| | 幸偶: |
凡人操行，有賢有愚，及遭禍福，有幸有不幸。舉事有是有非，及觸賞罰，有偶有不偶。並時遭兵，隱者不中；同日被霜，蔽者不傷。中傷未必惡，隱蔽未必善，隱蔽幸，中傷不幸。俱欲納忠，或賞或罰；並欲有益，或信或疑。賞而信者未必真，罰而疑者未必偽，賞信者偶，罰疑不偶也。 |
| | The conduct of ordinary people varies: some are virtuous and others foolish; when they encounter misfortune or blessings, there is luck as well as bad fortune. Undertakings have their right and wrong aspects; when it comes to receiving rewards or punishments, some are fortunate while others are not. When encountering war at the same time, those who hide may avoid being hit; On the same day of frostfall, those sheltered will not be harmed. Being injured does not necessarily mean evil, and being hidden does not necessarily mean good; to be hidden is fortunate, while to be injured is unfortunate. All wish to offer loyalty, yet some are rewarded and others punished; All desire to be beneficial, yet some are trusted while others doubted. Those who receive rewards and are trusted may not necessarily be genuine, and those punished and doubted may not necessarily be false; receiving reward and trust is fortunate, whereas punishment and doubt indicate misfortune.
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| | 幸偶: |
孔子門徒七十有餘，顏回蚤夭。孔子曰：「不幸短命死矣。」短命稱不幸，則知長命者幸也，短命者不幸也。服聖賢之道，講仁義之業，宜蒙福祐。伯牛有疾，亦復顏回之類，俱不幸也。螻蟻行於地，人舉足而涉之，足所履，螻蟻苲死；足所不蹈，全活不傷。火燔野草，車轢所致，火所不燔，俗或喜之，名曰幸草。夫足所不蹈，火所不及，未必善也，舉火行有適然也。由是以論，癰疽之發，亦一實也。氣結閼積，聚為癰，潰為疽，創，流血出膿。豈癰疽所發，身之善穴哉？營衛之行，遇不通也。蜘蛛結網，蜚蟲過之，或脫或獲；獵者或羅，百獸群擾，或得或失。漁者罾江湖之魚，或存或亡。或姦盜大辟而不知，或罰贖小罪而發覺。 |
| | Confucius had more than seventy disciples, yet Yan Hui died young. Confucius said: "He was unfortunate to have a short life and die early." To call a short lifespan as misfortune indicates that those with long lives are fortunate, while those with short lives are unfortunate. Those who follow the teachings of sages and virtuous men, and discuss the cause of benevolence and righteousness, should be blessed with fortune. Bo Niu fell ill; he was also like Yan Hui, both being unfortunate. Ants crawl on the ground; when a person lifts his foot to step over them, wherever the foot falls, the ants are crushed and die; Wherever the foot does not tread, they remain unharmed and alive. When fire burns wild grass, it is caused by a cart's wheel; where the fire does not burn, people may rejoice and call it "lucky grass." That which is not stepped on or untouched by fire is not necessarily good; the act of walking and setting fire occurs at random. Judging from this, the outbreak of a carbuncle is also an occurrence by chance. When qi becomes stagnant and accumulates, it gathers into a boil; when ruptured, it becomes an abscess, forming a wound that bleeds and discharges pus. Is the place where a carbuncle or abscess forms truly a good spot on the body? It is merely that the nutritive and defensive qi, in their circulation, happened to encounter an obstruction. A spider spins a web; when flying insects pass by, some escape while others are caught; Hunters set snares or nets; among the throng of beasts, some are captured and others escape. Fishermen cast their dragnets into rivers and lakes to catch fish, yet some survive while others perish. Some commit grave crimes like theft or murder without being discovered, while others are punished for minor offenses and exposed.
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| | 幸偶: |
災氣加人，亦此類也，不幸遭觸而死，幸者免脫而生。不幸者，不徼幸也。孔子曰：「人之生也直，罔之生也幸。」則夫順道而觸者，為不幸矣。立巖墻之下，為壞所壓；蹈坼岸之上，為崩所墜。輕遇無端，故為不幸。魯城門久朽欲頓，孔子過之，趨而疾行。左右曰：「久矣！」孔子曰：「惡其久也。」孔子戒慎已甚，如過遭壞，可謂不幸也。 |
| | The affliction of calamitous qi upon people is also like this: those unfortunate enough to be struck die, while the fortunate escape and live. Those who are unfortunate do not seek luck. Confucius said: "A person's life is upright, but to live without righteousness is due to mere luck." Therefore, those who follow the right path yet suffer misfortune are considered unfortunate. Standing beneath a rock wall, one is crushed by its collapse; Treading on a cracked riverbank, one falls victim to its collapse. Such misfortunes come unexpectedly and without cause, hence they are considered unfortunate. The gate of the Lu city had long rotted and was about to collapse; when Confucius passed by, he quickened his pace and hurriedly walked away. His attendants said: "It has been like this for a long time!" Confucius said: "I dislike how long it has lasted." Confucius was extremely cautious and careful; had he passed through and been caught in the collapse, it could have been called misfortune.
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| | 幸偶: |
故孔子曰：「君子有不幸而無有幸，小人有幸而無不幸。」又曰：「君子處易以俟命，小人行險以徼幸。」佞幸之徒，閎、藉孺之輩，無德薄才，以色稱媚，不宜愛而受寵，不當親而得附，非道理之宜，故太史公為之作傳。邪人反道而受恩寵，與此同科，故合其名謂之《佞幸》。無德受恩，無過遇禍，同一實也。 |
| | Therefore, Confucius said: "A gentleman may experience misfortune but not luck; a petty person may encounter luck but no misfortune." He also said: "A gentleman remains in the proper and waits for fate, while a petty person takes risks to seek luck." Those who flatter and seek favor, such as Hong Jia Ru, are people of shallow virtue and meager talent. They gain attention through their beauty and sycophancy; they should not be loved yet receive favor, should not be close yet manage to attach themselves—this is contrary to reason and propriety. Hence, Grand Historian Sima Qian wrote a biography about them. Evil men who defy the Way yet receive grace and favor are of the same category; thus, their names were combined and they are called "Ning Xing" (Flatterers and Favorites). To receive favor without virtue or to encounter misfortune without fault is essentially the same.
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| | 幸偶: |
俱稟元氣，或獨為人，或為禽獸。並為人，或貴或賤，或貧或富。富或累金，貧或乞食；貴至封侯，賤至奴僕。非天稟施有左右也，人物受性有厚薄也。俱行道德，禍福不均；並為仁義，利害不同。晉文脩文德，徐偃行仁義，文公以賞賜，偃王以破滅。魯人為父報仇，安行不走，追者捨之；牛缺為盜所奪，和意不恐，盜還殺之。文德與仁義同，不走與不恐等，然文公、魯人得福，偃王、牛缺得禍者，文公、魯人幸，而偃王、牛缺不幸也。 |
| | All beings originate from primordial qi; some become humans, while others become birds and beasts. Among those who are human, some are noble or humble, poor or rich. The wealthy may accumulate gold, while the poor may beg for food; Some are as noble as marquises, while others descend to the level of slaves and servants. This is not because Heaven distributes blessings unevenly; rather, it is due to differences in how humans and things receive their nature—some more substantial, others thinner. All who practice morality do not equally share misfortune or blessings; Those who uphold benevolence and righteousness may still face differing outcomes of benefit or harm. Jin Wen cultivated literary virtue, while Xu Yan practiced benevolence and righteousness; Duke Wen of Jin was rewarded with blessings, yet King Yan was destroyed. A man from Lu avenged his father's death, walked calmly without fleeing, and the pursuers abandoned their chase; Niu Que was robbed by thieves but remained calm and fearless; yet the thieves returned to kill him. Though literary virtue and benevolence are the same, and calmness in not fleeing or fearing is equal, yet Duke Wen of Jin and the man from Lu received blessings while King Yan and Niu Que suffered misfortune—this is because Duke Wen and the man from Lu were fortunate, whereas King Yan and Niu Que were unfortunate.
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| | 幸偶: |
韓昭侯醉臥而寒，典冠加之以衣，覺而問之，知典冠愛己也，以越職之故，加之以罪。衛之驂乘者，見御者之過，從後呼車，有救危之義，不被其罪。夫驂乘之呼車，典冠之加衣，同一意也。加衣恐主之寒，呼車恐君之危，仁惠之情，俱發於心。然而於韓有罪，於衛為忠，驂乘偶，典冠不偶也。 |
| | When Han Zhao Hou was drunk and lying down feeling cold, the official in charge of hats added a robe to him. When he woke up and asked about it, he learned that the official had loved him, but because the official overstepped his duty, he was punished for it. A driver's assistant in the State of Wei noticed his master's mistake and called out from behind to stop the chariot, acting with the righteousness of saving someone in danger; he was not punished for it. The assistant driver calling out to stop the carriage and the official adding a robe were both acts of the same intention. Adding a robe was done out of concern that the master would feel cold, and calling out to stop the chariot was due to fear for the lord's safety; both were acts of benevolent kindness arising from the heart. Yet in the State of Han, one was punished for a crime, while in the State of Wei, another was considered loyal—this shows that the assistant driver was fortunate and the official unfortunate.
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非唯人行，物亦有之。長數仞之竹，大連抱之木，工技之人，裁而用之，或成器而見舉持，或遺材而遭廢棄。非工伎之人有愛憎也，刀斧如有偶然也。蒸穀為飯，釀飯為酒，酒之成也，甘苦異味；飯之熟也，剛柔殊和。非庖廚酒人有意異也，手指之調有偶適也。調飯也殊筐而居，甘酒也異器而處，蟲墯一器，酒棄不飲；鼠涉一筐，飯捐不食。夫百草之類，皆有補益，遭醫人采掇，成為良藥；或遺枯澤，為火所爍。等之金也，或為劍戟，或為鋒銛。同之木也，或梁於宮，或柱於橋。俱之火也，或爍脂燭，或燔枯草。均之土也，或基殿堂，或塗軒戶。皆之水也，或溉鼎釜，或澡腐臭。物善惡同，遭為人用，其不幸偶，猶可傷痛，況含精氣之徒乎？虞舜、聖人也，在世宜蒙全安之福，父頑母嚚，弟象敖狂，無過見憎，不惡而得罪，不幸甚矣！孔子、舜之次也，生無尺土，周流應聘，削迹絕糧。俱以聖才，並不幸偶。舜尚遭堯受禪，孔子已死於闕里。以聖人之才，猶不幸偶，庸人之中，被不幸偶，禍必眾多矣！ |
| | It is not only human conduct; things also have this nature. A bamboo several ren tall, a tree large enough for two people to embrace, when cut and used by skilled craftsmen, may become an object of value held in high esteem or be left unused and discarded. It is not that the craftsmen have preferences or dislikes; it is as if the chisels and axes act by chance. Steaming grain makes rice, fermenting rice makes wine; when the wine is made, its taste varies between sweet and bitter; When the rice is cooked, it may be firm or soft, differing in texture. It is not that cooks and vintners intentionally differ; rather, the adjustment of their hands occurs by chance. When cooking rice, different baskets are used; when storing sweet wine, different vessels are placed separately. If an insect falls into one vessel, the wine is discarded and not drunk; If a rat steps into one basket, the rice is thrown away and not eaten. Among all kinds of herbs, there are those that offer benefits; when collected by a physician, they become fine medicine; Some may be left to wither in dry fields and consumed by fire. Even equal amounts of gold, some become swords and halberds, others sharp weapons. The same kind of wood may be used as a beam in a palace or as a pillar on a bridge. All fire is the same; some burn tallow candles, others scorch dry grass. The same earth may serve as a foundation for halls and chambers or be used to plaster doorways and windows. All water is the same; some boils in cauldrons, others washes away rot and stench. Things may be good or evil alike; when used by people, their misfortune is due to chance, which is already pitiable. How much more so for those who possess refined qi? Yu Shun was a sage; in the world, he should have been blessed with complete safety and peace. Yet his father was stubborn, his mother cunning, and his younger brother Xiang arrogant and wild. Without fault, he was hated; without malice, he incurred offenses—how profoundly unfortunate! Confucius, second only to Shun, was born with not even a square foot of land. He traveled widely in search of employment and faced the hardships of having no traceable path or food supplies. Both possessed sage-like talent yet were equally unfortunate by chance. Shun was still able to receive the throne from Yao through abdication, while Confucius died in Qulü before achieving his ideals. Even sages with their great talent were still subject to misfortune by chance; among ordinary people, those who suffer such misfortunes must be numerous indeed!
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