| | 外内: |
民之外事，莫难于战，故轻法不可以备之。奚谓轻法？其赏少而威薄，淫道不塞之谓也。何谓淫道？为辩知者贵，游宦者任，文学私名显之谓也。三者不塞，则民不战而事失矣。故其赏少，则听者无利也；威薄，则犯者无害也。故开淫道以诱之。而以轻法战之，是谓设鼠而饵以狸也，亦不几乎！故欲战其民者，必以重法；赏则必多，威则必严；淫道必塞；为辩知者。不贵，游宦者不任，文学私名不显。赏多威严，民见战赏之多则忘死，见不战之辱则苦生。赏使之忘死，而威备之苦生，而淫道又塞，以此遇敌，是以百石之弩射飘叶也，何不陷之有哉？ |
| External and Internal Affairs:...: |
Of the external affairs of the people, there is nothing more difficult than warfare, so an easy law cannot bring them to it. What is called an easy law? It is when rewards are few and authority weak, and when depraved doctrines are not obstructed. What are called depraved doctrines? They are when sophistry and knowledge are valued, when itinerant politicians receive office, and when scholarship and private reputations are in evidence. When these three are not barred, then people will not fight and affairs fail. For when rewards are few, then there is no advantage in obedience; when authority is weak, then there is no harm in transgression. Therefore depraved doctrines are started in order to mislead the people, and to make them fight while the law is easy, is like setting a cat to bait a rat. Is that not impossible? Therefore, he who desires to make his people fight, sees to it that the law is severe; consequently rewards will be numerous, authority will be strict, depraved doctrines will be obstructed, those engaged in sophistry and knowledge will not be honoured, itinerant politicians will not be employed in office, scholarship and private reputations will not be in evidence. If rewards are numerous and authority strict, then people, seeing that in war rewards are many, will forget the danger of death, and seeing their degradation when there is no war, will find life hard. When rewards make them forget the danger of death and strict authority causes them to find life hard, and moreover, depraved doctrines are barred, in this manner meeting the enemy would be like shooting, with a crossbow of a hundred piculs' capacity, a floating leaf. How would it be possible for it not to perish? |
| | 外内: |
民之内事，莫苦于农，故轻治不可以使之。奚谓轻治？其农贫而商富，技巧之人利，而游食者众之谓也。故农之用力最苦，不如商贾技巧之人。苟能令商贾技巧之人无繁，则欲国之无富，不可得也。故曰欲农富其国者，境内之食必贵，而不农之徵必多，市利之租必重，则民不得无田。无田，不得不易其食；食贵则田者利，田者利则事者众。 |
| External and Internal Affairs:...: |
Of the internal affairs of the people, there is nothing harder than agriculture. Therefore an easy administration cannot bring them to it. What is called an easy administration? When farmers are poor and merchants are rich, when clever people gain profit and itinerant office-seekers are numerous. So the farmers, in spite of their extremely hard labour, gain little profit, and are worse off than merchants and shopkeepers and all manner of clever people. If one succeeds in restricting the number of these latter, then, even if one wished to, one could not prevent a state from becoming rich. Therefore is it said: 'If one wishes to enrich the country through agriculture, then within the borders grain must be dear, taxes for those who are not farmers must be many, and dues on market-profit must be heavy, with the result that people are forced to have land. As those who have no land are obliged to buy their grain, grain will be dear, and those who have land will thus profit. When those who have land gain profit, there will be many who will occupy themselves (with agriculture).' |
| | 外内: |
食贵，籴食不利，而又加重徵，则民不得无去其商贾技巧，而事地利矣。故民之利尽在于地利矣。故为国者，边利尽归于兵，市利尽归于农。边利尽归于兵者，强；市利尽归于农者，富。故出战而强，入休而富者，王也。 |
| External and Internal Affairs:...: |
When grain is dear, and the dealing in it is not profitable, while, moreover, heavy taxes are imposed, then people cannot fail to abolish merchants and shopkeepers and all manner of clever folk, and to occupy themselves in the profit from the soil. So the strength of the people will be fully exerted in the profit from the soil. Therefore, he who organizes a state, should let his soldiers have the full benefit of the profits on the frontiers, and let the farmers have the full benefit from the profits of the market. If the first happens, the state will be strong, and if the second happens, it will be rich. Therefore one who, abroad, is strong in warfare, and at home, is rich in peace, attains supremacy. |
