| | 疾谬: |
抱朴子曰：世故继有，礼教斯颓，敬让莫崇，傲慢成俗，畴类饮会，或蹲或踞，暑夏之月，露首袒体，盛务唯在樗蒲弹碁，所论极于声色之间，举足不离绮襦纨袴之侧，游步不去势利酒客之门，不闻清言讲道之言，专以丑辞嘲弄为先，以如此者为高远，以不尔者为呆野。 |
| | Baopuzi said: The affairs of the world continue to follow one another, and rites and moral instruction have thus declined. Reverence and courtesy are not honored; arrogance and impertinence have become customary. When people of similar status gather for drinking, they sit either squatting or with their legs spread apart. In hot summer months, they expose their heads and bodies. Their main preoccupation is playing cu pu [a game] and tanshi [another game], and the topics they discuss are limited to matters of music, beauty, and sensual pleasures. They never step away from the side of luxurious silk robes and fine cloth trousers; their footsteps never leave the doors of those who seek power, profit, or wine. One does not hear words of pure speech or discussions on the Dao. Instead, they specialize in using vulgar language to mock and ridicule others, regarding such behavior as lofty and refined, while considering anyone who does not act this way as dull and uncultured.
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| | 疾谬: |
于是驰逐之庸民，偶俗之近人，慕之者犹宵虫之赴明烛，学之者犹轻毛之应飙风，嘲戏之言，或上及祖考，或下逮妇女，往者务其深焉。报者恐不重焉。唱之者不虑见答之后患，和之者耻于言轻之不塞，以不应者为拙劣，以先止者为负败，如此、交恶之辞，焉得嘿哉。 |
| | Thus, the mediocre people who chase after worldly pleasures and those who are merely conventional in their ways, admire such behavior as moths flying toward a bright candle at night, or light feathers responding to a sudden gust of wind. Their mocking words may even reach up to one's ancestors or down to women; this has become an obsession for many. Those who respond are afraid that their censure will not be taken seriously. Those who start the taunts do not consider the consequences of being answered later; those who follow suit are ashamed that their words lack weight and cannot be refuted. They regard those who refuse to respond as clumsy and inferior, and they see those who stop first as defeated. Under such circumstances, how can one remain silent in the face of hostile words?
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| | 疾谬: |
其有才思者之为之也。犹善于依因机会，言微理举，雅而可笑，中而不伤，若夫疏拙者之为之也。则枉曲直凑，使人愕然，妍之与蚩，其于宜绝，岂唯无益而已哉。 |
| | Those with talent and insight act accordingly. They are good at taking advantage of opportunities, speaking subtly yet making valid points; their words are elegant and amusing, hitting the mark without causing harm. As for those who are clumsy and lacking in skill, when they do this— they twist right and wrong into a jumble, causing people to be startled. The difference between beauty and ugliness should clearly be rejected; it is not merely of no benefit but something worse.
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| | 疾谬: |
乃有使酒之客，及于难侵之性，不能堪之，拂衣拔棘，而手足相及，丑言加于所尊，欢心变而成雠，绝交坏厚，构隙致祸，以杯螺相掷者有矣。以阴私相讦者有矣。昔陈灵之被矢，灌氏之泯族，匪降自天，口实为之，枢机之发，荣辱之主，三缄之戒，岂欺我哉。 |
| | There are even guests who become belligerent when drinking, and those with a nature that is easily provoked. Unable to endure the provocation, they rise in anger, pull up thorns, and come to blows; disgraceful words are directed at respected individuals, joy turns into enmity, friendships are broken, trust is destroyed, disputes arise leading to disaster—there have even been cases where cups were thrown at each other. There have also been those who expose others' private secrets and scandals. In the past, Chen Ling was struck by arrows, and the entire clan of the Guan family perished; these were not calamities sent from heaven but rather consequences of careless speech. The utterance of a single word can be the turning point between honor and disgrace. How could the warning to keep one's mouth closed three times before speaking possibly deceive us?
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| | 疾谬: |
激电不能追既往之失辞，班输不能磨斯言之既玷，虽不能三思而吐情谈，犹可息谑调以杜祸萌也。然而迷谬者无自见之明，触情者讳逆耳之规，恢美而无直亮之针艾，羣惑而无指南以自反，谄媚小人，欢笑以赞善，面从之徒，拊节以称功，益使惑者不觉其非，自谓有端晏之捷，过人之辨，而不寤斯乃招患之旌，召害之符也。岂徒减其方策之令问，亏其没世之德音而已哉。 |
| | Even a flash of lightning cannot retrieve lost words from the past, and no amount of effort can erase already defiled speech. Although one may not be able to reflect three times before expressing feelings freely, it is still possible to stop jesting and banter in order to prevent the budding of disaster. However, those who are confused and mistaken lack the clarity to see their own faults; those driven by emotion avoid advice that is hard to hear. They seek praise for superficial beauty without receiving the honest and upright guidance of a skilled physician or healer. In confusion, they have no compass to guide them back to self-reflection. Flattering villains, they laughingly commend what is good; sycophantic followers clap in rhythm to praise their achievements. This only causes those who are misled to remain unaware of their errors, believing themselves to possess exceptional insight and surpassing discernment, without realizing that this is actually a banner inviting misfortune and an omen calling for harm. This is not merely diminishing their reputation as wise strategists or damaging the virtuous legacy they leave behind in death.
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| | 疾谬: |
然敢为此者，非必笃顾也。率多冠盖之后，势援之门，素颇力行善事，以窃虚名，名既粗立，本情便放，或假财色以交权豪，或因时运以叨荣位，或以婚姻而成贵戚，故并毁誉以合威柄，器盈志溢，态发病出，党成交广，道通步高，清论所不能复制，绳墨所不能复弹，遂成鹰头之蝇，庙垣之鼠。 |
| | Yet those who dare to act this way are not necessarily people of deep concern. Most are descendants of high-ranking officials or from families with powerful connections. They have long been known for performing good deeds to gain a false reputation. Once this reputation is roughly established, their true nature emerges freely; some use wealth and beauty to associate with powerful figures, others take advantage of favorable circumstances to attain positions of honor, still others become noble relatives through marriage. Thus, they manipulate praise and blame to consolidate power. With full cups and overflowing ambition, their behavior becomes pathological. They form factions, expand their networks, and rise in status, beyond the reach of moral discourse or the constraints of conventional standards. Eventually, they become like flies with eagle heads and rats within temple walls—symbols of corruption and disgrace.
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| | 疾谬: |
所未及者，则低眉扫地以奉望之，其下者，作威作福以鞚御之，故胜己者则不得闻，闻亦阳不知也。减己者则不敢言，言亦不能禁也。 |
| | Those who are not yet on their level must bow low and scrape the ground in deference. As for those beneath them, they wield power arbitrarily to dominate and control others. Therefore, when someone superior surpasses them, it is as if they do not hear of it; even if they do hear, they pretend not to know. Those who are inferior dare not speak out, and even if they do speak, their words cannot be suppressed.
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