王行暴虐侈傲，国人谤王。召公谏曰：“民不堪命矣。”王怒，得卫巫，使监谤者，以告则杀之。其谤鲜矣，诸侯不朝。三十四年，王益严，国人莫敢言，道路以目。厉王喜，告召公曰：“吾能弭谤矣，乃不敢言。”召公曰：“是鄣之也。防民之口，甚於防水。水壅而溃，伤人必多，民亦如之。是故为水者决之使导，为民者宣之使言。故天子听政，使公卿至於列士献诗，瞽献曲，史献书，师箴，瞍赋，蒙诵，百工谏，庶人传语，近臣尽规，亲戚补察，瞽史教诲，耆艾修之，而后王斟酌焉，是以事行而不悖。民之有口也，犹土之有山川也，财用於是乎出：犹其有原隰衍沃也，衣食於是乎生。口之宣言也，善败於是乎兴。行善而备败，所以产财用衣食者也。夫民虑之於心而宣之於口，成而行之。若壅其口，其与能几何？”王不听。於是国莫敢出言，三年，乃相与畔，袭厉王。厉王出奔於彘。
The king was tyrannical, extravagant, and proud, so the people of his country slandered him. The Duke of Shao reproved him, saying: "Truly, the people cannot bear your rule." The king became angry and got Wei-Wu to serve as his Inspector of Slander, so that whoever he accused of it was slain. After that, the slanders became few, and the nobles did not go to court.
In the 34th year, the king became even more severe, and none of the people of his country dared speak, only exchanging glances as they crossed the road. King Li was happy, and to the Duke of Shao he pronounced, "Truly I am capable of quelling these slanders, for none dare speak."
The Duke of Shao then said, "This is simply to obstruct the slander. Stopping the mouths of the people is more serious than damming water. For when water becomes stopped up and then bursts, certainly many are injured; with the people it is [worse]. For this reason, who would control water must use channels to keep it from overflowing, and who would control the people must use words to keep them from venting.
Thus the Son of Heaven holds court, making ministers, dukes, and knights offer poems, the blind (1) songs, the historians books, the masters exhortations, those without pupils (?) prose poems, the idiots (?) recitations, the hundred craftsmen recommendations, the commoners reports, the courtiers regulations, relatives corrections, the ministers of astrology and music admonitions, the elders tuition (?) -- whereupon the king will ponder all these things in order to implement, not rebut them.
The people have speech in the way that the earth has mountains and streams, because advantage comes from it. For example, having plains and marshes, it becomes fertile, from which arise food and clothing. The declarations of the mouth whether of good or ill bring prosperity. For we implement what is good and prepare for what is ill, by which means we produce goods, food, and clothing. Thus what the people agitate over in their hearts and announce with their mouths, bring it about and practice it. But if you stop up their mouths, how can you accomplish this?"
The king did not heed him, and thus none in the country dared speak for three years, whereupon there was a gathering at the borders, and King Li was attacked. King Li then fled to the country of Zhi.
1. "In ancient times, blind men were ministers of music, for which reason 'blind' became an abbreviation for the name of that office."
The king was tyrannical, extravagant, and proud, so the people of his country slandered him. The Duke of Shao reproved him, saying: "Truly, the people cannot bear your rule." The king became angry and got Wei-Wu to serve as his Inspector of Slander, so that whoever he accused of it was slain. After that, the slanders became few, and the nobles did not go to court.
In the 34th year, the king became even more severe, and none of the people of his country dared speak, only exchanging glances as they crossed the road. King Li was happy, and to the Duke of Shao he pronounced, "Truly I am capable of quelling these slanders, for none dare speak."
The Duke of Shao then said, "This is simply to obstruct the slander. Stopping the mouths of the people is more serious than damming water. For when water becomes stopped up and then bursts, certainly many are injured; with the people it is [worse]. For this reason, who would control water must use channels to keep it from overflowing, and who would control the people must use words to keep them from venting.
Thus the Son of Heaven holds court, making ministers, dukes, and knights offer poems, the blind (1) songs, the historians books, the masters exhortations, those without pupils (?) prose poems, the idiots (?) recitations, the hundred craftsmen recommendations, the commoners reports, the courtiers regulations, relatives corrections, the ministers of astrology and music admonitions, the elders tuition (?) -- whereupon the king will ponder all these things in order to implement, not rebut them.
The people have speech in the way that the earth has mountains and streams, because advantage comes from it. For example, having plains and marshes, it becomes fertile, from which arise food and clothing. The declarations of the mouth whether of good or ill bring prosperity. For we implement what is good and prepare for what is ill, by which means we produce goods, food, and clothing. Thus what the people agitate over in their hearts and announce with their mouths, bring it about and practice it. But if you stop up their mouths, how can you accomplish this?"
The king did not heed him, and thus none in the country dared speak for three years, whereupon there was a gathering at the borders, and King Li was attacked. King Li then fled to the country of Zhi.
1. "In ancient times, blind men were ministers of music, for which reason 'blind' became an abbreviation for the name of that office."
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