1
田叔者，趙陘城人也。 其先，齊田氏苗裔也。 叔喜劍，學黃老術於樂巨公所。 叔為人刻廉自喜，喜游諸公。 趙人舉之趙相趙午，午言之趙王張敖所，趙王以為郎中。 數歲，切直廉平，趙王賢之，未及遷。
Tian Shu was a native of Xingcheng in the state of Zhao. His forebears were descendants of the Tian clan of the state of Qi. Tian Shu delighted in swordsmanship and studied the teachings of Huang-Lao philosophy under the master Yue Jugong. By nature, Tian Shu was rigorously principled and incorruptible, taking pride in these qualities, and he enjoyed keeping company with distinguished men. The people of Zhao recommended him to the state chancellor Zhao Wu, who in turn spoke of him to King Zhang Ao of Zhao. The king appointed him as a Gentleman of the Palace. Over the course of several years, Tian Shu proved himself forthright, incorruptible, and even-handed. The King of Zhao esteemed him as a man of worth, though he had not yet found occasion to promote him.
2
會陳豨反代，漢七年，高祖往誅之，過趙，趙王張敖自持案進食，禮恭甚，高祖箕踞罵之。 是時趙相趙午等數十人皆怒，謂張王曰：「王事上禮備矣，今遇王如是，臣等請為亂。」 趙王齧指出血，曰：「先人失國，微陛下，臣等當蟲出。 公等柰何言若是！ 毋復出口矣！」 於是貫高等曰：「王長者，不倍德。」 卒私相與謀弒上。 會事發覺，漢下詔捕趙王及群臣反者。 於是趙午等皆自殺，唯貫高就系。 是時漢下詔書：「趙有敢隨王者罪三族。」 唯孟舒、田叔等十餘人赭衣自髡鉗，稱王家奴，隨趙王敖至長安。 貫高事明白，趙王敖得出，廢為宣平侯，乃進言田叔等十餘人。 上盡召見，與語，漢廷臣毋能出其右者，上說，盡拜為郡守、諸侯相。 叔為漢中守十餘年，會高后崩，諸呂作亂，大臣誅之，立孝文帝。
It happened that Chen Xi raised a rebellion in the territory of Dai. In the seventh year of the Han dynasty, Emperor Gaozu set out to suppress him and passed through Zhao along the way. King Zhang Ao personally held the serving tray to present food to the emperor, his courtesy exceedingly respectful. But the emperor sat sprawled with his legs apart and berated the king. At this, the state chancellor Zhao Wu and some dozens of other officials were all outraged. They addressed King Zhang Ao: "Your Majesty has served the emperor with every proper courtesy, yet he treats you in this manner. We, your servants, beg leave to rise in revolt." The King of Zhao bit his own finger until it bled and said: "Our forefathers lost the kingdom. Were it not for His Majesty, we would be no better than worms crawling from the earth. How dare you speak in such a way! Never let such words leave your lips again!" At this, Guan Gao and the others said among themselves: "The king is a man of honor who would never repay kindness with treachery." In the end, they secretly plotted among themselves to assassinate the emperor. The conspiracy was eventually exposed, and the Han court issued an edict ordering the arrest of the King of Zhao along with all the ministers involved in the plot. Zhao Wu and the other conspirators all took their own lives. Only Guan Gao submitted himself to arrest. At that time, the Han court issued a decree: "Any person of Zhao who dares follow the king shall be punished together with all three branches of their clan." Only Meng Shu, Tian Shu, and some ten others donned the red garments of convicts, shaved their heads and clamped iron collars around their own necks. Calling themselves slaves of the royal household, they followed King Ao of Zhao all the way to Chang'an. When Guan Gao's testimony cleared the king's name, King Ao of Zhao was released but demoted to the rank of Marquis of Xuanping. He then put forward the names of Tian Shu and more than ten others. The emperor summoned them all for an audience and conversed with each in turn. He found that none of the ministers at the Han court could surpass them in ability. Delighted, the emperor appointed every one of them as either a commandery governor or a chancellor to one of the feudal kings. Tian Shu served as Governor of Hanzhong for more than ten years. Then Empress Dowager Gao died, and the Lü clan attempted to seize power. The senior ministers suppressed the Lü faction and placed Emperor Wen on the throne.
3
孝文帝既立，召田叔問之曰：「公知天下長者乎？」 對曰：「臣何足以知之！」 上曰：「公，長者也，宜知之。」 叔頓首曰：「故雲中守孟舒，長者也。」 是時孟舒坐虜大入塞盜劫，雲中尤甚，免。 上曰：「先帝置孟舒雲中十餘年矣，虜曾一人，孟舒不能堅守，毋故士卒戰死者數百人。 長者固殺人乎？ 公何以言孟舒為長者也？」 叔叩頭對曰：「是乃孟舒所以為長者也。 夫貫高等謀反，上下明詔，趙有敢隨張王，罪三族。 然孟舒自髡鉗，隨張王敖之所在，欲以身死之，豈自知為雲中守哉！ 漢與楚相距，士卒罷敝。 匈奴冒頓新服北夷，來為邊害，孟舒知士卒罷敝，不忍出言，士爭臨城死敵，如子為父，弟為兄，以故死者數百人。 孟舒豈故驅戰之哉！ 是乃孟舒所以為長者也。」 於是上曰：「賢哉孟舒！」 復召孟舒以為雲中守。
After Emperor Wen ascended the throne, he summoned Tian Shu and asked: "Do you know who the truly worthy men of the realm are?" Tian Shu replied: "How could your humble servant presume to know such a thing!" The emperor said: "You yourself are a man of worth. Surely you would know." Tian Shu pressed his forehead to the ground and said: "The former Governor of Yunzhong, Meng Shu—he is truly a man of worth." At that time, Meng Shu had been dismissed from office because barbarian raiders had broken through the frontier defenses on a massive scale, with the Yunzhong commandery suffering the worst of it. The emperor said: "The late emperor posted Meng Shu at Yunzhong for more than ten years. When the barbarians invaded in force, Meng Shu failed to hold his ground, and several hundred soldiers died in battle for nothing. Does a worthy man send people to their deaths like this? On what basis do you call Meng Shu a man of worth?" Tian Shu knocked his head upon the ground and replied: "This is precisely the reason Meng Shu is a man of worth. When Guan Gao and the others plotted their rebellion, the throne issued a clear decree that anyone in Zhao who dared follow King Zhang Ao would be punished along with all three branches of their clan. Yet Meng Shu shaved his head and clamped an iron collar around his own neck, following King Zhang Ao wherever he went, willing to lay down his life for his lord—how could he have foreseen that he would one day become Governor of Yunzhong! While Han and Chu were locked in their great struggle, the soldiers had been worn down to exhaustion. The Xiongnu under Modu Chanyu, having recently subjugated the northern barbarian tribes, descended upon the frontier to raid and plunder. Meng Shu knew his soldiers were utterly spent and could not bring himself to order them into battle. Yet the soldiers fought of their own accord, mounting the walls and throwing themselves at the enemy as sons would fight for their fathers and younger brothers for their elders. It was for this reason that several hundred perished. How could Meng Shu have willfully driven them to fight! This is precisely what makes Meng Shu a man of worth." At this, the emperor exclaimed: "What a worthy man Meng Shu is!" He summoned Meng Shu back and reappointed him as Governor of Yunzhong.
4
後數歲，叔坐法失官。 梁孝王使人殺故吳相袁盎，景帝召田叔案梁，具得其事，還報。 景帝曰：「梁有之乎？」 叔對曰：「死罪！ 有之。」 上曰：「其事安在？」 田叔曰：「上毋以梁事為也。」 上曰：「何也？」 曰：「今梁王不伏誅，是漢法不行也； 如其伏法，而太后食不甘味，臥不安席，此憂在陛下也。」 景帝大賢之，以為魯相。
Several years later, Tian Shu was convicted of a legal offense and stripped of his post. King Xiao of Liang sent assassins to murder Yuan Ang, the former chancellor of Wu. Emperor Jing dispatched Tian Shu to investigate the affair in Liang. Tian Shu uncovered all the details and returned to deliver his report. Emperor Jing asked: "Is Liang truly responsible?" Tian Shu replied: "I deserve death for what I must say! It is true." The emperor asked: "Where is the evidence of the case?" Tian Shu said: "Your Majesty must not pursue the matter of Liang any further." The emperor asked: "Why not?" He replied: "If the King of Liang is not brought to justice, it means the laws of the Han dynasty hold no authority. But should he be made to face the law, the Empress Dowager will find no pleasure in her meals and no rest in her bed—and that burden will fall squarely upon Your Majesty." Emperor Jing was deeply impressed by his wisdom and appointed him as the Chancellor of Lu.
5
魯相初到，民自言相，訟王取其財物百餘人。 田叔取其渠率二十人，各笞五十，餘各搏二十，怒之曰：「王非若主邪？ 何自敢言若主！」 魯王聞之大慚，發中府錢，使相償之。 相曰：「王自奪之，使相償之，是王為惡而相為善也。 相毋與償之。」 於是王乃盡償之。
When Tian Shu first arrived in Lu as chancellor, more than a hundred of the common people came forward on their own to bring suit, accusing the king of seizing their property. Tian Shu seized twenty of the ringleaders and had each given fifty strokes of the bamboo rod. The rest he had struck twenty times apiece. He rebuked them furiously: "Is the king not your sovereign lord? How dare you presume to bring accusations against your own lord!" When the King of Lu heard of this, he was deeply ashamed. He opened the inner treasury and ordered the chancellor to use the funds to compensate the people. The chancellor said: "Your Majesty seized these goods yourself, yet now you order the chancellor to make restitution. This would make the king appear the villain and the chancellor the virtuous one. The chancellor will have no part in repaying them." And so the king himself repaid every one of them in full.
6
魯王好獵，相常從入苑中，王輒休相就館舍，相出，常暴坐待王苑外。 王數使人請相休，終不休，曰：「我王暴露苑中，我獨何為就舍！」 魯王以故不大出游。
The King of Lu was fond of hunting. The chancellor would regularly accompany him into the royal hunting park, but each time the king would dismiss him to rest at the guest quarters. Instead, the chancellor would go outside and sit exposed to the elements, waiting for the king beyond the park walls. The king sent messengers several times urging the chancellor to go inside and rest, but Tian Shu refused every time, saying: "While my king endures the elements out in the park, why should I alone seek the comfort of a roof!" Because of this, the King of Lu greatly curtailed his hunting excursions.
7
數年，叔以官卒，魯以百金祠，少子仁不受也，曰：「不以百金傷先人名。」
After several years, Tian Shu died while still in office. The state of Lu offered a hundred pieces of gold for a memorial shrine in his honor, but his youngest son Tian Ren refused the gift, saying: "I will not let a hundred pieces of gold tarnish my father's good name."
8
仁以壯健為衛將軍舍人，數從擊匈奴。 衛將軍進言仁，仁為郎中。 數歲，為二千石丞相長史，失官。 其後使刺舉三河。 上東巡，仁奏事有辭，上說，拜為京輔都尉。 月餘，上遷拜為司直。 數歲，坐太子事。 時左相自將兵，令司直田仁主閉守城門，坐縱太子，下吏誅死。 仁發兵，長陵令車千秋上變仁，仁族死。 陘城今在中山國。
Tian Ren, strong and robust in build, served as a retainer in the household of the General of the Guard, and accompanied him on several campaigns against the Xiongnu. The General of the Guard put forward a recommendation for Tian Ren, who was then appointed as a Gentleman of the Palace. After several years, he rose to the position of Senior Secretary to the Chancellor, a rank worth two thousand bushels, but subsequently lost the post. Later, he was dispatched to inspect and impeach corrupt officials in the Three Rivers region. When the emperor went on his eastern inspection tour, Tian Ren presented his reports with such eloquence that the emperor was delighted and appointed him as the Commandant of the Capital Suburbs. A little over a month later, the emperor promoted him again to the office of Director of Justice. Several years later, he became entangled in the affair of the Crown Prince. At the time, the Left Chancellor personally took command of the troops and ordered the Director of Justice, Tian Ren, to close and guard the city gates. He was convicted of allowing the Crown Prince to escape, handed over to the judicial officials, and put to death. Tian Ren had raised troops, but the Magistrate of Changling, Che Qianqiu, submitted a memorial denouncing him for treason. Tian Ren and his entire clan were executed. The town of Xingcheng is now situated within the kingdom of Zhongshan.
9
太史公曰：孔子稱曰「居是國必聞其政」，田叔之謂乎！ 義不忘賢，明主之美以救過。 仁與余善，余故并論之。
The Grand Historian remarks: Confucius once said, "One who dwells in a state will surely learn of its governance"—was he not speaking of a man like Tian Shu! He upheld righteousness by never neglecting men of worth, and he extolled the virtues of his enlightened sovereign while working to remedy the ruler's faults. Tian Ren and I were on friendly terms, and so I have included his account here alongside his father's.
10
褚先生曰：臣為郎時，聞之曰田仁故與任安相善。 任安，滎陽人也。 少孤貧困，為人將車之長安，留，求事為小吏，未有因緣也，因占著名數。 武功，扶風西界小邑也，谷口蜀道近山。 安以為武功小邑，無豪，易高也，安留，代人為求盜亭父。 後為亭長。 邑中人民俱出獵，任安常為人分麋鹿雉兔，部署老小當壯劇易處，眾人皆喜，曰：「無傷也，任少卿分別平，有智略。」 明日復合會，會者數百人。 任少卿曰：「某子甲何為不來乎？」 諸人皆怪其見之疾也。 其後除為三老，舉為親民，出為三百石長，治民。 坐上行出游共帳不辦，斥免。
Master Chu says: When I served as a Gentleman of the Palace, I heard that Tian Ren had once been close friends with Ren An. Ren An was a native of Xingyang. Orphaned young and mired in poverty, he drove a cart for a traveler heading to Chang'an and remained there, seeking a position as a minor official. Having no connections to rely upon, he registered his name on the rolls of a local district. Wugong was a small town on the western frontier of the Fufeng commandery, nestled near the mountains where the valley road led toward Shu. Ren An reckoned that since Wugong was a small town with no powerful local families, it would be an easy place to distinguish himself. He settled there and took up a post as a thief-catcher at the local station, replacing the previous man. In time, he rose to become the station chief. Whenever the people of the town went out together to hunt, Ren An would take charge of distributing the game—elk, deer, pheasants, and rabbits—among the hunters. He would assign the elderly and the young to the easier stations and the able-bodied men to the more difficult ones. Everyone was delighted and said: "All is well—Ren Shaoqing apportions things fairly and shows real shrewdness and judgment." The following day, the people gathered once more, several hundred strong. Ren Shaoqing asked: "Why has such-and-such a person not come?" Everyone marveled at how swiftly he had spotted the missing person. After this, he was appointed as a Village Elder, recommended for his closeness to the common people, and eventually sent out to serve as a magistrate at the three-hundred-bushel rank, governing the local populace. He was convicted of failing to properly prepare the communal tent when the emperor passed through the area on a tour, and was dismissed from office.
11
乃為衛將軍舍人，與田仁會，俱為舍人，居門下，同心相愛。 此二人家貧，無錢用以事將軍家監，家監使養惡齧馬。 兩人同床臥，仁竊言曰：「不知人哉家監也！」 任安曰：「將軍尚不知人，何乃家監也！」 衛將軍從此兩人過平陽主，主家令兩人與騎奴同席而食，此二子拔刀列斷席別坐。 主家皆怪而惡之，莫敢呵。
He then entered service as a retainer in the household of the General of the Guard, where he met Tian Ren. Both served as retainers under the same roof, and they became fast friends, united in heart. Both men came from poor families and had no money to offer the general's household steward, so the steward assigned them to tend the most ill-tempered and vicious horses. The two men shared a bed at night. Tian Ren whispered bitterly: "What a poor judge of men the household steward is!" Ren An replied: "Even the general himself has no eye for talent—why blame the household steward!" When the General of the Guard took these two men along on a visit to Princess Pingyang, the princess's household staff ordered them to share a dining mat with the mounted slaves. The two men drew their swords, slashed the mat in two, and took their seats apart from the slaves. Everyone in the princess's household was shocked and disapproving, but none dared to rebuke them.
12
其後有詔募擇衛將軍舍人以為郎，將軍取舍人中富給者，令具鞌馬絳衣玉具劍，欲入奏之。 會賢大夫少府趙禹來過衛將軍，將軍呼所舉舍人以示趙禹。 趙禹以次問之，十餘人無一人習事有智略者。 趙禹曰：「吾聞之，將門之下必有將類。 傳曰『不知其君視其所使，不知其子視其所友』。 今有詔舉將軍舍人者，欲以觀將軍而能得賢者文武之士也。 今徒取盎人子上之，又無智略，如木偶人衣之綺繡耳，將柰之何？」 於是趙禹悉召衛將軍舍人百餘人，以次問之，得田仁、任安，曰：「獨此兩人可耳，餘無可用者。」 衛將軍見此兩人貧，意不平。 趙禹去，謂兩人曰：「各自具樾象絳衣。」 兩人對曰：「家貧無用具也。」 將軍怒曰：「今兩君家自為貧，何為出此言？ 鞅鞅如有移德於我者，何也？」 將軍不得已，上籍以聞。 有詔召見衛將軍舍人，此二人前見，詔問能略相推第也。 田仁對曰； 「提桴鼓立軍門，使士大夫樂死戰鬬，仁不及任安。」 任安對曰：「夫決嫌疑，定是非，辯治官，使百姓無怨心，安不及仁也。」 武帝大笑曰：「善。」 使任安護北軍，使田仁護邊田穀於河上。 此兩人立名天下。
Later, an imperial edict was issued to recruit and select retainers of the General of the Guard for appointment as Gentlemen at court. The general chose the wealthiest among his retainers and ordered them to furnish themselves with saddled horses, crimson robes, and jade-hilted swords, intending to present them before the emperor. It happened that the esteemed official Zhao Yu, who served as Privy Treasurer, paid a visit to the General of the Guard. The general summoned the retainers he had selected and presented them for Zhao Yu's inspection. Zhao Yu questioned them one by one, and among the ten or more candidates, not a single one showed any experience in administration or possessed any measure of wit and strategic ability. Zhao Yu said: "I have always heard it said that under the roof of a great general, one is sure to find men of a general's caliber. As the saying goes, 'To know a lord, observe whom he employs; to know a son, observe whom he befriends.' The purpose of this edict to select retainers from the general's household is to evaluate the general himself—to see whether he has the ability to identify worthy men of both civil and military talent. Yet you have merely picked the sons of the wealthy to put forward, and they lack any wit or strategic ability—they are nothing more than wooden puppets dressed in fine silk. What purpose will they serve?" Zhao Yu then summoned all of the general's retainers—over a hundred in number—and questioned them one after another. He singled out Tian Ren and Ren An, declaring: "Only these two are fit for service. The rest are of no use whatsoever." The General of the Guard, seeing how poor the two men were, was not at all pleased. After Zhao Yu departed, the general told the two men: "Each of you must furnish your own carriage canopy and crimson robes." The two men replied: "Our families are too poor. We have no means to provide such equipment." The general said angrily: "So your families are poor—why then do you speak like this? You carry yourselves with such resentment, as though I owe you some debt of gratitude—why is that?" With no other option, the general submitted their names to the throne for consideration. An imperial edict summoned the General of the Guard's retainers for an audience. The two men stepped forward, and the emperor commanded them to assess and rank each other's abilities. Tian Ren answered: "When it comes to taking up the drumstick at the camp gate and inspiring officers and soldiers to fight gladly to the death—in this, I am no match for Ren An." Ren An replied: "When it comes to resolving doubts, determining right from wrong, evaluating the competence of officials, and ensuring that the common people harbor no resentment—in these things, I am no match for Tian Ren." Emperor Wu laughed heartily and said: "Well spoken." He assigned Ren An to oversee the Northern Army, and dispatched Tian Ren to supervise the frontier agricultural colonies along the Yellow River. Through these appointments, both men made their names known throughout the empire.
13
其後用任安為益州刺史，以田仁為丞相長史。
Subsequently, Ren An was appointed as the Regional Inspector of Yizhou, and Tian Ren was made the Senior Secretary to the Chancellor.
14
田仁上書言：「天下郡太守多為姦利，三河尤甚，臣請先刺舉三河。 三河太守皆內倚中貴人，與三公有親屬，無所畏憚，宜先正三河以警天下姦吏。」 是時河南、河內太守皆御史大夫杜父兄子弟也，河東太守石丞相子孫也。 是時石氏九人為二千石，方盛貴。 田仁數上書言之。 杜大夫及石氏使人謝，謂田少卿曰：「吾非敢有語言也，願少卿無相誣汙也。」 仁已刺三河，三河太守皆下吏誅死。 仁還奏事，武帝說，以仁為能不畏彊御，拜仁為丞相司直，威振天下。
Tian Ren submitted a memorial to the throne: "Many commandery governors throughout the empire engage in corruption for personal gain, and the Three Rivers region is the worst offender. I request permission to begin by investigating and impeaching the officials of the Three Rivers. The governors of the Three Rivers all rely on the backing of powerful palace favorites and are related by kinship to the Three Excellencies. They know no fear. We should first set the Three Rivers right as a warning to corrupt officials across the empire." At that time, the governors of Henan and Henei were all kinsmen—fathers, brothers, sons, and nephews—of Grand Censor Du, and the Governor of Hedong was a descendant of the former Chancellor Shi. At that time, nine members of the Shi clan held offices at the two-thousand-bushel rank, and the family was at the very peak of its power and prestige. Tian Ren submitted memorial after memorial pressing the case. Grand Censor Du and the Shi clan sent intermediaries to plead with him, telling Tian Ren: "We would not dare utter a word against you. We only hope that you will not level false accusations against us." Tian Ren carried out his investigation of the Three Rivers, and all three governors were handed over to the judicial officials and put to death. Tian Ren returned and delivered his report. Emperor Wu was delighted, judging Tian Ren to be a man who feared no authority however powerful. He appointed him as the Chancellor's Director of Justice, and his renown shook the entire empire.
15
其後逢太子有兵事，丞相自將兵，使司直主城門。 司直以為太子骨肉之親，父子之閒不甚欲近，去之諸陵過。 是時武帝在甘泉，使御史大夫暴君下責丞相「何為縱太子」，丞相對言「使司直部守城門而開太子」。 上書以聞，請捕系司直。 司直下吏，誅死。
Later, the crisis came when the Crown Prince took up arms. The Chancellor personally led troops and ordered the Director of Justice to take charge of guarding the city gates. The Director of Justice felt that since the Crown Prince was the emperor's own flesh and blood, this was a dispute between father and son that he had no wish to be drawn into. He left his post and detoured past the imperial tombs. At the time, Emperor Wu was at the Ganquan Palace. He dispatched Grand Censor Bao Jun to reprimand the Chancellor: "Why did you allow the Crown Prince to escape?" The Chancellor replied in his defense: "I assigned the Director of Justice to guard the city gates, but he opened them and let the Crown Prince through." A memorial was submitted to the emperor requesting the arrest and imprisonment of the Director of Justice. The Director of Justice was handed over to the judicial officials and put to death.
16
是時任安為北軍使者護軍，太子立車北軍南門外，召任安，與節令發兵。 安拜受節，入，閉門不出。 武帝聞之，以為任安為詳邪，不傅事，何也？ 任安笞辱北軍錢官小吏，小吏上書言之，以為受太子節，言「幸與我其鮮好者」。 書上聞，武帝曰：「是老吏也，見兵事起，欲坐觀成敗，見勝者欲合從之，有兩心。 安有當死之罪甚眾，吾常活之，今懷詐，有不忠之心。」 下安吏，誅死。 夫月滿則虧，物盛則衰，天地之常也。 知進而不知退，久乘富貴，禍積為祟。 故范蠡之去越，辭不受官位，名傳後世，萬歲不忘，豈可及哉！ 後進者慎戒之。
At that time, Ren An was serving as the Protector General dispatched to the Northern Army. The Crown Prince halted his carriage outside the south gate of the Northern Army camp, summoned Ren An, and presented him with an imperial tally ordering him to mobilize the troops. Ren An bowed and accepted the tally, then entered the camp, shut the gates behind him, and did not come out. When Emperor Wu heard of this, he suspected Ren An of duplicity: the man had accepted the tally yet taken no action and reported nothing to the throne—why? Ren An had previously flogged and humiliated a minor financial clerk of the Northern Army. The aggrieved clerk submitted a memorial denouncing him, testifying that Ren An had accepted the Crown Prince's tally and had demanded to be given "the freshest and finest goods." When the memorial came to the emperor's attention, Emperor Wu declared: "He is a wily old official. When the fighting broke out, he wanted to sit back and watch how things unfolded, intending to side with whichever faction won. He harbors a divided heart. Ren An has committed many offenses deserving death, yet I have always spared his life. Now he harbors treachery in his breast and is disloyal at heart." Ren An was handed over to the judicial officials and put to death. When the moon reaches fullness, it begins to wane; when things reach their zenith, they begin to decline. Such is the immutable law of heaven and earth. Those who know only how to advance and never how to retreat, who cling to wealth and honor too long, find that their misfortunes pile up until disaster strikes. Thus did Fan Li, when he departed from Yue and refused all titles and offices, leave a name that would be passed down through the ages, unforgotten for ten thousand years. Who could ever rival such a man! Let those who come after take heed and learn from this lesson.