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三曰── |
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士議之不可辱者大之也，大之則尊於富貴也，利不足以虞其意矣。雖名為諸侯，實有萬乘，不足以挺其心矣。誠辱則無為樂生。若此人也，有勢則必不自私矣，處官則必不為汙矣，將眾則必不撓北矣。忠臣亦然。苟便於主利於國，無敢辭違殺身出生以徇之。國有士若此，則可謂有人矣。若此人者固難得，其患雖得之有不智。 |
| | The reason why the scholars' opinions cannot be insulted is that they are considered great; when regarded as great, they are held in higher esteem than wealth and rank. Thus, material benefits are insufficient to sway their intentions. Although they bear the title of feudal lords and actually possess a ten-thousand-chariot state, such status is still insufficient to move their hearts. If one is truly insulted, then there is no joy in living. Such a person, when endowed with power, will surely not act selfishly; when holding office, will surely not become corrupt; and when leading an army, will surely not retreat or falter. Loyal ministers are no different. If it is beneficial to the ruler and advantageous to the state, they dare not refuse or disobey; they would sacrifice their lives to uphold such a cause. A state that possesses men of this sort may truly be said to have capable people. Such a person is indeed hard to find, and even if found, the problem remains that they might not be wisely employed.
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吳王欲殺王子慶忌而莫之能殺，吳王患之。要離曰：「臣能之。」吳王曰：「汝惡能乎？吾嘗以六馬逐之江上矣，而不能及；射之矢，左右滿把，而不能中。今汝拔劍則不能舉臂，上車則不能登軾，汝惡能？」要離曰：「士患不勇耳，奚患於不能？王誠能助，臣請必能。」吳王曰：「諾。」明旦加要離罪焉，摯執妻子，焚之而揚其灰。要離走，往見王子慶忌於衛。王子慶忌喜曰：「吳王之無道也，子之所見也，諸侯之所知也，今子得免而去之亦善矣。」要離與王子慶忌居有間，謂王子慶忌曰：「吳之無道也愈甚，請與王子往奪之國。」王子慶忌曰：「善。」乃與要離俱涉於江。中江，拔劍以刺王子慶忌，王子慶忌捽之，投之於江，浮則又取而投之，如此者三。其卒曰：「汝天下之國士也，幸汝以成而名。」要離得不死，歸於吳。吳王大說，請與分國。要離曰：「不可。臣請必死。」吳王止之。要離曰：「夫殺妻子焚之而揚其灰，以便事也，臣以為不仁。夫為故主殺新主，臣以為不義。夫捽而浮乎江，三入三出，特王子慶忌為之賜而不殺耳，臣已為辱矣。夫不仁不義，又且已辱，不可以生。」吳王不能止，果伏劍而死。要離可謂不為賞動矣。故臨大利而不易其義，可謂廉矣。廉故不以貴富而忘其辱。 |
| | King Wu wanted to kill his son Wangzi Qingji but no one could do so; King Wu was troubled by this. Yao Li said, "I am capable of doing it." King Wu asked, "How can you possibly do it?" I once pursued him on a team of six horses along the riverbank, yet could not catch up; Arrows were shot at him in abundance from all sides, yet none struck their mark. Now, if you draw a sword, you cannot raise your arm; if you get into a carriage, you cannot climb onto the crossbar. How can you possibly do it?" Yao Li replied, "A man of virtue is only concerned with lacking courage; how could he be troubled by inability? "If Your Majesty can truly assist me, I beg to assure you that I shall accomplish it." King Wu said, "Agreed." The next morning, King Wu falsely accused Yao Li of a crime and seized his wife and children, executing them and scattering their ashes. Yao Li fled and went to Wei to see Wangzi Qingji. Wangzi Qingji was pleased and said, "King Wu's tyrannical rule is something you have seen with your own eyes and which all the feudal lords are aware of. Now that you have managed to escape from him and leave, it is a good thing indeed." After living with Wangzi Qingji for some time, Yao Li said to him, "King Wu's tyranny has become even more severe. Please allow me and you to go together and seize his state." Wangzi Qingji replied, "That is good." They then crossed the river together. In the middle of the river, Yao Li drew his sword to stab Wangzi Qingji. Wangzi Qingji seized him and threw him into the river; when he floated back up, he was taken out again and thrown in once more. This happened three times. Wangzi Qingji's attendants said, "You are a distinguished man of the world; we will spare you to complete your reputation." Yao Li survived and returned to Wu. King Wu was greatly pleased and offered to share his kingdom with him. Yao Li said, "No." "I beg that I must be put to death." King Wu tried to stop him. Yao Li said, "To kill one's wife and children, burn them, and scatter their ashes for the sake of accomplishing a task—I consider this to be inhumane. To kill a new ruler on behalf of an old one, I consider this to be unjust. To have been seized and tossed about in the river, going under three times and emerging each time—this was merely a favor granted by Wangzi Qingji without killing me. I am already disgraced. To have acted inhumanely, unjustly, and to have been thus disgraced—I cannot go on living." King Wu could not stop him, and Yao Li indeed committed suicide by drawing his sword. Yao Li may truly be said to be a man unmoved by rewards. Therefore, when faced with great benefits, he did not alter his sense of righteousness; such a person may truly be called upright. Uprightness ensures that one does not forget their disgrace because of wealth or rank.
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衛懿公有臣曰弘演，有所於使。翟人攻衛，其民曰：「君之所予位祿者，鶴也；所貴富者，宮人也。君使宮人與鶴戰，余焉能戰？」遂潰而去。翟人至，及懿公於榮澤，殺之，盡食其肉，獨捨其肝。弘演至，報使於肝，畢，呼天而啼，盡哀而止，曰：「臣請為襮。」因自殺，先出其腹實，內懿公之肝。桓公聞之曰：「衛之亡也，以為無道也。今有臣若此，不可不存。」於是復立衛於楚丘。弘演可謂忠矣，殺身出生以徇其君。非徒徇其君也，又令衛之宗廟復立，祭祀不絕，可謂有功矣。 |
| | The King Yi Gong of Wei had a minister named Hongyan, who was on an official mission. The Di people attacked the state of Wei, and its people said, "The positions and salaries granted by our ruler are for cranes; those who are esteemed and wealthy are palace attendants. You have sent palace attendants and cranes to fight, how can we common people possibly fight?" They then dispersed and fled. The Di forces arrived, caught up with King Yi Gong at Rongze, killed him, ate all of his flesh, and left only his liver. Hongyan arrived, reported the mission to the king's remaining liver, finished his report, cried out to heaven in grief, and after expressing all his sorrow, said, "I beg to serve as a covering for my lord." He then committed suicide, first removing the contents of his own abdomen and placing King Yi Gong's liver inside. Huan gong heard about it and said, "I thought Wei had perished because its ruler was tyrannical. Now that they have a minister like this, Wei cannot be allowed to perish." Thus he reestablished the state of Wei at Chuqiu. Hongyan may truly be called loyal, for he sacrificed his life to uphold devotion to his ruler. He was not only devoted to his lord, but also enabled the ancestral temple of Wei to be reestablished and ensured that sacrifices continued unbroken; such a man may truly be called meritorious.
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