| | 錯幣: |
大夫曰：「交幣通施，民事不及，物有所并也。計本量委，民有饑者，穀有所藏也。智者有百人之功，愚者有不更本之事。人君不調，民有相萬之富也。此其所以或儲百年之餘，或不厭糟糠也。民大富，則不可以祿使也；大彊，則不可以罰威也。非散聚均利者不齊。故人主積其食，守其用，制其有餘，調其不足，禁溢羡，厄利塗，然後百姓可家給人足也。」 |
| | The official said: "Exchanging gifts and spreading them widely, civil affairs are not attended to, things have merged together." Calculating the root and measuring the entrusted matters, there are starving people among the populace; grain has been stored somewhere. The wise person accomplishes the work of a hundred men; the foolish one engages in matters that do not touch upon fundamentals. If the ruler does not regulate properly, there will be among the people wealth differing by ten thousandfold. This is why some may store surplus for a hundred years, while others cannot satisfy themselves with scraps and coarse food. When the people are very wealthy, they cannot be motivated by official salaries; When they are greatly powerful, they cannot be intimidated by punishments. Those who do not distribute and gather benefits evenly will not achieve uniformity. Therefore, the ruler accumulates food supplies, safeguards their use, regulates surpluses, balances shortages, prohibits excesses, restricts profitable paths, and only then can the common people achieve household sufficiency and personal adequacy."
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| | 錯幣: |
文學曰：「古者，貴德而賤利，重義而輕財。三王之時，迭盛迭衰。衰則扶之，傾則定之。是以夏忠、殷敬、周文，庠序之教，恭讓之禮，粲然可得而觀也。及其後，禮義弛崩，風俗滅息，故自食祿之君子，違於義而競於財，大小相吞，淚轉相傾。此所以或儲百年之餘，或無以充虛蔽形也。古之仕者不穡，田者不漁，抱關擊柝，皆有常秩，不得兼利盡物。如此，則愚智同功，不相傾也。《》云：『』言不盡物也。」 |
| | The scholar said: "In ancient times, virtue was valued and profit despised; righteousness was esteemed and wealth regarded lightly. During the time of the Three Kings, they alternately flourished and declined. When they declined, they were supported; when they leaned toward collapse, stability was restored. Therefore, during the Xia dynasty of loyalty, the Yin dynasty of reverence, and the Zhou dynasty of culture, the education in schools and academies, as well as the courteous and yielding rites, were clearly visible. But in later times, rites and righteousness collapsed, customs faded away; thus even the gentlemen who received salaries for their positions violated righteousness and competed for wealth. The great devoured the small, and one after another they fell into ruin. This is why some stored surpluses for over a hundred years while others had nothing to fill their empty stomachs or clothe their bodies. In ancient times, those who served in office did not farm; those who farmed did not fish. Even gatekeepers and night watchmen had fixed ranks and could not pursue multiple profits or exhaust natural resources. In this way, the wise and the foolish contributed equally to their duties, and there was no mutual competition for dominance. The "Shi Jing" says: 'There are abandoned handfuls of grain there, and lingering ears of corn here; these are the gains for a widow.' It means that one should not exhaust all things."
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| | 錯幣: |
大夫曰：「湯、文繼衰，漢興乘弊。一質一文，非苟易常也。俗弊更法，非務變古也，亦所以救失扶衰也。故教與俗改，弊與世易。夏后以玄貝，周人以紫石，後世或金錢刀布。物極而衰，終始之運也。故山澤無征，則君臣同利，刀幣無禁，則姦貞並行。夫臣富則相侈，下專利則相傾也。」 |
| | The official said: "Tang and Wen succeeded during times of decline, and the Han dynasty rose to power amidst disorder. One was simple and austere, another refined and cultural; this was not a casual change from convention. Changing laws in response to corrupt customs is not an attempt to arbitrarily alter the ancient ways, but also a means to correct mistakes and support decline. Therefore, education changes with custom, and ills change with the times. 褛 In the Xia dynasty, dark shells were used; in the Zhou dynasty, purple stones; later generations used coins, knives, or cloth. When things reach their extreme, they decline—this is the cycle of beginning and end. Therefore, when there are no levies on mountains and lakes, rulers and subjects share the same interests; when knives and currency are unrestricted, the wicked and the virtuous walk side by side. When ministers grow wealthy, they indulge in extravagance; when subordinates monopolize profits, they compete for dominance."
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| | 錯幣: |
文學曰：「古者，市朝而無刁幣，各以其所有易所無，抱布貿絲而已。後世即有龜貝金錢，交施之也。幣數變而民滋偽。夫救偽以質，防失以禮。湯、文繼衰，革法易化，而殷、周道興。漢初乘弊，而不改易，畜利變幣，欲以反本，是猶以煎止燔，以火止沸也。上好禮則民闇飾，上好貨則下死利也。」 |
| | The scholar said: "In ancient times, markets and courts existed without deceitful currency; people exchanged what they had for what they lacked—nothing more than wrapping cloth to trade for silk. Later generations did have tortoise shells, cowrie shells, and coins, but these were used in mutual exchange as well. As the forms of currency changed, the people became more prone to deceit. To correct deceit, one relies on simplicity; to prevent loss, one depends on rites. Tang and Wen followed times of decline, reformed laws and transformed customs, thus the ways of Yin and Zhou flourished. At the beginning of the Han dynasty, they rose amidst disorder but did not reform or change; instead, they accumulated profits and altered currency. Wanting to return to fundamentals in this way is like using fire to stop burning, or using flames to quell boiling water. When the ruler favors rites, the people will be secretly refined in appearance; when the ruler favors wealth, those below will risk death for profit."
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| | 錯幣: |
大夫曰：「文帝之時，縱民得鑄錢、冶鐵、煮鹽。吳王擅鄣海澤，鄧通專西山。山東奸猾，咸聚吳國，秦、雍、漢、蜀因鄧氏。吳、鄧錢布天下，故有鑄錢之禁。禁禦之法立，而奸偽息，奸偽息，則民不期於妄得，而各務其職；不反本何為？故統一，則民不二也；幣由上，則下不疑也。」 |
| | The official said: "During the reign of Emperor Wen, the people were allowed to cast coins, smelt iron, and boil salt. Prince Wu of Wu monopolized the coastal marshes, while Deng Tong controlled the western mountains. Wicked and cunning people from Shandong all gathered in Wu State; those from Qin, Yong, Han, and Shu relied on the Deng family. Wu and Deng's coins spread throughout the land, hence there was a ban on coin casting. When laws to prohibit and guard against misconduct were established, deceitful practices ceased. When deceitful practices ceased, the people no longer hoped for unjust gains but instead each attended diligently to their duties; What else could returning to fundamentals mean? Therefore, when unity is achieved, the people do not divide; When currency originates from above, those below have no doubts."
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| | 錯幣: |
文學曰：「往古，幣眾財通而民樂。其後，稍去舊幣，更行白金龜龍，民多巧新幣。幣數易而民益疑。於是廢天下諸錢，而專命水衡三官作。吏匠侵利，或不中式，故有薄厚輕重。農人不習，物類比之，信故疑新，不知姦貞。商賈以美貿惡，以半易倍。買則失實，賣則失理，其疑或滋益甚。夫鑄偽金錢以有法，而錢之善惡無增損於故。擇錢則物稽滯，而用人尤被其苦。春秋曰：『算不及蠻、夷則不行。』故王者外不鄣海澤以便民用，內不禁刀幣以通民施。」 |
| | The scholar said: "In ancient times, when currencies were numerous and wealth circulated freely, the people rejoiced. Later on, they gradually abandoned old currency and introduced new white gold, tortoises, and dragons; the people then devised many ingenious ways to counterfeit the new coins. As the forms of money changed frequently, the people grew increasingly doubtful. Thus they abolished all kinds of coins throughout the land and exclusively ordered the San Guan department under Shuiheng to produce them. Officials and craftsmen encroached on profits, or their coins did not meet standards; thus there were variations in thickness and weight. Farmers were unfamiliar with these matters, so they compared objects of similar kinds, believing the old but doubting the new, and could not distinguish between the virtuous and the deceitful. Merchants traded good for bad, and exchanged half value for double. When buying, they lost the actual worth; when selling, they violated reason—thus their doubts grew even more intense. If counterfeit coins are cast according to established laws, the quality of the coins remains unchanged from before—neither improved nor worsened. Selecting coins causes goods to be delayed and inspected; common people suffer especially from this hardship. The "Chunqiu" says: 'If calculations do not reach the southern or eastern tribes, they will not be carried out.' Therefore, a wise ruler does not block off seas and marshes to inconvenience the people's use; within, he does not prohibit knives or currency in order to facilitate the people's exchange."
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