SHU JING -- The
Classic of History or Documents
These readings from the Shu Jing (Shu Ching) are taken
from the translation of James Legge (reprinted by Hong Kong University Press,
1960, vol. III). They were selected and entered at Saint Anselm College by Brother
Andrew Thornton, O.S.B. Legge's romanization has been changed to pinyin. The
text is in the public domain and may be freely used.
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THE CANON OF YAO (Legge, p. 15)
THE CANON OF SHUN (Legge, p. 29)
THE COUNSELS OF THE GREAT YU (Legge, p. 52)
THE COUNSELS OF KAO YAO (Legge, p. 68)
THE CHARGE TO YUE (Legge, p. 248)
THE GREAT DECLARATION (Legge, p. 281)
THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE WAR (Legge, p. 306)
THE GREAT PLAN (Legge, p. 320)
THE HOUNDS OF LU (Legge, p. 345)
THE METAL-BOUND COFFER (Legge, p. 351)
THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PRINCE OF KANG (Legge, p. 381) PRINCE SHI (Legge, p. 474)
THE CANON OF YAO (Legge, p. 15)
1 Examining into antiquity, we find that the emperor Yao was called Fang Xun.
He was reverential, intelligent, accomplished, and thoughtful, naturally and
without effort. He was sincerely courteous and capable of all complaisance. The
display of these qualities reached to the four extremities of the empire and
extended from earth to heaven. (2) He was able to make the able and virtuous
distinguished, and thence proceeded to the love of the nine classes of his
kindred, who all became harmonious. He also regulated and polished the people
of his domain, who all became brightly intelligent. Finally, he united and
harmonized the myriad states of the empire, and lo! the black-haired people
were transformed. The result was universal concord.
3 Thereupon Yao commanded Xi and He, in reverent accordance with their
observation of the wide heavens, to calculate and delineate the movements and
appearances of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the zodiacal spaces, and so to
deliver respectfully the seasons to the people.
4 He separately commanded the second brother Xi to reside at Yu, in what was
called the Bright Valley, and there respectfully to receive as a guest the
rising sun, and to adjust and arrange the labors of the spring. "The day,"
he said, "is of the medium length and the star is in Niao; you may thus
exactly determine mid-spring. The people begin to disperse, and birds and
beasts breed and copulate.
5 He further commanded the the third brother Xi to reside at Nan Jiao, and arrange
the transformations of the summer, and respectfully to observe the extreme
limit of the shadow. "The day," said he, "is at its longest, and
the star is in Huo. You may thus exactly determine mid-summer. The people are
more dispersed, and birds and beasts have their feathers and hair thin and
change their coats."
6 He separately commanded the second brother He to reside at the west, in what
was called the Dark Valley, and there respectfully to convoy the setting sun,
and to adjust and arrange the completing labors of the autumn. "The
night," he said, "is of the medium length, and the star is Xu; you
may thus exactly determine mid-autumn. The people begin to feel at ease, and
birds and beasts have their coats in good condition."
7 He further commanded the third brother He to reside in the northern region,
in what was called the Sombre Capital, and there to adjust and examine the
changes of the winter. "The day," said he, "is at its shortest,
and the star is Mao. You may thus exactly determine mid-winter. The
people keep their cosy corners, and the coats of birds and beasts are downy and
thick."
8 The emperor said, "Ah! you, Xi and He, a round year consists of three
hundred, sixty, and six days. By means of an intercalary month do you fix the
four seasons, and complete the determination of the year. Thereafter, in exact
accordance with this, regulating the various officers, all the works of the
year will be fully performed.
9 The emperor said, "Who will search out for me a man according to the
times, whom I may raise and employ?" Fang Qi said, "There is your
heir-son Zhu, who is highly intelligent." The emperor said, "Alas! he
is insincere and quarrelsome. Can he do?"
10 The emperor said, "Who will search out for me a man equal to the
exigency of my affairs?" Huan Dou said, "Oh! there is the minister of
Works, whose merits have just been displayed in various ways." The emperor
said, "Alas! when unemployed, he can talk, but when employed, his actions
turn out differently. He is respectful only in appearance. See! the floods
assail the heavens!"
11 The emperor said, "Oh! chief of the four mountains, destructive in
their overflow are the waters of the inundation. In their vast extent they
embrace the mountains and overtop the hills, threatening the heavens with their
floods, so that the inferior people groan and murmur. Is there a capable man to
whom I can assign the correction of this calamity?" All in the court said,
"Oh! there is Gun." The emperor said, "Alas! no, by no means! He
is disobedient to orders and tries to injure his peers." His Eminence
said, "Well, but try him, and then you can have done with him." The
emperor said to Gun, "Go, and be reverent!" For nine years he
labored, but the work was unaccomplished.
12 The emperor said, "Oh! you chief of the four mountains, I have been on
the throne for seventy years. You can carry out my appointments; I will resign
my throne to you." His Eminence said, "I have not the virtue; I
should only disgrace the imperial seat." The emperor said, "Point out
some one among the illustrious, or set forth one from among the poor and
mean." All in the court said to the emperor, "There is an unmarried
man among the lower people called Shun of Yu." The emperor said,
"Yes, I have heard of him. What is his character?" His Eminence said,
"He is the son of a blind man. His father was obstinately unprincipled;
his step-mother was insincere; his half brother Xiang was arrogant. He has been
able, however, by his filial piety to live in harmony with them, and to lead
them gradually to self-government, so that they no longer proceed to great
wickedness." The emperor said, "I will try him! I will wive him, and
then see his behavior with my two daughters." On this he gave orders, and
sent down his two daughters to the north of the Gui, to be wives in the family
of Yu. The emperor said to them, "Be reverent!"
THE CANON OF SHUN (Legge, p. 29)
1 Examining into antiquity, we find the emperor Shun was called Chong Hua. He
corresponded to the former emperor; he was profound, wise, accomplished, and
intelligent. He was mild and respectful, and entirely sincere. The report of
his mysterious virtue was heard on high, and he was appointed to occupy the
imperial Seat.
2 Shun carefully set forth the beauty of the five cardinal duties, and they
came to be universally observed. Being appointed to be General Regulator, the
affairs of each department were arranged in their proper seasons. Having to
receive the princes from the four quarters of the empire, they were all docilely
submissive. Being sent to the great plains at the foot of the mountains, amid
violent wind, thunder, and rain, he did not go astray.
3 The emperor said, "Come, you Shun. I have consulted you on all affairs,
examined your words, and found that your words can be carried into practice,
now for three years. Do you ascend the imperial throne." Shun wished to
decline in favor of someone more virtuous, and not to consent to be successor.
(4) On the first day, of the first month, however, he received Yao's retirement
from the imperial duties in the temple of the Accomplished ancestor.
5 He examined the gem-adorned turning sphere, and the transverse tube, that he
might regulate the seven Directors.
6 Thereafter, he sacrificed specially, but with the ordinary forms, to God;
sacrificed purely to the six Honored ones; offered their appropriate sacrifices
to the hills and rivers, and extended his worship to the host of spirits.
7 He called in all the five tokens of gem, and when the month was over, he gave
daily audience to the chief of the four Mountains, and all the Pastors, finally
returning the tokens to the several nobles.
8 In the second month of the year, he made a tour of inspection eastwards, as
far as Dai Zhong, where he presented a burnt offering to Heaven, and sacrificed
in order to the hills and rivers. Thereafter he gave audience to the nobles of
the East, putting in accord their seasons and months, and rectifying the days;
he made uniform the standard tubes, the measures of length and of capacity, and
the steelyards; he regulated the five classes of ceremonies. As to the several
articles of introduction, the five instruments of gem, the three kinds of silk,
the two living animals, and the one dead one. When all was over, he returned
the five instruments. In the fifth month, he made a similar tour to the south
as far as the southern mountain, observing the same ceremonies as at Dai. In
the eighth month, he travelled westwards, as far as the western, and in the
eleventh month he travelled northwards, as far as the northern mountain. When
he returned to the capital, he went to the temple of the cultivated Ancestor,
and offered a single bullock.
9 In five years there was one tour of inspection, and four appearances of the
nobles at court. They set forth a report of their government in words. This was
clearly tested by their works. They received chariots and robes according to
their services.
10 Shun instituted the divison of the land into twelve provinces, raising
altars upon twelve hills in them. He likewise deepened the rivers.
11 He gave delineations of the statutory punishments, enacting banishment as a
mitigation of the five great inflictions, with the whip to be employed in the
magistrates' courts, the stick to be employed in schools, and money to be
received for redeemable crimes. Inadvertent offenses and those which might be
caused by misfortune were to be pardoned, but those who offended presumptuously
or repeatedly were to be punished with death. "Let me be reverent; let me
be reverent!" he said to himself. "Let compassion rule in
punishment!"
12 He banished the minister of Works to You island; confined Huan Dou on Mount
Chong; drove the chief of San Miao and his people into San-wei and kept them
there; held Gun til death a prisoner on Mount Yu. These four criminals being
thus dealt with, universal submission prevailed throughout the empire.
13 After twenty-eight years the emperor demised, when the people mourned for
him as for a parent for three years. All within the four seas, the eight kinds
of instruments of music were stopped and hushed. (14) On the first day of the
first month, Shun went to the temple of the Accomplished Ancestor.
15 He deliberated with the chief of the four Mountains, how to throw open the
doors of communication between the court and the empire, sought to see with the
eyes and hear with the ears of all.
16 He consulted with the twelve Pastors, and said, "The food! It depends
on observing the seasons. Be kind to the distant and cultivate the ability of
the near. Give honor to the virtuous, and your confidence to the good, while
you discountenance the artful. So shall the barbarous tribes lead on one
another to make their submission."
17 Shun said, "Ah! chief of the four Mountains, is there any one who can
vigorously display his merits, and give wide development to the undertakings of
the emperor, whom I may make General Regulator, to aid me in all affairs, and
manage each department according to its nature?" All in the court said,
"There is baron Yu, the superintendent of Works." The emperor said,
"Yes. Ah! Yu, you have regulated the water and the land. In this new
office exert yourself." Yu did obeisance with his head to the ground, and
wished to decline in favor of the minister of Agriculture, or Xie, or Gao Yao.
The emperor said, "Yes, but do you go, and undertake the duties."
18 The emperor said, "Qi, the black-haired people are still suffering from
the distress of hunger. It is yours, O prince, the minister of Agriculture, to
sow for them these various kinds of grain."
19 The emperor said, "Xie, the people continue unfriendly with one
another, and do not observe docilely the five orders of relationship. It is
yours, as the minister of Instruction, reverently to set forth the lessons of
duty belonging to those five orders. Do so with gentleness."
20 The emperor said, "Gao Yao, the barbarous tribes disturb our bright
great land. There are also robbers, murderers, insurgents, and traitors. It is
yours, as the minister of Crime, to employ the five punishments for the treatment
of offenses, for the infliction of which there are the three appointed places,
and the five banishments with their several places of detention, for which
three localities are assigned. Perform your duties with intelligence, and you
will secure a sincere submission."
21 The emperor said, "Who is equal to the duty of superintending my
workmen?" All in the court said, "There is Chui?" The emperor
said, "Yes. Ah! Chui, you must be minister of Works." Chui did
obeisance, with his head to the ground, and wished to decline in favor of Shu,
Qiang, or Bo Yu. The emperor said, "Yes, but do you go and undertake the
duties. Effect a harmony in all the departments."
22 The emperor said, "Who is equal to the duty of superintending the grass
and the trees, with the birds and beasts, on my mountains and in my
marshes?" All in the court said, "There is Yi." The emperor
said, "Yes. Ah! Yi, do you be my Forester." Yi did obeisance with his
head to the ground and wished to decline in favor of Zhu, Hu, Xiong, or Pi. The
emperor said, "Yes, but do you go and undertake the duties. You must
manage them harmoniously."
23 The emperor said, "Ah! chief of the four Mountains, is there any who
can direct my three religious ceremonies?" All in the court said,
"There is the baron Yi?" The emperor said, "Yes. Ah! baron, you
must be the Arranger of the ancestral temple. Morning and night be respectful.
Be upright, be pure." The baron did obeisance with his head to the ground,
and wished to decline in favor of Kui or Long. The emperor said, "Yes, but
do you go and undertake the duties. Be reverential!"
24 The emperor said, "Kui, I appoint you to be Director of music, and to
teach our sons, so that the straightforward may yet be mild, the gentle may yet
be dignified, the strong not tyrannical, and the impetuous not arrogant. Poetry
is the expression of earnest thought; singing is the prolonged utterance of
that expression. The notes accompany that utterance, and they are harmonized
themselves by the pitch pipes. In this way the eight different kinds of
instruments can all be adjusted so that one shall not take from or interfere
with another, and spirits and men will thereby be brought into harmony."
Kui said, "Oh! I smite the stone; I smite the stone. The various animals
lead on one another to dance."
25 The emperor said, "Long, I abominate slanderous speakers, and
destroyers of right ways, who agitate and alarm my people. I appoint you to be
the minister of Communication. Early and late give forth my orders and report
to me, seeing that every thing is true."
26 The emperor said, "Ah! you, twenty and two men, be reverent, and so
shall you aid me in performing the service of heaven."
27 Every three years there was an examination of merits, and after three
examinations the undeserving were degraded, and the deserving promoted. By this
arrangement the duties of all the departments were fully discharged. The people
of San Miao were discriminated and separated.
28 In the thirtieth year of his life, Shun was called to employment. Thirty
years he was on the throne with Yao. Fifty years after he went on high and
died.
THE COUNSELS OF THE GREAT YU (Legge, p. 52)
1 On examining into antiquity, we find that the great Yu was called Wen Ming.
Having arranged and divided the empire, all to the four seas, in reverent
response to the inquiries of the former emperor, (2) he said, "If the
sovereign can realize the difficulty of his sovereignship, and the minister can
realize the difficulty of his ministry, government will be well ordered, and
the people will sedulously seek to be virtuous." (3) The emperor said,
"Yes, let this really be the case, and good words will nowhere lie hidden;
no men of virtue and talents will be neglected away from court, and the myriad
States will all enjoy repose. But to ascertain the views of all; to give up
one's opinion and follow that of others; to refrain from oppressing the
helpless, and not neglect the straitened and poor: it was only the emperor Yao
who could attain to this."
4 Yi said, "Oh! your virtue, O emperor, is vast and incessant. It is
sagely, spiritual, awe-inspiring, and adorned with all accomplishments. Great
Heaven regarded you with its favoring decree, and suddenly you obtained all
within the four seas, and became sovereign of the empire."
5 Yu said, "Accordance with the right is good fortune; the following of
evil is bad: the shadow and the echo." (6) Yi said, "Alas! be
cautious! Admonish yourself to caution, when there seems to be no reason for
anxiety. Do not fail in due attention to the laws and ordinances. Do not find
your enjoyment in indulgent ease. Do not go to excess in pleasure. In your
employment of men of worth, let none come between you and them. Put away evil
without hesitation. Do not try to carry out doubtful plans. Study that all your
purposes may be with the light of reason. Do not go against what is right to
get the praise of the people. Do not oppose the people to follow your own
desires. Attend to these things without idleness or omission, and from the four
quarters the barbarous tribes will come and acknowledge your sovereignty."
7 Yu said, "Oh! think of these things, O emperor. Virtue is seen in the
goodness of the government, and the government is tested by its nourishing of
the people. There are water, fire, metal, wood, earth, and grain; these must be
duly regulated. There are the rectification of the people's virtue, the
conveniences of life, and the securing abundant means of sustentation; these
must be harmoniously attended to. When the nine services thus indicated have
been orderly accomplished, let that accomplishment be celebrated by songs.
Caution the people with gentle words; correct them with the majesty of law;
stimulate them with the songs on those nine subjects, in order that your
success may never suffer diminution."
8 The emperor said, "Yes, the earth is now reduced to order, and the
influences of heaven operate with effect; those six magazines and three
businesses are all truly regulated, so that a myriad generations may
perpetually depend on them: this is your merit."
9 The emperor said, "Come, you, Yu. I have occupied the imperial throne
for thirty and three years. I am between ninety and a hundred years old, and
the laborious duties weary me. Do you, eschewing all indolence, take the leadership
of my people." (10) Yu said, "My virtue is not equal to the position;
the people will not repose in me. But there is Gao Yao, with vigorous activity
sowing abroad his virtue, which has descended on the black-haired people, till
they cherish him in their hearts. O emperor, think of him! When I think of him,
my mind rests on him, as the man for this office; when I would put him out of
my thoughts, they still rest on him; when I name and speak of him, my mind
rests on him for this; the sincere outgoing of my thoughts about him is that he
is the man. O emperor, think of his merits."
11 The emperor said, "Gao Yao, that of these my ministers and people,
hardly one is found to offend against the regulations of my government, is
owing to your being the minister of Crime, and intelligent in the use of the
five punishments to assist the inculcation of the five duties, with a view to
the perfection of my government, and that through punishment there may come to
be no punishments, but the people accord with the path of the Mean. Continue to
be strenuous." (12) Gao Yao replied, "Your virtue, O emperor, is
faultless. You condescend to your ministers with a liberal ease; you preside
over the multitude with a generous forbearance. Punishments do not extend to
the criminal's heirs, while rewards reach to after generations. You pardon
inadvertent faults, however great, and punish purposed crimes, however small.
In cases of doubtful crimes, you deal with them lightly; in cases of doubtful
merit, you prefer the high estimation. Rather than put to death an innocent
person, you will run the risk of irregularity and error. This life-loving
virtue has penetrated the minds of the people, and this is why they do not
render themselves liable to be punished by your officers." (13) The
emperor said, "To enable me to follow after and obtain what I desire in my
government, the people everywhere responding as if moved by the wind: this is
your excellence."
14 The emperor said, "Come, Yu. The inundating waters filled me with
dread, when you realized all that you represented and accomplished your task,
thus showing your superiority to other men. Full of toilsome earnestness in the
service of the State, and sparing in your expenditure on your family, and this
without being full of yourself or elated; you again show your superiority to
other men. Without any prideful assumption, there is no one in the empire to
contest with you the palm of ability; without any boasting, there is no one in
the empire to contest with you the claim of merit. I see how great is your
virtue, how admirable your vast achievements. The determinate appointment of
Heaven rests on your person; you must eventually ascend the throne of the great
sovereign. (15) The mind of man is restless, prone to err; its affinity for the
right way is small. Be discriminating, be undivided, that you may sincerely
hold fast the Mean. (16) Do not listen to unsubstantiated words; do not follow
undeliberated plans. (17) Of all who are to be loved, is not the sovereign the
chief? Of all who are to be feared, are not the people the chief? If the
multitude were without the sovereign, whom should they sustain aloft? If the
sovereign had not the multitude, there would be none to guard the country for
him. Be reverent. Carefully demean yourself on the throne which you will
occupy, respectfully cultivating the virtues which are to be desired in you. If
within the four seas there be distress and poverty, your Heaven-conferred
revenues will come to a perpetual end. It is the mouth which sends forth what
is good, and gives rise to war. My words I will not repeat."
18 Yu said, "Submit the meritorious ministers one by one to the trial of
divination, and let the fortunate indication be followed."
The emperor said, "Yu, the officer of divination, when the mind has been
made up on a subject, then refers it to the great tortoise. Now, in this
matter, my mind was determined in the first place. I consulted and deliberated
with all my ministers and people, and they were of one accord with me. The
spirits signified their assent, and the tortoise and the grass having both
concurred. Divination, when fortunate, may not be repeated." Yu did
obeisance, with his head to the ground, and firmly declined the throne. The
emperor said, "Do not do so. It is you who can suitably occupy my
place." (19) On the first morning of the first month, Yu received the
appointment in the temple of the spiritual Ancestor, and took the leading of
all the officers, as had been done at the commencement of the emperor's
government.
20 The emperor said, "Alas! O Yu, there is only the prince of the Miao,
who refuses obedience; do you go and correct him." Yu on this assembled
all the princes, and made a speech to the host, saying, "Ye multitudes,
listen all to my orders. Stupid is this prince of Miao, ignorant, erring, and
disrespectful. Despiteful and insolent to others, he thinks that all ability
and virtue are with himself. A rebel to right, he destroys all the obligations
of virtue. Superior men are kept by him in obscurity, and mean men fill all the
offices. The people reject and will not protect him. Heaven is sending
calamities down upon him. On this account I have assembled you, my multitude of
gallant men, and bear the instructions of the emperor to punish his crimes. Do
you proceed with united heart and strength, so shall our enterprise be crowned
with success."
21 At the end of three decades, the people of Miao continued rebellious against
the emperor's commands, when Yi came to the help of Yu, saying, "It is
virtue which moves Heaven; there is no distance to which it does not reach.
Pride brings loss, and humility receives increase: this is the way of Heaven.
In the early time of the emperor, when he was living by Mount Li, he went into
the fields and daily cried with tears to compassionate Heaven, and to his
parents, taking to himself and bearing all guilt and evil. At the same time,
with respectful service, he appeared before Gu Sou, looking grave and
awe-struck, til Gu also became truly transformed by his example. Entire
sincerity moves spiritual beings; how much more will it move this prince of
Miao!" Yu did homage to the excellent words and said, "Yes."
Thereupon he led back his army, having drawn off the troops. The emperor also
set about diffusing his accomplishments and virtue more widely. They danced
with shields and feathers between the two staircases of the court. In seventy
days the prince of Miao came to make his submission.
THE COUNSELS OF GAO YAO (Legge, p.
68)
1 On examining into antiquity, we find that Gao Yao said, "If a sovereign
sincerely pursue the course of his virtue, the counsels offered to him will be
intelligent, and the aids of admonitions will be harmonious." Yu said,
"Yes, but explain yourself." Gao Yao said, "Oh! let him be careful
about his personal cultivation, with thoughts that are far-reaching, and then
he will effect a generous kindness and nice observance of distinctions among
the nine classes of his kindred; all the intelligent also will exert themselves
in his service, and from what is near he may reach in this way to what is
distant." Yu did reverence to the admirable words and said,
"Yes." (2) Gao Yao said, "Oh! it lies in knowing men, and in
giving repose to the people." Yu said, "Alas! to attain to both these
things was a difficulty even to the emperor Yao. When a sovereign knows men, he
is wise, and can put men into their proper offices. When he gives repose to the
people, he is kind, and the black-haired people cherish him in their hearts.
When a sovereign can be thus wise and kind, what occasion will he have for
anxiety about a Huan Dou? what to be removing a prince of Miao? what to fear
any one of fair words, insinuating appearance, and great artfulness?"
3 Gao Yao said, "Oh! there are in all nine virtues to be discovered in
conduct; and when we say that a man possesses any virtue, that is as much as to
say, he does such and such things."
Yu said, "What are the nine virtues?" Gao Yao said, "Affability
combined with dignity; mildness combined with firmness; bluntness combined with
respectfulness; aptness for government combined with reverence; docility
combined with boldness; straightforwardness combined with gentleness; easiness
combined with discrimination; vigor combined with sincerity; and and valor with
righteousness. When these qualities are displayed, and that permanently, have
we not the good officer?
4 "When there is a daily display of three of these virtues, their
possessor could early and late regulate and enlighten the Family, of which he
was made chief. When there is a daily severe and reverent cultivation of six
virtues, their possessor could brilliantly conduct the affairs of the State, to
which he was constituted ruler. When such men are all received and employed,
the possessors of these nine virtues will all have their services. Then men of
a thousand and men of a hundred fill the offices of the State; the various
ministers will emulate one another; all the officers will accomplish their
duties at the proper times, observant of the five elements-regulated seasons,
and thus their various duties will be fully accomplished.
5 "Let not the emperor set to the rulers of States an example of indolence
or dissoluteness. Let him be wary and fearful, remembering that in one day or
two days there may occur ten thousand springs of things. Let him not have the
various officers comberers of their places. The work is Heaven's; it is men's
to act for it!
6 "From Heaven are the social arrangements with their several duties; to
us it is given to enforce those five duties, and then we have the five courses
of generous conduct! From Heaven are the social distinctions with their several
ceremonies; from us proceed the observances of those five ceremonies, and then
do they appear in regular practice! When sovereign and ministers show a common
reverence and respect for these, do they not harmonize the moral nature of the
people? Heaven graciously distinguishes the virtuous; are there not the five
habiliments, five decorations of them? Heaven punishes the guilty; are there not
the five punishments to be severally used for that purpose? The business of
government! ought we not to be earnest in it? ought we not to be earnest in it?
7 "Heaven hears and sees as our people hear and see; Heaven brightly
approves and displays its terrors, as our people brightly approve and would
awe: such connection there is between the upper and lower worlds. How reverent
ought the masters of the earth to be!"
8 Gao Yao said, "My words are reasonable and may be put in practice."
Yu said, "Yes, your words may be put in practice, and crowned with
success." Gao Yao said, "As to that I do not know, but I wish daily
to be helpful. May the government be perfected!"
THE CHARGE TO YUE (Legge, p. 248)
Part One
1. The king passed the season of sorrow in the mourning shed for three years,
and when he had ceased mourning, he still did not speak. The ministers all
remonstrated with him, saying, "The man of quick knowledge is said to be
intelligent, and the intelligent man forms a model. The emperor rules over the
myriad regions, and all the officers depend on and reverence him. When the king
speaks, his words form the commands for them; if he do not speak, the ministers
have no way to receive their orders."
The king on this made a writing and informed them, saying, "As it is
mine to secure what is right in the four quarters of the empire, I have been
afraid that my virtue is not equal to that of my predecessors, and therefore I
have not spoken. But while I was respectfully and silently thinking of the
right way, I dreamed that God gave me a good assistant, who should speak for
me." He then minutely described the appearance of the person and caused
search to be made for him by means of a figure throughout the empire. Yue, a
builder in the country of Fu Yan, was found to resemble it.
2. On this, the king raised him and made him his prime minister, keeping him
also at his side. He charged him, saying, "Morning and evening present
your instructions to aid my virtue. Suppose me a weapon of steel; I will use
you for a whetstone. Suppose me crossing a great stream; I will use you for a
boat with its oars. Suppose me in a year of great drought; I will use you as a
copious rain. Open your mind and enrich my mind. Be like medicine which, if it
do not distress the patient, will not cure his sickness. Think of me as one
walking barefoot, whose feet are sure to be wounded, if he do not see the
ground. Do you and your companions cherish all the same mind to assist your
sovereign, that I may follow my royal predecessors and tread in the steps of my
high ancestor, to give repose to the millions of the people. Oh! respect this
charge of mine; so shall you bring your work to a good end."
Yue replied to the king, saying, "Wood by the use of the line is
made straight, and the sovereign who follows reproof becomes sage. When the
sovereign can thus make himself sage, his ministers, without being charged,
anticipate his orders. Who would dare not to act in respectful compliance with
this excellent charge of your Majesty?"
Part Two
1. Yue, having received charge to take the presidency of all the officers,
presented himself before the king and said, "Oh! intelligent kings act in
reverent accordance with the ways of Heaven. The founding of states and setting
up of capitals, the appointing of sovereign kings, of princes and dukes, with
their great officers and heads of departments, were not designed to minister to
the idleness and the pleasures of one but for the good government of the
people.
"It is Heaven which is all-intelligent and observing. Let the sage
king take it as his pattern, then his ministers will reverently accord with
him, and the people will consequently be well governed.
"It is the mouth which gives occasion for shame; they are the coat
of mail and helmet which give occasion to war. The upper robes and lower
garments for reward should not be lightly taken from their chests; before
shield and spear are used, one should examine himself. If your Majesty will be
cautious in these things and, believing this about them, attain to their
intelligent use, your government will in everything be excellent.
"Good government and bad depend upon the various officers. Offices
may not be given to men because they are favorites, but only to men of ability.
Dignities may not be conferred on man of evil practices, but only on men of
worth. Anxious thought about what will be good should precede your movements.
Your movements also should have respect to the time for them. The indulged
consciousness of goodness is the way to lose that goodness. Boasting of ability
is the way to lose the merit it might produce. For all affairs let there be
adequate preparation. With preparation there will be no calamities. Do not open
the door for favorites, from whom you will receive contempt. Do not be ashamed
of mistakes, and thus make them crimes. Let your mind rest in its proper
objects, and the affairs of your government will be pure. Officiousness in
sacrifices is called irreverence; ceremonies when burdensome lead to disorder.
To serve the spirits in this way is difficult."
The king said, "Excellent! Your words, O Yue, should indeed be
carried out in conduct. If you were not so good in counsel, I should not have
heard these things for my practice."
Yue did obeisance with his head to the ground and said, "It is not
the knowing that is difficult, but the doing. If your Majesty know this,
however, there will not be the difficulty, and you will become really equal in
complete virtue to the former king. Wherein I, Yue, do not express myself, the
blame rests with me."
Part Three
1. The king said, "Come, O Yue. I, the little one, first learned with Gan
Pan. Afterwards I lived concealed in the rude country, and then I went to the
inside of the He and lived there. From the He I went to Bo, and the result has
been that I am unenlightened. Do you teach me what should be my aims. Be to me
as the yeast and the malt in making sweet spirits, as the salt and the prunes
in making agreeable soup. Give your help to cultivate me. Do not cast me away.
I shall attain to practice your instructions."
Yue said, "O king, men seek to hear much, having in view to
establish their affairs. But to learn the lessons of the ancients is the way to
attain this. That the affairs of one, who does not make the ancients his
masters, can be perpetuated for generations, is what I have not heard.
"In learning there should be a humble will and a striving to
maintain a constant earnestness. In such a case the learner's cultivation will
surely come. He who sincerely cherishes these things will find all truth
accumulating in his person. To teach is one half of learning. When a man's
thoughts from first to last are constantly fixed on such learning, his virtuous
cultivation comes unperceived. Survey the perfect pattern of the former king.
So may you forever be preserved from error. Then shall I be able reverently to
meet your views and on every side to look out for men of eminence to place in
the various offices."
2. The king said, "Oh!, Yue, within the four seas, all look up to my
virtue, all through your influence. As his legs and arms form the man, so does
a good minister form the sage king.
"Formerly there was the premier of our dynasty, Bao Heng, who made
my royal predecessor. He said, 'If I cannot make my sovereign like Yao or Shun,
I shall feel ashamed in my heart, as if I were beaten in the market place.' If
any one common man did not find all he should desire, he said, 'It is my
fault.' Thus he assisted my meritorious ancestor, so that he became equal to Great
Heaven. Do you give your preserving aid to me, and not let E Heng engross all
the good service to the House of Shang. The sovereign should share his
government with none but worthy ministers. The worthy minister should accept
his support only from the proper sovereign. May you now succeed in making your
prince a successor of my royal ancestor and in securing the lasting happiness
of the people."
Yue did obeisance with his head to the ground and said, "I will venture to
respond to and display abroad your Majesty's excellent charge."
THE GREAT DECLARATION (Legge, p.
281)
Part One
1 In the spring of the thirteenth year, there was a great assembly at Meng Jin.
(2) The king said, "Ah! ye hereditary rulers of my friendly States, and
all ye my officers, managers of my affairs, listen clearly to my declaration.
3 "Heaven and Earth is the parent of all creatures, and of all creatures
man is the most highly endowed. The sincere, intelligent and perspicacious
among men becomes the great sovereign, and the great sovereign is the parent of
the people. (4) But now Shou, the king of Shang, does not reverence Heaven
above, and inflicts calamities on the people below. (5) He has been abandoned
to drunkenness, and reckless in lust. He has dared to exercise cruel
oppression. Along with criminals he has punished all their relatives. He has
put men into office on the hereditary principle. He has made it his pursuit to
have palaces, towers, pavilions, embankments, ponds, and all other extravagances,
to the most painful injury of you, the myriad people. He has burned and roasted
the loyal and good. He has ripped up pregnant women. Great Heaven was moved
with indignation, and charged my deceased father Wen reverently to display its
majesty, but he died before the work was completed.
6 "On this account I, Fa, who am but a little child, have by means of you,
the hereditary rulers of my friendly States, contemplated the government of
Shang, but Shou has no repentant heart. He abides squatting on his heels, not
serving God or the spirits of heaven and earth, neglecting also the temple of
his ancestors, and not sacrificing in it. The victims and the vessels of millet
all become the prey of wicked robbers, and still he says, 'The people are mine;
the decree is mine,' never trying to correct his contemptuous mind. (7) Now
Heaven, to protect the inferior people, made for them rulers, and made for them
instructors, that they might be able to be aiding to God, and secure the
tranquillity of the four quarters of the empire. In regard to who are criminals
and who are not, how dare I give any allowance to my own wishes?
8 "'Where the strength is the same, measure the virtue of the parties;
where the virtue is the same, measure their righteousness.' Shou has hundreds
of thousands and myriads of ministers, but they have hundreds of thousands and
myriads of minds; I have three thousand ministers, but they have one mind.(9)
The iniquity of Shang is full. Heaven gives command to destroy it. If I did not
comply with Heaven, my iniquity would be as great.
10 "I, who am a little child, early and late am filled with apprehensions.
I have received charge from my deceased father Wen; I have offered special
sacrifice to God; I have performed the due services to the great Earth, and I
lead the multitude of you to execute the punishment appointed by Heaven. (11)
Heaven compassionates the people. What the people desire, Heaven will be found
to give effect to. Do you aid me, the one man, to cleanse for ever all within
the four seas. Now is the time! It may not be lost."
Part Two
1 On the day mo-wu, the king halted on the north of the River. When all the
chiefs with their hosts were assembled, the king reviewed the hosts, (2) and
made the following declaration, saying, "Ah! ye multitudes of the West,
listen all to my words.
3 "I have heard that the good man, doing good, finds the day insufficient,
and that the evil man, doing evil, likewise finds the day insufficient. Now
Shou, the king of Shang, with strength pursues his lawless way. He has cast
away the time-worn sires, and cultivates intimacies with wicked men. Dissolute,
intemperate, reckless, oppressive, his ministers have become assimilated to
him, and they form parties, and contract animosities, and depend on the emperor's
power to exterminate one another. The innocent cry to Heaven. The odor of such
a state is plainly felt on high.
4 "Heaven loves the people, and the sovereign should reverence this mind
of Heaven. Jie, the sovereign of Xia, could not follow the example of Heaven,
but sent forth his poisonous injuries through the States of the empire. Heaven
favored and charged Tang, the Successful, to make an end of the decree of Xia.
(5) But the crimes of Shou exceed those of Jie. He has stripped and degraded
the greatly good man; he has behaved with cruel tyranny to his reprover and
helper. He says that his is the decree of Heaven; he says that a reverent care
of his conduct is not worth observing; he says that sacrifice is of no use; he
says that tyranny is no matter. The case for his inspection was not remote: in
that king of Xia. It would seem that Heaven by means of me is going to rule the
people. My dreams coincide with my divinations; the auspicious omen is double.
My attack on Shang must succeed.
6 "Shou has hundreds of thousands and millions of ordinary men, divided in
heart and divided in practice; I have of ministers capable of government ten
men, one in heart and one in practice. Although he has his nearest relatives
with him, they are not like my virtuous men. (7) Heaven sees as my people see;
Heaven hears as my people hear. The people are blaming me, the one man, for my
delay; I must now go forward. (8) My military prowess is displayed, and I enter
his territories, to take the wicked tyrant. My punishment of evil will be shown
more glorious than that of Tang. (9) Rouse ye, my heroes! Do not think that he
is not to be feared; better think that he cannot be withstood. His people stand
in trembling awe of him, as if the horns were falling from their heads. Oh! unite
your energies, unite your hearts; so shall you forthwith surely accomplish the
work to last for all ages!"
Part Three
1 The time was on the morrow, when the king went round his six hosts in state,
and made a clear declaration to all his officers. (2) He said, "Oh! my
valiant men of the west, Heaven has enjoined the illustrious courses of duty,
of which the several characters are quite plain. And now Shou, king of Shang,
treats with contemptuous slight the five constant virtues, and abandons himself
to wild idleness and irreverence. He has cut himself off from Heaven, and
brought enmity between himself and the people.
3 "He cut through the leg-bones of those who were wading in the morning;
he cut out the heart of the worthy man. By the use of his power killing and
murdering, he has poisoned and sickened all within the four seas. His honor and
confidence are given to the villainous and bad. He has driven from him his
instructors and guardians. He has thrown to the winds the statutes and penal
laws. He has imprisoned and enslaved the upright officer. He neglects the
sacrifices to Heaven and Earth. He has discontinued the offerings in the
ancestral temple. He makes contrivances of wonderful device and extraordinary
cunning to please his woman. God will no longer indulge him, but with a curse
is sending down on him this ruin. Do ye support with untiring zeal me, the one
man, reverently to execute the punishment appointed by Heaven. (4) The ancients
have said, 'He who soothes us is our sovereign; he who oppresses us is our
enemy.' This solitary fellow Shou, having exercised great tyranny, is your
perpetual enemy. It is said again, 'In planting a man's virtue, strive to make
it great; in putting away a man's wickedness, strive to do it from the root.'
Here I, who am a little child, by the powerful help of you, all my officers,
will utterly exterminate your enemy. Do you, all my officers, march forwards
with determined boldness to sustain your prince. Where there is much merit,
there shall be large reward. Where you advance not so, there shall be
conspicuous disgrace.
5 "Oh! the virtue of my deceased father Wen was like the shining and
influence of the sun and moon. His brightness extended over the four quarters
of the empire, and shone signally in the western region. Hence it is that our
Zhou has received the allegiance of many States. If I subdue Shou, it will not
be my prowess, but the faultless virtue of my deceased father Wen. If Shou
subdue me, it will not be from any fault of my deceased father Wen, but because
I, who am a little child, am not good."
THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE
WAR (Legge, p. 306)
1 In the first month, the day ren-chen immediately followed the end of the
moon's waning. The next day was gui-ji, when the king in the morning marched
from Zhou to attack and punish Shang.
2 In the fourth month, at the first appearance of the moon, the king came from
Shang to Feng, when he hushed all the movements of war, and attended to the
cultivations of peace. He sent back his horses to the south of mount Hua, and
let loose his oxen in the open country of Tao Lin, showing the empire that he
would not use them again.
3 On the day ding-wei he sacrificed in the ancestral temple of Zhou, when the
chiefs of the imperial domain, and of the tien, hou, and wei domains all
hurried about, carrying the dishes. Three days after, he presented a
burnt-offering to Heaven, and worshiped towards the mountains and rivers,
solemnly announcing the successful completion of the war.
4 After the moon began to wane, the hereditary princes of the various States,
and all the officers, received their appointments from Zhou.
5 The king spoke to the following effect: "Oh! ye host of princes, the
first of our kings founded the State and commenced our territory. The duke Liu
was able to consolidate the merits of his predecessor. But it was King Tai who
laid the foundations of the imperial inheritance. Then king Qi was diligent for
the royal House, and my deceased father, King Wen, completed his merit, and
received the great decree of Heaven to soothe the regions of the great bright
land. The great States feared his strength; the small States cherished his
virtue. In nine years, however, the whole empire was not collected under his
rule, and it fell to me, who am but a little child, to carry out his will.
6 "Detesting the crimes of Shang, I announced to great Heaven and the
sovereign Earth, to the famous hill and the great river, by which I passed,
saying, 'I, Fa, the principled, king of Zhou, by a long descent, am about to
have a great righting with Shang. Shou, the king of Shang, is without
principle, cruel and destructive to the creatures of Heaven, injurious and
tyrannical to the multitudes of the people, chief of the vagabonds of the
empire, who collect about him as fish in the deep, and beasts in the prairie.
I, who am but a little child, having obtained the help of virtuous men, presume
reverently to comply with the will of God, to make an end of his disorderly
ways. The great and flowery region, and the wild tribes of the south and north,
equally follow and consent with me. (7) Reverently obeying the determinate
counsel of Heaven, I pursue my punitive work to the east, to give tranquillity
to its men and women. Its men and women bring their baskets full of azure and
yellow silks to show forth the virtue of us the kings of Zhou. Heaven's favors
stir them up, so that they come with their allegiance to our great State of
Zhou. (8) And now, ye spirits, grant me your aid, that I may relieve the
millions of the people, and nothing turn out to your shame.'"
9 On the day mo-wu the army crossed the ford of Meng; on the day gui-hai it was
drawn up in array in the borders of Shang, waiting for the gracious decision of
Heaven. On the day jia-zi, at early dawn, Shou led forward his hosts like a
forest, and assembled them in the wilderness of Mu. But they would offer no
opposition to our army. Those in the front inverted their spears, and attacked
those behind them, till they fled, and the blood flowed till it floated the
pestles about. Thus did King Wu once don his arms, and the kingdom was greatly
settled. He overthrew the existing government of Shang, and made it resume its
old course. He delivered the count of Qi from prison, and raised a tumulus over
the grave of Bi Gan. He bowed in his carriage at the gate of Shang Yong's
village. He dispersed the treasures of the Lu Dai, and distributed the grain of
Zhu Jiao, thus conferring great gifts throughout the empire, and all the people
joyfully submitted.
10 He arranged the orders of nobility into five, assigning the territories to
them on to a threefold scale. He gave offices only to the worthy, and
employments only to the able. He attached great importance to the people's
being taught the duties of the five relations of society, and to take care for
food, for funeral ceremonies, and for sacrifices. He showed the reality of his
truthfulness, and proved clearly his righteousness. He honored virtue, and
rewarded merit. Then he had only to let his robes fall down, fold his hands,
and the kingdom was orderly ruled.
THE GREAT PLAN (Legge, p. 320)
1 In the thirteenth year, the king went to enquire of the viscount of Qi, and
said to him, (2) "Oh! viscount of Qi, Heaven, unseen, has given their
constitution to mankind, aiding also the harmonious development of it in their
various conditions. I do not know how their proper virtues in their various
relations should be brought forth in due order."
3 The viscount of Qi thereupon replied, "I have heard that of old time Gun
dammed up the inundating waters, and thereby threw into disorder the
arrangement of the five elements. God was thereby roused to anger, and did not
give him 'the great Plan with its nine Divisions,' whereby the proper virtues of
the various relations were left to go to ruin. Gun was then kept a prisoner
till his death, and Yu rose up to continue his undertaking. To him Heaven gave
'the great Plan with its nine Divisions,' and thereby the proper virtues of the
various relations were brought forth in their order.
4 "Of those divisions, the first is called 'The five Elements'; the second
is called 'The Reverent Practice of the five Businesses'; the third is called
'Earnest Devotion to the eight objects of Government'; the fourth is called
'The Harmonious Use of the five Arrangements'; the fifth is called 'The
Establishment and Use of royal Perfection'; the sixth is called 'The
Cultivation and Use of the three Virtues'; the seventh is called 'The
Intelligent Use of the Examination of Doubts'; the eighth is called 'The
Thoughtful Use of the various Verifications'; the ninth is called 'The
Hortatory Use of the five Happinesses, and the Awing Use of the six
Extremities.'
5 "First, of the five elements: the first is named water; the second,
fire; the third, wood; the fourth, metal; the fifth, earth. The nature of
water is to soak and descend; of fire, to blaze and ascend; of wood, to be
crooked and to be straight; of metal, to obey and to change; while the virtue
of earth is seen in seed-sowing and ingathering. That which soaks and descends
becomes salt; that which blazes and ascends becomes bitter; that which is
crooked and straight becomes sour; that which obeys and changes becomes acrid;
and from seed-sowing and ingathering comes sweetness.
6 "Second, of the five businesses: the first is called demeanor; the
second, speech; the third, seeing; the fourth, hearing; and the fifth,
thinking. The virtue of the demeanor is called is respectfulness; of speech,
accordance with reason; of seeing, clearness; of hearing, distinctness; of
thinking, perspicaciousness. The respectfulness becomes manifest in gravity;
accordance with reason, in orderliness; the clearness, in wisdom; the
distinctness, in deliberation; and perspicaciousness, in sageness.
7 "Third, of the eight objects of government: the first is food; the
second, commodities; the third, sacrifices; the fourth, the minister of works;
the fifth, the minister of instruction; the sixth, the minister of crime; the
seventh, the entertainment of guests; the eighth, the army.
8 "Fourth, of the five arrangements: the first is called the year; the
second, the month; the third, the day; the fourth, the stars and planets, and
the zodiacal signs; and the fifth, the calendaric calculations.
9 "Fifth, of royal perfection: the sovereign having established his
highest point of excellence, he concentrates in himself the five happinesses,
and then diffuses them so as to give them to his people. Then on their part the
multitudes of the people, resting in your perfection, will give to you the
preservation of it. (10) That the multitudes of the people have no lawless
confederacies, and that men in office have no selfish combinations, will be an
effect of the sovereign's establishing his highest point of excellence. (11)
Among all the multitudes of the people, when any have counsel, and conduct, and
keep themselves from evil, do you bear them in mind; those who do not come up
to the highest excellence, yet do not involve themselves in evil, let the
sovereign receive; and when a placid satisfaction appears in their
countenances, and they say, 'Our love is fixed on virtue,' do you then confer
favor on them. Those men will in this way advance to the perfection of the
sovereign. (12) Do not oppress the friendless and childless; do not fear the
high and illustrious. (13) When men have ability and administrative power,
cause them still more to cultivate their conduct, and the prosperity of
the country will be promoted. All right men, having a competency, will go on to
be good. If you cannot make men have what they love in their families, they
will only proceed to be guilty of crime; while they do not love virtue, though
you confer favor on them, they will involve you in the guilt of employing them
thus evil.
14 "Without deflection,
without unevenness,
Pursue the Royal righteousness;
Without any selfish likings,
Pursue the Royal way;
Without any selfish dislikings,
Pursue the Royal path;
Without deflection, without partiality,
The Royal path is level and easy;
Without perversity, without one-sidedness,
The Royal path is right and straight.
Seeing this perfect excellence,
Turn to this perfect excellence."
15 He went on to say, "This amplification of the
Royal perfection contains the unchanging rule, and is the great lesson; yea, it
is the lesson of God. (16) All the multitudes, instructed in this amplification
of the perfect excellence, and carrying it into practice, will approximate to
the glory of the son of Heaven, and say, 'The son of Heaven is the parent of
the people, and so becomes the sovereign of the empire.'
17 "Sixth, of the three virtues: the first is called correctness and
straightforwardness; the second, strong government; and the third, mild
government. In peace and tranquillity, correctness and straightforwardness must
sway; in violence and disorder, strong government must sway; in harmony and
order, mild government must sway. For the reserved and retiring there is the
strong rule; for the lofty and intelligent there is the mild rule.
18 "It belongs only to the prince to confer favors, to display the terrors
of majesty, and to receive the revenues of the empire. (19) There should be no
such thing as a minister conferring favors, displaying the terrors of justice,
or receiving the revenues of the country. Such a thing is injurious to the
familier, and fatal to the States of the empire: small officers become
one-sided and perverse, and the people commit assumptions and excesses.
20 "Seventh, of the examination of doubts: having chosen and appointed
officers for divining by the tortoise and by the milfoil, they are to be
charged on occasion to perform their duties. (21) In doing this, they will find
the appearances of rain, clearing up, cloudiness, want of connection, and
crossing, (22) and the symbols, solidity, and repentance. (23) In all the
indications are seven: five given by the tortoise and two by the milfoil, by
which the errors of affairs may be traced out. (24) These officers having been
appointed, when the operations with the tortoise and milfoil are proceeded
with, three men are to obtain and interpret the indications and symbols, and
the consenting words of two of them are to be followed.
25 "If you have doubts about any great matter, consult with your own
heart; consult with your nobles and officers;consult with the masses of the
people; consult the tortoise and milfoil. (26) If you, the tortoise, the
milfoil, the nobles and officers, and the common people all consent to a
course, this is what is called a great concord, and the result will be the
welfare of your person, and good fortune to your descendants. (27) If you, the
tortoise, and the milfoil all agree, while the nobles and common people oppose,
the result will be fortunate. (28) If the nobles and officers, the tortoise, and
the milfoil all agree, while you oppose and the common people oppose, the
result will be fortunate. (29) If the common people, the tortoise, and the
milfoil all agree, while you and the nobles and officers oppose, the result
will be fortunate. (30) If you and the tortoise agree, while the milfoil, the
nobles and officers, and the common people oppose, internal operations will be
fortunate, and external operations will be unlucky. When the tortoise and
milfoil are both opposed to the views of men, there will be good fortune in
stillness, and active operations will be unlucky.
32 "Eighth, of the various verifications: they are rain, sunshine, heat,
cold, wind, and seasonableness. When the five come all complete, and each is in
its proper order, even the various plants will be abundantly luxuriant. (33)
Should any one of them be either excessively abundant or excessively deficient,
there is evil.
34 "There are the favorable verifications: namely, of gravity, which is
emblemed by seasonable rain; of orderliness, emblemed by seasonable sunshine;
of wisdom, emblemed by seasonable heat; of deliberation, emblemed by seasonable
cold; and of sageness, emblemed by seasonable wind. There are also the
unfavorable verifications: namely, of wildness, emblemed by constant rain; of
assumption, emblemed by constant sunshine; of indolence, emblemed by constant
heat; of haste, emblemed by constant cold; and of stupidity, emblemed by
constant wind."
35 He went on to say, "The sovereign is to examine the character of the
whole year; nobles and officers, that of the month; and the inferior officers,
that of the day. (36) If, throughout the year, the month, the day, there be an
unchanging seasonableness, all the kinds of grain are matured; the operations
of government are wise; heroic men stand forth eminent; and in the families of
the people there are peace and prosperity. (37) If, throughout the year, the
month, the day, the seasonableness is interrupted, the various kinds of grain
do not become matured; the operations of government are dark and unwise; heroic
men are reduced to obscurity; in the families of the people there is no repose.
38 "The common people are like the stars. Some stars love the wind, and
some love the rain. The course of the sun and moon give winter and summer. The
course of the moon among the stars gives wind and rain.
39 "Ninth, of the five happinesses: the first is long life; the second is
riches; the third is soundness of body and serenity of mind; the fourth is the
love of virtue; the fifth is an end crowning the life. (40) As to the six
extremities again, the first is misfortune, shortening the life; the second is
sickness; the third is sorrow; the fourth is poverty; the fifth is wickedness;
the sixth is weakness."
THE HOUNDS OF LU (Legge, p. 345)
1 After the conquest of Shang, the way being open to the nine wild and the
eight savage tribes, the people of the western tribe of Lu sent in as tribute
some of their hounds, on which the Great-guardian made "The Hounds of
Lu," by way of instruction to the king.
2 He said, "Oh! the intelligent kings have paid careful attention to their
virtue, and the wild tribes on every side have willingly acknowledged
subjection to them. The nearer and the more remote have all made offerings of
the productions of their countries: clothes, food, and vessels for use. (3) The
kings have then displayed the things thus produced by their virtue, and
distributed them to the princes of the States of different surnames, to
encourage them not to neglect their duties. The precious things and gems they
have distributed among their uncles in charge of States, thereby increasing
their attachment to the throne. The recipients have thus not despised the
things, but have seen in them the power of virtue.
4 "Complete virtue allows no contemptuous familiarity. When a prince
treats superior men with such familiarity, he cannot get them to give him all
their hearts; when he so treats inferior men, he cannot get them to put forth
for him all their strength. (5) If he be not in bondage to his ears and eyes,
all his conduct will be ruled by correctness. (6) By trifling with men, he
ruins his virtue; by finding his amusement in things, he ruins his aims.
7 "The aims should repose in what is right; words should be listened to
according to their relation to right.
8 "A prince should not do what is unprofitable to the injury of what is
profitable, and then his merit may be completed. He should not value strange
things to the contemning things that are useful, and then his people will be
able to supply all his needs. Even dogs and horses that are not native to his
country he will not keep; fine birds and strange animals he will not nourish in
his kingdom. When he does not look on foreign things as precious, foreigners
will come to him; when it is worth which is precious to him, his own people
near at hand will enjoy repose.
9 "Oh! early and late never be but earnest. If you do not attend jealously
to your small actions, the result will be to affect your virtue in great matters,
as when, in raising a mound of nine fathoms, the work is unfinished for want of
one basket of earth. If you really follow this course, the people will preserve
their possessions, and the throne will descend from generation to
generation."
THE METAL-BOUND COFFER (Legge, p.
351)
1 Two years after the conquest of the Shang dynasty, the king fell ill and was
quite disconsolate. (2) The two dukes said, "Let us reverently consult the
tortoise concerning the king," (3) but the duke of Zhou said, "You
must not so distress our former kings."
4 He then took the business on himself and made three altars of earth on the
same cleared space, and having made another altar on the south, facing the
north, he there took his own position. The convex symbols were put on their
altars, and he himself held his mace, while he addressed the kings Tai, Ji, and
Wen.
5 The grand historian by his order wrote on tablets his prayer to the following
effect: "A. B., your chief descendant, is suffering from a severe and
dangerous sickness. If you three kings have in heaven the charge of watching
over him, Heaven's great son, let me, Tan, be a substitute for his person. (6)
I have been lovingly obedient to my father; I am possessed of many abilities and
arts which fit me to serve spiritual beings. Your chief descendant, on the
other hand, has not so many abilities and arts as I, and is not so capable of
serving spiritual beings. (7) And moreover he was appointed in the hall of God
to extend his aid to all the four quarters of the empire, so that he might
establish your descendants in this lower world. The people of the four quarters
stand in reverent awe of him. Oh! do not let that precious Heaven-conferred
appointment fall to the ground, and all our former kings will also have a
perpetual reliance and resort. (8) I will now seek for your orders from the
great tortoise. If you grant what I request, I will take these symbols and this
mace, and return and wait for the issue. If you do not grant it, I will put
them by."
9 The duke then divined with the three tortoises, and all were favorable. He
took a key, opened and looked at the oracular responses, which were also were
favorable. (10) He said, "According to the form of the prognostic, the
king will take no injury. I, who am but a little child, have got his
appointment renewed by the three kings, by whom a long futurity has been
consulted for. I have to wait the issue. They can provide for our one
man." (11) Having said this, he returned and placed the tablets in the
metal-bound coffer, and next day the king got better.
12 Afterwards, upon the death of King Wu, the duke's elder brother, he of Guan,
and the duke's younger brothers, spread a baseless rumor through the kingdom,
saying, "The duke will do no good to the king's young son." (13) Upon
this the duke of Zhou represented to the two dukes, saying, "If I do not
take the law to these men, I shall not be able to make my report to our former
kings."
14 He resided accordingly in the east for two years, when the criminals were
got and brought to justice. (15) Afterward, he made a poem to present to the
king and called it "The Owl." The king on his part did not dare to
blame the duke.
16 In the autumn, when the grain was abundant and ripe, but before it was reaped,
Heaven sent a great storm of thunder and lightning, along with wind, by which
the grain was all beaten down and great trees torn up. The people were greatly
terrified, and the king and great officers, all in their caps of state,
proceeded to open the metal-bound coffer and examine the writings, when they
found the words of the duke of Zhou when he took on himself the business of
taking the place of king Wu. (17) The king and the two dukes asked the grand
historian and all the other officers about the thing. They replied, "Ah!
it was really thus, but the duke charged us that we should not presume to speak
about it." (18) The king held the writing and wept, saying, "We need
not now go on reverently to divine. Formerly the duke was thus earnest for the
royal house, but I, being a child, did not know it. Now Heaven has moved its
terrors to display the virtue of the duke of Zhou. That I meet him a new man is
what the rules of propriety of our empire require."
19 The king then went out to the borders, when Heaven sent down rain, and by
virtue of a contrary wind, the grain all rose up. The two dukes gave orders to
the people to take up all the large trees which had fallen and replace them.
The year then turned out very fruitful.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PRINCE OF KANG
(Legge, p. 381)
1 [In the third month, when the moon began to wane, the duke of Zhou commenced
the foundations and proceeded to build the new great city of Luo of the eastern
states. The people from every quarter assembled in great harmony. From the Hou,
Dian, Nan, Cai, and Wei domains, the various offlicers stimulated this harmony
of the people and introduced them to the business there was for Zhou. The duke
of Zhou encouraged all to diligence and made a great announcement about the
performance of the works.]
2 The king speaks to this effect: "Head of the princes, my younger
brother, little one, Feng. (3) It was your greatly distinguished father, the
king Wen, who was able to illustrate his virtue and be careful in the use of
punishments. (4) He did not dare to to show any contempt to the widower and
widows. He employed the employable and revered the reverend. He was terrible to
those who needed to be awed--so getting distinction among the people. It was
thus he laid the first beginnings of the sway of our small portion of the
empire, and the one or two neighboring countries were brought under his
improving influence, until throughout our western regions all placed in him
their reliance. The fame of him ascended up to the High God, and God approved.
Heaven gave a great charge to King Wen, to exterminate the great dynasty of Yin
and receive its great appointment, so that the various States belonging to it
and their peoples were brought to an orderly condition. Then your unworthy
elder brother exerted himself, and so it is that you Feng, the little one, are
here in this eastern region."
5 The king says, "Oh! Feng, bear these things in mind. Now your management
of the people will depend on your reverently following your father Wen. Do you
carry out his virtuous words which you have heard, and clothe yourself with
them. Moreover, where you go, seek out among the traces of the former wise
kings of Yin what you may use in protecting and regulating their people. Again,
you must more remotely study the old accomplished men of Shang, that you may
establish your heart and know how to instruct the people. Further still, you
must seek out besides what is to be learned f the wise kings of antiquity and
employ it in the tranquilizing and protecting of the people. Finally, enlarge
your thoughts to the comprehension of all Heavenly principles, and virtue will
be richly displayed in your person, so that you will not render nugatory the
king's charge.
6 The king says, "Oh! Feng, the little one, it is as if some disease were
in your person; be respectfully careful. Heaven in its awfulness yet helps the
sincere. The feelings of the people can for the most part be discerned, but it
is difficult to calculate on the attachment of the lower classes. Where you go,
employ all your heart. Do not seek repose, nor be fond of idleness and
pleasure. So may you regulate the people. I have read the saying:
Dissatisfaction is caused, not so much by great things or by small things, as
by a ruler's observance of principle or the reverse, and by his energy of
conduct or the reverse.
7 "'Yes, it is yours, O little one, it is your business to enlarge the
royal influence, and harmoniously to protect this people of Yin. Thus also
shall you assist the king, consolidating the appointment of Heaven and
renovating this people."
8 The king says, "Oh! Feng, deal reverently and understandingly in your
infliction of punishments. When men commit small crimes which are not
mischances, but purposed, themselves doing what is contrary to the laws,
intentionally, though their crimes be but small, you may not but put them to
death. But in the case of great crimes which are not purposed, but from
mischance and misfortune, accidental, if the offenders confess unreservedly
their guilt, you may not put them to death."
9 The king says, "Oh! Feng, there must be the right regulation in this
matter. When you show a great discrimination, subduing men's hearts, the people
will admonish one another and strive to be obedient. Deal with evil, as if it
were a sickness in your person, and the people will entirely put away their
faults. Deal with them as if you were guarding your infants, and the people
will be tranquil and orderly. (10) It is not you, Feng, who inflict a severe
punishment or death upon a man. You may not, of yourself, so punish a man or
put him to death.' Moreover, he says, 'It is not you, Feng, who cut off a man's
nose or ears. You may not, of yourself, cut off a man's nose or ears.'"
11 The king says, "In things beyond your immediate jurisdiction, have laws
set forth which the officers may observe, and those should be the penal laws of
Yin, which were right-ordered."
12 He also says, "In examining the evidence in criminal cases, reflect
upon it for five or six days, yea, for ten days, or three months. You may then
boldly carry your decision into effect in such cases."
13 The king says, "In setting forth the business of the laws, the
punishments will be determined by the regular laws of Yin. But you must see
that those punishments, as well as the penalty of death, be righteous. And you
must not let them be warped to agree with your own inclinations, O Feng. Then
shall you be entirely accordant with right and may say, 'These are properly
ordered.' Yet you must say at the same time, 'Perhaps they are not yet entirely
accordant with right.' (14) Yes, you are the little one. Who has a heart like
you, O Feng? My heart and my virtue are also known to you.
15 "All people who of themselves commit crimes, robbing, stealing,
practicing villainy and treason, and who kill men or violently assault them to
take their property, being violent and fearless of death--those are abhorred by
all."
16 The king says, "Feng, such chief criminals are greatly abhorred, and
how much more detestable are the unfilial and unbrotherly, as the son who does
not reverently discharge his duty to his father, but greatly wounds his
father's heart, and the father who can no longer love his son, but hates him;
and the younger brother who does not think of the manifest will of Heaven, and
refuses to respect his elder brother, so that the elder brother does not think
of the toil of their parents in bringing them up, and is very unbrotherly to
his junior. If we who are charged with government do not treat parties who proceed
to such wickedness as offenders, the laws of our nature given by Heaven to our
people will be thrown into great disorder and destroyed. You must deal speedily
with such parties according to the penal laws of king Wen, punishing them
severely and not pardoning.
17 "'Those who are disobedient to natural principles are to be thus
severely subjected to the laws. How much more the officers employed in your
State as the instructors of the youth, the heads of the various official
departments, and the petty officers, charged with their several commissions,
when they propagate and spread abroad other lessons, seeking the praise of the
people, not thinking of the the sovereign nor using the rules for their duties,
but distressing him! These lead on to wickedness and are an abomination to me.
Shall they be let alone? Do you quickly, according to what is recognized as
right, put them to death.
18 "And you are here prince and president. If you cannot manage your own
household, with your petty officers, the instructors, and heads of departments,
but use only terror and violence, you greatly set aside the royal charge and
try to regulate your State contrary to virtue. (19) Do you also in everything
reverence the constant statutes and so proceed to the happy rule of the people.
There are the reverence of King Wen and his caution; in proceeding by them to
the happy rule of the people, say, "If I can only attain to them." So
will you make me, the one man, to rejoice."
20 The king says, "O Feng, when I think clearly of the people, I see they
are to be led to happiness and tranquillity. I think of the virtue of the
former wise kings of Yin, whereby they tranquilized and regulated the people,
and rouse myself to realize it. Moreover, the people now are sure to follow a
leader. If one do not lead them, he cannot be said to exercise a government in
their State."
21 The king says, "Feng, I cannot dispense with the inspection of the
ancients, and I make this declaration to you about virtue in the use of
punishments. Now the people are not quiet; they have not stilled their minds;
notwithstanding my frequent leading of them, they have not come to accord with
my government. I reflect on Heaven's severe punishments, but I do not murmur.
The crimes of the people, whether they are great or many, are all chargeable on
me, and how much more shall this be said, when the report of them goes up so
manifestly to Heaven!"
22 The king says, "Oh! Feng, be reverent. Do not what will create
murmurings; do not use bad counsels and uncommon ways. Decidedly and with
sincerity, give yourself to imitate the active virtue of the ancients. Hereby
give repose to your mind; examine your virtue; send far forward your plans, and
thus by your generous forbearance you will conduct the people to repose in what
is good. So shall I not have to blame you or cast you off."
23 The king says, "Oh! you, Feng, you the little one, Heaven's
appointments are not constant. Do you think of this, and do not make me deprive
you of your dignity. Reflect clearly on the charges you have received. Think
highly of what you have heard, and tranquilize and regulate the people
accordingly."
24 The king thus says, "Go, Feng. Do not disregard the statutes you should
reverence; hearken to what I have told you. So with the people of Yin you will
enjoy your dignity and hand it down to your posterity."
PRINCE SHI (Legge, p. 474)
1 The duke of Zhou spoke to the following effect: (2) "Prince Shi, Heaven,
unpitying, sent down ruin on Yin; Yin has lost its appointment, and the princes
of our Zhou have received it. I do not dare, however, to say as if I knew, 'The
foundation will ever truly abide in prosperity. [If Heaven aid sincerity . .
.'] Nor do I dare to say, as if I knew, 'The final end will issue in our
misfortunes.' (3) Oh! you have said, O prince, 'It depends on ourselves.' I
also do not dare to rest in the favor of God, never forecasting at a distance
the terrors of Heaven in the present time when there is no murmuring or
disobedience among the people. The issue is with men. Should our present
successor to his fathers prove greatly unable to reverence Heaven and the
people, and so bring to an end their glory, could we in our families be
ignorant of it? (4) The favor of Heaven is not easily preserved. Heaven is hard
to be depended on. Men lose its favoring appointment because they cannot pursue
and carry out the reverence and brilliant virtue of their forefathers. (5) Now
I, Dan, being but as a little child, am not able to correct our king. I would
simply conduct him to the glory of his forefathers and make his youth partaker
of that."
6 He also said, "Heaven is not to be trusted. Our course is simply to seek
the prolongation of the virtue of the Tranquilizing king, and Heaven will not
find occasion to remove its favoring decree which King Wen received."
7 The duke said, "Prince Shi, I have heard that of ancient time, when Tang
the Successful had received the favoring decree, he had with him Yi Yin, making
his virtue like that of great Heaven. Tai Ja, again, had Bao Heng. Tai Wu had
Yi Zhi and Chen Hu, through whom his virtue was made to affect God; he had also
Wu Xian, who regulated the royal house; Zu Yi had Wu Xian. Wu Ding had Gan Pan.
(8) These ministers carried out their principles and effected their
arrangements, preserving and regulating the empire of Yin, so that, while its
ceremonies lasted, those sovereigns, though deceased, were assessors to Heaven,
while it extended over many years. (9) Heaven thus determinately maintained its
favoring appointment, and Shang was replenished with men. The various officers
and members of the royal House holding employments all held fast their virtue
and displayed an anxious solicitude for the empire. The smaller officers and
the chiefs in the Hou and Dian domains hurried about on their services. Thus
did they all put forth their virtue and aid their sovereign, so that whatever
affairs he, the one man, had in hand throughout the four quarters of the
empire, an entire sincerity was conceded to them as to the indications of the
tortoise or the milfoil."
10 The duke said, "Prince Shi, Heaven gives long life to the just and the
intelligent. It was thus that those ministers maintained and regulated the
dynasty of Yin. He who at last came to the throne was extinguished by the
majesty of Heaven. Think you of the distant future, and we shall have the
decree in favor of Zhou made sure, and its good government will be brilliantly
displayed in our new-founded State."
11 The duke said, "Prince Shi, aforetime when God was afflicting Yin, he
encouraged anew the virtue of the Tranquilizing king, till at last the great
favoring decree was concentrated in his person. (12) But that king Wen was able
to conciliate and unite the portion of the great empire which we came to
possess, was owing to his having such ministers as his brother of Guo, Hong
Yao, San Yi Sheng, Tai Dian, and Nan Gong Guo."
13 He repeated this sentiment, "But for the ability of these men to go and
come in his affairs, developing his constant lessons, there would have been no
benefits descending from King Wen on the people. And it also was from the
determinate favor of Heaven that there were these men of firm virtue, and
acting according to their knowledge of the dread majesty of Heaven, to give
themselves to enlighten king Wen and lead him forward to his high distinction
and universal over-rule, til his fame reached the cars of God, and he received
the decree of Yin. (15) There were still four of these men who led on king Wu
to the possession of that decree with all its emoluments. Afterwards, along
with him, in great reverence of the majesty of Heaven, they slew all his
enemies. And then these four men made king Wu distinguished all over the
empire, till the people universally and greatly proclaimed his virtue. (16) Now
with me, Dan, who am but a little child, it is as if I were floating on a great
stream. Let me from this time cross it along with you, O Shi. Our young
sovereign is powerless, as if he had not yet ascended the throne. You must by
no means lay the whole burden on me, and if we draw ourselves up without an
effort to supply his deficiencies, no good will flow to the people from our age
and experience. We shall not hear the voices of the singing birds, and much
less can it be thought that we shall make his virtue equal to Heaven!"
17 The duke said, "Oh! consider well, O prince, these things. We have
received the favoring decree of Heaven, to which belongs an unlimited amount of
what is desirable, but having great difficulties attached to it. What I announce
to you are counsels of a generous largeness. I cannot allow the successor of
our kings to go astray."
18 The duke said, "The former king laid bare his heart and gave full
charge to you, constituting you one of the guides of the people, saying, 'Do
you with intelligence and energy prove a helper to the king; do you with
sincerity support and carry on this great decree. Think of the virtue of King
Wen, and enter greatly into his boundless anxieties.'"
19 The duke said, "What I tell you, O prince, are my sincere thoughts. O
Shi, Grand-protector, if you can but reverently survey with me the decay and
great disorders of Yin, and thence consider the dread majesty of Heaven which
warns us!--
20 Am I not to be believed, that I must thus speak? I simply say, 'The
establishment of our dynasty rests with us two.' Do you agree with me? Then you
also will say, 'It rests with us two.' And the favor of Heaven has come to us
so largely, it should be ours to feel as if we could not sustain it. If you can
but reverently cultivate your virtue and bring to light our men of eminence,
then when you resign to some successor in a time of established security--
21 "Oh! it is by the eariiest assistance of us two that we have come to
the prosperity of the present day. We must go on, abjuring all idleness, to
complete the work of King Wen, til it has entirely overspread the empire, and
from the corners of the sea and the sunrising there shall not be one who is
disobedient to our rule."
22 The duke said, "O prince, am I not speaking in accordance with reason
in these many declarations? I am only influenced by anxiety about the decree of
Heaven and about the people."
23 The duke said, "Oh! 0 prince, you know the ways of the people, how at
the beginning they can be all we could desire, but it is the end which is to be
thought of. Act in careful accordance with this fact. Go and reverently
exercise your government."