道卅一 - Tao Chapter 31

夫兵者 不祥之器也

物或恶之 故有欲者弗居

君子居则贵左 用兵则贵右

故

兵者 非君子之器也

兵者 不祥之器也

不得已而用之 铦袭为上 勿美也

若美之，是乐杀人

夫乐杀人 不可以得志于天下矣

是以吉事上左 丧事上右

是以便将军居左 上将军居右

言以丧礼居之也

杀人众 以悲依立之

战胜 以丧礼处之

刀兵是预兆不吉的器物，国家不喜欢它。所以（对治理）有所求的不会长久的使用它。 贵族在日常生活中以左为尊位，而用兵打仗则以右为尊位。所以日常扮演“贵族”这个角色的时候不需要使用刀兵。 刀兵是预兆不吉的器物，只有在不得已的时候才使用它。它以锋利便于杀伤为上品，不要去赞美它。如果赞美它，就隐含着以杀人为乐；不可能凭借“以杀人为乐”来获得到天下人的认同。 对应的，办喜事以左边为尊位，办丧事以右边为尊位。对应的，偏将军在左方驻军，而上将军则在右方驻军。这里隐含的意思是说，用参加丧礼的状态来对待战争。参战就要杀人，凡是参战的，保持悲痛的心情立足于战场之上。打了胜仗，也要以丧礼的规制来处理。 或，会意字，以戈卫国；本义，国家；用本义时读作“yù”。 日常生活面南背北，东（左）青龙属木主生发，西（右）白虎属金主肃杀、刀兵之象。贵左即贵生，贵右为敬死。

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A sword is an ominous weapon, and the state does not like it. So those who seek to govern will not use it for long.

Nobles sit on the left in daily life, but in battle they sit on the right. So in daily life, when playing the role of "noble," a sword is not needed.

A sword is an ominous weapon and should only be used when necessary. Its sharpness and ability to kill are its highest qualities, but it should not be praised. If it is praised, it implies taking pleasure in killing, which cannot gain the recognition of the world.

Correspondingly, in happy events, the left side is honored, and in funeral events, the right side is honored. Correspondingly, the commander of the left army is stationed on the left, and the commander of the right army is stationed on the right. This implies that war should be treated as a funeral. Participating in war means killing, and all who participate must maintain a mournful attitude on the battlefield. After winning a battle, it should also be handled with the regulations of a funeral.