Yan Tie Lun (鹽鐵論) · Volume 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

文學曰洪水滔天而有禹之績【本經訓曰舜之時共工振滔鴻水以薄空桑龍門未開呂梁未發江淮通流四海溟涬民皆上丘陵赴樹木舜乃使禹防三江五湖開伊闕導瀍澗平通溝陸流注東海鴻水漏九州幹萬民皆寜其性千金書曰古龍門未開呂梁未發河出孟門大溢逆流名曰洪水禹乃決流防河為彭澧之漳所活者千八百國此禹之功也】河水泛溢而有宣房之功【河渠書曰漢武元光中河決瓠子後二十餘嵗嵗因以數不登而梁楚之地尤甚天子既封禪廵祭山川其明年旱乾封少雨天子乃使汲仁郭昌發卒數萬人塞瓠子決於是天子已用事萬里沙則還自臨決河況白馬玉璧於河令群臣從官自將軍以下皆負薪致決河是時東流郡燒草以故薪柴少而下淇園之竹以為楗天子既臨河決悼功之不成乃作瓠子之歌於是卒塞瓠子築宮其上名曰宣房宮而導河北行二渠復禹舊跡而梁楚之地復寕無水災】商紂虐而有孟津【古作盟津】之謀【覽冥訓曰武王伐紂渡於孟津陽侯之波逆流而擊疾風晦人馬不相見於是武王左操黃鉞右秉白旄瞠目而防之曰餘任天下誰敢害吾意者於是風濟而波罷樂稽耀嘉曰武王承命興師誅於商萬國鹹喜軍渡孟津前歌後舞克殷之後民乃大安家給人足酌酒鬱搖】天下煩擾而有乗羨之富夫【音扶】上古至治民樸而貴本安愉而寡求【愉樂也】當此之時道路罕行市朝【音潮】生草【本經訓曰振困窮補不足則名生興利除害伐亂禁則功成世無災害雖神無所施其徳上下和輯雖賢無所立其功】故耕不強者無以充虛織不強者無以掩形雖以湊【音輳】會之要陶室之術無所施其巧【齊俗訓曰神農之法曰丈夫丁壯而不耕天下有受其飢者婦人當年而不織天下有受其寒者故身自耕妻親織以為天下先其導民也不貴難得之貨不器無用之物是故其耕不強者無以養生其織不強者無以揜形有餘不足各歸其身衣食饒溢奸邪不生安樂無事而天下均平故孔丘曽參無所施其善孟賁成荊無所行其威公孫鞅曰神農之世公耕而食婦織而衣刑政不用而治甲兵不起而王韓嬰曰四體不掩則鮮仁人五藏空虛則無立士故先王之法天子親耕后妃親蠶先天下憂衣與食也】自古及今不施而得報不勞而有功者未之有也【主術訓曰耕之為事也勞織之為事也擾擾勞之事而民不捨者知其可以衣食也人之情不能無衣食衣食之道必始於耕織萬民之所能見也物之若耕織者始初甚勞終必利也】

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

文學曰古者採椽不斵【音卓】茅屋不翦衣【去聲】布褐飯【上聲】土鉶【音刑韓非子曰堯之有天下也堂高三尺採椽不斵茅茨不翦雖逆旅之宿不勤於此矣冬日鹿裘夏日葛裘粢糲之食藜藿之羹飯土匭啜土鉶雖監門之養不觳於此矣精神訓曰高臺層榭人之所防也而堯樸桷不斵素題不枅珍怪竒異人之所美也而堯□粢之飯藜藿之羮文繡狐白人之所好也而堯布衣掩形鹿裘禦寒俶真訓曰夫聖人量腹而食度形而衣節於已而已貪汚之心奚由生哉故能有天下者必無以天下為也】鑄【音注】金為鉏【音鋤】埏【音言】埴【音植】為器工不造竒巧世不寳不可衣食之物【晁錯曰夫珠玉金銀飢不可食寒不可衣是故明君貴五穀而賤金玉】各安其居樂【音洛】其俗甘其食便其器是以逺方之物不交而崑山之玉不至今世俗壞而競於淫靡女極纎微工極技巧雕素樸而尚珍恠鑽山石而求金銀沒深淵求珠璣設機防求犀象張網羅求翡翠求蠻貊之物以中國【目無常主曰亂也】徙卭【渠容切】筰【音作】之貨致之東海交萬里之財曠日費功無益於用是以褐衣匹婦勞罷【音疲】力屈而衣食不足也故王者禁溢利節漏費溢利禁則反本漏費節則民用給是以生無乏資死無轉屍也【轉棄也詮言訓曰為治之本務在於安民安民之本在於足用足用之本在於勿奪時勿奪時之本在於省事省事之本在於節慾節慾之本在於反性反性之本在於去載主術訓曰食者民之本也民者國之本也國者君之本也是故人君者上因天時下盡地財中用人力是以群生遂長五穀蕃殖教民養育六畜以時種樹務修田疇滋殖桑麻肥墝高下各因其宜丘陵阪險不生五穀者以樹竹木春伐枯槁夏取果蓏秋畜防食冬伐薪以為民資是故生無乏用死無轉屍】

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

大夫曰古者宮室有度輿服以庸採椽茅茨非先王之制也君子節奢刺儉儉則固昔季文子相【去聲】魯妻不衣【去聲】帛馬不秣粟【魯世家曰季文子卒家無衣帛之妾廐無食粟之馬府無金玉以相三君君子曰季文子廉忠矣説苑反質篇曰季文子相魯妾不衣帛馬不食粟仲孫他諫曰子為魯上郷妾不衣帛馬不食粟人其以子為愛且不華國也文子曰然乎吾觀國人之父母衣麄食蔬吾是以不敢且吾聞君子以徳華國不聞以妾與馬伕徳者得於我又得於彼故可行若淫於奢侈沉於文章不能自反何以守國仲孫他慙而退】孔子曰不可大儉極下此蟋蟀所為作也【蟋蟀刺晉僖公也儉不中禮故作是詩以閔之慾其及時以禮自娛樂也】管子曰不飾公室則材木不可勝【音升】用不充庖防則禽獸不損其夀無味利則本業所出無黼【音甫】黻【音弗】則女紅【音工】不施故工商梓匠邦國之用器械之備也自古有之非獨於此高飯【上聲】牛於周【人間訓曰秦穆公使孟明舉兵襲鄭過周以東鄭之賈人高蹇他相與謀曰師行數千裡數絶諸侯之地其勢必襲鄭凡襲國者以為無備也今示以知其情必不敢進乃矯鄭伯之命以十二牛勞之三率相與謀曰凡襲人者以為弗知也今已知之矣守備必固進必無功乃還師而反晉先軫舉兵擊之大破之殽鄭伯乃以存國之功賞高高辭之曰誕而得賞則鄭國之信廢矣為國而無信是俗敗也賞一人敗國俗仁者弗為也以不信得厚賞義者弗為也遂以其屬徙東夷終身不反】五羖賃車入秦【臣術篇曰秦穆公使賈人載鹽徵諸賈人賈人買百里奚以五羖羊之皮使將車之秦秦穆公觀鹽見百里奚牛肥曰任重道逺以險而牛何以肥也對曰臣飲食以時使之不以有險先後之以身是以肥也穆公知其君子也令有司具沐浴焉衣冠與坐公大悅異日與公孫支論政公孫支大不寧曰君耳目聰明思慮審察君其得聖人乎公曰然吾悅夫奚之言彼類聖人公孫支遂歸取鴈以賀曰君得社稷之聖臣敢賀社稷之福公不辭再拜而受明日公孫支乃致上卿以讓百里奚曰秦國處僻民陋以愚無知危亡之本也臣自知不足以處其上請以讓之公不許公孫支曰君不用賔相而得社稷之聖臣君之祿也臣見賢而讓之臣之祿也今君既得其祿矣而使臣失祿可乎請終致之公不許公孫支曰臣不肖而處上位是君失倫也不肖失倫臣之過進賢而退不肖君之明也今臣處位廢君之徳而逆臣之行也臣將逃公乃受之故百里奚為上卿以制之公孫支為次卿以佐之也】公輸子以防矩【公輸子名班魯之巧人作雲梯之械以攻宋者防者所以圓萬物者也矩者所以方萬物者也】歐冶以鎔鑄【音注呉越春秋曰越王允常聘歐冶子作名劔五枚一曰純鉤二曰湛盧三曰豪曹四曰魚腸五曰巨闕秦客薛燭善相劔越王取豪曹巨闕魚腸等示之薛燭皆曰非寳劔也取純鉤示之薛燭曰光乎如屈陽之華沉沉如芙蓉始生於湖觀其文如列星之行觀其光如水之溢塘其文色渙渙如氷將釋見日之光此純鉤也取湛盧示之薛燭曰銜金鐵之英吐銀錫之精寄氣托靈有逰出之神服此劔可以折沖伐敵人君有逆謀則去之他日允常乃以湛盧獻呉呉公子光弒呉王僚湛盧去如楚】語曰百工居肆以成其事農商交易以利本末山居澤處蓬蒿墝【音敲】埆【音慤】財物流通有以均之是以多者不獨衍少者不獨饉【韓嬰曰聖人刳木為舟剡木為楫以通四方之物使澤人足乎木山人足乎魚餘衍之財有所流故豐膏不獨樂磽确不獨苦雖遭凶年飢嵗禹湯之水旱而民無凍餓之色故生不乏用死不轉屍】若各居其處食其食則是橘柚不鬻【音祝鬻賣也】朐【音劬】滷【音魯】之鹽不出旃【音氊】罽【音計】不市而呉唐之材不用也

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

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

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