Dressing Up Wrongdoing飾邪
鑿龜數筴，兆曰「大吉」，而以攻燕者，趙也。鑿龜數筴，兆曰「大吉」，而以攻趙者，燕也。劇辛之事燕，無功而社稷危；鄒衍之事燕，無功而國道絶。趙代先得意於燕，後得意於齊，國亂節高，自以爲與秦提衡，非趙龜神而燕龜欺也。趙又嘗鑿龜數筴而北伐燕，將劫燕以逆秦，兆曰「大吉」。始攻大梁而秦出上黨矣，兵至釐而六城拔矣；至陽城，秦拔鄴矣，龐援揄兵而南，則鄣盡矣。臣故曰：趙龜雖無遠見於燕，且宜近見於秦。秦以其「大吉」，辟地有實，救燕有有名。趙以其「大吉」，地削兵辱，主不得意而死。又非秦龜神而趙龜欺也。初時者，魏數年東鄉攻盡陶、衞，數年西鄉以失其國，此非豐隆、五行、太一、王相、攝提、六神、五括、天河、殷搶、歲星數年在西也，又非天缺、弧逆、刑星、熒惑、奎台數年在東也。故曰：龜筴鬼神不足舉勝，左右背鄉不足以專戰。然而恃之，愚莫大焉。
They bored the tortoise shell and counted the stalks, and the omen said "greatly auspicious," and with that they attacked Yan. That was Zhao. They bored the tortoise shell and counted the stalks, and the omen said "greatly auspicious," and with that they attacked Zhao. That was Yan. Ju Xin served Yan, and there was no merit and the altars of the land and grain stood in danger; Zou Yan served Yan, and there was no merit and the way of the state was cut off. Zhao then got its will first in Yan and afterward got its will in Qi, and though the state was in disorder its temper was high, and it reckoned itself a match for Qin on the balance. It was not that the tortoise of Zhao was divine and the tortoise of Yan a cheat. Zhao once again bored the tortoise shell and counted the stalks and marched north against Yan, meaning to press Yan into standing against Qin, and the omen said "greatly auspicious." It had just begun to attack Daliang when Qin came out at Shangdang, and when the troops reached Li six cities had been taken. When they reached Yangcheng, Qin had taken Ye, and Pang Yuan led his troops south, and the barriers were all gone. Therefore your servant says: even if the tortoise of Zhao had no far sight about Yan, it ought at least to have had near sight about Qin. Qin, by that "greatly auspicious," opened land and got the substance, and got the name of having rescued Yan as well. Zhao, by that "greatly auspicious," had its land pared away and its army disgraced, and its ruler died without getting his will. Here again it was not that the tortoise of Qin was divine and the tortoise of Zhao a cheat. In the beginning, Wei faced east for some years and attacked and took all of Tao and Wey (衞), and faced west for some years and by that lost its state. This was not because Fenglong, Wuxing, Taiyi, Wangxiang, Sheti, Liushen, Wukuo, Tianhe, Yinqiang, and Suixing were in the west for those years, nor was it because Tianque, Huni, Xingxing, Yinghuo, and Kuitai were in the east for those years. Hence the saying: the tortoise, the stalks, and the spirits are not enough to bring victory, and left and right, back and front are not enough to settle a battle. Yet to rely on them, no folly is greater than that.
古者先王盡力於親民，加事於明法。彼法明，則忠臣勸；罰必，則邪臣止。忠勸邪止而地廣主尊者，秦是也；羣臣朋黨比周以隱正道行私曲而地削主卑者，山東是也。亂弱者亡，人之性也；治强者王，古之道也。越王勾踐恃大朋之龜與吳戰而不勝，身臣入宦于吳；反國弃龜，明法親民以報吳，則夫差爲擒。故恃鬼神者慢於法，恃諸侯者危其國。曹恃齊而不聽宋，齊攻荊而宋滅曹。邢恃吳而不聽齊，越伐吳而齊滅邢。許恃荊而不聽魏，荊攻宋而魏滅許。鄭恃魏而不聽韓，魏攻荊而韓滅鄭。今者韓國小而恃大國，主慢而聽秦、魏，恃齊、荊爲用，而小國愈亡。故恃人不足以廣壤，而韓不見也。荊爲攻魏而加兵許、鄢，齊攻任、扈而削魏，不足以存鄭，而韓弗知也。此皆不明其法禁以治其國，恃外以滅其社稷者也。
In antiquity the former kings put out all their strength in drawing the people close, and added their labor to making the law bright. When that law is bright, loyal ministers are encouraged; when punishment is certain, depraved ministers stop. To have loyalty encouraged and depravity stopped, and the land widened and the ruler honored, is the case of Qin. To have the host of ministers form cliques and band together, hiding the straight way and working private crookedness, and the land pared away and the ruler lowered, is the case of the states east of the mountains. That the disordered and weak perish is the nature of men; that the governed and strong reign as kings is the way of antiquity. King Goujian of Yue trusted the great tortoise with the peng-bird mark and fought Wu and did not win, and in his own person became a servant and entered Wu to be used. He returned to his state and threw away the tortoise, and made the law bright and drew the people close, and repaid Wu, and Fuchai was taken captive. So one who trusts the spirits is slack about the law, and one who trusts the feudal lords puts his state in danger. Cao trusted Qi and would not listen to Song, and when Qi attacked Chu, Song wiped out Cao. Xing trusted Wu and would not listen to Qi, and when Yue struck Wu, Qi wiped out Xing. Xu trusted Chu and would not listen to Wei, and when Chu attacked Song, Wei wiped out Xu. Zheng trusted Wei and would not listen to Han, and when Wei attacked Chu, Han wiped out Zheng. Now Han is a small state and trusts the great states, and its ruler is slack and listens to Qin and Wei, and trusts Qi and Chu to be of use, and so the small state perishes all the faster. Therefore trusting others is not enough to widen one's soil, and Han does not see it. Chu, to attack Wei, brought troops against Xu and Yan, and Qi attacked Ren and Hu and pared Wei away, and none of this was enough to keep Zheng alive, and Han does not know it. These are all men who did not make their laws and prohibitions bright to govern their states, but trusted the outside and so destroyed their altars of the land and grain.
臣故曰：明於治之數，則國雖小，富；賞罰敬信，民雖寡，强。賞罰無度，國雖大，兵弱者，地非其地，民非其民也。無地無民，堯、舜不能以王，三代不能以强。人主又以過予，人臣又以徒取。舍法律而言先王明君之功者，上任之以國。臣故曰：是願古之功，以古之賞賞今之人也。主以是過予，而臣以此徒取矣。主過予，則臣偷幸；臣徒取，則功不尊。無功者受賞，則財匱而民望；財匱而民望，則民不盡力矣。故用賞過者失民，用刑過者民不畏。有賞不足以勸，有刑不足以禁，則國雖大，必危。
Therefore your servant says: be bright about the arts of government, and though the state be small it is rich; make reward and punishment careful and trustworthy, and though the people be few they are strong. When reward and punishment have no measure, then though the state be great its army is weak, for the land is not its land and the people are not its people. With no land and no people, Yao and Shun could not have reigned as kings and the Three Dynasties could not have grown strong. The ruler for his part gives beyond measure, and the minister for his part takes for nothing. One who sets the statutes aside and talks of the merits of the former kings and the enlightened rulers is entrusted by those above with the state. Therefore your servant says: this is to long for the merit of antiquity, and to reward the men of today with the rewards of antiquity. By this the ruler gives beyond measure, and by this the minister takes for nothing. When the ruler gives beyond measure, the minister steals a piece of luck; when the minister takes for nothing, merit is not honored. When those without merit receive reward, goods run dry and the people look to be given; when goods run dry and the people look to be given, the people do not put out all their strength. So one who uses reward beyond measure loses the people, and one who uses punishment beyond measure is not feared by the people. When there is reward and it is not enough to encourage, and punishment and it is not enough to forbid, then though the state be great it must stand in danger.
故曰：小知不可使謀事，小忠不可使主法。荊恭王與晉厲公戰於鄢陵，荊師敗，恭王傷。酣戰，而司馬子反渴而求飲，其友竪穀陽奉巵酒而進之。子反曰：「去之，此酒也。」竪穀陽曰：「非也。」子反受而飲之。子反爲人嗜酒，甘之，不能絶之於口，醉而臥。恭王欲復戰而謀事，使人召子反，子反辭以心疾。恭王駕而往視之，入幄中，聞酒臭而還，曰：「今日之戰，寡人目親傷。所恃者司馬，司馬又如此，是亡荊國之社稷而不恤吾衆也。寡人無與復戰矣。」罷師而去之，斬子反以爲大戮。故曰：竪穀陽之進酒也，非以端惡子反也，實心以忠愛之，而適足以殺之而已矣。此行小忠而賊大忠者也。故曰：小忠，大忠之賊也。若使小忠主法，則必將赦罪以相愛，是與下安矣，然而妨害於治民者也。
Hence the saying: small wisdom cannot be set to plan affairs, and small loyalty cannot be set over the law. King Gong of Chu fought Duke Li of Jin at Yanling. The army of Chu was beaten, and King Gong was wounded. At the height of the fighting the marshal Zifan was thirsty and asked for something to drink, and his friend the page Guyang took a goblet of wine and brought it to him. Zifan said, "Take it away. That is wine." The page Guyang said, "It is not." Zifan took it and drank it. Now Zifan was a man who loved wine, and once he found it sweet he could not keep it from his mouth, and he grew drunk and lay down. King Gong wished to fight again and to plan the affair, and he sent a man to summon Zifan, but Zifan excused himself, saying his heart ailed him. King Gong drove out and went to see him, and he entered the tent, and he smelled the reek of wine and turned back, saying, "In today's fighting I was wounded in the eye myself. The one I rely on is the marshal, and the marshal is like this. This is to ruin the altars of the land and grain of Chu and to have no care for my multitude. I have no one to fight beside again." With that he turned his army about and went away, and he beheaded Zifan and made of him a great execution. So it is said: the page Guyang's offering of the wine was not done out of hatred for Zifan. In truth his heart was loyal and loved him, and it was just enough to kill him. This is to practice small loyalty and harm great loyalty. Hence the saying: small loyalty is the ruin of great loyalty. If small loyalty were set over the law, it would surely pardon crimes out of mutual love, and this is ease with those below but harm to the governing of the people.
當魏之方明《立辟》、從憲令之時，有功者必賞，有罪者必誅，强匡天下，威行四隣；及法慢，妄予，而國日削矣。當趙之方明《國律》、從大軍之時，人衆兵强，辟地齊、燕；及《國律》慢，用者弱，而國日削矣。當燕之方明《奉法》、審官斷之時，東縣齊國，南盡中山之地；及《奉法》已亡，官斷不用，左右交爭，論從其下，則兵弱而地削，國制於隣敵矣。故曰：明法者强，慢法者弱。强弱如是其明矣，而世主弗爲，國亡宜矣。語曰：「家有常業，雖飢不餓；國有常法，雖危不亡。」夫舍常法而從私意，則臣下飾於智能；臣下飾於智能，則法禁不立矣。是妄意之道行，治國之道廢也。治國之道，去害法者，則不惑於智能，不矯於名譽矣。
In the time when Wei was making the Lipi bright and following its statutes and orders, those with merit were surely rewarded and those with guilt were surely cut down, and it was strong enough to set all under heaven straight, and its awe went out to the four neighbors. When the law grew slack and gifts were given recklessly, the state was pared away day by day. In the time when Zhao was making the Guolü bright and following its great army, its people were many and its army strong, and it opened land in Qi and Yan. When the Guolü grew slack and those who used it grew weak, the state was pared away day by day. In the time when Yan was making the Fengfa bright and examining the decisions of its officers, it made a district of Qi in the east and took all the land of Zhongshan in the south. When the Fengfa was gone and the decisions of the officers went unused, and those at the ruler's side contended with one another, and judgment followed those below, then the army was weak and the land pared away, and the state was controlled by its neighboring enemies. Hence the saying: one who makes the law bright is strong, and one who is slack about the law is weak. Strength and weakness are as plain as this, and yet the rulers of the age will not do it, and it is fitting that their states perish. The old saying runs, "Where a house has a constant calling, it may hunger but it will not starve; where a state has a constant law, it may stand in danger but it will not perish." Now if one sets the constant law aside and follows private intent, then the ministers below dress themselves up with wisdom and ability; and when the ministers below dress themselves up with wisdom and ability, law and prohibition do not stand. This is for the way of reckless intent to be practiced and the way of governing a state to be abandoned. The way of governing a state is to be rid of those who harm the law; then one is not beguiled by wisdom and ability and not bent by name and praise.
昔者舜使吏決鴻水，先令有功而舜殺之；禹朝諸侯之君會稽之上，防風之君後至而禹斬之。以此觀之，先令者殺，後令者斬，則古者先貴如令矣。故鏡埶清而無事，美惡從而比焉；衡埶正而無事，輕重從而載焉。夫揺鏡則不得爲明，揺衡則不得爲正，法之謂也。故先王以道爲常，以法爲本。本治者名尊，本亂者名絶。凡智能明通，有以則行，無以則止。故智能單道，不可傳於人。而道法萬全，智能多失。夫懸衡而知平，設規而知圓，萬全之道也。明主使民飾於道之故，故佚而有功。釋規而任巧，釋法而任智，惑亂之道也。亂主使民飾於智，不知道之故，故勞而無功。釋法禁而聽請謁，羣臣賣官於上，取賞於下，是以利在私家而威在羣臣。
In days past Shun sent an officer to open a course for the great waters, and the man made his merit before the order came, and Shun put him to death. Yu held court for the lords of the feudal states on Kuaiji, and the lord of Fangfeng came late, and Yu beheaded him. Looking at it from this, one who went before the order was put to death and one who came after the order was beheaded, and in antiquity the first thing held noble was to do as the order said. So a mirror keeps its clearness and has nothing to do, and beauty and ugliness are matched against it accordingly; a balance keeps its straightness and has nothing to do, and light and heavy are loaded on it accordingly. Shake the mirror and it cannot be bright, shake the balance and it cannot be straight. This is what the law means. So the former kings took the way as their constant and the law as their root. He whose root is governed has an honored name; he whose root is in disorder has his name cut off. In general, wisdom and ability may be bright and penetrating, yet if there is something to use them on they act and if there is not they stop. So wisdom and ability are a lone road and cannot be handed on to another, while the way and the law are whole through ten thousand cases and wisdom and ability lose much. Now to hang up a balance and know what is level, and to set out a compass and know what is round, is the road that is whole through ten thousand cases. The enlightened ruler makes the people dress themselves by the way, and so he is at ease and has merit. To set the compass aside and trust to cleverness, and to set the law aside and trust to wisdom, is the road of beguilement and disorder. The disordered ruler makes the people dress themselves by wisdom and does not know the way, and so he toils and has no merit. When he sets law and prohibition aside and listens to petitions, the host of ministers sell office to those above and take reward from those below, and so profit lies with private houses and awe lies with the host of ministers.
故民無盡力事主之心，而務爲交於上。民好上交，則貨財上流而巧說者用。若是，則有功者愈少。姦臣愈進而材臣退，則主惑而不知所行，民聚而不知所道。此廢法禁、後功勞、舉名譽、聽請謁之失也。凡敗法之人，必設詐託物以來親，又好言天下之所希有，此暴君亂主之所以惑也，人臣賢佐之所以侵也。故人臣稱伊尹、管仲之功，則背法飾智有資；稱比干、子胥之忠而見殺，則疾强諫有辭。夫上稱賢明，下稱暴亂，不可以取類，若是者禁。君之立法，以爲是也，今人臣多立其私智以法爲非者，是邪以智，過法立智。如是者禁，主之道也。
So the people have no heart to put out all their strength in serving the ruler, and they work at making connections above. When the people love making connections above, goods and wealth flow upward and the clever talkers are employed. In this way those with merit grow fewer and fewer. When treacherous ministers advance further and able ministers withdraw, the ruler is beguiled and does not know what to do, and the people gather and do not know where to be led. This is the failure of abandoning law and prohibition, putting merit and toil last, holding up name and praise, and listening to petitions. In general, a man who breaks down the law is sure to set out deceits and lean on gifts to win closeness, and he likes to speak of what is rare under heaven. This is why the harsh ruler and the disordered ruler are beguiled, and why the minister and the worthy helper are encroached upon. So when a minister cites the merit of Yi Yin and Guan Zhong, he has the means to turn his back on the law and dress up his wisdom; when he cites the loyalty of Bigan and Zixu and how they were put to death, he has a pretext for hating strong remonstrance. Now to cite worth and brightness above and harshness and disorder below cannot be taken as one kind, and such a thing is forbidden. The ruler sets up the law because he holds it to be right, and now his ministers often set up their own private wisdom and call the law wrong. This is to work depravity by wisdom, and to overstep the law and set up wisdom. To forbid such a thing is the way of the ruler.
明主之道，必明於公私之分，明法制，去私恩。夫令必行，禁必止，人主之公義也；必行其私，信於朋友，不可爲賞勸，不可爲罰沮，人臣之私義也。私義行則亂，公義行則治，故公私有分。人臣有私心，有公義。脩身潔白而行公行正，居官無私，人臣之公義也；汙行從欲，安身利家，人臣之私心也。明主在上，則人臣去私心行公義；亂主在上，則人臣去公義行私心。故君臣異心，君以計畜臣，臣以計事君，君臣之交，計也。害身而利國，臣弗爲也；害國而利臣，君不行也。臣之情，害身無利；君之情，害國無親。君臣也者，以計合者也。至夫臨難必死，盡智竭力，爲法爲之。故先王明賞以勸之，嚴刑以威之。賞刑明，則民盡死；民盡死，則兵強主尊。刑賞不察，則民無功而求得，有罪而幸免，則兵弱主卑。故先王賢佐盡力竭智。故曰：公私不可不明，法禁不可不審，先王知之矣。
The way of the enlightened ruler is surely to be bright about the division of public and private, to make the laws and regulations bright, and to put private kindness away. Now that orders are surely carried out and prohibitions surely stop is the public duty of the ruler; that a man surely carries out his private ends and is trusted by his friends, so that he cannot be encouraged by reward nor checked by punishment, is the private duty of the minister. When private duty is practiced there is disorder, and when public duty is practiced there is government, and so public and private have their division. A minister has a private heart and he has a public duty. To cultivate himself and keep clean and act publicly and act straight, and to hold office without private ends, is the minister's public duty; to foul his conduct and follow his desires, to make his own person comfortable and his own house rich, is the minister's private heart. When an enlightened ruler is above, the ministers put away the private heart and practice the public duty; when a disordered ruler is above, the ministers put away the public duty and practice the private heart. So ruler and minister differ in heart. The ruler keeps his ministers by calculation and the minister serves his ruler by calculation, and the dealing of ruler and minister is calculation. To harm his own person and profit the state, a minister will not do; to harm the state and profit the minister, a ruler will not carry out. It is the minister's feeling that there is no profit in harming his own person; it is the ruler's feeling that there is no closeness in harming the state. Ruler and minister are joined by calculation. As for facing danger and surely dying, and putting out all wisdom and exhausting strength, it is the law that makes them do it. So the former kings made reward bright to encourage them and made punishment strict to awe them. When reward and punishment are bright, the people spend their deaths; when the people spend their deaths, the army is strong and the ruler honored. When punishment and reward are not examined, the people seek to gain without merit and hope to escape though they are guilty, and then the army is weak and the ruler lowered. So the former kings and their worthy helpers put out all their strength and all their wisdom. Hence the saying: public and private must be made bright, and law and prohibition must be examined. The former kings knew it.