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凡将立国，制度不可不时也，治法不可不慎也，国务不可不谨也，事本不可不抟也。制度时，则国俗可化，而民从制。治法明，则官无邪。国务壹，则民应用。事本抟，则民喜农而乐战。夫圣人之立法化俗，而使民朝夕从事于农也，不可不知也。夫民之从事死制也，以上之设荣名，置赏罚之明也。不用辩说私门而功立矣，故民之喜农而乐战也。见上之尊农战之士，而下辩说技艺之民，而贱游学之人也，故民壹务；其家必富，而身显于国。上开公利而塞私门，以致民力，私劳不显于国，私门不请于君。若此而功名劝，则上令行而荒草辟，淫民止而奸无萌。治国能抟民力而壹民务者强，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. |
| | 壹言: |
夫圣人之治国也，能抟力，能杀力。制度察则民力抟，抟而不化则不行，行而无富则生乱。故治国者，其抟力也，以富国强兵也；其杀力也，以事敌劝农也。夫开而不塞则短长，长而不攻则有奸；塞而不开则民浑，浑而不用则力多，力多而不攻则有虱。故抟力以壹务也，杀力以攻敌也。治国贵民壹；民壹则朴，朴则农，农则易勤，勤则富。富者废之以爵，不淫；淫者废之以刑而务农。故能抟力而不能用者，必乱；能杀力而不能抟者，必亡。故明君知齐二者，其国强；不知齐二者，其国削。 |
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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，君长乱也。故明君不道卑，不长乱，秉权而立，垂法而治，以得奸于上而官无不，赏罚断而器用有度。若此则国制明而民力竭，上爵尊而伦徒举。 |
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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. |
| | 壹言: |
今世主皆欲治民，而助之以乱；非乐以为乱也，安其故而不闚于时也。是上法古而得其塞，下修今而不时移，而不明世俗之变，不察治民之情，故多赏以致刑，轻刑以去赏。夫上设刑而民不服，赏匮而奸益多。故上之于民也，先刑而后赏。 |
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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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故圣人之为国也，不法古，不修今，因世而为之治，度俗而为之法。故法不察民之情而立之，则不成；治宜于时而行之，则不干。故圣王之治也，慎为察务，归心于壹而已矣。 |
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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. |
