| | 下德: |
治身，太上养神，其次养形，神清意平，百节皆宁，养生之本也。肥肤，充腹肠，开嗜欲，养生之末也。治国，太上养化，其次正法，民交让，争处卑，财利争受少，事力争就劳，日化上而迁善，不知其所以然，治之也。利赏而劝善，畏刑而不敢为非，法令正于上，百姓服于下，治之末也。上世养本，而下世事末。 |
| | To cultivate one's body, the highest priority is to nourish the spirit; next comes nurturing the physical form. When the spirit is clear and the mind peaceful, all parts of the body will be at peace—this is the fundamental principle of preserving health. Fatty flesh, full belly and intestines, indulging desires—these are but the lesser aspects of preserving health. To govern a state, the highest priority is cultivating moral influence; next comes upholding just laws. When people respect and yield to one another, they compete for humble positions, accept less wealth and profit, and strive to take on laborious tasks. Daily, their conduct becomes more virtuous and they gradually improve without realizing why—this is effective governance. Rewarding benefits to encourage virtue, and instilling fear of punishment so people dare not act immorally—when laws are just at the top and the common people obey from below—this is but the lesser aspect of governance. The sages of earlier ages cultivated fundamentals, while those of later times dealt with superficialities.
|
| | 下德: |
欲治之主不世出，可与治之臣不万一，以不世出求不万一，此至治所以千岁不一至，霸王之功不世立也。顺其善意，防其邪心，与民同出一道，即民性可善，风俗可美矣。所贵圣人者，非贵其随罪而作刑也。贵其知乱之所生也。若纵之放僻淫逸，而禁之以法，随之以刑，虽残天下，不能禁其奸矣。 |
| | A ruler who desires to govern well does not appear in every generation, and a minister capable of assisting in governance is as rare as one in ten thousand. To seek the latter with such an infrequent former is why ideal governance occurs once in a millennium, and the achievements of hegemonic rulers are not established in every age. Follow their good intentions, guard against their evil thoughts, and proceed together with the people along one path—then the nature of the people can become virtuous, and customs can become beautiful. What is valued about a sage ruler is not that he creates punishments in response to crimes. It is valued because the sage understands the origins of disorder. If one indulges people in licentiousness and idleness, yet restrains them with laws and follows up with punishments, even if the entire world is devastated by such measures, it will still be unable to prevent their wickedness.
|
| | 下德: |
目悦五色，口欲滋味，耳淫五声，七窍交争以害一性，日引邪欲竭其天和，身且不能治，柰天下何，所谓得天下者，非谓其履势称尊号也。言其运天下心，得天下力也。有南面之名，无一人之誉，此失天下者也。故桀纣不为王，汤武不为放也。天下得道，守在四夷，天下失道，守在左右。故曰：无恃其不吾夺，恃吾不可夺也。行可夺之道，而非篡杀之行，无益于持天下矣。 |
| | The eyes delight in the five colors, the mouth desires flavors, and the ears indulge in the five sounds. The seven orifices compete to harm one's nature, daily drawing forth evil desires that exhaust innate harmony. If one cannot even manage their own body, how can they govern the world? To "gain the world" does not mean merely occupying a position of power and assuming a title of respect. It means to align with the hearts of all under heaven and harness their strength. To have the title of a sovereign facing south, yet no reputation among even one person—this is to lose the world. Therefore, Jie and Zhou were not true kings, while Tang and Wu were not rebels. When the world is governed by the Way, defense lies in the four distant regions; when the world loses the Way, defense must be maintained even within one's immediate surroundings. Therefore it is said: Do not rely on others not taking from you; rather, rely on the fact that they cannot take from you. To act in a way that invites loss of power, yet not engage in usurpation or murder—this is of no benefit to holding the world.
|
| | 下德: |
治世之职易守也。其事易为也。其礼易行也。其责易偿也。是以人不兼官，官不兼事，农士商工，乡别州异，故农与农言藏，士与士言行，工与工言巧，商与商言数，是以士无遗行，工无苦事，农无废功，商无折货，各安其性也。夫先知远见，人材之盛也。而治世不以责于民，博闻强志，口辨辞给，人智之溢也。而明主不以求于下，傲世贱物，不污于俗，士之伉行也。而治世不以为民化，故高不可及者，不以为人量，行不可逮者，不以为国俗，故人材不可专用，而度量道术，可世传也。故国治可与愚守，而军旅可与性同，不待古之英俊，而人自足者，所有而并用之也。末世之法，高为量而罪不及，重为任而罚不胜，危为难而诛不敢，民困于三责，即饰智而诈上，犯邪而行危，虽峻法严刑，不能禁其奸，兽穷即触，鸟穷即啄，人穷即诈，此之谓也。 |
| | The duties of officials in an age of good governance are easy to uphold. Their tasks are easy to accomplish. Its rites are easy to follow. Their responsibilities are easy to fulfill. Therefore, people do not hold multiple offices, and officials do not manage multiple duties. Scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans are distinct in their roles; each village and region differs accordingly. Thus, farmers speak of storage among themselves, scholars discuss conduct with other scholars, artisans talk about skill with fellow artisans, and merchants exchange knowledge on calculation with one another. Hence, scholars have no unfulfilled duties, artisans face no burdensome tasks, farmers achieve no wasted labor, and merchants suffer no losses in trade—each finds peace according to their nature. Foreknowledge and far-sightedness are the excellence of human talent. Yet in an age of good governance, such qualities are not demanded from the people. Extensive knowledge and a strong memory, eloquence and ready speech—these are the overflow of human intelligence. Yet an enlightened ruler does not seek such traits from his subordinates. Arrogance toward the world and disdain for worldly things, remaining unstained by vulgar customs—this is the upright conduct of a scholar. Yet in an age of good governance such traits are not taken as models for the people. Thus, lofty achievements beyond reach are not considered measures of human capacity; actions that cannot be emulated are not regarded as national customs. Therefore, exceptional talents should not be relied upon exclusively, but standards, measurements, and principles may be passed down through generations. Therefore, a well-governed state can be maintained even by the unwise, and military affairs can be managed in accordance with law. One does not need to wait for the outstanding figures of ancient times; people are naturally sufficient when all available resources are utilized together. The laws of a declining age set lofty standards yet fail to punish those who fall short; assign heavy responsibilities yet impose penalties too weak to deter wrongdoing; create dangerous challenges yet dare not punish those who falter. When the people are burdened by these three demands, they resort to feigning wisdom and deceiving their superiors, committing evil acts and taking reckless risks. Even severe laws and harsh punishments cannot prevent such deceit. As the saying goes: a cornered beast will charge, a trapped bird will peck, and a desperate person will deceive—this is precisely what it means.
|
| | 下德: |
国有亡主，世无亡道，人有穷而理无不通也。故不因道理之数而专己之能，其穷不远矣。夫君人者，不出户以知天下者，因物以识物，因人以知人也。故积力之所举，既无不胜也。衆智之所为，即无不成也。工无二技，士不兼官，人得所宜，物得所安，是以器械不恶，而职事不慢也。夫责小易偿也。职寡易守也。任轻易劝也。上操约少之分，下效易为之功，是以君臣久而不相厌也。 |
| | A state may have rulers who bring about its ruin, but there are no laws of governance that cannot be preserved; people may face hardship, yet reason is never truly obstructed. Therefore, if one does not follow the principles and methods of governance but relies solely on personal ability, their downfall will not be far off. A ruler who governs the people need not leave his house to know all under heaven, for he understands things by observing them and knows people through understanding others. Therefore, when collective strength is applied, there is nothing that cannot be overcome. What is accomplished by the wisdom of many will surely succeed. Artisans possess no more than one skill, scholars do not hold multiple posts; when people are assigned according to their suitability and objects placed in their proper positions—thus tools and instruments are not inferior, and official duties are not neglected. Light responsibilities are easy to fulfill. Fewer duties are easier to uphold. Light burdens encourage diligence. When superiors manage simple and minimal responsibilities, and subordinates emulate accomplishments that are easy to achieve—thus rulers and ministers remain in harmony for a long time without growing weary of one another.
|
| | 下德: |
地广民衆，不足以为强也。甲坚兵利，不足以恃胜也。高城深池，不足以为固也。严刑利杀不足以为威也。为存政者，无小必存，为亡政者，无大必亡，故善守者无与御，善战者无与斗，乘时势，因民欲，而取天下也。故善为政者积其德，善用兵者蓄其怒，德积而民可用也。怒蓄而威可立也。故材之所加者浅，即权之所服者大，德之所施者博，即威之所制者广，广即我强而敌弱矣。善用兵者，先弱敌而后战，费不半而功十倍，故千乘之国，行文德者王，万乘之国，好用兵者亡，王兵先胜而后战，败兵先战而后求胜，此不明于兵道也。 |
| | Vast territory and numerous people alone are not sufficient to make a state strong. Strong armor and sharp weapons are not enough on which to rely for victory. High walls and deep moats are not sufficient as defenses. Severe punishments alone are insufficient to establish authority. For a government that wishes to endure, no small matter can be neglected; for one doomed to fall, no great strength will prevent its demise. Therefore, the skillful defender needs no opponent to resist, and the capable warrior faces no foe to fight—by seizing opportunities and following the desires of the people, they gain dominion over all under heaven. Therefore, a skillful ruler accumulates virtue, and an adept general stores up righteous anger; when virtue is accumulated, the people can be relied upon. When anger is stored, authority can be established. Therefore, the deeper one's learning is applied, the greater the authority they command; the broader one's virtue is extended, the wider their influence becomes. When this influence is extensive, it means that one grows strong while the enemy weakens. A skillful general first weakens the enemy before engaging in battle, spending half as much yet achieving tenfold results. Therefore, a small state of a thousand chariots can become king by practicing virtue and moral influence; a great state with ten thousand chariots will perish if it favors war. A wise army secures victory first and then fights, while a foolish one fights first and seeks victory afterward—this is ignorance of the principles of warfare.
|
