| | One must be careful when listening to words. If one does not examine carefully, then good and bad will not be distinguished. If good and bad are not distinguished, there is no greater disorder than this. The Three Dynasties distinguished between good and bad, hence they became kings. Nowadays the world is even more decadent, and the way of the sage-king has been abandoned and extinguished. The rulers of the age mostly indulge in their pleasures, enlarge their bells and drums, and lavish their terraces, pavilions, gardens, and enclosures, thereby seizing people's wealth; They lightly use the lives of the people to satisfy their anger; The elderly and the weak suffer from cold and hunger, while the young and strong are exploited and become cunning; their hardships and oppressions are almost exhausted, yet they are further subjected to death and captivity; They attack countries without justification in order to seize land, and punish innocent people in pursuit of profit; And yet they desire the safety of their ancestral temples and the non-peril of their state—is this not difficult? Nowadays, people say: "A certain family has much wealth; their house is damp and decaying, the guard dog is dead—its situation can be exploited," then they would certainly condemn such a statement. They say: "A certain state is suffering from famine, its city walls are low, and its defenses are weak; it can be attacked and seized," yet they do not condemn this—this shows a lack of understanding of analogy. The Zhou Shu says: "What has passed cannot be caught up with, and what is to come cannot be awaited; those who are wise and virtuous in their age are called Son of Heaven." Therefore, in the present age, anyone who is able to distinguish between good and bad will find it not difficult to become king. Righteousness is the foundation of distinguishing between good and bad, not affection; the way of love and profit is great indeed. One who flows toward the sea, traveling for ten days or a month, will be delighted upon seeing something that resembles a person. After a full year, he will be delighted upon seeing things he once saw in the Central Lands. The longer one is away from people, the deeper becomes one's longing for them! The people of a chaotic age have been far removed from the sage-king for a long time. Their desire to see [the sage-king] is unceasing, day and night; therefore, those virtuous kings and outstanding scholars who wish to relieve the common people cannot fail to make this their priority.
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| | Merit comes before reputation, action before merit, and words before action. How can one who does not understand affairs be able to listen to words? How can one who does not know the situation be able to respond appropriately to words? Is there any distinction in their empty and meaningless words with others? Is there no distinction at all? Zhao Fu first practiced on the Da Dou, and Feng Meng first trained with the Gan Ying. Controlling the Da Dou and shooting the Gan Ying does not mean that one cannot transfer these skills to other people—it is a matter of training, not inherent nature. Not transferring these skills would prevent one from achieving long-distance control or swift response, and it would hinder the removal of harm and suppression of violence. All people must also cultivate their minds through practice before they are able to listen and understand discourse. If one does not cultivate the mind, then one cultivates it through learning and scholarship. Those who can listen and understand discourse without study have never existed in ancient or modern times. The explanation lies in Bai Gui's criticism of Hui Zi, Gong Sun Long's argument to Yan Zhao Wang about ceasing military action and his response to the encounter at Kong Luo, Kong Chuan's debate with Gong Sun Long, and Zhai Jian's challenge to Hui Zi's legal doctrines. These four scholars' debates all involve many complexities; they cannot fail to be considered individually.
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