Yibing — Debating Military Affairs議兵篇
臨武君與孫卿子議兵於趙孝成王前，王曰：請問兵要？
Lord Linwu discussed arms with Sun Qingzi before King Xiaocheng of Zhao. The king said, "I ask about what is essential in arms."
臨武君對曰：上得天時，下得地利，觀敵之變動，後之發，先之至，此用兵之要術也。
Lord Linwu answered, "Above, to get the season of heaven; below, to get the profit of the earth; to watch the changes and movements of the enemy, to set out after him and arrive before him — this is the essential art of using arms."
孫卿子曰：不然！臣所聞古之道，凡用兵攻戰之本，在乎壹民。弓矢不調，則羿不能以中微；六馬不和，則造父不能以致遠；士民不親附，則湯武不能以必勝也。故善附民者，是乃善用兵者也。故兵要在乎善附民而已。
Sun Qingzi said, "It is not so. By the way of the ancients that I have heard, in all using of arms and attacking and fighting the root lies in making the people one.
If bow and arrow are not tuned, then even Yi cannot hit the small mark. If the six horses are not in harmony, then even Zaofu cannot reach far. If officers and people do not draw close and cling, then even King Tang and King Wu cannot be sure of victory. So the man who is good at making the people cling is the very man who is good at using arms. So what is essential in arms lies in nothing but being good at making the people cling."
臨武君曰：不然。兵之所貴者埶利也，所行者變詐也。善用兵者，感忽悠闇，莫知其所從出。孫吳用之無敵於天下，豈必待附民哉！
Lord Linwu said, "It is not so. What arms hold precious is the power of position and profit, and what they carry out is change and deceit. The man who is good at using arms is sudden and dim and far away, and no one knows where he comes out from. Sunzi and Wuzi used this and had no match under heaven. Why must they wait for the people to cling?"
孫卿子曰：不然。臣之所道，仁者之兵，王者之志也。君之所貴，權謀埶利也；所行，攻奪變詐也；諸侯之事也。仁人之兵，不可詐也；彼可詐者，怠慢者也，路亶者也，君臣上下之間，渙然有離德者也。故以桀詐桀，猶巧拙有幸焉。以桀詐堯，譬之：若以卵投石，以指撓沸；若赴水火，入焉焦沒耳。故仁人上下，百將一心，三軍同力；臣之於君也，下之於上也，若子之事父，弟之事兄，若手臂之扞頭目而覆胸腹也，詐而襲之，與先驚而後擊之，一也。且仁人之用十里之國，則將有百里之聽；用百里之國，則將有千里之聽；用千里之國，則將有四海之聽，必將聰明警戒和傳而一。故仁人之兵，聚則成卒，散則成列，延則若莫邪之長刃，嬰之者斷；兌則若莫邪之利鋒，當之者潰，圜居而方止，則若盤石然，觸之者角摧，案角鹿埵隴種東籠而退耳。且夫暴國之君，將誰與至哉？彼其所與至者，必其民也，而其民之親我歡若父母，其好我芬若椒蘭，彼反顧其上，則若灼黥，若讎仇；人之情，雖桀跖，豈又肯為其所惡，賊其所好者哉！是猶使人之子孫自賊其父母也，彼必將來告之，夫又何可詐也！故仁人用國日明，諸侯先順者安，後順者危，慮敵之者削，反之者亡。詩曰：「武王載發，有虔秉鉞；如火烈烈，則莫我敢遏。」此之謂也。
Sun Qingzi said, "It is not so. What I speak of is the arms of the benevolent man and the will of the man who becomes king. What you hold precious is power and scheming, position and profit, and what you carry out is attacking and seizing, change and deceit. These are the affairs of the feudal lords.
The arms of the benevolent man cannot be deceived. Those who can be deceived are the idle and the haughty, the worn out, those between whose lord and subject, above and below, the bond has loosened and the virtue has parted. So to deceive a Jie with a Jie still leaves luck in skill and clumsiness; but to deceive a man like King Yao with a man like Jie is, in a figure, like throwing an egg at a stone or stirring boiling water with a finger. It is like running into water and fire: go in, and you are burned and drowned, nothing more.
So above and below in the benevolent man are of one mind: the hundred generals have one heart and the three armies join their strength. Subject to lord and below to above is as a son serving his father and a younger brother serving his elder, like hand and arm warding off blows from head and eyes and covering breast and belly. To deceive him and fall upon him, and to startle him first and strike him after, are one and the same.
And when the benevolent man uses a state of ten li, he will have the hearing of a hundred li; when he uses a state of a hundred li, he will have the hearing of a thousand li; when he uses a state of a thousand li, he will have the hearing of the four seas. He is surely quick of ear and clear of eye, awake and on guard, passing word in harmony and becoming one.
So the arms of the benevolent man, gathered, make squads, and scattered, make ranks. Drawn out, they are like the long blade of Moye, and whoever is caught on it is cut through. Made keen, they are like the sharp point of Moye, and whoever stands against it is broken. Settled in a round and halted in a square, they are like a boulder, and whoever strikes against it has his horn snapped and goes staggering back, nothing more.
And the lord of a cruel state, with whom will he come? Those who will come with him must be his own people; but his people draw close to me and are glad as at a father and mother, and they love me with a fragrance like pepper and orchid, while when they turn and look back at their own superior it is as at a branding and a tattoo, as at an enemy. Such are the feelings of men that even Jie and Robber Zhi would not be willing to do what they hate and harm what they love. This is like making another man's sons and grandsons harm their own father and mother. They are sure to come and tell of it. How then can he be deceived?
So when the benevolent man uses a state, it grows brighter by the day. Among the feudal lords, those who follow him first are at peace, those who follow him later are in peril, those who reckon on standing against him are pared down, and those who go against him perish. The Odes say, 'King Wu set out, and reverently he took up the axe. It was as if fire blazed and blazed, and none dared hold me back.' This is what is meant."
孝成王、臨武君曰：善！請問王者之兵，設何道何行而可？
King Xiaocheng and Lord Linwu said, "Good. We ask about the arms of the man who becomes king: what way is to be set up, and what is to be done?"
孫卿子曰：凡在大王，將率末事也。臣請遂道王者諸侯彊弱存亡之效，安危之埶：君賢者其國治，君不能者其國亂；隆禮貴義者其國治，簡禮賤義者其國亂；治者彊，亂者弱，是彊弱之本也。上足卬則下可用也，上不卬則下不可用也；下可用則強，下不可用則弱，是強弱之常也。隆禮效功，上也；重祿貴節，次也；上功賤節，下也，是強弱之凡也。好士者強，不好士者弱；愛民者強，不愛民者弱；政令信者強，政令不信者弱；民齊者強，民不齊者弱；賞重者強，賞輕者弱；刑威者強，刑侮者弱；械用兵革攻完便利者強，械用兵革窳楛不便利者弱。重用兵者強，輕用兵者弱；權出一者強，權出二者弱，是強弱之常也。
Sun Qingzi said, "It all rests with the great king; the general is a matter of the tip. Let me then speak of the effect by which the man who becomes king and the feudal lords are strong or weak, endure or perish, and of the position that makes them safe or in peril.
When the lord is worthy, his state is ordered; when the lord is unable, his state is in disorder. When ritual is raised high and rightness is held precious, the state is ordered; when ritual is made light of and rightness is held cheap, the state is in disorder. Ordered, it is strong; in disorder, it is weak. This is the root of strong and weak.
If the one above is fit to look up to, then those below can be used; if the one above is not fit to look up to, then those below cannot be used. If those below can be used, the state is strong; if those below cannot be used, it is weak. This is the constant of strong and weak.
To raise ritual high and count achievement for the measure is highest; to make salary heavy and hold integrity precious is next; to raise achievement high and hold integrity cheap is lowest. This is the outline of strong and weak.
He who loves officers is strong, and he who does not love officers is weak. He who loves the people is strong, and he who does not love the people is weak. He whose government and orders are trusted is strong, and he whose government and orders are not trusted is weak. He whose people are even is strong, and he whose people are not even is weak. He whose rewards are heavy is strong, and he whose rewards are light is weak. He whose punishments carry awe is strong, and he whose punishments are made light of is weak. He whose gear and use, weapons and armor are whole and handy and fit is strong, and he whose gear and use, weapons and armor are rough and poor and neither handy nor fit is weak. He who takes the using of arms as a heavy thing is strong, and he who takes the using of arms lightly is weak. Where power comes out from one, the state is strong; where power comes out from two, it is weak. This is the constant of strong and weak."
齊人隆技擊，其技也，得一首者，則賜贖錙金，無本賞矣。是事小敵毳，則偷可用也，事大敵堅，則渙然離耳。若飛鳥然，傾側反覆無日，是亡國之兵也，兵莫弱是矣。是其去賃市傭而戰之幾矣。
The men of Qi raise high the striking by skill. Their skill is this: whoever gets one head is given so much money, and there is no root reward. When the affair is small and the enemy soft, this may serve after a fashion; but when the affair is great and the enemy firm, they come loose and scatter, nothing more. They are like flying birds, and few days are left before they tilt and turn over. These are the arms of a state that will perish, and among arms there is none weaker than this. It is near to hiring day laborers in the market and making them fight.
魏氏之武卒，以度取之，衣三屬之甲，操十二石之弩，負服矢五十個，置戈其上，冠冑帶劍，贏三日之糧，日中而趨百里，中試則復其戶，利其田宅，是數年而衰，而未可奪也，改造則不易周也，是故地雖大，其稅必寡，是危國之兵也。
The wuzu (武卒) of Wei are picked by measure. A man wears armor of three layers, holds a crossbow of twelve stone, carries fifty arrows on his back with a halberd set above them, puts on a helmet and girds a sword, bears three days' rations, and must run a hundred li by midday. If he passes the test, his household is freed from labor service and his fields and house are favored. In a few years his strength wanes, yet the favor cannot be taken from him, and to make the thing over is not easy to do throughout. For this reason, though the land be large, the tax is sure to be scant. These are the arms of a state in peril.
秦人其生民郟阨，其使民也酷烈，劫之以埶，隱之以阨，忸之以慶賞，酋之以刑罰，使天下之民，所以要利於上者，非鬥無由也。阨而用之，得而後功之，功賞相長也，五甲首而隸五家，是最為眾彊長久，多地以正，故四世有勝，非幸也，數也。
The men of Qin make their people live narrow and choked, and they use their people harshly and fiercely. They hold them down by the power of position, drive them into narrow straits, break them in with praise and reward, and press them on with punishment, so that for the people under heaven there is no road but fighting by which to get profit from above. They keep them narrow and use them, and they count achievement only after it is got, so that achievement and reward grow one upon the other, and five armored heads make five households into slaves. This is why they are the most numerous and strong and lasting, and why they get much land and set it right. So they have had victory for four generations. This is not luck; it is reckoning.
故齊之技擊，不可以遇魏氏之武卒；魏氏之武卒，不可以遇秦之銳士；秦之銳士，不可以當桓文之節制；桓文之節制，不可以敵湯武之仁義；有遇之者，若以焦熬投石焉。兼是數國者，皆干賞蹈利之兵也，傭徒鬻賣之道也，未有貴上安制綦節之理也。諸侯有能微妙之以節，則作而兼殆之耳。故招近募選，隆埶詐，尚功利，是漸之也；禮義教化，是齊之也。故以詐遇詐，猶有巧拙焉；以詐遇齊，辟之猶以錐刀墮太山也，非天下之愚人莫敢試。故王者之兵不試。湯武之誅桀紂也，拱挹指麾，而彊暴之國莫不趨使，誅桀紂若誅獨夫。故泰誓曰：「獨夫紂。」此之謂也。故兵大齊則制天下，小齊則治鄰敵。若夫招近募選，隆埶詐，尚功利之兵，則勝不勝無常，代翕代張，代存代亡，相為雌雄耳矣。夫是之謂盜兵，君子不由也。
So the striking by skill of Qi cannot meet the wuzu of Wei; the wuzu of Wei cannot meet the keen officers of Qin; the keen officers of Qin cannot withstand the measured ordering of Duke Huan and Duke Wen; the measured ordering of Duke Huan and Duke Wen cannot stand against the benevolence and rightness of King Tang and King Wu. Should any of them meet it, it would be like throwing a scorched and parched thing against a stone.
Take these several states together, and all of them are arms that beg for reward and tread after profit, the way of hired hands and of men sold into service. In them there is no principle of holding the superior precious, of keeping the institutions at peace, of carrying measure to the end. Should there be a feudal lord able to make his own subtle and fine by measure, he would rise up and put them all in danger, nothing more.
So to call men from near at hand, to gather and pick them, to raise high the power of position and deceit, to prize achievement and profit, is to soak them by degrees; and ritual and rightness and the teaching that changes them is to make them even. So when deceit meets deceit, there is still skill and clumsiness in it; but for deceit to meet evenness is, in a figure, like bringing down Mount Tai with an awl and a knife. None but the greatest fool under heaven would dare to try it.
So the arms of the man who becomes king are not put to the test. When King Tang and King Wu put Jie and King Zhou (紂) to death, they folded their hands and bowed and pointed, and there was no strong and cruel state that did not hurry to be used by them, and they put Jie and King Zhou to death as one puts a lone fellow to death. So the Tai shi says, 'The lone fellow King Zhou.' This is what is meant.
So when arms are made even on a great scale, they order all under heaven; made even on a small scale, they order the enemy next door. As for arms that call men from near at hand, gather and pick them, raise high the power of position and deceit, and prize achievement and profit, their winning and not winning has no constancy: by turns they shrink and by turns they stretch, by turns they endure and by turns they perish, and they are male and female to one another, nothing more. These are what are called robber arms, and the gentleman does not go by them.
故齊之田單，楚之莊蹻，秦之衛鞅，燕之繆蟣，是皆世俗所謂善用兵者也，是其巧拙強弱，則未有以相君也。若其道一也，未及和齊也；掎契司詐，權謀傾覆，未免盜兵也。齊桓、晉文、楚莊、吳闔閭、越勾踐是皆和齊之兵也，可謂入其域矣，然而未有本統也，故可以霸而不可以王；是強弱之效也。
So Tian Dan of Qi, Zhuang Qiao of Chu, Wei Yang of Qin, and Miao Ji of Yan were all men whom the common world calls good at using arms; but in skill and clumsiness, in strength and weakness, there was nothing to set one above another. Their way was one and the same, and it did not reach harmony and evenness. Grappling and binding, spying and deceiving, overturning by power and scheming, they did not escape being robber arms.
Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, King Zhuang of Chu, Helu of Wu, and Goujian of Yue all had arms of harmony and evenness, and it may be said that they entered that region; yet they had no root and no guiding thread, so they could become hegemon but could not become king. This is the effect of strong and weak.
孝成王、臨武君曰善！請問為將？
King Xiaocheng and Lord Linwu said, "Good. We ask about becoming a general."
孫卿子曰：知莫大乎棄疑，行莫大乎無過，事莫大乎無悔，事至無悔而止矣，成不可必也。故制號政令欲嚴以威，慶賞刑罰欲必以信，處舍收藏欲周以固，徙舉進退欲安以重，欲疾以速；窺敵觀變欲潛以深，欲伍以參；遇敵決戰必道吾所明，無道吾所疑：夫是之謂六術。無欲將而惡廢，無急勝而忘敗，無威內而輕外，無見利而不顧其害，凡慮事欲孰而用財欲泰：夫是之謂五權。所以不受命於主有三：可殺而不可使處不完，可殺而不可使擊不勝，可殺而不可使欺百姓：夫是之謂三至。凡受命於主而行三軍，三軍既定，百官得序，群物皆正，則主不能喜，敵不能怒：夫是之謂至臣。慮必先事，而申之以敬，慎終如始，終始如一：夫是之謂大吉。凡百事之成也，必在敬之；其敗也，必在慢之。故敬勝怠則吉，怠勝敬則滅；計勝欲則從，欲勝計則凶。戰如守，行如戰，有功如幸，敬謀無壙，敬事無壙，敬吏無壙，敬眾無壙，敬敵無壙：夫是之謂五無壙。謹行此六術、五權、三至，而處之以恭敬無壙，夫是之謂天下之將，則通於神明矣。
Sun Qingzi said, "In knowing, nothing is greater than casting off doubt. In doing, nothing is greater than being without fault. In affairs, nothing is greater than being without regret. When an affair comes to be without regret, there it stops; success cannot be made certain.
So in calling out, in government and orders, one would be stern and carry awe. In praise and reward and punishment, one would be sure and be trusted. In lodging and in gathering and storing away, one would be thorough and firm. In moving and lifting camp, in advancing and drawing back, one would be calm and weighty, and one would be brisk and quick. In spying on the enemy and watching his changes, one would be sunk deep, and one would check by fives and by threes. In meeting the enemy and settling the battle, one must go by what is clear to me and not go by what I doubt. These are what are called the six arts.
Do not wish to be general and hate to be set aside. Do not hurry to win and forget defeat. Do not carry awe within and make light of what is without. Do not see profit and leave out of sight the harm in it. In all weighing of affairs one would be ripe, and in spending goods one would be ample. These are what are called the five balances.
There are three things in which he does not take the command of his lord. He may be killed, but he cannot be made to take a position that is not whole. He may be killed, but he cannot be made to strike where he cannot win. He may be killed, but he cannot be made to deceive the people. These are what are called the three utmosts.
When he takes the command of his lord and moves the three armies, and the three armies are settled, the hundred offices have their order, and all things are set right, then the lord cannot make him glad and the enemy cannot make him angry. This is what is called the utmost subject.
His weighing comes always before the affair, and he repeats it with reverence; he is careful at the end as at the beginning, and end and beginning are one and the same. This is what is called great good fortune.
In all the hundred affairs, the making of them lies always in revering them, and the breaking of them lies always in being idle with them. So when reverence overcomes idleness, there is good fortune; when idleness overcomes reverence, there is ruin. When reckoning overcomes wanting, things go smoothly; when wanting overcomes reckoning, there is ill fortune.
Fight as if guarding, march as if fighting, and count achievement as luck. Revere your plans and never slacken; revere the affair and never slacken; revere your officers and never slacken; revere the host and never slacken; revere the enemy and never slacken. These are what are called the five never-slackenings.
Carry out with care these six arts, these five balances, these three utmosts, and hold your place with respect and reverence and never slacken. Such a man is called the general of all under heaven, and he goes through to the bright spirits."
臨武君曰：善！請問王者之軍制？
Lord Linwu said, "Good. I ask about the army institutions of the man who becomes king."
孫卿子曰：將死鼓，御死轡，百吏死職，士大夫死行列。聞鼓聲而進，聞金聲而退，順命為上，有功次之；令不進而進，猶令不退而退也，其罪惟均。不殺老弱，不獵禾稼，服者不禽，格者不舍，奔命者不獲。凡誅，非誅其百姓也，誅其亂百姓者也；百姓有扞其賊，則是亦賊也。以故順刃者生，蘇刃者死，奔命者貢。微子開封於宋，曹觸龍斷於軍，殷之服民，所以養生之者也，無異周人。故近者歌謳而樂之，遠者竭蹙而趨之，無幽閒辟陋之國，莫不趨使而安樂之，四海之內若一家，通達之屬莫不從服，夫是之謂人師。詩曰：「自西自東，自南自北，無思不服。」此之謂也。王者有誅而無戰，城守不攻，兵格不擊，上下相喜則慶之，不屠城，不潛軍，不留眾，師不越時。故亂者樂其政，不安其上，欲其至也。
Sun Qingzi said, "The general dies at his drum, the driver dies at his reins, the hundred officers die at their duties, and the great officers die in their ranks. Hearing the sound of the drum they advance, and hearing the sound of the bronze they draw back. To follow the command is highest, and to have achievement comes next. To advance when told not to advance is the same as to draw back when told not to draw back, and the guilt in them is even.
The old and the weak are not killed. The standing grain is not trampled. Those who submit are not taken captive, those who stand against are not let go, and those who flee to save their lives are not seized.
In all putting to death, it is not his people that are put to death; it is those who threw his people into disorder that are put to death. If among the people there is one who shields and guards that robber, he too is a robber. So those who go along with the blade live, those who turn against the blade die, and those who flee to save their lives are presented.
Weizi Kai was enfeoffed in Song and Cao Chulong was cut down in the army, and the people of Yin who submitted were kept alive and nourished no differently from the men of Zhou. So those near sing and take joy in him, and those far off stumble and hurry to him; there is no state so dark and out of the way and poor that it does not hurry to be used by him and take ease and joy in it, and within the four seas it is like one household, and among all that can be reached there is none that does not follow and submit. This is what is called the teacher of men. The Odes say, 'From the west and from the east, from the south and from the north, there was no thought but to submit.' This is what is meant.
The man who becomes king puts men to death but does not make war. A city that holds out he does not attack; arms that stand against him he does not strike. Where above and below are glad together, he gives them praise. He does not butcher a city, he does not hide his army, he does not keep the host long in the field, and his soldiers do not stay past the season. So those in disorder take joy in his government, do not rest content with their own superior, and wish for him to come."
臨武君曰：善！
Lord Linwu said, "Good."
陳囂問孫卿子曰：先生議兵，常以仁義為本；仁者愛人，義者循理，然則又何以兵為？凡所為有兵者，為爭奪也。
Chen Xiao asked Sun Qingzi, "Master, when you discuss arms you always take benevolence and rightness for the root. The benevolent man loves others and the right man follows the principle. If that is so, then what are arms for? Wherever arms are kept, it is for striving and seizing."
孫卿子曰：非汝所知也！彼仁者愛人，愛人故惡人之害之也；義者循理，循理故惡人之亂之也。彼兵者所以禁暴除害也，非爭奪也。故仁者之兵，所存者神，所過者化，若時雨之降，莫不說喜。是以堯伐驩兜，舜伐有苗，禹伐共工，湯伐有夏，文王伐崇，武王伐紂，此四帝兩王，皆以仁義之兵，行於天下也。故近者親其善，遠方慕其德，兵不血刃，遠邇來服，德盛於此，施及四極。詩曰：「淑人君子，其儀不忒，其儀不忒，正是四國。」此之謂也。
Sun Qingzi said, "This is not something you know. The benevolent man loves others, and loving others he hates that another should harm them. The right man follows the principle, and following the principle he hates that another should throw it into disorder. Arms are the means of forbidding cruelty and doing away with harm; they are not for striving and seizing.
So with the arms of the benevolent man, where they stay there is a spirit in it and where they pass men are changed; it is like the falling of a timely rain, and there is none who is not glad. For this reason King Yao struck Huandou, King Shun struck Youmiao, King Yu struck Gonggong, King Tang struck Xia, King Wen struck Chong, and King Wu struck King Zhou. These four emperors and two kings all carried the arms of benevolence and rightness through all under heaven.
So those near drew close to his goodness and those in far places longed for his virtue; the arms did not wet their blades with blood, and far and near came and submitted, and virtue grew full here and reached to the four ends. The Odes say, 'Good man, gentleman, his bearing does not go astray; his bearing does not go astray, and so he sets right these states of the four quarters.' This is what is meant."
李斯問孫卿子曰：秦四世有勝，兵強海內，威行諸侯，非以仁義為之也，以便從事而已。
Li Si asked Sun Qingzi, "That Qin has had victory for four generations, that its arms are strong within the seas and its awe runs among the feudal lords, was not done by benevolence and rightness. It went about its affairs by what was handy, that is all."
孫卿子曰：非汝所知也！汝所謂便者，不便之便也；吾所謂仁義者，大便之便也。彼仁義者，所以脩政者也；政脩則民親其上，樂其君，而輕為之死。故曰：凡在於軍，將率末事也。秦四世有勝，諰諰然常恐天下之一合而軋己也，此所謂末世之兵，未有本統也。故湯之放桀也，非其逐之鳴條之時也；武王之誅紂也，非以甲子之朝而後勝之也，皆前行素脩也，所謂仁義之兵也。今女不求之於本，而索之於末，此世之所以亂也。
Sun Qingzi said, "This is not something you know. What you call handy is a handiness that is not handy; what I call benevolence and rightness is a handiness that is greatly handy.
Benevolence and rightness are the means by which government is cultivated. When government is cultivated, the people draw close to their superior and take joy in their lord, and they make light of dying for him. So it was said: in all that belongs to an army, the general is a matter of the tip.
Qin has had victory for four generations, and yet it is ever fearful and uneasy lest all under heaven join as one and crush it. These are what are called the arms of a late age, having no root and no guiding thread.
So King Tang's driving out of Jie was not that moment when he chased him at Mingtiao, and King Wu's putting King Zhou to death was not a victory won on the morning of the jiazi day. In both, the earlier doing had been cultivated in ordinary times, and these are what are called the arms of benevolence and rightness. Now you do not seek it in the root but look for it in the tip, and this is why the age is in disorder."
禮者、治辨之極也，強固之本也，威行之道也，功名之總也，王公由之所以得天下也，不由所以隕社稷也。故堅甲利兵不足以為勝，高城深池不足以為固，嚴令繁刑不足以為威。由其道則行，不由其道則廢。
Ritual is the utmost of ordering and discerning, the root of strength and firmness, the road by which awe runs, and the gathering of achievement and name. Kings and dukes get all under heaven by going by it, and drop their altars of earth and grain by not going by it. So firm armor and keen weapons are not enough to make victory, high walls and deep moats are not enough to make firmness, stern orders and manifold punishments are not enough to make awe. Go by that way and things are carried through; do not go by that way and they fall away.
楚人鮫革犀兕以為甲，鞈堅如金石；宛鉅鐵矛，慘如蜂蠆，輕利僄遫，卒如飄風；然而兵殆於垂沙，唐蔑死。莊蹻起，楚分而為三四，是豈無堅甲利兵也哉！其所以統之者非其道故也。汝潁以為險，江漢以為池，限之以鄧林，緣之以方城；然而秦師至，而鄢郢舉，若振槁然，是豈無固塞隘阻也哉！其所以統之者非其道故也。紂刳比干，囚箕子，為炮烙刑，殺戮無時，臣下懍然莫必其命，然而周師至，而令不行乎下，不能用其民，是豈令不嚴，刑不繁也哉！其所以統之者非其道故也。
The men of Chu made armor of shark hide and rhinoceros hide, firm as metal and stone, and their great iron spears from Wan (宛) were cruel as wasps and scorpions, and they were light and nimble and quick as a whirlwind. And yet their arms came to grief at Chuisha (垂沙) and Tang Mie died, and Zhuang Qiao rose up, and Chu was split into three and four. Was this for want of firm armor and keen weapons? It was because what held them together was not the right way.
They took the Ru and the Ying for their steep barrier and the Jiang and the Han for their moat, they hemmed themselves with Denglin and ringed themselves with Fangcheng. And yet when the army of Qin came, Yan and Ying were lifted away as one shakes off dry stalks. Was this for want of firm forts and narrow steep places? It was because what held them together was not the right way.
King Zhou cut open Bi Gan, shut up Ji Zi, and made the punishment of roasting and searing, and he killed and slaughtered out of all season, so that the subjects below trembled and none could count on his own life. And yet when the army of Zhou came, his orders did not run among those below and he could not use his people. Was this because his orders were not stern and his punishments not manifold? It was because what held them together was not the right way.
古之兵，戈矛弓矢而已矣，然而敵國不待試而詘；城郭不辨，溝池不抇，固塞不樹，機變不張；然而國晏然不畏外而固者，無它故焉，明道而鈞分之，時使而誠愛之，下之和上也如影嚮，有不由令者，然後俟之以刑。故刑一人而天下服，罪人不郵其上，知罪之在己也。是故刑罰省而威流，無它故焉，由其道故也。古者帝堯之治天下也，蓋殺一人，刑二人，而天下治。傳曰：「威厲而不試，刑錯而不用。」此之謂也。
The arms of the ancients were halberd and spear, bow and arrow, and nothing more, and yet enemy states bent without waiting to be tested. They did not pick out their walls, they did not dig ditches and moats, they did not raise firm forts, they did not spread out engines and tricks; and yet the state was quiet and did not fear what lay outside and stood firm. There was no other cause for it. They made the way clear and divided evenly by it, they used the people in season and truly loved them, so that those below answered those above as shadow and echo; and only when there was one who did not go by the command did they meet him with punishment.
So one man was punished and all under heaven submitted, and the guilty man did not blame his superior, for he knew the guilt was in himself. For this reason punishments grew few and awe flowed abroad. There was no other cause for it: it was because they went by that way.
In old times, when King Yao ordered all under heaven, he killed one man, it is said, and punished two, and all under heaven was ordered. A saying handed down goes, 'Awe is fierce and yet is not put to the test; punishments are laid aside and not used.' This is what is meant.
凡人之動也，為賞慶為之，則見害傷焉止矣。故賞慶、刑罰、埶詐，不足以盡人之力，致人之死。為人主上者也，其所以接下之百姓者，無禮義忠信，焉慮率用賞慶、刑罰、埶詐，除阨其下，獲其功用而已矣。大寇則至，使之持危城則必畔，遇敵處戰則必北，勞苦煩辱則必奔，霍焉離耳，下反制其上。故賞慶、刑罰、埶詐之為道者，傭徒鬻賣之道也，不足以合大眾，美國家，故古之人羞而不道也。故厚德音以先之，明禮義以道之，致忠信以愛之，尚賢使能以次之，爵服慶賞以申之，時其事，輕其任，以調齊之，長養之，如保赤子。政令以定，風俗以一，有離俗不順其上，則百姓莫不敦惡，莫不毒孽，若祓不祥；然後刑於是起矣。是大刑之所加也，辱孰大焉！將以為利邪？則大刑加焉，身苟不狂惑戇陋，誰睹是而不改也哉！然後百姓曉然皆知循上之法，像上之志，而安樂之。於是有能化善、脩身、正行、積禮義、尊道德，百姓莫不貴敬，莫不親譽；然後賞於是起矣。是高爵豐祿之所加也，榮孰大焉！將以為害邪？則高爵豐祿以持養之；生民之屬，孰不願也！雕雕焉縣貴爵重賞於其前，縣明刑大辱於其後，雖欲無化，能乎哉！故民歸之如流水，所存者神，所為者化。××××之屬為之化而順，暴悍勇力之屬為之化而愿，旁辟曲私之屬為之化而公，矜糾收繚之屬為之化而調，夫是之謂大化至一。詩曰：「王猶允塞，徐方既來。」此之謂也。
In all that men do, if it is done for praise and reward, then when they see harm and hurt they stop. So praise and reward, punishment, position and deceit are not enough to draw out a man's full strength or to bring him to his death.
If the man who has become lord and superior, in meeting the hundred families below, has no ritual and rightness, no loyalty and good faith, and thinks only to use praise and reward, punishment, position and deceit, driving those below into narrow straits to get their achievement and their use, then when a great robber comes, set them to hold a city in peril and they are sure to turn away; let them meet the enemy and give battle and they are sure to run; make them toil and labor and bear vexation and shame and they are sure to bolt, and in a moment they are gone; and those below in turn take the ordering of their superior.
So to take praise and reward, punishment, position and deceit for one's way is the way of hired hands and of men sold into service, and it is not enough to join a great host or to make a state and a family beautiful. This is why the men of old were ashamed of it and did not speak of it.
So he makes the sound of virtue thick and puts it first, he makes ritual and rightness clear and leads by them, he carries loyalty and good faith to the utmost and loves by them, he honors the worthy and uses the able and sets his ranks in order by them, he repeats it with titles and robes and praise and reward, he times their tasks and lightens their burdens to make them even and in tune, and he rears them and lets them grow as one cares for a newborn child.
When government and orders are settled and custom is made one, if there is a man who departs from custom and does not follow his superior, there is none among the people who does not deeply hate him, none who does not hold him a poisonous curse, as a thing of ill omen to be swept away. Only after this does punishment arise. This is where the great punishment is laid on. What shame is greater than that? Would he take it for profit? Then the great punishment falls on him; and unless a man is truly mad and deluded and dull and narrow, who could see this and not change?
After this the people see clearly and all know to follow the law of their superior and to take the will of their superior for their model, and they take ease and joy in it. Then if there is a man who can be changed to goodness, cultivate himself, set his conduct straight, pile up ritual and rightness, and honor the way and virtue, there is none among the people who does not hold him precious and revere him, none who does not draw close to him and praise him. Only after this does reward arise. This is where high rank and rich salary are laid on. What glory is greater than that? Would he take it for harm? Then he is held and nourished by high rank and rich salary; and among all the living people, who would not wish for it?
Clear and bright, honored rank and heavy reward are hung before them, and bright punishment and great shame are hung behind them. Though a man wished not to be changed, could he help it? So the people come home to him like flowing water, and where he stays there is a spirit in it and what he does changes them. The □□□□ sort are changed by this and follow him, the cruel and bold and strong sort are changed by this and grow careful, the crooked and bent and self-serving sort are changed by this and grow fair, the stiff and tangled and drawn-in sort are changed by this and come into tune. This is what is called the great changing that reaches to being one. The Odes say, 'The king's plan is truly full, and the land of Xu (徐) has come already.' This is what is meant.
凡兼人者有三術：有以德兼人者，有以力兼人者，有以富兼人者。彼貴我名聲，美我德行，欲為我民，故辟門除涂，以迎吾入。因其民，襲其處，而百姓皆安。立法施令，莫不順比。是故得地而權彌重，兼人而兵俞強：是以德兼人者也。非貴我名聲也，非美我德行也，彼畏我威，劫我埶，故民雖有離心，不敢有畔慮，若是則戎甲俞眾，奉養必費。是故得地而權彌輕，兼人而兵俞弱：是以力兼人者也。非貴我名聲也，非美我德行也，用貧求富，用飢求飽，虛腹張口，來歸我食。若是，則必發夫掌窌之粟以食之，委之財貨以富之，立良有司以接之，已期三年，然後民可信也。是故得地而權彌輕，兼人而國俞貧：是以富兼人者也。故曰：以德兼人者王，以力兼人者弱，以富兼人者貧，古今一也。
In annexing others there are three arts: there is annexing others by virtue, there is annexing others by force, and there is annexing others by wealth.
They hold my name and repute precious and think my virtue and conduct beautiful, and they wish to become my people; so they open their gates and sweep their roads to welcome me in. Their people are taken as they are and their dwellings left as they were, and the hundred families are all at peace; laws are set up and orders given, and there is none who does not fall in with them willingly. For this reason land is got and power grows heavier, others are annexed and the arms grow stronger. This is annexing others by virtue.
It is not that they held my name and repute precious, nor that they thought my virtue and conduct beautiful. They feared my awe and were held down by my position, so that though the people have hearts that would depart, they dare not think of turning away. When it is like this, the armored soldiers grow ever more numerous and the keeping and feeding of them is sure to cost. For this reason land is got and power grows lighter, others are annexed and the arms grow weaker. This is annexing others by force.
It is not that they held my name and repute precious, nor that they thought my virtue and conduct beautiful. Being poor they sought wealth, being hungry they sought to be full, and with empty bellies and open mouths they came home to my food. When it is like this, the grain of the storehouses must be brought out to feed them, goods and wealth entrusted to them to make them rich, and good officers set up to receive them; and only when three years have passed can the people be trusted. For this reason land is got and power grows lighter, others are annexed and the state grows poorer. This is annexing others by wealth.
So it is said: he who annexes others by virtue becomes king, he who annexes others by force grows weak, and he who annexes others by wealth grows poor. In old times and now it is one and the same.
兼并易能也，唯堅凝之難焉。齊能并宋，而不能凝也，故魏奪之。燕能并齊，而不能凝也，故田單奪之。韓之上地，方數百里，完全富足而趨趙，趙不能凝也，故秦奪之。故能并之，而不能凝，則必奪；不能并之，又不能凝其有，則必亡。能凝之，則必能并之矣。得之則凝，兼并無強。古者湯以薄，武王以滈，皆百里之地也，天下為一，諸侯為臣，無他故焉，能凝之也。故凝士以禮，凝民以政；禮脩而士服，政平而民安；士服民安，夫是之謂大凝。以守則固，以征則強，令行禁止，王者之事畢矣。
To annex and swallow up is easy enough to be able to do; it is only the setting of it firm that is hard.
Qi was able to annex Song but not to set it firm, and so Wei took it away. Yan was able to annex Qi but not to set it firm, and so Tian Dan took it away. The upper land of Han, some hundreds of li square, whole and rich and ample, went over to Zhao, and Zhao could not set it firm, and so Qin took it away.
So if a man can annex and yet cannot set it firm, it is sure to be taken from him; if he can neither annex nor set firm what he has, he is sure to perish. If he can set it firm, he is sure to be able to annex. Getting it, he sets it firm, and in annexing and swallowing up there is no strength against him.
In old times King Tang used Bo and King Wu used Hao, and both were land of a hundred li; yet all under heaven was made one and the feudal lords became their subjects. There was no other cause for it: they were able to set it firm.
So officers are set firm by ritual and the people are set firm by government. When ritual is cultivated, officers submit; when government is even, the people are at peace. Knights submitting and the people at peace is what is called the great setting firm. Guard with it and you are firm, go campaigning with it and you are strong, orders run and prohibitions hold. With this the work of the man who becomes king is complete.