」人臣之所以蹇蹇為難而諫其君者，非為身也，將欲以匡君之過，矯君之失也。
Errors on the part of the ruler are the first intimations of destruction. To perceive a ruler’s errors and then fail to admonish him is to take his destruction lightly.
君有過失者，危亡之萌也；見君之過失而不諫，是輕君之危亡也。
To take a ruler’s destruction lightly is something that a loyal officer cannot bear to do.
夫輕君之危亡者，忠臣不忍為也。
If, after thrice admonishing a ruler, one’s advice is not accepted, then it is permissible to go elsewhere; if one does not go elsewhere, then one may lose one’s life, and a person of mature understanding does not act in such a way so as to lose his life.
三諫而不用則去，不去則亡身，亡身者，仁人所不為也。
Thus, there are five kinds of admonishment: the first is called “direct admonishment,” the second “devious admonishment,” the third “loyal admonishment,” the fourth “reckless admonishment,” and the fifth “indirect admonishment.” Kongzi said, “I shall adopt the method of indirect admonishment!” To fail to admonish, then, puts one’s ruler in danger, but to admonish insistently puts oneself in danger.
是故諫有五：一曰正諫，二曰降諫，三曰忠諫，四曰戇諫，五曰諷諫。
Rather than put one’s ruler in danger, it is preferable to put oneself in danger.
孔子曰：「吾其從諷諫矣乎！
But if, after endangering oneself, one’s admonitions are not accepted, then admonishing the ruler will in the end be useless.
」夫不諫則危君，固諫則危身，與其危君寧危身。
A wise person therefore takes measure of his ruler, weighs the circumstances, and adjusts the urgency of his admonishments accordingly so as to act in a way that befits the situation. He neither endangers his ruler nor imperils himself, and in this way his actions neither imperil the state nor make his own position precarious.
危身而終不用，則諫亦無功矣。
In former times, Lord Ling of Chen ignored the admonishments of Xie Ye and had him killed, whereas Cao Ji left court after his admonishments were thrice rejected by the ruler of Cao.
智者度君權時，調其緩急，而處其宜，上不敢危君，下不以危身，故在國而國不危，在身而身不殆。
昔陳靈公不聽泄冶之諫而殺之，曹羈三諫曹君不聽而去，春秋序義雖俱賢，而曹羈合禮。
Though both are praised as worthy officers in the Spring and Autumn Annals, it is Cao Ji whose actions accorded with ritual.