Jing Shen Xun (Essence and Spirit)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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