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二曰── |
| | Secondly--
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天下之士也者，慮天下之長利，而固處之以身若也：利雖倍於今，而不便於後，弗為也；安雖長久，而以私其子孫，弗行也。自此觀之，陳無宇之可醜亦重矣，其與伯成子高、周公旦、戎夷也，形雖同，取舍之殊，豈不遠哉？ |
| | The gentlemen of the world consider the long-term benefits for all under heaven and thus firmly place themselves in a position that is appropriate. Even if the benefit were double what it is now, but would be inconvenient later on, they would not do it; Even if security could last for a long time, but at the expense of benefiting only their descendants privately, they would not proceed with it. From this perspective, the disgrace of Chen Wuyu is indeed great. Compared to Bocheng Zigao, Zhou Gongdan, and Rong Yi, although they may appear similar in form, their differences in what they choose or abandon are not far apart?
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堯治天下，伯成子高立為諸侯。堯授舜，舜授禹，伯成子高辭諸侯而耕。禹往見之，則耕在野。禹趨就下風而問曰：「堯理天下，吾子立為諸侯，今至於我而辭之，故何也？」伯成子高曰：「當堯之時，未賞而民勸，未罰而民畏，民不知怨，不知說，愉愉其如赤子。今賞罰甚數，而民爭利且不服，德自此衰，利自此作，後世之亂自此始。夫子盍行乎，無慮吾農事。」協而耰，遂不顧。夫為諸侯，名顯榮，實佚樂，繼嗣皆得其澤，伯成子高不待問而知之，然而辭為諸侯者，以禁後世之亂也。 |
| | When Yao ruled the world, Bocheng Zigao was appointed as a feudal lord. Yao passed on power to Shun, and Shun passed it on to Yu; Bocheng Zigao then resigned from his position as feudal lord and took up farming. Yu went to see him, and found him plowing in the fields. Yu hurriedly approached from downwind and asked, "When Yao governed the world, you were appointed as a feudal lord; now that it has come to me and you have resigned your position, why is this so?" Bocheng Zigao said, "In the time of Yao, rewards had not been given yet and the people were already encouraged; punishments had not been imposed yet and the people already feared wrongdoing. The people did not know resentment or joy—they moved gently like newborn infants." Now, rewards and punishments are frequent, yet the people still compete for profit and remain disobedient. Virtue has declined from this point, selfish interests have arisen, and the chaos of later generations began right here. "You, Master, should leave now—do not worry about my farming matters." He continued to work the soil and did not look back. To be a feudal lord means to have an illustrious name and honor, with actual ease and pleasure in life, and descendants all benefiting from its blessings. Bocheng Zigao did not need to be asked to know this; however, he declined the position of feudal lord in order to prevent disorder in later generations.
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辛寬見魯繆公曰：「臣而今而後知吾先君周公之不若太公望封之知也。昔者太公望封於營丘，之渚海阻山高險固之地也，是故地日廣，子孫彌隆。吾先君周公封於魯，無山林谿谷之險，諸侯四面以達，是故地日削，子孫彌殺。」辛寬出，南宮括入見。公曰「今者寬也非周公」，其辭若是也。南宮括對曰：「寬少者，弗識也。君獨不聞成王之定成周之說乎？其辭曰：『惟余一人，營居於成周。惟余一人，有善易得而見也，有不善易得而誅也。』故曰善者得之，不善者失之，古之道也。夫賢者豈欲其子孫之阻山林之險以長為無道哉？小人哉寬也！今使燕爵為鴻鵠鳳皇慮，則必不得矣。其所求者，瓦之間隙，屋之翳蔚也；與一舉則有千里之志，德不盛、義不大則不至其郊。 |
| | Xin Kuan said to Lu Miu Gong, "I now understand for the first time that my former lord, Duke of Zhou, was not as wise in his enfeoffment as Tai Gong Wang." In the past, Tai Gong Wang was enfeoffed at Yingqiu, a place situated between rivers and seas with mountainous barriers and high, perilous terrain. Therefore, his territory expanded day by day, and his descendants became increasingly prominent. My former lord, the Duke of Zhou, was enfeoffed in Lu, a place without perilous mountains, forests, or valleys, with feudal lords accessible from all four directions. Therefore, its territory diminished day by day, and his descendants gradually declined." After Xin Kuan left, Nangong Kuo entered to pay his respects. The ruler said, "Now that Kuang has criticized the Duke of Zhou," and spoke in such terms. Nangong Kuo replied, "Kuan is young and does not understand." Have you not heard of King Cheng's reasoning in establishing the capital at Chengzhou? The statement said: "I alone have decided to establish my residence in Chengzhou. 'I alone being here means that any good deeds are easily recognized and rewarded, while any evil deeds are easily discovered and punished.'" Therefore it is said: "Those who act virtuously will gain favor; those who act wickedly will lose it"—this has been the way of ancient times. Would a virtuous person truly wish for his descendants to rely on the perilous barriers of mountains and forests in order to persistently act without virtue? Kuan is indeed a petty man! If one were to make the sparrow and jaybird ponder like cranes, swans, or phoenixes, they would certainly not succeed. What they seek is merely a small gap between tiles, the shadowy spaces beneath the eaves; And yet when one takes a single step with aspirations reaching for a thousand li, if virtue is not abundant and righteousness not great, such lofty goals cannot even be reached by the outskirts.
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愚庳之民，其為賢者慮，亦猶此也。固妄誹訾，豈不悲哉？」 |
| | The ignorant and lowly people, when they consider what a virtuous person should do, are also like this. Thus, they recklessly slander and criticize—how sad it is!"
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戎夷違齊如魯，天大寒而後門，與弟子一人宿於郭外，寒愈甚，謂其弟子曰：「子與我衣，我活也；我與子衣，子活也。我國士也。為天下惜死；子不肖人也，不足愛也。子與我子之衣。」弟子曰：「夫不肖人也，又惡能與國士之衣哉？」戎夷太息歎曰：「嗟乎！道其不濟夫。」解衣與弟子，夜半而死，弟子遂活。謂戎夷其能必定一世，則未之識；若夫欲利人之心，不可以加矣。達乎分仁愛之心識也，故能以必死見其義。 |
| | Rong Yi left Qi for Lu, and when the weather became bitterly cold, he arrived at a gate only after it had closed. He stayed with one of his disciples in the suburbs outside the city walls. As the cold worsened, he said to his disciple, "If you give me your clothes, I will survive; if I give you my clothes, you will survive." I am a gentleman of our state. I cherish life for the sake of all under heaven; you are an unworthy person, not worthy of preserving your life. Give me the clothes that belong to you." The disciple said, "I am an unworthy person; how could I possibly give my clothes to a national gentleman?" Rong Yi sighed deeply and said, "Alas! The Way will not be realized by me after all." He took off his clothes and gave them to his disciple, and died at midnight; the disciple thus survived. To say that Rong Yi was certainly able to set an example for a generation is not fully understood; As for his desire to benefit others, it could not have been greater. Understanding the mind of benevolence and distinguishing one's duties is true knowledge; therefore, he was able to demonstrate righteousness through his inevitable death.
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