舜無立錐之地，以有天下，禹無十戶之聚，以王諸侯，湯、武之地，方不過百里，上不絕三光之明，下不傷百姓之心者，有王術也。
Shun had not enough territory to plant an awl in but used it to gain the entire realm.
Yu had not even ten households among his followers but with their aid became the ruler of the vassal lords.
故父子之道，天性也，忠臣不敢避誅以直諫，故事無廢業而功流於萬世也。
The lands of Tang and Wu103 did not exceed a hundred li.
臣誠願披腹心而效愚忠，恐大王不能用之，臣誠願大王少加意念惻怛之心於臣乘之言。
That they did not obscure the brilliance of the three luminaries above104 or do injury to the hearts of the people below is because they practiced the kingly way.
Thus, it can be seen that the principles that govern the relations of father and son arise from the nature instilled in people by Heaven. Loyal officers, not daring to shrink from death, speak frankly to their rulers; thus, their enterprises are not abandoned, and their accomplishments remain for ten thousand generations.
夫以一縷之任，係千鈞之重，上懸之無極之高，下垂之不測之淵，雖甚愚之人，且猶知哀其將絕也。
I earnestly desire to reveal my inmost heart to you so that I may lay my ignorant loyalty at your service; but I fear that Your Majesty will be unable to make use of my thoughts.
馬方駭而重驚之，係方絕而重鎮之；系絕於天，不可復結，墜入深淵，難以復出，其出不出，閒不容髮。
I therefore sincerely hope that Your Majesty will attend to my words with apprehensive and attentive caution. “When a thousand-pound weight is attached to a slender thread suspended from a limitless height into a boundless depth, let us note, even a very stupid person will know enough to sorrowfully anticipate the breaking of the thread.
When one startles a horse that has already suffered a fright or adds weight to a string that is already on the verge of breaking. . . .
誠能用臣乘言，一舉必脫。
When a string breaks in the sky, it cannot be tied again; when it falls into an abyss, it is hard to retrieve it.
Whether it can reemerge or not depends on decisions so near each other that not even a wisp of hair would fit between them; but, if you can bring yourself to accept my words, you will be saved from calamity in one stroke.