治性之道，必审己之所有余而强其所不足，盖聪明疏通者戒于太察，寡闻少见者戒于壅蔽，勇猛刚强者戒于太暴，仁爱温良者戒于无断，湛静安舒者戒于后时，广心浩大者戒于遗忘。必审己之所当戒而齐之以义，然后中和之化应，而巧伪之徒不敢比周而望进。
Learn from the rise and fall of the past dynasties, review the gains and losses of the current society. Commend the good and castigate the evil, adopt the right and amend the wrong. Then Your Majesty are sure to exceed the vast virtues and excellencies of the ancient and will achieve unprecedented crowning prosperity and governance.
- 《Memorial on Presenting the Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government》
Heaven gives every person their own particular talents.
When a state employs its people, it should make use of all these diverse strengths. However, whenever someone is assigned to a post and fails to accomplish the task, it is because what they are good at is not what they are being used for, and what they are being used for is not what they are good at.
- 《Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government》： " Chronicle of the Tang Dynasty"
The way to cultivate one’s character lies in carefully examining one’s own excesses and strengthening what is lacking. Those who are intelligent and perceptive should guard against being overly critical; those who are narrow in knowledge and experience should guard against being closed-minded; those who are brave and forceful should guard against becoming violent; those who are kind and gentle should guard against indecision; those who are calm and at ease should guard against acting too late; those who are broad-minded and magnanimous should guard against forgetfulness. Only by discerning what one ought to restrain and regulating it in accordance with righteousness can the influence of balance and harmony prevail，and deceitful men will then dare neither conspire nor seek advancement by flattery.
— 《Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Governance): "Chronicle of the Tang Dynasty"
【註】《资治通鉴》
宋神宗熙宁年间，司马光强烈反对王安石变法，上疏请求外任。熙宁四年（1071年），他判西京御史台，自此居洛阳十五年，不问政事，这段悠游的岁月司马光主持编撰了294卷300万字的编年体史书《资治通鉴》。
《资治通鉴》上起周威烈王二十三年（前403年），下迄五代后周世宗显德六年（959年），共记载了16个朝代1362年的历史，历经19年编辑完成。他在《进资治通鉴表》中说：“臣今筋骨癯瘁，目视昏近，齿牙无几，神识衰耗，目前所谓，旋踵而忘。臣之精力，尽于此书。”司马光为此书付出毕生精力，成书不到2年，他便积劳而逝。《资治通鉴》从发凡起例至删削定稿，司马光都亲自动笔，不假他人之手。
【作者簡介】 司马光（1019年11月17日—1086年10月11日），字君实，号迂叟，通称司马相公，北宋政治家、文学家、史学家。陕州夏县涑水乡（今山西省夏县）人，出生于光州光山（今河南省信阳市光山县），西晋安平献王司马孚的后裔。世称涑水先生，因身后追封温国公，又称司马温公。历仕仁宗、英宗、神宗、哲宗四朝，主持编纂了中国历史上第一部编年体通史《资治通鉴》。
Note:
During the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song (Xining era), Sima Guang strongly opposed Wang Anshi’s reform measures and requested reassignment away from court affairs. In the fourth year of Xining (1071), he was appointed judge of the Censorate in the Western Capital, and thereafter lived in Luoyang for fifteen years, disengaged from politics. During this period of seclusion, he led the compilation of the 《Zizhi Tongjian》, a monumental chronicle in 294 volumes and 3 million characters. The work covers the period from the 23rd year of King Weilie of Zhou (403 BCE) to the 6th year of Xiande of Later Zhou (959 CE), spanning 16 dynasties and 1,362 years of history, and took 19 years to complete.
In his 《Memorial on Presenting the Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government》, Sima Guang wrote:
“Now my body is withered and thin, my eyesight dim and short-sighted, I have few teeth left, my spirit is waning, and my memory fails me—I forget almost as soon as I turn around. All my energy has been exhausted by this book.”
Sima Guang devoted his entire life to this work; less than two years after its completion, he died from accumulated toil. From drafting principles to editing and finalizing the text, he personally handled every stage without delegating to others.
Introduction to the author:
Sima Guang (November 17, 1019 – October 11, 1086), courtesy name Junshi, style name Yusou, commonly known as Sima Xianggong, was a statesman, man of letters, and historian of the Northern Song dynasty. His ancestral home was Su Shui Township in Xia County, Shanzhou (modern Xia County, Shanxi Province), though he was born in Guangshan, Guangzhou (modern Guangshan, Xinyang, Henan). He was a descendant of Sima Fu, Prince Xian of Anping of the Western Jin. He was respectfully called Master of Su Shui, and after his death he was posthumously enfeoffed as Duke Wen of the State of Wen, hence also known as Sima Wengong. He served under four emperors—Renzong, Yingzong, Shenzong, and Zhezong—and presided over the compilation of 《Zizhi Tongjian》 (Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government), the first general chronicle in Chinese history.
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