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凡將立國，制度不可不時也，治法不可不慎也，國務不可不謹也，事本不可不摶也。制度時，則國俗可化，而民從制。治法明，則官無邪。國務壹，則民應用。事本摶，則民喜農而樂戰。夫聖人之立法化俗，而使民朝夕從事於農也，不可不知也。夫民之從事死制也，以上之設榮名，置賞罰之明也。不用辯說私門而功立矣，故民之喜農而樂戰也。見上之尊農戰之士，而下辯說技藝之民，而賤游學之人也，故民壹務；其家必富，而身顯於國。上開公利而塞私門，以致民力，私勞不顯於國，私門不請於君。若此而功名勸，則上令行而荒草闢，淫民止而姦無萌。治國能摶民力而壹民務者強，能事本而禁末者富。 |
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When about to establish a state, it is necessary to examine standards and measures, to pay attention to law and order, to be vigilant in government duties, and to consolidate occupations with what is primary. When standards and measures are regulated in accordance with the times, the customs of the country may be changed and the people will follow the standard regulations; if rules and laws are clear, the officials will commit no depravity; if the duties of the government are dealt with uniformly, the people will be available for use; if occupations with what is primary are consolidated, people will take pleasure in agriculture and will enjoy warfare. Now a sage, in establishing laws, alters the customs and causes the people to be engaged in agriculture, night and day. It is necessary to understand this. Indeed, people abide by their avocations and obey the regulations even to death, when the honorific titles which the ruler has instituted, and the rewards and penalties which he has established, are clear, and when, instead of employing sophists and intriguers, men of merit are set up. The result will be that the people will take pleasure in farming and enjoy warfare, because they see that the ruler honours farmers and soldiers, looks down upon sophists and artisans, and despises itinerant scholars. Therefore, when the people concentrate on one occupation, their families will be rich and their persons will be distinguished in the country; the ruler opens the way to public benefit and bars the gate of private intrigue, so that the people's strength is developed to the utmost. If toil in one's own interest does not gain distinction in the state, nor is admittance to the prince obtained through the gate of private intrigue, then under these circumstances, meritorious ministers will be encouraged, and in consequence the orders of the ruler will be performed, waste lands will be opened up, dissolute people will disappear, and villainies will not sprout. He, who, in administrating a country, is able to consolidate the people's strength and to make their occupation one, will be strong; he, who is able to make the people attend to what is primary, and to prevent what is secondary, is rich. |
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夫聖人之治國也，能摶力，能殺力。制度察則民力摶，摶而不化則不行，行而無富則生亂。故治國者，其摶力也，以富國強兵也；其殺力也，以事敵勸農也。夫開而不塞則短長，長而不攻則有姦；塞而不開則民渾，渾而不用則力多，力多而不攻則有蝨。故摶力以壹務也，殺力以攻敵也。治國貴民壹；民壹則樸，樸則農，農則易勤，勤則富。富者廢之以爵，不淫；淫者廢之以刑而務農。故能摶力而不能用者，必亂；能殺力而不能摶者，必亡。故明君知齊二者，其國強；不知齊二者，其國削。 |
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A sage, in administrating a country, is able to consolidate its strength or to reduce it. When standards and measures are clear, then the people's strength is consolidated; if it is consolidated, but not developed, it cannot take effect. If it does take effect, but there are no riches, it will give rise to disorder. Therefore, for one who administers a country, the way to consolidate its strength, is to make the country rich and its soldiers strong; the way to reduce the people's force is to attack the enemy and to encourage the people. If one only opens the way without barring the gate, the short will grow long; when it has grown, and one does not attack, there will be villainy; if one debars without opening up, the people will be chaotic; if they are chaotic, and one does not make use of them, their strength will become great; if their strength is great, and one does not attack, there will be villainy and the parasites. So, consolidating their strength is brought about by unifying their occupation; reducing their force is brought about by attacking the enemy. In administrating a country, one should value the single-mindedness of the people; if they are single-minded, they are simple, and being simple, they farm; if they farm, they easily become diligent, and being diligent, they become rich. The rich should be despoiled of their riches by means of titles, so that they do not become dissolute. Those who are dissolute should be divested of their dissoluteness by punishments, so that they may concern themselves with agriculture. Therefore, if one is able, only to consolidate force, and not to use it, disorder ensues; and one, who is able, only to reduce force, but not to consolidate it, will perish. So an intelligent ruler, who knows how to combine these two principles, will be strong, but that of one, who does not know how to combine these two, will be dismembered. |
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夫民之不治者，君道卑也；法之不明者，君長亂也。故明君不道卑，不長亂，秉權而立，垂法而治，以得姦於上而官無不，賞罰斷而器用有度。若此則國制明而民力竭，上爵尊而倫徒舉。 |
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Indeed, if a people are not orderly, it is because their prince follows inferior ways; and if the laws are not clear, it means that the prince causes disorder to grow. Therefore, an intelligent prince is one, who does not follow an inferior way, nor causes disorder to grow, but he establishes himself, by maintaining his authority and creates order, by giving laws; so that he gains possession of those, who are treacherous towards their ruler; thus for all officials respectively rewards or penalties are fixed, so that employment will have a fixed standard. Under these circumstances, then, the country's regulations will be clear and the people's force will be used to the utmost, the titles, granted by the ruler will be honoured and the... will be advanced. |
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今世主皆欲治民，而助之以亂；非樂以為亂也，安其故而不闚於時也。是上法古而得其塞，下修今而不時移，而不明世俗之變，不察治民之情，故多賞以致刑，輕刑以去賞。夫上設刑而民不服，賞匱而姦益多。故上之於民也，先刑而後賞。 |
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The rulers of the present day all desire to govern the people, but their way of helping them is disorderly, not because they take pleasure in disorder, but because they rest on antiquity and do not watch for the needs of the times; that is, the ruler models himself on antiquity, and as a result, is hampered by it; subordinates follow the present and do not change with the times, and when the changes in the customs of the world are not understood, and the conditions for governing the people are not examined, then the multiplication of rewards only leads to punishments, and the lightening of punishments only eliminates rewards. Indeed, the ruler institutes punishments, but the people do not obey; his rewards are exhausted, but crimes continue to increase; for the people in their relation to the ruler, think first of punishments and only afterwards of rewards. |
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故聖人之為國也，不法古，不修今，因世而為之治，度俗而為之法。故法不察民之情而立之，則不成；治宜於時而行之，則不干。故聖王之治也，慎為察務，歸心於壹而已矣。 |
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The sage's way, therefore, of organizing a country is not to imitate antiquity, nor to follow the present, but to govern in accordance with the needs of the times, and to make laws which take into account customs. For laws, which are established without examining people's conditions, do not succeed, but a government which is enacted fittingly for the times, does not offend. Therefore, the government of the sage-kings examined attentively the people's occupations and concentrated their attention on unifying them and on nothing else. |
