2.4 [29] 景公以摶治之兵未成功將殺之晏子諫

齊景公因制磚的士兵沒有成功打算殺掉他們，晏子進諫

【原文】

景公令兵摶治，當冰月之間而寒，民多（涷）〔凍〕餒，而功不成。公怒曰：“為我殺兵二人。”晏子曰：“諾。”少（為）間，晏子曰：“昔者先君莊公之伐于晉也，其役殺兵四人，今令而殺兵二人，是殺師之半也。”公曰：“諾！是寡人之過也。”令止之。

【今譯】

齊景公命令士兵制磚，當時正是十一月和臘月之間，士兵們又冷又餓，沒有完成任務。景公生氣地說：“給我殺兩個士兵。”晏子說：“是。”過了一會兒，晏子說：“以前我們先代的國君莊公征討晉國，那場戰役一共殺了四名士兵，現在您下令殺兩名士兵，這已經是那次出征所殺士兵的一半了。”景公說：“是！這是我的過錯。”于是下令停止殺士兵。

Duke Jing ordered his soldiers to knead clay for bricks. This was during the twelfth month,in the dead of w inter,and it was cold. M any people were freezing and hungry and therefore the work could not be finished.

The Duke became furious and said: “Kill two soldiers for me.”

Yanzi said: “Very well!”

Shortly afterwards,Yanzi said: “In the past,when our former ruler Duke Zhuang launched an attack on Jin, he had four of his soldiers killed. But now,if you order the killing of two soldiers,it would mean that you have killed merely half as many soldiers.”

The Duke said: “Quite right,it was my mistake,” and he ordered their execution terminated.

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注釋

[1]This attack on the state of Jin took place in 549 BCE. See Zuozhuan,B9. 23.4/276/26.