3.3 [53] 景公问伐鲁晏子对以不若修政待其乱

齐景公问讨伐鲁国的事，晏子回答说不可以，不如修明政教等待鲁国内乱

【原文】

景公举兵欲伐鲁，问（以）〔于〕晏子，晏子对曰：“不可。鲁公好义而民戴之，好义者安，见戴者和，伯禽之治存焉，故不可攻。攻义者不祥，危安者必困。且婴闻之，伐人者德足以安其国，政足以和其民，国安民和，然后可以举兵而征暴。今君好酒而辟，德无以安国，厚藉敛，意使令，无以和民。德无以安之则危，政无以和之则乱。未免乎危乱之理，而欲伐安和之国，不可，不若修政而待其君之乱也。〔民离〕其君（离），上怨其下，然后伐之，则义厚而利多，义厚则敌寡，利多则民欢。”公曰：“善。”遂不果伐鲁。

【今译】

齐景公起兵想要征伐鲁国，向晏子询问，晏子回答说：“不行。鲁国国君喜好礼义而且百姓拥戴他，喜好礼义的人能使国家安定，被拥戴的人能使百姓和乐，伯禽治国的传统还在，因此不能攻打。攻打讲礼义的国家不吉祥，危害安定的国家一定会陷入困境。而且我听说，攻打别的国家的人德行足够安定自己的国家，政教足够和睦本国的百姓，国家安定百姓和乐，然后才能够出兵征讨凶暴。现在您喜好饮酒而且行为邪僻，德行不能使国家安定，加重赋税聚敛财富，任意驱使命令百姓，不能让百姓和乐。德行不能使国家安定那就会出危险，政教不能使百姓和乐那就会出祸乱。不能在危机和祸乱的规律下幸免，而想要征伐安定和乐的国家，这是不可以的，不如修明政教来等待鲁国国君的乱政。到时候百姓离开他们的君主，国君怨恨他的臣下，然后再兴兵讨伐，那（我军）德义厚重而且获利更多，德义厚敌人就少，获利多百姓就高兴。”景公说：“好。”于是就没有攻打鲁国。

Duke Jing conscripted an army,intending to attack Lu,and consulted Yanzi about it.

Yanzi replied: “It would not be appropriate. The Duke of Lu admires righteousness,and the people support him. Whoever loves righteousness is at peace. Whoever is supported by the people achieves harmony. Boqin’s governance method is observed there. Therefore,it would not be appropriate to attack it. One who attacks the righteous w ill be unlucky. One who endangers the peaceful w ill certainly face difficulties. Furthermore,I have heard that those who attack others have virtue sufficient to keep their state peaceful and a government capable of making their people harmonious. Once one’s state is peaceful and its people harmonious,one can cultivate an army and attack an aggressor. But now you,My Lord,love wine,and you stray from the proper path. You have no virtue w ith which to keep your state peaceful. You collect heavy taxes,give arbitrary orders,and lack what it takes to make people harmonious. If your virtue is insufficient to make your state peaceful,then the state w ill be imperiled. When the government is insufficient to make the people harmonious,havoc ensues. It is inadvisable for one whose guiding principles are liable to peril and havoc to seek to attack a state that is peaceful and harmonious. It would be better for you to cultivate your own government and wait for internal disorder to arise against the ruler of Lu. When the people distance themselves from their ruler,when superiors resent their inferiors,only then should you attack him. Then your righteousness w ill be great and your benefit abundant. When righteousness is great,then enemies are few; when benefit is abundant,then the people are happy.”

The Duke said: “Well argued.” Consequently,he did not carry out the attack on Lu.

注释

[1]Boqin 伯禽 was the son of the exemplary Duke of Zhou 周公,who was the regent of the young King Cheng 成王,the son of King Wu 武王,founder of the Zhou dynasty.