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魏王问相国曰：“今秦负强，以无道陵天下。天下莫不患。寡人欲豁国之半以亲诸侯，求从事于秦，可乎？”子顺对曰：“以臣观之，殆无益也。今天下诸侯畏秦之日久矣。数被其毒，无欲复之之志。心无所计，委国于游说之士。游说之士挟强秦以为资，卖其国以收利，叉手服从，曾不能制。如君之谋，未获其利而秪以为名，适足以速秦之首诛，则无以得之，不如守常以须其变也。”王曰：“秦其遂有天下乎？”对曰：“必然。虽然，取不以义，得不以道，自古以来，未有能终之者。” |
| | The Wei Wang asked the prime minister, "Now Qin is powerful and uses its lawlessness to dominate the world." Everyone in the world suffers from this. I wish to give up half of my state's territory to be friendly with the feudal lords, and seek an alliance with Qin. Is this possible?" Zi Shun replied, "In my opinion, it will probably be of no benefit." Nowadays, the feudal lords have long been afraid of Qin. They have repeatedly suffered its cruelty and no longer have any desire to resist it. lø Their minds are without plan, entrusting their states to traveling orators. The traveling orators use the power of Qin as capital, sell their states for profit, and with folded hands they obey; they have never been able to control them. If Your Majesty follows this plan, you will not gain any benefit but only acquire a reputation; it would merely hasten Qin's first attack. Then there will be no way to obtain what you desire. It is better to maintain the status quo and await changes." The king asked, "Will Qin eventually possess all under heaven?" He replied, "Certainly." Although that is so, if one takes things without righteousness and gains them without the Way, since ancient times there has never been anyone who could maintain such a position to the end."
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五国约而诛秦。子顺会之秦，未入境而还。诸侯留兵于成皋。子顺谓市丘子曰：“此师、楚为之主。今兵罢而不散，殆有异意。君其备诸？”市丘子曰：“先生幸而教之。愿以国寄先生。”子顺许诺，遂见楚王，曰：“王约五国而西伐秦。事既而不集，又久师于市丘。谤君者、或以君欲攻市丘以偿兵费。天下之士且以是轻君而重秦。且又不义君之为矣。王何不卜交乎？”楚王曰：“柰何？”子顺曰：“王今出令，使五国勿攻市丘。五国重王，则听王之令矣。不重王，则且反王之令而攻市丘。以此卜五国交王之轻重，必明矣。”楚王敬诺而五国散。 |
| | Five states formed an alliance to attack Qin. Zi Shun was sent to Qin for the meeting, but he did not even enter the territory before returning. The feudal lords stationed their troops at Chenggao. Zi Shun said to Shi Qiuzi, "This army is led by Chu." Now the troops are exhausted but have not dispersed; there may be some hidden intention. You should prepare for it?" Shi Qiuzi said, "Master, I am fortunate to receive your instruction. I wish to entrust the state to you." Zi Shun accepted and thus met with King Chu, saying, "Your Majesty formed an alliance of five states to attack Qin in the west. The matter has already failed to come together, yet your troops have lingered at Shi Qiu for a long time. Those who slander you claim that you intend to attack Shi Qiu in order to repay the military expenses. Scholars throughout the world will therefore look down on Your Majesty and hold Qin in higher regard. Moreover, such an action would be unjust for you to take. Why does Your Majesty not seek a better alliance?" King Chu asked, "How should I do that?" Zi Shun said, "Your Majesty now issues an order to the five states not to attack Shi Qiu. The five states respect Your Majesty; they will obey your command. If they do not respect you, then they will defy your order and attack Shi Qiu. By this means, one can judge the depth of the five states' allegiance to Your Majesty; it will surely become clear." King Chu respectfully accepted, and thus the five states dispersed.
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赵间魏，将以求亲于秦。子顺谓赵王曰：“此君之下吏计过也。比目之鱼所以不见得于人者，以耦视而俱走也。今秦有兼吞天下之志，日夜伺间，不忘于侧息。赵魏与之邻接而强弱不敌。秦所以不敢图并赵、魏者，徒以二国并目周旋者也。今无故自离，以资强秦。天下拙谋无过此者。故臣曰：‘君之下吏计过也。’夫连鸡不能上栖，亦犹二国构难不能自免于秦也。愿王熟虑之。”赵王曰：“敬受教。” |
| | Zhao plotted against Wei in an attempt to seek favor with Qin. Zi Shun said to King Zhao, "This is a miscalculation by your lower officials. The one-eyed fish is not caught by people because they look at each other and both flee together. Now Qin has the ambition to swallow all under heaven, watching for an opportunity day and night without ever forgetting even during moments of rest. Zhao and Wei are adjacent to it but cannot match its strength. The reason why Qin dares not plan to annex Zhao and Wei is simply because the two states watch each other's back in mutual cooperation. Now, without cause, you separate from each other, thus providing strength to powerful Qin. There is no more foolish strategy in the world than this. Therefore, I say: 'This is a miscalculation on the part of your lower officials.'" Tied chickens cannot roost high, just as these two states, when at odds with each other, cannot escape from Qin. I hope Your Majesty will carefully consider this." King Zhao said, "I respectfully accept your instruction."
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韩与魏有隙。子顺谓韩王曰：“昭厘侯、一世之明君也，申不害、一世之贤相也。韩与卫敌侔肩国，而厘侯执圭见梁君者，非好卑而恶尊、虑过而计失也。与严敌为邻，而动有灭亡之变。独劲不能支二难，故降心以相从，屈己以求存也。申不害虑事而言，忠臣也；昭厘侯听而行之，明君也。今韩弱于始之韩，魏均于始之魏，秦强于始之秦，而背先人之旧好，以区区之众居二敌之间，非良策也。齐、楚远而难恃，秦、魏呼吸而至。舍近而求远，是以虚名自累而不免近敌之困者也。为王计者，莫如除小忿、全大好也。吴、越之人同舟济江，中流遇风波，其相救如左右手者、所患同也。今不恤所同之患，是不如吴、越之舟人也。”韩王曰：“善。” |
| | Han and Wei had a conflict. Zi Shun said to the King of Han, "Zhao Li Hou was a wise ruler of his generation, and Shen Buhai was an outstanding prime minister of his time. Han and Wei were rival states of equal strength, yet Duke Li Hou presented a jade tablet to King Liang; this was not because he liked humility and disliked honor, but due to excessive caution and miscalculation. Living next to a powerful enemy, one is constantly at risk of sudden destruction. Standing alone and strong cannot withstand two difficulties; therefore, he lowered his heart to follow others and humbled himself in order to survive. Shen Buhai considered the matter carefully before speaking—he was a loyal minister; Zhao Li Hou listened and acted accordingly—he was an enlightened ruler. Now Han is weaker than it was in the beginning, Wei is as strong as it was originally, and Qin is stronger than before. Yet you have abandoned your ancestors' old alliance and placed a small force between two enemies; this is not a good strategy. Qi and Chu are distant and unreliable, while Qin and Wei can arrive in an instant. To abandon the near and seek the far is to burden oneself with empty reputation and thus cannot escape the difficulties of nearby enemies. For Your Majesty's sake, there is no better plan than to set aside minor grievances and preserve a major alliance. The people of Wu and Yue shared a boat to cross the Yangtze River; when they encountered wind and waves in midstream, they saved each other as if with their left and right hands—because they had the same fears. Now you do not care about your shared dangers; this is even worse than the boatmen of Wu and Yue." The King of Han said, "Well spoken."
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秦兵攻赵，魏大夫以为于魏便。子顺曰：“何谓？”曰：“胜赵，则吾因而服焉；不胜赵，则可乘弊而击之。”子顺曰：“不然。秦自孝公以来，战未尝屈。今皆良将，何弊之乘？”大夫曰：“纵其胜赵，于我何损？邻之不修，国之福也。”子顺曰：“秦、贪暴之国也，胜赵必复他求。吾恐于时受其师也。先人有言：燕雀处屋，子母相哺，喣喣焉其相乐也。自以为安矣。竈突决上，栋宇将焚，燕雀颜色不变，不知祸之将及己也。今子不悟赵破、患将及己，可以人而同于燕雀乎？” |
| | Qin's troops attacked Zhao, and the Hui 大夫 considered it beneficial for Wei. Zi Shun asked, "What do you mean?" He said, "If Qin defeats Zhao, then we can follow and submit to them; if they do not defeat Zhao, we can take advantage of their weakness and attack them." Zi Shun said, "Not so. Since Duke Xiao of Qin, Qin's armies have never suffered a defeat in battle. Now they all have capable generals—what weakness could there be to exploit?" The official said, "Even if Qin defeats Zhao, what harm would it do to us? A neighbor's failure is a nation's good fortune." Zi Shun said, "Qin is a greedy and violent state; if it defeats Zhao, it will certainly seek other conquests. I fear that at that time we shall suffer their attack." Our ancestors once said: "Swallows and sparrows dwell in the house, mother and young feeding each other; they are happy together. They consider themselves safe." When the stove's chimney catches fire and spreads upward, threatening to burn down the beams of the house, swallows and sparrows remain unperturbed, unaware that disaster is about to befall them. Now you do not realize that Zhao's fall will bring trouble upon yourself—can a human being be as foolish as swallows and sparrows?"
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齐攻赵，围廪丘。赵使孔青师五万击之，克齐军，获尸三万。赵王诏勿归其尸，将以困之。子顺聘赵，问王曰：“不归尸，其困何也？”曰：“其父兄、子弟悲苦无已，废其产也。”子顺曰：“非所以穷之也。死、一也。归尸与不归，悲苦胡异焉？以臣愚计，贫齐之术，乃宜归尸。”王曰：“何谓？”对曰：“使其家远来迎尸，不得事农，一费也。归所葬，使其送死终事，二费也。一年之中，丧卒三万，三费也。欲无困贫，不能得已。”王曰：“善。”既而齐大夫闻子顺之谋，曰：“君子之谋、其利博哉！” |
| | Qi attacked Zhao, surrounding Linqiu. Zhao sent Kong Qing with an army of 50,000 to attack them; he defeated the Qi forces and captured 30,000 corpses. King Zhao issued an order not to return the dead bodies, intending to exhaust them. Zi Shun visited Zhao and asked King Zhao, "Not returning the corpses—how will that weary them?" He said, "Their fathers, brothers, sons, and younger brothers would grieve endlessly, abandoning their fields and properties." Zi Shun said, "This is not the way to exhaust them. Death is one and the same. Whether you return the corpses or not, how can their grief be any different? In my humble opinion, if you wish to weaken Qi, it is better to return the corpses." The king asked, "What do you mean?" He replied, "If their families come from afar to retrieve the corpses and cannot attend to farming, this is one expense. Returning the burial site and allowing them to complete funeral rites for the dead is a second expense. Losing 30,000 soldiers in one year is a third expense. If they wish to avoid exhaustion and poverty, it cannot be done." The king said, "Well spoken." Soon after, a Qi official heard of Zi Shun's plan and said, "The strategies of gentlemen truly bring widespread benefit!"
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子顺相魏凡九月，陈大计，辄不用，乃喟然曰：“不见用，是吾言之不当也。言不当于主，而居人之官，食人之禄，是尸利也。尸利素飱，吾罪深矣。”退而以病致事。魏王遣使入其馆，谢曰：“寡人昧于政事，不显明是非，以启罪于先生。今知改矣。愿先生为百姓故，幸起而教之。”辞曰：“臣有犬马之疾，不任国事。苟得从四民之列，子弟供魏国之征，乃君惠也。敢辱君命以速刑书？”人谓子顺曰：“王不用子，子其行乎。”答曰：“吾将行。如之山东，则山东之国将并于秦。秦为不义，义所不入。”遂寝于家。 |
| | Zi Shun served as prime minister of Wei for nine months. Whenever he proposed major plans, they were never adopted. He then sighed and said, "If my advice is not used, it must be because what I have said is inappropriate. To speak words that do not align with the ruler's will, yet hold office and receive salary from others, is to be a parasite feeding on benefits. "To live off unearned meals is a grave sin of mine." He then resigned on grounds of illness. The Wei king sent an envoy to his residence and apologized, saying, "I am ignorant in governance, unable to clearly distinguish right from wrong, thus causing offense to you, Master. Now I know that I must change. For the sake of the people, I hope you will kindly rise again and instruct me." He declined, saying, "I suffer from an illness like that of a dog or horse and am no longer capable of handling state affairs. If I can merely be counted among the four classes of common people, with my descendants serving in Hui's military levies, that would already be your kindness. How dare I disgrace Your Majesty's command and invite punishment?" Someone said to Zi Shun, "The king does not use you; will you leave then?" He replied, "I am about to leave. If I go to the east of the mountains, then the states in that region will be annexed by Qin. Qin acts unjustly; it is a place where righteousness does not enter." He then retired to his home.
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秦急攻魏。魏王恐。或谓子顺曰：“如之何？”答曰：“吾私有计，然岂能贤于执政，故无言焉。”魏王闻之，驾如孔氏亲问焉，曰：“国亡矣，如之何？”对曰：“夫弃之不如用之之易也，死之不如弃之之易也。人能弃之，弗能用也；能死之，不能弃也。此人过也。今王亡地数百里，亡城数十，而患不解。是王弃之，非用之也。秦之强、天下无敌。魏之弱甚矣，而王是以质秦。此王能死、不能弃之也。是重过也。若能用臣之计，则亏地不足伤卑国，体不足苦身，患解而怨报矣。今秦四境之内，执政以下，固曰：‘与嫪氏乎？与吕氏乎？’虽门闾之下、廊庙之上，犹皆如是。今王诚能割地贿秦以为嫪毐功，卑身尊秦以自嫪毐始。王又以国赞嫪毐也，则嫪毐胜矣。于是太后之德王也、深如骨肉，王之交、最为天下之上矣。孰不弃吕氏而从嫪毐，天下皆然，则王怨必报矣。” |
| | Qin launched an urgent attack on Wei. The King of Wei was afraid. Someone said to Zi Shun, "What should be done?" He replied, "I have my own private plan, but how could it possibly surpass the wisdom of those in power? Therefore, I remain silent." The King of Wei heard about this and personally visited Kong Shi's residence to ask him, saying, "Our state is about to fall; what should we do?" He replied, "It is easier to use a thing than to abandon it, and easier to abandon it than to die for it. People can choose to abandon something but cannot make effective use of it; they may be able to die for a cause, but not to abandon it. This is the mistake of such people. Now, Your Majesty has lost hundreds of li of territory and dozens of cities, yet your anxiety remains unresolved. This means that you are abandoning them rather than making use of them. Qin is powerful, with no rival in the world. Wei's weakness is extreme, and yet Your Majesty treats it as collateral for Qin. This means that you are capable of dying but not of abandoning [the situation]. This is a grave mistake. If you can employ my strategy, then losing some territory would not be enough to damage the dignity of our state, and your person would not suffer hardship; your troubles will be resolved and grievances repaid. Now within Qin's four borders, from the officials down to commoners, they all say: "Shall we ally with Lao Shi or not?" Or shall we ally with the Lü family?" Even among commoners at the gates and officials in the halls, they still speak this way. Now if Your Majesty sincerely cedes territory to bribe Qin as a reward for Lao Ai's achievements, and humbles yourself by honoring Qin starting with Lao Ai, and if you further support Lao Ai with the resources of your state, then Lao Ai will prevail. In that case, the Empress Dowager's gratitude toward Your Majesty would be as deep as that between bone and flesh, and Your Majesty's alliance would become the most esteemed in all under heaven. Who would not abandon the Lü family to follow Lao Ai? If this is true throughout the world, then Your Majesty's grievances will surely be avenged."
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