原文
人间的正义是在哪里呢？
正义是在我们的心里！从明哲的教训和见闻的意义中，我们不是得着大批的正义么？但白白的搁在心里，谁也不去取用，却至少是可惜的事。两石白米堆在屋里，总要吃它干净，两箱衣服堆在屋里，总要轮流穿换，一大堆正义却扔在一旁，满不理会，我们真大方，真舍得！看来正义这东西也真贱，竟抵不上白米的一个尖儿，衣服的一个扣儿。——爽性用它不着，倒也罢了，谁都又装出一副发急的样子，张张皇皇地寻觅着。这个葫芦里卖的什么药？我的聪明的同伴呀，我真想不通了！
我不曾见过正义的面，只见过它的弯曲的影儿——在“自我”的唇边，在“权威”的面前，在“他人”的背后。
正义可以做幌子，一个漂亮的幌子，所以谁都愿意念着它的名字。“我是正经人，我要做正经事”，谁都向他的同伴这样隐隐的自诩着。但是除了用以“自诩”之外，正义对于他还有什么作用呢？他独自一个时，在生人中间时，早忘了它的名字，而去创造“自己的正义”了！他所给予正义的，只是让它的影儿在他的唇边闪烁一番而已。但是，这毕竟不算十分辜负正义，比那凭着正义的名字以行罪恶的，还胜一筹。可怕的正是这种假名行恶的人。他嘴里唱着正义的名字，手里却满满地握着罪恶；他将这些罪恶送给社会，粘上金碧辉煌的正义的签条送了去。社会凭着他所唱的名字和所粘的签条，欣然受了这份礼；就是明知道是罪恶，也还是欣然受了这份礼！易卜生“社会栋梁”一出戏，就是这种情形。这种人的唇边，虽更频繁的闪烁着正义的弯曲的影儿，但是深藏在他们心底的正义，只怕早已霉了，烂了，且将毁灭了。在这些人里，我见不着正义！
在亲子之间，师傅学徒之间，军官士兵之间，上司属僚之间，似乎有正义可见了，但是也不然。卑幼大抵顺从他们长上的，长上要施行正义于他们，他们诚然是不“能”违抗的——甚至“父教子死，子不得不死”一类话也说出来了。他们发现有形的扑鞭和无形的赏罚在长上们的背后，怎敢去违抗呢？长上们凭着威权的名字施行正义，他们怎敢不遵呢？但是你私下问他们，“信么？服么？”他们必摇摇他们的头，甚至还奋起他们的双拳呢！这正是因为长上们不凭着正义的名字而施行正义的缘故了。这种正义只能由长上行于卑幼，卑幼是不能行于长上的，所以是偏颇的；这种正义只能施于卑幼，而不能施于他人，所以是破碎的；这种正义受着威权的鼓弄，有时不免要扩大到它的应有的轮廓之外，那时它又是肥大的。这些仍旧只是正义的弯曲的影儿。不凭着正义的名字而施行正义，我在这等人里，仍旧见不着它！
在没有威权的地方，正义的影儿更弯曲了。名位与金钱的面前，正义只剩淡如水的微痕了。你瞧现在一班大人先生见了所谓督军等人的劲儿！他们未必愿意如此的，但是一当了面，估量着对手的名位，就不免心里一软，自然要给他一些面子——于是不知不觉的就敷衍起来了。至于平常的人，偶然见了所谓名流，也不免要吃一惊，那时就是心里有一百二十个不以为然，也只好姑且放下，另做出一番“足恭”的样子，以表倾慕之诚。所以一班达官通人，差不多是正义的化外之民，他们所做的都是合于正义的，乃至他们所做的就是正义了！——在他们实在无所谓正义与否了。呀！这样，正义岂不已经沧亡了？却又不然。须知我只说“面前”是无正义的，“背后”的正义却幸而还保留着。社会的维持，大部分或者就靠着这背后的正义罢。但是背后的正义，力量究竟是有限的，因为隔开一层，不由的就单弱了。一个为富不仁的人，背后虽然免不了人们的指谪，面前却只有恭敬。一个华服翩翩的人，犯了违警律，就是警察也要让他五分。这就是我们的正义了！我们的正义百分之九十九是在背后的，而在极亲近的人间，有时连这个背后的正义也没有！因为太亲近了，什么也可以原谅了，什么也可以马虎了，正义就任怎么弯曲也可以了。背后的正义只有存生疏的人们间。生疏的人们间，没有什么密切的关系，自然可以用上正义这个幌子。至于一定要到背后才叫出正义来，那全是为了情面的缘故。情面的根柢大概也是一种同情，一种廉价的同情。现在的人们只喜欢廉价的东西，在正义与情面两者中，就尽先取了情面，而将正义放在背后。在极亲近的人间，情面的优先权到了最大限度，正义就几乎等于零，就是在背后也没有了。背后的正义虽也有相当的力量，但是比起面前的正义就大大的不同，启发与戒惧的功能都如搀了水的薄薄的牛乳似的——于是仍旧只算是一个弯曲的影儿。在这些人里，我更见不着正义！
人间的正义究竟是在哪里呢？满藏在我们心里！为什么不取出来呢？它没有优先权！在我们心里，第一个尖儿是自私，其余就是威权，势力，亲疏，情面，等等；等到这些角色——演毕，才轮得到我们可怜的正义。你想，时候已经晚了，它还有出台的机会么？没有！所以你要正义出台，你就得排除一切，让它做第一个尖儿。你得凭着它自己的名字叫它出台。你还得抖擞精神，准备一副好身手，因为它是初出台的角儿，捣乱的人必多，你得准备着打——不打不成相识呀！打得站住了脚携住了手，那时我们就能从容的瞻仰正义的面目了。
英译
Where can we see human justice?
Justice lives in our hearts! From the philosophical lessons and valuable experiences, we know that it.s a must for us to uphold justice. But if we just put justice in our hearts and don.t put it in place, it will be a real shame.If two dan(≈118. 4 kg) of white rice are stacked in the house, we.ll manage to eat them up; two cases of clothes are piled in the house, we.ll try to wear them alternately. However, faced with a tissue of justice, we should ignore and throw it away. How generous we are! In our view, justice is so cheap that it is worth even less than the tip of rice or a button on clothes. It.s fine, if we don.t need it. But there are some people, pretending to be worried and anxious, and trying to search for it. What.s wrong with them? My smart friends, I.m really confused, can you tell me the reason?
I have never seen justice itself, only saw its crooked shadow: slipping through the lips of ourselves, floating in front of authority and forces as well as hiding behind others.back.
Justice can be used as camouflage, and it.s a nice camouflage. Everyone is ready to flaunt himself to his fellows under the guise of justice,“I.m a decent man, and I.ll get down to real business.”Besides praising himself, justice means nothing for him. When he is alone or among strangers, he will throw justice behind and create his own justice. What he returns to justice is that he allows its shadow to flicker besides his lips. Compared with the person who steals the name of justice and serves the devil, he doesn.t disappoint justice so much. The most horrible person is the one who does evil in the guise of justice. Full of sins in his mouth, he holds sins in both hands. After attaching gilded justice label to sins, he sends them to society. Even though knowing his tricks, society still accepts his gift with pleasure because of the name he sings for and the label he pastes. The drama Pillars of Society written by Norwegian dramatist Ibsen presents such a scene. People who like him though always sing for justice, the justice hidden deeply inside their hearts must have already mildewed, festered and been ruined.In them, I can.t see justice.
I thought I could see justice between parents and children, masters and apprentices, officers and soldiers and superiors and subordinates; but I was wrong. Mostly subordinates are obedient to their superiors, and if the superiors exact justice on them, they couldn.t defy their orders. There is a saying in Chinese,“if a father wants his son to die, then he will”. They would not dare defy their superiors.command, because visible bullwhip and invisible punishment are awaiting them. They would not dare disobey their superiors.orders because their superiors hold justice. But if you ask them in private,“Do you really believe in and submit to your superiors?”They will definitely shake their heads, even lift their fists to express their defiance. That.s because the superiors don.t exact justice in the name of justice. This kind of justice can only be carried out by superiors while subordinates have no such rights, so it.s not fair.It.s not righteous either, because it can only be exacted on subordinates. Tampered by authorities, sometimes justice will inevitably go beyond the scope of its rights. What is mentioned above is still the crooked shadow of justice. Superiors don.t exact justice in the name of justice, so I can.t see justice in them either.
Where there.s no authority, the shadow of justice turns more crooked. In front of fame, position and money, it has only a shallow microscratch left. Nowadays decent people tend to cringe before officials. They may not be willing to behave like this, but once they meet, weighing up the opponent.s fame and position and unavoidably lacking confidence in their hearts, naturally they.ll pay more attention to him and unknowingly fawn on them. When ordinary people meet celebrities, they will be overwhelmed by the unexpected favor; though in hearts they don.t care, they still pretend to be overly humble in order to express their sincerity and admiration. In this way, officers and scholars are almost unenlightened by justice, and at last what they do are always considered just. However, for them justice means nothing. You may question if justice has already been ruined? Well, not exactly. There is no justice in the light, but luckily justice in hiding still remains. And social maintenance almost relies on the justice in hiding; however, since it takes effect indirectly, the strength of justice in hiding is limited. For an unscrupulous rich person, people always impugn him behind his back but still compliment him on his presence. If a well-dressed man breaks the law, the police will treat him differently. This is our justice; ninety-nine percent of it is hidden at the back. What.s worse, among very close people, even the justice in hiding doesn.t exist. Whatever they have done, we will forgive them, that.s to say, justice here can be bent in any way. Justice in hiding can only survive between strangers, because we will never worry about our relationship with strangers. In order to save face, we don.t mention justice.s name unless we talk about it secretly. Saving face may be a kind of sympathy, and it is cheap. Nowadays people prefer cheap items, so between justice and feelings, they pick up feelings first and put justice next. Among extremely close people, the priority of feelings reaches its maximum while justice nearly equals to null. Though justice in hiding also has considerable power, it is definitely different with the justice in the light; its effect is just like the thin milk that has been watered down, so justice here is still a crooked shadow. I still can.t see justice among these people.
Where can we find justice in the world? It hides in our hearts. Why don.t we take it out? Because it has no priority. In our hearts, the first one is selfishness, then authority, power, affinities, feelings, etc. After all roles having finished their play, it.s the turn of our poor justice. It is so late, and you may ask if there is an opportunity for justice to appear on the stage. No, maybe there isn.t! So if you.d like to see its show, you must sweep away all obstacles and make it the first. And you must call it out by its name. As it is a new protagonist, there will be a crow of trouble-makers. You must prepare a strong figure, gather your spirits, and be ready to fight against. Gradually, we make a lot of friends and have our own position. At that time, we can watch justice.s show at leisure.