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Mohism -> Mozi -> Book 7 -> Will of Heaven III -> 6

墨子Hence Mozi established the will of Heaven as his standard,
just as the wheelwright uses his compasses
and the carpenter uses his square as their standards.
The wheelwright with his compasses
and the carpenter with his square
can judge the circularity and the squareness of objects.
墨子Similarly, with the will of Heaven as the standard,
天下君子 Mozi can tell that the gentlemen of the world are far from righteousness.
天下君子How do we know the gentlemen of the world are far from righteousness ?
:「!」For, the lords in the large states compete in saying: "Being a big state, if I do not attack the small states, in what way am I big?"
Therefore they mustered their warriors and soldiers,
and arranged their boat and chariot forces
to attack some innocent state.
They broke into its borders,
cut down its fields,
felled its trees,
tore down its inner and outer city walls,
and filled up its moats and ditches,
burned its ancestral temples
and seized and killed its sacrificial victims.
Of the people the strong were killed,
the weak were brought back in chains and ropes.
The men were turned into servants and grooms and prisoners.
The women were made to be waitresses (to pour wine).
Yet, the warring lord
did not even know that this is unmagnanimous and unrighteous.
諸侯 He announced to the neighbouring lords:
"I have attacked a state, defeated an army,
。」 and killed so many generals."
And the neighbouring lords did not know that this is unmagnanimous and unrighteous either,
but with furs and silk
使 sent envoys to offer congratulations.
And the warring lords
were even doubly ignorant of its being unmagnanimous and unrighteous.
They recorded it on the bamboos and silk
and kept them in the archives
so that the descendants
would imitate their royal ancestors,
saying:
1
"Why not let us open up the archives
。」 and let us learn of the achievements of our ancestors?"
2
Then they would surely not learn: "Such and such is the regime of Wu," but would learn: "I have attacked states, reversed armies, and killed so many of their generals."
Now that the warring lords
do not understand this to be unmagnanimous and unrighteous,
and neighbouring lords do not understand this to be unmagnanimous and unrighteous,
therefore attacks and assaults go on generation after generation without end.
This is what I mean when I say they do not understand matters of importance.

1. 府 : Inserted. 孫詒讓《墨子閒詁》
2. 為正 : Deleted.


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