治国无其法则乱，守法而不变则衰

治理国家若没有法律就会混乱，遵守法律若不知变革就会衰落。这一思想是由先秦法家代表人物慎到提出的。一方面说明了法律在国家治理中具有关键作用，另一方面也揭示了法律应与时俱进的道理。慎到认为，统治者应“以道变法”，即根据社会实际来制定、修改法律。在现代社会，制定和修改法律也应注重维护其体系的封闭性与开放性，以求兼顾法理与人情。

A state governed without laws will be chaotic but rigid conformity to law without reform will lead to decline. Proposed by the Pre-Qin Legalist ShenDao, the concept illustrates the key role of law in governing the state and the need for the law to keep pace with the times. According to Shen, rulers shall make and amend laws based on social realities. Similarly, in modern society, efforts should be made to maintain the rigidity and flexibility of the legal system in the formulation and revision of laws, so as to balance law and compassion.

引例 Citation：

◎ 故治国无其法则乱，守法而不变则衰。有法而行私，谓之不法。以力役法者，百姓也；以死守法者，有司也；以道变法者，君长也。（欧阳询等《艺文类聚》卷五十四）

（所以，治理国家若没有法律就会混乱，遵守法律若不知变革就会衰落。有法可依却徇私情、满足私欲的话，就是违反法律。以身守法是百姓的事；以死亡来捍卫法律的尊严，这是政府机关的事；根据形势的变化不断变革法制，这是国君的事情。）

Therefore, ruling a country without laws brings chaos while rigidly following laws without reform leads to decline. Bending the law for personal desires constitutes violation of the law. It is the duty of the people to observe the law; it is the responsibility of governments to defend the dignity of the law; it is the obligation of the monarch to adapt the law to actualities. (Ouyang Xun et al.: An Anthology of Pre-Tang Dynasty Literature)

（本文摘自教育部、国家语委重大文化工程“中华思想文化术语传播工程”项目。）