Pin Yi (The Meaning of Diplomatic Visits)

聘禮，上公七介，侯伯五介，子男三介，所以明貴賤也。介紹而傳命，君子於其所尊弗敢質，敬之至也。

The ritual of diplomatic visits: a senior duke has seven assistants, a marquis or earl has five, and a viscount or baron has three, to show noble and lowly. The assistants pass the message one after another, and the noble man does not dare to be casual toward those he respects; this is the utmost of reverence.

三讓而後傳命，三讓而後入廟門，三揖而後至階，三讓而後升，所以致尊讓也。

He yields three times and then conveys the message, yields three times and then enters the temple gate, bows three times and then reaches the steps, and yields three times and then ascends the hall, in order to express honor and yielding.

君使士迎於竟，大夫郊勞，君親拜迎於大門之內，而廟受，北面拜貺，拜君命之辱，所以致敬也。

The ruler sends a scholar to meet him at the border, a grandee to welcome him in the suburb, and the ruler himself bows in welcome inside the main gate and receives him in the temple, and facing north he bows to thank for the gift, bowing to thank for the humbling honor of the ruler's command, to express reverence.

敬讓也者，君子之所以相接也。故諸侯相接以敬讓，則不相侵陵。

Reverence and yielding are what noble men use to receive one another. So when feudal lords receive each other with reverence and yielding, they do not encroach on one another.

卿為上擯，大夫為承擯，士為紹擯。君親禮賓，賓私面私覿，致饔餼，還圭璋，賄贈饗食燕，所以明賓客君臣之義也。

A minister serves as the chief receiver, a grandee as the second receiver, and a scholar as the third. The ruler himself performs the ritual to the guest, and the guest has private meetings and private audiences, delivers gifts of raw and cooked meat, returns the jade tablets, and there are gifts, banquets, meals and feasts, to show the righteousness between guest and host, ruler and minister.

故天子制諸侯，比年小聘，三年大聘，相厲以禮。使者聘而誤，主君弗親饗食也，所以愧厲之也。諸侯相厲以禮，則外不相侵，內不相陵。此天子之所以養諸侯，兵不用而諸侯自為正之具也。

So the Son of Heaven set up this for the feudal lords: every year a lesser visit, every three years a greater visit, so that they would sharpen each other through ritual. If an envoy made a mistake in the visit, the host ruler did not personally entertain him with a banquet, in order to shame him into improving. When feudal lords sharpen each other through ritual, they do not encroach on one another outside and do not overstep one another within. This is the instrument by which the Son of Heaven nurtures the feudal lords, so that the feudal lords set themselves right without the use of arms.

以圭璋聘，重禮也。已聘而還圭璋，此輕財而重禮之義也。諸侯相厲以輕財重禮，則民作讓矣。

Making the visit with jade tablets shows that ritual is valued. After the visit is made, returning the tablets expresses the principle of making light of wealth and valuing ritual. When feudal lords sharpen each other through lightness about wealth and weight on ritual, the people are stirred to yielding.

主國待客，出入三積，餼客於舍。五牢之具陳於內，米三十車，禾三十車，芻薪倍禾，皆陳於外。乘禽日五雙，群介皆有餼牢，壹食再饗，燕與時賜無數，所以厚重禮也。

The host state treats the guest, on entering and leaving, by gathering provisions three times and sending gifts of provisions at the guesthouse. A set of five sacrificial animals is displayed inside, thirty carts of rice and thirty carts of grain, and fodder and firewood twice as much as the grain, all displayed outside. Five pairs of fowl each day, and all the assistants have their gifts of live animals; one meal and two feasts, with banquets and timely gifts without a set number, to make the ritual weighty.

古之用財者，不能均如此，然而用財如此其厚者，言盡之於禮也。盡之於禮，則內君臣不相陵，而外不相侵。故天子制之，而諸侯務焉爾。

In ancient times, the use of wealth was not all so even, yet to use wealth so generously means going all out in ritual. Going all out in ritual means that inside, ruler and minister do not overstep one another, and outside, they do not encroach on one another. So the Son of Heaven established it, and the feudal lords devoted themselves to it, that is all.

聘射之禮，至大禮也。質明而始行事，日幾中而後禮成，非強有力者弗能行也。故強有力者將以行禮也。酒清，人渴而不敢飲也；肉乾，人飢而不敢食也。日莫人倦，齊莊正齊而不敢解惰，以成禮節，以正君臣，以親父子，以和長幼，此眾人之所難而君子行之，故謂之有行。有行之謂有義，有義之謂勇敢。故所貴於勇敢者，貴其能以立義也。所貴於立義者，貴其有行也。所貴於有行者，貴其行禮也。故所貴於勇敢者，貴其敢行禮義也。故勇敢強有力者，天下無事則用之於禮義，天下有事則用之於戰勝。用之於戰勝則無敵，用之於禮義則順治。外無敵，內順治，此之謂盛德。故聖王之貴勇敢強有力如此也。勇敢強有力，而不用之於禮義戰勝，而用之於爭鬥，則謂之亂人。刑罰行於國，所誅者亂人也。如此則民順治而國安也。

The ritual of visits and archery is an extremely great ritual. It begins when the sky is just bright, and is completed only when the sun is nearing midday; those who are not strong and vigorous cannot carry it out. So it is the strong and vigorous who will carry out the ritual. The wine is clear, but if people are thirsty they dare not drink; the meat is dried, but if people are hungry they dare not eat. The day grows late and people grow weary, yet they remain orderly, solemn and upright, and dare not slacken, in order to complete the ceremony, set right ruler and minister, bring father and son close, and bring harmony to old and young. This is what others find hard and the noble man practices, so it is called having conduct. Having conduct is called having righteousness, and having righteousness is called being courageous. So courage is valued because it can be used to establish righteousness. Establishing righteousness is valued because it shows conduct. Having conduct is valued because it shows the carrying out of ritual. So courage is valued because it dares to practice ritual and righteousness. So the courageous and strong, when the world is at peace, are used in ritual and righteousness, and when the world is in trouble, are used in winning battles. Used to win battles, they have no enemy; used in ritual and righteousness, they bring orderly compliance. With no enemy outside and orderly compliance within, this is called abundant virtue. So the sage kings valued courage and strength like this. If the courageous and strong are not used in ritual, righteousness and victory but used in brawling, they are called disorderly people. Punishment is carried out in the state, and those who are executed are the disorderly. In this way the people comply with order and the state is at peace.

子貢問於孔子曰：“敢問君子貴玉而賤碈者，何也？為玉之寡而碈之多與？”孔子曰：“非為碈之多故賤之也，玉之寡故貴之也。夫昔者君子比德於玉焉：溫潤而澤，仁也；縝密以栗，知也；廉而不劌，義也；垂之如隊，禮也；叩之，其聲清越以長，其終詘然，樂也；瑕不揜瑜，瑜不揜瑕，忠也；孚尹旁達，信也；氣如白虹，天也；精神見於山川，地也；圭璋特達，德也；天下莫不貴者，道也。詩云：‘言念君子，溫其如玉。’故君子貴之也。”

Zigong asked Confucius: "May I ask why the noble man values jade and makes light of stones that resemble jade? Is it because jade is rare and such stones are plentiful?" Confucius said: "It is not that he makes light of such stones because they are plentiful and values jade because it is rare. In former times the noble man compared virtue to jade: warm and lustrous, it is benevolence; fine, dense and hard, it is wisdom; with edges yet not cutting people, it is righteousness; hanging down as if about to fall, it is ritual; when struck, its sound is clear, rising and long, and ends abruptly, it is music; its flaws do not hide its beauty and its beauty does not hide its flaws, it is loyalty; its brilliance shines in all directions, it is trustworthiness; its breath is like a white rainbow, it is Heaven; its spirit shows in mountains and rivers, it is Earth; a jade tablet alone passing through, it is virtue; none in the world fails to value it, it is the Way. The Book of Songs says: 'I think of the noble man, gentle as jade.' So the noble man values it."

凡禮之大體，體天地，法四時，則陰陽，順人情，故謂之禮。訾之者是不知禮之所由生也。

The general body of ritual observes Heaven and Earth, models itself on the four seasons, takes yin and yang as its rule, and follows human feelings; this is why it is called ritual. Those who slander it do not know where ritual comes from.

夫禮，吉凶異道，不得相干，取之陰陽也。喪有四制，變而從宜，取之四時也。有恩，有理，有節，有權，取之人情也。恩者仁也，理者義也，節者禮也，權者知也。仁義禮知，人道具矣。

In ritual, the paths of auspicious and ominous occasions differ and must not interfere with each other, which takes its model from yin and yang. Mourning has four principles and changes according to what is fitting, which takes its model from the four seasons. There is affection, there is principle, there is measure, and there is discretion, which take their model from human feelings. Affection is benevolence, principle is righteousness, measure is ritual, and discretion is wisdom. With benevolence, righteousness, ritual and wisdom, the Way of being human is complete.

其恩厚者其服重，故為父斬衰三年，以恩制者也。

Where affection is deep the mourning dress is heavy, so wearing the heaviest mourning dress for a father for three years is established according to affection.

門內之治恩揜義，門外之治義斷恩。資於事父以事君，而敬同。貴貴尊尊，義之大者也。故為君亦斬衰三年，以義制者也。

In governance within the gate, affection overrides righteousness; in governance outside the gate, righteousness cuts off affection. One takes the way of serving one's father and uses it to serve the ruler, with equal respect. Honoring the noble and respecting the honored is the greatest of righteousness. So wearing the heaviest mourning for the ruler for three years is established according to righteousness.

三日而食，三月而沐，期而練，毀不滅性，不以死傷生也。喪不過三年，苴衰不補，墳墓不培，祥之日，鼓素琴，告民有終也，以節制者也。資於事父以事母，而愛同。天無二日，土無二主，國無二君，家無二尊，以一治之也。故父在為母齊衰期者，見無二尊也。

After three days one eats, after three months one bathes, at one year the boiled-silk rite is held, and grief that wastes the body does not destroy one's nature, and one does not let the dead harm the living. Mourning does not exceed three years, the coarse mourning dress is not mended, the grave is not heaped with earth, and on the day of the second anniversary rite one plays the plain zither, announcing to the people that there is an end; this is established according to measure. One takes the way of serving one's father and uses it to serve one's mother, with equal love. Heaven has no two suns, the earth has no two masters, a state has no two rulers, and a family has no two honored ones; they are governed by one. So when the father is alive, wearing second-grade mourning for a mother for one year shows that there are no two honored ones.

杖者何也？爵也。三日授子杖，五日授大夫杖，七日授士杖。或曰擔主，或曰輔病。婦人童子不杖，不能病也。百官備，百物具。不言而事行者扶而起，言而後事行者杖而起。身自執事而後行者面垢而已，禿者不髽，傴者不袒，跛者不踴，老病不止酒肉。凡此八者，以權制者也。

What is the staff? It is a mark of rank. On the third day it is given to a son, on the fifth day to a grandee, and on the seventh day to a scholar. Some say it is for bearing the burden of being chief mourner, and some say it is for supporting the sick body. Women and children do not use a staff, because they cannot be sick to that degree. With the hundred officials complete and the hundred things in place: one who gets things done without speaking rises supported by others; one who gets things done by speaking rises with a staff; one who must do things personally for them to be done merely has a dirty face. A bald man does not tie up his hair, a hunchback does not bare his arm, a lame man does not stamp his foot, and the old and sick do not stop wine and meat. These eight are established according to discretion.

始死，三日不怠，三月不解，期悲哀，三年憂，恩之殺也。聖人因殺以制節，此喪之所以三年。賢者不得過，不肖者不得不及，此喪之中庸也，王者之所常行也。

At the very first, for three days one is not slack, for three months one is not relaxed, for a year there is sorrow, and for three years there is grief and longing; this is the gradual diminishing of affection. The sage followed the diminishing and set the measure, which is why the mourning is three years. The worthy cannot exceed it, and the unworthy cannot fall short of it; this is the mean of mourning, which kings have always practiced.

《書》曰：“高宗諒闇，三年不言”，善之也。王者莫不行此禮，何以獨善之也？曰：高宗者武丁，武丁者，殷之賢王也，繼世即位而慈良於喪。當此之時，殷衰而復興，禮廢而復起，故善之。善之，故載之書中而高之，故謂之高宗。三年之喪，君不言。《書》云：“高宗諒闇，三年不言”，此之謂也。然而曰言不文者，謂臣下也。

The Book of Documents says: "Gaozong, while in the mourning hut, did not speak for three years," which is praise for him. There was no king who did not practice this ritual, so why is he alone praised? It is said: Gaozong was Wuding, and Wuding was a worthy king of Yin, who succeeded to the throne from earlier generations and was kind and good in matters of mourning. At that time Yin had declined and then revived, and ritual had decayed and then been revived, so he is praised. Because he was praised, it was recorded in the Book and he was exalted, and so he is called Gaozong. In the three-year mourning, the ruler does not speak. The Book of Documents says: "Gaozong, while in the mourning hut, did not speak for three years," and this is what is meant. But where it also says that words were not elegant, this speaks of the ministers.

禮：斬衰之喪，唯而不對；齊衰之喪，對而不言；大功之喪，言而不議；緦小功之喪，議而不及樂。

The ritual: in the heaviest mourning, one only responds with a sound and does not answer in words; in the second-grade mourning, one answers but does not say much; in the third-grade mourning, one speaks but does not discuss; in the fourth and fifth grades of mourning, one discusses but does not touch on music.

父母之喪，衰冠，繩纓，菅屨，三日而食粥，三月而沐，期十三月而練冠，三年而祥。

For the mourning of parents: the mourning cap with a cord chin strap and straw sandals, after three days one eats gruel, after three months one bathes, after thirteen months one changes to the boiled-silk cap, and at three years one holds the auspicious sacrifice.

比終茲三節者，仁者可以觀其愛焉，知者可以觀其理焉，強者可以觀其志焉。禮以治之，義以正之。孝子、弟弟、貞婦皆可得而察焉。

When these three stages are completed, the benevolent can observe his love in them, the wise can observe his principle in them, and the strong can observe his will in them. It is governed by ritual and set right by righteousness. The filial son, the respectful younger brother and the chaste wife can all be seen in them.