| | 先知卷第... : |
或問：「為政有幾？」曰：「思斁。」或問「思斁」？曰：「昔在周公，征於東方，四國是王。召伯述職，蔽芾甘棠，其思矣。夫齊桓欲徑陳，陳不果內，執袁濤塗，其斁矣夫。於戲，從政者審其思斁而已矣。」 |
| Foreknowledge: |
Someone asked: Does governing have a key element?
Yangzi said: Being cherished or being despised.
The other asked about being cherished and being despised.
Yangzi said: In the past the Duke of Zhou attacked and rectified the four kingdoms of the east. Shaobo carried out his duties and resided under "the shade of the pear tree." Being thus remembered in verse is being cherished. Huan of Qi wanted to pass through Chen, but Chen would not allow him to enter, so he arrested Yuan Taotu. This is being despised. Alas! One who governs simply has to pay close attention to whether he is cherished or despised. |
| | |
或問：「何思？何斁？」曰：「老人老，孤人孤，病者養，死者葬，男子畝，婦人桑之謂思。若汙人老，屈人孤，病者獨，死者逋，田畝荒，杼軸空之謂斁。」 |
| |
The other said: What makes one cherished or despised?
Yangzi said: Treat the elderly as elderly, treat orphans as orphans; nourish the sick and bury the dead; let men tend their mou of land and let women tend the mulberry trees —you will be referred to as "cherished." Treat the elderly disrespectfully and neglect orphans; abandon the sick and leave the dead exposed; leave the fields uncultivated and the shuttles for weaving empty—you will be referred to as "despised." |
