| | 算地: |
民之性，度而取長，稱而取重，權而索利。明君慎觀三者，則國治可立，而民能可得。國之所以求民者少，而民之所以避求者多。入使民屬於農，出使民壹於戰。故聖人之治也，多禁以止能，任力以窮詐，兩者偏用則境內之民壹；民壹則農，農則樸，樸則安居而惡出。故聖人之為國也，民資藏於地，而偏託危於外。 |
| Calculation of Land: |
It is people's nature, when measuring, to take the longest part, when weighing, to take the heaviest, when adjusting the scales, to seek profit. If an intelligent prince watches these three things diligently, order may be established in the country and the capacities of the people may be utilized. If the state makes few demands from the people, then the people will make many evasions from those demands. Direct the people at home to adhere to farming, and abroad to be concentrated in warfare. Therefore, a sage's way of administering a country is to prohibit much, in order to limit the people's capacity, and to rely on force in order to render trickeries powerless. These two methods being used in combination, people within the borders will be single-minded; being single-minded, they will farm; farming, they will be simple and being simple, they will dwell quietly and dislike going out. Therefore, a sage's way of ordering a country is that the people's capital should be stored in the soil, and that dangers should be run abroad by borrowing a temporary habitat. |
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資於地則樸，託危於外則惑。民入則樸，出則惑，故其農勉而戰戢也。民之農勉則資重，戰戢則鄰危。資重則不可負而逃，鄰危則不歸於無資。歸危外託，狂夫之所不為也。 |
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If their capital lies in the soil, they will be simple, and if, by borrowing a temporary habitat abroad, dangers would be run, they will be anxious. If at home the people are simple, and abroad they are anxious, then as a result they will exert themselves in farming and be alert in warfare. If the people are zealous in farming, then their capital will be considerable; if they are alert in warfare, the neighbouring states will be in danger. If their capital is considerable, then they can not carry it on their backs and go elsewhere; if the neighbouring states are in danger, they will not go where there is no capital, for to go to a place of danger and to borrow a habitat outside, even a madman does not do such a thing. |
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故聖人之為國也，觀俗立法則治，察國事本則宜。不觀時俗，不察國本，則其法立而民亂，事劇而功寡，此臣之所謂過也。 |
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Therefore a sage, in ordering a country, looking to popular custom, fixes their laws with the result that there is order, and examining the state, gives his attention to what is fundamental, with the result that everything is fitting. When laws are fixed without looking to the customs of the times and without examining the fundamental things of the state, then the people will be in disorder, affairs will be troublesome, so that results will be few. This is what I call error. |
| | 畫策: |
昔者昊英之世，以伐木殺獸，人民少而木獸多。黃帝之世，不麛不卵，官無供備之民，死不得用槨。事不同，皆王者，時異也。神農之世，男耕而食，婦織而衣，刑政不用而治，甲兵不起而王。神農既沒，以強勝弱，以眾暴寡。故黃帝作為君臣上下之義，父子兄弟之禮，夫婦妃匹之合；內行刀鋸，外用甲兵，故時變也。由此觀之，神農非高於黃帝也，然其名尊者，以適於時也。故以戰去戰，雖戰可也；以殺去殺，雖殺可也；以刑去刑，雖重刑可也。 |
| Policies: |
Of old, in the times of the Great and Illustrious Ruler, people found their livelihood by cutting trees and slaying animals; the population was sparse, and trees and animals numerous. In the times of Huang-di, neither young animals nor eggs were taken; the officials had no provisions, and when the people died, they were not allowed to use outer coffins. These measures were not the same, but that they both attained supremacy was due to the fact that the times in which they lived were different. In the times of Shen-nong, men ploughed to obtain food, and women wove to obtain clothing. Without the application of punishments or governmental measures, order prevailed; without the raising of mailed soldiers, he reigned supreme. After Shen-nong had died, the weak were conquered by force and the few oppressed by the many. Therefore Huang-di created the ideas of prince and minister, of superior and inferior, the rites between father and son, between elder and younger brothers, the union between husband and wife, and between consort and mate. At home, he applied sword and saw, and abroad he used mailed soldiers; this was because the times had changed. Looking at it from this point of view, Shen-nong is not higher than Huang-di, but the reason that his name was honoured was because he suited his time. Therefore, if by war one wishes to abolish war, even war is permissible; if by killing one wants to abolish killing, even killing is permissible; if by punishments one wishes to abolish punishments, even heavy punishments are permissible. |
| | 畫策: |
昔之能制天下者，必先制其民者也；能勝強敵者，必先勝其民者也。故勝民之本在制民，若冶於金，陶於土也。本不堅，則民如飛鳥走獸，其孰能制之？民本，法也。故善治者，塞民以法，而名地作矣。名尊地廣以至於王者，何故？戰勝者也。名卑地削以至於亡者，何故？戰罷者也。不勝而王，不敗而亡者，自古及今，未嘗有也。民勇者，戰勝；民不勇者，戰敗。能壹民於戰者，民勇；不能壹民於戰者，民不勇。聖王見王之致於兵也，故舉國而責之於兵。入其國，觀其治，民用者強。奚以知民之見用者也？民之見戰也，如餓狼之見肉，則民用矣。凡戰者，民之所惡也；能使民樂戰者，王。疆國之民，父遺其子，兄遺其弟，妻遺其夫，皆曰：「不得，無返。」又曰：「失法離令，若死我死，鄉治之。」行間無所逃，遷徙無所入。行間之治，連以五，辨之以章，束之以令，拙無所處，罷無所生。是以三軍之眾，從令如流，死而不旋踵。 |
| Policies: |
Of old, the one who could regulate the empire was he, who regarded as his first task the regulating of his own people; the one who could conquer a strong enemy was he, who regarded as his first task the conquering of his own people. For the way in which the conquering of the people is based upon the regulating of the people is like the effect of smelting in regard to metal or the work of the potter in regard to clay; if the basis is not solid, then people are like flying birds or like animals. Who can regulate these? The basis of the people is the law. Therefore, a good ruler obstructed the people by means of the law, and so his reputation and his territory flourished. What is the cause of one's reputation becoming respected and one's territory wide, so that one attains sovereignty? (It is because one conquers in war.) What is the cause of one's reputation becoming debased and one's territory diminished, so that one comes to ruin? It is because one is worn out by war. From antiquity to the present time, it has never happened that one attained supremacy without conquest, or that one came to ruin without defeat. If the people are brave, one conquers in war, but if they are not brave, one is defeated in war. If one can unify the people for war, they are brave, but if one cannot unify the people for war, they are not brave. A sage-king obtains the kingship through the efforts of his soldiers. Therefore, he rouses the country and charges it with the obligation of military service. If one enters a state and sees its administration, it is strong if its people are of use. How does one know that the people are of use? If they, on perceiving war, behave like hungry wolves on seeing meat, then they are of use. Generally, war is a thing that people hate; he who succeeds in making people delight in war, attains supremacy. With the people of a strong state, the father, in making a parting bequest to his son, the elder brother to his younger brother, the wife to her husband, all say: 'Do not return unless you win.' And further they say: 'If you incur death by failing in obedience to the law or by transgressing orders, we too shall die.' If in the villages they are governed in an orderly manner, then deserters from the ranks will have no resort and stragglers will have nowhere to go. By the order in the ranks they should be organized into bands of five; they should be distinguished by badges and controlled by mandates, so that there would be no place for bungling and no danger that exhaustion would arise. Thus the multitudes of the three armies obeyed the mandates like running water, and in danger of death they did not turn on their heels. |
| | 慎法: |
千乘能以守者，自存也；萬乘能以戰者，自完也；雖桀為主，不肯詘半辭以下其敵。外不能戰，內不能守，雖堯為主，不能以不臣諧所謂不若之國。自此觀之，國之所以重，主之所以尊者，力也。耕戰二者，力本。而世主莫能致力者，何也？使民之所苦者無耕，危者無戰。二者，孝子難以為其親，忠臣難以為其君。今欲敺其眾民，與之孝子忠臣之所難，臣以為非劫以刑，而敺以賞莫可。 |
| Attention to Law: |
A country of a thousand chariots is able to preserve itself by defence, and a country of ten thousand chariots is able to round itself off by fighting - even (a bad ruler like) Jie would not be able to twist one word of this statement in order to subdue his enemies; and if, abroad, one is incapable of waging war, and at home one is incapable of defence, then even (a good ruler like) Yao could not pacify, for any misbehaviour, a country that (normally) would be no match. Looking at it from this point of view, that through which the country is important and that through which the ruler is honoured is force. Force being the basis of both, how is it then that no ruler on earth succeeds in developing force? Bring about a condition where people find it bitter not to till, and where they find it dangerous not to fight. These are two things which filial sons, though they dislike them, do for their fathers' sake, and loyal ministers, though they dislike them, do for their sovereign's sake. Nowadays, if you wish to stimulate the multitude of people to make them do what even filial sons and loyal ministers dislike doing, I think it is useless unless you compel them by means of punishments, and stimulate them by means of rewards. |
