| | 列子八卷: |
天有所短，地有所長，聖有所否，物有所通。 |
| | Heaven has its shortcomings, Earth has its strengths, sages have their failures, and things have their connections.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
思士不妻而感，思女不夫而孕。 |
| | A scholar thinking of his wife without being married may feel emotional longing; a maiden thinking of her husband without being wedded may become pregnant.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
鬼者，歸也，歸其真宅。 |
| | Ghosts are those who return, returning to their true dwellings.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
貧者，士之常；死者，民之終。 |
| | Poverty is the norm for scholars; Death is the end of the people.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
醉者墜車，雖疾不死。死生驚懼，不入其胸中。 |
| | A drunkard who falls from a cart, though injured, will not die. Death and life, alarm and fear, do not enter his mind.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
禽獸之智，亦有與人同者。牝牡相偶，母子相親，避平依險，違寒就溫。居則有羣，行則有列，飲則有攜，食則鳴侶。 |
| | The intelligence of birds and beasts also has aspects that are the same as those of humans. Males and females pair up, mothers and children show affection, they avoid flat ground and seek danger, avoiding cold to find warmth. When staying, they form groups; when moving, they march in formation; when drinking, they do so together; and when eating, they call their companions.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
宋人養猿，號曰狙公。欲與狙芧，先誑之曰：「朝三而暮四衆。」狙皆怒。又許朝四而暮三，而衆狙皆喜。聖人以智籠羣愚，亦猶狙公以智籠羣狙矣！ |
| | A man from the Song state kept monkeys, and was called Jugu. He wanted to feed the monkeys chestnuts, so he first deceived them by saying, "Three in the morning and four in the evening is generous." The monkeys all became angry. He then promised three in the morning and four in the evenings, and all the monkeys were pleased. Sages use wisdom to control the masses of fools; this is just like Jugu using his cunning to control the monkeys!
|
| | 列子八卷: |
覺有八徵，夢有六候。陰氣壯，則夢涉水而恐懼；陽氣壯，則夢涉火而燔焫；飽夢與，飢夢取；藉帶而寢，則夢蛇；鳥衘髪，則夢飛；天將陰，則夢火；身將疾，則夢食；飲酒者憂，歌舞者哭。晝想夜夢，神形所遇。 |
| | Wakefulness has eight signs, and dreams have six omens. When yin qi is strong, one dreams of crossing water and feels fear; When yang qi is strong, one dreams about walking through fire and being burned. Dreams of giving arise from satiety; dreams of taking arise from hunger; Sleeping with a belt around the waist causes one to dream of snakes; A bird holding hair causes one to dream of flying; When the sky is about to become overcast, one dreams of fire; When the body is about to fall ill, one dreams of eating; Those who drink wine are filled with sorrow; those who dance and sing will weep. Daytime thoughts lead to nighttime dreams, which are encounters of the spirit and body.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
陳大夫云：「吾國有亢倉子，能以耳視而目聽。」魯侯聞之大驚，以上卿禮致之。亢倉子曰：「臣體合于神，心合于無。」 |
| | Chen Dafu said: "In my state there is a man named Kangcangzi, who can see with his ears and hear with his eyes." The Marquis of Lu heard this and was greatly astonished; he received him with the rites for a high-ranking official. Kangcangzi said: "My body is united with the spirit, and my mind is united with nothingness."
|
| | 列子八卷: |
顔回能仁而不能反，賜能辯而不能訥，由能勇而不能怯，師能莊而不能同。兼四子之有以易仲尼，仲尼不許也。 |
| | Yan Hui could be benevolent but not humble; Zi Si could speak eloquently but not remain silent; Zilu could be brave but not timid; and Zigan could be dignified but not harmonious. lineno Combined, the four disciples' qualities would still not match Zhongni (Confucius), who would refuse to accept such an exchange.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
目將眇者，先睹秋毫；鼻將窒者，先覺燋朽。故物不至，則不反。 |
| | One whose eyes are about to fail will first see a fine autumn hair; One whose nose is about to be blocked will first sense the scent of burnt and decayed things. Therefore, if a thing has not yet arrived, it cannot return.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
荊南冥靈，以五百歲為春，五百歲為秋。上古有大椿，以八千歲為春，八千歲為秋。菌芝生于朝死于晦，蠓蚋因雨而生，見陽而死。 |
| | The Jingnan Mingling (a mythical creature) regards 500 years as spring and another 500 years as autumn. In ancient times there was a great chun tree, which regarded 8,000 years as spring and 8,000 more years as autumn. Mushrooms sprout in the morning and die by dusk; mosquitoes are born with rain but die when exposed to sunlight.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
越東有輙沐國，生長子則食之，謂之宜弟。其大父死，則負其大母棄之，謂鬼妻。 |
| | To the east of Yue there is a country called Zhemu, where if a man has an eldest son he eats him, calling it "suitable for a younger brother." When their grandfather dies, they carry away his grandmother and abandon her, calling her the ghost-wife.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
孔子東遊，見兩小兒辯鬬，問其故。一兒曰：「我以日始出去人近，日中時去人遠。」一兒云：「日初出遠，日中時近。」一兒曰：「日初出大如車輪，及日中纔如盤盂，豈不為近則大，遠則小者乎！」一兒曰：「日初出蒼蒼涼涼，至日中有若探湯，豈不為近而熱，遠而涼者乎！」孔子不能決。小兒曰：「丘，誰謂汝多智乎！」 |
| | Confucius traveled eastward and saw two children arguing; he asked them why. One child said, "I believe the sun is close to people at dawn but far away at noon." The other child said, "The sun is far away when it first rises and near at noon." One child said, "The sun appears as large as a cart wheel when it first rises, but by noon it is only the size of a plate or basin. Is this not because things appear larger when they are near and smaller when far away?" The other child said, "When the sun first rises it feels cool and bluish, but at noon it is as if one were reaching into boiling water. Is this not because it is hot when near and cool when far away?" Confucius could not decide who was right. The child said, "Chou (Confucius's courtesy name), who says you are wise?"
|
| | 列子八卷: |
楊朱曰：「人得百年之壽者，千中無一。疾病哀苦居其半矣。慎耳目之觀聽，規死後之餘榮，失當年之樂，不肆意于一時，何異乎纍梏也。 |
| | Yang Zhu said: "Among people, those who live to be a hundred years old are one in a thousand. Half of their lives are spent suffering from illness and sorrow." lineno Be cautious about what the ears and eyes see and hear, be concerned with posthumous honors, lose the pleasures of one's prime years, and not indulge freely for a moment—what is this different from being bound by fetters?
|
| | 列子八卷: |
勤能使逸，寒能使溫。 |
| | Diligence can bring ease; cold can give rise to warmth.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
晏子曰：「吾一死之後，豈關我耶？焚之亦可，沈之亦可，瘞之亦可，露之亦可，棄之溝壑亦可，納諸石槨亦可，唯所遇耳。」 |
| | Yanzi said: "After my death, how could it concern me? Whether I am burned, drowned, buried, left exposed, discarded into a ditch or placed in a stone coffin is all the same to me—it depends only on what circumstances I encounter."
|
| | 列子八卷: |
楊朱曰：「生民之不得休息，為四事故。一為壽，二為名，三為位，四為貨。有此四者，畏鬼、畏人、畏威、畏刑。此之謂遁人也。」 |
| | Yang Zhu said: "The common people cannot rest because of four causes. One is for longevity, the second for fame, the third for rank, and the fourth for wealth." With these four things, they fear ghosts, fear people, fear authority, and fear punishment. This is called a fugitive from life."
|
| | 列子八卷: |
人不婚宦，情欲失半；人不衣食，君臣道息。 |
| | If people do not marry or hold official positions, they lose half their desires; Without clothing and food, the relationship between ruler and subject ceases.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
出不由門，行不從徑也，以是求利，不亦難乎！ |
| | To go out without using a gate or walk along paths not meant for travel, yet seek profit—would this not be difficult!
|
| | 列子八卷: |
晉文公欲伐衞。公子鋤笑之，問其故，對曰：「臣笑臣鄰之人有送妻歸家者，道見桑婦，悅而與之言。顧視其妻，已有人招之。」公乃引師還，未至，而有伐其北鄙者。 |
| | Duke Wen of Jin wanted to attack Wei. Gongzi Chu laughed at this; when asked why, he replied: "I was laughing because a neighbor of mine had sent his wife back home. On the way, he saw a woman picking mulberry leaves and became pleased with her and spoke to her. He looked at his own wife, only to find that someone else was already calling her." The duke then led his army back. Before they arrived, however, there were those who attacked the northern border of his territory.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
孔子之勁能舉國門之關，而不肯以力聞。 |
| | Confucius had the strength to lift a gate latch at Guimen, yet he refused to be known for his physical power.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
狐丘大夫謂孫叔敖曰：「人有三怨，子知之乎？爵高者人妒之，官大者主惡之，祿厚者人怨之。」孫叔敖曰：「吾爵益高，吾志益下；吾官益大，吾心益小；吾禄益厚，吾施益溥。可以免乎？」 |
| | Fouqiu Dafu said to Sun Shuao: "People have three grievances; do you know them?" "Those with high ranks provoke envy, those in powerful positions anger their ruler, and those with heavy salaries invite resentment." Sun Shuao said: "The higher my rank becomes, the more humble my heart grows; the greater my position, the smaller my mind becomes; The heavier my salary, the more widely I distribute it." "Is this enough to avoid those three grievances?"
|
| | 列子八卷: |
楊子鄰人亡一羊，相率追之。岐路之中復有岐路矣。曰：「大道以多岐亡羊，學者以多方喪生。本一末異也。」 |
| | A neighbor of Yangzi lost a sheep, and they went in pursuit together. In the forked path there were yet more forks. He said: "The great road loses sheep because of many branches, and scholars lose their lives by pursuing too many paths. This is the result of one root giving rise to many different ends."
|
| | 列子八卷: |
人有亡鈇者，意鄰子盜之。視隣子行步、顔色皆將竊也。俄而揚其谷得鈇，見鄰子無似竊鈇者。 |
| | A man who had lost an axe suspected that his neighbor's son had stolen it. He observed the movements and expressions of the neighbor's son, and they all seemed to indicate theft. Soon after, he found his axe in a ditch; when he saw the neighbor's son again, there was nothing about him that suggested theft.
|
| | 列子八卷: |
齊人有欲得金者，清旦往市，適見貨金者，因攫奪而去。吏捕問之，對曰：「取金之時，不見人，但見金也。」 |
| | A man from Qi who wanted to obtain gold went to the market at dawn and saw someone selling gold; he seized it and ran away. The officials caught him and asked why, to which he replied: "When I took the gold, I saw no one—only the gold."
|
