People do not fear death, why use death to terrify them? If people do
制惑 · Zhì Huò
Classical Chinese Text
民不畏死，奈何以死惧之？ 若使民常畏死，而为奇者，吾得执而杀之，孰敢？常有司杀者③杀。夫代司杀者杀，是谓代大匠斫，希有不伤其手者矣?
Translation & Meaning
People do not fear death, why use death to terrify them? If people do fear death, and for the odd ones, I get to seize and kill them, who (still) dare? Oftentimes ones authorized to kill kill. Ones kill for those authorized to kill kill, this is called chopping for a great lumberjack, rarely don’t hurt their fingers.
Linguistic & Character Analysis
- 民 (mín): classical character (mín)
- 不 (bù): not / un- / without
- 畏 (wèi): classical character (wèi)
- 死 (sǐ): classical character (sǐ)
- 奈 (nài): classical character (nài)
- 何 (hé): classical character (hé)
- 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
- 惧 (jù): classical character (jù)
- 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
- 若 (ruò): classical character (ruò)
- 使 (shǐ): cause / make / command
- 常 (cháng): constant / dynamic invariable
- 而 (ér): yet / and / but
- 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
- 奇 (qí): classical character (qí)
- 者 (zhě): aspects / those who / things
- 吾 (wú): I / myself
- 得 (dé): obtain / acquire / gain
- 执 (zhí): classical character (zhí)
- 杀 (shā): classical character (shā)
- 孰 (shú): classical character (shú)
- 敢 (gǎn): dare / venture forward
- 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
- 司 (sī): classical character (sī)
- 夫 (fū): for / indeed / now
- 代 (dài): classical character (dài)
- 是 (shì): this / therefore
- 谓 (wèi): called / named / designated
- 大 (dà): classical character (dà)
- 匠 (jiàng): classical character (jiàng)
- 斫 (zhuó): classical character (zhuó)
- 希 (xī): classical character (xī)
- 伤 (shāng): classical character (shāng)
- 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
- 手 (shǒu): classical character (shǒu)
- 矣 (yǐ): [modal particle of realization]