The Original Text and Translation of Qi Huan's Literary Works in Jin Dynasty

The Original Text and Translation of History of Qi Huan;

Original text:

Qi Xuanwang asked, "Have you ever heard of Qi Huan and Jin Wen?"

Mencius said to him, "Zhong Ni's followers have nothing to do with literature, but they have nothing to spread in the future, and I have never heard of it. If there is no way, what is the king? "

He said, "What kind of virtue can make you king?"

He said: "Protecting the people is king, and you can't defend yourself."

He said, "If I am a person, how can I protect the people?"

Say, "Yes."

Yue: "How do you know I can do it?"

He said, "I heard from Hu Bi that the King is sitting in the hall, and there are people who are holding cows in the hall. Wang Jianzhi said, "What is a cow?" Right: "It will be a bell." The king said, "Give it up! I can't stand being wrapped in it. If I am innocent, I will die. " He said, "but why use a clock?" He said, "What can we do? Change with sheep. " "Don't know?"

Say, "Yes."

He said: "The heart is king. The people love the king, and I know the king can't stand it. "

The king said, "Of course there are people. Although Qi is young, why do I love a cow? Just can't bear to be swaddled. If I am innocent, I will die, so I want to change sheep. "

He said: "The king and the people love him no different. Small is easy to be big, and evil is known? If Wang hides his innocence and dies, what about cattle and sheep? "

Wang smiled and said, "Why are you sincere? I don't love its wealth, but it is easy to use sheep. It is appropriate for the people to say that I love it. "

He said, "This is harmless, but it is a kind of technology. I can't see the sheep when I see the cow. A gentleman is to a beast: seeing his life, he can't bear to see his death; I can't bear to eat its meat when I hear its voice. Far cooking is also a gentleman. "

Wang said that the poem said that others have a heart, so they should consider it. "── the teacher is also called. I do what I do, but what I ask is not my heart; What the master said is of great concern to me. Why is this heart suitable for the king? "

He said: "There is a gentleman who said:" My strength is enough to lift a hundred kings, not enough to lift a feather; It's bright enough to see the end of autumn, but I can't see the salary. "What about the king?"

Say, "No."

"This kind of elegance is enough to become a beast, but not a person. What is this? However, if you don't lift a feather, you won't exert yourself; If you can't see your salary, you don't need to be clear; People can't see insurance, so they don't have to be kind. Therefore, if the king is not king, he will not be king. "

Yue: "What's the difference between what you don't do and what you won't do?"

As the saying goes, "Mount Tai can't cross the North Sea." . "Is sincere can't also. Breaking branches for the elderly, the speaker said, "No." "If you don't do it, you must not do it. Therefore, the king is not the king, not relying on Mount Tai to surpass the North Sea and so on; The king is not the king, but the folding skill and so on. I am old, and people are old; Young people, young people, young people: the world can be transported in the palm of your hand.

As a poem says, "Punishment is for widows, punishment is for brothers, and punishment is for families." -That's it. Therefore, kindness is enough to protect the whole world. Without kindness, there is no way to protect your wife. Ancient people were bigger than others because they were good at pushing themselves and others. Today's kindness is enough for animals, but not enough for people. What's the only thing? Yes, and then know the weight; Degree; Then know the length; Everything is natural, and the heart is what it is. Wang, please measure it!

"Restrain Wang Xing's soldiers and dangerous officials, blame the ministers, and then quickly deal with them?"

The king said, "No, I will get what I want soon."

He said, "Can you hear the great wish of the king?"

Wang smiled and said nothing.

Yue: "Because the fat is not enough for the mouth and mouth? Light is not warm enough for body and body? Suppressing color selection is not enough by eyes and? Not enough sound? Isn't it enough to place an order before? All the ministers of the king are competent, but is the king right? "

Said, "No, I didn't do it right."

He said, "However, the king's greatest wish is to expand the territory, go to Qin Chu, go to China and take care of the four foreigners. To do what you want, you must seek what you want. "

The king said, "What if it's good?"

Holmium: "It's almost nothing. Seek fish from the edge of the wood, although you can't fish, there is no disaster; Do what you want to do, do what you want to do, and do it wholeheartedly. There will be disasters afterwards. "

He said, "Can you hear me?"

He said, "Who does your majesty think will win the battle between Zou and Chu?"

Said: "Chu people win."

He said: "However, a small entity cannot be the enemy of a large entity, a small entity cannot be the enemy of many entities, and a weak entity cannot be the enemy of a strong entity. The land of the sea, Fang Jiu, has one in the collection; Why is it different from Zou's enemy Chu Tsai? The cover is also reversed. "

Today, the king is in power and benevolent, so that all the officials in the world want to stand in the dynasty, all the cultivators want to plow in the king's field, all the merchants want to hide in the king's city, and all the people in the world want to paint in the king. If so, who can resist?

The king said, "Sorry, I can't go in. May the master assist my ambition and teach me to understand; Although I am not sensitive, please try. "

Yue: "Only those who have perseverance but not constant production have the ability;" If people, there is no constant production, because there is no perseverance. Without perseverance, you will do whatever you want. It is a waste of people to be caught committing a crime and then punished. Why should people be abolished when benevolent people are in power? Therefore, Mingjun will control the property of the people and make him look up to his parents and look down on his wife. Happy years are full of life, and fierce years are free from death. "

Then drive away the good ones, and the people will be lenient. Today, it is also the property of the people. It is not enough to support your parents, nor is it enough to support your wife. Happy years have been bitter for a lifetime, and fierce years are inevitable. This is just to save lives, but I'm afraid I won't be able to support it. If the king wants to do it, he must be afraid.

Five acres of houses, the trees are mulberry trees, and fifty people can eat meat; One hundred acres of land, if you don't hurry, a family of eight can be hungry; I sincerely hope that the godson of the cult will be filial, and the winners will not be on the road. The old people eat meat and wear clothes and silk, but the Li people are neither hungry nor cold: however, if they are not kings, they will have nothing.

Translation:

Qi Xuanwang asked Mencius, "Can I listen to Qi Huangong and Jin Wengong?"

Mencius replied, "None of Confucius' students praised Qi Huangong and Jin Wengong, so they were forgotten in later generations. I haven't heard of it. If you must say it, let's talk about being king! "

(Qi Xuanwang) said, "What kind of morality should we have in order to govern the country and unify the world?"

Mencius said, "If you appease the people and rule the world, no one can resist him."

(Qi Xuanwang) said, "Can people like me appease the people?"

(Mencius) said, "Yes."

(Qi Xuanwang) said, "How do you know I can do it?"

Mencius said, "I heard from Hu Bi that you were sitting in the classroom and a man was holding a cow and passing by your royal highness. You see this man and ask, "Where are the cows?" (The man) replied, "I will use it to sacrifice the clock."

Your Majesty, you said, "Let go! I couldn't bear to watch it tremble with fear, so I went to the place where I was not punished. " (The man asked): "So, did you abandon the ceremony of offering bells?" You said, "How can it be abolished? Use sheep for it. " "I wonder if there is such a thing?"

(Qi Xuanwang) said, "There is this."

(Mencius) said: "This kind of heart is enough to rule the king and unify the world. People think the king is stingy. I do know that you are out of an unbearable sympathy. "

(Qi Xuanwang) said, "Yes, indeed." . Although Qi is a small country, how can you spare a cow? I just can't bear to watch it tremble with fear. Fuck come to a bad end and trade it for a sheep. "

Mencius said, "Don't be surprised to tell people that you are stingy. How do they know the significance of exchanging small for big? If you can't bear to watch it die innocently, what's the difference between a cow and a sheep? "

Qi Xuanwang smiled and said, "What kind of idea is this? (I don't know), I (really) didn't spare money, replacing cattle with sheep. (It seems that) people say that I am stingy. "

Mencius said: "It doesn't matter, what you did just showed kindness, because you saw cows instead of sheep." Moral people treat birds and beasts: when they see them alive, they can't bear to see them die; Hearing its voice, I can't bear to eat its meat. So the gentleman built the kitchen far away. "

Qi Xuanwang was very happy and said, "The Book of Songs says," I can guess what others are thinking. "That is to say, Sir, people like you. I did, and then I thought about it, and I couldn't figure out why. Sir, what you said really opened my heart! What is the truth of this obedience to the king? "

(Mencius) said: "(suppose) someone reported to the king:" I am strong enough to lift three thousand pounds, but I can't lift a feather; My eyesight is enough to see the tiny fluff of birds and animals in autumn, but I can't see the firewood of the whole car. "So, king, do you believe it?"

(Qi Xuanwang) said, "I don't believe it."

Now your kindness is enough to promote animals, but ordinary people can't get your merits, but why? In this way, lifting a feather is effortless; I can't see the firewood of the whole car, because I don't need sight.

People are not protected because they refuse to give kindness. Therefore, your majesty, you can't unify the world by kingly means, but you won't do it, not that you can't do it.

(Qi Xuanwang) said, "What's the difference between refusing to do it and not being able to do it?"

(Mencius) said: (with his arm) lift Mount Tai and jump over the Bohai Sea, telling others: "I can't do it." This is really impossible. Massage your elders' limbs and tell others, "I can't do it." "This is not unwilling to do, not impossible. Kings can't rule the world, so they don't belong to things like Mount Tai crossing the Bohai Sea.

The king can't unify the world, which belongs to massaging the limbs of his elders. Respect for their own elderly, and then extended to respect for others; Take care of your own children, and then extend to take care of other people's children. Unifying the world is as easy as turning things in your hand.

The Book of Songs says: (a monarch) sets a good example for his wife and children, spreads it to his brothers, and then manages a country well. "── that is to extend this kind of heart to others. Therefore, preaching kindness is enough to make the world stable. Without it, even his wife and children can't be comforted.

The reason why ancient saints greatly surpassed others was nothing more than being good at publicizing their own good behavior. Now (your kindness) can be extended to animals, but ordinary people can't get your benefits. What is the reason? Only by weighing can we know the weight; The length can only be known by measurement. Everything is like this, especially the human heart. Your majesty, please think about it!

"Or will you be happy if you start a war and let the soldiers risk their lives and be enemies of the vassal States?"

Qi Xuanwang said, "No, how can I be happy doing this? I intend to use this method to get what I want most. "

Mencius said, "What do you want most? Can I listen? "

Qi Xuanwang just smiled, but said nothing.

Mencius said, "Is it because there is not enough fat to eat? What about light and warm clothes? Or is it because the color is not enough? Wonderful music is not enough? Isn't it enough to be around the people you love? (These) can be completely supplied by your ministers. Is this really your majesty's reason? "

(Qi Xuanwang) said, "No, that's not why I did it."

(Mencius) said: "Then, you can know what the king wants to do most: he wants to expand the territory, let Qin Chu appear before the court, rule the whole Central Plains region, and appease the ethnic minorities in all directions. (But) pursuing such an ideal in this way is like climbing a tree to catch fish. "

Qi Xuanwang said, "Is it as serious as you said?"

(Mencius) said: "I am afraid it is more serious than this. Climbing to the tree to catch fish, although you can't catch fish, there is no future trouble; If you pursue such an ideal in this way and do it wholeheartedly, the result will be disaster. "

(Qi Xuanwang) said, "(What is the reason) can I listen?"

Mencius said, "Who do you think will win if Zou goes to war with Chu?"

(Qi Xuanwang) said, "Chu will win."

Mencius said: "Then, a small country should not be an enemy of a big country, a country with few people should not be an enemy of a country with many people, and a weak country should not be an enemy of a strong country. There are nine (countries) in the world with more than a thousand miles of land, and finally only one country got up. "

What's the difference between using one-ninth (strength) to subdue eight-tenths and fighting between Zou Guo and Chu State? Let's get back to basics.

(If) you now issue a decree to implement benevolent government, so that all officials in the world want to be officials in your court, so that all farmers want to farm in your fields, so that all businessmen want to store goods in the king's market, so that all travelers want to go in and out on the king's road, so that people in all countries who hate their monarch want to come and complain to you. If so, who can resist you?

Qi Xuanwang said, "I'm too confused to do this. I hope you can help me (realize) my wish, sir. Teach me to understand that although I am not sensible, please (let me) try to do so. "

(Mencius) said: "No industry can sustain people's lives for a long time, only people with lofty ideals can do it. As for ordinary people, there is no fixed industry, so there is no long-term heart. If there is no lasting goodwill, (it will) disobey constraints, make mistakes and do nothing. "

When (they) commit crimes, punish them with criminal law, which is to frame the people. How could the ruling benevolent monarch do such a thing to frame the people? Therefore, the wise monarch stipulates the inheritance rights of ordinary people, which will certainly enable them to support their parents in this world and their wives and children in the future; You can have plenty of food and clothing when you grow up, and you won't starve to death when you grow up badly. Then urge them to do good deeds.

So it is easy for ordinary people to follow the monarch. It is now stipulated that the people's property can't support their parents all over the world, nor can it support their wives and children in the future. In good years, they always live in hardship, and in bad years, they are bound to starve to death. In this way, only save yourself from death, it is too late, where can you be polite?

The king really wants to practice benevolent government, why not return to the original? Mulberry trees are planted in a house with five acres of land, so that 50-year-old people can wear silk clothes; Domestic animals such as chickens, dogs, pigs, etc., regardless of the season (breeding), 70-year-old people can have meat to eat.

One hundred acres of land will not delay the farming season, so that a family of eight people will no longer starve; Pay attention to school education, and remind them repeatedly on the principle of filial piety, so that white-haired old people will no longer walk on the road with things on their backs.

Old people wear silk clothes to eat meat, and ordinary people don't go hungry and freeze, so if the world can't be unified, it won't exist.

Brief introduction to the main contents of the article:

This paper systematically expounds Mencius' thought of benevolent government by lobbying Qi Xuanwang to give up hegemony and practice kingly way. This article records Mencius' lobbying for Wang Xuan to implement benevolent policies. Explain that everyone has an unbearable heart. As long as he can carry forward this kindness in his heart, push himself and others, and be kind to the people, it will not be difficult to keep the people king.

Through the dialogue between Mencius and Qi Xuanwang, this paper shows Mencius' kingly thought of "protecting the people as kings" and his political proposition of enriching the people and teaching the people, and also shows Mencius' eloquent character and superb argumentation skills. His proposition is, first of all, to give people a certain industry so that they can support their families and live and work in peace and contentment.

Then "courtesy and righteousness" will guide the people, strengthen ethical education, and thus realize the ideal of kingly way. This proposition reflects the people's desire to get rid of poverty and yearn for a stable life, and shows Mencius' spirit of caring for people's sufferings and pleading for the people, which is worthy of recognition. But Mencius' thought also has its limitations.

First, during the Warring States period, from division to reunification, war was inevitable. Mencius often opposed force in general, which seems out of touch with reality and out of date. Second, his thought of benevolent government is completely based on the theory of "goodness in nature", which seems too naive and simple. Although Mencius' thought has certain value, it is far from the society at that time, so it won't work.