守道

When the sage-king establishes the law, his rewards are sufficient to encourage goodness, his authority sufficient to overcome violence, and his provisions sufficient to ensure completeness.

In a well-governed age, ministers with many achievements hold high positions; those who exert their strength to the utmost receive generous rewards; those who give their full devotion establish their names.

The growth of goodness is like spring; the death of evil is like autumn. Therefore the people are encouraged to exert their strength to the fullest and take joy in giving their complete devotion. This is called 'ruler and ruled finding common ground.'

When ruler and ruled find common ground, laborers will push themselves to the limit of the balance and strive to match Ren Bi; warriors will go forth to die and aspire to be like Ben and Yu; those who uphold the Way will all harbor hearts of metal and stone, dying with the integrity of Wu Zixu.

When laborers are like Ren Bi, warriors fight like Ben and Yu, and the core is like metal and stone, then the ruler can rest on a high pillow and know his state is secure.

The good defenders of antiquity used what was heavy to prohibit what was light, and used what was difficult to halt what was easy. Thus gentlemen and petty men alike were upright; even Robber Zhi alongside Zeng and Shi would be incorruptible.

How do we know this? The greedy thief will not plunge into a ravine to snatch gold -- plunging into a ravine to snatch gold means losing one's life. Ben and Yu did not ignore the enemy's strength -- to do so would forfeit their reputation for valor. Robber Zhi did not ignore the feasibility of his plans -- to do so would mean his gains could not be realized.

When an enlightened ruler enforces his prohibitions so that even Ben and Yu see themselves harmed by what they cannot overcome, and even Robber Zhi sees himself harmed by what he cannot take, then the violent become docile and the deviant return to rectitude. When the most ferocious warriors are docile and the greatest robbers are upright, then All-Under-Heaven is equitable and the dispositions of the common people are properly ordered.

When the ruler departs from the law and loses control of people, he is in greater danger than if he had only Bo Yi who never takes wrongfully, and cannot escape the disasters wrought by Tian Cheng and Robber Zhi. Why? Because in today's world there is not a single Bo Yi, while villains are never absent from any generation. Therefore one establishes legal standards and measures.

When standards and measures are trustworthy, Bo Yi will not miss his rightful due, and Robber Zhi will not attain what is wrong. When laws are clear, the worthy cannot dispossess the unworthy, the strong cannot encroach upon the weak, and the many cannot tyrannize the few.

Entrust All-Under-Heaven to Yao's law, and the upright will not lose their portion while the villainous will not enjoy undeserved fortune. Deposit a thousand pieces of gold under the protection of Yi the Archer's arrow, and Bo Yi cannot lose it while Robber Zhi dare not take it. Yao was brilliant at never letting villainy slip through; therefore All-Under-Heaven was free of depravity. Yi the Archer was skilled at never missing a shot; therefore the thousand pieces of gold were never lost.

The depraved do not survive long, and Robber Zhi desists. Under such conditions, the historical record need not feature Zai Yu, nor mention the six ministerial houses of Jin; the books need not record Wu Zixu or explain Fuchai. The strategies of Sun and Wu become unnecessary; the ambitions of Robber Zhi lie dormant.

The ruler may rest at ease in his jade hall, free from the threat of those who glare and gnash their teeth to seize power. The ministers may sit with folded hands within the golden walls, free from the tragedy of wringing their wrists and sighing.

To subdue tigers without a cage, prohibit villainy without law, and block fraud without tallies -- even Ben and Yu would find this fearsome, and even Yao and Shun would find it difficult.

Therefore the cage is not built to guard against mice -- it is built so that even the timid can subdue a tiger. Law is not established for the sake of Zeng and Shi -- it is established so that even a mediocre ruler can stop a Robber Zhi. Tallies are not made for the sake of Wei Sheng -- they are made so that ordinary people do not deceive one another.

Do not rely on a Bi Gan's willingness to die for principle. Do not count on the good fortune that rebellious ministers will not be deceitful. Instead, rely on what even the timid can enforce, and grasp what even a mediocre ruler can easily maintain.

In today's world, for those who calculate loyally on behalf of the ruler and bind virtue for All-Under-Heaven, no benefit is greater than this. Therefore the ruler need never face the prospect of a ruined state, and the loyal minister need never face the prospect of losing his life.

Understanding that high office must receive rewards, one can cause people to exert their full strength at the balance and die at their posts. Comprehending the feelings of even a Ben or Yu -- who would not trade death for life -- and understanding even the greed of Robber Zhi -- who would not trade his body for wealth: then the way of defending the state is fully complete.