Yan Shi Jia Xun (顏氏家訓) · Volume 4

夫君子之處世貴能有益於物耳不徒髙談虛論左琴右書以費人君祿位也國之用材大較不過六事一則朝廷之臣取其鑑達治體經綸慱雅二則文史之臣取其著述憲章不忘前古三則軍旅之臣取其斷決有謀強幹習事四則藩屏之臣取其明練風俗清白愛民五則使命之臣取其識變從宜不辱君命六則興造之臣取其程功節費開略有術此則皆勤學守行者所能辦也人性有長短豈責具美於六塗哉但當皆曉指趣能守一職便無媿耳吾見世中文學之士品藻古今若指諸掌及有試用多無所堪居承平之世不知有喪亂之禍處廟堂之下不知有戰陣之急保俸祿之資不知有耕稼之苦肆吏民之上不知有勞役之勤故難可以應世經務也晉朝南渡優借士族故江南冠帶有才幹者擢為令僕以下尚書郎中書舍人已上典掌機要其餘文義之士多迂誕浮華不涉世務纎微過失又惜行捶楚所以處於清名益獲其短也至於臺閣令史主書監帥諸王籖省並曉習吏用濟辦時須縱有小人之態皆可鞭杖肅督故多見委使葢用其長也人每不自量舉世怨梁武帝父子愛小人而防士大夫此亦眼不能見其睫耳梁世士大夫皆尚襃衣博帶大冠髙履出則車輿入則扶侍郊郭之內無乘馬者周正為宣城王所愛給一果下馬常服御之舉朝以為放達至乃尚書郎乘馬則糾劾之及侯景之亂膚脆骨柔不堪行步體羸氣弱不耐寒暑坐死倉猝者往往而然古人慾知稼穡之艱難斯葢貴谷務本之道也夫食為民天民非食不生矣三日不粒父子不能相存耕種之茠鉏之刈獲之載積之打拂之簸之凢幾涉手而入倉廩安可輕農事而貴末業哉江南朝士因晉中興南渡江卒為羈旅至今八九世未有力田悉資俸祿而食耳假令有者皆信僮僕為之未嘗目觀起一墢土耘一株苗不知幾月當下幾月當收安識世間餘務乎故治官則不了營家則不辦皆優閒之過也

A noble person in the world values being able to benefit things, and not merely engaging in lofty empty talk, with a zither on the left and books on the right, wasting the ruler's emoluments and rank. In employing talent, the state needs probably no more than six kinds: first, court ministers, chosen for discernment of how to govern and broad, refined statecraft; second, ministers of letters and history, chosen for composing statutes and not forgetting the ancients; third, ministers of the army, chosen for decisive planning and strong, practiced competence; fourth, ministers of the frontier, chosen for knowing customs well and for being incorruptible and loving the people; fifth, ministers on missions, chosen for knowing how to adapt to change and not disgracing the ruler's commission; sixth, ministers of construction, chosen for gauging work and saving expense and for resourceful planning. All of these are things that can be handled by those who study diligently and keep their conduct. Human natures have strengths and weaknesses, so how could one demand excellence in all six paths? But one should understand the gist of all of them, and if one can hold one post, one has no cause for shame. I have seen scholars of letters in the world appraise past and present as if pointing at their palms, but when tried in office most are incapable. Living in times of peace they do not know of the calamity of disorder; being under the court's roof they do not know the urgency of the battlefield; guarding their salaried livelihood they do not know the hardship of tilling; running wild over officials and people they do not know the toil of labor service, so they find it hard to deal with affairs of the age. When the Jin crossed south, it treated the gentry well, so among the capped and sashed of Jiangnan those with ability were promoted to posts from secretary below to ministry secretary and palace secretary above, handling the central affairs; the other scholars of letters were mostly impractical and showy, uninvolved in worldly affairs, and since one could not bear to flog them for minor faults, putting them in positions of pure fame only exposed their weaknesses. As for clerks of the terrace and pavilion, chief secretaries, supervisors and princely signers, all were practiced in the use of clerks and could handle what the time needed; even if they had the manner of petty people, they could be whipped and supervised sternly, so they were often entrusted, using their strengths. People often fail to measure themselves, and all in the world resent Emperor Wu of Liang and his sons for loving petty people and (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) the officials, which is also the eye being unable to see its own lashes. The officials of the Liang age all esteemed wide robes and broad sashes, tall hats and high shoes, riding in carriages when going out and being helped when coming in, and no one within the suburbs rode a horse. Zhou (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) was loved by the Prince of Xuancheng and given a small orchard horse, which he often rode, and the whole court took it as free and easy; and a secretary of the Ministry who rode a horse was impeached. When the rebellion of Hou Jing came, with tender skin and soft bones, unable to walk, weak in body and breath, unable to bear cold or heat, those who sat and died in the sudden turmoil were often thus. The ancients wanted to know the hardship of farming, which is probably the principle of valuing grain and attending to the root. Food is the heaven of the people, and without food people cannot live. If for three days there is no grain, father and son cannot keep one another alive. Sowing, weeding, reaping, loading and stacking, threshing and winnowing (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription), passes through many hands before entering the granary; how can one take farming lightly and value trade? The court officials of Jiangnan, because the Jin moved south in its restoration, in the end became sojourners, and to this day, for eight or nine generations, have not worked the fields with their own strength, depending wholly on salary for food. Even if they have fields, they leave them to servants, having never with their own eyes dug a spadeful of earth or weeded a single seedling, not knowing in which month to sow and in which to reap; how could they understand the other affairs of the world? So if they hold office they cannot finish the work, and if they manage a household they cannot get it done, all through the fault of leisure.

銘金人云無多言多言多敗無多事多事多患至哉斯戒也能走者奪其翼善飛者減其指有角者無上齒豐後者無前足葢天道不使物有兼焉也古人云多為少善不如執一鼯鼠五能不成伎術近世有兩人朗悟士也性多營綜畧無成名經不足以待問史不足以討論文章無可傳於集録書跡未堪以留愛翫卜筮射六得三醫藥治十差五音樂在數十人下弓矢在千百人中天文畫繪棊博鮮卑語煎胡桃油鏈錫為銀如此之類畧得梗槩皆不通熟惜乎以彼神明若省其異端當精妙也上書陳事起自戰國逮於兩漢風流彌廣原其體度攻人主之長短諫諍之徒也訐群臣之得失訟訴之類也陳國家之利害對防之伍也帶私情之與奪遊說之儔也總此四塗賈誠以求位鬻言以干祿或無絲毫之益而有不省之困幸而感悟人主為時所納初獲不貲之賞終陷不測之誅則嚴助朱買臣吾丘壽王主父偃之類甚眾良史所書葢取其狂狷一介論政得失耳非士君子守法度者所為也今世所覩懷瑾瑜而握蘭桂者悉恥為之守門詣闕獻書言計率多空薄髙自矜誇無經畧之大體鹹糠粃之防事十條之中一不足採縱合時務已漏先覺非謂不知但患知而不行耳或被髮奸私面相酬證事途迥冗飜懼尤人主外護聲教脫加含養此乃僥倖之徒不足與比肩也諫諍之徒以正人君之失爾必在得言之地當盡匡賛之規不容茍免偷安垂頭塞耳至於就養有方思不出位幹非其任斯則罪人故表記雲事君逺而諫則諂也近而不諫則尸利也論語曰未信而諫人以為謗已也君子當守道崇徳蓄價待時爵祿不登信由天命須求趨競不顧羞慙比較材能斟量功伐厲色聲東怨西怒或有刼持宰相瑕疵而獲酬謝或有諠聒時人視聴求見發遣以此得官謂為才力何異盜食致飽竊衣取溫哉世見躁競得官者便為弗索何獲不知時運之來不然亦至也見靜退未遇者便為弗為胡成不知風雲不與徒求無益也凢不求而自得求而不得者焉可勝算乎齊之季世多以財貨託附外家諠動女謁拜守宰者

The inscription on the Golden Man says: do not speak much, for much speech brings much failure; do not do much, for much doing brings much trouble. This warning is excellent. What can run has its wings taken away, what flies well has its claws reduced, what has horns lacks upper teeth, and what is plump behind lacks front feet; probably the Way of Heaven does not allow things to have everything. The ancients said: those who do many things and do them well are few, so it is better to hold fast to one. The flying squirrel has five abilities, yet none amounts to a skill. In recent times there were two men, clever and perceptive, whose temperaments led them to manage and handle many things, and they almost made no name: in the classics they were not enough to answer questions, in history not enough to discuss, in literature they had nothing worth passing down into anthologies, their calligraphy was not worth keeping for pleasure, at divination they hit three of six, at medicine they cured five of ten, in music they ranked below dozens, in archery among hundreds, and in astronomy, painting, chess, the Xianbei language, pressing walnut oil and refining tin into silver, and the like, they grasped the outlines but were not proficient at any. A pity, for with their intelligence, if they had dropped the other pursuits, they would have been excellent. Presenting memorials to discuss affairs began in the Warring States, and by the Two Han the style was even broader. Tracing their form: those who attack the ruler's faults are of the remonstrating kind; those who reveal the gains and losses of ministers are of the litigating kind; those who set out the benefits and harms of the state are of the answering ranks (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription); those who give and take with private feelings are of the persuaders. Across these four paths, they sell sincerity to seek position, hawk words to seek salary, or without the slightest benefit face the embarrassment of not being noticed. If by luck they move the ruler and are adopted by the age, at first they receive rewards beyond reckoning, and in the end fall into unpredictable execution, as with Yan Zhu, Zhu Maichen, Wuqiu Shouwang, Zhufu Yan and many others. What the good historians wrote probably took only their wildness and single-mindedness in debating the gains and losses of government, which was not what scholars and noble persons who keep to the rules would do. Those who today carry jade and gems all feel shame about doing this. Guarding the gate and visiting the palace to submit books and offer plans are mostly empty and thin, with grand self-praise, lacking the great substance of statecraft, all chaff and husks (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription), of which not one in ten is worth adopting. Even if it matches the needs of the time, it has already been missed by those who were first to perceive it, not that they did not know, but that they only suffer from knowing and not acting. Some have private wrongdoing exposed and are confronted in person, the path of affairs twists, and they are afraid instead. (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) blame. The ruler, to uphold his reputation and teaching outwardly, sometimes treats them with tolerance, but these are opportunists and not worth standing beside. Remonstrating ministers are meant to correct the ruler's faults, and must be in a place where they can speak, and must exhaust the rules of correction and assistance, and may not be allowed to evade through idle ease, with heads bowed and ears stopped. But as for those who serve and nourish in a proper way and whose thought does not exceed their post, to meddle in what is not their duty makes them offenders. So the Biaoji says: in serving a ruler, to remonstrate from afar is flattery, and to not remonstrate when near is occupying a post for gain. The Analects says: if one has not yet been trusted and remonstrates, the person will think he is slandering him. A noble person should keep the Way and honor virtue, accumulate a reputation and wait for the opportunity; if rank and salary are not attained, it is truly due to Heaven's decree. If one must hurry about and compete, with no regard for shame, comparing talents and weighing merits, with a stern look (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) voice, angry in the east and resentful in the west; or if some win thanks by holding over the chief minister's flaws, or by clamoring in the ears and eyes of the time to seek to be sent off, and gain office this way and call it ability, how is that different from stealing food to eat one's fill or stealing clothes to keep warm? People of the world, seeing those who gain office by restless striving, think that without asking how could one obtain it, not knowing that when the time comes one gets it without seeking; seeing those who retire quietly and meet no recognition, they think that without acting how could one succeed, not knowing that if wind and cloud do not come, seeking is futile. Of those who obtain without seeking and those who seek without obtaining, who could count them all? In the last years of Qi, many used wealth and goods to attach themselves to maternal relatives, and women making petitions to prefects and magistrates clamored

印組光華車騎輝赫榮兼九族取貴一時而為執政所患隨而伺察旣以得利必以利治微染風塵便乖肅正坑穽殊深瘡痏未復縱得免死莫不破家然後噬臍亦復何及吾自南及北未嘗一言與時人論身分也不能通達亦無尤焉王子晉雲佐饔得嘗佐鬭得傷此言為善則預為惡則去不欲黨人非義之事也凢損於物皆無與焉然而窮鳥入懷仁人所憫況死士歸我當棄之乎伍員之託漁舟季布之入廣柳孔融之藏張儉孫髙之匿趙岐前代之所貴而吾之所行也以此得辠甘心瞑目至如郭解之代人報讎灌夫之橫怒求地遊俠之徒非君子之所為也如有逆亂之行得辠於君親者又不足防焉親友之迫危難也家財巳力當無所吝若橫生圖計無理請謁非吾教也墨翟之徒世謂熱腹楊朱之侶世謂冷腸腸不可冷腹不可熱當以仁義為節文爾前在修文令曹有山東學士與闗中太史競厯凢十餘人紛紜累嵗內史牒付議官平之吾執論曰大抵諸儒所爭四分並減分兩家爾厯象之要可以晷景測之今驗其分至薄蝕則四分防而減分宻防者則稱政令有寛猛運行致盈縮非算之失也宻者則雲日月有遲速以術求之預知其度無災祥也用防則藏奸而不信用宻則任數而違經且議官所知不能精於訟者以淺裁深安有肯服既非格令所司幸勿當也舉曹貴賤鹹以為然有一禮官恥為此議苦欲留連強加考核機杼既薄無以測量還復採訪訟人窺望長短朝夕聚議寒暑煩勞背春涉冬竟無與奪怨誚滋生然而退終為內史所迫此好名好事之辱也

Seals and ribbons gleamed, carriages and horses shone, glory extended to the nine kinds of kin, and they took honor for a moment, yet they were feared by those in power and were soon watched and investigated. Having gained the benefit, one must be dealt with because of the benefit, and with a slight touch of the dust one deviates from solemn rectitude; the pits are deep and the sores have not healed, and even if one escapes death, none fail to ruin their families, and by then biting one's navel is of what use? I have been from south to north and never once spoke to the people of the time about my rank, and although I did not get ahead, I had no resentment. Wang Zijin said: one who helps in the kitchen gets to taste, one who helps in a fight gets hurt. This means to take part in doing good and leave when doing evil, not wishing to form cliques in unrighteous matters. Whatever harms others, do not take part in it. But a cornered bird that flies into one's lap is pitied by the benevolent, so how should one cast away a doomed man who returns to me? Wu Yuan entrusting himself to a fishing boat, Ji Bu hiding in a wide-willow cart, Kong Rong hiding Zhang Jian, and Sun Song hiding Zhao Qi were valued by earlier ages and are what I too practice. If I am punished for this, I am content to close my eyes. As for Guo Xie avenging for others and Guan Fu angrily seeking land, these are wandering knights, not what a noble person does. If one has committed rebellious acts and offended ruler or kin, one should not (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription). When relatives and friends are forced into danger, family wealth and one's own strength should be spared nothing; if schemes arise out of nowhere and unreasonable petitions are made, that is not what I teach. The followers of Mo Di are called hot-bellied in the world, and the companions of Yang Zhu are called cold-hearted. The heart should not be cold and the belly should not be hot, and one should take benevolence and righteousness as the measure. Formerly when I was in the Bureau of Cultural Compilation, scholars from Shandong and the court astrologers from Guanzhong disputed the calendar, more than ten of them, in confusion for several years, and the inner secretary issued a document handing it to the deliberating officials for evaluation. I held that in general what the Confucians dispute is no more than the two schools of the Four-Part calendar and the Reduced-Part calendar. The essentials of calendar images can be measured with the sun's shadow. Now testing the equinoxes, solstices and eclipses, the Four-Part (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) and the Reduced-Part is precise (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription), while the loose one claims that governance has leniency and severity and movement leads to expansion and contraction, not an error of calculation; the precise one says the sun and moon have fast and slow motion, and using methods to infer it one knows their degrees in advance, with no calamities or omens. Using (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) hides treachery and is not believed; using the precise relies on numbers and goes against the classics. Moreover, what the deliberating officials know cannot be more refined than the disputants, so judging the deep with the shallow, who would accept it? Since it is not their official duty, I hoped they would not take it on. All in the bureau, high and low, thought so. A ritual official was ashamed of this opinion, and pressed to linger on it and force an examination; his own loom was thin and he had nothing to measure with, yet he again sought out the disputants and watched for strengths and weaknesses, gathering to discuss morning and evening, laboring through cold and heat, from spring to winter, and in the end there was no decision, resentment and mockery grew, (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription). Yet he withdrew, and in the end was pressed by the inner secretary. This is the disgrace of one who loves fame and meddling.

禮雲欲不可縱志不可滿宇宙可臻其極情性不知其窮唯在少欲知止為立涯限爾先祖靖侯戒子侄曰汝家書生門戸世無冨貴自今仕宦不可過二千石婚姻勿貪勢家吾終身服膺以為名言也天地鬼神之道皆惡滿盈謙虛沖損可以免害人生衣取以覆寒露食取以塞飢乏爾形骸之內尚不得奢靡巳身之外而欲窮驕泰耶周穆王秦始皇漢武帝冨有四海貴為天子不知紀極猶自敗累況士庶乎常以為二十口家奴婢盛多不可出二十人良田十頃堂室才蔽風雨車馬僅代杖策蓄財數萬以擬吉防急速不啻此者以義散之不至此者勿非道求之仕宦稱泰不過處在中品前望五十人後顧五十人足以免恥辱無傾危也髙此者便當罷謝偃仰私庭吾近為黃門郎已可收退當時羇旅懼罹謗讟思為此計僅未暇爾自喪亂已來見因托風雲徼倖冨貴旦執機權夜隕坑谷朔歡卓鄭晦泣顔原者非十人五人也慎之哉慎之哉

The Book of Rites says: desire must not be indulged, and will must not be filled. The universe can reach its limit, but human feelings and nature do not know exhaustion; only by having few desires and knowing where to stop can one set oneself a boundary. Our ancestor Marquis Jing warned his sons and nephews: "Your family is a house of scholars, with no wealth or rank through the generations; from now on, in office do not exceed two thousand bushels, and in marriage do not covet powerful families." I have held this in my heart all my life, taking it as a famous saying. The way of Heaven, Earth, ghosts and spirits all dislike fullness, and modesty and humility can avoid harm. In life, clothing serves only to cover against cold and dew, and food only to fill hunger and lack. Even within the body one cannot be extravagant, so would one still want to exhaust arrogance and ease beyond one's person? King Mu of Zhou, the First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han, rich in the four seas and exalted as Sons of Heaven, did not know limits and still brought ruin upon themselves; how much more scholars and commoners? I have often thought that for a household of twenty mouths, servants should not exceed twenty at most, good fields ten qing, halls and rooms just enough to shelter from wind and rain, carriages and horses merely taking the place of a walking stick, and savings of tens of thousands to prepare for auspicious (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) and urgent matters. What exceeds this should be given away as righteousness requires; what falls short of this should not be sought by wrongful means. An official career can be called safe if it is in the middle grade: looking ahead there are fifty people, looking back there are fifty, enough to avoid disgrace and not be endangered. Anything higher should be resigned from, and one should rest and lie at ease in one's private court. Recently when I was Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, I could already have retired, but being a sojourner at the time and fearing to invite criticism, I wanted to do so and simply had no leisure. Since the troubles began, I have seen more than ten or five who took advantage of wind and cloud to get lucky with wealth and rank, who in the morning held the reins of power and at night fell into pits and valleys, who on the first of the month rejoiced like the Zhuo and Cheng families and on the last of the month wept like Yan Yuan and Yuan Xian. Be careful, be careful!

顔氏之先本乎鄒魯或分入齊世以儒雅為業徧在書記仲尼門徒升堂者七十有二顔氏居八人焉秦漢魏晉下逮齊梁未有用兵以取達者春秋之世顔髙顔鳴顔羽之徒皆一鬭夫爾齊有顔涿聚趙有顔防【或作聚】漢末有顔良宋有顔延之並處將軍之任竟以顛覆漢郎顔泗自稱好武更無事蹟顔忠以黨楚王受誅顔俊以據威見殺得姓已來無清操者唯此二人皆罹禍敗頃世亂離衣冠之士雖無身手或聚徒眾違棄素業徼倖戰功吾既羸薄仰惟前代故寘心於此子孫志之孔子力翹門闗不以力聞此聖證也吾見今世士大夫才有氣幹便倚頼之不能被甲執兵以衛社稷但微行險服逞弄拳腕大則陷危亡小則貽恥辱遂無免者國之興亡兵之勝敗博學所至幸討論之入帷幄之中參廟堂之上不能為主畫規以謀社稷君子所恥也然而每見文士頗讀兵書微有經畧若承平之世睥睨宮閫幸災樂禍首為逆亂詿誤善良如在兵革之時構扇反覆縱橫說誘不識存亡強相扶戴此皆陷身滅族之本也誡之哉誡之哉習五兵便乘騎上可稱武夫爾今世士大夫但不讀書即稱武夫兒乃飯囊酒甕也

The ancestors of the Yan family originated in Zou and Lu, and some branched into Qi, and for generations took Confucian refinement as their calling, as is seen throughout the records. Of the seventy-two disciples of Confucius who ascended the hall, eight were of the Yan family. From Qin, Han, Wei and Jin down to Qi and Liang, none used arms to attain prominence. In the Spring and Autumn age Yan Gao, Yan Ming, Yan Yu and the like were all no more than single fighters. In Qi there was Yan Zhuoju, in Zhao there was Yan (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) [some write "Ju"], at the end of Han there was Yan Liang, and in Song there was Yan Yanzhi, all holding the post of general, and all were overturned because of it. The Han gentleman Yan Si called himself fond of martial affairs, yet had no deeds; Yan Zhong was executed for siding with the Prince of Chu; Yan Jun was killed for occupying (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) power. Since the surname was obtained, these were the only two with no pure conduct, and both met with disaster and defeat. In recent times of disorder, scholars and officials, though without skill at arms, sometimes gathered followers, abandoned their ordinary callings, and sought luck in military merit. I am frail and thin, and looking back to earlier generations, I have set my mind on this, which my descendants should remember. Confucius's strength could lift a door bar, yet he was not known for strength, which is proof of the sage. I have seen that scholars today, as soon as they have a bit of strength, lean upon it, unable to put on armor and take up weapons to defend the altars of the state, only going about in disguise in dangerous clothes and showing off their fists and wrists, and in the great case fall into peril and ruin, and in the small leave disgrace, and in the end none escape. The rise and fall of states and the victory and defeat of armies are what the learned should reach, and I hope they will discuss them. To enter the tent of command and take part in the court, yet be unable to plan for the ruler to ensure the state, is what the noble person is ashamed of. But I have often seen men of letters who have read a little military writing and have some strategic sense; if it is in an age of peace, they glare at the palace and gloat over misfortune, lead rebellion and mislead the good; if in times of war, they stir up reversals and make speeches and lures, not knowing survival or ruin, forcibly setting up someone to support. All these are the root of bringing ruin and clan extermination on oneself. Beware, beware! One who is practiced in the five weapons and adept at riding can be called a warrior. Scholars today who merely do not read books are called warrior's sons, but they are rice sacks and wine jars.

神仙之事未可全誣但性命在天或難種植人生居世觸途牽縶防少之日既有供養之勤成立之年便増妻孥之累衣食資須公私勞役而望遁跡山林超然塵滓千萬不過一爾加以金玉之費鑪器所須益非貧士所辦學如牛毛成如麟角華山之下白骨如莾何有可遂之理考之內教縱使得仙終當有死不能出世不願汝曹専精於此若其愛養神明調防氣息慎節起臥均適寒暄禁忌食飲將餌藥物遂其所稟不為夭折者吾無間然諸藥餌法不廢世務也庾肩吾常服槐實年七十餘目看細字鬚髮猶墨鄴中朝士有單服杏仁枸杞黃精木車前得益者甚多不能一一說爾吾嘗患齒揺動欲落飲食熱冷皆苦疼痛見抱朴子牢齒之法早朝叩齒三百下為良行之數日即平愈今恆持之此輩小術無損於事亦可修也凢欲餌藥陶隠居太清方中總録甚備但須精審不可輕服近有王愛州在鄴學服松脂不得節度腸塞而死為藥所誤者甚多夫養生先須慮禍全身保性有此生然後養之勿徒養其無生也單豹飬於內而喪外張毅飬於外而喪內前賢所戒也嵇康著飬生之論而以傲物受刑石崇冀服餌之徵而以貪溺取禍往世之所述也夫生不可不惜不可茍惜涉險畏之途幹禍難之事貪慾以傷生讒慝而致死此君子之所惜哉行誠孝而見賊履仁義而得罪喪身以全家泯軀而濟國君子不咎也自亂離已來吾見名臣賢士臨難求生終為不救徒取窘辱令人憤懣矦景之亂王公將相多被戮辱妃主姬妾畧無全者唯吳郡太守張嵊建義不捷為賊所害辭色不撓及鄱陽王世子謝夫人登屋詬怒見射而斃夫人謝遵女也何賢知操行若此之難婢妾引決若此之易悲夫

The matter of immortals cannot be wholly dismissed as false, but life and death are in Heaven's hands, and perhaps it is hard to plant. Living in the world, one is bound at every turn: in youth (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) there is already the toil of supporting one's elders, and in the years of establishing oneself the burden of wife and children is added, with the needs for clothing and food and the labor of public and private service, and to hope to hide away in the mountains and forests and rise above the dust is something only one in ten million li can do. Add to this the expense of gold and jade and the equipment of furnaces, which is certainly beyond what a poor scholar can manage. Those who study are like ox hairs and those who succeed are like unicorn horns, and below Mount Hua white bones lie like grass; what reason is there to expect it? Examining the inner teachings, even if one becomes an immortal one must finally die and cannot leave the world, so I do not want you to devote yourselves to it. If one cherishes the spirit, regulates the breath (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription), is careful in rising and lying down, adjusts to cold and warmth, observes food taboos, and takes medicines, fulfilling one's own allotment so as not to die young, I have nothing more to say. The various methods of medicines and supplements do not hinder worldly affairs. Yu Jianwu often took locust seeds, and at over seventy could still see fine writing and his hair and beard were still black. Among the court officials of Ye, many benefited by taking apricot kernel, goji, Solomon's seal, atractylodes or plantain alone, too many to list. I once suffered from loose teeth that were about to fall, with pain from hot and cold food and drink; I saw the method of firming teeth in the Baopuzi: tapping the teeth three hundred times in the early morning is good. After a few days of doing it I was healed, and I keep it up constantly. Such small arts do no harm and can be practiced too. Whenever one is to take medicine, the Taiqing Formulas of Tao Yinju gives a complete record, but one must be precise and careful and must not take it lightly. Recently Wang Aizhou in Ye learned to take pine resin without moderation, and died of an intestinal blockage. Many have been misled by medicine. In nourishing life one must first consider disaster, and preserve the body and keep one's nature; having this life, only then nourish it, and do not futilely nourish what has no life. Shan Bao nourished within and perished without, Zhang Yi nourished without and perished within; these are warnings from earlier worthies. Ji Kang wrote a treatise on nourishing life yet was punished for his arrogance toward others, and Shi Chong hoped for results from taking elixirs yet drew disaster for his greed and indulgence, as earlier ages have recounted. One should not fail to cherish life, nor cling to it carelessly. To walk dangerous roads and to meddle in perilous affairs, harming life through greed or dying through slander, is what the noble person regrets. To act with sincerity and filial piety and be murdered, to practice benevolence and righteousness and be punished, to lose one's life to save the family or to give up one's body to save the state, the noble person does not blame. Since the troubles began, I have seen famous ministers and worthy scholars, facing disaster, seek to live, and in the end not be saved, gaining only distress and shame, which is infuriating. In the rebellion of Hou Jing, princes, dukes, generals and ministers were mostly killed or humiliated, and the consorts, princesses and concubines were hardly any preserved; only Zhang Sheng, governor of Wu commandery, rose in righteousness without success and was killed by the rebels, unyielding in word and expression; and Lady Xie, wife of the heir of the Prince of Poyang, climbed onto the roof and cursed them and was shot dead. Lady Xie was the daughter of Xie Zun. Why is it so hard for the worthy and wise to keep such conduct, and so easy for maids and concubines to choose death? How sad!

三世之事信而有徵家業歸心勿輕慢也其間妙音具諸經論不復於此少能贊述但懼汝曹猶未牢固略重勸誘爾原夫四塵五廕剖析形有六舟三駕運載群生萬行歸空千門入善辯才智惠豈徒七經百氏之博哉明非堯舜周孔所及也內外兩教本為一體漸極為異深淺不同內典初門設五種禁外典仁義禮智信皆與之符仁者不殺之禁也義者不盜之禁也禮者不邪之禁也智者不淫之禁也信者不妄之禁也至如畋狩軍旅燕享刑罰固民之性不可卒除就為之節使不淫濫爾歸周孔而背釋宗何其迷也俗之謗者大抵有五其一以世界外事及神化無方為迃誕也其二以吉防禍福或未報應為欺誑也其三以僧尼行業多不精純為奸慝也其四以靡費金寳減耗課役為損國也其五以縱有因縁如報善惡安能辛苦今日之甲利後世之乙乎為異人也今並釋之於下雲釋一曰夫遙大之物寧可度量今人所知莫若天地天為積氣地為積塊日為陽精月為隂精星為萬物之精儒家所安也星有墜落乃為石矣精若是石不得有光性又質重何所繫屬一星之徑大者百里一宿首尾相去數萬百里之物數萬相連闊狹從斜常不盈縮又星與日月形色同爾但以大小為其等差然而日月又當石也石既牢宻烏兔焉容石在氣中豈能獨運日月星辰若皆是氣氣體輕浮當與天合往來環轉不得錯違其間遲疾理宜一等何故日月五星二十八宿各有度數移動不均寧當氣墜忽變為石地既滓濁法應沈厚鑿土得泉乃浮水上積水之下復何有物江河百穀從何處生東流到海何為不溢歸塘尾閭渫何所到沃焦之石何氣所然潮汐去還誰所節度天漢懸指郍不散落水性就下何故上騰天地初開便有星宿九州未劃列國未分翦疆區野若為躔次封建已來誰所制割國有增減星無進退災祥禍福就中不差乾象之大列星之夥何為分野止系中國昴為旄頭匈奴之次西羌東越雕題交阯獨棄之乎以此而求迄無了者豈得以人事尋常抑必宇宙外也凡人之信唯耳與目耳目之外鹹致疑焉儒家說天自有數義或渾或葢乍宣乍安斗極所周管維所屬若所親見不容不同若所測量寧足依據何故信凡人之臆說迷大聖之玅防而欲必無恆沙世界微塵數刼也而鄒衍亦有九州之談山中人不信有魚大如木海上人不信有木大如魚漢不信膠魏文不信火布北人見錦不信有蟲食樹吐絲所成昔在江南不信有千人氊帳及來河北不信有二萬斛船皆實驗也世有祝師及諸幻術猶能履火蹈刃種瓜移井倐忽之間十變五化人力所為尚能如此何況神通感應不可思量千里寳幢百由旬座化成淨土踴出玅塔乎釋二曰夫信謗之徵有如影響耳聞眼見其事已多或乃精誠不深業縁未感時儻差闌終當獲報耳善惡之行禍福所歸九流百氏皆同此論豈獨釋典為虛妄乎項槖顔囘之短折原憲伯夷之凍餒盜跖莊蹻之福壽齊景桓魋之冨強若引之先業冀以後生更為通耳如以行善而偶鍾禍報為惡而儻值福徵便可怨尤即為欺詭則亦堯舜之雲虛周孔之不實也又欲安所依信而立身乎釋三曰開闢已來不善人多而善人少何由悉責其

The matters of the three lives are credible and have proof; commit your household's work to them and do not treat them lightly. Their wondrous purport is all in the sutras and treatises, and I will not elaborate here, but I fear you are not yet firm and will encourage you a little more. Tracing the four dusts and five aggregates, analyzing the existence of form, the six boats and three carriages carry living beings, the myriad practices return to emptiness, the thousand gates enter goodness, and the eloquence and wisdom are not merely as broad as the seven classics and hundred schools. Clearly they are beyond what Yao, Shun, the Duke of Zhou and Confucius could reach. The inner and outer teachings are originally one body, but the gradual teaching and the ultimate teaching differ, in depth and in kind. At the first gate of the inner canon five prohibitions are set up, and the outer canon's benevolence, righteousness, ritual, wisdom and trust all correspond to them: benevolence is the prohibition against killing, righteousness is the prohibition against stealing, ritual is the prohibition against wrongdoing, wisdom is the prohibition against licentiousness, and trust is the prohibition against falsehood. As for hunting, military affairs, banquets and punishments, which stem from people's nature and cannot be removed all at once, regulations are set up for them only so that they do not become excessive. To turn to the Duke of Zhou and Confucius while abandoning the Buddhist school is so deluded. The criticisms of common people come mostly to five: first, they think the matters beyond the world and the boundlessness of spiritual transformation are fantastic; second, they think the retribution of fortune and misfortune (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription), which does not always come, is deceit; third, they think the conduct of monks and nuns is mostly impure and treacherous; fourth, they think the lavish spending on gold and treasures and the reduction of taxes and labor harms the state; fifth, they think that even if there are causes and conditions with retribution for good and evil, how can today's A toil to benefit a later B, which treats a person as if he were another person. I now explain all of them below. To explain the first: how can what is distant and vast be measured? What people know today is nothing greater than Heaven and Earth: Heaven is accumulated qi, Earth is accumulated lumps, the sun is the essence of yang, the moon is the essence of yin, and the stars are the essence of the myriad things, which is what the Confucians are comfortable with. When stars fall they become stones. If the essence is stone, it should not have light; and since the substance is heavy, what holds it up? A star can be a hundred li in diameter, and from head to tail a constellation spans tens of thousands; things a hundred li wide strung together over tens of thousands, and their breadth, narrowness, tilt and straightness are always neither more nor less. Moreover the stars have the same form and color as the sun and moon, and are graded only by size, so the sun and moon should be stones too. If stone is solid and dense, how can the crow and the hare find room in it? How could a stone move alone through qi? If sun, moon and stars are all qi, a body of qi is light and floating and should join the sky, and their comings and goings and circling should not err, with the pace between them equal; why do the sun, moon, five planets and twenty-eight lodges each have their own degrees and move unevenly? Could qi fall and suddenly become stone? Since the earth is dregs and turbid, by reason it should sink thick and heavy; when one digs the soil one gets spring water, which means it floats on water; and what is below the accumulated water? From where are the rivers and the hundred valleys born? Flowing east to the sea, why does it not overflow? Where does the drainage of the great sink go? By what qi is the Wo Jiao stone burned? Who regulates the ebb and flow of the tides? The Milky Way hangs up; why does it not scatter? Water's nature is to go down; why does it rise? When Heaven and Earth first opened, the stars and lodges already existed; before the nine regions were drawn and before the states were divided, how were the boundaries and stages fixed? Since feudal times who divided them? States increased and decreased, while the stars neither advanced nor retreated, and within them omens and disasters were not wrong. So vast is the sky's image and so many are the stars; why are the field divisions tied only to China? The Pleiades is the stage of the Xiongnu; are the Western Qiang, the Eastern Yue, the tattooed foreheads and the Jiaozhi alone abandoned? If one follows this to seek, there is no end to this day; how can one use the ordinary measure of human affairs to limit what lies beyond the universe? The only things ordinary people trust are their ears and eyes, and beyond the ears and eyes they all doubt. The Confucians say Heaven has several accounts, either the spherical heaven or the canopy heaven, now the open night theory, now the settled heaven; where the pole star circles and where the guiding cords attach, if they were personally seen there could be no disagreement, and if they were measured, how would that be enough to rely on? Why believe the guesses of ordinary people and be confused about the wonders of the great sage, yet insist there are definitely no worlds like the sands of the Ganges and kalpas like particles of dust? Yet Zou Yan too spoke of the nine regions. Mountain people do not believe there are fish as big as trees, and sea people do not believe there are trees as big as fish. The Han (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) did not believe (a rare character in the base text, lost in transcription) glue, Emperor Wen of Wei did not believe in asbestos cloth, and northerners seeing brocade did not believe it was made from silk spit by insects eating trees. Formerly in Jiangnan I did not believe there were felt tents for a thousand people, and when I came to Hebei I did not believe there were boats of twenty thousand hu; these were all verified. In the world there are incantation masters and various illusion arts, who can walk on fire and tread on blades, plant melons and move wells, changing ten times and transforming five times in an instant; if human power can do this, how much more so spiritual powers and responses beyond reckoning, thousand-li precious banners, hundred-yojana seats, transforming into pure lands, and sudden emergence of wondrous stupas? To explain the second: the verification of belief and slander is like shadow and echo, and much has been heard and seen. Perhaps sincerity is not deep or karmic conditions have not yet been stirred, so at times it goes awry, but in the end one will receive retribution. Good and bad conduct is where fortune and misfortune return, and the nine schools and hundred masters all share this theory; why would only the Buddhist canon be false? The early deaths of Xiang Tuo and Yan Hui, the cold and hunger of Yuan Xian and Boyi, the good fortune and long life of Robber Zhi and Zhuang Qiao, the wealth and power of Duke Jing of Qi and Huan Tui, if one traces them to past deeds and looks to future lives, make even more sense. If, because one did good and happened to meet misfortune or did evil and happened to meet good omens, one can complain and think it a deceit, then Yao and Shun are empty and the Duke of Zhou and Confucius are not real; then what is there to rely on in establishing oneself? To explain the third: since heaven and earth opened, unkind people have been many and good people few; how can one demand that all be