Hua Shu (化書) · Volume 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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