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| Simplified Chinese version |
《非攻中 - Condemnation of Offensive War II》 | English translation: W. P. Mei [?] | Library Resources |
| 1 | 非攻中: | 子墨子言曰：“古者王公大人，为政于国家者，情欲誉之审，赏罚之当，刑政之不过失。”是故子墨子曰：“古者有语：‘谋而不得，则以往知来，以见知隐’。谋若此，可得而知矣。” |
| Condemnation of Offensive War...: | Mozi said: If the rulers of to-day sincerely wish to be careful in condemnation and commendation, judicious in rewards and punishments, and temperate in government and jurisdiction. Therefore Mozi said: There is an ancient saying that, when one is not successful in making out plans then predict the future by the past and learn about the absent from what is present. When one plans like this then one can be intelligent. | |
| 2 | 非攻中: | 今师徒唯毋兴起，冬行恐寒，夏行恐暑，此不可以冬夏为者也。春则废民耕稼树艺，秋则废民获敛。今唯毋废一时，则百姓饥寒冻馁而死者，不可胜数。今尝计军上，竹箭羽旄幄幕，甲盾拨劫，往而靡坏腑烂不反者，不可胜数；又与矛戟戈剑乘车，其往则1碎折靡坏而不反者，不可胜数；与其牛马肥而往，瘠而反，往死亡而不反者，不可胜数；与其涂道之修远，粮食辍绝而不继，百姓死者，不可胜数也；与其居处之不安，食饮之不时，饥饱之不节，百姓之道疾病而死者，不可胜数；丧师多不可胜数，丧师尽不可胜计，则是鬼神之丧其主后，亦不可胜数。 |
| Condemnation of Offensive War...: |
Now, about a country going to war. If it is in winter it will be too cold ; if it is in summer it will be too hot. So it should be neither in winter nor in summer. If it is in spring it will take people away from sowing and planting; if it is in autumn it will take people away from reaping and harvesting. Should they be taken away in either of these seasons, innumerable people would die of hunger and cold, And, when the army sets out, the bamboo arrows, the feather flags, the house tents, the armour, the shields, the sword hilts -- innumerable quantities of these will break and rot and never come back. The spears, the lances, the swords, the poniards, the chariots, the carts -- innumerable quantities of these will break and rot and never come back. Then innumerable horses and oxen will start out fat and come back lean or will not return at all. And innumerable people will die because their food will be cut off and cannot be supplied on account of the great distances of the roads. And innumerable people will be sick and die of the constant danger and the irregularity of eating and drinking and the extremes of hunger and over-eating. Then, the army will be lost in large numbers or entirely; in either case the number will be innumerable. And this means the spirits will lose their worshippers, and the number of these will also be innumerable. 1. 往则 : Originally read: "列住". Corrected by 孙诒让《墨子闲诂》 | |
| 3 | 非攻中: | 国家发政，夺民之用，废民之利，若此甚众，然而何为为之？曰：“我贪伐胜之名，及得之利，故为之。”子墨子言曰：“计其所自胜，无所可用也。计其所得，反不如所丧者之多。今攻三里之城，七里之郭，攻此不用锐，且无杀而徒得此然也。杀人多必数于万，寡必数于千，然后三里之城、七里之郭，且可得也。今万乘之国，虚数于千，不胜而入广衍数于万，不胜而辟。然则土地者，所有馀也，士民者，所不足也。今尽士民之死，严下上之患，以争虚城，则是弃所不足，而重所有馀也。为政若此，非国之务者也。” |
| Condemnation of Offensive War...: | Why then does the government deprive the people of their opportunities and benefits to such a great extent? It has been answered: "I covet the fame of the victor and the possessions obtainable through the conquest. So I do it." Mozi said: But when we consider the victory as such, there is nothing useful about it. When we consider the possessions obtained through it, it does not even make up for the loss. Now about the siege of a city of three li or a guo of seven li -- if these could be obtained without the use of weapons or the killing of lives, it would be all right. But (as a matter of fact) those killed must be counted by the ten thousand, those widowed or left solitary must be counted by the thousand, before a city of three li or a guo of seven li could be captured. Moreover the states of ten thousand chariots now have empty towns to be counted by the thousand, which can be entered without conquest; and their extensive lands to be counted by the ten thousand (of mu), which can be cultivated without conquest. So, land is abundant but people are few. Now to pursue the people to death and aggravate the danger feared by both superiors and subordinates in order to obtain an empty city -- this is to give up what is needed and to treasure what is already in abundance. Such an undertaking is not in accordance with the interest of the country. | |
| 4 | 非攻中: | 饰攻战者言曰：“南则荆、吴之王，北则齐、晋之君，始封于天下之时，其土地之方，未至有数百里也；人徒之众，未至有数十万人也。以攻战之故，土地之博至有数千里也；人徒之众至有数百万人。故当攻战而不可为也。”子墨子言曰：“虽四五国则得利焉，犹谓之非行道也。譬若医之药人之有病者然。今有医于此，和合其祝药之于天下之有病者而药之，万人食此，若医四五人得利焉，犹谓之非行药也。故孝子不以食其亲，忠臣不以食其君。古者封国于天下，尚者以耳之所闻，近者以目之所见，以攻战亡者，不可胜数。何以知其然也？东方自莒之国者，其为国甚小，闲于大国之闲，不敬事于大，大国亦弗之从而爱利。是以东者越人夹削其壤地，西者齐人兼而有之。计莒之所以亡于齐越之间者，以是攻战也。虽南者陈、蔡，其所以亡于吴越之闲者，亦以攻战。虽北者且不一著何，其所以亡于燕、代、胡、貊之闲者，亦以攻战也。”是故子墨子言曰：“古者王公大人，情欲得而恶失，欲安而恶危，故当攻战而不可不非。” |
| Condemnation of Offensive War...: | Those who endeavor to gloss over offensive wars would say: "In the south there are the lords of Jing and Yue, and in the north there are the lords of Qi and Jin. When their states were first assigned to them, they were but a hundred li square in area, and but a few tens of thousands in number of people. By means of wars and attacks, their areas have increased to several thousand li square and the people to several million. So, then, offensive wars are not to be condemned." Mozi said : The four or five states may have reaped their benefits, still it is not conduct according to the Dao. It is like the physician giving his drugs to the patients. If a physician should give all the sick in the world a uniform drug, among the ten thousand who took it there might be four or five who were benefited, still it is not to be said to be a common (commonly beneficial) medicine. Thus a filial son will not give it to his parent and a loyal minister will not give it to his king. After the empire was in the ancient time divided into states a great many of them died of attacks - the earlier cases we hear of through the ear, the recent cases we saw by the eye. How do we know it is so? In the east there was the state of Ju. It was a small state situated in the midst of big states. It did not show respect and obedience to the big states, and the latter therefore did not like it or favour it. So, on the east Yue cut and appropriated its land by force, and from the west Qi swallowed it up altogether. And it was due to offensive wars that Ju died between two big states. And it was due to offensive war too that in the south Chen and Cai were extinguished by Wu and Yue. And it was also due to offensive wars that in the north Bu Tu He perished among Yan, Dai, Hu and Mo. Therefore Mozi said: If the rulers now really desire gain and avert loss, desire security and avert danger, they cannot but condemn offensive wars. | |
| 5 | 非攻中: |
饰攻战者之言曰：“彼不能收用彼众，是故亡。我能收用我众，以此攻战于天下，谁敢不宾服哉？”子墨子言曰：“子虽能收用子之众，子岂若古者吴阖闾哉？古者吴阖闾教七年，奉甲执兵，奔三百里而舍焉，次注林，出于冥隘之径，战于柏举，中楚国而朝宋与及鲁。至夫差之身，北而攻齐，舍于汶上，战于艾陵，大败齐人而葆之大山；东而攻越，济三江五湖，而葆之会稽。九夷之国莫不宾服。于是退不能赏孤，施舍群萌，自恃其力，伐其功，誉其智，怠于教，遂筑姑苏之台，七年不成。及若此，则吴有离罢之心。越王句践视吴上下不相得，收其众以复其雠，入北郭，徙大内，围王宫而吴国以亡。昔者晋有六将军，而智伯莫为强焉。计其土地之博，人徒之众，欲以抗诸侯，以为英名。攻战之速，故差论其爪牙之士，皆列 其1舟车之众，以攻中行氏而有之。以其谋为既已足矣，又攻兹范氏而大败之，并三家以为一家，而不止，又围赵襄子于晋阳。及若此，则韩、魏亦相从而谋曰：‘古者有语，唇亡则齿寒’。赵氏朝亡，我夕从之，赵氏夕；亡，我朝从之。《诗》曰‘鱼水不务，陆将何及乎！’”是以三主之君，一心戮力辟门除道，奉甲兴士，韩、魏自外，赵氏自内，击智伯大败之。”是故子墨子言曰：“古者有语曰：‘君子不镜于水而镜于人，镜于水，见面之容，镜于人，则知吉与凶。今以攻战为利，则盖尝鉴之于智伯之事乎？此其为不吉而凶，既可得而知矣。’” |
| Condemnation of Offensive War...: |
Those who endeavor to gloss over offensive wars would say: "These states perished because they could not gather and employ their multitudes. I can gather and employ my multitudes and wage war with them; who, then, dares to be unsubmissive?" Mozi said: You might be able to gather and employ your multitudes, but can you compare yourself with the ancient He Lu of Wu? He Lu of Wu (about 510 B.C.) in the ancient days drilled his soldiers seven years. With armour on and weapons in hand they could cover three hundred li (in a day) before encamping (for the night). Passing Zhulin, they emerged at the narrow Pass of Min. They engaged in battle (with the state of Chu) at Boju. Subduing Chu, (He Lu) gave audience to Song and Lu. By the time of Fu Chai he attacked Qi in the north, encamped on the Wen River, fought at Ai Ling and greatly defeated Qi and compelled surety from them at Mt.Tai. In the east he attacked Yue, crossing the Three Rivers and the Five Lakes, and compelled surety at Guiji. None of the nine tribes dared to show disrespect. Reaching home, however, he would not reward the orphaned or give to the numerous rustics. He depended on his own might, gloated over his success, praised his own cleverness, and neglected instructing and training his people. He built the Monument of Gusu which was not completed even in seven years. By this time (the people of Wu) felt tired and disheartened. Seeing the friction between the superior and the subordinates in Wu, Goujian of Yue gathered his multitudes to take revenge. He broke into its kuo on the north, moved away its royal boat, and surrounded its palace. And thus Wu perished. Some time ago Jin had six ministers and Zhibo (about 455 B.C.) was the most powerful. He considered the large area of his land and the great number of his people, and desired to attack the feudal lords in order to have a rapid spread of his courageous name through war and battle. So he ranked his brave warriors and arranged his boat and chariot forces. He attacked (the house of) Zhongxing and seized it. This showed to him that his plans were satisfactory. Then he attacked Fan and totally defeated him. Thus he absorbed three families into one. He did not stop even there. but surrounded Minister Xiang of Zhao at Jinyang. By this time Han and Wei came together and deliberated, saying: "An ancient proverb says: 'When the lips are removed the teeth will become cold.' The house of Zhao dying in the morning we would be following it in the evening; the house of Zhao dying in the evening we would be following it in the morning. A poet sings: 'If the fish would not act while yet in water, what can it do when it is already placed on land?'" Thereupon the three ministers worked with united strength and a single mind, opening passes and blazing trails, putting on armour and arousing the warriors. With Han and Wei from without and Zhao from within, they battled Zhibo and totally defeated him. Therefore Mozi said : An ancient proverb says: "The superior man would not go to water but to man for a mirror." In water as a mirror one sees only one's face; in man as a mirror one can predict good and bad luck." Have those who now regard offensive wars as beneficial made use of Zhibo's story? It is plainly discernible to be not auspicious but ominous. 1. 其 : Inserted. 孙诒让《墨子闲诂》 |
URN: ctp:mozi/condemnation-of-offensive-war-ii