Page 176 - 《中庸》中·英对照版

?中
庸

The duke Ai asked about government. The
Master said, “The government of Wen and Wu is
displayed in the records, — the tablets of wood and
bamboo. Let there be the men and the government
will flourish; but without the men, their government
decays and ceases. With the right men the growth
of government is rapid, just as vegetation is rapid
in the earth; and, moreover, their government
might be called an easily-growing rush. Therefore
the administration of government lies in getting
proper men. Such men are to be got by means of
the ruler’s own character. That character is to be
cultivated by his treading in the ways of duty. And
the treading those ways of duty is to be cultivated
by the cherishing of benevolence. Benevolence is
the characteristic element of humanity, and the great
exercise of it is in loving relatives. Righteousness is
the accordance of actions with what is right, and the
great exercise of it is in honoring the worthy. The

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