| Chinese Text Project |
《不苟 - Not acting recklessly or without principle》 | English translation: AI and Chinese Text Project users [?] | Books referencing 《不苟》 Library Resources |
| 1 | 不苟: | 君子行不貴苟難，說不貴苟察，名不貴苟傳，唯其當之為貴。故懷負石而投河，是行之難為者也，而申徒狄能之；然而君子不貴者，非禮義之中也。「山淵平」，「天地比」，「齊秦襲」，「入乎耳，出乎口」，「鉤有須」，「卵有毛」，是說之難持者也，而惠施鄧析能之。然而君子不貴者，非禮義之中也。盜跖貪凶，名聲若日月，與舜禹俱傳而不息；然而君子不貴者，非禮義之中也。故曰：君子行不貴苟難，說不貴苟察，名不貴苟傳，唯其當之為貴。《詩》曰：「物其有矣，惟其時矣。」此之謂也。 |
| A gentleman does not value difficulty for its own sake in his conduct, nor does he value excessive scrutiny in his speech, nor does he value the mere transmission of a name; what is precious is only that which is appropriate. Therefore, carrying stones and throwing himself into the river is an act of great difficulty, yet Shentu Di was able to do it; However, a gentleman does not value such acts, for they are not in accordance with the principles of propriety and righteousness. "Mountains and abysses are level," "Heaven and Earth are comparable," "Qi and Qin overlap," "What enters the ear exits the mouth," "Hooks have beards," "Eggs have feathers"—these are difficult arguments to maintain, yet Huishi and Deng Xi were able to do so. However, a gentleman does not value these things, for they are not in harmony with the principles of propriety and righteous conduct. Dazhi was greedy and violent; his reputation, like that of the sun and moon, spread alongside those of Shun and Yu without ceasing; However, a gentleman does not hold such persons in high esteem, for they are not aligned with the principles of propriety and justice. Therefore it is said: A gentleman does not value difficult actions for their own sake, nor does he value overly meticulous arguments, nor does he value a name merely because it spreads widely; what is truly valuable is only that which is fitting and appropriate. The Shi Jing says: "Things may exist, but it is their timing that matters." This is what is meant by that. | ||
| 2 | 不苟: | 君子易知而難狎，易懼而難脅，畏患而不避義死，欲利而不為所非，交親而不比，言辯而不辭，蕩蕩乎其有以殊於世也。 |
| A gentleman is easy to understand but difficult to be familiar with, easily frightened but not easily coerced; he fears misfortune yet does not avoid death in the cause of righteousness, desires profit yet will not act contrary to what is condemned; he befriends closely yet does not form partisan alliances, speaks eloquently yet does not resort to sophistry—thus, with an open and upright manner, he stands distinctly apart from the world. | ||
| 3 | 不苟: | 君子能亦好，不能亦好；小人能亦醜，不能亦醜。君子能則寬容易直以開道人，不能則恭敬繜絀以畏事人；小人能則倨傲僻違以驕溢人，不能則妒嫉怨誹以傾覆人。故曰：君子能則人榮學焉，不能則人樂告之；小人能則人賤學焉，不能則人羞告之。是君子小人之分也。 |
| A gentleman is good whether he is capable or not; A petty person is ugly whether he is capable or not. If a gentleman is capable, he is broad-minded, easygoing, and straightforward in guiding others; if he is not capable, he remains respectful, cautious, and modest in reverently attending to others. If a petty person is capable, he becomes arrogant, eccentric, and defiant, swaggering over others; if he is not capable, then he becomes envious, resentful, and slanderous, seeking to undermine others. Therefore it is said: When a gentleman is capable, people honor him and seek to learn from him; when he is not capable, people are willing to inform him. When a petty person is capable, people look down on him and have no desire to learn from him; when he lacks capability, people feel ashamed even to inform him. This is the distinction between a gentleman and a petty person. | ||
| 4 | 不苟: | 君子寬而不僈，廉而不劌，辯而不爭，察而不激，直立而不勝，堅彊而不暴，柔從而不流，恭敬謹慎而容。夫是之謂至文。《詩》曰：「溫溫恭人，惟德之基。」此之謂也。 |
| A gentleman is broad-minded yet not lax, upright yet not harsh, eloquent yet not quarrelsome, discerning yet not incendiary, resolute yet not overbearing, strong yet not violent, yielding yet not drifting with the current, respectful and cautious yet at ease. This is what is called the highest form of culture. The Shi Jing says: "Gentle and respectful people are the foundation of virtue." This is what is meant by that statement. | ||
| 5 | 不苟: | 君子崇人之德，揚人之美，非諂諛也；正義直指，舉人之過，非毀疵也；言己之光美，擬於舜禹，參於天地，非夸誕也；與時屈伸，柔從若蒲葦，非懾怯也；剛彊猛毅，靡所不信，非驕暴也；以義變應，知當曲直故也。《詩》曰：「左之左之，君子宜之；右之右之，君子有之。」此言君子能以義屈信變應故也。 |
| A gentleman honors others' virtues and praises their excellence; this is not flattery. Upholding righteousness and directly pointing out a person's faults, bringing to light their mistakes, is not malicious criticism. Speaking of one's own noble virtues and comparing oneself to Shun and Yu, measuring up against Heaven and Earth, is not boastful or delusional. Adapting to circumstances by bending and stretching, yielding like reeds and papyrus, is not timidity or cowardice; Being firm, resolute, and courageous, with nothing that cannot be trusted to him, is not arrogance or brutality. This is because one adjusts according to righteousness and knows when to bend or stand firm accordingly. The Shi Jing says: "Turn left, turn left—this is what a gentleman should do; Turn right, turn right—a gentleman possesses this." This is a statement about how a gentleman can bend and adapt according to righteousness. | ||
| 6 | 不苟: | 君子小人之反也：君子大心則敬天而道，小心則畏義而節；知則明通而類，愚則端愨而法；見由則恭而止，見閉則敬而齊；喜則和而理，憂則靜而理；通則文而明，窮則約而詳。小人則不然：大心則慢而暴，小心則流淫而傾；知則攫盜而漸，愚則毒賊而亂；見由則兌而倨，見閉則怨而險；喜則輕而翾，憂則挫而懾；通則驕而偏，窮則棄而儑。傳曰：「君子兩進，小人兩廢。」此之謂也。 |
| The contrast between a gentleman and a petty person is as follows: When a gentleman has broad-mindedness, he reveres Heaven and follows the Way; when he exercises caution, he fears righteousness and observes propriety. When wise, he is clear-sighted, perceptive, and able to discern patterns; when humble or less knowledgeable, he remains upright, sincere, and law-abiding. When his path is open, he acts with reverence and restraint; when it is blocked, he maintains respect and composure. When joyful, he remains harmonious and orderly; when worried, he stays calm and composed. In times of prosperity, he is refined and clear-minded; in adversity, he is restrained yet thorough in his conduct. A petty person behaves quite differently: when overconfident, he becomes arrogant and violent; when cautious, he flows into licentiousness and instability. When wise, he grasps and steals gradually; when ignorant, he becomes malicious and sows disorder. When his path is open, his manner becomes smug and haughty; when it is blocked, his heart fills with resentment and he turns treacherous. When joyful, he becomes frivolous and flighty; when worried, he grows disheartened and timid. In times of success, he becomes arrogant and biased; in adversity, he abandons principles and appears sly. The Chuan says: "A gentleman advances in both virtue and conduct, while a petty person falls short in both." This is what is meant by that saying. | ||
| 7 | 不苟: | 君子治治，非治亂也。曷謂邪？曰：禮義之謂治，非禮義之謂亂也。故君子者，治禮義者也，非治非禮義者也。然則國亂將弗治與？曰：國亂而治之者，非案亂而治之之謂也。去亂而被之以治。人汙而脩之者，非案汙而脩之之謂也，去汙而易之以脩。故去亂而非治亂也，去汙而非脩汙也。治之為名，猶曰君子為治而不為亂，為脩而不為汙也。 |
| A gentleman governs order, not disorder. What does this mean? It means: Order is defined by rites and righteousness, while disorder is defined by the absence of rites and righteousness. Therefore, a gentleman is one who cultivates rites and righteousness; he does not cultivate that which opposes rites and righteousness. Then shall the gentleman leave a disorderly state unaddressed? It means: To govern a disorderly state is not to address disorder directly, but rather— to remove disorder and clothe the state in order. To cultivate a corrupt person is not to address corruption directly, but rather to remove corruption and replace it with virtue. Therefore, one removes disorder without directly governing disorder, and one removes corruption without cultivating corruption. The term "govern" implies that a gentleman strives for order rather than disorder, and for cultivation rather than corruption. | ||
| 8 | 不苟: |
君子絜其身而同焉者合矣，善其言而類焉者應矣。故馬鳴而馬應之， 牛鳴而牛應之，1非知也，其勢然也。故新浴者振其衣，新沐者彈其冠，人之情也。其誰能以己之潐潐，受人之掝掝者哉！ |
| A gentleman purifies himself, and those who are like-minded will unite with him; he speaks virtuously, and those whose conduct is similar will respond to him. Therefore, when a horse neighs, other horses respond—not out of knowledge, but due to the natural affinity between them. Hence, one who has just bathed shakes his clothes, and one who has just washed his hair plucks at his hat; this is human nature. Who could bear the coarse and rough behavior of others with their own refined and delicate self?
1. 牛鳴而牛應之， : Inserted. 據《韓詩外傳》補。 | ||
| 9 | 不苟: | 君子養心莫善於誠，致誠則無它事矣。唯仁之為守，唯義之為行。誠心守仁則形，形則神，神則能化矣。誠心行義則理，理則明，明則能變矣。變化代興，謂之天德。天不言而人推高焉，地不言而人推厚焉，四時不言而百姓期焉。夫此有常，以至其誠者也。君子至德，嘿然而喻，未施而親，不怒而威：夫此順命，以慎其獨者也。善之為道者，不誠則不獨，不獨則不形，不形則雖作於心，見於色，出於言，民猶若未從也；雖從必疑。天地為大矣，不誠則不能化萬物；聖人為知矣，不誠則不能化萬民；父子為親矣，不誠則疏；君上為尊矣，不誠則卑。夫誠者，君子之所守也，而政事之本也，唯所居以其類至。操之則得之，舍之則失之。操而得之則輕，輕則獨行，獨行而不舍，則濟矣。濟而材盡，長遷而不反其初，則化矣。 |
| A gentleman cultivates his mind in no better way than through sincerity; to attain sincerity is to have nothing else to attend to. He holds fast only to benevolence, and acts only according to righteousness. With a sincere heart upholding benevolence, one's character becomes manifest; when it is manifest, the spirit awakens; and with an awakened spirit, one can transform others. With a sincere heart acting in accordance with righteousness, one achieves order; through order comes clarity, and through clarity comes the ability to effect change. Change and renewal succeeding each other are called the virtue of Heaven. Heaven does not speak, yet people revere its height; Earth does not speak, yet people honor its depth; the Four Seasons do not speak, yet the common people anticipate them. This constancy is what brings about sincerity. A gentleman of the highest virtue, though silent, conveys understanding; before bestowing favors, people already feel close to him; without anger, he inspires awe—this is because he follows destiny and exercises caution in his solitude. Virtue, as a principle, cannot be achieved without sincerity; without sincerity, one lacks solitude in self-reflection; without such solitude, virtue remains unmanifested. If it is not manifested, even if one feels it deeply within, shows it on the face, and expresses it through words, the people will still seem unwilling to follow. Even if they do follow, they will remain doubtful. Heaven and Earth are the greatest of all things, yet without sincerity, they could not transform the myriad beings; Sages are the wisest, yet without sincerity, they cannot transform the people. Father and son are the closest of kin, yet without sincerity, their bond becomes distant; The sovereign is the most exalted, yet without sincerity, his position becomes lowly. Sincerity is what a gentleman upholds and the foundation of governance; wherever sincerity resides, those of similar virtue will naturally come to it. Grasp it and you attain it; abandon it and you lose it. To grasp and attain sincerity is to carry a light burden, and with this lightness one can walk alone in virtue; if one continues unwaveringly without abandoning it, then success will be achieved. When success is achieved and one's talents are fully realized, when one progresses steadily forward without returning to his original state, transformation is complete. | ||
| 10 | 不苟: | 君子位尊而志恭，心小而道大；所聽視者近，而所聞見者遠。是何邪？則操術然也。故千人萬人之情，一人之情也。天地始者，今日是也。百王之道，後王是也。君子審後王之道，而論百王之前，若端拜而議。推禮義之統，分是非之分，總天下之要，治海內之眾，若使一人。故操彌約，而事彌大。五寸之矩，盡天下之方也。故君子不下室堂，而海內之情舉積此者，則操術然也。 |
| A gentleman holds a high position yet maintains a humble mind; he considers himself small in heart yet upholds the great Way; He pays attention to what is near at hand, yet his knowledge and vision extend far. Why is this so? This is due to the method one employs. Therefore, the feelings of a thousand or ten thousand people are but the feelings of one person. The beginning of Heaven and Earth is today itself. The Way of a hundred past kings is embodied in the later kings. A gentleman examines the Way of the later kings and discusses those before them, just as one bows with due formality to deliberate a matter. He traces the principles of rites and righteousness, distinguishes between right and wrong, summarizes the essentials of the world, governs the multitude within the realm as if commanding a single person. Therefore, the more concise one's method, the greater the affairs that can be accomplished. A five-inch square measure encompasses all the rectitude of the world. Therefore, a gentleman need not leave his hall or chamber for the sentiments of the entire realm to gather here—this is due to the method he employs. | ||
| 11 | 不苟: | 有通士者，有公士者，有直士者，有愨士者，有小人者。上則能尊君，下則能愛民，物至而應，事起而辨，若是則可謂通士矣。不下比以闇上，不上同以疾下，分爭於中，不以私害之，若是則可謂公士矣。身之所長，上雖不知，不以悖君；身之所短，上雖不知，不以取賞；長短不飾，以情自竭，若是則可謂直士矣。庸言必信之，庸行必慎之，畏法流俗，而不敢以其所獨甚，若是則可謂愨士矣。言無常信，行無常貞，唯利所在，無所不傾，若是則可謂小人矣。 |
| There are those known as "Tong Shi," those known as "Gong Shi," those known as "Zhi Shi," those known as "Qie Shi," and there are petty persons. If one can honor the ruler above, cherish the people below, respond appropriately to all matters that arise, and discern clearly when affairs occur, then such a person may be called a "Tong Shi." He does not conspire with those below to deceive his superiors, nor align himself with those above to oppress those beneath; in disputes within the middle ranks, he does not allow personal interests to harm justice—if this is so, then such a person may be termed a "Gong Shi." If something lies within his own strengths, even if the sovereign does not know of it, he will not act in defiance of the ruler; If something is among his weaknesses, even if the sovereign remains unaware, he will not seek reward for it; He does not conceal his strengths or weaknesses but exhausts himself in sincerity—if this is so, then such a man may be called a "Zhi Shi." He must always keep his ordinary words trustworthy and exercise care in his everyday actions, fearing legal norms and prevailing customs so as not to act recklessly according to his own inclinations—if this is the case, then such a person may be considered a "Qie Shi." If one's words lack consistent trustworthiness, his actions lack steadfast integrity, and he follows only where profit lies, showing no loyalty or principle—such a person may be called a petty individual. | ||
| 12 | 不苟: | 公生明，偏生闇，端愨生通，詐偽生塞，誠信生神，夸誕生惑。此六生者，君子慎之，而禹桀所以分也。 |
| Impartiality gives rise to clarity, partiality brings darkness; uprightness and sincerity lead to understanding, while deceit and falsehood result in blockage. Sincerity and trustworthiness give birth to spiritual insight, whereas boastful exaggeration breeds confusion. These six sources of influence—clarity, darkness, understanding, blockage, spiritual insight, and confusion—a gentleman must treat with caution; they are precisely what distinguish Yu the Virtuous from Jie the Tyrant. | ||
| 13 | 不苟: | 欲惡取舍之權：見其可欲也，則必前後慮其可惡也者；見其可利也，則必前後慮其可害也者，而兼權之，孰計之，然後定其欲惡取舍。如是則常不失陷矣。凡人之患，偏傷之也。見其可欲也，則不慮其可惡也者；見其可利也，則不顧其可害也者。是以動則必陷，為則必辱，是偏傷之患也。 |
| The principle of desire, aversion, selection, and rejection is as follows: When one sees something desirable, he must necessarily consider before and after whether it may also be hateful; When one sees something beneficial, he must necessarily consider whether it may also bring harm before and after; weighing all factors together, carefully calculating them, only then can he determine his desires, aversions, selections, and rejections. If one acts in this manner, he will never fall into misfortune or failure. The common affliction of people is that they are harmed by partiality and bias. When one sees something desirable, he does not consider whether it may also be hateful; this is a common affliction among people. When one sees something beneficial, he pays no heed to the possibility that it may also bring harm. Therefore, when they act, they inevitably fall into misfortune; when they do something, they are bound to be disgraced—this is the affliction caused by partiality and one-sidedness. | ||
| 14 | 不苟: | 人之所惡者，吾亦惡之。夫富貴者，則類傲之；夫貧賤者，則求柔之。是非仁人之情也，是姦人將以盜名於晻世者也，險莫大焉。故曰：盜名不如盜貨。田仲、史鰌不如盜也。 |
| What people detest, I also detest. Those who are rich and noble tend to be arrogant; Those who are poor and lowly seek to be submissive. This is not the nature of a benevolent person; rather, it is the conduct of deceitful individuals who seek to steal fame in an obscure age—there can be no greater peril than this. Therefore it is said: Stealing a reputation is worse than stealing goods. Tian Zhong and Shi Qiao are no better than thieves. |
URN: ctp:xunzi/bu-gou