说难 Difficulties in Persuasion
凡说之难：非吾知之有以说之之难也，又非吾辩之能明吾意之难也，又非吾敢横失而能尽之难也。The difficulties in all persuasion do not lie in the difficulty of having knowledge to present my views, nor in the difficulty of using my eloquence to clarify my ideas, nor in the difficulty of speaking freely and fully expressing myself.
凡说之难：在知所说之心，可以吾说当之。The difficulty in all persuasion lies in understanding the mind of the person being persuaded, so that my words can be appropriate.
所说出于为名高者也，而说之以厚利，则见下节而遇卑贱，必弃远矣。If the person being persuaded aims at achieving a high reputation, and you persuade them with the prospect of great material benefits, you will be seen as having low integrity and being of lowly character, and will surely be rejected and kept at a distance.
所说出于厚利者也，而说之以名高，则见无心而远事情，必不收矣。If the person being persuaded is after great material benefits, and you persuade them with the idea of a high reputation, you will be seen as being unrealistic and far from practical matters, and will surely not be accepted.
所说阴为厚利而显为名高者也，而说之以名高，则阳收其身而实疏之；If the person being persuaded secretly pursues great material benefits while publicly aiming at a high reputation, and you persuade them with the idea of a high reputation, they may seemingly accept you but actually keep you at a distance.
说之以厚利，则阴用其言显弃其身矣。此不可不察也。If you persuade them with the prospect of great material benefits, they may secretly adopt your words but publicly abandon you. This must be clearly understood.
夫事以密成，语以泄败。未必其身泄之也，而语及所匿之事，如此者身危。Matters succeed through secrecy and fail due to leakage. It may not be that you yourself disclose something, but if your words touch on hidden matters, you will be in danger.
彼显有所出事，而乃以成他故，说者不徒知所出而已矣，又知其所以为，如此者身危。If they ostensibly undertake something for one purpose, but actually do it for another reason, and the persuader not only knows what they are doing but also understands their true motives, the persuader will be in danger.
规异事而当，知者揣之外而得之，事泄于外，必以为己也，如此者身危。If you offer advice on an unusual matter and it is appropriate, and a wise person guesses this from the outside and the matter leaks out, they will surely think it was you who leaked it, and you will be in danger.
周泽未渥也，而语极知，说行而有功，则德忘；说不行而有败，则见疑，如此者身危。If the favor and kindness from the superior have not been deep-seated, and you speak with complete candor, if your advice is adopted and brings success, your merit will be forgotten; if your advice is not adopted and leads to failure, you will be suspected, and you will be in danger.
贵人有过端，而说者明言礼义以挑其恶，如此者身危。If a noble person has made a mistake, and the persuader explicitly mentions propriety and righteousness to expose their fault, the persuader will be in danger.
贵人或得计而欲自以为功，说者与知焉，如此者身危。If a noble person comes up with a plan and wants to take the credit for it, and the persuader also knows about the plan, the persuader will be in danger.
强以其所不能为，止以其所不能已，如此者身危。Forcing them to do what they are unable to do, or stopping them from doing what they cannot stop, will put you in danger.
故与之论大人，则以为间己矣；与之论细人，则以为卖重。So, if you discuss important people with them, they will think you are slandering them; if you discuss common people with them, they will think you are showing off your power.
论其所爱，则以为借资；论其所憎，则以为尝己也。If you talk about someone they love, they will think you are using it to curry favor; if you talk about someone they hate, they will think you are testing them.
径省其说，则以为不智而拙之；米盐博辩，则以为多而交之。If you are concise in your persuasion, they will think you are stupid and clumsy; if you are detailed and elaborate like discussing trivial matters, they will think you are verbose and annoying.
略事陈意，则曰怯懦而不尽；虑事广肆，则曰草野而倨侮。此说之难，不可不知也。If you briefly state your ideas, they will say you are cowardly and not thorough; if you discuss matters in a broad and unrestrained way, they will say you are rustic and arrogant. These difficulties in persuasion must be known.
