中英雙語話中國歷史名人 第32期:墨子
Mo Zi (470 B. C.~391 B. C.) was a Chinese philosopher.
墨子(公元前470年~公元前391年)，哲學家。According to tradition, Mo Zi was originally a follower of the teachings of Confucius, until he became convinced that Confucianism laid too much emphasis on a burdensome code of rituals and too little on religious teaching, at which time Mo Zi decided to go his own way and finally evolved a doctrine of universal love that gave rise to a religious movement called Mohism.
按傳統的說法，墨子最初是孔子教義的追隨者，後來墨子確信儒家學說過於強調繁緝的禮儀，而對宗教教義強調極少，於是墨子決定自尋出路，最終發展成“兼愛”學說，從而創立了墨家思想。
Mo Zi's life, however, resembled that of Confucius in many important respects.
然而，墨子的生活在很多重要方面都與孔子相似。
He was widely read and well versed in the tradition of the Chinese Classics.
墨子的著述被廣泛閱讀，他精通中國經典。Except for a brief period when he held public office. Mo Zi spent most of his life traveling from one feudal state to another in the hope of meeting a prince who would allow him to put his teachings into practice.
除了做了短期的公務人員之外，墨子一生大部分時間都在周遊列國，希望能找到採納自己政見的君主。The Mo Zi, the principal Mohist work, condemned offensive war and urged people to lead a simple life harmful to none.
《墨子》是墨家主要著作。這本書譴責了攻擊性的戰爭，力勸人們過簡單無害的生活。The gist of it is found in the three sets of chapters of its second section, which give an overview of the 10 major tenets: exaltation of the virtuous, identification with the superior, universal love, condemnation of offensive war, economy of expenditures, simplicity in funerals, will of heaven, on ghosts, denunciation of music as a wasteful activity, and antifatalism.
《墨子》要點在中篇的三組文章裏。這些要點給出了十大命題: “尚賢”、“尚同”、“兼愛”、“非攻”、“節用”、“節葬”、“天志”、“明鬼”、“非樂”、“非命”。Since Mohism split into three schools after Mo Zi's death, the three sets of chapters may well represent the three sets of texts preserved by the three schools.
墨子去世後，墨家學派一分爲三，《墨子》三篇被認爲是“三墨”各自所依據的經典。The other sections of Mo Zi might be listed as follows: First , summaries and abstracts of Mo Zi's teachings; Second, discussions on logic and physical sciences; Third, records of Mo Zi's doings and sayings; Finally, a manual of military defense.
《墨子》的其它部分是:一，墨子教義的總結和摘要; 二，邏輯思想和物理科學; 三，墨子的言行記錄; 四，守城技巧與城防制度。
