古之所谓道术者，果恶乎在？
Where is the natural law the ancients talked about?
曰：“无乎不在。
The answer is, "Everywhere." "Where does the natural endowment come from?
”曰∶“神何由降？
And the insight and intelligence?" The answer is, "There is a reason for the birth of every mysterious sage and the being of every wise man because everything originates from the eternal Tao - the noumenon." He who acts according to the fundamental principles of Tao is a heavenly man; he who acts in the spirit of Tao is a godly man; he who comprehends the essence of Tao is a perfect man; he who takes the nature as the originating source, the natural disposition as the base, and the laws as the means to predict the various changes, is a sage; he who bestows graces in the humane spirit, distinguishes right from wrong in the humane spirit, gauges one's behaviour with rituals and norms, regulates one's temperance with music, and instructs other people with benevo- lence, is a man of noble character.
明何由出？
Social roles should be defined accord- ing to laws and regulations; standards should be set up according to the social status; verification should be achieved through repeated examina- tions; decisions should be made through thorough investigations; govern- ment officials should take their places as defined.
”“圣有所生，王有所成，皆原于一。
The laws to reassure the public and to rule the state cannot be properly enacted until all the occupations are properly fixed, food and clothing are given priority, ad- equate attention is paid to the multiplication of population and storage, and the old, the weak and the lonely are well taken care of.
”不离于宗，谓之天人；不离于精，谓之神人；不离于真，谓之至人。
How perfect the ancient men of virtue were!
以天为宗，以德为本，以道为门，兆于变化，谓之圣人；以仁为恩，以义为理，以礼为行，以乐为和，熏然慈仁，谓之君子；以法为分，以名为表，以参为验，以稽为决，其数一二三四是也，百官以此相齿；以事为常，以衣食为主，蕃息畜藏，老弱孤寡为意，皆有以养，民之理也。
They combined their natural endowment with acquired intelligence, followed the natural laws of the universe in nurturing all things on the earth to achieve harmony in the world; they bestowed grace to the common people, mastered the fundamentals and made them run through all things, big and small, and through all the six directions (east, west, south, north, up and down) and the four seasons.
古之人其备乎！
With their natural endowment and acquired intelligence they could comprehend all the changes of the universe.
配神明，醇天地，育万物，和天下，泽及百姓，明于本数，系于末度，六通四辟，小大精粗，其运无乎不在。
Their explicitly expressed views have been reflected in many ancient laws and historical records; the spirit of ideas contained in Book of Poetry, Book of His- tory, Book of Rituals, and Book of Music can be comprehended by most Confucian scholars and disciples.
其明而在数度者，旧法、世传之史尚多有之；其在于《诗》、《书》、《礼》、《乐》者，邹鲁之士、缙绅先生多能明之。
Book of Poetry expresses thoughts and feelings; Book of History records political events; Book of Rituals defines norms of behavior; Book of Music conveys the notion of harmony; Book of Changes expounds the mystery of change between yin and yang; and Book of Spring and Autumn explains the hierarchy and strata.
《诗》以道志，《书》以道事，《礼》以道行，《乐》以道和，《易》以道阴阳，《春秋》以道名分。
Ideas and views of those books spread far and wide and are practised in the states of the central plains of China.
其数散于天下而设于中国者，百家之学时或称而道之。
They have been frequently cited and commented on positively by scholars of various schools.
天下大乱，贤圣不明，道德不一。
When the world falls into chaos, sagacious views will be submerged, and uniform moral codes will not be possible.
天下多得一察焉以自好。
Most people in the world are inclined to regard themselves as infallible and parade themselves where- ever possible but in reality their learning is very limited.
譬如耳目鼻口，皆有所明，不能相通。
For example, the eye, the ear, the mouth and the nose all have their own respective func- tions and no one can replace the functions of another.
犹百家众技也，皆有所长，时有所用。
This is also true of many practical skills, each of which can be applied in the right circum- stances.
虽然，不该不遍，一曲之士也。
判天地之美，析万物之理，察古人之全。
Even so, each skill is still limited to that particular application.
寡能备于天地之美，称神明之容。
By the same token, most people can only see one side of the coin.
是故内圣外王之道，暗而不明，郁而不发，天下之人各为其所欲焉以自为方。
They have destroyed the natural balance between the heaven and the earth; dis- rupted the harmony between all things and misinterpreted the philosophy of Tao initiated by the ancient sages.
悲夫！
Seldom have they fused themselves with the genuine beauty of nature and rarely have they achieved har- mony between the natural disposition and acquired intelligence.
百家往而不反，必不合矣！
Because of these drawbacks, the propositions of the mysterious sages and wise men have been dimmed and met with impediments.
后世之学者，不幸不见天地之纯，古人之大体。
Most people take pains in seeking to gratify their desires and regard their own views as perfect.
道术将为天下裂。
What a tragedy!