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三曰── |
| | Thirdly──
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聖人之於事，似緩而急、似遲而速以待時。王季歷困而死，文王苦之，有不忘羑里之醜，時未可也。武王事之，夙夜不懈，亦不忘王門之辱，立十二年，而成甲子之事。時固不易得。太公望，東夷之士也，欲定一世而無其主，聞文王賢，故釣於渭以觀之。 |
| | The sage handles affairs as if slow but urgent, as if delayed but swift, waiting for the right time. Duke Ji Li of Wang was in distress and died; King Wen was tormented by this, remembering the disgrace of Youli without forgetting it, but the time had not yet come. King Wu served him diligently, day and night without respite, also never forgetting the disgrace at the royal gate. After thirteen years of reign, he accomplished the affairs of the Jiazi year. The right time is indeed not easily obtained. Tai Gongwang was a scholar from the Dongyi region, who wished to stabilize the world but had no ruler to serve. Hearing of King Wen's virtue, he therefore fished by the Wei River to observe him.
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伍子胥欲見吳王而不得。客有言之於王子光者，見之而惡其貌，不聽其說而辭之。客請之王子光，王子光曰：「其貌適吾所甚惡也。」客以聞伍子胥，伍子胥曰：「此易故也。願令王子居於堂上，重帷而見其衣若手，請因說之。」王子許。伍子胥說之半，王子光舉帷，搏其手而與之坐。說畢，王子光大說。伍子胥以為有吳國者必王子光也，退而耕於野七年。王子光代吳王僚為王，任子胥。子胥乃修法制，下賢良，選練士，習戰鬥；六年，然後大勝楚於柏舉，九戰九勝，追北千里，昭王出奔隨，遂有郢，親射王宮，鞭荊平之墳三百。鄉之耕，非忘其父之讎也，待時也。 |
| | Wu Zixu wanted to see King Goujian of Wu but could not gain an audience. A guest mentioned this to Prince Guang, who met with him but disliked his appearance and did not listen to his arguments before dismissing him. The guest pleaded on Wu Zixu's behalf to Prince Guang, who said, "His appearance is exactly what I intensely dislike." The guest conveyed this to Wu Zixu, who said, "This is an easy matter. I wish for Prince Guang to sit on the upper hall, behind heavy curtains, so that only his clothing and hands may be seen. Please allow me to persuade him in this way." Prince Guang agreed. Wu Zixu had spoken to him for only half the time when Prince Guang lifted the curtain, grasped his hand, and sat with him. After Wu Zixu finished speaking, Prince Guang was greatly pleased. Wu Zixu believed that the one who would surely possess the state of Wu must be Prince Guang, so he withdrew and farmed in the countryside for seven years. Prince Guang succeeded King Liao of Wu as ruler and appointed Wu Zixu to an official position. Wu Zixu then reformed the legal system, promoted virtuous and capable individuals, selected and trained soldiers, and practiced combat; After six years, Wu Zixu achieved a great victory over the State of Chu at Baiju, winning nine battles in succession. He pursued the defeated forces for a thousand li, forcing King Zhao of Chu to flee to Sui. Thus he captured Ying, personally shot arrows into the royal palace, and whipped the tomb of Jingping three hundred times. When he returned to farming in the countryside earlier, it was not that he had forgotten his father's grudge—it was waiting for the right time.
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墨者有田鳩欲見秦惠王，留秦三年而弗得見。客有言之於楚王者，往見楚王，楚王說之，與將軍之節以如秦，至，因見惠王。告人曰：「之秦之道，乃之楚乎？」固有近之而遠，遠之而近者。時亦然。有湯武之賢而無桀紂之時不成，有桀紂之時而無湯武之賢亦不成。聖人之見時，若步之與影不可離。故有道之士未遇時，隱匿分竄，勤以待時。時至，有從布衣而為天子者，有從千乘而得天下者，有從卑賤而佐三王者，有從匹夫而報萬乘者，故聖人之所貴唯時也。水凍方固，后稷不種，后稷之種必待春，故人雖智而不遇時無功。方葉之茂美，終日采之而不知，秋霜既下，眾林皆羸。事之難易，不在小大，務在知時。 |
| | A follower of Mozi named Tian Jiu wished to see King Hui of Qin, but after staying in Qin for three years, he was not granted an audience. A guest mentioned this to King of Chu, who then went to see King of Chu. King of Chu was pleased with him and gave him a general's token to go to Qin. Upon arriving, he thus gained an audience with King Hui of Qin. He told someone, "The way to reach Qin is actually through Chu?" Indeed, there are cases where approaching directly leads to distance, and moving away leads to closeness. The same applies to timing. With the virtue of Kings Tang and Wu but without the time of Jie and Zhou, success would not be achieved; with the time of Jie and Zhou but without the virtue of Kings Tang and Wu, success also would not be achieved. The sage's grasp of timing is like that of a step and its shadow—they cannot be separated. Therefore, virtuous men who have not yet encountered the right time conceal themselves, scatter into seclusion, and diligently await the opportune moment. When the time comes, there are those who rise from commoners to become emperors, those who gain the whole world from a state with a thousand chariots, those who assist three kings despite their humble origins, and those who exact vengeance on a powerful ruler from the status of an ordinary man. Therefore, what sages value most is timing. When water freezes and the ground hardens, Hou Ji does not sow; Hou Ji's sowing always awaits spring. Therefore, even if a person is wise, without encountering the right time, he achieves no success. When leaves are lush and beautiful, people gather them all day long without realizing it; once autumn frost falls, all the forests wither. The difficulty or ease of a matter does not lie in its size, but lies in understanding the right time.
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鄭子陽之難，猘狗潰之；齊高國之難，失牛潰之；眾因之以殺子陽、高國。當其時，狗牛猶可以為人唱，而況乎以人為唱乎？ |
| | During the calamity of Zongyang of Zheng, fierce dogs caused chaos; During the calamity in Gao Guo of Qi, lost oxen caused disruption; The people took advantage of these incidents to kill Zongyang and Gao Guo. At that time, even dogs and oxen could serve as omens for people; how much more so when humans themselves become the omen?
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飢馬盈廄，嗼然，未見芻也；飢狗盈窖，嗼然，未見骨也；見骨與芻，動不可禁。亂世之民，嗼然，未見賢者也，見賢人則往不可止。往者非其形，心之謂乎。齊以東帝困於天下而魯取徐州，邯鄲以壽陵困於萬民而衛取繭氏。以魯、衛之細而皆得志於大國，遇其時也。故賢主秀士之欲憂黔首者，亂世當之矣。天不再與，時不久留，能不兩工，事在當之。 |
| | Horses starving in the stables, silent and still, have not seen fodder yet; Starving dogs filling the cellar, silent and motionless, have not seen bones yet; Once they see the bones and fodder, their movement becomes uncontrollable. In times of chaos, the people remain silent and still, having not yet seen a virtuous leader; once they see a worthy person, their movement toward him cannot be stopped. What draws them is not the physical form, but rather the virtue within. Qi was troubled by its claim to the Eastern Emperor title and thus exhausted in the eyes of all under heaven, yet Lu seized Xuzhou. Handan was burdened by the Shouling project and thus drained among the people, yet Wei captured Jian Shi. Despite their small size, Lu and Wei both achieved their ambitions against major states—this was due to encountering the right time. Therefore, virtuous rulers and outstanding scholars who wish to relieve the common people's burdens will find their opportunity in times of chaos. Heaven does not grant a second chance, and time does not linger long; one cannot achieve success without being fully prepared. The matter lies in seizing the right moment.
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