He Guan Zi (鶡冠子) · Volume 5

龐子問鶡冠子曰聖人之道何先鶡冠子曰先人龐子曰人道何先鶡冠子曰先兵龐子曰何以舍天而先人乎鶡冠子曰天髙而難知有福不可請有禍不可避法天則戾地廣大深厚多利【一作則】而鮮威【天尊而不親地親而不尊】法地則辱時舉錯代更無一法時則貳三者不可以立化樹俗故聖人弗法龐子曰隂陽何若鶡冠子曰神靈威明與天合【神之精明曰靈】勾萌動作與地俱【屈生曰勾】隂陽寒暑與時至三者聖人存則治亡則亂是故先人富則驕貴則嬴兵者百歳不一用然不可一日忘也是故人道先兵龐子曰先兵奈何鶡冠子曰兵者禮義忠信也龐子曰願聞兵義鶡冠子曰失道故敢以賤逆貴不義故敢以小侵大龐子曰用之奈何鶡冠子曰行枉則禁反正則舍是故不殺降人【鷹不擊伏況於人乎】主道所髙莫貴約束得地失信聖王弗據倍言負約各將有故龎子曰弟子聞之曰地大者國實民眾者兵強兵強者先得意於天下今以所見合【一本作舍】所不見蓋殆【一本作系一本作治】不然今大國之兵反詘而辭窮禁不止令不行之故何也【令使為之禁使勿為也】鶡冠子曰欲知來者察徃欲知古者察今擇人而用之者王用人而擇之者亡逆節之所生不肖侵賢命曰凌【下凌上也】百姓不敢言命曰勝【上勝下也】今者所問子慎勿言夫地大國富民眾兵強曰足士有餘力而不能以先得志於天下者其君不賢而行驕溢也【已亢為驕已滿為溢】不賢則不能無為而不可與致焉【孟子曰人有不為也然後可以有為】驕則輕敵輕敵則與所私謀其所不知為【句】使非其任力欲取勝於非其敵不計終身之患樂須臾之說是故國君被過聽之謗醜於天下而謀臣負濫【監】首之責於敵國敵國乃責則卻【或作刦以辭卻之】卻則說者羞其弱【以辭卻之則說而責之者羞其弱矣其勢必至於用兵】萬賤之直不能撓一貴之曲【其在下者又無以回之】國被伸【或作神】創【侵大曰伸】其發則戰【其創之發則戰】戰則是使元元之民徃死邪臣之失莿【音策】也過生於上罪死於下讎既外結諸侯畜其罪則【或作責】危覆社稷世主懾懼寒心孤立不伐【伐或作代下有威字】此人二國之難不解君立不復悔曩【或作晨】郵過謀徙計易濫【一作監】首不足蓋以累重【濫為謀首其過重矣而一人之手豈足以障天下之目哉】滅門殘疾族【滅門周官所謂屋誅】公謝天下以讓敵國不然則戰道不絶國創不息【謂之伸創以此故也】大【或作天】乎哉夫弗知之害【以言弗知之害大矣】悲乎哉其禍之所極【以言其禍可悲也已】此倚貴離道少人自有之咎也【多已少人】是故師未發軔而兵可迭也【近迭名篇蓋取諸此】今大國之君不聞【一作間】先聖之道而易事群臣無明佐之大數而有滑正之碎【或無碎字】智反義而行之逆德以將之兵詘而辭窮令不行禁不止又奚足怪【或作恃】哉龎子曰何若滑正之智鶡冠子曰法度無以嚖【一本作遂】意為摸【嚖讀為嘒彼小星之嘒】聖人按數循法尚有不全是故人不百其法者不能為天下主今無數而自因無法而自備循無上聖之【或作聖人】檢而斷於已明【斷以獨見之明】人事雖備將尚何以復百已之身乎【夫百已者豈獨彼有之蓋人受天地之中以生形體保神而眾妙悉備據今言之其身蓋有千百於已者然而所知才止一二而卒於泯沒無聞者不能復之而已】主知不明以貴【或作責】為道以意為法牽【或作牢或作罕】時誑【一作詎或作拒】世逜下蔽上使事兩乖【兩失之矣】養非長失以靜為擾以安為危百姓家困人怨禍孰大焉若此者北走之日【軍敗曰北】後知命亡【投死之地久矣乃今知之】龎子曰以人事百法奈何鶡冠子曰蒼頡作法【一本法字在書字下蒼頡黃帝之史初見鳥獸蹏迒之跡始造書契】書從甲子【日始於甲辰始於子】成史李官【成史蓋以獄成告於正者李官士師也】蒼頡不道然非蒼頡文墨不起【蒼雖造書不道士史然而文墨之萌由是起矣此百法之端也】縱法之載於圖者其於以喻心達意道之所謂乃才【或作防】居曼【曼作受】之十分一耳【此言使無文墨而欲以其法畫之於圖豈能盡其意之詳哉蓋自後世觀之書以趣便篆不如隸隷不如草則圖之鈍於應務可知矣故曰彌綸天下之事記久明逺著涽涽傳忞忞者莫如書涽涽目所不見忞忞心所不了】故知百法者傑雄也若【或作】隔無形將然未有者知萬人也【此俊徳也非特桀雄而已故其知與人隔此三境而超萬人之上也將然不如無形無形不如未有取譬言之若太易者未有也而太初無形渾淪則將然矣】無萬人之智者智不能棲世學之上龎子曰得奉嚴教受業有間【或作聞】矣退師謀言弟子愈恐

Master Pang asked Heguanzi: "What does the Way of the sage value first?" Heguanzi said: "First he values people." Master Pang said: "What does the Way of people value first?" Heguanzi said: "First it values arms." Master Pang said: "Why set aside Heaven and value people first?" Heguanzi said: "Heaven is high and hard to know; one cannot seek blessings from it and cannot avoid misfortune from it, and to model on Heaven is to go against it. Earth is vast and deep; its benefit is great [one text has "then"] and its awe small [Heaven is honored but not close, Earth is close but not honored], and to model on Earth is to be humiliated. The shifts of the seasons change in turn without fixity, and to model on the seasons is to be of two minds. None of these three can be used to establish teaching or set up customs, so the sage does not model on them." Master Pang said: "What of yin and yang?" Heguanzi said: "Spirit, numinous power, awe and brightness accord with Heaven [the refined brightness of spirit is called numinous], the crooked shoots stirring accord with Earth [growing in a curve is called a crook], and yin and yang, cold and heat, come with the seasons. As for these three, when a sage is present there is order and when the sage perishes there is disorder. So he values people first. When rich, one becomes arrogant; when noble, one becomes excessive. As for arms, they may not be used even once in a hundred years, but one may not forget them for a day. So the Way of people values arms first." Master Pang said: "If one values arms first, how should it be?" Heguanzi said: "Arms are ritual, righteousness, loyalty and good faith." Master Pang said: "I would like to hear the meaning of arms." Heguanzi said: "When the Way is lost, one dares to take the low to go against the high; when there is no righteousness, one dares to take the small to invade the great." Master Pang said: "How should it be used?" Heguanzi said: "If one goes down a crooked road, stop him; if he returns to the right road, release him. So one does not kill those who surrender [a hawk does not strike what has already crouched, much less people]. What the ruler's Way values highest is nothing nobler than restraint. If one gains land but loses good faith, the sage-king does not hold on to it. Those who break their words and betray their agreements will each meet with trouble." Master Pang said: "This disciple has heard: where the land is large, the state is full; where people are many, the army is strong; where the army is strong, one first attains one's aims in the world. Now to use what one sees to match [one text has "abandon"] what one does not see is probably [one text has "tied," another "governed"] not so. Now the armies of large states are in fact defeated and their words exhausted, prohibitions cannot stop and orders cannot be carried out; what is the reason?" [An order makes people do something; a prohibition makes people not do something.] Heguanzi said: "To know the future, examine the past; to know ancient times, examine the present. One who chooses people first and then uses them can be king; one who uses people first and then chooses them will perish. The places from which acts against the proper order arise: when the unworthy overrun the worthy, it is called overrunning [those below overrunning those above]; when the hundred families do not dare speak, it is called overcoming [those above overcoming those below]. As for what you ask now, you must not say it. When the land is large, the state rich, the people many and the army strong, enough one says, with scholars having strength to spare, yet one cannot first attain one's aims in the world, it is because the ruler is not worthy and also practices arrogance and overflow [being already haughty is called arrogance, being already full is called overflow]. If unworthy, he cannot practice non-action, and cannot achieve with him [Mencius said: a person has things he does not do, and only then can he do something]. With arrogance one takes the enemy lightly, and taking the enemy lightly one plans with those one privately loves matters one does not know how to do [break the sentence here]. The people employed are not ones who can handle it, yet he wants his strength to win against enemies not his match, does not count the trouble that lasts a lifetime and delights in a moment's talk. So the ruler takes on slander from misheard counsel and is disgraced in the world; the strategists in the enemy state bear the responsibility of being the first to blame [or "inspect"]. When an enemy state comes to question, they retreat [or "seize." Using words to fend them off], and once they retreat, the persuaders who proposed it are ashamed of their weakness [if they fend off with words, those persuaders who came to question are ashamed of their weakness, and the situation will inevitably come to the use of arms]. Ten thousand lowly straights cannot bend one noble crooked [those below have no way to turn it back]. The state receives an extended [or "spirit"] wound [great raiding is called extension], and when the wound breaks open it goes to war [when that wound flares up, war begins]. Once war begins, it is making the common people go to die for the failures of treacherous ministers. The fault arises above and the death sentence falls below. Once enmity has been formed outside, and the lords store up his crimes, they will [or "blame"] endanger and overturn the altars of the state. The rulers of the day are frightened and chilled at heart, standing alone and not marching out to campaign ["campaign" is also written "replace," and below there is the word "awe"]. This man leaves the troubles of two states unresolved, and the ruler stands but cannot recover. Regretting the faults handed down by earlier couriers [or "morning"], plans shift and calculations change, but the first to blame [one text has "inspect"] is not enough to cover them, because the entanglement is too heavy [the one who made the plan has too heavy a fault; how can one person's hand block the eyes of the world?], the clan is wiped out and relatives are ruined [wiping out the clan is what the Zhou Offices call house execution], and he publicly apologizes to the world to yield to the enemy state. Otherwise the road of war will not end and the wound of the state will not stop [what is called an extended wound is for this reason]. Great [or "Heaven"], the harm of not knowing [meaning the harm of not knowing is very great]! Lamentable, the extremes to which that disaster runs [meaning that disaster is lamentable to the utmost]! This is the fault of relying on rank, leaving the Way, using few people, and holding things oneself [one's own are many, others' few]. So before the army has even moved the wheel chocks, the troops can already be replaced [the title of the chapter, "Near Replacement," probably comes from here]. Now the rulers of large states do not hear [one text has "between"] the Way of the former sages, and treat affairs as easy; the ministers have no great calculations to assist with clarity, but have petty [one text lacks "petty"] cleverness that confuses the right way, act contrary to righteousness and lead troops against virtue. When the army is defeated and words are exhausted, orders cannot be carried out and prohibitions cannot stop, what is there to wonder [or "rely"] at!" Master Pang said: "What is the cleverness that confuses the right?" Heguanzi said: "Laws cannot be groped for with subtle [one text has "thereby"] intentions ["subtle" is read as in the Songs line about the small stars twinkling]. The sage follows the numbers and the laws, and yet there are still gaps. So a person who cannot fill out his law a hundredfold cannot be master of the world. Now one has no numbers yet relies on oneself, has no law yet considers oneself complete, does not follow the checks of the former sages [or "sage"] but judges by the clarity one already has [judging by the clarity of one's own view]. Though human affairs are complete, with what will one further fill out one's person a hundredfold? [That which is a hundred times oneself, how could it be only in others? A person is probably born receiving the central qi of Heaven and Earth, with the body holding the spirit and all wonders complete. By today's measure, his person probably has a thousand or a hundred times himself, yet what he knows stops at one or two, and in the end he vanishes unheard of, only because he cannot recover it.] The ruler's knowledge is not clear; he takes rank [or "blame"] for the Way and intention for law, drags [or "firm," or "rare"] the time to deceive [one text has "how," another "resist"] the world, goes against those below and covers those above, and makes affairs part from both ends [both ends are lost]. He nurtures what is wrong and grows what is lost, takes stillness for disturbance and safety for danger, and every family is in distress and everyone resents him; is there a calamity greater than this? Such a person, on the day he flees north [a defeated army is said to go north], only then knows that his fate is already doomed [he was thrown into a place of death long ago, and only today does he know]." Master Pang said: "Using human affairs to fill out the law a hundredfold, how should it be done?" Heguanzi said: "Cang Jie made writing [in one text the word "law" is below the word "writing." Cang Jie was the Yellow Emperor's historian, who first saw the tracks of birds and beasts and began making written tallies], and writing is arranged from jiazi [days begin with jia and the hours begin with zi], which formed the officials called Shi and Li ["forming Shi" probably means reporting case records to the magistrate; "Li officials" are the judicial officers]. Cang Jie did not speak of the Way, yet were it not for Cang Jie, writing and ink would not have arisen [though Cang Jie made writing and did not speak of the way of scholars and historians, the sprouting of writing and ink began from here. This is the beginning of filling out that law a hundredfold]. Even if the law is recorded on charts and used to convey (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription; the common text reads "spread") what the Way means, it still [or "guard"; here "still" is to be followed] captures only a tenth of that breadth ["breadth" is also written "receive"] [this means: if there were no writing and ink, and one wanted to draw one's laws on charts, how could one exhaust the details of that meaning? Probably looking from later ages, with writing aiming at convenience, seal script is not as good as clerical script, and clerical is not as good as cursive, so the dullness of charts in dealing with affairs can be known. So it is said: to encompass the affairs of the world, to record the long past, clarify the far past, to bring out what is dim and pass on what is obscure, nothing equals writing. What is dim is what the eyes cannot see; what is obscure is what the heart does not understand]. So one who knows how to fill out that law a hundredfold is outstanding. If it is separated by the formless, the about-to-be, and the not-yet-existing, that is the knowledge of ten thousand people [this is eminent virtue, not merely being heroic. So his knowledge is separated from others by these three realms and transcends ten thousand people. The about-to-be is not as good as the formless, and the formless is not as good as the not-yet-existing. To put it in analogy: Great Change is the not-yet-existing; Great Beginning is the formless; and the primal chaos is the about-to-be]. One without the wisdom of ten thousand people has wisdom that cannot perch above the learning of the age." Master Pang said: "Having been able to receive this stern teaching, I have been taking instruction for some time [or "hearing"]. Withdrawing and pondering my teacher's words, this disciple is even more fearful."

龎子問鶡冠子曰聖與神謀【子曰道不同不相為謀】道與人成【子曰茍非其人道不虛行】願聞度神慮成之要奈何鶡冠子曰天者神也地者形也地溼而火生焉【至陽赫赫赫赫出乎地】天燥而水生焉【至隂肅肅肅肅出乎天】法猛刑頗則神溼【刑與法隂也】神溼則天不生水音【案一本音下缺一字又聲上多一故字疑悞】聲倒則形燥【聲與音陽也】形燥則地不生火水火不生則隂陽無以成氣度量無以成制五勝無以成埶【一作執五勝五形之勝】萬物無以成類百業俱絶萬生皆困濟濟混混孰知其故天人同文地人同理【天文地理與人同焉】賢不肖殊能故上聖不可亂也【譬如堯舜共工驩兜欲與為惡則誅之類】下愚不可辨也【譬如桀紂龍逄比干欲與為善則誅之類】隂陽者氣之正也天地者形神【一無神字】之正也聖人者德之正也法令者四時之正也【季春行冬令則寒季秋行夏令則暖】故一義失此萬或亂彼所失甚少所敗甚眾所謂天者非是蒼蒼之氣之謂天也所謂地者非是防防之土之謂地也【防形埒也】所謂天者言其然物而無勝者也【言天者君道也可天下之物而莫之勝也】所謂地者言其均物而不可亂者也【言地者臣道也平天下之物而莫之亂也】音者其謀也【雜比為謀】聲者其事也【佈散為事】音者天之三光也【三光雜比於上】聲者地之五官也【五官佈散於下】形神調則生理脩【形不病燥神不病溼則生理脩矣】夫生生而倍其本則德【或作隱】專己【夫偏養其本至於過理而不及防通之適則自為太多其德失乎物矣豈足語衛生之經哉故曰善飬生者若牧羊然視其後者而鞭之一本元缺一本字或作知或作如案一本元缺以下十三字與正文不相應疑當在下文知無道知字之下而錯悞於此今姑仍之】知無道上亂天文下滅地理【天人同文地人同理於此見矣】中絶人和治漸終始【言其治才漸首末而已失中道也】故聽而無聞視而無見【天下之事壊於冥冥】白晝而闇【日中見鬥之義】有義而失諡【人之所有不能諡之】失諡而惑責人所無必人所不及【逺其途而誅不至也】相史於既而不盡其愛【史使也從省言不盡已之愛而責人之盡】相區於成而不索【或作營】其實【區驅也從省言不竭已之忠而望人之成】虛名相髙精白為黑【沽於虛名而變亂事實黑或為墨墨亦黒也詩曰貍而蒼墨以為明】動靜組轉【與物轉旋如組使之】神絶復逆【復有報乎上也逆有言乎上也言其神色距人於千里之外】經氣不類形離正名【書曰有形有名形也者物此者也名也者命此者也經氣失常故形不麗名】五氣失端四時不成【隂陽並毗四時不至寒暑之和不成】過生於上罪死於下有世將極驅馳索禍【其於禍也若驅車就之】開門逃福【其於福也若開門避之】賢良為笑愚者為國天咎先見菑【或作嗇亦或作】害並雜人孰【案一本作執非】兆生孰知其極【見形而已昧於在理】見日月者不為明聞雷霆者不為聰事至而議【或作義】者不能使變無生【不能消之於未萌】故善度變者觀本本足則盡不足則德必薄兵必老其孰【案一本作執非】能以褊材為襃徳【或作襄隱】博義者哉其文巧武果而奸不止者生於本不足也【言非少文不武之罪】故主有二政臣有二制臣弗用主不能使臣必死主弗能止是以聖王獨見故主官以授長者在內和者在外夫長者之為官也在內則正義在外則固守用法則平法人本無害以端天地令出一【或無一字】原【多門杜矣】散無方化萬物【萬物一本作無物】者令也守一道制萬物者法也法也者守內者也【法者守於分域之內】令也者出制者也【令者所以行法】夫法不敗是【是出於義變而不可常法者所以趣變】令不傷理【主出於理一而不可變令者所以守法】故君子得而尊小人得而謹胥【或作冒】靡得以全神備於心道備於形【備天地之美稱神明之容】人以成則【以成法則】士【或作土】以為繩【以為繩墨】列【或作削】時第氣以授當名故法錯而隂陽調鳳凰者鶉火之禽【或無鶉火之禽枵之獸字】陽之精也【雄曰鳳凰者其雌也鶉火南星之次也】麒麟者枵之獸隂之精也【牝曰麒麟者其牡也枵北星之次也麒似麟而無角】萬民者德之精也德能致之【或作駿】其【或無其字】精畢至龎子曰致之奈何鶡冠子曰天地隂陽取稽於身故布五正以司五明【五正見下五明宜謂名屍氣皇名屍神眀名屍賢聖名屍后王名屍公伯后王一本作後二非】十變九道【未詳聞也】稽從身始五音六律稽從身出【大禹以聲為律以身為度所謂取稽於身者耶】五五二十五以理天下【五五五其音之五也】六六三十六以為歳式【六六六其律之六也一歳之式積旬三十有六】氣由神生道由神成【蛻氣之謂虛蛻虛之謂道而神也者有而非氣也無而非道也非氣而氣以之生非道而道以之成】唯聖人能正其音調其聲故其德上及太清【太清天也】下及泰寧【泰寧地也】中及萬靈膏露降白丹發醴泉出【醴泉其味如醴可以養老】朱草生【朱草可以染絳以別尊卑】眾祥具【傳曰王者統和隂陽休氣充塞符瑞並臻應得而至德至天則斗極明日月光甘露降德至地則嘉禾生蓂莢起秬鬯出德至文表則景星見五緯順軌德至草木則朱草生木連理德至鳥獸則鳳凰翔鸞鳥舞麒麟臻白虎到白雉降白鹿見白烏下德至山陵則景雲出芝實茂陵出異丹阜出萐莆山出器車澤出神鼎德至淵泉則黃龍見醴泉湧河出龍圖洛出書江出大貝海出明珠德至八方則祥風至嘉氣時鐘律調音度施四夷化越裳貢】故萬口雲【一本作萬口去】帝制神化【眾祥備至則外帝內神之道具矣】景星光潤【景星者德星也其狀無常常出於有道之國而月死則見所以助月照民夜績也】文則寢天下之兵武則天下之兵莫能當【一本雲武則天下莫能當無之兵字】逺之近顯乎隱大乎小眾乎少莫不從微始故得之所成不可勝形失之所敗不可勝名【或作勝為名】從是徃【或作生】者子弗能勝問吾亦弗勝言凡問之要欲近知而逺見以一度萬也無慾之君不可與舉【此言何謂也若予所學則人君之患正在多欲此孟子三見齊王而不言曰我先攻其邪心也故曰內實多欲而外施仁義奈何欲效唐虞之治乎南華曰欲順則平氣欲神則靜心欲當則縁於不得已亦與鶡冠異矣昔者有鬼谷著書以為馳説諸侯陽開隂閉必因其好惡憂樂而捭闔之然至於無好者蓋不得而說也若然多欲之君乃從橫之家欲以售術而鶡冠言道末流乃至於此不己卑乎】賢人不用弗能使國利此其要也龎子曰敢問五正鶡冠子曰有神化有官治有教治有因治有事【或作爭】治龎子曰願聞其形鶡冠子曰神化者於未有官治者道於本教治者脩諸已因治者不變俗事治者矯【或作橋】之於末龎子曰願聞其事鶡冠子曰神化者定天地豫【或作象】四時【其體常如此】拔【或作教】隂陽移寒暑【其體變如此傳曰古之真人提挈天地把握隂陽】正流並生萬物無害萬類成【或作鹹】全名屍氣皇【伏羲氏得之以襲氣母蓋近是乎】官治者師隂陽【隂陽王事之本】應將然【神化者於未有故升此一等】地寧天澄眾美歸焉名屍神明教治者置【或作署】四時【春誦夏秋學禮冬讀書之類因時順氣於功易也】事功順道【俯而事功仰以順道】名屍賢聖因治者招【或作拓】賢聖而道心術敬事生和名屍后王事治者招仁聖而道知焉【不能招賢聖而招仁不能道心術而道知聖也者天道也賢也者地道也仁也者人道也】茍精牧神【茍急敕也牧驅制也】分官成章【精神勞矣而不能善徧於是又備官焉】教苦利逺【教雖苦而利逺】法制生焉【萬物擾擾自此起矣】法者使去私就公【法者將以有所去也非以有所取也】同知壹警有同由者也非行私而使人合同者也故至治者弗由而名屍公伯【公如公侯之公伯如霸王之伯】

Pang Zi asked Heguanzi: 'The sage plans together with spirit [Confucius said: those whose ways differ do not plan together], and the Dao is completed together with humans [Confucius said: if it is not the right person, the Dao does not go forth empty by itself]. I would like to hear the essentials of measuring spirit and deliberating completion; how should it be done?' Heguanzi said: 'Heaven is spirit, earth is form. When the earth is damp, fire is born from it [the utmost yang, blazing and great; the blaze comes out of the earth]; when heaven is dry, water is born from it [the utmost yin, stern and cold; the sternness comes out of heaven]. When laws and orders are fierce and punishments are skewed, spirit becomes damp [punishments and laws belong to yin]; once spirit is damp, heaven does not give birth to water. Tone [Note: in one edition a character is missing below the word for tone, and an extra word meaning "therefore" stands above "sound"; probably a mistaken addition] and sound are turned upside down, and form becomes dry [sound and tone belong to yang]; once form is dry, earth does not give birth to fire. When water and fire are not born, yin and yang have no way to form qi, measures have no way to form institutions, the five conquests have no way to form power [one edition writes a different character for "power"; the five conquests are the five phases overcoming one another], and the myriad things have no way to form categories. A hundred undertakings are cut off together and all life is trapped, teeming and muddled; who knows the cause? Heaven and humans share the same pattern, and earth and humans share the same principle [the patterns of heaven and the principles of earth are the same as those of humans]. Worthy and unworthy differ in talent, and so the highest sage cannot be disturbed [as with Yao and Shun above, when Gong Gong and Huan Dou wanted to do evil together with them and were punished], and the lowest fool cannot be set right [as with Jie and Zhou above, when Guan Longpang and Bi Gan wanted to do good together with them and were punished likewise]. Yin and yang are the correctness of qi, heaven and earth are the correctness of form and spirit [one edition lacks the word "spirit"], the sage is the correctness of virtue, and laws and orders are the correctness of the four seasons [if in the last month of spring one enforces the orders of winter it will be cold, and if in the last month of autumn one enforces the orders of summer it will be warm]. So when one principle is lost here, the ten thousand may fall into disorder there; what is lost is little, but what is ruined is much. What is called heaven does not mean that the blue-gray qi is called heaven; what is called earth does not mean that the heaped soil (fang fang) is called earth [fang means outline, the boundary contour of the soil]. What is called heaven means that it completes all things and nothing can overcome it [heaven is the way of the ruler, able to make all things under heaven so, and nothing can overcome it]; what is called earth means that it levels all things and cannot be disturbed [earth is the way of the minister, which levels and governs all things under heaven, and nothing can disturb it]. Tone is its planning [mixing and arranging in order is planning], and sound is its business [spreading out is business]. Tone is the three lights above [the three lights mix and are arranged in order above], and sound is the five offices (the five kinds of officials who divide up charge of duties on the earth) on earth [the five offices spread out below]. When form and spirit are even, the principle of life is well ordered [if form is not sick from dryness and spirit is not sick from dampness, the principle of life is well ordered]. But if in nourishing life one doubles the root, then virtue [or "the hidden"] rests solely in oneself [favoring the nourishment of one's own root, going beyond principle and failing to reach the measure of connecting on all sides with all things (the source text writes "fang tong"), is doing too much for oneself; virtue is lost from things, so how can it suffice for a classic of hygiene? Hence it is said: one who is good at nourishing life is like a shepherd, who whips any that fall behind. Note: the thirteen characters following the words "one edition originally lacks" do not match the text; probably they belong below, under the word "know" in "know but lack the Dao," misplaced here by a displaced slip, and for now are left as they are]. Once one knows but lacks the Dao, above one disorders the patterns of heaven and below one destroys the principles of earth [heaven and humans share one pattern, and earth and humans one principle; this can be seen from here], and in between one cuts off human harmony, so that governance only soaks the skin of the beginning and end [meaning that its governing only reaches the two ends, having already lost the middle way]. So one hears as if not hearing and sees as if not seeing [the affairs of the world decay in darkness], and in broad daylight it is dark [which is the meaning of seeing the Dipper at noon]. There is righteousness but it loses its posthumous title [what people have, but no title can be fixed for it]; losing the title leads to confusion, demanding what people do not have and forcing what people cannot do [stretching out the road far, and then punishing people for not reaching its end]. They employ one another until after the task, but do not exhaust their own love ["shi" means to employ, written in abbreviated form; meaning that one does not exhaust one's own love yet demands that others exhaust theirs]; they drive one another to completion, but do not seek [or "manage"] the substance ["qu" means to drive, written in abbreviated form; meaning that one does not exhaust one's own loyalty yet hopes others will accomplish the task]. They praise one another with empty names and treat the pure white as black [seeking empty fame and confusing reality. "Black" is sometimes written "ink," which is also black. The Songs say: (a rare character lost in transcription), a fox taken for gray, ink taken for bright]. Movement and stillness turn along like weaving a braid [turning round together with things, as when weaving a cord], and spirit and qi repel people with reversal and counter-stroke ["fu" is reporting upward and "ni" is presenting words upward; meaning that his look keeps people away a thousand li]. The ordinary qi are not of one kind, and form departs from its proper name [the Documents say: there is form and there is name. Form is what is used to "thing" it, and name is what is used to name it. When the ordinary qi lose constancy, form does not attach to name]. The five qi lose their thread and the four seasons cannot be completed [yin and yang both dominate, the four seasons do not come, and the harmony of cold and heat cannot be completed]. The fault arises above and the guilt of death falls below. Some ages, about to reach their end, gallop off to seek calamity [treating calamity as if driving a carriage up to it], and open the door to flee from fortune [treating fortune as if opening the door to avoid it]. The worthy are laughed at, and fools govern the state. Heaven's portents of blame appear first, and calamities mix together. Who [Note: one edition has "hold," which is wrong] can see from the omens how it arises, and who knows its limit [seeing only the form and being ignorant of the principle]? To see the sun and moon is not to be enlightened, and to hear thunder is not to be keen of hearing. Those who discuss [or "righteousness"] only after the matter has arrived cannot prevent upheaval from arising [they cannot dissolve it before it sprouts]. So one who is good at measuring change looks to the root; if the root is sufficient one can exhaust it; if the root is insufficient, virtue must be thin and arms must grow old. Who [Note: one edition has "hold," which is wrong] can use narrow material to accomplish great virtue [or "Xiang yin"] and broad righteousness? Clever in literary matters and bold in martial matters, and yet villainy cannot be stopped; this is born from insufficiency of the root [meaning that the fault lies not in too little literary skill or in lack of martial skill]. So the ruler has two kinds of governance and the minister has two kinds of control: if the minister refuses to serve, the ruler cannot command him; if the minister resolves to die, the ruler cannot stop him. So a sage king is able to see alone. Therefore the ruler delegates offices: the elder inside, the harmonious outside. The elder as an official, inside holds to righteousness, outside holds fast, and in using law holds to equal law. The root of persons has no harm, and it is used to rectify heaven and earth. Orders issue from a single source [or without the word "single"] [many gates would block it]. What spreads without fixed direction to transform all things [one edition has "no things"] is the order; what holds to one way to restrain all things is the law. Law is what keeps within [law keeps within boundaries]; order is what goes out to make regulations [order is used to carry out law]. Law does not defeat this "right" ["right" comes from righteousness, which changes and cannot be treated as constant; law is used to hurry toward change], and order does not harm that principle [the ruler comes from principle, which is singular and unchangeable; order is used to keep the law]. So the exemplary person who gets it is honored, the petty person who gets it is careful, and the convict laborer (xumi) [or "mao"] who gets it is preserved. Spirit is complete in the heart, and the Dao is complete in form [complete with the beauty of heaven and earth, worthy of the countenance of the divine light]. People use it to complete the norm [to complete the standard], and scholars [or "earth"] take it as the cord [take it as the ink-line], arrange [or "shave"] the order of the seasons and order the qi, in order to bestow it on those worthy of the name. Therefore the laws interlace and yin and yang remain even. The phoenix is a bird of Chunhuo [one edition lacks the phrases "bird of Chunhuo," "beast of Xuanxiao" and the like], the essence of yang [the male is called feng and huang is its female; Chunhuo is the southern star station]; the qilin is a beast of Xuanxiao (the source text writes a private-use character for the first word; per the standard edition it is xuan; Xuanxiao is one of the twelve stations, in the north), the essence of yin [the female is called qi and lin is its male; Xuanxiao is a northern star station; the qi resembles the lin but has no horn]; the myriad people are the essence of virtue. Virtue can summon them [or "swift"], and those [one edition lacks "those"] essences all arrive together.' Pang Zi said: 'How are they summoned?' Heguanzi said: 'Heaven and earth, yin and yang, take one's own self as the verification, so one arranges the five correctnesses (the five kinds of governance: spiritual transformation, official governance, teaching governance, accordance governance, and affair governance) to govern the five brightnesses [the five correctnesses are given below; the five brightnesses should mean names going to the qi-sovereign, names going to spirit-light, names going to worthy-sage, names going to the later king, and names going to duke-hegemon. "Later king" is "later two" in one edition, which is wrong]. Ten changes and nine ways [this item I have never heard in detail], verification begins from oneself; five notes and six pitches, verification issues from oneself [Yu the Great took his voice as the pitch and his body as the measure; what is called taking oneself as verification is probably this]. Five fives are twenty-five, used to govern the world [five fives: the five of the notes multiplied by five]; six sixes are thirty-six, used as the model of a year [six sixes: the six of the pitches multiplied by six; the model of a year, accumulated, is thirty-six decades]. Qi is born from spirit, and the Dao is completed through spirit [shedding qi is called void, shedding void is called Dao; and spirit, as a thing, is something that exists though it is not qi, and does not exist though it is not Dao; it is not qi, yet qi depends on it to be born; it is not Dao, yet Dao depends on it to be completed]. Only the sage can correct his tones and tune his sounds, so his virtue reaches up to Great Clarity [Great Clarity is heaven], down to Great Peace [Great Peace is earth], and in the middle to the myriad spirits. Sweet dew falls, white cinnabar issues, sweet springs well up [the sweet spring tastes like sweet wine and can nourish the old], vermilion grass grows [vermilion grass can dye crimson and is used to distinguish rank], and all auspicious signs are present [ancient records say: when a king unifies yin and yang, benign qi fills all space and auspicious omens arrive together, and what is due arrives. When virtue reaches heaven, the Dipper and the Pole are bright, the sun and moon have radiance, and sweet dew falls; when virtue reaches earth, auspicious grain grows, the calendar plant puts forth, and black-millet wine appears; when virtue reaches the patterned signs, the bright star appears and the five planets follow their orbits; when virtue reaches grasses and trees, vermilion grass grows and trees join their grain; when virtue reaches birds and beasts, phoenixes soar, luan birds dance, qilin come, white tigers arrive, white pheasants descend, white deer appear, and white crows alight; when virtue reaches mountains and hills, auspicious clouds issue, zhi fungus is lush, hills produce strange cinnabar, mounds produce the shapu plant, mountains produce the vessel-cart, and marshes produce the spirit tripod; when virtue reaches deep springs, the yellow dragon appears, sweet springs well up, the Yellow River produces the dragon chart, the Luo produces the turtle writing (the source text has a rare character here, where the standard edition has the word for turtle), the Yangtze produces great shells, and the sea produces bright pearls; when virtue reaches the eight directions, auspicious winds arrive, benign qi comes in season, bells and pitches are in tune, musical measures are put into effect, the four barbarian peoples are transformed, and Yuezhang comes to offer tribute]. So ten thousand mouths proclaim [one edition has "ten thousand mouths depart"] the emperor's rule and spiritual transformation [when all the auspicious signs arrive, the Dao of the outer emperor and inner spirit is complete]. The light of the bright star is moist [the bright star is the star of virtue, with no fixed shape, and often appears in states that have the Dao; it appears when the moon is dead, to assist the moon and shine on people spinning hemp at night]. When one uses the civil, the soldiers of the world rest; when one uses the martial, none of the soldiers of the world can withstand it [one edition reads "when martial, none in the world can withstand it," lacking the word for soldiers]. The far becomes near, the manifest lies in the hidden, the great lies in the small, the many lie in the few, and there is nothing that does not begin from the subtle. So when it is attained, the forms it completes cannot be counted; when it is lost, the names it ruins cannot be counted [or "victory becomes name"]. From here on [or "born"] you could ask without end and I could speak without end. The essential of asking is to know the near and see the far, using one to measure ten thousand. A ruler without desires cannot be undertaken with [Commentary: what does this mean? According to what I have learned, the calamity of rulers lies precisely in their many desires. Mencius saw the king of Qi three times without speaking, saying: I first attack his wicked heart. So it is said: inwardly truly of many desires, yet outwardly practicing humaneness and righteousness, how can one emulate the governance of Tang and Yu? Nanhua (the Zhuangzi) says: if you want to be smooth, level the qi; if you want spirit, quiet the heart; if you want to be fitting, follow what cannot be helped; this too differs from Heguan. In the past Guiguzi wrote a book holding that in galloping persuasion of the lords, with yang opening and yin closing, one must open and close following the other's likes, dislikes, sorrows and joys; but when one meets a person with no preferences, there is no way to persuade him. If so, a ruler of many desires is precisely the one to whom the strategists want to sell their art; Heguan's discussion of the Dao, in its lesser branch, even comes to this point, is that not already base?]. If worthy men are not employed, they cannot bring benefit to the state. That is the essential.' Pang Zi said: 'May I ask about the five correctnesses?' Heguanzi said: 'There is spiritual transformation, official governance, teaching governance, accordance governance, and affair [or "contention"] governance.' Pang Zi said: 'I would like to hear their forms.' Heguanzi said: 'Spiritual transformation is in the time when nothing yet exists; official governance is the Dao lying in the root; teaching governance is cultivation in oneself; accordance governance is not changing customs; affair governance is correcting [or "bridging"] at the branch.' Pang Zi said: 'I would like to hear their business.' Heguanzi said: 'Spiritual transformation is to settle heaven and earth, to prepare for [or "image"] the four seasons [its substance is always so], to pull open [or "teach"] yin and yang, and to shift cold and heat [its substance changes thus. Ancient records say: the true persons of old lifted heaven and earth and grasped yin and yang]; the correct currents arise together, all things have no harm, all kinds are complete [or "all"], and the name goes to the qi-sovereign [Fuxi, by obtaining it, inherited the mother of qi, which is probably close to this]. Official governance is to take yin and yang as the model [yin and yang are the root of royal affairs], and to respond to what is about to be so [spiritual transformation is in the time when nothing yet exists, so it is higher than this grade]; earth is peaceful and heaven clear, all that is fine returns here, and the name goes to the spirit-light. Teaching governance is to establish [or "post"] the four seasons [like reciting in spring, stringed instruments in summer (the source text has a rare character here; per the Record of Rites, Wen Wang Shi Zi, it is the word for strings), studying ritual in autumn, and reading books in winter; following the time and following the qi, the results come easily], with achievements following the Dao [bending down to do the work, looking up to follow the Dao], and the name goes to the worthy and the sage. Accordance governance is to summon [or "expand"] the worthy and the sage and guide them with the art of the heart, so that respectful service gives rise to harmony, and the name goes to the later king. Affair governance is to summon the humane and the sage and guide them with knowledge [one who cannot summon worthies and sages only summons the humane; one who cannot guide with the art of the heart only guides with knowledge. The sage is the Dao of heaven, the worthy is the Dao of earth, and the humane is the Dao of humans]. In haste to herd the spirit ["gou" means urgent command, "mu" means to drive and restrain], offices are set up and regulations written [the spirit has already toiled but cannot be universally sound, so offices are again provided], and though teaching is bitter, its benefit is distant [teaching is bitter but its benefit far-reaching], and the system of laws is born from here [the myriad things are bustling and it starts here]. Law makes people drop the private and turn toward the public [law is prepared to remove something, not to take something]; making people know the same and be warned alike is because there is a single road to walk, not because oneself acts privately while making others conform. So perfect governance does not walk this road, and the name goes to the duke-hegemon ["duke" as in the duke of a lord, "hegemon" as in hegemon-king].'

龎子問鶡冠子曰泰上成鳩【一作瞗】之道一族用之萬八千歳【傳曰天地初立天皇一曰天靈其治萬八千歳然則成鳩蓋天皇之別號也】有天下兵強世不可奪【天地初立豈容已有兵哉此言亦筌蹄也南華曰寓言十九重言十七】與天地存久絶無倫【無倫細之至也中庸曰毛猶有倫】齊殊異之物【齊鵬鷃之大小等鳬鶴之長短】不足以命其相去之不同也【言其懸絶如此】世莫不言樹俗立化彼獨何道之行以至於此鶡冠子曰彼成鳩氏天【句】故莫能増其髙尊其靈龎子曰何謂天何若而莫能増其髙尊其靈【凡此叩其所以】鶡冠子曰天者誠其日德也日【或無日字】誠出誠入南北有極【冬日至而北夏日至而南】故莫弗以為法則【取中於日徳】天者信其月刑也月信死信生終則有始【朔而後魄生望而後魄死】故莫弗以為政【取正於月刑】天者明星其稽也【明星大星也二十八舍之類】列【或作削】星不亂各以序行故小大莫弗以章【小星不見陵掩案一本無掩字】天者因時其則也四時當名代【或作伐】而不幹【或作於彼謝此代而無侵越】故莫弗以為必然天者一法其【或無其字】同也前後左右古今自如【奈何杞人之憂其崩墜也】故莫弗以為常天誠信明因一【誠誠其日徳信信其月刑明明星其稽因因時其則一一法其同】不為眾父【或作文為眾父父】易一故莫能與爭先【南華曰一而不可不易者道也先或為光】易一非一【一不足以囿之】故不可尊増成鳩得一故莫不仰制焉【所謂侯王得一為天下貞者也】龎子曰願聞其制鶡冠子曰成鳩之制與神明體正神明者下究而上際【沈以窮乎下浮以際乎上】剋嗇萬物而不可厭者也周泊【或作汨或作流】徧照【周泊無外也徧照無裡也】反與天地總故能為天下計【狂而不反豈能與民同吉凶之患哉】明於蚤識逢臼【或作逺白】不惑存亡之祥安危之稽龎子曰願聞其稽鶡冠子曰置下不安【句】上不可以載【或作可以載】累其足【或作是】也其最髙而不植局【或作不可植局】者未之有也【此譬安危之稽言其置下茍危難欲累於上難矣又況又在其上者乎則其所立豈有不局哉累足蹐也植立也局曲也】辨於人情究物【或作萬物】之理稱於天地【稱之為言量也】廢置不殆【或作佁或作冶】審于山川而運動舉錯有檢【蠢迪檢押案押一本作柙】生物無害為之父母無所躪躒仁於取予備於教道【教以為人道以為已】要於言語【直言曰言問難曰語】信於約束己諾不專【反諾為己禮曰與其有諾責也寧有己怨】喜怒不増【喜不過予怒不過奪】其兵不武樹以為俗其化出此龎子曰願聞其人情物理所以嗇萬物與天地總與神明體正之道鶡冠子曰成鳩氏之道未有離天曲日術者天曲者明而易循【或作脩】也日術者要而易行也【天曲若五家為伍五鄉為縣之類日術若家裡用提甸長用旬之類此法起於周之末造而曰成鳩用之是今日適越而昔至也然則此書寓言多矣】龎子曰願聞天曲日術鶡冠子曰其制邑【或作已】理都使矔習者五家為伍伍為之長十伍為裡裡置有司四里為扁【扁當為甸後皆放此】扁為之長十扁為鄉鄉置師五鄉為縣縣有嗇夫治焉十縣為郡有大夫守焉命曰官屬郡大夫退脩【或皆作循】其屬縣嗇夫退脩其鄉鄉師退脩其扁扁長退脩其裡裡有司退脩其伍伍長退脩其家事相斥正居處相察出入相司【司猶伺也】父與父言義子與子言孝【與或作為】長者言善少者言敬旦夕相薰薌以此慈孝【或作力】之務若有所移徙去就家與家相受人與人相付亡人奸物無所穿竄此其人情物理也伍人有勿【或作物一本無伍人有勿四字】故不奉上令有餘不足居處之狀【此言有餘不足居處之狀無故輒違上令當告有司】而不輒以告裡有司謂之亂家其罪伍長以同【同謂同坐五人之罪】裡中有不敬長慈少出等異眾不聽父兄之教有所受聞不悉以告扁長謂之亂裡其罪有司而貳其家【貳猶副也若今從坐】扁不以時循【或作脩】行教誨受聞不悉以告鄉師謂之亂扁其罪扁長而貳其家鄉不以時循行教誨【一二教之曰誨】受聞不悉以告縣嗇夫謂之亂鄉其罪鄉師而貳其家縣嗇夫不以時循行教誨受聞不悉以告郡善者不顯命曰蔽明見惡而隱命曰下比謂之亂縣其誅嗇夫無赦【不言貳其家者罪之尚貳其家則誅可知矣】郡大夫不以循行教誨受聞雖實【或作賔】有所遺脫不悉以告柱國謂之亂郡其誅郡大夫無赦柱國不政使下情不上聞上情不下究謂之絿【或作絯或作繆】政【絿急也】其誅柱國滅門殘疾令尹不宜【或作宣】時合【或作令】地【合地之德】害百姓者謂之亂天下其軫令尹以徇【柱國楚之寵官令尹若相國矣楚懐王使柱國昭陽將兵攻齊陳軫問楚國之法破軍殺將者何以貴之昭陽曰其官為柱國封土執圭軫曰其有貴於此乎曰令尹軫車裂也周官曰轘軫或作斬】此其所以嗇物也天用四時地用五行天子執一以居【一作守】中央參於兩間調以五音正以六律紀以度數宰以刑德從本至末第以甲乙天始於元地始於朔【元以氣言之朔以方言之天運始於元地處始於朔】四時始於歴【王者敬授人時實始於歴】故家裡用防【防零日也公羊傳曰防月者僅逮此月晦日也案防一本作提今本公羊傳亦無提月之文】扁長用旬鄉師用節【驚蟄芒種之類】縣嗇夫用月郡大夫用氣分所至【二分二至之類】柱國用六律裡五日報扁【用防】扁十日報鄉【用旬】鄉十五日報縣【用節】縣三十日報郡【用月】郡四十五日報柱國【用氣】柱國六十日以聞天子【用律】天子七十二日遣使【一本作遣使於郡此用五行分王之數蓋一歳之運五行各王七十二日】勉有功罰不如【句】此所以與天地總下情六十日一上聞上惠七十二日一下究此天曲日術也故不肖者不失其賤而賢者不失其明上享【或作序】其福祿而百事理行畔者不利【天下晏然雖隂有欲畔者無所乗其隙也】故莫能撓其強是以能治滿而不溢【不増之使溢】綰大【或作天】而不芒【不損之使芒芒之為言小也】天子中【或作甲】正使者敢易言尊益區域【或無域字】使利逜下蔽上【使者變言貸襄借譽尊益區宇則其至於逜下蔽上】其刑斬笞無赦諸吏教苦德薄侵暴百姓輒罷毋使汙官亂治不奉令犯法其罪加民【播惡於眾】利而不取利運而不取次【疑取次或作敢次】故四方從之唯恐後至是以運天【運天或作運大】而維張【管子曰四維不張國乃滅亡】地廣而德章天下安樂設年予昌屬各以一時典最上賢不如令尹令尹以聞壹再削職【一本作則織】三則【或作典】不赦治不逾官使史李不誤公市為平生者不喜【非故生之】死者不怨【非故殺之】人得所欲國無變故著賞有功德及三世父【或作名】伏【或作狀】其辜不得創諡【名之曰幽厲雖孝子慈孫不能改也創或為制】事從一二終古不勃彼計為善於鄉不如為善於裡為善於裡不如為善於家是以為善者可得舉為惡者可得誅【或作諭】莫敢道一旦之善皆以終身為期素無失次故化立而世無邪化立俗成少則同儕【或作齊】長則同友遊敖同品祭祀同福死生同愛禍災同憂居處同樂【安居曰處】行作同和吊賀同雜哭泣同哀驩欣足以相助諜【或作謀】足以相止【探遉也諜間諜也】安平相馴軍旅相保夜戰則足以相信晝戰則足以相配【或作醜】入以禁暴出正無道是以其兵能橫行誅伐而莫之敢御故其刑設而不用不爭而權重車甲不陳而天下無敵矣【一本作天下無道適矣】失道則賤敢逆貴不義則小敢侵大成鳩既見上世之嗣失道亡功倍【或作信】本滅德之則故為之不朽【或作株又或作採】之國定位牢【或作罕】祭【或作然不能保其邦家則位不定矣不能保其宗廟則祭不牢矣】使鬼神亶曰【或作日】増規不圓益矩不方【此言法度至足無欠無餘規不可増矩不可益非特使人信之雖質諸鬼神而無疑也蓋聖人之法譬諸身乎増之則贅割之則虧】夫以効末傳之子孫唯此可持【或無唯此可持字】唯此可將【効猶示也讀如効犬効羊之効言以示子孫之末裔立而可持行而可將唯此而已】將者養吉釋【或作澤】者不祥墠以全犧【純謂之犧完謂之牷】正以齋明【齋或作天或作文不莫謂之齋不昧謂之明齊明者蓋祭祀之正也犧牷則以為副而已禮曰去廟為祧去祧為壇去壇為墠今此獨言墠者於墠如此則由壇而上可知也案不莫一本作不革】四時享之祀以家王【子孫祭祀不輟所謂祀以家王】以為神享禮靈之符蔵之宗廟以壐正諸【或作諸侯為之信符蔵之宗廟而又以其壐正之以明後世所當守也】故其後世之保教也全【句】耳目不營用心不分不見異物而遷捐【或作指】私去毒【或作也捐己之私去人之毒】鉤【一本此字上有每字鉤作均】於內哲【或作智足以及之】固於所守【仁足以守之】更始逾新【周而更始文而愈新】上元為紀共承嘉惠相髙不改亶昭穆【湯不先契文武不先不窋魯躋僖公失是矣】具【或作其】招士【疑】先結之後入弗解【先入者定矣故後入之事弗能解也】此知極之至也【極如紀極之極】龎子曰願聞所以不改更始逾新之道鶡冠子曰成鳩所謂得王鈇之傳者也龎子曰何謂王鈇鶡冠子曰王鈇者【案一本無此三字】非一世之器也以死遂生【以殺止殺】從中制外之教也【教或為數】後世【或作世後】成至孫一靈羽【靈或作虛】理【或作理虛羽理或作虛村理】符日循【或作脩】功弗敢【或無敢字】敗【智者雖工弗敢敗也】奉業究制執正守內拙弗敢廢【愚者雖拙弗敢廢也】樓與旱【蘇本作樓與卑疑旱或為早】以新續故四時執効應錮【或作銅】不駿【疑】後得入廟惑【或作或】爽【或作】不嗣【或作副】謂之焚【或作婪生火甚多其和焚矣列子曰焦然肌色奸黯昏然五情爽惑】祖命冐世【冐忝也世如世德之世】禮嗣弗引奉常弗內【弗引弗引於朝弗內弗內於廟奉常禮官也典宗朝之儀有丞景帝更曰太常】靈不食祀【其鬼不得食祀】家王不舉祭天將降咎皇神不享【家王越而祭之則將獲罪於天皇神雖郊不享皇神昊天上帝】此所以不改更始逾新之道也故主無異意【人君爽惑不嗣其罪如上所云則繼其後者據舊鑑新豈敢輒異哉】民心不徙與天合則萬年一範【範如荀子範形之範】則近者親其善逺者慕其德而無已是以其教不厭其用不故能疇合四海以為一家而夷貉萬國皆以時朝服致績【或作續】而莫敢効增【或作増】免【此言夷貉萬國皆以朝服致貢而不敢輒增亦不敢免法言曰被我純績帶我金犀此之謂也】聞者傳譯來歸其義【又其逺者】莫能易其俗移其教【孟子所謂用夏變夷未聞變於夷者也】故其威立而不犯流逺而不廢此素皇內帝【或作耑】之法【帝者天號王者人稱皇者天人之總美大之名謂之素皇內帝則又其至者也蓋至人神矣由是而在下則聖外王之道也由是而在上則素皇內帝之法也】成鳩之所枋以超等【枋柄也】世世不可奪者也功日益月長故能與天地存久此所以與神明體【或作禮】正之術也不待士史【或作女】蒼頡作書故後世莫能雲其咎【士李官也太古無法而治不立十史不造書契而至德同使由之者不能知知之者不能名尚何議其咎也哉傳曰蒼頡作書鬼神夜哭天雨粟方是之時至德衰矣】未聞不與道德究【究下或有謂字】而能以為善者也龎子曰如是古今之道同邪鶡冠子曰古者亦我而使之久眾者亦我而使之眾耳何比異哉彼類善則萬世不忘【類猶聚也】道惡則禍及其身尚【或作有】奚怪焉龎子曰以今之事觀古之道舟車相通衣服同採言語相知畫地守之不能相犯殊君異長不能相使逆言過耳兵甲相李【或作履李如李官之李李者治也】百父母子且【或作其案一本且作旦】未易領【或作頃言父母暨子至百不易領矣】方若所言未有離中國之正也【離附也言以上所云方若疇合四海以為一家之言似違中國之正逺矣】丘第之業【第裡第也】域【或作或】不出著【著土著也】居不連垝【毀牆曰垝】而曰成鳩氏周闔四海為一家夷貉【夷貉或作第卻】萬國莫不來朝其果情【一本情下有可字一本情作成】乎【此言邱裡之間其業之異如此又況四海夷貉之逺乎】鶡冠子曰虎【或作唐】狼殺【或作救】人【或作下】烏蒼從上【烏烏鳥也蒼蒼蠅也】螾蛾【一作蟻】從下聚之六者異類然同時俱至者何也所欲同也由是觀之有人之名則同人之情耳何故不可乎【此言四海之情同以為一家無不可者】天度數之而行在一不少在萬不眾同如林木積如倉粟鬥石以陳昇委無失也【委亦米之數也傳曰少曰委多曰積其數未詳聞也禮雲出入三積】列【或作削】地分民亦尚一也耳【或無耳字】百父【或作交】母子何能增減殊君異長又何出入若能正一萬國同極德至【至下或有制字】四海又奚足闔也龎子曰果必信然隂陽消散三百六十日各反【或作及】其故天地局局【或作】奚足以疑【局局挾貎孟子所謂天之髙也星辰之逺也茍求其故千歳之日至可坐而致也】聖人髙大內揣深淺逺近之理【或作異】使鬼神一失【一失失其奧也此言聖人燭理有以窺之】不復息矣【運而不停】與【或作為】天地相蔽【蔽天地而不恥】至今尚在以鉦面達行【疑】宜乎哉成鳩之萬八千歳也【夫道者天地之母縮而修身伸以治國皆可以長久此廣成子之所以千二百年而成鳩氏之所以萬八千歳也故曰廣成子之謂天矣又曰成鳩氏天故莫能増其髙尊其靈】得此道者何辯誰氏所用之國而天下利耳【用之則是安辯誰何】

Pang Zi asked Heguanzi: 'The Dao of Taishang Chengjiu [one edition writes the second name with a different character], one clan used it for eighteen thousand years [ancient records say: when heaven and earth were first established, the Heavenly Sovereign, also called Tianling, ruled for eighteen thousand years. So Chengjiu is probably another title of the Heavenly Sovereign]. Holding the world, his troops were strong and could not be taken away in his age [when heaven and earth had only just been established, how could there already be troops? These words too are a fish-trap and snare. Nanhua (the Zhuangzi) says: allegory accounts for nine parts in ten, and weighty words for seven in ten], and he existed together with heaven and earth, lasting so long as to have no peer [having no peer is the utmost of fineness. The Doctrine of the Mean says: a hair still has its peer]. To equalize those different things [equalizing the great and small of the roc and the quail, and equating the long and short of the duck and the crane] would also not suffice to describe how far apart they are [saying that they are separated by so great a gulf]. There is no age that does not speak of establishing customs and setting up transformation; what Dao did he alone practice, to reach this point?' Heguanzi said: 'That Chengjiu clan is simply heaven [break the sentence here], and so there was no one who could raise his height further or honor his numinous power further.' Pang Zi said: 'What is called heaven? How is it that no one could raise his height further or honor his numinous power further? [all this presses on the reason why it is so]' Heguanzi said: 'Heaven is faithful in its sun virtue. The sun [one edition lacks "sun"] truly comes out and truly goes in, with poles at north and south [on the winter solstice it goes north, on the summer solstice it goes south], so there is no one who does not take it as the standard [taking the mean from the sun's virtue]. Heaven is trustworthy in its moon punishment. The moon truly dies and truly lives, and at the end there is a beginning [after the new moon the dark part lives, after the full moon the dark part dies], so there is no one who does not take it as the model of government [taking rectitude from the moon's punishment]. Heaven takes the bright star as its verification [the bright star is the great star, like the twenty-eight mansions]. The ranked [or "shaved"] stars are not disordered, each moving in its order, so none of the small or large fail to take it to become manifest [the small stars are not encroached upon or covered. Note: one edition lacks the word "covered"]. Heaven takes accordance with the seasons as its rule. The four seasons, each in its own name, alternate [or "attack"] without trespassing [or "in". This one withdraws and that one replaces it, with no encroachment], so there is no one who does not take it as necessity. Heaven takes a single law as its sameness [one edition lacks "its"]. Front, back, left, right, ancient and present are all so of themselves [how could the man of Qi worry that heaven would collapse?], so there is no one who does not take it as constant. Heaven's sincerity, trust, brightness, accordance and oneness ["sincerity" is sincerity in its sun virtue, "trust" is trust in its moon punishment, "brightness" is the bright star as verification, "accordance" is accordance with the seasons as the rule, and "oneness" is one law as sameness] do not act as fathers of the multitude [or "literature is father of the multitude's father"]. It is the One that transforms, so no one can contend to get ahead of it [Nanhua says: the One that cannot but transform is the Dao. "Ahead" is sometimes written "light"]. The One that transforms is already not that fixed One [the One is not enough to confine it], so it cannot be honored further or increased. Chengjiu obtained the One, so there was no one who did not look up and receive his regulation [the so-called lords and kings who obtain the One serve as the rectifiers of the world].' Pang Zi said: 'I would like to hear his regulations.' Heguanzi said: 'Chengjiu's regulations were embodied in correctness with the divine light. The divine light exhausts the below and borders the above [sinking down it exhausts the bottom, floating up it borders the top], can store and nurture all things without ever being satisfied, circles [or "flows"] and shines everywhere [circling is being without an outside, shining everywhere is being without an inside], and returns to be joined as a whole with heaven and earth, so it is able to make plans for the world [if one is wild and does not return, how could one share with the people the calamity of fortune and misfortune?]. He was clear in early discernment, and not confused even when meeting the mortar [or "far white"], not deluded by the omen of survival or perishing, or the verification of safety and danger.' Pang Zi said: 'I would like to hear that verification.' Heguanzi said: 'If what is placed below is not secure [break the sentence here], above it cannot be borne [or "can bear"]. One who burdens his own feet [or "this"], and yet whose summit stands without being cramped, has never existed [or "cannot plant cramped"] [this illustrates the verification of safety and danger: if what is set below is precarious, burdening the upper is difficult; and moreover, with things standing above it, how could what it stands on not be cramped? "Burdening the feet" is tiptoeing, "to plant" is to stand, and "cramped" is bent]. He discerned human feeling, exhausted the principles of things [or "all things"], weighed in heaven and earth ["weigh" means to measure], set aside and established without peril [or other characters], examined the mountains and rivers, and his movements and actions had restraint [all crawling creatures are within restraint. Note: one edition writes a different character for "restraint"]. Living things were without harm, he was their parent, there was no trampling or bullying, taking and giving came from humaneness, teaching and Dao were both complete [teaching is used for others, the Dao for oneself], binding agreement lay in words [straight speech is called yan, questioning and refuting is called yu], trust lay in pledges, neither "already" nor "promise" was monopolized [the reverse of a promise is "already." The Record of Rites says: better to bear the blame of a promise than the resentment of "already"], and joy and anger were not added to [joy does not exceed giving, and anger does not exceed taking]. His troops did not rely on martial might; once established, they became custom; his transformation came from here.' Pang Zi said: 'I would like to hear that Dao of human feeling and the principles of things, of storing and nurturing all things, of being joined with heaven and earth, of being correct with the divine light.' Heguanzi said: 'The Dao of the Chengjiu clan never left the heavenly curve and the sun method. The heavenly curve is clear and easy to follow [or "cultivate"], the sun method is simple and easy to carry out [the heavenly curve is like five households making a squad and five townships a county; the sun method is like households using "ti" and field heads using the decade. This system arose in the late Zhou, yet it is said that Chengjiu used it, which is like going to Yue today and having already arrived yesterday. So this book has much allegory].' Pang Zi said: 'I would like to hear the heavenly curve and the sun method.' Heguanzi said: 'Marking out towns [or "already"] and governing capitals, the method to make the people familiar and practiced is as follows: five households form a squad, with a squad leader; ten squads form a village, with a village officer (the head of the village level); four villages form a bian [bian should be dian; the same below], with a bian head; ten bian form a township, with a township master; five townships form a county, with a county steward governing; ten counties form a commandery, with a grandee guarding it, which is called the official subordinates. The commandery grandee withdraws to put in order [or "follow"] his counties, the county steward withdraws to put in order his townships, the township master withdraws to put in order his bian, the bian head withdraws to put in order his villages, the village officer withdraws to put in order his squads, and the squad leader withdraws to put in order his households. Affairs are mutually pointed out and corrected, dwellings are mutually observed, and comings and goings are mutually watched ["si" is like "watch"]. Father with father speaks of righteousness, son with son of filial piety [or "for"], elders speak of goodness, and juniors of respect, morning and evening permeating one another like fragrance, using this as the business of kindness and filial piety [or "strength"]. If there is relocation, household and household take over from one another, person and person hand over to one another, and fugitives and wicked things have no place to slip through. This is his human feeling and principle of things. If a person in a squad or village [or "thing". One edition lacks the four characters "wu ren you wu"] without cause does not carry out the superior's orders, has surplus or deficiency and conditions of residence [meaning surplus, deficiency, conditions of residence; if without cause they often go against the superior's order, it should be reported to the officer], yet it is not immediately reported to the village officer, that is called disordering the household, and the guilt is shared by the squad leader ["shared" means the five people share the guilt]. If in a village there are those who do not respect elders and show kindness to the young, who exceed their rank, who differ from the multitude, or who do not listen to the teaching of fathers and brothers, and what is heard is not fully reported to the bian head, that is called disordering the village, the guilt lies with the officer and extends to his household ["extends" is like "deputy," like the present-day collective punishment]. If the bian does not make rounds [or "cultivate"] to teach at the proper times, and what is heard is not fully reported to the township master, that is called disordering the bian; the guilt lies with the bian head and extends to his household. If the township does not make rounds to teach at the proper times [teaching again and again is called hui] and what is heard is not fully reported to the county steward, that is called disordering the township; the guilt lies with the township master and extends to his household. If the county steward does not make rounds to teach at the proper times and what is heard is not fully reported to the commandery, then if the good is not made manifest, that is called obscuring brightness, and if evil is seen but concealed, that is called collusion with those below; this is called disordering the county, and the steward is executed without pardon [it does not say that it extends to his household because the guilt is already heavy enough to extend to his household, so execution can be understood]. If the commandery grandee does not make rounds to teach at the proper times, and what is heard, though true [or "guest"], has omissions and is not fully reported to the Pillar of State (in this hierarchy, above the commandery grandee and below the prime minister, collecting all the commanderies and memorializing the Son of Heaven), that is called disordering the commandery, and the grandee is executed without pardon. If the Pillar of State does not carry out government, so that the situation below does not reach up and the situation above does not penetrate down, that is called jiu [or other characters] government [jiu means urgent]; the Pillar of State is executed, his household destroyed and his kin cut down (the source text reads "crippled"). If the Prime Minister is not suited to the seasonal orders [or "proclaim"], does not match [or "order"] the land [match the virtue of the land], and harms the hundred families, that is called disordering the world, and the Prime Minister is torn apart by chariots as an example [the Pillar of State was an honored office in Chu, and the Prime Minister was like a chancellor. King Huai of Chu had the Pillar of State Zhao Yang lead troops to attack Qi; Chen Zhen asked about Chu's law: how is one who breaks an army and kills a general honored? Zhao Yang said: that office is Pillar of State, with enfeoffed land and holding the jade tablet. Zhen asked: is there anything more honored? He said: the Prime Minister. Zhen, that is chariot-tearing. The Rites of Zhou call it huan. "Zhen" is sometimes written "beheading"]. This is how he stored and nurtured all things. Heaven uses the four seasons, earth uses the five phases, and the Son of Heaven holds the One, residing [one edition has "guarding"] in the center, participating between the two, regulating by the five notes, correcting by the six pitches, recording by measures and numbers, governing by punishment and virtue, from root to branch, ordering by jia and yi. Heaven begins from yuan, earth begins from shuo [yuan speaks of qi, and shuo speaks of direction; heaven's revolution begins from Xuanyuan, and earth's position begins from Xuanshuo (the source text writes a private-use character for the first word; per the standard edition it is xuan)], and the four seasons begin from the calendar [the king reverently gives the people the seasons, in fact starting from the calendar]. So the household uses fang [fang is odd days. The Gongyang Commentary says: fang month means just reaching the last day of this month. Note: one edition writes "ti"; the present Gongyang Commentary has no text on a "ti month"], the bian head uses the decade, the township master uses the solar term [such as the Awakening of Insects and Grain in Ear], the county steward uses the month, the commandery grandee uses the points that the qi division reaches [such as the equinoxes and solstices], and the Pillar of State uses the six pitches. The village reports to the bian in five days [using fang], the bian reports to the township in ten days [the decade], the township reports to the county in fifteen days [the solar term], the county reports to the commandery in thirty days [the month], the commandery reports to the Pillar of State in forty-five days [qi], the Pillar of State reports to the Son of Heaven in sixty days [the pitches], and the Son of Heaven in seventy-two days sends envoys [one edition has "sends envoys to the commanderies." This uses the number by which the five phases divide dominion: in the course of one year, each of the five phases rules seventy-two days], encouraging the meritorious and punishing those who fall short [break the sentence here]. This is how he was joined with heaven and earth. The situation of those below reaches up once every sixty days, and the benefit of those above reaches down once every seventy-two days. This is the heavenly curve and the sun method. So the unworthy do not lose their lowliness, the worthy do not lose their brightness, those above enjoy [or "order"] their blessings and emoluments, and all affairs are in order. Those who wish to rebel gain no advantage [all under heaven is at peace; even if someone secretly wishes to rebel, there is no gap to exploit], so no one can bend his strength. Therefore he could govern fullness without overflowing [not adding to it to make it overflow], and bind the great [or "heaven"] without being sharp-pointed [not subtracting from it to make it pointed; pointed means small]. The Son of Heaven is central [or "jia"] and correct. If an envoy dares to change words and exalt and add to a territory [one edition lacks "territory"], so as to make benefit trespass below and obscure above [if the envoy changes words, borrows reputations and exalts and adds to the realm, then the abuse (the source text has a rare character, where the standard edition has the word for abuse) comes to trespass below and obscure above], the punishment is beheading or flogging, without pardon. Officials who teach harshly with thin virtue and assault the hundred families are dismissed at once; do not let foul officials disorder governance. One who does not obey orders and breaks the law has guilt heavier than the people [spreading evil among the multitude]. Having profit but not taking profit, circulating but not taking turns [it is suspected that "quci" is sometimes written "ganci"]. So the four directions follow and come, fearing only to fall behind. Therefore he moved heaven ["move heaven" is sometimes "move the great"] and the four cords were stretched [the Guanzi says: if the four cords are not stretched, the state will perish], earth was broad and virtue manifest, and the world was at peace and joy. Year terms were set and flourishing granted, and the subordinate officials were each evaluated by rank in one season. The worthy and able above were reported to the Prime Minister, who reported upward; the first and second time, they were dismissed [one edition has "then weave"], and the third time [or "canon"], without pardon. Governing did not exceed official duty, so that the historians and judges (officials who handle lawsuits) did not err, and the public market was fair. The living were not pleased by it [not deliberately making them live], and the dead did not resent it [not deliberately killing them]. When people obtained what they sought, the state had no incident. Meritorious deeds were openly rewarded, and virtue's grace reached three generations; a father [or "name"] who concealed [or "form"] his guilt could not receive a newly created posthumous title [naming him You or Li, so that even filial sons and loving grandsons could not change it. "Create" is sometimes "make"]. Affairs came from one and two, never confused through the ages. He reckoned: doing good in the township is not as good as doing good in the village; doing good in the village is not as good as doing good at home. So the good-doers could be recommended and the evil-doers could be executed [or "instructed"]. None dared to speak of goodness for just a day; all took a lifetime as the term, never losing rank in ordinary days, so that transformation was established and there was no wickedness in the world. When transformation was established and custom formed, they were the same peers [or "equal"] when young, the same friends when grown, the same in rank when roaming, the same in blessing in sacrifice, the same in love in life and death, the same in worry in calamity, the same in joy in dwelling [peaceful dwelling is called chu], the same in harmony in action, the same in mingling in condolence and congratulation, and the same in sorrow in weeping. Joy sufficed for mutual aid, scouting [or "plotting"] sufficed for mutual restraint [the source text has a rare character here, and the note says it means to scout; "die" is spy]. In times of peace they trained one another, in the army they protected one another, in night fighting they trusted one another enough, and in daytime fighting they matched one another enough [or "ugly"]. Within, this sufficed to forbid violence; without, to correct the Dao-less. So his troops could range far and punish, and none dared to resist. Therefore punishment was established but not used, he did not contend for power yet was weightier, chariots and armor were not displayed and the world had no rival [one edition has: "the world has no Dao and is fitting"]. When the Dao is lost, the lowly dare to oppose the noble; without righteousness, the small dare to encroach on the great. Chengjiu had already seen the rule of the heirs of former ages who lost the Dao, ruined their merit, and turned away [or "believed"] from the root and destroyed virtue, so he made for them an imperishable [or "stump," or again "gather"] state, fixing the position and making sacrifice firm [or "rare"] [or "ran". If a ruler cannot protect his state and house, his position is not fixed; if he cannot protect his ancestral temple, his sacrifice is not firm], having the ghosts and spirits truly say [or "day"]: add to the compass and it is not round, add to the square and it is not square [saying that the standards are already utterly sufficient, with nothing lacking and nothing surplus; the compass cannot be added to and the square cannot be increased; not only does one make people believe it, but even questioning the ghosts and spirits there would be no doubt. The sage's law is like the body: adding to it makes a wart, cutting from it makes a deficiency]. Using this as an example to the last ages and passing it on to descendants, only this can be held [one edition lacks "only this can be held"], only this can be carried out ["xiao" is like "show," read as in "xiao quan, xiao yang"; meaning to take it as an example for the last descendants, standing it can be held, walking it can be carried out, only this]. To carry out is to nurture good fortune; to release [or "grace"] is to remove the inauspicious. At the tiao shrine (a rare character in the source text stands here; probably the shrine of the remote ancestors), a whole sacrificial animal is used [a uniform coat is called xi, and a complete body is called quan], corrected with purification and brightness [or "heaven," or "literature". Not dim is called zhai, and not obscure is called ming. Purification and brightness are probably the correct form of sacrifice, with the xi and quan only secondary. The Record of Rites says: leaving the temple is tiao, leaving the tiao is tan, and leaving the tan is shan (a rare character in the source text). Here only the shan is mentioned because if it is so already at the shan, then going up from the tan can be known. Note: "bu mo" is "bu ge" in one edition], with offerings in the four seasons, sacrifice serving as the family king [descendants never cease sacrificing, as in what is called sacrifice as the family king], taken as a spirit for enjoyment, serving as the tally for the ritual spirits, stored in the ancestral temple, and corrected by the seal [or "lords." Making for them a tally of trust, stored in the ancestral temple, and using the seal to correct it, to mark what later ages should keep]. So his later generations also preserved and taught intact [break the sentence here]. Ears and eyes were not misled, the mind was not divided, he did not change on seeing strange things, cast off [or "pointed at"] the private, and removed poison [or "also". Casting off one's own private interest and removing others' poison], hooked [one edition has "each" above this, and "hook" is written "equal"] the inner wisdom [or a rare character in the source text; wisdom suffices to reach it], held fast to what he held [humaneness suffices to hold it], began anew and grew more fresh [turning a cycle and beginning again, with refinement and growing ever fresher], took the Upper Primordial as the record, jointly received fine grace, raised one another without change, and trusted in the order of zhao and mu [Tang did not put Qi first, and Wen and Wu did not put Bu Zhu first; the state of Lu raised Duke Xi ahead of Duke Min and lost this]. Complete [or "its"] recruiting of scholars [this character may be corrupted]: those who first made ties, those who entered later could not undo [those who entered first were already settled, so the affairs of those who entered later could not undo it]. This is knowledge reaching its extreme ["ji" as in "jiji"].' Pang Zi said: 'I would like to hear the Dao of not changing and of beginning anew and growing fresher.' Heguanzi said: 'Chengjiu is what is called one who received the transmission of the Wang-(a rare character).' Pang Zi said: 'What is the Wang-(a rare character)?' Heguanzi said: 'The Wang-(a rare character) [Note: one edition lacks these three characters] is not the instrument of one court or one age. Using death to complete life [using killing to stop killing] is the teaching [or "number"] that controls the outside from the inside. Later ages [or "ages after"] completed it to the extreme, one line of descendants, the orderliness [or other variant readings] of the numinous feathers [or "void"], the tallies of trust followed day by day [or "cultivated"], and merit dared not [or lacking "dare"] be spoiled [clever people dare not spoil it though they are skilled]; upholding the undertaking and exhausting the system, holding to the correct and keeping the inner, though clumsy they dared not abandon it [the foolish, though clumsy, dare not abandon it]. Lou (a rare character lost in the source text) and drought [the Su edition has: "lou and bei"; I suspect the word for drought may be a miswriting for "early"], taking the new to continue the old, the four seasons holding to their response, response and seal not swift [this character may be corrupted]. Those who later enter the temple, if they are confused [or "or"] and err [or a rare character] and cannot continue the succession [or "deputy"], this is called burning [or "greed". Making too much fire, the harmony is burned. The Liezi says: scorched, the complexion dark; confused, the five feelings err]. The ancestral mandate is shamed by the virtue of the generations ["mao" means to shame; "shi" is like the shi of "shi de"]; the ritual heir is not led to court, and the Grand Master of Ceremonies does not admit him to the temple ["not leading" is not leading to court, and "not admitting" is not admitting to the temple. The Grand Master of Ceremonies is a ritual official, in charge of the ancestral temple ceremony, with an assistant; Emperor Jing renamed him Taichang]. The spirits do not eat the sacrifice [his ghost cannot eat the sacrifice], the family king does not hold sacrifice, Heaven is about to send blame, and the August Spirit will not enjoy [if the family king oversteps ritual in sacrificing, he will offend Heaven; the August Spirit does not enjoy even the suburban sacrifice. The August Spirit is Haotian Shangdi]. This is the Dao of not changing and of beginning anew and growing fresher. So the ruler has no other intention [if a ruler errs and cannot continue the succession, the guilt is as above, so those who follow him, holding to the old and mirroring the new, how would they dare to differ at will], the people's hearts do not move, joined with Heaven in standard, ten thousand years of one model ["fan" as in the "fan" of Xunzi's "fanxing"], the near love his goodness, the far admire his virtue, without end. Therefore his teaching does not make people weary, his use is not exhausted (the source text has a rare character, where the standard edition has the word for worn), so he could group the four seas as one family, and the Yi and Mo peoples of ten thousand states all wore court dress in season to present tribute [or "continue"], none daring to follow and add [or "increase"] or to exempt themselves [meaning that the Yi and Mo of ten thousand states all wore court dress and came to present tribute, daring neither to casually add nor to exempt. The Fayan says: put on my pure achievement, wear my gold and rhinoceros horn, which is this]. Those heard of, through translation, came to turn to his righteousness [again those still farther away], and none could change his customs or shift his teaching [what Mencius calls using the Xia to change the barbarians; he never heard of the Xia being changed by the barbarians instead]. So his authority was established without being offended, and was passed down far without being abolished. This is the law of the Plain Sovereign and Inner Emperor [or "duan"] [emperor is the name of heaven, king is the name of humans, and sovereign is the sum of heaven and humans, a name of beauty and greatness; calling it Plain Sovereign and Inner Emperor is again the utmost within. The perfected person is divine: from this downward is the Dao of the dark sage and outer king (the source text writes a private-use character for the first word; per the standard edition it is xuan); from this upward is the law of the Plain Sovereign and Inner Emperor]. The handle that Chengjiu held ["fang" means handle] was used to surpass ranks, and for generations could not be taken away. His merit grew day by day and month by month, so he could endure as long as heaven and earth. This is the art by which he was accordant [or "ritual"] with the divine light. He did not wait for scholar-historians [or "woman"] and Cang Jie to make writing, so later ages have none who can point out its fault [the shi is a judge-official. In remote antiquity there was governance without law, no ten historians were set up, no writing or tallies were made, with perfect virtue dark and unified (the source text writes a private-use character for the first word; per the standard edition it is xuan), so that those following it could not know it and those who knew it could not name it, then what faults of others would there be to discuss? Ancient records say: when Cang Jie made writing, ghosts and spirits wept at night, and Heaven rained millet. Just at that time, perfect virtue had already declined]. I have never heard of one who does not exhaust together with Dao and virtue [sometimes there is a word "wei" below "exhaust"] and yet can thereby do good.' Pang Zi said: 'In this way, are the Dao of ancient and present times the same?' Heguanzi said: 'The ancient too is this me making it long, and the multitude is also this me making it numerous; compared with what is there a difference? The good of the kinds gathering will not be forgotten for ten thousand generations ["lei" is like "gather"]; if the Dao is evil, calamity falls on oneself, so what is there to wonder at?' Pang Zi said: 'Looking at the ancient Dao through today's affairs: boats and carts connect, clothing has the same pattern, speech is mutually intelligible, they draw the ground to guard it and cannot encroach on each other; distinct lords and different chiefs cannot command each other; when words that offend the ear pass through the ear, arms and armor govern each other [or "tread". "Li" is like the li of "li-official"; li means govern]. A hundred couples of parents and children are already [or "its". Note: one edition has "dan" for "qie"] not easy to lead [or "qing". Meaning that if parents together with children reach a hundred it is not easy to lead]. What has just been said has not departed from the correctness of the Central Land ["li" means to attach. Meaning that what was said above, just as the words about grouping the four seas into one family, seem to have gone far from the correctness of the Central Land]. The enterprises of the hill estates ["di" is the estate of a village], the land boundaries [or "huo"] do not go beyond the native-born ["zhe" means native], dwellings do not connect to broken walls [a damaged wall is called gui], yet you say that the Chengjiu clan united the four seas as one family, and that the Yi and Mo [or "di que"] of ten thousand states all came to court; is this truly the case [one edition has "ke" after "qing", and another edition writes "cheng" for "qing"]?' [Meaning that even between a hill and a village the difference in estates is already like this, so how much more the remoteness of the Yi and Mo across the four seas.] Heguanzi said: 'Tiger [or "Tang"] and wolf kill [or "rescue"] people [or "below"], crows and flies come from above ["wu" is the crow and "cang" is the fly], and earthworms and moths [one edition has a rare character, written as an "ant" compound] gather from below. These six are different kinds, yet they all arrive at the same time; why? What they want is the same. Seen from this, having the name of human is simply having the same human feeling, so why would it not be possible? [Meaning that the feelings of the four seas are the same, and so joining them as one family is not impossible.] Heaven moves by measure: on one it is not few, on ten thousand it is not many, the same like a forest, accumulated like grain in a granary, with bushels and piculs displayed and sheng and wei without error [wei is also a number for rice. Ancient records say: few is called wei, many is called ji, but the specific numbers I have not heard in detail. The Record of Rites says: out and in three ji]. Dividing [or "shaving"] the land and apportioning the people is also simply one [one edition lacks "er"]. A hundred couples of fathers [or "exchange"] and mothers and children, how could they be increased or reduced? With distinct lords and different chiefs, what difference is there? If one could correct the One, ten thousand states would share one pole, and virtue would reach [after "zhi" there is sometimes the word "regulation"] the four seas, so why would one need to go around and unite them?' Pang Zi said: 'Truly it must be so. Yin and yang disperse, and the three hundred sixty days each return [or "reach"] to their cause; heaven and earth are small [or a rare character], so what is there to doubt? ["Small and cramped" is the appearance of narrowness. Mencius says: heaven is so high and the stars so far, yet if one seeks out their causes, even the solstices of a thousand years could be calculated while sitting down.] The sage is lofty and great, within pondering the principles of depth, shallowness, far and near [or "different"], making ghosts and spirits lose one thing ["lose one" means losing their depth. Meaning that the sage illuminates principle and has a way to peer into it], not resting again [moving and not stopping], with [or "being"] heaven and earth covering one another [covering heaven and earth without shame], and still present today. Going through with the gong face [here a mistaken character is suspected, so it is reproduced as it is], it is also right, Chengjiu's eighteen thousand years [the Dao is the mother of heaven and earth: contracted to cultivate oneself, expanded to govern a state, both can last. This is why Guangchengzi lasted twelve hundred years and the Chengjiu clan eighteen thousand years. So it is said: Guangchengzi can be called heaven; and again: the Chengjiu clan is heaven, so no one can raise his height further or honor his numinous power further]. One who obtains this Dao, why must he discriminate which clan he is or which state he uses it in; the whole world benefits [if it is used, that is enough; why distinguish who or what].'

泰一者【泰一天皇大帝也】執大同之制【制或作利泰一無所不同故曰執大同之制楚人忘弓未能忘楚孔子曰惜哉其未大也】調泰鴻之氣【泰一含元氣者故曰調泰鴻之氣鴻防元氣也泰鴻元氣之始也】正神明之位者也【南華所謂天尊地卑神明之位】故九皇受傅【受教於傅】以索其然之所生傅謂之得天之解【或作天然之解不與法縛不求法脫】傅謂之得天地之所始【生天生地】傅謂之道得道之常【不妄曰常】傅謂之聖人聖人之道與神明相得故曰道德【德者得此者也】郄始窮初【郄者開也有初然後有始列子曰太易者未見氣也太初者氣之始也太始者形之始也太素者質之始也太一至矣其地蓋處太易太素之間故曰郄始窮初案一本注末多一之字誤】得齊之所出【帝出乎震齊乎巽而太一者郄始窮初得齊之所出故能北辨面南與萬物相見案一本北作比又注末相見下又一字疑衍文】九皇殊制而政莫不効焉故曰泰一【泰一者無適而非一也故九皇殊制而不能二也案一本也下有焉字誤】泰皇問泰一曰天地人事三者孰急【泰皇蓋九皇之長也】泰一曰愛精養神內端者所以希天【內直者與天為徒】天也者神明之所根也醇化四時陶埏無形【埏和土也】刻鏤未萌【木曰刻金曰鏤凡此亦皆自然也夫豈物刻而雕之】離文【或作父】將【或作特】然者也【離華離也天道造始而地事終之故其言如此】地者承天之演備載以寧者也吾將告汝神明之極天地人事三者復一也立置臣義【此將從體起用和同天人之際使之無間故先建立君臣之義】所謂四則【四則即上所云傅謂之得天之解傅謂之得天地之所始傅謂之得道之常傅謂之聖人】散以八風【東方曰明庶風西方曰閶闔風西南曰涼風東北曰融風之類散謂散上四則他皆放此】揆以六合【揆言總之六合之內也】事以四時寫以八極【寫言放之八極之外也】照以三光牧【或作收】以刑德調以五音正以六律分以度數表以五色改以二氣【亭之以溫涼毒之以寒暑】致以南北【南北謂日】齊以晦望【晦望謂月】受以明厯【厯謂日月星辰蓋四則至矣而其道無乎不在在此為此在彼為彼故八風得以散六合得以揆四時得以事八極得以寫三光得以照五音得以調六律得以正刑德得以牧度數得以分五色得以表二氣得以改南北得以致晦望得以齊明厯得以受然則道之所在於彼乎於此乎其亦無所不在乎故曰天地人事三者復一也】日信出信入南北有極度之稽也【此申致以南北之義冬至日在牽牛夏至日在東井其長短有度】月信死信生進退有常數之稽也【此申齊以晦望之義三五而盈三五而闕其損益有數】列星不亂其行代而【或作以】不幹位之稽也【此申受以明歴之義五位二十八舍各有常次】天明三以定一【義見下文】則萬物莫不至矣【或作以】三時生長一時煞刑四時而定天地盡矣【此言方其生長則三不後於一方其投刑則一不後於三以明三極之道莫知其孰急也】夫物之始也傾傾【或作鴻鴻傾傾未正之貎】至其有也録録【未能拔於常流之中故曰録録】至其成形端端王王【端端傾傾之反王王録録之反】勿【或作物】損勿益幼少隨足【各隨其性而足無於事老】以從師俗【仰以從於師俯以從於俗】毋易天生毋散天樸自若則清動之則濁【人心譬如槃水莫動則平不撓則清防風過之則不可以得水形之正矣】神聖踐承翼之位【承翼之位蓋天位也前後曰承左右曰翼也】以與神皇合德【五精之帝謂之神後則神皇蓋昊天也】按圖正端以至無【或作天】極兩治【或作祭】四致【兩治上下察也四致普徧四方也】閒以止【或作上】息【隨縁越感無所不周如上所謂可謂至矣然而動息則靜語息則嘿豈常離此寂然之地哉】歸時離氣以成萬業【離附也取譬言之借如五精之指其道各徧五方而太昊司春少昊司秋者所以歸時離氣以成萬業也】一來一徃視衡低仰【彼來此徃而低仰視車之衡所以同乎人也禮曰國君綏視大夫衡視又曰執天子之器則上衡國君則平衡大夫綏之或曰衡如權衡之衡衡之低仰應物而已何所容其心哉】五官六府分之有道無鉤無繩渾沌不分【曲者不以鉤直者不以繩而渾沌全矣故曰擢六律塞師曠之耳散五采膠離朱之目毀絶鉤繩儷工倕之指而天下人始舍其樸矣】大象不成事無經法精神相薄乃傷百族【此明渾沌之不可判也蓋偽生真死而渾沌判矣則精神相戰百族為之不寧南華曰上倍日月之明下爍山川之神蓋謂是乎】偷氣相【或為祖】時後功可立【盜隂陽之和以載其形而還以相時】先定其利待物自至【不迎】素次以法物至輒合法者天地之正器也用法不正德不成【所謂亂天之經逆物之情天弗成】上聖者與天地接【句】結六【或作交】連而不解者也【六連六合也老子曰善結者無防約而不可解】是故有道南面執政以衛神明左右前後靜侍【或無侍字】中央【此言君無為也而臣亦無為也案一本無也字】開源流洋【洋若今海之有洋也】精防徃來傾傾繩繩【或作鴻鴻防防傾傾側貎繩繩正貎案鴻鴻一本作鴻鶁誤】內持以維外紐以綱【或作經】行以理埶【或作執】紀以終始同一殊職【聨之使同統之使一】立為明官五範【五範五音也義見下文】四時各以類相從昧【或作味】生色【春夏之華髮於冬】音聲相衡【衡平也】東方者萬物立止焉【或作東方生物圖揭立止焉止猶植也】故調以徴南方者萬物華羽焉故調以羽西方者萬物成章焉故調以商北方者萬物録臧焉故調以角【徵屬南方而今此言於東方者蓋言以調東方而已非謂分配東方也下皆放此】中央者太一之位【北極天地之中而其一明者太一之座】百神仰制焉故調以宮道以為先【夫道至矣而更推以為先記曰夫禮必本於太一分而為天地轉而為隂陽】舉載神明華天上【或作華物天上疑此樂章之名蓋若皇華折也】本出黃鐘所始為東方萬物唯隆以木華物天下盡木也使居東方主春以火照物天下盡火也使居南方主夏以金割物天下盡金也使居西方主秋以水沉物天下盡水也使居北方主冬上為大都天下盡土也使居中央守地天下盡人也以天子為正【此言太一司天而分任五方又以天子治之】調其氣【調其五行之氣木蘊金清之類】和其味【和其五行之味水鹹火苦之類】聽其聲【火蕉金殺之類】正其形【木圓土方之類】迭徃觀今【或作令】故業可循【或作修】也【天下一致來不異古徃不異今卻而觀之則其業可循近迭篇曰師未發軔而兵可迭也蓋前卻曰迭案兵可迭也一本無也字】首尾易面【或作白春夏先秋冬後其方各有向焉何可易也】地理離經【天之首尾易向則地理亦失其經】奪愛令亂【奪其所欲而亂蓋天序易於上地理離於下則人其有不亂者乎】上滅天文理不可知【天文滅矣地理安可知也故曰文理相明者也】神明失【或作夫案失一本又作矣】從【或作徒】文【或作父】理者相明者也色味者相度者也藻華者相成者也【對質曰藻對實曰華藻文也藻如草之藻華如木之華】眾者我而眾之故可以一範請也【請如請益之請蓋眾者自我而千萬則其一之亦在我矣請以一範無不可者】順愛之政殊類相【或作未】通【列子曰虎之與人異類而媚養己者順也】逆愛之政同類相亡【傳曰焉知父子不為豺狼】故聖人立天為父建地為母範【或作危】者非務使雲必同知一期【或作明】以使一人也泛錯之天地之間而人人被其和【或作人被其和此言聖人蓋知一期以使一人而惟是心馬汜錯之天地之間而人人被其和也非務使之必同故曰一人之情千萬人之情是也】和也者無形而有味者也【和者道也蓋道無形而有味】同和者仁也【與道同和】相容【或作密】者義也【與道相宻者義也蓋不道則義不能容不義則道不能容】仁義者所樂同【或作自】名【或作召】也能同【或作因】所樂無形內政【此言能同仁義之樂則政法雖有而真空內之蓋所謂真空者無不礙有故也案真空之真一本作貞字】故聖知神方調於無形而物莫不從天受藻華以為神明之根者也【天受道之英華以生神明列子曰清輕者上為天重濁者下為地】地受時【或作得】以為萬物原者也【地者受天之時以產萬物】神聖詳【或作祥】理【或無詳理二字作庠惡深契於理】惡離制命之柄【制命之柄或無離字老子所謂魚不可脫於淵利器不可以示人】斂散華精以慰地責【或作貴】天者也【此言神聖契理而有以制命則虀粉萬物而不為戾雖以慰地責天可也昔者老子上毀五帝通及三皇而西域之學有喝佛罵祖者豈近是乎】調味章色正聲以定天地人事三者畢此矣【其道如上所謂則天地人事豈有出於此乎】

Taiyi (the proper name for the supreme origin) [Taiyi is the Great Emperor of the Celestial August] holds the institution of Great Sameness ["institution" is "benefit" in one version. Taiyi has nothing that differs, so it says he holds the institution of Great Sameness. A man of Chu lost his bow and still could not forget Chu; Confucius said: what a pity, he was not yet great enough], and harmonizes the breath of Taihong [Taiyi holds the primal breath within, so it says he harmonizes the breath of Taihong. Hong is the primal breath (the base text has "hong fang", where "fang" should be read as something like "wei"); Taihong is the beginning of the primal breath], and sets right the seat of the spirit-light. [What the Nanhua (that is, the Zhuangzi) calls "Heaven honored and Earth lowly, the seat of the spirit-light."] So the Nine Sovereigns received instruction from the Fu [received instruction from the Fu], in order to trace what gave birth to that by which things are so. The Fu is called having gained the release of Heaven [or "the release of what is natural." It is not entangled with law, and does not seek to escape from law]; the Fu is called having gained the beginning of Heaven and Earth [giving birth to Heaven and Earth]; the Fu is called the Way, having gained the constant of the Way [not being false is called constant]; the Fu is called the sage. The Way of the sage and the spirit-light attain each other, so it is called Dao and De [De is that which gets this]. Open that beginning and exhaust that origin ["xi" means open. Where there is an origin there is then a beginning. The Liezi says: Tai Yi is the stage where breath is not yet seen; Tai Chu is the beginning of breath; Tai Shi is the beginning of form; Tai Su is the beginning of substance. Taiyi at its utmost has its position probably between Tai Yi and Tai Su, so it says open that beginning and exhaust that origin. Note: one version has an extra character "zhi" at the end of the note, which is wrong], and reach the place from which "even" comes forth [the Emperor comes forth in Zhen, and is even in Xun, and Taiyi opens that beginning and exhausts that origin, and reaches the place from which evenness comes forth, so he can distinguish in the north, face south, and meet the myriad things. Note: one version has "bi" for "bei", north; also at the end of the note after "meet" there is another character, probably an interpolation]. The institutions of the Nine Sovereigns each differ, yet their government is never without effect, so it is called Taiyi [Taiyi is one everywhere, so though the institutions of the Nine Sovereigns differ, they cannot be split in two. Note: one version has "yan" after "ye", which is wrong]. The Great Sovereign asked Taiyi: "Of heaven and earth and human affairs, these three, which is urgent?" [The Great Sovereign is probably the chief of the Nine Sovereigns.] Taiyi said: "Cherish the essence, nourish the spirit, and set the inside right, in order to look up to Heaven [a person who is straight within is a companion of Heaven]. Heaven is the root of the spirit-light. It purifies the four seasons, shapes and kneads the formless ["shan" means to mix clay evenly], and carves before things have sprouted [wood is carved and metal is engraved. These too are natural; how could they be carved one by one and engraved one by one?], so that its pattern shines and blazes ["wen" is "fu" in one version] and will ["jiang" is "te" in one version] be so ["li" is splendor. The Way of Heaven makes the beginning, and the affairs of Earth finish the completion, and so it is said]. Earth receives Heaven's unfolding and, having prepared its bearing, settles things. Let me tell you the utmost of the spirit-light: Heaven and Earth and human affairs, these three, return to One. First establish the righteousness of ruler and minister [this is to start from the substance to give rise to function, harmonizing between Heaven and man to the point of having no gap, so first establish the righteousness of ruler and minister]. What is called the four rules [the four rules are what is said above: the Fu is called having gained Heaven's release, the Fu is called having gained the beginning of Heaven and Earth, the Fu is called having gained the constant of the Way, the Fu is called the sage] are dispersed by the eight winds [the east is called the Mingshu wind, the west the Changhe wind, the southwest the Liang wind, the northeast the Rong wind and so on. "Disperse" means to spread out the four rules above, and what follows below is like this], measured by the six directions ["measure" means to gather everything within the six directions], applied to affairs in the four seasons, and set out to the eight extremes ["set out" means to place beyond the eight extremes], illuminated by the three lights, herded ["herded" is "gathered" in one version] by punishment and virtue, tuned by the five notes, corrected by the six pitch-pipes, divided by degrees and numbers, shown by the five colors, altered by the two breaths [fostered by warmth and coolness, thickened and completed by cold and heat], brought to arrival by north and south [north and south speak of the sun], evened by new and full moons [new and full moons speak of the moon], and received by the clear calendar [the calendar speaks of sun, moon and stars. The four rules reach their utmost and their Way is everywhere: here it does the work of here, and there it does the work of there. So the eight winds can be dispersed, the six directions measured, the four seasons applied, the eight extremes set out, the three lights shine, the five notes are tuned, the six pitch-pipes corrected, punishment and virtue herded, degrees and numbers divided, the five colors shown, the two breaths altered, north and south brought to arrival, new and full moons evened, and the clear calendar received. Then is the Way there or here? It is also everywhere. So it says Heaven and Earth and human affairs, the three, return to One.]. The sun comes out in good faith and goes in in good faith, with limits in north and south, which is the proof of measure [this explains the meaning of "brought to arrival by north and south." At the winter solstice the sun is in Qianniu and at the summer solstice in Dongjing, and its length and shortness have measure]. The moon dies in good faith and is born in good faith, advancing and retreating with constancy, which is the proof of number [this explains the meaning of "evened by new and full moons." In three and five it is full, in three and five it wanes, and its waxing and waning have number]. The ranked stars do not disorder their courses, and succeed one another without encroaching, which is the proof of position [this explains the meaning of "received by the clear calendar." The five positions and the twenty-eight lodges each have a constant order]. Heaven displays the "three" in order to fix the "one" [the meaning is shown below], and the myriad things all arrive ["arrive" is "use" in one version]. Three seasons grow and one season kills and punishes; when the four seasons are fixed, Heaven and Earth are exhausted [this says that at the time of growth, "three" does not fall behind "one," and at the time of casting punishment, "one" does not fall behind "three": it is used to bring out the Way of the Three Extremes, and one cannot know which is urgent]. When things first begin they are leaning and slanting [or "hong hong." "Leaning" is the look of not yet being upright], by the time they exist they are dull and common [not yet able to be pulled out of the common stream, so called dull], and by the time of forming, they are straight and upright, outstanding and distinct [straight is the opposite of leaning, outstanding is the opposite of dull]. Do not [or "things"] subtract, do not add; the young just follow along and it is enough [each follows his own nature and it is enough, with no need to seek maturity in affairs], in order to follow teachers and the vulgar [looking up to follow teachers, looking down to follow the vulgar]. Do not alter what is born of Heaven; do not scatter Heaven's simplicity (the uncarved block, a figure for the true state not yet worked on by human contrivance). What is so of itself is clear; stir it and it is muddy [the human heart is like water in a basin: if not moved it is level, if not stirred it is clear; once a light wind (the base text has "fang feng," where "fang" is an error for "wei"; the Xunzi, Jiebi, reads "a light wind passes over it") passes, it cannot get the correct shape of water]. The spirit-sage treads the seat of Chengyi [the seat of Chengyi is probably the seat of Heaven. Front and back is called cheng, left and right is called yi], to match virtue with the Spirit Sovereign [the sovereign of the five essences is called the Spirit Lord, so the Spirit Sovereign is probably Haotian]. Following the chart, set it right, up to the limitless [or "Heaven-limit"]. Two governances [or "sacrifices"] and four arrivals [two governances means seeing through above and below, four arrivals means extending everywhere in the four quarters], interposed with resting ["resting" is "above" in one version] [following the occasion, passing beyond contact, there is nowhere not covered; as above, one can say it has arrived; yet when movement stops, there is stillness, when speech stops, there is silence; how could one be always leaving this place of stillness?]. Return to the seasons and attach to the breath, to complete the myriad works ["li" means to attach. By analogy: as the Way of the five essences each extends to the five quarters, and Taihao governs spring and Shaohao governs autumn, so these are used to return to the seasons, attach to the breath and complete the myriad works]. One coming and one going, look at the crossbar, now low and now raised [that one comes and this one goes, yet he looks at the carriage crossbar low or raised, in order to be the same as others. The Book of Rites says: the lord of a state looks down, grand masters look level. It also says: those who take the Son of Heaven's vessels raise the crossbar, a lord's is level, and a grand master's hangs. Some say "heng" is like the heng of a balance, and the crossbar's low or raised is only to respond to things; how could anything be held in the heart?]. The five offices and six treasuries, divided, each have their Way. No hook, no cord, chaotic and undivided [no hook for the curved and no cord for the straight, and chaos is whole. So it is said: pull out the six pitch-pipes and stop up Shi Kuang's ears, scatter the five colors and glue Li Zhu's eyes shut, destroy hook and cord and cut off the fingers of Gong Chui, and only then can the people of the world keep their own simplicity]. If the great image is not complete, affairs have no constant rule, spirit and essence press on one another and will injure the hundred clans [this brings out that chaos cannot be cut open. When falsehood is born, truth dies, and once chaos is cut open, spirit and essence fight with each other and the hundred clans cannot be at peace for it. The Nanhua says: above it goes against the brightness of the sun and moon, below it melts the spirit of the mountains and rivers; is this what it says?]. Steal breath to assist [or "ancestor"] the season, and then merit can be established [to steal the harmony of yin and yang to support one's own form, then turn back and again assist the season]. First fix that benefit, and wait for things to come of themselves [not going to meet them]. Arrange the order by law evenly, and things join when they arrive. Law is the proper instrument of Heaven and Earth. If its use is not correct, the dark virtue (profound and unfathomable) is not completed (the base text has this character in the private-use area, the meaning being "xuan"; the Zhuangzi, Zai You, reads "the dark heaven is not completed") [what is called disordering Heaven's warp and going against the nature of things, and so the dark heaven cannot be completed]. The highest sage joins with Heaven and Earth [break the sentence here], binding six [or "crossed"] links that cannot be untied [the six links are the six directions. Laozi said: one good at tying has no rope or cord yet cannot be untied (the base text has "wu fang yue" where the current Laozi has "wu sheng yue")]. So one who has the Way governs facing south, in order to guard the spirit-light; left and right, front and back, he stands quietly in attendance [or without "attendance"] at the center [this says that the ruler does nothing and the ministers also do nothing. Note: one version has no "ye"]. Open the source, and the stream is as wide as an ocean ["ocean" is like the oceans at sea today]. Essence and subtlety go and come (the base text has "jing fang," where "fang" is an error for "wei"), leaning and straight [or "hong hong fang fang." "Leaning" is the look of being slanted, "straight" the look of being upright. Note: "hong hong" is "hong zhe" in one version, which is wrong]. Hold it inside by the guy-rope, tie it outside by the main rope ["main rope" is "warp" in one version], carry it out by principle and momentum ["shi" is "zhi" in one version], and record it by end and beginning. Link different offices into one [link them to make them the same, gather them to make them one], and establish clear offices. The five models [the five models are the five notes, the meaning shown below] and the four seasons each follow their kind. The dark within the dim ["dim" is "flavor" in one version] produces color (the base text has the character "xuan" in the private-use area) [the splendid blooms of spring and summer come out of the dark winter], and sounds balance each other ["heng" means level]. The east is where the myriad things stand and stop [or "the east is where living things display, rise and stop." "Stop" is like "plant"], so it is tuned with zhi; the south is where the myriad things flower and feather, so it is tuned with yu; the west is where the myriad things form patterns, so it is tuned with shang; the north is where the myriad things are recorded and stored, so it is tuned with jue [zhi belongs originally to the south, but now it is spoken of in the east, which says to use it to tune the east and does not assign zhi to the east; what follows is like this]. The center is the seat of Taiyi (the same as the Taiyi above) [the North Pole is the center of Heaven and Earth, and the bright star there is the seat of Taiyi], and the hundred spirits look up and receive his control, so it is tuned with gong. Push the Way ahead [the Way has already reached its utmost, yet it is pushed further as first. The Book of Rites says: ritual must be rooted in Taiyi, divided into Heaven and Earth, and turned into yin and yang]. Lift and bear the spirit-light, in the blossoming Heaven rising (the base text has a rare character here, lost in transcription; the current text mostly reads "yang," rise) [or "hua wu tian shang". It is perhaps the name of a musical piece, probably like "Huanghua" and "Zheyang"]. Originally it came out of Huangzhong. What it begins with is the east, where the myriad things alone flourish. Use wood to bring things into flower: if all the world is wood, let it dwell in the east and govern spring; use fire to illuminate things: if all the world is fire, let it dwell in the south and govern summer; use metal to cut things: if all the world is metal, let it dwell in the west and govern autumn; use water to sink things: if all the world is water, let it dwell in the north and govern winter; above it makes a great capital: if all the world is earth, let it dwell in the center and guard the earth; if all the world is people, take the Son of Heaven as its upright [this says that Taiyi governs Heaven, divides and entrusts the five quarters, and also uses the Son of Heaven to govern]. Tune its breath [tuning the breath of the five phases, the stored breath of wood, the clear breath of metal and so on], harmonize its flavor [harmonizing the flavors of the five phases, salty for water, bitter for fire and so on], listen to its sound [scorching for fire, killing for metal and so on], and correct its form [round for wood, square for earth and so on]. Alternate between going and looking at the present ["present" is "order" in one version], and so the work can be followed [or "cultivated"] [the world is of one aspect: what comes is no different from the ancient, what goes is no different from the present, and looking back, the work can be followed. The Jindie chapter says: before the army sets off its wheel-brake, the troops can alternate. Front and retreat are called alternating. Note: one version has no "ye" in "bing ke die ye"]. If head and tail change faces [or "white." Spring and summer come first and autumn and winter later, each direction has its own orientation; how could they be exchanged?], the pattern of the earth departs from its warp [if the head and tail of Heaven change direction, the pattern of the earth also loses its warp], and if what is loved is taken away, the order falls into confusion [taking away what it desires brings disorder. The order of Heaven changes above and the pattern of the earth leaves its warp below, so how could people not be in disorder?]. If above the patterns of Heaven are extinguished, principle cannot be known [if the patterns of Heaven are gone, how can the pattern of the earth still be known? So it says that pattern and principle bring each other out]. The spirit-light loses [or "fu." Note: "lose" is "yi" in one version] followers [or "disciples"]. Pattern [or "father"] and principle bring each other out, color and flavor measure each other, and ornament and flower complete each other [what faces substance is called ornament, what faces reality is called flower. Ornament is pattern. Ornament is like the zao of grass, and flower is like the blossom of trees]. The multitude is what I have made into a multitude, so one can invite them with a single model ["invite" is like the invite in "to ask for more." The multitude, being in tens of thousands, comes forth from me, so bringing them back to one also lies in me. Ask for a single model, and nothing cannot be done]. Governing by following what is loved, different kinds mutually [or "not yet"] connect [the Liezi says: a tiger is of a different kind from man yet serves the one who raises it, because of compliance]; governing by going against what is loved, the same kind destroy each other [the commentary says: how do you know a father and son will not become wolves and jackals]. So the sage sets up Heaven as father and Earth as mother. The model [or "danger"] does not necessarily make people entirely the same, but only knows one term [or "clear"] to employ one person, and spreads it out scattered between Heaven and Earth, so that everyone receives that harmony [or "people are covered by that harmony." This says that the sage only knows one term to employ one person, but spreads this heart out scattered between Heaven and Earth so that everyone receives that harmony; he does not necessarily make them the same. So it is said: one person's feelings are the feelings of ten thousand people]. Harmony is formless yet has flavor [harmony is the Way. The Way is formless yet has flavor]. To be of the same harmony with it is benevolence [to be of one harmony with the Way]; to be compatible [or "close"] with it is righteousness [what is close to the Way is righteousness. If not in accord with the Way, righteousness cannot contain it; if not in accord with righteousness, the Way cannot contain it]. Benevolence and righteousness have a joy that is the same [or "from"] in name [or "summons"]. One who can be the same [or "follow"] as that joy, formlessly holds government within [this says that one who can share the joy of benevolence and righteousness, though there are laws of government, internalizes them with true emptiness. What is called true emptiness is that nothing can hinder "being." Note: "zhen" in "true emptiness" is "zhen" with another form in one version]. So the sage's knowledge and divine skill harmonize in the formless, and nothing fails to follow. Heaven receives ornament and flower, to be the root of the spirit-light [Heaven receives the essence of the Way to give birth to the spirit-light. The Liezi says: the clear and light rise to become Heaven, and the heavy and turbid descend to become Earth]. Earth receives the seasons [or "gets"], to be the source of the myriad things [Earth receives the seasons of Heaven to produce the myriad things]. The spirit-sage examines [or "auspicious"] the principles of Earth and understands [or without "examines principle," reading "xiang e," meaning deeply tallying with principle], hating to let go of the handle of controlling fate ["the handle of controlling fate" is without "let go" in one version. What Laozi called: a fish cannot leave the deep, and a sharp tool cannot be shown to others], gathering in and scattering out the bloom and essence, to comfort Earth and rebuke [or "honor"] Heaven [this says that once the spirit-sage has tallied with principle and also has a way to control fate, even grinding the myriad things to powder is not counted as violent, and even using it to comfort Earth and rebuke Heaven is permissible. In the past Laozi on high ruined the Five Emperors and reached up to the Three Sovereigns, and in the learning of the Western Regions there are those who scold Buddhas and curse patriarchs; are these not close to this?]. Tuning flavor, ordering color and correcting sound, in order to settle: Heaven and Earth and human affairs, these three, end here [its Way is as said above; how could Heaven and Earth and human affairs go beyond this?].