|
1 1. The Master said, ' When kindness is returned
for
kindness, the people are stimulated (to be kind).
When injury is returned
for injury, the people are
warned (to refrain from wrong-doing). It is said
in
the Book of Poetry (III, iii, ode 26) : —
" Answers to every word
will leap,
Good deeds their recompense shall reap."
' It is said in
the Thai ATia (Shu, IV, v, sect. 2, 2),
" Without the sovereign, the people
cannot enjoy
repose with one another ; without the people, the
sovereign
would have none to rule over in the
four quarters (of the kingdom).'"
12. The Master said, 'They who return kindness
for injury are such
as have a regard for their own
persons. They who return injury for kindness
are
men to be punished and put to death V
13. The Master said,
'Under heaven there is only
a man (here and there) who loves what is proper
to humanity without some personal object in the
1 See the
explanation of the 4th Hexagram, Mang, vol. xvi, pp.
64, 65, — with this
paragraph ends the first section of the Treatise.
It seems to be extended to
exhibit the necessity of reverence in the
superior man, who is to be an
example to others.
2 Comparing this utterance with the decision of
Confucius in the
Analects, XIV, 36, KJrkxv Hao thinks it doubtful that we
have here
the sentiment or words of the sage.
BK. XXIX.
piao kI 333
matter, or who hates what is
contrary to humanity
without being apprehensive (of some evil). There-
fore the superior man reasons about the path to be
trodden from the
standpoint of himself, and lays
down his laws from the (capabilities of the)
people.'
14. The Master said, '(The virtues of) humanity
appear in
three ways. (In some cases) the work of
humanity is done, but under the
influence of dif-
ferent feelings. In these, the (true character of
the)
humanity cannot be known ; but where there is
some abnormal manifestation of
it, in those the true
character can be known 1 . Those to whom it really
belongs practise it easily and naturally; the wise
practise it for the
sake of the advantage which it
brings ; and those who fear the guilt of
transgression
practise it by constraint.
15. Humanity is the right
hand; pursuing the
right path is the left 2 . Humanity comprehends the
(whole) man ; the path pursued is the exhibition of
righteousness. Those
whose humanity is large,
while their exhibition of righteousness is slight,
are
loved and not honoured. Those whose righteousness
is large and their
humanity slight are honoured and
not loved.
16. There is the perfect
path, the righteous path,
and the calculated path. The perfect path conducts
to sovereignty; the righteous path, to chieftaincy; and
the calculated
path, to freedom from error and failure 3 .
1 In illustration of
this point there is always adduced the case of
the duke of A'au, who erred,
under the influence of his brotherly
love, in the promotion of his brothers
that afterwards joined in
rebellion.
2 The right hand is used most
readily and with greatest effect.
3 With this paragraph ends the second
section of the Treatise. It
HA. THE Lt k\. BK. XXIX.
OJ
4
1 7. These were the words
of the Master : — ' Of
humanity there are various degrees ; righteousness
is now long, now short, now great, now small. Where
there is a deep and
compassionate sympathy in the
heart, we have humanity evidenced in the love
of
others ; where there is the following of (old) exam-
ples, and
vigorous endeavour, we have the employ-
ment of humanity for the occasion.
It is said in
the Book of Poetry (III, i, ode 10, 6),
" Where the
Fang-water flows,
Is the white millet grown.
So his men Wu employed,
And his merit was shown !
To his sons he would leave
His
wise plans and his throne
And our Wu was a sovereign true."
' That was a
humanity extending to many gener-
ations. In the Lessons from the States it
is said
(I, iii, ode 10, 3),
" Person slighted, life all blighted,
What can the future prove ?"
4 That was a humanity extending (only) to
the
end of the speaker's life.'
18. The Master said, 'Humanity is
like a heavy
vessel, and like a long road. He who tries to lift
the
vessel cannot sustain its weight ; he who travels
the road cannot accomplish
all its distance. There
is nothing that has so many different degrees as
(the
course of) humanity ; and thus he who tries to nerve
himself to it
finds it a difficult task. Therefore when
is occupied with the subject
of humanity, or the whole nature of
man, of which benevolence is the chief
element and characteristic,
as the most powerful form of example.
bk. xxix. piAo kL 335
the superior man measures men with
the scale of
righteousness, he finds it difficult to discover the
men
(whom he seeks) ; when he looks at men and
compares them with one another,
he knows who
among them are the more worthy.'
19. The Master said, '
It is only one man (here
and there) under heaven, who with his heart of
hearts naturally rests in humanity. It is said in the
Ta Ya, or Major
Odes of the Kingdom (III, iii,
ode 6, 6),
" Virtue is very light, —
Light as a hair, yet few can bear
The burden of its weight.
'Tis
so ; but Aung Shan, as I think,
Needs not from virtue's weight to shrink
That other men defies.
Aid from my love his strength rejects.
(If the king's measures have defects,
What's needed he supplies)."
'In the Hsiao Ya, or Minor Odes of the Kingdom,
it is said (II, vii,
ode 4, 5),
"To the high hills I looked;
The great way I pursued."
The Master said, ' So did the poets love (the ex-
hibition of)
humanity. (They teach us how) one
should pursue the path of it, not giving
over in the
way, forgetting his age, taking no thought that the
years
before him will not be sufficient (for his task),
urging on his course with
earnestness from day to
day, and only giving up when he sinks in death.'
20. The Master said, ' Long has the attainment
of a perfect humanity
been difficult among men ! all
men err in what they love ; — and hence it is
easy to
336 THE LI A-l BK. xxix.
apologise for the
errors of those who are seeking
this humanity 1 .'
21. The Master
said, 'Courtesy is near to pro-
priety ; economy is near to humanity ; good
faith is
near to the truth of things. When one with respect
and humility
practises these (virtues), though he may
fall into errors, they will not be
very great. Where
there is courtesy, the errors are few ; where there is
truth, there can be good faith ; where there is
economy, the exercise of
forbearance is easy : — will
not failure be rare in the case of those who
practise
these things? It is said in the Book of Poetry (III,
iii, ode
2, 9),
" Mildness and reverence base supply
For virtue's structure,
broad and high."
22. The Master said, ' Long has the attainment
of
perfect humanity been difficult among men ; it is
only the superior man who
is able to reach it. There-
fore the superior man does not distress men by
requiring from them that which (only) he himself
can do, nor put them to
shame because of what they
cannot do. Hence the sage, in laying down rules
for conduct, does not make himself the rule, but
gives them his
instructions so that they shall be able
to stimulate themselves to
endeavour, and have the
feeling of shame if they do not put them in
practice.
(He enjoins) the rules of ceremony to regulate the
conduct ;
good faith to bind it on them ; right de-
meanour to set it off; costume to
distinguish it; and
friendship to perfect it : — he desires in this way to
produce a uniformity of the people. It is said in
the Hsiao Ya (V, ode
5, 3),
1 This seems to be the meaning, about which there are various
opinions.
bk. xxix. piao kL 337
" Shall they
unblushing break man's law ?
Shall they not stand of Heaven in awe ? "
23. 'Therefore, when a superior man puts on the
dress (of his rank),
he sets it off by the demeanour
of a superior man. That demeanour he sets
off with
the language of a superior man ; and that language
he makes
good by the virtues of a superior man.
Hence the superior man is ashamed to
wear the
robes, and not have the demeanour; ashamed to
have the
demeanour, and not the style of speech ;
ashamed to have the style of
speech, and not the
virtues ; ashamed to have the virtues, and not the
conduct proper to them. Thus it is that when the
superior man has on his
sackcloth and other mourn-
ing, his countenance wears an air of sorrow ;
when he
wears the square-cut dress and square-topped cap,
his
countenance wears an air of respect ; and when
he wears his mail-coat and
helmet, his countenance
says that he is not to be meddled with. It is said
in the Book of Poetry (I, xiv, ode 2, 2),
" Like pelicans, upon the dam
Which stand, and there their pouches cram,
Unwet the while their
wings,
Are those who their rich dress display,
But no befitting
service pay,
Intent on meanest things 1 .'"
1 With this paragraph
ends the 3rd section of the Book. ' It
speaks,' say the ,Oien-lung editors,
' of the perfect humanity,
showing that to rest naturally in this is very
difficult, yet it is
possible by self-government to advance from the
practice of it, with
a view to one's advantage, to that natural resting in
it; and by
means of instruction to advance from the practice of it by con-
straint to the doing so for its advantages.'
[28] z
;38
THE LI KL
BK. XXIX.
24. These were the words of
the Master : — ' What
the superior man calls righteousness is, that noble
and mean all have the services which they discharge
throughout the
kingdom. The son of Heaven him-
self ploughs the ground for the rice with
which to
fill the vessels, and the black millet from which to
distil the
spirit to be mixed with fragrant herbs, for
the services of God, and in the
same way the feudal
lords are diligent in discharging their services to the
son of Heaven.'
25. The Master said, ' In serving (the ruler) his
superior, (an officer) from his position has great
opportunity to
protect the people ; but when he does
not allow himself to have any thought
of acting
as the ruler of them, this shows a high degree of
humanity.
Therefore, the superior man is courteous
and economical, seeking to exercise
his benevolence,
and sincere and humble in order to practise his sense
of propriety. He does not himself set a high value on
his services ; he
does not himself assert the honour
due to his person. He is not ambitious of
(high)
position, and is very moderate in his desires. He
gives place
willingly to men of ability and virtue.
He abases himself and gives honour
to others.
He is careful and in fear of doing what is not
right. His
desire in all this is to serve his ruler.
If he succeed in doing so (and
obtaining his ruler's
approbation), he feels that he has done right ; if
he do not so succeed, he still feels that he has
done right : — prepared
to accept the will of Heaven
concerning himself. It is said in the Book of
Poetry (III, i, ode 5, 6),
" How the creepers close twine
Round the branches and stems !
BK. XXIX.
piao kL 339
Self-possession and ease
Robed our prince as with gems.
Happiness increased unsought,
Nor
by crooked ways was bought."
Might not this have been said of Shun, Yii,
king
Wan, or the duke of .Aau, who had the great virtues
(necessary) to
govern the people, and yet were (only)
careful to serve their rulers ? It is
said again in the
same Book of Poetry (III, i, ode 2, 3),
" This our
king Wan in all his way
Did watchful reverence display,
With clearest
wisdom serving God,
Who, pleased to see the course he trod,
Him with
great favour crowned.
His virtue no deflection knew,
But always to the
right was true.
The states beheld, and all approved.
With loyal ardour
stirred and moved,
Wan as their head they owned."
26. The Master
said, ' The practice of the ancient
kings in conferring honorary posthumous
names was
to do honour to the fame (of the individuals) ; but
they
limited themselves to one excellence (in the
character); — they would have
been ashamed if the
name had been beyond the actions (of the life). In
accordance with this the superior man does not him-
self magnify his
doings, nor himself exalt his merit,
seeking to be within the truth ;
actions of an extra-
ordinary character he does not aim at, but seeks to
occupy himself only with what is substantial and
good. He displays
prominently the good qualities
of others, and celebrates their merits,
seeking to place
himself below them in the scale of worth. There-
z
2
34-0 THE Li k\. bk. xxix.
fore, although the superior
man abases himself, yet
the people respect and honour him.'
27. The
Master said, 'The meritorious services
of Hau K\ were the greatest of all
under Heaven ;
could his hands and feet be described as those of an
ordinary man ? But all which he desired was that
his doings should be
superior to his name, and
therefore he said of himself that he was simply "
a
man useful to others 1 ." '
28. These were the words of the
Master: —
' Difficult is it to attain to what is called the perfect
humanity of the superior man! It is said in the
Book of Poetry 2 ,
" The happy and courteous prince
Is the father and mother of his
people."
Happy, he (yet) vigorously teaches them ; courteous,
he makes
them pleased and restful. With all their
happiness, there is no wild
extravagance ; with all
their observance of ceremonial usages, there is the
feeling of affection. Notwithstanding his awing
gravity, they are
restful ; notwithstanding his son-
like gentleness, they are respectful.
Thus he causes
1 With this ends the 4th section of the Book, ' On the
service of
his ruler by an inferior, showing the righteousness between them,
and how that righteousness completes the humanity.'
2 The ode here
quoted from can hardly be any other than III,
ii, 7. The first character in
the former of the two lines in that
ode, however, is only the phonetic part
of that in the text here, and
the meaning of ' force or vigour ' which the
writer employs seems
incongruous with that belonging to it in the Shih,
where it occurs
several times, in combination with the character that
follows it, used
as a binomial adjective. I need not say more on the
difficulty. The
meaning of the paragraph as a whole is plain: — ' The
superior man,'
the competent ruler, must possess, blended together, the
strength of
the father and the gentleness of the mother.
BK.
XXIX. PIAO KL
341
them to honour him as their
father, and love him as
their mother. There must be all this before he is
the father and mother of his people. Could any one
who was not possessed
of perfect virtue be able to
accomplish this ?
29. ' Here now is the
affection of a father for his
sons ; — he loves the worthy among them, and
places
on a lower level those who do not show ability ; but
that of a
mother for them is such, that while she
loves the worthy, she pities those
who do not show
ability: — the mother deals with them on the ground
of
affection and not of showing them honour ; the
father, on the ground of
showing them honour and
not of affection. (So we may say of) water and the
people, that it manifests affection to them, but does
not give them
honour; of fire, that it gives them
honour, but does not manifest affection
; of the
ground, that it manifests affection, but does not give
honour ;
of Heaven, that it gives them honour, but
does not manifest affection ; of
the nature conferred
on them, that it manifests affection, but does not give
them honour ; and of the manes of their departed,
that they give honour,
but do not manifest affection 1 .'
30. ' Under the Hsia dynasty it was
the way to
give honour to the nature conferred on men ; they
served the
manes of the departed, and respected
Spiritual Beings, keeping them at a
distance, while
they brought the people near, and made them loyal ;
they
put first the (attraction) of emolument, and last
the terrors of power ;
first rewards, and then punish-
ments ; showing their affection (for the
people), but
1 The ruler-father of the previous paragraph is here
contrasted
with the ordinary parent; but the second half of the text is not
easily translated, and is difficult to comprehend.
92J.2 THE
Li Kl. bk. xxix.
o
not giving them honour. The
bad effect on the
people was, that they became stupid and ignorant,
proud and clownish, and uncultivated, without any
accomplishments.
' Under the Yin dynasty, they honoured Spiritual
Beings, and led the
people on to serve them ; they
put first the service of their manes, and
last the
usages of ceremony ; first punishments, and then re-
wards;
giving honour (to the people), but not showing
affection for them. The bad
effect on the people was,
that they became turbulent and were restless,
striving
to surpass one another without any sense of shame.
' Under
the A'au dynasty, they honoured the cere-
monial usages, and set a high
value on bestowing
(favours); they served the manes and respected
Spiritual Beings, yet keeping them at a distance ;
they brought the
people near, and made them loyal ;
in rewarding and punishing they used the
various
distinctions and arrangements of rank; showing
affection (for
the people), but not giving them
honour. The bad effects on the people were,
that
they became fond of gain and crafty; were all
for accomplishments,
and shameless ; injured one
another, and had their moral sense obscured.'
31. The Master said, ' It was the method of the
Hsia dynasty not to
trouble (the people) with many
notices ; it did not require everything from
the
people, nor (indeed) look to them for great things ;
and they did
not weary of the affection (between
them and their rulers).
'Under
the Yin dynasty, they did not trouble (the
people) with ceremonies, and yet
they required
everything from them.
1 Under the A^au dynasty, they
were rigorous with
BK. XXIX.
piao k\. 343
the people, and not troublesome in the services to
the
spirits ; but they did all that could be done
in the way of awards,
conferring rank, punishments,
and penalties.'
32. The Master said, '
Under the methods of (the
dynasties of the line of) Yii * and Hsia, there
were
few dissatisfactions among the people. The methods
of Yin and Aau
were not equal to the correction of
their errors.'
33. The Master
said, ' The plain and simple ways
of (the dynasties of the line of) Yii and
Hsia, and
the multiplied forms of Yin and Aau were both
extreme. The
forms of Yii and Hsia did not
neutralise their simplicity, nor was there
sufficient
simplicity under Yin and A'au to neutralise their
forms.'
34. These were the words of the Master : —
' Although in subsequent
ages there arose (distin-
guished sovereigns), yet none of them succeeded in
equalling the Tt of (the line of) Yii. He ruled over
all under heaven,
but, while he lived, he had not a
selfish thought, and when he died, he did
not make
his son great (with the inheritance). He treated the
people as
his sons, as if he had been their father and
mother. He had a deep and
compassionate sym-
pathy for them (like their mother) ; he instructed
them in loyalty and what was profitable (like their
father). While he
showed his affection for them, he
also gave them honour ; in his natural
restfulness,
he was reverent ; in the terrors of his majesty, he yet
was
loving ; with all his riches, he was yet observant
1 ' The line of Yii '
was Shun, who succeeded to Yao. He did
not found a dynasty; but he is often
spoken of as if he had
done so.
344 THE L ^ K ^- BK - XXIX *
of the rules of propriety ; and his kindness was yet
(rightly) distributed. The superior men who stood
in connexion with him
gave honour to benevolence,
and stood in awe of righteousness ; were ashamed
of
lavish expenditure, and set little store by their
accumulation of
substance ; loyal, but not coming
into collision with their sovereign ;
righteous, and
yet deferential to him ; accomplished, and yet rest-
ful
; generous, and yet discriminating. It is said in
Fu on Punishments, "He
sought to awe the people
by his virtue, and all were filled with dread ; he
pro-
ceeded to enlighten them by his virtue, and all were
enlightened."
Who but the Ti of (the line of) Yii
could have been able to do this 1 ?'
(Shu,V, xxvii, 7.)
35. These were the words of the Master: — '(A
minister) in the service of his ruler will first offer his
words of
counsel, and (when they are accepted), he
will bow and voluntarily offer his
person to make
good his sincerity. Hence, whatever service a ruler
requires from his minister, the minister will die in
support of his
words. In this way the salary which he
receives is not obtained on false
pretences, and the
1 With this paragraph it is understood that
the 5th section of
the Book ends, ' illustrating the perfect humanity of the
superior
man in the government of the people.' Every fresh section thus
far, however, has commenced with a — ' These were the words of
the
Master,' and in no case ended with that phraseology. Paragraph
35 rightly
begins with it. It is out of place, or rather misplaced,
in this ; and
belongs, I believe, to another place, as we shall see.
We should read here,
instead of it, ' The Master said.' With regard
to the greater part of the
section, its genuineness is liable to sus-
picion, and is indeed denied by
the majority of commentators,
including the A7zien-lung editors. The
sentiments are more
Taoistic than Confucian. See the introductory notice of
the
Book.
BK. XXIX.
piao k\. 345
things for which he can be blamed will be more and
more
few.'
36. The Master said, ' In the service of a ruler,
when great
words are spoken to (and accepted by)
him, great advantages (to the state)
may be ex-
pected from them ; and when words of small import-
ance are
presented to him, only small advantages
are to be looked for. Therefore a
superior man
will not for words of small importance receive great
emolument, nor for words of great importance small
emolument. It is said
in the Yl, " He does not
enjoy his revenues in his own family, (but at
court) ;
there will be good fortune 1 .'"
37. The Master said, ' In
the service of a ruler,
(a minister) should not descend to subjects beneath
him, nor set a high value on speeches, nor accept
an introduction from
improper individuals. It is
said in the Hsiao Ya (II, vi, ode 3, 4),
" Your duties quietly fulfil,
And hold the upright in esteem,
With friendship fast ;
So shall the Spirits hear your cry,
You
virtuous make, and good supply
In measure vast." '
38. The Master
said, ' In the service of a ruler,
for (a minister) whose place is remote
from (the
court), to remonstrate is an act of sycophancy ; for
one whose
place is near the ruler, not to remonstrate
is to hold his office idly for
the sake of gain.'
39. The Master said, c Ministers near (the ruler)
should (seek to) preserve the harmony (of his
1 See the Thwan, or
first of the appendixes of the Yt, on
Hexagram 26, vol. xvi, page 234.
346 THE Ll A'i. BK. XXIX.
virtues). The chief minister
should maintain correct-
ness in all the departments. Great ministers should
be concerned about all parts (of the kingdom).'
40. The Master said,
' In the service of a ruler
there should be the wish to remonstrate, but no
wish
to set forth (his faults). It is said in the Book of
Poetry (II,
viii, ode 4, 4),
" I cherish those men in my heart ; —
Might not my
words my love impart ?
No ; — if the words were once but spoken,
The
charm of love might then be broken.
The men shall dwell within my heart,
Nor thence with lapse of time depart."
41. The Master said, ' In the
service of a ruler,
when it is difficult to advance and easy to retire,
there is a proper order maintained in the occupancy
of places (according
to the character of their holders).
If it were easy to advance and difficult
to retire,
there would be confusion. Hence a superior (visitor)
advances
(only) after he has been thrice bowed to,
while he retires after one
salutation on taking leave ;
and thus confusion is prevented.'
42.
The Master said, ' In the service of a ruler,
if (an officer), after thrice
leaving the court (on his
advice being rejected), do not cross the borders
(of
the state), he is remaining for the sake of the profit
and
emolument. Although men say that he is not
trying to force (his ruler), I
will not believe them.'
43. The Master said, ' In the service of a
ruler,
(an officer) should be careful at the beginning, and
respectful
to the end.'
44. The Master said, ' In the service of a ruler,
one
may be in a high position or a low, rich or poor,
to live or to die
(according to the will of the ruler),
BK. XXIX.
piao kL 347
but he should not allow himself to
be led to do any-
thing contrary to order or right.'
45. The Master
said, ' In the service of a ruler,
if it be in the army, (an officer) should
not (try to)
avoid labour and danger ; if it be at court, he should
not
refuse a mean office. To occupy a post and not
perform its business is
contrary to order and right.
Hence, when a ruler employs him on any duty, if
it
suit his own mind, he thinks carefully of what it
requires, and does
it ; if it do not suit his own mind,
he thinks the more carefully of what it
requires, and
does it. When his work is done, he retires from
office : —
such is an officer who well discharges his
duty. It is said in the Yi (vol.
xvi, p. 96), "He does
not serve either king or feudal lord, but in a lofty
spirit prefers (to attend to) his own affairs."
46. The Master said,
' It is only the son of Heaven
who receives his appointment from Heaven;
officers
receive their appointments from the ruler. There-
fore if the
ruler's orders be conformed (to the mind
of Heaven), his orders to his
ministers are also con-
formed to it ; but if his orders be contrary (to
that
mind), his orders to them are also contrary to it.
It is said in
the Book of Poetry (I, iv, ode 5, 2),
" How strong the magpies, battling
fierce,
Each one to keep his mate !
How bold the quails together
rush,
Upon the same debate !
This woman, with no trait that's good,
Is stained by vicious crime,
Yet her I hail as marchioness ; —
Alas! woe worth the time!"'
47. The Master said, ' The superior
man does not
consider that his words (alone) show fully what a
348 THE Li k\.
BK. XXIX.
man is.
Hence when right ways prevail in the
kingdom, the branches and leaves (from
the stem)
of right conduct appear ; but when there are not
right ways in
the kingdom, the branches and leaves
of (mere) words appear.
'In
accordance with this, when a superior man is
by the side of one occupied
with the mourning rites,
and cannot contribute to assist him in his expendi-
ture, he does not ask him what it is ; when he is
by the side of one who
is ill, and cannot supply him
with food, he does not ask what he would like
;
when he has a visitor for whom he cannot provide
a lodging, he does
not ask where he is staying.
Hence the intercourse of a superior man may be
compared to water, and that of a small man, to
sweet wine. The superior
man seems insipid, but
he helps to perfection ; the small man seems sweet,
but he leads to ruin. It is said in the Hsiao Ya
(II, v, ode 4,3),
1 He trusts the rogues that lie and sneak,
And make things worse ;
Their duties shirked, their words so meek Prove but a curse." '
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