On Caution in Speech論慎言語第二十二
貞觀二年，太宗謂侍臣曰：「朕每日坐朝，欲出一言，即思此一言於百姓有利益否，所以不敢多言。」給事中兼知起居事杜正倫進曰：「君舉必書，言存左史。臣職當兼修起居註，不敢不盡愚直。陛下若一言乖於道理，則千載累於聖德，非止當今損於百姓，願陛下慎之。」太宗大悅，賜彩百段。
In the second year of Zhenguan Taizong said to the ministers in attendance:
"Every day when I sit at court and am about to let out one word, I think whether this one word will profit the people or not, and so I do not dare to say much."
Du Zhenglun, the supervising secretary who also had charge of the record of activity and repose, came forward and said:
"What a ruler does is always written down, and what he says stays with the recorder of the left. My office is one that must also keep up the diary of activity and repose, and I dare not fail to give all my foolish straightness. If one word of Your Majesty's goes against reason, it burdens your sagely virtue for a thousand years. It does not stop at taking something from the people today. I ask that Your Majesty be careful of it."
Taizong was greatly pleased and bestowed a hundred lengths of colored silk.
貞觀八年，太宗謂侍臣曰：「言語者，君子之樞機，談何容易？凡在眾庶，一言不善，則人記之，成其恥累，況是萬乘之主？不可出言有所乖失。其所虧損至大，豈同匹夫？我常以此為戒。隋煬帝初幸甘泉宮，泉石稱意，而怪無螢火，敕云：『捉取多少於宮中照夜。』所司遽遣數千人采拾，送五百輿於宮側，小事尚爾，況其大乎？」魏徵對曰：「人君居四海之尊，若有虧失，古人以為如日月之蝕，人皆見之，實如陛下所戒慎。」
In the eighth year of Zhenguan Taizong said to the ministers in attendance:
"Speech is the hinge and the trigger of a gentleman. How can talking be easy? Even among the common people, if one word is not good, men write it down and it becomes his shame and his burden. How much more for the lord of ten thousand chariots. He must not let out words that go wrong and miss the mark. What they spoil and take away is very great. How can it be the same as with an ordinary man? I always take this as a warning.
"When Emperor Yang of Sui first went to the Ganquan Palace, the springs and the rocks suited him, but he thought it strange that there were no fireflies, and he gave the order, 'Catch some and light the night with them in the palace.' The office in charge at once sent several thousand men to gather them, and five hundred cartloads were sent to the side of the palace. In a small matter it was still like this. How much more in a great one?"
Wei Zheng answered:
"A ruler holds the honored place of all within the four seas, and if there is a flaw or a fault in him, the men of old held it to be like an eclipse of the sun or the moon, which all men see. It is truly as Your Majesty warns yourself and takes care."
貞觀十六年，太宗每與公卿言及古道，必詰難往復。散騎常侍劉洎上書諫曰：「帝王之與凡庶，聖哲之與庸愚，上下相懸，擬倫斯絕。是知以至愚而對至聖，以極卑而對極尊，徒思自強，不可得也。陛下降恩旨，假慈顏，凝旒以聽其言，虛襟以納其說，猶恐群下未敢對揚，況動神機，縱天辯，飾辭以折其理，援古以排其議，欲令凡庶何階應答？臣聞皇天以無言為貴，聖人以不言為德，老子稱『大辯若訥』，莊生稱『至道無文』，此皆不欲煩也。是以齊侯讀書，輪扁竊議，漢皇慕古，長孺陳譏，此亦不欲勞也。且多記則損心，多語則損氣，心氣內損，形神外勞，初雖不覺，後必為累。須為社稷自愛，豈為性好自傷乎？竊以今日升平，皆陛下力行所至。欲其長久，匪由辯博，但當忘彼愛憎，慎茲取舍，每事敦樸，無非至公，若貞觀之初，則可矣。至如秦政強辯，失人心於自矜，魏文宏材，虧眾望於虛說。此才辯之累，皎然可知。伏願略茲雄辯，浩然養氣，簡彼緗圖，淡焉怡悅，固萬壽於南嶽，齊百姓於東戶，則天下幸甚，皇恩斯畢。」太宗手詔答曰：「非慮無以臨下，非言無以述慮。比有談論，遂至煩多。輕物驕人，恐由茲道。形神心氣，非此為勞。今聞讜言，虛懷以改。」
In the sixteenth year of Zhenguan, whenever Taizong spoke of the ways of old with the high officials, he would always press them with questions and go back and forth with them. Liu Ji, the cavalier attendant-in-ordinary, sent up a letter of remonstrance:
"Between an emperor and a common man, between a sage and a dull and foolish man, high and low hang so far apart that all comparison is cut off. So one knows that when the utterly foolish faces the utterly sage, and the utterly low faces the utterly honored, he may think to make himself strong and yet not be able to.
"Your Majesty sends down a gracious word and lends them a kindly face. You hold still the beads of your crown to hear their words and empty your breast to take in what they say, and still it is to be feared that those below will not dare to answer and speak out. How much more when you set your spirit's quickness moving and give free rein to a heavenly gift of argument, and dress your words to break their reasoning and draw on the past to drive off what they urge. By what steps would you have common men make their answer?
"Your servant has heard that great Heaven holds silence precious and that the sage makes not speaking his virtue. Laozi said, 'Great argument seems halting,' and Zhuangzi said, 'The utmost way has no ornament.' In all this they did not wish to be a trouble to men. So when the lord of Qi read his book, Bian the wheelwright argued with him quietly, and when the emperor of Han longed for the ways of old, Ji Zhangru set out his mockery. In this too they did not wish to give men toil.
"Moreover, to remember much wears away the heart, and to speak much wears away the breath. When heart and breath are worn away within and body and spirit are wearied without, a man may not feel it at first, but afterward it is bound to be a burden. You should hold yourself dear for the sake of the altars of the land. How should you harm yourself for what your nature happens to like?
"In my humble thought, the peace of today has all come from what Your Majesty has worked to do. If you would have it long and lasting, it will not come from argument and wide learning. You need only forget your likes and dislikes, be careful in what you take and what you cast aside, make every matter plain and simple, and let nothing fall short of perfect fairness. If it is as it was at the beginning of Zhenguan, that will do.
"As for Zheng of Qin and his strong arguing, he lost the hearts of men by boasting of himself. The broad talent of Emperor Wen of Wei spoiled the hopes of the multitude with empty talk. The burden that talent and argument bring is plain enough to see.
"I bow and ask that you spare this mighty arguing and nourish your breath broadly, that you make little of those books and be calm and glad, that you make your ten thousand years firm as the Southern Peak and make the people the equals of those in the days of Donghu. Then the world will be most fortunate and the imperial kindness will be complete."
Taizong answered with an edict in his own hand.
"Without thought there is no way to face those below, and without words there is no way to set thought forth. Of late there has been talk, and it has come to be a burden and too much. To make light of things and be proud toward men may well come from this road. It is not this that wearies body and spirit and heart and breath. Now I have heard upright words, and I will empty my mind and mend my ways."