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Mohism -> Mozi -> Book 9 -> Anti-Confucianism II -> 1

儒者曰：The Confucianist says:
「親親有術， Love among relations should depend upon the degree of relationship,
尊賢有等。」 and honour to the virtuous should be graded.
言親疏尊卑之異也。 This is to advocate a discrimination among the near and the distant relations and among the respectable and the humble.
其禮曰：But, according to his code of propriety:
「喪父母三年， Mourning for the death of the parent should be three years;
妻，後子三年， for the wife or the eldest son three years;
伯父叔父弟兄庶子其，for an uncle, a brother, or one of the other sons, a year;
戚族人五月。」and for a near relative, five months.
若以親疏為歲月之數， If the periods are based on the degree of relationship,
則親者多而疏者少矣， evidently mourning for the closer relative should be longer and for the more distant shorter.
是妻後子與父同也。 Thus the wife and the eldest son are the same as the parents (in nearness).
若以尊卑為歲月數，If the periods are based on degrees of respect which are severally due
則是尊其妻子與父母同， then it means that the wife and the eldest son are respected as much as the parents,
而親伯父宗兄而卑子也， and the uncles and brothers are placed on the same level with the other sons.
逆孰大焉。 What perversity can be greater than this?
其親死，When his parent dies
列尸弗
斂		 he first lets him lie there without dressing him for burial.
1，
登屋窺井，He climbs on the roof, looks into the well,
挑鼠穴， reaches into the rat holes,
探滌器，and searches in the washing basins
而求其人矣。 to look for the dead man.
以為實在則贛愚甚矣； Assuming that the man still exists this procedure is certainly stupid.
如其亡也必求焉，If he does not exist this insistent search
偽亦大矣！ is the height of hypocrisy.
取妻， When a Confucianist takes a wife,
身迎， he has to escort her in person,
袨端為僕， dressed in ceremonial garments as a servant.
秉轡授綏， He drives the cart himself,
如仰嚴親， as if waiting on a revered parent.
昏禮威儀，The dignity and solemnity of the marriage ceremony
如承祭祀。 compare with that of sacrifice and worship.
顛覆上下， High and low are turned upside down.
悖逆父母， Father and mother are disobeyed.
下則妻子，Parents are brought down to the level of the wife
妻子上侵事親， and the wife is exalted to interfere with service to parents.
若此可謂孝乎？ Can such conduct be called filial?
儒者：「迎妻，妻之奉祭祀，子將守宗廟，故重之。」The Confucianist tells us: "A wife is taken to share in continuing the worship and sacrifice (to ancestors) and the son will attend to the ancestral temple, therefore they are highly regarded."
應之曰： We answer him:
「此誣言也， This is all false representation.
其宗兄守其先宗廟數十年，For, his brothers attend to the ancestral temple for tens of years.
死喪之其， Yet when they die he will mourn for them only one year.
兄弟之妻奉其先之祭祀弗散，The brothers' wives continue the worship and sacrifice of his ancestors. Yet, there is no mourning (upon their death) whatsoever.
則喪妻子三年，Then the three years' mourning for the death of his wife and eldest son
必非以守奉祭祀也。 is evidently not for the reason of their attending to the ancestral temple and continuing the worship and sacrifice.
夫憂妻子以大負絫，Now, to be partial to one's wife and son is already quite wayward.
有曰『所以重親也』， Yet the Confucianist pretends it to be for the sake of the parents.
為欲厚所至私，This is partiality to the most favourite
輕所至重， but neglect of the most important.
豈非大姦也哉！」 Isn't this great perversity?

1. 斂 : Inserted. 孫詒讓《墨子閒詁》

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