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Standards and Models法儀

Mozi (The Book of Master Mo) 墨子 · Mo Di and his disciples · About the 4th century BC · 4 passages · 734 Chinese characters · reading time 2.9 min

Mozi (The Book of Master Mo) The Standard of Conduct The writings of the school that in the Warring States period stood beside the Confucians as one of the "two great companies." It is not the work of one man but what Mo Di and his disciples added generation after generation, and so many chapters set down the same argument in three versions — upper, middle and lower. These are taken as the traces of the branches of the school, each copying it out in its own way. Ten doctrines are the backbone — exalting the worthy, conforming upward with what is right, loving all alike, condemning aggression, thrift in use, thrift in burial, following the will of Heaven, making ghosts clear, condemning music, and condemning fate. "If a man looked on the house of another as on his own house, who would steal?" is in the chapters on loving all alike. The ladder of "Condemning Aggression" — that a man who steals peaches and plums from another's orchard is punished, while a man who attacks another's state is praised — and the three gauges of "Condemning Fate," that to speak without a measure is "like setting the marks of sunrise and sunset upon a turning potter's wheel," stand there too. The last chapter, "Gongshu," is a story. When Chu made cloud ladders to attack Song, Mozi walked ten days and ten nights, met Gongshu Ban, and beat him nine times over with a belt and pieces of wood; and on the way home he met rain and was not let in to shelter inside the gate of that very Song village.

子墨子曰：天下從事者，不可以無法儀。無法儀而其事能成者，無有。雖至士之爲將相者皆有法，雖至百工從事者亦皆有法。百工爲方以矩，爲圓以規，直以繩，衡以水，正以縣。無巧工不巧工，皆以此五者爲法。巧者能中之，不巧者雖不能中，放依以從事，猶逾已。故百工從事，皆有法所度。今大者治天下，其次治大國，而無法所度，此不若百工辯也。

Mozi said, "Those who do work in the world cannot be without a model and a bearing. There has never been one who completed his work without a model and a bearing. Even officers who have become generals and ministers all have their models, and even the hundred craftsmen at their work all have their models.

The hundred craftsmen make what is square with the square, what is round with the compass, what is straight with the marking line, what is level with water, and what is upright with the plumb line. Skilled craftsman or unskilled, all alike take these five as their model. The skilled can hit the mark. The unskilled, though they cannot hit it, still do better by following these in their work than by their own hand. So the hundred craftsmen all have a model to measure by in their work.

Now the greatest thing is to govern the world, and the next is to govern a great state, yet men do this with no model to measure by. In this they are less discerning than the hundred craftsmen."

然則奚以爲治法而可？當皆法其父母奚若？天下之爲父母者衆，而仁者寡，若皆法其父母，此法不仁也。法不仁，不可以爲法。當皆法其學奚若？天下之爲學者衆，而仁者寡，若皆法其學，此法不仁也。法不仁，不可以爲法。當皆法其君奚若？天下之爲君者衆，而仁者寡，若皆法其君，此法不仁也。法不仁，不可以爲法。故父母、學、君三者，莫可以爲治法。

Then what may be taken as the model for governing?

Suppose everyone took his own father and mother as the model. What of that? Those who are fathers and mothers in the world are many, but those who are benevolent are few. If everyone took his own father and mother as the model, this model would not be benevolent. A model that is not benevolent cannot be taken as a model.

Suppose everyone took his own learning as the model. What of that? Those who have learning in the world are many, but those who are benevolent are few. If everyone took his own learning as the model, this model would not be benevolent. A model that is not benevolent cannot be taken as a model.

Suppose everyone took his own ruler as the model. What of that? Those who are rulers in the world are many, but those who are benevolent are few. If everyone took his own ruler as the model, this model would not be benevolent. A model that is not benevolent cannot be taken as a model.

Therefore of these three, father and mother, learning, and ruler, not one can be taken as the model for governing.

然則奚以爲治法而可？故曰：莫若法天。天之行廣而無私，其施厚而不德，其明久而不衰，故聖王法之。旣以天爲法，動作有爲，必度於天，天之所欲則爲之，天所不欲則止。然而天何欲何惡者也？天必欲人之相愛相利，而不欲人之相惡相賊也。奚以知天之欲人之相愛相利，而不欲人之相惡相賊也？以其兼而愛之、兼而利之也。奚以知天兼而愛之、兼而利之也？以其兼而有之、兼而食之也。今天下無小大國，皆天之邑也。人無幼長貴賤，皆天之臣也。此以莫不犓牛羊，豢犬豬，絜爲酒醴粢盛，以敬事天。此不爲兼而有之、兼而食之邪？天苟兼而有食之，夫奚說以不欲人之相愛相利也？故曰：「愛人利人者，天必福之。惡人賊人者，天必禍之。」曰：「殺不辜者，得不祥焉。夫奚說人爲其相殺而天與禍乎？是以天欲人相愛相利，而不欲人相惡相賊也。」

Then what may be taken as the model for governing? Therefore it is said that nothing is so good as taking Heaven for the model.

Heaven's working is broad and without partiality. Its giving is generous and it does not count it a favor. Its brightness lasts long and does not fade. Therefore the sage kings took it for their model. Once Heaven is taken as the model, every movement and every act must be measured against Heaven. What Heaven wants is done, and what Heaven does not want is stopped.

Then what does Heaven want and what does it hate? Heaven surely wants men to love one another and benefit one another, and does not want men to hate one another and injure one another.

How is it known that Heaven wants men to love one another and benefit one another and does not want them to hate one another and injure one another? Because Heaven loves them all together and benefits them all together.

How is it known that Heaven loves them all together and benefits them all together? Because Heaven possesses them all together and feeds upon them all together.

Now in the world, small state or great, all are Heaven's towns, and among men, young or old, noble or base, all are Heaven's subjects. This is why there is no one who does not feed oxen and sheep, raise dogs and pigs, and set out clean wine and grain offerings to serve Heaven with reverence. Is this not possessing them all together and feeding upon them all together?

If Heaven indeed possesses them all and feeds upon them all, for what reason would it not want men to love one another and benefit one another?

Therefore it is said, "He who loves men and benefits men, Heaven will surely bless him. He who hates men and injures men, Heaven will surely send disaster upon him." And it is said, "He who kills the innocent gets ill fortune for it. How else is it to be explained that when men kill one another Heaven sends disaster upon them? By this it is known that Heaven wants men to love one another and benefit one another, and does not want them to hate one another and injure one another."

昔之聖王禹湯文武，兼愛天下之百姓，率以尊天事鬼，其利人多，故天福之，使立爲天子，天下諸侯皆賓事之。暴王桀紂幽厲，兼惡天下之百姓，率以詬天侮鬼，其賊人多，故天禍之，使遂失其國家，身死爲僇於天下，後世子孫毀之，至今不息。故爲不善以得禍者，桀紂幽厲是也；愛人利人以得福者，禹湯文武是也。愛人利人以得福者有矣，惡人賊人以得禍者亦有矣。

In old times the sage kings Yu, Tang, King Wen, and King Wu loved all the people of the world together, and led them to honor Heaven and serve the spirits. They benefited men greatly, and so Heaven blessed them and had them ascend the throne as Son of Heaven, and all the lords of the world came as guests and served them.

The cruel kings Jie, Zhou, King You, and King Li hated all the people of the world together, and led them to revile Heaven and slight the spirits. They injured men greatly, and so Heaven sent disaster upon them and made them lose their states in the end and die and become a laughingstock to the world, and the sons and grandsons of later ages have reviled them without ceasing to this day.

Therefore those who did what was not good and got disaster are Jie and Zhou and King You and King Li, and those who loved men and benefited men and got blessing are Yu and Tang and King Wen and King Wu. There have been men who loved and benefited others and got blessing, and there have also been men who hated and injured others and got disaster.

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