《孟子》英译.docVIP

1A. King Hui of Liang (part one) 　　孟子見梁惠王。王曰，「叟，不遠千里而來，亦將有以利吾國乎？」孟子對曰，「王何必曰利？亦有仁義而已矣。」「王曰：『何以利吾國？』大夫曰：『何以利吾家？』士庶人曰：『何以利吾身？』上下交征利，而國危矣！萬乘之國弑其君者，必千乘之家；千乘之國，弑其君者，必百乘之家。萬取千焉，千取百焉，不爲不多矣；苟爲後義而先利，不奪不饜。」「未有仁而遺其親者也，未有義而後其君者也。」「王亦曰仁義而已矣，何必曰利？」 　　[1A:1] Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang. The King said: My good man, since you havent thought one thousand li too far to come and see me, may I presume that you have something with which I can profit my kingdom? 　　Mencius said: Why must you speak of profit? What I have for you is Humaneness and Rightness, and thats all. If you always say how can I profit my kingdom? your top officers will ask, how can we profit our clans? The elites (shi)1 and the common people will ask: How can we profit ourselves? Superiors and inferiors will struggle against each other for profit, and the country will be in chaos. 　　In a kingdom of ten thousand chariots, the murderer of the sovereign is usually from a clan of one thousand chariots. In a thousand-chariot kingdom, the murderer of the sovereign is usually from a clan of one hundred chariots. Now, to have a thousand in ten thousand, or one hundred in a thousand is not really all that much. But if you put due-giving last and profit first, no one will be satisfied unless they can grab something. 　　There has never been a humane man who neglected his parents, and there has never been a just man who put his prince last in his priorities. King, cant we limit our conversation to humaneness and due-giving? Why must we discuss profit? 　　梁惠王曰：「寡人之於國也，盡心焉耳矣！河內凶，則移其民於河東，移其粟於河內；河東凶亦然。察鄰國之政，無如寡人之用心者；鄰國之民不加少，寡人之民不加多：何也？」 　　孟子對曰：「王好戰，請以戰喩。填然鼓之，兵刃旣接，棄甲曳兵而走，或百歩而後止，或五十歩而後止；以五十歩笑百歩，則何如？」 　　曰：「不可。直不百歩耳，是亦走也！」曰：「王如知此，則無望民之多於鄰國也。」 「不違農時，穀不可勝食也；數罟不入洿池，魚鼈不可勝食也；斧斤以時入山林，材木不可勝用也；穀與魚鼈不可勝食，材木不可勝用，是使民養生喪死無憾也；養生喪死無憾，王道之始也。」 　　「五畝之宅，樹之以桑，五十者可以衣帛矣；雞豚狗彘之畜，無失其時，七十者可以食肉矣；百畝之田，勿奪於時，數口之家可以無饑矣；謹庠序之教，申之以孝悌之義，頒白者不負戴於道路矣；七十者衣帛食肉，黎民不饑不寒；然而不王者，未之有也！」 　　「狗彘食人食而不知檢，塗有餓莩而不知發；人死，則曰：『非我也，歳也。』是何異於刺人而殺之，曰：『非我也，兵也！』王無罪歳，斯天下之民至焉。」 　　[1A:3] King