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一曰── |
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士不偏不党，柔而坚，虚而实。其状朖然不儇，若失其一。傲小物而志属于大，似无勇而未可恐狼，执固横敢而不可辱害，临患涉难而处义不越，南面称寡而不以侈大，今日君民而欲服海外，节物甚高而细利弗赖，耳目遗俗而可与定世，富贵弗就而贫贱弗朅，德行尊理而羞用巧卫，宽裕不訾而中心甚厉，难动以物而必不妄折。此国士之容也。 |
| | A scholar is neither biased nor partisan; he is gentle yet firm, and humble yet substantial. His appearance is straightforward and not cunning, as if he has lost something essential. He looks down on trivial matters yet aspires to greatness; he seems lacking in courage but cannot be intimidated or cowed. He is resolute and bold, yet cannot be humiliated or harmed. When facing danger and hardship, he upholds righteousness without deviation. Even when seated in authority with the title of "I alone," he does not indulge in extravagance. Today, as a ruler over his people and seeking to subdue distant lands, he values principles highly but does not rely on petty gains. His ears and eyes are free from vulgar customs, making him capable of establishing order for the world. He does not seek wealth or noble status, nor does he shun poverty or low rank. His virtue and conduct honor reason, and he is ashamed to resort to cunning or defense through trickery. He is broad-minded and beyond reproach, yet his inner self is very resolute. It is difficult to sway him with material things, and certainly, he will not break under false pressure. This is the demeanor of a national scholar.
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齐有善相狗者，其邻假以买取鼠之狗，期年乃得之，曰：“是良狗也。”其邻畜之数年，而不取鼠，以告相者。相者曰：“此良狗也。其志在獐麋豕鹿，不在鼠。欲其取鼠也则桎之。”其邻桎其后足，狗乃取鼠。夫骥骜之气，鸿鹄之志，有谕乎人心者诚也。人亦然。诚有之则神应乎人矣，言岂足以谕之哉？此谓不言之言也。 |
| | There was in Qi a man skilled at judging dogs; his neighbor borrowed him to buy a dog for catching mice. After a year, he found one and said, "This is a fine dog." His neighbor kept the dog for several years, but it did not catch mice, and so he informed the dog judge. The dog judge said, "This is indeed a fine dog. Its ambition lies in chasing hares, deer, and boars, not mice." If you want it to catch mice, then you must restrain it with shackles." His neighbor shackled the dog's hind legs, and then the dog began to catch mice. The spirit of a superior horse, the ambition of a swan or wild goose—when such qualities are truly understood by people, they inspire sincerity in human hearts. Human beings are no different. If a person truly possesses sincerity, the divine will respond to him; how then could mere words be sufficient to convey such truth? This is what is meant by "speech without words."
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客有见田骈者，被服中法，进退中度，趋翔闲雅，辞令逊敏。田骈听之毕而辞之。客出，田骈送之以目。弟子谓田骈曰：“客，士欤？”田骈曰：“殆乎非士也。今者客所弇敛，士所术施也；士所弇敛，客所术施也。客殆乎非士也。”故火烛一隅，则室偏无光；骨节蚤成，空窍哭历，身必不长；众无谋方，乞谨视见，多故不良；志必不公，不能立功；好得恶予，国虽大不为王；祸灾日至。故君子之容，纯乎其若锺山之玉，桔乎其若陵上之木。淳淳乎慎谨畏化，而不肯自足；乾乾乎取舍不悦，而心甚素朴。 |
| | A guest visited Tian Pian; he was dressed in accordance with propriety, his movements and steps were measured, his gait was graceful and refined, and his words and expressions were courteous and eloquent. Tian Pian listened to him in full and then dismissed him. The guest departed, and Tian Pian watched him leave with his eyes. The disciple asked Tian Pian, "Was that visitor a man of virtue?" Tian Pian said, "He is probably not a man of virtue." What the guest concealed was precisely what a true scholar would display; what a true scholar conceals, that is exactly what the visitor displayed. This guest is probably not a man of virtue." Therefore, when a candlelight illuminates only one corner, the entire room remains dim; if the bones and joints mature too early, and the hollow passages become dry and cracked, the body will surely not grow tall; when a crowd lacks strategy or method, and people merely pretend to be cautious while showing what they see, many problems arise and things turn out poorly; ambitions will surely lack fairness, and thus no achievements can be made; those who love to receive but hate to give—though their country may be large, they cannot become a king; calamities and disasters will come upon them day by day. Therefore, the demeanor of a true gentleman is as pure as jade from Zhongshan Mountain and as upright as trees on a hillside. He is earnest and cautious in his reverence for transformation, yet never satisfied with himself; He diligently weighs gains and losses without delight, and his heart remains very simple and unadorned.
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唐尚敌年为史，其故人谓唐尚愿之，以谓唐尚。唐尚曰：“吾非不得为史也，羞而不为也。”其故人不信也。及魏围邯郸，唐尚说惠王而解之围，以与伯阳，其故人乃信其羞为史也。居有间，其故人为其兄请。唐尚曰：“卫君死，吾将汝兄以代之。”其故人反兴再拜而信之。夫可信而不信，不可信而信，此愚者之患也。知人情，不能自遗，以此为君，虽有天下何益？故败莫大于愚。愚之患，在必自用。自用则戆陋之人从而贺之。有国若此，不若无有。古之与贤，从此生矣。非恶其子孙也，非徼而矜其名也，反其实也。 |
| | Tang Shang died in the year of Di, and an old friend of his wished to inform Tang Shang about it, so he went to see Tang Shang. Tang Shang said, "I am not one who is unable to become a historian; I have merely been ashamed and thus chose not to do so." His old friend did not believe him. When the State of Wei besieged Handan, Tang Shang persuaded King Hui to lift the siege and transferred it to Boyang. His old friend then believed that Tang Shang had indeed been ashamed to serve as a historian. After some time, his old friend requested something on behalf of his elder brother. Tang Shang said, "When the ruler of Wei dies, I will appoint your elder brother to succeed him." His old friend rose and bowed twice in reverence, believing him. To believe what is not trustworthy yet disbelieve what is trustworthy—this is the plight of a foolish person. Understanding human nature, yet unable to free oneself from its entanglements—if one governs with such limitations, even ruling the entire world would be of little benefit. Therefore, no failure is greater than foolishness. The problem with foolishness lies in the insistence on one's own views without regard for others. When a person insists solely on his own judgment, narrow-minded and ignorant people will follow and praise him. A state governed in this manner is worse off than having no state at all. The association with the virtuous and wise has thus arisen from this. It is not that they hate their descendants, nor do they seek to boast about their names; rather, it is because they return to the reality of things.
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