wáng zhě fù mín 王者富民
A Ruler Should Enrich People.
想要推行王道的君主会使百姓富足。“王者”本指想要推行王道、统一天下的君主,泛指成就伟大事业的领导者。其中隐含的道理是:伟大的事业必须有民众的广泛拥护才能成功;为此,有作为的领导者必须把广大民众利益放在首位,而不能着眼于一部分人的利益,更不能着眼于个人利益。这和“民惟邦本”“藏富于民”的思想息息相通。
A great ruler who conducts benevolent governance will enrich his people and unify the country. The implication of this term is that a great cause can succeed only when it is supported by the people. Therefore, a visionary leader must give top priority to the interests of all the people, not just the interests of some people, still less those of some individuals. This term echoes the thinking of “people being the foundation of a state” and “keeping people wealthy.”
引例 Citation:
◎故王者富民,霸者富士,仅存之国富大夫,亡国富筐箧、实府库。筐箧已富,府库已实,而百姓贫……则倾覆灭亡可立而待也。(《荀子·王制》)
(所以想要推行王道的君主会使民众富足,想要称霸诸侯的君主会使士兵富足,勉强能存活的国家会使大夫富足,而亡国的君主只是富了自己的箱子、塞满自己的仓库。自己的箱子已装满了,仓库已塞满了,而老百姓却贫困了……那么,这样的政权离倾覆灭亡的日子也就不远了。)
So a ruler who conducts benevolent governance will enrich his people. But a ruler who wants to control all dukes and princes can only enrich his army. A state that only enriches its ministers can barely survive; a state that only keeps the ruler’s coffer and his storehouses full is doomed. Inevitably, the people in such a state will be plunged into poverty… It will not be long before such a state collapses. (Xunzi)