四八、君子無禍 勿罪冥冥

48. An accomplished man should do no evil on the sly if he wants to distance calamities.

肝受病，則目不能視；腎受病，則耳不能聽。病受於人所不見，必發於人所共見。故君子欲無得罪於昭昭①，必先無得罪於冥冥②。

【注 釋】

① 得罪於昭昭：此處的“罪”意為“侮辱”。昭昭，明亮；此處指“人所能見的地方”。

② 得罪於冥冥：此處的“罪”意為“罪過”。冥冥，晦暗，昏昧；此處指“人所不見的地方”。

【今文解譯】

肝臟有病則眼睛的視力就會下降；腎臟有病則耳朵的聽力就會衰退。發生在人所不見的地方的毛病，最終都會暴露在有目共睹的地方。由此我們認識到：作為一個堂堂正正的君子，要想在公眾麵前表現得清白坦蕩，他必須首先在私底下不做任何有失體麵的事。

【English Translation】

A person will be unable to see clearly in case his liver goes wrong, and will be unable to listen distinctly in case his kidneys are disordered. A disease is usually contracted in a place where nobody can see, but in the end the symptoms will come to light. Therefore, the accomplished man must conduct himself properly in private if he does not want to be disgraced in public.