Strengthening the State, Chapter Sixteen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

應侯問孫卿子曰：入秦何見？

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

治亂，天邪？曰：日月星辰瑞歷，是禹桀之所同也，禹以治，桀以亂；治亂非天也。

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

世俗之為說者曰："主道利周。"

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

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

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

世俗之為說者曰："桀紂有天下，湯武篡而奪之。"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

世俗之為說者曰："湯武不善禁令。"曰："是何也？"曰："楚越不受制。"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

世俗之為說者曰："堯舜擅讓。"

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

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

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

曰："死而擅之。"

Others say: "He abdicates after death."

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

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

曰："老衰而擅。"

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

是又不然。血氣筋力則有衰，若夫智慮取捨則無衰。

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

曰："老者不堪其勞而休也。"

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

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

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

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

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

世俗之為說者曰："堯舜不能教化。"是何也？曰："朱象不化。"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

應之曰：然則以人之情為不惡侮乎？

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

曰："惡而不辱也。"

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