第八十章
显质
小国寡民。
使有什伯之器而不用；
使民重死而不远徙。
虽有舟舆，无所乘之，虽有甲兵，无所陈之。
使民复结绳而用之，甘其食，美其服，安其居，乐其俗。
邻国相望，鸡犬之声相闻，民至老死，不相往来。
王弼注
英译 · James Legge
Standing alone
In a little state with a small population, I would so order it, that, though there were individuals with the abilities of ten or a hundred men, there should be no employment of them; I would make the people, while looking on death as a grievous thing, yet not remove elsewhere (to avoid it).
Though they had boats and carriages, they should have no occasion to ride in them; though they had buff coats and sharp weapons, they should have no occasion to don or use them.
I would make the people return to the use of knotted cords (instead of the written characters).
They should think their (coarse) food sweet; their (plain) clothes beautiful; their (poor) dwellings places of rest; and their common (simple) ways sources of enjoyment.
There should be a neighbouring state within sight, and the voices of the fowls and dogs should be heard all the way from it to us, but I would make the people to old age, even to death, not have any intercourse with it.
小国寡民。
国既小，民又寡，尚可使反古，况国大民众乎，故举小国而言也。
使有什伯之器而不用，
言使民虽有什伯之器而无所用，何患不足也。
使民重死而不远徙。
使民不用，惟身是宝，不贪货赂，故各安其居，重死而不远徙也。
虽有舟舆，无所乘之，虽有甲兵，无所陈之。使人复结绳而用之，甘其食，美其服，安其居，乐其俗。邻国相望，鸡犬之声相闻，民至老死，不相往来。
无所欲求。