Diotimos Library · Plato Collection · Bilingual Edition
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Ancient Greek Page · Branch 13 of 19
Hipparchus · 230e–231c
Ancient Greek
p. 20ἐστιν, διὰ τοῦτο ἔγωγε· τοῦτο γὰρ εἶναι σιτίον κἂν σύ που ἡμῖν ὁμολογοῖς. ἦ γάρ;
ΕΤ. Ἔγωγε.
ΣΩ. Καὶ περὶ ποτοῦ οὖν ὁ αὐτὸς ἂν τρόπος εἴη τῆς ἀποκρίσεως, ὅτι τῇ τοῦ σώματος ὑγρᾷ τροφῇ, ἐάντε χρηστὴ 231a ἐάντε πονηρὰ ᾖ, τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομά ἐστι, ποτόν· καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὡσαύτως. πειρῶ οὖν καὶ σὺ ἐμὲ μιμεῖσθαι οὕτως ἀποκρινόμενον. τὸ χρηστὸν κέρδος καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν κέρδος κέρδος φῂς ἀμφότερον εἶναι τί τὸ αὐτὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁρῶν, ὅτι δὴ καὶ τοῦτο κέρδος ἐστίν; εἰ δ’ αὖ μὴ αὐτὸς ἔχεις ἀποκρίνασθαι, ἀλλ’ ἐμοῦ λέγοντος σκόπει· ἆρα κέρδος λέγεις πᾶν κτῆμα ὃ ἄν τις κτήσηται ἢ μηδὲν ἀναλώσας, ἢ ἔλαττον ἀναλώσας πλέον λάβῃ;
231bΕΤ. Ἔμοιγε δοκῶ τοῦτο καλεῖν κέρδος.
ΣΩ. Ἆρα καὶ τὰ τοιάδε λέγεις, ἐάν τις ἑστιαθείς, μηδὲν ἀναλώσας ἀλλ’ εὐωχηθείς, νόσον κτήσηται;
ΕΤ. Μὰ Δί’ οὐκ ἔγωγε.
ΣΩ. Ὑγίειαν δὲ κτησάμενος ἀπὸ ἑστιάσεως κέρδος ἂν κτήσαιτο ἢ ζημίαν;
ΕΤ. Κέρδος.
ΣΩ. Οὐκ ἄρα τοῦτό γέ ἐστι κέρδος, τὸ ὁτιοῦν κτῆμα κτήσασθαι.
ΕΤ. Οὐ μέντοι.
ΣΩ. Πότερον οὔκ, ἐὰν κακόν; ἢ οὐδ’ ἂν ἀγαθὸν ὁτιοῦν κτήσηται, οὐ κέρδος κτήσεται;
ΕΤ. Φαίνεται, ἐάν γε ἀγαθόν.
231cΣΩ. Ἐὰν δὲ κακόν, οὐ ζημίαν κτήσεται;
ΕΤ. Ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ.
ΣΩ. Ὁρᾷς οὖν ὡς πάλιν αὖ περιτρέχεις εἰς τὸ αὐτό; τὸ μὲν κέρδος ἀγαθὸν φαίνεται, ἡ δὲ ζημία κακόν.
Hipparchus
p. 21that is why I do; for that this is what food is, you too, I suppose, would agree with us. Isn’t that so?
Comp. I would.
Soc. Then about drink too the manner of the answer would be the same: that the wet nourishment of the body, whether decent 231a or base, has this name, “drink”; and so with the others. Try, then, you too, to imitate me as I answer in this way. Decent gain and base gain, you say, are both gain: what do you see in them that is the same, on account of which this too is gain? And if, on the other hand, you cannot answer yourself, look into it as I speak: do you call gain every possession that one acquires either without spending anything, or by spending less and getting more?
Comp. 231b I think I call that gain.
Soc. Do you mean things like this too: if someone is entertained at a feast, spending nothing but feasting richly, and acquires a disease?
Comp. By Zeus, not I.
Soc. And if he acquired health from a feast, would he acquire gain or loss?
Comp. Gain.
Soc. Then this, at least, is not gain: to acquire any possession whatever.
Comp. No indeed.
Soc. Is it not, if it is bad? Or even if he acquires anything whatever that is good, will he not acquire gain?
Comp. It appears he will, if it is good, at least.
Soc. 231c And if it is bad, will he not acquire loss?
Comp. I think so.
Soc. Do you see, then, how you are running round back again to the same place? Gain appears good, and loss bad.
Socrates
Reading Hipparchus · Hipparchus · 230e–231c
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
Socrates and an unnamed companion examine the love of gain, the difference between gain and loss, and whether everyone desires what is good. This complete revised edition presents the dialogue, 225a–232c, across twelve Greek–English page pairs, with an introduction, Key Words of the Dialogue, an outline, glossary, critical apparatus, and translator’s notes. The dialogue is transmitted among Plato’s works; its authorship remains disputed.
Historical Text and Translation
The Greek follows John Burnet’s Platonis Opera, volume II (Oxford, 1901; second edition, 1910), in a later impression printed by John Johnson. The words were taken from the Perseus Digital Library transcription and checked against the supplied printed pages. Burnet’s lineation, verse quotations, editorial signs, and critical apparatus are retained. The supplied PDF preserves the complete printed layout.
About Diotimos Editions
Diotimos Editions prepared and revised this independent English translation directly from the Greek, preserving the argument’s distinctions, consistent key terms, and Socrates’ humor. Each English dialogue page translates the Greek page opposite it. All 26 translator’s notes accompany their passages. The introduction and Key Words of the Dialogue precede the text; the Outline, Editorial Note, Glossary of Key Terms, and Note on this Edition follow it. Introductory and concluding matter reflows for the screen.
Rights
The ancient Greek work and Burnet’s printed edition are in the public domain. The Perseus digital Greek transcription and its modifications are attributed to the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, and reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. The independent English translation and Diotimos editorial matter are © 2026 Diotimos Editions.