Volume 17

天地之行美也，是以天高其位而下其施，藏其形而見其光，序列星而近至精，考陰陽而降霜露。高其位，所以為尊也；下其施，所以為仁也；藏其形，所以為神也；見其光，所以為明也；序列星，所以相承也；近至精，所以為剛也；考陰陽，所以成歲也；降霜露，所以生殺也。為人君者，其法取象於天，故貴爵而臣國，所以為仁也；深居隱處，不見其體，所以為神也；任賢使能，觀聽四方，所以為明也；量能授官，賢愚有差，所以相承也；引賢自近，以備股肱，所以為剛也；考實事功，次序殿最，所以成世也；有功者進，無功者退，所以賞罰也。是故天執其道，為萬物主，君執其常，為一國主；天不可以不剛，主不可以不堅；天不剛，則列星亂其行，主不堅，則邪臣亂其官；星亂則亡其天，臣亂則亡其君；故為天者，務剛其氣，為君者，務堅其政，剛堅然後陽道制命。地卑其位而上其氣，暴其形而著其情，受其死而獻其生，成其事而歸其功。卑其位，所以事天也；上其氣，所以養陽也；暴其形，所以為忠也；著其情，所以為信也；受其死，所以藏終也；獻其生，所以助明也；成其事，所以助化也；歸其功，所以致義也。為人臣者，其法取象於地，故朝夕進退，奉職應對，所以事貴也；供設飲食，候視疢疾，所以致養也；委身致命，事無專制，所以為忠也；竭愚寫情，不飾其過，所以為信也；伏節死難，不惜其命，所以救窮也；推進光榮，褒揚其善，所以助明也；受命宣恩，輔成君子，所以助化也；功成事就，歸德於上，所以致義也。是故地明其理，為萬物母；臣明其職，為一國宰；母不可以不信，宰不可以不忠；母不信，則草木傷其根；宰不忠，則奸臣危其君；根傷則亡其枝葉，君危則亡其國；故為地者，務暴其形；為臣者，務著其情。

The movement of Heaven and Earth is fine. So Heaven raises its position and sends its giving downward, hides its form and shows its light, arranges the stars in order and approaches the utmost essence, examines yin and yang and sends down frost and dew. Raising its position completes its honor; giving downward completes its benevolence; hiding its form completes its spirit; showing its light completes its brightness; arranging the stars in order lets them receive from one another; approaching the utmost essence completes its firmness; examining yin and yang completes the year; sending down frost and dew gives both life and death. One who is a ruler of men takes Heaven as his model: he honors rank and makes the states submit as subjects, to complete benevolence; he dwells deep and hidden and does not show his body, to complete spirit; he employs the able and worthy and observes and listens in all four directions, to complete brightness; he grants office by weighing talent, distinguishing the worthy from the foolish, so they receive from one another; he draws the worthy close to himself to complete his limbs, to complete firmness; he examines facts and achievements and ranks them from highest to lowest, to complete the generations; he promotes those with merit and removes those without, for rewards and punishments. So Heaven holds its Way and is master of the ten thousand things; the ruler holds his constants and is master of a state. Heaven cannot but be firm and a lord cannot but be steadfast. If Heaven is not firm, the stars disorder its course; if the lord is not steadfast, wicked ministers disorder his offices. When stars are disordered they lose their Heaven, and when ministers are disordered they lose their ruler. So one who acts as Heaven strives to make his qi firm, and one who acts as ruler strives to make his government steadfast. Only then does the Way of yang control and command. Earth lowers its position and sends its qi upward, shows its form and makes its feelings clear, receives death and offers life, completes affairs and returns merit. Lowering its position serves Heaven; sending its qi upward nurtures yang; showing its form completes its loyalty; making its feelings clear completes its good faith; receiving death stores the ending; offering life assists brightness; completing affairs assists transformation; returning merit conveys righteousness. One who acts as a minister takes Earth as his model: so morning and evening, advancing and retreating, serving in his post and answering, he serves the honored; setting out food and drink and watching over illness conveys nurturing; entrusting his body and delivering his life, with nothing done on his own authority, completes loyalty; exhausting his simple sincerity and expressing his true feelings without disguising faults completes good faith; dying for his integrity in calamity without sparing his life rescues those in want; advancing glory and praising goodness assists brightness; receiving orders and spreading kindness and assisting to bring the gentleman to completion assists transformation; when merit is complete and affairs done, giving the credit to those above conveys righteousness. So Earth makes its principle clear and is mother of the ten thousand things; the minister makes his duty clear and is steward of a state. A mother cannot but be trustworthy and a steward cannot but be loyal. If the mother is not trustworthy, grass and trees have their roots injured; if the steward is not loyal, treacherous ministers endanger the ruler. When roots are injured the branches and leaves are lost, and when the ruler is endangered the state is lost. So one who acts as Earth strives to show its form, and one who acts as minister strives to make his feelings clear.

一國之君，其猶一體之心也：隱居深宮，若心之藏於胸；至貴無與敵，若心之神無與雙也；其官人上士，高清明而下重瘻，若身之貴目而賤足也；任群臣無所親，若四肢之各有職也；內有四輔，若心之有肝肺脾腎也；外有百官，若心之有形體孔竅也；親聖近賢，若神明皆聚於心也；上下相承順，若肢體相為使也；布恩施惠，若元氣之流皮毛腠理也；百姓皆得其所，若血氣和平，形體無所苦也；無為致太平，若神氣自通於淵也；致黃龍鳳皇，若神明之致玉女芝英也。君明，臣蒙其功，若心之神，體得以全；臣賢，君蒙其恩，若形體之靜，而心得以安；上亂，下被其患，若耳目不聰明，而手足為傷也；臣不忠，而君滅亡，若形體妄動，而心為之喪。是故君臣之禮，若心之與體；心不可以不堅，君不可以不賢；體不可以不順，臣不可以不忠；心所以全者，體之力也；君所以安者，臣之功也。

The ruler of a state is like the heart of one body: living hidden in the deep palace is like the heart hidden in the chest; being most honored and without equal is like the heart's spirit having no pair. He appoints the upper-ranking officers, high and clear above and lowly and turbid below, as the body values the eyes and lightly regards the feet; he appoints the ministers without private favor, as the four limbs each have their duties; within he has four assisting ministers as the heart has liver, lungs, spleen and kidneys; outside he has a hundred officials as the heart has body and orifices; he draws near the sage and approaches the worthy, as spirit and brightness gather in the heart; those above and below follow one another, as the limbs direct each other; spreading grace and bestowing kindness is like original qi flowing through the skin and pores; when the common people all find their place, it is like blood and qi being at peace and the body being free of pain; reaching great peace through non-action is like spirit and qi themselves passing through the deep; summoning the yellow dragon and phoenix is like spirit and brightness summoning jade maidens and fungus blossoms. If the ruler is enlightened, the ministers receive the benefit, as with the heart's spirit, so the body is preserved; if the ministers are worthy, the ruler receives their kindness, as when the body is at rest the heart is at peace. If there is disorder above, those below suffer its trouble, as when ears and eyes are not keen the hands and feet are injured; if ministers are not loyal and the ruler perishes, it is like the body moving recklessly so that the heart is lost because of it. So the ritual between ruler and ministers is like heart and body: the heart cannot but be firm and the ruler cannot but be worthy; the body cannot but be obedient and the minister cannot but be loyal. What preserves the heart is the strength of the body, and what keeps the ruler secure is the achievement of the ministers.

天有和、有德、有平、有威、有相受之意、有為政之理，不可不審也。春者，天之和也，夏者，天之德也，秋者，天之平也，冬者，天之威也。天之序，必先和然後發德，必先平然後發威，此可以見不和不可以發慶賞之德，不平不可以發刑罰之威，又可見德生於和，威生於平也，不和無德，不平無威，天之道也，達者以此見之矣。我雖有所愉而喜，必先和心以求其當，然後發慶賞以立其德；雖有所忿而怒，必先平心以求其政，然後發刑罰以立其威，能常若是者，謂之天德，行天德者，謂之聖人。為人主者，居至德之位，操殺生之勢，以變化民，民之從主也，如草木之應四時也，喜怒當寒暑，威德當冬夏，冬夏者，威德之合也，寒暑者，喜怒之偶也，喜怒之有時而當發，寒暑亦有時而當出，其理一也。當喜而不喜，猶當暑而不暑；當怒而不怒，猶當寒而不寒；當德而不德，猶當夏而不夏；當威而不威，猶當冬而不冬也；喜怒威德之不可以不直處而發也，如寒暑冬夏之不可不當其時而出也，故謹善惡之端，何以效其然也？春秋採善不遺小，掇惡不遺大，諱而不隱，罪而不忽，□□以是非，正理以褒貶，喜怒之發，威德之處，無不皆中，其應可以參寒暑冬夏之不失其時已，故曰聖人配天。

Heaven has harmony, virtue, balance and authority, with a sense of giving and receiving among them and a principle for conducting government, which must be examined. Spring is Heaven's harmony, summer is Heaven's virtue, autumn is Heaven's balance, and winter is Heaven's authority. In Heaven's order, harmony must come first and then virtue is issued; balance must come first and then authority is issued. From this we see that without harmony one cannot issue the virtue of reward and celebration, and without balance one cannot issue the authority of punishment; we also see that virtue arises from harmony and authority arises from balance. Without harmony there is no virtue, and without balance there is no authority; this is the Way of Heaven. Those who understand see it from this. Even when I am delighted and glad, I must first make my heart harmonious and seek what is fitting, and only then issue rewards to establish my virtue; even when I am angry and furious, I must first make my heart balanced and seek what is right, and only then issue punishments to establish my authority. One who can always be like this is said to have the virtue of Heaven, and one who practices Heaven's virtue is called a sage. One who is a ruler dwells in the position of utmost virtue and holds the power of killing and giving life to transform the people. The people follow the ruler as grass and trees respond to the four seasons. Joy and anger correspond to cold and heat, and authority and virtue correspond to winter and summer. Winter and summer are the union of authority and virtue, and cold and heat are the counterparts of joy and anger. Joy and anger have their times when they should be expressed, and cold and heat also have their times when they should come out; their principle is one. To fail to rejoice when one should rejoice is like failing to be hot when it should be hot; to fail to be angry when one should be angry is like failing to be cold when it should be cold; to fail to show virtue when one should is like failing to have summer when it should be summer; to fail to show authority when one should is like failing to have winter when it should be winter. Joy, anger, authority and virtue must be issued directly where they stand, as cold, heat, winter and summer must come out in their proper time. So be careful with the beginnings of good and evil. By what evidence does it show this is so? The Spring and Autumn takes up the good without omitting the small and picks up the evil without omitting the great, avoiding mention without concealing, and fixing guilt without neglecting; (two characters are missing in the source text) used for right and wrong, praise and blame by correct principle. When joy and anger are issued and authority and virtue are placed, nothing fails to hit the mark, and the correspondence can be compared to cold, heat, winter and summer not losing their time. So it is said that the sage matches Heaven.

陰陽之氣在上天亦在人，在人者為好惡喜怒，在天者為暖清寒暑，出入上下，左右前後，平行而不止，未嘗有所稽留滯鬱也，其在人者，亦宜行而無留，若四時之條條然也。夫喜怒哀樂之止動也，此天之所為人性命者，臨其時而欲發，其應亦天應也，與暖清寒暑之至其時而欲發無異，若留德而待春夏，留刑而待秋冬也，此有順四時之名，實逆於天地之經，在人者亦天也，奈何其久留天氣，使之鬱滯，不得以其正周行也，是故天行谷朽寅而秋生麥，告除穢而繼乏也，所以成功繼乏以贍人也。天之生有大經也，而所周行者又，有害功也，除而殺殛者，行急皆不待時也，天之志也。而聖人承之以治，是故春修仁而求善，秋修義而求惡，冬修刑而致清，夏修德而致寬，此所以順天地，體陰陽；然而方求善之時，見惡而不釋，方求惡之時，見善亦立行，方致清之時，見大善亦立舉之，方致寬之時，見大惡亦立去之，以效天地之方生之時有殺也，方殺之時有生也，是故志意隨天地，緩急仿陰陽，然而人事之宜行者，無所鬱滯，且恕於人，順於天，天人之道兼舉，此謂執其中。天非以春生人，以秋殺人也，當生者曰生，當死者曰死，非殺物之義待四時也，而人之所治也，安取久留當行之理而必待四時也，此之謂壅非其中也。人有喜怒哀樂，猶天之有春夏秋冬也，喜怒哀樂之至其時而欲發也，若春夏秋冬之至其時而欲出也，皆天氣之然也，其宜直行而無鬱滯一也，天終歲乃一遍此四者，而人主終日不知過此四之數，其理故不可以相待，且天之慾利人，非直其欲利谷也，除穢不待時，況穢人乎！

The qi of yin and yang is in Heaven above and also in people. In people they are likes and dislikes, joy and anger; in Heaven they are warmth, coolness, cold and heat. Going in and out, up and down, left and right, front and back, they move evenly without stopping and have never lingered or stagnated. What is in people should also move without stagnation, as unobstructed as the four seasons. The stopping and moving of joy, anger, sorrow and delight are what Heaven made as human nature and fate, and when their time comes they want to be expressed, and this should also be Heaven's response, no different from warmth, coolness, cold and heat wanting to issue at their time. If one holds back virtue to wait for spring and summer and holds back punishment to wait for autumn and winter, this has the name of following the four seasons but in reality goes against the constant of Heaven and Earth. What is in people is also Heaven; how can one long keep Heaven's qi back, making it stagnate so that it cannot circulate properly? So as Heaven moves, grain rots in the yin month and wheat grows in autumn, telling us to remove the foul and continue what is lacking, so the achievement of continuing what is lacking is to supply people. Heaven's births have great constants, but what they circulate through also has things that harm achievement. Removing and killing them, acting urgently without waiting for the season, is the intent of Heaven. The sage receives this and governs. So in spring he cultivates benevolence and seeks the good, in autumn he cultivates righteousness and seeks the evil, in winter he cultivates punishment and reaches clarity, and in summer he cultivates virtue and reaches generosity, in order to follow Heaven and Earth and embody yin and yang. Yet when he is seeking the good, even if he sees evil he does not let it go; when he is seeking the evil, even if he sees good he promptly carries it out; when he is reaching clarity, even if he sees great good he promptly raises it; when he is reaching generosity, even if he sees great evil he promptly removes it. This is to imitate Heaven and Earth: in the time of life there is killing, and in the time of killing there is life. So his aims follow Heaven and Earth, and his slowness and urgency imitate yin and yang. Yet what should be carried out in human affairs should have no stagnation, and one is forgiving toward people and obedient toward Heaven, and the Way of Heaven and humanity are carried out together; this is called holding the center. Heaven does not use spring to give life to people and autumn to kill them. What should live is called living and what should die is called dying; it is not that the righteousness of killing things waits for the four seasons. And what people govern, how could they take the principle of what should be done and hold it for a long time and insist on waiting for the four seasons? This is called blockage, not the center. People have joy, anger, sorrow and delight as Heaven has spring, summer, autumn and winter. When joy, anger, sorrow and delight come to their time and want to be expressed, it is like spring, summer, autumn and winter coming to their time and wanting to come out; all are caused by Heaven's qi. That they should be carried out directly without stagnation is one matter. Heaven goes through these four only once a year, but a ruler goes beyond the number of four all day without noticing, and their principle cannot properly wait on each other. Moreover Heaven wishes to benefit people, not just grain. If it removes foulness without waiting for the season, how much more for the foulness of people!

天、地、陰、陽、木、火、土、金、水、九，與人而十者，天之數畢也，故數者至十而止，書者以十為終，皆取之此。聖人何其貴者，起於天，至於人而畢，畢之外，謂之物，物者，投其所貴之端，而不在其中，以此見人之超然萬物之上，而最為天下貴也。人下長萬物，上參天地，故其治亂之故，動靜順逆之氣，乃損益陰陽之化，而搖盪四海之內，物之難知者若神，不可謂不然也。今投地死傷，而不騰相助，投淖相動而近，投水相動而愈遠，由此觀之，夫物愈淖而愈易變動搖盪也。今氣化之淖，非直水也，而人主以眾動之無已時，是故常以治亂之氣，與天地之化相殽而不治也。世治而民和，志平而氣正，則天地之化精，而萬物之美起；世亂而民乖，志僻而氣逆，則天地之化傷，氣生災害起。是故治世之德潤草木，澤流四海，功過神明；亂世之所起，亦博若是；皆因天地之化，以成敗物，乘陰陽之資，以任其所為，故為惡愆人力，而功傷名自過也。天地之間，有陰陽之氣，常漸人者，若水常漸魚也，所以異於水者，可見與不可見耳，其澹澹也，然則人之居天地之間，其猶魚之離水一也，其無間，若氣而淖於水，水之比於氣也，若泥之比於水也，是天地之間，若虛而實，人常漸是澹澹之中，而以治亂之氣與之流通相殽也，故人氣調和，而天地之化美，殽於惡而味敗，此易之物也，推物之類，以易見難者，其情可得，治亂之氣，邪正之風，是殽天地之化者也，生於化而反殽化，與鉉連也。春秋舉世事之道，夫有書天，之盡與不盡，王者之任也。詩云：“天難諶斯，不易維王。”此之謂也。夫王者不可以不知天，知天，詩人之所難也，天意難見也，其道難理，是故明陽陰入出、實虛之處，所以觀天之志；辨五行之本末、順逆、小大、廣狹，所以觀天道也。

Heaven, Earth, yin, yang, wood, fire, earth, metal and water are nine, and with human beings make ten, completing Heaven's number. So counting stops at ten, and writing takes ten as the end, all taken from this. Why is the sage valued? He arises from Heaven and is completed in humans. What is beyond completion is called things. Things are thrown toward the valued beginnings and are not within them. From this we see that humans stand above all things and are most valued under Heaven. Humans below nurture all things and above match Heaven and Earth, so the reasons for order and disorder and the qi of movement and rest, accord and opposition, increase and decrease the transformations of yin and yang and shake the world within the four seas. Things hard to know are like spirits, and it cannot be said they are not so. Now thrown onto the ground they are injured and killed, and do not leap up to help; thrown into the mud, they move toward each other and draw near; thrown into water, they move toward each other and get farther apart. From this we see that the more muddy a thing is, the easier it is to move and shake. Now the mud of qi transformation is not only water, and rulers use the multitude to move it ceaselessly, so the qi of order and disorder is always mixed with the transformations of Heaven and Earth without being governed. When the age is well governed and the people are in harmony, aims are level and qi is correct, then the transformation of Heaven and Earth is fine and the goodness of the ten thousand things arises; when the age is disorderly and the people are at odds, aims are biased and qi is contrary, then the transformation of Heaven and Earth is injured and the qi of life brings disasters. So the virtue of a well-governed age moistens grass and trees, its grace flows to the four seas, and its achievement exceeds the spirits; what a disordered age brings is also as wide as this. All of it works through the transformation of Heaven and Earth to make or destroy things, riding on the resources of yin and yang to indulge what they do. So doing evil is the fault of human strength, and achievement is injured and one's name goes too far. Between Heaven and Earth there is the qi of yin and yang, constantly steeping people as water constantly steeps fish. So the only difference from water is whether it can be seen, and its dim appearance. Then people living between Heaven and Earth are like fish leaving water, all one matter. There is no gap, like qi but muddier than water. Water compared to qi is like mud compared to water. So between Heaven and Earth, it seems empty but is really full. People are constantly steeped in this dimness and mix with it through the flow of the qi of order and disorder. So when people's qi is harmonious the transformation of Heaven and Earth is fine; when mixed with evil the flavor is spoiled, and this is an easy thing. Seek the kinds of things, use the easy to see the hard, and the feeling can be obtained. The qi of order and disorder and the winds of crooked and straight are mixed into the transformation of Heaven and Earth, born of transformation and then mixing back into transformation, linked with the threading through. The Spring and Autumn takes up the way of worldly affairs. Some of it writes of Heaven, whether fully or not, which is the king's responsibility. The Book of Songs, 'Da Ming' in the Greater Odes, says: 'Heaven is hard to trust; it is not easy to be king.' This is what it means. A king cannot but know Heaven. To know Heaven is what poets find hard. Heaven's intention is hard to see and its Way is hard to govern. So make clear where yin and yang enter and leave and where there is fullness or emptiness, in order to observe Heaven's will; distinguish the root and branch, accord and opposition, small and great, wide and narrow of the five phases, in order to observe Heaven's Way.

天志仁，其道也義，為人主者，予奪生殺，各當其義，若四時；列官置吏，必以其能，若五行；好仁惡戾，任德遠刑，若陰陽；此之謂能配天。天者，其道長萬物，而王者長人；人主之大，天地之參也；好惡之分，陰陽之理也；喜怒之發，寒暑之比也；官職之事，五行之義也；以此長天地之間，蕩四海之內，殽陰陽之氣，與天地相雜，是故人言既曰：王者參天地矣，苟參天地，則是化矣，豈獨天地之精哉！王者亦參而殽之，治則以正氣殽天地之化，亂則以邪氣殽天地之化，同者相益，異者相損之數也，無可疑者矣。

Heaven's will is benevolence, and its Way is righteousness. One who is a ruler gives and takes, gives life and kills, each in accord with righteousness, like the four seasons; he arranges officials and sets up clerks, always according to their abilities, like the five phases; he likes benevolence and hates cruelty, employs virtue and keeps punishment far, like yin and yang. This is called able to match Heaven. Heaven's Way is to nurture the ten thousand things, and a king nurtures people. The greatness of the ruler is that he matches Heaven and Earth; the distinction of his likes and dislikes is the principle of yin and yang; the issuing of joy and anger is the analogue of cold and heat; the affairs of office are the righteousness of the five phases. By this he nurtures what lies between Heaven and Earth, washes the world within the four seas, and mixes the qi of yin and yang, blending with Heaven and Earth. So the person said already: a king matches Heaven and Earth. If he matches Heaven and Earth, then this is transformation, not merely the essence of Heaven and Earth! A king also matches them and mixes with it: in order, he mixes the correct qi into the transformation of Heaven and Earth; in disorder, he mixes the wicked qi into it. Like things add to one another and unlike things subtract from one another; this is the number, and there is nothing doubtful about it.

天道施，地道化，人道義，聖人見端而知本，精之至也，得一而應萬類之治也。動其本者，不知靜其末，受其始者，不能辭其終，利者，盜之本也，妄者，亂之始也，夫受亂之始，動盜之本，而欲民之靜，不可得也。故君子非禮而不言，非禮而不動；好色而無禮則流，飲食而無禮則爭，流爭則亂。夫禮，體情而防亂者也，民之情不能制其欲，使之度禮，目視正色，耳聽正聲，口食正味，身行正道，非奪之情也，所以安其情也。變謂之情，雖持異物，性亦然者，故曰內也，變變之變，謂之外，故雖以情，然不為性說，故曰外物之動性，若神之不守也，積習漸靡物之微者也，其入人不知，習忘乃為常然若性，不可不察也。純知輕思則慮達，節慾順行則倫得，以諫爭?靜為宅，以禮義為道則文德，是故至誠遺物而不與變，躬寬無爭而不以與俗推，眾強弗能入，蜩蛻瘻穢之中，含得命施之理，與萬物頡徙而不自失者，聖人之心也。

The Way of Heaven is giving, the Way of Earth is transforming, and the Way of humans is righteousness. The sage sees the beginning and knows the root, which is the utmost of refinement; having obtained the one, he can answer the governing of ten thousand kinds. Those who set the root in motion do not know how to make the branch still; those who receive the beginning cannot decline the end. Profit is the root of banditry, and recklessness is the beginning of disorder. To receive the beginning of disorder and set the root of banditry in motion yet wish the people to be quiet cannot be done. So the gentleman does not speak words contrary to ritual and does not act contrary to ritual. Fondness for beauty without ritual leads to dissipation; eating and drinking without ritual leads to quarrels; dissipation and quarrels lead to disorder. Ritual examines feeling and prevents disorder. The people's feelings cannot restrain their desires, so we make them take ritual as measure: the eyes see correct colors, the ears hear correct sounds, the mouth eats correct flavors, the body walks the correct way; this is not seizing their feelings but is settling their feelings. What is changed is called feeling, and even when holding alien things the nature is like this, so it is said to be inner. The change of changing again is called outer. So even if following feeling, the nature is not pleased by it, so it is said external things stir the nature, as when the spirit does not stay at home. Accumulated habit gradually soaks in; it is a subtle part of things, entering people without their knowing, and when habit is forgotten it is taken as constant like nature, which must be examined. With pure knowing and slight thought, reflection reaches through; restraining desires and following practice, order is obtained. Make remonstrance and stillness one's home (a character is missing in the source text after transcription) and take ritual and righteousness as the Way, and one has cultured virtue. So the utterly sincere casts off external things and does not change with them, is generous in himself and does not quarrel, and does not move with the world. A multitude of strong ones cannot enter, like a cicada shedding its skin amid filth, containing the principle of destiny's giving, moving and shifting together with the ten thousand things without losing himself; this is the sage's heart.

名者，所以別物也，親者重，疏者輕，尊者文，卑者質，近者詳，遠者略，文辭不隱情，明情不遺文，人心從之而不逆，古今通貫而不亂，名之義也。男女猶道也，人生別言禮義，名號之由，人事起也，不順天道，謂之不義，察天人之分，觀道命之異，可以知禮之說矣。見善者不能無好，見不善者不能無惡，好惡不能堅守，故有人道，人道者，人之所由、樂而不亂、復而不厭者。萬物載名而生，聖人因其象而命之，然而可易也，皆有義從也，故正名以名義也，物也者，洪名也，皆名也，而物有私名，此物也非夫物。故曰：萬物動而不形者，意也，形而不易者，德也，樂而不亂，復而不厭者，道也。

Names are used to distinguish things. For the close, weight is given; for the distant, lightness; for the honored, there is ornament; for the lowly, plainness; for the near, detail; for the far, brevity. Wording does not hide feeling, and making feeling clear does not omit ornament. People's hearts follow it and do not go against it, and it threads through ancient and modern without disorder; this is the righteousness of names. Male and female are like the Way. When people are born they distinguish and practice ritual and righteousness; this is how names and titles come about and human affairs arise. Not following the Way of Heaven is called unrighteousness. Examine the boundary between Heaven and humans, observe the difference between Way and fate, and one can know the account of ritual. One who sees good cannot but like it, and one who sees what is not good cannot but dislike it. If likes and dislikes cannot be firmly kept, there is the human Way. The human Way is that which people pass through, enjoying without disorder, repeating without weariness. The ten thousand things carry names and live, and the sage names according to their image. Yet they can be changed, and in every case there is a righteousness to follow. So rectifying names uses the righteousness of names. A 'thing' is a vast name, and all are names; but things have private names, that is, this thing is not that thing. So it is said: what moves and does not take form is intention; what takes form and does not change is virtue; what is enjoyed without disorder and repeated without weariness is the Way.