Zizhi Tongjian's famous sayings and translations

1. A gentleman establishes the right position in the world and walks the right path of the world. If he succeeds in his ambition, he will follow the people's will; if he does not succeed, he will follow his own path. Riches and honors cannot be lascivious, poverty and lowliness cannot be moved, and power cannot be surrendered. This is called a true man.

Translation: A gentleman lives uprightly and uprightly, and walks the right path in the world. If he has the will, he will lead the people to follow the right path; if he does not have the will, he will keep himself clean and walk the right path alone. Only if one cannot be lascivious in wealth, cannot be moved by poverty, and cannot be subdued by force, can one be considered a real man.

2. The man who trusts his husband is the greatest treasure of his ruler. The country is protected by the people, and the people are protected by faith; without faith, the people cannot be protected, and without the people, the country cannot be defended. Therefore, in ancient times, a king would not bully the world, a tyrant would not bully his neighbors, a person who was good to his country would not bully his people, and a person who was good to his family would not bully his relatives. Those who are not good will do the opposite.

Translation: Credibility is the supreme magic weapon of the monarch. The country relies on the people to defend, and the people rely on credibility to protect; without credibility, the people cannot be obeyed, and without the people, the country cannot be maintained. Therefore, in ancient times, those who achieved kingship did not deceive the world, those who established hegemony did not deceive the neighboring countries, those who were good at governing the country did not deceive the people, and those who were good at managing the family did not deceive their relatives. Only fools would do the opposite.

3. Appointing people according to their talents is the main body of the government, and there is no way to deal with them rationally. The use of talents is not a lesson for ignorant people. The reason for failure is due to fate.

Translation: Reusing people with real talents and practical knowledge is the basic principle of governing the country, and working together with people of insight to handle political affairs is no exception. But in the past, when appointing talented people, those in power did not lack the insight to know people and do their jobs well. The reason why there were many shortcomings was due to excessive consideration of human feelings.

4. No matter how big the country is, if it is warlike, it will perish; no matter how peaceful the world is, if it is warlike, it will be in danger. A husband's anger is contrary to virtue, a soldier is a murderous weapon, and a fight is the last resort. There is no one who does not regret it when he is victorious in his husband's affairs and is exhausted in martial arts.

Translation: No matter how big a country is, if it likes war, it will surely perish; no matter how peaceful the world is, if it forgets war, it will be dangerous. Anger is the virtue of disobedience, weapons are ominous things, and fighting is a petty matter. Those who devote themselves to fighting and winning wars and resorting to militarism will all regret it in the end.

5. The law is the public weapon of the world, but those who uphold the law well, as close as they are, can do anything, then no one will dare to rely on it and violate it.

Translation: The law is the criterion that everyone in the world abides by. Only those who are good at using the law, regardless of their relationship, strictly enforce the law without evasion, can make everyone not dare to rely on power. Break the law.

6. If a virtuous person has a lot of money, it will harm his ambition; if a fool has a lot of money, it will benefit his fault. Moreover, the rich are resented by the public. Since I have no way to teach my descendants, I do not want to benefit from their mistakes and I will be resentful.

Translation: If a wise person has too much property, it will weaken his ambition; if a foolish person has too much property, it will increase his faults. Besides, wealthy people often become the targets of resentment. Since I don’t have the talent to educate my descendants, I don’t want to add to their faults and cause resentment.

7. It is difficult to correct mistakes when you know them; it is difficult to criticize good deeds, but it is difficult to do good deeds.

Translation: It is not difficult to know your mistakes, but it is difficult to correct them; it is not difficult to say good things, but it is difficult to do good deeds.

8. There is no relief for the current danger, or unexpected changes may occur. People are the foundation of a state. Wealth is the heart of a person. If the heart is hurt, it is the root of the injury, and if it is the root of the injury, the branches are broken.

Translation: If the immediate worries are not relieved, unexpected changes may occur. The people are the foundation of the country, and financial resources are the core of the people. If the core is damaged, the roots will be damaged; if the roots are damaged, the branches will fall over and wither.