《孟子·告子上》(節選)

譯/吳國珍

孟子曰：“魚，我所欲也，熊掌，亦我所欲也；二者不可得兼，舍魚而取熊掌者也。Mencius said, “Fish is my favorite and so is the bear’s paw.If I could not enjoy both of them, I would give up fish and choose the bear’s paw.

2“生，亦我所欲也，義，亦我所欲也；二者不可得兼，舍生而取義者也。

2“Life is what I desire and so is righteousness.If I could not keep both of them, I would give up life and choose righteousness.

3“生亦我所欲，所欲有甚于生者，故不為茍得也；死亦我所惡，所惡有甚于死者，故患有所不辟1辟：同“避”。也。

3“Life is what I desire, but there is something I desire more than life,so I will not drag out an ignoble existence.Death is what I detest, but there is something I detest more than death, so there are occasions when I will not evade the danger.

4“如使人之所欲莫甚于生，則凡可以得生者，何不用也？使人之所惡莫甚于死者，則凡可以辟患者，何不為也？

4“If people desire nothing more than life, why then will they not exert every possible means to preserve their lives? If people detest nothing more than death, why then will they not exert every possible means to evade dangers?

5“由是則生而有不用也，由是則可以辟患而有不為也，是故所欲有甚于生者，所惡有甚于死者。非獨賢者有是心也，人皆有之，賢者能勿喪耳。

5“Therefore, there are cases when one may preserve life but he chooses not to do it, and cases when one may evade a danger but he will not try it.It shows that there is something he desires more than life, and something he detests more than death.It is not virtuous people alone who have such a state of mind; everyone else possesses it, except that the virtuous people can manage not to lose it.

6“一簞2簞（dān）：古時裝飯的圓形竹器。食，一豆3豆：一種裝食物的高腳盤子。羹，得之則生，弗得則死，嘑爾4嘑（hū）爾：叫喊著。嘑，叫喊。而與之，行道之人弗受；蹴爾5蹴（cù）爾：用腳踢著或踩踏著。蹴，踢或踩踏。而與之，乞人不屑也。

6“Here is a small bamboo basket of food and a mess of pottage.Let one have it and he may live on; otherwise he may starve to death.Yet when it is offered with an insulting voice, even a tramp would not accept it.When it is given after being trodden beneath the feet, even a beggar would disdain to accept it.

7“萬鐘6萬鐘：萬鐘粟，即作為俸祿的一萬鐘小米，指高官的豐厚俸祿。鐘，古時很大的度量單位。封建時代常以“書中自有萬鐘粟”鼓勵讀書做官享受厚祿。則不辯禮義而受之。萬鐘于我何加焉？為宮室之美、妻妾之奉7奉：侍奉。、所識窮乏者得我與？

7“Nevertheless, if offered with ten thousand measures of salary grain,some will accept it without examining the moral rightness.What does ten thousand measures of salary grain mean to me? Does it mean magnificent mansions, or the flattering service of my wife and concubines,or the gratitude from the poor acquaintances I once helped?

8“鄉為身死而不受8鄉為身死而不受：過去有的人寧死也不接受（萬鐘俸祿）。此處指非義不取。鄉，即向，過去。，今為宮室之美為之；鄉為身死而不受，今為妻妾之奉為之；鄉為身死而不受，今為所識窮乏者得我而為之，是亦不可以已乎？此之謂失其本心。” □

8“While in the past one would rather die than accept the offer, now there are some who accept it in order to possess magnificent mansions;while in the past one would rather die than accept the offer, now there are some who accept it in order to enjoy the flattering service of their wives and concubines; while in the past one would rather die than accept the offer, now there are some who accept it in order to court appreciation from their poor acquaintances.Isn’t it time for them to quit now? That is what we call losing the innate goodness in heart.” ■