31 夫兵者 不祥之器

老子道德經第三十一章

夫兵者　不祥之器
物或惡之　故有道者不處
君子居則貴左　用兵則貴右
兵者　不得已而用之
殺人之眾　以悲哀泣之
戰勝　以喪禮處之

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THIRTY-ONE

Good weapons are instruments of fear; all creatures hate them.
Therefore followers of Tao never use them.
The wise man prefers the left.
The man of war prefers the right.

Weapons are instruments of fear; they are not a wise man's tools.
He uses them only when he has no choice.
Peace and quiet are dear to his heart,
And victory no cause for rejoicing.
If you rejoice in victory, then you delight in killing;
If you delight in killing, you cannot fulfill yourself.

On happy occasions precedence is given to the left,
On sad occasions to the right.
In the army the general stands on the left,
The commander-in-chief on the right.
This means that war is conducted like a funeral.
When many people are being killed,
They should be mourned in heartfelt sorrow.
That is why a victory must be observed like a funeral.

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31.

Weapons are no good. Most people hate them. The taoists never possess any. Weapons should only be used when absolutely necessary.

So many people are killed. War should be treated with sorrow, and victory should be observed like a funeral.