Fullness And Emptiness-Six Teachings
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Fullness And Emptiness-Six Teachings (Tai Gong Six Teachings-Civil Teaching Chapter 2)
The title "Fullness and Emptiness" can also mean flourish and decline. This chapter is illustrating that fullness, emptiness, ordered and chaos in the kingdom depends very much on whether the ruler is virtuous and capable and not decided by Heaven.
盈虚就是盛衰的意思。本篇的主旨是论述天下的盈、虚、治、乱，全在于君主的贤与不贤，而不是天命注定的。做君主的要俭朴，要爱民，要公平正直，顺乎自然，无为而治。
English
King Wen asked Tai Gong:"The world is replete with an array of states. Some are full, others are empty, some are ordered and others in chaos. How does it come to this? Is it that the moral qualities of the rulers are not the same? Or is it because of the changes and transformation of the Heaven that naturally cause it to be?"
Tai Gong answered:"If the ruler lack moral character, then the state will be in danger and the populace will be in chaos. When the ruler has strong moral character, then the state will be secure and peaceful and the populace is well-ordered. Fortune and misfortune of the state depends on the ruler, not with the changes of Heaven."
King Wen requested:"May I hear more about the Sages of antiquity."
Tai Gong said:"Emperor Yao when he is governing the kingdom, people refer him as a worthy ruler."
King Wen asked:"What was his administration like?"
Tai Gong answered:"When Yao was king of the world, he did not adorn himself with gold, silver, pearls and jade. He did not wear brocaded, embroidered, elegantly decorated clothes. He did not collect strange, odd, rare or unusual things. He did not treasure items of amusement nor listen to licentious music. He did not whitewash the walls around the palace or the buildings nor decoratively carve the beams, square and round rafters, and pillar. Hedid no even trim the reeds that grew all about his courtyard. He used a deerskin robe to wrad off the cold while simple clothes to cover his body. He at coarse millet and unpolished grains and thick soup from rough vegetables. He did not through imposition of labor service, disrupt the people's seasons for agriculture and sericulture. He reduced his desires and constrained his will, and handle affairs with minimal intervention."
"He honored the positions of the officials who were loyal, upright and upheld the laws and made generous the salaries of those who are of high integrity, scrupulous and loved people. He love and respected those among the people who were filial and compassionate, and he comforted and encouraged those who exhausted their strength in agriculture and sericulture. He distinguishes the evil and virtuous by honoring the virtuous, he promote fairness and erect laws and measures to prohibit evil and artifice."
"Among those he hated, if anyone had merit, he would still reward him. Among those he loved, if anyone is guilty of wrongdoing, he would punish them. He takes care of the widows, widowers, orphans and solitary elderly and gave aid to families who had suffered misfortune."
"As for himself, what he alloted to himself is extremely meager, the taxes and services he required of people is extremely few. Thus the whole populace was prosperous and happy and did not have the appearance of suffering from hunger and cold. The populace revered him as if he were the sun and moon and gave their allegiance to him as if he were their parents"
King Wen commented:"Great is the Worthy and virtuous ruler!"
Modern
文王问太公说：“天下纷杂，有时强盛，有时衰弱，有时安定，有时混乱，会这样，是什么原因？是君主贤与不贤的关系呢，还是天命变化的结果呢？”
太公说：“君主不贤则国家危亡而人民变乱；君主贤明则国家太平而人民安定。所以国家祸福在于君主贤与不贤，而不在于天命的变化。”
文王说：“可以把古时圣贤君主的事迹讲给我听听吗?”
太公说：“从前帝尧统治天下，上古的人都称他是贤君。”
文王说：“他是怎样治理国家的？”
大公说：“帝尧为君主时，不用金银珠玉装饰，不穿锦绣华丽的衣服，不观赏珍贵稀奇的物品，不珍藏古玩宝器，不听淫佚的音乐，不粉饰宫庭墙垣，不雕饰甍桷椽楹，不修剪庭院茅草，以鹿裘御寒，以布衣遮体，吃粗粮饭，喝野菜汤，不因劳役而误农时，约束心志而从事清静无为。官吏中忠正守法的，就升迁爵位，廉洁爱民的 就增加禄。人民中有孝敬父母、抚爱幼小的就敬重他；尽力从事农桑的就慰勉他。区别善恶良莠，表彰善良人家，提倡公正节操，以法制禁止奸邪诈伪。对厌恶的人，他有功必赏；对喜爱的人，他有罪必罚。赡养鳏寡孤独的人，救济祸患伤亡的家。至于帝尧自己则是生活俭朴，征用赋税劳役很少，所以天下万民富足安乐而没 有饥寒的面容。百姓爱戴他象景仰日月一样，亲近他象亲近父母一样。”
文王说：“伟大呀！帝尧这位贤君的德行！”
Original
文王问太公曰：天下熙熙，一盈一虚、一治一乱，所以然者，何也？其君贤不肖不等乎，其天时变化自然乎?
太公曰：君不肖，则国危而民乱；君贤圣，则国安而民冶，祸福在君不在天时。
文王曰：古之贤君可得闻乎？
太公曰：昔者帝尧四之王天下也，上世所谓贤君也。
文王曰：其治如何？
太公曰：帝尧王天下之时，金银珠玉不饰，锦绣文绮不衣，奇怪珍异不视，玩好之器不宝，淫佚之乐不听，宫垣屋室不垩，甍、桷、椽、楹、不斫，茅茨偏庭不剪， 鹿裘御寒，布衣掩形，粝梁之饭，藜藿之羹，不以役作之故，害民耕绩之时，削心约志，从事乎无为。吏忠正奉法者尊其位；廉洁爱人者厚其禄。民有孝慈者爱敬 之；尽力农桑者慰勉之。旌别淑慝，表其门闾，平心正节，以法度禁邪伪。所憎者，有功必赏；所爱者，有罪必罚。存善天下鳃、寡、孤、独，赈赡祸亡之家。其自 奉也甚薄，其赋役也甚寡，故万民富乐而无饥寒之色。百姓戴其君如日月，亲其君如父母。
文王曰：大哉!贤君之德也!
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