He Guan Zi (鶡冠子) · Volume 6

入論泰鴻之內出觀神明之外定製泰一之衷【衷之言中也無所出入為定】以為物稽【入而論泰鴻之內出而觀神明之外定而制泰一之衷使物取稽焉】天有九鴻【拾遺記曰望三壺如聚米視八鴻若縈帶説者以為八鴻八方之名鴻鴻大也然則九鴻蓋九方歟】地有九州【此即鄒子所謂九州蓋非禹別者也】泰一之道九皇之傅請成於泰始之末【泰一之道至矣故上篇雲九皇受傅以索其然之所生而今此又言其傅嘗請成於泰始蓋非泰始莫足以知焉其曰末者言順下風而請也】見不【或無不字】詳事於名理之外【此言才見其事之略而已更當要其防歸故下文雲】範無形嘗無味以要名理之所防範者味之正也【範者形也正如覆怨其正之正蓋形受養於味者也】味者氣之父母也【氣不足補之以精精不足補之以味】精【或作清】防者天地之始【或作所治】也【言形言味而又言此者蓋將要名理之所防又當致此三者也】不【或無不字】見形臠而天下歸美焉【臠肉也】名屍神明者大道是【或作正】也夫錯行合意扶義本仁【或作收】積順之所成先聖之所生也行其道者有其名為其事者有其功【此言仁義之治故行其道者有其名為其事者有其功若夫聖人無名神人無功乗於道徳而遊乎萬物之上財豈局於仁義之域哉故下文雲】故天地成於元【或作無】氣萬物乗於天地【元氣太虛也太虛含天地天地含萬物故其言如此】神聖乗【或作秉】於道德【南華所謂無貲無譽一龍一蛇者也】以究其理【或雲萬物乗於聖秉於道德以救其聖神以究天地萬物之理】若上聖皇天者先聖之所倚威立有命也【堯舜三代誥命未嘗不稱天者蓋以倚威立命而已若夫致治之自則豈可以取賴於天哉是在我者也此紂之矯誣上帝而無益於亂故下文雲】故致治之自在己者也招髙者髙招庳者庳【此言治之汙隆顧我所以招之如何未有囿於管晏之卑而可以招堯舜之髙者也】故成形而不變者度也未離已而在彼者狎漚也【如狎漚者心動於內則漚鳥舞而不下此未離已而在彼者也】陳體立節萬世不易天地之位也分物紀【或作他】名文聖明別神聖之齊也【齊如齊量之齊】法天居地去方錯圓【或作督方以智則滯圓而神則通】神聖之鑑也象說名物【擬之者象也議之者說也】成功遂事隱彰不相離【神聖之教不即不離而至妙之所防者更麤至髙之所適者反下隱顯豈相離哉】神聖之教也【天一位地一位聖人參於兩間以齊齊之而以彼鑑此以此教彼則天下之理得矣然後萬物各遂其生故下文雲】故流分而神生【流分謂水也天一生水其於物為精精聚而後神從之】動登而明生【動登謂火也地二生火其於物為神神防而後識從之】明見而形成形成而功存故文者所以分物也理者所以紀【或作地】名也天地者同事而異域者也【天域於上地域於下】無規圓者天之文也無矩方者地之理也天循文以動地循理以作者也二端【或作聖端】者神之法也【神明之法如是而已】神聖之人後【或作命】先天地而尊者也後天地生然知天地之始先天地亡然知天地之終道包之故能知度之【其道圍乎天地之外故知能知之義能度之】尊重焉故能改動【或無動字】之【拔隂陽移寒暑】敏【或作數亦或作案此注原缺一字】明焉故能制斷之精神者物之貴大者也【精神之外皆其緒餘土苴者也】內聖者【或作聖內】精神之原也【外王者皆其緒餘土苴則內聖者精神之原也】莫貴焉故靡不仰制焉制者所以衛精擢神致氣也【精欲嗇神欲養氣欲專故其辭如此擢者秀拔之辭】幽則不洩簡【或作聞】則不煩不煩則精明達【明太用則昬精太用則竭】故能役賢能使神明【無為也故能用天下而有餘】百化隨而變終始從而豫【豫暇豫也】神明者積精微全粹之所成也聖道神方【或作萬】要之極也【要其防歸至於此而極矣】帝制神化治之期也【至矣盡矣不可以有加矣】故師【或無師字】為君而學為臣【教者為君學者為臣】上賢為天子次賢為三公髙為諸侯【髙者以為諸侯】易姓而王不以祖【或作禮】籍為君者欲同一善之安也【堯授舜舜授禹用此道也】彼天地動作於胸中然後事成於外萬物出入焉然後【或作然同】生物無害【聖人心外無法而氣合於神神合於無天地之大萬物之多動作出入反在於胸中則事豈有不成物豈有不利哉】闓闔四時引移隂陽怨沒澂物【疑】天下以為自然【百姓謂我自然是也】此神聖之所以絶眾也【子貢曰仲尼天也不可階而升也】聖原神文有驗而不可見者也【有情有性無為無形】故過人可見絶人未逺也【南華曰南行者至於郢北靣而不見冥山是何也則去之逺矣】神明所以類合者也故神明錮結其紘【紘者取譬於冠而錮結雲者以明無危墮之患也】類類生成用一不窮【或作用不窮一所謂仲尼神明也小以成小大以成大至於山川鳥獸草木裕如也】影則隨形響則【或作明】應聲故形聲者天地之師也【隨而應之故曰師也】四時之功隂陽不能獨為也聖王者不失本末故神明終始焉【輔相導隂陽終始四時之功】卒令八風三光之變經【或作纒】氣不常之故孰不詔請【或作緒】都【或作邵】理焉【都之為言總也讀如都鄙之都此言人保聖人故隂陽失和詔而請之使總理焉雖然大亂之本實始於此此庚桑楚所以不釋於老耼之言故下文雲】故神靈威明上變光【老耼所謂上悖日月之明】疾徐緩急中動氣【老耼所謂中墮四時之施】煞傷毀禍下在地【或作徵下在地老耼所謂下爍山川之精】故天地隂陽之受命取象於神明之効既已見矣【其効如上所謂亦已見矣雖然豈遂可以無聖人之治哉故下文雲】天者氣之所總出也【所謂虹霓也霜露也風雨也積氣之成乎天者也】地者理之必然【或作理然之必】也【無可無不可者天道也地道則取必焉】故聖人者出之於天【其道常出於天】收之於地【不肯出於地也】在天地若隂陽【或無陽字】者杜燥溼以法義與時遷焉【或無焉字若隂者以法義杜燥若陽者以法義杜溼度萬雲神溼則天不生水形燥則地不生火】二者聖人【或無人字】存則治亡則亂者天失其文地失其理也以是【或作文】知先靈【先靈先王之靈】王百神者上德執大道凡此者物之長也及【或作乃】至乎祖籍之世代繼之君身雖不賢然南面稱寡猶不果亡者其能受教乎有道之士者也不然而能守宗廟存國家者未之有也

Go inside to discuss Taihong, come out to look at the outside of the spirit-light, settle the inner core of Taiyi and make it a rule ["core" speaks of the middle. Only when there is no going out and no coming in is it called settled], to serve as the proof for the myriad things [go inside to discuss the inside of Taihong, come out to look at the outside of the spirit-light, and settle and fix the core of Taiyi, so that the myriad things take their proofs from here]. Heaven has nine hong [the Shiyi Ji says: looking at the Three Jars is like heaped rice, looking at the Eight Hong is like a coiled sash. Those who explain it think the Eight Hong are names of the eight directions. Hong means great. Then the Nine Hong are perhaps the nine directions?], and Earth has nine provinces [these are the nine provinces spoken of by Zou Yan, not the ones Yu divided]. The Way of Taiyi and the Fu of the Nine Sovereigns were asked for completion at the end of Taishi [the Way of Taiyi reaches its utmost, so the previous chapter says the Nine Sovereigns received instruction from the Fu in order to trace what gave birth to that by which things are so; now here it again says that the Fu once asked for completion at Taishi: without Taishi there is not enough knowledge. Saying "end" means going downwind to ask]. When one sees things [or without "not"] that are not detailed, they are beyond name and principle [this says that one has seen only the outline of the matter and should further summarize where it gathers (the base text has "fang gui," where "fang" is an error for "hui"), so the following text says]. Take the formless as model and taste the flavorless, in order to sum up where name and principle gather. The model is the correctness of flavor ["model" is form. Just as to cover (the base text has a character "yuan" here which seems wrong) and take its correctness, form is nourished by flavor]. Flavor is the father and mother of breath [when breath is not enough, supplement it with essence; when essence is not enough, supplement it with flavor]. The essence [or "clear"] and subtle (the base text has "fang," an error for "wei") is the beginning [or "what is governed"] of heaven and earth [having spoken of form and flavor, it speaks of this to sum up the gathering of name and principle, and one should further push these three to their utmost]. Not [or without "not"] seeing the cut-up shape of the form, the world yet attributes beauty to it ["cut" is meat]. The master of name and the spirit-light, the Great Way is it [or "right"]. Running in alternation, matching intent, supporting righteousness and rooted in benevolence [or "gathering"], is what is accomplished by accumulated compliance, and what is produced by the former sages. One who practices its Way has its name, and one who does its work has its merit [this speaks of the government of benevolence and righteousness, so one who practices the Way has a name and one who does the work has merit. As for the sage who has no name and the spirit-person who has no merit, riding Dao and De to roam above the myriad things, how could they be confined to the circle of benevolence and righteousness? So the next text says]. So Heaven and Earth are formed of primal breath [or "nothingness"], and the myriad things ride on Heaven and Earth [primal breath is the Great Void. The Great Void contains Heaven and Earth, and Heaven and Earth contain the myriad things, so it is said thus]. The spirit-sage rides [or "holds"] on Dao and De [what the Nanhua calls no blame and no praise, now a dragon and now a snake], in order to exhaust its principle [one says: the myriad things ride on the sage and hold to Dao and De in order to save that sage-spirit and to exhaust the principle of Heaven, Earth and the myriad things]. As for the highest sage and the August Heaven, they are what the former sages relied on to establish awe and to hold mandate [the proclamations of Yao, Shun and the Three Dynasties never fail to mention Heaven, but only use it to rely on awe and establish mandate. As for the source of bringing about order, how can it be depended on in Heaven? It lies on my side. This is how Zhou falsely claimed the Lord on High and it did nothing for the disorder, so the next text says]. So the source of bringing about order lies in oneself. Summon the high and it is high, summon the low and it is low [this says that the height or depth of government depends only on what I use to summon. It is not confined to a lowness like Guan Zhong's or Yan Ying's, and can yet call forth a height like Yao and Shun's]. So what has taken form yet does not change is measure. What has not yet left oneself yet is over there is the gull-player [as with one who plays with gulls, whose heart stirs within and the gulls fly about and do not come down. This is what has not yet left oneself yet is over there]. To set out its substance and establish its joints, unchanged for ten thousand generations, is the seat of Heaven and Earth. To divide things and record names, with refined sages clearly distinguishing, is the evenness of the spirit-sage ["even" is like the "qi" of equalizing and measuring]. To model on Heaven and dwell in Earth, remove the square and intersect with the round [or: supervise the square; using wisdom will cause stagnation; round and divine, then it passes through], is the mirror of the spirit-sage. To image it, to say it, to name it, to make it a thing [what is intended is the image, what is discussed is the saying], when success is achieved and the affair is done, the hidden and the manifest are not apart [the teaching of the spirit-sage is neither identical nor separate. What the most wondrous gathers (the base text has "suo fang," an error for "hui") is instead coarser, and what the highest goes to is instead below. How could the hidden and manifest be apart?], is the teaching of the spirit-sage [Heaven has one place, Earth has one place, the sage takes part between the two, evens them by evenness, uses that side to mirror this side and this side to teach that side, and the principle of the world is obtained. Then the myriad things each fulfill their life, so the next text says]. So when the stream divides, spirit arises [the stream dividing speaks of water. Heaven's one gives birth to water, and in things it is essence; when essence gathers, spirit comes after]. When movement rises, brightness arises [movement rising speaks of fire. Earth's two gives birth to fire, and in things it is spirit; when spirit is subtle (the base text has "shen fang," an error for "wei"), awareness comes after]. When brightness sees, form is completed, and when form is completed, merit remains. So pattern is that by which things are divided, and principle is that by which names are recorded [or "earth"]. Heaven and Earth share the work but not the domain [Heaven's domain is above and Earth's domain is below]. What is round without a compass is Heaven's pattern; what is square without a square is Earth's principle. Heaven moves following pattern, and Earth works following principle. These two ends [or "sage ends"] are the model of the spirit [the model of the spirit-light is no more than this]. The spirit-sage person comes after [or "mandate"] Heaven and Earth, and before Heaven and Earth, and is still more honored. Born after Heaven and Earth, yet he knows the beginning of Heaven and Earth; dying before Heaven and Earth, yet he knows the end of Heaven and Earth. The Way encompasses it, so he can know and measure [his Way surrounds the outside of Heaven and Earth, so he can know and measure]. He honors it, so he can alter [or without "alter"] it [pulling yin and yang, shifting cold and heat]. Quick [or "several," or "note." One character is missing from the original note] and bright, so he can control and decide it. Spirit is what is precious and great among things [everything beyond spirit is its leavings and dregs]. The inner sage [or "sage within"] is the source of spirit [the outer king is all leavings and dregs, so the inner sage is the source of spirit]. Nothing is more precious, so none fails to look up and receive his control. Control is what is used to guard essence, lift spirit and bring breath to arrival [essence must be thrifty, spirit must be nourished, and breath must be concentrated, so it is put thus. "Lift" is the expression for outstanding]. In seclusion it does not leak out, in simplicity [or "hearing"] it is not troublesome, and without trouble, essence and brightness are open [if brightness is used too far it grows dim, and if essence is used too far it is exhausted]. So he can employ the worthy and command the spirit-light [by non-action, he can use the world and still have surplus]. The hundred transformations follow his change, and end and beginning follow his ease ["yu" means leisurely]. The spirit-light is accomplished by the accumulation of subtlety and wholeness. The sage's Way and the divine method [or "ten thousand"] are the utmost of summarizing [summarizing where it gathers, and here it is the utmost]. The imperial institution and divine transformation are the limit of government [arrived and exhausted, nothing more can be added]. So teaching [or without "teaching"] makes a ruler and learning makes a minister [the one who teaches is the ruler, and the one who learns is the minister]. The highest worthy is the Son of Heaven, the next worthy is one of the Three Dukes, and the high are made feudal lords [the high are taken as feudal lords]. Those who change surname to be king and who do not rely on ancestral registers [or "rites"] to be ruler wish for the same peace of good [Yao gave to Shun and Shun gave to Yu, using this very Way]. Heaven and Earth move in the chest, and then affairs are accomplished outside; the myriad things go in and out there, and then [or "then the same"] the things that are born are without harm [the sage has no law outside the heart, his breath joins with spirit and spirit joins with nothing. Heaven and Earth being so great and the myriad things so many, their movement and going in and out are instead within his chest, so how could any affair fail or any thing not benefit?]. Opening and closing the four seasons, pulling and shifting yin and yang, resentment sinks and clarifies things [here the original note marks it as doubtful, and the meaning is hard to settle], and the world thinks it is natural [when the common people say "it is so of itself," this is what is meant]. This is how the spirit-sage surpasses the crowd [Zigong said: Zhongni is Heaven, and cannot be climbed by steps]. The source of the sage and the pattern of the spirit have proof but cannot be seen [having feeling and nature, without action and without form]. So those who surpass people can be seen, and those who go beyond people are not yet far [the Nanhua says: one who goes south arrives at Ying, and looking north does not see Mount Ming; why? Because he has gone far]. The spirit-light is used to match kinds. So the spirit-light seals that sash [the sash is a metaphor from the cap-strap; speaking of sealing and knotting is to bring out that there is no worry of falling]. Born kind by kind, using the One it is never exhausted [or "in use it does not exhaust the One." What is called the spirit-light of Zhongni: the small become small by it and the great become great by it, until the mountains, rivers, birds, beasts, grasses and trees are all at ease]. Shadow follows form, and echo [or "brightness"] answers sound. So form and sound are the teachers of Heaven and Earth [following to respond, so called teacher]. The work of the four seasons cannot be done by yin and yang alone. The sage king does not discard root and branch, so the spirit-light ends and begins there [assisting and guiding yin and yang, ending and beginning the work of the four seasons]. In the end, for the changes of the eight winds and three lights, and the reason why the warp-breath is not constant, who does not summon [or "thread"] the capital [or "Shao"] to manage it ["capital" speaks of gathering, read like the "du" of "dubi." This says that people rely on the sage, so when yin and yang lose their harmony they summon him to manage it overall. Even so, the real source of great disorder begins from here, which is why what Gengsang Chu said to Lao Dan cannot be put down, so the next text says]. So the spirit's might and brightness above changes the light [what Lao Dan called above it goes against the brightness of the sun and moon]; swift and slow, urgent and gentle, in the middle it stirs the breath [what Lao Dan called in the middle it breaks down the course of the four seasons]; killing, wounding, ruin and disaster below fall upon the earth [or "zheng xia zai di". What Lao Dan called below it melts the essence of the mountains and rivers]. So the effect on the spirit-light of the mandate and image taking of Heaven, Earth, yin and yang has already been seen [the effect is as said above and has already been seen. Even so, how could one do without the sage's government? So the next text says]. Heaven is the place from which breath comes forth in total [the so-called rainbows, frost, dew, wind and rain are all formed from breath accumulated in the sky]. Earth is the necessity of principle [or "the necessity of how principle is so"] [what is neither permitted nor forbidden is the Way of Heaven, while the Way of Earth demands necessity]. So the sage comes forth from Heaven [his Way always comes out from Heaven] and gathers in at Earth [unwilling to come out from Earth]. Between Heaven and Earth, those like yin [or without "yang"] block with dryness and wetness, and use law and righteousness to press and move with the seasons [or without "yan". Those like yin block dryness with law and righteousness, and those like yang block wetness with law and righteousness. The Duwan chapter says: when the spirit is wet, Heaven does not give birth to water; when the form is dry, Earth does not give birth to fire]. As for these two, where the sage [or without "sage"] is present, there is order, and where he is not, there is chaos, which is because Heaven has lost its pattern and Earth has lost its principle. From this [or "pattern"] one knows that the former spirits [the spirits of the former kings] who are called king of the hundred spirits are those of highest virtue who hold the Great Way. All of these are the elders of things. As for the ruler who succeeds to the position by ancestral register generation after generation, though his own person is not worthy, facing south and calling himself "the lonely one," he does not necessarily perish, because he can receive instruction from men who have the Way. Without this, to still be able to keep the ancestral temple and preserve the state has never happened.

道有度數故神明可交【或作効】也【易曰始作八卦以通神明之德】物有相勝故水火可用也東西南北故形名可信也【有方矣然後形名著焉】五帝在前三王在後上德已衰矣兵知俱起黃帝百戰【百戰之數未盡聞也蓋與炎帝戰於阪泉之野三與蚩尤戰於涿鹿之野七十二此其大畧也】蚩尤七十二【或雲無二字】堯伐有唐【傳云堯佐帝摯受封於唐二十而登帝位今此雲堯伐有唐未詳聞也伐或作代】禹服【或作伐】有苗天不變其常地不易其則隂陽不亂其氣生死不俛其位三光不改其用神明不徙其法【善用兵者其道如此案用兵一本作用法非】得失不兩張成敗不兩立所謂賢不肖者古今一也君子不惰真【案一本作貞】人不怠【怠然後懈懈然後惰故君子言惰真人言怠禮雲三日不怠三月不懈】無見久貧賤則據簡之伊尹酒保【保傭保也】太公屠牛【傳曰太公少貧賣漿值天涼屠牛賣肉值天熱而肉敗】管子作革【或作草】百里奚官奴【百里奚虞人也虞亡晉主辱之以媵穆姬而飯牛於秦豈此所謂官奴者乎】海內荒亂立為世師莫不天地善謀日月不息乃成四時精習象神【南華曰鐻成見者驚猶鬼神豈謂是乎】孰謂能之【言非不學而能也】素成其用先知其故【所謂始乎故長乎性成乎命】湯能以七十里放桀武王以百里伐紂知一不煩【知一則簡】千方萬曲所雜齊同【防之有元故不能異也】勝道不一【制勝之道夫豈一端而已】知者計全【戰必勝攻必取】明將不倍時而棄利勇士不怯法而滅名欲逾至德之美者其慮不與俗同【徇俗則病傭欲逾至德之美難矣】欲驗九天之髙者行不徑【或作經】請【安可以問塗而至也九天具見鴻烈直經蓋若南方曰朱天北方曰天中央曰鈞天之類】是以忠臣不先其身而後其君寒心孤立懸命將軍野戰則國民罷城守則食人灼骸【或作火體易子而食析骸而炊】計失其國削主困為天下持國計者可以無詳乎固有過計有嘗【或作賞】試【嘗試失之疏遇計失之細事貴取中而已明此所當審也】是以曹沬為魯將與齊三戰而亡地千里使曹子計不顧後刎頸而死則不免為敗軍擒將曹子以為敗軍擒將非勇也國削民滅非智也身死君危非忠也夫死人之事者【案一本無者字】不能續人之夀故退與魯君計桓公合諸侯曹子以一劔之任刦桓公墠位之上顔色不變辭氣不悖三戰之所亡一旦而反天下震動四鄰驚駭名傳後世扶杖於小愧者大功不成故曹子去忿悁之心立終身之功棄細忿之愧立累世之名故曹子為知時魯君為知人劇辛為燕將與趙戰軍敗劇辛自剄燕以失五城自賊以為禍門身死以危其君名實俱滅是謂失此不還人之計也【言其計畫無後之爾案注無字下疑有脫誤】非過材之防也【此言賢者誠重其死雖然曹沬之事適遭管仲不欲愈一小快而以齊信於諸故能成其名也若夫李陵之降欲以報漢而卒族妻母隴西之士用為恥焉則沬之刦致豈可以為常哉矧又霸者之事也至於正徳之人誠信素明則將無與魯地而誅沬矣何足貴乎】夫得道者務無大失凡人者務有小善小善積則【案一本無則字】多惡欲多惡則不積德不積則多難【或雲多惡則多難無則不下五字】多難則濁濁則無知多欲則不博不博則多憂多憂則濁濁則無知欲惡者知之所昏也夫強不能者僇之其言辱【案一本此六字誤作注又一本無之其言辱四字】是劇辛能絶而燕王不知人也昔善戰者舉兵相從陳以五行戰以五音指天之極與神同方類類生成用一不窮明者為法微道是行齊過進退【齊不過也】參之天地出實觸虛【吳奔東南亞夫使備西北蓋知此矣】禽將破軍發如鏃【或作鍭】矢動如雷霆暴疾虛殷若壊牆【殷壊聲也】執急節短【孫子兵法曰其執險其節短】用不縵縵避我所死就吾所生趨吾所時援【或作授】吾所勝故士不折北兵不困窮得此道者驅用市人乗流以逝【或作遊】與道翺翔翺翔授取錮據【或作豫】堅守呼吸鎮【一作推或作損】移【鎮不移也】與時更為一先一後音律相奏【或作奉】一右一左道無不可受數於天定位於地成名於人彼時之至安可復還【或作復還至復反覆也還回還也】安可控搏【控引也搏持也復還言不可御控搏言不可止】天地不倚錯以待能度數相使隂陽相攻死生相攝氣威相滅虛實相因得失浮【或作得失相浮】縣【浮縣言無定也】兵以勢勝【兵法曰如轉圓石於千仞之山者勢也】時不常使蚤晩絀贏反相殖生變化無窮何可勝言水激則旱矢激則逺精神回薄振盪相轉遲速有命【有命一作言息又作止息】必中三五合散消息孰識其時至人遺物【遺物或作不遺】獨【或作動】與道俱縱驅委命與時徃來盛衰死生孰識其期儼然至湛孰知其尤禍乎福之所倚福乎禍之所伏禍與福如糾纆【此言禍福相為表裡埶如索綯纆索也三合曰糾案埶一本作執】渾沌錯紛其狀若一交解形狀孰知其則芴芒無貎【貎或為根】唯聖人而後決其意【或作能決其意】斡流遷徙固無休息【小休曰息】終則有始孰知其極一目之羅不可以得雀【太疏故也】籠中之鳥空窺不出【太密故也】眾人唯唯安定禍福憂喜聚門吉凶同域【慶者在堂吊者在門】失反為得成反為敗吳大兵強夫差以困越棲防稽勾踐霸世達人大觀乃見其可【可或作苛】橢枋一術奚足以遊【橢讀如隋銎之隋枋讀如方銎之方夫天下之事百出要以百變應之而今隋方一術則豈足遊於變通之防哉】徃古來今事孰無郵【郵置郵也行者過之而已故事之過者為郵】舜有不孝堯有不慈文王桎梏管仲拘囚坱軋□垠【□垠或作葬雲】孰得之【此言大鈞播物坱軋無垠皆在爐之內孰得之】至得無私泛泛乎若不繫之舟【任之而已】能者以濟不能者以覆天不可與謀地不可與慮聖人捐物從理與舍眾人域域【域域淺狹之貎】廹於嗜慾小知立趨好惡自懼誇者死權自貴矜容【一本自矜容下雲徇名終身謀奈無列士以下兩句詩曰垂帶悸兮是也】列士徇名貪夫徇財【以身逐物曰徇】至博不給【給或作結統之無要則雖博乃更不給何則至道常約故也】知時何羞【不愧不怍】不肖繋【繋或作敷】俗賢爭於時【知也者爭之器也名也者相軋也】細故□蒯【蒯猶芥也□芥刺鯁也一本□作衣蒯作葪】奚足以疑事成欲得又奚足誇【此言如意與不無足欣戚】千言萬説卒賞謂何【此言理盡於上而彼之繁言雖累千萬猶當賞此】勾踐不官【勾踐嘗臣於吳】二國不定文王不幽【幽於羑理】武王不正【或作武王不執正】管仲不羞辱名不與大賢功不得與三王鉦面備矣【案一本得與二字缺】

The Dao has measures and numbers, and so the spirits and the bright powers can be brought into contact [one text has 'xiao' (to emulate) for 'jiao' (to contact)]. [The Book of Changes says: at the beginning the eight trigrams were made in order to penetrate the virtue of the spirits and bright powers.] Things restrain one another, and so water and fire can be used. There are east, west, south and north, and so form and name can be relied upon. [Once there are directions, form and name become evident.] The Five Emperors came first and the Three Kings after, the highest virtue declined, and arms and cunning arose together. The Yellow Emperor fought a hundred battles [the full number of the hundred battles has not been heard; probably it was three battles with the Yan Emperor in the wilds of Banquan and seventy-two with Chiyou in the wilds of Zhuolu, and this is a rough count], and Chiyou seventy-two [some texts lack these two characters]. Yao attacked the Youtang [it is said that Yao assisted Emperor Zhi, was enfeoffed at Tang, and ascended the throne at twenty; here it says Yao attacked the Youtang, of which no detail is heard; 'attack' is sometimes written 'replace'], and Yu made the Youmiao submit [sometimes written 'attack']. Heaven does not change its constant way, earth does not alter its rule, yin and yang do not disturb their qi, life and death do not yield their places, the three luminaries do not change their functions, and the spirits do not shift their measure. [Those who are good at using arms have a Way just like this. Note: one text has 'using law' for 'using arms', which is wrong.] Gain and loss cannot both be enlarged at the same time, and success and failure cannot both be established at the same time. What is called worthy and unworthy is the same in ancient and modern times. The gentleman is not idle and the true man [note: one text has 'steadfast' for 'true'] is not lax. [Laxity is followed by slackness and slackness by idleness, so the gentleman speaks of idleness and the true man speaks of laxity. The Liji says: three days not lax, three months not slack.] Do not, on seeing someone long poor and lowly, belittle him on that account. Yi Yin was a tavern worker [bao means hired hand], Taigong slaughtered oxen [it is said that when young Taigong was poor, he sold drinks and it turned cold, and slaughtered oxen to sell meat and it turned hot and the meat spoiled], Guan Zi did leather work [sometimes written 'grass'], and Baili Xi was an official slave [Baili Xi was a man of Yu; when Yu fell, the lord of Jin humiliated him by making him a dowry servant of Mu Ji, and afterward he raised oxen in Qin; could this be the 'official slave' spoken of here?]. When the realm within the seas was in chaos, they were set up as the teachers of their age. There were none who did not take Heaven and Earth as models and plan well, and the sun and moon who by moving without rest completed the four seasons, who practiced until skilled, like the spirits [the Zhuangzi says that when the bell stand was done, those who saw it were startled as if meeting ghosts and spirits; could this be what is meant?]; who says they could do it by nature? [This means that they did not know without study.] Habitually achieve its use, and know beforehand its cause. [This is what is meant by beginning in the cause, growing in the nature and completing in the fate.] Tang, with only seventy li of land, banished Jie, and King Wu, with a hundred li, attacked Zhou. Knowing the 'One', one is not troubled by detail [knowing the One makes it simple]; a thousand methods and ten thousand turns, what is mixed within them is all the same. [Because there is one source, it cannot be two.] The way of winning is not just one [is the way of controlling victory only a single strand?]; the one with knowledge calculates all around [fights and surely wins, attacks and surely takes]. The enlightened general does not go against the situation and lose advantage, and the brave man is not afraid of the law to the point of ruining his name. One who wishes to exceed the beauty of supreme virtue has thoughts unlike those of the vulgar. [Following custom leads to the illness of mediocrity, and it is hard to want to exceed the beauty of supreme virtue.] One who wishes to verify the height of the ninth heaven does not take a shortcut [sometimes 'direct'] in going to ask. [How can one arrive by asking the way? The nine heavens are described in the Huainanzi; the direct route is probably like what the south calls Zhu Heaven, the north Xuan Heaven (the received text writes xuan with a private-use character), the center Jun Heaven and so on.] Therefore the loyal minister does not put himself in front and the ruler behind. With a chilled heart and standing alone, his life hangs in the general's hands. In a field battle the state is exhausted and the people worn out (the received text writes 'exhausted' with a private-use character); in defending a city they eat people and burn bones [sometimes written 'fire the bodies': exchanging sons to eat them and splitting bones to burn]. Once the plan is lost, the state is diminished, the ruler is in distress, and the world laughs (the received text has a rare character here, lost in transcription; the common text writes 'laugh'). Can one who holds the great plans of a state be careless? There are some who over-calculate and some who experiment [sometimes written 'reward']. [Experimenting fails by being loose, over-planning fails by being fine, and matters are valued only by taking the middle. Understanding this is what should be examined.] So Cao Mo, as a general of Lu, fought Qi three times and lost land for over a thousand li. Had Master Cao, in calculating, not looked to his rear and cut his throat and died, he would not have escaped being a general of a defeated and captured army. Master Cao thought: to be a defeated, captured general is not courage; for the state to be diminished and the people destroyed is not wisdom; for oneself to die and the ruler be endangered is not loyalty. One who dies for another's affair [note: one text lacks the particle 'zhe'] cannot extend the other's life, and so he withdrew and consulted the ruler of Lu. When Duke Huan assembled the lords, Master Cao, with the strength of a single sword, seized Duke Huan on the altar platform without changing color or disordering his words; the land lost in three battles was all returned within one day. The world was shaken and the four neighbors alarmed, and his name was handed down to later ages. One who leans on a single staff and lingers over a small shame cannot complete great deeds. So Master Cao dropped his heart of anger and calculation and established a lifelong merit; he cast away the shame of petty anger and established a name for generations. So Master Cao knew the time, and the ruler of Lu knew the man. Ju Xin, as a general of Yan, fought Zhao, and when the army was defeated Ju Xin cut his own throat, and Yan lost five cities because of it. To harm oneself, taking it as the door of calamity, to die oneself while leaving one's ruler in danger, and to destroy name and substance together is called losing the plan of the man who 'does not turn back'. [This means his plan had no follow-up. Note: there seems to be a corruption after the character for 'no' in the commentary.] Nor is it the precaution of one whose talent has something to spare. [This says the worthy truly value their own deaths. Even so, in Cao Mo's case it happened that Guan Zhong did not want a small satisfaction but wanted to use Qi to win the trust of the lords (the received text writes 'lord' with a private-use character), and so he could complete his name. As for Li Ling's surrender, he meant to use it to repay the Han, but his wife and mother were exterminated with their clan, and the scholars of Longxi took this as shame; so how can Cao Mo's seizing method be taken as a standing rule? Moreover it was the business of a hegemon. As for people of correct virtue, their sincerity is clear in ordinary times, and then they would not give Lu land, and would execute Cao Mo, so what would be valuable?] Those who attain the Way strive to have no great loss; ordinary people strive to have a little good. When small goods accumulate [note: one text lacks the word 'then'], evil desires too increase; when evil desires increase there is no accumulation of virtue; without accumulation of virtue there are many troubles [some texts read 'many evils, so many troubles' and lack the five characters after 'not']; many troubles bring turbidity, and turbidity brings ignorance. With many desires one is not broad; not broad, one has many worries; many worries bring turbidity, and turbidity brings ignorance. Desire and aversion are what darken and confuse knowledge. To force oneself to do what one cannot do is to be put to death, and one's words too are shamed [note: one text mistook these six characters for a note, and another lacks four characters 'its words shamed']; this is why Ju Xin could end it with one death, while the king of Yan did not know people. Those in the past who were good at fighting, when raising troops to face each other, used the five phases to deploy ranks and the five notes to fight; they pointed toward the pole of Heaven and went in the same direction as the spirits; produced one kind after another, using the 'One' without exhaustion. The enlightened took it as a rule, and the subtle Way is thus practiced. Advancing and withdrawing in order without excess ['order' means not exceeding], taking part with heaven and earth, coming out from the solid to strike at the empty [the army of Wu rushed to the southeast yet had people guard against the northwest, probably understanding this level]; capturing generals and breaking armies, issuing like an arrowhead [sometimes written differently], moving like thunder, sudden and swift, striking the empty (the received text writes 'strike' with a private-use character), with the sound like a rumbling of a collapsing wall [rumbling means the sound of destruction]. The momentum is urgent and the rhythm short [the Sunzi says: its momentum is steep and its rhythm short], using it without dragging on. Avoid the place where I would die, approach the place where I can live, chase the time that is mine, and support [sometimes written 'give'] the place where I can win. Thus the soldiers do not break and flee, and the troops are not exhausted. One who attains this Way commands people of the marketplace, flows with the current [sometimes written 'roams'], and soars together with the Dao. Soaring, he takes; fixed [sometimes written 'prepared'], he holds firm; in one breath of out and in he suppresses [one text has 'push', another 'diminish'] or moves aside [to suppress means not to move], changing in turn with the time. One first and one after, the pitch pipes accompany each other [sometimes written 'offer']; one right and one left, there is nothing the Way cannot do. From Heaven he receives the measures, on earth he fixes positions, and among people he makes a name. When that time has arrived, how can it be turned back [sometimes written 'turned back and arrived'; 'fu' means repeat and 'huan' means return]? How can it be controlled or grasped? [Kong means to pull; bo means to hold. Turning back means it cannot be resisted; controlling and grasping means it cannot be stopped.] Heaven and earth do not lean to one side, but interlace awaiting the able; measures and numbers employ one another, yin and yang attack one another, life and death take hold of one another, qi and awe extinguish one another, and the empty and the solid depend on one another. Gain and loss float and hang [sometimes written 'gain and loss float on each other'] [floating and hanging means there is no fixed state]. Arms win by momentum [the art of war says: like rolling a round stone down from a mountain a thousand fathoms high, that is momentum]. Time is not always employed; early and late, loss and gain, in turn breed each other; transformation is endless, how could it be exhausted by speech. Water, when stirred, becomes fierce, and an arrow, when stirred, shoots far; spirit presses back and forth, shaking and turning with one another. Slow and fast have their decree ['has decree' is sometimes written 'speak of rest', or 'stop and rest'], and are bound to hit three or five. Joining and scattering, waning and waxing, who knows their time? The perfect man leaves outer things behind [sometimes written 'does not leave behind'] and alone [sometimes written 'moves'] is with the Dao; he lets himself be driven and hands over his fate, coming and going with the time. Flourishing and decline, life and death, who knows their term? Stern, he comes to the utmost depth; who knows his fault? Misfortune is what fortune leans on, and fortune is what misfortune lies hidden in. Misfortune and fortune twine together like a plaited cord [this says that misfortune and fortune are each other's outside and inside, the momentum being like twisting a rope; the character 'cord' means a rope, and three strands joined are called a twist; note: one text writes 'momentum' differently]. Chaos, a mingled and tangled confusion, its shape seems to be one; when you take apart the form, who knows its rule? Vague and without appearance [sometimes written 'root'], only a sage can then decide its meaning [sometimes 'can decide its meaning']. Turning round and drifting along, it originally has no rest [a small rest is called xi]; having an end, it has a beginning again, who knows its limit? A net with a single mesh cannot catch a sparrow [because it is too sparse]; a bird in a cage looks out in vain and cannot leave [because it is too tight]. The multitude say yes and no, seeking peace within misfortune and fortune; worry and joy gather at one gate, and auspicious and ominous share the same region [the congratulators are in the hall and the mourners at the gate]. Loss turns instead into gain, and success turns into failure. The army of Wu was large and strong, yet Fuchai was trapped by it; Yue perched at Kuaiji (the received text has a miswriting), yet Goujian became hegemon for an age. The one who understands sees broadly, and only then sees that 'allowable' [sometimes written 'harsh']. The oval and the square keep to one method only, how can they suffice for roaming and turning? [The oval is read like the tuo of an oval socket; the square like the fang of a square socket. The affairs of the world come out in a hundred ways, and one must answer with a hundred changes; if now the oval and square keep to a single technique, how can they suffice for roaming through the ways of change?] From ancient times to the present, what affair has not been a way-station? [A way-station means a post stage; travelers merely pass through. So the place where an affair passes is called a way-station.] Shun had unfilial conduct and Yao had unkindness, King Wen wore fetters and Guan Zhong was imprisoned. Boundless and unbounded (the received text has a missing character here) [with the missing character, 'boundless' is sometimes written as 'burying clouds'], who can hammer it (the received text has a rare character here, written 'hammer' in the note)? [This says the great potter's wheel scatters things in boundless vastness, all within the furnace and hammer; who can hammer it?] The utmost attainment has no private aim, drifting like an unmoored boat [just left to itself]. Those who are able cross over by it, and those who are not capsize by it. Heaven cannot be consulted with, and earth cannot be planned with. The sage casts off outer things, following principle and following giving up. The multitude are narrow-minded [narrow-minded means shallow and cramped], pressed by cravings. Those of petty knowledge, once settled, hurry forward, frightened by their own likes and dislikes. The boastful die for power, valuing themselves and being proud of their looks [one text has after 'proud of looks' the words 'devoting a lifetime to name and scheming what', and lacks the two sentences after 'men of distinction'. The Book of Odes says 'the hanging sash trembles', which is this]. Men of distinction die for name, and the greedy die for wealth [using one's body to chase things is called xun]. Breadth carried to the extreme instead cannot be supplied [sometimes 'supplied' is written 'tied'. Commanding without a chief point, though broad, one is even less supplied. Why? Because the supreme Way is always concise]. Knowing the time, what is there to be ashamed of? [Neither ashamed nor abashed.] The unworthy are tied [sometimes 'spread'] to custom, and the worthy contend with the time [knowledge is the instrument of contention, and name is what people trample each other with]. Small incidents and bone-in-the-throat splinters (the received text has a missing character here) [wei is like a mustard plant; the splinter is like a fish bone stuck in the throat. In one text the missing character is written 'clothes' and 'wei' is written differently], how are they enough to cause doubt? When things are accomplished and desires obtained, how are they enough to boast of? [This says that being as one wishes or not as one wishes is not enough to bring joy or sorrow.] A thousand words and ten thousand explanations, in the end what deserves reward? [This says that the principle has been exhausted above, and however many thousands and tens of thousands of elaborate words the other side piles up, it is this that should be rewarded.] If Goujian had not once called himself a subject [Goujian once submitted to Wu], the two states could not have been at peace; if King Wen had not been confined [confined at Youli], King Wu could not have set things right [sometimes written 'King Wu did not hold to correctness']; if Guan Zhong had not undergone humiliation, his name could not rank with the great worthies and his merit could not rank with the Three Kings [note: one text lacks the two characters 'be able to']. The gong face is already prepared.

天髙而可知地大而可宰萬物安之人情安取伯夷叔齊能無盜而不能使人不意已【橫逆豈可必哉】申徒狄【殷之末世枯槁者也】以為世溷濁不可居故負石自投於河不知水中之亂有逾甚者德之盛山無徑跡澤無橋梁不相徃來舟車不通何者其民猶赤子也【老子曰含德之厚比於赤子男曰赤子女曰嬰兒】有知者不以相欺役也有力者不以相臣主也是以鳥鵲之巢可俯而窺也麋鹿群居可從而系也【鳥鵲性猜瞿麋鹿性驚決故比主言之】至世之衰父子相圖兄弟相疑【夫父子天性也兄弟天倫也恩信素足非自外至故蹍市人之足則辭以脫悞兄則以嫗大親而已矣今德下衰而至於父子相猶兄弟相瘉者豈其性固異於古也哉蓋治之之過也】何者其化薄而出於相以有為也【此言不能相與於無相與相為於無相為故其至此郭象曰夫體天地冥變化者雖手足異任五蔵殊管未嘗相與而百節同和斯相與於無相與也未嘗相為而表裡俱濟斯相為於無相為也若乃役其心志以恤手足運其股肱以營五蔵則相營愈篤而內外愈困矣蓋知此也】故為者敗之治者亂之敗則傰【傰黨也】亂則阿阿則理廢傰則義不立堯傳舜以天下故好義者以為堯智其好利者以為堯愚湯武放弒利其子好義者以為無道【此言何謂也若予所學則唯好義者以為有道】而好利之人以為賢為【或無為字】彼世不傳賢故有放君君好傰阿故有弒主夫放弒之所加亡國之所在吾未見便樂【或作見其便樂】而安處之者也夫處危以妄安循哀以損樂是故國有無服之喪無軍之兵可以先見也是故箕子逃【逃逃禍也非謂逃而去之孔子曰微子去之箕子為之奴】而搏仇牧【宋世家曰南宮萬殺涽公於防澤大夫仇牧聞之以兵造公門萬搏牧牧齒著門死即其事也】商容拘而蹇叔哭【蹇叔秦臣也穆公襲鄭蹇叔哭之】昔之登髙者下人代之防【或作殪防怖也】手足為之汗出【怖故為之汗濡】而上人【或無人字】乃始搏折枝而趨操木【言傍觀者為之驚懼而登髙之人雖危莫知焉乃始搏而折枝趨而操木】止之者僇【止之使勿爾者覆受僇焉凡此以況處危忘安而諌者防辱之義】是故天下寒心而人主孤立今世之處側者皆亂臣也其智足以使主不達其言足以滑政其朋黨足以相甯於利害昔湯用伊尹周用太公秦用百里【百里奚也】楚用申麃【申包胥也】齊用管子此數大夫之所以髙世者皆亡國之忠臣所以死也【此言古之人其才一也或以髙世亦或以死者所遇之君異也案一本髙世下有由字】由是觀之非其智能難與也乃其時命者不可及也【此言伊呂申管之才人非莫及也而箕仇之徒卒以殺辱者無其時命故也】唯無如是【無其時命】時有所至而求【或作袁又或作表有君無臣故雖時有所至而上求焉】時有所至而辭【有臣無君故雖時有所至而下辭焉】命有所至而闔【或作閤闔猶辭也】命有所至而闢【或作闕闢猶求也】賢不必得時也不肖不必失命也是故賢者守時而不肖者守命【守命猶委命也】今世非無舜之行也不知堯之故也非無湯武之事也不知伊尹太公之故也費仲惡來得辛紂之利而不知武王之伐之也比干子胥好忠諫而不知其主之煞之也費仲惡來者可謂知心矣而不知事比干子胥者可謂知事矣而不知心聖人者必兩備而後能究一世

Heaven is high yet can be known, and earth is vast yet can be governed. When all things rest in this, from where do human feelings take hold? Boyi and Shuqi could themselves refrain from being thieves, but could not stop people from suspecting them [can wrongs and injuries surely be avoided?]. Shentu Di [the withered man of the end of the Yin dynasty] thought the age was muddy and not to be lived in, and so carried a stone and threw himself into the river, not knowing that the disorder in the water was worse than that on the bank. In the time of flourishing virtue, there were no tracks on the mountains and no bridges over the marshes, people did not visit each other, and boats and carriages did not go through. Why? At that time the people were still like infants [Laozi said: one who holds virtue thickly is like an infant; a male is called chizi and a female yinger]. Those with knowledge did not use it to deceive and command each other, and those with strength did not use it to rule as lord and subject over each other. So birds' and magpies' nests could be peered into by stooping, and herds of deer lived together and could be followed and tethered [magpies by nature are suspicious and startle easily, and deer by nature are quick to bolt, so they are used for comparison]. When the age declined, fathers and sons calculated against each other and brothers suspected each other [father and son are natural bonds and brothers are natural ties, and kindness and trust are enough in ordinary times and do not come from outside. So when you step on the foot of someone in the market you apologize and say you did not notice; when you step on your elder brother, he just says 'oh' and treats you as a close relative. Now that virtue has declined so far that fathers and sons are wary of each other and brothers are ill with each other, is it that their nature was originally different from the ancients'? It is that governing has gone too far.]. Why? Teaching became thin, arising from treating one another with 'doing' [this says they could not be together in not being together or act for each other in not acting for each other, so the harm came to this. Guo Xiang said: those who embody heaven and earth and merge with transformation, though hands and feet have different tasks and the five viscera each have their own charge, have never managed one another, yet all the joints are in harmony; this is being together in not being together. They have never helped one another, yet inside and out are all aided; this is acting for one another in not acting for one another. If one drives the mind to look after hands and feet or moves the limbs to manage the five viscera, then the more earnestly they manage each other, the more inside and out are distressed. This is probably what is meant.]. So those who 'do' ruin it, and those who 'govern' disorder it. When ruined, they form cliques [peng means to form cliques]; when disordered, they flatter; where there is flattery principle is abandoned, and where there are cliques righteousness cannot stand. Yao passed the world to Shun, so those who love righteousness think Yao wise and those who love profit think Yao foolish. Tang and Wu banished and killed their rulers, and the benefit fell to their sons, so those who love righteousness think them without the Way [this says: how to explain? By what I have studied, only those who love righteousness think there is the Way], and those who love profit think them worthy and able [some texts lack the word 'think']. That age did not pass the throne to the worthy, so there were rulers who were banished; rulers liked cliques and flattery, so there were rulers who were killed. The place where banishing and killing fall is the place where the state is lost, and I have never seen anyone who sought convenience and pleasure [sometimes written 'saw his convenience and pleasure'] still stay peacefully there. Dwelling in danger and recklessly taking it for safety, following sorrow but diminishing the joy in it. So in the state there is mourning without mourning garments and soldiers without an army, which can be foreseen. So Jizi fled [fled means fleeing calamity, not that he fled and went away. Confucius said: the Viscount of Wei left, and Jizi became a slave], and Chou Mu was struck [the Shiji, Song Shijia, says: Nangong Wan killed Duke Min at Mengze, and the grand master Chou Mu, hearing of it, brought troops to the palace gate; Wan struck Chou Mu, and Chou Mu's teeth stuck in the gate and he died; this is that event]; Shang Rong was imprisoned, and Jian Shu wept [Jian Shu was a minister of Qin; this is about Duke Mu's surprise attack on Zheng, over which Jian Shu wept]. In the past, when a man climbed high, those below feared for him [sometimes written differently; 'fang' means to fear], and their hands and feet sweated because of it [fear, therefore sweat], and the man above [some texts lack the word 'man'] only then began grasping and breaking branches, hurrying to seize wood [this says the onlookers are frightened for him, while the climber himself, though in danger, does not know it, and only then begins grasping and breaking a branch, hurrying to take hold of wood]. The one who tried to stop him was instead put to death [stopping him from doing this, he himself was instead put to death. All this is a comparison meaning that one in danger forgets safety and a remonstrator is instead disgraced]. So the world has a chilled heart and the ruler stands alone. Now those at the ruler's side are all disorderly ministers; their cunning is enough to keep the ruler from seeing clearly, their words are enough to disorder government, and their cliques are enough to give each other peace in matters of gain and harm. In the past Tang used Yi Yin, Zhou used Taigong, Qin used Baili [that is, Baili Xi], Chu used Shen Biao [that is, Shen Baoxu], and Qi used Guan Zi. These grand masters rose above their age, and they are also the loyal ministers who died for fallen states [this says the talent of ancient people was the same, and some rose above their age while others died because of it, depending on the rulers they met. Note: one text has 'from' after 'above the age']. Seen this way, it was not that their wisdom and ability were hard to match, but that their time and fate could not be matched by others [this says that the talent of Yi Yin, Taigong, Shen Baoxu and Guan Zi was not beyond others' reach; those like Jizi and Chou Mu who were in the end killed or humiliated lacked that time and fate]. It was only that there was none like this [none had that time and fate]. When the time arrives, one is sought [sometimes written 'Yuan', or 'Biao'. With a ruler but no minister, even if the time has arrived, the one above does the seeking]; when the time arrives, one declines [with a minister but no ruler, even if the time has arrived, the one below declines]. When fate arrives, one shuts the door [sometimes written 'joins'. 'He' is like 'declines']; when fate arrives, one opens [sometimes written 'lacks'. 'Pi' is like 'seeks']. That the worthy do not necessarily obtain is the time; that the unworthy do not necessarily lose is fate. So the worthy keep to the time and the unworthy keep to fate [keeping to fate is like entrusting oneself to fate]. Today it is not that there is no conduct like Shun's, but that people do not know the reason for Yao; it is not that there are no deeds like Tang's and Wu's, but that people do not know the reason for Yi Yin and Taigong. Fei Zhong and E Lai gained the benefit of Xin the tyrant but did not know that King Wu was coming to attack him; Bi Gan and Wu Zixu loved loyal remonstrance but did not know that their lords would kill them. Fei Zhong and E Lai can be said to have known the mind but not the affair; Bi Gan and Wu Zixu can be said to have known the affair but not the mind. The sage must have both complete, and only then can he exhaust an age.

龎子問鶡冠子曰用兵之法天之地之人之賞以勸戰罰以必眾【或作恐眾】五者已圖然九夷用之而勝不必者其故何也【得其戰矣未得其所以戰也故九夷用之而不必勝語曰以書御者不盡馬之情此之謂也故曰夫子馳亦馳夫子趨亦趨夫子奔逸絶塵而回瞠若乎其後其近是乎】鶡冠子曰物有生【生猶化也】故金木水火未用而相制【此言前期而勝也】子獨不見夫閉關乎立而倚之則婦人揭之【或作易揭之上】僕而措之則不擇性而能舉其中【句】若操其端則雖選士不能絶地闗尚一身而輕重異之者勢使之然也夫以闗言之則物有而勢在矣九夷用之而勝不必者其不達物生者也【此言不達事變物化故輒敗北素問曰物生之謂化物極之謂變】若達物生者五尚一也耳龎子曰以五為一奈何鶡冠子曰天不能以早為晩地不能以髙為下人不能以男為女賞不能勸不勝任【金帛在前不能使尫者負】罰不能必不【或無不字】可【斧鉞在後不能使啞者鳴】龎子曰取功奈何鶡冠子曰天不能使人人不能使天因【或作固】物之然而窮達存焉之二也在權在勢在權故生財有過富在勢故用兵有過勝財之生也力之於地順之於天兵之勝也順之於道合之於人其弗知者以逆為順以患為利以逆為順故其財貧以患為利故其兵禽昔之知時者與道證【或作登】弗知者危神明道之所亡【或作斥】神明之敗何物可以留其創【留猶止也使創不伸曰留】故曰道乎道乎【或作道道乎】與神明相保乎龎子曰何如而相保鶡冠子曰賢生聖【賢上生聖】聖生道道生法法生神【一隂一陽之謂道制而用之謂之法利用出入民鹹用之謂之神】神生明【神下生明】神明者正之末也【偏生闇公生明誠信生神故曰正之末也】末【或無末字】受之本是故相保

Master Pang asked Heguanzi: "The method of using arms: Heaven, earth and people; rewards are used to encourage people to fight and punishments to coerce the multitude [sometimes written 'frighten the multitude']. All five have been planned, yet the Nine Yi using them do not necessarily win; what is the reason?" [They obtained that fighting but did not obtain what makes the fighting, and so the Nine Yi, though using it, do not necessarily win. The old saying goes: one who drives horses by the book cannot exhaust the horses' true nature. This is what is meant. So it is said: when the Master trotted he trotted, when the Master ran he ran, when the Master dashed away beyond the dust, Yan Hui could only stare and fall behind. Is it probably close to this?] Heguanzi said: "Things have 'birth' ['birth' is like 'transformation'], so metal, wood, water and fire restrain one another even before being put to use [this says they win beforehand]. Have you not seen the bolt of a gate? Stood upright against the wall, even a woman can lift it [sometimes written 'easy to lift up']; laid down flat, without choosing strength one can lift its middle [punctuate here]; if you grasp one end of it, even a chosen strongman cannot lift it off the ground. The bolt is the same single piece, yet its weight differs, because momentum makes it so. Take the bolt: when the thing exists, momentum is there too. The Nine Yi using these do not necessarily win because they do not understand the birth of things [this says they do not understand the changes of affairs and the transformations of things, and so are often routed. The Suwen says: when things are born it is called transformation, and when things reach their extreme it is called change]. If one understands the birth of things, the five are only one." Master Pang said: "How is one to combine the five into one?" Heguanzi said: "Heaven cannot change early into late, earth cannot change high into low, people cannot change a man into a woman, rewards cannot encourage someone to take up what he cannot bear [with gold and silk before him, they still cannot make a weakling carry a load], and punishments cannot force someone to do what he cannot do [some texts lack 'cannot'] [with axes behind him, they still cannot make a mute call out]." Master Pang said: "How is one to achieve results?" Heguanzi said: "Heaven cannot command people, and people cannot command Heaven; follow [sometimes written 'adhere to'] the way things are, and poverty and success lie within. These two lie in authority and momentum. With authority, one makes wealth in excess; with momentum, one wins in arms to excess. That wealth is produced is because strength is applied to the land, in accord with Heaven; that arms win is because one follows the Way and accords with people. Those who do not know take opposition for compliance and take calamity for benefit. Taking opposition for compliance, their wealth is poor; taking calamity for benefit, their troops are captured. In the past, those who knew the time were in verification [sometimes written 'ascended'] with the Way, and those who did not know harmed the spirits and bright powers. In the place where the Way is lost [sometimes written 'repelled'], the spirits and bright powers are defeated, and what can make that wound stay [to stay is like to stop; letting the wound not open again is called staying]? So it is said: the Way, the Way [sometimes written 'the Way is Way'], and the spirits and bright powers preserve each other!" Master Pang said: "How can they preserve each other?" Heguanzi said: "The worthy produce the sage [the worthy above produce the sage], the sage produces the Way, the Way produces law, law produces the spirit [one yin and one yang is called the Way, and regulating and using it is called law, and using it to go in and out so that the people all use it is called spirit], and the spirit produces brightness [the spirit below produces brightness]. Spirit and brightness are the tip of what is correct [bias produces darkness, impartiality produces brightness, and sincerity produces spirit, so they are called the tip of the correct]. The tip [some texts lack the word 'tip'] receives the root, and so they preserve each other."