Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
18 The five viscera are the heart, the liver, the stomach, the lungs, and the kidneys. To the liver are assigned the element ‘ wood,’ and the virtue of benevolence; to the lungs, the element ‘ metal,’ and the virtue of righteousness. PT. II, SECT.1. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-8ZE. 269 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 Lt X02 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-£ung?* and T4-lii* (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 3ang (Shan)* or a Shih (3hid)’. An ex- 1 Black, red, azure (green, blue, or black), white, and yellow. 2 The same as the Lt Lau of Mencius (IV, i, 1),—of the time of Hwang-Ti. It is not easy to construe the text here, and in the analogous sentences below. MHsiian Ying, having read on to the 2 A as the uninterrupted predicate of the sharp seer, says, ‘ Is not this a proof of the extraordinary gift?’ What follows would be, ‘ But it was exemplified in Lt X@.’ The meaning that is given in the version was the first that occurred to myself. 5 The five notes of the Chinese musical scale. * There are twelve of these musical notes, determined by the twelve regulating tubes; six, represented here by Hwang-kung, the name of the first tube, giving the sharp notes; and six, represented by T4-lii, giving the flat notes. 5 See in II, par. 5. 6 The famous 34ng-zze, or 34ng Shan, one of Confucius’s ablest disciples. 7 An officer of Wei in the sixth century B.c. He belonged to a family of historiographers, and hence the surname Shih GB). Confucius mentions him in the most honourable terms in the = ean ——-ae a ome Re ere ree 270 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. VIII.
27 An officer of Wei in the sixth century B.c. He belonged to a family of historiographers, and hence the surname Shih GB). Confucius mentions him in the most honourable terms in the = ean ——-ae a ome Re ere ree 270 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. VIII. traordinary faculty in debating leads to the piling up of arguments like a builder with his bricks, or a netmaker 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 (A)! 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 offa portion of them, it produces grief. Wherea 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 Analect XV, vi, by the name Shih Yii. ‘Righteousness’ was his great attribute. 1 The two heresiarchs so much denounced by Mencius. Both have appeared in previous Books. PT. Il. SECT.1k THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-38ZE. 271 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 !
3The 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 \ 1 Those of Hsid, Shang, and K4éu;—from the twenty-third ¢ century B.c. to our author’s own time. me ee. ce ee 272 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. VIII. 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 j 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 Yii 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 repu- PT. 11, SECT... THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. 273
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
18 The five viscera are the heart, the liver, the stomach, the lungs, and the kidneys. To the liver are assigned the element ‘ wood,’ and the virtue of benevolence; to the lungs, the element ‘ metal,’ and the virtue of righteousness. PT. II, SECT.1. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-8ZE. 269 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 Lt X02 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-£ung?* and T4-lii* (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 3ang (Shan)* or a Shih (3hid)’. An ex- 1 Black, red, azure (green, blue, or black), white, and yellow. 2 The same as the Lt Lau of Mencius (IV, i, 1),—of the time of Hwang-Ti. It is not easy to construe the text here, and in the analogous sentences below. MHsiian Ying, having read on to the 2 A as the uninterrupted predicate of the sharp seer, says, ‘ Is not this a proof of the extraordinary gift?’ What follows would be, ‘ But it was exemplified in Lt X@.’ The meaning that is given in the version was the first that occurred to myself. 5 The five notes of the Chinese musical scale. * There are twelve of these musical notes, determined by the twelve regulating tubes; six, represented here by Hwang-kung, the name of the first tube, giving the sharp notes; and six, represented by T4-lii, giving the flat notes. 5 See in II, par. 5. 6 The famous 34ng-zze, or 34ng Shan, one of Confucius’s ablest disciples. 7 An officer of Wei in the sixth century B.c. He belonged to a family of historiographers, and hence the surname Shih GB). Confucius mentions him in the most honourable terms in the = ean ——-ae a ome Re ere ree 270 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. VIII.
27 An officer of Wei in the sixth century B.c. He belonged to a family of historiographers, and hence the surname Shih GB). Confucius mentions him in the most honourable terms in the = ean ——-ae a ome Re ere ree 270 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. VIII. traordinary faculty in debating leads to the piling up of arguments like a builder with his bricks, or a netmaker 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 (A)! 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 offa portion of them, it produces grief. Wherea 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 Analect XV, vi, by the name Shih Yii. ‘Righteousness’ was his great attribute. 1 The two heresiarchs so much denounced by Mencius. Both have appeared in previous Books. PT. Il. SECT.1k THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-38ZE. 271 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 !
3The 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 \ 1 Those of Hsid, Shang, and K4éu;—from the twenty-third ¢ century B.c. to our author’s own time. me ee. ce ee 272 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. VIII. 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 j 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 Yii 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 repu- PT. 11, SECT... THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. 273
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
No commentary for this page.