Lu Jia (d. about 170 BC) was a follower of Liu Bang 劉邦, the founder of the Han Dynasty 漢. His most important statement is the proverb that an empire can be conquered by horse, but nor ruled from horseback (Ju ma shang de zhi, ning keyi ma shang zhi zhi hu 居馬上得之，寧可以馬上治之乎？). For Emperor Han Gaozu 漢高祖 (Liu Bang), he compiled the book Xinyu to demonstrate why the First Emperor of Qin lost his empire, and how to keep his own rulership safe. Lu Jia is said to have been the author of a lost chronicle about the war between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu 項羽, called Chu Han Chunqiu 楚漢春秋 (see war between Chu and Han).	Chapters of the Xinyu 1.道基 Daoji 2.術事 Shushi 3.輔政 Fuzheng 4.無為 Wuwei 5.辨惑 Bianhuo 6.慎微 Shenwei 7.資質 Zizhi 8.至德 Zhide 9.懷慮 Huailü 10.本行 Benxing 11.明誡 Mingjie 12.思務 Siwu
	Exemplarious translation: 4. 無為 道莫大於無為，行莫大於謹敬。何以言之？... 秦始皇設刑罰，為車裂之誅，以歛姦邪，築長城於戎境，以備胡、越，征大吞小，威震天下，將帥橫行，以服外國，蒙恬討亂於外，李斯治法於內，事逾煩天下逾亂，法逾滋而天下逾熾，兵馬益設而敵人逾多。秦非不欲治也，然失之者，乃舉措太眾、刑罰太極故也。... 夫王者之都，南面之君，乃百姓之所取法則者也，舉措動作，不可以失法度。... 故上之化下，猶風之靡草也。王者尚武於朝，則農夫繕甲兵於田。故君子之御下也，民奢應之以儉，驕淫者統之以理；未有上仁而下賊，讓行而爭路者也。故孔子曰：「移風易俗。」豈家令人視之哉？亦取之於身而已矣。 Acting without action Nothing in the teaching of the way is greater than the principle of non-action, and nochting in the pattern of proper behaviour is greater than being cautious and careful. Why do we say so? In former times when emperor yu-shun governed the world, he did nothing but play the five stringed guitar and chant the poem of nanfeng. He was so still that it seems he had no intention of ruling the state, so free of care that it seemd he felt no concern in his heart for the empie, but yet the wolrd was well governed. Again, the duke of zhou instituted propriety and music, offered sacrifices to hevan and earth and to mountians and rivers. He did not maintian soldiers, the punishments were suspened and laws were not put into effect. Yet the states within the four seas came to pay homage with tribute, and even the ruler of yueshang came to have and audience through two lots of interpretation. So non-action is actually efficient action. On the other hand, qin shihuangdi establsihed executions and put into prectice the penalty of tearing culprits’ bodies in pieces with chariots in order to control the wicked and the evil, and he also built the great wall along the fontier with the barbarians in order to mekr preparation against the hu people. He sent punitive expeditions against the bis states and he annexed the small states. His authority awed the people in the world, his generals dispatched troops in all directoins to bring the foreign states into submission Meng Tian attacked the disorders withoug, Li si administered the laws within. And yet the more action they took in the empire, the more trouble developed, the more laws the legislated, the more evils were produced, with the result that the greater the army they establiched the more enemies they had. As to the Qin Dynasty, it was not that they did not want proper government, they failed because they set up too many laws and their punishments were too harsh. Therefore the superior man will put emphasis on generosity for his own protection, and he will act in accordance with the middle way in order to gain control of the remote peop.e Then the epople will rspect his authority and wil be influenced by his example. They will accept his virtue and flock to his territory, they will praise his administration and will never oppose his government. They will obey his command without feat of punishment and they will be happy to work without hope of reward. In theis way they will be deeply influenced by his moral power and they will hold fast to the middle way… So the ruler’s influence on his people is just like that of the wind which sweeps over the grass. If the ruler worships warfare at his court, then the peasants will make armour and weapons in the filds. This is the way that the sovreign controls his subjects: if the people are extravagant, he responds with thrift, if the people are proud and licentious, he controls with his good conduct. In this way, it never happens that the sovereign is benevolent and his subjects are violent, and it never happens that when a ruler gives way to others on the road, his subjects will push themselves forward… Translated by Mei-kao Ku, "A Chinese mirror for magistrates".