| | 齊俗: |
子路拯溺，而受牛謝，孔子曰：魯國必好救人於患矣。子貢贖人，而不受金於府，孔子曰：魯國不復贖人矣。子路受而勸德，子貢讓而止善，孔子之明，以小知大，以近知遠，通於論者也。由此觀之，廉有所不在，而不可公行也。故行齊於俗可隨也。事周於能易為也。矜僞以惑世，伉行以違衆，聖人不以為民俗也。 |
| | Zilu rescued a drowning person and received an ox as thanks. Confucius said: The people of Lu State must certainly be fond of rescuing those in distress. Zigong redeemed a person, yet did not accept money from the government. Confucius said: The people of Lu State will no longer redeem others. Zilu accepted the gift and thus encouraged virtue, while Zigong declined it and thereby discouraged good deeds. Confucius' wisdom enabled him to infer great matters from small ones and distant things from near ones; he was a person who thoroughly understood reasoning. From this we can see, integrity has its place where it is not , and thus cannot be universally practiced. Therefore, conduct that aligns with common customs may be followed. Deeds that conform to one's abilities are easier to accomplish. To pretend righteousness in order to deceive the world, or to behave defiantly against the majority, sages do not regard these as customs of the people.
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| | 齊俗: |
日月欲明，浮雲蓋之，河水欲清，沙石穢之，人性欲平，嗜欲害之，夫縱欲而失性，動未嘗正也。以治身則失，以治國則敗，是故不聞道者，無以反性，故古之聖王，能得諸己，故令行禁止，名傳後世，德施四海，是故凡將舉事，必先平意清神，神清意平，物乃可正。 |
| | The sun and moon wish to shine, yet floating clouds cover them; the Yellow River wishes to be clear, yet sand and stones defile it. Human nature desires tranquility, but desires harm it. To indulge in desires and lose one's true nature—such actions are never upright. To govern oneself in this way leads to failure, and to govern a state in this manner results in collapse. Therefore, those who do not understand the Dao have no means of returning to their true nature. Thus, ancient sage kings, having cultivated themselves, were able to enforce orders and prohibit wrongdoings; their names were passed down through later generations, and their virtue extended across all under heaven. Hence, whenever one is about to undertake any endeavor, one must first calm the mind and purify the spirit. When the spirit is pure and the mind is tranquil, things can then be set right.
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| | 齊俗: |
夫載哀者，聞歌聲而泣，載樂者，聞哭者而笑，何者，載使然也。是故貴虛，故水激則波興，氣亂則智昏，智昏不可以為政，波水不可以為平，故聖王執一而勿失，萬物之情測矣。四夷九州服矣。 |
| | One who carries sorrow will weep at the sound of singing, while one who is joyful will laugh upon hearing weeping. Why? Because their emotional state causes it to be so. Therefore, emptiness (xu) is valued. Therefore, when water is agitated, waves arise; when the breath (qi) is disturbed, wisdom becomes confused. When wisdom is confused, one cannot govern properly; just as turbulent water cannot be level. Thus, sage kings held firmly to unity and did not lose it, thereby fully understanding the nature of all things. The four Yi regions and nine provinces have submitted.
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| | 齊俗: |
天下是非無所定，世各是其所是，非其所非，所謂是與所謂非各異，皆自是而非人，今吾欲擇是而居之，擇非而去之，不知世之所謂是非者，孰是孰非。 |
| | Right and wrong in the world have no fixed standard; each generation considers its own views correct and others' incorrect. What is called right by one may be considered wrong by another, so-called "right" and "wrong" differ, as people all consider themselves right and others wrong. Now I wish to choose what is right and dwell in it, reject what is wrong and discard it; yet I do not know which of the world's notions of right or wrong are truly correct or incorrect.
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| | 齊俗: |
客有見人於季子者，客出。季子曰：子之所見客，獨有三過，望我而笑，是イ蹇，慢也。談語而不稱師，是反也。交淺而言深，是亂也。客曰：望君而笑，是公也。談語而不稱師，是通也。交淺而言深，是忠也。故客之容一體也。或以為君子，或以為小人，所自見之異也。故趣舍合，則言忠而益親，身疏則謀當而見疑也。 |
| | A guest introduced someone to Jizi, The guest left. Jizi said: The guest you introduced to me had three faults; he smiled at me when looking in my direction, which is impolite and disrespectful. He spoke without mentioning his teacher, which is contrary to propriety. He spoke in depth with one of shallow acquaintance, which is disorderly. The guest said: Smiling at you was a sign of respect for the public. Speaking without mentioning one's teacher is to be open and straightforward. To speak in depth with a person of shallow acquaintance is an act of loyalty. Therefore, the guest's conduct was unified and consistent. Some regarded him as a gentleman, others as a petty person; this difference arises from their own perspectives. Therefore, when interests align, sincere words bring greater closeness; but when one is distant, even proper advice may be met with suspicion.
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| | 齊俗: |
親母為其子治扢秃，血流至耳，見者以為愛之至也。使在於繼母，則過者以為嫉也。事之情一也。所從觀者異也。從城上視牛如羊，視羊如豚，所居高也。窺面於盤水則圓，於杯水即橢，面形不變其故，有所圓，有所橢者，所自窺之異也。 |
| | A loving mother treated her son's bald spot, with blood flowing to his ear; those who saw it thought this was the ultimate expression of love. If such an act were performed by a stepmother, observers would consider it jealousy instead. The nature of the matter is one and the same. It differs only in how it is observed by others. Looking down from the city wall, a cow appears like a sheep, and a sheep looks like a pig; this is because of one's high vantage point. Looking at one's face in a basin of water makes it appear round, while looking into a cup of water makes it look oval. The shape of the face does not change; what changes is whether it appears round or oval, depending on from where one looks.
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| | 齊俗: |
今吾雖欲正身而待物，庸遽知世之所自窺我者乎。治世之職易守也。其事易為也。是以人不兼官，官不兼事，各安其性，不得相干，故伊尹之興土功也。修脛者使之踏鑊，彊脊者使之負土，眇者使之準，傴者使之塗，各有所宜，而人性齊矣。胡人便於馬，越人便於舟，異形殊類，易事而悖，失處而賤，得勢而貴，聖人總而用之，其數一也。 |
| | Now although I wish to conduct myself uprightly and deal with things properly, how can I hastily know from which perspective the world observes me? The duties of a well-governed age are easy to uphold. Its affairs are easy to accomplish. Therefore, people did not hold multiple offices, and each office was responsible for only one task. Each person remained at ease in their nature, without interfering with others. Thus, when Yi Yin undertook civil projects, he assigned those with long legs to step into cauldrons; he assigned those with strong backs to carry earth; he assigned the blind to level, and those who were hunchbacked to plaster; Each had their appropriate task, and thus human nature was harmonized. Hu people are skilled in riding horses, while Yue people excel at boating. Though their forms and categories differ, when they engage in unfamiliar tasks, they become confused; when they lose favorable conditions, they fall into low status; but with the right circumstances, they gain prestige. Sages comprehensively utilize them all, for the principle is one and the same.
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| | 齊俗: |
夫擎輕重，不失銖兩，聖人弗用，而懸之乎權衡，視高下不差尺寸，明主弗任，而求之乎浣準，何則，人材不可專用，而度量可世傳也。夫待要褭，飛兔而駕之，則世莫乘車，待西施，絡慕而為妃，則終身不家矣。然不待古之英俊，而人自足者，因其所有，而遂用之也。 |
| | One who can lift light or heavy objects without error to the smallest weight, sages do not employ directly but rely on scales. One whose sight of height and depth does not differ by even an inch, wise rulers do not personally trust in such ability but refer to measuring instruments; Why is this so? Because human talent cannot be exclusively relied upon, but standards of measurement can be passed down through generations. To rely on Yao Niao and Fei Tu to draw a carriage, then no one in the world would ride in a carriage; to wait for Xi Shi and Luomu as a wife, then one would never have a family in a lifetime. Yet, without relying on the outstanding figures of ancient times, people can still be sufficient by themselves—by making use of what they already possess.
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| | 齊俗: |
治國之道，上無苟令，官無煩治，士無僞行，工無淫巧，其事任而不擾，其器完而不飾，亂世則不然，為行者相揚以高，為禮者相矜以僞，車輿極於雕琢，器用遽於刻鏤，求貨者争難得以為寶，調文者遽於煩繞以為慧，争為詭辯，久稽而不决，無益於治，工為奇器，歷歲而後成，不周於用。故神農之法曰：丈夫丁壯而不耕，天下有受其飢者，婦人當年而不織，天下有受其寒者，故身自耕，妻親織以為天下先。 |
| | The way to govern a state is for the ruler to issue no arbitrary orders, for officials to manage affairs without unnecessary interference, for scholars to have no false conduct, and for artisans to produce no excessive or ornate craftsmanship. Affairs are entrusted but not disturbed; tools are complete but not over-decorated. In times of disorder, however, it is quite different: those who act virtuously raise themselves up in pretentiousness, Those who practice rituals vie with each other in pretense; carriages and chariots are excessively carved, and utensils hurriedly adorned with intricate engravings. Those seeking wealth compete to obtain rare goods for treasures, while those refining words rush into elaborate entanglements in order to appear wise; they contend over strange arguments and prolonged deliberations without resolution, which is of no benefit to governance. Artisans create peculiar devices that take years to complete but are ultimately impractical for use. Therefore, the laws of Shen Nong said: If a man is strong and healthy but does not till the land, there will be people in the world who suffer from hunger; if a woman is of working age but does not weave, there will be those in the world who endure cold. Thus, he himself tilled the fields, and his wife personally wove cloth, setting an example for all under heaven.
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| | 齊俗: |
其道民也。不貴難得之貨，不器無用之物，是故其耕不强者，無以養生，其織不力者，無以揜形，有餘不足，各歸其身，衣食饒裕，奸邪不生，安樂無事，而天下均平，故孔丘，曾參，無所施其善，孟賁，成荊，無所行其威，衰世之俗，以其智巧詐僞，飾衆無用，貴遠方之貨，珍難得之財，不積於養生之具，澆天下之淳，以清為濁，人失其情。 |
| | This was how they guided the people. They did not value rare and hard-to-obtain goods, nor treat useless objects as treasures. Therefore, those who did not work the fields diligently had no means to sustain life; those who wove without effort could not clothe themselves. Surpluses or shortages remained with each individual, clothing and food were abundant, and thus no room was left for deceit or wrongdoing. People lived in peace and security, free from trouble, and the world achieved balance and fairness. Hence, Confucius and Zeng Shen had no opportunity to display their virtue; Meng Ben and Cheng Jing had nowhere to exert their might. In declining times, the customs of society rely on cunning and deceitful cleverness to embellish countless useless things. They value goods from distant lands and treasure rare wealth, without accumulating resources for sustaining life. This erodes the simplicity of the world, turning clarity into muddiness, causing people to lose their true nature.
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| | 齊俗: |
故其為編户齊民無以異，然貧富之相去也。猶人君與僕虜，不足倫之，夫乘奇伎為邪施者，自足乎一世之間，守正修理，不為苟得者，不免乎飢渴之患，而欲民之去末反本，是猶發其源而壅其流也。 |
| | Therefore, among common households and ordinary people there is no essential difference; yet the gap between poverty and wealth remains. The difference is like that between a ruler and a slave, not even comparable. Those who employ strange skills to pursue unjust gains can satisfy themselves within one lifetime; yet those who uphold righteousness, maintain integrity, and do not seek profit recklessly cannot escape the hardships of hunger . To wish for the people to abandon trivial pursuits and return to fundamentals is like opening a source while blocking its flow.
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| | 齊俗: |
且夫雕文刻鏤，傷農事者也。錦鏽纂組，害女功者也。農事廢業，飢之本也。女功不繼，寒之源也。飢寒并至，而能無犯令干誅者，古今未之聞也。 |
| | Moreover, elaborate carvings and ornate engravings harm agricultural endeavors. Brocades, embroidered patterns, and intricate weavings are harmful to women's labor. When farming is neglected, it becomes the root of hunger. When women's labor ceases, it becomes the source of cold and hardship. When hunger and cold come together, there has never been a case in ancient or modern times where people did not break laws or face punishment.
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| | 齊俗: |
故江河决流，一鄉父子兄弟相遺而走，争升陵阪，上高丘，輕足者先，不能相顧也。世樂志平，見鄰國人溺，尚猶哀之，况親戚乎。而人不能解也。游者不能拯溺，手足有所急也。灼者不能救火，身體有所痛也。夫民有餘即讓，不足即争，讓則禮義生，争則暴亂起，扣門求火水，莫不與者，所饒足也。林中不賣薪，湖上不鬻魚，所有餘也。故物隆則欲省，求贍則争止，故世治則小人守正，而利不能誘也。世亂則君子為奸，而刑不能禁也。 |
| | Therefore, when rivers burst their banks and floodwaters surge, in one village fathers, sons, and brothers abandon each other and flee, scrambling up hills and slopes. Those with swift feet reach safety first; no one has time to look back or care for others. In a peaceful and harmonious age, when people see someone from a neighboring state drowning, they still feel sorrow; how much more so for relatives! Yet no one can resolve this contradiction. Those who swim cannot rescue the drowning, for their hands and feet are occupied in an emergency. Those on fire cannot put out flames themselves, because their bodies are in pain. When the people have surplus, they are generous; when lacking, they quarrel. Generosity gives rise to propriety and righteousness, while contention leads to violence and disorder. When someone knocks on a door asking for water or fire, none refuse—this is because of their abundance. Firewood is not sold in the forest, and fish are not sold on the lake—because there is more than enough. Therefore, when resources are abundant , desires decrease; and when provisions are sufficient, contention ceases. Thus, in times of good governance, even the petty-minded adhere to righteousness and cannot be tempted by profit. In times of disorder, even virtuous people may turn to deceit, and punishments are powerless to stop them.
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