輕重甲
Light and Heavy, Part A
桓公曰：“輕重有數乎？”管子對曰：“輕重無數，物發而應之，聞聲而乘之。”
Duke Huan asked: 'Are there fixed numbers for the light-and-heavy system?' Guan Zhong replied: 'There are no fixed numbers for light and heavy. You respond when things emerge and ride the moment when you hear the signal.'
Notes
1context
The first of the famous Qingzhong (輕重, Light and Heavy) chapters, presenting dialogues on how to attract wealth and people to the state, manage salt monopolies, manipulate commodity prices, and use economic warfare — all without direct taxation. These chapters constitute one of the earliest treatises on political economy in world history.