Stratagems of the Warring States 战国策 [WAR1, WAR2, WAR3], also known in English as Intrigues of the Warring States, Chronicles of the Warring, or Records of the Warring States, is a well known historical work on the Warring States Period compiled between the third and first centuries BCE. It throws light on the political views of the period and also the social characteristics of the time. The original author(s) are not know but it was later discovered by Liu Xiang 刘向 (79—8 BCE) in the Imperial Library. He edited and compiled it into a single work from a number of fragments.
The 战国七雄 Seven Warring States were 齐 Qi, 楚 Chu, 燕 Yan, 韩 Han, 赵 Zhao, and 秦 Qin.
昔者曾子处费。［鲁邑，属东海。］费人有与曾子同名族[名字，族，姓。]者而杀人。 人告曾子母曰曾参杀人。 曾子之母曰吾者不杀人。 织自若。［若，如故也。］有顷焉，人又曰曾参杀人。其母尚织自若也。顷之，一人又告之曰曾参杀人。其母惧，投杼逾墙而走。［逾墙逃走也。］夫以曾参之贤与母之信也，而三人疑之，［使其母疑。］则慈母不能信也。［信，犹保也。］
Long ago the Zeng Zi lived in the city of Bi. [A city in the state of Lu, under the juristiction of the East China Sea.] There was a man from Bi with the same name and clan [name, clan, and surname] as Zeng Zi who killed someone. Someone told Zeng's mother “Zeng Shen has killed someone.” Zeng Zi's mother said, “My son would not kill anyone.” She continued to weave calmly. [Seemingly, as if it was in the past.] Shortly afterwards someone else said, “Zeng Shen has killed someone.” His mother still continued to calmly weave. Shortly afterwards another man told her, “Zeng Shen has killed someone.” His mother became afraid, threw away her shuttle, climbed over the wall and left. [Climbed over the wall and fled.] In spite of Zeng Shen's virtue and his mother's and his mother's faith in him when three men accuse him his mother, despite her love, his mother was unable to have faith.
This selection is from the Scroll 4, Qin Dynasty 2 卷四 秦二. 曾参 Zeng Shen was a disciple of Confucius. The sections in square brackets [] are annotations.
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