察今 ('Examining the present')

上胡不法先王之法？

Why do rulers not use the laws of the emperors of old?

非不贤也，为其不可得而法。

This is not because these laws do not have good qualities, but because the people of today are unable to make use of them.

先王之法，经乎上世而来者也，人或益之，人或损之，胡可得而法？

The laws set by rulers of old were passed down to us over a long period of time. Some people have made additions to them, some have made subtractions, how can we adhere to these laws?

虽人弗捐益，犹若不可得而法。

Even if there were no alterations to these laws, they still cannot be utilised.

凡先王之法，有要于时也。

All laws set by rulers of old were made to suit the time during which they were created.

时不与法俱在，法虽今而在，犹若不可法。

The past cannot be preserved alongside its laws. These laws might still exist today, but we still cannot utilise them.

故释先王之成法，而法其所以为法。

We must abandon the laws of preceding rulers, and make new laws based on the reasons behind the establishment of these old laws.

先王之所以为法者，何也？

What did previous rulers base their laws upon?

先王之所以为法者，人也，而已亦人也。

Rulers of old made laws according to the people. Rulers are people themselves as well.

故察已则可以知人，察今则可以知古。

By examining oneself, the ruler understands others, and by examining the present we can understand the past.

古今一也，人与我同耳。

The past and the present are the same, and other people are also like myself.

有道之士，贵以近知远，以今知古，以所见知所不见。

The person who understands reason knows that the most valuable thing one can do is to use situations right before them to understand situations that are distanced from them, to use the present to understand the past, and to use the seen to infer the unseen.

故审堂下之阴，而知日月之行，阴阳之变；见瓶水之冰，而知天下之寒，鱼鳖之藏也。

By observing shadows under (in?) a house, we will know the movements of the sun and moon; by seeing ice that has formed in a bottle, we will know that the weather is cold, and that fish and softshell turtles have already gone into hiding.

尝一脬肉，而知一镬之味，一鼎之调。

By tasting a piece of meat, we will know the taste of the dish in a pot, and the state of the seasoning in that pot.

荆人欲袭宋，使人先表澭水。

Once, the people of Chu wished to invade the Kingdom of Song, so they sent people to mark the boundaries of a body of water.

澭¹水暴益，荆人弗知，循表而夜涉，溺死者千有余人，军惊而坏都舍。

The water levels rose suddenly but the people of Chu did not know that, so they crossed at night, following the initial markings. As a result more than a thousand people drowned, and the sound of panicking troops was as loud as a collapsing building.

向其先表之时可导也，今水已变而益多矣，荆人尚犹循表而导之，此其所以败也。

During the time when they first set the markings, they could have crossed the body of water with no issue. However, now that the water levels have risen, the people of Chu still tried to follow the original markings, resulting in their loss.

今世之主法先王之法也，有似于此。

The situation of rulers of today using the laws made by rulers of old follows the same principle.

其时已与先王之法亏矣，而曰此先王之法也，而法之。以此为治，岂不悲哉！

The times no longer complement old laws, but many still say that these laws were set by our predecessors, and utilise them all the same. What a pitiful way to run a nation!

故治国无法则乱，守法而弗变则悖，悖乱不可以持国。

Managing a nation without laws results in chaos, but following the laws of old without changing them is unreasonable as well. Chaos and the lack of reason are both unsuitable for the management of a nation.

世易时移，变法宜矣。譬之若良医，病万变，药亦万变。

The state of the world has changed, so our laws must change as well. For instance, a good doctor knows that illnesses change all the time, so medicine must change as well.

病变而药不变，向之寿民，今为殇子矣。

If illnesses change but medicine does not, people who were destined for a long life would now die at a young age.

故凡举事必循法以动，变法者因时而化。

All things must be done according to laws, and lawmakers must change their policies according to the times.

是故有天下七十一圣，其法皆不同；非务相反也，时势异也。

Therefore, the seventy-one emperors who have ruled the earth all have different policies; this is not because they wanted to be different from each other, but because they lived in different times.

故曰：良剑期乎断，不期乎镆铘；良马期乎千里，不期乎骥骜。

So: a good sword only needs to cut through things, and does not necessarily need to be Moye²; a good horse only needs to run a thousand miles in one day, and does not necessarily need to be a fine horse (lit. a thousand-mile horse).

夫成功名者，此先王之千里也。

The goal that the rulers of old chased was merely to complete their duty.

楚人有涉江者，其剑自舟中坠于水，遽契其舟，曰：“是吾剑之所从坠。”

A man³ from Chu was crossing a river. On the way, his sword fell into the water from the boat, so he hurriedly made a marking on the boat, saying, ‘This is where my sword fell.’

舟止，从其所契者入水求之。舟已行矣，而剑不行，求剑若此，不亦感乎？

Once the boat stopped, he immediately dove off at the spot where he made his marking to look for his sword in the water. The boat has moved but the sword has not. Isn’t this method of looking for a sword foolish?

以故法为其国与此同。时已徙矣，而法不徙。以此为治，岂不难哉！

Using old laws to manage a nation is no different. The times have changed, yet policies have not. Managing a nation like this would be so difficult!

有过于江上者，见人方引婴儿而欲投之江中，婴儿啼。

There was a person who walked by a river, who saw someone attempting to throw a baby into the river. The baby was crying.

人问其故。曰：“此其父善游。”

When the passerby asked, the other person responded, ‘This child’s father is good at swimming.’

其父虽善游，其子岂遽善游哉？

The child’s father may be good at swimming, but does this guarantee that the child will be good at swimming as well?

以此任物，亦必悖矣。荆国之为政，有似于此。

Solving problems this way is foolish without a doubt. Such is the way the Kingdom of Chu runs its politics.