Mozi – Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Canons and Explanations (II)

“Zhi” (Refutation): The opponent affirms this as right and argues for it; I affirm it as wrong and cast doubt on it. “Four-footed beasts” and “living birds” are universal terms covering all things, differing only in scope. If “this is right” is necessary, then all are the same. Deer share a name and both fight, but “deer” and “fight” are not the same. Liver, lungs, and children are objects of love. Oranges and cogon grass are for eating and summoning spirits, respectively. A white horse has much whiteness, but seeing a horse is not “seeing much”; “white” and “seeing” are distinct. Being beautiful does not necessitate being a beauty, nor does not being a beauty relate to tyranny. Acting not because others deem it wrong is like being a husband not because of courage, or making shoes to buy clothes; husband and shoes are different. Two and one perish; not being with one, a part removed is incomplete. With words and substance, there is naming; without, there is none. Unlike “Fu” and “beauty”: saying it is beautiful means it inherently is; naming it might mean it is not; not naming it is merely responding. Seeing and not seeing are separate; one and two do not overlap, like breadth, length, hardness, and whiteness. Failing to lift a heavy object or give a needle is not a task of strength. Guessing odd or even is not a task of intellect. Like ears and eyes having different functions. Which is longer, wood or night? Which is more, wisdom or grain? Which is noble, rank, kin, conduct, or price? Which is higher, a deer or a crane? Which is more crane-like, a deer or a crane? Which is more zither-like, an earthworm or a zither?

“Pian” (Partial): All are without change. “Jia” (False): False must be non-true to be false. Dog is falsely “Huo,” like the surname Huo. Things may harm it; that is fact. Seeing it is knowledge; telling others is imparting knowledge. “Yi” (Doubt): Doing whatever one encounters is a scholar; feeling cold making a cow shed in summer is absurd. Lifting feels light, dropping feels heavy; this is not strength. Water flowing along a shaved surface is not cleverness, but following nature, like stone and feather. A fighter exhausted by alcohol or fighting at noon is unwise and foolish. Is it wisdom to treat the actual as necessary? That is foolishness. “Ju” (All): All are one, like cows and horses having four feet. Only this should be cow-horse. Counting cows and horses makes two; counting “cow-horse” makes one. Like counting fingers: five fingers, but one “five.” Long “Yu” (Space): Moving and having a location is space. Space has north and south in morning and evening; space moves through time.

Without hardness but getting whiteness, they must overlap. Yao’s good governance is viewing the past from the present. Viewing the present from the past, Yao could not govern. Shadow: Light arrives, shadow vanishes. If it exists, it rests eternally. Shadow: Two lights sandwich one light; the one light is the shadow. Shadow: Light hits a person like an arrow; the lower person appears taller, the higher shorter. Feet block lower light, casting a shadow above; head blocks upper light, casting a shadow below. At near and far endpoints intersecting light, the shadow is inside. Shadow: Sunlight reflects off a person; the shadow is between sun and person. Shadow: Tilted wood casts a short, large shadow; upright wood casts a long, small shadow. Shadow size depends on the wood. Facing a flat mirror at near and far distances, the shadow’s fewness, appearance, black/white, near/far, tilt/uprightness differ from a light mirror. The mirror should reflect all; leaving it should also reflect all, used on the north. The mirror’s odor reflects everything. Shadows have countless odors but must pass the center. Thus, in the same place, the body is whole, but the mirror divides it. Inside the mirror’s center, closer to the center means a larger reflection and shadow; farther means smaller. It must be upright, starting from the center, extending straight. Outside the center, closer means larger; farther means smaller. But it must be inverted, meeting at the center, extending straight. Mirror: Closer means larger reflection and shadow; farther means smaller. But it must be upright, shadow passing the center.

Thus, a rack bearing a crossbeam bears weight without bending, fully supporting the weight. A crossed rope on the right bends without added weight, fully unable to support. Adding weight to one side of a balance makes it dip; weights are equal. Balanced, short stem and long arm: adding equal weight makes the arm dip; the arm gains the weight. “Qie” (Lifting) has force; “Yin” (Pulling) has no force. If not upright, the lifted stops at the applied force; a rope controls the lift, like piercing with an awl. Lifting: Long/heavy goes down, short/light goes up; the upper gains, the lower loses. Rope straight, weights equal, it is upright. Gathering: Upper loses, lower gains; when upper weight is exhausted, lifting follows. Two high wheels, two low wheels are a carriage ladder. Heavy front, stringed front, carrying weight on front and axle, hanging weight in front is a ladder. Lift and lift, then it moves. Any heavy object not held above, gathered below, or pushed sideways falls straight. “Tuo”: Perhaps harming it. “Liu”: A ladder cannot “liu,” it is straight. Placing a ruler on flat ground, a heavy object does not fall; there is no “Ku.” Pulling an axle with a rope is like pulling a crossbeam from a boat. Leaning, doubling, resisting, firmness: leaning on “Ku” makes it not upright.

“Shui” (Who): Stacked stones, ear-clipping sleepers, this is a standard. A square stone one foot above ground, a stone below, a silk thread above reaching the square stone. Not falling is a pillar. Glued silk leaving stone is lifting. Silk breaking is pulling. No change but name change is gathering. Buying: Knife and grain price each other. Light knife, grain not expensive; heavy knife, grain not cheap. Royal knife unchanged, grain changes. Yearly grain change means yearly knife change, like selling a son. Price: Exhausting means exhausting reasons for not selling. Reasons removed, it sells. Correct price is suitable/unsuitable, desire/no desire. Like ruining a state, selling a house, marrying a daughter. “Wu” (None): Son in army, life/death uncertain; hearing of war, survival uncertain. Previously fearless, now fearful. “Huo” (Or): Knowing this is not that, and this is not in that, yet saying this is north/south, past and present. Wisdom argues; without wisdom, argument fails. “Suo wei” (Predicated) is not the same as “Yi” (Different). Same: some say dog, some say hound. Different: some say cow, cow says horse. Neither wins, no disputation. Disputation: One says yes, one says no; the fitting one wins. Unyielding wine, unyielded, is beginning, cannot be yielded.

Regarding stone: one; hardness and whiteness: two, yet in stone. So knowing and not knowing are possible. Pointing: You know this, and know that I pointed it out first; this is a compound. If you know this but do not know what I did not point out, it is singular. Saying there is knowing and not knowing is acceptable. If you know, point out what you know and tell me, then I know. Pointing comprehensively uses two; pointing horizontally uses three. If one insists on pointing only to what one has mentioned and not to what one has not, this originally cannot be pointed out uniquely. If the intended communication is not transmitted, the meaning remains unverified. Moreover, if what is known is this and what is not known is also this, how can knowing and not knowing be one? Thus, there is knowing and not knowing. “Suo” (Place): Spring; its grip is solid but cannot be pointed at. A fugitive slave’s whereabouts are unknown; a dog does not know its name. For lost things, even a clever person cannot have both.

Knowledge: Knowing a dog. Repeating: Knowing a hound is an error; not repeating is not an error. Communication: If asked, “Do you know a mule?” and one replies, “What is a mule?” and the asker says, “A mule is a horse-donkey hybrid,” then one knows. If one answers “I do not know” without asking for clarification, it is an error. Responses must correspond to the time of questioning; answers should have depth. The great constant is in the center; soldiers value their posts. A hall is a place of existence; a son is an existing person. Asking about the hall based on the existing person, or asking about the existing person based on the hall, are two different approaches. Five combinations: Water, earth, fire; fire separates naturally. Fire melts metal when fire is abundant; metal consumes charcoal when metal is abundant. Combining them stores water; wood separates from wood. Knowing the number of deer and fish is for profit, without desire or aversion. Harming life and shortening lifespan, using Shao Lian as an example, who loves this? Tasting much millet, perhaps desiring no harm, like alcohol to humans. Benefiting others is love; thus, only benefiting without governing. Reducing a full person’s food by removing the excess is sufficient and harmless. Being able to harm a full person is like harming a deer by removing its spleen. Sometimes loss leads to intellectual gain, like malaria leading to immunity.

Knowledge: Seeing with eyes; eyes see with fire (light); fire does not see. Relying solely on the five senses for long-term knowledge is inappropriate. Seeing with eyes is like seeing with fire. Fire: Saying fire is hot is not using fire’s heat. I have something like seeing, called knowing. Mixing what is known and unknown in a question, one must say, “This is known, this is unknown.” Taking and removing, being able to do both, is dual knowing. “Wu” (Nothingness): Like having something and then having nothing; if there is no falling sky, it is nothingness without prior existence. Pulling doubt: meaningless. Zang dies now, and Spring gets “Wen”; Wen dying is also acceptable. “Qie” (Moreover): Like this; moreover so, necessarily so; moreover stopped, necessarily stopped. What requires effort and then stops must require effort before stopping. Evenness: Hair evenly suspended breaks due to uneven weight, not evenness. Evenness: When it breaks, nothing is unbroken. Yao and Huo: Some show people by name, some by substance. Citing a rich merchant friend is showing by name; pointing to this meat broth is showing by substance. Yao’s righteousness: The sound is today, but the substance of righteousness is in the past. Like being in danger at the city gate versus in Zang. Dog: Dog and hound; saying “kill the hound” is acceptable, like two thighs. “Shi” (Command): Order, command. I command myself; even if I do not command, it is still me commanding. Guarding with a halberd is also commanding; guarding is not beautiful, but still guarding. Jing sinking: Jing’s shell; thus, sinking shallow is not Jing shallow, like exchanging five for one. The roundness of a pillar: Seeing it, the idea is not easily changed; prior knowledge. Idea: Appearance. Like a pillar being lighter than autumn, the idea is vast. Awl, mallet, and awl(锥) all work on shoes; they are usable. Finishing embroidered shoes surpasses an awl, same as finishing an awl surpassing embroidered shoes; surpassing is matching. One: Five has one in it; one has five in it; ten has two in it. Not chopping a half: Advancing forward to take it. Forward, then the middle has no half. Like an endpoint, taking from front and back, the endpoint is in the middle. Chopping must be a half; without and non-half cannot be chopped. Can be without: If already given, one should give; cannot be without. Duration has an end, and the end ends. Upright nine: Nowhere is not centered when suspended; it is round. A bent space cannot be partially raised; it is a character. Progressing: First cover the near, then the far. Walking: Must be near first, then far. Near and far is length; before and after is duration. People walking a long distance must take time. One square exhausts its class: All have the standard but differ in material. Whether wood or stone, it does not hinder their squareness matching. Exhausting the class is like the square. All things are so.

Ox and mad horse are only different. Using “ox has teeth, horse has tail” to prove ox is not horse is invalid. Both have these, not exclusively. Saying not similar to horse because ox has horns and horse has no horns is a difference in class. Using ox horns and horse’s lack thereof to show class difference is a crazy citation. Like ox teeth and horse tails. Or not denying ox and not ox is acceptable; or denying ox or ox is ox is acceptable. Thus, “ox-horse is not ox” is unacceptable; “ox-horse is ox” is also unacceptable. If sometimes acceptable or not, saying “ox-horse is ox is also unacceptable” is unacceptable. Ox is not two, horse is not two, but ox-horse is two. Thus, ox is not non-ox, horse is not non-horse, but ox-horse is non-ox non-horse, without difficulty.

“Bi” (That): Rectifying names, that and this. That and this are acceptable. If that-that stops at that, and this-this stops at this, that-this is unacceptable. If that is also this, that-this is acceptable. If that-this stops at that-this, and is such, then that is also this-this. Singing without error: No surrounding, like polished rice. Harmonizing without error: Driven, unavoidable. Singing without harmonizing is not learning. Having little knowledge and not learning, one will necessarily have little. Harmonizing without singing is not teaching. Having knowledge and not teaching, merit ceases. Making someone take another’s clothes, the crime may be light or heavy; making someone give another wine, it may be thick or thin.

Hearing what is outside is not knowing what is inside. Someone says, “The color in the room is like this color.” This is knowing the unknown like the known. Like white and black, who wins? This is like its color; like white must be white. Now knowing its color is like white, thus knowing its whiteness. Names: Use the known to verify the unknown; do not use the unknown to doubt the known. Like using a ruler to measure unknown length. Outside is direct knowledge; inside the room is inferred knowledge. Contradiction is unacceptable. If words of entering and exiting are acceptable, there is no contradiction, thus there is acceptability. If a person’s words are unacceptable, when matched, they must be unexamined. “Wei” (Only): Saying this is Huo is acceptable, yet it is not that Huo; saying that-this is this. The unacceptable cannot be “wei” (only) in its predication. If it is still “wei” in its predication, my predication fails; if it does not “wei” its predication, it also fails.

“Wu” (Nothingness/Infinity): South, if finite, can be exhausted; if infinite, cannot be exhausted. If finite/infinite is unknown, then exhaustible/inexhaustible is unknown. Whether people fill it is unknown; insisting people are exhaustible/inexhaustible is also unknown. Insisting on exhausting love for people is a contradiction. If people do not fill the prior finite, people are finite; exhausting the finite is easy. Filling the infinite means exhausting the infinite; exhausting the finite is easy. Without knowing the number, how to know the exhaustion of loving people in text? Perhaps omitting the question? Exhaustively asking people means exhaustively loving those asked. If not knowing the number but knowing love, exhausting the text is easy.

“Ren” (Benevolence): Loving. “Yi” (Righteousness): Benefiting. Love and benefit are here; the loved and benefited are there. Love and benefit are not internally/externally related, nor are the loved and benefited. Saying “Benevolence is internal, Righteousness is external,” citing love and the benefited, is a crazy citation, like the left eye emitting and the right eye receiving. Learning: Thinking one does not know learning is beneficial, thus telling them, is making them know learning is not beneficial; this is teaching. Saying learning is not beneficial and teaching is a contradiction. Discussing blame: Whether blame is acceptable. If reason warrants blame, even if much blame, it is correct; if reason does not warrant blame, even if little blame, it is wrong. Now saying much blame is unacceptable is like judging short by long. Not blaming is denying one’s own blame. Not denying blame is denying what can be blamed. What cannot be blamed is not denying blame. Things: Extremely long, extremely short; nothing is longer than this, nothing shorter than this; this is right. What is not this is nothing more extreme than this. Taking high and low, using good and bad as the measure, is not like mountains and marshes. Being below is better than being above; what is below is requested to be above. Not right: Right is right, and moreover right. Now this is right here, but not right, thus this is not right. This is not right, thus right but not right. Now this is not right here, but right and this, thus right and this, not right are discussed together.

Note

Yao:

A legendary sage king in ancient China, frequently cited in Mohist texts as the ultimate paradigm of good governance and moral righteousness.

Shao Lian (少连):

A historically obscure figure mentioned in this chapter as an example of someone who suffered harm to life and shortened lifespan, used to illustrate the Mohist utilitarian evaluation of actions and their consequences.

Optics and Catoptrics (Mirror Reflection):

This chapter contains some of the oldest recorded scientific observations on optics in the world. It accurately describes how shadows are formed by the rectilinear propagation of light, how pinhole cameras invert images, and the geometric properties of concave and convex mirrors (e.g., image size changing based on the object’s distance from the focal point).

Statics and Mechanics:

The text provides early formulations of the lever principle, explaining the relationship between weight, leverage arms (stem and arm), and balance. It also discusses tension, structural integrity, and the physics of pulleys and ladders.

Philosophy of Language and Semantics:

The Mohists delve deeply into the logic of naming, distinguishing between universal names, class names, and private names. They analyze the paradoxes of compound terms (e.g., “ox-horse”) and establish rules for logical disputation (Bian), emphasizing that contradictory propositions cannot both be true.

Epistemology of the Senses:

The text explores the mechanics of perception, noting that while eyes use light (fire) to see, light itself does not “see.” It distinguishes between direct sensory knowledge and inferred knowledge, laying the groundwork for empirical epistemology.

Frog becoming a quail / Dog as Huo:

References to ancient biological misconceptions or linguistic borrowings, illustrating the Mohist analysis of transformation and false naming.

Left eye emitting, right eye receiving:

A vivid analogy used to mock the Gongsun Long school’s assertion that “Benevolence is internal and Righteousness is external,” highlighting the Mohist belief that moral actions and their objects are inextricably linked.

　止，彼以此其然也，说是其然也；我以此其不然也，疑是其然也。谓四足兽，与生鸟与。物尽与，大小也。此然是必然，则俱。为麋同名，俱斗，不俱二，二与斗也。包、肝、肺、子，爱也。橘茅，食与招也。白马多白，视马不多视，白与视也。为丽不必丽，不必丽与暴也。为非以人是不为非，若为夫勇不为夫，为屦以买衣为屦，夫与屦也。二与一亡，不与一在，偏去未。有文实也，而后谓之；无文实也，则无谓也。不若敷与美，谓是，则是固美也；谓也，则是非美；无谓，则报也。见不见离，一二不相盈，广修坚白。举不重，不与箴，非力之任也。为握者之奇偶，非智之任也。若耳目异。木与夜孰长？智与粟孰多？爵、亲、行、贾，四者孰贵？麋与霍孰高？麋与霍孰霍？蚓与瑟孰瑟？

　　偏，俱一无变。假，假必非也，而后假。狗，假霍也，犹氏霍也。物或伤之，然也；见之，智也；告之，使智也。疑，逢为务则士，为牛庐者夏寒，逢也。举之则轻，废之则重，非有力也。沛从削，非巧也，若石羽，循也。斗者之敝也以饮酒，若以日中，是不可智也，愚也。智与？以已为然也与？愚也。俱，俱一，若牛马四足。惟是，当牛马。数牛数马，则牛马二；数牛马，则牛马一。若数指，指五而五一。长宇，徙而有处，宇。宇，南北在旦有在莫。宇徙久。

　　无坚得白，必相盈也。在尧善治，自今在诸古也。自古在之今，则尧不能治也。景，光至景亡。若在，尽古息。景，二光夹一光，一光者景也。景，光之人煦若射，下者之人也高，高者之人也下。足敝下光，故成景于上；首敝上光，故成景于下。在远近有端，与于光，故景㢓内也。景，日之光反烛人，则景在日与人之间。景，木柂，景短大。木正，景长小。大小于木，则景大于木，非独小也。远近临正鉴，景寡、貌能、白黑、远近、柂正，异于光鉴。景当俱就，去尒当俱，俱用北。鉴者之臭，于鉴无所不鉴。景之臭无数，而必过正。故同处，其体俱，然鉴分。鉴中之内，鉴者近中，则所鉴大，景亦大；远中，则所鉴小，景亦小。而必正，起于中，缘正而长其直也。中之外，鉴者近中，则所鉴大，景亦大；远中，则所鉴小，景亦小。而必易，合于中，而长其直也。鉴，鉴者近，则所鉴大，景亦大；其远，所鉴小，景亦小。而必正，景过正。

　　故招负衡木，加重焉而不挠，极胜重也。右校交绳，无加焉而挠，极不胜重也。衡加重于其一旁，必捶，权重相若也。相衡，则本短标长，两加焉重相若，则标必下，标得权也。挈，有力也；引，无力也。不正，所挈之止于施也，绳制挈之也，若以锥刺之。挈，长重者下，短轻者上，上者愈得，下下者愈亡。绳直，权重相若，则正矣。收，上者愈丧，下者愈得；上者权重尽，则遂挈。两轮高，两轮为輲，车梯也。重其前，弦其前，载弦其前，载弦其轱，而县重于其前，是梯。挈且挈则行。凡重，上弗挚，下弗收，旁弗劾，则下直。扡，或害之也。㳅，梯者不得㳅，直也。今也废尺于平地，重不下，无䠙也。若夫绳之引轱也，是犹自舟中引横也。倚、倍、拒、坚，䠳倚焉则不正。

　　谁，并石、累石，耳夹寝者，法也。方石去地尺，关石于其下，县丝于其上，使适至方石。不下，柱也。胶丝去石，挈也。丝绝，引也。未变而名易，收也。买，刀、籴相为贾。刀轻，则籴不贵；刀重，则籴不易。王刀无变，籴有变。岁变籴，则岁变刀。若鬻子。贾，尽也者，尽去其所以不雠也。其所以不雠去，则雠。正贾也宜不宜，正欲不欲。若败邦鬻室、嫁子。无，子在军，不必其死生；闻战，亦不必其生。前也不惧，今也惧。或，知是之非此也，有知是之不在此也，然而谓此南北，过而以已为然。始也谓此南方，故今也谓此南方。智论之，非智无以也谓。所谓非同也，则异也。同则或谓之狗，其或谓之犬也。异则或谓之牛，牛或谓之马也。俱无胜，是不辩也。辩也者，或谓之是，或谓之非，当者胜也。无让者酒，未让，始也，不可让也。

　　于石，一也；坚、白，二也，而在石。故有智焉，有不智焉，可。有指，子智是，有智是吾所先举，重。则子智是，而不智吾所无举也，是一。谓有智焉，有不智焉，可。若智之，则当指之智告我，则我智之。兼指之，以二也。衡指之，参直之也。若曰必独指吾所举，毋举吾所不举，则者固不能独指，所欲相不传，意若未校。且其所智是也，所不智是也，则是智、是之不智也，恶得为一？谓而有智焉，有不智焉。所，春也，其执固不可指也。逃臣不智其处，狗犬不智其名也。遗者，巧弗能两也。

　　智，智狗。重，智犬，则过；不重，则不过。通，问者曰：​“子知驘乎？​”应之曰：​“驘，何谓也？​”彼曰：​“驘施。​”则智之。若不问驘何谓，径应以弗智，则过。且应必应，问之时若应，长应有深浅。大常中在，兵人长所。室堂，所存也。其子，存者也。据在者而问室堂，恶可存也？主室堂而问存者，孰存也？是一主存者以问所存，一主所存以问存者。五合，水、土、火，火离然。火铄金，火多也。金靡炭，金多也。合之府水，木离木。若识麋与鱼之数，惟所利，无欲恶。伤生损寿，说以少连，是谁爱也？尝多粟，或者欲不有能伤也，若酒之于人也。且𢜔人利人，爱也，则唯𢜔弗治也。损饱者，去余，适足不害。能害饱，若伤麋之无脾也。且有损而后益智者，若疟病之之于疟也。

　　智，以目见，而目以火见，而火不见。惟以五路智久，不当。以目见，若以火见。火，谓火热也，非以火之热。我有若视曰智。杂所智与所不智而问之，则必曰：​“是所智也，是所不智也。​”取、去，俱能之，是两智之也。无，若无焉，则有之而后无；无天陷，则无之而无。擢疑，无谓也。臧也今死，而春也得文，文死也可。且，犹是也；且然，必然；且已，必已。且用工而后已者，必用工而后已。均，发均县，轻重而发绝，不均也。均，其绝也莫绝。尧、霍，或以名视人，或以实视人。举友富商也，是以名视人也；指是臛也，是以实视人也。尧之义也，是声也于今，所义之实处于古。若殆于城门，与于臧也。狗，狗犬也，谓之杀犬，可，若两髀。使，令，使也。我使我，我不使，亦使我。殿戈亦使，殿不美，亦使殿。

　　荆沈，荆之贝也，则沈浅非荆浅也，若易五之一。以楹之抟也，见之，其于意也不易，先智。意，相也。若楹轻于秋，其于意也洋然。段、椎、锥，俱事于履，可用也。成绘屦过椎，与成椎过绘屦同，过仵也。一，五有一焉；一有五焉；十，二焉。非斫半，进前取也。前，则中无为半。犹端也，前后取，则端中也。斫必半，毋与非半，不可斫也。可无也，已给，则当给，不可无也。久有穷而穷。正九，无所处而不中县，抟也。伛宇不可偏举，字也。进行者，先敷近，后敷远。行者行者，必先近而后远。远近，修也；先后，久也。民行修，必以久也。一方尽类，俱有法而异。或木或石，不害其方之相合也。尽类犹方也。物俱然。

　　牛狂与马惟异。以牛有齿，马有尾，说牛之非马也，不可。是俱有，不偏有，偏无有。曰之与马不类，用牛有角，马无角，是类不同也。若举牛有角，马无角，以是为类之不同也，是狂举也。犹牛有齿，马有尾。或不非牛而非牛也，可；则或非牛或牛而牛也，可。故曰：​“牛马非牛也”​，未可；​“牛马牛也”​，未可。则或可或不可，而曰“牛马牛也未可”亦不可。且牛不二，马不二，而牛马二。则牛不非牛，马不非马，而牛马非牛非马，无难。

　　彼，正名者彼此，彼此，可。彼彼止于彼，此此止于此，彼此，不可。彼且此也，彼此亦可。彼此止于彼此，若是而彼此也，则彼亦且此此也。唱无过，无所周，若粺。和无过，使也，不得已。唱而不和，是不学也。智少而不学，必寡。和而不唱，是不教也；智而不教，功适息。使人夺人衣，罪或轻或重；使人予人酒，或厚或薄。

　　闻在外者所不知也。或曰：​“在室者之色，若是其色。​”是所不智若所智也。犹白若黑也，谁胜？是若其色也，若白者必白。今也智其色之若白也，故智其白也。夫名，以所明正所不智，不以所不智疑所明。若以尺度所不智长。外，亲智也；室中，说智也。以誖，不可也。出入之言可，是不誖，则是有可也。之人之言不可，以当，必不审。惟，谓是霍，可，而犹之非夫霍也，谓彼是是也。不可谓者，毋惟乎其谓。彼犹惟乎其谓，则吾谓不行；彼若不惟其谓，则不行也。

　　无，南者有穷则可尽，无穷则不可尽。有穷、无穷未可智，则可尽、不可尽，不可尽，未可智。人之盈之否未可智，而必人之可尽、不可尽亦未可智，而必人之可尽爱也，誖。人若不盈先穷，则人有穷也，尽有穷无难。盈无穷，则无穷尽也，尽有穷无难。不二智其数，恶智爱民之尽文也？或者遗乎其问也？尽问人，则尽爱其所问。若不智其数而智爱之，尽文也无难。

　　仁，仁爱也。义，利也。爱、利，此也；所爱、所利，彼也。爱、利不相为内、外，所爱、利亦不相为外内。其为仁内也，义外也，举爱与所利也，是狂举也，若左目出右目入。学也，以为不知学之无益也，故告之也，是使智学之无益也，是教也。以学为无益也，教，誖。

　　论诽，诽之可不可。以理之可诽，虽多诽，其诽是也；其理不可非，虽少诽，非也。今也谓多诽者不可，是犹以长论短。不诽，非己之诽也。不非诽，非可非也。不可非也，是不非诽也。物，甚长甚短，莫长于是，莫短于是，是之是也，非是也者，莫甚于是。取高下，以善不善为度，不若山泽。处下善于处上，下所请上也。不是，是则是，且是焉。今是文于是，而不于是，故是不文。是不文，则是而不文焉。今是不文于是，而文与是，故文与是、不文同说也。