Tianlun — Discourse on Heaven天論篇
天行有常，不為堯存，不為桀亡。應之以治則吉，應之以亂則凶。彊本而節用，則天不能貧；養備而動時，則天不能病；脩道而不貳，則天不能禍。故水旱不能使之飢，寒暑不能使之疾，祆怪不能使之凶。本荒而用侈，則天不能使之富；養略而動罕，則天不能使之全；倍道而妄行，則天不能使之吉。故水旱未至而飢，寒暑未薄而疾，祆怪未至而凶－－受時與治世同，而殃禍與治世異，不可以怨天，其道然也。故明於天人之分，則可謂至人矣。
There is a constancy in the movement of Heaven. It is not there because of King Yao, and it does not perish because of Jie. Answer it with order and it is auspicious; answer it with disorder and it is ill-fated.
Make the root strong and be sparing in use, and Heaven cannot make you poor. Let nourishing be complete and movement be timely, and Heaven cannot make you sick. Cultivate the Way and keep no second heart, and Heaven cannot send disaster. Therefore flood and drought cannot make you hungry, cold and heat cannot make you ill, and weird portents cannot make you ill-fated.
Let the root be coarse and use be extravagant, and Heaven cannot make you rich. Let nourishing be sparse and movement be rare, and Heaven cannot keep you whole. Turn your back on the Way and act recklessly, and Heaven cannot make you auspicious. Therefore you go hungry before flood and drought have come, you fall ill before cold and heat have pressed upon you, and you meet ill fortune before weird portents have come.
The season received is the same as in an ordered age, and yet the calamity is other than in an ordered age. Heaven cannot be resented for it. Its way is simply so.
Therefore one who is clear about the division between Heaven and man may be called a man who has reached the utmost.
不為而成，不求而得，夫是之謂天職。如是者，雖深、其人不加慮焉；雖大、不加能焉；雖精、不加察焉，夫是之謂不與天爭職。天有其時，地有其財，人有其治，夫是之謂能參。舍其所以參，而願其所參，則惑矣。
What is accomplished without being done and gained without being sought is called the office of Heaven. Toward such a thing, though it be deep, that man adds no pondering; though it be great, he adds no ability; though it be fine, he adds no scrutiny. This is called not contending with Heaven over office.
Heaven has its seasons, Earth has its wealth, and man has his ordering. This is called being able to make a third with them. To cast away what makes one a third and still wish to be that third is confusion.
列星隨旋，日月遞炤，四時代御，陰陽大化，風雨博施，萬物各得其和以生，各得其養以成，不見其事，而見其功，夫是之謂神。皆知其所以成，莫知其無形，夫是之謂天功。唯聖人為不求知天。
The ranked stars turn in their courses, the sun and the moon shine in turn, the four seasons rule in turn, yin and yang change greatly, wind and rain are bestowed widely, and the ten thousand things each gain their harmony and are born, each gain their nourishing and are completed. Their work is not seen and only their merit is seen. This is called the spiritual.
All know how things are completed, and none knows their formlessness. This is called the merit of Heaven. The sage alone does not seek to know Heaven.
天職既立，天功既成，形具而神生，好惡喜怒哀樂臧焉，夫是之謂天情。耳目鼻口形能各有接而不相能也，夫是之謂天官。心居中虛，以治五官，夫是之謂天君。財非其類以養其類，夫是之謂天養。順其類者謂之福，逆其類者謂之禍，夫是之謂天政。暗其天君，亂其天官，棄其天養，逆其天政，背其天情，以喪天功，夫是之謂大凶。聖人清其天君，正其天官，備其天養，順其天政，養其天情，以全其天功。如是，則知其所為，知其所不為矣；則天地官而萬物役矣。其行曲治，其養曲適，其生不傷，夫是之謂知天。
The office of Heaven being established and the merit of Heaven being completed, the form is furnished and the spirit is born, and liking and hating, joy and anger, sorrow and delight are stored in it. This is called the feelings of Heaven.
Ear and eye and nose and mouth and body each have what they meet, and they cannot take one another's place. This is called the officers of Heaven.
The heart dwells in the hollow within and orders the five officers. This is called the ruler of Heaven.
It cuts and shapes what is not of its own kind in order to nourish its own kind. This is called the nourishing of Heaven.
To follow one's own kind is called blessing, and to go against one's own kind is called disaster. This is called the government of Heaven.
To darken the ruler of Heaven, to throw the officers of Heaven into disorder, to cast away the nourishing of Heaven, to go against the government of Heaven, and to turn one's back on the feelings of Heaven, and so to lose the merit of Heaven, is called the great ill fortune.
The sage makes clear his ruler of Heaven, sets right his officers of Heaven, makes complete his nourishing of Heaven, follows his government of Heaven, and nourishes his feelings of Heaven, and so keeps whole his merit of Heaven. When it is like this, he knows what he is to do and knows what he is not to do, and then Heaven and Earth serve as officers and the ten thousand things are put to work. His conduct is ordered throughout, his nourishing is fitting throughout, and his life is not harmed. This is called knowing Heaven.
故大巧在所不為，大智在所不慮。所志於天者，已其見象之可以期者矣；所志於地者，已其見宜之可以息者矣：所志於四時者，已其見數之可以事者矣；所志於陰陽者，已其見和之可以治者矣。官人守天，而自為守道也。
Therefore great skill lies in what is not done, and great wisdom lies in what is not pondered.
What one sets the mind on in Heaven stops with those manifest signs that can be reckoned on. What one sets the mind on in Earth stops with those manifest fitnesses that can make things grow. What one sets the mind on in the four seasons stops with those manifest numbers that can be worked with. What one sets the mind on in yin and yang stops with those manifest harmonies that can be ordered.
The officers keep watch over Heaven, and I for my part keep watch over the Way.
治亂，天邪？曰：日月星辰瑞厤，是禹桀之所同也，禹以治，桀以亂；治亂非天也。
Are order and disorder from Heaven? The answer is that the sun and the moon and the stars and the calendar were the same for King Yu and for Jie, and King Yu had order and Jie had disorder. Order and disorder are not Heaven.
時邪？曰：繁啟蕃長於春夏，畜積收臧於秋冬，是禹桀之所同也，禹以治，桀以亂；治亂非時也。
Are they from the seasons? The answer is that thick sprouting and lush growth in spring and summer, and storing and gathering in autumn and winter, were the same for King Yu and for Jie, and King Yu had order and Jie had disorder. Order and disorder are not the seasons.
地邪？曰：得地則生，失地則死，是又禹桀之所同也，禹以治，桀以亂；治亂非地也。詩曰：「天作高山，大王荒之。彼作矣，文王康之。」此之謂也。
Are they from the earth? The answer is that living when land is gained and dying when land is lost was also the same for King Yu and for Jie, and King Yu had order and Jie had disorder. Order and disorder are not the earth. The Odes say, "Heaven made the high mountain, and King Tai opened it. He built there, and King Wen gave it peace." This is what is meant.
天不為人之惡寒也輟冬，地不為人之惡遼遠也輟廣，君子不為小人之匈匈也輟行。天有常道矣，地有常數矣，君子有常體矣。君子道其常，而小人計其功。詩曰：「禮義之不愆，何恤人之言兮！」此之謂也。
Heaven does not stop winter because men hate the cold, Earth does not stop its breadth because men hate what is far and distant, and the gentleman does not stop his conduct because small men clamor. Heaven has its constant way, Earth has its constant numbers, and the gentleman has his constant bearing. The gentleman speaks of his constancy, and the small man reckons up his gains. The Odes say, "Since there is no straying from ritual and rightness, why be troubled at the words of men?" This is what is meant.
楚王後車千乘，非知也；君子啜菽飲水，非愚也；是節然也。若夫志意脩，德行厚，知慮明，生於今而志乎古，則是其在我者也。故君子敬其在己者，而不慕其在天者；小人錯其在己者，而慕其在天者。君子敬其在己者，而不慕其在天者，是以日進也；小人錯其在己者，而慕其在天者，是以日退也。故君子之所以日進，與小人之所以日退，一也。君子小人之所以相縣者，在此耳。
That the king of Chu has a thousand chariots following him is not wisdom, and that the gentleman chews beans and drinks water is not folly. It is that circumstances are so.
As for a will that is cultivated, virtue and conduct that are generous, and wisdom and thought that are clear, so that one is born in the present and sets the mind on antiquity, this is what lies in me.
Therefore the gentleman reveres what lies in himself and does not long for what lies with Heaven, and the small man sets aside what lies in himself and longs for what lies with Heaven. The gentleman reveres what lies in himself and does not long for what lies with Heaven, and so he goes forward day by day. The small man sets aside what lies in himself and longs for what lies with Heaven, and so he falls back day by day. Therefore why the gentleman goes forward day by day and why the small man falls back day by day are one and the same. What sets gentleman and small man so far apart lies here and nowhere else.
星隊木鳴，國人皆恐。曰：是何也？曰：無何也！是天地之變，陰陽之化，物之罕至者也。怪之，可也；而畏之，非也。夫日月之有蝕，風雨之不時，怪星之黨見，是無世而不常有之。上明而政平，則是雖並世起，無傷也；上闇而政險，則是雖無一至者，無益也。夫星之隊，木之鳴，是天地之變，陰陽之化，物之罕至者也；怪之，可也；而畏之，非也。
A star falls and a tree cries out, and all the people of the state are afraid. It is asked, what is this? The answer is that it is nothing. It is a change of Heaven and Earth, a turning of yin and yang, a thing among things that seldom comes. To think it strange is allowable, but to fear it is wrong.
Now that the sun and the moon are eaten, that wind and rain come out of season, that strange stars appear in company, there has been no age in which these were not always there. If the one above is clear and the government even, then though these arise together in a single age there is no harm. If the one above is dark and the government treacherous, then though not one of them comes there is no gain.
Now a star falling and a tree crying out are a change of Heaven and Earth, a turning of yin and yang, a thing among things that seldom comes. To think them strange is allowable, but to fear them is wrong.
物之已至者，人祆則可畏也：楛耕傷稼，楛耨失歲，政險失民；田薉稼惡，糴貴民飢，道路有死人：夫是之謂人祆。政令不明，舉錯不時，本事不理，勉力不時，則牛馬相生，六畜作祆：夫是之謂人祆。禮義不脩，內外無別，男女淫亂，則父子相疑，上下乖離，寇難並至：夫是之謂人祆。祆是生於亂。三者錯，無安國。其說甚爾，其菑甚慘。勉力不時，則牛馬相生，六畜作祆，可怪也，而亦可畏也。傳曰：「萬物之怪書不說。」無用之辯，不急之察，棄而不治。若夫君臣之義，父子之親，夫婦之別，則日切瑳而不舍也。
Among the things that have already come, it is the ill omens that come from men that is to be feared.
Coarse plowing that harms the crop, coarse weeding that loses the year, a treacherous government that loses the people, fields gone to weeds and grain gone bad, rice dear and the people hungry, dead men on the roads — this is called the ill omens that come from men.
Government and orders that are not clear, undertakings that are out of season, root affairs left unordered, labor demanded out of season, so that oxen and horses breed with one another and the six animals give ill omens — this is called the ill omens that come from men.
Ritual and rightness left uncultivated, no division between inner and outer, men and women licentious and disordered, so that father and son suspect each other, above and below go crooked and part, and bandits and troubles come together — this is called the ill omens that come from men.
Weirdness is born of disorder. When these three are jumbled together, no state is at peace. The account of it is very near at hand, and the calamity of it is very cruel. That labor demanded out of season makes oxen and horses breed with one another and the six animals give ill omens may be thought strange, and may also be feared.
A handed down saying has it, "The writings do not speak of the strangeness of the ten thousand things." Useless disputation and the scrutiny of what is not urgent are cast aside and not attended to. But as for the rightness between ruler and minister, the closeness between father and son, and the division between husband and wife, these are ground and polished day by day and never let go.
雩而雨，何也？曰：無何也，猶不雩而雨也。日月食而救之，天旱而雩，卜筮然後決大事，非以為得求也，以文之也。故君子以為文，而百姓以為神。以為文則吉，以為神則凶也。
That rain comes when rain is prayed for, how is it? The answer is that it is nothing. It is the same as rain coming when there is no prayer.
To rescue the sun and the moon when they are eaten, to pray for rain when Heaven sends drought, and to decide great affairs only after divining by shell and stalk, is not done to gain what is sought. It is done to give the thing form. Therefore the gentleman takes them as form and the people take them as spirit power. Take them as form and it is auspicious; take them as spirit power and it is ill-fated.
在天者莫明於日月，在地者莫明於水火，在物者莫明於珠玉，在人者莫明於禮義。故日月不高，則光明不赫；水火不積，則暉潤不博；珠玉不睹乎外，則王公不以為寶；禮義不加於國家，則功名不白。故人之命在天，國之命在禮。君人者，隆禮尊賢而王，重法愛民而霸，好利多詐而危，權謀傾覆幽險而亡矣。
Among the things in Heaven none is brighter than the sun and the moon; among the things on Earth none is brighter than water and fire; among things none is brighter than pearl and jade; among men none is brighter than ritual and rightness.
Therefore if the sun and the moon were not high their light would not blaze; if water and fire were not gathered their glow and moisture would not spread wide; if pearl and jade were not seen from without, kings and dukes would not hold them treasures; if ritual and rightness were not added to the state and the household, merit and name would not be plain.
Therefore the fate of a man lies with Heaven and the fate of a state lies with ritual. A ruler of men who exalts ritual and honors the worthy becomes king; who makes the law weighty and loves the people becomes hegemon; who loves profit and is full of deceit is endangered; who uses power and scheming and overturning and dark treachery perishes.
大天而思之，孰與物畜而制之！從天而頌之，孰與制天命而用之！望時而待之，孰與應時而使之！因物而多之，孰與騁能而化之！思物而物之，孰與理物而勿失之也！願於物之所以生，孰與有物之所以成！故錯人而思天，則失萬物之情。
To make Heaven great and brood upon it, how does that compare with rearing it as a thing and cutting it to use? To follow Heaven and sing its praise, how does that compare with cutting the command of Heaven to use? To gaze at the season and wait for it, how does that compare with answering the season and setting it to work? To go along with things and make them many, how does that compare with letting ability run and changing them? To brood upon things and take them for things, how does that compare with ordering things and not losing them? To wish for that by which things are born, how does that compare with holding that by which things are completed?
Therefore if man is set aside and Heaven is brooded upon, the true state of the ten thousand things is lost.
百王之無變，足以為道貫。一廢一起，應之以貫，理貫不亂。不知貫，不知應變。貫之大體未嘗亡也。亂生其差，治盡其詳。故道之所善，中則可從，畸則不可為，匿則大惑。水行者表深，表不明則陷。治民者表道，表不明則亂。禮者，表也。非禮，昏世也；昏世，大亂也。故道無不明，外內異表，隱顯有常，民陷乃去。
What the hundred kings did not change is enough to be the cord that threads the Way. One thing falls and another rises, and if they are answered with the thread, the ordering of the thread is not disordered. One who does not know the thread does not know how to answer change. The great body of the thread has never yet perished. Disorder is born where it is strayed from, and order exhausts its detail.
Therefore of what the Way calls good, what is central may be followed, what is lopsided cannot be done, and what is hidden confuses greatly.
One who crosses water marks the depths, and if the marks are not clear he sinks. One who orders the people marks the Way, and if the marks are not clear there is disorder. Ritual is the mark. Without ritual the age is dark, and a dark age is great disorder.
Therefore when there is nothing in the Way that is not clear, when the marks without and the marks within are different, and when there is constancy in what is hidden and what is shown, the sinking of the people is gone.
萬物為道一偏，一物為萬物一偏。愚者為一物一偏，而自以為知道，無知也。慎子有見於後，無見於先。老子有見於詘，無見於信。墨子有見於齊，無見於畸。宋子有見於少，無見於多。有後而無先，則群眾無門。有詘而無信，則貴賤不分。有齊而無畸，則政令不施，有少而無多，則群眾不化。書曰：「無有作好，遵王之道；無有作惡，遵王之路。」此之謂也。
The ten thousand things are one corner of the Way, and one thing is one corner of the ten thousand things. The foolish man takes one corner of one thing and holds himself to know the Way. This is to have no knowledge.
Shenzi (慎子) had eyes for what comes after but no eyes for what comes first. Laozi had eyes for bending but no eyes for stretching. Mozi had eyes for what is even but no eyes for what is uneven. Songzi (宋子) had eyes for the few but no eyes for the many.
With what comes after and not what comes first, the multitude has no gate. With bending and not stretching, noble and base are not divided. With what is even and not what is uneven, government and orders are not carried out. With the few and not the many, the multitude is not transformed.
The Documents say, "Make no likings of your own, but follow the way of the king. Make no hatreds of your own, but follow the road of the king." This is what is meant.