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It's Mozi, first two lines of Befriending the Learned:

入國而不存其士, 見賢而不急,

I would translate it:

if one enters the country and doesn't have his soldiers(?), meets the valuable and doesn't have to worry.

It doesn't make sense? I agree, on ctext.org there is a different translation, Can someone explain me, possibly word by word?

1 Answer 1

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The original text is:

入國而不存其士,則亡國矣。見賢而不急,則緩其君矣。

could be translated word by word as:

If one governs the country but doesn't preserve his able and virtuous persons, 
the country will perish. 
If one sees (discovers) the able and virtuous persons but doesn't hurry up (to appoint them), 
they will neglect their monarch.

治国而不优待贤士,国家就会灭亡。见到贤士而不急于任用,他们就会怠慢君主。

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