【原文】必得之事，不足赖也；必诺之言，不足信也。小谨者不大立，訾食者不肥体；有无弃之言者，必参于天地也。……故曰伐矜好专，举事之祸也。不行其野，不违其马；能予而无取者，天地之配也。《形势》

 

【汉解】不应得而求必得的事情，是靠不住的；不应承诺而完全承诺的语言，是信不得的。谨小慎微也不能成大事，就好比挑拣食物不能使身体胖起来一样。能够不放弃以上这些格言的，就能与天地媲美了。……所以说，骄傲自大，独断专行，乃是行事的祸患。虽不到野外跑路，也不要把马丢掉。能够做到只给人们好处而不向人们索取报酬的，那就同天地一样伟大了。

 

【英译】Undertakings that are deemed essential no matter what the circumstance are not necessarily dependable. Speech that always promise is not necessarily trustworthy. Those who spend their energy on petty matters will not accomplish great things. Whoever dislikes food will never grow fat. Words that have an all-embracing character may surely be compared with Heaven and Earth……Therefore it is said:” Aggressive arrogance and the desire to act alone leads to calamity in undertakings. Even when a person is not traveling in the countryside, he does not abandon his horse. Those who can give without taking in return are like Heaven and Earth.