| | 說苑二十... : |
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| | 說苑二十... : |
東風則靡而西，西風則靡而東，上之化下，如風靡草。 |
| | When the east wind blows, things bend westward; when the west wind blows, they bend eastward. The influence of superiors upon inferiors is like the bending of grass before the wind.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
禹見罪人，下車而泣。左右曰：「此人不恭，故得罪，君王何痛之？」禹曰：「堯民以堯為心，今百姓各以其心為心，故痛之。」 |
| | Yu saw a criminal and wept as he got out of his carriage. His attendants said, "This man was disrespectful, so he committed an offense. Why does Your Majesty feel such sorrow for him?" Yu said, "The people of Yao regarded Yao's mind as their own. Now the common people regard each other's minds as their own, so I feel sorrow for this."
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| | 說苑二十... : |
齊景公出獵，上山見虎，下山見蛇。問晏子曰：「此不祥耶？」晏子曰：「有賢而不知，知而不用，用而不任，此不祥也。山是虎之室，澤是蛇之穴，何不祥也？」 |
| | Prince Jing of Qi went out hunting; going up the mountain he saw a tiger, and coming down the mountain he saw a snake. He asked Yanzi, "Are these ill omens?" Yanzi said, "Having virtuous men but not knowing them, knowing them but not employing them, and employing them but not entrusting them—this is an ill omen. "A mountain is the tiger's dwelling place, and a marshland is the snake's den; what misfortune is there in that?"
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| | 說苑二十... : |
晏子侍景公，公曰：「朝寒，請進煖食于寡人。」對曰：「嬰非廚養之臣，社稷之臣。」 |
| | Yanzi was attending Prince Jing. The prince said, "It is cold in the morning court; please bring warm food to me." He replied, "I am not a minister of kitchens and provisions, but a minister of state affairs."
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| | 說苑二十... : |
晉平公問師曠曰：「吾年七十，欲學恐晚，如何？」師曠曰：「日暮豈不炳燭耶？臣聞少而學者如日之出，陽壯而學者如日中之光，老而學者如炳燭之明，豈不愈于暗乎？」公曰：「善哉！」 |
| | Jin Pinggong asked Shikuang, "I am seventy years old. I wish to study but fear it is too late; what should I do?" Shikuang said, "When evening comes, would you not light a candle?" "I have heard that learning in youth is like the rising sun, learning in one's prime is like sunlight at noon, and learning in old age is like the brightness of a lit candle—would it not be better than darkness?" The prince said, "Well spoken!"
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| | 說苑二十... : |
曾子衣弊而耕，魯君使人致其邑，不受。曰：「吾聞受人者畏人，與人者驕人安，知君能不我驕，我能不畏乎？」遂不受。 |
| | lords Zengzi was wearing tattered clothes while farming. The ruler of Lu sent someone to grant him a fief, but he refused to accept it. He said, "I have heard that those who receive from others fear them, and those who give to others look down upon them. Knowing that Your Majesty can treat me without arrogance, how could I not be free of fear?" He thus refused it.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
夫仕者，身歸于君，祿歸于親。 |
| | To serve in office means to dedicate one's body to the ruler and one's salary to one's parents.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
忠臣不仕二君，貞女不更二夫。 |
| | A loyal minister does not serve two rulers, and a chaste woman does not remarry after her husband's death.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
居無垣牆，人莫之毁傷；行無防衞，人莫之暴害。此君子之行也。 |
| | If one lives without walls or fences, people will not damage or harm him; if one walks about without protection or guards, no one will commit violence against him. This is the conduct of a true gentleman.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
楚莊王賜羣臣酒，燭滅，有引美人衣者。美人援絕其纓，告王。王曰：「賜人酒，醉乃顯婦人之節，吾不取也！」乃命左右：「勿上火。凡與寡人飲者，不絕纓者不盡歡也。」羣臣遍絕纓而後舉火。後與晉戰，引美人衣者五合以報莊王。 |
| | Chu Zhuangwang gave wine to his ministers; when the candles were extinguished, someone pulled at a beauty's robe. The beauty caught hold of the man's sash, tearing it off and reporting this to the king. The king said, "I gave people wine; now that they are drunk, they reveal a woman's virtue. I do not approve of this!" He then ordered his attendants, "Do not light the fire. "Whoever drank with me tonight, if they have not torn their sash off, let them not consider themselves to have enjoyed fully." The ministers all tore off their sashes before the fire was lit. Later, when fighting against Jin, the man who had pulled at the beauty's robe fought five times to repay King Zhuangwang.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
陽虎得罪于衞，北見趙簡子曰：「自今以後，不復樹人矣！堂下之人，臣所樹者過半，今反危臣矣！」簡子曰：「樹桃李者夏得休息，樹蒺藜者秋得其刺。今子所樹蒺蔾也。自今以後，擇人而樹之。」 |
| | Yang Hu, having offended in Wei, went north to see Zhao Jianzi and said, "From now on, I will no longer recommend people! More than half of the men below this hall were recommended by me; now they have turned against me!" Jianzi said, "Those who plant peaches and plums find shade in summer; those who plant thorny plants reap their spines in autumn. Now what you have planted are thorns." "From now on, choose the right people before recommending them."
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| | 說苑二十... : |
夫政者，無迎而拒，無望而許。 |
| | In governance, one should not welcome what is improper and reject what is proper; nor should one promise without expectation.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
臨財莫如亷，臨富莫如平。亷平之守，莫能攻。 |
| | When facing wealth, nothing is better than integrity; when facing riches, nothing is better than fairness. A person who upholds integrity and fairness cannot be attacked or defeated.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
國不務大，務得民心。佐不務多，務得賢俊。 |
| | A state need not strive for size, but must strive to win the people's hearts. Ministers should not seek in number, but in virtue and talent.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
齊宣王謂淳于髠曰：「先生論寡人何好？」對曰：「古者所好者四，而王所好者三。古者好馬，王亦好馬。古者好玉，王亦好玉。古者好色，王亦好色。古者好士，王獨不好士。」王曰：「國無士耳，若有，寡人亦好之。」對曰：「驊騮騏驥本無，王求之；豹象之胎本無，王求之；毛嬙西施本無，王求之。而不求士，何也？」 |
| | Prince Xuan of Qi asked Chunyu Kun, "Master, what do you think I like?" Chunyu Kun replied, "In ancient times there were four things people liked; Your Majesty likes three of them. "Of old, men liked fine horses; and so does Your Majesty. "In ancient times, people liked jade; and so does Your Majesty." "Of old, men loved beauty; and so does Your Majesty." "In ancient times, people valued virtuous scholars; but Your Majesty alone does not value them." The prince said, "It is just that the state lacks such men. If there were any, I would also like them." Chunyu Kun replied, "Fine steeds like Hualei and Qiji do not exist naturally; yet Your Majesty seeks them; "cubs of leopards and elephants are not born naturally, but Your Majesty still seeks them; "beauties like Mao Shang and Xi Shi do not appear by themselves, yet Your Majesty desires them. "Why then does Your Majesty not seek virtuous men?"
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| | 說苑二十... : |
楊回見趙簡子曰：「臣居鄉三逐，事君五去。聞君好士，故來。」左右曰：「居鄉三逐，是不容于衆也；事君五去，是不忠于上也。」簡子曰：「美女者，醜婦之仇也；盛德君子者，亂世所疎也。正直之行，邪枉所憎也。」遂用之作相。 |
| | Yang Hui said to Zhao Jianzi, "I have been driven out three times in my village and dismissed five times by rulers. "I heard that Your Lordship values virtuous men, so I came." Those around him said, "Driven out three times in his village—this means he is not accepted by the people; "dismissed five times from service with rulers—this shows disloyalty to superiors." Jianzi said, "A beautiful woman is the enemy of an ugly wife; "a man of great virtue and moral excellence is shunned in times of disorder. "Upright conduct is hated by the crooked and corrupt." He thus appointed him as prime minister.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
周公誡伯禽曰：「爾無以魯驕人。衣成則缺祍，宮成則缺隅，示不成也。鬼神害滿也。」 |
| | Zhou Gong warned Bo Qin, "Do not let the people of Lu make you arrogant. "When clothes are made, leave a part unfinished; when palaces are built, leave one corner incomplete—this shows that they are not yet complete. "Gods and spirits resent perfection."
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| | 說苑二十... : |
國有五寒，凍不預焉。一曰政外，二曰女厲，三曰謀泄，四曰不敬士而國敗，五曰不能治內而務外。 |
| | A state has five kinds of cold, none of which is caused by frost. 1) Misrule in external affairs; 2) female influence causing corruption; 3) secret plans being revealed; 4) disrespect for scholars leading to the downfall of the state; and 5) failure to govern internally while pursuing external matters.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
官不與勢期，而勢自至；勢不與富期，而富自至；富不與貴期，而貴自至；貴不與驕期，而驕自至；驕不與罪期，而罪自至。 |
| | Officials do not seek power, yet power comes naturally to them; power does not seek wealth, yet wealth arrives on its own; wealth does not seek nobility, yet nobility comes by itself; nobility does not seek arrogance, yet arrogance arises naturally; arrogance does not seek punishment, yet punishment follows.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
魯有恭士，行年七十，其恭益甚。魯君問曰：「長年恭，可以釋也。」對曰：「君子恭以成名，小人恭以除刑。一言不安，尚有蹉跌；一飯雖美，尚有哽咽。鴻飛于天，矰者得之；虎豹雖猛，人食其肉。譽人者少，惡人者多，得不恭乎？」 |
| | In Lu there was a respectful man who, at the age of seventy, became even more courteous in his conduct. The ruler of Lu asked him, "With your advanced years, you might be excused from such courtesy." He replied, "A gentleman becomes famous through respectfulness; a petty person avoids punishment by being respectful. "If one word is not properly spoken, there may still be missteps; even a delicious meal can cause choking. A wild goose flying in the sky is caught by an arrow; even though tigers and leopards are fierce, people still eat their flesh. "There are few who praise others, but many who speak ill of them—how can one avoid being disrespectful?"
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| | 說苑二十... : |
歲饑民疾疫，不足患也。大臣祿重而不極諫，近臣畏罪而不敢言，此大患也。 |
| | Famine and disease among the people are not things to be overly concerned about. When high ministers, though well-paid, do not offer urgent advice, and close attendants fear punishment and dare not speak—this is the real danger.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
趙襄子謂子路曰：「吾嘗問孔子曰：『先生事七十君，豈無明君耶？』孔子不對。何謂賢也？」子路曰：「建天下之鳴鐘，撞之以梃，豈能發其聲乎？」 |
| | Zhao Xiangzi said to Zilu, "I once asked Confucius: 'Master, you have served seventy rulers—was there no wise ruler among them?' Confucius did not reply. "What is meant by virtue?" Zilu said, "If one takes the great bells of the world and strikes them with a stick, could they produce their sound?"
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| | 說苑二十... : |
善夜居者不能早起，盛于彼者衰于此，長于左者短于右。 |
| | Those who are good at staying up late cannot rise early; what is strong in one place may be weak in another, and what is long on the left may be short on the right.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
一貴一賤，交情乃見；一死一生，乃知交情。 |
| | When one rises in status and another falls, true friendship becomes evident; Through life and death, the depth of a relationship is revealed.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
口者兵也，出言不當反自傷。 |
| | The mouth is like a weapon; improper words spoken can wound oneself.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
丹所藏者赤。漆所藏者黑。君子慎所藏也。 |
| | Cinnabar conceals redness within it. Lacquer contains blackness within itself. A gentleman must be cautious about what he conceals.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
飛鳥愛羽，虎豹愛爪，所以輔身也。 |
| | Birds love their feathers, and tigers and leopards cherish their claws—these are the means by which they protect themselves.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
積恩曰愛，積愛曰仁，積仁曰靈臺。靈臺者，積仁也；神靈者，天之本。 |
| | Accumulated kindness is called love; accumulated love is called benevolence; and accumulated benevolence is called the spiritual terrace (ling tai). The spiritual terrace is the accumulation of benevolence; Divine spirits are the essence of Heaven.
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| | 說苑二十... : |
晏子為上卿，妾不衣帛，馬不食粟，何以華國？對曰：「德以華國，不聞以妾與馬。」 |
| | Yanzi served as a high-ranking minister, yet his concubines did not wear silk and his horses were not fed grain—how could this adorn the state? He replied, "Virtue adorns a state; I have never heard of it being done through concubines and horses."
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| | 說苑二十... : |
趙簡子乘弊車瘦馬，衣羖羊之裘。其宰曰：「車新則安，馬肥則疾，狐裘則溫，君宜改也。」簡子曰：「君子服善則益恭，小人服善則益踞。」 |
| | Zhao Jianzi rode in an old cart pulled by thin horses, wearing a coat made from the skin of a black ram. His steward said, "New carts are more stable; fat horses run faster; sable furs keep warm—Your Lordship should change these." Jianzi said, "A gentleman becomes more respectful when he practices virtue; a petty person becomes more arrogant."
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| | 說苑二十... : |
子貢謂子石曰：「何不學《詩》？」子石曰：「父母求吾孝，兄弟求吾悌，朋友求吾信，何暇學哉？」子貢曰：「損吾《詩》，學子《詩》。」 |
| | Zigong asked Zishi, "Why don't you study the Book of Songs?" Zishi replied, "My parents seek my filial piety; my brothers and sisters seek my respectfulness; my friends seek my trustworthiness. How can I find time to study?" Zigong said, "Abandon your own poetry and learn the Book of Songs."
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