《孟子》中英文版
第十编 《万章下》(3)
第三章 友其德也，不可有挟
萬章問曰：“敢問友。”
Wan Chang asked Mencius, saying, 'I venture to ask the principles of friendship.'
孟子曰：“不挾長，不挾貴，不挾兄弟而友。友也者，友其德也，不可以有挾也。孟獻子，百乘之家也，有友五人焉：樂正裘、牧仲，其三人，則予忘之矣。獻子之與此五人者友也，無獻子之家者也。此五人者，亦有獻子之家，則不與之友矣。非惟百乘之家為然也。雖小國之君亦有之。費惠公曰：‘吾於子思，則師之矣；吾於顏般，則友之矣；王順、長息則事我者也。’非惟小國之君為然也，雖大國之君亦有之。晉平公之於亥唐也，入云則入，坐云則坐，食云則食。雖疏食菜羹，未嘗不飽，蓋不敢不飽也。然終於此而已矣。弗與共天位也，弗與治天職也，弗與食天祿也，士之尊賢者也，非王公之尊賢也。舜尚見帝，帝館甥于貳室，亦饗舜，迭為賓主，是天子而友匹夫也。用下敬上，謂之貴貴；用上敬下，謂之尊賢。貴貴、尊賢，其義一也。”
Mencius replied, 'Friendship should be maintained without any presumption on the ground of one's superior age, or station, or the circumstances of his relatives. Friendship with a man is friendship with his virtue, and does not admit of assumptions of superiority. There was Meng Xian, chief of a family of a hundred chariots. He had five friends, namely, Yue Zheng Qiu, Mu Zhong, and three others whose names I have forgotten. With those five men Xian maintained a friendship, because they thought nothing about his family. If they had thought about his family, he would not have maintained his friendship with them. Not only has the chief of a family of a hundred chariots acted thus. The same thing was exemplified by the sovereign of a small State. The duke Hui of Bi said, "I treat Zi Si as my Teacher, and Yan Ban as my Friend. As to Wang Shun and Chang Xi, they serve me." Not only has the sovereign of a small State acted thus. The same thing has been exemplified by the sovereign of a large State. There was the duke Ping of Jin with Hai Tang - when Tang told him to come into his house, he came; when he told him to be seated, he sat; when he told him to eat, he ate. There might only be coarse rice and soup of vegetables, but he always ate his fill, not daring to do otherwise. Here, however, he stopped, and went no farther. He did not call him to share any of Heaven's places, or to govern any of Heaven's offices, or to partake of any of Heaven's emoluments. His conduct was but a scholar's honouring virtue and talents, not the honouring them proper to a king or a duke. Shun went up to court and saw the sovereign, who lodged him as his son-in-law in the second palace. The sovereign also enjoyed there Shun's hospitality. Alternately he was host and guest. Here was the sovereign maintaining friendship with a private man. Respect shown by inferiors to superiors is called giving to the noble the observance due to rank. Respect shown by superiors to inferiors is called giving honour to talents and virtue. The rightness in each case is the same.'
【原文】
万章问曰：“敢问友。”
孟子曰：“不挟（1）长，不挟贵，不挟兄弟而友。友也者，友其德也，不可以有挟也。孟献子（2），百乘之家也，有友五人焉：乐正裘、牧仲，其三人，则予忘之矣。献子之与此五人者友也，无献子之家者也。此五人者，亦有献子之家，则不与之友矣。非惟百乘之家为然也，虽小国之君亦有之。费（3）惠公曰：‘吾于子思，则师之矣；吾于颜般，则友之矣；王顺、长息则事我者也。’非惟小国之君为然也，虽大国之君亦有之。晋平公之于亥唐（4）也。’入云则入，坐云则坐，食云（5）则食；虽蔬食（6）菜羹，未尝不饱，盖不敢不饱也。然终于此而已矣。弗与共天位也，弗与治天职也，弗与食天禄也，士之尊贤者也，非王公之尊贤也。舜尚（7）见帝，帝馆甥（8）于贰（9）室，亦飨舜，迭为宾主，是天子而友匹夫也。用（10）敬上，谓之贵贵；用上敬下，谓之尊贤。贵贵尊贤，其义一也。”
【注释】
①挟：倚仗。
②孟献子：鲁国大夫仲孙蔑。
③费：春秋时小国，旧地在今山东鱼台西南费亭。
④亥唐：晋国人。晋平公时，朝中多贤臣，但亥唐不愿为官，隐居穷巷，平公曾对他“致礼与相见面请事”，非访敬重。
⑤入云、坐云、食云：是云入、云坐、云食的倒装。云，说。
（6）蔬食：粗糙的饮食。蔬同“疏”。
（7）尚：同“上”。
（8）甥：古时称妻子的父亲叫外舅，所以，女婿也称“甥”，舜是尧帝的女婿。
（9）贰室：副官，即招待的宫邸。
（10）用：以。
【译文】
万章问道：“请问交朋友的原则。”
孟子说：“不倚仗年龄大，不倚仗地位高，不倚仗兄弟的势力去交朋友。交朋友，交的是品德，不能够有什么倚仗。孟献子是一位拥有百辆车马的大夫，他有五位朋友：乐正裘、牧仲，其余三位，我忘记了。献子与这五人交朋友，心目中并不存在自己是大夫的观念，这五人，如果心目中存有献子是大夫的观念，也就不与献子交朋友了。不仅具有百辆车马的大夫有这样的，就是小国的国君也有这样的。费惠公说：‘我对于子思，把他尊为老师；我对于颜般，和他交为朋友；至于王顺和长息，不过是侍奉我的人罢了。’不仅小国的国君有这样的，就是大国的国君也有这样的。晋平公对待亥唐，亥唐叫他进去就进去，叫他坐就坐，叫他吃就它。即使是糙米饭小菜汤，也没有不吃饱的，因为不敢不吃饱。不过，晋平公也就是做到这一步而已。不同他一起共列官位，不同他一起治理政事，不同他一起享受俸禄，这只是一般士人尊敬贤者的态度，而不是王公贵族对贤者的态度。从前舜去拜见尧帝，尧助他的这位女婿住在副官中。他请舜吃饭，舜也请他吃饭，二人互为客人和主人。这是天子与普通百姓交朋友的范例。地位低下的人尊敬地位高贵的人，这叫尊敬贵人；地位高贵的人尊敬地位低下的人，这叫尊敬贤人。尊敬贵人和尊敬贤人，道理都是一样的。”
【读解】
爱情要纯洁，友情也要纯洁，不可以掺杂金钱、地位等利害关系的因素在内。古代人非常重视这一点。我们随手就可以写下一连串这方面的名言：
“以财交者，财尽则交绝；以色交者，华落而爱渝。”（《战国策·楚策一》）
“以权利合者，权利尽而交疏。”（《史记·郑世家赞》）
“以势交者，势倾则绝；以利交者，利穷则散。”（《中说·礼乐》）
一言以蔽之，也就是孟子在这里所说的“友其德”，而不要友其财、色、权、利、势。
至于古今中外的文艺作品，如莎士比亚名剧《雅典的泰门》、巴尔扎克的小说《高老头》，以及中国话本《杜十娘怒沉百宝箱》等，更是生动形象、淋漓尽致地揭示了这个道理。
问题还是在于，说得越多，文艺作品写得越多的，往往也就是现实生活中存在问题最多的现象。古往今来，真正能够做到“不挟”而“友其德”的，又有几人呢？
岂不闻——“世人结交须黄金，黄金不多交不深。纵令然诺暂相许，终是悠悠行路心。”（《增广贤文》）
所谓“钱权交易”，至今不也仍然是我们“反腐败”中要着力解决的一个大问题吗； |
