The Will of Heaven, Part Three天志下
子墨子言曰：天下之所以亂者，其說將何哉？則是天下士君子皆明於小而不明於大。何以知其明於小不明於大也？以其不明於天之意也。何以知其不明於天之意也？以處人之家者知之。今人處若家得罪，將猶有異家所以避逃之者。然且父以戒子，兄以戒弟，曰：「戒之慎之，處人之家不戒不慎之，而有處人之國者乎？」今人處若國得罪，將猶有異國所以避逃之者矣。然且父以戒子，兄以戒弟，曰：「戒之，慎之，處人之國者，不可不戒慎也。」今人皆處天下而事天，得罪於天，將無所以避逃之者矣。然而莫知以相極戒也，吾以此知大物則不知者也。是故子墨子言曰：戒之慎之，必爲天之所欲，而去天之所惡。
Mozi said, "What is the reason that all under heaven is in disorder? It is that the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven are all clear about the small and not clear about the great.
How do we know that they are clear about the small and not clear about the great? We know it because they are not clear about the will of Heaven.
How do we know that they are not clear about the will of Heaven? We know it from how a man dwells in another man's house.
Now if a man dwells in another man's house and gets guilt upon himself, he still has another house to flee to and hide in. Yet a father warns his son and an elder brother warns his younger brother, saying, 'Be warned and be careful. If a man dwells in another man's house and is not warned and not careful, how can he dwell in another man's state?'
Now if a man dwells in another man's state and gets guilt upon himself, he still has another state to flee to and hide in. Yet a father warns his son and an elder brother warns his younger brother, saying, 'Be warned and be careful. One who dwells in another man's state cannot but be warned and careful.'
Now all men dwell in all under heaven and serve Heaven, and if they get guilt upon themselves before Heaven, they have nowhere to flee to and hide in. Yet no one knows to warn others to the utmost about this. By this I know that they do not know the great thing."
Therefore Mozi said, "Be warned and be careful. You must do what Heaven wishes and put away what Heaven hates."
曰：天之所欲者何也？所惡者何也？天欲義而惡其不義者也。何以知其然也？曰：義者，正也。何以知義之爲正也？天下有義則治，無義則亂，我以此知義之爲正也。然而正者，無自下正上者，必自上正下。是故庶人不得次己而爲正，有士正之；士不得次己而爲正，有大夫正之；大夫不得次己而爲正，有諸侯正之；諸侯不得次己而爲正，有三公正之；三公不得次己而爲正，有天子正之；天子不得次己而爲政，有天正之。今天下之士君子，皆明於天子之正天下也，而不明於天之正天子也。是故古者聖人明以此說人曰：天子有善，天能賞之；天子有過，天能罰之。天子賞罰不當，聽獄不中，天下疾病禍福，霜露不時。天子必且犓豢其牛羊犬彘，絜爲粢盛酒醴，以禱祠祈福於天。我未嘗聞天之禱祠祈福於天子也，吾以此知天之重且貴於天子也。是故義者不自愚且賤者出，必自貴且知者出。曰：誰爲貴？誰爲知？曰：天爲貴，天爲知。然則義果自天出也。今天下之士君子之欲爲義者，則不可不順天之意矣。
It is said: what is it that Heaven wishes, and what is it that Heaven hates? Heaven wishes righteousness and hates unrighteousness.
How do we know that this is so? I say, righteousness is what is correct.
How do we know that righteousness is what is correct? When all under heaven has righteousness it is well ordered, and when it has no righteousness it is in disorder. By this I know that righteousness is what is correct.
Now in correcting, there is no correcting of those above by those below. It must be that those above correct those below. Therefore the common people cannot correct as they please, and the officers correct them. The officers cannot correct as they please, and the great officers correct them. The great officers cannot correct as they please, and the feudal lords correct them. The feudal lords cannot correct as they please, and the three dukes correct them. The three dukes cannot correct as they please, and the Son of Heaven corrects them. The Son of Heaven cannot govern as he pleases, and Heaven corrects him.
Now the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven are all clear about the Son of Heaven correcting all under heaven, but they are not clear about Heaven correcting the Son of Heaven.
Therefore the sages of old made this saying clear to men. "When the Son of Heaven has goodness, Heaven can reward him. When the Son of Heaven has a fault, Heaven can punish him. If the Son of Heaven's rewards and punishments are not fitting and his hearing of lawsuits does not hit the mark, then in all under heaven sickness and calamity and blessing go astray, and frost and dew do not come in season."
The Son of Heaven must also feed his oxen and sheep and dogs and swine, and prepare pure grain offerings and wine, to pray to Heaven and seek blessing. I have never heard that Heaven prays to the Son of Heaven and seeks blessing. By this I know that Heaven is weightier and nobler than the Son of Heaven.
Therefore righteousness does not come out from the foolish and the low. It must come out from the noble and the wise. It is said: who is noble, and who is wise? I say, Heaven is noble and Heaven is wise. Then righteousness indeed comes out from Heaven.
Now those officers and gentlemen of all under heaven who wish to do righteousness cannot but follow the will of Heaven.
曰：順天之意何若？曰：兼愛天下之人。何以知其兼愛天下之人也？以兼而食之也。何以知其兼而食之也？自古及今，無有遠靈孤夷之國，皆犓豢其牛羊犬彘，絜爲粢盛酒醴，以敬祭祀上帝山川鬼神，以此知兼而食之也。苟兼而食焉，必兼而愛之。譬之若楚越之君，今是楚王食於楚之四境之內，故愛楚之人；越王食於越之四境之內，故愛越之人。今天兼天下而食焉，我以此知其兼愛天下之人也。
It is said: what is it to follow the will of Heaven? I say, it is to love the men of all under heaven all alike.
How do we know that Heaven loves the men of all under heaven all alike? We know it because Heaven eats of them all alike.
How do we know that Heaven eats of them all alike? From of old down to today, there is no state, however far off and remote and lonely and barbarous, that does not feed its oxen and sheep and dogs and swine and prepare pure grain offerings and wine to sacrifice with reverence to the Lord on High and the mountains and the rivers and the spirits. By this we know that Heaven eats of them all alike.
If Heaven truly eats of them all alike, it must love them all alike. It is like the rulers of Chu and Yue. Now the king of Chu eats within the four borders of Chu, and so he loves the men of Chu. The king of Yue eats within the four borders of Yue, and so he loves the men of Yue. Now Heaven eats of all under heaven alike, and by this I know that Heaven loves the men of all under heaven all alike.
且天之愛百姓也，不盡物而止矣。今天下之國，粒食之民，國殺一不辜，必有一不祥。曰：「誰殺不辜？」曰：「人也。」「孰予之不祥？」曰：「天也。」若天之中實不愛此民也，何故而人有殺不辜而天予之不祥哉？且天之愛百姓厚矣，天之愛百姓別矣，既可得而知也。何以知天之愛百姓也？吾以賢者之必賞善罰暴也。何以知賢者之必賞善罰暴也？吾以昔者三代之聖王知之。故昔也三代之聖王堯舜禹湯文武之兼愛天下也，從而利之，移其百姓之意焉，率以敬上帝山川鬼神。天以爲從其所愛而愛之，從其所利而利之，於是加其賞焉，使之處上位，立爲天子以法也，名之曰聖人。以此知其賞善之證。是故昔也三代之暴王桀紂幽厲之兼惡天下也，從而賊之，移其百姓之意焉，率以詬侮上帝山川鬼神。天以爲不從其所愛而惡之，不從其所利而賊之，於是加其罰焉，使之父子離散，國家滅亡，抎失社稷，憂以及其身。是以天下之庶民屬而毀之，業萬世子孫繼嗣，毀之賁不之廢也，名之曰失王。以此知其罰暴之證。今天下之士君子欲爲義者，則不可不順天之意矣。
Again, Heaven's love for the people does not stop when it has spent its things upon them. Now among the states of all under heaven, among the people who eat grain, if a state kills one who is not guilty, there is surely one ill fortune. It is said, "Who killed the one not guilty?" I say, "A man." "Who gave him the ill fortune?" I say, "Heaven."
If Heaven in its heart truly did not love these people, for what reason would Heaven give ill fortune to a man who killed one not guilty? And that Heaven's love for the people is deep, and that Heaven's love for the people is beyond the common, can now be known.
How do we know that Heaven loves the people? I know it from how a worthy man surely rewards the good and punishes the violent.
How do we know that a worthy man surely rewards the good and punishes the violent? I know it from the sage kings of the three ages of old.
Therefore the sage kings of the three ages of old, Yao and Shun and Yu and Tang and Wen and Wu, loved all under heaven alike, and went on to benefit them, and turned the will of their people and led them to revere the Lord on High and the mountains and the rivers and the spirits. Heaven held that they followed what it loves and loved it, and followed what it benefits and benefited it, and so laid its reward upon them. It set them in the high place and stood them up as Sons of Heaven to be the rule, and named them sages. By this we know the proof that Heaven rewards the good.
Therefore the violent kings of the three ages of old, Jie and Zhou and King You and King Li, hated all under heaven alike, and went on to harm them, and turned the will of their people and led them to revile and slight the Lord on High and the mountains and the rivers and the spirits. Heaven held that they did not follow what it loves but hated it, and did not follow what it benefits but harmed it, and so laid its punishment upon them. It made their fathers and sons scatter, their states perish, their altars of soil and grain be lost, and grief reach their own persons. In this way the common people of all under heaven went on reviling them, and the reviling has not ceased through ten thousand ages of sons and grandsons who followed after, and they were named the kings who lost their kingdoms. By this we know the proof that Heaven punishes the violent.
Now those officers and gentlemen of all under heaven who wish to do righteousness cannot but follow the will of Heaven.
曰：順天之意者，兼也；反天之意者，別也。兼之爲道也，義正；別之爲道也，力正。曰：義正者何若？曰：大不攻小也，强不侮弱也，衆不賊寡也，詐不欺愚也，貴不傲賤也，富不驕貧也，壯不奪老也。是以天下之庶國，莫以水火毒藥兵刃以相害也。若事上利天，中利鬼，下利人。三利而無所不利，是謂天德。故凡從事此者，聖知也，仁義也，忠惠也，慈孝也，是故聚斂天下之善名而加之。是其故何也？則順天之意也。曰：力正者何若？曰：大則攻小也，强則侮弱也，衆則賊寡也，詐則欺愚也，貴則傲賤也，富則驕貧也，壯則奪老也。是以天下之庶國，方以水火毒藥兵刃以相賊害也。若事上不利天，中不利鬼，下不利人。三不利而無所利，是謂天賊。故凡從事此者，寇亂也，盜賊也，不仁不義，不忠不惠，不慈不孝，是故聚斂天下之惡名而加之。是其故何也？則反天之意也。
It is said: to follow the will of Heaven is loving all alike, and to go against the will of Heaven is setting apart. When loving all alike is made the way, it is correcting by righteousness. When setting apart is made the way, it is correcting by force.
It is said: what is correcting by righteousness? I say, the great does not attack the small, the strong does not slight the weak, the many do not harm the few, the cunning do not cheat the foolish, the noble are not proud toward the low, the rich are not haughty toward the poor, and the strong in years do not rob the old. In this way the many states of all under heaven do not harm one another with water and fire and poison and weapons and blades.
Such work benefits Heaven above, benefits the spirits in the middle, and benefits men below. With these three benefits there is nothing it does not benefit, and this is called the virtue of Heaven. Therefore all who go to work at this are holy and wise, benevolent and righteous, true and kind, loving and filial. So men gather the good names of all under heaven and lay them upon them. What is the reason for this? It is that they followed the will of Heaven.
It is said: what is correcting by force? I say, being great, one attacks the small. Being strong, one slights the weak. Being many, one harms the few. Being cunning, one cheats the foolish. Being noble, one is proud toward the low. Being rich, one is haughty toward the poor. Being strong in years, one robs the old. In this way the many states of all under heaven now harm one another with water and fire and poison and weapons and blades.
Such work does not benefit Heaven above, does not benefit the spirits in the middle, and does not benefit men below. With these three things that do not benefit there is nothing it benefits, and this is called the robber of Heaven. Therefore all who go to work at this are robbers and bringers of disorder, without benevolence and without righteousness, without truth and without kindness, without love and without filial care. So men gather the evil names of all under heaven and lay them upon them. What is the reason for this? It is that they went against the will of Heaven.
故子墨子置立天之，以爲儀法，若輪人之有規，匠人之有矩也。今輪人以規，匠人以矩，以此知方圜之別矣。是故子墨子置立天之，以爲儀法，吾以此知天下之士君子之去義之遠也。何以知天下之士君子之去義遠也？今之世，大國之君寬者然曰：「吾處大國，而不攻小國，吾何以爲大哉！」是以差論其蚤牙之士，比列其舟車之卒，以攻伐無罪之國。入其溝境，刈其禾稼，斬其樹木，殘其城郭以御其溝池，焚燒其祖廟，攘殺其犧牷。民之格者則勁拔之，不格者則係操而歸。丈夫以爲僕圉胥靡，婦人以爲舂酋。則夫好攻伐之君，不知此爲不仁義，以告四鄰諸侯曰：「吾攻國、覆軍、殺將若干人矣。」其鄰國之君亦不知此爲不仁義也，有具其皮幣，發其総處，使人饗賀焉。則夫好攻伐之君有重不知此爲不仁不義也，有書之竹帛，藏之府庫。爲人後子者，必且欲順其先君之行，曰：「何不當發吾庫，視吾先君之法義？」必不曰文武之爲正。爲正者若此矣，曰：「吾攻國、覆軍、殺將若干人矣。」則夫好攻伐之君不知此爲不仁不義也，其鄰國之君不知此爲不仁不義也，是以攻伐世世而不已者。此吾所謂大物則不知也。
Therefore Mozi set up and planted the will of Heaven and made it his standard and rule, as the wheelwright has his compasses and the carpenter has his square. Now the wheelwright works by his compasses and the carpenter by his square, and by these they know the difference between the square and the round.
Therefore Mozi set up and planted the will of Heaven and made it his standard and rule, and by this I know how far the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven are from righteousness.
How do I know how far the officers and gentlemen of all under heaven are from righteousness? Now in this age, a ruler of a great state who is called generous will say, "I dwell in a great state, and if I do not attack small states, by what shall I be called great?"
So he sorts out and ranks the officers who are his claws and fangs, and draws up the soldiers of his boats and chariots, and attacks and strikes a state that has done no wrong. He enters its ditches and borders, cuts down its rice and grain, hews down its trees, tears down its walls to dam up its ditches and pools, burns its ancestral temples, and seizes and kills its sacrificial beasts. Those of the people who stand against him he cuts down by force, and those who do not stand against him he binds and drags back. The men he makes into grooms and bondsmen, and the women he makes into pounders of grain and brewers of wine.
Then that ruler who loves attacking and striking does not know that this is to be without benevolence and righteousness, and he reports to the feudal lords of the four neighbors, saying, "I have attacked a state, overturned its army, and killed so many of its generals." And the rulers of the neighboring states also do not know that this is to be without benevolence and righteousness, and they make ready their hides and silks, bring out what they have stored, and send men to feast and give congratulation.
Then that ruler who loves attacking and striking again does not know that this is to be without benevolence and righteousness, and he writes it on bamboo and silk and stores it in his treasury. The son who comes after him will surely wish to follow the doings of his former ruler, and will say, "Why should I not open my treasury and look upon the rule and the righteousness of my former ruler?" He will surely not say that this is how King Wen and King Wu set things right. He will say that setting things right is like this, saying, "I have attacked a state, overturned its army, and killed so many of its generals."
Then that ruler who loves attacking and striking does not know that this is to be without benevolence and righteousness, and the rulers of his neighboring states do not know that this is to be without benevolence and righteousness. In this way attacking and striking do not cease from age to age. This is what I mean by not knowing the great thing.
所謂小物則知之者，何若？今有人於此，入人之場園，取人之桃李瓜薑者，上得且罰之，衆聞則非之，是何也？曰：不與其勞，獲其實，已非其有所取之故。而況有踰於人之墻垣，格人之子女者乎？與角人之府庫，竊人之金玉蚤絫者乎？與踰人之欄牢，竊人之牛馬者乎？而況有殺一不辜人乎？今王公大人之爲政也，自殺一不辜人者，踰人之墻垣，格人之子女者，與角人之府庫，竊人之金玉蚤絫者，與踰人之欄牢，竊人之牛馬者，與入人之場園、竊人之桃李瓜薑者，今王公大人之加罰此也，雖古之堯舜禹湯文武之爲政，亦無以異此矣。今天下之諸侯，將猶皆侵凌攻伐兼并，此爲殺一不辜人者數千萬矣；此爲踰人之墻垣、格人之子女者，與角人府庫、竊人金玉蚤絫者，數千萬矣；踰人之欄牢、竊人之牛馬者，與入人之場園、竊人之桃李瓜薑者，數千萬矣，而自曰義也。故子墨子言曰：是蕡我者，則豈有以異是蕡黑白甘苦之辯者哉？今有人於此，少而示之黑謂之黑，多示之黑謂白，必曰：「吾目亂，不知黑白之別。」今有人於此，能少嘗之甘謂甘，多嘗謂苦，必曰：「吾口亂，不知其甘苦之味。」今王公大人之政也，或殺人，其國家禁之，此蚤越有能多殺其鄰國之人，因以爲大義。此豈有異蕡白黑甘苦之別者哉？
What is it that I call knowing the small?
Now suppose there is a man here who goes into another man's yard and garden and takes his peaches and plums and melons and ginger. Those above learn of it and punish him, and the multitude hear of it and hold it wrong. Why is this? I say, because he did not share in the labor and yet gets the fruit, and so takes what is already not his own.
How much more the man who climbs over another man's wall and seizes his sons and daughters. How much more the man who breaks into another man's treasury and steals his metal and jade and thread. How much more the man who climbs over another man's pen and steals his oxen and horses. And how much more the man who kills one who is not guilty.
Now in the government of the kings and dukes and great men, from the man who kills one not guilty, to the man who climbs over another man's wall and seizes his sons and daughters, to the man who breaks into another man's treasury and steals his metal and jade and thread, to the man who climbs over another man's pen and steals his oxen and horses, to the man who goes into another man's yard and garden and steals his peaches and plums and melons and ginger, the punishment that the kings and dukes and great men lay upon these men is no different from the government of Yao and Shun and Yu and Tang and Wen and Wu of old.
Now the feudal lords of all under heaven still all encroach and trample and attack and strike and swallow up others. This is to kill one not guilty many thousands and ten thousands of times. This is to climb over another man's wall and seize his sons and daughters, and to break into another man's treasury and steal his metal and jade and thread, many thousands and ten thousands of times. This is to climb over another man's pen and steal his oxen and horses, and to go into another man's yard and garden and steal his peaches and plums and melons and ginger, many thousands and ten thousands of times. And yet they call themselves righteous.
Therefore Mozi said, "This is what confuses me. How does it differ from confusing the sorting of black and white, of sweet and bitter?
Now suppose there is a man here who, when a little black is shown him, calls it black, and when much black is shown him, calls it white. He will surely say, 'My eyes are confused, and I do not know the difference between black and white.' Now suppose there is a man here who, tasting a little of what is sweet, calls it sweet, and tasting much of it, calls it bitter. He will surely say, 'My mouth is confused, and I do not know the taste of sweet and bitter.'
Now in the government of the kings and dukes and great men, if a man kills someone, his state forbids it. Yet if a man has been able to kill many men of a neighboring state, they take this for great righteousness. How does this differ from confusing the sorting of black and white, of sweet and bitter?"
故子墨子置天之，以爲儀法。非獨子墨子以天之志爲法也，於先王之書《大夏》之道之然：「帝謂文王，予懷而明德，毋大聲以色，毋長夏以革，不識不知，順帝之則。」此誥文王之以天志爲法也，而順帝之則也。且今天下之士君子，中實將欲爲仁義，求爲上士，上欲中聖王之道，下欲中國家百姓之利者，當天之志而不可不察也。天之志者，義之經也。
Therefore Mozi set up the will of Heaven and made it his standard and rule. It is not Mozi alone who made the will of Heaven his rule. The Da xia (大夏), a book of the former kings, tells of it thus. "The Lord on High said to King Wen, 'I cherish your bright virtue. Do not make much of sound and looks. Do not prolong the rod and the hide. Without knowing, without being aware, he follows the rule of the Lord on High.'" This tells us that King Wen made the will of Heaven his rule and followed the rule of the Lord on High.
And now those officers and gentlemen of all under heaven who in their hearts wish to do benevolence and righteousness, and to seek to be officers of the higher sort, and who wish to hit the way of the sage kings above and to hit the benefit of the state and the people below, must examine the will of Heaven and cannot but do so. The will of Heaven is the warp thread of righteousness.