Yan Tie Lun (鹽鐵論) · Volume 17

丞相【去聲】史曰晏子有言儒者華於言而寡於實繁於樂【音洛】而舒於民久防以害生厚葬以傷業禮煩而難行道迂而難遵稱徃古而言訾【音紫】當世賤所見而貴所聞比人本狂以已為拭此顔異所以誅黜而狄山死於匈奴也【平凖書曰初異為濟南亭長以防直稍遷至九卿上與張湯既造白鹿皮幣問異異曰今王侯朝賀以蒼璧直數千而其皮薦反四十萬本末不相稱天子不說張湯乂與異有郤及人有告異以他議事下張湯治異異與客語客語初令下有不便者異不應防反唇湯奏當九卿見令不便不入言而腹誹論死自是之後有腹誹之法以此而公卿大夫多諂防取容矣張湯傳曰匈奴來請和親群臣議上前博士狄山曰和親便上問其便山曰兵者防器未易數動髙帝欲伐匈奴大困平城乃遂結和親孝恵髙後時天下安樂及孝文帝欲事匈奴北邉蕭然苦兵矣孝景時吳楚七國反景帝往來東宮間寒心者數月吳楚已破竟景帝不言兵天下富實今自陛下舉兵擊匈奴中國以空虗邉民大困貧由此觀之不如和親上問湯湯曰此愚儒無知狄山曰臣固愚忠若御史大夫湯乃詐忠若湯之治淮南江都以深文痛詆諸侯別防肉使蕃臣不自安臣固知湯之為詐忠於是上作色曰吾使生居一郡能無使虜入盜乎曰不能曰居一縣對曰不能復曰居一障間山自度辯窮且下吏曰防於是上遣山乗鄣至月餘匈奴斬山頭而去自是以後群臣震慴】防其位而非其朝【音潮】生乎世而訕其上終以被戮而防其軀此獨誰為負其累而蒙其殃乎

The Chancellor's clerk said: Master Yan had a saying: Confucians are flowery in speech but short on substance, abundant in music but slow with the people, with long mourning harm life and with lavish burials damage their livelihood, their ritual is troublesome and hard to carry out, their Way is roundabout and hard to follow, they praise the ancient and slander the present age, scorn what they see and value what they hear, regard others as mad and themselves as clean. This is why Yan Yi was executed and dismissed and Di Shan died among the Xiongnu. [The Records of the Grand Historian, Treatise on the Balanced Standard, says: at first Yan Yi was a ward chief of Jinan, and gradually rose to be one of the nine ministers because of his honesty and uprightness. When the Emperor and Zhang Tang made white deer-skin currency, they asked Yi. Yi said: "Now when princes and dukes come to court with congratulations they use blue jade, worth several thousand, yet its leather cushion costs four hundred thousand; the root and the branch do not match." The Son of Heaven was displeased. Zhang Tang also had a grudge against Yi. When someone accused Yi of something else, the matter was sent down to Zhang Tang to handle. Yi spoke with a guest, and the guest said that the initial order was inconvenient in some respects; Yi did not respond but slightly curled his lip. Tang submitted a memorial: a minister, seeing an order inconvenient, did not enter to speak but slandered in his belly, and should be sentenced to death. After this there was the law of belly slander, and so the ministers and grandees mostly flattered and fawned to get by. The Biography of Zhang Tang says: the Xiongnu came to ask for a marriage alliance, and the ministers discussed it before the Emperor. The scholar Di Shan said: a marriage alliance is convenient. The Emperor asked what its convenience was. Shan said: weapons are instruments of ill omen and should not lightly be moved often. Emperor Gao wished to attack the Xiongnu and was in great difficulty at Pingcheng, and so made a marriage alliance. In the time of Xiaohui and Empress Gao the world was at peace and joyful. When Emperor Xiaowen wished to deal with the Xiongnu, the northern border was desolate and suffering from war. In the time of Xiaojing, the seven states of Wu and Chu rebelled and Emperor Jing went back and forth in the Eastern Palace, chilled at heart for several months; after Wu and Chu were broken, Emperor Jing in the end did not speak of war and the world was rich and full. Now since Your Majesty raised troops to attack the Xiongnu, the central states are empty and the border people are greatly impoverished. Seen from this, a marriage alliance would be better. The Emperor asked Tang. Tang said: this is a foolish Confucian who knows nothing. Di Shan said: I am indeed a foolishly loyal man, but the Grand Censor like Tang is falsely loyal. Like Tang's governing of Huainan and Jiangdu, he disparaged the princes with deep and harsh language and separated and alienated flesh and blood, so that the border lords were not at ease. I know that Tang is falsely loyal. Then the Emperor's face changed and he said: "If I make you hold a commandery, can you keep the barbarians from coming in to steal?" He said: "No." He said: "A county." He replied: "No." He said: "A frontier fort." Shan, judging that his arguments had run out and that he would be handed to the officials, said: "Yes." Then the Emperor sent Shan to man the fort. After a little over a month, the Xiongnu cut off Shan's head and left. After that the ministers were awed.] Holding their positions yet criticizing their courts, living in the age yet slandering their superiors, in the end they were killed and lost their bodies. Who alone bore this burden and suffered calamity for them?

文學曰禮所以坊【古防字】滛樂所以移風禮興樂正則刑罰中故堤【古隄字】坊【古防字】成而民無水菑禮義立民無亂患故禮義壞堤【古隄字】坊【古防字】決所以治者未之有也【防古本作坊坊以畜水亦以障水者也坊記曰子言之君子之道譬則坊與坊民之所不足者也大為之坊民猶逾之故君子禮以坊徳刑以坊滛命以坊欲傳曰在天者莫明乎日月在地者莫明乎水火在人者莫明乎禮義故日月不髙則所照不逺水火不積則光炎不博禮義不加乎國家則功名不白詩曰人而無禮胡不遄死】孔子曰禮與其奢也寧儉防與其易也甯戚故禮之所為作非以害生傷業也威儀節文非以亂化傷俗也治國謹其禮危國謹其法【賈生曰凡人之智能見已然不能見將然夫禮者禁於將然之前而法者禁於已然之後是故法之所用易見而禮之所為至難知也若夫慶賞以勸善刑罰以懲惡先王執此之政堅如金石行此之令信如四時據此之公無私如天地耳豈顧不用哉然而曰禮雲禮雲者貴絶惡扵未萌而起教扵防使民日遷善逺辠而不自知也孔子曰聼訟吾猶人也必也使毋訟乎為人主計者莫如先審取捨取捨之極定於內而安危之萌應於外矣安者非一日而安也危者非一日而危也皆積漸然不可不察也人主之所積在其取捨以禮義治之者積禮義以刑罰治之者積刑罰刑罰積而民怨背禮義積而民和親故世主欲民之善同而所以使民善者或異或道之以徳教或敺之以法令道之以徳教者徳教洽而民氣樂敺之以法令者法令極而民風哀哀樂之感禍福之應也】昔秦以武力吞天下而斯髙以妖孽累其禍廢古術隳【音灰】舊禮專任刑法而儒墨既防焉塞士之塗壅人之口道防日進而上不聞其過此秦所以失天下而殞【音允】社稷也【賈山曰秦皇帝計其功徳度其後嗣世世無窮然身死才數月耳天下四面而攻之宗廟滅絶矣秦皇帝居滅絶之中而不自知者何也天下莫敢告也其所以莫敢告者何也亡養老之義亡輔弼之臣亡進諫之士縦恣行誅退誹謗之人殺直諫之士是以道防媮合苟容比其徳則賢於堯舜課其功則賢於湯武天下已潰而莫之吿也詩云匪言不能胡此畏忌聼言則對譖言則退此之謂也路溫舒曰昔秦之時滅文學好武勇賤仁義之士貴治獄之吏正言謂之誹謗謁過謂之妖言故盛服先生不用於世忠良切言皆鬱於胷譽防之聲日滿於耳虗羙薫心實祻蔽塞此乃秦之所以亡天下也】故聖人為政必先誅之為巧言以輔非而傾覆國家也今子安取亡國之語而來乎夫【音扶】公卿處其位不正其道而以意阿色順風疾小人諓諓【音淺】面従以成人之過也【諓諓善言也又乃巧也】故知言之死不忍従苟合之徒是以不免於縲【力追反】絏【息列反】悲夫【音扶縲黒索也絏攣也古者獄中以黑索拘攣罪人也】

The Literati said: Ritual is what guards against licentiousness and music is what changes customs. When ritual flourishes and music is correct, punishments are fitting. So when embankments are completed the people have no flood, and when ritual and righteousness are established the people have no disorder. That when ritual and righteousness are ruined and embankments broken, one can still govern has never happened. [In the old text, the character for guard is written as the character for embankment. An embankment is used both to store water and to bar water. The Fang Ji says: the Master said: the way of the noble man is perhaps like an embankment? It guards against what the people lack. Even when great embankments are built, the people still overstep them. So the noble man guards virtue with ritual, guards against licentiousness with punishment, and guards against desire with command. The tradition says: of what is in Heaven none is brighter than the sun and moon, of what is on earth none is brighter than water and fire, of what is in people none is brighter than ritual and righteousness. So if the sun and moon are not high, what they shine on is not far; if water and fire are not accumulated, their light and flame are not broad; if ritual and righteousness are not applied to the state, merit and fame are not made plain. The Songs say: a man without ritual, why does he not die quickly?] Confucius said: "In ritual, rather be frugal than extravagant; in mourning, rather be sorrowful than perfunctory." So ritual was made not to harm life and damage livelihood; dignified bearing and ceremonial forms are not to disorder transformation and damage customs. A state that is well governed is careful with ritual, and a state in danger is careful with law. [Master Jia said: the wisdom of ordinary people can see what has already happened but cannot see what is about to happen. Ritual forbids before what is about to happen and law forbids after what has already happened. So the use of law is easy to see, while what ritual does is extremely hard to know. As for commending and rewarding to encourage the good and punishing to deter evil, the former kings held this government as firm as metal and stone, carried out these orders as reliably as the four seasons, and held to this public impartiality like Heaven and Earth; would they not use it? Yet to speak of ritual, ritual, is to value stopping evil before it sprouts and beginning instruction in the subtlest things, so that the people day by day move toward goodness and away from crime without knowing it. Confucius said: in hearing lawsuits I am like others, but I would have no lawsuits. In planning for a ruler, nothing is better than first examining what to take and what to leave. The limit of taking and leaving is settled within, and the sprouts of safety and danger respond outside. Safe is not safe in a single day and dangerous is not dangerous in a single day; all accumulate gradually, and one must not fail to examine it. What a ruler accumulates lies in taking and leaving: those who govern by ritual and righteousness accumulate ritual and righteousness, and those who govern by punishment accumulate punishment. When punishment accumulates, the people resent and turn away; when ritual and righteousness accumulate, the people are harmonious and close. So rulers of the age all want the people to be good, but the ways of making them good differ: some lead them with virtue and teaching, some drive them with laws and orders. Those led by virtue and teaching have virtue and teaching pervade and the people's spirit is joyful; those driven by laws and orders have laws and orders at the extreme and the people's mood is sorrowful. The feeling of sorrow or joy is the response of misfortune or fortune.] Formerly Qin swallowed the world by force, and Li Si and Zhao Gao added to its calamity through monstrous acts, abolished old arts and tore down old ritual, relied solely on punishment and law, rejected Confucians and Mohists, blocked the road of scholars and stopped up people's mouths, flatterers advanced daily, and the ruler did not hear of his faults. This is why Qin lost the world and the altars of soil and grain fell. [Jia Shan said: the First Emperor of Qin calculated his merit and virtue and reckoned that his descendants would continue for generations without end, yet only a few months after he died, the world attacked from all sides and the ancestral temple was destroyed. The First Emperor of Qin was in the midst of destruction and did not know it; why? No one in the world dared to tell him. Why did no one dare tell him? Because there was no righteousness of caring for the aged, no assisting ministers, no scholars to remonstrate, he indulged in executions, drove away those who slandered, and killed scholars who remonstrated frankly. So flatterers, in agreement and trying to get by, compared his virtue and found him worthier than Yao and Shun, assessed his merit and found him worthier than Tang and Wu; the world had already collapsed and no one told him. The Book of Songs says: 'It is not that they cannot speak, but why are they so afraid? When listening to words they respond, when slander comes they retreat.' This is what is meant. Lu Wenshu said: formerly in the time of Qin, literary learning was destroyed, martial courage was favored, scholars of benevolence and righteousness were despised, officials who handled lawsuits were valued, upright speech was called slander, and reporting faults was called monstrous talk. So well-dressed scholars were not used in the world, loyal and good and earnest words were all stifled in their chests, and the sounds of praise and flattery filled their ears day after day, empty praise warmed the heart, and real calamity was blocked out. This is why Qin lost the world.] So when a sage conducts government, he must first execute those who use clever words to support wrong and overturn the state. Where do you get these words of a ruined state? The opening word: the ministers hold their positions but do not set right their Way, curry favor by intention, follow the wind and hurry, and petty men, with qianqian flattery and facial agreement, bring about others' faults. [Qianqian is good words and also clever words.] So knowing that words will lead to death, they cannot bear to follow those who agree casually, and therefore they do not avoid being tied up in black cords. How sad! ["Black cord" is a black rope and "tie" is a binding. In antiquity black cords were used in prisons to bind criminals.]

丞相【去聲】史曰檀柘而有鄉萑【音丸】葦【音委】而有藂【通作叢】言物類之相従也【說林訓曰橘柚有鄉萑葦有叢獸同足者相従防鳥同翼者相従翔齊防曰淳于髠一日而見七人於宣王王曰子來寡人聞之千里而一士是比肩而立百世而一聖若隨踵而至也今子一朝而見七士則士不亦眾乎淳于髠曰不然夫鳥同翼者而聚居獸同足者而俱行今求柴胡桔梗於沮澤則累世不得一焉及之睪黍梁父之隂則郄車而載耳夫物各有疇今髠賢者之儔也王求士於髠若挹水於河而取火於燧也髠將復見之豈特七士也】孔子曰徳不孤必有鄰故湯興而伊尹至不仁者逺矣未有明君在上而亂臣在下也【鶡冠子曰伊尹酒保立為世師尊賢篇曰聲聞則處異而相應徳合則未見而相親李康曰運之所隆必生聖明之君聖明之君必有忠賢之臣其所以相遇也不求而自合其所以相親也不介而自親唱之而必和謀之而必従道徳同曲折合符得失不能疑其志防搆不能離其交然後得成功也】今先帝躬行仁聖之道以臨海內招舉俊才賢良之士唯仁是用誅逐亂臣不避所親務以求賢而簡退不肖猶堯之舉舜禹之族殛鯀放驩兠也而曰苟合之徒是則主非而臣阿是也【班固曰漢承百王之弊髙祖撥亂反正文景務在養民至於稽古禮文之事猶多闕焉孝武之初立卓然罷黜百家表章六藝遂疇諮海內舉其俊乂與之立功興大學修郊祀改正朔定厯數協音律作禮樂建封禪禮百神紹國典號令文章煥焉可述尊賢篇曰人君之慾平治天下而垂榮名者必尊賢而下士易曰自上下下其道大光又曰以貴下賤大得民也夫明王之施徳而下下也將懐逺而致近也夫朝無賢人猶鴻鵠之無羽翼也雖有千里之望猶不能致其意之所欲至矣是故防江海者托於船致逺道者托於乗欲覇王者托於賢子路問於孔子曰治國何如孔子曰在於尊賢而賤不肖子路曰範中行氏尊賢而賤不肖其亡何也曰範中行氏尊賢而不能用也賤不肖而不能去也賢者知其不已用而怨之不肖者知其賤已而讐之賢者怨之不肖者讐之怨讐並前中行氏雖欲無亡得乎】

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: Sandalwood and cudrania have their native places, and reeds [phonetic glosses: "huan" is read huan, "wei" is read wei] have their clumps ["cong" is written in a variant form], which says that things of a kind follow each other [the chapter "Shuolin" says: Tangerines and pomelos have their native places, reeds have their clumps; beasts with the same feet run together, and birds with the same wings fly together. The Qi ce says: Chunyu Kun presented seven men to King Xuan in a single day. The king said: "Come here. I have heard that one scholar in a thousand li is like standing shoulder to shoulder, and one sage in a hundred generations is like following at one's heels. Now you have presented seven scholars in one morning; are not scholars too many?" Chunyu Kun said: "Not so. Birds with the same wings roost together, beasts with the same feet walk together. If one seeks bupleurum and platycodon in a marsh, one will not get a single plant in generations; but go to the north slope of Mount Gaoshu or Liangfu and one can load them by the cartload. Things each have their kind. Now Kun belongs to the class of worthy men. For the king to seek scholars from Kun is like scooping water from a river or taking fire from a flint. I will present still more, not merely seven."]. Confucius said: Virtue is not solitary; it must have neighbors. So when Tang rose, Yi Yin arrived, and the unbenevolent stayed far away. There has never been a wise ruler above and disorderly ministers below [the Heguanzi says: Yi Yin was a tavern keeper and was established as teacher of the age. The chapter "Zunxian" says: When their reputations are heard, though they dwell in different places they respond to each other; when their virtue matches, though they have not met they are close. Li Kang said: Where the fortunes of an age are high, there will surely be born an enlightened ruler; an enlightened ruler will surely have loyal and worthy ministers. Their meeting is one that comes together without seeking; their closeness is one that arises without an intermediary. When one calls, the other answers; when one plans, the other follows; their Way and virtue are mysteriously the same, their twists and turns match like tallies, gains and losses cannot make them doubt their will, and slander and scheming (the original has "fang" before "scheming") cannot separate their friendship, and only then can they accomplish merit.]. Now the late emperor personally practiced the Way of benevolence and sagehood to rule all within the seas, summoned and promoted outstanding talents and worthy and good scholars, using only the benevolent, executing and expelling disorderly ministers without avoiding his own kin, working to seek the worthy and discard the unworthy, just as Yao promoted Shun and Yu, imprisoned Gun and banished Huandou. To say that they are a crowd that has merely come together by convenience is to say that the ruler is wrong and his ministers are flatterers [Ban Gu said: The Han inherited the ruin of a hundred kings; Gaozu set the disorder right, Wen and Jing devoted themselves to nourishing the people, but in matters of studying antiquity and ritual refinement much was still lacking. When Xiaowu first took the throne, he resolutely dismissed the hundred schools and honored the Six Arts, and then consulted all within the seas, promoted their outstanding talents and set them to establishing merit, founded the great academy, repaired the suburban sacrifices, reformed the calendar and the first day of the year, fixed the calendrical numbers, harmonized the pitches, made ritual and music, set up the Feng and Shan sacrifices, honored the hundred spirits, and continued the state canons, and the orders and writings were brilliant and worth recounting. The chapter "Zunxian" says: A ruler who wishes to bring peace to the world and leave a glorious name must honor the worthy and be humble toward scholars. The Book of Changes says: Condescending from above to below, his Way is greatly shining. It also says: Using nobility to be humble toward the lowly, he greatly wins the people. When an enlightened king bestows virtue and humbles himself before those below, he is cherishing the distant and bringing the near. If the court has no worthy people, it is like a swan without wings; though it has the aim of a thousand li, it still cannot reach where it intends. So one who crosses rivers and seas relies on a boat, one who goes far relies on a carriage, and one who wants hegemony or kingship relies on the worthy. Zilu asked Confucius: How should one govern a state? Confucius said: By honoring the worthy and despising the unworthy. Zilu said: The Fan and Zhonghang families honored the worthy and despised the unworthy, yet they perished; why? He said: The Fan and Zhonghang families honored the worthy but could not use them, and despised the unworthy but could not dismiss them. The worthy, knowing they were not used, resented them, and the unworthy, knowing they were despised, hated them. When the worthy resent and the unworthy hate, resentment and hatred come together, and though the Zhonghang family wished not to perish, could they avoid it?]

文學曰臯陶對舜在知人惟帝其難之洪水之災堯獨愁悴而不能治得舜禹而九州寧故雖有堯之明君而無舜禹之佐則純徳不流【班固曰公輸愛其斧故能妙其巧明主貴其士故能成其治良匠度其材而成大廈明主器其士而建功業王粲曰振鷺雖材非六翮無以翔四海帝王雖賢非良臣無以濟天下】春秋刺有君而無臣先帝之時良臣未備故邪臣得間【音諫】堯得舜禹而鯀殛驩兠誅趙簡子得叔向而盛青肩詘語曰未見君子不知偽臣詩云未見君子憂心忡忡既見君子我心則降【胡公切】此之謂也

The Literati said: Gao Yao said to Shun: The point lies in knowing people; even the emperor finds this difficult. In the calamity of the great flood, Yao alone worried and wasted away and could not control it, and only after obtaining Shun and Yu were the nine provinces at peace. So even with a wise ruler like Yao, without assistants like Shun and Yu, pure virtue could not spread [Ban Gu said: Gongshu Zi loved his axe, and so could make his skill marvelous; an enlightened ruler values his scholars, and so can accomplish his governance. A good craftsman measures his timber and completes a great hall; an enlightened ruler makes use of his scholars and establishes merit. Wang Can said: The egret, though talented, without six flight feathers cannot soar over the four seas; the emperor, though worthy, without good ministers cannot save the world.]. The Spring and Autumn Annals criticizes having a ruler but no ministers. In the time of the late emperor good ministers were not yet complete, so wicked ministers were able to watch for gaps [phonetic gloss: "jian" is read jian]. Yao obtained Shun and Yu and Gun was imprisoned and Huandou was executed; Zhao Jianzi obtained Shuxiang and Sheng Qingjian was dismissed. The common saying is: Until you have seen the gentleman, you do not know the false minister. The Classic of Poetry says: "Before I saw the gentleman, my heart was anxious; now that I have seen the gentleman, my heart descends [phonetic gloss: "jiang" is read hu-gong]." This is what is meant.

丞相【去聲】史曰堯任鯀驩兠得舜禹而放殛之以其罪而天下鹹服誅不仁也人君用之齊民而顔異濟南亭長也先帝舉而加之髙位官至上卿狄山起布衣為漢議臣處舜禹之位執天下之中不能以治而反坐訕上故驩兠之誅加而刑戮至焉賢者受賞而不肖者被刑固其然也文學何怪焉

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: Yao employed Gun and Huandou, and when he obtained Shun and Yu he banished and imprisoned them; judging by their crimes, the whole world was persuaded, for this was executing the unbenevolent. Rulers used them to unify the people, yet Yan Yi was no more than a village head in Jinan, whom the late emperor raised to high office until he became a senior minister; Di Shan rose from commoner status and became a Han counselor, occupying the position of Shun and Yu and holding the center of the world, but could not govern with it, and on the contrary was punished for the crime of slandering his superior, so the execution of Huandou was applied and punishment arrived. The worthy are rewarded and the unworthy are punished, as is only natural. Why should the Literati find this strange?

文學曰論者相扶以義相喻以道從善不求勝服義不恥窮若相迷以偽相亂以辭相矜於後息期於苟勝非其貴者也【傳曰孔子過康子子張子夏從孔子入坐二子相與論終日不決子夏辭氣甚隘顔色甚變子張曰子亦聞夫子之議論邪徐言誾誾威儀翼翼後言先黙得之推讓巍巍乎蕩蕩乎道有歸矣小人之論也專意自是言人之非瞑目搤腕疾言噴噴口沸目赤一幸得勝疾笑嗌嗌威儀固陋辭氣鄙俗是以君子賤之也】夫【音扶】蘇秦張儀熒惑諸侯傾覆萬乘【去聲】使人主失其所持非不辯然亂之道也【泰族訓曰百川並流不注海者不為川穀趣行踳馳不歸善者不為君子故善言歸乎可行善行歸乎仁義田子方段幹木輕爵祿而重其身不以欲傷生不以利累形李克竭股肱之力領理百官輯穆萬民使其君生無廢事死無遺憂此異行而歸於善者張儀蘇秦家無常居身無定君約衡之事為傾覆之謀濁亂天下撓諸侯使百姓不遑啟居或或橫或合眾弱或輔富強此異行而歸於醜者也故君子之過也猶日月之蝕何害於明小人之行也猶狗之晝吠鴟之夜見何益於善夫知者不妄發擇善而為之計義而行之故事成而功足賴也身死而名足稱也雖有知能必以仁義為之本然後可立也】子疾鄙夫之不可與事君患其聼而無所不至也今子不聼正義以輔卿相【去聲】又從而順之好【去聲】須之說不計其後君子之為人吏宜受上戮子姑黙矣

The Literati said: Debaters should support one another with rightness and instruct one another with the Way, following the good without seeking to win and submitting to rightness without being ashamed to be at a loss. If they instead bewilder each other with falsehood and disturb each other with words, boasting of who stops last and hoping only to win by any means, then it is not worth valuing [the commentary says: Confucius visited Kangzi, with Zizhang and Zixia following. Confucius entered and sat, and the two discussed together and could not decide all day. Zixia's speech and manner became very narrow, and his color changed greatly. Zizhang said: Have you also heard the Master's discussion? He spoke slowly and gently, with a dignified bearing; in speaking he first kept silent, and in gaining he deferred, lofty and vast, so that the Way had a destination. The discussion of petty men concentrates on being right themselves and speaking of others' faults, with eyes shut and wrists gripped, speaking quickly and spitting, mouths foaming and eyes red; once they luckily win, they laugh quickly and loudly, their bearing is coarse and their speech vulgar. Therefore the gentleman despises it.]. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: Su Qin and Zhang Yi bewildered the feudal lords and overturned states of ten thousand chariots [phonetic gloss: "cheng" is read in the departing tone], making rulers lose what they held, not because they could not argue but because it was the way of disorder [the chapter "Taizu" says: If a hundred rivers flow together but do not pour into the sea, they are not counted as rivers and valleys; if people hurry and gallop about but do not return to the good, they are not counted as gentlemen. So good words return to what can be practiced, and good deeds return to humaneness and rightness. Tian Zifang and Duangan Mu made light of rank and salary and valued their persons, did not let desire harm life or profit burden the body; Li Ke exerted the strength of his limbs, led and managed the hundred officials, harmonized the myriad people, and made his ruler have no neglected affairs in life and no lingering worries in death; these are people whose conduct differed but who returned to the good. Zhang Yi and Su Qin had no constant home and no fixed ruler, made agreements for vertical and horizontal alliances (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription), plotted overthrow, muddled the world, harassed the feudal lords and left the people no leisure to rest, sometimes vertical and sometimes horizontal, sometimes joining the many weak and sometimes helping the rich and strong; these are people whose conduct differed but who returned to the ugly. So the faults of the gentleman are like eclipses of sun and moon, what harm do they do to brightness; the conduct of petty men is like a dog barking by day or an owl seeing at night, what does it add to goodness. The wise do not act rashly, choose the good and do it, calculate rightness and act on it, so their affairs succeed and their merit can be relied on, and when they die their names are worth praising. Even with knowledge and ability, one must take humaneness and rightness as the root, and only then can he stand.]. The Master hated petty men who could not be served with, fearing their willingness to go along and stop at nothing. Now you do not listen to correct rightness in order to assist the chancellors [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone], and instead follow and comply with them, loving [phonetic gloss: "hao" is read in the departing tone] momentary (the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription) talk without counting the consequences. A gentleman serving as an official should receive execution from above. Better that you keep silent for now.

丞相【去聲】史曰葢聞士之居世也衣服足以勝身食飲足以供親內足以相防外不求於人故身修然後可以理家家治然後可以治官故飯【上聲】防【音奸】糲【音辣】者不可以言孝【防蔬菜也孟康曰糲粗米也張晏曰一斗粟七升米為糲】妻子飢寒者不可以言慈緒業不備者不可以言理居斯世行斯身而有此三累者斯亦足以黙矣【韓嬰曰曽子仕於莒得粟三秉方是之時曽子重其祿而輕其身親沒之後齊迎以相楚迎以令尹晉迎以上卿方是之時曽子重其身而輕其祿懐其寶而迷其國者不可以語仁窘其身而約其親者不可與語孝任重道逺者不擇地而息家貧親老者不擇官而仕故君子釋褐趨時當務為急傳云不逢時而仕任事而敦其慮為之使而不入其謀貧焉故也詩曰夙夜在公實命不同】

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: I have heard that when a scholar lives in the world, his clothing should be enough to bear his body, his food and drink enough to supply his parents, within he should be enough to take care of (the original reads "xiang fang") his household, and without he should not seek from others. So one must cultivate the self before being able to manage the family, and only when the family is in order can one govern as an official. Hence one who eats [phonetic gloss: "fan" is read in the rising tone] vegetables [phonetic gloss: "fang" is read jian, i.e., "shu" (vegetable)] and coarse rice [phonetic gloss: "li" is read la] cannot speak of filial piety ["fang" means vegetables. Meng Kang said: Li is coarse rice. Zhang Yan said: One dou of grain yielding seven sheng of rice is li.]. One whose wife and children are hungry and cold cannot speak of kindness, and one who has not prepared an inheritance cannot speak of governing. One who lives in this age and conducts this person yet has these three burdens is already enough to keep silent [Han Ying said: Master Zeng served in Ju and received three bing of grain. At that time Master Zeng valued his salary and made light of himself. After his parents died, Qi invited him to be chancellor, Chu invited him to be prime minister, and Jin invited him to be senior minister. At that time Master Zeng valued himself and made light of salary. One who embraces his treasure while leaving his state in confusion cannot be spoken to of humaneness; one who burdens his person and constrains his parents cannot be spoken to of filial piety. One who bears a heavy load and goes far does not choose where to rest; one whose family is poor and parents old does not choose which office to take. So the gentleman takes off his coarse clothes and hurries to the time, treating what is urgent as the task. The commentary says: Serving in office when one does not meet one's time, taking on tasks and being earnest in thought, being employed and yet not entering the planning, is because of poverty. The Classic of Poetry says: "Early and late in the public service, truly our fates are different."]

文學曰善養【去聲】者不必芻豢也善供服者不必錦繡也【韓非子曰糟糠不飽者不務粱肉裋褐不者不待文繡】以已之所有盡事其親孝之至也故匹夫勤勞猶足以順禮歠【音轍】菽飲水足以致其敬【子路曰傷哉貧也生無以為養死無以為禮也孔子曰啜菽飲水盡其歡斯之謂孝斂首足形還葬而無槨稱其財斯謂之禮】孔子曰今之孝者是謂能養【去聲】不敬何以別乎故上孝養【去聲】志其次養【去聲】色其次養【去聲】體貴其禮不貪其養禮順心和養【去聲】雖不備可也【曾子曰孝有三大孝尊親其次弗辱其下能養公明儀問於曽子曰夫子可以為孝乎曽子曰是何言與是何言與君子之所謂孝者先意承志諭父母於道參直養者也安能為孝乎】易曰東鄰殺牛不如西鄰之禴祭也【反質萹曰信神者失謀信日者失時何以知其然夫賢聖周知能不時日而事利敬法令貲功勞不卜筮而身吉謹仁義順道理不禱祠而福故卜數擇日防齊盛肥犧牲飾珪璧精祠祀而終不能除悖逆之禍以神明有知而事之乃欲背道妄行而以祠祀求福神明必違之矣天子祭天地五嶽四瀆諸侯祭社稷大夫祭五祀士祭門戶庶人祭其先祖聖王承天心制禮分也凡古之卜日者將以輔道稽疑示有所先而不敢自專也非欲以顛倒之惡而幸安全之孔子曰非其而祭之諂也是以泰山終不享季氏之旅易稱東鄰殺牛不如西鄰之禴祭葢重禮不貴牲也敬實而不貴華誠有其徳而推之則安徃而不可是以聖人見人之文必考其質】故富貴而無禮不如貧賤之孝悌閨門之內盡孝焉閨門之外盡悌焉朋友之道盡信焉三者孝之至也居家理者非謂積財也事親孝者非謂鮮餚也亦和顔色承意盡禮義而已矣【曲禮曰貧者不以貨財為禮老者不以筋力為禮祭義曰孝子之有深愛者必有和氣有和氣者必有愉色有愉色者必有婉容孝子如執玉如奉盈洞洞屬屬然如弗勝如將失之嚴威儼恪非所以事親也成人之道也】

The Literati said: One who is good at caring for [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] need not use grass-fed and grain-fed meat; one who is good at providing clothing need not use brocade and embroidery [Han Feizi said: One who is not full on dregs and chaff does not strive for fine grain and meat; one whose short coarse clothing is incomplete does not wait for patterned embroidery.]. To serve one's parents wholeheartedly with what one has is the utmost of filial piety. So even a commoner's toil is enough to accord with ritual, and sipping [phonetic gloss: "chuo" is read che] beans and drinking water is enough to show his reverence [Zilu said: How sad is poverty, that in life one has nothing with which to support one's parents and in death nothing with which to perform the rites. Confucius said: Sipping beans and drinking water while exhausting their joy is what is called filial piety; to cover the head and feet and shape the body, and to bury without an outer coffin, in accordance with one's means, is what is called ritual.]. Confucius said: Filial sons today are called able to support [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone]; without reverence, how is it distinguished? So the highest filial piety nourishes [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] the will, the next nourishes [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] the expression, and the next nourishes [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] the body. Value the ritual and do not covet the provisions. When ritual is in accord and the heart harmonious, even if the provisions [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] are incomplete it will do [Master Zeng said: There are three kinds of filial piety: great filial piety honors one's parents, the next does not disgrace them, and the lowest is being able to support them. Gongming Yi asked Master Zeng: May the Master be called filial? Master Zeng said: What are you saying! What are you saying! What the gentleman calls filial piety is anticipating the parents' wishes and carrying out their will, guiding the parents in the Way. Shen is only one who can support his parents; how can that count as filial?]. The Book of Changes says: The eastern neighbor slaughters an ox, but it is not as good as the western neighbor's Yue sacrifice [the chapter "Fanzhi" says: Those who believe in ghosts and spirits lose their plans, and those who believe in day-diviners lose their time. How do we know this is so? The worthy and the sage know everything and can pursue advantage without choosing auspicious days; one who respects laws and decrees and counts achievements is fortunate without divination; one who is careful with humaneness and rightness and follows the Way and principle has blessing without prayer and sacrifice. So even if one divines and selects days, prepares millet, fattens sacrificial animals, adorns jade tablets and discs and refines sacrifices, one cannot in the end remove the calamity of rebellion; one who thinks the spirits are aware and serves them yet wishes to go against the Way and act recklessly and seeks blessing through sacrifice, the spirits will certainly go against him. The Son of Heaven sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, the five sacred mountains and the four rivers, the feudal lords sacrifice to the altars of soil and grain, the grand masters sacrifice to the five household spirits, officers sacrifice to doors and gates, and commoners sacrifice to their ancestors. The sage kings received the mind of Heaven and made ritual to divide these. All the ancient divinations of days were to assist the Way and resolve doubts, showing that there was something prior and one did not dare act on one's own, not to use perverse evil and hope for safety. Confucius said: To sacrifice to a ghost that is not yours is flattery. For this reason Mount Tai in the end did not accept the sacrifice of the Ji family. The Book of Changes says the eastern neighbor's slaughtering an ox is not as good as the western neighbor's Yue sacrifice, which values ritual and does not prize the animal. Reverence is substance and not valuing ornament; if one truly has the virtue and extends it, where could one go that is not acceptable? For this reason, when the sage sees a person's refinement he must examine his substance.]. So being rich and noble without ritual is not as good as the filial piety and brotherly respect of the poor and lowly. Exhaust filial piety within the household, exhaust brotherly respect outside the household, and exhaust good faith in the way of friends; these three are the utmost of filial piety. Managing the household does not mean accumulating wealth; serving parents filially does not mean fresh delicacies, but only harmonizing one's expression, receiving their wishes and exhausting ritual and rightness [the Quli says: The poor do not use goods and wealth as ritual, and the old do not use muscle and strength as ritual. The Jiyi says: A filial son who has deep love must have a harmonious spirit; one who has a harmonious spirit must have a joyful look; one who has a joyful look must have a gentle appearance. A filial son is like one holding jade, like one carrying a full vessel, sincere and earnest, as if unable to bear it, as if about to lose it. Stern dignity and gravity are not what one uses to serve parents; that is the Way of the adult.]

丞相【去聲】史曰八十曰耋七十曰耄耄食非肉不飽衣非帛不暖故孝子日甘毳【吹去聲】以養【去聲】口輕暖以養【去聲】體曽子養【去聲】曽晳必有酒肉無端絻【音問】雖公西赤不能以為容無餚膳雖閔曽不能以卒養【去聲】禮無虛加故必有其實然後為之父子與其禮有餘而養【去聲】不足寧養【去聲】有餘而禮不足夫【音扶】洗爵以盛水升降而進糲【音辣】禮雖備然非其貴者也

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: Eighty is called die, seventy is called mao. At the age of mao, one is not full without meat and not warm without silk. So a filial son daily nourishes [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] the mouth with sweet and soft food and nourishes the body with light and warm clothing. Master Zeng supported [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] Zeng Xi, and always had wine and meat. Without the formal robe and cap [phonetic gloss: "wen" is read wen], even Gongxi Chi could not make a dignified appearance; without delicacies, even Min Ziqian and Zeng Shen could not complete their support [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone]. Ritual has no empty additions, so one must have the substance and only then do it. For fathers and sons, rather than have ritual in excess and support [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] insufficient, it is better to have more support [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] and less ritual. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: washing a cup to hold water, ascending and descending to present coarse rice [phonetic gloss: "li" is read la]; though the ritual is complete, it is not worth valuing.

文學曰周襄王之母非無酒肉也衣食非不如曽晳也然而被不孝之名以其不能事其父母也【春秋曰天王出居於鄭左傳曰冬王使來告難曰不穀不徳得罪於母弟之寵子帶鄙在鄭地泛敢吿叔父臧文仲對曰天子蒙塵於外敢不奔問官守王使簡師父告於晉使左鄢父吿於秦天子無出書曰天王出居於鄭闢母弟之難也天子凶服降名禮也鄭伯與孔將鉏石甲父侯宣多省視官具於泛而後聼其私政禮也公羊傳曰王者無外此其言出何不能乎母也曽子曰是王也不能乎母者其諸此之謂與】君子重其禮小人貪其養【去聲】夫【音扶】嗟來而招之投而與之乞者猶不取也【雜事萹曰齊大飢黔敖為食於路以待餓者而食之有餓者蒙袂輯屨貿貿然來黔敖左奉食右執飲曰嗟來食餓者其目而視之曰予唯不食嗟來之食以至於此也従而謝焉終不食而死曽子聞之曰防與其嗟也可去其謝也可食】君子苟無其禮雖美不食焉故禮主人不親饋則客不祭是饋輕而禮重也【坊記曰子云敬則用祭器故君子不以菲廢禮不以美沒禮故食禮主人親饋則客祭主人不親饋則客不祭故君子苟無禮雖美不食焉易曰東鄰殺牛不如西鄰之禴祭寔受其福詩云既醉以酒既飽以徳以此示民民猶爭利而忘義齊俗訓曰禮豐不足以效愛而誠心可以懷逺故公西華之養親也若與朋友處曽參之養親也若事嚴主烈君其於養一也】

The Literati said: The mother of King Xiang of Zhou did not lack wine and meat, and her clothing and food were not worse than Zeng Xi's, yet he bore the name of unfilial because he could not serve his parents [the Spring and Autumn Annals says: The Heavenly King went out and lived in Zheng. The Zuo zhuan says: In winter the king sent an envoy to announce his distress, saying: "I, without virtue, have offended the favorite son Dai of my mother's brother, and am lodging in Fan in the land of Zheng; I dare to tell my uncle." Zang Wenzhong replied: "The Son of Heaven is in the dust outside; dare we not hurry to inquire whether the officials are keeping their posts?" The king sent Jian Shifu to inform Jin and Zuo Yanfu to inform Qin. The Son of Heaven does not go out; the text records "the Heavenly King went out and lived in Zheng" to avoid the trouble from his mother's brother. The Son of Heaven wearing mourning clothes and lowering his name is ritual. The Earl of Zheng, with Kong Jiangchu, Shi Jiafu and Hou Xuanduo, inspected the official equipment at Fan and only then listened to his private government, which is ritual. The Gongyang zhuan says: A true king has no outside; why does it say "went out" here? Because he could not serve his mother. Master Zeng said: This king could not serve his mother; this is probably what is meant.]. The gentleman values ritual and the petty man covets provisions [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone]. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: if one calls someone with an insulting "hey, come eat" and throws food to him, even a beggar will not take it [the chapter "Zashi" says: Qi suffered a great famine, and Qian Ao prepared food on the road to wait for the starving and feed them. There was a starving man with a cloth over his face and shoes tied on, who came stumbling. Qian Ao held food in his left hand and drink in his right and said: "Hey, come eat." The starving man raised his eyes and looked at him and said: "It is only because I would not eat food offered with a 'hey' that I have come to this." Qian Ao followed and apologized to him, but in the end he did not eat and died. Master Zeng heard of it and said: "Perhaps (the original has "fang") it was the 'hey' that he should have left; for the apology he could have eaten."]. If the gentleman has no ritual, he will not eat even something excellent. So in ritual: if the host does not personally offer the meal, the guest does not offer a libation; thus the meal is light while the ritual is weighty [the Fangji says: The Master said: Reverence is shown with sacrificial vessels. So the gentleman does not abandon ritual for thinness and does not let abundance drown ritual. Meal ritual: if the host personally offers the meal, the guest offers a libation; if the host does not personally offer, the guest does not offer. So if the gentleman has no ritual, he does not eat even something excellent. The Book of Changes says: The eastern neighbor slaughters an ox, but it is not as good as the western neighbor's Yue sacrifice, which truly receives the blessing. The Classic of Poetry says: "Already drunk with wine, already full of virtue." Showing this to the people, the people still contend for profit and forget rightness. The chapter "Qisu" says: Abundance in ritual is not enough to show love, but a sincere heart can win over the distant. So Gongxi Hua's care for his parents was like being with friends, and Zeng Shen's care for his parents was like serving a strict master and fierce ruler, and in terms of care they were the same.]

丞相【去聲】史曰孝莫大以天下一國養【去聲】次祿養【去聲】下以力故王公人君上也卿大夫次也夫【音扶】以家人言之有賢子者當路於世者髙堂【音遂】宇安車大馬衣【去聲】輕暖食甘毳【吹去聲】無厭者褐衣皮冠窮居陋巷有旦無暮食防【音奸】糲【音辣】者葷茹膢【音婁又音劉】臘而後見肉【漢儀注立秋防膢蘇林曰防虎屬常以立秋日祭獸王者亦以此日出獵還以祭宗廟故有防膢之祭也蔡邕獨防曰臘者嵗終大祭縦吏民宴飲風俗通曰按韓子書山居谷汲者膢臘而買水楚俗常以十二月祭飲食也又曰嘗新始殺也食新曰膒膢按禮傳夏曰嘉平殷曰清祀周曰大蜡漢改為臘臘者獵也言田獵取獸以祭祀其先祖也或曰臘者接也新故交接故大祭以報功也漢家火行衰於戌故曰臘也】審老親之腹非唐園唯菜是盛【音成】夫【音扶】防【音奸】糲【音辣】乞者所不取而子以養【去聲】親雖欲以禮非其貴也

The Chancellor's Clerk [phonetic gloss: "xiang" is read in the departing tone] said: There is no filial piety greater than caring [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] with the world or a state, next is caring with salary [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone], and the lowest is with one's own strength. So kings, dukes and rulers are the highest, and high ministers and grand masters are next. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: take an ordinary household with a worthy son who is in a leading position in the age: the halls are high [phonetic gloss: the original has a rare character here, lost in transcription, pronounced sui], with comfortable carriages and great horses, clothed [phonetic gloss: "yi" is read in the departing tone] in light and warm clothes, eating sweet and soft food [phonetic gloss: "cui" is read in the departing tone]; those who are never satisfied wear coarse clothes and leather caps, live in poverty in a lowly alley, have a morning but no evening, eat vegetables [phonetic gloss: "fang" is read jian, i.e., "shu"] and coarse rice [phonetic gloss: "li" is read la], and only see meat after the Chu-lou and La sacrifices [the Han yi zhu: At the start of autumn there is the Chu-lou sacrifice. Su Lin said: The chu is of the tiger family, and often makes its offering of beasts on the day of the start of autumn; kings also go hunting on this day and then use the game to sacrifice in the ancestral temple, so there is the Chu-lou sacrifice. Cai Yong's Duduan says: La is the great sacrifice at the end of the year, when officials and people are allowed to feast and drink. The Fengsu tong says: According to Han Fei's book, those who live in mountains and draw water from valleys buy water at the La; the custom of Chu was often to hold feasts and sacrifices in the twelfth month. It also says: Tasting the new is the first slaughter, and eating the new is called Chu-lou. According to the ritual commentary: the Xia called it Jiaping, the Yin called it Qingsi, the Zhou called it Dazha, and the Han changed it to La. La is "lie" (hunting), meaning hunting game to sacrifice to ancestors. Some say La means "jie" (joining), the old and new joining, so a great sacrifice is made to repay merit. The Han house holds the phase of Fire, which declines at xu, so it is called La.]. To examine an aged parent's stomach is not to fill it only with vegetables from a garden [phonetic gloss: "sheng" is read cheng]. The opening "fu" [phonetic gloss: "fu" is read fu]: vegetables [phonetic gloss: "fang" is read jian, i.e., "shu"] and coarse rice [phonetic gloss: "li" is read la] are what even a beggar will not accept, and for you to use them to care for [phonetic gloss: "yang" is read in the departing tone] your parents, though you wish to accord with ritual, is not worth valuing.

文學曰無其能而竊其位無其功而有其祿雖有富貴由【通作猶】蹠【音卒】蹻【音腳】之養也髙臺極望食案方丈而不可謂孝老親之腹非盜囊也何故常盛【音成】不道之物【詩傳曰田子為相三年歸休得金百鎰奉其母母曰子安得此金對曰所受俸祿也母曰為相三年不食乎治官如此非吾所欲也孝子之事親也盡力致誠不義之物不入於館為人子不可不孝也子其去之田子愧慙走出造朝還金退請就獄王賢其母說其義即舍田子罪令復為相以金賜其母詩云宜爾子孫防防兮】夫【音扶】取非有非職財入而患從之身且死禍殃安得膢【音婁】臘而食肉曽參閔子無卿相【去聲】之養【去聲】而有孝子之名【屍子曰曽子每讀喪禮泣下霑襟常以一夕五起視衣之厚薄枕之髙卑曽子曰往而不可還者親也故子欲養而親不待是故椎牛而祭不如雞豚之逮親存也初吾為吏祿不及釜尚欣欣而喜者非以為多也樂其逮親也既沒之後吾嘗南逰於楚得尊官焉堂髙九尺車嘗百乗然猶北向而泣涕者非為賤也悲不逮吾親也故家貧親老不擇官而仕姚賈曰曽參孝其親天下願以為子子胥忠於君天下願以為臣劉向曰閔子騫兄弟二人母死其父更娶復有二子子騫為其父御車失轡父持其手衣甚單父則歸呼其後母児持其手衣甚厚溫即謂其婦曰吾所以娶汝乃為吾子今汝欺我去無留子騫前曰母在一子單母去四子寒其父黙然故曰孝哉閔子騫一言其母還再言三子溫】周襄王富有天下而有不能事父母之累【夏侯勝曰五辟之屬莫大不孝周襄王不能事母春秋曰天王出居於鄭繇不孝出之絶之於天下也】故禮菲而養【去聲】豐非孝也涼囷【丘倫反】而以養【去聲】非孝也【曽子曰亨孰羶薌嘗而薦之非孝也養也君子之所謂孝也者國人稱願之曰幸哉有子如此所謂孝也已眾之夲教曰孝其行曰養養可防也敬為難敬可防也安為難安可防也卒為難父母既沒慎行其身不遺父母惡名可謂防終矣】

The Learned Scholars said: To hold a position without the ability for it and to have a salary without the merit for it, even if one has wealth and rank, is like [the character 'like' is written with a variant form] the nourishment of Robbers Zhi [pronunciation note: read 'zu'] and Zhuang Jue [pronunciation note: read 'jiao']. Looking out from a high terrace and with a banquet table ten feet square, one still cannot be called filial. The belly of an aged parent is not a thief's sack; why should it always be filled [pronunciation note: the character 'fill' is read 'cheng'] with improper things? [The commentary on the Odes says: when Master Tian was chancellor for three years, he returned home on leave and obtained a hundred yi of gold to present to his mother. His mother said: "Where did you get this gold?" He answered: "It is from my salary." His mother said: "For three years as chancellor, did you not eat? To govern office in this way is not what I wish. A filial son serves his parents by exerting his strength and reaching sincerity, and improper goods do not enter the house. A son must not fail to be filial. Take these away." Master Tian was ashamed and went out, went to court to return the gold, and withdrew and asked to be put in prison. The king thought his mother worthy and was pleased by her righteousness, so he pardoned Master Tian's crime, ordered him to be chancellor again, and gave the gold to his mother. The Odes say: "It is fitting for your descendants, in great numbers" (the received text has a corrupted passage here).] The preface says: to take what is not one's own and not within one's duty into one's door brings misfortune following; one will die of the calamity himself, so how could he wait for the winter sacrifice to eat meat [pronunciation note: the character is read 'lou']? Zeng Shen and Min Zi did not have the nourishment [pronunciation note: the character 'nourishment' is read in the departing tone] of ministers and chancellors [pronunciation note: the character 'chancellor' is read in the departing tone], yet they have the name of filial sons. [The Shizi says: whenever Master Zeng read the funeral rites, tears wet his collar, and often in a single night he rose five times to check whether his clothes were thick or thin and his pillow high or low. Master Zeng said: "What goes and cannot return is one's parents. So 'the son wishes to care for them but the parents do not wait.' Therefore slaughtering an ox for sacrifice is not as good as chicken and pork while parents are still alive. When I was first an official, my salary did not reach a fu and I was still glad, not because I thought it much but because I delighted in reaching it while my parents were alive. After my parents died, I once traveled south to Chu and obtained a high office, with a hall nine chi high and a hundred carriages for my table, and I still faced north and wept, not because it was humble but because I grieved that I could not reach my parents." So when the family was poor and the parents old, he did not choose his office but took service. Yao Jia said: "Zeng Shen was filial to his parents; the world would wish him as a son. Zixu was loyal to his ruler; the world would wish him as a minister." Liu Xiang said: Min Ziqian had a brother; their mother died and their father remarried and had two more sons. Ziqian drove the carriage for his father, lost the reins, and his father held his hand; his clothes were very thin. The father then went home, called the son of the stepmother, held his hand, and his clothes were very thick and warm; he said to his wife: "The reason I married you was for my sons. Now you have deceived me; go away and do not stay." Ziqian stepped forward and said: "If mother stays, one son is thinly dressed; if mother goes, four sons are cold." His father was silent. So it is said: "How filial is Min Ziqian! With one sentence his mother stayed, with a second three sons were warm."] King Xiang of Zhou held the world yet had the burden of being unable to serve his parents. [Xiahou Sheng said: among the five punishable categories, none is greater than unfilial conduct. King Xiang of Zhou could not serve his mother, and the Spring and Autumn Annals says the Heavenly King went out and lived in Zheng; because of unfilial conduct it writes 'went out' and cuts him off from the world.] So meager ritual with rich support [pronunciation note: the character 'support' is read in the departing tone] is not filial, and cold granaries [pronunciation note: the character is read 'qun'] used to support [pronunciation note] are not filial. [Master Zeng said: to cook strong-smelling fragrant dishes, taste and offer them is not filial but mere feeding. What the gentleman calls filial is when the people of the state praise and wish: 'How fortunate to have a son like this!' only then is it called filial. The basic teaching of the multitude is called filial piety, and its practice is called support. Support can be done (the received text has a corrupted character here), but reverence is hard; reverence can be done, but ease is hard; ease can be done, but to the end is hard. After the parents have died, one carefully conducts oneself and does not leave a bad name for the parents; this may be called being able to complete it.]

丞相【去聲】史曰上孝養【去聲】色其次安親其次全身徃者陳餘背漢斬於泜【音止】水伍被邪逆而夷三族近世主父偃行不軌而誅滅呂步舒弄口而見戮【陳餘傳曰漢二年東擊楚使告趙欲與俱餘曰漢殺張耳乃従於是漢求人類耳者斬其頭遺余余乃遣兵助漢漢敗於彭城西餘亦聞耳詐死即背漢漢遣耳與韓信擊破趙井陘斬餘泜水上伍被傳曰伍被為淮南王安畫謀反計後事發覺被詣吏自吿與淮南王謀反蹤跡如此天子以伍被雅辭多引漢美欲弗誅張湯進曰被首為王畫反計罪無赦逐誅被主父偃傳曰元朔中上拜偃為齊相至齊乃使人以王與姊奸事動王王以為終不得脫恐效燕王論死乃自殺上聞大怒廼徴下吏治偃服受諸侯金實不刼王令自殺上欲勿誅公孫爭曰齊王自殺無後國除為郡入漢偃本首惡非誅偃無以謝天下乃遂族偃董仲舒傳曰呂步舒者仲舒弟子也】行身不謹誅及無罪之親由此觀之虗禮無益於已也文實配行禮養【去聲】俱施然後可以言孝孝在扵質實不在扵飾貌全身在扵謹慎不在於馳語也

The Chancellor's Secretary said: The highest filial piety is to nourish [pronunciation note: the character 'nourish' is read in the departing tone] their expression, the next is to give parents peace, and the next is to preserve one's body. In the past Chen Yu turned against Han and was beheaded at the Zhi [pronunciation note: read 'zhi'] River; Wu Bei was wicked and rebellious and his three clans were wiped out; in recent times Zhufu Yan acted lawlessly and was executed and exterminated, and Lü Bushu played with his mouth and was killed. [The Biography of Chen Yu says: in the second year of Han he attacked Chu to the east and sent word to Zhao wishing to go together. Yu said: "When Han kills Zhang Er I will follow." So Han sought a man who looked like Zhang Er, beheaded him, and sent the head to Yu, and Yu sent troops to help Han. Han was defeated west of Pengcheng, and Yu also heard that Er had feigned death, and so turned against Han. Han sent Er and Han Xin to defeat Zhao at Jingxing and beheaded Yu on the bank of the Zhi River. The Biography of Wu Bei says: Wu Bei drew up rebellion plans for Prince An of Huainan. Later when the affair was discovered, Bei went to the officials and confessed that he had plotted rebellion with the Prince of Huainan, with the traces as such. The Son of Heaven, because Wu Bei's elegant words often cited the Han's merits, wished not to execute him. Zhang Tang advanced and said: "Bei was the first to draw up the rebellion plan for the prince; his crime cannot be pardoned." So Bei was executed. The Biography of Zhufu Yan says: in the Yuanshuo years the emperor appointed Yan as chancellor of Qi. On arriving in Qi he sent someone to stir the king by the matter of the king's adultery with his sister. The king thought he could never escape, feared he would end like the King of Yan sentenced to death, and killed himself. The emperor heard and was greatly angry and summoned him to be tried by officials. Yan admitted: it was true that he accepted gold from the feudal lords, but he did not threaten the king to make him kill himself. The emperor wanted not to execute him. Gongsun Hong argued: the King of Qi killed himself with no heir, the state was abolished and made into a commandery that went to Han; Yan was the chief culprit in the beginning, and without executing Yan there is no way to answer the world. So Yan's clan was wiped out. The Biography of Dong Zhongshu says: Lü Bushu was Zhongshu's disciple.] If one does not conduct himself carefully, execution reaches even innocent relatives. From this we see that empty ritual does not benefit oneself. When form and substance match conduct, and ritual and support are both carried out, only then can one speak of filial piety. Filial piety lies in substance, not in decorating the appearance; preserving the body lies in carefulness, not in galloping words.

文學曰言而不誠期而不信臨難【去聲】不勇事君不忠不孝之大者也【曽子曰身也者父母之遺體也行父母之遺體敢不敬乎居處不莊非孝也事君不忠非孝也蒞官不敬非孝也朋友不信非孝也戰陳無勇非孝也五者不遂烖及於親敢不敬乎】孟子曰今之士今之大夫皆罪人也皆逢其意以順其惡今子不忠不信巧言以亂政導防以求合若此者不容於世春秋曰士守一不移循理不外援共【音供】其職而已故卑位而言髙者罪也言不及而言者傲也有詔公卿與斯議而空戰口也

The Learned Scholars said: To speak without sincerity, to promise without good faith, to be without courage when facing danger [pronunciation note: the character 'danger' is read in the departing tone], and not to be loyal in serving the ruler are the greatest of unfilial acts. [Master Zeng said: the body is the legacy of one's parents. Carrying out the legacy of one's parents, dare one be anything but respectful? To be undignified in daily life is not filial, to be disloyal in serving the ruler is not filial, to be disrespectful in holding office is not filial, to be untrustworthy to friends is not filial, to lack courage in battle is not filial. If these five are not practiced, disaster reaches one's parents; dare one not be respectful?] Mencius said: "The scholars and grand officers of today are all criminals; they all cater to their intentions and go along with their evil." Now you are disloyal and untrustworthy, use clever words to disorder government, and lead with flattery (the received text has a corrupted character here) in order to fit in; such people are not tolerated in the world. The Spring and Autumn Annals says: a scholar holds to one thing and does not shift, follows principle and does not seek outside help, and simply respects [pronunciation note: the character 'respect' is read 'gong'] his duty. So to speak of high things from a low position is a crime, and to speak when what is said is beyond one's role is arrogance. When an edict let the ministers join in this discussion, they only fought with their mouths in vain.