輕重乙
Light and Heavy, Part B
桓公曰：“天下之朝夕可定乎？”管子對曰：“終身不定。”
Duke Huan asked: 'Can the fluctuations of all under heaven be stabilized?' Guan Zhong replied: 'They can never be permanently stabilized.'
Notes
1context
This chapter continues the economic theory, introducing the concept of 'four autumns' (四秋) — the four critical seasonal moments when the ruler must intervene in commodity markets. It also contains the famous anecdote of rewarding soldiers with pre-battle bonuses to motivate them.