Duke Huan of Ch’i asked Kuan Chung, "What is it the True King should respect?"
Kuan Chung said, "He respects Heaven."
Duke Huan looked up at the sky.
Kuan Chung said, "What I called Heaven is not the blue void of the sky. The True King regards the people as Heaven. When the people are with him, there is peace. When they support him, he is strong. When they disapprove of him, he is in peril. When they rebel against him, he is lost. The Ode says,
People who he thinks are not good
Hate him with one accord.
When the people all with one accord hate their ruler, there has never been an instance when he was not lost."
齐桓公问于管仲曰：“王者何贵？”曰：“贵天。”桓公仰而视天。管仲曰：“所谓天，非苍莽之天也。王者以百姓为天，百姓与之则安，辅之则强，非之则危，倍之则亡。《诗》曰：‘民之无良，相怨一方。’民皆居一方而怨其上，不亡者、未之有也。”
Kuan Chung said, "He respects Heaven."
Duke Huan looked up at the sky.
Kuan Chung said, "What I called Heaven is not the blue void of the sky. The True King regards the people as Heaven. When the people are with him, there is peace. When they support him, he is strong. When they disapprove of him, he is in peril. When they rebel against him, he is lost. The Ode says,
People who he thinks are not good
Hate him with one accord.
When the people all with one accord hate their ruler, there has never been an instance when he was not lost."
齐桓公问于管仲曰：“王者何贵？”曰：“贵天。”桓公仰而视天。管仲曰：“所谓天，非苍莽之天也。王者以百姓为天，百姓与之则安，辅之则强，非之则危，倍之则亡。《诗》曰：‘民之无良，相怨一方。’民皆居一方而怨其上，不亡者、未之有也。”
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