Guoyu Wuyu — 國語 吳語, traditionally attributed to Zuo Qiuming
The Guoyu, or Discourses of the States, is a collection of speeches and discourses drawn from the courts of eight states of the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods, extending in places into the early fifth century BCE. Like the Zuo Commentary, it is traditionally ascribed to Zuo Qiuming, an ascription that is ancient but cannot be verified. This book preserves the discourses of Wu, told across nine episodes that trace King Fuchai's rise and fall: Yue's grandee Zhong and envoy Zhuji Ying suing for peace after Fuchai's first victory over Yue; Fuchai's decision to spare Yue against Shen Xu's warning that he was sparing a young snake that would grow into a serpent; the campaigns against Qi, culminating in the victory at Ailing that Shen Xu had opposed; Shen Xu's forced suicide, and his last request that his eyes be hung over the eastern gate to watch Yue's army come in; the night march and mock battle array by which Fuchai forced Jin to yield him precedence at the meeting of Huangchi, even as Yue struck at Wu behind his back; and, at the last, Goujian's destruction of Wu and Fuchai's own suicide.
The book is arranged episode by episode, each given its own heading in translation as in the Chinese text; speeches, remonstrances, and the messages carried between the courts of Wu, Yue, Jin, and Zhou are rendered as continuous speech. Wei Zhao's third-century commentary, printed throughout the source in interlinear notes, travels below in the source layer and is not translated here.
Names of persons, states, and places are given in Hanyu pinyin without tone marks, with the Chinese characters supplied at each figure's first appearance; Shen Xu, better known by his other name Zixu, is kept as Shen Xu throughout to match the source. Ranks follow the conventional five — duke, marquis, earl, viscount, baron — and 禮 is rendered ritual propriety throughout.
Translated directly from the classical Chinese printed in full below. We know of no complete published English translation of the Discourses of the States; no claim of firstness is made.
Contents
- Book 19 — Discourses of Wu (卷十九 吳語)
- King Goujian of Yue Sends Zhuji Ying to Sue for Peace with Wu (越王句踐命諸稽郢行成於吳)
- King Fuchai of Wu Makes an Empty Peace with Yue and Swears No Covenant (吳王夫差與越荒成不盟)
- Fuchai Attacks Qi and Will Not Hear Shen Xu's Remonstrance (夫差伐齊不聽申胥之諫)
- Fuchai, Victorious at Ailing, Sends Xi Si to Explain Himself to Qi (夫差勝於艾陵使奚斯釋言於齊)
- Shen Xu Takes His Own Life (申胥自殺)
- Wu and Jin Contend for Precedence Unsettled, and Goujian Falls upon Wu (吳晉爭長未成，句踐襲吳)
- Wu Offers Battle to Jin and Gains the Covenant Lordship (吳欲與晉戰得為盟主)
- Fuchai Withdraws from Huangchi and Sends Wangsun Gou to Report to Zhou (夫差退于黃池使王孫苟告于周)
- Goujian Destroys Wu and Fuchai Takes His Own Life (句踐滅吳夫差自殺)
Translation
Book 19 — Discourses of Wu (卷十九 吳語)
King Goujian of Yue Sends Zhuji Ying to Sue for Peace with Wu (越王句踐命諸稽郢行成於吳)
King Fuchai (夫差) of Wu raised an army and attacked Yue, and King Goujian (句踐) of Yue raised an army and went to meet him. The grandee Zhong (種) then offered a plan, saying: "As between Wu and Yue, the issue is Heaven's to grant. Your Majesty need not fight. Shen Xu (申胥) and Hua Deng (華登) have drilled the officers of Wu in armor and weapons, and they have never yet been broken. When one man shoots well, a hundred men take up thumb-ring and armguard; victory cannot be counted on. A plan must first see its own accomplishment before one walks in it; one cannot simply hand over one's fate to it. Your Majesty had better set your troops on guard, humble your words and sue for peace, so as to gladden their people and to swell and enlarge the heart of the king of Wu. By this we shall divine it with Heaven. If Heaven has cast Wu away, they will grant us peace and reckon us not worth their trouble, and will surely fall at their ease into the ambition of playing hegemon over the feudal lords. When they have worn out and exhausted their people, and Heaven has taken away their food, we shall calmly receive what is left of them, and then they will have the mandate no longer."
The king of Yue agreed, and ordered Zhuji Ying (諸稽郢) to go and sue for peace with Wu, saying: "My unworthy lord Goujian sends his lowly servant Ying, who does not presume to lay out offerings openly and perform the rites, but ventures to speak in private to your attendant officers, saying: In former times the state of Yue met with calamity and incurred guilt against the Heavenly King. The Heavenly King in person set his jade footsteps in motion and in his heart cast Goujian off, and yet also pardoned and forgave him. What my lord king did for Yue was to raise a dead man and put flesh on white bones. I dare not forget the disaster Heaven sent; how then should I dare forget my lord king's great gift! Now would Goujian, with calamity heaped upon him and no goodness in him, a man of the grass and the border country, dare to forget the Heavenly King's great virtue and brood over some small grievance of the frontier, and so incur guilt a second time against your attendant officers? Goujian therefore leads his two or three elders and comes in person to submit himself for his grave offense, knocking his forehead on the ground at the border.
"Now my lord king does not look into the matter, but in swelling anger gathers his troops and would ravage and attack the state of Yue. Yue is surely a town that renders tribute; my lord king does not command it with whip and rod, but demeans his officers and men by giving them the orders one gives against bandits. Goujian asks for a covenant: one legitimate daughter, to hold dustpan and broom and fill out the clans of the royal palace; one legitimate son, to bear basin and ewer and attend among the servants; and tribute in spring and autumn, with no slackening toward the royal treasury. Will the Heavenly King not stoop to rule upon it? This too is the rite by which the feudal lords are taxed.
"The proverb says: 'The fox buries it and the fox digs it up; that is why he accomplishes nothing.' Now the Heavenly King has already banked up and planted the state of Yue, so that it is known throughout the world, and yet he would mow it down and destroy it: this would be the Heavenly King's labor come to nothing. And the feudal lords of the four quarters — with what substance would they then serve Wu? I venture to let my lowly servant speak his words to the end. Let the Heavenly King grasp what is advantageous and measure what is right."
King Fuchai of Wu Makes an Empty Peace with Yue and Swears No Covenant (吳王夫差與越荒成不盟)
King Fuchai of Wu then told his grandees: "I have great designs upon Qi. I shall grant Yue its peace, and let no one thwart my intention. If Yue has indeed reformed, what more do I ask? If it has not reformed, then on my return march I shall muster my troops against it."
Shen Xu remonstrated: "It must not be granted. Yue is not truly loyal at heart and fond of Wu, nor is it cowed by the strength of our arms and armor. The grandee Zhong is bold and skilled in stratagem; he means to turn the state of Wu about and play with it upon his thigh and palm, and so get his will. He knows well that my lord king esteems his awesome power and loves to win; therefore he makes his words pliant and humble, to indulge and set loose Your Majesty's ambition, and to make you revel to excess among the states of the Xia, so that you wound yourself. He would have our arms and armor grow blunt and worn, our people fall away and perish and waste day by day, and then calmly receive what is left of us. The king of Yue prizes good faith and loves his people; the four quarters turn to him; his harvests ripen in their season; day by day he grows, blazing upward. While we are still able to fight — if we do not crush him while he is a young snake, what shall we do when he is a serpent?"
The king of Wu said: "Why does the grandee make so much of Yue? Is Yue really worth taking for a great reckoning? If there were no Yue, with what should I display my officers and men in spring and autumn?" And so he granted the peace.
When they were about to swear the covenant, the king of Yue again sent Zhuji Ying to decline, saying: "Do you hold a covenant to be of use? The blood of the former covenant is not yet dry upon our lips, and that is enough to bind good faith. Do you hold a covenant to be of no use? My lord king has laid aside the awe of arms and armor in dealing with us and giving us his commands — why then weigh the ghosts and spirits so heavily and himself so lightly?" The king of Wu agreed, and the peace was left empty, with no covenant sworn.
Fuchai Attacks Qi and Will Not Hear Shen Xu's Remonstrance (夫差伐齊不聽申胥之諫)
King Fuchai of Wu, having granted Yue its peace, put his host under full alert, meaning to attack Qi. Shen Xu came forward and remonstrated: "In former times Heaven gave Yue to Wu, and Your Majesty did not accept it. Heaven's mandate has its reversals. Now King Goujian of Yue is afraid and has changed his plans. He has abolished his faulty ordinances, lightened his levies and taxes, done for the people what they hold good and taken away what they hold bad, restrained himself in his own person, and made his multitudes prosperous. His people are numerous, and with them his arms and armor are many. Yue is to Wu what a disease of the belly and heart is to a man. The king of Yue does not forget his purpose of defeating Wu; in his heart he is always on edge, and he disciplines his officers to watch for a gap in our guard. Now Your Majesty does not plan against Yue, but takes Qi and Lu for his worry. Qi and Lu, likened to diseases, are scab and ringworm. How could they cross the Yangzi and the Huai and contend with us for this land? It is surely Yue that will possess the soil of Wu.
"Why does Your Majesty not take men for his mirror rather than water? In former times King Ling of Chu did not act as a ruler, and his ministers' admonition and remonstrance did not get in. He built a terrace at Zhanghua, cut out a stone outer wall, and dammed the Han, in imitation of the Emperor Shun. He wore out and exhausted the state of Chu in order to spy out Chen and Cai. He did not put in order what lay within Fangcheng, but overstepped the states of the Xia and schemed for the eastern lands, spending three years between the Ju and the Fen to subdue Wu and Yue. His people could not bear the affliction of hunger and toil, and the three armies revolted against the king at Ganxi. The king went off alone and on foot, wandering distraught and irresolute among mountains and forests, and only after three days met his groom Chou. The king called to him: 'I have not eaten for three days.' Chou hurried forward, and the king pillowed his head on Chou's thigh and lay down on the ground. When the king slept, Chou put a clod of earth under his head and left him. The king woke and saw no one; he crawled and would have entered Jiwei, but Jiwei would not admit him; then he went in to the house of Shen Hai, the Yu Overseer. The king hanged himself, and Shen Hai carried the king home on his back and buried him in earth within his own chamber. Has this record so quickly been forgotten by the ears of the feudal lords?
"Now Your Majesty has altered the works of Gun and Yu, raising high what is high and deepening what is low, and wearing out the people at Gusu. Heaven has taken away our food, and capital and border towns suffer famine upon famine. Now Your Majesty would defy Heaven and attack Qi. The people of Wu have fallen away; the body has somewhere given way. It is as with a herd of beasts: let one take an arrow, and a hundred herds all bolt, and Your Majesty would have no way of gathering them back. The men of Yue will surely come and fall upon us; and though Your Majesty repent it, will there still be time?"
The king did not listen. In the twelfth year he attacked Qi. The men of Qi fought him at Ailing; the army of Qi was utterly defeated, and the men of Wu won merit.
Fuchai, Victorious at Ailing, Sends Xi Si to Explain Himself to Qi (夫差勝於艾陵使奚斯釋言於齊)
King Fuchai of Wu, having beaten the men of Qi at Ailing, sent the herald Xi Si to make explanation to Qi, saying: "I, the unworthy one, led the meager levies of the state of Wu along the banks of the Wen, and did not venture to turn right or left, for friendship's sake alone. Now the grandee Guozi raised his multitudes and encroached upon and harried the host of Wu. If Heaven did not know where the guilt lay, how should it have let the lesser state win?"
Shen Xu Takes His Own Life (申胥自殺)
The king of Wu, returning from the attack on Qi, reproached Shen Xu, saying: "In former times my late king embodied virtue and was bright and sage, and reached to the High Lord. He was like a farmer working with a yoke-fellow, mowing down the mugwort and artemisia of the four quarters, and so established his name in Jing; and that was the grandee's strength. Now the grandee is old, and yet cannot settle into quiet and ease. At home he sits brooding upon evil; abroad he lays blame upon my multitudes, disturbing and confounding the hundred ordinances, and so working baleful portents upon the state of Wu. Now Heaven has sent down good upon Wu, and the army of Qi has submitted. How should I presume to make much of myself? It was the bells and drums of my late king that truly made it spirit-blessed. I venture to say this to the grandee."
Shen Xu laid aside his sword and answered: "In former times our late kings had in every generation ministers to support and correct them, and so could resolve their doubts and reckon with evils, and did not fall into great disaster. Now Your Majesty casts away the aged and grey and takes counsel with children, saying, 'My commands are not crossed.' Not being crossed is itself a crossing. Not being crossed is the stairway to ruin. What Heaven casts away it always brings suddenly near to small joys and holds far from its great sorrow. Had Your Majesty not got his will against Qi, it would have awakened Your Majesty's heart, and the state of Wu would still go on from generation to generation. When our former lord gained a thing, there was always that by which he took it; when he lost a thing, there was likewise that by which he threw it away. Thus he could hold fullness fast to the end, and swiftly rescue what was toppling, in season. Now Your Majesty has nothing by which to take it, and yet Heaven's emoluments arrive again and again: this is the shortness of Wu's mandate. Yun cannot bear to plead illness and stand aside, and so live to see Your Majesty taken captive in person by Yue. Yun asks leave to die first." And he killed himself.
As he was about to die he said: "Hang my eyes upon the eastern gate, that they may see Yue come in and the state of Wu perish." The king said angrily: "I will not let the grandee see anything at all." And he had Shen Xu's corpse taken up, put into a leather sack, and thrown into the river.
Wu and Jin Contend for Precedence Unsettled, and Goujian Falls upon Wu (吳晉爭長未成，句踐襲吳)
King Fuchai of Wu, having killed Shen Xu, did not wait out the year's ripening, but raised an army and campaigned northward. He dug a deep canal, opening a passage between Shang and Lu, joining it northward to the Yi and westward to the Ji, in order to meet Wu, duke of Jin (晉公午), at Huangchi.
Thereupon King Goujian of Yue ordered Fan Li (范蠡) and She Yong (舌庸) to lead an army along the sea and up the Huai, so as to cut off Wu's road. They defeated the king's son You at Guxiongyi. King Goujian of Yue then led the central army up the river to fall upon Wu; he entered the outer wall, burned the Gusu terrace, and carried off the great boats.
Wu and Jin were contending for precedence and had not settled it when the frontier post-riders arrived and reported the trouble with Yue. The king of Wu was afraid, and gathered his grandees to plan, saying: "Yue has acted without the Way and has turned its back on our sworn covenant. Now our road is long. To go home without the meeting, or to hold the meeting and let Jin go first — which is the more advantageous?"
Wangsun Luo (王孫雒) said: "In dangerous affairs one does not go by age; Luo ventures to answer first. Neither of the two is advantageous. If we go home without the meeting, the news of Yue will be published abroad, the people will take fright and run, and being far from home will have nowhere fitting to go. Qi, Song, Xu, and the Yi will say, 'Wu has been beaten already!' They will flank the canal and strike at us, and we shall have no life left. If we hold the meeting and let Jin go first, Jin will hold the handle over the feudal lords and use it upon us, and will accomplish its ambition of presenting itself to the Son of Heaven. We cannot wait for that, and we cannot bear to leave. And if the news from Yue is published wider still, our people in their fear will revolt. We must hold the meeting and take precedence in it."
The king then walked over to Wangsun Luo and said: "To take precedence — how shall we plan it?" Wangsun Luo said: "Let Your Majesty have no doubt. Our road is long; there must be no second command, and only so can the business be brought through."
Wangsun Luo came forward, turned and saluted the grandees, and said: "If danger cannot be made safety and death cannot be made life, then there is nothing in wisdom to prize. The people's hatred of death, and their wish for honor and wealth and to end their days in old age, are the same as mine. Yet the men of Jin are near their own country and have somewhere to fall back to; we are cut off and far away, and have nowhere to fall back to. How could they undertake this dangerous business alongside us? Courage and stratagem in the service of one's lord are to be used at just such a time. This very evening we must offer battle, so as to enlarge the people's hearts. Let Your Majesty exhort the officers and rouse the force of their companies: urge them on with high position and heavy treasure, make ready punishments and executions to shame those who are not exhorted, and let each of them hold his own death lightly. The men of Jin will yield us precedence without fighting. Once we hold the handle over the feudal lords, then, because the year has yielded no harvest, we shall exact nothing from them but dismiss them first, and the feudal lords will surely be pleased. After that, when they have all gone home into their own lands, Your Majesty may set his ambition at ease: one day swift, one day slow, walking his ambition at a leisurely pace. We must make promises to these men, of fiefs in the land between the Yangzi and the Huai; only so can we reach Wu." The king of Wu agreed.
Wu Offers Battle to Jin and Gains the Covenant Lordship (吳欲與晉戰得為盟主)
At dusk the king of Wu gave the alert, and ordered the horses foddered and the men fed. At midnight he ordered them to take up their weapons and put on their armor, to bind the horses' tongues, and to carry fire out of the stoves. He arrayed the soldiers by hundreds, each hundred making one continuous rank, and a hundred such ranks in all. At the head of each rank were officers, clasping hand-bells and holding tallies, raising the Feihu pennon and bearing shields of figured rhinoceros hide. For every ten ranks there was a lesser grandee, raising a feathered standard and carrying a drum, with the book of war under his arm and the drumstick in his hand. For every ten standards there was a general, bearing the sun-and-moon banner and setting up a drum, with the book of war under his arm and the drumstick in his hand. Ten thousand men made a square array, all in white lower garments, with white dragon-pennons, plain white armor, and arrows fletched with white feathers; seen from afar they were like white reed-flowers. The king himself grasped the battle-axe, bore the white banner, and stood in the middle of the array. The left army was made in the same way, all in red lower garments, with red falcon-pennons, cinnabar armor, and arrows fletched with vermilion feathers; seen from afar they were like fire. The right army was made in the same way, all in black lower garments, with black banners, black armor, and arrows fletched with crow feathers; seen from afar they were like ink. There were thirty thousand men in armor. Poised for the attack, they were set in their places by cockcrow. When the array was complete, it stood one li from the army of Jin. In the grey of dawn the king took the drumstick and himself went and sounded the bells and drums and gongs and the chunyu, and shook the hand-bells. Brave and timid alike answered, and the three armies all shouted and roared as they mustered, and the sound shook Heaven and earth.
The army of Jin was greatly alarmed and did not come out. They ringed their camp and put its ramparts in order, and then sent Dong He (董褐) to ask what the matter was, saying: "Our two lords were to lay down their arms and join in friendship, with noon for the appointed hour. Now the great state has stepped out of its order and come up to the ramparts of our humble camp; we venture to ask the reason for this disorder."
The king of Wu answered him in person: "The Son of Heaven has issued a command. The house of Zhou is lowly and straitened, no tribute comes in, and the High Lord and the ghosts and spirits cannot be told of it. There is no rescue from those of the Ji surname, and on foot and by post-carriage they have come to tell us. I have kept on night and day without a break and crawled here to my lord. My lord now does not take the unquiet state of the royal house for his worry, but rests secure in reliance on the multitudes of Jin, and does not employ them against the Rong, the Di, Chu, or Qin; he does not keep the order of elder and younger, but by force chastises one or two of his brother states. I wish to keep the rank and station of my former lords: to advance beyond them I dare not, and to fall behind them I may not. Now the day of the meeting presses close, and I fear the business will not be brought off and that we shall be laughed at by the feudal lords. Whether I serve my lord rests upon this day; whether I do not serve my lord also rests upon this day. That the messenger might not have far to go, I have come in person to await the command outside your palisade."
As Dong He was about to return, the king called to the left wing: "Take the junior marshal Zi and five of the king's officers, and set them before the king." They all came forward and cut their own throats in front of the guest, as a pledge to the guest.
When Dong He had delivered the answer, he reported to Zhao Yang (趙鞅): "I have observed the countenance of the king of Wu; he seems to carry some great sorrow. At the least, a favored concubine or his heir has died, or there is great trouble in his state; at the most, Yue has entered Wu. He will be savage, and must not be fought. My master should grant him precedence and not court danger by holding out; yet it must not be granted for nothing." Zhao Yang assented.
Jin then sent Dong He back with this answer: "Our unworthy lord has not ventured to display his troops and appear in person, but sends He to reply, saying: 'As to what my lord said before — that the house of Zhou is already lowly and the feudal lords have failed in ritual toward the Son of Heaven, and that he would seek a true determination from the tortoise oracle and gather in again the feudal lords of Kings Wen and Wu — we, from myself downward, dwell close and near to the Son of Heaven and have nowhere to flee our guilt. The reproofs come daily, saying: "In former times our uncle of Wu did not fail; in spring and autumn he always led the feudal lords to have regard for me, the one man. Now our uncle has the reckoning with the Man and the Jing upon him, and the rites of his line are not carried on." Therefore he commands me, the solitary one, to assist the Duke of Zhou in ritual and to meet with one or two of my brother states, so as to ease the royal sorrow. Now my lord assumes the style of king by the eastern sea, and his usurped title has come to the hearing of the Son of Heaven. My lord has a low wall and himself climbs over it — how much more, then, would the Man and the Jing care anything for the house of Zhou? The mandate-tablet carries its own charge, and it says plainly Earl of Wu, not King of Wu. That is why the feudal lords venture to decline. The feudal lords have no two lords, and Zhou has no two kings. If my lord will not lower the Son of Heaven and provoke what is ill-omened, but will call himself Duke of Wu, how should I dare not to follow my lord's command in the matter of first and last!' And we assent."
The king of Wu assented, and withdrew to the tent for the meeting. The Duke of Wu smeared the blood first, and the Marquis of Jin came after him. When the king of Wu had held the meeting, the news from Yue grew still more public, and he feared that Qi and Song would do him harm. So he ordered Wangsun Luo to go ahead with Yong Huo, leading the foot soldiers, to pass through Song as guests, and in passing to burn its northern outer wall.
Fuchai Withdraws from Huangchi and Sends Wangsun Gou to Report to Zhou (夫差退于黃池使王孫苟告于周)
King Fuchai of Wu, having withdrawn from Huangchi, sent Wangsun Gou to report his services to Zhou, saying: "In former times the men of Chu acted without the Way, did not take up their share of the king's business, and estranged from us one or two of our brother states. Our former lord Helü (闔廬) neither pardoned it nor bore it: he put on armor and girded his sword, drew his lance and shook the hand-bell, and with King Zhao of Chu fought fiercely up and down the plain at Boju. Heaven bestowed its good upon us: the army of Chu was utterly defeated, the king left his state, and we came at last to Ying. The king gathered together all their officers and had the sacrifices of their altars of soil and grain carried on. Then father and son, elder and younger brother could not agree; Fugai, styling himself king, made rebellion, and for that reason we went home again to Wu. Now Ren, the marquis of Qi, has taken no warning from Chu. He too has not taken up his share of the king's command, and has estranged from us one or two of our brother states. Fuchai neither pardoned it nor bore it: he put on armor and girded his sword, drew his lance and shook the hand-bell, followed the Wen and attacked Bo, and rain-hats and rain-shades were within sight of one another all the way to Ailing. Heaven bestowed its good, and the army of Qi turned back. How should Fuchai presume to make much of himself? It was Kings Wen and Wu who truly bestowed that good. On my return, before the year's grain had ripened, I went down the Yangzi and up the Huai, cut a canal and deepened the waters, came out between Shang and Lu, and so opened a way through to our brother states. Fuchai has been able to bring the business to completion, and ventures to send Gou to report it to your attendant officers."
The king of Zhou answered: "Gou, your uncle has bidden you come, to make clear that he continues the offering to me, the one man; and I approve of it. In former times the house of Zhou met with disaster sent down by Heaven and suffered the ill fortune of its people. How should my heart forget its grief and its care? It is not only the lands below that are without rest and peace. Now your uncle says, 'Let us join our strength and be one in virtue.' If your uncle can indeed do so, I, the one man, shall share in receiving your great blessing. May your uncle pass through many years and bring his good body to its end. Your uncle's holding of virtue is broad and great indeed!"
Goujian Destroys Wu and Fuchai Takes His Own Life (句踐滅吳夫差自殺)
King Fuchai of Wu returned from Huangchi, rested his people, and kept no guard. The Yue grandee Zhong then raised the proposal, saying: "I thought the king of Wu would go on to cross into our land. Now he has dismissed his army and keeps no guard, having forgotten us; we may not be slack. In days past your servant divined it with Heaven. Now the people of Wu are worn out, there is a great dearth and famine upon famine, there is not even coarse red rice in the markets, and the round and the square granaries are empty; their people must move to the shore of the eastern sea for rushes and shellfish. Heaven's augury has shown its sign, and the affairs of men are plain to see besides; we have no need of tortoise or milfoil. If Your Majesty now raises an army to engage them and takes away their advantage, do not let the man mend his ways. Those of Wu's border districts that lie far off are worn out and will not have come up; the king of Wu will be ashamed not to fight, and surely will not wait for their arrival to engage, but will fight us with the army of his capital. If the affair goes fortunately for us, we shall then tread their land, and even those who do come up will not be able to join the battle; and we shall use Yu'er to confront them. If the king of Wu grows angry and fights again, he can be made to flee. If he does not fight but concludes a peace, Your Majesty may quietly take a full name from it and depart." The king of Yue said: "Good indeed!" And he put his host under full alert, meaning to attack Wu.
Shen Baoxu (申包胥) of Chu came on a mission to Yue, and King Goujian of Yue asked him: "The state of Wu acts without the Way. It seeks to ruin my altars of soil and grain and my ancestral temple, to make them a level plain and not let them have blood offerings. I wish to seek Heaven's favor against them. Chariots and horses, arms and armor, soldiers and ranks are all ready, but I have nothing by which to put them into action. May I ask by what means one may fight?" Baoxu declined, saying: "I do not know." The king pressed the question, and then he answered: "Wu is a fine state, and can take broadly from the feudal lords. May I venture to ask by what my lord king means to fight it?"
The king said: "With those at my side I have never dared fail to share a cup of wine, a dish of meat, a basket of rice. In food and drink I do not seek the full savor; in listening to music I do not exhaust its sounds; I seek by this to requite Wu. I would fight with this." Baoxu said: "Good it is, but not yet enough to fight with."
The king said: "Within the state of Yue, the sick I visit and the dead I bury; I treat the old as old, am kind to the young, bring up the orphans, and inquire after the ailing; I seek by this to requite Wu. I would fight with this." Baoxu said: "Good it is, but not yet enough to fight with."
The king said: "Within the state of Yue I am lenient with the people and treat them as my children; I am loyal and generous and do well by them. I put my ordinances in order and relax my punishments, grant the people what they desire and take away what they hate, praise their goodness and cover over their faults; I seek by this to requite Wu. I would fight with this." Baoxu said: "Good it is, but not yet enough to fight with."
The king said: "Within the state of Yue I set the rich at ease and give to the poor; I relieve their want and trim their surplus, so that rich and poor alike find profit in it; I seek by this to requite Wu. I would fight with this." Baoxu said: "Good it is, but not yet enough to fight with."
The king said: "To the south of Yue is Chu, to the west Jin, to the north Qi. In spring and autumn, with furs and money, jade and silk, and sons and daughters, I have served them as a guest serves and have never dared break off; I seek by this to requite Wu. I would fight with this." Baoxu said: "Good indeed — nothing could be added to it; and yet it is still not enough to fight with. In war, wisdom comes first, humanity next, courage next. Without wisdom, one does not know the measure of the people, and has nothing by which to weigh the many and the few of the world; without humanity, one cannot share with the three armies the affliction of hunger and toil; without courage, one cannot cut through doubt and set the great plan in motion." The king of Yue said: "So be it."
King Goujian of Yue then summoned his five grandees and said: "Wu acts without the Way. It seeks to ruin my altars of soil and grain and my ancestral temple, to make them a level plain and not let them have blood offerings. I wish to seek Heaven's favor against them. Chariots and horses, arms and armor, soldiers and ranks are all ready, but I have nothing by which to put them into action. I asked Wangsun Baoxu, and he has already given me his instruction; I venture now to consult my grandees and ask by what means one may fight. Goujian wishes his grandees to speak, all telling him their true minds and not humoring him, for I mean to raise a great undertaking upon it."
The grandee She Yong came forward and answered: "If rewards are exact, may one fight?" The king said: "That is penetrating." The grandee Ku Cheng came forward and answered: "If punishments are exact, may one fight?" The king said: "That is fierce." The grandee Zhong came forward and answered: "If the insignia are exact, may one fight?" The king said: "That is discerning." The grandee Li came forward and answered: "If the defenses are exact, may one fight?" The king said: "That is skillful." The grandee Gao Ru came forward and answered: "If the signals of sound are exact, may one fight?" The king said: "That will do."
The king then ordered his officers to make a great proclamation in the state: "Everyone fit to bear arms is to present himself outside the city gate." The king then commanded throughout the state: "Let any man of the state who wishes to make a statement come and state it. If what he tells me is not exact, he shall be put to death to his own hurt. Within five days he must make it exact; after five days the method will no longer serve."
The king then went in to give his charge to his lady. The king stood with his back to the screen and the lady faced the screen. The king said: "From this day on, the government within is not to go out, and the government without is not to come in. If there is disgrace within, it is yours; if there is disgrace without, it is mine. My seeing you ends here." The king then went out. The lady saw the king off but did not go beyond the screen; she shut the left leaf of the door and heaped earth against it, took off her hairpin, sat apart upon a single mat, and did not sweep.
The king stood with his back to the eaves and the grandees faced the eaves. The king charged the grandees: "If the yield of the land is not evenly shared and the ground is not brought under tillage, and there is disgrace within the state, it is yours; if the soldiers do not fight to the death and there is disgrace without, it is mine. From this day on, the government within is not to go out, and the government without is not to come in. My seeing you ends here." The king then went out. The grandees saw the king off but did not go beyond the eaves; they shut the left leaf of the door and heaped earth against it, sat apart upon single mats, and did not sweep.
The king then went to the altar ground where the ranks were drawn up, beat the drum and set them marching, and on reaching the camp beheaded an offender and paraded him about, saying: "Let no one be like this man, passing rings and ear-plugs about in bribes." The next day they shifted camp; he beheaded an offender and paraded him about, saying: "Let no one be like this man, who did not obey the orders of his file." The next day they shifted camp; he beheaded an offender and paraded him about, saying: "Let no one be like this man, who did not follow the king's command." The next day they shifted camp and reached Yu'er; he beheaded an offender and paraded him about, saying: "Let no one be like this man, licentious and idle beyond restraint."
The king then ordered his officers to make a great proclamation through the army: "Whoever has aged parents and no brothers, let him report it." The king in person charged such men: "I have a great undertaking. You have aged parents, and if you die for me your parents will be tipped into ditch and gully; the service you would do me is too heavy. Go home and see out your parents' years. If there is business later, I will plan it with you."
The next day he proclaimed through the army: "Whoever has four or five brothers all here, let him report it." The king in person charged them: "I have a great undertaking. You have four or five brothers all here, and if the affair does not succeed, that will be the end of you all. Choose one among you whom you wish to send home."
The next day he proclaimed through the army: "Whoever suffers from dizziness and dimness of sight, let him report it." The king in person charged them: "I have a great undertaking. You suffer from dizziness and dimness of sight; go home and let it rest. If there is business later, I will plan it with you."
The next day he proclaimed through the army: "Those whose sinews and strength are not enough to bear arms and armor, and whose will and conduct are not enough to obey commands, are to go home; they need not report it." The next day he moved the army into close accord, beheaded an offender and paraded him about, saying: "Let no one be like this man, whose will and conduct were not resolute." Thereupon every man had a heart set upon giving his life. The king then ordered his officers to make a great proclamation through the army: "If any of you, being told to go home, does not go home; to halt, does not halt; to advance, does not advance; to withdraw, does not withdraw; to go left, does not go left; to go right, does not go right — his body shall be cut in two, and his wife and children sold."
Thereupon the king of Wu raised his army and camped north of the river, and the king of Yue camped south of the river. The king of Yue divided his host down the middle into a left and a right army, and made his own household troops, the six thousand "gentlemen," the central army. The next day they were to fight a boat battle on the river. At dusk he ordered the left army to take gags in their mouths and go five li up the river and wait there; and he likewise ordered the right army to take gags in their mouths and cross five li over the river and wait there. At midnight he ordered the left and the right armies to go into the river and beat their drums in mid-stream and wait. The army of Wu heard it and was greatly alarmed, saying: "The men of Yue have divided into two hosts and mean to attack our host from both sides." So without waiting for dawn they too divided their host down the middle, meaning to fend off Yue. The king of Yue then ordered his central army to take gags in their mouths and cross in silence; without drums and without shouting they fell upon them, and the army of Wu was utterly routed. The left and the right armies of Yue then crossed and followed after, and again heavily defeated them at Mo, and defeated them again in the outskirts. In three battles Wu was three times routed, and so they came to Wu. The army of Yue then entered the state of Wu and besieged the royal terrace.
The king of Wu was afraid, and sent a man to sue for peace, saying: "In former times I, the unworthy one, first put myself under the disposal of the lord of Yue. My lord spoke to me and asked for peace, and men and women submitted. I could do nothing against the former lords of Yue; fearing what Heaven holds ill-omened, I dared not cut off your sacrifices, and I granted my lord peace, and so it has been until now. Now I have acted without the Way and have incurred guilt against my lord king, and my lord king has demeaned himself to come in person to our poor town. I venture to ask for peace, and men and women will submit to serve as servants and attendants."
The king of Yue said: "In former times Heaven gave Yue to Wu, and Wu did not accept it. Now Heaven gives Wu to Yue. Should I dare to disobey Heaven's mandate and obey my lord's command?" And he did not grant the peace. He then sent a man to tell the king of Wu: "Heaven has given Wu to Yue, and I dare not fail to accept it. Since a man's life is not long, let Your Majesty not die. A man living upon the earth is a lodger; how long is his stay? I will convey Your Majesty to Yongjudong, with three hundred married couples, whomever Your Majesty is content to have, so as to see out Your Majesty's years."
Fuchai declined, saying: "Heaven has sent down disaster upon the state of Wu — not before my time nor after, but upon my own person; and I have truly lost the ancestral temple and the altars of soil and grain. All the land and people of Wu are Yue's already. With what face should I look upon the world?" As Fuchai was about to die, he sent a man to speak to Zixu, saying: "If the dead have no knowledge, then it is over; but if they do have knowledge, with what face shall I meet Yun?" And he killed himself.
Yue destroyed Wu and went up to campaign among the upper states, and the rulers of Song, Zheng, Lu, Wei, Chen, and Cai, who hold the jade tablets, all came to court. This was only because he could put himself below his assembled ministers, and so bring their counsels to completion.
Colophon
This translation was prepared for the Chinese shelf of the Good Works Library, translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below. Each of the nine episodes that make up Book 19 is kept as its own heading, and speeches, remonstrances, and the exchanges of envoys between Wu, Yue, Jin, and Zhou are rendered as continuous speech. Wei Zhao's commentary, which the source carries as interlinear notes set off by 〔 〕, is printed complete in the source layer but has not been translated.
We know of no complete published English translation of the Discourses of the States; only selections and scholarly studies are known to circulate. No claim of firstness is made for this translation.
Shen Xu appears here under that name rather than his better-known name Zixu (or Wu Zixu), matching how the Chinese source identifies him throughout this book.
Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation and editorial work.
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Source Text: 國語 吳語
Classical Chinese text in the Chinese Wikisource transcription, with the commentary of Wei Zhao (韋昭) set in 〔 〕 as the transcription carries it. Presented complete for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above; the commentary is not translated.
卷十九 吳語
越王句踐命諸稽郢行成於吳
吳王夫差起師伐越，越王句踐起師逆之。〔夫差，太伯之後、闔廬之子，姬姓也。句踐，祝融之後、允常之子，羋姓也。鄭語曰：「羋姓夔越。」世本亦云：「越，羋姓也。」魯定十四年，吳伐越，越敗之于檇李，闔廬傷而死。後三年，夫差伐越，報檇李也。越逆之，自江至于五湖，吳人大敗之於夫椒，遂入越。越子以甲楯五千保于會稽。在魯哀元年。〕大夫種乃獻謀〔種，越大夫。獻，進也。〕曰：「夫吳之與越，唯天所授，王其無庸戰。〔庸，用也。〕夫申胥、華登簡服吳國之士於甲兵，而未嘗有所挫也。〔申胥，楚大夫伍奢之子子胥也，名員。魯昭二十年，奢誅于楚，員奔吳，吳與之申地，故曰申胥。華登，宋司馬華費遂之子。華氏作亂於宋而敗，登奔吳，為大夫。簡，習也。挫，毀折也。〕夫一人善射，百夫決拾，〔決，鉤弦。拾，捍。言申胥、華登善用兵，眾必化之，猶一人善射，百夫競著決拾而效之。〕勝未可成也。〔成，猶必也。〕夫謀必素見成事焉，而後履之，〔素，猶豫也。履，行也。〕不可以授命。〔授命，猶鬥命。〕王不如設戎，約辭行成，以喜其民，〔戎，兵也。約，卑也。成，平也。言不如設兵自守，卑約其辭以求平於吳，吳民必喜。〕以廣侈吳王之心。〔侈，大也。〕吾以卜之於天，天若棄吳，必許吾成而不吾足也，〔言越不足畏。〕將必寬然有伯諸侯之心焉。〔寬，緩也。〕既罷弊其民，而天奪之食，安受其燼，〔奪之食，稻蟹之屬。燼，餘也。〕乃無有命矣。」〔吳無復有天命矣。〕
越王許諾，乃命諸稽郢行成於吳，〔諸稽郢，越大夫。〕曰：「寡君句踐使下臣郢不敢顯然布幣行禮，〔布，陳也。幣，玉帛也。顯，猶公露也。〕敢私告於下執事曰：昔者越國見禍，得罪於天王。〔見禍於天也。得罪，謂傷闔廬。言天王，尊之以名。〕天王親趨玉趾，以心孤句踐，〔趾，足也。孤，棄也。〕而又宥赦之。〔宥，寬也。〕君王之於越也，繄起死人而肉白骨也。〔繄，是也。是使白骨生肉，德至厚也。〕孤不敢忘天災，其敢忘君王之大賜乎！今句踐申禍無良，〔申，重也。良，善也。〕草鄙之人，敢忘天王之大德，而思邊垂之小怨，〔遠邑稱鄙。言吳侵越之邊垂，心懷怨恨。〕以重得罪於下執事？〔重得罪，謂報見侵也。〕句踐用帥二三之老，〔家臣稱老，言此謙也。〕親委重罪，頓顙於邊。〔委，猶歸也。邊，邊境。〕
「今君王不察，盛怒屬兵，將殘伐越國。〔察，理也。屬，會也。殘伐，謂隳會稽。〕越國固貢獻之邑也，君王不以鞭箠使之，而辱軍士使寇令焉。〔若禦寇之號令。〕句踐請盟：一介嫡女，執箕箒以晐姓於王宮；〔一介，一人。晐，備也。姓，庶姓。曲禮曰：「納女於天子，曰備百姓。」〕一介嫡男，奉槃匜以隨諸御；〔槃，盛盥器。晉語曰：「奉匜沃盥。」御，近臣宦豎之屬。〕春秋貢獻，不解於王府。天王豈辱裁之？〔豈能辱意裁制之。〕亦征諸侯之禮也。〔征，稅也。此亦天子征稅諸侯之禮。〕
「夫諺曰：『狐埋之而狐搰之，是以無成功。』〔埋，藏也。搰，發也。〕今天王既封植越國，以明聞於天下，〔封植，以草木自喻。壅本曰封。植，立也。明，顯也。 案：「明，顯也」下，公序本尚有「聞於天下，言天下備聞也」十字。〕而又刈亡之，是天王之無成勞也。〔芟草曰刈。勞，功也。〕雖四方之諸侯，則何實以事吳？〔實，實事也。〕敢使下臣盡辭，唯天王秉利度義焉！」〔秉，執也。義，宜也。〕
吳王夫差與越荒成不盟
吳王夫差乃告諸大夫曰：「孤將有大志於齊，〔言欲伐齊。〕吾將許越成，而無拂吾慮。〔拂，絕也。〕若越既改，吾又何求？若其不改，反行，吾振旅焉。」〔伐齊反，振旅而討之。〕
申胥諫曰：「不可許也。夫越非實忠心好吳也，又非懾畏吾兵甲之彊也。大夫種勇而善謀，將還玩吳國於股掌之上，以得其志。〔還，轉也。玩，弄也。脛本曰股。〕夫固知君王之蓋威以好勝也，〔蓋，猶尚也。〕故婉約其辭，以從逸王志，〔婉，順也。約，卑也。從，順隨也。〕使淫樂於諸夏之國，以自傷也。使吾甲兵鈍獘，民人離落，而日以憔悴，〔離，叛也。落，殞也。憔悴，瘦病也。〕然後安受吾燼。夫越王好信以愛民，四方歸之，年穀時熟，日長炎炎。〔炎炎，進貌。〕及吾猶可以戰也，為虺弗摧，為蛇將若何？」〔虺，小蛇。大傳曰：「封豕長蛇。」〕
吳王曰：「大夫奚隆於越，〔奚，何也。隆，盛也。〕越曾足以為大虞乎？〔虞，度也。〕若無越，則吾何以春秋曜吾軍士？」乃許之成。
將盟，越王又使諸稽郢辭曰：「以盟為有益乎？前盟口血未乾，〔未乾，喻近。〕足以結信矣。以盟為無益乎？君王舍甲兵之威以臨使之，而胡重於鬼神而自輕也？」吳王乃許之，荒成不盟。〔荒，空也。〕
夫差伐齊不聽申胥之諫
吳王夫差既許越成，乃大戒師徒，將以伐齊。申胥進諫曰：「昔天以越賜吳，而王弗受。夫天命有反，〔反，謂盛者更衰，禍者有福。〕今越王句踐恐懼而改其謀，舍其愆令，〔舍，廢也。愆，過也。〕輕其征賦，施民所善，去民所惡，身自約也，裕其眾庶，〔裕，饒也。〕其民殷眾，〔殷，盛也。〕以多甲兵。越之在吳，猶人之有腹心之疾也。夫越王之不忘敗吳，於其心也侙然，〔案：「侙」原作「戚」。攷異卷四「案『戚』當為『侙』字之誤也。說文：『侙』，惕也，引國語『於其心侙然。』」今據改，注文同。〕服士以伺吾閒。〔侙，猶惕也。閒，隟也。〕今王非越是圖，而齊、魯以為憂。夫齊、魯譬諸疾，疥癬也，〔疥癬在外，為疾微也。〕豈能涉江、淮而與我爭此地哉？將必越實有吳土。〔壤地接而越修德也。〕
「王其盍亦鑑於人，無鑑於水。〔鑑，鏡也。以人為鏡，見成敗；以水為鏡，見形而已。書曰：「人無于水鑑，當于民鑑。」〕昔楚靈王不君，〔不得為君之道。〕其臣箴諫以不入。〔入，受也。〕乃築臺於章華之上，〔章華，地名。〕闕為石郭，陂漢，以象帝舜。〔闕，穿也。陂，壅也。舜葬九疑，其山體水旋其丘，故壅漢水使旋石郭，以象之也。〕罷弊楚國，以閒陳、蔡。〔閒，候也，候其隟而取之。魯昭八年，楚滅陳。十一年滅蔡。〕不修方城之內，〔方城，楚北山。〕踰諸夏而圖東國，〔諸夏，陳、蔡。東國，徐夷、吳、越。〕三歲於沮、汾以服吳、越。〔沮、汾，水名，楚東鄙沮、汾之閒乾谿也。魯昭六年，楚令尹子蕩帥師伐吳，師于豫章，次于乾谿。〕其民不忍饑勞之殃，三軍叛王於乾谿。〔殃，害也。民罷國亂，中外叛潰。事在魯昭十三年。〕王親獨行，屏營仿偟於山林之中，三日乃見其涓人疇。〔涓人，今中涓也。疇，名也。〕王呼之曰：『余不食三日矣。』疇趨而進，王枕其股以寢於地。王寐，疇枕王以墣而去之。〔墣，塊也。〕王覺而無見也，乃匍匐將入於棘闈，棘闈不納，〔棘，楚邑。闈，門也。 案發正卷一九：「『棘闈』，蓋二字地名，韋以『闈』為門，非也。」〕乃入芋尹申亥氏焉。〔申亥，楚大夫，芋尹無宇之子。傳曰：「王沿夏將入鄢，芋尹無宇之子申亥曰：『吾父再奸王命，王弗誅，惠孰大焉。』乃求王，遇諸棘闈。」〕王縊，申亥負王以歸，而土埋之其室。〔傳曰：「王縊，申亥以其二女殉而葬之。」〕此志也，豈遽忘於諸侯之耳乎？〔志，記也。言此事皆見記於諸侯之耳而未忘也。〕
「今王既變鯀、禹之功，〔王，夫差。變，易也。魯語曰：「禹能以德修鯀之功。」〕而高高下下，以罷民於姑蘇。〔高高，起臺榭。下下，深污池。姑蘇，臺名，在吳西，近湖。〕天奪吾食，都鄙荐饑。〔天奪吾食，稻蟹也。都，國也。鄙，邊邑也。荐，重也。〕今王將很天而伐齊。〔很，違也。〕夫吳民離矣，〔有離叛也。〕體有所傾，譬如群獸然，一个負矢，將百群皆奔，〔傾，傷也。言眾獸群聚其中，一個被矢，則百群皆走。以言吳民臨陳就戰，或小有傾傷，亦復然也。〕王其無方收也。〔方，道也。收，還也。〕越人必來襲我，王雖悔之，其猶有及乎？」
王弗聽。十二年，遂伐齊。〔夫差十二年，魯哀十一年。〕齊人與戰於艾陵，〔艾陵，齊地。〕齊師敗績，吳人有功。〔傳曰：「獲齊國書，革車八百乘，甲盾三千。」〕
夫差勝於艾陵使奚斯釋言於齊
吳王夫差既勝齊人於艾陵，乃使行人奚斯釋言於齊，〔奚斯，吳大夫。釋，解也，以言辭自解，歸非於齊。〕曰：「寡人帥不腆吳國之役，遵汶之上，〔役，兵也。汶，齊水名。〕不敢左右，唯好之故。〔不敢左右暴掠齊民，惟有恩好之故。〕今大夫國子興其眾庶，以犯獵吳國之師徒，〔國子，齊卿國書也。犯，陵也。獵，震也。 案：「震」，述聞卷二一以為「虐」之訛。〕天若不知有罪，則何以使下國勝！」〔下國，吳自謂。言天若不知有罪，何以使吳勝齊。〕
申胥自殺
吳王還自伐齊，乃訊〔案：「訊」，攷異卷四據說文、太平御覽引國語，以為「誶」字之誤。注同。〕申胥〔訊，告讓也。〕曰：「昔吾先王體德明聖，達於上帝，〔先王，闔廬。上帝，天也。〕譬如農夫作耦，以刈殺四方之蓬蒿，〔二耜為耦。言子胥佐先王，猶耕者之有耦，以成其事。〕以立名於荊，此則大夫之力也。〔立名於荊，謂敗楚於柏舉，昭王奔隨時。〕今大夫老，而又不自安恬逸，〔恬，猶靜也。逸，樂也。〕而處以念惡，〔處，居也。居則念為惡於吳國。〕出則罪吾眾，〔罪吾眾，謂「吳民離矣，體有所傾」之屬。〕撓亂百度，〔撓，擾也。度，法度。〕以妖孽吳國。〔妄為妖言：「越當襲吳。」〕今天降衷於吳，〔衷，善也。〕齊師受服。孤豈敢自多，先王之鍾鼓，寔式靈之。〔式，用也。靈，神也。〕敢告於大夫。」
申胥釋劍而對曰：「昔吾先王世有輔弼之臣，〔言闔廬以前。〕以能遂疑計惡，〔遂，決也。計，慮也。〕以不陷於大難。今王播棄黎老，〔鮐背之耇稱黎老，播，放也。 案：公序本作「播，放也。黎，凍梨，壽徵也。」〕而孩童焉比謀，〔孩，幼也。比，合也。〕曰『余令而不違。』〔不違，言莫違也。〕夫不違，乃違也。〔乃違道也。〕夫不違，亡之階也。夫天之所棄，必驟近其小喜，〔小喜，勝敵之喜，「紂之百克」是也。 案：「『紂之百克』是也」，公序本作「謂有所克定也」。〕而遠其大憂。〔大憂在後，故遠也。〕王若不得志於齊，而以覺寤王心，而吳國猶世。〔世，繼世。〕吾先君得之也，必有以取之；〔得，謂克楚。傳曰：「闔廬食不二味，勤恤其民。」取之，謂此也。〕其亡之也，亦有以棄之。〔亡之，謂不正其師，以班處宮，復為楚所敗。〕用能援持盈以沒，〔盈，滿也。沒，終也。〕而驟救傾以時。〔言不失時。〕今王無以取之，〔言無政德。〕而天祿亟至，〔亟，數也。〕是吳命之短也。員不忍稱疾辟易，以見王之親為越之擒也。員請先死。」遂自殺。〔辟易，狂疾。〕將死，曰：「以懸吾目於東門，以見越之入，吳國之亡也。」王慍曰：「孤不使大夫得有見也。」乃使取申胥之尸，盛以鴟夷，而投之於江。〔鴟夷，革囊。〕
吳晉爭長未成，句踐襲吳
吳王夫差既殺申胥，不稔於歲，〔稔，熟也。謂後年不至於熟而北征也。夫差以哀十一年殺子胥，十二年會魯於橐皋。〕乃起師北征。闕為深溝，通於商、魯之閒，〔闕，穿也。商，宋也。〕北屬之沂，〔沂，水名，出泰山，蓋南至下邳入泗。〕西屬之濟，〔濟，宋水。〕以會晉公午於黃池。〔黃池，地名。晉公午，晉定公也。黃池會在魯哀十三年。〕
於是越王句踐乃命范蠡、舌庸，〔二子，越大夫。〕率師沿海泝淮以絕吳路。〔沿，順也。逆流而上曰泝。循海而逆入於淮，以絕吳王之歸路。〕敗王子友於姑熊夷。〔姑熊夷，吳郊也。王子友，夫差太子也。夫差未及反，越伐吳，吳拒之，獲太子友。〕越王句踐乃率中軍泝江〔江，吳江。或有「淮」字者，誤。〕以襲吳，入其郛，〔郛，郭也。〕焚其姑蘇，徙其大舟。〔大舟，王舟。徙，取也。〕
吳、晉爭長未成，〔長，先也。成，定也。〕邊遽乃至，以越亂告。〔遽，傳也。〕吳王懼，乃合大夫而謀曰：「越為不道，背其齊盟。〔齊，同也。〕今吾道路修遠，〔案：「修遠」，公序本作「悠遠」，並有注文「悠，長也」三字。〕無會而歸，與會而先晉，孰利？」〔先晉，令晉先歃。〕王孫雒曰：「夫危事不齒，〔王孫雒，吳大夫。齒，年也，不以年次對也。〕雒敢先對。二者莫利。無會而歸，越聞章矣，民懼而走，遠無正就。〔正，適也。〕齊、宋、徐、夷曰：『吳既敗矣！』〔宋，今睢陽。徐，今大徐。夷，准夷。〕將夾溝而㢋我，〔旁擊曰㢋。〕我無生命矣。會而先晉，晉既執諸侯之柄以臨我，將成其志以見天子。〔以侯伯之禮見天子。〕吾須之不能，〔不能待見天子。〕去之不忍。若越聞愈章，〔愈，益也。〕吾民恐叛。必會而先之。」〔先，吳先歃。〕
王乃步就王孫雒曰：「先之，圖之將若何？」王孫雒曰：「王其無疑，吾道路悠遠，必無有二命，焉可以濟事。」〔欲決一計，求先晉。濟，成也。〕王孫雒進，顧揖諸大夫曰：「危事不可以為安，死事不可以為生，則無為貴智矣。〔言人之不能以危易安，以死易生，則何貴於智。〕民之惡死而欲貴富以長沒也，與我同。〔長，老也。沒，終也。〕雖然，彼近其國，有遷；我絕慮，無遷。〔遷，轉退也。絕慮，道遠。〕彼豈能與我行此危事也哉？〔言晉不能以死與我爭。〕事君勇謀，於此用之。〔勇而有謀，正謂今時。〕今夕必挑戰，以廣民心。〔挑晉求戰，以廣大民心，示不懼也。〕請王勵士，以奮其朋勢。〔朋，群也。勉勵士卒，以奮激其群黨之勢，使有鬥心。〕勸之以高位重畜，〔重畜，寶財。〕備刑戮以辱其不勵者，〔備，具也。〕令各輕其死。彼將不戰而先我，〔推先我也。〕我既執諸侯之柄，〔為盟主，故執柄。〕以歲之不穫也，無有誅焉，〔穫，收也。誅，責也。不責諸侯之貢賦。〕而先罷之，〔罷遣諸侯，令先歸。〕諸侯必說。〔說，喜也。〕既而皆入其地，〔入其國境。〕王安挺志，〔挺，寬也。〕一日惕，一日留，〔惕，疾也。留，徐也。〕以安步王志。〔步，行也。〕必設以此民也，封於江、淮之閒，乃能至於吳。」〔設，許其勸勉者。以此民封之於江、淮之閒以恐之，必速至也。 案：「以此民封之於江、淮之間以恐之」，札記引段玉裁說「恐」當作「誘」。〕吳王許諾。
吳欲與晉戰得為盟主
吳王昏乃戒，令秣馬食士。〔秣，粟也。〕夜中，乃令服兵擐甲，〔夜中，夜半也。服，執也。擐，貫也。甲，鎧也。〕係馬舌，出火灶，〔係，縳也，縳馬舌恐有聲也。出火於灶外，以自燭之。〕陳士卒百人，以為徹行百行。〔徹，通也。以百人通為一行，百行為萬人，謂之方陣。〕行頭皆官師，擁鐸拱稽，〔三君皆云：「官師，大夫也。」昭謂：下言「十行一嬖大夫」，此一行宜為士。周禮：「百人為卒，卒長皆上士。」擁，猶抱也。拱，執也。抱鐸者，亦恐有聲也。唐尚書云：「稽，棨戟也。」鄭司農以為：「稽，計兵名籍也。」周禮：「聽師田以簡稽。」〕建肥胡，奉文犀之渠。〔肥胡，幡也。文犀之渠，謂楯也。文犀，犀之有文理者。〕十行一嬖大夫，〔十行，千人。嬖，下大夫也。子產謂子南曰：「子皙，上大夫。汝，嬖大夫。」〕建旌提鼓，〔析羽為旌。提，挈也。〕挾經秉枹。〔在掖曰挾。經，兵書也。秉，執也。〕十旌一將軍，〔十旌，萬人。將軍，命卿。〕載常建鼓，挾經秉枹。〔日月為常。鼓，晉鼓也。周禮：「將軍執晉鼓。」建，謂為楹而樹之。〕萬人以為方陣，〔百行，故萬人，正四方也。〕皆白裳、白旂、素甲、白羽之矰，望之如荼。〔交龍為旂。素甲，白甲。矰，矢名，以白羽為衛。荼，茅秀也。〕王親秉鉞，載白旗以中陳而立。〔熊虎為旗。此王所帥中軍。〕左軍亦如之，〔亦如中軍「載常建鼓，挾經秉枹」之屬。〕皆赤裳、赤旟、丹甲、朱羽之矰，望之如火。〔鳥隼為旟，尚赤。左，為陽也。丹，彤也。朱羽，染為朱也。〕右軍亦如之，皆玄裳、玄旗、黑甲、烏羽之矰，望之如墨。〔墨，漆甲，尚黑。右，陰也。〕為帶甲三萬，〔帶甲，衿鎧。〕以勢攻，雞鳴乃定。既陳，去晉軍一里。昧明，王乃秉枹，親就鳴鐘鼓、丁寧、錞于振鐸，〔丁寧，謂鉦也。唐尚書云：「錞于，鐲。」非也。錞于與鐲各異物，軍行鳴之，與鼓相應。 案：「丁寧，謂鉦也」，札記引段玉裁說，當作「丁寧，令丁，謂鉦也」。〕勇怯盡應，三軍皆譁釦以振旅，〔譁釦，讙呼。〕其聲動天地。
晉師大駭不出，周軍飭壘，〔周，繞也。飾，治也。〕乃令董褐請事，〔董褐，晉大夫司馬寅。請，問也。 案：「司馬寅」原作「司馬演」。攷異卷四據左傳哀公十三年疏、文選王仲宣贈文叔良詩注引國語注「演」並作「寅」。今據改。〕曰：「兩君偃兵接好，日中為期。〔偃，匿也。接，合也。〕今大國越錄，〔錄，第也。〕而造於弊邑之軍壘，敢請亂故。」〔敢問先期亂次之故。〕
吳王親對之曰：「天子有命，周室卑約，貢獻莫入，上帝鬼神而不可以告。〔無以告祭於天神人鬼。〕無姬姓之振也，〔振，救也。〕徒遽來告。孤日夜相繼，〔徒，步也。遽，傳車也。〕匍匐就君。君今非王室不平安是憂，億負晉眾庶，不式諸戎、狄、楚、秦；〔億，安也。負，恃也。安恃其眾而不用征伐戎、狄、楚、秦卑周者。〕將不長弟，以力征一二兄弟之國。〔弟，猶幼也。言晉不帥長幼之節，而征伐同姓兄弟之國，謂魯、衛之屬。或云：「謂晉滅虞、虢、韓、魏。」然滅虞、虢、韓、魏皆在春秋之始，非所以責定公。〕孤欲守吾先君之班爵，〔爵次當為盟主。〕進則不敢，〔不敢過先君。〕退則不可。〔亦不可不及也。〕今會日薄矣，〔薄，迫也。〕恐事之不集，以為諸侯笑。〔集，成也。〕孤之事君在今日，不得事君亦在今日。〔言欲戰以決之也。不勝，則服事君；若勝之，則為盟主。〕為使者之無遠也，孤用親聽命於藩籬之外。」〔藩蘺，壁落。〕
董褐將還，王稱左畸曰：「攝少司馬茲與王士五人，坐於王前。」〔賈、唐二君云：「稱，呼也。左畸，軍左部也。攝，執也。少司馬茲與王士五人，皆罪人死士也。」〕乃皆進，自𠜲於客前以酬客。〔賈、唐二君云：「𠜲，剄也。酬，報也。將報客，使死士自剄，以示其威行，軍士用命也。」昭謂：魯定十四年，吳伐越，越王使罪人自剄以誤吳。故夫差傚之。〕
董褐既致命，〔致命於晉君。〕乃告趙鞅〔趙鞅，晉正卿趙簡子也。〕曰：「臣觀吳王之色，類有大憂，〔類，似也。傳曰：「肉食者無墨，今吳王有墨。」墨，暴氣也。〕小則嬖妾、嫡子死，不則國有大難；〔大難，反叛。〕大則越入吳。將毒，不可與戰。〔毒，猶暴也。言若猛獸被毒悖暴。〕主其許之先，無以待危，〔主，趙鞅。〕然而不可徒許也。」〔徒，空也。言不可空許，宜有辭義。〕趙鞅許諾。
晉乃令董褐復命曰：「寡君未敢觀兵身見，〔觀，示也。〕使褐復命曰：『曩君之言，〔曩，向也。〕周室既卑，諸侯失禮於天子，〔謂不朝貢。〕請貞於陽卜，收文、武之諸侯。〔貞，正也。龜曰卜，以火發兆，故曰陽。言吳欲正陽卜，收復文王、武王之諸侯，以奉天子。〕孤以下密邇於天子，無所逃罪，〔孤以下，晉辭也。密，比也。邇，近也。〕訊讓日至，〔訊，告也。 案札記：「段云此『訊』亦『誶』之誤。」〕曰：昔吳伯父不失，春秋必率諸侯以顧在余一人。〔此晉述天子告讓之辭。同姓元侯曰伯父；吳伯父，吳先君。不失，四時必率諸侯備朝聘之禮。〕今伯父有蠻、荊之虞，禮世不續，〔今，謂夫差。虞，度也。言夫差有蠻、荊之備，廢朝聘之禮，不得繼世續前人之職。〕用命孤禮佐周公，以見我一二兄弟之國，以休君憂。〔休，息也。周公，周之太宰，諸侯之師。言君有蠻、荊之虞，故命晉侯以禮佐助周公，與兄弟之國相見，命朝聘天子。息君憂，周之憂也。〕今君掩王東海，以淫名聞於天子，〔掩，蓋也。淫，僭也。名，號也。〕君有短垣，而自踰之，〔垣者，喻禮防雖短，不可踰也。言王室雖卑，不可僭也。〕況蠻、荊則何有於周室？〔言吳姬姓，而自僭號，況於蠻、荊，有何義於周室而不為乎？〕夫命圭有命，固曰吳伯，不曰吳王。〔命圭，受錫圭之策命。周禮：「伯執躬圭。」吳本稱伯，故曰吳伯。〕諸侯是以敢辭。〔辭不事吳。〕夫諸侯無二君，而周無二王，君若無卑天子，以干其不祥，〔干，犯也。〕而曰吳公，孤敢不順從君命長弟！』〔案：「孤敢不順從君命長弟」下「許諾」二字，攷異卷四據文選注引國語，無此二字。〕許諾。」〔長，先也。弟，後也。〕
吳王許諾，乃退就幕而會。〔幕，帳也。〕吳公先歃，晉侯亞之。吳王既會，越聞愈章，恐齊、宋之為己害也，乃命王孫雒先與勇獲帥徒師，以為過賓於宋，以焚其北郛焉而過之。〔勇獲，吳大夫。徒師，步卒也。郛，郭也。託為過賓而焚其郭，去其守備，使不敢出。〕
夫差退于黃池使王孫苟告于周
吳王夫差既退于黃池，乃使王孫苟告勞于周，〔王孫苟，吳大夫。勞，功也。〕曰：「昔者楚人為不道，不承共王事，以遠我一二兄弟之國。〔遠，疏也。〕吾先君闔廬不貰不忍，〔貰，赦也。〕被甲帶劍，挺鈹搢鐸，〔挺，拔也。搢，振也。〕以與楚昭王毒逐於中原柏舉。〔柏舉之戰，在魯定四年。毒，暴也。中原，原中也。〕天舍其衷，〔衷，善也，言天舍善於吳。〕楚師敗績，王去其國，〔昭王奔隨。〕遂至于郢。〔郢，楚都。〕王總其百執事，〔賈侍中云：「王，往也。百執事，百官。」昭謂：王，闔廬也。賈君以為告天子，不宜稱王，故云往也。下言夫概稱王，不避天子，故知上王為闔廬。〕以奉其社稷之祭。〔言修楚祭祀。〕其父子、昆弟不相能，夫概王作亂，是以復歸於吳。〔昆，兄也。夫概王，闔廬之弟。傳曰：「夫概王先歸，自立。」故不能定楚而歸。〕今齊侯壬不鑒於楚。〔壬，齊景公孫、悼公之子簡公也。不鑒楚，不以楚敗為鑒戒。〕又不承共王命，以遠我一二兄弟之國。〔說云：「謂齊納欒盈以伐晉。」昭謂：兄弟，魯也。哀十一年春，齊伐魯，故其年吳會魯以伐齊。〕夫差不貰不忍，被甲帶劍，挺鈹搢鐸，遵汶伐博，〔博，齊別都。〕簦笠相望於艾陵。〔唐尚書云：「簦，夫須也。」昭謂：簦笠，備雨器。相望，言不避暑雨。艾陵之戰在上。傳曰：「五月克博，至於嬴。」〕天舍其衷，齊師還。〔言敗而還。〕夫差豈敢自多，文、武寔舍其衷。〔文、武二后。〕歸不稔於歲，〔言伐齊之明年，不至於穀熟而復出師。〕余沿江泝淮，闕溝深水，出於商、魯之閒，以徹於兄弟之國。〔兄弟，諸姬。〕夫差克有成事，敢使苟告於下執事。」〔克，能也。成事，成功也。〕
周王答曰：「苟，伯父令女來，明紹享余一人，若余嘉之。〔周王，周景王子敬王丐。紹，繼也。享，獻也。繼先王之禮，獻我一人，我心誠嘉之。〕昔周室逢天之降禍，遭民之不祥，〔說云：「謂民流厲王於彘。」昭謂：禍，謂子朝篡立，敬王出奔。民，成周之民，助子朝者也。〕余心豈忘憂恤，不唯下土之不康靖。〔不但憂四方，乃憂王室也。〕今伯父曰：『戮力同德。』〔戮，并也。〕伯父若能然，余一人兼受而介福。〔而，汝也。介，大也。〕伯父多歷年以沒元身，〔元，善也。〕伯父秉德已侈大哉！」〔侈，猶廣也。〕
句踐滅吳夫差自殺
吳王夫差還自黃池，息民不戒。〔戒，儆也。〕越大夫種乃唱謀〔發始為唱。〕曰：「吾謂吳王將遂涉吾地，今罷師而不戒以忘我，我不可以怠。日臣嘗卜於天，〔日，昔日。卜於天，「天若棄吳，必許吾成，既罷弊其民，天奪之食，安受其燼」之言。〕今吳民既罷，〔罷，勞也。〕而大荒薦饑，市無赤米，〔赤米，米之姦者，今尚無有。〕而囷鹿空虛，〔員曰囷，方曰鹿。〕其民必移就蒲蠃於東海之濱。〔蒲，深蒲也。蠃，蚌蛤之屬。濱，涯也。〕天占既兆，〔兆，見也。〕人事又見，〔謂怨誹。〕我蔑卜筮矣。王若今起師以會，奪之利，無使夫悛。〔悛，改也。〕夫吳之邊鄙遠者，罷而未至，〔罷，歸也。〕吳王將恥不戰，必不須至之會也，〔不待遠兵。〕而以中國之師與我戰。〔中國，國都。〕若事幸而從我，〔言從我而戰。〕我遂踐其地，其至者亦將不能之會也已，〔言吳邊鄙雖來，將不能會戰。〕吾用禦兒臨之。〔禦兒，越北鄙，在今嘉興。言吳邊兵若至，吾以禦兒之民臨敵之。〕吳王若慍而又戰，〔慍，怒也。〕奔〔案：「奔」，公序本作「幸」。〕遂可出。〔使出奔也。〕若不戰而結成，〔成，平也。〕王安厚取名而去之。」越王曰：「善哉！」乃大戒師，將伐吳。
楚申包胥使於越，〔申包胥，楚大夫王孫包胥也。〕越王句踐問焉，曰：「吳國為不道，求殘我社稷宗廟，以為平原，弗使血食。吾欲與之徼天之衷，〔徼，要也。〕唯是車馬、兵甲、卒伍既具，無以行之。〔行，猶用也。〕請問戰奚以而可？」〔以，用也。〕包胥辭曰：「不知。」〔謙也。〕王固問焉，乃對曰：「夫吳，良國也，〔良，善也。〕能博取於諸侯。〔取貢賦也。〕敢問君王之所以與之戰者？」〔問政惠所行。〕王曰：「在孤之側者，觴酒、豆肉、簞食，未嘗敢不分也。〔觴，爵名。豆，肉器。簞，飯器。〕飲食不致味，〔致，極也。不極五味之調。〕聽樂不盡聲，〔不盡五聲之變。〕求以報吳。願以此戰。」包胥曰：「善則善矣，未可以戰也。」王曰：「越國之中，疾者吾問之，死者吾葬之，老其老，〔敬長老。〕慈其幼，長其孤，問其病，求以報吳。願以此戰。」包胥曰：「善則善矣，未可以戰也。」〔此小惠，未遍，故未可用。〕王曰：「越國之中，吾寬民以子之，忠惠以善之。吾修令寬刑，施民所欲，去民所惡，稱其善，掩其惡，求以報吳。願以此戰。」包胥曰：「善則善矣，未可以戰也。」王曰：「越國之中，富者吾安之，〔不專取也。〕貧者吾與之，救其不足，裁其有餘，〔裁，謂有餘則稅之。〕使貧富皆利之，求以報吳。願以此戰。」包胥曰：「善則善矣，未可以戰也。」王曰：「越國南則楚，西則晉，北則齊，〔西、南、北，皆以中國言之。〕春秋皮幣、玉帛、子女以賓服焉，未嘗敢絕，求以報吳。願以此戰。」包胥曰：「善哉，蔑以加焉，然猶未可以戰也。夫戰，智為始，仁次之，勇次之。不智，則不知民之極，〔極，中也。〕無以銓度天下之眾寡；〔銓，稱也。〕不仁，則不能與三軍共饑勞之殃；不勇，則不能斷疑以發大計。」越王曰：「諾。」
越王句踐乃召吾大夫，〔五大夫，舌庸、苦成、大夫種、范蠡、皋如之屬。〕曰：「吳為不道，求殘吾社稷宗廟，以為平原，不使血食。吾欲與之徼天之衷，唯是車馬、兵甲、卒伍既具，無以行之。吾問於王孫包胥，既命孤矣；〔命，告也。〕敢訪諸大夫，問戰奚以而可？句踐願諸大夫言之，皆以情告，無阿孤，孤將以舉大事。」〔阿，曲從。〕大夫舌庸乃進對曰：「審賞則可以戰乎？」王曰：「聖。」〔審賞，賞不失勞。聖，通也。〕大夫苦成進對曰：「審罰則可以戰乎？」王曰：「猛。」〔能罰則嚴猛也。〕大夫種進對曰：「審物則可以戰乎？」王曰：「辯。」〔說云：「別物善惡。」昭謂：物，旌旗，物色徽幟之屬。辯，別也。〕大夫蠡進對曰：「審備則可以戰乎？」王曰：「巧。」〔備，守禦之備。巧，審密不可攻入也。〕大夫皋如進對曰：「審聲則可以戰乎？」王曰：「可矣。」〔聲，謂鉦鼓進退之聲，聲不審則眾惑。〕王乃命有司大令於國曰：「苟任戎者，皆造於國門之外。」〔國門，城門。〕王乃命於國曰：「國人欲告者來告，〔三君云：「告不任兵事也。」昭謂：告者，謂有善計策，及職事所當陳白者也。不任兵事，則下所謂眩瞀之疾、筋力不足以勝甲兵者是也。〕告孤不審，將為戮不利，〔不審，謂欺詐非實也。〕及五日必審之，〔使熟思計之也。〕過五日，道將不行。」〔道，術也。過五日則晚矣，軍當出也，故術將不行。〕
王乃入命夫人。王背屏而立，夫人向屏。〔屏，寢門內屏。王北向，夫人南向。〕王曰：「自今日以後，內政無出，外政無入。〔內政，婦職。外政，國事。〕內有辱，是子也；外有辱，是我也。吾見子於此止矣。」王遂出，夫人送王，不出屏，〔禮，婦人送迎不出門。〕乃闔左闔，填之以土，〔閉陽開陰，示幽也。〕去笄側席而坐，不掃。〔笄，簪也。去笄，去飾也。側，猶特也。禮，憂者側席而坐。〕王背檐而立，大夫向檐。〔說云：「檐，屋外邊壇也。」唐尚書云：「屋梠也。」昭謂：檐，謂之樀。樀，門戶掩陽也。 案：「屋梠也」原作「屋名也」。發正卷一九：「唐云『屋名』，『名』疑『梠』之誤。說文：『楣，秦名，屋𣝼聯也。齊謂之檐，楚謂之梠。梠，桷也。』又云：『㮰，梠也。檐，㮰也。』唐據說文，故以『檐』為『屋梠』。」今據改。〕王命大夫曰：「食土不均，地之不修，內有辱於國，是子也；〔均，平也。修，墾也。〕軍士不死，外有辱，是我也。自今日以後，內政無出，外政無入，〔內，國政。外，軍政。〕吾見子於此止矣。」王遂出，大夫送王不出檐，〔示當守備。〕乃闔左闔，填之以土，側席而坐，不掃。〔示憂戚無飾也。〕
王乃之壇列，〔壇在野，所以講列士眾誓告之處。〕鼓而行之，至於軍，〔軍，所軍之地也。〕斬有罪者以徇，曰：「莫如此以環瑱通相問也。」〔環，金玉之環。瑱，塞耳也。問，遺也。通，行賂以亂軍。〕明日徙舍，斬有罪者以徇，曰：「莫如此不從其伍之令。」明日徙舍，斬有罪者以徇，曰：「莫如此不用王命。」明日徙舍，至於禦兒，斬有罪者以徇，曰：「莫如此淫逸不可禁也。」
王乃命有司大徇於軍，曰：「有父母耆老而無昆弟者，以告。」〔六十曰耆，七十曰老。〕王親命之曰：「我有大事，子有父母耆老，而子為我死，子之父母將轉於溝壑，〔轉，入也。〕子為我禮已重矣。〔重矣，去父母而來也。〕子歸，歿而父母之世。〔歿，終也。〕後若有事，吾與子圖之。」明日徇於軍，曰：「有兄弟四五人皆在此者，以告。」王親命之曰：「我有大事，子有昆弟四五人皆在此，事若不捷，則是盡也。〔捷，勝也。〕擇子之所欲歸者一人。」明日徇於軍，曰：「有眩瞀之疾者，以告。」王親命之曰：「我有大事，子有眩瞀之疾，其歸若已。〔若，汝也。已，止也。〕後若有事，吾與子圖之。」明日徇於軍，曰：「筋力不足以勝甲兵，志行不足以聽命者歸，莫告。」明日，遷軍接龢，〔上下皆龢。〕斬有罪者以徇，曰：「莫如此志行不果。」〔果，勇決也。〕於是人有致死之心。王乃命有司大徇於軍，曰：「謂二三子歸而不歸，處而不處，〔處，止也。〕進而不進，退而不退，左而不左，右而不右，身斬，妻子鬻。〔鬻，賣也。〕
於是吳王起師，軍於江北，〔江，松江，去吳五十里。〕越王軍於江南。越王乃中分其師以為左右軍，〔傳曰：「越子伐吳，吳子禦之笠澤，夾水而陳。」在魯哀十七年。〕以其私卒君子六千人為中軍。〔私卒君子，王所親近有志行者，猶吳所謂賢良，齊所謂士。〕明日將舟戰於江，及昏，乃令左軍銜枚泝江五里以須，〔須，須後命。〕亦令右軍銜枚踰江五里以須。〔踰，度也。〕夜中，乃命左軍、右軍涉江鳴鼓中水以須。〔夜中，夜半也。中水，水中央也。〕吳師聞之，大駭，曰：「越人分為二師，將以夾攻我師。」乃不待旦，亦中分其師，將以禦越。〔不知越復有中軍，故中分其師以禦之。〕越王乃令其中軍銜枚潛涉，〔潛，默也。涉，度也。〕不鼓不譟以襲攻之，吳師大北。〔軍敗奔走曰北，北，古之背字。〕越之左軍、右軍乃遂涉而從之，又大敗之於沒，〔沒，地名。〕又郊敗之，〔郊，郭外。〕三戰三北，〔三戰，笠澤、沒、郊。〕乃至於吳。越師遂入吳國，圍王臺。〔王臺，姑蘇。 案：「王臺」，公序本作「王宮」。正文同。〕
吳王懼，使人行成，曰：「昔不穀先委制於越君，〔不言越委制於吳，謙而反之。〕君告孤請成，男女服從。孤無奈越之先君何，〔言越先君與吳有好。〕畏天之不祥，不敢絕祀，許君成，以至於今。今孤不道，得罪於君王，君王以親辱於弊邑。孤敢請成，男女服為臣御。」越王曰：「昔天以越賜吳，而吳不受；今天以吳賜越，孤敢不聽天之命，而聽君之令乎？」乃不許成。因使人告於吳王曰：「天以吳賜越，孤不敢不受。以民生之不長，〔長，久也。〕王其無死！民生於地上，寓也，〔寓，寄也。〕其與幾何？〔言幾何時。〕寡人其達王於甬句東，〔達，致也。甬句東，今句章東海口外洲也。 案：札記引段玉裁據困學紀聞說，「海口」當作「浹口」。〕夫婦三百，唯王所安，以沒王年。」〔夫婦各三百人以奉之，在所安可與俱者。 案：「俱」，公序本作「居」。〕夫差辭曰：「天既降禍於吳國，不在前後，當孤之身，寔失宗廟社稷。凡吳土地人民，越既有之矣，孤何以視於天下！」夫差將死，使人說於子胥〔說，告也。〕曰：「使死者無知，則已矣；若其有知，吾何面目以見員也！」遂自殺。
越滅吳，〔在魯哀二十二年冬十一月。〕上征上國，〔上國，中國也。〕宋、鄭、魯、衛、陳、蔡執玉之君皆入朝。〔玉，圭璧也。〕夫唯能下其群臣，以集其謀故也。〔集，成也。言下其群臣，以明吳不用子胥之禍。〕
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The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of the Discourses of the States (article 國語/卷19, revision of 7 June 2024), inspected from a witness copy captured on 22 August 2026. Chinese Wikisource transcriptions are published under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the GFDL; the text itself is ancient and in the public domain. The wiki header, navigation links, license templates, and modern contributors' footnotes have been removed; the text is otherwise complete and unaltered.
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