Volume 9

天之生人也，使人生義與利，利以養其體，義以養其心，心不得義，不能樂，體不得利，不能安，義者、心之養也，利者、體之養也，體莫貴於心，故養莫重於義，義之養生人大於利。奚以知之？今人大有義而甚無利，雖貧與賤，尚榮其行以自好，而樂生，原憲、曾、閔之屬是也；人甚有利而大無義，雖甚富，則羞辱大，惡惡深，禍患重，非立死其罪者，即旋傷殃憂爾，莫能以樂生而終其身，刑戮夭折之民是也。夫人有義者，雖貧能自樂也；而大無義者，雖富莫能自存；吾以此實義之養生人大於利而厚於財也。民不能知，而常反之，皆忘義而殉利，去理而走邪，以賊其身，而禍其家，此非其自為計不忠也，則其知之所不能明也，今握棗與錯金以示嬰兒，嬰兒必取棗而不取金也，握一斤金與千萬之珠以示野人，野人必取金而不取珠也。故物之於人，小者易知也，其於大者難見也，今利之於人小，而義之於人大者，無怪民之皆趨利而不趨義也，固其所闇也，聖人事明義以照耀其所闇，故民不陷。詩云：“示生顯德行。”此之謂也。先王顯德以示民，民樂而歌之以為詩，說而化之以為俗，故不令而自行，不禁而自止，從上之意，不待使之，若自然矣，故曰：聖人天地動、四時化者，非有他也，其見義大，故能動，動故能化，化故能大行，化大行故法不犯，法不犯故刑不用，刑不用則堯舜之功德，此大治之道也，先聖傳授而復也，故孔子曰：“誰能出不由戶，何莫由斯道也！”今不示顯德行，民闇於義不能照，迷於道不能解，固欲大嚴憯以必正之，直殘賊天民，而薄主德耳，其勢不行。仲尼曰：“國有道，雖加刑，無刑也；國無道，雖殺之，不可勝也。”其所謂有道無道者，示之以顯德行與不示爾。

Heaven gives birth to people and gives them righteousness and profit. Profit is used to nourish the body and righteousness is used to nourish the heart. If the heart does not obtain righteousness, it cannot be joyful; if the body does not obtain profit, it cannot be at ease. Righteousness is the nourishment of the heart, and profit is the nourishment of the body. Nothing in the body is more precious than the heart, so no nourishment is more important than righteousness. Righteousness nourishes human life more than profit does. How do we know? Now there are people with great righteousness and very little profit; even in poverty and lowliness they still take pride in their conduct, are pleased with themselves, and delight in living, as with Yuan Xian, Zengzi and Min Zi; and there are people with great profit and very little righteousness, who even when very rich suffer great disgrace, are deeply hated for their evil, and have heavy calamities: they either die at once for their crimes, or are soon injured by misfortune and worry, and none lives out his life happily; those who suffer punishment and execution and die young are such people. A person who has righteousness can be happy by himself even in poverty; one who has no righteousness at all cannot keep himself alive even in wealth. I use this to prove that righteousness nourishes human life more than profit does, and is thicker than wealth. The people cannot know this and constantly do the opposite, forgetting righteousness and dying for profit, leaving principle and going toward evil, to the ruin of their own persons and the disaster of other families. This is either that his planning for himself is not loyal, or that what he knows cannot make it clear. Now hold a date and inlaid gold in your hand and show them to an infant, and the infant will surely take the date and not the gold; hold a catty of gold and a pearl worth ten million to a rustic, and he will surely take the gold and not the pearl. So with things, the small are easy for people to know and the large are hard to see. Now profit is small to people and righteousness is large to people, so it is no wonder the people go toward profit and not toward righteousness; it is just where they are in the dark. The sages devoted themselves to making righteousness clear in order to light up where people are dark, so the people did not fall. The Book of Odes says: "Show people your bright virtue." (The base text reads 'show birth bright virtue', where 'birth' is suspected to be a mistake for 'me'.) This is what is meant. The former kings displayed virtue to instruct the people, and the people were glad and sang it into poems, and were pleased and transformed it into custom, so without orders they acted by themselves, without prohibitions they stopped by themselves, following the intentions of those above without waiting to be commanded, as if naturally. So it is said: the sage can move Heaven and Earth and transform the four seasons, by nothing else but that he sees that righteousness is great, so he can move; because he can move, he can transform; because he can transform, he can act on a great scale; because teaching and transformation are greatly practiced, the law is not violated; because the law is not violated, punishments are not used; and punishments not being used is the merit and virtue of Yao and Shun. This is the Way of great order, passed on and restored by the earlier sages. So Confucius said: "Who can go out without passing through the door? Why does no one follow this Way!" Now, if one does not display bright virtue to people, the people are dark in righteousness and cannot be lit up, are lost in the Way and cannot be untangled, and one then wishes to rectify them by great severity and cruelty; that only ruins the people of Heaven and thins the ruler's virtue, and the circumstances will not allow it. Zhongni said: "When the state has the Way, even if punishment is applied it is as if there were no punishment; when the state lacks the Way, even if people are killed, they cannot all be killed." What he calls having and lacking the Way is simply displaying and not displaying bright virtue to people.

命令相曰：“大夫蠡、大夫種、大夫庸、大夫睪、大夫車成、越王與此五大夫謀伐吳，遂滅之，雪會稽之恥，卒為霸主，范蠡去之，種死之。寡人以此二大夫者為皆賢。孔子曰：‘殷有三仁。’今以越王之賢，與蠡種之能，此三人者，寡人亦以為越有三仁，其於君何如？桓公決疑於管仲，寡人決疑於君。”仲舒伏地再拜，對曰：“仲舒智褊而學淺，不足以決之，雖然，王有問於臣，臣不敢不悉以對，禮也。臣仲舒聞：昔者，魯君問於柳下惠曰：‘我欲攻齊，何如？’柳下惠對曰：‘不可。’退而有憂色，曰：‘吾聞之也：謀伐國者，不問於仁人也，此何為至於我？’但見問而尚羞之，而況乃與為軸以伐吳乎！其不宜明矣。以此觀之，越本無一仁，而安得三仁！仁人者，正其道不謀其利，修其理不急其功，致無為而習俗大化，可謂仁聖矣，三王是也；春秋之義，貴信而賤軸，軸人而勝之，雖有功，君子弗為也，是以仲尼之門，五尺童子言羞稱五伯，為其軸以成功，苟為而已也，故不足稱於大君子之門，五伯者比於他諸侯為賢者，比於仁賢，何賢之有？譬猶?比於美玉也。臣仲舒伏地再拜以聞。”

(The King) issued a command to the chief minister: "The grand master Li, the grand master Zhong, the grand master Yong, the grand master Gao and the grand master Checheng: the King of Yue planned with these five grand masters to attack Wu, and so destroyed Wu, washed away the shame of Kuaiji, and in the end became hegemon. Fan Li left and Wen Zhong died. I consider both these grand masters worthy. Confucius said: 'Yin had three humane men.' Now, by the worthiness of the King of Yue and the talents of Li and Zhong, these three men: I too consider that Yue had three humane men. What do you say, my lord? Duke Huan took his doubts to Guan Zhong for decision; I take my doubts to you for decision." Dong Zhongshu bowed twice with his face to the ground and answered: "Zhongshu's knowledge is narrow and his learning shallow, not enough to make a decision. Even so, when the King asks his servant, the servant dares not fail to answer completely; this is ritual. I, Zhongshu, have heard: formerly the ruler of Lu asked Liuxia Hui: 'I wish to attack Qi; what do you think?' Liuxia Hui answered: 'It cannot be done.' He withdrew with a worried look and said: 'I have heard that those who plan to attack a state do not ask humane men; why was this matter asked of me?' He was ashamed just to be asked, to say nothing of actually taking part in attacking Wu by deception (the base text has a wrong character in place of 'deception')! That it was not fitting is clear. From this we see that Yue originally had not a single humane man, so how could it have three! A humane man rectifies his Way and does not scheme for profit, clarifies his principle and is not hasty for merit, reaches non-action and customs are greatly transformed, and he can be called a humane sage, as the Three Kings were. The meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals values trust and despises deceit; to win by treating others with deceit, even if there is merit, the gentleman does not do it. For this reason, at Zhongni's gate, even a five-foot boy is ashamed to speak of the Five Hegemons, because they succeeded by deceit and acted only by shortcuts, so they are not worth being mentioned at the gate of a great gentleman. The Five Hegemons are worthy compared with the other lords, but compared with the humane and worthy, what worth do they have? It is like [two characters lost in transcription of the base text, rare characters] compared with fine jade. I, Zhongshu, bow twice and report this."

天地者，萬物之本、先祖之所出也，廣大無極，其德昭明，歷年眾多，永永無疆。天出至明，眾知類也，其伏無不照也；地出至晦，星日為明不敢闇，君臣、父子、夫婦之道取之此。大禮之終也，臣子三年不敢當，雖當之，必稱先君，必稱先人，不敢貪至尊也。百禮之貴，皆編於月，月編於時，時編於君，君編於天，天之所棄，天下弗佑，桀紂是也；天子之所誅絕，臣子弗得立，蔡世子、逢醜父是也；王父父所絕，子孫不得屬，魯莊公之不得念母、衛輒之辭父命是也；故受命而海內順之，猶眾星之共北辰，流水之宗滄海也，況生天地之間，法太祖先人之容貌，則其至德，取象眾名尊貴，是以聖人為貴也。泰伯至德之侔天地也，上帝為之廢適易姓而子之讓，其至德海內懷歸之，泰伯三讓而不敢就位，伯邑考知群心貳，自引而瞠，順神明也。至德以受命，豪英高明之人輻輳歸之，高者列為公侯，下至卿大夫，濟濟乎哉！皆以德序。是故吳魯同姓也，鍾離之會，不得序而稱君，殊魯而會之，為其夷狄之行也；雞父之戰，吳不得與中國為禮；至於伯莒黃池之行，變而反道，乃爵而不殊；召陵之會，魯君在是，而不得為主，避齊桓也；魯桓即位十三年，齊、宋、衛、燕舉師而東，紀、鄭與魯戮力而報之，後其日，以魯不得遍，避紀侯與鄭厲公也。春秋常辭，夷狄不得與中國為禮，至邲之戰，夷狄反道，中國不得與夷狄為禮，避楚莊也；邢、衛、魯之同姓也，狄人滅之，春秋為諱，避齊桓也，當其如此也，惟德是親，其皆先其親。是故周之子孫，其親等也，而文王最先；四時等也，而春最先；十二月等也，而正月最先；德等也，則先親親；魯十二公等也，而定、哀最尊。衛俱諸夏也，善稻之會，獨先內之，為其與我同姓也；吳俱夷狄也，柤之會，獨先外之，為其與我同姓也；滅國十五有餘，獨先諸夏；

Heaven and Earth are the root of the myriad things and the place from which the ancestors came; vast and without limit, their virtue shines, and the years they have passed through are many, with no end ever. Heaven sends forth the utmost brightness, and all things know to follow their kind, and nothing hidden in them is not illuminated; Earth sends forth the utmost darkness, and so the stars and the sun are bright and dare not be dim. The ways of ruler and minister, father and son, husband and wife take their model from this. When the great rites are concluded, the ministers and sons for three years dare not take the position; even if they do, they must say the former ruler, must say the former person, and dare not greedily occupy the highest honor. The honor of the hundred rites is all arranged under the moon, the moon under the seasons, the seasons under the ruler, and the ruler under Heaven. What Heaven abandons, the world does not protect, as with Jie and Zhou; what the Son of Heaven cuts off, ministers and sons may not be set up, as with the heir of Cai and Feng Choufu; what the royal grandfather or father cuts off, descendants may not be attached to, as with Duke Zhuang of Lu not being allowed to think of his mother and Zhe of Wei declining his father's command. So one who receives Heaven's mandate is followed by all within the seas, like the many stars circling the pole star and flowing waters returning to the sea. How much more so for one born between Heaven and Earth who takes the appearance of the Grand Ancestor and forebears as his model, whose supreme virtue takes its image from the honor of the many names; for this reason the sage is honored. Taibo's supreme virtue matched Heaven and Earth, and the Lord on High for this set aside the heir, changed the surname and commended his yielding; his supreme virtue made all within the seas yearn to return, and Taibo yielded three times and dared not take the position. Bo Yikao knew the hearts of the multitude were divided, so he withdrew himself and opened his eyes to avoid it from afar, which was following the spirits. By supreme virtue one receives Heaven's mandate, and heroes and the highly enlightened gather around him like spokes toward the hub; the high are placed as dukes and marquises, and downward to ministers and grand masters, how numerous they are! All are ranked by virtue. So Wu and Lu shared a surname, but at the meeting at Zhongli, Wu was not allowed to be called ruler in order and was distinguished from Lu in the meeting, because it had the conduct of barbarians; at the battle of Jifu, Wu could not perform rites with the central states; only at the campaigns of Boju and Huangchi, having changed and returned to the Way, was it given a rank and no longer distinguished. At the meeting at Zhaoling the ruler of Lu was present but could not be host, in order to avoid Duke Huan of Qi; in the thirteenth year of Duke Huan of Lu, Qi, Song, Wei and Yan raised troops to the east, while Ji and Zheng joined Lu in retaliation, and the date was written later, because Lu could not be counted as generally taking part, in order to avoid the Marquis of Ji and Duke Li of Zheng. The regular wording of the Spring and Autumn Annals is that barbarians cannot perform rites with the central states; but at the battle of Bi, the barbarians returned to the Way, and the central states could not perform rites with the barbarians, in order to avoid King Zhuang of Chu. Xing and Wei shared a surname with Lu, and the Di destroyed them, and the Spring and Autumn Annals avoided mention for this, to avoid Duke Huan of Qi. At such times one is close only to those with virtue, and all are close first to those one should be close to. Thus among the descendants of Zhou, with equal degrees of kinship, King Wen comes first; with the four seasons equal, spring comes first; with the twelve months equal, the first month comes first; with virtue equal, one is close first to one's own kin; with the twelve dukes of Lu equal, Duke Ding and Duke Ai are the most honored. Wei was entirely a central state, yet at the meeting at Shandao it alone was first counted as inner, because it shared my surname; Wu was entirely barbarian, yet at the meeting at Zha it alone was first counted as outer, because it shared my surname. In destroying more than fifteen states, only the central states are written first;

魯、晉俱諸夏也，譏二名獨先及之；盛伯、郜子俱當絕，而獨不名，為其與我同姓兄弟也；外出者眾，以母弟出，獨大惡之，為其亡母背骨肉也；滅人者莫絕，衛侯毀滅同姓獨絕，賤其本祖而忘先也。親等，從近者始；立適以長，母以子貴先。甲戌己丑陳侯鮑卒，書所見也，而不言其闇者；隕石於宋五，六鷁退飛，耳聞而記，目見而書，或徐或察，皆以其先接於我者序之，其於會朝聘之禮亦猶是。諸侯與盟者眾矣，而儀父獨漸進，鄭僖公方來會我，而道殺，春秋致其意，謂之如會；潞子離狄而歸黨，以得亡，春秋謂之子，以領其意；包來、首戴、洮、踐土與操之會：陳、鄭去我，謂之逃歸；鄭處而不來，謂之乞盟：陳侯後至，謂之如會；莒人疑我，貶而稱人；諸侯朝魯者眾矣，而滕、薛獨稱侯；州公化我，奪爵而無號；吳楚國先聘我者見賢，曲棘與鞍之戰，先憂我者見尊。

(The text continued:) Lu and Jin were both central states, and in criticizing the two names, only they alone are reached first; the Lord of Sheng and the Viscount of Gao should both have been cut off, yet only they are not called by name, because they and I are brothers of the same surname. Many of those who went out, but those who went out on account of a full brother are especially hated, because he lost his mother and abandoned his flesh and blood. Those who destroy others were not cut off, but the Marquis of Wei, Hui, who destroyed a state of the same surname, alone was cut off, for despising his root ancestor and forgetting the forebears. The grades of kinship begin from the near; in establishing the heir, by seniority, and the mother who is honored through her son comes first. In jiaxu and jichou, Bao, Marquis of Chen, died, the record writes what is seen and does not speak of what is obscure; five stones fell in Song, six fish-hawks flew backward, and the ear hears and it is recorded, the eye sees and it is written, whether slowly or carefully, all are ordered by what first touches me. The rites of meeting, court and visit are the same. When lords taking part in covenants were many, Yifu alone was gradually advanced. Duke Xi of Zheng was just about to meet me but was killed on the road, and the Spring and Autumn Annals fulfilled his intention, saying he "went to the meeting." The Viscount of Lu left the Di and turned to the central states and was destroyed for it, and the Spring and Autumn Annals called him "viscount" in order to honor his intention. At the meetings of Baolai, Shoudai, Tao, Jiantu and Cao: Chen and Zheng left me, which is called "fled back"; Zheng stayed there and did not come, which is called "begged for a covenant"; the Marquis of Chen arrived late, which is called "went to the meeting"; the men of Ju doubted me and were demoted and called "the men of." When lords at court in Lu were many, Teng and Xue alone are called marquis; the Lord of Zhou was inconstant toward me, so his rank was taken away and he had no title; the states of Wu and Chu that first paid visits to me were regarded as worthy, and those who first worried for me at the battles of Quji and An were regarded as honored.

禮者，繼天地、體陰陽，而慎主客、序尊卑、貴賤、大小之位，而差外內、遠近、新故之級者也，以德多為象，萬物以廣博眾多歷年久者為象。其在天而象天者，莫大日月，繼天地之光明莫不照也；星莫大於大辰，北斗常星，部星三百，衛星三千，大火二十六星，伐十三星，北斗七星，常星九辭，二十八宿，多者宿二十八九，其猶蓍百莖而共一本，龜千歲而人寶，是以三代傳決疑焉。其得地體者，莫如山阜，人之得天得眾者，莫如受命之天子，下至公侯伯子男，海內之心，懸於天子，疆內之民，統於諸侯，日月食並告兇，不以其行。有星茀於東方，於大辰，入北斗，常星不見，地震，梁山、沙鹿崩，宋、衛、陳、鄭災，王公大夫篡弒者，春秋皆書以為大異，不言眾星之茀入霣雨，原隰之襲崩，一國之小民死亡，不決疑於眾草木也。唯田邑之稱，多著主名；君將不言臣；臣不言師；王夷君獲，不言師敗。孔子曰：“唯天為大，唯堯則之。”則之者，大也。“巍巍乎其有成功也”，言其尊大以成功也。齊桓、晉文不尊周室，不能霸，三代聖人不則天地，不能至王，階此而觀之，可以知天地之貴矣。夫流深者，其水不測，尊至者，其敬無窮，是故天之所加，雖為災害，猶承而大之，其欽無窮，震夷伯之廟是也。天無錯舛之災，地有震動之異，天子所誅絕，所敗師，雖不中道，而春秋者不敢闕，謹之也，故師出者眾矣，莫言還，至師及齊師圍成，成降於齊師，獨言還，其君劫外，不得已，故可直言也，至於他師，皆其君之過也，而曰非師之罪，是臣子不為君父受罪，罪不臣子莫大焉。夫至明者，其照無疆，至晦者，其闇無疆；今春秋緣魯以言王義，殺隱、桓以為遠祖，宗定、哀以為考妣，至尊且高，至顯且明，其基壤之所加，潤澤之所被，條條無疆。前是常數十年，鄰之幽人近其墓而高明。

Ritual continues Heaven and Earth, embodies yin and yang, carefully orders host and guest, ranks the positions of honored and lowly, noble and base, great and small, and grades the steps of outer and inner, far and near, new and old. It takes as its image what has much virtue, and the myriad things take as their image what is broad and numerous and has passed through many years. In Heaven, taking its image from Heaven, nothing is greater than the sun and moon, continuing the brightness of Heaven and Earth, and nothing is not illuminated. Among stars, nothing is greater than the Great Star: the Big Dipper and fixed stars, the three hundred regional stars, the three thousand guard stars, the twenty-six stars of the Great Fire, the thirteen stars of Fa, the seven stars of the Big Dipper, the nine words of the fixed stars, the twenty-eight lodges, with the more numerous lodges numbering twenty-eight or twenty-nine, like the hundred stalks of the yarrow with one root, and the tortoise that lives a thousand years and is treasured by people, and so the Three Dynasties handed them down to decide doubts. Among things that take the substance of Earth, none exceeds mountains and mounds. Among people who obtain Heaven and obtain the multitude, none exceeds the Son of Heaven who has received the mandate. Downward to dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts and barons, the hearts within the seas are tied to the Son of Heaven, and the people within the borders belong to the lords. Solar and lunar eclipses are reported as ill omens together, and not examined by their movements. When a star appeared in the east, in the Great Star, and entered the Big Dipper, when fixed stars were not seen, when there were earthquakes, when Mount Liang and Shalu collapsed, when there were fires in Song, Wei, Chen and Zheng, and when kings, dukes and grand masters usurped or murdered, the Spring and Autumn Annals records all of these as great anomalies; it does not speak of the entering of many stars, the falling of rain, the collapse of plains and marshes, or the deaths of the small people of one state, and does not consult the many plants and trees to decide doubts. Only for names of fields and towns does it often write the name of the lord; when the ruler himself leads troops it does not say the minister; when a minister leads it does not say the army; when a king is wounded or a ruler captured, it does not say the army was defeated. Confucius said: "Only Heaven is great, and only Yao took it as his model." To take it as a model is to be great. "How lofty is his achievement" means that his honor and greatness bring success. Without honoring the Zhou house, Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin could not have become hegemons; without taking Heaven and Earth as their model, the sages of the Three Dynasties could not have become kings. From this one can know the nobility of Heaven and Earth. Where water flows deep, its water cannot be fathomed; for what is honored to the extreme, reverence for it has no end. For this reason, what Heaven inflicts, even when it is disaster, one still receives and honors it, with reverence without end, as with the shaking of the temple of Yibo. Heaven has no calamity that is disordered, but Earth has anomalies of shaking. When the Son of Heaven cuts off or defeats an army, even if it is not in accord with the Way, the Spring and Autumn Annals does not dare to omit it, out of caution. So when armies went out many times, there was no mention of armies returning; but in "the army joined the army of Qi to besiege Cheng, and Cheng surrendered to the army of Qi," it alone says returned, because his ruler was coerced from outside and had no alternative, so one can say it directly. As for other armies, they are the fault of their rulers, yet it is said not to be the fault of the army; this means that ministers and sons do not take the blame for ruler and father, and there is no greater crime than failing to be a minister and a son. What is brightest has no boundary to its shining; what is darkest has no boundary to its dimness. Now the Spring and Autumn Annals borrows Lu to speak of the meaning of a true king, treating Duke Yin and Duke Huan as distant ancestors to be reduced and Duke Ding and Duke Ai as deceased father and mother to be honored, most honored and lofty, most manifest and bright; where its foundation reaches and its moisture covers, each line has no boundary. Before this it was often decades; those in the dim lands of neighboring states approached the tomb and became enlightened.

大國齊、宋，離不言會，微國之君，卒葬之禮，錄而辭繁；遠夷之君，內而不外。當此之時，魯無鄙強，諸侯之伐哀者皆言我，邾婁庶其、鼻我、邾婁大夫，其於我無以親，以近之故，乃得顯明；隱、桓、親春秋之先人也，益師卒而不日；於稷之會，言其成宋亂，以遠外也；黃池之會，以兩伯之辭，言不以為外，以近內也。

Of the great states Qi and Song, when they separated it does not say "met." For rulers of small states, the rites of death and burial are recorded and the wording is elaborate; rulers of the far barbarians are counted as inner and not as outer. At that time Lu had no strong enemy on its borders, and when lords attacked Duke Ai it always said "us." Shuqi and Bi Wo of Zhulou were grand masters of Zhulou, and had no kinship with me, but because they were near they came to be made manifest. Duke Yin and Duke Huan were the forebears whom the Spring and Autumn Annals holds close, yet the death of Yishi is not recorded by day. At the meeting at Ji, it says he completed the disorder of Song, because he was far and outside; at the meeting at Huangchi, with the wording of two hegemons, it says he is not treated as outside, because he was near and within.

治天下之端，在審辨大；辨大之端，在深察名號。名者，大理之首章也，錄其首章之意，以窺其中之事，則是非可知，逆順自著，其幾通於天地矣。是非之正，取之逆順；逆順之正，取之名號；名號之正，取之天地；天地為名號之大義也。古之聖人，謞而效天地，謂之號，鳴而施命，謂之名。名之為言鳴與命也，號之為言謞而效也，謞而效天地者為號，鳴而命者為名，名號異聲而同本，皆鳴號而達天意者也。天不言，使人發其意；弗為，使人行其中；名則聖人所發天意，不可不深觀也。受命之君，天意之所予也。故號為天子者，宣視天為父，事天以孝道也；號為諸侯者，宜謹視所候奉之天子也；號為大夫者，宜厚其忠信，敦其禮義，使善大於匹夫之義，足以化也；士者，事也，民者、瞑也；士不及化，可使守事從上而已。五號自贊，各有分，分中委曲，曲有名，名眾於號，號其大全。名也者，名其別離分散也，號凡而略，名詳而目，目者，遍辨其事也，凡者，獨舉其大也。享鬼神者號一，曰祭；祭之散名：春曰祠，夏曰礿，秋曰嘗，冬曰烝。獵禽獸者號一，曰田；田之散名：春苗、秋搜，冬狩，夏獼；無有不皆中天意者。物莫不有凡號，號莫不有散名如是。是故事各順於名，名各順於天，天人之際，合而為一。同而通理，動而相益，順而相受，謂之德道。詩曰：“維號斯言，有倫有跡。”此之謂也。

The beginning of governing the world lies in examining and distinguishing the great points; the beginning of distinguishing the great points lies in deeply examining names and titles. Names are the first chapter of the great principle. Recording the meaning of the first chapter in order to look into the affairs within it, right and wrong can be known, accord and opposition show themselves, and its subtle workings penetrate Heaven and Earth. The correctness of right and wrong is taken from accord and opposition; the correctness of accord and opposition is taken from names and titles; the correctness of names and titles is taken from Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth are the great meaning of names and titles. The ancient sages called out loudly and modeled themselves on Heaven and Earth, which is called a title (hao); sounding a voice and issuing a command is called a name (ming). The word name speaks of calling out (ming) and command (ming), and the word title speaks of calling aloud and modeling. Calling aloud and modeling on Heaven and Earth is the title; sounding a voice and naming is the name. Name and title differ in sound but are the same in root; both are calls that penetrate Heaven's intent. Heaven does not speak, but lets humans express its intent; Heaven does not act in person, but lets humans carry it out within. Names are just the intent of Heaven expressed by the sages, and one cannot but observe them deeply. A ruler who has received the mandate is one whom Heaven's intent has given it to. So one titled Son of Heaven should regard Heaven as his father and serve Heaven with filial piety; one titled lord should be careful toward the Son of Heaven whom he looks to and serves; one titled grand master should increase his loyalty and trustworthiness and deepen his ritual and righteousness, making his goodness greater than the righteousness of a commoner, enough to teach and transform; an officer (shi) is one who serves (shi); the people (min) are the blind (ming, with eyes closed and not yet awake). The officer is not yet enough to teach others and can only be made to keep his tasks and obey those above. The five titles are each spoken of separately, each with its duty; the details within the duties each have names. Names are more than titles, and titles are the great whole. A name is what is given to things that are separate and scattered. A title is comprehensive and brief, a name is detailed and itemized. Itemizing is to distinguish those things generally; being comprehensive is to raise the great point alone. The title for offering sacrifice to spirits is one, called ji (sacrifice); the scattered names of sacrifice: spring is ci, summer yue, autumn chang, winter zheng. The title for hunting birds and beasts is one, called tian; the scattered names of tian: spring miao, autumn sou, winter shou, summer mi. None fails to accord with Heaven's intent. Things always have a general title, and titles always have scattered names, like this. So affairs each follow their names, names each follow Heaven, and the meeting of Heaven and humankind unites as one. Being alike and their principle connected, acting and mutually increasing, following and mutually giving and receiving, is called the virtue of the Way. The Minor Odes, "Zhengyue," says: "The title is spoken, with order and sequence." This is what is meant.

深察王號的大意，其中有五科：皇科、方科、匡科、黃科、往科；合此五科以一言，謂之王。王者，皇也，王者，方也，王者，匡也，王者，黃也，王者，往也。是故王意不普大而皇，則道不能正直而方；道不能正直而方，則德不能匡鉉周遍；德不能匡鉉周遍，則美不能黃；美不能黃，則四方不能往；四方不能往，則不全於王。故曰：天覆無外，地載兼愛，風行令而一其威，雨布施而均其德，王術之謂也。

Deeply examining the great meaning of the title "king" (wang), there are five categories within it: the august category (huang), the square category (fang), the rectifying category (kuang), the yellow category (huang), and the going-to category (wang). Combining these five categories into one phrase is called king. The king is august; the king is square; the king is rectifying; the king is yellow; the king is the one to whom people go. Therefore if the king's intent is not universal, broad and august, then his Way cannot be upright and square; if his Way cannot be upright and square, his virtue cannot rectify and pervade; if his virtue cannot rectify and pervade, his excellence cannot be yellow; if his excellence cannot be yellow, the four quarters cannot turn toward and go to him; and if the four quarters cannot go to him, there is something incomplete in the king. So it is said: Heaven covers with no outside, Earth bears and loves all, wind carries out commands and unifies their awe, and rain bestows and equalizes its virtue; this refers to the art of a king.

深察君號之大意，其中亦有五科：元科，原科，權科，溫科，群科：合此五科以一言，謂之君。君者，元也，君者，原也，君者，權也，君者，溫也，君者，群也。是故君意不比於元，則動而失本；動而失本，則所為不立；所為不立，則不效於原；不效於原，則自委舍；自委舍，則化不行；用權於變，則失中適之宜；失中適之宜，則道不平、德不溫；道不平、德不溫，則眾不親安；眾不親安，則離散不群；離散不群，則不全於君。

Deeply examining the great meaning of the title "ruler" (jun), there are also five categories within it: the primal category (yuan), the source category (yuan), the weighing category (quan), the warm category (wen), and the grouping category (qun). Combining these five categories into one phrase is called ruler. The ruler is the primal; the ruler is the source; the ruler is the weighing; the ruler is the warm; the ruler is the group. Therefore if the ruler's intent is not attached to the primal, then at one move he loses the root; if at one move he loses the root, what he does cannot stand; if what he does cannot stand, he does not model himself on the source; if he does not model himself on the source, he abandons himself; and if he abandons himself, teaching and transformation cannot be carried out. If weighing is used in changes, he loses what is fitting to the middle; if he loses what is fitting to the middle, the Way is not level and virtue is not warm; if the Way is not level and virtue is not warm, the people are neither close nor at ease; if the people are neither close nor at ease, they scatter and do not form a group; and if they scatter and do not form a group, there is something incomplete in the ruler.

名生於真，非其真弗以為名。名者，聖人之所以真物也，名之為言真也。故凡百譏有黮黮者，各反其真，則黮黮者還昭昭耳。欲審曲直，莫如引繩；欲審是非，莫如引名；名之審於是非也，猶繩之審於曲直也。詰其名實，觀其離合，則是非之情不可以相讕已。今世闇於性，言之者不同，胡不試反性之名？性之名，非生與？如其生之自然之資，謂之性。性者，質也，詰性之質於善之名，能中之與？既不能中矣，而尚謂之質善，何哉？性之名不得離質，離質如毛，則非性已，不可不察也。春秋辨物之理，以正其名，名物如其真，不失秋毫之末，故名霣石，則後其五，言退鷁，則先其六。聖人之謹於正名如此，君子於其言，無所苟而已，五石六鷁之辭是也。●眾惡於內，弗使得發於外者，心也，故心之為名，●也。人之受氣苟無惡者，心何●哉？吾以心之名得人之誠，人之誠有貪有仁，仁貪之氣兩在於身。身之名取諸天，天兩，有陰陽之施，身亦兩，有貪仁之性；天有陰陽禁，身有情慾●，與天道一也。是以陰之行不得幹春夏，而月之魄常厭於日光，占全占傷。天之禁陰如此，安得不損其欲而輟其情以應天？天所禁，而身禁之，故曰身猶天也，禁天所禁，非禁天也。必知天性不乘於教，終不能●。察實以為名，無教之時，性何遽若是？故性比於禾，善比於米；米出禾中，而禾未可全為米也；善出性中，而性未可全為善也。善與米，人之所繼天而成於外，非在天所為之內也。天之所為，有所至而止，止之內謂之天性，止之外謂人事，事在性外，而性不得不成德。民之號，取之瞑也，使性而已善，則何故以瞑為號？以霣者言，弗扶將，則顛陷猖狂，安能善。性有似目，目臥幽而瞑，待覺而後見，當其未覺，可謂有見質，而不可謂見。今萬民之性，有其質而未能覺，譬如瞑者待覺，教之然後善。

Names arise from the real, and what is not real is not made a name. A name is what the sages use to make things real, and the word name speaks of the real. So in the hundred kinds of criticism, whatever is obscure, each returns to its reality, and what is obscure also returns to brightness. To examine crooked and straight, nothing is better than drawing a cord; to examine right and wrong, nothing is better than drawing a name. Names examine right and wrong as the cord examines crooked and straight. Questioning name and reality, and observing their separation and union, the facts of right and wrong cannot slander each other. Now the world is dark about nature and those who discuss it all differ; why not try returning to the name "nature"? Is the name nature not simply life? The natural disposition that one has on being born is called nature. Nature is substance. If one questions the substance of nature with the name "good," can it be matched? Since it cannot be matched, why still say the substance is good? The name nature cannot be separated from substance; separating from substance is like separating from fur, and then it is not nature, and one must examine it. The Spring and Autumn Annals distinguishes the principles of things to rectify their names, naming things as their reality, without losing a hair's tip. So when it says "fallen stones," it puts "five" after; when it says "fish-hawks retreating," it puts "six" first. The sages were this careful in rectifying names. The gentleman is not careless in his own words at all, as in the wording of five stones and six fish-hawks. What keeps the many evils [a character is damaged in the base text] inside and does not let them issue outside is the heart, so the name heart is just [damaged character in the base text]. If people received qi with no evil originally, why must the heart be [damaged character]? By the name heart I obtain the truth of people. The truth of people has greed and humaneness; both the qi of humaneness and of greed are in the body. The name body is taken from Heaven. Heaven is two-sided, with the bestowal of yin and yang; the body is also two-sided, with the natures of greed and humaneness. Heaven has a prohibition against yin and yang, and the body has a [damaged character] against feelings and desires, the same as the Way of Heaven. For this reason the movement of yin cannot interfere with spring and summer, and the moon's dark body is constantly pressed down by the sun's light, now whole, now injured. Heaven prohibits yin to this degree; how could a person not reduce desires and stop feelings in order to respond to Heaven? What Heaven prohibits, the body also prohibits, so it is said that the body is like Heaven. To prohibit what Heaven prohibits is not to prohibit Heaven. One must know that if heavenly nature does not rely on teaching, in the end it cannot [damaged character]. Looking at the facts to give names: in a time before teaching, how would nature at once be like this? So nature is compared to grain, and goodness to rice. Rice comes out of grain, yet grain cannot be entirely taken as rice; goodness comes out of nature, yet nature cannot be entirely taken as goodness. Goodness and rice are what people complete outside by continuing Heaven, and are not within the scope of what Heaven does. What Heaven does stops where it arrives. What is within the stopping point is called heavenly nature, and what is beyond it is called human affairs. Affairs are outside nature, yet nature cannot but complete virtue. The title "people" (min) is taken from "blind" (ming). If nature were already good, why would blindness be used for the title? Take a person about to fall: if he is not supported, he will fall and stumble wildly; how could he be good? Nature is somewhat like the eyes: when the eyes sleep they are dark and closed, and only after waking can they see; while they have not yet woken, one can say they have the substance of being able to see, but one cannot say they have already seen. Now the nature of the myriad people has that substance but is not yet awake, like a person with eyes closed waiting to wake; only after teaching and transformation is it good.

當其未覺，可謂有善質，而未可謂善，與目之瞑而覺，一概之比也。靜心徐察之，其言可見矣。性而瞑之未覺，天所為也；效天所為，為之起號，故謂之民。民之為言，固猶瞑也，隨其名號，以入其理，則得之矣。是正名號者於天地，天地之所生，謂之性情，性情相與為一瞑，情亦性也，謂性已善，奈其情何？故聖人莫謂性善，累其名也。身之有性情也，若天之有陰陽也，言人之質而無其情，猶言天之陽而無其陰也，窮論者無時受也。名性不以上，不以下，以其中名之。性如繭、如卵，卵待覆而成雛，繭待繅而為絲，性待教而為善，此之謂真天。天生民性有善質而未能善，於是為之立王以善之，此天意也。民受未能善之性於天，而退受成性之教於王，王承天意以成民之性為任者也；今案其真質而謂民性已善者，是失天意而去王任也。萬民之性苟已善，則王者受命尚何任也？其設名不正，故棄重任而違大命，非法言也。春秋之辭，內事之待外者，從外言之。今萬民之性，待外教然後能善，善當與教，不當與性，與性則多累而不精，自成功而無賢聖，此世長者之所誤出也，非春秋為辭之術也。不法之言，無驗之說，君子之所外，何以為哉！或曰：“性有善端，心有善質，尚安非善？”應之曰：“非也。繭有絲，而繭非絲也；卵有雛，而卵非雛也。比類率然，有何疑焉。”天生民有六經，言性者不當異，然其或曰性也善，或曰性未善，則所謂善者，各異意也。性有善端，動之愛父母，善於禽獸，則謂之善，此孟子之善。循三綱五紀，通八端之理，忠信而博愛，敦厚而好禮，乃可謂善，此聖人之善也。是故孔子曰：“善人，吾不得而見之，得見有常者，斯可矣。”由是觀之，聖人之所謂善，未易當也，非善於禽獸則謂之善也，使動其端善於禽獸則可謂之善，善奚為弗見也？

(Continuing:) While it has not yet awakened, it may be said to have the substance of goodness but cannot be said to be already good, which is the same kind of comparison as eyes that are closed and then awaken. If one calms the mind and examines it slowly, the words will become visible. Nature, like something asleep and not yet awake, is made by Heaven; people take what Heaven made as a model and give it a name, so they are called the people (min). The very character min is like "closed eyes" (ming). Following its name and entering its principle, one gets it. This is how names are rectified with Heaven and Earth: what Heaven and Earth give birth to is called nature and feeling. Nature and feeling together are one closing of the eyes, and feeling is also nature. If one says nature is already good, then what is to be done with feeling? So the sages did not say that nature is good, fearing it would burden the name. The body has nature and feeling, just as Heaven has yin and yang. To speak of a person's substance without feeling is like speaking of Heaven's yang without yin; even if the argument is exhausted, there will never be a time it is accepted. In naming nature, one does not go by the highest or the lowest, but names it by the middle. Nature is like a cocoon, like an egg: the egg waits for brooding to become a chick, the cocoon waits for reeling and boiling to become silk, and nature waits for teaching and transformation to become good; this is called true Heaven. Heaven gives birth to the people, whose nature has the substance of goodness but cannot yet be good, so it sets up a king for them to make them good; this is Heaven's intention. The people receive from Heaven a nature not yet able to be good, and then return to receive from the king the teaching that completes their nature. The king receives Heaven's intention and takes completing the people's nature as his responsibility. Now if one follows their real substance but says that the people's nature is already good, one loses Heaven's intention and discards the king's responsibility. If the nature of the ten thousand people were already good, what responsibility would a king bear after receiving the mandate? The name thus established is improper, abandons a heavy duty and defies the great mandate, and is not a lawful statement. In the wording of the Spring and Autumn Annals, an internal matter that waits on the outside is spoken of from the outside. Now the nature of the ten thousand people waits on outside teaching and only then can become good; goodness should be attributed to teaching, not to nature. Attributing it to nature burdens it with much and is not refined, as if one succeeded on one's own without sages and worthies; this is a mistake made by elders of the world, not the way the Annals uses words. Unlawful statements and unverified claims are what the gentleman rejects, so what is there to do with them! Someone says: "Nature has the sprouts of goodness, and the mind has the substance of goodness, so how is it still not good?" The answer is: "No. A cocoon has silk, yet a cocoon is not silk; an egg has a chick, yet an egg is not a chick. All comparisons of this kind are like this, so what is there to doubt?" Heaven gives birth to the people and there are the Six Classics, and what they say of nature should not differ. Yet some say nature is good and some say nature is not yet good, so what they call good differs in meaning. Nature has the sprouts of goodness, and when they stir, loving one's parents is better than the birds and beasts; this is called good, and this is Mencius's goodness. To follow the three bonds and five norms, to penetrate the principles of the eight sprouts, to be loyal and trustworthy and love broadly, to be generous and fond of ritual, can then be called good, and this is the sage's goodness. So Confucius said: "A good man I cannot get to see; to see one who has constancy would be enough." From this it appears that what the sages call good is not easy to bear, and one is not called good merely for being better than the birds and beasts. If one were called good just by stirring those sprouts to be better than birds and beasts, why would goodness be so rarely seen?"

夫善於禽獸之未得為善也，猶知於草木而不得名知，萬民之性善於禽獸而不得名善，知之名乃取之聖。聖人之所命，天下以為正，正朝夕者視北辰，正嫌疑者視聖人，聖人以為無王之世，不教之民，莫能當善，善之難當如此，而謂萬民之性皆能當之，過矣。質於禽獸之性，則萬民之性善矣；質於人道之善，則民性弗及也。萬民之性善於禽獸者許之，聖人之所謂善者弗許，吾質之命性者，異孟子。孟子下質於禽獸之所為，故曰性已善；吾上質於聖人之所為，故謂性未善，善過性，聖人過善。春秋大元，故謹於正名，名非所始，如之何謂未善已善也。

(Continuing:) Being better than birds and beasts still cannot count as good, just as having more awareness than grass and trees cannot be called wisdom. The nature of the ten thousand people is better than birds and beasts but cannot be called good. The name of wisdom is taken from the sages. What the sages name, the world takes as correct. To set right morning and evening one looks to the North Star; to set right doubts one looks to the sages. The sages held that in an age without a king, the people with no teaching or transformation have none able to bear goodness. Goodness is so hard to bear, yet to say that the nature of the ten thousand people can all bear it is excessive. Measured by the nature of birds and beasts, the nature of the ten thousand people is good; measured by the goodness of the human way, the people's nature falls short. That the nature of the ten thousand people is better than birds and beasts I grant; what the sages call good I do not grant it. What I take to correct the naming of nature differs from Mencius. Mencius measured downward by the conduct of birds and beasts, and so said nature is already good; I measure upward by the conduct of the sages, and so say nature is not yet good. Goodness exceeds nature, and the sage exceeds goodness. The Spring and Autumn Annals honors the origin, so it is careful about rectifying names. If the name did not begin from there, how could one say not yet good or already good?

孔子曰：“名不正，則言不順。”今謂性已善，不幾於無教而如其自然，又不順於為政之道矣；且名者性之實，實者性之質，質無教之時，何遽能善。善如米，性如禾，禾雖出米，而禾未可謂米也；性雖出善，而性未可謂善也。米與善，人之繼天而成於外也，非在天所為之內也；天所為，有所至而止，止之內謂之天，止之外謂之王教，王教在性外，而性不得不遂，故曰：性有善質，而未能為善也，豈敢美辭，其實然也。天之所為，止於繭麻與禾，以麻為布，以繭為絲，以米為飯，以性為善，此皆聖人所繼天而進也，非情性質樸之能至也，故不可謂性。正朝夕者視北辰，正嫌疑者視聖人，聖人之所名，天下以為正。今按聖人言中本無性善名，而有善人吾不得見之矣，使萬民之性皆已能善，善人者何為不見也，觀孔子言此之意，以為善甚難當；而孟子以為萬民性皆能當之，過矣。聖人之性，不可以名性，斗筲之性，又不可以名性，名性者，中民之性。中民之性，如繭如卵，卵待覆二十日，而後能為雛；繭待繰以涫湯，而後能為絲；性待漸於教訓，而後能為善；善，教訓之所然也，非質樸之所能至也，故不謂性。性者，宜知名矣，無所待而起生，而所自有也；善所自有，則教訓已非性也。是以米出於粟，而粟不可謂米；玉出於璞，而璞不可謂玉；善出於性，而性不可謂善；其比多在物者為然，在性者以為不然，何不通於類也？卵之性未能作雛也，繭之性未能作絲也，麻之性未能為縷也，粟之性未能為米也。春秋別物之理，以正其名，名物必各因其真，真其義也，真其情也，乃以為名。名霣石，則後其五，退飛，則先其六，此皆其真也。聖人於言，無所苟而已矣。性者，天質之樸也，善者，王教之化也；無其質，則王教不能化，無其王教，則質樸不能善。質而不以善性，其名不正，故不受也。

Confucius said: "If names are not correct, words do not follow." Now to say that nature is already good would almost be to leave things to take their course without teaching or transformation, which again does not accord with the way of governing. Moreover, a name is the reality of nature, and the reality is the substance of nature. When the substance has not been taught, how could it immediately be able to be good? Goodness is like rice, and nature is like the grain plant. Although the plant produces rice, the plant cannot be called rice; although nature produces goodness, nature cannot be called goodness. Rice and goodness are what people, continuing Heaven, complete outwardly, and are not within the range of what Heaven does. What Heaven does stops where it has reached. What lies within the stopping place is called Heaven, and what lies beyond it is called the king's teaching. The king's teaching is outside nature, and nature cannot but follow along. So it is said: nature has the substance of goodness but cannot yet be good. How would one dare use fine words; the reality is simply so. What Heaven does stops at cocoon, hemp and grain. To turn hemp into cloth, cocoons into silk, rice into cooked food, and nature into goodness are all things the sages carry on from Heaven and push forward, not what feeling, nature and plain substance can reach, so they cannot be called nature. To set right morning and evening one looks to the North Star; to set right doubts one looks to the sages. What the sages name, the world takes as correct. Now in the sages' words there originally was no name "nature is good," but there was "a good man I cannot get to see." If the nature of the ten thousand people could all already be good, why could no good man be seen? Looking at the meaning of Confucius's words, he took goodness to be very hard to bear; but Mencius took the nature of the ten thousand people to be able to bear it, which is excessive. The nature of a sage cannot be used to name nature, and the nature of a petty person cannot be used to name nature either. What names nature is the nature of the middling people. The nature of the middling people is like a cocoon, like an egg. An egg waits twenty days of brooding and then can become a chick; a cocoon waits for reeling in boiling water and then can become silk; nature waits for gradual teaching and only then can become good. Goodness is made so by teaching and is not what plain substance can reach, so it is not called nature. As for nature, one should know the name: it rises without waiting for anything, and is what one originally has. If goodness were what one originally has, then teaching would already not be nature. So rice comes from millet but millet cannot be called rice; jade comes from raw stone but raw stone cannot be called jade; goodness comes from nature but nature cannot be called goodness. Comparisons of this kind are accepted as so for things, yet are said not to hold for nature; why do they not extend to the same kind? The nature of an egg cannot yet make a chick, the nature of a cocoon cannot yet make silk, the nature of hemp cannot yet become thread, and the nature of millet cannot yet become rice. The Spring and Autumn Annals distinguishes the principles of things to rectify their names, and in naming things each follows its truth. It makes true their righteousness and true their feeling, and only then uses them as names. It says "meteorites fell" and puts "five" after; "retreated flying" and puts "six" before; these are all their truth. The sages are never careless in the least about words. Nature is the plainness of Heaven's substance; goodness is the transformation of the king's teaching. Without that substance, the king's teaching cannot transform; without that king's teaching, plain substance cannot become good. To have substance and not attribute goodness to nature is because the name would be improper, and so it is not accepted.

生育養長，成而更生，終而復始其事，所以利活民者無已，天雖不言，其欲贍足之意可見也。古之聖人見天意之厚於人也，故南面而君天下，必以兼利之，為其遠者，目不能見，其隱者，耳不能聞，於是千里之外，割地分民，而建國立君，使為天子視所不見，聽所不聞，朝者召而聞之也，諸侯之為言猶諸候也。

Birth, nurture and growth, completion and then renewal, ending and then beginning: this work is for the benefit and sustaining of the people and never stops. Although Heaven does not speak, its wish to provide in full can be seen. The ancient sages saw that Heaven's intention treated people generously, so they faced south and ruled all under Heaven, and must benefit them all. Because what is far the eyes cannot see and what is hidden the ears cannot hear, they divided land and people a thousand li away, established states and set up rulers, to see for the Son of Heaven what he cannot see and to hear what he cannot hear. Those who come to court are summoned to report what they have heard. The term zhuhou (feudal lords) is like "zhu hou," those who keep watch in all places.

河間獻王問溫城董君曰：“孝經曰：‘夫孝，天之經，地之義。’何謂也？”對曰：“天有五行：木、火、土、金、水是也。木生火，火生土，土生金、金生水。水為冬，金為秋，土為季夏，火為夏，木為春。春主生，夏主長，季夏主養，秋主收，冬主藏，藏，冬之所成也。是故父之所生，其子長之；父之所長，其子養之；父之所養，其子成之。諸父所為，其子皆奉承而續行之，不敢不致如父之意，盡為人之道也。故五行者，五行也。由此觀之，父授之，子受之，乃天之道也。故曰：夫孝者，天之經也。此之謂也。”王曰：“善哉！天經既得聞之矣，願聞地之義。”對曰：“地出雲為雨，起氣為風，風雨者，地之所為，地不敢有其功名，必上之於天，命若從天氣者，故曰天風天雨也，莫曰地風地雨也；勤勞在地，名一歸於天，非至有義，其庸能行此；故下事上，如地事天也，可謂大忠矣。土者，火之子也，五行莫貴於土，土之於四時，無所命者，不與火分功名；木名春，火名夏，金名秋，水名冬，忠臣之義，孝子之行取之土；土者，五行最貴者也，其義不可以加矣。五聲莫貴於宮，五味莫美於甘，五色莫盛於黃，此謂孝者地之義也。”王曰：“善哉！”

The King of Hejian asked Master Dong of Wencheng: "The Classic of Filial Piety says: 'Filial piety is the constant norm of Heaven and the right of Earth.' What does it mean?" He answered: "Heaven has the five phases: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, and metal generates water. Water is winter, metal is autumn, earth is late summer, fire is summer, and wood is spring. Spring governs birth, summer governs growth, late summer governs nurture, autumn governs gathering, and winter governs storing. Storing is what winter completes. So what the father gives birth to, the son grows; what the father grows, the son nurtures; what the father nurtures, the son completes. Whatever the father does, the son respectfully carries on and continues to practice, not daring to fail to do it as the father intended, and this is exhausting the way of being a person. So the five phases are five kinds of conduct. From this it appears that the father gives and the son receives, which is the way of Heaven. So it is said: filial piety is the constant norm of Heaven. This is what that means." The king said: "Good! I have heard the constant norm of Heaven; I would like to hear again the right of Earth." He answered: "Earth sends forth clouds to become rain and raises qi to become wind. Wind and rain are what Earth does, yet Earth does not dare hold the credit and must attribute it upward to Heaven, so the command seems to follow the qi of Heaven, and thus one speaks of Heaven's wind and Heaven's rain, and never of Earth's wind and Earth's rain. The labor lies with Earth, and the name is wholly given to Heaven. Without utmost righteousness, who could practice this? So those below serving those above is like Earth serving Heaven, and can be called great loyalty. Earth is the son of fire. Among the five phases none is more honored than earth. Earth among the four seasons is not given a name and does not share the credit and name with fire. Wood is named spring, fire is named summer, metal is named autumn, and water is named winter. The loyalty of a loyal minister and the conduct of a filial son are taken from earth. Earth is the most honored of the five phases, and its righteousness cannot be added to. Among the five sounds none is more honored than gong, among the five flavors none is sweeter than sweet, and among the five colors none is more splendid than yellow. This is what is called filial piety being the right of Earth." The king said: "Good!"

為生不能為人，為人者，天也，人之人本於天，天亦人之曾祖父也，此人之所以乃上類天也。人之形體，化天數而成；人之血氣，化天志而仁；人之德行，化天理而義；人之好惡，化天之暖清；人之喜怒，化天之寒暑；人之受命，化天之四時；人生有喜怒哀樂之答，春秋冬夏之類也。喜，春之答也，怒，秋之答也，樂，夏之答也，哀，冬之答也，天之副在乎人，人之情性有由天者矣，故曰受，由天之號也。為人主也，道莫明省身之天，如天出之也，使其出也，答天之出四時，而必忠其受也，則堯舜之治無以加，是可生可殺而不可使為亂，故曰：非道不行，非法不言。此之謂也。

Birth alone does not complete a person; what completes a person is Heaven. A person's root lies in Heaven, and Heaven is also a person's great-grandfather, which is the reason people resemble Heaven above. A person's body is formed by transforming Heaven's numbers; a person's blood and qi are formed by transforming Heaven's will into humaneness; a person's virtue is formed by transforming Heaven's principle into righteousness; a person's likes and dislikes transform Heaven's warmth and coolness; a person's joy and anger transform Heaven's cold and heat; a person's receiving of the mandate transforms Heaven's four seasons. The responses of joy, anger, sorrow and delight in human life are of the same kind as spring, summer, autumn and winter. Joy is the response of spring; anger is the response of autumn; delight is the response of summer; sorrow is the response of winter. Heaven's counterpart is in the human being, and the human feelings and nature that come from Heaven are therefore called "received," which is a name that comes from Heaven. For one who is ruler of the people, no way is clearer than to examine the Heaven he has received in himself, as though Heaven issued it forth. Having it issue forth, responding to Heaven's issuing the four seasons, and being surely faithful to what he has received, then Yao and Shun's government cannot be added to. Such a person can be allowed to live or be put to death, but cannot be made to cause disorder. So it is said: if it is not the Way, do not practice it; if it is not the law, do not speak it. This is what that means.

傳曰：唯天子受命於天，天下受命於天子，一國則受命於君。君命順，則民有順命；君命逆，則民有逆命；故曰：一人有慶，兆民賴之。此之謂也。

A tradition says: only the Son of Heaven receives the mandate from Heaven, all under Heaven receives the mandate from the Son of Heaven, and a state receives the mandate from its ruler. If the ruler's mandate is in accord, the people have an accordant mandate; if the ruler's mandate is contrary, the people have a contrary mandate. So it is said: when one man has good fortune, the ten thousand people depend on him. This is what that means.

傳曰：政有三端：父子不親，則致其愛慈；大臣不和，則敬順其禮；百姓不安，則力其孝弟。孝弟者，所以安百姓也，力者，勉行之，身以化之。天地之數，不能獨以寒暑成歲，必有春夏秋冬；聖人之道，不能獨以威勢成政，必有教化。故曰：先之以博愛，教以仁也；難得者，君子不貴，教以義也；雖天子必有尊也，教以孝也；必有先也，教以弟也。此威勢之不足獨恃，而教化之功不大乎！

A tradition says: government has three beginnings. If fathers and sons are not close, devote the utmost love and kindness; if great ministers are not in harmony, respectfully follow ritual; if the common people are not at peace, devote efforts to filial piety and brotherly respect. Filial piety and brotherly respect are what stabilize the common people; effort means striving to practice, transforming through one's own person. The number of Heaven and Earth cannot make one year by cold and heat alone, but must have spring, summer, autumn and winter; the way of the sages cannot make government by authority alone, but must have teaching and transformation. So it is said: first lead with broad love, which teaches humaneness; the gentleman does not value rare goods, which teaches righteousness; even the Son of Heaven must have those he reveres, which teaches filial piety; there must be those who come before oneself, which teaches brotherly respect. This authority is not enough to rely on by itself, and is the work of teaching and transformation not great!

傳曰：天生之，地載之，聖人教之。君者，民之心也，民者，君之體也；心之所好，體必安之；君之所好，民必從之。故君民者，貴孝弟而好禮義，重仁廉而輕財利，躬親職此於上而萬民聽，生善於下矣。故曰：先王見教之可以化民也。此之謂也。

A tradition says: Heaven gives birth to it, Earth carries it, and the sage transforms it. The ruler is the heart of the people, and the people are the ruler's body. What the heart likes, the body is sure to be at ease with; what the ruler likes, the people are sure to follow. So one who rules the people values filial piety and brotherly respect and loves ritual and righteousness, values humaneness and integrity and despises wealth and profit, and personally upholds these above, and the ten thousand people follow, and goodness is born below. So it is said: the former kings saw that teaching can transform the people. This is what that means.

衣服容貌者，所以說目也，聲音應對者，所以說耳也，好惡去就者，所以說心也。故君子衣服中而容貌恭，則目說矣；言理應對遜，則耳說矣；好仁厚而惡淺薄，就善人而遠僻鄙，則心說矣。故曰：行思可樂，容止可觀。此之謂也。

Clothing and appearance please the eyes; sound and replies please the ears; likes, dislikes, going and staying please the heart. So when the gentleman's clothing is moderate and his appearance reverent, the eyes are pleased; when his speech is reasonable and his replies humble, the ears are pleased; when he loves generosity and dislikes shallowness, draws near to good people and keeps far from the crooked and base, the heart is pleased. So it is said: his conduct and thought can make people happy, and his bearing can be looked at. This is what that means.

天有五行：一曰木，二曰火，三曰土，四曰金，五曰水。木，五行之始也，水，五行之終也，土，五行之中也，此其天次之序也。木生火，火生土，土生金，金生水，水生木，此其父子也。木居左，金居右，火居前，水居後，土居中央，此其父子之序，相受而布。是故木受水而火受木，土受火，金受土，水受金也。諸授之者，皆其父也；受之者，皆其子也；常因其父，以使其子，天之道也。是故木已生而火養之，金已死而水藏之，火樂木而養以陽，水克金而喪以陰，土之事火竭其忠。故五行者，乃孝子忠臣之行也。五行之為言也，猶五行歟？是故以得辭也。聖人知之，故多其愛而少嚴，厚養生而謹送終，就天之制也。以子而迎成養，如火之樂木也；喪父，如水之克金也；事君，若土之敬天也；可謂有行人矣。五行之隨，各如其序；五行之官，各致其能。是故木居東方而主春氣，火居南方而主夏氣，金居西方而主秋氣，水居北方而主冬氣；是故木主生而金主殺，火主暑而水主寒，使人必以其序，官人必以其能，天之數也。土居中央，為之天潤，土者，天之股肱也，其德茂美，不可名以一時之事，故五行而四時者，土兼之也，金木水火雖各職，不因土，方不立，若酸鹹辛苦之不因甘肥不能成味也。甘者，五味之本也，土者，五行之主也，五行之主土氣也，猶五味之有甘肥也，不得不成。是故聖人之行，莫貴於忠，土德之謂也。人官之大者，不名所職，相其是矣；天官之大者，不名所生，土是矣。

Heaven has five phases: the first is called wood, the second fire, the third earth, the fourth metal, and the fifth water. Wood is the beginning of the five phases, water is the end of the five phases, and earth is the center of the five phases; this is the order Heaven arranged. Wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water generates wood; these are their fathers and sons. Wood lies on the left, metal on the right, fire in front, water behind and earth in the center; this is the order of father and son, mutually giving and receiving in their distribution. So wood receives from water and fire receives from wood, earth receives from fire, metal receives from earth, and water receives from metal. All that give are fathers; all that receive are sons. Constantly relying on the father to direct the son is the way of Heaven. So when wood is born, fire nurtures it; when metal has died, water stores it; fire loves wood and nurtures it with yang, water overcomes metal and sees it off with yin, and earth serves fire with all its loyalty. So the five phases are the conduct of filial sons and loyal ministers. Does the term five phases (wu xing) not sound like five kinds of conduct? So it got this wording. The sages knew this, so they increased their love and reduced their severity, were generous in nurturing the living and careful in seeing off the dead, in order to follow Heaven's order. A son who receives, completes and nurtures is like fire loving wood; a son who mourns his father is like water overcoming metal; one who serves the ruler is like earth revering Heaven; such a person can be called a person of conduct. The followers of the five phases each follow their order, and the offices of the five phases each exhaust their abilities. So wood dwells in the east and governs the qi of spring, fire dwells in the south and governs the qi of summer, metal dwells in the west and governs the qi of autumn, and water dwells in the north and governs the qi of winter. So wood governs birth and metal governs killing, fire governs heat and water governs cold. To make people follow their order and appoint officers according to their ability is the number of Heaven. Earth dwells in the center and is Heaven's moistening. Earth is Heaven's limbs, its virtue is rich and fine, and it cannot be named by a single season's affairs, so the five phases have only four seasons because earth holds them together. Although metal, wood, water and fire each have their duties, without earth their positions cannot be established, just as sour, salty, pungent and bitter without sweet and rich cannot make a flavor. Sweet is the root of the five flavors, and earth is the lord of the five phases. The lord of the five phases is the qi of earth, as the five flavors have sweet and rich, which cannot but complete them. So there is no conduct of a sage more honored than loyalty, which speaks of the virtue of earth. The greatest of the human officials is not given a special name for what it governs, as the chancellor is; the greatest of Heaven's officials is not given a special name for what it generates, as earth is.

天之大數畢於十旬，旬天地之間，十而畢反，旬生長之功，十而畢成，十者，天數之所止也。古之聖人因天數之所止以為數，紀十如更始，民世世傳之，而不知省其所起；知省其所起，則見天數之所始；見天數之所始，則知貴賤逆順所在；知貴賤逆順所在，則天地之情著，聖人之寶出矣。是故陽氣以正月始出於地，生育長養於上，至其功必成也，而積十月；人亦十月而生，合於天數也。是故天道十月而成，人亦十月而成，合於天道也。故陽氣出於東北，入於西北，於發孟春，畢於孟冬，而物莫不應是；陽始出，物亦始出；陽方盛，物亦方盛；陽初衰，物亦初衰；物隨陽而出入，數隨陽而終始；三王之正，隨陽而更起；以此見之，貴陽而賤陰也。故數日者，據晝而不據夜，數歲者，據陽而不據陰，陰不得達之義。是故春秋之於昏禮也，達宋公而不達紀侯之母，紀侯之母宜稱而不達，宋公不宜稱而達，達陽而不達陰，以天道制之也。丈夫雖賤皆為陽，婦人雖貴皆為陰；陰之中亦相為陰，陽之中亦相為陽，諸在上者皆為其下陽，諸在下者皆為其上陰，陰猶沈也，何名何有？皆幷一於陽，昌力而辭功，故出雲起雨，必令從之下，命之曰天雨，不敢有其所出，上善而下惡，惡者受之，善者不受，土若地，義之至也。是故春秋君不名惡，臣不名善，善皆歸於君，惡皆歸於臣。臣之義比於地，故為人臣者，視地之事天也；為人子者，視土之事火也，雖居中央，亦歲七十二日之王，傅於火，以調和養長，然而弗名者，皆幷功於火，火得以盛，不敢與父分功，美孝之至也。是故孝子之行，忠臣之義，皆法於地也，地事天也，猶下之事上也，地，天之合也，物無合會之義。是故推天地之精，鉉陰陽之類，以別順逆之理，安所加以不在？

Heaven's great number is completed in ten. The ten-day period lies between Heaven and Earth, and at ten it is complete and returns; its work of generation and growth is completed and accomplished at ten. Ten is the place where Heaven's number stops. The ancient sages took the place where Heaven's number stops as their number, and counting reaches ten and seems to begin again. The people hand it down generation after generation but do not know to examine from where it arises; if one knows to examine from where it arises, one sees where Heaven's number begins; seeing where Heaven's number begins, one knows where noble and lowly, contrary and compliant lie; knowing where noble and lowly, contrary and compliant lie, the true condition of Heaven and Earth becomes clear and the treasure of the sages comes forth. So yang qi begins in the first month to come out of the earth and generate and grow above, and by the time its work is surely completed it has accumulated ten months; humans are also born in ten months, in accord with Heaven's number. So the way of Heaven completes in ten months and humans complete in ten months, in accord with the way of Heaven. So yang qi comes out from the northeast and enters the northwest, begins from early spring and ends in early winter, and things all respond to this. When yang begins to come out, things also begin to come out; when yang is flourishing, things are flourishing; when yang begins to decline, things begin to decline. Things go in and out with yang, and numbers end and begin with yang. The calendar changes of the Three Kings rise and alternate with yang. From this one sees that yang is honored and yin is lowly. So in counting days one goes by day and not by night; in counting years one goes by yang and not by yin. Yin does not get a principle of reaching through. So in the Spring and Autumn Annals, regarding marriage rites, it conveys the Duke of Song but does not convey the mother of the Marquis of Ji: the mother of the Marquis of Ji should have been mentioned but was not conveyed, and the Duke of Song should not have been mentioned but was conveyed, which means conveying yang and not conveying yin, regulated by the way of Heaven. A husband, even if lowly, is all yang; a wife, even if noble, is all yin. Within yin there are mutual yin, and within yang there are mutual yang. Whatever is above is the yang of those below it; whatever is below is the yin of those above it. Yin is like something lying hidden, so what name and what credit does it have? All of it is attributed to yang, which flourishes through its strength and yields the credit. So when clouds go out and rain rises, it must be made to come from below, and it is named Heaven's rain, not daring to claim what it sent forth. Above good and below evil: evil is received and good is not. Earth is like the ground, the utmost of righteousness. So in the Spring and Autumn Annals the ruler is not called evil and the minister is not called good; all good is attributed to the ruler and all evil to the minister. The minister's righteousness is modeled on earth, so one who is a minister looks at how earth serves Heaven; one who is a son looks at how earth serves fire. Although earth dwells in the center, it also acts as king for seventy-two days of the year, attached to fire to harmonize growth and nurture, yet it is not given a special name, and all the credit is given to fire, so fire becomes flourishing and does not dare share the credit with its father; this is the utmost of fine filial piety. So the conduct of the filial son and the righteousness of the loyal minister are all modeled on earth. Earth serves Heaven as those below serve those above. Earth is Heaven's counterpart, and things have no principle of union. So to seek the essence of Heaven and Earth and unify the kinds of yin and yang to distinguish the principle of contrary and compliant, what could be added that is not already in it?

在上下，在大小，在強弱，在賢不肖，在善惡，惡之屬盡為陰，善之屬盡為陽，陽為德，陰為刑，刑反德而順於德，亦權之類也，雖曰權，皆在權成。是故陽行於順，陰行於逆；逆行而順，順行而逆者，陰也。是故天以陰為權，以陽為經；陽出而南，陰出而北；經用於盛，權用於末；以此見天之顯經隱權，前德而後刑也。故曰：陽，天之德，陰，天之刑也，陽氣暖而陰氣寒，陽氣予而陰氣奪，陽氣仁而陰氣戾，陽氣寬而陰氣急，陽氣愛而陰氣惡，陽氣生而陰氣殺。是故陽常居實位而行於盛，陰常居空位而行於末，天之好仁而近，惡戾之變而遠，大德而小刑之意也，先經而後權，貴陽而賤陰也。故陰，夏入居下，不得任歲事，冬出居上，置之空處也；養長之時伏於下，遠去之，弗使得為陽也；無事之時，起之空處，使之備次陳守閉塞也；此皆天之近陽而遠陰，大德而小刑也。是故人主近天之所近，遠天之所遠，大天之所大，小天之所小。是故天數右陽而不右陰，務德而不務刑；刑之不可任以成世也，猶陰之不可任以成歲也；為政而任刑，謂之逆天，非王道也。

(Continuing:) It lies in above and below, in large and small, in strong and weak, in worthy and unworthy, in good and evil. The class of evil is all yin, and the class of good is all yang. Yang is virtue and yin is punishment. Punishment goes against virtue yet follows virtue, and is also a kind of expediency; even when called expediency, it is all completed in expediency. So yang moves in accord and yin moves in opposition; that which moves in accord though going against, and moves against though going along, is yin. So Heaven takes yin as expedient and yang as constant. Yang comes out toward the south, and yin comes out toward the north. The constant is used in times of flourishing, and expediency is used in the closing times. From this one sees that Heaven displays the constant and hides expediency, puts virtue in front and punishment behind. So it is said: yang is Heaven's virtue, and yin is Heaven's punishment. Yang qi is warm and yin qi is cold, yang qi gives and yin qi takes, yang qi is humane and yin qi is violent, yang qi is generous and yin qi is hurried, yang qi loves and yin qi hates, yang qi gives life and yin qi kills. So yang constantly dwells in the full position and moves in times of flourishing, and yin constantly dwells in the empty position and moves in the closing times. Heaven likes humaneness and draws near to it, dislikes the change of violence and keeps far from it, which means great virtue and small punishment: constant first and expediency after, honoring yang and despising yin. So in summer yin enters and dwells below and cannot take charge of the year's work; in winter it comes out and dwells above and is placed in empty spaces. In the time of growth and nurture it lies hidden below, far away, and is not allowed to do the work of yang; in the time of no work, it is raised from the empty place and made to be arrayed in order, keeping and closing off. All of these are Heaven drawing near yang and keeping far from yin, magnifying virtue and minimizing punishment. So the ruler draws near what Heaven draws near, keeps far from what Heaven keeps far from, magnifies what Heaven magnifies, and minimizes what Heaven minimizes. So Heaven's numbers favor yang and do not favor yin, and strive for virtue and not for punishment. Punishment cannot be relied on to complete a generation, just as yin cannot be relied on to complete a year. To govern and employ punishment is called going against Heaven and is not the kingly way.

古之造文者，三畫而連其中，謂之王；三畫者，天地與人也，而連其中者，通其道也，取天地與人之中以為貫，而參通之，非王者庸能當是。是故王者唯天之施，施其時而成之，法其命而循之諸人，法其數而以起事，治其道而以出法，治其志而歸之於仁。仁之美者在於天，天仁也，天覆育萬物，既化而生之，有養而成之，事功無已，終而復始，凡舉歸之以奉人，察於天之意，無窮極之仁也。人之受命於天也，取仁於天而仁也，是故人之受命天之尊，父兄子弟之親，有忠信慈惠之心，有禮義廉讓之行，有是非逆順之治，文理燦然而厚，知廣大有而博，唯人道為可以參天。天常以愛利為意，以養長為事，春秋冬夏皆其用也；王者亦常以愛利天下為意，以安樂一世為事，好惡喜怒而備用也；然而主之好惡喜怒，乃天之春夏秋冬也，其俱暖清寒暑，而以變化成功也；天出此物者，時則歲美，不時則歲惡；人主出此四者，義則世治，不義則世亂，是故治世與美歲同數，亂世與惡歲同數，以此見人理之副天道也。天有寒有暑，夫喜怒哀樂之發，與清暖寒暑其實一貫也，喜氣為暖而當春，怒氣為清而當秋，樂氣為太陽而當夏，哀氣為太陰而當冬，四氣者，天與人所同有也，非人所能蓄也，故可節而不可止也，節之而順，止之而亂。人生於天，而取化於天，喜氣取諸春，樂氣取諸夏，怒氣取諸秋，哀氣取諸冬，四氣之心也。四肢之答各有處，如四時；寒暑不可移，若肢體；肢體移易其處，謂之壬人；寒暑移易其處，謂之敗歲；喜怒移易其處，謂之亂世。明王正喜以當春，正怒以當秋，正樂以當夏，正哀以當冬，上下法此，以取天之道。春氣愛，秋氣嚴，夏氣樂，冬氣哀；愛氣以生物，嚴氣以成功，樂氣以養生，哀氣以喪終，天之志也。

The ancients who made characters drew three strokes and joined the middle, calling it wang, king. The three strokes are Heaven, Earth and Man, and joining the middle is penetrating that Way. Taking the center of Heaven, Earth and Man to run through them and unify and penetrate them, who but a king could bear this? So a king only carries out Heaven's bestowing: he carries out its seasons and completes things, models on its mandate and applies it to people, models on its numbers to initiate affairs, governs its Way to establish laws, and governs its aims to return to humaneness. The beauty of humaneness lies in Heaven. Heaven is humaneness. Heaven covers and nurtures the myriad things, transforming and giving them birth, then nurturing and completing them; its work never stops, ending and beginning again, and all it does returns and is offered to people. Examining Heaven's intention, it is humaneness without limit. People receive their mandate from Heaven and take humaneness from Heaven to become humane. So people receive the honor of Heaven's mandate, have the closeness of fathers, elder brothers, sons and younger brothers, have hearts of loyalty, trust, kindness and generosity, have conduct of ritual, righteousness, integrity and deference, have the governance of right and wrong, contrary and compliant, with patterns that shine and are generous and knowledge that is broad and wide; only the human way can be matched with Heaven. Heaven constantly takes love and benefit as its intention and nurture and growth as its work, and spring, summer, autumn and winter are all its uses; a king too constantly takes loving and benefiting all under Heaven as his intention and bringing peace and joy to one age as his work, and likes, dislikes, joy and anger are all provided for his use. But the ruler's likes, dislikes, joy and anger are Heaven's spring, summer, autumn and winter, all having warmth, coolness, cold and heat, and used to transform and bring about results. When Heaven issues these things in season, the year is fine; when not in season, the year is bad. When the ruler issues these four, if they accord with righteousness the age is well governed, and if they do not accord with righteousness the age is disordered. So a well-governed age and a fine year are the same in number, and a disordered age and a bad year are the same in number, and from this one sees that human principle is the counterpart of Heaven's Way. Heaven has cold and heat. The issuing of joy, anger, sorrow and delight is in fact one thread with coolness, warmth, cold and heat. The qi of joy is warm and matches spring, the qi of anger is cool and matches autumn, the qi of delight is great yang and matches summer, and the qi of sorrow is great yin and matches winter. The four qi are what Heaven and humans have in common, and are not something people can accumulate, so they can be regulated but cannot be stopped. Regulate them and there is accord; stop them and there is disorder. People are born from Heaven and take their transformation from Heaven: the qi of joy is taken from spring, the qi of delight from summer, the qi of anger from autumn, and the qi of sorrow from winter, which is the heart of the four qi. The responses of the four limbs each have their places, like the four seasons; cold and heat cannot be shifted, like the limbs. When limbs shift places, one is called an irregular person; when cold and heat shift places, it is called a ruined year; when joy and anger shift places, it is called a disordered age. A bright king sets joy right to match spring, anger right to match autumn, delight right to match summer, and sorrow right to match winter, and those above and below model on this to take Heaven's Way. The qi of spring is love, the qi of autumn is severity, the qi of summer is delight, and the qi of winter is sorrow. The qi of love is used to give birth to things, the qi of severity to complete work, the qi of delight to nurture life, and the qi of sorrow to mourn endings; this is Heaven's aim.

是故春氣暖者，天之所以愛而生之，秋氣清者，天之所以嚴以成之，夏氣溫者，天之所以樂而養之，冬氣寒者，天之所以哀而藏之；春主生，夏主養，秋主收，冬主藏；生溉其樂以養，死溉其哀以藏，為人子者也。故四時之行，父子之道也；天地之志，君臣之義也；陰陽之理，聖人之法也。陰，刑氣也，陽，德氣也，陰始於秋，陽始於春，春之為言猶偆偆也，秋之為言猶湫湫也，偆偆者，喜樂之貌也，湫湫者，憂悲之狀也。是故春喜、夏樂、秋憂、冬悲，悲死而樂生，以夏養春，以冬藏秋，大人之志也。是故先愛而後嚴，樂生而哀終，天之當也；而人資諸天，天固有此，然而無所之，如其身而已矣。人主立於生殺之位，與天共持變化之勢，物莫不應天化，天地之化如四時，所好之風出，則為暖氣，而有生於俗；所惡之風出，則為清氣，而有殺於俗；喜則為暑氣，而有養長也；怒則為寒氣，而有閉塞也。人主以好惡喜怒變習俗，而天以暖清寒暑化草木，喜怒時而當，則歲美，不時而妄，則歲惡，天地人主一也。然則人主之好惡喜怒，乃天之暖清寒暑也，不可不審其處而出也，當暑而寒，當寒而暑，必為惡歲矣；人主當喜而怒，當怒而喜，必為亂世矣。是故人主之大守在於謹藏而禁內，使好惡喜怒，必當義乃出，若暖清寒暑之必當其時乃發也，人主掌此而無失，使乃好惡喜怒未嘗差也，如春秋冬夏之未嘗過也，可謂參天矣。深藏此四者而勿使妄發，可謂天矣。

So the qi of spring is warm, by which Heaven loves and gives birth; the qi of autumn is cool, by which Heaven is severe and completes; the qi of summer is mild, by which Heaven delights and nurtures; the qi of winter is cold, by which Heaven mourns and stores. Spring governs birth, summer governs nurture, autumn governs gathering, and winter governs storing. When it gives birth it pours its delight to nurture, and when it dies it pours its sorrow to store, as a son does. So the motion of the four seasons is the way of father and son; the aim of Heaven and Earth is the righteousness of ruler and minister; the principle of yin and yang is the law of the sages. Yin is the qi of punishment, and yang is the qi of virtue. Yin begins in autumn and yang begins in spring. The word for spring (chun) is like "xu xu" and the word for autumn (qiu) is like "qiu qiu." Xu xu is the look of joy and delight, and qiu qiu is the condition of sorrow and grief. So spring is joyful, summer is delighted, autumn is sorrowful, and winter is grieving; one grieves for death and delights in life, using summer to nurture spring and winter to store autumn, which is the aim of the great person. So loving first and being severe after, delighting in life and grieving at the end, is what Heaven should do; people take their resources from Heaven. Heaven certainly has these, but there is nowhere else for them to go, and they are like Heaven's own self. The ruler stands in the position of life and death and, together with Heaven, upholds the power of transformation, and nothing fails to respond to Heaven's transformation. The transformation of Heaven and Earth is like the four seasons: when the wind it likes comes out, it becomes warm qi, and in custom there is birth; when the wind it dislikes comes out, it becomes cool qi, and in custom there is killing; joy becomes the qi of heat, and there is growth and nurture; anger becomes the qi of cold, and there is closing and storing. The ruler changes custom with likes, dislikes, joy and anger, and Heaven transforms grass and trees with warmth, coolness, cold and heat. When joy and anger are in season and fitting, the year is fine; when out of season and issued recklessly, the year is bad. Heaven and Earth and the ruler are one matter. So the ruler's likes, dislikes, joy and anger are Heaven's warmth, coolness, cold and heat, and one must examine the right place before issuing them. If cold comes when it should be hot and hot when it should be cold, it will surely become a bad year; if the ruler is angry when he should be joyful and joyful when he should be angry, it will surely become a disordered age. So the ruler's greatest keeping lies in being careful and deeply reserved and prohibiting reckless issue from within, so that likes, dislikes, joy and anger are only issued when they fit righteousness, as warmth, coolness, cold and heat are only issued when they fit the season. If the ruler holds this without fault, so that likes, dislikes, joy and anger never err, as spring, summer, autumn and winter never pass beyond their limits, he can be called a match for Heaven. If he keeps these four deeply stored and does not let them issue recklessly, he can be called Heaven.

天之道，有序而時，有度而節，變而有常，反而有相奉，微而至遠，踔而致精，一而少積蓄，廣而實，虛而盈。聖人視天而行，是故其禁而審好惡喜怒之處也，欲合諸天之非其時不出暖清寒暑也；其告之以政令而化風之清微也，欲合諸天之顛倒其一而以成歲也；其羞淺末華虛而貴敦厚忠信也，欲合諸天之默然不言而功德積成也；其不阿黨偏私而美泛愛兼利也，欲合諸天之所以成物者少霜而多露也；其內自省以是而外顯，不可以不時，人主有喜怒，不可以不時，可亦為時，時亦為義，喜怒以類合，其理一也，故義不義者，時之合類也，而喜怒乃寒暑之彆氣也。

The Way of Heaven has order and seasons, has measure and limits, changes yet has constant rules, returns yet mutually supports, is subtle yet reaches far, crosses over and reaches fineness, is single-minded with little storing, is vast and full, and is empty yet filled. The sages watch Heaven and act. So their prohibiting and examining the places of likes, dislikes, joy and anger is wanting to accord with Heaven: if it is not that time, warmth, coolness, cold and heat are not issued; their using government decrees to instruct and make the transformation clear and fine is wanting to accord with Heaven: reversing one of them and completing a year; their being ashamed of the shallow, superficial and showy and valuing the generous, loyal and trustworthy is wanting to accord with Heaven: silent, without speech, yet merit and virtue accumulate; their not being partial and praising universal love and mutual benefit is wanting to accord with how Heaven completes things: little frost and much dew. Inwardly they examine themselves and so show themselves outwardly, and cannot fail to be in season. The ruler has joy and anger, and cannot fail to be in season; what is permissible is just the time, and the time is just righteousness. Joy and anger match by kind, and the principle is one. So righteousness and unrighteousness are of the same kind as the season, and joy and anger are the separate qi of cold and heat.

難者曰：“陰陽之會，一歲再遇，遇於南方者以中夏，遇於北方者以中冬，冬，喪物之氣也，則其會於是何？”“如金木水火各奉其主，以從陰陽，相與一力而幷功，其實非獨陰陽也，然而陰陽因之以起，助其所主。故少陽因木而起，助春之生也；太陽因火而起，助夏之養也；少陰因金而起，助秋之成也；太陰因水而起，助冬之藏也。陰雖與水幷氣而合冬，其實不同，故水獨有喪而陰不與焉，是以陰陽會於中冬者，非其喪也。春，愛志也，夏，樂志也，秋，嚴志也，冬，哀志也，故愛而有嚴，樂而有哀，四時之則也。喜怒之禍，哀樂之義，不獨在人，亦在於天；而春夏之陽，秋冬之陰，不獨在天，亦在於人。人無春氣，何以博愛而容眾；人無秋氣，何以立嚴而成功；人無夏氣，何以盛養而樂生；人無冬氣，何以哀死而恤喪。天無喜氣，亦何以暖而春生育；天無怒氣，亦何以清而冬殺就；天無樂氣，亦何以疏陽而夏養長；天無哀氣，亦何以瞠陰而冬閉藏。故曰：天乃有喜怒哀樂之行，人亦有春秋冬夏之氣者，合類之謂也。匹夫雖賤，而可以見德刑之用矣。是故陰陽之行，終各六月，遠近同度，而所在異處。陰之行，春居東方，秋居西方，夏居空右，冬居空左，夏居空下，冬居空上，此陰之常處也；陽之行，春居上，冬居下，此陽之常處也。陰終歲四移，而陽常居實，非親陽而疏陰，任德而遠刑與！天之志，常置陰空處，稍取之以為助，故刑者，德之輔，陰者，陽之助也，陽者，歲之主也，天下之昆蟲隨陽而出入，天下之草木隨陽而生落，天下之三王隨陽而改正，天下之尊卑隨陽而序位，幼者居陽之所少，老者居陽之所老，貴者居陽之所盛，賤者居陽之所衰，藏者言其不得當陽，不當陽者，臣子是也，當陽者，君父是也。故人主南面以陽為位也，陽貴而陰賤，天之制也。

A questioner says: "The meetings of yin and yang occur twice a year: the one that meets in the south is at midsummer, and the one that meets in the north is at midwinter. Winter is the qi of the loss of things, so why do they meet there?" Just as metal, wood, water and fire each hold their lord and follow yin and yang, combining strength and sharing merit, it is in fact not yin and yang alone; yet yin and yang rely on them to rise and assist what they govern. So lesser yang relies on wood to rise and assists the birth of spring; great yang relies on fire to rise and assists the nurture of summer; lesser yin relies on metal to rise and assists the completion of autumn; great yin relies on water to rise and assists the storing of winter. Although yin joins its qi with water and meets in winter, in fact they are different, so water alone has mourning and yin does not take part, and so yin and yang meet at midwinter, and it is not its mourning. Spring is the aim of love, summer the aim of delight, autumn the aim of severity, and winter the aim of sorrow. So there is love with severity and delight with sorrow, which is the rule of the four seasons. The calamity of joy and anger and the righteousness of sorrow and delight are not only in people but also in Heaven; and the yang of spring and summer and the yin of autumn and winter are not only in Heaven but also in people. If people had no qi of spring, how could they love broadly and take in the multitude; if people had no qi of autumn, how could they establish severity and accomplish work; if people had no qi of summer, how could they nurture richly and delight in life; if people had no qi of winter, how could they grieve the dead and attend to mourning. If Heaven had no qi of joy, how would it be warm and give birth in spring; if Heaven had no qi of anger, how would it be cool and kill and gather in autumn; if Heaven had no qi of delight, how would it open up yang and nurture and grow in summer; if Heaven had no qi of sorrow, how would it make yin congeal and close and store in winter. So it is said: Heaven has the movement of joy, anger, sorrow and delight, and people have the qi of spring, autumn, winter and summer; this speaks of matching kinds. Even a common man, though lowly, can see the uses of virtue and punishment. So yin and yang move for six months each, with the same distance and degree near and far, but in different places. Yin moves: in spring it dwells in the east, in autumn in the west, in summer in the empty right, in winter in the empty left, in summer in the empty below, in winter in the empty above, which are the constant places of yin; yang moves: in spring it dwells above and in winter below, which are the constant places of yang. Yin moves four times in a year while yang constantly dwells in the full place; is this not drawing near yang and keeping far from yin, employing virtue and distancing punishment! Heaven's aim constantly places yin in the empty spaces and takes it sparingly as an aid. So punishment is the aid of virtue and yin is the aid of yang. Yang is the lord of the year. The insects of the world go in and out with yang, the grass and trees of the world grow and fall with yang, the Three Kings of the world change the calendar with yang, and the honored and lowly of the world are ranked with yang. The young dwell where yang is young, the old dwell where yang is old, the honored dwell where yang is flourishing, and the lowly dwell where yang is declining. What is called storing means it cannot face yang. What does not face yang are subjects and sons; what faces yang are rulers and fathers. So the ruler faces south and takes yang as his position. Yang is honored and yin is lowly: this is Heaven's system.

禮之尚右，非尚陰也，敬老陽而尊成功也。

The ritual preference for the right side is not honoring yin, but respecting old yang and honoring accomplishment.

陽氣始出東北而南行，就其位也，西轉而北入，藏其休也；陰氣始出東南而北行，亦就其位也，西轉而南入，屏其伏也。是故陽以南方為位，以北方為休；陰以北方為位，以南方為伏。陽至其位，而大暑熱；陰至其位，而大寒凍；陽至其休，而入化於地；陰至其伏，而避德於下。是故夏出長於上，冬入化於下者，陽也；夏入守虛地於下，冬出守虛位於上者，陰也。陽出實入實，陰出空入空，天之任陽不任陰，好德不好刑如是也，故陰陽終歲各一齣。

Yang qi begins by coming out of the northeast and moving south, heading for its position; turning west and entering the north, it stores its rest. Yin qi begins by coming out of the southeast and moving north, also heading for its position; turning west and entering the south, it withdraws into its hiding. So yang takes the south as its position and the north as its rest; yin takes the north as its position and the south as its hiding. When yang reaches its position, there is great heat; when yin reaches its position, there is great cold and freezing. When yang reaches its rest, it enters and transforms in the earth; when yin reaches its hiding, it avoids virtue below. So that which comes out above in summer to grow and nurture, and enters below in winter to transform and give birth, is yang; that which enters below in summer to hold the empty earth, and comes out above in winter to hold the empty position, is yin. Yang goes out from the full place and in by the full place; yin goes out from the empty place and in by the empty place. Heaven's employing yang and not yin and liking virtue and not punishment is just like this. So yin and yang each come out once during the year.