| | 觀世: |
二曰── |
| | Secondly--
|
| | 觀世: |
天下雖有有道之士，國猶少。千里而有一士，比肩也；累世而有一聖人，繼踵也。士與聖人之所自來，若此其難也，而治必待之，治奚由至？雖幸而有，未必知也，不知則與無賢同。此治世之所以短，而亂世之所以長也。故王者不四，霸者不六，亡國相望，囚主相及。得士則無此之患。此周之所封四百餘，服國八百餘，今無存者矣，雖存皆嘗亡矣。賢主知其若此也，故日慎一日，以終其世。譬之若登山，登山者，處已高矣，左右視，尚巍巍焉山在其上。賢者之所與處，有似於此。身已賢矣，行已高矣，左右視，尚盡賢於己。故周公旦曰：「不如吾者，吾不與處，累我者也；與我齊者，吾不與處，無益我者也。」惟賢者必與賢於己者處。賢者之可得與處也，禮之也。主賢世治，則賢者在上；主不肖世亂，則賢者在下。今周室既滅，天子既廢。亂莫大於無天子，無天子則彊者勝弱，眾者暴寡，以兵相剗，不得休息，而佞進，今之世當之矣。故欲求有道之士，則於江河之上，山谷之中，僻遠幽閒之所，若此則幸於得之矣。太公釣於滋泉，遭紂之世也，故文王得之。文王千乘也，紂天子也，天子失之，而千乘得之，知之與不知也。諸眾齊民，不待知而使，不待禮而令；若夫有道之士，必禮必知，然後其智能可盡也。 |
| | Although there are virtuous men in the world, the country still has few of them. If there is one worthy man within a thousand li, they would be standing shoulder to shoulder; if there is one sage in several generations, they would follow each other's footsteps. Since worthy men and sages come about so rarely, yet good governance must depend on them, how can good governance ever be achieved? Even if they are fortunately present, they may not necessarily be recognized; to fail to recognize them is the same as having no virtuous people. This is why eras of good governance are short, and times of disorder last so long. Therefore, there have not been four sage kings, nor six hegemonic rulers; instead, fallen states are seen everywhere, and captive sovereigns follow one another. If a ruler can obtain worthy men, he will be free from such troubles. This is why the Zhou dynasty enfeoffed more than four hundred states and had over eight hundred vassal states under its rule, yet none of them exist today; even those that still exist have all experienced periods of destruction. Virtuous rulers, knowing it to be thus, therefore grow increasingly cautious day by day in order to see out their reigns. It is like climbing a mountain: when one climbs, having already reached a high place, looking around, there are still towering mountains above. The company of the worthy is similar to this. One has already become virtuous, one's conduct already lofty; looking around, there are still those who surpass oneself in virtue. Therefore Gongdan of the Zhou dynasty said: "Those who are not as virtuous as I am, I do not associate with; they burden me." Those who are equal to me in virtue, I also do not associate with; for they offer me no benefit." Only the virtuous associate with those even more virtuous than themselves. The reason why a virtuous person can be found to associate with is through propriety and respect toward them. When a virtuous ruler governs in an era of good order, the worthy are placed in positions of authority; When an unworthy ruler governs in a time of disorder, the worthy remain in lowly positions. Now that the Zhou dynasty has perished and the Son of Heaven has been deposed, nothing is more chaotic than having no Son of Heaven. Without a Son of Heaven, the strong conquer the weak, and the numerous oppress the few; warfare continues without respite, while sycophants rise to power—this describes our present age exactly. Therefore, if one wishes to seek virtuous men, they must be found by the rivers and valleys, in remote and secluded places; only then is there a chance of finding them. Tai Gong fished at Ziquan Spring, during the time of King Zhou; thus, King Wen was able to find him. King Wen had a thousand chariots; King Zhou was the Son of Heaven. The Son of Heaven lost him, while one with only a thousand chariots found him—this is due to knowledge or lack thereof. Common people in general do not require recognition before being employed, nor propriety before receiving commands; As for virtuous men, they must certainly be honored and recognized before their wisdom and ability can be fully realized.
|
| | 觀世: |
晏子之晉，見反裘負芻息於塗者，以為君子也，使人問焉，曰：「曷為而至此？」對曰：「齊人累之，名為越石父。」晏子曰：「譆！」遽解左驂以贖之，載而與歸。至舍，弗辭而入。越石父怒，請絕。晏子使人應之曰：「嬰未嘗得交也，今免子於患，吾於子猶未邪也？」越石父曰：「吾聞君子屈乎不己知者，而伸乎己知者，吾是以請絕也。」晏子乃出見之曰：「嚮也見客之容而已，今也見客之志。嬰聞察實者不留聲，觀行者不譏辭。嬰可以辭而無棄乎！」越石父曰：「夫子禮之，敢不敬從。」晏子遂以為客。俗人有功則德，德則驕；今晏子功免人於阨矣，而反屈下之，其去俗亦遠矣。此令功之道也。 |
| | Yanzi went to the state of Jin and saw a man wearing his fur coat inside out, carrying fodder and resting on the road. He thought him to be a gentleman and sent someone to ask him: "Why have you come to this pass?" The man replied, "The people of Qi enslaved me. My name is Yueshifu." Yanzi said, "Ah!" He immediately untied the horse from his left side to redeem him and brought him back home in his carriage. When they arrived at the house, he did not bid Yueshifu farewell but went inside directly. Yueshifu became angry and requested to part ways. Yanzi sent someone to respond, saying: "I have never claimed to be your friend. Now I have saved you from distress—have I not yet done enough for you?" Yueshifu said: "I have heard that a gentleman is humiliated by those who do not recognize him, but honored by those who do. This is why I asked to part ways." Yanzi then came out to see him and said: "Earlier, I saw only the appearance of my guest; now I have come to understand his aspirations. I have heard that those who discern truth do not dwell on appearances, and those who observe conduct do not mock words. Yanzi said: "Then may I now offer my apologies without being considered disrespectful?" Yueshifu replied, "If you honor me with propriety, how dare I not respectfully obey." Yanzi then took Yueshifu as his guest. Common people, when they have achieved something, take it as a virtue; and with virtue comes arrogance; Now, Master Yanzi has done the meritorious act of rescuing someone from distress, yet he humbles himself before that person—how far removed is this from the ways of common people! This is the way to achieve true virtue.
|
| | 觀世: |
子列子窮，容貌有饑色。客有言之於鄭子陽者，曰：「列禦寇，蓋有道之士也，居君之國而窮，君無乃為不好士乎？」鄭子陽令官遺之粟數十秉。子列子出見使者，再拜而辭。使者去，子列子入，其妻望而拊心，曰：「聞為有道者妻子，皆得逸樂。今妻子有饑色矣，君過而遺先生食，先生又弗受也，豈非命也哉！」子列子笑而謂之曰：「君非自知我也，以人之言而遺我粟也，至已而罪我也，有罪且以人言，此吾所以不受也。」其卒民果作難，殺子陽。受人之養，而不死其難則不義，死其難則死無道也。死無道，逆也。子列子除不義、去逆也，豈不遠哉！且方有饑寒之患矣，而猶不苟取，先見其化也。先見其化而已動，遠乎性命之情也。 |
| | Zi Liezi was in poverty, and his appearance showed signs of hunger. A guest told Zhengziyang, saying: "Lie Yuku is surely a virtuous man. He resides in your state yet remains poor—surely you are not fond of worthy men?" Zhengziyang ordered officials to give him dozens of bins of grain. Zi Liezi went out to see the envoy and bowed twice, declining the gift. After the envoy left, Zi Liezi returned home, and his wife looked at him with a sigh, saying: "I have heard that the wives and children of virtuous men all enjoy ease and happiness. Now our family shows signs of hunger; the ruler has kindly sent food to Master, yet you have refused it. Is this not a matter of fate!" Zi Liezi smiled and said to her: "The ruler did not personally know me, but sent grain based on others' words. If later he were to hold me guilty, the accusation would also come from hearsay—this is why I did not accept it." Later, the people indeed rose in rebellion and killed Zhengziyang. To receive another's support yet not die for his troubles would be unjust; to die for them, however, is to perish for an unworthy cause. To die for an unjust ruler is a violation of righteousness. Zi Liezi, by avoiding injustice and rejecting unrighteousness, was indeed far-seeing! Moreover, while still suffering from hunger and cold, he did not resort to improper means—this was because he had foreseen the consequences. To foresee the outcome and act accordingly is truly in harmony with the principles of life and nature.
|
