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八曰── |
| | The eighth day──
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天地阴阳不革，而成万物不同。目不失其明，而见白黑之殊；耳不失其听，而闻清浊之声。王者执一，而为万物正。军必有将，所以一之也；国必有君，所以一之也；天下必有天子，所以一之也；天子必执一，所以抟之也。一则治，两则乱。今御骊马者，使四人，人操一策，则不可以出于门闾者，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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楚王问为国于詹子。詹子对曰：“何闻为身，不闻为国。”詹子岂以国可无为哉？以为为国之本在于为身，身为而家为，家为而国为，国为而天下为。故曰以身为家，以家为国，以国为天下。此四者，异位同本。故圣人之事，广之则极宇宙、穷日月，约之则无出乎身者也。慈亲不能传于子，忠臣不能入于君，唯有其材者为近之。 |
| | 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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田骈以道术说齐。齐王应之曰：“寡人所有者齐国也，愿闻齐国之政。”田骈对曰：“臣之言，无政而可以得政。譬之若林木，无材而可以得材。愿王之自取齐国之政也。骈犹浅言之也，博言之，岂独齐国之政哉？变化应来而皆有章，因性任物而莫不宜当，彭祖以寿，三代以昌，五帝以昭，神农以鸿。” |
| | 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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吴起谓商文曰：“事君果有命矣夫！”商文曰：“何谓也？”吴起曰：“治四境之内，成驯教，变习俗，使君臣有义，父子有序，子与我孰贤？”商文曰：“吾不若子。”曰：“今日置质为臣，其主安重；今日释玺辞官，其主安轻；子与我孰贤？”商文曰：“吾不若子。”曰：“士马成列，马与人敌，人在马前，援桴一鼓，使三军之士，乐死若生，子与我孰贤？”商文曰：“吾不若子。”吴起曰：“三者，子皆不吾若也，位则在吾上，命也夫事君！”商文曰：“善。子问我，我亦问子。世变主少，群臣相疑，黔首不定，属之子乎？属之我乎？”吴起默然不对，少选曰：“与子。”商文曰：“是吾所以加于子之上已。”吴起见其所以长，而不见其所以短；知其所以贤，而不知其所以不肖。故胜于西河，而困于王错，倾造大难，身不得死焉。夫吴胜于齐，而不胜于越；齐胜于宋，而不胜于燕；故凡能全国完身者，其唯知长短赢绌之化邪。 |
| | 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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