Chapter Three： FRATERNITY

兄道友，弟道恭，兄弟睦，孝在中。
财物轻，怨何生，言语忍，忿自泯。
或饮食，或坐走，长者先，幼者后。
长呼人，即代叫，人不在，己先到。
称尊长，勿呼名，对尊长，勿见能。
路遇长，疾趋揖，长无言，退恭立。
骑下马，乘下车，过犹待，百步余。
长者立，幼勿坐，长者坐，命乃坐。
尊长前，声要低，低不闻，却非宜。
事诸父，如事父，事诸兄，如事兄。

道德风气的形成，不是一蹴可几的，必须集许多有德之个人来带动；个人的道德，也不是一朝一夕可以建立的，必须自小由家庭生活培养起。

The tradition of virtue cannot be established all at once. It requires the accumulated efforts of a great many virtuous individuals. An individual’s virtuous character is not developed overnight either; it must be nurtured from childhood by his family.

中国是个讲究礼让的古国，以礼让闻名的圣哲君子，不可胜数；以礼让治国的例子，更不在少数。礼不离让，让必合乎礼，二者相辅相成，相得益彰。假如是不合乎礼法的事，根本就不应该去做，更毋须论什么让与不让了！

China is an ancient country which values propriety and the ability to yield; it has produced countless sages and great men who were renowned for their propriety and ability to yield. There are many examples in which the country was governed by means of propriety and yielding. Propriety is not apart from yielding; yielding must accord with propriety. The two complement and benefit one another. If something is not in accord with the rules of propriety, it should basically not be done at all; how much the less should one consider whether or not to yield.

兄弟之间，讲究的是兄友弟恭，因为友爱，做兄姐的总想把好处留给弟妹；因为恭敬，做弟妹的也总想把好处让给兄姐；如此一来，不就 “家和万事兴”了吗？

Between siblings, the elder sibling should be kind, and the younger one should be respectful. Elder brothers and sisters should want to let their younger siblings enjoy the advantages, and younger siblings should want to yield the advantages to their older siblings. In that way, how can the family not be harmonious and how can there not be prosperity?

周武王是周朝开国之君，他的曾祖古公亶父，有泰伯、仲雍、季历三个儿子。古公亶父很喜欢季历的儿子，认为这小孩将来必可昌盛姬氏所建立的周国，因此将这小孩取名为昌，希望让昌来做周的领导人。可是要由姬昌做领导人，除非昌的父亲季历先继承王位，因此做长兄的泰伯，便偕二弟仲雍逃到南蛮，以便让季历继承王位。可是在父亲去世前后，季历亦三次礼让两位兄长，不肯继承王位。

King Wu of Zhou was the founder of the Zhou dynasty. His great grandfather, the Ancient Lord of Tan, had three sons: Taibo, Zhongy- ong, and Jili. The Ancient Lord of Tan favored the son of Jili and thought this son could certainly cause the Zhou dynasty, founded by the Ji clan, to flourish. That’s why he named this boy Chang ("flourishing") and wanted him to become the ruler of the Zhou dynasty. However, the only way this could happen would be for the boy’s father Jili to inherit the throne. Therefore the two elder brothers, Taibo and Zhongyong, retreated to Nanman [region inhabited by barbarous tribes in the south of China] so that the throne would pass to their younger brother Jili. However, before and after the death of their father, Jili three times tried to yield the throne to his two older brothers and refused to assume the throne himself.

于是乎泰伯、仲雍就学当地的土著，把头发剪短披散，又在身上图上花纹，以表示不再回国的决心，好让季历安心继位。后来季历的儿子姬昌果然成为一个聪慧过人，又能以德服人的领导者；四方各小国纷纷背叛暴君商纣王，自动来归顺，竟至三分天下有其二。周武王兴师伐纣，统一天下，建立周的皇朝后，便追尊其父姬昌为周文王。周文王不但是个圣明的君王，他的礼教、典章、制度，和所演算出来的“易经八卦”，对中国的历史、文化，都有深远的影响。

Taibo and Zhongyong resorted to adopting the manner of the local tribes, cutting their hair short and wearing it loose, and making tattoos on their body. They did this to show that they were resolved not to return to their state, so that Jili could assume the throne without worry. Later, Jili’s son Jichang indeed became a leader of exceptional wisdom who won people over by means of his virtue. The various small states from all around turned away from the tyrant Emperor Zhou of Shangand allied themselves under him, so that he gained the support of two-thirds of the country. After King Wu of Zhou attacked EmperorZhou and united the whole country under the new dynasty of Zhou, he bestowed the title "King Wen of Zhou" upon his father, Jichang. KingWen was a ruler of sagely wisdom. His teachings of propriety, his laws, his system of government, and the eight trigrams of the Book of Change which he calculated have had a profound and far-reaching influence on Chinese history and culture.

而逃到南蛮的泰伯、仲雍兄弟，也由于道德才能，被当地的土著推为君长，以后他们建立了虞国。后来虞国的子孙又搬到扬子江下游，建立了吴国，并接受周的招抚，成为一个诸侯。春秋中期，吴国日益强大，到了寿梦王时，已有大国的规模了。寿梦王有四个儿子，其中以最小的季札最有才德。寿梦王认为只有让季札为王，吴国才能兴盛；可是季札无论如何不肯越过三个兄长来做太子。寿梦王临终时吩咐四个儿子：王位不再父子相传，必须“兄终弟及”，直到传给最小的季札为止。

The two elder brothers, Taibo and Zhongyong, who had retreated to the south of China, were elected as leaders by the local natives because of their outstanding virtue and talent. Later on they founded the state of Yu. The descendants of the state of Yu later moved to the lower reaches of the Yangzi River, where they founded the state of Wu. They accepted the protection offered by Zhou and became a feudal state under the Zhou dynastic rule. During the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period, the state of Wu grew and gained strength until in the reign of King Shoumeng it became a great state. Of the King’s four sons, the youngest one, Jizha, possessed the greatest talent and virtue. King Shoumeng believed that the only way the state of Wu could prosper would be for Jizha to become king. But Jizha adamantly refused to become the crown prince ahead of his three older brothers. Right before he died. King Shoumeng instructed his four sons that the throne was to be passed not from father to son, but from older brother to younger brother, until it passed to the youngest brother, Jizha.

寿梦王去世后，长兄再度让位季札没成功，只好先继位；可是他打起仗来奋不顾身，不多久就在战事中被射死了。二哥继位后经常对天祷告，希望自己快点死。为什么呢？因为他认为吴国之有今日的强盛，是他的祖先太王(即古公亶父)立贤不立长的结果；况且吴国根本就是在泰伯兄弟相让之下而产生的。兄弟礼让，既是家风，他也愿效法先人美德，所以希望自己快点死，好让季札有机会早点成为吴王。不多久，二哥也在战事中死了。

After the King passed away, the eldest brother tried to yield the throne directly to Jizha, but had no success, so he could only assume the throne himself first. Since he was always going to battle without regard for his own life, it was not long before he was shot to death on the battlefield. After the second brother became king, he constantly prayed to heaven for an early death. Why? Because he felt the state of Wu had reached its prosperity because its founder (the Ancient Lord of Tan) had chosen its ruler on the basis of virtue rather than seniority. What was more, the state of Wu had been founded as a result of the yielding of the two elder brothers Taibo and Zhongyong. Thus yielding among brothers was a family tradition, and he was willing to emulate this virtue of his ancestors. That’s why he wanted to die sooner so that Jizha could become the King of Wu earlier. Not long afterwards, he was also killed in battle.

三哥继位后，请季札做宰相，帮忙治理吴国；季札认为战争太多，百姓生活不能安定，于是以和平大使的身分，到各国去友好访问。他高尚的道德和过人的才华，在诸侯间备受敬重，使吴国安享了数年的太平。可是他的三哥也只做了四年的吴王就死了，临终要把王位传给季札；季札还是不接受，就跑到延陵一地住下。季札一走，吴国的朝臣们都慌了，匆忙中立了他三哥的儿子公子僚为吴王。

When the third brother became King, he asked Jizha to help rule the state as prime minister. Jizha felt that with so much warfare, there was no way for the people to live in peace and security. Thus he traveled throughout the states making goodwill missions as a "peace ambassador. "His lofty virtue and exceptional talent and intelligence won the respect of the other feudal lords, and as a result the state of Wu enjoyed many years of peace. But the third brother died after only four years as king. Right before his death he tried to pass the throne to Jizha, but Jizha still refused and retreated to Yanling to live. With Jizha’s abrupt departure, the ministers of Wu panicked and hastily set up the third brother’s son, Prince Liao, as king.

因此，他长兄的儿子公子光就不高兴了，他认为季札不做吴王，那么王位就该传回给他，而且吴王僚连让都没让，令他心里更加不满。后来，公子光趁着季札去访问晋国时，派人刺杀了吴王僚。等季札回来，公子光就表示要把王位让给他，说是尊重祖父、父亲和两位叔叔的意思。季札对公子光说：“你一心想做吴王，现在你的目的已达到了，你还让什么呢？做君王的，只要能善待百姓，我就会拥护他。”于是公子光就做了吴王，并改名阖闾。

At this turn of events, Prince Guang, the son of the eldest brother, was unhappy; he thought that if Jizha didn’t want to be the king of Wu, the throne should pass to him. Yet King Liao of Wu didn’t show the slightest intention of yielding the throne, which dissatisfied him even more. Later, taking advantage of the fact that Jizha was away visiting the state ofJin, he sent an assassin to kill King Liao. When Jizha returned. Prince Guang made a show of yielding the throne to him, saying that he wished to honor the wishes of his grandfather, father, and two uncles. Jizha said to him, "You were dead set on being the King of Wu. Now you’ve obtained what you wanted; what are you yielding it up for? Whoever the king is, as long as he treats the people well, I will support him. " Thus Prince Guang became the King of Wu and changed his name to He Lyu.

季札对公子光与吴王僚抢夺王位的事情 ，感到非常羞耻，因此就一直住在延陵，不再过问吴国的事，直到老死；历史上尊称他为“延陵公子”。而吴王阖闾后来死于对越国的战争中，到他儿子夫差时，吴国就被越国灭亡了。

Since Jizha felt greatly ashamed at the way Prince Guang had usurped the throne from King Liao, he stayed in Yanling for the rest of his life and did not concern himself with the affairs of the state of Wu anymore. In history he is honorically referred to as the Prince of Yanling. After King Helyu of Wu was killed in battle with the state of Yue and his son Fucai assumed the throne, the state of Wu was conquered by the state of Yue.

从以上两个故事看，礼让带来吉庆，可使一国兴盛永久；争夺导致戾气，不祥莫大焉。一国如此，一家何尝不是如此？所以俗话说：“兄弟和而家不分。”要想兄弟和，就要教子弟们自小明白长幼有序的道理，从日常生活的饮食起居做，凡事知礼与让。

From the two stories above, we can see that the auspicious blessings brought by propriety and yielding can enable a country to prosper for a long time. On the other hand, there is no greater misfortune than the violence brought about by strife and contention. If this is the case for a country, would it not be the case for a family? There is a common saying, "When siblings get along, the family will not break up." If we want siblings to get along, we have to teach our children so they can understand the order governing seniors and juniors, and so they will know to practice propriety and yielding in all matters in their daily life.