Translation of the full text of the famous article "On Salt and Iron" (10)

Translation of the full text of "On Salt and Iron" (9)

New readers are advised to start reading the full text of The Treatise on Salt and Iron (1).

There is a third volume in the first volume

Original:

Literature says: The ancients, picking rafters do not cut (zhuó), mouths do not 翦 (jiǎn), clothes cloth brown, rice soil 硎 (xíng), cast gold for hoes, 埏 (shān) 埴 for tools, work does not make kitkats, the world is not treasures can not be eaten and clothed. Each one lives in peace, enjoys his customs, is willing to eat, and is convenient for his utensils. It is not handed over to things from afar, and the jade of Kunshan is not delivered.

Translations:

Literature says that in ancient times, the rafters on the houses were not processed and cut by carpenters, and the thatch on the roofs was not trimmed, and coarse cloth clothes were worn, clay bowls were used for eating, hoes were cast with copper and iron, and pottery was fired with clay. Everyone lives in their own place of residence, likes to adapt to their local customs, is willing to eat local food, and is accustomed to using their own utensils. Therefore, they do not trade items with distant places, and the jade from Kunlun Mountain cannot be transported.

Original:

Nowadays, the world is bad and competing for obscenity, the female is extremely delicate, the work is extremely skillful, the carving is simple and still rare, drilling mountains and stones and seeking gold and silver, there is no abyss to seek pearls (jī, not round beads), setting up a machine to trap the rhino elephant, stretching a net to seek jade, seeking the things of the barbarian raccoon dog (mò, the northern ethnic minorities) to dazzle China, migrating to the East China Sea (qióng, the name of the southwest ethnic minorities), and the goods of the southwest ethnic minorities (zuó, the southwest ethnic minorities), handing over thousands of miles of wealth, protracted and laborious, useless.

It is a brown husband and wife, tired and tired, and there is not enough food and clothing. Therefore, the king forbids profits and saves fees. The profit ban is reversed, and the omission fee is given by the people. There is no lack of money in life, and there is no corpse in death.

Translations:

But now that the world is corrupt, people are competing to be lewd and corrupted, women workers try their best to weave fine silk fabrics, craftsmen try their best to make strange and complex utensils, carve simple things with simple decorations, advocate strange and rare things, dig mountains and stones to seek gold and silver, dive into the deep sea to catch pearls, set traps to hunt rhinoceros and elephants, open nets to catch rare birds, confuse inland people with the goods of ethnic minorities in the north and south, transport the goods of ethnic minorities in the southwest to the eastern coast, exchange property thousands of miles away, delay time, and consume manpower. There is no benefit,

This has resulted in the exhaustion of ordinary civilians and the lack of food and clothing. Therefore, the king should prohibit such profiteering business practices and reduce unnecessary waste. When profiteering is forbidden, people will return to agriculture; When the waste is saved, the people will have enough for civilian use. In this way, there will be no shortage of necessities when you are alive, and you will not be left in the wilderness after death.

Original:

The doctor said: "The ancients, the palace has a degree, and the public opinion is mediocre; Rafters are not the system of the first king. A gentleman's day is extravagant and thrifty, and thrift is solid. In the past, Uncle Ao Xiangchu, his wife was not clothed, and his horses were not straw. Confucius said: 'No, be extremely frugal. 'This cricket did the same.

Translations:

The doctor said: In ancient times, there was a hierarchy in the palace, and the cars and clothes were determined by the merit; The use of oak wood to make rafters and thatch to build houses was not the system of the previous emperors. Although the gentleman abstinates from luxury, he also ridicules excessive frugality, and if he is too frugal, he will be vulgar and simple. In the past, when Sun Shu Ao was the prime minister of Chu, his wife did not wear silk clothes, nor did she feed horses with grain. Confucius once criticized: "You can't be too frugal, too frugal will not distinguish the hierarchy from the subordinates." This is also the thing that "The Book of Songs: Crickets" satirizes and admonishes.

Exegesis:

1. Tang Cricket:

The crickets are in the hall, and the years are gone. I am not happy today, the sun and the moon are gone. There is no great health, and the job is homeless. There is no waste of happiness, and the good man Qu Qu.

The crickets are in the hall, and the years are gone. I'm not happy today, the sun and the moon are moving forward. There is no great health, and there is no need to think about it. There is no waste of happiness, and good people are trampling.

The crickets are in the hall, and the service cars are resting. I am not happy today, the sun and the moon are sad. There is no way to be well-off. Thinking about it. There is no famine, and the good man rests.

Translation: The crickets enter the hall in the cold weather, and the year is approaching in a hurry. If you don't go to have fun in time today, the sun and the moon can't stay. Don't be too happy, don't delay your own work. The business is not wasted and entertained, and the virtuous people are more vigilant.

The weather is cold and the crickets enter the hall, and the year is in a hurry. If you don't go to have fun in time today, the sun and the moon can't stop. Don't overdo it, and don't do anything extraneous. Positive business is not wasted and entertaining, virtuous and sensitive.

The crickets entered the hall in the cold weather, and the vehicles on duty also rested. If you don't go to have fun in time today, the sun and the moon will not stay. Don't be too happy, and there are national affairs that make people worry. The business is not wasted and entertained, and the virtuous people are happy.

2. Thrift: There is another sentence that can be understood in comparison, that is: luxury is not arrogant, and thrift is not forced.

Original:

Guan Zi said: 'If you don't decorate the palace, the wood will not be used, and if you don't fill the kitchen, the birds and beasts will not lose their longevity.' If there is no profit, there is nothing to do in the industry, and if there is no fǔ fú, then the female workers do not do it. Therefore, the industrial and commercial craftsmen are used by the state and the equipment. It has existed since ancient times, and it is not unique to this.

Translations:

The Pipe says: "If you don't decorate the palace, you won't run out of wood; If the kitchen is not filled, the beasts will not be killed. Without the promotion of industry and commerce, agriculture could not develop; If the clothes are not decorated, then the female workers cannot use their skills. "Therefore, all kinds of industrial and commercial carpenters are people who are useful to the state, and [these people] are also prepared for the manufacture of all kinds of utensils and weapons. It has been this way since ancient times, and it is not only now that it has developed.

Original:

The string sells cattle in Zhou, the five 羖 (gǔ, black rams) rent a car into Qin, the male loses the son according to the rules, and Ouyeel casts it with a Rong. The saying goes: 'Hundreds of workers live in a house, so that it will happen.' 'Agribusiness trade, for the benefit of the end. Where the mountains dwell, basil 墝 (qiāo, the land is hard and not fertile) 埆 (què, the land is barren; uneven ground; Mountains and large stones), property circulation, there is an even. It is that the many are not alone, and the few are not alone (jǐn, famine, famine). If each dwells in its own place and eats its food, it is the orange grapefruit does not dwell (yù), the salt of 朐 (qú, place name) does not come out, the 旃 (zhān) 罽 (jì) does not go to the market, and the materials of Wu and Tang do not need to be used. ”

Translations:

For example, in the Spring and Autumn Period, Zheng Guo's Xiangao once went to Luoyang to sell cattle, and Baili Xi once rented a car to do business in Qin; Luban invented the compass and the curved ruler (and became a skilled craftsman); Ou Yezi became a master of swordsmithing by virtue of his iron-smelting sword-casting skills. The Analects says: "Craftsmen of all kinds live in workshops and do their best to do their work." "The exchange between agriculture and commerce is conducive to the development of agriculture and industry and commerce. Those who live in the mountains, by the shores of lakes, overgrown with weeds, and in barren land, (should) circulate their possessions and exchange their possessions. In this way, (the state, the king) will not be rich alone where there is much possessions, and not alone where there is little wealth. If they all live in their own places and eat their own products, then there will be no one to sell oranges and grapefruits, no salt from qu and brine will not be shipped, there will be no felt and blankets in the market, and bamboo and wood from Wu and Tang will be useless.

Exegesis:

1. Wuxi: the synonym of Baili Xi. There's an allusion to this.

Baili Xi was originally a doctor of Yu Guo. After Jin Xiangong took a vacation, he destroyed the Yu State and captured Baili Xi. He was sent to Qin as a dowry slave of Duchess Mu of Qin (Mu Ji). Baili Xi fled from Qin and ran to Wanyi in Chu State. After Qin Mugong exchanged five black sheepskins from the market, he entered the Qin State to become a doctor, known as the "Five Doctors". During the period of presiding over the national affairs of the Qin State, Baili Xi "has no improper plans, and there must be meritorious", assisted Qin Mugong to repair the national affairs internally, dominate the foreign map, open up thousands of miles, dominate Xirong, unify the northwest, and promote the rise of the Qin State. The history of Baili Xi "three places of the king of the Jin Kingdom", "save the disaster of Jingzhou", "send the religion to the seal, and the Ba people pay tribute; Shide princes, and Barong came to serve", making Qin one of the five hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, which can be called a generation of famous ministers.

("Historical Records of Qin Benji": In five years, Jin Xiangong destroyed Yu and Yu, captured Yu Jun and his doctor Bailijie, and bribed Yu Yu with a horse.) After capturing Baili, he thought that the Duchess of Qin Miao was married to Qin. Baili died Qin and walked away, and Chu contempt people insisted on it. Miao Gong heard that Baili was virtuous, and wanted to redeem him, but he was afraid that the Chu people would not agree, so he made people say to Chu: "My wife is a hundred miles away, please redeem it with five sheepskins." The Chu people then agreed to it. At that time, Baili was more than 70 years old. Miao Gong released his prisoner and talked about state affairs. Xie said: "The minister of the dead country, why ask!" Miao Gong said: "Yu Jun doesn't need a son, so he dies, and it is not a son sin." "Gu asked, three days ago, Miao Gongda said, give the national government, called the five doctors. ）

2. The salt of the halogen: Qu, Qin County, now in Lianyungang. Lu, Han County, belongs to Anding County, now in Ningxia/Gansu.

Original:

Literature said: "Mencius said: 'If you don't violate the agricultural season, the grain cannot be eaten.'" When silkworm linen is timed, cloth and silk can not be beaten. When the axe is pounded, the timber is not enough. When the field is fishing, the fish is not edible. ’

If it is decorated with the palace room, the platform pavilion is increased, the Zijiang craftsman is small, the circle is square, the upper becomes the clouds, and the lower becomes the mountain forest, then the timber is not enough. Men go to the end of the book, carved inscriptions, like birds and beasts, poor things change, then the grain is not enough to eat. Women's ornaments are subtle and fine, in order to become an article, extremely skillful, then the silk cloth is not enough clothes. Slaughter and kill fetal eggs, fry and broil, and the five flavors are extremely poor, and the fish and meat are not enough to eat.

In today's world, there is no damage to birds and beasts, no timber and wood, and no indefinite extravagance; It is not a pomelo with no oranges, and there is no chaff from it. ”

Translations:

Literature says: Mencius said that if you don't miss the farming time, you can't eat the grain. Raise silkworms and grow hemp on time, and the coarse cloth and silk will not be finished. If you go into the mountains at the right time to cut wood, you will not run out of wood. If you hunt and fish at the right time, you will not be able to eat all the meat of fish and animals.

If you blindly decorate the palace room, build pavilions and pavilions, cut down the large timber small, turn the round wood into square wood, carve the moire above, and carve the mountains and forests below, then the wood will not be enough. Men give up agriculture to engage in industry and commerce, carve and paint all kinds of birds and animals, and exhaust the changes of carving, then there will be not enough food to eat. Women's embroidery is meticulous and meticulous, made into various patterns and patterns, and when the skill is exhausted, then the silk cloth will not be enough to wear. The chef boils and kills the fetus and eggs, deep-fries them and roasts them in oil, cooks them carefully, and exhausts the five flavor variations, so that the meat of fish and beasts is not enough.

Now, we are not worried that there will be no shortage of birds and beasts, and that we will not run out of wood, but that we are worried about the rise of extravagance, and that the lust for material things is endless; I am not afraid that there will be no felt, blankets, oranges, and grapefruits, but I am afraid that (after the great business, the poor) will not even be able to live in a grass house, and even the chaff and wine residue will not be able to eat.

Objectively speaking, it is definitely better to communicate with each other than to close the door, and virtuous literature here is mainly against monopoly government-run business, rather than private business, because private business behavior is self-financing, and there is no "labor exhaustion" caused by forced servitude. 但如何避免商业发展壮大后，对物欲的无休止刺激，对农业、无产者‬不停‬试探‬底线‬‬的‬剥削‬，就是‬个‬永恒‬的人性‬难题‬了‬。

The solution given in ancient times was to restrict the social status of merchants, such as stipulating that merchants were not allowed to wear certain clothes, carriages and houses were not allowed to exceed certain standards, and restricting merchants from becoming officials, etc.; The second is ideological control, and propaganda of wealth is the original sin, such as "agriculture is the foundation", "only reading is high", "the rich are not benevolent", "both rich and poor", "good and evil are rewarded", and so on. In the eyes of posterity, it may have played a role, but the end result has not changed. As for the methods given in modern times, it is up to them to be commented on by future generations.