First, the original "Ten Thoughts on Emperor Taizong"-Tang:
I heard that: the elders who seek wood must be solid; Those who want to flow far away will dig their springs; A man who considers national security will accumulate his morality. The source is not deep, but it flows far. Roots are not solid, but seek the length of wood. Virtue is not thick, governing the country thinks. Although I am stupid, I know it is impossible, but it is wise to assess the situation.
When a person is an artifact, he is a big territory, he will worship the rigor of the sky and always guard the boundless rest. Don't think about being prepared for danger in times of peace, abstain from extravagance and thrift, virtue is not thick, and feelings are not desirable. Division also cut the roots to make Muwang, plug the source to flow long.
Hundreds of heads of state, bearing the fate of heaven and earth, are all worried, and they are successful and declining. Those who start well are complicated, but those who can resist to the end are few. Is it easy to get but difficult to save? In the past, this was more than enough, but today it is not enough. Why?
When my husband is worried about Yin, he will treat him wholeheartedly. If he succeeds, he will indulge in pride. Wholeheartedness is the fusion of wuyue, and pride is the road of flesh and blood. Although Dong Zhi used severe punishment and was furious, he finally avoided it mercilessly, with a respectful face but unconvinced. Resentment is not great, but people are to be feared; You should be careful when transporting a boat and capsizing it. How can the car be dying?
If you are a gentleman, if you can see what you want, you will quit willingly; If you have a job, you will think of people from Zhi Zhi. High-risk is modest and self-grazing; If you are afraid of flooding, you will think of rivers and seas; If you travel by music CD, you will think of three drives; If you are worried about slacking off, start cautiously and end with respect; If you are worried about hiding, think modestly.
If you are afraid of evil, just think about it; If you add grace, you will think there is no reason to be happy; If you are punished, you will be punished without anger. To sum up, these ten thoughts are full of virtues, simple and powerful, and if you choose goodness and follow it, the wise will do their best, the brave will do their best, the benevolent will spread their interests, and believers will serve their loyalty.
In the civil-military dispute, the monarch and the minister have nothing to do, so they can travel to Henan as much as possible, support Joe's life, and play the piano without saying anything. Why bother to think hard, take over the post, serve the eyes and ears of wisdom, and lose the way of inaction?
Second, translation:
I heard that if you want a tree to grow, you must stabilize its roots; If you want spring to flow far away, you must drain its source; If you want national stability, you must accumulate morality, benevolence and righteousness. The source is not deep, but I hope that the spring water will flow far and the root system is not strong, but I hope that trees will grow.
I don't have a deep sense of morality, but I hope the country will be stable. Although my position is low and my knowledge is shallow, I (also) know that this is impossible, not to mention (you) are smart and wise! The monarch is in an important position as an emperor, and he respects the greatness between heaven and earth. He must respect the majesty of imperial power and always safeguard the peace and beauty of the regime.
If you don't think about danger and abstain from extravagance and thrift in a comfortable environment, your morality can't be generous, and your temperament can't overcome your desires. It's like digging a root to take a lush tree, blocking the source, and trying to let the spring water flow far away.
All emperors (in ancient times) undertook the great mission entrusted by heaven, and they were not deeply worried about the country and managed well, but after their success, the monarch's moral character began to decline. The monarch did a lot of good things at first, but probably not many can persist. Is it difficult to achieve the world easily and keep it up?
In the past, we had more power to seize the world, but now we have less power to defend the world. Why? Usually in deep anxiety, I try my best to treat my subjects sincerely. If I succeed, I will indulge my temperament and look down on others. Make every effort to be sincere. Even if the North and the South can form a family and look down on others, the person you love will become a stranger.
It is to reprimand (people) with severe punishment and law, and to scare (people) with lofty spirit. (subjects) only want to be exempted from punishment, not grateful to the monarch's kindness, respectful on the surface, unconvinced in the heart.
The resentment (of subjects) towards the monarch is no big or small, and only the people are terrible; They can be loaded or overturned, so we should be careful. How can a galloping carriage be pulled by a rotten rope carelessly?
As a monarch, if you can really do it, when you see something that can arouse your (own) preference, you should think of self-restraint, when you are ready to build something, you should think of moderation to stabilize the people, when you think of a high throne, you should think of modesty and self-restraint, and when you are afraid of complacency, you should think of being downstream of many rivers like Jianghai.
If you like hunting, you should keep a net on three sides. If you are worried about being distracted, you should be careful from beginning to end. If you are worried about being deceived, you should humbly adopt the opinions of your liegeman. If you consider that (North Korea may appear), you should correct yourself (the only one) to expel evil spirits. If you give kindness, you should consider not to repay it improperly because of temporary happiness.
When you use punishment, you should consider not abusing it because you are angry at the moment. Do these ten things that should be thought deeply in an all-round way, carry forward these nine virtues, choose talents and abilities, choose good and listen to their words. So smart people can play his strategy, brave people can play his strength, and caring people can spread his favor.
An honest man can give his loyalty. Civil servants and military commanders are scrambling to come to work. The monarch and his subjects can enjoy the pleasure of traveling, and live longer than Wang Ziqiao and Akamatsu, and the emperor can rule the country by playing the piano and hanging clothes. Needless to say, everyone in the world is educated.
Why bother (yourself) instead of liegeman management, cultivate your sensitive and bright ears and eyes, and detract from the principle that you can govern the world by letting nature take its course!
Creative background:
Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, followed his father, Li Yuan, bravely resisted Sui Dynasty, lived frugally and made great achievements. In 627 AD, Li Shimin acceded to the throne and changed his chastity. In the early years of Zhenguan, he learned the lessons of Yang Di's downfall, further maintained a frugal and cautious style, and implemented many policies that were beneficial to the national economy and people's livelihood.
After more than ten years of governance, the economy has developed and people's lives have become richer. Coupled with the consolidation of border defense, there was nothing inside and outside, and Emperor Taizong gradually became arrogant and forgot his roots, overhauled temples and palaces, extensively searched for treasures, and traveled around, wasting people's money. Wei Zhi was extremely worried about this, and he clearly saw the hidden crisis behind the prosperity.
From March to July in the 11th year of Zhenguan (637), "there are four sparse in frequency, taking Chen's gains and losses as an example", and "Ten sparse in admonishing Taizong" is the second sparse, so it is also called "the second sparse in current politics".
As soon as Emperor Taizong saw it, he became alert and wrote "a letter to Wei Zhi", indicating that he had changed from remonstrance. This article was put on the desk by Taizong and regarded as the motto. In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, Wei Zhi gradually reached ten, pointing out that the ten aspects of Emperor Taizong's behavior were not as cautious as in the early days, which was written on the screen by Emperor Taizong.