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Mohism -> Mozi -> Book 8 -> Condemnation of Music I -> 6

鹿Also, man is different from birds and beasts and insects.
鹿The birds, beasts, and insects
have their feathers and furs for coats and fur coats,
have their hoofs and claws for sandals and shoes,
and have water and grass for drink and food.
使 Therefore the male do not sow seeds or plant trees,
neither do the female weave or spin,
yet food and clothing are provided.
Now, man is different from these.
Those who exert themselves will live.
Those who do not exert themselves cannot live.
君子 When the gentlemen do not attend to government diligently,
the jurisdiction will be in chaos.
When the common men do not attend to work,
supply will not be sufficient.
天下君子If the gentlemen of the world
should doubt my word,
天下let us enumerate the several duties in the world
and see the harm music does (to them):
王公大人退For the rulers to go to court early and retire late
to listen to lawsuits and attend to government
is their duty.
君子For the gentlemen to exhaust the energy of their limbs
and employ fully the wisdom of their minds
to attend to the court within
and to collect taxes without from passes, markets, and products from mountains, woods, and water and fields
in order to fill up the granaries and the treasury
is their duty.
For the farmers to set out early and come back late,
to sow seeds and plant trees
in order to produce a large quantity of soy beans and millet
is their duty.
For the women to rise up at dawn and retire in the night
to weave and spin
縿in order to produce much silk, flax linen, and cloth
is their duty.
王公大人 Now if the rulers should love music and listen to it,
退they would not be able to go to court early and retire late
to listen to lawsuits and attend to government.
Then the country would be in chaos and the state would be in danger.
君子 If the gentlemen should love music and listen to it,
they would not be able to exhaust the energy in their Iimbs
and employ fully the wisdom in the mind
to attend to court within
and collect taxes without from passes and markets and products from mountains, woods, water, and fields
to fill up the granaries and the treasury.
Then the granaries and the treasury would not be filled.
If the farmers should love music and listen to it,
they would not be able to set out early and come back late,
to sow seeds and plant trees
1 and produce a large quantity of soy beans and millet.
Then the soy beans and millet would not be sufficient.
2
If the women should love music and listen to it,
3
they would not be able to rise up at dawn and retire in the night
to weave and spin
縿and produce much silk, flax linen, and cloth.
縿 Then cloth and linen will not be sufficient.
If it is asked what is it that interfered with the rulers' attending to government and the common man's attending to work?
it must be answered, music.
墨子:「。」Therefore Mozi said: To have music is wrong.

1. 叔 : Originally read: "升". Corrected by 孫詒讓《墨子閒詁》
2. 叔粟不足 : Inserted. 孫詒讓《墨子閒詁》
3. 能 : Inserted. 孫詒讓《墨子閒詁》


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