161,去忧莫若乐

管子语录 汉英双解

【原文】凡人之生也,必以平正。所以失之,必以喜怒忧患。是故止怒莫若诗,去忧莫若乐,节乐莫若礼,守礼莫若敬,守敬莫若静。内静外敬,能反其性,性将大定。《内业》

【汉解】人的生命,一定要依靠平和中正。生命有失,一定是因为喜怒忧患。可以说,制止忿怒什么都比不上诗歌,消除忧闷什么都比不上音乐,控制享乐什么都比不上守礼,遵守礼仪什么都比不上保持敬慎,保持敬慎什么都比不上虚静。内心虚静,外表敬慎,就能恢复精气,精气也将大大地得到稳定。

【英译】It is ever so that man’s life is certain to depend on equanimity and good judgment. Its loss is certain to be because of joy and anger, sorrow and suffering. Thus, for arresting anger, nothing is better than poetry. For getting rid of sorrow, nothing is better than music. For moderating music, nothing is better than rules of propriety. For preserving rules of propriety, nothing is better than respect. For preserving respect, nothing is better than quiescence. Inwardly quiescent and outwardly respectful, you may revert to your true nature, and it will become completely stable.