Xun Zi (荀子)

君子曰：學不可以已。青、取之於藍，而青於藍；冰、水為之，而寒於水。木直中繩，輮以為輪，其曲中規，雖有槁暴，不復挺者，輮使之然也。故木受繩則直，金就礪則利，君子博學而日參省乎己，則知明而行無過矣。故不登高山，不知天之高也；不臨深溪，不知地之厚也；不聞先王之遺言，不知學問之大也。幹、越、夷、貉之子，生而同聲，長而異俗，教使之然也。詩曰："嗟爾君子，無恆安息。靖共爾位，好是正直。神之聽之，介爾景福。"神莫大於化道，福莫長於無禍。

The gentleman says: learning must not stop. Indigo is extracted from the blue plant, yet is bluer than the plant; ice is made from water, yet is colder than water. Wood that is straight enough to fit the ink line, when bent by fire into a wheel, has a curve that fits the compass, and even when dried and sun-baked it will not straighten again, because the bending made it so. So wood that passes the ink line becomes straight, metal put to the whetstone becomes sharp, and a gentleman who learns widely and examines himself daily will be clear in knowledge and faultless in conduct. So if one does not climb a high mountain, one does not know the height of Heaven; if one does not approach a deep stream, one does not know the thickness of Earth; if one does not hear the words left by the former kings, one does not know the greatness of learning. The children of Gan, Yue, the Yi and the Mo are born with the same voice but grow up with different customs, because teaching makes them so. The Book of Songs, Lesser Odes, Xiaoming, says: "Alas, you gentlemen, do not constantly seek rest. Be calm and reverent in your post and love what is upright. The spirits hear this and will grant you great blessing." No spirit is greater than being transformed by the Way, and no blessing is longer lasting than having no calamity.

吾嘗終日而思矣，不如須臾之所學也。吾嘗跂而望矣，不如登高之博見也。登高而招，臂非加長也，而見者遠；順風而呼，聲非加疾也，而聞者彰。假輿馬者，非利足也，而致千里；假舟楫者，非能水也，而絕江河。君子生非異也，善假於物也。

I once thought all day, but it was not as good as what I learned in a moment. I once stood on tiptoe to look far, but it was not as good as climbing high to see broadly. When one climbs high and waves, the arm is no longer, yet those who see it are far away; when one calls with the wind, the voice is no faster, yet those who hear it hear clearly. One who relies on a carriage and horses is not fast of foot, yet can reach a thousand li; one who relies on a boat is not good at swimming, yet can cross rivers. A gentleman is not born different; he is only good at relying on things outside himself.

南方有鳥焉，名曰蒙鳩，以羽為巢，而編之以發，系之葦苕，風至苕折，卵破子死。巢非不完也，所繫者然也。西方有木焉，名曰射干，莖長四寸，生於高山之上，而臨百仞之淵，木莖非能長也，所立者然也。蓬生麻中，不扶而直；白沙在涅，與之俱黑。蘭槐之根是為芷，其漸之滫，君子不近，庶人不服。其質非不美也，所漸者然也。故君子居必擇鄉，遊必就士，所以防邪辟而近中正也。

In the south there is a bird called the mengjiu, which makes its nest from feathers and weaves it with hair, tying it to the ears of reeds; when the wind comes the ear breaks, the eggs are smashed and the young die. The nest is not imperfect; where it is tied makes it so. In the west there is a plant called the shegan, whose stalk is four inches long, growing on a high mountain overlooking a hundred-fathom abyss; the stalk is not able to grow long, where it stands makes it so. Mugwort growing among hemp is straight without support; white sand put in black mud turns black with it. The root of the lan-huai plant is the herb zhi, but if it is soaked in stinking water, the gentleman does not approach it and commoners do not wear it. Its quality is not poor, but what it is soaked in makes it so. So a gentleman must choose the village where he lives and must associate with scholars, in order to guard against what is deviant and draw near what is correct.

物類之起，必有所始。榮辱之來，必象其德。肉腐出蟲，魚枯生蠹。怠慢忘身，禍災乃作。強自取柱，柔自取束。邪穢在身，怨之所構。施薪若一，火就燥也，平地若一，水就溼也。草木疇生，禽獸群焉，物各從其類也。是故質的張，而弓矢至焉；林木茂，而斧斤至焉；樹成蔭，而眾鳥息焉。醯酸，而蚋聚焉。故言有招禍也，行有招辱也，君子慎其所立乎！

The rise of any kind of thing must have a beginning. The coming of honor or disgrace must resemble one's virtue. Meat rots and produces worms, fish dries and produces borers. When one is lax and forgets oneself, calamity breaks out. The hard and strong invites its own breaking, the soft and weak invites its own binding. When filth is on the body, resentment is formed there. Firewood laid out as if alike, yet fire goes to the dry; level ground seeming alike, yet water goes to the damp. Grasses and trees grow in clumps, birds and beasts gather in flocks, and things each follow their kind. So when a target is set up, bows and arrows arrive; when a forest is thick, axes arrive; when trees form shade, birds rest; when vinegar turns sour, gnats gather. So words may invite disaster and conduct may invite disgrace, and a gentleman must be careful of where he stands!

積土成山，風雨興焉；積水成淵，蛟龍生焉；積善成德，而神明自得，聖心備焉。故不積蹞步，無以致千里；不積小流，無以成江海。騏驥一躍，不能十步；駑馬十駕，功在不捨。鍥而舍之，朽木不折；鍥而不捨，金石可鏤。螾無爪牙之利，筋骨之強，上食埃土，下飲黃泉，用心一也。蟹八跪而二螯，非蛇蟺之穴，無可寄託者，用心躁也。是故無冥冥之志者，無昭昭之明；無惛惛之事者，無赫赫之功。行衢道者不至，事兩君者不容。目不能兩視而明，耳不能兩聽而聰。螣蛇無足而飛，梧鼠五技而窮。詩曰："尸鳩在桑，其子七兮。淑人君子，其儀一兮。其儀一兮，心如結兮。"故君子結於一也。

When earth accumulates into a mountain, wind and rain arise there; when water accumulates into an abyss, dragons grow there; when goodness accumulates into virtue, spiritual clarity is naturally obtained and the sage's mind is complete. So without accumulating half-steps, there is no way to reach a thousand li; without accumulating small streams, there is no way to complete rivers and seas. A fine steed leaps and cannot go ten paces; a poor horse walks ten days' journey, and success lies in not giving up. If one carves and puts it down, rotten wood cannot be broken; if one carves and does not give up, metal and stone can be engraved. The earthworm has no sharp claws or teeth or strong sinews and bones, yet above eats dust and below drinks the Yellow Springs, because its mind is single. The crab has eight legs and two claws, and without the holes of snakes and eels it has nowhere to lodge, because its mind is restless. So without a silent, single aim there is no clear understanding; without dim, single devotion to work there is no brilliant achievement. One who takes a fork in the road does not arrive; one who serves two lords is not accepted. The eye cannot see two things at once and still understand, the ear cannot hear two things at once and still be keen. The flying snake has no feet yet flies, the wu rat has five skills yet is at a loss. The Book of Songs, Odes of Cao, Shijiu, says: "The shrike is in the mulberry, its young are seven. The good gentleman's bearing is one. His bearing is one, his heart is as if tied in a knot." So the gentleman ties his heart in oneness.

昔者瓠巴鼓瑟，而流魚出聽；伯牙鼓琴，而六馬仰秣。故聲無小而不聞，行無隱而不形。玉在山而草木潤，淵生珠而崖不枯。為善不積邪，安有不聞者乎！

Formerly when Hu Ba played the zither, fish sunk in the water came out to listen; when Boya played the lute, the six horses pulling the carriage lifted their heads from their fodder. So no sound is so small as not to be heard, no conduct is so hidden as not to show. When jade is in a mountain, the grass and trees are moist; when pearls grow in an abyss, the banks do not dry up. Is it that the doing of good has not yet accumulated? How could it fail to be heard!

學惡乎始？惡乎終？曰：其數則始乎誦經，終乎讀禮；其義則始乎為士，終乎為聖人。真積力久則入。學至乎沒而後止也。故學數有終，若其義則不可須臾舍也。為之人也，舍之禽獸也。故書者、政事之紀也；詩者、中聲之所止也；禮者、法之大兮，類之綱紀也。故學至乎禮而止矣。夫是之謂道德之極。禮之敬文也，樂之中和也，詩書之博也，春秋之微也，在天地之間者畢矣。

Where does learning begin, and where does it end? It is said: in terms of the order of study, it begins with reciting the classics and ends with reading the rites; in terms of its meaning, it begins with becoming a scholar and ends with becoming a sage. With sincere accumulation and long effort, one enters. One learns until death and only then stops. So the order of learning has an end, but its meaning cannot be abandoned even for a moment. To do this is to be a human, to abandon it is to be a bird or beast. So the Documents are the record of government affairs; the Songs are where correct sounds come to rest; ritual is the great division of law (the base text has "xi", an error for "fen") and the guiding thread of categories. So learning ends when it reaches ritual. This is called the utmost of morality. The reverence and refinement of ritual, the harmony of music, the breadth of the Songs and Documents, the subtle words of the Spring and Autumn Annals, all that is between Heaven and Earth is complete.

君子之學也，入乎耳，著乎心，布乎四體，形乎動靜。端而言，蝡而動，一可以為法則。小人之學也，入乎耳，出乎口；口耳之間，則四寸耳，曷足以美七尺之軀哉！古之學者為己，今之學者為人。君子之學也，以美其身；小人之學也，以為禽犢。故不問而告謂之傲，問一而告二謂之囋。傲、非也，囋、非也；君子如向矣。

The gentleman's learning enters the ear, is lodged in the heart, spreads through the four limbs and shows in movement and stillness. Even the slightest speech or stir can be a model. The petty man's learning enters the ear and comes out of the mouth; between mouth and ear there are only four inches, how could that suffice to beautify a body of seven feet! In ancient times people studied for themselves, now people study for others. The gentleman's learning is used to beautify himself; the petty man's learning is treated as a gift of birds and calves. So to speak when not asked is called arrogance, to tell two things when asked about one is called garrulousness. Arrogance is wrong; garrulousness is wrong; the gentleman responds like an echo.

學莫便乎近其人。禮樂法而不說，詩書故而不切，春秋約而不速。方其人之習君子之說，則尊以遍矣，周於世矣。故曰：學莫便乎近其人。

In learning, nothing is more advantageous than being close to the right person. Ritual and music have standards but are not explained in detail, the Songs and Documents are old matters and not close at hand, and the Spring and Autumn Annals is concise and cannot quickly yield its essentials. Modeling oneself on that person and becoming familiar with the gentleman's teachings makes one both honored and comprehensive, and thoroughly acquainted with the world. So it is said: in learning, nothing is more advantageous than being close to the right person.

學之經莫速乎好其人，隆禮次之。上不能好其人，下不能隆禮，安特將學雜識志，順詩書而已耳。則末世窮年，不免為陋儒而已。將原先王，本仁義，則禮正其經緯蹊徑也。若挈裘領，詘五指而頓之，順者不可勝數也。不道禮憲，以詩書為之，譬之猶以指測河也，以戈舂黍也，以錐餐壺也，不可以得之矣。故隆禮，雖未明，法士也；不隆禮，雖察辯，散儒也。

In the path of learning, nothing is faster than loving that person, and honoring ritual comes next. If above one cannot love that person and below one cannot honor ritual, one will only be learning miscellaneous records and talking along the Songs and Documents. Then to the end of one's days one cannot avoid being a mere vulgar scholar. If one traces back to the former kings and roots in benevolence and righteousness, then ritual is the very warp and path. It is like lifting the collar of a fur coat, bending five fingers to shake it, so that those that fall into line are too many to count. Not following ritual and law, only using the Songs and Documents to act, is like measuring a river with a finger, pounding millet with a halberd, or eating from a pot with an awl; it cannot succeed. So one who honors ritual, even if not yet enlightened, is a scholar who keeps the law; one who does not honor ritual, even if shrewd and eloquent, is a scattered scholar.

問楛者，勿告也；告楛者，勿問也；說楛者，勿聽也。有爭氣者，勿與辯也。故必由其道至，然後接之；非其道則避之。故禮恭，而後可與言道之方；辭順，而後可與言道之理；色從而後可與言道之致。故未可與言而言，謂之傲；可與言而不言，謂之隱；不觀氣色而言，謂瞽。故君子不傲、不隱、不瞽，謹順其身。詩曰："匪交匪舒，天子所予。"此之謂也。

Do not tell someone who asks about vulgar and evil things; do not ask someone who tells vulgar and evil things; do not listen to those who speak vulgar and evil things. Do not argue with someone with a spirit of contention. So one must wait until a person comes by way of the Way and then receive him; if it is not that way, avoid him. So when his manners are respectful, one can speak to him about the direction of the Way; when his speech is compliant, one can speak to him about the order of the Way; when his expression is compliant, one can speak to him about the utmost of the Way. So to speak to one to whom one should not speak is called arrogance; not to speak to one to whom one can speak is called concealment; to speak without observing his complexion is called blindness. So the gentleman is neither arrogant, nor concealing, nor blind, and carefully follows the other person himself. The Book of Songs, Lesser Odes, Caishu, says: "Neither hasty nor slack, it is what the Son of Heaven bestows." This is what it means.

百發失一，不足謂善射；千里蹞步不至，不足謂善御；倫類不通，仁義不一，不足謂善學。學也者，固學一之也。一齣焉，一入焉，塗巷之人也；其善者少，不善者多，桀紂盜跖也；全之盡之，然後學者也。

To shoot a hundred times and miss once is not enough to be called a good archer; to travel a thousand li and fall half a step short is not enough to be called a good charioteer; if categories cannot be penetrated and benevolence and righteousness cannot be unified, one is not enough to be called good at learning. Learning is originally learning to be single-minded. One who comes out one moment and goes in the next is an ordinary person of the streets and lanes; one who has little good and much not good is of the kind of Jie, Zhou and Robber Zhi; one who makes it complete and pure and exhausts it is then a scholar.

君子知夫不全不粹之不足以為美也，故誦數以貫之，思索以通之，為其人以處之，除其害者以持養之。使目非是無慾見也，使口非是無慾言也，使心非是無慾慮也。及至其致好之也，目好之五色，耳好之五聲，口好之五味，心利之有天下。是故權利不能傾也，群眾不能移也，天下不能蕩也。生乎由是，死乎由是，夫是之謂德操。德操然後能定，能定然後能應。能定能應，夫是之謂成人。天見其明，地見其光，君子貴其全也。

The gentleman knows that what is incomplete and impure is not enough to be fine, so he recites and counts to penetrate it, thinks to open it, models himself on that person to live and act, and removes what harms in order to nourish it. He makes his eyes not want to see what is not this, his mouth not want to speak what is not this, his mind not want to think what is not this. When his love for it reaches the utmost, his eyes love it as five colors, his ears love it as five sounds, his mouth loves it as five flavors, and his heart takes it as profit as if he held the world. So power cannot overturn him, crowds cannot move him, and the world cannot shake him. In life he follows this, and in death he follows this, and this is called moral integrity. With moral integrity he can be steady, being steady he can respond. One who can be steady and respond is called a complete person. Heaven shows its brightness, Earth shows its light, and the gentleman values completeness.

見善，修然必以自存也；見不善，愀然必以自省也。善在身，介然必以自好也；不善在身，菑然必以自惡也。故非我而當者，吾師也；是我而當者，吾友也；諂諛我者，吾賊也。故君子隆師而親友，以致惡其賊。好善無厭，受諫而能誡，雖欲無進，得乎哉！小人反是：致亂而惡人之非己也；致不肖而欲人之賢己也；心如虎狼，行如禽獸，而又惡人之賊己也。諂諛者親，諫爭者疏，修正為笑，至忠為賊，雖欲無滅亡，得乎哉！詩曰："嗡嗡呰呰，亦孔之哀。謀之其臧，則具是違；謀之不臧，則具是依。"此之謂也。

When he sees good, he is alert and must use it to preserve himself; when he sees what is not good, he is fearful and must use it to examine himself. When good is in himself, he must firmly like it himself; when what is not good is in himself, he must loathe it like a calamity. So one who criticizes me aptly is my teacher; one who affirms me aptly is my friend; one who flatters me is one who harms me. So the gentleman honors teachers, draws near to friends, and extremely hates those who harm him. Loving good without being satisfied and accepting remonstrance and taking warning, even if he wanted not to advance, could he do so! The petty man is the reverse: he is utterly confused himself yet hates others criticizing him; he is utterly unworthy himself yet wants others to take him as worthy; his heart is like a tiger or wolf and his conduct like a beast, yet he hates others pointing out that he is harmful. He draws near flatterers and keeps remonstrators distant, takes corrective words as jokes and the utmost loyalty as harm; even if he wanted not to perish, could he avoid it! The Book of Songs, Lesser Odes, Xiaomin, says: "They fawn and slander, also very lamentable. When the plans are good, all go against them; when the plans are bad, all follow them." This is what it means.

扁善之度－－以治氣養生，則後彭祖；以修身自名，則配堯禹。宜於時通，利以處窮，禮信是也。凡用血氣、志意、知慮，由禮則治通，不由禮則勃亂提僈；食飲，衣服、居處、動靜，由禮則和節，不由禮則觸陷生疾；容貌、態度、進退、趨行，由禮則雅，不由禮則夷固、僻違、庸眾而野。故人無禮則不生，事無禮則不成，國家無禮則不寧。詩曰："禮儀卒度，笑語卒獲。"此之謂也。

The universal law of doing good: used to govern qi and nourish life, one can outlive Peng Zu; used to cultivate oneself and seek fame, one can match Yao and Yu. What suits times of success and also benefits times of hardship is ritual and trustworthiness. In all uses of blood and qi, will and intention, knowledge and thought, following ritual makes them penetrating and orderly, not following ritual makes them confused and lax; in food and drink, clothing, dwelling, movement and stillness, following ritual makes them harmonious and measured, not following ritual makes one offend, fall into excess and fall ill; in appearance, manner, advancing and retreating, and hurrying, following ritual makes them elegant, not following ritual makes them arrogant and crude, deviant and unreasonable, and mediocre and vulgar. So a person without ritual cannot live, an affair without ritual cannot succeed, and a state without ritual cannot be at peace. The Book of Songs, Lesser Odes, Chuci, says: "Rites and manners all fit the measure, laughter and speech all suit." This is what it means.

以善先人者謂之教，以善和人者謂之順；以不善先人者謂之諂，以不善和人者謂之諛。是是非非謂之知，非是是非謂之愚。傷良曰讒，害良曰賊。是謂是，非謂非曰直。竊貨曰盜，匿行曰詐，易言曰誕。趣舍無定謂之無常。保利棄義謂之至賊。多聞曰博，少聞曰淺。多見曰閒，少見曰陋。難進曰偍，易忘曰漏。少而理曰治，多而亂曰秏。

One who leads others with good is called teaching, one who accords with others with good is called compliance; one who leads others with what is not good is called flattery, one who accords with others with what is not good is called fawning. To take right as right and wrong as wrong is called knowing; to take right as wrong and wrong as right is called foolishness. To injure a good person is called slander, to ruin a good person is called harming. To say right when right and wrong when wrong is called straightness. Stealing goods is called theft, concealing conduct is called deceit, speaking lightly is called boasting. Taking and leaving without constancy is called inconstant. To preserve profit and abandon righteousness is called the utmost of harm. Hearing much is called broad, hearing little is called shallow. Seeing much is called well-practiced, seeing little is called crude. Hard to advance is called slow, easy to forget is called leaky. Few and orderly is called well-governed, many and confused is called wasteful disorder.

治氣養心之術：血氣剛強，則柔之以調和；知慮漸深，則一之以易良；勇膽猛戾，則輔之以道順；齊給便利，則節之以動止；狹隘褊小，則廓之以廣大；卑溼重遲貪利，則抗之以高志；庸眾駑散，則劫之以師友；怠慢僄棄，則照之以禍災；愚款端愨，則合之以禮樂，通之以思索。凡治氣養心之術，莫徑由禮，莫要得師，莫神一好。夫是之謂治氣養心之術也。

The method of governing qi and nourishing the mind: if blood and qi are hard and strong, use harmony to soften them; if knowledge and thought are too deep and brooding, use ease and goodness to make them single; if bold and violent, use the guidance of the Way to help it; if quick and nimble, use movement and rest to temper it; if narrow and petty, use breadth to open it; if lowly, slow and greedy, use high aims to lift it; if mediocre, dull and scattered, use teachers and friends to bind it; if lax, careless and abandoned, use calamity to mirror it; if foolish, simple and cautious, use ritual and music to harmonize it and thought to penetrate it. In all methods of governing qi and nourishing the mind, none is more direct than following ritual, none more essential than getting a teacher, none more divine than being single-minded in what one loves. This is called the method of governing qi and nourishing the mind.

志意修則驕富貴，道義重則輕王公；內省而外物輕矣。傳曰："君子役物，小人役於物。"此之謂矣。身勞而心安，為之；利少而義多，為之；事亂君而通，不如事窮君而順焉。故良農不為水旱不耕，良賈不為折閱不市，士君子不為貧窮怠乎道。

When will and intention are cultivated, one looks down on wealth and honor; when the Way and righteousness are weighty, one looks lightly on kings and dukes; when one examines oneself inwardly, outer things are light. The Commentary says: "The gentleman employs things; the petty man is employed by things." This is what it means. If the body toils but the mind is at ease, do it; if profit is small but righteousness is great, do it; to serve a chaotic ruler and be successful is not as good as serving an impoverished ruler and being in accord with the Way. So a good farmer does not stop plowing because of flood or drought, a good merchant does not stop trading because of losses, and a scholar-gentleman does not become lazy about the Way because of poverty.

體恭敬而心忠信，術禮義而情愛人；橫行天下，雖困四夷，人莫不貴。勞苦之事則爭先，饒樂之事則能讓，端愨誠信，拘守而詳；橫行天下，雖困四夷，人莫不任。體倨固而心埶詐，術順墨而精雜汙；橫行天下，雖達四方，人莫不賤。勞苦之事則偷儒轉脫，饒樂之事則佞兌而不曲，辟違而不愨，程役而不錄：橫行天下，雖達四方，人莫不棄。

One who is respectful in body and loyal and trustworthy in heart, who takes ritual and righteousness as his model and loves people by nature, can roam the world, and even if hemmed in among the four barbarians there will be no one who does not value him. In toilsome affairs he vies to go first, in affairs of abundance and ease he can yield, he is careful and trustworthy, restrained and thorough; he can roam the world, and even if hemmed in among the four barbarians there will be no one who does not trust him. One who is arrogant and stubborn in body and mercenary and deceitful in heart, who takes Shen Dao and Mo Di as his model and whose spirit is mixed and foul, can roam the world, and even if he reaches everywhere, there will be no one who does not despise him. In toilsome affairs he is lazy and timid and twists to escape, in affairs of abundance and ease he is cunning, flattering and quick and does not yield, deviant and unreasonable and not careful, he weighs affairs without restraint: he can roam the world, and even if he reaches everywhere, there will be no one who does not cast him off.

行而供冀，非漬淖也；行而俯項，非擊戾也；偶視而先俯，非恐懼也。然夫士欲獨修其身，不以得罪於比俗之人也。

Walking with respect and caution is not out of fear of muddy mire; walking with the neck bowed is not out of fear of collision; lowering the head first when meeting eyes is not out of fear. In this way a scholar only wants to cultivate himself alone, and is not afraid of offending those who follow popular customs.

夫驥一日而千里，駑馬十駕，則亦及之矣。將以窮無窮，逐無極與？其折骨絕筋，終身不可以相及也。將有所止之，則千里雖遠，亦或遲、或速、或先、或後，胡為乎其不可以相及也！不識步道者，將以窮無窮，逐無極與？意亦有所止之與？夫"堅白"、"同異"、"有厚無厚"之察，非不察也，然而君子不辯，止之也。倚魁之行，非不難也，然而君子不行，止之也。故學曰遲。彼止而待我，我行而就之，則亦或遲、或速、或先、或後，胡為乎其不可以同至也！故蹞步而不休，跛鱉千里；累土而不輟，丘山崇成。厭其源，開其瀆，江河可竭。一進一退，一左一右，六驥不致。彼人之才性之相縣也，豈若跛鱉之與六驥足哉！然而跛鱉致之，六驥不致，是無它故焉，或為之，或不為爾！道雖邇，不行不至；事雖小，不為不成。其為人也多暇日者，其出入不遠矣。

A fine steed runs a thousand li a day, and a poor horse running ten days' journey will also catch up. Is one going to use this to exhaust the endless and chase the limitless? Then the bones will break and sinews snap and one will never catch up in all one's life. If there is to be a stopping point, then though a thousand li is far, it is only a matter of slow or fast, early or late; why could one not catch up! I do not know whether those walkers want to exhaust the endless and chase the limitless, or whether they also have a stopping point. The examinations of "hard and white," "same and different," and "having thickness and having no thickness" are not unclear, yet the gentleman does not debate them, because there is a place to stop. Strange and extreme conduct is not unachievable, yet the gentleman does not do it, because there is a place to stop. So pursuing learning is called walking slowly. That stopping point waits for me there, and as I walk and approach it, it is only slow or fast, early or late; why can we not all arrive alike! So if one does not stop for half a step, even a lame turtle can go a thousand li; if one piles up earth without stopping, hills and mountains can be built. Block its source and open its channels, and rivers can run dry. Advancing once and retreating once, left once and right once, even six steeds cannot arrive. How can the differences in people's talent be like the gap between a lame turtle and the legs of six steeds! Yet the lame turtle arrives and the six steeds do not, for no other reason than that one does and the other does not! Though the Way is near, if one does not walk one does not arrive; though a task is small, if one does not do it, it is not completed. One who has many idle days will not achieve much in his goings and comings.

好法而行，士也；篤志而體，君子也；齊明而不竭，聖人也。人無法，則倀倀然；有法而無志其義，則渠渠然；依乎法，而又深其類，然後溫溫然。

One who loves the law and practices it is a scholar; one whose aim is sincere and who acts in person is a gentleman; one who is solemn, clear-sighted and inexhaustible is a sage. A person without law is at a loss; one with law who does not know its meaning is uneasy; one who follows law and also deeply penetrates its categories is then at ease.

禮者、所以正身也，師者、所以正禮也。無禮何以正身？無師吾安知禮之為是也？禮然而然，則是情安禮也；師云而云，則是知若師也。情安禮，知若師，則是聖人也。故非禮，是無法也；非師，是無師也。不是師法，而好自用，譬之是猶以盲辨色，以聾辨聲也，舍亂妄無為也。故學也者，禮法也。夫師、以身為正儀，而貴自安者也。詩云："不識不知，順帝之則。"此之謂也。

Ritual is what rectifies one's person; the teacher is what rectifies ritual. Without ritual, with what would one rectify one's person? Without a teacher, how would I know that ritual is just so? If one does as ritual prescribes, that is one's disposition resting easily in ritual; if one speaks as the teacher speaks, that is one's understanding resembling the teacher's. When disposition rests in ritual and understanding resembles the teacher, that is a sage. So to go against ritual is to be without law; to go against the teacher is to be without a teacher. To not regard the teacher's model as right and to like to act on one's own, is like using the blind to distinguish colors or the deaf to distinguish sounds; there is nothing to do but muddle and act wildly. So learning is ritual and law. The teacher is one who makes himself the correct model, and values being at ease in such a way. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, "Huang Yi," says: "Without knowing or understanding, following the rule of the Lord on High." This is what it means.

端愨順弟，則可謂善少者矣；加好學遜敏焉，則有鈞無上，可以為君子者矣。偷儒憚事，無廉恥而嗜乎飲食，則可謂惡少者矣；加愓悍而不順，險賊而不弟焉，則可謂不詳少者矣，雖陷刑戮可也。老老而壯者歸焉，不窮窮而通者積焉，行乎冥冥而施乎無報，而賢不肖一焉。人有此三行，雖有大過，天其不遂乎！

One who is upright and careful and follows the way of brotherly respect can be called a good youth; if he adds love of learning, modesty and quickness, then he is merely equal to others and none is above him, and he can become a gentleman. One who is lazy, timid and afraid of affairs, without shame, and fond of food and drink, can be called a bad youth; if he adds dissoluteness, ferocity and disobedience, malice, cruelty and lack of brotherly respect, he can be called an ill-omened youth (the received text writes "not detailed," where "detailed" is an error for "auspicious"), and even to fall into punishment and execution would be fitting. Respect the old, and men in their prime will come to attach themselves; do not leave those in hardship in hardship, and successful people will come and gather; act in secret and give without seeking return, and the worthy and unworthy will be equal. If a person has these three kinds of conduct, even if he has great faults, Heaven would probably not make him fail!

君子之求利也略，其遠害也早，其避辱也懼，其行道理也勇。君子貧窮而志廣，富貴而體恭，安燕而血氣不惰，勞倦而容貌不枯，怒不過奪，喜不過予。君子貧窮而志廣，隆仁也；富貴而體恭，殺埶也；安燕而血氣不衰，柬理也；勞倦而容貌不枯，好交也；怒不過奪，喜不過予，是法勝私也。書曰："無有作好，遵王之道。無有作惡，遵王之路。"此言君子之能以公義勝私慾也。

The gentleman is brief in seeking profit, early in keeping far from harm, fearful in avoiding disgrace, and bold in practicing principle. The gentleman is poor yet broad in aims, rich and noble yet reverent in person, at ease yet with blood and qi not lazy, weary yet with his appearance not withered, angry yet never beyond deprivation, pleased yet never beyond giving. That the gentleman is poor yet broad in aims is honoring humaneness; that he is rich and noble yet reverent in person is reducing power; that he is at ease yet his blood and qi do not decline is choosing principle; that he is weary yet his appearance is not withered is loving refinement (the received text writes "jiao," an error for "wen"); that he is angry yet never beyond deprivation and pleased yet never beyond giving is law overcoming the private. The Book of Documents says: "Have no private likes, follow the king's Way. Have no private dislikes, follow the king's road." This says that the gentleman can overcome private desires with public righteousness.

君子行不貴苟難，說不貴苟察，名不貴苟傳，唯其當之為貴。故懷負石而投河，是行之難為者也，而申徒狄能之；然而君子不貴者，非禮義之中也。"山淵平"，"天地比"，"齊秦襲"，"入乎耳，出乎口"，"鉤有須"，"卵有毛"，是說之難持者也，而惠施鄧析能之。然而君子不貴者，非禮義之中也。盜跖貪兇，名聲若日月，與舜禹俱傳而不息；然而君子不貴者，非禮義之中也。故曰：君子行不貴苟難，說不貴苟察，名不貴苟傳，唯其當之為貴。詩曰："物其有矣，惟其時矣。"此之謂也。

The gentleman's conduct does not prize casual difficulty, his teachings do not prize casual acuteness, and his reputation does not prize casual spread; he prizes only what is fitting. Thus carrying a stone in the arms and throwing oneself into a river is a hard thing to do in conduct, and Shentu Di could do it; yet the gentleman does not value it, because it is not within ritual and righteousness. "Mountains and abysses are level," "Heaven and Earth are equal," "Qi and Qin are united," "entering through the ear and coming out of the mouth," "women have beards," "eggs have feathers," are hard doctrines to maintain, and Hui Shi and Deng Xi could maintain them. Yet the gentleman does not value them, because they are not within ritual and righteousness. Robber Zhi was greedy and vicious, and his name is like the sun and moon, handed down without end together with Shun and Yu; yet the gentleman does not value it, because it is not within ritual and righteousness. So it is said: the gentleman's conduct does not prize casual difficulty, his teachings do not prize casual acuteness, and his reputation does not prize casual spread; he prizes only what is fitting. The Book of Songs, Lesser Odes, "Yu Li," says: "Things are already there, it only depends on the right time." This is what it means.

君子易知而難狎，易懼而難脅，畏患而不避義死，欲利而不為所非，交親而不比，言辯而不辭，蕩蕩乎其有以殊於世也。

The gentleman is easy to befriend but hard to treat with familiarity, easy to alarm but hard to coerce, fears misfortune but does not avoid dying for righteousness, wants profit but does not do what he should not do, is close in association but does not form cliques, is eloquent in speech but does not drift into mere words; how broad-minded, he has that by which he differs from the common run.

君子能亦好，不能亦好；小人能亦醜，不能亦醜。君子能則寬容易直以開道人，不能則恭敬繜絀以畏事人；小人能則倨傲僻違以驕溢人，不能則妒嫉怨誹以傾覆人。故曰：君子能則人榮學焉，不能則人樂告之；小人能則人賤學焉，不能則人羞告之。是君子小人之分也。

A gentleman with ability is admirable, and without ability is also admirable; a petty man with ability is ugly, and without ability is also ugly. A gentleman with ability is generous and straightforward in guiding people, and without ability is respectful and modest in serving others; a petty man with ability is arrogant and crooked in lording over people, and without ability is jealous, resentful and slanderous in overturning people. So it is said: if a gentleman has ability, people consider it an honor to learn from him; if he lacks ability, people are glad to tell him. If a petty man has ability, people consider it base to learn from him; if he lacks ability, people are ashamed to tell him. This is the distinction between a gentleman and a petty man.

君子寬而不僈，廉而不劌，辯而不爭，察而不激，直立而不勝，堅強而不暴，柔從而不流，恭敬謹慎而容。夫是之謂至文。詩曰："溫溫恭人，惟德之基。"此之謂也。

The gentleman is relaxed but not negligent, has edges but does not cut, is eloquent but does not contend, is discerning but not extreme, is upright in standing but not overbearing, is firm but not violent, is yielding but does not drift with the tide, and is reverent and careful yet tolerant. This is called the utmost refinement. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, "Yi," says: "The gentle and reverent man is the foundation of virtue." This is what it means.

君子崇人之德，揚人之美，非諂諛也；正義直指，舉人之過，非毀疵也；言己之光美，擬於舜禹，參於天地，非夸誕也；與時屈伸，柔從若蒲葦，非懾怯也；剛強猛毅，靡所不信，非驕暴也；以義變應，知當曲直故也。詩曰："左之左之，君子宜之；右之右之，君子有之。"此言君子以義屈信變應故也。

The gentleman honors others' virtue and extols others' excellence, and this is not flattery; he holds to right principle and points straight out, citing others' faults, and this is not slander or fault-finding; he speaks of his own splendor, compares himself with Shun and Yu and matches himself with Heaven and Earth, and this is not boasting; he bends and stretches with the times, yielding like reeds, and this is not cowardice; he is firm and fierce, with nowhere he does not extend himself, and this is not arrogance and violence; he responds to change with righteousness, because he knows when to bend and when to be straight. The Book of Songs, Lesser Odes, "Chang Chang Zhe Hua," says: "To the left, to the left, the gentleman is fitting; to the right, to the right, the gentleman has it." This says that the gentleman bends, stretches and responds to change with righteousness.

君子小人之反也：君子大心則敬天而道，小心則畏義而節；知則明通而類，愚則端愨而法；見由則恭而止，見閉則敬而齊；喜則和而理，憂則靜而理；通則文而明，窮則約而詳。小人則不然：大心則慢而暴，小心則淫而傾；知則攫盜而漸，愚則毒賊而亂；見由則兌而倨，見閉則怨而險；喜則輕而翾，憂則挫而懾；通則驕而偏，窮則棄而儑。傳曰："君子兩進，小人兩廢。"此之謂也。

The gentleman and the petty man are opposites: when the gentleman's aims are great he reveres Heaven and follows the Way; when his aims are small he fears righteousness and has restraint; if wise he is clear and penetrating and can reason by analogy; if foolish he is upright and careful and keeps the law; when employed he is reverent and has limits; when shut out he is respectful and orderly; when pleased he is harmonious and orderly; when worried he is calm and orderly; when successful he has refinement and is manifest; when in hardship he is concise and thorough. The petty man is not like this: when his aims are great he is arrogant and violent; when his aims are small he is dissolute, crooked and dangerous; if wise he grabs, steals and deceives; if foolish he poisons and harms and creates disorder; when employed he is clever, pleasing and haughty; when shut out he is resentful and sinister; when pleased he is frivolous and rash; when worried he is crushed and fearful; when successful he is arrogant and biased; when in hardship he gives up on himself and is distressed. The records say: "The gentleman advances in both situations, and the petty man decays in both situations." This is what it means.

君子治治，非治亂也。曷謂邪？曰：禮義之謂治，非禮義之謂亂也。故君子者，治禮義者也，非治非禮義者也。然則國亂將弗治與？曰：國亂而治之者，非案亂而治之之謂也。去亂而被之以治。人汙而修之者，非案汙而修之之謂也，去汙而易之以修。故去亂而非治亂也，去汙而非修汙也。治之為名，猶曰君子為治而不為亂，為修而不為汙也。

The gentleman governs what is orderly, not what is disorderly. What does this mean? It says: ritual and righteousness are called order, and what is not ritual and righteousness is called disorder. So the gentleman is one who governs ritual and righteousness and does not govern what is not ritual and righteousness. Then, if the state is in disorder, will he not govern it? It says: when the state is in disorder and one governs it, this does not mean going along with the disorder to govern the disorder. It means removing the disorder and covering it with order. When a person is dirty and one tidies him, it does not mean going along with the dirt to tidy the dirt; it means removing the dirt and replacing it with tidiness. So removing disorder is not governing disorder, and removing dirt is not tidying dirt. Order as a name is like saying that the gentleman makes order and does not make disorder, makes tidiness and does not make dirt.

君子絜其身而同焉者合矣，善其言而類焉者應矣。故馬鳴而馬應之，牛鳴而牛應之，非知也，其埶然也。故新浴者振其衣，新沐者彈其冠，人之情也。其誰能以己之潐潐，受人之掝掝者哉！

When the gentleman cleans himself, those of his kind come to join him; when he perfects his words, those of his kind come to respond. So when a horse neighs, horses respond to it; when an ox lows, oxen respond to it; this is not wisdom but the way circumstances work. So one who has just bathed shakes out his clothes and one who has just washed his hair flicks his cap; this is human nature. Who could take his own whiteness and accept the dirt of others!

君子養心莫善於誠，致誠則無它事矣。惟仁之為守，惟義之為行。誠心守仁則形，形則神，神則能化矣。誠心行義則理，理則明，明則能變矣。變化代興，謂之天德。天不言而人推其高焉，地不言而人推其厚焉，四時不言而百姓期焉。夫此有常，以至其誠者也。君子至德，嘿然而喻，未施而親，不怒而威：夫此順命，以慎其獨者也。善之為道者，不誠則不獨，不獨則不形，不形則雖作於心，見於色，出於言，民猶若未從也；雖從必疑。天地為大矣，不誠則不能化萬物；聖人為知矣，不誠則不能化萬民；父子為親矣，不誠則疏；君上為尊矣，不誠則卑。夫誠者，君子之所守也，而政事之本也，唯所居以其類至。操之則得之，舍之則失之。操而得之則輕，輕則獨行，獨行而不捨，則濟矣。濟而材盡，長遷而不反其初，則化矣。

In nourishing the heart, nothing is better than sincerity; when sincerity is carried to the utmost there is nothing else to do. One only holds to humaneness and only practices righteousness. When one is sincere in holding to humaneness, it appears; when it appears, it is divine; when it is divine, one can transform and nurture. When one is sincere in practicing righteousness, it is orderly; when it is orderly, it is clear; when it is clear, one can change. Transformation and change taking turns arising is called the virtue of Heaven. Heaven does not speak and people credit its height; Earth does not speak and people credit its thickness; the four seasons do not speak and the people wait for them at their times. These have constancy because sincerity is carried to the utmost. The gentleman's supreme virtue is that in silence he makes people understand, without bestowing he makes them draw near, without anger he has awe: this is following Heaven's mandate in order to be careful about his solitude. For one who takes goodness as the Way, without sincerity he cannot be careful in solitude, and if he cannot be careful in solitude he cannot show himself; if he does not show himself, then even if it stirs in his heart, appears in his face, and is spoken in his words, the people will still seem not to follow; and even if they follow, they will surely doubt. Heaven and Earth are great enough, but without sincerity they cannot transform and nurture the ten thousand things; sages are wise enough, but without sincerity they cannot transform and nurture the ten thousand people; father and son are close enough, but without sincerity they grow distant; rulers are honored enough, but without sincerity they are base. That sincerity is what the gentleman holds to, and it is also the root of government affairs; just look at where one dwells, and one's own kind will arrive. Hold it and you get it; abandon it and you lose it. Holding it and getting it is easy; being easy, one acts alone; acting alone without abandoning it, one succeeds. Having succeeded, one exhausts one's nature and talent, shifts long without returning to the beginning, and thus transforms.

君子位尊而志恭，心小而道大；所聽視者近，而所聞見者遠。是何邪？則操術然也。故千人萬人之情，一人之情也。天地始者，今日是也。百王之道，后王是也。君子審后王之道，而論百王之前，若端拜而議。推禮義之統，分是非之分，總天下之要，治海內之眾，若使一人。故操彌約，而事彌大。五寸之矩，盡天下之方也。故君子不下室堂，而海內之情舉積此者，則操術然也。

The gentleman has a noble position and a reverent will, a small heart and a great way; what he hears and sees is near, but what he learns and perceives is far. Why is this? It is because of the method he holds. So the feelings of a thousand and ten thousand people are the feelings of one person. The state of things at the beginning of Heaven and Earth is just as it is today. The Way of the hundred kings is just as it is with the later kings. The gentleman examines the Way of the later kings, and discusses the time before the hundred kings as if bowing upright and discussing. He extends the threads of ritual and righteousness, clarifies the boundaries of right and wrong, sums up the essentials of the world, and governs the people within the seas, as if directing one person. So the more simply he holds it, the greater his enterprise. A five-inch carpenter's square can exhaust all the squares of the world. So the gentleman does not go down from his hall, yet the conditions within the seas are gathered here; this is because of the method he holds.

有通士者，有公士者，有直士者，有愨士者，有小人者。上則能尊君，下則能愛民，物至而應，事起而辨，若是則可謂通士矣。不下比以闇上，不上同以疾下，分爭於中，不以私害之，若是則可謂公士矣。身之所長，上雖不知，不以悖君；身之所短，上雖不知，不以取賞；長短不飾，以情自竭，若是則可謂直士矣。庸言必信之，庸行必慎之，畏法流俗，而不敢以其所獨甚，若是則可謂愨士矣。言無常信，行無常貞，唯利所在，無所不傾，若是則可謂小人矣。

There are the penetrating scholar, the public-minded scholar, the straightforward scholar, the sincere scholar and the petty man. One who above can honor his ruler and below can love the people, who can respond when things arrive and discern when matters arise, can be called a penetrating scholar. One who does not collude below to deceive those above, does not curry favor above to envy and harm those below, who in the middle judges disputes and does not harm them out of private interest, can be called a public-minded scholar. One whose own strengths, even if those above do not know them, he does not use to rebel against the ruler; whose own shortcomings, even if those above do not know them, he does not use to seek rewards; who does not adorn strengths or shortcomings but speaks the facts completely himself, can be called a straightforward scholar. One whose ordinary words are certainly trustworthy and ordinary conduct certainly careful, who fears imitating the common run and does not dare to impose on others what he alone thinks right, can be called a sincere scholar. One whose speech has no constant good faith and whose conduct has no constant steadfastness, who looks only at where profit lies and never fails to lean toward it, can be called a petty man.

公生明，偏生闇，端愨生通，詐偽生塞，誠信生神，夸誕生惑。此六生者，君子慎之，而禹桀所以分也。

Impartiality gives rise to discernment, partiality gives rise to darkness, carefulness gives rise to penetration, deceit gives rise to blockage, sincerity gives rise to the divine, and boasting gives rise to confusion. The gentleman should be careful about these six that arise, and this is also where Yu and Jie are distinguished.

欲惡取捨之權：見其可欲也，則必前後慮其可惡也者；見其可利也，則必前後慮其可害也者，而兼權之，孰計之，然後定其欲惡取捨。如是則常不失陷矣。凡人之患，偏傷之也。見其可欲也，則不慮其可惡也者；見其可利也，則不慮其可害也者。是以動則必陷，為則必辱，是偏傷之患也。

The weighing of desires, aversions, taking and leaving: when one sees what is desirable, one must consider what is hateful in it before and after; when one sees what is profitable, one must consider what is harmful in it before and after; weighing both sides and calculating carefully, one then decides on desires, aversions, taking and leaving. In this way one can constantly avoid falling into loss. The misfortune of ordinary people is that bias harms them. They see what is desirable and do not consider what is hateful; they see what is profitable and do not consider what is harmful. So every move surely falls in and every deed surely brings disgrace; this is the misfortune of bias and harm.

人之所惡者，吾亦惡之。夫富貴者，則類傲之；夫貧賤者，則求柔之。是非仁人之情也，是奸人將以盜名於晻世者也，險莫大焉。故曰：盜名不如盜貨。田仲史不如盜也。

What others hate, I also hate. Toward the rich and noble, one looks down on them all; toward the poor and lowly, one is gentle to them all. This is not the feeling of a humane person; it is that of a treacherous person who is about to steal a name in a dark age, and there is no greater wickedness than this. So it is said: stealing a name is worse than stealing goods. Tian Zhong and Shi (a rare character in the received text, lost in transcription) are not as good as robbers.

憍洩者，人之殃也；恭儉者，偋五兵也。雖有戈矛之刺，不如恭儉之利也。故與人善言，暖於布帛；傷人之言，深於矛戟。故薄薄之地，不得履之，非地不安也，危足無所履者，凡在言也。巨塗則讓，小塗則殆，雖欲不謹，若雲不使。

Arrogance and contempt are a person's calamity; reverence and frugality are a way to avoid weapons. Though there are sharp spears and lances, they are not as sharp as reverence and frugality. So speaking good words to others is warmer than cloth and silk; words that wound are deeper than spears and halberds. So thin ground cannot be stepped on, not because the ground is unsteady but because one stands sideways and has nowhere to put one's feet, all depending on words. The great road is open and the small paths are dangerous; even if one wanted to be careless, it seems something does not allow it.

快快而亡者、怒也，察察而殘者、忮也，博而窮者、訾也，清之而俞濁者、口也，豢之而俞瘠者、交也，辯而不說者、爭也，直立而不見知者、勝也，廉而不見貴者、劌也，勇而不見憚者、貪也，信而不見敬者、好剸行也。此小人之所務，而君子之所不為也。

What destroys through a moment's satisfaction is anger; what ruins through fussy, minute scrutiny is jealousy; what makes one broad yet poor is slander; what tries to clear something and makes it ever more muddy is the mouth; what is nourished yet grows ever thinner is wandering about with others; what is eloquent yet cannot persuade is contention; what is upright in standing yet is not understood is the desire to win; what has edges yet is not valued is cutting people; what is fierce yet is not feared is greed; what keeps faith yet is not respected is liking to be arbitrary and willful. These are what petty men strive for and what the gentleman does not do.

鬥者，忘其身者也，忘其親者也，忘其君者也。行其少頃之怒，而喪終身之軀，然且為之，是忘其身也；家室立殘，親戚不免乎刑戮，然且為之，是忘其親也；君上之所惡也，刑法之所大禁也，然且為之，是忘其君也。憂忘其身，內忘其親，上忘其君，是刑法之所不捨也，聖王之所不畜也。乳彘觸虎，乳狗不遠遊，不忘其親也。人也，憂忘其身，內忘其親，上忘其君，則是人也，而曾狗彘之不若也。

A quarrelsome person is one who forgets his own person, one who forgets his relatives, and one who forgets his ruler. To give vent to a moment of anger and lose his whole body for life, and still do it, is forgetting his person; his household is at once ruined and his relatives do not escape punishment, and he still does it, is forgetting his relatives; what rulers hate and what the penal laws strictly forbid, and he still does it, is forgetting his ruler. Forgetting his person on one side, forgetting his relatives within, and forgetting his ruler above, he is one the penal laws do not forgive and the sage kings do not keep. A nursing sow will gore a tiger, and a nursing bitch does not wander far, because they do not forget their young. A human who, regarding himself, forgets his person, regarding his family, forgets his relatives, and regarding his superior, forgets his ruler, is then not even as good as a dog or pig.

凡鬥者，必自以為是，而以人為非也。己誠是也，人誠非也，則是己君子，而人小人也；以君子與小人相賊害也，憂以忘其身，內以忘其親，上以忘其君，豈不過甚矣哉！是人也，所謂以狐父之戈钃牛矢也。將以為智邪？則愚莫大焉；將以為利邪？則害莫大焉；將以為榮邪？則辱莫大焉；將以為安邪？則危莫大焉。人之有鬥，何哉？我欲屬之狂惑疾病邪？則不可，聖王又誅之。我欲屬之鳥鼠禽獸邪？則又不可，其形體又人，而好惡多同。人之有鬥，何哉？我甚醜之。

All quarrelsome people must consider themselves right and others wrong. If one is truly right and the other truly wrong, then oneself is a gentleman and the other a petty man; yet taking a gentleman and a petty man to harm each other, forgetting oneself, forgetting one's relatives, and forgetting one's ruler because of it, is that not going too far! Such a person is what is called using the halberd of Hufu to cut ox dung. Will he consider it wise? Then there is no greater foolishness. Will he consider it profitable? Then there is no greater harm. Will he consider it honorable? Then there is no greater disgrace. Will he consider it safe? Then there is no greater danger. People quarrel; why? I would like to attribute it to madness and illness, but I cannot, and the sage kings would execute him. I would like to attribute it to birds, rats and beasts, but again I cannot, for his form is human and his likes and dislikes are mostly the same. People quarrel; why? I find it very ugly.

有狗彘之勇者，有賈盜之勇者，有小人之勇者，有士君子之勇者。爭飲食，無廉恥，不知是非，不闢死傷，不畏眾強，牟牟然惟利飲食之見，是狗彘之勇也。為事利，爭貨財，無辭讓，果敢而振，猛貪而戾，牟牟然惟利之見，是賈盜之勇也。輕死而暴，是小人之勇也。義之所在，不傾於權，不顧其利，舉國而與之不為改視，重死持義而不橈，是士君子之勇也。

There is the courage of dogs and pigs, the courage of merchants and robbers, the courage of petty men, and the courage of gentlemen and scholars. To fight over food and drink with no shame, not knowing right and wrong, not avoiding death or injury, not fearing the many and the strong, greedily seeing only the profit of food and drink, is the courage of dogs and pigs. To fight over goods and wealth for the sake of profit, with no yielding, bold and eager, fiercely greedy and violent, greedily seeing only profit, is the courage of merchants and robbers. To make light of death and be cruel is the courage of petty men. Where righteousness lies, not being swayed by power, not looking to profit, not changing one's view even if offered the whole state, valuing death and holding to righteousness without bending, is the courage of gentlemen and scholars.

鯈魾者，浮陽之魚也，胠於沙而思水，則無逮矣。掛於患而思謹，則無益矣。自知者不怨人，知命者不怨天；怨人者窮，怨天者無志。失之己，反之人，豈不迂乎哉！

A fish floating in the sun that is stranded on the sand only then thinks of water, and it is too late. Only when caught in misfortune does one think to be careful, and there is no benefit. One who knows himself does not blame others; one who knows fate does not blame Heaven; blaming others is poverty, and blaming Heaven is lack of aspiration. The fault lies in oneself, yet one turns around and seeks it from others; is that not impractical!

榮辱之大分，安危利害之常體：先義而後利者榮，先利而後義者辱；榮者常通，辱者常窮；通者常制人，窮者常制於人：是榮辱之大分也。材愨者常安利，蕩悍者常危害；安利者常樂易，危害者常憂險；樂易者常壽長，憂險者常夭折：是安危利害之常體也。

The great distinction of honor and disgrace, and the constant substance of safety, danger, benefit and harm: those who put righteousness first and profit after are honored, and those who put profit first and righteousness after are disgraced; the honored are often successful and the disgraced are often in hardship; the successful often control others and the poor are often controlled by others: this is the great distinction of honor and disgrace. Those whose nature is upright and careful are often safe and gain benefit, and those who are dissolute and fierce are often in danger and harmed; those who are safe and gain benefit are often joyful and at ease, and those in danger and harmed are often worried and fearful; those who are joyful and at ease often live long, and those worried and fearful often die young: this is the constant substance of safety, danger, benefit and harm.

夫天生蒸民，有所以取之：志意致修，德行致厚，智慮致明，是天子之所以取天下也。政令法，舉措時，聽斷公，上則能順天子之命，下則能保百姓，是諸侯之所以取國家也。志行修，臨官治，上則能順上，下則能保其職，是士大夫之所以取田邑也。循法則、度量、刑辟、圖籍、不知其義，謹守其數，慎不敢損益也；父子相傳，以持王公，是故三代雖亡，治法猶存，是官人百吏之所以取祿職也。孝弟原愨，軥錄疾力，以敦比其事業，而不敢怠傲，是庶人之所以取暖衣飽食，長生久視，以免於刑戮也。飾邪說，文奸言，為倚事，陶誕突盜，惕悍憍暴，以偷生反側於亂世之間，是奸人之所以取危辱死刑也。其慮之不深，其擇之不謹，其定取捨楛僈，是其所以危也。

Of the many people Heaven gave birth to, each has that by which he obtains his place: one whose will is most cultivated, whose virtuous conduct is most generous, and whose wisdom and deliberation are most clear is how the Son of Heaven obtains the world. One whose government orders accord with law, whose actions accord with the times, whose hearing and judging are fair, who above can follow the Son of Heaven's commands and below can preserve the common people, is how a lord obtains his state. One whose aims and conduct are cultivated, who in office governs, above can follow his superiors and below can preserve his duties, is how a grandee or scholar obtains his lands and towns. One who follows the rules, measures, punishments, charts and records, not knowing their meaning but carefully keeping their numbers, prudent and not daring to add or subtract, passing them from father to son to serve the king and dukes, so that though the Three Dynasties perished, the laws of governance remain, is how officials and clerks obtain their salaries and duties. One who is filial, fraternal, simple and upright, who toils and gives his all to diligently pursue his work and does not dare to be lazy or arrogant, is how commoners obtain warm clothes and full stomachs, long life and long sight, to avoid punishment and execution. One who adorns heresy and embellishes treacherous words, does strange things, is wild, forceful and thieving, dissolute and violent, so as to preserve a precarious life in a disordered age, is how the treacherous obtain danger, disgrace and death sentences. His thought is not deep, his choices are not careful, and his decisions about taking and leaving are coarse and careless; this is why he is in danger.

材性知能，君子小人一也；好榮惡辱，好利惡害，是君子小人之所同也；若其所以求之之道則異矣：小人也者，疾為誕而欲人之信己也，疾為詐而欲人之親己也，禽獸之行而欲人之善己也；慮之難知也，行之難安也，持之難立也，成則必不得其所好，必遇其所惡焉。故君子者，信矣，而亦欲人之信己也；忠矣，而亦欲人之親己也；修正治辨矣，而亦欲人之善己也；慮之易知也，行之易安也，持之易立也，成則必得其所好，必不遇其所惡焉。是故窮則不隱，通則大明，身死而名彌白。小人莫不延頸舉踵而願曰："知慮材性，固有以賢人矣。"夫不知其與己無以異也。則君子注錯之當，而小人注錯之過也。故孰察小人之知能，足以知其有餘，可以為君子之所為也。譬之越人安越，楚人安楚，君子安雅。是非知能材性然也，是注錯習俗之節異也。仁義德行，常安之術也，然而未必不危也；汙僈突盜，常危之術也，然而未必不安也。故君子道其常，而小人道其怪。

In natural capacity, endowment, and intelligence, the gentleman and the petty man are the same. To love honor and hate disgrace, to love profit and hate harm—this too is the same in the gentleman and the petty man. What differs is the road each takes to seek them. The petty man is eager to do wild and reckless things yet wants others to trust him; eager to practice deceit yet wants others to feel close to him; behaves like a beast yet wants others to count him good. His thinking can hardly make men understand him, his conduct can hardly bring stability, what he holds to can hardly stand; so in the end he is sure not to obtain what he loves and sure to meet what he hates. The gentleman, therefore, is himself trustworthy, and yet also wants others to trust him; is loyal, and yet also wants others to feel close to him; is cultivated, well-ordered, and discerning, and yet also wants others to count him good. His thinking easily makes men understand him, his conduct easily brings stability, what he holds to easily stands; so in the end he is sure to obtain what he loves and sure not to meet what he hates. Thus, though in straits, he is not obscured, and when successful he shines forth greatly; his body dies yet his name grows ever brighter. There is no petty man who does not crane his neck and stand on tiptoe, wishing to say: "In intelligence, judgment, and natural capacity, I was born with what it takes to surpass other men"—not knowing that in this he is no different from them. It is rather that the gentleman's arrangements are proper while the petty man's arrangements are at fault. So examine the petty man's capacity closely, and one may know that he has strength enough and to spare to do what the gentleman does. It is like the men of Yue being at ease in Yue and the men of Chu being at ease in Chu; the gentleman is at ease in what is refined and correct. This is not what natural capacity and endowment make them; it is that the measure of their arrangements and customs differs. Benevolence, righteousness, and virtuous conduct are the ever-safe method, yet they are not necessarily free of danger; foul wantonness, violent overbearing, and theft are the ever-dangerous method, yet they are not necessarily unsafe. So the gentleman travels the constant way, while the petty man travels the wayward way.

凡人有所一同：飢而欲食，寒而欲暖，勞而欲息，好利而惡害，是人之所生而有也，是無待而然者也，是禹桀之所同也。目辨白黑美惡，耳辨聲音清濁，口辨酸鹹甘苦，鼻辨芬芳腥臊，骨體膚理辨寒暑疾養，是又人之所常生而有也，是無待而然者也，是禹桀之所同也。可以為堯禹，可以為桀蹠，可以為工匠，可以為農賈，在埶注錯習俗之所積耳。是又人之所生而有也，是無待而然者也，是禹桀之所同也。為堯禹則常安榮，為桀蹠則常危辱；為堯禹則常愉佚，為工匠農賈則常煩勞；然而人力為此，而寡為彼，何也？曰：陋也。堯禹者，非生而具者也，夫起於變故，成乎修為，待盡而後備者也。人之生固小人，無師無法則唯利之見耳。人之生固小人，又以遇亂世，得亂俗，是以小重小也，以亂得亂也。君子非得埶以臨之，則無由得開內焉。今是人之口腹，安知禮義？安知辭讓？安知廉恥隅積？亦呥呥而嚼，鄉鄉而飽已矣。人無師無法，則其心正其口腹也。今使人生而未嘗睹芻豢稻粱也，惟菽藿糟糠之為睹，則以至足為在此也，俄而粲然有秉芻豢稻梁而至者，則瞲然視之曰：此何怪也？彼臭之而嗛於鼻，嘗之而甘於口，食之而安於體，則莫不棄此而取彼矣。今以夫先王之道，仁義之統，以相群居，以相持養，以相藩飾，以相安固邪。以夫桀蹠之道，是其為相縣也，幾直夫芻豢稻梁之縣糟糠爾哉！然而人力為此，而寡為彼，何也？曰：陋也。陋也者，天下之公患也，人之大殃大害也。故曰：仁者好告示人。告之、示之、靡之、儇之、鈆之、重之，則夫塞者俄且通也，陋者俄且僩也，愚者俄且知也。是若不行，則湯武在上曷益？桀紂在上曷損？湯武存，則天下從而治，桀紂存，則天下從而亂。如是者，豈非人之情，固可與如此，可與如彼也哉！

All men have things in common: when hungry they want to eat, when cold they want warmth, when weary they want rest; they love profit and hate harm. This is what man is born with; it is so without having to wait for anything; it was the same in Yu and in Jie. The eye distinguishes white and black, beautiful and ugly; the ear distinguishes clear and muddy sounds; the mouth distinguishes sour, salty, sweet, and bitter; the nose distinguishes fragrant and foul; the bones, body, and skin distinguish cold and heat, pain and itch. This too is what man is born with and always has; it is so without having to wait; it was the same in Yu and in Jie. One can become a Yao or a Yu; one can become a Jie or a Robber Zhi; one can become an artisan; one can become a farmer or a merchant—it lies only in what circumstances, arrangements, and customs have accumulated. This too is what man is born with; it is so without having to wait; it was the same in Yu and in Jie. To be a Yao or a Yu brings constant safety and honor; to be a Jie or a Zhi brings constant danger and disgrace; to be a Yao or a Yu brings constant joy and ease; to be an artisan, farmer, or merchant brings constant toil and trouble. Yet men exert themselves to do the one and seldom do the other—why? I say: it is crudeness and narrowness. Yao and Yu were not born complete; they arose from changing their old habits, were made perfect through cultivation, and were whole only when the work was carried to its end. Man is born a petty man; without a teacher and without the law, he sees profit alone. Man is born a petty man, and if he moreover meets a chaotic age and acquires chaotic customs, this adds smallness to smallness and reaps chaos from chaos. If the gentleman cannot obtain the power to preside over them, there is no way to open them and lead them in. Now, how could the mouths and bellies of men know ritual and righteousness? How could they know deference and yielding? How could they know integrity, shame, and the difference between part and whole? They merely chew away and eat their fill with relish. When a man has no teacher and no law, his heart is nothing but his mouth and belly. Suppose a man had never since birth seen meat or fine rice, but had seen only bean leaves and dregs and husks; he would think that the utmost sufficiency lay there. Then suddenly, in bright array, someone arrives bearing meat and fine rice; he stares in astonishment and says: what strange thing is this? But when he smells it his nose is satisfied; when he tastes it his mouth finds it sweet; when he eats it his body is at ease—and then there is none who does not cast the old aside and take the new. Now suppose we take the way of the ancient kings and the guiding principle of benevolence and righteousness, to dwell together in community, to nourish one another, to hedge and adorn one another, to give one another security and firmness—set beside the way of Jie and Robber Zhi, the difference between them is far more than that between meat and rice and dregs and husks! Yet men exert themselves to do the one and seldom do the other—why? I say: it is crudeness and narrowness. Crudeness and narrowness are the common calamity of all under heaven and the great disaster and harm to men. Therefore it is said: the humane man loves to instruct and make things plain to others. Instruct them, show them plainly, guide and habituate them, build them up by gradual accumulation, lead them forward, repeat it over and over—then the blocked soon become open, the crude and narrow soon become broad, and the foolish soon become wise. If these things were not done, what good would it be for Tang and King Wu to be on high? What harm would it be for Jie and Zhou to be on high? When Tang and King Wu are there, all under heaven follows them into order; when Jie and Zhou are there, all under heaven follows them into chaos. Is this not because human nature can indeed go this way, and can also go that way?

人之情，食慾有芻豢，衣欲有文繡，行欲有輿馬，又欲夫餘財蓄積之富也；然而窮年累世不知不足，是人之情也。今人之生也，方知畜雞狗豬彘，又蓄牛羊，然而食不敢有酒肉；餘刀布，有囷窌，然而衣不敢有絲帛；約者有筐篋之藏，然而行不敢有輿馬。是何也？非不欲也，幾不長慮顧後，而恐無以繼之故也？於是又節用御欲，收斂蓄藏以繼之也。是於己長慮顧後，幾不甚善矣哉！今夫偷生淺知之屬，曾此而不知也，糧食大侈，不顧其後，俄則屈安窮矣。是其所以不免於凍餓，操瓢囊為溝壑中瘠者也。況夫先王之道，仁義之統，詩書禮樂之分乎！彼固為天下之大慮也，將為天下生民之屬，長慮顧後而保萬世也。其流長矣，其溫厚矣，其功盛姚遠矣，非順孰修為之君子，莫之能知也。故曰：短綆不可以汲深井之泉，知不幾者不可與及聖人之言。夫詩書禮樂之分，固非庸人之所知也。故曰：一之而可再也，有之而可久也，廣之而可通也，慮之而可安也，反鈆察之而俞可好也。以治情則利，以為名則榮，以群則和，以獨則足，樂意者其是邪！

Human desires: in eating one wants meat; in clothing, patterned embroidery; in going out, a carriage and horses; and one wants besides the wealth of surplus goods and treasure laid up in store—yet through whole years and whole generations men never know that it is not enough. Such is human nature. Now a man lives, and only then learns to raise chickens, dogs, and pigs, and to keep cattle and sheep besides, yet he dare not eat meat or drink wine; he has his remaining coins and knife-and-cloth money, and he has granaries and cellars, yet he dare not wear silk; the frugal man has baskets and chests of stored goods, yet he dare not ride in a carriage or on horseback when he travels. Why is this? It is not that he does not want these things; is it not that he takes the long view, thinks of what comes after, and fears he will have nothing to continue with? So he economizes his expenditure and holds his desires in check, gathering and storing in order to keep himself supplied. For a man to take the long view and think of what comes after—is that not very good! Now the sort of men who sneak through life with shallow knowledge do not understand even this: they consume their grain in great extravagance, give no thought to what comes after, and before long are exhausted and fall into want. This is why they cannot escape freezing and starving, why they take up gourd and sack and become the starved dead in the ditches. How much more, then, of the way of the ancient kings, the guiding principle of benevolence and righteousness, and the ordered divisions of the Odes, the Documents, the rites, and music! These were from the first the great consideration for all under heaven, made for the whole kind of the world's living people—to take the long view, think of what comes after, and preserve ten thousand generations. Its flowing bounty is long, its warmth is deep, its merit and achievement vast and far-reaching; none but the gentleman who follows and masters cultivation can know it. Therefore it is said: a short rope cannot draw water from a deep well, and one whose knowledge falls short cannot be told the words of the sage. The ordered divisions of the Odes, the Documents, the rites, and music were never what the ordinary man could know. Therefore it is said: be single-minded in it and it can be regained; possess it and it can last; extend it and it reaches everywhere; give thought to it and it brings peace; follow and examine it again and again and it grows ever more lovable. Use it to order your feelings and there is benefit; use it to seek a name and there is honor; use it to live in community and there is harmony; use it in solitude and there is contentment. Is not what men delight in, in the main, just this?

夫貴為天子，富有天下，是人情之所同欲也；然則從人之慾，則埶不能容，物不能贍也。故先王案為之制禮義以分之，使有貴賤之等，長幼之差，知愚能不能之分，皆使人載其事，而各得其宜。然後使谷祿多少厚薄之稱，是夫群居和一之道也。故仁人在上，則農以力盡田，賈以察盡財，百工以巧盡械器，士大夫以上至於公侯，莫不以仁厚知能盡官職。夫是之謂至平。故或祿天下，而不自以為多，或監門御旅，抱關擊柝，而不自以為寡。故曰："斬而齊，枉而順，不同而一。"夫是之謂人倫。詩曰："受小共大共，為下國駿蒙。"此之謂也。

To hold the rank of Son of Heaven in honor and to possess all under heaven in wealth—this is what human feeling universally desires. Yet if men's desires were given free rein, the situation could not contain them and goods could not supply them. Therefore the ancient kings accordingly made ritual and righteousness for them, to draw distinctions: giving grades of noble and base, differences of elder and younger, and divisions between the wise and the foolish, the able and the unable—causing every man to bear his own charge and each to obtain what is fitting. Then they made the grain stipends correspond in amount and thickness. This is the way of living together in community as one. So when a humane man is on high, the farmers exert their strength to the utmost in the fields, the merchants exert their discernment to the utmost in goods, the hundred artisans exert their skill to the utmost in tools and vessels, and from the officers and grandees up to the lords and marquises, none fails to exert benevolence, generosity, wisdom, and ability to the utmost in his office. This is called the utmost levelness. So one man's stipend reaches all under heaven, yet he does not think it much; another keeps the gate, greets guests, holds the pass, and strikes the watchman's rattle, yet he does not think it little. Therefore it is said: "Unequal yet equal; bent yet compliant; different yet one." This is called human relations. The Book of Songs, in the Shang hymn "Chang Fa", says: "He received the small statutes and the great statutes, and made a shelter for the states below." It speaks of this.

相人，古之人無有也，學者不道也。古者有姑布子卿，今之世梁有唐舉，相人之形狀顏色，而知其吉凶妖祥，世俗稱之。古之人無有也，學者不道也。故相形不如論心，論心不如擇術；形不勝心，心不勝術；術正而心順之，則形相雖惡而心術善，無害為君子也。形相雖善而心術惡，無害為小人也。君子之謂吉，小人之謂兇。故長短小大，善惡形相，非吉凶也。古之人無有也，學者不道也。

Physiognomizing men—the men of antiquity did not do it, and scholars do not speak of it. In antiquity there was Gubu Ziqing; in the present age there is Tang Ju of Liang. They read men's shape and complexion and thereby knew good and ill fortune and omens, and the vulgar world speaks well of them. But the men of antiquity did not do it, and scholars do not speak of it. For to read the shape is not as good as judging the heart, and judging the heart is not as good as choosing the method. The shape cannot prevail over the heart; the heart cannot prevail over the method. If the method is right and the heart follows it, then even if the features are ugly, so long as the heart and method are good, it is no hindrance to being a gentleman. Even if the features are fine, if the heart and method are bad, it is no hindrance to being a petty man. The gentleman is called fortunate; the petty man is called unfortunate. So long or short, small or large, good or evil features—these are not good or ill fortune. The men of antiquity did not do it, and scholars do not speak of it.

蓋帝堯長，帝舜短；文王長，周公短；仲尼長，子弓短。昔者衛靈公有臣曰公孫呂，身長七尺，面長三尺，焉廣三寸，鼻目耳具，而名動天下。楚之孫叔敖，期思之鄙人也，突禿長左，軒較之下，而以楚霸。葉公子高，微小短瘠，行若將不勝其衣然。白公之亂也，令尹子西，司馬子期，皆死焉，葉公子高入據楚，誅白公，定楚國，如反手爾，仁義功名善於後世。故事不揣長，不揳大，不權輕重，亦將志乎爾。長短大小，美惡形相，豈論也哉！且徐偃王之狀，目可瞻馬。仲尼之狀，面如蒙倛。周公之狀，身如斷菑。皋陶之狀，色如削瓜。閎夭之狀，面無見膚。傅說之狀，身如植鰭。伊尹之狀，面無須麋。禹跳湯偏。堯舜參牟子。從者將論志意，比類文學邪？直將差長短，辨美惡，而相欺傲邪？

Emperor Yao was tall, Emperor Shun was short; King Wen was tall, the Duke of Zhou was short; Confucius was tall, Zigong was short. In days past, Duke Ling of Wei had a minister named Gongsun Lü, seven chi tall in body, with a face three chi long and a forehead three cun broad; nose, eyes, and ears were all complete, yet his fame shook all under heaven. Sunshu Ao of Chu was a rustic of Qisi, short-haired and balding, long in the left arm, his stature below the carriage rail, yet he made Chu a hegemon. Duke Gao of She was tiny, short, and thin; when he walked he seemed about unable to bear up his own clothes. When the Duke of Bai raised his revolt and Prime Minister Zixi and Marshal Ziqi both were killed, Duke Gao of She entered and occupied Chu, executed the Duke of Bai, and settled the state of Chu as easily as turning over a hand; his benevolence, righteousness, merit, and name have been praised ever since. So in dealing with a thing, do not reckon its length, do not measure its size, do not weigh its heft—one must look only to the aim and will. Long or short, large or small, beautiful or ugly features—why are they worth discussing? Moreover, in shape the eyes of King Yan of Xu could see a horse. Confucius's face looked like an exorcist's mask. The Duke of Zhou's body looked like a snapped dead tree. Gao Yao's complexion looked like a pared melon. Hong Yao's face showed no skin at all. Fu Yue's body looked like an upstanding fin. Yi Yin's face had neither whiskers nor brows. Yu walked lame; Tang was palsied on one side; Yao and Shun had double pupils. Should those who follow compare aims and rank learning, or should they merely measure height, judge beauty from ugliness, and so cheat and lord it over one another?

古者桀紂長巨姣美，天下之傑也。筋力越勁，百人之敵也，然而身死國亡，為天下大僇，後世言惡，則必稽焉。是非容貌之患也，聞見之不眾，議論之卑爾。今世俗之亂君，鄉曲之儇子，莫不美麗姚冶，奇衣婦飾，血氣態度擬於女子；婦人莫不願得以為夫，處女莫不願得以為士，棄其親家而欲奔之者，比肩並起；然而中君羞以為臣，中父羞以為子，中兄羞以為弟，中人羞以為友；俄則束乎有司，而戮乎大市，莫不呼天啼哭，苦傷其今，而後悔其始，是非容貌之患也，聞見之不眾，議論之卑爾！然則，從者將孰可也！

Jie and Zhou of old were tall and handsome, the most outstanding of all under heaven. Their sinews were quick and strong—a match for a hundred men—yet they died and their states were lost, becoming the great disgrace of all under heaven; whenever later generations speak of evil men, they are sure to cite these two. This was no calamity of appearance; it was that their hearing and seeing were not broad and their judgment was base. Now the disorderly rulers of the vulgar world and the frivolous youths of the villages are all without exception beautiful and seductive, in strange clothes and womanish adornment, their air and bearing like a girl's. No married woman but would gladly have such a man for a husband; no maiden but would gladly have him for a lover; and those who leave their kin and families to run off to him stand shoulder to shoulder. Yet a middling ruler would be ashamed to have him as a minister, a middling father ashamed to have him as a son, a middling elder brother ashamed to have him as a younger brother, a middling man ashamed to have him as a friend. Before long he is bound by the officers and executed in the great marketplace, crying out to heaven and weeping, grieving bitterly for the present and repenting of the beginning. This is no calamity of appearance; it is that hearing and seeing were not broad and judgment was base! So then, of those one might follow, which is to be approved?

人有三不祥：幼而不肯事長，賤而不肯事貴，不肖而不肯事賢，是人之三不祥也。人有三必窮：為上則不能愛下，為下則好非其上，是人之一必窮也；鄉則不若，偝則謾之，是人之二必窮也；知行淺薄，曲直有以相縣矣，然而仁人不能推，知士不能明，是人之三必窮也。－－人有此三數行者，以為上則必危，為下則必滅。詩曰："雨雪瀌瀌，宴然聿消，莫肯下隧，式居屢驕。"此之謂也。

Man has three ominous states: to be young yet unwilling to serve elders; to be lowly yet unwilling to serve the honored; to be unworthy yet unwilling to serve the worthy—these are man's three ominous states. Man has three certain ruins: to be above yet unable to love those below, and to be below yet fond of faulting those above—this is the first certain ruin; to be no match for a man face to face yet to slander him behind his back—this is the second certain ruin; to have shallow knowledge and conduct, so that crooked and straight are already far apart on his account, yet to be unable to promote a humane man or to bring a wise man to light—this is the third certain ruin. When a man has these several traits, being above he is certain to be endangered, and being below he is certain to be destroyed. The Book of Songs, in the Lesser Ode "Jue Gong", says: "The snow falls thick and drifting; as soon as the sun comes out it melts away. Yet none will stoop to follow; they sit at ease in repeated pride." It speaks of this.

人之所以為人者何已也？曰：以其有辨也。飢而欲食，寒而欲暖，勞而欲息，好利而惡害，是人之所生而有也，是無待而然者也，是禹桀之所同也。然則人之所以為人者，非特以二足而無毛也，以其有辨也。今夫狌狌形狀亦二足而無毛也，然而君子啜其羹，食其胾。故人之所以為人者，非特以其二足而無毛也，以其有辨也。夫禽獸有父子，而無父子之親，有牝牡而無男女之別。故人道莫不有辨。

By what does man become man? I say: by his having distinctions. When hungry he wants to eat, when cold he wants warmth, when weary he wants rest; he loves profit and hates harm—these are what man is born with; they are so without having to wait; they were the same in Yu and in Jie. So man is man not merely because he has two feet and no fur, but because he has distinctions. Now the form of the ape is likewise two-footed and furless, yet the gentleman drinks its broth and eats its flesh. Therefore man is man not merely because he has two feet and no fur, but because he has distinctions. The beasts have father and son, yet lack the affection of father and son; they have male and female, yet lack the separation of man and woman. Therefore in the way of man there is nothing without distinction.

辨莫大於分，分莫大於禮，禮莫大於聖王；聖王有百，吾孰法焉？曰：文久而滅，節族久而絕，守法數之有司，極禮而褫。故曰：欲觀聖王之跡，則於其粲然者矣，后王是也。彼后王者，天下之君也；舍后王而道上古，譬之是猶捨己之君，而事人之君也。故曰：欲觀千歲，則數今日；欲知億萬，則審一二；欲知上世，則審周道；欲審周道，則審其人所貴君子。故曰：以近知遠，以一知萬，以微知明，此之謂也。

Of distinctions none is greater than boundaries; of boundaries none is greater than ritual; of ritual none is greater than that of the sage kings. There have been a hundred sage kings—which shall I take as my model? I say: pattern and ornament perish with time; rhythm and measure are cut off with time; and the officers who keep to models and numbers are stripped of them when ritual reaches its extreme. Therefore it is said: if you wish to see the deeds of the sage kings, look to those that are clear and bright—namely the later kings. The later kings were the rulers of all under heaven; to forsake the later kings and praise high antiquity is like forsaking one's own ruler to go and serve the ruler of another. Therefore it is said: if you wish to see a thousand years, count today; if you wish to know millions and billions, examine one and two; if you wish to know the highest ages, examine the way of Zhou; if you wish to examine the way of Zhou, examine the gentlemen whom its men honored. Therefore it is said: by the near to know the far, by the one to know the myriad, by the subtle to know the manifest—it speaks of this.

夫妄人曰："古今異情，其所以治亂者異道。"而眾人惑焉。彼眾人者，愚而無說，陋而無度者也。其所見焉，猶可欺也，而況於千世之傳也？妄人者，門庭之間，猶可誣欺也，而況於千世之上乎？聖人何以不可欺？曰：聖人者，以己度者也。故以人度人，以情度情，以類度類，以說度功，以道觀盡，古今一也。類不悖，雖久同理，故鄉乎邪曲而不迷，觀乎雜物而不惑，以此度之。五帝之外無傳人，非無賢人也，久故也。五帝之中無傳政，非無善政也，久故也。禹湯有傳政而不若周之察也，非無善政也，久故也。傳者久則論略，近則論詳，略則舉大，詳則舉小。愚者聞其略而不知其詳，聞其詳而不知其大也。是以文久而滅，節族久而絕。

That reckless man says: "Ancient and present circumstances differ, and the ways by which order and disorder arose in them differ too." And the multitude is deluded by him. The multitude are people ignorant and without explanation, crude and narrow and without measure. Even what they see with their own eyes can still be used to cheat them—how much more hearsay a thousand years old! Reckless men can still practice their deceit between gate and courtyard—how much more across more than a thousand years! Why can the sage not be deceived? I say: the sage is one who measures others by himself. So he measures men by men, feelings by feelings, kinds by kinds, achievements by doctrine, and by the Way he sees through to the end; ancient and present are one. Kinds do not fall into mutual confusion; however long the time, the pattern is the same. So he faces what is crooked without being led astray and looks on the tangle of things without being confused, because he measures by this. Beyond the Five Emperors no men have been handed down to us; it is not that there were no worthy men, but that the time is too long. Among the Five Emperors no government has been handed down; it is not that there was no good government, but that the time is too long. Yu and Tang have government handed down, yet not with the detail of Zhou's; it is not that there was no good government, but that the time is too long. What is handed down from far off is discussed sketchily; what is near is discussed in full. Sketchy accounts give the great points; detailed accounts give the small. The fool hears the sketchy and does not know the detailed; hears the detailed and does not know the great. Therefore pattern and ornament perish with time, and rhythm and measure are cut off with time.

凡言不合先王，不順禮義，謂之奸言；雖辯，君子不聽。法先王，順禮義，黨學者，然而不好言，不樂言，則必非誠士也。故君子之於言也，志好之，行安之，樂言之，故君子必辯。凡人莫不好言其所善，而君子為甚。故贈人以言，重於金石珠玉；觀人以言，美於黼黻文章；聽人以言，樂於鐘鼓琴瑟。故君子之於言無厭。鄙夫反是：好其實不恤其文，是以終身不免埤汙傭俗。故易曰："括囊無咎無譽。"腐儒之謂也。

All words that do not accord with the ancient kings and do not follow ritual and righteousness are called treacherous words; however well argued, the gentleman does not listen to them. To model oneself on the ancient kings, to follow ritual and righteousness, to draw near to learned men, and yet not love speaking nor delight in speaking—such a man is certainly no true scholar. Therefore the gentleman, toward speech, loves it in his heart, rests in it in his conduct, and delights in speaking it; so the gentleman is sure to be a skilled speaker. Every man without exception loves to speak of what he holds to be good, and the gentleman does so all the more. So to give a man speech is weightier than metal, stone, pearl, or jade; to show a man fine words is more beautiful than embroidered pattern; to let a man hear speech is more delightful than bells, drums, lute, and zither. Therefore the gentleman never wearies of speech. The vulgar man is the opposite: he loves the substance and neglects the ornament, and so all his life he cannot escape baseness, filth, and vulgarity. Therefore the Book of Changes says: "Tie the sack shut: no blame and no praise." It speaks of the pedant.

凡說之難，以至高遇至卑，以至治接至亂。未可直至也，遠舉則病繆，近世則病傭。善者於是間也，亦必遠舉而不繆，近世而不傭，與時遷徙，與世偃仰，緩急嬴絀，府然若渠匽檃栝之於己也。曲得所謂焉，然而不折傷。故君子之度己則以繩，接人則用抴。度己以繩，故足以為天下法則矣；接人用抴，故能寬容，因眾以成天下之大事矣。故君子賢而能容罷，知而能容愚，博而能容淺，粹而能容雜，夫是之謂兼術。詩曰："徐方既同，天子之功。"此之謂也。

Wherever persuasion is hard, it is because one approaches the utter base with the utter high, and meets utter disorder with utter order. One cannot get straight through: citing high antiquity suffers from error; citing the near age suffers from vulgarity. The skilled persuader stays between the two, and so cites remote things without error and cites near things without vulgarity, shifting with the times, bowing and rising with the world's customs, slow and quick, bent and stretched—fitting together the way dams and straightening frames fit what they work on—reaching what he would say by a winding course, yet without breaking. Therefore the gentleman measures himself by the plumb line, but receives men by ferrying and guiding. By the plumb line he measures himself, and so he suffices to be the model of all under heaven; by guiding he receives men, and so he can be tolerant and, relying on the multitude, accomplish the great affairs of the world. Therefore the gentleman is worthy yet can bear with the feeble, wise yet can bear with the foolish, broad yet can bear with the shallow, pure yet can bear with the mixed—this is called the art of inclusiveness. The Book of Songs, in the Greater Ode "Chang Wu", says: "The region of Xu has already come to join in accord—this is the Son of Heaven's achievement." It speaks of this.

談說之術：矜莊以蒞之，端誠以處之，堅強以持之，譬稱以喻之，分別以明之，欣驩芬薌以送之，寶之，珍之，貴之，神之。如是則說常無不受。雖不說人，人莫不貴。夫是之謂為能貴其所貴。傳曰："唯君子為能貴其所貴。"此之謂也。

The method of discourse: meet others with grave dignity, hold yourself with upright sincerity, keep your stand with firm strength, make things plain by parable and illustration, set them out by distinctions, and send them off with gladness and fragrance. Treasure your words, cherish them, give them weight, make them spirit-like. If it is thus, persuasion is never without acceptance; and even if it does not win men over, there is none who does not hold it in esteem. This is called being able to value what one values. The Tradition says: "Only the gentleman is able to value what he values." It speaks of this.

君子必辯。凡人莫不好言其所善，而君子為甚焉。是以小人辯言險，而君子辯言仁也。言而非仁之中也，則其言不若其默也，其辯不若其吶也。言而仁之中也，則好言者上矣，不好言者下也。故仁言大矣：起於上所以道於下，政令是也；起於下所以忠於上，謀救是也。故君子之行仁也無厭、志好之、行安之，樂言之；故言君子必辯。小辯不如見端，見端不如見本分。小辯而察，見端而明，本分而理；聖人士君子之分具矣。有小人之辯者，有士君子之辯者，有聖人之辯者：不先慮，不早謀，發之而當，成文而類，居錯遷徙，應變不窮，是聖人之辯者也。先慮之，早謀之，斯須之言而足聽，文而致實，博而黨正，是士君子之辯者也。聽其言則辭辯而無統，用其身則多詐而無功，上不足以順明王，下不足以和齊百姓，然而口舌之均，應唯則節，足以為奇偉偃卻之屬，夫是之謂奸人之雄。聖王起，所以先誅也，然後盜賊次之。盜賊得變，此不得變也。

The gentleman must be a debater. Among people, none does not like to speak of what he considers good, and the gentleman more so. Thus the petty man debates about what is vicious, while the gentleman debates about humaneness. If his speech is not in humaneness, he would be better silent than speaking, and better stammering than eloquent. If his speech is in humaneness, then one who likes to speak of it is above, and one who does not like to speak of it is below. So the speech of humaneness is great: when it arises from above to guide those below, it is government decree; when it arises from below to be loyal to those above, it is advice and rescue. So the gentleman practices humaneness without weariness, his heart likes it, his conduct is at ease in it, and he delights in speaking of it; therefore it is said the gentleman must debate. Small debate is not as good as seeing the clues, and seeing the clues is not as good as seeing the proper divisions. When small debate is clear, seeing the clues is manifest, and the proper divisions are ordered, then the bounds of the sage and the gentleman scholar are complete. There is the debate of the petty man, the debate of the gentleman scholar, and the debate of the sage: not planning beforehand, not scheming early, but what comes forth is fitting, forming patterns and extending by analogy, adapting and shifting, responding to change without end: this is the sage's debate. To plan beforehand and scheme early, with words of a moment that are enough to be heard, with refinement that returns to substance, broad and upright: this is the gentleman scholar's debate. As for one whose words are eloquent but without thread, whose person when employed is full of deceit and without merit, who above is not enough to follow an enlightened king and below is not enough to harmonize the hundred clans, and yet whose tongue is smooth and whose replies are measured, enough to be a type of the extraordinary and haughty: this is called a hero among treacherous men. When a sage-king arises, he first executes such people, and then the robbers come second. Robbers can still change, but such people cannot change.

假今之世，飾邪說，文奸言，以梟亂天下，矞宇嵬瑣使天下混然不知是非治亂之所在者，有人矣。

In the present age there are those who dress up heterodox teachings, embellish treacherous words, and thereby disturb the world, with trickery and pettiness leaving the world confused and not knowing where right and wrong, order and disorder lie.

縱情性，安恣孳，禽獸行，不足以合文通治；然而其持之有故，其言之成理，足以欺惑愚眾；是它囂魏牟也。

Giving free rein to one's feelings and nature, at ease in indulgence, with the conduct of beasts, not enough to accord with refinement or to penetrate order; yet he holds to his positions for reasons, and his arguments form a pattern, enough to deceive and bewilder the foolish multitude: these are Ta Xiao and Wei Mou.

忍情性，綦谿利跂，苟以分異人為高，不足以合大眾，明大分，然而其持之有故，其言之成理，足以欺惑愚眾：是陳仲史也。

Suppressing feelings and nature, going deeply away from people, standing on tiptoe to seem different from the crowd, carelessly taking being different from others as lofty, not enough to join the multitude together or make clear the great distinctions; yet he holds to his positions for reasons, and his arguments form a pattern, enough to deceive and bewilder the foolish multitude: these are Chen Zhong and Shi [a rare character lost in transcription of the base text].

不知壹天下建國家之權稱，上功用，大儉約，而僈差等，曾不足以容辨異，縣君臣；然而其持之有故，其言之成理，足以欺惑愚眾：是墨翟宋鈃也。

Not knowing the balance for unifying the world and establishing a state, esteeming utility, greatly thrifty and slighting ranks and distinctions, not even enough to accommodate discernment of differences and distinguishing ruler from minister; yet he holds to his positions for reasons, and his arguments form a pattern, enough to deceive and bewilder the foolish multitude: these are Mo Di and Song Xing.

尚法而無法，下修而好作，上則取聽於上，下則取從於俗，終日言成文典，反紃察之，則倜然無所歸宿，不可以經國定分；然而其持之有故，其言之成理，足以欺惑愚眾：是慎到田駢也。

Esteeming law yet having no law, belittling cultivation yet fond of invention, above listening to those above and below following custom, speaking all day and writing it into canons, but when one examines it in return, it is remote and has nowhere to land, and cannot be used to manage a state or fix distinctions; yet he holds to his positions for reasons, and his arguments form a pattern, enough to deceive and bewilder the foolish multitude: these are Shen Dao and Tian Pian.

不法先王，不是禮義，而好治怪說，玩琦辭，甚察而不惠，辯而無用，多事而寡功，不可以為治綱紀；然而其持之有故，其言之成理，足以欺惑愚眾；是惠施鄧析也。

Not modeling on the former kings, not holding ritual and righteousness to be right, yet fond of arranging strange theories and playing with odd phrases, extremely sharp-sighted yet not compliant, eloquent yet useless, with many tasks and little achievement, not able to serve as the guiding thread of order; yet he holds to his positions for reasons, and his arguments form a pattern, enough to deceive and bewilder the foolish multitude: these are Hui Shi and Deng Xi.

略法先王而不知其統，猶然而猶材劇志大，聞見雜博。案往舊造說，謂之五行，甚僻違而無類，幽隱而無說，閉約而無解。案飾其辭，而只敬之，曰：此真先君子之言也。子思唱之，孟軻和之。世俗之溝猶瞀儒、嚾嚾然不知其所非也，遂受而傳之，以為仲尼子弓為茲厚於後世：是則子思孟軻之罪也。

Roughly modeling on the former kings yet not knowing their thread, and yet being of much talent and great ambition, with mixed and broad hearing and seeing. Taking old material to create a theory called the Five Phases, extremely crooked, against principle and without categories, obscure without explanation, closed and terse without interpretation. Then embellishing their words with it and revering it, saying: truly these are the words of the former gentlemen. Zisi led it and Mencius echoed it. The foolish and vulgar Confucians of the world, clamorously not knowing their wrongness, received and transmitted it, thinking that Zhongni and Zigong were therefore valued by later ages: this is the crime of Zisi and Mencius.

若夫總方略，齊言行，壹統類，而群天下之英傑，而告之以大古，教之以至順，奧窔之間，簟席之上，斂然聖王之文章具焉，佛然平世之俗起焉，六說者不能入也，十二子者不能親也。無置錐之地，而王公不能與之爭名，在一大夫之位，則一君不能獨畜，一國不能獨容，成名況乎諸侯，莫不願以為臣，是聖人之不得埶者也，仲尼子弓是也。一天下，財萬物，長養人民，兼利天下，通達之屬莫不從服，六說者立息，十二子者遷化，則聖人之得埶者，舜禹是也。

As for summing up the strategies, unifying words and conduct, uniting the categories, and gathering the heroes of the world, telling them of remote antiquity and teaching them utmost compliance, within the interior of a room on a mat the writings of the sage-kings are complete in a moment of gathering, the customs of an age of order and peace are suddenly raised, and the teachings of the six schools cannot enter and the twelve masters cannot come near. Though without a place to stand an awl, the kings and dukes cannot contend with him for name; in the position of a single grand master, a single ruler cannot keep him alone and a single state cannot contain him alone, his reputation is compared to the lords', and none is unwilling to take him as a minister: this is a sage who has not obtained power, as Zhongni and Zigong. One who unifies the world, shapes the myriad things, nurtures the people, and benefits all under Heaven, to whom all the places he reaches submit, the teachings of the six schools at once cease and the twelve masters are transformed: that is a sage who has obtained power, as Shun and Yu.

今夫仁人也，將何務哉？上則法舜禹之制，下則法仲尼子弓之義，以務息十二子之說。如是則天下之害除，仁人之事畢，聖王之跡著矣。

Now what will the humane person strive for? Above, to model on the institutions of Shun and Yu; below, to model on the righteousness of Zhongni and Zigong, in order to strive to put a stop to the teachings of the twelve masters. In this way the harms of the world will be removed, the work of the humane person will be complete, and the traces of the sage-kings will be manifest.

信信、信也，疑疑、亦信也。貴賢、仁也，賤不肖、亦仁也。言而當、知也，默而當，亦知也，故知默猶知言也。故多言而類，聖人也；少言而法，君子也；多言無法，而流湎然，雖辯，小人也。故勞力而不當民務，謂之奸事，勞知而不律先王，謂之奸心；辯說譬諭，齊給便利，而不順禮義，謂之奸說。此三奸者，聖王之所禁也。知而險，賊而神，為詐而巧，言無用而辯，辯不惠而察，治之大殃也。行闢而堅，飾非而好，玩奸而澤，言辯而逆，古之大禁也。知而無法，勇而無憚，察辯而操僻，淫大而用之，好奸而與眾，利足而迷，負石而墜，是天下之所棄也。

To believe what is credible is trust; to doubt what is doubtful is also trust. To value the worthy is humaneness; to despise the unworthy is also humaneness. To speak fittingly is wisdom; to be silent fittingly is also wisdom. So knowing when to be silent is like knowing when to speak. Therefore one who speaks much yet makes proper categories is a sage; one who speaks little and has law is a gentleman; one who speaks much without law, in a sodden manner, even if eloquent, is a petty man. So labor of strength not in accord with the people's business is called treacherous business; labor of wisdom not modeled on the former kings is called a treacherous heart; debate and analogies that are quick and convenient but not in accord with ritual and righteousness are called treacherous theories. These three kinds of treachery are what the sage-kings prohibit. To be clever but insidious, to harm in uncanny ways, to practice deceit skillfully, to be eloquent in useless speech, to be sharp in unfitting debate: these are the great calamities of order. To act perversely but firmly, to embellish faults beautifully, to play with treachery and make it glossy, to be eloquent in speech yet against principle: these are the great prohibitions of antiquity. To be clever without law, brave without scruples, sharp and eloquent yet perverse in conduct, extravagant yet employed, fond of treachery with many followers, swift of foot yet lost on the road, carrying a stone and yet falling: these are what the world discards.

兼服天下之心：高上尊貴，不以驕人；聰明聖知，不以窮人；齊給速通，不爭先人；剛毅勇敢，不以傷人；不知則問，不能則學，雖能必讓，然後為德。遇君則修臣下之義，遇鄉則修長幼之義，遇長則修子弟之義，遇友則修禮節辭讓之義，遇賤而少者，則修告導寬容之義。無不愛也，無不敬也，無與人爭也，恢然如天地之苞萬物。如是，則賢者貴之，不肖者親之；如是，而不服者，則可謂訞怪狡猾之人矣，雖則子弟之中，刑及之而宜。詩云："匪上帝不時，殷不用舊；雖無老成人，尚有典刑；曾是莫聽，大命以傾。"此之謂也。

The heart that wins the whole world: being high and honored, but not being proud toward others because of it; being intelligent, sage and wise, but not driving others into straits because of it; being quick, swift and penetrating, but not contending with others to be first; being firm and brave, but not harming others because of it; asking when one does not know, learning when one cannot, and even if able, certainly yielding, and then completing virtue. Meeting a ruler, cultivate the righteousness of a subject; meeting one's village, cultivate the righteousness of elder and younger; meeting elders, cultivate the righteousness of a junior; meeting friends, cultivate the righteousness of courtesy and yielding; meeting the lowly and the young, cultivate the righteousness of instructing and being tolerant. None is not loved, none is not respected, he contends with no one, vast as Heaven and Earth embracing the myriad things. In this way, the worthy value him and the unworthy draw near; and those who still do not submit may be called monstrous and cunning people, and even if among one's sons and younger brothers, punishment applied to them is fitting. The Greater Odes, "Dang," says: "It is not that the Lord on High is not good, but that Yin did not use the old ways; though there are no old and experienced men, there are still the statutes and punishments; yet they would not listen, and the great mandate was overturned." This is what is meant.

古之所謂仕士者，厚敦者也，合群者也，樂富貴者也，樂分施者也，遠罪過者也，務事理者也，羞獨富者也。今之所謂仕士者，汙漫者也，賊亂者也，恣孳者也，貪利者也；觸抵者也，無禮義而唯權埶之嗜者也。

The so-called officers of antiquity were sincere and generous people, people who joined groups together, people who delighted in proper wealth and honor, people who delighted in sharing, people who kept far from faults, people who strove for the principle of affairs, and people who were ashamed to be rich alone. The so-called officers of today are filthy people, rebellious people, self-indulgent people, profit-greedy people, quarrelsome people, people with no ritual and righteousness who only crave power.

古之所謂處士者，德盛者也，能靜者也，修正者也，知命者也，箸是者也。今之所謂處士者，無能而云能者也，無知而云知者也，利心無足，而佯無慾者也，行偽險穢，而強高言謹愨者也，以不俗為俗，離縱而跂訾者也。

The so-called hermits of antiquity were people of abundant virtue, people who were able to be still, people who cultivated rectitude, people who knew destiny, and people who made right clear. The so-called hermits of today are people with no ability who claim ability, people with no knowledge who claim knowledge, people whose desire for profit is never satisfied yet pretend to have no desires, people whose conduct is false, dangerous and filthy yet who force themselves to talk loftily of prudence and sincerity, people who take being different from custom for custom and leave the correct way to stand on tiptoe and be strange.

士君子之所能不能為：君子能為可貴，而不能使人必貴己；能為可信，而不能使人必信己；能為可用，而不能使人必用己。故君子恥不修，不恥見汙；恥不信，不恥不見信；恥不能，不恥不見用。是以不誘於譽，不恐於誹，率道而行，端然正己，不為物傾側：夫是之謂誠君子。詩云："溫溫恭人，維德之基。"此之謂也。

What gentleman scholars can and cannot do: the gentleman can be worthy of honor but cannot make people necessarily honor him; can be trustworthy but cannot make people necessarily trust him; can be useful but cannot make people necessarily employ him. So the gentleman is ashamed of not cultivating himself and not ashamed of being defiled; ashamed of not being trustworthy and not ashamed of not being trusted; ashamed of not being able and not ashamed of not being employed. Therefore he is not enticed by praise, not frightened by slander, follows the Way and acts, upright in correcting himself, and is not tilted by outer things: this is called a true gentleman. The Greater Odes, "Yi," says: "The mild and respectful are the foundation of virtue." This is what is meant.

士君子之容：其冠進，其衣逢，其容良；儼然，壯然，祺然，蕼然，恢恢然，廣廣然，昭昭然，蕩蕩然－是父兄之容也。其冠進，其衣逢，其容愨；儉然，恀然，輔然，端然，訾然，洞然，綴綴然，瞀瞀然－－是子弟之容也。

The appearance of the gentleman scholar: a high cap, a broad garment, a kindly face; a solemn look, a flourishing look, a composed look, a relaxed look, a spacious look, a vast look, a luminous look, an open look: this is the appearance of father and elder brother. A high cap, a broad garment, a grave face; a humble and frugal look, a gentle and compliant look, a close and attached look, an upright look, a careful look, a respectful look, a following look, a mild look: this is the appearance of junior and younger brother.

吾語汝學者之嵬容：其冠絻，其纓禁緩，其容簡連；填填然，狄狄然，莫莫然，瞡瞡然，瞿瞿然，儘儘然，盱盱然；酒食聲色之中，則瞞瞞然，瞑瞑然；禮節之中，則疾疾然，訾訾然；勞苦事業之中，則儢儢然，離離然，偷儒而罔，無廉恥而忍謑詬－－是學者之嵬也。

I will tell you the strange appearance of scholars: a cap tilted low, cap strings and belt slack, an arrogant face; a self-satisfied look, a jumping look, a cold look, a peering look, a flustered look, a downcast look, a glaring look; in wine, food, music and women, an indulgent look, a drowsy look; in ritual, a hating look, a slandering look; in labor and work, a lazy look, a dispersed look, idle and timid without standard, shameless and enduring insult: this is the strangeness of scholars.

弟陀其冠，衶禫其辭，禹行而舜趨：是子張氏之賤儒也。正其衣冠，齊其顏色，嗛然而終日不言、是子夏氏之賤儒也。偷儒憚事，無廉恥而耆飲食，必曰君子固不用力：是子游氏之賤儒也。彼君子則不然：佚而不惰，勞而不僈，宗原應變，曲得其宜，如是然後聖人也。

A shabby cap, thin words, imitating the walk of Yu and the pace of Shun: these are the vulgar Confucians of the school of Zizhang. Straightening clothes and cap, composing the face, being modest and silent all day: these are the vulgar Confucians of the school of Zixia. Idle, timid and fearful of work, shameless and fond of food and drink, certain to say that a gentleman originally does not exert himself: these are the vulgar Confucians of the school of Ziyou. The gentleman is not like that: at ease yet not lazy, toiling yet not slack, holding to the original source and responding to change, every twist and turn attaining what is fitting; only like this is one then a sage.

仲尼之門，五尺之豎子，言羞稱乎五伯。是何也？曰：然！彼誠可羞稱也。齊桓五伯之盛者也，前事則殺兄而爭國；內行則姑姊妹之不嫁者七人，閨門之內，般樂奢汏，以齊之分奉之而不足；外事則詐邾襲莒，並國三十五。－－其事行也若是其險汙淫汏也。彼固曷足稱乎大君子之門哉！

At Zhongni's gate, even a five-foot boy is ashamed to speak of the Five Hegemons. Why is this? It is said: yes! They are indeed shameful to speak of. Duke Huan of Qi was the most flourishing of the Five Hegemons; in his earlier dealings he killed his elder brother and fought for the state; in his domestic conduct there were seven aunts and sisters who did not marry, within the inner gates, ease and extravagance, so that half of Qi's revenue was not enough to supply him; in outer affairs he deceived Zhu, attacked Ju, and annexed thirty-five states. His conduct was so vile, filthy and extravagant. How could they ever be worth speaking of at the gate of a great gentleman!

若是而不亡，乃霸，何也？曰：於乎！夫齊桓公有天下之大節焉，夫孰能亡之？倓然見管仲之能足以托國也，是天下之大知也。安忘其怒，出忘其讎，遂立為仲父，是天下之大決也。立以為仲父，而貴戚莫之敢妒也；與之高國之位，而本朝之臣莫之敢惡也；與之書社三百，而富人莫之敢距也；貴賤長少，秩秩焉，莫不從桓公而貴敬之，是天下之大節也。諸侯有一節如是，則莫之能亡也；桓公兼此數節者而盡有之，夫又何可亡也！其霸也，宜哉！非幸也，數也。

Yet in this way he did not perish but even became hegemon; why? It is said: Alas! That Duke Huan of Qi had the great integrity of the world; who could destroy him? Calmly seeing that Guan Zhong's talent was enough to entrust the state to, this was the great wisdom of the world. Then forgetting his anger, going out and forgetting his enemy, and then installing him as Uncle Zhong, this was the great decision of the world. He installed him as Uncle Zhong, and no noble relative dared be jealous; he gave him the position of the Gao and Guo clans, and no minister of the court dared dislike it; he gave him three hundred communities, and no rich man dared resist; honored and lowly, old and young, all in good order, none failed to follow Duke Huan and honor and respect him: this was the great integrity of the world. If a lord had even one such integrity, he could not be destroyed; Duke Huan combined these several and had them all, so how could he be destroyed! That he became hegemon was fitting! It was not luck, it was destiny.

然而仲尼之門，五尺之豎子，言羞稱五伯，是何也？曰：然！彼非本政教也，非致隆高也，非綦文理也，非服人之心也。鄉方略，審勞佚，畜積修鬥，而能顛倒其敵者也。詐心以勝矣。彼以讓飾爭，依乎仁而蹈利者也，小人之傑也，彼固曷足稱乎大君子之門哉！

But at Zhongni's gate, even a five-foot boy is ashamed to speak of the Five Hegemons; why is this? It is said: yes! They were not rooted in government and teaching, did not carry loftiness to the utmost, did not carry refinement and principle to the utmost, and did not win people's hearts. They only pursued strategy, examined labor and rest, accumulated resources and practiced fighting, and were able to overturn their enemies. They won with a deceitful heart. They dressed up contention with humility, leaned on humaneness and trampled on profit, and were the outstanding among petty men; how could they ever be worth speaking of at the gate of a great gentleman!

彼王者則不然：致賢而能以救不肖，致強而能以寬弱，戰必能殆之而羞與之鬥，委然成文，以示之天下，而暴國安自化矣。有災繆者，然後誅之。故聖王之誅也綦省矣。文王誅四，武王誅二，周公卒業，至於成王，則安以無誅矣。故道豈不行矣哉！文王載百里地，而天下一；桀紂舍之，厚於有天下之埶，而不得以匹夫老。故善用之，則百里之國足以獨立矣；不善用之，則楚六千里而為讎人役。故人主不務得道，而廣有其埶，是其所以危也。

The true king is not like this: he is worthy to the utmost and so can relieve the unworthy, strong to the utmost and so can tolerate the weak; in war he is certainly able to put the other side in peril and yet is ashamed to fight them, and with refinement he completes cultural virtue and displays it to the world, and violent states are naturally transformed. Only where there are calamities and errors does he then execute. So the executions of the sage-kings are very few. King Wen executed four, King Wu executed two, the Duke of Zhou completed the work, and by the time of King Cheng there were calmly no executions. So how could the Way not be practiced! King Wen, with only a hundred li of land, unified the world; Jie and Zhou abandoned it, having more of the power of possessing the world, yet could not live out their lives even as commoners. So one who uses it well, with a state of a hundred li, is enough to stand alone; one who does not use it well, with Chu's six thousand li, is employed by his enemies. So a ruler who does not strive to obtain the Way and widely possesses power is in danger.

持寵處位，終身不厭之術：主尊貴之，則恭敬而僔；主信愛之，則謹慎而嗛；主專任之，則拘守而詳：主安近之，則慎比而不邪；主疏遠之，則全一而不倍；主損絀之，則恐懼而不怨。貴而不為誇，信而不處謙，任重而不敢專。財利至，則善而不及也，必將盡辭讓之義，然後受。福事至則和而理，禍事至則靜而理。富則廣施，貧則用節。可貴可賤也，可富可貧也，可殺而不可使為奸也：是持寵處位終身不厭之術也。雖在貧窮徒處之埶，亦取象於是矣。夫是之謂吉人。詩云："媚茲一人，應侯順德，永言孝思，昭哉嗣服。"此之謂也。

The method for keeping favor and holding a position for life without becoming wearisome to others: when the ruler honors him, be respectful and modest; when the ruler trusts and loves him, be careful and humble; when the ruler entrusts him exclusively, be restrained and thorough; when the ruler keeps him near, be careful and close without crookedness; when the ruler keeps him distant, be single-minded and not rebellious; when the ruler demotes him, be afraid and without resentment. Honored, do not be boastful; trusted, do not be in suspicion; entrusted with weighty duty, do not dare act arbitrarily. When wealth and profit arrive, regard it as good and not come to oneself, and one must fully practice the righteousness of declining before accepting. When fortunate things arrive, be harmonious and handle them; when calamities arrive, be calm and handle them. When rich, give widely; when poor, economize. One can be honored or lowly, rich or poor, can be killed but cannot be made to do treachery: this is the method for keeping favor and holding a position for life without wearying others. Even in situations of poverty and solitude, one models on this. This is called a fortunate person. The Greater Odes, "Xiawu," says: "Loved by this one person, follow virtue; always think of filial piety, brightly continuing the work." This is what is meant.

求善處大重，理任大事，擅寵於萬乘之國，必無後患之術，莫若好同之，援賢博施，除怨而無妨害人。能耐任之，則慎行此道也；能而不耐任，且恐失寵，則莫若早同之，推賢讓能，而安隨其後。如是，有寵則必榮，失寵則必無罪。是事君者之寶，而必無後患之術也。故知者之舉事也，滿則慮嗛，平則慮險，安則慮危，曲重其豫，猶恐及其禍，是以百舉而不陷也。孔子曰："巧而好度，必節；勇而好同，必勝；知而好謙，必賢。"此之謂也。愚者反是：處重擅權，則好專事而妒賢能，抑有功而擠有罪，志驕盈而輕舊怨，以吝嗇而不行施，道乎上為重，招權於下以妨害人。雖欲無危，得乎哉！是以位尊則必危，任重則必廢，擅寵則必辱，可立而待也，可炊而竟也。是何也？則墮之者眾，而持之者寡矣。天下之行術，以事君則必通，以為仁則必聖，立隆而勿貳也。然後恭敬以先之，忠信以統之，慎謹以行之，端愨以守之，頓窮則從之疾力以申重之。君雖不知，無怨疾之心；功雖甚大，無伐德之色；省求多功，愛敬不倦；如是則常無不順矣。以事君則必通，以為仁則必聖，夫之謂天下之行術。

The method for those who seek to be good at occupying a great position of power, managing great tasks, and monopolizing favor in a state of ten thousand chariots with certainly no later trouble: nothing is better than liking to join with others, drawing in the worthy, giving widely, removing resentment and not harming others. If one's ability is sufficient to bear it, carefully practice this Way; if one has ability but is not enough to bear it, and fears losing favor, one had better join early, recommend the worthy, yield to the able, and calmly follow behind. In this way, being favored one is certainly honored, and losing favor one is certainly without fault. This is the treasure of one who serves a ruler, and also the method of certainly having no later trouble. So the wise, when undertaking things, when full consider insufficiency, when level consider danger, when safe consider peril, and make thorough and redoubled preparations, still fearing being overtaken by calamity, so a hundred actions never fall in. Confucius said: "One who is skilled and likes standards will certainly have restraint; one who is brave and likes joining others will certainly be equal to his task; one who is wise and likes humility will certainly be worthy." This is what is meant. The foolish are the opposite: placed in a heavy position and monopolizing power, they like to act arbitrarily and are jealous of the worthy and able, suppress those with merit and exclude those with faults, their ambition proud and full and slighting old grievances, being stingy and not carrying out giving, walking the road of heavy power above and gathering power below to harm others. Even wanting not to be in danger, can they manage it! So when the position is honored there is certainly danger, when the duty is heavy there is certainly ruin, and when favor is monopolized there is certainly disgrace; one may stand and wait for it, and it may be over in the time of one meal. Why is this? Those who tear him down are many and those who support him are few. The method that works everywhere in the world: using it to serve a ruler one will certainly succeed, using it to practice humaneness one will certainly be a sage, setting up what is lofty without being of two minds. Then lead with respect, command with loyalty and trustworthiness, practice with care, hold with sincerity, and when in hardship and extremity follow it and exert one's strength to apply it with weight. Even if the ruler does not know, have no resentful heart; even if the merit is very great, show no look of boasting of virtue; seek little and establish much merit, love and respect without wearying; in this way one is always without what is not smooth. Using it to serve a ruler one will certainly succeed, using it to practice humaneness one will certainly be a sage; this is called the method that works everywhere in the world.

少事長，賤事貴，不肖事賢，是天下之通義也。有人也，埶不在人上，而羞為人下，是奸人之心也。志不免乎奸心，行不免乎奸道，而求有君子聖人之名，闢之，是猶伏而咶天，救經而引其足也。說必不行矣，俞務而俞遠。故君子時詘則詘，時伸則伸也。

The young serve the old, the lowly serve the honored, and the unworthy serve the worthy: this is the common righteousness of the world. One who is such that his power is not above others yet is ashamed to be beneath others has a treacherous heart. If his will is not free of a treacherous heart and his conduct is not free of treacherous ways, yet he seeks the name of a gentleman or sage, he is like one lying down to lick Heaven or one saving a hanged man by pulling his feet. This will certainly not work, and the more he strives, the farther he gets. So the gentleman, when the time is for bending, bends, and when the time is for extending, extends.

大儒之效：武王崩，成王幼，周公屏成王而及武王，以屬天下，惡天下之倍周也。履天子之籍，聽天下之斷，偃然如固有之，而天下不稱貪焉。殺管叔，虛殷國，而天下不稱戾焉。兼制天下，立七十一國，姬姓獨居五十三人，而天下不稱偏焉。教誨開導成王，使諭於道，而能揜跡於文武。周公歸周，反籍於成王，而天下不輟事周；然而周公北面而朝之。天子也者，不可以少當也，不可以假攝為也；能則天下歸之，不能則天下去之，是以周公屏成王而及武王，以屬天下，惡天下之離周也。成王冠，成人，周公歸周，反籍焉，明不滅主之義也。周公無天下矣；鄉有天下，今無天下，非擅也；成王鄉無天下，今有天下，非奪也；變埶次序節然也。故以枝代主而非越也；以弟誅兄而非暴也；君臣易位而非不順也。因天下之和，遂文武之業，明主枝之義，抑亦變化矣，天下厭然猶一也。非聖人莫之能為。夫是之謂大儒之效。

The proof of the great Ru: when King Wu died, King Cheng was young, and the Duke of Zhou set King Cheng aside and continued King Wu's work in order to hold the world together, because he disliked that the world would rebel against Zhou. Stepping onto the position of Son of Heaven, hearing and deciding the affairs of the world, he was calm as though he had always had it, and the world did not call him greedy. He killed Guan Shu and emptied the state of Yin, and the world did not call him violent. He ruled the whole world and established seventy-one states, with the Ji surname alone holding fifty-three, and the world did not call him partial. He instructed and guided King Cheng so that he understood the Way and could continue the work of Kings Wen and Wu. The Duke of Zhou returned the government of Zhou and gave the position back to King Cheng, and the world did not cease to serve Zhou; yet the Duke of Zhou faced north and went to pay court to him. The Son of Heaven cannot be borne by a youth and cannot be substituted for by a regent; if he is able, the world turns to him, and if not, the world leaves him; therefore the Duke of Zhou set King Cheng aside and continued King Wu's work to hold the world together, because he disliked that the world would leave Zhou. When King Cheng was capped and became an adult, the Duke of Zhou returned the government of Zhou and gave the position back, showing the righteousness of not destroying the ruler. The Duke of Zhou then did not have the world; formerly he had the world, and now he did not; this was not abdication. King Cheng formerly did not have the world and now had the world; this was not seizing; it was the change of power and the order and measure of the times. So to substitute a collateral branch for the ruler is not usurpation; to execute an elder brother by a younger brother is not cruelty; and for ruler and minister to exchange positions is not disobedience. Relying on the harmony of the world, he completed the work of Kings Wen and Wu and made clear the righteousness of the main line and the collateral branch; perhaps there were also changes, but the world's being at peace remained one and the same. Without a sage no one could have done it. This is called the proof of the great Ru.

秦昭王問孫卿子曰："儒無益於人之國。"

King Zhao of Qin asked Xun Qing: "The Ru have no benefit for a person's state."

孫卿子曰："儒者法先王，隆禮義，謹乎臣子而致貴其上者也。人主用之，則埶在本朝而宜；不用，則退編百姓而愨；必為順下矣。雖窮困凍餧，必不以邪道為貪。無置錐之地，而明於持社稷之大義。嘄呼而莫之能應，然而通乎財萬物，養百姓之經紀。埶在人上，則王公之材也；在人下，則社稷之臣，國君之寶也；雖隱於窮閻漏屋，人莫不貴之，道誠存也。

Xun Qing said: "The Ru model on the former kings, honor ritual and righteousness, are careful as ministers and exert themselves to esteem those above. When the ruler employs them, their authority at court is fitting; if not employed, they retire and are registered among the hundred clans and are scrupulous; they are certainly obedient common people. Even in poverty, cold and hunger, they certainly do not covet by heterodox means. Though without a place to stand an awl, they are clear in the great righteousness of preserving the altars of soil and grain. Though calling out with no one to answer, they are versed in the management of shaping the myriad things and nurturing the people. When their power is above others, they are material for kings and dukes; below others, they are ministers of the state and treasures of the ruler; even living in a poor lane with a leaking house, people esteem them, for the Way truly exists in them.

"仲尼將為司寇，沉猶氏不敢朝飲其羊，公慎氏出其妻，慎潰氏踰境而徙，魯之粥牛馬者不豫賈，修正以待之也。居於闕黨，闕黨之子弟罔不分，有親者取多，孝弟以化之也。儒者在本朝則美政，在下位則美俗。儒之為人下如是矣。"

"When Zhongni was about to become Minister of Crime, Shen You did not dare water his sheep in the morning, Gong Shen repudiated his wife, Shen Kui moved away across the border, and those in Lu who sold oxen and horses did not raise prices, all correcting themselves to await him. Living in Quedang, the young men of Quedang when hunting divided the catch, and those with parents took more, which he taught them by filial piety and fraternal respect. The Ru beautify government at court and beautify custom in a low position. This is how the Ru are when below others."

王曰："然則其為人上何如？"

The King said: "Then how are they when above others?"

孫卿曰："其為人上也，廣大矣！志意定乎內，禮節修乎朝，法則度量正乎官，忠信愛利形乎下。行一不義，殺一無罪，而得天下，不為也。此若義信乎人矣，通於四海，則天下應之如讙。是何也？則貴名白而天下治也。故近者歌謳而樂之，遠者竭蹶而趨之，四海之內若一家，通達之屬莫不從服。夫是之謂人師。詩曰：'自西自東，自南自北，無思不服。'此之謂也。夫其為人下也如彼，其為人上也如此，何謂其無益於人之國也！"

Xun Qing said: "When they are above others, how great! Their will and intentions are settled within, ritual is cultivated at court, laws and measures are upright in the offices, and loyalty, trust, love and benefit are manifest below. To do one unrighteous thing or kill one innocent person in order to gain the world, they would not do it. When such righteousness is believed and reaches the four seas, the world responds to them like a clamor. Why is this? Because the honored name is manifest and the world is well governed. So those near sing and delight in them, and those far exert themselves to hurry to them, the four seas are like one family, and wherever it reaches none does not submit. This is called a teacher of the people. The Greater Odes, "Wen Wang You Sheng," says: 'From west and from east, from south and from north, none thought of not submitting.' This is what is meant. When they are below others they are like that, and when above others they are like this; how can it be said they have no benefit for a person's state!"

昭王曰："善！"

King Zhao said: "Good!"

先王之道，人之隆也，比中而行之．曷謂中？曰：禮義是也．道者，非天之道，非地之道，人之所以道也，君子之所道也．君子之所謂賢者，非能遍能人之所能之謂也；君子之所謂知者，非能遍知人之所知之謂也；君子之所謂辯者，非能遍辯人之所辯之謂也；君子之所謂察者，非能遍察人之所察之謂也；有所止矣。相高下，視磽肥，序五種，君子不如農人；通貨財，相美惡，辯貴賤，君子不如賈人；設規矩，陳繩墨，便備用，君子不如工人；不恤是非然不然之情，以相薦樽，以相恥怍，君子不若惠施、鄧析。若夫譎德而定次，量能而授官，使賢不肖皆得其位，能不能皆得其官，萬物得其宜，事變得其應，慎墨不得進其談，惠施、鄧析不敢竄其察，言必當理，事必當務，是然後君子之所長也。

The Way of the former kings is what people honor, practiced by comparison with the mean. What is called the mean? It is said: ritual and righteousness. The Way is not the Way of Heaven and not the Way of Earth; it is what people walk, what the gentleman walks. What the gentleman calls worthy does not mean being able to do all that people can do; what the gentleman calls wise does not mean being able to know all that people know; what the gentleman calls eloquent does not mean being able to debate all that people debate; what the gentleman calls discerning does not mean being able to discern all that people discern; he has a place to stop. Observing high and low, examining poor and rich land, ordering the five grains: the gentleman is not as good as the farmer. Circulating goods, observing good and bad, distinguishing dear and cheap: the gentleman is not as good as the merchant. Setting up compass and square, laying out the ink-line, preparing what is convenient to use: the gentleman is not as good as the craftsman. Disregarding the facts of right and wrong, so and not so, in order to suppress one another and shame one another: the gentleman is not as good as Hui Shi and Deng Xi. But as for judging virtue and ordering ranks, weighing talent and assigning office, so that the worthy and the unworthy all get their places, the able and the unable all get their offices, the myriad things attain what is fitting, and changes of affairs are met, Shen Dao and Mo Di cannot advance their talk there, Hui Shi and Deng Xi dare not enter their discernment, his speech certainly accords with principle and his affairs certainly accord with what is needed: only this is what the gentleman excels at.

凡事行，有益於理者，立之；無益於理者，廢之。夫是之謂中事。凡知說，有益於理者，為之；無益於理者，舍之。夫是之謂中說。事行失中，謂之奸事；知說失中，謂之奸道。奸事、奸道，治世之所棄，而亂世之所從服也。若夫充虛之相施易也，"堅白""同異"之分隔也，是聰耳之所不能聽也，明目之所不能見也，辯士之所不能言也，雖有聖人之知，未能僂指也。不知無害為君子，知之無損為小人。工匠不知，無害為巧；君子不知，無害為治。王公好之則亂法，百姓好之則亂事。而狂惑戇陋之人，乃始率其群徒，辯其談說，明其闢稱，老身長子，不知惡也。夫是之謂上愚，曾不如相雞狗之可以為名也。詩曰："為鬼為蜮，則不可得，有靦面目，視人罔極。作此好歌，以極反側。"此之謂也。

All affairs and conduct that benefit principle are set up; those that do not benefit principle are abandoned. This is called the central affairs. All knowledge and theories that benefit principle are practiced; those that do not benefit principle are discarded. This is called the central theories. When affairs and conduct lose the mean, they are called treacherous affairs; when knowledge and theories lose the mean, they are called treacherous ways. Treacherous affairs and treacherous ways are what an orderly age discards and what a disorderly age follows. As for the interchange of the empty and the real, the separation of "hard and white" and "same and different," these are what sharp ears cannot hear, clear eyes cannot see, debaters cannot explain, and even one with a sage's wisdom cannot quickly point out. Not knowing them does not hinder being a gentleman, and knowing them does not diminish being a petty man. A craftsman who does not know them is not hindered in being skilled; a gentleman who does not know them is not hindered in governing. If kings and dukes like them they disturb the law, and if the hundred clans like them they disturb their work. But those who are mad, confused, foolish and crude begin to lead their groups, argue their theories, and make clear their analogies; when they themselves are old and their sons grown, they still do not know to dislike it. This is called the highest foolishness, and they would be better judging chickens and dogs, by which they could still make a name. The Minor Odes, "He Ren Si," says: "If you act as a ghost or a water-sprite, I cannot get hold of you; having a face to show to people, you look at people without a standard. I make this good song to exhaust your twisting and turning." This is what is meant.

我欲賤而貴，愚而智，貧而富，可乎？

I would like to go from lowly to honored, from foolish to wise, from poor to rich; is that possible?

曰：其唯學乎。彼學者，行之，曰士也；敦慕焉，君子也；知之，聖人也。上為聖人，下為士、君子，孰禁我哉！鄉也混然塗之人也，俄而並乎堯禹，豈不賤而貴矣哉！鄉也效門室之辨，混然曾不能決也，俄而原仁義，分是非，圓迴天下於掌上，而辯黑白，豈不愚而知矣哉！鄉也胥靡之人，俄而治天下之大器舉在此，豈不貧而富矣哉！今有人於此，屑然藏千溢之寶，雖行貣而食，人謂之富矣。彼寶也者，衣之不可衣也，食之不可食也，賣之不可僂售也，然而人謂之富，何也？豈不大富之器誠在此也？是杅杅亦富人已，豈不貧而富矣哉！故君子無爵而貴，無祿而富，不言而信，不怒而威，窮處而榮，獨居而樂！豈不至尊、至富、至重、至嚴之情舉積此哉！

It is said: probably only through learning. One who learns and practices it is called an officer; one who is diligent and aspires to it is a gentleman; one who understands it is a sage. Above to be a sage, below to be an officer or gentleman, who can stop me! Formerly one was a mere roadside person, and before long stands alongside Yao and Yu; is that not going from lowly to honored! Formerly one was confused imitating the distinctions of the household and could not decide anything, and before long traces the origin of humaneness and righteousness, distinguishes right and wrong, and turns the world in the palm of one's hand and distinguishes black and white; is that not going from foolish to wise! Formerly one was a person with nothing, and before long the great vessels for governing the world are all here; is that not going from poor to rich! Now suppose there is a person here who has carefully hidden a treasure worth a thousand yi; even if he lives by begging, people call him rich. That treasure cannot be worn, cannot be eaten, and cannot be sold quickly, yet people call him rich; why? Is it not that the vessels of great wealth are truly here? This is then a rich person; is that not going from poor to rich! So the gentleman without rank is honored, without salary is rich, without speaking is trusted, without anger is awe-inspiring, in poverty is glorious, and alone is happy! Is it not that the feelings of the utmost honor, wealth, weight and dignity are all gathered here!

故曰：貴名不可以比周爭也，不可以夸誕有也，不可以埶重脅也，必將誠此然後就也。爭之則失，讓之則至；遵道則積，夸誕則虛。故君子務修其內，而讓之於外；務積德於身，而處之以遵道。如是，則貴名起如日月，天下應之如雷霆。故曰：君子隱而顯，微而明，辭讓而勝。詩曰："鶴鳴於九皋，聲聞於天。"此之謂也。鄙夫反是：比周而譽俞少，鄙爭而名俞辱，煩勞以求安利，其身俞危。詩曰："民之無良，相怨一方，受爵不讓，至於己斯亡。"此之謂也。

So it is said: an honored name cannot be fought for by partisanship, cannot be possessed by boasting, and cannot be extorted by power; one must be sincere in this and then it is completed. If you contend for it, you lose it; if you yield it, it comes; follow the Way and it accumulates, boast and it is empty. So the gentleman strives to cultivate himself inward and yield outward; strives to accumulate virtue in himself and to place himself by following the Way. In this way an honored name rises like the sun and moon, and the world responds like thunder. So it is said: the gentleman is hidden yet manifest, subtle yet bright, and surpasses through yielding. The Minor Odes, "He Ming," says: "The crane cries in the ninth marsh, its voice is heard in Heaven." This is what is meant. The petty man is the opposite: with partisanship his reputation lessens, with vulgar contention his name is more disgraced, and the more he toils to seek security and profit the more his own person is endangered. The Minor Odes, "Jiao Gong," says: "The people are not good, they resent one another in one place; receiving rank without yielding, to the point of self-destruction." This is what is meant.

故能小而事大，闢之是猶力之少而任重也，舍粹折無適也。身不肖而誣賢，是猶傴伸而好升高也，指其頂者愈眾。故明主譎德而序位，所以為不亂也；忠臣誠能然後敢受職，所以為不窮也。分不亂於上，能不窮於下，治辯之極也。詩曰："平平左右，亦是率從。"是言上下之交不相亂也。

So to be small in talent yet do great things is like having little strength yet carrying a heavy load, with no road except breaking and snapping. To be unworthy oneself yet falsely claim to be worthy is like a hunchback who likes to climb high, with ever more people pointing at his crown. So an enlightened ruler judges virtue and arranges positions in order not to be in disorder; a loyal minister truly has ability before he dares accept duties, so as not to be in difficulty. When distinctions above are not disordered and ability below is not in difficulty, this is the utmost of order and discrimination. The Minor Odes, "Cai Shu," says: "The level left and right also follow one another." This means that the relations between high and low do not disorder each other.

以從俗為善，以貨財為寶，以養生為己至道，是民德也。行法至堅，不以私慾亂所聞：如是，則可謂勁士矣。行法至堅，好修正其所聞，以橋飾其情性；其言多當矣，而未諭也；其行多當矣，而未安也；其知慮多當矣，而未周密也；上則能大其所隆，下則能開道不己若者：如是，則可謂篤厚君子矣。修百王之法，若辨白黑；應當時之變，若數一二；行禮要節而安之，若生四枝；要時立功之巧，若詔四時；平正和民之善，億萬之眾而搏若一人：如是，則可謂聖人矣。

To take conforming to custom as good, goods and wealth as treasure, and nourishing life as one's own utmost Way is the virtue of the common people. One who practices the law with the utmost firmness and does not let private desires disturb what he has heard: such a one may be called a stalwart officer. One who practices the law with the utmost firmness and likes to correct what he has heard to refine his feelings and nature; whose words are mostly fitting but not yet clearly explained; whose conduct is mostly fitting but not yet at ease; whose plans and thoughts are mostly fitting but not yet thorough; who above can enlarge what he honors and below can guide those not equal to himself: such a one may be called a sincere gentleman. One who cultivates the laws of the hundred kings as if distinguishing black and white; who responds to the changes of the time as if counting one and two; who practices ritual, holds to restraint and is at ease in it as if growing four limbs; who is skilled in grasping occasions and establishing merit, as if proclaiming the four seasons; who levels and harmonizes the people's good, with hundreds of millions of people joined as if one person: such a one may be called a sage.

井井兮其有理也，嚴嚴兮其能敬己也，分分兮其有終始也，猒猒兮其能長久也，樂樂兮其執道不殆也，照照兮其用知之明也，修修兮其用統類之行也，綏綏兮其有文章也，熙熙兮其樂人之臧也，隱隱兮其恐人之不當也：如是，則可謂聖人矣。此其道出乎一。曷謂一？曰：執神而固。曷謂神？曰：盡善挾治之謂神，萬物莫足以傾之之謂固。神固之謂聖人。

Orderly, he has structure; stern, he can revere himself; clearly divided, he has beginning and end; satisfied, he can last long; joyful, he holds the Way without slackness; bright, he uses the clarity of wisdom; neat, he acts by thorough categories; peaceful, he has refinement; cheerful, he delights in others' goodness; deeply anxious, he fears others' being unfitting: such a one may be called a sage. This Way comes from the One. What is called the One? It is said: holding to the divine and firm. What is called divine? It is said: complete goodness and all-embracing order is called divine, and that which the myriad things cannot overturn is called firm. One who is divine and firm is called a sage.

聖人也者，道之管也：天下之道管是矣，百王之道一是矣。故詩書禮樂之道歸是矣。詩言是其志也，書言是其事也，禮言是其行也，樂言是其和也，春秋言是其微也，故風之所以為不逐者，取是以節之也，小雅之所以為小雅者，取是而文之也，大雅之所以為大雅者，取是而光之也，頌之所以為至者，取是而通之也。天下之道畢是矣。鄉是者臧，倍是者亡；鄉是如不臧，倍是如不亡者，自古及今，未嘗有也。

The sage is the steward of the Way: the Way of the world is stewarded here, and the Way of the hundred kings is unified here. So the Way of the Odes, Documents, Rites and Music all returns here. The Odes speak of this aim, the Documents speak of this affair, the Rites speak of this conduct, the Music speaks of this harmony, and the Spring and Autumn Annals speaks of these subtle words. So the reason the Airs of the States do not become licentious is that they take this to restrain them; the reason the Minor Odes are the Minor Odes is that they take this to refine them; the reason the Greater Odes are the Greater Odes is that they take this to magnify them; the reason the Hymns are the utmost is that they take this to penetrate them. The Way of the world is complete here. Those who turn toward it are good, and those who turn away from it perish; that those who turn toward it are not good, or those who turn away from it do not perish, has never been, from antiquity to the present.

客有道曰：孔子曰："周公其盛乎！身貴而愈恭，家富而愈儉，勝敵而愈戒。"

A guest praised and said: Confucius said: "The Duke of Zhou was most eminent! When he was himself honored he became more respectful, when his house was rich he became more frugal, and when he conquered his enemies he became more watchful."

應之曰：是殆非周公之行，非孔子之言也。武王崩，成王幼，周公屏成王而及武王，履天子之籍，負扆而立，諸侯趨走堂下。當是時也，夫又誰為恭矣哉！兼制天下立七十一國，姬姓獨居五十三人焉；周之子孫，苟不狂惑者，莫不為天下之顯諸侯。孰謂周公儉哉！武王之誅紂也，行之日以兵忌，東面而迎太歲，至泛而泛，至懷而壞，至共頭而山隧。霍叔懼曰："出三日而五災至，無乃不可乎？"周公曰："刳比干而囚箕子，飛廉、惡來知政，夫又惡有不可焉！"遂選馬而進，朝食於戚，暮宿於百泉，旦厭於牧之野。鼓之而紂卒易鄉，遂乘殷人而誅紂。蓋殺者非周人，因殷人也。故無首虜之獲，無蹈難之賞。反而定三革，偃五兵，合天下，立聲樂，於是武象起而韶護廢矣。四海之內，莫不變心易慮以化順之。故外闔不閉，跨天下而無蘄。當是時也，夫又誰為戒矣哉！

He was answered: This is probably not the Duke of Zhou's conduct and not Confucius's words. When King Wu died, King Cheng was young, and the Duke of Zhou set King Cheng aside and continued King Wu's work, stepped onto the position of Son of Heaven, stood with his back to the screen, with the lords hurrying below the hall. At that time, toward whom was he respectful! He ruled the whole world and established seventy-one states, with the Ji surname alone holding fifty-three; the descendants of Zhou, if not mad or confused, were all notable lords of the world. Who says the Duke of Zhou was frugal! When King Wu executed Zhou, the day of departure was a taboo day for the military, he went east facing the Jupiter direction, and arriving at the Si River the river was in flood, arriving at Huai City the city collapsed, and arriving at Mount Gongtou the mountain fell. Huo Shu was afraid and said: "Three days after setting out five disasters have come; I fear it cannot be done?" The Duke of Zhou said: "Bi Gan was cut open and Jizi imprisoned, Feilian and Elai hold government; what is there that cannot be done!" Then he chose horses and advanced, ate breakfast at Qi, lodged at Baiquan, and at dawn pressed on Muye. When the drums were beaten, Zhou's soldiers turned their direction, and so relying on the Yin people they executed Zhou. In general, those who killed were not the Zhou people but relied on the Yin people. So there were no heads taken as captives and no rewards for facing danger. Returning, he settled the three kinds of armor and stored the five kinds of weapons, assembled the world and set up music, and then the Wu Xiang dance rose and the Shao and Hu were abandoned. Within the four seas none did not change their hearts, be transformed and comply. So the outer gates were not closed, and he held the world without boundary. At that time, against whom was he watchful!

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。輿固馬選矣，而不能以至遠，一日而千里，則非造父也。弓調矢直矣，而不能射遠中微，則非羿也。用百里之地，而不能以調一天下，制強暴，則非大儒也。

Zaofu was the best driver in the world, but without chariot and horses there is no way to show his talent. Yi was the best archer in the world, but without bow and arrows there is no way to show his skill. The great Ru is the best at harmonizing and unifying the world, but without a hundred li of land there is no way to show his merit. If the chariot is sturdy and the horses chosen but one cannot reach far places and run a thousand li a day, that is not Zaofu. If the bow is tuned and the arrows straight but one cannot shoot far and hit the tiny, that is not Yi. If with a hundred li of land one cannot harmonize and unify the world and subdue the strong and violent, that is not a great Ru.

彼大儒者，雖隱於窮閻漏屋，無置錐之地，而王公不能與之爭名；在一大夫之位，則一君不能獨畜，一國不能獨容，成名況乎諸侯，莫不願得以為臣。用百里之地，而千里之國莫能與之爭勝；笞棰暴國，齊一天下，而莫能傾也。是大儒之徵也。其言有類，其行有禮，其舉事無悔，其持險應變曲當。與時遷徙，與世偃仰，千舉萬變，其道一也。是大儒之稽也。其窮也俗儒笑之；其通也英傑化之，嵬瑣逃之，邪說畏之，眾人媿之。通則一天下，窮則獨立貴名，天不能死，地不能埋，桀蹠之世不能汙，非大儒莫之能立，仲尼、子弓是也。

That great Ru, even living in a poor lane with a leaking house, with no place to stand an awl, the kings and dukes cannot contend with him for name; in the position of a single grand master, a single ruler cannot keep him alone and a single state cannot contain him alone, his reputation is compared to the lords', and none is unwilling to gain him as minister. With a hundred li of land, no state of a thousand li can contend with him for victory; he whips the violent states and unifies the world, and none can overturn him. This is the proof of the great Ru. His words have categories, his conduct has ritual, in undertaking things he has no regret, and in holding to danger and responding to change he is fitting in every turn. He shifts with the times and bends and rises with the age; through a thousand actions and ten thousand changes, his Way is one. This is the test of the great Ru. When he is in difficulty the vulgar Ru mock him; when he is successful the heroes are transformed by him, the petty flee, the heterodox fear him, and the multitude are ashamed before him. When successful he unifies the world, and when in difficulty he stands alone with an honored name; Heaven cannot make him die, Earth cannot bury him, the age of Jie and Zhi cannot defile him; without a great Ru none could stand like this, as with Zhongni and Zigong.

故有俗人者，有俗儒者，有雅儒者，有大儒者。不學問，無正義，以富利為隆，是俗人者也。逢衣淺帶，解果其冠，略法先王而足亂世術，繆學雜舉，不知法后王而一制度，不知隆禮義而殺詩書；其衣冠行偽已同於世俗矣，然而不知惡；其言議談說已無異於墨子矣，然而明不能別；呼先王以欺愚者而求衣食焉；得委積足以揜其口，則揚揚如也；隨其長子，事其便辟，舉其上客，億然若終身之虜而不敢有他志：是俗儒者也。法后王，一制度，隆禮義而殺詩書；其言行已有大法矣，然而明不能齊法教之所不及，聞見之所未至，則知不能類也；知之曰知之，不知曰不知，內不自以誣，外不自以欺，以是尊賢畏法而不敢怠傲：是雅儒者也。法先王，統禮義，一制度；以淺持博，以古持今，以一持萬；苟仁義之類也，雖在鳥獸之中，若別白黑；倚物怪變，所未嘗聞也，所未嘗見也，卒然起一方，則舉統類而應之，無所儗作；張法而度之，則晻然若合符節：是大儒者也。

So there are vulgar people, vulgar Ru, refined Ru and great Ru. One who does not study, has no righteousness, and takes wealth and profit as honored is a vulgar person. One with a broad garment, narrow belt, a cap high in the middle and low at the sides, who roughly models on the former kings enough to disturb the arts of the age, who studies erroneously and cites in a mixed way, who does not know to model on the later kings and unify institutions, does not know to honor ritual and righteousness and reduce the Odes and Documents; whose dress and conduct are already the same as the vulgar, yet he does not know to dislike it; whose discussions are already no different from those of Mozi, yet his discernment cannot tell; who calls on the former kings to deceive the foolish and seek food and clothing; who, getting enough stored grain to fill his mouth, is complacent; who follows that senior, serves that favorite, lifts that chief guest, calmly like a lifelong captive and dares not hold another aim: this is the vulgar Ru. One who models on the later kings, unifies institutions, honors ritual and righteousness and reduces the Odes and Documents; whose words and conduct already have great standards, yet whose discernment cannot unify what the teachings of law do not reach and what hearing and seeing have not reached, so his wisdom cannot extend by analogy; who says he knows what he knows and says he does not know what he does not know, who within does not use this to deceive himself and outwardly does not use it to deceive others, and so honors the worthy, fears the law and dares not be lax or proud: this is the refined Ru. One who models on the former kings, governs ritual and righteousness, and unifies institutions; who holds the broad by the shallow, the present by the ancient, and the myriad by the one; who, if it is of the kind of humaneness and righteousness, even among birds and beasts distinguishes it as black from white; who, when strange things and odd changes never heard or seen before suddenly arise from one quarter, raises the thorough categories to respond with no doubt or hesitation; who sets up standards to measure them and matches them as if fitting tallies: this is the great Ru.

故人主用俗人，則萬乘之國亡；用俗儒，則萬乘之國存；用雅儒，則千乘之國安；用大儒，則百里之地，久而後三年，天下為一，諸侯為臣；用萬乘之國，則舉錯而定，一朝而伯。

So if a ruler employs vulgar people, a state of ten thousand chariots perishes; if he employs vulgar Ru, a state of ten thousand chariots can barely survive; if he employs refined Ru, a state of a thousand chariots is at peace; if he employs great Ru, with a hundred li of land, over time, then within three years, the world is unified and the lords become ministers; applied to a state of ten thousand chariots, measures are settled at once and in a single morning he becomes hegemon.

不聞不若聞之，聞之不若見之，見之不若知之，知之不若行之。學至於行之而止矣。行之，明也；明之為聖人。聖人也者，本仁義，當是非，齊言行，不失豪釐，無他道焉，已乎行之矣。故聞之而不見，雖博必謬；見之而不知，雖識必妄；知之而不行，雖敦必困。不聞不見，則雖當，非仁也。其道百舉而百陷也。

Not hearing is not as good as hearing, hearing is not as good as seeing, seeing is not as good as knowing, and knowing is not as good as practicing. Learning reaches its end in practice. Practice is clarity; with clarity one becomes a sage. The sage is rooted in humaneness and righteousness, is fitting in right and wrong, unifies words and conduct, and does not err by a hair (the base text has a variant for 'hair'); there is no other Way than in practicing. So hearing but not seeing, even if broad, is certainly mistaken; seeing but not knowing, even if remembered, is certainly false; knowing but not practicing, even if sincere, is certainly in difficulty. Without hearing and seeing, even if fitting, it is not humaneness. That Way, in a hundred actions, falls in a hundred times.

故人無師無法而知，則必為盜，勇則必為賊，雲能則必為亂，察則必為怪，辯則必為誕；人有師有法，而知則速通，勇則速畏，雲能則速成，察則速盡，辯則速論。故有師法者，人之大寶也；無師法者，人之大殃也。人無師法，則隆性矣；有師法，則隆積矣。而師法者，所得乎積，非所受乎性。性不足以獨立而治。性也者，吾所不能為也，然而可化也。積也者，非吾所有也，然而可為也。注錯習俗，所以化性也；並一而不二，所以成積也。習俗移志，安久移質。並一而不二，則通於神明，參於天地矣。

So when a person has no teacher and no model but has intelligence, he is sure to become a thief; if he has courage, he is sure to become a bandit; if he claims ability, he is sure to cause disorder; if he is discerning, he is sure to become a freak; if he is a good debater, he is sure to be extravagant and false. When a person has a teacher and a model, intelligence leads him quickly to understanding, courage quickly to knowing fear, ability quickly to accomplishment, discernment quickly to thoroughness, and debating quickly to settled conclusions. So having a teacher and a model is a person's great treasure; having no teacher and no model is a person's great calamity. A person without a teacher and a model honors his nature; a person with a teacher and a model honors accumulation. Teachers and models come from accumulation, not from what is received in one's nature. Nature is not enough to stand on its own and govern. Nature is what I cannot make, yet it can be transformed; accumulation is not what I possess, yet it can be done. Arranging customs is what transforms nature; being single-minded and undivided is what completes accumulation. Customs change one's aims, and being settled in them long changes one's disposition. If one is single-minded and undivided, one reaches the spirits and the bright and forms a triad with Heaven and Earth.

故積土而為山，積水而為海，旦暮積謂之歲，至高謂之天，至下謂之地，宇中六指謂之極，塗之人－－百姓，積善而全盡，謂之聖人。彼求之而後得，為之而後成，積之而後高，盡之而後聖，故聖人也者，人之所積也。人積耨耕而為農夫，積斲削而為工匠，積反貨而為商賈，積禮義而為君子。工匠之子，莫不繼事，而都國之民安習其服，居楚而楚，居越而越，居夏而夏，是非天性也，積靡使然也。故人知謹注錯，慎習俗，大積靡，則為君子矣。縱情性而不足問學，則為小人矣；為君子則常安榮矣，為小人則常危辱矣。凡人莫不欲安榮而惡危辱，故唯君子為能得其所好，小人則日徼其所惡。詩曰："維此良人，弗求弗迪；唯彼忍心，是顧是復。民之貪亂，寧為荼毒。"此之謂也。

So piling up earth makes a mountain, piling up water makes a sea, piling up mornings and evenings makes a year; the highest is called Heaven, the lowest is called Earth, and the six directions within the universe are called the limits; and the man on the road, the common person, who accumulates goodness until it is complete and exhaustive, is called a sage. He sought and then obtained, acted and then accomplished, accumulated and then rose, and exhausted it and then became a sage, so a sage is what a person accumulates himself into. A person who accumulates plowing and hoeing becomes a farmer, one who accumulates chopping and shaving becomes a craftsman, one who accumulates trading in goods becomes a merchant, and one who accumulates ritual and righteousness becomes a gentleman. Sons of craftsmen all carry on the trade, and the people of the capital are content with practicing their affairs; living in Chu they are like Chu people, living in Yue like Yue people, living in the Xia lands like people of Xia; this is not their nature but the result of accumulation and gradual influence. So if a person knows to be careful in arrangement and attentive to customs, and greatly accumulates gradual influence, he becomes a gentleman; if he indulges his nature and feelings and does not apply himself to study and inquiry, he becomes a petty man. Becoming a gentleman means constant security and honor; becoming a petty man means constant danger and disgrace. There is no one who does not want security and honor and hate danger and disgrace, so only the gentleman can obtain what he likes, while the petty man daily brings on what he hates. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, "Sangrou", says: "This good man does not seek advancement and is not promoted; that cruel heart yet cares and turns back and forth. The people, greedy for disorder, would rather do bitter poison." This is what it means.

人論：志不免於曲私，而冀人之以己為公也；行不免於汙漫，而冀人之以己為修也；甚愚陋溝瞀，而冀人之以己為知也：是眾人也。志忍私，然後能公；行忍情性，然後能修；知而好問，然後能才；公修而才，可謂小儒矣。志安公，行安修，知通統類：如是則可謂大儒矣。大儒者，天子三公也；小儒者，諸侯、大夫、士也；眾人者，工農商賈也。禮者、人主之所以為群臣寸尺尋丈檢式也。人倫盡矣。

The categories of people: those whose aims cannot avoid being crooked and selfish yet hope others take them as impartial; whose conduct cannot avoid being filthy and loose yet hope others take them as well ordered; who are extremely ignorant and dull yet hope others take them as wise: these are the common people. Those whose aims overcome selfishness and so can be impartial; whose conduct overcomes their feelings and so can be well ordered; who are wise and love to inquire and so can have ability: if impartial, well ordered and able, they can be called minor Confucians. Those whose aims rest in impartiality, whose conduct rests in being well ordered, and whose wisdom reaches the unifying categories: such can be called great Confucians. The great Confucians are the Three Dukes of the Son of Heaven; the minor Confucians are the feudal lords, grand masters and gentlemen; and the common people are artisans, farmers and merchants. Ritual is what the ruler uses as the inch-and-foot, fathom-and-ten-foot standard for his ministers. Then human relations are complete.

君子言有壇宇，行有防表，道有一隆。言政治之求，不下於安存；言志意之求，不下於士；言道德之求，不二后王。道過三代謂之蕩，法二后王謂之不雅。高之下之，小之巨之，不外是矣。是君子之所以騁志意於壇宇宮廷也。故諸侯問政，不及安存，則不告也。匹夫問學，不及為士，則不教也。百家之說，不及后王，則不聽也。夫是之謂君子言有壇宇，行有防表也。

The gentleman's speech has boundaries like an altar enclosure, and his conduct has barriers and markers, and the Way has one thing it honors. In discussing government, what he seeks is not lower than security and survival; in discussing aims, what he seeks is not lower than that of a gentleman-scholar; in discussing virtue, what he seeks does not depart from the later kings. A Way that goes beyond the Three Dynasties is called dissolute, and laws that depart from the later kings are called inelegant. Raise it or lower it, narrow it or widen it, it does not go beyond this. This is how the gentleman gallops his aims within the altar enclosure and the courtyard. So when a feudal lord asks about government, if it does not touch on security and survival, he does not tell him; when a commoner asks about learning, if it does not touch on becoming a gentleman-scholar, he does not teach him; the doctrines of the hundred schools, if they do not touch on the later kings, he does not listen to. This is what is meant by the gentleman's speech having boundaries and his conduct having barriers and markers.

請問為政？曰：賢能不待次而舉，罷不能不待須而廢，元惡不待教而誅，中庸不待政而化。分未定也，則有昭繆。雖王公士大夫之子孫也，不能屬於禮義，則歸之庶人。雖庶人之子孫也，積文學，正身行，能屬於禮義，則歸之卿相士大夫。故奸言，奸說，奸事，奸能，遁逃反側之民，職而教之，須而待之，勉之以慶賞，懲之以刑罰。安職則畜，不安職則棄。五疾，上收而養之，材而事之，官施而衣食之，兼覆無遺。才行反時者死無赦。夫是之謂天德，是王者之政也。

May I ask how to govern? It is said: the worthy and capable are promoted without waiting for rank order, the incompetent and weak are dismissed without waiting a moment, the greatly wicked are executed without waiting for transformation, and the mediocre are transformed without waiting for government teaching. Before status is settled, there is the distinction of the zhao and mu ancestral ranks. Even descendants of kings, dukes, gentlemen and grand masters, if they cannot be brought under ritual and righteousness, are assigned to the common people. Even descendants of commoners, if they accumulate learning, correct their conduct, and can be brought under ritual and righteousness, are assigned to ministers, chancellors, gentlemen and grand masters. So for those with wicked words, wicked doctrines, wicked deeds, wicked abilities, or who flee and turn back and forth, give them tasks and transform them; wait for them and treat them accordingly; encourage them with rewards and warn them with punishments. If they are content with their tasks, support them; if they are not content with their tasks, cast them out. The five kinds of the disabled the ruler should take in and feed, giving them work according to their abilities, and the officials should provide them clothing and food, covering all without omission. Those whose talent and conduct go against the times are put to death without pardon. This is called Heaven's virtue, and is the government of a true king.

聽政之大分：以善至者待之以禮，以不善至者待之以刑。兩者分別，則賢不肖不雜，是非不亂。賢不肖不雜，則英傑至，是非不亂，則國家治。若是，名聲日聞，天下願，令行禁止，王者之事畢矣。

The great principle of hearing government cases: those who come with good are treated with ritual, and those who come with bad are treated with punishment. When the two are distinguished, the worthy and unworthy are not mixed, and right and wrong are not confused. When the worthy and unworthy are not mixed, heroes come; when right and wrong are not confused, the state is well ordered. In this way, one's name is heard day by day, the world looks up to him, orders are carried out and prohibitions obeyed, and the work of a king is completed.

凡聽：威嚴猛厲，而不好假道人，則下畏恐而不親，周閉而不竭。若是，則大事殆乎弛，小事殆乎遂。和解調通，好假道人，而無所凝止之，則奸言並至，嘗試之說鋒起。若是，則聽大事煩，是又傷之也。故法而不議，則法之所不至者必廢。職而不通，則職之所不及者必隊。故法而議，職而通，無隱謀，無遺善，而百事無過，非君子莫能。故公平者，聽之衡也；中和者，聽之繩也。其有法者以法行，無法者以類舉，聽之盡也。偏黨而不經，聽之闢也。故有良法而亂者，有之矣，有君子而亂者，自古及今，未嘗聞也。傳曰："治生乎君子，亂生乎小人。"此之謂也。

In general, in hearing government cases: if one is severe and fierce and does not like to be lenient and guide people, then those below will be fearful and not close to him, will hide things and not speak fully. In this case, great affairs will come close to slackness, and small affairs will come close to collapse. If one is conciliatory and open, and likes to be lenient and guide people, but has no place where things settle, then wicked words will all arrive and experimental theories will arise like bees. In this case, the great matters of hearing and deciding become complicated, and this again does harm. So if there are laws without discussion, where the laws do not reach things will surely go to ruin. If there are duties without thorough understanding, where duties do not reach things will surely fall. So to have laws and discuss them, to have duties and thoroughly understand them, with no hidden plans and no overlooked good, and all affairs without fault, only a gentleman can do. So impartiality is the balance of hearing government, and the middle path is its cord. Those with laws are carried out by law, and those without laws are raised by analogy; this is the utmost of hearing government. Partiality and not conforming to the regular is the wickedness of hearing government. So that a state with good laws should be in disorder happens; but that a state with a gentleman should be in disorder has never been heard of from antiquity to the present. The tradition says: "Order is born from the gentleman, and disorder is born from the petty man." This is what it means.

分均則不偏，埶齊則不壹，眾齊則不使。有天有地，而上下有差；明王始立，而處國有制。夫兩貴之不能相事，兩賤之不能相使，是天數也。埶位齊，而欲惡同，物不能澹則必爭；爭則必亂，亂則窮矣。先王惡其亂也，故制禮義以分之，使有貧富貴賤之等，足以相兼臨者，是養天下之本也。書曰："維齊非齊。"此之謂也。

When status is equal, no one can be favored; when power is equal, no one can unify; when people are equal, no one can be employed. There is Heaven and there is Earth, and above and below differ; when an enlightened king first establishes his position, those who dwell in the state have institutions. That two nobles cannot serve each other and two lowly ones cannot command each other is the number of Heaven. When power and position are equal and likes and dislikes are the same, if things cannot supply them they will surely compete; if they compete there will surely be disorder, and disorder leads to ruin. The former kings hated that disorder, so they established ritual and righteousness to divide them, so that there would be ranks of rich and poor, noble and lowly, sufficient for them to oversee each other; this is the root of nourishing the world. The Book of Documents says: "What is called equal and correct is that which is unequal." This is what it means.

馬駭輿，則君子不安輿；庶人駭政，則君子不安位。馬駭輿，則莫若靜之；庶人駭政，則莫若惠之。選賢良，舉篤敬，興孝弟，收孤寡，補貧窮。如是，則庶人安政矣。庶人安政，然後君子安位。傳曰："君者、舟也，庶人者、水也；水則載舟，水則覆舟。"此之謂也。故君人者，欲安、則莫若平政愛民矣；欲榮、則莫若隆禮敬士矣；欲立功名、則莫若尚賢使能矣。－是人君之大節也。三節者當，則其餘莫不當矣。三節者不當，則其餘雖曲當，猶將無益也。孔子曰："大節是也，小節是也，上君也；大節是也，小節一齣焉，一入焉，中君也；大節非也，小節雖是也，吾無觀其餘矣。"

When a horse startles the carriage, the gentleman in the carriage is not at ease; when the common people startle the government, the gentleman in his position is not at ease. When a horse startles the carriage, nothing is better than calming it; when the common people startle the government, nothing is better than bestowing kindness. Select the worthy and good, promote the sincere and reverent, raise up filial piety and brotherly respect, take in orphans and widows, and relieve the poor. In this way, the common people are at ease with the government. When the common people are at ease with the government, only then is the gentleman at ease in his position. The tradition says: "The ruler is the boat, and the common people are the water; water can carry the boat, and water can overturn the boat." This is what it means. So one who is a ruler, if he wishes to be secure, nothing is better than evening out government and loving the people; if he wishes to be honored, nothing is better than honoring ritual and respecting gentlemen; if he wishes to establish merit and fame, nothing is better than esteeming the worthy and employing the capable. These are the ruler's great principles. If the three principles are right, the rest is all right; if the three are not right, then even if the rest are right in their details, it will be no use. Confucius said: "When the great principles are right and the small ones are right too, he is a first-rate ruler; when the great principles are right and the small ones come and go, he is a middling ruler; when the great principles are wrong, even if the small ones are right, I will not look at the rest."

成侯、嗣公聚斂計數之君也，未及取民也。子產取民者也，未及為政也。管仲為政者也，未及修禮也。故修禮者王，為政者強，取民者安，聚斂者亡。故王者富民，霸者富士，僅存之國富大夫，亡國富筐篋，實府庫。筐篋已富，府庫已實，而百姓貧：夫是之謂上溢而下漏。入不可以守，出不可以戰，則傾覆滅亡可立而待也。故我聚之以亡，敵得之以強。聚斂者，召寇、肥敵、亡國、危身之道也，故明君不蹈也。

Marquis Cheng and Duke Si were rulers who gathered revenue and counted numbers, and had not yet reached winning the people's hearts. Zichan was one who won the people's hearts, and had not yet reached governing. Guan Zhong was one who governed, and had not yet reached cultivating ritual. So one who cultivates ritual becomes king, one who governs becomes strong, one who wins the people's hearts is secure, and one who gathers revenue perishes. So a king makes the people rich, a hegemon makes the gentlemen rich, a state that barely survives makes the grand masters rich, and a state that is lost makes its chests and boxes rich and its storehouses full. When the chests and boxes are already rich and the storehouses already full, while the people are poor, this is called overflowing above and leaking below. Going in it cannot defend, going out it cannot fight, and overturn and ruin can be awaited standing. So what I gather leads me to ruin, and enemies who get it become strong. Gathering is the road of inviting bandits, fattening enemies, ruining the state and endangering oneself, and so an enlightened ruler does not take it.

王奪之人，霸奪之與，強奪之地。奪之人者臣諸侯，奪之與者友諸侯，奪之地者敵諸侯。臣諸侯者王，友諸侯者霸，敵諸侯者危。

A king takes people, a hegemon takes allied states, and a strong ruler takes land. One who takes people makes the feudal lords his subjects, one who takes allied states makes friends with the feudal lords, and one who takes land becomes the enemy of the feudal lords. One who makes the feudal lords his subjects becomes king, one who makes friends with the feudal lords becomes hegemon, and one who makes enemies of the feudal lords is in danger.

用強者：人之城守，人之出戰，而我以力勝之也，則傷人之民必甚矣；傷人之民甚，則人之民必惡我甚矣；人之民惡我甚，則日欲與我鬥。人之城守，人之出戰，而我以力勝之，則傷吾民必甚矣；傷吾民甚，則吾民之惡我必甚矣；吾民之惡我甚，則日不欲為我鬥。人之民日欲與我鬥，吾民日不欲為我鬥，是強者之所以反弱也。地來而民去，累多而功少，雖守者益，所以守者損，是以大者之所以反削也。諸侯莫不懷交接怨，而不忘其敵，伺強大之間，承強大之敝，此強大之殆時也。

One who relies on force: when another's city defends and another's army comes out and I overcome them with force, the harm to the other's people must be very great; when the harm to the other's people is great, the other's people hate me very much; when the other's people hate me very much, they daily want to fight me. When another's city defends and another's army comes out and I overcome them with force, the harm to my own people must be very great; when the harm to my own people is great, my people hate me very much; when my own people hate me very much, they daily do not want to fight for me. When the other's people daily want to fight me and my own people daily do not want to fight for me, this is why the strong become weak instead. When land comes and the people leave, the burdens are many and the achievement small, and though what is to be defended increases, what is used to defend decreases; this is why the large become diminished instead. The feudal lords all harbor the resentment of dealing with a strong state and do not forget their enemies, watch for gaps in the strong and large, and take advantage of their exhaustion; this is the time of danger for the strong and large.

知強大者不務強也，慮以王命，全其力，凝其德。力全則諸侯不能弱也，德凝則諸侯不能削也，天下無王霸主，則常勝矣：是知強道者也。

One who knows how to be strong and large does not strive for strength but thinks about using the king's mandate, preserving his strength, and consolidating his virtue. When strength is preserved the feudal lords cannot weaken him, and when virtue is consolidated the feudal lords cannot diminish him, and when the world has no king or hegemon he always wins: this is one who knows the way of strength.

彼霸者則不然：闢田野，實倉廩，便備用，案謹募選閱材伎之士，然後漸慶賞以先之，嚴刑罰以糾之。存亡繼絕，衛弱禁暴，而無兼幷之心，則諸侯親之矣。修友敵之道，以敬接諸侯，則諸侯說之矣。所以親之者，以不幷也；幷之見，則諸侯疏矣。所以說之者，以友敵也；臣之見，則諸侯離矣。故明其不幷之行，信其友敵之道，天下無王霸主，則常勝矣。是知霸道者也。

The hegemon is not like that: he opens up fields, fills the granaries, makes things convenient and ready for use, and then carefully recruits, selects and reviews gentlemen of talent and skill, gradually guiding them with rewards and correcting them with strict punishments. He preserves the perishing and continues broken lines, protects the weak and restrains the violent, and has no heart of annexation, and so the feudal lords draw close to him. He practices the way of dealing with allied states as equals and meets the feudal lords with reverence, and so the feudal lords are pleased with him. They draw close to him because he does not annex; when annexation is manifest, the feudal lords grow distant. They are pleased with him because he treats them as equal friends; when subjection is manifest, the feudal lords leave. So he makes clear his conduct of not annexing and keeps faith with his way of treating them as equal friends, and when the world has no king or hegemon he always wins. This is one who knows the way of the hegemon.

閔王毀於五國，桓公劫於魯莊，無它故焉，非其道而慮之以王也。

King Min of Qi was ruined by five states, and Duke Huan was seized by Duke Zhuang of Lu, for no other reason than that they did not accord with the way and planned as kings.

彼王者不然：仁眇天下，義眇天下，威眇天下。仁眇天下，故天下莫不親也；義眇天下，故天下莫不貴也；威眇天下，故天下莫敢敵也。以不敵之威，輔服人之道，故不戰而勝，不攻而得，甲兵不勞而天下服，是知王道者也。知此三具者，欲王而王，欲霸而霸，欲強而強矣。

The king is not like this: his benevolence is highest in the world, his righteousness is highest in the world, and his authority is highest in the world. Because his benevolence is highest in the world, none in the world fails to be close to him; because his righteousness is highest in the world, none in the world fails to respect him; because his authority is highest in the world, none in the world dares to be his enemy. Using authority that cannot be opposed, supported by the way that makes people submit, he wins without fighting, gains without attacking, and the world submits without the labor of armor and weapons; this is one who knows the way of the king. One who knows these three fully prepared can be king if he wishes to be king, hegemon if he wishes to be hegemon, and strong if he wishes to be strong.

王者之人：飾動以禮義，聽斷以類，明振毫末，舉措應變而不窮，夫是之謂有原。是王者之人也。

The person of a king: he adorns his actions with ritual and righteousness, hears and decides by categories, his discernment stirs even to the tip of a hair, and his measures and responses to change are inexhaustible; this is called having a source. This is the person of a king.

王者之制：道不過三代，法不二后王；道過三代謂之蕩，法二后王謂之不雅。衣服有制，宮室有度，人徒有數，喪祭械用皆有等宜。聲、則非雅聲者舉廢，色、則凡非舊文者舉息，械用，則凡非舊器者舉毀，夫是之謂復古，是王者之制也。

The institutions of a king: his Way does not go beyond the Three Dynasties and his laws do not depart from the later kings; a Way that goes beyond the Three Dynasties is called dissolute, and laws that depart from the later kings are called inelegant. Clothing has its regulations, palaces have their measures, retainers have their numbers, and funeral and sacrificial implements and utensils all have fitting grades. As for sounds, all that is not elegant music is abolished; as for colors, all that is not the old pattern is stopped; as for implements and utensils, all that is not the old kind is destroyed. This is called restoring antiquity, and is the institution of a king.

王者之論：無德不貴，無能不官，無功不賞，無罪不罰。朝無幸位，民無幸生。尚賢使能，而等位不遺；析願禁悍，而刑罰不過。百姓曉然皆知夫為善於家，而取賞於朝也；為不善於幽，而蒙刑于顯也。夫是之謂定論。是王者之論也。

The judgment of a king: those without virtue are not honored, those without ability are not given office, those without merit are not rewarded, and those without guilt are not punished. At court there are no positions by luck, and among the people there is no livelihood by luck. He honors the worthy and uses the able, and ranks and positions are not omitted; he distinguishes the honest and good, prohibits the fierce and violent, and punishments are not excessive. The hundred families plainly all know that doing good at home is rewarded at court, and that doing bad in the dark is punished in the light. This is called settled judgment. This is the settled judgment of a king.

王者之法：等賦、政事、財萬物，所以養萬民也。田野什一，關市幾而不徵，山林澤梁，以時禁發而不稅。相地而衰政。理道之遠近而致貢。通流財物粟米，無有滯留，使相歸移也，四海之內若一家。故近者不隱其能，遠者不疾其勞，無幽閒隱僻之國，莫不趨使而安樂之。夫是之為人師。是王者之法也。

The law of a king: to distinguish taxes, govern the people's affairs, and shape the ten thousand things in order to nourish the ten thousand people. One part in ten is taken from the fields, the passes and markets are inspected but not taxed, and the mountains, forests, marshes and fish weirs are closed and opened at the proper seasons without charge. Land is surveyed and taxed by grade. The distance of roads is taken into account in delivering tribute. Goods and grain are circulated without delay, so that they pass from one place to another, and within the four seas it is as one family. So those who are near do not hide their talents, those who are far do not resent their toil, there is no state hidden away in remoteness, and none is not driven to be happy. This is called the teacher of men. This is the law of a king.

北海則有走馬吠犬焉，然而中國得而畜使之。南海則有羽翮、齒革、曾青、丹干焉，然而中國得而財之。東海則有紫紶、魚鹽焉，然而中國得而衣食之。西海則有皮革、文旄焉，然而中國得而用之。故澤人足乎木，山人足乎魚，農夫不斲削、不陶冶而足械用，工賈不耕田而足菽粟。故虎豹為猛矣，然君子剝而用之。故天之所覆，地之所載，莫不盡其美，致其用，上以飾賢良，下以養百姓而安樂之。夫是之謂大神。詩曰："天作高山，大王荒之；彼作矣，文王康之。"此之謂也。

In the Northern Sea there are galloping horses and barking dogs, yet the Central States obtain and raise and use them. In the Southern Sea there are feathers, ivory, hides, cinnabar ore and red pigments, yet the Central States obtain and cut and make them. In the Eastern Sea there are purple fine hemp cloth, fish and salt, yet the Central States obtain and wear and eat them. In the Western Sea there are hides and patterned yak tails, yet the Central States obtain and use them. So those in the marshes have enough timber, those in the mountains have enough fish, farmers who do not chop and plane or pot-making and smelting have enough utensils, and artisans and merchants who do not plow have enough beans and grain. So tigers and leopards are fierce enough, yet the gentleman strips and uses them. So what Heaven covers and Earth bears, nothing fails to have its beauty exhausted and its use brought out, used above to adorn the worthy and good, and below to nourish the hundred families and make them secure and happy. This is called great spirit. The Book of Songs, Zhou Hymns, "Tian Zuo", says: "Heaven made the high mountain, and King Tai opened it up; he had already raised it, and King Wen made it peaceful." This is what it means.

以類行雜，以一行萬。始則終，終則始，若環之無端也，舍是而天下以衰矣。天地者，生之始也；禮義者，治之始也；君子者，禮義之始也；為之，貫之，積重之，致好之者，君子之始也。故天地生君子，君子理天地；君子者，天地之參也，萬物之摠也，民之父母也。無君子，則天地不理，禮義無統，上無君師，下無父子，夫是之謂至亂。君臣、父子、兄弟、夫婦，始則終，終則始，與天地同理，與萬世同久，夫是之謂大本。故喪祭、朝聘、師旅一也；貴賤、殺生、與奪一也；君君、臣臣、父父、子子、兄兄、弟弟一也；農農、士士、工工、商商一也。

Use the kind to carry out the mixed, and use the one to carry out the ten thousand. The beginning is the end and the end is the beginning, like a ring with no ends; abandon this, and the world declines because of it. Heaven and Earth are the beginning of life; ritual and righteousness are the beginning of order; the gentleman is the beginning of ritual and righteousness; to do it, to thread through it, to accumulate and weigh it, and to love it to the utmost is the beginning of the gentleman. So Heaven and Earth give birth to the gentleman, and the gentleman arranges Heaven and Earth; the gentleman is the triad partner of Heaven and Earth, the overseer of the ten thousand things, and the parent of the people. Without a gentleman, Heaven and Earth have no arrangement, ritual and righteousness have no thread, above there is no ruler or teacher and below there is no father or son; this is called the utmost disorder. Ruler and minister, father and son, elder and younger brother, husband and wife: the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning, sharing the same principle as Heaven and Earth and lasting as long as ten thousand generations; this is called the great root. So funerals and sacrifices, court visits and inquiries, and military campaigns are one matter; noble and lowly, killing and giving life, giving and taking are one matter; the ruler being like a ruler, the minister like a minister, the father like a father, the son like a son, the elder brother like an elder brother and the younger like a younger brother is one matter; the farmer being like a farmer, the gentleman like a gentleman, the artisan like an artisan and the merchant like a merchant is one matter.

水火有氣而無生，草木有生而無知，禽獸有知而無義，人有氣、有生、有知，亦且有義，故最為天下貴也。力不若牛，走不若馬，而牛馬為用，何也？曰：人能群，彼不能群也。人何以能群？曰：分。分何以能行？曰：義。故義以分則和，和則一，一則多力，多力則強，強則勝物；故宮室可得而居也。故序四時，裁萬物，兼利天下，無它故焉，得之分義也。

Water and fire have qi but no life; grass and trees have life but no knowing; birds and beasts have knowing but no righteousness; humans have qi, have life, have knowing, and also have righteousness, and so are the most noble in the world. In strength they are not equal to the ox, in running they are not equal to the horse, yet the ox and horse are used by humans; why? It is said: humans can form groups and they cannot. By what can humans form groups? It is said: by social divisions. By what can social divisions be carried out? It is said: by righteousness. So when divisions are made by righteousness there is harmony, with harmony there is unity, with unity there is much strength, with much strength there is power, and with power one overcomes things; so one can obtain palaces and dwell in them. So arranging the four seasons, shaping the ten thousand things and benefiting the whole world together has no other reason; it is obtained from divisions and righteousness.

故人生不能無群，群而無分則爭，爭則亂，亂則離，離則弱，弱則不能勝物；故宮室不可得而居也，不可少頃舍禮義之謂也。能以事親謂之孝，能以事兄謂之弟，能以事上謂之順，能以使下謂之君。

So humans cannot live without forming groups, and if there are groups without divisions, there is strife; with strife there is disorder, with disorder there is dispersion, with dispersion there is weakness, and with weakness one cannot overcome things; so one cannot obtain palaces and dwell in them, which means one cannot abandon ritual and righteousness for even a moment. What is used to serve parents is called filial piety, what is used to serve elder brothers is called brotherly respect, what is used to serve those above is called compliance, and what is used to command those below is called being a ruler.

君者，善群也。群道當，則萬物皆得其宜，六畜皆得其長，群生皆得其命。故養長時，則六畜育；殺生時，則草木殖；政令時，則百姓一，賢良服。

A ruler is one who is good at making people gather in groups. If the way of the group is right, the ten thousand things all obtain their due, the six domestic animals all grow, and all living things obtain their lives. So when raising and growing accord with the season, the six domestic animals multiply; when killing and giving life accord with the season, grass and trees flourish; when government decrees accord with the season, the hundred families are united and the worthy and good submit.

聖王之制也：草木榮華滋碩之時，則斧斤不入山林，不夭其生，不絕其長也。黿鼉魚鱉鰍鱣孕別之時，罔罟毒藥不入澤，不夭其生，不絕其長也。春耕、夏耘、秋收、冬藏，四者不失時，故五穀不絕，而百姓有餘食也。汙池淵沼川澤，謹其時禁，故魚鱉優多，而百姓有餘用也。斬伐養長不失其時，故山林不童，而百姓有餘材也。

The institution of the sage kings: when the grass and trees are in flower and fruit, axes and hatchets do not enter the mountains and forests, so as not to cut short their life or cut off their growth. When turtles, crocodiles, fish, tortoises, loaches and sturgeons are spawning, nets and poisons do not enter the marshes, so as not to cut short their life or cut off their growth. Spring plowing, summer weeding, autumn harvesting and winter storing, these four do not miss their seasons, so the five grains do not run out and the hundred families have surplus grain. For ponds, pools, deeps, swamps, rivers and marshes, be careful about the seasonal prohibitions, so fish and turtles are plentiful and the hundred families have surplus supplies. Cutting and raising do not miss their seasons, so the mountains and forests are not bare, and the hundred families have surplus timber.

聖王之用也：上察於天，下錯於地，塞備天地之間，加施萬物之上，微而明，短而長，狹而廣，神明博大以至約。故曰：一與一是為人者，謂之聖人。

The application of the sage kings: above they examine Heaven, below they arrange on Earth, fill and equip the space between Heaven and Earth, and apply it to the ten thousand things, subtle yet clear, short yet long, narrow yet broad, spirit and light vast and great and yet most simple. So it is said: one who acts as a person from one to one in this way is called a sage.

序官：宰爵知賓客、祭祀、響食犧牲之牢數。司徒知百宗、城郭、立器之數。司馬知師旅、甲兵、乘白之數。修憲命，審詩商，禁淫聲，以時順修，使夷俗邪音不敢亂雅，大師之事也。修堤梁，通溝澮，行水潦，安水臧，以時決塞，歲雖兇敗水旱，使民有所耘艾，司空之事也。相高下，視肥磽，序五種，省農功，謹蓄藏，以時順修，使農夫樸力而寡能，治田之事也。修火憲，養山林藪澤草木、魚鱉、百索，以時禁發，使國家足用，而財物不屈，虞師之事也。順州里，定廛宅，養六畜，閒樹藝，勸教化，趨孝弟，以時順修，使百姓順命，安樂處鄉，鄉師之事也。論百工，審時事，辨功苦，尚完利，便備用，使雕琢文采不敢專造於家，工師之事也。相陰陽，占祲兆，鑽龜陳卦，主攘擇五卜，知其吉凶妖祥，傴巫跛擊之事也。修採清，易道路，謹盜賊，平室律，以時順修，使賓旅安而貨財通，治市之事也。抃急禁悍，防淫除邪，戮之以五刑，使暴悍以變，奸邪不作，司寇之事也。本政教，正法則，兼聽而時稽之，度其功勞，論其慶賞，以時慎修，使百吏免盡，而眾庶不偷，冢宰之事也。論禮樂，正身行，廣教化，美風俗，兼覆而調一之，闢公之事也。全道德，致隆高，綦文理，一天下，振毫末，使天下莫不順比從服，天王之事也。故政事亂，則冢宰之罪也；國家失俗，則闢公之過也；天下不一，諸侯俗反，則天王非其人也。

Arrangement of offices: the Chief Steward of Rank manages the numbers of guests, sacrifices, banquets and sacrificial animals. The Minister of the Masses manages the numbers of the hundred clans, city walls and furnished implements. The Minister of War manages the numbers of armies, armor, weapons, chariots and horses. To put in order the statutes and commands, examine the odes and verses, prohibit licentious sounds, follow and keep things in order at the proper times, and ensure that barbarian customs and wicked music do not dare to disturb the elegant, is the business of the Grand Music Master. To repair embankments and bridges, open ditches and channels, guide floodwater, secure water storage, and open or block at the proper times, so that even in years of poor harvest, flood or drought, the people have something to plow and harvest, is the business of the Minister of Works. To survey high and low, examine the fertile and barren, arrange the five grains, inspect farm work, be careful with stores, and follow and keep things in order at the proper times, so that farmers concentrate their strength and seldom do other tasks, is the business of those who govern the fields. To put in order fire-prevention regulations, nurture the mountains, forests, thickets, marshes, grasses and trees, fish, turtles and the hundred vegetables, and close and open them at the proper times, so that the state's needs are supplied and goods do not run dry, is the business of the Master of Forests and Waters. To harmonize the districts and villages, fix the residences, raise the six domestic animals, be skilled in planting, encourage and transform, and urge toward filial piety and brotherly respect, and follow and keep things in order at the proper times, so that the hundred families obey orders and live happily in their villages, is the business of the village master. To evaluate the hundred crafts, examine the affairs of the time, distinguish fine from coarse, honor what is sound and convenient, make things convenient and ready for use, and make sure that carved and patterned work does not dare to be made privately at home, is the business of the master of craftsmen. To observe yin and yang, watch omens, crack tortoise shells and lay out hexagrams, conduct exorcism and the selection of the five divinations, and know good and bad fortune and portents, is the business of the hunchback shamanesses and the lame shamans. To repair tombs and latrines, tend the roads, be careful to guard against bandits, settle the laws of houses and rooms, and follow and keep things in order at the proper times, so that travelers are at ease and goods circulate, is the business of those who govern the market. To prohibit the violent, guard against licentiousness and wickedness, and use the five punishments to execute, so that the savage are thereby changed and the wicked do not act, is the business of the Minister of Crime. To take government and teaching as the root, correct standards, listen widely and examine at the proper times, assess merit, decide rewards, and be careful to keep things in order at the proper times, so that the hundred officials strive to perform their duties and the common people are not idle, is the business of the Prime Minister. To determine ritual and music, correct conduct, spread teaching, beautify customs, cover all and harmonize them, is the business of the feudal lords. To preserve the Way and virtue, push the lofty to the utmost, push refinement to the utmost, unify the world, stir even the tip of a hair, so that none in the world fails to follow and submit, is the business of the Son of Heaven. So when government is in disorder, it is the Prime Minister's fault; when the state loses its customs, it is the feudal lord's fault; when the world is not unified and the feudal lords are used to rebelling, the Son of Heaven is not the right man.

具具而王，具具而霸，具具而存，具具而亡。用萬乘之國者，威強之所以立也，名聲之所以美也，敵人之所以屈也，國之所以安危臧否也，制與在此，亡乎人。王、霸、安存、危殆、滅亡，制與在我，亡乎人。夫威強未足以殆鄰敵也，名聲未足以縣天下也，則是國未能獨立也，豈渠得免夫累乎？天下脅於暴國，而黨為吾所不欲於是者，日與桀同事同行，無害為堯。是非功名之所就也，非存亡安危之所墮也。功名之所就，存亡安危之所墮，必將於愉殷赤心之所。誠以其國為王者之所亦王，以其國為危殆滅亡之所亦危殆滅亡。殷之日，案以中立，無有所偏，而為縱橫之事，偃然案兵無動，以觀夫暴國之相卒也。案平政教，審節奏，砥礪百姓，為是之日，而兵剸天下勁矣。案然修仁義，伉隆高，正法則，選賢良，養百姓，為是之日，而名聲剸天下之美矣。權者重之，兵者勁之，名聲者美之。夫堯舜者一天下也，不能加毫末於是矣。

When conditions are complete one becomes king; when conditions are complete one becomes hegemon; when conditions are complete one survives; when conditions are complete one perishes. For one who uses a state of ten thousand chariots, the reasons that his authority and strength are established, his name is fine, his enemies yield, and the state is secure or in danger, good or bad, all lie here, not with others. King, hegemon, secure survival, danger, and ruin, the control of all lies with me, not with others. If his authority and strength are not yet enough to endanger his neighboring enemies, and his name is not yet enough to hold the world together, then this state cannot yet stand alone; how can it avoid entanglements? When the world is coerced by violent states, and one happens to do what I do not want to do at this time, doing the same things and conducting the same affairs daily with Jie, it does not prevent one from being Yao. This is not what makes achievement and fame, and not where survival, ruin, safety and danger fall. What makes achievement and fame, and where survival, ruin, safety and danger fall, must lie in the place of cheerful joy, abundance and sincere heart. If truly one makes his state like the place of a king, he becomes king; if one makes his state like the place of danger and ruin, he is endangered and ruined. In days of abundance, then maintain neutrality, without bias, and as for the doings of vertical and horizontal alliances, calmly hold back arms and watch those violent states collide with one another. Then settle government and teaching, examine the rhythm, whet the hundred families, and in the days of doing this, one's military strength alone holds the world's might. Then practice benevolence and righteousness, raise the lofty, correct standards, select the worthy and good, and nourish the hundred families, and in the days of doing this, one's fame alone holds the world's beauty. Authority should be made heavy, the army should be made strong, and the name should be made fine. Even when Yao and Shun unified the world, they could not add a hair's breadth to this.

權謀傾覆之人退，則賢良知聖之士案自進矣。刑政平，百姓和，國俗節，則兵勁城固，敵國案自詘矣。務本事，積財物，而勿忘棲遲薛越也，是使群臣百姓皆以制度行，則財物積，國家案自富矣。三者體此而天下服，暴國之君案自不能用其兵矣。何則？彼無與至也。彼其所與至者，必其民也。其民之親我，歡若父母，好我芳如芝蘭，反顧其上則若灼黥，若仇讎；彼人之情性也雖桀蹠，豈有肯為其所惡，賊其所好者哉！彼以奪矣。故古之人，有以一國取天下者，非往行之也，修政其所，天下莫不願，如是而可以誅暴禁悍矣。故周公南征而北國怨，曰："何獨不來也！"東征而西國怨，曰："何獨後我也！"孰能有與是鬥者與？安以其國為是者王。殷之日，安以靜兵息民，慈愛百姓，闢田野，實倉廩，便備用，安謹募選閱材伎之士，然後漸賞慶以先之，嚴刑罰以防之，擇士之知事者，使相率貫也，是以厭然畜積修飾，而物用之足也。兵革器械者，彼將日日暴露毀折之中原；我將修飾之，拊循之，掩蓋之於府庫。貨財粟米者，彼將日日棲遲薛越之中野，我今將畜積幷聚之於倉廩。材伎股肱健勇爪牙之士，彼將日日挫頓竭之於仇敵，我今將來致之，幷閱之，砥礪之於朝廷。如是，則彼日積敝，我日積完；彼日積貧，我日積富；彼日積勞，我日積佚。君臣上下之間者，彼將厲厲焉日日相離疾也，我將頓頓焉日日相親愛也，以是待其敝。安以其國為是者霸。立身則從傭俗，事行則遵傭故，進退貴賤則舉傭士，之所以接下之人百姓者則庸寬惠，如是者則安存。立身則輕楛，事行則蠲疑，進退貴賤則舉佞侻，之所以接下之人百姓者則好取侵奪，如是者危殆。立身則憍暴，事行則傾覆，進退貴賤則舉幽險詐故，之所以接下之人百姓者，則好用其死力矣，而慢其功勞，好用其籍斂矣，而忘其本務，如是者滅亡。

When the scheming and overthrowing withdraw, then worthy, good, wise and sage gentlemen come in of themselves. When punishment and government are even, the hundred families are harmonious, and the state customs have restraint, then the army is strong and the cities are firm, and enemy states yield of themselves. When one works at the root occupation and accumulates goods, and does not forget to scatter and abandon the surplus, which means to have the ministers and the hundred families all act according to institutions, then goods are accumulated and the state grows rich of itself. When these three are embodied and the world submits, the ruler of the violent state cannot use his army of himself. Why? He has no one who comes with him. Those who come with him are surely his people. His people are close to me and glad as with their parents, love me as the fragrance of orchid and angelica, and looking back at their superior they see him like burning and branding, like an enemy; even if their nature were that of Jie or Zhi, how would they be willing to do what they hate and harm what they love! He has already been robbed. So in ancient times there were those who gained the world with a single state, not by going out to do it but by cultivating government where they were, and none in the world did not look up to them, and in this way they could punish the violent and restrain the savage. So when the Duke of Zhou campaigned in the south, the northern states complained, saying: "Why do they alone not come to us!" When he campaigned in the east, the western states complained, saying: "Why do they put us behind!" Who could contend with this? So one makes his state like this and becomes king. In days of abundance, then quiet the army, rest the people, love the hundred families, open up fields, fill the granaries, make things convenient and ready for use, and then carefully recruit, select and review gentlemen of talent and skill, gradually guiding them with rewards and guarding them with strict punishments, selecting those among the gentlemen who know affairs and having them lead one another and thread things through, so that one calmly accumulates and arranges, and goods and uses are sufficient. As for armor, weapons and implements, the other side will daily expose and break them on the Central Plain; I will arrange and tend them and cover them in storehouses. As for goods and grain, the other side will daily scatter and abandon them in the fields; I will now accumulate and gather them in granaries. As for gentlemen of talent and skill, strong limbs, brave claws and teeth, the other side will daily exhaust and blunt them among enemies; I will now draw them in and review them together and whet them at court. In this way the other side daily accumulates exhaustion and I daily accumulate soundness; the other side daily accumulates poverty and I daily accumulate wealth; the other side daily accumulates toil and I daily accumulate ease. Between ruler and ministers, high and low, the other side will severely abandon and hate one another daily, while I will sincerely love one another daily, and with this I will await their exhaustion. So one makes his state like this and becomes hegemon. One who in establishing himself follows ordinary customs, in conducting affairs follows ordinary precedents, in advancing and retiring the noble and lowly promotes ordinary gentlemen, and in dealing with the common people below shows ordinary leniency, such a one survives securely. One who in establishing himself is rash and coarse, in conducting affairs is doubtful and indecisive, in advancing and retiring the noble and lowly promotes the clever and flattering, and in dealing with the common people below likes to seize, such a one is in danger. One who in establishing himself is arrogant and violent, in conducting affairs is overturning, in advancing and retiring the noble and lowly promotes the dark, treacherous and deceitful, and in dealing with the common people below likes to use their utmost strength while neglecting their achievements, likes to use their taxes while forgetting the root occupation, such a one perishes.

－－此五等者，不可不善擇也，王、霸、安存、危殆、滅亡之具也。善擇者制人，不善擇者人制之。善擇之者王，不善擇之者亡。夫王者之與亡者，制人之與人制之也，是其為相縣也亦遠矣。

These five grades cannot but be carefully chosen, for they are the conditions of king, hegemon, secure survival, danger and ruin. One who chooses well controls others, and one who does not choose well is controlled by others. One who chooses well becomes king, and one who does not choose well perishes. Between king and ruin, controlling others and being controlled by others, the difference is great enough.

萬物同宇而異體，無宜而有用為人，數也。人倫並處，同求而異道，同欲而異知，生也。皆有可也，知愚同；所可異也，知愚分。埶同而知異，行私而無禍，縱慾而不窮，則民心奮而不可說也。如是，則知者未得治也；知者未得治，則功名未成也；功名未成，則群眾未縣也；群眾未縣，則君臣未立也。無君以制臣，無上以制下，天下害生縱慾。欲惡同物，欲多而物寡，寡則必爭矣。故百技所成，所以養一人也。而能不能兼技，人不能兼官。離居不相待則窮，群居而無分則爭；窮者患也，爭者禍也，救患除禍，則莫若明分使群矣。強脅弱也，知懼愚也，民下違上，少陵長，不以德為政：如是，則老弱有失養之憂，而壯者有分爭之禍矣。事業所惡也，功利所好也，職業無分：如是，則人有樹事之患，而有爭功之禍矣。男女之合，夫婦之分，婚姻娉內，送逆無禮：如是，則人有失合之憂，而有爭色之禍矣。故知者為之分也。

The ten thousand things live in one universe yet differ in form, and have no fixed suitability yet are used for people; this is the number. Human beings live side by side, seeking the same things yet by different paths, having the same desires yet different wisdom; this is life. All have something they consider acceptable, and the wise and foolish are the same in this; but what they consider acceptable differs, and so the wise and foolish are distinguished. When power is equal but wisdom differs, if people act selfishly without calamity and indulge desires without limit, then the people's hearts rise up and cannot be persuaded. In this case, the wise are not yet governed; if the wise are not yet governed, then achievement and fame are not yet accomplished; if achievement and fame are not yet accomplished, the multitude are not yet distinguished; if the multitude are not yet distinguished, then ruler and subject are not yet established. Without a ruler to control subjects, and without superiors to control inferiors, the harm of the world arises from indulging desires. Desire and dislike have the same objects, desires are many while things are few, and when few they will surely compete. So what the hundred crafts produce serves to nourish a single person. But whether one can master many crafts or not, a person cannot hold many offices. If people live apart and do not depend on each other, they are impoverished; if they live in groups without divisions, they compete; impoverishment is a trouble and competition is a calamity, and to relieve trouble and eliminate calamity, nothing is better than making divisions clear and making people gather in groups. If the strong coerce the weak, the clever fear the foolish, the people below go against those above, the young overrun the old, and government is not done by virtue: in this case the old and weak will have the worry of being unprovided for, and the prime-aged will have the calamity of strife. If work is what is hated and gain is what is liked, and occupations have no divisions: in this case people will have the trouble of establishing enterprises and the calamity of contending for credit. If, in the pairing of men and women, the divisions of husband and wife, marriage, betrothal and the escorting of brides have no ritual: in this case people will have the worry of losing their mates and the calamity of contending over beauty. So the wise make distinctions for them.

足國之道：節用裕民，而善臧其餘。節用以禮，裕民以政。彼裕民，故多餘。裕民則民富，民富則田肥以易，田肥以易則出實百倍。上以法取焉，而下以禮節用之，餘若丘山，不時焚燒，無所臧之。夫君子奚患乎無餘？故知節用裕民，則必有仁聖賢良之名，而且有富厚丘山之積矣。此無他故焉，生於節用裕民也。不知節用裕民則民貧，民貧則田瘠以穢，田瘠以穢則出實不半；上雖好取侵奪，猶將寡獲也。而或以無禮節用之，則必有貪利糾譑之名，而且有空虛窮乏之實矣。此無他故焉，不知節用裕民也。康誥曰："弘覆乎天，若德裕乃身。"此之謂也。

The way to make the state sufficient: economize on expenditure, make the people comfortable, and be good at storing the surplus. Economize on expenditure by ritual, and make the people comfortable by government. By making the people comfortable, there is a surplus. When the people are made comfortable the people are rich; when the people are rich the fields are fertile and easily managed; when the fields are fertile and easily managed the yield is a hundredfold. Those above take according to law, those below economize in use according to ritual, and the surplus is like hills and mountains, burned from time to time, with no place to store it. How would a gentleman worry about having no surplus? So one who knows to economize on expenditure and make the people comfortable will surely have the fame of a benevolent, sage, worthy and good man, and also the stored wealth like hills and mountains. This is for no other reason than that it arises from economizing on expenditure and making the people comfortable. One who does not know to economize on expenditure and make the people comfortable has poor people; when the people are poor, the fields are barren and overgrown; when the fields are barren and overgrown, the yield is less than half; though those above like to seize, they will still obtain very little. And one who does not use things according to ritual will surely have the fame of a profit-seeking, scrutinizing man, and also the reality of emptiness and want. This is for no other reason than that he does not know to economize on expenditure and make the people comfortable. The Announcement to Kang says: "Vast covering like Heaven; follow virtue and it will make your own person abundant." This is what it means.

禮者，貴賤有等；長幼有差，貧富輕重皆有稱者也。故天子袾裷衣冕，諸侯玄裷衣冕，大夫裨冕，士皮弁服。德必稱位，位必稱祿，祿必稱用，由士以上則必以禮樂節之，眾庶百姓則必以法數制之。量地而立國，計利而畜民，度人力而授事，使民必勝事，事必出利，利足以生民，皆使衣食百用出入相揜，必時臧餘，謂之稱數。故自天子通於庶人，事無大小多少，由是推之。故曰："朝無幸位，民無幸生。"此之謂也。輕田野之賦，平關市之徵，省商賈之數，罕興力役，無奪農時，如是則國富矣。夫是之謂以政裕民。

Ritual means that noble and lowly have ranks, old and young have differences, and poor and rich, light and heavy all have what matches them. So the Son of Heaven wears the scarlet robe and crown, the feudal lords the dark robe and crown, the grand masters the pibian robe, and the gentlemen the leather cap and robe. Virtue must match position, position must match emolument, and emolument must match expenditure; from gentlemen upward, they must be regulated by ritual and music, and the multitude of common people must be restrained by laws and numbers. One measures the land to establish the state, reckons the income to feed the people, and measures people's strength to give them tasks, so that the people are surely equal to the tasks, the tasks surely yield profit, the profit is enough to support the people, and all clothing, food and uses balance receipts and expenses, and the surplus is surely stored at the proper times; this is called matching the numbers. So from the Son of Heaven down to the common people, whether affairs are large or small, many or few, all are extended by this analogy. So it is said: "At court there are no positions by luck, and among the people there is no livelihood by luck." This is what it means. Reduce the field tax, level the levies at the passes and markets, cut down the number of merchants, rarely call for labor service, and do not take away the farming season; in this way the state becomes rich. This is called using government to make the people comfortable.

人之生不能無群，群而無分則爭，爭則亂，亂則窮矣。故無分者，人之大害也；有分者，天下之本利也；而人君者，所以管分之樞要也。故美之者，是美天下之本也；安之者，是安天下之本也；貴之者，是貴天下之本也。古者先王分割而等異之也，故使或美，或惡，或厚，或薄，或佚或樂，或劬或勞，非特以為淫泰夸麗之聲，將以明仁之文，通仁之順也。故為之雕琢、刻鏤、黼黻文章，使足以辨貴賤而已，不求其觀；為之鐘鼓、管磬、琴瑟、竽笙，使足以辨吉凶、合歡、定和而已，不求其餘；為之宮室、臺榭，使足以避燥溼、養德、辨輕重而已，不求其外。詩曰："雕琢其章，金玉其相，亹亹我王，綱紀四方。"此之謂也。

Humans cannot live without forming groups, and if there are groups without divisions, there is strife; with strife there is disorder, and with disorder there is ruin. So having no divisions is the great harm to people; having divisions is the root benefit of the world; and the ruler is the pivot by which divisions are managed. So to praise him is to praise the root of the world; to make him secure is to make secure the root of the world; to value him is to value the root of the world. The former kings divided and distinguished them by rank, so that some are fine and some are coarse, some are generous and some are meager, some are at ease or happy and some toil or labor, not merely to make a name for lavish and boastful show, but in order to make plain the pattern of benevolence and to connect with the compliance of benevolence. So they made carving, engraving, embroidered and patterned decorations for them, only enough to distinguish noble and lowly, and did not seek their outward show; they made bells, drums, pipes, chimes, zithers and reed organs for them, only enough to distinguish the auspicious from the inauspicious, to unite joy and settle harmony, and sought nothing more; they made palaces and terraces for them, only enough to avoid damp and dryness, nourish virtue and distinguish light from heavy, and did not seek the outside. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, "Yu Pu", says: "Carve its patterns, make its substance gold and jade; our king is diligent and sets the cords of the four quarters." This is what it means.

若夫重色而衣之，重味而食之，重財物而制之，合天下而君之，非特以為淫泰也，固以為主天下，治萬變，材萬物，養萬民，兼制天下者，為莫若仁人之善也夫。故其知慮足以治之，其仁厚足以安之，其德音足以化之，得之則治，失之則亂。百姓誠賴其知也，故相率而為之勞苦以務佚之，以養其知也；誠美其厚也，故為之出死斷亡以覆救之，以養其厚也；誠美其德也，故為之雕琢、刻鏤、黼黻、文章以藩飾之，以養其德也。故仁人在上，百姓貴之如帝，親之如父母，為之出死斷亡而愉者，無它故焉，其所是焉誠美，其所得焉誠大，其所利焉誠多。詩曰："我任我輦，我車我牛，我行既集，蓋雲歸哉！"此之謂也。

As for wearing layered colors, eating layered flavors, controlling layered goods, and uniting the world to be its ruler, it is not only for lavishness, but because, to preside over the world, govern the ten thousand changes, shape the ten thousand things, nourish the ten thousand people, and jointly govern the world, nothing is better than a benevolent man. So his wisdom and deliberation are enough to govern, his benevolence and generosity enough to bring peace, his virtuous voice enough to transform; getting him brings order, and losing him brings disorder. The hundred families truly rely on his wisdom, so they take turns offering toil in order to make him at ease, to nourish his wisdom; truly they praise his generosity, so they give their deaths and cut off their lives to cover and rescue him, to nourish his generosity; truly they praise his virtue, so they give him carving, engraving, embroidery and patterns to adorn him, to nourish his virtue. So when a benevolent man is above, the hundred families value him as an emperor, draw near to him as to parents, give up their lives for him gladly, for no other reason than that what he affirms is truly good, what he gains is truly great, and what he benefits is truly many. The Book of Songs, Lesser Odes, "Shu Miao", says: "We carry our burdens and pull our carts, our carts and our oxen; our march is done, and perhaps it is time to go back!" This is what it means.

故曰：君子以德，小人以力；力者，德之役也。百姓之力，待之而後功；百姓之群，待之而後和；百姓之財，待之而後聚；百姓之埶，待之而後安；百姓之壽，待之而後長；父子不得不親，兄弟不得不順，男女不得不歡。少者以長，老者以養。故曰："天地生之，聖人成之。"此之謂也。

So it is said: the gentleman uses virtue and the petty man uses strength; strength is what virtue employs. The strength of the hundred families awaits him and only then has achievement; the groups of the hundred families await him and only then are harmonious; the wealth of the hundred families awaits him and only then gathers; the circumstances of the hundred families await him and only then are secure; the longevity of the hundred families awaits him and only then is long; father and son without him cannot be close, brothers without him cannot be compliant, and men and women without him cannot be happy. The young grow up by him and the old are nourished by him. So it is said: "Heaven and Earth give birth to him, and the sage completes him." This is what it means.

今之世而不然：厚刀布之斂，以奪之財；重田野之賦，以奪之食；苛關市之徵，以難其事。不然而已矣：有掎絜伺詐，權謀傾覆，以相顛倒，以靡敝之。百姓曉然皆知其汙漫暴亂，而將大危亡也。是以臣或弒其君，下或殺其上，粥其城，倍其節，而不死其事者，無他故焉，人主自取之。詩曰："無言不讎，無德不報。"此之謂也。

The present world is not like this: it increases the gathering of knife-money and cloth-money to take their wealth; it increases the taxes on the fields to take their food; it makes the levies at the passes and markets petty to make trouble for their business. Not only that: it also hooks, pulls, spies and deceives, schemes and overthrows, to knock one another down and to ruin them. The hundred families plainly all know he is foul and violent and disorderly, and that he is about to be greatly endangered and ruined. For this reason some ministers assassinate their rulers, and some below kill their superiors, sell off cities, betray their duty, and do not die for that cause, for no other reason than that the ruler brought it on himself. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, "Yi", says: "No word is unanswered, no virtue unrepaid." This is what it means.

兼足天下之道在明分：掩地表畝，刺屮殖穀，多糞肥田，是農夫眾庶之事也。守時力民，進事長功，和齊百姓，使人不偷，是將率之事也。高者不旱，下者不水，寒暑和節，而五穀以時孰，是天之事也。若夫兼而覆之，兼而愛之，兼而制之，歲雖兇敗水旱，使百姓無凍餧之患，則是聖君賢相之事也。

The way to make the world sufficient together lies in making divisions clear: covering the soil and marking the field plots, clearing grass and weeds and planting grain, and enriching the fields with much manure, is the business of farmers and the multitude. Keeping to the seasons and making the people exert themselves, advancing work and increasing achievement, harmonizing the hundred families and keeping people from idleness, is the business of generals and commanders. High land not being parched, low land not being flooded, cold and heat being harmonious and moderate, and the five grains ripening at the proper time is the business of Heaven. As for covering all of them, loving all of them, and governing all of them, so that even in years of poor harvest, flood or drought, the hundred families have no trouble of cold or hunger, this is the business of sage rulers and worthy chancellors.

墨子之言昭昭然為天下憂不足。夫不足非天下之公患也，特墨子之私憂過計也。今是土之生五穀也，人善治之，則畝數盆，一歲而再獲之。然後瓜桃棗李一本數以盆鼓；然後葷菜百疏以澤量；然後六畜禽獸一而剸車；黿、鼉、魚、鱉、鰍、鱣以時別，一而成群；然後飛鳥、鳧、雁若煙海；然後昆蟲萬物生其間，可以相食養者，不可勝數也。夫天地之生萬物也，固有餘，足以食人矣；麻葛繭絲、鳥獸之羽毛齒革也，固有餘，足以衣人矣。夫有餘不足，非天下之公患也，特墨子之私憂過計也。

Mozi's words with evident clarity worry that the world is insufficient. That insufficiency is not a public trouble of the world, only Mozi's private and excessive worry. Now this land produces the five grains, and if people are good at managing it, then one mu yields several basins, and harvests twice a year. After that, melons, peaches, jujubes and plums, one tree is counted by basins and drums; after that, strong-smelling vegetables and the hundred vegetables are measured by marshes; after that, the six domestic animals, birds and beasts, one fills a cart; crocodiles, turtles, fish, tortoises, loaches and sturgeons, each differentiated by season, form flocks in one place; after that, flying birds, wild ducks and geese are like smoke and seas; after that, insects and ten thousand things live among them, which can feed one another, beyond counting. Heaven and Earth giving birth to the ten thousand things naturally have a surplus, enough to feed people; hemp, kudzu, cocoons, silk, and the feathers, teeth and hides of birds and beasts naturally have a surplus, enough to clothe people. That surplus or insufficiency is not a public trouble of the world, only Mozi's private and excessive worry.

天下之公患，亂傷之也。胡不嘗試相與求亂之者誰也？我以墨子之"非樂"也，則使天下亂；墨子之"節用"也，則使天下貧，非將墮之也，說不免焉。墨子大有天下，小有一國，將蹙然衣粗食惡，憂戚而非樂。若是則瘠，瘠則不足欲；不足欲則賞不行。墨子大有天下，小有一國，將少人徒，省官職，上功勞苦，與百姓均事業，齊功勞。若是則不威；不威則罰不行。賞不行，則賢者不可得而進也；罰不行，則不肖者不可得而退也。賢者不可得而進也，不肖者不可得而退也，則能不能不可得而官也。若是，則萬物失宜，事變失應，上失天時，下失地利，中失人和，天下敖然，若燒若焦，墨子雖為之衣褐帶索，嚽菽飲水，惡能足之乎？既以伐其本，竭其原，而焦天下矣。

The public trouble of the world is that disorder injures it. Why not try asking each other who the makers of disorder are? I hold that Mozi's "Against Music" throws the world into disorder, and Mozi's "Economy in Use" makes the world poor, though it is not that he means to ruin it; his doctrine cannot avoid this. Mozi, if he held the whole world or even one state, would wear coarse clothes, eat poor food, and be grieved and sorrowful, opposing music. In this way he would be spare and thin, and being spare and thin, desires would not be satisfied; if desires are not satisfied, rewards cannot be carried out. Mozi, if he held the whole world or even one state, would reduce retainers and cut officials, work and toil at the top, and equalize work and merit with the hundred families. In this way he would have no authority; without authority punishments cannot be carried out. If rewards cannot be carried out, the worthy cannot be advanced and used; if punishments cannot be carried out, the unworthy cannot be dismissed. If the worthy cannot be advanced and used and the unworthy cannot be dismissed, then the capable and the incapable cannot be assigned to office. In this case, the ten thousand things lose their suitability, the changes of affairs lose their response, above Heaven's seasons are lost, below Earth's benefits are lost, and in the middle human harmony is lost, and the world is scorched, as if burned and charred; even if Mozi had them wear coarse cloth and bind themselves with rope, eat bean gruel and drink water, how could he make them sufficient? He has already cut down the root and dried up the source, and scorched the world.

故先王聖人為之不然：知夫為人主上者，不美不飾之不足以一民也，不富不厚之不足以管下也，不威不強之不足以禁暴勝悍也，故必將撞大鐘，擊鳴鼓，吹笙竽，彈琴瑟，以塞其耳；必將錭琢刻鏤，黼黻文章，以塞其目；必將芻豢稻粱，五味芬芳，以塞其口。然後眾人徒，備官職，漸慶賞，嚴刑罰，以戒其心。使天下生民之屬，皆知己之所願欲之舉在是於也，故其賞行；皆知己之所畏恐之舉在是於也，故其罰威。賞行罰威，則賢者可得而進也，不肖者可得而退也，能不能可得而官也。若是則萬物得宜，事變得應，上得天時，下得地利，中得人和，則財貨渾渾如泉源，汸汸如河海，暴暴如丘山，不時焚燒，無所臧之。夫天下何患乎不足也？故儒術誠行，則

Therefore the former kings and sages did not do it this way for this reason: they knew that one who is a ruler above, if not splendid and adorned, is not enough to unify the people; if not rich and generous, is not enough to govern those below; if not awe-inspiring and strong, is not enough to prohibit violence and overcome the fierce. So he must strike great bells, beat resonant drums, blow reed organs and pipes, and play zithers and lutes to fill his ears; he must have carving and engraving, embroidered patterns, and brilliant designs to fill his eyes; he must have meat, rice, and millet, and the fragrance of the five flavors to fill his mouth. Then he increases attendants, provides officials, gradually leads with rewards and honors, and uses severe punishments to warn the mind. He makes all kinds of the people of the world know that what they desire is all here, so his rewards can be carried out; and know that what they fear is all here, so his punishments have awe. When rewards are carried out and punishments have awe, the worthy can be advanced and employed, the unworthy can be dismissed, and the able and the unable can be assigned to offices. In this way all things get what is fitting, changes in affairs are met, above he gets the seasons of Heaven, below the advantages of Earth, and in the middle the harmony of men, and wealth gushes like a spring, pours like rivers and seas, and piles up like hills and mountains, so that it is burned at times because there is no place to store it. Then why would the world worry about insufficiency? So if the Confucian art is truly carried out, then

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The source text is missing two lines here.

撞鐘擊鼓而和。詩曰："鐘鼓喤喤，管磬瑲瑲，降福穰穰，降福簡簡，威儀反反。既醉既飽，福祿來反。"此之謂也。故墨術誠行，則天下尚儉而彌貧，非鬥而日爭，勞苦頓萃，而愈無功，愀然憂戚非樂，而日不和。詩曰："天方薦瘥，喪亂弘多，民言無嘉，憯莫懲嗟。"此之謂也。

(He continued:) strike the bells and beat the drums in harmony. The Book of Odes, in the "Hymns of Zhou: Zhi Jing," says: "Bells and drums resound, pipes and chimes ring out, sending down blessings, many and great; the bearing is calm and dignified. Already drunk and already full, blessings and emoluments come again." This is what is meant. But if the Mohist art is truly carried out, then the world esteems thrift and yet grows poorer, rejects fighting and yet quarrels daily, toils and is worn thin and yet gains less merit, grieves anxiously and condemns music yet is daily less harmonious. The Book of Odes, in the "Lesser Odes: Jie Nan Shan," says: "Heaven is sending down pestilence, death and disorder are great and many; the people have no good words, and yet they do not take warning and sigh." This is what is meant.

垂事養民，拊循之，唲嘔之，冬日則為之饘粥，夏日則為之瓜麮，以偷取少頃之譽焉，是偷道也。可以少頃得奸民之譽，然而非長久之道也；事必不就，功必不立，是奸治者也。傮然要時務民，進事長功，輕非譽而恬失民，事進矣，而百姓疾之，是又偷偏者也。徙壞墮落，必反無功。故垂事養譽，不可；以遂功而忘民，亦不可。皆奸道也。

To set aside proper business in order to nurture the people, to soothe and comfort them, to give them thick porridge in winter and melon and wheat porridge in summer, in order to steal a moment's reputation, is the way of the idle and slack. One can for a moment gain the praise of the wicked, but this is not a lasting way; the work will surely not be completed and merit will surely not be established; this is wicked governance. Hastily setting a deadline to employ the people, pushing work forward and increasing achievements, taking praise and blame lightly and being content to lose the people, the work advances but the hundred clans hate him; this too is idle and one-sided. Ruin and decay will surely follow, and he will have no merit in return. So to set aside proper business to nurture reputation is not acceptable; and to forget the people because of achieving merit is also not acceptable. Both are wicked ways.

故古人為之不然：使民夏不宛喝，冬不凍寒，急不傷力，緩不後時，事成功立，上下俱富；而百姓皆愛其上，人歸之如流水，親之歡如父母，為之出死斷亡而愉者，無它故焉，忠信、調和、均辨之至也。故國君長民者，欲趨時遂功，則和調累解，速乎急疾；忠信均辨，說乎慶賞矣；必先修正其在我者，然後徐責其在人者，威乎刑罰。三德者誠乎上，則下應之如景向，雖欲無明達，得乎哉！書曰："乃大明服，惟民其力懋，和而有疾。"此之謂也。

Therefore the people of ancient times did not do it this way: they made the people not suffer heat in summer or cold in winter, urgency not harm their strength and slowness not lag behind the season, with work completed and merit established, both high and low rich; and the hundred clans all loved their superior, people turned to him like flowing water, were close to him and glad like to parents, and went out to die and cut off their lives for him gladly, for no other reason than that loyalty, good faith, harmony, and impartial discrimination had reached the utmost. So a ruler who leads the people, wishing to hasten the occasion and accomplish merit, finds that harmony and leniency are faster than urgency; loyalty, good faith, and impartial discrimination please people more than rewards and honors; and that he must first correct what lies in himself, and only afterward slowly demand what lies in others, is more awe-inspiring than punishment. When these three virtues are truly above, those below respond like shadow and echo, and even if one wished not to be illustrious and successful, could one avoid it! The Book of Documents says: "Thereupon they greatly and brightly submitted, the people exerted their strength and urged each other on, harmonious and swift." This is what is meant.

故不教而誅，則刑繁而邪不勝；教而不誅，則奸民不懲；誅而不賞，則勤厲之民不勸；誅賞而不類，則下疑俗險而百姓不一。故先王明禮義以壹之，致忠信以愛之，尚賢使能以次之，爵服慶賞以申重之，時其事，輕其任，以調齊之，潢然兼覆之，養長之，如保赤子。若是，故奸邪不作，盜賊不起，而化善者勸勉矣。是何邪？則其道易，其塞固，其政令一，其防表明。故曰：上一則下一矣，上二則下二矣。闢之若屮木枝葉必類本。此之謂也。

Therefore, to execute without teaching leads to many punishments and wickedness cannot be overcome; to teach without executing means the wicked people are not warned; to execute without rewarding means the diligent people are not encouraged; if executions and rewards do not accord with kind, those below are confused, customs become treacherous, and the hundred clans are not unified. So the former kings clarified ritual and righteousness to unify them, exhausted loyalty and good faith to love them, esteemed the worthy and employed the able to rank them, used rank, dress, rewards, and honors to reinforce them, arranged their work in due season and lightened their burdens to harmonize them, covered them broadly and nourished them as if protecting infants. In this way wickedness did not arise, robbers and thieves did not rise, and those who are transformed to good were encouraged. Why is this? Because his Way is plain and easy, his filling and blocking firm, his government decrees unified, and his guards and markers clear. Therefore it is said: if the one above is one, those below are one; if the one above is two, those below are two. It is like the branches and leaves of plants and trees, which must resemble the root. This is what is meant.

不利而利之，不如利而後利之之利也。不愛而用之，不如愛而後用之之功也。利而後利之，不如利而不利者之利也。愛而後用之，不如愛而不用者之功也。利而不利也，愛而不用也者，取天下者也。利而後利之，愛而後用之者，保社稷者也。不利而利之，不愛而用之者，危國家者也。

To take profit from people without first giving them profit is not as profitable as first giving them profit and then taking profit from them. To use people without loving them is not as effective as first loving them and then using them. To first give people profit and then take profit from them is not as profitable as giving people profit without taking profit from them. To first love and then use them is not as effective as loving them without using them. One who gives people profit without taking profit from them and loves them without using them is one who obtains the world. One who first gives people profit and then takes profit from them, and who first loves and then uses them, is one who preserves the altars of soil and grain. One who takes profit from people without giving them profit, and uses them without loving them, is one who endangers the state.

觀國之治亂臧否，至於疆易而端已見矣。其候繳支繚，其竟關之政盡察－－是亂國已。入其境，其田疇穢，都邑露－－是貪主已。觀其朝廷，則其貴者不賢；觀其官職，則其治者不能；觀其便嬖，則其信者不愨－－是闇主已。凡主相臣下百吏之屬，其於貨財取與計數也，順孰盡察；其禮義節奏也，芒軔僈楛－－是辱國已。其耕者樂田，其戰士安難，其百吏好法，其朝廷隆禮，其卿相調議－－是治國已。觀其朝廷，則其貴者賢；觀其官職，則其治者能；觀其便嬖，則其信者愨－－是明主已。凡主相臣下百吏之屬，其於貨財取與計數也，寬饒簡易；其於禮義節奏也，陵謹盡察－－是榮國已。賢齊則其親者先貴，能齊則其故者先官，其臣下百吏，汙者皆化而修，悍者皆化而願，躁者皆化而愨－－是明主之功已。

To observe the order, disorder, good, or bad of a state, on reaching its borders the clues are already visible. If its scouts are entangled and scattered, and the governance of its border passes is wholly harsh and petty, this is already a disordered state. On entering its territory, if its fields are weedy and desolate and its towns and cities are in decay, this is already a greedy ruler. Observing its court, if its honored men are not worthy; observing its offices, if those who manage them are not capable; observing its favorites, if those who are trusted are not upright and careful, this is already a benighted ruler. If the ruler, chief minister, subordinates, and the hundred officials, in matters of taking and giving goods, wealth, and accounts, are all skilled and wholly harsh and petty, while in ritual, righteousness, and propriety they are vague, slack, and coarse, this is already a disgraced state. If its farmers delight in the fields, its warriors are at ease in hardship, its hundred officials love the law, its court honors ritual, and its ministers and chief minister harmonize in counsel, this is already a well-governed state. Observing its court, if its honored men are worthy; observing its offices, if those who manage them are capable; observing its favorites, if those who are trusted are upright and careful, this is already a wise ruler. If the ruler, chief minister, subordinates, and the hundred officials, in matters of taking and giving goods, wealth, and accounts, are generous and easy, while in ritual, righteousness, and propriety they are strict and wholly careful in examination, this is already a glorious state. When worthy men are equal, his kin are honored first; when able men are equal, his old friends are appointed to office first; and among his subordinates and the hundred officials, the filthy are all transformed and put in order, the fierce are all transformed and become careful and sincere, and the frivolous are all transformed and become upright and careful; this is already the achievement of a wise ruler.

觀國之強弱貧富有徵驗：上不隆禮則兵弱，上不愛民則兵弱，已諾不信則兵弱，慶賞不漸則兵弱，將率不能則兵弱。上好功則國貧，上好利則國貧，士大夫眾則國貧，工商眾則國貧，無制數度量則國貧。下貧則上貧，下富則上富。故田野縣鄙者，財之本也；垣窌倉廩者，財之末也。百姓時和，事業得敘者，貨之源也；等賦府庫者，貨之流也。故明主必謹養其和，節其流，開其源，而時斟酌焉。潢然使天下必有餘，而上不憂不足。如是，則上下俱富，交無所藏之。是知國計之極也。故禹十年水，湯七年旱，而天下無菜色者，十年之後，年穀復熟，而陳積有餘。是無它故焉，知本末源流之謂也。故田野荒而倉廩實，百姓虛而府庫滿，夫是之謂國蹶。伐其本，竭其源，而並之其末，然而主相不知惡也，則其傾覆滅亡可立而待也。以國持之，而不足以容其身，夫是之謂至貧，是愚主之極也。將以取富而喪其國，將以取利而危其身，古有萬國，今有十數焉，是無它故焉，其所以失之一也。君人者亦可以覺矣。百里之國，足以獨立矣。

To observe a state's strength, weakness, poverty, or wealth, there are signs: if the one above does not honor ritual, the army is weak; if the one above does not love the people, the army is weak; if promises are made and then not kept, the army is weak; if rewards and honors are not gradually accumulated, the army is weak; if the generals are not capable, the army is weak. If the one above loves merit, the state is poor; if the one above loves profit, the state is poor; if officers and grandees are many, the state is poor; if artisans and merchants are many, the state is poor; if there is no system of numbers and measures, the state is poor. When those below are poor, those above are poor; when those below are rich, those above are rich. Therefore the fields, wilds, counties, and borderlands are the root of wealth; the walls, cellars, and granaries are the branch of wealth. When the hundred clans get the season and are harmonious, and their work is put in order, this is the source of goods; collecting taxes in due grades into the treasuries is the stream of goods. So the wise ruler is careful to nurture the harmony, regulate the stream, open up the source, and weigh matters in due season. Broadly he ensures that the world always has a surplus, and the ruler above does not worry about insufficiency. In this way both high and low are rich, and there is nowhere to store it. This is the utmost knowledge of the state's accounts. So Yu had ten years of floods and Tang had seven years of drought, yet in the world there were none with the pale look of eating vegetables, and after ten years the grain ripened again and there were reserves with surplus. There was no other reason; it was knowing the meaning of root and branch, source and stream. Thus when the fields and wilds are desolate while the granaries are full, when the hundred clans are empty while the treasuries are overflowing, this is called the state toppling. Cutting down the root, drying up the source, and gathering all to the branch, and yet the ruler and chief minister do not know to hate it, then their collapse and ruin can be awaited standing. To hold a state and yet not be enough to contain oneself is called the utmost poverty, the extreme of a foolish ruler. Wanting to take wealth by it but losing his state, wanting to take profit by it but harming his body, in ancient times there were ten thousand states and now there are a dozen; there is no other reason: what they lost it by was one thing. Rulers can wake up to this. A state of a hundred li is enough to stand independently.

凡攻人者，非以為名，則案以為利也；不然則忿之也。仁人之用國，將修志意，正身行，伉隆高，致忠信，期文理。布衣紃屨之士誠是，則雖在窮閻漏屋，而王公不能與之爭名；以國載之，則天下莫之能隱匿也。若是則為名者不攻也。將闢田野，實倉廩，便備用，上下一心，三軍同力，與之遠舉極戰則不可；境內之聚也保固；視可，午其軍，取其將，若撥麷。彼得之，不足以藥傷補敗。彼愛其爪牙，畏其仇敵，若是則為利者不攻也。將修大小強弱之義，以持慎之，禮節將甚文，圭璧將甚碩，貨賂將甚厚，所以說之者，必將雅文辯慧之君子也。彼苟有人意焉，夫誰能忿之？若是，則忿之者不攻也。為名者否，為利者否，為忿者否，則國安於盤石，壽於旗翼。人皆亂，我獨治；人皆危，我獨安；人皆喪失之，我按起而治之。故仁人之用國，非特將持其有而已也，又將兼人。詩曰："淑人君子，其儀不忒；其儀不忒，正是四國。"此之謂也。

All who attack others do it either for fame or for profit; if not, then because of resentment of them. A benevolent man employing a state will cultivate his purpose, correct his conduct, raise high and honor, exhaust loyalty and good faith, and seek refinement and pattern. If a commoner in rope sandals is truly like this, then even in a back alley and leaking house, kings and dukes cannot contest fame with him; if he is borne by a state, none under heaven could hide him. In this way those who seek fame do not attack. He will open up fields, fill granaries, make convenient the stores for use, with high and low one-hearted and the three armies of one strength; one cannot launch a far campaign and fight to the extreme with him; within the borders they gather and hold fast; seeing that it is possible, he meets his army, seizes his general, as easily as plucking a sprout of wheat. What he gains is not enough to heal wounds and repair defeat. He loves his claws and teeth and fears his enemies; in this way those who seek profit do not attack. He will cultivate the principles of large, small, strong, and weak in order to hold to caution, his ceremonies will be highly refined, his jade tablets large, his gifts generous, and those sent to persuade will certainly be elegant, learned, and eloquent gentlemen. If he has the hearts of men, who could resent him? In this way those who resent do not attack. When those who seek fame do not come, those who seek profit do not come, and those who are resentful do not come, the state is as secure as bedrock, its lifespan comparable to the stars Ji and Yi. Others are all in disorder, I alone am governed; others are all in danger, I alone am secure; others are all lost, I rise by pressing on to govern. So a benevolent man employing a state does not merely hold what he has, but will also take in others. The Book of Odes, in the "Airs of Cao: Shi Jiu," says: "The good man, the gentleman, his bearing is without fault; his bearing is without fault, and he sets right the four states." This is what is meant.

持國之難易：事強暴之國難，使強暴之國事我易。事之以貨寶，則貨寶單，而交不結；約信盟誓，則約定而畔無日；割國之錙銖以賂之，則割定而欲無厭。事之彌煩，其侵人愈甚，必至於資單國舉然後已。雖左堯而右舜，未有能以此道得免焉者也。譬之是猶使處女嬰寶珠，佩寶玉，負戴黃金，而遇中山之盜也，雖為之逢蒙視，詘要撓膕，君盧屋妾，由將不足以免也。故非有一人之道也，直將巧繁拜請而畏事之，則不足以持國安身。故明君不道也。必將修禮以齊朝，正法以齊官，平政以齊民；然後節奏齊於朝，百事齊於官，眾庶齊於下。如是，則近者競親，遠方致願，上下一心，三軍同力，名聲足以暴炙之，威強足以捶笞之，拱揖指揮，而強暴之國莫不趨使，譬之是猶烏獲與焦僥搏也。故曰：事強暴之國難，使強暴之國事我易。此之謂也。

The difficulty or ease of holding a state: to serve a strong and violent state is hard; to make a strong and violent state serve me is easy. If you serve him with goods and treasures, then goods and treasures are used up and the relationship is not secured; if you make agreements, treaties, and oaths, then they are made and he breaks them within days; if you cut off a tiny portion of your territory to bribe him, then it is cut off and his desires are not satisfied. The more tiresomely you serve him, the more fiercely he invades, until, resources exhausted and the state handed over, he finally stops. Even if on his left were Yao and on his right Shun, none could escape disaster by this way. It is like making a maiden hang jewels around her neck, wear precious jade, and carry gold on her back, and meet bandits of Zhongshan; even if she lets them look at her sidelong, bends her waist and knees like a concubine in someone's house, it will not be enough to escape disaster. So if one does not have the Way of unifying people, but only wants to use clever words and numerous requests while fearing and serving him, it is not enough to hold the state or secure oneself. So a wise ruler does not take this road. He must cultivate ritual to unify the court, set the law straight to unify the offices, level government to unify the people; then the rhythm is unified at court, the hundred affairs are unified in the offices, and the multitude are unified below. In this way, those near compete to be close and those far send their wishes, high and low are one-hearted, the three armies are of one strength, his fame is enough to scorch him and his might is enough to flog him, and with folded hands, a bow, and a pointing gesture, there is no violent state that is not driven to submit, as when Wu Huo wrestles with Jiaoyao. Therefore it is said: to serve a strong and violent state is hard; to make a strong and violent state serve me is easy. This is what is meant.

國者，天下之利用也；人主者，天下之利埶也。得道以持之，則大安也，大榮也，積美之源也；不得道以持之，則大危也，大累也，有之不如無之；及其綦也，索為匹夫不可得也，齊愍、宋獻是也。故人主天下之利埶也，然而不能自安也，安之者必將道也。

A state is a convenient tool of the world; the ruler is the convenient power of the world. If he obtains the Way and holds it, it is great security, great glory, and the source of accumulated good; if he does not obtain the Way and holds it, it is great danger, a great burden, and having it is worse than not having it; and at the extreme, even seeking to be a commoner cannot be obtained, as in the cases of King Min of Qi and Xian of Song. So the ruler is the convenient power of the world, yet he cannot secure himself, and what secures him must be the Way.

故用國者，義立而王，信立而霸，權謀立而亡。－－三者明主之所謹擇也，仁人之所務白也。絜國以呼禮義，而無以害之，行一不義，殺一無罪，而得天下，仁者不為也。擽然扶持心國，且若是其固也。之所與為之者，之人則舉義士也；之所以為布陳於國家刑法者，則舉義法也；主之所極然帥群臣而首鄉之者，則舉義志也。如是則下仰上以義矣，是綦定也；綦定而國定，國定而天下定。仲尼無置錐之地，誠義乎志意，加義乎身行，箸之言語，濟之日，不隱乎天下，名垂乎後世。今亦以天下之顯諸侯，誠義乎志意，加義乎法則度量，箸之以政事，案申重之以貴賤殺生，使襲然終始猶一也。如是，則夫名聲之部發於天地之間也，豈不如日月雷霆然矣哉！故曰：以國齊義，一日而白，湯武是也。湯以亳，武王以鄗，皆百里之地也，天下為一，諸侯為臣，通達之屬，莫不從服，無它故焉，以義濟矣。－－是所謂義立而王也。

So one who uses a state: if righteousness is established, he becomes king; if good faith is established, he becomes hegemon; if power and scheming are established, he perishes. These three are what a wise ruler chooses carefully and what a benevolent man strives to make clear. In putting the state in order and calling for ritual and righteousness, there is nothing to harm it; to do one unrighteous deed or kill one innocent person in order to gain the world, a benevolent man would not do. Hold the heart and the state firmly, and be so firm. Those he does things with are all righteous men; what is laid out in the state's penal law is all righteous law; what the ruler strives to lead his ministers toward is all righteous aims. In this way those below look up to the one above through righteousness, and this is the utmost stability; with utmost stability the state is settled, and with the state settled the world is settled. Confucius had no land to stand an awl on, yet truly placed righteousness in his purpose, applied righteousness to his conduct, and displayed it in his words, and on the day of accomplishment he was not hidden from the world and his fame hung down to later generations. Now if one used the illustrious lords of the world, and truly placed righteousness in his purpose, applied righteousness to laws and measures, and displayed it in government affairs, and then reinforced it with high and low, killing and giving life, so that it followed one another from beginning to end as one thing, then would that fame not burst out between Heaven and Earth like the sun, moon, and thunder! So it is said: to use a state to unite with righteousness will be clear in a single day, as Tang and Wu were. Tang relied on Bo and King Wu relied on Hao, both lands of one hundred li, yet the world was unified, the lords became ministers, and nowhere they reached failed to submit; there was no other reason: it was accomplished by righteousness. This is what is called establishing righteousness and becoming king.

德雖未至也，義雖未濟也，然而天下之理略奏矣，刑賞已諾信乎天下矣，臣下曉然皆知其可要也。政令已陳，雖睹利敗，不欺其民；約結已定，雖睹利敗，不欺其與。如是，則兵勁城固，敵國畏之；國一綦明，與國信之；雖在僻陋之國，威動天下，五伯是也。非本政教也，非致隆高也，非綦文理也，非服人之心也，鄉方略，審勞佚，謹畜積，修戰備，齺然上下相信，而天下莫之敢當。故齊桓、晉文、楚莊、吳闔閭、越勾踐，是皆僻陋之國也，威動天下，強殆中國，無它故焉，略信也。－－是所謂信立而霸也。

Though virtue has not yet reached the utmost and righteousness has not yet been completed, yet the principles of the world are roughly gathered, punishments, rewards, and promises have already won trust in the world, and the ministers all clearly know that agreements can be made. When government decrees have been laid out, even on seeing profit and defeat he does not deceive his people; when agreements have been settled, even on seeing profit and defeat he does not deceive his allied states. In this way the army is strong and the cities firm, and enemy states fear him; the state is unified and its utmost is clear, and allied states trust him; even in a remote and humble state, his might can shake the world; the Five Hegemons were like this. It was not rooted in government and teaching, not pushing the lofty to the utmost, not pushing refinement and pattern to the utmost, not making people submit in their hearts, but only turning to strategies, examining labor and rest, being careful in stockpiling, practicing war preparations, with high and low trusting one another, so that none in the world dared resist. So Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, King Zhuang of Chu, Helu of Wu, and Goujian of Yue were all of remote and humble states, yet their might shook the world, their strength endangered the Central States, and there was no other reason: it was that their general strategy had good faith. This is what is called establishing good faith and becoming hegemon.

絜國以呼功利，不務張其義，齊其信，唯利之求，內則不憚詐其民，而求小利焉；外則不憚詐其與，而求大利焉，內不修正其所以有，然常欲人之有。如是，則臣下百姓莫不以詐心待其上矣。上詐其下，下詐其上，則是上下析也。如是，則敵國輕之，與國疑之，權謀日行，而國不免危削，綦之而亡，齊閔、薛公是也。故用強齊，非以修禮義也，非以本政教也，非以一天下也，綿綿常以結引馳外為務。故強、南足以破楚，西足以詘秦，北足以敗燕，中足以舉宋。及以燕趙起而攻之，若振槁然，而身死國亡，為天下大戮，後世言惡，則必稽焉。是無它故焉，唯其不由禮義，而由權謀也。

One who puts the state in order and calls for gain and profit, not striving to extend his righteousness or unify his good faith, but seeking only profit, will within not hesitate to deceive his people in order to seek small profit; and without will not hesitate to deceive his allied states in order to seek great profit, within not correcting what he has, and always wanting what others have. In this way, among ministers and hundred clans there are none who do not treat their superior with deceitful hearts. When the one above deceives those below, and those below deceive the one above, high and low are split. In this way enemy states despise him, allied states doubt him, power and scheming are practiced every day, and the state cannot avoid danger and diminution, and at the extreme perishes; King Min of Qi and Lord Xue were such. So the use of strong Qi was not to cultivate ritual and righteousness, not to be rooted in government and teaching, not to unify the world, but continually to treat forming alliances and galloping outside as the business at hand. Thus it was strong, in the south sufficient to break Chu, in the west sufficient to subdue Qin, in the north sufficient to defeat Yan, and in the center sufficient to attack and take Song. When Yan and Zhao rose to attack it, it was like shaking dead leaves down, and he died and the state perished, becoming a great disgrace of the world, so that later generations speaking of evil must cite him. There is no other reason: he did not follow ritual and righteousness but followed power and scheming.

三者明主之所以謹擇也，而仁人之所以務白也。善擇者制人，不善擇者人制之。

These three are what a wise ruler chooses carefully, and are also what a benevolent man strives to make clear. One who is good at choosing controls others; one who is not good at choosing is controlled by others.

國者、天下之大器也，重任也，不可不善為擇所而後錯之，錯險則危；不可不善為擇道然後道之，塗薉則塞；危塞則亡。彼國錯者，非封焉之謂也，何法之道，誰子之與也。故道王者之法，與王者之人為之，則亦王；道霸者之法，與霸者之人為之，則亦霸；道亡國之法，與亡國之人為之，則亦亡。－－三者明主之所以謹擇也，而仁人之所以務白也。

The state is the great vessel of the world and a heavy responsibility; one must choose well its location and then place it, and placed in a dangerous spot it is in danger; one must choose well the road and then lead it, and if the road is overgrown it is blocked; danger and blockage lead to ruin. The placing of the state does not mean the borders, but rather which law's way is followed and with whom one is. So if one follows the law of a king and acts with the people of a king, he becomes king; if he follows the law of a hegemon and acts with the people of a hegemon, he becomes hegemon; if he follows the law of a perishing state and acts with the people of a perishing state, he perishes. These three are what a wise ruler chooses carefully and what a benevolent man strives to make clear.

故國者、重任也，不以積持之則不立。故國者，世所以新者也，是憚，憚、非變也，改王改行也。故一朝之日也，一日之人也，然而厭焉有千歲之國，何也？曰：援夫千歲之信法以持之也，安與夫千歲之信士為之也。人無百歲之壽，而有千歲之信士，何也？曰：以夫千歲之法自持者，是乃千歲之信士矣。故與積禮義之君子為之則王，與端誠信全之士為之則霸，與權謀傾覆之人為之則亡。－－三者明主之所以謹擇也，仁人之所以務白也。善擇之者制人，不善擇之者人制之。

So the state is a heavy responsibility, and if one does not hold it by accumulation it cannot stand. The state is renewed through the generations; this is abdication and succession, and succession is not disorder but changing the king and changing the conduct. Thus the days of one dynasty, the people of one day, yet there is calmly a state of a thousand years; why? It is said: drawing on that thousand-year law of good faith to hold it, and working with those thousand-year faithful men. People do not have a hundred years of life, yet there are thousand-year faithful men; why? It is said: those who hold themselves by that thousand-year law are thousand-year faithful men. So to work with gentlemen who have accumulated ritual and righteousness is to become king; to work with upright, sincere, faithful, and complete men is to become hegemon; to work with those of power, scheming, and overthrow is to perish. These three are what a wise ruler chooses carefully and what a benevolent man strives to make clear. One who is good at choosing controls others; one who is not good at choosing is controlled by others.

彼持國者，必不可以獨也，然則強固榮辱在於取相矣。身能相能，如是者王，身不能，知恐懼而求能者，如是者強；身不能，不知恐懼而求能者，安唯便僻左右親比己者之用，如是者危削；綦之而亡。國者，巨用之則大，小用之則小；綦大而王，綦小而亡，小巨分流者存。巨用之者，先義而後利，安不恤親疏，不恤貴賤，唯誠能之求，夫是之謂巨用之。小用之者，先利而後義，安不恤是非，不治曲直，唯便僻親比己者之用，夫是之謂小用之。巨用之者若彼，小用之者若此，小巨分流者，亦一若彼，一若此也。故曰："粹而王，駁而霸，無一焉而亡。"此之謂也。

One who holds a state must not stand alone; strength and honor or disgrace therefore lie in the choice of a chancellor. If the ruler himself is able and the chancellor is able, such a one becomes a true king. If the ruler is not able but knows fear and seeks out able men, such a one becomes strong. If the ruler is not able, does not know fear, and does not seek able men, but employs only the fawning attendants at his side who cling to him, such a one is endangered and diminished; at the extreme he is destroyed. A state: use it on a grand scale and it grows great; use it on a petty scale and it stays small. At the extreme of greatness it rules as king; at the extreme of smallness it perishes; small and great survive in divergent ways. One who uses it on a grand scale puts rightness first and profit last; paying no heed to near kin or stranger, caring nothing for noble or lowly, seeking only the truly talented—this is called using it on a grand scale. One who uses it on a petty scale puts profit first and rightness last; paying no heed to right and wrong, taking no care of crooked and straight, employing only the fawning intimates attached to himself—this is called using it on a petty scale. Those who use it grandly are like the former; those who use it meanly are like the latter; and of those in between, some are like one and some like the other. Therefore it is said: 'The pure become kings; the mixed become hegemons; those with neither perish.' This is what it means.

國無禮則不正。禮之所以正國也，譬之：猶衡之於輕重也，猶繩墨之於曲直也，猶規矩之於方圓也，既錯之而人莫之能誣也。詩云："如霜雪之將將，如日月之光明，為之則存，不為則亡。"此之謂也。

A state cannot be set straight without ritual. Ritual, by which a state is set straight, is like this: as the balance is to light and heavy, as the inked line is to crooked and straight, as compass and square are to round and square—once they have been set in place, no one can deceive against them. The Book of Songs says: 'Severe as frost and snow, luminous as sun and moon; practice it and it endures, neglect it and it is lost.' This is what it means.

國危則無樂君，國安則無憂民。亂則國危，治則國安。今君人者，急逐樂而緩治國，豈不過甚矣哉！譬之是由好聲色，而恬無耳目也，豈不哀哉！夫人之情，目欲綦色，耳欲綦聲，口欲綦味，鼻欲綦臭，心欲綦佚。－－此五綦者，人情之所必不免也。養五綦者有具。無其具，則五綦者不可得而致也。萬乘之國，可謂廣大富厚矣，加有治辨強固之道焉，若是則恬愉無患難矣，然後養五綦之具具也。故百樂者，生於治國者也；憂患者，生於亂國者也。急逐樂而緩治國者，非知樂者也。故明君者，必將先治其國，然後百樂得其中。闇君者，必將急逐樂而緩治國，故憂患不可勝校也，必至於身死國亡然後止也，豈不哀哉！將以為樂，乃得憂焉；將以為安，乃得危焉；將以為福，乃得死亡焉，豈不哀哉！於乎！君人者，亦可以察若言矣。故治國有道，人主有職。若夫貫日而治詳，一日而曲列之，是所使夫百吏官人為也，不足以是傷遊玩安燕之樂。若夫論一相以兼率之，使臣下百吏莫不宿道鄉方而務，是夫人主之職也。若是則一天下，名配堯禹。之主者，守至約而詳，事至佚而功，垂衣裳，不下簟席之上，而海內之人莫不願得以為帝王。夫是之謂至約，樂莫大焉。

When a state is in peril there are no happy rulers; when a state is secure there are no anxious people. Disorder brings peril; order brings security. Now for a ruler to be zealous in chasing pleasure while slack in governing the state—is that not excessive indeed! It is like delighting in sound and sight yet being content to have no ears and eyes—is that not pitiful! Now the feelings of man: the eye desires the utmost in color, the ear the utmost in sound, the mouth the utmost in taste, the nose the utmost in fragrance, the mind the utmost in ease. These five ultimates are what human feeling can never avoid. Nourishing these five ultimates has its conditions. Without those conditions, the five ultimates cannot be obtained. A state of ten thousand chariots may be called vast, rich, and generous; add to it the way of order, discernment, strength, and firmness, and then it is tranquil, serene, and joyful without calamity—and only then are the conditions for nourishing the five ultimates complete. Therefore the hundred kinds of pleasure are born of a well-governed state; anxiety and distress are born of a disordered state. To be zealous in chasing pleasure while slack in governing the state is not to know pleasure. Therefore the enlightened ruler is certain first to govern his state, and afterward the hundred pleasures are found within it. The benighted ruler is certain to be zealous in chasing pleasure and slack in governing; therefore anxieties beyond counting accumulate until death and the ruin of the state bring an end—is that not pitiful! Intending to take it as joy, one obtains grief; intending to take it as safety, one obtains peril; intending to take it as fortune, one obtains destruction—is that not pitiful! Alas! One who is ruler over men may well examine these words. Therefore in governing a state there is a way, and the ruler of men has his office. As for managing every detail day after day, setting out each affair twist by twist—this is what the hundred functionaries and clerks are made to do; it is not worth injuring the joy of roaming and repose for it. As for selecting a single chancellor to lead them all jointly, making the ministers and hundred functionaries all rest in the Way, set their faces to the right direction, and diligently pursue it—this is the office of the ruler of men. In this way one unifies all under heaven, and one's fame matches that of Yao and Yu. Such a ruler holds to what is most simple yet fully provided; his tasks are most leisurely yet accomplished; with robes hanging down, never descending from his mat, the people within the seas all wish to gain him as their sovereign. This is called the utmost simplicity—and there is no joy greater than this.

人主者，以官人為能者也；匹夫者，以自能為能者也。人主得使人為之，匹夫則無所移之。百畝一守，事業窮，無所移之也。今以一人兼聽天下，日有餘而治不足者，使人為之也。大有天下，小有一國，必自為之然後可，則勞苦秏(卒頁)莫甚焉。如是，則雖臧獲不肯與天子易埶業。以是縣天下，一四海，何故必自為之？為之者，役夫之道也，墨子之說也。論德使能而官施之者，聖王之道也，儒之所謹守也。傳曰：農分田而耕，賈分貨而販，百工分事而勸，士大夫分職而聽，建國諸侯之君分土而守，三公摠方而議，則天子共己而已矣。出若入若，天下莫不平均，莫不治辨，是百王之所同也，而禮法之大分也。

The ruler of men is one for whom ability means appointing men to offices; the ordinary man is one for whom ability means doing things himself. The ruler can set others to work; the ordinary man has nowhere to shift the burden. A hundred mu kept by one man, the work exhausted with nowhere to shift it—that is having nowhere to turn. Now let one man jointly hear all under heaven: the days are more than enough and what needs governing is too few—this is setting others to work. To possess all under heaven at the largest, or a single state at the smallest, and insist that only by doing everything oneself is it acceptable—then the toil and exhaustion are worse than anything else. In such a case, even a slave or servant girl would refuse to exchange her lot for the power and works of the Son of Heaven. To hold all under heaven together and make the four seas one—why must one do it all oneself? Doing it oneself is the way of a hired laborer; it is the doctrine of Mozi. To assess virtue, employ the able, appoint to offices and bestow accordingly—this is the way of the sage kings, what the Ru carefully hold. The records say: the farmer divides the fields and plows; the merchant divides the goods and trades; the hundred craftsmen divide the tasks and labor diligently; the officers and grandees divide the charges and render judgments; the lords of enfeoffed states divide the land and guard it; the three dukes take charge of the regions and deliberate—then the Son of Heaven need only hold himself in reverence. Abroad it is thus, at home it is thus: all under heaven evenly balanced, all under heaven ordered and discerned. This is what the hundred kings all shared, and it is the great division made by ritual and law.

百里之地，可以取天下。－－是不虛；其難者在人主之知之也。取天下者，非負其土地而從之之謂也，道足以壹人而已矣。彼其人苟壹，則其土地奚去我而適它？故百里之地，其等位爵服，足以容天下之賢士矣；其官職事業，足以容天下之能士矣；循其舊法，擇其善者而明用之，足以順服好利之人矣。賢士一焉，能士官焉，好利之人服焉，三者具而天下盡，無有是其外矣。故百里之地，足以竭埶矣。致忠信，箸仁義，足以竭人矣。兩者合而天下取，諸侯後同者先危。詩曰："自西自東，自南自北，無思不服。"一人之謂也。

A territory of a hundred li can win all under heaven—this is not empty talk; the difficulty lies in the ruler's knowing it. Winning all under heaven does not mean men carry their land on their backs to come follow him; it means his Way suffices to unify men. If the people are unified, where could their land go, leaving him for elsewhere? Therefore with a territory of a hundred li, its ranks and official robes suffice to accommodate all the worthy men under heaven; its offices and works suffice to accommodate all the able men under heaven; and by following the old laws, choosing the good among them and putting them to conspicuous use, he suffices to make those who love profit submit. When the worthy are unified, the able hold office, and the profit-lovers submit—when these three are complete, all under heaven is exhausted and nothing lies outside it. Therefore a territory of a hundred li suffices to exhaust power and position. To exhaust loyalty and trustworthiness and make humaneness and rightness shine suffices to exhaust men. When the two converge, all under heaven is won, and the feudal lord who comes late to the assembly is the first in peril. The Daya ode Wen Wang You Sheng says: 'From west and from east, from south and from north, none thought of not submitting.' This is the meaning of unifying men.

羿、蜂門者，善服射者也；王良、造父者，善服馭者也。聰明君子者，善服人者也。人服而埶從之，人不服而埶去之，故王者已於服人矣。故人主欲得善射－－射遠中微，則莫若羿、蜂門矣；欲得善馭－－及速致遠，則莫若王良、造父矣。欲得調壹天下，制秦楚，則莫若聰明君子矣。其用知甚簡，其為事不勞，而功名致大，甚易處而極可樂也。故明君以為寶，而愚者以為難。夫貴為天子，富有天下，名為聖王，兼制人，人莫得而制也，是人情之所同欲也，而王者兼而有是者也。重色而衣之，重味而食之，重財物而制之，合天下而君之，飲食甚厚，聲樂甚大，臺謝甚高，園囿甚廣，臣使諸侯，一天下，是又人情之所同欲也，而天子之禮制如是者也。制度以陳，政令以挾，官人失要則死，公侯失禮則幽，四方之國，有侈離之德則必滅，名聲若日月，功績如天地，天下之人應之如景向，是又人情之所同欲也，而王者兼而有是者也。故人之情，口好味，而臭味莫美焉；耳好聲，而聲樂莫大焉；目好色，而文章致繁，婦女莫眾焉；形體好佚，而安重閒靜莫愉焉；心好利，而谷祿莫厚焉。合天下之所同願兼而有之，睪牢天下而制之若制子孫，人苟不狂惑戇陋者，其誰能睹是而不樂也哉！欲是之主，並肩而存；能建是之士，不世絕；千歲而不合，何也？曰：人主不公，人臣不忠也。人主則外賢而偏舉，人臣則爭職而妒賢，是其所以不合之故也。人主胡不廣焉，無恤親疏，無偏貴賤，惟誠能之求？若是，則人臣輕職業讓賢，而安隨其後。如是，則舜禹還至，王業還起；功壹天下，名配舜禹，物由有可樂，如是其美焉者乎！嗚呼！君人者，亦可以察若言矣。楊朱哭衢塗，曰："此夫過舉蹞步，而覺跌千里者夫！"哀哭之。此亦榮辱、安危、存亡之衢已，此其為可哀，甚於衢塗。嗚呼！哀哉！君人者，千歲而不覺也。

Yi and Pengmeng were men skilled at making archers submit; Wang Liang and Zaofu were men skilled at making charioteers submit. The clear-sighted noble man is one skilled at making men submit. When men submit, power follows; when men do not submit, power departs; therefore the true king stops at making men submit. So if a ruler wants one good at shooting—who shoots far and hits the minute—he cannot do better than Yi and Pengmeng; if he wants one good at driving—who keeps pace, swift, reaching the far-off—he cannot do better than Wang Liang and Zaofu; and if he wants one to harmonize and unify all under heaven and subdue Qin and Chu, he cannot do better than the clear-sighted noble man. His use of wisdom is most spare; his doing of tasks is not toilsome; yet his achievement and fame are vast—easiest to dwell with and most delightful. Therefore the enlightened ruler counts him a treasure, while the foolish count him a hardship. Now to be honored to the station of Son of Heaven, rich in all under heaven, named a sage king, controlling all men while no man can control him—this is what human feeling everywhere desires, and the true king possesses all of it. To wear color layered on color, to taste flavor layered on flavor, to control goods heaped on goods, to unite all under heaven as its lord; food and drink most lavish, music most grand, terraces and pavilions most lofty, parks and preserves most broad; making feudal lords one's servants, unifying all under heaven—this again is what human feeling everywhere desires, and the ritual order of the Son of Heaven is thus. When institutions have been laid out and ordinances made complete; when functionaries who break their compact die and dukes and marquises who violate ritual are shut away; when the states of the four quarters that harbor extravagant and estranged virtue are certain to be destroyed; when fame shines like sun and moon and achievement is vast as heaven and earth; when the people of the world answer him like shadow and echo—this again is what human feeling everywhere desires, and the true king possesses all of it. So in the feelings of man: the mouth loves taste, and no savor is finer than this; the ear loves sound, and no music is grander than this; the eye loves color, and patterned splendor at its fullest and women more numerous than this there are none; the body loves ease, and no secure, weighty, quiet leisure is more pleasant than this; the mind loves profit, and no grain stipend is richer than this. To gather up all that the world commonly desires and possess it, to enfold all under heaven and control it as one controls sons and grandsons—what man, unless mad, deluded, dull, and boorish, could see this and not rejoice! Rulers who desire this stand shoulder to shoulder; gentlemen able to establish it have never ceased age after age; yet for a thousand years the two have not met. Why? I say: rulers are not impartial, ministers are not loyal. Rulers spurn the worthy and promote by favoritism; ministers fight over posts and envy the worthy—this is why they have not met. Why does the ruler not broaden himself, disregard kin and stranger, show no partiality to noble and base, and seek only the truly able? In that case ministers would think lightly of office, yield it to the worthy, and follow contentedly behind. In that case a Shun or a Yu would come at once, the kingly work would rise at once; achievement uniting all under heaven, fame matching Shun and Yu—of things that can be rejoiced in, is there any so fine as this! Alas! One who is ruler over men may well examine these words. Yang Zhu wept at the forked road, saying: 'This is where a man errs by half a step, and by the time he wakes he has gone a thousand li astray!'—and wept over it in grief. This too is the crossroads of honor and disgrace, safety and peril, survival and ruin; and it is more lamentable than a fork in the road. Alas! How pitiful! The rulers of men have not awakened in a thousand years.

無國而不有治法，無國而不有亂法；無國而不有賢士，無國而不有罷士；無國而不有願民，無國而不有悍民；無國而不有美俗，無國而不有惡俗。兩者並行而國在，上偏而國安，在下偏而國危；上一而王，下一而亡。故其法治，其佐賢，其民願，其俗美，而四者齊，夫是之謂上一。如是則不戰而勝，不攻而得，甲兵不勞而天下服。故湯以亳，文王以鄗，皆百里之地也，天下為一，諸侯為臣，通達之屬，莫不從服，無它故焉，四者齊也。桀紂即厚有天下之埶，索為匹夫而不可得也，是無它故焉，四者並亡也。故百王之法不同，若是所歸者一也。

There is no state without laws of order, and no state without laws of disorder; no state without worthy gentlemen, and no state without worn and feeble ones; no state without careful and honest people, and no state without violent and unruly ones; no state without good customs, and no state without bad ones. When the two run side by side the state still stands: if the upper part inclines to order, the state is secure; if the lower part inclines to disorder, the state is endangered; if the upper part is unified, it rules as king; if the lower part is unified, it perishes. Therefore when its laws are ordered, its ministers worthy, its people careful and honest, and its customs good—when all four are complete, this is called unification at the top. In such a case it wins without fighting and gains without attacking; its armor and weapons are not labored, yet all under heaven submits. So Tang relied on Bo and King Wen relied on Hao—both territories of a hundred li—and all under heaven was unified, the feudal lords made subjects; wherever the roads reached, none failed to submit. There was no other reason: the four were complete. Jie and Zhou, though they held the power of all under heaven in abundance, could not obtain even the station of ordinary men—for no other reason than that the four had all perished. Therefore though the laws of the hundred kings differ, what they all return to is one and the same.

上莫不致愛其下，而制之以禮。上之於下，如保赤子，政令制度，所以接下之人百姓，有不理者如豪末，則雖孤獨鰥寡必不加焉。故下之親上，歡如父母，可殺而不可使不順。君臣上下，貴賤長幼，至於庶人，莫不以是為隆正；然後皆內自省，以謹於分。是百王之所同也，而禮法之樞要也。然後農分田而耕，賈分貨而販，百工分事而勸，士大夫分職而聽，建國諸侯之君分土而守，三公總方而議，則天子共己而止矣。出若入若，天下莫不均平，莫不治辨。是百王之所同，而禮法之大分也。若夫貫日而治平，權物而稱用，使衣服有制，宮室有度，人徒有數，喪祭械用皆有等宜，以是用挾於萬物，尺寸尋丈，莫得不循乎制度數量然後行，則是官人使吏之事也，不足數於大君子之前。故君人者，立隆政本朝而當，所使要百事者誠仁人也，則身佚而國治，功大而名美，上可以王，下可以霸。立隆正本朝而不當，所使要百事者非仁人也，則身勞而國亂，功廢而名辱，社稷必危，是人君者之樞機也。故能當一人而天下取，失當一人而社稷危。不能當一人，而能當千百人者，說無之有也。既能當一人，則身有何勞而為？垂衣裳而天下定。故湯用伊尹，文王用呂尚，武王用召公，成王用周公旦。卑者五伯，齊桓公閨門之內，縣樂、奢泰、遊抏之修，於天下不見謂修，然九合諸侯，一匡天下，為五伯長，是亦無他故焉，知一政於管仲也，是君人者之要守也。知者易為之興力，而功名綦大。舍是而孰足為也？故古之人，有大功名者，必道是者也。喪其國危其身者，必反是者也。故孔子曰："知者之知，固以多矣，有以守少，能無察乎？愚者之知，固以少矣，有以守多，能無狂乎？"此之謂也。

The superior never fails to love those below him to the utmost, yet uses ritual to order them. The superior's relation to the inferior is like protecting a newborn child: ordinances and institutions touch the lowest of the common folk, and if there is anything unreasonable, even by a hair's breadth, then even the orphaned, the widowed, and the solitary are never made to bear it. Therefore those below cleave to those above, rejoicing as in father and mother; they may be killed but cannot be made disobedient. Ruler and minister, superior and inferior, noble and base, elder and younger—down to the common man—none fails to take this as the exalted standard; then all look inward and examine themselves, to be careful about their station. This is what the hundred kings shared, and it is the pivot of ritual and law. Then the farmer divides the fields and plows; the merchant divides the goods and trades; the hundred craftsmen divide the tasks and labor diligently; the officers and grandees divide the charges and render judgments; the lords of enfeoffed states divide the land and guard it; the three dukes take charge of the regions and deliberate—then the Son of Heaven need only hold himself in reverence, and that is the end. Abroad it is thus, at home it is thus: all under heaven evenly balanced, all under heaven ordered and discerned. This is what the hundred kings shared, and it is the great division made by ritual and law. As for day-by-day management—balancing things and weighing their use; giving clothing its regulation, palaces and halls their measure, persons and followers their number; giving mourning and sacrificial vessels and implements the gradations proper to them—and so reaching all the ten thousand things, foot and inch and fathom, none able to act except by following rule and measure—these are the business of functionaries and clerks, not worth reckoning up before a great gentleman. Therefore if a ruler establishes the exalted standard in his court with aptness, and those he employs to gather up the hundred affairs are truly humane men, then his person is at ease and the state is ordered; his achievement is great and his fame is fair; above he may be a king, below he may be a hegemon. If he establishes the exalted standard in his court but not aptly, and those he employs to gather up the hundred affairs are not humane men, then his person is labored and the state disordered; his achievement is ruined and his fame disgraced; the altars of soil and grain are certain to be endangered—this is the hinge of the ruler of men. Therefore be apt in one man and all under heaven is won; fail in one man and the altars of soil and grain are endangered. To be unable to be apt in one man yet apt in a thousand or a hundred—there is no such saying. If one can be apt in one man, what toil does his person still have? With robes hanging down, all under heaven is settled. So Tang used Yi Yin, King Wen used Lü Shang, King Wu used the Duke of Shao, and King Cheng used the Duke of Zhou, Dan. Lower down are the Five Hegemons: within Duke Huan of Qi's private chambers, hanging chimes, lavish ease, and roaming indulgence were practiced without the world's calling them practices; yet he nine times assembled the feudal lords and once united and rectified all under heaven, becoming chief of the Five Hegemons—and for no other reason than this: he knew to concentrate the government in Guan Zhong. This is the ruler's hold on the essential and spare. The wise gladly exert their strength for him, and his achievement and fame are vast. Set this aside, and what else suffices? Therefore the men of antiquity who had great achievement and fame were certain to travel this road; those who lost their states and endangered their persons were certain to do the opposite. Therefore Confucius said: 'The wise man's knowledge is already abundant; if he uses it to hold to little, can he fail to be discerning? The fool's knowledge is already scant; if he uses it to hold to much, can he fail to run wild?' This is what it means.

治國者分已定，則主相臣下百吏，各謹其所聞，不務聽其所不聞；各謹其所見，不務視其所不見。所聞所見誠以齊矣。則雖幽閒隱闢，百姓莫敢不敬分安制，以化其上，是治國之徵也。

When the boundaries for governing a state are fixed, then the lord, chancellor, ministers, and hundred functionaries each are careful about what falls within their hearing, and do not insist on hearing what lies beyond it; each are careful about what falls within their sight, and do not insist on seeing what lies beyond it. What is heard and what is seen are thereby truly unified. Then even in remote and hidden corners, among the people none dare fail to respect their station, rest in the regulations, and be transformed into harmony with those above—this is the proof of a well-governed state.

主道治近不治遠，治明不治幽，治一不治二。主能治近則遠者理，主能治明則幽者化，主能當一則百事正。夫兼聽天下，日有餘而治不足者，如此也，是治之極也。既能治近，又務治遠；既能治明，又務見幽；既能當一，又務正百，是過者也，過猶不及也。闢之是猶立直木而求其影之枉也。不能治近，又務治遠；不能察明，又務見幽；不能當一，又務正百，是悖者也。闢之是猶立枉木而求其影之直也。故明主好要，而闇主好詳；主好要則百事詳，主好詳則百事荒。君者、論一相，陳一法，明一指，以兼覆之，兼照之，以觀其盛者也。相者，論列百官之長，要百事之聽，以飾朝廷臣下百吏之分，度其功勞，論其慶賞，歲終奉其成功以效於君。當則可，不當則廢。故君人勞於索之，而休於使之。

The way of the ruler: govern what is near, not what is far; govern what is clear, not what is obscure; govern the one, not the two. If the ruler can govern what is near, what is far is taken care of; if he can govern what is clear, what is obscure is transformed; if he can be apt in the one, the hundred affairs are set straight. That he jointly hears all under heaven, with days to spare and too little left to govern, is like this—this is the summit of order. To be able to govern the near yet insist on governing the far; to be able to govern the clear yet insist on seeing the obscure; to be able to be apt in the one yet insist on straightening the hundred—this is excess, and excess is like falling short; it is like setting up a straight tree and demanding its shadow be bent. Unable to govern the near yet insisting on governing the far; unable to discern the clear yet insisting on seeing the obscure; unable to be apt in the one yet insisting on straightening the hundred—this is perversity; it is like setting up a bent tree and demanding its shadow be straight. Therefore the enlightened ruler loves the essential and spare, while the benighted ruler loves completeness and detail. The ruler who loves the spare finds the hundred affairs complete; the ruler who loves detail finds the hundred affairs abandoned. The lord: he selects a single chancellor, lays out a single law, and makes clear a single tenet, to cover them all, to illumine them all, and to watch them flourish. The chancellor: he ranks the heads of the hundred offices, gathers up the hearing and judging of the hundred affairs, to order the stations of the ministers and hundred functionaries at court, measure their merits, settle their rewards, and at year's end present the completed results to the lord for verification. If apt, it stands; if not, it is dismissed. Therefore the ruler of men toils in seeking him out, and rests in employing him.

用國者，得百姓之力者富，得百姓之死者強，得百姓之譽者榮。－－三得者具而天下歸之，三得者亡而天下去之；天下歸之之謂王，天下去之之謂亡。湯武者，修其道，行其義，興天下同利，除天下同害，天下歸之。故厚德音以先之，明禮義以道之，致忠信以愛之，賞賢使能以次之，爵服賞慶以申重之，時其事，輕其任，以調齊之，潢然兼覆之，養長之，如保赤子。生民則致寬，使民則綦理，辯政令制度，所以接天下之人百姓，有非理者如豪末，則雖孤獨鰥寡，必不加焉。是故百姓貴之如帝，親之如父母，為之出死斷亡而不愉者，無它故焉，道德誠明，利澤誠厚也。亂世則不然，汙漫突盜以先之，權謀傾覆以示之，俳優、侏儒、婦女之請謁以悖之，使愚詔知，使不肖臨賢，生民則致貧隘，使民則極勞苦。是故，百姓賤之如尪，惡之如鬼，日欲司間而相與投借之，去逐之。卒有寇難之事，又望百姓之為己死，不可得也，說無以取之焉。孔子曰："審吾所以適人，適人之所以來我也。"此之謂也。

One who uses a state gains wealth when the people give their strength, gains strength when the people are willing to die, and gains honor when the people give their praise. When these three gains are complete, all under heaven turns to him; when the three gains are lost, all under heaven leaves him. That all under heaven turns to him is called kingship; that all under heaven leaves him is called ruin. Tang and King Wu cultivated this way, practiced this rightness, raised the common benefit of all under heaven, and removed the common harm of all under heaven—and all under heaven turned to them. So they deepened the sound of their virtue to lead them, made ritual and rightness shine to open them, exhausted loyalty and trust to love them, rewarded the worthy and employed the able to rank them, used titles, robes, and gifts to dignify them, laid out their tasks at the proper times and lightened their burdens to harmonize them, and broadly sheltered, nourished, and raised them like a newborn child. In feeding the people they were most generous; in employing the people most reasonable; discerning ordinances and institutions to treat all the common folk under heaven—if there was anything unreasonable, even by a hair's breadth, then even the orphaned, widowed, and solitary were never made to bear it. Therefore the people honored them as they would the Lord on High, loved them as father and mother, and would go to their deaths for them unchanging—for no other reason than that the Way and its virtue truly shone, and its benefits were truly deep. A disordered age is not thus: it leads with filth, arrogance, and theft; it displays itself with schemes and subversion; it brings confusion with the petitions of actors, dwarfs, and women; it lets the foolish instruct the wise and the unworthy ride over the worthy. In feeding the people it is most stinting; in employing them most burdensome. Therefore the people look on their ruler as a cripple and hate him like a demon; day by day they watch for a crack to cast him down and trample him, to drive him off and expel him. Then when an emergency of invasion suddenly comes, to expect the people to die for him—that cannot be had; no reasoning can obtain it. Confucius said: 'Examine well how I go to others, and that is how others will come to me.' This is what it means.

傷國者，何也？曰：以小人尚民而威，以非所取於民而巧，是傷國之大災也。大國之主也，而好見小利，是傷國。其於聲色、臺榭、園囿也，愈厭而好新，是傷國。不好修正其所以有，啖啖常欲人之有，是傷國。三邪者在匈中，而又好以權謀傾覆之人，斷事其外，若是，則權輕名辱，社稷必危，是傷國者也。大國之主也，不隆本行，不敬舊法，而好詐故，若是，則夫朝廷群臣，亦從而成俗於不隆禮義而好傾覆也。朝廷群臣之俗若是，則夫眾庶百姓亦從而成俗於不隆禮義而好貪利矣。君臣上下之俗，莫不若是，則地雖廣，權必輕；人雖眾，兵必弱；刑罰雖繁，令不下通。夫是之謂危國，是傷國者也。

What injures a state? I say: to set petty men above the people to make displays of power, and to take cleverly from the people what should not be taken—this is a state's great calamity. The lord of a great state who loves to see petty profit—this injures the state. He whose appetite for music and women, terraces and pavilions, parks and preserves grows ever more fond of novelty the more it is sated—this injures the state. He who does not love tending what he has, but greedily ever covets what others have—this injures the state. With these three evils in his breast, and loving to employ men of schemes and subversion to decide affairs abroad—in such a case power grows light and fame is disgraced, the altars of soil and grain are certain to be endangered—this is a man who injures his state. The lord of a great state who does not honor the virtue of the root, does not respect the old laws, and loves deceit—in such a case the assembled ministers at court follow in forming the custom of not honoring ritual and rightness and loving subversion. When the custom of the court ministers is thus, then the masses of the common folk follow in forming the custom of not honoring ritual and rightness and loving greedy profit. If the custom of ruler and ministers, high and low, is all like this, then though the land be broad, power will surely be light; though the people be many, the army will surely be weak; though punishments be multiplied, orders cannot pass down. This is called an endangered state; he is one who injures his state.

儒者為之不然，必將曲辨：朝廷必將隆禮義而審貴賤，若是、則士大夫莫不敬節死制者矣。百官則將齊其制度，重其官秩，若是、則百吏莫不畏法而遵繩矣。關市幾而不徵，質律禁止而不偏，如是、則商賈莫不敦愨而無詐矣。百工將時斬伐，佻其期日，而利其巧任，如是，則百工莫不忠信而不楛矣。縣鄙則將輕田野之稅，省刀布之歛，罕舉力役，無奪農時，如是、農夫莫不樸力而寡能矣。士大夫務節死制，然而兵勁。百吏畏法循繩，然後國常不亂。商賈敦愨無詐，則商旅安，貨通財，而國求給矣。百工忠信而不楛，則器用巧便而財不匱矣。農夫樸力而寡能，則上不失天時，下不失地利，中得人和，而百事不廢。是之謂政令行，風俗美，以守則固，以徵則強，居則有名，動則有功。此儒之所謂曲辨也。

The Confucian does not act in this way; he will certainly bring comprehensive order. In the court he will honor ritual and righteousness and examine noble and lowly; in this way, among the scholars and grandees none will fail to revere integrity as the standard and be willing to die for it. The hundred officials will have standardized institutions and value official rank; in this way, among the hundred officials none will fail to fear the law and follow the ink line. At the passes and markets there will be inspection without taxation, and contracts, tallies, laws, and ordinances will be prohibitive without partiality; in this way, among merchants none will fail to be honest and upright and without deceit. The hundred artisans will fell timber at the proper time, with generous time limits and to the convenience of their skill; in this way, among artisans none will fail to be loyal, sincere, and not crude. In the counties and outlying areas, taxes on the fields will be lightened, exactions of knife and cloth coin reduced, labor service rarely called, and the farming seasons not taken away; in this way, among farmers none will fail to concentrate their effort and have few side skills. When scholars and grandees strive to hold integrity as the standard and die for it, then the army is strong. When the hundred officials fear the law and follow the ink line, then the constant order of the state is not disturbed. When merchants are honest and upright without deceit, merchants and travelers are at peace, goods circulate and wealth moves, and the state's needs are supplied. When artisans are loyal and sincere and not crude, implements and utensils are skillful and convenient and wealth is not scarce. When farmers concentrate their effort and have few side skills, then above one does not lose Heaven's seasons, below one does not lose the earth's advantages, and in the middle one gains the harmony of men, and the hundred affairs are not neglected. This is called government orders being carried out and customs being fine, so that if one uses it to defend, one is secure; if one uses it to campaign, one is strong; at rest one has a name, and in action one has merit. This is what the Confucian calls comprehensive order.

有亂君，無亂國；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，類不能自行；得其人則存，失其人則亡。法者、治之端也；君子者、法之原也。故有君子，則法雖省，足以遍矣；無君子，則法雖具，失先後之施，不能應事之變，足以亂矣。不知法之義，而正法之數者，雖博臨事必亂。故明主急得其人，而闇主急得其埶。急得其人，則身佚而國治，功大而名美，上可以王，下可以霸；不急得其人，而急得其埶，則身勞而國亂，功廢而名辱，社稷必危。故君人者，勞於索之，而休於使之。書曰："惟文王敬忌，一人以擇。"此之謂也。

There are disorderly rulers but no disorderly states; there are men who bring order but no laws that bring order. Yi's method did not perish, yet Yi could not hit the target in every generation; Yu's law remains, yet Xia could not be king in every generation. So law cannot stand alone and categories cannot act by themselves; with the right man they survive, and without him they perish. Law is the beginning of order; the gentleman is the source of law. So when there is a gentleman, then even if the laws are few, they are enough to be comprehensive; when there is no gentleman, then even if the laws are complete, they lose the order of precedence and application, cannot respond to changing affairs, and are enough to cause disorder. One who does not know the meaning of law and sets right only the numbers of law, even if broadly learned, will certainly fall into disorder when faced with affairs. So an enlightened ruler is urgent to obtain the right man, while a benighted ruler is urgent to obtain power. If he is urgent to obtain the right man, then his own person is at ease and the state is well governed, his merit is great and his name is fair, and above he can become king and below he can become hegemon; if he is not urgent to obtain the right man but is urgent to obtain power, then his own person toils and the state is in disorder, his merit is ruined and his name disgraced, and the altars of state will surely be in danger. So a ruler toils in seeking him and is at ease in employing him. The Book of Documents says: "Only King Wen was reverent and cautious, and chose men one by one." This is what it speaks of.

合符節，別契券者，所以為信也；上好權謀，則臣下百吏誕詐之人乘是而後欺。探籌、投鉤者，所以為公也；上好曲私，則臣下百吏乘是而後偏。衡石稱縣者，所以為平也；上好覆傾，則臣下百吏乘是而後險。鬥斛敦概者，所以為嘖也；上好貪利，則臣下百吏乘是而後豐取刻與，以無度取於民。故械數者，治之流也，非治之原也；君子者，治之原也。官人守數，君子養原；原清則流清，原濁則流濁。故上好禮義，尚賢使能，無貪利之心，則下亦將綦辭讓，致忠信，而謹於臣子矣。如是則雖在小民，不待合符節，別契券而信，不待探籌投鉤而公，不待沖石稱縣而平，不待鬥斛敦概而嘖。故賞不用而民勸，罰不用而民服，有司不勞而事治，政令不煩而俗美。百姓莫敢不順上之法，象上之志，而勸上之事，而安樂之矣。故借斂忘費，事業忘勞，寇難忘死，城郭不待飾而固，兵刃不待陵而勁，敵國不待服而詘，四海之民不待令而一，夫是之謂至平。詩曰："王猶允塞，徐方既來。"此之謂也。

Matching tallies and dividing contracts are used to make trust; if those above love scheming, then the deceitful among the ministers and hundred officials take advantage of this to cheat. Drawing lots and casting hooks are used to make impartiality; if those above love crooked partiality, then the ministers and hundred officials take advantage of this to be biased. Scales and weights are used to make evenness; if those above love toppling, then the ministers and hundred officials take advantage of this to be treacherous and slanting. Dou and hu measures, with straightedges for leveling, are used to make uniformity; if those above love greed and profit, then the ministers and hundred officials take advantage of this to take much and give little and take from the people without measure. So implements, instruments, and numbers are the stream of order, not the source of order; the gentleman is the source of order. Officials keep the numbers, and the gentleman nurtures the source; when the source is clear, the stream is clear, and when the source is muddy, the stream is muddy. So if those above love ritual and righteousness, honor the worthy and employ the able, and have no mind to greed and profit, then those below will also exhaust themselves in courtesy and deference, exhaust themselves in loyalty and sincerity, and act with care as ministers. In this way, even among the common people, trust exists without waiting for matching tallies and dividing contracts, impartiality without waiting for drawing lots and casting hooks, evenness without waiting for scales and weights, and uniformity without waiting for dou and hu with straightedges. So rewards are unused and the people are encouraged, punishments are unused and the people obey, the officials are not toiled and affairs are in order, government orders are not burdensome and customs are fine. The common people none dare not follow the law above, imitate the aims above, and be encouraged in the affairs above, and live in peace and joy. So they forget the cost of levies, forget the toil of undertakings, forget death in danger from bandits; city walls are secure without waiting to be adorned, weapons are sharp without waiting to be ground, enemy states submit without waiting to be conquered, and the people within the four seas are united without waiting for orders; this is called supreme evenness. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, 'Chang Wu,' says: 'The king's plans are truly substantial, and the Xu region has come.' This is what it speaks of.

請問為人君？曰：以禮分施，均遍而不偏。請問為人臣？曰：以禮侍君，忠順而不懈。請問為人父？曰：寬惠而有禮。請問為人子？曰：敬愛而致文。請問為人兄？曰：慈愛而見友。請問為人弟？曰：敬詘而不苟。請問為人夫？曰：致功而不流，致臨而有辨。請問為人妻？曰：夫有禮則柔從聽侍，夫無禮則恐懼而自竦也。此道也，偏立而亂，俱立而治，其足以稽矣。請問兼能之奈何？曰：審之禮也。古者先王審禮以方皇周浹於天下，動無不當也。故君子恭而不難，敬而不鞏，貧窮而不約，富貴而不驕，並遇變態而不窮，審之禮也。故君子之於禮，敬而安之；其於事也，徑而不失；其於人也，寡怨寬裕而無阿；其為身也，謹修飾而不危；其應變故也，齊給便捷而不惑；其於天地萬物也，不務說其所以然，而致善用其材；其於百官之事伎藝之人也，不與之爭能，而致善用其功；其待上也，忠順而不懈；其使下也，均遍而不偏；其交遊也，緣類而有義；其居鄉里也，容而不亂。是故窮則必有名，達則必有功，仁厚兼覆天下而不閔，明達用天地理萬變而不疑，血氣和平，志意廣大，行義塞於天地之間，仁智之極也。夫是之謂聖人；審之禮也。

May I ask how to be a ruler? Answer: apportion by ritual, equal and impartial. May I ask how to be a minister? Answer: serve the ruler by ritual, loyal and compliant without slackness. May I ask how to be a father? Answer: generous and kind and observing ritual. May I ask how to be a son? Answer: respectful and loving and utterly refined. May I ask how to be an elder brother? Answer: affectionate and showing friendship. May I ask how to be a younger brother? Answer: respectful and deferential and not careless. May I ask how to be a husband? Answer: fully performing one's duty without dissipation, fully attending and facing the wife with distinctions. May I ask how to be a wife? Answer: if the husband observes ritual, she is gentle, compliant, and attentive; if the husband lacks ritual, she is fearful and keeps herself reverent. This way, when only one part is established there is disorder, and when all are established there is order, and this is enough to be examined. May I ask how to be capable of all these? Answer: examine ritual. In ancient times the former kings examined ritual to extend it broadly and comprehensively over the world, and none of their movements were improper. So the gentleman is courteous and does not fear difficulty, reverent and not afraid, poor and not abject, rich and honored and not arrogant, and meeting changes of circumstances he is not exhausted; this is examining ritual. So the gentleman, with regard to ritual, is reverent and at ease in it; with regard to affairs, straightforward and without fault; with regard to people, rarely resenting, generous, and without partiality; for himself, careful in adornment and not dangerous; in responding to changes, quick and nimble and not confused; with regard to heaven, earth, and the ten thousand things, he does not strive to explain how they are so, but is extremely good at using their materials; with regard to the affairs of the hundred officials and men of skills, he does not compete with them in ability, but is extremely good at using their achievements; toward superiors, he is loyal and compliant without slackness; in employing subordinates, he is equal and impartial; in associating with friends, he follows what is of one's kind and has righteousness; living in his village, he is tolerant and without disorder. Thus in hardship he surely has a name, and in success he surely has merit; his benevolence and generosity cover the world without distress, his clarity uses heaven and earth to manage ten thousand changes without doubt, his blood and breath are at peace, his will broad, and his righteous conduct fills the space between heaven and earth; this is the utmost of benevolence and wisdom. This is called a sage; it is examining ritual.

請問為國？曰聞修身，未嘗聞為國也。君者儀也，民者景也，儀正而景正。君者盤也，民者水也，盤圓而水圓。君者盂也，盂方而水方。君射則臣決。楚莊王好細腰，故朝有餓人。故曰：聞修身，未嘗聞為國也。

May I ask how to govern a state? Answer: I have heard only of cultivating the self, and have never heard of governing a state. The ruler is the gnomon and the people are the shadow; when the gnomon is straight, the shadow is straight. The ruler is the tray and the people are the water; when the tray is round, the water is round. The ruler is the bowl; when the bowl is square, the water is square. When the ruler shoots, ministers wear the thumb ring. King Zhuang of Chu loved slender waists, and so in his court there were people going hungry. So it is said: I have heard only of cultivating the self, and have never heard of governing a state.

君者，民之原也；原清則流清，原濁則流濁。故有社稷者而不能愛民，不能利民，而求民之親愛己，不可得也。民不親不愛，而求為己用，為己死，不可得也。民不為己用，不為己死，而求兵之勁，城之固，不可得也。兵不勁，城不固，而求敵之不至，不可得也。敵至而求無危削，不滅亡，不可得也。危削滅亡之情，舉積此矣，而求安樂，是狂生者也。狂生者，不胥時而落。故人主欲強固安樂，則莫若反之民；欲附下一民，則莫若反之政；欲修政美俗，則莫若求其人。彼或蓄積而得之者不世絕。彼其人者，生乎今之世，而志乎古之道。以天下之王公莫好之也，然而是子獨好之；以天下之民莫為之也，然而是子獨為之。好之者貧，為之者窮，然而是子猶將為之也，不為少頃輟焉。曉然獨明於先王之所以得之，所以失之，知國之安危臧否，若別白黑。是其人也，大用之，則天下為一，諸侯為臣；小用之，則威行鄰敵；縱不能用，使無去其疆域，則國終身無故。故君人者，愛民而安，好士而榮，兩者無一焉而亡。詩曰："介人維藩，大師為垣。"此之謂也。

The ruler is the source of the people; when the source is clear, the stream is clear, and when the source is muddy, the stream is muddy. So one who has an altar of state but cannot love the people and cannot benefit the people, yet seeks that the people be close to him and love him, cannot get it. If the people are not close and do not love him, and he seeks to have them used by him and die for him, he cannot get it. If the people are not used by him and do not die for him, and he seeks strong troops and secure cities, he cannot get it. If the troops are not strong and the cities not secure, and he seeks that enemies not come, he cannot get it. If enemies come and he seeks to be without danger or diminishment, and not perish, he cannot get it. The conditions of danger, diminishment, and ruin all pile up here, and to seek peace and joy is a mad life. A mad life withers without waiting for the season. So if a ruler wishes to be strong, secure, and happy, nothing is better than to turn back and seek it from the people; if he wishes to draw the lower close and unify the people, nothing is better than to turn back and seek it from government; if he wishes to cultivate government and improve customs, nothing is better than to seek the right man. Perhaps by accumulating he can obtain such men generation after generation. That man lives in the world of today but his aims lie in the Way of antiquity. Because the kings and dukes of the world have none who love it, yet this man alone loves it; because the people of the world have none who do it, yet this man alone does it. Those who love it are poor and those who do it are in hardship, yet this man still does it, not stopping for a moment. Clearly and alone he understands why the former kings succeeded and why they failed, and knows the safety and danger, good and ill of a state, as he distinguishes black and white. Such a man, if used on a large scale, unifies the world and makes the feudal lords ministers; if used on a small scale, his authority spreads over neighboring enemies; even if not used, as long as he is made not to leave the territory, the state will have no trouble for life. So a ruler who loves the people is secure, and who values scholars is glorious; with neither he perishes. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, 'Ban,' says: 'Armored men are the fence, the multitude are the wall.' This is what it speaks of.

道者，何也？曰：君之所道也。君者，何也？曰：能群也。能群也者，何也？曰：善生養人者也，善班治人者也，善顯設人者也，善藩飾人者也。善生養人者人親之，善班治人者人安之，善顯設人者人樂之，善藩飾人者人榮之。四統者俱，而天下歸之，夫是之謂能群。不能生養人者，人不親也；不能班治人者，人不安也；不能顯設人者，人不樂也；不能藩飾人者，人不榮也。四統者亡，而天下去之，夫是之謂匹夫。故曰：道存則國存，道亡則國亡。省工賈，眾農夫，禁盜賊，除奸邪：是所以生養之也。天子三公，諸侯一相，大夫擅官，士保職，莫不法度而公：是所以班治之也。論德而定次，量能而授官，皆使人載其事，而各得其所宜，上賢使之為三公，次賢使之為諸侯，下賢使之為士大夫：是所以顯設之也。修冠弁衣裳，黼黻文章，琱琢刻鏤，皆有等差：是所以藩飾之也。故由天子至於庶人也，莫不騁其能，得其志，安樂其事，是所同也；衣暖而食充，居安而遊樂，事時制明而用足，是又所同也。若夫重色而成文章，重味而成珍備，是所衍也。聖王財衍，以明辨異，上以飾賢良而明貴賤，下以飾長幼而明親疏。上在王公之朝，下在百姓之家，天下曉然皆知其所以為異也，將以明分達治而保萬世也。故天子諸侯無靡費之用，士大夫無流淫之行，百吏官人無怠慢之事，眾庶百姓無奸怪之俗，無盜賊之罪，其能以稱義遍矣。故曰：治則衍及百姓，亂則不足及王公。此之謂也。

What is the Way? Answer: it is what the ruler practices. What is a ruler? Answer: one who can form a community. What is it to form a community? Answer: one who is good at nourishing people, good at governing people, good at advancing people, and good at adorning people. Those whom he nourishes draw close to him, those whom he governs are at peace in him, those whom he advances are happy in him, and those whom he adorns are glorified in him. When all four are complete and the world turns to him, this is called being able to form a community. One who cannot nourish people, people are not close; one who cannot govern people, people are not at peace; one who cannot advance people, people are not happy; one who cannot adorn people, people are not glorified. When all four are lost and the world leaves him, he is called a commoner. So it is said: when the Way exists, the state exists; when the Way perishes, the state perishes. Reducing artisans and merchants, increasing farmers, prohibiting robbers, and removing the treacherous: these are the means of nourishing. The Son of Heaven has three ministers, each feudal lord has one chief minister, grandees monopolize their offices, and gentlemen keep their duties, with nothing lawless but impartial: these are the means of governing. Judging virtue and ranking in order, weighing ability and assigning office, all letting people bear their tasks and each attain what is fitting, with the highest worthy made one of the three ministers, the next made feudal lords, and the lowest made scholars and grandees: these are the means of advancing. Arranging caps, robes, embroidered patterns and designs, carving and engraving, all in graded differences: these are the means of adorning. So from the Son of Heaven down to the commoner, there is none who does not exert his ability, attain his aim, and find joy in his work, and in this they are the same; warm clothing and sufficient food, peaceful dwelling and enjoyment, work suited to the season, institutions clear and expenditures sufficient, and in this too they are the same. As for layering colors to make patterns and layering flavors to make delicacies, these are surplus. The sage kings cut and shaped the surplus in order to make differences clear, using it above to adorn the worthy and show the noble and lowly, and below to adorn elders and young and show kin near and distant. Above in the court of kings and dukes and below in the homes of the common people, the whole world clearly knows why things differ, and will use this to make clear the divisions, attain order, and preserve ten thousand generations. So the Son of Heaven and feudal lords have no extravagant expenditures, scholars and grandees have no dissolute conduct, hundreds of officials have no negligent affairs, and the common people have no wicked customs and no crime of robbery; in this way one can be said to have been comprehensive in righteousness. So it is said: in order, the surplus reaches the common people; in disorder, the shortage reaches the kings and dukes. This is what it speaks of.

至道大形：隆禮至法則國有常，尚賢使能則民知方，纂論公察則民不疑，賞克罰偷則民不怠，兼聽齊明則天下歸之；然後明分職，序事業，材技官能，莫不治理，則公道達而私門塞矣，公義明而私事息矣：如是，則德厚者進而佞說者止，貪利者退而廉節者起。書曰："先時者殺無赦，不逮時者殺無赦。"人習其事而固，人之百事，如耳目鼻口之不可以相借官也。故職分而民不慢，次定而序不亂，兼聽齊明而百姓不留：如是，則臣下百吏至於庶人，莫不修己而後敢安止，誠能而後敢受職；百姓易俗，小人變心，奸怪之屬莫不反愨：夫是之謂政教之極。故天子不視而見，不聽而聰，不慮而知，不動而功，塊然獨坐而天下從之如一體，如四胑之從心：夫是之謂大形。詩曰："溫溫恭人，維德之基。"此之謂也。

The great form of the supreme Way: honoring ritual and exhausting the rules, then the state has constant order; valuing the worthy and employing the able, then the people know the direction; gathering public opinion and being discerning, then the people are not confused; rewarding the diligent and punishing the idle, then the people are not slack; listening widely and being uniformly clear, then the world turns to him; then clearly dividing duties, arranging the tasks in order, assigning offices according to talent and skill, with nothing not in order, then the public way is open and private doors are blocked, public righteousness is clear and private affairs cease: in this way, those of thick virtue come forward and the flatterers stop, the greedy retreat and the honest and upright arise. The Book of Documents says: "Those who go ahead of the time are killed and not pardoned; those who fall behind the time are killed and not pardoned." People become secure in what they are practiced in; of all affairs of men, it is like ears, eyes, nose, and mouth, which cannot borrow one another's functions. So with duties divided the people are not slack, with ranks fixed the order is not confused, with wide listening and uniform clarity the common people do not linger: in this way, from the ministers and hundred officials down to commoners, none fails to cultivate himself before daring to settle in his place, and truly has ability before daring to accept office; the people change their customs, the petty change their minds, and the wicked and strange all return to uprightness: this is called the utmost of government and teaching. So the Son of Heaven sees without looking, hears keenly without listening, knows without deliberating, and has achievement without acting; sitting alone like a lump, the world follows him as one body, as the four limbs follow the heart: this is called the great form. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, 'Yi,' says: 'The gentle and respectful man is the foundation of virtue.' This is what it speaks of.

為人主者，莫不欲強而惡弱，欲安而惡危，欲榮而惡辱，是禹桀之所同也。要此三欲，闢此三惡，果何道而便？曰：在慎取相，道莫徑是矣。故知而不仁，不可；仁而不知，不可；既知且仁，是人主之寶也，王霸之佐也。不急得，不知；得而不用，不仁。無其人而幸有其功，愚莫大焉。今人主有大患：使賢者為之，則與不肖者規之；使知者慮之，則與愚者論之；使修士行之，則與汙邪之人疑之，雖欲成功，得乎哉！譬之，是猶立直木而恐其景之枉也，惑莫大焉！語曰：好女之色，惡者之孽也；公正之士，眾人之痤也；修道之人，汙邪之賊也。今使汙邪之人，論其怨賊，而求其無偏，得乎哉！譬之，是猶立枉木而求其景之直也，亂莫大焉。

There is no ruler who does not want to be strong and dislike weakness, want to be secure and dislike danger, want to be glorious and dislike disgrace; in this Yu and Jie are the same. To bind these three desires and avoid these three dislikes, what way is advantageous? Answer: it lies in carefully choosing the chief minister; no way is more direct than this. So to be wise but not benevolent will not do; to be benevolent but not wise will not do; to be both wise and benevolent is the treasure of the ruler and the assistant of kings and hegemons. Not to be urgent to obtain such a man is unwise; to obtain him and not use him is unbenevolent. To have no such man and yet luckily have such merit; no folly is greater than this. Now rulers have a great trouble: they let the worthy act but plan with the unworthy; let the wise deliberate but discuss with fools; let the well-ordered gentleman act but doubt with the corrupt; even if they want to succeed, how can they do it! It is like setting up a straight post and fearing its shadow will be crooked; no confusion is greater than this! As the saying goes: the beauty of a fair woman is the calamity of the ugly; the upright gentleman is the sore of the crowd; the cultivator of the Way is the bane of the corrupt. Now to have corrupt people discuss the bane they resent and seek that they be unbiased, how can it be done! It is like setting up a crooked piece of wood and seeking that its shadow be straight; no disorder is greater than this.

故古之人為之不然：其取人有道，其用人有法。取人之道，參之以禮；用人之法，禁之以等。行義動靜，度之以禮；知慮取捨，稽之以成；日月積久，校之以功，故卑不得以臨尊，輕不得以縣重，愚不得以謀知，是以萬舉而不過也。故校之以禮，而觀其能安敬也；與之舉措遷移，而觀其能應變也；與之安燕，而觀其能無流慆也；接之以聲色、權利、忿怒、患險，而觀其能無離守也。彼誠有之者，與誠無之者，若白黑然，可詘邪哉！故伯樂不可欺以馬，而君子不可欺以人，此明王之道也。

So the people of old did not act in this way: they had a Way for choosing men and a method for using men. The Way of choosing men is to test them with ritual; the method of using men is to restrain them by rank. In righteous conduct, motion and stillness, they measured with ritual; in wisdom, deliberation, taking and leaving, they examined by accomplishment; over accumulated days, months, and years, they checked by merit, so that the lowly could not preside over the honored, the light could not weigh the heavy, and the foolish could not plan for the wise, and thus in ten thousand actions there was no error. So they checked with ritual and watched whether he could be at ease in reverence; moved with him and watched whether he could respond to changes; relaxed with him and watched whether he could be free of dissipation; approached him with music, color, power, profit, anger, and danger, and watched whether he could keep from leaving his post. Those who truly have these qualities and those who truly lack them are like black and white; can they be made to submit! So Bo Le could not be deceived with horses, and the gentleman cannot be deceived with men; this is the Way of the enlightened king.

人主欲得善射－－射遠中微者，縣貴爵重賞以招致之。內不可以阿子弟，外不可以隱遠人，能中是者取之；是豈不必得之之道也哉！雖聖人不能易也。欲得善馭－－及速致遠者，一日而千里，縣貴爵重賞以招致之。內不可以阿子弟，外不可以隱遠人，能致是者取之；是豈不必得之之道也哉！雖聖人不能易也。欲治國馭民，調壹上下，將內以固城，外以拒難，治則制人，人不能制也；亂則危辱滅亡，可立而待也。然而求卿相輔佐，則獨不若是其公也，案唯便嬖親比己者之用也，豈不過甚矣哉！故有社稷者，莫不欲強，俄則弱矣；莫不欲安，俄則危矣；莫不欲存，俄則亡矣。古有萬國，今有十數焉，是無他故，莫不失之是也。故明主有私人以金石珠玉，無私人以官職事業，是何也？曰：本不利於所私也。彼不能而主使之，則是主闇也；臣不能而誣能，則是臣詐也。主闇於上，臣詐於下，滅亡無日，俱害之道也。夫文王非無貴戚也，非無子弟也，非無便嬖也，倜然乃舉太公於州人而用之，豈私之也哉！以為親邪？則周姬姓也，而彼姜姓也；以為故邪？則未嘗相識也；以為好麗邪？則夫人行年七十有二，(齒軍)然而齒墮矣。然而用之者，夫文王欲立貴道，欲白貴名，以惠天下，而不可以獨也。非於是子莫足以舉之，故舉是子而用之。於是乎貴道果立，貴名果白，兼制天下，立七十一國姬姓獨居五十三人。周之子孫，苟非狂惑者，莫不為天下之顯諸侯，如是者能愛人也。故舉天下之大道，立天下之大功，然後隱其所憐所愛，其下猶足以為天下之顯諸侯。故曰：唯明主為能愛其所愛，闇主則必危其所愛。此之謂也。

When a ruler wishes to find someone skilled at archery, who can shoot far and hit small targets, he hangs up noble rank and heavy rewards to attract them. Inwardly he must not favor his relatives, and outwardly he must not neglect men from afar; whoever can hit the mark he takes; is this not a way that surely finds them! Even a sage could not change it. When he wishes to find someone skilled at driving, who can arrive far away quickly and run a thousand li a day, he hangs up noble rank and heavy rewards to attract them. Inwardly he must not favor his relatives, and outwardly he must not neglect men from afar; whoever can accomplish this he takes; is this not a way that surely finds them! Even a sage could not change it. Now if he wishes to govern the state and guide the people, to harmonize high and low, to use it inwardly to fortify the cities and outwardly to resist hardship, then with order he controls others, and if it is not controlled the people cannot be mastered, while with disorder, danger, disgrace, and ruin can be awaited standing. Yet in seeking ministers and assistants, he is not so impartial and uses only favorites and those close to him; is this not excessive indeed! So all who have an altar of state wish to be strong and are soon weak; wish to be secure and are soon in danger; wish to survive and are soon perished. In antiquity there were ten thousand states, and now there are a dozen or so; there is no other reason, and none did not lose in this respect. So an enlightened ruler may give gold, stones, pearls, and jade to others privately, but never gives offices and undertakings privately; why? Because fundamentally it does not benefit the one to whom it is given privately. If he lacks ability and the ruler employs him anyway, the ruler is benighted; if a minister lacks ability yet falsely claims ability, the minister is deceitful. When the ruler above is benighted and the minister below deceitful, ruin is only days away; these are all ways of causing harm. King Wen did not lack noble relatives, did not lack sons and brothers, did not lack favorites, but rising above them he promoted Taigong from among the people of the province; how was that partiality! Was it because he was kin? Zhou was of the Ji clan and he of the Jiang clan. Because he was an old acquaintance? They had never met. Because he was handsome? That man was seventy-two and his teeth had fallen out. Yet he used him, because King Wen wished to establish the noble Way and make the noble name clear, to bestow benefit on the world, and could not do it alone. Without this man there would not be enough to promote, so he promoted this man. The noble Way was indeed established, the noble name indeed made clear, and the world was held together; of the seventy-one states established, the Ji clan alone held fifty-three. The descendants of Zhou, unless they were mad or deluded, all became illustrious feudal lords of the world; this is being able to love people. So he raised up the great Way of the world and established the great merit of the world, and then provided for those he pitied and loved, and those below were still enough to become illustrious feudal lords of the world. So it is said: only an enlightened ruler can love whom he loves, while a benighted ruler certainly harms whom he loves. This is what it speaks of.

牆之外，目不見也；裡之前，耳不聞也；而人主之守司，遠者天下，近者境內，不可不略知也。天下之變，境內之事，有弛易齵差者矣，而人主無由知之，則是拘脅蔽塞之端也。耳目之明，如是其狹也；人主之守司，如是其廣也；其中不可以不知也，如是其危也。然則人主將何以知之？曰：便嬖左右者，人主之所以窺遠收眾之門戶牖向也，不可不早具也。故人主必將有便嬖左右足信者，然後可。其知惠足使規物，其端誠足使定物，然後可；夫是之謂國具。人主不能不有遊觀安燕之時，則不得不有疾病物故之變焉。如是，國者，事物之至也如泉原，一物不應，亂之端也。故曰：人主不可以獨也。卿相輔佐，人主之基杖也，不可不早具也。故人主必將有卿相輔佐足任者，然後可。其德音足以填撫百姓，其知慮足以應待萬變，然後可；夫是之謂國具。四鄰諸侯之相與，不可以不相接也，然而不必相親也，故人主必將有足使喻志決疑於遠方者，然後可。其辯說足以解煩，其知慮足以決疑，其齊斷足以距難，不還秩，不反君，然而應薄扞患，足以持社稷，然後可，夫是之謂國具。故人主無便嬖左右足信者，謂之闇；無卿相輔佐足任使者，謂之獨；所使於四鄰諸侯者非其人，謂之孤；孤獨而晻，謂之危。國雖若存，古之人曰亡矣。詩曰："濟濟多士，文王以寧。"此之謂也。

Beyond a wall the eyes cannot see; in front of a lane the ears cannot hear; yet what the ruler guards and oversees, far away is the whole world and near is what is within the borders, and he cannot but know it in outline. If the changes of the world and the affairs within the borders already have slackness and error and the ruler has no way to know, this is the beginning of being bound, coerced, blocked, and obstructed. The clarity of ears and eyes is so narrow; what the ruler guards and oversees is so vast; in the midst he cannot but know, and the danger is so great. Then by what is the ruler to know? Answer: favorites and attendants are the doors and windows by which the ruler peeps afar and gathers the multitude, and they cannot but be provided early. So a ruler must have favorites and attendants who can be trusted, and only then is it possible. Their wisdom and kindness must be enough to plan things, their uprightness and sincerity enough to settle things, and only then is it possible; these are called the instruments of the state. A ruler cannot be without times of leisure and relaxation, and so cannot avoid changes such as illness and death. In such a case, for the state, matters arrive like a spring, and if one thing is not answered, it is the beginning of disorder. So it is said: the ruler cannot be alone. Ministers and assistants are the ruler's staff and cane, and cannot but be provided early. So a ruler must have ministers and assistants who can be equal to the task, and only then is it possible. Their virtuous words must be enough to pacify the common people, their wisdom enough to respond to ten thousand changes, and only then is it possible; these are called the instruments of the state. The neighboring feudal lords interact with each other and cannot but meet, yet need not be close, so a ruler must have those who can far away explain his aims and resolve doubts, and only then is it possible. Their eloquence must be enough to untie difficulty, their wisdom enough to resolve doubt, their decisiveness enough to resist hardship; they do not return private favors and do not oppose the ruler; yet in responding to urgency and warding off disaster they are enough to hold the altars of state, and only then is it possible; these are called the instruments of the state. So a ruler without favorites and attendants who can be trusted is called benighted; without ministers and assistants who can be employed is called alone; and whose envoys to neighboring feudal lords are not the right men is called isolated; isolated, alone, and benighted is called endangered. Though the state may seem to still exist, the ancients said it had already perished. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, 'King Wen,' says: 'Many are the worthy gentlemen, and by them King Wen was at peace.' This is what it speaks of.

材人：願愨拘錄，計數纖嗇，而無敢遺喪，是官人使吏之材也。修飭端正，尊法敬分，而無傾側之心，守職修業，不敢損益，可傳世也，而不可使侵奪，是士大夫官師之材也。知隆禮義之為尊君也，知好士之為美名也，知愛民之為安國也，知有常法之為一俗也，知尚賢使能之為長功也，知務本禁末之為多材也，知無與下爭小利之為便於事也，知明制度，權物稱用之為不泥也，是卿相輔佐之材也，未及君道也。能論官此三材者而無失其次，是謂人主之道也。若是則身佚而國治，功大而名美，上可以王，下可以霸，是人主之要守也。人主不能論此三材者，不知道此道，安值將卑埶出勞，並耳目之樂，而親自貫日而治詳，一日而曲辨之，慮與臣下爭小察而綦偏能，自古及今，未有如此而不亂者也。是所謂視乎不可見，聽乎不可聞，為乎不可成，此之謂也。

Judging talent and employing men: cautious, diligent, and upright, meticulous in calculation and frugal, not daring to omit or lose anything, such is the talent for officials and clerks. Well-ordered and upright, honoring law and respecting rank, without a heart that leans aside, keeping duties and cultivating the work, not daring to add or subtract, able to be passed down and not allowed to be encroached upon, such is the talent for scholars, grandees, and heads of offices. Knowing that honoring ritual and righteousness is how to honor the ruler, knowing that valuing scholars is how to achieve fine reputation, knowing that loving the people is how to secure the state, knowing that having constant law is how to unify customs, knowing that honoring the worthy and employing the able is how to increase merit, knowing that striving for the root and prohibiting the branch trades is how to increase resources, knowing that not contending for small profit with those below is how to make affairs convenient, knowing that making institutions clear and weighing things to suit their use is how not to be rigid: such is the talent for ministers and assistants, though it has not yet reached the way of a ruler. One who can judge and assign these three kinds of talent without losing the order is said to have the way of a ruler. In this way, his own person is at ease and the state is well governed, his merit is great and his name fair, and above he can become king and below hegemon; this is the essential holding of a ruler. If a ruler cannot judge these three kinds of talent and does not know to take this way, then he will only lower his power and personally toil, abandon the pleasures of ears and eyes, personally manage details day after day, discriminate in detail all day, think and contend with ministers over small examination and exhaust his own partial ability; from ancient times to the present, there has been none who did this and was not thrown into disorder. This is what is called looking at what cannot be seen, listening to what cannot be heard, and doing what cannot be accomplished; this is what it speaks of.

人臣之論：有態臣者，有篡臣者，有功臣者，有聖臣者。－－內不足使一民，外不足使距難，百姓不親，諸侯不信；然而巧敏佞說，善取寵乎上，是態臣者也。上不忠乎君，下善取譽乎民，不恤公道通義，朋黨比周，以環主圖私為務，是篡臣者也。內足使以一民，外足使以距難，民親之，士信之，上忠乎君，下愛百姓而不倦，是功臣者也。上則能尊君，下則能愛民，政令教化，刑下如影，應卒遇變，齊給如響，推類接譽，以待無方，曲成制象，是聖臣者也。故用聖臣者王，用功臣者強，用篡臣者危，用態臣者亡。態臣用則必死，篡臣用則必危，功臣用則必榮，聖臣用則必尊。故齊之蘇秦，楚之州侯，秦之張儀，可謂態臣者也。韓之張去疾，趙之奉陽，齊之孟嘗，可謂篡臣也。齊之管仲，晉之咎犯，楚之孫叔敖，可謂功臣矣。殷之伊尹，周之太公，可謂聖臣矣。－－是人臣之論也，吉凶賢不肖之極也。必謹志之！而慎自為擇取焉，足以稽矣。

Categories of ministers: there are the posturing ministers, the usurping ministers, the meritorious ministers, and the sage ministers. Those who inwardly are not enough to unify the people, outwardly not enough to resist hardship, whom the people do not draw close to and the feudal lords do not trust; yet who are skillful, quick, glib, and good at winning favor from those above, are posturing ministers. Those who above are not loyal to the ruler, below are good at obtaining reputation from the people, pay no heed to the public way and common righteousness, form cliques and factions, and make circling around the ruler to scheme for private ends their business, are usurping ministers. Those who inwardly are enough to unify the people, outwardly enough to resist hardship, whom the people draw close to and gentlemen trust, who above are loyal to the ruler and below love the common people without weariness, are meritorious ministers. Those who above can honor the ruler and below can love the people, whose government orders and teaching are manifested below like a shadow, who respond to sudden events and meet changes as quickly as an echo, extending by analogy and receiving praise, to deal with matters without fixed rules, and winding through to accomplish institutions and models, are sage ministers. So one who employs sage ministers becomes king, one who employs meritorious ministers becomes strong, one who employs usurping ministers is endangered, and one who employs posturing ministers perishes. A posturing minister who is employed surely dies, a usurping minister who is employed surely brings danger, a meritorious minister who is employed surely brings glory, and a sage minister who is employed surely brings honor. So Su Qin of Qi, Marquis Zhou of Chu, and Zhang Yi of Qin can be called posturing ministers. Zhang Quji of Han, Fengyang of Zhao, and Mengchang of Qi can be called usurping ministers. Guan Zhong of Qi, Jiu Fan of Jin, and Sunshu Ao of Chu can be called meritorious ministers. Yi Yin of Yin and Taigong of Zhou can be called sage ministers. These are the categories of ministers, the utmost of good and ill fortune, worthy and unworthy. One must carefully remember them! And careful self-selection and employment is enough to examine them.

從命而利君謂之順，從命而不利君謂之諂；逆命而利君謂之忠，逆命而不利君謂之篡；不恤君之榮辱，不恤國之臧否，偷合苟容以持祿養交而已耳，謂之國賊。君有過謀過事，將危國家隕社稷之懼也；大臣父兄，有能進言於君，用則可，不用則去，謂之諫；有能進言於君，用則可，不用則死，謂之爭；有能比知同力，率群臣百吏而相與強君撟君，君雖不安，不能不聽，遂以解國之大患，除國之大害，成於尊君安國，謂之輔；有能抗君之命，竊君之重，反君之事，以安國之危，除君之辱，功伐足以成國之大利，謂之拂。故諫爭輔拂之人，社稷之臣也，國君之寶也，明君之所尊厚也，而闇主惑君以為己賊也。故明君之所賞，闇君之所罰也；闇君之所賞，明君之所殺也。伊尹箕子可謂諫矣，比干子胥可謂爭矣，平原君之於趙可謂輔矣，信陵君之於魏可謂拂矣。傳曰："從道不從君。"此之謂也。故正義之臣設，則朝廷不頗；諫爭輔拂之人信，則君過不遠；爪牙之士施，則仇讎不作；邊境之臣處，則疆垂不喪，故明主好同而闇主好獨，明主尚賢使能而饗其盛，闇主妒賢畏能而滅其功，罰其忠，賞其賊，夫是之謂至闇，桀紂所以滅也。

To follow orders and benefit the ruler is called compliance; to follow orders and not benefit the ruler is called flattery; to go against orders and benefit the ruler is called loyalty; to go against orders and not benefit the ruler is called usurpation; to disregard the ruler's glory or disgrace and the state's good or ill, and merely hold one's salary and nurture private ties through compliance and toleration, is called a thief of the state. When the ruler has erroneous plans or erroneous affairs and there is fear of endangering the state and losing the altars of state, a great minister or elder who can speak to the ruler, so that if used it is well and if not used he leaves, is called remonstrance; one who can speak to the ruler, so that if used it is well and if not used he dies, is called contention; one who can combine wisdom and unite strength, lead the ministers and hundred officials together to press and correct the ruler, so that though the ruler is uneasy he cannot but listen, and thereby removes the state's great trouble, eliminates the state's great harm, and succeeds in honoring the ruler and securing the state, is called assistance; one who can resist the ruler's orders, take over the ruler's weighty authority, and do the ruler's work in reverse to settle the state's danger and remove the ruler's disgrace, with merit enough to accomplish the great benefit of the state, is called correction. So those who remonstrate, contend, assist, and correct are the ministers of the altars of state and the treasure of the ruler, honored and prized by the enlightened ruler, while the benighted and deluded ruler treats them as his enemies. So what the enlightened ruler rewards, the benighted ruler punishes; what the benighted ruler rewards, the enlightened ruler kills. Yi Yin and Jizi can be called remonstrators, Bi Gan and Zixu can be called contenders, Lord Pingyuan toward Zhao can be called an assistant, and Lord Xinling toward Wei can be called a corrector. The tradition says: "Follow the Way, not the ruler." This is what it speaks of. So when ministers of righteousness are established, the court is not biased; when those who remonstrate, contend, assist, and correct are trusted, the ruler's faults are not far; when claw-and-fang scholars are employed, enemies do not stir; when border ministers are stationed, the frontiers are not lost. So the enlightened ruler loves to unite and the benighted ruler loves to be alone; the enlightened ruler honors the worthy and employs the able and enjoys their abundance, while the benighted ruler envies the worthy, fears the able, and destroys their merit, punishing the loyal and rewarding the villains; this is called supreme benightedness, and is why Jie and Zhou perished.

事聖君者，有聽從無諫爭；事中君者，有諫爭無諂諛；事暴君者，有補削無撟拂。迫脅於亂時，窮居於暴國，而無所避之，則崇其美，揚其善，違其惡，隱其敗，言其所長，不稱其所短，以為成俗。詩曰："國有大命，不可以告人，妨其躬身。"此之謂也。

Those who serve a sage ruler have obedience and no remonstrance; those who serve a middling ruler have remonstrance and no flattery; those who serve a tyrant have repairing and trimming but no correcting. Coerced in a time of disorder, living in extremity in a tyrannical state, with no place to avoid it, then one praises his good points, extols his goodness, avoids his evils, conceals his failures, speaks of his strengths and does not mention his shortcomings, thereby completing the custom. The Book of Songs says: "The state has a great command, which cannot be told to others, for it would harm oneself." This is what it speaks of.

恭敬而遜，聽從而敏，不敢有以私決擇也，不敢有以私取與也，以順上為志，是事聖君之義也。忠信而不諛，諫爭而不諂，撟然剛折端志而無傾側之心，是案曰是，非案曰非，是事中君之義也。調而不流，柔而不屈，寬容而不亂，曉然以至道而無不調和也，而能化易，時關內之，是事暴君之義也。若馭樸馬，若養赤子，若食餧人。故因其懼也而改其過，因其憂也而辨其故，因其喜也而入其道，因其怒也而除其怨，曲得所謂焉。書曰："從命而不拂，微諫而不倦，為上則明，為下則遜。"此之謂也。

Respectful and modest, compliant and quick, not daring to make decisions out of private concerns, not daring to take or give out of private concerns, taking compliance with those above as one's aim: this is the principle of serving a sage ruler. Loyal and sincere without flattery, remonstrating and contending without fawning, firm and unyielding, with upright aims and no leaning heart, saying right when it is right and wrong when it is wrong: this is the principle of serving a middling ruler. Harmonious without dissipation, gentle without submission, tolerant without disorder, clearly using the supreme Way with nothing not in harmony and able to transform and change, and at the right moments pressing in on him: this is the principle of serving a tyrant. It is like driving an untamed horse, like raising an infant, like feeding a hungry person. So he uses his fear to correct faults, uses his worry to distinguish causes, uses his joy to bring in the Way, uses his anger to remove resentment, in winding ways achieving what is said. The Book of Documents says: "Follow the command without opposing it, remonstrate subtly without weariness; as one above be clear, as one below be humble." This is what it speaks of.

事人而不順者，不疾者也；疾而不順者，不敬者也；敬而不順者，不忠者也；忠而不順者，無功者也；有功而不順者，無德者也。故無德之為道也，傷疾、墮功、滅苦，故君子不為也。

One who serves others and does not comply is not quick; one who is quick and does not comply is not respectful; one who is respectful and does not comply is not loyal; one who is loyal and does not comply has no merit; one who has merit and does not comply has no virtue. So to have no virtue as one's Way harms quickness, ruins merit, and wastes all toil, and so the gentleman does not do it.

有大忠者，有次忠者，有下忠者，有國賊者：以德覆君而化之，大忠也；以德調君而輔之，次忠也；以是諫非而怒之，下忠也；不恤君之榮辱，不恤國之臧否，偷合苟容以持祿養交而已耳，國賊也。若周公之於成王也，可謂大忠矣；若管仲之於桓公，可謂次忠矣；若子胥之於夫差，可謂下忠矣；若曹觸龍之於紂者，可謂國賊矣。

There are the greatly loyal, the secondarily loyal, the lowly loyal, and the thieves of the state: one who covers the ruler with virtue and teaches him is greatly loyal; one who adjusts the ruler with virtue and assists him is secondarily loyal; one who remonstrates against wrong with right and makes him angry is lowly loyal; one who disregards the ruler's glory or disgrace and the state's good or ill, and merely holds his salary and nurtures private ties through compliance and toleration is a thief of the state. The Duke of Zhou toward King Cheng can be called greatly loyal; Guan Zhong toward Duke Huan can be called secondarily loyal; Zixu toward Fuchai can be called lowly loyal; Cao Chulong toward Zhou can be called a thief of the state.

仁者必敬人。凡人非賢，則案不肖也。人賢而不敬，則是禽獸也；人不肖而不敬，則是狎虎也。禽獸則亂，狎虎則危，災及其身矣。詩曰："不敢暴虎，不敢馮河。人知其一，莫知其它。戰戰兢兢－－如臨深淵，如履薄冰。"此之謂也。故仁者必敬人。敬人有道，賢者則貴而敬之，不肖者則畏而敬之；賢者則親而敬之，不肖者則疏而敬之。其敬一也，其情二也。若夫忠信端愨，而不害傷，則無接而不然，是仁人之質也。忠信以為質，端愨以為統，禮義以為文，倫類以為理，喘而言，臑而動，而一可以為法則。詩曰："不僭不賊，鮮不為則。"此之謂也。

The benevolent person must respect people. All people are either worthy or unworthy. If a person is worthy and one does not respect him, one is a beast; if a person is unworthy and one does not respect him, one is playing with a tiger. Being a beast brings disorder, playing with a tiger brings danger, and the calamity falls on oneself. The Book of Songs, Lesser Odes, 'Xiao Min,' says: "One dare not fight a tiger with bare hands, dare not cross a river on foot. People know this one thing and do not know the others. Trembling and fearful, as if at the edge of a deep abyss, as if treading on thin ice." This is what it speaks of. So the benevolent person must respect people. There is a way of respecting people: respect the worthy by valuing them, respect the unworthy by fearing them; respect the worthy by drawing close to them, respect the unworthy by keeping at a distance. The respect is one matter, but the feelings are two. As for loyalty, sincerity, uprightness, and care, and not harming, there is no association that is not like this; this is the substance of the benevolent. Take loyalty and sincerity as substance, uprightness and care as the guiding thread, ritual and righteousness as adornment, and categories of human relations as principle, and even in the smallest words and wriggling movements it can serve as a model. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, 'Yi,' says: "Not transgressing, not harming, rarely not a model." This is what it speaks of.

恭敬、禮也；調和、樂也；謹慎、利也；鬥怒、害也。故君子安禮樂利，謹慎而無鬥怒，是以百舉而不過也。－－小人反是。

Reverence is ritual; harmony is music; caution is benefit; contention and anger are harm. So the gentleman is at ease in ritual, music, and benefit, is careful and without contention and anger, and thus in a hundred actions has no error. The petty person is the reverse.

通忠之順，權險之平，禍亂之從聲，三者非明主莫之能知也。爭然後善，戾然後功，生死無私，致忠而公，夫是之謂通忠之順，信陵君似之矣。奪然後義，殺然後仁，上下易位然後貞，功參天地，澤被生民，夫是之謂權險之平，湯武是也。過而通情，和而無經，不恤是非，不論曲宜，偷合苟容，迷亂狂生，夫是之謂禍亂之從聲，飛廉惡來是也。傳曰："斬而齊，枉而順，不同而一。"詩曰："受小球大球，為下國綴旒。"此之謂也。

To penetrate loyalty and reach compliance; to adapt to danger and reach evenness; and to echo calamity and disorder; no one but an enlightened ruler can know these three. One who is good after contending and has merit through perversity, who is without private interest in life or death, utterly loyal and impartial, is said to penetrate loyalty and reach compliance; Lord Xinling comes close. One who is righteous after seizing, benevolent after killing, whose high and low exchange places and then are upright, whose merit matches heaven and earth and whose favor covers the living people, is said to adapt to danger and reach evenness; Tang and Wu are such. One who has faults but is accommodating, who echoes without constancy, disregarding right and wrong, not discussing crooked or straight and what is fitting, indulging in compliance and toleration, confused and mad, is said to echo calamity and disorder; Fei Lian and E Lai are such. The tradition says: "Not uniform yet uniform, crooked yet compliant, different yet one." The Book of Songs, Odes of Shang, 'Chang Fa,' says: "Receiving the small laws and the great laws, he is the pennant of the lower states." This is what it speaks of.

衡聽、顯幽、重明、退奸、進良之術：朋黨比周之譽，君子不聽；殘賊加累之譖，君子不用；隱忌雍蔽之人，君子不近；貨財禽犢之請，君子不許。凡流言、流說、流事、流謀、流譽、流愬，不官而衡至者，君子慎之，聞聽而明譽之，定其當而當，然後士其刑賞而還與之；如是則奸言、奸說、奸事、奸謀、奸譽、奸愬，莫之試也；忠言、忠說、忠事、忠謀、忠譽、忠愬、莫不明通，方起以尚盡矣。夫是之謂衡聽、顯幽、重明、退奸、進良之術。

Methods of weighing what is heard, bringing the hidden to light, doubling clarity, dismissing the treacherous, and advancing the good: the praise of cliques and factions the gentleman does not heed; slanders that harm and implicate the gentleman does not use; those who hide jealousy and obstruct, the gentleman does not approach; requests made with goods, wealth, and gifts, the gentleman does not grant. All drifting rumors, drifting theories, drifting affairs, drifting plans, drifting praise, and drifting complaints that come athwart without passing through the offices, the gentleman treats carefully, hearing them and clearly stating them, determining whether they are fitting or not, and then gives them punishment or reward and reports back to the person; in this way, no treacherous words, theories, affairs, plans, praise, or complaints will come to try; and no loyal words, theories, affairs, plans, praise, or complaints will fail to be made clear and open, rising together and exhausting themselves upward. This is called the method of weighing what is heard, bringing the hidden to light, doubling clarity, dismissing the treacherous, and advancing the good.

川淵深而魚鱉歸之，山林茂而禽獸歸之，刑政平而百姓歸之，禮義備而君子歸之。故禮及身而行修，義及國而政明，能以禮挾而貴名白，天下願，令行禁止，王者之事畢矣。詩曰："惠此中國，以綏四方。"此之謂也。川淵者，魚龍之居也，山林者、鳥獸之居也，國家者、士民之居也。川淵枯、則魚龍去之，山林險，則鳥獸去之，國家失政、則士民去之。無土則人不安居，無人則土不守，無道法則人不至，無君子則道不舉。故土之與人也，道之與法也者，國家之本作也。君子也者，道法之摠要也，不可少頃曠也。得之則治，失之則亂；得之則安，失之則危；得之則存，失之則亡，故有良法而亂者有之矣，有君子而亂者，自古及今，未嘗聞也，傳曰："治生乎君子，亂生於小人。"此之謂也。

When rivers and deep pools are deep, fish and turtles turn to them; when mountains and forests are lush, birds and beasts turn to them; when punishments and governance are even, the common people turn to him; when ritual and righteousness are complete, gentlemen turn to him. So when ritual is applied to the person, conduct is well ordered; when righteousness is applied to the state, government is clear; when one can use ritual comprehensively and noble reputation is manifest, the world looks up to him, orders are carried out and prohibitions stop, and the work of a true king is finished. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, 'Min Lao,' says: "Bestow kindness on this central state, to settle the four quarters." This is what it speaks of. Rivers and deep pools are where fish and dragons live; mountains and forests are where birds and beasts live; the state is where gentlemen and people live. If rivers and deep pools dry up, fish and dragons leave; if mountains and forests are harsh, birds and beasts leave; if the state loses its government, gentlemen and people leave. Without land, people cannot settle; without people, land cannot be held; without the Way and law, people do not come; without the gentleman, the Way cannot be raised. So land and people, the Way and law, are the basis of the state. The gentleman is the general essence of the Way and law, and cannot be vacant for a moment. Obtain him and there is order, lose him and there is disorder; obtain him and there is security, lose him and there is danger; obtain him and one survives, lose him and one perishes. So to have good laws and yet be in disorder has happened; but to have a gentleman and yet be in disorder, from ancient times to the present it has never been heard of. The tradition says: "Order is born from the gentleman and disorder is born from the petty man." This is what it speaks of.

得眾動天。美意延年。誠信如神，夸誕逐魂。

Obtaining the multitude can move Heaven. A good heart can extend one's years. Sincerity is like a spirit; boasting drives away the soul.

人主之害，不在乎不言用賢，而在乎不誠必用賢。夫言用賢者，口也；卻賢者，行也，口行相反，而欲賢者之至，不肖者之退也，不亦難乎！夫耀蟬者，務在明其火，振其樹而已；火不明，雖振其樹，無益也。今人主有能明其德者，則天下歸之，若蟬之歸明火也。

The harm to a ruler lies not in not speaking of employing the worthy, but in not being sincere about necessarily employing the worthy. What speaks of employing the worthy is the mouth; what pushes away the worthy is conduct. When mouth and conduct are opposite and yet one wants the worthy to come and the unworthy to leave, is that not hard! One who catches cicadas by light strives only to make his fire bright and shake the tree; if the fire is not bright, then even shaking the tree is of no benefit. Now if a ruler can make his virtue clear, then the world turns to him, as cicadas turn to a bright fire.

臨事接民，而以義變應，寬裕而多容，恭敬以先之，政之始也。然後中和察斷以輔之，政之隆也。然後進退誅賞之，政之終也。故一年與之始，三年與之終。用其終為始，則政令不行，而上下怨疾，亂所以自作也。書曰："義刑義殺；勿庸以即，女惟曰：未有順事。"言先教也。

Facing affairs and receiving the people, responding to changes with righteousness, being generous and tolerant, and guiding with reverence, is the beginning of government. Then assisting with balanced and discerning judgment is the flourishing of government. Then advancing, retreating, punishing, and rewarding is the conclusion of government. So give him a year for the beginning and three years for the conclusion. If one takes the conclusion as the beginning, orders cannot be carried out and high and low resent one another, and disorder arises of itself. The Book of Documents says: "Righteous punishment, righteous killing; do not use them immediately; you should say only: there is not yet any compliant affair." This says teaching comes first.

程者、物之準也，禮者、節之準也；程以立數，禮以定倫；德以敘位，能以授官。凡節奏欲陵，而生民欲寬；節奏陵而文，生民寬而安；上文下安，功名之極也，不可以加矣。

A standard is the norm of things; ritual is the norm of moderation. Standards are used to establish number, and ritual is used to fix the order of relations; virtue is used to order rank, and ability is used to assign office. In all matters of rhythm one wishes to be strict, while in sustaining the people one wishes to be generous; with strict rhythm there is pattern, and with generous sustaining of the people there is peace; with pattern above and peace below, this is the utmost of merit and fame and cannot be added to.

君者、國之隆也，父者、家之隆也。隆一而治，二而亂。自古及今，未有二隆爭重，而能長久者。

The ruler is what the state honors; the father is what the household honors. If one is honored there is order; if two, disorder. From ancient times to the present, there has never been a case of two honored ones contending for weighty power that could last long.

師術有四－－而博習不與焉：尊嚴而憚，可以為師；耆艾而信，可以為師；誦說而不陵不犯，可以為師；知微而論，可以為師：故師術有四－－而博習不與焉。水深而回，樹落則糞本，弟子通利則思師。詩曰："無言不讎，無德不報。"此之謂也。

The ways of being a teacher are four, and wide learning is not among them: being dignified so that people hold him in awe, one can be a teacher; being advanced in years and trusted, one can be a teacher; reciting and explaining without overstepping or violating, one can be a teacher; knowing the subtle and being able to discuss it, one can be a teacher: so the ways of being a teacher are four, and wide learning is not among them. Where water is deep it circles back, where leaves fall they fatten the root, and when disciples achieve success and gain advantage they think of their teacher. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, 'Yi,' says: "No word without a reply, no virtue without repayment." This is what it speaks of.

賞不欲僭，刑不欲濫。賞僭則利及小人，刑濫則害及君子。若不幸而過，寧僭勿濫。與其害善，不若利淫。

Rewards should not exceed, punishments should not be excessive. If rewards exceed, the benefit reaches petty people; if punishments are excessive, the harm reaches gentlemen. If unfortunately one must err, it is better to exceed than to be excessive. Rather than harm the good, better to benefit the dissolute.

臨武君與孫卿子議兵於趙孝成王前，王曰：請問兵要？

Lord Linwu and Xunzi debated military affairs before King Xiaocheng of Zhao, and the king said: May I ask the essentials of using the army?

臨武君對曰：上得天時，下得地利，觀敵之變動，後之發，先之至，此用兵之要術也。

Lord Linwu replied: Gain Heaven's timing above and the advantage of terrain below, observe the enemy's movements, set out after him and arrive before him; these are the essential methods of using the army.

孫卿子曰：不然！臣所聞古之道，凡用兵攻戰之本，在乎壹民。弓矢不調，則羿不能以中微；六馬不和，則造父不能以致遠；士民不親附，則湯武不能以必勝也。故善附民者，是乃善用兵者也。故兵要在乎善附民而已。

Xunzi said: Not so! What I have heard of the Way of antiquity is that the root of all military attack and battle lies in unifying the people. If bow and arrows are not well matched, Yi could not use them to hit small targets; if the six horses are not in harmony, Zaofu could not use them to reach far places; if officers and people are not attached, Tang and Wu could not use them to win with certainty. So one who is good at attaching the people is the one who should be good at using the army. So the essentials of using the army lie only in being good at attaching the people.

臨武君曰：不然。兵之所貴者埶利也，所行者變詐也。善用兵者，感忽悠闇，莫知其所從出。孫吳用之無敵於天下，豈必待附民哉！

Lord Linwu said: Not so. What the army values is advantage of position, and what it practices is adaptation and deception. One skilled at using the army is swift and hidden, and no one knows where he will come from. Sun Wu and Wu Qi used this to be invincible under heaven; why must one wait for the people to be attached!

孫卿子曰：不然。臣之所道，仁者之兵，王者之志也。君之所貴，權謀埶利也；所行，攻奪變詐也；諸侯之事也。仁人之兵，不可詐也；彼可詐者，怠慢者也，路亶者也，君臣上下之間，渙然有離德者也。故以桀詐桀，猶巧拙有幸焉。以桀詐堯，譬之：若以卵投石，以指撓沸；若赴水火，入焉焦沒耳。故仁人上下，百將一心，三軍同力；臣之於君也，下之於上也，若子之事父，弟之事兄，若手臂之扞頭目而覆胸腹也，詐而襲之，與先驚而後擊之，一也。且仁人之用十里之國，則將有百里之聽；用百里之國，則將有千里之聽；用千里之國，則將有四海之聽，必將聰明警戒和傳而一。故仁人之兵，聚則成卒，散則成列，延則若莫邪之長刃，嬰之者斷；兌則若莫邪之利鋒，當之者潰，圜居而方止，則若盤石然，觸之者角摧，案角鹿埵隴種東籠而退耳。且夫暴國之君，將誰與至哉？彼其所與至者，必其民也，而其民之親我歡若父母，其好我芬若椒蘭，彼反顧其上，則若灼黥，若讎仇；人之情，雖桀蹠，豈又肯為其所惡，賊其所好者哉！是猶使人之子孫自賊其父母也，彼必將來告之，夫又何可詐也！故仁人用國日明，諸侯先順者安，後順者危，慮敵之者削，反之者亡。詩曰："武王載發，有虔秉鉞；如火烈烈，則莫我敢遏。"此之謂也。

Master Sun Qing said: Not so. What I extol is the army of the benevolent and the aim of a true king. What Your Lordship values is scheming, power and advantage; what you practice is attack, seizure, change and deceit; these are matters of the lords. The army of the benevolent cannot be deceived; those who can be deceived are the negligent, the weak and exhausted, and those among whom ruler and ministers, above and below, have fallen apart and lost their virtue. So using a Jie to deceive a Jie still leaves room for luck in skill and clumsiness. Using a Jie to deceive a Yao is like throwing an egg at a stone or stirring boiling water with a finger; it is like rushing into water or fire, where one is scorched or drowned the moment he enters. So among the benevolent, above and below, a hundred generals are of one mind and the three armies of one strength; ministers toward the ruler and inferiors toward superiors are like a son serving his father or a younger brother his elder brother, like arms protecting the head and eyes and covering the chest and belly; to attack them by deceit is the same as to alarm them first and then strike them. Moreover, a benevolent man's state of ten li will have the hearing of a hundred li; with a state of a hundred li it will have the hearing of a thousand li; with a state of a thousand li it will have the hearing of the four seas, and it will surely be clear-sighted and alert, passing the word along and uniting as one. So the army of the benevolent, when gathered, becomes ranks; when scattered, forms lines; when extended, is like the long blade of Moye, which cuts whatever touches it; when sharp, is like the keen point of Moye, which shatters whatever opposes it; when round it stays and when square it halts, like a great rock, and whatever touches it has its horns broken, and so broken, it retreats in rout, falling east and west. Moreover, whom would the ruler of a tyrannical state bring with him? Those who would come with him are surely his own people, but his people love me and are glad of me like parents, and delight in me like the fragrance of pepper and orchid, while they look back at their own superior as if at branding irons or tattooing, as if at an enemy; in human feeling, even a Jie or a Zhi, how would he be willing to harm what he likes for the sake of what he hates! It would be like making a person's descendants harm their own parents, who would surely come and report; so how can deceit be used! So a benevolent man's use of a state grows clearer day by day; of the lords, those who submit first are at peace, those who submit later are in danger, those who plot to be rivals are cut down, and those who rebel perish. The Book of Songs, in the Hymns of Shang, 'Changfa,' says: 'King Wu carried the banners and reverently held the battle-axe; like fire blazing, no one dared to hold me back.' This is what is meant.

孝成王、臨武君曰：善！請問王者之兵，設何道何行而可？

King Xiaocheng and Lord Linwu said: Good! May I ask what way a true king's army should set up and what it should practice to succeed?

孫卿子曰：凡在大王，將率末事也。臣請遂道王者諸侯強弱存亡之效，安危之埶：君賢者其國治，君不能者其國亂；隆禮貴義者其國治，簡禮賤義者其國亂；治者強，亂者弱，是強弱之本也。上足卬則下可用也，上不卬則下不可用也；下可用則強，下不可用則弱，是強弱之常也。隆禮效功，上也；重祿貴節，次也；上功賤節，下也，是強弱之凡也。好士者強，不好士者弱；愛民者強，不愛民者弱；政令信者強，政令不信者弱；民齊者強，民不齊者弱；賞重者強，賞輕者弱；刑威者強，刑侮者弱；械用兵革攻完便利者強，械用兵革窳楛不便利者弱。重用兵者強，輕用兵者弱；權出一者強，權出二者弱，是強弱之常也。

Master Sun Qing said: In general, for the great king, generals and commanders are a minor matter. Allow me to speak of the evidence of strength and weakness and survival and destruction among the lords of a true king, and of the conditions of safety and danger: where the ruler is worthy, his state is ordered; where the ruler is incapable, his state is disordered; where ritual is honored and righteousness valued, the state is ordered; where ritual is slighted and righteousness despised, the state is disordered; the ordered are strong and the disordered weak; this is the root of strength and weakness. When those above are worth looking up to, those below can be employed; when those above are not worth looking up to, those below cannot be employed; where those below can be employed there is strength, and where they cannot there is weakness; this is the constant principle of strength and weakness. To honor ritual and verify merit is the best; to value salary and value integrity is next; to prize merit and despise integrity is the lowest; this is the general outline of strength and weakness. Those who love scholars are strong and those who do not are weak; those who love the people are strong and those who do not are weak; those whose government orders carry trust are strong and those without trust are weak; those whose people are united are strong and those whose people are not united are weak; those with heavy rewards are strong and those with light rewards are weak; those whose punishments have awe are strong and those whose punishments are mocked are weak; those whose equipment, weapons and armor are solid, sound and convenient are strong and those whose are crude, poor and inconvenient are weak. Those who are careful in using the army are strong and those who use it lightly are weak; those in whom authority comes from one are strong and those in whom authority comes from two are weak; these are the constant principles of strength and weakness.

齊人隆技擊，其技也，得一首者，則賜贖錙金，無本賞矣。是事小敵毳，則偷可用也，事大敵堅，則渙然離耳。若飛鳥然，傾側反覆無日，是亡國之兵也，兵莫弱是矣。是其去賃市傭而戰之幾矣。

The men of Qi honor skills of fighting; for those skills, one who obtains one head is given a zi of gold as ransom, and there is no basic reward. In small affairs against a weak enemy, this can be used in a makeshift way; in great affairs against a solid enemy, they simply fall apart and scatter. Like flying birds, tilting back and forth for only a few days, this is the army of a doomed state, and no army is weaker than this. It is not much different from hiring laborers in the market to fight.

魏氏之武卒，以度取之，衣三屬之甲，操十二石之弩，負服矢五十個，置戈其上，冠冑帶劍，贏三日之糧，日中而趨百里，中試則復其戶，利其田宅，是數年而衰，而未可奪也，改造則不易周也，是故地雖大，其稅必寡，是危國之兵也。

The martial soldiers of the Wei clan were selected by a standard: wearing armor of three layers, holding a crossbow of twelve shi, carrying fifty arrows on the back with the dagger-axe on top, wearing a helmet and a sword, bearing three days' rations, and running a hundred li in a day; when one passed the test, his household was exempted from service and his fields and houses were made advantageous; in a few years this declined, yet it could not be taken away, and changing the selection was not easy to do universally, so although the territory was large the taxes were necessarily small; this is the army of a precarious state.

秦人其生民郟阨，其使民也酷烈，劫之以埶，隱之以阨，忸之以慶賞，酋之以刑罰，使天下之民，所以要利於上者，非鬥無由也。阨而用之，得而後功之，功賞相長也，五甲首而隸五家，是最為眾強長久，多地以正，故四世有勝，非幸也，數也。

The men of Qin keep their people in narrow and impoverished conditions, use them cruelly, coerce them with power, conceal them in poverty, accustom them with rewards, and press them with punishments, so that the only way the people of the world can seek benefit from those above is through fighting. They use them in poverty and record their merit only when obtained; merit and reward increase each other, and five enemy helmets taken make one master of five households as servants; this makes the army strong and lasting among the multitude, with much land taxed, so for four generations they won, not by luck but by number.

故齊之技擊，不可以遇魏氏之武卒；魏氏之武卒，不可以遇秦之銳士；秦之銳士，不可以當桓文之節制；桓文之節制，不可以敵湯武之仁義；有遇之者，若以焦熬投石焉。兼是數國者，皆幹賞蹈利之兵也，傭徒鬻賣之道也，未有貴上安制綦節之理也。諸侯有能微妙之以節，則作而兼殆之耳。故招近募選，隆埶詐，尚功利，是漸之也；禮義教化，是齊之也。故以詐遇詐，猶有巧拙焉；以詐遇齊，闢之猶以錐刀墮太山也，非天下之愚人莫敢試。故王者之兵不試。湯武之誅桀紂也，拱挹指麾，而強暴之國莫不趨使，誅桀紂若誅獨夫。故泰誓曰："獨夫紂。"此之謂也。故兵大齊則制天下，小齊則治鄰敵。若夫招近募選，隆埶詐，尚功利之兵，則勝不勝無常，代翕代張，代存代亡，相為雌雄耳矣。夫是之謂盜兵，君子不由也。

So the skilled fighters of Qi cannot meet the martial soldiers of the Wei clan; the martial soldiers of the Wei clan cannot meet the keen soldiers of Qin; the keen soldiers of Qin cannot withstand the discipline of Huan and Wen; the discipline of Huan and Wen cannot oppose the benevolence and righteousness of Tang and Wu; whoever meets them is like throwing something scorched and parched at a stone. All these states combined are armies that seek rewards and tread on profit, the way of hired hands and bargaining, and have never had the principle of valuing the ruler, resting in regulations, and exhausting discipline. If a lord could treat them subtly and with discipline, he would rise and endanger them all at once. So recruiting and selecting, honoring power and deceit, and prizing merit and profit are gradual contamination; ritual, righteousness and teaching are unification. So using deceit against deceit still allows for skill and clumsiness; using deceit against unity is like using an awl or knife to destroy Mount Tai, and none but the fools of the world dare try it. So a true king's army does not try. When Tang and Wu executed Jie and Zhou, with folded hands and a bow, directing, there was no strong and violent state that did not submit, and executing Jie and Zhou was like executing one lone man. So the Great Declaration says: 'The lone man Zhou.' This is what is meant. So when an army is greatly unified it controls the world, with slight unity it manages neighboring enemies. As for armies that recruit and select, honor power and deceit, and prize merit and profit, whether they win or not has no constancy; in turn they contract and expand, in turn survive and perish, being each other's male and female. This is called a bandit army, and the gentleman does not go along.

故齊之田單，楚之莊蹻，秦之衛鞅，燕之繆蟣，是皆世俗所謂善用兵者也，是其巧拙強弱，則未有以相君也。若其道一也，未及和齊也；掎契司詐，權謀傾覆，未免盜兵也。齊桓、晉文、楚莊、吳闔閭、越勾踐是皆和齊之兵也，可謂入其域矣，然而未有本統也，故可以霸而不可以王；是強弱之效也。

So Tian Dan of Qi, Zhuang Qiao of Chu, Wei Yang of Qin and Miu Ji of Yan, these are all people the world calls skilled in using the army; their skill and clumsiness, strength and weakness, have never made them rulers of each other. As for their way, it is one matter, and they have not yet reached harmony and unity; with pulling and snatching, watching for deceit, scheming and overturning, they cannot avoid being bandit armies. Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, Zhuang of Chu, Helu of Wu and Goujian of Yue all had armies of harmony and unity, which could be said to have entered that realm, yet they never had a fundamental line of descent, so they could become hegemons but not kings; this is the evidence of strength and weakness.

孝成王、臨武君曰善！請問為將？

King Xiaocheng and Lord Linwu said: Good! May I ask how to be a general?

孫卿子曰：知莫大乎棄疑，行莫大乎無過，事莫大乎無悔，事至無悔而止矣，成不可必也。故制號政令欲嚴以威，慶賞刑罰欲必以信，處舍收藏欲周以固，徙舉進退欲安以重，欲疾以速；窺敵觀變欲潛以深，欲伍以參；遇敵決戰必道吾所明，無道吾所疑：夫是之謂六術。無慾將而惡廢，無急勝而忘敗，無威內而輕外，無見利而不顧其害，凡慮事欲孰而用財欲泰：夫是之謂五權。所以不受命於主有三：可殺而不可使處不完，可殺而不可使擊不勝，可殺而不可使欺百姓：夫是之謂三至。凡受命於主而行三軍，三軍既定，百官得序，群物皆正，則主不能喜，敵不能怒：夫是之謂至臣。慮必先事，而申之以敬，慎終如始，終始如一：夫是之謂大吉。凡百事之成也，必在敬之；其敗也，必在慢之。故敬勝怠則吉，怠勝敬則滅；計勝欲則從，欲勝計則兇。戰如守，行如戰，有功如幸，敬謀無壙，敬事無壙，敬吏無壙，敬眾無壙，敬敵無壙：夫是之謂五無壙。謹行此六術、五權、三至，而處之以恭敬無壙，夫是之謂天下之將，則通於神明矣。

Master Sun Qing said: In wisdom, nothing is greater than getting rid of doubt; in conduct, nothing is greater than having no fault; in affairs, nothing is greater than having no regret; when an affair reaches the point of having no regret it is enough, for success cannot be guaranteed. So titles and government orders should be stern and awe-inspiring; commendations, rewards and punishments should be fixed and trustworthy; camps, storage and stores should be close and firm; moving, advancing and retreating should be steady and weighty, and also swift and rapid; spying on the enemy and observing change should be concealed and deep, and should be varied and cross-checked; in the decisive battle meeting the enemy, one must follow what one knows clearly and not follow what one doubts: these are called the six arts. Do not wish to be a general and fear being dismissed; do not hurry for victory and forget defeat; do not show awe inside and be careless outside; do not see profit and ignore the harm; in all deliberations be refined and thorough, and in using wealth be generous: these are called the five authorities. There are three cases in which orders are not received from the ruler: one may be executed but cannot be made to stay in an unsecured place; one may be executed but cannot be made to attack what cannot be won; one may be executed but cannot be made to deceive the people: these are called the three utmosts. In all cases, when one receives orders from the ruler and commands the three armies, once the three armies are settled and the hundred officials have their order and all things are right, the ruler cannot make him glad and the enemy cannot make him angry: this is called the utmost minister. Plan must come before the matter, and use reverence to reinforce it, being careful at the end as at the beginning, the end and beginning being one matter: this is called great good fortune. In all hundred affairs, success lies in being reverent about them; failure lies in being negligent about them. So when reverence prevails over negligence there is good fortune, and when negligence prevails over reverence there is destruction; when calculation prevails over desire there is compliance, and when desire prevails over calculation there is misfortune. Fight as if defending, march as if fighting, and treat any success as luck. Be reverent in planning without a gap, reverent in affairs without a gap, reverent toward officers without a gap, reverent toward the multitude without a gap, reverent toward the enemy without a gap: these are called the five no-gaps. One who carefully practices these six arts, five authorities and three utmosts, and abides in them with reverence without gaps, is called a general of the world, and reaches the spirits and the illumined.

臨武君曰：善！請問王者之軍制？

Lord Linwu said: Good! May I ask about the army regulations of a true king?

孫卿子曰：將死鼓，御死轡，百吏死職，士大夫死行列。聞鼓聲而進，聞金聲而退，順命為上，有功次之；令不進而進，猶令不退而退也，其罪惟均。不殺老弱，不獵禾稼，服者不禽，格者不捨，奔命者不獲。凡誅，非誅其百姓也，誅其亂百姓者也；百姓有扞其賊，則是亦賊也。以故順刃者生，蘇刃者死，奔命者貢。微子開封於宋，曹觸龍斷于軍，殷之服民，所以養生之者也，無異周人。故近者歌謳而樂之，遠者竭蹙而趨之，無幽閒闢陋之國，莫不趨使而安樂之，四海之內若一家，通達之屬莫不從服，夫是之謂人師。詩曰："自西自東，自南自北，無思不服。"此之謂也。王者有誅而無戰，城守不攻，兵格不擊，上下相喜則慶之，不屠城，不潛軍，不留眾，師不越時。故亂者樂其政，不安其上，欲其至也。

Master Sun Qing said: The general dies for the drum, the charioteer dies for the reins, the hundred officers die for their posts, and scholars and grand masters die for their ranks. They advance on hearing the drum and withdraw on hearing the gong; obeying in place of orders is best and having merit is next; to advance when ordered not to advance is the same as to retreat when ordered not to retreat, and the guilt is the same. Do not kill the old and weak, do not trample the grain, do not capture those who submit, do not release those who fight, and do not seize those who come surrendering. In all executions, one does not execute the common people, but those who disturb the common people; if the common people defend the bandits, they too are bandits. So those who go with the blade live and those who go against it die, and those who come surrendering are presented. The Viscount of Wei, Kai, was enfeoffed in Song, and Cao Chulong was beheaded in the army; the submitting people of Yin were nurtured no differently from the people of Zhou. So those near sing and delight in him, those far exert themselves to come running, there is no remote or hidden country that does not hasten to serve and be at ease, within the four seas it is like one family, and in all places that can be reached none does not submit; this is called the teacher of men. The Book of Songs, in the Greater Odes, 'Wenwang Youshang,' says: 'From west to east, from south to north, none thought of not submitting.' This is what is meant. A true king punishes but does not make war; if a city defends itself he does not attack it, if an army fights he does not strike it, when above and below delight in each other they celebrate; he does not massacre cities, does not ambush armies, does not keep the multitude long, and his campaigns do not exceed the season. So people in disorder delight in his government and are not at ease with their own superiors, and want him to come.

臨武君曰：善！

Lord Linwu said: Good!

陳囂問孫卿子曰：先生議兵，常以仁義為本；仁者愛人，義者循理，然則又何以兵為？凡所為有兵者，為爭奪也。

Chen Xiao asked Master Sun Qing: Sir, in discussing the army you always take benevolence and righteousness as the root; the benevolent love people and the righteous follow principle, so why use the army at all? In general, armies exist for the sake of contention and seizure.

孫卿子曰：非汝所知也！彼仁者愛人，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。是以堯伐驩兜，舜伐有苗，禹伐共工，湯伐有夏，文王伐崇，武王伐紂，此四帝兩王，皆以仁義之兵，行於天下也。故近者親其善，遠方慕其德，兵不血刃，遠邇來服，德盛於此，施及四極。詩曰："淑人君子，其儀不忒，其儀不忒，正是四國。"此之謂也。

Master Sun Qing said: It is not what you know! The benevolent love people, and because they love people they hate for people to be harmed; the righteous follow principle, and because they follow principle they hate for people to be disordered. The army is used to stop violence and remove harm, and is not for contention and seizure. So the army of the benevolent is wondrous in what it preserves and transforming in what it passes through, like seasonable rain falling, with no one not delighted. So Yao attacked Huandou, Shun attacked the Youmiao, Yu attacked Gonggong, Tang attacked the Youxia, King Wen attacked Chong, and King Wu attacked Zhou; these four emperors and two kings all used armies of benevolence and righteousness and practiced them in the world. So those near drew close to their goodness and those far admired their virtue; the army did not stain its blades with blood, and near and far all came to submit; virtue flourished here and extended to the four extremities. The Book of Songs, in the Airs of Cao, 'Shijiu,' says: 'The good gentleman, his bearing has no flaw; his bearing without flaw sets right the four states.' This is what is meant.

李斯問孫卿子曰：秦四世有勝，兵強海內，威行諸侯，非以仁義為之也，以便從事而已。

Li Si asked Master Sun Qing: Qin has won for four generations, its army is strong within the seas and its awe prevails over the lords, and this was not done with benevolence and righteousness, but merely by pursuing what is convenient.

孫卿子曰：非汝所知也！汝所謂便者，不便之便也；吾所謂仁義者，大便之便也。彼仁義者，所以修政者也；政修則民親其上，樂其君，而輕為之死。故曰：凡在於軍，將率末事也。秦四世有勝，諰諰然常恐天下之一合而軋己也，此所謂末世之兵，未有本統也。故湯之放桀也，非其逐之鳴條之時也；武王之誅紂也，非以甲子之朝而後勝之也，皆前行素修也，所謂仁義之兵也。今女不求之於本，而索之於末，此世之所以亂也。

Master Sun Qing said: It is not what you know! What you call convenient is an inconvenient convenience; what I call benevolence and righteousness is the convenience of great convenience. Benevolence and righteousness are used to cultivate government; when government is well ordered the people are close to their superiors, delight in their ruler, and easily die for him. So it is said: in all matters of the army, generals and commanders are a minor matter. Qin has won for four generations, yet it is anxious and always afraid that the world will unite and crush it; this is what is called the army of a declining age, which never had a fundamental line. So Tang's banishing of Jie did not lie in chasing him to Mingtiao; King Wu's execution of Zhou did not lie in conquering him only on the morning of jiazi; both were done by what had been carried out earlier and cultivated in ordinary times, the so-called army of benevolence and righteousness. Now you do not seek in the root but seek in the branches, and this is why the world is disordered.

禮者、治辨之極也，強固之本也，威行之道也，功名之總也，王公由之所以得天下也，不由所以隕社稷也。故堅甲利兵不足以為勝，高城深池不足以為固，嚴令繁刑不足以為威。由其道則行，不由其道則廢。

Ritual is the utmost of order and distinction, the root of strength and solidity, the way for awe to be carried out, and the summing up of merit and fame; kings and dukes by following it obtained the world, and by not following it lost their altars of soil and grain. So solid armor and sharp weapons are not enough for victory, high walls and deep moats are not enough for security, and stern orders and many punishments are not enough to establish awe. Following that Way, they are carried out; not following that Way, they are ruined.

楚人鮫革犀兕以為甲，鞈堅如金石；宛鉅鐵矛，慘如蜂蠆，輕利僄遫，卒如飄風；然而兵殆於垂沙，唐蔑死。莊蹻起，楚分而為三四，是豈無堅甲利兵也哉！其所以統之者非其道故也。汝潁以為險，江漢以為池，限之以鄧林，緣之以方城；然而秦師至，而鄢郢舉，若振槁然，是豈無固塞隘阻也哉！其所以統之者非其道故也。紂刳比干，囚箕子，為炮烙刑，殺戮無時，臣下懍然莫必其命，然而周師至，而令不行乎下，不能用其民，是豈令不嚴，刑不繁也哉！其所以統之者非其道故也。

The men of Chu used shark and rhinoceros hide for armor, as hard as metal and stone; the great iron spears of Wan were as cruel as wasps and scorpions, light, sharp and swift, sudden as a whirlwind; yet their army was endangered at Chuisha, and Tang Mie died. Zhuang Qiao rose up, and Chu split into three or four; was this because they lacked solid armor and sharp weapons! It was because what they were led by was not that Way. They used the Ru and Ying as a barrier, the Jiang and Han as a moat, the Deng forest as a boundary, and the Fangcheng walls along the frontier; yet when Qin's army came, Yan and Ying were taken, like shaking down withered leaves; was this because they lacked fortified passes and obstacles! It was because what they were led by was not that Way. Zhou cut open Bi Gan, imprisoned Jizi, made the roasting-pillar punishment, and killed without regular times, and ministers below trembled with none able to be sure of their lives; yet when the army of Zhou came, orders could not be carried out below and he could not use his people; was this because orders were not strict and punishments not many! It was because what they were led by was not that Way.

古之兵，戈矛弓矢而已矣，然而敵國不待試而詘；城郭不辨，溝池不抇，固塞不樹，機變不張；然而國晏然不畏外而固者，無它故焉，明道而鈞分之，時使而誠愛之，下之和上也如影向，有不由令者，然後俟之以刑。故刑一人而天下服，罪人不郵其上，知罪之在己也。是故刑罰省而威流，無它故焉，由其道故也。古者帝堯之治天下也，蓋殺一人，刑二人，而天下治。傳曰："威厲而不試，刑錯而不用。"此之謂也。

In ancient times armies were only dagger-axes, spears, bows and arrows, yet enemy states submitted without waiting to be tested; walls were not repaired, moats not dug, fortresses not set up, and devices and stratagems not deployed; yet the state was secure, not fearing outsiders and being solid, for no other reason than that they made the Way clear and balanced the divisions, used the people at the proper times and loved them sincerely, and those below responded to those above like shadow and echo, and if some did not follow orders, then they were handled with punishment. So when one man was punished the whole world submitted, and the offender did not resent his superior, knowing that the guilt was his own. So punishments were few and awe spread, for no other reason than that they followed that Way. In ancient times Emperor Yao governed the world, and about one man was killed and two punished, and the world was ordered. The tradition says: 'Awe was stern but not tried; punishment was established but not used.' This is what is meant.

凡人之動也，為賞慶為之，則見害傷焉止矣。故賞慶、刑罰、埶詐，不足以盡人之力，致人之死。為人主上者也，其所以接下之百姓者，無禮義忠信，焉慮率用賞慶、刑罰、埶詐，除阨其下，獲其功用而已矣。大寇則至，使之持危城則必畔，遇敵處戰則必北，勞苦煩辱則必奔，霍焉離耳，下反制其上。故賞慶、刑罰、埶詐之為道者，傭徒鬻賣之道也，不足以合大眾，美國家，故古之人羞而不道也。故厚德音以先之，明禮義以道之，致忠信以愛之，尚賢使能以次之，爵服慶賞以申之，時其事，輕其任，以調齊之，長養之，如保赤子。政令以定，風俗以一，有離俗不順其上，則百姓莫不敦惡，莫不毒孽，若祓不祥；然後刑于是起矣。是大刑之所加也，辱孰大焉！將以為利邪？則大刑加焉，身苟不狂惑戇陋，誰睹是而不改也哉！然後百姓曉然皆知循上之法，像上之志，而安樂之。於是有能化善、修身、正行、積禮義、尊道德，百姓莫不貴敬，莫不親譽；然後賞於是起矣。是高爵豐祿之所加也，榮孰大焉！將以為害邪？則高爵豐祿以持養之；生民之屬，孰不願也！雕雕焉縣貴爵重賞於其前，縣明刑大辱於其後，雖欲無化，能乎哉！故民歸之如流水，所存者神，所為者化。××××之屬為之化而順，暴悍勇力之屬為之化而願，旁闢曲私之屬為之化而公，矜糾收繚之屬為之化而調，夫是之謂大化至一。詩曰："王猶允塞，徐方既來。"此之謂也。

In general, when people act, if they do it for reward, they stop on seeing harm. So rewards, punishments, power and deceit are not enough to exhaust people's strength and make them die. A ruler above whose means of dealing with the common people below lack ritual, righteousness, loyalty and good faith, and who then mostly uses rewards, punishments, power and deceit, impoverishing those below and extracting benefit from them, will find that when a great bandit comes and he orders them to hold a precarious city, they will surely turn against him; when they face the enemy and are in battle, they will surely be routed; when toil and humiliation come, they will surely flee, scattering suddenly, with those below controlling those above. So rewards, punishments, power and deceit as a way are the way of hired hands and bargaining, and are not enough to unite the masses and beautify the state, so the ancients were ashamed not to speak of them. So he adds generous virtuous words to guide them, shows ritual and righteousness to lead them, exhausts loyalty and good faith in loving them, honors the worthy and uses the able in ranking them, reinforces with rank, dress and rewards, arranges their tasks at proper times, lightens their burdens to regulate them, and nurtures them as he would protect an infant. Government orders are thereby fixed and customs unified, and if some leave the custom and do not follow their superiors, then the common people all deeply hate them and treat them as poison and evil, as if purging inauspiciousness; only then is punishment applied. This is applying great punishment, and is there any greater disgrace! Would he consider it profit? When great punishment falls on the body, unless one is mad and deluded and stubbornly rustic, who sees this and does not reform! Then the common people all clearly know to follow their superiors' law and to imitate their superiors' aims, and are at peace and happy. Then those who can transform toward good, cultivate themselves, correct their conduct, accumulate ritual and righteousness and honor the Way and virtue are all valued and respected and drawn close to and praised by the common people; only then is reward applied. This is bestowing high rank and rich salary, and is there any greater glory! Would he consider it harm? He keeps them by high rank and rich salary; among the multitude of the people, who is not willing! With high rank and heavy reward plainly hung in front and clear punishment and great disgrace hung behind, even if one wished not to be transformed, could he manage it! So the people turn to him like flowing water, and what is preserved is wondrous and what is done is transformation. [Four characters are damaged in the original] those of one kind are thus transformed and made compliant, the violent, fierce and brave are thus transformed and made sincere, the wicked, crooked and selfish are thus transformed and made public-spirited, the hasty and entangled are thus transformed and made harmonious; this is called great transformation to utmost unity. The Book of Songs, in the Greater Odes, 'Changwu,' says: 'The king's plans are truly sound, and the Xu lands have already come.' This is what is meant."

凡兼人者有三術：有以德兼人者，有以力兼人者，有以富兼人者。彼貴我名聲，美我德行，欲為我民，故闢門除塗，以迎吾入。因其民，襲其處，而百姓皆安。立法施令，莫不順比。是故得地而權彌重，兼人而兵俞強：是以德兼人者也。非貴我名聲也，非美我德行也，彼畏我威，劫我埶，故民雖有離心，不敢有畔慮，若是則戎甲俞眾，奉養必費。是故得地而權彌輕，兼人而兵俞弱：是以力兼人者也。非貴我名聲也，非美我德行也，用貧求富，用飢求飽，虛腹張口，來歸我食。若是，則必發夫掌窌之粟以食之，委之財貨以富之，立良有司以接之，已期三年，然後民可信也。是故得地而權彌輕，兼人而國俞貧：是以富兼人者也。故曰：以德兼人者王，以力兼人者弱，以富兼人者貧，古今一也。

There are three methods of annexing men: there is annexing men by virtue, annexing men by force, and annexing men by wealth. When the other side honors my name, praises my virtue, and wishes to become my people, I open the gates, clear the roads, and welcome them in. Following upon their people and taking over their lands, the hundred surnames are all at peace; the laws I establish and the orders I issue meet with nothing but compliance and accord. Thus I gain territory and my power grows heavier; I annex men and my army grows stronger: this is annexing men by virtue. When the other side does not honor my name and does not praise my virtue, but fears my majesty and is coerced by my power, then even though the people harbor thoughts of leaving, they dare not harbor thoughts of revolt; in that case the armored troops multiply and their upkeep is sure to be costly. Thus I gain territory and my power grows lighter; I annex men and my army grows weaker: this is annexing men by force. When the other side does not honor my name and does not praise my virtue, but comes seeking wealth out of poverty and food out of hunger—empty-bellied and open-mouthed, turning to me to beg for food—in that case I must open the grain of my granaries and cellars to feed them, hand over stores of goods and treasure to enrich them, and install good officers to receive them; only after a full three years' compact can the people be trusted. Thus I gain territory and my power grows lighter; I annex men and my state grows poorer: this is annexing men by wealth. Therefore it is said: he who annexes men by virtue becomes a true king; he who annexes men by force grows weak; he who annexes men by wealth grows poor. Ancient and present are one in this.

兼幷易能也，唯堅凝之難焉。齊能幷宋，而不能凝也，故魏奪之。燕能幷齊，而不能凝也，故田單奪之。韓之上地，方數百里，完全富足而趨趙，趙不能凝也，故秦奪之。故能幷之，而不能凝，則必奪；不能幷之，又不能凝其有，則必亡。能凝之，則必能幷之矣。得之則凝，兼幷無強。古者湯以薄，武王以滈，皆百里之地也，天下為一，諸侯為臣，無他故焉，能凝之也。故凝士以禮，凝民以政；禮修而士服，政平而民安；士服民安，夫是之謂大凝。以守則固，以徵則強，令行禁止，王者之事畢矣。

Annexation is easy to accomplish; only holding it firm and solid is hard. Qi could annex Song but could not hold it solid, so Wei seized it. Yan could annex Qi but could not hold it solid, so Tian Dan seized it. The territory of Shangdang in Han, several hundred li square and wholly prosperous, went over to Zhao; Zhao could not hold it solid, so Qin seized it. Therefore to be able to annex yet unable to hold solid means it is certain to be taken away; to be unable to annex and also unable to hold solid what one has means certain destruction. To be able to hold solid means certain ability to annex. Gain and hold solid, and annexation meets no strong foe. In antiquity Tang held Bo and King Wu held Hao, each a territory of a hundred li, yet all under heaven was unified and the lords became subjects—for no other reason than that they could hold solid. So use ritual to hold the officers, and use government to hold the people: when ritual is cultivated the officers submit; when government is fair the people are at peace; officers submit and the people are at peace—this is called the great holding-firm. Use it to defend and you are secure; use it to campaign and you are strong; orders are carried out and prohibitions observed—and the work of the true king is complete.

刑範正，金錫美，工冶巧，火齊得，剖刑而莫邪已。然而不剝脫，不砥厲，則不可以斷繩。剝脫之，砥厲之，則劙盤盂，刎牛馬，忽然耳。彼國者，亦強國之剖刑已。然而不教誨，不調一，則入不可以守，出不可以戰。教誨之，調一之，則兵勁城固，敵國不敢嬰也。彼國者亦有砥厲，禮義節奏是也。故人之命在天，國之命在禮。人君者，隆禮尊賢而王，重法愛民而霸，好利多詐而危，權謀傾覆幽險而亡。

When the mold is true, the metal and tin fine, the craftsmanship skilled, and the firing fully right, split open the mold and a Moye blade is finished. Yet if it is not stripped of scale and not ground on the whetstone, it cannot sever even a cord. Strip it and whet it, and it will slice a plate or behead an ox or horse in a mere instant. The state, likewise, is a strong mold split open. Yet if it is not taught and not harmonized into one, then inwardly it cannot be defended and outwardly it cannot wage war. Teach it and harmonize it into one, and its troops are keen and its walls firm, and enemy states dare not offend it. The state too has its whetstone: ritual, righteousness, and rhythm and measure are it. So man's fate lies with Heaven; the state's fate lies with ritual. For him who is a ruler of men: exalt ritual and honor the worthy, and he becomes a true king; weigh the law and love the people, and he becomes a hegemon; love profit and multiply deceit, and he is endangered; wield plots, overturn all, and lurk in darkness and peril, and he is destroyed.

威有三：有道德之威者，有暴察之威者，有狂妄之威者－－此三威者，不可不孰察也。禮義則修，分義則明，舉錯則時，愛利則形。如是，百姓貴之如帝，高之如天，親之如父母，畏之如神明。故賞不用而民勸，罰不用而威行，夫是之謂道德之威。禮樂則不修，分義則不明，舉錯則不時，愛利則不形；然而其禁暴也察，其誅不服也審，其刑罰重而信，其誅殺猛而必，黭然而雷擊之，如牆厭之。如是，百姓劫則致畏，嬴則敖上，執拘則[最]聚，得間則散，敵中則奪，非劫之以形埶，非振之以誅殺，則無以有其下，夫是之謂暴察之威。無愛人之心，無利人之事，而日為亂人之道，百姓讙敖，則從而執縛之，刑灼之，不和人心。如是，下比周賁潰以離上矣，傾覆滅亡，可立而待也，夫是之謂狂妄之威。－－此三威者，不可不孰察也。道德之威成乎安強，暴察之威成乎危弱，狂妄之威成乎滅亡也。

There are three kinds of majesty: the majesty of the Way and its power; the majesty of harsh scrutiny; the majesty of mad folly. These three majesties must not fail to be carefully examined. When ritual and righteousness are cultivated, the divisions of duty made clear, measures matched to the season, and love and benefit made manifest—in that case the hundred surnames honor him like a god on high, exalt him like Heaven, feel for him as for father and mother, and stand in awe of him as of a spirit. So rewards need not be used and the people are urged on; punishments need not be used and majesty is enforced. This is called the majesty of the Way and its power. When ritual and music are not cultivated, the divisions of duty not made clear, measures not matched to the season, and love and benefit not made manifest—yet he forbids violence with keen scrutiny, executes the unsubmissive with care, makes his punishments heavy and certain, his executions fierce and inevitable, darkly like a thunderclap, like a wall crashing down—in that case the people are coerced into showing fear; loosened, they grow insolent to superiors; seized, they cluster together; given a gap, they scatter and flee; and when the enemy strikes home they are carried off. Without coercion by circumstances and terror by execution there is no way to keep those below in hand. This is called the majesty of harsh scrutiny. Having no heart to love men and no deeds to benefit them, while daily practicing the way of disordering them—when the hundred surnames clamor and grow insolent, he then binds them and scorches them with punishment, out of harmony with men's hearts. In that case those below band together, break and scatter, and abandon the one above; overturn and destruction can be awaited standing. This is called the majesty of mad folly. These three majesties must not fail to be carefully examined. The majesty of the Way and its power ends in safety and strength; the majesty of harsh scrutiny ends in danger and weakness; the majesty of mad folly ends in destruction.

公孫子曰：子發將西伐蔡，克蔡，獲蔡侯，歸致命曰："蔡侯奉其社稷，而歸之楚；舍屬二三子而治其地。"既，楚發其賞，子發辭曰："發誡布令而敵退，是主威也；徙舉相攻而敵退，是將威也；合戰用力而敵退，是眾威也。臣舍不宜以眾威受賞。"

Gongsunzi said: When Zifa was about to march west against Cai, he conquered Cai and captured the Marquis of Cai. Returning, he reported: "The Marquis of Cai, presenting his altars of soil and grain, has returned them to Chu; I have entrusted a few good men to govern that land." Afterwards Chu issued rewards, and Zifa declined, saying: "When the warning is given and the command issued and the enemy withdraws, that is the majesty of the ruler; when the ranks are shifted and set to attack and the enemy withdraws, that is the majesty of the general; when battle is joined and force exerted and the enemy withdraws, that is the majesty of the host. Your servant She should not accept a reward on account of the host's majesty."

譏之曰：子發之致命也恭，其辭賞也固。夫尚賢使能，賞有功，罰有罪，非獨一人為之也，彼先王之道也，一人之本也，善善惡惡之應也，治必由之，古今一也。古者明主之舉大事，立大功也，大事已博，大功已立，則君享其成，群臣享其功，士大夫益爵，官人益秩，庶人益祿。是以為善者勸，為不善者沮，上下一心，三軍同力，是以百事成，而功名大也。今子發獨不然：反先王之道，亂楚國之法，墮興功之臣，恥受賞之屬，無僇乎族黨，而抑卑其後世，案獨以為私廉，豈不過甚矣哉！故曰：子發之致命也恭，其辭賞也固。

Criticizing him, I say: Zifa reported his commission with reverence; his declining of the reward was crudely narrow. For exalting the worthy and employing the able, rewarding the meritorious and punishing the guilty, was not done by one man alone; it is the way of the ancient kings, the root of making men one, the due answer to loving the good and hating the evil; order is always reached through it, and ancient and present are one in this. When the enlightened rulers of antiquity undertook great affairs and established great merit, once the great affairs were won and the great merit established, the ruler enjoyed the completion, the assembled ministers enjoyed the merit, officers and grandees advanced in rank, officials advanced in grade, and commoners advanced in stipend. Therefore those who did good were urged on and those who did ill were disheartened; above and below were of one mind and the three armies of one strength; therefore the hundred affairs were accomplished and merit and fame grew great. Now Zifa alone was not so: he violated the way of the ancient kings, threw the laws of Chu into disorder, cast down the ministers who had achieved merit, and made the whole class of those who accept rewards feel ashamed; though the punishment was not carried to his kin and party, he yet pressed down and abased his own posterity—and then alone regarded this as private integrity. Is that not going much too far! Therefore it is said: Zifa reported his commission with reverence; his declining of the reward was crudely narrow.

荀卿子說齊相曰：處勝人之埶，行勝人之道，天下莫忿，湯武是也。處勝人之埶，不以勝人之道，厚於有天下之埶，索為匹夫不可得也，桀紂是也。然則得勝人之埶者，其不如勝人之道遠矣！夫主相者，勝人以埶也，是為是，非為非，能為能，不能為不能，並己之私慾，必以道，夫公道通義之可以相兼容者，是勝人之道也。今相國上則得專主，下則得專國，相國之於勝人之埶，亶有之矣。然則胡不驅此勝人之埶，赴勝人之道，求仁厚明通之君子而托王焉，與之參國政，正是非！如是，則國孰敢不為義矣！君臣上下，貴賤長少，至於庶人，莫不為義，則天下孰不欲合義矣！賢士願相國之朝，能士願相國之官，好利之民莫不願以齊為歸，是一天下也。相國舍是而不為，案直為是世俗之所以為，則女主亂之宮，詐臣亂之朝，貪吏亂之官，眾庶百姓皆以爭奪貪利為俗，曷若是而可以持國乎？今巨楚縣吾前，大燕(魚酋)吾後，勁魏鉤吾右，西壤之不絕若繩，楚人則乃有襄賁開陽以臨吾左，是一國作謀，則三國必起而乘我。如是，則齊必斷而為四、三，國若假城然耳，必為天下大笑。曷若兩者孰足為也！夫桀紂，聖王之後子孫也，有天下者之世也，埶籍之所存，天下之宗室也，土地之大，封內千里，人之眾數以億萬，俄而天下倜然舉去桀紂而奔湯武，反然舉惡桀紂而貴湯武。是何也？夫桀紂何失？而湯武何得也？曰：是無它故焉，桀紂者善為人所惡也，而湯武者善為人所好也。人之所惡何也？曰：汙漫、爭奪、貪利是也。人之所好者何也？曰：禮義、辭讓、忠信是也。今君人者，譬稱比方則欲自並乎湯武，若其所以統之，則無以異於桀紂，而求有湯武之功名，可乎？故凡得勝者，必與人也；凡得人者，必與道也。道也者，何也？禮義、辭讓、忠信是也。故自四五萬而往者，強勝非眾之力也，隆在信矣。

Xun Qingzi, persuading the prime minister of Qi, said: To occupy a position of power surpassing other men and to practice the way that surpasses other men, so that none under heaven bears resentment—Tang and King Wu were such. To occupy a position of power surpassing other men and not use the way that surpasses other men, growing fat on the power of possessing all under heaven, then to seek to be even a common man and not obtain it—Jie and Zhou were such. So to gain power that surpasses men is far worse than the way that surpasses men! Now he who is lord and minister is one who surpasses men by power. To hold the right to be right and the wrong to be wrong, the able to be able and the unable to be unable; to cast aside one's private desires and unfailingly use the Way—the impartial Way and the common rightness that can embrace one another—that is the way that surpasses men. Now you, minister, above can exercise sole authority over the ruler, and below can exercise sole authority over the state; of power that surpasses men, minister, you are truly possessed. Why then not drive this surpassing power toward the surpassing way, seek out a humane, generous, enlightened, and penetrating gentleman, entrust the kingship to him, share the government of the state with him, and set right the right and wrong! If it were thus, who in the state would dare not practice righteousness! From ruler and ministers, above and below, noble and base, old and young, down to the common people, if none failed to practice righteousness, who under heaven would not wish to be gathered into righteousness! Worthy gentlemen would gladly come to your court, able men would gladly serve in your offices, and no profit-loving people but would gladly make Qi their destination—this is the unification of all under heaven. If you, minister, forsake this and leave it undone, and do only what the vulgar world does, then the royal women will bring disorder to the palace, treacherous ministers will bring disorder to the court, greedy officials will bring disorder to the bureaus, and the mass of common people will all make a custom of contention and grasping for profit—how, in such a state, can the state be held? Now giant Chu hangs over us in front; great Yan presses on us from behind; strong Wei hooks us on the right; the western border runs unbroken like a cord; and the men of Chu moreover hold Xiangben and Kaiyang, looming over our left. If this one state lays plans, then three states are certain to rise and take advantage of us. In that case Qi is sure to be split into three or four pieces, the state like a borrowed city, sure to be laughed at by all under heaven. Of these two courses, which is worth taking! As for Jie and Zhou, they were the descendants of sage kings, the lineage of those who had possessed all under heaven; where power and registered name resided, they were the ancestral house of all under heaven; their lands were broad and great, a thousand li within the borders, and their people were counted in the millions and billions—yet in a short while all under heaven loftily abandoned Jie and Zhou and ran to Tang and Wu, and one and all hated Jie and Zhou and honored Tang and Wu. Why is this? What did Jie and Zhou lose? What did Tang and Wu gain? I say: there is no other reason—Jie and Zhou were good at doing what men hate, and Tang and Wu were good at doing what men love. What do men hate? I say: foul wantonness, contention, and grasping for profit. What do men love? I say: ritual and righteousness, deference and yielding, loyalty and good faith. Now he who is a ruler of men, when he draws comparisons and analogies, wants to rank himself alongside Tang and Wu; yet in the means by which he leads, he is no different from Jie and Zhou—and then he seeks the merit and fame of Tang and Wu. Can that be? Therefore all who gain the victory must gain it through men, and all who gain men must gain them through the Way. What is the Way? Ritual and righteousness, deference and yielding, loyalty and good faith are it. Therefore, from forty or fifty thousand men upward, strength and victory are not the power of numbers; what is honored lies in good faith.

自數百里而往者，安固非大之力也，隆在修政矣。今已有數萬之眾者也，陶誕比周以爭與；已有數百里之國者也，汙漫突盜以爭地；然則是棄己之所安強，而爭己之所以危弱也；損己之所不足，以重己之所有餘。若是其悖繆也，而求有湯武之功名，可乎！闢之，是猶伏而咶天，救經而引其足也。說必不行矣，愈務而愈遠。為人臣者，不恤己行之不行，苟得利而已矣，是渠沖入穴而求利也，是仁人之所羞而不為也。故人莫貴乎生，莫樂乎安；所以養生安樂者，莫大乎禮義。人知貴生樂安而棄禮義，闢之，是猶欲壽而歾頸也，愚莫大焉。故君人者，愛民而安，好士而榮，兩者亡一焉而亡。詩曰："價人維藩，大師維垣。"此之謂也。

He continued: From several hundred li upward, security and firmness are not the power of size; what is honored lies in cultivated government. Now those who already possess a host of tens of thousands use recklessness and clique-forming to contend for allied states; those who already possess a state of several hundred li use foul wantonness, violent overbearing, and theft to contend for territory. This is to cast aside that by which one becomes secure and strong, and to contend for that by which one becomes endangered and weak; to pare away what one lacks in order to add to what one has in excess. To be this perverse and yet seek the merit and fame of Tang and Wu—can it be? It is like sprawling flat to lick the sky, or pulling a hanged man's feet to rescue him. Such talk is certain not to work: the harder one strives, the farther away one gets. The minister who does not ask whether his own conduct works, but merely takes profit where he can—this is driving the great ram built for storming city walls into a burrow in search of gain, a thing a humane man is ashamed to leave undone. Therefore nothing is more precious to man than life, and nothing more joyful than peace; and for nourishing life and joyful peace, nothing is greater than ritual and righteousness. For a man to know to prize life and delight in peace yet cast aside ritual and righteousness is like wanting long life and cutting one's own throat—no folly is greater than this. So for him who is a ruler of men: love the people and be at peace; be fond of officers and be honored; lacking either one, he is destroyed. The Book of Songs, in the Greater Ode "Ban", says: "The men-at-arms are the fence; the great host is the wall." It speaks of this.

力術止，義術行，曷謂也？曰：秦之謂也。威強乎湯武，廣大乎舜禹，然而憂患不可勝校也。諰諰然常恐天下之一合而軋己也，此所謂力術止也。曷謂乎威強乎湯武？湯武也者，乃能使說己者使耳。今楚、父死焉，國舉焉，負三王之廟，而闢於陳蔡之間，視可司間，案欲剡其脛而以蹈秦之腹，然而秦使左案左，使右案右，是乃使讎人役也；此所謂威強乎湯武也。曷謂廣大乎舜禹也？曰：古者百王之一天下，臣諸侯也，未有過封內千里者也。今秦南乃有沙羨與俱，是乃江南也。北與胡貉為鄰，西有巴戎，東在楚者乃界於齊，在韓者踰常山乃有臨慮，在魏者乃據圉津－－即去大梁百有二十里耳！其在趙者剡然有苓而據松柏之塞，負西海而固常山，是地遍天下也。威動海內，強殆中國，然而憂患不可勝校也，諰諰然常恐天下之一合而軋己也；此所謂廣大乎舜禹也。然則奈何？曰：節威反文，案用夫端誠信全之君子治天下焉，因與之參國政，正是非，治曲直，聽咸陽，順者錯之，不順者而後誅之。若是，則兵不復出於塞外，而令行於天下矣。若是，則雖為之築明堂於塞外而朝諸侯，殆可矣。假今之世，益地不如益信之務也。

When the art of force halts and the art of righteousness proceeds—what does that mean? I say: it means Qin. Its awesomeness and strength surpass Tang and Wu; its breadth surpasses Shun and Yu—yet its worries cannot be numbered. Apprehensive, it constantly fears that all under heaven, once united, will crush it. This is what is called the art of force halting. What is meant by awesomeness and strength surpassing Tang and Wu? Tang and Wu merely caused those who delighted in them to be employed. Now for Chu, whose father died there and whose capital was taken, carrying the temples of its three kings on its back to hide between Chen and Cai, watching what can be done and spying out a gap, hoping to lift a leg and stamp on Qin's belly—yet Qin makes it go left and it goes left, makes it go right and it goes right. This is causing one's own foes to be employed; this is what is called awesomeness and strength surpassing Tang and Wu. What is meant by breadth surpassing Shun and Yu? I say: in antiquity, of the hundred kings who unified all under heaven and made the lords their subjects, none had more than a thousand li within his borders. Now Qin in the south holds Shaxian and all that is with it—this is south of the River. In the north it neighbors the Hu and the Mo; in the west it holds the Ba and the Rong; in the east, where it touches Chu, it adjoins Qi; where it touches Han it crosses Mount Chang and reaches Linlu; where it touches Wei it holds Yu Ford—scarcely a hundred and twenty li from Daliang! Where it presses Zhao it sharpens its land at Ling and holds the Pass of Pines and Cypresses, backing on the Western Sea and holding fast to Mount Chang—this is land spread over all under heaven. Its majesty shakes all within the seas; its strength imperils the central states—yet its worries cannot be numbered; apprehensive, it constantly fears that all under heaven, once united, will crush it. This is what is called breadth surpassing Shun and Yu. What then is to be done? I say: rein in the awe and return to refinement; then employ the gentleman who is upright, honest, faithful, and whole to govern all under heaven, sharing the state's counsels with him, setting right the right and wrong, ordering the crooked and straight, holding audience at Xianyang; settle the compliant, and only then execute the noncompliant. If it were thus, the troops would never again march beyond the passes, yet commands would be carried out under all heaven. If it were thus, even were a Bright Hall built for him beyond the passes and the lords came to pay court, it would, I suppose, serve. In the present age, adding to one's faith is a more urgent task than adding to one's land.

應侯問孫卿子曰：入秦何見？

The Marquis of Ying asked Sun Qingzi: "When you entered Qin, what did you see?"

孫卿子曰：其固塞險，形埶便，山林川穀美，天材之利多，是形勝也。入境，觀其風俗，其百姓樸，其聲樂不流汙，其服不佻，甚畏有司而順，古之民也。及都邑官府，其百吏肅然，莫不恭儉、敦敬、忠信而不楛，古之吏也。入其國，觀其士大夫，出於其門，入於公門；出於公門，歸於其家，無有私事也；不比周，不朋黨，倜然莫不明通而公也，古之士大夫也。觀其朝廷，其朝閒，聽決百事不留，恬然如無治者，古之朝也。故四世有勝，非幸也，數也。是所見也。故曰：佚而治，約而詳，不煩而功，治之至也，秦類之矣。雖然，則有其諰矣。兼是數具者而盡有之，然而縣之以王者之功名，則倜倜然其不及遠矣！是何也？則其殆無儒邪！故曰粹而王，駁而霸，無一焉而亡。此亦秦之所短也。

Sun Qingzi said: Its barriers and passes are steep, its configuration convenient, its mountain forests and valley streams beautiful, and the profit of its natural bounty manifold—this is superiority of form. Entering the borders and observing the customs: the hundred surnames are plain and simple; their music and songs are not wanton or foul; their clothing is not frivolous; they greatly fear the officers and are compliant—these are the people of antiquity. Coming to its towns and official bureaus: the hundred clerks are grave and orderly, all reverent and frugal, sincere and respectful, loyal and trustworthy, not coarse or vile—these are the officers of antiquity. Entering its capital and observing the officers and grandees: they leave their gates and enter the public gates; they leave the public gates and return to their homes, having no private affairs; they form no cliques and no cabals, and loftily there is none that is not enlightened, penetrating, and impartial—these are the officers and grandees of antiquity. Observing its court: the audiences are unhurried, the hearing and deciding of the hundred affairs is never stalled, and all is serene as though no one were governing—this is the court of antiquity. So its four generations of victories are no accident; they are the working of rule. This is what I saw. Therefore it is said: at ease yet well-ordered; simple yet complete in detail; unharried yet effective—this is the utmost of order, and Qin resembles it. Even so, there is that in it to be feared. It combines these several points and has them all; yet weighed against the standard of the true king's merit and fame, how loftily far short it falls! Why is this? Presumably it has no Confucian! Therefore it is said: the pure become true kings, the mixed become hegemons, and those with none at all are destroyed. This too is where Qin falls short.

積微：月不勝日，時不勝月，歲不勝時。凡人好敖慢小事，大事至然後興之務之，如是，則常不勝夫敦比於小事者矣。是何也？則小事之至也數，其縣日也博，其為積也大；大事之至也希，其縣日也淺，其為積也小。故善日者王，善時者霸，補漏者危，大荒者亡。故王者敬日，霸者敬時，僅存之國危而後戚之。亡國至亡而後知亡，至死而後知死，亡國之禍敗，不可勝悔也。霸者之善箸焉，可以時托也；王者之功名，不可勝日誌也。財物貨寶以大為重，政教功名反是－－能積微者速成。詩曰："德輶如毛，民鮮克舉之。"此之謂也。

On accumulating the minute: a month cannot match a day; a season cannot match a month; a year cannot match a season. In general men are fond of treating small matters with arrogance; when great affairs arrive, only then do they rouse themselves to strive. In that case they are constantly outmatched by those who earnestly attend to small matters. Why? Because small matters come often: the days over which they hang are broad, and what they accumulate is great. Great affairs come rarely: the days over which they hang are shallow, and what they accumulate is small. So he who is good with the day becomes a true king; he who is good with the season becomes a hegemon; he who patches leaks is in danger; he who lets all lie waste is destroyed. Therefore the true king reverences the day; the hegemon reverences the season; the state that barely survives grows sorrowful only when danger arrives. The doomed state knows it is doomed only when destruction arrives, and knows it is dying only when death arrives; for the ruin and defeat of a doomed state, regret cannot come in time. The hegemon's goodness is manifest and can be entrusted according to the season; the true king's merit and fame cannot be recorded day by day. Goods and treasure are valued for being great; with government, teaching, merit, and fame it is the opposite—he who can accumulate the minute achieves quickly. The Book of Songs, in the Greater Ode "Zheng Min", says: "Virtue is light as a hair, yet few among the people can lift it." It speaks of this.

凡奸人之所以起者，以上之不貴義，不敬義也。夫義者，所以限禁人之為惡與奸者也。今上不貴義，不敬義，如是，則天下之人百姓，皆有棄義之志，而有趨奸之心矣，此奸人之所以起也。且上者下之師也，夫下之和上，譬之猶響之應聲，影之像形也。故為人上者，不可不順也。夫義者，內節於人，而外節於萬物者也；上安於主，而下調於民者也；內外上下節者，義之情也。然則凡為天下之要，義為本，而信次之。古者禹湯本義務信而天下治，桀紂棄義倍信而天下亂。故為人上者，必將慎禮義，務忠信，然後可。此君人者之大本也。堂上不糞，則郊草不瞻曠芸；白刃扞乎胸，則目不見流矢；拔戟加乎首，則十指不辭斷；非不以此為務也，疾養緩急之有相先者也。

All treacherous men arise because those above do not value righteousness and do not reverence it. Righteousness is what limits and forbids men from doing evil and treachery. Now if those above do not value righteousness and do not reverence it, then all the people under heaven will harbor the will to cast off righteousness and the heart that turns toward treachery. This is why treacherous men arise. Moreover, those above are the teachers of those below, and those below answer those above as the echo answers the sound and the shadow follows the form. Therefore he who is above men must not fail to conform. Righteousness within regulates men and without regulates the myriad things; above it gives repose to the ruler and below it adjusts the people; when within and without, above and below are regulated, this is the true condition of righteousness. So of all the bonds that hold all under heaven together, righteousness is the root, and good faith comes after it. In antiquity Yu and Tang rooted themselves in righteousness and pursued good faith, and all under heaven was ordered; Jie and Zhou cast off righteousness and betrayed good faith, and all under heaven fell into disorder. Therefore he who is above men must be careful of ritual and righteousness and pursue loyalty and good faith—only then will he do. This is the great root of being a ruler of men. When the hall is unswept, there is no leisure to weed the fields beyond; when a naked blade lies across the chest, the eye cannot see the flying arrow; when a drawn halberd is raised overhead, the ten fingers do not refuse to be cut off. It is not that those things are not matters of business; it is that pain and itch, urgent and slack, take precedence over one another.

天行有常，不為堯存，不為桀亡。應之以治則吉，應之以亂則兇。強本而節用，則天不能貧；養備而動時，則天不能病；修道而不貳，則天不能禍。故水旱不能使之飢，寒暑不能使之疾，祆怪不能使之兇。本荒而用侈，則天不能使之富；養略而動罕，則天不能使之全；倍道而妄行，則天不能使之吉。故水旱未至而飢，寒暑未薄而疾，祆怪未至而兇－－受時與治世同，而殃禍與治世異，不可以怨天，其道然也。故明於天人之分，則可謂至人矣。

The course of Heaven has a constant regularity: it does not exist for Yao and does not perish for Jie. Meet it with order and there is good fortune; meet it with disorder and there is ill. Strengthen the root and economize expenditure, and Heaven cannot make you poor; make provision complete and act in season, and Heaven cannot make you sick; follow the Way without a divided heart, and Heaven cannot send you calamity. So flood and drought cannot bring famine, cold and heat cannot bring sickness, omens and prodigies cannot bring ill fortune. But if the root is left in ruin and expenditure is extravagant, Heaven cannot make you rich; if provision is scant and action rare, Heaven cannot keep you whole; if you turn your back on the Way and act recklessly, Heaven cannot make you fortunate. So famine comes before flood and drought have arrived, sickness before cold and heat press close, ill fortune before omens have arrived—the season one receives is the same as in an age of order, yet the calamities differ from those of an age of order. One must not resent Heaven; it is the way taken that makes it so. Therefore to see clearly the division between Heaven and man may be called the utmost man.

不為而成，不求而得，夫是之謂天職。如是者，雖深、其人不加慮焉；雖大、不加能焉；雖精、不加察焉，夫是之謂不與天爭職。天有其時，地有其財，人有其治，夫是之謂能參。舍其所以參，而願其所參，則惑矣。

To accomplish without acting, to obtain without seeking—this is called the office of Heaven. For what is thus, however deep, man does not add thought; however great, he does not add ability; however subtle, he does not add discernment. This is called not contending with Heaven for its office. Heaven has its seasons, Earth has its resources, man has his government—this is called being able to form a triad. To cast aside that by which one forms the triad, and instead to long for those with which one is triad-mate, is delusion.

列星隨旋，日月遞照，四時代御，陰陽大化，風雨博施，萬物各得其和以生，各得其養以成，不見其事，而見其功，夫是之謂神。皆知其所以成，莫知其無形，夫是之謂天功。唯聖人為不求知天。

The ranked stars wheel in their courses; sun and moon shine in turn; the four seasons drive on in succession; yin and yang work their great transformation; wind and rain bestow themselves broadly; and the myriad things each obtain the harmony to be born and each obtain the nurture to be completed. One does not see the working, yet sees the achievement—this is called spirit. All know that whereby things are completed; none know that which has no form—this is called the achievement of Heaven. Only the sage does not seek to know Heaven.

天職既立，天功既成，形具而神生，好惡喜怒哀樂臧焉，夫是之謂天情。耳目鼻口形能各有接而不相能也，夫是之謂天官。心居中虛，以治五官，夫是之謂天君。財非其類以養其類，夫是之謂天養。順其類者謂之福，逆其類者謂之禍，夫是之謂天政。暗其天君，亂其天官，棄其天養，逆其天政，背其天情，以喪天功，夫是之謂大凶。聖人清其天君，正其天官，備其天養，順其天政，養其天情，以全其天功。如是，則知其所為，知其所不為矣；則天地官而萬物役矣。其行曲治，其養曲適，其生不傷，夫是之謂知天。

When Heaven's duties are established and Heaven's work is accomplished, the bodily form is complete and the spirit is born; likes and dislikes, joy, anger, sorrow and delight are stored within it; this is called the heavenly emotions. The ears, eyes, nose, mouth and bodily senses each have what they receive and cannot substitute for one another; this is called the heavenly faculties. The mind dwells in the central void to govern the five faculties; this is called the heavenly ruler. Shaping what is not of one's own kind to nourish one's own kind is called heavenly nourishment. To accord with the kind is called fortune and to go against the kind is called misfortune; this is called heavenly governance. To darken one's heavenly ruler, disorder one's heavenly faculties, abandon one's heavenly nourishment, oppose one's heavenly governance, and turn from one's heavenly emotions, so as to lose Heaven's work, is called great misfortune. The sage clarifies his heavenly ruler, sets right his heavenly faculties, completes his heavenly nourishment, accords with heavenly governance, and nurtures his heavenly emotions, in order to preserve Heaven's work. In this way he knows what to do and what not to do; then Heaven and Earth are appointed to office and the myriad things are put to use. His conduct is ordered in every turn, his nourishment is suitable in every turn, and his life is not harmed; this is called knowing Heaven.

故大巧在所不為，大智在所不慮。所志於天者，已其見象之可以期者矣；所志於地者，已其見宜之可以息者矣：所志於四時者，已其見數之可以事者矣；所志於陰陽者，已其見和之可以治者矣。官人守天，而自為守道也。

So the greatest skill lies in what one does not do, and the greatest wisdom lies in what one does not ponder. As for what Heaven aims at, the visible celestial signs can already be anticipated; as for what Earth aims at, the visible suitabilities can already be multiplied; as for what the four seasons aim at, the visible numbers can already be worked with; as for what yin and yang aim at, the visible harmonies can already be governed. The officials keep to Heaven, and he keeps to the Way.

治亂，天邪？曰：日月星辰瑞歷，是禹桀之所同也，禹以治，桀以亂；治亂非天也。

Are order and disorder due to Heaven? I say: the sun, moon, stars and auspicious calendar were the same for Yu and Jie; Yu used them to bring order and Jie to bring disorder; order and disorder are not due to Heaven.

時邪？曰：繁啟蕃長於春夏，畜積收臧於秋冬，是禹桀之所同也，禹以治，桀以亂；治亂非時也。

Are they due to the seasons? I say: flourishing, sprouting and growing in spring and summer, storing and gathering in autumn and winter were the same for Yu and Jie; Yu used them to bring order and Jie to bring disorder; order and disorder are not due to the seasons.

地邪？曰：得地則生，失地則死，是又禹桀之所同也，禹以治，桀以亂；治亂非地也。詩曰："天作高山，大王荒之。彼作矣，文王康之。"此之謂也。

Are they due to the land? I say: gaining land one lives, losing land one dies, and this was again the same for Yu and Jie; Yu used it to bring order and Jie to bring disorder; order and disorder are not due to the land. The ode Heaven Made It in the Songs of Zhou in the Book of Songs says: "Heaven made the high mountain, and King Tai opened it up. It was already raised, and King Wen settled it." This is what is meant.

天不為人之惡寒也輟冬，地不為人之惡遼遠也輟廣，君子不為小人之匈匈也輟行。天有常道矣，地有常數矣，君子有常體矣。君子道其常，而小人計其功。詩曰："禮義之不愆，何恤人之言兮！"此之謂也。

Heaven does not stop winter because people dislike the cold, Earth does not stop being wide because people dislike distance, and the gentleman does not stop his conduct because petty men make noise. Heaven has its constant Way, Earth has its constant measure, and the gentleman has his constant substance. The gentleman follows the constant Way, while the petty man calculates the reward. The Book of Songs says: "If ritual and righteousness are not at fault, why worry about what people say!" This is what is meant.

楚王后車千乘，非知也；君子啜菽飲水，非愚也；是節然也。若夫志意修，德行厚，知慮明，生於今而志乎古，則是其在我者也。故君子敬其在己者，而不慕其在天者；小人錯其在己者，而慕其在天者。君子敬其在己者，而不慕其在天者，是以日進也；小人錯其在己者，而慕其在天者，是以日退也。故君子之所以日進，與小人之所以日退，一也。君子小人之所以相縣者，在此耳。

That the King of Chu has a thousand chariots behind him is not wisdom; that the gentleman drinks bean gruel and water is not foolishness; it is regulated by measure. As for having a cultivated will, generous virtue, clear wisdom and thought, and living in the present while setting one's aim on antiquity, that is within me. So the gentleman honors what is in himself and does not envy what is in Heaven; the petty man sets aside what is in himself and envies what is in Heaven. The gentleman honors what is in himself and does not envy what is in Heaven, and so advances day by day; the petty man sets aside what is in himself and envies what is in Heaven, and so declines day by day. So why the gentleman advances day by day and why the petty man declines day by day is one matter. What separates the gentleman from the petty man lies right here.

星隊木鳴，國人皆恐。曰：是何也？曰：無何也！是天地之變，陰陽之化，物之罕至者也。怪之，可也；而畏之，非也。夫日月之有蝕，風雨之不時，怪星之黨見，是無世而不常有之。上明而政平，則是雖並世起，無傷也；上闇而政險，則是雖無一至者，無益也。夫星之隊，木之鳴，是天地之變，陰陽之化，物之罕至者也；怪之，可也；而畏之，非也。

When a star falls or trees groan, the people of the state are all afraid. They ask: What is this? I say: It is nothing! It is a change of Heaven and Earth, a transformation of yin and yang, something rarely seen among things. To find it strange is acceptable; to fear it is wrong. For eclipses of the sun and moon, wind and rain out of season, and strange stars appearing now and then, there has been no age without them. If those above are enlightened and government is even, then even if all of these arose together in one generation, there would be no harm; if those above are benighted and government is dangerous, then even if not one of these arrived, there would be no benefit. As for the falling star and the groaning trees, they are changes of Heaven and Earth, transformations of yin and yang, rarely seen among things; to find them strange is acceptable; to fear them is wrong.

物之已至者，人祆則可畏也：楛耕傷稼，楛耨失歲，政險失民；田薉稼惡，糴貴民飢，道路有死人：夫是之謂人祆。政令不明，舉錯不時，本事不理，勉力不時，則牛馬相生，六畜作祆：夫是之謂人祆。禮義不修，內外無別，男女淫亂，則父子相疑，上下乖離，寇難並至：夫是之謂人祆。祆是生於亂。三者錯，無安國。其說甚爾，其菑甚慘。勉力不時，則牛馬相生，六畜作祆，可怪也，而亦可畏也。傳曰："萬物之怪書不說。"無用之辯，不急之察，棄而不治。若夫君臣之義，父子之親，夫婦之別，則日切瑳而不捨也。

When things have already come, human portents are what is to be feared: poor plowing harms the crops, poor weeding loses the harvest, dangerous government loses the people; fields overgrown and crops poor, grain dear and the people hungry, dead bodies on the roads: this is called human portent. Government orders unclear, measures out of season, basic work not managed, labor not timed, so that oxen and horses breed with each other and the six domestic animals produce prodigies: this is also called human portent. Ritual and righteousness not cultivated, no distinction between inner and outer, men and women licentious, so that father and son suspect each other, high and low drift apart, and invaders and calamities come together: this is also called human portent. Portents are born from disorder. When these three are mixed, there is no secure state. Their explanation is very shallow and their disaster very cruel. When labor is not timed, oxen and horses breed with each other and the six domestic animals produce prodigies, it may be called strange, and it may also be feared. A tradition says: "The strange things of the myriad things, books do not explain." Useless disputation and unnecessary investigation are discarded and not pursued. As for the righteousness of ruler and minister, the closeness of father and son, and the distinction between husband and wife, these are studied and polished daily and never abandoned.

雩而雨，何也？曰：無何也，猶不雩而雨也。日月食而救之，天旱而雩，卜筮然後決大事，非以為得求也，以文之也。故君子以為文，而百姓以為神。以為文則吉，以為神則兇也。

When the rain sacrifice is held and it rains, what is that? I say: it is nothing, just as it would rain even without the rain sacrifice. Saving the sun or moon during eclipse, holding the rain sacrifice during drought, and consulting tortoise and yarrow before deciding great matters are not done because one thinks it will obtain something, but are done as ornament. So the gentleman takes them as ornament and the common people take them as spiritual. Taking them as ornament is auspicious, and taking them as spiritual is ill-omened.

在天者莫明於日月，在地者莫明於水火，在物者莫明於珠玉，在人者莫明於禮義。故日月不高，則光明不赫；水火不積，則暉潤不博；珠玉不睹乎外，則王公不以為寶；禮義不加於國家，則功名不白。故人之命在天，國之命在禮。君人者，隆禮尊賢而王，重法愛民而霸，好利多詐而危，權謀傾覆幽險而亡矣。

In Heaven nothing is brighter than the sun and moon, on Earth nothing is brighter than water and fire, among things nothing is brighter than pearls and jade, and among people nothing is brighter than ritual and righteousness. So if the sun and moon were not high, their light would not be brilliant; if water and fire were not accumulated, their radiance and moistening would not be broad; if pearls and jade did not show outside, kings and dukes would not treat them as treasures; if ritual and righteousness were not applied to the state, merit and fame would not be manifest. So a person's fate lies in Heaven, and a state's fate lies in ritual. A ruler who honors ritual and respects the worthy will be a king; one who values law and loves the people will be a hegemon; one who likes profit and is full of deceit will be in danger; one who uses scheming that overturns and is dark and treacherous will perish.

大天而思之，孰與物畜而制之！從天而頌之，孰與制天命而用之！望時而待之，孰與應時而使之！因物而多之，孰與騁能而化之！思物而物之，孰與理物而勿失之也！願於物之所以生，孰與有物之所以成！故錯人而思天，則失萬物之情。

To revere great Heaven and long for it, how can that compare with raising things and regulating them! To follow Heaven and praise it, how can that compare with regulating Heaven's mandate and using it! To look forward to the seasons and wait for them, how can that compare with responding to the seasons and employing them! To rely on things and multiply them, how can that compare with exerting one's talent and transforming them! To long for things and make use of them, how can that compare with managing things and not losing them! To hope for what things give life, how can that compare with holding what things complete! So to set aside people and long for Heaven is to lose the true condition of the myriad things.

百王之無變，足以為道貫。一廢一起，應之以貫，理貫不亂。不知貫，不知應變。貫之大體未嘗亡也。亂生其差，治盡其詳。故道之所善，中則可從，畸則不可為，匿則大惑。水行者表深，表不明則陷。治民者表道，表不明則亂。禮者，表也。非禮，昏世也；昏世，大亂也。故道無不明，外內異表，隱顯有常，民陷乃去。

What the hundred kings did not change is enough to be the thread of the Way. Whether abandoned or raised, one responds with the thread, and if one manages the thread there is no disorder. Not knowing the thread, one does not know how to respond to change. The great body of the thread has never perished. Disorder is born from its misapplication, and order reaches its completeness in its thoroughness. So what the Way approves, the middle can follow, what is crooked cannot be done, and what is mistaken leads to great confusion. One who travels by water marks the depth, and if the marker is not clear, he sinks. One who governs the people marks the Way, and if the marker is not clear, there is disorder. Ritual is the marker. Without ritual is a dark age; a dark age is great disorder. So there is nothing in the Way that is not made clear, with different markers outside and inside, with constant rules for the hidden and the manifest, and only then the sinking of the people is removed.

萬物為道一偏，一物為萬物一偏。愚者為一物一偏，而自以為知道，無知也。慎子有見於後，無見於先。老子有見於詘，無見於信。墨子有見於齊，無見於畸。宋子有見於少，無見於多。有後而無先，則群眾無門。有詘而無信，則貴賤不分。有齊而無畸，則政令不施，有少而無多，則群眾不化。書曰："無有作好，遵王之道；無有作惡，遵王之路。"此之謂也。

The myriad things are one-sided aspects of the Way, and one thing is a one-sided aspect of the myriad things. A foolish person is a one-sided aspect of one thing, yet thinks he knows the Way, which is ignorance. Shen Zi saw the behind but not the front. Laozi saw bending but not stretching. Mozi saw equality but not inequality. Song Zi saw the few but not the many. If there is behind and no front, the multitude has no gate. If there is bending and no stretching, noble and lowly are not distinguished. If there is equality and no inequality, government orders cannot be carried out. If there is the few and no many, the multitude is not taught and transformed. The Book of Documents says: "Have no private likes, follow the king's Way; have no private dislikes, follow the king's road." This is what is meant.

世俗之為說者曰："主道利周。"

The vulgar theorists say: "The way of the ruler is to profit from secrecy."

是不然。主者、民之唱也，上者、下之儀也。彼將聽唱而應，視儀而動；唱默則民無應也，儀隱則下無動也；不應不動，則上下無以相有也。若是，則與無上同也！不祥莫大焉。故上者、下之本也。上宣明，則下治辨矣；上端誠，則下願愨矣；上公正，則下易直矣。治辨則易一，願愨則易使，易直則易知。易一則強，易使則功，易知則明，是治之所由生也。上週密，則下疑玄矣；上幽險，則下漸詐矣；上偏曲，則下比周矣。疑玄則難一，漸詐則難使，比周則難知。難一則不強，難使則不功，難知則不明，是亂之所由作也。故主道利明不利幽，利宣不利周。故主道明則下安，主道幽則下危。故下安則貴上，下危則賤上。故上易知，則下親上矣；上難知，則下畏上矣。下親上則上安，下畏上則上危。故主道莫惡乎難知，莫危乎使下畏己。傳曰："惡之者眾則危。"書曰："克明明德。"詩曰："明明在下。"故先王明之，豈特玄之耳哉！

This is wrong. The ruler is the leader of the people, and those above are the models for those below. They will listen to the lead and respond, and watch the model and move; if the lead is silent the people have nothing to respond to, and if the model is hidden those below have nothing to move by; without response and movement, above and below have no way to keep each other. In that case it is the same as having no one above! No ill omen is greater than this. So those above are the root of those below. If those above are open and clear, those below are orderly and discriminating; if those above are upright and sincere, those below are careful, honest and upright; if those above are impartial, those below are plain, straight and honest. Being orderly and discriminating makes unity easy, being careful, honest and upright makes employing easy, and being plain, straight and honest makes knowing easy. Easy unity is strength, easy employment is achievement, and easy knowing is clarity, and this is how order is born. If those above are secretive, those below are doubtful and dizzy; if those above are dark and treacherous, those below are gradually infected with deceit; if those above are partial and crooked, those below form cliques. Doubt and dizziness make unity hard, gradual infection with deceit makes employment hard, and cliques make knowing hard. Hard unity is not strength, hard employment has no achievement, and hard knowing is not clarity, and this is how disorder breaks out. So the way of the ruler profits from clarity and not from obscurity, profits from openness and not from secrecy. So when the ruler's way is clear, those below are at ease, and when the ruler's way is obscure, those below are in danger. So when those below are at ease they honor those above, and when those below are in danger they despise those above. So when those above are easy to know, those below draw close to those above; when those above are hard to know, those below fear those above. When those below draw close to those above, those above are secure; when those below fear those above, those above are in danger. So in the ruler's way nothing is worse than being hard to know, and nothing more dangerous than making those below fear him. A tradition says: "To be hated by many people is dangerous." The Book of Documents says: "He could make bright his bright virtue." The Book of Songs says: "Bright, bright below." So the former kings made it bright; how could they merely make it obscure!

世俗之為說者曰："桀紂有天下，湯武篡而奪之。"

The vulgar theorists say: "Jie and Zhou held the world, and Tang and Wu usurped it and seized it."

是不然。以桀紂為常有天下之籍則然，親有天下之籍則不然，天下謂在桀紂則不然。古者天子千官，諸侯百官。以是千官也，令行於諸夏之國，謂之王。以是百官也，令行於境內，國雖不安，不至於廢易遂亡，謂之君。聖王之子也，有天下之後也，埶籍之所在也，天下之宗室也，然而不材不中，內則百姓疾之，外則諸侯叛之，近者境內不一，遙者諸侯不聽，令不行於境內，甚者諸侯侵削之，攻伐之。若是，則雖未亡，吾謂之無天下矣。聖王沒，有埶籍者罷不足以縣天下，天下無君；諸侯有能德明威積，海內之民莫不願得以為君師；然而暴國獨侈，安能誅之，必不傷害無罪之民，誅暴國之君，若誅獨夫。若是，則可謂能用天下矣。能用天下之謂王。湯武非取天下也，修其道，行其義，興天下之同利，除天下之同害，而天下歸之也。桀紂非去天下也，反禹湯之德，亂禮義之分，禽獸之行，積其兇，全其惡，而天下去之也。天下歸之之謂王，天下去之之謂亡。故桀紂無天下，湯武不弒君，由此效之也。湯武者，民之父母也；桀紂者、民之怨賊也。今世俗之為說者，以桀紂為君，而以湯武為弒，然則是誅民之父母，而師民之怨賊也，不祥莫大焉。以天下之合為君，則天下未嘗合於桀紂也。然則以湯武為弒，則天下未嘗有說也，直墮之耳。

This is wrong. To think that Jie and Zhou always held the registry of the world is so, but to say they personally held the registry of the world is not so, and to say that the world was in the hands of Jie and Zhou is not so. In ancient times the Son of Heaven had a thousand officials and the feudal lords had a hundred. With these thousand officials, orders were carried out in the states of the Central Plain, and he was called king. With these hundred officials, orders were carried out within the borders, and even if the state was not secure, it did not come to being replaced or destroyed, and he was called ruler. The sons of sage kings, heirs holding the world, in whom power and registry reside, are the clan of the world, but if they are untalented and not suitable, inwardly the people loathe them, outwardly the feudal lords rebel against them, nearby the borders are not unified, afar the feudal lords do not listen, orders cannot be carried out within the borders, and strong feudal lords encroach on them and attack them. In that case, even if not yet destroyed, I say he has no world. When the sage king is gone and those with power and registry are too weak to hold the world together, the world has no ruler; if among the feudal lords there is one with ability and virtue, clear in authority and accumulating merit, the people within the seas all wish to have him as ruler and teacher; but a tyrannical state alone is extravagant, and so one can execute him, and must not harm the innocent people, and executing the ruler of the tyrannical state is like executing a lone man. In that case, one can be called able to use the world. One able to use the world is called a king. Tang and Wu did not seize the world; they cultivated his Way, practiced his righteousness, raised the common benefit of the world, removed the common harm of the world, and the world turned to them. Jie and Zhou did not leave the world; they opposed the virtue of Yu and Tang, disordered the bounds of ritual and righteousness, acted like beasts, accumulated ill fortune and were full of evil, and the world left them. When the world turns to one, he is called a king; when the world leaves one, he is called lost. So Jie and Zhou did not have the world, and Tang and Wu did not murder their rulers, as this proves. Tang and Wu were the parents of the people; Jie and Zhou were the resented bandits of the people. Now the vulgar theorists, taking Jie and Zhou as rulers and Tang and Wu as murderers, are then executing the parents of the people and imitating the resented bandits of the people, and no ill omen is greater than this. If one takes the world's coming together as the ruler, the world never came together for Jie and Zhou. Then to take Tang and Wu as murderers has never been the world's saying, but only their slander.

故天子唯其人。天下者，至重也，非至強莫之能任；至大也，非至辨莫之能分；至眾也，非至明莫之能和。此三至者，非聖人莫之能盡。故非聖人莫之能王。聖人備道全美者也，是縣天下之權稱也。桀紂者、其志慮至險也，其志意至闇也，其行為至亂也；親者疏之，賢者賤之，生民怨之。禹湯之後也，而不得一人之與；刳比干，囚箕子，身死國亡，為天下之大僇，後世之言惡者必稽焉，是不容妻子之數也。故至賢疇四海，湯武是也；至罷不能容妻子，桀紂是也。今世俗之為說者，以桀紂為有天下，而臣湯武，豈不過甚矣哉！譬之，是猶傴巫跛匡大自以為有知也。

So the Son of Heaven lies only in the person. The world is of utmost weight, and none but the utmost strong can bear it; it is of utmost greatness, and none but the utmost discerning can distinguish it; it is of utmost multitude, and none but the utmost enlightened can harmonize it. These three utmosts none but a sage can exhaust. So none but a sage can be king. The sage is one who has the Way complete and the utmost excellence, the balance that holds the world together. Jie and Zhou had the most dangerous thoughts, the most benighted intentions, and the most disordered conduct; their kin avoided them, the worthy despised them, and the people resented them. Heirs of Yu and Tang, they could not get a single follower; they dissected Bi Gan and imprisoned Jizi, and their persons died and their states fell, becoming the great disgrace of the world, and later generations who spoke of evil would be sure to cite them; this is the number of those who could not even shelter their wives and children. So the utmost worthy possesses the four seas, as Tang and Wu did; the utmost weak could not shelter their wives and children, as Jie and Zhou did. Now the vulgar theorists, thinking that Jie and Zhou held the world and that Tang and Wu submitted to them, are they not going too far! It is like a hunchbacked shaman or a lame crippled man greatly thinking he knows.

故可以有奪人國，不可以有奪人天下；可以有竊國，不可以有竊天下也。可以奪之者可以有國，而不可以有天下；竊可以得國，而不可以得天下。是何也？曰：國、小具也，可以小人有也，可以小道得也，可以小力持也；天下者、大具也，不可以小人有也，不可以小道得也，不可以小力持也。國者、小人可以有之，然而未必不亡也；天下者，至大也，非聖人莫之能有也。

So one may seize another's state, but one may not seize another's world; one may steal a state, but one may not steal the world. One who seizes can have a state but cannot have the world; one who steals may obtain a state but cannot obtain the world. Why is this? I say: a state is a small vessel, which a petty man can have, can be obtained by small means, and can be held by small strength; the world is a great vessel, which a petty man cannot have, cannot be obtained by small means, and cannot be held by small strength. A state, a petty man can have it, yet it does not necessarily avoid ruin; the world is of utmost greatness, and none but a sage can have it.

世俗之為說者曰："治古無肉刑，而有象刑：墨黥，慅嬰，共、艾畢，剕、枲屨，殺、赭衣而不純。治古如是。"

The vulgar theorists say: "In well-governed antiquity there were no mutilating punishments but only symbolic punishments: for tattooing, a hat tie of grass; for cutting off the nose, a hem of unfinished cloth; for castration, a leather apron cut away; for cutting off the feet, hemp sandals; for execution, a red robe without edging. Well-governed antiquity was like this."

是不然。以為治邪？則人固莫觸罪，非獨不用肉刑，亦不用象刑矣。以為人或觸罪矣，而直輕其刑，然則是殺人者不死，傷人者不刑也。罪至重而刑至輕，庸人不知惡矣，亂莫大焉。凡刑人之本，禁暴惡惡，且懲其未也。殺人者不死，而傷人者不刑，是謂惠暴而寬賊也，非惡惡也。故象刑殆非生於治古，並起於亂今也。

This is wrong. Do they think it was a well-governed time? Then people originally did not commit crimes, and not only were mutilating punishments not used, symbolic punishments would not have been used either. Or do they think people did commit crimes, but only reduced their punishment? Then those who kill do not die, and those who wound do not suffer punishment. When the crime is utmost heavy and the punishment utmost light, ordinary people no longer know to hate evil, and no disorder is greater than this. The root of punishing people is to prohibit violence, hate evil, and warn against what has not yet been done. If those who kill do not die and those who wound are not punished, this is called bestowing favor on violence and tolerating bandits, and is not hating evil. So symbolic punishments probably did not arise from well-governed antiquity, but all arose from disordered present times.

治古不然。凡爵列、官職、賞慶、刑罰，皆報也，以類相從者也。一物失稱，亂之端也。夫德不稱位，能不稱官，賞不當功，罰不當罪，不祥莫大焉。昔者武王伐有商，誅紂，斷其首，縣之赤旆。夫徵暴誅悍，治之盛也。殺人者死，傷人者刑，是百王之所同也，未有知其所由來者也。

Well-governed antiquity was not like this. All ranks, offices, rewards and punishments are repayments and follow by kind. One thing losing its match is the beginning of disorder. When virtue does not match position, ability does not match office, reward does not match merit, and punishment does not match crime, no ill omen is greater than this. In the past King Wu attacked the Shang, executed Zhou, cut off his head and hung it on a red banner. Punishing the violent and executing the fierce was the height of order. That a killer dies and a wounder is punished was the same for the hundred kings, and no one has known where it came from.

刑稱罪，則治；不稱罪，則亂。故治則刑重，亂則刑輕，犯治之罪固重，犯亂之罪固輕也。書曰："刑罰世輕世重。"此之謂也。

When punishment matches the crime, there is order; when it does not match the crime, there is disorder. So in a well-ordered age punishments are heavy, and in a disordered age punishments are light, since offenses against a well-ordered age are originally heavy and offenses against a disordered age are originally light. The Book of Documents says: "Punishments are light or heavy according to the age." This is what is meant.

世俗之為說者曰："湯武不善禁令。"曰："是何也？"曰："楚越不受制。"

The vulgar theorists say: "Tang and Wu were not good at prohibitions and orders." Asked, "Why is that?" they say: "Chu and Yue did not accept regulation."

是不然。湯武者、至天下之善禁令者也。湯居亳，武王居鄗，皆百里之地也，天下為一，諸侯為臣，通達之屬，莫不振動從服以化順之，曷為楚越獨不受制也！

This is wrong. Tang and Wu were the best in the world at prohibitions and orders. Tang lived at Bo and King Wu lived at Hao, both territories of a hundred li, yet the world was unified, the feudal lords were ministers, and there was nowhere reached that was not shaken, submitting and transformed and following; so why would Chu and Yue alone not accept regulation!

彼王者之制也，視形埶而制械用，稱遠邇而等貢獻，豈必齊哉！故魯人以榶，衛人用柯，齊人用一革，土地刑制不同者，械用、備飾不可不異也。故諸夏之國同服同儀，蠻、夷、戎、狄之國同服不同制。封內甸服，封外侯服，侯衛賓服，蠻夷要服，戎狄荒服。甸服者祭，侯服者祀，賓服者享，要服者貢，荒服者終王。日祭、月祀、時享、歲貢、終王，夫是之謂視形埶而制械用，稱遠近而等貢獻；是王者之制也。

The institutions of a king observe circumstances to regulate vessels and utensils, and weigh distance to distinguish the grades of tribute; how could they be made uniform! So the people of Lu use the zhong, the people of Wei use the ke, and the people of Qi use one hide; where the land and form differ, vessels, utensils and ornaments cannot but differ. So the states of the Central Plain have the same service and the same ceremony, while the states of the Man, Yi, Rong and Di have the same service but different institutions. Within the royal domain is the dian zone, outside it the hou zone, the hou and wei zones are the bin zone, the Man and Yi are the yao zone, and the Rong and Di are the huang zone. Those in the dian zone present the daily sacrifice, those in the hou zone the monthly sacrifice, those in the bin zone the seasonal offering, those in the yao zone the annual tribute, and those in the huang zone come to court once in a lifetime. Daily sacrifice, monthly sacrifice, seasonal offering, annual tribute and lifetime audience: this is called observing circumstances to regulate vessels and utensils and weighing distance to distinguish grades of tribute; this is the king's institution.

彼楚越者，且時享、歲貢，終王之屬也，必齊之日祭月祀之屬，然後曰受制邪？是規磨之說也。溝中之瘠也，則未足與及王者之制也。語曰："淺不足與測深，愚不足與謀智，坎井之蛙，不可與語東海之樂。"此之謂也。

As for Chu and Yue, they belong to the class of seasonal offering, annual tribute and lifetime audience; must they be made uniform with those of daily and monthly sacrifice before they can be called accepting regulation? This is the talk of the narrow-minded. Those who starve in ditches are not fit to be discussed with regarding the king's institutions. As the saying goes: "The shallow cannot measure the deep, the foolish cannot plan with the wise, and the frog in a shallow well cannot be told of the joys of the Eastern Sea." This is what is meant.

世俗之為說者曰："堯舜擅讓。"

The vulgar theorists say: "Yao and Shun abdicated."

是不然。天子者，埶位至尊，無敵於天下，夫有誰與讓矣？道德純備，智惠甚明，南面而聽天下，生民之屬莫不震動從服以化順之。天下無隱士，無遺善，同焉者是也，異焉者非也。夫有惡擅天下矣。

This is wrong. The Son of Heaven is of utmost honor in power and position, without equal in the world; to whom would he abdicate? With pure and complete virtue and very bright wisdom, facing south and listening to the world, there are none among the living people who are not shaken, submitting and transformed and following. The world has no hidden scholars and no missed goodness; what agrees with this is right, and what differs is wrong. Why then abdicate the world?

曰："死而擅之。"

Others say: "He abdicates after death."

是又不然。聖王在上，決德而定次，量能而授官，皆使民載其事而各得其宜。不能以義制利，不能以偽飾性，則兼以為民。聖王已沒，天下無聖，則固莫足以擅天下矣。天下有聖，而在後子者，則天下不離，朝不易位，國不更制，天下厭然，與鄉無以異也；以堯繼堯，夫又何變之有矣！聖不在後子而在三公，則天下如歸，猶復而振之矣。天下厭然，與鄉無以異也；以堯繼堯，夫又何變之有矣！唯其徙朝改製為難。故天子生則天下一隆，致順而治，論德而定次，死則能任天下者必有之矣。夫禮義之分盡矣，擅讓惡用矣哉！

This too is wrong. When a sage king is above, he evaluates virtue and ranks it, weighs ability and grants office, and has all the people bear their tasks and each obtain what is fitting. If one cannot regulate profit with righteousness and cannot adorn nature with human effort, they are all treated as the common people. If the sage king is already gone and the world has no sage, then there is originally no one fit to receive an abdication of the world. If the world has a sage and he is among the heir sons, then the world does not scatter, the court does not change its seats, the state does not alter its institutions, the world is peaceful and no different from before; if Yao succeeds Yao, what is changed! If the sage is not among the heir sons but among the three ducal ministers, then the world turns to him as if returning, and it is restored and revived. The world is peaceful and no different from before; if Yao succeeds Yao, what is changed! Only moving the court and altering the institutions is difficult. So while the Son of Heaven lives, the world honors one, with utmost compliance and order, evaluating virtue and ranking it, and when he dies, one who can undertake the world surely exists. When the bounds of ritual and righteousness are exhausted, what use is abdication!

曰："老衰而擅。"

Others say: "He abdicates when old and declined."

是又不然。血氣筋力則有衰，若夫智慮取捨則無衰。

This too is wrong. Blood, qi, sinews and strength decline, but as to wisdom and judgment and choosing and rejecting, they do not decline.

曰："老者不堪其勞而休也。"

Others say: "The old cannot bear toil and so rest."

是又畏事者之議也。天子者埶至重而形至佚，心至愉而志無所詘，而形不為勞，尊無上矣。衣被則服五采，雜間色，重文繡，加飾之以珠玉；食飲則重大牢而備珍怪，期臭味，曼而饋，伐皋而食，雍而徹乎五祀，執薦者百餘人，侍西房；居則設張容，負依而坐，諸侯趨走乎堂下；出戶而巫覡有事，出門而宗祝有事，乘大路趨越席以養安，側載睪芷以養鼻，前有錯衡以養目，和鸞之聲，步中武象，趨中韶護以養耳，三公奉軶、持納，諸侯持輪、挾輿、先馬，大侯編後，大夫次之，小侯元士次之，庶士介而夾道，庶人隱竄，莫敢視望。居如大神，動如天帝。持老養衰，猶有善於是者與？不老者、休也，休猶有安樂恬愉如是者乎？故曰：諸侯有老，天子無老。

This again is the talk of those who fear work. The Son of Heaven has power of utmost weight and a body of utmost ease, his heart is utmost pleased and his will is not bent, and his body is not toiled, and no one is more honored above him. For clothes and covers he wears the five colors, mixing intermediate colors, layering embroidery, adding adornment of pearls and jade; for food and drink he has layers of the grand sacrifice meats with all rare and strange dishes, seeking flavors and scents, offered in unbroken succession, eating to the beat of drums, with the Yong music played as the dishes are cleared to the five household sacrifices, with over a hundred who hold the offerings waiting in the west chamber; for dwelling he has curtains set up, sits leaning against a screen, and the feudal lords hurry in the hall below; when he goes out of the door the shamans have their rites, and when he goes out of the gate the ancestral priests have their rites, riding the great carriage and treading on rush mats to nourish his comfort, with fragrant herbs carried beside him to nourish his nose, an inlaid crossbar before him to nourish his eyes, the sound of harmony and bells, his slow steps matching the Wu and Xiang music and his quick steps matching the Shao and Hu to nourish his ears, the three dukes holding the yoke and the reins, the feudal lords holding the wheels, flanking the carriage and in front of the horses, the great marquises lined up behind, the senior officers next, the small marquises and first-rank scholars after them, the common scholars in armor lining the road, and the commoners hiding away and none daring to look. He dwells like a great god, and his movements are like those of the Lord of Heaven. To hold old age and nourish decline, is there anything better than this? One who does not grow old rests, and is there peace and joy like this in rest? So it is said: feudal lords may grow old, but the Son of Heaven does not.

有擅國，無擅天下，古今一也。夫曰堯舜擅讓，是虛言也，是淺者之傳，陋者之說也，不知逆順之理，小大、至不至之變者也，未可與及天下之大理者也。

There can be abdication of a state but no abdication of the world, and this is the same from ancient to modern times. The saying that Yao and Shun abdicated is empty talk, the hearsay of shallow people and the claim of the narrow; one who does not know the principle of contrary and compliant, small and great, and of reaching and not reaching, cannot be discussed with about the great principle of the world.

世俗之為說者曰："堯舜不能教化。"是何也？曰："朱象不化。"

The vulgar theorists say: "Yao and Shun could not teach and transform." Why? They say: "Danzhu and Xiang were not transformed."

是不然也：堯舜至天下之善教化者也。南面而聽天下，生民之屬莫不振動從服以化順之。然而朱象獨不化，是非堯舜之過，朱象之罪也。堯舜者、天下之英也；朱象者、天下之嵬，一時之瑣也。今世俗之為說者，不怪朱象，而非堯舜，豈不過甚矣哉！夫是之謂嵬說。羿蜂門者、天下之善射者也，不能以撥弓曲矢中微；王梁造父者、天下之善馭者也，不能以闢馬毀輿致遠。堯舜者、天下之善教化者也，不能使嵬瑣化。何世而無嵬？何時而無瑣？自太皞燧人莫不有也。故作者不祥，學者受其殃，非者有慶。詩曰："下民之孽，匪降自天。噂沓背憎，職競由人。"此之謂也。

This is wrong: Yao and Shun were the best teachers and transformers in the world. Facing south and listening to the world, there were none among the living people who were not shaken, submitting and transformed and following. Yet Danzhu and Xiang alone were not transformed, and this was not Yao and Shun's fault but the crime of Danzhu and Xiang. Yao and Shun were the heroes of the world; Danzhu and Xiang were the oddities of the world, the trivial ones of the time. Now the vulgar theorists do not blame Danzhu and Xiang but criticize Yao and Shun; are they not going too far! This is called a strange saying. Yi and Pang Meng were the best archers in the world, yet could not hit a tiny target with a bent bow and crooked arrow; Wang Liang and Zao Fu were the best drivers in the world, yet could not reach far places with a lame horse and a broken cart. Yao and Shun were the best teachers and transformers in the world, but could not make strange, trivial people transformed. In which age were there no oddities? In which time were there no trivial ones? From Tai Hao and Suiren there were always some. So those who make this claim are ill-omened, those who learn it suffer calamity, and those who criticize it have good fortune. The ode The Conjunction of the Tenth Month in the Lesser Odes of the Book of Songs says: "The calamities of the people below do not come down from Heaven. They talk and laugh face to face and hate behind one's back; the chief cause lies with people." This is what is meant.

世俗之為說者曰："太古薄背，棺厚三寸，衣衾三領，葬田不妨田，故不掘也；亂今厚葬飾棺，故抇也。"

The vulgar theorists say: "In high antiquity burials were thin, the coffin three inches thick, the clothes and covers three layers, and burial in the fields did not harm the fields, so they were not dug up; in the disordered present burials are lavish and the coffins are ornamented, so they are dug up."

是不及知治道，而不察於抇不抇者之所言也。凡人之盜也，必以有為，不以備不足，則以重有餘也。而聖王之生民也，皆使富厚優猶知足，而不得以有餘過度。故盜不竊，賊不刺，狗豕吐菽粟，而農賈皆能以貨財讓。風俗之美，男女自不取於塗，而百姓羞拾遺。故孔子曰："天下有道，盜其先變乎！"雖珠玉滿體，文繡充棺，黃金充槨，加之以丹矸，重之以曾青，犀象以為樹，琅玕、龍茲、華覲以為實，人猶莫之抇也。是何故也？則求利之詭緩，而犯分之羞大也。

This is said by those who do not sufficiently know the way of governing and do not examine who digs up and who does not. Whenever people steal, they must have a purpose, either to supply what is lacking or to value what is in excess. But the sage kings nourished the people so that all were rich, generous, comfortable and content, and could not go to excess through surplus. So robbers did not steal, bandits did not stab, dogs and pigs spat out beans and millet, and farmers and merchants all yielded with goods and wealth. The beauty of custom was such that men and women naturally did not take wives on the road, and the common people were ashamed to pick up lost things. So Confucius said: "When the world has the Way, robbers will probably be the first to change!" Even if pearls and jade covered the body, embroidery filled the coffin, yellow gold filled the outer coffin, with cinnabar added and layers of azurite, rhinoceros and ivory made into trees, and langgan, longzi and huajin made into fruit, people still would not dig it up. What is the reason? It is that the cunning of seeking profit had slackened, and the shame of violating bounds had grown.

夫亂今然後反是。上以無法使，下以無度行；知者不得慮，能者不得治，賢者不得使。若是，則上失天性，下失地利，中失人和。故百事廢，財物詘，而禍亂起。王公則病不足於上，庶人則凍餧羸瘠於下。於是焉桀紂群居，而盜賊擊奪以危上矣。安禽獸行，虎狼貪，故脯巨人而炙嬰兒矣。若是則有何尤抇人之墓，抉人之口而求利矣哉！雖此裸而薶之，猶且必抇也，安得葬薶哉！彼乃將食其肉而齕其骨也。

But in the disordered present it is the opposite. Those above use people beyond the measure of law, and those below act beyond the measure of capacity; the wise are not allowed to plan, the able are not allowed to manage, and the worthy are not allowed to serve. In this case, those above lose Heaven's nature, those below lose Earth's benefit, and in the middle they lose harmony among people. So a hundred affairs are abandoned, goods and wealth are exhausted, and calamity and disorder arise. Kings and dukes above suffer from insufficiency, while commoners below freeze, starve and waste away. Then Jie and Zhou live together in groups, and bandits strike and seize to harm those above. Then there is the conduct of beasts and the greed of tigers and wolves, so they dry giants into jerky and roast infants. In this case, why complain about digging up another's tomb or prying open another's mouth for profit! Even if they buried him naked in this way, he would surely be dug up, how could he be buried! They would even eat his flesh and gnaw his bones.

夫曰：太古薄背，故不抇也；亂今厚葬，故抇也。是特奸人之誤於亂說，以欺愚者而淖陷之，以偷取利焉。夫是之謂大奸。傳曰："危人而自安，害人而自利。"此之謂也。

The saying that burials were thin in high antiquity so they were not dug up, and burials are lavish in the disordered present so they are dug up, is just a wicked person being misled by confused talk, to deceive fools and make them sink so as to steal profit. This is called great wickedness. A tradition says: "To endanger others and find security oneself, to harm others and profit oneself." This is what is meant.

子宋子曰："明見侮之不辱，使人不鬥。人皆以見侮為辱，故鬥於也；知見侮之為不辱，則不鬥矣。"

Master Song said: "If one clearly sees being insulted and does not consider it a disgrace, it makes people not fight. People all take being insulted as disgrace, so they fight; knowing that being insulted is not disgrace, they do not fight."

應之曰：然則以人之情為不惡侮乎？

Answer him: then do you think it is not in human nature to dislike being insulted?

曰："惡而不辱也。"

He says: "They dislike it but do not consider it a disgrace."

曰：若是，則必不得所求焉。凡人之鬥也，必以其惡之為說，非以其辱之為故也。今俳優、侏儒、狎徒詈侮而不鬥者，是豈鉅知見侮之為不辱哉。然而不鬥者，不惡故也。今人或入其央瀆，竊其豬彘，則援劍戟而逐之，不避死傷。是豈以喪豬為辱也哉！然而不憚鬥者，惡之故也。雖以見侮為辱也，不惡則不鬥；雖知見侮為不辱，惡之則必鬥。然則鬥與不鬥邪，亡於辱之與不辱也，乃在於惡之與不惡也。夫今子宋子不能解人之惡侮，而務說人以勿辱也，豈不過甚矣哉！金舌弊口，猶將無益也。不知其無益，則不知；知其無益也，直以欺人，則不仁。不仁不知，辱莫大焉。將以為有益於人，則與無益於人也，則得大辱而退耳！說莫病是矣。

I say: in this case, you will certainly not obtain what you seek. When people fight, they must use dislike as their reason, and not disgrace as the cause. Now when jesters, dwarfs and familiar companions curse and insult one another and do not fight, how is it that they greatly know that being insulted is not disgrace? Yet they do not fight because they do not dislike it. Now if someone enters another's ditch and steals his pig, he will take a sword or halberd and chase him, not avoiding death or injury. Is it because he takes the loss of a pig as disgrace! But he does not fear fighting because he dislikes it. Even if one takes being insulted as disgrace, if he does not dislike it he will not fight; even if one knows that being insulted is not disgrace, if he dislikes it he will surely fight. So fighting or not fighting does not lie in disgrace or not disgrace, but in dislike or not dislike. Now Master Song cannot remove people's dislike of being insulted but strives to persuade them not to consider it a disgrace; is he not going too far! Even with a golden tongue and worn-out lips, it will still be of no benefit. Not to know it is of no benefit is unwise; to know it is of no benefit and use it only to deceive people is not humane. To be not humane and not wise is the greatest disgrace. Wishing to think he benefits people, when it is the same as not benefiting them, he gets great disgrace and retires, that is all! No theory is more flawed than this.

子宋子曰："見侮不辱。"

Master Song said: "Seeing being insulted but not taking it as disgrace."

應之曰：凡議必先立隆正，然後可也。無隆正則是非不分，而辨訟不決，故所聞曰："天下之大隆，是非之封界，分職名象之所起，王制是也。"故凡言議期命是非，以聖王為師。而聖王之分，榮辱是也。

Answer him: in all discussion one must first establish the supreme standard, and only then can it be done. Without a supreme standard, right and wrong are not distinguished and disputes are not decided. So what I have heard is: "The great supreme standard of the world, the boundary between right and wrong, from which the division of duties, names and signs arise, is the royal institution." So in all words and discussions that determine right and wrong, one takes the sage kings as teacher. And the sage kings' distinction is honor and disgrace.

是有兩端矣。有義榮者，有埶榮者；有義辱者，有埶辱者。志意修，德行厚，知慮明，是榮之由中出者也，夫是之謂義榮。爵列尊，貢祿厚，形埶勝，上為天子諸侯，下為卿相士大夫，是榮之從外至者也，夫是之謂埶榮。流淫汙僈，犯分亂理，驕暴貪利，是辱之由中出者也，夫是之謂義辱。詈侮捽搏，捶笞臏腳，斬斷枯磔，借靡後縛，是辱之由外至者也，夫是之謂埶辱。是榮辱之兩端也。

This has two aspects. There is honor of righteousness and honor of position; there is disgrace of righteousness and disgrace of position. To have a cultivated will, generous virtue, and clear wisdom and thought, is honor that comes from within, called honor of righteousness. To have exalted rank, generous salary, a position of strength, above being Son of Heaven or feudal lord and below being minister, scholar or senior officer, is honor that comes from outside, called honor of position. To be dissolute and defiled, to violate bounds and disorder principle, to be arrogant, violent and greedy for profit, is disgrace that comes from within, called disgrace of righteousness. To be cursed, insulted, seized, beaten, flogged, have the kneecaps cut off, be beheaded, dismembered, tied up with ropes, is disgrace that comes from outside, called disgrace of position. These are the two aspects of honor and disgrace.

故君子可以有埶辱，而不可以有義辱；小人可以有埶榮，而不可以有義榮。有埶辱無害為堯，有埶榮無害為桀。義榮埶榮，唯君子然後兼有之；義辱埶辱，唯小人然後兼有之。是榮辱之分也。聖王以為法，士大夫以為道，官人以為守，百姓以成俗，萬世不能易也。

So the gentleman may have disgrace of position but cannot have disgrace of righteousness; the petty man may have honor of position but cannot have honor of righteousness. Having disgrace of position does not prevent being a Yao, and having honor of position does not prevent being a Jie. Honor of righteousness and honor of position, only the gentleman can have both; disgrace of righteousness and disgrace of position, only the petty man has both. This is the distinction of honor and disgrace. The sage kings made it law, the scholars and senior officers made it their Way, officials made it their custodianship, and the common people made it into custom, and for ten thousand generations it cannot be changed.

今子宋子則不然，獨詘容為己，慮一朝而改之，說必不行矣。譬之，是猶以磚塗塞江海也，以焦僥而戴太山也，蹎跌碎折，不待頃矣。二三子之善於子宋子者，殆不若止之，將恐得傷其體也。

Now Master Song is not like this; he alone bends himself to accommodate, and having thought of it one morning changes it, so his theory will surely not work. It is like using bricks and mud to block the rivers and seas, or using a dwarf to support Mount Tai; falling and breaking, it will not last a moment. Those among you who like Master Song would do well to stop him, or I fear you may harm his person.

子宋子曰："人之情，欲寡，而皆以己之情，為欲多，是過也。"故率其群徒，辨其談說，明其譬稱，將使人知情之慾寡也。

Master Song said: "People's feelings have few desires, but they all take their own feelings as having many desires, and this is the mistake." So he leads his followers, argues his discourse, and makes clear his analogies, intending to make people know that feelings have few desires.

應之曰：然則亦以人之情為目不欲綦色，耳不欲綦聲，口不欲綦味，鼻不欲綦臭，形不欲綦佚－－此五綦者，亦以人之情為不欲乎？

Answer him: then do you also think that human nature is such that the eyes do not want the utmost color, the ears do not want the utmost sound, the mouth does not want the utmost taste, the nose does not want the utmost scent, and the body does not want the utmost comfort; do you also think that human nature does not want these five utmosts?

曰："人之情，欲是已。"

He says: "Human nature wants these."

曰：若是，則說必不行矣。以人之情為欲，此五綦者而不欲多，譬之，是猶以人之情為欲富貴而不欲貨也，好美而惡西施也。古之人為之不然。以人之情為欲多而不欲寡，故賞以富厚而罰以殺損也。是百王之所同也。故上賢祿天下，次賢祿一國，下賢祿田邑，願愨之民完衣食。今子宋子以是之情為欲寡而不欲多也，然則先王以人之所不欲者賞，而以人之慾者罰邪？亂莫大焉。今子宋子嚴然而好說，聚人徒，立師學，成文典，然而說不免於以至治為至亂也，豈不過甚矣哉！

I say: in this case, your theory will surely not work. To think that human nature wants these five utmosts but does not want many is like thinking that human nature wants wealth and rank but does not want goods, or loves beauty but dislikes Xi Shi. The ancients were not like this on that account. They thought human nature wants more and does not want less, so they used abundance for reward and reduction for punishment. This was the same for the hundred kings. So the highest worthy's salary reached the world, the next worthy's salary reached a state, the lowest worthy's salary reached fields and towns, and the careful, honest and upright people had food and clothing complete. Now Master Song takes such feelings as wanting few and not wanting many; then did the former kings reward with what is not wanted and punish with what is wanted? No disorder is greater than this. Now Master Song solemnly likes his theory, gathers followers, sets up a school, and completes written canons, yet his theory cannot avoid taking the utmost order as utmost disorder; is he not going too far!

禮起於何也？曰：人生而有欲，欲而不得，則不能無求。求而無度量分界，則不能不爭；爭則亂，亂則窮。先王惡其亂也，故制禮義以分之，以養人之慾，給人之求。使欲必不窮於物，物必不屈於欲。兩者相持而長，是禮之所起也。

Where does ritual arise from? I say: people are born with desires, and when desires are not satisfied, they cannot but seek. When seeking has no measure or boundary, they cannot but contend; contention leads to disorder, and disorder to exhaustion. The former kings hated that disorder, so they established ritual and righteousness to make distinctions, to nourish people's desires and supply their seeking. They made it so that desires are never exhausted by things and things are never depleted by desires. The two support each other and grow; this is where ritual arises.

故禮者養也。芻豢稻梁，五味調香，所以養口也；椒蘭芬苾，所以養鼻也；雕琢刻鏤，黼黻文章，所以養目也；鐘鼓管磬，琴瑟竽笙，所以養耳也；疏房檖貌，越席床笫几筵，所以養體也。故禮者養也。

So ritual is nourishment. Meat, rice and millet, the five flavors blended and fragrant, are for nourishing the mouth; pepper, orchid and sweet fragrance are for nourishing the nose; carving and engraving, embroidered patterns and designs are for nourishing the eyes; bells, drums, pipes, chimes, zithers, lutes, reed organs and sheng are for nourishing the ears; spacious rooms, deep and solemn temples, rush mats, beds, armrests and mats are for nourishing the body. So ritual is nourishment.

君子既得其養，又好其別。曷謂別？曰：貴賤有等，長幼有差，貧富輕重皆有稱者也。故天子大路越席，所以養體也；側載睪芷，所以養鼻也；前有錯衡，所以養目也；和鸞之聲，步中武象，趨中韶護，所以養耳也；龍旗九斿，所以養信也；寢兕持虎，蛟韅、絲末、彌龍，所以養威也；故大路之馬必信至，教順，然後乘之，所以養安也。孰知夫出死要節之所以養生也！孰知夫出費用之所以養財也！孰知夫恭敬辭讓之所以養安也！孰知夫禮義文理之所以養情也！故人苟生之為見，若者必死；苟利之為見，若者必害；苟怠惰偷懦之為安，若者必危；苟情說之為樂，若者必滅。故人一之於禮義，則兩得之矣；一之於情性，則兩喪之矣。故儒者將使人兩得之者也，墨者將使人兩喪之者也，是儒墨之分也。

The gentleman, having obtained nourishment, also likes distinctions. What are distinctions? I say: noble and lowly have ranks, old and young have differences, poor and rich, light and heavy all have what matches them. So the Son of Heaven's great carriage and rush mats are for nourishing the body; the fragrant herbs carried beside him are for nourishing the nose; the inlaid crossbar before him is for nourishing the eyes; the sound of harmony and bells, his slow steps matching the Wu and Xiang music and quick steps matching the Shao and Hu, are for nourishing the ears; the dragon banner with nine streamers is for nourishing trust; the rhinoceros-hide cover and tiger-hide seat, the dragon-skin traces, silk ends and covering dragons are for nourishing awe; so the horses of the great carriage must be trained to the utmost and taught to obey before they are ridden, for nourishing safety. Who knows that going out to die and keeping to restraint is how one nourishes life! Who knows that spending resources is how one nourishes wealth! Who knows that reverence and yielding is how one nourishes safety! Who knows that ritual, righteousness and pattern is how one nourishes feeling! So if a person sees only life, he will surely die; if he sees only profit, he will surely be harmed; if he takes laziness, sloth and cowardice for safety, he will surely be endangered; if he takes pleasure in emotion and desire as joy, he will surely perish. So if a person devotes himself to ritual and righteousness, he gets both; if he devotes himself to feeling and nature, he loses both. So the Confucian will make people get both, and the Mohist will make people lose both; this is the distinction between Confucians and Mohists.

禮有三本：天地者，生之本也；先祖者，類之本也；君師者，治之本也。無天地，惡生？無先祖，惡出？無君師，惡治？三者偏亡，焉無安人。故禮、上事天，下事地，尊先祖，而隆君師。是禮之三本也。

Ritual has three roots: Heaven and Earth are the root of life; ancestors are the root of kind; rulers and teachers are the root of order. Without Heaven and Earth, where would one be born? Without ancestors, where would one come from? Without rulers and teachers, where would order come from? If any one of the three is lost, there are no secure people. So ritual serves Heaven above, serves Earth below, honors ancestors, and exalts rulers and teachers. These are the three roots of ritual.

故王者天太祖，諸侯不敢壞，大夫士有常宗，所以別貴始；貴始得之本也。郊止乎天子，而社止於諸侯，道及士大夫，所以別尊者事尊，卑者事卑，宜大者巨，宜小者小也。故有天下者事七世，有一國者事五世，有五乘之地者事三世，有三乘之地者事二世，持手而食者不得立宗廟，所以別積厚，積厚者流澤廣，積薄者流澤狹也。

So a king pairs the Grand Ancestor with Heaven, feudal lords dare not destroy it, and senior officers and scholars have a constant clan ancestor, which distinguishes valuing the first ancestor; valuing the first ancestor is the root of gain. The suburban sacrifice stops at the Son of Heaven and the altar of the soil stops at the feudal lords, and the road sacrifice reaches senior officers and scholars, which distinguishes that the honored serve the honored and the lowly serve the lowly, the great being made great and the small being made small. So one who holds the world serves seven generations, one who holds a state serves five generations, one who has land of five chariots serves three generations, one who has land of three chariots serves two generations, and those who live by their hands may not set up ancestral temples, which distinguishes the thickness of what is accumulated; where much is accumulated its blessing flows widely, and where little is accumulated its blessing flows narrowly.

大饗，尚玄尊，俎生魚，先大羹，貴食飲之本也。饗，尚玄尊而用酒醴，先黍稷而飯稻粱。祭，齊大羹而飽庶羞，貴本而親用也。貴本之謂文，親用之謂理，兩者合而成文，以歸大一，夫是之謂大隆。故尊之尚玄酒也，俎之尚生魚也，豆之先大羹也，一也。利爵之不醮也，成事之俎不嘗也，三臭之不食也，一也。大昏之未發齊也，太廟之未入屍也，始卒之未小斂也，一也。大路之素未集也，郊之麻絻也，喪服之先散麻也，一也。三年之喪，哭之不反也，清廟之歌，一唱而三嘆也，縣一鍾，尚拊膈，朱弦而通越也，一也。

In the great feast, the dark wine vessel is honored, raw fish is placed on the stand, and the plain broth is served first, valuing the root of food and drink. In a banquet, the dark wine vessel is honored but sweet wine is used, and millet comes first and then rice and sorghum are eaten. In a sacrifice, plain broth is presented and the many delicacies are eaten in plenty, valuing the root and drawing near to use. Valuing the root is called pattern, and drawing near to use is called principle, and when the two combine to complete pattern and return to the Great Unity, this is called great exaltation. So the honoring of the dark wine vessel, raw fish on the stand, and plain broth first in the vessel are one matter. Not draining the cup of the liberation toast, not tasting the completed stand, and not eating the three offerings are one matter. The great marriage not yet fully displayed, the grand temple impersonator not yet admitted, and the beginning and end of mourning not yet dressed are one matter. The plain cloth of the great carriage not yet gathered, the hemp cap of the suburban sacrifice, and mourning clothes first scattering the hemp are one matter. In the mourning of three years the wailing is not modulated, in the song of the Pure Temple one sings and three sigh, one bell is hung, the clapping drum is honored, and the red-stringed zither with open holes is used, and these are one matter.

凡禮，始乎梲，成乎文，終乎悅校。故至備，情文俱盡；其次，情文代勝；其下復情以歸大一也。天地以合，日月以明，四時以序，星辰以行，江河以流，萬物以昌，好惡以節，喜怒以當，以為下則順，以為上則明，萬變不亂，貳之則喪也。禮豈不至矣哉！立隆以為極，而天下莫之能損益也。本末相順，終始相應，至文以有別，至察以有說，天下從之者治，不從者亂，從之者安，不從者危，從之者存，不從者亡，小人不能測也。

All ritual begins in simplicity, is completed in pattern, and ends in delight. So at its most complete, feeling and pattern are both exhausted; next, feeling and pattern alternately prevail; lowest, it returns to feeling and goes back to the Great Unity. Heaven and Earth are united by it, the sun and moon are bright by it, the four seasons are ordered by it, the stars move by it, rivers flow by it, the myriad things flourish by it, likes and dislikes are regulated by it, joy and anger are fitting by it; used below it brings compliance, used above it brings clarity, and amid ten thousand changes there is no disorder, and the divided mind is lost. Is ritual not the utmost! Establishing exaltation as the utmost, nothing in the world can add to or subtract from it. Root and branch comply with each other, end and beginning respond to each other, utmost pattern thereby has distinctions, utmost inquiry thereby has explanation, and the world that follows it is ordered and that which does not is disordered, that which follows it is secure and that which does not is endangered, that which follows it survives and that which does not perishes, and petty men cannot fathom it.

禮之理誠深矣，"堅白""同異"之察入焉而溺；其理誠大矣，擅作典制闢陋之說入焉而喪；其理誠高矣，暴慢恣孳輕俗以為高之屬入焉而隊。故繩墨誠陳矣，則不可欺以曲直；衡誠縣矣，則不可欺以輕重；規矩誠設矣，則不可欺以方圓；君子審於禮，則不可欺以詐偽。故繩者，直之至；衡者，平之至；規矩者，方圓之至；禮者，人道之極也。然而不法禮，不足禮，謂之無方之民；法禮，足禮，謂之有方之士。禮之中焉能思索，謂之能慮；禮之中焉能勿易，謂之能固。能慮、能固，加好者焉，斯聖人矣。故天者，高之極也；地者，下之極也；無窮者，廣之極也；聖人者，人道之極也。故學者，固學為聖人也，非特學無方之民也。

The principle of ritual is truly deep, and the discernment of "hard and white" and "same and different" sinks when it enters; its principle is truly great, and those who arbitrarily make institutions and narrow theories lose when they enter; its principle is truly high, and those who are violent, arrogant and unrestrained and take despising custom as lofty fall when they enter. So when the plumb line and ink are truly set out, one cannot be deceived about crooked and straight; when the balance is truly hung, one cannot be deceived about light and heavy; when the compass and square are truly set, one cannot be deceived about square and round; when the gentleman examines ritual, he cannot be deceived by deceit and falsehood. So the line is the utmost of straightness; the balance is the utmost of evenness; the compass and square are the utmost of square and round; ritual is the utmost of the human way. Yet one who does not take ritual as a model and is not satisfied with ritual is called a people without direction; one who takes ritual as a model and is satisfied with ritual is called a scholar with direction. To be able to think within ritual is called able to ponder; to be able not to change within ritual is called able to be firm. Able to ponder, able to be firm, and adding love of it, this is the sage. So Heaven is the utmost of height; Earth is the utmost of lowness; the limitless is the utmost of breadth; the sage is the utmost of the human way. So learners originally study to become sages, and not merely to be a people without direction.

禮者，以財物為用，以貴賤為文，以多少為異，以隆殺為要。文理繁，情用省，是禮之隆也。文理省，情用繁，是禮之殺也。文理情用相為內外表墨，並行而雜，是禮之中流也。故君子上致其隆，下盡其殺，而中處其中。步驟馳騁厲鶩不外是矣。是君子之壇宇宮廷也。人有是，士君子也；外是，民也；於是其中焉，方皇周挾，曲得其次序，是聖人也。故厚者，禮之積也；大者，禮之廣也；高者，禮之隆也；明者，禮之盡也。詩曰："禮儀卒度，笑語卒獲。"此之謂也。

Ritual takes goods as its substance, noble and base as its ornament, more and less as its gradation, exaltation and abatement as its essential rein. When the ornament of form is lavish and the substance of feeling spare, that is ritual's exaltation. When the ornament of form is spare and the substance of feeling lavish, that is ritual's abatement. When form and feeling stand to each other as outer and inner, surface and lining, running side by side and interweaving, that is ritual's middle course. Therefore the noble man, toward what is above, carries out its exaltation; toward what is below, completes its abatement; and in the middle dwells in the middle. To pace, gallop, or race without ever leaving these bounds—this is the noble man's altar-ground and palace court. Whoever has this is a gentleman-officer; whoever is outside it is a common man; whoever moves within it broadly and thoroughly, winding through to its proper order, is a sage. Therefore richness is ritual's accumulation; greatness is ritual's breadth; loftiness is ritual's exaltation; brightness is ritual's consummation. The Xiaoya ode Chuci says: 'Their rites and ceremonies all accord with measure; their laughter and speech are perfectly apt.' This is what it means.

禮者，謹於治生死者也。生、人之始也，死、人之終也，終始俱善，人道畢矣。故君子敬始而慎終，終始如一，是君子之道，禮義之文也。夫厚其生而薄其死，是敬其有知，而慢其無知也，是奸人之道而倍叛之心也。君子以倍叛之心接臧谷，猶且羞之，而況以事其所隆親乎！故死之為道也，一而不可得再復也，臣之所以致重其君，子之所以致重其親，於是盡矣。故事生不忠厚，不敬文，謂之野；送死不忠厚，不敬文，謂之瘠。君子賤野而羞瘠，故天子棺槨七重，諸侯五重，大夫三重，士再重。然後皆有衣衾多少厚薄之數，皆有翣菨文章之等，以敬飾之，使生死終始若一；一足以為人願，是先王之道，忠臣孝子之極也。天子之喪動四海，屬諸侯；諸侯之喪動通國，屬大夫；大夫之喪動一國，屬修士；修士之喪動一鄉，屬朋友；庶人之喪合族黨，動州里；刑餘罪人之喪，不得合族黨，獨屬妻子，棺槨三寸，衣衾三領，不得飾棺，不得晝行，以昏殣，凡緣而往埋之，反無哭泣之節，無衰麻之服，無親疏月數之等，各反其平，各復其始，已葬埋，若無喪者而止，夫是之謂至辱。

Ritual is the careful ordering of life and death. Life is man's beginning; death is man's end. When end and beginning are both good, the way of man is complete. Therefore the noble man reveres the beginning and is careful of the end; end and beginning are as one—this is the noble man's way, the ornament of ritual and rightness. To honor life and slight death is to revere a man while he has awareness and slight him when he has none; it is the way of a treacherous man and a rebellious heart. The noble man is ashamed even to receive his servants and children with a rebellious heart—how much more to serve with it the parents he honors! Now death as a way happens once and cannot recur; the minister's ultimate regard for his lord and the son's ultimate regard for his parent find their full expression here. Therefore to serve the living without generous fidelity and reverent form is called wildness; to send off the dead without generous fidelity and reverent form is called meanness. The noble man scorns wildness and is ashamed of meanness. Therefore the Son of Heaven has seven layers of coffin, the feudal lords five, the great officers three, and officers two. Then there are fixed numbers for the grave-clothes and quilts, more or fewer, thicker or thinner, and graded ranks for the coffin-fans and their patterned ornament—used to adorn them with reverence, so that life and death, end and beginning, are treated as one; and being treated as one suffices to fulfill men's wishes—this is the way of the former kings, the summit of the loyal minister and filial son. The mourning of a Son of Heaven shakes the four seas and binds the feudal lords; the mourning of a feudal lord shakes the whole state and binds the great officers; the mourning of a great officer shakes one domain and binds the cultivated officers; the mourning of a cultivated officer shakes one district and binds his friends; the mourning of a commoner gathers his kin and neighbors and shakes the village; the mourning of a punished criminal may not gather kin and neighbors, but binds only wife and children—his coffin three inches, his grave-clothes three layers; he may not ornament the coffin, may not be borne by day but is buried at dusk, carried out in ordinary clothes; on return there is no measure of wailing, no hempen mourning garments, no gradations of months by closeness of kin; each returns to the ordinary, each goes back to the beginning; once buried, they are like people who had no mourning at all—this is called utter disgrace.

禮者，謹于吉兇不相厭者也。紸纊聽息之時，則夫忠臣孝子亦知其閔矣，然而殯斂之具，未有求也；垂涕恐懼，然而幸生之心未已，持生之事未輟也。卒矣，然後作具之。故雖備家必踰日然後能殯，三日而成服。然後告遠者出矣，備物者作矣。故殯久不過七十日，速不損五十日。是何也？曰：遠者可以至矣，百求可以得矣，百事可以成矣；其忠至矣，其節大矣，其文備矣。然後月朝卜日，月夕卜宅，然後葬也。當是時也，其義止，誰得行之？其義行，誰得止之？故三月之葬，其貌以生設飾死者也，殆非直留死者以安生也，是致隆思慕之義也。

Ritual is careful that fortune and ill-fortune not trespass on each other. When silk floss is set at the nostrils to listen for breath, even the loyal minister and filial son know the peril is at hand; yet the implements for encoffining have not yet been sought; with tears hanging and fear upon them, still the heart hoping for life has not ceased, and the tasks of keeping him alive have not stopped. Only when he is dead do they make and prepare all. Therefore even a household with everything ready still lets a day pass before encoffining, and only after three days is mourning dress completed. Then word is sent to those afar to set out, and those who must supply things rise and come. Therefore the lying-in-state lasts at most seventy days, and at the quickest no fewer than fifty. Why? I say: so that those far away may arrive, all that is sought may be obtained, and all affairs may be accomplished; his loyalty reaches its utmost, the observance grows great, the ornament becomes complete. Then at the start of the month they divine the day, and at month's end divine the grave-site, and then they bury. At such a time, if rightness said to stop, who could proceed? If rightness said to proceed, who could stop? Therefore the burial after three months—its semblance uses the appointments of the living to adorn the dead; it is not merely to keep the dead so as to give rest to the living, but to give fullest expression to the rightness of exalting and cherishing.

喪禮之凡，變而飾，動而遠，久而平。故死之為道也，不飾則惡，惡則不哀；尒則翫，翫則厭，厭則忘，忘則不敬。一朝而喪其嚴親，而所以送葬之者，不哀不敬，則嫌於禽獸矣，君子恥之。故變而飾，所以滅惡也；動而遠，所以遂敬也；久而平，所以優生也。

The general pattern of funeral rites: transformation and adornment; movement and distancing; long duration and leveling. So death as a way: unadorned it is ugly, and being ugly it is not grieved; kept too near it becomes familiar, being familiar breeds contempt, contempt breeds forgetting, forgetting is disrespect. To lose in one morning the revered parent, yet in the conduct of the funeral to be without grief and respect—that approaches the beasts, and the noble man is ashamed of it. Therefore transformation and adornment serve to efface ugliness; movement and distancing serve to complete respect; long duration and leveling serve to treat the living with kindness.

禮者、斷長續短，損有餘，益不足，達愛敬之文，而滋成行義之美者也。故文飾、麤惡，聲樂、哭泣，恬愉、憂戚；是反也；然而禮兼而用之，時舉而代御。故文飾、聲樂、恬愉，所以持平奉吉也；麤惡、哭泣、憂戚，所以持險奉兇也。故其立文飾也，不至於窕冶；其立麤惡也，不至於瘠棄；其立聲樂、恬愉也，不至於流淫、惰慢；其立哭泣、哀慼也，不至於隘懾傷生，是禮之中流也。

Ritual cuts the long to patch the short, diminishes surplus to increase want, so as to attain the form of love and reverence and to nourish the beauty of conduct brought to completion. So adornment and roughness, music and weeping, tranquil joy and grieving sorrow are opposites; yet ritual uses them both, raising each in its season and driving them in alternation. Therefore adornment, music, and tranquil joy are used to keep the level and serve the fortunate; roughness, weeping, and grieving sorrow are used to keep the hazard and serve the ill-fortuned. So when it sets up adornment it does not reach bewitching glamour; when it sets up roughness it does not reach emaciated self-neglect; when it sets up music and tranquil joy it does not reach dissipation and lazy arrogance; when it sets up weeping and grieving sorrow it does not reach cramped fear that injures life—this is ritual's middle course.

故情貌之變，足以別吉凶，明貴賤親疏之節，期止矣。外是，奸也；雖難，君子賤之。故量食而食之，量要而帶之，相高以毀瘠，是奸人之道，非禮義之文也，非孝子之情也，將以有為者也。故說豫、娩澤，憂戚、萃惡，是吉凶憂愉之情發於顏色者也。歌謠、謷笑、哭泣、諦號，是吉凶憂愉之情發於聲音者也。芻豢、稻梁、酒醴，餰鬻、魚肉、菽藿、酒漿，是吉凶憂愉之情發於食飲者也。卑絻、黼黻、文織，資麤、衰絰、菲繐、菅屨，是吉凶憂愉之情發於衣服者也。疏房、檖貌、越席、床笫、几筵，屬茨、倚廬、席薪、枕塊，是吉凶憂愉之情發於居處者也。兩情者，人生固有端焉。若夫斷之繼之，博之淺之，益之損之，類之盡之，盛之美之，使本末終始，莫不順比，足以為萬世則，則是禮也。非順孰修為之君子，莫之能知也。

Therefore the changes of feeling and countenance suffice to distinguish fortune and ill-fortune and to make plain the measures of noble and base, near and far—what is looked for stops here. Beyond this is craftiness; even if difficult, the noble man scorns it. So to measure one's food before eating, to measure one's waist before tying the sash, and to vie in heights by self-starvation—this is the way of crafty men, not the ornament of ritual and rightness, not the feeling of a filial son; such men have something else in view. Therefore cheerful ease with a moist, lustrous countenance, versus grief and haggard ruin—these are the feelings of fortune and ill-fortune, sorrow and joy, issuing in the face. Songs and laughter and play, versus weeping and wailing—these are the feelings of fortune and ill-fortune, sorrow and joy, issuing in the voice. Meat, rice and millet, and sweet wine, versus thin gruel, coarse fish, bean-leaf stew and plain liquor—these are the feelings of fortune and ill-fortune, sorrow and joy, issuing in drink and food. The ceremonial cap, the embroidered axe and zigzag patterns, figured weaves, versus coarse sacking, mourning bands, crude cloth and rush sandals—these are the feelings of fortune and ill-fortune, sorrow and joy, issuing in clothing. Open airy rooms and deep temple-like halls, rush mats, bed mats and low tables, versus woven thatch, the leaning hut, sleeping on straw, a clod for a pillow—these are the feelings of fortune and ill-fortune, sorrow and joy, issuing in dwelling-place. The two kinds of feeling have their beginnings inborn in man's life. As for cutting them and joining them, widening and shallowing them, adding and subtracting them, extending them by analogy and exhausting them, exalting them and beautifying them, so that root and branch, end and beginning, all follow fittingly, sufficient to be a model for ten thousand generations—this is ritual. None but the compliant, practiced, cultivated noble man can know it.

故曰：性者、本始材樸也；偽者、文理隆盛也。無性則偽之無所加，無偽則性不能自美。性偽合，然後成聖人之名，一天下之功於是就也。故曰：天地合而萬物生，陰陽接而變化起，性偽合而天下治。天能生物，不能辨物也，地能載人，不能治人也；宇中萬物生人之屬，待聖人然後分也。詩曰："懷柔百神，及河喬嶽。"此之謂也。

Therefore it is said: nature is the original raw material; conscious activity is the flourishing of form and pattern. Without nature there is no place for activity to be added; without activity, nature cannot beautify itself. Nature and activity join, and then the name of sage is completed and the work of uniting all under heaven is thereby accomplished. Therefore it is said: heaven and earth join and the ten thousand things are born; yin and yang meet and transformation arises; nature and conscious activity join and all under heaven is ordered. Heaven can produce things but cannot distinguish them; earth can bear men but cannot order them; the ten thousand things of the world and the race of men all await the sage and then are divided. The Zhousong ode Shi Mai says: 'He pacifies the hundred spirits, down to the rivers and the high mountains.' This is what it means.

喪禮者，以生者飾死者也，大象其生以送其死也。故事死如生，事亡如存，終始一也。始卒，沐浴、鬠體、飯唅，象生執也。不沐則濡櫛三律而止，不浴則濡巾三式而止。充耳而設瑱，飯以生稻，唅以槁骨，反生術矣。設褻衣，襲三稱，縉紳而無鉤帶矣。設掩面儇目，鬠而不冠笄矣。書其名，置於其重，則名不見而柩獨明矣。薦器：則冠有鍪而毋縰，甕廡虛而不實，有簟席而無床笫，木器不成斲，陶器不成物，薄器不成內，笙竽具而不和，琴瑟張而不均，輿藏而馬反，告不用也。具生器以適墓，象徙道也。略而不盡，貌而不功，趨輿而藏之，金革轡靷而不入，明不用也。象徙道，又明不用也，是皆所以重哀也。故生器文而不功，明器貌而不用。凡禮，事生，飾歡也；送死，飾哀也；祭祀，飾敬也；師旅，飾威也。是百王之所同，古今之所一也，未有知其所由來者也。故壙壟、其貌象室屋也；棺槨、其貌象版蓋斯象拂也；無帾絲歶縷翣，其貌以象菲帷幬尉也。抗折，其貌以象槾茨番閼也。故喪禮者，無他焉，明死生之義，送以哀敬，而終周藏也。故葬埋，敬藏其形也；祭祀，敬事其神也；其銘誄繫世，敬傳其名也。事生，飾始也；送死，飾終也；終始具，而孝子之事畢，聖人之道備矣。刻死而附生謂之墨，刻生而附死謂之惑，殺生而送死謂之賊。大象其生以送其死，使死生終始莫不稱宜而好善，是禮義之法式也，儒者是矣。

The funeral rites use the living to adorn the dead: broadly, as though he were alive, they send him to his death. Therefore serve the dead as the living, serve the gone as the present—end and beginning are as one. Just dead, they bathe him, bind his hair, and put food in his mouth—things done as in life. If he is not washed, they run a wet comb through his hair three times and stop; if he is not bathed, they wipe him with a wet cloth three times and stop. They fill his ears and set the earplugs, feed him with raw rice and place a shell in his mouth—these run contrary to the ways of the living. They set out undergarments, lay on three sets of robes, insert the tablet but leave no hook or belt. They set the face-cover and veil the eyes; they bind the hair but add no cap or pin. They write his name and set it on the funeral stand—then the name is unseen and the coffin alone is manifest. They offer up the spirit goods: the cap has a helmet but no hair-cloth; urns and jars are empty and not filled; there are bamboo mats but no bedding; wooden vessels are left uncarved, clay vessels unfinished, wicker vessels with nothing inside; pipes and mouth-organs are provided but not tuned; zithers are strung but not evened; the carriage is buried but the horses return—to declare that they will not be used. They prepare the goods of life and send them to the grave—as on the road of a removal. Sparse and not exhaustive, having the shape but not the function; they drive the carriage there and bury it, but the metal-and-leather bridles and traces do not go in—to make plain that they will not be used. Being like the road of a removal, and again making plain that they will not be used—all this serves to deepen the grief. Therefore the goods of life have ornament but no function; the spirit goods have shape but no use. In all ritual: serving the living ornaments joy; sending off the dead ornaments grief; sacrifice ornaments reverence; the ranks of war ornament dread. This is what the hundred kings shared and what past and present make one; no one has ever known whence it came. Therefore the grave mound—its semblance is like a house; the inner and outer coffins—their semblance is like the boards and screens of a roof; the coverings, silk threads, and coffin-fans—their semblance is like curtains and drapes; the anti-and-zhe frames—their semblance is like plastered thatch and fences. So the funeral rites are nothing else: they make plain the meaning of death and life, send him off with grief and reverence, and end in thorough burial. Therefore burial reverently hides the form; sacrifice reverently serves the spirit; the inscriptions, eulogies, and genealogy reverently transmit the name. Serving the living ornaments the beginning; sending off the dead ornaments the end; beginning and end complete, the filial son's task is done and the sage's way is complete. To skimp the dead and add to the living is called stinginess; to skimp the living and add to the dead is called delusion; to kill the living to send off the dead is called murder. Broadly, as though he were alive, to send him to his death, so that between death and life, end and beginning, nothing fails to fit and be good—this is the model of ritual and rightness; the Ru are exactly this.

三年之喪，何也？曰：稱情而立文，因以飾群，別親疏貴賤之節，而不可益損也。故曰：無適不易之術也。創鉅者其日久，痛甚者其愈遲，三年之喪，稱情而立文，所以為至痛極也。齊衰、苴杖、居廬、食粥、席薪、枕塊，所以為至痛飾也。三年之喪，二十五月而畢，哀痛未盡，思慕未忘，然而禮以是斷之者，豈不以送死有已，復生有節也哉！凡生天地之間者，有血氣之屬必有知，有知之屬莫不愛其類。今夫大鳥獸則失亡其群匹，越月踰時，則必反鉛；過故鄉，則必徘徊焉，鳴號焉，躑躅焉，踟躕焉，然後能去之也。小者是燕爵，猶有啁焦之頃焉，然後能去之。故有血氣之屬莫知於人，故人之於其親也，至死無窮。將由夫愚陋淫邪之人與，則彼朝死而夕忘之；然而縱之，則是曾鳥獸之不若也，彼安能相與群居而無亂乎！將由夫修飾之君子與，則三年之喪，二十五月而畢，若駟之過隙，然而遂之，則是無窮也。故先王聖人安為之立中制節，一使足以成文理，則舍之矣。

What is the three-year mourning? I say: it weighs the feeling and sets up form, and thereby ornaments the ranks of kin, distinguishing the measures of near and far, noble and base, which may not be added to or taken from. Therefore it is said: there is no method that goes everywhere unchanged. A great wound lasts long; a deep pain heals slowly; the three-year mourning, weighing feeling to set up form, serves to mark the utmost of deepest pain. The unhemmed sackcloth, the mourning staff, dwelling in the hut, eating gruel, sleeping on straw, a clod for a pillow—these serve as the ornament of deepest pain. The three-year mourning ends at twenty-five months: grief is not yet exhausted, longing not yet forgotten; yet ritual cuts it off here—is it not because sending off the dead must have an end, and returning to life must have its measure? All things born between heaven and earth that have blood and breath have awareness; all that have awareness love their kind. Now when a great bird or beast loses its group or mate, after months and seasons have passed it is certain to come circling back; passing its old home, it is sure to linger, cry out, hesitate, pace to and fro, and only then can it leave. Even the small—the swallow and the sparrow—chatter a brief while before they can go. So among creatures of blood and breath none is wiser than man; therefore man's love for his parents knows no end even unto death. Shall we follow the foolish, boorish, and depraved? Then a parent dies in the morning and is forgotten by evening; and if we let that run free, such people fall below even the birds and beasts—how could they dwell together without disorder? Shall we follow the cultivated noble man? Then the three-year mourning ends at twenty-five months, quick as a four-horse team glimpsed through a crack; and if we let that run on, it is endless. Therefore the former kings and sages set up for them a middle way, fixed its measure: once it suffices to complete form and pattern, it is let go.

然則何以分之？曰：至親以期斷。是何也？曰：天地則已易矣，四時則已無矣，其在宇中者莫不更始矣，故先王案以此象之也。然則三年何也？曰：加隆焉，案使倍之，故再期也。由九月以下何也？曰：案使不及也。故三年以為隆，緦麻、小功以為殺，期、九月以為間。上取象於天，下取象於地，中取則於人，人所以群居和一之理盡矣。故三年之喪，人道之至文者也，夫是之謂至隆。是百王之所同也，古今之所一也。

Then by what are the grades distinguished? I say: for the nearest kin the year is the break. Why? I say: heaven and earth have already turned, the four seasons have run their course, and all within the world begins anew—so the former kings used this to mirror it. Then what is the three-year? I say: it adds to the exaltation, so another year is doubled on. What are those of nine months and less? I say: they are made to fall short. So the three-year stands as the exaltation; the three-month and five-month grades as the abatement; the year and the nine months as the middle. Above they take their image from heaven, below from earth, in the middle from man—the reason men can dwell together in unity is exhausted here. Therefore the three-year mourning is the supreme ornament of the human way; this is called the utmost exaltation. It is what the hundred kings shared and what past and present make one.

君之喪，所以取三年，何也？曰：君者、治辨之主也，文理之原也，情貌之盡也，相率而致隆之，不亦可乎？詩曰："愷悌君子，民之父母。"彼君子者，固有為民父母之說焉。父能生之，不能養之；母能食之，不能教誨之；君者，已能食之矣，又善教誨之者也。三年畢矣哉！乳母、飲食之者也，而三月；慈母、衣被之者也，而九月；君曲備之者也，三年畢乎哉！得之則治，失之則亂，文之至也。得之則安，失之則危，情之至也。兩至者俱積焉，以三年事之，猶未足也，直無由進之耳。故社，祭社也；稷、祭稷也；郊者，並百王於上天而祭祀之也。

The mourning for a lord is taken as three years—why? I say: the lord is the master of order and discernment, the source of form and pattern, the consummation of feeling and countenance; to lead one another in honoring him to the utmost—is that not fitting? The Daya ode Jiongzhuo says: 'The happy, gracious noble man is father and mother to the people.' The noble man has always had the name of father and mother to the people. A father can beget him but cannot nourish him; a mother can feed him but cannot teach him; the lord not only feeds him but also teaches him well. Is three years then too much! The wet-nurse, who gave him drink and food, has three months; the fostering mother, who gave him clothes and covers, has nine months; the lord is complete in all—is three years then too much! Win him and there is order; lose him and there is chaos—this is the summit of form. Win him and there is safety; lose him and there is peril—this is the summit of feeling. Two summits are both gathered here; to serve him three years is still not enough—there is simply nothing more to add. Therefore the she altar is sacrifice to the soil; the ji altar is sacrifice to grain; the jiao sacrifice gathers all the kings together with Heaven above in offering.

三月之殯，何也？曰：大之也，重之也。所致隆也，所致親也，將舉措之，遷徙之，離宮室而歸丘陵也，先王恐其不文也，是以繇其期，足之日也。故天子七月，諸侯五月，大夫三月，皆使其須足以容事，事足以容成，成足以容文，文足以容備，曲容備物之謂道矣。

What is the three months before burial? I say: it enlarges it; it dignifies it. For one most exalted, most beloved, when they are about to lift him, move him, leave the palace and halls and go to the hills and mounds, the former kings feared it would lack ornament; therefore they lengthened the term to make the days sufficient. So the Son of Heaven has seven months, the feudal lords five, the great officers three—all to make the waiting give room for the tasks, the tasks give room for accomplishment, accomplishment give room for ornament, ornament give room for completeness; when all-round room and complete provision are reached, it is called the Way.

祭者、志意思慕之情也。愅詭唈僾而不能無時至焉。故人之歡欣和合之時，則夫忠臣孝子亦愅詭而有所至矣。彼其所至者，甚大動也；案屈然已，則其於志意之情者惆然不嗛，其於禮節者闕然不具。故先王案為之立文，尊尊親親之義至矣。故曰：祭者、志意思慕之情也。忠信愛敬之至矣，禮節文貌之盛矣，苟非聖人，莫之能知也。聖人明知之，士君子安行之，官人以為守，百姓以成俗；其在君子以為人道也，其在百姓以為鬼事也。故鐘鼓管磬，琴瑟竽笙，韶夏護武，汋桓箾簡象，是君子之所以為愅詭其所喜樂之文也。齊衰、苴杖、居廬、食粥、席薪、枕塊，是君子之所以為愅詭其所哀痛之文也。師旅有制，刑法有等，莫不稱罪，是君子之所以為愅詭其所敦惡之文也。卜筮視日、齋戒、修塗、几筵、饋薦、告祝，如或饗之。物取而皆祭之，如或嘗之。毋利舉爵，主人有尊，如或觴之。賓出，主人拜送，反易服，即位而哭，如或去之。哀夫！敬夫！事死如事生，事亡如事存，狀乎無形，影然而成文。

Sacrifice is the expression of intent, thought, and longing. Moved feelings, pent up, cannot help but come at their season. So when men are in times of joy and concord, the loyal minister and filial son are also moved and something comes to them. What comes is a great stirring; were it to stop empty and bent, then in the feeling of his intent he would be disconsolate and unsatisfied, and in ritual observance deficient and incomplete. Therefore the former kings set up form for them—the meaning of honoring the honored and loving the kin reached its utmost. So I say: sacrifice is the expression of intent, thought, and longing—the utmost of loyalty, faith, love, and reverence, the flourishing of ritual measure and ornamented manner; none but the sage can know it. The sage knows it clearly; the officer and noble man practice it contentedly; the functionaries take it as their charge; the hundred surnames make it their custom. For the noble man it counts as the human way; for the common folk it counts as ghost business. Therefore bells and drums, pipes and chimes, zithers and mouth-organs, the dances Shao, Xia, Hu, and Wu, Zhuo, Huan, Shuo, and Xiang—these are the ornaments the noble man makes for what moves him to joy. The unhemmed sackcloth, the mourning staff, dwelling in the hut, eating gruel, sleeping on straw, a clod for a pillow—these are the ornaments the noble man makes for what moves him to grief. That armies have rules and punishments have grades, none failing to fit the crime—these are the ornaments the noble man makes for what moves him to honor or loathing. Divining by tortoise and milfoil, reading the days, fasting and vigil, clearing the way, tables and offerings, presentation and invocation—as though a spirit truly comes to partake. Every thing taken is offered, as though a spirit truly tastes it. The profiteer is not made to raise the cup; the host keeps the place of honor, as though a spirit truly drinks. The guest goes out and the host bows him off, returns, changes dress, takes his place and weeps—as though a spirit has truly departed. Grief! Reverence! Serving the dead as one serves the living, serving the gone as one serves the present—its semblance rests on the formless, a shadowy thing that completes a pattern.

夫樂者、樂也，人情之所必不免也。故人不能無樂，樂則必發於聲音，形於動靜；而人之道，聲音動靜，性術之變盡是矣。故人不能不樂，樂則不能無形，形而不為道，則不能無亂。先王惡其亂也，故制雅頌之聲以道之，使其聲足以樂而不流，使其文足以辨而不諰，使其曲直繁省廉肉節奏，足以感動人之善心，使夫邪汙之氣無由得接焉。是先王立樂之方也，而墨子非之奈何！

Now music is joy—it is what human feeling cannot help but have. Therefore man cannot be without joy; having joy, it must issue in sound and take shape in movement and stillness; and the way of man—sound, movement and stillness, the changes of his nature's art—is exhausted in these. Therefore man cannot be without joy; having joy, it cannot be without form; having form without guidance, it cannot be without disorder. The former kings hated that disorder, so they made the sounds of the Ya and Song to guide it—so that the sound suffices for joy without license, so that the pattern suffices for discernment without timidity, so that its bends and straights, fullness and spareness, restraint and richness, its pace and rhythm, suffice to stir man's good heart, so that depraved and foul airs have no way to touch him. This is the former kings' manner of establishing music—yet Mozi condemns it. What is to be done with him!

故樂在宗廟之中，君臣上下同聽之，則莫不和敬；閨門之內，父子兄弟同聽之，則莫不和親；鄉里族長之中，長少同聽之，則莫不和順。故樂者審一以定和者也，比物以飾節者也，合奏以成文者也；足以率一道，足以治萬變。是先王立樂之術也，而墨子非之奈何！

Therefore when music is in the ancestral temple and ruler and ministers, high and low, hear it together, none fail to harmonize in reverence; within the private chambers, when father and sons and brothers hear it together, none fail to harmonize in affection; in village and clan, when elder and younger hear it together, none fail to harmonize in accord. So music discerns the One to fix harmony, lines up the instruments to ornament the measure, joins in concert to complete the pattern; it suffices to lead them in a single way and to order the ten thousand changes. This is the former kings' method of establishing music—yet Mozi condemns it. What is to be done with him!

故聽其雅頌之聲，而志意得廣焉；執其干鏚，習其俯仰屈伸，而容貌得莊焉；行其綴兆，要其節奏，而行列得正焉，進退得齊焉。故樂者、出所以徵誅也，入所以揖讓也；徵誅揖讓，其義一也。出所以徵誅，則莫不聽從；入所以揖讓，則莫不從服。故樂者、天下之大齊也，中和之紀也，人情之所必不免也。是先王立樂之術也，而墨子非之奈何！

So hearing the sounds of the Ya and Song, one's intent is broadened; holding shield and axe, practicing the dips and lifts, the bends and stretches, one's bearing is made grave; treading the dance positions, keeping to the rhythm, the ranks are made straight and advancing and retreating made even. Therefore music: abroad it serves punitive war; at home it serves courteous yielding—and the meaning of punitive war and courteous yielding is one and the same. Abroad serving punitive war, none fail to obey; at home serving courteous yielding, none fail to submit. So music is the great unification of all under heaven, the ordering chord of central harmony, what human feeling cannot help but have. This is the former kings' method of establishing music—yet Mozi condemns it. What is to be done with him!

且樂者、先王之所以飾喜也；軍旅鈇鉞者，先王之所以飾怒也。先王喜怒皆得其齊焉。是故喜而天下和之，怒而暴亂畏之。先王之道，禮樂正其盛者也。而墨子非之。故曰：墨子之於道也，猶瞽之於白黑也，猶聾之於清濁也，猶欲之楚而北求之也。

Moreover music is what the former kings used to ornament joy; the ranks of the army with its axes are what the former kings used to ornament wrath. The former kings' joy and wrath both found their due measure. Therefore when they rejoiced, all under heaven answered in harmony; when they were wroth, the violent and rebellious trembled. In the way of the former kings, ritual and music are precisely the flourishing—yet Mozi condemns them. So I say: Mozi, before the Way, is like a blind man before black and white, like a deaf man before clear and muddy tones, like a man who wants to go to Chu but seeks it by heading north.

夫聲樂之入人也深，其化人也速，故先王謹為之文。樂中平則民和而不流，樂肅莊則民齊而不亂。民和齊則兵勁城固，敵國不敢嬰也。如是，則百姓莫不安其處，樂其鄉，以至足其上矣。然後名聲於是白，光輝於是大，四海之民莫不願得以為師，是王者之始也。樂姚冶以險，則民流僈鄙賤矣；流僈則亂，鄙賤則爭；亂爭則兵弱城犯，敵國危之如是，則百姓不安其處，不樂其鄉，不足其上矣。故禮樂廢而邪音起者，危削侮辱之本也。故先王貴禮樂而賤邪音。其在序官也，曰："修憲命，審詩商，禁淫聲，以時順修，使夷俗邪音不敢亂雅，太師之事也。"

Music and harmonious sound enter deeply into a person and transform him quickly, so the former kings were careful to give it proper form. When music is centered, correct, and peaceful, the people are harmonious and compliant without being dissolute; when music is solemn, reverent, and grave, the people are unified and orderly without falling into chaos. When the people are harmonious, compliant, and unified, the armed forces are strong and the city walls secure, and enemy states dare not encroach. When it is so, none of the hundred surnames fails to rest content in his place, delight in his own village, and fully provide for his superiors. Then the ruler's name is made illustrious and his glory magnified, and none among the people within the four seas would be unwilling to have him as their teacher—this is the beginning of true kingship. But when music is seductive and depraved, the people become dissolute, indolent, mean, and low; dissolute indolence brings disorder, and mean lowness brings strife. Disorder and strife make the armed forces weak and the walls breached, and enemy states do it harm. When it is so, the people cannot rest content in their places or delight in their villages, and they cannot fully provide for their superiors. Thus the decay of ritual and music and the rise of perverse sounds are the root of peril, dispossession, and disgrace. For this reason the former kings honored ritual and music and despised perverse sounds. In the 'Ordering of Officials' it says: 'He revises the statutes and commands, examines the odes and songs, bans licentious sounds, and at the proper season follows through with their regulation, so that barbarian customs and perverse sounds dare not disturb the proper and elegant—this is the office of the Grand Music Master.'

墨子曰："樂者、聖王之所非也，而儒者為之過也。"君子以為不然。樂者，聖王之所樂也，而可以善民心，其感人深，其移風易俗。故先王導之以禮樂，而民和睦。夫民有好惡之情，而無喜怒之應則亂；先王惡其亂也，故修其行，正其樂，而天下順焉。故齊衰之服，哭泣之聲，使人之心悲。帶甲嬰胄，歌於行伍，使人之心傷；姚冶之容，鄭衛之音，使人之心淫；紳、端、章甫，舞韶歌武，使人之心莊。故君子耳不聽淫聲，目不視邪色，口不出惡言，此三者，君子慎之。

Mozi said: 'Music is what the sage kings condemned, and for the Ru to practice it is a fault.' The noble man holds that this is not so. Music is what the sage kings delighted in; it can turn the hearts of the people toward goodness, it moves men deeply, and it changes manners and transforms customs. Therefore the former kings used ritual and music to guide them, and the people lived in harmony. The people have feelings of liking and disliking, and without the answering measures of joy and anger there is disorder. The former kings hated that disorder, so they cultivated their virtue and made their music correct, and all under heaven submitted. Thus the mourning garb of hempen sackcloth and the sounds of weeping make the heart grieve; donning armor and helmet and singing amid the ranks make the heart moved and heroic; seductive looks and the airs of Zheng and Wei make the heart dissolute; the broad sash, the dark ceremonial robe, and the Zhangfu cap, dancing the Shao and singing the Wu, make the heart grave. Therefore the noble man's ear does not listen to licentious sounds, his eye does not look at deviant sights, and his mouth does not utter evil words—these three the noble man attends to with care.

凡奸聲感人而逆氣應之，逆氣成象而亂生焉；正聲感人而順氣應之，順氣成象而治生焉。唱和有應，善惡相象，故君子慎其所去就也。君子以鐘鼓道志，以琴瑟樂心；動以干鏚，飾以羽旄，從以磬管。故其清明象天，其廣大象地，其俯仰周旋有似於四時。故樂行而志清，禮修而行成，耳目聰明，血氣和平，移風易俗，天下皆寧，美善相樂。故曰：樂者、樂也。君子樂得其道，小人樂得其欲；以道制欲，則樂而不亂；以欲忘道，則惑而不樂。故樂者，所以道樂也，金石絲竹，所以道德也；樂行而民鄉方矣。故樂也者，治人之盛者也，而墨子非之。

In general, when depraved sounds move a person, a contrary qi answers them; when contrary qi takes shape, disorder is born. When correct sounds move a person, a compliant qi answers them; when compliant qi takes shape, order is born. Call and response correspond, and good and evil take shape in turn, so the noble man is careful about what he departs from and what he draws near. The noble man uses bells and drums to guide the will, and the qin and se to gladden the heart; he acts with shield and battle-axe, adorns with feathers and yak tails, and follows with chime stones and pipes. Thus its clarity is like heaven, its breadth is like earth, and its lowering and rising, wheeling and turning resemble the four seasons. When music is practiced the will becomes clear; when ritual is cultivated virtue is completed. Ears and eyes are keen, the blood and qi are harmonious, manners are changed and customs transformed, all under heaven is at peace, and the beautiful and the good rejoice in each other. Thus it is said: music is joy. The noble man rejoices in attaining the Way; the petty man rejoices in attaining his desires. When the Way is used to restrain desire, there is joy without disorder; when desire makes one forget the Way, there is confusion without joy. Therefore music is the means by which joy is guided; metal, stone, silk, and bamboo are the means by which virtue is guided. When music is practiced the people turn toward the right way. Thus music is the grandest instrument for governing men—yet Mozi condemned it.

且樂也者，和之不可變者也；禮也者，理之不可易者也。樂合同，禮別異，禮樂之統，管乎人心矣。窮本極變，樂之情也；著誠去偽，禮之經也。墨子非之，幾遇刑也。明王已沒，莫之正也。愚者學之，危其身也。君子明樂，乃其德也。亂世惡善，不此聽也。於乎哀哉！不得成也。弟子勉學，無所營也。

Moreover, music is what cannot be altered in harmony; ritual is what cannot be changed in principle. Music joins together what is the same; ritual distinguishes what is different. The governance of ritual and music takes charge of the human heart. To plumb the root source and exhaust every transformation is the true nature of music; to make sincerity manifest and cast out the false is the constancy of ritual. That Mozi condemned them came near to incurring punishment. The enlightened kings have passed away, and there is no one to set these things right. If a fool studies them, he harms his own person. The noble man makes music illustrious—this is his virtue. A disordered age hates the good and will not listen to this. Alas, how sad! It cannot be brought to completion. Disciples, exert yourselves in study, and let there be nothing else you scheme to seek.

聲樂之象：鼓大麗，鍾統實，磬廉制，竽笙簫和，筦鑰發猛，壎篪翁博，瑟易良，琴婦好，歌清盡，舞意天道兼。鼓其樂之君邪。故鼓似天，鍾似地，磬似水，竽笙簫和筦鑰，似星辰日月，鼗柷、拊鞷、椌楬似萬物。曷以知舞之意？曰：目不自見，耳不自聞也，然而治俯仰、詘信、進退、遲速，莫不廉制，盡筋骨之力，以要鐘鼓俯會之節，而靡有悖逆者，眾積意謘謘乎！

The emblems of sound and music: the drum is great and splendid; the bell is encompassing and full; the chime stone is angular and measured; the yu, sheng, and xiao are smooth and flowing; the guan and yue are rousing and fierce; the xun and chi are capacious and broad; the se is level, gentle, and mild; the qin is supple, graceful, and lovely; song is limpid and reaches its utmost; and the meaning of dance comprehends the Way of Heaven. The drum is surely the lord of music. Thus the drum resembles heaven, the bell resembles earth, the chime stone resembles water, the yu, sheng, xiao, guan, and yue resemble the stars, the sun, and the moon, and the tao and zhu, the fu and ge, the qiang and qia resemble the myriad things. By what do we know the meaning of dance? I say: the eye cannot see itself and the ear cannot hear itself, yet in ordering the lowering and rising, bending and stretching, advancing and retreating, slowness and speed, there is none that is not angular and measured; the dancers exert all the strength of sinew and bone to keep in time with the bells and drums, bending low and joining in the rhythm without any defiance—how strict and ordered is the intent assembled in the multitude!

吾觀於鄉，而知王道之易易也。主人親速賓及介，而眾賓皆從之。至於門外，主人拜賓及介，而眾賓皆入；貴賤之義別矣。三揖至於階，三讓以賓升。拜至、獻、酬，辭讓之節繁，及介省矣。至於眾賓，升受、坐祭、立飲，不酢而降；隆殺之義辨矣。工入，升歌三終，主人獻之；笙入三終，主人獻之；間歌三終，合樂三終，工告樂備，遂出。二人揚觶，乃立司正，焉知其能和樂而不流也。賓酬主人，主人酬介，介酬眾賓，少長以齒，終於沃洗者，焉知其能弟長而無遺也。降，說屨升坐，修爵無數。飲酒之節，朝不廢朝，莫不廢夕。賓出，主人拜送，節文終遂，焉知其能安燕而不亂也。貴賤明，隆殺辨，和樂而不流，弟長而無遺，安燕而不亂，此五行者，足以正身安國矣。彼國安而天下安。故曰：吾觀於鄉，而知王道之易易也。

I observe the village wine-drinking ceremony and know that the Way of kingship is easy indeed. The host personally invites the guest of honor and the second guest, and all the other guests follow them. When they reach the gate, the host salutes the guest and the second guest, and the other guests all enter—the duty due to noble and base is thereby distinguished. After three deferential bows they come to the steps, and after three refusals the host lets the guest ascend the hall. The bowing on arrival, the offering, and the pledging are many in the forms of deference, but when it comes to the second guest they are curtailed. When it comes to the assembled guests, they ascend to receive the cup, sit to make the libation, stand to drink, and descend without pledging in return—the duty of exalting and curtailing is thereby discerned. The musicians enter, ascend the hall, and sing three pieces, and the host offers them wine; the sheng players enter and play three pieces, and the host offers them wine; then song and pipes alternate for three pieces each, and all join in three final pieces; the musicians report that the music is complete and withdraw. Two men raise their goblets, and a master of the ceremony is established—by this we know it can be harmonious and convivial without dissoluteness. The guest pledges the host, the host pledges the second guest, the second guest pledges the assembled guests, young and old in order of age, down to those who wash the cups—by this we know it can mark deference to elders and leave no one out. They descend the steps, remove their shoes, and sit again, and the cup circulates without fixed number. Yet the measure of the drinking is such that in the morning it does not interfere with morning duties, nor in the evening with evening duties. When the guest departs, the host bows him out, and the forms and rites are thus wholly completed—by this we know it can be at ease in feasting without falling into disorder. Noble and base made clear, exalting and curtailing discerned, harmonious joy without dissoluteness, deference to elders with none left out, ease in feasting without disorder—these five things are enough to rectify the person and settle the state. When that state is at peace, all under heaven is at peace. Thus it is said: I observe the village wine-drinking ceremony and know that the Way of kingship is easy indeed.

亂世之徵：其服組，其容婦。其俗淫，其志利，其行雜，其聲樂險，其文章匿而採，其養生無度，其送死瘠墨，賤禮義而貴勇力，貧則為盜，富則為賊；治世反是也。

The signs of a disordered age: its dress is gaudy and encrusted with ornament, and its demeanor is like that of women. Its customs are dissolute, its aims chase after profit, its conduct is motley, its music is depraved, its literary expression is obscure yet ornate, its care for the living knows no limit while its sending-off of the dead is as niggardly as the Mohists'; it despises ritual and rightness and prizes brute force; the poor become robbers and the rich become brigands. A well-ordered age is the opposite of this.

凡人之患，蔽於一曲，而闇於大理。治則復經，兩疑則惑矣。天下無二道，聖人無兩心。今諸侯異政，百家異說，則必或是或非，或治或亂。亂國之君，亂家之人，此其誠心，莫不求正而以自為也。妒繆於道，而人誘其所迨也。私其所積，唯恐聞其惡也。倚其所私，以觀異術，唯恐聞其美也。是以與治雖走，而是己不輟也。豈不蔽於一曲，而失正求也哉！心不使焉，則白黑在前而目不見，雷鼓在側而耳不聞，況於使者乎？德道之人，亂國之君非之上，亂家之人非之下，豈不哀哉！

The calamity for all men is to be blinded by one corner and to fail to grasp the great pattern. When order comes they revert to the constant; when they doubt both ends they are lost. Under heaven there are not two Ways, nor do sages have two minds. Now the lords of the states differ in government and teaching, and the hundred schools differ in doctrine, so inevitably some are right and some wrong, some bring order and some bring disorder. The lord of a disordered state and the man of a disordered school—in their sincere hearts none fails to seek what is right and act accordingly himself. They resent and misjudge the Way, while others tempt them toward what lies near at hand. Partisan to what they have amassed, they fear to hear anything ill of it; relying on what they are partisan to, they look upon different methods and fear to hear anything good of them. Thus they run counter to order and never cease approving themselves. Is this not to be blinded by one corner and to lose the proper quest? If the mind is not put to work upon it, black and white can lie before the eyes unseen and thundering drums at one's side go unheard—how much more so for that which commands the mind! As for one who has attained the Way, the lords of disordered states condemn him from above and the men of disordered schools condemn him from below—is that not pitiful!

故為蔽：欲為蔽，惡為蔽，始為蔽，終為蔽，遠為蔽，近為蔽，博為蔽，淺為蔽，古為蔽，今為蔽。凡萬物異則莫不相為蔽，此心術之公患也。

Thus the things that can become a blindness: desire can blind, aversion can blind, beginnings can blind, endings can blind, the distant can blind, the near can blind, breadth can blind, shallowness can blind, antiquity can blind, the present can blind. Among the myriad things, wherever there are differences there is none that cannot blind the others—this is the common calamity of the workings of the mind.

昔人君之蔽者，夏桀殷紂是也。桀蔽於末喜斯觀，而不知關龍逢，以惑其心，而亂其行。桀蔽於妲己、飛廉，而不知微子啟，以惑其心，而亂其行。故群臣去忠而事私，百姓怨非而不用，賢良退處而隱逃，此其所以喪九牧之地，而虛宗廟之國也。桀死於鬲山，紂縣於赤旆。身不先知，人又莫之諫，此蔽塞之禍也。成湯監於夏桀，故主其心而慎治之，是以能長用伊尹，而身不失道，此其所以代夏王而受九有也。文王監於殷紂，故主其心而慎治之，是以能長用呂望，而身不失道，此其所以代殷王而受九牧也。遠方莫不致其珍；故目視備色，耳聽備聲，口食備味，形居備宮，名受備號，生則天下歌，死則四海哭。夫是之謂至盛。詩曰："鳳凰秋秋，其翼若干，其聲若簫。有鳳有凰，樂帝之心。"此不蔽之福也。

Among rulers of men who were blinded in former times, Jie of Xia and Zhou of Yin are examples. Jie was blinded by Mo Xi and Si Guan, so that he did not recognize Guan Longfeng; thus his heart was confused and his conduct thrown into disorder. Zhou was blinded by Da Ji and Fei Lian, so that he did not recognize Qi, the Viscount of Wei (in the base text the latter clause reads 'Jie was blinded by Da Ji'; 'Jie' is a copyist's error for 'Zhou'); thus his heart was confused and his conduct thrown into disorder. Therefore their ministers abandoned loyalty to serve private ends, the people resented and denounced them and were not employed, and the worthy and good withdrew into hiding—these are the reasons they lost the pastoral lands of the nine provinces and emptied the state of their ancestral temples. Jie died at Mount Li, and Zhou's head was hung from a crimson banner. They could not foresee it themselves, and no one remonstrated with them—this is the calamity of blindness. Tang took warning from Jie of Xia, so he mastered his heart and governed carefully; thus he was able to employ Yi Yin for long and did not himself lose the Way—this is how he took the nine provinces in place of the king of Xia. King Wen took warning from Zhou of Yin, so he mastered his heart and governed carefully; thus he was able to employ Lü Wang for long and did not himself lose the Way—this is how he took the pastoral lands of the nine provinces in place of the king of Yin. From distant regions there were no treasures that were not sent to them; thus their eyes beheld every color to the full, their ears heard every sound to the full, their mouths tasted every flavor to the full, their bodies dwelt in palaces complete, and their names received titles complete. In life all under heaven sang of them; in death all within the four seas wept for them. This is called the utmost greatness. The Book of Songs says: 'The phoenix flutters; its wings are like shields; its voice is like the xiao. There are phoenix and phoenix to gladden the heart of the Lord on High.' This is the blessing of being unblinded.

昔人臣之蔽者，唐鞅奚齊是也。唐鞅蔽於欲權而逐載子，奚齊蔽於欲國而罪申生；唐鞅戮於宋，奚齊戮於晉。逐賢相而罪孝兄，身為刑戮，然而不知，此蔽塞之禍也。故以貪鄙、背叛、爭權而不危辱滅亡者，自古及今，未嘗有之也。鮑叔、甯戚、隰朋仁知且不蔽，故能持管仲，而名利福祿與管仲齊。召公、呂望仁知且不蔽，故能持周公而名利福祿與周公齊。傳曰："知賢之為明，輔賢之謂能，勉之強之，其福必長。"此之謂也。此不蔽之福也。

Among ministers of men who were blinded in former times, Tang Yang and Xi Qi are examples. Tang Yang was blinded by the desire for power and drove out Zai Zi; Xi Qi was blinded by the desire for the state and brought a charge against Shensheng. Tang Yang was killed in Song; Xi Qi was killed in Jin. They drove out worthy ministers and brought charges against filial elder brothers; their own persons suffered execution, yet they never understood—this is the calamity of blindness. Thus from antiquity to the present there has never been one who, through greed, betrayal, and contention for power, did not end in peril, disgrace, and destruction. Bao Shu, Ning Qi, and Xi Peng were humane and wise and not blinded, so they were able to uphold Guan Zhong, and their fame, gain, fortune, and emolument were equal to Guan Zhong's. The Duke of Shao and Lü Wang were humane and wise and not blinded, so they were able to uphold the Duke of Zhou, and their fame, gain, fortune, and emolument were equal to the Duke of Zhou's. A commentary says: 'To recognize the worthy is called discernment; to assist the worthy is called ability. Encourage it and make it firm, and that blessing will surely endure.' This is what is meant. This is the blessing of being unblinded.

昔賓孟之蔽者，亂家是也。墨子蔽於用而不知文。宋子蔽於欲而不知得。慎子蔽於法而不知賢。申子蔽於埶而不知知。惠子蔽於辭而不知實。莊子蔽於天而不知人。故由用謂之道，盡利矣。由欲謂之道，盡嗛矣。由法謂之道，盡數矣。由埶謂之道，盡便矣。由辭謂之道，盡論矣。由天謂之道，盡因矣。此數具者，皆道之一隅也。夫道者體常而盡變，一隅不足以舉之。曲知之人，觀於道之一隅，而未之能識也。故以為足而飾之，內以自亂，外以惑人，上以蔽下，下以蔽上，此蔽塞之禍也。孔子仁知且不蔽，故學亂術足以為先王者也。一家得周道，舉而用之，不蔽於成積也。故德與周公齊，名與三王並，此不蔽之福也。

Among wandering persuaders who were blinded in former times, the disordered schools are examples. Mozi was blinded by 'utility' and did not know refinement. Master Song was blinded by 'desire' and did not know attainment. Master Shen (Shen Dao) was blinded by 'law' and did not know worthiness. Master Shen (Shen Buhai) was blinded by 'positional power' and did not know wisdom. Master Hui was blinded by 'phrases' and did not know realities. Master Zhuang was blinded by 'heaven' and did not know man. Thus to speak of the Way in terms of utility makes it all profit; in terms of desire, all contentment; in terms of law, all method; in terms of positional power, all expediency; in terms of phrases, all disputation; in terms of heaven, all passive reliance. These several things are each a single corner of the Way. The Way embodies the constant and exhausts every change; one corner cannot encompass it. A man of one-sided knowledge sees one corner of the Way and fails to recognize the whole; taking it to be sufficient, he embellishes it, using it inwardly to throw himself into disorder, outwardly to delude others, upwardly to blind those below, and downwardly to blind those above—this is the calamity of blindness. Confucius was humane and wise and not blinded, so that in studying the methods of order he sufficed to become like the former kings. The one school that attained the Way in its completeness raised it up and put it to use, unblinded by settled habits. Therefore his virtue ranked equal to the Duke of Zhou's and his name stands beside the Three Kings—this is the blessing of being unblinded.

聖人知心術之患，見蔽塞之禍，故無慾、無惡、無始、無終、無近、無遠、無博、無淺、無古、無今，兼陳萬物而中縣衡焉。是故眾異不得相蔽以亂其倫也。

The sage knew the calamity of the workings of the mind and saw the ruin of blindness, so he had no desire, no aversion, no beginning, no end, no near, no far, no broad, no shallow, no ancient, no modern. He ranged all the myriad things side by side and hung the balance in their midst; thus their many differences could not blind one another and disorder their categories.

何謂衡？曰：道。故心不可以不知道；心不知道，則不可道，而可非道。人孰欲得恣，而守其所不可，以禁其所可？以其不可道之心取人，則必合於不道人，而不合於道人。以其不可道之心與不道人論道人，亂之本也。夫何以知？曰：心知道，然後可道；可道然後守道以禁非道。以其可道之心取人，則合於道人，而不合於不道之人矣。以其可道之心與道人論非道，治之要也。何患不知？故治之要在於知道。

What is meant by the balance? I say: the Way. Therefore the mind cannot be allowed not to know the Way. If the mind does not know, it does not approve the Way but approves what is not the Way. Who among men, wishing to indulge himself, keeps to what he does not approve in order to forbid what he approves? To choose men with a mind that does not approve the Way is bound to accord with men without the Way and not with men who have it. To take a mind that does not approve the Way and, in company with men who lack the Way, discuss men who have it—this is the root of disorder. By what does one know? I say: when the mind knows, then it can approve the Way; having approved the Way, it can keep to the Way and forbid what is not the Way. To choose men with a mind that approves the Way is to accord with men who have the Way and not with men who lack it. To take a mind that approves the Way and, in company with men who have the Way, discuss what is not the Way—this is the essential of order. Why fret over not knowing? Thus the essential of order lies in knowing the Way.

人何以知道？曰：心。心何以知？曰：虛壹而靜。心未嘗不臧也，然而有所謂虛；心未嘗不兩也，然而有所謂壹；心未嘗不動也，然而有所謂靜。人生而有知，知而有志；志也者，臧也；然而有所謂虛；不以所已臧害所將受謂之虛。心生而有知，知而有異；異也者，同時兼知之；同時兼知之，兩也；然而有所謂一；不以夫一害此一謂之壹。心臥則夢，偷則自行，使之則謀；故心未嘗不動也；然而有所謂靜；不以夢劇亂知謂之靜。未得道而求道者，謂之虛壹而靜。作之：則將須道者之虛則人，將事道者之壹則盡，盡將思道者靜則察。知道察，知道行，體道者也。虛壹而靜，謂之大清明。萬物莫形而不見，莫見而不論，莫論而失位。坐於室而見四海，處於今而論久遠。疏觀萬物而知其情，參稽治亂而通其度，經緯天地而材官萬物，制割大理而宇宙裡矣。恢恢廣廣，孰知其極？睪睪廣廣，孰知其德？涫涫紛紛，孰知其形？明參日月，大滿八極，夫是之謂大人。夫惡有蔽矣哉！

By what does man know? I say: the mind. By what does the mind know? I say: emptiness, unity, and stillness. The mind has never ceased storing things, yet there is what is called emptiness; the mind has never lacked two ends, yet there is what is called unity; the mind has never ceased moving, yet there is what is called stillness. Man is born with awareness; awareness brings memory. Memory is storing, yet there is what is called emptiness—not letting what is already stored up harm what is about to be received is called emptiness. The mind is born with awareness, and awareness makes distinctions. Distinctions mean knowing two things at once; knowing two things at once is duality, yet there is what is called unity—not letting that one harm this one is called unity. When the mind sleeps it dreams; at ease it roams of itself; put to work it deliberates. Thus the mind has never ceased moving, yet there is what is called stillness—not letting dreams and turmoil disturb awareness is called stillness. One who has not yet attained the Way but seeks it must be told of emptiness, unity, and stillness. Put into practice: one who would await the Way can, by emptiness, let it enter; one who would serve the Way can, by unity, exhaust it; one who would ponder the Way can, by stillness, discern it. To know and then discern, to know and then act—this is one who embodies the Way. Emptiness, unity, and stillness are called the Great Pure Illumination. Of the myriad things, none takes form that is not seen, none is seen that is not placed in its rank, none is ranked that loses its position. Sitting in a room he sees all the four seas; dwelling in the present he ranks the far distant. He surveys the myriad things broadly and knows their true state; he examines and tests order and disorder and comprehends their measures; he lays out the warp and woof of heaven and earth and fashions the myriad things; he orders the great pattern, and the pattern of the cosmos is obtained (the base text reads li, 'village,' a copyist's error for li, 'pattern'). Vast, vast—who knows its limit? Boundless, boundless—who knows its virtue? Rolling, tumbling—who knows its shape? Its brightness matches the sun and moon; its greatness fills the eight extremes. Such a one is called the Great Man. What blindness could remain for him!

心者，形之君也，而神明之主也，出令而無所受令。自禁也，自使也，自奪也，自取也，自行也，自止也。故口可劫而使墨云，形可劫而使詘申，心不可劫而使易意，是之則受，非之則辭。故曰：心容－－其擇也無禁，必自現，其物也雜博，其情之至也不貳。詩云："采采卷耳，不盈傾筐。嗟我懷人，寘彼周行。"傾筐易滿也，卷耳易得也，然而不可以貳周行。故曰：心枝則無知，傾則不精，貳則疑惑。以贊稽之，萬物可兼知也。身盡其故則美。類不可兩也，故知者擇一而壹焉。

The mind is the lord of the bodily frame and the master of the spirit's illumination; it issues commands and accepts none. Of itself it forbids, of itself it is employed, of itself it takes away, of itself it takes, of itself it proceeds, of itself it stops. Thus the mouth can be coerced into silence or into speech, the body can be coerced to bend or stretch, but the mind cannot be coerced to change its intent: what it deems right it accepts; what it deems wrong it refuses. Hence it is said: as for the state of the mind, its choices admit no compulsion and must show themselves of themselves; its objects are motley and broad; when its true condition reaches the utmost it is undivided. The 'Juan Er' in the 'Airs of Zhou and the South' of the Book of Songs says: 'I pick and pick the plantain, yet cannot fill my slanting basket. I sigh for the man I long for, and set him in the ranks of Zhou.' A slanting basket is easy to fill, and plantain easy to gather, yet one may not let the mind be divided regarding the ranks of Zhou. Thus it is said: when the mind branches it cannot know; when it tilts it cannot be keen; when it is divided it is perplexed. If one uses it to aid in examination, the myriad things can all be known. When a man exhausts their reasons in himself, it is beautiful. Categories cannot belong to two at once, so the wise choose one and give it undivided devotion.

農精於田，而不可以為田師；賈精於市，而不可以為市師；工精於器，而不可以為器師。有人也，不能此三技，而可使治三官。曰：精於道者也。精於物者也。精於物者以物物，精於道者兼物物。故君子壹於道，而以贊稽物。壹於道則正，以贊稽物則察；以正志行察論，則萬物官矣。昔者舜之治天下也，不以事詔而萬物成。處一危之，其榮滿側；養一之微，榮矣而未知。故道經曰："人心之危，道心之微。"危微之幾，惟明君子而後能知之。故人心譬如盤水，正錯而勿動，則湛濁在下，而清明在上，則足以見鬒眉而察理矣。微風過之，湛濁動乎下，清明亂於上，則不可以得大形之正也。心亦如是矣。故導之以理，養之以清，物莫之傾，則足以定是非決嫌疑矣。小物引之，則其正外易，其心內傾，則不足以決麤理矣。故好書者眾矣，而倉頡獨傳者，壹也；好稼者眾矣，而後稷獨傳者，壹也。好樂者眾矣，而夔獨傳者，壹也；好義者眾矣，而舜獨傳者，壹也。倕作弓，浮游作矢，而羿精於射；奚仲作車，乘杜作乘馬，而造父精於御：自古及今，未嘗有兩而能精者也。曾子曰："是其庭可以搏鼠，惡能與我歌矣！"

The farmer is keen at the fields, but he cannot be made master of the fields; the merchant is keen at the market, but he cannot be made master of the market; the artisan is keen at implements, but he cannot be made master of implements. There is a kind of man who cannot perform these three skills, yet can be set to govern these three offices. I say: he is one keen on the Way; they are ones keen on things. One keen on things uses a thing to put another thing to work; one keen on the Way can put all things to work at once. Thus the noble man gives undivided devotion to the Way and uses it to aid in examining things. Undivided devotion to the Way is rectitude; using it to aid in examining things is discernment. When one puts discerning discourse into practice with a rectified will, all the myriad things receive their offices. In former times Shun governed all under heaven; he did not direct every single affair, yet the myriad things were accomplished. Dwelling in unity and keeping watch over it, his glory filled all around him; nurturing the hidden subtleties of unity, he attained glory and did not himself know it. Thus the Canon of the Way says: 'The mind of man is perilous; the mind of the Way is subtle.' Only an enlightened noble man can know the first sproutings of peril and subtlety. Therefore the mind of man is like water in a basin: set it upright and do not stir it, and the muddy sediment sinks below while the clear rises above, enough to see one's temples and brows and examine the texture of the skin. Let a light breeze pass over it: the sediment stirs below, the clear is ruffled above, and one can no longer obtain a true image of the great form. The mind is also like this. Thus guide it with the pattern, nourish it with clarity, let no thing make it tilt, and it will suffice to determine right and wrong and decide doubtful cases. If petty things pull at it, its rectitude is altered without and its heart tilted within, and it cannot decide even coarse and shallow matters. Thus many were fond of writing, yet only Cang Jie has come down to us—undivided devotion. Many were fond of husbandry, yet only Hou Ji has come down to us—undivided devotion. Many were fond of music, yet only Kui has come down to us—undivided devotion; many were fond of rightness, yet only Shun has come down to us—undivided devotion. Chui made the bow and Fuyou made the arrow, yet Yi was keen at archery; Xizhong made the chariot and Cheng Du first yoked horses, yet Zaofu was keen at driving. From antiquity to the present, no one has ever been keen at two things at once. Master Zeng said: 'That courtyard of yours could catch a rat—how could it join me in song!'

空石之中有人焉，其名曰觙。其為人也，善射以好思。耳目之欲接，則敗其思；蚊虻之聲聞，則挫其精。是以闢耳目之欲，而遠蚊虻之聲，閒居靜思則通。思仁若是，可謂微乎？孟子惡敗而出妻，可謂能自強矣，未及思也；有子惡臥而焠掌，可謂能自忍矣；未及好也。闢耳目之欲，遠蚊虻之聲，可謂危矣；未可謂微也。夫微者，至人也。至人也，何忍！何強！何危！故濁明外景，清明內景，聖人縱其欲，兼其情，而制焉者理矣；夫何強！何忍！何危！故仁者之行道也，無為也；聖人之行道也，無強也。仁者之思也恭，聖者之思也樂。此治心之道也。

In the caverns of Kongshi there was a man whose name was Ji. By nature he was good at archery and fond of pondering. As soon as the desires of eye and ear touched him, they ruined his pondering; as soon as he heard the whine of mosquitoes and gnats, it crushed his concentration. So he shunned the desires of eye and ear and kept far from the whine of insects; dwelling in quiet and pondering in stillness, he came through. If pondering humaneness were like this, could it be called subtle? Mencius, hating its ruin, sent away his wife—this can be called self-mastery, but it had not yet reached pondering. Master You, hating to fall asleep, scorched his palm—this can be called self-endurance, but it had not yet reached fondness. Shunning the desires of eye and ear and keeping far from the whine of insects can be called perilous, but it cannot yet be called subtle. The subtle is the perfect man. For the perfect man, what need of endurance! what need of mastery! what need of peril! Thus the brightness of the turbid is an outer light; the brightness of the clear is an inner light. The sage lets his desires run free and gives full use to his feelings, yet what regulates them is the pattern—what need of mastery! what need of endurance! what need of peril! Thus the humane man practices the Way without forced action; the sage practices the Way without strain. The humane man's pondering is reverent; the sage's pondering is joyful. This is the way to govern the mind.

凡觀物有疑，中心不定，則外物不清。吾慮不清，未可定然否也。冥冥而行者，見寢石以為伏虎也，見植林以為後人也：冥冥蔽其明也。醉者越百步之溝，以為蹞步之澮也；俯而出城門，以為小之閨也：酒亂其神也。厭目而視者，視一為兩；掩耳而聽者，聽漠漠而以為哅哅：埶亂其官也。故從山上望牛者若羊，而求羊者不下牽也：遠蔽其大也。從山下望木者，十仞之木若箸，而求箸者不上折也：高蔽其長也。水動而景搖，人不以定美惡：水埶玄也。瞽者仰視而不見星，人不以定有無：用精惑也。有人焉以此時定物，則世之愚者也。彼愚者之定物，以疑決疑，決必不當。夫苟不當，安能無過乎？

In general, when the observation of things is doubtful and the heart is unsettled, outer things cannot be clear. If my reflections are not clear, I cannot decide what is so and what is not. A man walking in the dark sees a recumbent stone and takes it for a crouching tiger; he sees a stand of upright trees and takes it for men behind him—the darkness blinds his sight. A drunkard strides across a hundred-pace ditch, taking it for a half-pace gutter; with head bowed he walks out of a city gate, taking it for a small chamber door—wine has disturbed his spirit. A man who presses on his eyes sees one thing as two; a man who covers his ears hears stillness as clamor—the pressure disturbs his organs of sense. Thus from atop a mountain an ox looks like a sheep, yet no seeker of sheep goes down the mountain to lead it home—distance has blinded him to its size. From below, a tree ten ren tall looks like a chopstick, yet no seeker of chopsticks goes up the mountain to break one off—height has blinded him to its length. When water moves, the reflection wavers, and no one uses it to judge beauty or ugliness—the play of the water dazzles. A blind man lifts his head and cannot see the stars, and no one uses him to determine whether they exist—the instrument of discernment is at fault. If anyone judges things at moments like these, he is the world's fool. When that fool judges things, he uses doubt to decide doubt, and his decision is certainly inapt; and if it is inapt, how can he fail to go astray?

夏首之南有人焉；曰涓蜀梁。其為人也，愚而善畏。明月而宵行，俯見其影，以為伏鬼也；仰視其發，以為立魅也。背而走，比至其家，失氣而死。豈不哀哉！凡人之有鬼也，必以其感忽之間，疑玄之時定之。此人之所以無有而有無之時也，而己以定事。故傷於溼而痺，痺而擊鼓烹豚，則必有敝鼓喪豚之費矣，而未有俞疾之福也。故雖不在夏首之南，則無以異矣。

South of Xiashou there was a man named Juan Shuliang. By nature he was foolish and easily frightened. Walking at night under a bright moon, he lowered his head, saw his shadow, and took it for a crouching ghost; he raised his head, saw his hair, and took it for a standing demon. He turned and ran, and by the time he reached his house his breath gave out and he died. Is that not pitiful! Whenever men suppose that ghosts exist, they must have decided it in a moment of trance and deluded confusion. This is when man mistakes nothing for something and something for nothing, and uses it to settle matters for himself. Thus a man injured by dampness who goes numb will, upon going numb, beat drums and boil a pig—and he is sure to incur the cost of a broken drum and a lost pig without the blessing of a cure. So even if he is not south of Xiashou, there is no difference.

凡以知，人之性也；可以知，物之理也。以可以知人之性，求可以知物之理，而無所疑止之，則沒世窮年不能無也。其所以貫理焉雖億萬，已不足浹萬物之變，與愚者若一。學、老身長子，而與愚者若一，猶不知錯，夫是之謂妄人。故學也者，固學止之也。惡乎止之？曰：止諸至足。曷謂至足？曰：聖王。聖也者，盡倫者也；王也者，盡制者也；兩盡者，足以為天下極矣。故學者以聖王為師，案以聖王之製為法，法其法以求其統類，以務象效其人。向是而務，士也；類是而幾，君子也；知之，聖人也。故有知非以慮是，則謂之懼；有勇非以持是，則謂之賊；察孰非以分是，則謂之篡；多能非以修蕩是，則謂之知；辯利非以言是，則謂之詍。傳曰："天下有二：非察是，是察非。"謂合王制不合王制也。天下不以是為隆正也，然而猶有能分是非、治曲直者邪？

In general, that by which we know is the nature of man; that which can be known is the pattern of things. To take man's nature, which can know, and seek after the pattern of things, which can be known, without any point of rest is to spend a whole life, to exhaust one's years, and still not reach the end. The principles he uses to thread them through may be millions upon millions, yet they will not suffice to compass the changes of the myriad things, and he is the same as a fool. To study until he is old and his sons are grown, and still be the same as a fool, and still not know to let it go—such a one is called a vain man. Therefore learning is, at bottom, learning the point at which to stop. Where does one stop? I say: at utmost sufficiency. What is utmost sufficiency? I say: the sage king. Sagehood exhausts the human relations; kingship exhausts the regulations. To exhaust both suffices to be the pole of all under heaven. Therefore the learner takes the sage king as his teacher, and accordingly takes the sage king's regulations as his model, models himself on that model in order to seek their guiding threads, and strives to imitate that man. One who strives toward this is a scholar; one who approximates and draws near to this is a noble man; one who knows this is a sage. Thus to have knowledge yet not use it to ponder this is called timidity; to have courage yet not use it to uphold this is called brigandage; to have keenness of discernment yet not use it to distinguish this is called usurpation; to have many abilities yet not use them to cultivate and magnify this is called cleverness; to have a fluent tongue yet not use it to speak this is called babbling. A commentary says: 'Under heaven there are two faces: using the wrong to examine the right, and using the right to examine the wrong.' This speaks of what accords with the kingly regulations and what does not. If under heaven does not take this as the grand standard, can it still distinguish right from wrong and order the crooked from the straight?

若夫非分是非，非治曲直，非辨治亂，非治人道，雖能之無益於人，不能無損於人；案直將治怪說，玩奇辭，以相撓滑也；案強鉗而利口，厚顏而忍詬，無正而恣孳，妄辨而幾利；不好辭讓，不敬禮節，而好相推擠：此亂世奸人之說也，則天下之治說者，方多然矣。傳曰："析辭而為察，言物而為辨，君子賤之。博聞強志，不合王制，君子賤之。"此之謂也。

As for those who do not distinguish right from wrong, do not order the crooked from the straight, do not discriminate order from disorder, and do not manage the ways of men—what they can do is of no benefit to men, and what they cannot do is no loss to men. They only set about treating weird doctrines and toying with strange phrases in order to throw one another into confusion; they coerce by force and wield sharpened tongues, endure insults with brazen faces, run wild and multiply without rectitude, make reckless arguments near to the pursuit of gain; they have no love for courteous deference, no respect for the rites and measures, and delight in jostling one another aside—this is the talk of the villainous men of a disordered age, and such are most of those who work up doctrines in the world today. A commentary says: 'To dissect phrases and call it discernment, to discourse on names and call it dialectic—the noble man despises it. Broad hearing and strong memory that do not accord with the kingly regulations—the noble man despises it.' This is what is meant.

為之無益於成也，求之無益於得也，憂戚之無益於幾也，則廣焉能棄之矣，不以自妨也，不少頃幹之胸中。不慕往，不閔來，無邑憐之心，當時則動，物至而應，事起而辨，治亂可否，昭然明矣。

What would accomplish nothing if done, obtain nothing if sought, and avail nothing for the sproutings of peril if grieved over—such things he can cast far away, does not let hinder him, and does not allow to intrude upon his breast for a moment. He does not envy the past nor pity the future; he harbors no brooding or regretful heart. When the season comes he moves; when a thing arrives he responds; when an affair stirs he discriminates. Order and disorder, the permissible and the impermissible, stand clear before him.

周而成，洩而敗，明君無之有也。宣而成，隱而敗，闇君無之有也。故人君者，周則讒言至矣，直言反矣；小人邇而君子遠矣！詩云："墨以為明，狐狸而蒼。"此言上幽而下險也。君人者，宣則直言至矣，而讒言反矣；君子邇而小人遠矣！詩云："明明在下，赫赫在上。"此言上明而下化也。

To succeed by concealment and fail by disclosure—no enlightened lord does this. To succeed by openness and fail by hiding—no benighted lord does this. Thus for one who is a lord of men, if he is secretive, slanderous words arrive and straight words turn back; the petty draw near and noble men keep away. The Book of Songs says: 'Taking darkness for brightness, the foxes turn grizzled.' This speaks of darkness above and deceit below. For one who is a lord of men, if he is open, straight words arrive and slanderous words turn back; noble men draw near and the petty keep away. The 'Da Ming' in the Greater Odes of the Book of Songs says: 'Bright below, illustrious above.' This speaks of light above and transformation below.

后王之成名：刑名從商，爵名從周，文名從禮，散名之加於萬物者，則從諸夏之成俗曲期，遠方異俗之鄉，則因之而為通。

The names fixed by the later kings: names for punishments followed the Shang, names for ranks followed the Zhou, names for the forms and ornaments of ritual followed the Ritual, and the scattered names applied to the myriad things followed the settled customs and common conventions of the Xia lands; districts with different customs in remote regions relied on these to communicate.

散名之在人者：生之所以然者謂之性；性之和所生，精合感應，不事而自然謂之性。性之好、惡、喜、怒、哀、樂謂之情。情然而心為之擇謂之慮。心慮而能為之動謂之偽；慮積焉，能習焉，而後成謂之偽。正利而為謂之事。正義而為謂之行。所以知之在人者謂之知；知有所合謂之智。所以能之在人者謂之能；能有所合謂之能。性傷謂之病。節遇謂之命：是散名之在人者也，是后王之成名也。

The scattered names applied to man: that by which he is as he is at birth is called nature. What is born of nature's harmony, what the vital spirit joins and responds to, and what is so of itself without being made is called nature. Nature's liking, disliking, joy, anger, grief, and delight are called the feelings. When the feelings are so and the mind makes a choice among them, it is called deliberation. When the mind deliberates and the abilities act upon it, it is called conscious activity; when deliberation has been amassed and the abilities practiced so that something is afterward completed, it is called conscious activity. Doing what is right for the sake of profit is called affairs. Doing what is right for the sake of rightness is called conduct. The faculty of knowing in man is called awareness; when awareness coincides with things it is called intelligence. The faculty of capability in man is called ability; when ability coincides with things it too is called ability. When nature suffers harm it is called illness. What is met with in one's lot is called fate. These are the scattered names applied to man, the names fixed by the later kings.

故王者之制名，名定而實辨，道行而志通，則慎率民而一焉。故析辭擅作名，以亂正名，使民疑惑，人多辨訟，則謂之大奸。其罪猶為符節度量之罪也。故其民莫敢托為奇辭以亂正名，故其民愨；愨則易使，易使則公。其民莫敢托為奇辭以亂正名，故壹於道法，而謹於循令矣。如是則其跡長矣。跡長功成，治之極也。是謹於守名約之功也。今聖王沒，名守慢，奇辭起，名實亂，是非之形不明，則雖守法之吏，誦數之儒，亦皆亂也。若有王者起，必將有循於舊名，有作於新名。然則所為有名，與所緣以同異，與制名之樞要，不可不察也。

Therefore when a king fixes names, once the names are fixed the things are distinguished; once the Way is practiced the will is communicated; and then he carefully leads the people and makes them one. Thus anyone who dissects phrases and presumptuously makes names so as to throw the correct names into disorder, to leave the people in doubt and multiply disputation, is called a great villain; his crime is like the crime of forging tallies, measures, and weights. Therefore his people dare not fabricate strange phrases to throw the correct names into disorder, and so his people are simple. Being simple they are easy to direct, and being easy to direct they are impartial. Since his people dare not fabricate strange phrases to throw the correct names into disorder, they are united in devotion to the Way and its models and heedfully follow orders. When it is so, his accomplishments endure; enduring accomplishments and completed achievement are the utmost of order. This is the efficacy of carefully holding to the conventions of names. Now the sage kings are gone; keeping to names is slack, strange phrases arise, names and realities are confounded, and the forms of right and wrong are not manifest—so that even law-keeping officials and Ru who recite the measures are all thrown into disorder. If a true king should arise, he is bound to follow the old names in some cases and create new names in others. Therefore why names are necessary, by what the same and the different are distinguished, and the pivotal points in fixing names—these cannot but be examined.

異形離心交喻，異物名實玄紐，貴賤不明，同異不別；如是，則志必有不喻之患，而事必有困廢之禍。故知者為之分別制名以指實，上以明貴賤，下以辨同異。貴賤明，同異別，如是則志無不喻之患，事無困廢之禍，此所為有名也。

When different forms part from the mind and explain one another, when the names and realities of different things are darkly tangled together, when noble and base are not made manifest and same and different are not distinguished, then the will is certain to suffer the calamity of being unable to make itself understood, and affairs are certain to suffer the calamity of being stymied and abandoned. Therefore the wise made separate names for them in order to indicate the realities, using them upward to make noble and base manifest and downward to distinguish same and different. With noble and base manifest and same and different distinguished, the will suffers no calamity of going uncommunicated and affairs suffer no calamity of being stymied and abandoned. This is why names are necessary.

然則何緣而以同異？曰：緣天官。凡同類同情者，其天官之意物也同。故比方之疑似而通，是所以共其約名以相期也。形體、色理以目異；聲音清濁、調竽、奇聲以耳異；甘、苦、鹹、淡、辛、酸、奇味以口異；香、臭、芬、鬱、腥、臊、漏庮、奇臭以鼻異；疾、癢、凔、熱、滑、鈹、輕、重以形體異；說、故、喜、怒、哀、樂、愛、惡、欲以心異。心有徵知。徵知，則緣耳而知聲可也，緣目而知形可也。然而徵知必將待天官之當簿其類，然後可也。五官簿之而不知，心徵知而無說，則人莫不然謂之不知。此所緣而以同異也。

Then by what are sameness and difference known? I say: by the faculties received from nature. All beings of the same kind and same condition apprehend things through their natural faculties in the same way; thus by comparing what resembles, things can be communicated—this is how the conventional names are shared for mutual agreement. Bodily form, color, and pattern are differentiated by the eye; sound clear or muddy, harmonious tune, and strange noise are differentiated by the ear; sweet, bitter, salty, bland, acrid, sour, and strange tastes are differentiated by the mouth; fragrant, fetid, flowery, rank, fishy, goaty, and strange odors are differentiated by the nose; pain, itch, cold, heat, smoothness, roughness, lightness, and heaviness are differentiated by the body; contentment, vexation, joy, anger, grief, delight, love, hate, and desire are differentiated by the mind. The mind has verifying knowledge. With verifying knowledge, then by way of the ear sound can be known, and by way of the eye form can be known. Yet verifying knowledge must wait upon the natural faculties each properly recording its own kind before it can be. If the five organs record but there is no knowing, or the mind verifies and knows but there is no way to say it, then everyone would call this not-knowing. This is by what sameness and difference are known.

然後隨而命之，同則同之，異則異之。單足以喻則單，單不足以喻則兼；單與兼無所相避則共；雖共不為害矣。知異實者之異名也，故使異實者莫不異名也，不可亂也，猶使同實者莫不同名也。

Then, accordingly, names are bestowed: what is the same is given the same name; what is different is given a different name. When a single name suffices to make it understood, a single name is used; when a single name does not suffice, a compound name is used; when single and compound names do not conflict, they are used in common, and being used in common does no harm. Knowing that different realities ought to have different names, one ensures that different realities never lack different names—this must not be thrown into disorder, just as one ensures that the same realities never bear different names.

故萬物雖眾，有時而欲無舉之，故謂之物；物也者，大共名也。推而共之，共則有共，至於無共然後止。有時而欲偏舉之，故謂之鳥獸。鳥獸也者，大別名也。推而別之，別則有別，至於無別然後至。

Therefore although the myriad things are many, sometimes one wishes to take them all up without remainder—hence the name 'thing.' 'Thing' is the greatest common name. One pushes it out into the common; where the common ends there is still the common, and one stops only when there is nothing more common. Sometimes one wishes to take up a portion of them—hence the name 'birds and beasts.' 'Birds and beasts' is the greatest differentiating name. One pushes it out into differentiation; where differentiation ends there is still differentiation, and one stops only when there is nothing more to differentiate.

名無固宜，約之以命，約定俗成謂之宜，異於約則謂之不宜。名無固實，約之以命實，約定俗成，謂之實名。名有固善，徑易而不拂，謂之善名。

Names have no inherent appropriateness: they name by convention; when the convention is established by custom it is called appropriate, and what differs from the convention is called inappropriate. Names have no inherent reality: by convention a reality is named; when the convention is established by custom it is called the name of that reality. Some names are inherently good: direct, plain, and not contrary—these are called good names.

物有同狀而異所者，有異狀而同所者，可別也。狀同而為異所者，雖可合，謂之二實。狀變而實無別而為異者，謂之化。有化而無別，謂之一實。此事之所以稽實定數也。此制名之樞要也。后王之成名，不可不察也。

Among things there are those with the same shape in different places, and those with different shapes in the same place; they can be distinguished. When two have the same shape in different places, though they may be named together, they are called two realities. When the shape changes yet the reality is not divided but becomes different, it is called transformation. When there is transformation without division, it is called one reality. This is how affairs examine realities and determine their number. This is the pivotal point in fixing names. The names fixed by the later kings cannot but be examined.

"見侮不辱"，"聖人不愛己"，"殺盜非殺人也"，此惑於用名以亂名者也。驗之所為有名，而觀其孰行，則能禁之矣。"山淵平"，"情慾寡"，"芻豢不加甘，大鐘不加樂"，此惑於用實，以亂名者也。驗之所緣以同異，而觀其孰調，則能禁之矣。"非而謁楹"，"有牛馬非馬也，"此惑於用名以亂實者也。驗之名約，以其所受，悖其所辭，則能禁之矣。

'To suffer insult is no disgrace,' 'the sage does not love himself,' 'to kill a robber is not to kill a man'—these are confusions that use names to throw names into disorder. Test them against why names are necessary, observe which course works, and they can be stopped. 'Mountains and abysses are level,' 'the desires are few,' 'flesh adds no sweetness, the great bell adds no music'—these are confusions that use realities to throw names into disorder. Test them against by what the same and the different are known, observe which is adjusted to the case, and they can be stopped. 'Denying yet deferring to the pillar,' 'possessing an ox-and-horse is not possessing a horse'—these are confusions that use names to throw realities into disorder. Test them against the convention of names, use what he accepts to confute what he refuses, and they can be stopped.

凡邪說辟言之離正道而擅作者，無不類於三惑者矣。故明君知其分而不與辨也。夫民易一以道，而不可與共故。故明君臨之以埶，道之以道，申之以命，章之以論，禁之以刑。故民之化道也如神，辨說惡用矣哉！今聖王沒，天下亂，奸言起，君子無埶以臨之，無刑以禁之，故辨說也。實不喻，然後命，命不喻，然後期，期不喻，然後說，說不喻，然後辨。故期命辨說也者，用之大文也，而王業之始也。名聞而實喻，名之用也。累而成文，名之麗也。用麗俱得，謂之知名。名也者，所以期累實也。辭也者，兼異實之名以論一意也。辨說也者，不異實名以喻動靜之道也。期命也者，辨說之用也。辨說也者，心之象道也。心也者，道之工宰也。道也者，治之經理也。心合於道，說合於心，辭合於說。正名而期，質請而喻，辨異而不過，推類而不悖。聽則合文，辨則盡故。以正道而辨奸，猶引繩以持曲直。是故邪說不能亂，百家無所竄。有兼聽之明，而無矜奮之容；有兼覆之厚，而無伐德之色。說行則天下正，說不行則白道而冥窮。是聖人之辨說也。詩曰："顒顒卬卬，如圭如璋，令聞令望，豈弟君子，四方為綱。"此之謂也。

In general, perverse doctrines and crooked sayings that depart from the right Way and are made on private authority are all like these three confusions. Therefore the enlightened lord knows their boundaries and does not dispute with them. The people can be unified by the Way but cannot be made partners in the reasons. So the enlightened lord overawes them with his position, guides them with the Way, makes things clear by commands, makes things manifest by explanation, and forbids by punishments. Thus his people are transformed by the Way as if by the divine—what need is there for disputation! Now the sage kings are gone, all under heaven is in disorder, and villainous sayings arise. The noble man has no position with which to overawe and no punishments with which to forbid, and for that reason he disputes. When realities cannot be made understood, then names are bestowed; when names cannot make it understood, then agreements are made; when agreements cannot make it understood, then explanations are given; when explanations cannot make it understood, then disputation is used. Thus agreement, naming, and disputation are the grandest of forms in use, and the beginning of the kingly enterprise. When a name is heard and the reality is made understood, that is the use of names. When names are accumulated into phrases, that is the pairing of names. When use and pairing are both apt, it is called knowing names. Names are what aggregate accumulated realities. Phrases join the names of different realities to discourse on a single meaning. Disputation explains the Way of action and stillness without letting name and reality diverge. Agreement and naming are the use of disputation. Disputation is the mind's imitation of the Way. The mind is the steward of the Way. The Way is the constant pattern of order. When the mind accords with the Way, speech accords with the mind, and phrases accord with speech. Names are made correct and agreed upon; substance and circumstances are weighed and made understood; distinctions are drawn without excess; analogies are pressed without contradiction. In listening it accords with form; in disputing it exhausts the reasons. Using the right Way to discriminate the villainous is like stretching the marking-line to hold the crooked and the straight. Thus perverse doctrines cannot throw it into disorder, and the hundred schools have nowhere to hide. It has the clarity to hear all sides without a demeanor of proud self-assertion; it has the generosity to cover all without a look of vaunted virtue. When its doctrine prevails, all under heaven is set right; when its doctrine does not prevail, it magnifies the Way and dwells in obscurity and want. This is the disputation of the sage. The 'Juan E' in the Greater Odes of the Book of Songs says: 'Dignified and exalted, like the jade scepter, like the jade baton, of fair renown and fair aspect; the happy and gracious noble man is the guiding line for the four quarters.' This is what is meant.

辭讓之節得矣，長少之理順矣；忌諱不稱，祅辭不出。以仁心說，以學心聽，以公心辨。不動乎眾人之非譽，不治觀者之耳目，不賂貴者之權埶，不利傳闢者之辭。故能處道而不貳，咄而不奪，利而不流，貴公正而賤鄙爭，是士君子之辨說也。詩曰："長夜漫兮，永思騫兮，大古之不慢兮，禮義之不愆兮，何恤人之言兮！"此之謂也。

When the forms of courteous deference are fitting, the ordering of elder and younger is followed; what is taboo is not uttered, and wicked and uncanny phrases do not pass the lips. He speaks with a humane heart, listens with a heart of learning, and disputes with a heart of impartiality. He is not moved by the crowd's blame or praise; he does not dress himself up for the eyes and ears of onlookers; he does not court the power of the honored; he has no greed for the phrases of those who spread crooked sayings. Thus he can abide in the Way undivided, endure straits unshaken, and remain undissolute in success; he values impartiality and despises mean contention—this is the disputation of the scholar and the noble man. The Book of Songs says: 'The long night stretches on; long I ponder my failings. Of the great ancients none was remiss; in ritual and rightness they never erred—why should I fret over the words of others!' This is what is meant.

君子之言，涉然而精，俛然而類，差差然而齊。彼正其名，當其辭，以務白其志義者也。彼名辭也者，志義之使也，足以相通，則舍之矣。苟之，奸也。故名足以指實，辭足以見極，則舍之矣。外是者，謂之訒，是君子之所棄，而愚者拾以為己寶。故愚者之言，芴然而粗，嘖然而不類，誻誻然而沸，彼誘其名，眩其辭，而無深於其志義者也。故窮借而無極，甚勞而無功，貪而無名。故知者之言也，慮之易知也，行之易安也，持之易立也，成則必得其所好，而不遇其所惡焉。而愚者反是。詩曰："為鬼為蜮，則不可得。有靦面目，視人罔極。作此好歌，以極反側。"此之謂也。

The noble man's words are deep and keen, close at hand yet ordered in classes, uneven yet evenly arranged. He makes the names correct and the phrases apt, striving to make manifest the meaning of his intent. Names and phrases are the envoys of intent; once they suffice to communicate it, he stops. To grasp at more perfunctorily is villainy. Therefore names suffice to indicate realities, phrases suffice to show the utmost, and there he stops. What goes beyond this is called making speech laborious; it is what the noble man discards, and what the fool picks up as his treasure. Thus the fool's words are vague and crude, clamorous and without classes, buzzing and boiling; he beguiles the names into disorder and dazzles the phrases, with no depth in the meaning of his intent. So he strains through borrowing upon borrowing without limit, toils grievously without achievement, and covets without a name. Therefore the wise man's words are easy to know when pondered, easy to rest in when practiced, easy to stand on when upheld, and when brought to completion they are certain to obtain what he loves and not encounter what he hates. The fool is the opposite of this. The 'He Ren Si' in the Lesser Odes of the Book of Songs says: 'Whether ghost or water-sprite, it cannot be caught. With that shamefaced look, you treat men without any rule. I made this good song to plumb your shifts and turnings.' This is what is meant.

凡語治而待去欲者，無以道欲而困於有欲者也。凡語治而待寡慾者，無以節慾而困於多欲者也。有欲無慾，異類也，生死也，非治亂也。欲之多寡，異類也，情之數也，非治亂也。欲不待可得，而求者從所可。欲不待可得，所受乎天也；求者從所可，所受乎心也。所受乎天之一欲，制於所受乎心之多，固難類所受乎天也。人之所欲生甚矣，人之惡死甚矣；然而人有從生成死者，非不欲生而欲死也，不可以生而可以死也。故欲過之而動不及，心止之也。心之所可中理，則欲雖多，奚傷於治？欲不及而動過之，心使之也。心之所可失理，則欲雖寡，奚止於亂？故治亂在於心之所可，亡於情之所欲。不求之其所在，而求之其所亡，雖曰我得之，失之矣。

All those who discuss order but wait for desires to be eliminated are people who have nothing with which to guide desires and are troubled by having desires. All those who discuss order but wait for desires to be reduced are people who have nothing with which to regulate desires and are troubled by having many desires. Having desires and not having desires belong to different categories; they are matters of life and death, not of order and disorder. Whether desires are many or few likewise belongs to a different category; it is a matter of the reckoning of the feelings, not of order and disorder. Desires do not wait until they can be satisfied before arising, but those who seek follow what they approve. That desires arise without waiting for what can satisfy them is something received from Heaven; that seekers follow what they approve is something received from the mind. The single desire received from Heaven, regulated by the many things received from the mind, can hardly resemble what was originally received from Heaven. Life is what men desire most intensely, and death is what men hate most intensely; yet there are those who turn from life toward death — not because they do not desire life and instead desire death, but because life is not possible and death is. So when desire exceeds it yet action falls short, it is the mind that has stopped it. When what the mind approves accords with principle, then even if desires are many, what harm can they do to order? When desire falls short yet action exceeds it, it is the mind that has driven it. When what the mind approves loses principle, then even if desires are few, how can disorder be stopped? Therefore order and disorder lie in what the mind approves, not in what the feelings desire. If one does not seek it where it lies but seeks it where it does not lie, then even though one says 'I have obtained it,' one has lost it.

性者、天之就也；情者、性之質也；欲者、情之應也。以所欲為可得而求之，情之所必不免也。以為可而道之，知所必出也。故雖為守門，欲不可去，性之具也。雖為天子，欲不可盡。欲雖不可盡，可以近盡也。欲雖不可去，求可節也。所欲雖不可盡，求者猶近盡；欲雖不可去，所求不得，慮者欲節求也。道者、進則近盡，退則節求，天下莫之若也。

Nature is what Heaven perfects; the feelings are the substance of nature; desires are the responses of the feelings. To regard what one desires as attainable and to seek it is what the feelings inevitably cannot avoid. To deem a thing permissible and to guide oneself toward it is what knowledge inevitably puts forth. Thus even a gatekeeper cannot do away with desires, for they are furnished by nature; and even the Son of Heaven cannot exhaust his desires. Yet although desires cannot be exhausted, they can be brought near to fulfillment. Although desires cannot be removed, the seeking can be regulated. Though what is desired cannot be exhausted, the seeker can still bring it near to fulfillment; and though desires cannot be removed, when what is sought is not obtained, the man who deliberates wishes to regulate his seeking. As for the Way: advancing, one brings desires near to fulfillment; retreating, one regulates one's seeking. Nothing under Heaven can compare with it.

凡人莫不從其所可，而去其所不可。知道之莫之若也，而不從道者，無之有也。假之有人而欲南，無多；而惡北，無寡，豈為夫南之不可盡也，離南行而北走也哉！今人所欲，無多；所惡，無寡，豈為夫所欲之不可盡也，離得欲之道，而取所惡也哉！故可道而從之，奚以損之而亂？不可道而離之，奚以益之而治？故知者論道而已矣，小家珍說之所願者皆衰矣。凡人之取也，所欲未嘗粹而來也；其去也，所惡未嘗粹而往也。故人無動而不可以不與權俱。衡不正，則重縣於仰，而人以為輕；輕縣於俛，而人以為重；此人所以惑於輕重也。權不正，則禍托於欲，而人以為福；福托於惡，而人以為禍；此亦人所以惑於禍福也。道者，古今之正權也；離道而內自擇，則不知禍福之所託。易者，以一易一，人曰：無得亦無喪也，以一易兩，人曰：無喪而有得也。以兩易一，人曰：無得而有喪也。計者取所多，謀者從所可。以兩易一，人莫之為，明其數也。從道而出，猶以一易兩也，奚喪！離道而內自擇，是猶以兩易一也，奚得！其累百年之慾，易一時之嫌，然且為之，不明其數也。

There is no man who does not follow what he approves and abandon what he disapproves. To know that nothing compares with the Way and yet not follow the Way — there is no such person. Suppose a man wished to go south — no matter how far, he would not think it too much — and hated to go north — no matter how little, he would not think it too little. Would he, just because the south cannot be traversed to its end, abandon walking south and run north instead? Now what men desire, they do not regard as too much; what they hate, they do not regard as too little. Would they, just because what is desired cannot be exhausted, abandon the Way that obtains what is desired and take instead what they hate? So if one can approve of the Way and follow it, how could that diminish it and lead to disorder? If one cannot approve of the Way and abandons it, how could that augment it and lead to order? Therefore the wise man discourses on the Way and nothing more, and the hopes entertained by petty and fanciful doctrines all fade away. In all that men take, what they desire never comes entirely pure; in all that they relinquish, what they hate never departs entirely pure. Therefore no man can act without keeping the balance and the weight with him. If the beam is not true, then a heavy thing hangs high and men think it light, while a light thing sinks low and men think it heavy — this is why men are misled about lightness and heaviness. If the weight is not true, then calamity may lodge in what is desired yet men take it for blessing, and blessing may lodge in what is hated yet men take it for calamity — this too is why men are misled about fortune and misfortune. The Way is the true standard of all ages past and present. If one departs from the Way and chooses by one's own heart, one will not know where fortune and misfortune lodge. In exchange, trading one for one, men say there is neither gain nor loss. Trading one for two, men say there is no loss but gain. Trading two for one, men say there is no gain but loss. The calculating man takes the greater amount; the planning man follows what he approves. Trading two for one — no man does it, because he understands that reckoning. To set out from the Way is like trading one for two — where is the loss? To depart from the Way and choose by one's own heart is like trading two for one — where is the gain? To trade away desires accumulated for a hundred years in exchange for a single moment of disgust, and yet still do it — that is not understanding the reckoning.

有嘗試深觀其隱而難者：志輕理而不重物者，無之有也；外重物而不內憂者，無之有也；行離理而不外危者，無之有也；外危而不內恐者，無之有也。心憂恐，則口銜芻豢而不知其味，耳聽鐘鼓而不知其聲，目視黼黻而不知其狀，輕暖平簟而體不知其安。故向萬物之美而不能嗛也。假而得間而嗛之，則不能離也。故向萬物之美而盛憂，兼萬物之美而盛害，如此者，其求物也，養生也？粥壽也？故欲養其欲而縱其情，欲養其性而危其形，欲養其樂而攻其心，欲養其名而亂其行，如此者，雖封侯稱君，其與夫盜無以異；乘軒戴絻，其與無足無以異。夫是之謂以己為物役矣。

I once tried looking deeply into what is hidden, subtle, and difficult. For the will to slight principle and yet not set store by external things — there is no such thing. To prize external things on the outside yet have no anxiety within — there is no such thing. For conduct to depart from principle yet meet no danger without — there is no such thing. To be in danger without yet feel no fear within — there is no such thing. When the heart is anxious and fearful, the mouth may hold meat yet not know its taste; the ears may listen to bells and drums yet not know their sound; the eyes may behold fine embroideries yet not know their appearance; the body may lie on light, warm, level mats yet not know their comfort. Thus a man may enjoy the finest of the myriad things and still not be satisfied; and even if he is briefly satisfied, the anxiety will not leave him. So to enjoy the finest of the myriad things while harboring great sorrow, and to possess all the benefits of the myriad things while harboring great harm — in such a case, when he pursues things, is he nourishing his life, or is he selling out his lifespan? Therefore, to wish to nourish one's desires yet indulge one's feelings, to wish to nourish one's nature yet endanger one's body, to wish to nourish one's joys yet assault one's heart, to wish to nourish one's reputation yet disorder one's conduct — a man like this, even if enfeoffed as a marquis and called a lord, is no different from a robber; even if he rides in a grand carriage wearing the ceremonial cap, he is no different from one who has no ground to stand on. This is called letting oneself be enslaved by things.

心平愉，則色不及傭而可以養目，聲不及傭而可以養耳，蔬食菜羹而可以養口，麤布之衣，麤紃之履，而可以養體。局室、蘆簾、稿蓐、敝機筵，而可以養形。故雖無萬物之美而可以養樂，無埶列之位而可以養名。如是而加天下焉，其為天下多，其私樂少矣。夫是之謂重己役物。

When the heart is calm, upright, and content, then colors that fall short of the ordinary can still nourish the eyes, sounds that fall short of the ordinary can still nourish the ears, plain vegetables and vegetable broth can nourish the mouth, clothes of coarse cloth and shoes of rough hemp can nourish the body. A cramped room, a reed curtain, a straw mat, a worn-out table and mat — these can still nourish the frame. So even without the finest of the myriad things one may nourish one's joy, and even without a place in the ranks of power and position one may nourish one's good name. If such a man were given the whole world, he would do much for the world's sake but take little for his private pleasure. This is called valuing oneself and making things serve you.

無稽之言，不見之行，不聞之謀，君子慎之。

The gentleman treats with caution all claims he has not been able to examine, conduct he has not witnessed, and plans he has not heard about.

人之性惡，其善者偽也。－－今人之性，生而有好利焉，順是，故爭奪生而辭讓亡焉；生而有疾惡焉，順是，故殘賊生而忠信亡焉；生而有耳目之欲，有好聲色焉，順是，故淫亂生而禮義文理亡焉。然則從人之性，順人之情，必出於HTTP/1.0502犯分亂理，而歸於暴。故必將有師法之化，禮義之道，然後出於辭讓，合於文理，而歸於治。用此觀之，人之性惡明矣，其善者偽也。

Man's nature is evil; his goodness is the result of conscious exertion. Now man's nature is such that at birth he is fond of profit. Following this, strife and contention arise while modest deference is lost. At birth he is given to envy and hatred. Following this, cruelty and villainy arise while loyalty and faithfulness are lost. At birth he has the desires of the ears and eyes and a fondness for sounds and colors. Following this, licentiousness and disorder arise while ritual and moral principles and proper form are lost. This being so, to let man's nature run free and follow his feelings inevitably leads to strife and contention, to the violation of social stations and the disruption of order, ending in violence. [The base text reads 'HTTP/1.0502', a scraping artifact; it should read 'contention.'] Therefore there must first be the transforming influence of teachers and models and the guidance of ritual and moral principles; only then do men come forth in modesty and deference, conform to proper form and order, and arrive at good government. From this it is clear that man's nature is evil and that his goodness is conscious exertion.

故枸木必將待檃栝、烝矯然後直；鈍金必將待礱厲然後利；今人之性惡，必將待師法然後正，得禮義然後治，今人無師法，則偏險而不正；無禮義，則悖亂而不治，古者聖王以人性惡，以為偏險而不正，悖亂而不治，是以為之起禮義，製法度，以矯飾人之情性而正之，以擾化人之情性而導之也，始皆出於治，合於道者也。今人之化師法，積文學，道禮義者為君子；縱性情，安恣孳，而違禮義者為小人。用此觀之，人之性惡明矣，其善者偽也。

Thus crooked wood must await the straightening frame and steaming and bending before it becomes straight; blunt metal must await grinding and sharpening before it becomes keen. So too man's nature, being evil, must await teachers and models before it becomes upright, and must obtain ritual and moral principles before it becomes ordered. Now if a man is without teachers and models, he is partial, perverse, and not upright; without ritual and moral principles, he is refractory, disorderly, and ungoverned. In ancient times the sage kings, because man's nature is evil and men were partial, perverse, and not upright, refractory, disorderly, and ungoverned, therefore raised up ritual and moral principles for them and established laws and standards, in order to reshape and straighten man's feelings and nature and to tame and guide them, so that all would come forth in order and conform to the Way. Nowadays a man who is transformed by teachers and models, who accumulates learning and letters, and who practices ritual and moral principles is a gentleman; one who gives free rein to his inborn feelings, rests content in unbridled license, and violates ritual and moral principles is a petty man. From this it is clear that man's nature is evil and that his goodness is conscious exertion.

孟子曰："今之學者，其性善。"

Mencius said: 'That men now devote themselves to learning shows that their nature is good.'

曰：是不然。是不及知人之性，而不察乎人之性偽之分者也。凡性者，天之就也，不可學，不可事。禮義者，聖人之所生也，人之所學而能，所事而成者也。不可學，不可事，而在人者，謂之性；可學而能，可事而成之在人者，謂之偽。是性偽之分也。今人之性，目可以見，耳可以聽；夫可以見之明不離目，可以聽之聰不離耳，目明而耳聰，不可學明矣。

I say: this is not so. It shows that he has not yet come to know man's nature and has not examined the distinction between nature and conscious exertion. In general, nature is what Heaven perfects; it cannot be learned and cannot be produced by effort. Ritual and moral principles were created by the sages; they are what men learn to master and produce through effort. What cannot be learned and cannot be produced by effort, yet resides in man, is called nature. What can be learned and mastered, can be produced by effort, and resides in man is called conscious exertion. This is the distinction between nature and conscious exertion. Now as for man's nature: the eyes can see and the ears can hear. The keen sight by which they see does not depart from the eyes, and the keen hearing by which they hear does not depart from the ears. That eyes are keen and ears acute clearly cannot be learned.

孟子曰："今人之性善，將皆失喪其性故也。"

Mencius said: 'Now since man's nature is good, all evil comes from his having lost his nature.'

曰：若是則過矣。今人之性，生而離其樸，離其資，必失而喪之。用此觀之，然則人之性惡明矣。所謂性善者，不離其樸而美之，不離其資而利之也。使夫資樸之於美，心意之於善，若夫可以見之明不離目，可以聽之聰不離耳，故曰目明而耳聰也。今人之性，飢而欲飽，寒而欲暖，勞而欲休，此人之情性也。今人見長而不敢先食者，將有所讓也；勞而不敢求息者，將有所代也。夫子之讓乎父，弟之讓乎兄，子之代乎父，弟之代乎兄，此二行者，皆反於性而悖於情也；然而孝子之道，禮義之文理也。故順情性則不辭讓矣，辭讓則悖於情性矣。用此觀之，人之性惡明矣，其善者偽也。

I say: if this were so, it would be mistaken. If man's nature upon birth departed from its raw simplicity and its natural endowment, it would necessarily be lost altogether. From this it is clear that man's nature is evil. What is meant by saying nature is good is that, without departing from its raw simplicity, it is beautified, and without departing from its natural endowment, it is made beneficial. It would make the endowed simplicity relate to beauty and the heart relate to goodness the way keen sight does not depart from the eyes and keen hearing does not depart from the ears — hence we say the eyes are keen and the ears acute. Now by man's nature, when hungry he wants to be full, when cold he wants warmth, when weary he wants rest — this is man's emotional nature. Yet now a man sees an elder and dares not eat first, because he must yield to him; weary, he dares not seek rest, because he must toil in another's place. A son yields to his father, a younger brother yields to his elder brother; a son toils in his father's place, a younger brother toils in his elder brother's place. These two courses of conduct both run counter to nature and violate the feelings; yet they are the way of the filial son and the proper form of ritual and moral principles. Therefore, if one follows one's feelings and nature there is no deference; where there is deference it is contrary to the feelings and nature. From this it is clear that man's nature is evil and that his goodness is conscious exertion.

問者曰："人之性惡，則禮義惡生？"

The questioner said: 'If man's nature is evil, then from what do ritual and moral principles arise?'

應之曰：凡禮義者，是生於聖人之偽，非故生於人之性也。故陶人埏埴而為器，然則器生於陶人之偽，非故生於人之性也。故工人斲木而成器，然則器生於工人之偽，非故生於人之性也。聖人積思慮，習偽故，以生禮義而起法度，然則禮義法度者，是生於聖人之偽，非故生於人之性也。若夫目好色，耳好聽，口好味，心好利，骨體膚理好愉佚，是皆生於人之情性者也；感而自然，不待事而後生之者也。夫感而不能然，必且待事而後然者，謂之生於偽。是性偽之所生，其不同之徵也。

I answer: all ritual and moral principles are born of the sages' conscious exertion; they were not originally produced from man's nature. Thus when the potter kneads clay and makes a vessel, the vessel is born of the potter's conscious exertion, not originally produced from man's nature. So too when the craftsman carves wood and makes a vessel, the vessel is born of the craftsman's conscious exertion, not originally produced from man's nature. The sage accumulated reflection and deliberation and became practiced in deliberate works, and thereby produced ritual and moral principles and established laws and standards; hence ritual, moral principles, laws, and standards are born of the sages' conscious exertion, not originally produced from man's nature. As for the eyes' fondness for color, the ears' fondness for sound, the mouth's fondness for flavor, the heart's fondness for profit, and the bones, body, and skin's fondness for ease — these are all produced from man's emotional nature; they respond to stimulus spontaneously and do not await effort to be produced. What does not come about upon stimulus but must await effort before becoming so is called what is born of conscious exertion. These are the different evidences of what nature and what conscious exertion each produce.

故聖人化性而起偽，偽起而生禮義，禮義生而製法度；然則禮義法度者，是聖人之所生也。故聖人之所以同於眾，其不異於眾者，性也；所以異而過眾者，偽也。夫好利而欲得者，此人之情性也。假之有弟兄資財而分者，且順情性，好利而欲得，若是，則兄弟相拂奪矣；且化禮義之文理，若是，則讓乎國人矣。故順情性則弟兄爭矣，化禮義則讓乎國人矣。

Therefore the sage transforms man's nature and raises up conscious exertion; with conscious exertion raised up he produces ritual and moral principles; with ritual and moral principles produced he establishes laws and standards. Thus ritual, moral principles, laws, and standards are what the sage produced. Wherein the sage is the same as the multitude and not different from them is his nature; wherein he differs from and surpasses the multitude is his conscious exertion. Being fond of profit and wanting to gain — this is man's emotional nature. Suppose brothers had property to divide: if they followed their emotional nature, being fond of profit and wanting to gain, then brothers would contend with one another; but if transformed by the proper form of ritual and moral principles, they would yield even to strangers. So following the feelings and nature, brothers quarrel; transformed by ritual and moral principles, they defer even to their countrymen.

凡人之慾為善者，為性惡也。夫薄願厚，惡願美，狹願廣，貧願富，賤願貴，苟無之中者，必求於外。故富而不願財，貴而不願埶，苟有之中者，必不及於外。用此觀之，人之慾為善者，為性惡也。今人之性，固無禮義，故強學而求有之也；性不知禮義，故思慮而求知之也。然則性而已，則人無禮義，不知禮義。人無禮義則亂，不知禮義則悖。然則性而已，則悖亂在己。用此觀之，人之性惡明矣，其善者偽也。

In general, men want to do good precisely because their nature is evil. The shallow wish to be deep; the ugly wish to be beautiful; the narrow wish to be broad; the poor wish to be rich; the lowly wish to be noble — if one lacks it within oneself, one inevitably seeks it outside. Thus the rich no longer wish for wealth and the noble no longer wish for power — if one has it within oneself, one certainly does not seek it outside. From this it is clear that men want to do good because their nature is evil. Now man's nature originally lacks ritual and moral principles; therefore men force themselves to study, seeking to possess them. Nature does not know ritual and moral principles; therefore men think and reflect, seeking to know them. So on nature alone, man lacks ritual and moral principles and does not know them. Without them men fall into disorder; not knowing them they grow perverse. So on nature alone, perversity and disorder reside within oneself. From this it is clear that man's nature is evil and that his goodness is conscious exertion.

孟子曰："人之性善。"

Mencius said: 'Man's nature is good.'

曰：是不然。凡古今天下之所謂善者，正理平治也；所謂惡者，偏險悖亂也：是善惡之分也矣。今誠以人之性固正理平治邪，則有惡用聖王，惡用禮義哉？雖有聖王禮義，將曷加於正理平治也哉？今不然，人之性惡。故古者聖人以人之性惡，以為偏險而不正，悖亂而不治，故為之立君上之埶以臨之，明禮義以化之，起法正以治之，重刑罰以禁之，使天下皆出於治，合於善也。是聖王之治而禮義之化也。今當試去君上之埶，無禮義之化，去法正之治，無刑罰之禁，倚而觀天下民人之相與也。若是，則夫強者害弱而奪之，眾者暴寡而譁之，天下悖亂而相亡，不待頃矣。用此觀之，然則人之性惡明矣，其善者偽也。

I say: this is not so. In all ages under Heaven, what is called good is what is upright, principled, peaceful, and ordered; what is called evil is what is partial, perverse, rebellious, and disorderly — this is the distinction between good and evil. Now if we truly supposed man's nature was originally upright, principled, peaceful, and ordered, then what need would there be for sage kings? What need for ritual and moral principles? Even with sage kings and ritual and moral principles, what could they add to uprightness, order, peace, and government? But in fact this is not so, for man's nature is evil. Therefore in ancient times the sages, because man's nature is evil and men were partial, perverse, and not upright, refractory, disorderly, and ungoverned, established for them the authority of the ruler to watch over them, made ritual and moral principles manifest to transform them, raised laws and governance to rule them, and made punishments weighty to restrain them, so that all under Heaven would come forth in order and conform to goodness. This is the rule of the sage kings and the transforming influence of ritual and moral principles. Now try it: remove the authority of the ruler, do away with the transforming influence of ritual and moral principles, discard the rule of laws and governance, abolish the restraint of punishments, and then stand back and watch how the people of the world get along with one another. In such a case the strong will injure the weak and take from them, the many will tyrannize the few and shout them down, and the whole world will fall into perversity and disorder and perish together before a moment has passed. From this it is clear that man's nature is evil and that his goodness is conscious exertion.

故善言古者，必有節於今；善言天者，必有徵於人。凡論者貴其有辨合，有符驗。故坐而言之，起而可設，張而可施行。今孟子曰："人之性善。"無辨合符驗，坐而言之，起而不可設，張而不可施行，豈不過甚矣哉！故性善則去聖王，息禮義矣。性惡則與聖王，貴禮義矣。故檃栝之生，為枸木也；繩墨之起，為不直也；立君上，明禮義，為性惡也。用此觀之，然則人之性惡明矣，其善者偽也。

Therefore those who are good at speaking of antiquity must be verified in the present; those who are good at speaking of Heaven must be verified in man. Every doctrine is valued for possessing a demonstrable tally, for having the verification of matching credentials. Thus what is said sitting down can, on standing up, be set in place, and when spread out can be put into practice. Now Mencius says 'man's nature is good.' It has no demonstrable tally and no verification; said sitting down, it cannot on standing up be set in place, and spread out it cannot be put into practice — is this not too great an error! Therefore if nature is good, the sage kings are dispensed with and ritual and moral principles are set aside. If nature is evil, the sage kings are honored and ritual and moral principles are prized. Thus the straightening frame was invented for the sake of crooked wood; the carpenter's inked line was devised for the sake of what is not straight; the ruler was established and ritual and moral principles made manifest because man's nature is evil. From this it is clear that man's nature is evil and that his goodness is conscious exertion.

直木不待檃栝而直者，其性直也。枸木必將待檃栝烝矯然後直者，以其性不直也。今人之性惡，必將待聖王之治，禮義之化，然後始出於治，合於善也。用此觀之，人之性惡明矣，其善者偽也。

Straight wood does not await the straightening frame to be straight, because its nature is straight. Crooked wood must await the straightening frame and steaming and bending before it becomes straight, because its nature is not straight. Now man's nature is evil; it must await the rule of the sage kings and the transforming influence of ritual and moral principles before it comes forth in order and conforms to goodness. From this it is clear that man's nature is evil and that his goodness is conscious exertion.

問者曰："禮義積偽者，是人之性，故聖人能生之也。"

The questioner said: 'Ritual, moral principles, and accumulated effort are part of man's nature; that is why the sage could produce them.'

應之曰：是不然。夫陶人埏埴而生瓦，然則瓦埴豈陶人之性也哉？工人斲木而生器，然則器木豈工人之性也哉？夫聖人之於禮義也，闢則陶埏而生之也。然則禮義積偽者，豈人之本性也哉！凡人之性者，堯舜之與桀蹠，其性一也；君子之與小人，其性一也。今將以禮義積偽為人之性邪？然則有曷貴堯禹，曷貴君子矣哉！凡貴堯禹君子者，能化性，能起偽，偽起而生禮義。然則聖人之於禮義積偽也，亦猶陶埏而為之也。用此觀之，然則禮義積偽者，豈人之性也哉！所賤於桀蹠小人者，從其性，順其情，安恣孳，以出乎貪利爭奪。故人之性惡明矣，其善者偽也。天非私曾騫孝己而外眾人也，然而曾騫孝己獨厚於孝之實，而全於孝之名者，何也？以綦於禮義故也。天非私齊魯之民而外秦人也，然而於父子之義，夫婦之別，不如齊魯之孝具敬文者，何也？以秦人從情性，安恣孳，慢於禮義故也，豈其性異矣哉！

I answer: this is not so. When the potter kneads clay and produces tiles, are the tiles and the clay part of the potter's nature? When the craftsman carves wood and produces a vessel, are the vessel and the wood part of the craftsman's nature? The sage's relation to ritual and moral principles is, by analogy, like the potter kneading clay to produce them. So how could ritual, moral principles, and accumulated effort be man's original nature? As for the nature of all men — Yao and Shun on the one hand, Jie and Robber Zhi on the other — their nature is the same; gentleman and petty man — their nature is the same. Now if you were to take ritual, moral principles, and accumulated effort as man's nature, then why prize Yao and Yu? Why prize the gentleman? In general, Yao, Yu, and the gentleman are prized because they could transform their nature, could raise up conscious exertion, and with conscious exertion raised up produced ritual and moral principles. So the sage's relation to ritual, moral principles, and accumulated effort is again like the potter's kneading clay to make vessels. From this it is clear — how could ritual, moral principles, and accumulated effort be man's nature? The reason we despise Jie, Robber Zhi, and the petty man is that they give free rein to their nature, follow their feelings, rest content in unbridled license, and end in greed and contention. Therefore it is clear that man's nature is evil and that his goodness is conscious exertion. Heaven shows no partiality to Zeng Shen, Min Ziqian, and Xiaoji, nor does it slight the multitude; yet Zeng Shen, Min Ziqian, and Xiaoji alone were rich in the substance of filial piety and preserved intact the fame of filial piety — why? Because they exerted themselves to the utmost in ritual and moral principles. Heaven shows no partiality to the people of Qi and Lu, nor does it slight the people of Qin; yet in the duty between father and son and the distinction between husband and wife, the people of Qin fall short of the filial completeness and respectful refinement of Qi and Lu — why? Because the people of Qin give free rein to their feelings and nature, rest content in unbridled license, and are lax in ritual and moral principles — hardly because their nature is different!

"塗之人可以為禹。"曷謂也？

'A man on the road can become a Yu.' What does this saying mean?

曰：凡禹之所以為禹者，以其為仁義法正也。然則仁義法正有可知可能之理。然而塗之人也，皆有可以知仁義法正之質，皆有可以能仁義法正之具，然則其可以為禹明矣。今以仁義法正為固無可知可能之理邪？然則唯禹不知仁義法正，不能仁義法正也。將使塗之人固無可以知仁義法正之質，而固無可以能仁義法正之具邪？然則塗之人也，且內不可以知父子之義，外不可以知君臣之正。今不然。塗之人者，皆內可以知父子之義，外可以知君臣之正，然則其可以知之質，可以能之具，其在塗之人明矣。今使塗之人者，以其可以知之質，可以能之具，本夫仁義法正之可知可能之理，可能之具，然則其可以為禹明矣。今使塗之人伏術為學，專心一志，思索孰察，加日縣久，積善而不息，則通於神明，參於天地矣。故聖人者，人之所積而致矣。

I say: in general, what made Yu Yu was that he practiced benevolence, righteousness, law, and right governance. So benevolence, righteousness, law, and right governance have principles that can be known and can be practiced. Now every man on the road possesses the endowment by which benevolence, righteousness, law, and right governance can be known, and the equipment by which they can be practiced; thus it is clear that he can become a Yu. Now would you hold that benevolence, righteousness, law, and right governance originally have no principle by which they can be known or practiced? Then even Yu could not have known or practiced them. Or will you hold that the man on the road originally lacks the endowment to know them and the equipment to practice them? Then the man on the road could not know the duty between father and son at home, nor the right order between ruler and minister abroad. But in fact this is not so. Every man on the road can know the duty between father and son within and the right order between ruler and minister without; so the endowment capable of knowing and the equipment capable of practicing clearly reside in the man on the road. Now if the man on the road applies himself to mastering the methods and learning, concentrates his mind with a single purpose, ponders and scrutinizes, and accumulates day after day for a long time, amassing goodness without cease, he will reach spiritual illumination and form a triad with Heaven and Earth. Therefore the sage is what a man becomes through accumulation.

曰："聖可積而致，然而皆不可積，何也？"

Someone said: 'Sagehood can be reached through accumulation, yet men are all unable to accumulate. Why is that?'

曰：可以而不可使也。故小人可以為君子，而不肯為君子；君子可以為小人，而不肯為小人。小人君子者，未嘗不可以相為也，然而不相為者，可以而不可使也。故塗之人可以為禹，則然；塗之人能為禹，則未必然也。雖不能為禹，無害可以為禹。足可以遍行天下，然而未嘗有遍行天下者也。夫工匠農賈，未嘗不可以相為事也，然而未嘗能相為事也。用此觀之，然則可以為，未必能也；雖不能，無害可以為。然則能不能之與可不可，其不同遠矣，其不可以相為明矣。

I say: they can, but they cannot be made to do so. Thus a petty man can become a gentleman, but is unwilling to become a gentleman; a gentleman can become a petty man, but is unwilling to become a petty man. Petty man and gentleman — never is it that they cannot become one another; yet they do not become one another, because it is possible but cannot be compelled. So the saying that a man on the road can become a Yu is right in this sense; that the man on the road can actually become a Yu is not necessarily so. Yet even if he cannot actually become a Yu, that does not hinder his being able to become a Yu. The feet can walk everywhere under Heaven, yet there has never been a man who walked everywhere under Heaven. Craftsmen, farmers, and merchants — never is it that they cannot practice one another's trades, yet none has ever been able to practice one another's trades. From this it is clear that what can be done is not necessarily what can be accomplished; and even what cannot be accomplished does not prevent its being possible. Thus ability and inability are far removed from possibility and impossibility — that they cannot substitute for one another is plain.

堯問於舜曰："人情何如？"舜對曰："人情甚不美，又何問焉！妻子具而孝衰於親，嗜慾得而信衰於友，爵祿盈而忠衰於君。人之情乎！人之情乎！甚不美，又何問焉！唯賢者為不然。"

Yao asked Shun: 'What are men's feelings like?' Shun answered: 'Men's feelings are very unlovely — why ask about them! Once a man has wife and children, his filial devotion to his parents declines; once his cravings are satisfied, his faithfulness to his friends declines; once his rank and emolument are filled up, his loyalty to his lord declines. Man's feelings! Man's feelings! Very unlovely — why ask about them! Only the worthy man is not like this.'

有聖人之知者，有士君子之知者，有小人之知者，有役夫之知者。多言則文而類，終日議其所以，言之千舉萬變，其統類一也：是聖人之知也。少言則徑而省，論而法，若佚之以繩：是士君子之知也。其言也諂，其行也悖，其舉事多悔：是小人之知也。齊給便敏而無類，雜能旁魄而無用，析速粹孰而不急，不恤是非，不論曲直，以期勝人為意，是役夫之知也。

There is the knowledge of the sage, the knowledge of the scholar-gentleman, the knowledge of the petty man, and the knowledge of the menial servant. To speak much yet with refinement and proper categories, discoursing all day on the reasons why things are so, expounding with a thousand points and myriad changes while the unifying thread remains one — this is the knowledge of the sage. To speak little, direct and concise, discoursing with method as if drawn along by the carpenter's inked line — this is the knowledge of the scholar-gentleman. Words that flatter, conduct that is perverse and disorderly, deeds that often end in regret — this is the knowledge of the petty man. Quick of tongue without categories, broadly capable in sundry skills yet useless, swift and practiced at analysis but unconnected to pressing affairs, heedless of right and wrong, indifferent to crooked and straight, taking the hope of defeating others as his heart's aim — this is the knowledge of the menial servant.

有上勇者，有中勇者，有下勇者。天下有中，敢直其身；先王有道，敢行其意；上不循於亂世之君，下不俗於亂世之民；仁之所在無貧窮，仁之所亡無富貴；天下知之，則欲與天下同苦樂之；天下不知之，則傀然獨立天地之間而不畏：是上勇也。禮恭而意儉，大齊信焉，而輕貨財；賢者敢推而尚之，不肖者敢援而廢之：是中勇也。輕身而重貨，恬禍而廣解苟免，不恤是非然不然之情，以期勝人為意：是下勇也。

There is superior courage, middling courage, and inferior courage. When there is a just mean in the world, he dares to stand his body upright; when the former kings had a Way, he dares to carry out its intent; above he does not follow along with the lords of a disorderly age, below he does not merge with the people of a disorderly age; where benevolence is found he does not count it poverty, and where benevolence is lost he does not count it wealth or honor; if the world knows him, he wishes to share the world's joys and sorrows; if the world does not know him, he stands towering alone between Heaven and Earth without fear — this is superior courage. Respectful in ritual and modest in intent, greatly prizing single-minded integrity while holding goods and wealth lightly; daring to promote the worthy and set them above, daring to pull down the unworthy and dismiss them — this is middling courage. Holding his person lightly and goods heavily, at ease amid calamity, glibly excusing himself and scrambling to escape, heedless of the true facts of right and wrong, taking the hope of defeating others as his heart's aim — this is inferior courage.

繁弱、鉅黍古之良弓也；然而不得排檠則不能自正。桓公之蔥，太公之闕，文王之錄，莊君之曶，闔閭之干將、莫邪、鉅闕、闢閭，此皆古之良劍也；然而不加砥厲則不能利，不得人力則不能斷。驊騮、騹驥、纖離、綠耳，此皆古之良馬也；然而必前有銜轡之制，後有鞭策之威，加之以造父之駛，然後一日而致千里也。夫人雖有性質美而心辯知，必將求賢師而事之，擇良友而友之。得賢師而事之，則所聞者堯舜禹湯之道也；得良友而友之，則所見者忠信敬讓之行也。身日進於仁義而不自知也者，靡使然也。今與不善人處，則所聞者欺誣詐偽也，所見者汙漫淫邪貪利之行也，身且加於刑戮而不自知者，靡使然也。傳曰："不知其子視其友，不知其君視其左右。"靡而已矣！靡而已矣！

Fanruo and Jushu were fine bows of antiquity; yet without the straightening frame they could not set themselves right. Duke Huan's Cong, the Grand Duke's Que, King Wen's Lu, Lord Zhuang's Hu, and Helü's Ganjiang, Moye, Juque, and Pilü — these were all fine swords of antiquity; yet without grinding they could not be keen, and without a man's strength they could not cut. Hualiu, Qiji, Xianli, and Lü'er — these were all fine horses of antiquity; yet they needed the restraint of bit and bridle before, the threat of whip and goad behind, and the driving skill of a Zaofu besides, before they could travel a thousand li in a day. So too a man, even one of fine endowment with a mind capable of discernment, must seek a worthy teacher to serve and choose good friends to keep company with. Having obtained a worthy teacher to serve, what he hears is the Way of Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang; having found good friends to keep company with, what he sees is conduct of loyalty, faithfulness, respect, and deference. His person daily enters into benevolence and righteousness without his knowing it — gradual influence makes it so. Now if he lives among bad men, what he hears is deceit, slander, and falsehood; what he sees is conduct foul, wasteful, licentious, perverse, and greedy for gain; his person will come to punishment and execution without his knowing it — gradual influence makes it so. The tradition says: 'If you do not know the son, look at his friends; if you do not know the lord, look at his attendants.' It is only gradual influence! It is only gradual influence!

天子無妻，告人無匹也。四海之內無客禮，告無適也。足能行，待相者然後進；口能言，待官人然後詔。不視而見，不聽而聰，不言而信，不慮而知，不動而功，告至備也。天子也者，埶至重，形至佚，心至愈，志無所詘，形無所勞，尊無上矣。詩曰："普天之下，莫非王土；率土之濱，莫非王臣。"此之謂也。

The Son of Heaven has no consort who is his peer — this proclaims that he has no equal. Within the four seas none receives him with the rites due a guest — this proclaims there is no house where he might be a guest. His feet can walk, yet he awaits the usher before advancing; his mouth can speak, yet he awaits the officer before making a proclamation. He sees without looking, hears acutely without listening, is trusted without speaking, knows without pondering, achieves without acting — this proclaims that completeness is carried to the utmost. The Son of Heaven: his power is the weightiest, his body the most at ease, his heart the most content; his intent is never bent, his body never labors, and no honor stands above his. The ode 'Beishan' in the Lesser Odes of the Book of Songs says: 'Everywhere under Heaven is no ground that is not the king's; to the very borders of the land there is none who is not the king's servant.' It speaks of just this.

聖王在上，分義行乎下，則士大夫無流淫之行，百吏官人無怠慢之事，眾庶百姓無奸怪之俗，無盜賊之罪，莫敢犯上之大禁，天下曉然皆知夫盜竊之不可以為富也，皆知夫賊害之不可以為壽也，皆知夫犯上之禁不可以為安也。由其道則人得其所好焉，不由其道則必遇其所惡焉。是故刑罰綦省而威行如流，世曉然皆知夫為奸則雖隱竄逃亡之由不足以免也，故莫不服罪而請。書云："凡人自得罪。"此之謂也。

When the sage king is on high and social stations and justice are practiced below, then the officers and grandees have no wanton conduct, the many officials and functionaries have no neglect of duties, the common people have no perverse or strange customs and no crime of robbery or theft, and none dares violate the great prohibitions of those above. All under Heaven know clearly that theft cannot be used to gain wealth, that violent injury cannot be used to gain long life, and that violating the prohibitions of those above cannot be used to gain security. Follow that Way and a man obtains what he loves; do not follow that Way and he is sure to meet what he hates. Therefore punishments are exceedingly few yet authority spreads like flowing water; the whole age knows clearly that one who does evil cannot escape even by hiding and fleeing, so none refuse to admit guilt and all submit to judgment. The Book of Documents says: 'All men bring their punishment upon themselves.' It speaks of just this.

故刑當罪則威，不當罪則侮；爵當賢則貴，不當賢則賤。古者刑不過罪，爵不踰德。故殺其父而臣其子，殺其兄而臣其弟。刑罰不怒罪，爵賞不踰德，分然各以其誠通。是以為善者勸，為不善者沮；刑罰綦省，而威行如流，政令致明，而化易如神。傳曰："一人有慶，兆民賴之。"此之謂也。

Thus when punishment matches the crime it carries authority; when it does not match the crime it is treated with contempt. When rank matches worth it is honored; when it does not match worth it is despised. In antiquity punishment did not exceed the crime and rank did not exceed the virtue. Therefore a man could put a father to death and still retain the son as a subject; put an elder brother to death and still retain the younger brother as a subject. Punishment did not exceed the crime, rank and reward did not exceed the virtue; distinctions were clear and each was made known with honest intent. Therefore those who did good were encouraged and those who did ill were checked; punishments were exceedingly few yet authority spread like flowing water; government orders were brilliantly clear and the transformation by teaching worked like a spirit. The tradition says: 'When one man possesses goodness, the millions of the people rely on him.' It speaks of just this.

亂世則不然：刑罰怒罪，爵賞踰德，以族論罪，以世舉賢。故一人有罪，而三族皆夷，德雖如舜，不免刑均，是以族論罪也。先祖當賢，後子孫必顯，行雖如桀紂，列從必尊，此以世舉賢也。以族論罪，以世舉賢，雖欲無亂，得乎哉！詩曰："百川沸騰，山冢崒崩，高岸為谷，深谷為陵。哀今之人，胡憯莫懲！"此之謂也。論法聖王，則知所貴矣；以義制事，則知所利矣。論知所貴，則知所養矣；事知所利，則動知所出矣。－－二者是非之本，得失之原也。故成王之於周公也，無所往而不聽，知所貴也。桓公之於管仲也，國事無所往而不用，知所利也。吳有伍子胥而不能用，國至於亡，倍道失賢也。故尊聖者王，貴賢者霸，敬賢者存，慢賢者亡，古今一也。故尚賢，使能，等貴賤，分親疏，序長幼，此先王之道也。故尚賢使能，則主尊下安；貴賤有等，則令行而不流；親疏有分，則施行而不悖；長幼有序，則事業捷成而有所休。故仁者，仁此者也；義者，分此者也；節者，死生此者也；忠者，惇慎此者也；兼此而能之備矣；備而不矜，一自善也，謂之聖。不矜矣，夫故天下不與爭能，而致善用其功。有而不有也，夫故為天下貴矣。詩曰："淑人君子，其儀不忒；其儀不忒，正是四國。"此之謂也。

In a disorderly age it is not so: punishment exceeds the crime, rank and reward exceed the virtue; guilt is judged by clan, worth is advanced by pedigree. Thus when one man is guilty, all three of his kindred are exterminated; even if his virtue were like Shun's, he cannot escape being punished alike — this is judging guilt by clan. If an ancestor was once worthy, all the descendants are sure to be ennobled; even if their conduct is like Jie's or Zhou's, their rank and retinue are sure to be honored — this is advancing worth by pedigree. Judging guilt by clan, advancing worth by pedigree — even if one wished to avoid disorder, could one? The ode 'Shiyue zhi Jiao' in the Lesser Odes of the Book of Songs says: 'The hundred streams boil and seethe; the mountain peaks crumble and fall; high banks become valleys, deep valleys become hills. Alas for the men of today — why in such misery do they still not take warning!' It speaks of just this. When in discourse one takes the sage kings as one's model, one knows what to prize; when one orders affairs by justice, one knows what is profitable. Knowing in discourse what to prize, one knows what to nourish; knowing in affairs what is profitable, one's actions know whence to set out. These two are the root of right and wrong, the source of gain and loss. Thus King Cheng toward the Duke of Zhou — there was nothing on which he did not hearken to him, because he knew what to prize. Duke Huan toward Guan Zhong — there was no affair of state on which he did not employ him, because he knew what was profitable. Wu had a Wu Zixu yet could not employ him, and the state went to destruction — that was departing from the Way and losing the worthy. Thus those who honor sages become kings, those who prize worthies become hegemons, those who respect worthies survive, those who slight worthies perish — in this ancient and modern are the same. Therefore to exalt the worthy, employ the able, give high and low their gradations, distinguish near kin from distant, and rank elder from younger — this is the Way of the former kings. Exalt the worthy and employ the able, and the lord is honored and those below are at peace; give high and low their gradations, and commands are carried out without laxity; distinguish near kin from distant, and bestowals are made without perversion; rank elder from younger, and undertakings are quickly accomplished and duly concluded. Therefore benevolence means being benevolent in these things; justice means making distinctions among them; integrity means holding to them in life and death; loyalty means being earnest and careful in them. To possess all these and be able to practice them is completeness; complete yet unboastful, single-mindedly doing good oneself — this is called sagehood. Because he is unboastful, the world does not contend with him in ability and makes the fullest use of his achievement. Possessing it yet not counting it as possession — therefore he is prized by all under Heaven. The ode 'Shijiu' in the Odes of Cao in the Book of Songs says: 'The good man, the gentleman — his bearing is without fault; his bearing is without fault, and he sets right the states of the four quarters.' It speaks of just this.

請成相：世之殃，愚闇愚闇墮賢良！人主無賢，如瞽無相，何倀倀！請布基，慎聖人，愚而自專事不治。主忌苟勝，群臣莫諫，必逢災。論臣過，反其施，尊主安國尚賢義。拒諫飾非，愚而上同，國必禍。曷謂"罷"？國多私，比周還主黨與施。遠賢近讒，忠臣蔽塞主埶移。曷謂"賢"？明君臣，上能尊主下愛民。主誠聽之，天下為一海內賓。主之孽，讒人達，賢能遁逃國乃蹙。愚以重愚，闇以重闇，成為桀。世之災，妒賢能，飛廉知政任惡來。卑其志意，大其園圃高其臺。武王怒，師牧野，紂卒易鄉啟乃下。武王善之，封之於宋立其祖。世之衰，讒人歸，比干見刳箕子累。武王誅之，呂尚招麾殷民懷。世之禍，惡賢士，子胥見殺百里徙。穆公任之，強配五伯六卿施。世之愚，惡大儒，逆斥不通孔子拘。展禽三絀，春申道綴，基畢輸。請牧基，賢者思，堯在萬世如見之。讒人罔極，險陂傾側此之疑。基必施，辨賢罷，文武之道同伏戲，由之者治，不由者亂，何疑為？凡成相，辨法方，至治之極復后王。慎墨季惠，百家之說欺不詳。治復一，修之吉，君子執之心如結，眾人貳之，讒夫棄之，形是詰。水至平，端不傾，心術如此象聖人。人而有埶，直而用抴必參天。世無王，窮賢良，暴人芻豢，仁人糟糠；禮樂息滅，聖人隱伏，墨術行。治之經，禮與刑，君子以修百姓寧。明德慎罰，國家既治四海平。治之志，後埶富，君子誠之好以待。處之敦固，有深藏之，能遠思。思乃精，志之榮，好而壹之神以成。精神相反，一而不貳、為聖人。治之道，美不老，君子由之佼以好。下以教誨子弟，上以事祖考。成相竭，辭不蹙，君子道之順以達。宗其賢良，辨其殃孽，□□□。

Let me sing a chengxiang song: The calamities of the age — folly and darkness, folly and darkness destroy the worthy and good! When the lord of men has no worthies, he is like a blind man without a guide to lead him — how lost, with nothing to follow! Let me lay out the foundation: treat the sages with care; to be foolish and decide all matters by oneself is to leave affairs ungoverned. When the lord is jealous and strives only to win, and none among his ministers remonstrates, calamity is sure to meet him. To discourse on the faults of ministers yet act the same way oneself — one ought rather to honor the lord, secure the state, and exalt the worthy and just. To refuse remonstrance and gloss over faults, foolishly catering to those above — the state is sure to suffer ruin. What is called 'being flaccid'? When selfish interests abound in the state, factions form around the lord and their cabal has its way. The worthy are kept at a distance while slanderers are drawn close; loyal ministers are blocked and the lord's power slips away. What is called 'worthy'? Making ruler and minister plain: able above to honor the lord, below to cherish the people. If the lord truly heeds him, the world becomes one and all within the seas submit as guests. A lord's calamity: slanderers get their way, the worthy and able flee into hiding, and the state is pressed to extremity. Folly heaped upon folly, darkness upon darkness — this is what makes a Jie. The calamity of the age: envy of the worthy and able — Feilian held the government and employed Elai. They made his intent base, enlarged his parks, and raised his towers high. King Wu grew angry and drew up his army at Muye; Zhou's soldiers turned about and Weizi Qi then surrendered. King Wu treated him well, enfeoffed him in Song, and established his ancestral temple. The decline of the age: slanderers attached themselves — Bi Gan had his heart cut out and Jizi was imprisoned. King Wu destroyed that king, Lü Shang directed the host, and the people of Yin came over. The ruin of the age: hatred of worthy officers — Zixu was slain and Baili Xi was driven into exile. Duke Mu employed the latter; his strength came to match the five hegemons and the Six Ministers were established. The folly of the age: hatred of the great Confucians, rejecting and barring them so that Confucius was detained. Zhan Qin was thrice dismissed, the way of Chunshen was cut off midway, and the foundation collapsed entirely. Let me set the foundation in order — that is what the worthy long for; Yao in ten thousand ages is as if one saw him. Slanderers have no standard; perilous, crooked, and leaning, they cast doubt upon this. The foundation must be put into practice; distinguish the worthy from the flaccid. The way of Kings Wen and Wu was the same as Fuxi's: follow it and there is order; do not follow it and there is disorder — what is there to doubt? In general these chengxiang songs discern the method of good government; the utmost of supreme order is to return to the later kings. Shen Dao, Mozi, Ji Zhen, and Hui Shi — the doctrines of the hundred schools are deceitful and inauspicious. [The base text reads 'detailed', an error for 'auspicious.'] Order returns to unity; cultivate it and there is good fortune. The gentleman holds to it with a heart firm as a knot; the multitude are of two minds about it; slanderers cast it aside; toward it punishment is a rebuke. Water at its most level is straight and does not tilt; when the method of the heart is like this, take the sage as one's model. A man who has power, upright yet able to yield, is sure to form a triad with Heaven. When the world has no true king, the worthy and good are left in want; violent men eat meat while benevolent men eat husks and dregs; rites and music are stilled and perish; the sage lies hidden while the arts of the Mohists spread. The constants of order are ritual and punishment; the gentleman cultivates by them and the hundred surnames are at peace. Make virtue bright and punishments careful, and the state is governed and the four seas are level. The intent that orders puts power and wealth behind it; the gentleman sincerely cleaves to it, loving to abide in it. To dwell in it thick and firm, to keep it deeply hidden — such a one can think far. Thought thereby grows refined, the will thereby grows glorious; loving and single-minded in it, the spirit is thereby perfected. The spirit opposed to it? Be single and undivided, and you will become a sage. The Way of order is beautiful and does not age; the gentleman follows it, flourishes in it, and loves it. Below, by it he instructs sons and younger brothers; above, by it he serves his ancestors. The chengxiang song is finished; its words are not hard pressed. The gentleman's course in the Way runs smooth and open. Revere the worthy and good; discern those who bring calamity. [Three characters are missing in the base text here.]

請成相，道聖王，堯舜尚賢身辭讓，許由善卷，重義輕利行顯明。堯讓賢，以為民，泛利兼愛德施均。辨治上下，貴賤有等明君臣。堯授能，舜遇時，尚賢推德天下治。雖有聖賢，適不遇世，孰知之？堯不德，舜不辭，妻以二女任以事。大人哉舜，南面而立萬物備。舜授禹，以天下，尚得推賢不失序。外不避仇，內不阿親，賢者予。禹勞心力，堯有德，干戈不用三苗服。舉舜甽畝，任之天下，身休息。得后稷，五穀殖；夔為樂正鳥獸服；契為司徒，民知孝弟尊有德。禹有功，抑下鴻，闢除民害逐共工。北決九河，通十二渚，疏三江。禹傅土，平天下，躬親為民行勞苦。得益、皋陶、橫革、直成、為輔。契玄王，生昭明，居於砥石遷於商，十有四世，乃有天乙是成湯。天乙湯，論舉當，身讓卞隨舉牟光。□□□□，道古賢聖基必張。

Let me sing a chengxiang song, praising the sage kings. Yao and Shun exalted the worthy and themselves yielded the throne; Xu You and Shan Juan prized justice, held profit lightly, and their conduct shone bright. Yao yielded his place to the worthy for the sake of the people, spreading benefits broadly, loving all alike, his bestowals of virtue even and fair. He discerned and ordered high and low, gave noble and base their gradations, and made ruler and minister plain. Yao gave charge to the able; Shun met the fortune of his time; exalting the worthy and advancing the virtuous, the world was ordered. Yet though there be sage worthies, if by chance they do not meet their age, who knows them? Yao did not reckon himself virtuous; Shun did not decline; Yao gave him his two daughters in marriage and entrusted affairs to him. Great man, that Shun — facing south he stood, and all things were complete. Shun gave it to Yu, yielded him the whole world, exalting virtue and advancing the worthy without missing the order. Abroad he did not shun his enemies; at home he did not favor his kin; to the worthy he gave. Yu labored heart and strength; Yao had virtue — without using shield and spear the Sanmiao submitted. He raised Shun from among the fields, entrusted him with the whole world, and took his own rest. He gained Hou Ji, and the five grains multiplied; Kui became master of music and the birds and beasts grew tame; Xie became minister of instruction and the people knew filial piety and brotherly duty and honored the virtuous. Yu had achievement: he dammed the flooding waters that flowed down, removed the people's harm, and banished Gonggong. To the north he cut open the Nine Rivers, joined the twelve islets, and dredged the Three Rivers. Yu portioned out the land and settled the world, himself toiling at hard tasks for the people. He gained Yi, Gao Yao, Hengge, and Zhicheng as his helpers. Xie was the Dark King; he begot Zhaoming, dwelt at Dishi, and moved to Shang; through fourteen generations came Tianyi, who is Tang the Accomplished. Tianyi, Tang the Accomplished — discerning in speech, apt in promotion — himself would yield the throne to Bian Sui and advance Wuguang. [Four characters are missing in the base text here.] Praising the worthies and sages of old, the foundation is sure to grow great.

願陳辭，□□□，世亂惡善不此治。隱過疾賢，長由奸詐鮮無災。患難哉！阪為先，聖知不用愚者謀。前車已覆，後未知更，何覺時？不覺悟，不知苦，迷惑失指易上下。中不上達，蒙揜耳目塞門戶。門戶塞，大迷惑，悖亂昏莫不終極；是非反易，比周欺上惡正直。正直惡，心無度，邪枉闢回失道途。己無郵人，我獨自美，豈獨無故？不知戒，後必有，恨後遂過不肯悔。讒夫多進，反覆言語生詐態。人之態，不如備，爭寵嫉賢利惡忌；妒功毀賢，下斂黨與上蔽匿。上壅蔽，失輔埶，任用讒夫不能制。郭公長父之難，厲王流於彘。周幽厲，所以敗，不聽規諫忠是害。嗟我何人，獨不遇時當亂世！欲衷對，言不從，恐為子胥身離兇；進諫不聽，剄而獨鹿棄之江。觀往事，以自戒，治亂是非亦可識。□□□□，托於成相以喻意。

I wish to set forth my words. [Three characters are missing in the base text here.] The age is disordered, hates the good, and will not put this in order. Hiding faults and enviously harming the worthy, long following treachery — few escape calamity. Distress! The perilous and crooked rush to the fore; sage wisdom goes unused while fools lay the plans. The cart ahead has already overturned, yet those behind still do not know to change — when will they awaken? Unawakened, they do not know the bitterness; deluded, they lose their bearing and high and low trade places. Those in between cannot reach above; ears and eyes are covered, gates and doors blocked. Gates and doors blocked, great delusion; perversity and darkness without end. Right and wrong are turned upside down; factions form, the ruler is deceived, and the upright are hated. The upright being hated, the heart has no measure; devious, crooked, and twisted, it loses the road. Do not blame others for oneself; I alone deemed it fine — could it alone be without cause? Not knowing to be on guard, there is sure to be a sequel; stubborn in error, refusing to repent. Slanderers are much promoted; shifting words breed deceitful postures. If men's postures are not guarded against, they contend for favor, envy the worthy, and treat one another as threats. Envious of merit, they defame the worthy; below they gather their faction, above they hide and screen. With those above blocked and screened, losing helpers and power, they employ slanderers and cannot restrain them. The calamity of Duke Changfu of Guo — King Li was driven into exile at Zhi. Kings You and Li of Zhou were undone because they would not hear admonition and the loyal and upright were harmed. Alas, what sort of man am I, that alone I do not meet my time and chance upon a disordered age! I wished to offer a loyal answer, but my words were not heeded, and I feared that like Zixu I would meet disaster in my own person: his remonstrance unheeded, his throat was cut with the Dulu sword and his body cast into the river. Looking at past events to take warning for oneself, order and disorder, right and wrong may also be known. [Four characters are missing in the base text here.] I lodge my meaning in the chengxiang song to make it understood.

請成相，言治方，君論有五約以明。君謹守之，下皆平正，國乃昌。臣下職，莫遊食，務本節用財無極。事業聽上，莫得相使，一民力。守其職，足衣食，厚薄有等明爵服。利往卬上，莫得擅與，孰私得？君法明，論有常，表儀既設民知方。進退有律，莫得貴賤、孰私王？君法儀，禁不為，莫不說教名不移。修之者榮，離之者辱，孰它師？刑稱陳，守其銀，下不得用輕私門。罪禍有律，莫得輕重威不分。請牧基，明有祺，主好論議必善謀。五聽修領，莫不理續主執持。聽之經，明其請，參伍明謹施賞刑。顯者必得，隱者復顯，民反誠。言有節，稽其實，信誕以分賞刑必。下不欺上，皆以情言，明若日。上通利，隱遠至，觀法不法見不視。耳目既顯，吏敬法令莫敢恣。君教出，行有律，吏謹將之無鈹滑。下不私請，各以宜，舍巧拙。臣謹修，君制變，公察善思論不亂。以治天下，後世法之成律貫。

Let me sing a chengxiang song, setting forth the method of good government. The lord's articles are five, simple yet clear. If the lord carefully keeps them, all below are even and upright and the state thereby prospers. The duties of ministers: do not drift and feed in idleness; devote your strength to the root, be frugal in expenditure, and wealth will not run out. In undertakings follow those above; do not employ one another; make the people's strength uniform. Keep to one's office; let clothing and food suffice; let generous and meager have gradations; make rank and robes plain. Profit flows upward; do not bestow on your own authority — who could privately gain? The lord's law is bright; deliberations have constant standards; once the model and measure are established the people know their direction. Advance and retirement have statutes; none may privately make men noble or base — who could privately be king? The lord's law is the model; it forbids what is not to be done; there is none who does not rejoice in the teaching; names and titles are not shifted. Cultivate its honor and depart from its shame — who would seek another teacher? Punishments are weighed and set out; keep to those bounds; those below may not wield them on their own nor hold private gates lightly. Crime and calamity have statutes; none may privately lighten or weight them; authority is not dispersed. Let me set the foundation in order; make it bright and there is good fortune. If the lord loves deliberation he is sure to plan well. The five hearings of cases are put in order and governed; none fail to follow and connect — the lord holds them fast. The constancy of hearing is to make the true circumstances plain. [The base text reads 'please', an error for 'true circumstances.'] Compare and verify, make plain, and carefully apply reward and punishment. What is plain is sure to be caught; what is hidden is made plain again; the people return to honesty. Words have measure; examine their substance; sincerity and boast are thereby distinguished; reward and punishment are sure to be carried out. Those below do not deceive those above; all speak according to the facts, bright as the sun. Above, all reaches through smoothly; the hidden and the distant arrive; one can see lawful and unlawful, can see what others do not see. When ears and eyes are made bright, the officers respect the laws and commands and none dares be lax. When the lord's teaching goes forth and deeds have statutes, the officers carefully carry it out without partiality or slipperiness. Those below make no private requests; each acts as is fitting, discarding the distinction of clever and clumsy. The ministers are careful and orderly; the lord decides and adapts; impartial in scrutiny, skilled in pondering and judging, they are not confused. By this the world is governed; later ages take it as model and it becomes statute, one unbroken thread.

爰有大物，非絲非帛，文理成章；非日非月，為天下明。生者以壽，死者以葬。城郭以固，三軍以強。粹而王，駁而伯，無一焉而亡。臣愚不識，敢請之王？

Here there is a great thing: it is neither silk nor floss, yet its patterns and ordering form whole chapters; it is neither sun nor moon, yet it gives light to all under Heaven. The living rely on it for long life; the dead rely on it for burial. City walls rely on it for strength; the three armies rely on it for might. He who uses it purely becomes king; he who uses it mixed becomes hegemon; he who lacks it entirely perishes. Your servant in his dullness does not recognize it — may I venture to ask the king?

王曰：此夫文而不採者歟？簡然易知，而致有理者歟？君子所敬，而小人所不者歟？性不得則若禽獸，性得之則甚雅似者歟？匹夫隆之則為聖人，諸侯隆之則一四海者歟？致明而約，甚順而體，請歸之禮。－－禮。

The king said: Is this the thing that is patterned yet not florid? Simple and easy to know, yet supremely reasonable? That which the gentleman reveres and the petty man considers nothing? Human nature deprived of it is like that of birds and beasts; human nature possessing it becomes refined and proper? A common man who honors it becomes a sage; the feudal lords who honor it unify the four seas? Utterly clear yet simple, wholly compliant yet possessed of form — may I sum it up as ritual? — Ritual.

皇天隆物，以示施下民，或厚或薄，常不齊均。桀紂以亂，湯武以賢。涽涽淑淑，皇皇穆穆。周流四海，曾不崇日。君子以修，蹠以穿室。大參乎天，精微而無形，行義以正，事業以成。可以禁暴足窮，百姓待之而後泰寧。臣愚不識，願問其名。

August Heaven sends down this thing to display its bounty to the people below; some receive it thickly, some thinly, and it is often not even or equal. Jie and Zhou became chaotic through it; Tang and Wu became worthy through it. Murky and clear, majestic and reverent, it circulates through the four seas in less than a whole day. The gentleman uses it to cultivate and order himself; Robber Zhi uses it to bore through walls and enter houses. In its greatness it forms a triad with Heaven; in its subtlety it has no form. Carrying out righteousness, it rectifies; undertakings are completed through it. It can forbid violence and cruelty and make the destitute sufficient; the people wait upon it and only then are peaceful and tranquil. Your servant, dull, does not recognize it; I beg to ask its name.

曰：此夫安寬平而危險隘者邪？修潔之為親，而雜汙之為狄者邪？甚深藏而外勝敵者邪？法禹舜而能弇跡者邪？行為動靜待之而後適者邪？血氣之精也，志意之榮也，百姓待之而後寧也，天下待之而後平也，明達純粹而無疵也，夫是之謂君子之知－－知。

It is said: Is this the thing that rests secure in broad and level ground but is endangered in narrow defiles? That takes what is cultivated and pure as kin, and treats what is foul and polluted as distant? That is deeply hidden within yet outwardly overcomes enemies? That models itself on Yu and Shun and is even able to cover over their footprints? That conduct and movement wait upon and only then become fitting? It is the essence of blood and breath, the flower of the will and intent; the people wait upon it and only then are tranquil; the world waits upon it and only then is level. Bright, penetrating, pure, and without blemish — this is called the wisdom of the gentleman. — Wisdom.

有物於此，居則周靜致下，動則綦高以鉅，圓者中規，方者中矩，大參天地，德厚堯禹，精微乎毫毛，而充盈乎大寓。忽兮其極之遠也，攭兮其相逐而反也，卬卬兮天下之鹹蹇也。德厚而不捐，五采備而成文，往來惛憊，通於大神，出入甚極，莫知其門。天下失之則滅，得之則存。弟子不敏，此之願陳，君子設辭，請測意之。

There is a thing here: when it rests it spreads everywhere, silent and still, reaching down to the utmost depths; when it moves it is exceedingly high and vast. Its round parts fit the compass, its square parts fit the carpenter's square. In greatness it forms a triad with Heaven and Earth; in virtue it is thicker than Yao and Yu; it is finer than a fine hair, yet it fills the whole great firmament. Swiftly, ah, how far it goes; whirling, ah, its parts chase one another and return. High up, ah, all under heaven is hard pressed. Its virtue is generous and it abandons no one; the five colors are complete and form patterns. It comes and goes, darkened and weary; it reaches the great spirits above; its exits and entries are very swift, and no one knows its gate. If the world loses it, it perishes; if it obtains it, it survives. Your disciple is not clever; I beg to set this forth. The gentleman has laid out the words — I ask you to guess its meaning.

曰：此夫大而不塞者與？充盈大宇而不窕，入卻穴而不偪者與？行遠疾速，而不可托訊者與？往來惛憊，而不可為固塞者與？暴至殺傷，而不億忌者與？功被天下，而不私置者與？托地而遊宇，友風而子雨，冬日作寒，夏日作暑，廣大精神，請歸之雲－－雲。

It is said: Is this the thing that is great yet not clogged? That fills the whole firmament without leaving a crack or crevice, yet enters tiny pores without being cramped? That travels far and swiftly, yet cannot be entrusted with a message? That comes and goes, darkened and weary, yet cannot be taken for a solid barrier? That arrives suddenly, killing and harming, yet bears no doubt or fear? Whose merit covers all under heaven, yet is never privately bestowed? It rests upon the earth and roams the firmament, takes the wind as its friend and the rain as its child; in winter days it raises the cold, in summer days it raises the heat. Vast and possessed of spirit — may I sum it up as the cloud? — Cloud.

有物於此，(人蠡)(人蠡)兮其狀，屢化如神，功被天下，為萬世文。禮樂以成，貴賤以分，養老長幼，待之而後存。名號不美，與"暴"為鄰。功立而身廢，事成而家敗。棄其耆老，收其後世。人屬所利，飛鳥所害。臣愚不識，請占之五泰。

There is a thing here: its body curls and coils in shape; it transforms repeatedly like a spirit. Its merit covers all under heaven and becomes the ornament of ten thousand generations. Rites and music are completed through it; noble and lowly are distinguished through it. Nourishing the old and rearing the young wait upon it and only then survive. Its name is not lovely — it neighbors on "violence." Its merit established, its own body is discarded; its work accomplished, its household is ruined. It casts off its aged parents and gathers in the later brood. It is used by humankind and injured by flying birds. Your servant, dull, does not recognize it — I beg to have Wutai divine it.

五泰占之曰：此夫身女好，而頭馬首者與？屢化而不壽者與？善壯而拙老者與？有父母而無牝牡者與？冬伏而夏遊，食桑而吐絲，前亂而後治，夏生而惡暑，喜溼而惡雨，蛹以為母，蛾以為父，三俯三起，事乃大已，夫是之謂蠶理。－－蠶

After divining, Wutai said: Is this the thing whose body is as lovely as a woman's, yet whose head is like a horse's? That transforms repeatedly yet does not live long? That is adept in its prime but clumsy in its decline? That has a father and mother yet has no male or female? It lies hidden in winter and is active in summer; it eats mulberry and spins out silk; first there is disorder and then order; it grows in summer yet hates the heat; it loves dampness yet hates rain; it takes the chrysalis as its mother and the moth as its father; three times it crouches down and three times it rises, and only then is its work fully accomplished — this is called the nature of the silkworm. — Silkworm.

有物於此，生於山阜，處於室堂。無知無巧，善治衣裳。不盜不竊，穿窬而行。日夜合離，以成文章。以能合從，又善連衡。下覆百姓，上飾帝王。功業甚博，不見賢良。時用則存，不用則亡。臣愚不識，敢請之王。

There is a thing here: born in the hills and mounds, it dwells in chambers and halls. It has no knowledge and no cleverness, yet it is skilled at putting garments in order. It does not rob or steal, yet it bores through holes as it travels. Day and night it joins what has been separated, thereby accomplishing patterned refinement. It can unite vertically and is also skilled at linking horizontally. Below it covers the common people; above it adorns emperors and kings. Its achievements are great and broad, yet it never displays its own worth. So long as the age employs it, it exists; when it is not used, it is lost. Your servant, dull, does not recognize it — I venture to ask the king.

王曰：此夫始生鉅，其成功小者邪？長其尾而銳其剽者邪？頭銛達而尾趙繚者邪？一往一來，結尾以為事。無羽無翼，反覆甚極。尾生而事起，尾邅而事已。簪以為父，管以為母。既以縫表，又以連裡：夫是之謂箴理。－－箴

The king said: Is this the thing that when first produced is huge, yet once finished is small? Whose tail is made long and whose tip is made sharp? Whose head is keen and piercing while its tail winds and coils? Going once and coming once, it draws its tail after it to do its work. It has no feathers and no wings, yet its back-and-forth is very swift. When the tail is brought forth, the work begins; when the tail is wound up, the work is done. It takes the hairpin as father and the tube as mother. It is used both to stitch the outer layer and to join the lining — this is called the nature of the needle. — Needle.

天下不治，請陳佹詩：天地易位，四時易鄉。列星殞墜，旦暮晦盲。幽闇登昭，日月下藏。公正無私，見謂從橫。志愛公利，重樓疏堂。無私罪人，憼革貳兵。道德純備，讒口將將。仁人絀約，敖暴擅強。天下幽險，恐失世英。螭龍為蝘蜓，鴟梟為鳳凰。比干見刳，孔子拘匡。昭昭乎其知之明也，鬱郁乎其遇時之不祥也，拂乎其欲禮義之大行也，闇乎天下之晦盲也，皓天不復，憂無疆也。千歲必反，古之常也。弟子勉學，天不忘也。聖人共手，時幾將矣。與愚以疑，願聞反辭。

The world is not in order — allow me to set forth an uncanny poem: Heaven and Earth exchange their positions; the four seasons shift their courses. The ranked stars fall; morning and evening are dark and dim. The obscure climb into the light; the sun and moon hide below. The impartial and selfless are called schemers; those whose intent loves the common good are said to covet towers and open halls. Those who without selfish motive bring charges are said to be marshaling troops and preparing arms. Those whose virtue is pure and complete have slanderous mouths clanging against them. Men of humaneness are dismissed and hard-pressed; the arrogant and violent monopolize power. The world is dark and perilous — I fear the loss of the heroes of the age. The hornless dragon is taken for a gecko; the owl is taken for a phoenix. Bigan had his heart cut out; Confucius was held fast at Kuang. How bright, ah, the clarity of his wisdom! How stifled, ah, his meeting with an ill-starred fate! How thwarted, ah, his wish that rites and righteousness be greatly practiced! How darkened, ah, the blindness of the world! The bright sky does not return; sorrow has no bounds. That in a thousand years it must return is the constant rule of old. Disciples, labor at your studies — Heaven will not forget. The sage stands with hands folded; the time is nearly come. To share my doubts with the benighted, I beg to hear the answering verse.

其小歌曰：念彼遠方，何其塞矣，仁人絀約，暴人衍矣。忠臣危殆，讒人服矣。

The little song says: I think of that distant land — how blocked and thwarted I am! Men of humaneness are dismissed and hard-pressed; violent men overflow and spread. Loyal ministers are in peril; slanderers are employed.

琁、玉、瑤、珠，不知佩也，雜布與帛，不知異也。閭娵子奢，莫之媒也；嫫母力父，是之喜也。以盲為明，以聾為聰，以危為安，以吉為兇。嗚呼！上天！曷維其同！

Fine jade and precious pearls — they do not know how to wear them; coarse cloth and silks — they cannot tell them apart. For beauties like Lüju and Zishe, no one makes a match; Momu and Lifu, the ugly ones, are loved instead. They take blindness for sight, deafness for keen hearing, danger for safety, good fortune for ill. Alas! O Heaven! How can one be the same as these?

君人者，隆禮尊賢而王，重法愛民而霸，好利多詐而危。欲近四旁，莫如中央，故王者必居天下之中，禮也。

A ruler who honors ritual and respects the worthy becomes a true king; one who values law and loves the people becomes a hegemon; one who is fond of profit and full of deceit is in danger. If one wishes to be near the four quarters, nothing matches the center; therefore the king must dwell at the center of the world — this is ritual.

天子外屏，諸侯內屏，禮也。外屏、不欲見外也；內屏、不欲見內也。

The Son of Heaven sets his screen outside the gate; the feudal lords set theirs inside the gate — this is ritual. A screen outside the gate is so as not to see the outside; a screen inside the gate is so as not to see the inside.

諸侯召其臣，臣不俟駕，顛倒衣裳而走，禮也。詩曰："顛之倒之，自公召之。"天子召諸侯，諸侯輦輿就馬，禮也。詩曰："我出我輿，於彼牧矣。自天子所，謂我來矣。"

When a feudal lord summons his minister, the minister does not wait for the carriage to be harnessed but runs off with his robes put on upside down — this is ritual. The Book of Songs, Airs of Qi, 'Before the East Was Light,' says: 'Upside down, topsy-turvy — from the duke comes a summons for him.' When the Son of Heaven summons a feudal lord, the lord has men wheel his carriage close to the horses — this is ritual. The Book of Songs, Minor Odes, 'Sending Out the Chariots,' says: 'I had my chariot brought out, and reached that pasture ground. From the Son of Heaven came word, calling me to come.'

天子山冕，諸侯玄冠，大夫裨冕，士韋弁，禮也。

The Son of Heaven wears the mountain-patterned cap; the feudal lords wear the black cap; the great officers wear the secondary ceremonial cap; the officers wear the leather cap — this is ritual.

天子御珽，諸侯御荼，大夫服笏，禮也。

The Son of Heaven uses the ting tablet; the feudal lords use the shu tablet; the great officers use the hu tablet — this is ritual.

天子雕弓，諸侯彤弓，大夫黑弓，禮也。

The Son of Heaven uses the carved bow; the feudal lords use the vermilion bow; the great officers use the black bow — this is ritual.

諸侯相見，卿為介，以其教士畢行，使仁居守。

When feudal lords meet one another, a minister serves as escort and leads out all his trained officers, leaving the humane ones behind to guard the state.

聘人以圭，問士以璧，召人以瑗，絕人以玦，反絕以環。

To send an envoy, one uses a gui tablet; to convey regard to an officer, a bi disc; to summon a person, a yuan ring; to break off relations, a jue ring with a gap; to restore broken relations, a closed huan ring.

人主仁心設焉，知其役也，禮其盡也，故王者先仁而後禮，天施然也。

When a ruler of men has established a humane heart, knowledge is its servant and ritual is its completion; therefore the king puts humaneness first and ritual after — the bestowal of Heaven is like this.

聘禮志曰："幣厚則傷德，財侈則殄禮。"禮雲禮云，玉帛云乎哉！詩曰："物其指矣，唯其偕矣。"不時宜，不敬文，不驩欣，雖指非禮也。

The record of the ceremony of official visits says: 'Gifts too lavish injure virtue; expenditure too extravagant extinguishes ritual.' Ritual! Ritual! Is it really only about jade and silk? The Book of Songs, Minor Odes, 'Fish Traps,' says: 'The things are so fine, only because they are fitting.' If it is not timely, if the forms are not respected, if there is no joy, then even what is fine is not ritual.

水行者表深，使人無陷；治民者表亂，使人無失，禮者，其表也。先王以禮義表天下之亂；今廢禮者，是棄表也，故民迷惑而陷禍患，此刑罰之所以繁也。

Those who walk through water mark the depth so that people do not sink; those who govern the people mark the boundary of disorder so that people do not err. Ritual is that marker. The former kings used ritual and righteousness to mark out disorder for the world; now those who discard ritual cast away the marker, so the people are bewildered and fall into calamity — this is why punishments multiply.

舜曰："維予從欲而治。"故禮之生，為賢人以下至庶民也，非為成聖也；然而亦所以成聖也，不學不成；堯學於君疇，舜學於務成昭，禹學於西王國。

Shun said: 'I govern simply by following desire.' Thus ritual arose for the sake of the worthy and below, down to the common people — not in order to complete the sage; yet it is also that by which a sage is completed, for without learning one cannot be completed. Yao studied under Junchou, Shun studied under Wucheng Zhao, and Yu studied under Xiwangguo.

五十不成喪，七十唯衰存。

At fifty, one no longer performs the full ceremonies of mourning; at seventy, one retains only the coarse mourning garment.

親迎之禮，父南向而立，子北面而跪，醮而命之："往迎爾相，成我宗事，隆率以敬先妣之嗣，若則有常。"子曰："諾！唯恐不能，敢忘命矣！"

At the rite of personally fetching the bride, the father stands facing south and the son kneels facing north; the father pledges him with wine and commands him: 'Go and welcome your helpmeet, accomplish the service of our ancestral temple, grandly lead her to respectfully continue the succession of your late mother — you must be constant.' The son says: 'Yes! I only fear I cannot do it — how would I dare forget the command!'

夫行也者，行禮之謂也。禮也者，貴者敬焉，老者孝焉，長者弟焉，幼者慈焉，賤者惠焉。

What is called right conduct is the practice of ritual. Ritual is: reverence for the honored, filial care for the aged, deference to the elder, kindness toward the young, and generosity toward the lowly.

賜予其宮室，猶用慶賞於國家也；忿怒其臣妾，猶用刑罰於萬民也。

Bestow upon the people of one's palace as though conferring rewards upon the state; show anger toward one's servants and concubines as though applying punishments to the myriad people.

君子之於子，愛之而勿面，使之而勿視，道之以道而勿強。

The gentleman loves his son without showing it in his face, employs him without watching him sternly, and guides him with the Way without forcing him.

禮以順人心為本，故亡於禮經而順於人心者，皆禮也。

Ritual takes accord with the human heart as its root; therefore whatever accords with the human heart, even if it is not in the ritual canon, is ritual.

禮之大凡：－－事生、飾驩也，送死、飾哀也，軍旅、施威也。

The general outline of ritual: in serving the living it gives form to joy; in sending off the dead it gives form to grief; in the army it applies majesty.

親親、故故、庸庸、勞勞，仁之殺也；貴貴、尊尊、賢賢、老老、長長、義之倫也。行之得其節，禮之序也。仁、愛也，故親；義、理也，故行；禮、節也，故成。仁有裡，義有門；仁、非其裡而處之，非仁也；義，非其門而由之，非義也。推恩而不理，不成仁；遂理而不敢，不成義；審節而不和，不成禮；和而不發，不成樂。故曰：仁義禮樂，其致一也。君子處仁以義，然後仁也；行義以禮，然後義也；制禮反本成末，然後禮也。三者皆通，然後道也。

Cherishing those who should be cherished, treating old friends as old friends, rewarding the meritorious, and recompensing the laboring — this is the gradation of humaneness. Honoring those who should be honored, respecting those who should be respected, esteeming the worthy as worthy, revering the aged as aged, and honoring elders as elders — this is the ordering of righteousness. Practicing it and obtaining its measure — this is the sequence of ritual. Humaneness is love, therefore it draws near; righteousness is principle, therefore it can be carried out; ritual is measure, therefore it can be completed. Humaneness has its proper neighborhood; righteousness has its proper gate. With humaneness, if it is not its neighborhood yet one dwells there, it is not humaneness; with righteousness, if it is not its gate yet one proceeds through it, it is not righteousness. To extend kindness without principle is not humaneness; to follow principle but not dare to act is not righteousness; to examine the measures without harmony is not ritual; to be harmonious without expressing it is not music. Thus it is said: humaneness, righteousness, ritual, and music arrive at the same thing. The gentleman employs righteousness to place humaneness, and only then is it humaneness; employs ritual to practice righteousness, and only then is it righteousness; institutes ritual by returning to the root and completing the branches, and only then is it ritual. When all three are penetrated, only then is it the Way.

貨財曰賻，輿馬曰賵，衣服曰襚，玩好曰贈，玉貝曰唅。賻賵、所以佐生也，贈襚、所以送死也。送死不及柩屍，吊生不及悲哀，非禮也。故吉行五十，奔喪百里，賵贈及事，禮之大也。

Goods and money are called fu gifts; carriages and horses are called feng gifts; clothing is called sui gifts; playthings and treasures are called zeng gifts; jade and cowries are called han gifts for the mouth. The fu and feng gifts are to aid the living; the zeng and sui gifts are to send off the dead. To send off the dead yet not reach the coffin, or to comfort the living yet not reach their grief, is not ritual. Therefore on happy occasions one travels fifty li; on hearing of a death one travels a hundred li; for feng and zeng gifts to reach the event — this is the great measure of ritual.

禮者、政之挽也；為政不以禮，政不行矣。

Ritual is the leading-rein of government; if government does not use ritual, government cannot be carried out.

天子即位，上卿進曰："如之何憂之長也？能除患則為福，不能除患則為賊。"授天子一策。中卿進曰："配天而有下土者，先事慮事，先患慮患。先事慮事謂之接，接則事優成。先患慮患謂之豫，豫則禍不生。事至而後慮者謂之後，後則事不舉。患至而後慮者謂之困，困則禍不可御。"授天子二策。下卿進曰："敬戒無怠，慶者在堂，吊者在閭。禍與福鄰，莫知其門。豫哉！豫哉！萬民望之。"授天子三策。

When the Son of Heaven ascends the throne, the chief minister steps forward and says: 'What can be done when cares are so lasting? To be able to remove calamity is fortune; to be unable to remove it is harm.' He hands the first policy tablet to the Son of Heaven. The middle minister steps forward and says: 'One who is matched with Heaven and possesses the land below thinks of affairs before they occur and thinks of calamity before calamity arrives. Thinking of affairs beforehand is called readiness; with readiness, affairs are accomplished at leisure. Thinking of calamity beforehand is called precaution; with precaution, disaster does not arise. Thinking only after affairs have arrived is called lateness; with lateness, affairs cannot be accomplished. Thinking only after calamity has arrived is called being trapped; being trapped, disaster cannot be resisted.' He hands the second policy tablet to the Son of Heaven. The junior minister steps forward and says: 'Be reverent and wary, do not be idle. Those who offer congratulations are in the hall while those who offer condolence are at the inner gate. Fortune and misfortune are neighbors; no one knows the gate between them. Take precautions! Take precautions! The myriad people look up to you.' He hands the third policy tablet to the Son of Heaven.

禹見耕者耦、立而式，過十室之邑、必下。

When Yu saw men plowing in pairs, he stood and leaned on the crossbar in respect; passing a hamlet of ten households, he was sure to dismount from his carriage.

殺大蚤，朝大晚，非禮也。治民不以禮，動斯陷矣。

To go hunting too early and attend court too late is contrary to ritual. To govern the people without ritual is to stumble and sink at the first move.

平衡曰拜，下衡曰稽首，至地曰稽顙。

Hands level with the heart is called a salute; hands lowered is called touching the head; the head reaching the ground is called knocking the forehead.

大夫之臣，拜不稽首，非尊家臣也，所以闢君也。

The household ministers of a great officer salute but do not knock the head — not out of reverence for household ministers, but to avoid the ceremony owed to the ruler of the state.

一命齒於鄉，再命齒於族，三命，族人雖七十不敢先。上大夫，中大夫，下大夫。

An officer of the first rank takes his place in the village according to age; an officer of the second rank takes his place in the clan according to age; for an officer of the third rank, even a clansman of seventy dares not take precedence over him. There are senior great officers, middle great officers, and junior great officers.

吉事尚尊，喪事尚親。

At auspicious occasions honor goes to the most esteemed; at funerals honor goes to the nearest kin.

聘、問也。享、獻也。私覿、私見也。

The pin ceremony is an inquiry; the xiang ceremony is an offering; the private di is a private audience.

言語之美，穆穆皇皇。朝廷之美，濟濟鎗鎗。

The beauty of speech is solemnity and grandeur; the beauty of the court is orderliness and ringing harmony.

為人臣下者，有諫而無訕，有亡而無疾，有怨而無怒。

A minister has remonstrance but not slander; he has departure but not resentment; he has grievance but not anger.

君於大夫，三問其疾，三臨其喪；於士，一問，一臨。諸侯非問疾弔喪不之臣之家。

A ruler asks after a great officer's illness three times and attends his funeral three times in person; for an officer, he asks once and attends once. A feudal lord does not go to a minister's house except to ask after illness or mourn a death.

既葬，君若父之友食之則食矣，不闢梁肉，有醴酒則辭。

After the burial, if the ruler or the father's friend gives him food, he eats it; he does not avoid rice and meat, but if there is sweet wine he declines it.

寢不踰廟，燕衣不踰祭服，禮也。

One's residence does not exceed the ancestral temple; one's clothes at leisure do not exceed the sacrificial robes — this is ritual.

湯之鹹，見夫婦。夫婦之道，不可不正也，君臣父子之本也。鹹、感也，以高下下，以男下女，柔上而剛下。

The Xian hexagram of the Book of Changes shows husband and wife. (The base text reads 'Tang zhi xian,' where 'Tang' is a corruption of 'Yi.') The way of husband and wife must be kept correct, for it is the root of ruler and minister, father and son. Xian means influence: it places the high beneath the low, places the male beneath the female — the yielding is above and the firm is below.

聘士之義，親迎之道，重始也。

The propriety of engaging an officer with ceremony and the way of personally fetching the bride are matters of honoring beginnings.

禮者，人之所履也，失所履，必顛蹶陷溺。所失微而其為亂大者，禮也。

Ritual is the footing that men tread; lose that footing and one is certain to stumble and sink. That whose loss is minute yet whose resulting disorder is great — that is ritual.

禮之於正國家也，如權衡之於輕重也，如繩墨之於曲直也。故人無禮不生，事無禮不成，國家無禮不寧。君臣不得不尊，父子不得不親，兄弟不得不順，夫婦不得不驩，少者以長，老者以養。故天地生之，聖人成之。

Ritual is to the rectification of a state what the balance is to weight, what the marking-line is to straight and crooked. Thus a man without ritual cannot live; an affair without ritual cannot be completed; a state without ritual cannot be at peace. Ruler and minister cannot be honored without it; father and son cannot be close without it; elder and younger brothers cannot be harmonious without it; husband and wife cannot rejoice without it. The young depend on it to grow up; the old depend on it to be nourished. Thus Heaven and Earth produce mankind, and the sage completes mankind.

和鸞之聲，步中武象，趨中韶護。君子聽律習容而後出。

The sound of the harness bells matches the Wu and Xiang in slow steps, and matches the Shao and Hu in quick steps. The gentleman listens for the pitch of the music and rehearses his bearing, and only then goes out.

霜降逆女，冰泮殺止，十日一御。

At the fall of frost, brides are welcomed; when the ice melts, weddings stop — and consorts are attended once every ten days.

坐視膝，立視足，應對言語視面。立視前六尺而大之－－六六三十六，三丈六尺。

When seated, look at the other person's knees; when standing, look at his feet; when responding in speech, look at his face. When standing, look six chi ahead and enlarge it — six sixes are thirty-six, that is, three zhang and six chi.

文貌情用，相為內外表裡。禮之中焉，能思索謂之能慮。

Outward form and the inner substance of feeling are each other's exterior and interior. Within ritual, to be able to ponder is called being able to reflect.

禮者，本末相順，終始相應。

In ritual, root and branch accord with one another, and end and beginning answer one another.

禮者，以財物為用，以貴賤為文，以多少為異。

Ritual takes goods as its use, takes noble and lowly as its pattern, and takes much and little as its differentiation.

下臣事君以貨，中臣事君以身，上臣事君以人。

The lowest kind of minister serves his lord with goods and money; the middling minister serves his lord with his own person; the highest minister serves his lord with men of talent.

易曰："復自道，何其咎？"春秋賢穆公，以為能變也。

The Book of Changes says: 'To return from the Way — what fault is there?' The Spring and Autumn Annals considered Duke Mu of Qin worthy, holding that he was able to change.

士有妒友，則賢交不親；君有妒臣，則賢人不至。蔽公者謂之昧，隱賢者謂之妒，奉妒昧者謂之交譎。交譎之人，妒昧之臣，國之薉孽也。

If an officer has jealous friends, the friendship of the worthy will not grow close; if a lord has jealous ministers, the worthy will not come. To block the impartial is called delusion; to bury the worthy is called jealousy; to practice jealousy and delusion is called mutual deceit. Men of mutual deceit and ministers of jealousy and delusion are the filth and scourge of the state.

口能言之，身能行之，國寶也。口不能言，身能行之，國器也。口能言之，身不能行，國用也。口言善，身行惡，國妖也。治國者敬其寶，愛其器，任其用，除其妖。

One whose mouth can speak of it and whose body can carry it out is a treasure of the state. One whose mouth cannot speak of it yet whose body can carry it out is a vessel of the state. One whose mouth can speak of it but whose body cannot carry it out is a tool of the state. One whose mouth speaks good while his body does evil is a bane of the state. Those who govern a state revere its treasure, cherish its vessel, employ its tool, and remove its bane.

不富無以養民情，不教無以理民性。故家五畝宅，百畝田，務其業，而勿奪其時，所以富之也。立大學，設庠序，修六禮，明七教，所以道之也。詩曰："飲之食之，教之誨之。"王事具矣。

Without wealth there is no way to nourish the people's feelings; without teaching there is no way to order the people's nature. Therefore each household is given five mu for a homestead and a hundred mu of fields; the people devote their strength to their tasks and their seasons are not encroached upon — this is the means of enriching them. Establish the great school, set up the local academies, cultivate the six rites, and make plain the seven teachings — this is the means of guiding them. The Book of Songs, Minor Odes, 'Mianman,' says: 'Give them drink, give them food; teach them, instruct them.' Then the work of a king is complete.

武王始入殷，表商容之閭，釋箕子之囚，哭比干之墓，天下鄉善矣。

When King Wu had just entered the capital of Yin, he marked the lane of Shangrong with honors, released Jizi from his imprisonment, and wept at the grave of Bigan — and the world turned toward goodness.

天下國有俊士，世有賢人。迷者不問路，溺者不問遂，亡人好獨。詩曰："我言維服，勿用為笑。先民有言，詢於芻蕘。"言博問也。

Throughout the states of the world there are outstanding officers, and every age has worthy men. The man who has lost his way does not ask the road; the drowning man does not ask where it can be forded; the fugitive likes to go alone. The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, 'Ban,' says: 'My words are matters of urgency — do not take them as a joke. The men of old had a saying: ask even the firewood gatherers.' This means one should inquire widely.

有法者以法行，無法者以類舉。以其本知其末，以其左知其右，凡百事異理而相守也。慶賞刑罰，通類而後應；政教習俗，相順而後行。

Where there is a law, act according to the law; where there is no law, handle matters by analogy. From the root know the branches; from the left know the right; in all affairs the principles differ yet hold to one another. Rewards and punishments take effect only after they accord with their categories; government, teaching, and custom can be carried out only after they accord with one another.

八十者一子不事，九十者舉家不事，廢疾非人不養者，一人不事，父母之喪，三年不事，齊衰大功，三月不事，從諸侯來，與新有昏，期不事。

For a man of eighty, one son is exempted from service; for a man of ninety, the whole household is exempt; for a disabled person who cannot be supported except by another, one person is exempt. During a parent's mourning, there is no service for three years; during the qicui and dagong mourning grades, no service for three months. Those who have just arrived from a feudal lord's domain and the newly married have no service for one year.

子謂子家駒續然大夫，不如晏子；晏子功用之臣也，不如子產；子產惠人也，不如管仲；管仲之為人，力功不力義，力知不力仁，野人也，不可為天子大夫。

Confucius said that Zijiaju was a stopgap minister, not equal to Yanzi; that Yanzi was a minister of practical use, not equal to Zichan; that Zichan was a dispenser of favors, not equal to Guan Zhong. Guan Zhong as a man labored at achievement and not at righteousness, labored at cleverness and not at humaneness — he was a rustic and could not serve as a great officer of the Son of Heaven.

孟子三見宣王，不言事。門人曰："曷為三遇齊王而不言事？"孟子曰："吾先攻其邪心。"

Mencius had three audiences with King Xuan and did not speak of affairs of state. His disciples said: 'Why did you meet the King of Qi three times without speaking of affairs of state?' Mencius said: 'I first attacked his erring heart.'

公行子之之燕，遇曾元於塗，曰："燕君何如？"曾元曰："志卑。志卑者輕物，輕物者不求助；苟不求助，何能舉？氐羌之虜也，不憂其系壘也，而憂其不焚也。利夫秋毫，害靡國家，然且為之，幾為知計哉！"

When Gonghang Zizhi went to Yan, he met Zeng Yuan on the road and said: 'What is the lord of Yan like?' Zeng Yuan said: 'His aims are petty. One whose aims are petty makes light of things; one who makes light of things does not seek help. If he does not seek help, how can anything be accomplished? The Di and Qiang captives do not grieve at being bound, but grieve that after death they will not be burned. The gain is no more than a fine hair, yet the harm reaches the whole state — and still he does it; how can that be called knowing how to reckon?'

今夫亡箴者，終日求之而不得；其得之也，非目益明也，眸而見之也。心之於慮亦然。

Now a man who has lost a needle may seek it all day without finding it; when he does find it, it is not that his eyes have become keener — it is that by looking carefully he sees it. The heart's relation to thinking is the same.

"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，大夫不言得喪，士不通貨財。有國之君不息牛羊，錯質之臣不息雞豚，冢卿不修幣，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；然故民不困財，貧窶者有所竄其手。

Righteousness and profit are both present in men. Even Yao and Shun could not remove the people's desire for profit; yet they could keep that desire from overcoming the people's love of righteousness. Even Jie and Zhou could not remove the people's love of righteousness; yet they could keep that love from overcoming their desire for profit. Thus an age in which righteousness overcomes profit is an ordered age; an age in which profit overcomes righteousness is a disordered age. When those above value righteousness, righteousness overcomes profit; when those above value profit, profit overcomes righteousness. Therefore the Son of Heaven does not speak of quantities; the feudal lords do not speak of benefit and harm; the great officers do not speak of gain and loss; officers do not circulate goods and wealth. The lord who possesses a state does not breed cattle and sheep; the minister who has pledged himself does not breed chickens and pigs; the prime minister does not traffic in currency; the great officers do not keep farms and gardens. From the officers upward, all are ashamed of profit and do not compete with the people for livelihood; they delight in distributing and are ashamed of amassing. Thus the people are not distressed by want of goods, and the poor and wretched have a place to put their hands to work.

文王誅四，武王誅二，周公卒業，至成康則案無誅已。

King Wen punished and destroyed four states; King Wu punished and destroyed two; the Duke of Zhou completed that work; and by the time of Kings Cheng and Kang there were no more punitive campaigns.

多積財而羞無有，重民任而誅不能，此邪行之所以起，刑罰之所以多也。

To amass great wealth while making people ashamed of having none, and to load the people with burdens while executing those who cannot bear them — this is the reason wickedness arises and punishments multiply.

上好義，則民闇飾矣！上好富，則民死利矣！二者治亂之衢也。民語曰："欲富乎？忍恥矣！傾絕矣！絕故舊矣！與義分背矣！"上好富，則人民之行如此，安得不亂！

When those above love righteousness, the people quietly cultivate themselves; when those above love wealth, the people die for profit. These two are the crossroads of order and disorder. A proverb among the people says: 'Want to be rich? Then endure disgrace! Ruin your household and end your life! Cut off your old friends! Part ways with righteousness and run the opposite direction!' When those above love wealth, the people's conduct comes to be like this — how can there not be disorder?

湯旱而禱曰："政不節與？使民疾與？何以不雨至斯極也！宮室榮與？婦謁盛與？何以不雨至斯之極也！苞苴行與？讒夫興與？何以不雨至斯極也！"

Tang prayed on account of the drought, saying: 'Is my government without restraint? Do I press the people too hard in service? Why has the rain failed to this extreme! Are my palaces too ornate? Are women's petitions too prevalent? Why has the rain failed to this extreme! Are bribes circulating? Are slanderers on the rise? Why has the rain failed to this extreme!'

天之生民，非為君也；天之立君，以為民也。故古者，列地建國，非以貴諸侯而已；列官職，差爵祿，非以尊大夫而已。

Heaven produces the people not for the sake of the ruler; Heaven establishes the ruler for the sake of the people. Therefore in antiquity land was divided and states founded not merely to make the feudal lords honored, and offices were ranked and emoluments graded not merely to make the great officers exalted.

主道知人，臣道知事。故舜之治天下，不以事詔而萬物成。農精於田，而不可以為田師，工賈亦然。

The way of the ruler is to know men; the way of the minister is to know affairs. Thus Shun governed the world without directing every matter, yet the myriad things were accomplished. A farmer may be skilled in the fields yet cannot be made a field master; artisans and merchants are likewise.

以賢易不肖，不待卜而後知吉。以治伐亂，不待戰而後知克。

To replace the unworthy with the worthy — one need not wait to divine to know it is auspicious. To attack disorder with order — one need not wait for the battle to know it will win.

齊人慾伐魯，忌卞莊子，不敢過卞。晉人慾伐衛，畏子路，不敢過蒲。

The men of Qi wished to attack Lu but, fearing Bian Zhuangzi, dared not pass through Bian. The men of Jin wished to attack Wei but, fearing Zilu, dared not pass through Pu.

不知而問堯舜，無有而求天府。－－曰：先王之道，則堯舜已；六貳之博，則天府已。

If you do not know, ask Yao and Shun; if you do not possess, seek the treasury of Heaven. — This means: the Way of the former kings is Yao and Shun; the breadth of the six arts is the treasury of Heaven.

君子之學如蛻，翻然遷之。故其行效，其立效，其置顏色、出辭氣效。無留善，無宿問。

The gentleman's learning is like shedding a skin — he suddenly shifts and changes. Thus his walking models the pattern, his standing models the pattern, and his composing of expression and issuing of tone all model the pattern. He leaves undone no good that remains to be done; he lets no doubt pass the night unasked.

善學者盡其理，善行者究其難。

One who is good at learning exhausts the principle; one who is good at practice presses into the difficulty.

君子立志如窮，雖天子三公問正，以是非對。

The gentleman holds his resolve as though he were in straits; even if the Son of Heaven and the three dukes ask him about proper government, he answers according to what is right and what is wrong.

君子隘窮而不失，勞倦而不苟，臨患難而不忘細席之言。歲不寒無以知松柏，事不難無以知君子無日不在是。

The gentleman is in straits yet does not lose himself; he is weary yet not careless; facing calamity he does not forget the words spoken upon his mat. If the year does not turn cold, there is no way to know the pine and cypress; if affairs do not turn difficult, there is no way to know that the gentleman does not depart from the right path for a single day.

雨小，漢故潛。夫盡小者大，積微者箸，德至者色澤洽，行盡而聲問遠，小人不誠於內而求之於外。

The rain may be slight, yet the Han River is still deep. Exhaust the small and it becomes great; accumulate the minute and it becomes manifest. One whose virtue reaches the utmost has a harmonious countenance; one whose virtuous conduct is complete has a renown that travels far. The petty man is not sincere within yet seeks it from without.

言而不稱師謂之畔，教而不稱師謂之倍。倍畔之人，明君不內，朝士大夫遇諸塗不與言。

To speak without invoking one's teacher is called betrayal; to teach without invoking one's teacher is called defection. One who betrays and defects is not received by an enlightened lord, and the officers of the court who meet him on the road will not speak with him.

不足於行者，說過；不足於信者，誠言。故春秋善胥命，而詩非屢盟，其心一也。善為詩者不說，善為易者不占，善為禮者不相，其心同也。

A man not capable of practice speaks in excess; a man not capable of good faith speaks with protestations. Thus the Spring and Autumn Annals approves of spoken covenants, while the Book of Songs condemns repeated oaths — the intent is the same. One who is good with the Book of Songs does not speak emptily; one who is good with the Book of Changes does not divine; one who is good with ritual does not serve as usher — their hearts are the same.

曾子曰："孝子言為可聞，行為可見。言為可聞，所以說遠也；行為可見，所以說近也；近者說則親，遠者悅則附；親近而附遠，孝子之道也。"

Zengzi said: 'A filial son's words are fit for men to hear, and his conduct is fit for men to see. Words fit to be heard are the means of pleasing those far away; conduct fit to be seen is the means of pleasing those near. When those near are pleased, they grow close; when those far away are pleased, they come and attach themselves. To draw close to those near and attract those afar — this is the way of the filial son.'

曾子行，晏子從於郊，曰："嬰聞之：君子贈人以言，庶人贈人以財。嬰貧無財，請假於君子，贈吾子以言：乘輿之輪，太山之木也，示諸檃栝，三月五月，為幬採，敝而不反其常。君子之檃栝，不可不謹也。慎之！蘭茞槁本，漸於蜜醴，一佩易之。正君漸於香酒，可讒而得也。君子之所漸，不可不慎也。"

When Zengzi was setting out on a journey, Yanzi escorted him to the outskirts and said: 'I, Ying, have heard that the gentleman sends a man off with words, while common men send him off with wealth. I am poor and have no wealth; allow me to borrow the gentleman's name and send my lord off with words. The wheel of a carriage is wood of Mount Tai; placed in the bending-frame for three to five months, it is made into a close-fitting rim, and even when worn out it never returns to its former crookedness. The bending-frame for a gentleman must be attended with care. Take care! The fragrant angelica and gaoben, steeped in honeyed wine, are changed for new after a single wearing. An upright lord steeped in fragrant wine may likewise be won over by slander. What the gentleman is steeped in must not be chosen without care.'

人之於文學也，猶玉之於琢磨也。詩曰："如切如磋，如琢如磨。"謂學問也。和之璧，井裡之厥也，玉人琢之，為天子寶。子贛季路故鄙人也，被文學，服禮義，為天下列士。

A man's relation to letters and learning is like jade's relation to cutting and polishing. The Book of Songs, Airs of Wei, 'The Banks of the Qi,' says: 'As if cut, as if filed; as if carved, as if polished.' This speaks of learning. Bian He's jade disc was a stone of the lanes; a jade-worker carved it and it became the treasure of the Son of Heaven. Zigong and Jilu were originally rustic and uncouth men; they cloaked themselves in letters, practiced ritual and righteousness, and became ranked officers of the world.

學問不厭，好士不倦，是天府也。

To learn without weariness and to love officers without flagging — this is the treasury of Heaven.

君子疑則不言，未問則不言，道遠日益矣。

The gentleman does not speak where he has doubts, and does not speak of what he has never asked about; the Way is long and far, and he adds to it day by day.

多知而無親，博學而無方，好多而無定者，君子不與。

One who knows much without distinguishing near from far, learns widely without direction, or loves many things without settled purpose — the gentleman does not befriend him.

少不諷誦，壯不論議，雖可，未成也。

If in youth one does not recite and chant, and in one's prime does not discourse and discuss, then even if one is capable, one will accomplish nothing.

君子壹教，弟子壹學，亟成。

When the gentleman teaches single-mindedly and the disciple learns single-mindedly, completion comes swiftly.

君子進則益上之譽，而損下之憂。不能而居之，誣也；無益而厚受之，竊也。學者非必為仕，而仕者必如學。

When the gentleman advances to office, he adds to the renown of those above and diminishes the sorrows of those below. To occupy a post one cannot fill is fraud; to receive a fat salary while conferring no benefit is theft. One who pursues learning need not aim at office, but one who holds office must be as one who has pursued learning.

子貢問於孔子曰："賜倦於學矣，願息事君。"孔子曰："詩云：'溫恭朝夕，執事有恪。'事君難，事君焉可息哉！""然則，賜願息事親。"孔子曰："詩云：'孝子不匱，永錫爾類。'事親難，事親焉可息哉！""然則賜願息於妻子。"孔子曰："詩云：'刑于寡妻，至於兄弟，以御於家邦。'妻子難，妻子焉可息哉！""然則賜願息於朋友。"孔子曰："詩云：'朋友攸攝，攝以威儀。'朋友難，朋友焉可息哉！""然則賜願息耕。"孔子曰："詩云：'晝爾於茅，宵爾索綯，亟其乘屋，其始播百穀。'耕難，耕焉可息哉！""然則賜無息者乎？"孔子曰："望其壙，皋如也，顛如也，鬲如也，此則知所息矣。"子貢曰："大哉！死乎！君子息焉，小人休焉。"

Zigong said to Confucius: 'I, Ci, am weary of study and wish to stop and serve my lord.' Confucius said: 'The Book of Songs, Hymns of Shang, "Na," says: "Gentle and reverent from morning to evening, he performs his tasks with reverence." Serving a lord is hard — how can service to a lord be a place to stop!' Zigong said: 'Then I wish to stop and serve my parents.' Confucius said: 'The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, "Already Drunk," says: "The filial son is never exhausted; evermore he blesses your kind." Serving parents is hard — how can service to parents be a place to stop!' Zigong said: 'Then I wish to stop with wife and children.' Confucius said: 'The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, "Si Qi," says: "He set the example for his consort, extended it to his brothers, and so governed his family and state." Wife and children are hard — how can wife and children be a place to stop!' Zigong said: 'Then I wish to stop with friends.' Confucius said: 'The Book of Songs, Greater Odes, "Already Drunk," says: "Friends aid one another, aided by dignified deportment." Friends are hard — how can friends be a place to stop!' Zigong said: 'Then I wish to stop and plow.' Confucius said: 'The Book of Songs, Airs of Bin, "Seventh Month," says: "By day you go to cut the thatch; by night you twist the ropes; quickly mend the roof; then begins the sowing of the hundred grains." Plowing is hard — how can plowing be a place to stop!' Zigong said: 'Then is there no place for me to stop?' Confucius said: 'Look at that grave mound — lofty, like a hilltop, like a tripod and cauldron — and you will know the place to stop.' Zigong said: 'Great indeed is death! The gentleman rests here; the petty man ends here.'

國風之好色也，傳曰："盈其欲而不愆其止。其誠可比於金石，其聲可內於宗廟。"小雅不以於汙上，自引而居下，疾今之政以思往者，其言有文焉，其聲有哀焉。

Of the Airs of the States' fondness for the sensual, the commentary says: 'They satisfy desire without overstepping the limit; their sincerity can be compared to metal and stone; their sound can be offered in the ancestral temple.' The Minor Odes do not pander to the corrupt rulers above but withdraw themselves and dwell below; hating the government of the present, they long for that of the past — their words are patterned, their sound is mournful.

國將興，必貴師而重傅，貴師而重傅，則法度存。國將衰，必賤師而輕傅；賤師而輕傅，則人有快；人有快則法度壞。

When a state is about to flourish, it is sure to honor teachers and esteem tutors; honoring teachers and esteeming tutors, its laws and standards endure. When a state is about to decline, it is sure to scorn teachers and make light of tutors; scorning teachers and making light of tutors, men become wanton; men being wanton, laws and standards are ruined.

古者匹夫五十而士。天子諸侯子十九而冠，冠而聽治，其教至也。

In antiquity a common man became an officer only at fifty. The sons of the Son of Heaven and the feudal lords were capped at nineteen; that they were capped and then heard the conduct of government is instruction carried to its utmost.

君子也者而好之，其人也；其人而不教，不祥。非君子而好之，非其人也；非其人而教之，齎盜糧，借賊兵也。

If he is a gentleman and you love him, then he is the right kind of man; if he is the right kind of man and you do not teach him, that is unlucky. If he is not a gentleman and you love him, he is not the right kind of man; if he is not the right kind of man yet you teach him, that is giving grain to robbers and lending weapons to bandits.

不自嗛其行者，言濫過。古之賢人，賤為布衣，貧為匹夫，食則饘粥不足，衣則豎褐不完；然而非禮不進，非義不受，安取此？

A man who is not content with his own virtue speaks in excess. The worthy men of antiquity might be humbled to plain cloth and poor to the level of a commoner; for food they had not even enough thick gruel, for dress their coarse clothes were incomplete; yet they would not advance except by ritual and would not accept except by righteousness — whence would they take such excessive words?

子夏家貧，衣若縣鶉。人曰："子何不仕？"曰："諸侯之驕我者，吾不為臣；大夫之驕我者，吾不復見。柳下惠與後門者同衣，而不見疑，非一日之聞也。爭利如蚤甲，而喪其掌。"

Zixia's household was poor; his clothes hung like a dangling quail. Someone said: 'Why do you not take office?' He said: 'A feudal lord who treats me arrogantly — I will not be his minister; a great officer who treats me arrogantly — I will not see him again. Liuxia Hui wore the same clothes as the keeper of the back gate, yet was never suspected — such a name is not made in a day. To fight over profit is like fighting over a fingernail and losing the whole palm.'

君人者不可以不慎取臣，匹夫不可不慎取友。友者、所以相有也。道不同，何以相有也？均薪施火，火就燥；平地注水，水流溼。夫類之相從也，如此其著也，以友觀人，焉所疑？取友善人，不可不慎，是德之基也。詩曰："無將大車，維塵冥冥。"言無與小人處也。

A ruler must not fail to choose his ministers with care; a common man must not fail to choose his friends with care. Friends are for drawing near and aiding one another. If their ways differ, by what can they draw near and aid? Lay the firewood evenly and light it — the flame goes for the driest; pour water on level ground — it flows to the wettest. That like follows like is this plain; observe a man by his friends, and what doubt can remain? Choosing friends and drawing near to good men must not be done carelessly — this is the root of virtue. The Book of Songs, Minor Odes, 'Do Not Push the Great Cart,' says: 'Do not push the great cart — the dust is dim and dark.' This means one should not dwell among petty men.

藍苴路作，似知而非。懦弱易奪，似仁而非。悍戇好鬥，似勇而非。

To act coarsely and perform gestures on the road looks like wisdom but is not. To be weak and easily robbed of one's resolve looks like humaneness but is not. To be fierce, blunt, and fond of fighting looks like courage but is not.

仁義禮善之於人也，闢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。故大者不能，小者不為，是棄國捐身之道也。

Humaneness, righteousness, ritual, and goodness are to a man as goods and grain are to a household: have much and you are rich; have little and you are poor; reach having none and you are destitute. Thus to be unable to do the great and unwilling to do the small is the way to cast away one's state and abandon one's self.

凡物有乘而來，乘其出者，是其反也。

All things come by means of something; that by which they depart is also that by which they return.

流言滅之，貨色遠之。禍之所由生也，生自纖纖也。是故君子蚤絕之。

Extinguish rumors; keep sensual goods at a distance. That from which calamity is born is born from the minute; therefore the gentleman severs it early.

言之信者，在乎區蓋之間。疑則不言，未問則不言。

One who speaks with good faith keeps to the border between doubt and certainty: where there is doubt he does not speak; what he has not inquired into he does not speak.

知者明於事，達於數，不可以不誠事也。故曰："君子難說，說之不以道，不說也。"

The wise are clear about affairs and versed in the underlying reckoning, and one cannot but serve them with sincerity. Thus it is said: 'The gentleman is hard to please; if you please him not by the Way, he is not pleased.'

語曰："流丸止於甌臾，流言止於知者。"此家言邪說之所以惡儒者也。是非疑，則度之以遠事，驗之以近物，參之以平心，流言止焉，惡言死焉。

A proverb says: 'A rolling pellet stops in the basin; rumors stop at the wise man.' This is why private schools of perverse doctrine hate the Ru. When there is doubt about right and wrong, measure it by distant events, verify it by near things, and test it with an even heart — then rumors stop and evil words die out.

曾子食魚，有餘，曰："泔之。"門人曰："泔之傷人，不若奧之。"曾子泣涕曰："有異心乎哉！"傷其聞之晚也。

Zengzi was eating fish and there was some left over; he said: 'Steep it in rice water.' His disciples said: 'Steeping in rice water harms people — better to salt it.' Zengzi wept and said: 'Have I a treacherous heart!' He grieved that he had heard this too late.

無用吾之所短，遇人之所長。故塞而避所短，移而從所仕。疏知而不法，辨察而操僻，勇果而無禮，君子之所憎惡也。

Do not use what you are short in to meet what others are long in; rather block off and avoid your shortcomings, and shift toward and follow your abilities. Knowledge that is lax and lawless, discrimination that clings to perversity, and decisiveness without ritual — these are what the gentleman hates.

多言而類，聖人也；少言而法，君子也；多言無法，而流湎然，雖辯，小人也。

One who speaks much yet with order and category is a sage; one who speaks little yet with method is a gentleman; one who speaks much without method, wanton and indulgent — even if he argues well — is a petty man.

國法禁拾遺，惡民之串以無分得也，有夫分義，則容天下而治；無分義，則一妻一妾而亂。

That the law of the state forbids picking up lost goods is because it hates the people's growing used to obtaining things without their proper share. With proper share and righteousness, the whole world can be contained and governed; without proper share and righteousness, even one wife and one concubine will fall into disorder.

天下之人，唯各特意哉，然而有所共予也。言味者予易牙，言音者予師曠，言治者予三王。三王既以定法度，制禮樂而傳之，有不用而改自作，何以異於變易牙之和，更師曠之律？無三王之法，天下不待亡，國不待死。

The people of the world each have their own particular tastes, yet they have common approvals. Speak of flavors and they approve Yi Ya; speak of music and they approve Shi Kuang; speak of government and they approve the Three Kings. The Three Kings fixed the laws and instituted ritual and music, which have been handed down; if someone discards them and fashions his own, how does that differ from altering Yi Ya's blending or changing Shi Kuang's pitch-pipes? Without the laws of the Three Kings, the world need not wait long to perish, and a state need not wait long to die.

飲而不食者，蟬也；不飲不食者，浮蝣也。

What drinks but does not eat is the cicada; what neither drinks nor eats is the mayfly.

虞舜、孝己孝而親不愛，比干、子胥忠而君不用，仲尼、顏淵知而窮於世。劫迫於暴國而無所闢之，則崇其善，揚其美，言其所長，而不稱其所短也。

Shun and Xiaoji were filial yet their parents did not love them; Bigan and Zixu were loyal yet their lords did not employ them; Zhongni and Yan Yuan were wise yet were hard pressed in the world. If one is constrained in a violent state with no way to escape, then exalt its good, spread its beauty, speak of what it does well, and do not mention its shortcomings.

惟惟而亡者，誹也；博而窮者，訾也；清之而俞濁者，口也。

Those who are ruined for all their yes-saying and deference — it is because of slander; those who are hard pressed despite their breadth — it is because of disparagement; those who clarify a thing only to muddy it further — it is because of the mouth.

君子能為可貴，不能使人必貴己；能為可用，不能使人必用己。

The gentleman can make himself worthy of esteem, but cannot make others sure to esteem him; he can make himself usable, but cannot make others sure to employ him.

誥誓不及五帝，盟詛不及三王，交質子不及五伯。

Proclamations and oaths did not reach the era of the Five Emperors; covenants and curses did not reach the era of the Three Kings; exchanges of hostages did not reach the era of the Five Hegemons.

孔子觀於魯桓公之廟，有欹器焉，孔子問於守廟者曰："此為何器？"守廟者曰："此蓋為宥坐之器，"孔子曰："吾聞宥坐之器者，虛則欹，中則正，滿則覆。"孔子顧謂弟子曰："注水焉。"弟子挹水而注之。中而正，滿而覆，虛而欹，孔子喟然而嘆曰："籲！惡有滿而不覆者哉！"子路曰："敢問持滿有道乎？"孔子曰："聰明聖知，守之以愚；功被天下，守之以讓；勇力撫世，守之以怯，富有四海，守之以謙：此所謂挹而損之之道也。"

Confucius was viewing the ancestral temple of Duke Huan of Lu, where there was a vessel that tipped to one side. Confucius asked the temple keeper: 'What vessel is this?' The keeper said: 'This is presumably the vessel placed at the right of the seat.' Confucius said: 'I have heard that the vessel at the right of the seat, when empty, tips; when half full, stands upright; when full, overturns.' Confucius turned to his disciples and said: 'Pour water into it.' The disciples drew water and poured it in. Half full, it stood upright; full, it overturned; empty, it tipped. Confucius sighed and said: 'Ah! Where has there ever been fullness that did not overturn!' Zilu said: 'May I ask whether there is a way to preserve fullness?' Confucius said: 'Keen intelligence and sagely wisdom — guard it with dullness; merit covering the world — guard it with deference; courage and strength surpassing the age — guard it with timidity; wealth over the four seas — guard it with humility. This is what is called the way of drawing off and diminishing.'

孔子為魯攝相，朝七日而誅少正卯。門人進問曰："夫少正卯魯之聞人也，夫子為政而始誅之，得無失乎，"孔子曰："居，吾語女其故。人有惡者五，而盜竊不與焉：一曰：心達而險；二曰：行闢而堅；三曰：言偽而辯；四曰：記醜而博；五曰：順非而澤－－此五者有一於人，則不得免於君子之誅，而少正卯兼有之。故居處足以聚徒成群，言談足飾邪營眾，強足以反是獨立，此小人之桀雄也，不可不誅也。是以湯誅尹諧，文王誅潘止，周公誅管叔，太公誅華仕，管仲誅付裡乙，子產誅鄧析史付，此七子者，皆異世同心，不可不誅也。詩曰：'憂心悄悄，慍於群小。'小人成群，斯足憂也。"

When Confucius was acting minister of Lu, seven days into his tenure at court he executed Shaozheng Mao. His disciples came forward and asked: 'Shaozheng Mao was a famous man of Lu; that you, Master, upon taking office began by executing him — was that not perhaps a mistake?' Confucius said: 'Sit down, and I will tell you the reason. Men have five evils, and theft is not among them: first, a mind that is penetrating yet dangerous; second, conduct that is perverse yet firm; third, words that are false yet well argued; fourth, a record of ugliness yet wide-ranging; fifth, compliance with error yet glossed over. A man who has even one of these five cannot escape the gentleman's execution, and Shaozheng Mao possessed them all. Thus his dwelling sufficed to gather followers into a band; his speech sufficed to gloss perverse doctrine and delude the multitude; his strength sufficed to stand alone in opposing the right Way — this is a hero among petty men, and he had to be executed. For this reason Tang executed Yin Xie, King Wen executed Pan Zhi, the Duke of Zhou executed Guanshu, the Grand Duke executed Huashi, Guan Zhong executed Fuli Yi, and Zichan executed Deng Xi and Shi Fu. These seven men were of different generations but of the same heart, and had to be executed. The Book of Songs, Airs of Bei, "Cypress Boat," says: "My grieving heart is anxious and sore; I am hated by the herd of petty men." When petty men form a herd, that is cause for sorrow.'

孔子為魯司寇，有父子訟者，孔子拘之，三月不別。其父請止，孔子舍之。季孫聞之，不說，曰："是老也欺予。語予曰：為國家必以孝。今殺一人以戮不孝！又舍之。"冉子以告。孔子慨然嘆曰："嗚呼！上失之，下殺之，其可乎？不教其民，而聽其獄，殺不辜也。三軍大敗，不可斬也；獄犴不治，不可刑也，罪不在民故也。嫚令謹誅，賊也。今生也有時，斂也無時，暴也；不教而責成功，虐也。－－已此三者，然後刑可即也。書曰：'義刑義殺，勿庸以即，予維曰未有順事。'言先教也。故先王既陳之以道，上先服之；若不可，尚賢以綦之；若不可，廢不能以單之；綦三年而百姓從風矣。邪民不從，然後俟之以刑，則民知罪矣。詩曰：'尹氏大師，維周之氐；秉國之均，四方是維；天子是庳，卑民不迷。'是以威厲而不試，刑錯而不用，此之謂也。今之世則不然：亂其教，繁其刑，其民迷惑而墮焉，則從而制之，是以刑彌繁，而邪不勝。三尺之岸而虛車不能登也，百仞之山任負車登焉，何則？陵遲故也。數仞之牆而民不踰也，百仞之山而豎子馮而遊焉，陵遲故也。今之世陵遲已久矣，而能使民勿踰乎，詩曰：'周道如砥，其直如矢。君子所履，小人所視。眷焉顧之，潸焉出涕。'豈不哀哉！"

When Confucius was minister of crime in Lu, a father and son brought suit against one another; Confucius detained them and for three months gave no judgment. The father asked that the case be stopped, and Confucius released them. Jisun heard of it and was displeased; he said: 'This old fellow has deceived me. He told me: to govern a state one must rely on filial piety. Now he could kill one man to punish unfilial conduct — yet he released him!' Ranzi reported these words to Confucius. Confucius sighed with feeling and said: 'Alas! For those above to lose the teaching and then slaughter those below — how can that be permissible? Not to educate one's people and yet to judge their lawsuits is to kill the innocent. When the three armies suffer a great defeat, one does not behead; when the prisons are not in order, one does not apply punishments — for the fault is not in the people. When laws are lax yet executions are urgent, that is villainy; when the seasons are fixed for production but limitless for exaction, that is tyranny; when there is no education yet achievement is demanded, that is cruelty. — Stop these three, and only then may punishments be brought near and used. The Book of Documents says: "Just punishments and just executions — do not apply them at once; I say only that affairs have not yet been set in order." This speaks of teaching first. Thus the former kings, having set forth the Way, first practiced it themselves above; if that still did not avail, they exalted the worthy to guide the people with all their might; if that still did not avail, they removed the incapable to warn them; and within three years the people followed like the wind. If wicked men still did not follow, then punishments awaited them, and the people knew their offenses. The Book of Songs, Minor Odes, "Jie Nanshan," says: "The Grand Master Yin is the cornerstone of Zhou; he holds the balance of the state; he keeps the four quarters together; he aids the Son of Heaven so that the people do not go astray." Thus to be stern and severe yet not apply it, to lay aside punishments and not use them — this is what is meant. The present age is not like this: it disorders the teaching and multiplies the punishments; the people are confused and fall, and then the rulers proceed to judge them — hence punishments grow ever more numerous while evil cannot be overcome. A sheer bank three chi high, an empty cart cannot climb; a mountain a hundred ren high, a loaded cart can climb — why? Because the slope is gentle. A wall of several ren the people do not cross; a mountain of a hundred ren children climb and play upon — because the slope is gentle. In the present age the gentling has gone on long already — can the people be kept from crossing? The Book of Songs, Minor Odes, "Da Dong," says: "The way of Zhou is like a whetstone; its straightness is like an arrow. It is what the gentleman treads and what the petty man watches. I turn my head to look at it, and tears fall." Is that not sad!'

詩曰："瞻彼日月，悠悠我思。道之雲遠，曷雲能來。"子曰："伊稽首不其有來乎？"

The Book of Songs, Airs of Bei, 'The Pheasant,' says: 'I gaze at the sun and moon; my thoughts go far and long. The road is so distant — how can he come?' Confucius said: 'If one could examine and trace the root, would there not surely be a coming?'

孔子觀於東流之水。子貢問於孔子曰："君子之所以見大水必觀焉者，是何？"孔子曰："夫水遍與諸生而無為也，似德。其流也埤下，裾拘必循其理，似義，其洸洸乎不淈盡，似道。若有決行之，其應佚若聲響，其赴百仞之谷不懼，似勇。主量必平，似法。盈不求概，似正。淖約微達，似察。以出以入以就鮮絜，似善化。其萬折也必東，似志。是故見大水必觀焉。

Confucius was watching water flowing east. Zigong asked him: "Why does a gentleman, on seeing a great expanse of water, invariably stop to observe it?" Confucius said: "Water gives generously to all living things while itself doing nothing — it resembles virtue. It flows toward low ground, winding and turning yet always following its own pattern — it resembles righteousness. It pours on vast and inexhaustible — it resembles the Way. If a breach is opened to let it through, it answers and rushes forth like an echo, and plunges into a valley a hundred fathoms deep without fear — it resembles courage. Poured into a vessel it is always level — it resembles law. When full, it does not ask for the leveling rod to even it off — it resembles rectitude. Soft and subtle, yet able to reach everywhere — it resembles discernment. In its comings and goings it tends toward freshness and purity — it resembles skillful teaching. Though it bends ten thousand times, it is certain to flow east — it resembles purpose. This is why, on seeing a great expanse of water, a gentleman invariably stops to observe it."

孔子曰："吾有恥也，吾有鄙也，吾有殆也：幼不能強學，老無以教之，吾恥之，去其故鄉，事君而達，卒遇故人曾無舊言，吾鄙之；與小人處者，吾殆之也。"

Confucius said: "There are things I hold to be shameful, things I hold to be despicable, and things I hold to be perilous. To fail to study diligently when young, and when old to have nothing with which to teach others — this I hold shameful. To leave one's homeland, gain prominence in the service of a lord, and then, on suddenly meeting an old acquaintance, to have none of the old words for him — this I hold despicable. To keep company with petty men — this I hold perilous."

孔子曰："如垤而進，吾與之；如丘而止，吾已矣。"今學曾未如(月尤)贅，則具然欲為人師。

Confucius said: "One who advances the way an ant piles up its mound — him I commend; one who halts like a hill — I am done with him." Nowadays a man's learning may be no more than a useless wen, yet he complacently wishes to be a teacher of others.

孔子南適楚，厄於陳蔡之間，七日不火食，藜羹不糝，弟子皆有飢色。子路進而問之曰："由聞之：為善者天報之以福，為不善者天報之以禍，今夫子累德積義懷美，行之日久矣，奚居之隱也？"孔子曰："由不識，吾語女。女以知者為必用邪？王子比干不見剖心乎！女以忠者為必用邪？關龍逢不見刑乎！女以諫者為必用邪？吳子胥不磔姑蘇東門外乎！夫遇不遇者，時也；賢不肖者，材也；君子博學深謀，不遇時者多矣！由是觀之，不遇世者眾矣，何獨丘也哉！且夫芷蘭生於深林，非以無人而不芳。君子之學，非為通也，為窮而不困，憂而意不衰也，知禍福終始而心不惑也。夫賢不肖者，材也；為不為者，人也；遇不遇者，時也；死生者，命也。今有其人，不遇其時，雖賢，其能行乎？苟遇其時，何難之有！故君子博學深謀，修身端行，以俟其時。"孔子曰："由！居！吾語女。昔晉公子重耳霸心生於曹，越王句踐霸心生於會稽，齊桓公小白霸心生於莒。故居不隱者思不遠，身不佚者志不廣；女庸安知吾不得之桑落之下？"

Confucius journeyed south to Chu and was trapped between Chen and Cai; for seven days no fire was lit to cook, the soup of wild greens had no grains of rice in it, and the disciples all wore the look of hunger. Zilu stepped forward and asked: "I have heard that Heaven repays those who do good with good fortune, and repays those who do evil with calamity. Now you, Master, have accumulated virtue, accumulated righteousness and cherished the good, and have practiced them for a long time — why is your plight so desperate?" Confucius said: "You, you do not understand; let me tell you. Do you think the wise are sure to be employed? Was not Prince Bigan cut open to the heart? Do you think the loyal are sure to be employed? Was not Guan Longfeng executed? Do you think those who remonstrate are sure to be employed? Was not Wu Zixu torn limb from limb outside the east gate of Gusu? Whether one meets with recognition is a matter of timing; whether one is worthy or worthless is a matter of one's material. Gentlemen of broad learning and deep designs who never met their time are many! Seen in this light, those whom the age does not recognize are many — how could it be only me, Qiu! Moreover, the zhi and lan orchids grow in the deep forest, and they do not lose their fragrance because no one smells them. The gentleman's learning is not for the sake of prominence; it is so that in poverty he will not be distressed, in sorrow his purpose will not flag, and that, knowing where fortune and misfortune begin and end, his heart will not be confused. Worthy or worthless is a matter of material; to act or not to act is up to the man; to meet with it or not is a matter of timing; death and life are a matter of fate. Now suppose a man does not meet the right time — even if he is worthy, can he put it into practice? But if he does meet that time, what difficulty is there! Therefore the gentleman learns broadly, plans deeply, cultivates his person and rectifies his conduct, so as to await his time." Confucius went on: "You! Sit down, and I will tell you. In ancient times the ambition of Prince Chong'er of Jin to become hegemon was born in Cao; the ambition of King Goujian of Yue was born at Kuaiji; the ambition of Duke Huan of Qi, Xiaobai, was born at Ju. Thus a man whose situation is never desperate does not think far, and a man who has never had to flee does not form a far-reaching resolve. How do you know that I shall not find my gain beneath the fallen mulberry leaves?"

子貢觀於魯廟之北堂，出而問於孔子曰："鄉者賜觀於太廟之北堂，吾亦未輟，還復瞻被九蓋皆繼，被有說邪？匠過絕邪？"孔子曰："太廟之堂亦嘗有說，官致良工，因麗節文，非無良材也，蓋曰貴文也。"

Zigong was viewing the north hall of the ancestral temple of Lu, and on coming out he asked Confucius: "Just now I was viewing the north hall of the Grand Temple; I went on without stopping, and coming back I looked again at the door panels — every one of them is spliced together. Is there some explanation for that? Or did the craftsmen make a mistake and cut them short?" Confucius said: "There is indeed an explanation concerning the hall of the Grand Temple. The officials summoned the finest craftsmen, who, amid the splendid materials, deliberately restrained the ornamentation — it was not for lack of good timber. Presumably it was meant to show that refinement is prized."

入孝出弟，人之小行也。上順下篤，人之中行也；從道不從君，從義不從父，人之大行也。若夫志以禮安，言以類使，則儒道畢矣。雖堯舜不能加毫末於是矣。孝子所不從命有三：從命則親危，不從命則親安，孝子不從命乃衷；從命則親辱，不從命則親榮，孝子不從命乃義；從命則禽獸，不從命則修飾，孝子不從命乃敬。故可以從命而不從，是不子也；未可以從而從，是不衷也；明於從不從之義，而能致恭敬，忠信、端愨、以慎行之，則可謂大孝矣。傳曰："從道不從君，從義不從父。"此之謂也。故勞苦、雕萃而能無失其敬，災禍、患難而能無失其義，則不幸不順見惡而能無失其愛，非仁人莫能行。詩曰："孝子不匱。"此之謂也。

Filial piety at home and fraternal deference abroad are the lesser conduct of man. To accord with those above and be earnest toward those below is the middling conduct of man. To follow the Way rather than the lord, and to follow righteousness rather than one's father, is the great conduct of man. When resolve is made secure through ritual and speech is employed according to its kind, then the Way of the Confucian is complete — even Yao and Shun could not add a hair's breadth to it. There are three cases in which a filial son does not obey orders: if obeying would put his parents in danger while not obeying keeps them safe, then in not obeying he acts from sincere devotion; if obeying would disgrace his parents while not obeying brings them honor, then in not obeying he acts with righteousness; if obeying would make him a beast while not obeying cultivates and adorns him, then in not obeying he acts with reverence. Therefore, when one may obey yet does not, he fails to be a son; when one may not obey yet does, he fails in sincere devotion. To understand the righteousness of obeying and not obeying, and to practice it carefully with the utmost reverence, loyalty, faith and diligence — this may be called great filial piety. The tradition says: "Follow the Way, not the lord; follow righteousness, not the father." This is what it means. Thus, through toil and hardship not to lose that reverence, through calamity and adversity not to lose that righteousness, and even when unlucky, out of favor and hated, not to lose that love — none but the humane man can do this. The "Jizui" ode of the Greater Odes in the Book of Songs says: "The filial son is inexhaustible." This is what it means.

魯哀公問於孔子曰："子從父命，孝乎？臣從君命，貞乎？"三問，孔子不對。孔子趨出以語子貢曰："鄉者，君問丘也，曰：'子從父命，孝乎？臣從君命，貞乎？'三問而丘不對，賜以為何如？"子貢曰："子從父命，孝矣。臣從君命，貞矣，夫子有奚對焉？"孔子曰："小人哉！賜不識也！昔萬乘之國，有爭臣四人，則封疆不削；千乘之國，有爭臣三人，則社稷不危；百乘之家，有爭臣二人，則宗廟不毀。父有爭子，不行無禮；士有爭友，不為不義。故子從父，奚子孝？臣從君，奚臣貞？審其所以從之之謂孝、之謂貞也。"

Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius: "If a son obeys his father's commands, is that filial piety? If a minister obeys his lord's commands, is that integrity?" He asked three times, but Confucius did not answer. Confucius hurried out and told Zigong: "Just now the lord asked me: 'If a son obeys his father's commands, is that filial piety? If a minister obeys his lord's commands, is that integrity?' He asked three times and I did not answer. What do you make of it, Ci?" Zigong said: "For a son to obey his father's commands is filial piety, and for a minister to obey his lord's commands is integrity — what else could you have answered, Master?" Confucius said: "What a petty man! Ci, you do not understand! In ancient times, a state of ten thousand chariots that had four remonstrating ministers did not have its borders pared away; a state of a thousand chariots that had three remonstrating ministers did not see its altars endangered; a household of a hundred chariots that had two remonstrating ministers did not have its ancestral temple destroyed. A father with a remonstrating son does not practice impropriety; an officer with a remonstrating friend does not do unrighteousness. So how does a son's obeying his father make him filial? How does a minister's obeying his lord make him loyal? Examining the grounds on which one obeys is what makes filial piety and makes integrity."

子路問於孔子曰："有人於此，夙興夜寐，耕耘樹藝，手足胼胝，以養其親，然而無孝之名，何也？"孔子曰："意者身不敬與？辭不遜與？色不順與？古之人有言曰：'衣與！繆與！不女聊。'今夙興夜寐，耕耘樹藝，手足胼胝，以養其親，無此三者，則何為而無孝之名也？意者所友非人邪？"孔子曰："由志之，吾語女。雖有國士之力，不能自舉其身。非無力也，勢不可也。故入而行不修，身之罪也；出而名不章，友之過也。故君子入則篤行，出則友賢，何為而無孝之名也！"

Zilu asked Confucius: "Suppose there is a man here who rises early and sleeps late, plows and plants, callusing his hands and feet to provide for his parents, yet has no reputation for filial piety — why is that?" Confucius said: "Presumably he is not reverent in himself? Or his speech is not mild? Or his countenance is not agreeable? Men of old had a saying: 'Clothes! Bonds! I will not depend on you for my living.' Now rising early and sleeping late, plowing and planting, callusing hand and foot to provide for his parents — if he is without these three faults, why should he lack a name for filial piety? Presumably the friends he keeps are not the right men!" Confucius continued: "You, remember this — let me tell you. Even with the strength of a champion of the state, one cannot lift oneself — not for lack of strength, but because the position does not allow it. Thus, to dwell at home without cultivating one's virtue is one's own fault; to go abroad without making one's name illustrious is the fault of one's friends. Therefore the gentleman practices earnestly at home and befriends the worthy abroad — why should he lack a name for filial piety!"

子路問於孔子曰："魯大夫練而床，禮邪？"孔子曰："吾不知也。"子路出，謂子貢曰："吾以為夫子無所不知，夫子徒有所不知。"子貢曰："汝何問哉？"子路曰："由問：'魯大夫練而床，禮邪？'夫子曰：'吾不知也。'"子貢曰："吾將為女問之。"子貢問曰："練而床，禮邪？"孔子曰；"非禮也。"子貢出，謂子路曰："女謂夫子為有所不知乎！夫子徒無所不知。女問非也。禮：居是邑不非其大夫。"

Zilu asked Confucius: "A grandee of Lu slept on a bed during the lian sacrifice — is that in accordance with ritual?" Confucius said: "I do not know." Zilu went out and said to Zigong: "I thought there was nothing the Master did not know, but it turns out there is something he does not know." Zigong said: "What did you ask him?" Zilu said: "I asked: 'A grandee of Lu slept on a bed during the lian sacrifice — is that in accordance with ritual?' and the Master said: 'I do not know.'" Zigong said: "I will ask for you." Zigong asked: "To sleep on a bed during the lian sacrifice — is that in accordance with ritual?" Confucius said: "It is not." Zigong went out and said to Zilu: "You said there was something the Master did not know! There is nothing the Master does not know. You asked the wrong way. According to ritual, one who lives in a city does not criticize its grandees."

子路盛服而見孔子，孔子曰："由，是裾裾何也？昔者江出於岷山，其始出也，其源可以濫觴，及其至江之津也，不放舟，不避風，則不可涉也。非維下流水多邪？今女衣服既盛，顏色充盈，天下且孰肯諫女矣！子路趨而出，改服而入，蓋猶若也。孔子曰："由志之！吾語汝：奮於言者華，奮於行者伐，色知而有能者，小人也。故君子知之曰知之，不知曰不知，言之要也；能之曰能之，不能曰不能，行之至也。言要則知，行至則仁；既仁且知，夫惡有不足矣哉！"

Zilu came to see Confucius dressed in splendid attire. Confucius said: "You! Why are your clothes so fine? In ancient times the River issued from the Min Mountains, and when it first emerged, its source could barely float a wine cup; but by the time it reaches the ferry of the great river, unless boats are lashed together and the wind avoided, it cannot be crossed. Is that not because the lower waters are many? Now your clothes are splendid and your countenance is full — who under Heaven will venture to admonish you?" Zilu hurried out, changed his clothes, and re-entered, now in a more subdued manner. Confucius said: "You, remember this! Let me tell you: one who exerts himself in words is a braggart; one who exerts himself in deeds is self-inflated; one whose countenance displays knowledge and ability is a petty man. Therefore the gentleman says he knows when he knows, and says he does not know when he does not — this is the essence of speech; he says he can when he can, and says he cannot when he cannot — this is the perfection of conduct. When speech hits the essence there is wisdom; when conduct reaches perfection there is humaneness. Being both humane and wise, what could one still lack?"

子路入，子曰："由！知者若何？仁者若何？"子路對曰："知者使人知己，仁者使人愛己。"子曰："可謂士矣。"子貢入，子曰："賜！知者若何？仁者若何？"子貢對曰："知者知人，仁者愛人。"子曰："可謂士君子矣。"顏淵入，子曰："回！知者若何？仁者若何？"顏淵對曰："知者自知，仁者自愛。"子曰："可謂明君子矣。"

Zilu entered, and Confucius said: "You! What is the wise man like? What is the humane man like?" Zilu replied: "The wise man causes others to know him; the humane man causes others to love him." Confucius said: "He may be called an officer." Zigong entered, and Confucius said: "Ci! What is the wise man like? What is the humane man like?" Zigong replied: "The wise man knows others; the humane man loves others." Confucius said: "He may be called an officer and a gentleman." Yan Yuan entered, and Confucius said: "Hui! What is the wise man like? What is the humane man like?" Yan Yuan replied: "The wise man knows himself; the humane man loves himself." Confucius said: "He may be called an enlightened gentleman."

子路問於孔子曰："君子亦有憂乎？"孔子曰："君子其未得也，則樂其意，既已得之，又樂其治。是以有終生之樂，無一日之憂。小人者其未得也，則憂不得；既已得之，又恐失之。是以有終身之憂，無一日之樂也。"

Zilu asked Confucius: "Does the gentleman also have cares?" Confucius said: "Before the gentleman has obtained it, he delights in his purpose; having obtained it, he delights in his governing. Thus he has a lifetime of joy and not a single day of care. Before the petty man has obtained it, he frets at not having it; having obtained it, he fears losing it. Thus he has a lifetime of care and not a single day of joy."

公輸不能加於繩墨，聖人不能加於禮。禮者，眾人法而不知，聖人法而知之。

Gongshu could not surpass the carpenter's marking-line, and the sage cannot surpass ritual. Ritual is that which the multitude takes as its model without knowing it, and which the sage takes as his model while knowing it.

曾子曰："無內人之疏而外人之親，無身不善而怨人，無刑己至而呼天。內人之疏而外人之親，不亦反乎！身不善而怨人，不亦遠乎！刑己至而呼天，不亦晚乎！詩曰：'涓涓源水，不雝不塞。轂已破碎，乃大其輻。事已敗矣，乃重太息。'其雲益乎！"

Zengzi said: "Do not be distant with the members of your household while being close to outsiders; do not be unworthy yourself yet resent others; do not cry out to Heaven only when punishment has already arrived. To be distant with your household yet close to outsiders — is that not backward? To be unworthy yourself yet resent others — is that not far off the mark? To cry out to Heaven only when punishment has arrived — is that not too late? The Book of Songs says: 'The trickling spring waters — they do not dam them up. The carriage hub is already broken — then they enlarge the spokes. The affair has already failed — then they heave long sighs.' What good does that do!"

曾子病，曾元持足，曾子曰："元！志之！吾語汝。夫魚鱉黿鼉猶以淵為淺而堀其中，鷹鳶猶以山為卑而增巢其上，及其得也必以餌。故君子能無以利害義，則恥辱亦無由至矣。"

Zengzi was ill. Zeng Yuan held his feet, and Zengzi said: "Yuan! Remember this! Let me tell you. Fish, turtles, softshells and giant turtles still think the deep too shallow and burrow into it; eagles and kites still think the mountains too low and build their nests higher on them; yet when they are caught, it is always because of bait. Thus, if the gentleman can refrain from gaining profit at the expense of righteousness, disgrace will have no way to reach him."

子貢問於孔子曰："君子之所以貴玉而賤(王民)者，何也？為夫玉之少而(王民)之多邪？"孔子曰："惡！賜！是何言也！夫君子豈多而賤之，少而貴之哉！夫玉者，君子比德焉。溫潤而澤，仁也；栗而理，知也；堅剛而不屈，義也；廉而不劌，行也；折而不撓，勇也；瑕適並見，情也；扣之，其聲清揚而遠聞，其止輟然，辭也。故雖有(王民)之雕雕，不若玉之章章。詩曰：'言念君子，溫其如玉。'此之謂也。"

Zigong asked Confucius: "Why does the gentleman prize jade and despise serpentine? Is it because jade is rare and serpentine plentiful?" Confucius said: "Bah! Ci! What kind of talk is that! How could the gentleman despise a thing because it is plentiful and prize it because it is rare! Jade is what the gentleman compares to virtue. Warm and lustrous — it is humaneness; firm and well-veined — it is wisdom; hard and unbending — it is righteousness; having edges yet not cutting — it is conduct; breaking rather than yielding — it is courage; flaw and beauty showing together — it is true feeling; struck, its sound rings clear and carries far, ending sharply — it is speech. Thus, even with all its carved ornamentation, serpentine does not equal the brightness of jade. The "Xiaorong" of the Airs of Qin in the Book of Songs says: "I think of the gentleman, mild as jade." This is what it means."

曾子曰："同遊而不見愛者，吾必不仁也；交而不見敬者，吾必不長也；臨財而不見信者，吾必不信也。三者在身曷怨人！怨人者窮，怨天者無識。失之己而反諸人，豈不亦迂哉！"

Zengzi said: "If I keep company with men and am not loved, I must be lacking in humaneness; if I have dealings with men and am not respected, I must be unfit to lead; if faced with wealth I am not trusted, I must be untrustworthy. When these three lie in myself, why should I resent others! He who resents others is impoverished by it; he who resents Heaven lacks discernment. To find the fault in oneself yet turn and seek it in others — is that not far too wide of the mark!"

南郭惠子問於子貢曰："夫子之門何其雜也？"子貢曰："君子正身以俟，欲來者不距，欲去者不止。且夫良醫之門多病人，檃栝之側多枉木，是以雜也。"

Nanguo Huizi asked Zigong: "Why is the Master's gate so assorted?" Zigong said: "The gentleman rectifies himself and waits; he does not refuse those who wish to come, nor detain those who wish to go. Moreover, there are many patients at a good physician's door, and much bent wood beside the straightening frame — that is why it is assorted."

孔子曰："君子有三恕：有君不能事，有臣而求其使，非恕也；有親不能報，有子而求其孝，非恕也；有兄不能敬，有弟而求其聽令，非恕也。士明於此三恕，則可以端身矣。"

Confucius said: "The gentleman has three rules of reciprocity: to have a lord he cannot serve, yet demand service from his own minister — that is not reciprocity; to have parents he cannot repay, yet demand filial piety from his son — that is not reciprocity; to have an elder brother he cannot respect, yet demand obedience from his younger brother — that is not reciprocity. When the officer understands these three rules of reciprocity, he can rectify himself."

孔子曰："君子有三思而不可不思也：少而不學，長無能也；老而不教，死無思也；有而不施，窮無與也。是故君子少思長，則學；老思死，則教；有思窮，則施也。"

Confucius said: "The gentleman has three things he must reflect on, and they cannot be left unconsidered: if in youth one does not study, in maturity one will have no ability; if in old age one does not teach, after death no one will remember one; if having plenty one does not give, in want no one will help one. Therefore the gentleman, thinking in youth of maturity, studies; thinking in old age of death, teaches; thinking in plenty of want, gives."

魯哀公問於孔子曰："吾欲論吾國之士，與之治國，敢問如何取之邪？"孔子對曰："生今之世，志古之道：居今之俗，服古之服；舍此而為非者，不亦鮮乎！"哀公曰："然則夫章甫絇屨，紳帶而搢笏者，此賢乎？"孔子對曰："不必然，夫端衣玄裳，絻而乘路者，志不在於食葷；斬衰菅屨，杖而啜粥者，志不在於酒肉。生今之世，志古之道；居今之俗，服古之服；舍此而為非者，雖有，不亦鮮乎！"哀公曰："善！"

Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius: "I wish to discuss and select the officers of my state and govern the country together with them. May I ask how to select them?" Confucius replied: "One born in the present age whose resolve is set on the ancient Way, who lives amid present customs yet wears ancient dress — one who casts this aside and does evil is surely rare!" Duke Ai said: "Then those who wear the zhangfu cap, the hooked shoes, the great sash with the tablet stuck in it — are they the worthy?" Confucius replied: "Not necessarily. Those who wear the straight gown and the black skirt, don the ceremonial cap and ride in the grand carriage — their resolve is not on rich fare; those who wear unhemmed sackcloth and rush sandals, lean on a staff and drink gruel — their resolve is not on wine and meat. One born in the present age whose resolve is set on the ancient Way, living amid present customs yet wearing ancient dress, who casts this aside and does evil — even if such men exist, they are surely rare!" Duke Ai said: "Good!"

孔子曰："人有五儀：有庸人，有士，有君子，有賢人，有大聖。"哀公曰："敢問何如斯可謂庸人矣？"孔子對曰："所謂庸人者，口不道善言，心不知邑邑；不知選賢人善士托其身焉以為己憂；動行不知所務，止立不知所定；日選擇於物，不知所貴；從物如流，不知所歸；五鑿為正，心從而壞：如此則可謂庸人矣。"哀公曰："善！敢問何如斯可謂士矣？"孔子對曰："所謂士者，雖不能盡道術，必有率也；雖不能遍美善，必有處也。是故知不務多，務審其所知；言不務多，務審其所謂；行不務多，務審其所由。故知既已知之矣，言既已謂之矣，行既已由之矣，則若性命肌膚之不可易也。故富貴不足以益也，卑賤不足以損也：如此則可謂士矣。"哀公曰："善！敢問何如斯可謂之君子矣？"孔子對曰："所謂君子者，言忠信而心不德，仁義在身而色不伐，思慮明通而辭不爭，故猶然如將可及者，君子也。"哀公曰："善！敢問何如斯可謂賢人矣？"孔子對曰："所謂賢人者，行中規繩而不傷於本，言足法於天下而不傷於身，富有天下而無怨財，佈施天下而不病貧：如此則可謂賢人矣。"哀公曰："善！敢問何如斯可謂大聖矣？"孔子對曰："所謂大聖者，知通乎大道，應變而不窮，辨乎萬物之情性者也。大道者，所以變化遂成萬物也；情性者，所以理然不取捨也。是故其事大辨乎天地，明察乎日月，總要萬物於風雨，繆繆肫肫，其事不可循，若天之嗣，其事不可識，百姓淺然不識其鄰：若此則可謂大聖矣。"哀公曰："善！"

Confucius said: "There are five grades of human conduct: the common man, the officer, the gentleman, the worthy, and the great sage." Duke Ai said: "May I ask what sort of man is called a common man?" Confucius replied: "A common man is one whose mouth does not speak good words and whose heart knows no care or melancholy; who does not know to choose worthy men and good officers to whom he can entrust himself and share his cares; who in action does not know what to apply himself to, and at rest does not know where to settle; who day after day picks and chooses among things without knowing what to prize; who drifts along with things like flowing water without knowing where to return; whose senses' desires rule him while his heart follows them into ruin. Such a one may be called a common man." Duke Ai said: "Good! May I ask what sort of man is called an officer?" Confucius replied: "An officer is one who, though he cannot exhaust all the arts of the Way, still has something he follows; though he cannot encompass all that is fine and good, still has something he holds to. Thus in knowledge he does not seek much, but seeks to be clear about what he knows; in speech he does not seek much, but seeks to be sure of what he says; in conduct he does not seek much, but seeks to be certain of the path he goes. Therefore, knowledge once known, speech once spoken, conduct once followed — these are like his life and his skin: they cannot be changed. So wealth and honor can add nothing to him, and poverty and lowliness can take nothing from him. Such a one may be called an officer." Duke Ai said: "Good! May I ask what sort of man is called a gentleman?" Confucius replied: "A gentleman is one whose words are loyal and true yet who does not in his heart think himself virtuous; who possesses humaneness and righteousness in his person yet whose manner is not boastful; whose thought is lucid and penetrating yet whose words do not contend; so unhurried that it seems anyone could catch up with him — this is the gentleman." Duke Ai said: "Good! May I ask what sort of man is called a worthy?" Confucius replied: "A worthy is one whose conduct accords with the compass and the line yet does not injure the root; whose words are fit to be taken as a model by all under Heaven yet do not injure his person; who possesses all the wealth under Heaven yet hoards no riches, who gives to all under Heaven yet has no care for poverty. Such a one may be called a worthy." Duke Ai said: "Good! May I ask what sort of man is called a great sage?" Confucius replied: "A great sage is one whose wisdom penetrates the great Way, who responds to change without ever being exhausted, and who discerns the nature of the myriad things. The great Way is that by which all things are transformed and completed; the nature of things is that by which assent and denial, choosing and refusing, are ordered. Thus his undertakings are broad as heaven and earth in their distinctions, clear as sun and moon in their discernment, gathering and summing the myriad things like wind and rain; majestic and pure, his works cannot be followed step by step — they are like the continuance of Heaven; his works cannot be fathomed — the common folk in their shallowness do not even recognize what is nearest to them. Such a one may be called a great sage." Duke Ai said: "Good!"

魯哀公問舜冠於孔子，孔子不對。三問不對。哀公曰："寡人問舜冠於子，何以不言也？"孔子曰："古之王者，有務而拘領者矣，其政好生而惡殺焉。是以鳳在列樹，麟在郊野，烏鵲之巢可俯而窺也。君不此問，而問舜冠，所以不對也。"

Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius about Shun's cap, and Confucius did not answer. He asked three times and got no answer. Duke Ai said: "I asked you about Shun's cap; why do you not speak?" Confucius said: "The kings of ancient times wore a simple cap with a curved collar, and in their government they delighted in life and hated killing. Thus the phoenix perched in their rows of trees, the unicorn roamed in their suburbs, and the nests of crows and magpies could be looked into by bending down. You did not ask about this, but asked about Shun's cap — therefore I did not answer."

魯哀公問於孔子曰："寡人生於深宮之中，長於婦人之手，寡人未嘗知哀也，未嘗知憂也，未嘗知勞也，未嘗知懼也，未嘗知危也。"孔子曰："君之所問，聖君之問也，丘、小人也，何足以知之？"曰："非吾子無所聞之也。"孔子曰："君入廟門而右，登自胙階，仰視榱棟，俯見幾筵，其器存，其人亡，君以此思哀，則哀將焉而不至矣？君昧爽而櫛冠，平明而聽朝，一物不應，亂之端也，君以此思憂，則憂將焉而不至矣？君平明而聽朝，日昃而退，諸侯之子孫必有在君之末庭者，君以思勞，則勞將焉而不至矣？君出魯之四門，以望魯四郊，亡國之虛則必有數蓋焉，君以此思懼，則懼將焉而不至矣？且丘聞之，君者，舟也；庶人者，水也。水則載舟，水則覆舟，君以此思危，則危將焉而不至矣？"

Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius: "I was born deep within the palace and raised in the hands of women; I have never known grief, never known care, never known toil, never known fear, never known danger." Confucius said: "What you ask is the question of a sage lord; I, Qiu, am a petty man — how could I be adequate to know it?" Duke Ai said: "Without you I would have no way to hear it." Confucius said: "When you enter the temple gate and bear right, ascending by the eastern steps, you look up at the rafters and look down at the vessels on the mats — the vessels are still there, but the men are gone. If you use this to contemplate grief, how could grief fail to come? You comb your hair and don your cap before dawn, and hold audience at daybreak; a single matter unattended to is the thread-end of disorder. If you use this to contemplate care, how could care fail to come? You hold audience at dawn and withdraw only when the sun slants west; among the descendants of the feudal lords there are certain to be some at the far end of your court. If you use this to contemplate toil, how could toil fail to come? Go out through the four gates of Lu and gaze on the four suburbs of Lu — among the ruins of perished states there are certain to be a few thatched huts. If you use this to contemplate fear, how could fear fail to come? Moreover, I have heard that the lord is the boat and the common people are the water: the water can bear the boat, and the water can overturn the boat. If you use this to contemplate danger, how could danger fail to come?"

魯哀公問於孔子曰："紳委章甫有益於仁乎？"孔子蹴然曰："君號然也？資衰苴杖者不聽樂，非耳不能聞也，服使然也。黼衣黼裳者不茹葷，非口不能味也，服使然也。且丘聞之，好肆不守折，長者不為市。竊其有益與其無益，君其知之矣。"

Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius: "Do the great sash, the weimao cap and the zhangfu cap benefit humaneness?" Confucius answered gravely: "How can you ask such a thing? One who wears hemmed sackcloth and leans on the mourning staff does not listen to music — not because his ears cannot hear, but because his mourning garb makes him so. One who wears the embroidered ceremonial robes does not eat strong-flavored food — not because his mouth cannot distinguish flavors, but because his sacrificial garb makes him so. Moreover, I have heard that a man fond of trading does not hold on to losing goods, and a man of standing does not buy and sell in the market. Examine what benefits and what does not, and you should know."

魯哀公問於孔子曰："請問取人。"孔子對曰："無取健，無取詌，無取口啍。健、貪也；詌、亂也；口啍、誕也。故弓調而後求勁焉，馬服而後求良焉，士信愨而後求知能焉。士不信尒而有多知能，譬之其豺狼也，不可以身尒也。語曰：'桓公用其賊，文公用其盜。故明主任計不信怒，闇主信怒不任計。計勝怒則強，怒勝計則亡。"

Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius: "May I ask about selecting men." Confucius replied: "Do not select the strong and grasping, do not select the suppressive, do not select the honey-tongued. Strength is greed; suppression is disorder; a honeyed tongue is deception. Thus a bow must be tuned and true before one asks it to be powerful; a horse must be broken and docile before one asks it to be fine; an officer must be honest, faithful, upright and diligent before one asks him for wisdom and ability. An officer who lacks honesty and faith yet abounds in wisdom and ability is, to make the comparison, like a jackal or a wolf — one must not draw near him in person. The proverb says: 'Duke Huan employed his enemy; Duke Wen employed his bandit.' Thus the enlightened lord employs calculation and does not indulge anger; the benighted lord indulges anger and does not employ calculation. When calculation prevails over anger there is strength; when anger prevails over calculation there is ruin."

定公問於顏淵曰："子亦聞東野畢之善馭乎？"顏淵對曰："善則善矣，雖然，其馬將失。"定公不悅，入謂左右曰："君子固讒人乎！。"三日而校來謁，曰："東野畢之馬失。兩驂列，兩服入廄。"定公越席而起曰："趨駕召顏淵！"顏淵至，定公曰："前日寡人問吾子，吾子曰：'東野畢之駛善則善矣，雖然，其馬將失。'不識吾子何以知之？"顏淵對曰："臣以政知之。昔舜巧於使民，而造父巧於使馬；舜不窮其民，造父不窮其馬；是以舜無失民，造父無失馬。今東野畢之馭，上車執轡銜，體正矣；步驟馳騁，朝禮畢矣；歷險致遠，馬力盡矣；然猶求馬不已，是以知之也。"定公曰："善，可得少進乎？"顏淵對曰："臣聞之，鳥窮則啄，獸窮則攫，人窮則詐。自古及今，未有窮其下而能無危者也。"

Duke Ding asked Yan Yuan: "Have you also heard that Dongye Bi is skilled at charioteering?" Yan Yuan replied: "Skilled he is; even so, his horses will run off." Duke Ding was displeased, and going inside said to his attendants: "So even a gentleman slanders men!" Three days later the stable officer came to audience and said: "Dongye Bi's horses have run off: the two outer horses broke loose and the two trace horses came back to the stable." Duke Ding rose from his mat and said: "Harness a carriage at once and summon Yan Yuan!" When Yan Yuan arrived, Duke Ding said: "The other day I asked you, and you said: 'Dongye Bi's driving is skilled, and yet his horses will run off.' May I ask by what means you knew?" Yan Yuan replied: "I knew it from the way of government. In ancient times Shun was skillful at directing the people, and Zaofu was skillful at driving horses. Shun did not drive his people to exhaustion, and Zaofu did not drive his horses to exhaustion; thus Shun had no people who ran off, and Zaofu had no horses that ran off. Now in Dongye Bi's driving, when he mounts the chariot he grips the reins and bits and his posture is correct; in pacing and galloping the rites of the court audience are all observed; traversing hazards to reach distant places, the strength of the horses is exhausted — yet still he demands more of them without ceasing. That is how I knew." Duke Ding said: "Good. Can you take it a step further?" Yan Yuan replied: "I have heard that a bird pressed to extremity will peck, a beast pressed to extremity will claw, and a man pressed to extremity will deceive. From ancient times to the present, there has never been one who drove his people to extremity and himself escaped danger."

堯問於舜曰："我欲致天下，為之奈何？"對曰："執一無失，行微無怠，忠信無倦，而天下自來。執一如天地，行微如日月，忠誠盛於內，賁於外，形於四海，天下其在一隅邪！夫有何足致也！"

Yao asked Shun: "I wish to bring all under Heaven to me — how should I do it?" Shun replied: "Hold fast to singleness of purpose without fault; carry it out even in the subtle and hidden without slackening; be loyal and true without ever wearying — and all under Heaven will come of itself. Hold fast to singleness like Heaven and Earth; practice in the subtle like the sun and moon; with loyalty brimming within and refinement showing without, manifest throughout the four seas — will not all under Heaven already be gathered as within a single corner? Why would it need to be fetched?"

魏武侯謀事而當，群臣莫能逮，退朝而有喜色。吳起進曰："亦嘗有以楚莊王之語，聞於左右者乎？"武侯曰："楚莊王之語何如？"吳起對曰："楚莊王謀事而當，群臣莫能逮，退朝有憂色。申公巫臣進問曰：'王朝而有憂色，何也？'莊王曰：'不穀謀事而當，群臣莫能逮，是以憂也。其在中蘬之言也，曰："諸侯自為得師者王，得友者霸，得疑者存，自為謀而莫己若者亡。"今以不穀之不肖，而群臣莫能逮，吾國幾於亡乎！是以憂也。'楚莊王以憂，而君以喜。"武侯逡巡再拜曰："天使夫子振寡人之過也。"

Whenever Marquis Wu of Wei had laid his plans well and none of his ministers could match him, he would withdraw from court with a look of delight. Wu Qi stepped forward and said: "Has anyone ever told you the words of King Zhuang of Chu?" Marquis Wu said: "What were King Zhuang's words?" Wu Qi replied: "When King Zhuang of Chu had laid his plans well and none of his ministers could match him, he withdrew from court with a look of care. Wuchen, the Duke of Shen, came forward and asked: 'Your Majesty has a look of care at court — why?' King Zhuang said: 'I, unworthy as I am, laid my plans well and none of my ministers could match me — that is why I am grieved. In the words of Zhonghui it is said: "A lord who obtains teachers for himself becomes king; one who obtains friends becomes hegemon; one who obtains men who question him survives; one who plans everything himself with none as good as he — perishes." Now, with my own unworthiness, if none of the ministers can match me, my state must be near ruin — that is why I am grieved.' What grieved King Zhuang of Chu, you take delight in." Marquis Wu hesitated, bowed twice, and said: "Heaven has sent you, Master, to rescue me from my error."

伯禽將歸於魯，周公謂伯禽之傅曰："汝將行，盍志而子美德乎？"對曰："其為人寬，好自用以慎。此三者，其美德也。"周公曰："嗚呼！以人惡為美德乎？君子好以道德，故其民歸道。彼其寬也，出無辨矣，女又美之！彼其好自用也，是所以窶小也。君子力如牛，不與牛爭力；走如馬，不與馬爭走；知如士，不與士爭知。彼爭者均者之氣也，女又美之！彼其慎也，是其所以淺也。聞之曰：'無越踰不見士。'見士問曰：'無乃不察乎？'不聞即物少至，少至則淺。彼淺者，賤人之道也，女又美之！吾語女：我、文王之為子，武王之為弟，成王之為叔父，吾於天下不賤矣；然而吾所執贄而見者十人，還贄而相見者三十人，貌執之士者百有餘人，欲言而請畢事者千有餘人，於是吾僅得三士焉，以正吾身，以定天下。吾所以得三士者，亡於十人與三十人中，乃在百人與千人之中。故上士吾薄為之貌，下士吾厚為之貌，人人皆以我為越踰好士，然故士至；士至而後見物，見物然後知其是非之所在。戒之哉！女以魯國驕人，幾矣！夫仰祿之士猶可驕也，正身之士不可驕也。彼正身之士，舍貴而為賤，舍富而為貧，舍佚而為勞，顏色黎黑而不失其所，是以天下之紀不息，文章不廢也。"

When Boqin was about to return to Lu, the Duke of Zhou said to Boqin's tutor: "You are about to leave; why not give me an account of your pupil's good qualities?" The tutor replied: "In his person he is broad-minded, likes to rely on his own judgment, and is prudent. These three are his good qualities." The Duke of Zhou said: "Ah! Do you call men's faults good qualities? The gentleman delights in employing the Way and virtue, and so his people turn toward the Way. As for his breadth — once it is let out it has no boundaries, and you praise it! As for his liking to rely on his own judgment — that is what makes him cramped and narrow. The gentleman has the strength of an ox yet does not vie in strength with an ox; he runs like a horse yet does not vie in running with a horse; he is wise as an officer yet does not vie in wisdom with officers. Such vying is the temper of equals — and you praise it! As for his prudence — that is what makes him shallow. I have heard: 'Do not, on account of rank, fail to see the officers.' When you see an officer, ask: 'Am I perhaps failing to examine something?' If one does not inquire broadly, few things will come to one, and when few things come, one is shallow. Shallowness is the way of base men — and you praise it! Let me tell you: I am the son of King Wen, the younger brother of King Wu, and the uncle of King Cheng — my place under Heaven is not low; yet of those to whom I have given audience gifts there are ten, of those I have repaid with gifts and met there are thirty, of the officers I have received with full ritual there are over a hundred, and of those who wished to speak and whom I asked to finish their business there are over a thousand — and in this way I obtained only three officers, to correct my person and to settle all under Heaven. The three officers I obtained were not among the ten or the thirty, but among the hundred and the thousand. Thus to the higher officers I give scant ceremony, and to the lower officers I give generous ceremony; everyone thinks me too eager in my love of officers, and so the officers come; the officers come and then I see things; I see things and then I know where right and wrong lie. Be on your guard! If, on the strength of the state of Lu, you are arrogant toward men, that is dangerous! Officers who look to emolument may still be treated with arrogance, but officers who rectify themselves must not be treated with arrogance. Those officers who rectify themselves abandon rank to take up low estate, abandon wealth to take up poverty, abandon ease to take up toil, their faces dark and weathered yet never losing what they hold to — and thus the guiding threads of the world do not cease, and the patterns of culture are not cast aside."

語曰：繒丘之封人，見楚相孫叔敖曰："吾聞之也：處官久者士妒之，祿厚者民怨之，位尊者君恨之。為相國有此三者，而不得罪於楚之士民何也？"孫叔敖曰："吾三相楚而心愈卑，每益祿而施愈博，位滋尊而禮愈恭，是以不得罪於楚之士民也。"

The proverb says: the border warden of Zengqiu, meeting Sunshu Ao, the chancellor of Chu, said to him: "I have heard that the officers envy one who has held office long, the people resent one whose emolument is great, and the lord is jealous of one whose place is honored. As chancellor you have all three of these, yet you have not offended the officers and people of Chu — why?" Sunshu Ao said: "Three times I have been chancellor of Chu, and each time my heart grew humbler; each increase of emolument made my giving broader; each rise in rank made my courtesy more reverent — that is why I have not offended the officers and people of Chu."

子貢問於孔子曰："賜為人下而未知也。"孔子曰："為人下者乎？其猶土也。深抇之而得甘泉焉，樹之而五穀蕃焉，草木殖焉，禽獸育焉；生則立焉，死則入焉；多其功，而不"息"德。為人下者其猶土也。"

Zigong asked Confucius: "I wish to be a subordinate of men, but I do not know how." Confucius said: "To be a subordinate of men? Then be like the earth. Dig it deeply and you come to sweet springs; plant it and the five grains flourish; grasses and trees multiply on it and birds and beasts breed on it; in life men stand upon it, in death they enter into it; its merits are many, yet it never claims the virtue as its own. (In the base text the character xi 息 is suspected to be an interpolation.) To be a subordinate of men is to be like the earth."

昔虞不用宮之奇而晉幷之，萊不用子馬而齊幷之，紂刳王子比干而武王得之。不親賢用知，故身死國亡也。

In ancient times Yu did not employ Gong Zhiqi and Jin annexed it; Lai did not employ Zima and Qi annexed it; Zhou cut open Prince Bigan and King Wu gained all under Heaven. They did not cherish the worthy and employ the wise — that is why they themselves died and their states perished.

為說者曰："孫卿不及孔子。"是不然。孫卿迫於亂世，遒於嚴刑，上無賢主，下遇暴秦，禮義不行，教化不成，仁者絀約，天下冥冥，行全刺之，諸侯大傾。當是時也，知者不得慮，能者不得治，賢者不得使。故君上蔽而無睹，賢人距而不受。然則孫卿懷將聖之心，蒙佯狂之色，視天下以愚。詩曰："既明且哲，以保其身。"此之謂也。是其所以名聲不白，徒與不眾，光輝不博也。今之學者，得孫卿之遺言餘教，足以為天下法式表儀。所存者神，所過者化，觀其善行，孔子弗過。世不詳察，雲非聖人，奈何！天下不治，孫卿不遇時也。德若堯禹，世少知之；方術不用，為人所疑；其知至明，循道正行，足以為紀綱。嗚呼！賢哉！宜為帝王。天地不知，善桀紂，殺賢良，比干剖心，孔子拘匡，接輿避世，箕子佯狂，田常為亂，闔閭擅強。為惡得福，善者有殃。今為說者，又不察其實，乃信其名。時世不同，譽何由生？不得為政，功安能成？志修德厚，孰謂不賢乎！

The critics say: "Sun Qing does not equal Confucius." This is not so. Sun Qing was pressed by a disordered age, hemmed in by cruel punishments, with no worthy lord above and the violent Qin confronting him below; ritual and righteousness were not practiced, teaching and transformation were not accomplished, the humane were dismissed and straitened, the whole world was in darkness, those complete in virtue were mocked, and the feudal lords overthrew one another in great peril. At such a time the wise could not plan, the able could not govern, and the worthy could not be employed. Thus rulers were hoodwinked and could not see, and worthies were rejected and not received. So Sun Qing, with a heart near to sagehood, put on the manner of feigned madness and showed folly to the world. The "Zhengmin" ode of the Greater Odes in the Book of Songs says: "At once enlightened and wise, thereby he preserved his person." This is what it means. This is why his name was not illustrious, his disciples not numerous, and his brilliance not widespread. Yet scholars today who obtain the words Sun Qing left behind and the remainder of his teaching have enough to make them models and standards for the world. Where he stayed there were spiritual effects; where he passed, men were transformed. Observe his good conduct — even Confucius could not surpass it. The world does not examine this, and proclaims him not a sage — what is to be done! That the world is not well ordered is Sun Qing's failure to meet the right time. With virtue like that of Yao and Yu, few in the world recognize him; his methods were not used and men doubted him; yet his wisdom was supremely bright, he followed the Way and rectified his conduct, fit to be the guiding thread. Alas! Worthy indeed! He deserved to be an emperor. Heaven and Earth were not wise: they treated Jie and Zhou well and slaughtered the worthy and the good; Bigan was cut open to the heart, Confucius was imprisoned in Kuang, Jieyu fled the world, Jizi feigned madness, Tian Chang made rebellion, and Helü wielded arrogant power. The evil obtained fortune and the good found calamity. Now the critics again do not examine the substance but believe the name. The times were not alike — from where should his fame have arisen? Unable to hold power, how could his achievement have been accomplished? His resolve was cultivated and his virtue profound — who shall say he was not worthy!