1、荀子Hsun-TzuTranslated by Burton Watson劝学篇第一 ENCOURAGING, LEARNING (SECTION 1)君子曰：学不可以已。青、取之於蓝，而青於蓝；冰、水为之，而寒於水。木直中绳，輮以为轮，其曲中规，虽有槁暴，不复挺者，輮使之然也。故木受绳则直，金就砺则利，君子博学而日参省乎己，则知明而行无过矣。The gentleman says: Learning should never cease. Blue comes from the indigo plant but is bluer than the plant itself. Ice is ma
2、de of water but is colder than water ever is. If the gentleman studies widely and each day examines himself, his wisdom will become clear and his conduct be without fault.故不登高山，不知天之高也；不临深溪，不知地之厚也；不闻先王之遗言，不知学问之大也。干、越、夷、貉之子，生而同声，长而异俗，教使之然也。诗曰：嗟尔君子，无恒安息。靖共尔位，好是正直。神之听之，介尔景福。神莫大於化道，福莫长於无祸。If you do not c
3、limb a high mountain, you will not comprehend the highness of the heavens; if you do not look down into a deep valley, you will not know the depth of the earth; and if you do not hear the words handed down from the ancient kings, you will not understand the greatness of learning. Children born among
4、 the Han or Yeh people of the south and among the Mo barbarians of the north cry with the same voice at birth, but as they grow older they follow different customs. Education causes them to differ. The Odes says:Oh, you gentlemen,Do not be constantly at ease and rest!Quietly respectful in your posts
5、,Love those who are correct and uprightAnd the gods willhearken to youAnd aid you with great blessing.1There is no greater godliness2 than to transform yourself with the Way, no greater blessing than to escape misfortune.吾尝终日而思矣，不如须臾之所学也。吾尝跂而望矣，不如登高之博 也。登高而 ， 长也，而 者 ；而 ，声 也，而闻者 。 者， 利 也，而 ； 者， 水也，而
6、。君子生 异也， 於 也。I once tried spending the whole day in thought, but I found it of less value than a moment of study.3 I once tried standing on tiptoe and gazing into the distance, but I found I could see much farther by climbing to a high place. If you climb to a high place and wave to someone, it is n
7、ot as though your arm were any longer than usual, and yet people can see. you from much farther away. If you shout down the wind, it is not as though your voice were any stronger than usual, and yet people can hear you much more clearly. Those who make use of carriages or horses may not be any faste
8、r walkers than anyone else, and yet they are able to travel a thousand li. Those who make use of boats may not know how to swim, and yet they manage to get across rivers. Thegentleman is by birth no different from any other man; it is just that he is good at making use of things.有 ， 曰 ，以为，而之以，之， cur
9、rency1，“子。 不也，所者然也。fi 有木 ， 曰fl干， 长，生於高山之，而临 之，木 长也，所者然也。生中，不”而直； ，之 。之是为，其之，君子不， 不。其 不也，所者然也。故君子 ， 就 ，所以 而中正也。In the south there is a bird calledthe meng dove. It makes a nest out of feathers woven together with hair and suspends it from the tips of the reeds. But when the wind comes, the reeds brea
10、k, the eggs are smashed, and the baby birds killed. It is not that the nest itself is faulty; the fault is in the thing it is attached to. In the west thereis a tree called the yeh-kan. Its trunk is no more than four inches tall and it grows on top of the high mountains, from whence it looks down in
11、to valleys a hundred fathoms deep. It is not a long trunk which afford the tree such a view, but simply the place where it stands. If pigweed grows up in the midst of hemp, it will stand up straight without propping. If white sand is mixed with mud, it too will turn black.4 The root of a certain orc
12、hid is the source of the perfume called chih; but if the root were to be soaked in urine, then no gentleman wouldgo near it and no commoner would consent to wear it. It is not that the root itself is of an unpleasant quality; it is the fault of the thing it has been soaked in. Therefore a gentleman
13、will take care in selecting the community he intends to live in, and will choose men of breeding for his companions. In this way he wards off evil and meanness, and draws close to fairness and right. 之，有所 。 之 ， 其 。 ， 生 。 ，祸 。 取 ， 取。 ， 之所 。 一，就也，地 一，水就也。 木 生， 群， 各从其 也。是故的张而弓矢currency1 ；林木茂而斧斤currency
14、1 ；树成荫，而众 息 。醯酸而蟥聚 。故言有 祸也，行有 也，君子慎其所乎！Every phenomenon that appears must have a cause. The glory or shame that come to a man are no more than the image of his virtue. Meat when it rots breeds worms; fish that is old and dry brings forth maggots. When a man is careless and lazy and forgets himself,
15、that is when disaster occurs. The strong naturally bear up under weight; the weak naturally end up bound.5 Evil and corruption in oneself invite the anger of others. If you lay sticks of identicalshape on a fire, the flames will seek out the driest ones; if you level the ground to an equal smoothnes
16、s, water will still seek out the dampest spot. Treesof the same species grow together; birds and beasts gather in herds; for all things follow after their own kind. Where a target is hung up, arrows will find their way to it; where the forest trees grow thickest, the axes will enter. Whena tree is t
17、all and shady, birds will flock to roost in it; when vinegar turns sour, gnats will collect around it. So there are words that invite disaster and actions that call down shame. A gentleman must be careful where he takes his stand.积土成山， 雨兴 ；积水成，蛟龙生 ；积 成 ，而神明 得，圣心备 。故不积跬步，无以 ；不积小流，无以成 海。骐骥一跃，不 十步；驽 十驾
18、，功不舍。锲而舍之，朽木不；锲而不舍，金石可镂。蚓无爪牙之利，筋骨之 ，食埃土，下饮黄泉，用心一也。蟹八跪而二螯， 蛇鳝之穴，无可寄托者，用心躁也。是故无冥冥之志者，无昭昭之明；无昏昏之事者，无赫赫之功。行衢道者不currency1，事两君者不容。目不 两视而明，耳不 两听而聪。螣蛇无 而飞，梧鼠五技而穷。诗曰：尸 桑，其子七兮。淑君子，其仪一兮。其仪一兮，心如结兮。故君子结於一也。Pile up earth to make a mountain and wind and rain will rise up from it. Pile up water to make a deep pool
19、and dragons will appear. Pile up good deeds to create virtue and godlike understanding will come of itself; there the mind of the sage will find completion. But unless you pile up little steps, you can never journey a thousand li; unless you pile up tiny streams, you can never make a river or a sea.
20、 The finest thoroughbred cannot travel ten paces in one leap, but the sorriest nag can go a ten days journey. Achievement consists of never giving up. If you start carving and then give up, you cannot even cut through a piece of rotten wood; but if you persist without stopping, you can carve and inl
21、ay metal or stone. Earthworms have no sharp claws or teeth, no strong muscles or bones, and yet above ground they feast on the mud, and below they drink at the yellow springs. This is because they keep their minds on one thing. Crabs have six legs and two pincers, but unless they can find an empty h
22、ole dug by a snake or a water serpent, they have no place to lodge. This is because they allow their minds to go off in all directions. Thus if there is no dark and dogged will, there will be no shining accomplishment; if there is no dull and determined effort, there will be no brilliant achievement
23、. He who tries to travel two roads at once will arrive nowhere; he who serves two masters will please neither. The wingless dragon has no limbs and yet it can soar; the flyingsquirrel has many talents but finds itself hard pressed. The odes says:Ringdove in the mulberry,Its children are seven.The go
24、od man, the gentleman,His forms areone.His forms are one,His heart is as though bound.6Thus does the gentleman bindhimself to oneness.昔者瓠巴鼓瑟而流听；伯牙鼓琴而六 仰秣。故声无小而不闻，行无隐而不形。玉山而 木润，生珠而崖不 。为 不积 ，安有不闻者乎！In ancient times, when Hu Pa played the zither, the fish in the streams came forth to listen; when Po Ya
25、 played the lute, the six horses of the emperors carriage looked up from their feed trough. No sound is too faint to be heard, no action too well concealed to be known. When there are precious stones under the mountain, the grass and trees have a special sheen; where pearls grow in a pool, the banks are never parched. Do good and seeif it does not pile up. If it does, how can it fail to be heard of?
