荀子劝学双语版

荀子荀子 劝学篇劝学篇 英文版英文版 荀子 Hsun TzuTranslated by Burton Watson 劝学劝学篇 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 made 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 climb 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 the Han or Y eh 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 love those who are correct and upright And the gods will hearken 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 不如登高之博见也 登高而招 臂非加长也 而见 者远 顺风而呼 声非加疾也 而闻者彰 假舆马者 非利 足也 而致千里 假舟楫者 非能水也 而 绝江河 君子生非异也 善假於物也 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 not 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 faster 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 The gentleman is by birth no different from any other man it is just that he is good at making use of things 南方有鸟焉 名曰蒙鸠 以羽为巢 而编之以发 系之苇苕 风至苕折 卵破子死 巢非不完也 所系者 然也 西方有木焉 名曰射干 茎长四寸 生於高山之上 而临百仞之渊 木茎非能长也 所立者然也 蓬生麻中 不扶而直 白沙在涅 与之俱黑 兰槐之根是为芷 其渐之滫 君子不近 庶人不服 其质非 不美也 所渐 者然也 故君子居必择乡 游必就士 所以防邪辟而近中正也 In the south there is a bird called the 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 break 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 there is 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 into 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 orchid is the source of the perfume called chih but if the root were to be soaked in urine then no gentleman would go 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 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 物类之起 必有所始 荣辱之来 必象其德 肉腐出虫 鱼枯生蠹 怠慢忘身 祸灾乃作 强自取柱 柔 自取束 邪秽在身 怨之所构 施薪若一 火 就燥也 平地若一 水就湿也 草木畴生 禽兽群居 物 各从其类也 是故质的张而弓矢至焉 林木茂而斧斤至焉 树成荫 而众鸟息焉 醯酸而蟥聚焉 故言有 招 祸也 行有招辱也 君子慎其所立乎 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 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 identical shape on a fire the flames will seek out the driest ones if you level the ground to an equal smoothness water will still seek out the dampest spot Trees of 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 When a tree is tall 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 风雨兴焉 积水成渊 蛟龙生焉 积善成德 而神明自得 圣心备焉 故不积跬步 无以致千 里 不积小流 无以成江海 骐骥一跃 不能十步 驽马十 驾 功在不舍 锲而舍之 朽木不折 锲而 不舍 金石可镂 蚓无爪牙之利 筋骨之强 上食埃土 下饮黄泉 用心一也 蟹八跪而二螯 非蛇鳝之 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 不至 事两君者不容 目不能两视而明 耳不能两听而聪 螣蛇无足而飞 梧鼠五技而穷 诗曰 尸 鸠在桑 其子七兮 淑人君子 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 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 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 inlay 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 hole 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 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 flying squirrel has many talents but finds itself hard pressed The