第七十五章  民生为上

民之饥，以其上食税之多，是以饥。 民之难治，以其上之有为，是以难治。 民之轻死，以其上求生之厚，是以轻死。 夫唯无以生为者，是贤于贵生。

Actingfor People

People are hungry, because rulers eat too much tax-grain. That is whypeople are starving.

People are hard to govern, because rulers interfere too much. That is whythey are hard to govern.

People do not care about death, because rulers demand too much forthemselves living little room for the people. Only those who govern witnin theNature Laws are the rulers who take the benefits of the people as priority.

[译文]

百姓之所以忍饥挨饿，是因为统治者榨取吞噬赋税过多，因此百姓才食不果腹。百姓之所以难治理，是因为统治者强作妄为，因此难以管治。百姓挺而走险，是因为统治者奢华无度，难以为生才不顾性命。

只有尊道贵德顺应民意的人，才是贤良而重视民生的执政者。