Jin Si Lu (近思錄) · Volume 8

法立而能守則德可久業可大鄭聲佞人能使為邦者喪其所守故放逺之【鄭聲者鄭國之俗淫邪其作之詩著於樂者聲皆淫靡佞人者口給面諛之人也夫子既告顔子以四代之禮樂而必欲放鄭聲逺佞人蓋二者蕩心之原敗法亂紀之要也】橫渠先生荅範巽之書曰朝廷以道學政術為二事此正自古之可憂者巽之謂孔孟可作將推其所得而施諸天下邪將以其所不為而強施之於天下歟【道學政術分為兩途則學與政皆非矣使孔孟復生必將推其所得之道措之天下必不以政術非吾所事而姑以是強施之天下也】大都君相以父母天下為王道不能推父母之心於百姓謂之王道可乎所謂父母之心非徒見於言必須視四海之民如己之子設使四海之內皆為己之子則講治之術必不為秦漢之少恩必不為五霸之假名【視民猶子則所以撫摩涵育敎誨輔翼之者何所不盡秦漢慘刻少恩五霸假義圖利皆無誠愛之心者也】巽之為朝廷言人不足與適政不足與間能使吾君愛天下之人如赤子則治德必日新人之進者必良士帝王之道不必改途而成學與政不殊心而得矣【文集適過也間非也用人之非不足過謫行政之失不足非間唯能愛民如赤子懇惻切至則治德將日新何憂為政之失所任皆良士何憂用人之非帝王之道即今日之政事非有兩途今日之政術即平日之學問非有二心也】

"If laws are established and can be kept, then virtue can last and enterprise can grow great. The sounds of Zheng and glib flatterers can make one who governs a state lose what he keeps, so one should banish the former and keep the latter at a distance." [The sounds of Zheng are the lewd and wicked customs of the state of Zheng; the poems composed there and set to music all had licentious, decadent tones. Glib flatterers are people quick with their mouths and flattering to one's face. The Master had told Yan Hui about the rites and music of four dynasties, and yet insisted on banishing the sounds of Zheng and keeping flatterers at a distance, since these two are the source of a dissolute mind and the key to ruined laws and disordered norms.] Master Hengqu wrote in reply to Fan Xunzhi: "The court treats the study of the Way and the art of government as two separate things, and this is what has been a cause for concern since antiquity. Xunzhi asked: if Confucius and Mencius could rise again, would they extend what they had attained and apply it to the world, or would they force on the world what they themselves would not do?" [If the study of the Way and the art of government are divided into two paths, then neither study nor government is right. If Confucius and Mencius lived again, they would certainly extend the Way they had attained and set it down in the world, and certainly would not, on the ground that the art of government was not their business, force it on the world for the time being.] "In general, rulers and chief ministers take being a parent to the world as the kingly way. If they cannot extend a parent's heart to the common people, can it be called the kingly way? The so-called parent's heart is not merely shown in words; one must regard the people within the four seas as one's own children. Suppose all within the four seas were one's own children; then in discussing the arts of governing one would surely not be as stingy in kindness as Qin and Han, nor as false in name as the Five Hegemons." [If one regards the people as one's children, then in comforting, nurturing, teaching and assisting them, what would one fail to do? Qin and Han were harsh and meager in kindness; the Five Hegemons borrowed righteousness for profit; none had a heart of sincere love.] "Xunzhi told the court: it is not worth faulting individual men, nor worth criticizing individual policies; if only one can make our ruler love the people of the world as infants, then the virtue of governing will be renewed day by day, those who are promoted will certainly be good men, the way of the emperors and kings will be achieved without changing course, and learning and government will be attained with no divide of heart." [From the Collected Writings. 'Fault' means to blame, and 'criticize' means to censure. Wrong in employing men is not worth blaming, and failure in carrying out policy is not worth censuring. Only if one can love the people like infants, earnestly and sincerely, will the virtue of governing be renewed daily; why worry about the failures of policy? If those appointed are all good men, why worry about wrong in employing men? The way of emperors and kings is today's government and has no separate path; today's art of government is the daily learning and has no separate heart.]

此卷論治法蓋治本雖立而治具不容缺禮樂刑政有一之未備未足以成極治之功也

This fascicle discusses methods of governing. Though the root of governing is established, the instruments of governing cannot be lacking; if any of ritual, music, punishment or government is incomplete, one cannot yet achieve the merit of the highest order.

濓溪先生曰古聖王制禮法修敎化三綱正九疇敘百姓太和萬物鹹若【朱子曰綱網上大綱也三綱者夫為妻綱父為子綱君為臣綱也疇類也九疇見洪範若順也此所謂理而後和也】乃作樂以宣八風之氣以平天下之情【朱子曰八音以宣八方之風見國語宣所以達其理之分平所以節其和之流】故樂聲淡而不傷和而不淫入其耳感其心莫不淡且和焉淡則欲心平和則躁心釋【朱子曰淡者禮之發和者樂之為先淡後和亦主靜之意也然古聖賢之論樂曰和而已此所謂淡蓋以今樂形之而後見其本於莊敬齊肅之意耳】優柔平中德之盛也天下化中治之至也是謂道配天地古之極也【朱子曰欲心平故平中躁心釋故優柔言聖人作樂功化之盛如此或雲化中當作化成】後世禮法不修政刑苛紊縱慾敗度下民困苦謂古樂不足聽也代變新聲妖淫愁怨導欲増悲不能自止故有賊君棄父輕生敗倫不可禁者矣【朱子曰縱慾敗度故其聲不淡而妖淫政苛民困故其聲不和而愁怨妖淫故導欲而至於輕生敗倫愁怨故増悲而至於賊君棄父】嗚呼樂者古以平心今以助欲古以宣化今以長怨【朱子曰古今之異淡與不淡和與不和而已】不復古禮不變今樂而欲至治者逺哉【通書朱子曰復古禮然後可以變今樂】

Master Lianxi said: "The ancient sage kings made rites and laws and cultivated instruction and transformation; the three bonds were set right and the nine categories put in order, the common people were in great harmony, and all things were in accord. [Note by Zhu Xi: The bond is the main rope of a net. The three bonds: the husband is the bond of the wife, the father is the bond of the son, and the ruler is the bond of the minister. Category means kind; the nine categories appear in the Great Plan. 'In accord' means smooth. This is what is meant by 'principle, and then harmony.'] Then they made music to spread the qi of the eight winds and to level the feelings of the world. [Note by Zhu Xi: The eight kinds of instruments spread the winds of the eight directions, as in the Discourses of the States. Spreading is what makes the division of principle reach through; leveling is what regulates the flow of harmony.] Therefore the sound of the music was mild yet not injurious, harmonious yet not licentious; entering the ear and moving the heart, none failed to be mild and harmonious. Mildness calms the desiring mind, and harmony releases the restless mind. [Note by Zhu Xi: Mildness comes from ritual, and harmony is the work of music. Mildness first and harmony afterward is also the idea of making stillness the master. Yet when the ancient sages and worthies discussed music they spoke only of harmony; here the text speaks of mildness, which is to show by contrast with today's music that its root lies in solemn reverence and gravity.] Gentle, easy and balanced is the fullness of virtue; the world transformed to the mean is the utmost of order. This is called a Way matching Heaven and Earth, the supreme standard of antiquity. [Note by Zhu Xi: The desiring mind being calmed is what makes it balanced; the restless mind being released is what makes it gentle and easy. This says that the achievement of the sages in making music and transforming people was so great. Some say 'transformed to the mean' should read 'transformed to completion.'] In later ages ritual and law were not cultivated, government and punishment became harsh and disordered, people indulged desire and ruined measure, and the common people were distressed. They said the ancient music was not worth hearing, and changed it for new sounds, seductive, resentful and sorrowful, leading desire on and adding to grief until they could not stop, and so there came those who killed their rulers and abandoned their fathers, made light of life and destroyed human relations, beyond any prohibition. [Note by Zhu Xi: Because they indulged desire and ruined measure, their music was not mild but seductive; because government was harsh and the people distressed, their music was not harmonious but resentful. Seductiveness leads desire on until people make light of life and destroy human relations; resentment adds to grief until people kill their rulers and abandon their fathers.] Alas! Music was in ancient times used to level the heart, and now is used to aid desire; in ancient times it was used to spread transformation, and now it is used to increase resentment. [Note by Zhu Xi: The difference between ancient and present lies only in whether it is mild or not, and whether it is harmonious or not.] To hope for supreme order without restoring ancient ritual or changing present music is far from the mark." [From the Penetrating the Book of Changes. Note by Zhu Xi: Only by restoring ancient ritual can one then change present music.]

明道先生言於朝曰治天下以正風俗得賢才為本宜先禮命近侍賢儒及百執事悉心推訪有德業充備足為師表者其次有篤志好學材良行修者延聘敦遣萃於京師俾朝夕相與講明正學其道必本於人倫明乎物理【大而人倫微而物理皆道之體也】其教自小學灑掃應對以往修其孝弟忠信周旋禮樂其所以誘掖激勵漸摩成就之道皆有節序【誘掖引而進之激勵作而興之漸摩則有漸成就則周足】其要在於擇善修身至於化成天下自鄉人而可至於聖人之道【擇善者致知格物也修身者誠意正心修身也化成天下者齊家治國平天下也鄉人鄉里之常人孟子曰我猶未免為鄉人是也】其學行皆中於是者為成德取材識明達可進於善者使日受其業【所學所行中乎是者謂擇善修身足以化成天下蓋成德之士也則又取夫材識明達可與適道者使受學於成德之人】擇其學明德尊者為太學之師次以分敎天下之學【敎成使為學官推敎法於天下】擇士入學縣升之州州賓興於太學聚而敎之歲論其賢者能者於朝【此仿周禮鄉大夫賓興司馬論士之制】凡選士之法皆以性行端潔居家孝弟有亷恥禮遜通明學業曉達治道者【文集下同以此選士則通於理而適於用本於身而及於天下其與後世以文詞記誦取士者有間矣】

Master Mingdao spoke at court, saying: "Governing the world takes correcting customs and obtaining worthy talents as its root. One should first, with ritual and commission, have the close attendants, worthy Confucians and the many officials search and inquire with all their hearts: those whose virtue and achievement are complete enough to be teachers and models, and next those who are firm in purpose and love learning, of good talent and cultivated conduct, should be invited and sent for and gathered in the capital, so that they may morning and evening discuss and clarify correct learning together. Its Way must be rooted in human relations and clear about the principles of things. [The great is human relations and the subtle is the principles of things; both are the substance of the Way.] Its teaching begins from the Lesser Learning of sweeping, answering and replying, and goes on to cultivating filial piety, fraternal duty, loyalty and trustworthiness and practicing ritual and music in their rounds. The ways of leading, encouraging, gradually refining and bringing to completion all have their order and sequence. [To lead is to guide forward, to encourage is to rouse and raise up, to refine gradually is to proceed step by step, and to bring to completion is to be thorough and sufficient.] The essential is in choosing the good and cultivating oneself, up to transforming the world; from the common villager one can arrive at the Way of the sage. [Choosing the good is extending knowledge and investigating things; cultivating oneself is making intentions sincere, rectifying the mind and cultivating the person; transforming the world is regulating the family, governing the state and bringing peace to the world. A 'villager' is an ordinary person of the village. Mencius's words 'I am still not free from being a villager' mean this.] Those whose learning and conduct all accord with this are men of completed virtue; those who are clear and intelligent in talent and understanding and can advance in the good are taken in and made to receive their instruction daily. [Those whose learning and conduct accord with this are those who, by choosing the good and cultivating themselves, are enough to transform the world, men of completed virtue; one then takes those clear in talent and understanding who can proceed with them toward the Way and has them study under the men of completed virtue.] Choose those whose learning is clear and virtue honored as teachers of the Imperial Academy, and next have them divide up to teach the schools of the world. [Once their teaching is accomplished, make them school officials and spread their teaching method throughout the world.] Select gentlemen to enter the schools: from the county they are advanced to the prefecture, and from the prefecture they are honored and sent up to the Imperial Academy, gathered and taught there, and each year the worthy and able among them are discussed at court. [This follows the system of the Rites of Zhou in which the district officers honored and sent up the worthy, and the minister of war discussed the gentlemen.] In every method of selecting gentlemen, all choose those whose nature and conduct are upright and pure, who at home show filial and fraternal duty, who have integrity, shame, ritual and yielding, who thoroughly understand their studies and are versed in the way of governance." [What follows is all from the Collected Writings. Selecting gentlemen in this way, they will understand principle and be fit for use, be rooted in their own persons and reach the whole world, unlike later ages that select gentlemen by literary style and rote memory.]

明道先生論十事一曰師傅【古者自天子達於庶人必須師友以成就其德業今師傅之職不修友臣之義未著所以尊德樂善之風未成】二曰六官【天地四時之官歴二帝三王未之或改今官秩淆亂職業廢弛太平之治所以未至】三曰經界【制民常產使之厚生則經界不可不正井地不可不均今富者跨州縣而莫之止貧者流離餓殍而莫之恤幸民雖多而衣食不足者蓋無紀極生齒日益繁而不為之制則衣食日蹙轉死日多】四曰鄉黨【古者政敎始乎鄉里其法起於比閭族黨州鄉酇遂以相聨屬統治故民相安而親睦刑法鮮犯亷恥易格】五曰貢士【庠序所以明人倫化成天下今師學廢而道德不一鄉射亡而禮義不興貢士不本於鄉里而行實不修秀民不養於學校而人材多廢】六曰兵役【古者府史胥徒受祿公上而兵農未始判也今驕兵耗匱國力禁衛之外不漸歸之農則將貽深慮府史胥徒之役毒遍天下不更其制則未免大患】七曰民食【古者民必有九年之食今天下耕之者少食之者眾地力不盡人功不勤固宜漸從古制均田務農公私交為儲粟之法以為凶歲之備】八曰四民【古者四民各有常職而農者十居八九故衣食易給今京師浮民數逾百萬此在酌古變今均多恤寡漸為之業以救之耳】九曰山澤【聖人理物山虞澤衡各有常禁故萬物阜豐而財用不乏今五官不修六府不治用之無節取之不時惟修虞衡之職使長養之則有變通長久之勢】十曰分數【古者冠昏喪祭車服器用等差分別莫敢逾僭故財用易給而民有常心今禮制不足以檢飭人情名數不足以旌別貴賤奸詐攘奪人人求厭其欲此爭亂之道也○以上十條並節錄本文】其言曰無古今無治亂如生民之理有窮則聖王之法可改後世能盡其道則大治或用其偏則小康此歴代彰灼著明之效也苟或徒知泥古而不能施之於今姑欲徇名而遂廢其實此則陋儒之見何足以論治道哉然儻謂今人之情皆已異於古先王之跡不可復於今趣便目前不務高逺則亦恐非大有為之論而未足以濟當今之極弊也【泥古而不度今之冝徇復古之名而失其實此固陋儒之見然遂謂先王治法不可用於今苟且卑陋此又世俗之淺識豈足以大有為而拯極弊哉】

Master Mingdao discussed ten matters. First, Teachers and Tutors. [In ancient times, from the Son of Heaven down to commoners, all needed teachers and friends to complete their virtue and work. Now the office of teachers and tutors is not cultivated, and the principle of friend-ministers has not been made plain, so the custom of honoring virtue and delighting in goodness has not formed.] Second, the Six Offices. [The offices of Heaven and Earth and the four seasons passed through the Two Emperors and Three Kings without being changed. Now official ranks are confused and duties neglected, and so the order of great peace has not arrived.] Third, Land Boundaries. [To establish a constant livelihood for the people and let them live well, the land boundaries must be correct and the well-field allotments equal. Now the rich stretch across prefectures and counties without restraint, while the poor wander about starving and none pities them. Though there are many fortunate people, those without enough food and clothing are beyond count. With the population increasing daily and no regulation, food and clothing shrink daily and more people die in ditches.] Fourth, Village Organization. [In ancient times government and instruction began in the villages, and the system of linking and governing through the bi, lü, zu, dang, zhou, xiang, zan and sui units made the people live in peace and harmony, rarely violate the law, and easily reach integrity and shame.] Fifth, Recommending Gentlemen. [Schools exist to make clear human relations and transform the world. Now teaching and study are abandoned and the Way and virtue are not united, the village archery rite has vanished and ritual and righteousness are not raised, recommended gentlemen are not rooted in their villages and their conduct is not cultivated, and the best of the people are not nurtured in schools so that talents are mostly wasted.] Sixth, Military Service. [In ancient times the clerks, assistants and attendants received salaries from the state, and soldiers and farmers were never separated. Now arrogant soldiers drain the state's strength, and unless apart from the palace guards they are gradually returned to farming there will be deep trouble; the harm of clerks, assistants and attendants spreads through the world, and unless the system is changed there will be great calamity.] Seventh, People's Food. [In ancient times the people had to have nine years of grain. Now in the world those who farm are few and those who eat are many, the strength of the land is not fully used and human effort is not diligent; one should gradually follow the ancient system, equalize land, devote effort to farming, and set up a method for public and private grain storage to prepare for years of famine.] Eighth, Four Classes of People. [In ancient times the four classes each had constant occupations and farmers made up eight or nine in ten, so food and clothing were easily supplied. Now idle people in the capital number over a million; the remedy lies in weighing the ancient against the present, equalizing the many and pitying the few, and gradually providing them with occupations to save them.] Ninth, Mountains and Marshes. [In managing things the sages had foresters for the mountains and wardens for the marshes, each with constant prohibitions, so the myriad things were abundant and resources never lacking. Now the five offices are not cultivated and the six treasuries are not managed, use has no restraint and gathering is out of season; only by restoring the offices of foresters and wardens so as to let things grow can one have a lasting and adaptable situation.] Tenth, Grades and Numbers. [In ancient times, in capping, marriage, mourning and sacrifice, and in carriages, dress and utensils, there were distinctions of grade and none dared exceed their rank, so resources were easily supplied and the people had constant hearts. Now ritual regulations are not enough to check people's feelings, and names and numbers are not enough to mark off the noble from the lowly; with fraud and seizure, everyone seeks to satisfy his desires, and this is the road to strife and disorder. The above ten items are abridged from the original text.] He said: "Neither ancient nor modern, neither order nor disorder: if the principle of the living people were exhausted, then the sage kings' laws could be changed. Later ages that fully realized their Way achieved great order, and those who used only part of it achieved modest prosperity; this is the clear and evident effect through the dynasties. If someone merely knows to cling to antiquity and cannot apply it to the present, or wishes to follow the name and thereby abandons the substance, that is the view of a narrow-minded Confucian, and what is worth discussing about governing in it? But if one says that people's feelings today are all different from those of old, that the traces of the former kings cannot be restored in the present, and pursues what is convenient before one's eyes without striving for the lofty and far, I fear this too is not the argument of great accomplishment and is not enough to rescue the extreme abuses of the present." [To cling to antiquity without weighing what is fitting now, or to chase the name of restoring antiquity and lose its substance, is indeed the view of a narrow-minded Confucian; but to say that the former kings' methods of governing cannot be used now, and to be careless and mean, is the shallow view of common custom, which is not enough to do great things and rescue extreme abuses.]

伊川先生上疏【先生除崇正殿說書首上此疏】曰三代之時人君必有師傅保之官師道之敎訓【道開誘也】傅傅之德義【傅附益也】保保其身體【保安全也】後世作事無本知求治而不知正君知規過而不知養徳【君正則治可舉德盛則過自消正君養德者本也求治規過者末也】傅德義之道固已疎矣保身體之法復無聞焉【後世徒存保傅之名而無其職不言師者今日經筵之官則道之教訓之事】臣以為傅德義者在乎防見聞之非節嗜好之過【非禮之事不接於耳目嗜好之私不溺乎心術則德義進矣】保身體者在乎適起居之宜存畏愼之心【外適起居之宜內存畏謹之念則心神莊肅氣體和平矣】今旣不設保傅之官則此責皆在經筵欲乞皇帝在宮中言動服食皆使經筵官知之【官中言動服食之間經筵官皆得與聞之則深宮燕私之時無異於經筵講誦之際對宦官宮妾之頃猶若師保之臨乎前也】有翦桐之戲則隨事箴規違持養之方則應時諫止【文集○史記成王與叔虞戲削桐葉為珪曰以此封若史佚曰天子無戲言遂請封叔虞於唐本注遺書又云某嘗進言欲令上於一日之中親賢士大夫之時多親宦官宮人之時少所以涵養氣質薫陶德性】

Master Yichuan submitted a memorial. [When the Master was appointed Lecturer at the Chongzheng Hall (the base text has a variant reading here), this was his first memorial.] He said: "In the Three Dynasties a ruler always had the offices of teacher, tutor and protector: the teacher instructs him in the Way [the Way means opening and guiding]; the tutor supports him in virtue and righteousness [to support is to add to]; the protector guards his body [to protect is to keep safe]. In later ages things were done without a root: they knew to seek order but did not know to correct the ruler, knew to remonstrate against faults but did not know to nurture virtue. [If the ruler is rectified then order can be raised up; if virtue is full then faults vanish of themselves. Correcting the ruler and nurturing virtue is the root; seeking order and remonstrating against faults is the branch.] The way of supporting him in virtue and righteousness has long been neglected, and the method of guarding his body is no longer heard of. [Later ages preserved only the names of tutor and protector without their duties. The office of teacher is not mentioned because today's lecture officers of the classics banquet are the ones who do the work of instructing in the Way.] I submit that supporting virtue and righteousness lies in guarding against wrongs in what is seen and heard and restraining excesses of liking and fondness; [If improper things do not reach the ear and eye, and private fondnesses do not sink into the mind, virtue and righteousness advance.] guarding the body lies in adapting daily living to what is fitting and keeping a mind of caution and care. [Outwardly adapting living to what is fitting, inwardly keeping a thought of caution and care, the mind and spirit will be solemn and the qi and body at peace.] Now that offices of tutor and protector are not established, this responsibility falls wholly on the lecturers of the classics banquet. I beg that the Emperor's speech, actions, dress and food within the palace all be made known to the classics lecturers. [If the classics lecturers are to know of the Emperor's speech, action, dress and food in the palace, then even in the deep palace at leisure there is no difference from the time of the classics lectures, and even in the moments facing eunuchs and palace women he will feel as if teachers and protectors stand before him.] If he plays at cutting paulownia leaves, they will admonish him as the case arises; if he departs from the method of maintaining himself, they will remonstrate and stop him at the time." [From the Collected Writings. The Records of the Grand Historian say: King Cheng was playing with Shu Yu and cut a paulownia leaf into a jade tablet, saying 'I will enfeoff you with this.' Shi Yi said 'The Son of Heaven has no idle words,' and so asked that Shu Yu be enfeoffed at Tang. The original note in the Surviving Writings also says: I once offered advice, wishing that the sovereign would, within a day, spend more time near worthy gentlemen and officials and less near eunuchs and palace women, so as to nurture his temperament and refine his virtue.]

伊川先生看詳三學條制雲舊制公私試補蓋無虛月學校禮義相先之地而月使之爭殊非敎養之道請改試為課有所未至則學官召而敎之更不考定高下【設敎之道禮遜為先】制尊賢堂以延天下道德之士及置待賓吏師齋立檢察士人行檢等法【尊賢謂道德可矜式者待賓謂行能可賓敬者吏師通於治道可為吏之師法也三者皆才德過人首延禮之使士人知所向慕次乃立檢察士行之法】又云自元豐後設利誘之法増國學解額至五百人來者奔湊舍父母之養忘骨肉之愛往來道路旅寓他土人心日偷士風日薄【偷苟得也薄謂薄於人倫】今欲量留一百人餘四百人分在州郡解額窄處自然士人各安鄉土養其孝愛之心息其奔趨流浪之志風俗亦當稍厚又云三舍升補之法皆案文責跡有司之事非庠序育材掄秀之道【舊制以不犯罰為行試在高等為藝按其文而不考其實責其跡而不察其心敎之者非育才之道取之者非掄秀之法】蓋朝廷授法必達乎下長官守法而不得有為是以事成於下而下得以制其上此後世所以不治也【朝廷之法直達於下中間更不任人故長吏拘於法而不得自任在下者反得執法以取必於上後世不治皆此之由非獨庠序而已】或曰長貳得人則善矣或非其人不若防閒詳密可循守也殊不知先王制法待人而行未聞立不得人之法也苟長貳非人不知敎育之道徒守虛文密法果足以成人材乎【或者謂任人則人不能保其皆善任法則法猶可守也殊不知法待人而後行苟不得人則雖有密法而無益於成才苟得其人則無待於密法而法之密反害其成才之道故不若略文法而專責任也】

Master Yichuan, examining in detail the regulations of the Three Schools, said: "Under the old system, public and private examinations for promotion were held in practically every month. The schools are a place where ritual and righteousness take precedence, and to make them compete every month is quite contrary to the way of teaching and nurture. I request that examinations be changed into assignments, so that if there is anything that students have not reached, the school officials call them and teach them, and no longer grade them high or low." [In establishing teaching, ritual and yielding come first.] "Set up a Hall for Honoring the Worthy to invite men of the Way and virtue from across the world, and establish halls for Receiving Guests and Teachers of Officials, and set up methods for inspecting the conduct of scholars." ['Honoring the worthy' refers to those whose virtue and Way can be taken as a model; 'receiving guests' refers to those whose conduct and ability make them fit to be received with respect; 'teachers of officials' are those who are versed in the way of governing and can be models for officials. All three have talent and virtue beyond others; first invite and honor them with ritual so that scholars know whom to look up to, and only after that set up methods for inspecting scholars' conduct.] He also said: "Since the Yuanfeng period, a method of luring by profit was set up and the quota for the Imperial Academy was raised to five hundred; those who came rushed in, abandoned the care of their parents and forgot the love of their kin, traveling the roads and lodging in other lands, so people's hearts grow daily more careless and the manners of scholars daily thinner." ['Careless' means getting things carelessly; 'thinner' means thin in human relations.] "Now I would keep a hundred places and distribute the other four hundred to prefectures and commanderies where the quotas are narrow, so that scholars will naturally settle in their native lands, nurture hearts of filial love, put an end to their will to rush and wander, and customs too will become somewhat thicker." He also said: "The method of promoting from the Three Halls according to documents and checking records is the work of officials, not the way of schools in nurturing talent and selecting the outstanding." [Under the old system, going without penalty counted as conduct, and standing in a high class in examinations counted as skill; it went by writing and did not examine reality, held people to traces and did not examine the heart. Those who teach in this way are not nurturing talent, and those who select in this way are not selecting the outstanding.] "The court gives laws that must reach down to the lower levels, and the senior officials keep the laws and cannot act on their own initiative, so affairs are completed below and those below can then control those above. This is why later ages are not well governed." [The court's laws go straight down, with no room for individual judgment in between, so senior officials are bound by the law and cannot act on their own, while those below can instead hold to the law and force their will on those above. Later ages' failure of governance all comes from this, not only in the schools.] "Some say: when the head and deputy are the right men, it is good; if they are not, it is better to have strict, detailed precautions that can be followed. They do not know that the former kings made laws that relied on men to be carried out, and I have never heard of setting up laws for the case where there are no right men. If the head and deputy are not the right men and do not know the way of teaching, merely keeping empty forms and dense laws, can that truly bring people to completion?" [Some say that to rely on men means that one cannot guarantee that all are good, while to rely on law means that law can still be kept. They do not know that law is carried out only through men: if one does not get the right men, even with dense laws there is no benefit to forming talent; if one gets the right men, there is no need for dense laws, and the density of the law instead harms the way of forming talent. So it is better to simplify rules and concentrate on responsibility.]

明道先生行狀雲先生為澤州晉城令民以事至邑者必告之以孝弟忠信入所以事父兄出所以事長上【敎民孝弟為政先務】度鄉村逺近為伍保使之力役相助患難相恤而奸偽無所容【五家為伍五伍為保伍謂相參比也保謂相保任也】凡孤防殘廢者責之親戚鄉黨使無失所行旅出於其塗者疾病皆有所養【孤窮而無依殘廢而不全羇旅而疾病者皆窮民無告使之各得所養】諸鄉皆有校暇時親至召父老與之語兒童所讀書親為正句讀敎者不善則為易置擇子弟之秀者聚而敎之鄉民為社防為立科條旌別善惡使有勸有恥【觀此則養民善俗平易忠厚之政可知矣】

The Account of Master Mingdao's Conduct says: When the Master was magistrate of Jincheng in Zezhou, whenever people came to the town on business he always taught them filial piety, fraternal duty, loyalty and trustworthiness: at home to serve fathers and elder brothers, abroad to serve elders and superiors. [Teaching the people filial and fraternal duty is the first business of government.] He divided the villages into groups of five and guarantee units according to distance, so that they would help each other with labor and relieve each other in trouble, and deceit and falsehood had no place to hide. [Five households make a group, and five groups make a guarantee unit. A group is for mutual reference, and a guarantee unit is for mutual guarantee.] For orphans, the solitary, the maimed and the disabled, he held their relatives and neighbors responsible so that none would lose their place; travelers passing along the roads were all cared for when ill. [The orphaned and destitute with no one to rely on, the maimed and incomplete, and travelers who were sick, are all destitute people with no one to appeal to, and he saw that each had care.] Every village had a school; in his spare time he went in person, called the elders and talked with them; for books the children read, he personally corrected the punctuation; if a teacher was poor he replaced him; he picked out the outstanding sons and brothers and gathered them to teach. For the village societies of the people he set up regulations, praised the good and marked off the bad, so that there was encouragement and shame. [From this one can see his government of nurturing the people and improving customs, gentle, plain and sincere.]

萃王假有廟伊川易傳曰群生至眾也而可一其歸仰人心莫知其鄉也而能致其誠敬鬼神之不可度也而能致其來格天下萃合人心總攝眾志之道非一其至大莫過於宗廟故王者萃天下之道至於有廟則萃道之至也【假至也王者至於有廟則萃道之盛也蓋群生向背不齊惟於鬼神則歸仰如一人心出入無時惟奉鬼神則誠敬自盡言人心之渙散每萃於祭享也鬼神視之而弗見聽之而弗聞然齊明盛服以承祭祀則洋洋如在可致來格言鬼神之遊散亦每萃於宗廟也】祭祀之報本於人心聖人制禮以成其德耳故豺獺能祭其性然也【易傳】古者戍役再期而還今年春暮行明年夏代者至復留備秋至過十一月而歸又明年仲春遣次戍者每秋與冬初兩番戍者皆在疆圉乃今之防秋也【經說○論采薇遣戍役北人畏暑耐寒又秋氣折膠則弓弩可用故秋冬易為侵暴每留戍以防之】

"Cui (Gathering): the king comes to the temple." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "The multitude of living beings is very great, yet they can be made to look up to one center; people's minds do not know where to turn, yet they can be brought to sincerity and reverence; the spirits cannot be fathomed, yet they can be made to come. The ways of gathering the hearts of the world and drawing together the many wills are not one, but the greatest of them is none other than the ancestral temple. So when a true king's way of gathering the world reaches the point of having a temple, that is the utmost of the way of gathering." [To come means to arrive. When a true king comes to the point of having a temple, then the way of gathering is at its fullest. The many living beings turn toward and away from things unequally, but toward the spirits they look up as one; people's minds go in and out without fixed time, but in serving the spirits their sincerity and reverence are fully exercised: this says that people's scattered hearts are gathered at sacrifice. The spirits are looked at and not seen, listened to and not heard, yet when one fasts and dresses in splendor to receive the sacrifice, they seem to be present and can be made to come: this says that the wandering spirits too are gathered at the ancestral temple.] "Sacrifice's repaying of the root is in the human heart; the sage makes rites merely to complete this virtue. So even jackals and otters can sacrifice; it is their nature." [From the Commentary on the Changes.] "In ancient times garrison service lasted two years and then they returned: one set left at the end of this spring, and the next year's replacements arrived in summer, and the garrison still remained to guard against autumn, going home after the eleventh month; the next year in mid-spring the next set was sent. Each autumn and early winter, two sets of garrison troops were both on the frontier; this is what is now called guarding against autumn raids." [From the Explanations of the Classics. It discusses the poem Cai Wei and the sending of garrison troops. Northerners fear the heat and endure cold, and in autumn the air hardens the glue so bows and crossbows can be used, so it is easy for them to raid in autumn and winter; so troops were kept garrisoned to guard against them.]

聖人無一事不順天時故至日閉闗【遺書下同○復卦彖傳說見第四卷】韓信多多益辦只是分數明【分者管轄階級之分數者行伍多寡之數分數明則上下相臨統紀不紊所御者愈眾而所操者常寡】

"The sages never did a single thing that did not follow the seasons of Heaven, so at the solstice they closed the gates." [What follows is all from the Surviving Writings. The Commentary on the Judgment of Fu (Return) is explained in the fourth fascicle.] "Han Xin's 'the more the better' was only because his divisions and numbers were clear." [Division is the division of ranks of command, and number is the number of men in the ranks. When divisions and numbers are clear, high and low stand in order, the lines of command are not confused, and the more one controls, the less one has to hold.]

伊川先生曰管轄人亦須有法徒嚴不濟事今帥千人能使千人依時及節得飯吃只如此者亦能有幾人【管轄統軍之官法謂區畫分數之法】嘗謂軍中夜驚亞夫堅臥不起不起善矣然猶夜驚何也亦是未盡善【漢景帝時七國反遣周亞夫將兵擊之軍中夜驚擾至帳下亞夫堅臥帳中不起有頃遂定】

Master Yichuan said: "To command men one must also have a method; mere severity does not work. Now a man leads a thousand men; how many such can make a thousand men have their meals on time and at the proper hour?" [The commander is the officer who leads the army, and the method refers to the method of dividing and numbering.] "Once it was said that the army was alarmed at night and Zhou Yafu lay firmly and did not rise. Not rising is good, but even so, why was the army still alarmed at night? That too is not fully good." [In the time of Emperor Jing of the Han, when the seven states rebelled, Zhou Yafu was sent to lead troops against them. In the army there was an alarm at night that reached his tent; Yafu lay firmly in his tent and did not rise, and after a while it settled.]

管攝天下人心收宗族厚風俗使人不忘本須是明譜系收世族立宗子法【譜籍錄也系聨屬也明之者辨著其宗派古者諸侯之適子適孫繼世為君其餘庶子不得禰其先君因各自立為本派之始祖其子孫百世皆宗之所謂大宗也族人雖五世外皆為之齊衰三月大宗之庶子又別為小宗而小宗有四其繼高祖之適長子則與三從兄弟為宗繼曽祖之適長子則與再從兄弟為宗繼祖之適長子則與同堂兄弟為宗繼禰之適長子則與親兄弟為宗蓋一身凡事四宗與大宗為五宗也】又曰一年有一年工夫【行之以漸持之以久】

"To govern the hearts of all the world, to gather clans, to thicken custom and keep people from forgetting their roots, one must make clear genealogies, gather the great lineages and establish the law of the clan heir." [Genealogy is a register and a record, and lineage is a linking together. To make it clear is to distinguish the clan branches. In ancient times the legitimate son and grandson of a feudal lord succeeded in turn as ruler, while the other sons could not honor the former ruler as their direct father, and so each set himself up as founding ancestor of his own branch, whom his descendants for a hundred generations treated as their head: this is the so-called great line. Even clan members beyond five generations wore the coarse hemp mourning for him for three months. The secondary sons of a great line in turn formed small lines, and there are four small lines: the one that continues the eldest legitimate son of the great-great-grandfather is the head for the third cousins, the one that continues the eldest legitimate son of the great-grandfather is the head for second cousins, the one that continues the eldest legitimate son of the grandfather is the head for first cousins, and the one that continues the eldest legitimate son of the father is the head for one's own brothers. So a person serves four lines in all, and with the great line, five.] He also said: "Each year has its own year's work." [Proceed gradually and keep at it for a long time.]

宗子法壞則人不自知來處以至流轉四方往往親未絶不相識今且試以一二鉅公之家行之其術要得拘守得須是且如唐時立廟院仍不得分割了祖業使一人主之【立廟院則人知所自出而不散不分祖業則人重其宗而不遷】

"When the system of the lineage heir is ruined, people no longer know where they come from, and drift off in all directions, so that kin whose relationship has not yet ended often do not even know one another. Now let us try putting it into practice in the households of one or two great lords. The essential method must be kept firmly: one must set up an ancestral temple compound as the Tang did, and must not divide up the ancestral property, letting one man preside over it." [By setting up the temple compound, people know where they came from and do not scatter; by not dividing the ancestral property, people value their lineage and do not move away.]

凡人家法須月為一防以合族古人有花樹韋家宗防法可取也每有族人逺來亦一為之吉凶嫁娶之類更須相與為禮使骨肉之意常相通骨肉日疎者只為不相見情不相接爾

"In every family's household rules, there must be a gathering once a month (the base text has a corrupt reading here) to bring the clan together. The ancients had the method of the clan assembly of the Wei family of Huashu (the base text has a corrupt reading here), which is worth adopting. Whenever a clan member comes from afar, hold one for him too; for matters of good or ill fortune, weddings and the like, they should further join one another in observing ritual, so that the feeling of kinship is always in communication. Flesh-and-blood relations grow more distant day by day simply because they do not see each other and their affections do not meet."

冠婚喪祭禮之大者今人都不理防豺獺皆知報本今士大夫家多忽此厚於奉養而薄於先祖甚不可也某嘗修六禮大略家必有廟【庶人立影堂○自庶人以下皆本注】廟必有主【高祖以上卽當祧也主式見文集又云今人以影祭或一髭髪不相似則所祭己是別人大不便】月朔必薦新【薦後方食】時祭用仲月【止於高祖旁親無後者祭之別位】冬至祭始祖【冬至陽之始也始祖厥初生民之祖也無主於廟中正位設一位合考妣享之】立春祭先祖【立春生物之始也先祖始祖而下高祖而上非一人也亦無主設兩位分享考妣】季秋祭禰【季秋成物之時也】忌日遷主祭於正寢凡事死之禮當厚於奉生者人家能存得此等事數件雖幼者可使漸知禮義卜其宅兆【宅墓次也兆塋域也】卜其地之美惡也地美則神靈安其子孫盛然則曷謂地之美者土色之光潤草木之茂盛乃其驗也而拘忌者惑以擇地之方位決日之吉凶甚者不以奉先為計而專以利後為慮尤非孝子安厝之用心也惟五患者不得不愼須使後日不為道路不為城郭不為溝池不為貴勢所奪不為耕犁所及【本注云一本所謂五患者溝渠道路避村落逺井窯】

"Capping, marriage, mourning and sacrifice are the greatest of the rites, yet people today pay them no attention (the base text has a corrupt reading here). Even jackals and otters know how to repay their origins, but many scholar-official families today neglect this, being generous in feeding the living and stingy toward their ancestors, which is quite wrong. I once drafted an outline of the six rites: every family must have a temple [commoners set up a portrait hall; everything from 'commoners' onward is the original note], every temple must have a spirit tablet [those beyond the high-grandfather should be moved to the remote shrine; the form of the tablet is in the Collected Works. He also says: People today sacrifice before portraits, but if a single whisker or hair is unlike, the one being sacrificed to is already someone else, which is greatly inconvenient], on the first day of each month fresh foods must be offered [one eats only after the offering], the seasonal sacrifices are held in the middle month of each season [only up to the high-grandfather; collateral relatives who left no heirs are sacrificed to at a separate place], at the winter solstice one sacrifices to the first ancestor [the winter solstice is the beginning of yang, and the first ancestor is the ancestor of the first people born. There is no tablet; in the principal place in the temple one sets up a single seat and offers to him together with his deceased wife], at the beginning of spring one sacrifices to the earlier ancestors [the beginning of spring is the start of the birth of things. The earlier ancestors are those below the first ancestor and above the high-grandfather, not just one person. They too have no tablet, and two seats are set up for them to share the offerings with their wives], in the last month of autumn one sacrifices to the father [the last month of autumn is the season when things are completed], and on the anniversary of a death the tablet is moved and the sacrifice is made in the main chamber. In all matters of serving the dead, the rites should be more generous than those of serving the living. If a family can preserve a few such matters, even the young will gradually learn ritual propriety and righteousness. To divine the grave site [the 'house' is the burial place and the 'omen' is the tomb precinct] is to divine whether the land is good or bad. If the land is good, the spirits are at peace and the descendants flourish. Then what is good land? A bright and moist color of the soil and luxuriant growth of grass and trees are its proof. But those given to taboos are misled into choosing the direction of the site and settling lucky or unlucky days, and the worse among them give no thought to honoring their ancestors and think only of profit for their descendants, which is especially contrary to the mind of a filial son burying his parent in peace. There are only five troubles that one cannot but be careful about: one must make sure that in later days the site will not become a road, not become part of a city wall, not become a ditch or pond, not be seized by the powerful, and not be reached by the plough." [The original note says: In one version, the so-called five troubles are ditches and canals, roads, and one should avoid villages and stay far from wells and kilns.]

正叔雲某家治喪不用浮圖在洛亦有一二人家化之【司馬公曰世俗信浮圖誑誘飯僧設道場舍經造像建塔廟曰為此者減除大罪惡必生天堂不為者必入地獄受無邊波吒之苦殊不知人生含血氣知痛癢或剪爪剃髪從而燒研之巳不知苦況於死者形神相離形則入於黃壤朽腐消滅與木石等神則飄若風火不知何之借使剉燒舂磨豈復知之安得有天堂地獄之理】今無宗子故朝廷無世臣若立宗子法則人知尊祖重本人旣重本則朝廷之勢自尊【古者宗子襲其世祿故有世臣人知尊祖而重本上下相維自然固結而不渙散故朝廷之勢自尊】古者子弟從父兄今父兄從子弟由不知本也且如漢高祖欲下沛時只是以帛書與沛父老其父兄便能率子弟從之又如相如使蜀亦移書責父老然後子弟皆聽其命而從之只有一個尊卑上下之分然後順從而不亂也若無法以聨屬之安可【漢初去古未逺猶有先王之遺俗尊卑之分素定所以上下順承而無違悖也】且立宗子法亦是天理譬如木必有從根直上一干亦必有旁枝又如水雖逺必有正源亦必有分派處自然之勢也【直幹正源猶大宗也旁枝分派猶小宗也】然而又有旁枝達而為幹者故曰古者天子建國諸侯奪宗雲【天子為天下主故得封建侯國賜之土而命之胙諸侯為一國之主雖非宗子亦得移宗於已建宗廟為祭主】

Zhengshu said: "In my family we conduct funerals without using Buddhist rites, and in Luoyang one or two households have been influenced by this." [Sima Guang says: Common custom believes the deceptions of the Buddhists: feeding monks, setting up ritual halls, giving away sutras and making images, building pagodas and temples, saying that those who do so will have their great sins removed and surely be born in Heaven, while those who do not will surely enter hell and suffer endless torment. They do not realize that a living person has blood and qi and knows pain and itch, and if one trims the nails or shaves the hair and burns or chops them, he does not feel pain; how much less the dead, whose body and spirit have separated. The body enters the yellow earth, rotting and decaying like wood and stone; the spirit drifts like wind and fire, and no one knows where it goes. Even if the body were ground and burned, how would it know? How could there be any principle of Heaven and hell?] "Today there is no lineage heir, and so the court has no hereditary ministers. If the system of the lineage heir were established, people would know to honor their ancestors and value their roots; once people value their roots, the standing of the court would naturally be exalted." [In ancient times the lineage heir inherited his family's hereditary stipend, which is why there were hereditary ministers. When people know to honor their ancestors and value their roots, high and low support each other and naturally bind firmly without scattering, so the standing of the court is naturally exalted.] "In ancient times the sons and younger brothers followed their fathers and elder brothers; today fathers and elder brothers follow their sons and younger brothers, because they do not know the root. For example, when Gaozu of Han was about to take Pei, he simply sent a letter on silk to the elders of Pei, and their fathers and elder brothers were able to lead their sons and younger brothers to follow him. Again, when Sima Xiangru was sent to Shu, he also sent a letter rebuking the elders, and then the young men all heeded his command and followed. It was only that there was a distinction of honored and humble, high and low, and so they obeyed without disorder. Without a system to link them together, how could this be done?" [In the early Han, which was not far from antiquity, there still remained the surviving customs of the former kings, and the distinction of honored and humble was long settled, so high and low followed one another without defiance.] "Moreover, establishing the system of the lineage heir is also heavenly principle. For example, a tree must have a single trunk rising straight from the root, and must also have side branches; likewise, however far a river runs, it must have a main source and also points where it divides into tributaries. It is a natural tendency." [The straight trunk and main source are like the major lineage; the side branches and tributaries are like the minor lineages.] "Yet there are also side branches that grow up to become trunks, which is why it is said that in ancient times, when the Son of Heaven founded states, the feudal lords took over the lineage." [The Son of Heaven is lord of the world, and so he can enfeoff vassal states, granting them land and conferring the sacrificial meat. A feudal lord is lord of one state, and although he is not the lineage heir, he may also move the lineage to himself and build an ancestral temple to be the master of sacrifice.]

郉和叔敘明道先生事雲堯舜三代帝王之治所以博大悠逺上下與天地同流者先生固已黙而識之【所謂識其大者】至於興造禮樂制度文為下至行師用兵戰陣之法無所不講皆造其極外之邊圉情狀山川道路之險易邊鄙防戍城寨斥候控帶之要靡不究知【壘土居民曰城木柵處兵曰寨斥逺也候伺也謂逺伺敵人控制御也帶圍護也】其吏事操決文法簿書又皆精密詳練若先生可謂通儒全才矣【附錄○操決謂操持斷決也】介甫言律是八分書是他見得【外書○朱子曰律是刑統歴代相傳至周世宗命竇儀注解名曰刑統與古法相近故曰八分書又曰律所以明法禁非亦有助於教化但於根本上少有欠缺耳是他見得蓋許之之詞】

Xing Heshu, narrating the life of Master Mingdao, said: "The reasons the rule of Yao, Shun and the emperors of the Three Dynasties was so vast and far-reaching, flowing together with Heaven and Earth above and below, the Master had indeed silently understood." [This is what is called recognizing the great things.] "As for the founding of rites and music, the institutions and regulations, and down to the conduct of armies, the use of troops and the methods of battle formations, there was nothing he did not discuss, and he reached the utmost in all. Outside, the conditions at the frontier, the difficulty or ease of mountains, rivers and roads, the essentials of border garrisons, walled fortresses, scouts and controls, there was nothing he did not investigate and know." [A settlement built of packed earth for people to live in is called a cheng, and a stockade of wooden palisades for housing troops is called a zhai. Chi means distant and hou means to watch, that is, to watch for the enemy from afar. Kong means to control and dai means to surround and protect.] "His handling of official affairs, his decisions, his legal texts and records were all exact and practiced. A man like the Master may truly be called a universal scholar of complete talent." [From the Appendix. 'Handling and deciding' means taking up matters and judging them.] "Jiefu said that the law codes are a script in the eight-fen style; this is his insight." [From the Outer Book. Zhu Xi says: The law codes are the Xing Tong (Penal Code), handed down through the dynasties, until Emperor Shizong of Zhou ordered Dou Yi to annotate it and called it the Xing Tong; it is close to the ancient method, so it was called a script in the eight-fen style. He also says: The law codes clarify the rules and prohibit wrongdoing, and they also help with moral teaching, but they are somewhat lacking in the root. 'This is his insight' is a phrase of approval.]

橫渠先生曰兵謀師律聖人不得已而用之其術見三王方策歴代簡書惟志士仁人為能識其逺者大者素求預備而不敢忽忘【文集下同○好謀而成師出以律雖聖人用師無謀則必敗無律則必亂特非若後世譎詐以為謀酷暴以為律斯其為逺者大者惟志士仁人為能識之】

Master Hengqu said: "Military strategy and army discipline are things the sage uses only when he has no alternative. The methods appear in the records of the Three Kings and the bamboo documents of successive dynasties. Only men of resolve and humane persons can recognize what is far-reaching and great in them, and prepare for them in advance without daring to neglect or forget them." [The following are all from the Collected Works. 'Be fond of planning and succeed; send out the army by discipline.' Even when a sage uses the army, without planning he will certainly be defeated, and without discipline there will certainly be disorder; but this is not like later ages, when deceit is taken as planning and cruelty as discipline. This is what is called far-reaching and great, which only men of resolve and humane persons can recognize.]

肉闢於今世死刑中取之亦足寛民之死過此當念其散之之久【肉刑有五刻顙曰墨闢截鼻曰劓闢刖足曰剕辟淫刑曰宮闢死刑曰大辟至漢文帝始罷墨劓剕宮之刑或曰宮刑不廢今欲取死刑情輕者用肉刑以代之外此當念民心渙散之久必明禮義敎化以維持之不但省刑以緩死】

"Corporal punishments could be taken from the death penalties of the present age, which would also be enough to spare the people from death. Beyond that, one should consider how long the people have been scattered." [There are five corporal punishments: tattooing the forehead is called the mo penalty, cutting off the nose is the yi penalty, cutting off the feet is the fei penalty, castration is the gong penalty, and execution is the great penalty. Only with Emperor Wen of Han were the mo, yi, fei and gong punishments abolished. Some say castration was not abolished. Now one wishes to take those cases among capital offenses that are lighter and substitute corporal punishment for them; beyond this, one should consider that the people's hearts have been scattered for a long time, and one must make clear ritual propriety and moral teaching to hold them together, not merely reduce punishments to ease death.]

呂與叔撰橫渠先生行狀曰先生慨然有意三代之治論治人先務未始不以經界為急嘗曰仁政必自經界始貧富不均敎養無法雖欲言治皆苟而已【孟子曰仁政必自經界始蓋經界不正則富者有所恃而易於為惡貧者失所養而不暇為善敎養之法俱廢其治苟且而已】世之病難行者未始不以亟奪富人之田為辭然茲法之行悅之者眾苟處之有術期以數年不刑一人而可復所病者特上之人未行耳乃言曰縱不能行之天下猶可驗之一鄉方與學者議古之法共買田一方畫為數井上不失公家之賦役退以其私正經界分宅裡立斂法廣儲蓄興學校成禮俗救菑恤患敦本抑末足以推先王之遺法明當今之可行此皆有志未就

Lu Yushu, in writing the Account of Master Hengqu's Conduct, said: The Master earnestly aspired to the government of the Three Dynasties, and in discussing the first task of governing people he never failed to take the demarcation of land boundaries as urgent. He once said: "Humane government must begin with the demarcation of land boundaries. When wealth and poverty are unequal and there is no method of teaching and nurturing, though one may speak of governing, it is all merely makeshift." [Mencius says: Humane government must begin with the demarcation of land boundaries. If the boundaries are not rectified, the rich have something to rely on and easily do evil, while the poor lose their means of support and have no leisure to do good; the methods of teaching and nurturing are all abandoned, and the government is merely makeshift.] The world's objection that it is hard to carry out has always taken as its pretext the hastily seizing of the fields of the rich. Yet if this method were carried out, those who welcome it would be many; if handled with skill, within a few years it could be restored without punishing a single man. The only problem is that those above have not yet done it. Therefore he said: "Even if it cannot be carried out in the whole realm, it can still be tested in a single village." He was then discussing the ancient method with scholars, intending to buy a plot of land together and divide it into several wells: above, not failing to pay the public levies and labor service; below, using his own means to rectify the boundaries, apportion the residences and hamlets, set up methods of collection, increase stores, found schools, form ritual customs, relieve disasters and aid in distress, and strengthen the root while restraining the branch, enough to push forward the surviving methods of the former kings and show what is feasible today. All of this was an aspiration not fulfilled.

橫渠先生為雲巖令政事大抵以敦本善俗為先【去浮華而務質抑末作而尚本皆敦本之事也勉其孝弟興於禮遜皆善俗之事也】每以月吉具酒食召鄉人高年防縣庭親為勸酬使人知養老事長之義因問民疾苦及告所以訓戒子弟之意【行狀○月吉月朔也】橫渠先生曰古者有東宮有西宮有南宮有北宮異宮而同財此禮亦可行古人慮逺目下雖似相疎其實如此乃能久相親蓋數十百口之家自是飲食衣服難為得一【族大人眾則服食器用固有不能齊者同宮合處則怨爭之風或作矣】又異宮乃容子得伸其私所以避子之私也子不私其父則不成為子古之人曲盡人情必也同宮有叔父伯父則為子者何以獨厚於其父為父者又烏得而當之【雖同宗祖然親疎有分異宮者亦使人子各得盡情於其親也不然則交相病矣】父子異宮為命士以上愈貴則愈嚴【一命為士則父子亦異宮愈貴則分制愈密】故異宮猶今世有逐位非如異居也【樂說】

When Master Hengqu was magistrate of Yunyan, his government chiefly took strengthening the root and improving customs as its first concern. [Removing showiness and devoting oneself to substance, and suppressing the branches of trade to value the root, are all matters of strengthening the root; encouraging filial piety and brotherly respect and promoting ritual and deference are all matters of improving customs.] On the first day of each month he would prepare wine and food and invite the elderly of the district to assemble in the county hall (the base text has a corrupt reading here), personally urging them to drink, so that people would know the meaning of nourishing the aged and serving elders, and he would then ask about the people's sufferings and tell them what he intended in instructing and admonishing the young. [From the Account of Conduct. 'The first day of the month' means the first of the month.] Master Hengqu said: "In ancient times there were an eastern palace, a western palace, a southern palace and a northern palace, different dwellings but common property. This rite can also be practiced. The ancients thought far ahead; though it seems to separate people for the moment, in fact only in this way can they stay close for long. For in a household of dozens or hundreds of people, food and clothing naturally cannot be made uniform." [When a clan is large and the people many, food, clothing and utensils certainly cannot be the same; if they live together in one dwelling, the habit of resentment and quarrel may arise.] "Furthermore, separate dwellings allow a son to express his private feelings, and this is how the sons' private feelings are accommodated. If a son did not have private feelings toward his father, he would not be a son. The ancients thoroughly accommodated human feeling: if uncles and father's elder brothers lived in the same dwelling, how could a son show special warmth to his own father alone? And how could the father accept it?" [Though of the same ancestors, there are distinctions of closeness and distance. Separate dwellings also let each son fully express his feeling toward his own parent; otherwise they would trouble one another.] "Father and son having separate dwellings applies to those of the rank of commissioned scholar and above, and the higher the rank, the stricter it is." [A man with a single commission is a scholar, and father and son live apart; the higher the rank, the more careful the division.] "Having separate dwellings is like the system of separate apartments in the world today, and is not like living in separate households." [From the Discussion of Music.]

治天下不由井地終無由得平周道止是均平【語錄下同○周道如砥言其平也】

"If one governs the world without the well-field system, it will never be possible to attain peace. The way of Zhou was nothing but equalization." [The following are all from the Recorded Sayings. 'The way of Zhou is like a whetstone' speaks of its evenness.]

井田卒歸於封建乃定【國有定君官有定守故民有定業後世長吏更易不常相仍苟且縱復井田不歸於封建則其欺蔽紛爭之患庸可定乎】

"The well-field system, in the end, returns to enfeoffment, and only then is it settled." [When a state has a fixed ruler and offices have fixed holders, the people have fixed occupations. In later ages, senior officials were changed without regularity and followed one another carelessly; even if the well-field system were restored without returning to enfeoffment, how could the troubles of deception and conflict be settled?]

此卷論臨政處事葢明乎治道而通乎治法則施於有政矣凡居官任職事上撫下待同列選賢才處世之道具焉

This fascicle discusses facing government and handling affairs. If one is clear about the way of governing and understands the methods of governing, one can apply them in government. Everything about holding office and performing duties, serving superiors and caring for subordinates, treating colleagues, selecting the worthy and talented, and conducting oneself in the world is contained here.

伊川先生上疏曰夫鍾怒而擊之則武悲而擊之則哀誠意之感而入也告於人亦如是古人所以齋戒而告君也【心誠則氣専氣専則聲應不誠而能感乎】臣前後兩得進講未嘗敢不宿齋預戒潛思存誠覬感動於上心若使營營於職事紛紛其思慮待至上前然後善其辭說徒以頰舌感人不亦淺乎【文集下同或問伊川未進講以前還有間防否朱子曰尋常未嘗不誠臨見君時又加意爾如孔子沐浴而告哀公是也】

Master Yichuan said in a memorial: "With a bell, if one strikes it in anger it sounds martial, and if one strikes it in sorrow it sounds mournful; this is the sincere intention touching it and entering it. It is the same when speaking to people. This is why the ancients fasted and purified themselves before addressing their ruler." [When the mind is sincere, the qi is concentrated, and when the qi is concentrated, the sound responds. Can one move others without sincerity?] "On the two occasions before and after when I lectured to the throne, I never dared fail to fast the night before and prepare myself, thinking quietly and preserving sincerity, hoping to move the ruler's heart. If I had bustled about with official duties and been distracted by many thoughts, and only after coming before the throne had polished my words, merely trying to move people with cheeks and tongue, would that not be shallow?" [The following are all from the Collected Works. Someone asked Yichuan: Before the lecture is there any interruption (the base text has a corrupt reading here)? Zhu Xi said: He was ordinarily never insincere; on approaching the ruler he simply added extra care. It is like Confucius bathing before reporting to Duke Ai.]

伊川答人示奏稿書云觀公之意専以畏亂為主頤欲公以愛民為先力言百姓飢且死丐朝廷哀憐因懼將為寇亂可也不惟告君之體當如是事勢亦宜爾【徒言民飢將亂為可慮而不言民飢將死為可傷則人主徒有憂懼忿疾之心而無哀矜惻怛之意矣告君之體必詞順而理直可也】公方求財以活人祈之以仁愛則當輕財而重民懼之以利害則將恃財以自保【哀矜之心生則能輕財以救民之死憂懼之心作反將吝財以防民之變】古之時得丘民則得天下後世以兵制民以財聚眾聚財者能守保民者為迂惟當以誠意感動覬其有不忍之心而已【四井為甸四甸為丘得乎一丘之民則可以得天下說見孟子後世以兵制民謂民有所不足畏以財聚眾謂財有所不可闕於是以聚財為守國之道以愛民為迂緩之事苟徒懼之以禍亂則無惻隠愛民之心愈増其聚財自守之慮矣】

Yichuan, in reply to a letter in which someone showed him a draft memorial, said: "Judging from your intention, you take fear of disorder as the chief point. I think that you should put love for the people first, and argue strongly that the people are starving and about to die, pleading for the court's pity, and from this show fear that they may turn to banditry and rebellion; that would be acceptable. Not only is this how one should address a ruler, but it also fits the situation." [If one speaks only of the worry that the starving people will rebel and not of the sorrow that they will die of hunger, then the ruler has only anxiety, fear, anger and hatred in his heart, without compassion and sympathy. The proper way of addressing a ruler must be that the words are smooth and the reasoning upright.] "You are now seeking wealth in order to save lives: if you entreat with humane love, he will make light of wealth and value the people; if you frighten him with benefit and harm, he will rely on wealth to protect himself." [When compassion arises, one can make light of wealth to save the people from death; when anxious fear stirs, one will instead grudge wealth to guard against the people's rebellion.] "In ancient times, one who won the hill-people won the world. In later ages the people are controlled by soldiers and gathered by wealth: those who hoard wealth can defend themselves, while those who protect the people are thought impractical. One should only move him with sincerity and hope that he will have a heart that cannot bear it." [Four wells make a dian and four dian make a qiu. If one wins the people of a single qiu one can win the world, as explained in Mencius. In later ages the people are controlled by soldiers, which means the people are not considered to be feared; they are gathered by wealth, which means wealth is considered indispensable. Thus they take hoarding wealth as the way to defend the state, and love of the people as something impractical and slow. If one merely frightens him with disaster and disorder, he will have no heart of compassion and love for the people, and will only increase his concern to hoard wealth and protect himself.]

明道為邑及民之事多眾人所謂法所拘者然為之未嘗大戾於法眾亦不甚駭謂之得伸其志則不可求小補則過今之為政者逺矣人雖異之不至指為狂也至謂之狂則大駭矣【法令有未便於民者眾人為之未免拘礙惟先生道徳之盛從容裁處故不大戾當時之法而有補於民人雖異之而不至於駭者亦其存心寛平而區處有方也】盡誠為之不容而後去又何嫌乎【此又可以見先生忠厚懇惻之心豈若悻悻然小丈夫之為哉】明道先生曰一命之士苟存心於愛物於人必有所濟【苟存愛物之心必有及物之效】

When Mingdao was a county magistrate, in his dealings with the people he did many things that the common run of men considered bound by the law, yet in doing them he never greatly offended the law, and the people were not much alarmed. To say that he was able to fulfill his purpose would be wrong, but to ask for small improvements, he far surpassed those who govern today. Though people thought him strange, they did not go so far as to call him mad; had they called him mad, they would have been greatly shocked. [Where laws and orders are inconvenient for the people, others who act under them cannot avoid being hindered. Only the Master, with his flourishing virtue, handled things calmly and appropriately, and so did not greatly offend the law of the time yet benefited the people. People thought him strange but not alarming, which was also because his mind was generous and level and he had a proper way of handling matters.] He did it with all sincerity, and if he was not tolerated he would leave, so what was there to be wary of? [This shows again the Master's loyal, generous and earnest heart; how could it resemble the behavior of an angry petty man?] Master Mingdao said: "If a scholar with a single commission keeps in mind the love of things, he will surely bring benefit to others." [If one truly keeps in mind love of things, there will certainly be an effect on things.]

伊川先生曰君子觀天水違行之象知人情有爭訟之道故凡所作事必謀其始絶訟端於事之始則訟無由生矣謀始之義廣矣若慎交結明契劵之類是也【易傳下同○訟卦象傳坎下幹上為訟天西運水東流故曰違行交結朋逰親戚也契劵文書要約也此皆生訟之端慮其始必謹必明】

Master Yichuan said: "The noble man, observing the image of Heaven and Water moving in opposite directions, knows that human feelings have a way of leading to lawsuits. Therefore in everything he does he must plan the beginning; if he cuts off the roots of lawsuits at the beginning of a matter, lawsuits have no way to arise. The meaning of planning the beginning is broad; being careful about associations and being clear about contracts are examples." [The following are all from the Commentary on the Changes. In the Image Commentary of the hexagram Song (Contention): Kan below and Qian above make Song. Heaven turns toward the west and water flows to the east, so it is called moving in opposite directions. 'Associations' refers to friends, companions and relatives, and 'contracts' refers to documents and agreements. These are all the origins of lawsuits, and one must be careful and clear about them from the start.]

師之九二為師之主恃専則失為下之道不専則無成功之理故得中為吉【恃専則失為下之道如衛青不敢専誅而具歸天子使自裁之是也不専則不能成功所謂將在外君令有所不受是也二居中故有得中之象】凡師之道威和並至則吉也【成而不和則人心懼而離和而少威則人心玩而弛九二剛中故有威和相濟之象】世儒有論魯祀周公以天子禮樂以為周公能為人臣不能為之功則可用人臣不得用之禮樂是不知人臣之道也夫居周公之位則為周公之事由其位而能為者皆所當為也周公乃盡其職爾【師卦九二傳成王幼周公攝政周公沒成王思其勲徳錫魯以天子之禮樂使祀周公焉孔子曰成王之賜伯禽之受皆非也或者謂周公能為人臣不能為之功故可用人臣不得用之禮樂夫聖人之於事君也有盡其道而已非有加於職分之外也若職分之外是乃過為矣】

"The Nine in the Second place of Shi (the Army) is the master of the army: if he relies on sole authority, he loses the way of one who is below; if he lacks sole authority, there is no principle by which he can achieve success; so obtaining the middle is auspicious." [To rely on sole authority loses the way of one who is below, as when Wei Qing did not dare to execute on his own authority and reported everything to the Son of Heaven to let him decide; to lack sole authority prevents success, as in the saying that a general in the field may not accept some of the ruler's commands. The Second place is in the middle, so it has the image of obtaining the middle.] "In the way of the army in general, when majesty and harmony both arrive it is auspicious." [If there is majesty without harmony, people's hearts fear and drift away; if there is harmony with little majesty, people's hearts become lax and slack. The Nine in the Second place is firm and central, so it has the image of majesty and harmony complementing each other.] "Some scholars of the world, discussing Lu's sacrifice to the Duke of Zhou with the rites and music of the Son of Heaven, argue that since the Duke of Zhou was able to achieve what a minister could not, it was acceptable to use the rites and music that a minister may not use. This is ignorance of the way of a minister. One who occupies the position of the Duke of Zhou does the work of the Duke of Zhou; whatever one can do by virtue of one's position is all that one ought to do. The Duke of Zhou simply fulfilled his duty." [From the commentary on the Nine in the Second place of Shi. King Cheng was young and the Duke of Zhou acted as regent. After the Duke of Zhou died, King Cheng, thinking of his merit and virtue, granted Lu the rites and music of the Son of Heaven so as to sacrifice to the Duke of Zhou. Confucius said: King Cheng's granting and Boqin's accepting were both wrong. Some say that since the Duke of Zhou could achieve what a minister could not, he could use rites and music that a minister may not use. But a sage in serving his ruler only exhausts the way, and does not add anything beyond his duty. What goes beyond one's duty is excess.]

大有之九三曰公用亨於天子小人弗克伊川易傳曰三當大有之時居諸侯之位有其富盛必用亨通於天子謂以其有為天子之有也乃人臣之常義也【當大有之時公侯擅所有之富故戒之以用亨通於天子如朝覲供貢之儀凡所以奉上之道皆不敢自有其有乃為盡人臣之義也】若小人處之則専其富有以為私不知公以奉上之道故曰小人弗克也

On the Nine in the Third place of Da You (Great Possession) it says: "The duke makes offerings to the Son of Heaven; a petty man cannot do so." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "The Third place, in a time of Great Possession, occupies the position of a feudal lord and has wealth and abundance; he must therefore use it to make offerings to the Son of Heaven, which means that he treats what he possesses as the possession of the Son of Heaven, the constant duty of a minister. [In a time of Great Possession, dukes and marquises monopolize their wealth, so they are warned to use it for offerings to the Son of Heaven. Such as the rites of court audience and the tribute offerings, all the ways of serving one's superior, in which one dares not regard what one has as one's own; only this fulfills the duty of a minister.] If a petty man were in this position, he would monopolize his wealth and treat it as private, not knowing the way of serving his superior with public spirit, so it says that a petty man cannot do so."

人心所從多所親愛者也常人之情愛之則見其是惡之則見其非故妻孥之言雖失而多從所憎之言雖善為惡也苟以親愛而隨之則是私情所與豈合正理故隨之初九出門而交則有功也【人心之從違多蔽於好惡之私而失其是非之正卦主於隨苟惟親暱之隨則違正理矣故必出門而交則無所繫累而所從者有功也】

"What people's hearts follow is mostly those they are close to and love. The feeling of ordinary people is that if they love someone they see what is right in him, and if they dislike someone they see what is wrong. Thus the words of a wife and children are often followed even when mistaken, and the words of one who is hated are thought bad even when good. If one follows others because of closeness and love, then it is given to private feeling, and how could it accord with correct principle? Therefore the Nine at the beginning of Sui (Following) says: Going out the gate to associate with others brings achievement." [People's following or defying is mostly obscured by private likes and dislikes and loses the correctness of right and wrong. The hexagram is about following; if one follows only those who are close and intimate, one goes against correct principle. So one must go out of the gate to associate, and then one has no entanglements, and what one follows brings achievement.]

隨九五之象曰孚於嘉吉位正中也伊川易傳曰隨以得中為善隨之所防者過也葢心所恱隨則不知其過矣【震下兊上為隨震動也兊恱也以恱而動易過於隨而不自知故必得中為善】

The Image of the Nine in the Fifth place of Sui says: "Sincerity toward what is excellent brings good fortune; the position is correct and central." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "In following, obtaining the middle is good. What one should guard against in following is excess. For when the mind is delighted and following, one does not know one's own error." [Zhen below and Dui above make Sui. Zhen is movement and Dui is delight. To move out of delight easily leads to excess in following without one knowing it, so obtaining the middle is good.]

坎之六四曰樽酒簋貳用缶納約自牖終無咎伊川易傳曰此言人臣以忠信善道結於君心必自其所明處乃能入也【一樽之酒二簋之食復以瓦缶為器質之至也所謂忠信善道也牖者室中所以通明也葢忠信者納約之本雖懐樸素之誠苟不因其明而納焉則亦不能入矣】人心有所蔽有所通通者明處也當就其明處而告之求信則易也故云納約自牖能如是則雖艱險之時終得無咎也【人心各有所蔽各有所通攻其蔽則未免扞格因其明而導之則易於聴信】且如君心蔽於荒樂唯其蔽也故爾雖力詆其荒樂之非如其不省何必於所不蔽之事推而及之則能悟其心矣自古能諫其君者未有不因其所明者也故訐直強勁者率多取忤而溫厚明辨者其說多行【訐者發人之隂惡也計直則無委曲強勁則乏和順故矯拂之過每至牴牾溫厚者其氣和明辨者其理著故感悟之易每多聴從納約自牖惟溫厚明辨者能之】非惟告於君者如此為教者亦然夫教必就人之所長所長者心之所明也從其心之所明而入然後推及其餘孟子所謂成徳達財是也【成徳者因其有徳而成就之達財者因其有才而遂達之皆謂就其所長開導之也】

The Six in the Fourth place of Kan (the Abyss) says: "A jug of wine, two bowls of food, in earthen vessels, offered through the window as a covenant; in the end there is no fault." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "This says that a minister, binding the ruler's heart through loyalty, trustworthiness and the good way, must enter from the place where the ruler is clear-minded." [One jug of wine and two bowls of food, in earthen vessels, are the utmost of simplicity, which is what is meant by loyalty, trustworthiness and the good way. The window is how light comes into a room. Loyalty and trustworthiness are the root of offering a covenant, but though one holds a plain and simple sincerity, if one does not offer it through the point of clarity, it cannot enter.] "A person's mind has places that are blocked and places that are open, and the open place is where it is clear. One should speak to him from the point where he is clear, and then it is easy to gain his trust. So it says 'offered through the window.' If one can do this, then even in times of danger and hardship one is in the end without fault." [Every person's mind has its blocked places and open places. To attack the blocked place leads inevitably to resistance, while to guide him through his clear place makes it easy for him to listen and believe.] "For instance, if a ruler's mind is clouded by dissipation and pleasure, it is just because of that clouding that he is as he is. Even if one strongly denounces the wrongness of his dissipation, what can one do if he does not heed? One must extend from matters where he is not clouded and reach the point, and then one can awaken his mind. From antiquity, those who have succeeded in remonstrating with their rulers have always done so through what the ruler already understood. Therefore those who are accusatory, direct and forceful mostly give offense, while those who are gentle, generous and clear in distinguishing find their words more often followed." [To accuse is to expose another's hidden evil. Being accusatory and direct leaves no room for tact, and being forceful lacks gentleness and compliance, so the fault of correcting by force often ends in conflict. The gentle and generous have harmonious qi, and the clear in distinguishing have manifest principle, so those they move are easily awakened and often listen. 'Offering a covenant through the window' is possible only for the gentle, generous and clear in distinguishing.] "This is true not only of speaking to a ruler but also of teaching. Teaching must proceed from a person's strengths, and a strength is where his mind is clear. One enters from where his mind is clear, and then extends to the rest. This is what Mencius means by perfecting virtue and developing talent." [To perfect virtue is to accomplish it on the basis of the virtue a person has, and to develop talent is to bring it to its fulfillment on the basis of the talent he has; both mean guiding him from his strengths.]

恆之初六曰浚恆貞兇象曰浚恆之兇始求深也伊川易傳曰初六居下而四為正應四以剛居高又為二三所隔應初之誌異乎常矣而初乃求望之深是知常而不知變也【初與四為位應九與六為爻應此理之常也然為九二九三所隔則已改其常矣初六當常之時知常而不知變求之過深是以至於兇悔也】世之責望故素而至悔咎者皆浚恆者也【素舊也】

The Six at the beginning of Heng (Constancy) says: "Deep constancy; perseverance brings misfortune." The Image says: "The misfortune of deep constancy is that it seeks too deeply at the start." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "The first Six lies at the bottom, and the fourth is its proper correspondent. The fourth, being firm and in a high place, is also separated from it by the second and third, so its intention in answering the first differs from the usual, while the first seeks and hopes for it too deeply; this is knowing the constant without knowing change." [The first and the fourth correspond in position, and a nine and a six correspond in line; this is the constant in principle. But being separated by the Nine in the Second place and the Nine in the Third place, they have already departed from the constant. The first Six, in a time of constancy, knows the constant and not change, and seeks too deeply, so it ends in misfortune and regret.] "Those in the world who place demands and hopes on old friends and so come to regret and fault are all examples of deep constancy." [Su means old.]

遯之九三曰系遯有疾厲畜臣妾吉伊川易傳曰繫戀之私恩懐小人女子之道也故以畜養臣妾則吉【九三下乘六二有繫戀之心則失宜遯之時矣故有災危然君子用是道以畜其臣妾則可以固結其欲遯之心是以吉也】然君子之待小人亦不如是也【御下之道苟所當去亦不可以繫戀而姑息也】

The Nine in the Third place of Dun (Retreat) says: "A retreat that is tied down has illness and danger. To keep servants and maids is auspicious." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "Clinging to private affection is cherishing the way of petty men and women, so it is auspicious to use it to keep servants and maids." [The Nine in the Third place stands on the Six in the Second place below; if it has a heart of clinging, it loses the time suited for retreat, so there is calamity and danger. But if a noble man uses this way to keep his servants and maids, he can bind firmly the hearts of those who wish to leave, so it is auspicious.] "But the noble man's treatment of petty men is not like this." [In the way of governing those below, if there are those who ought to be dismissed, one must not cling to them and indulge them.]

睽之象曰君子以同而異伊川易傳曰聖賢之處世在人理之常莫不大同於世俗所同者則有時而獨異【聖賢之所為惟順乎理而已豈顧夫世俗之同異哉故循乎天理之常者聖賢安得不與人同出於流俗之變者聖賢安得不與人異】不能大同者亂常拂理之人也不能獨異者隨俗習非之人也要在同而能異耳【同而能異則不拂於人理之常而亦不徇乎習俗之化惟理之從耳然其所以為異者乃所以成其大同也是亦一事而已】

The Image of Kui (Opposition) says: "The noble man is the same yet different." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "In the way sages and worthies conduct themselves in the world, they are largely the same as everyone in the constant principles of human relations; but in what the world holds in common, they are at times uniquely different." [The conduct of sages and worthies simply follows principle; how could they care about whether it is the same as or different from common custom? So in following the constancy of heavenly principle, how could sages and worthies fail to be the same as others; and in what arises from the changes of vulgar custom, how could sages and worthies fail to be different from others.] "Those who cannot be largely the same are people who disturb the constant and go against principle; those who cannot be uniquely different are people who follow custom and practice wrong. The essential is to be the same while able to be different." [To be the same yet able to be different is not to violate the constant principles of human relations and also not to follow the shaping influence of common custom, but only to follow principle. Yet what makes one different is what completes one's great sameness; it is one and the same matter.]

睽之初九當睽之時雖同徳者相與然小人乖異者至眾若棄絶之不幾盡天下以仇君子乎如此則失含之義致兇咎之道也又安能化不善而使之合乎故必見惡人則無咎也【初與四位相應而爻皆陽為同徳相與不至睽孤然當睽之時乖異者眾故必恢含之義而無棄絶之意則不善者可化乖異者可合乃元咎也】古之聖王所以能化姦凶為善良革仇敵為臣民者由弗絶也【弗絶之則開其自新之路而啟其從善之機也】

"The Nine at the beginning of Kui: In a time of opposition, though those of the same virtue join with one another, the petty men who are estranged and at odds are very numerous. If one abandons and cuts them all off, would that not make the entire world an enemy of the noble man? In that case one would lose the meaning of embracing and tolerating (the base text lost this character in transcription, as it is a rare character), which is a road to misfortune and fault, and how could one transform what is not good and bring them into accord? So one must see evil people, and then there is no fault." [The first and the fourth correspond in position and both lines are yang, so they are of the same virtue and join each other, and will not be left isolated by opposition. But in a time of opposition, those estranged are many, so one must widen the meaning of embracing and tolerating without any intention of abandoning or cutting off, so that those who are not good can be transformed and those who are estranged can be brought into accord; only then is there no fault.] "The reason the sage kings of old could transform the treacherous and violent into good and upright people and change enemies into subjects was that they did not cut them off." [By not cutting them off, one opens their road to renewing themselves and stirs their impulse to follow the good.]

睽之九二當睽之時君心未合賢臣在下竭力盡誠期使之信合而已【二五相應然時方睽違上下乖戾故二必外竭其力內盡其誠期使疑者信睽者合耳】至誠以感動之盡力以扶持之明義理以致其知杜蔽惑以誠其意如是宛轉以求其合也【內竭其誠以感動君心外盡其力以扶持國政此盡其在我者也推明義理使君之知無不至杜塞蔽惑使君之意無不誠此啟其君者也如是宛轉求之睽者庶其可合所謂遇主於巷也巷者委曲之途也】遇非枉道逢迎也巷非邪僻由徑也故象曰遇主於巷未失道也【上言遇主於巷亦正理之當然苟遇不以直而至於枉道逢迎巷不以正而至於邪僻由徑苟求其合而防於邪枉則又非遇主於巷之道也】

"The Nine in the Second place of Kui: In a time of opposition, the ruler's heart is not yet in accord, and the worthy minister is below, exerting all his strength and exhausting his sincerity, only hoping to bring about a trusting accord." [The second and the fifth correspond, but the time is one of opposition and discord, with high and low at odds, so the second must outwardly exert all its strength and inwardly exhaust its sincerity, hoping to make the doubtful trust and the opposed accord.] "With utmost sincerity he moves him, with all his strength he supports him, he makes clear what is right and principled so as to bring about his knowledge, and he blocks off what clouds and confuses so as to make his intention sincere; in this way, by turns and indirectly, he seeks their accord." [Inwardly exhausting his sincerity to move the ruler's heart and outwardly using all his strength to support the government is doing all that lies in oneself; making clear righteousness and principle so that the ruler's knowledge reaches everywhere and shutting out what clouds so that the ruler's intention is wholly sincere is enlightening one's ruler. Seeking in this indirect way, the opposed may perhaps be brought into accord. This is what is called 'meeting the lord in a lane': the lane is a winding path.] "Meeting does not mean bending the way to flatter, and the lane does not mean taking a crooked shortcut. So the Image says: 'Meeting the lord in a lane does not lose the way.'" [What is said above, 'meeting the lord in a lane,' is also what correct principle requires. If the meeting is not through uprightness and leads to bending the way to flatter, and if the lane is not proper and leads to taking a crooked shortcut, then to seek accord carelessly and fall into crookedness (the base text has a corrupt reading here) is again not the way of meeting the lord in a lane.]

損之九二曰弗損益之伊川易傳曰不自損其剛貞則能益其上乃益之也若失其剛貞而用柔說適足以損之而已【剛正不撓乃能有益於君葢柔邪之人阿意順防惟務容恱善而遇柔恱善亦不進惡而遇柔恱必長其惡矣故國有險佞之臣士有善柔之友皆有損無益】世之愚者有雖無邪心而惟知竭力順上為忠者葢不知弗損益之之義也【九二剛中非有邪心者但當損下益上之時惟知損己以奉上而不知臣道之少貶未有能致益其君者故有弗損益之之戒】

The Nine in the Second place of Sun (Decrease) says: "Without decreasing oneself, one increases others." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "If one does not decrease one's own firmness and constancy, one can benefit one's superior, and this is increasing him. If one loses firmness and constancy and uses soft flattery, that is only decreasing him." [Being firm and upright without bending is what can benefit the ruler. For soft and crooked people bend their will and comply with his wishes (the base text has a corrupt reading here), concerned only with being tolerated and pleasing: if he is good and meets soft flattery, his goodness does not advance, and if he is evil and meets soft flattery, his evil will surely grow. So a state that has a treacherous and flattering minister, or a scholar who has a friend good at softness, suffers loss and no gain.] "Some foolish people in the world, though without crooked intentions, only know to exert all their strength to follow their superior and call it loyalty; they do not know the meaning of 'without decreasing oneself, one increases others.'" [The Nine in the Second place is firm and central and has no crooked intentions at all. But in a time of decreasing those below to benefit those above, they know only to decrease themselves to serve their superior, and do not know that a minister who bends his way a little never succeeds in benefiting his ruler, so there is the warning 'without decreasing oneself, one increases others.']

益之初九曰利用為大作元吉無咎象曰元吉無咎下不厚事也伊川易傳曰在下者本不當處厚事厚事重大之事也以為在上所任所以當大事必能濟大事而致元吉乃為無咎能致元吉則在上者任之為知人己當之為勝任不然則上下皆有咎也【大作即厚事之謂也卦當損上益下初居最下受上之益是當大任者必尭濟其事而大善上下乃可無咎】

The Nine at the beginning of Yi (Increase) says: "It is advantageous to undertake a great work; supreme good fortune, no fault." The Image says: "Supreme good fortune and no fault means that those below should not be given weighty matters." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "Those below ought not to be given weighty matters. A weighty matter is a great and important one. Since one is entrusted by those above, one is given a great matter, and must bring it to completion with supreme good fortune, and only then is there no fault. If one can bring about supreme good fortune, then those above are wise in appointing him and he himself is equal to the task; otherwise both high and low are at fault." [A great work means a weighty matter. The hexagram is one of decreasing the upper to benefit the lower; the first place is at the very bottom and receives benefit from above, so it is one entrusted with a great responsibility, and he must succeed in completing the matter with great good (the base text has a variant character here), and only then can high and low be without fault.]

革而無甚益猶可悔也況反害乎古人所以重改作也【革卦彖傳事之變更則於大體不能無傷苟非有大益無後患君子不輕於改作】

"If a change brings no great benefit, it may still be regretted, how much more if it does harm? This is why the ancients took reforms seriously." [From the Judgment Commentary of the hexagram Ge (Revolution). When matters are changed, the great structure cannot but be hurt. Unless there is great benefit and no later trouble, the noble man does not lightly alter and remake.]

漸之九三曰利禦寇伊川易傳曰君子之與小人比也自守以正豈惟君子自完其己而已乎亦使小人得不陷於非義是以順道相保御止其惡也【九三上下皆隂是君子與小人同列相比也君子以守正而不失其身小人亦以近正而不敢為惡以順道而相保御是能止其惡也】旅之初六曰旅瑣瑣斯其所取災伊川易傳曰志卑之人既處旅困鄙猥瑣細無所不至乃其所以致悔辱取災咎也【初居旅之下故為志卑之人此教人處旅困之道當略細故存大體斯免悔咎也】在旅而過剛自高致困災之道也【旅卦九三象傳過剛則暴戾而乏和順自高則矯亢而人不親附處旅如是必致困災】

The Nine in the Third place of Jian (Gradual Progress) says: "It is advantageous to resist bandits." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "When a noble man is side by side with petty men, he keeps himself upright. How could the noble man merely keep himself whole? He also makes it possible for petty men not to fall into unrighteousness. Therefore by mutual protection in the compliant way he restrains their evil." [The Nine in the Third place has yin both above and below, which means the noble man stands in rank beside petty men. The noble man, by keeping to what is upright, does not lose himself, and the petty men, by being close to the upright, do not dare to do evil; protecting and resisting one another by the compliant way is able to stop their evil.] The Six at the beginning of Lu (the Wanderer) says: "The wanderer is petty and trivial; this is how he draws disaster upon himself." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "A person of low ambition, once placed in the hardship of a wanderer, goes to every length of meanness and pettiness, and that is why he brings regret and disgrace and draws calamity." [The first place lies at the bottom of Lu, so it is a person of low ambition. This teaches the way of being in the hardship of wandering: one should overlook small matters and keep to the greater structure, and only then avoid regret and fault.] "Being a wanderer while excessively firm and arrogant is the road to hardship and disaster." [From the Image Commentary of the Nine in the Third place of Lu. Excessive firmness is violent and lacking in gentleness, and arrogance is stiff and haughty so that others do not draw near. To act thus as a wanderer will surely bring hardship and disaster.]

兊之上六曰引兊象曰未光也伊川易傳曰說既極矣又引而長之雖說之之心不已而事理已過實無所說事之盛則有光輝既極而強引之長其無意味甚矣豈有光也【兌之上六恱之極也恱極而復引之事既過而強為恱何輝光之有】

The Six at the top of Dui (Joy) says: "Drawing out joy." The Image says: "It is not yet glorious." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "Joy has already reached its extreme, and yet it is drawn out and prolonged. Although the mind's delight does not cease, the matter has already passed its proper measure and there is truly nothing to delight in. When something is at its height it has brilliance; when it has already reached its extreme and one forcibly draws it out longer, its lack of meaning is plain, so how could there be glory?" [The Six at the top of Dui is joy at its extreme. Joy is at its extreme and is drawn out again; the matter has already gone too far and one forces delight, so what brilliance could there be?]

中孚之象曰君子以議獄緩死伊川易傳曰君子之於議獄盡其忠而已於決死極於惻而已天下之事無所不盡其忠而議獄緩死最其大者也【議獄而無不盡之心致其審也決死而存不忍之心致其愛也君子雖無往不盡其中心之誠而於議獄緩死則尤其所謹重者也】

The Image of Zhong Fu (Inner Truth) says: "The noble man deliberates on lawsuits and delays executions." Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes says: "In deliberating on lawsuits the noble man simply exhausts his loyalty; in deciding on executions he simply reaches the limit of compassion. In all the affairs of the world he exhausts his loyalty, and deliberating on lawsuits and delaying executions are the greatest of these." [In deliberating on lawsuits, to leave no part of one's heart unspent is to bring about careful examination; in deciding on executions, to keep a heart that cannot bear it is to bring about love. Although the noble man goes nowhere without exhausting the sincerity of his inner heart, he is especially careful and weighty in deliberating on lawsuits and delaying executions.]

事有時而當過所以從宜然豈可甚過也如過恭過哀過儉大過則不可所以小過為順乎宜也能順乎宜所以大吉【小過卦彖傳禮過乎恭喪過乎哀用過乎儉皆小過之以順乎事之宜若過之甚則恭為足恭哀為毀瘠儉為鄙恡又失其宜矣】

"There are times when matters should go beyond the usual, and so one follows what is suitable; yet how can one go too far? Excess in respect, excess in grief, excess in thrift: great excess is not acceptable, so Xiao Guo (Small Excess) is in accord with what is suitable. Being able to accord with what is suitable, it is greatly auspicious." [From the Judgment Commentary of the hexagram Xiao Guo. In ritual, going beyond in respect; in mourning, going beyond in grief; in expenditure, going beyond in thrift: these are all small excesses in accord with what suits the matter. If the excess is great, respect becomes excessive servility, grief becomes wasting away from mourning, and thrift becomes meanness and stinginess, and again one loses what is suitable.]

防小人之道正己為先【小過卦九三傳待小人之道先當正己己一於正則彼雖奸詐將無間之可乘矣其他防患之道皆當以正己為先】

"In the way of guarding against petty men, rectifying oneself comes first." [From the commentary on the Nine in the Third place of Xiao Guo. In the way of treating petty men, one should first rectify oneself. If oneself is wholly upright, then however treacherous and deceitful they are, they will find no gap to exploit. In all other ways of guarding against trouble, rectifying oneself should likewise come first.]

周公至公不私進退以道無利慾之蔽【周公之心在於天下國家而不在其身是以至公無私而進退合道葢無一毫利慾之蔽】其處己也夔夔然存恭畏之心其存誠也蕩蕩然無顧慮之意所以雖在危疑之地而不失其聖也【夔夔戒謹卑順之貌存誠者自信之篤也蕩蕩明白坦平之義聖人雖當危疑之地既不忿戾而改常亦不疑懼而失守是為不失其聖也】詩曰公孫碩膚赤舄几几【經說下同○詩狼跋篇碩大也膚美也遜避讓也謂有大美而謙遜不居也赤舄赤服之舄也几几進退安重貌葢其恭順安舒之意如此】

"The Duke of Zhou was utterly impartial and without private interest, advancing and withdrawing according to the Way, free of the cloud of profit and desire." [The Duke of Zhou's heart was set on the world and the state and not on himself, so he was utterly impartial and without selfishness, and his advancing and withdrawing accorded with the Way; there was not the slightest cloud of profit and desire.] "In how he conducted himself, he was reverent and cautious, keeping a heart of respect and awe; in how he preserved sincerity, he was open and broad, with no thought of hesitation; therefore even in a place of danger and suspicion he did not lose his sagehood." [Kuikui is the appearance of being guarded, careful and humble. Preserving sincerity is the firmness of self-trust. Open and broad means clear, candid and level. Though the sage stands in a place of danger and suspicion, he neither alters his constancy through anger and perversity nor loses his post through doubt and fear, and this is what it means not to lose his sagehood.] "The Poem says: 'The duke's grandson is large and fair, in red shoes, calm and steady.'" [The following are all from the Commentary on the Classics. This is from the Lang Ba ode in the Book of Poetry. Shuo means great and fu means beautiful. Xun means to yield, meaning that he had great beauty and was modest and did not dwell on it. Red shoes are the shoes of the red court dress. Jiji is the appearance of being steady and calm in advancing and retreating. Such was the state of his respectful, compliant and calm and easy mind.]

採察求訪使臣之大務【採察民隠求訪賢才二事使職之大者也】

"Gathering information and making inquiries is the great task of an envoy." [Gathering knowledge of the people's hidden hardships and seeking out worthy talent are the two great matters of an envoy's duty.]

明道先生與吳師禮談介甫之學錯處謂師禮曰為我盡達諸介甫我亦未敢自以為是如有說願往復此天下公理無彼我果能明辨不有益於介甫則必有益於我【遺書下同○先生忠誠懇至詞氣和平如此豈若悻悻好勝自是者之為哉】

Master Mingdao was discussing the errors in Jiefu's learning with Wu Shili, and said to Shili: "Convey all of this to Jiefu for me. I too do not dare consider myself right. If he has anything to say, I would like to exchange views back and forth. This is the common principle of the world, with no distinction of him and me. If we can truly distinguish clearly, then if it does not benefit Jiefu it will surely benefit me." [The following are all from the Surviving Writings. The Master's loyalty and earnestness and his gentle tone were like this; how could this resemble the behavior of one who is angry, competitive and self-righteous?]

天祺在司竹常愛用一卒長及將代自見其人盜筍皮遂治之無少貸罪己正待之復如初略不介意其徳量如此【徳量大則不為喜怒所遷】

When Tianqi was at Sizhu, he was fond of employing one soldier-captain. When he was about to be replaced, he saw with his own eyes this man stealing bamboo shoot husks, and so punished him without the slightest leniency. After the offense was dealt with, he treated him again as before, without the slightest resentment. His virtue and breadth of mind were like this. [When one's virtue and breadth are great, one is not shifted by joy or anger.]