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Texte chinois
名与身孰亲?
身与货孰多?
得与亡孰病?
是故甚爱必大费，多藏必厚亡。
故知足不辱，知止不殆，可以长久。
Traduction
What touches us more closely, our glory or our person?
What is more precious to us, our person or our wealth?
What is the greatest misfortune, to acquire them or to lose them?
That is why he who has great passions is necessarily exposed to great sacrifices.
He who hides a rich treasure necessarily suffers great losses.
He who knows how to be content is safe from disgrace.
He who knows when to stop never perishes.
He can endure for a long time.
Notes
That is, without questioning: 'Our person touches us more closely than our name (glory), our person is more precious to us than wealth; it is a greater misfortune to acquire glory and wealth than to lose them.' Glory and wealth are external things. Do they deserve that we rejoice after acquiring them, that we grieve after losing them?
刘克福 : What warriors seek ardently is glory; and to obtain it, they go so far as to sacrifice their lives. Thus, they ignore that their person touches them more closely than glory.
What greedy men seek ardently is wealth; and to acquire it, they go so far as to risk their lives; they ignore that their person is more precious than wealth. They acquire wealth, and they lose their inner nobility and their innate wealth (their virtue)!
He who possesses virtue knows that the finest nobility resides within himself, and he expects nothing from glory; that is why he knows how to be content and knows no disgrace. He knows that the most precious wealth resides within himself, and he expects nothing from the goods that opulence brings. That is why he knows when to stop and does not perish. Not being exposed to either disgrace or danger, he can endure for a long time.
严君平 : Glory is the greatest artisan of misfortunes and disorders; to obtain it, man alienates himself from heaven and earth, and rushes to his downfall. Wealth swells him with pride; to obtain it, he burdens the people with toil, impoverishes the kingdom, troubles his mind, exposes his heart to a multitude of desires, rebels against the Dao, and gives himself over to theft and banditry. The universe detests him, the world declares war on him; often it is a misfortune to acquire them, a blessing to lose them. Indeed, he who has acquired glory or fortune does not persevere in the Dao and Virtue. The spirits abandon him, and he cuts his own life short; even heaven could not save him. But as soon as a man is freed from glory and wealth, the Dao and Virtue favor him, and the spirits protect him. His glory shines of itself, and his riches equal those of heaven and earth.
He who loves pleasure greatly consumes his strength; he who loves wealth greatly falls into misfortune. What he loves is a little thing, what he loses is immense!
刘克福 : He who loves glory desires to be ennobled; but, by his immoderate love of glory, he loses both it and his innate nobility (his virtue)! He who amasses wealth desires to be rich; but by hoarding it in great quantities, he loses both it and what makes his true wealth (his virtue).
If, during your life, you hide much wealth in your chests, people will come to attack and plunder you. If, after your death, great wealth is placed in your tomb, thieves will violate your grave and ransack your coffin.
The man who knows how to be content renounces gain, strips himself of his desires, and does not expose himself to disgrace to satisfy them.
He does not compromise himself to obtain wealth and profit; music and female beauty do not trouble his ears or eyes. That is why he is exposed to no danger.
If a man knows how to stop, to be content, he will find happiness and fortune within himself. By governing himself, he will not wear out his mind; in governing the kingdom, he will not torment the people. That is why he can endure for a long time.
