以铜为镜，可以正衣冠
“以铜为镜，可以正衣冠；以史为镜，可以知兴替；以人为镜，可以明得失。朕尝保此三鉴，内防己过。今魏徵逝，一鉴亡矣。” - 《旧唐书魏征传》-唐太宗语
“You can trim your dresses when you look in the brass mirror. If you take history as a mirror, you will know the reasons why countries were rising or falling. If you take people as mirrors you can understand how they become winners or losers. As the Emperor, I constantly use the three mirrors to guard against committing any errors. Now that Wei Zheng has passed away, I have lost one mirror forever."
訓有之，內作色荒，外作禽荒。甘酒嗜音，峻宇雕 牆。有一于此，未或弗亡。《尚書》 卷二
King Yu of ancient times taught us: “If a ruler is indulgent in sexual pleasures, obsessed with hunting, infatuated in drinking fine wine and decadent music, living in luxury palace with exquisite murals and carvings, any one of these will definitely lead to the demise of the country.”
|
