The Will of Heaven, Part One天志上
子墨子言曰：今天下之士君子，知小而不知大。何以知之？以其處家者知之。若處家得罪於家長，猶有鄰家所避逃之。然且親戚兄弟所知識共相儆戒，皆曰：「不可不戒矣，不可不慎矣，惡有處家而得罪於家長而可爲也！」非獨處家者爲然，雖處國亦然。處國得罪於國君，猶有鄰國所避逃之。然且親戚兄弟所知識共相儆戒，皆曰：「不可不戒矣，不可不慎矣，誰亦有處國得罪於國君而可爲也！」此有所避逃之者也，相儆戒猶若此其厚。況無所避逃之者，相儆戒豈不愈厚然後可哉？且語言有之曰：「焉而晏日，焉而得罪，將惡避逃之？」曰：無所避逃之。夫天不可爲林谷幽閒無人，明必見之。然而天下之士君子之於天也，忽然不知以相儆戒。此我所以知天下士君子知小而不知大也。
Mozi said, "Now the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven know the small and do not know the great.
How do we know this? We know it by how they live in a household. If a man living in a household gets guilt upon himself from the head of the house, he still has the neighboring houses to flee to. Yet his kin and his brothers and those who know him all warn one another together and say, 'One cannot but be warned, one cannot but be careful. How can a man live in a household and get guilt upon himself from the head of the house and have it go well!'
It is not only so for a man living in a household; it is so for a man living in a state as well. If a man living in a state gets guilt upon himself from the ruler of the state, he still has the neighboring states to flee to. Yet his kin and his brothers and those who know him all warn one another together and say, 'One cannot but be warned, one cannot but be careful. Who can live in a state and get guilt upon himself from the ruler of the state and have it go well!'
Here there is somewhere to flee to, and still the warning of one another is as heavy as this. How much more, where there is nowhere to flee to, must the warning of one another be heavier still before it will do?
And there is a saying that runs, 'If a man gets guilt upon himself in the bright light of day, where will he flee to?' I say: there is nowhere to flee to. For Heaven cannot be told that in the woods and the valleys and the still and empty places there is no one; it sees clearly and without fail.
Yet the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven, when it comes to Heaven, heedlessly do not know to warn one another. This is how I know that the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven know the small and do not know the great."
然則天亦何欲何惡？天欲義而惡不義。然則率天下之百姓以從事於義，則我乃爲天之所欲也。我爲天之所欲，天亦爲我所欲。然則我何欲何惡？我欲福祿而惡禍祟。然則率天下之百姓以從事於不義，則我乃爲天之所不欲也。我爲天之所不欲，天亦爲我所不欲，則是我率天下之百姓以從事於禍祟中也。
Then what does Heaven desire and what does it hate? Heaven desires righteousness and hates unrighteousness.
Then if I lead the hundred families of all under heaven to go about righteousness, I am doing what Heaven desires. If I do what Heaven desires, Heaven will also do what I desire.
Then what do I desire and what do I hate? I desire blessing and emolument and I hate calamity.
Then if I lead the hundred families of all under heaven to go about unrighteousness, I am doing what Heaven does not desire. If I do what Heaven does not desire, Heaven will also do what I do not desire, and this is my leading the hundred families of all under heaven to go on into the midst of calamity.
然則何以知天之欲義而惡不義？曰：天下有義則生，無義則死；有義則富，無義則貧；有義則治，無義則亂。然則天欲其生而惡其死，欲其富而惡其貧，欲其治而惡其亂，此我所以知天欲義而惡不義也。
Then how do we know that Heaven desires righteousness and hates unrighteousness? I say: when all under heaven has righteousness it lives, and without righteousness it dies; with righteousness it is rich, and without righteousness it is poor; with righteousness it is ordered, and without righteousness it is in disorder.
Then Heaven desires its life and hates its death, desires its riches and hates its poverty, desires its order and hates its disorder. This is how I know that Heaven desires righteousness and hates unrighteousness.
曰：且夫義者，政也。無從下之政上，必從上之政下。是故庶人竭力從事，未得次己而爲政，有士政之；士竭力從事，未得次己而爲政，有將軍大夫政之；將軍大夫竭力從事，未得次己而爲政，有三公諸侯政之；三公諸侯竭力聽治，未得次己而爲政，有天子政之；天子未得次己而爲政，有天政之。天子爲政於三公、諸侯、士、庶人，天下之士君子固明知之；天之爲政於天子，天下百姓未得之明知也。故昔三代聖王禹湯文武，欲以天之爲政於天子明說天下之百姓，故莫不犓牛羊，豢犬彘，潔爲粢盛酒醴，以祭祀上帝鬼神，而求祈福於天。我未嘗聞天下之所求祈福於天子者也，我所以知天之爲政於天子者也。
I say: and righteousness is government. There is no governing of those above by those below; it must be that those above govern those below.
Therefore the common people put out their strength and go about their work, and cannot govern as they please, and the officers govern them; the officers put out their strength and go about their work, and cannot govern as they please, and the generals and great officers govern them; the generals and great officers put out their strength and go about their work, and cannot govern as they please, and the three highest ministers and the feudal lords govern them; the three highest ministers and the feudal lords put out their strength and hear and order affairs, and cannot govern as they please, and the Son of Heaven governs them; and the Son of Heaven cannot govern as he pleases, and Heaven governs him.
That the Son of Heaven carries on government over the three highest ministers and the feudal lords and the officers and the common people, the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven know clearly enough; but that Heaven carries on government over the Son of Heaven, the hundred families of all under heaven do not yet know clearly.
Therefore the sage kings of the three dynasties of old, Yu and Tang and King Wen and King Wu, wished to tell the hundred families of all under heaven clearly that Heaven carries on government over the Son of Heaven; and so there was not one of them who did not feed oxen and sheep and rear dogs and swine, and make the millet in the vessels and the sweet wine clean, and sacrifice to the Lord on High and the ghosts and spirits, and pray to Heaven for blessing.
I have never yet heard of Heaven praying to the Son of Heaven for blessing. This is how I know that Heaven carries on government over the Son of Heaven.
Interlinear notes 1
天下之所求祈福於天子
The source text has 天下, taken here as an error for 天, following the matching passages in the middle and lower Will of Heaven chapters. ― Translator
故天子者，天下之窮貴也，天下之窮富也。故欲富且貴者，當天意而不可不順。順天意者，兼相愛、交相利，必得賞；反天意者，別相惡、交相賊，必得罰。然則是誰順天意而得賞者？誰反天意而得罰者？子墨子言曰：昔三代聖王禹湯文武，此順天意而得賞者也；昔三代之暴王桀紂幽厲，此反天意而得罰者也。然則禹湯文武其得賞何以也？子墨子言曰：其事上尊天，中事鬼神，下愛人。故天意曰：「此之我所愛，兼而愛之；我所利，兼而利之。愛人者此爲博焉，利人者此爲厚焉。」故使貴爲天子，富有天下，業萬世子孫。傳稱其善，方施天下，至今稱之，謂之聖王。然則桀紂幽厲得其罰何以也？子墨子言曰：其事上詬天，中誣鬼，下賊人。故天意曰：「此之我所愛，別而惡之；我所利，交而賊之。惡人者此爲之博也，賊人者此爲之厚也。」故使不得終其壽，不歿其世，至今毀之，謂之暴王。
Therefore the Son of Heaven is the utmost honor in all under heaven and the utmost riches in all under heaven. So one who desires riches and honor cannot but follow the will of Heaven.
Those who follow the will of Heaven love one another all alike and benefit one another in their dealings, and they surely get reward; those who go against the will of Heaven set themselves apart and hate one another and injure one another in their dealings, and they surely get punishment.
Then who are those who followed the will of Heaven and got reward, and who are those who went against the will of Heaven and got punishment?
Mozi said, "The sage kings of the three dynasties of old, Yu and Tang and King Wen and King Wu, are those who followed the will of Heaven and got reward; and the cruel kings of the three dynasties of old, Jie and Zhou and King You and King Li, are those who went against the will of Heaven and got punishment."
Then for what reason did Yu and Tang and King Wen and King Wu get their reward?
Mozi said, "In their doings they honored Heaven above, served the ghosts and spirits in the middle, and loved men below. Therefore the will of Heaven said, 'These men love all alike what I love, and benefit all alike what I benefit. Their love of men is as broad as this, and their benefiting of men is as heavy as this.' Therefore it made them honored as Sons of Heaven and rich in holding all under heaven, and handed the task on to their sons and grandsons for ten thousand generations. What is handed down praises their goodness, and it was spread everywhere over all under heaven, and to this day men praise them and call them sage kings."
Then for what reason did Jie and Zhou and King You and King Li get their punishment?
Mozi said, "In their doings they reviled Heaven above, deceived the spirits in the middle, and injured men below. Therefore the will of Heaven said, 'These men set themselves apart and hate what I love, and in their dealings injure what I benefit. Their hatred of men is as broad as this, and their injuring of men is as heavy as this.' Therefore it made them unable to finish out their years and unable to see out their generation, and to this day men revile them and call them cruel kings."
然則何以知天之愛天下之百姓？以其兼而明之。何以知其兼而明之？以其兼而有之。何以知其兼而有之？以其兼而食焉。何以知其兼而食焉？曰：四海之內，粒食之民，莫不犓牛羊、豢犬彘，潔爲粢盛酒醴，以祭祀於上帝鬼神。天有邑人，何用弗愛也？且吾言殺一不辜者，必有一不祥。殺不辜者誰也？則人也。予之不祥者誰也？則天也。若以天爲不愛天下之百姓，則何故以人與人相殺，而天予之不祥？此我所以知天之愛天下之百姓也。
Then how do we know that Heaven loves the hundred families of all under heaven? Because Heaven enlightens them all alike.
How do we know that Heaven enlightens them all alike? Because Heaven holds them all alike.
How do we know that Heaven holds them all alike? Because Heaven is fed by them all alike.
How do we know that Heaven is fed by them all alike? I say: within the four seas, of the people who eat grain there is not one who does not feed oxen and sheep and rear dogs and swine, and make the millet in the vessels and the sweet wine clean, and sacrifice to the Lord on High and the ghosts and spirits. Heaven has the men of these towns; for what reason would it not love them?
And I have said that if one innocent man is killed there must be one ill-omened thing. Who is it that kills the innocent? It is a man. Who is it that gives him the ill omen? It is Heaven. If Heaven did not love the hundred families of all under heaven, then for what reason, when man kills man, would Heaven give him an ill omen? This is how I know that Heaven loves the hundred families of all under heaven.
順天意者，義政也。反天意者，力政也。然義政將柰何哉？子墨子言曰：處大國不攻小國，處大家不篡小家，强者不劫弱，貴者不傲賤，多詐者不欺愚。此必上利於天，中利於鬼，下利於人。三利無所不利，故舉天下美名加之，謂之「聖王」。力政者則與此異，言非此，行反此，猶倖馳也。處大國攻小國，處大家篡小家，强者劫弱，貴者傲賤，多詐者欺愚。此上不利於天，中不利於鬼，下不利於人。三不利無所利，故舉天下惡名加之，謂之「暴王」。
Those who follow the will of Heaven have the government of righteousness; those who go against the will of Heaven have the government of force.
Then what is the government of righteousness like?
Mozi said, "Dwelling in a great state, one does not attack the small states; dwelling in a great house, one does not seize the small houses; the strong do not press upon the weak, the honored are not haughty to the lowly, and the full of guile do not cheat the simple. This is surely of benefit to Heaven above, of benefit to the spirits in the middle, and of benefit to men below. Where the three benefits are, there is nothing that is not of benefit; and so the fair name of the whole world is laid upon it, and it is called a sage king."
The government of force is different from this: its words deny this and its deeds go against this, as if it were running with its back turned. Dwelling in a great state, it attacks the small states; dwelling in a great house, it seizes the small houses; the strong press upon the weak, the honored are haughty to the lowly, and the full of guile cheat the simple. This is not of benefit to Heaven above, not of benefit to the spirits in the middle, and not of benefit to men below. Where the three are of no benefit, there is nothing that is of benefit; and so the foul name of the whole world is laid upon it, and it is called a cruel king.
子墨子言曰：我有天志，譬若輪人之有規，匠人之有矩。輪匠執其規矩，以度天下之方圜，曰：中者是也，不中者非也。今天下之士君子之書不可勝載，言語不可盡計，上說諸侯，下說列士，其於仁義則大相遠也。何以知之？曰：我得天下之明法以度之。
Mozi said, "My having the will of Heaven is like the wheelwright having his compass and the carpenter having his square. The wheelwright and the carpenter take their compass and square and measure what is round and what is square in all under heaven, and say, 'What fits is right and what does not fit is wrong.'
Now the writings of the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven cannot all be carried, and their sayings cannot all be counted; they speak above to the feudal lords and below to the many officers, but in benevolence and righteousness they are far apart from one another.
How do I know this? I say: I have got the clear standard of all under heaven, and I measure them by it."