安危相易，禍福相生（2）

Safety and danger alternate with each other; good fortune and  misfortune interchange with each other...

百年之朮，破為犧尊（4）

Ahundred-year-oldtree is sawed to make into a sacrificial vessel...

比冥有魚，其名為鯤（6）

In the North Sea there is a kind of fish by the name of kun...

彼竊鈎者誅，竊國者為諸侯（8）

Those who steal the knives are executed while those who usurp the states become princes.

伯夷死名于首陽之下（10）

Bo Yi died for his reputation on Mount Shouyang...

不利貨財，不近貴富（12）

He will not crave for property and wealth and will not strive for fame and position.

不忘其所始，不求其所終（14）

The true man in ancient times did not forget the origin of his life; he did not explore the final destiny of his life.

蟬方得美陰而忘其身（16）

A cicada had just found a fine spot in the shade and ignored the imminent clanger.

長者不為有餘，短者不為不足（18）

The long is not to be considered too much and the short is not to be considered too little.

唇竭則齒寒（20）

Since the lips are gone, the teeth get cold...

大聲不入於裡耳（22）

Grand music will not appeal to the villagers.

道不可聞，聞而非也（24）

As Tao cannot be heard, what can be heard is not Tao.

道行之而戰，物謂之而然（26）

A path is formed because we walk on it; a thing has a name because we call it so.

德有所長，而形有所忘（28）

For men with ample virtue, their physical defects might be forgotten.

兒子終日嗥而嗌不嗄（30）

A new-born baby can cry all day without losing its voice because it is in the perfection of equilibrium.

大人壑之為物也（32）

The vast sea is something you cannot fill by pouring in water and you cannot drain up by drawing water.

大富者，苦身疾作（34）

Men of wealth toil and moil to accumulate more riches than they

can possibly consume.

夫鵠不日浴而白（36）

The swans are white although they do not bathe themselves every day...

夫水行不避蛟龍者，漁父之勇也（38）

To travel by the water in defiance of the flood dragons shows the valour of the fishermen...

夫天地神，而有尊卑先後之序（40）

If the Heaven and the Earth, which are the most sacred, have their distinction of rank and order...

夫昭昭生於冥冥（42）

Brightness originates from darkness.

狗不以善吠為良（44）

As a dog is not considered good merely because it barks well...

古之所謂得志者，非軒冕之謂也（46）

By "fulfillment of ambition," the men of ancient times did not mean obtaining high ranks of office...

古之畜天下者，無欲而天下足（48）

In ruling over the world in ancient times, the kings enriched the world by having no desires.

古之至人，先存諸己而後存諸人（50）

The perfect men in the past saw to it that they had Tao in themselves before they passed it on to others.

官施而不失其宜（52）

The sage places his officials in appropriate positions, and promotes his officials according to their talents.

觀之名則不見，求之利則不得（54）

He owns nothing in terms of possession and fame.

何謂道？有天道，有人道（56）

What do we mean by Tao? There is the Tao in the natural way and there is the Tao in the human way.

虎之與人異類，而媚養已者，順也（58）

The tiger is of a different species from man, yet it is gentle to its keeper because the keeper complies with its disposition.

惠子謂莊子曰（無用之用）（60）

Hui Zi sald to Zhuang Zi, "Your words are useless."

惠子相梁，莊子往見之（62）

When Hui Zi became the prime minister in the State of Liang, Zhuang Zi was going to see him.

禍福淳淳（64）

Good fortune and bad fortune have their comings and goings...

鑒明則塵垢不止（66）

There is no dust on a bright mirror while a dusty mirror is not bright.

今且有人於此（隨侯之珠）（68）

If a man is now shooting with a precious pearl at a sparrow flying high in the sky, he will surely be laughed at.

金石有聲，不考不鳴（70）

Though musical instruments may give sounds, they will not ring unless they are struck.

井蛙不可以語於海者（72）

You cannot discuss the sea with a frog at the bottom of a well...

雞鳴狗吠是人之所知（74）

The cocks crow and the dogs bark—this is what we all know and hear.

絕聖棄知，大盜乃止（76）

Discard the sages and wisdom, and the great robbers will be curbed...

君子不得已而臨蒞天下（78）

If the superior man has to rule over the world...

梁麗可以沖城而不可以窒穴（80）

A batterlng-ram can be used to knock down a city-wall but cannot be used to fill a hole...

明白於天地之德者 （82）

A clear understanding of the virtue of the Heaven and the Earth is called...

庖了為文惠君解牛（84）

A butcher was carving a bullock for Lord Wenhui.

庖人雖不治皰(越俎代庖）（86）

Even the cook is not attending to his duties.

其動也天，其靜也地（88）

He moves like a heavenly body and he is still like the Earth itself.

其所美者為神奇（90）

Beauty can be considered as something miraculous...

巧者勞而知者憂（92）

Those with adroit hands tire themselves physically...

且夫水之積也不厚（芥為之舟）（94）

If a mass of water is not deep enough, it will not be able to float large ships.

窮則反，終則始（96）

Things turn to their opposites when they reach the limit, and begin again when they reach the end.

丘山積卑而為高（98）

Hills and mountains become high when their low parts are accumulated in them...

去小知而大知明（100）

Discard your petty wisdom and great wisdom will come into being...

卑涸，魚相與處於陸(相濡以沫)（102）

When a spring dries up, the fish are stranded on the land.

人人喜邪，毗于陽（104）

To be overjoyed is harmful to the yang element...

莫鑒於流水而鑒於止水（106）

Men do not use running water as a mirror; they only use the still Water.

人生天地之間，若白駒之過郤（108）

The life of a man between Heaven and Earth is as brief as the passage of a horse through a crevice in the wall.

人主莫不欲其臣之忠 （110）

No monarch does not hope that his ministers will be loyal to but loyal ministers are not always trusted.

該不知大螳螂乎（螳臂擋車）（112）

(Ou Boyu sald to Yan He) Don't you know the fable of the mantis?

上誠好知而無道（ 114）

When the rulers desire knowledge and neglect Tao...

聖人之用兵也（116）

When a sage wages a war, he can destroy a state without losing the support of the people.

施於人而不忘（118）

Doing a favor for people with the intention of receiving rewards is not a favor at all.

勢為天子而不以貴驕人（120）

Some people may be as high and noble as kings, but they will not despise others because of their positions.

勢為天子，未必貴也（122）

A powerful emperor may not be high and noble...

水靜則明燭鬚眉（124）

Peaceful waters have a clear and level surface that gives an image...

水流乎無形（126）

A stream of water runs without a fixed course from nowhere...

死生，命也，其有夜旦之常（128）

Life and death are destined, just like the eternal succession....

天地者，萬物之父母也（130）

The Heaven and the the Earth give birth to all the things in the world.

天道運而無所積，故萬物成（132）

The natural course of events moves on and on so that everything in theworld comes into existence...

天與地無窮，人死者有時（134）

The Heaven and the Earth are limitless whereas the human life is limited.

天下有道，則與物皆昌（136）

When the world is prevalent with Tao, he shares the prosperity With everything...

萬物殊理，道不私（138）

Each of all the things in the world has its own laws, but because Tao does not show partiality to any of them...

萬物職職，皆從無為殖（140）

There are so many things in the world. Everything in the world is born with nothing having done anything.

為善無近名，為惡無近刑（142）

When you do good, don' t do it for the sake of fame...

聞在宥天下，不聞治天下也（144）

I have heard of letting the world be and letting the world alone, but I have never heard of governing the world.

無為為之之謂天（146）

To act by doing nothing is called the way of the Heaven...

無知無能者（148）

No one can avoid what he does not know and what is beyond his power.

吾生也有涯，而知也無涯（150）

Man's life is limited but knowledge is unlimited.

昔者莊周夢為蝴蝶（152）

I, by the name of Zhuang Zhou, once dreamed that I was a butterfly...

西施病心而矉其裡（154）

The famous beauty Xi Shi frowned at neighbors when she had a heartache.

小惑易方，大感易性（156）

A man with a mild confusion may change his direction of life; a man with a serious confusion may change his inborn nature.

小知不及大知（158）

Little learning does not come up to great learning...

孝子不諛其親（160）

A fitia son who does not fawn upon his parents...

行賢而去自賢之行（162）

If you are virtuous and do not think so...

養形必先之以物（164）

For the nourishment of the physical form...

以德分人謂之聖（166）

He who shares his virtue with others is called a sage...

以富為是者，不能讓祿（168）

Those Who strive for wealth will not give up their salary...

以瓦注者巧，以鉤注者憚（170）

The in man will play with skill when he makes a bet with tiles...

以虛靜推於天地，通於萬物（172）

He applles his emptiness and peacefulness to the Heaven and the Earth, to everything in the world.

魚處水而生，人處水而死（174）

Fish can only survive in waters while men will die in waters.

魚相造乎水，人相造乎道（176）

As fish strive for water, so men strive for Tao.

朝菌不知晦朔（178）

The fungi that sprout in the morning and die before evening do not know the alternation of night and day...

知道易，勿言難（180）

It is not hard to understand Tao, but it is hard not to talk about it.

知其愚者，非大愚也（18）

If they are aware that they are foolish, they are not yet the worst fools...

知士無思慮之變則不樂（184）

A man good at employing his wits is not happy when he does not see the chances to develop his thoughts...

知天樂者，其生也天行（186）

He who understands heavenly joy follows nature when he is alive...

知天之所為，知人之所為者（188）

To know what the Heaven can do and to know what man can do that is the ultimate human knowledge.

知足者，不以利自累也（190）

He who is content with what he has will not exhaust himself for any high position and handsome pay...

直木先伐，甘井先竭 （192）

A stralght tree is  the first to be cut down; and a sweet well is the first to be drawn dry.

至樂活身，唯無為幾存（194）

In refralnment of action we are closest to perfect happiness and enjoyment of life.

褚小者不可以懷大 （196）

A  small bag cannot hold large things...

朱評漫學屠龍（屠龍之技）（198）

Zhu Pingman spent a fortune in learning the skill of killing dragons from Zhili Yi.

莊子與惠子游于濠梁之上（200）

Zuang  Zi travelled wilh Hui Zi over a bridge on the Hao River.

俗曰：“不聽老人言.吃虧在眼前。”

老人家走的路多,吃的飯多， 看的書多，經的亊多，享的福多， 受的罪多，可謂見多識廣，有豐富的生活經驗。老人家是中國歷史上的文化巨人，他們留下的千古名篇是人類文明的共同遺產。

我們將各家各派的老人家的至理名言編輯成這套《老人家說》叢書，加以注釋並譯成英文，採取漢英對照出版，以饗海內外有心有意于中國傳統文化的廣大讀者。