of cases judged the heart and decided guilt: one whose will was good yet who violated the law was spared, and one whose will was evil yet who fit the law was executed [Fan Ning said: Confucius, relying on the chronicles of Lu, compiled the Spring and Autumn Annals, raising gains and losses to show demotion and promotion, clarifying success and failure to display encouragement and warning. The praise of a single word is more glorious than the gift of a splendid robe; the censure of a short phrase is more shaming than a flogging in the marketplace. Where virtue helps, even the lowly are surely vindicated; where rightness suppresses, even the noble are surely bent. So those who rely on power and hide wrong have no escape from their guilt, and those whose hidden virtue works alone cannot conceal their name. Truly it is an unchanging great rule and a common canon for a hundred kings. The Chunqiu yuanming bao says: In ancient times they planted jujube and locust trees and heard lawsuits beneath them. The jujube has a red heart with thorns, and the locust means "to return." This says that those who judge people trace the heart, not losing a red substance, and that affairs are what prick people's true feelings, making each return to the truth. Xunzi said: Reading physiognomy is not as good as judging the heart, and judging the heart is not as good as choosing the method. Form does not prevail over the heart, and the heart does not prevail over the method. If one's form is ugly but his heart and method are good, it does no harm to his being a gentleman; if one's form is good but his heart and method are bad, it does no harm to his being a petty man.]. When someone intends no injury to the people and has done no harm, and his will is not very evil yet he fits the law, shall he be called a thief who wounds people? Or is it the fault of the one who enforces the law? How can it satisfy the human heart? In ancient times one who wounded someone with a wound [phonetic gloss: "chuang" is read chuang] was punished, one who stole with stolen goods was fined, and one who killed was put to death. Now to take another's weapon and wound someone with it makes the guilt the same as killing; can this be what the law truly intended? The Grand Secretary bowed his head [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read mian] and looked up and did not answer.

御史大夫曰執法者國之轡銜刑罰者國之維檝【音接】故轡銜不飭雖王良不能以致逺維檝不設雖良工不能以絶水【主術訓曰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臣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猨狖失木而擒於狐狸非其處也許慎曰王良晉大夫御無恤子良也謂御良也一名孫無政為趙簡子御死而托精於天駟星天文有王良星是也】韓子曰疾有國者不能明其法勢御其臣下富國彊兵以制敵御難【去聲】惑於愚儒之文詞以疑賢士之謀舉浮淫之蠧【音妬】加之功實之上而欲國之治猶釋階而欲登髙無銜橛【音蹶】而御駻馬也【銜馬勒也橛車鉤心也】今刑法設備而民猶犯之況無法乎其亂必也【刑法志曰教笞不可廢於家刑罰不可捐於國誅罰不可偃於天下用之有巧拙行之有逆順耳】

The Imperial Counselor said: Enforcing law is the reins and bit of the state, and punishment is the oar and rudder [phonetic gloss: "ji" is read jie] of the state. So if the reins and bit are not kept in order, even Wang Liang could not go far; if the rudder and oar are not set up, even a skilled craftsman could not cross the water [the chapter "Zhushu" says: Laws, standards and measures are what the ruler uses to hold those below; to set them aside and not use them is like galloping without reins and bit, and the ministers and people will in turn play with their superior. So with method one controls others, and without method one is controlled by others. A fish large enough to swallow a boat, if it flounders out of water, is controlled by mole crickets and ants, because it left its dwelling; a monkey, having lost its tree, is caught by foxes and wildcats, because it is not in its place. Xu Shen said: Wang Liang was Wuxu, grand master of Jin, also called Ziliang, called Yuliang, also named Sun Wuzheng, who drove for Zhao Jianzi, and after death his essence lodged in the celestial star Tiansi. The star Wang Liang in the astronomy is this.]. Han Feizi said: Those who have a state and cannot make clear their laws and authority, control their ministers, enrich the state and strengthen the army to restrain enemies and ward off calamity [phonetic gloss: "nan" is read in the departing tone], but are bewildered by the writings of foolish Confucians and thereby doubt the plans of worthy scholars, raising the floating and licentious vermin [phonetic gloss: "du" is read du] above real merit, yet desire that the state be well governed, are like abandoning stairs and yet wishing to climb high, or driving a bolting horse without bit and hook [phonetic gloss: "jue" is read jue] ["xian" is the bit, and "jue" is the hook at the heart of the carriage]. Now though punishments and laws are set up, the people still violate them; how much more if there were no law? Its disorder would be sure [the Xingfa zhi says: Teaching with the cane cannot be abandoned in the household, punishment cannot be discarded in the state, and execution and penalty cannot be put away in the world; there is only skill or clumsiness in using them and compliance or going against in applying them.].

文學曰轡銜者御之具也得良工而調法勢者治之具也得賢人而化【泰族訓曰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壊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聖人也故臧武以其智存魯而天下莫能亡也蘧伯玉以其仁寧衞而天下莫能危也張敞曰懇懇用刑不如行恩孳孳求奸未若禮賢舜舉臯陶不仁者逺隨會為政晉盜奔秦虞芮入境讓心自生化人在徳不在用刑】執轡非其人則馬奔馳執舳【音逐】非其人則舩【音船】覆傷昔吳使宰嚭【披上聲】持舳【音逐】而破其舩【音船】秦使趙髙執轡而覆其車【越絶書曰太宰者官號嚭者名也伯州之孫伯州為楚臣以過誅嚭以困奔於吳是時吳王闔廬伐楚悉召楚仇而近之嚭為人覽聞辯見目達耳通諸事無所不知因其時自納於吳言伐楚之利闔廬用之伐楚令子胥孫武與嚭將師入郢有大功還吳王以嚭為太宰位髙權盛専邦之枋未久闔廬卒嚭見夫差內無柱石之堅外無斷割之勢防心自納操獨斷之利夫差終以從焉而忠臣籥口不得一言嚭知徃而不知來夫差至死悔不早誅傳曰見清知濁見曲知直人君選士各象其徳夫差淺短以是與嚭専權伍胥為之惑是之謂也陳琳曰曩者彊秦弱主趙髙執柄専制朝權威福由已時人廹脅莫敢正言終有望夷之敗秦紀曰秦二世夢白虎齧其左驂馬殺之問占夢涇水為祟二世乃齋望夷宮欲祠涇水使使責讓趙髙以盜事髙懼乃隂與其女壻咸陽令閻樂數二世二世自殺鄒陽曰偏聽生奸獨任成亂】今廢仁義之術而任刑名之徒則復吳秦之事也夫【音扶】為君者法三王為相【去聲】者法周公為術者法孔子此百世不易之道也韓非非先王而不遵舍正令而不從卒蹈陷穽身幽囚客死於秦本夫【音扶】不通大道而小辯斯足以害其身而已【韓非傳曰韓非者韓之諸公子也喜刑名法術之學而其歸本於黃老非為人口吃不能道說而善著書見韓之削弱數以書諫韓王韓王不能用故作孤憤五蠧內外儲說林說難十餘萬言人或傳其書至秦秦王見孤憤五蠧之書曰嗟乎寡人得見此人與之遊死不恨矣李斯曰此韓非之所為書也秦因急攻韓韓王始不用非及急廼遣非使秦秦王恱之未信用李斯姚賈害之毀之曰韓非韓之諸公子也今王欲並諸侯非終為韓不為秦此人之情也今王不用乆留而歸之此自遺患也不如以過法誅之秦王以為然下吏治非李斯使人遺非藥使自殺韓非欲自陳不得見秦王后悔之使人赦之非已死矣】

The Literati said: The reins and bit are tools of driving, and are adjusted when one finds a skilled craftsman; law and authority are tools of governing, and transform when one finds a worthy person [the chapter "Taizu" says: Yu became king through the Xia, and Jie perished through the Xia; Tang became king through the Yin, and Zhou perished through the Yin. It is not that the laws and standards did not exist, but that the guiding threads were not stretched and customs were ruined. The laws of the Three Dynasties did not perish, yet the age was not governed, because they lacked the wisdom of the Three Dynasties; the six pitches all remain yet no one can hear them, because they lack Shi Kuang's ears. So though laws exist, one must wait for a sage and then there is governance; though the pitches are complete, one must have ears and then one can hear. Therefore a state's survival is not because it has laws but because it has worthy people, and its ruin is not because it lacks laws but because it lacks sages. So Zang Wuzhong preserved Lu with his wisdom and no one in the world could ruin it, and Qu Boyu gave peace to Wey with his humaneness and no one in the world could endanger it. Zhang Chang said: Earnestly applying punishment is not as good as practicing kindness, and diligently seeking out evil is not as good as honoring the worthy. When Shun promoted Gao Yao, the unbenevolent went far away; when Sui Hui held government, the bandits of Jin ran off to Qin; when Yu and Rui entered the border, the heart of yielding arose of itself. Transforming people lies in virtue and not in using punishment.]. If the one who holds the reins is not the right person the horses bolt, and if the one who holds the stern [phonetic gloss: "zhu" is read zhu] is not the right person the boat [phonetic gloss: "chuan" is read chuan] capsizes and is damaged. In the past Wu had Chancellor Pi [phonetic gloss: "pi" is read in the rising tone, pi] hold the stern [phonetic gloss: "zhu" is read zhu] and he wrecked its boat [phonetic gloss: "chuan" is read chuan], and Qin had Zhao Gao hold the reins and he overturned its carriage [the Yuejue shu says: Taizai is an official title and Pi is a name, a grandson of Bo Zhou. Bo Zhou was a minister of Chu who was executed for a fault, and Pi fled to Wu in distress. At that time King Helü of Wu attacked Chu and summoned all of Chu's enemies and drew them near. Pi was a man of wide learning, discerning, quick of eye and ear, who knew everything, and at that moment recommended himself to Wu and spoke of the benefits of attacking Chu. Helü used him to attack Chu and ordered Zixu, Sun Wu and Pi to lead the army into Ying, with great merit. On return, the King of Wu made Pi grand steward, with high position and great power, seizing the handle of the state. Before long Helü died. Pi saw that Fuchai within had no firm pillar and without had no power to decide, bent his heart and offered himself, and wielded the benefit of sole decision, and Fuchai in the end followed him, while loyal ministers had their mouths locked and could not say a word. Pi knew the past but not the future, and Fuchai regretted until death that he had not executed him earlier. The commentary says: Seeing the clear, one knows the muddy; seeing the crooked, one knows the straight. A ruler's selection of scholars each reflects his virtue. Fuchai was shallow and short, and so he and Pi monopolized power, and Wu Zixu was bewildered by it. This is what is meant. Chen Lin said: In former times when mighty Qin had a weak ruler, Zhao Gao held the handle and monopolized court power, dispensing awe and favor by himself, and people of the time were coerced and none dared speak correctly, and in the end there was the defeat at Wangyi. The Qin ji says: The Second Emperor of Qin dreamed that a white tiger bit his left outer horse and killed it, and asked a dream diviner, who said the Jing River was causing trouble. The Second Emperor then fasted at the Wangyi Palace to sacrifice to the Jing River, and sent an envoy to rebuke Zhao Gao over the bandit matter. Gao was afraid and secretly with his son-in-law, the magistrate of Xianyang, Yan Le, enumerated the Second Emperor's crimes. The Second Emperor killed himself. Zou Yang said: Listening to one side breeds cunning, and relying on one person alone creates disorder.]. Now to abandon the arts of humaneness and rightness and employ followers of forms and names would repeat the affairs of Wu and Qin. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: a ruler should model himself on the Three Kings, a chancellor [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] on the Duke of Zhou, and one who practices a method on Confucius; this is the Way unchanged for a hundred generations. Han Fei condemned the former kings and did not follow them, abandoned correct orders and did not obey them, and in the end stepped into a trap, was imprisoned, and died as a guest in Qin. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: not penetrating the great Way and making small arguments is enough to harm one's own person and no more [the Han Fei biography says: Han Fei was one of the princes of Han, who loved the learning of forms and names, law and technique, whose roots lay in Huang-Lao. Fei stammered and could not speak, but was good at writing books. Seeing Han weakened, he repeatedly remonstrated with the King of Han in writing, but the King of Han could not use him, so he wrote Gufen, Wudu, Neiwai chu, Shuolin and Shuonan, more than a hundred thousand words. Someone passed his books to Qin. The King of Qin, seeing the writings Gufen and Wudu, said: Alas, if I could meet this man and travel with him, I would die without regret. Li Si said: These are the works of Han Fei. Qin then urgently attacked Han. The King of Han at first did not use Fei, but when pressed sent Fei as envoy to Qin. The King of Qin was pleased with him but did not trust and use him. Li Si and Yao Jia harmed him, slandering him: Han Fei is one of the princes of Han. Now the king wants to annex the feudal lords, and in the end Fei will act for Han and not for Qin; this is human feeling. Now if the king does not use him but keeps him long and sends him home, that would leave trouble for oneself. It is better to execute him by the law for some fault. The King of Qin thought so and handed Fei to officials. Li Si sent someone to give Fei medicine to make him kill himself. Han Fei wished to state his case himself but could not see the king. The King of Qin later regretted it and sent someone to pardon him, but Fei was already dead.]

御史曰待周公而為相【去聲】則世無列國待孔子而後學則世無儒墨【韓非子曰世之顯學儒墨也儒之所至孔丘也墨之所至墨翟也自孔子之死也有子張之儒有子思之儒有顔氏之儒有孟氏之儒有漆雕氏之儒有仲梁氏之儒有孫氏之儒有樂正氏之儒自墨子之死也有相里氏之墨有相夫氏之墨有鄧陵氏之墨故孔墨之後儒分為八墨離為三取捨相反不同而皆自謂真孔墨不可復生將誰定世之學乎修務訓曰美人者非必西施之種通士者不必孔墨之類】夫【音扶】衣小缺襟裂可以補而必待全匹而易之政小缺法令可以坊【古防字】而必待雅頌乃治之是猶舍鄰之醫而求俞跗【音夫】而後治病廢汙池之水待江海而後救火也【趙中庶子曰俞跗之為醫也榒木為腦芷草為軀吹竅定腦死者復生韓非子曰失火而取水於海海水雖多火必不滅矣逺水不救近火也】迂而不徑闕而無務是以教令不從而治煩亂夫【音扶】善為政者弊則補之決則塞之故吳子以法治楚魏【道應訓曰吳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吳起曰將衰楚國之爵而平其制祿捐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捐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徳也兵者兇器也爭者人之所末也今子隂謀逆徳好用兇器始人之所末逆之至也且子用魯兵不宜得志於齊而得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理戾人道至今無禍差湏夫子也吳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範睢曰吳起事悼王使私不害公防不蔽忠言不取苟合行不取苟容行義不顧譭譽必欲覇主強國不辭禍兇】申商以法彊秦韓也【要畧曰申子者韓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秦國之俗貪狼彊力寡義而趨利或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傳曰申不害荊人也故鄭之賤臣學術以幹韓昭侯昭侯用為相內修政教外應諸侯十五年終申子之身國治兵彊無侵韓者範睢曰公孫鞅事孝公極身毋二盡公不還私信賞罰以致治竭智能示情素怨咎欺舊交虜魏公子卬卒為秦禽將破敵軍攘地千里泰族訓曰申子之三符商鞅之啟塞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】

The Imperial Counselor said: If one must wait for the Duke of Zhou to be chancellor [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone], then the age would have no states in a row; if one must wait for Confucius before studying, then the age would have no Confucians or Mohists [Han Feizi said: The prominent schools of the age are the Confucians and Mohists. The ultimate of the Confucians is Confucius and of the Mohists is Mo Di. Since Confucius's death there have been the Confucians of Zizhang, of Zisi, of the Yan family, of Mencius, of the Qidiao family, of the Zhongliang family, of the Sun family, and of the Yuezheng family; since Mozi's death there have been the Mohists of the Xiangli family, of the Xiangfu family, and of the Dengling family. So after Confucius and Mozi the Confucians split into eight and the Mohists into three, with opposite taking and leaving, and all called themselves the true Confucius and Mozi. Confucius and Mozi cannot live again; who will settle the learning of the age? The chapter "Xiuwu" says: A beautiful woman need not be of the stock of Xi Shi, and a penetrating scholar need not be of the kind of Confucius and Mozi.]. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: if clothing has a small tear or lapel split, it can be mended, yet one insists on waiting to replace it with a whole bolt of cloth; if government has a small lack and laws and decrees can be guarded against ["fang" is the ancient form of "fang" (to guard)], yet one insists on waiting for the Ya and Song odes before governing, it is like leaving a neighboring doctor and seeking Yu Fu before treating an illness, or discarding the water of a pond and waiting for rivers and seas before putting out a fire [Zhao's Zhongshuzi said: Yu Fu as a doctor made a brain of wood and a body of angelica, blew into the orifices to settle the brain, and the dead lived again. Han Feizi said: If one's house is on fire and one takes water from the sea, though the sea has much water the fire will certainly not go out; distant water does not save a near fire.]. Roundabout and not direct, lacking and without work; so teaching and orders are not followed and governance becomes troubled and confused. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: one who is good at governing mends what is worn and blocks what has broken. So Master Wu governed Chu and Wei by law [the chapter "Daoying" says: When Wu Qi was chancellor of Chu, he went to Wei and asked Qu Yiruo: The king does not know that Qi is unworthy and has made me chancellor; Sir, try to observe what sort of person Qi is. Master Qu said: What will you do? Wu Qi said: I will reduce the ranks of the Chu state and equalize its salaries, take away the surplus and comfort the lacking, sharpen armor and weapons, and contend for profit in the world at times. Master Qu said: I have heard that those who govern a state well do not change its old ways and do not alter its constants. Now you intend to reduce the ranks of Chu and equalize its salaries, take away the surplus and comfort the lacking; this is changing its old ways and altering its constants, and those who do it do not profit. I have heard: Anger goes against virtue, weapons are instruments of ill omen, and contention is what people regard as lowly. Now you secretly plot against virtue and love using instruments of ill omen, beginning what people regard as lowly, the utmost of going against. Moreover, using the army of Lu you should not have gained your aim against Qi yet you did, and using the army of Wei you should not have gained your aim against Qin yet you did. I have heard: Only one who brings calamity on others can bring calamity to completion. I have indeed been puzzled that my king so often goes against Heavenly principle and offends the Way of man, and has had no calamity to this day, and it is only waiting for you. Wu Qi was alarmed and said: Can it still be changed? Master Qu said: Those whose form has been completed cannot be changed. You would do better to be generous and earnest in love and practice it. Fan Sui said: Wu Qi served King Dao, making private interest not harm the public, slander not conceal loyalty, words not take careless agreement, conduct not seek careless acceptance, practicing rightness without regard for blame or praise, and wished to make his ruler hegemon and the state strong, not declining calamity or ill fortune.]; Shen and Shang strengthened Qin and Han by law [the chapter "Yaolue" says: Master Shen was an assistant to Marquis Zhaoxi of Han. Han was a separate state split from Jin, its land was rugged and its people dangerous and sandwiched between great states; the old ritual of Jin had not yet perished and the new laws of Han came forth heavily; the orders of the former lord had not yet been withdrawn and the orders of the later lord were again issued, new and old contradicted each other and front and back disagreed, the hundred officials were confused and did not know what to follow, and so books of forms and names arose. The custom of Qin was greedy, wolfish and forceful, with little righteousness and chasing profit; it could be awed by punishment but not transformed by goodness, could be encouraged by rewards but not stirred by fame; it was protected by dangerous terrain and girded by rivers, with four passes as its fortification, with advantageous geography and abundant stores. Duke Xiao wished to swallow the feudal lords with the power of tiger and wolf, so Shang Yang's laws arose. The commentary says: Shen Buhai was a man of Jing, formerly a lowly official of Zheng, who used his learning to approach Marquis Zhao of Han, and the Marquis used him as chancellor, who cultivated governance and teaching within and responded to the feudal lords without for fifteen years, and throughout Master Shen's life the state was well governed and the army strong, and no one invaded Han. Fan Sui said: Gongsun Yang served Duke Xiao, devoted himself without a second thought, exhausted the public and did not return to the private, trusted rewards and punishments to bring about good order, exhausted his wisdom and ability, showed his feelings plainly, took on (the original has a rare character here that by sense should read "meng") resentment and blame, betrayed an old friend and captured Prince Ang of Wei, and in the end became Qin's general and broke enemy armies, and extended territory by a thousand li. The chapter "Taizu" says: Master Shen's three tallies and Shang Yang's opening and blocking were all expedient powers and stopgap methods, not great roots of governance or constants of affairs, not something to be learned broadly and handed down through the ages.].

文學曰有國者選眾而任賢學者博覽而就善何必是周公孔子故曰法之而已【齊俗訓曰夫待騕褭飛兎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陸子曰音以比耳為美色以悅目為歡是以眾聽所傾非假百里之操萬夫婉孌非俟西子之顔故聖人隨世以擢佐明主因時而命官】今商鞅吳起反聖人之道變亂秦俗其後政耗亂而不能理流失而不可復愚人縱火於沛澤不能復振蜂蠆【音瘥】螫【音式】人放死不能息其毒也【傳曰吳起削刑而車裂商鞅峻法而支解】煩而止之躁而靜之上下勞擾而亂益滋故聖人教化上與日月俱照下與天地同流豈曰小補之哉

The Literati said: Those who hold a state select from the multitude and employ the worthy, and learners read widely and approach the good; why must it be the Duke of Zhou or Confucius? So it is said: just model on them [the chapter "Qisu" says: If one had to wait for Yaoniao or Feitu to draw a carriage, no one in the world would ride; if one had to wait for Xi Shi or Mao Qiang to be a spouse, one would never have a household. Yet it is not that one waits for outstanding talents of ancient times and people are self-sufficient; they use what they have together. Master Lu said: Sound is beautiful by suiting the ear, and color is delightful by pleasing the eye. So what the many listen to with leaning ear does not borrow the performance of Baili, and ten thousand men's love does not wait for the face of Xi Zi. So the sage follows the age in selecting assistants and the enlightened ruler appoints officials in accord with the time.]. Now Shang Yang and Wu Qi went against the Way of the sages and changed and confused Qin's customs, and afterward government was exhausted and in disorder and could not be repaired, and what was lost could not be restored. A fool setting fire to a marsh cannot restore it, and when wasps and scorpions [phonetic gloss: "chai" is read cuo] sting [phonetic gloss: "shi" is read shi] people, even when released and dead they cannot stop their venom [the commentary says: Wu Qi cut punishments and was torn apart by chariots, Shang Yang made laws severe and was dismembered.]. Stopping a fuss with more fuss, quieting haste with haste, high and low toil and are disturbed and disorder increases. So the sage's teaching and transformation shines together with sun and moon above and flows with Heaven and Earth below; how could it be called a petty mending?

御史曰衣缺不補則日以甚坊【古防字】漏不塞則日以滋大河之始決於瓠子也涓涓爾及其卒泛【音泛】濫為中國害菑梁楚破曹衞城郭壊沮稸【音畜】積漂流百姓木棲千里無廬令孤寡無所依老弱無所歸【金人銘曰涓涓不壅將成江河緜緜不絶將成網羅青青不伐將尋斧柯誠不能慎之禍之根也曰是何傷禍之門也】故先帝閔悼其菑親省河堤【通作隄】舉禹之功河流以復曺衞以寧百姓戴其功詠其徳歌宣房塞萬福來焉亦猶是也如何勿小補哉【漢武帝瓠子歌曰頽林竹楗石菑宣房塞萬福來】

The Imperial Secretary said: A tear in clothing, if not mended, worsens day by day; a leak in a dike ["fang" is the ancient form of the character "fang", to guard against], if not plugged, widens day by day. When the Great River first burst its banks at Huzi, it was a mere trickle; but in the end it overflowed [pronunciation note: the character "fan" is read "fan"] and flooded, bringing disaster to the Central Plain, devastating Liang and Chu, breaking through Cao and Wei, collapsing city walls, and sweeping away the stored grain [pronunciation note: the character "chu" is read "chu"]. The common people lived in trees, there was no house for a thousand li, and widows, orphans, the old and the weak had nowhere to rely on or return to [The Inscription on the Golden Man says: If a trickle is not dammed, it will become a river; if fine threads are not cut, they will become a net; if green shoots are not cut down, they will call for the axe. If one truly cannot be careful about this, it is the root of calamity; to say 'what harm is there in it' is the gateway to calamity.]. That is why the late Emperor grieved over this disaster, personally inspected the river embankments [also written with another character for 'embankment'], took up the achievement of Yu, and had the river restored to its course, so that Cao and Wei were at peace, and the people honored his merit and sang of his virtue, singing that 'when Xuanfang is sealed, ten thousand blessings will come' (this is much the same case). How can one say that small mending is of no use [Emperor Wu of Han's Song of Huzi says: The forest bamboo falls, the stones are piled against the flood; when Xuanfang is sealed, ten thousand blessings will come. (The original text has a rare character here, which by the sense should be read as "xi", a particle.)]?

文學曰河決若甕口而破千里況禮決乎其所害必多矣【樂王鮒曰江出汶山其源若甕口至楚國其廣千里無他故其下流多也晏子曰君子無禮是庶人也庶人無禮是禽獸也夫臣勇多則弒其君子力多則弒其長然而不敢惟禮之謂也禮者所以御民轡者所以御馬也無禮而能治國家者未之聞也他日又謂景公曰自齊國五尺已上力皆能勝嬰與君所以不敢者畏禮也故自天子無禮則無以守社稷諸侯無禮則無以守其國大夫無禮則無以守其家為人上無禮則無以使其下為人下無禮則無以事其上兄弟無禮則不同居人而無禮不若遄死刑法志曰書云伯夷降典折民惟刑言制禮以止刑猶隄之防溢水也今隄防陵遲禮制未立死刑過制生刑易犯飢寒並至窮斯濫溢豪傑擅私為之囊槖奸有所隠則狃而寖廣此刑之所以蕃也】今斷獄嵗以萬計犯法滋多其為菑豈特曺衞哉夫【音扶】知塞宣房而福來不知塞亂原而天下治也周國用之刑錯不用黎民若四時各終其序而天下不孤頌曰綏我眉夀介以繁祉此天為福亦不小矣誠信禮義如宣房功業已立垂拱無為有司何補法令何塞也

The Literati said: A river burst like the mouth of a jar can break through a thousand li; how much more so when ritual bursts its bounds? The harm it causes must be great [Yue Wangfu said: The Yangtze rises from Mount Min, and its source is like the mouth of a jar, yet by the time it reaches Chu it is a thousand li wide, for no other reason than that its lower reaches take in many streams. Master Yan said: A gentleman without ritual is a commoner, and a commoner without ritual is a beast. If a minister has too much courage, he will murder his lord; if a son has too much strength, he will murder his elder; yet they do not dare, because of ritual alone. Ritual is how one governs the people, as the reins are how one governs a horse. I have never heard of anyone governing a state without ritual. Another day he also said to Duke Jing: Every man in Qi over five feet tall has the strength to overpower me and you, and the reason they do not dare is that they fear ritual. Therefore, from the Son of Heaven on down, without ritual one cannot protect the altars of the state; a feudal lord without ritual cannot protect his state; a high official without ritual cannot protect his house; one above others without ritual cannot command those below; one below others without ritual cannot serve those above; brothers without ritual cannot live together; and a person without ritual had better die quickly. The Treatise on Punishments says: The Book of Documents says that Bo Yi handed down the rites, and the people were checked by punishments. This means that rites were established to stop punishments, just as an embankment guards against overflowing water. Now the embankments have crumbled, the rites are not established, capital punishments exceed the proper measure, ordinary punishments are easily incurred, hunger and cold strike together, and the desperate overflow all bounds; powerful men privately act as their sacks and shelters, and when the wicked find concealment they grow bold and spread more widely, which is why punishments multiply.]. Now the cases decided each year number in the tens of thousands, and lawbreaking grows ever more common; is the disaster only that of Cao and Wei? As for the opening particle "fu" [pronunciation note: the character "fu" is read "fu"]: you know that sealing Xuanfang brings blessings, but you do not know that sealing the source of disorder brings good order to the world. The Zhou state used this, so that punishments were set aside and unused, and the common people, like the four seasons each completing their order, left no one in the world forlorn. The Ode says: May you be at peace in long life, and be aided by abundant blessings. Is this blessing from Heaven small, then? If good faith and ritual and righteousness are treated as Xuanfang was, then once the work is established one can let one's robes hang down and do nothing, so what use are officials' mending and what need is there of sealing with laws and ordinances?

御史曰犀銚【音調】利鉏【音鋤】五穀之利而閒【音閒】草之害也明理正法奸邪之所惡【音汙】而良民之福也故曲木惡【音汙】直防奸邪惡【音汙】正法【諸御已曰土負水者平木負防者正韓非子曰法不阿貴防不撓曲法之所加智者弗能辭勇者非敢爭】是以聖人審於是非察於治亂故設明法陳嚴刑坊【古防字】非矯邪若檼【音隠】栝【音括】輔檠之正弧【音胡】刺【音郎逹反】也【檼揉曲者也栝正方者也輔檠輔正弓弩者也弧刺弓之不正者也荀子曰不得排檠則不能自正】故水者火之備法者止奸之禁也無法勢雖賢人不能以為治無甲兵雖孫吳不能以制敵【吳越春秋曰吳王登臺向南風而嘯有頃而嘆群臣莫有曉王意者子胥深知王之不定將欲伐楚乃薦孫子於王孫子者名武吳人也善為兵法闢隠深居世人莫知其能胥乃明知鑑辯知孫子可以折沖銷敵乃一旦與吳王論兵七薦孫子吳王曰子胥託言進士欲以自納而召孫子問以兵法每陳一篇王不知口之稱善傳曰吳起者衞人也好用兵聞魏文侯賢欲事之文侯問李克曰吳起何如人哉克曰起貪而好色然用兵司馬穰苴不能過也於是魏文侯以為將擊秦防五城】是以孔子倡以仁義而民從風【雜事篇曰孔子在州里篤行孝道居於闕黨闕黨之子弟畋漁分有親者得多孝以化之也是以七十二子自逺方至服從其徳魯有沈猶氏者旦飲羊飽之以欺市人公慎氏有妻而淫慎潰氏奢侈驕佚魯市之鬻牛馬者善豫賈孔子將為魯司宼沈猶氏不敢朝飲其羊公慎氏出其妻慎潰氏逾境而徙魯之鬻馬牛者不豫賈佈政以待之也既為司冦季孟墮郈費之城齊人歸所侵魯之地由積正之所致也故曰其身正不令而行】伯夷遁首陽而民不可化【伯夷傳曰武王已平殷亂天下宗周而伯夷恥之義不食周粟隠於首陽山采薇而食之遂餓而死】

The Imperial Secretary said: A sharp hoe and a keen spade [pronunciation note: the character "yao" is read "diao"; pronunciation note: the character "chu" is read "chu"] are a benefit to the five grains but a harm to weeds [pronunciation note: the character "xian" is read "xian"]; clarifying principle and rectifying law is what the wicked hate [pronunciation note: the character "wu" is read "wu"] but a blessing to good people. So crooked wood hates the straight marking-line [the original text has a different character here], and the wicked hate correct law [Zhu Yuji said: Earth that carries water becomes level, and wood that carries the marking-line becomes straight. Han Fei said: The law does not flatter the noble, and the plumb-line does not bend for the crooked. Where the law is applied, the wise cannot excuse themselves and the brave dare not contend.]. Therefore the sages examined right and wrong and observed order and disorder; they set up clear laws and displayed severe punishments, to guard against wrong and straighten the crooked, like the straightening tools for bending wood [pronunciation note: the characters "yin" and "gua" are read "yin" and "gua"], the bow-correcting frames, and the straightening of warped bows [pronunciation note: the character "hu" is read "hu"; the character "la" is read with the initial "lang" and final "da" fanqie] ["yin" is the tool for bending wood, "gua" is the tool for squaring, the "fuqing" is the tool for correcting bows and crossbows, and "hu-la" refers to a bow that is not straight. Xunzi said: Without a frame to straighten it, it cannot correct itself.]. Therefore water is the preparation against fire, and law is the prohibition that stops wickedness. Without the power of law, even a worthy man cannot bring about good government; without armor and weapons, even Sun Wu and Wu Qi could not subdue an enemy [The Annals of Wu and Yue says: The King of Wu climbed a terrace, faced the south wind and whistled, and after a while sighed, and none of his ministers understood the king's mind. Wu Zixu knew well that the king was not settled in mind and wished to attack Chu, so he recommended Master Sun to the king. Master Sun, named Wu, was a man of Wu, skilled in the art of war, who lived in deep seclusion, and no one knew his ability. Zixu, understanding and discerning, knew that Master Sun could repel and destroy enemies, so one day when he discussed military affairs with the King of Wu, he recommended Master Sun seven times. The King of Wu said: Zixu is using the recommendation of a worthy as a pretext to gain favor for himself. Yet he summoned Master Sun and asked about the art of war, and each time Sun presented a chapter, the king could not stop praising it. The tradition says: Wu Qi, a man of Wey, was fond of military affairs, and hearing that Marquis Wen of Wei was worthy, wished to serve him. Marquis Wen asked Li Ke: What kind of man is Wu Qi? Ke said: Qi is greedy and fond of women, but in the use of troops even Sima Rangju cannot surpass him. So Marquis Wen of Wei made him a general to attack Qin, and he took five cities.]. Thus Confucius led with benevolence and righteousness and the people followed like grass before the wind [The chapter Miscellaneous Matters says: Confucius practiced filial piety sincerely in his village and lived in Quedang; the young men of Quedang hunted and fished, and those with parents received a larger share, thus transforming them through filial piety. So the seventy-two disciples came from afar and submitted to his virtue. In Lu there was Shenyou Shi, who watered his sheep in the morning to make them heavier and cheat the market; Gongshen Shi had a wife who was licentious; Shenkui Shi was extravagant and arrogant; and in the Lu market those who sold oxen and horses were fond of fixing prices in advance. When Confucius was about to become Minister of Crime in Lu, Shenyou Shi no longer dared to water his sheep in the morning, Gongshen Shi divorced his wife, Shenkui Shi crossed the border and moved away, and the sellers of horses and oxen in Lu no longer fixed prices in advance; this was governing by setting an example and waiting for the results. After he became Minister of Crime, the Ji and Meng families tore down the walls of Hou and Fei, and the people of Qi returned the lands they had seized from Lu, all brought about by the accumulation of rectitude. Hence it is said: If one's own person is upright, people act without being ordered.]; but Bo Yi fled to Mount Shouyang and the people could not be transformed [The Biography of Bo Yi says: After King Wu had put down the disorder of Yin and the world honored Zhou as its master, Bo Yi was ashamed of it and, out of righteousness, refused to eat the grain of Zhou, hid on Mount Shouyang, and ate wild vetch, and finally starved to death.].

文學曰法能刑人而不能使人廉能殺人而不能使人仁【泰族訓曰易曰豐其屋蔀其家窺其戶閴其無人無人者非無眾庻也言無聖人以統理之也民無廉恥不可治也非修禮義亷恥不立民不知禮義法弗能正也非崇善廢醜而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為孔曽之行法能刑竊盜者而不能使人為伯夷之亷孔子弟子七十養徒三千人皆入孝出悌言為文章行為儀表教人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】所貴良醫者貴其審消息而退邪氣也非貴其下針【音針】石而鑚肌膚也所貴良吏者貴其絶惡於未萌使之不為非非貴其拘之囹【音零】圄【音語】而刑殺之也【泰族訓曰所以貴扁鵲者非貴其隨病而調藥貴其擪息脈血知病之所從生也所以貴聖人者非貴隨罪而鑑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防之以法雖殘賊天下弗能禁也】今之所謂良吏者文察則以禍其民強力則以厲其下不本法之所由生而専已之殘心文誅假法以陷不辜累無罪以子及父以弟及兄一人有罪州里驚駭十家奔亡若癰疽之相濘【音佞】色淫之相連一節動而百枝揺詩云舍彼有罪既伏其辜若此無罪淪胥以鋪痛傷無罪而累也非患銚【音調】耨之不利患其舍草而去苖也非患無凖平患其舍枉而防直也故親近為過不必誅是鉏【音鋤】不用也疏逺有功不必賞是苖不養也故世不患無法而患無必行之法也【韓非子曰明君之行賞也曖乎如時雨百姓利其澤其行罰也畏乎如雷霆神聖不能解也故明君無偷賞無赦罰賞偷則功臣墮其業赦罪則奸人易為非是故誠有功則雖疏賤必賞誠有過則雖近愛必誅疏賤必賞近愛必誅則疏賤者不怠而近愛者不驕也主術訓曰衡之於左右無私輕重故可以為平防之於內外無私曲直故可以為正人主之於用法無私愛憎故可以為命夫奸不能枉讒不能亂徳無所立怨無所藏是任術而釋人心也故為治者不與焉又曰法者天下之度量而人主之凖防也縣法者法不法也設賞者賞當賞也法定之後中程者賞缺防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荀恱曰賞罰政之柄也明賞必罰審信慎令賞以勸善罰以懲惡人主不妄賞非徒愛其財也賞妄行則善不勸矣不妄罰非徒慎其刑也罰妄行則惡不懲矣賞不勸謂之止善罰不懲謂之縱惡在上者能不止下為善不縱下為惡則國治矣】

The Literati said: Law can punish people but cannot make them honest; it can kill people but cannot make them benevolent [The chapter Taizu Xun says: The Book of Changes says: He enlarges his house and screens his home; peeping at the door, it is silent, with no one there. 'No one' does not mean there are no people, but that there is no sage to govern them. Where people have no sense of integrity and shame they cannot be governed, and without cultivating ritual and righteousness integrity and shame cannot be established; where people do not know ritual and righteousness, law cannot set them right; without honoring good and discarding evil and turning toward ritual and righteousness, one cannot govern even with law. Without knowing ritual and righteousness, one cannot carry out law. Law can put to death the unfilial but cannot make them act like Confucius or Zengzi; law can punish thieves but cannot make people as honest as Bo Yi. Confucius had seventy disciples and nurtured three thousand followers, all of whom were filial at home and respectful to elders abroad, whose words made good writing and whose conduct set an example; this was achieved by teaching. Mozi had a hundred and eighty followers who could all be sent into fire and onto blades, dying without turning their heels; this was brought about by transformation through teaching.]. What is valued in a good physician is that he examines the ebb and flow and drives out the evil influence, not that he plunges needles [pronunciation note: the character "zhen" is read "zhen"] and stone probes into the skin; what is valued in a good official is that he cuts off evil before it sprouts and keeps people from doing wrong, not that he locks them up in prisons [pronunciation note: the characters "ling" and "yu" are read "ling" and "yu"] and puts them to death [The chapter Taizu Xun says: Bian Que is valued not because he adjusts the medicine according to each illness, but because he feels the breath and pulse and knows where illness arises; the sage is valued not because he applies punishments according to each crime, but because he knows how disorder arises. If one does not cultivate customs and lets people indulge in licentiousness, and then follows with punishments and guards with laws, then even if one ravages the world it cannot be stopped.]. The so-called good officials of today are those who, if they are literate and scrutinizing, bring disaster on their people, and if they are forceful, bully their subordinates; they do not trace the origin of law but give free rein to their own cruelty, using clever writing and false law to entrap the innocent and implicate the blameless, so that the son is implicated for the father and the younger brother for the elder, one person's guilt terrifies a whole district and ten households flee, like abscesses infecting each other [pronunciation note: the character "ning" is read "ning"] or like the contagion of sexual vice, so that one joint moves and a hundred branches shake. The Ode says: They let go those who are guilty, who have already paid for their crimes; but these innocent ones are dragged down in one chain. This laments that the innocent are implicated. The worry is not that the spade [pronunciation note: the character "yao" is read "diao"] and the hoe are not sharp, but that they spare the weeds and cut down the seedlings; the worry is not that there is no level, but that they leave the crooked and straighten the straight with the marking-line [the original text has a different character here]. So if those near and dear who commit faults are not necessarily punished, it is as if the hoe is not used; if those distant who have merit are not necessarily rewarded, it is as if the seedlings are not nourished. Therefore the world does not worry about lacking laws, but about lacking laws that are certain to be carried out [Han Fei said: When an enlightened ruler gives rewards, it is gentle like seasonable rain, and the people profit from its moisture; when he gives punishments, it is awesome like thunder, and not even a sage can undo it. Therefore the enlightened ruler has no rewards given carelessly and no punishments pardoned. If rewards are given carelessly, meritorious ministers neglect their work; if crimes are pardoned, wicked people find it easy to do wrong. Therefore, if one truly has merit, even the distant and lowly are certainly rewarded; if one truly has fault, even the close and beloved are certainly punished. When the distant and lowly are certainly rewarded and the close and beloved are certainly punished, the distant and lowly are not slack and the close and beloved are not arrogant. The chapter Zhushu Xun says: The balance, being without private weighting of left or right, can be used as a standard of level; the marking-line, being without private bias for inside or outside, can be used as a standard of straightness. The ruler in applying law has no private love or hatred, and so can issue commands. Wickedness cannot bend him, slander cannot confuse him, there is no place to establish favors and no place to hide resentment; this is relying on method and discarding the human heart. Therefore those who govern do not take part in such things. It also says: Law is the measure of the world and the standard of the ruler. One who sets the law makes it apply to the lawless, and one who sets rewards rewards those who deserve them. After the law is fixed, those who meet the standard are rewarded and those who fall short of the line are punished; the noble are not lightly punished and the lowly are not heavily punished; a lawbreaker, however worthy, is certainly punished, and one who meets the measure, however unworthy, is certainly free of guilt. Thus the public way is open and the private way is closed. Xun Yue said: Rewards and punishments are the handles of government. Make rewards clear and punishments certain, examine good faith and be careful with orders; use rewards to encourage good and punishments to deter evil. The ruler does not give rewards recklessly, not merely because he is stingy with his wealth, but because if rewards are applied recklessly, good is not encouraged; he does not punish recklessly, not merely because he is careful about punishments, but because if punishments are applied recklessly, evil is not deterred. Rewards that do not encourage are called stopping good; punishments that do not deter are called indulging evil. If those above can avoid stopping their subordinates from doing good and avoid indulging them in doing evil, the state will be well governed.].

御史曰春秋罪人無名號謂之雲盜所以賤刑人而絶之人倫也故君不臣士不友于閭里無所容故民始犯之命不軌之民犯公法以相寵【古本作籠籠包舉也】舉棄其親不能伏節死理遁逃相連自防於罪其被刑戮不亦宜乎一室之中父兄之際若身體相屬一節動而知於心故今自關內侯以下比地於伍居家相察出入相司父不教子兄不正弟舍是誰責乎

The Imperial Secretary said: The Spring and Autumn Annals, when it condemns a person, gives no name or title and calls him a mere "bandit", in order to debase the punished and cut him off from human relations. Thus the ruler does not treat him as a minister, gentlemen do not befriend him, and he finds no place in the village. That is why people begin to be wary of crime. But those lawless people who break public law and take pride in one another [the old text has a different character for "pride", meaning to gather everything together], all abandon their parents and cannot keep their integrity and die for principle; they flee and implicate one another, plunging themselves into crime, so is it not fitting that they receive punishment and execution? Within one household, between father and brothers, they are connected like the parts of a body, and when one joint moves the heart knows it. Therefore now, from the Marquis within the Passes downward, neighbors are grouped in fives, observing each other at home and checking each other's comings and goings. If a father does not teach his son and an elder brother does not correct his younger brother, then apart from them who is to be held responsible?

文學曰古者周其禮而明其教禮周教明不從者然後等之以刑刑罰中【去聲】民不怨故舜施四罪而天下鹹服誅不仁也【萬章曰舜流共工於幽州放驩兠於崇山殺三苖於三危殛鯀於羽山四罪而天下鹹服誅不仁也】輕重各服其誅刑必加而無赦赦惟疑者若此則世安得不軌之人而罪之今殺人者生剽【音漂】攻竊盜者富故良民內解【音懈】怠輟耕而隕【音允】心古者君子不近刑人刑人非人也身放殛【音亟】而辱後世故無賢不肖莫不恥也【曲禮曰刑不上大夫刑人不在君側王制曰公家不畜刑人大夫弗養士遇之塗弗與言也屏之四方唯其所之不及以政示弗故生也春秋曰閽弒吳子餘祭公羊傳曰閽者何門人也刑人也刑人則曷為謂之閽刑人非其人也君子不近刑人近刑人則輕死之道也穀梁傳曰閽門者也寺人也不稱名姓閽不得齊於人不稱其君閽不得君其君也禮君不使無恥不近刑人不狎敵不邇怨賤人非所貴也貴人非所刑也刑人非所近也舉至賤而加之吳子吳子近刑人也閽弒吳子餘祭仇之也司馬遷曰禍莫憯於欲利悲莫痛於傷心行莫醜於辱先詬莫大於宮刑刑餘之人無所比數非一世也所從來逺矣昔衞靈公與雍渠同載孔子適陳商鞅因景監見趙良寒心同子參乗袁絲變色自古而恥之夫以中才之人事有闗於宦豎莫不傷氣而況於慷慨之士乎】今無行【去聲】之人貪利以防其身防戮辱而捐【音娟】禮義恆於苟生何者一日下蠶室【三輔黃圖雲蠶室行腐刑之所也】創【音瘡】未瘳【音抽】宿衞人主出入宮殿得由受奉【音俸】祿食大官享賜身以尊榮妻子獲其饒故或載卿相【去聲】之列就刀鋸而不見閔況眾庶乎夫【音扶】何恥之有廢其徳教而責之以禮義是虐民也春秋曰子有罪執其父臣有罪執其君聽失之大者也【春秋曰晉人執季孫行父舍之於苕丘公羊傳曰執未有言舍之者此其言舍之何仁之也曰在招丘悕矣執未有言仁之者此其言仁之何代公執也其代公執奈何前此者晉人來乞師而不與公會晉侯將執公季孫行父曰此臣之罪也於是執季孫行父成公將會厲公會不當期將執公季孫行父曰臣有罪執其君子有罪執其父此聽失之大者也今此臣之罪也舍臣之身而執臣之君臣恐聽失之為宗廟羞也於是執季孫行父】今以子誅父以弟誅兄親戚小坐什伍相連若引根本之及華葉傷小指之累四體也如此則以有罪誅及無罪無罪者寡矣【泰族訓曰使民居處相司有罪相覺於以舉姦非不掇也然而傷和睦之心而搆仇讐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害說山訓曰楚王亡其援而林木為之殘宋君亡其珠而池魚為之殫許慎曰言禍相及也】臧文仲治魯勝其盜而自矜子貢曰民將欺而況民盜乎故吏不以多斷為良毉【音衣】不以多刺為工子產刑二人殺一人道不拾遺而民無誣心【禮書曰古者帝堯之治天下也葢殺一人刑二人而天下治傳曰威厲而不試刑措而不用】故為民父母以養疾子長【音掌】恩厚而已自首匿相坐之法立骨肉之恩廢而刑罪多【衞鞅傳曰孝公既用衞鞅以衞鞅為左庶長卒定變法之令令民為什伍而相收司連坐不告奸者腰斬告奸者與斬敵首同賞匿奸者與降敵同罰民有二男以上不分異者倍其賦】聞父母之於子雖有罪猶匿之豈不欲服罪爾子為父隱父為子隱未聞父子之相坐也聞兄弟緩追以免賊未聞兄弟之相坐也聞惡【音汙】惡止其人疾始而誅首惡未聞什伍之相坐【葉公語孔子曰吾黨有直躬者其父攘羊而子證之孔子曰吾黨之直者異於是父為子隠子為父隠直在其中矣春秋曰閔公二年秋八月辛丑公薨公羊傳曰公薨何以不地隱之也何隱爾弒也孰弒之慶父也殺公子牙今將爾季子不免慶父弒二君何以不誅將而不免遏惡也既而不可及緩追逸賊親親之道也春秋曰曺公孫會自鄸出奔宋公羊傳曰奔未有言自者此其自何畔也畔則曷為不言其畔為公子喜時之後諱也春秋為賢者諱何賢乎公子喜時讓國也其讓國奈何曺伯廬卒於師則未知公子喜時從與公子負芻從與或為主於國或為主於師公子喜時見公子負芻之當主也逡廵而退賢公子喜時則曷為為會諱君子之善善也長惡惡也短惡惡止其身善善及子孫賢者子孫故君子為之諱也春秋曰僖公十有七年夏滅項公羊傳曰孰滅之齊滅之曷為不言齊滅之為桓公諱也春秋為賢者諱此滅人之國何賢爾君子之惡惡也疾始善善也樂終桓公嘗有繼絶存亡之功故君子為之諱也春秋曰晉趙盾弒其君夷臯穀梁傳曰穿弒也盾不弒而曰盾弒何也以罪盾也其以罪盾何也曰靈公朝諸大夫而暴彈之觀其闢丸也趙盾入諫不聽出亡至於郊趙穿弒公而後反趙盾史狐書賊曰趙盾弒公盾曰天乎天乎予無罪孰為盾而忍弒其君者乎史狐曰子為正卿入諫不聽出亡不逺君弒反不討賊則志同志同則書重非子而誰故書之曰晉趙盾弒其君夷臯者過在下也書云父不慈子不祗兄不友弟不恭不相及也孟子曰昔者文王之治岐也罪人不孥】老子曰上無慾而民樸上無事而民自富君君臣臣父父子子比地何伍而執政何責也御史曰夫【音扶】負千鈞之重以登無極之髙垂峻崖【音涯】之峭【音俏】谷下臨不測之淵雖有慶忌之健賁育之勇莫不震慴【音疉】悚慄者知墜【音遂】則身首肝腦塗山石也故未嘗灼【音勺】而不敢握火者見其有灼也未嘗傷而不敢握刃者見其有傷也【慶忌吳王僚之子也足躡麋鹿手搏兕虎孟賁衞之勇士水行不避蛟龍陸行不避狼虎夏育衞人力舉千鈞呂氏春秋曰孟賁過於河先其五船人怒而以楫虓其頭顧不知其孟賁也中河孟賁瞠目而視船人發植目裂鬂指舟中之人盡揚播入於河使船人知其孟賁弗敢直視渉無先者子產曰夫火形嚴故人鮮灼水形懦故人多溺汜論訓曰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足以知本體矣】彼以知為非罪之必加而戮及父兄必懼而為善故立法制闢若臨百仞之壑握火陷刃則民畏忌而無敢犯禁矣慈母有敗子小不忍也嚴家無悍【音旱】虜篤【秦紀作督】責急也【韓非子曰夫嚴家無悍虜而慈母有敗子吾是以知威勢之可以禁暴而徳厚之不足以止亂也夫聖人之治國不恃人之為吾善也而用其不得為非也故不務徳而務法又曰慈母之於弱子也愛不可為前然而弱子有僻行使之隨師有惡病使之事醫不隨師則陷於刑不事醫則疑於死慈母雖愛無益於振刑救死則存子者非愛也子母之性愛也臣主之權防也母不能以愛存家君安能以愛存國】今不立嚴家之所以制下而修慈母之所以敗子則惑矣【李斯曰明主聖王之所以能久處尊位長執重勢而獨擅天下之利者非有異道也能獨斷而審督責必深罰故天下不敢犯也今不務所以不犯而事慈母之所以敗子也則亦不察於聖人之論矣】

The Literati said: In ancient times the Zhou perfected its rites and made its teaching clear; only when the rites were complete and the teaching clear were those who still did not comply ranked and punished, and punishments were fair (the character zhong is read in the falling tone), so the people did not resent them. Thus Shun imposed punishment on four wrongdoers and the whole world submitted, because he executed the unbenevolent [The chapter Wan Zhang says: Shun banished Gong Gong to Youzhou, exiled Huan Dou to Mount Chong, killed the Three Miao at Sanwei, and imprisoned Gun on Mount Yu; with these four punished, the whole world submitted, because he executed the unbenevolent]. Heavy and light punishments each matched the offense, punishment was certainly applied and there was no pardon, except for cases of doubt. If it is so, how could the age find lawless people and punish them? Now those who kill live, and those who plunder (the character piao is read piao) and steal grow rich, so good people slacken (the character jie is read xie) in their hearts, stop plowing, and lose heart (the character yun is read yun). In ancient times the gentleman did not go near a mutilated man; a mutilated person is not a proper person, his body is exiled and his disgrace lasts for generations, so whether worthy or unworthy, none fail to feel shame [The Record of Rites, Quli, says: Punishments do not reach the grandee, and a mutilated man is not kept at the ruler's side. The Royal Regulations say: The ducal house does not keep mutilated men, a grandee does not support them, and an officer who meets one on the road does not speak to him; they are driven to the four quarters, to go wherever they please, and are not engaged in government, to show that they are not allowed to live as before. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: The gatekeeper killed the Lord of Wu, Yuji. The Gongyang Commentary says: Who was the gatekeeper? A doorman. A mutilated man. Why is a mutilated man called a gatekeeper? A mutilated man is not a proper man. A gentleman does not go near mutilated men; to go near mutilated men is the way to a light death. The Guliang Commentary says: The gatekeeper was a door guard, a eunuch. His name and surname are not given because a gatekeeper cannot be put on the same level as other men; the ruler is not called his ruler because a gatekeeper cannot have a ruler of his own. The Rites say: A ruler does not employ the shameless, does not go near the mutilated, is not familiar with enemies, and does not draw close to those with grudges. A lowly man is not one to be honored, an honorable man is not one to be mutilated, and a mutilated man is not one to be kept close. By raising the very lowest and setting him against the Lord of Wu, it shows that the Lord of Wu kept a mutilated man near him. The gatekeeper killed the Lord of Wu, Yuji; the text treats him as an enemy. Sima Qian said: No calamity is more bitter than the desire for gain, no sorrow more painful than wounding the heart, no conduct more ugly than disgracing one's ancestors, and no disgrace greater than castration. A man left over from punishment has no one to rank with, and this has been so not for one age only; its origins are distant. In former times Duke Ling of Wei rode in the same carriage as Yongqu, and Confucius left for Chen; Shang Yang was presented by Jing Jian, and Zhao Liang's heart ran cold; when Tongzi rode in the same carriage as Yuan Si, Yuan Si changed color; since antiquity this has been a source of shame. Even for an ordinary man, to have dealings with a palace eunuch hurts the spirit, how much more for an upright man of high spirit?]. Now people without conduct (the character xing is read in the falling tone), greedy for gain, endanger their own bodies (the base text has a missing character here), and when subjected to execution and disgrace they cast aside ritual and righteousness (the character juan is read juan) and hold on only to a bare living. Why? Because once someone enters the silkworm chamber [The Description of the Three Capitals says: The silkworm chamber is the place where castration is performed], and his wound (the character chuang is read chuang) has not yet healed (the character chou is read chou), he may stand guard over the ruler, go in and out of the palace, receive stipend (the character feng is read feng), eat the imperial food and enjoy gifts, with himself honored and glorious and his wife and children enriched. So some of them rank among the ministers (the character xiang is read in the falling tone); having gone to the knife and saw and found no pity, how much less would the common people? What shame is there in it? To abandon virtue and instruction and yet demand ritual and righteousness of them is to oppress the people. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: If a son has a crime, seizing his father, or a minister has a crime, seizing his ruler, is the greatest fault of judgment [The Spring and Autumn Annals says: The men of Jin seized Jisun Xingfu and released him at Shaoqiu. The Gongyang Commentary says: When seizing is spoken of, release is never mentioned; why does it say released here? To show benevolence. It says at Zhaoqiu, a pitiful place. When seizing is spoken of, benevolence is never mentioned; why does it say benevolence here? Because he was seized in place of the duke. How was he seized in place of the duke? Previously the men of Jin had come to ask for troops and had not been given any; the duke met the Marquis of Jin, who was about to seize the duke, and Jisun Xingfu said: This is the fault of your minister. So Jisun Xingfu was seized. When Duke Cheng was about to meet Duke Li, the meeting was not at the appointed time and Duke Li was going to seize the duke; Jisun Xingfu said: When a minister has a crime, seizing his ruler, or a son has a crime, seizing his father, is the greatest fault of judgment. This is the fault of your minister. Release your minister's body and yet seize his ruler, and I fear that the fault of judgment will become a disgrace to the ancestral temple. So Jisun Xingfu was seized]. Now sons are executed for their fathers and younger brothers for their elder brothers, relatives are punished with small crimes and neighbors in groups of five and ten are tied together, like pulling the root and having the flowers and leaves follow, or wounding the little finger and burdening all four limbs. Thus those with crimes cause the execution of those without, and the innocent become few [The chapter Great Clan says: To make the people watch each other in their dwellings and report crimes to each other may succeed in bringing up wrongdoers without leaving any out, but it wounds the heart of harmony and builds the resentment of enemies. Thus there are matters in which cutting one hole produces a hundred cracks, and planting one thing produces ten thousand leaves: what is cut is not enough to bring convenience, but what is opened is enough to bring ruin; what is planted is not enough to bring profit, but what grows is enough to bring harm. The chapter on Mountains says: The King of Chu lost his ape and the trees of the forest were ruined for it; the Lord of Song lost his pearl and the fish in the pond were exhausted for it. Xu Shen said: This is to say that calamity reaches others]. Zang Wenzhong governed Lu and boasted of having overcome the thieves; Zigong said: The people will deceive him, and how much more the thieving people? Therefore an official is not good because he decides many cases, and a physician (the character yi is read yi) is not skilled because he lances many times. Zichan punished two men and killed one, and nobody picked up what was dropped on the road and the people had no thoughts of deceit [The Treatise on Rites says: In ancient times Emperor Yao ruled the world by killing one man and punishing two, and the world was in order. The tradition says: Awe-inspiring but not used, punishment set aside and not applied]. Thus to be a father and mother to the people is to nurse a sick child, simply raising (the character zhang is read zhang) kindness and generosity. Since the law of reporting and concealment with mutual liability was set up, the kindness between kin was abandoned and crimes and punishments multiplied [The Biography of Wei Yang says: After Duke Xiao had taken Wei Yang into service, he made Wei Yang Left Shuzhang, and he finally fixed the law of reforms. He ordered the people to form groups of five and ten that supervised and were jointly liable for each other; one who did not report a wrongdoer was cut in half at the waist, one who reported a wrongdoer was rewarded like one who beheaded an enemy, and one who hid a wrongdoer was punished like one who surrendered to the enemy. A household with two or more adult sons that did not divide its household had its taxes doubled]. I have heard that parents, even when their son has a crime, will still hide him; do they not also want him to answer for it? A son conceals for his father and a father conceals for his son; I have not heard of father and son being held liable together. I have heard that brothers pursued a criminal leisurely so as to let him escape; I have not heard of brothers being held liable together. I have heard that hatred of the hateful stops with that person (the character wu is read wu), that one hates the beginning and executes the chief offender; I have not heard of groups of five and ten being held liable together [The Duke of She said to Confucius: In our village there is an upright man; when his father stole a sheep, the son bore witness against him. Confucius said: The upright in our village are different; a father conceals for his son, and a son conceals for his father, and uprightness lies in that. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: In the second year of Duke Min, in autumn, eighth month, on xinchou, the duke died. The Gongyang Commentary says: Why is the place of the duke's death not stated? To conceal it. What was concealed? He was murdered. Who murdered him? Qingfu. Jizi did not escape when he killed Prince Ya as he was about to do so; why was Qingfu, who murdered two rulers, not executed? Because the one who was about to commit the crime was not excused, as a way to check evil. Later he could not be caught up with, and to pursue a fugitive criminal slowly is the way of showing affection to kin. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: Gongsun Hui of Cao fled from Zheng to Song. The Gongyang Commentary says: When flight is spoken of, from is never used; why does it say from here? It was rebellion. If it was rebellion, why does it not say rebellion? To conceal for the descendants of Prince Xishi. The Spring and Autumn Annals conceals for worthy men. How was Prince Xishi worthy? He yielded the state. How did he yield the state? When the Marquis of Cao, Lu, died with the army, it was not known whether Prince Xishi followed or Prince Fuchu followed, or whether one acted as head in the state and the other as head in the army. Prince Xishi saw that Prince Fuchu ought to be the ruler, hesitated and withdrew. Having called Prince Xishi worthy, why conceal for Hui? The gentleman is long in praising what is good and short in condemning what is evil; condemnation of evil stops with the person, and praise of good extends to descendants. They are the descendants of a worthy man, so the gentleman conceals for them. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: In summer of the seventeenth year of Duke Xi, Xiang was destroyed. The Gongyang Commentary says: Who destroyed it? Qi destroyed it. Why does it not say Qi destroyed it? To conceal for Duke Huan. The Spring and Autumn Annals conceals for worthy men. What worthy man was he in destroying another's state? The gentleman hates evil and is swift in its beginning, and delights in good and rejoices in its end. Duke Huan had once had the merit of continuing lines that were cut off and preserving states that were lost, so the gentleman conceals for him. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: Zhao Dun of Jin murdered his ruler Yi Gao. The Guliang Commentary says: Chuan murdered him. Dun did not murder him, yet it says Dun murdered him; why? To blame Dun. Why blame Dun? It says: Duke Ling held court with the grandees and fired pellets at them from a platform to watch them dodge. Zhao Dun entered to remonstrate and was not heeded, and as he fled and reached the suburbs, Zhao Chuan murdered the duke, after which Dun returned. The historian Hu wrote that the traitor was Zhao Dun, saying: Zhao Dun murdered the duke. Dun said: Heaven, Heaven, I am innocent; who would be Dun and bear to murder his ruler? Shi Hu said: You are the chief minister; you entered to remonstrate and were not heeded; you fled but not far; when the ruler was murdered, you returned and did not punish the traitor, so your intention was the same, and where the intention is the same the record is heavy; if not you, then who? Therefore it was recorded that Zhao Dun of Jin murdered his ruler Yi Gao, the fault lying with the subordinate. The Book of Documents says: When a father is unloving, a son disrespectful, an elder brother unfriendly, or a younger brother not deferential, it does not extend to others. Mencius said: In former times when King Wen governed Qi, the criminal's wife and children were not punished]. Laozi said: When those above have no desires, the people become simple; when those above have no affairs, the people grow rich by themselves. When rulers are rulers, ministers ministers, fathers fathers, and sons sons, what use are neighbors in groups of five or ten, and what is there to demand of those who govern? The Imperial Counselor said: Suppose a man carries a weight of a thousand jun to climb to a limitless height, hanging over a steep cliff (the character ya is read ya) and a precipitous (the character qiao is read qiao) valley, looking down on an unfathomable abyss; even with the strength of Qingji and the courage of Ben and Yu, he would tremble and quake with fear (the character she is read die), knowing that if he fell (the character zhui is read sui), his head and brains would smear the rocks of the mountain. That is why one who has never been burned (the character zhuo is read shao) still does not dare to grasp fire, because he sees that fire burns; and one who has never been wounded does not dare to grasp a blade, because he sees that it wounds [Qingji was a son of King Liao of Wu, whose feet could overtake a deer and whose hands could seize rhinoceroses and tigers. Meng Ben was a brave man of Wei who, traveling on water, did not avoid water dragons and, traveling on land, did not avoid wolves and tigers. Xia Yu was a man of Wei whose strength could lift a thousand jun. The Annals of Lü Buwei says: Meng Ben crossed the Yellow River and went ahead of five others, and the boatman, angered, struck his head with an oar. He looked back and did not know it was Meng Ben. In midstream Meng Ben glared at the boatman, his hair stood on end, his eyes split, and his temples bristled, and the people in the boat were all tossed into the river. If the boatman had known he was Meng Ben, he would not have dared to look straight at him, and no one would have gone ahead of him in crossing. Zichan said: Fire has a stern appearance, so few people are burned; water has a soft appearance, so many people drown. The chapter on Broad Discussions says: One who has never been burned and yet does not dare to grasp fire sees what fire burns; one who has never been wounded and yet does not dare to grasp a blade sees what harm it does. From this we see that what is visible can be used to judge what has not yet happened, and observing small matters is enough to know the whole]. If people know that something is wrong, that the punishment will surely fall and that execution will reach their fathers and brothers, they will surely be afraid and do good. Therefore to establish laws and set up punishments is like standing over a cliff of a hundred ren, grasping fire or stepping on a blade, and the people fear and avoid and none dare break the prohibitions. A loving mother may have a ruined son because she cannot bear to be strict; a strict household has no fierce slaves because of earnest and urgent reproof (the Annals of Qin writes this as supervise) [Han Feizi says: A strict household has no fierce slaves, but a loving mother has a ruined son; from this I know that authority can stop violence, while thick virtue is not enough to stop disorder. The sage governing a state does not rely on people doing good for him, but uses the fact that they cannot do wrong; therefore he does not work on virtue but works on law. He also said: A loving mother toward a weak child has a love that cannot be surpassed, yet if the weak child has wayward conduct she makes him follow a teacher, and if he has a bad illness she has him treated by a physician: if he did not follow a teacher he would fall into punishment, and if he did not go to a physician he might die. Though the loving mother loves him, it is no help in rescuing him from punishment or saving him from death, so what keeps the child alive is not love. The nature of mother and child is love, but the power of minister and ruler is policy (the base text has a missing character here). If a mother cannot keep a household together by love, how can a ruler keep a state together by love?]. Now to fail to set up what a strict household uses to restrain those below, and instead cultivate what a loving mother uses to ruin her son, is a delusion [Li Si said: The reason a bright ruler and sage king can long remain in an honored position, hold weighty power for long, and alone monopolize the profit of the world is not that he has a different way, but that he can decide alone and examine and supervise rigorously, punishing deeply, so that the world dares not offend. Now if one does not work at the means to prevent offenses and instead pursues what the loving mother uses to ruin her son, then one has failed to examine the discourse of the sages].

文學曰紂為炮【音庖】烙【音洛】之刑而秦有收孥【音奴】之法【六韜曰紂患刑輕乃更為銅柱以膏塗之加於然炭之上使有罪者縁焉滑跌墮火中紂與妲已笑以為樂名曰炮烙之刑應劭曰孥子也秦法一人有罪並其室家司馬貞曰收録其妻子沒入為官奴婢也】趙髙以峻文決罪於內百官以峭【音俏】法斷割於外死者相枕蓆刑者相望百姓側目重足不寒而慄【顔師古曰側目言深憚之也重累也言其極恐懼不敢自寛縱也栗竦縮也】詩云謂天蓋髙不敢不局謂地蓋厚不敢不蹐哀今之人胡為虺蜥方此之時豈特冒火蹈刃哉然父子相背兄弟相慢至於骨肉相殘上下相殺非刑輕而罰不必令太嚴而仁恩不施故政寛則下親上政嚴則民謀主【孔子曰政寛則民慢慢則糾之以猛猛則民殘殘則施之以寛寛以濟猛猛以濟寛政是以和】晉厲以幽【人間訓曰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防明年出逰匠驪氏欒書中行偃刼而幽之諸侯莫之救百姓莫之哀三月而死】二世見殺【雜事篇曰秦二世胡亥之為公子也昆弟數人詔置酒饗群臣召諸子諸子賜食先罷胡亥下堦視群臣陳履狀善者因行踐敗而去諸子聞見之者莫不太息及二世即位皆知天下必棄之也故二世惑於趙髙輕大臣不顧下民是以陳勝奮臂於關東閻樂作亂於望夷閻樂趙髙之壻也為咸陽令詐為逐賊將吏卒入望夷宮攻射二世就數二世欲加刃二世懼入將自殺有一宦者從之二世謂曰何為至於此也宦者曰知此久矣二世曰子何不早言對曰臣以不言故得至於此使臣言死久矣然後二世喟然悔之遂自殺】惡【音烏】在峻法之不犯嚴家之無悍【音旱】虜也聖人知之是以務恩而不務威故髙皇帝約秦苛法慰怨毒之民而長【音掌】和睦之心唯恐刑之重而徳之薄也是以施恩無窮澤流後世【左雄曰六國並秦坑儒泯典剗革五等更立郡縣縣設令長郡置守尉什伍相司封豕其民大漢受命雖未復古然克慎庶民蠲苛救敝悅以濟難撫而循之至於文景天下康乂張敞曰武王入殷先去炮烙之刑高祖鑑秦唯定三章之法皆疾惡嚴刻務崇溫厚仁賢之政流聞後世夫明哲之君網漏吞舟之魚然後三光明於上人物悅於下言之若迂其效甚近】商鞅吳起以秦楚之法為輕而累之上危其主下沒其身或非特慈母乎

The Literati said: Zhou used the punishment of roasting (the character pao is read pao) and branding (the character luo is read luo), and Qin had the law of confiscating wives and children (the character nu is read nu) [The Six Secret Teachings says: Zhou was troubled that punishments were light, so he made a bronze pillar, coated it with grease, and laid it over burning charcoal, and made those who had committed crimes walk on it; when they slipped and fell into the fire, Zhou and Daji laughed and found amusement in it, and named it the punishment of roasting and branding. Ying Shao said: nu means children. By the law of Qin, when one person had a crime, his whole household was included. Sima Zhen said: His wife and children were registered and confiscated as official slaves]. Zhao Gao decided cases with severe texts within the palace, and the officials cut and sliced with stern laws outside, so that the dead lay pillowed on each other and the punished could see each other, the common people looked sideways and walked with feet together, and shivered though not cold [Yan Shigu said: To look sideways means to fear him deeply. To walk with feet together is to pile up, meaning they were so frightened that they dared not relax. To shiver is to shrink back]. The Odes say: They say Heaven is high, yet I dare not but stoop; they say the earth is thick, yet I dare not but tread lightly. Alas for the men of today; why are they like vipers and lizards? At that time, was it only a matter of braving fire and treading on blades? Yet father and son turned against each other, brothers were contemptuous of each other, and it came to flesh and blood killing each other and superior and inferior killing each other; this was not because punishments were light and penalties not certain, but because the laws were too severe and benevolence and kindness were not applied. Therefore when government is lenient the people below are close to those above, and when government is strict the people plot against the ruler [Confucius said: When government is lenient the people become careless, and when they are careless one corrects them with severity; when severity is used the people are injured, and one then applies leniency. Leniency tempers severity and severity tempers leniency, and so government is harmonious]. Duke Li of Jin was confined [The chapter on Human Affairs says: In former times Duke Li of Jin attacked Chu in the south, Qi in the east, Qin in the west, and Yan in the north, and his troops swept the world without being stopped, and his might subdued the four quarters without being bent; then he assembled the lords at Jialing, his spirit was full and his will arrogant, he was dissolute and without measure, and he was cruel to the myriad people. Within he had no ministers to correct him, and without no lords to aid him; he killed great ministers and was close to flatterers (the base text has a missing character here). The following year he went out to Jiangli's house, where Luan Shu and Zhonghang Yan seized and confined him, and no lord rescued him and no common person grieved for him, and he died in three months], and the Second Emperor was killed [The chapter Miscellaneous Matters says: When Hu Hai, the Second Emperor of Qin, was a prince, he had several brothers. An edict set out a feast for the officials, and the princes were summoned. The princes were given food and finished first; Hu Hai went down the steps and looked at the shoes the officials had set out, and when he saw good ones he trampled them as he went on and then left. Those among the princes who heard and saw this all sighed. When the Second Emperor took the throne, all knew that the world would surely abandon him. Thus the Second Emperor was deluded by Zhao Gao, thought little of the great ministers, and cared nothing for the people below, and so Chen Sheng raised his arm east of the pass and Yan Le made disorder at Wangyi. Yan Le was Zhao Gao's son-in-law and the magistrate of Xianyang; he feigned pursuit of a bandit, led officers and soldiers into the Wangyi Palace, and shot at the Second Emperor, and then counted off the Second Emperor's offenses, wishing to use the blade. The Second Emperor was afraid, went in, and was about to kill himself. A eunuch followed him. The Second Emperor said: Why has it come to this? The eunuch said: I have known of this for a long time. The Second Emperor said: Why did you not say so earlier? He replied: It was because I did not speak that I have survived to this point; had I spoken, I would have been dead long ago. Then the Second Emperor sighed in regret and killed himself]. Where is the fault, in laws being too severe to be broken and strict households having no fierce slaves (the character e is read wu; the character han is read han)? The sages knew this and therefore worked at kindness and did not work at awe. Thus Emperor Gao abridged the harsh laws of Qin, comforted the people embittered by them, and fostered a heart of harmony, fearing only that punishments might be heavy and virtue thin. Therefore the kindness he showed was without end and his favor flowed down to later ages [Zuo Xiong said: When the Six States were merged into Qin, it buried the Confucians alive and wiped out the canon, abolished the five ranks of nobility and set up commanderies and counties in their place; at each county it set up a magistrate and at each commandery a governor and commandant, with groups of five and ten watching each other, and treated its people like boars. When the great Han received the Mandate, although it did not restore the ancient order, it was careful of the people, removed harshness and rescued them from ruin, and delighted them in order to help them through their troubles, soothing and guiding them. Down to Emperors Wen and Jing the world was at peace. Zhang Chang said: When King Wu entered Yin he first abolished the punishment of roasting and branding; when Emperor Gaozu took Qin as a warning he fixed only a law of three articles. All hated harshness and cruelty and strove to honor warmth and generosity. The government of the benevolent and worthy was heard of in later ages. A wise ruler lets the net be loose enough for a fish that could swallow a boat to pass, and only then do the three luminaries shine bright above and men and things rejoice below. It sounds impractical, but its effect is very near]. Shang Yang and Wu Qi considered the laws of Qin and Chu too light and added to their burden, so that above they endangered their rulers and below they destroyed themselves. Could it be that only the loving mother was at fault?

御史曰夏后氏不信言殷誓周盟徳信彌衰【檀弓曰魯人有周豐也者哀公執摯請見之而曰不可公曰我其已夫使人問焉曰有虞氏未施信於民而民信之夏后氏未施敬於民而民敬之何施而得斯於民也對曰墟墓之間未施哀於民而民哀社稷宗廟之中未施敬於民而民敬殷人作誓而民始畔周人作防而民始疑苟無禮義忠信誠慤之心以涖之雖固結之民其不解乎】無文武之人慾修其法此殷周之所以失勢而見奪於諸侯也【哀公問政孔子曰文武之政布在方策其人存則其政舉其人亡則其政息荀子曰有治人無治法羿之法非亡也而羿不世中禹之法猶存而夏不世王故法不能獨立得其人則存失其人則亡法者治之端也君子者法之原也】故衣弊而革裁法弊而更制【董仲舒曰琴瑟不調甚者必解而更張之乃可鼔也為政而不行甚者必變而更化之乃可理也當更張而不更張雖有良工不能善調也當更化而不更化雖有大賢不能善治也泰族訓曰天地之道極則反盈則損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】髙皇帝時天下初定發徳音行三章之令權也非撥亂反正之常也【刑法志曰漢興髙祖初入關約法三章曰殺人者死傷人及盜抵罪蠲削煩苛兆民大悅其後四夷未附兵革未息三章之法不足以御奸於是相國蕭何攈摭秦法取其宜於時者作律九章】其後法稍犯不正於理故奸萌而甫刑作王道衰而詩刺彰諸侯暴而春秋譏夫【音扶】少目之網不可以得魚三章之法不可以為治【任昉曰淳源既逺天討是因畫衣象服以致刑厝草纓艾蹕民不能犯及淳徳下衰運距澆季湯刑禹政不足禁奸九法三章無以息訟所以赭衣塞路圄犴成市凝脂已疎秋荼非苦奸吏為市生殺並用可為慟哭豈徒一緒】故令不得不加法不得不多唐虞畫衣冠非阿湯武刻肌膚非故時世不同輕重之務異也【漢文帝曰蓋聞有虞氏之時畫衣冠異章服以為戮而民弗犯者何治之至也尚書大傳曰古之用刑者畫象而不犯蓋上刑赭衣不純中刑雜履下刑墨幪以居州里而人恥之白虎通曰五帝畫象者其服象五刑也犯墨者幪巾犯劓者赭其衣犯髕者以墨幪其髕處而畫之犯宮者履屝犯大辟者布衣無領尚書云五刑有服此之謂矣後世大刑用甲兵其次用斧鉞中刑用刀鋸其次用鑚鑿薄刑用鞭樸蓋嚴刑而人不禁也雜言曰世異則事變事變則時移時移則俗易是以君子先相其土地而裁其器觀其俗而和其風揔眾議而定其教】

The Imperial Counselor said: The Xia dynasty did not rely on spoken words, Yin made oaths and Zhou made covenants, and good faith grew ever weaker. [Note from the 'Tan Gong' chapter: There was a man of Lu named Zhou Feng. Duke Ai took gifts and went to see him, but he said he could not receive him. The duke said: I will stop, then. He sent someone to ask him, and he said: The House of Yu had not yet shown good faith to the people, yet the people trusted it; the House of Xia had not yet shown reverence to the people, yet the people revered it. What was done to win this from the people? He replied: Among tombs and graves, without having shown grief to the people, the people grieve; in the altars of the soil and grain and the ancestral temples, without having shown reverence to the people, the people are reverent. When the Yin people made oaths the people began to rebel, and when the Zhou people made covenants the people began to doubt. If one lacks the heart of ritual, righteousness, loyalty, good faith and sincerity to approach them, even if one binds them firmly, will the people not come apart?] If there are no men like Wen and Wu and one still wants to cultivate their laws, this is why Yin and Zhou lost their power and were taken from by the lords. [Note: Duke Ai asked about government, and Confucius said: The government of Wen and Wu is laid out on the bamboo tablets. When the man is present, their government flourishes; when the man is gone, their government ceases. Xunzi said: There are men who bring order, but no laws that bring order by themselves. Yi's method did not vanish, yet Yi did not rule generation after generation; Yu's laws still survive, yet Xia did not rule as kings for generation after generation. Therefore law cannot stand alone; when it gets the right man it survives, and when it loses the man it perishes. Law is the beginning of order, and the gentleman is the source of law.] Therefore when clothes wear out they are cut anew, and when laws wear out the system is changed. [Note: Dong Zhongshu said: When a zither is badly out of tune, one must take it apart and restring it before it can be played; when government is badly failing, one must change it and reform it before it can be ordered. When it ought to be restrung but is not, even a skilled craftsman cannot tune it well; when it ought to be reformed but is not, even a great worthy cannot govern it well. The 'Tai Zu' chapter says: The Way of Heaven and Earth, when it reaches an extreme, reverses, and when it is full, it diminishes. Therefore the sage, when affairs reach a dead end, makes changes, and when laws wear out, alters the system. It is not that he delights in changing the ancient and altering the constant, but that he means to rescue what is failing and prop up what is declining, to dismiss excess and relieve wrong, to harmonize the energies of Heaven and Earth and follow what is fitting for the myriad things.] When the High Emperor first settled the world, he issued a kindly proclamation and carried out the three-article ordinance, but that was an expedient, not the constant way of putting disorder right. [Note from the Treatise on Punishments: When Han arose and Gaozu first entered the pass, he made an agreement of three articles, saying: Whoever kills a man shall die; whoever wounds a man or steals shall be punished accordingly. He abolished the troublesome and harsh laws, and the myriad people were greatly pleased. Later, when the four barbarians had not yet submitted and the fighting had not stopped, the law of three articles was not enough to restrain the wicked, so the chancellor Xiao He gathered the laws of Qin, took those suited to the time, and made the Nine Chapters of the Code.] Afterward the laws were gradually violated and were not correct in principle, so wickedness sprouted and the Code of Lord Fu was made, the kingly way declined and the satirical odes became prominent, the lords grew violent and the Spring and Autumn Annals criticized them. Now then: a net with few meshes cannot catch fish, and the law of three articles cannot be used to govern. [Note: Ren Fang said: When the pure source was already far away, Heaven's punishment followed from it; they painted figures on clothes to bring about the abandonment of punishments, and wore straw caps and mugwort ties so that the people could not offend. But when pure virtue declined and the age drew near its shallow end, the punishments of Tang and the government of Yu were not enough to forbid wickedness, the nine laws and the three articles could not stop lawsuits, so that the roads were blocked with red-clothed convicts, prisons became like markets, the congealed fat was already thin, the autumn bitter herb was not bitter, corrupt officials made a market of it, killing and sparing were used together, and one could weep and wail; how could it be only a single thread?] Therefore decrees could not but be added and laws could not but be multiplied. That Tang and Yu painted figures on caps and clothes was not out of partiality, and that Tang and Wu cut the skin was not intentional; times and ages were different, and the weight of what was needed differed. [Note: Emperor Wen of Han said: I have heard that in the time of the House of Yu they painted caps and clothes and used different robes as a punishment and the people did not offend, how perfect was their government! The 'Great Tradition of the Book of Documents' says: Those in antiquity who used punishment painted figures and the people did not offend. The highest punishment was a red garment without a border, the middle punishment was a mixed-up pair of shoes, and the lowest punishment was a black hood, and they lived in their districts and villages and the people were ashamed of them. The Baihu Tong says: The Five Emperors painted figures whose clothing symbolized the five punishments. One who committed tattooing wore a hood, one who committed nose-cutting had his clothes dyed red, one who committed kneecap-removal had the kneecap area covered in black and painted, one who committed castration wore sandals of straw, and one who committed a capital offense wore cloth without a collar. The Book of Documents says the five punishments have their garments; this is what it means. In later ages the great punishment used armor and weapons, the next used axes and battle-axes; the middle punishment used knives and saws, the next used drills and chisels; the light punishment used whips and rods. Thus the punishments were severe and yet people were not restrained. The 'Za Yan' says: When the age changes, affairs change; when affairs change, the times shift; when the times shift, customs alter. Therefore the gentleman first examines the land and cuts his tools to suit it, observes its customs and harmonizes its manners, and gathers many opinions to set his teaching.]

文學曰民之仰法猶魚之仰水水清則靜濁則擾【傳曰水濁則魚喁令苛則民亂城峭則崩岸峭則陂故吳起削刑而車裂商鞅峻法而支解陸賈曰君子為治也混然無事寂然無聲官府若無人亭落若無吏郵無夜行之卒鄉無夜召之正耆老甘味於堂丁男耕芸於野主術訓曰水濁則魚噞政苛則民亂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譬猶揚堁而弭塵抱薪以救火也鄧晳子曰夫水濁則無掉尾之魚政苛則無逸樂之士故令煩則民詐政擾則民不定不治其本而務其末譬如拯溺踵之以石救火投之以薪】擾則不安其居靜則樂【音洛】其業樂【音洛】其業則富富則仁生澹【古音贍】則爭止是以成康之世賞無所施法無所加非可刑而不刑民莫犯禁也非可賞而不賞民莫不仁也若斯則吏何事而理【董仲舒曰聖王之治天下也少則習之學長則材諸位爵祿以養其徳刑罰以威其惡故民曉於禮誼而恥犯其上武王行大誼平殘賊周公作禮樂以文之至於成康之隆囹圄空虛四十餘年此亦教化之漸而仁誼之流非獨傷肌膚之效也孔子曰政之不行也教之不成也爵祿不足勸也刑罰不足恥也故上不可以防刑而輕爵康誥曰敬明乃罰甫刑曰播刑之不廸】今之治民者若御拙馬行則頓之止則擊之身創【音瘡】於棰【推上聲】吻【音刎】傷於防求其無失何可得乎幹谿之役土崩梁氏【楚書曰楚靈王七年作章華臺下令內亡人實之十二年春靈王樂幹谿不能去也國人苦役夏四月公子比自晉歸楚立為王以公子棄疾為司馬先除王宮使觀從從師於幹谿令楚眾曰國有王矣先歸復爵邑田室後者遷之師及訾梁楚眾皆潰去靈王而歸五月癸亥王縊於芋尹申亥氏申亥以其二女殉而葬之公羊傳曰此弒其君其言歸何歸無惡於弒立也歸無惡於弒立者何靈王為無道作幹谿之臺三年不成楚公子棄疾脅比而立之然後令於幹谿之役曰比已立矣後歸者不得復其田裡眾罷而去之靈王經而死泰族訓曰靈王作章華之臺發乾谿之役外內騷動百姓罷弊棄疾乗民之怨而立公子子比百姓放臂而去之餓於幹谿食莽飲水枕塊而死】內潰不能禁峻法不止故罷【音疲】馬不畏鞭棰【推上聲】罷【音疲】民不畏刑法雖曽【音増】而累之其亡【音無】益乎【孔子曰鞭撲之子不從父之教刑戮之民不從君之政言疾之難行故君子不急斷不意使以為亂源】

The Literati said: People look up to law as fish look up to water; when the water is clear they are still, and when it is muddy they are disturbed. [Note: The tradition says: When the water is muddy the fish gasp at the surface, and when the decrees are harsh the people become disordered; when a city wall is steep it collapses, and when a bank is steep it slides. Therefore Wu Qi cut punishments and was torn apart by chariots, and Shang Yang made the law severe and was dismembered. Lu Jia said: When a gentleman governs, he is simple and without affairs, quiet and without sound, the offices seem to have no people and the village posts seem to have no clerks; the post stations have no night-traveling guards and the townships have no night-summoned officers; the elders enjoy good food in their halls and the able-bodied men plow in the fields. The 'Zhu Shu' chapter says: When the water is muddy the fish gasp, and when government is harsh the people are disordered. Therefore when those above have many troubles, those below have many deceits; when those above have many affairs, those below have many postures; when those above are fussy and disturbing, those below cannot settle; when those above demand much, those below quarrel with each other. Not setting right the root but working at the branch is like throwing up dust to stop the dust, or hugging firewood to put out a fire. Deng Xizi said: When the water is muddy there are no fish wagging their tails, and when government is harsh there are no gentlemen at leisure. Therefore when decrees are troublesome the people deceive, and when government is disturbing the people cannot settle. Not governing the root and working at the branch is like pulling a drowning man out by tying a stone to him, or putting out a fire by throwing firewood on it.] When disturbed, they do not feel at peace in their homes; when still, they enjoy their work; enjoying their work they become rich, and being rich benevolence arises, and when there is sufficiency quarrels cease. Therefore in the age of Cheng and Kang there was nothing to reward and no law to apply: it was not that punishments could be used and were not, but that the people did not break the prohibitions; it was not that rewards could be given and were not, but that none of the people were unbenevolent. If so, what work was there for officials to do in governing? [Note: Dong Zhongshu said: The sage kings who governed the world taught them to study when they were young, gave them posts according to their talents when they were grown, nurtured their virtue with rank and salary, and awed their wickedness with punishment, so that the people understood ritual and righteousness and were ashamed to offend their superiors. King Wu acted with great righteousness and put down the cruel and villainous, and the Duke of Zhou made rites and music to adorn it, and by the heights of Cheng and Kang the prisons were empty for more than forty years. This too was the gradual progress of teaching and the flow of benevolence and righteousness, not an effect achieved merely by hurting flesh and skin. Confucius said: When government is not carried out and teaching is not accomplished, rank and salary are not enough to encourage and punishment is not enough to shame. Therefore one above cannot put punishment first and rank last. The 'Announcement to Kang' says: Be reverent and clear in your punishments. The 'Code of Lord Fu' says: Spreading punishments does not lead the way.] Those who govern the people today are like men driving a clumsy horse: when it goes they jerk it, when it stops they strike it, so that their own bodies are wounded by the whip and the horse's mouth is hurt by the bit, and to hope for no mistakes in that way, how could it be done? The Ganxi campaign collapsed like earth, and the Liang clan [Note from the Book of Chu: In the seventh year of King Ling of Chu he built the Zhanghua Terrace and ordered fugitives inside the state to fill it. In the spring of the twelfth year King Ling was enjoying himself at Ganxi and could not leave, and the people of the state suffered from the labor. In the fourth month, summer, Prince Bi returned from Jin to Chu and was set up as king, with Prince Qiji as Minister of War; they first cleared the royal palace, and had Guan Cong follow the troops at Ganxi and tell the Chu multitude: The state has a king now; those who return first will have their rank, towns, fields and houses restored, and those who come later will be moved away. When the army reached Zi Liang, the Chu multitude all dispersed and abandoned King Ling and went home. In the fifth month on the guihai day the king hanged himself at the house of Yun Yin Shen Hai, and Shen Hai buried him with his two daughters as sacrifices. The Gongyang Commentary says: This was the killing of the ruler, so why does it say 'returned'? Because the return was blameless for the killing and installing. What does it mean that the return was blameless for the killing and installing? King Ling was without the Way and built the Ganxi Terrace for three years without finishing it, and Prince Qiji of Chu threatened Bi and set him up, and then ordered the Ganxi laborers: Bi has already been installed; those who return later cannot recover their fields and villages. The multitude gave up and left, and King Ling hanged himself. The 'Tai Zu' chapter says: King Ling built the Zhanghua Terrace and called up the Ganxi labor, and inside and outside there was turmoil and the people were exhausted. Qiji took advantage of the people's resentment and set up Prince Zibi, and the people dropped their arms and left him, and he starved at Ganxi, eating weeds and drinking water, and died with a clod for a pillow.] collapsed from within, which they could not prevent, and severe laws did not stop it. Therefore a worn-out horse does not fear whips, and worn-out people do not fear punishments; even if one adds to them, what good would it do? [Note: Confucius said: A son who is beaten does not follow his father's teaching, and people who are killed and punished do not follow their ruler's government; this says that haste makes things hard to carry out. Therefore the gentleman does not hurry to decide, and does not use people arbitrarily, because this is a source of disorder.]

御史曰嚴牆三仞樓季難之山髙幹雲牧豎登之故峻則樓季難三仞陵夷則牧豎易山巔【韓非子曰城髙五丈而樓季不輕犯泰山之髙百仞而跛防牧其上夫樓季也而難五丈之險豈跛防也而易百仞之髙哉峭壍之勢異也】夫【音扶】鑠金在鑪莊蹻【音腳】不顧錢刀在路匹婦掇之【掇拾取也】非匹婦貪而莊蹻【音腳】廉也輕重之制異而利害之分【音問】明也【韓非子曰布帛尋常庸人不釋鑠金百鎰盜跖不搏者非庸人之心尋常之利深而盜跖之慾淺也又不以盜跖之行為輕百鎰之重也摶必隨手刑則盜跖不搏百鎰而罰不必行也則庸人不釋尋常】故法令可仰而不可逾可臨而不可入詩云不敢暴虎不敢馮河為其無益也魯好【去聲】禮而有季孟之難【去聲】燕噲好【去聲】讓而有子之之亂【人間訓曰魯季氏與郈氏鬭雞郈氏芥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其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徳厚其威強君胡得之昭公弗聽使郈昭伯將卒以攻之仲孫氏季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燕世家曰蘓秦之在燕與其相子之為婚而蘓代與子之交及蘓秦死而齊宣王複用蘓代燕噲三年與楚三晉攻秦不勝而還子之相燕貴重主斷蘓代為齊使於燕燕王問曰齊王奚如對曰必不霸燕王曰何也對曰不信其臣蘇代欲以激燕王以尊子之也於是燕王大信子之子之因遺蘇代百金而聽其所使鹿毛夀謂燕王曰不如以國讓相子之人之謂堯賢者以其讓天下於許由許由不受有讓天下之名而寔不失天下今王以國讓於子之子之必不敢受是王與堯同行也燕王因屬國於子之子之大重或曰禹薦益已而以啟人為吏及老而以啟人為不足任乎天下傳之於益已而啟與交黨攻益奪之天下謂禹名傳天下於益已而實令啟自取之今王言屬國於子之而吏無非太子人者是名屬子之而實太子用事也王因收印自三百石已上而效之子之子之南面行王事而噲老不聽政顧為臣國事皆決於子之三年國大亂百姓恫怨人間訓曰徐偃王為義而滅燕子噲行仁而亡哀公好儒則削代君為墨而殘齊俗訓曰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汜論曰昔楚恭王戰於隂陵潘尫養由基黃衰防公孫丙相與簒之恭王懼而失體黃衰防舉足蹵其體恭王乃覺怒其失禮奮體而起四大夫載而行此所謂失禮而有大功也昔蒼吾繞娶妻而美以讓兄此所謂忠愛而不可行也】禮讓不足禁邪而刑法可以止暴明君據法故能長制群下而久守其國也【韓非子曰今有不才之子父母怒之弗為改鄉人譙之弗為動師長教之弗為變夫以父母之愛鄉人之行師長之智三美加焉而終不動其脛毛不改州部之吏操官兵推公法而求索奸人然後恐懼變其節易其行矣故父母之愛不足以教子必待州郡之嚴刑者民固驕於愛聽於刑矣故明王峭其法而嚴其刑】

The Imperial Counselor said: A strict wall three ren high is hard even for Lou Ji, but a mountain towering into the clouds is climbed by a herd boy. So a steep wall three ren high is hard for Lou Ji, while a gentle slope makes the top of a mountain easy for a herd boy. [Note: Han Feizi said: A city wall five zhang high is not lightly climbed by Lou Ji, while Mount Tai a hundred ren high has lame ewes grazing on it. If Lou Ji found a five-zhang cliff hard, how could a lame ewe find a hundred-ren height easy? It is because the steepness of the slopes differs.] Now then: molten metal in the furnace is not looked at by Zhuang Qiao, but coins and knives on the road are picked up by an ordinary woman. [To 'pick up' means to gather.] It is not that the ordinary woman is greedy and Zhuang Qiao honest, but that the weight of the rules differs and the line between profit and harm is clear. [Note: Han Feizi said: Cloth and silk of a few feet are not let go by common people, but a hundred yi of molten metal Robber Zhi would not seize. It is not that the hearts of common people are deeper in desire for small gain and Robber Zhi's desire is shallow, nor that Robber Zhi's conduct regards a hundred yi as light. If grasping were sure to be followed by punishment, Robber Zhi would not grasp a hundred yi; but if punishment were not sure to be carried out, common people would not let go of a few feet of cloth.] Therefore laws and decrees may be looked up to but not overstepped, and may be approached but not entered. The Book of Songs says: 'We dare not fight a tiger bare-handed, nor cross the river on foot,' because there is no benefit in it. Lu loved ritual and had the troubles of Ji and Meng; Kuai of Yan loved yielding and had the disorder of Zizhi. [Note from the 'Ren Jian' chapter: The Ji clan of Lu and the Hou clan had a cockfight; the Hou clan put mustard on their bird and the Ji clan fitted theirs with metal spurs. The Ji clan's bird did not win, and Ji Pingzi was angry and so seized the Hou clan's house and built on it. Hou Zhaobo was angry and accused him to Duke Zhao of Lu, saying: At the prayer in the temple of Duke Xiang there were only two dancers, and all the rest danced at the Ji clan's. The Ji clan has been without the Way and without a superior for a long time; killing him is sure to endanger the state. The duke told Zijia Ju. Zijia Ju said: The Ji clan has gained the multitude, the three families are as one, their virtue is generous and their might is strong; how can you get him? Duke Zhao did not listen and had Hou Zhaobo lead troops to attack him. The Zhongsun and Jisun clans together planned, saying: Without the Ji clan, we would die within days. So they raised troops and rescued him. Hou Zhaobo did not win and died, and Duke Zhao of Lu fled to Qi. The Hereditary House of Yan says: When Su Qin was in Yan, he made a marriage tie with its chancellor Zizhi, and Su Dai was friends with Zizhi. When Su Qin died, King Xuan of Qi again used Su Dai. In his third year, Kuai of Yan attacked Qin with Chu and the Three Jin but did not win and returned. Zizhi was chancellor of Yan and valued and honored the ruler's decisions. Su Dai went to Yan as an envoy for Qi, and the King of Yan asked: How is the King of Qi? He answered: He will certainly not become hegemon. The King of Yan said: Why? He answered: He does not trust his ministers. Su Dai wanted to provoke the King of Yan to exalt Zizhi. So the King of Yan trusted Zizhi greatly, and Zizhi sent Su Dai a hundred pieces of gold and let him be used as he wished. Lu Maoshou said to the King of Yan: It would be better to cede the state to the chancellor Zizhi. People call Yao worthy because he offered the world to Xu You, and Xu You did not accept it, so Yao had the name of yielding the world while in fact not losing it. If you now cede the state to Zizhi, Zizhi will certainly not dare accept it, and you will be doing the same as Yao. The King of Yan then entrusted the state to Zizhi, and Zizhi became very powerful. Someone said: Yu recommended Yi, but then made the people of Qi into his officials; when he was old he thought Qi was not fit to hold the world and passed it to Yi, but then Qi and his party attacked Yi together and took the world from him. This means Yu had the name of handing the world to Yi, while in fact he had Qi take it himself. Now the king says he is entrusting the state to Zizhi, yet none of the officials are other than the crown prince's men, so it is in name entrusted to Zizhi but in fact the crown prince is in charge. The king then took back the seals of all officials of three hundred shi and above and handed them over to Zizhi, and Zizhi faced south and carried out the king's business, while Kuai, old, did not attend to government and instead became a subject, and state affairs were all decided by Zizhi. In three years the state was in great disorder and the common people were resentful and afraid. The 'Ren Jian' chapter says: King Yan of Xu was righteous and was destroyed, Kuai of Yan practiced benevolence and was lost, Duke Ai loved Confucians and his state was diminished, and the ruler of Dai followed Mohism and was ruined. The 'Qi Su' chapter says: The House of Youhu was righteous and perished, because it knew righteousness but not what was fitting; Lu governed by ritual and was diminished, because it knew ritual but not substance. The 'Fan Lun' says: In the past King Gong of Chu fought at Yinling, and Pan Wang, Yang Youji, Huang Shuai Wei and Gongsun Bing together tried to usurp it. King Gong was frightened and lost his composure, and Huang Shuai Wei lifted his foot and kicked his body, and the king then woke, angry at the loss of ritual, and sprang up, and the four grand officers carried him away. This is called losing ritual yet achieving great merit. In the past Cangwu Rao married a beautiful wife and yielded her to his elder brother; this is called loyalty and love that cannot be practiced.] Ritual and yielding are not enough to stop wickedness, while punishments and laws can stop violence. A wise ruler relies on law, and so can control his subordinates for a long time and hold his state for many years. [Note: Han Feizi said: Suppose there is a worthless son: his parents are angry at him but he does not change, his fellow villagers rebuke him but he is not moved, his teachers instruct him but he does not alter. With the love of parents, the conduct of fellow villagers and the wisdom of teachers, these three good things are added, yet he does not move a hair on his shin or change at all. But when the district officers take official weapons and apply the public law to seek out the wicked, then he is afraid, and changes his manner and alters his conduct. Thus parental love is not enough to teach a son, and he must wait for the severe punishments of the district and prefecture; the people are indeed spoiled by love and obedient to punishment. Therefore a wise king makes his law steep and his punishments severe.]

文學曰古者明其仁義之誓使民不逾乎上刑之不教而殺是以虐也【孔子曰不戒責成害也慢令致期暴也不教而誅賊也君子為政避此三者且詩曰載色載笑匪怒伊教子貢曰托法而治謂之暴不戒致期謂之虐不教而誅謂之賊以身勝人謂之責責者失身賊者失臣虐者失政暴者失民居上位行此四者而不亡者未之有也】與其刑不可逾不若義之不可逾也聞禮義行而刑罰中【去聲】未聞刑罰行而孝悌興也【傳曰天設其髙而日月成明地設其厚而山陵成名上設其道而百事得序自周衰壊以來王道廢而不起禮義絶而不繼秦之時非禮義棄詩書略古昔大滅聖専為苟妄以貪利為俗以較獵為化而天下大亂於是兵作而火起暴露居外而民以侵漁遏奪相攘為服習離聖王光烈之日久逺未嘗見仁義之道被禮樂之風是以嚚頑無禮而肅敬日益凌遲以威武相攝妄為佞人不避禍患此所以難治也】髙牆狹基不可立矣嚴法峻刑不可久也二世信趙髙之計渫【音洩】篤【秦紀作督】責而任誅斷刑者半道死者日積殺民多者為忠厲民悉者為能百姓不勝【音升】其求黔【音拑】首不勝【音升】其刑【秦謂人為黔首言其頭黒也】海內同憂而俱不生【李斯傳曰太子胡亥立為二世皇帝以趙髙為郎中令常侍中用事二世燕居乃召髙與謀事趙髙曰嚴法而刻刑令有罪者相坐誅至收族滅大臣而逺骨肉盡除去先帝故臣更置陛下所親信者近之害除而奸謀塞陛下則髙枕肆志寵樂矣二世然髙之言乃更為法律於是群臣諸公子有罪輒下髙令鞠治之殺大臣防毅等公子十二人僇死咸陽市十公主矺死於杜財物入於縣官相連坐者不可勝數法令誅罰日益刻深群臣人人自危欲畔秦者眾又作阿房之宮治直馳道賦斂愈重戍徭無已於是楚戍卒陳勝吳廣等作亂起于山東豪俊相立自置為侯王叛秦兵至鴻門而卻】故過任之事父不得於子無已之求君不得於臣【秦策曰語云戰勝而國危者物不斷也功大而權輕者地不入也故過任之事父不得於子無已之求君不得於臣故防之為著者強察乎息民之為用者霸明乎輕之為重者王】死不再生窮鼠齧貍匹夫奔萬乘【去聲】舍人折弓陳勝吳廣是也【汜論曰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許慎曰舍人家臣也國人逐猘狗以亂擾舍人因之以殺子陽畏其嚴也徐樂曰陳渉無千乘之尊尺土之地身非王公大人名族之後無鄉曲之譽非有孔墨曽子之賢陶朱猗頓之富然起窮巷奮棘矜偏袒大呼而天下從風此其故何也由民困而主不恤下怨而上不知也俗已亂而政不修此三者陳渉之所以為資也】當此之時天下期俱起方面而攻秦聞不一期而社稷為墟惡【音烏】在其能制群下而久守其國也御史黙然不對

The Literati said: In antiquity they made clear their oath of benevolence and righteousness so that the people would not overstep their superiors; to punish without teaching and to kill is cruelty. [Note: Confucius said: To demand results without warning is harm; to be slow in decree but strict in deadline is tyranny; to execute without teaching is villainy. The gentleman in governing avoids these three. Also the Book of Songs says: 'With a changed face and a smile, not anger, but teaching.' Zigong said: To govern by relying on law is called tyranny; to set a deadline without warning is called cruelty; to execute without teaching is called villainy; to overcome others by one's own person is called blaming. One who blames loses himself, one who is villainous loses his ministers, one who is cruel loses his government, and one who is tyrannical loses his people. One in high position who practices these four and does not perish has never existed.] Rather than making punishment that cannot be overstepped, it is better to make righteousness that cannot be overstepped. I have heard that where ritual and righteousness are practiced punishments are fitting, but I have never heard that where punishments are practiced filial piety and brotherly respect flourish. [Note: The tradition says: Heaven sets up its height and the sun and moon become bright, Earth sets up its thickness and mountains and hills become famous, and above, setting up the Way, the hundred affairs get their order. Since the decline of Zhou, the kingly way was abandoned and did not rise again, and ritual and righteousness were cut off and did not continue. In the time of Qin they rejected ritual and righteousness, discarded the Odes and the Documents, neglected antiquity and destroyed the sages, and acted solely in recklessness, taking greed for profit as custom and hunting as teaching, and the world fell into great disorder. Then arms rose and fires blazed, people were exposed outdoors, and the people made invasion, plunder, seizing and snatching their habit. They were long removed from the bright days of the sage kings, had never seen the Way of benevolence and righteousness or been touched by the wind of ritual and music, and so became stubborn and without ritual, with reverence declining day by day, controlling one another by force, doing what they pleased as flatterers, and not avoiding calamity. This is why they are hard to govern.] A high wall with a narrow base cannot stand, and strict law and severe punishments cannot last. The Second Emperor trusted Zhao Gao's plan, intensified blame and relied on executions; those punished stood halfway down the road and the dead piled up day by day, and those who killed the most people were considered loyal and those who harassed the people most completely were considered capable. The people could not bear his demands and the black-headed people could not bear his punishments. [Qin called people 'black-heads', meaning their heads were dark.] All within the seas shared the same sorrow and could not make a living together. [Note from the Biography of Li Si: The crown prince Huhai was set up as the Second Emperor, with Zhao Gao as Chamberlain for Attendants, always in attendance and handling affairs. The Second Emperor was idle at leisure and summoned Gao to plan. Zhao Gao said: Make the laws strict and punishments harsh, make those who commit crimes be executed together with those connected to them, even to the extent of seizing their clans, destroy the great ministers and keep distant bone and flesh, remove all the former ministers of the late emperor and put those Your Majesty trusts in their places and keep them close; then harms will be removed and wicked plots blocked, and Your Majesty can rest your head high and indulge your will in pleasure. The Second Emperor agreed with Gao's words and then changed the laws. Then whenever the ministers and princes committed crimes they were handed to Gao for interrogation, and he killed great ministers such as Meng Yi, twelve princes were executed in the market of Xianyang, ten princesses were torn apart at Du, and their goods went to the county treasury, and those implicated in connection with them could not be counted. Laws and punishments grew harsher day by day, every minister felt in danger, and many wished to rebel against Qin. He also built the E'pang Palace and straightened the imperial roads, taxes grew heavier and garrison service was endless. Then the Chu garrison soldiers Chen Sheng, Wu Guang and others rebelled and rose east of the mountains, and heroes set each other up, set themselves up as lords and kings and rebelled against Qin, and their troops reached Hongmen and then withdrew.] So an over-burdened father cannot get his due from his son, and a ruler with endless demands cannot get his due from his ministers. [Note from the Strategies of Qin: The saying goes: When a state wins a war but is endangered, it is because affairs were not decided; when achievement is great but authority light, it is because land was not taken in. Therefore an over-burdened father cannot get his due from his son, and a ruler with endless demands cannot get his due from his ministers. So one who makes authority prominent is strong, one who understands the use of giving the people rest becomes hegemon, and one who understands making light into heavy becomes king.] The dead do not live again, and a cornered rat will bite a cat; a common man rushes at ten thousand chariots, and the retainer breaks the bow: Chen Sheng and Wu Guang are examples. [Note from the 'Fan Lun': Zi Yang of Zheng was resolute and fond of punishment, and in punishing he held firmly and granted no pardon. A retainer who had broken a bow feared the crime and dreaded execution, so he took advantage of the fright of a mad dog to kill Zi Yang. Xu Shen said: The retainer was a household servant. The people of the state chased a mad dog and caused a disturbance, and the retainer used it to kill Zi Yang, fearing his severity. Xu Le said: Chen She had no power of a thousand chariots and not a foot of land, he was not a descendant of a king, duke or great family, he had no reputation in his village, and had neither the worth of Confucius, Mozi or Zeng, nor the wealth of Tao Zhu or Yi Dun; yet he rose from a back alley, brandished thorn-wood poles, bared one shoulder and shouted, and the world followed like grass before the wind. What was the reason? It was because the people were in distress and the ruler did not pity them, those below were resentful and those above did not know, and customs were already disordered and the government was not mended. These three were what Chen She relied on.] At that time the whole world was ready to rise together and attack Qin from all sides, and before they had even agreed on a date, the altars of the state became ruins. How could he control his subordinates for long and hold his state for many years? The Imperial Counselor fell silent and did not reply.

大夫曰瞽師不知白黒而善聞言儒者不知治世而善訾【音紫】議夫【音扶】善言天者合之人善言古者考之今【漢武帝曰善言天者必有徴於人善言古者必有騐於今】令何為施法何為加湯武全肌骨而殷周治秦國用之法弊而犯二尺四寸之律古今一也或以治或以亂【賈生曰為人主計者莫如先審取捨取捨之極定於內而安危之萌應於外矣安者非一日而安也危者非一日而危也皆以積漸然不可不察也人主之所積在其取捨以禮義治之者積禮義以刑罰治之者積刑罰刑罰積而民怨背禮義積而民和親故世主欲民之善同而所以使民善者或異或道之以徳教或敺之以法令道之以徳教者徳教洽而民氣樂敺之以法令者法令極而民風哀哀樂之感禍福之應也秦王之慾尊宗廟而安子孫與湯武同然而湯武廣大其徳行六七百嵗而弗失秦王治天下十餘嵗則大敗此亡它故矣湯武之定取捨審而秦王之定取捨不審矣】春秋原罪甫刑制獄【孟子曰世衰道防邪説暴行有作臣弒其君者有之子弒其父者有之孔子懼作春秋春秋天子之事也是故孔子曰知我者其惟春秋乎罪我者其惟春秋乎孔子成春秋而亂臣賊子懼霍諝曰春秋之義原情定過赦事誅意故許止以弒君而免罪趙盾以縱賊而見書刑法志曰周道既衰穆王眊荒命甫侯度時作刑以詰四方墨罰之屬千劓罰之屬千髕罰之屬五百宮罰之屬三百大辟之罰其屬二百五刑之屬三千蓋多於平邦中典五百章所謂刑亂邦用重典者也】今願聞治亂之本週秦之所以然乎

The Grandee said: A blind musician cannot tell white from black yet is good at hearing words; Confucian scholars know nothing of governing an age yet are good at carping and debating. Truly (the particle "fu" at the start of a sentence is pronounced "fu"): one who speaks well of Heaven ties it to humankind, and one who speaks well of antiquity tests it against the present [Emperor Wu of Han said: One who speaks well of Heaven must have proof in human affairs; one who speaks well of antiquity must have verification in the present]. What decrees are to be issued, and what laws are to be imposed? Under Tang and King Wu the flesh and bones of the people were kept whole, and the Yin and Zhou were well governed; Qin used punishments, and the laws wore out and were broken. The code of two feet four inches is the same in ancient and modern times, yet by some it brought order and by others disorder [Master Jia said: In planning for a ruler, nothing is better than first examining what to adopt and what to discard. Once the ultimate choice is settled within, the first signs of safety or danger respond outside. Safety does not come in a single day, nor does danger; both arise by gradual accumulation, and one must not fail to look into this. What a ruler accumulates lies in his choices: he who governs by ritual and righteousness accumulates ritual and righteousness, and he who governs by punishment accumulates punishment. When punishment accumulates, the people resent and turn away; when ritual and righteousness accumulate, the people are harmonious and close. The rulers of the age all want the people to be good, yet the means they use to make them good differ: some lead them by moral teaching, and some drive them by laws and orders. Where they are led by moral teaching, moral teaching suffuses them and the people's spirit is joyful; where they are driven by laws and orders, the laws reach their extreme and the people's mood is sorrowful. In sorrow and joy are felt, and misfortune and fortune respond. The King of Qin wanted to honor the ancestral temple and keep his descendants safe, just as Tang and King Wu did; yet Tang and King Wu broadened their virtue and conduct and did not lose the realm for six or seven hundred years, while the King of Qin ruled all under Heaven for a little over ten years and was utterly defeated. There is no other reason: Tang and King Wu were careful in settling what to adopt and discard, whereas the King of Qin was not]. The Spring and Autumn Annals traced guilt to its origin, and the Marquis of Fu's Punishments regulated trials [Mencius said: When the age declined and the Way grew faint, perverse doctrines and violent deeds arose; there were ministers who killed their rulers and sons who killed their fathers. Confucius was alarmed and composed the Spring and Autumn Annals. The Annals are the business of the Son of Heaven. Therefore Confucius said: Those who understand me will do so through the Annals alone, and those who condemn me will do so through the Annals alone. When Confucius completed the Annals, rebellious ministers and villainous sons were afraid. Huo Xu said: The principle of the Annals is to trace the circumstances and fix the fault, pardoning the deed but punishing the intent; thus Xu Zhi was excused from guilt though he killed his ruler, while Zhao Dun was recorded as guilty for letting the murderer go. The Treatise on Punishments says: When the Way of Zhou had declined, King Mu grew dim and dissolute, and he ordered the Marquis of Fu to deliberate on the times and compose the penal code to restrain the four quarters. The punishment of tattooing had a thousand categories, nose-cutting a thousand, kneecap-removal five hundred, castration three hundred, and the death penalty two hundred; the five punishments had three thousand categories in all, which is more than the five hundred articles of the middling code for ordinary states; this is what is meant by using the heavy code in a disordered state]. Now I wish to hear the root of order and disorder, and why the Zhou and the Qin turned out as they did.

文學曰春夏生長【音掌】聖人象而為令秋冬殺藏聖人則而為法故令者教也所以導民人法者刑罰也所以禁強暴也【刑法志曰聖人既躬明悊之性必通天地之心動縁民情而則天象地故曰聖人制禮則天之明因地之性也刑罰威獄以類天之震曜殺戮也溫慈恵和以效天之生殖長育也書云天秩有禮天討有罪故聖人因天秩而制五禮因天討而作五刑】二者治亂之具存亡之效也在上所任湯武經禮義明好【去聲】惡【音汙】以導其民刑罪未有所加而民自行義殷周所以治也上無徳教下無法則任刑必誅劓【音義】鼻盈虆【音螺】斷足盈車舉河以西不足以受天下之徒終而以亡者秦王也非二尺四寸之律異所行反古而悖民心也【吾丘夀王曰秦兼天下廢王道立私議滅詩書而首法令去仁恩而任刑戮隳名城殺豪傑銷甲兵折鋒刃其後民以耰鉏棰梃相撻擊犯法滋眾盜賊不勝至於赭衣塞路群盜滿山卒以亂亡故聖人務徳教而省禁防知其不足恃也桓範曰徳多刑少者五帝也刑徳相半者三王也刑多徳少者五霸也純用刑而亡者秦也王符曰治國之日舒以長故其民閒暇而力有餘亂國之日促以短故其民困務而力不足所謂治國之日舒以長者非能請羲和而令安行也乃君明察而百官理民安靜而力有餘故視日長也所謂亂國之日促以短者非能謁羲和而令疾驅也乃君暗則百官亂而奸宄興細民懐賄而趨走故視日短也】

The Literati said: Spring and summer give birth and growth (the character "zhang" is pronounced "zhang"), and the sages modeled on them to make decrees; autumn and winter kill and store away, and the sages took them as the pattern for laws. So decrees are teaching, used to guide the people, while laws are punishments, used to restrain the strong and violent [The Treatise on Punishments says: Since the sages themselves were by nature clear-sighted and wise, they necessarily penetrated the mind of Heaven and Earth, and in acting they followed the feelings of the people while taking Heaven as their model and Earth as their image. Hence it is said that the sages made ritual by taking Heaven's brightness as the pattern and following the nature of Earth; punishments and prisons were made to resemble the thunder, lightning and slaughter of Heaven, while warmth, kindness and gentleness were made to imitate Heaven's giving of life, growth and nurture. The Book of Documents says: Heaven has ordered ritual, and Heaven punishes the guilty. Therefore the sages, following Heaven's order, set up the five rituals, and following Heaven's punishment, made the five penalties]. The two are the tools of order and disorder and the signs of survival and ruin, depending on what the ruler employs. Tang and King Wu governed by ritual and righteousness and made clear what to love and what to hate (the character "hao" is read in the departing tone, and "wu" is pronounced "wu") in order to lead their people; before punishments had been applied, the people practiced righteousness of themselves, and this is why the Yin and Zhou were well governed. When the ruler above has no moral teaching and the people below have no standard, and he relies on punishment and kills without fail, so that the amputated noses (the character "yi" is pronounced "yi") pile up and the cut-off feet fill the carts, so that all the land west of the river is not enough to hold the convicts of the realm, and in the end he is destroyed, that was the King of Qin. It was not that the code of two feet four inches was different; it was that what he practiced was contrary to antiquity and went against the people's hearts [Wuqiu Shouwang said: When Qin annexed the realm, it abolished the Kingly Way, set up private opinions, destroyed the Odes and Documents and put laws and orders first, cast out benevolence and kindness and relied on punishment and execution, razed famous cities, killed heroes, melted down armor and weapons, and broke spear points and blades. Afterward the people fought with hoes and clubs, those who broke the law multiplied, bandits could not be mastered, red-clothed convicts filled the roads and bands of robbers filled the mountains, and in the end Qin fell into chaos and perished. Therefore the sages devoted themselves to moral teaching and reduced prohibitions, knowing that these could not be relied on. Huan Fan said: The Five Emperors had much virtue and little punishment; the Three Kings had virtue and punishment in equal measure; the Five Hegemons had much punishment and little virtue; Qin used pure punishment and perished. Wang Fu said: In a well-governed state the days are relaxed and long, so the people have leisure and strength to spare; in a disordered state the days are hurried and short, so the people are worn down by their tasks and their strength is insufficient. What is meant by the days of a well-governed state being relaxed and long is not that the ruler can ask Xihe to drive the sun slowly; it is that the ruler is discerning and the hundred officials are orderly, the people are quiet and have strength to spare, and so the day seems long. And the days of a disordered state being hurried and short does not mean the ruler can call on Xihe to drive the sun fast; it is that when the ruler is dim, the hundred officials fall into disorder and wickedness arises, and the common people, hoping for bribes, rush about, so the day seems short].

大夫曰呻吟槁誦死人之語則有司不似文學【道應訓曰桓公讀書於堂輪人斵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在焉桓公曰已死矣輪扁曰是直聖人之糟粕耳桓公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斵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臣之子亦不能得之於臣是以行年六十老而為輪今聖人之所言者亦以懐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】文學知獄之在廷後而不知其事聞其事而不知其務夫【音扶】治民者若大匠之斵【音卓】斧斤而行之中【去聲】繩則止杜大夫王中尉之等【謂杜周王溫舒也】繩之以法斷之以刑然後冦止奸禁故射者因勢治者因法【汜論曰法度者所以論民俗而節緩急器械者因時變而制宜適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逺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週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貟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刑竭智而無補於主也今夫圖工好畫魅而憎圖狗馬者何也魅不世出而狗馬可日見也夫存危治亂非智不能道而道先稱古雖愚有餘故不用之法聖王弗行不驗之言聖王弗聽】虞夏以質殷周以文【孔子曰虞夏之質殷周之文至矣虞夏之文不勝其質殷周之質不勝其文】異時各有所施今欲以敦樸之時治抗之民是猶遷延而拯溺揖讓而救火也【韓非子曰夫古今異俗新故異備如欲以寛緩之政治急世之民猶無轡策而御駻馬此不知之患也齊俗訓曰世異即事變時移則俗易故聖人論世而立法隨時而舉事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與化推移者也汜論曰古者人醇工龎商樸女重是以政教易化風俗易移也今世徳益衰民俗益薄欲以樸重之法治既之民是猶無鏑銜橜防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訽而輕辱貪得而寡羞欲以神農之道治之則其亂必矣】

The Grandee said: You moan and sigh over withered bamboo slips and recite the words of dead men, yet the officials are not like the Literati [The chapter "Dao Ying" says: Duke Huan was reading a book in the hall, and the wheelwright Bian, who was chipping a wheel below the hall, put down his mallet and chisel and asked Duke Huan: What book is my lord reading? The Duke said: The book of the sages. Wheelwright Bian said: Are those men still alive? The Duke said: They are already dead. Bian said: Then what you are reading is merely the dregs of the sages. Duke Huan flushed with anger and said: I read a book; how dare a craftsman mock it? If you can explain yourself, well and good; if you cannot, you die. Wheelwright Bian said: Yes, I can explain. Let me explain by my own wheel-making. If I chip too fast, it is hard work and the spoke does not go in; if I chip too slowly, it is easy but not firm. When it is neither easy nor hard, responding to the hand and satisfying the mind, so that I reach the subtle point, I cannot teach it to my son, and my son cannot get it from me. That is why I am seventy and still making wheels in my old age. What the sages said is likewise something they carried within them; they exhausted themselves and died, and only the dregs remain for our ears. Hence Laozi said: The Way that can be spoken of is not the constant Way; the name that can be named is not the constant name]. The Literati know that the prison stands behind the court but do not know its business; they have heard of the business but do not know its tasks. Truly (the particle "fu" is pronounced "fu"): governing the people is like a master carpenter chopping (the character "zhuo" is pronounced "zhuo"); the axe is applied, and when the cut meets the ink line he stops. Grandee Du and Commandant Wang and their like [referring to Du Zhou and Wang Wenshu] measured people by the law and cut them off by punishment, and only then were bandits stopped and wickedness forbidden. So an archer relies on the situation, and a governor relies on the law [The chapter "Fan Lun" says: Laws and standards are used to judge the customs of the people and to regulate what is slow and what is urgent; tools and implements are made to follow the changes of the times and suit what is fitting. The sages made laws and the myriad things were regulated by them; the worthy set up rituals and the unworthy were bound by them. A people regulated by law cannot be asked to undertake far-reaching enterprises, and a man bound by ritual cannot be made to respond to change. One whose ear cannot tell clear from muddy sounds cannot be told to tune music, and one whose mind does not know the source of order and disorder cannot be told to make laws. One must have a uniquely hearing ear and a uniquely seeing eye before one can monopolize the Way and act on it. Yin changed Xia, Zhou changed Yin, and the Spring and Autumn period changed Zhou; the rituals of the Three Dynasties differed, so which antiquity should we follow? A great man makes, and his disciples follow. One who knows where law and government come from responds to the times and changes; one who does not know the source of law and government, though he follows antiquity, will end in disorder. The legal records of the present age change with the times, and ritual and righteousness alter with custom; yet scholars follow what came before and inherit old occupations, cling to books and keep to the old, teaching that without these there can be no order, like holding a square tenon and trying to fit a round mortise, and hoping for a good fit is hard indeed. Now the Confucians and Mohists praise King Wen and King Wu of the Three Dynasties but do not practice what they praise; they speak of what they do not carry out. They condemn the present age but do not reform it, and so they practice what they reject. Praising what they approve while practicing what they reject, they spend all day in anxious thought without benefit to government and wear out body and wit without helping their ruler. Now painters like to paint ghosts and demons and dislike drawing dogs and horses; why? Ghosts and demons never appear in the world, while dogs and horses can be seen every day. To save the endangered and set the disordered right takes wisdom; to praise the ancients, even a fool has more than enough. Therefore the sage kings did not practice a law that is not used, and did not listen to words that cannot be verified]. Yu and Xia used plainness, Yin and Zhou used refinement [Confucius said: The plainness of Yu and Xia and the refinement of Yin and Zhou were the utmost. In Yu and Xia refinement did not overcome plainness; in Yin and Zhou plainness did not overcome refinement], and in different times each was applied as suited. To try now to govern a worn-out people with the methods of an age of simplicity is like dawdling to rescue a drowning man or bowing and yielding to put out a fire [Han Fei said: Ancient and modern customs differ, and the new and the old need different preparations. To try to govern a people of an urgent age with lenient and slow government is like driving a savage horse without bridle or whip; this is the trouble of not knowing. The chapter "Qi Su Xun" says: When the age differs, affairs change; when the times move, customs alter. Therefore the sages judged the age and set up laws, and acted as the times required. That laws and standards differ does not mean they strive to be opposite; it is that the times differ. So one does not imitate the laws that have already been made, but imitates that by which laws are made, and that which makes laws shifts with transformation. The chapter "Fan Lun" says: In ancient times people were pure, craftsmen were sturdy, merchants were simple, and women were reserved, so government and teaching were easily transforming and customs were easily moved. In the present age virtue has declined and the people's ways have grown thin; to try to govern an already worn people with laws suited to simplicity is like driving a bolting horse with no bit or bridle and a stick-and-pin whip. In the past Shennong had no regulations and the people followed him; Tang and Yu had regulations but no punishments; the lord of Xia did not break his word, the men of Yin swore oaths, and the men of Zhou made covenants. By the present age, people endure disgrace and take insult lightly, covet gain and feel little shame; to try to govern them by the way of Shennong would surely end in disorder].

文學曰文王興而民好【去聲】善幽厲興而民好【去聲】暴非性之殊風俗使然也故商周之所以昌桀紂之所以亡也【齊俗訓曰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治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防於眾虛之間若夫規矩鉤防者此巧之具也而非所以巧也故瑟無雖師文不能以成曲徒則不能悲故悲之具也而非所以為悲也】湯武非得伯夷之民以治桀紂非得蹠【音質】蹻【音腳】之民以亂也故治亂不在於民【甘龍曰聖人不易民而教智者不變法而治】孔子曰聽訟吾猶人也必也使無訟乎無訟者難訟而聽之易夫【音扶】不治其本而事其末古之所謂愚今之所謂知【去聲】以棰【推上聲】楚正亂【棰杖也楚荊木也即今之荊子也】以刀筆正文【刀所以削書古者用牘故吏皆以刀筆隨】古之所謂賊今之所謂賢也【南華經曰三軍五兵之運徳之末也賞罰利害五刑之闢教之末也禮法度數治之末也鐘鼓之音羽旄之容樂之末也哭泣衰絰隆殺之服哀之末也泰族訓曰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舉末此太平之所以不起也刑法志曰孔子曰古之知法者能省刑本也今之知法者不失有罪末矣又曰今之聽獄者求所以殺之古之聽獄者求所以生之與其殺不辜寜失有罪今之獄吏上下相驅以刻為明深者獲功名平者多患害諺曰鬻棺者欲嵗之疫非憎人慾殺之利在於人死也今治獄吏欲陷害人亦猶此矣原道訓曰體道者逸而不窮任數者勞而無功夫峭法刻誅者非霸王之業也棰策繁用者非致逺之術也】

The Literati said: When King Wen rose, the people loved goodness (the character "hao" is read in the departing tone); when Kings You and Li rose, the people loved violence ("hao" again in the departing tone). This was not a difference of nature but the result of custom. So the reasons the Shang and Zhou flourished and Jie and Zhou were ruined [the chapter "Qi Su Xun" says: Tang entered Xia and used its laws, and King Wu entered Yin and practiced its rituals; yet these are the very things by which Jie and Zhou perished and by which Tang and Wu brought order. Chisels, knives and saws may be laid out, but without a skilled craftsman wood cannot be shaped; furnaces, bellows and molds may be set up, but without a clever smith metal cannot be worked. A butcher in one morning dismembered nine oxen and his knife could still shave hair; Cook Ding used his knife for nineteen years and it was as if freshly ground. Why? He roamed among the empty spaces. As for compass, square, hook and line, these are the tools of skill, not that by which skill is made. So a zither without strings could not produce a tune even from Shi Wen; strings alone cannot make sorrow, for strings are the tool of sorrow and not that by which sorrow is made]. Tang and Wu did not get the people of Boyi to govern, nor did Jie and Zhou get the people of Zhi (the character "zhi" is pronounced "zhi") and Qiao (pronounced "jiao") to throw into disorder. So order and disorder do not depend on the people [Gan Long said: The sage does not change the people in teaching them, and the wise do not change the law in governing]. Confucius said: In hearing lawsuits I am like anyone else; what is needed is to make sure there are no lawsuits. To have no lawsuits is hard; to have lawsuits and hear them is easy. Truly ("fu" pronounced "fu"): to neglect the root and busy oneself with the branches is what the ancients called foolish and what people now call wise ("zhi" read in the departing tone). To set disorder right with the rod ("chui" read in the rising tone) and the thorn ["chui" is the staff, and "chu" is the thorn wood, today's "jingzi"], to correct writing with knife and brush [the knife was used to scrape books; in ancient times bamboo slips were used, so officials all carried knife and brush with them] is what the ancients called villainy and what people now call worthy [the Zhuangzi says: The movements of armies and the five weapons are the branch of virtue; rewards, punishments, profit and harm, and the penalties of the five punishments are the branch of teaching; ritual, law, standards and numbers are the branch of government; the sound of bells and drums and the display of feathers and banners are the branch of music; weeping, mourning garb and the grades of mourning dress are the branch of grief. The chapter "Tai Zu Xun" says: When the people yield to each other and compete to take the lower place, abandon profit and compete to receive less, work hard and compete to take the toil, and daily they are transformed toward the good without knowing why, this is the highest order of government. To encourage goodness by reward and profit, and to refrain from wrongdoing out of fear of punishment, so that laws and orders are upright above and the people submit below, is the lowest order of government. The earlier ages nourished the root and the later ages promoted the branches; this is why great peace does not arise. The Treatise on Punishments says: Confucius said: Those who knew the law in antiquity were able to reduce punishment, and this is the root; those who know the law now fail to miss any guilty man, and this is the branch. It also says: Those who hear cases today seek ways to condemn the accused to death; those who heard cases in antiquity sought ways to keep them alive. Better to let a guilty man escape than to kill an innocent. The prison officials of today drive each other on from above and below, taking harshness as discernment; those who are severe win fame and rank, while those who are fair meet with trouble and harm. A proverb says: The coffin seller hopes for plague every year, not because he hates people and wants them killed, but because his profit lies in people's deaths. The officials who judge cases and want to ensnare people are just like this. The chapter "Yuan Dao Xun" says: One who embodies the Way is at ease and never at a loss; one who relies on techniques toils without result. Steep laws and harsh executions are not the work of a hegemon or king, and the heavy use of rod and whip is not the art of reaching far].

大夫曰俗非唐虞之時而世非許由之民而欲廢法以治是猶不用檼【音隠】栝【音括】斧斤欲撓【音鐃】曲直枉也【髙士傳曰許由字武仲堯舜皆師之與齧缺論堯而去隠乎沛澤之中堯舜乃致天下而讓焉曰十日並出而爝火不息其光也不亦難乎夫子為天子則天下治我由屍之吾自視缺然許由曰吾將為名乎名者實之賔吾將為賔乎乃去宿於逆旅之家旦而遺其皮冠巢父聞由為堯所讓以為汙乃臨池水而洗其耳池主怒曰何以汙我水由乃退而遯耕於中嶽潁水之陽箕山之下子貢曰夫檼栝之旁多枉木良醫之門多疾人砥礪之旁多頑鈍】故為治者不待自善之民為輪者不待自曲之木【韓非子曰夫必待自直之箭百世無矢待自圜之木千嵗無輪矣自直之箭自圜之木百世無有一然而世皆乘車射禽者何也檼栝之道用也雖有不恃檼栝而有自直之箭自圜之木良工弗貴也何則乗者非一人射者非一發也不恃賞罸而待自善之民明主弗貴也何則國法不可失而所治非一人也故有術之君不隨適然之善而行必然之道傳曰賢人易為民工巧易為材】徃者應【古本作杜】少伯正【古作百政】之屬潰梁楚昆【古本作堅】盧徐谷【古本作防漢紀又作勃】之徒亂齊趙山東闗內暴徒保人阻險【漢武紀曰天漢二年秋止禁巫祠道中者大捜泰山琅邪群盜徐防等阻山攻城道路不通遣直指使者暴勝之等衣繡衣杖斧分部逐捕刺史郡守以下皆伏誅冬十一月詔闗都尉曰今豪桀多逺交依東方群盜其謹察出入者酷吏傳曰自溫舒等以惡為治而郡守都尉諸侯二千石欲為治者其治大抵盡放溫舒而吏民亦輕犯法盜賊滋起南陽有梅免百政楚有殷中杜少齊有徐勃燕趙之間有堅盧範生之屬大群至數千人擅自號攻城邑取庫兵釋死罪縛辱郡太守都尉殺二千石為檄告縣趣具食小郡盜以百數掠滷鄉里者不可勝數也】當此之時不任斤斧折之以武而乃始設禮修文有似窮毉【音衣】欲以短針【音針】而攻疽孔丘以禮說【音稅】蹠【音質】也【南華經曰孔子徃見盜跖曰丘聞之凡天下有三徳生而長大美好無雙少長貴賤見而皆說之此上徳也知維天地能辨諸物此中徳也勇悍果敢聚眾率兵此下徳也凡人有此一徳者足以南面稱孤矣今將軍兼此三者身長八尺二寸面目有光唇如激丹齒如齊貝聲中黃鐘而名曰盜跖丘竊為將軍恥不取焉將軍有意聽臣臣請南使吳越北使齊魯東使宋衞西使晉楚使為將軍造大城數百里立數十萬戶之邑尊將軍為諸侯與天下更始罷兵休卒收養昆弟共祭先祖此聖人才士之行而天下之願也盜跖大怒曰丘之所言皆吾之所棄也亟去走歸無復言之子之道狂狂汲汲詐巧虛偽事也奚足論哉孔子再拜趨走出門上車執轡三失】

The Grandee said: The customs are not those of the age of Tang and Yu, and the people of this age are not the subjects of Xu You; yet you wish to govern by abolishing law, which is like wanting to bend the crooked and straighten the warped without using the straightening frame (the character "yin" is pronounced "yin" and "gua" is pronounced "gua"), the axe and the adze ("nao" is pronounced "nao") [the Biographies of Eminent Scholars says: Xu You, courtesy name Wuzhong, was taken as teacher by both Yao and Shun; he discussed Yao with Nie Que and then left, and went into hiding in the marshes of Pei. Yao and Shun then offered him the realm and yielded it to him, saying: When ten suns rise together, the torchlight does not go out; is its light not hard to see? If you, master, were Son of Heaven, the world would be well governed, yet I still occupy the seat, and I see myself as lacking. Xu You said: Am I to do this for the sake of a name? A name is the guest of reality; am I to be a guest? So he left, lodged at an inn, and the next morning left behind his leather cap. Chao Fu heard that You had been offered the realm by Yao, thought it defiling, and washed his ears at the pond. The owner of the pond was angry and said: Why do you foul my water? You then withdrew and went into hiding as a farmer south of the Ying River on Mount Zhong, below Mount Ji. Zigong said: Beside a straightening frame there are many crooked trees, at the door of a good physician there are many sick people, and beside a whetstone there are many dull blades]. So one who governs does not wait for people who are good of themselves, and one who makes wheels does not wait for wood that is bent of itself [Han Fei said: If one had to wait for arrows that were straight of themselves, there would be no arrows in a hundred generations; if one waited for wood that was round of itself, there would be no wheels in a thousand years. Not one in a hundred generations would have a self-straight arrow or a self-round piece of wood, yet everyone in the world rides in carts and shoots birds; why? Because the way of the straightening frame is used. Even if there were a self-straight arrow or self-round wood that did not depend on the frame, a good craftsman would not value it. Why? Because those who ride are not one person, and those who shoot do not shoot only once. Likewise, a wise ruler does not value a people who are good of themselves and do not need reward and punishment. Why? Because the law of the state cannot be lost, and those governed are not one person. So a ruler with method does not follow a goodness that happens by chance but practices the way that is certain. The tradition says: It is easy to be a worthy man's people, and easy to be a skilled man's material]. In earlier days Ying Shao and Bo Zheng [the old text reads "Du" for Shao, and "Bai Zheng" for Bo Zheng] and their kind broke through Liang and Chu, Kunlu [old text reads "Jian"] and Xu Gu [old text reads "Fang", and the Han Annals reads "Bo"] and their followers threw Qi and Zhao into disorder, and violent men east of the mountains and within the passes held strategic heights and dangerous places [the Annals of Emperor Wu of Han say: In the autumn of the second year of Tianhan, offerings by shamans on the roads were forbidden and a great search was made. Bands of robbers at Mount Tai and Langya, led by Xu Bo and others, held mountains and attacked cities, and the roads were cut. Special commissioners such as Bao Shengzhi, wearing embroidered robes and carrying axes, were sent out in divisions to hunt and arrest them, and officials from governors of provinces and commanderies down were executed. In the eleventh month of winter an edict was issued to the commandants of the passes: Now many powerful men have distant connections and rely on the bands of robbers in the east; examine carefully those who go in and out. The Biographies of Harsh Officials says: Since Wang Wenshu and others used cruelty to govern, the governors, commandants and other officials of the two-thousand-bushel rank who wished to govern all mostly imitated Wenshu, and both officials and people took the law lightly, and robbers arose more and more. In Nanyang there were Mei Mian and Bai Zheng, in Chu Yin Zhong and Du Shao, in Qi Xu Bo, and between Yan and Zhao Jian Lu, Fan Sheng and their like; large bands reached several thousand, took titles on their own authority, attacked cities, seized arsenals, released condemned prisoners, bound and humiliated provincial governors and commandants, killed two-thousand-bushel officials, and issued summonses telling the counties to hurry and prepare food; small bands of robbers numbered in the hundreds, and those who plundered villages could not be counted]. At such a time, to refrain from using the axe and adze, to refrain from breaking them with force, and instead to begin setting up ritual and cultivating refinement is like a poor physician (the character "yi" in "physician" is pronounced "yi") who hopes to attack an abscess with a short needle ("zhen" is pronounced "zhen"), or like Confucius trying to persuade Zhi with ritual ("shui" is pronounced "shui"; "zhi" is pronounced "zhi") [the Zhuangzi says: Confucius went to see Robber Zhi and said: I have heard that in all the world there are three kinds of virtue. To be born tall and great and handsome beyond compare, so that young and old, noble and humble all delight to see you, is the highest virtue; to have knowledge that embraces heaven and earth and the ability to distinguish all things is the middle virtue; to be brave, fierce and decisive, gathering a crowd and leading troops, is the lowest virtue. A man with any one of these virtues is fit to face south and call himself a lord. Now, General, you have all three: you are eight feet two inches tall, your face is bright, your lips are like cinnabar, your teeth are like a row of shells, your voice matches the Yellow Bell note, and yet you are called Robber Zhi; I privately feel ashamed on your behalf that you do not take another course. If you are willing to listen to me, I request to go south as envoy to Wu and Yue, north to Qi and Lu, east to Song and Wei, and west to Jin and Chu, and have them build for you a great city of several hundred li and set up a town of several hundred thousand households, honoring you as a feudal lord, making a new beginning with all under Heaven, disbanding the army and resting the soldiers, gathering and supporting your brothers, and together sacrificing to your ancestors. This is the conduct of a sage and a man of talent and what all under Heaven desire. Robber Zhi was furious and said: Everything you, Qiu, have said is what I have discarded. Go away quickly and return home, and speak no more of it. Your way is frantic and hurried, a matter of cunning and falsehood; what is worth discussing in it? Confucius bowed twice and hurried out, got into his carriage, and three times lost his grip on the reins].

文學曰殘材木以成室屋者非良匠也殘賤民人而欲治者非良吏也故公輸子因木之宜聖人不費民之性是以斧斤用刑罰不任政立而化成扁鵲攻於腠【音輳】理絶邪氣故癰疽不得成形聖人從事於未然故亂原無由生是以砭【音邉】石藏而不施法令設而不用【雜事篇曰扁鵲見齊桓侯立有間扁鵲曰君有疾在腠理不治將恐深桓侯曰寡人無疾扁鵲出桓侯曰醫之好利也欲治不疾以為功居十日扁鵲復見曰君之疾在肌膚不治將深桓侯不應扁鵲出桓侯不悅居十日扁鵲復見曰君之疾在腸胃不治將深桓侯不應扁鵲出桓侯又不悅居十日扁鵲復見望桓侯而還走桓侯使人問之扁鵲曰疾在腠理湯熨之所及也在肌膚針石之所及也在腸胃大劑之所及也在骨髓司平之所無奈何也今在骨髓臣是以無請也居五日桓侯體痛使人索扁鵲扁鵲已逃之秦矣桓侯遂死故良醫之治疾也攻之於腠理比事皆治之於小者也夫事之禍福亦有腠理之地故聖人早從事矣說山訓曰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】斷已然鑿已發者凡人也治未形覩未萌者君子也【荀卿曰夫殺人者死而相殺者無已是大辭可以懲未殺不能使天下無殺也傷人者刑而害物者不息是黥劓可以懼未刑不能使天下無刑也故將欲止之莫若先以徳化夫罪過彰著然後入於刑辟故刑之所制在於不可移之地禮教則不然明其善惡所以潛動其情清之於未殺也示之恥辱所以內愧其心治之於未傷也故過防而不至於著罪薄而不及於刑人間訓曰千里之隄以螻螘之穴漏百尋之屋以突隙之煙焚堯戒曰戰戰慄慄日慎一日人莫蹪於山而蹪於垤是故夫人者輕小害易防事以多悔患至而後憂之是由病者已惓而索良醫也雖有扁鵲俞跗之巧猶不能生也】

The Literati said: One who ruins timber to build a house is no good craftsman; one who ruins and degrades the people in order to govern them is no good official. Therefore Gongshu Zi followed the grain of the wood, and the sage did not waste the nature of the people. For this reason axes and hatchets were seldom used (the original has a rare character here, which by the sense should read "seldom"), punishments were not relied on, and when government was established, transformation by teaching was accomplished. Bian Que treated the illness while it lay in the cou (note on pronunciation: "cou" is read like "cou" in "cou li") texture of the skin and drove out the evil qi, so abscesses and boils could never take shape; the sage deals with matters before they come to be, so the sources of disorder have no way to arise. Therefore the bian (note on pronunciation: "bian" is read like "bian") stone lancet is stored away and not applied, and laws and decrees are laid down but not used [The chapter "Miscellaneous Matters" says: Bian Que met Marquis Huan of Qi and stood before him a while. Bian Que said: Your Lordship has an illness in the cou li; if it is not treated, I fear it will go deeper. Marquis Huan said: I have no illness. Bian Que withdrew. Marquis Huan said: Doctors love profit; they want to treat people who are not ill and take credit for it. Ten days later Bian Que came again and said: Your Lordship's illness is in the muscles and skin; if not treated it will go deeper. The Marquis did not answer. Bian Que withdrew, and the Marquis was displeased. Ten days later Bian Que came again and said: Your Lordship's illness is in the intestines and stomach; if not treated it will go deeper. The Marquis did not answer. Bian Que withdrew, and the Marquis was displeased again. Ten days later Bian Que came again, took one look at the Marquis, and turned and ran. The Marquis sent someone to ask why. Bian Que said: An illness in the cou li can be reached by hot compresses and ironing; in the muscles and skin, by needles and stone lancets; in the intestines and stomach, by strong decoctions; but in the marrow of the bones, even the Director of Fate can do nothing. Now it is in the marrow, so I have nothing to request. Five days later the Marquis's body ached, and he sent for Bian Que, but Bian Que had already fled to Qin. Marquis Huan then died. Thus a good doctor treats illness at the cou li; all matters are likewise treated while still small. The fortune and misfortune of affairs also have their cou li stage, so the sage acts early. The chapter "Discourse on Mount Shuo" says: A good doctor always treats the illness that is not yet an illness, and so there is no illness; a sage always handles the trouble that is not yet trouble, and so there is no trouble.]. One who judges what has already happened and chisels at what has already burst forth is an ordinary man; one who governs what has not yet taken form and sees what has not yet sprouted is a superior man [Xun Qing said: A murderer is put to death, yet killing each other never ends; the death penalty can deter those who have not yet killed, but it cannot make the world free of killing. One who injures others is punished, yet harm to others does not cease; branding and nose-cutting can frighten those not yet punished, but cannot make the world free of punishment. Therefore, if one wishes to stop these things, nothing is better than first transforming people by virtue. Only after offenses have become glaring do they enter the penal code, so what punishment controls lies in ground that can no longer be moved. Ritual teaching is not so: it makes clear good and evil, and so quietly moves people's feelings, clearing things up before killing happens; it shows them shame and disgrace, so that their hearts feel inward remorse, and it governs before injury happens. Thus faults stay slight (the original has "fang" here) and do not become glaring, and offenses stay minor and do not reach punishment. The chapter "Discourse on Human Affairs" says: A dike a thousand paces long leaks through an ant hole; a house a hundred fathoms high is burned by smoke from a chimney crack. Yao's admonition said: Be fearful and trembling, more careful with each passing day. No one stumbles over a mountain, but over a molehill. Therefore people make light of small harms and treat subtle (the original has "fang" here) matters as easy, and so incur much regret; only when trouble arrives do they worry, like a sick man already exhausted who sends for a good doctor, and even with the skill of Bian Que or Yu Fu he still could not be saved.].

大夫曰文學所稱聖知【去聲】者孔子也治魯不遂【孔子世家曰定公以孔子為中都宰一年四方皆則之由中都宰為司空由司空為大司冦定公十四年孔子年五十六由大司冦攝行相事於是誅魯大夫亂政者少正夘與聞國政三月粥羔豚者弗飾賈男女行者別於不拾遺四方之客至乎邑者不求有司皆予之以歸齊人聞而懼曰孔子為政必霸霸則吾地近焉我為之先並矣盍致地焉犂鉏曰請先嚐沮之沮之不可則致地庸遲乎於是選齊國中女子好者八十人皆衣文衣而舞康樂文馬三十駟遺魯君陳女樂文馬於魯城南髙門外季康子防服徃觀再三將受乃語魯君為周道遊觀終日怠於政事子路曰夫子可以行矣孔子曰魯今且郊如致膰於大夫則吾猶可止桓子卒受齊女樂三日不聽政郊又不致膰俎於大夫孔子遂行】見逐於齊【孔子世家曰齊景公問政於孔子孔子曰政在節財景公悅將欲以尼谿田封孔子晏嬰進曰夫儒者滑稽而不可軌法倨傲自順不可以為下崇喪遂哀破產厚葬不可以為俗遊説乞貸不可以為國自大賢之息周室既衰禮樂缺有間今孔子盛容飾繁登降之禮趨詳之節累世不能殫其學當年不能究其禮君欲用之以移齊俗非所以先細民也後景公敬見孔子不問其禮異日景公止孔子曰奉子以季氏吾不能以季孟之間待之齊大夫害孔子孔子聞之景公曰吾老矣不能用也明日遂行反乎魯】不用於衞【孔子世家曰孔子適衞主蘧伯玉家他日靈公問陳於孔子孔子曰俎豆之事則嘗聞之矣軍旅之事未之學也明日與孔子語見蜚鴈仰視之色不在孔子孔子遂行復如陳】遇圍於匡【詩傳曰孔子行匡人子將殺陽虎孔子似之帶甲以圍孔子舍子路慍怒奮防將下孔子止之曰由何仁義之寡裕也夫詩書之不習禮樂之不講是丘之罪也若吾非陽虎而以我為陽虎則非丘之罪也命也我歌子和若子路歌孔子和之三終而圍罷詩曰來游來歌以陳盛徳之和而無為也】困於陳蔡【南華經曰孔子窮於陳蔡之間七日不火食藜羮不糝顔色甚憊而歌於室顔回擇萊子路子貢相與言曰夫子再逐於魯削跡於衞伐樹於宋窮於商周圍於陳蔡殺夫子者無罪借夫子者無禁歌鼓琴未嘗絶音君子之無恥也若此乎顔回無以應入告孔子孔子推琴喟然而嘆曰由與賜細人也召而來吾語之子路子貢入子路曰如此者可謂窮矣孔子曰是何言也君子通於道之謂通窮於道之謂窮今丘抱仁義之道以遭亂世之患其何窮之為故內省而不窮於道臨難而不失其徳天寒既至霜雪既降吾是以知松柏之茂也陳蔡之隘於丘其幸乎孔子削然反琴而歌子路扢然執幹而舞子貢曰吾不知天之髙也地之下也古之得道者窮亦樂通亦樂所樂非窮通也道徳於此則窮通為寒暑風雨之序矣故許由娛於潁陽而共伯得乎丘首】夫【音扶】知時不用猶說強【音繦】也知困而不能已貪也不知見欺而徃愚也困辱不能死恥也若此四者庸民之所不為也何況君子乎商君以景監見應侯以王稽進【衞鞅傳曰商君衞鞅西入秦因孝公寵臣景監以求見孝公孝公既見衞鞅語數日不厭遂定變法之令範睢傳曰應侯範睢更名姓曰張祿王稽使於魏遂與範睢入咸陽已報使因言曰魏有張祿先生天下辯士也曰秦王之國危於累卵得臣則安然不可以書傳也臣故載來秦王未信範睢復自上書於是秦昭王大悅乃拜範睢為客卿】故士因士女因媒至其親顯非媒士之力【子路曰士不中道而見女無媒而嫁者君子不行也孟嘗君曰縷因針而入不因針而急嫁女因媒而成不因媒而親雜事篇曰宋玉因其友以見於楚襄王襄王待之無以異宋玉讓其友其友曰夫薑桂因地而生不因地而辛婦人因媒而嫁不因媒而親子之事王未耳何怨於我宋玉曰不然昔者齊有良兎曰東郭防蓋一旦而走五百里於是齊有良狗曰韓盧亦一旦而走五百里使之遙見而指屬則雖韓盧不及眾兎之塵若躡跡而縱緤則雖東郭防亦不能離今子之屬臣也躡跡而縱緤與遙見而指屬與詩曰將安將樂棄我如遺此之謂也説山訓曰因媒而嫁不因媒而成因人而交不因人而親行合趨同千里相從趨不合行不同對門不通】孔子曰進見而不以能徃者非賢士才女也

The Grand Master said: The one the Literati call a sage and wise man (note on pronunciation: "zhi" is read in the falling tone) is Confucius. Yet he did not succeed in governing Lu [The "Hereditary House of Confucius" says: Duke Ding made Confucius magistrate of Zhongdu, and within a year the four quarters took him as their model. From magistrate of Zhongdu he became Minister of Works, and from Minister of Works, Grand Minister of Justice. In the fourteenth year of Duke Ding, when Confucius was fifty-six, he acted as chief minister in his capacity as Grand Minister of Justice, and then executed Shaozheng Mao, the Lu grandee who was disordering the government. In the three months he took part in the affairs of state, sellers of lambs and piglets did not inflate their prices, men and women walking on the road kept to separate sides, nothing dropped on the road was picked up (the original has a rare character here, which by the sense should read "road"), and guests from the four quarters who arrived in the city did not need to seek out officials, and were all provided for and sent home. The people of Qi heard of it and were afraid, saying: If Confucius governs, Lu will surely become hegemon, and if Lu becomes hegemon, our territory lies close by; we will be the first annexed. Why not cede some land to them? Li Zu said: Let us first try to obstruct him; if obstruction fails, we will cede land, and what will be lost by delay? So they selected eighty beautiful women of Qi, all dressed in embroidered robes, who danced the Kangle dance, along with thirty teams of four patterned horses, and presented them to the Lord of Lu, setting out the female musicians and patterned horses outside the High Gate south of the city of Lu. Ji Kangzi went three times in disguise (the original has "fang" here) to look, and when he was about to accept, he told the Lord of Lu to tour the Zhou way and watch the whole day, and the Lord grew lazy about affairs of state. Zilu said: Master, we can leave now. Confucius said: Lu is about to perform the suburban sacrifice; if they send the sacrificial meat to the grandees, I can still stay. In the end Huan Zi accepted the Qi female musicians, did not attend to government for three days, and at the suburban sacrifice did not send sacrificial meat to the grandees, so Confucius left.], was driven out of Qi [The "Hereditary House of Confucius" says: Duke Jing of Qi asked Confucius about government. Confucius said: Government lies in economy of expenditure. The Duke was pleased and wished to enfeoff Confucius with the fields of Nixi. Yan Ying came forward and said: The Confucians are glib and cannot be made a model of law; they are arrogant and self-willed and cannot be made subordinates; they exalt mourning and indulge grief, and ruin families with lavish burials, so they cannot be made custom; they wander about persuading and borrowing, so they cannot be used to run a state. Since the great sages passed away, the house of Zhou has declined, and rites and music have been lacking for some time. Now Confucius makes a great display of dress and ornament, elaborates the rites of ascending and descending, and the measured steps of quick walking; many generations could not exhaust his learning, and a whole lifetime could not master his rites. Your Lordship wishes to use him to change the customs of Qi, but this is not how to put the common people first. Afterwards Duke Jing received Confucius respectfully but did not ask about his rites. Another day Duke Jing detained Confucius and said: To treat you as the Ji clan was treated, I cannot; I will treat you at a level between the Ji and the Meng. The grandees of Qi wished to harm Confucius, and Confucius heard of it. Duke Jing said: I am old and cannot use you. The next day Confucius left and returned to Lu.], was not employed in Wei [The "Hereditary House of Confucius" says: Confucius went to Wei and lodged at the house of Qu Boyu. Another day Duke Ling asked Confucius about battle formations. Confucius said: Matters of sacrificial vessels I have heard of; matters of armies I have not studied. The next day the Duke talked with Confucius, and on seeing a flying wild goose, looked up at it, his expression no longer on Confucius. Confucius then left and went again to Chen.], was besieged at Kuang [The "Commentary on the Odes" says: When Confucius travelled, the men of Kuang wanted to kill Yang Hu, and Confucius resembled him, so they put on armor and surrounded Confucius's lodging. Zilu was angry and indignant and, brandishing his halberd (the original has "fang" here), was about to go out. Confucius stopped him and said: You, how little there is of your benevolence and righteousness! If the Odes and Documents are not practiced and rites and music are not taught, that is the fault of Qiu; but if I am not Yang Hu and they take me for Yang Hu, that is not Qiu's fault, it is fate. I will sing, and you join me. Zilu sang, Confucius joined in, and after three songs the siege was lifted. The Odes say: Come and roam, come and sing, to display the harmony of abundant virtue and non-action.], and was hard pressed between Chen and Cai [The "Nanhua Jing" says: Confucius was in dire straits between Chen and Cai; for seven days he had no cooked food, there was not a grain of rice in his goosefoot soup, and his complexion was very weary, yet he played the zither and sang in his room (the original has a rare character here, which by the sense should read "zither string"). Yan Hui was picking vegetables, and Zilu and Zigong said to each other: The Master was driven out of Lu twice, had his traces erased in Wei, had the tree cut down over him in Song, was reduced to want in Shang and Zhou, and was besieged between Chen and Cai; whoever kills the Master is not guilty, whoever treads on the Master is not forbidden, and yet he never stops playing and singing; is this how shameless a superior man can be? Yan Hui had no reply and went in to tell Confucius. Confucius put aside his zither, sighed, and said: You and Ci are petty men. Call them in, and I will speak to them. Zilu and Zigong came in. Zilu said: To be in such a state can be called dire straits. Confucius said: What are you saying! One who is open to the Way is said to be successful, and one who is blocked from the Way is said to be in straits. Now I embrace the Way of benevolence and righteousness and meet the troubles of a chaotic age; how can that be called straits? Therefore, if on self-examination I am not blocked from the Way, and in facing hardship I do not lose my virtue, then when the cold has come and frost and snow have fallen, I know thereby the flourishing of the pine and cypress. That the narrow pass between Chen and Cai has come upon me, is it not perhaps a stroke of luck? Confucius briskly took up his zither again and sang, and Zilu eagerly seized a shield and danced. Zigong said: I did not know the height of Heaven or the depth of Earth. Those of old who attained the Way were happy in straits and happy in success; what they enjoyed was neither straits nor success; where the Way and virtue are, hardship and success are just the sequence of cold and heat, wind and rain. Therefore Xu You took his pleasure at Yingyang, and Gong Bo found his place on Qiushou.]. The opening particle fu (note on pronunciation: "fu" is read like "fu"): To know that the time does not want you and yet keep persuading is stubbornness (note on pronunciation: "qiang" is read like "qiang"); to know you are in straits and yet be unable to stop is greed; to go without knowing you will be deceived is folly; to endure humiliation and be unable to die is shame. Of these four, ordinary people would do none; how much less a superior man? Lord Shang was received through Jing Jian, and the Marquis of Ying was advanced through Wang Ji [The "Biography of Wei Yang" says: Lord Shang, Wei Yang, went west into Qin and sought an audience with Duke Xiao through the Duke's favorite minister Jing Jian. After Duke Xiao had received Wei Yang, he talked with him for days without tiring, and so decided on the decrees of reform. The "Biography of Fan Sui" says: The Marquis of Ying, Fan Sui, changed his name to Zhang Lu. Wang Ji was sent on a mission to Wei and so went with Fan Sui into Xianyang. After reporting on his mission, he said: In Wei there is a Master Zhang Lu, a persuader without equal in the world, who says the state of the King of Qin is in greater danger than a pile of eggs, and that with him it would be secure, but this cannot be conveyed by letter, so I have brought him here in my carriage. The King of Qin did not yet believe him. Fan Sui again submitted a memorial himself. Then King Zhaoxiang of Qin was greatly pleased and appointed Fan Sui a guest minister.]. Thus a gentleman relies on a gentleman, a woman relies on a matchmaker, but when it comes to closeness and eminence, it is not due to the strength of the matchmaker or the gentleman [Zilu said: A gentleman who has an audience not by the proper way, and a woman who marries without a matchmaker, the superior man does not do. Lord Mengchang said: Thread enters by means of a needle, but not by the needle's speed; a daughter is married by means of a matchmaker, but not made close by the matchmaker. The chapter "Miscellaneous Matters" says: Song Yu, through his friend, had an audience with King Xiang of Chu, but the King treated him no differently. Song Yu reproached his friend. The friend said: Ginger and cassia grow from the earth, but they are not pungent because of the earth; a woman marries through a matchmaker, but is not close to her husband because of the matchmaker. You have not yet served the King well, so why blame me? Song Yu said: Not so. In the past Qi had a fine hare called Dongguo Jun, which in a single day could run five hundred li; Qi had a fine hound called Han Lu, which in a single day could also run five hundred li. If you let them see the hares from afar and merely point, then even Han Lu could not catch the dust of the hares; but if you follow the tracks and slip the leash, then even Dongguo Jun cannot escape. Now your recommendation of me is like slipping the leash after following the tracks, or like pointing from afar? The Odes say: Peaceful and happy, yet you cast me off like something left behind. This is what is meant. The chapter "Discourse on Mount Shuo" says: A marriage comes about through a matchmaker, but is not completed by the matchmaker; friendships are made through people, but closeness does not come from those people. When conduct matches and inclinations are the same, people follow each other a thousand li; when inclinations do not match and conduct differs, neighbors across a door never communicate.]. Confucius said: One who comes forward to an audience without his own ability to go there is neither a worthy gentleman nor a talented woman.

文學曰孔子生於亂世思堯舜之道東西南北灼頭濡足庶幾世主之悟悠悠者皆是君闇大夫妬孰合有媒【詩傳曰孔子抱聖人之心彷徨乎道徳之域逍遙乎無形之鄉倚天理觀人情明始終知得失故興仁義厭勢利以持養之於是周室防王道絶諸侯力政強刼弱眾暴寡百姓靡安莫之紀綱禮儀廢壊人倫不理於是孔子自東自西自南自北匍匐救之】是以嫫【音模】母飾姿而矜誇【通作誇】西子彷徨而無家【呂氏春秋曰人之於色也無不知説美者而美者未必遇也故嫫母執乎黃帝黃帝曰屬女徳而弗忘與女工而弗衰雖惡奚傷拾遺記曰越有美女夷光以貢於吳吳處以椒華之房貫細珠為簾幌朝下以蔽景夕卷以待月夷光當軒理鏡靚妝於珠幌之內竊觀者莫不動心驚魂謂之神人蕭綺曰夷光即西施之別名也楚辭曰西施媞媞而不得見嫫母勃屑而日侍語曰嫫母衣錦西施負薪】非不知窮厄而不見用悼痛天下之禍猶慈母之伏死子也知其不可如何然惡【音烏】已故適齊景公欺之適衞靈公簡之適陳匡人圍之適蔡桓魋害之【孔子世家曰孔子去曹適宋與弟子習禮大樹下宋司馬桓魋欲殺孔子防其樹弟子曰可以速矣孔子曰天生徳於予桓魋其如予何】適楚子西謗之夫【音扶】欺害聖人者愚惑也傷毀聖人者狂狡也狡惑之人非人也夫【音扶】何恥之有孟子曰觀近臣者以所為主觀逺臣者以其所主使聖人偽容苟合不論行【去聲】擇友則何以為孔子也大夫憮然內慙四據而不言當此之時順風承意之士如編口張而不歙【音吸】舉舌而不下闇然而懐重負而見責大夫曰諾膠車修逢雨請與諸生解

The Literati said: Confucius was born in a chaotic age and longed for the Way of Yao and Shun; he roamed east, west, south, and north, with his head scorched and his feet soaked, hoping the rulers of the age might awaken. Yet those carrying on were all the same, the rulers were dark and the grandees jealous; who was there to serve as a matchmaker for him [The "Commentary on the Odes" says: Confucius held the heart of a sage and wandered in the realm of the Way and virtue, roamed freely in the land of the formless, relied on the principle of Heaven, observed human feelings, understood beginnings and ends, and knew gain and loss, and so he promoted benevolence and righteousness and loathed power and profit in order to uphold and nurture people. At that time the house of Zhou was declining (the original has "fang" here), the kingly Way was cut off, the feudal lords contended by force, the strong coerced the weak, the many oppressed the few, the hundred families had no peace, there was no one to set order and rule, rites and proprieties were ruined, and human relations were in disorder. Then Confucius went east, west, south, and north, crawling on hands and knees to save them.]. Therefore the ugly woman Mo (note on pronunciation: "mo" is read like "mo") Mu adorned herself and boasted, while Xi Zi wandered without a home [The "Spring and Autumn Annals of Lu Buwei" says: As to beauty, there is no one who does not know to take pleasure in it, yet the beautiful do not necessarily meet with good fortune. Thus Mo Mu was held in the hand of the Yellow Emperor, and the Yellow Emperor said: I entrust you with virtue and will not forget it; I give you the work of women and it will not decline; though you are ugly, what harm is there? The "Records of Lost Matters" says: In Yue there was a beautiful woman, Yi Guang, who was presented as tribute to Wu; Wu lodged her in a pepper-flower chamber, with curtains strung with fine pearls, lowered in the morning to shut out the light and rolled up in the evening to await the moon. Yi Guang sat by the window arranging her mirror and made up her face inside the pearl curtains, and those who secretly watched were all moved in heart and startled in spirit and called her a divine being. Xiao Qi said: Yi Guang is another name for Xi Shi. The "Chu Ci" says: Xi Shi was graceful and yet could not be seen, while Mo Mu was ill-tempered and served daily. The saying goes: Mo Mu wears brocade while Xi Shi carries firewood.]. It was not that he failed to know that in hardship he would not be employed, but that he grieved over the calamities of the world, like a loving mother lying over her dead child, who knows nothing can be done and yet cannot bear (note on pronunciation: "wu" is read like "wu") to stop. Therefore, when he went to Qi, Duke Jing deceived him; when he went to Wei, Duke Ling slighted him; when he went to Chen, the men of Kuang besieged him; when he went to Cai, Huan Tui sought to harm him [The "Hereditary House of Confucius" says: Confucius left Cao and went to Song, and was practicing rites with his disciples under a great tree. Huan Tui, the Minister of War of Song, wanted to kill Confucius and pulled up (the original has "fang" here) the tree. His disciples said: We can leave quickly. Confucius said: Heaven bestowed virtue upon me; what can Huan Tui do to me?]; when he went to Chu, Zixi slandered him. The opening particle fu (note on pronunciation: "fu" is read like "fu"): Those who deceive and harm a sage are foolish and deluded; those who injure and defame a sage are wild and cunning. Cunning and deluded people are not really human, so fu (note on pronunciation: "fu" is read like "fu") what shame do they have? Mencius said: To judge ministers who are near the ruler, look at whom they receive as hosts; to judge ministers who are distant, look at whom they host. Had the sage feigned a pleasing face and drifted along with others, not discussing conduct (note on pronunciation: "xing" is read in the falling tone) or choosing friends, how could he have been Confucius? The Grand Master looked dejected, inwardly ashamed, and sat looking all around without speaking. At this moment the men who followed the wind and bent to the ruler's will, lined up like strung tablets, had mouths agape that could not close (note on pronunciation: "xi" is read like "xi"), tongues raised that could not come down, and sat silent as if bearing a heavy burden and being blamed. The Grand Master said: Very well. A glued cart caught in the rain on the road; let us ask the scholars to break it up and let it go.

客曰餘覩鹽鐡之義觀乎公卿文學賢良之論意指殊路各有所出或上【通作尚】仁義或務權利異哉吾所聞周秦粲然皆有天下而南面焉然安危長久殊世【張子曰周有天下八百年而滅秦有天下十四嵗而亡】始汝南朱子伯為予言當此之時豪俊並進四方輻輳【顔師古曰輳聚也言如車輻之聚於轂也】賢良茂陵唐生文學魯萬生之倫六十餘人鹹聚闕庭舒六藝之諷論太平之原知【去聲】者贊其慮仁者明其施勇者見其斷辯者陳其詞誾誾【誾音銀】焉侃侃焉【顔師古曰誾誾辯爭之貌侃侃剛直之貌】雖未能詳備斯可略觀矣然蔽於雲霧終廢而不行悲夫【音扶是時丞相車千秋御史大夫桑羊皆不悅文學賢良之議奏罷酒均輸而鹽鐡卒不變】公卿知任武可以闢【音闢】地而不知徳廣可以附逺知權利可以廣用而不知稼穡可以富國也近者親附逺者説【音悅】徳則何為而不成何求而不得不出於斯路而務畜利長【長音掌】威豈不謬哉中山劉子雍言王道矯當世復諸正務在乎反本直而不徼【徼音澆伺察之意也】切而不【音索】斌斌【音彬】然斯可謂博君子矣【顔師古曰斌斌文章之貌】九江祝生奮由路之意推史魚之節【詩傳曰孔子游於景山之上子路子貢顔淵從孔子曰君子登髙必賦小子願者何言其願丘將啟汝子路曰由願奮長防蕩三軍乳虎在後仇敵在前蠡躍蛟奮進救兩國之患孔子曰勇士哉他日孔子與子路子貢顔淵遊於戎山之上孔子喟然嘆曰二三子各言爾志予將覽焉由爾何如對曰得白羽如月赤羽如朱擊鐘鼔者上聞於天下槊於地使將而攻之惟由為能孔子曰勇士哉雜事篇曰衞靈公之時蘧伯玉賢而不用彌子瑕不肖而任事史防患之數以諌靈公而不聽史防病且死謂其子曰我即死治防於北堂吾不能進蘧伯玉而退彌子瑕是不能正君也生不能正君者死不當成禮置屍北堂於我足矣史防死靈公徃吊見防在北堂問其故其子具以父言對靈公蹴然易容寤然失位曰夫子生則欲進賢而退不肖死且不懈又以尸諫可謂忠而不衰矣於是乃召蘧伯玊而進之以為卿退彌子瑕徙防正堂成禮而後返衛國以治史防字子魚論語所謂直哉史魚者也】發憤懣【音悶】刺譏公卿介然直而不撓【音鐃曲也】可謂不畏強禦矣桑大夫據當世合時變推道術尚權利闢畧小辯【闢便僻也舉止輕偒也略智也方略計畫也】雖非正法然巨儒宿學惡【音烏】然大能自解【漢書作不能自解顔師古曰解釋也言理不出於羊也】可謂博物通士矣然攝卿相之位不引凖防以道化下放於利末【孔子曰放於利而行多怨顔師古曰放縱也謂縱心於利也】不師始古易曰焚如棄如處非其位行非其道果隕【音允】其姓以及厥宗【車千秋傳曰桑羊為御史大夫八年自以為國家興榷筦之利伐其功欲為子弟得官怨望霍光與上官桀等謀反遂誅滅】車丞相即周魯之列當軸處中括囊不言容身而去彼哉彼哉【易曰括囊無咎無譽顔師古田括結也言自閉慎如囊之括結也車千秋傳曰昭帝初即位未任聽政政事一決大將軍光千秋居丞相位謹厚有重徳每公卿朝防光謂千秋曰始與君侯俱受先帝遺詔令光治內君侯治外宜有以教督使光無負天下千秋曰唯將軍留意即天下幸甚終不肯有所言光以此重之論語曰或問子西孔子曰彼哉彼哉顔師古曰言彼人哉無足稱也】若夫【音扶】群丞相御史不能正議以輔宰相成同類長【音掌】同行【去聲】阿意苟合以説【音悅】其上斗筲之人道防之徒何足選哉【論語云子貢問曰今之從政者何如子曰斗筲之人何足算也顔師古曰筲竹器也容一斗算數也言其材器少劣不足數也桓寛此論托為客言總評議其得失也】

The Guest (Huan Kuan) said: Looking at the meaning of the Discourses on Salt and Iron, and at the arguments of the high ministers, the Literati and the Worthy and Good, I find their aims take different roads, each with its own source: some esteem [read as "shang"] benevolence and righteousness, others devote themselves to power and profit. How strange what I have heard! Zhou and Qin both gloriously held the realm and faced south as rulers, yet their safety and danger, their length of rule, differed by ages [Master Zhang said: Zhou held the realm for eight hundred years and then perished; Qin held it for fourteen years and was lost]. Zhu Zibo of Runan first told me: At that time heroes and talents advanced together and the four quarters converged like spokes on a hub [Yan Shigu said: "Cou" means to gather, saying they gathered as spokes meet at the hub]; more than sixty men, including the Worthy and Good Tang Sheng of Maoling and the Literatus Lu Wansheng, all assembled at the palace gate, unfolded the admonitions of the Six Arts, and discussed the origins of great peace. The wise ("zhi" read in the departing tone) praised their plans, the benevolent clarified their measures, the brave showed their decisiveness, and the eloquent set out their words, in manner both mild and frank [Yan Shigu said: "Yinyin" describes disputing, and "kankan" describes honest straightness]. Though it was not fully complete, one can get a rough view of it. Yet it was obscured as by clouds and mist, and in the end abandoned and not carried out; how sad [the character "fu" is pronounced "fu". At that time Chancellor Che Qianqiu and Imperial Counselor Sang Hongyang were both displeased with the proposals of the Literati and the Worthy and Good, and memorialized to end the liquor monopoly and the equalizing transport system, but the salt and iron monopolies were never changed in the end]. The high ministers knew that employing force could open up territory, but did not know that broad virtue can draw distant peoples; they knew that power and profit can enlarge revenues, but did not know that farming can enrich the state. If the near are attached and the far delighted ("shuo" pronounced "yue") in virtue, what would not be accomplished and what would one seek in vain? Not taking this road but striving to hoard profit and increase ("zhang" pronounced "zhang") authority, is that not mistaken! Liu Ziyong of Zhongshan spoke of the Kingly Way, correcting the age and restoring things to rectitude, devoted to returning to the root, straight but not prying ("jiao" is pronounced "jiao" and means to spy out), earnest but not demanding ("suo" pronounced "suo"), richly cultured ("bin" pronounced "bin"), so that one can call him a broad and learned gentleman [Yan Shigu said: "Binbin" describes elegance of writing]. Master Zhu of Jiujiang gave vent to the spirit of Zilu (You), upheld the integrity of Shi Yu [the Poetry Commentary says: Confucius was strolling on Mount Jing with Zilu, Zigong and Yan Yuan. Confucius said: A gentleman who climbs high must compose a poem; what do you wish, young men? Speak your wishes and I will open them up to you. Zilu said: I wish to wield a long halberd and sweep through the three armies, with a nursing tigress behind me and enemies before me, leaping like a serpent and rising like a dragon, advancing to save two states from calamity. Confucius said: A brave man! Another day Confucius strolled with Zilu, Zigong and Yan Yuan on Mount Rong, and Confucius sighed and said: Each of you tell your aim, and I shall look at them. Zilu, what of you? He replied: If I had white plumes like the moon and red plumes like cinnabar, and the sound of bells and drums above reached Heaven and below shook the earth, and I were sent to lead the attack, only I could do it. Confucius said: A brave man! The chapter "Miscellaneous Matters" says: In the time of Duke Ling of Wei, Qu Boyu was worthy but not employed, while Mi Zixia was unworthy yet held office. Shi Qiu was troubled by this and repeatedly remonstrated with Duke Ling but was not heeded. When Shi Qiu was ill and about to die, he told his son: When I die, do not hold the funeral in the main hall but in the north hall. I could not bring forward Qu Boyu and dismiss Mi Zixia, so I could not set my ruler right. One who cannot set his ruler right in life should not have a full funeral in death; lay my corpse in the north hall, and that will be enough for me. When Shi Qiu died, Duke Ling went to offer condolences and saw the bier in the north hall and asked why. The son told him all his father had said. The Duke started and changed countenance, rose from his seat in alarm and said: While alive, this gentleman wished to advance the worthy and dismiss the unworthy, and even in death he did not slacken, and he remonstrated with his corpse; one can call him loyal without fading. Then he summoned Qu Boyu and promoted him to be a minister, dismissed Mi Zixia, moved the bier to the main hall, completed the rites, and returned. The state of Wei was well governed thereby. Shi Qiu's courtesy name was Ziyu, he of whom the Analects says: How straight was Shi Yu], poured out his indignation ("men" pronounced "men") to criticize and satirize the high ministers, firmly upright and unbending ("nao" pronounced "nao", meaning bent), and one may say he did not fear the powerful. Grandee Sang relied on the present age and fitted himself to the changes of the times, promoted techniques and prized power and profit, and was glib and clever in minor argument ["bi" in "bianpi" means light and flippant in manner; "lue" means wisdom, strategy and planning]; though it was not the correct law, the great Confucians and old scholars fell silent ("wu" pronounced "wu") and could not themselves resolve it [the Book of Han has "could not resolve it". Yan Shigu said: "Jie" means explain, saying the reasoning did not go beyond Hongyang], so one may call him a man of broad knowledge and wide understanding. Yet holding the position of minister and chancellor, he did not draw the plumb line to transform those below by the Way, but gave himself up to the trifling gains of commerce [Confucius said: Acting in pursuit of profit brings much resentment. Yan Shigu said: "Fang" means to indulge, meaning to indulge the mind in profit], and did not take the ancients as his teachers. The Changes says: Burning, discarded. One who holds a place not his own and follows a way not his own will in the end lose his surname and bring ruin on his clan [the Biography of Che Qianqiu says: Sang Hongyang was Imperial Counselor for eight years; he thought he had made the state prosper through the monopoly of profits, boasted of his merit, wished to obtain office for his sons and younger relatives, resented Huo Guang, and plotted rebellion with Shangguan Jie and others, and was in the end executed and his clan wiped out]. Chancellor Che stood among the ranks of Zhou and Lu; he stood at the axle in the center but kept his bag tied and said nothing, tolerated his post and left; that man, that man! [The Changes says: With the bag tied up, no blame and no praise. Yan Shigu said: "Kuo" means tie, meaning he closed himself in caution like a tied bag. The Biography of Che Qianqiu says: When Emperor Zhao first took the throne he was not yet able to attend to government, and affairs were all decided by the General-in-Chief Guang. Qianqiu, in the chancellor's seat, was careful and honest and weighty in virtue. At each assembly of the high ministers Guang would say to Qianqiu: We two received the late emperor's will together, bidding me manage the inner court and you, my lord, the outer; you should give guidance and supervision so that I do not fail the realm. Qianqiu said: If only the General will give it his attention, it will be a great blessing for the realm. He never would say anything. Guang valued him for this. The Analects says: Someone asked about Zixi. Confucius said: That man, that man! Yan Shigu said: Saying "that man" means he is not worth praising]. As for the rest (the particle "fu" pronounced "fu"): the various chancellors and imperial counselors could not give correct counsel to assist the prime ministers, but made common cause with those like themselves and fostered ("zhang" pronounced "zhang") the same conduct ("xing" read in the departing tone), bending their will to flatter and delight ("shuo" pronounced "yue") their superior; they were petty men of a peck-and-a-bushel capacity, followers of the way of flattery, and what is there to choose in them? [The Analects says: Zigong asked: What of those who now take part in government? The Master said: They are men of a peck and a bushel; what is there to reckon in them? Yan Shigu said: "Shao" is a bamboo vessel holding a peck; "suan" means to count. It says their talent and capacity are small and poor and not worth counting. This discussion by Huan Kuan is put in the mouth of the Guest, giving an overall assessment of their gains and losses.]