| | 愛日: |
國之所以為國者，以有民也；民之所以為民者，以有穀也；穀之所以豐殖者，以有人功也；功之所以能建者，以日力也。治國之日舒以長，故其民閒暇而力有餘；亂國之日促以短，故其民困務而力不足。 |
| | The reason a state is considered a state is because it has people. The reason people are considered people is because they have grain. Grain produces abundantly because of human effort; Achievements can be made possible through the power of time and labor. When governing a state, if days are relaxed and prolonged, then its people will have leisure and surplus strength; In a disorderly state, when days are hurried and brief, therefore the people are burdened with tasks and lack sufficient strength.
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| | 愛日: |
所謂治國之日舒以長者，非謁羲和而令安行也，又非能增分度而益漏刻也。乃君明察而百官治，下循正而得其所，則民安靜而力有餘，故視日長也。所謂亂國之日促以短者，非謁羲和而令疾驅也，又非能減分度而損漏刻也。乃君不明則百官亂而姦宄興，法令鬻而役賦繁，則希民困於吏政，仕者窮於典禮，冤民就獄乃得直，烈士交私乃見保，姦臣肆心於上，亂化流行於下，君子載質而車馳，細民懷財而趨走，故視日短也。 |
| | What is meant by the days of a well-governed state being relaxed and prolonged is not that one petitions Xihe to make the sun move slowly, nor does it mean one can add degrees or increase the number of hours. It is because the ruler is wise and discerning, and all officials carry out their duties properly; when those below follow righteousness and find their proper place, then the people live in peace with surplus strength. Therefore, they perceive days as long. What is meant by the days in a disorderly state being hurried and brief is not that one petitions Xihe (羲和) to make the sun hasten, nor does it mean that one can reduce degrees or shorten the number of hours. It is because when the ruler lacks wisdom, all officials become disorderly and corruption rises; laws and decrees are sold for profit while corvée labor and taxes grow excessive. Thus, common people suffer under bureaucratic rule, officials fall into poverty due to ceremonial obligations, wronged citizens must go to prison to seek justice, loyal men must cultivate private connections just to be protected, corrupt ministers indulge their ambitions at court, and disorder spreads among the populace. Virtuous gentlemen carry credentials while rushing about in carriages; ordinary people clutch their belongings and flee in haste—hence they perceive days as short.
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| | 愛日: |
《》云：「」言在古閒暇而得行孝，今迫促不得養也。孔子稱庶則富之，既富則教之。是禮義生於富足，盜竊起於貧窮，富貴生於寬暇，貧窮起於無日。聖人深知力者乃民之本也而國之基，故務省役而為民愛日。是以堯敕羲和，「欽若昊天，敬授民時」；邵伯訟不忍煩民，聽斷棠下，能興時雍而致刑錯。 |
| | The Shi Jing says: "There is no end to the king's affairs, and one has no time to care for one's father." It means that in ancient times, people had leisure and could practice filial piety, but now they are pressed by urgent matters and cannot properly care for their parents. Confucius said that when the population is numerous, one should first enrich them; once they are enriched, then one should educate them. Righteousness and propriety arise from abundance, while theft and robbery stem from poverty. Wealth and honor come about through leisure and ease, whereas poverty originates from a lack of time and opportunity. Sages deeply understand that strength is the foundation of the people and the basis of the state, so they strive to reduce corvée labor and cherish time for the people. Therefore, Yao instructed Xihe: "Reverently follow the vast heavens, and respectfully bestow proper seasons upon the people." Shao Bo (邵伯) could not bear to trouble the people with litigation, so he judged cases under a tamarind tree; thus, he was able to promote harmonious times and achieve an era of neglected punishments.
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| | 愛日: |
今則不然。萬官撓民，令長自衒，百姓廢桑而趨府庭者，非朝晡不得通，非意氣不得見，訟不訟輒連月日，舉室釋作，以相瞻視，辭人之家，輒請鄰里應對送餉，比事訖，竟亡一歲功，則天下獨有受其飢者矣，而品人俗士之司典者，曾不覺也。郡縣既加冤枉，州司不治，今破家活，達詣公府。公府不能昭察真偽，則但欲罷之以久困之資，故猥說一科，令此注百日，乃為移書，其不滿百日，輒更造數，甚違邵伯訟棠之義。此所謂誦《》三百，授之以政，不達，雖多亦奚以為者也。 |
| | Now it is not like that. Now, however, ten thousand officials harass the people; magistrates and county administrators boast about themselves. Commoners abandon their mulberry cultivation to rush to government offices, but they cannot gain access unless it is either morning or evening, and they cannot see these officials without showing proper respect and demeanor. Whether there is a lawsuit or not, matters often take up months; entire households must stop working in order to wait and look after one another. In the homes of those who have come to plead their cases, neighbors are constantly asked to respond and deliver food supplies. By the time these affairs conclude, an entire year's labor has been lost—thus, there will be people in the world who suffer from hunger alone, yet officials of low character and vulgar scholars in charge of administration remain completely unaware. The prefectures and counties have already added to the injustice, while the provincial authorities do not address it; now, families are ruined in order to survive, and people travel far to petition at the public offices. The public offices are unable to discern truth from falsehood, so they merely wish to delay matters and exhaust the petitioners with prolonged hardship. Therefore, they make a hasty claim of one category, ordering these cases to be noted for a hundred days before sending any official letter; if less than a hundred days have passed, they simply fabricate new numbers. This greatly violates the meaning of Shao Bo's litigation under the tamarind tree. This is what is meant by reciting three hundred poems from the Shi Jing, yet when entrusted with governance, one fails to understand—although many are learned, what use are they?
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| | 愛日: |
孔子曰：「聽訟，吾猶人也。」從此觀之，中材以上，皆議曲直之辯，刑法之理可；鄉亭部吏，足以斷決，使無怨言。然所以不者，蓋有故焉。 |
| | Confucius said: "Hearing lawsuits, I am like other people." From this we can see that those of average ability and above are all capable of discussing the distinction between right and wrong, as well as understanding the principles of criminal law. Local officials at the township level are sufficiently capable to make judgments and reach decisions, ensuring there are no complaints or grievances. Yet the reason they do not act this way is due to certain causes.
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| | 愛日: |
《傳》曰：「惡直醜正，實繁有徒。」夫直者真正而不撓志，無恩於吏。怨家務主者結以貨財，故鄉亭與之為排直家，後反覆時吏坐之，故共枉之於庭。以羸民與豪吏訟，其勢不如也。是故縣與部并，後有反覆，長吏坐之，故舉縣排之於郡。以一人與一縣訟，其勢不如也。故郡與縣并，後有反覆，太守坐之，故舉郡排之於州。以一人與郡訟，勢不如也。故州與郡并，而不肯治，故乃遠詣公府爾。公府不能察，而苟欲以錢刀課之，則貧弱少貨者終無已曠旬滿祈。豪富饒錢者取客使往，可盈千日，非徒百也。治訟若此，為務助豪猾而鎮貧弱也，何冤之能治？ |
| | The Zhuan says: "Hating uprightness and despising righteousness, such evil indeed has many followers." An upright person is genuine and does not yield to pressure; they do not show favoritism toward officials. Those who seek to settle disputes with their adversaries use money and goods, so local officials at the township level collude with them to suppress upright individuals. Later, when these matters are reviewed and reversed, officials sit in judgment against those who acted improperly, thus jointly wronging the innocent in court. When a weak commoner contends with powerful officials, their position is unequal. Therefore, when county and district offices act together, later reversals occur, and senior officials are held accountable; thus, the entire county suppresses the case at the prefectural level. Therefore, when one person contends with an entire county, their position is unequal as well. Thus, when the prefecture and county act together, later reversals also occur, and the governor is held accountable; therefore, the entire prefecture suppresses the case at the provincial level. Therefore, when one person contends with a whole prefecture, their position remains unequal. Thus, when the province and prefecture act together and refuse to address the matter, one has no choice but to travel far to petition the central government. If the central government cannot investigate properly, and merely wishes to settle matters with money, then those who are poor and lack resources will ultimately suffer endless delays and prolonged suffering. Those who are wealthy and have ample money can hire agents to go on their behalf, which may take up to a thousand days, not merely a hundred. If lawsuits are handled in this manner, it is essentially aiding the powerful and cunning while oppressing the poor and weak—how can such a system possibly resolve grievances?
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| | 愛日: |
非獨鄉部辭訟也。武官斷獄，亦皆始見枉於小吏，終重冤於大臣。怨故未讎，輒逢赦令，不得復治，正士懷冤結而不得信，猾吏崇姦宄而不痛坐。郡縣所以易侵小民，而天下所以多飢窮也。 |
| | It is not only local litigation that suffers from this problem. Military officials handling judicial cases also initially encounter injustice at the hands of minor clerks, and ultimately suffer greater grievances under high-ranking ministers. Before old grudges have been resolved, pardons are suddenly issued, and the cases cannot be retried. Righteous individuals harbor grievances and find no justice, while corrupt clerks foster corruption without facing serious punishment. This is why prefectures and counties easily encroach upon the rights of common people, and why so many in the world suffer from hunger and poverty.
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| | 愛日: |
於上天感動，降災傷穀，但以人功見事言之，今自三府以下，至于縣道鄉亭，及從事督郵，有典之司，民廢農桑而守之，辭訟告訴，及以官事應對吏者，一人之，日廢十萬人，人復下計之，一人有事，二人獲餉，是為日三十萬人離其業也。以中農率之，則是歲三百萬口受其飢也。然則盜賊何從消，太平何從作？ |
| | Heaven, moved by this situation, sends disasters that damage the grain harvest. If we merely consider human effort and labor in terms of daily affairs, today from the three central offices down to prefectures, counties, townships, and postal stations—every office with official duties—the people abandon farming and sericulture to attend them, engaging in lawsuits, complaints, and responding to bureaucratic matters. For each person involved, ten thousand people are idled every day; if we further calculate that for one person's case, two others provide food supplies, this results in thirty thousand people abandoning their occupations daily. Taking the average of a middle-class farmer into account, this means that three hundred thousand people suffer from hunger each year. If this is the case, then how can thieves and bandits be eliminated? How can peace and prosperity ever be achieved?
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| | 愛日: |
孝明皇帝嘗問：「今旦何得無上書者？」左右對曰：「反支故。」帝曰：「民既廢農遠來詣闕，而復使避反支，是則又奪其日而冤之也。」乃敕公車受章，無避反支。上明聖主為民愛日如此，而有司輕奪民時如彼，蓋所謂有君無臣，有主無佐，元首聰明，股肱怠惰者也。《》曰：「」傷三公居人尊位，食人重祿，而曾不肯察民之盡瘁也。 |
| | Emperor Xiaoming once asked: "Why is there no one petitioning the throne this morning?" Those around him replied: "Because it was a fan zhi day." The emperor said: "If the people have already abandoned farming and traveled far to petition at court, yet we now make them avoid fan zhi days, this is once again depriving them of their time and wronging them." He then issued an order to the Office of the Public Coach (gongche) to accept petitions without avoiding fan zhi days. The emperor, a wise and virtuous ruler, showed such care for the people's time; yet officials so lightly deprived them of their days. This is precisely what is meant by having a ruler without capable ministers, a sovereign without assistants—where the head is intelligent but the supporting limbs are lazy and idle. The Shi Jing says: "If the state has already been completely ruined, what use is there in not watching over it!" It laments how the Three Dukes occupy positions of great respect, receive heavy salaries from the people, yet have never been willing to investigate or care about the people's exhaustion and suffering.
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| | 愛日: |
孔子病夫「未之得也，患不得之，既得之，患失之」者。今公卿始起州郡而致宰相，此其聰明智慮，未必闇也，患其苟先私計而後公義爾。《》云：「」今民力不暇，穀何以生？「百姓不足，君孰與足？」嗟哉，可無思乎！ |
| | Confucius lamented those who, "before attaining something, are worried about not obtaining it; and once obtained, are afraid of losing it." Nowadays, when high officials first rise from the ranks of provincial and prefectural offices to become prime ministers, their intelligence and foresight are not necessarily lacking; rather, the problem lies in their prioritizing personal interests over public justice. The Shi Jing says: "Who among them is willing to think of chaos? Who does not have parents!" Now the people have no time for labor; how can grain be produced? "If the common people are not sufficient, then who will make the ruler sufficient?" Alas! Can one afford to be without thought?
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