Book 11 · 大取 · Chapter 36
天之爱人也，薄于圣人之爱人也；其利人也，厚于圣人之利人也。大人之爱小人也，薄于小人之爱大人也；其利小人也，厚于小人之利大人也。
Heaven's love for people is slighter than the sage's love for people; but Heaven's benefiting of people is more generous than the sage's benefiting of people. The great man's love for the small man is slighter than the small man's love for the great man; but the great man's benefiting of the small man is more generous than the small man's benefiting of the great man.
以臧为其亲也，而爱之，非爱其亲也；以臧为其亲也，而利之，非利其亲也。以乐为利其子，而为其子欲之，爱其子也；以乐为利其子，而为其子求之，非利其子也。
If one takes a servant to be one's parent and loves him, this is not loving one's parent; if one takes a servant to be one's parent and benefits him, this is not benefiting one's parent. If one takes music to be a benefit for one's child and, for the child's sake, desires it, this is loving one's child; but if one takes music to be a benefit for one's child and, for the child's sake, seeks it [from others], this is not benefiting one's child.
于所体之中，而权轻重之谓权。权，非为是也，非非为非也。权，正也。断指以存腕，利之中取大，害之中取小也。害之中取小也，非取害也，取利也。其所取者，人之所执也。遇盗人，而断指以免身，利也；其遇盗人害也。断指与断腕，利于天下相若，无择也；死生利若，一无择也。杀一人以存天下，非杀一人以利天下也。杀己以存天下，是杀己以利天下。于事为之中而权轻重之谓求，求为之，非也，害之中取小，求为义非为义也。
Within the things one has under consideration, to weigh the light against the heavy is called weighing (quan). Weighing does not make what is right into right, nor what is wrong into wrong; weighing is setting things straight. To cut off a finger in order to preserve the wrist is, among benefits, to take the greater, and among harms, to take the lesser. To take the lesser among harms is not the taking of harm but the taking of benefit; and what one takes is what is held by another. If, on encountering a robber, one cuts off a finger to save one's life, that is a benefit; but the encounter with the robber is a harm. If cutting off a finger and cutting off the wrist were equally beneficial to the world, there would be no choosing between them; if death and life were equally beneficial, likewise there would be no choosing. To kill one person in order to preserve the world is not to kill one person in order to benefit the world; but to kill oneself in order to preserve the world is to kill oneself in order to benefit the world. Within the conduct of affairs, to weigh the light against the heavy is called seeking (qiu). To seek to do it [the lesser harm] is wrong; yet [if] among harms one takes the lesser, to seek to act for righteousness is not [the same as simply] acting for righteousness.
为暴人语天之为是也而性，为暴人歌天之为非也。诸陈执既有所为，而我为之陈执；执之所为因，吾所为也。若陈执未有所为，而我为之陈执，陈执因吾所为也。暴人为我为天之。以人非为是也，而性不可正而正之。
To a violent man one speaks of Heaven's doing what is right as being its nature; to a violent man one sings of Heaven's doing what is wrong. In all cases where a set assertion already has its grounds and I then frame that assertion, the assertion takes its grounds from what I do. If the set assertion has as yet no grounds and I frame that assertion, the assertion is grounded in what I do. The violent man takes me to be acting on behalf of Heaven. To take a person's wrong to be right, when the nature [of the case] cannot be set straight, yet to set it straight [anyway is mistaken].
利之中取大非不得已也；害之中取小，不得已也。所未有而取焉是利之中取大也；于所既有而弃焉，是害之中取小也。
Taking the greater among benefits is not a matter of being compelled by necessity; but taking the lesser among harms is a matter of being compelled by necessity. To take from what one does not yet have is taking the greater among benefits; to relinquish from what one already has is taking the lesser among harms.
义可厚，厚之；义可薄，薄之。谓伦列。德行、君上、老长、亲戚，此皆所厚也。为长厚，不为幼薄。亲厚，厚；亲薄，薄。亲至，薄不至。义厚亲，不称行而顾行。
Where righteousness permits generosity, treat it generously; where righteousness permits restraint, treat it with restraint. This refers to the proper gradations of relationship. The virtuous, the ruler above, the aged and elders, and kinsfolk are all those to be treated generously. One is generous because of seniority, not sparing because of youth. Where kinship is close, be generous; where kinship is distant, be restrained. Kinship reaches [to the closest], but restraint does not reach [there]. To treat kin generously out of righteousness is not to commend the conduct but to have regard for the conduct.
为天下厚禹，为禹也。为天下厚爱禹，乃为禹之人爱也。厚禹之加于天下，而厚禹不加于天下。若恶盗之为加于天下，而恶盗不加于天下。
To treat Yu generously for the sake of the world is to do it for Yu's sake. To love and treat Yu generously for the sake of the world is then to love him as one of the people for whom Yu labored. The generous treatment of Yu adds something to the world, but treating Yu generously does not [itself] add to the world. Just as hating a robber adds something to the world, yet hating the robber does not [itself] add to the world.
爱人不外己，己在所爱之中。己在所爱，爱加于己。伦列之爱己，爱人也。
Loving people does not exclude oneself; oneself is included among those loved. Since oneself is among those loved, love is applied to oneself as well. To love oneself within the gradations of relationship is [part of] loving people.
圣人恶疾病，不恶危难。正体不动，欲人之利也，非恶人之害也。
The sage hates sickness and disease but does not hate danger and difficulty. His upright frame is unmoved, because he desires the benefit of others, not because he hates the harm to himself.
圣人不为其室臧之故，在于臧。
The sage does not [act] for the sake of his household's stores; [his concern] lies in the storing itself.
圣人不得为子之事。圣人之法死亡亲，为天下也。厚亲，分也；以死亡之，体渴兴利。有厚薄而毋伦列之兴利，为己。语经，语经也。非白马焉。执驹焉说求之，舞说非也，渔大之舞大，非也。三物必具，然后足以生。11. 三物必具，然后足以生。 : 移到第25条。 孙诒让《墨子闲诂》
The sage cannot perform the duties [proper] to a son. The sage's principle in the death of a parent is for the sake of the world. To treat kin generously is a matter of proper division; in [dealing with] their death, he exhausts his strength to promote benefit. To have degrees of generosity yet promote benefit without [regard to] gradations of relationship is to act for oneself. [The text on] expounding the canons—it expounds the canons. It is not a white horse here. "Holding a colt"—here explaining how to seek it; the "dance" explanation is wrong; the "great fish" of fishing and the "great" of "dance" are wrong. The three things must all be present, and only then is it sufficient to give rise [to discourse]. [Note: "The three things must all be present, and only then is it sufficient to give rise" is moved to passage 25, per Sun Yirang's Mozi Jiangu.]
臧之爱己，非为爱己之人也。厚不外己，爱无厚薄。举己，非贤也。义，利；不义，害。志功为辩。
The servant's love for himself is not for the sake of loving himself as a [particular] person. Generosity does not exclude oneself; love has no degrees of more and less. To single oneself out is not [a mark of] worthiness. The righteous is benefit; the unrighteous is harm. Intention and achievement are [to be] distinguished.
有有于秦马，有有于马也，智来者之马也。
To have something with regard to a Qin horse is to have something with regard to a horse; one knows the horse of the one who comes.
爱众众世与爱寡世相若，兼爱之，有相若。爱尚世与爱后世，一若今之世人也。鬼，非人也；兄之鬼，兄也。
Loving the many of a populous age and loving [the few of] a sparse age are alike; in loving them universally there is equality. Loving the former age and loving the later age are one with loving the people of the present age. A ghost is not a person; but one's elder brother's ghost is one's elder brother.
天下之利驩。圣人有爱而无利，俔日之言也，乃客之言也。天下无人，子墨子之言也犹在。
The benefit of the world is a joy. "The sage has love but no benefiting"—this is the saying of [a critic like] Xian Ri; it is the saying of a guest [outsider]. Even were there no people in the world, our Master Mozi's teaching would still endure.
不得已而欲之，非欲之非欲之也。非杀臧也。专杀盗，非杀盗也。凡学爱人。
To desire something under compulsion of necessity is not [the same as] desiring it for its own sake. [Such killing] is not the killing of a servant [as a wrong]. To specifically kill a robber is not [the same as indiscriminately] killing people. In all cases, [one should] learn to love people.
小圜之圜，与大圜之圜同。方至尺之不至也，与不至钟之至，不异。其不至同者，远近之谓也。
The roundness of a small circle is the same as the roundness of a large circle. A square's not reaching to a [full] foot and not reaching to [the size of] a bell are no different: their being alike in not reaching is what is meant by [the difference of] far and near.
是璜也，是玉也。意楹，非意木也，意是楹之木也。意指之人也，非意人也。意获也，乃意禽也。志功，不可以相从也。
This is a jade ring; this is jade. To have in mind a pillar is not to have in mind wood [in general]; it is to have in mind the wood of this pillar. To have in mind a person pointed at is not to have in mind people [in general]. To have in mind "captured" [game] is then to have in mind a bird. Intention and achievement cannot be made to follow one from the other.
利人也，为其人也；富人，非为其人也，有为也以富人。富人也，治人有为鬼焉。
To benefit a person is done for that person's sake; to enrich a person is not [necessarily] done for that person's sake, but there is some purpose in enriching the person. In enriching people and governing people, there is [also acting] for the sake of [serving] the spirits.
为赏誉利一人，非为赏誉利人也，亦不至无贵于人。智亲之一利，未为孝也，亦不至于智不为己之利于亲也。智是之世之有盗也，尽爱是世。智是室之有盗也，不尽是室也。智其一人之盗也，不尽是二人。虽其一人之盗，茍不智其所在，尽恶其弱也。
To reward, praise, and benefit one person is not [the same as] rewarding, praising, and benefiting people [in general]; yet it does not amount to valuing no one. To know one [way of] benefiting a parent is not yet filial piety; yet it does not amount to not knowing how to benefit a parent on one's own. To know that this age has robbers in it does not [prevent] loving this whole age. To know that this house has a robber in it does not [mean] one [hates] this whole house. To know that one of these [two] people is a robber does not [implicate] the [other of the] two. Even though one [of them] is the robber, if one does not know where he is, [it would be wrong] to hate them all on account of [doubt about] the one.
诸圣人所先，为人欲名实。名实不必名。苟是石也白，败是石也，尽与白同。是石也唯大，不与大同。是有便谓焉也。以形貌命者，必智是之某也，焉智某也，不可以形貌命者，唯不智是之某也，智某可也。诸以居运命者，苟人于其中者，皆是也，去之因非也。诸以居运命者，若乡里齐荆者，皆是。诸以形貌命者，若山丘室庙者，皆是也。
What the sages put first is, for people's sake, to desire [a correspondence of] name and reality. The name and the reality need not [be named together as a fixed pairing]. If this stone is white, then breaking up this stone, [all the pieces] are entirely alike in being white. But this stone being only large, [its pieces] are not alike in being large. This is what is conveniently said. With things named by shape and appearance, one must know that this is a so-and-so, and then know [other instances of] the so-and-so. With things that cannot be named by shape and appearance, even if one does not know that this is a so-and-so, one may [still] know the so-and-so. With things named by location and circulation, if a person is within it, all are [counted as] this; once he leaves it, accordingly he is not. Things named by location and circulation, such as villages, hamlets, [the states of] Qi and Jing—all [are so]. Things named by shape and appearance, such as mountains, hills, houses, and temples—all [are so].
智与意异。重同，具同，连同，同类之同，同名之同；丘同，鲋同，是之同，然之同，同根之同。有非之异，有不然之异。有其异也，为其同也，为其同也异。一曰乃是而然，二曰乃是而不然，三曰迁，四曰强。
Knowing and conjecturing differ. There is the sameness of [two things being] doubled [as one], the sameness of being parts of one whole, the sameness of being connected, the sameness of being of one kind, the sameness of sharing one name; the sameness of [being on the same] mound, the sameness of [being] paired, the sameness of "this," the sameness of "so," the sameness of sharing one root. There is the difference of being-not[-this], and the difference of being not-so. Where there is their difference, it is for the sake of their sameness; where it is for the sake of their sameness, it is a difference. First is "it is so being this"; second is "it is not so [though] being this"; third is "shifting"; fourth is "forcing."
子深其深，浅其浅，益其益，尊其尊。察次山比因至优指复；次察声端名因请复。正夫辞恶者，人右以其请得焉。诸所遭执，而欲恶生者，人不必以其请得焉。圣人之附渎也，仁而无利爱。利爱生于虑。昔者之虑也，非今日之虑也；昔者之爱人也，非今之爱人也。爱获之爱人也，生于虑获之利，非虑臧之利也；而爱臧之爱人也，乃爱获之爱人也。去其爱而天下利，弗能去也。昔之知墙，非今日之知墙也。贵为天子，其利人不厚于正夫。二子事亲，或遇孰，或遇凶，其亲也相若，非彼其行益也，非加也。外执无能厚吾利者。藉藏也死而天下害，吾持养臧也万倍，吾爱臧也不加厚。
Where the master goes deep, go deep with him; where he is shallow, be shallow; where he increases, increase; where he honors, honor. Examine in sequence [as] mountains arrayed, [proceed] by the cause to reach the best point and repeat; next examine the starting-point of utterance and the name, [proceed] by the request and repeat. As for setting straight a man's words [when he is] one who [speaks] ill, people may by his request attain it; but with all the constraints one meets, where good and bad arise, people need not by his request attain it. The sage's [way of] drawing near and channeling is humane but without [partial] benefiting-and-loving. Benefiting-and-loving arise from deliberation. The deliberation of the past is not the deliberation of today; the loving of people in the past is not the loving of people today. The loving of "captured one" as a loved person arises from deliberating on the benefit of "captured one," not from deliberating on the benefit of the servant; yet the loving of the servant as a loved person is [also] the loving of "captured one" as a loved person. To remove this love so that the world would benefit—this one cannot do. Yesterday's knowing of a wall is not today's knowing of a wall. To be honored as the Son of Heaven—one's benefiting of people is not more generous than [that of] an upright commoner. Two sons serve their parents: one meets with a good [harvest], one meets with a bad one; their [treatment of] their parents is alike, [for] it is not that the other's conduct increased—there was no addition. External circumstances cannot increase the generosity of my benefiting. Suppose the servant were to die and the world were thereby harmed: though I would tend and sustain the servant ten-thousandfold, my love for the servant would not be made more generous.
长人之异，短人之同，其貌同者也，故同。指之人也与首之人也异，人之体非一貌者也，故异。将剑与挺剑异。剑，以形貌命者也，其形不一，故异。杨木之木与桃木之木也同。诸非以举量数命者，败之尽是也，故一人指，非一人也；是一人之指，乃是一人也。方之一面，非方也；方木之面，方木也。
The difference of a tall man and the sameness of a short man: their appearance being the same, they are therefore [counted as] the same [in kind]. The person-as-a-finger and the person-as-a-head differ, [for] a person's body is not of one single appearance, and they are therefore different. Carrying a sword and drawing a sword differ. A sword is named by shape and appearance; its shape is not single, and so [they] differ. The wood of a willow and the wood of a peach are the same [as wood]. In all cases not named by enumerating quantity, if you break it up [its parts] are entirely this; thus one person's finger is not one person, but this person's finger is indeed [part of] this one person. One face of a square is not the square; but a face of a square block of wood is square wood.
三物必具，然后足以生。1夫辞2以故生，以理长，以类行也者。立辞而不明于其所生，妄3也。今人非道无所行，唯有强股肱而不明于道，其困也，可立而待也。夫辞以类行者也，立辞而不明于其类，则必困矣。1. 三物必具，然后足以生。 : 从第11条移到此处。 孙诒让《墨子闲诂》2. 夫辞 : 旧脱。 孙诒让《墨子闲诂》3. 妄 : 原作“忘”。孙诒让《墨子闲诂》
The three things must all be present, and only then is it sufficient to give rise [to discourse]. Now a proposition arises by reason, grows by principle, and proceeds by [analogy to] kind. To establish a proposition without being clear about what gives rise to it is recklessness. Now a person, lacking a way [dao], has nowhere to walk; even with strong thighs and arms, if one is not clear about the way, one's getting stuck can be awaited standing still. A proposition proceeds by [analogy to] kind; to establish a proposition without being clear about its kind is certain to lead to difficulty. [Note: "The three things must all be present..." is moved here from passage 11; "a proposition" was formerly dropped from the text; "reckless" was originally written "forgetful"—per Sun Yirang's Mozi Jiangu.]
故浸淫之辞，其类在于鼓栗。圣人也，为天下也，其类在于追迷。或寿或卒，其利天下也指若，其类在誉石，一日而百万生，爱不加厚，其类在恶害。爱二世有厚薄，而爱二世相若。其类在蛇文。爱之相若，择而杀其一人，其类在坑下之鼠。小仁与大仁，行厚相若，其类在申。凡兴利除害也，其类在漏雍。厚亲，不称行而类行，其类在江上井。“不为己”之可学也，其类在猎走。爱人非为誉也，其类在逆旅。爱人之亲，若爱其亲，其类在官茍。兼爱相若，一爱相若。一爱相若，其类在死也。
Thus the propositions that seep and spread—their kind lies in [the chill that makes one] drum and shiver. The sage, acting for the sake of the world—his kind lies in pursuing one who has lost the way. Whether [a man] is long-lived or dies young, his benefiting of the world is alike; its kind lies in the "praise-stone." Though in a single day a million are born, love is not made more generous; its kind lies in hating harm. Love of two ages has degrees of more and less, yet love of two ages is alike; its kind lies in the snake's markings. Loving [two people] alike, yet choosing and killing one of them; its kind lies in the rat down in the pit. The small humaneness and the great humaneness, their generosity of conduct being alike; its kind lies in stretching out [the same root]. In all promoting benefit and removing harm, the kind lies in [draining a] leaking [pool] and [walling up] a blockage. Treating kin generously not by commending the conduct but by [analogy to] kind; its kind lies in the well by the river. That "not acting for oneself" can be learned; its kind lies in the [trained] hunting dog that runs. Loving people not for the sake of praise; its kind lies in the inn [that shelters all]. Loving another's parent as one loves one's own parent; its kind lies in the official's [impartial] standard. Universal love being alike, a single love is alike; a single love being alike, its kind lies in death.