| | 外內: |
民之外事，莫難於戰，故輕法不可以備之。奚謂輕法？其賞少而威薄，淫道不塞之謂也。何謂淫道？為辯知者貴，游宦者任，文學私名顯之謂也。三者不塞，則民不戰而事失矣。故其賞少，則聽者無利也；威薄，則犯者無害也。故開淫道以誘之。而以輕法戰之，是謂設鼠而餌以狸也，亦不幾乎！故欲戰其民者，必以重法；賞則必多，威則必嚴；淫道必塞；為辯知者。不貴，游宦者不任，文學私名不顯。賞多威嚴，民見戰賞之多則忘死，見不戰之辱則苦生。賞使之忘死，而威備之苦生，而淫道又塞，以此遇敵，是以百石之弩射飄葉也，何不陷之有哉？ |
| External and Internal Affairs:...: |
Of the external affairs of the people, there is nothing more difficult than warfare, so an easy law cannot bring them to it. What is called an easy law? It is when rewards are few and authority weak, and when depraved doctrines are not obstructed. What are called depraved doctrines? They are when sophistry and knowledge are valued, when itinerant politicians receive office, and when scholarship and private reputations are in evidence. When these three are not barred, then people will not fight and affairs fail. For when rewards are few, then there is no advantage in obedience; when authority is weak, then there is no harm in transgression. Therefore depraved doctrines are started in order to mislead the people, and to make them fight while the law is easy, is like setting a cat to bait a rat. Is that not impossible? Therefore, he who desires to make his people fight, sees to it that the law is severe; consequently rewards will be numerous, authority will be strict, depraved doctrines will be obstructed, those engaged in sophistry and knowledge will not be honoured, itinerant politicians will not be employed in office, scholarship and private reputations will not be in evidence. If rewards are numerous and authority strict, then people, seeing that in war rewards are many, will forget the danger of death, and seeing their degradation when there is no war, will find life hard. When rewards make them forget the danger of death and strict authority causes them to find life hard, and moreover, depraved doctrines are barred, in this manner meeting the enemy would be like shooting, with a crossbow of a hundred piculs' capacity, a floating leaf. How would it be possible for it not to perish? |
| | 外內: |
民之內事，莫苦於農，故輕治不可以使之。奚謂輕治？其農貧而商富，技巧之人利，而游食者眾之謂也。故農之用力最苦，不如商賈技巧之人。苟能令商賈技巧之人無繁，則欲國之無富，不可得也。故曰欲農富其國者，境內之食必貴，而不農之徵必多，市利之租必重，則民不得無田。無田，不得不易其食；食貴則田者利，田者利則事者眾。 |
| External and Internal Affairs:...: |
Of the internal affairs of the people, there is nothing harder than agriculture. Therefore an easy administration cannot bring them to it. What is called an easy administration? When farmers are poor and merchants are rich, when clever people gain profit and itinerant office-seekers are numerous. So the farmers, in spite of their extremely hard labour, gain little profit, and are worse off than merchants and shopkeepers and all manner of clever people. If one succeeds in restricting the number of these latter, then, even if one wished to, one could not prevent a state from becoming rich. Therefore is it said: 'If one wishes to enrich the country through agriculture, then within the borders grain must be dear, taxes for those who are not farmers must be many, and dues on market-profit must be heavy, with the result that people are forced to have land. As those who have no land are obliged to buy their grain, grain will be dear, and those who have land will thus profit. When those who have land gain profit, there will be many who will occupy themselves (with agriculture).' |
| | 外內: |
食貴，糴食不利，而又加重徵，則民不得無去其商賈技巧，而事地利矣。故民之利盡在於地利矣。故為國者，邊利盡歸於兵，市利盡歸於農。邊利盡歸於兵者，強；市利盡歸於農者，富。故出戰而強，入休而富者，王也。 |
| External and Internal Affairs:...: |
When grain is dear, and the dealing in it is not profitable, while, moreover, heavy taxes are imposed, then people cannot fail to abolish merchants and shopkeepers and all manner of clever folk, and to occupy themselves in the profit from the soil. So the strength of the people will be fully exerted in the profit from the soil. Therefore, he who organizes a state, should let his soldiers have the full benefit of the profits on the frontiers, and let the farmers have the full benefit from the profits of the market. If the first happens, the state will be strong, and if the second happens, it will be rich. Therefore one who, abroad, is strong in warfare, and at home, is rich in peace, attains supremacy. |
