饱后思味，则浓淡之境都消；色后思淫，则男女之见尽绝。故人常以事后之悔悟，破临事之痴迷，则性定而动无不正。

 

【译文】吃饱喝足之后再品尝美味佳肴，食物的甘美是体会不出来的；交欢之后再来回想淫邪之事，一定无法激起男欢女爱的念头。所以人们如果常常用事后的悔悟心情，来作为另一件事情开端的判断参考，那么，便可以消除一切错误而保持自己纯真的本性，在行动上就有了正确原则，而不至于出轨。 

 

【英文译文】If you muse on the flavour of food after you have eaten your fill, the feeling of relishing different flavours vanishes. If you ponder the pleasures of the flesh after satisfying your carnal appetites, then the scene of naked lovemaking disappears. Therefore, if you can use the remorse of hindsight to dispel future foolish obsessions, you can make your nature as steady as a rock and your behaviour will always be on the right track.

（保罗·怀特 译）

 

If someone were to tell the flavor of more food right after having eaten his fill, his palate would let him down. If someone were to seek more pleasures of the flesh right after having been sated with his carnal appetites, the mysteries of love-making would become extinct. Therefore, if people can take a habit of repenting their folly in the past and relieving infatuations for the time being, they will undoubtedly have their true natures well-preserved and their actions morally regulated.

（周文标 译）

 

 

事事留个有余不尽的意思，便造物不能忌我，鬼神不能损我。若业必求满，功必求盈者，不生内变，必召外忧。

 

【译文】

做任何事都要留余地，不要把事情做得太绝，这样即使是造物主也不会嫉妒我，神鬼也不会伤害我。假如一切事物都要求尽善尽美，一切功劳都希 望登峰造极，即使不为此而发生内乱，也必然为此而招致外患。

 

【英文译文】Whatever I do, I leave some part of it unfinished; that way the Creator will not frown on me and the ghosts and spirits will not be able to harm me. If, in the course of self-cultivation, I strive for seamless perfection, and in the course of earthly achievements I head straight for the summit, even though I incur no internal calamity, I will surely bring upon myself some external grief.

（保罗·怀特 译）

 

If we can leave adequate leeway in dong everything, the Creator will not frown on us, nor will the ghosts and spirits be able to hurt us. If we insist on seeking perfection in handling affairs and completion in personal achievement, it will surely give rise to external disturbance though not necessarily to internal unforeseen occurrence.

（周文标 译）

 

 

矜高倨傲，无非客气，降伏得客气下，而后正气伸；情欲意识，尽属妄心，消杀得妄心尽，而后真心现。

 

【译文】一个人之所以会心高气傲自以为是，无非是表现出一种脱离实际的虚浮之气，如果能消除这种浮夸的不良习气，心中光明正大刚直无邪的浩然正气才会出现；一个人心中的七情六欲都是由于虚幻无常的妄心所致，只要能够消除这种虚幻无常、胡思乱想的妄心，真正的善良本性就会显现出来。

 

【英文译文】Self-conceit and arrogance are the result of evil influences from outside oneself. Such influences must be suppressed; only then can healthy trends be encouraged. All one’s carnal desires and other distractions come from a twisted mind; only by getting rid of such mental distortions can one’s true nature be realized.

（保罗·怀特 译）

 

The reason why there being arrogance is just because of the existence of undesirable trends from without; only when the undesirable trends are depressed can the healthy ones be promoted and developed. All the mundane intentions and desires in the mind are nothing but vain hope; only when the vain hope has subsided can the true characters come out from within.

（周文标 译）