| | 農戰: |
夫民之親上死制也，以其旦暮從事於農。夫民之不可用也，見言談游士事君之可以尊身也，商賈之可以富家也，技藝之足以餬口也。民見此三者之便且利也，則必避農；避農則民輕其居，輕其居則必不為上守戰也。 |
| Agriculture and War: |
Indeed, the people will love their ruler and obey his commandments even to death, if they are engaged in farming, morning and evening; but they will be of no use if they see that glib-tongued, itinerant scholars succeed in being honoured in serving the prince, that merchants succeed in enriching their families, and that artisans have plenty to live upon. If the people see both the comfort and advantage of these three walks of life, then they will indubitably shun agriculture; shunning agriculture, they will care little for their homes; caring little for their homes, they will certainly not fight and defend these for the ruler's sake. |
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凡治國者，患民之散而不可搏也，是以聖人作壹，摶之也。國作壹一歲者，十歲強；作壹十歲者，百歲強；作壹百歲者，千歲強，千歲強者王。 |
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Generally speaking, in administrating a country, the trouble is when the people are scattered and when it is impossible to consolidate them. That is why a sage tries to bring about uniformity and consolidation. A state where uniformity of purpose has been established for one year, will be strong for ten years; where uniformity of purpose has been established for ten years, it will be strong for a hundred years, where uniformity of purpose has been established for a hundred years, it will be strong for a thousand years; and a state which has been strong for a thousand years will attain supremacy. |
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君修賞罰以輔壹教，是以其教有所常，而政有成也。王者得治民之至要，故不待賞賜而民親上，不待爵祿而民從事，不待刑罰而民致死。國危主憂，說者成伍，無益於安危也。 |
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An ordinary prince cultivates the system of rewards and penalties in order to support his teaching of uniformity of purpose, and in this way his teaching has permanency and his administration is successfully established. But he who attains supremacy, succeeds in regulating those things which are most essential for the people, and therefore, even without the need of rewards and gifts, the people will love their ruler; without the need of ranks and emoluments, the people will follow their avocations; without the need of penalties, the people will do their duty to the death.When a country is in peril and the ruler in anxiety, it is of no avail to the settling of this danger for professional talkers to form battalions. |
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夫國危主憂也者，強敵大國也。人君不能服強敵，破大國也，則修守備，便地形，摶民力以待外事，然後患可以去，而王可致也。是以明君修政作壹，去無用，止畜學事淫之民，壹之農，然後國家可富，而民力可摶也。 |
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The reason why a country is in danger and its ruler in anxiety lies in some strong enemy or in another big state. Now if a prince is unable to vanquish that strong enemy or to destroy that big state, he improves his defences, makes the best use of the topographical conditions, consolidates the strength of the people and thus meets the foreign attack. After this the danger may be averted and supremacy yet attained. That is why an intelligent prince, in improving the administration, strives for uniformity, removes those who are of no use, restrains volatile scholars and those of frivolous pursuits, and makes them all uniformly into farmers. Thereafter the reigning dynasty may become rich and the people's strength may be consolidated. |
| | 算地: |
凡世主之患，用兵者不量力，治草萊者不度地。故有地狹而民眾者，民勝其地；地廣而民少者，地勝其民。民勝其地者，務開；地勝其民者，事徠。開則行倍。民過地，則國功寡而兵力少；地過民，則山澤財物不為用。夫棄天物，遂民淫者，世主之務過也，而上下事之，故民眾而兵弱，地大而力小。 |
| Calculation of Land: |
The disasters of the rulers of the world, generally, come from their not measuring their strength in the use of armies, and from their not measuring their territory in managing the grass-fields and uncultivated lands. Therefore, sometimes the territory is narrow and the population numerous, so that the population exceeds the territory; or sometimes the territory is extensive, but the population sparse, so that the territory exceeds the population. If the population exceeds the territory, then one should pay attention to opening up new land; if the territory exceeds the population, then one should set about calling in colonists. By opening up new land, one effects increase. If the population exceeds the territory, then the achievements of the state will be few and the military strength small; if the territory exceeds the population, then the resources of mountains and moors will not be utilized. Now, to neglect natural resources and to pander to the people's dissipations is to fail in one's duty as a ruler, and when high and low act thus, then in spite of a large population, the army will be weak, and in spite of a big territory, its strength will be small. |
| | 算地: |
今世主有地方數千里，食不足以待役實倉，而兵為鄰敵臣，故為世主患之。夫地大而不墾者，與無地者同；民眾而不用者，與無民者同。 |
| Calculation of Land: |
But nowadays, although the rulers of the world have territory of several thousand square li, the produce is not sufficient to support the soldiers and to fill the granaries, and the army is equalled by the neighbours. I regret this state of affairs, therefore, on behalf of the ruler. Indeed, having a large territory and not cultivating it is like having no territory; having a numerous population, but not employing it, is like having no population. |
| | 算地: |
今國立爵而民羞之，設刑而民樂之，此蓋法術之患也。故君子操權一政以立術，立官貴爵以稱之，論勞舉功以任之，則是上下之稱平。上下之稱平，則臣得盡其力，而主得專其柄。 |
| Calculation of Land: |
Nowadays, people spurn the ranks established by the state, and laugh at the punishments set up by it. This evil is caused by the law and method followed. Therefore, the superior man, in handling his authority, unifies the government in order to fix his methods; in establishing offices, he makes rank valuable, to correspond with them, and he makes his appointments, taking people's exertions into account and according to their merit, so that the balance between high and low is even. When this is the case, ministers will be able to exert their strength to the uttermost and the ruler to exercise autocratic sway. |
| | 錯法: |
同列而相臣妾者，貧富之謂也。同實而相并兼者，強弱之謂也。有地而君或強或弱者，治亂之謂也。苟有道里，地足容身，士民可致也。苟容市井，財貨可聚也。有土者不可以言貧，有民者不可以言弱。地誠任，不患無財；民誠用，不畏強暴。德明教行，則能以民之有，為己用矣。故明主者用非其有，使非其民。明主之所貴，惟爵其實；爵其實而榮顯之。不榮則不急；列位不顯，則民不事爵。爵易得也，則民不貴上爵。列爵祿賞不由其門，則民不以死爭位矣。人情而有好惡；故民可治也。人君不可以不審好惡；好惡者，賞罰之本也。夫人情好爵祿而惡刑罰，人君設二者以御民之志，而立所欲焉。夫民力盡而爵隨之，功立而賞隨之，人君能使其民信於此明如日月，則兵無敵矣。 |
| Establishing Laws: |
To be of the same rank as others and yet to stand to them in such relations as subject or concubine points to poverty or wealth; to be of the same territory as others and yet to be annexed by them points to strength or weakness; to have land, but the prince being in the one case strong and in the other weak, points to disorder or order. If there is a right method, even a territory of a square li is sufficient to give room to the body, and people may be attracted (to colonize), and if it but contains a market-place, riches may become many. Whoever has land cannot be called poor, and whoever has people cannot be called weak. If land is made truly productive, one need not be anxious about not being wealthy; if the people are truly employed, one need not fear force or violence; if virtue be clear and with the right teaching prevailing, one will succeed in utilizing for oneself what the people have. Therefore, the intelligent kings utilized what was not their own, and employed those who were not their own subjects. The point to which intelligent kings attached importance was that of rewarding with titles only men of real merit; if this condition was fulfilled, honour and outer marks of distinction were awarded to them. If there were no honour connected with them, then people would not be anxious for noble rank, and if there were no outer marks of distinction, then people would not be concerned about titles. If titles are easily obtained, then people do not appreciate the highest titles nor the various other titles; if emoluments and rewards are not obtained through a definite gateway, people will not strive to the death for rank. For a prince there exists the fact that people have likes and dislikes; therefore, for it to be possible to govern the people, it is necessary that the prince should examine these likes and dislikes. Likes and dislikes are the basis of rewards and punishments. Now, the nature of man is to like titles and emoluments and to dislike punishments and penalties. A prince institutes these two in order to guide men's wills, and he establishes what they desire. Now, if titles follow upon the people's exertion of strength, if rewards follow upon their acquisition of merit, and if the prince succeeds in making people believe in this as firmly as they do in the shining of sun and moon, then his army will have no equal. |
| | 錯法: |
人君有爵行而兵弱者，有祿行而國貧者，有法立而治亂者，此三者，國之患也。故人君者先便請謁，而後功力，則爵行而兵弱矣。民不死犯難，而利祿可致也，則祿行而國貧矣。法無度數，而事日煩，則法立而治亂矣。是以明君之使其民也，使必盡力以規其功，功立而富貴隨之，無私德也，故教化成。如此，則臣忠君明，治著而兵強矣。 |
| Establishing Laws: |
Among the princes of men there are some who bestow titles, but whose army is weak; there are some who grant emoluments, but whose state is poor; there are some who have fixed laws, but who yet suffer disorder. These three things are calamities for a country. For if a ruler of men places the making easy of audiences before the acquiring of merit, then although he bestows titles, his army will be weak; if people, without risking their lives in dangers, can obtain profit and emoluments, then the granting of emoluments will only make the country poor. If the law has neither measures nor figures, then affairs will daily become more complicated, and although laws have been established, yet the result will be that the administration will be in disorder. Therefore, an intelligent prince, in directing his people, will so direct them that they will exert their strength to the utmost, in order to strive for a particular merit; and if, when they have acquired merit, riches and honour follow upon it, there will be no bravery in private causes. Therefore, if this teaching spreads and becomes successful, then when that is the case, ministers will be loyal, princes intelligent, order manifest, and the army strong. |
| | 來民: |
夫秦之所患者，興兵而伐，則國家貧；安居而農，則敵得休息，此王所不能兩成也。故四世戰勝，而天下不服。今以故秦事敵，而使新民作本，兵雖百宿於外，境內不失須臾之時，此富強兩成之效也。 |
| Encouragement of Immigration:...: |
Indeed, the trouble with Qin is, on the one hand, that if it raises soldiers and wages war, the country is poor, and on the other hand, if it remains quiet and farms, the enemy obtains respite. Your Majesty cannot combine success in these two fields. So, although for three generations it has waged successful wars, yet it has not subjected the empire. Now, if the old population of Qin are engaged in warfare, and if the newcomers are caused to occupy themselves with agriculture, then even though the army may stay a hundred days outside the frontier, within the borders not a moment will be lost for agriculture. Thus You may be successful both in enriching and in becoming strong. |
