Follow us on Facebook to receive important updates Follow us on Twitter to receive important updates Follow us on sina.com's microblogging site to receive important updates Follow us on Douban to receive important updates
Chinese Text Project
Back Forward
Mohism -> Mozi -> Book 12 -> Esteem for Righteousness -> 2

墨子On his way from Lu to Qi, Mozi met an old friend
墨子 who said to him:
天下 "Nowadays none in the world practises any righteousness.
You are merely inflicting pain on yourself by trying to practise righteousness.
。」 You had better give it up."
墨子 Mozi replied:
Suppose a man has ten sons.
Only one attends to the farm while the other nine stay at home.
Then the farmer must work all the more vigorously.
Why?
Because many eat while few work.
天下Now, none in the world practises righteousness.
Then you should all the more encourage me.
?」 Why do you stop me?
墨子Mozi travelled south to Chu
to see Lord Hui of Chu.
Lord Hui refused to see him with the excuse of his being old,
使墨子 and let Mu He receive him.
墨子Mozi talked to Mu He
and Mu He was greatly pleased.
墨子 He said to Mozi:
"Your ideas may be quite good.
But our Lord
天下 is a great lord of the empire.
』,?」 Can't he refuse to employ them because they come only from a humble man?"
墨子 Mozi replied:
So long as they are applicable
they are like (good) medicines, which are only the roots of herbs.
天子 Yet even the emperor takes them to cure his sickness.
Does he refuse to take them because they are only the roots of a herb?
Now, the farmer pays his tax to the superior.
(With this,) the superior prepares wine and cakes to do sacrifice to God, ghosts and spirits.
Do these refuse to accept them because they come from the humble?
So, even a humble man
can yet be compared to the farmer,
or, at least to medicine.
Is he even of less value than the roots of a herb?
Moreover, has not my Lord heard the story of Tang?
Anciently,
伊尹Tang was going to see Yi Yin
and let a son of the house of Peng be the driver.
:『?』On the way, the son of Peng inquired where the lord was going.
:『伊尹。』Tang told him that he was going to see Yi Yin.
:『伊尹天下The son of Peng said: "Yi Yin is but a humble man of the world.
If you want to see him
just send for him
。』 and he will feel quite flattered."
:『Tang said: "This is not what you can understand.
Here is some medicine.
When taken, it will sharpen the ears
and brighten the eyes.
Then I shall be pleased and endeavour to take it.
伊尹Now, Yi Yin to me is like a good physician and an effective medicine.
伊尹 Yet you don't think I should see him.
。』 It means you do not want to see me become good."
Thereupon he dismissed the son of Peng
使 and did not let him drive any more.
」。 They did not resume their journey till the son of Peng became respectful.


Enjoy this site? Please help.Site design and content copyright 2006-2024. When quoting or citing information from this site, please link to the corresponding page or to https://ctext.org. Please note that the use of automatic download software on this site is strictly prohibited, and that users of such software are automatically banned without warning to save bandwidth. 沪ICP备09015720号-3Comments? Suggestions? Please raise them here.