天將與之,必先苦之;天將毀之,必先累之。
If one is filial toward one’s mother and father and maintains good faith with friends, even a patch of swamp ten paces wide will have fragrant grasses, and a hamlet of only ten households will be sure to have loyal men-of-service.
孝於父母,信於交友。
十步之澤,必有香草;十室之邑,必有忠士。
The grass and trees die in autumn, leaving only the pine and cypress green. The water bears all things away, while jade and stone remain fixed where they are.
草木秋死,松柏獨在;水浮萬物,玉石留止。
When the hungry and thirsty are fed, who cannot rejoice?
飢渴得食,誰能不喜?
賬窮救急,何患無有。
When the needy can be succored and the endangered saved, why worry about not having enough?
視其所以, 觀其所使,斯可知己。
If you look at what a man relies on and observe the people a man employs, this will make his character plain. The man who rides in a horse-drawn carriage can go a thousand li without wearing himself out; the one who mounts a boat with oars can travel all the rivers and oceans without swimming.
乘輿馬不勞致千里,乘船楫不游絕江海。
智莫大於闕疑,行莫大於無悔也。
Nothing is wiser than to be content with uncertainty5 and no behavior finer than to be without regret.
制宅名子,足以觀士。
A man-of-service can be judged by the way he orders his house and instructs his children. Profit cannot be monopolized, and rewards may not be conferred twice.
利不兼,賞不倍。
忽忽之謀,不可為也;惕惕之心,不可長也。
Hastily made schemes cannot be put into practice, and unrestrained desires cannot be allowed to grow.