Minglu — Fate and Fortune命祿篇
凡人遇偶及遭累害，皆由命也。有死生壽夭之命，亦有貴賤貧富之命。自王公逮庶人，聖賢及下愚，凡有首目之類，含血之屬，莫不有命。命當貧賤，雖富貴之，猶涉禍患矣。命當富貴，雖貧賤之，猶逢福善矣。故命貴，從賤地自達；命賤，從富位自危。故夫富貴若有神助，貧賤若有鬼禍。命貴之人，俱學獨達，并仕獨遷；命富之人，俱求獨得，并為獨成。貧賤反此，難達難遷，〔難得〕難成，獲過受罪，疾病亡遺，失其富貴，貧賤矣。是故才高行厚，未必保其必富貴；智寡德薄，未可信其必貧賤。或時才高行厚，命惡，廢而不進；知寡德薄，命善，興而超逾。故夫臨事知愚，操行清濁，性與才也；仕宦貴賤，治產貧富，命與時也。命則不可勉，時則不可力，知者歸之於天，故坦蕩恬忽。雖其貧賤，使富貴若鑿溝伐薪，加勉力之趨，致強健之勢，鑿不休則溝深，斧不止則薪多，無命之人，皆得所願，安得貧賤凶危之患哉？然則或時溝未通而遇湛，薪未多而遇虎。仕宦不貴，治產之富，鑿溝遇湛、伐薪逢虎之類也。
In every case, whether a man meets with what suits him or suffers heaped-up harm, it comes from destiny. There is a destiny for dying and living, for long years and early death, and there is also a destiny for honor and lowliness, for poverty and wealth. From kings and dukes down to the common people, from sages and worthies down to the utterly foolish, of every kind that has a head and eyes, of every sort that holds blood, there is none without a destiny.
If a man's destiny is to be poor and lowly, then though you make him wealthy and honored he will still pass through disaster and trouble. If his destiny is to be wealthy and honored, then though you make him poor and lowly he will still meet with blessing and good. Therefore when the destiny is honorable, a man rises of himself from a lowly place; when the destiny is lowly, a man falls of himself into danger from a wealthy position. So wealth and honor seem to have spirits helping them, and poverty and lowliness seem to have ghosts bringing disaster.
A man whose destiny is honorable studies together with others and alone becomes eminent, serves in office beside them and alone is promoted. A man whose destiny is wealthy seeks together with others and alone obtains, works beside them and alone succeeds. The poor and lowly are the opposite of this. It is hard for them to become eminent, hard to be promoted, hard to obtain, hard to succeed. They incur faults and receive punishment, they fall ill and lose what they had, and losing their wealth and honor they become poor and lowly.
Therefore a man of high talent and generous conduct is not assured of being wealthy and honored, and a man of little wisdom and thin virtue cannot be trusted to be poor and lowly. Sometimes a man of high talent and generous conduct has a bad destiny and is cast aside and does not advance, and a man of little wisdom and thin virtue has a good destiny and rises and leaps over the rest.
So then, being wise or foolish when a task comes, and being clean or muddy in one's bearing, are a matter of nature and talent. Being honored or lowly in office, and being poor or wealthy in one's living, are a matter of destiny and the times. Destiny cannot be forced and the times cannot be compelled, and the man who knows this gives it over to Heaven. Therefore he is broad and level, quiet and unconcerned.
Suppose a man is poor and lowly, and becoming wealthy and honored were like digging a ditch or cutting firewood, a thing done by throwing his strength into it and driving himself hard. If the digging never rests the ditch grows deep, and if the axe never stops the firewood grows plentiful. Then men with no destiny would all get what they wish for, and how could there be the trouble of poverty and lowliness, of ill luck and danger? Yet sometimes the ditch is not yet through when the flood comes, and the firewood is not yet plentiful when the tiger comes. To serve in office and not be honored, to work at one's living and not grow wealthy, are of the same kind as digging a ditch and meeting a flood, or cutting firewood and meeting a tiger.
有才不得施，有智不得行，或施而功不立，或行而事不成，雖才智如孔子，猶無成立之功。世俗見人節行高，則曰：「賢哲如此，何不貴？」見人謀慮深，則曰：「辯慧如此，何不富？」貴富有命（福）祿，不在賢哲與辯慧。故曰：富不可以籌策得，貴不可以才能成。智慮深而無財，才能高而無官。懷銀紓紫，未必稷、契之才；積金累玉，未必陶朱之智。或時下愚而千金，頑魯而典城。故官御同才，其貴殊命；治生鈞知，其富異祿。祿命有貧富，知不能丰殺；性命有貴賤，才不能進退。成王之才不如周公，桓公之知不若管仲，然成、桓受尊命，而周、管稟卑秩也。案古人君希有不學於人臣，知博希有不為父師。然而人君猶以無能處主位，人臣猶以鴻才為廝役。故貴賤在命，不在智愚；貧富在祿，不在頑慧。世之論事者以才高當為將相，能下者宜為農商，見智能之士官位不至，怪而訾之曰：「是必毀於行操。」行操之士亦怪毀之曰：「是必乏於才知。」殊不知才知行操雖高，官位富祿有命。才智之人，以吉盛時舉事而福至，人謂才智明審；凶哀禍來，謂愚暗。不知吉凶之命，盛衰之祿也。
A man may have talent and not get to use it, may have wisdom and not get to put it into practice. Sometimes he uses it and no merit is established, sometimes he acts and the affair does not succeed. Though his talent and wisdom were those of Confucius, he would still have no merit established.
When the common world sees a man whose integrity and conduct are lofty, it says, "Worthy and wise as this, why is he not honored?" When it sees a man whose plans and thoughts are deep, it says, "Eloquent and clever as this, why is he not wealthy?" Honor and wealth lie in destiny and emolument, not in being worthy and wise or eloquent and clever. Therefore it is said that wealth cannot be got by counting and scheming, and honor cannot be achieved by talent and ability.
A man's wisdom and thought may be deep and yet he has no property, and his talent and ability may be high and yet he holds no office. To carry a silver seal (銀印) and trail a purple cord is not necessarily to have the talent of Ji and Xie. To pile up gold and heap up jade is not necessarily to have the wisdom of Tao Zhu Gong. Sometimes the utterly foolish hold a thousand pieces of gold, and the dull and stupid are put in charge of a city.
Therefore among those who hold office with equal talent, their honor differs by destiny, and among those who manage a living with equal knowledge, their wealth differs by emolument. In emolument and destiny there is poverty and wealth, and knowledge cannot increase it or lessen it. In nature and destiny there is honor and lowliness, and talent cannot push it forward or draw it back.
King Cheng's talent did not match the Duke of Zhou's, and Duke Huan's knowledge did not match Guan Zhong's, yet King Cheng and Duke Huan received an exalted destiny while the Duke of Zhou and Guan Zhong received low rank. Looking at antiquity, few rulers did not learn from their ministers, and among men of broad knowledge few did not become a father or a teacher to others. Even so, a ruler may sit in the ruler's place without ability, and a minister of vast talent may do a servant's work. Therefore honor and lowliness lie in destiny, not in wisdom or folly, and poverty and wealth lie in emolument, not in dullness or cleverness.
Those in the world who discuss such affairs hold that a man of high talent ought to become a general or a prime minister, and a man of lower ability ought to be a farmer or a merchant. When they see a wise and able gentleman who has not reached office, they think it strange and fault him, saying, "There must be something broken in his bearing." And the gentleman who keeps his bearing also thinks it strange and reviles him, saying, "He must be lacking in talent and knowledge." They do not know at all that though talent and knowledge and bearing be lofty, office and rich emolument rest on destiny.
When a man of talent and wisdom raises an undertaking in a lucky and flourishing time and blessing arrives, people say his talent and wisdom were bright and careful. When ill luck and grief and disaster come, they say he was foolish and benighted. They do not know that it is the destiny of luck and ill luck, and the emolument of flourishing and decline.
白圭、子貢轉貨致富，積累金玉，人謂朮善學明。主父偃辱賤於齊，排擯不用，赴闕舉疏，遂用於漢，官至齊相；趙人徐樂亦上書，與偃章會，上善其言，征拜為郎。人謂偃之才，樂之慧，非也。儒者明說一經，習之京師。明如匡稚圭，深如（趙）〔鮑〕子都，初階甲乙之科，遷轉至郎、博士，人謂經明才高所得，非也。而說若范雎之干秦（明）〔昭〕，封為應侯，蔡澤之說范雎，拜為客卿，人謂雎、澤美善所致，非也。皆命祿貴富善至之時也。孔子曰：「死生有命，富貴在天。」
Bai Gui and Zigong turned goods over and grew wealthy, and piled up gold and jade. People say it was because their art was good and their learning bright.
Zhufu Yan was disgraced and lowly in Qi, pushed aside and not employed. He went to the palace gate and sent up a memorial, and at last he was employed by Han and rose in office to be prime minister of Qi. Xu Le, a man of Zhao, also sent up a writing, and it arrived together with Zhufu Yan's. The ruler thought his words good and summoned him and made him a court gentleman. People say it was Zhufu Yan's talent and Xu Le's cleverness. It was not.
A scholar explains one classic (經) clearly and studies it in the capital. Bright as Kuang Zhigui, deep as Bao Zidu, he first climbs into the first and second grades of the examination and moves up to be a court gentleman and an academician. People say he got this because he was clear in the classic and high in talent. It was not so. Or take persuasion. Fan Ju went to King Zhao of Qin and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Ying, and Cai Ze spoke to Fan Ju and was appointed guest minister. People say it was the fineness and goodness of Fan Ju and Cai Ze that brought this about. It was not so.
All these are times when the honor and wealth of destiny and emolument arrive favorably. Confucius said, "Death and life have their destiny, and wealth and honor rest with Heaven."
魯平公欲見孟子，嬖人臧倉毀孟子而止。孟子曰：「天也！」孔子聖人，孟子賢者，誨人安道，不失是非，稱言命者，有命審也。
Duke Ping of Lu wished to see Mencius, but his favorite Zang Cang spoke ill of Mencius and he gave it up. Mencius said, "It is Heaven!" Confucius was a sage and Mencius a worthy. They taught men and rested in the Way and did not lose hold of right and wrong, and they spoke of destiny. So it is clear that destiny exists.
淮南書曰：「仁鄙在時不在行，利害在命不在智。」賈生曰：「天不可與期，道不可與謀。遲速有命，焉識其時？」高祖擊布，為流矢所中，疾甚。呂后迎良醫，醫曰：「可治。」高祖罵之曰：「吾以布衣提三尺劍取天下，此非天命乎！命乃在天，雖扁鵲何益？」韓信與帝論兵，謂高祖曰：「陛下所謂天授，非智力所得。」揚子云曰：「遇不遇，命也。」太史公曰：「富貴不違貧賤，貧賤不違富貴。」
The Huainanzi says, "Being humane or being base lies in the times, not in conduct. Benefit and harm lie in destiny, not in wisdom." Master Jia said, "With Heaven one cannot make an appointment, and with the Way one cannot take counsel. Slow and quick have their destiny, so how can anyone know the time?"
Gaozu was attacking Qing Bu when he was hit by a stray arrow, and his illness grew grave. Empress Lü brought in a good physician, and the physician said, "It can be cured." Gaozu cursed him, saying, "I took all under heaven in hempen clothes with a three-foot sword in my hand. Was this not the destiny of Heaven! My destiny lies with Heaven, so what good would even Bian Que be?"
Han Xin, discussing troops with the emperor, said to Gaozu, "Your Majesty has what is called the gift of Heaven. It is not something got by wisdom and strength." Yang Ziyun said, "Whether a man meets his chance or misses it is destiny." The Grand Historian said, "Wealth and honor do not turn away from poverty and lowliness, and poverty and lowliness do not turn away from wealth and honor."
是謂從富貴為貧賤，從貧賤為富貴也。夫富貴不欲為貧賤，貧賤自至；貧賤不求為富貴，富貴自得也。春夏囚死，秋冬王相，非能為之也；日朝出而暮入，非求之也，天道自然。代王自代入為文帝，周亞夫以庶子為條侯。此時代王非太子，亞夫非適嗣，逢時遇會，卓然卒至。命貧以力勤致富，富至而死；命賤以才能取貴，貴至而免。才力而致富貴，命祿不能奉持，猶器之盈量，手之持重也。器受一升，以一升則平，受之如過一升，則滿溢也；手舉一鈞，以一鈞則平，舉之過一鈞，則躓仆矣。前世明是非歸之於命也，命審然也。
This means going from wealth and honor into poverty and lowliness, and from poverty and lowliness into wealth and honor. The wealthy and honored do not wish to become poor and lowly, yet poverty and lowliness come of themselves, and the poor and lowly do not seek to become wealthy and honored, yet wealth and honor are got of themselves.
That things are shut in and die in spring and summer, and reign and flourish in autumn and winter, is not something they are able to bring about, and that the sun comes out in the morning and goes in at evening is not something it seeks. It is the way of Heaven, so of itself. The King of Dai came in from Dai and became Emperor Wen, and Zhou Yafu, a son by a concubine, became Marquis of Tiao. At that time the King of Dai was not the heir apparent and Yafu was not the rightful heir, but they met the time and met the occasion, and rose up and at last arrived.
If a man whose destiny is poverty reaches wealth by strength and diligence, wealth arrives and he dies. If a man whose destiny is lowliness takes honor by talent and ability, honor arrives and he is stripped of it. Talent and strength may bring a man to wealth and honor, but destiny and emolument cannot uphold them and keep them. It is like a vessel filled to its measure, or a hand lifting a weight. A vessel that holds one sheng is level with one sheng, but take in more than one sheng and it brims and spills. A hand that lifts one jun is steady with one jun, but lift more than one jun and it stumbles and falls. In former ages those who made clear what is right and wrong gave this over to destiny. Destiny is surely so.
信命者，則可幽居俟時，不須勞精苦形求索之也。猶珠玉之在山澤，天命難知，人不耐審，雖有厚命，猶不自信，故必求之也。如自知，雖逃富避貴，終不得離。故曰：力勝貧，慎勝禍。勉力勤事以致富，砥才明操以取貴；廢時失務，欲望富貴，不可得也。雖云有命，當須索之。如信命不求，謂當自至，可不假而自得，不作而自成，不行而自至。夫命富之人，筋力自強；命貴之人，才智自高，若千里之馬，頭目蹄足自相副也。有求而不得者矣，未必不求而得之者也。精學不求貴，貴自至矣：力作不求富，富自到矣。富貴之福，不可求致；貧賤之禍，不可苟除也。由此言之，有富貴之命，不求自得。
One who trusts in destiny may live in seclusion and wait for his time. He need not wear out his spirit and torment his body searching and seeking. It is like pearls and jade lying in the hills and marshes. Heaven's destiny is hard to know and men cannot examine it. Even a man with a generous destiny does not trust it himself, and so he must go seeking. If he knew it himself, then though he fled from wealth and shunned honor, in the end he could not get away from them.
Therefore it is said that strength overcomes poverty and care overcomes disaster. A man toils and is diligent in his work and so reaches wealth, and he whets his talent and brightens his bearing and so takes honor. If he throws away his time and loses hold of his business and still hopes for wealth and honor, he cannot get them. Though it is said that there is destiny, a man ought still to seek it. If a man trusted in destiny and did not seek, holding that it must come of itself, that would be to say that a thing is got without borrowing, finished without making, and reached without going.
A man whose destiny is wealth has sinew and strength strong of themselves, and a man whose destiny is honor has talent and wisdom high of themselves, as the head and eyes and hoofs and feet of a horse that runs a thousand li match one another of themselves. There are men who seek and do not obtain, but there is not always a man who obtains without seeking. Study finely and do not seek honor, and honor arrives of itself. Work hard and do not seek wealth, and wealth comes of itself. The blessing of wealth and honor cannot be brought on by seeking, and the disaster of poverty and lowliness cannot be got rid of by any shift. Speaking from this, when a man has the destiny of wealth and honor, he gets it without seeking.
信命者曰：「自知吉，不待求也。天命吉厚，不求自得；天命凶厚，求之無益。」夫物不求而自生，則人亦有不秋貴而貴者矣。人情有不教而自善者，有教而終不善者矣，天性，猶命也。越王翳逃山中，至誠不願。自冀得代。越人熏其穴，遂不得免，強立為君。而天命當然，雖逃避之，終不得離。故夫不求自得之貴歟！
One who trusts in destiny says, "If a man knows his own good luck, he does not wait upon seeking. If Heaven's destiny is lucky and generous, he gets it without seeking, and if Heaven's destiny is ill and heavy, seeking is of no help."
Now things grow of themselves without being sought, and so among men too there are those who become honored without seeking honor. In men's natures there are those who are good of themselves without being taught, and there are those who are taught and in the end are not good. Inborn nature is like destiny.
King Yi of Yue fled into the mountains and with utmost sincerity did not want the throne, hoping to find someone to take his place. The men of Yue smoked out his cave, and in the end he could not escape and was forcibly set up as their ruler. When Heaven's destiny is such, then though a man flees and hides, in the end he cannot get away from it. Such, then, is the honor that is got of itself without seeking!