Gui Gu Zi (鬼谷子) · Volume 2

說者，說之也；說之者，資之也。飾言者，假之也；假之者，益損也。應對者，利辭也；利辭者，輕論也。成義者，明之也；明之者*橐病＃ㄑ曰蚍錘玻噯匆病＃┠蜒哉擼綽垡玻蝗綽壅擼黽敢病*

To persuade is to go and speak to someone; to speak to someone is to draw on him. Polishing one's words is borrowing; borrowing is adding and subtracting. Replying is sharpening one's words; sharpening one's words is light argument. Establishing the point is making it clear; the one who makes it clear (after this the base text has a rare character, lost in transcription).

佞言者，諂而幹忠；諛言者，博而幹智；平言者，決而幹勇；戚言者，權而幹信；靜言者，反而幹勝。先意承欲者，諂也；繁稱文辭者，博也；縱舍不疑者，決也；策選進謀者，權也；他分不足以窒非者，反也。

One who speaks with glib words flatters and seeks a name for loyalty; one who speaks with fawning words is broad-ranging and seeks a name for wisdom; one who speaks with even words is decisive and seeks a name for courage; one who speaks with sympathetic words is adaptable and seeks a name for good faith; one who speaks with quiet words turns things around and seeks to win. To anticipate someone's wishes and go along with his desires is flattery; to pile up fine phrases is breadth; to let go or hold on without doubt is decisiveness; to plan, select and offer schemes is adaptability; to take another's weight in hand and still not be enough to block his objection is turning things around.

故口者，機關也；所以關閉情意也。耳目者，心之佐助也；所以窺間見奸邪。故曰：參調而應，利道而動。故繁言而不亂，翱翔而不迷，變易而不危者，（者見）要得理。故無目者不可示以五色，無耳者不可告也五音。故不可以往者，無所開之也。不可以來者，無所受之也。物有不通者，聖人故不事也。古人有言曰：「口可以食，不可以言」者，有諱忌也。眾口爍金，言有曲故也。

So the mouth is a gate-mechanism, used to shut in one's feelings. The ears and eyes are aids to the mind, used to spy out openings and see the wicked. So it is said: when the three work in concert and answer one another, one moves along the path of benefit. So those who speak much without confusion, wheel about without losing their way, and change without danger must grasp the underlying principle (the base text's "者见" seems to be a spurious insertion). So to one without eyes you cannot show the five colors, and to one without ears you cannot tell the five notes (the base text's "告也" should read "告以"). So where one cannot go forward, there is nothing to open; where one cannot come, there is nothing to receive. When things do not get through, the sage therefore does not take up the matter. The ancients had a saying, "The mouth may eat but may not speak," because there are things to be avoided. "Many mouths melt metal" because words twist things.

人之情，出言則欲聽，舉事則欲成。是故智者不用其所短而用愚人之所長；不用其所拙而用愚人之所工；故不困也。言其有利者，從其所長也；言其有害者，避其所短也。故介蟲之捍也，必以堅厚；螫蟲之動也，必以毒螫。故禽獸知用其長，而談者亦知其用而用也。故曰：辭言有五：曰病、曰恐、曰憂、曰怒、曰喜。病者，感衰氣而不神也。恐者，腸絕而無主也。憂者，閉塞而不洩也。怒者，妄動而不治也。喜者，宣散而無要也。此五者精則用之，利則行之。

By human nature, when one speaks one wants to be heard, and when one undertakes something one wants to succeed. So the wise do not use their own shortcomings but use the strengths of the foolish; they do not use their own clumsiness but use the skill of the foolish; and so they are not stuck. To say something is beneficial is to follow its strengths; to say it is harmful is to avoid its weaknesses. So armored creatures defend themselves with their hard shells, and stinging creatures act with their venom. Birds and beasts know to use their strengths, and speakers also know what to use and use it. So it is said: there are five kinds of speech: sickness, fear, worry, anger and joy. Sickness is feeling a decline in vital breath and lacking spirit. Fear is being heartsick and having no master. Worry is being blocked up with no release. Anger is acting wildly and out of order. Joy is scattering outward with no main point. Use these five only when refined, and act only when there is benefit.

故與智者言，依於博；與博者言，依於辨；與辨者言，依於要；與貴者言，依於勢；與富者言，依於高；與貧者言，依於利；與賤者言，依于謙；與勇者言，依於敢；與愚者言，依於銳；此其術也，而人常反之。是故與智者言，將以此明之；與不智者言，將以此教之；而甚難為也。故言多類，事多變。故終日言不失其類，而事不亂；終日不變，而不失其主。故智貴不忘。聽貴聰，辭貴奇。

So with the wise, speak by way of breadth; with the broad-minded, speak by way of discrimination; with the discriminating, speak by way of the essentials; with the eminent, speak by way of their power; with the rich, speak by way of loftiness; with the poor, speak by way of profit; with the lowly, speak by way of modesty; with the brave, speak by way of boldness; with the foolish, speak by way of sharpness. These are the methods, yet people often do the reverse. So with the wise, you use this to make them understand; with the unwise, you use this to instruct them; and this is hard to do. So words come in many kinds, and affairs change in many ways. So if one talks all day without losing track of the kinds, the affairs are not confused; if one goes all day without changing, one does not lose one's main point. So for the wise, what matters is not forgetting. In listening, what matters is acuteness; in phrasing, what matters is the unusual.

凡謀有道，必得其所因，以求其情；審得其情，乃立三儀。三儀者，曰上、曰中、曰下，參以立焉，以生奇；奇不知其所壅；始於古之所從。

In every plan there is a method: one must obtain what it rests on in order to find out its true circumstances; having examined the circumstances, one then establishes the three measures. The three measures are called upper, middle and lower, set up in mutual reference, and used to bring forth the unusual; the unusual does not know where it is blocked; it begins from where the ancients proceeded.

故鄭人之取玉也，載司南之車，為其不惑也。夫度材、量能、揣情者，亦事之司南也。

So when the men of Zheng went to gather jade, they carried the south-pointing chariot, so as not to lose their way. Assessing talent, measuring capacity and gauging circumstances are likewise the south-pointer for getting things done.

故同情而相親者，其俱成者也；同欲而相疏者，其偏害者也；同惡而相親者，其俱害者也；同惡而相疏者，偏害者也。故相益則親，相損則疏，其數行也；此所以察異同之分也。故牆壞於其隙，木毀於其節，斯蓋其分也。

So those who share the same circumstances and are close succeed together; those who share the same desires yet are distant suffer unevenly; those who share the same hatreds and are close suffer together; those who share the same hatreds yet are distant suffer unevenly. So mutual benefit makes people close, and mutual loss makes them distant; that is how the numbers work; this is used to examine the dividing line between sameness and difference. So a wall fails at its crack, and wood is ruined at its knot; this is probably that dividing line.

故變生事，事生謀，謀生計，計生儀，儀生說，說生進，進生退，退生制；因以制於事，故百事一道，而百度一數也。

So change gives rise to affairs, affairs give rise to plans, plans give rise to schemes, schemes give rise to deliberations, deliberations give rise to persuasion, persuasion gives rise to advancing, advancing gives rise to retreating, and retreating gives rise to control; and so one is controlled by the affair itself, so that the hundred affairs share one Way, and the hundred measures share one number.

夫仁人輕貨，不可誘以利，可使出費；勇士輕難，不可懼以患，可使據危；智者達於數，明於理，不可欺以不誠，可示以道理，可使立功；是三才也。故愚者易蔽也，不肖者易懼也，貪者易誘也，是因事而裁之。

The humane person takes wealth lightly and cannot be lured with profit, but can be made to spend money; the brave person takes difficulty lightly and cannot be frightened with trouble, but can be made to hold a dangerous post; the wise person understands the numbers and is clear about principle, cannot be deceived with insincerity, but can be shown the reasons and made to achieve merit; these are the three kinds. So the foolish are easily deceived, the unworthy are easily frightened, and the greedy are easily lured; this is judging by the case.

故為強者，積於弱也；為直者，積於曲也；有餘者，積於不足也；此其道術也。

So the strong grows from the accumulation of the weak; the straight grows from the accumulation of the crooked; surplus grows from the accumulation of deficiency; this is the art of the Way.

故外親而內疏者，說內；內親而外疏者，說外；故因其疑以變之，因其見以然之，因其說以要之，因其勢以成之，因其惡以權之，因其患以斥之；摩而恐之，高而動之，微而證之，符而應之，擁而塞之，亂而惑之，是謂計謀。

So with one who is outwardly close but inwardly distant, speak to his inner side; with one who is inwardly close but outwardly distant, speak to his outer side; then follow his doubts to change him, follow what he sees to confirm him, follow what he says to bind him, follow his momentum to fulfill him, follow what he hates to weigh him, follow what he fears to dismiss him; probe and frighten him, raise him up and move him, be subtle and prove him, match him with the tally, crowd him and block him, confuse him and bewilder him: this is called scheming.

計謀之用，公不如私，私不如結；結比而無隙者也。正不如奇；奇流而不止者也。故說人主者，必與之言奇；說人臣者，必與之言私。其身內，其言外者，疏；其身外，其言身者，危。無以人之所不欲而強之於人，無以人之所不知而教之於人。人之有好也，學而順之；人之有惡也，避而諱之；故陰道而陽取之。故去之者，從之；從之者，乘之。貌者不美又不惡，故至情托焉。

In using schemes, the public is not as good as the private, and the private is not as good as binding; binding is being so close there is no gap. The orthodox is not as good as the unusual; the unusual flows on and does not stop. So when persuading a ruler, one must speak to him of the unusual; when persuading a minister, one must speak to him of the private. If one is inside yet speaks as an outsider, one is kept at a distance; if one is outside yet speaks as one on the inside, one is in danger. Do not force on others what they do not want; do not teach others what they do not know. If a person has a liking, learn it and go along with it; if a person has a dislike, avoid it and keep it taboo; so walk the hidden path and take what you want in the open. So for what one wants to get rid of, first comply; having complied, then take advantage. Where one's looks are neither fine nor ugly, one's deepest feelings are entrusted there.

可知者，可用也；不可知者，謀者所不用也。故曰：是貴制人，而不貴制於人。制人者，握權也。見制於人者，制命也。故聖人之道陰，愚人之道陽；智者事易，而不智者事難。以此觀之，亡不可以為存，而危不可以為安；然而無為而貴智矣。智用於眾人之所不能知，而能用於眾人之所不能見。既用，見可否，擇事而為之，所以自為也。見不可，擇事而為之，所以為人也。故先王之道陰。言有之曰：「天地之化，在高在深；聖人之制道，在隱於匿。」非獨忠信仁義也，中正而已矣。道理達於此之義，則可於語。由能得此，則可以殺遠近之誘。

What can be known can be used; what cannot be known is not used by a planner. So it is said: what matters is controlling others, not being controlled by them. One who controls others holds the power. One who is controlled by others has his fate held. So the sage's way is hidden, and the fool's way is open; the wise find things easy to do, and the unwise find them hard. Seen this way, ruin cannot be treated as survival, nor peril as safety; yet one does not act and values wisdom. Wisdom is used where the multitude cannot know, and can be used where the multitude cannot see. Having used it, when one sees something is permissible, one chooses a matter and does it for oneself; when one sees it is not permissible, one chooses a matter and does it for others. So the way of the former kings was hidden. There is a saying: "The transformations of Heaven and Earth lie in the high and the deep; the sage's making of the Way lies in the hidden and the concealed." It is not only loyalty, good faith, humaneness and righteousness, and being upright and centered. When the principle is clear in this sense, one may speak. From this, whoever can get hold of it can cut off the lures near and far.

凡決物，必托於疑者。善其用福，惡其用患；善至於誘也，終無惑偏。有利焉，去其利，則不受也；奇之所託。若有利於善者，隱托於惡，則不受矣，致疏遠。故其有使失利者，有使離害者，此事之失。

In deciding any matter, one must rely on those who have doubts. Joy in using it brings good fortune, and dislike of using it brings trouble; one who is good at using it to lead others on never ends up confused or biased. Where there is profit, if one removes the profit, one will not accept it; the unusual is entrusted here. If something beneficial to the good is hidden within something bad, one will not accept it, and so grows distant. So some cause people to lose benefit and some cause people to escape harm; these are faults in the handling of the matter.

聖人所以能成其事者有五：有以陽德之者，有以陰賊之者，有以信誠之者，有以蔽匿之者，有以平素之者。陽勵於一言，陰勵於二言，平素、樞機以用；四者微而施之。於事度之往事，驗之來事，參之平素，可則決之。

The sage can accomplish things in five ways: some are done by showing virtue openly, some by harming covertly, some by good faith and sincerity, some by concealing and hiding, and some by ordinary means. The open approach exerts itself on one set of words, and the covert approach exerts itself on two sets of words; the ordinary and the pivotal are brought into use; the four are applied subtly. In handling a matter, measure past events, test future ones, and consult the ordinary, and one can then decide.

王公大人之事也，危而美名者，可則決之；不用費力而易成者，可則決之；用力犯勤苦，然不得已而為之者，可貴則決之；去患者，可貴則決之；從福者，可則決之。故夫決情定疑，萬事之基，以正治亂，決成敗，難為者。故先王乃用蓍龜者，以自決也。

In the affairs of kings, dukes and great men, where there is danger but a fine reputation, one can decide at once; where little effort is needed and success is easy, one can decide at once; where one must labor and bear hardship yet has no choice but to do it, it is worth deciding at once; where trouble is removed, it is worth deciding at once; where one follows good fortune, one can decide at once. So settling circumstances and resolving doubts is the foundation of all affairs, used to set order right and decide success or failure, and it is hard to do. So the former kings used milfoil and tortoise shell to decide for themselves.

安徐正靜，其被節先肉。善與而不靜，虛心平意以待傾損。

Be calm and unhurried, upright and still, bound by due measure, ahead of the flesh. Be good at giving without becoming unable to settle, and with an empty heart and level mind wait for loss and decline.

右主位。

The above discusses the ruler's position.

目貴明，耳貴聰，心貴智。以天下之目視者，則無不見；以天下之耳聽者，則無不聞；以天下之心思慮者，則無不知；輻輳並進，則明不可塞。

For the eyes, brightness matters; for the ears, acuteness; for the mind, wisdom. See with the eyes of the whole world, and there is nothing unseen; listen with the ears of the whole world, and there is nothing unheard; think with the minds of the whole world, and there is nothing unknown; when all converge like spokes to the hub, clarity cannot be blocked.

右主明。

The above discusses the ruler's clarity.

德之術曰勿堅而拒之，許之則防守，拒之則閉塞。高山仰之可極，深淵度之可測，神明之德術正靜，其莫之極。

The art of virtue is said to be: do not be stubborn and refuse. Having granted a request, one is on guard; having refused it, one is closed up. A high mountain, looking up, can be reached to its peak; a deep pool, measured, can be fathomed; but the art of divine virtue is upright and still, and no one can reach its limit.

右主德。

The above discusses the ruler's virtue.

用賞貴信，用刑貴正。賞賜貴信，必驗而目之所聞見，其所不聞見者，莫不諳化矣。誠暢於天下神明，而況奸者幹君。

In using rewards, good faith matters; in using punishments, correctness matters. For rewards, good faith matters, and it must be borne out in what ears and eyes have heard and seen; what they have not heard or seen is none the less silently influenced. Sincerity reaches Heaven and the spirits throughout the world; how much more so when a wicked person offends the ruler.

右主賞。

The above discusses the ruler's rewards.

一曰天之，二曰地之，三曰人之；四方上下，左右前後，熒惑之處安在。

The first belongs to Heaven, the second to Earth, the third to humans; the four directions, above and below, left and right, front and back: where is the place of confusion?

右主問。

The above discusses the ruler's inquiry.

心為九窮之治，君為五官之長。為善者，君與之賞；為非者，君與之罰。君因其所以求，因與之，則不勞。聖人用之，故能賞之。因之循理，故能長久。

The heart is the master of the nine orifices (the base text's "穷" should read "窍"), and the ruler is the head of the five senses. For those who do good, the ruler gives rewards; for those who do wrong, the ruler gives punishments. The ruler gives them what they seek, accordingly, and so does not toil. The sage uses this, and so can reward them. Following the pattern and going by principle, he can last long.

右主因。

The above discusses the ruler's reliance.

人主不可不周；人主不周，則群臣生亂，家於其無常也，內外不通，安知所聞，開閉不善，不見原也。

A ruler must be all-encompassing; if a ruler is not all-encompassing, the ministers will breed disorder, households will lose their constancy, inside and outside will not communicate, and how can he know what is heard? Opening and closing are poorly done, and the source cannot be seen.

右主周。

The above discusses the ruler's thoroughness.

一曰長目，二曰飛耳，三曰樹明。明知千里之外，隱微之中，是謂洞天下奸，莫不諳變更。

The first is called the long eye, the second the flying ear, the third setting up clarity. To know clearly what lies a thousand li away, and what lies within the hidden and the subtle, is called seeing through the wickedness of the world; there is none that is not silently changed.

右主恭。

The above discusses the ruler's reverence.

循名而為貴，安而完，名實相生，反相為情，故曰名當則生於實，實生於理，理生於名實之德，德生於和，和生於當。

Act by following names; what matters is being at peace and whole. Name and reality give rise to each other and in turn serve as each other's circumstances. So it is said: when the name is fitting, it arises from the reality; reality arises from principle; principle arises from the virtue of name and reality; virtue arises from harmony; and harmony arises from fittingness.

右主名。

The above discusses the ruler's names.

《鬼谷子本經陰符七術》盛神法五龍盛神法五龍

Guiguzi, "Fundamental Scripture, Seven Arts of the Hidden Talisman": Flourishing Spirit, modeled on the Five Dragons.

盛神中有五氣，神為之長，心為之舍，得為之大；養神之所，歸諸道。道者，天地之始，一其紀也。物之所造，天之所生，包宏無形，化氣先天地而成，莫見其形，莫知其名，謂之神靈。故道者，神明之源，一其化端，是以德養五氣，心能得一，乃有其術。術者，心氣之道所由舍者，神乃為之使。九窮十二舍者，氣之門戶，心之總攝也。

Within the flourishing of spirit there are five kinds of qi: spirit is their chief, the heart is their dwelling, and attainment is their greatness; the place where spirit is nourished returns to the Way. The Way is the beginning of Heaven and Earth, and the One is its thread. What things are made of and what Heaven brings into being, enclosing the vast and without form, transforming qi came to be before Heaven and Earth; no one saw its form, no one knew its name, and it is called the divine spirit. So the Way is the source of spirit and illumination, and the One is the starting point of its transformations; therefore one nourishes the five kinds of qi with virtue, and when the heart can attain the One, then one has the art. The art is where the Way of heart and qi resides, and spirit serves as its messenger. The nine orifices and twelve lodgings are the gates of qi and the overseer of the heart.

生受於天，謂之真人；真人者，與天為一。內修練而知之，謂之聖人；聖人者，以類知之。故人與生一齣於物化。知類在窮，有所疑惑，通於心術，心無其術，必有不通。其通也，五氣得養，務在舍神，此謂之化。化有五氣者，志也、思也、神也、德也；神其一長也。靜和者，養氣。氣得其和，四者不衰。四邊威勢無不為，存而舍之，是謂神化。歸於身，謂之真人。真人者，同逃邙合道，執一而養萬類，懷天心，施德養，無為以包志慮思意而行威勢者也。士者通達之神盛，乃能養志。

Life received from Heaven is called the true person; the true person is one with Heaven. One who cultivates within and comes to know is called a sage; the sage knows by kinds. So humans, like life, come forth from the transformation of things. Knowing kinds lies in thorough inquiry; when there is doubt, it is connected through the art of the heart; if the heart does not have that art, there will surely be blockage. When it is open, the five kinds of qi are nourished, and the task is to settle the spirit; this is called transformation. Transformation has five kinds of qi: will, thought, spirit and virtue; spirit is the chief among them. Stillness and harmony nourish qi. When qi attains harmony, the four do not decline. Of the powers on all four sides, there is none one does not wield; preserve it and settle it, and this is called spirit transformation. Returning it to the body is called the true person. The true person is the same as Heaven and joins with the Way (the base text's "逃邙" seems to be a corruption of "天而"), holds to the One and nourishes the myriad kinds, cherishes the heart of Heaven, bestows virtue and nourishment, and wraps will, thought and intention in non-action while exercising authority. A scholar who is open and whose spirit flourishes can then nourish the will.

《鬼谷子本經陰符七術》養志法靈龜養志法靈龜

Guiguzi, "Fundamental Scripture, Seven Arts of the Hidden Talisman": Nourishing the Will, modeled on the Numinous Tortoise.

養志者，心氣之思不達也。有所欲，志存而思之。志者，欲之使也。欲多則心散，心散則志衰，志衰則思不達。故心氣一則故不徨，欲不徨則志意不衰，志意不衰則思理達矣。理達則和通，和通則亂氣不煩於胸中，故內以養志，外以知人。養志則心通矣，知人則識分明矣。將欲用之於人，必先知其養氣志。知人氣盛衰，而養其志氣，察其所安，以知其所能。

Nourishing the will is needed because the thinking of heart and qi has not become unobstructed. When there is something desired, the will stays and thinks about it. Will is the messenger of desire. When desires are many the heart is scattered; when the heart is scattered the will weakens; when the will weakens thought does not flow freely. So when heart and qi are single-minded, desire does not wander (the base text's "故不徨" should read "欲不徨"); when desire does not wander, the will does not weaken; when the will does not weaken, thought and principle flow freely. When principle is open there is harmony and free passage; with harmony and free passage, disordered qi does not trouble the chest; so inwardly it is used to nourish the will, and outwardly to know people. Nourishing the will makes the heart open; knowing people makes one's discernment clear. When one is about to employ a person, one must first know how he nourishes his qi and will. Know whether a person's qi is flourishing or declining, and nourish his will and qi; observe where he is at ease, in order to know what he is capable of.

志不養，則心氣不固；心氣不固，則思慮不達；思慮不達，則志意不實。志意不實，則應對不猛；應對不猛，則志失而心氣虛；志失而心氣虛，則喪其神矣；神喪，則彷彿；彷彿，則參會不一。養志之始，務在安己；己安，則志意實堅；志意實堅，則威勢不分，神明常固守，乃能分之。

If the will is not nourished, then heart and qi are not firm; if heart and qi are not firm, thought and reflection do not flow freely; if thought and reflection do not flow freely, the will and intention are not solid. If the will and intention are not solid, one's replies are not forceful; if one's replies are not forceful, the will is lost and heart and qi are empty; if the will is lost and heart and qi are empty, one loses one's spirit; if the spirit is lost, one is vague and unsettled; if one is vague and unsettled, one's dealings are not single-minded. The start of nourishing the will is to settle oneself; once one is settled, the will and intention are firm and solid; once the will and intention are firm and solid, authority is not divided, and the spirit and illumination are always kept firmly, and only then can it be divided.

《鬼谷子本經陰符七術》實意法騰蛇實意法騰蛇

Guiguzi, "Fundamental Scripture, Seven Arts of the Hidden Talisman": Solidifying Intention, modeled on the Soaring Serpent.

實意者，氣之慮也。心欲安靜，慮欲深遠；心安靜則神策生，慮深遠則計謀成；神策生則志不可亂，計謀成則功不可間。意慮定則心遂安，心遂安則所行不錯，神自得矣。得則凝。識氣寄，奸邪得而倚之，詐謀得而惑之；言無由心矣。固信心術守真一而不化，待人意率之交會，聽之候也。寄謀者，存亡之樞機。慮不會，則聽不審矣。候之不得，寄謀失矣。則意無所信，虛而無實。故寄謀之慮，務在實意；實意必從心術始。

Solidifying intention is the reflection of qi. The heart should be calm, and reflection should be far-reaching; when the heart is calm, spirit's strategies arise; when reflection is far-reaching, plans are completed; when spirit's strategies arise, the will cannot be thrown into disorder; when plans are completed, the achievement cannot be driven apart. When intention and reflection are settled, the heart is at peace; when the heart is at peace, what one does is without error, and spirit is gained by oneself. Once gained, it condenses. If the awareness of qi is entrusted elsewhere, the wicked get something to lean on and deceitful schemes get a chance to confuse; and one's words no longer come from the heart. So one trusts the art of the heart, holds to the true One and does not transform, and waits until people's intentions meet one another, which is the time to listen. Entrusting a plan is the pivot of survival and ruin. If reflection does not meet, then one's listening is not careful. If one cannot wait, the entrusted plan is lost. Then intention has nothing to trust and is empty with no substance. So for reflection on an entrusted plan, the task is solidifying intention; solidifying intention must begin from the art of the heart.

無為而求，安靜五臟，和通六腑；精神魂魄固守不動，乃能內視反聽，定志慮之太虛，待神往來。以觀天地開闢，知萬物所造化，見陰陽之終始，原人事之政理。不出戶而知天下，不窺牖而見天道；不見而命，不行而至；是謂道知。以通神明，應於無方，而神宿矣。

Seek by non-action, calm the five organs and harmonize the six viscera; keep essence, spirit, soul and vitality firm and still, and then one can look inward and listen back, settle will and thought in the Great Void, and wait for the spirit to come and go. With this one observes the opening of Heaven and Earth, knows what the myriad things are made by, sees the beginning and end of yin and yang, and traces back the principles of human affairs. Without going out the door one knows the world; without peeking through the window one sees Heaven's Way; without seeing one can give orders; without walking one can arrive; this is called knowing by the Way. With this one connects with the spirit and illumination and responds without fixed direction, and the spirit then lodges and stays.

《鬼谷子本經陰符七術》分威法伏熊分威法伏熊

Guiguzi, "Fundamental Scripture, Seven Arts of the Hidden Talisman": Dividing Authority, modeled on the Crouching Bear.

分威者，神之覆也。故靜意固志，神歸其舍，則威覆盛矣。威覆盛，則內實堅；內實堅，則莫當；莫當，則能以分人之威而動其勢，如其天。以實取虛，以有取無，若以鎰稱銖。故動者必隨，唱者必和。撓其一指，觀其餘次，動變見形，無能間者。審於唱和，以間見間，動變明而威可分也。將欲動變，必先養志以視間。知其固實者，自養也。讓己者，養人也。故神存兵亡，乃為知形勢。

Dividing authority is the canopy of the spirit. So when intention is still and will is firm, and spirit returns to its dwelling, the canopy of authority becomes strong. When the canopy of authority is strong, the inner substance is firm; when the inner substance is firm, nothing can withstand it; when nothing can withstand it, one can use the authority of dividing others to move their momentum, as Heaven does. Taking the empty with the full and the nonexistent with the existent is like weighing a zhu with a yi. So what one moves is sure to follow, and what one sings is sure to be echoed. Press on one finger of his, and watch the order of the others; the shifts and changes show their shape, and none can be driven apart. Examine the singing and the echoing, see gaps by means of gaps, and when the shifts and changes are clear, authority can be divided. When one is about to shift and change, one must first nourish the will to see the gaps. To know what is solid and firm is to nourish oneself. To yield what is one's own is to nourish others. So when the spirit remains, the army is lost; only then does one know the lay of the situation.

《鬼谷子本經陰符七術》散勢法鷙鳥散勢法鷙鳥

Guiguzi, "Fundamental Scripture, Seven Arts of the Hidden Talisman": Scattering Momentum, modeled on the Raptor.

散勢者，神之使也。用之，必循間而動。威肅內盛，推間而行之，則勢散。夫散勢者，心虛志溢；意衰威失，精神不專，其言外而多變。故觀其志意，為度數，乃以揣說圖事，盡圓方，齊短長。無間則不散勢者，待間而動，動而勢分矣。故善思間者，必內精五氣，外視虛實，動而不失分散之實。動則隨其志意，知其計謀。勢者，利害之決，權變之威。勢敗者，不可神肅察也。

Scattering momentum is the messenger of the spirit. To use it, one must move following the gaps. When awe-inspiring authority is strong within and one proceeds by pressing into the gaps, momentum is scattered. The one whose momentum is scattered has an empty heart and an overflowing will; his intention is weak and his authority lost, his spirit not focused, and his words leak out and shift often. So observe his will and intention as the measure, and only then use probing talk to plan the matter, exhausting the round and the square and evening out the short and the long. Where there is no gap, momentum is not scattered; wait for a gap and act, and once one has acted the momentum is divided. So one who is good at thinking about gaps must be refined within in the five kinds of qi, and look without at the empty and the full, acting without losing the substance of scattering. In acting, follow his will and intention and learn his plans. Momentum is the decision between benefit and harm, the authority of adaptation. Where momentum has failed, spirit cannot be used to inspect it.

《鬼谷子本經陰符七術》轉圖法猛獸轉圖法猛獸

Guiguzi, "Fundamental Scripture, Seven Arts of the Hidden Talisman": Turning the Sphere, modeled on the Fierce Beast.

轉圓者，無窮之計也。無窮者，必有聖人之心，以原不測之智；以不測之智而通心術，而神道混沌為一。以變論萬類，說意無窮。智略計謀，各有形容，或圓或方，或陰或陽，或吉或兇，事類不同。故聖人懷此，用轉圓而求其合。故與造化者為始，動作無不包大道，以觀神明之域。

Turning the sphere is the inexhaustible scheme. For the inexhaustible, one must have the heart of a sage, to trace back to the wisdom of the unfathomable; use that unfathomable wisdom to link with the art of the heart, and the divine way merges into one chaos. Use change to discuss the myriad kinds, and speak with inexhaustible intent. Wisdom, strategy and plans each have their form, some round or square, some yin or yang, some auspicious or inauspicious, and the kinds of affairs differ. So the sage cherishes this and uses turning the sphere to seek their fit. So he takes the creator of transformations as his beginning, and none of his actions fails to embrace the great Way, which he uses to observe the realm of spirit and illumination.

天地無極，人事無窮，各以成其類；見其計謀，必知其吉凶成敗之所終。轉圓者，或轉而吉，或轉而兇，聖人以道，先知存亡，乃知轉圓而從方。圓者，所以合語；方者，所以錯事。轉化者，所以觀計謀；接物者，所以觀進退之意。皆見其會，乃為要結以接其說也。

Heaven and Earth have no limit, and human affairs have no end, each fulfilling its own kind; seeing his plans, one is sure to know how auspicious or inauspicious, successful or failed, they will end. Turning the sphere may turn toward good fortune or toward misfortune; the sage, by the Way, knows survival and ruin beforehand, and so knows to turn the round and follow the square. The round is used to match words; the square is used to arrange affairs (the base text's "错" is read as "措"). Transformation is used to observe plans; dealing with things is used to observe the intent to advance or retreat. When all see how things come together, one makes a binding agreement to receive his persuasion.

《鬼谷子本經陰符七術》損悅法靈蓍損悅法靈蓍

Guiguzi, "Fundamental Scripture, Seven Arts of the Hidden Talisman": Reducing and Pleasing, modeled on the Numinous Milfoil.

損悅者，機危之決也。事有適然，物有成敗，機危之動，不可不察。故聖人以無為待有德，言察辭，合於事。悅者，知之也。損者，行之也。損之說之，物有不可者，聖人不為之辭。故智者不以言失人之言，故辭不煩而心不虛，志不亂而意不邪。當其難易，而後為之謀；因自然之道以為實。圓者不行，方者不止，是謂大功。益之損之，皆為之辭。用分威散勢之權，以見其悅威，其機危乃為之決。故善損悅者，誓若決水於千仞之堤，轉圓石於萬仞之谷。而能行此者，形勢不得不然也。

Reducing and pleasing is the decision at a critical juncture. Affairs have their fitting moments and things have success and failure; the stirring of a critical juncture must not go unexamined. So the sage waits with non-action for those of virtue, examines their speech, and fits it to the matter. Pleasing is knowing. Reducing is acting. Having reduced and spoken, if something is not permissible, the sage does not phrase it for them. So the wise do not lose others' words through their own, and so their phrasing is not tedious and their hearts are not empty, their will is not disordered and their intentions are not crooked. Face the difficulty or ease, and then plan for them; take the Way of nature as the substance. If the round does not go, and the square does not stop, this is called great merit. Whether adding to it or reducing it, phrase it for them. Use the authority of dividing power and scattering momentum to see their pleasing power, and only then decide for them at their critical juncture. So one who is good at reducing and pleasing is like one breaching water from a dike a thousand ren high, or rolling a round stone down a valley ten thousand ren deep. And that one can carry this out is because the lay of the situation leaves no other way.