Original text:

Military reform does not make money, and there is not enough food. Not as good as people and peace. Therefore, the people in the territory do not take the government boundary, the country does not take the risk of mountains and rivers, and the world does not take advantage of war. Those who gain the Tao help more, while those who lose the Tao help less. Relatives will be there when there is no help. Help more, and the world will be at peace. Take advantage of the world and attack your relatives. A gentleman wins without fighting.

Vernacular translation:

Weapons and equipment are not bad, and food supply is not insufficient. But the defenders still abandoned the city and fled. This is because the geographical situation (no matter how good) is not as good as the will of the people and internal unity.

Therefore, to let the people settle down instead of moving to other places, we can't rely on drawing territorial boundaries, consolidating national defense can't rely on mountains and rivers, and shocking the world can't rely on force. A monarch who can do "benevolent government" will have more people to help him, while a monarch who does not practice "benevolent government" will have fewer people to support him.

There are very few people who support and help him, and even relatives inside and outside will betray him; With so many people supporting and helping him, everyone in the world will submit to him. On the condition that all the people in the world submit to him, attack the king whose relatives oppose betrayal. A gentleman will either not fight or win.

This article comes from Mencius in the pre-Qin period.

Extended data writing background:

Mencius was listed as "Four Books" by Zhu in the Southern Song Dynasty (the other three books were Daxue, The Doctrine of the Mean and The Analects of Confucius). In the mid-Warring States period, Mencius and his disciples Zhang Wan, Gong Sunchou and others. The earliest inscription in Zhao Qi's "Mencius" reads: "This book was also written by Mencius, so it is called Mencius".

There are eleven pieces of Mencius recorded in History of Han, and there are seven pieces and fourteen volumes. The total number of words is more than 35,000 words and 286 chapters. According to legend, there are four other books of Mencius, which have been lost (this book of Mencius is a fake of Yao Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty). This book records the politics, education, philosophy, ethical thoughts and political activities of Mencius and his disciples. Ancient examinations mainly included four books and five classics.

Mencius' language is clear, plain and simple, and at the same time it is refined and accurate. As an essay, Mencius is good at argument, more artistic and expressive, and has the nature of literary prose.

Among them, the argumentative essay skillfully uses the method of logical reasoning, and Mencius skillfully uses analogical reasoning, often playing hard to get, repeatedly asking questions, and winding the other party into his own preset conclusion, such as Hui Liang and Wang Xia.

Momentum is an important style feature of Mencius' prose. This style stems from the strength of Mencius' personality cultivation. People with this lofty spirit can overwhelm each other mentally, despise political power, despise material greed, have extraordinary spirit, be upright, selfless and fearless.

Rhetorical devices such as even sentences and overlapping sentences are widely used in Mencius. It is necessary to enhance the momentum of the article and make the style of writing magnificent. If Jiang is determined, it will be unstoppable.

About the author:

Mencius (about 372 BC-289 BC), surnamed Ji, was born in Zou State (now Zoucheng, Jining, Shandong) during the Warring States Period. A famous philosopher, thinker, politician and educator in the Warring States period, one of the representatives of Confucianism, was second only to Confucius, and was also called "Confucius and Mencius" with Confucius. Advocating "benevolent government", he first put forward the idea that "the people are more expensive than the monarch".

Han Yu's The Original Road listed Mencius as a figure who inherited the pre-Qin orthodoxy, while the Yuan Dynasty posthumously named Meng as "elegant Gong Sheng" and respected him as "elegant saint". Mencius is a collection of essays compiled by Mencius' disciples, which advocates "benevolence-oriented".