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孔子曰：“不患贫而患不均。”故有所积重，则有所空虚矣。大富则骄，大贫则忧。忧则为盗，骄则为暴，此众人之情也。圣者则于众人之情，见乱之所从生。故其制人道而差上下也，使富者足以示贵而不至于骄，贫者足以养生而不至于忧。以此为度而调均之，是以财不匮而上下相安，故易治也。今世弃其度制，而各从其欲。欲无所穷，而欲得自恣，其势无极。大人病不足于上，而小民赢瘠于下，则富者愈贪利而不肯为义，贫者日犯禁而不可得止，是世之所以难治也。 |
| | Confucius said: "One should not be concerned about poverty but rather about inequality." Therefore, where there is excessive accumulation, there must also be emptiness. Great wealth leads to arrogance; great poverty leads to worry. Worry leads to theft, and arrogance leads to violence—this is the nature of ordinary people. The sage, observing the emotions of ordinary people, recognizes where disorder originates. Thus, in establishing the principles of human conduct and distinguishing between high and low status, the sage ensures that the wealthy have enough to display dignity without becoming arrogant, and that the poor have enough to sustain life without falling into worry. By using this as a standard and regulating equality accordingly, wealth does not run short and the upper and lower classes live in harmony; therefore, it is easy to govern. Nowadays people abandon these standards of regulation and each follows their own desires. Desires have no end, and when people seek to indulge them freely, such a trend knows no bounds. The powerful above suffer from a sense of never enough, while the common people below grow weak and impoverished; thus, the wealthy become increasingly greedy for profit and unwilling to act with righteousness, while the poor daily break laws and cannot be stopped—this is why the world becomes difficult to govern.
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孔子曰：“君子不尽利以遗民。”《》云“彼有遗秉，此有不敛，伊寡妇之利。”故君子仕则不稼，田则不渔，食时不力珍，大夫不坐羊，士不坐犬。《》曰：“”以此防民，民犹忘义而争利，以亡其身。天不重与，有角不得有上齿。故已有大者，不得有小者，天数也。夫已有大者又兼小者，天不能足之，况人乎？故明圣者象天所为，为制度，使诸有大奉禄亦皆不得兼小利，与民争利业，乃天理也。 |
| | Confucius said: "A gentleman does not exhaust benefits at the expense of the people." The Shi Jing says, "There are leftover stalks there, and here they are not gathered—this is the benefit for a widow." Therefore, when a gentleman holds office, he does not till the fields; when he farms, he does not fish. He eats seasonally without seeking rare delicacies; a dafu (high-ranking official) does not sit to eat lamb, and a shi (gentleman of low rank) does not sit to eat dog meat. The Shi Jing says: "Gather feng and fei, but do not judge by their roots." Virtuous words should not be defied; they are to be upheld even unto death with you. With this method of restraining the people, yet still the populace forgets righteousness and contends for profit, thereby losing their own lives. Heaven does not bestow excessively; one who has horns cannot also have superior teeth. Therefore, he who already possesses much may not possess little—this is the order of Heaven. He who has already much and also takes what is small, Heaven itself cannot satisfy him, let alone human beings? Therefore, the wise and sage emulate what Heaven does, establishing systems so that those who receive great stipends may not also take small profits or compete with the people for gains—this is in accordance with the principles of Heaven.
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凡百乱之源，皆出嫌疑纤微，以渐寝稍长至于大。圣人章其疑者，别其微者，绝其纤者，不得嫌以蚤防之。圣人之道，众堤防之类也。谓之度制，谓之礼节。故贵贱有等，衣服有制，朝廷有位，乡党有序，则民有所让而不敢争，所以一之也。《》曰：“举服有庸，谁敢弗让，敢不敬应。”此之谓也。 |
| | All sources of a hundred disorders arise from suspicions and minor matters, which gradually grow over time until they become great. The sage clarifies what is doubtful, distinguishes what is subtle, and eliminates what is trivial, so that suspicions cannot arise and can be prevented at an early stage. The way of the sage is like a multitude of dikes and defenses. It is called regulation, it is called rites and propriety. Therefore, when ranks of nobility and commoners are differentiated, clothing is regulated, positions in court are established, and order exists within local communities, the people will have reason to yield rather than dare to contend—this is how unity is achieved. The Shu Jing says: "When one rises in rank and dons the proper attire, who dares not to yield? Who would dare not to respond with reverence?" This is what it means.
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凡衣裳之生也，为盖形暖身也。然而染五采，饰文章者，非以为益肌肤血气之情也，将以贵贵尊贤，而明别上下之伦，使教亟行，使化易成，为治为之也。若去其度制，使人人从其欲，快其意，以逐无穷，是大乱人伦，而靡斯财用也，失文采所遂生之意矣。上下之伦不别，其势不能相治，故苦乱也。嗜欲之物无限，其势不能相足，故苦贫也。今欲以乱为治，以贫为富，非反之制度不可。古者天子衣文，诸侯不以燕，大夫衣禄，士不以燕，庶人衣缦，此其大略也。 |
| | The purpose of clothing, in its origin, is to cover the body and provide warmth. However, the use of five colors and the embellishment with patterns is not intended to enhance one's flesh or vital energy; rather, it serves to honor the noble and respect the virtuous, clearly distinguishing the hierarchy between high and low. This fosters swift moral instruction and facilitates easy transformation—such distinctions are established for governance. If one removes these standards and regulations, allowing everyone to follow their own desires and pursue endless gratification, it will greatly disrupt human relationships and squander resources—thus losing the original purpose of cultivating patterns and colors. When distinctions between superiors and inferiors are not maintained, such a situation cannot be governed effectively; hence, there is suffering and disorder. Desires for worldly pleasures have no limits, and thus people can never be satisfied—this is why poverty brings hardship. Now one wishes to turn disorder into order and poverty into wealth; without reversing the system of regulations, this cannot be achieved. In ancient times, the Son of Heaven wore embroidered robes; marquises did not wear them for informal occasions. High-ranking officials wore robes according to their stipends; gentlemen of low rank did not wear them informally; commoners wore plain garments—this was the general principle.
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