中庸第二十八章 Doctrine of the Mean Chapter Twenty-eight

admin

原文：
子曰：“愚而好自用，贱而好自专。生乎今之世，反古之道。如此者灾及其身者也。”
非天子不议礼，不制度，不考文。
今天下，车同轨，书同文，行同伦。
虽有其位，苟无其德，不敢作礼乐焉。虽有其德，苟无其位，亦不敢作礼乐焉。
子曰：“吾说夏礼，杞不足徵也。吾学殷礼，有宋存焉。吾学周礼，今用之。吾从周。”

白话文：
孔子说：“愚昧却喜欢自以为是，卑贱但又好独断专行。生活在当下的时代，却一心想要恢复古代的做法。这样做，灾祸一定会降临到自己的身上。”
不是天子，就不要议订礼仪，不要制订法度，不要考订文字规范。
现在普天下车辙统一，文字统一，伦理观念统一。
虽有天子的地位，如果没有天子的德行，是不敢制作礼乐制度的；虽然有天子的德行，如果没有天子的地位，也是不敢制作礼乐制度的。
孔子说：“我谈论夏朝的礼制，夏的后裔杞国已不足以验证它；我学习殷朝的礼制，仅仅有宋国保持着它；我学习周朝的礼制，现在还实行着它，所以我遵从周礼。”

英文：
Confucius said: "The foolish think highly of their own judgment; the lowly act with self-will. To live in the present age yet revert to the ways of antiquity—such people will bring calamity upon themselves.
It is the Son of Heaven alone who may regulate rites, establish laws, and standardize writing.
Nowadays, carriages have uniform axle widths, writing uses the same characters, and conduct follows shared ethical principles.
Even if one holds the position, without the virtue, they dare not create rites and music. Even if one has the virtue, without the position, they also dare not create rites and music.
Confucius said: "I can discourse on the rites of the Xia dynasty, but the state of Qi lacks sufficient evidence. I study the rites of the Yin dynasty, preserved in the state of Song. I study the rites of Zhou, which are still in use today. Therefore, I follow the Zhou."