The complete Chuang Tzu based on the translation
by James Legge (of 1890)
- Enjoyment in untroubled ease
- The adjustment of controversies
- Nourishing the lord of life
- Man in the world, associated with other men
- The seal of complete virtue
- The great and most honoured master
- The normal course for rulers and kings
- Webbed toes
- Horses's hoofs
- Cutting open satchels
- Letting be, and exercising forbearance
- Heaven and earth
- The way of heaven
- The revolution of heaven
- Ingrained ideas
- Correcting the nature
- The floods of autumn
- Perfect enjoyment
- The full understanding of life
- The tree on the mountain
- Thien Sze-fang
- Knowledge rambling in the north
- Käng-sang Ku
- Hsü Wu-kwei
- Zeh-yang
- What comes from without
- Y?Yen, or metaphorical language
- Kings who have wished to resign the throne
- Robber Kih
- Delight in the sword-fight
- The old fisherman
- Lieh Yü-khâu
- Thien Hsiâ
1: Is azure the proper colour of the sky?
IN THE Northern Ocean there is a fish, the name of which is Kun [1],—I do not
know how many li in size. It changes into a bird with the name of Peng, the back of which is
(also)—I do not know how many li in extent. When this bird rouses itself and flies, its
wings are like clouds all round the sky. When the sea is moved (so as to bear it along), it
prepares to remove to the Southern Ocean [darkness]. The Southern Ocean is the Lake of
Heaven.
There is the (book called) The Universal Harmony [2],—a record of
marvels. We have in it these words: 'When the Peng journeys to the Southern Ocean it flaps
(its wings) on the water for 3000 li. Then it ascends on a whirlwind 90,000 li, and it
rests only at the end of six months.' (But similar to this is the movement of the breezes
which we call) the horses of the fields, of the dust (which quivers in the sunbeams), and of
living things as they are blown against one another by the air [3]. Is its azure the proper
colour of the sky? Or is it occasioned by its distance and illimitable extent? If one were
looking down (from above), the very same appearance would just meet his view.
2: The mushroom of the morning: Return to a third meal
IF WATER is not heaped up deep enough, it will not have the strength to support a
big boat. Upset a cup of water in a cavity, and a straw will float on it as if it were a
boat. Place a cup in it, and it will stick fast; – the water is shallow and the boat is
large. (So it is with) the accumulation of wind; if it be not great, it will not have
strength to support great wings. Therefore (the Peng ascended to) the height of 90,000 li,
and there was such a mass of wind beneath it; thenceforth the accumulation of wind was
sufficient. As it seemed to bear the blue sky on its back, and there was nothing to obstruct
or arrest its course, it could pursue its way to the South.
A cicada and a little dove laughed at it, saying, 'We make an effort and fly towards
an elm or sapan-wood tree; and sometimes before we reach it, we can do no more but drop to
the ground. Of what use is it for this (creature) to rise 90,000 li, and make for the
South?'
He who goes to the grassy suburbs [1], returning to the third meal (of the day),
will have his belly as full as when he set out; he who goes to a distance of 100 li will
have to pound his grain where he stops for the night; he who goes a thousand li, will have
to carry with him provisions for three months. What should these two small creatures know
about the matter? The knowledge of that which is small does not reach to that which is
great; (the experience of) a few years does not reach to that of many. How do we know that
it is so? The mushroom of a morning does not know (what takes place between) the beginning
and end of a month; the short-lived cicada does not know (what takes place between) the
spring and autumn. These are instances of a short term of life. In the south of Ku [2],
there is the (tree) called Ming-ling [3], whose spring is 500 years, and its autumn the
same; in high antiquity there was that called Ta Khun [4], whose spring was 8000 years, and
its autumn the same. And Master Peng [5] is the one man renowned to the present day for his
length of life: if all men were (to wish) to match him, would they not be miserable?
3: Judgement energies
IN THE questions put by Tang [1] to Ki we have similar statements: 'In the bare and
barren north there is the dark and vat ocean,—the Pool of Heaven. In it there is a
fish, several thousand li in breadth, while no one knows its length. Its name is the Kun.
There is (also) a bird named the Peng; its back is like the Tai mountain, while its wings
are like clouds all round the sky. On a whirlwind it mounts upwards as on the whorls of a
goat's horn for 90,000 li, till, far removed from the cloudy vapours, it bears on its back
the blue sky, and then it shapes its course for the South, and proceeds to the ocean there.'
A quail by the side of a marsh laughed at it, and said, 'Where is it going to? I spring up
with a bound, and come down again when I have reached but a few fathoms, and then fly about
among the brushwood and bushes; and this is the perfection of flying. Where is that creature
going to?'
This shows the difference between the small and the great.
Thus it is that men, whose wisdom is sufficient for the duties of some one office,
or whose conduct will secure harmony in some one district, or whose virtue is befitting a
ruler so that they could efficiently govern some one state, are sure to look on themselves
in this manner (like the quail), and yet Master Jung [2] of Sung [3] would have smiled and
laughed at them. (This Master Jung), though the whole world should have praised him, would
not for that have stimulated himself to greater endeavour, and though the whole world should
have condemned him, would not have exercised any more repression of his course; so fixed was
he in the difference between the internal (judgement of himself) and the external (judgement
of others), so distinctly had he marked out the bounding limit of glory and disgrace. Here,
however, he stopped. His place in the world indeed had become indifferent to him, but still
he had not planted himself firmly (in the right position).
There was Master Lieh (Lieh Tzu)
[4], who rode on the wind and pursued his way with an admirable indifference (to all
external things), returning, however, after fifteen days, (to his place). In regard
to the things that (are supposed to) contribute to happiness, he was free from all
endeavours to obtain them; but though he had not to walk, there was still something for
which he had to wait. But suppose one who mounts on (the ether of) heaven and earth in its
normal operation, and drives along the six elemental energies of the changing (seasons),
thus enjoying himself in the illimitable,—what has he to wait for'? Therefore it is
said, 'The Perfect man has no (thought of) self; the Spirit-like man, none of merit; the
Sagely-minded man, none of fame [5].'
4: Names are like guests of reality -
Yao, proposing to resign the throne to Hsü Yu, said,
'When the sun and moon have come forth, if the torches have not been put out, would
it not be difficult for them to give light? When the seasonal rains are coming down, if we
still keep watering the ground, will not our toil be labour lost for all the good it will
do? Do you, Master, stand forth (as sovereign), and the kingdom will (at once) be well
governed. If I still (continue to) preside over it, I must look on myself as vainly
occupying the place; – I beg to resign the throne to you.'
Hsü Yu said,
'You, Sir, govern the kingdom, and the kingdom is well governed. If I in these
circumstances take your place, shall I not be doing so for the sake of the name? But the
name is but the guest of the reality; – shall I be playing the part of the guest? The
tailor-bird makes its nest in the deep forest, but only uses a single branch; the mole
drinks from the Ho, but only takes what fills its belly. Return and rest in being
ruler,—I will have nothing to do with the throne. Though the cook were not attending to
his kitchen, the representative of the dead and the officer of prayer would not leave their
cups and stands to take his place.'
5: Far away on a hill there lived someone who preserved a plentiful harvest
Kien Wu asked Lien Shu, saying,
'I heard Khieh-yu talking words which were great, but had nothing corresponding to
them (in reality); -once gone, they could not be brought back. I was frightened by them;
—they were like the Milky Way which cannot be traced to its beginning or end. They had
no connexion with one another, and were not akin to the experiences of men.'
'What were his words?' asked Lien Shu, and the other replied,
'(He said) that 'Far away on the hill of Ku She there dwelt a Spirit-like man whose
flesh and skin were (smooth) as ice and (white) as snow; that his manner was elegant and
delicate as that of a virgin; that he did not eat any of the five grains, but inhaled the
wind and drank the dew; that he mounted on the clouds, drove along the flying dragons,
rambling and enjoying himself beyond the four seas; that by the concentration of his
spirit-like powers he could save men from disease and pestilence, and secure every year a
plentiful harvest.'
These words appeared to me wild and incoherent and I did not believe them.
'So it is,' said Lien Shu. 'The blind have no perception of the beauty of elegant
figures, nor the deaf of the sound of bells and drums. But is it only the bodily senses of
which deafness and blindness can be predicated? There is also a similar defect in the
intelligence; and of this your words supply an illustration in yourself. That man, with
those attributes, though all things were one mass of confusion, and he heard in that
condition the whole world crying out to him to be rectified, would not have to address
himself laboriously to the task, as if it were his business to rectify the world. Nothing
could hurt that man; the greatest floods, reaching to the sky, could not drown him, nor
would he feel the fervour of the greatest heats melting metals and stones till they flowed,
and scorching all the ground and hills. From the dust and chaff of himself, he could still
mould and fashion Yaos and Shuns; how should he be willing to occupy himself with things?'
6: Oblivious eyes indicate lack of interest in ruling the people
A man of Sung, who dealt in the ceremonial caps (of Yin), went with them to
Yüeh, the people of which cut off their hair and tattooed their bodies, so that they
had no use for them. Yao ruled the people of the kingdom, and maintained a perfect
government within the four seas. Having gone to see the four (Perfect) Ones on the distant
hill of Ku She, when (he returned to his capital) on the south of the Fen water, his throne
appeared no more to his deep-sunk oblivious eyes.
7: Considering the good uses of many things
Master Hui told Master Chuang, saying,
'The king of Wei sent me some seeds of a large calabash, which I sowed. The fruit,
when fully grown, could contain five piculs (of anything). I used it to contain water, but
it was so heavy that I could not lift it by myself. I cut it in two to make the parts into
drinking vessels; but the dried shells were too wide and unstable and would not hold (the
liquor); nothing but large useless things! Because of their uselessness I knocked them to
pieces.'
Master Chuang replied,
'You were indeed stupid in the use of what was large. There was a man of Sung who
was skilful at making a salve which kept the hands from getting chapped; and (his family)
for generations had made the bleaching of cocoon-silk their business. A stranger heard of
it, and proposed to buy the art of the preparation for a hundred ounces of silver. The
kindred all came together, and considered the proposal. "We have," said they, "been
bleaching cocoon-silk for generations, and have only gained a little money. Now in one
morning we can sell to this man our art for a hundred ounces; – let him have it." The
stranger accordingly got it and went away with it to give counsel to the king of Wu, who was
then engaged in hostilities with Yüeh. The king gave him the command of his fleet, and
in the winter he had an engagement with that of Yüeh, on which he inflicted a great
defeat, and was invested with a portion of territory taken from Yüeh. The keeping the
hands from getting chapped was the same in both cases; but in the one case it led to the
investiture (of the possessor of the salve), and in the other it had only enabled its owners
to continue their bleaching. The difference of result was owing to the different use made of
the art. Now you, Sir, had calabashes large enough to hold five piculs; – why did you
not think of making large bottle-gourds of them, by means of which you could have floated
over rivers and lakes, instead of giving yourself the sorrow of finding that they were
useless for holding anything. Your mind, my master, would seem to have been closed against
all intelligence!'
7b: The useless tree
Master Hui said to Master Chuang, 'I have a large tree, which men call the Ailantus.
Its trunk swells out to a large size, but is not fit for a carpenter to apply his line to
it; its smaller branches are knotted and crooked, so that the disk and square cannot be used
on them. Though planted on the wayside, a builder would not turn his head to look at it. Now
your words, Sir, are great, but of no use; – all unite in putting them away from
them.'
Master Chuang replied,
'Have you never seen a wildcat or a weasel? There it lies, crouching and low, till
the wanderer approaches; east and west it leaps about, avoiding neither what is high nor
what is low, till it is caught in a trap, or dies in a net. Again there is the Yak, so large
that it is like a cloud hanging in the sky. It is large indeed, but it cannot catch mice.
You, Sir, have a large tree and are troubled because it is of no use; – why do you not
plant it in a tract where there is nothing else, or in a wide and barren wild? There you
might saunter idly by its side, or in the enjoyment of untroubled ease sleep beneath it.
Neither bill nor axe would shorten its existence; there would be nothing to injure it. What
is there in its uselessness to cause you distress?'
1: Heavenly music
Tzu Ki was seated, leaning forward on his stool. He was looking up to heaven and
breathed gently, seeming to be in a trance, and to have lost all consciousness of any
companion.
(His disciple), Yen Master Keng Yu, who was in attendance and standing before him,
said,
'What is this? Can the body be made to become thus like a withered tree, and the
mind to become like slaked lime? His appearance as he leans forward on the stool today is
such as I never saw him have before in the same position.'
Tzu Ki said,
'Yen, you do well to ask such a question, I had just now lost myself; but how should
you understand it? You may have heard the notes of Man, but have not heard those of Earth;
you may have heard the notes of Earth, but have not heard those of Heaven.'
Tzu Yu said,
'I venture to ask from you a description of all these.'
The reply was,
'When the breath of the Great Mass (of nature) comes strongly, it is called Wind.
Sometimes it does not come so; but when it does, then from a myriad apertures there issues
its excited noise; – have you not heard it in a prolonged gale? Take the projecting
bluff of a mountain forest; – in the great trees, a hundred spans round, the apertures
and cavities are like the nostrils, or the mouth, or the ears; now square, now round like a
cup or a mortar; here like a wet footprint, and there like a large puddle. (The sounds
issuing from them are like) those of fretted water, of the arrowy whizz, of the stern
command, of the inhaling of the breath, of the shout, of the gruff note, of the deep wail,
of the sad and piping note. The first notes are slight, and those that follow deeper, but in
harmony with them. Gentle winds produce a small response; violent winds a great one. When
the fierce gusts have passed away, all the apertures are empty (and still); – have you
not seen this in the bending and quivering of the branches and leaves?'
Tzu Yu said,
'The notes of Earth then are simply those which come from its myriad apertures; and
the notes of Man may just be compared to those which (are brought from the tubes of)
bamboo; – allow me to ask about the notes of Heaven.'
Tzu Ki replied,
'When (the wind) blows, (the sounds from) the myriad apertures are different, and
(its cessation) makes them stop of themselves. Both of these things arise from (the wind and
the apertures) themselves: should there be any other agency that excites them?'
2: The world of changes
Great knowledge is wide and comprehensive; small knowledge is partial and
restricted. Great speech is exact and complete; small speech is (merely) so much talk. When
we sleep, the soul communicates with (what is external to us); when we awake, the body is
set free. Our intercourse with others then leads to various activity, and daily there is the
striving of mind with mind. There are hesitancies; deep difficulties; reservations; small
apprehensions causing restless distress, and great apprehensions producing endless fears.
Where their utterances are like arrows from a bow, we have those who feel it their charge to
pronounce what is right and what is wrong. Where they are given out like the conditions of a
covenant, we have those who maintain their views, determined to overcome. (The weakness of
their arguments), like the decay (of things) in autumn and winter, shows the failing (of the
minds of some) from day to day; or it is like their water which, once voided, cannot be
gathered up again. Then their ideas seem as if fast bound with cords, showing that the mind
is become like an old and dry moat, and that it is nigh to death, and cannot be restored to
vigour and brightness.
Joy and anger, sadness and pleasure, anticipation and regret, fickleness and
fixedness, vehemence and indolence, eagerness and tardiness; – (all these moods), like
music from an empty tube, or mushrooms from the warm moisture, day and night succeed to one
another and come before us, and we do not know whence they sprout. Let us stop! Let us stop!
Can we expect to find out suddenly how they are produced?
If there were not (the views of) another, I should not have mine; if there were not
I (with my views), his would be uncalled for: this is nearly a true, statement of the case,
but we do not know what it is that makes it be so. It might seem as if there would be a true
Governor concerned in it, but we do not find any trace (of his presence and acting). That
such an One could act so I believe; but we do not see His form. He has affections, but He
has no form.
3: The true Ruler inside
GIVEN the body, with its hundred parts, its nine openings, and its six viscera, all
complete in their places, which do I love the most? Do you love them all equally? or do you
love some more than others? Is it not the case that they all perform the part of your
servants and waiting women? All of them being such, are they not incompetent to rule one
another? or do they take it in turns to be now ruler and now servants? There must be a true
Ruler (among them) whether by searching you can find out His character or not, there is
neither advantage nor hurt, so far as the truth of His operation is concerned. When once we
have received the bodily form complete, its parts do not fail to perform their functions
till the end comes. In conflict with things or in harmony with them, they pursue their
course to the end, with the speed of a galloping horse which cannot be stopped; – is it
not sad? To be constantly toiling all one's lifetime, without seeing the fruit of one's
labour, and to be weary and worn out with his labour, without knowing where he is going to:
is it not a deplorable case? Men may say, 'But it is not death; yet of what advantage is
this? When the body is decomposed, the mind will be the same along with it: must not the
case be pronounced very deplorable? Is the life of man indeed enveloped in such darkness? Is
it I alone to whom it appears so? And does it not appear to be so to other men?'
If we were to follow the judgements of the predetermined mind, who would be left
alone and without a teacher? Not only would it be so with those who know the sequences (of
knowledge and feeling) and make their own selection among them, but it would be so as well
with the stupid and unthinking. For one who has not this determined mind, to have his
affirmations and negations is like the case described in the saying, 'He went to Yüeh
to- day, and arrived at it yesterday.'
It would be making what was not a fact to be a fact. But even the spirit-like
Yü could not have known how to do this, and how should one like me be able to do
it?
4. Sub specie aeternitatis
But speech is not like the blowing (of the wind) the speaker has (a meaning in) his
words. If, however, what he says, be indeterminate (as from a mind not made up), does he
then really speak or not? He thinks that his words are different from the chirpings of
fledgelings; but is there any distinction between them or not? But how can the Tao be so
obscured, that there should be 'a True' and 'a False' in it? How can speech be so obscured
that there should be 'the Right' and 'the Wrong' about them? Where shall the Tao go to that
it will not be found? Where shall speech be found that it will be inappropriate? Tao becomes
obscured through the small comprehension (of the mind), and speech comes to be obscure
through the vain-gloriousness (of the speaker). So it is that we have the contentions
between the Literati and the Mohists, the one side affirming what the other denies, and vice
versâ. If we would decide on their several affirmations and denials, no plan is like
bringing the (proper) light (of the mind) to bear on them.
All subjects may be looked at from (two points of view),—from that and from
this. If I look at a thing from another's point of view, I do not see it; only as I know it
myself, do I know it. Hence it is said,
'That view comes from this; and this view is a consequence of that:'—which is
the theory that that view an dthis—(the opposite view)—produce each the other.
Although it be so, there is affirmed now life and now death; now death and now life; now the
admissibility of a thing and now its inadmissibility; now its inadmissibility and now its
admissibility. (The disputants) now affirm and now deny; now deny and now affirm. Therefore
the sagely man does not pursue this method, but views things in the light of (his) Heaven
(-ly nature), and hence forms his judgement of what is right.
5: There is nothing like the one who stands in the centre of thoughts
The disciples of Master Mih, or Mih Ti, the heresiarch, whom Mencius attacked so
fiercely; – see Mencius, V, 1, 5, e t al. His era must be assigned between Confucius
and Mencius.
This view is the same as that, and that view is the same as this. But that view
involves both a right and a wrong; and this view involves also a right and a wrong: are
there indeed, or are there not the two views, that and this? They have not found their point
of correspondency which is called the pivot of the Tao. As soon as one finds this pivot, he
stands in the centre of the ring (of thought), where he can respond without end to the
changing views; —without end to those affirming, and without end to those denying.
Therefore I said,
'There is nothing like the proper light (of the mind).'
6: Let a path be formed according to proper capability
By means of a finger (of my own) to illustrate that the finger (of another) is not a
finger is not so good a plan as to illustrate that it is not so by means of what is
(acknowledged to be) not a finger; and by means of (what I call) a horse to illustrate that
(what another calls) a horse is not so, is not so good a plan as to illustrate that it is
not a horse, by means of what is (acknowledged to be) not a horse. (All things in) heaven
and earth may be (dealt with as) a finger; (each of) their myriads may be (dealt with as) a
horse. Does a thing seem so to me? (I say that) it is so. Does it seem not so to me? (I say
that) it is not so. A path is formed by (constant) treading on the ground. A thing is called
by its name through the (constant) application of the name to it. How is it so? It is so
because it is so. How is it not so? It is not so, because it is not so. Everything has its
inherent character and its proper capability. There is nothing which has not these.
Therefore, this being so, if we take a stalk of grain and a (large) pillar, a loathsome
(leper) and (a beauty like) Hsi Shih, things large and things insecure, things crafty and
things strange; – they may in the light of the Tao all be reduced to the same category
(of opinion about them).
It was separation that led to completion; from completion ensued dissolution. But
all things, without regard to their completion and dissolution, may again be comprehended in
their unity; – it is only the far reaching in thought who know how to comprehend them
in this unity. This being so, let us give up our devotion to our own views, and occupy
ourselves with the ordinary views. These ordinary views are grounded on the use of things.
(The study of that) use leads to the comprehensive judgement, and that judgement secures the
success (of the inquiry). That success gained, we are near (to the object of our search),
and there we stop. When we stop, and yet we do not know how it is so, we have what is
called the Tao.
When we toil our spirits and intelligence, obstinately determined (to establish our
own view), and do not know the agreement (which underlies it and the views of others), we
have what is called 'In the morning three.'
What is meant by that 'In the morning three?'
A keeper of monkeys, in giving them out their acorns, (once) said,
'In the morning I will give you three (measures) and in the evening four.'
This made them all angry, and he said,
'Very well. In the morning I will give you four and in the evening three.'
His two proposals were substantially the same, but the result of the one was to make
the creatures angry, and of the other to make them pleased: an illustration of the point I
am insisting on. Therefore the sagely man brings together a dispute in its affirmations and
denials, and rests in the equal fashioning of Heaven. Both sides of the question are
admissible.
- Heed the one who knows how to comprehend the views and
fashions of old.
7: Opinions go on as ordinary or different, or both
Among the men of old their knowledge reached the extreme point. What was that
extreme point? Some held that at first there was not anything. This is the extreme point,
the utmost point to which nothing can be added. A second class held that there was
something, but without any responsive recognition of it (on the part of men).
A third class held that there was such recognition, but there had not begun to be
any expression of different opinions about it. It was through the definite expression of
different opinions about it that there ensued injury to (the doctrine of) the Tao. It was
this injury to the (doctrine of the) Tao which led to the formation of (partial)
preferences. Was it indeed after such preferences were formed that the injury came? or did
the injury precede the rise of such preferences? If the injury arose after their formation,
Kâo's method of playing on the lute was natural. If the injury arose before their
formation, there would have been no such playing on the lute as Kâo's.
Kâo Wän's playing on the lute, Shih Kwang's indicating time with his
staff, and Master Hui's (giving his views), while leaning against a dryandra tree (were all
extraordinary). The knowledge of the three men (in their several arts) was nearly perfect,
and therefore they practised them to the end of their lives. They loved them because they
were different from those of others. They loved them and wished to make them known to
others. But as they could not be made clear, though they tried to make them so, they ended
with the obscure (discussions) about 'the hard' and 'the White.'
And their sons, moreover, with all the threads of their fathers' compositions, yet
to the end of their lives accomplished nothing. If they, proceeding in this way, could be
said to have succeeded, then am I also successful; if they cannot be pronounced successful,
neither I nor any other can succeed.
Therefore the scintillations of light from the midst of confusion and perplexity are
indeed valued by the sagely man; but not to use one's own views and to take his position on
the ordinary views is what is called using the (proper) light.
8: Let there be room for the concepts of "existing Heaven and a reachable Earth"
But here now are some other sayings: I do not know whether they are of the same
character as those which I have already given, or of a different character. Whether they be
of the same character or not when looked at along with them, they have a character of their
own, which cannot be distinguished from the others. But though this be the case, let me try
to explain myself.
There was a beginning. There was a beginning before that beginning. There was a
beginning previous to that beginning before there was the beginning.
There was existence; there had been no existence. There was no existence before the
beginning of that no existence. There was no existence previous to the no existence before
there was the beginning of the no existence. If suddenly there was nonexistence, we do not
know whether it was really anything existing, or really not existing. Now I have said what I
have said, but I do not know whether what I have said be really anything to the point or
not.
Under heaven there is nothing greater than the tip of an autumn down, and the Tai
mountain is small. There is no one more long-lived than a child which dies prematurely, and
Master Peng did not live out his time. Heaven, Earth, and I were produced together, and all
things and I are one. Since they are one, can there be speech about them? But since they are
spoken of as one, must there not be room for speech? One and Speech are two; two and one are
three. Going on from this (in our enumeration), the most skilful reckoner cannot reach (the
end of the necessary numbers), and how much less can ordinary people do so! Therefore from
non-existence we proceed to existence till we arrive at three; proceeding from existence to
existence, to how many should we reach? Let us abjure such procedure, and simply rest here.
9: A judgement is not really an argument, and the heavely treasure-house is found
by purity
The Tao at first met with no responsive recognition. Speech at first had no constant
forms of expression. Because of this there came the demarcations (of different views). Let
me describe those demarcations: they are the Left and the Right; the Relations and their
Obligations; Classifications and their Distinctions; Emulations and Contentions. These are
what are called 'the Eight Qualities.'
Outside the limits of the world of men, the sage occupies his thoughts, but does not
discuss about anything; inside those limits he occupies his thoughts, but does not pass any
judgements. In the Khun Khiu, which embraces the history of the former kings, the sage
indicates his judgements, but does not argue (in vindication of them). Thus it is that he
separates his characters from one another without appearing to do so, and argues without the
form of argument. How does he do so? The sage cherishes his views in his own breast, while
men generally state theirs argumentatively, to show them to others. Hence we have the
saying, 'Disputation is a proof of not seeing clearly.'
The Great Tao does not admit of being praised. The Great Argument does not require
words. Great Benevolence is not (officiously) benevolent. Great Disinterestedness does not
vaunt its humility. Great Courage is not seen in stubborn bravery.
The Tao that is displayed is not the Tao. Words that are argumentative do not reach
the point. Benevolence that is constantly exercised does not accomplish its object.
Disinterestedness that vaunts its purity is not genuine. Courage that is most stubborn is
ineffectual. These five seem to be round (and complete), but they tend to become square (and
immovable). Therefore the knowledge that stops at what it does not know is the greatest. Who
knows the argument that needs no words, and the Way that is not to be trodden?
He who is able to know this has what is called 'The Heavenly Treasure-
house.'
He may pour into it without its being filled; he may pour from it without its being
exhausted; and all the while he does not know whence (the supply) comes. This is what is
called 'The Store of Light.'
Therefore of old Yao asked Shun, saying,
'I wish to smite (the rulers of) Zung, Kwei, and Hsü-âo. Even when
standing in my court, I cannot get them out of my mind. How is it so?'
Shun replied,
'Those three rulers live (in their little states) as if they were among the mugwort
and other brushwood; – how is it that you cannot get them out of your mind? Formerly,
ten suns came out together, and all things were illuminated by them; – how much should
(your) virtue exceed (all) suns!'
10: Tall tales of the perfect man and some proper principles
Nieh Khüeh asked Wang Î, saying,
'Do you know, Sir, what all creatures agree in approving and affirming?'
'How should I know it?' was the reply.
'Do you know what it is that you do not know?' asked the other again, and he got the
same reply. He asked a third time,—'Then are all creatures thus without knowledge?' and
Wang Î answered as before, (adding however),
'Notwithstanding, I will try and explain my meaning. How do you know that when I say
"I know it," I really (am showing that) I do not know it, and that when I say "I do not know
it," I really am showing that I do know it.'
And let me ask you some questions: 'If a man sleep in a damp place, he will have a
pain in his loins, and half his body will be as if it were dead; but will it be so with an
eel? If he be living in a tree, he will be frightened and all in a tremble; but will it be
so with a monkey? And does any one of the three know his right place? Men eat animals that
have been fed on grain and grass; deer feed on the thickset grass; centipedes enjoy small
snakes; owls and crows delight in mice; but does any one of the four know the right taste?
The dog-headed monkey finds its mate in the female gibbon; the elk and the axis deer
cohabit; and the eel enjoys itself with other fishes. Mâo Zhiang and Li Ki were
accounted by men to be most beautiful, but when fishes saw them, they dived deep in the
water from them; when birds, they flew from them aloft; and when deer saw them, they
separated and fled away. But did any of these four know which in the world is the right
female attraction? As I look at the matter, the first principles of benevolence and
righteousness and the paths of approval and disapproval are inextricably mixed and confused
together: how is it possible that I should know how to discriminate among them?'
Nieh Khüeh said (further), 'Since you, Sir, do not know what is advantageous
and what is hurtful, is the Perfect man also in the same way without the knowledge of
them?'
Wang i replied,
'The Perfect man is spirit-like. Great lakes might be boiling about him, and he
would not feel their heat; the Ho and the Han might be frozen up, and he would not feel the
cold; the hurrying thunderbolts might split the mountains, and the wind shake the ocean,
without being able to make him afraid. Being such, he mounts on the clouds of the air, rides
on the sun and moon, and rambles at ease beyond the four seas. Neither death nor life makes
any change in him, and how much less should the considerations of advantage and injury do
so!'
11: Is the love of life a shared delusion of grooms and others?
Master Khü Zhiâo asked Master Khang-wu, saying,
'I heard the Master (speaking of such language as the following): "The sagely man
does not occupy himself with worldly affairs. He does not put himself in the way of what is
profitable, nor try to avoid what is hurtful; he has no pleasure in seeking (for anything
from any one); he does not care to be found in (any established) Way; he speaks without
speaking; he does not speak when he speaks; thus finding his enjoyment outside the dust and
dirt (of the world)." The Master considered all this to be a shoreless flow of mere words,
and I consider it to describe the course of the Mysterious Way.—What do you, Sir, think
of it?'
Khang-wu dze replied,
'The hearing of such words would have perplexed even Hwang-Ti, and how should Khiu
be competent to understand them? And you, moreover, are too hasty in forming your estimate
(of their meaning). You see the egg, and (at once) look out for the cock (that is to be
hatched from it); you see the bow, and (at once) look out for the dove (that is to be
brought down by it) being roasted. I will try to explain the thing to you in a rough way; do
you in the same way listen to me.
'How could any one stand by the side of the sun and moon, and hold under his arm all
space and all time? (Such language only means that the sagely man) keeps his mouth shut, and
puts aside questions that are uncertain and dark; making his inferior capacities unite with
him in honouring (the One Lord). Men in general bustle about and toil; the sagely man seems
stupid and to know nothing. He blends ten thousand years together in the one (conception of
time); the myriad things all pursue their spontaneous course, and they are all before him as
doing so.
'How do I know that the love of life is not a delusion? and that the dislike of
death is not like a young person's losing his way, and not knowing that he is (really) going
home? Li Ki was a daughter of the border Warden of Ai. When (the ruler of) the state of Zin
first got possession of her, she wept till the tears wetted all the front of her dress. But
when she came to the place of the king, shared with him his luxurious couch, and ate his
grain-and-grass-fed meat, then she regretted that she had wept. How do I know that the dead
do not repent of their former craving for life?
'Those who dream of (the pleasures of) drinking may in the morning wail and weep;
those who dream of wailing and weeping may in the morning be going out to hunt. When they
were dreaming they did not know it was a dream; in their dream they may even have tried to
interpret it; but when they awoke they knew that it was a dream. And there is the great
awaking, after which we shall know that this life was a great dream. All the while, the
stupid think they are awake, and with nice discrimination insist on their knowledge; now
playing the part of rulers, and now of grooms. Bigoted was that Khiu ! He and you are both
dreaming. I who say that you are dreaming am dreaming myself. These words seem very strange;
but if after ten thousand ages we once meet with a great sage who knows how to explain them,
it will be as if we met him (unexpectedly) some morning or evening.
12: Heaven's operations go on in secret also
'Since you made me enter into this discussion with you, if you have got the better
of me and not I of you, are you indeed right, and I indeed wrong? If I have got the better
of you and not you of me, am I indeed right and you indeed wrong? Is the one of us right and
the other wrong? are we both right or both wrong? Since we cannot come to a mutual and
common understanding, men will certainly continue in darkness on the subject.
'Whom shall I employ to adjudicate in the matter? If I employ one who agrees with
you, how can he, agreeing with you, do so correctly? And the same may be said, if I employ
one who agrees with me. It will be the same if I employ one who differs from us both or one
who agrees with us both. In this way I and you and those others would all not be able to
come to a mutual understanding; and shall we then wait for that (great sage)? (We need not
do so.) To wait on others to learn how conflicting opinions are changed is simply like not
so waiting at all. The harmonising of them is to be found in the invisible operation of
Heaven, and by following this on into the unlimited past. It is by this method that we can
complete our years (without our minds being disturbed).
'What is meant by harmonising (conflicting opinions) in the invisible operation of
Heaven? There is the affirmation and the denial of it; and there is the assertion of an
opinion and the rejection of it. If the affirmation be according to the reality of the fact,
it is certainly different from the denial of it: there can be no dispute about that. If the
assertion of an opinion be correct, it is certainly different from its rejection: neither
can there be any dispute about that. Let us forget the lapse of time; let us forget the
conflict of opinions. Let us make our appeal to the Infinite, and take up our position
there.'
13: The psyche butterfly that is understood as something else -
The Penumbra asked the Shadow, saying,
'Formerly you were walking on, and now you have stopped; formerly you were sitting,
and now you have risen up: how is it that you are so without stability?'
The Shadow replied,
'I wait for the movements of something else to do what I do, and that something else
on which I wait waits further on another to do as it does. My waiting,—is it for the
scales of a snake, or the wings of a cicada? How should I know why I do one thing, or do not
do another?
'Formerly, I, Chuang Chou [Kwang Kau], dreamt that I was a butterfly, a butterfly
flying about, feeling that it was enjoying itself I did not know that it was Chou. Suddenly
I awoke, and was myself again, the veritable Chou. I did not know whether it had formerly
been Chou dreaming that he was a butterfly, or it was now a butterfly dreaming that it was
Chou. But between Chou and a butterfly there must be a difference. This is a case of what is
called the Transformation of Things.'
1: The punishment of being parents is to nourish knowledge
There is a limit to our life, but to knowledge there is no limit. With what is
limited to pursue after what is unlimited is a perilous thing; and when, knowing this, we
still seek the increase of our knowledge, the peril cannot be averted. There should not be
the practice of what is good with any thought of the fame (which it will bring), nor of what
is evil with any approximation to the punishment (which it will incur): an accordance with
the Central Element (of our nature) is the regular way to preserve the body, to maintain the
life, to nourish our parents, and to complete our term of years.
2:
His cook was cutting up an ox for the ruler Wän-hui. Whenever he applied his
hand, leaned forward with his shoulder, planted his foot, and employed the pressure of his
knee, in the audible ripping off of the skin, and slicing operation of the knife, the sounds
were all in regular cadence. Movements and sounds proceeded as in the dance of 'the Mulberry
Forest' and the blended notes of 'the King Shâu.'
The ruler said,
'Ah! Admirable! That your art should have become so perfect!'
(Having finished his operation), the cook laid down his knife, and replied to the
remark,
'What your servant loves is the method of the Tao, something in advance of any art.
When I first began to cut up an ox, I saw nothing but the (entire) carcase. After three
years I ceased to see it as a whole. Now I deal with it in a spirit-like manner, and do not
look at it with my eyes. The use of my senses is discarded, and my spirit acts as it wills.
Observing the natural lines, (my knife) slips through the great crevices and slides through
the great cavities, taking advantage of the facilities thus presented. My art avoids the
membranous ligatures, and much more the great bones.
'A good cook changes his knife every year; – (it may have been injured) in
cutting; an ordinary cook changes his every month; – (it may have been) broken. Now my
knife has been in use for nineteen years; it has cut up several thousand oxen, and yet its
edge is as sharp as if it had newly come from the whetstone. There are the interstices of
the joints, and the edge of the knife has no (appreciable) thickness; when that which is so
thin enters where the interstice is, how easily it moves along! The blade has more than room
enough. Nevertheless, whenever I come to a complicated joint, and see that there will be
some difficulty, I proceed anxiously and with caution, not allowing my eyes to wander from
the place, and moving my hand slowly. Then by a very slight movement of the knife, the part
is quickly separated, and drops like (a clod of) earth to the ground. Then standing up with
the knife in my hand, I look all round, and in a leisurely manner, with an air of
satisfaction, wipe it clean, and put it in its sheath.'
The ruler Wän-hui said,
'Excellent! I have heard the words of my cook, and learned from them the nourishment
of (our) life.'
3:
When Kung-wän Hsien saw the Master of the Left, he was startled, and
said,
'What sort of man is this? How is it he has but one foot? Is it from Heaven? or from
Man?'
Then he added,
'It must be from Heaven, and not from Man. Heaven's making of this man caused him to
have but one foot. In the person of man, each foot has its marrow. By this I know that his
peculiarity is from Heaven, and not from Man. A pheasant of the marshes has to take ten
steps to pick up a mouthful of food, and thirty steps to get a drink, but it does not seek
to be nourished in a coop. Though its spirit would (there) enjoy a royal abundance, it does
not think (such confinement) good.'
4:
When Lao Tan died, Khin Shih went to condole (with his son), but after crying out
three times, he came out. The disciples said to him, 'Were you not a friend of the
Master?'
'I was,' he replied, and they said,
'Is it proper then to offer your condolences merely as you have done?'
He said,
'It is. At first I thought he was the man of men, and now I do not think so. When I
entered a little ago and expressed my condolences, there were the old men wailing as if they
had lost a son, and the young men wailing as if they had lost their mother. In his
attracting and uniting them to himself in such a way there must have been that which made
them involuntarily express their words (of condolence), and involuntarily wail, as they were
doing. And this was a hiding from himself of his Heaven (-nature), and an excessive
indulgence of his (human) feelings; – a forgetting of what he had received (in being
born); what the ancients called the punishment due to neglecting the Heaven (-nature). When
the Master came, it was at the proper time; when he went away, it was the simple sequence
(of his coming). Quiet acquiescence in what happens at its proper time, and quietly
submitting (to its ceasing) afford no occasion for grief or for joy. The ancients described
(death) as the loosening of the cord on which God suspended (the life). What we can point to
are the faggots that have been consumed; but the fire is transmitted (elsewhere), and we
know not that it is over and ended.
1:
Yen Hui went to see Kung-ni, and asked leave to take his departure.
'Where are you going to?' asked the Master.
'I will go to Wei' was the reply.
'And with what object?'
'I have heard that the ruler of Wei is in the vigour of his years, and consults none
but himself as to his course. He deals with his state as if it were a light matter, and has
no perception of his errors. He thinks lightly of his people's dying; the dead are lying all
over the country as if no smaller space could contain them; on the plains and about the
marshes, they are as thick as heaps of fuel. The people know not where to turn to. I have
heard you, Master, say, "Leave the state that is well governed; go to the state where
disorder prevails." At the door of a physician there are many who are ill. I wish through
what I have heard (from you) to think out some methods (of dealing with Wei), if
peradventure the evils of the state may be cured.'
Kung-ni said,
'Alas! The risk is that you will go only to suffer in the punishment (of yourself)!
The right method (in such a case) will not admit of any admixture. With such admixture, the
one method will become many methods. Their multiplication will embarrass you. That
embarrassment will make you anxious. However anxious you may be, you will not save
(yourself). The perfect men of old first had (what they wanted to do) in themselves, and
afterwards they found (the response to it) in others. If what they wanted in themselves was
not fixed, what leisure had they to go and interfere with the proceedings of any tyrannous
man?
'Moreover, do you know how virtue is liable to be dissipated, and how wisdom
proceeds to display itself? Virtue is dissipated in (the pursuit of) the name for it, and
wisdom seeks to display itself in the striving with others. In the pursuit of the name men
overthrow one another; wisdom becomes a weapon of contention. Both these things are
instruments of evil, and should not be allowed to have free course in one's conduct.
Supposing one's virtue to be great and his sincerity firm, if he do not comprehend the
spirit of those (whom he wishes to influence); and supposing he is free from the disposition
to strive for reputation, if he do not comprehend their, minds; - when in such a case he
forcibly insists on benevolence and righteousness, setting them forth in the strongest and
most direct language, before the tyrant, then he, hating (his reprover's) possession of
those excellences, will put him down as doing him injury. He who injures others is sure to
be injured by them in return. You indeed will hardly escape being injured by the man (to
whom you go)
'Further, if perchance he takes pleasure in men of worth and hates those of an
opposite character, what is the use of your seeking to make yourself out to be different
(from such men about him)? Before you have begun to announce (your views), he, as king and
ruler, will take advantage of you, and at once contend with you for victory. Your eyes will
be dazed and full of perplexity; you will try to look pleased with him; you will frame your
words with care; your demeanour will be conformed to his; you will confirm him in his views.
In this way you will be adding fire to fire, and water to water, increasing, as we may
express it, the evils (which you deplore). To these signs of deferring to him at the first
there will be no end. You will be in danger, seeing he does not believe you, of making your
words more strong, and you are sure to die at the hands of such a tyrant.
'And formerly Kieh killed Kwan Lung-fäng, and Kâu killed the prince
Pi-kan. Both of these cultivated their persons, bending down in sympathy with the lower
people to comfort them suffering (as they did) from their oppressors, and on their account
opposing their superiors. On this account, because they so ordered their conduct, their
rulers compassed their destruction: such regard had they for their own fame. (Again), Yao
anciently attacked (the states of) Zhung-kih and Hsü-âo, and Yü attacked the
ruler of Hu. Those states were left empty, and with no one to continue their population, the
people being exterminated. They had engaged in war without ceasing; their craving for
whatever they could get was insatiable. And this (ruler of Wei) is, like them, one who
craves after fame and greater substance; – have you not heard it? Those sages were not
able to overcome the thirst for fame and substance; – how much less will you be able to
do so! Nevertheless you must have some ground (for the course which you wish to take); pray
try and tell it to me.'
Yen Hui said,
'May I go, doing so in uprightness and humility, using also every endeavour to be
uniform (in my plans of operation)?'
'No, indeed!' was the reply.
'How can you do so? This man makes a display of being filled to overflowing (with
virtue), and has great self-conceit. His feelings are not to be determined from his
countenance. Ordinary men do not (venture to) oppose him, and he proceeds from the way in
which he affects them to seek still more the satisfaction of his own mind. He may be
described as unaffected by the (small lessons of) virtue brought to bear on him from day to
day; and how much less will he be so by your great lessons? He will be obstinate, and refuse
to be converted. He may outwardly agree with you, but inwardly there will be no self-
condemnation; -how can you (go to him in this way and be successful)?'
(Yen Hui) rejoined,
'Well then; while inwardly maintaining my straightforward intention, I will
outwardly seem to bend to him. I will deliver (my lessons), and substantiate them by
appealing to antiquity. Inwardly maintaining my straightforward intention, I shall be a
co-worker with Heaven. When I thus speak of being a co-worker with Heaven, it is because I
know that (the sovereign, whom we style) the son of Heaven, and myself, are equally regarded
by Heaven as Its sons. And should I then, as if my words were only my own, be seeking to
find whether men approved of them, or disapproved of them? In this way men will pronounce me
a (sincere and simple) boy. This is what is called being a co-worker with Heaven.
'Outwardly bending (to the ruler), I shall be a co-worker with other men. To carry
(the memorandum tablet to court), to kneel, and to bend the body reverentially: these are
the observances of ministers. They all employ them, and should I presume not to do so? Doing
what other men do, they would have no occasion to blame me. This is what is called being a
fellow-worker with other men.
'Fully declaring my sentiments and substantiating them by appealing to antiquity, I
shall be a co-worker with the ancients. Although the words in which I convey my lessons may
really be condemnatory (of the ruler), they will be those of antiquity, and not my own. In
this way, though straightforward, I shall be free from blame. This is what is called being a
co- worker with antiquity. May I go to Wei in this way, and be successful?'
'No indeed!' said Kung-ni. 'How can you do so? You have too many plans of
proceeding, and have not spied out (the ruler's character). Though you firmly adhere to your
plans, you may be held free from transgression, but this will be all the result. How can you
(in this way) produce the transformation (which you desire)? All this only shows (in you)
the mind of a teacher!'
2:
Yen Hui said,
'I can go no farther; I venture to ask the method from you.'
Kung-ni replied,
'It is fasting, (as) I will tell you. (But) when you have the method, will you find
it easy to practise it? He who thinks it easy will be disapproved of by the bright
Heaven.'
Hui said,
'My family is poor. For months together we have no spirituous drink, nor do we taste
the proscribed food or any strong-smelling vegetables; – can this be regarded as
fasting?'
The reply was,
'It is the fasting appropriate to sacrificing, but it is not the fasting of the
mind.'
'I venture to ask what that fasting of the mind is,' said Hui, and Kung-ni
answered,
'Maintain a perfect unity in every movement of your will. You will not wait for the
hearing of your ears about it, but for the hearing of your mind. You will not wait even for
the hearing of your mind, but for the hearing of the spirit. Let the hearing (of the ears)
rest with the ears. Let the mind rest in the verification (of the rightness of what is in
the will). But the spirit is free from all pre-occupation and so waits for (the appearance
of) things. Where the (proper) course is, there is freedom from all pre-occupation; –
such freedom is the fasting of the mind.'
Hui said,
'Before it was possible for me to employ (this method), there I was, the Hui that I
am; now, that I can employ it, the Hui that I was has passed away. Can I be said to have
obtained this freedom from pre-occupation?'
The Master replied,
'Entirely. I tell you that you can enter and be at ease in the enclosure (where he
is), and not come into collision with the reputation (which belongs to him). If he listen to
your counsels, let him hear your notes; if he will not listen, be silent. Open no (other)
door; employ no other medicine; dwell with him (as with a. friend) in the same apartment,
and as if you had no other option, and you will not be far from success in your object. Not
to move a step is easy; – to walk without treading on the ground is difficult. In
acting after the manner of men, it is easy to fall into hypocrisy; in acting after the
manner of Heaven, it is difficult to play the hypocrite. I have heard of flying with wings;
I have not heard of flying without them. I have heard of the knowledge of the wise; I have
not heard of the knowledge of the unwise. Look at that aperture (left in the wall); –
the empty apartment is filled with light through it. Felicitous influences rest (in the mind
thus emblemed), as in their proper resting place. Even when they do not so rest, we have
what is called (the body) seated and (the mind) galloping abroad. The information that comes
through the ears and eyes is comprehended internally, and the knowledge of the mind becomes
something external: (when this is the case), the spiritual intelligences will come, and take
up their dwelling with us, and how much more will other men do so! All things thus undergo a
transforming influence. This was the hinge on which Yü and Shun moved; it was this
which Fu-hsi and Ki-khü practised all their lives: how much more should other men
follow the same rule!'
3:
Tzu-kâo, duke of Sheh, being about to proceed on a mission to Khi, asked
Kung-ni, saying,
'The king is sending me, Ku-liang, on a mission which is very important. Khi will
probably treat me as his commissioner with great respect, but it will not be in a hurry (to
attend to the business). Even an ordinary man cannot be readily moved (to action), and how
much less the prince of a state! I am very full of apprehension. You, Sir, once said to me
that of all things, great or small, there were few which, if not conducted in the proper
way, could be brought to a happy conclusion; that, if the thing were not successful, there
was sure to be the evil of being dealt with after the manner of men; that, if it were
successful, there was sure to be the evil of constant anxiety; and that, whether it
succeeded or not, it was only the virtuous man who could secure its not being followed by
evil. In my diet I take what is coarse, and do not seek delicacies,—a man whose cookery
does not require him to be using cooling, drinks. This morning I received my charge, and in
the evening I am drinking iced water; – am I not feeling the internal heat (and
discomfort)? Such is my state before I have actually engaged in the affair; – I am
already suffering from conflicting anxieties. And if the thing do not succeed, (the king) is
sure to deal with me after the manner of men. The evil is twofold; as a minister, I am not
able to bear the burden (of the mission). Can you, Sir, tell me something (to help me in the
case)?'
Kung-ni replied,
'In all things under heaven there are two great cautionary considerations: the one
is the requirement implanted (in the nature); the other is the conviction of what is right.
The love of a son for his parents is the implanted requirement, and can never be separated
from his heart; the service of his ruler by a minister is what is right, and from its
obligation there is no escaping anywhere between heaven and earth. These are what are called
the great cautionary considerations. Therefore a son finds his rest in serving his parents
without reference to or choice of place; and this is the height of filial duty. In the same
way a subject finds his rest in serving his ruler, without reference to or choice of the
business; and this is the fullest discharge of loyalty. When men are simply obeying (the
dictates of) their hearts, the considerations of grief and joy are not readily set before
them. They know that there is no alternative to their acting as they do, and rest in it as
what is appointed; and this is the highest achievement of virtue. He who is in the position
of a minister or of a son has indeed to do what he cannot but do. Occupied with the details
of the business (in hand), and forgetful of his own person, what leisure has he to think of
his pleasure in living or his dislike of death? You, my master, may well proceed on your
mission.
'But let me repeat to you what I have heard: In all intercourse (between states), if
they are near to each other, there should be mutual friendliness, verified by deeds; if they
are far apart, there must be sincere adherence to truth in their messages. Those messages
will be transmitted by internuncios. But to convey messages which express the complacence or
the dissatisfaction of the two parties is the most difficult thing in the world. If they be
those of mutual complacence, there is sure to be an overflow of expressions of satisfaction;
if of mutual dissatisfaction, an overflow of expressions of dislike. But all extravagance
leads to reckless language, and such language fails to command belief. When this distrust
arises, woe to the internuncio! Hence the Rules for Speech I say, "Transmit the message
exactly as it stands; do not transmit it with any overflow of language; so is (the
internuncio) likely to keep himself whole."
4:
'Moreover, skilful wrestlers begin with open trials of strength, but always end with
masked attempts (to gain the victory); as their excitement grows excessive, they display
much wonderful dexterity. Parties drinking according to the rules at first observe good
order, but always end with disorder; as their excitement grows excessive, their fun becomes
uproarious. In all things it is so. People are at first sincere, but always end with
becoming rude; at the commencement things are treated as trivial, but as the end draws near,
they assume great proportions. Words are (like) the waves acted on by the wind; the real
point of the matters (discussed by them) is lost. The wind and waves are easily set in
motion; the success of the matter of which the real point is lost is easily put in peril.
Hence quarrels are occasioned by nothing so much as by artful words and one-sided speeches.
The breath comes angrily, as when a beast, driven to death, wildly bellows forth its rage.
On this animosities arise on both sides. Hasty examination (of the case) eagerly proceeds,
and revengeful thoughts arise in their minds; -they do not know how. Since they do not know
how such thoughts arise, who knows how they will end? Hence the Rules for Speech say, "Let
not an internuncius depart from his instructions. Let him not urge on a settlement. If he go
beyond the regular rules, he will complicate matters. Departing from his instructions and
urging on a settlement imperils negotiations. A good settlement is proved by its lasting
long, and a bad settlement cannot be altered; – ought he not to be careful? "
'Further still, let your mind find its enjoyment in the circumstances of your
position; nourish the central course which you pursue, by a reference to your unavoidable
obligations. This is the highest object for you to pursue; what else can you do to fulfil
the charge (of your father and ruler). The best thing you can do is to be prepared to
sacrifice your life; and this is the most difficult thing to do.'
5:
Yen Ho, being about to undertake the office of Teacher of the eldest son of duke
Ling of Wei, consulted Kü Po-yü.
'Here,' said he, 'is this (young) man, whose natural disposition is as bad as it
could be. If I allow him to proceed in a bad way, it will be at the peril of our state; if
I insist on his proceeding in a right way, it will be at the peril of my own person. His
wisdom is just sufficient to know the errors of other men, but he does not know how he errs
himself What am I to do in such a case?'
Kü Po-yü replied,
'Good indeed is your question! Be on your guard; be careful; see that you keep
yourself correct! Your best plan will be, with your person to seek association with him, and
with your mind to try to be in harmony with him; and yet there are dangers connected with
both of these things. While seeking to keep near to him, do not enter into his pursuits;
while cultivating a harmony of mind with him, do not show how superior you are to him. If in
your personal association you enter into his pursuits, you will fall with him and be ruined,
you will tumbledown with a crash. If in maintaining a harmony with his mind, you show how
different you are from him, he will think you do so for the reputation and the name, and
regard you as a creature of evil omen. If you find him to be a mere boy, be you with him as
another boy; if you find him one of those who will not have their ground marked out in the
ordinary way, do you humour him in this characteristic; if you find him to be free from
lofty airs, show yourself to be the same; (ever) leading him on so as to keep him free from
faults.
'Don't you know (the fate of) the praying mantis? It angrily stretches out its arms,
to arrest the progress of the carriage, unconscious of its inability for such a task, but
showing how much it thinks of its own powers. Be on your guard; be careful. If you cherish a
boastful confidence in your own excellence, and place yourself in collision with him, you
are likely to incur the fate (of the mantis).
'Don't you know how those who keep tigers proceed? They do not dare to supply them
with living creatures, because of the rage which their killing of them will excite. They do
not (even) dare to give them their food whole, because of the rage which their rending of it
will excite. They watch till their hunger is appeased, (dealing with them) from their
knowledge of their natural ferocity. Tigers are different from men, but they fawn on those
who feed them, and do so in accordance with their nature. When any of these are killed by
them, it is because they have gone against that nature.
'Those again who are fond of horses preserve their dung in baskets, and their urine
in jars. If musquitoes and gadflies light on them, and the grooms brush them suddenly away,
the horses break their bits, injure (the ornaments on) their heads, and smash those on their
breasts. The more care that is taken of them, the more does their fondness (for their
attendants) disappear. Ought not caution to be exercised (in the management of them)?'
6:
A (master) mechanic, called Shih, on his way to Khi, came to Khü- yü an,
where he saw an oak-tree, which was used as the altar for the spirits of the land. It was
so large that an ox standing behind it could not be seen. It measured a hundred spans round,
and rose up eighty cubits on the hill before it threw out any branches, after which there
were ten or so, from each of which a boat could be hollowed out. People came to see it in
crowds as in a market place, but the mechanic did not look round at it, but held on his way
without stopping. One of his workmen, however, looked long and admiringly at it, and then
ran on to his master, and said to him,
'Since I followed you with my axe and bill, I have never seen such a beautiful mass
of timber as this. Why would you, Sir, not look round at it, but went on without
stopping?'
'Have done,' said Mr. Shih, 'and do not speak about it. It is quite useless. A boat
made from its wood would sink; a coffin or shell would quickly rot; an article of furniture
would soon go to pieces; a door would be covered with the exuding sap; a pillar would be
riddled by insects; the material of it is good for nothing, and hence it is that it has
attained to so great an age.'
When Mr. Shih was returning, the altar-oak appeared to him in a dream, and
said,
'What other tree will you compare with me? Will you compare me to one of your
ornamental trees? There are hawthorns, pear-trees, orange-trees, pummelo-trees, gourds and
other low fruit-bearing plants. When their fruits are ripe, they are knocked down from them,
and thrown among the dirt. The large branches are broken, and the smaller are torn away. So
it is that their productive ability makes their lives bitter to them; they do not complete
their natural term of existence, but come to a premature end in the middle of their time,
bringing on themselves the destructive treatment which they ordinarily receive. It is so
with all things. I have sought to discover how it was that I was so useless; – I had
long done so, till (the effort) nearly caused my death; and now I have learned it: it has
been of the greatest use to me. Suppose that I had possessed useful properties, should I
have become of the great size that I am? And moreover you and I are both things; – how
should one thing thus pass its judgement on another? how is it that you a useless man know
all this about me a useless tree?'
When Mr. Shih awoke, he kept thinking about his dream, but the workman
said,
'Being so taken with its uselessness, how is it that it yet acts here as the altar
for the spirits of the land?'
'Be still,' was the master's reply, 'and do not say a word. It simply happened to
grow here; and thus those who do not know it do not speak ill of it as an evil thing. If it
were not used as the altar, would it be in danger of being cut down? Moreover, the reason of
its being preserved is different from that of the preservation of things generally; is not
your explaining it from the sentiment which you have expressed wide of the mark?'
7:
Nan-po, Master Ki, in rambling about the Heights of Shang, saw a large and
extraordinary tree. The teams of a thousand chariots might be sheltered under it, and its
shade would cover them all! Master Ki said,
'What a tree is this! It must contain an extraordinary amount of timber! When he
looked up, however, at its smaller branches, they were so twisted and crooked that they
could not be made into rafters and beams; when he looked down to its root, its stem was
divided into so many rounded portions that neither coffin nor shell could be made from them.
He licked one of its leaves, and his mouth felt torn and wounded. The smell of it would make
a man frantic, as if intoxicated, for more than three whole days together.
'This, indeed,' said he, 'is a tree good for nothing, and it is thus that it has
attained to such a size. Ah! and spirit-like men acknowledge this worthlessness (and its
result).'
In Sung there is the district of King-shih, in which catalpae, cypresses, and
mulberry trees grow well. Those of them which are a span or two or rather more in
circumference are cut down by persons who want to make posts to which to tie their monkeys;
those which are three or four spans round are cut down by persons who want beams for their
lofty and famous houses; and those of seven or eight spans are cut down by noblemen and rich
merchants who want single planks for the sides of their coffins. The trees in consequence do
not complete their natural term of life, and come to a premature end in the middle of their
growth under the axe and bill; – this is the evil that befalls them from their
supplying good timber.
In the same way the Kieh (book) specifies oxen that have white foreheads, pigs that
have turned-up snouts, and men that are suffering from piles, and forbids their being
sacrificed to the Ho. The wizards know them by these peculiarities and consider them to be
inauspicious, but spirit-like men consider them on this account to be very fortunate.
8:
There was the deformed object Shu. His chin seemed to hide his navel; his shoulders
were higher than the crown of his head; the knot of his hair pointed to the sky; his five
viscera were all compressed into the upper part of his body, and his two thigh bones were
like ribs. By sharpening needles and washing clothes he was able to make a living. By
sifting rice and cleaning it, he was able to support ten individuals. When the government
was calling out soldiers, this poor Shu would bare his arms among the others; when it had
any great service to be undertaken, because of his constant ailments, none of the work was
assigned to him; when it was giving out grain to the sick, he received three kung, and ten
bundles of firewood. If this poor man, so deformed in body, was still able to support
himself, and complete his term of life, how much more may they do so, whose deformity is
that of their faculties!
9:
When Confucius went to Ku, Khieh-yu, the madman of Ku, as he was wandering about,
passed by his door, and said,
'O Phoenix, O Phoenix, how is your virtue degenerated! The future is not to be
waited for; the past is not to be sought again! When good order prevails in the world, the
sage tries to accomplish all his service; when disorder prevails, he may preserve his life;
at the present time, it is enough if he simply escape being punished. Happiness is lighter
than a feather, but no one knows how to support it; calamity is heavier than the earth, and
yet no one knows how to avoid it. Give over! give over approaching men with the lessons of
your virtue! You are in peril! you are in peril, hurrying on where you have marked out the
ground against your advance! I avoid publicity, I avoid publicity, that my path may not be
injured. I pursue my course, now going backwards, now crookedly, that my feet may not be
hurt.
'The mountain by its trees weakens itself. The grease which ministers to the fire
fries itself The cinnamon tree can be eaten, and therefore it is cut down. The varnish tree
is useful, and therefore incisions are made in it. All men know the advantage of being
useful, but no one knows the advantage of being useless.'
1:
In Lu there was a Wang Tai who had lost both his feet; while his disciples who
followed and went about with him were as numerous as those of Kung- ni. Khang Ki asked
Kung-ni about him, saying,
'Though Wang Tai is a cripple, the disciples who follow him about divide Lu equally
with you, Master. When he stands, he does not teach them; when he sits, he does not
discourse to them. But they go to him empty, and come back full. Is there indeed such a
thing as instruction without words? and while the body is imperfect, may the mind be
complete? What sort of man is he?'
Kung-ni replied,
'This master is a sage. I have only been too late in going to him. I will make him
my teacher; and how much more should those do so who are not equal to me! Why should only
the state of Lu follow him? I will lead on all under heaven with me to do so.'
Khang Ki rejoined,
'He is a man who has lost his feet, and yet he is known as the venerable Wang;
– he must be very different from ordinary men. What is the peculiar way in which he
employs his mind?'
The reply was,
'Death and life are great considerations, but they could work no change in him.
Though heaven and earth were to be overturned and fall, they would occasion him no loss. His
judgement is fixed regarding that in which there is no element of falsehood; and, while
other things change, he changes not. The transformations of things are to him the
developments prescribed for them, and he keeps fast hold of the author of them.'
Khang Ki said,
'What do you mean? When we look at things,' said Kung-ni, 'as they differ, we see
them to be different, (as for instance) the liver and the gall, or Ku and Yüeh; when
we look at them, as they agree, we see them all to be a unity. So it is with this (Wang
Thai). He takes no knowledge of the things for which his ears and eyes are the appropriate
organs, but his mind delights itself in the harmony of (all excellent) qualities. He looks
at the unity which belongs to things, and does not perceive where they have suffered loss.
He looks on the loss of his feet as only the loss of so much earth.'
Khang Ki said,
'He is entirely occupied with his (proper) self. By his knowledge he has discovered
(the nature of) his mind, and to that he holds as what is unchangeable; but how is it that
men make so much of him?'
The reply was,
'Men do not look into running water as a mirror, but into still water; – it is
only the still water that can arrest them all, and keep them (in the contemplation of their
real selves). Of things which are what they are by the influence of the earth, it is only
the pine and cypress which are the best instances; -in winter as in summer brightly green.
Of those which were what they were by the influence of Heaven, the most correct examples
were Yao and Shun; fortunate in (thus) maintaining their own life correct, and so as to
correct the lives of others.
'As a verification of the (power of) the original endowment, when it has been
preserved, take the result of fearlessness,-how the heroic spirit of a single brave soldier
has been thrown into an army of nine hosts. If a man only seeking for fame and able in this
way to secure it can produce such an effect, how much more (may we look for a greater
result) from one whose rule is over heaven and earth, and holds all things in his treasury,
who simply has his lodging in the six members of his body, whom his ears and eyes serve but
as conveying emblematic images of things, who comprehends all his knowledge in a unity, and
whose mind never dies! If such a man were to choose a day on which he would ascend far on
high, men would (seek to) follow him there. But how should he be willing to occupy himself
with other men?'
2:
Shän-thu Ki a was (another) man who had lost his feet. Along with
dze-khân of Käng he studied under the master Po-hwän Wu- zän.
Tzu-khân said to him (one day),
'If I go out first, do you remain behind; and if you go out first, I will remain
behind.'
Next day they were again sitting together on the same mat in the hall, when Tzu-
khân spoke the same words to him, adding,
'Now I am about to go out; will you stay behind or not? Moreover, when you see one
of official rank (like myself), you do not try to get out of his way; - do you consider
yourself equal to one of official rank?'
Shän-thu Ki a replied,
'In our Master's school is there indeed such recognition required of official rank?
You are one, Sir, whose pleasure is in your official rank, and would therefore take
precedence of other men. I have heard that when a mirror is bright, the dust does not rest
on it; when dust rests on it the mirror is not bright. When one dwells long with a man of
ability and virtue, he comes to be without error. There now is our teacher whom you have
chosen to make you greater than you are; and when you still talk in this way, are you not in
error?'
Tzu-khân rejoined,
'A (shattered) object as you are, you would still strive to make yourself out as
good as Yao! If I may form an estimate of your virtue, might it not be sufficient to lead
you to the examination of yourself?'
The other said,
'Most criminals, in describing their offences, would make it out that they ought not
to have lost (their feet) for them; few would describe them so as to make it appear that
they should not have preserved their feet. They are only the virtuous who know that such a
calamity was unavoidable, and therefore rest in it as what was appointed for them. When men
stand before (an archer like) Î with his bent bow, if they are in the middle of his
field, that is the place where they should be hit; and if they be not hit, that also was
appointed. There are many with their feet entire who laugh at me because I have lost my
feet, which makes me feel vexed and angry. But when I go to our teacher, I throw off that
feeling, and return (to a better mood); – he has washed, without my knowing it, the
other from me by (his instructions in) what is good. I have attended him now for nineteen
years, and have not known that I am without my feet. Now, you, Sir, and I have for the
object of our study the (virtue) which is internal, and not an adjunct of the body, and yet
you are continually directing your attention to my external body; – are you not wrong
in this?'
Tzu-khân felt uneasy, altered his manner and looks, and said,
'You need not, Sir, say anything more about it.'
3:
In Lu there was a cripple, called Shu-shan the Toeless, who came on his heels to see
Kung-ni. Kung-ni said to him,
'By your want of circumspection in the past, Sir, you have incurred such a calamity;
— of what use is your coming to me now?'
Toeless said,
'Through my ignorance of my proper business and taking too little care of my body, I
came to lose my feet. But now I am come to you, still possessing what is more honourable
than my feet, and which therefore I am anxious to preserve entire. There is nothing which
Heaven does not cover, and nothing which Earth does not sustain; you, Master, were regarded
by me as doing the part of Heaven and Earth; – how could I know that you would receive
me in such a way?'
Confucius rejoined,
'I am but a poor creature. But why, my master, do you not come inside, where I will
try to tell you what I have learned?'
When Toeless had gone out, Confucius said,
'Be stimulated to effort, my disciples. This toeless cripple is still anxious to
learn to make up for the evil of his former conduct; – how much more should those be so
whose conduct has been unchallenged!'
Mr. Toeless, however, told Lao Tan (of the interview), saying, 'Khung
Khiu,
I apprehend, has not yet attained to be a Perfect man. What has he to do with
keeping a crowd of disciples around him? He is seeking to have the reputation of being an
extraordinary and marvellous man, and does not know that the Perfect man considers this to
be as handcuffs and fetters to him.'
Lao Tan said,
'Why did you not simply lead him to see the unity of life and death, and that the
admissible and inadmissible belong to one category, so freeing him from his fetters? Would
this be possible?'
Toeless said,
'It is the punishment inflicted on him by Heaven. How can he be freed from it?'
4:
Duke Âi of Lu asked Kung-ni, saying,
'There was an ugly man in Wei, called Âi-thâi Tho. His father-in-law,
who lived with him, thought so much of him that he could not be away from him. His wife,
when she saw him (ugly as he was), represented to her parents, saying,
"I had more than ten times rather be his concubine than the wife of any other
man.'
He was never heard to take the lead in discussion, but always seemed to be of the
same opinion with others. He had not the position of a ruler, so as to be able to save men
from death. He had no revenues, so as to be able to satisfy men's craving for food. He was
ugly enough, moreover, to scare the whole world. He agreed with men instead of trying to
lead them to adopt his views; his knowledge did not go beyond his immediate neighbourhood.
And yet his father-in-law and his wife were of one mind about him in his presence (as I have
said); —he must have been different from other men. I called him, and saw him.
Certainly he was ugly enough to scare the whole world. He had not lived with me, however.
for many months, when I was drawn to the man; and before he had been with me a full year, I
had confidence in him. The state being without a chief minister, I (was minded) to commit
the government to him. He responded to my proposal sorrowfully, and looked undecided as if
he would fain have declined it. I was ashamed of myself (as inferior to him), but finally
gave the government into his hands. In a little time, however, he left me and went away. I
was sorry and felt that I had sustained a loss, and as if there were no other to share the
pleasures of the kingdom with me. What sort of man was he?'
Kung-ni said,
'Once when I was sent on a mission to Ku, I saw some pigs sucking at their dead
mother. After a little they looked with rapid glances, when they all left her, and ran away.
They felt that she did not see them, and that she was no longer like themselves. What they
had loved in their mother was not her bodily figure, but what had given animation to her
figure. When a man dies in battle, they do not at his interment employ the usual appendages
of plumes: as to supplying shoes to one who has lost his feet, there is no reason why he
should care for them; – in neither case is there the proper reason for their
use.
The members of the royal harem do not pare their nails nor pierce their ears; when a
man is newly married, he remains (for a time) absent from his official duties, and
unoccupied with them. That their bodies might be perfect was sufficient to make them thus
dealt with; – how much greater results should be expected from men whose mental gifts
are perfect!
This Âi-thâi Tho was believed by men, though he did not speak a word,
and was loved by them, though he did no special service for them. He made men appoint him to
the government of their states, afraid only that he would not accept the appointment. He
must have been a man whose powers were perfect, though his realisation of them was not
manifested in his person.'
Duke Âi said,
'What is meant by saying that his powers were complete?'
Kung-ni replied,
'Death and life, preservation and ruin, failure and success, poverty and wealth,
superiority and inferiority, blame and praise, hunger and thirst, cold and heat; –
these are the changes of circumstances, the operation of our appointed lot. Day and night
they succeed to one another before us, but there is no wisdom able to discover to what they
owe their origination. They are not sufficient therefore to disturb the harmony (of the
nature), and are not allowed to enter into the treasury of intelligence. To cause this
harmony and satisfaction ever to be diffused, while the feeling of pleasure is not lost from
the mind; to allow no break to arise in this state day or night, so that it is always
spring-time in his relations with external things; in all his experiences to realise in his
mind what is appropriate to each season (of the year): these are the characteristics of him
whose powers are perfect.'
'And what do you mean by the realisation of these powers not being manifested in the
person?' (pursued further the duke).
The reply was,
'There is nothing so level as the surface of a pool of still water. It may serve as
an example of what I mean. All within its circuit is preserved (in peace), and there comes
to it no agitation from without. The virtuous efficacy is the perfect cultivation of the
harmony (of the nature). Though the realisation of this be not manifested in the person,
things cannot separate themselves (from its influence).'
Some days afterwards duke Âi told this conversation to Master Min,
saying,
'Formerly it seemed to me the work of the sovereign to stand in court with his face
to the south, to rule the kingdom, and to pay good heed to the accounts of the people
concerned, lest any should come to a (miserable) death; – this I considered to be the
sum (of his duty). Now that I have heard that description of the Perfect man, I fear that
my idea is not the real one, and that, by employing myself too lightly, I may cause the ruin
of my state. I and Khung Khiu are not on the footing of ruler and subject, but on that of a
virtuous friendship.'
5:
A person who had no lips, whose legs were bent so that he could only walk on his
toes, and who was (otherwise) deformed, addressed his counsels to duke Ling of Wei, who was
so pleased with him, that he looked on a perfectly formed man as having a lean and small
neck in comparison with him. Another who had a large goitre like an earthenware jar
addressed his counsels to duke Hwan of Khi, who was so pleased with him that he looked on a
perfectly formed man as having a neck lean and small in comparison with him. So it is that
when one's virtue is extraordinary, (any deficiency in) his bodily form may be forgotten.
When men do not forget what is (easily) forgotten, and forget what is not (easily)
forgotten, we have a case of real oblivion. Therefore the sagely man has that in which his
mind finds its enjoyment, and (looks on) wisdom as (but) the shoots from an old stump;
agreements with others are to him but so much glue; kindnesses are (but the arts of)
intercourse; and great skill is (but as) merchants' wares. The sagely man lays no plans;
– of what use would wisdom be to him? He has no cutting and hacking to do; – of
what use would glue be to him? He has lost nothing; of what use would arts of intercourse be
to him? He has no goods to dispose of; – what need has he to play the merchant? (The
want of) these four things are the nourishment of (his) Heavenly (nature); that nourishment
is its Heavenly food. Since he receives this food from Heaven, what need has he for anything
of man's (devising)? He has the bodily form of man, but not the passions and desires of
(other) men. He has the form of man, and therefore he is a man. Being without the passions
and desires of men, their approvings and disapprovings are not to be found in him. How
insignificant and small is (the body) by which he belongs to humanity! How grand and great
is he in the unique perfection of his Heavenly (nature)!
Master Hui said to Master Chuang,
'Can a man indeed be without desires and passions?'
The reply was,
'He can.'
'But on what grounds do you call him a man, who is thus without passions and
desires?'
Master Chuang said,
'The Tao gives him his personal appearance (and powers); Heaven gives him his bodily
form; how should we not call him a man?'
Master Hui rejoined,
'Since you call him a man, how can he be without passions and desires?'
The reply was,
'You are misunderstanding what I mean by passions and desires. What I mean when I
say that he is without these is, that this man does not by his likings and dislikings do any
inward harm to his body; – he always pursues his course without effort, and does not
(try to) increase his (store of) life.'
Master Hui rejoined,
'If there were not that increasing of (the amount) of life, how would he get his
body'?'
Master Chuang said,
'The Tao gives him his personal appearance (and powers); Heaven gives him his bodily
form; and he does not by his likings and dislikings do any internal harm to his body. But
now you, Sir, deal with your spirit as if it were something external to you, and subject
your vital powers to toil. You sing (your ditties), leaning against a tree; you go to sleep,
grasping the stump of a rotten dryandra tree. Heaven selected for you the bodily form (of a
man), and you babble about what is strong and what is white.'
1:
He who knows the part which the Heavenly (in him) plays, and knows(also)that which
the Human (in him ought to) play, has reached the perfection (of knowledge). He who knows
the part which the Heavenly plays (knows) that it is naturally born with him; he who knows
the part which the Human ought to play (proceeds) with the knowledge which he possesses to
nourish it in the direction of what he does not (yet) know: to complete one's natural term
of years and not come to an untimely end in the middle of his course is the fulness of
knowledge. Although it be so, there is an evil (attending this condition). Such knowledge
still awaits the confirmation of it as correct; it does so because it is not yet determined.
How do we know that what we call the Heavenly (in us) is not the Human? and that what we
call the Human is not the Heavenly? There must be the True man, and then there is the True
knowledge.
2:
Here we meet with the True Man, a Master of the Tao. He is the
same as the Perfect Man, the Spirit-like Man, and the Sagely Man. - James
Legge.
What is meant by 'the True Man?'
The True men of old did not reject (the views of) the few; they did not seek to
accomplish (their ends) like heroes (before others); they did not lay plans to attain those
ends. Being such, though they might make mistakes, they had no occasion for repentance;
though they might succeed, they had no self-complacency. Being such, they could ascend the
loftiest heights without fear; they could pass through water without being made wet by it;
they could go into fire without being burnt; so it was that by their knowledge they ascended
to and reached the Tao.
The True men of old did not dream when they slept, had no anxiety when they awoke,
and did not care that their food should be pleasant. Their breathing came deep and silently.
The breathing of the true man comes (even) from his heels, while men generally breathe
(only) from their throats. When men are defeated in argument, their words come from their
gullets as if they were vomiting. Where lusts and desires are deep, the springs of the
Heavenly are shallow.
The True men of old knew nothing of the love of life or of the hatred of death.
Entrance into life occasioned them no joy; the exit from it awakened no resistance.
Composedly they went and came. They did not forget what their beginning had been, and they
did not inquire into what their end would be. They accepted (their life) and rejoiced in it;
they forgot (all fear of death), and returned (to their state before life). Thus there was
in them what is called the want of any mind to resist the Tao, and of all attempts by means
of the Human to assist the Heavenly. Such were they who are called the True men.
3:
Being such, their minds were free from all thought; their demeanour was still and
unmoved; their foreheads beamed simplicity. Whatever coldness came from them was like that
of autumn; whatever warmth came from them was like that of spring. Their joy and anger
assimilated to what we see in the four seasons. They did in regard to all things what was
suitable, and no one could know how far their action would go. Therefore the sagely man
might, in his conduct of war, destroy a state without losing the hearts of the people; his
benefits and favours might extend to a myriad generations without his being a lover of men.
Hence he who tries to share his joys with others is not a sagely man; he who manifests
affection is not benevolent; he who observes times and seasons (to regulate his conduct) is
not a man of wisdom; he to whom profit and injury are not the same is not a superior man; he
who acts for the sake of the name of doing so, and loses his (proper) self is not the
(right) scholar; and he who throws away his person in a way which is not the true (way)
cannot command the service of others. Such men as Hu Pu-kieh, Wu Kwang, Po-i, Shu-khi, the
count of Ki, Hsü-yü, Ki Thâ, and Shän-thu Ti, all did service for other
men, and sought to secure for them what they desired, not seeking their own pleasure.
4:
The True men of old presented the aspect of judging others aright, but without being
partisans; of feeling their own insufficiency, but being without flattery or cringing. Their
peculiarities were natural to them, but they were not obstinately attached to them; their
humility was evident, but there was nothing of unreality or display about it. Their
placidity and satisfaction had the appearance of joy; their every movement seemed to be a
necessity to them. Their accumulated attractiveness drew men's looks to them; their
blandness fixed men's attachment to their virtue. They seemed to accommodate themselves to
the (manners of their age), but with a certain severity; their haughty indifference was
beyond its control. Unceasing seemed their endeavours to keep (their mouths) shut; when they
looked down, they had forgotten what they wished to say.
They considered punishments to be the substance (of government, and they never
incurred it); ceremonies to be its supporting wings (and they always observed them); wisdom
(to indicate) the time (for action, and they always selected it); and virtue to be
accordance (with others), and they were all-accordant. Considering punishments to be the
substance (of government), yet their generosity appeared in the (manner of their) infliction
of death. Considering ceremonies to be its supporting wings, they pursued by means of them
their course in the world. Considering wisdom to indicate the time (for action), they felt
it necessary to employ it in (the direction of) affairs. Considering virtue to be accordance
(with others), they sought to ascend its height along with all who had feet (to climb it).
(Such were they), and yet men really thought that they did what they did by earnest effort.
5:
In this way they were one and the same in all their likings and dislikings. Where
they liked, they were the same; where they did not like, they were the same. In the former
case where they liked, they were fellow-workers with the Heavenly (in them); in the latter
where they disliked, they were coworkers with the Human in them. The one of these elements
(in their nature) did not overcome the other. Such were those who are called the True
men.
Death and life are ordained, just as we have the constant succession of night and
day; —in both cases from Heaven. Men have no power to do anything in reference to
them; —such is the constitution of things. There are those who specially regard Heaven
as their father, and they still love It (distant as It is); – how much more should they
love That which stands out (Superior and Alone)! Some specially regard their ruler as
superior to themselves, and will give their bodies to die for him; how much more should they
do so for That which is their true (Ruler)! When the springs are dried up, the fishes
collect together on the land. Than that they should moisten one another there by the damp
about them, and keep one another wet by their slime, it would be better for them to forget
one another in the rivers and lakes. And when men praise Yao and condemn Kieh, it would be
better to forget them both, and seek the renovation of the Tao.
6:
There is the great Mass (of nature); – I find the support of my body on it; my
life is spent in toil on it; my old age seeks ease on it; at death I find rest in it; –
what makes my life a good makes my death also a good. If you hide away a boat in the ravine
of a hill, and hide away the hill in a lake, you will say that (the boat) is secure; but at
midnight there shall come a strong man and carry it off on his back, while you in the dark
know nothing about it. You may hide away anything, whether small or great, in the most
suitable place, and yet it shall disappear from it. But if you could hide the world in the
world, so that there was nowhere to which it could be removed, this would be the grand
reality of the ever-during Thing. When the body of man comes from its special mould, there
is even then occasion for joy; but this body undergoes a myriad transformations, and does
not at once reach its perfection; – does it not thus afford occasion for joys
incalculable? Therefore the sagely man enjoys himself in that from which there is no
possibility of separation, and by which all things are preserved. He considers early death
or old age, his beginning and his ending, all to be good, and in this other men imitate him;
– how much more will they do so in regard to That Itself on which all things depend,
and from which every transformation arises!
7:
This is the Tao; – there is in It emotion and sincerity, but It does nothing
and has no bodily form. It may be handed down (by the teacher), but may not be received (by
his scholars). It may be apprehended (by the mind), but It cannot be seen. It has Its root
and ground (of existence) in Itself. Before there were heaven and earth, from of old, there
It was, securely existing. From It came the mysterious existences of spirits, from It the
mysterious existence of God. It produced heaven; It produced earth. It was before the Tai-
ki, and yet could not be considered high; It was below all space, and yet could not be
considered deep. It was produced before heaven and earth, and yet could not be considered to
have existed long; It was older than the highest antiquity, and yet could not be considered
old.
Shih-wei got It, and by It adjusted heaven and earth. Fu-hsi got It, and by It
penetrated to the mystery of the maternity of the primary matter. The Wei-tâu [the
Great Bear constellation] got It, and from all antiquity has made no eccentric movement. The
Sun and Moon got It, and from all antiquity have not intermitted (their bright shining).
Khan- pei got It, and by It became lord of Kun-lun. Feng-i got It, and by It enjoyed himself
in the Great River. Kien Wu got It, and by It dwelt on mount Tai. Hwang-Ti got It, and by It
ascended the cloudy sky. Kwan-hsü got It, and by It dwelt in the Dark Palace.
Yü-khiang got It, and by It was set on the North Pole. Hsi Wang-mu got It, and by It
had her seat in (the palace of) Shâo- kwang. No one knows Its beginning; no one knows
Its end. Master Peng got It, and lived on from the time of the lord of Yü to that of
the Five Chiefs. Fu Yüeh got It, and by It became chief minister to Wu-ting, (who thus)
in a trice became master of the kingdom. (After his death), Fu Yüeh mounted to the
eastern portion of the Milky Way, where, riding on Sagittarius and Scorpio, he took his
place among the stars.
8:
Nan-po Tzu-khwei, asked Nü Yü, saying,
'You are old, Sir, while your complexion is like that of a child; – how is it
so?'
The reply was,
'I have become acquainted with the Tao.'
The other said,
'Can I learn the Tao?'
Nü Yü said,
'No. How can you? You, Sir, are not the man to do so. There was Pu-liang Î who
had the abilities of a sagely man, but not the Tao, while I had the Tao, but not the
abilities. I wished, however, to teach him, if, peradventure, he might become the sagely man
indeed. If he should not do so, it was easy (I thought) for one possessing the Tao of the
sagely man to communicate it to another possessing his abilities.
Accordingly, I proceeded to do so, but with deliberation. After three days, he was
able to banish from his mind all worldly (matters). This accomplished, I continued my
intercourse with him in the same way; and in seven days he was able to banish from his mind
all thought of men and things. This accomplished, and my instructions continued, after nine
days, he was able to count his life as foreign to himself. This accomplished, his mind was
afterwards clear as the morning; and after this he was able to see his own individuality.
That individuality perceived, he was able to banish all thought of Past or Present. Freed
from this, he was able to penetrate to (the truth that there is no difference between) life
and death; – (how) the destruction of life is not dying, and the communication of other
life is not living. (The Tao) is a thing which accompanies all other things and meets them,
which is present when they are overthrown and when they obtain their completion. Its name is
Tranquillity amid all Disturbances, meaning that such Disturbances lead to Its
Perfection.'
'And how did you, being alone (without any teacher), learn all this?'
'I learned it,' was the reply, 'from the son of Fu-mo; he learned it from the
grandson of Lo-sung; he learned it from Shan-ming; he learned it from Nieh-hsü ; he,
from Hsü-yi; he, from Wu-âo; he, from Hsü an-ming; he, from Zhan-liâo;
and he learned it from Î-shih.'
9:
Tzu-sze, Tzu-yü, Tzu-li, and Tzu-lâi, these four men, were talking
together, when some one said,
'Who can suppose the head to be made from nothing, the spine from life, and the
rump-bone from death? Who knows how death and birth, living on and disappearing, compose the
one body?—I would be friends with him.'
The four men looked at one another and laughed, but no one seized with his mind the
drift of the questions. All, however, were friends together.
Not long after Tzu-yü fell ill, and Tzu-sze went to inquire for him.
'How great,' said (the sufferer), 'is the Creator! That He should have made me the
deformed object that I am!' He was a crooked hunchback; his five viscera were squeezed into
the upper part of his body; his chin bent over his navel; his shoulder was higher than his
crown; on his crown was an ulcer pointing to the sky; his breath came and went in gasps: yet
he was easy in his mind, and made no trouble of his condition. He limped to a well, looked
at himself in it, and said,
'Alas that the Creator should have made me the deformed object that I am!' Tzu
said,
'Do you dislike your condition?'
He replied,
'No, why should I dislike it? If He were to transform my left arm into a cock, I
should be watching with it the time of the night; if He were to transform my right arm into
a cross- bow, I should then be looking for a hsiâo to (bring down and) roast; if He
were to transform my rump-bone into a wheel, and my spirit into a horse, I should then be
mounting it, and would not change it for another steed. Moreover, when we have got (what we
are to do), there is the time (of life) in which to do it; when we lose that (at death),
submission (is what is required). When we rest in what the time requires, and manifest that
submission, neither joy nor sorrow can find entrance (to the mind). This would be what the
ancients called loosing the cord by which (the life) is suspended. But one hung up cannot
loose himself; – he is held fast by his bonds. And that creatures cannot overcome
Heaven (the inevitable) is a long-acknowledged fact; -why should I hate my condition?'
10:
Before long Tzu-lâi fell ill, and lay gasping at the point of death, while his
wife and children stood around him wailing'. Tzu-li went to ask for him, and said to them,
'Hush! Get out of the way! Do not disturb him as he is passing through his
change.'
Then, leaning against the door, he said (to the dying man), 'Great indeed is the
Creator! What will He now make you to become? Where will He take you to? Will He make you
the liver of a rat, or the arm of an insect?
Tzu-lâi replied,
'Wherever a parent tells a son to go, east, west, south, or north, he simply follows
the command. The Yin and Yang are more to a man than his parents are. If they are hastening
my death, and I do not quietly submit to them, I shall be obstinate and rebellious. There is
the great Mass (of nature); – I find the support of my body in it; my life is spent in
toil on it; my old age seeks ease on it; at death I find rest on it: what has made my life a
good will make my death also a good.
'Here now is a great founder, casting his metal. If the metal were to leap up (in
the pot), and say, "I must be made into a (sword like the) Mo-yeh," the great founder would
be sure to regard it as uncanny. So, again, when a form is being fashioned in the mould of
the womb, if it were to say, "I must become a man; I must become a man," the Creator would
be sure to regard it as uncanny. When we once understand that heaven and earth are a great
melting-pot, and the Creator a great founder, where can we have to go to that shall not be
right for us? We are born as from a quiet sleep, and we die to a calm awaking.'
11:
Tzu-sang Hu, Mäng Tzu-fan, and Tzu Kin Kang, these three men, were friends
together. (One of them said),
'Who can associate together without any (thought of) such association, or act
together without any (evidence of) such co-operation? Who can mount up into the sky and
enjoy himself amidst the mists, disporting beyond the utmost limits (of things), and
forgetting all others as if this were living, and would have no end?'
The three men looked at one another and laughed, not perceiving the drift of the
questions; and they continued to associate together as friends.
Suddenly, after a time, Tzu-sang Hia died. Before he was buried, Confucius heard of
the event, and sent Tzu-kung to go and see if he could render any assistance. One of the
survivors had composed a ditty, and the other was playing on his lute. Then they sang
together in unison,
'Ah! come, Sang Hu ah! come, Sang Hu!
Your being true you've got again,
While we, as men, still here remain
Ohone!'
Tzu-kung hastened forward to them, and said,
'I venture to ask whether it be according to the rules to be singing thus in the
presence of the corpse?'
The two men looked at each other, and laughed, saying,
'What does this man know about the idea that underlies (our) rules?'
Tzu-kung returned to Confucius, and reported to him, saying,
'What sort of men are those? They had made none of the usual preparations, and
treated the body as a thing foreign to them. They were singing in the presence of the
corpse, and there was no change in their countenances. I cannot describe them; – what
sort of men are they?'
Confucius replied,
'Those men occupy and enjoy themselves in what is outside the (common) ways (of the
world), while I occupy and enjoy myself in what lies within those ways. There is no common
ground for those of such different ways; and when I sent you to condole with those men, I
was acting stupidly. They, moreover, make man to be the fellow of the Creator, and seek
their enjoyment in the formless condition of heaven and earth. They consider life to be an
appendage attached, an excrescence annexed to them, and death to be a separation of the
appendage and a dispersion of the contents of the excrescence. With these views, how should
they know wherein death and life are to be found, or what is first and what is last? They
borrow different substances, and pretend that the common form of the body is composed of
them. They dismiss the thought of (its inward constituents like) the liver and gall, and
(its outward constituents), the ears and eyes. Again and again they end and they begin,
having no knowledge of first principles. They occupy themselves ignorantly and vaguely with
what (they say) lies outside the dust and dirt (of the world), and seek their enjoyment in
the business of doing nothing. How should they confusedly address themselves to the
ceremonies practised by the common people, and exhibit themselves as doing so to the ears
and eyes of the multitude?'
Tzu-kung said,
'Yes, but why do you, Master, act according to the (common) ways (of the
world)?'
The reply was,
'I am in this under the condemning sentence of Heaven. Nevertheless, I will share
with you (what I have attained to).'
Tzu-kung rejoined,
'I venture to ask the method which you pursue;' and Confucius said,
'Fishes breed and grow in the water; man develops in the Tao. Growing in the water,
the fishes cleave the pools, and their nourishment is supplied to them. Developing in the
Tao, men do nothing, and the enjoyment of their life is secured. Hence it is said, "Fishes
forget one another in the rivers and lakes; men forget one another in the arts of the
Tao."'
Tzu-kung said,
'I venture to ask about the man who stands aloof from others.'
The reply was,
'He stands aloof from other men, but he is in accord with Heaven! Hence it is said,
"The small man of Heaven is the superior man among men; the superior man among men is the
small man of Heaven!"'
12:
Yen Hui asked Kung-ni, saying,
'When the mother of Mäng-sun Zhâi died, in all his wailing for her he did
not shed a tear; in the core of his heart he felt no distress; during all the mourning
rites, he exhibited no sorrow. Without these three things, he (was considered to have)
discharged his mourning well; – is it that in the state of Lu one who has not the
reality may yet get the reputation of having it? I think the matter very strange.'
Kung-ni said,
'That Mäng-sun carried out (his views) to the utmost. He was advanced in
knowledge; but (in this case) it was not possible for him to appear to be negligent (in his
ceremonial observances), but he succeeded in being really so to himself Mäng-sun does
not know either what purposes life serves, or what death serves; he does not know which
should be first sought, and which last. If he is to be transformed into something else, he
will simply await the transformation which he does not yet know. This is all he does. And
moreover, when one is about to undergo his change, how does he know that it has not taken
place? And when he is not about to undergo his change, how does he know that it has taken
place? Take the case of me and you: are we in a dream from which we have not begun to
awake?
'Moreover, Mäng-sun presented in his body the appearance of being agitated, but
in his mind he was conscious of no loss. The death was to him like the issuing from one's
dwelling at dawn, and no (more terrible) reality. He was more awake than others were. When
they wailed, he also wailed, having in himself the reason why he did so. And we all have our
individuality which makes us what we are as compared together; determine in any case
correctly that individuality? Moreover you dream that you are a bird, and seem to be soaring
to the sky; or that you are a fish, and seem to be diving in the deep. But you do not know
whether we that are now speaking are awake or in a dream. It is not the meeting with what is
pleasurable that produces the smile; it is not the smile suddenly produced that produces the
arrangement (of the person). When one rests in what has been arranged, and puts away all
thought of the transformation, he is in unity with the mysterious Heaven.'
13:
Î-r Tzu having gone to see Hsü Yu, the latter said to
him,
'What benefit have you received from Yao?'
The reply was,
'Yao says to me, "You must yourself labour at benevolence and righteousness, and be
able to tell clearly which is right and which wrong (in conflicting statements)."'
Hsü Yu rejoined,
'Why then have you come to me? Since Yao has put on you the brand of his benevolence
and righteousness, and cut off your nose with his right and wrong, how will you be able to
wander in the way of aimless enjoyment, of unregulated contemplation, and the ever-changing
forms (of dispute)?'
Î-r dze said,
'That may be; but I should like to skirt along its hedges.'
'But,' said the other, 'it cannot be. Eyes without pupils can see nothing of the
beauty of the eyebrows, eyes, and other features; the blind have nothing to do with the
green, yellow, and variegated colours of the sacrificial robes.'
Î-r dze rejoined,
'Yet, when Wu-kwang lost his beauty, Kü-liang his strength, and Hwang- Ti his
wisdom, they all (recovered them) under the moulding (of your system); – how do you
know that the Maker will not obliterate the marks of my branding, and supply my
dismemberment, so that, again perfect in my form, I may follow you as my teacher?'
Hsu Yü said,
'Ah! that cannot yet be known. I will tell you the rudiments. O my Master! O my
Master! He gives to all things their blended qualities, and does not count it any
righteousness; His favours reach to all generations, and He does not count it any
benevolence; He is more ancient than the highest antiquity, and does not count Himself old;
He overspreads heaven and supports the earth; He carves and fashions all bodily forms, and
does not consider it any act of skill; – this is He in whom I find my enjoyment.'
14:
Yen Hui said, 'I am making progress.'
Kung-ni replied, 'What do you mean?'
'I have ceased to think of benevolence and righteousness,' was the reply.
'Very well; but that is not enough.'
Another day, Hui again saw Kung-ni, and said, 'I am making progress.'
'What do you mean?'
'I have lost all thought of ceremonies and music.'
'Very well, but that is not enough.'
A third day, Hui again saw (the Master), and said, 'I am making progress.'
'What do you mean?'
'I sit and forget everything.'
Kung-ni changed countenance, and said, 'What do you mean by saying that you sit and
forget (everything)?'
Yen Hui replied,
'My connexion with the body and its parts is dissolved; my perceptive organs are
discarded. Thus leaving my material form, and bidding farewell to my knowledge, I am become
one with the Great Pervader. This I call sitting and forgetting all things.'
Kung-ni said,
'One (with that Pervader), you are free from all likings; so transformed, you are
become impermanent. You have, indeed, become superior to me! I must ask leave to follow in
your steps.'
15:
Tzu-yü and Tzu-sang were friends. (Once), when it had rained continuously for
ten days, Tzu-yü said,
'I fear that Tzu-sang may be in distress.'
So he wrapped up some rice, and went to give it to him to eat. When he came to Tzu-
sang's door, there issued from it sounds between singing and wailing; a lute was struck, and
there came the words,
'O Father! O Mother! O Heaven! O Men!'
The voice could not sustain itself, and the line was hurriedly pronounced. Tzu-
yü entered and said,
'Why are you singing, Sir, this line of poetry in such a way?'
The other replied,
'I was thinking, and thinking in vain, how it was that I was brought to such
extremity. Would my parents have wished me to be so poor? Heaven overspreads all without
any partial feeling, and so does Earth sustain all; – would Heaven and Earth make me so
poor with any unkindly feeling? I was trying to find out who had done it, and I could not do
so. But here I am in this extremity!—it is what was appointed for me!'
1:
Nieh Khüeh put four questions to Wang Î, not one of which did he know
(how to answer). On this Nieh Khüeh leaped up, and in great delight walked away and
informed Master Phu-i of it, who said to him,
'Do you (only) now know it? He of the line of Yü was not equal to him of the
line of Tai. He of Yü still kept in himself (the idea of) benevolence by which to
constrain (the submission of) men; and he did win men, but he had not begun to proceed by
what did not belong to him as a man. He of the line of Tai would sleep tranquilly, and awake
in contented simplicity. He would consider himself now (merely) as a horse, and now (merely)
as an ox. His knowledge was real and untroubled by doubts; and his virtue was very true: he
had not begun to proceed by what belonged to him as a man.
2:
Kien Wu went to see the mad (recluse), Khieh-yü, who said to him,
'What did Zäh-kung Shih tell you?'
The reply was,
'He told me that when rulers gave forth their regulations according to their own
views and enacted righteous measures, no one would venture not to obey them, and all would
be transformed.'
Khieh-yd said,
'That is but the hypocrisy of virtue. For the right ordering of the world it would
be like trying to wade through the sea and dig through the Ho, or employing a musquito to
carry a mountain on its back. And when a sage is governing, does he govern men's outward
actions? He is (himself) correct, and so (his government) goes on; – this is the
simple and certain way by which he secures the success of his affairs. Think of the bird
which flies high, to avoid being hurt by the dart on the string of the archer, and the
little mouse which makes its hole deep under Shän-khiu to avoid the danger of being
smoked or dug out; -are (rulers) less knowing than these two little creatures?'
3:
Thien Kän, rambling on the south of (mount) Yin, came to the neighbourhood of
the Liâo-water. Happening there to meet with the man whose name is not known', he put
a question to him, saying,
'I beg to ask what should be done in order to (carry on) the government of the
world.'
The nameless man said,
'Go away; you are a rude borderer. Why do you put to me a question for which you are
unprepared? I would simply play the part of the Maker of (all) things. When wearied, I would
mount on the bird of the light and empty air, proceed beyond the six cardinal points, and
wander in the region of nonentity, to dwell in the wilderness of desert space. What method
have you, moreover, for the government of the world that you (thus) agitate my
mind?'
(Thien Kän), however, again asked the question, and the nameless man
said,
'Let your mind find its enjoyment in pure simplicity; blend yourself with (the
primary) ether in idle indifference; allow all things to take their natural course; and
admit no personal or selfish consideration: do this and the world will be governed.'
4:
Master Yang-kü, having an interview with Lao Tan, said to him, 'Here is a man,
alert and vigorous in responding to all matters, clearsighted and widely intelligent, and an
unwearied student of the Tao; – can he be compared to one of the intelligent
kings?'
The reply was,
'Such a man is to one of the intelligent kings but as the bustling underling of a
court who toils his body and distresses his mind with his various contrivances. And
moreover, it is the beauty of the skins of the tiger and leopard which makes men hunt them;
the agility of the monkey, or (the sagacity of) the dog that catches the yak, which make men
lead them in strings; but can one similarly endowed be compared to the intelligent
kings?'
Yang dze-kü looked discomposed and said,
'I venture to ask you what the government of the intelligent kings is.'
Lao Tan replied,
'In the governing of the intelligent kings, their services overspread all under the
sky, but they did not seem to consider it as proceeding from themselves; their transforming
influence reached to all things, but the people did not refer it to them with hope. No one
could tell the name of their agency, but they made men and things be joyful in themselves.
Where they took their stand could not be fathomed, and they found their enjoyment in (the
realm of) nonentity.'
5:
In Käng there was a mysterious wizard called Ki-hsien. He knew all about the
deaths and births of men, their preservation and ruin, their misery and happiness, and
whether their lives would be long or short, foretelling the year, the month, the decade and
the day like a spirit. When the people of Käng saw him, they all ran out of his way.
Master Lieh went to see him, and was fascinated by him. Returning, he told Master Hu of his
interview, and said,
'I considered your doctrine, my master, to be perfect, but I have found another
which is superior to it.'
Master Hu replied,
'I have communicated to you but the outward letter of my doctrine, and have not
communicated its reality and spirit; and do you think that you are in possession of it?
However many hens there be, if there be not the cock among them, how should they lay (real)
eggs? When you confront the world with your doctrine, you are sure to show in your
countenance (all that is in your mind), and so enable (this) man to succeed in interpreting
your physiognomy. Try and come to me with him, that I may show myself to him.'
'The hens' signify the letter of the doctrine; 'the cock,' its spirit; 'the eggs,' a
real knowledge of it. - J. Legge
On the morrow, accordingly, Master Lieh came with the man and saw Master Ha. When
they went out, the wizard said,
'Alas! your master is a dead man. He will not live; – not for ten days more! I
saw something strange about him; – I saw the ashes (of his life) all slaked with
water!'
When Master Lieh reentered, he wept till the front of his jacket was wet with his
tears, and told Master Hu what the man had said. Master Hu said,
'I showed myself to him with the forms of (vegetation beneath) the earth. There were
the sprouts indeed, but without (any appearance of) growth or regularity: he seemed to see
me with the springs of my (vital) power closed up. Try and come to me with him
again.'
Next day, accordingly, Master Lieh brought the man again and saw Master Hu. When
they went out, the man said,
'It is a fortunate thing for your master that he met with me. He will get better; he
has all the signs of living! I saw the balance (of the springs of life) that had been
stopped (inclining in his favour).'
Master Lieh went in, and reported these words to his master, who said,
'I showed myself to him after the pattern of the earth (beneath the) sky. Neither
semblance nor reality entered (into my exhibition), but the springs (of life) were issuing
from beneath my feet; – he seemed to see me with the springs of vigorous action in full
play. Try and come with him again.'
Next day Master Lieh came with the man again, and again saw Master Hu with him.
When they went out, the wizard said,
'Your master is never the same. I cannot understand his physiognomy. Let him try to
steady himself, and I will again view him.'
Master Lieh went in and reported this to Master Hu, who said,
'This time I showed myself to him after the pattern of the grand harmony (of the two
elemental forces), with the superiority inclining to neither. He seemed to see me with the
springs of (vital) power in equal balance. Where the water wheels about from (the movements
of) a dugong, there is an abyss; where it does so from the arresting (of its course), there
is an abyss; where it does so, and the water keeps flowing on, there is an abyss. There are
nine abysses with their several names, and I have only exhibited three of them. Try and come
with him again.'
Next day they came, and they again saw Master Hu. But before he had settled himself
in his position, the wizard lost himself and ran away.
'Pursue him,' said Master Hu, and Master Lieh did so, but could not come up with
him. He returned, and told Master Hu, saying,
'There is an end of him; he is lost; I could not find him.'
Master Hu rejoined,
'I was showing him myself after the pattern of what was before I began to come from
my author. I confronted him with pure vacancy, and an easy indifference. He did not know
what I meant to represent. Now he thought it was the idea of exhausted strength, and now
that of an onward flow, and therefore he ran away.
After this, Master Lieh considered that he had not yet begun to learn (his master's
doctrine). He returned to his house, and for three years did not go out. He did the cooking
for his wife. He fed the pigs as if he were feeding men. He took no part or interest in
occurring affairs. He put away the carving and sculpture about him, and returned to pure
simplicity. Like a clod of earth he stood there in his bodily presence. Amid all
distractions he was (silent) and shut up in himself. And in this way he continued to the end
of his life.
6:
Non-action (makes its exemplifier) the lord of all fame; non-action (serves him as)
the treasury of all plans; non-action (fits him for) the burden of all offices; non-action
(makes him) the lord of all wisdom. The range of his action is inexhaustible, but there is
nowhere any trace of his presence. He fulfils all that he has received from Heaven, but he
does not see that he was the recipient of anything. A pure vacancy (of all purpose) is what
characterises him. When the perfect man employs his mind, it is a mirror. It conducts
nothing and anticipates nothing; it responds to (what is before it), but does not retain it.
Thus he is able to deal successfully with all things, and injures none.
7:
The Ruler of the Southern Sea was Shu, the Ruler of the Northern Sea was Hu, and the
Ruler of the Centre was Chaos. Shu and Hu were continually meeting in the land of Chaos, who
treated them very well. They consulted together how they might repay his kindness, and
said,
'Men all have seven orifices for the purpose of seeing, hearing, eating, and
breathing, while this (poor) Ruler alone has not one. Let us try and make them for
him.'
Accordingly they dug one orifice in him every day; and at the end of seven days
Chaos died.
1:
A ligament uniting the big toe with the other toes and an extra finger may be
natural growths, but they are more than is good for use. Excrescences on the person and
hanging tumours are growths from the body, but they are unnatural additions to it. There are
many arts of benevolence and righteousness, and the exercise of them is distributed among
the five viscera; but this is not the correct method according to the characteristics of the
Tao. Thus it is that the addition to the foot is but the attachment to it of so much useless
flesh, and the addition to the hand is but the planting on it of a useless finger. (So it is
that) the connecting (the virtues) with the five viscera renders, by excess or restraint,
the action of benevolence and righteousness bad, and leads to many arts as in the employment
of (great) powers of hearing or of vision.
2:
Therefore an extraordinary power of vision leads to the confusion of the five
colours and an excessive use of ornament. (Its possessor), in the resplendence of his green
and yellow, white and black, black and green, will not stop till he has become a Li Ku. An
extraordinary power of hearing leads to a confusion of the five notes, and an excessive use
of the six musical accords. (Its possessor), in bringing out the tones from the instruments
of metal, stone, silk, and bamboo, aided by the Hwang-kung and Tâ-lü (tubes),
will not stop till he has become a Shih Khwang. (So), excessive benevolence eagerly brings
out virtues and restrains its (proper) nature, that (its possessor) may acquire a famous
reputation, and cause all the organs and drums in the world to celebrate an unattainable
condition; and he will not stop till he has become a Zäng (Shän) or a Shih (Zhiu).
An extraordinary faculty in debating leads to the piling up of arguments like a builder with
his bricks, or a net-maker with his string. (Its possessor) cunningly contrives his
sentences and enjoys himself in discussing what hardness is and what whiteness is, where
views agree and where they differ, and pressing on, though weary, with short steps, with (a
multitude of) useless words to make good his opinion; nor will he stop till he has become a
Yang (Ku) or Mo (Ti). But in all these cases the parties, with their redundant and divergent
methods, do not proceed by that which is the correct path for all under the sky. That which
is the perfectly correct path is not to lose the real character of the nature with which we
are endowed. Hence the union (of parts) should not be considered redundance, nor their
divergence superfluity; what is long should not be considered too long, nor what is short
too short. A duck's legs, for instance, are short, but if we try to lengthen them, it
occasions pain; and a crane's legs are long, but if we try to cut off a portion of them, it
produces grief. Where a part is by nature long, we are not to amputate, or where it is by
nature short, we are not to lengthen it. There is no occasion to try to remove any trouble
that it may cause.
3:
The presumption is that benevolence and righteousness are not constituents of
humanity; for to how much anxiety does the exercise of them give rise! Moreover when another
toe is united to the great toe, to divide the membrane makes you weep; and when there is an
extra finger, to gnaw it off makes you cry out. In the one case there is a member too many,
and in the other a member too few; but the anxiety and pain which they cause is the same.
The benevolent men of the present age look at the evils of the world, as with eyes full of
dust, and are filled with sorrow by them, while those who are not benevolent, having
violently altered the character of their proper nature, greedily pursue after riches and
honours. The presumption therefore is that benevolence and righteousness are contrary to
the nature of man: how full of trouble and contention has the world been ever since the
three dynasties began!
And moreover, in employing the hook and line, the compass and square, to give things
their correct form you must cut away portions of what naturally belongs to them; in
employing strings and fastenings, glue and varnish to make things firm, you must violently
interfere with their qualities. The bendings and stoppings in ceremonies and music, and the
factitious expression in the countenance of benevolence and righteousness, in order to
comfort the minds of men: these all show a failure in observing the regular principles (of
the human constitution). All men are furnished with such regular principles; and according
to them what is bent is not made so by the hook, nor what is straight by the line, nor what
is round by the compass, nor what is square by the carpenter's square. Nor is adhesion
effected by the use of glue and varnish, nor are things bound together by means of strings
and bands. Thus it is that all in the world are produced what they are by a certain
guidance, while they do not know how they are produced so; and they equally attain their
several ends while they do not know how it is that they do so. Anciently it was so, and it
is so now; and this constitution of things should not be made of none effect. Why then
should benevolence and righteousness be employed as connecting (links), or as glue and
varnish, strings and bands, and the enjoyment arising from the Tao and its characteristics
be attributed to them?—it is a deception practised upon the world. Where the deception
is small, there will be a change in the direction (of the objects pursued); where it is
great, there will be a change of the nature itself. How do I know that it is so? Since he of
the line of Yü called in his benevolence and righteousness to distort and vex the
world, the world has not ceased to hurry about to execute their commands; – has not
this been by means of benevolence and righteousness to change (men's views) of their nature?
4:
I will therefore try and discuss this matter. From the commencement of the three
dynasties downwards, nowhere has there been a man who has not under (the influence of
external) things altered (the course of) his nature. Small men for the sake of gain have
sacrificed their persons; scholars for the sake of fame have done so; great officers, for
the sake of their families; and sagely men, for the sake of the kingdom. These several
classes, with different occupations, and different reputations, have agreed in doing injury
to their nature and sacrificing their persons. Take the case of a male and female slave;
—they have to feed the sheep together, but they both lose their sheep. Ask the one what
he was doing, and you will find that he was holding his bamboo tablets and reading. Ask the
other, and you will find that she was amusing herself with some game. They were differently
occupied, but they equally lose their sheep. (So), Po-i died at the foot of Shâu-yang
to maintain his fame, and the robber Kih died on the top of Tung-ling in his eagerness for
gain. Their deaths were occasioned by different causes, but they equally shortened their
lives and did violence to their nature; – why must we approve of Po-i, and condemn the
robber Kih? In cases of such sacrifice all over the world, when one makes it for the sake of
benevolence and righteousness, the common people style him 'a superior man,' but when
another does it for the sake of goods and riches, they style him 'a small man.'
The action of sacrificing is the same, and yet we have 'the superior man' and 'the
small man!' In the matter of destroying his life, and doing injury to his nature, the robber
Kih simply did the same as Po-i; -why must we make the distinction of 'superior man' and
'small man' between them?
5:
Moreover, those who devote their nature to (the pursuit) of benevolence and
righteousness, though they should attain to be like Zäng (Shän) and Shih (Zhiu), I
do not pronounce to be good; those who devote it to (the study of) the five flavours, though
they attain to be like Shu-r, I do not pronounce to be good; those who devote it to
the (discrimination of the) five notes, though they attain to be like Shih Khwang, I do not
pronounce to be quick of hearing; those who devote it to the (appreciation of the) five
colours, though they attain to be like Li Ku, I do not pronounce to be clear of vision. When
I pronounce men to be good, I am not speaking of their benevolence and righteousness; –
the goodness is simply (their possession of) the qualities (of the Tao). When I pronounce
them to be good, I am not speaking of what are called benevolence and righteousness; but
simply of their allowing the nature with which they are endowed to have its free course.
When I pronounce men to be quick of hearing, I do not mean that they hearken to anything
else, but that they hearken to themselves; when I pronounce them to be clear of vision, I do
not mean that they look to anything else, but that they look to themselves. Now those who do
not see themselves but see other things, who do not get possession of themselves but get
possession of other things, get possession of what belongs to others, and not of what is
their own; and they reach forth to what attracts others, and not to that in themselves which
should attract them. But thus reaching forth to what attracts others and not to what should
attract them in themselves, be they like the robber Kih or like Po-i, they equally err in
the way of excess or of perversity. What I am ashamed of is erring in the characteristics of
the Tao, and therefore, in the higher sphere, I do not dare to insist on the practice of
benevolence and righteousness, and, in the lower, I do not dare to allow myself either in
the exercise of excess or perversity.
1:
Horses can with their hoofs tread on the hoarfrost and snow, and with their hair
withstand the wind and cold; they feed on the grass and drink water; they prance with their
legs and leap: this is the true nature of horses. Though there were made for them grand
towers and large dormitories, they would prefer not to use them. But when Po-lâo
(arose and) said,
'I know well how to manage horses, (men proceeded) to singe and mark them, to clip
their hair, to pare their hoofs, to halter their heads, to bridle them and hobble them, and
to confine them in stables and corrals. (When subjected to this treatment), two or three in
every ten of them died. (Men proceeded further) to subject them to hunger and thirst, to
gallop them and race them, and to make them go together in regular order. In front were the
evils of the bit and ornamented breast-bands, and behind were the terrors of the whip and
switch. (When so treated), more than half of them died.'
The (first) potter said,
'I know well how to deal with clay; and (men proceeded) to mould it into circles as
exact as if made by the compass, and into squares as exact as if formed by the measuring
square.'
The (first) carpenter said,
'I know well how to deal with wood; and (men proceeded) to make it bent as if by the
application of the hook, and straight as if by the application of the plumb-line. But is it
the nature of clay and wood to require the application of the compass and square, of the
hook and line? And yet age after age men have praised Po-lâo, saying,
'He knew well how to manage horses,' and also the (first) potter and carpenter,
saying,
'They knew well how to deal with clay and wood.'
This is just the error committed by the governors of the world.'
2:
According to my idea, those who knew well to govern mankind would not act so. The
people had their regular and constant nature: they wove and made themselves clothes; they
tilled the ground and got food. This was their common faculty. They were all one in this,
and did not form themselves into separate classes; so were they constituted and left to
their natural tendencies. Therefore in the age of perfect virtue men walked along with slow
and grave step, and with their looks steadily directed forwards. At that time, on the hills
there were no foot-paths, nor excavated passages; on the lakes there were no boats nor dams;
all creatures lived in companies; and the places of their settlement were made close to one
another. Birds and beasts multiplied to flocks and herds; the grass and trees grew luxuriant
and long. In this condition the birds and beasts might be led about without feeling the
constraint; the nest of the magpie might be climbed to, and peeped into. Yes, in the age of
perfect virtue, men lived in common with birds and beasts, and were on terms of equality
with all creatures, as forming one family; – how could they know among themselves the
distinctions of superior men and small men? Equally without knowledge, they did not leave
(the path of) their natural virtue; equally free from desires, they were in the state of
pure simplicity. In that state of pure simplicity, the nature of the people was what it
ought to be. But when the sagely men appeared, limping and wheeling about in (the exercise
of) benevolence, pressing along and standing on tiptoe in the doing of righteousness, then
men universally began to be perplexed. (Those sages also) went to excess in their
performances of music, and in their gesticulations in the practice of ceremonies, and then
men began to be separated from one another. If the raw materials had not been cut and
hacked, who could have made a sacrificial vase from them? If the natural jade had not been
broken and injured, who could have made the handles for the libation-cups from it? If the
attributes of the Tao had not been disallowed, how should they have preferred benevolence
and righteousness? If the instincts of the nature had not been departed from, how should
ceremonies and music have come into use? If the five colours had not been confused, how
should the ornamental figures have been formed? If the five notes had not been confused, how
should they have supplemented them by the musical accords? The cutting and hacking of the
raw materials to form vessels was the crime of the skilful workman; the injury done to the
characteristics of the Tao in order to the practice of benevolence and righteousness was the
error of the sagely men.
3:
Horses, when living in the open country, eat the grass, and drink water; when
pleased, they intertwine their necks and rub one another; when enraged, they turn back to
back and kick one another; – this is all that they know to do. But if we put the yoke
on their necks, with the moonlike frontlet displayed on all their foreheads, then they know
to look slily askance, to curve their necks, to rush viciously, trying to get the bit out of
their mouths, and to filch the reins (from their driver); – this knowledge of the horse
and its ability thus to act the part of a thief is the crime of Po-lâo. In the time of
(the Ti) Ho-hsü, the people occupied their dwellings without knowing what they were
doing, and walked out without knowing where they were going. They filled their mouths with
food and were glad; they slapped their stomachs to express their satisfaction. This was all
the ability which they possessed. But when the sagely men appeared, with their bendings and
stoppings in ceremonies and music to adjust the persons of all, and hanging up their
benevolence and righteousness to excite the endeavours of all to reach them, in order to
comfort their minds, then the people began to stump and limp about in their love of
knowledge, and strove with one another in their pursuit of gain, so that there was no
stopping them: this was the error of those sagely men.
1:
In taking precautions against thieves who cut open satchels, search bags, and break
open boxes, people are sure to cord and fasten them well, and to employ strong bonds and
clasps; and in this they are ordinarily said to show their wisdom. When a great thief comes,
however, he shoulders the box, lifts up the satchel, carries off the bag, and runs away with
them, afraid only that the cords, bonds, and clasps may not be secure; and in this case what
was called the wisdom (of the owners) proves to be nothing but a collecting of the things
for the great thief. Let me try and set this matter forth. Do not those who are vulgarly
called wise prove to be collectors for the great thieves? And do not those who are called
sages prove to be but guardians in the interest of the great thieves?
How do I know that the case is so? Formerly, in the state of Khi, the neighbouring
towns could see one another; their cocks and dogs never ceased to answer the crowing and
barking of other cocks and dogs (between them). The nets were set (in the water and on the
land); and the ploughs and hoes were employed over more than a space of two thousand li
square. All within its four boundaries, the establishment of the ancestral temples and of
the altars of the land and grain, and the ordering of the hamlets and houses, and of every
corner in the districts, large, medium, and small, were in all particulars according to the
rules of the sages. So it was; but yet one morning, Thien Master Keng killed the ruler of
Khi, and stole his state. And was it only the state that he stole? Along with it he stole
also the regulations of the sages and wise men (observed in it). And so, though he got the
name of being a thief and a robber, yet he himself continued to live as securely as Yao and
Shun had done. Small states did not dare to find fault with him; great states did not dare
to take him off; for twelve generations (his descendants) have possessed the state of Khi.
Thus do we not have a case in which not only did (the party) steal the state of Khi, but at
the same time the regulations of its sages and wise men, which thereby served to guard the
person of him, thief and robber as he was?
2:
Let me try to set forth this subject (still further). Have not there been among
those vulgarly styled the wisest, such as have collected (their wealth) for the great chief?
and among those styled the most sage such as have guarded it for him? How do I know that it
has been so? Formerly, Lung-fäng was beheaded; Pi-kan had his heart torn out; Khang
Hung was ripped open; and Tzu-hsü was reduced to pulp (in the Kiang). Worthy as those
four men were, they did not escape such dreadful deaths. The followers of the robber Kih
asked him, saying,
'Has the robber also any method or principle (in his proceedings)?'
He replied,
'What profession is there which has not its principles? That the robber in his
recklessness comes to the conclusion that there are valuable deposits in an apartment shows
his sageness; that he is the first to enter it shows his bravery; that he is the last to
quit it shows his righteousness; that he knows whether (the robbery) may be attempted or not
shows his wisdom; and that he makes an equal division of the plunder shows his benevolence.
Without all these five qualities no one in the world has ever attained to become a great
robber.'
Looking at the subject in this way, we see that good men do not arise without having
the principles of the sages, and that Kih could not have pursued his course without the same
principles. But the good men in the world are few, and those who are not good are many;
– it follows that the sages benefit the world in a few instances and injure it in many.
Hence it is that we have the sayings,
'When the lips are gone the teeth are cold;'
'The poor wine of Lu gave occasion to the siege of Han-tan;'
'When sages are born great robbers arise.'
When the stream is dried, the valley is empty; when the mound is levelled, the deep
pool (beside it) is filled up. When the sages have died, the great robbers will not arise;
the world would be at peace, and there would be no more troubles. While the sagely men have
not died, great robbers will not cease to appear. The more right that is attached to (the
views of) the sagely men for the government of the world, the more advantage will accrue to
(such men as) the robber Kih. If we make for men pecks and bushels to measure (their wares),
even by means of those pecks and bushels should we be teaching them to steal; if we make for
them weights and steelyards to weigh (their wares), even by means of those weights and
steelyards shall we be teaching them to steal. If we make for them tallies and seals to
secure their good faith, even by means of those tallies and seals shall we be teaching them
to steal. If we make for them benevolence and righteousness to make their doings correct,
even by means of benevolence and righteousness shall we be teaching them to steal. How do I
know that it is so? Here is one who steals a hook (for his girdle); —he is put to
death for it: here is another who steals a state; – he becomes its prince. But it is at
the gates of the princes that we find benevolence and righteousness (most strongly)
professed; – is not this stealing benevolence and righteousness, sageness and wisdom?
Thus they hasten to become great robbers, carry off princedoms, and steal benevolence and
righteousness, with all the gains springing from the use of pecks and bushels, weights and
steelyards, tallies and seals: even the rewards of carriages and coronets have no power to
influence (to a different course), and the terrors of the axe have no power to restrain in
such cases. The giving of so great gain to robbers (like) Kih, and making it impossible to
restrain them; – this is the error committed by the sages.
3:
In accordance with this it is said,
'Fish should not be taken from (the protection of) the deep waters; the agencies for
the profit of a state should not be shown to men.'
But those sages (and their teachings) are the agencies for the profit of the world,
and should not be exhibited to it. Therefore if an end were put to sageness and wisdom put
away, the great robbers would cease to arise. If jade were put away and pearls broken to
bits, the small thieves would not appear. If tallies were burned and seals broken in pieces,
the people would become simple and unsophisticated. If pecks were destroyed and steelyards
snapped in two, the people would have no wrangling. If the rules of the sages were entirely
set aside in the world, a beginning might be made of reasoning with the people. If the six
musical accords were reduced to a state of utter confusion, organs and lutes all burned, and
the ears of the (musicians like the) blind Khwang stopped up, all men would begin to possess
and employ their (natural) power of hearing. If elegant ornaments were abolished, the five
embellishing colours disused, and the eyes of (men like) Li Ku glued up, all men would begin
to possess and employ their (natural) power of vision. If the hook and line were destroyed,
the compass and square thrown away, and the fingers of men (like) the artful Khui smashed,
all men would begin to possess and employ their (natural) skill; – as it is
said,
'The greatest art is like stupidity.'
If conduct such as that of Zäng (Shän) and Shih (Khiu) were discarded, the
mouths of Yang (Ku) and Mo (Ti) gagged, and benevolence and righteousness seized and thrown
aside, the virtue of all men would begin to display its mysterious excellence. When men
possessed and employed their (natural) power of vision, there would be no distortion in the
world. When they possessed and employed their (natural) power of hearing, there would be no
distractions in the world. When they possessed and employed their (natural) faculty of
knowledge, there would be no delusions in the world. When they possessed and employed their
(natural) virtue, there would be no depravity in the world. Men like Zäng (Shän),
Shih (Khiu), Yang (Ku), Mo (Ti), Shih Khwang (the musician), the artist Khui, and Li Ku, all
display their qualities outwardly, and set the world in a blaze (of admiration) and confound
it; – a method which is of no use!
4:
Are you, Sir, unacquainted with the age of perfect virtue? Anciently there were
Yung-khäng, Tâ-thing, Po-hwang, Kang-yang, Li-lu, Li-khu, Hsien-yü an,
Ho-hsü, Zun-lu, Ku-yung, Fu-hsi, and Shän-näng. In their times the people
made knots on cords in carrying on their affairs. They thought their (simple) food pleasant,
and their (plain) clothing beautiful. They were happy in their (simple) manners, and felt
at rest in their (poor) dwellings. (The people of) neighbouring states might be able to
descry one another; the voices of their cocks and dogs might be heard (all the way) from one
to the other; they might not die till they were old; and yet all their life they would have
no communication together. In those times perfect good order prevailed.
Now-a-days, however, such is the state of things that you shall see the people
stretching out their necks, and standing on tiptoe, while they say, 'In such and such a
place there is a wise and able man.'
Then they carry with them whatever dry provisions they may have left, and hurry
towards it, abandoning their parents in their homes, and neglecting the service of their
rulers abroad. Their footsteps may be traced in lines from one state to another, and the
ruts of their chariot-wheels also for more than a thousand li. This is owing to the error of
their superiors in their (inordinate) fondness for knowledge. When those superiors do
really love knowledge, but do not follow the (proper) course, the whole world is thrown into
great confusion.
How do I know that the case is so? The knowledge shown in the (making of) bows,
cross-bows, hand-nets, stringed arrows, and contrivances with springs is great, but the
birds are troubled by them above; the knowledge shown in the hooks, baits, various kinds of
nets, and bamboo traps is great, but the fishes are disturbed by them in the waters; the
knowledge shown in the arrangements for setting nets, and the nets and snares themselves, is
great, but the animals are disturbed by them in the marshy grounds. (So), the versatility
shown in artful deceptions becoming more and more pernicious, in ingenious discussions as to
what is hard and what is white, and in attempts to disperse the dust and reconcile different
views, is great, but the common people are perplexed by all the sophistry. Hence there is
great disorder continually in the world, and the guilt of it is due to that fondness for
knowledge. Thus it is that all men know to seek for the knowledge that they have not
attained to; and do not know to seek for that which they already have (in themselves); and
that they know to condemn what they do not approve (in others), and do not know to condemn
what they have allowed in themselves; – it is this which occasions the great confusion
and disorder. It is just as if, above, the brightness of the sun and moon were darkened; as
if, beneath, the productive vigour of the hills and streams were dried up; and as if,
between, the operation of the four seasons were brought to an end: in which case there would
not be a single weak and wriggling insect, nor any plant that grows up, which would not lose
its proper nature. Great indeed is the disorder produced in the world by the love of
knowledge. From the time of the three dynasties downwards it has been so. The plain and
honest-minded people are neglected, and the plausible representations of restless spirits
received with pleasure; the quiet and unexciting method of non-action is put away, and
pleasure taken in ideas garrulously expressed. It is this garrulity of speech which puts the
world in disorder.
1:
I have heard of letting the world be, and exercising forbearance; I have not heard
of governing the world. Letting be is from the fear that men, (when interfered with), will
carry their nature beyond its normal condition; exercising forbearance is from the fear that
men, (when not so dealt with), will alter the characteristics of their nature. When all men
do not carry their nature beyond its normal condition, nor alter its characteristics, the
good government of the world is secured.
Formerly, Yao's government of the world made men look joyful; but when they have
this joy in their nature, there is a want of its (proper) placidity. The government of the
world by Kieh, (on the contrary), made men look distressed; but when their nature shows the
symptoms of distress, there is a want of its (proper) contentment. The want of placidity and
the want of contentment are contrary to the character (of the nature); and where this
obtains, it is impossible that any man or state should anywhere abide long. Are men
exceedingly joyful?—the Yang or element of expansion in them is too much developed.
Are they exceedingly irritated?—the Yin or opposite element is too much developed. When
those elements thus predominate in men, (it is as if) the four seasons were not to come (at
their proper times), and the harmony of cold and heat were not to be maintained; –
would there not result injury to the bodies of men? Men's joy and dissatisfaction are made
to arise where they ought not to do so; their movements are all uncertain; they lose the
mastery of their thoughts; they stop short midway, and do not finish what they have begun.
In this state of things the world begins to have lofty aims, and jealous dislikes, ambitious
courses, and fierce animosities, and then we have actions like those of the robber Kih, or
of Zäng (Shän) and Shih (Zhiu). If now the whole world were taken to reward the
good it would not suffice, nor would it be possible with it to punish the bad. Thus the
world, great as it is, not sufficing for rewards and punishments, from the time of the three
dynasties downwards, there has been nothing but bustle and excitement. Always occupied with
rewards and punishments, what leisure have men had to rest in the instincts of the nature
with which they are endowed?
2:
Moreover, delight in the power of vision leads to excess in the pursuit of
(ornamental) colours; delight in the power of hearing, to excess in seeking (the pleasures
of) sound; delight in benevolence tends to disorder that virtue (as proper to the nature);
delight in righteousness sets the man in opposition to what is right in reason; delight in
(the practice of) ceremonies is helpful to artful forms; delight in music leads to
voluptuous airs; delight in sageness is helpful to ingenious contrivances; delight in
knowledge contributes to fault-finding. If all men were to rest in the instincts of their
nature, to keep or to extinguish these eight delights might be a matter of indifference; but
if they will not rest in those instincts, then those eight delights begin to be imperfectly
and unevenly developed or violently suppressed, and the world is thrown into disorder. But
when men begin to honour them, and to long for them, how great is the deception practised on
the world! And not only, when (a performance of them) is once over, do they not have done
with them, but they prepare themselves (as) with fasting to describe them, they seem to
kneel reverentially when they bring them forward, and they go through them with the
excitements of music and singing; and then what can be done (to remedy the evil of them)?
Therefore the superior man, who feels himself constrained to engage in the administration of
the world will find it his best way to do nothing. In (that policy of) doing nothing, he can
rest in the instincts of the nature with which he is endowed. Hence he who will administer
(the government of) the world honouring it as he honours his own person, may have that
government committed to him, and he who will administer it loving it as he loves his own
person, may have it entrusted to him. Therefore, if the superior man will keep (the
faculties lodged in) his five viscera unemployed, and not display his powers of seeing and
hearing, while he is motionless as a representative of the dead, his dragon-like presence
will be seen; while he is profoundly silent, the thunder (of his words) will resound, while
his movements are (unseen) like those of a spirit, all heavenly influences will follow them;
while he is (thus) unconcerned and does nothing, his genial influence will attract and
gather all things round him: what leisure has he to do anything more for the government of
the world?
3:
Zhui Khü asked Lao Tan, saying,
'If you do not govern the world, how can you make men's minds good?'
The reply was,
'Take care how you meddle with and disturb men's minds. The mind, if pushed about,
gets depressed; if helped forward, it gets exalted. Now exalted, now depressed, here it
appears as a prisoner, and there as a wrathful fury. (At one time) it becomes pliable and
soft, yielding to what is hard and strong; (at another), it is sharp as the sharpest corner,
fit to carve or chisel (stone or jade). Now it is hot as a scorching fire, and anon it is
cold as ice. It is so swift that while one is bending down and lifting up his head, it shall
twice have put forth a soothing hand beyond the four seas. Resting, it is still as a deep
abyss; moving, it is like one of the bodies in the sky; in its resolute haughtiness, it
refuses to be bound; -such is the mind of man!'
Anciently, Hwang-Ti was the first to meddle with and disturb the mind of man with
his benevolence and righteousness. After him, Yao and Shun wore their thighs bare and the
hair off the calves of their legs, in their labours to nourish the bodies of the people.
They toiled painfully with all the powers in their five viscera at the practice of their
benevolence and righteousness; they tasked their blood and breath to make out a code of
laws; – and after all they were unsuccessful. On this Yao sent away Hwan Tâu to
Khung hill, and (the Chiefs of) the Three Miâo to San-wei, and banished the Minister
of Works to the Dark Capital; so unequal had they been to cope with the world. Then we are
carried on to the kings of the Three (dynasties), when the world was in a state of great
distraction. Of the lowest type of character there were Kieh and Kih; of a higher type there
were Zäng (Shän) and Shih (Zhiu). At the same time there arose the classes of the
Literati and the Mohists. Hereupon, complacency in, and hatred of, one another produced
mutual suspicions; the stupid and the wise imposed on one another; the good and the bad
condemned one another; the boastful and the sincere interchanged their recriminations;
– and the world fell into decay. Views as to what was greatly virtuous did not agree,
and the nature with its endowments became as if shrivelled by fire or carried away by a
flood. All were eager for knowledge, and the people were exhausted with their searchings
(after what was good). On this the axe and the saw were brought into play; guilt was
determined as by the plumb-line and death inflicted; the hammer and gouge did their work.
The world fell into great disorder, and presented the appearance of a jagged mountain ridge.
The crime to which all was due was the meddling with and disturbing men's minds. The effect
was that men of ability and worth lay concealed at the foot of the crags of mount Tai, and
princes of ten thousand chariots were anxious and terrified in their ancestral temples. In
the present age those Who have been put to death in various ways lie thick as if pillowed on
each other; those who are wearing the cangue press on each other (on the roads); those who
are suffering the bastinado can see each other (all over the land). And now the Literati and
the Mohists begin to stand, on tiptoe and with bare arms, among the fettered and manacled
crowd! Ah! extreme is their shamelessness, and their failure to see the disgrace! Strange
that we should be slow to recognise their sageness and wisdom in the bars of the cangue, and
their benevolence and righteousness in the rivets of the fetters and handcuffs! How do we
know that Zäng and Shih are not the whizzing arrows of Kieh and Kih? Therefore it is
said,
'Abolish sageness and cast away knowledge, and the world will be brought to a state
of great order.'
4:
Hwang-Ti had been on the throne for nineteen years, and his ordinances were in
operation all through the kingdom, when he heard that Kwang Master Keng was living on the
summit of Khung-thung, and went to see him.
'I have heard,' he said, 'that you, Sir, are well acquainted with the perfect Tao. I
venture to ask you what is the essential thing in it. I wish to take the subtlest influences
of heaven and earth, and assist with them the (growth of the) five cereals for the (better)
nourishment of the people. I also wish to direct the (operation of the) Yin and Yang, so as
to secure the comfort of all living beings. How shall I proceed to accomplish those
objects?'
Kwang Master Keng replied,
'What you wish to ask about is the original substance of all things; what you wish
to have the direction of is that substance as it was shattered and divided. According to
your government of the world, the vapours of the clouds, before they were collected, would
descend in rain; the herbs and trees would shed their leaves before they became yellow; and
the light of the sun and moon would hasten to extinction. Your mind is that of a flatterer
with his plausible words; – it is not fit that I should tell you the perfect
Tao.'
Hwang-Ti withdrew, gave up (his government of) the kingdom, built himself a solitary
apartment, spread in it a mat of the white mâo grass, dwelt in it unoccupied for three
months, and then went again to seek an interview with (the recluse). Kwang Master Keng was
then lying down with his head to the south. Hwang-Ti, with an air of deferential submission,
went forward on his knees, twice bowed low with his face to the ground, and asked him,
saying,
'I have heard that you, Sir, are well acquainted with the perfect Tao; – I
venture to ask how I should rule my body, in order that it may continue for a long
time.'
Kwang Master Keng hastily rose, and said,
'A good question! Come and I will tell you the perfect Tao. Its essence is
(surrounded with) the deepest obscurity; its highest reach is in darkness and silence. There
is nothing to be seen; nothing to be heard. When it holds the spirit in its arms in
stillness, then the bodily form of itself will become correct. You must be still; you must
be pure; not subjecting your body to toil, not agitating your vital force; – then you
may live for long. When your eyes see nothing, your ears hear nothing, and your mind knows
nothing, your spirit will keep your body, and the body will live long. Watch over what is
within you, shut up the avenues that connect you with what is external; – much
knowledge is pernicious. I (will) proceed with you to the summit of the Grand Brilliance,
where we come to the source of the bright and expanding (element); I will enter with you the
gate of the Deepest Obscurity, where we come to the source of the dark and repressing
(element). There heaven and earth have their controllers; there the Yin and Yang have their
Repositories. Watch over and keep your body, and all things will of themselves give it
vigour. I maintain the (original) unity (of these elements), and dwell in the harmony of
them. In this way 1 have cultivated myself for one thousand and two hundred years, and my
bodily form has undergone no decay.'
Hwang-Ti twice bowed low with his head to the ground, and said,
'In Kwang Master Keng we have an example of what is called Heaven.'
The other said,
'Come, and I will tell you: (The perfect Tao) is something inexhaustible, and yet
men all think it has an end; it is something unfathomable, and yet men all think its extreme
limit can be reached. He who attains to my Tao, if he be in a high position, will be one of
the August ones, and in a low position, will be a king. He who fails in attaining it, in his
highest attainment will see the light, but will descend and be of the Earth. At present all
things are produced from the Earth and return to the Earth. Therefore I will leave you, and
enter the gate of the Unending, to enjoy myself in the fields of the Illimitable. I will
blend my light with that of the sun and moon, and will endure while heaven and earth endure.
If men agree with my views, I will be unconscious of it; if they keep far apart from them, I
will be unconscious of it; they may all die, and I will abide alone!'
5:
Yün Kiang, rambling to the east, having been borne along on a gentle breeze,
suddenly encountered Hung Mung, who was rambling about, slapping his buttocks and hopping
like a bird. Amazed at the sight, Yün Kiang stood reverentially, and said to the other,
'Venerable Sir, who are you? and why are you doing this?'
Hung Mung went on slapping his buttocks and hopping like a bird, but
replied,
'I am enjoying myself.'
Yün Kiang said,
'I wish to ask you a question.'
Hung Mung lifted up his head, looked at the stranger, and said,
'Pooh!' Yün Kiang, however, continued, 'The breath of heaven is out of harmony;
the breath of earth is bound up; the six elemental influences do not act in concord; the
four seasons do not observe their proper times. Now I wish to blend together the essential
qualities of those six influences in order to nourish all living things; -how shall I go
about it?'
Hung Mung slapped his buttocks, hopped about, and shook his head, saying,
'I do not know; I do not know!'
Yün Kiang could not pursue his question; but three years afterwards, when
(again) rambling in the east, as he was passing by the wild of Sung, he happened to meet
Hung Mung. Delighted with the rencontre, he hastened to him, and said,
'Have you forgotten me, O Heaven? Have you forgotten me, O Heaven?'
At the same time, he bowed twice with his head to the ground, wishing to receive his
instructions. Hung Mung said,
'Wandering listlessly about, I know not what I seek; carried on by a wild impulse, I
know not where I am going. I wander about in the strange manner (which you have seen), and
see that nothing proceeds without method and order; – what more should I
know?'
Yün Kiang replied,
'I also seem carried on by an aimless influence, and yet the people follow me
wherever I go. I cannot help their doing so. But now as they thus imitate me, I wish to hear
a word from you (in the case).'
The other said,
'What disturbs the regular method of Heaven, comes into collision with the nature of
things, prevents the accomplishment of the mysterious (operation of) Heaven, scatters the
herds of animals, makes the birds all sing at night, is calamitous to vegetation, and
disastrous to all insects; -all this is owing, I conceive, to the error of governing
men.'
'What then,' said Yün Kiang, 'shall I do?'
'Ah,' said the other, 'you will only injure them! I will leave you in my dancing
way, and return to my place.'
Yün Kiang rejoined,
'It has been a difficult thing to get this meeting with you, O Heaven! I should like
to hear from you a word (more).'
Hung Mung said,
'Ah! your mind (needs to be) nourished. Do you only take the position of doing
nothing, and things will of themselves become transformed. Neglect your body; cast out from
you your power of hearing and sight; forget what you have in common with things; cultivate a
grand similarity with the chaos of the plastic ether; unloose your mind; set your spirit
free; be still as if you had no soul. Of all the multitude of things every one returns to
its root. Every one returns to its root, and does not know (that it is doing so). They all
are as in the state of chaos, and during all their existence they do not leave it. If they
knew (that they were returning to their root), they would be (consciously) leaving it. They
do not ask its name; they do not seek to spy out their nature; and thus it is that things
come to life of themselves.'
Yün Kiang said,
'Heaven, you have conferred on me (the knowledge of) your operation, and revealed to
me the mystery of it. All my life I had been seeking for it, and now I have obtained
it.'
He then bowed twice, with his head to the ground, arose, took his leave, and walked
away.
6:
The ordinary men of the world all rejoice in men's agreeing with themselves, and
dislike men's being different from themselves. This rejoicing and this dislike arise from
their being bent on making themselves distinguished above all others. But have they who have
this object at heart so risen out above all others? They depend on them to rest quietly (in
the position which they desire), and their knowledge is not equal to the multitude of the
arts of all those others! When they wish again to administer a state for its ruler, they
proceed to employ all the methods which the kings of the three dynasties considered
profitable without seeing the evils of such a course. This is to make the state depend on
the peradventure of their luck. But how seldom it is that that peradventure does not issue
in the ruin of the state! Not once in ten thousand instances will such men preserve a state.
Not once will they succeed, and in more than ten thousand cases will they ruin it. Alas that
the possessors of territory,—(the rulers of states),—should not know the danger
(of employing such men)! Now the possessors of territory possess the greatest of (all)
things. Possessing the greatest of all things,—(possessing, that is, men),—they
should not try to deal with them as (simply) things. And it is he who is not a thing
(himself) that is therefore able to deal with (all) things as they severally require. When
(a ruler) clearly understands that he who should so deal with all things is not a thing
himself, will he only rule the kingdom? He will go out and in throughout the universe (at
his pleasure); he will roam over the nine regions, alone in going, alone in coming. Him we
call the sole possessor (of this ability); and the sole possessor (of this ability) is what
is called the noblest of all.
The teaching of (this) great man goes forth as the shadow from the substance, as the
echo responds to the sound. When questioned, he responds, exhausting (from his own stores)
all that is in the (enquirer's) mind, as if front to front with all under heaven. His
resting-place gives forth no sound; his sphere of activity has no restriction of place. He
conducts every one to his proper goal, proceeding to it and bringing him back to it as by
his own movement. His movements have no trace; his going forth and his re-enterings have no
deviation; his course is like that of the sun without beginning (or ending). If you would
praise or discourse about his personality, he is united with the great community of
existences. He belongs to that great community, and has no individual self. Having no
individual self, how should he have anything that can be called his? If you look at those
who have what they call their own, they are the superior men of former times; if you look at
him who has nothing of the kind, he is the friend of heaven and earth.
7:
Mean, and yet demanding to be allowed their free course; – such are Things.
Low, and yet requiring to be relied on; – such are the People. Hidden (as to their
issues), and yet requiring to be done; – such are Affairs. Coarse, and yet necessary to
be set forth; – such are Laws. Remote, and yet necessary to have dwelling (in one's
self); – such is Righteousness. Near, and yet necessary to be widely extended; –
such is Benevolence. Restrictive, and yet necessary to be multiplied; – such are
Ceremonies. Lodged in the centre, and yet requiring to be exalted; – such is Virtue.
Always One, and yet requiring to be modified; – such is the Tao. Spirit-like, and yet
requiring to be exercised; – such is Heaven.
Therefore the sages contemplated Heaven, but did not assist It. They tried to
perfect their virtue, but did not allow it to embarrass them. They proceeded according to
the Tao, but did not lay any plans. They associated benevolence (with all their doings), but
did not rely on it. They pursued righteousness extensively, but did not try to accumulate
it. They responded to ceremonies, but did not conceal (their opinion as to the
troublesomeness of them). They engaged in affairs as they occurred, and did not decline
them. They strove to render their laws uniform, but (feared that confusion) might arise from
them. They relied upon the people, and did not set light by them. They depended on things as
their instruments, and did not discard them.
They did not think things equal to what they employed them for, but yet they did not
see that they could do without employing them. Those who do not understand Heaven are not
pure in their virtue. Those who do not comprehend the Tao have no course which they can
pursue successfully. Alas for them who do not clearly understand the Tao!
What is it that we call the Tao? There is the Tao, or Way of Heaven; and there is
the Tao, or Way of Man. Doing nothing and yet attracting all honour is the Way of Heaven;
Doing and being embarrassed thereby is the Way of Man. It is the Way of Heaven that plays
the part of the Lord; it is the Way of Man that plays the part of the Servant. The Way of
Heaven and the Way of Man are far apart. They should be clearly distinguished from each
other.
1:
Notwithstanding the greatness of heaven and earth, their transforming power proceeds
from one lathe; notwithstanding the number of the myriad things, the government of them is
one and the same; notwithstanding the multitude of mankind, the lord of them is their (one)
ruler. The ruler's (course) should proceed from the qualities (of the Tao) and be perfected
by Heaven, when it is so, it is called 'Mysterious and Sublime.'
The ancients ruled the world by doing nothing; -simply by this attribute of
Heaven.
If we look at their words in the light of the Tao, (we see that) the appellation
for the ruler of the world was correctly assigned; if we look in the same light at the
distinctions which they instituted, (we see that) the separation of ruler and ministers was
right; if we look at the abilities which they called forth in the same light, (we see that
the duties of) all the offices were well performed; and if we look generally in the same way
at all things, (we see that) their response (to this rule) was complete. Therefore that
which pervades (the action of) Heaven and Earth is (this one) attribute; that which operates
in all things is (this one) course; that by which their superiors govern the people is the
business (of the various departments); and that by which aptitude is given to ability is
skill. The skill was manifested in all the (departments of) business; those departments
were all administered in righteousness; the righteousness was (the outflow of) the natural
virtue; the virtue was manifested according to the Tao; and the Tao was according to (the
pattern of) Heaven.
Hence it is said,
'The ancients who had the nourishment of the world wished for nothing and the world
had enough; they did nothing and all things were transformed; their stillness was abysmal,
and the people were all composed.'
The Record says, 'When the one (Tao) pervades it, all business is completed. When
the mind gets to be free from all aim, even the Spirits submit.'
2:
The Master said,
'It is the Tao that overspreads and sustains all things. How great It is in Its
overflowing influence! The Superior man ought by all means to remove from his mind (all that
is contrary to It). Acting without action is what is called Heaven(-like). Speech coming
forth of itself is what is called (a mark of) the (true) Virtue. Loving men and benefiting
things is what is called Benevolence. Seeing wherein things that are different yet agree is
what is called being Great. Conduct free from the ambition of being distinguished above
others is what is called being Generous. The possession in himself of a myriad points of
difference is what is called being Rich. Therefore to hold fast the natural attributes is
what is called the Guiding Line (of government); the perfecting of those attributes is what
is called its Establishment; accordance with the Tao is what is called being Complete; and
not allowing anything external to affect the will is what is called being Perfect. When the
Superior man understands these ten things, he keeps all matters as it were sheathed in
himself, showing the greatness of his mind; and through the outflow of his doings, all
things move (and come to him). Being such, he lets the gold he hid in the hill, and the
pearls in the deep; he considers not property or money to be any gain; he keeps aloof from
riches and honours; he rejoices not in long life, and grieves not for early death; he does
not account prosperity a glory, nor is ashamed of indigence; he would not grasp at the gain
of the whole world to be held as his own private portion; he would not desire to rule over
the whole world as his own private distinction. His distinction is in understanding that
all things belong to the one treasury, and that death and life should be viewed in the same
way.'
3:
The Master said,
'How still and deep is the place where the Tao resides! How limpid is its purity!
Metal and stone without It would give forth no sound. They have indeed the (power of) sound
(in them), but if they be not struck, they do not emit it. Who can determine (the qualities
that are in) all things?
'The man of kingly qualities holds on his way unoccupied, and is ashamed to busy
himself with (the conduct of) affairs. He establishes himself in (what is) the root and
source (of his capacity), and his wisdom grows to be spirit-like. In this way his attributes
become more and more great, and when his mind goes forth, whatever things come in his way,
it lays hold of them (and deals with them). Thus, if there were not the Tao, the bodily form
would not have life, and its life, without the attributes (of the Tao), would not be
manifested. Is not he who preserves the body and gives the fullest development to the life,
who establishes the attributes of the Tao and clearly displays It, possessed of kingly
qualities? How majestic is he in his sudden issuings forth, and in his unexpected movements,
when all things follow him!—This we call the man whose qualities fit him to
rule.
'He sees where there is the deepest obscurity; he hears where there is no sound. In
the midst of the deepest obscurity, he alone sees and can distinguish (various objects); in
the midst of a soundless (abyss), he alone can hear a harmony (of notes). Therefore where
one deep is succeeded by a greater, he can people all with things; where one mysterious
range is followed by another that is more so, he can lay hold of the subtlest character of
each. In this way in his intercourse with all things, while he is farthest from having
anything, he can yet give to them what they seek; while he is always hurrying forth, he yet
returns to his resting-place; now large, now small; now long, now short; now distant, now
near.'
4:
Hwang-Ti, enjoying himself on the north of the Red-water, ascended to the height of
the Kun-lun (mountain), and having looked towards the south, was returning home, when he
lost his dark-coloured pearl. He employed Wisdom to search for it, but he could not find it.
He employed (the clear-sighted) Li Ku to search for it, but he could not find it. He
employed (the vehement debater) Khieh Khâu to search for it, but he could not find it.
He then employed Purposeless, who found it; on which Hwang-Ti said,
'How strange that it was Purposeless who was able to find it!'
5:
The teacher of Yao was Hsü Yu; of Hsü Yu, Nieh Khüeh; of Nieh
Khüeh, Wang Î; of Wang Î, Phei-i. Yao asked Hsü Yu, saying,
'Is Nieh Khüeh fit to be the correlate of Heaven? (If you think he is), I will
avail myself of the services of Wang Î to constrain him (to take my place).'
Hsü Yu replied,
'Such a measure would be hazardous, and full of peril to the kingdom! The character
of Nieh Khüeh is this; – he is acute, perspicacious, shrewd and knowing, ready in
reply, sharp in retort, and hasty; his natural (endowments) surpass those of other men, but
by his human qualities he seeks to obtain the Heavenly gift; he exercises his discrimination
in suppressing his errors, but he does not know what is the source from which his errors
arise. Make him the correlate of Heaven! He would employ the human qualities, so that no
regard would be paid to the Heavenly gift. Moreover, he would assign different functions to
the different parts of the one person.
Moreover, honour would be given to knowledge, and he would have his plans take
effect with the speed of fire. Moreover, he would be the slave of everything he initiated.
Moreover, he would be embarrassed by things. Moreover, he would be looking all round for the
response of things (to his measures). Moreover, he would be responding to the opinion of the
multitude as to what was right. Moreover, he would be changing as things changed, and would
not begin to have any principle of constancy. How can such a man be fit to be the correlate
of Heaven? Nevertheless, as there are the smaller branches of a family and the common
ancestor of all its branches, he might be the father of a branch, but not the father of the
fathers of all the branches. Such government (as he would conduct) would lead to disorder.
It would be calamity in one in the position of a minister, and ruin if he were in the
position of the sovereign.'
6:
Yao was looking about him at Hwâ, the border-warden of which said,
'Ha! the sage! Let me ask blessings on the sage! May he live long!'
Yao said, 'Hush!' but the other went on,
'May the sage become rich!'
Yao (again) said, 'Hush!' but (the warden) continued,
'May the sage have many sons!'
When Yao repeated his 'Hush,' the warden said,
'Long life, riches, and many sons are what men wish for; – how is it that you
alone do not wish for them?'
Yao replied,
'Many sons bring many fears; riches bring many troubles; and long life gives rise to
many obloquies. These three things do not help to nourish virtue; and therefore I wish to
decline them.'
The warden rejoined,
'At first I considered you to be a sage; now I see in you only a Superior man.
Heaven, in producing the myriads of the people, is sure to have appointed for them their
several offices. If you had many sons, and gave them (all their) offices, what would you
have to fear? If you had riches, and made other men share them with you, what trouble would
you have? The sage finds his dwelling like the quail (without any choice of its own), and is
fed like the fledgling; he is like the bird which passes on (through the air), and leaves no
trace (of its flight). When good order prevails in the world, he shares in the general
prosperity. When there is no such order, he cultivates his virtue, and seeks to be
unoccupied. After a thousand years, tired of the world, he leaves it, and ascends among the
immortals. He mounts on the white clouds, and arrives at the place of God. The three forms
of evil do not reach him, his person is always free from misfortune; – what obloquy has
he to incur?'
With this the border-warden left him. Yao followed him, saying,
'I beg to ask—' but the other said,
'Begone!'
7:
When Yao was ruling the world, Po-khäng Tzu-kâo was appointed by him
prince of one of the states. From Yao (afterwards) the throne passed to Shun, and from Shun
(again) to Yu; and (then) Po-khäng Tzu-kâo resigned his principality and began
to cultivate the ground. Yü went to see him, and found him ploughing in the open
country. Hurrying to him, and bowing low in acknowledgment of his superiority, Yü then
stood up, and asked him, saying,' Formerly, when Yao was ruling the world, you, Sir, were
appointed prince of a state. He gave his sovereignty to Shun, and Shun gave his to me, when
you, Sir, resigned your dignity, and are (now) ploughing (here); – I venture to ask the
reason of your conduct.'
Tzu-kâo said,
'When Yao ruled the world, the people stimulated one another (to what was right)
without his offering them rewards, and stood in awe (of doing wrong) without his threatening
them with punishments. Now you employ both rewards and punishments, and the people
notwithstanding are not good. Their virtue will from this time decay; punishments will from
this time prevail; the disorder of future ages will from this time begin. Why do you, my
master, not go away, and not interrupt my work?'
With this he resumed his ploughing with his head bent down, and did not (again) look
round.
8:
In the Grand Beginning (of all things) there was nothing in all the vacancy of
space; there was nothing that could be named. It was in this state that there arose the
first existence; – the first existence, but still without bodily shape. From this
things could then be produced, (receiving) what we call their proper character. That which
had no bodily shape was divided; and then without intermission there was what we call the
process of conferring. (The two processes) continuing in operation, things were produced. As
things were completed, there were produced the distinguishing lines of each, which we call
the bodily shape. That shape was the body preserving in it the spirit 5, and each had its
peculiar manifestation, which we call its Nature. When the Nature has been cultivated, it
returns to its proper character; and when that has been fully reached, there is the same
condition as at the Beginning. That sameness is pure vacancy, and the vacancy is great. It
is like the closing of the beak and silencing the singing (of a bird). That closing and
silencing is like the union of heaven and earth (at the beginning). The union, effected, as
it is, might seem to indicate stupidity or darkness, but it is what we call the 'mysterious
quality' (existing at the beginning); it is the same as the Grand Submission (to the Natural
Course).
9:
The Master' asked Lao Tan, saying,
'Some men regulate the Tao (as by a law), which they have only to follow; – (a
thing, they say,) is admissible or it is inadmissible; it is so, or it is not so. (They are
like) the sophists who say that they can distinguish what is hard and what is white as
clearly as if the objects were houses suspended in the sky. Can such men be said to be
sages?'
The reply was,
'They are like the busy underlings of a court, who toil their bodies and distress
their minds with their various artifices; – dogs, (employed) to their sorrow to catch
the yak, or monkeys that are brought from their forests (for their tricksiness). Khiu, I
tell you this; -it is what you cannot hear, and what you cannot speak of: Of those who have
their heads and feet, and yet have neither minds nor ears, there are multitudes; while of
those who have their bodies, and at the same time preserve that which has no bodily form or
shape, there are really none. It is not in their movements or stoppages, their dying or
living, their falling and rising again, that this is to be found. The regulation of the
course lies in (their dealing with) the human element in them. When they have forgotten
external things, and have also forgotten the heavenly element in them, they may be named men
who have forgotten themselves. The man who has forgotten himself is he of whom it is said
that he has become identified with Heaven.'
10:
At an interview with Ki Khê h, Kiang-lü Mien said to him,
'Our ruler of Lu asked to receive my instructions. I declined, on the ground that I
had not received any message for him. Afterwards, however, I told him (my thoughts). I do
not know whether (what I said) was right or not, and I beg to repeat it to you. I said to
him, "You must strive to be courteous and to exercise self-restraint; you must distinguish
the public-spirited and loyal, and repress the cringing and selfish; – who among the
people will in that case dare not to be in harmony with you?"' Ki Khê h laughed
quietly and said,
'Your words, my master, as a description of the right course for a Ti or King, were
like the threatening movement of its arms by a mantis which would thereby stop the advance
of a carriage; – inadequate to accomplish your object. And moreover, if he guided
himself by your directions, it would be as if he were to increase the dangerous height of
his towers and add to the number of his valuables collected in them; – the multitudes
(of the people) would leave their (old) ways, and bend their steps in the same
direction.'
Kiang-lü Mien was awe-struck, and said in his fright,
'I am startled by your words, Master, nevertheless, I should like to hear you
describe the influence (which a ruler should exert).'
The other said,
'If a great sage ruled the kingdom, he would stimulate the minds of the people, and
cause them to carry out his instructions fully, and change their manners; he would take
their minds which had become evil and violent and extinguish them, carrying them all forward
to act in accordance with the (good) will belonging to them as individuals, as if they did
it of themselves from their nature, while they knew not what it was that made them do so.
Would such an one be willing to look up to Yao and Shun in their instruction of the people
as his elder brothers? He would treat them as his juniors, belonging himself to the period
of the original plastic ether. His wish would be that all should agree with the virtue (of
that early period), and quietly rest in it.'
11:
Tzu-kung had been rambling in the south in Ku, and was returning to Zin. As he
passed (a place) on the north of the Han, he saw an old man who was going to work on his
vegetable garden. He had dug his channels, gone to the well, and was bringing from it in his
arms a jar of water to pour into them. Toiling away, he expended a great deal of strength,
but the result which he accomplished was very small. Tzu-kung said to him,
'There is a contrivance here, by means of which a hundred plots of ground may be
irrigated in one day. With the expenditure of a very little strength, the result
accomplished is great. Would you, Master, not like (to try it)?'
The gardener looked up at him, and said,
'How does it work?'
Tzu-kung said,
'It is a lever made of wood, heavy behind, and light in front. It raises the water
as quickly as you could do with your hand, or as it bubbles over from a boiler. Its name is
a shadoof.'
The gardener put on an angry look, laughed, and said,
'I have heard from my teacher that, where there are ingenious contrivances, there
are sure to be subtle doings; and that, where there are subtle doings, there is sure to be a
scheming mind. But, when there is a scheming mind in the breast, its pure simplicity is
impaired. When this pure simplicity is impaired, the spirit becomes unsettled, and the
unsettled spirit is not the proper residence of the Tao. It is not that I do not know (the
contrivance which you mention), but I should be ashamed to use it.'
(At these words) Tzu-kung looked blank and ashamed; he hung down his head, and made
no reply. After an interval, the gardener said to him,
'Who are you, Sir? A disciple of Khung Khiu,' was the reply. The other
continued,
'Are you not the scholar whose great learning makes you comparable to a sage, who
make it your boast that you surpass all others, who sing melancholy ditties all by yourself,
thus purchasing a famous reputation throughout the kingdom? If you would (only) forget the
energy of your spirit, and neglect the care of your body, you might approximate (to the
Tao). But while you cannot regulate yourself, what leisure have you to be regulating the
world? Go on your way, Sir, and do not interrupt my work.'
Sze-kung shrunk back abashed, and turned pale. He was perturbed, and lost his
self-possession, nor did he recover it, till he had walked a distance of thirty li. His
disciples then said,
'Who was that man? Why, Master, when you saw him, did you change your bearing, and
become pale, so that you have been all day without returning to yourself?'
He replied to them,
'Formerly I thought that there was but one man in the world, and did not know that
there was this man. I have heard the Master say that to seek for the means of conducting his
undertakings so that his success in carrying them out may be complete, and how by the
employment of a little strength great results may be obtained, is the way of the sage. Now
(I perceive that) it is not so at all. They who hold fast and cleave to the Tao are complete
in the qualities belonging to it. complete in those qualities, they are complete in their
bodies. Complete in their bodies, they are complete in their spirits. To be complete in
spirit is the way of the sage. (Such men) live in the world in closest union with the
people, going along with them, but they do not know where they are going. Vast and complete
is their simplicity! Success, gain, and ingenious contrivances, and artful cleverness,
indicate (in their opinion) a forgetfulness of the (proper) mind of man. These men will not
go where their mind does not carry them, and will do nothing of which their mind does not
approve. Though all the world should praise them, they would (only) get what they think
should be loftily disregarded; and though all the world should blame them, they would but
lose (what they think) fortuitous and not to be received; -the world's blame and praise can
do them neither benefit nor injury. Such men may be described as possessing all the
attributes (of the Tao), while I can only be called one of those who are like the waves
carried about by the wind.'
When he returned to Lu, (Tzu-kung) reported the interview and conversation to
Confucius, who said,
'The man makes a pretence of cultivating the arts of the Embryonic Age'. He knows
the first thing, but not the sequel to it. He regulates what is internal in himself, but not
what is external to himself. If he had intelligence enough to be entirely unsophisticated,
and by doing nothing to seek to return to the normal simplicity, embodying (the instincts
of) his nature, and keeping his spirit (as it were) in his arms, so enjoying himself in the
common ways, you might then indeed be afraid of him! But what should you and I find in the
arts of the embryonic time, worth our knowing?'
12:
Kun Mang, on his way to the ocean, met with Yü an Fung on the shore of the
eastern sea, and was asked by him where he was going.
'I am going,' he replied, 'to the ocean;' and the other again asked,
'What for?'
Kun Mâng said,
'Such is the nature of the ocean that the waters which flow into it can never fill
it, nor those which flow from it exhaust it. I will enjoy myself, rambling by it.'
Yü an Fung replied,
'Have you no thoughts about mankind'? I should like to hear from you about sagely
government.'
Kun Mâng said,
'Under the government of sages, all offices are distributed according to the fitness
of their nature; all appointments are made according to the ability of the men; whatever is
done is after a complete survey of all circumstances; actions and words proceed from the
inner impulse, and the whole world is transformed. Wherever their hands are pointed and
their looks directed, from all quarters the people are all sure to come (to do what they
desire): this is what is called government by sages.'
'I should like to hear about (the government of) the kindly, virtuous men,'
(continued Yü an Fung).
The reply was,
'Under the government of the virtuous, when quietly occupying (their place), they
have no thought, and, when they act, they have no anxiety; they do not keep stored (in their
minds) what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad. They share their
benefits among all within the four seas, and this produces what is called (the state of)
satisfaction; they dispense their gifts to all, and this produces what is called (the state
of) rest. (The people) grieve (on their death) like babies who have lost their mothers, and
are perplexed like travellers who have lost their way. They have a superabundance of wealth
and all necessaries, and they know not whence it comes; they have a sufficiency of food and
drink, and they know not from whom they get it: such are the appearances (under the
government) of the kindly and virtuous.'
'I should like to hear about (the government of) the spirit-like men,' (continued
Yü an Fung once more).
The reply was,
'Men of the highest spirit-like qualities mount up on the light, and (the
limitations of) the body vanish. This we call being bright and ethereal. They carry out to
the utmost the powers with which they are endowed, and have not a single attribute
unexhausted. Their joy is that of heaven and earth, and all embarrassments of affairs melt
away and disappear; all things return to their proper nature: and this is what is called
(the state of) chaotic obscurity.'
13:
Män Wu-kwei and Khih-kang Man-khi had been looking at the army of king Wu, when
the latter said,
'It is because he was not born in the time of the Lord of Yü, that therefore he
is involved in this trouble (of war).'
Män Wu-kwei replied,
'Was it when the kingdom was in good order, that the Lord of Yü governed it? or
was it after it had become disordered that he governed it?'
The other said,
'That the kingdom be in a condition of good order, is what (all) desire, and (in
that case) what necessity would there be to say anything about the Lord of Yü? He had
medicine for sores; false hair for the bald; and healing for those who were ill: he was like
the filial son carrying in the medicine to cure his kind father, with every sign of distress
in his countenance. A sage would be ashamed (of such a thing).
'In the age of perfect virtue they attached no value to wisdom, nor employed men of
ability. Superiors were (but) as the higher branches of a tree; and the people were like the
deer of the wild. They were upright and correct, without knowing that to be so was
Righteousness; they loved one another, without knowing that to do so was Benevolence; they
were honest and leal-hearted, without knowing that it was Loyalty; they fulfilled their
engagements, without knowing that to do so was Good Faith; in their simple movements they
employed the services of one another, without thinking that they were conferring or
receiving any gift. Therefore their actions left no trace, and there was no record of their
affairs.'
14:
The filial son who does not flatter his father, and the loyal minister who does not
fawn on his ruler, are the highest examples of a minister and a son. When a son assents to
all that his father says, and approves of all that his father does, common opinion
pronounces him an unworthy son; when a minister assents to all that his ruler says, and
approves of all that his ruler does, common opinion pronounces him an unworthy minister. Nor
does any one reflect that this view is necessarily correct. But when common opinion (itself)
affirms anything and men therefore assent to it, or counts anything good and men also
approve of it, then it is not said that they are mere consenters and flatterers; – is
common opinion then more authoritative than a father, or more to be honoured than a ruler?
Tell a man that he is merely following (the opinions) of another, or that he is a flatterer
of others, and at once he flushes with anger. And yet all his life he is merely following
others, and flattering them. His illustrations are made to agree with theirs; his phrases
are glossed: to win the approbation of the multitudes. From first to last, from beginning to
end, he finds no fault with their views. He will let his robes hang down, display the
colours on them, and arrange his movements and bearing, so as to win the favour of his age,
and yet not call himself a flatterer. He is but a follower of those others, approving and
disapproving as they do, and yet he will not say that he is one of them. This is the height
of stupidity.
He who knows his stupidity is not very stupid; he who knows that he is under a
delusion is not greatly deluded. He who is greatly deluded will never shake the delusion
off; he who is very stupid will all his life not become intelligent. If three men be walking
together, and (only) one of them be under a delusion (as to their way), they may yet reach
their goal, the deluded being the fewer; but if two of them be under the delusion, they will
not do so, the deluded being the majority. At the present time, when the whole world is
under a delusion, though I pray men to go in the right direction, I cannot make them do so;
—is it not a sad case?
Grand music does not penetrate the ears of villagers; but if they hear 'The Breaking
of the Willow,' or 'The Bright Flowers,' they will roar with laughter. So it is that lofty
words do not remain in the minds of the multitude, and that perfect words are not heard,
because the vulgar words predominate. By two earthenware instruments the (music of) a bell
will be confused, and the pleasure that it would afford cannot be obtained. At the present
time the whole world is under a delusion, and though I wish to go in a certain direction,
how can I succeed in doing so? Knowing that I cannot do so, if I were to try to force my
way, that would be another delusion. Therefore my best course is to let my purpose go, and
no more pursue it. If I do not pursue it, whom shall 1 have to share in my sorrow?
If an ugly man have a son born to him at midnight, he hastens with a light to look
at it. Very eagerly he does so, only afraid that it may be like himself.
15:
From a tree a hundred years old a portion shall be cut and fashioned into a
sacrificial vase, with the bull figured on it, which is ornamented further with green and
yellow, while the rest (of that portion) is cut away and thrown into a ditch. If now we
compare the sacrificial vase with what was thrown into the ditch, there will be a difference
between them as respects their beauty and ugliness; but they both agree in having lost the
(proper) nature of the wood. So in respect of their practice of righteousness there is a
difference between (the robber) Kih on the one hand, and Zäng (Shän) or Shih
(Zhiu) on the other; but they all agree in having lost (the proper qualities of) their
nature.
Now there are five things which produce (in men) the loss of their (proper) nature.
The first is (their fondness for) the five colours which disorder the eye, and take from it
its (proper) clearness of vision; the second is (their fondness for) the five notes (of
music), which disorder the ear and take from it its (proper) power of hearing; the third is
(their fondness for) the five odours which penetrate the nostrils, and produce a feeling of
distress all over the forehead; the fourth is (their fondness for) the five flavours, which
deaden the mouth, and pervert its sense of taste; the fifth is their preferences and
dislikes, which unsettle the mind, and cause the nature to go flying about. These five
things are all injurious to the life; and now Yang and Mo begin to stretch forward from
their different standpoints, each thinking that he has hit on (the proper course for
men).
But the courses they have hit on are not what I call the proper course. What they
have hit on (only) leads to distress; – can they have hit on what is the right thing?
If they have, we may say that the dove in a cage has found the right thing for it. Moreover,
those preferences and dislikes, that (fondness for) music and colours, serve but to pile up
fuel (in their breasts); while their caps of leather, the bonnet with kingfishers' plumes,
the memorandum tablets which they carry, and their long girdles, serve but as restraints on
their persons. Thus inwardly stuffed full as a hole for fuel, and outwardly fast bound with
cords, when they look quietly round from out of their bondage, and think they have got all
they could desire, they are no better than criminals whose arms are tied together, and their
fingers subjected to the screw, or than tigers and leopards in sacks or cages, and yet
thinking that they have got (all they could wish).
1:
The Way of Heaven operates (unceasingly), and leaves no accumulation (of its
influence) in any particular place, so that all things are brought to perfection by it; so
does the Way of the Ti s operate, and all under the sky turn to them (as their directors);
so also does the Way of the Sages operate, and all within the seas submit to them. Those
who clearly understand (the Way of) Heaven, who are in sympathy with (that of) the sages,
and familiar through the universe and in the four quarters (of the earth) with the work of
the Ti s and the kings, yet act spontaneously from themselves: with the appearance of being
ignorant they are yet entirely still.
The stillness of the sages does not belong to them as a consequence of their skilful
ability; all things are not able to disturb their minds; – it is on this account that
they are still. When water is still, its clearness shows the beard and eyebrows (of him who
looks into it). It is a perfect Level, and the greatest artificer takes his rule from it.
Such is the clearness of still water, and how much greater is that of the human Spirit! The
still mind of the sage is the mirror of heaven and earth, the glass of all things.
Vacancy, stillness, placidity, tastelessness, quietude, silence, and non-action;
—this is the Level of heaven and earth, and the perfection of the Tao and its
characteristics. Therefore the Ti s, Kings, and Sages found in this their resting-place.
Resting here, they were vacant; from their vacancy came fullness; from their fullness came
the nice distinctions (of things). From their vacancy came stillness; that stillness was
followed by movement; their movements were successful. From their stillness came their
non-action. Doing-nothing, they devolved the cares of office on their employé s.
Doing-nothing was accompanied by the feeling of satisfaction. Where there is that feeling of
satisfaction, anxieties and troubles find no place; and the years of life are
many.
Vacancy, stillness, placidity, tastelessness, quietude, silence, and doing-nothing
are the root of all things. When this is understood, we find such a ruler on the throne as
Yao, and such a minister as Shun. When with this a high position is occupied, we find the
attributes of the Ti s and kings,—the sons of Heaven; with this in a low position, we
find the mysterious sages, the uncrowned kings, with their ways. With this retiring (from
public life), and enjoying themselves at leisure, we find the scholars who dwell by the
rivers and seas, among the hills and forests, all submissive to it; with this coming forward
to active life and comforting their age, their merit is great, and their fame is
distinguished; – and all the world becomes united in one.
2:
(Such men) by their stillness become sages and by their movement, kings.
Doing-nothing, they are honoured; in their plain simplicity, no one in the world can strive
with them (for the palm of) excellence. The clear understanding of the virtue of Heaven and
Earth is what is called 'The Great Root,' and 'The Great Origin; '—they who have it are
in harmony with Heaven, and so they produce all equable arrangements in the world; –
they are those who are in harmony with men. Being in harmony with men is called the joy of
men; being in harmony with Heaven is called the joy of Heaven. Master Chuang
said,
'My Master! my Master! He shall hash and blend all things in mass without being
cruel; he shall dispense his favours to all ages without being benevolent. He is older than
the highest antiquity, and yet is not old. He overspreads the heavens and sustains the
earth; from him is the carving of all forms without any artful skill! This is what is called
the Joy of Heaven. Hence it is said, "Those who know the Joy of Heaven during their life,
act like Heaven, and at death undergo transformation like (other) things; in their stillness
they possess the quality of the Yin, and in their movement they flow abroad as the Yang.
Therefore he who knows the joy of Heaven has no murmuring against Heaven, nor any
fault-finding with men; and suffers no embarrassment from things, nor any reproof from
ghosts. Hence it is said, His movements are those of Heaven; his stillness is that of Earth;
his whole mind is fixed, and he rules over the world. The spirits of his dead do not come
to scare him; he is not worn out by their souls. His words proceeding from his vacancy and
stillness, yet reach to heaven and earth, and show a communication with all things: this is
what is called the joy of Heaven. This joy of Heaven forms the mind of the sage whereby he
nurtures all under the sky.'"'
3:
It was the Way of the Ti s and Kings to regard Heaven and Earth as their Author, the
Tao and its characteristics as their Lord, and Doing-nothing as their constant rule.
Doing-nothing, they could use the whole world in their service and might have done more;
acting, they were not sufficient for the service required of them by the world. Hence the
men of old held non-inaction in honour. When superiors do nothing and their inferiors also
do nothing, inferiors and superiors possess the same virtue; and when inferiors and
superiors possess the same virtue, there are none to act as ministers. When inferiors act,
and their superiors also act, then superiors and inferiors possess the same Tao; and when
superiors and inferiors possess the same Tao, there is none to preside as Lord. But that the
superiors do nothing and yet thereby use the world in their service, and that the inferiors,
while acting, be employed in the service of the world, is an unchangeable principle.
Therefore the ancient kings who presided over the world, though their knowledge embraced
(all the operations of) Heaven and Earth, took no thought of their own about them; though
their nice discrimination appreciated the fine fashioning of all things, they said not a
word about it; though their power comprehended all within the seas, they did nothing
themselves. Heaven produces nothing, yet all things experience their transformations; Earth
effects no growth, yet all things receive their nurture; the Ti s and Kings did nothing, yet
all the world testified their effective services. Hence it is said,
'There is nothing more spirit-like than Heaven; there is nothing richer than Earth;
there are none greater than the Ti s and Kings.'
Hence it is said (further),
'The attributes of the Tis and kings corresponded to those of Heaven and
Earth.'
It was thus that they availed themselves of (the operations of) Heaven and Earth,
carried all things on unceasingly (in their courses), and employed the various classes of
men in their service.
4:
Originating belongs to those in the higher position; details (of work) to those who
are in the lower. The compendious decision belongs to the lord; the minutiae of execution,
to his ministers. The direction of the three hosts and their men with the five weapons is
but a trifling quality; rewards and penalties with their advantages and sufferings, and the
inflictions of the five punishments are but trivial elements of instruction; ceremonies,
laws, measures, and numbers, with all the minutiae of jurisprudence, are small matters in
government; the notes of bells and drums, and the display of plumes and flags are the
slightest things in music, and the various grades of the mourning garments are the most
unimportant manifestations of grief. These five unimportant adjuncts required the operation
of the excited spirit and the employment of the arts of the mind, to bring them into use.
The men of old had them indeed, but they did not give them the first place.
The ruler precedes, and the minister follows; the father precedes, and the son
follows; the elder brother precedes, and the younger follows; the senior precedes, and the
junior follows; the male precedes, and the female follows; the husband precedes, and the
wife follows.
This precedence of the more honourable and sequence of the meaner is seen in the
(relative) action of heaven and earth, and hence the sages took them as their pattern. The
more honourable position of heaven and the lower one of earth are equivalent to a
designation of their spirit-like and intelligent qualities. The precedence of spring and
summer and the sequence of autumn and winter mark the order of the four seasons. In the
transformations and growth of all things, every bud and feature has its proper form; and in
this we have their gradual maturing and decay, the constant flow of transformation and
change. Thus since Heaven and Earth, which are most spirit-like, are distinguished as more
honourable and less, and by precedence and sequence, how much more must we look for this in
the ways of men! In the ancestral temple it is to kinship that honour is given; in court, to
rank; in the neighbourhoods and districts, to age; in the conduct of affairs, to wisdom;
such is the order in those great ways. If we speak of the course (to be pursued in them),
and do not observe their order, we violate their course. If we speak of the course, and do
not observe it, why do we apply that name to it?
5:
Therefore the ancients who clearly understood the great Tao first sought to
apprehend what was meant by Heaven, and the Tao and its characteristics came next. When this
was apprehended, then came Benevolence and Righteousness. When these were apprehended, then
came the Distinction of duties and the observance of them. This accomplished, there came
objects and their names. After objects and their names, came the employment of men according
to their qualities: on this there followed the examination of the men and of their work.
This led to the approval or disapproval of them, which again was succeeded by the
apportioning of rewards and penalties. After this the stupid and the intelligent understood
what was required of them, and the honourable and the mean occupied their several positions.
The good and the able, and those inferior to them, sincerely did their best. Their ability
was distributed; the duties implied in their official names were fulfilled. In this way did
they serve their superiors, nourish their inferiors, regulate things, and cultivate their
persons. They did not call their knowledge and schemes into requisition; they were required
to fall back upon (the method of) Heaven: this was what is called the Perfection of the
Rule of Great Peace. Hence it is said in the Book,
'There are objects and there are their names.'
Objects and their names the ancients had; but they did not put them in the foremost
place.
When the ancients spoke of the Great Tao, it was only after four other steps that
they gave a place to 'Objects and their Names,' and after eight steps that they gave a place
to 'Rewards and Penalties.'
If they had all at once spoken of 'Objects and their Names,' they would have shown
an ignorance of what is the Root (of government); if they had all at once spoken of 'Rewards
and Penalties,' they would have shown an ignorance of the first steps of it. Those whose
words are thus an inversion of the (proper) course, or in opposition to it, are (only fit to
be) ruled by others; -how can they rule others? To speak all at once of 'Objects and their
Names,' and of 'Rewards and Penalties,' only shows that the speaker knows the instruments of
government, but does not know the method of it, is fit to be used as an instrument in the
world, but not fit to use others as his instruments: he is what we call a mere sophist, a
man of one small idea. Ceremonies, laws, numbers, measures, with all the minutiae of
jurisprudence, the ancients had; but it is by these that inferiors serve their superiors; it
is not by them that those superiors nourish the world.
6:
Anciently, Shun asked Yao, saying,
'In what way does your Majesty by the Grace of Heaven' exercise your
mind?'
The reply was,
'I simply show no arrogance towards the helpless; I do not neglect the poor people;
I grieve for those who die; I love their infant children; and I compassionate their
widows.'
Shun rejoined,
'Admirable, as far as it goes; but it is not what is Great.'
How then,' asked Yao, 'do you think I should do?'
Shun replied,
'When (a sovereign) possesses the virtue of Heaven, then when he shows himself in
action, it is in stillness. The sun and moon (simply) shine, and the four seasons pursue
their courses. So it is with the regular phenomena of day and night, and with the movement
of the clouds by which the rain is distributed.'
Yao said,
'Then I have only been persistently troubling myself! What you wish is to be in
harmony with Heaven, while I wish to be in harmony with men.'
Now (the Way of) Heaven and Earth was much thought of of old, and Hwang-Ti, Yao, and
Shun united in admiring it. Hence the kings of the world of old did nothing, but tried to
imitate that Way.
7:
Confucius went to the west to deposit (some) writings in the library of Kâu,
when Tzu-lu counselled him, saying,
'I have heard that the officer in charge of this Käng Repository of Kâu
was one Lao Tan, who has given up his office, and is living in his own house. As you,
Master, wish to deposit these writings here, why not go to him, and obtain his help (to
accomplish your object).'
Confucius said,
'Good;' and he went and saw Lao Tan, who refused his assistance. On this he
proceeded to give an abstract of the Twelve Classics to bring the other over to his views.
Lao Tan, however, interrupted him while he was speaking, and said,
'This is too vague; let me hear the substance of them in brief'. Confucius
said,
'The substance of them is occupied with Benevolence and Righteousness.'
The other said,
'Let me ask whether you consider Benevolence and Righteousness to constitute the
nature of man?'
'I do,' was the answer.
'If the superior man be not benevolent, he will not fulfil his character; if he be
not righteous, he might as well not have been born. Benevolence and Righteousness are truly
the nature of man.'
Lao Tan continued,
'Let me ask you what you mean by Benevolence and Righteousness.'
Confucius said,
'To be in one's inmost heart in kindly sympathy with all things; to love all men;
and to allow no selfish thoughts; – this is the nature of Benevolence and
Righteousness.'
Lao Tan exclaimed,
'Ah! you almost show your inferiority by such words! "To love all men!" is not that
vague and extravagant? "To be seeking to allow no selfish thoughts!"—that is
selfishness! If you, Master, wish men not to be without their (proper) shepherding, think of
Heaven and Earth, which certainly pursue their invariable course; think of the sun and moon,
which surely maintain their brightness; think of the stars in the zodiac, which preserve
their order and courses; think of birds and beasts, which do not fail to collect together in
their flocks and herds; and think of the trees, which do not fail to stand up (in their
places). Do you, Master, imitate this way and carry it into practice; hurry on, following
this course, and you will reach your end. Why must you further be vehement in putting
forward your Benevolence and Righteousness, as if you were beating a drum, and seeking a
fugitive son, (only making him run away the more)? Ah! Master, you are introducing disorder
into the nature of man!'
8:
Shih-khäng Khi, having an interview with Master Lao, asked him,
saying,
'I heard, Master, that you were a sage, and I came here, wishing to see you, without
grudging the length of the journey. During the stages of the hundred days, the soles of my
feet became quite callous, but I did not dare to stop and rest. Now I perceive that you are
not a sage. Because there was some rice left about the holes of the rats, you sent away your
younger sister, which was unkind; when your food, whether raw or cooked, remains before you
not all consumed, you keep on hoarding it up to any extent.'
Master Lao looked indifferent, and gave him no answer.
Next day Khi again saw Master Lao, and said,
'Yesterday I taunted you; but today I have gone back to a better mood of mind. What
is the cause (of the change)?'
Master Lao replied,
'I consider that I have freed myself from the trammels of claiming to be artfully
knowing, spirit-like, and sage. Yesterday if you had called me an ox, you might have done
so; or if you had called me a horse, you might have done so. If there be a reality
(corresponding to men's ideas), and men give it a name, which another will not receive, he
will in the sequel suffer the more. My manner was what I constantly observe; – I did
not put it on for the occasion.'
Shih-khäng Khi sidled away out of Lao's shadow; then he retraced his steps,
advanced forward, and asked how he should cultivate himself. The reply was,
'Your demeanour is repelling; you stare with your eyes; your forehead is broad and
yet tapering; you bark and growl with your mouth; your appearance is severe and
pretentious; you are like a horse held by its tether, you would move, but are restrained,
and (if let go) would start off like an arrow from a bow; you examine all the minutiae of a
thing; your wisdom is artful, and yet you try to look at ease. All these are to be
considered proofs of your want of sincerity. If on the borders one were to be found with
them, he would be named a Thief.'
9:
The Master said,
'The Tao does not exhaust itself in what is greatest, nor is it ever absent from
what is least; and therefore it is to be found complete and diffused in all things. How wide
is its universal comprehension! How deep is its unfathomableness! The embodiment of its
attributes in benevolence and righteousness is but a small result of its spirit-like
(working); but it is only the perfect man who can determine this. The perfect man has (the
charge of) the world; – is not the charge great? and yet it is not sufficient to
embarrass him. He wields the handle of power over the whole world, and yet it is nothing to
him. His discrimination detects everything false, and no consideration of gain moves him. He
penetrates to the truth of things, and can guard that which is fundamental. So it is that
heaven and earth are external to him, and he views all things with indifference, and his
spirit is never straitened by them. He has comprehended the Tho, and is in harmony with its
characteristics; he pushes back benevolence and righteousness (into their proper place), and
deals with ceremonies and music as (simply) guests: yes, the mind of the perfect man
determines all things aright.'
10:
What the world thinks the most valuable exhibition of the Tao is to be found in
books. But books are only a collection of words. Words have what is valuable in them; –
what is valuable in words is the ideas they convey. But those ideas are a sequence of
something else; – and what that something else is cannot be conveyed by words. When the
world, because of the value which it attaches to words, commits them to books, that for
which it so values them may not deserve to be valued; – because that which it values is
not what is really valuable.
Thus it is that what we look at and can see is (only) the outward form and colour,
and what we listen to and can hear is (only) names and sounds. Alas! that men of the world
should think that form and colour, name and sound, should be sufficient to give them the
real nature of the Tao. The form and colour, the name and sound, are certainly not
sufficient to convey its real nature; and so it is that 'the wise do not speak and those who
do speak are not wise.'
How should the world know that real nature?
Duke Hwan, seated above in his hall, was (once) reading a book, and the wheelwright
Phien was making a wheel below it. Laying aside his hammer and chisel, Phien went up the
steps, and said,
'I venture to ask your Grace what words you are reading?'
The duke said, 'The words of the sages.'
'Are those sages alive?' Phien continued.
'They are dead,' was the reply.
'Then,' said the other, 'what you, my Ruler, are reading are only the dregs and
sediments of those old men.'
The duke said,
'How should you, a wheelwright, have anything to say about the book which I am
reading? If you can explain yourself, very well; if you cannot, you shall die!' The
wheelwright said,
'Your servant will look at the thing from the point of view of his own art. In
making a wheel, if I proceed gently, that is pleasant enough, but the workmanship is not
strong; if I proceed violently, that is toilsome and the joinings do not fit. If the
movements of my hand are neither (too) gentle nor (too) violent, the idea in my mind is
realised. But I cannot tell (how to do this) by word of mouth; there is a knack in it. I
cannot teach the knack to my son, nor can my son learn it from me. Thus it is that I am in
my seventieth year, and am (still) making wheels in my old age. But these ancients, and what
it was not possible for them to Convey, are dead and gone: so then what you, my Ruler, are
reading is but their dregs and sediments!'
1:
How (ceaselessly) heaven revolves! Flow (constantly) earth abides at rest! And do
the sun and moon contend about their (respective) places? Who presides over and directs
these (things)? Who binds and connects them together? Who is it that, without trouble or
exertion on his part, causes and maintains them? Is it, perhaps, that there is some secret
spring, in consequence of which they cannot be but as they are? Or is it, perhaps, that they
move and turn as they do, and cannot stop of themselves?
(Then) how the clouds become rain! And how the rain again forms the clouds! Who
diffuses them so abundantly? Who is it that, without trouble or exertion on his part,
produces this elemental enjoyment, and seems to stimulate it?
The winds rise in the north; one blows to the west, and another to the east; while
some rise upwards, uncertain in their direction. By whose breathing are they produced? Who
is it that, without any trouble and exertion of his own, effects all their undulations? I
venture to ask their cause.
Wu-hsien Thiâo said,
'Come, and I will tell you. To heaven there belong the six Extreme Points, and the
five Elements. When the Tis and Kings acted in accordance with them, there was good
government; when they acted contrary to them, there was evil. Observing the things
(described) in the nine divisions (of the writing) of Lo, their government was perfected and
their virtue was complete. They inspected and enlightened the kingdom beneath them, and all
under the sky acknowledged and sustained them. Such was the condition under the august
(sovereigns ) and those before them.'
2:
Tang, the chief administrator of Shang, asked Master Chuang about Benevolence, and
the answer was,
'Wolves and tigers are benevolent.'
'What do you mean?' said Tang.
Master Chuang replied,
'Father and son (among them) are affectionate to one another. Why should they be
considered as not benevolent?'
'Allow me to ask about perfect benevolence,' pursued the other.
Master Chuang said,
'Perfect benevolence does not admit (the feeling) of affection.'
The minister said,
'I have heard that, without (the feeling of) affection there is no love, and without
love there is not filial duty; – is it permissible to say that the perfectly benevolent
are not filial?'
Master Chuang rejoined,
'That is not the way to put the case. Perfect Benevolence is the very highest thing;
—filial duty is by no means sufficient to describe it. The saying which you quote is
not to the effect that (such benevolence) transcends filial duty; – it does not refer
to such duty at all. One, travelling to the south, comes (at last) to Ying, and there,
standing with his face to the north, he does not see mount Ming. Why does he not see it?
Because he is so far from it. Hence it is said, "Filial duty as a part of reverence is easy,
but filial duty as a part of love is difficult. If it be easy as a part of love, yet it is
difficult to forget one's parents. It may be easy for me to forget my parents, but it is
difficult to make my parents forget me. If it were easy to make my parents forget me, it is
difficult for me to forget all men in the world. If it were easy to forget all men in the
world, it is difficult to make them all forget me."
'This virtue might make one think light of Yao and Shun, and not wish to be they.
The profit and beneficial influences of it extend to a myriad ages, and no one in the world
knows whence they come. How can you simply heave a great sigh, and speak (as you do) of
benevolence and filial duty? Filial duty, fraternal respect, benevolence, righteousness,
loyalty, sincerity, firmness, and purity; – all these may be pressed into the service
of this virtue, but they are far from sufficient to come up to it. Therefore it is said,
"To him who has what is most noble, all the dignities of a state are as nothing; to him who
has what is the greatest riches, all the wealth of a state is as nothing; to him who has all
that he could wish, fame and praise are as nothing." It is thus that the Tao admits of no
substitute.'
3:
Pei-män Keng asked Hwang-Ti, saying,
'You were celebrating, O Ti, a performance of the music of the Hsien-khih, in the
open country near the Thung-thing lake. When I heard the first part of it, I was afraid; the
next made me weary; and the last perplexed me. I became agitated and unable to speak, and
lost my self-possession.'
The Ti said,
'It was likely that it should so affect you! It was performed with (the instruments
of) men, and all attuned according to (the influences of) Heaven. It proceeded according to
(the principles of) propriety and righteousness, and was pervaded by (the idea of) the Grand
Purity.
'The Perfect Music first had its response in the affairs of men, and was conformed
to the principles of Heaven; it indicated the action of the five virtues, and corresponded
to the spontaneity (apparent in nature). After this it showed the blended distinctions of
the four seasons, and the grand harmony of all things; – the succession of those
seasons one after another, and the production of things in their proper order. Now it
swelled, and now it died away, its peaceful and military strains clearly distinguished and
given forth. Now it was clear, and now rough, as if the contracting and expanding of the
elemental processes blended harmoniously (in its notes). Those notes then flowed away in
waves of light, till, as when the hibernating insects first begin to move, I commanded the
terrifying crash of thunder. Its end was marked by no formal conclusion, and it began again
without any prelude. It seemed to die away, and then it burst into life; it came to a close,
and then it rose again. So it went on regularly and inexhaustibly, and without the
intervention of any pause: it was this which made you afraid.
'In the second part (of the performance), I made it describe the harmony of the Yin
and Yang, and threw round it the brilliance of the sun and moon. Its notes were now short
and now long, now soft and now hard. Their changes, however, were marked by an unbroken
unity, though not dominated by a fixed regularity. They filled every valley and ravine; you
might shut up every crevice, and guard your spirit (against their entrance), yet there was
nothing but gave admission to them. Yea, those notes resounded slowly, and might have been
pronounced high and clear. Hence the shades of the dead kept in their obscurity; the sun
and moon, and all the stars of the zodiac, pursued their several courses. I made (my
instruments) leave off, when (the performance) came to an end, and their (echoes) flowed on
without stopping. You thought anxiously about it, and were not able to understand it; you
looked for it, and were not able to see it; you pursued it, and were not able to reach it.
All amazed, you stood in the way all open around you, and then you leant against an old
rotten dryandra tree and hummed. The power of your eyes was exhausted by what you wished to
see; your strength failed in your desire to pursue it, while I myself could not reach it.
Your body was but so much empty vacancy while you endeavoured to retain your
self-possession: it was that endeavour which made you weary.
'In the last part (of the performance), I employed notes which did not have that
wearying effect. I blended them together as at the command of spontaneity. Hence they came
as if following one another in confusion, like a clump of plants springing from one root, or
like the music of a forest produced by no visible form. They spread themselves all around
without leaving a trace (of their cause); and seemed to issue from deep obscurity where
there was no sound. Their movements came from nowhere; their home was in the deep darkness;
—conditions which some would call death, and some life; some, the fruit, and some,
(merely) the flower. Those notes, moving and flowing on, separating and shifting, and not
following any regular sounds, the world might well have doubts about them, and refer them to
the judgement of a sage, for the sages understand the nature of this music, and judge in
accordance with the prescribed (spontaneity). While the spring of that spontaneity has not
been touched, and yet the regulators of the five notes are all prepared; – this is what
is called the music of Heaven, delighting the mind without the use of words. Hence it is
said in the eulogy of the Lord of Piâo, "You listen for it, and do not hear its sound;
you look for it, and do not perceive its form; it fills heaven and earth; it envelopes all
within the universe." You wished to hear it, but could not take it in; and therefore you
were perplexed.
'I performed first the music calculated to awe; and you were frightened as if by a
ghostly visitation, I followed it with that calculated to weary; and in your weariness you
would have withdrawn. I concluded with that calculated to perplex; and in your perplexity
you felt your stupidity. But that stupidity is akin to the Tao; you may with it convey the
Tao in your person, and have it (ever) with you.'
4:
When Confucius was travelling in the west in Wei, Yen Yü an asked the
music-master Kin, saying,
'How is it, do you think, with the course of the Master?'
The music-master replied,
'Alas! it is all over with your Master!'
'How so?' asked Yen Yüan; and the other said,
'Before the grass-dogs are set forth (at the sacrifice), they are deposited in a box
or basket, and wrapt up with elegantly embroidered cloths, while the representative of the
dead and the officer of prayer prepare themselves by fasting to present them. After they
have been set forth, however, passers-by trample on their heads and backs, and the
grass-cutters take and burn them in cooking. That is all they are good for. If one should
again take them, replace them in the box or basket, wrap them up with embroidered cloths,
and then in rambling, or abiding at the spot, should go to sleep under them, if he do not
get (evil) dreams, he is sure to be often troubled with the nightmare. Now here is your
Master in the same way taking the grass-dogs, presented by the ancient kings, and leading
his disciples to wander or abide and sleep under them. Owing to this, the tree (beneath
which they were practising ceremonies) in Sung was cut down; he was obliged to leave Wei; he
was reduced to extremities in Shang and Kâu: were not those experiences like having
(evil) dreams? He was kept in a state of siege between Khän and Zhâi, so that for
seven days he had no cooked food to eat, and was in a situation between life and death: were
not those experiences like the nightmare?
'If you are travelling by water, your best plan is to use a boat; if by land, a
carriage. Take a boat, which will go (easily) along on the water, and try to push it along
on the land, and all your lifetime it will not go so much as a fathom or two: are not
ancient time and the present time like the water and the dry land? and are not Kâu and
Lu like the boat and the carriage? To seek now to practise (the old ways of) Kâu in
Lu is like pushing along a boat on the dry land. It is only a toilsome labour, and has no
success; he who does so is sure to meet with calamity. He has not learned that in handing
down the arts (of one time) he is sure to be reduced to extremity in endeavouring to adapt
them to the conditions (of another).
'And have you not seen the working of a shadoof? When (the rope of) it is pulled, it
bends down; and when it is let go, it rises up. It is pulled by a man, and does not pull the
man; and so, whether it bends down or rises up, it commits no offence against the man. In
the same way the rules of propriety, righteousness, laws, and measures of the three Hwangs
and five Tis derived their excellence, not from their being the same as those of the present
day, but from their (aptitude for) government. We may compare them to haws, pears, oranges,
and pummeloes, which are different in flavour, but all suitable to be eaten. Just so it is
that the rules of propriety, righteousness, laws, and measures, change according to the
time.
'If now you take a monkey, and dress it in the robes of the duke of Kâu, it
will bite and tear them, and will not be satisfied till it has got rid of them altogether.
And if you look at the difference between antiquity and the present time it is as great as
that between the monkey and the duke of Kâu. In the same way, when Hsi Shih was
troubled in mind, she would knit her brows and frown on all in her neighbourhood. An ugly
woman of the neighbourhood, seeing and admiring her beauty, went home, and also laying her
hands on her heart proceeded to stare and frown on all around her. When the rich people of
the village saw her, they shut fast their doors and would not go out; when the poor people
saw her, they took their wives and children and ran away from her. The woman knew how to
admire the frowning beauty, but she did not know how it was that she, though frowning, was
beautiful. Alas! it is indeed all over with your Master!'
5:
When Confucius was in his fifty-first year, he had not heard of the Tao, and went
south to Phei to see Lao Tan, who said to him,
'You have come, Sir; have you? I have heard that you are the wisest man of the
North; have you also got the Tao?'
'Not yet,' was the reply; and the other went on,
'How have you sought it?'
Confucius said,
'I sought it in measures and numbers, and after five years I had not got
it.'
'And how then did you seek it?'
'I sought it in the Yin and Yang, and after twelve years I have not found
it.'
Master Lao said,
'Just so! If the Tao could be presented (to another), men would all present it to
their rulers; if it could be served up (to others), men would all serve it up to their
parents; if it could be told (to others), men would all tell it to their brothers; if it
could be given to others, men would all give it to their sons and grandsons. The reason why
it cannot be transmitted is no other but this,—that if, within, there be not the
presiding principle, it will not remain there, and if, outwardly, there be not the correct
obedience, it will not be carried out. When that which is given out from the mind (in
possession of it) is not received by the mind without, the sage will not give it out; and
when, entering in from without, there is no power in the receiving mind to entertain it, the
sage will not permit it to lie hid there. Fame is a possession common to all; we should not
seek to have much of it. Benevolence and righteousness were as the lodging-houses of the
former kings; we should only rest in them for a night, and not occupy them for long. If men
see us doing so, they will have much to say against us.
'The perfect men of old trod the path of benevolence as a path which they borrowed
for the occasion, and dwelt in Righteousness as in a lodging which they used for a night.
Thus they rambled in the vacancy of Untroubled Ease, found their food in the fields of
Indifference, and stood in the gardens which they had not borrowed. Untroubled Ease requires
the doing of nothing; Indifference is easily supplied with nourishment; not borrowing needs
no outlay. The ancients called this the Enjoyment that Collects the True.
'Those who think that wealth is the proper thing for them cannot give up their
revenues; those who seek distinction cannot give up the thought of fame; those who cleave to
power cannot give the handle of it to others. While they hold their grasp of those things,
they are afraid (of losing them). When they let them go, they are grieved; and they will not
look at a single example, from which they might perceive the (folly) of their restless
pursuits: such men are under the doom of Heaven.
'Hatred and kindness; taking and giving; reproof and instruction; death and life:
these eight things are instruments of rectification, but only those are able to use them who
do not obstinately refuse to comply with their great changes. Hence it is said, "Correction
is Rectification." When the minds of some do not acknowledge this, it is because the gate
of Heaven (in them) has not been opened.'
6:
At an interview with Lao Tan, Confucius spoke to him of benevolence and
righteousness. Lao Tan said,
'If you winnow chaff, and the dust gets into your eyes, then the places of heaven
and earth and of the four cardinal points are all changed to you. If musquitoes or gadflies
puncture your skin, it will keep you all the night from sleeping. But this painful iteration
of benevolence and righteousness excites my mind and produces in it the greatest confusion.
If you, Sir, would cause men not to lose their natural simplicity, and if you would also
imitate the wind in its (unconstrained) movements, and stand forth in all the natural
attributes belonging to you!—why must you use so much energy, and carry a great drum to
seek for the son whom you have lost? The snow-goose does not bathe every day to make itself
white, nor the crow blacken itself every day to make itself black. The natural simplicity of
their black and white does not afford any ground for controversy; and the fame and praise
which men like to contemplate do not make them greater than they naturally are. When the
springs (supplying the pools) are dried up, the fishes huddle together on the dry land. Than
that they should moisten one another there by their gasping, and keep one another wet by
their milt, it would be better for them to forget one another in the rivers and
lakes.'
From this interview with Lao Tan, Confucius returned home, and for three days did
not speak. His disciples (then) asked him, saying,
'Master, you have seen Lao Tan; in what way might you admonish and correct
him?'
Confucius said,
'In him (I may say) that I have now seen the dragon. The dragon coils itself up, and
there is its body; it unfolds itself and becomes the dragon complete. It rides on the cloudy
air, and is nourished by the Yin and Yang. I kept my mouth open, and was unable to shut it;
—how could I admonish and correct Lao Tan?'
7:
Tzu-kung said,
'So then, can (this) man indeed sit still as a representative of the dead, and then
appear as the dragon? Can his voice resound as thunder, when he is profoundly still? Can he
exhibit himself in his movements like heaven and earth? May I, Zhze, also get to see
him?'
Accordingly with a message from Confucius he went to see Lao Tan.
Lao Tan was then about to answer (his salutation) haughtily in the hall, but he said
in a low voice,
'My years have rolled on and are passing away, what do you, Sir, wish to admonish me
about?'
Tzu-kung replied,
'The Three Kings and Five Tis ruled the world not in the same way, but the fame that
has accrued to them is the same. How is it that you alone consider that they were not
sages?'
'Come forward a little, my son. Why do you say that (their government) was not the
same?'
'Yao,' was the reply, 'gave the kingdom to Shun, and Shun gave it to Yü.
Yü had recourse to his strength, and Tang to the force of arms. King Wän was
obedient to Kâu (-hsin), and did not dare to rebel; king Wu rebelled against
Kâu, and would not submit to him. And I say that their methods were not the
same.'
Lao Tan said,
'Come a little more forward, my son, and I will tell you how the Three Hwangs and
the Five Tis ruled the world. Hwang-Ti ruled it, so as to make the minds of the people all
conformed to the One (simplicity). If the parents of one of them died, and he did not wail,
no one blamed him. Yao ruled it so as to cause the hearts of the people to cherish relative
affection. If any, however, made the observances on the death of other members of their
kindred less than those for their parents, no one blamed them. Shun ruled it, so as to
produce a feeling of rivalry in the minds of the people. Their wives gave birth to their
children in the tenth month of their pregnancy, but those children could speak at five
months; and before they were three years old, they began to call people by their surnames
and names. Then it was that men began to die prematurely. Yü ruled it, so as to cause
the minds of the people to become changed. Men's minds became scheming, and they used their
weapons as if they might legitimately do so, (saying that they were) killing thieves and not
killing other men. The people formed themselves into different combinations; – so it
was throughout the kingdom. Everywhere there was great consternation, and then arose the
Literati and (the followers of) Mo (Ti). From them came first the doctrine of the
relationships (of society); and what can be said of the now prevailing customs (in the
marrying of) wives and daughters? I tell you that the rule of the Three Kings and Five Tis
may be called by that name, but nothing can be greater than the disorder which it produced.
The wisdom of the Three Kings was opposed to the brightness of the sun and moon above,
contrary to the exquisite purity of the hills and streams below, and subversive of the
beneficent gifts of the four seasons between. Their wisdom has been more fatal than the
sting of a scorpion or the bite of a dangerous beast. Unable to rest in the true attributes
of their nature and constitution, they still regarded themselves as sages: was it not a
thing to be ashamed of? But they were shameless.'
Tzu-kung stood quite disconcerted and ill at ease.
8:
Confucius said to Lao Tan,
'I have occupied myself with the Shih, the Shu, the Li, the Yo, the Yi, and the Khun
Khiu, those six Books, for what I myself consider a long time, and am thoroughly acquainted
with their contents. With seventy-two rulers, all offenders against the right, I have
discoursed about the ways of the former kings, and set forth the examples of (the dukes of
Kâu and Shâo; and not one of them has adopted (my views) and put them in
practice: how very difficult it is to prevail on such men, and to make clear the path to be
pursued!'
Master Lao replied,
'It is fortunate that you have not met with a ruler fitted to rule the age. Those
six writings are a description of the vestiges left by the former kings, but do not tell how
they made such vestiges; and what you, Sir, speak about are still only the vestiges. But
vestiges are the prints left by the shoes; – are they the shoes that produced them? A
pair of white herons look at each other with pupils that do not move, and impregnation takes
place; the male insect emits its buzzing sound in the air above, and the female responds
from the air below, and impregnation takes place; the creatures called lêi are both
male and female, and each individual breeds of itself. The nature cannot be altered; the
conferred constitution cannot be changed; the march of the seasons cannot be arrested; the
Tao cannot be stopped. If you get the Tao, there is no effect that cannot be produced; if
you miss it, there is no effect that can.'
Confucius (after this) did not go out, till at the end of three months he went again
to see Lao Tan, and said,
'I have got it. Ravens produce their young by hatching; fishes by the communication
of their milt; the small-waisted wasp by transformation; when a younger brother comes, the
elder weeps. Long is it that I have not played my part in harmony with these processes of
transformation. But as I did not play my part in harmony with such transformation, how could
I transform men?'
Master Lao said,
'You will do. Khiu, you have found the Tao.'
1:
Ingrained ideas and a high estimate of their own conduct; leaving the world, and
pursuing uncommon ways; talking loftily and in resentful disparagement of others; – all
this is simply symptomatic of arrogance. This is what scholars who betake themselves to the
hills and valleys, who are always blaming the world, and who stand aloof like withered
trees, or throw themselves into deep pools, are fond of.
Discoursing of benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and good faith; being humble and
frugal, self-forgetful and courteous; – all this is simply symptomatic of
(self-)cultivation. This is what scholars who wish to tranquillise the world, teachers and
instructors, men who pursue their studies at home and abroad, are fond of.
Discoursing of their great merit and making a great name for themselves; insisting
on the ceremonies between ruler and minister; and rectifying the relations between high and
low; – all this shows their one object to be the promotion of government. This is what
officers of the court, men who honour their lord and would strengthen the state and who
would do their utmost to incorporate other states with their own, are fond of
Resorting to marshes and lakes; dwelling in solitary places; occupying themselves
with angling and living at ease; – all this shows their one object to be to do nothing.
This is what gentlemen of the rivers and seas, men who avoid the society of the world and
desire to live at leisure, are fond of.
Blowing and breathing with open mouth; inhaling and exhaling the breath; expelling
the old breath and taking in new; passing their time like the (dormant) bear, and stretching
and twisting (the neck) like a bird; – all this simply shows the desire for longevity.
This is what the scholars who manipulate their breath, and the men who nourish the body and
wish to live as long as Päng Zu, are fond of.
As to those who have a lofty character without any ingrained ideas; who pursue the
path of self-cultivation without benevolence and righteousness; who succeed in government
without great services or fame; who enjoy their ease without resorting to the rivers and
seas; who attain to longevity without the management (of the breath); who forget all things
and yet possess all things; whose placidity is unlimited, while all things to be valued
attend them: such men pursue the way of heaven and earth, and display the characteristics of
the sages. Hence it is said,
'Placidity, indifference, silence, quietude, absolute vacancy, and non-action: these
are the qualities which maintain the level of heaven and earth and are the substance of the
Tao and its characteristics.'
2:
In accordance with this it is said,
'The sage is entirely restful, and so (his mind) is evenly balanced and at ease.
This even balance and ease appears in his placidity and indifference. In this state of even
balance and ease, of placidity and indifference, anxieties and evils do not find access to
him, no depraving influence can take him by surprise; his virtue is complete, and his spirit
continues unimpaired.'
Therefore it is (also) said,
'The life of the sage is (like) the action of Heaven; and his death is the
transformation common to (all) things. In his stillness his virtue is the same as that of
the Yin, and in movement his diffusiveness is like that of the Yang. He does not take the
initiative in producing either happiness or calamity. He responds to the influence acting on
him, and moves as he feels the pressure. He rises to act only when he is obliged to do so.
He discards wisdom and the memories of the past; he follows the lines of his Heaven (-given
nature); and therefore he suffers no calamity from Heaven, no involvement from things, no
blame from men, and no reproof from the spirits of the dead. His life seems to float along;
his death seems to be a resting. He does not indulge any anxious doubts; he does not lay
plans beforehand. His light is without display; his good faith is without previous
arrangement. His sleep is untroubled by dreams; his waking is followed by no sorrows. His
spirit is guileless and pure; his soul is not subject to weariness. Vacant and without
self-assertion, placid and indifferent, he agrees with the virtue of Heaven.'
Therefore it is said (further),
'Sadness and pleasure show a depraving element in the virtue (of those who feel
them); joy and anger show some error in their course; love and hatred show a failure of
their virtue. Hence for the mind to be free from sorrow and pleasure is the perfection of
virtue; to be of one mind that does not change is the perfection of quietude; to be
conscious of no opposition is the perfection of vacancy; to have no intercourse with
(external) things is the perfection of indifference; and to have no rebellious
dissatisfactions is the perfection of purity.'
3:
Therefore it is said (still further),
'If the body be toiled, and does not rest, it becomes worn out; if the spirit be
used without cessation, it becomes toiled; and when toiled, it becomes exhausted. It is the
nature of water, when free from admixture, to be clear, and, when not agitated, to be level;
while if obstructed and not allowed to flow, it cannot preserve its clearness; – being
an image of the virtue of Heaven.'
Hence it is said (once again),
'To be guileless and pure, and free from all admixture; to be still and uniform,
without undergoing any change; to be indifferent and do nothing; to move and yet to act like
Heaven: this is the way to nourish the spirit. Now he who possesses a sword made at
Kan-yüeh preserves it carefully in a box, and does not dare to use it; – it is
considered the perfection of valuable swords. But the human spirit goes forth in all
directions, flowing on without limit, reaching to heaven above, and wreathing round the
earth beneath. It transforms and nourishes all things, and cannot be represented by any
form. Its name is "the Divinity (in man)." It is only the path of pure simplicity which
guards and preserves the Spirit. When this path is preserved and not lost, it becomes one
with the Spirit; and in this ethereal amalgamation, it acts in harmony with the orderly
operation of Heaven.'
There is the vulgar saying,
'The multitude of men consider gain to be the most important thing; pure scholars,
fame; those who are wise and able value their ambition; the sage prizes essential
purity.'
Therefore simplicity is the denomination of that in which there is no admixture;
purity of that in which the spirit is not impaired. It is he who can embody simplicity and
purity whom we call the True Man.
1:
Those who would correct their nature by means of the vulgar learning, seeking to
restore it to its original condition, and those who would regulate their desires by the
vulgar [common] ways of thinking, seeking thereby to carry their intelligence to perfection,
must be pronounced to be deluded and ignorant people. The ancients who regulated the Tao
nourished their faculty of knowledge by their placidity, and all through life abstained from
employing that faculty in action; – they must be pronounced to have (thus also)
nourished their placidity by their knowledge.
When the faculty of knowledge and the placidity (thus) blend together, and they
nourish each other, then from the nature there come forth harmony and orderly method. The
attributes (of the Tao) constitute the harmony; the Tao (itself) secures the orderly method.
When the attributes appear in a universal practice of forbearance, we have Benevolence; when
the path is all marked by orderly method, we have Righteousness; when the righteousness is
clearly manifested, and (all) things are regarded with affection, we have Leal-heartedness;
when the (heart's) core is thus (pure) and real, and carried back to its (proper)
qualities, we have Music; when this sincerity appears in all the range of the capacity, and
its demonstrations are in accordance with what is elegant, we have Ceremony. If Ceremonies
and Music are carried out in an imperfect and one-sided manner, the world is thrown into
confusion. When men would rectify others, and their own virtue is beclouded, it is not
sufficient to extend itself to them. If an attempt be made so to extend it, they also will
lose their (proper) nature.
2:
The men of old, while the chaotic condition was yet undeveloped, shared the placid
tranquillity which belonged to the whole world. At that time the Yin and Yang were
harmonious and still; their resting and movement proceeded without any disturbance; the four
seasons had their definite times; not a single thing received any injury, and no living
being came to a premature end. Men might be possessed of (the faculty of) knowledge, but
they had no occasion for its use. This was what is called the state of Perfect Unity. At
this time, there was no action on the part of any one, but a constant manifestation of
spontaneity.
This condition (of excellence) deteriorated and decayed, till Sui-zän and
Fu-hsi arose and commenced their administration of the world; on which came a compliance
(with their methods), but the state of unity was lost. The condition going on to deteriorate
and decay, Shän Näng and Hwang-Ti arose, and took the administration of the world,
on which (the people) rested (in their methods), but did not themselves comply with them.
Still the deterioration and decay continued till the lords of Tang and Yü began to
administer the world. These introduced the method of governing by transformation, resorting
to the stream (instead of to the spring), thus vitiating the purity and destroying the
simplicity (of the nature). They left the Tao, and substituted the Good for it, and pursued
the course of Haphazard Virtue. After this they forsook their nature and followed (the
promptings of) their minds. One mind and another associated their knowledge, but were unable
to give rest to the world. Then they added to this knowledge (external and) elegant forms,
and went on to make these more and more numerous. The forms extinguished the (primal)
simplicity, till the mind was drowned by their multiplicity. After this the people began to
be perplexed and disordered, and had no way by which they might return to their true nature,
and bring back their original condition.
3:
Looking at the subject from this point of view, we see how the world lost the
(proper) course, and how the course (which it took) only led it further astray. The world
and the Way, when they came together, being (thus) lost to each other, how could the men of
the Way make themselves conspicuous in the world? and how could the world rise to an
appreciation of the Way? Since the Way had no means to make itself conspicuous in the world,
and the world had no means of rising to an appreciation of the Way, though sagely men might
not keep among the hills and forests, their virtue was hidden; – hidden, but not
because they themselves sought to hide it.
Those whom the ancients called 'Retired Scholars' did not conceal their persons, and
not allow themselves to be seen; they did not shut up their words, and refuse to give
utterance to them; they did not hide away their knowledge, and refuse to bring it forth. The
conditions laid on them by the times were very much awry. If the conditions of the times had
allowed them to act in the world on a great scale, they would have brought back the state of
unity without any trace being perceived (of how they did so), When those conditions shut
them up entirely from such action, they struck their roots deeper (in themselves), were
perfectly still and waited. It was thus that they preserved (the Way in) their own persons.
4:
The ancients who preserved (the Way in) their own persons did not try by sophistical
reasonings to gloss over their knowledge; they did not seek to embrace (everything in) the
world in their knowledge, nor to comprehend all the virtues in it. Solitary and trembling
they remained where they were, and sought the restoration of their nature. What had they to
do with any further action? The Way indeed is not to be pursued, nor (all) its
characteristics to be known on a small scale. A little knowledge is injurious to those
characteristics; small doings are injurious to the Way; – hence it is said,
'They simply rectified themselves.'
Complete enjoyment is what is meant by 'the Attainment of the Aim.'
What was anciently called 'the Attainment of the Aim' did not mean the getting of
carriages and coronets; it simply meant that nothing more was needed for their enjoyment.
Now-a-days what is called 'the Attainment of the Aim' means the getting of carriages and
coronets. But carriages and coronets belong to the body; they do not affect the nature as it
is constituted. When such things happen to come, it is but for a time; being but for a time,
their coming cannot be obstructed and their going cannot be stopped. Therefore we should not
because of carriages and coronets indulge our aims, nor because of distress and straitness
resort to the vulgar (learning and thinking); the one of these conditions and the other may
equally conduce to our enjoyment, which is simply to be free from anxiety. If now the
departure of what is transient takes away one's enjoyment, this view shows that what
enjoyment it had given was worthless. Hence it is said,
'They who lose themselves in their pursuit of things, and lose their nature in their
study of what is vulgar, must be pronounced people who turn things upside down.'
1:
The time of the autumn floods was come, and the hundred streams were all discharging
themselves into the Ho. Its current was greatly swollen, so that across its channel from
bank to bank one could not distinguish an ox from a horse. On this the (Spirit-) earl of the
Ho laughed with delight, thinking that all the beauty of the world was to be found in his
charge. Along the course of the river he walked east till he came to the North Sea, over
which he looked, with his face to the east, without being able to see where its waters
began. Then he began to turn his face round, looked across the expanse, (as if he were)
confronting Zo, and said with a sigh,
'What the vulgar saying expresses about him who has learned a hundred points (of the
Tao), and thinks that there is no one equal to himself, was surely spoken of me. And
moreover, I have heard parties making little of the knowledge of Kung-ni and the
righteousness of Po-i, and at first I did not believe them. Now I behold the
all-but-boundless extent (of your realms). If I had not come to your gate, I should have
been in danger (of continuing in my ignorance), and been laughed at for long in the schools
of our great System.'
Zo, (the Spirit-lord) of the Northern Sea, said,
'A frog in a well cannot be talked with about the sea; – he is confined to the
limits of his hole. An insect of the summer cannot be talked with about ice; – it knows
nothing beyond its own season. A scholar of limited views cannot be talked with about the
Tao; – he is bound by the teaching (which he has received). Now you have come forth
from between your banks, and beheld the great sea. You have come to know your own ignorance
and inferiority, and are in the way of being fitted to be talked with about great
principles. Of all the waters under heaven there are none so great as the sea. A myriad
streams flow into it without ceasing, and yet it is not filled; and afterwards it discharges
them (also) without ceasing, and yet it is not emptied. In spring and in autumn it undergoes
no change; it takes no notice of floods or of drought. Its superiority over such streams
even as the Kiang and the Ho cannot be told by measures or numbers; and that I have never,
notwithstanding this, made much of myself, is because I compare my own bodily form with (the
greatness of) heaven and earth, and (remember that) I have received my breath from the Yin
and Yang. Between heaven and earth I am but as a small stone or a small tree on a great
hill. So long as I see myself to be thus small, how should I make much of myself? I estimate
all within the four seas, compared with the space between heaven and earth, to be not so
large as that occupied by a pile of stones in a large marsh! I estimate our Middle States,
compared with the space between the four seas, to be smaller than a single little grain of
rice in a great granary! When we would set forth the number of things (in existence), we
speak of them as myriads; and man is only one of them. Men occupy all the nine provinces;
but of all whose life is maintained by grain-food, wherever boats and carriages reach, men
form only one portion. Thus, compared with the myriads of things, they are not equal to a
single fine hair on the body of a horse. Within this range are comprehended all (the
territories) which the five Tis received in succession from one another; all which the royal
founders of the three dynasties contended for; all which excited the anxiety of Benevolent
men; and all which men in office have toiled for. Po-i was accounted famous for declining
(to share in its government), and Kung-ni was accounted great because of the lessons which
he addressed to it. They acted as they did, making much of themselves; – therein like
you who a little time ago did so of yourself because of your (volume of) water!'
2:
The earl of the Ho said,
'Well then, may I consider heaven and earth as (the ideal of) what is great, and the
point of a hair as that of what is small?'
Zo of the Northern Sea replied,
'No. The (different) capacities of things are illimitable; time never stops, (but is
always moving on); man's lot is ever changing; the end and the beginning of things never
occur (twice) in the same way. Therefore men of great wisdom, looking at things far off or
near at hand, do not think them insignificant for being small, nor much of them for being
great: knowing how capacities differ illimitably. They appeal with intelligence to things of
ancient and recent occurrence, without being troubled by the remoteness of the former, or
standing on tiptoe to lay hold of the latter: knowing that time never stops in its course.
They examine with discrimination (cases of) fulness and of want, not overjoyed by success,
nor disheartened by failure: knowing the inconstancy of man's lot. They know the plain and
quiet path (in which things proceed), therefore they are not overjoyed to live, nor count it
a calamity to die: the end and the beginning of things never occurring (twice) in the same
way.
'We must reckon that what men know is not so much as what they do not know, and that
the time since they were born is not so long as that which elapsed before they were born.
When they take that which is most small and try to fill with it the dimensions of what is
most great, this leads to error and confusion, and they cannot attain their end. Looking at
the subject in this way, how can you know that the point of a hair is sufficient to
determine the minuteness of what is most small, or that heaven and earth are sufficient to
complete the dimensions of what is most large?'
3:
The earl of the Ho said,
'The disputers of the world all say, "That which is most minute has no bodily form;
and that which is most great cannot be encompassed; "—is this really the
truth?'
Zo of the Northern Sea replied,
'When from the standpoint of what is small we look at what is great, we do not take
it all in; when from the standpoint of what is great we look at what is small, we do not see
it clearly. Now the subtile essence is smallness in its extreme degree; and the vast mass is
greatness in its largest form. Different as they are, each has its
suitability,—according to their several conditions. But the subtile and the gross both
presuppose that they have a bodily form. Where there is no bodily form, there is no longer a
possibility of numerical division; where it is not possible to encompass a mass, there is no
longer a possibility of numerical estimate. What can be discoursed about in words is the
grossness of things; what can be reached in idea is the subtilty of things. What cannot be
discoursed about in words, and what cannot be reached by nice discrimination of thought, has
nothing to do either with subtilty or grossness.
'Therefore while the actions of the Great Man are not directed to injure men, he
does not plume himself on his benevolence and kindness; while his movements are not made
with a view to gain, he does not consider the menials of a family as mean; while he does not
strive after property and wealth, he does not plume himself on declining them; while he does
not borrow the help of others to accomplish his affairs, he does not plume himself on
supporting himself by his own strength, nor does he despise those who in their greed do what
is mean; while he differs in his conduct from the vulgar, he does not plume himself on being
so different from them; while it is his desire to follow the multitude, he does not despise
the glib-tongued flatterers. The rank and emoluments of the world furnish no stimulus to
him, nor does he reckon its punishments and shame to be a disgrace. He knows that the right
and the wrong can (often) not be distinguished, and that what is small and what is great can
(often) not be defined. I have heard it said, "The Man of Tao does not become distinguished;
the greatest virtue is unsuccessful; the Great Man has no thought of self; "—to so
great a degree may the lot be restricted.'
4:
The earl of the Ho said,
'Whether the subject be what is external in things, or what is internal, how do we
come to make a distinction between them as noble and mean, and as great or small?'
Zo of the Northern Sea replied,
'When we look at them in the light of the Tao, they are neither noble nor mean.
Looking at them in themselves, each thinks itself noble, and despises others. Looking at
them in the light of common opinion, their being noble or mean does not depend on
themselves. Looking at them in their differences from one another, if we call those great
which are greater than others, there is nothing that is not great, and in the same way there
is nothing that is not small. We shall (thus) know that heaven and earth is but (as) a grain
of the smallest rice, and that the point of a hair is (as) a mound or a mountain; –
such is the view given of them by their relative size. Looking at them from the services
they render, allowing to everything the service which it does, there is not one which is not
serviceable; and, extending the consideration to what it does not do, there is not one which
is not unserviceable. We know (for instance) that East and West are opposed to each other,
and yet that the one cannot be without (suggesting the idea of) the other; – (thus)
their share of mutual service is determined. Looking at them with respect to their
tendencies, if we approve of what they approve, then there is no one who may not be approved
of; and, if we condemn what they condemn, there is no one who may not be condemned. There
are the cases of Yao and Kieh, each of whom approved of his own course, and condemned the
other; – such is the view arising from the consideration of tendency and aim.
'Formerly Yao and Shun resigned (their thrones), and yet each continued to be Ti;
Kih-khwâi resigned (his marquisate) which led to his ruin. Tang and Wu contended (for
the sovereignty), and each became king; the duke of Pâi contended (for Ku), which led
to his extinction. Looking at the subject from these examples of striving by force and of
resigning, and from the conduct of Yao (on the one hand) and of Kieh (on the other), we see
that there is a time for noble acting, and a time for mean; – these characteristics are
subject to no regular rule.
5:
'A battering ram may be used against the wall of a city, but it cannot be employed
to stop up a hole; – the uses of implements are different. The (horses) Khih-ki and
Hwâ-liu could in one day gallop 1000 li, but for catching rats they were not equal to
a wild dog or a weasel; – the gifts of creatures are different. The white horned owl
collects its fleas in the night-time, and can discern the point of a hair, but in bright day
it stares with its eyes and cannot see a mound or a hill; – the natures of creatures
are different.
'Hence the sayings, "Shall we not follow and honour the right, and have nothing to
do with the wrong? shall we not follow and honour those who secure good government, and have
nothing to do with those who produce disorder?" show a want of acquaintance with the
principles of Heaven and Earth, and with the different qualities of things. It is like
following and honouring Heaven and taking no account of Earth; it is like following and
honouring the Yin and taking no account of the Yang. It is clear that such a course cannot
be pursued. Yet notwithstanding they go on talking so: if they are not stupid, they are
visionaries. The Ti sovereigns resigned their thrones to others in one way, and the rulers
of the three dynasties transmitted their thrones to their successors in another. He who acts
differently from the requirements of his time and contrary to its custom is called an
usurper; he who complies with the time and follows the common practice is said to be
righteous. Hold your peace, O earl of the Ho. How should you know what constitutes being
noble and being mean, or who are the small and who the great?'
6:
The earl of the Ho said,
'Very well. But what am I to do? and what am I not to do? How am I to be guided
after all in regard to what I accept or reject, and what I pursue or put away from
me?'
Zo of the Northern Sea replied,
'From the standpoint of the Tao, what is noble? and what is mean? These expressions
are but the different extremes of the average level. Do not keep pertinaciously to your own
ideas, which put you in such opposition to the Tao. What are few? and what are many? These
are denominations which we employ in thanking (donors) and dispensing gifts. Do not study
to be uniform in doing so; – it only shows how different you are from the Tao. Be
severe and strict, like the ruler of a state who does not selfishly bestow his favours. Be
scrupulous, yet gentle, like the tutelary spirit of the land, when sacrifice is offered to
him who does not bestow his blessing selfishly. Be large-minded like space, whose four
terminating points are illimitable, and form no particular enclosures. Hold all things in
your love, favouring and supporting none specially. This is called being without any local
or partial regard; all things are equally regarded; there is no long or short among
them.
'There is no end or beginning to the Tao. Things indeed die and are born, not
reaching a perfect state which can be relied on. Now there is emptiness, and now fulness;
—they do not continue in one form. The years cannot be reproduced; time cannot be
arrested. Decay and growth, fulness and emptiness, when they end, begin again. It is thus
that we describe the method of great righteousness, and discourse about the principle
pervading all things. The life of things is like the hurrying and galloping along of a
horse. With every movement there is a change; with every moment there is an alteration.
What should you be doing? what should you not be doing? You have only to be allowing this
course of natural transformation to be going on.'
7:
The earl of the Ho said,
'What then is there so valuable in the Tao?'
Zo of the Northern Sea replied,
'He who knows the Tao, is sure to be well acquainted with the principles (that
appear in the procedures of things). Acquainted with (those) principles, he is sure to
understand how to regulate his conduct in all varying circumstances. Having that
understanding, he will not allow things to injure himself. Fire cannot burn him who is (so)
perfect in virtue, nor water drown him; neither cold nor heat can affect him injuriously;
neither bird nor beast can hurt him. This does not mean that he is indifferent to these
things; it means that he discriminates between where he may safely rest and where he will be
in peril; that he is tranquil equally in calamity and happiness; that he is careful what he
avoids and what he approaches; – so that nothing can injure him. Hence it is said,
"What is heavenly is internal; what is human is external." The virtue (of man) is in what is
Heavenly. If you know the operation of what is Heavenly and what is Human, you will have
your root in what is Heavenly and your position in Virtue. You will bend or stretch (only)
after the (necessary) hesitation; you will have returned to the essential, and may be
pronounced to have reached perfection.'
'What do you mean,' pursued the earl, 'by the Heavenly, and by the Human?'
Zo replied,
'Oxen and horses have four feet; – that is what I call their Heavenly
(constitution). When horses' heads are haltered, and the noses of oxen are pierced, that is
what I call (the doing of) Man. Hence it is said, "Do not by the Human (doing) extinguish
the Heavenly (constitution); do not for your (Human) purpose extinguish the appointment (of
Heaven); do not bury your (proper) fame in (such) a pursuit of it; carefully guard (the Way)
and do not lose it: this is what I call reverting to your True (Nature)."'
8:
The khwei [a sort of dragon with one foot, or a worm] desires to be like the
millipede; the millipede to be like the serpent; the serpent like the wind; the wind to be
like the eye; and the eye to be like the mind.
The khwei said to the millipede,
'With my one leg I hop about, and can hardly manage to go along. Now you have a
myriad feet which you can employ; how is it that you are so abundantly furnished?'
The millipede said,
'It is not so. Have you not seen one ejecting saliva? The largest portion of it is
like a pearl, while the smaller portions fall down like a shower of mist in innumerable
drops. Now I put in motion the springs set in me by Heaven, without knowing how I do
so.'
The millipede said to the serpent,
'I go along by means of my multitude of feet; and yet how is it that I do not go so
fast as you who have no feet at all?'
The serpent replied,
'How can the method of moving by the springs set in us by Heaven be changed? How
could I make use of feet?'
The serpent said to the wind,
'I get along by moving my backbone and ribs, thus appearing to have some (bodily)
means of progression. But now you, Sir, rise with a blustering force in the North Sea, and
go on in the same way to the South Sea; – seemingly without any such means. How does it
take place?'
The wind said,
'Yes. With such a blustering force I rise in the North Sea and go on to the South
Sea. But you can point to me, and therein are superior to me, as you are also in treading on
me. Yet notwithstanding, it is only I who can break great trees, and blow down great houses.
Therefore he whom all that are small cannot overcome is a great overcomer. But it is only he
who is the sagely man that is the Great Conqueror (of all).'
9:
When Confucius was travelling in Khwang, some people of Sung (once) surrounded him
(with a hostile intention) several ranks deep; but he kept singing to his lute without
stopping. Tzu-lu came in, and saw him, and said,
'How is it, Master, that you are so pleased?'
Confucius said,
'Come here, and I will tell you. I have tried to avoid being reduced to such a
strait for a long time; and that I have not escaped shows that it was so appointed for me. I
have sought to find a ruler that would employ me for a long time, and that I have not found
one, shows the character of the time. Under Yao and Shun there was no one in the kingdom
reduced to straits like mine; and it was not by their sagacity that men succeeded as they
did. Under Kieh and Kâu no (good and able man) in the kingdom found his way to
employment; and it was not for (want of) sagacity that they failed to do so. It was simply
owing to the times and their character.
'People that do business on the water do not shrink from meeting iguanodons and
dragons; – that is the courage of fishermen. Those who do business on land do not
shrink from meeting rhinoceroses and tigers; – that is the courage of hunters. When men
see the sharp weapons crossed before them, and look on death as going home; – that is
the courage of the determined soldier. When he knows that his strait is determined for him,
and that the employment of him by a ruler depends on the character of the time, and then
meeting with great distress is yet not afraid; -that is the courage of the sagely man. Wait,
my good Yu, and you will see what there is determined for me in my lot.'
A little afterwards, the leader of the armed men approached and took his leave,
saying,
'We thought you were Yang Hu, and therefore surrounded you. Now we see our
mistake.'
(With this) he begged to take his leave, and withdrew.
10:
Kung-sun Lung asked Mâu of Wei, saying,
'When I was young, I learned the teachings of the former kings; and when I was
grown up, I became proficient in the practice of benevolence and righteousness. I brought
together the views that agreed and disagreed; I considered the questions about hardness and
whiteness; I set forth what was to be affirmed and what was not, and what was allowable and
what was not; I studied painfully the various schools of thought, and made myself master of
the reasonings of all their masters. I thought that I had reached a good understanding of
every subject; but now that I have heard the words of Master Chuang, they throw me into a
flutter of surprise. I do not know whether it be that I do not come up to him in the power
of discussion, or that my knowledge is not equal to his. But now I do not feel able to open
my mouth, and venture to ask you what course I should pursue.'
Kung Tzu Mâu leant forward on his stool, drew a long breath, looked up to
heaven, smiled, and said,
'Have you not heard of the frog of the dilapidated well, and how it said to the
turtle of the Eastern Sea, "How I enjoy myself? I leap upon the parapet of this well. I
enter, and having by means of the projections formed by the fragments of the broken tiles of
the lining proceeded to the water, I draw my legs together, keep my chin up, (and strike
out). When I have got to the mud, I dive till my feet are lost in it. Then turning round, I
see that of the shrimps, crabs, and tadpoles there is not one that can do like me. Moreover,
when one has entire command of all the water in the gully, and hesitates to go forward, it
is the greatest pleasure to enjoy one's self here in this dilapidated well; – why do
not you, Master, often come and enter, and see it for yourself? "The turtle of the Eastern
Sea (was then proceeding to go forward), but before he had put in his left foot, he found
his right knee caught and held fast. On this he hesitated, drew back, and told (the frog)
all about the sea, saying, "A distance of a thousand li is not sufficient to express its
extent, nor would (a line of) eight thousand cubits be equal to sound its depth. In the
time of Yü, for nine years out of ten the flooded land (all drained into it), and its
water was not sensibly increased; and in the time of Tang for seven years out of eight there
was a drought, but the rocks on the shore (saw) no diminution of the water because of it.
Thus it is that no change is produced in its waters by any cause operating for a short time
or a long, and that they do not advance nor recede for any addition or subtraction, whether
great or small; and this is the great pleasure afforded by the Eastern Sea." When the frog
of the dilapidated well heard this, he was amazed and terror-struck, and lost himself in
surprise.
'And moreover, when you, who have not wisdom enough to know where the discussions
about what is right and what is wrong should end, still desire to see through the words of
Master Chuang, that is like employing a mosquito to carry a mountain on its back, or a
millipede to gallop as fast as the Ho runs; – tasks to which both the insects are sure
to be unequal. Still further, when you, who have not wisdom enough to know the words
employed in discussing very mysterious subjects, yet hasten to show your sharpness of speech
on any occasion that may occur, is not this being like the frog of the dilapidated
well?
'And that (Master Chuang) now plants his foot on the Yellow Springs (below the
earth), and anon rises to the height of the Empyrean. Without any regard to south and north,
with freedom he launches out in every direction, and is lost in the unfathomable. Without
any regard to east and west, starting from what is abysmally obscure, he comes back to what
is grandly intelligible. (All the while), you, Sir, in amazement, search for his views to
examine them, and grope among them for matter for discussion; —this is just like
peeping at the heavens through a tube, or aiming at the earth with an awl; are not both the
implements too small for the purpose? Go your ways, Sir.
'And have you not heard of the young learners of Shâu-ling, and how they did
in Han-tan? Before they had acquired what they might have done in that capital, they had
forgotten what they had learned to do in their old city, and were marched back to it on
their hands and knees. If now you do not go away, you will forget your old acquirements, and
fail in your profession.'
Kung-sun Lung gaped on the speaker, and could not shut his mouth, and his tongue
clave to its roof. He slank away and ran off.
11:
Master Chuang was (once) fishing in the river Phu, when the king of Ku sent two
great officers to him, with the message,
'I wish to trouble you with the charge of all within my territories.'
Master Chuang kept on holding his rod without looking round, and said,
'I have heard that in Ku there is a spirit-like tortoise-shell, the wearer of which
died 3000 years ago, and which the king keeps, in his ancestral temple, in a hamper covered
with a cloth. Was it better for the tortoise to die, and leave its shell to be thus
honoured? Or would it have been better for it to live and keep on dragging its tail through
the mud?'
The two officers said,
'It would have been better for it to live and draw its tail after it over the
mud.'
'Go your ways. I will keep on drawing my tail after me through the mud.'
12:
Master Hui being a minister of state in Liang, Master Chuang went to see him. Some
one had told Master Hui that Master Chuang was come with a wish to supersede him in his
office, on which he was afraid, and instituted a search for the stranger all over the
kingdom for three days and three nights. (After this) Master Chuang went and saw him, and
said,
'There is in the south a bird, called "the Young Phoenix"; – do you know it?
Starting from the South Sea, it flies to the Northern; never resting but on the bignonia,
never eating but the fruit of the melia azederach, and never drinking but from the purest
springs. An owl, which had got a putrid rat, (once), when a phoenix went passing overhead,
looked up to it and gave an angry scream. Do you wish now, in your possession of the kingdom
of Liang, to frighten me with a similar scream?'
13:
Master Chuang and Master Hui were walking on the dam over the Hâo, when the
former said,
'These thryssas come out and play about at their ease; – that is the enjoyment
of fishes.'
The other said,
'You are not a fish; how do you know what constitutes the enjoyment of
fishes?'
Master Chuang rejoined,
'You are not I. How do you know that I do not know what constitutes the enjoyment of
fishes?'
Master Hui said,
'I am not you; and though indeed I do not fully know you, you certainly are not a
fish, and (the argument) is complete against your knowing what constitutes the happiness of
fishes.'
Master Chuang replied,
'Let us keep to your original question. You said to me, "How do you know what
constitutes the enjoyment of fishes?" You knew that I knew it, and yet you put your question
to me; – well, I know it (from our enjoying ourselves together) over the Hâo.'
1:
Under the sky is perfect enjoyment to be found or not? Are there any who can
preserve themselves alive or not? If there be, what do they do? What do they maintain? What
do they avoid? What do they attend to? Where do they resort to? Where do they keep from?
What do they delight in? What do they dislike?
What the world honours is riches, dignities, longevity, and being deemed able. What
it delights in is rest for the body, rich flavours, fine garments, beautiful colours, and
pleasant music. What it looks down on are poverty and mean condition, short life and being
deemed feeble. What men consider bitter experiences are that their bodies do not get rest
and case, that their mouths do not get food of rich flavour, that their persons are not
finely clothed, that their eyes do not see beautiful colours, and that their ears do not
listen to pleasant music. If they do not get these things, they are very sorrowful, and go
on to be troubled with fears. Their thoughts are all about the body; – are they not
silly?
Now the rich embitter their lives by their incessant labours; they accumulate more
wealth than they can use: while they act thus for the body, they make it external to
themselves. Those who seek for honours carry their pursuit of them from the day into the
night, full of anxiety about their methods whether they are skilful or not: while they act
thus for the body they treat it as if it were indifferent to them. The birth of man is at
the same time the birth of his sorrow; and if he live long he becomes more and more stupid,
and the longer is his anxiety that he may not die; how great is his bitterness!—while
he thus acts for his body, it is for a distant result. Meritorious officers are regarded by
the world as good; but (their goodness) is not sufficient to keep their persons alive. I do
not know whether the goodness ascribed to them be really good or really not good. If indeed
it be considered good, it is not sufficient to preserve their persons alive; if it be deemed
not good, it is sufficient to preserve other men alive. Hence it is said,
'When faithful remonstrances are not listened to, (the remonstrant) should sit
still, let (his ruler) take his course, and not strive with him.'
Therefore when Tzu-hsü strove with (his ruler), he brought on himself the
mutilation of his body. If he had not so striven, he would not have acquired his fame: was
such (goodness) really good or was it not?
As to what the common people now do, and what they find their enjoyment in, I do not
know whether the enjoyment be really enjoyment or really not. I see them in their pursuit of
it following after all their aims as if with the determination of death, and as if they
could not stop in their course; but what they call enjoyment would not be so to me, while
yet I do not say that there is no enjoyment in it. Is there indeed such enjoyment, or is
there not? I consider doing nothing (to obtain it) to be the great enjoyment', while
ordinarily people consider it to be a great evil. Hence it is said,
'Perfect enjoyment is to be without enjoyment; the highest praise is to be without
praise.'
The right and the wrong (on this point of enjoyment) cannot indeed be determined
according to (the view of) the world; nevertheless, this doing nothing (to obtain it) may
determine the right and the wrong. Since perfect enjoyment is (held to be) the keeping the
body alive, it is only by this doing nothing that that end is likely to be secured. Allow me
to try and explain this (more fully): Heaven does nothing, and thence comes its serenity;
Earth does nothing, and thence comes its rest. By the union of these two inactivities, all
things are produced. How vast and imperceptible is the process!—they seem to come from
nowhere! How imperceptible and vast!—there is no visible image of it! All things in all
their variety grow from this Inaction. Hence it is said,
'Heaven and Earth do nothing, and yet there is nothing that they do not
do.'
But what man is there that can attain to this inaction?
2:
When Master Chuang's wife died, Master Hui went to condole with him, and, finding
him squatted on the ground, drumming on the basin, and singing, said to him,
'When a wife has lived with her husband, and brought up children, and then dies in
her old age, not to wail for her is enough. When you go on to drum on this basin and sing,
is it not an excessive (and strange) demonstration?'
Master Chuang replied,
'It is not so. When she first died, was it possible for me to be singular and not
affected by the event? But I reflected on the commencement of her being. She had not yet
been born to life; not only had she no life, but she had no bodily form; not only bad she no
bodily form, but she had no breath. During the intermingling of the waste and dark chaos,
there ensued a change, and there was breath; another change, and there was the bodily form;
another change, and there came birth and life. There is now a change again, and she is
dead. The relation between these things is like the procession of the four seasons from
spring to autumn, from winter to summer. There now she lies with her face up, sleeping in
the Great Chamber; and if I were to fall sobbing and going on to wail for her, I should
think that I did not understand what was appointed (for all). I therefore restrained
myself!'
3:
Mr. Deformed and Mr. One-foot were looking at the mound-graves of the departed in
the wild of Kun-lun, where Hwang-Ti had entered into his rest. Suddenly a tumour began to
grow on their left wrists, which made them look distressed as if they disliked it. The
former said to the other,
'Do you dread it?'
'No,' replied he, 'why should I dread it? Life is a borrowed thing. The living frame
thus borrowed is but so much dust. Life and death are like day and night. And you and I were
looking at (the graves of) those who have undergone their change. If my change is coming to
me, why should I dislike it?'
4:
When Master Chuang went to Ku, he saw an empty skull, bleached indeed, but still
retaining its shape. Tapping it with his horse-switch, he asked it, saying,
'Did you, Sir, in your greed of life, fail in the lessons of reason, and come to
this? Or did you do so, in the service of a perishing state, by the punishment of the axe?
Or was it through your evil conduct, reflecting disgrace on your parents and on your wife
and children? Or was it through your hard endurances of cold and hunger? Or was it that you
had completed your term of life?'
Having given expression to these questions, he took up the skull, and made a pillow
of it when he went to sleep. At midnight the skull appeared to him in a dream, and
said,
'What you said to me was after the fashion of an orator. All your words were about
the entanglements of men in their lifetime. There are none of those things after death.
Would you like to hear me, Sir, tell you about death?'
'I should,' said Master Chuang, and the skull resumed:
'In death there are not (the distinctions of) ruler above and minister below. There
are none of the phenomena of the four seasons. Tranquil and at ease, our years are those of
heaven and earth. No king in his court has greater enjoyment than we have.'
Master Chuang did not believe it, and said,
'If I could get the Ruler of our Destiny to restore your body to life with its bones
and flesh and skin, and to give you back your father and mother, your wife and children, and
all your village acquaintances, would you wish me to do so?'
The skull stared fixedly at him, knitted its brows, and said,
'How should I cast away the enjoyment of my royal court, and undertake again the
toils of life among mankind?'
5:
When Yen Yü an went eastwards to Khi, Confucius wore a look of sorrow. Tzu-kung
left his mat, and asked him, saying,
'Your humble disciple ventures to ask how it is that the going eastwards of Hui to
Khi has given you such a look of sadness.'
Confucius said,
'Your question is good. Formerly Master Chuang used words of which I very much
approve. He said, "A small bag cannot be made to contain what is large; a short rope cannot
be used to draw water from a deep well." So it is, and man's appointed lot is definitely
determined, and his body is adapted for definite ends, so that neither the one nor the other
can be augmented or diminished. I am afraid that Hui will talk with the marquis of Khi about
the ways of Hwang-Ti, Yao, and Shun, and go on to relate the words of Sui-zän and
Shän Näng. The marquis will seek (for the correspondence of what he is told) in
himself; and, not finding it there, will suspect the speaker; and that speaker, being
suspected, will be put to death. And have you not heard this?—Formerly a sea-bird
alighted in the suburban country of Lu. The marquis went out to meet it, (brought it) to
the ancestral temple, and prepared to banquet it there. The Kiu-shâo was performed to
afford it music; an ox, a sheep, and a pig were killed to supply the food. The bird,
however, looked at everything with dim eyes, and was very sad. It did not venture to eat a
single bit of flesh, nor to drink a single cupful; and in three days it died.
'The marquis was trying to nourish the bird with what he used for himself, and not
with the nourishment proper for a bird. They who would nourish birds as they ought to be
nourished should let them perch in the deep forests, or roam over sandy plains; float on the
rivers and lakes; feed on the eels and small fish; wing their flight in regular order and
then stop; and be free and at ease in their resting-places. It was a distress to that bird
to hear men speak; what did it care for all the noise and hubbub made about it? If the music
of the Kiu-shâo or the Hsien-khih were performed in the wild of the Thung-thing lake,
birds would fly away, and beasts would run off when they heard it, and fishes would dive
down to the bottom of the water; while men, when they hear it, would come all round
together, and look on. Fishes live and men die in the water. They are different in
constitution, and therefore differ in their likes and dislikes. Hence it was that the
ancient sages did not require (from all) the same ability, nor demand the same performances.
They gave names according to the reality of what was done, and gave their approbation where
it was specially suitable. This was what was called the method of universal adaptation and
of sure success.'
6:
Master Lieh (once) upon a journey took a meal by the road-side. There he saw a skull
a hundred years old, and, pulling away the bush (under which it lay), he pointed to it and
said,
'It is only you and I who know that you are not dead, and that (aforetime)
you were not alive. Do you indeed really find (in death) the nourishment (which you like)?
Do I really find (in life my proper) enjoyment? The seeds (of things) are multitudinous and
minute. On the surface of the water they form a membranous texture. When they reach to where
the land and water join they become the (lichens which we call the) clothes of frogs and
oysters. Coming to life on mounds and heights, they become the plantain; and, receiving
manure, appear as crows' feet. The roots of the crow's foot become grubs, and its leaves,
butterflies. This butterfly, known by the name of hsü, is changed into an insect, and
comes to life under a furnace. Then it has the form of a moth, and is named the khü-to.
The khü-to after a thousand days becomes a bird, called the kan-yü-ku. Its saliva
becomes the sze-mi, and this again the shih-hsi (or pickle-eater). The i-lo is produced from
the pickle-eater; the hwang-kwang from the kiu-yu; the mâu-zui from the pu-khwan. The
ying-hsi uniting with a bamboo, which has long ceased to put forth sprouts, produces the
khing-ning; the khing-ning, the panther; the panther, the horse; and the horse, the man. Man
then again enters into the great Machinery (of Evolution), from which all things come forth
(at birth), and which they enter at death.'
1:
He who understands the conditions of life does not strive after what is of no use to
life; and he who understands the conditions of Destiny does not strive after what is beyond
the reach of knowledge. In nourishing the body it is necessary to have beforehand the things
(appropriate to its support); but there are cases where there is a superabundance of such
things, and yet the body is not nourished'. In order to have life it is necessary that it do
not have left the body; but there are cases when the body has not been left by it, and yet
the life has perished.
When life comes, it cannot be declined; when it goes, it cannot be detained. Alas!
the men of the world think that to nourish the body is sufficient to preserve life; and when
such nourishment is not sufficient to preserve the life, what can be done in the world that
will be sufficient? Though (all that men can do) will be insufficient, yet there are things
which they feel they ought to do, and they do not try to avoid doing them. For those who
wish to avoid caring for the body, their best plan is to abandon the world. Abandoning the
world, they are free from its entanglements. Free from its entanglements, their (minds) are
correct and their (temperament) is equable. Thus correct and equable, they succeed in
securing a renewal of life, as some have done'. In securing a renewal of life, they are not
far from the True (Secret of their being). But how is it sufficient to abandon worldly
affairs? and how is it sufficient to forget the (business of) life? Through the renouncing
of (worldly) affairs, the body has no more toil; through forgetting the (business of)
life, the vital power suffers no diminution. When the body is completed and the vital power
is restored (to its original vigour), the man is one with Heaven. Heaven and Earth are the
father and mother of all things. It is by their union that the body is formed; it is by
their separation that a (new) beginning is brought about. When the body and vital power
suffer no diminution, we have what may be called the transference of power. From the vital
force there comes another more vital, and man returns to be the assistant of Heaven.
2:
My master Master Lieh asked Yin, (the warden) of the gate, saying,
'The perfect man walks under water without encountering any obstruction, treads on
fire without being burned, and walks on high above all things without any fear; let me ask
how he attains to do this?'
The warden Yin replied,
'It is by his keeping of the pure breath (of life); it is not to be described as an
achievement of his skill or daring. Sit down, and I will explain it to you. Whatever has
form, semblance, sound, and colour is a thing; how can one thing come to be different from
another? But it is not competent for any of these things to reach to what preceded them all;
—they are but (form and) visibility. But (the perfect man) attains to be (as it were)
without form, and beyond the capability of being transformed. Now when one attains to this
and carries it out to the highest degree, how can other things come into his way to stop
him? He will occupy the place assigned to him without going beyond it, and lie concealed in
the clue which has no end. He will study with delight the process which gives their
beginning and ending to all things. By gathering his nature into a unity, by nourishing his
vital power, by concentrating his virtue, lie will penetrate to the making of things. In
this condition, with his heavenly constitution kept entire, and with no crevice in his
spirit, how can things enter (and disturb his serenity)?
'Take the case of a drunken man falling from his carriage; – though he may
suffer injury, he will not die. His bones and joints are the same as those of other men, but
the injury which he receives is different: his spirit is entire. He knew nothing about his
getting into the carriage, and knew nothing about his falling from it. The thought of death
or life, or of any alarm or affright, does not enter his breast; and therefore he encounters
danger without any shrinking from it. Completely under the influence of the liquor he has
drunk, it is thus with him; – how much more would it be so, if he were under the
influence of his Heavenly constitution! The sagely man is kept hid in his Heavenly
constitution, and therefore nothing can injure him.
'A man in the pursuit of vengeance would not break the (sword) Mo-yê or
Yü-kiang (which had done the deed); nor would one, however easily made wrathful, wreak
his resentment on the fallen brick. In this way all under heaven there would be peace,
without the disorder of assaults and fighting, without the punishments of death and
slaughter: such would be the issue of the course (which I have described). If the
disposition that is of human origin be not developed, but that which is the gift of Heaven,
the development of the latter will produce goodness, while that of the former would produce
hurt. If the latter were not wearied of, and the former not slighted, the people would be
brought nearly to their True nature.'
3:
When Kung-ni was on his way to Ku, as he issued from a forest, he saw a hunchback
receiving cicadas (on the point of a rod), as if he were picking them up with his
hand.
'You are clever!' said he to the man. 'Is there any method in it?'
The hunchback replied,
'There is. For five or six months, I practised with two pellets, till they never
fell down, and then I only failed with a small fraction of the cicadas (which I tried to
catch). Having succeeded in the same way with three (pellets), I missed only one cicada in
ten. Having succeeded with five, I caught the cicadas as if I were gathering them. My body
is to me no more than the stump of a broken trunk, and my shoulder no more than the branch
of a rotten tree. Great as heaven and earth are, and multitudinous as things are, I take no
notice of them, but only of the wings of my cicadas; neither turning nor inclining to one
side. I would not for them all exchange the wings of my cicadas; – how should I not
succeed in taking them?'
Confucius looked round, and said to his disciples,
'Where the will is not diverted from its object, the spirit is concentrated;
"—this might have been spoken of this hunchback gentleman.'
4:
Yen Yü an asked Kung-ni, saying,
'When 1 was crossing the gulf of Khang-shän, the ferryman handled the boat like
a spirit. I asked him whether such management of a boat could be learned, and he replied,
"It may. Good swimmers can learn it quickly; but as for divers, without having seen a boat,
they can manage it at once." He did not directly tell me what I asked; – I venture to
ask you what he meant.'
Kung-ni replied,
'Good swimmers acquire the ability quickly; – they forget the water (and its
dangers). As to those who are able to dive, and without having seen a boat are able to
manage it at once, they look on the watery gulf as if it were a hill-side, and the upsetting
of a boat as the going back of a carriage. Such upsettings and goings back have occurred
before them multitudes of times, and have not seriously affected their minds. Wherever they
go, they feel at ease on their occurrence.
'He who is contending for a piece of earthenware puts forth all his skill. If the
prize be a buckle of brass, he shoots timorously; if it be for an article of gold, he shoots
as if he were blind. The skill of the archer is the same in all the cases; but (in the two
latter cases) he is under the influence of solicitude, and looks on the external prize as
most important. All who attach importance to what is external show stupidity in themselves.'
5:
Thien Khâi-kih was having an interview with duke Wei of Kâu, who said to
him,
'I have heard that (your master) Ku Hsin has studied the subject of Life. What have
you, good Sir, heard from him about it in your intercourse with him?'
Thien Khâi-kih replied,
'In my waiting on him in the courtyard with my broom, what should I have heard from
my master?'
Duke Wei said,
'Do not put the question off, Mr. Thien; I wish to hear what you have to
say.'
Khâi-kih then replied,
'I have heard my master say that they who skilfully nourish their life are like
shepherds, who whip up the sheep that they see lagging behind.'
'What did he mean?' asked the duke. The reply was,
'In Lu there was a Shan Pâo, who lived among the rocks, and drank only water.
He would not share with the people in their toils and the benefits springing from them; and
though he was now in his seventieth year, he had still the complexion of a child.
Unfortunately he encountered a hungry tiger, which killed and ate him. There was also a Kang
Î, who hung up a screen at his lofty door, and to whom all the people hurried (to pay
their respects). In his fortieth year, he fell ill of a fever and died. (Of these two men),
Pho nourished his inner man, and a tiger ate his outer; while I nourished his outer man, and
disease attacked his inner. Both of them neglected whipping up their lagging
sheep.'
Kung-ni said,
'A man should not retire and hide himself; he should not push forward and display
himself; he should be like the decayed tree which stands in the centre of the ground. Where
these three conditions are fulfilled, the name will reach its greatest height. When people
fear the dangers of a path, if one man in ten be killed, then fathers and sons, elder
brothers and younger, warn one another that they must not go out on a journey without a
large number of retainers; – and is it not a mark of wisdom to do so? But there are
dangers which men incur on the mats of their beds, and in eating and drinking; and when no
warning is given against them; – is it not a mark of error?'
6:
The officer of Prayer in his dark and square-cut robes goes to the pig-pen, and thus
counsels the pigs,
'Why should you shrink from dying? I will for three months feed you on grain. Then
for ten days I will fast, and keep vigil for three days, after which I will put down the
mats of white grass, and lay your shoulders and rumps on the carved stand; – will not
this suit you?'
If he had spoken from the standpoint of the pigs, he would have said,
'The better plan will be to feed us with our bran and chaff, and leave us in our
pen.'
When consulting for himself, he preferred to enjoy, while he lived, his carriage and
cap of office, and after death to be borne to the grave on the ornamented carriage, with the
canopy over his coffin. Consulting for the pigs, he did not think of these things, but for
himself he would have chosen them. Why did he think so differently (for himself and) for the
pigs?
7:
(Once), when duke Hwan was hunting by a marsh, with Kwan Kung driving the carriage,
he saw a ghost. Laying his hand on that of Kwan Kung, he said to him,
'Do you see anything, Father Kung?'
'Your servant sees nothing,' was the reply. The duke then returned, talking
incoherently and becoming ill, so that for several days he did not go out. Among the
officers of Khi there was a Master Hwang Kâo-âo, who said to the duke,
'Your Grace is injuring yourself; how could a ghost injure you? When a paroxysm of
irritation is dispersed, and the breath does not return (to the body), what remains in the
body is not sufficient for its wants. When it ascends and does not descend, the patient
becomes accessible to gusts of anger. When it descends and does not ascend, he loses his
memory of things. When it neither ascends nor descends, but remains about the heart in the
centre of the body, it makes him ill.'
The duke said,
'Yes, but are there ghostly sprites?'
The officer replied,
'There are about mountain tarns there is the Li; about furnaces, the Khieh; about
the dust-heaps inside the door, the Lei-thing. In low-lying places in the north-east, the
Pei-a and Wa-lung leap about, and in similar places in the north-west there dwells the
Yi-yang. About rivers there is the Wang-hsiang; about mounds, the Hsin; about hills, the
Khwei; about wilds, the Fang-hwang; about marshes, the Wei-tho.'
'Let me ask what is the Wei-tho like?' asked the duke. Master Hwang said,
'It is the size of the nave of a chariot wheel, and the length of the shaft. It
wears a purple robe and a red cap. It dislikes the rumbling noise of chariot wheels, and,
when it hears it, it puts both its hands to its head and stands up. He who sees it is likely
to become the leader of all the other princes.'
Duke Hwan burst out laughing and said,
'This was what I saw.'
On this he put his robes and cap to rights, and made Master Hwang sit with him.
Before the day was done, his illness was quite gone, he knew not how.
Lin Hsi-hung: The story shows the many troubles that arise from not renouncing
the world. Ensnared by the world, men sacrifice for it their higher life, and are not so
wise as pigs are for their life.
8:
Master Ki Hsing was rearing a fighting-cock for the king. Being asked after ten days
if the bird were ready, he said,
'Not yet; he is still vain and quarrelsome, and relies on his own vigour.'
Being asked the same after other ten days, he said,
'Not yet; he still responds to the crow and the appearance of another
bird.'
After ten days more, he replied,
'Not yet. He still looks angrily, and is full of spirit.'
When a fourth ten days had passed, he replied to the question,
'Nearly so. Though another cock crows, it makes no change in him. To look at him,
you would say he was a cock of wood. His quality is complete. No other cock will dare to
meet him, but will run from him.'
9:
Confucius was looking at the cataract near the gorge of Lü, which fell a height
of 240 cubits, and the spray of which floated a distance of forty li, (producing a
turbulence) in which no tortoise, gavial, fish, or turtle could play. He saw, however, an
old man swimming about in it, as if he had sustained Some great calamity, and wished to end
his life. Confucius made his disciples hasten along the stream to rescue the man; and by the
time they had gone several hundred paces, he was walking along singing, with his hair
dishevelled, and enjoying himself at the foot of the embankment. Confucius followed and
asked him, saying,
'I thought you were a sprite; but, when I look closely at you, I see that you are a
man. Let me ask if you have any particular way of treading the water.'
The man said,
'No, I have no particular way. I began (to learn the art) at the very earliest time;
as I grew up, it became my nature to practise it; and my success in it is now as sure as
fate. I enter and go down with the water in the very centre of its whirl, and come up again
with it when it whirls the other way. I follow the way of the water, and do nothing contrary
to it of myself; – this is how I tread it.'
Confucius said,
'What do you mean by saying that you began to learn the art at the very earliest
time; that as you grew up, it became your nature to practise it, and that your success in it
now is as sure as fate?'
The man replied,
'I was born among these hills and lived contented among them; —that was why I
say that I have trod this water from my earliest time. I grew up by it, and have been happy
treading it; – that is why I said that to tread it had become natural to me. I know not
how I do it, and yet I do it; – that is why I say that my success is as sure as fate.'
10:
Khing, the Worker in Rottlera wood, carved a bell-stand, and when it was completed,
all who saw it were astonished as if it were the work of spirits. The marquis of Lu went to
see it, and asked by what art he had succeeded in producing it.
'Your subject is but a mechanic,' was the reply; 'what art should I be possessed of?
Nevertheless, there is one thing (which I will mention), When your servant had undertaken to
make the bell-stand, I did not venture to waste any of my power, and felt it necessary to
fast in order to compose my mind. After fasting for three days, I did not presume to think
of any congratulation, reward, rank, or emolument (which I might obtain by the execution of
my task); after fasting five days, I did not presume to think of the condemnation or
commendation (which it would produce), or of the skill or want of skill (which it might
display). At the end of the seven days, I had forgotten all about myself; – my four
limbs and my whole person. By this time the thought of your Grace's court (for which I was
to make the thing) had passed away; everything that could divert my mind from exclusive
devotion to the exercise of my skill had disappeared. Then I went into the forest, and
looked at the natural forms of the trees. When I saw one of a perfect form, then the figure
of the bell-stand rose up to my view, and I applied my hand to the work. Had I not met with
such a tree, I must have abandoned the object; but my Heaven-given faculty and the
Heaven-given qualities of the wood were concentrated on it. So it was that my spirit was
thus engaged in the production of the bell-stand.'
11:
Tung-yê Ki was introduced to duke Kwang to exhibit his driving. His horses
went forwards and backwards with the straightness of a line, and wheeled to the right and
the left with the exactness of a circle. The duke thought that the lines and circles could
not be surpassed if they were woven with silken strings, and told him to make a hundred
circuits on the same lines. On the road Yen Ho met the equipage, and on entering (the
palace), and seeing the duke, he said,
'Ki 's horses will break down,' but the duke was silent, and gave him no reply.
After a little the horses did come back, having broken down; and the duke then said,' How
did you know that it would be so?'
Yen Ho said,
'The horses were exhausted, and he was still urging them on. It was this which made
me say that they would break down.'
12:
The artisan Shui made things round (and square) more exactly than if he had used the
circle and square. The operation of his fingers on (the forms of) things was like the
transformations of them (in nature), and required no application of his mind; and so his
Intelligence I was entire and encountered no resistance.
13:
To be unthought of by the foot that wears it is the fitness of a shoe; to be
unthought of by the waist is the fitness of a girdle. When one's wisdom does not think of
the right or the wrong (of a question under discussion), that shows the suitability of the
mind (for the question); when one is conscious of no inward change, or outward attraction,
that shows the mastery of affairs. He who perceives at once the fitness, and never loses the
sense of it, has the fitness that forgets all about what is fitting.
14:
There was a Sun Hsiu who went to the door of Master Pien Khing Tzu, and said to him
in a strange perturbed way,
'When I lived in my village, no one took notice of me, but all said that I did not
cultivate (my fields); in a time of trouble and attack, no one took notice of me, but all
said that I had no courage. But that I did not cultivate my fields, was really because I
never met with a good year; and that I did not do service for our ruler, was because I did
not meet with the suitable opportunity to do so. I have been sent about my business by the
villagers, and am driven away by the registrars of the district; – what is my crime? O
Heaven! how is it that I have met with such a fate?'
Master Pien said to him,
'Have you not heard how the perfect man deals with himself? He forgets that be has a
liver and gall. He takes no thought of his ears and eyes. He seems lost and aimless beyond
the dust and dirt of the world, and enjoys himself at ease in occupations untroubled by the
affairs of business. He may be described as acting and yet not relying on what he does, as
being superior and yet not using his superiority to exercise any control. But now you would
make a display of your wisdom to astonish the ignorant; you would cultivate your person to
make the inferiority of others more apparent; you seek to shine as if you were carrying the
sun and moon in your hands. That you are complete in your bodily frame, and possess all its
nine openings; that you have not met with any calamity in the middle of your course, such as
deafness, blindness, or lameness, and can still take your place as a man among other men;
—in all this you are fortunate. What leisure have you to murmur against Heaven? Go
away, Sir.'
Master Sun on this went out, and Master Pien went inside. Having sitten down, after
a little time he looked up to heaven, and sighed. His disciples asked him why he sighed, and
he said to them,
'Hsiu came to me a little while ago, and I told him the characteristics of the
perfect man. I am afraid he will be frightened, and get into a state of
perplexity.'
His disciples said,
'Not so. If what he said was right, and what you said was wrong, the wrong will
certainly not be able to perplex the right. If what he said was wrong, and what you said was
right, it was just because he was perplexed that he came to you. What was your fault in
dealing with him as you did?'
Master Pien said,
'Not so. Formerly a bird came, and took up its seat in the suburbs of Lu. The ruler
of Lu was pleased with it, and provided an ox, a sheep, and a pig to feast it, causing also
the Kiu-shâo to be performed to delight it. But the bird began to be sad, looked
dazed, and did not venture to eat or drink. This was what is called "Nourishing a bird, as
you would nourish yourself." He who would nourish a bird as a bird should be nourished
should let it perch in a deep forest, or let it float on a river or lake, or let it find its
food naturally and undisturbed on the level dry ground. Now Hsiu (came to me), a man of
slender intelligence, and slight information, and I told him of the characteristics of the
perfect man, it was like using a carriage and horses to convey a mouse, or trying to delight
a quail with the music of bells and drums; could the creatures help being frightened?'
1:
Master Chuang was walking on a mountain, when he saw a great tree with huge branches
and luxuriant foliage. A wood-cutter was resting by its side, but he would not touch it,
and, when asked the reason, said, that it was of no use for anything, Master Chuang then
said to his disciples,
'This tree, because its wood is good for nothing, will succeed in living out its
natural term of years.'
Having left the mountain, the Master lodged in the house of an old friend, who was
glad to see him, and ordered his waiting-lad to kill a goose and boil it. The lad
said,
'One of our geese can cackle, and the other cannot; – which of them shall I
kill?'
The host said,
'Kill the one that cannot cackle.'
Next day, his disciples asked Master Chuang, saying,
'Yesterday the tree on the mountain (you said) would live out its years because of
the uselessness of its wood, and now our host's goose has died because of its want of power
(to cackle); – which of these conditions, Master, would you prefer to be in?'
Master Chuang laughed and said,
'(If I said that) I would prefer to be in a position between being fit to be useful
and wanting that fitness, that would seem to be the right position, but it would not be so,
for it would not put me beyond being involved in trouble; whereas one who takes his seat on
the Tao and its Attributes, and there finds his ease and enjoyment, is not exposed to such a
contingency. He is above the reach both of praise and of detraction; now he (mounts aloft)
like a dragon, now he (keeps beneath) like a snake; he is transformed with the (changing)
character of the time, and is not willing to addict himself to any one thing; now in a high
position and now in a low, he is in harmony with all his surroundings; he enjoys himself at
case with the Author of all things; he treats things as things, and is not a thing to them:
where is his liability to be involved in trouble? This was the method of Shän Näng
and Hwang-Ti. As to those who occupy themselves with the qualities of things, and with the
teaching and practice of the human relations, it is not so with them. Union brings on
separation; success, overthrow; sharp corners, the use of the file; honour, critical
remarks; active exertion, failure; wisdom, scheming; inferiority, being despised: where is
the possibility of unchangeableness in any of these conditions? Remember this, my disciples.
Let your abode be here,-in the Tao and its Attribute.'
2:
Î-liâo, an officer of Shih-nan, having an interview with the marquis of
Lu, found him looking sad, and asked him why he was so. The marquis said,
'I have studied the ways of the former kings, and cultivated the inheritance left me
by my predecessors. I reverence the spirits of the departed and honour the men of worth,
doing this with personal devotion, and without the slightest intermission. Notwithstanding,
I do not avoid meeting with calamity, and this it is which makes me sad.'
The officer said,
'The arts by which you try to remove calamity are shallow. Think of the close-furred
fox and of the elegantly-spotted leopard. They lodge in the forests on the hills, and lurk
in their holes among the rocks; —keeping still. At night they go about, and during day
remain in their lairs; so cautious are they. Even if they are suffering from hunger, thirst,
and other distresses, they still keep aloof from men, seeking their food about the Kiang and
the Ho; – so resolute are they. Still they are not able to escape the danger of the net
or the trap; and what fault is it of theirs? It is their skins which occasion them the
calamity.
'And is not the state of Ku your lordship's skin? I wish your lordship to rip your
skin from your body, to cleanse your heart, to put away your desires, and to enjoy yourself
where you will be without the presence of any one. In the southern state of Yüeh, there
is a district called "the State of Established Virtue." The people are ignorant and simple;
their object is to minimise the thought of self and make their desires few; they labour but
do not lay up their gains; they give but do not seek for any return; they do not know what
righteousness is required of them in any particular case, nor by what ceremonies their
performances should be signalised; acting in a wild and eccentric way as if they were mad,
they yet keep to the grand rules of conduct. Their birth is an occasion for joy; their death
is followed by the rites of burial. I should wish your lordship to leave your state; to give
up your ordinary ways, and to proceed to that country by the directest course.'
The ruler said,
'The way to it is distant and difficult; there are rivers and hills; and as I have
neither boat nor carriage, how am I to go?'
The officer from Shih-nan rejoined,
'If your lordship abjure your personal state, and give up your wish to remain here,
that will serve you for a carriage.'
The ruler rejoined,
'The way to it is solitary and distant, and there are no people on it; – whom
shall 1 have as my companions? I have no provisions prepared, and how shall I get food?-how
shall I be able to get (to the country)?'
The officer said,
'Minimise your lordship's expenditure, and make your wants few, and though you have
no provisions prepared, you will find you have enough. Wade through the rivers and float
along on the sea, where however you look, you see not the shore, and, the farther you go,
you do not see where your journey is to end; – those who escorted you to the shore will
return, and after that you will feel yourself far away. Thus it is that he who owns men (as
their ruler) is involved in troubles, and he who is owned by men (as their ruler) suffers
from sadness; and hence Yao would neither own men, nor be owned by them. I wish to remove
your trouble, and take away your sadness, and it is only (to be done by inducing you) to
enjoy yourself with the Tao in the land of Great Vacuity.
'If a man is crossing a river in a boat, and another empty vessel comes into
collision with it, even though he be a man of a choleric temper, he will not be angry with
it. If there be a person, however, in that boat, he will bawl out to him to haul out of the
way. If his shout be not heard, he will repeat it; and if the other do not then hear, he
will call out a third time, following up the shout with abusive terms. Formerly he was not
angry, but now he is; formerly (he thought) the boat was empty, but now there is a person in
it. If a man can empty himself of himself, during his time in the world, who can harm him?'
3:
Pei-kung Shê was collecting taxes for duke Ling of Wei, to be employed in
making (a peal of) bells. (In connexion with the work) he built an altar outside the gate of
the suburban wall; and in three months the bells were completed, even to the suspending of
the upper and lower (tiers). The king's son Khing-ki saw them, and asked what arts he had
employed in the making of them. Shê replied,
'Besides my undivided attention to them, 1 did not venture to use any arts. I have
heard the saying, "After all the carving and the chiselling, let the object be to return to
simplicity." I was as a child who has no knowledge; I was extraordinarily slow and
hesitating; they grew like the springing plants of themselves. In escorting those who went
and meeting those who came, my object was neither to hinder the corners nor detain the
goers. I suffered those who strongly opposed to take their way, and accepted those who did
their best to come to terms. I allowed them all to do the utmost they could, and in this way
morning and evening I collected the taxes. I did not have the slightest trouble, and how
much more will this be the case with those who pursue the Great Way (on a grand scale)!'
4:
Confucius was kept (by his enemies) in a state of siege between Khän and
Zhâi, and for seven days had no food cooked with fire to eat. The Tai-kung Zân
went to condole with him, and said,
'You had nearly met with your death.'
'Yes,' was the reply.
'Do you dislike death?'
'I do.'
Then Zän continued,
'Let me try and describe a way by which (such a) death may be avoided.—In the
eastern sea there are birds which go by the name of Î-i s; they fly low and slowly as
if they were deficient in power. They fly as if they were leading and assisting one another,
and they press on one another when they roost. No one ventures to take the lead in going
forward, or to be the last in going backwards. In eating no one ventures to take the first
mouthful, but prefers the fragments left by others. In this way (the breaks in) their line
are not many, and men outside them cannot harm them, so that they escape injury.
'The straight tree is the first to be cut down; the well of sweet water is the first
to be exhausted. Your aim is to embellish your wisdom so as to startle the ignorant, and to
cultivate your person to show the unsightliness of others. A light shines around you as if
you were carrying with you the sun and moon, and thus it is that you do not escape such
calamity. Formerly I heard a highly accomplished man say, "Those who boast have no merit.
The merit which is deemed complete will begin to decay. The fame which is deemed complete
will begin to wane." Who can rid himself of (the ideas of) merit and fame, and return and
put himself on the level of the masses of men? The practice of the Tao flows abroad, but its
master does not care to dwell where it can be seen; his attainments in it hold their course,
but he does not wish to appear in its display. Always simple and commonplace, he may seem to
be "bereft of reason. He obliterates the traces of his action, gives up position and power,
and aims not at merit and fame. Therefore he does not censure men, and men do not censure
him. The perfect man does not seek to be heard of; how is it that you delight in doing
so?'
Confucius said,
'Excellent;' and thereupon he took leave of his associates, forsook his disciples,
retired to the neighbourhood of a great marsh, wore skins and hair cloth, and ate acorns and
chestnuts. He went among animals without causing any confusion among their herds, and among
birds without troubling their movements. Birds and beasts did not dislike him; how much less
would men do so!
5:
Confucius asked Tzu-sang Hu, saying,
'I was twice driven from Lu; the tree was felled over me in Sung; I was obliged to
disappear from Wei; I was reduced to extreme distress in Shang and Kâu; and I was kept
in a state of siege between Khän and Zhâi. I have encountered these various
calamities; my intimate associates are removed from me more and more; my followers and
friends are more and more dispersed; – why have all these things befallen
me?'
Tzu-sang Hu replied,
'Have you not heard of the flight of Lin Hui of Kiâ[3]; – how he
abandoned his round jade symbol of rank, worth a thousand pieces of silver, and hurried away
with his infant son on his back? If it be asked, "Was it because of the market value of the
child?" But that value was small (compared with the value of the jade token). If it be asked
again, "Was it because of the troubles (of his office)?" But the child would occasion him
much more trouble. Why was it then that, abandoning the jade token, worth a thousand pieces
of silver, he hurried away with the child on his back? Lin Hui (himself) said, "The union
between me and the token rested on the ground of gain; that between me and the child was of
Heaven's appointment." Where the bond of union is its profitableness, when the pressure of
poverty, calamity, distress, and injury come, the parties abandon one another; when it is of
Heaven's appointment, they hold in the same circumstances to one another. Now between
abandoning one another, and holding to one another, the difference is great. Moreover, the
intercourse of superior men is tasteless as water, while that of mean men is sweet as new
wine. But the tastelessness of the superior men leads on to affection, and the sweetness of
the mean men to aversion. The union which originates without any cause will end in
separation without any cause.'
Confucius said,
'I have reverently received your instructions.'
And hereupon, with a slow step and an assumed air of ease, he returned to his own
house. There he made an end of studying and put away his books. His disciples came no more
to make their bow to him (and be taught), but their affection for him increased the
more.
Another day Sang Hu said further to him,
'When Shun was about to die, he charged Yü, saying,
'Be on your guard. (The attraction of) the person is not like that of sympathy; the
(power of) affection is not like the leading (of example). Where there is sympathy, there
will not be separation; where there is (the leading of) example, there will be no toil.
Where there is neither separation nor toil, you will not have to seek the decoration of
forms to make the person attractive, and where there is no such need of those forms, there
will certainly be none for external things.'
6:
Master Chuang in a patched dress of coarse cloth, and having his shoes tied together
with strings, was passing by the king of Wei, who said to him,
'How great, Master, is your distress?'
Master Chuang replied,
'It is poverty, not distress! While a scholar possesses the Tao and its Attributes,
he cannot be going about in distress. Tattered clothes and shoes tied on the feet are the
sign of poverty, and not of distress. This is what we call not meeting with the right time.
Has your majesty not seen the climbing monkey? When he is among the plane trees, rottleras,
oaks, and camphor trees, he grasps and twists their branches (into a screen), where he
reigns quite at his ease, so that not even Î or Phäng Mäng could spy him
out. When, however, he finds himself among the prickly mulberry and date trees, and other
thorns, he goes cautiously, casts sidelong glances, and takes every trembling movement with
apprehension; – it is not that his sinews and bones are straitened, and have lost their
suppleness, but the situation is unsuitable for him, and he cannot display his agility. And
now when I dwell under a benighted ruler, and seditious ministers, how is it possible for me
not to be in distress? My case might afford an illustration of the cutting out the heart of
Pi-kan!'
7:
When Confucius was reduced to great distress between Khän and Khâi, and
for seven days he had no cooked food to eat, he laid hold of a decayed tree with his left
hand, and with his right hand tapped it with a decayed branch, singing all the while the ode
of Piâo-shih. He had his instrument, but the notes were not marked on it. There was a
noise, but no blended melody. The sound of the wood and the voice of the man came together
like the noise of the plough through the ground, yet suitably to the feelings of the
disciples around. Yen Hui, who was standing upright, with his hands crossed on his breast,
rolled his eyes round to observe him. Kung-ni, fearing that Hui would go to excess in
manifesting how he honoured himself, or be plunged in sorrow through his love for him, said
to him,
'Hui, not to receive (as evils) the inflictions of Heaven is easy; not to receive
(as benefits) the favours of men is difficult. There is no beginning which was not an end.
The Human and the Heavenly may be one and the same. Who, for instance, is it that is now
singing?'
Hui said,
'I venture to ask how not to receive (as evils) the inflictions of Heaven is
easy.'
Kung-ni said,
'Hunger, thirst, cold, and heat, and having one's progress entirely blocked up;
—these are the doings of Heaven and Earth, necessary incidents in the revolutions of
things. They are occurrences of which we say that we will pass on (composedly) along with
them. The minister of another does not dare to refuse his commands; and if he who is
discharging the duty of a minister feels it necessary to act thus, how much more should we
wait with case on the commands of Heaven!'
'What do you mean by saying that not to receive (as benefits) the favours of men is
difficult?'
Kung-ni said,
'As soon as one is employed in office, he gets forward in all directions; rank and
emolument come to him together, and without end. But these advantages do not come from one's
self; – it is my appointed lot to have such external good. The superior man is not a
robber; the man of worth is no filcher; – if I prefer such things, what am I? Hence it
is said, "There is no bird wiser than the swallow." Where its eye lights on a place that is
not suitable for it, it does not give it a second glance. Though it may drop the food from
its mouth, it abandons it, and hurries off. It is afraid of men, and yet it stealthily takes
up its dwelling by his; finding its protection in the altars of the Land and
Grain.
'What do you mean by saying that there is no beginning which was not an
end?'
Kung-ni said,
'The change—rise and dissolution—of all things (continually) goes on, but
we do not know who it is that maintains and continues the process. How do we know when any
one begins? How do we know when he will end? We have simply to wait for it, and nothing
more.'
'And what do you mean by saying that the Human and the Heavenly are one and the
same?'
Kung-ni said,
'Given man, and you have Heaven; given Heaven, and you still have Heaven (and
nothing more). That man can not have Heaven is owing to the limitation of his nature'. The
sagely man quietly passes away with his body, and there is an end of it.'
8:
As Kwang Kâu was rambling in the park of Tiâo-ling he saw a strange bird
which came from the south. Its wings were seven cubits in width, and its eyes were large, an
inch in circuit. It touched the forehead of Kâu as it passed him, and lighted in a
grove of chestnut trees.
'What bird is this?'said he, 'with such great wings not to go on! and with such
large eyes not to see me!' He lifted up his skirts, and hurried with his cross-bow, waiting
for (an opportunity to shoot) it. (Meanwhile) he saw a cicada, which had just alighted in a
beautiful shady spot, and forgot its (care for its) body. (Just then), a preying mantis
raised its feelers, and pounced on the cicada, in its eagerness for its prey, (also)
forgetting (its care for) its body; while the strange bird took advantage of its opportunity
to secure them both, in view of that gain forgetting its true (instinct of preservation).
Kwang Kâu with an emotion of pity, said,
'Ah! So it is that things bring evil on one another, each of these creatures invited
its own calamity.'
(With this) he put away his cross-bow, and was hurrying away back, when the forester
pursued him with terms of reproach.
When he returned and went into his house, he did not appear in his courtyard for
three [days]. (When he came out), Lan Zü (his disciple) asked him, saying,
'Master, why have you for this some time avoided the courtyard so much?'
Master Chuang replied,
'I was guarding my person, and forgot myself; I was looking at turbid water, till I
mistook the clear pool. And moreover I have heard the Master say', "Going where certain
customs prevail, you should follow those customs." I was walking about in the park of
Tiâo-ling, and forgot myself. A strange bird brushed past my forehead, and went flying
about in the grove of chestnuts, where it forgot the true (art of preserving itself). The
forester of the chestnut grove thought that I was a fitting object for his reproach. These
are the reasons why I have avoided the courtyard.'
9:
Master Yang, having gone to Sung, passed the night in a lodging-house, the master of
which had two concubines; one beautiful, the other ugly. The ugly one was honoured, however,
and the beautiful one contemned. Master Yang asked the reason, and a little boy of the house
replied,
'The beauty knows her beauty, and we do not recognise it. The ugly one knows her
ugliness, and we do not recognise it.'
Master Yang said,
'Remember it, my disciples. Act virtuously, and put away the practice of priding
yourselves on your virtue. If you do this, where can you go to that you will not be loved?'
1:
Thien Tzu-fang, sitting in attendance on the marquis Wän of Wei, often quoted
(with approbation) the words of Khi Kung. The marquis said,
'Is Khi Kung your preceptor?'
Tzu-fang replied,
'No. He only belongs to the same neighbourhood. In speaking about the Tao, his views
are often correct, and therefore I quote them as I do.'
The marquis went on,
'Then have you no preceptor?'
'I have.'
'And who is he?'
'He is Master Tung-kwo Shun.'
'And why, my Master, have I never heard you quote his words?'
Tzu-fang replied,
'He is a man who satisfies the true (ideal of humanity); a man in appearance, but
(having the mind of) Heaven. Void of any thought of himself, he accommodates himself to
others, and nourishes the true ideal that belongs to him. With all his purity, he is
forbearing to others. Where they are without the Tao, he rectifies his demeanour, so that
they understand it, and in consequence their own ideas melt away and disappear. How should
one like me be fit to quote his words?'
When Tzu-fang went out, the marquis Wän continued in a state of dumb amazement
all the day. He then called Lung Li-khin, and said to him,
'How far removed from us is the superior man of complete virtue! Formerly I thought
the words of the sages and wise men, and the practice of benevolence and righteousness, to
be the utmost we could reach to. Since I have heard about the preceptor of Tzu-fang, my
body is all unstrung, and I do not wish to move, and my mouth is closed up, and I do not
wish to speak; – what I have learned has been only a counterfeit of the truth. Yes,
(the possession of Wei) has been an entanglement to me.'
2:
Master Wän-po Hsüeh, on his way to Khï, stayed some time in Lu, where
some persons of the state begged to have an interview with him. He refused them,
saying,
'I have heard that the superior men of these Middle States understand the (subjects
of) ceremony and righteousness, but are deplorably ignorant of the minds of men. I do not
wish to see them.'
He went on to Khi; and on his way back (to the south), he again stayed in Lu, when
the same persons begged as before for an interview. He then said,
'Formerly they asked to see me, and now again they seek an interview. They will
afford me some opportunity of bringing out my sentiments.'
He went out accordingly and saw the visitors, and came in again with a sigh. Next
day the same thing occurred, and his servant said to him,
'How is it that whenever you see those visitors, you are sure to come in again
sighing?'
'I told you before,' was the reply, 'that the people of these Middle States
understand (the subjects of) ceremony and righteousness, but are deplorably ignorant of the
minds of men. Those men who have just seen me, as they came in and went out would describe,
one a circle and another a square, and in their easy carriage would be like, one a dragon
and another a tiger. They remonstrated with me as sons (with their fathers), and laid down
the way for me as fathers (for their sons). It was this which made me sigh.'
Kung-ni saw the man, but did not speak a word to him. Tzu-lu said,
'You have wished, Sir, to see this Master Wän-po Hsüeh for a long time;
what is the reason that when you have seen him, you have not spoken a word?'
Kung-ni replied,
'As soon as my eyes lighted on that man, the Tao in him was apparent. The situation
did not admit of a word being spoken.'
3:
Yen Yü an asked Kung-ni, saying,
'Master, when you pace quietly along, I also pace along; when you go more quickly, I
also do the same; when you gallop, I also gallop; but when you race along and spurn the
dust, then I can only stand and look, and keep behind you'.'
The Master said,
'Hui, what do you mean?'
The reply was,
'In saying that when you, Master, pace quietly along, I also pace along," I mean
that when you speak, I also speak. By saying, "When you go more quickly, I also do the
same," I mean I that when you reason, I also reason. By saying, "When you gallop, I also
gallop," I mean that when you speak of the Way, I also speak of the Way; but by saying,
"When you race along and spurn the dust, then I can only stare, and keep behind you," I am
thinking how though you do not speak, yet all men believe you; though you are no partisan,
yet all parties approve your catholicity; and though you sound no instrument, yet people all
move on harmoniously before you, while (all the while) I do not know how all this comes
about; and this is all which my words are intended to express.'
Kung-ni said,
'But you must try and search the matter out. Of all causes for sorrow there is none
so great as the death of the mind; – the death of man's (body) is only next to it. The
sun comes forth in the east, and sets in the extreme West; – all things have their
position determined by these two points. All that have eyes and feet wait for this (sun),
and then proceed to do what they have to do. When this comes forth, they appear in their
places; when it sets, they disappear. It is so with all things. They have that for which
they wait, and (on its arrival) they die; they have that for which they wait, and then
(again) they live. When once I receive my frame thus completed, I remain unchanged, awaiting
the consummation of my course. I move as acted on by things, day and night without
cessation, and I do not know when I will come to an end. Clearly I am here a completed
frame, and even one who (fancies that he) knows what is appointed cannot determine it
beforehand. I am in this way daily passing on, but all day long I am communicating my views
to you; and now, as we are shoulder to shoulder you fail (to understand me); – is it
not matter for lamentation? You are able in a measure to set forth what I more clearly set
forth; but that is passed away, and you look for it, as if it were still existing, just as
if you were looking for a horse in the now empty place where it was formerly exhibited for
sale. You have very much forgotten my service to you, and I have very much forgotten wherein
I served you. But nevertheless why should you account this such an evil? What you forget is
but my old self; that which cannot be forgotten remains with me.'
4:
Confucius went to see Lao Tan, and arrived just as he had completed the bathing of
his head, and was letting his dishevelled hair get dry. There be was, motionless, and as if
there were not another man in the world. Confucius waited quietly; and, when in a little
time he was introduced, he said,
'Were my eyes dazed? Is it really you? Just now, your body, Sir, was like the stump
of a rotten tree. You looked as if you had no thought of anything, as if you had left the
society of men, and were standing in the solitude (of yourself).'
Lao Tan replied,
'I was enjoying myself in thinking about the commencement of things.'
'What do you mean?'
'My mind is so cramped, that I hardly know it; my tongue is so tied that I cannot
tell it; but I will try to describe it to you as nearly as I can. When the state of Yin was
perfect, all was cold and severe; when the state of Yang was perfect, all was turbulent and
agitated. The coldness and severity came forth from Heaven; the turbulence and agitation
issued from Earth. The two states communicating together, a harmony ensued and things were
produced. Some one regulated and controlled this, but no one has seen his form. Decay and
growth; fulness and emptiness; darkness and light; the changes of the sun and the
transformations of the moon: these are brought about from day to day; but no one sees the
process of production. Life has its origin from which it springs, and death has its place
from which it returns. Beginning and ending go on in mutual contrariety without any
determinable commencement, and no one knows bow either comes to an end. If we disallow all
this, who originates and presides over all these phenomena?'
Confucius said,
'I beg to ask about your enjoyment in these thoughts.'
Lao Tan replied,
'The comprehension of this is the most admirable and the most enjoyable (of all
acquisitions). The getting of the most admirable and the exercise of the thoughts in what is
the most enjoyable, constitutes what we call the Perfect man.'
Confucius said,
'I should like to hear the method of attaining to it.'
The reply was,
'Grass-eating animals do not dislike to change their pastures; creatures born in
the water do not dislike to change their waters. They make a small change, but do not lose
what is the great and regular requirement (of their nature); joy, anger, sadness, and
delight do not enter into their breasts (in connexion with such events). Now the space under
the sky is occupied by all things in their unity. When they possess that unity and equally
share it, then the four limbs and hundred members of their body are but so much dust and
dirt, while death and life, their ending and beginning, are but as the succession of day and
night, which cannot disturb their enjoyment; and how much less will they be troubled by
gains and losses, by calamity and happiness! Those who renounce the paraphernalia of rank do
it as if they were casting away so much mud; they know that they are themselves more
honourable than those paraphernalia. The honour belonging to one's self is not lost by any
change (of condition). Moreover, a myriad transformations may take place before the end of
them is reached. What is there in all this sufficient to trouble the mind? Those who have
attained to the Tao understand the subject.'
Confucius said,
'O Master, your virtue is equal to that of Heaven and Earth, and still I must borrow
(some of your) perfect words (to aid me) in the cultivation of my mind. Who among the
superior men of antiquity could give such expression to them?'
Lao Tan replied,
'Not so. Look at the spring, the water of which rises and overflows; it does
nothing, but it naturally acts so. So with the perfect man and his virtue; – he does
not cultivate it, and nothing evades its influence. He is like heaven which is high of
itself, like earth which is solid of itself, like the sun and moon which shine of
themselves; – what need is there to cultivate it?'
Confucius went out and reported the conversation to Yen Hui, saying,
'In the (knowledge of the) Tao am I any better than an animalcule in vinegar? But
for the Master's lifting the veil from me, I should not have known the grand perfection of
Heaven and Earth.'
5:
At an interview of Master Chuang with duke Âi of Lu, the duke said,
'There are many of the Learned class in Lu; but few of them can be compared with
you, Sir.'
Master Chuang replied,
'There are few Learned men in Lu .'
'Everywhere in Lu,' rejoined the duke, 'you see men wearing the dress of the
learned; – how can you say that they are few?'
'I have heard,' said Master Chuang, 'that those of them who wear round caps know the
times of heaven; that those who wear square shoes know the contour of the ground; and that
those who saunter about with semicircular stones at their girdle-pendents settle matters in
dispute as they come before them. But superior men who are possessed of such knowledge will
not be found wearing the dress, and it does not follow that those who wear the dress possess
the knowledge. If your Grace think otherwise, why not issue a notification through the
state, that it shall be a capital offence to wear the dress without possessing the
knowledge.'
On this the duke issued such a notification, and in five days, throughout all Lu,
there was no one who dared to wear the dress of the Learned. There was only one old man who
came and stood in it at the duke's gate. The duke instantly called him in, and questioned
him about the affairs of the state, when he talked about a thousand points and ten thousand
divergences from them. Master Chuang said,
'When the state of Lu can thus produce but one man of the Learned class, can he be
said to be many?'
6:
The ideas of rank and emolument did not enter the mind of Pâi-li Hsi, and so
he became a cattle-feeder, and his cattle were all in fine condition. This made duke Mu of
Khin forget the meanness of his position, and put the government (of his state) into his
hands. Neither life nor death entered into the mind of (Shun), the Lord of Yü, and
therefore he was able to influence others.
7:
The ruler Yü an of Sung wishing to have a map drawn, the masters of the pencil
all came (to undertake the task). Having received his instructions and made their bows, they
stood, licking their pencils and preparing their ink. Half their number, however, remained
outside. There was one who came late, with an air of indifference, and did not hurry
forward. When he had received his instructions and made his bow, he did not keep standing,
but proceeded to his shed. The duke sent a man to see him, and there he was, with his upper
garment off, sitting cross-legged, and nearly naked. The ruler said,
'He is the man; he is a true draughtsman.'
8:
King Wän was (once) looking about him at Zang, when he saw an old man fishing.
But his fishing was no fishing. It was not the fishing of one whose business is fishing. He
was always fishing (as if he had no object in the occupation). The king wished to raise him
to office, and put the government into his hands, but was afraid that such a step would give
dissatisfaction to his great ministers, his uncles, and cousins. He then wished to dismiss
the man altogether from his mind, but he could not bear the thought that his people should
be without (such a) Heaven (as their Protector). On this, (next) morning, he called together
his great officers, and said to them,
'Last night, I dreamt that I saw a good man with a dark complexion and a beard,
riding on a piebald horse, one half of whose hoofs were red, who commanded me, saying,
"Lodge your government in the hands of the old man of Zang; and perhaps the evils of your
people will be cured."' The great officers said eagerly,
'It was the king, your father.'
King Wän said,
'Let us then submit the proposal to the tortoise-shell.'
They replied,
'It is the order of your father. Let not your majesty think of any other. Why divine
about it?'
(The king) then met the old man of Zang, and committed the government to him. The
statutes and laws were not changed by him; not a one-sided order (of his own) was issued;
but when the king made a survey of the kingdom after three years, he found that the officers
had destroyed the plantations (which harboured banditti), and dispersed their occupiers,
that the superintendents of the official departments did not plume themselves on their
successes, and that no unusual grain measures were allowed within the different states. When
the officers had destroyed the dangerous plantations and dispersed their occupants, the
highest value was set on the common interests; when the chiefs of departments did not plume
themselves on their successes, the highest value was set on the common business; when
unusual grain measures did not enter the different states, the different princes had no
jealousies. On this king Min made the old man his Grand Preceptor, and asked him, with his
own face to the north, whether his government might be extended to all the kingdom. The old
man looked perplexed and gave no reply, but with aimless look took his leave. In the
morning he had issued his orders, and at night he had gone his way; nor was he heard of
again all his life. Yen Yü an questioned Confucius, saying,
'Was even king Wän unequal to determine his course? What had he to do with
resorting to a dream?'
Kung-ni replied,
'Be silent and do not say a word! King Win was complete in everything. What have you
to do with criticising him? He only had recourse (to the dream) to meet a moment's
difficulty.'
9:
Lieh Yü-khâu was exhibiting his archery' to Po-hwän Wu-zän.
Having drawn the bow to its full extent, with a cup of water placed on his elbow, he let
fly. As the arrow was discharged, another was put in its place; and as that was sent off, a
third was ready on the string. All the while he stood like a statue. Po-hwän
Wu-zän said,
'That is the shooting of an archer, but not of one who shoots without thinking about
his shooting. Let me go up with you to the top of a high mountain, treading with you among
the tottering rocks, till we arrive at the brink of a precipice, 800 cubits deep, and (I
will then see) if you can shoot.'
On this they went up a high mountain, making their way among the tottering rocks,
till they came to the brink of a precipice 800 cubits deep. Then Wu-zän turned round
and walked backwards, till his feet were two-thirds of their length outside the edge, and
beckoned Yü-khâu to come forward. He, however, had fallen prostrate on the
ground, with the sweat pouring down to his heels. Then the other said,
'The Perfect man looks up to the azure sky above, or dives down to the yellow
springs beneath, or soars away to the eight ends of the universe, without any change coming
over his spirit or his breath. But now the trepidation of your mind appears in your dazed
eyes; your inward feeling of peril is extreme!'
10:
Kien Wu asked Sun-shu Âo, saying,
'You, Sir, were three times chief minister, and did not feel elated; you were three
times dismissed from that position, without manifesting any sorrow. At first I was in doubt
about you, (but I am not now, since) I see how regularly and quietly the breath comes
through your nostrils. How is it that you exercise your mind?'
Sun-shu Âo replied,
'In what do I surpass other men? When the position came to me, I thought it should
not be rejected; when it was taken away, I thought it could not be retained. I considered
that the getting or losing it did not make me what I was, and was no occasion for any
manifestation of sorrow; —that was all. In what did I surpass other men? And moreover,
I did not know whether the honour of it belonged to the dignity, or to myself. If it
belonged to the dignity, it was nothing to me; if it belonged to me, it had nothing to do
with the dignity. While occupied with these uncertainties, and looking round in all
directions, what leisure had I to take knowledge of whether men honoured me or thought me
mean?'
Kung-ni heard of all this, and said,
'The True men of old could not be fully described by the wisest, nor be led into
excess by the most beautiful, nor be forced by the most violent robber. Neither Fu-hsi nor
Hwang-Ti could compel them to be their friends. Death and life are indeed great
considerations, but they could make no change in their (true) self; and how much less could
rank and emolument do so? Being such, their spirits might pass over the Tai mountain and
find it no obstacle to them; they might enter the greatest gulphs, and not be wet by them;
they might occupy the lowest and smallest positions without being distressed by them. Theirs
was the fulness of heaven and earth; the more that they gave to others, the more they
had.'
The king of Ku and the ruler of Fan were sitting together. After a little while,
the attendants of the king said,
'Fan has been destroyed three times.'
The ruler of Fan rejoined,
'The destruction of Fan has not been sufficient to destroy what we had that was most
deserving to be preserved.'
Now, if the destruction of Fan had not been sufficient to destroy that which it had
most deserving to be preserved, the preservation of Ku had not been sufficient to preserve
that in it most deserving to be preserved. Looking at the matter from this point of view,
Fan had not begun to be destroyed, and Ku had not begun to be preserved.
1:
Knowledge had rambled northwards to the region of the Dark Water, where he ascended
the height of Imperceptible Slope, when it happened that he met with Dumb Inaction.
Knowledge addressed him, saying,
'I wish to ask you some questions: By what process of thought and anxious
consideration do we get to know the Tao? Where should we dwell and what should we do to find
our rest in the Tao? From what point should we start and what path should we pursue to make
the Tao our own?'
He asked these three questions, but Dumb Inaction gave him no reply. Not only did he
not answer, but he did not know how to answer.
Knowledge, disappointed by the fruitlessness of his questions, returned to the south
of the Bright Water, and ascended the height of the End of Doubt where he saw Heedless
Blurter, to whom he put the same questions, and who replied,
'Ah! I know, and will tell you.'
But while he was about to speak, he forgot what he wanted to say.
Knowledge, (again) receiving no answer to his questions, returned to the palace of
the Ti, where he saw Hwang-Ti, and put the questions to him.
Hwang-Ti said,
'To exercise no thought and no anxious consideration is the first step towards
knowing the Tao; to dwell nowhere and do nothing is the first step towards resting in the
Tao; to start from nowhere and pursue no path is the first step towards making the Tao your
own.'
Knowledge then asked Hwang-Ti, saying,
'I and you know this; those two did not know it; which of us is right?'
The reply was,
'Dumb Inaction is truly right; Heedless Blurter has an appearance of being so; I and
you are not near being so. (As it is said), "Those who know (the Tao) do not speak of it;
those who speak of it do not know it; " and "Hence the sage conveys his instructions
without the use of speech." The Tao cannot be made ours by constraint; its characteristics
will not come to us (at our call). Benevolence may be practised; Righteousness may be
partially attended to; by Ceremonies men impose on one another. Hence it is said, "When the
Tao was lost, its Characteristics appeared. When its Characteristics were lost, Benevolence
appeared. When Benevolence was lost, Righteousness appeared. When Righteousness was lost,
Ceremonies appeared. Ceremonies are but (the unsubstantial) flowers of the Tao, and the
commencement of disorder [l]."
Hence (also it is further said), "He who practises the Tao, daily diminishes his
doing. He diminishes it and again diminishes it, till he arrives at doing nothing. Having
arrived at this non-inaction, there is nothing that he does not do."
Here now there is something, a regularly fashioned utensil; – if you wanted to
make it return to the original condition of its materials, would it not be difficult to make
it do so? Could any but the Great Man accomplish this easily?
'Life is the follower of death, and death is the predecessor of life; but who knows
the Arranger (of this connexion between them)? The life is due to the collecting of the
breath. When that is collected, there is life; when it is dispersed, there is death. Since
death and life thus attend on each other, why should I account (either of) them an
evil?
'Therefore all things go through one and the same experience. (Life) is accounted
beautiful because it is spirit-like and wonderful, and death is accounted ugly because of
its foetor and putridity. But the foetid and putrid is transformed again into the
spirit-like and wonderful, and the spirit-like and wonderful is transformed again into the
foetid and putrid. Hence it is said, "All under the sky there is one breath of life, and
therefore the sages prized that unity,"'
Knowledge said to Hwang-Ti,
'I asked Dumb Inaction, and he did not answer me. Not only did he not answer me, but
he did not know how to answer me. I asked Heedless Blurter, and while he wanted to tell me,
he yet did not do so. Not only did he not tell me, but while he wanted to tell me, he forgot
all about my questions. Now I have asked you, and you knew (all about them); – why (do
you say that) you are not near doing so?'
Hwang-Ti replied,
'Dumb Inaction was truly right, because he did not know the thing. Heedless Blurter
was nearly right, because he forgot it. I and you are not nearly right, because we know
it.'
Heedless Blurter heard of (all this), and considered that Hwang-Ti knew how to
express himself (on the subject).
2:
(The operations of) Heaven and Earth proceed in the most admirable way, but they
say nothing about them; the four seasons observe the clearest laws, but they do not discuss
them; all things have their complete and distinctive constitutions, but they say nothing
about them.
The sages trace out the admirable operations of Heaven and Earth, and reach to and
understand the distinctive constitutions of all things; and thus it is that the Perfect Man
(is said to) do nothing and the Greatest Sage to originate nothing, such language showing
that they look to Heaven and Earth as their model. Even they, with their spirit-like and
most exquisite intelligence, as well as all the tribes that undergo their transformations,
the dead and the living, the square and the round, do not understand their root and origin,
but nevertheless they all from the oldest time by it preserve their being.
Vast as is the space included within the six cardinal points, it all (and all that
it contains) lies within (this twofold root of Heaven and Earth); small as is an autumn
hair, it is indebted to this for the completion of its form. All things beneath the sky, now
rising, now descending, ever continue the same through this. The Yin and Yang, and the four
seasons revolve and move by it, each in its proper order. Now it seems to be lost in
obscurity, but it continues; now it seems to glide away, and have no form, but it is still
spirit-like. All things are nourished by it, without their knowing it. This is what is
called the Root and Origin; by it we may obtain a view of what we mean by
Heaven.
Not a few names of places in this section are metaphorical and Taoistic, writes
James Legge.
3:
Nieh Khüeh asked about the Tao from Phei-i who replied,
'If you keep your body as it should be, and look only at the one thing, the Harmony
of Heaven will come to you. Call in your knowledge, and make your measures uniform, and the
spiritual (belonging to you) will come and lodge with you; the Attributes (of the Tao) will
be your beauty, and the Tao (itself) will be your dwelling-place. You will have the simple
look of a new-born calf, and will not seek to know the cause (of your being what you
are).'
Phei-i had not finished these words when the other dozed off into a sleep.
Phei-i was greatly pleased, and walked away, singing as he went,
Like stump of rotten tree his frame,
Like lime when slaked his mind became.
Real is his wisdom, solid, true,
Nor cares what's hidden to pursue.
O dim and dark his aimless mind!
No one from him can counsel find.
What sort of man is he?'
4:
Shun asked (his attendant) Keng,
'Can I get the Tao and hold it as mine?'
The reply was,
'Your body is not your own to hold; how then can you get and hold the
Tao?'
Shun resumed,
'If my body be not mine to possess and hold, who holds it?'
Keng said,
'It is the bodily form entrusted to you by Heaven and Earth. Life is not yours to
hold. It is the blended harmony (of the Yin and Yang), entrusted to you by Heaven and Earth.
Your nature, constituted as it is, is not yours to hold. It is entrusted to you by Heaven
and Earth to act in accordance with it. Your grandsons and sons are not yours to hold. They
are the exuviae entrusted to you by Heaven and Earth. Therefore when we walk, we should not
know where we are going; when we stop and rest, we should not know what to occupy ourselves
with when we eat, we should not know the taste of our food; – all is done by the strong
Yang influence of Heaven and Earth. How then can you get (the Tao), and hold it as your
own?'
5:
Confucius asked Lao Tan, saying,
'Being at leisure today, I venture to ask you about the Perfect Tao.'
Lao Tan replied,
'You must, as by fasting and vigil, clear and purge your mind, wash your spirit
white as snow, and sternly repress your knowledge. The subject of the Tao is deep, and
difficult to describe; – I will give you an outline of its simplest
attributes.
'The Luminous was produced from the Obscure; the Multiform from the Unembodied; the
Spiritual from the Tao; and the bodily from the seminal essence. After this all things
produced one another from their bodily organisations. Thus it is that those which have nine
apertures are born from the womb, and those with eight from eggs
But their coming leaves no trace, and their going no monument; they enter by no
door; they dwell in no apartment: they are in a vast arena reaching in all directions. They
who search for and find (the Tao) in this are strong in their limbs, sincere and
far-reaching in their thinking, acute in their hearing, and clear in their seeing. They
exercise their minds without being toiled; they respond to everything aright without regard
to place or circumstance. Without this heaven would not be high, nor earth broad; the sun
and moon would not move, and nothing would flourish: such is the operation of the
Tao.
'Moreover, the most extensive knowledge does not necessarily know it; reasoning will
not make men wise in it; – the sages have decided against both these methods. However
you try to add to it, it admits of no increase; however you try to take from it, it admits
of no diminution; —this is what the sages maintain about it. How deep it is, like the
sea! How grand it is, beginning again when it has come to an end! If it carried along and
sustained all things, without being overburdened or weary, that would be like the way of the
superior man, merely an external operation; when all things go to it, and find their
dependence in it; – this is the true character of the Tao.
'Here is a man (born) in one of the middle states. He feels himself independent both
of the Yin and Yang, and dwells between heaven and earth; only for the present a mere man,
but he will return to his original source. Looking at him in his origin, when his life
begins, we have (but) a gelatinous substance in which the breath is collecting. Whether his
life be long or his death early, how short is the space between them! It is but the name for
a moment of time, insufficient to play the part of a good Yao or a bad Kieh in.
'The fruits of trees and creeping plants have their distinctive characters, and
though the relationships of men, according to which they are classified, are troublesome,
the sage, when he meets with them, does not set himself in opposition to them, and when he
has passed through them, he does not seek to retain them; he responds to them in their
regular harmony according to his virtue; and even when he accidentally comes across any of
them, he does so according to the Tao. It was thus that the Tis flourished, thus that the
kings arose.
'Men's life between heaven and earth is like a white colt's passing a crevice, and
suddenly disappearing. As with a plunge and an effort they all come forth; easily and
quietly they all enter again. By a transformation they live, and by another transformation
they die. Living things are made sad (by death), and mankind grieve for it; but it is (only)
the removal of the bow from its sheath, and the emptying the natural satchel of its
contents. There may be some confusion amidst the yielding to the change; but the
intellectual and animal souls are taking their leave, and the body will follow them: This is
the Great Returning home.
'That the bodily frame came from incorporeity, and will return to the same, is what
all men in common know, and what those who are on their way to (know) it need not strive
for. This is what the multitudes of men discuss together. Those whose (knowledge) is
complete do not discuss it; —such discussion shows that their (knowledge) is not
complete. Even the most clear-sighted do not meet (with the Tao); – it is better to be
silent than to reason about it. The Tao cannot be heard with the ears; – it is better
to shut the ears than to try and hear it. This is what is called the Great Attainment.'
6:
Master Tung-kwo asked Master Chuang, saying,
'Where is what you call the Tao to be found?'
Master Chuang replied,
'Everywhere.'
The other said,
'Specify an instance of it. That will be more satisfactory.'
'It is here in this ant.'
'Give a lower instance.'
'It is in this panic grass.'
'Give me a still lower instance.'
'It is in this earthenware tile.'
'Surely that is the lowest instance?'
'It is in that excrement.'
To this Master Tung-kwo answered nothing.
Master Chuang said,
'Your questions, my master, do not touch the fundamental point (of the Tao). They
remind me of the questions ad-dressed by the superintendents of the market to the inspector
about examining the value of a pig by treading on it, and testing its weight as the foot
descends lower and lower on the body. You should not specify any particular thing. There is
not a single thing without (the Tao). So it is with the Perfect Tao. And if we call it the
Great (Tao), it is just the same. There are the three terms,—"Complete,"
"All-embracing," "the Whole." These names are different, but the reality (sought in them) is
the same referring to the One thing.
'Suppose we were to try to roam about in the palace of No-where; —when met
there, we might discuss (about the subject) without ever coming to an end. Or suppose we
were to be together in (the region of) Non-action; – should we say that (the Tao was)
Simplicity and Stillness? or Indifference and Purity? or Harmony and Ease? My will would be
aimless. If it went nowhere, I should not know where it had got to; if it went and came
again, I should not know where it had stopped; if it went on going and coming, I should not
know when the process would end. In vague uncertainty should I be in the vastest waste.
Though I entered it with the greatest knowledge, I should not know how inexhaustible it was.
That which makes things what they are has not the limit which belongs to things, and when we
speak of things being limited, we mean that they are so in themselves. (The Tao) is the
limit of the unlimited, and the boundlessness of the unbounded.
'We speak of fulness and emptiness; of withering and decay. It produces fulness and
emptiness, but is neither fulness nor emptiness; it produces withering and decay, but is
neither withering nor decay. It produces the root and branches, but is neither root nor
branch; it produces accumulation and dispersion, but is itself neither accumulated nor
dispersed.'
7:
A-ho Kan and Shän Näng studied together under Läo-lung Ki. Shän
Näng was leaning forward on his stool, having shut the door and gone to sleep in the
day time. At midday A-ho Kan pushed open the door and entered, saying,
'Lao-lung is dead.'
Shän Näng leant forward on his stool, laid hold of his staff and rose.
Then he laid the staff aside with a clash, laughed and said,
'That Heaven knew how cramped and mean, how arrogant and assuming I was, and
therefore he has cast me off, and is dead. Now that there is no Master to correct my
heedless words, it is simply for me to die!' Yen Kang, (who had come in) to condole, heard
these words, and said,
'It is to him who embodies the Tao that the superior men everywhere cling. Now you
who do not understand so much as the tip of an autumn hair of it, not even the
ten-thousandth part of the Tao, still know how to keep hidden your heedless words about it
and die; – how much more might he who embodied the Tao do so! We look for it, and there
is no form; we hearken for it, and there is no sound. When men try to discuss it, we call
them dark indeed. When they discuss the Tao, they misrepresent it.'
Hereupon Grand Purity asked Infinitude, saying,
'Do you know the Tao?'
'I do not know it,' was the reply. He then asked Do-nothing, who replied,
'I know it.'
'Is your knowledge of it determined by various points?'
'It is.'
'What are they?'
Do-nothing said,
'I know that the Tao may be considered noble, and may be considered mean, that it
may be bound and compressed, and that it may be dispersed and diffused. These are the marks
by which I know it.'
Grand Purity took the words of those two, and asked No-beginning, saying,
'Such were their replies; which was right? and which was wrong? Infinitude's saying
that he did not know it? or Do-nothing's saying that he knew it?'
No-beginning said,
'The "I do not know it" was profound, and the "I know it" was shallow. The former
had reference to its internal nature; the latter to its external conditions. Grand Purity
looked up and sighed, saying,
'Is "not to know it" then to know it? And is "to know it" not to know it? But who
knows that he who does not know it (really) knows it?'
No-beginning replied,
'The Tao cannot be heard; what can be heard is not It. The Tao cannot be seen; what
can be seen is not It. The Tao cannot be expressed in words; what can be expressed in words
is not It. Do we know the Formless which gives form to form? In the same way the Tao does
not admit of being named.'
No-beginning (further) said,
'If one ask about the Tao and another answer him, neither of them knows it. Even the
former who asks has never learned anything about the Tao. He asks what does not admit of
being asked, and the latter answers where answer is impossible. When one asks what does not
admit of being asked, his questioning is in (dire) extremity. When one answers where answer
is impossible, he has no internal knowledge of the subject. When people without such
internal knowledge wait to be questioned by others in dire extremity, they show that
externally they see nothing of space and time, and internally know nothing of the Grand
Commencement. Therefore they cannot cross over the Kun-lun, nor roam in the Grand Void.'
8:
Starlight [the points of light all over the sky] asked Non-entity, saying,
'Master, do you exist? Or Don't you exist?'
He got no answer to his question, however, and looked stedfastly to the appearance
of the other, which was that of a deep void. All day long he looked to it, but could see
nothing; he listened for it, but could hear nothing; he clutched at it, but got hold of
nothing. Starlight then said,
'Perfect! Who can attain to this? I can (conceive the ideas of) existence and
non-existence, but I cannot (conceive the ideas of) non-existing non-existence, and still
there be a non-existing existence. How is it possible to reach to this?'
9:
The forger of swords for the Minister of War had reached the age of eighty, and had
not lost a hair's-breadth of his ability. The Minister said to him,
'You are indeed skilful, Sir. Have you any method that makes you so?'
The man said,
'Your servant has (always) kept to his work. When I was twenty, I was fond of
forging swords. I looked at nothing else. I paid no attention to anything but swords. By my
constant practice of it, I came to be able to do the work without any thought of what I was
doing. By length of time one acquires ability at any art; and how much more one who is ever
at work on it! What is there which does not depend on this, and succeed by it?'
10:
Zän Khiu asked Kung-ni, saying,
'Can it be known how it was before heaven and earth?'
The reply was,
'It can. It was the same of old as now.'
Zän Khiu asked no more and withdrew. Next day, however, he had another
interview, and said,
'Yesterday I asked whether it could be known how it was before heaven and earth, and
you, Master, said, "It can. As it is now, so it was of old." Yesterday, I seemed to
understand you clearly, but today it is dark to me. I venture to ask you for an explanation
of this.'
Kung-ni said,
'Yesterday you seemed to understand me clearly, because your own spiritual nature
had anticipated my reply. Today it seems dark to you, for you are in an unspiritual mood,
and are trying to discover the meaning. (In this matter) there is no old time and no
present; no beginning and no ending. Could it be that there were grandchildren and children
before there were (other) grandchildren and children?'
Zän Khiu had not made any reply, when Kung-ni went on,
'Let us have done. There can be no answering (on your part). We cannot with life
give life to death; we cannot with death give death to life. Do death and life wait (for
each other)? There is that which contains them both in its one comprehension. Was that which
was produced before Heaven and Earth a thing? That which made things and gave to each its
character was not itself a thing. Things came forth and could not be before things, as if
there had (previously) been things; – as if there had been things (producing one
another) without end. The love of the sages for others, and never coming to an end, is an
idea taken from this.'
11:
Yen Yü an asked Kung-ni, saying,
'Master, I have heard you say, "There should be no demonstration of welcoming; there
should be no movement to meet; "—I venture to ask in what way this affection of the
mind may be shown.'
The reply was,
'The ancients, amid (all) external changes, did not change internally; now-a-days
men change internally, but take no note of external changes. When one only notes the changes
of things, himself continuing one and the same, he does not change. How should there be (a
difference between) his changing and not changing? How should he put himself in contact with
(and come under the influence of) those external changes? He is sure, however, to keep his
points of contact with them from being many. The park of Shih-wei, the garden of Hwang-Ti,
the palace of the Lord of Yü, and the houses of Tang and Wu; – (these all were
places in which this was done). But the superior men (so called, of later days), such as the
masters of the Literati and of Mohism, were bold to attack each other with their
controversies; and how much more so are the men of the present day! Sages in dealing with
others do not wound them; and they who do not wound others cannot be wounded by them. Only
he whom others do not injure is able to welcome and meet men.
'Forests and marshes make me joyful and glad; but before the joy is ended, sadness
comes and succeeds to it. When sadness and joy come, I cannot prevent their approach; when
they go, I cannot retain them. How sad it is that men should only be as lodging-houses for
things, (and the emotions which they excite)! They know what they meet, but they do not know
what they do not meet; they use what power they have, but they cannot be strong where they
are powerless. Such ignorance and powerlessness is what men cannot avoid. That they should
try to avoid what they cannot avoid, is not this also sad? Perfect speech is to put speech
away; perfect action is to put action away; to digest all knowledge that is known is a thing
to be despised.'
1:
Among the disciples of Lao Tan there was a Käng-sang Ku, who had got a greater
knowledge than the others of his doctrines, and took up his residence with it in the north
at the hill of Wei-lêi. His servants who were pretentious and knowing he sent away,
and his concubines who were officious and kindly he kept at a distance; living (only) with
those who were boorish and rude, and employing (only) the bustling and ill-mannered. After
three years there was great prosperity in Wei-lêi, and the people said to one
another,
'When Mr. Käng-sang first came here, he alarmed us, and we thought him strange;
our estimate of him after a short acquaintance was that he could not do us much good; but
now that we have known him for years, we find him a more than ordinary benefit. Must he not
be near being a sage? Why should you not unite in blessing him as the representative of our
departed (whom we worship), and raise an altar to him as we do to the spirit of the
grain?'
Käng-sang heard of it, kept his face indeed to the south but was
dissatisfied.
His disciples thought it strange in him, but he said to them,
'Why, my disciples, should you think this strange in me? When the airs of spring
come forth, all vegetation grows; and, when the autumn arrives, all the previous fruits of
the earth are matured. Do spring and autumn have these effects without any adequate cause?
The processes of the Great Tao have been in operation. I have heard that the Perfect man
dwells idly in his apartment within its surrounding walls, and the people get wild and
crazy, not knowing how they should repair to him. Now these small people of Wei-lêi in
their opinionative way want to present their offerings to me, and place me among such men of
ability and virtue. But am I a man to be set up as such a model? It is on this account that
I am dissatisfied when I think of the words of Lao Tan.'
2:
His disciples said,
'Not so. In ditches eight cubits wide, or even twice as much, big fishes cannot turn
their bodies about, but minnows and eels find them sufficient for them; on hillocks six or
seven cubits high, large beasts cannot conceal themselves, but foxes of evil omen find it a
good place for them. And moreover, honour should be paid to the wise, offices given to the
able, and preference shown to the good and the beneficial. From of old Yao and Shun acted
thus; – how much more may the people of Wei-lêi do so! O Master, let them have
their way!'
Käng-sang replied,
'Come nearer, my little children. If a beast that could hold a carriage in its mouth
leave its hill by itself, it will not escape the danger that awaits it from the net; or if a
fish that could swallow a boat be left dry by the flowing away of the water, then (even) the
ants are able to trouble it. Thus it is that birds and beasts seek to be as high as
possible, and fishes and turtles seek to lie as deep as possible. In the same way men who
wish to preserve their bodies and lives keep their persons concealed, and they do so in the
deepest retirement possible. And moreover, what was there in those sovereigns to entitle
them to your laudatory mention? Their sophistical reasonings (resembled) the reckless
breaking down of walls and enclosures and planting the wild rub us and wormwood in their
place; or making the hair thin before they combed it; or counting the grains of rice before
they cooked them. They would do such things with careful discrimination; but what was there
in them to benefit the world? If you raise the men of talent to office, you will create
disorder; making the people strive with one another for promotion; if you employ men for
their wisdom, the people will rob one another (of their reputation). These various things
are insufficient to make the people good and honest. They are very eager for gain; – a
son will kill his father, and a minister his ruler (for it). In broad daylight men will rob,
and at midday break through walls. I tell you that the root of the greatest disorder was
planted in the times of Yao and Shun. The branches of it will remain for a thousand ages;
and after a thousand ages men will be found eating one another.'
3:
(On this) Nan-yung Ku abruptly sat right up and said,
'What method can an old man like me adopt to become (the Perfect man) that you have
described?'
Master Käng-sang said,
'Maintain your body complete; hold your life in close embrace; and do not let your
thoughts keep working anxiously: do this for three years, and you may become the man of whom
I have spoken.'
The other rejoined,
'Eyes are all of the same form, I do not know any difference between them: yet the
blind have no power of vision. Ears are all of the same form; I do not know any difference
between them: yet the deaf have no power of hearing. Minds are all of the same nature, I do
not know any difference between them; – yet the mad cannot make the minds of other men
their own. (My) personality is indeed like (yours), but things seem to separate between us.
I wish to find in myself what there is in you, but I am not able to do so'. You have now
said to me, "Maintain your body complete; hold your life in close embrace; and do not let
your thoughts keep working anxiously." With all my efforts to learn your Way, (your words)
reach only my ears.'
Käng-sang replied,
'I can say nothing more to you,' and then he added,
'Small flies cannot transform the bean caterpillar; Yüeh fowls cannot hatch the
eggs of geese, but Lu fowls can. It is not that the nature of these fowls is different; the
ability in the one case and inability in the other arise from their different capacities as
large and small. My ability is small and not sufficient to transform you. Why should you not
go south and see Master Lao?'
4:
Nan-yung Ku hereupon took with him some rations, and after seven days and seven
nights arrived at the abode of Master Lao, who said to him,
'Are you come from Khû's?'
'I am,' was the reply.
'And why, Sir, have you come with such a multitude of attendants?'
Nan-yung was frightened, and turned his head round to look behind him. Master Lao
said,
'Don't you understand my meaning?'
The other held his head down and was ashamed, and then he lifted it up, and sighed,
saying,
'I forgot at the moment what I should reply to your question, and in consequence I
have lost what I wished to ask you.'
'What do you mean?'
If I have not wisdom, men say that I am stupid, while if I have it, it occasions
distress to myself. If I have not benevolence, then (I am charged) with doing hurt to
others, while if I have it, I distress myself. If I have not righteousness, I (am charged
with) injuring others, while if I have it, I distress myself. How can I escape from these
dilemmas? These are the three perplexities that trouble me; and I wish at the suggestion of
Ku to ask you about them.'
Master Lao replied,
'A little time ago, when I saw you and looked right into your eyes, I understood
you, and now your words confirm the judgement which I formed. You look frightened and
amazed. You have lost your parents, and are trying with a pole to find them at the (bottom
of) the sea. You have gone astray; you are at your wit's end. You wish to recover your
proper nature, and you know not what step to take first to find it. You are to be pitied!'
5:
Nan-yung Ku asked to be allowed to enter (the establishment), and have an apartment
assigned to him. (There) he sought to realise the qualities which he loved, and put away
those which he hated. For ten days he afflicted himself, and then waited again on Master
Lao, who said to him,
'You must purify yourself thoroughly! But from your symptoms of distress, and signs
of impurity about you, I see there still seem to cling to you things that you dislike. When
the fettering influences from without become numerous, and you try to seize them (you will
find it a difficult task); the better plan is to bar your inner man against their entrance.
And when the similar influences within get intertwined, it is a difficult task to grasp (and
hold them in check); the better plan is to bar the outer door against their exit. Even a
master of the Tao and its characteristics will not be able to control these two influences
together, and how much less can one who is only a student of the Tao do so!' Nan-yung Ku
said,
'A certain villager got an illness, and when his neighbours asked about it, he was
able to describe the malady, though it was one from which he had not suffered before. When I
ask you about the Grand Tao, it seems to me like drinking medicine which (only serves to)
increase my illness. I should like to hear from you about the regular method of guarding the
life; – that will be sufficient for me.'
Master Lao replied,
'(You ask me about) the regular method of guarding the life; – can you hold the
One thing fast in your embrace? Can you keep from losing it? Can you know the lucky and the
unlucky without having recourse to the tortoise-shell or the divining stalks? Can you rest
(where you ought to rest)? Can you stop (when you have got enough)? Can you give over
thinking of other men, and seek what you want in yourself (alone)? Can you flee (from the
allurements of desire)? Can you maintain an entire simplicity? Can you become a little
child? The child will cry all the day, without its throat becoming hoarse; – so perfect
is the harmony (of its physical constitution). It will keep its fingers closed all the day
without relaxing their grasp; – such is the concentration of its powers. It will keep
its eyes fixed all day, without their moving; – so is it unaffected by what is external
to it. It walks it knows not where; it rests where it is placed, it knows not why; it is
calmly indifferent to things, and follows their current. This is the regular method of
guarding the life.'
6:
Nan-yung Ku said,
'And are these all the characteristics of the Perfect man?'
Master Lao replied,
'No. These are what we call the breaking up of the ice, and the dissolving of the
cold. The Perfect man, along with other men, gets his food from the earth, and derives his
joy from his Heaven (-conferred nature). But he does not like them allow himself to be
troubled by the consideration of advantage or injury coming from men and things; he does not
like them do strange things, or form plans, or enter on undertakings; he flees from the
allurements of desire, and pursues his way with an entire simplicity. Such is the way by
which he guards his life.'
'And is this what constitutes his perfection?'
'Not quite. I asked you whether you could become a little child. The little child
moves unconscious of what it is doing, and walks unconscious of where it is going. Its body
is like the branch of a rotten tree, and its mind is like slaked lime. Being such, misery
does not come to it, nor happiness. It has neither misery nor happiness; – how can it
suffer from the calamities incident to men?'
7:
[2] He whose mind is thus grandly fixed emits a Heavenly light. In him who emits
this heavenly light men see the (True) man. When a man has cultivated himself (up to this
point), thenceforth he remains constant in himself. When he is thus constant in himself,
(what is merely) the human element will leave him', but Heaven will help him. Those whom
their human element has left we call the people of Heaven. Those whom Heaven helps we call
the Sons of Heaven. Those who would by learning attain to this seek for what they cannot
learn. Those who would by effort attain to this, attempt what effort can never effect. Those
who aim by reasoning to reach it reason where reasoning has no place. To know to stop where
they cannot arrive by means of knowledge is the highest attainment. Those who cannot do this
will be destroyed on the lathe of Heaven.
8:
Where things are all adjusted to maintain the body; where a provision against
unforeseen dangers is kept up to maintain the life of the mind; where an inward reverence is
cherished to be exhibited (in all intercourse) with others; – where this is done, and
yet all evils arrive, they are from Heaven, and not from the men themselves. They will not
be sufficient to confound the established (virtue of the character), or be admitted into the
Tower of Intelligence. That Tower has its Guardian, who acts unconsciously, and whose care
will not be effective, if there be any conscious purpose in it. If one who has not this
entire sincerity in himself make any outward demonstration, every such demonstration will be
incorrect. The thing will enter into him, and not let go its hold. Then with every fresh
demonstration there will be still greater failure. If he do what is not good in the light of
open day, men will have the opportunity of punishing him; if he do it in darkness and
secrecy, spirits Will inflict the punishment. Let a man understand this—his relation
both to men and spirits, and then he will do what is good in the solitude of
himself.
He whose rule of life is in himself does not act for the sake of a name. He whose
rule is outside himself has his will set on extensive acquisition. He who does not act for
the sake of a name emits a light even in his ordinary conduct; he whose will is set on
extensive acquisition is but a trafficker. Men see how he stands on tiptoe, while he thinks
that he is overtopping others. Things enter (and take possession of) him who (tries to) make
himself exhaustively (acquainted with them), while when one is indifferent to them, they do
not find any lodgment in his person. And how can other men find such lodgment? But when one
denies lodgment to men, there are none who feel attachment to him. In this condition he is
cut off from other men. There is no weapon more deadly than the will; —even
Mu-yê was inferior to it. There is no robber greater than the Yin and Yang, from whom
nothing can escape of all between heaven and earth. But it is not the Yin and Yang that play
the robber; —it is the mind that causes them to do so.
9:
The Tao is to be found in the subdivisions (of its subject); (it is to be found) in
that when complete, and when broken up. What I dislike in considering it as subdivided, is
that the division leads to the multiplication of it; – and what I dislike in that
multiplication is that it leads to the (thought of) effort to secure it. Therefore when (a
man) comes forth (and is born), if he did not return (to his previous non-existence), we
should have (only) seen his ghost; when he comes forth and gets this (return), he dies (as
we say). He is extinguished, and yet has a real existence: this is another way of saying
that in life we have) only man's ghost. By taking the material as an emblem of the
immaterial do we arrive at a settlement of the case of man. He comes forth, but from no
root; he reenters, but by no aperture. He has a real existence. but it has nothing to do
with place; he has continuance, but it has nothing to do with beginning or end. He has a
real existence, but it has nothing to do with place, such is his relation to space; he has
continuance, but it has nothing to do with beginning or end, such is his relation to time;
he has life; he has death; he comes forth; he enters; but we do not see his form;
—all this is what is called the door of Heaven. The door of Heaven is Non-Existence.
All things come from non-existence. The (first) existences could not bring themselves into
existence; they must have come from non-existence. And non-existence is just the same as
non-existing. Herein is the secret of the sages.
10:
Among the ancients there were those whose knowledge reached the extreme point. And
what was that point? There were some who thought that in the beginning there was nothing.
This was the extreme point, the completest reach of their knowledge, to which nothing could
be added. Again, there were those who supposed that (in the beginning) there were
existences, proceeding to consider life to be a (gradual) perishing, and death a returning
(to the original state). And there they stopped, making, (however), a distinction between
life and death. Once again there were those who said,
'In the beginning there was nothing; by and by there was life; and then in a little
time life was succeeded by death. We hold that non-existence was the head, life the body,
and death the os coccygis. But of those who acknowledge that existence and nonexistence,
death and life, are all under the One Keeper, we are the friends.'
Though those who maintained these three views were different, they were so as the
different branches of the same ruling Family (of Ku),—the Kâos and the
Kings, bearing the surname of the lord whom they honoured as the author of their
branch, and the Kiâs named from their appanage; – (all one, yet seeming) not to
be one.
The possession of life is like the soot that collects under a boiler. When that is
differently distributed, the life is spoken of as different. But to say that life is
different in different lives, and better in one than in another, is an improper mode of
speech. And yet there may be something here which we do not know. (As for instance), at the
lâsacrifice the paunch and the divided hoofs may be set forth on separate dishes, but
they should not be considered as parts of different victims; (and again), when one is
inspecting a house, he goes over it all, even the adytum for the shrines of the temple, and
visits also the most private apartments; doing this, and setting a different estimate on the
different parts.
Let me try and speak of this method of apportioning one's approval: life is the
fundamental consideration in it; knowledge is the instructor. From this they multiply their
approvals and disapprovals, determining what is merely nominal and what is real. They go on
to conclude that to themselves must the appeal be made in everything, and to try to make
others adopt them as their model; prepared even to die to make good their views on every
point. In this way they consider being employed in office as a mark of wisdom, and not being
so employed as a mark of stupidity, success as entitling to fame, and the want of it as
disgraceful. The men of the present day who follow this differentiating method are like the
cicada and the little dove; – there is no difference between them.
11:
When one treads on the foot of another in the market-place, he apologises on the
ground of the bustle. If an elder tread on his younger brother, he proceeds to comfort him;
if a parent tread on a child, he says and does nothing. Hence it is said,
'The greatest politeness is to show no special respect to others; the greatest
righteousness is to take no account of things; the greatest wisdom is to lay no plans; the
greatest benevolence is to make no demonstration of affection; the greatest good faith is to
give no pledge of sincerity.'
Repress the impulses of the will; unravel the errors of the mind; put away the
entanglements to virtue; and clear away all that obstructs the free course of the Tao.
Honours and riches, distinctions and austerity, fame and profit; these six things produce
the impulses of the will. Personal appearance and deportment, the desire of beauty and
subtle reasonings, excitement of the breath and cherished thoughts; these six things produce
errors of the mind. Hatred and longings, joy and anger, grief and delight; these six things
are the entanglements to virtue. Refusals and approachments, receiving and giving,
knowledge and ability; these six things obstruct the course of the Tao. When these four
conditions, with the six causes of each, do not agitate the breast, the mind is correct.
Being correct, it is still; being still, it is pellucid; being pellucid, it is free from
pre-occupation; being free from pre-occupation, it is in the state of inaction, in which it
accomplishes everything.
The Tao is the object of reverence to all the virtues. Life is what gives
opportunity for the display of the virtues. The nature is the substantive character of the
life. The movement of the nature is called action. When action becomes hypocritical, we say
that it has lost (its proper attribute).
The wise communicate with what is external to them and are always laying plans. This
is what with all their wisdom they are not aware of; —they look at things askance.
When the action (of the nature) is from external constraint, we have what is called virtue;
when it is all one's own, we have what is called government. These two names seem to be
opposite to each other, but in reality they are in mutual accord.
12:
Î was skilful in hitting the minutest mark, but stupid in wishing men to go on
praising him without end. The sage is skilful Heavenwards, but stupid manwards. It is only
the complete man who can be both skilful Heavenwards and good manwards.
Only an insect can play the insect, only an insect show the insect nature. Even the
complete man hates the attempt to exemplify the nature of Heaven. He hates the manner in
which men do so, and how much more would he hate the doing so by himself before
men!
When a bird came in the way of Î, he was sure to obtain it; —such was
his mastery with his bow. If all the world were to be made a cage, birds would have nowhere
to escape to. Thus it was that Tang caged Î Yin by making him his cook, and that duke
Mu of Khin caged Pâi-li Hsi by giving the skins of five rams for him. But if you try
to cage men by anything but what they like, you will never succeed.
A man, one of whose feet has been cut off, discards ornamental (clothes); – his
outward appearance will not admit of admiration. A criminal under sentence of death will
ascend to any height without fear; —he has ceased to think of life or death.
When one persists in not reciprocating the gifts (of friendship), he forgets all
others. Having forgotten all others, he may be considered as a Heaven-like man. Therefore
when respect is shown to a man, and it awakens in him no joy, and when contempt awakens no
anger, it is only one who shares in the Heaven-like harmony that can be thus. When he would
display anger and yet is not angry, the anger comes out in that repression of it. When he
would put forth action, and yet does not do so, the action is in that not-acting. Desiring
to be quiescent, he must pacify all his emotions; desiring to be spirit-like, he must act in
conformity with his mind. When action is required of him, he wishes that it may be right;
and it then is under an inevitable constraint. Those who act according to that inevitable
constraint pursue the way of the sage.
1:
Hsü Wu-kwei having obtained through Nü Shang an introduction to the
marquis Wu of Wei, the marquis, speaking to him with kindly sympathy, said,
'You are ill, Sir; you have suffered from your hard and laborious toils in the
forests, and still you have been willing to come and see poor me.'
Hsü Wu-kwei replied,
'It is I who have to comfort your lordship; what occasion have you to comfort me? If
your lordship go on to fill up the measure of your sensual desires, and to prolong your
likes and dislikes, then the condition of your mental nature will be diseased, and if you
discourage and repress those desires, and deny your likings and dislikings, that will be an
affliction to your ears and eyes (deprived of their accustomed pleasures); – it is for
me to comfort your lordship, what occasion have you to comfort me?'
The marquis looked contemptuous, and made no reply.
After a little time, Hsü Wu-kwei said,
'Let me tell your lordship something: I look at dogs and judge of them by their
appearance. One of the lowest quality seizes his food, satiates himself, and stops; –
he has the attributes of a fox. One of a medium quality seems to be looking at the sun. One
of the highest quality seems to have forgotten the one thing,—himself. But I judge
still better of horses than I do of dogs. When I do so, I find that one goes
straightforward, as if following a line; that another turns off, so as to describe a hook;
that a third describes a square as if following the measure so called; and that a fourth
describes a circle as exactly as a compass would make it. These are all horses of a state;
but they are not equal to a horse of the kingdom. His qualities are complete. Now he looks
anxious; now to be losing the way; now to be forgetting himself. Such a horse prances along,
or rushes on, spurning the dust and not knowing where he is.'
The marquis was greatly pleased and laughed.
When Hsü Wu-kwei came out, Nü Shang said to him,
'How was it, Sir, that you by your counsels produced such an effect on our ruler? In
my counsellings of him, now indirectly, taking my subjects from the Books of Poetry,
History, Rites, and Music; now directly, from the Metal Tablets, and the six Bow-cases, all
calculated for the service (of the state), and to be of great benefit; – in these
counsellings, repeated times without number, I have never seen the ruler show his teeth in a
smile: by what counsels have you made him so pleased today?'
Hsü Wu-kwei replied,
'I only told him how I judged of dogs and horses by looking at their
appearance.'
'So?' said Nü Shang, and the other rejoined,
'Have you not heard of the wanderer from Yüeh? when he had been gone from the
state several days, he was glad when he saw any one whom he had seen in it; when he had been
gone a month, he was glad when he saw any one whom he had known in it; and when he had been
gone a round year, he was glad when he saw any one who looked like a native of it. The
longer he was gone, the more longingly did he think of the people; – was it not so? The
men who withdraw to empty valleys, where the hellebore bushes stop up the little paths made
by the weasels, as they push their way or stand amid the waste, are glad when they seem to
hear the sounds of human footsteps; and how much more would they be so, if it were their
brothers and relatives talking and laughing by their side! How long it is since the words of
a True man were heard as he talked and laughed by our ruler's side!'
2:
At (another) interview of Hsü Wu-kwei with the marquis Wu, the latter
said,
'You, Sir, have been dwelling in the forests for a long time, living on acorns and
chestnuts, and satiating yourself with onions and chives, without thinking of poor me. Now
(that you are here), is it because you are old? or because you wish to try again the taste
of wine and meat? or because (you wish that) I may enjoy the happiness derived from the
spirits of the altars of the Land and Grain?'
Hsü Wu-kwei replied,
'I was born in a poor and mean condition, and have never presumed to drink of your
lordship's wine, or eat of your meat. My object in coming was to comfort your lordship under
your troubles.'
'What? comfort me under my troubles?'
'Yes, to comfort both your lordship's spirit and body.'
The marquis said,
'What do you mean?'
His visitor replied,
'Heaven and Earth have one and the same purpose in the production (of all men).
However high one man be exalted, he should not think that he is favourably dealt with; and
however low may be the position of another, he should not think that he is unfavourably
dealt with. You are indeed the one and only lord of the 10,000 chariots (of your state), but
you use your dignity to embitter (the lives of) all the people, and to pamper your cars,
eyes, nose, and mouth. But your spirit does not acquiesce in this. The spirit (of man)
loves to be in harmony with others and hates selfish indulgence. This selfish indulgence is
a disease, and therefore I would comfort you under it. How is it that your lordship more
than others brings this disease on yourself?'
The marquis said,
'I have wished to see you, Sir, for a long time. I want to love my people, and by
the exercise of righteousness to make an end of war; – will that be enough?'
Hsü Wu-kwei replied,
'By no means. To love the people is the first step to injure them'. By the exercise
of righteousness to make an end of war is the root from which war is produced'. If your
lordship try to accomplish your object in this way, you are not likely to succeed. All
attempts to accomplish what we think good (with an ulterior end) is a bad contrivance.
Although your lordship practise benevolence and righteousness (as you propose), it will be
no better than hypocrisy. You may indeed assume the (outward) form, but successful
accomplishment will lead to (inward) contention, and the change thence arising will produce
outward fighting. Your lordship also must not mass files of soldiers in the passages of
your galleries and towers, nor have footmen and horsemen in the apartments about your
altars. Do not let thoughts contrary to your success lie hidden in your mind; do not think
of conquering men by artifice, or by (skilful) plans, or by fighting. If I kill the
officers and people of another state, and annex its territory, to satisfy my selfish
desires, while in my spirit I do not know whether the fighting be good, where is the victory
that I gain? Your lordship's best plan is to abandon (your purpose). If you will cultivate
in your breast the sincere purpose (to love the people), and so respond to the feeling of
Heaven and Earth, and not (further) vex yourself, then your people will already have-
escaped death; – what occasion will your lordship have to make an end of war?'
3:
Hwang-Ti was going to see Tâ-kwei at the hill of Kü-zhze. Fang Ming was
acting as charioteer, and Khang Yü was occupying the third place in the carriage. Kang
Zo and Hsi Phäng went before the horses; and Kun Hwun and Ku Khi followed the carriage.
When they arrived at the wild of Hsiang-khäng, the seven sages were all perplexed, and
could find no place at which to ask the way. just then they met with a boy tending some
horses, and asked the way of him.
'Do you know,' they said, 'the hill of Kü-zhze?'
He replied that he did. He also said that he knew where Tâ-kwei was
living.
'A strange boy is this!' said Hwang-Ti. 'He not only knows the hill of Kü-zhze,
but he also knows where Tâ-kwei is living. Let me ask him about the government of
mankind.'
The boy said,
'The administration of the kingdom is like this (which I am doing); – what
difficulty should there be in it? When I was young, I enjoyed myself roaming over all within
the six confines of the world of space, and then I began to suffer from indistinct sight. A
wise elder taught me, saying, "Ride in the chariot of the sun, and roam in the wild of
Hsiang-Keng." Now the trouble in my eyes is a little better, and I am again enjoying myself
roaming outside the six confines of the world of space. As to the government of the kingdom,
it is like this (which I am doing); what difficulty should there be in it?'
Hwang-Ti said,
'The administration of the world is indeed not your business, my son. Nevertheless,
I beg to ask you about it.'
The little lad declined to answer, but on Hwang-Ti putting the question again, he
said,
'In what does the governor of the kingdom differ from him who has the tending of
horses, and who has only to put away whatever in him would injure the horses?'
Hwang-Ti bowed to him twice with his head to the ground, called him his 'Heavenly
Master,' and withdrew.
4:
If officers of wisdom do not see the changes which their anxious thinking has
suggested, they have no joy; if debaters are not able to set forth their views in orderly
style, they have no joy; if critical examiners find no subjects on which to exercise their
powers of vituperation, they have no joy: they are all hampered by external
restrictions.
Those who try to attract the attention of their age (wish to) rise at court; those
who try to win the regard of the people count holding office a glory; those who possess
muscular strength boast of doing what is difficult; those who are bold and daring exert
themselves in times of calamity; those who are able swordmen and spearmen delight in
fighting; those whose powers are decayed seek to rest in the name (they have gained); those
who are skilled in the laws seek to enlarge the scope of government; those who are
proficient in ceremonies and music pay careful attention to their deportment; and those who
profess benevolence and righteousness value opportunities (for displaying them).
The husbandmen who do not keep their fields well weeded are not equal to their
business, nor are traders who do not thrive in the markets. When the common people have
their appropriate employment morning and evening, they stimulate one another to diligence;
the mechanics who are masters of their implements feel strong for their work. If their
wealth does not increase, the greedy are distressed; if their power and influence is not
growing, the ambitious are sad.
Such creatures of circumstance and things delight in changes, and if they meet with
a time when they can show what they can do, they cannot keep themselves from taking
advantage of it. They all pursue their own way like (the seasons of) the year, and do not
change as things do. They give the reins to their bodies and natures, and allow themselves
to sink beneath (the pressure of) things, and all their lifetime do not come back (to their
proper selves): is it not sad?
5:
Master Chuang said,
'An archer, without taking aim beforehand, yet may hit the mark. If we say that he
is a good archer, and that all the world may be is Îs, is this allowable?'
Master Hui replied,
'It is.'
Master Chuang continued,
'All men do not agree in counting the same thing to be right, but every one
maintains his own view to be right; (if we say) that all men may be Yaos, is this
allowable?'
Master Hui (again) replied,
'It is.'
And Master Chuang went on,
'Very well; there are the literati, the followers of Mo (Ti), of Yang (Ku), and of
Ping; – making four (different schools). Including yourself, Master, there are five.
Which of your views is really right? Or will you take the position of La Kü? One of his
disciples said to him, "Master, I have got hold of your method. I can in winter heat the
furnace under my tripod, and in summer can produce ice." Lu Kü said, "That is only
with the Yang element to call out the same, and with the Yin to call out the yin; –
that is not my method. I will show you what my method is." On this he tuned two citherns,
placing one of them in the hall, and the other in one of the inner apartments. Striking the
note Kung in the one, the same note vibrated in the other, and so it was with the note Kio;
the two instruments being tuned in the same way. But if he had differently tuned them on
other strings different from the normal arrangement of the five notes, the five-and-twenty
strings would all have vibrated, without any difference of their notes, the note to which he
had tuned them ruling and guiding all the others. Is your maintaining your view to be right
just like this?'
Master Hui replied,
'Here now are the literati, and the followers of Mo, Yang, and Ping. Suppose that
they have come to dispute with me. They put forth their conflicting statements; they try
vociferously to put me down; but none of them have ever proved me wrong —what do you
say to this?'
Master Chuang said,
'There was a man of Khi who cast away his son in Sung to be a gatekeeper there, and
thinking nothing of the mutilation lie would incur; the same man, to secure one of his
sacrificial vessels or bells, would have it strapped and secured, while to find his son who
was lost, he would not go out of the territory of his own state: so forgetful was he of the
relative importance of things. If a man of Ku, going to another state as a lame gate-keeper,
at midnight, at a time when no one was nigh, were to fight with his boatman, he would not be
able to reach the shore, and he would have done what he could to provoke the boatman's
animosity.'
6:
As Master Chuang was accompanying a funeral, when passing by the grave of Master
Hui, he looked round, and said to his attendants,
'On the top of the nose of that man of Ying there is a (little) bit of mud like a
fly's wing.'
He sent for the artisan Shih to cut it away. Shih whirled his axe so as to produce a
wind, which at once carried off the mud entirely, leaving the nose uninjured, and the
(statue of) the man of Ying' standing undisturbed. The ruler Yüan of Sung heard of the
feat, called the artisan Shih, and said to him,
'Try and do the same thing on me.'
The artisan said,
'Your servant has been able to trim things in that way, but the material on which I
have worked has been dead for a long time.'
Master Chuang said,
'Since the death of the Master, I have had no material to work on. I have had no
one to talk with.'
7:
Kwan Kung being ill, duke Hwan went to ask for him, and said,
'Your illness, father Kung, is very severe; should you not speak out your mind to
me? Should this prove the great illness, to whom will it be best for me to entrust my
State?'
Kwan Kung said,
'To whom does your grace wish to entrust it?'
'To Pâo Shu-yâ,' was the reply.
'He won't do. He is an admirable officer, pure and incorruptible, but with others
who are not like himself he won't associate. And when he once hears of another man's faults,
he never forgets them. If you employ him to administer the state, above, he will take the
leading of your Grace, and, below, he will come into collision with the people; – in no
long time you will be holding him as an offender.'
The duke said,
'Who, then, is the man?'
The reply was,
'If I must speak, there is Hsi Phäng; – he will do. He is a man who
forgets his own high position, and against whom those below him won't revolt. He is ashamed
that he is not equal to Hwang-Ti, and pities those who are not equal to himself. Him who
imparts of his virtue to others we call a sage; him who imparts of his wealth to others we
call a man of worth. He who by his worth would preside over others, never succeeds in
winning them; he who with his worth condescends to others, never but succeeds in winning
them. Hsi Phäng has not been (much) heard of in the state; he has not been (much)
distinguished in his own clan. But as I must speak, he is the man for you.'
8:
The king of Wu, floating about on the Kiang, (landed and) ascended the Hill of
monkeys, which all, when they saw him, scampered off in terror, and hid themselves among the
thick hazels. There was one, however, which, in an unconcerned way, swung about on the
branches, displaying its cleverness to the king, who thereon discharged an arrow at it. With
a nimble motion it caught the swift arrow, and the king ordered his attendants to hurry
forward and shoot it; and thus the monkey was seized and killed. The king then, looking
round, said to his friend Yen Pu-i,
'This monkey made a display of its artfulness, and trusted in its agility, to show
me its arrogance; – this it was which brought it to this fate. Take warning from it.
Ah! do not by your looks give yourself haughty airs!' Yen Pu-i, when he returned home, put
himself under the teaching of Tung Wu, to root up his pride. He put away what he delighted
in and abjured distinction. In three years the people of the kingdom spoke of him with
admiration.
9:
Nan-po Tzu Ki was seated, leaning forward on his stool, and sighing gently as he
looked up to heaven. (just then) Yen Tzu Keng came in, and said, when he saw him,
'Master, you surpass all others. Is it right to make your body thus like a mass of
withered bones, and your mind like so much slaked lime?'
The other said,
'I formerly lived in a grotto on a hill. At that time Thien Ho once came to see me,
and all the multitudes of Khi congratulated him three times (on his having found the proper
man). I must first have shown myself, and so it was that he knew me; I must first have been
selling (what I had), and so it was that he came to buy. If I had not shown what I
possessed, how should he have known it; if I had not been selling (myself), how should he
have come to buy me? I pity the men who lose themselves; I also pity the men who pity others
(for not being known); and I also pity the men who pity the men who pity those that pity
others. But since then the time is long cone by; (and so I am in the state in which you have
found me).
10:
Kung-ni, having gone to Ku, the king ordered wine to be presented to him. Sun
Shu-âo stood, holding the goblet in his hand. Î-liâo of Shih-nan, having
received (a cup), poured its contents out as a sacrificial libation, and said,
'The men of old, on such an occasion as this, made some speech.'
Kung-ni said,
'I have heard of speech without words; but I have never spoken it; I will do so
now. Î-liâo of Shih-nan kept (quietly) handling his little spheres, and the
difficulties between the two Houses were resolved; Sun Shu-âo slept undisturbed on his
couch, with his (dancer's) feather in his hand, and the men of Ying enrolled themselves for
the war. I wish I had a beak three cubits long.'
In the case of those two (ministers) we have what is called 'The Way that cannot be
trodden; ' in (the case of Kung-ni) we have what is called 'the Argument without
words.'
Therefore when all attributes are comprehended in the unity of the Tao, and speech
stops at the point to which knowledge does not reach, the conduct is complete. But where
there is (not) the unity of the Tao, the attributes cannot (always) be the same, and that
which is beyond the reach of knowledge cannot be exhibited by any reasoning. There may be as
many names as those employed by the Literati and the Mohists, but (the result is) evil. Thus
when the sea does not reject the streams that flow into it in their eastward course, we have
the perfection of greatness. The sage embraces in his regard both Heaven and Earth; his
beneficent influence extends to all under the sky; and we do not know from whom it comes.
Therefore though when living one may have no rank, and when dead no honorary epithet; though
the reality (of what he is) may not be acknowledged and his name not established; we have in
him what is called 'The Great Man.'
A dog is not reckoned good because it barks well; and a man is not reckoned wise
because he speaks skilfully; – how much less can he be deemed Great! If one thinks he
is Great, he is not fit to be accounted Great; —how much less is he so from the
practice of the attributes (of the Tao)! Now none are so grandly complete as Heaven and
Earth; but do they seek for anything to make them so grandly complete? He who knows this
grand completion does not seek for it; he loses nothing and abandons nothing; he does not
change himself from regard to (external) things; he turns in on himself, and finds there an
inexhaustible store; he follows antiquity and does not feel about (for its lessons); –
such is the perfect sincerity of the Great Man.
11:
Tzu Ki had eight sons. Having arranged them before him, he called Kiu-fang Yän,
and said to him,
'Look at the physiognomy of my sons for me; – which will be the fortunate
one?'
Yän said,
'Kun is the fortunate one.'
Tzu Ki looked startled, and joyfully said,
'In what way?'
Yän replied,
'Kun will share the meals of the ruler of a state to the end of his life.'
The father looked uneasy, burst into tears, and said,
'What has my son done that he should come to such a fate?'
Yin replied,
'When one shares the meals of the ruler of a state, blessings reach to all within
the three branches of his kindred, and how much more to his father and mother! But you,
Master, weep when you hear this; – you oppose (the idea of) such happiness. It is the
good fortune of your son, and you count it his misfortune.'
Tzu Ki said,
'O Yän, what sufficient ground have you for knowing that this will be Kun's
good fortune? (The fortune) that is summed up in wine and flesh affects only the nose and
the mouth, but you are not able to know how it will come about. I have never been a
shepherd, and yet a ewe lambed in the south-west corner of my house. I have never been fond
of hunting, and yet a quail hatched her young in the south-east corner. If these were not
prodigies, what can be accounted such? Where I wish to occupy my mind with my son is in (the
wide sphere of) heaven and earth; I wish to seek his enjoyment and mine in (the idea of)
Heaven, and our support from the Earth. I do not mix myself up with him in the affairs (of
the world); nor in forming plans (for his advantage); nor in the practice of what is
strange. I pursue with him the perfect virtue of Heaven and Earth, and do not allow
ourselves to be troubled by outward things. I seek to be with him in a state of undisturbed
indifference, and not to practise what affairs might indicate as likely to be advantageous.
And now there is to come to us this vulgar recompense. Whenever there is a strange
realisation, there must have been strange conduct. Danger threatens; – not through any
sin of me or of my son, but as brought about, I apprehend, by Heaven. It is this which makes
me weep!'
Not long after this, Tzu Ki sent off Kun to go to Yen, when he was made prisoner by
some robbers on the way. It would have been difficult to sell him if he were whole and
entire, and they thought their easiest plan was to cut off (one of his) feet first. They did
so, and sold him in Khi, where he became Inspector of roads for a Mr. Khü.
Nevertheless he had flesh to eat till he died.
12:
Nieh Khüeh met Hsü Yu (on the way), and said to him,
'Where, Sir, are you going to?'
'I am fleeing from Yao,' was the reply.
'What do you mean?'
'Yao has become so bent on his benevolence that I am afraid the world will laugh at
him, and that in future ages men will be found eating one another. Now the people are
collected together without difficulty. Love them, and they respond with affection; benefit
them, and they come to you; praise them, and they are stimulated (to please you); make them
to experience what they dislike, and they disperse. When the loving and benefiting proceed
from benevolence and righteousness, those who forget the benevolence and righteousness, and
those who make a profit of them, are the many. In this way the practice of benevolence and
righteousness comes to be without sincerity and is like a borrowing of the instruments with
which men catch birds. In all this the one man's seeking to benefit the world by his
decisions and enactments (of such a nature) is as if he were to cut through (the nature of
all) by one operation; —Yao knows how wise and superior men can benefit the world, but
he does not also know how they injure it. It is only those who stand outside such men that
know this.'
There are the pliable and weak; the easy and hasty; the grasping and crooked. Those
who are called the pliable and weak learn the words of some one master, to which they freely
yield their assent, being secretly pleased with themselves, and thinking that their
knowledge is sufficient, while they do not know that they have not yet begun (to understand)
a single thing. It is this which makes them so pliable and weak. The easy and hasty are like
lice on a pig. The lice select a place where the bristles are more wide apart, and look on
it as a great palace or a large park. The slits between the toes, the overlappings of its
skin, about its nipples and its thighs,—all these seem to them safe apartments and
advantageous places; – they do not know that the butcher one morning, swinging about
his arms, will spread the grass, and kindle the fire, so that they and the pig will be
roasted together. So do they appear and disappear with the place where they harboured: this
is why they are called the easy and hasty.
Of the grasping and crooked we have an example in Shun. Mutton has no craving for
ants, but ants have a craving for mutton, for it is rank. There was a rankness about the
conduct of Shun, and the people were pleased with him. Hence when he three times changed his
residence, every one of them became a capital city. When he came to the wild of Täng,
he had 100,000 families about him. Yao having heard of the virtue and ability of Shun,
appointed him to a new and uncultivated territory, saying,
'I look forward to the benefit of his coming here.'
When Shun was appointed to this new territory, his years were advanced, and his
intelligence was decayed; – and yet he could not find a place of rest or a home. This
is an example of being grasping and wayward.
Therefore (in opposition to such) the spirit-like man dislikes the flocking of the
multitudes to him. When the multitudes come, they do not agree; and when they do not agree,
no benefit results from their coming. Hence there are none whom he brings very near to
himself, and none whom he keeps at a great distance. He keeps his virtue in close embrace,
and warmly nourishes (the spirit of) harmony, so as to be in accordance with all men. This
is called the True man . Even the knowledge of the ant he puts away; his plans are simply
those of the fishes; even the notions of the sheep he discards. His seeing is simply that of
the eye; his hearing that of the ear; his mind is governed by its general exercises. Being
such, his course is straight and level as if marked out by a line, and its every change is
in accordance (with the circumstances of the case).
13:
The True men of old waited for the issues of events as the arrangements of Heaven,
and did not by their human efforts try to take the place of Heaven. The True men of old
(now) looked on success as life and on failure as death; and (now) on success as death and
on failure as life. The operation of medicines will illustrate this: there are monk's-bane,
the kieh-käng, the tribulus fruit, and china-root; each of these has the time and case
for which it is supremely suitable; and all such plants and their suitabilities cannot be
mentioned particularly. Kâu-kien took his station on (the hill of) Kwâi-khi with
3,000 men with their buff-coats and shields: (his minister) Kung knew how the ruined
(Yüeh) might still be preserved, but the same man did not know the sad fate in store
for himself. Hence it is said,
'The eye of the owl has its proper fitness; the leg of the crane has its proper
limit, and to cut off any of it would distress (the bird).'
Hence (also) it is (further) said,
'When the wind passes over it, the volume of the river is diminished, and so it is
when the sun passes over it. But let the wind and sun keep a watch together on the river,
and it won't begin to feel that they are doing it any injury: it relies on its springs and
flows on.'
Thus, water does its part to the ground with undeviating exactness; and so does the
shadow to the substance; and one thing to another. Therefore there is danger from the power
of vision in the eyes, of hearing in the ears, and of the inordinate thinking of the mind;
yea, there is danger from the exercise of every power of which man's constitution is the
depository. When the danger has come to a head, it cannot be averted, and the calamity is
perpetuated, and goes on increasing. The return from this (to a state of security) is the
result of (great) effort, and success can be attained only after a long time; and yet men
consider (their power of self-determination) as their precious possession: is it not sad? It
is in this way that we have the ruin of states and the slaughtering of the people without
end; while no one knows how to ask how it comes about.
14:
Therefore, the feet of man on the earth tread but on a small space, but going on to
where he has not trod before, he traverses a great distance easily; so his knowledge is but
small, but going on to what he does not already know, he comes to know what is meant by
Heaven. He knows it as The Great Unity; The Great Mystery; The Great Illuminator; The Great
Framer; The Great Boundlessness; The Great Truth; The Great Determiner. This makes his
knowledge complete. As The Great Unity, he comprehends it; as The Great Mystery, he unfolds
it; as the Great Illuminator, he contemplates it; as the Great Framer, it is to him the
Cause of all; as the Great Boundlessness, all is to him its embodiment; as The Great Truth,
he examines it; as The Great Determiner, he holds it fast.
Thus Heaven is to him all; accordance with it is the brightest intelligence.
Obscurity has in this its pivot; in this is the beginning. Such being the case, the
explanation of it is as if it were no explanation; the knowledge of it is as if it were no
knowledge. (At first) he does not know it, but afterwards he comes to know it. In his
inquiries, he must not set to himself any limits, and yet he cannot be without a limit. Now
ascending, now descending, then slipping from the grasp, (the Tao) is yet a reality,
unchanged now as in antiquity, and always without defect: may it not be called what is
capable of the greatest display and expansion? Why should we not inquire into it? Why should
we be perplexed about it? With what does not perplex let us explain what perplexes, till we
cease to be perplexed. So may we arrive at a great freedom from all perplexity!
1:
Zeh-yang having travelled to Ku, Î Kieh spoke of him to the king, and then,
before the king had granted him an interview, (left him, and) returned home. Zeh-yang went
to see Wang Kwo, and said to him,
'Master, why don't you mention me to the king?'
Wang Kwo replied,
'I am not so good a person to do that as Kung-yüeh Hsiu.'
'What sort of man is he?' asked the other, and the reply was,
'In winter he spears turtles in the Kiang, and in summer he rests in shady places on
the mountain. When passers-by ask him (what he is doing there), he says, "This is my abode."
Since Î Kieh was not able to induce the king to see you, how much less should I, who
am not equal to him, be able to do so! Î Kieh's character is this: he has no (real)
virtue, but he has knowledge. If you do not freely yield yourself to him, but employ him to
carry on his spirit-like influence (with you), you will certainly get upset and benighted in
the region of riches and honours. His help won't be of a virtuous character, but will go to
make your virtue less; – it will be like heaping on clothes in spring as a protection
against cold, or bringing back the cold winds of winter as a protection against heat (in
summer). Now the king of Ku is of a domineering presence and stern. He has no forgiveness
for offenders, but is merciless as a tiger. It is only a man of subtle speech, or one of
correct virtue, who can bend him from his purpose.
'But the sagely man, when he is left in obscurity, causes the members of his family
to forget their poverty; and, when he gets forward to a position of influence, causes kings
and dukes to forget their rank and emoluments, and transforms them to be humble. With the
inferior creatures, he shares their pleasures, and they enjoy themselves the more; with
other men, he rejoices in the fellowship of the Tao, and preserves it in himself. Therefore
though he may not speak, he gives them to drink of the harmony (of his spirit). Standing in
association with them, he transforms them till they become in their feeling towards him as
sons with a father. His wish is to return to the solitude of his own mind, and this is the
effect of his occasional intercourse with them. So far-reaching is his influence on the
minds of men; and therefore I said to you. "Wait for Kung-yüeh Hsiu .'''
2:
The sage comprehends the connexions between himself and others, and how they all go
to constitute him of one body with them, and he does not know how it is so; – he
naturally does so. In fulfilling his constitution, as acted on and acting, he (simply)
follows the direction of Heaven; and it is in consequence of this that men style him (a
sage). If he were troubled about (the insufficiency of) his knowledge, what he did would
always be but small, and sometimes would be arrested altogether; —how would he in this
case be (the sage)? When (the sage) is born with all his excellence, it is other men who see
it for him. If they did not tell him, he would not know that he was more excellent than
others. And when he knows it, he is as if he did not know it; when he hears it, he is as if
he did not hear it. His source of joy in it has no end, and men's admiration of him has no
end; – all this takes place naturally. The love of the sage for others receives its
name from them. If they did not tell him of it, he would not know that he loved them; and
when he knows it, he is as if he knew it not; when he hears it, he is as if he heard it not.
His love of others never has an end, and their rest in him has also no end: all this takes
place naturally.
3:
When one sees at a distance his old country and old city, he feels a joyous
satisfaction. Though it be full of mounds and an overgrowth of trees and grass, and when he
enters it he finds but a tenth part remaining, still he feels that satisfaction. How much
more when he sees what he saw, and hears what he heard before! All this is to him like a
tower eighty cubits high exhibited in the sight of all men.
(The sovereign) Zän-hsiang was possessed of that central principle round which
all things revolve, and by it he could follow them to their completion. His accompanying
them had neither ending nor beginning, and was independent of impulse or time. Daily he
witnessed their changes, and himself underwent no change; and why should he not have rested
in this? If we (try to) adopt Heaven as our Master, we incapacitate ourselves from doing so.
Such endeavour brings us under the power of things. If one acts in this way, what is to be
said of him? The sage never thinks of Heaven nor of men. He does not think of taking the
initiative, nor of anything external to himself. He moves along with his age, and does not
vary or fail. Amid all the completeness of his doings, he is never exhausted. For those who
wish to be in accord with him, what other course is there to pursue?
When Tang got one to hold for him the reins of government, namely, Män-yin
Täng-häng, he employed him as his teacher. He followed his master, but did not
allow himself to be hampered by him, and so he succeeded in following things to their
completion. The master had the name; but that name was a superfluous addition to his laws,
and the twofold character of his government was made apparent. Kung-ni 's 'Task your
thoughts to the utmost' was his expression of the duties of a master. Yung-khäng
said,
'Take the days away and there will be no year; without what is internal there will
be nothing external.'
4:
(King) Yung of Wei made a treaty with the marquis Thien Mâu (of Khi), which
the latter violated. The king was enraged, and intended to send a man to assassinate him.
When the Minister of War heard of it, he was ashamed, and said (to the king),
'You are a ruler of 10,000 chariots, and by means of a common man would avenge
yourself on your enemy. I beg you to give me, Yen, the command of 200,000 soldiers to attack
him for you. I will take captive his people and officers, halter (and lead off) his oxen and
horses, kindling a fire within him that shall burn to his backbone. I will then storm his
capital; and when he shall run away in terror, I will flog his back and break his
spine.'
Master Ki heard of this advice, and was ashamed of it, and said (to the
king),
'We have been raising the wall (of our capital) to a height of eighty cubits, and
the work has been completed. If we now get it thrown down, it will be a painful toil to the
convict builders. It is now seven years since our troops were called out, and this is the
foundation of the royal sway. Yen would introduce disorder; – he should not be listened
to.'
Master Hwâ heard of this advice, and, greatly disapproving of it, said (to the
king),
'He who shows his skill in saying "Attack Khi" would produce disorder; and he who
shows his skill in saying "Do not attack it" would also produce disorder. And one who should
(merely) say, "The counsellors to attack Khi and not to attack it would both produce
disorder," would himself also lead to the same result.'
The king said,
'Yes, but what am I to do?'
The reply was,
'You have only to seek for (the rule of) the Tao (on the subject).'
Master Hui, having heard of this counsel, introduced to the king Tâi
Zin-zän, who said,
'There is the creature called a snail; does your majesty know it?'
'I do.'
'On the left horn of the snail there is a kingdom which is called Provocation, and
on the right horn another which is called Stupidity. These two kingdoms are continually
striving about their territories and fighting. The corpses that lie on the ground amount to
several myriads. The army of one may be defeated and put to flight, but in fifteen days it
will return.'
The king said,
'Pooh! that is empty talk!' The other rejoined,
'Your servant begs to show your majesty its real significance. When your majesty
thinks of space—east, west, north, and south, above and beneath—can you set any
limit to it?'
'It is illimitable,' said the king; and his visitor went on,
'Your majesty knows how to let your mind thus travel through the illimitable, and
yet (as compared with this) does it not seem insignificant whether the kingdoms that
communicate one with another exist or not?'
The king replies,
'It does so; ' and Tâi Zin-zän said, finally,
'Among those kingdoms, stretching one after another, there is this Wei; in Wei there
is this (city of) Liang; and in Liang there is your majesty. Can you make any distinction
between yourself, and (the king of that kingdom of) Stupidity?'
To this the king answered,
'There is no distinction,' and his visitor went out, while the king remained
disconcerted and seemed to have lost himself.
When the visitor was gone, Master Hui came in and saw the king, who said,
'That stranger is a Great man. An (ordinary) sage is not equal to him.'
Master Hui replied,
'If you blow into a flute, there come out its pleasant notes; if you blow into a
sword-hilt, there is nothing but a wheezing sound. Yao and Shun are the subjects of men's
praises, but if you speak of them before Tai Zin-zän, there will be but the wheezing
sound.'
5:
Confucius, having gone to Ku, was lodging in the house of a seller of Congee at
Ant-hill. On the roof of a neighbouring house there appeared the husband and his wife, with
their servants, male and female. Tzu-lu said,
'What are those people doing, collected there as we see them?'
Kung-ni replied,
'The man is a disciple of the sages. He is burying himself among the people, and
hiding among the fields. Reputation has become little in his eyes, but there is no bound to
his cherished aims. Though he may speak with his mouth, he never tells what is in his mind.
Moreover, he is at variance with the age, and his mind disdains to associate with it; –
he is one who may be said to lie hid at the bottom of the water on the dry land. Is he not
a sort of Î Liâo of Shih-nan?'
Tzu-lu asked leave to go and call him, but Confucius said,
'Stop. He knows that I understand him well. He knows that I am come to Ku, and
thinks that I am sure to try and get the king to invite him (to court). He also thinks that
I am a man swift to speak. Being such a man, he would feel ashamed to listen to the words
of one of voluble and flattering tongue, and how much more to come himself and see his
person! And why should we think that he will remain here?'
Tzu-lu, however, went to see how it was, but found the house empty.
6:
The Border-warden of Khang-wu, in questioning Tzu-lâo, said,
'Let not a ruler in the exercise of his government be (like the farmer) who leaves
the clods unbroken, nor, in regulating his people, (like one) who recklessly plucks up the
shoots. Formerly, in ploughing my corn-fields, I left the clods unbroken, and my recompense
was in the rough unsatisfactory crops; and in weeding, I destroyed and tore up (many good
plants), and my recompense was in the scantiness of my harvests. In subsequent years I
changed my methods, ploughing deeply and carefully covering up the seed; and my harvests
were rich and abundant, so that all the year I had more than I could eat.'
When Master Chuang heard of his remarks, he said,
'Now-a-days, most men, in attending to their bodies and regulating their minds,
correspond to the description of the Border-warden. They hide from themselves their
Heaven(-given being); they leave (all care of) their (proper) nature; they extinguish their
(proper) feelings; and they leave their spirit to die: abandoning themselves to what is the
general practice. Thus dealing with their nature like the farmer who is negligent of the
clods in his soil, the illegitimate results of their likings and dislikings become their
nature. The bushy sedges, reeds, and rushes, which seem at first to spring up to support our
bodies, gradually eradicate our nature, and it becomes like a mass of running sores, ever
liable to flow out, with scabs and ulcers, discharging in flowing matter from the internal
heat. So indeed it is!'
7:
Po Kü was studying with Lao Tan, and asked his leave to go and travel
everywhere. Lao Tan said,
'Nay; – elsewhere it is just as here.'
He repeated his request, and then Lao Tan said,
'Where would you go first?'
'I would begin with Khi,' replied the disciple. Having got there, I would go to look
at the criminals (who had been executed). With my arms I would raise (one of) them up and
set him on his feet, and, taking off my court robes, I would cover him with them, appealing
at the same time to Heaven and bewailing his lot, while I said, "My son, my son, you have
been one of the first to suffer from the great calamities that afflict the world."' (Lao
Tan) said,
'(It is said), —-Do not rob. Do not kill." (But) in the setting up of (the
ideas of) glory and disgrace, we see the cause of those evils; in the accumulation of
property and wealth, we see the causes of strife and contention. If now you set up the
things against which men fret; if you accumulate what produces strife and contention among
them; if you put their persons in such a state of distress, that they have no rest or ease,
although you may wish that they should not come to the end of those (criminals), can your
wish be realised?
'The superior men (and rulers) of old considered that the success (of their
government) was to be found in (the state of) the people, and its failure to be sought in
themselves; that the right might be with the people, and the wrong in themselves. Thus it
was that if but a single person lost his life, they retired and blamed themselves. Now,
however, it is not so. (Rulers) conceal what they want done, and hold those who do not know
it to be stupid; they require what is very difficult, and condemn those who do not dare to
undertake it; they impose heavy burdens, and punish those who are unequal to them; they
require men to go far, and put them to death when they cannot accomplish the distance. When
the people know that the utmost of their strength will be insufficient, they follow it up
with deceit. When (the rulers) daily exhibit much hypocrisy, how can the officers and people
not be hypocritical? Insufficiency of strength produces hypocrisy; insufficiency of
knowledge produces deception; insufficiency of means produces robbery. But in this case
against whom ought the robbery and theft to be charged?'
8:
When Kü Po-yü was in his sixtieth year, his views became changed in the
course of it. He had never before done anything but consider the views which he held to be
right, but now he came to condemn them as wrong; he did not know that what he now called
right was not what for fifty-nine years he had been calling wrong. All things have the life
(which we know), but we do not see its root; they have their goings forth, but we do not
know the door by which they depart. Men all honour that which lies within the sphere of
their knowledge, but they do not know their dependence on what lies without that sphere
which would be their (true) knowledge: may we not call their case one of great perplexity?
Ah! Ah! there is no escaping from this dilemma. So it is! So it is!
9:
Kung-ni asked the Grand Historiographer TâThâo, (along with) Po
Khang-khien and Khih-wei, saying,
'Duke Ling of Wei was so addicted to drink, and abandoned to sensuality, that he did
not attend to the government of his state. Occupied in his pursuit of hunting with his nets
and bows, he kept aloof from the meetings of the princes. In what was it that he showed his
title to the epithet of Ling?'
TâThâo said,
'It was on account of those very things.'
Po Khang-khien said,
'Duke Ling had three mistresses with whom he used to bathe in the same tub. (Once,
however), when Shih-zhiu came to him with presents from the imperial court, he made his
servants support the messenger in bearing the gifts. So dissolute was he in the former case,
and when he saw a man of worth, thus reverent was he to him. It was on this account that he
was styled "Duke Ling."'
Khih-wei said,
'When duke Ling died, and they divined about burying him in the old tomb of his
House, the answer was unfavourable; when they divined about burying him on Shâ-khiu,
the answer was favourable. Accordingly they dug there to the depth of several fathoms, and
found a stone coffin. Having washed and inspected it, they discovered an inscription, which
said,
"This grave won't be available for your posterity;
Duke Ling will appropriate it for himself."
Thus that epithet of Ling had long been settled for the duke. But how should those
two be able to know this?
10:
Shâo Kih asked Tai-kung Thiâo, saying,
'What do we mean by "The Talk of the Hamlets and Villages?"'
The reply was,
'Hamlets and Villages are formed by the union—say of ten surnames and a hundred
names, and are considered to be (the source of) manners and customs. The differences between
them are united to form their common character, and what is common to them is separately
apportioned to form the differences. If you point to the various parts which make up the
body of a horse, you do not have the horse; but when the horse is before you, and all its
various parts stand forth (as forming the animal), you speak of "the horse." So it is that
the mounds and hills are made to be the elevations that they are by accumulations of earth
which individually are but low. (So also rivers like) the Kiang and the Ho obtain their
greatness by the union of (other smaller) waters with them. And (in the same way) the Great
man exhibits the common sentiment of humanity by the union in himself of all its
individualities. Hence when ideas come to him from without, though he has his own decided
view, he does not hold it with bigotry; and when he gives out his own decisions, which are
correct, the views of others do not oppose them. The four seasons have their different
elemental characters, but they are not the partial gifts of Heaven, and so the year
completes its course. The five official departments have their different duties, but the
ruler does not partially employ any one of them, and so the kingdom is governed. (The gifts
of) peace and war(are different), but the Great man does not employ the one to the prejudice
of the other, and so the character (of his administration) is perfect. All things have their
different constitutions and modes of actions, but the Tao (which directs them) is free from
all partiality, and therefore it has no name. Having no name, it therefore does nothing.
Doing nothing, there is nothing which it does not do.
'Each season has its ending and beginning; each age has its changes and
transformations; misery and happiness regularly alternate. Here our views are thwarted, and
yet the result may afterwards have our approval; there we insist on our own views, and
looking at things differently from others, try to correct them, while we are in error
ourselves. The case may be compared to that of a great marsh, in which all its various
vegetation finds a place, or we may look at it as a great hill, where trees and rocks are
found on the same terrace. Such may be a description of what is intended by "The Talk of the
Hamlets and Villages."'
Shâo Kih said,
'Well, is it sufficient to call it (an expression of) the Tao?'
Tai-kung Thiâo said,
'It is not so. If we reckon up the number of things, they are not 10,000 merely.
When we speak of them as "the Myriad Things," we simply use that large number by way of
accommodation to denominate them. In this way Heaven and Earth are the greatest of all
things that have form; the Yin and Yang are the greatest of all elemental forces. But the
Tao is common to them. Because of their greatness to use the Tao or (Course) as a title and
call it "the Great Tao" is allowable. But what comparison can be drawn between it and "the
Talk of the Hamlets and Villages?" To argue from this that it is a sufficient expression of
the Tao, is like calling a dog and a horse by the same name, while the difference between
them is so great.'
11:
Shâo Kih said,
'Within the limits of the four cardinal points, and the six boundaries of space, how
was it that there commenced the production of all things?'
Tai-kung Thiâo replied,
'The Yin and Yang reflected light on each other, covered each other, and regulated
each the other; the four seasons gave place to one another, produced one another, and
brought one another to an end. Likings and dislikings, the avoidings of this and movements
towards that, then arose (in the things thus produced), in their definite distinctness; and
from this came the separation and union of the male and female. Then were seen now security
and now insecurity, in mutual change; misery and happiness produced each other; gentleness
and urgency pressed on each other; the movements of collection and dispersion were
established: these names and processes can be examined, and, however minute, can be
recorded. The rules determining the order in which they follow one another, their mutual
influence now acting directly and now revolving, how, when they are exhausted, they revive,
and how they end and begin again; these are the properties belonging to things. Words can
describe them and knowledge can reach to them; but with this ends all that can be said of
things. Men who study the Tao do not follow on when these operations end, nor try to search
out how they began: with this all discussion of them stops.'
Shâo Kih said,
'Ki Kän holds that (the Tao) forbids all action, and Master Kieh holds that it
may perhaps allow of influence. Which of the two is correct in his statements, and which is
one-sided in his ruling?'
Tai-kung Thiâo replied,
'Cocks crow and dogs bark; – this is what all men know. But men with the
greatest wisdom cannot describe in words whence it is that they are formed (with such
different voices), nor can they find out by thinking what they wish to do. We may refine on
this small point; till it is so minute that there is no point to operate on, or it may
become so great that there is no embracing it. "Some one caused it; " "No one did it; "
but we are thus debating abou