119,丹青在山,民知而取之

管子语录 汉英双解

【原文】身不善之患,毋患人莫己知。丹青在山,民知而取之;美珠在渊,民知而取之。是以我有过为,而民毋过命。民之观也察矣,不可遁逃以为不善。故我有善,则立誉我;我有过,则立毁我。当民之毁誉也,则莫归问于家矣,《小称》

【汉解】可怕的是自身不善,不怕别人不了解自己。丹青在深山,人们了解并把它取出来;美珠在深渊,人们也能了解并把它取出来。所以,我个人可以有错误的行为,人民却不会有错误的评价。人民看问题是太清楚了,谁也不能瞒过他而为非作歹。所以,我有好处,人们就表扬我;我有过错,人们就指责我。对待人民的指责与表扬,不需要再回去问自家人。

【英译】Worry about not doing What is right. Don’t worry that others will not know about you. When cinnabar and malachite exist in the mountains, people come to know about it and extract them. When beautiful pearls lie in the depths, people come to know about it and gather them. For this reason, I may make mistakes, but the people do not make mistakes in their criticism. Since people have a very clear perception of things, there is no escape. Therefore, when I do well, they praise me; when I make mistakes, they blame me. When faced with the people’s praise or blame, there is no point in seeking further opinion from the members of one’s family.