」曰：「貴天。
」桓公仰而視天。
“He prizes Heaven” was the reply.
管仲曰：「所謂天者，非蒼蒼莽莽之天也。
Lord Huan tilted his head back and looked at the sky.
君人者以百姓為天。
百姓與之則安，輔之則彊，非之則危，背之則亡。
“By ‘Heaven,’” said Guan Zhong, “I did not mean the vast expanse of blue above—those who rule others consider the people to be Heaven. When the people are with them, they are secure; when the people support them, they are strong; when the people find fault with them, they are in danger; and, if they rebel against them, they perish.
」詩云：『民而無良，相怨一方。
』民怨其上，不遂亡者，未之有也。」
Some lines in the Odes say, ‘The people, when not docile, / Will bear a grudge in one direction.’44 There has never been a ruler who did not at last perish when the people harbored resentment against him.” Prince Xian of Hejian Stresses the Importance of Securing General Prosperity