Zhong Shuo (中說) · Volume 2

文中子曰甚矣王道難行也吾家頃銅川六世矣【上黨有銅堤縣】未嘗不篤於斯【斯文】然亦未嘗得宣其用【不遇時】退而鹹有述焉則以志其道也【志記】蓋先生之述曰時變論六篇其言化俗推移之理竭矣江州府君之述曰五經決録五篇其言聖賢制述之意備矣晉陽穆公之述曰政大論八篇其言帝王之道著矣同州府君之述曰政小論八篇其言王霸之業盡矣安康獻公之述曰皇極讜義九篇其言三才之去就深矣銅川府君之述曰興衰要論七篇其言六代之得失明矣【自先生至銅川文中子世家言之備矣時變論至興衰要論今皆亡六代晉宋後魏北齊後周隋也】餘小子獲覩成訓勤九載矣【大業九年自長安歸著六經至九年功畢】服先人之義稽仲尼之心天人之事帝王之道昭昭乎【因祖徳考聖師而明】子謂董常曰吾欲修元經稽諸史論不足徵也【董常字履常弟子亞聖者元經春秋異名也義包五始故曰元經史論謂厯代史臣於紀傳後贊論之類是也】吾得皇極讜義焉【去就適中權衡褒貶】吾欲續詩考諸集記不足徵也【前賢文集所記】吾得時變論焉【化俗推移以正風雅】吾欲續書按諸載録不足徵也【史官載言所録】吾得政大論焉【王言大道其制明白】董常曰夫子之得蓋其志焉【非以文體】子曰然子謂薛收曰昔聖人述史三焉【薛收字伯褒隋內史道衡之子昔聖謂孔子】其述書也帝王之製備矣故索焉而皆獲【史有記言求言則制度得矣】其述詩也興衰之由顯故究焉而皆得【史有明得失窮政化則詩明矣】其述春秋也邪正之跡明故考焉而皆當【史有記事稽邪正則法當矣】此三者同出於史而不可雜也故聖人分焉【載言載事明得失皆史職也職同體異故曰分】文中子曰吾視遷固而下述作何其紛紛乎【史記漢書而下文體相模無經制紛紛多且亂】帝王之道其暗而不明乎天人之意其否而不交乎制理者參而不一乎陳事者亂而無緒乎【四者由紛亂故】子不豫【屬疾】聞江都有變【大業十三年煬帝幸江都宮宇文化及弒逆】然而興曰生民厭亂久矣【自漢末亂至隋胡畎反】天其或者將啟堯舜之運吾不與焉命也【唐太宗行堯舜之道而文中子已死】文中子曰道之不勝時久矣吾將若之何【自孔子孟軻已來不勝時故曰久矣】董常曰夫子自秦歸晉宅居汾陽然後三才五常各得其所【秦長安隋都也晉汾陽子鄉也三才五常謂續經】薛收曰敢問續書之始於漢何也子曰六國之弊亡秦之酷吾不忍聞也又焉取皇綱乎【六國燕王喜魏王假齊王建楚王負芻韓王安趙王嘉也亡秦始皇也秦竊皇之名無綱紀之實】漢之統天下也其除殘穢與民更始而興其視聴乎【變民耳目使知有王道興】薛收曰敢問續詩之備六代何也【六代注見上】子曰其以仲尼三百始終於周乎【三百篇週一代】收曰然子曰餘安敢望仲尼然至興衰之際未嘗不再三焉故具六代始終所以告也【告猶貢也貢其俗於時君】文中子曰天下無賞罰三百載矣【自晉惠帝永平元年至隋開皇十年凡三百載】元經可得不興乎【言必興】薛收曰始於晉惠何也【惠帝名衷武帝子也政由賈后天下大亂故元經起於此】子曰昔者明王在上賞罰其有差乎【言不差】元經褒貶所以代賞罰者也其以天下無主而賞罰不明乎【晉忠猶無王】薛收曰然則春秋之始周平魯隠其志亦若斯乎【周平王幽王之子王室衰防東遷居洛魯隠公惠公之子平王同時】子曰其然乎而人莫之知也【後人不知代行衰周之法謂東周始王讓國賢君非也】薛收曰今乃知天下之治聖人斯在上矣天下之亂聖人斯在下矣【周公上仲尼下】聖人達而賞罰行聖人窮而褒貶作皇極所以復建而斯文不喪也【春秋無經行禮法之皇極】不其深乎再拜而出以告董生董生曰仲尼沒而文在茲乎【前聖後聖一也】文中子曰卓哉周孔之道其神之所為乎【孟子曰大而化之謂聖而不可知之謂神】順之則吉逆之則兇【神在易中】子述元經皇始之事嘆焉【後魏初年】門人未達叔恬曰【王凝字叔恬子之弟也為御史彈侯君集為長孫無忌所惡出為太原令王氏家書稱太原府君】夫子之嘆蓋嘆命矣書云天命不於常惟歸乃有徳戎狄之徳黎民懐之三才其舍諸【後魏徳被黎民亦天地命之也人其舍之乎】子聞之曰凝爾知命哉子在長安楊素蘇防李徳林皆請見【楊素字處道煬帝時為司徒専朝政蘇防字伯尼善鐘律隋樂多從防議李徳林字公輔佐命掌軍書為儀同頗自負三人知文中子賢來請謁見】子與之言歸而有憂色門人問子子曰素與吾言終日言政而不及化【上正下曰政下從上曰化】夔與吾言終日言聲而不及雅【知音為聲知徳為雅】徳林與吾言終日言文而不及理【修詞為文知道為理】門人曰然則何憂子曰非爾所知也二三子皆朝之預議者也【預朝政】今言政而不及化是天下無禮也【知正人不知使人從】言聲而不及雅是天下無樂也【知文音不知和徳】言文而不及理是天下無文也【知華辭不知實道】王道從何而興乎吾所以憂也【禮壊樂崩文喪天下可憂】門人退子援琴鼓盪之什【蕩傷周室大壊之詩也天下蕩蕩無綱紀文章援於春反】門人皆霑襟焉【哀隋將亡霑知廉反】子曰或安而行之【聖人安仁】或利而行之【賢人利仁】或畏而行之【中人強仁】及其成功一也稽徳則逺【功則同而聖賢中人之徳異】賈瓊【門人未見】習書至桓榮之命【續書有桓榮之命篇榮字春卿漢光武太子】曰洋洋乎光明之業【光武明帝】天實監爾能不以揖讓終乎【初光武立東海王強為太子強讓其弟陽陽立是謂明帝蓋天命授陽而使榮之所以終讓成美也】繁師【未見】將著北齊録以告子【李徳林父子俱有北齊書王邵有北齊志師撮其要為録】子曰無苟作也【勿苟且表文詞而已】越公以食經遺子子不受曰羮藜含糗無所用也答之以酒誥及洪範三徳【越公楊素也食經淮南王撰盧仁宗崔浩亦有之酒誥雲越小大邦用喪亦罔非酒惟辜洪範三徳雲臣無有作福作威玉食其害於而家兇於而國時素專政故因答食經以戒之】子曰小人不激不勵不見利不勸【勵勸皆勉也】靖君亮問辱【門人未見】子曰言不中【不中節】行不謹【不謹宻】辱也【言行榮辱之主也】子曰化至九變王道其明乎【變變於道也孔子曰三年冇成九成二十七年僅必世之仁矣故曰王道明】故樂至九變而淳氣洽矣【樂仁之聲也】裴晞曰何謂也【晞子之舅未見】子曰夫樂象成者也象成莫大於形而流於聲王化始終所可見也【象成功而形容其徳一而變九而成見王化之然】故韶之成也虞氏之恩被動植矣烏鵲之巢可俯而窺也鳳皇何為而藏乎【引古驗今】子曰封禪之費非古也【費費耗國用也三代已前無此禮齊桓公欲封太山禪梁甫管仲言七十二君須得逺方珍貢乃可封禪特設詞諫止耳非典禮所載之實】徒以誇天下其秦漢之侈心乎【始皇東巡上太山立石封祠下禪梁甫以頌秦徳漢武帝用齊人公孫卿言封禪登仙遂升中嶽又上太山封土有玉牒使方士求神仙千數無驗而回此皆誇侈以欺天下非事天致誠之本】子曰易樂者必多哀輕施者必好奪【家國皆然】子曰無赦之國其刑必平【無倖免則不深犯】多斂之國其財必削【既富侈則用益耗】子曰廉者常樂無求貪者常憂不足【相反】子曰杜如晦若逢其明王於萬民其猶天乎【杜如晦字克明唐太宗時朝政典章文物皆杜所定】董常房元齡賈瓊問曰何謂也【疑稱天太過】子曰春生之夏長之秋成之冬斂之父得其為父子得其為子君得其為君臣得其為臣萬類咸宜百姓日用而不知者杜氏之任不謂其猶天乎【用元跡物自化天也太宗治平嵗斷死罪二十餘人幾乎刑厝粟鬥三文行道千里不齎糧王道盛矣非如天之効歟】吾察之久矣目光惚然心神忽然【恍惚憂貌】此其識時運者憂不逢真主以然哉【知隋運亡又未遇太宗所以恍忽憂也】叔恬曰舜一歳而巡五嶽國不費而民不勞何也【書稱四嶽此言五舉成數歟】子曰無他道也兵衛少而徵求寡也【簡則用省】子曰王國之有風天子與諸侯夷乎【黍離列於國風夷等也】誰居乎【居音姬禮記曰何居】幽王之罪也【幽王惑褒姒廢申後申侯弒之周遂微】故始之以黍離於是雅道息矣【王國十篇黍離為始】子曰五行不相沴則王者可以制禮矣【治臻皇極則五行各敘故禮行皇極也沴閭計反】四靈為畜則王者可以作樂矣【仁及飛走則龍麟鳯在沼藪故樂形仁聲也】子游孔子之廟【漢已後郡國立孔子祠】出而歌曰大哉乎君君臣臣父父子子兄兄弟弟夫夫婦婦夫子之力也【春秋行法君父尊詩序人倫夫婦正】其與太極合徳神道並行乎【言無窮】王孝逸曰夫子之道豈少是乎【孝逸未見夫子謂文中子也】子曰子未三復白圭乎【責言玷】天地生我而不能鞠我父母鞠我而不能成我成我者夫子也道不啻天地父母通於夫子受罔極之恩【詩云欲報之徳吳天罔極言孔子生民之師大於生我鞠我者之恩】吾子汩彞倫乎【儗人必於其倫不可汩亂謙也】孝逸再拜謝之終身不敢臧否韋鼎請見子三見而三不語恭恭若不足【韋鼎未見不言謂日撃道存】鼎出謂門人曰夫子得志於朝廷有不言之化不殺之嚴矣【不得其言而得其志】楊素謂子曰天子求善御邊者素聞惟賢知賢敢問夫子子曰羊祜陸遜仁人也可使【祜字叔子晉欲平吳以祜督荊州祜綏懐吳人吳之降者欲去則聴之遜字伯言為吳大將軍攻晉襄陽獲生口即還之二賢皆仁】素曰已死矣何可復使【不悟諷已】子曰今公能為羊陸之事則可如不能廣求何益通聞邇者悅逺者來折沖樽爼可矣何必臨邊也【折橫也沖直也麾兵橫直猶辯縱橫晏子用此】子之家六經畢備朝服祭器不假【不假借】曰三綱五常自可出也【正家以正天下】子曰悠悠素餐者天下皆是王道從何而興乎【隋多無功食祿】子曰七制之主其人可以即戎矣【續書有七制皆漢之賢君立文武之功業者髙祖孝文孝武孝宣光武孝明孝章是也】董常死子哭於寢門之外【不可視猶子也哭寢則太親不可視猶朋友也哭野則太疎故折中於寢門之外】拜而受吊【知生者吊彼吊我失其助故拜之】裴晞問曰衛玠稱人有不及可以情恕非意相干可以理遣何如【玠字叔寶善談理有情恕理遣之論】子曰寛矣【量寛而已】曰仁乎【寛似仁】子曰不知也【仁道至大非但寛】阮嗣宗與人談則及逺未嘗臧否人物何如【籍字嗣宗口不論人之過】子曰慎矣【慎言而已】曰仁乎【慎似仁】子曰不知也【仁非止慎】子曰恕哉凌敬【凌敬未見】視人之孤猶已也【以已心為人之心曰恕孟子曰防吾防以及人之防是恕也】子曰仁者吾不得而見也得見智者斯可矣智者吾不得而見也得見義者斯可矣【仁無為而理智達於未亂之前義制於已然之後】如不得見必也剛介乎剛者好斷介者殊俗【剛必果介自異】薛收問至徳要道子曰至徳其道之本乎要道其徳之行乎【行成徳徳成道徳行成身道施天下】禮不云乎至徳為道本【周禮師氏三徳雲】易不云乎顯道神徳行【繫辭雲】子曰大哉神乎所自出也【本諸身曰自出】至哉易也其知神之所為乎【無體則無方】子曰我未見嗜義如嗜利者也【和而有宜曰義反是曰利】子登雲中之城【漢雲中郡唐延州】望龍門之關【河中有龍門縣】曰壯哉山河之固賈瓊曰既壯矣又何加焉子曰守之以道【險不可恃】降而宿於禹廟觀其碑首曰先君獻公之所作也其文典以達【文未見】子見劉孝標絶交論曰惜乎舉任公而毀也任公於是乎不可謂知人矣【劉峻字孝標性率多毀時任昉死有子東里冬衣葛裘孝標作絶交論以譏任公之友然又彰任公不知人耳】見辯命論曰人道廢矣【峻又有辯命論言管輅才髙不遇乃謂窮達由天殊不由人是不知命廢人道也】子曰使諸葛亮而無死禮樂其有興乎【孔明言普天之下莫非漢民志在天下非蜀而已亮未死必可功成治定】子讀樂毅論曰仁哉樂毅善藏其用智哉太初善發其蘊【夏侯字太初著樂毅論言不拔即墨及莒二城者其志以天下為心非兼併齊國而已仁哉美毅不屠城善藏用也智哉美太初能發明毅之仁也】子讀無論曰未知人焉知【阮瞻作無論謂可以辯幽明蓋不知聖人不語之旨】

Wenzhongzi said: The Kingly Way is far too hard to practice. My family moved to Tongchuan six generations ago [Shangdang has a Tongdi county], and has never been anything but earnest about this [this is the culture of the sages], yet has never been able to make its use known [we did not meet the right time]; stepping back, each generation still left writings to record that Way ["zhi" means to record]. The Master's work was called Discourse on Changing Times in six chapters, which fully explained the principles of transforming customs and shifting with the times. Lord of Jiangzhou's work was called Record of Decisions on the Five Classics in five chapters, which completed the meaning of how the sages composed and transmitted. Duke Mu of Jinyang's work was called Greater Discourse on Governance in eight chapters, which made clear the Way of emperors and kings. Lord of Tongzhou's work was called Lesser Discourse on Governance in eight chapters, which fully explained the enterprise of the true king and the hegemon. Duke Xian of Ankang's work was called Meaning of the Supreme Pole in Frank Words in nine chapters, which went deep into the going and staying of the Three Powers. Lord of Tongchuan's work was called Essential Discourse on Rise and Decline in seven chapters, which made plain the gains and losses of the Six Dynasties [from the Master to Lord of Tongchuan, the Hereditary House of Wenzhongzi tells this fully; Discourse on Changing Times through Essential Discourse on Rise and Decline are all lost today; the Six Dynasties are Jin, Song, Later Wei, Northern Qi, Later Zhou and Sui]. I, a mere youth, have been able to see this ready-made instruction and have worked at it diligently for nine years [in the first year of Daye I returned from Chang'an and wrote the Six Classics, and finished in the ninth year]. Taking to heart the righteousness of my forebears and examining the mind of Zhongni, I see matters of Heaven and man and the Way of emperors and kings brilliantly clear [clear by relying on ancestral virtue and consulting the sage teachers]. The Master said to Dong Chang: "I wished to compile the Yuan Jing, but examining the appraisals in the various histories, they were not sufficient to verify [Dong Chang, styled Lüchang, was the disciple who came closest to the sage; the Yuan Jing is another name for the Spring and Autumn Annals, its meaning containing the Five Beginnings, hence called Yuan Jing; the historical appraisals are the praises and critiques that court historians placed after the biographies]. I have obtained the Meaning of the Supreme Pole in Frank Words [its going and staying are balanced, weighing praise and blame]. I wished to continue the Book of Songs, but examining the collected records of various families, they were not sufficient to verify [what virtuous men of earlier dynasties recorded in their collections]. I have obtained the Discourse on Changing Times [transforming customs and shifting with the times, to rectify the airs and odes]. I wished to continue the Book of Documents, but following the various records, they were not sufficient to verify [what court historians recorded of speech]. I have obtained the Greater Discourse on Governance [the words of kings and the Great Way, with institutions made clear]." Dong Chang said: "What you have obtained, Master, is probably that aim [not the literary form]." The Master said: "Yes." The Master said to Xue Shou: "Sages of old composed history in three kinds [Xue Shou, styled Bobao, was the son of Xue Daoheng, Inner Secretary of Sui; the sages of old means Confucius]. In composing the Book of Documents, the institutions of emperors and kings were complete, so whatever one sought, one could find [history records speech, and seeking speech, one obtains the institutions]. In composing the Book of Songs, the reasons for rise and decline were made manifest, so whatever one probed, one could obtain [history marks gains and losses and exhausts governance and transformation, and then the Songs are understood]. In composing the Spring and Autumn Annals, the traces of the crooked and the upright were made clear, so whatever one examined, one could judge rightly [history records events, and examining the crooked and the upright, the standard is made fitting]. These three come from history yet cannot be mixed, so the sage separated them [recording speech, recording events and marking gains and losses are all the office of history; the office is the same but the form differs, so he says separated]." Wenzhongzi said: "Looking at the works from Sima Qian and Ban Gu on, how confused and jumbled they are [from the Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han onward the forms imitate one another without a classical standard; they are numerous and in disorder]. Is the Way of emperors and kings dark and unclear? Is the intent of Heaven and man blocked and not communicating? Are those who set up principles at cross purposes and not unified? Are those who narrate events muddled and without a thread [all four come from the confusion]?" The Master was unwell [ill] and, hearing of the upheaval at Jiangdu [in the thirteenth year of Daye, Emperor Yang went to the Jiangdu palace and Yuwen Huaji committed regicide], started up in alarm and said: "The living people have hated disorder for a long time [from the disorder at the end of Han until Sui; the character is pronounced hu quan fan, i.e. ju]. Heaven may be about to open the fortune of Yao and Shun, but I will not take part; it is fate [Emperor Taizong of Tang practiced the Way of Yao and Shun, but Wenzhongzi had already died]." Wenzhongzi said: "The Way has been unable to prevail over the times for a long time; what shall I do [since Confucius and Mencius it has been unable to prevail over the times, so he says a long time]?" Dong Chang said: "You, Master, returned from the land of Qin to the land of Jin and settled at Fenyang, and only then did the Three Powers and Five Constants each obtain their place [Qin refers to Chang'an, the capital of Sui; Jin refers to Fenyang, the Master's home village; the Three Powers and Five Constants refer to the continuation of the Classics]." Xue Shou said: "May I ask why the continuation of the Book of Documents begins with Han?" The Master said: "The corruption of the Six States and the cruelty of doomed Qin I cannot bear to hear, and from where would I take the imperial framework [the Six States are King Xi of Yan, King Jia of Wei, King Jian of Qi, King Fuchu of Chu, King An of Han and King Jia of Zhao; doomed Qin is the First Emperor of Qin, who stole the title of emperor but had no real order]? The Han line held the world, cleared away the ruinous and foul, made a new start with the people, and raised their sight and hearing [changing the ears and eyes of the people so they would know a kingly Way was rising]." Xue Shou said: "May I ask why the continuation of the Book of Songs includes all six dynasties [the six dynasties are noted above]?" The Master said: "Perhaps because the three hundred poems of Zhongni, from beginning to end, were all in Zhou [the three hundred poems are the poems of one dynasty, Zhou]." Xue Shou said: "Yes." The Master said: "How would I dare to look up to Zhongni? Yet when it comes to the times of rise and decline, I have never failed to give them thought again and again, so I include the beginning and end of the six dynasties in order to present them ["present" is like "offer", offering that custom to the ruler of the time]." Wenzhongzi said: "For three hundred years the world has had no reward or punishment [from the first year of Yongping under Emperor Hui of Jin to the tenth year of Kaihuang of Sui makes three hundred years]. Can the Yuan Jing fail to arise [meaning it must arise]?" Xue Shou said: "Why does it begin with Emperor Hui of Jin [Emperor Hui, personal name Zhong, was the son of Emperor Wu; government lay in the hands of Empress Jia and the world fell into great disorder, so the Yuan Jing begins here]?" The Master said: "In the past, when a wise king was above, could rewards and punishments go wrong [meaning there was no error]? The praise and blame of the Yuan Jing take the place of reward and punishment, probably because the world had no ruler and rewards and punishments were unclear [the house of Jin was as if without a king]." Xue Shou said: "Then the Spring and Autumn Annals begins with King Ping of Zhou and Duke Yin of Lu; is its aim also like this [King Ping of Zhou was the son of King You; the royal house had declined and moved east to dwell at Luo; Duke Yin of Lu was the son of Duke Hui and was contemporary with King Ping. The character 'fang' in the received text's 'shuai fang' is an error for 'wei']?" The Master said: "Perhaps so, but no one knows it [later people do not know that this stood in for the law of the declining Zhou, and instead say the Eastern Zhou began as a kingdom and that Lu had a worthy ruler who yielded the state, which is wrong]." Xue Shou said: "Now I know that when the world is well governed, the sage is above, and when the world is in disorder, the sage is below [the Duke of Zhou above, Zhongni below]. When a sage is prominent, rewards and punishments are carried out; when a sage is in hardship, praise and blame arise; the Supreme Pole is thereby re-established and this culture is not lost [the Spring and Autumn Annals has no classic of a king, yet carries out the Supreme Pole of ritual and law]. Is this not profound?" He bowed twice and went out and told this to Master Dong. Master Dong said: "Zhongni is dead, but his culture is here, is it not [the earlier sage and the later sage are one]?" Wenzhongzi said: "Marvelous, the Way of Zhou and Confucius; it must be what the divine does [Mencius said: that which is great and transforms is called sage, and that which cannot be known is called divine]. Follow it and there is good fortune, go against it and there is misfortune [the divine is in the Book of Changes]." When the Master spoke of the events of the Huangshi era in the Yuan Jing, he sighed [the early years of the Later Wei], and his disciples did not understand. Shuti said [Wang Ning, styled Shuti, was the Master's younger brother, who served as a censor and impeached Hou Junji, was hated by Zhangsun Wuji, and was sent out to be magistrate of Taiyuan; the Family Records of the Wang Clan call him Lord of Taiyuan]: "The Master's sigh was probably a sigh over fate. The Book of Documents says the Mandate of Heaven is not constant but goes only to the virtuous. If the Rong and Di had virtue, the common people would turn to them; would the Three Powers reject them [the virtue of the Later Wei covered the common people, and this too was what Heaven and Earth ordained for them; would people reject it]?" The Master heard this and said: "Ning, you know fate." When the Master was in Chang'an, Yang Su, Su Kui and Li Delin all asked for an audience [Yang Su, styled Chudao, was Minister of Education under Emperor Yang and monopolized court affairs; Su Kui, styled Boni, was expert in bells and pitch and much of Sui music came from his proposals, and the received text's 'Su fang' is Su Kui; Li Delin, styled Gongfu, assisted in founding the dynasty and handled military documents, held the rank of Yitong, and was rather self-regarding; the three knew the Master was worthy and came to ask to see him]. The Master spoke with them, and when he came back his face showed worry. His disciples asked him, and the Master said: "Yang Su talked with me all day, but only about government and not about transformation [when those above are upright and those below follow, that is government; when those below follow those above, that is transformation]. Su Kui talked with me all day, but only about sound and not about refinement [knowing tones is sound; knowing virtue is refinement]. Delin talked with me all day, but only about literary style and not about principle [adorning phrases is style; knowing the Way is principle]." His disciples said: "Then why the worry?" The Master said: "It is not something you can know. These men are all people at court who take part in deliberations [taking part in affairs of government]. Now they speak of government but not transformation, so the world has no ritual [they only know how to correct people, not how to make them follow]. They speak of sound but not refinement, so the world has no music [they only know how to decorate sounds, not the virtue of harmony]. They speak of style but not principle, so the world has no culture [they only know florid wording, not the real Way]. From where would the Kingly Way arise? That is why I worry [ritual spoiled and music collapsed, culture lost, the world is cause for worry]." The disciples withdrew, and the Master took up his zither and played the decade of Dang [Dang is a poem mourning the great ruin of the house of Zhou, when the world was vast and without order or culture; the character 'yuan' is pronounced yu chun fan]. The disciples all wept until their collars were wet [grieving that Sui was about to fall; the character 'zhan' is pronounced zhi lian fan]. The Master said: "Some practice it at ease [sages are at ease in humaneness], some practice it for profit [worthy men profit from humaneness], some practice it out of fear [ordinary people force themselves to be humane]. When it is accomplished it is the same, but in examining virtue they are far apart [the merit is the same, but the virtue of the sage, the worthy and the ordinary person differs]." Jia Qiong [a disciple, whose deeds are not recorded] studied the Book of Documents, and when he reached the Charge to Huan Rong [the continued Book of Documents has a chapter 'Charge to Huan Rong'; Huan Rong, styled Chunqing, was tutor to the Crown Prince of Emperor Guangwu of Han; in the received text a character here was lost in transcription, namely fu] he said: "How vast! A bright enterprise [Guangwu and Mingdi]. Heaven truly watches over you; can it fail to end in yielding [at first Guangwu made Prince Qiang of Donghai the Crown Prince, and Qiang yielded to his younger brother Yang, and Yang was established, who was Emperor Ming. Probably Heaven's mandate was given to Yang and Huan Rong was made his tutor, so in the end the beauty was perfected through yielding]?" Fan Shixuan [whose deeds are not recorded] was about to compile the Records of Northern Qi and reported it to the Master [Li Delin and his son both had a Book of Northern Qi, and Wang Shao had a Treatise on Northern Qi; Fan Shixuan collected the essentials to make the record]. The Master said: "Do not compose carelessly [do not merely and carelessly put out wording]." The Duke of Yue gave the Master a Food Canon, and the Master did not accept it, saying: "Drinking weed soup and holding dry rations is of no use." He replied with the Announcement on Wine and the Three Virtues of the Great Plan [the Duke of Yue is Yang Su; the Food Canon was compiled by the Prince of Huainan, and Lu Renzong and Cui Hao also had one; the Announcement on Wine says: the ruin of states large and small is also never without wine as the cause of guilt; the Three Virtues of the Great Plan say: if a minister makes blessings, makes awe, or has jade food, it will harm your house and bring misfortune to your state. At that time Yang Su monopolized government, so he used the reply about the Food Canon to warn him]. The Master said: "Petty men do not exert themselves unless they are goaded and are not encouraged unless they see profit [goading and encouraging both mean urging]." Jing Junliang asked what disgrace is [a disciple, whose deeds are not recorded]. The Master said: "Words not on target [not fitting the occasion] and conduct not careful [not careful and thorough] are disgrace [words and conduct govern honor and disgrace]." The Master said: "When teaching and transformation reach the ninth change, the Kingly Way is probably manifest [change means changing in the Way. Confucius said that in three years there is accomplishment; nine completions are twenty-seven years, which only approaches 'a generation, and then humaneness,' so he says the Kingly Way is manifest]. So when music reaches its ninth change, pure qi is in harmony [music is the sound of humaneness]." Pei Xi said: "What does that mean [Xi was the Master's maternal uncle, whose deeds are not recorded; in the received text a character here was lost in transcription, namely fu]?" The Master said: "Music is the image of accomplishment. For an image of accomplishment, nothing is greater than form and its spreading into sound, and the beginning and end of the transformation by a king can be seen from this [it images accomplishment and describes that virtue; one change, then nine completions, and one sees the appearance of royal transformation]. So when the Shao was completed, the kindness of the house of Yu covered animals and plants, so that the nests of crows and magpies could be peered into by looking down; why should the phoenix hide [citing the ancient to verify the present]?" The Master said: "The expense of the Feng and Shan sacrifices did not exist in antiquity [expense means draining state resources; before the Three Dynasties there was no such rite. Duke Huan of Qi wished to perform Feng at Mount Tai and Shan at Liangfu, and Guan Zhong said that seventy-two rulers must have distant rare tribute before they could perform Feng and Shan, and deliberately used this speech to dissuade him; it is not a real matter recorded in the ritual canons]. It was only used to boast to the world, probably the extravagant mind of Qin and Han [the First Emperor of Qin toured east and ascended Mount Tai, set up a stone and sacrificed, then descended to perform Shan at Liangfu, to praise the virtue of Qin. Emperor Wu of Han followed the words of Gongsun Qing of Qi, performing Feng and Shan to seek immortality, and so ascended the Central Peak and again went up Mount Tai to build an earth altar, with a jade tablet, and sent over a thousand magicians to seek immortals, returning with no result. All this was boastful extravagance to deceive the world, not the root of serving Heaven with utmost sincerity]." The Master said: "Those who are easily happy must have much sorrow, and those who give lightly must like to take [this is so for both family and state]." The Master said: "A state without amnesties will surely have fair punishments [with no hope of escape, people do not offend deeply]; a state that hoards and collects much will surely see its wealth diminished [already rich and extravagant, expenditure grows even more]." The Master said: "The honest are often glad to want nothing, and the greedy are always worried about not having enough [the opposite]." The Master said: "If Du Ruhui had met an enlightened king, to the ten thousand people he would probably have been like Heaven [Du Ruhui, styled Keming; under Emperor Taizong of Tang the statutes and cultural institutions of the court were all set by Du]." Dong Chang, Fang Xuanling and Jia Qiong asked: "What does that mean [doubting that calling him Heaven went too far]?" The Master said: "Spring gives birth to it, summer makes it grow, autumn completes it, winter stores it; the father obtains him to be a father, the son to be a son, the ruler to be a ruler, the minister to be a minister; all kinds are suited, and what the common people use daily without knowing it is the duty of Du; can I not say he is like Heaven [his workings leave no trace, and things transform themselves, which is Heaven. In the years of Taizong's peace, only twenty-odd were sentenced to death, punishments were almost set aside, millet was three coins a dou, and travelers went a thousand li without carrying provisions; the Kingly Way flourished, which is evidence of being like Heaven]? I have observed him for a long time; his gaze is distant and his spirit is faint [being dazed is a look of worry]. This is probably someone who knows the course of fortune and worries that he will not meet a true ruler, which is why he is like this [he knew the fortune of Sui was about to end and had not yet met Taizong, so he was dazed and worried]." Shuti said: "Shun toured the Five Peaks in one year without the state being drained or the people being burdened; why [the Book of Documents says Four Peaks, but here it says five, perhaps citing a round number]?" The Master said: "No other reason: the guards were few, and the demands were few [simplicity saves expense]." The Master said: "The royal domain has its own airs; are the Son of Heaven and the lords now equals [Mi Li is listed among the airs of the states, and 'yi' means equal]? Who caused it [the character 'ju' is pronounced ji; the Book of Rites has 'he ju']? It is the fault of King You [King You was beguiled by Bao Si, deposed Queen Shen, and was killed by the Marquis of Shen, and Zhou thereupon declined]. So from Mi Li onward the way of the odes ceased [the ten poems of the royal domain begin with Mi Li]." The Master said: "When the Five Phases do not harm one another, a true king can establish ritual [when governance reaches the Supreme Pole, the Five Phases each have their order, so ritual carries out the Supreme Pole; the character 'li' is pronounced lü ji fan]. When the four numinous creatures become domestic animals, a true king can make music [when humaneness reaches birds and beasts, the tortoise, dragon, qilin and phoenix are in the marshes, so music becomes the sound of humaneness; in the received text the character for tortoise was lost in transcription]." The Master toured the Temple of Confucius [after Han, commanderies and kingdoms set up shrines to Confucius], came out and sang: "Great! That ruler is ruler, minister is minister, father is father, son is son, elder brother is elder brother, younger brother is younger brother, husband is husband and wife is wife is the strength of the Master [the Spring and Autumn Annals carries out the law and ruler and father are honored; the Songs set out human relations and husband and wife are corrected]. Probably his virtue accords with the Supreme Ultimate and moves together with the divine Way [meaning without limit]." Wang Xiaoyi said: "Does the Master's Way lack this [Xiaoyi's deeds are not recorded; the Master means Wenzhongzi]?" The Master said: "Have you not recited the white jade three times [rebuking a flaw in speech]? Heaven and Earth gave birth to me but could not nurture me; my parents nurtured me but could not make me complete; the one who made me complete was the Master. The Way is not only Heaven, Earth and parents; passing through to the Master, I received boundless kindness [the Book of Songs speaks of wishing to repay virtue, vast Heaven is without limit; it means Confucius, as teacher of the living people, has kindness greater than those who bore and raised me]. Are you confusing the proper order [to compare people one must compare them with their own kind, and one must not confuse them; this is a humble phrase]?" Xiaoyi bowed twice and apologized, and for the rest of his life dared not praise or criticize anyone. Wei Ding asked for an audience, and the Master received him three times without speaking, standing respectfully as if inadequate [Wei Ding's deeds are not recorded; not speaking means that when eyes met the Way was there]. Ding came out and said to the disciples: "If the Master were to achieve his aims at court, there would be transformation without words and severity without killing [I did not get his words, but I got his aim]." Yang Su said to the Master: "The Son of Heaven seeks someone good at guarding the borders. I have heard that only a worthy man knows a worthy man; may I ask the Master." The Master said: "Yang Hu and Lu Xun were humane men and could be used [Yang Hu, styled Shuzi, was used by Jin to be Inspector of Jingzhou when Jin wished to subdue Wu; he pacified the people of Wu, and those of Wu who surrendered were free to go if they wished. Lu Xun, styled Boyan, was Grand General of Wu and attacked Xiangyang of Jin, and returned captives he took. Both worthies were humane]." Yang Su said: "They are already dead; how can they be used [he did not realize he was being satirized]?" The Master said: "If you can do what Yang Hu and Lu Xun did, that is enough; if you cannot, what good is searching widely? I have heard that when those near are delighted and those afar arrive, one can repel enemies between the wine vessels and the sacrificial stands; why must one go personally to the frontier [zhe means across and chong means straight; directing troops across and straight is like debate in all directions; Yan Zi used this phrase]?" In the Master's house the Six Classics were complete, and court dress and sacrificial vessels were not lent out [not lent to others], and he said: "The Three Bonds and Five Constants can come out from here naturally [correcting the family to correct the world]." The Master said: "Those who idly eat for nothing are all over the world; from where would the Kingly Way arise [in the Sui court there were many who took salary without merit]?" The Master said: "The rulers of the seven institutions, those men could engage in military affairs [the continued Book of Documents has seven institutions, all worthy rulers of Han who established civil and military accomplishments: Gaozu, Xiaowen, Xiaowu, Xiaoxuan, Guangwu, Xiaoming and Xiaozhang]." When Dong Chang died, the Master wept outside the gate of his bedchamber [he could not treat him as a son, so weeping inside the bedchamber would be too intimate; he could not treat him as a friend, so weeping in the open would be too distant, so he settled for outside the bedchamber gate], and bowed to receive condolences [knowing that those who came to condole were mourning that I had lost my helper, so he bowed]. Pei Xi asked: "Wei Jie said that when people fall short, one can forgive them with sympathy, and when they offend unintentionally, one can dispel it with reason; how is that [Wei Jie, styled Shubao, was good at discussing abstruse principles and had the theory of forgiving with sympathy and dispelling with reason]?" The Master said: "Generous [just breadth of capacity]." He asked: "Is that humaneness [generosity resembles humaneness]?" The Master said: "I do not know [the Way of humaneness is vast and is not only generosity]." He asked again: "Ruan Sizong, in conversation with people, spoke of the profound and distant and never praised or criticized anyone; how is that [Ruan Ji, styled Sizong, never spoke of others' faults]?" The Master said: "Cautious [only cautious in speech]." He asked: "Is that humaneness [caution resembles humaneness]?" The Master said: "I do not know [humaneness is not just caution]." The Master said: "Forgiving indeed is Ling Jing [Ling Jing's deeds are not recorded], who treats other people's orphans as his own [taking one's own heart as others' heart is called forgiveness; Mencius said 'treat the aged of others as you treat your own aged,' which is forgiveness; the character 'fang' in the received text is an error for 'lao']!" The Master said: "Humane men I cannot see; to see a wise man would be enough. Wise men I cannot see; to see a righteous man would be enough [the humane act without contrivance and bring order, the wise see through before disorder arises, the righteous judge after the fact]. If I cannot see these, it must be the resolute and the principled. The resolute like to decide, and the principled differ from the common run [the resolute are bound to be decisive, and the principled set themselves apart]." Xue Shou asked about supreme virtue and the essential way. The Master said: "Supreme virtue is probably the root of the Way? The essential way is probably the practice of virtue [practice completes virtue, virtue completes the Way; virtuous conduct completes the self and the Way is carried out in the world]. Does the Rites of Zhou not say so, 'supreme virtue is the root of the Way' [said in the Three Virtues of the Master of Retainers in the Rites of Zhou]? Does the Book of Changes not say so, 'it makes the Way manifest and makes virtuous action divine' [said in the Appended Statements]?" The Master said: "Great, the divine, it comes out from oneself [being rooted in oneself is called coming out from oneself]. Supreme, the Changes, probably knows what the divine does [without substance there is no direction]." The Master said: "I have never seen someone who loves righteousness as he loves profit [harmony and fittingness are called righteousness, and the reverse is called profit]." The Master climbed the city of Yunzhong [the Han commandery of Yunzhong, belonging to Yanzhou in Tang] and looked at the Longmen Pass [Hezhong has a Longmen county], and said: "Magnificent, the strength of mountains and rivers!" Jia Qiong said: "It is already magnificent, so what is there to add?" The Master said: "Guard it with the Way [one cannot rely on natural strongholds]." Going down he lodged at the Temple of Yu, looked at the inscription on the stele and said: "This was written by my late lord Duke Xian, and its writing is elegant and fluent [the writing is not seen]." The Master saw Liu Xiaobiao's Essay on Breaking Off Friendships and said: "A pity! He cites Ren Gong yet destroys him. Then Ren Gong cannot be said to have known people [Liu Jun, styled Xiaobiao, was blunt and given to slander. When Ren Fang died, his son Dongli wore a coarse kudzu coat in winter, and Xiaobiao wrote the Essay on Breaking Off Friendships to mock Ren Gong's friends, yet it also showed that Ren Gong did not know people]." He saw the Discourse on Fate and said: "The way of man is abandoned [Liu Jun also had a Discourse on Fate, saying that Guan Lu, though of high talent, did not meet success, and so claimed that success and failure are by Heaven and absolutely not by man, which does not understand fate and abandons the way of man]." The Master said: "If Zhuge Liang had not died, ritual and music would probably have arisen [Kongming said that under all Heaven there is none who is not a subject of Han, so his aim was the whole world and not only Shu. Had Liang not died, he would surely have completed his achievement and settled the governance]." The Master read the Discourse on Yue Yi and said: "Humane, Yue Yi is good at hiding his own use; wise, Taichu is good at bringing out what he stored [Xiahou Xuan, styled Taichu, wrote the Discourse on Yue Yi, saying that not taking the two cities of Jimo and Ju showed an aim that took the whole world to heart, not merely annexing Qi. 'Humane' praises Yue Yi for not massacring cities and being good at hiding his use; 'wise' praises Taichu for being able to bring out Yue Yi's humaneness]." The Master read the Discourse on No Ghosts and said: "He does not yet know people; how would he know ghosts [Ruan Zhan wrote the Discourse on No Ghosts, thinking he could settle the question of the hidden and the manifest, probably not understanding the meaning of the sage's not speaking of it; in the received text a character here was lost in transcription, namely gui]?"

子曰圓者動方者靜其見天地之心乎【天圓動地方靜人動靜之中也中也者心可見矣】子曰智者樂其存物之所為乎【物之所存我從而利之故樂】仁者夀其忘我之所為乎【我忘厥功物將自化故夀】子曰義也清而莊【姚義傳未見清潔而端莊】靖也惠而斷【李靖本名藥師其舅韓擒虎伏其善論兵惠物而勇斷】威也和而博【竇威字文蔚竇後從兄也和容而博識】收也曠而肅【薛收體曠而志肅】瓊也明而毅【賈瓊通明而果毅】淹也誠而厲【杜淹字執禮隋隠太白山來學於子誠慤而威厲】齡志而宻【房喬字齡隋彥謙之子也志精而用宻】徵也直而遂【魏徵字成直道而遂行】大雅深而【溫大雅字彥量深而寛】叔達簡而正【陳叔達字子聰陳宣帝之防子也簡靜中正】若逢其時不減卿相然禮樂則未備【靖彥博皆為僕射威為內史令淹為御史大夫齡為司空徵為太師大雅叔達皆為尚書是皆卿相也然各有二徳而未成全才故曰禮樂未備】或曰董常何人也子曰其動也權【權變才也】其靜也至【至極性也】其顔氏之流乎【動之微者其庶幾乎靜之極者其屢空乎】叔恬曰山濤為吏部拔賢進善時無知者身歿之後天子出其奏於朝然後知群才皆濤所進如何子曰宻矣【山濤字巨源為吏部典選十餘年天下稱為得士然吏非吏隠非隠是宻而已】曰仁乎【似忘所為】子曰吾不知也李宻見子而論兵【宻字法主襲爵為公與楊感謀亂自謂能兵】子曰禮信仁義則吾論之孤虛詐力吾不與也【孤虛兵家之術】李伯藥見子而論詩【伯藥字仲規徳林子也論南朝詩】子不答伯藥退謂薛收曰吾上陳應劉下述沈謝【魏應璩劉公幹梁沈約謝靈運】分四聲八病【四聲韻起自沈約八病未詳】剛柔清濁各有端序【語健為剛旨逺為柔標逸則清質實則濁】音若壎箎【壎土音剛而濁箎竹音柔而清周禮小師掌壎銳上平底六竅箎橫吹七孔】而夫子不應我其未達歟薛收曰吾嘗聞夫子之論詩矣上明三綱下達五常【風化夫婦三綱之首也吟詠情性五常之本也】於是徵存亡辯得失故小人歌之以貢其俗君子賦之以見其志【貢告也歌緑竹則知衛風歌板屋則知秦俗鄭六卿餞韓宣子宣子曰吾以知鄭志】聖人採之以觀其變【設采詩官】今子營營馳騁乎末流【齊梁文弊之末也】是夫子之所痛也不答則有由矣子曰學者博誦云乎哉必也貫乎道文者苟作云乎哉必也濟乎義【學文本為道義】內史薛公見子於長安退謂子收曰河圖洛書盡在是矣汝往事之無失也【薛道衡時為內史侍郎知文中子聖人謂八卦九疇盡則之矣】子曰士有靡衣鮮食而樂道者吾未之見也【奢罕徳】子謂魏徵曰汝與凝皆天之直人也徵也遂凝也挺【遂果行也挺謂挺特】若並行於時有用舍焉【遂行挺執】子謂李靖曰凝也若容於時則王法不撓矣【不撓曲】李靖問任智如何子曰仁以為已任小人任智而背仁為賊【盜亦有道】君子任智而背仁為亂【攻異端害也】薛收問仲長子光何人也【子光字不耀遊於河東人問者書老易二字為對王績有仲長先生傳】子曰天人也收曰何謂天人子曰眇然小乎所以屬於人曠哉大乎獨能成其天【以形言之則人以道言之則天禮曰安則久久則天】賈瓊問君子之道子曰必先恕乎曰敢問恕之說子曰為人子者以其父之心為心【孝則知父之慈】為人弟者以其兄之心為心【弟則知兄之友】推而達之於天下斯可矣【至孝近王至悌近霸推王道於天下可謂君子】子曰君子之學進於道【濟天下】小人之學進於利【營一身】楚難作使使召子子不往謂使者曰為我謝楚公【楊感襲封楚國公舉黎陽叛故曰難作】天下崩亂非至公血誠不能安苟非其道無為禍先【非應天順人則禍已】李宻問王霸之畧子曰不以天下易一民之命【易為輕易之易一民至細也不可以天下之大輕小民之命】李宻出子謂賈瓊曰亂天下者必是夫也幸災而念禍愛強而願勝神明不與也【竟叛伏誅】子居家雖孩孺必狎【不威】其使人也雖童僕必斂容【不慢】子曰我未見知命者也【命天命也徳合於天而心復於性是謂知命孔子五十而知天命孟子曰盡其心則知性知性則知天易曰窮理盡性以至於命是則命非性無能知者文中子嘆知性者尚少故曰未見知命者也】子曰不就利不違害不強交不苟絶【四者惟義所在】惟有道者能之【有道義】子躬耕或問曰不亦勞乎子曰一夫不耕或受其飢且庶人之職也【舜在畎畆志存天下聖賢躬耕蓋職其俗】亡職者罪無所逃天地之間吾得逃乎【不仕即農四民何逃】子藝黍登嵗不過數石以供祭祀冠婚賓客之酒也成禮則止子之室酒不絶【用有節禮不闕】薛方士問【方士未見】子曰貧者斂手足富者具棺槨【孔子謂子路曰斂手足形而顔回有棺無槨】封域之制無廣也【古不封不樹孔子謂不可不志也故封之後代因有文尺之制】不居良田【妨農】古者不以死傷生不以厚為禮【帝王陵惟漢文及唐太宗無珍寳盜不發】陳叔達問事神之道子曰敬而逺之【敬謂不敢無之逺謂不敢有之】問祭子曰何獨祭也亦有祀焉有祭焉有享焉三者不同古先聖人所以接三才之奧也【周禮祭天曰祀祭地曰祭祭宗廟曰享異其名言神道幽奧禮宜分也分而接之則配天而天人統和】達茲三者之說則無不至矣【祭多名不出三才之奧耳】叔達俛其首【因問祭得天人之道故俛首思之甚】子曰王猛有君子之徳三焉其事上也宻其接下也溫其臨事也斷【猛字景略為符堅相議赦而青蠅洩之宻矣兵至鄴而逺近恬然溫矣先黜屍素然後舉賢斷矣】或問蘇綽子曰俊人也曰其道何如子曰行於戰國可以強行於太平則亂矣【蘇綽字令綽後周文帝時為尚書掌機宻長於筭術申韓之學厚於用法非正道故云太平則亂】問牛子曰厚人也【牛字裡仁隋文時作相宣勑而口不能言時稱其質重故曰厚人】子觀田魏徵杜淹董常至子曰各言志乎徵曰願事明王進思盡忠退思補過【直而逐好諫】淹曰願執明王之法使天下無寃人【誠而厲常好平刑】常曰願聖人之道行於時【其動權】常也無事於出處【其靜至】子曰大哉吾與常也【可與權可與至其道入性命矣】子在長安曰歸來乎今之好異輕進者率然而作無所取焉【仁夀四年在長安謁文帝見公卿異端輕率文辭不根道義苟媚其主使無所取治焉遂歸】子在絳【絳州】程元者因薛收而來【元門人未見】子與之言六經元退謂收曰夫子載造彝倫一匡皇極微夫子吾其失道左見矣【晉尚虎言至南朝淫靡左道變雅天下遂亂續經既造人文乃正】子曰蓋有慕名而作者吾不為也【虛名失實】叔恬曰文中子之教興其當隋之季世皇家之末造乎將敗者吾傷其不得用【隋敗】將興者吾惜其不得見【唐興】其志勤其言徵其事以蒼生為心乎【時門人千數至卿相者十餘人蓋蒼生受賜多矣】文中子曰二帝三王吾不得而見也舍兩漢將安之乎【之往也】大哉七制之主其以仁義公恕統天下乎【仁若文帝感緹縈去肉刑義若武帝殺釣弋防後族之亂公若明帝不許管陶求郎恕若章帝救楚王徙者是也】其役簡【仁也】其刑清【義也】君子樂其道【公也】小人懐其生【恕也】四百年間【髙祖至獻帝四百一十六年】天下無二志其有以結人心乎終之以禮樂則三王之舉也【禮樂者王道淳則舉漢雜霸道故不及三代】子曰王道之駁久矣【駁雜】禮樂可以不正乎【禮論樂論所以正之】大義之蕪甚矣【荒蕪】詩書可以不續乎【續詩續書所以明之】子曰唐虞之道直以大故以揖讓終焉【堯直讓舜大也】必也有聖人承之何必定法【以聖承聖其何常法之有】其道甚濶不可格於後【後若無聖安能格及】夏商之道直以簡故以放弒終焉【湯直伐桀簡也】必也有聖人扶之何必在我【我謂我君】其道亦曠不可制於下【下若有奸臣則無君之心難制矣】如有用我者吾其為周公所為乎【可以承則承可以扶則扶此周公之為】子燕居董常竇威侍子曰吾視千載已上聖人在上者未有若周公焉其道則一而經制大備【一謂堯舜湯武一歸於道也公羊傳曰周公何以不之魯欲天下之一乎周也大備謂設官分職制禮作樂也禮曰禮器是謂大備大備盛徳也】後之為政有所持循【一本作脩漢史作循】吾視千載而下未有若仲尼焉其道則一而述作大明【謂吾道一以貫之是也述詩書作春秋所以明周公也禮曰述者之謂明】後之修文者有所折中矣【無位則修而取中焉】千載而下有申周公之事者吾不得而見也【時異事殊】千載而下有紹宣尼之業者吾不得而讓也【當仁】子曰常也其殆坐忘乎【顔子坐忘遺照】靜不證理而足用焉【靜則本性也本性則不待外徵物理而後致用也如此則當其無有證之用】思則或妙【妙謂幾微也知幾其神神妙萬物不思而得坐忘是也董生雖不證理而未能無思故曰思則或妙以解上文其殆之義】李靖問聖人之道子曰無所由亦不至於彼門人曰徵也至或曰未也門人惑子曰徵也去此矣而未至於彼【已離中賢之見然未至上哲之性】或問彼之說子曰彼道之方也【達者無方未達者迷焉故設之以方使趍於彼也】必也無至乎【待至彼然後見道亦未為達者也猶一隅以知三隅是亦有隅也大方無隅而神無方聖人與神道並行無所至無不至】董常聞之悅【知道自至】門人不達【若房魏尚未至彼安能無至故不達】董常曰夫子之道與物而來與物而去【致知在格物物格然後知至是以來而應之若與俱來去則忘之若與俱去道之應物如是無方非至惟幾妙乎萬物則安能通其去來哉】來無所從去無所視【去來既通則何有來何有去】薛收曰大哉夫子之道一而已矣【無所來去混然圓神若大衍之一不可得而見】子謂程元曰汝與董常何如程元曰不敢企常常也遺道徳【遺猶忘也道大而無所道徳髙而無所徳是忘矣】元也志仁義【志求仁則仁志求義則義無志則無得是志矣】子曰常則然矣而汝於仁義未數數然也【數數頻也】其於彼有所至乎【由専至一隅故也】子曰董常時有慮焉【時謂時中也雖未能不思而得不勉而中然思則或妙慮必時中】其餘則動靜慮矣【其餘程薛房魏輩慮非時中然防其有動靜則慮之耳猶顔回三月不違仁其餘日月至焉而已】子曰孝哉薛收行無負於幽明【收父道衡非辜見戮收遁於首陽山以免此行全幽明矣】子於是日弔祭則終日不笑【哀未忘】或問王隠【隠字處叔多知西都舊章撰晉書文體混漫義不可解世不甚傳】子曰敏人也其器明其才富其學贍或問其道子曰述作多而經制淺其道不足稱也【器謂才學而已若加之識則三長具可以知道矣】子謂陳夀有志於史依大義而削異端【夀字永祚著三國志善敘事初王沈撰魏書韋耀續成之夀乃具吳蜀三國變史稱志大抵簡畧存其大義】謂範寗有志於春秋徵聖經而詰眾傳【範寗字武子為穀梁集解謂左氏失誣公羊失俗穀梁失短皆詰正於道耳詰奚吉反】子曰使陳夀不美於史遷固之罪也【史記雜黃老之道壯奸雄之詞漢書又模範紀傳愈加文飾是史筆之罪也】使範寗不盡美於春秋歆向之罪也【劉向治穀梁劉歆好左氏各守一家而不能貫聖經之本是古學之罪也】裴晞曰何謂也子曰史之失自遷固始也記繁而志寡【但務廣記而不原聖人教化之志】春秋之失自歆向始也棄經而任傳【但爭眾傳而不原聖人權衡之法】子曰蓋九師興而易道微【淮南王聘九人明易者撰道訓二十篇號九師易】三傳作而春秋散【公羊髙穀梁喜左丘明皆孔子門人】賈瓊曰何謂也子曰白黑相渝能無微乎【白黑渝正色渝弋朱反】是非相擾能無散乎【是非擾正道】故齊韓毛鄭詩之末也【後蒼所傳為齊詩韓嬰所傳為韓詩毛鄭詩毛萇注鄭箋也】大戴小戴禮之衰也【二戴因曲臺記論於石渠成禮記戴徳號大戴戴聖號小戴】書殘於古今【孔安國家藏科斗尚書以今文易之劉歆別得古本奏立古文尚書】詩失於齊魯【齊轅固生治詩為博士齊人宗之魯申公漢初為儒學魯人宗之於是有齊魯詩】汝知之乎賈瓊曰然則無師無傳可乎子曰神而明之存乎其人【聖性神受天縱無師】苟非其人道不虛行【人能道】必也傳又不可廢也【傳之在師得之在已所傳有限所得無窮故周公師天下仲尼自得之仲尼師萬世仲淹自得之皆神契其道不盡由師明矣孟子曰君子之深造於道也欲其自得之自得之則居之安居之安則取諸左右逢其原然學不可無師而得之不由師也】子謂叔恬曰汝不為續詩乎則其視七代損益終懣然也【七代注見上懣昏也懣七困反】子謂續詩可以諷可以達【諷時政達下情】可以蕩可以獨處【盪滌鬰結獨處無邪】出則悌入則孝【上四徳備矣則孝悌動天地感神】多見治亂之情【治之情樂亂之情哀】文中子曰吾師也詞達而已矣【聖人不煩文惟達意而已】或問揚雄張衡子曰古之振竒人也其思苦其言艱【揚雄作太經及倉頡訓綦沈黙精思好學竒字張衡作渾天及地動儀如揚雄之學大抵好竒多艱若】曰其道何如子曰靖矣【艱苦而竒未足適變蓋守靖而已】子曰過而不文【不文過】犯而不校有功而不伐君子人哉子曰我未見見謗而喜聞譽而懼者子曰富觀其所與【與貧則仁與奸則賊】貧觀其所取【取於義則安取於利則危】達觀其所好【好賢則治好佞則亂】窮觀其所為【為善則生為惡則死】可也【四者可以知人不須多察】或問魏孝文子曰可與興化【後魏元氏名宏始都洛陽修文物制度太和詔冊帝自為之可與興文化矣】銅川夫人好藥【子之母】子始述方【伎術非事親不暇為也】芮城府君重隂陽【子之兄也為芮城令陜州縣名芮而銳反】子始著厯日且曰吾懼覽者或費日也【聖人與天地合徳安在推步隂陽蓋以事兄之心始著星厯恐門人拘忌妄習災福故特雲懼費日而已】子謂薛知仁善處俗【知仁未見處俗謂能隨俗而處】以芮城之子妻之子曰內難而能正其志【引明夷彖辭】同州府君以之【文中子髙祖名彥為同州刺史內難未詳】子曰吾於天下無去也無就也惟道之從【從中道】

The Master said: The round moves and the square is still; from this one can perhaps see the heart of Heaven and Earth [Heaven is round and moves, Earth is square and still, and humans live between motion and stillness. "The center" is the heart, which can be seen]. The Master said: The wise take joy, probably because they act upon what is preserved in things [what things preserve, I follow and benefit, hence joy]. The benevolent live long, probably because they act in forgetfulness of self [when I forget the credit, things transform of themselves, hence long life]. The Master said: Yao Yi is pure and dignified [Yao Yi's biography is not seen; pure and dignified]; Li Jing is kind and decisive [Li Jing was originally named Yaoshi; his maternal uncle Han Qinhu admired his skill in discussing warfare; kind to things and bravely decisive]; Dou Wei is gentle and broadly learned [Dou Wei, courtesy name Wenwei, was an elder cousin of Empress Dou; gentle in manner and broadly learned]; Xue Shou is expansive and solemn [Xue Shou's bearing was expansive and his aims solemn]; Jia Qiong is clear-minded and resolute [Jia Qiong was thoroughly clear and resolute]; Du Yan is sincere and stern [Du Yan, courtesy name Zhili, lived in seclusion on Mount Taibai in the Sui and came to study with the Master; sincere and stern]; Xuanling is purposeful and meticulous [Fang Qiao, courtesy name Xuanling ([character lost in transcription]), was a son of Fang Yanqian of the Sui; refined in purpose and meticulous in use]; Wei Zheng follows the straight Way and completes his tasks [Wei Zheng, courtesy name Xuancheng ([character lost in transcription]), followed the straight Way and carried it out]; Da Ya is deep and magnanimous [Wen Daya, courtesy name Yanhong ([character lost in transcription]), was deep in capacity and generous ([character lost in transcription])]; Shuda is simple, calm and upright [Chen Shuda, courtesy name Zicong, was the second son of Emperor Xuan of Chen ([character lost in transcription]); simple, calm, central and upright]. Had they met their times, they would not fall short of ministers and chancellors, yet rites and music would still not be complete [Li Jing and Yanbo became ministers of state, Dou Wei became Grand Secretary, Du Yan Censor-in-Chief, Xuanling Minister of Works, Wei Zheng Grand Preceptor, and Da Ya and Shuda both became ministers of the Secretariat; these were all ministers and chancellors. But each had two virtues and had not yet become all-round talents, so it is said that rites and music were incomplete]. Someone asked: Who was Dong Chang? The Master said: When he moves he can adapt to circumstances [adapting is talent], and when still he can reach the utmost [reaching the utmost is nature]; he is probably of the school of Yan Hui [of the subtlest beginnings of movement, he is nearly there; of the utmost stillness, he is often empty]. Shu Tian said: Shan Tao, serving in the Ministry of Personnel, raised up the worthy and promoted the good, and no one knew at the time; after his death the Son of Heaven brought his memorials to court, and only then was it known that all the talents had been advanced by Shan Tao. What of that? The Master said: He was secretive [Shan Tao, courtesy name Juyuan, served over ten years in charge of selecting officials, and the world called him one who obtained good men. Yet he was not like an official nor like a recluse; he was merely secretive]. Asked: Was he benevolent [as if forgetting what he did]? The Master said: I do not know. Li Mi came to see the Master and discussed warfare [Li Mi, courtesy name Fazhu, inherited a ducal title and plotted rebellion with Yang Xuangan ([character lost in transcription]); he thought himself skilled in arms]. The Master said: As for rites, trust, benevolence and righteousness, I will discuss them; as for "isolation and void" and trickery and force, I take no part ["isolation and void" is a technique of the military schools]. Li Boyao came to see the Master and discussed poetry [Boyao, courtesy name Zhonggui, a son of Delin, discussed the poetry of the Southern Dynasties]. The Master did not answer. Boyao withdrew and said to Xue Shou: Above I set forth Ying and Liu, below I narrate Shen and Xie [Ying Qu and Liu Gonggan of Wei, Shen Yue and Xie Lingyun of Liang]; I divide the four tones and eight faults [the rhyme system of the four tones began with Shen Yue; the eight faults are not known in detail], hard and soft, clear and turbid each have their proper order [vigorous speech is hard, far-reaching meaning is soft; lofty and free is clear, solid and plain is turbid], and the sounds resemble the xun and chi [the xun is an earthen instrument, hard and turbid; the chi is a bamboo instrument, soft and clear. In the Rites of Zhou the junior music master takes charge of the xun, which has a pointed top, a flat bottom and six holes; the chi is blown crosswise and has seven holes]. Yet the Master did not respond; perhaps I have not yet understood? Xue Shou said: I once heard the Master discuss poetry. Above it makes clear the three bonds, below it reaches the five constants [moral influence on husband and wife is the first of the three bonds; chanting of feeling and nature is the root of the five constants], and then it examines survival and loss and distinguishes gain and fault. So petty people sing it to present the customs, gentlemen compose it to express their aims ["present" means to report. By singing of the green bamboo one knows the customs of Wei; by singing of the plank houses one knows the customs of Qin. When the six ministers of Zheng saw off Han Xuanzi, Xuanzi said: from this I know the aims of Zheng], and sages collect it to observe change [establishing officials to gather poems]. Now you bustle and gallop in the lowest stream [the last stream of the decayed literature of Qi and Liang], which is what grieves the Master. There is a reason he did not answer. The Master said: Is learning merely wide recitation? It must penetrate to the Way. Is writing merely casual composing? It must be of benefit to righteousness [learning and writing are originally for the sake of the Way and righteousness]. The Secretary Xue saw the Master in Chang'an, and on withdrawing said to his son Xue Shou: The River Chart and the Luo Writing are both here; go and serve him, and do not miss the chance [Xue Daoheng was then Palace Secretary and knew Wenzhongzi was a sage, saying that the eight trigrams and the nine divisions could all be taken as models in him]. The Master said: I have not yet seen a scholar who wears splendid clothes and eats fresh food yet delights in the Way [extravagance means little virtue]. The Master said to Wei Zheng: You and Wang Ning are both naturally straight men. Zheng is "carrying through" and Ning is "standing out" ["carrying through" is acting resolutely, "standing out" is being distinguished]. If both acted in the times, there would be use and discarding [carrying through is acting, standing out is holding firm]. The Master said to Li Jing: If Ning were accepted by the times, then the king's law would not be bent [not bent]. Li Jing asked how it is to rely on wisdom. The Master said: Take benevolence as your own task. A petty person relies on wisdom and turns against benevolence, and is a thief [even thieves have a way]; a gentleman who relies on wisdom and turns against benevolence causes disorder [the harm of attacking heterodoxy]. Xue Shou asked who Zhongzhang Ziguang was [Ziguang, courtesy name Buyao, wandered in Hedong; when asked about himself he wrote the two characters "Lao" and "Yi" in reply. Wang Ji wrote a Biography of Master Zhongzhang]. The Master said: A man of Heaven. Xue Shou said: What is a man of Heaven? The Master said: How tiny and distant, hence he belongs to men; how vast and open, he alone can complete his Heaven [in form he is a man, in the Way he is Heaven. The Rites say: what is at peace lasts, what lasts becomes Heaven]. Jia Qiong asked about the Way of the gentleman. The Master said: It must first be reciprocity. Asked: May I ask about reciprocity? The Master said: As a son, take your father's heart as your own heart [with filial piety one knows the father's kindness]; as a younger brother, take your elder brother's heart as your own heart [with brotherly respect one knows the elder brother's affection]. Extend this to all under heaven, and that is enough [supreme filial piety is close to kingliness and supreme brotherly respect is close to hegemony. One who extends the kingly Way to the world can be called a gentleman]. The Master said: The gentleman's learning advances toward the Way [relieving the world], the petty person's learning advances toward profit [managing one body]. When the troubles in Chu broke out, someone was sent to summon the Master, but he did not go, and said to the envoy: Please thank the Duke of Chu for me [Yang Xuangan ([character lost in transcription]) had inherited the title Duke of Chu and raised troops in rebellion at Liyang, hence "troubles broke out"]. When the world collapses into disorder, only the utmost impartiality and sincere blood can settle it. If it is not that way, do not become a leader of calamity [if it does not answer Heaven and follow the people, the disaster falls on oneself]. Li Mi asked about the strategy of kingly rule and hegemony. The Master said: Do not take the world as a reason to treat lightly the life of one person ["treat lightly" uses the yi of "easy". One person is the tiniest thing; one must not, for the sake of the vast world, treat lightly the life of a common man]. When Li Mi went out, the Master said to Jia Qiong: The one who throws the world into disorder is sure to be this man. He delights in disaster and thinks of calamity, loves strength and longs to win, and the spirits will not be with him [afterwards he indeed rebelled and was executed]. At home, the Master was affectionate even to young children [not stern], and in dealing with people he was composed even to boy servants [not arrogant]. The Master said: I have not seen anyone who knows destiny [destiny is the mandate of Heaven. When virtue accords with Heaven and the heart returns to its nature, that is called knowing destiny. Confucius at fifty knew the mandate of Heaven. Mencius said: one who exhausts his heart knows his nature, one who knows his nature knows Heaven. The Changes say: exhaust principle and fully realize nature to reach destiny. Thus destiny cannot be known without nature. Wenzhongzi lamented that even those who know their nature were few, so he said he had not seen one who knows destiny]. The Master said: Do not pursue profit, do not avoid harm, do not force friendship, do not casually sever it [the four lie only where righteousness lies]; only one who has the Way can do this [has moral principle]. The Master farmed with his own hands. Someone asked: Is that not toilsome? The Master said: If one man does not plow, someone goes hungry, and besides this is the duty of a commoner [Shun was in the fields yet his aim was on the world. The sages and worthies farmed in person to keep watch over the customs]. The guilt of abandoning one's duty has nowhere to flee between Heaven and Earth; can I flee it [if one does not serve in office, one farms; where could the four classes flee?]. The Master planted millet and harvested ([character lost in transcription]) only a few shi in a year, to supply the wine for sacrifices, capping and marriage rites, and guests. When the rite was complete he stopped. There was always wine in the Master's house [used with moderation and with no lack of rite]. Xue Fangshi asked about burial ([character lost in transcription]) [Fangshi's deeds are not seen]. The Master said: The poor gather the hands and feet, the rich provide the coffin and outer coffin [Confucius said to Zilu: gather the hands, feet and body and bury ([character lost in transcription]). Yan Hui had a coffin but no outer coffin]. Do not make the bounds of the grave too wide [in antiquity there were no mounds or trees. Confucius said that one cannot go without a marker, so earth was heaped up. Later generations therefore had rules of feet and inches], and do not occupy good fields [it harms farming]. The ancients did not harm the living for the dead, and did not take lavishness as ritual [of imperial tombs only those of Emperor Wen of Han and Taizong of Tang held no treasure, and robbers did not dig them up]. Chen Shuda asked about the Way of serving ([character lost in transcription]) spirits. The Master said: Respect them but keep your distance ["respect" means not daring to think they do not exist, "keep distance" means not daring to think they do]. Asked about sacrifice. The Master said: Not merely sacrifice. There is si, there is ji, and there is xiang. The three are different, and the ancient sages used them to meet the mysteries of the three powers [in the Rites of Zhou, sacrifice to Heaven is called si, sacrifice to Earth is called ji, and sacrifice at the ancestral temple is called xiang. Their names differ because the way of the spirits is hidden and mysterious and the rites must distinguish them. By distinguishing and meeting them, one matches Heaven and Heaven and man are unified in harmony]. Understanding these three explanations, there is nothing one cannot reach [the names of sacrifices are many, but they do not go beyond the mysteries of the three powers]. Shuda lowered his head [because asking about sacrifice he obtained the Way of Heaven and man, so he bowed his head in deep thought]. The Master said: Wang Meng had three gentlemanly virtues: he was discreet in serving superiors, mild in dealing with inferiors, and decisive in handling affairs [Wang Meng, courtesy name Jinglue, was chancellor to Fu Jian. When an amnesty was discussed and the bluebottle flies leaked it, that was discretion; when troops reached Ye and near and far were calm, that was mildness; he first dismissed the idle office-holders and then raised the worthy, that was decisiveness]. Someone asked about Su Chuo. The Master said: A man of talent. Asked: What of his Way? The Master said: Practiced in the Warring States it could make a state strong; practiced in an age of great peace it would bring disorder [Su Chuo, courtesy name Lingchuo, was a minister under Emperor Wen of the Later Zhou in charge of confidential matters, skilled in calculation and the learning of Shen and Han, and used law very heavily, which is not the correct Way, so it is said it would bring disorder in great peace]. Asked about Niu Hong ([character lost in transcription]). The Master said: A man of substance [Niu Hong, courtesy name Liren, was chancellor under Emperor Wen of the Sui; when issuing edicts his mouth could not speak, and the times called him weighty and plain, hence a man of substance]. The Master was looking at the fields when Wei Zheng, Du Yan and Dong Chang arrived. The Master said: Let each say his aim. Wei Zheng said: I wish to serve an enlightened king, in advancing to think of giving full loyalty, and in retiring to think of mending faults [straight and thorough, fond of remonstrance]. Du Yan said: I wish to hold the laws of an enlightened king so that no one in the world suffers injustice [sincere and stern, always fond of fair punishments]. Dong Chang said: I wish that the Way of the sage may be practiced in the age [when he moves he can adapt]; as for myself, Dong Chang, I am not attached to serving or retiring [when still he can reach the utmost]. The Master said: Great, I approve of Chang [one with whom one can adapt and reach the utmost; his Way has entered nature and destiny]. The Master in Chang'an said: Let me return home. Now those who love the strange and rush forward lightly act on impulse, and there is nothing to take from them [in the fourth year of Renshou he paid his respects to Emperor Wen in Chang'an and saw that the ministers held heterodox views, were careless with literary phrases, were not rooted in the Way and righteousness, and flattered the ruler for the moment, so that there was nothing to take for the Way of governing; so he went home]. The Master was in Jiang [Jiangzhou] when Cheng Yuan came through Xue Shou [Cheng Yuan was a disciple whose deeds are not seen]. The Master discussed the Six Classics with him. Cheng Yuan withdrew and said to Xue Shou: The Master has rebuilt the human bonds and set the royal standard straight at a stroke. Without the Master, I would probably have lost the Way and seen only the left [the Jin honored empty talk, and by the Southern Dynasties extravagance had reached heterodoxy and changed the elegant, so the world fell into disorder. Only after he continued the Classics was human culture set right]. The Master said: There are probably those who write for the sake of fame; I do not [vain fame loses reality]. Shu Tian said: The rise of Wenzhongzi's teaching came probably just in the last years of the Sui, at the end of the imperial house. For what was about to fall, I grieve that he could not be used [the fall of the Sui]; for what was about to rise, I regret that he could not be seen [the rise of the Tang]. His aim was diligent, his words were borne out, and his work took the common people to heart [at that time he had a thousand disciples, and over ten became ministers, so the people probably received much]. Wenzhongzi said: The Two Emperors and Three Kings I cannot see; setting aside the two Han, where shall I go ["zhi" means to go]? Great were the rulers of the seven institutions, who probably ruled the world with benevolence, righteousness, impartiality and reciprocity [benevolence, as when Emperor Wen, moved by Tiying, abolished mutilating punishments; righteousness, as when Emperor Wu killed Lady Gouyi to forestall disorder from the empress's kin; impartiality, as when Emperor Ming refused the request of Guantao to appoint a gentleman; reciprocity, as when Emperor Zhang rescued the exiles of the Prince of Chu]. Light labor service [benevolence], clear punishments [righteousness], gentlemen enjoyed their Way [impartiality], and petty people cherished their lives [reciprocity]. For four hundred years [from Gaozu to Emperor Xian, four hundred and sixteen years] the world had no divided purpose, and there was probably something that bound men's hearts. Had it been crowned with rites and music, it would have been the work of the Three Kings [rites and music are performed only when the kingly Way is pure. The Han mixed in the hegemonic way, so they did not reach the Three Dynasties]. The Master said: The kingly Way has been mixed for a long time ["mixed" is mixed and impure]; may rites and music remain uncorrected [the Discourse on Rites and the Discourse on Music were used to correct it]? Great righteousness has become badly overgrown [overgrown with weeds]; may the Songs and Documents remain uncontinued [the continuation of the Songs and of the Documents was to make it clear]? The Master said: The Way of Tang and Yu was straight and great, so it ended in abdication [Yao was straight and yielded to Shun, which is great]. There must be a sage to succeed it; why must there be a fixed method [a sage succeeding a sage has no constant rule]? That Way was very broad and cannot be used to bound later people [if later people have no sage, how can they reach it]. The Way of Xia and Shang was straight and simple, so it ended in exile and assassination [Tang was straight and attacked Jie, which is simple]. There must be a sage to support it; why must it be me ["me" means my ruler]? That Way was also very empty and open and cannot be used to restrain those below [if there are treacherous ministers below, the heart that has no ruler is hard to restrain]. If someone were to use me, I would probably do what the Duke of Zhou did [what could be inherited he inherited, what could be supported he supported, which was the Duke of Zhou's work]. The Master was at leisure, with Dong Chang and Dou Wei attending. The Master said: Looking over a thousand years and more before us, among sages in high places, none was like the Duke of Zhou. His Way was one, and his classic institutions were complete ["one" means that Yao, Shun, Tang and Wu all returned to the Way. The Gongyang Commentary says: why did the Duke of Zhou not go to Lu? He wished to unify the world under Zhou. "Complete" means establishing offices and dividing duties, creating rites and composing music. The Rites say: ritual vessels are called complete, and completeness is abundant virtue]. Later rulers had something to follow [another text uses a different form of the character xiu; the Han History has xun, to follow]. Looking over a thousand years and more after us, none will be like Zhongni. His Way was one, and his transmission and composition were greatly bright [this means my Way is threaded by one thread. He transmitted the Songs and Documents and composed the Spring and Autumn Annals to illuminate the Duke of Zhou. The Rites say: the one who transmits is called bright]. Later writers have something to hold to the mean [lacking position, they edit and take the mean]. If, a thousand years hence, anyone sets out to clarify the work of the Duke of Zhou, I shall not see it [times differ and affairs differ]; if anyone takes up the work of Xuanni (Confucius), I shall not yield [when it comes to benevolence]. The Master said: Chang is probably close to sitting in forgetfulness [Yan Zi's sitting in forgetfulness and leaving reflections behind]. In stillness he does not seek proof in principle and yet has enough to use [stillness is the original nature. Nature does not wait for outer proof of the principles of things and then become effective. Thus when there is nothing, there is the use of proof]; in thinking he may perhaps be subtle ["subtle" is the barely perceptible. To know the incipient is divine, and divinity makes all things subtle; to obtain without thinking is sitting in forgetfulness. Though Master Dong does not seek proof in principle, he is not yet without thought, hence "in thinking he may perhaps be subtle," explaining the meaning of "probably" above]. Li Jing asked about the Way of the sage. The Master said: It has no source from which it comes, nor does it arrive at that. A disciple said: Jing has arrived. Someone said: Not yet. The disciples were puzzled. The Master said: Jing has left here but has not yet reached that [he has left the views of the middling worthy but has not reached the nature of the highest sage]. Someone asked about that. The Master said: That is the direction of the Way [those who have arrived have no direction, and those who have not are confused, so a direction is set up so that they move toward that]. There must be no arriving, then [when one reaches that, one then sees the Way, but still it is not arrival. It is like knowing three corners from one; there is still a corner. The great square has no corners and the spirit has no direction; the sage proceeds together with the divine Way, arriving nowhere and failing to arrive nowhere]. Dong Chang was glad on hearing it [he knew the Way would arrive of itself]. The disciples did not understand [people like Fang and Wei had not reached that, so how could they have no arrival; hence they did not understand]. Dong Chang said: The Master's Way comes with things and goes with things [extending knowledge lies in investigating things; when things are investigated, knowledge is complete. So it comes and responds, as if coming with the thing; it goes and forgets, as if going with it. The Way's response to things is this without direction. Without utmost ([character lost in transcription]), the incipient, and subtlety in all things, how could one penetrate its coming and going]. It comes from nowhere and goes with nothing to be seen [since coming and going are penetrated, what is coming and what is going]. Xue Shou said: Great is the Master's Way, it is only one [there is no coming or going, it is a rounded, undivided spirit, like the One of the great expansion, which cannot be seen]. The Master said to Cheng Yuan: How do you compare with Dong Chang? Cheng Yuan said: I dare not look up to Chang. Chang can forget the Way and virtue ["forget" means to lose sight of. The Way is great and has nothing to call the Way, virtue is high and has nothing to call virtue, which is forgetting]; I, Cheng Yuan, have my aim set on benevolence and righteousness [when the will seeks benevolence there is benevolence, when it seeks righteousness there is righteousness. Without will there is no gain, which is aim]. The Master said: Chang is like that, while you in benevolence and righteousness are not yet frequent ["frequent" is repeated]. Perhaps you have reached something of that [because of devoting yourself to one corner]. The Master said: Dong Chang is at times reflective ["at times" means at the right time. Though he cannot yet obtain without thinking and hit the mean without effort, in thinking he may be subtle, and when he reflects he surely hits the mean at the right time]. The others reflect only when there is movement or stillness [the rest, Cheng, Xue, Fang and Wei, do not reflect at the right time, but only reflect when there is movement or stillness. It is like Yan Hui who for three months did not depart from benevolence, while the others reached it only for a day or a month]. The Master said: Filial indeed is Xue Shou; his conduct did not fail either the visible or the hidden world [Xue Shou's father Daoheng was killed though innocent, and Xue Shou fled to Mount Shouyang to avoid disaster. This conduct preserved both the visible and the hidden]. On days of condolence and sacrifice, the Master did not smile all day [grief not yet forgotten]. Someone asked about Wang Yin [Wang Yin, courtesy name Chushu, knew much of the old regulations of the western capital and compiled a History of Jin, but its style was confused and its meaning hard to follow, and it did not circulate much in the world]. The Master said: A quick man. His capacity was bright, his talent rich, his learning abundant. Someone asked about his Way. The Master said: His narration and composition are many but his classic institutions are shallow; his Way is not worth mentioning [capacity is only talent and learning; if insight is added, then the three strengths are complete and one can know]. The Master said that Chen Shou had an aim in history, relying on great meaning and cutting away heterodoxy [Chen Shou, courtesy name Chengzuo (the base text has "Yongzuo"), wrote the Records of the Three Kingdoms and was good at narration. At first Wang Shen compiled the Book of Wei and Wei Yao continued it; Chen Shou then made Wu and Shu complete, and the Three Kingdoms changed history to records, mostly brief, preserving the great meaning]. He said that Fan Ning had an aim in the Spring and Autumn Annals, testing the sage classic and questioning the many commentaries [Fan Ning, courtesy name Wuzi, wrote the Collected Explanations of the Guliang Commentary, saying the Zuo's fault was fabrication, the Gongyang's was vulgarity, and the Guliang's was brevity, and he questioned and corrected all according to the Way. Pronunciation note: "jie" is read xi-ji]. The Master said: If Chen Shou did not make history fully fine, that is the fault of Qian and Gu [the Records of the Historian mixed in the way of Huang-Lao and magnified the words of schemers; the Han History again modeled itself on annals and biographies and added more ornament. This is the fault of the historian's pen]. If Fan Ning did not make the Spring and Autumn Annals fully fine, that is the fault of Xin and Xiang [Liu Xiang studied the Guliang and Liu Xin loved the Zuo, each holding to one school and unable to penetrate the root of the sage classic. This is the fault of ancient learning]. Pei Xi said: What do you mean? The Master said: The failure of history began with Qian and Gu, who recorded much and aimed little [they only worked at wide record and did not trace back to the sage's aim in teaching and transforming]. The failure of the Spring and Autumn Annals began with Xin and Xiang, who abandoned the classic and relied on the commentary [they only contended over the many commentaries and did not trace back to the sage's method of weighing]. The Master said: Probably when the Nine Masters arose the Way of the Changes grew faint [the King of Huainan summoned nine men who understood the Changes and compiled twenty chapters of Instruction on the Way, called the Changes of the Nine Masters]; when the three commentaries were written the Spring and Autumn Annals dispersed [Gongyang Gao, Guliang Xi and Zuo Qiuming were all disciples of Confucius]. Jia Qiong said: What do you mean? The Master said: When white and black change and confuse each other, can it not grow faint [white and black confuse the proper colors. Pronunciation note: "yu" is read yi-zhu]; when right and wrong stir each other up, can it not disperse [right and wrong stir up the correct Way]. So Qi, Han, Mao and Zheng are the lower streams of the Songs [what Hou Cang transmitted was the Qi Songs, what Han Ying transmitted was the Han Songs, and the Mao and Zheng Songs are Mao Chang's commentary and Zheng Xuan's ([character lost in transcription]) notes]; Elder Dai and Younger Dai are the decline of the Rites [the two Dais compiled the Record of Rites based on the Qutai Record and the discussions at Shiqu. Dai De is called Elder Dai and Dai Sheng Younger Dai]. The Documents were damaged by old and new [the Kong Anguo family kept the tadpole-script Book of Documents and altered it with modern script; Liu Xin separately obtained an old text and petitioned to set up the Old Text Documents], and the Songs were lost in Qi and Lu [Yuan Gusheng of Qi taught the Songs as an Erudite and the people of Qi revered him; Shen Gong of Lu was a Confucian scholar in the early Han and the people of Lu revered him. Hence there were the Qi Songs and the Lu Songs]. Do you know this? Jia Qiong said: Then is it acceptable to have no teacher and no transmission? The Master said: To make it divine and bright lies in the person [the sage's nature is divinely received, endowed by Heaven, and has no teacher]. If it is not that person, the Way will not be practiced in vain [a person can broaden ([character lost in transcription]) the Way]. Yet the transmission cannot be discarded [transmission lies in the teacher and attainment lies in oneself. What is transmitted is limited, what is attained is limitless. So the Duke of Zhou taught the world and Zhongni attained it himself; Zhongni taught ten thousand generations and Zhongyan attained it himself. All were divinely in accord with the Way, not wholly through teachers, which is plain. Mencius said: the gentleman goes deep in the Way, wishing to attain it himself. When he attains it himself he dwells in it at ease, dwelling in it at ease he draws on it from left and right and finds its source. Yet learning cannot do without a teacher, though attainment does not come from a teacher]. The Master said to Shu Tian: Will you not make a continuation of the Songs? Then to look at the gains and losses of the seven dynasties will end in confusion [the seven dynasties are annotated above. "Men" means dim. Pronunciation note: "men" is read qi-kun]. The Master said that the continuation of the Songs can criticize and can communicate [criticize the government, communicate the feelings of those below], can cleanse and can bear solitude [cleanse pent-up feelings, be without deviation in solitude], going out one shows brotherly respect and coming in one shows filial piety [when the four virtues above are complete, filial piety and brotherly respect move Heaven and Earth and stir ([character lost in transcription]) the spirits], and one sees much of the feelings of order and disorder [the feeling of order is joy, and the feeling of disorder is grief]. Wenzhongzi said: My method as a teacher is only that words be clear [sages do not trouble about literary flourish, but only convey meaning]. Someone asked about Yang Xiong and Zhang Heng. The Master said: Men of the ancient world who brought forth the strange. Their thought was laborious and their words difficult [Yang Xiong wrote the Canon of the Great Mystery ([character lost in transcription]) and the Cangjie Commentary, thinking deeply in silence and fond of strange characters. Zhang Heng made the armillary sphere and the seismograph. Yang Xiong's learning was fond of strangeness and mostly difficult]. Asked: What of their Way? The Master said: Placid [laborious and strange, not enough to adapt to change; they probably only kept to placidity]. The Master said: To have fault and not disguise it [not disguising faults], to be offended and not take it to heart, to have merit and not boast of it, such is a gentleman. The Master said: I have not seen anyone who is glad on being slandered and afraid on hearing praise. The Master said: With the rich, look at what he gives [giving to the poor is benevolent, giving to the treacherous is brigandage]; with the poor, look at what he takes [taking by righteousness is secure, taking by profit is dangerous]; with the successful, look at what he likes [liking the worthy brings order, liking flatterers brings disorder]; with the destitute, look at what he does [doing good brings life, doing evil brings death]; this is enough [with these four one can know a person without much scrutiny]. Someone asked about Emperor Xiaowen of Wei. The Master said: One can start a transformation of culture with him [Yuan Hong of the Later Wei first made Luoyang his capital and reformed institutions; the edicts of the Taihe era were written by the emperor himself, so one can start culture with him]. Madam Tongchuan loved medicines [the Master's mother], so the Master first began to describe prescriptions [if skills were not for serving one's parents, he would have no leisure for them]. The Lord of Ruicheng valued yin and yang [the Master's elder brother, who served as magistrate of Ruicheng, a county in Shaanzhou. Pronunciation note: "rui" is read er-rui], so the Master first began writing calendars, and said: I fear that those who read them may waste days [sages join their virtue to Heaven and Earth; how could they be concerned with calculating yin and yang? Probably with the heart of serving an elder brother he first began writing star calendars. Fearing disciples would become taboo-bound and wrongly study omens of fortune and misfortune, he deliberately said only that he feared wasting days]. The Master said that Xue Zhiren was good at dealing with customs [Zhiren's deeds are not seen. "Dealing with customs" means able to live along with the customs], and married the daughter of Ruicheng to him. The Master said: To have inner difficulty and yet keep one's aim straight [quoting the Judgment of Mingyi], Lord Tongzhou was like this [Wenzhongzi's high ancestor was named Yan and was governor of Tongzhou. His inner difficulty is not known]. The Master said: Toward the world I have nothing to leave and nothing to join; I only follow the Way [follow the Way of the mean].