法贵简当

法律贵在简洁恰当。这是明代立法的基本原则之一，由明太祖朱元璋提出。“法贵简当”强调法令既要“简”，亦即文字简洁、条理清晰，老百姓看得懂、记得住，又要“当”，亦即务实求中，不可偏轻偏重，以防止官吏在执法过程中玩弄法律条文伤害民众。

Enacting concise and reasonable laws，proposed by Zhu Yuanzhang，Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty，was one of the fundamental principles of legislation in the Ming Dynasty.“Concise” means that the law should be clear and logical，so that people can understand it and keep it in mind.“Reasonable”means that the law should be practical and impartial，to prevent officials from taking advantage of the provisions to the detriment of the people during enforcement.

引例 Citation：

◎ 法贵简当，使人易晓。若条绪繁多，或一事两端，可轻可重，吏得因缘为奸，非法意也。夫网密则水无大鱼，法密则国无全民，卿等悉心参究，日具刑名条目以上，吾视酌议焉。（《明史·刑法志一》）

（法律贵在简洁恰当，使人容易明白。若是条目头绪繁多，或者同一罪有两种判法，可轻可重，司法官吏就会借机谋私作弊，这不符合法律的意旨。渔网太密，则水中无大鱼；法网太密，则国内没有臣民不受刑罚。诸位悉心比较研究，每天写出些刑名条目奏上来，我亲自斟酌裁择。）

The law shall be concise，reasonable，and easily understood. If there were too many provisions，or two possible penalties for the same crime，law enforcers may take the opportunity to seek personal benefits，against the purpose of the law. If the eyes of the net are too small，there will be no big fish left in the water. Similarly，if the net of law is too tight，everyone may get punished. All of you are expected to study carefully and write out some penal provisions，to be sent to me for consideration.(The History of the Ming Dynasty)