道德經 - 第三十一章
夫佳兵者，不祥之器，物或惡之，故有道者不處。
君子居則貴左，用兵則貴右。
兵者不祥之器，非君子之器，不得已而用之，恬淡為上。
勝而不美，而美之者，是樂殺人。
夫樂殺人者，則不可以得志於天下矣。
吉事尚左，凶事尚右。
偏將軍居左，上將軍居右，言以喪禮處之。
殺人之衆，以哀悲泣之，戰勝以喪禮處之。
Daodejing - Chapter Thirty One
Weapons are the tools of violence.
All decent men detest them.
Weapons are the tools of fear.
A decent man will avoid them, except in the direst necessity, and if compelled, will use them only with the utmost restraint.
Peace is his highest value.
If peace has been shattered, how can he be content?
His enemies are not demons, but human beings like himself.
He doesn't wish them personal harm, nor does he rejoice in victory.
How could he rejoice in victory, and delight in the slaughter of men?
He enters a battle gravely with sorrow, and with great compassion, as if he were attending a funeral.
References
- The English translation is based on the translation by poet, translator, scholar and anthologist, Stephen Mitchell, with some changes.
- The Chinese text is based on the Daodejing (James Legge version) in the ctext.org website : https://ctext.org/dao-de-jing.
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