Guiguzi

故与阳言者，依崇高。与阴言者，依卑小。以下求小，以高求大。由此言之，无所不出，无所不入，无所不可。可以说人，可以说家，可以说国，可以说天下。 为小无内，为大无外；益损、去就、倍反，皆以阴阳御其事。 阳动而行，阴止而藏；阳动而出，阴隐而入；阳远终阴，阴极反阳。 以阳动者，德相生也。以阴静者，形相成也。以阳求阴，苞以德也；以阴结阳，施以力也。阴阳相求，由捭阖也。此天地阴阳之道，而说人之法也。为万事之先，是谓圆方之门户。

Those who speak of the Yang must rely on dignity and height; those who speak of the Yin must rely on humility and smallness. By seeking the low one finds the small; by seeking the high one finds the large. Thus, there is nothing from which we cannot emerge, nothing into which we cannot enter, and nothing that cannot be done. We may use this to address an individual, a household, a state, or all under heaven. There is no interior beyond the small and no exterior beyond the great; whether adding or subtracting, departing or approaching, doubling or reversing, all matters are governed by Yin and Yang. The Yang moves outward while the Yin rests and hides; the Yang issues forth while the Yin withdraws and remains hidden; when the Yang reaches its end the Yin follows, and when the Yin reaches its extreme it turns to Yang. Motion of the Yang brings forth virtue through mutual generation; stillness of the Yin completes form. Seeking the Yin with the Yang contains virtue within; binding the Yang with the Yin applies force outward. The seeking between them arises from opening and closing. This is the way of heaven and earth, a method for persuasion that precedes all affairs and serves as the gate to the round and square.

For a reader today This ancient text offers readers a systematic framework for adapting communication and strategy by observing patterns of movement and stillness found in nature. It provides practical guidelines for adjusting one's approach depending on context rather than predicting specific future events or offering advice on modern matters.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

察之以捭阖，能用此道，圣人也。圣人者，天地之使也。世无可抵，则深隐而待时；时有可抵，则为之谋；可以上合，可以检下。能因能循，为天地守神。

Examine matters through opening and closing; he who masters this path is sages. A sage is heaven and earth's agent; if the world offers no refuge, hide deep to wait for timing; when opportunity arises, devise plans; one can unite with above or regulate below. Ability to adapt and follow allows guarding the spirit of heaven and earth.

For a reader today This text offers timeless principles on adapting to changing circumstances while maintaining integrity. It invites readers to observe opportunities for action and withdrawal rather than predicting specific outcomes.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

乃可贵，乃可贱；乃可重，乃可轻；乃可利，乃可害；乃可成，乃可败；其数一也。 故虽有先王之道；圣智之谋，非揣情隐匿，无可索之。此谋之大本也，而说之法也。常有事于人，人莫能先，先事而生，此最难为。故曰：揣情最难守司。言必时其谋虑。故观□飞蠕动，无不有利害，可以生事美。生事者，几之势也。此揣情饰言，成文章而后论之也。

This passage states as a principle that all events can swing between value and worthlessness, heaviness and lightness, profit and harm, success and failure—all following a single underlying pattern. Thus, even with the ways of ancient kings or the wisdom of sages, one cannot discern hidden matters without assessing emotions and concealed truths; this assessment is the foundation of strategy and the method of persuasion. It advises that since others cannot anticipate what has already been plotted, true foresight arises only from understanding human nature as it exists in motion, even among insects or tiny creatures, for every action carries potential advantage or disadvantage that can spark events. Therefore, estimating people's feelings and refining one's words to form a coherent argument is presented here as the essential approach before drawing conclusions.

For a reader today This text offers insight into how human behavior is driven by underlying forces that shift between opposing outcomes. Today's reader can see it as guidance on observing subtle changes in any situation to anticipate how events may unfold based on these dynamic balances.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

是故智者不用其所短而用愚人之所长；不用其所拙而用愚人之所工；故不困也。言其有利者，从其所长也；言其有害者，避其所短也。故介虫之捍也，必以坚厚；螫虫之动也，必以毒螫。故禽兽知用其长，而谈者亦知其用而用也。故曰：辞言有五：曰病、曰恐、曰忧、曰怒、曰喜。病者，感衰气而不神也。恐者，肠绝而无主也。忧者，闭塞而不泄也。怒者，妄动而不治也。喜者，宣散而无要也。此五者精则用之，利则行之。 故与智者言，依于博；与博者言，依于辨；与辨者言，依于要；与贵者言，依于势；与富者言，依于高；与贫者言，依于利；与贱者言，依于谦；与勇者言，依于敢；与愚者言，依于锐；此其术也，而人常反之。是故与智者言，将以此明之；与不智者言，将以此教之；而甚难为也。故言多类，事多变。故终日言不失其类，而事不乱；终日不变，而不失其主。故智贵不忘。听贵聪，辞贵奇。

Therefore, a wise person employs another's strengths to offset their own weaknesses and avoids using what they are bad at, ensuring neither hardship nor failure arises; thus, in speaking, we must focus on strengths while avoiding liabilities, just as armored creatures rely on hardness and stinging ones on poison. There are five states of emotion—sickness, fear, worry, anger, and joy—which dull the spirit, freeze the intestines, block the breath, cause rash movement, or scatter energy without purpose; these should be cultivated if precise and acted upon when beneficial. Consequently, when conversing with the knowledgeable, speak broadly; with the learned, argue finely; with the shrewd, be concise; with the powerful, match their status; with the wealthy, elevate your tone; with the poor, focus on profit; with the lowly, show humility; with the brave, take risks; and with the simple, use sharpness; though these are the methods, people often reverse them. When speaking to a wise person, illuminate their understanding; when speaking to an unwise one, teach them simply, yet this is rarely easy to achieve; for words follow many categories and events change constantly, so one must speak all day without losing direction and remain ever-changing yet never lose the main goal, for wisdom holds high value, hearing requires clarity, and expression demands novelty.

For a reader today This passage offers practical advice on adapting one's communication style to different people and managing emotional states effectively.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.

《鬼谷子本经阴符七术》盛神法五龙盛神法五龙 盛神中有五气，神为之长，心为之舍，得为之大；养神之所，归诸道。道者，天地之始，一其纪也。物之所造，天之所生，包宏无形，化气先天地而成，莫见其形，莫知其名，谓之神灵。故道者，神明之源，一其化端，是以德养五气，心能得一，乃有其术。术者，心气之道所由舍者，神乃为之使。九穷十二舍者，气之门户，心之总摄也。 生受于天，谓之真人；真人者，与天为一。内修练而知之，谓之圣人；圣人者，以类知之。故人与生一出于物化。知类在穷，有所疑惑，通于心术，心无其术，必有不通。其通也，五气得养，务在舍神，此谓之化。化有五气者，志也、思也、神也、德也；神其一长也。静和者，养气。气得其和，四者不衰。四边威势无不为，存而舍之，是谓神化。归于身，谓之真人。真人者，同逃邙合道，执一而养万类，怀天心，施德养，无为以包志虑思意而行威势者也。士者通达之神盛，乃能养志。

This text presents a system of cultivation where the vital spirit is governed by five energies, with the heart serving as its dwelling and the Way as their origin; it asserts that aligning one's mind with this primordial source allows a practitioner to harmonize internal forces and influence external circumstances without forced action. The passage defines the sage and true person as those who have mastered these principles of unity and stillness, offering guidelines for achieving a state where mental clarity naturally commands authority over oneself and others through balanced internal energy rather than external coercion.

For a reader today This passage offers historical insights into ancient Chinese concepts of spiritual cultivation and psychological discipline, framing the pursuit of harmony between mind and nature as a philosophical goal for personal development.

English translation by Eastern Lens, from the revised daizhige Chinese classics corpus. The original Chinese is published alongside it for verification.