Curbing Delusion
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民不畏死，奈何以死懼之？若使民常畏死而為奇者，吾得執而殺之，孰敢？常有司殺者，夫代司殺者，是謂代大匠斲。夫代大匠斲者，希有不傷手者矣。
When the people do not fear death, how can you frighten them with death? If the people were made always to fear death, and someone played crafty tricks, I could seize and kill him: who would dare? There is always one in charge of killing. Now, to stand in for the one in charge of killing: this is called standing in for the master carpenter to do his cutting. Now, of those who stand in for the master carpenter to do his cutting, there are few who do not hurt their hands.
Against a ruler treating executions casually, using the image of an amateur who tries to carve in place of the master carpenter.
This is an argument against a ruler treating executions casually. Heshang Gong names the one in charge of killing as Heaven itself, not any human magistrate, so a ruler who kills on his own account has taken Heaven’s place.
The carpenter image argues for restraint through plain risk to the one holding the axe, more than through morality.
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