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八曰── |
| | The eighth day──
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| | 執一: |
天地陰陽不革，而成萬物不同。目不失其明，而見白黑之殊；耳不失其聽，而聞清濁之聲。王者執一，而為萬物正。軍必有將，所以一之也；國必有君，所以一之也；天下必有天子，所以一之也；天子必執一，所以摶之也。一則治，兩則亂。今御驪馬者，使四人，人操一策，則不可以出於門閭者，不一也。 |
| | Heaven and Earth, without changing Yin and Yang, yet produce myriad things that are different. The eyes do not lose their clarity, yet discern the difference between white and black; The ears do not lose their ability to hear, yet distinguish between clear and muddied sounds. A sovereign upholds unity, thus establishing order for all things. An army must have a general, to unify it; A state must have a ruler, to unify it; The world must have an emperor, to unify it; An emperor must uphold unity, so as to consolidate all things. Unity brings order; duality brings chaos. Now, when one tries to control a dark brown horse with four people, each holding a whip, the horse cannot even leave the gate or alley—because there is no unity.
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楚王問為國於詹子。詹子對曰：「何聞為身，不聞為國。」詹子豈以國可無為哉？以為為國之本在於為身，身為而家為，家為而國為，國為而天下為。故曰以身為家，以家為國，以國為天下。此四者，異位同本。故聖人之事，廣之則極宇宙、窮日月，約之則無出乎身者也。慈親不能傳於子，忠臣不能入於君，唯有其材者為近之。 |
| | Prince Chu asked Zhanzi about governing a state. Zhanzi replied, "I have heard of cultivating oneself, but not of governing a state." Was Zhanzi implying that governing a state could be left undone? He believed the foundation of governing a state lay in cultivating oneself; when one cultivates oneself, the family is cultivated; when the family is cultivated, the state is governed; and when the state is governed, the world is harmonized. Therefore it is said: cultivate oneself as one cultivates the family, cultivate the family as one governs the state, and govern the state as one harmonizes the world. These four—self, family, state, and world—are different in position but share the same foundation. Therefore, the affairs of a sage, when expanded, reach to the utmost corners of the universe and exhaust the sun and moon; yet, when condensed, they do not go beyond the self. A loving parent cannot pass on virtue to their child, and a loyal minister cannot influence their ruler; only those who possess the requisite talent can approach such matters.
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田駢以道術說齊。齊王應之曰：「寡人所有者齊國也，願聞齊國之政。」田駢對曰：「臣之言，無政而可以得政。譬之若林木，無材而可以得材。願王之自取齊國之政也。駢猶淺言之也，博言之，豈獨齊國之政哉？變化應來而皆有章，因性任物而莫不宜當，彭祖以壽，三代以昌，五帝以昭，神農以鴻。」 |
| | Tian Pian used Daoist teachings to advise Qi. King Qi responded, "What I possess is the state of Qi; I wish to hear about its governance." Tian Pian replied, "My words contain no specific policies yet can lead to good governance. It is like a forest of trees—without timber yet capable of yielding timber. I wish Your Majesty would personally take hold of the governance of Qi State." Tian Pian's words were still somewhat superficial; had he spoken more broadly, it would not have been merely about the governance of Qi State. Changes respond to what comes and all have order; by following nature and entrusting things appropriately, nothing is unsuitable. Peng Zu thereby attained longevity, the Three Dynasties thereby flourished, the Five Emperors thereby shone brightly, and Shen Nong thereby achieved great success.
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吳起謂商文曰：「事君果有命矣夫！」商文曰：「何謂也？」吳起曰：「治四境之內，成馴教，變習俗，使君臣有義，父子有序，子與我孰賢？」商文曰：「吾不若子。」曰：「今日置質為臣，其主安重；今日釋璽辭官，其主安輕；子與我孰賢？」商文曰：「吾不若子。」曰：「士馬成列，馬與人敵，人在馬前，援桴一鼓，使三軍之士，樂死若生，子與我孰賢？」商文曰：「吾不若子。」吳起曰：「三者，子皆不吾若也，位則在吾上，命也夫事君！」商文曰：「善。子問我，我亦問子。世變主少，群臣相疑，黔首不定，屬之子乎？屬之我乎？」吳起默然不對，少選曰：「與子。」商文曰：「是吾所以加於子之上已。」吳起見其所以長，而不見其所以短；知其所以賢，而不知其所以不肖。故勝於西河，而困於王錯，傾造大難，身不得死焉。夫吳勝於齊，而不勝於越；齊勝於宋，而不勝於燕；故凡能全國完身者，其唯知長短贏絀之化邪。 |
| | Wu Qi said to Shang Wen, "Serving a ruler is indeed determined by fate!" Shang Wen asked, "What do you mean?" Wu Qi said, "To govern within the four borders, to establish discipline and education, to transform customs, so that rulers and ministers have propriety, fathers and sons maintain order—between you and me, who is more virtuous?" Shang Wen replied, "I am not as virtuous as you." He said, "Today I placed myself as a subject, and my lord is safe and respected; today I relinquished the seal and resigned from office, yet my lord remains safe and undiminished in status; Shang Wen asked again, "Between you and me, who is more virtue?" Shang Wen replied, "I am not as virtuous as You." He said, "When the troops and horses are arrayed in formation, when horse and man face the enemy, with men leading the horses, raising the drum once, causing all three divisions of the army to joyfully embrace death as if it were life—between you and me, who is the more virtuous?" Shang Wen replied, "I am not as virtuous as yourself." Wu Qi said, "In all three matters, you are not my equal; yet your position is higher than mine—this is indeed what I mean when I say that serving a ruler is determined by fate!" Shang Wen said, "Well said. You asked me a question; I shall also ask you one. In times of change and with the ruler still young, ministers suspect one another, the common people are unsettled—should this be entrusted to you? Should it be entrusted to me?" Wu Qi remained silent and did not reply. After a short while, he said, "To you." Shang Wen said, "This is why I am superior to you." Wu Qi saw the reasons for his own strengths but did not see the reasons for his weaknesses; he knew why he was virtuous, yet did not know why he lacked virtue. Therefore, though victorious at Xi He, he was later trapped by Wang Cuo, faced great calamity, and yet could not even die honorably. The State of Wu triumphed over Qi but did not prevail against Yue; Qi prevailed over Song but did not overcome Yan; Therefore, anyone who can preserve their state and safeguard themselves must be one who truly understands the transformations of strengths and weaknesses.
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