译文
A disciple of Confucius enquired of him, "What should be done in order to conduct the government of a country? " Confucius answered, "In the conduct of government there are five good principles to be kept in mind and respected, and there are four bad principles to be avoided. " "What are the five good principles to be respect? " asked the disciple. Confucius replied, "First, to benefit the people without wasting the resources of the country; Secondly, to encourage labour without giving cause for complaint; Thirdly, to desire for the enjoyments of life without being covetous; Fourthly, to be dignified without being supercilious; Fifthly, to inspire awe without being severe." "But," again asked the disciple, "What do you mean by 'To benefit the people without wasting the resources of the country'?" "It is," replied Confucius, "to encourage the people to undertake such profitable labour as will best benefit them, without its being necessary to give them any assistance out of the public revenue; that is what is mean by, 'To benefit the people without wasting the resources of the country'." Confucius then went on to say, "In the employment of the people in forced labour on works for the public good, if you select those who are most able to bear it, who will have any cause for complaint? Make it your aim to wish for moral well-being and you will never be liable to be covetous. A wise and good man, whether dealing with a few people or with many, with great matters or with small, is never presumptuous and never regards anything as beneath his notice or as unworthy of serious and careful attention: that is what is meant by being dignified without being supercilious. And, finally, to inspire awe without being severe, a wise and good man has only to watch over every minute detail connected with his daily life, not only of conduct and bearing, but even in minor details of dress, so as to produce an effect upon the public mind, which, without these influences, could only have been produced by fear." "Now I understand," said the disciple, "But what do you mean by the four bad principles of which you have spoken? " "First," replied Confucius, "is cruelty; that is, the undue punishment of crimes committed through ignorance arising out of a neglected education. Secondly, tyranny of that kind which renders people liable to punishment for offences without first clearly giving public notice. Thirdly, heartlessness; which means to leave orders in abeyance and uncertainty, and suddenly to enforce their performance by punishment. And lastly, meanness; to treat your subordinates as if bartering with them exactly and meanly: that is called behaving like professional men and not like gentlemen. "