针对近期多名日本官员表示，日方拟恢复“大佐”等旧日本军队的军阶用语，外交部发言人毛宁11月18日表示，忘战必危、好战必亡。我们绝不允许日本军国主义复活，绝不允许任何人挑战战后国际秩序，绝不允许世界和平稳定再遭破坏。

Amnesia of war spells disaster; war-mongering spells doom. Lessons from history must not be forgotten, distorted, or even erased. Eighty years on, militarism must never be revived in Japan, the post-WWII international order must never be challenged, and world peace and stability must never be ruined again. （外交部官网）

如何用英语解释“忘战必危、好战必亡”，以及中国古代的一系列“战争观”？一起来学习。

以下中英文内容来自中华思想文化术语传播工程核心成果——《中华思想文化术语》丛书。

好战必亡，忘战必危

Those who like to go to war will perish;

those who forget war will be in danger.


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热衷于战争必然灭亡，而忘记战争必然危险。亦即是说，好战的国家必然导致自身灭亡，而没有战备的国家又会使自己处于危险境地。古人认为，应该本着仁爱精神处理国内、国际事务；战争会使国力消耗，生灵涂炭，即便是为了保国安民而“以战止战”的正义战争，也是不得已而采取的行动。这句话， 既表明了战争与国家兴衰的辩证法，也彰显了中华民族爱好和平的“文”的精神。

Those who are war-mongering will inevitably be destroyed, and those who forget war will inevitably land in danger. That is, countries that like to make war are certain to bring destruction upon themselves, and countries which are not prepared for war will find themselves in dangerous situations. Ancient Chinese believed that domestic and international affairs should be handled with a spirit of loving others. Wars exhaust a country’s resources and lead to loss of life; even a just war, a “war to end wars” conducted to defend a country and safeguard its people, should be a last resort. This phrase both illustrates the dialectical relationship between war and the rise and fall of countries and demonstrates the “civil” nature of the Chinese people who love peace.

▌引例

故国虽大，好战必亡；天下虽安，忘战必危。天下既平，天下大恺，春蒐（sōu）秋狝（xiǎn），诸侯春振旅，秋治兵，所以不忘战也。 （《司马法·仁本》）

Therefore though a country be powerful, if it is fond of war it will surely perish; though the land be at peace, those who forget war will inevitably be in danger. Hence even when there is peace throughout the land and the people lead settled lives, hunting is conducted in the spring and fall as military exercises. The vassal states train their troops and hold military drills in the spring and fall so that they do not forget war. (The General Commander’s Treatise on War)

以战止战

Use war to stop war


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用战争制止战争。这是中华民族自古秉持的一种战争观。前一个“战”是指正义的战争；后一个“战”是指非正义的战争。正义的战争是反抗强加在自己头上的非正义战争而不得已采取的行动，其目的是除暴安良、护国保民，制止并最终消灭非正义战争，实现人类和平，使广大民众过上幸福安宁的生活。

This is an ancient Chinese belief on the role of war. The first “war” means a just war, the second an unjust one. A just war is waged to resist a war that has been forced upon one. It is not of one’s choosing, but is fought to defend the country and the people from imposed violence, in order to ultimately end the war and restore peace and stability.

▌引例

夫武，禁暴、戢兵、保大、定功、安民、和众、丰财者也。 （《左传·宣公十二年》）

The purpose of military action should include the following seven tasks: to prohibit violence, stop wars, maintain one’s strength, safeguard achievements, give peace to the people, bring harmony to the multitudes, and enrich the state’s resources. (Zuo’s Commentary on The Spring and Autumn Annals)

止戈为武

Stopping war is a true craft of war.


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能制止战争、平息战乱才是真正的武功。这是春秋时代楚庄王（？—前591）根据“武” 字的字形提出的著名的军事思想。“止”即止息；“戈”即武器，借指战争。将“武”释为止战，既符合以形表意的汉字文化特质，也表现了中国人以武禁暴的军事政治观及崇尚和平、反对战争的文明精神。

To be able to stop war is a true craft of war. This famous military view was first raised by King Zhuang of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period, on the basis of the structure of the Chinese character wu (武). Wu is composed of zhi (止), which means to stop; and ge (戈), which means dagger-axe or weapons and is used here in the metaphorical sense of warfare. To interpret wu as stopping war was consistent with the cultural characteristics of Chinese characters. It also expresses the Chinese people’s thinking of using military means to stop violence and their love of peace and opposition to war.

▌引例

仓颉作书，“止”“戈”为“武”。圣人以武禁暴整乱，止息干戈，非以为残而兴纵之也。 （《汉书·武五子传赞》）

When Cang Jie created Chinese script, he put zhi (止 stop) and ge (戈 daggeraxe) together to make wu (武 war). To stop war, sages used military force to quell violence and turmoil. They did not abuse their military power to commit atrocities of killing and destroying their opponents. (The History of the Han Dynasty)

兵以义动

Fighting for a righteous cause


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为了道义而出兵。犹今之所言“为正义而战”。中国人自古崇尚“义兵”“义师”，即为了维护“义”而发动的战争。所谓“义”，就是禁止暴力，为民除害。战争虽然是暴力行动，但它不应该是主动施暴的行动，而是为了反抗、制止施暴而采取的暴力行动。它体现了中国人坚守道义和仁爱的精神。

This term means sending an army to fight a just war, similar to the present idea of “fighting for righteousness.” Since ancient times, the Chinese people have held high esteem for an army sent to war for the sake of justice. Here yi (义) means stopping any aggressive act of violence, and eliminating the suffering of the people. War is an act of violence, and no one should initiate a war. Instead, war is a last resort to resist and prevent any violence inflicted on the people. The term demonstrates the ideals of justice and benevolence upheld by the Chinese nation.

▌引例

今兵以义动，持疑而不进，失天下之望。 （《三国志·魏书·武帝纪》）

Now we launch an army to fight for a righteous cause. If we hesitate and do not take actions right away, we will disappoint the whole nation. (The History of the Three Kingdoms)

师出有名

Fighting a war with a moral justification


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兴兵开战要有正当的名义或理由。泛指做事有正当的理由。它包含两层意思：其一，师直为壮，谓出兵理由正当，则士气旺盛，战斗力强，否则难以服众；其二，无故不得兴兵，防止因贪、怒而穷兵黩武。其核心在于强调战争的正义性。这是文明精神的体现。

To wage a war, one must have a legitimate cause, just as we ought to have such a reason in doing all things. The term has two meanings. The first is that moral justification is a source of strength when waging a war. With moral justification, the troops will have high morale and strength in fighting. Without it, it would be difficult to command the troops. The second meaning is that war must not be waged without a just cause. Greed or anger should not be allowed to lead to militarism and aggression. The underlying notion of this concept is that war can only be fought with a just cause, which represents the spirit of civilization.

▌引例

师必有名。（《礼记·檀弓下》）A military campaign must have a moral justification. (The Book of Rites)

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