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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1But 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 Yiian Fung? on the shore of the eastern sea, and 1 The ‘arts of the Embryonic Age’ suggests the idea of the earliest men in their struggles for support; not the Tao of Heaven in its formation of the universe. But the whole of the paragraph, not in itself uninteresting, is believed to be a spurious introduction, and not the production of Kwang-zze. 2 These are not names of men, but like Yiin Kiang and Hung Mung in the fifth paragraph of the last Book. By Aun Mang, it is said, we are to understand ‘the great primal ether,’ and by Yiian PT, II, SECT.V. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. 323 was asked by him where he was going. ‘I am going, he replied, ‘to the ocean;’ and the other again asked, ‘What for?’ Aun Mang 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. Yiian Fung replied, ‘Have you no thoughts about mankind’? I should like to hear from you about sagely government.’ Aun Mang 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 2%, (continued Yiian 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 Fung, ‘the east wind” Why these should discourse together as they are here made to do, only Xwang-3ze himself could tell. 1 Literally, ‘men with their cross eyes ;’ an appellation for mankind, men having their eyes set across their face more on the same plane than other animals ;—‘ an extraordinary application of the characters,’ says Lin Hsi-Aung. - 2 The text is simply ‘virtuous men;’ but the reply justifies us in giving the meaning as ‘kindly’ as well. fila has often this signification. Y2 AL - 324 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XII.
2- 2 The text is simply ‘virtuous men;’ but the reply justifies us in giving the meaning as ‘kindly’ as well. fila has often this signification. Y2 AL - 324 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XII. 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 Yiian 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. Man Wi-kwei? and Ahih-kang Man-khi? had been looking at the army of king Wa, when the latter said, ‘It is because he was not born in the time of the Lord of Yii*, that therefore he is in- 1 When no human element had come in to mar the development of the T4o. 2 Tf these be the names of real personages, they must have been of the time of king WA, about p.c. 1122. 5 Generally understood to mean ‘ He is not equal to the Lord of PT. lI. SECT. V. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-38ZE. 325 [a volved in this trouble (of war). M&an Wa-kwei replied, ‘Was it when the kingdom was in good order, that the Lord of Yii 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 Yii? 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) }.
3He 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 ofa 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, Yi, or Shun. The meaning which I have given is that propounded by Hf Wan-ying, and seems to agree better with the general purport of the paragraph. 1 Ashamed that he had not been able to keep his father from getting sick, and requiring to be thus attended to. 326 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK, XII. 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 thana 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 dis- 1 We can hardly tell whether this paragraph should be understood as a continuation of Khih-4ang’s remarks, or as from Kwangze himself. The meaning here is that every one feels that this opinion is right, without pausing to reason about it.
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.
1But 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 Yiian Fung? on the shore of the eastern sea, and 1 The ‘arts of the Embryonic Age’ suggests the idea of the earliest men in their struggles for support; not the Tao of Heaven in its formation of the universe. But the whole of the paragraph, not in itself uninteresting, is believed to be a spurious introduction, and not the production of Kwang-zze. 2 These are not names of men, but like Yiin Kiang and Hung Mung in the fifth paragraph of the last Book. By Aun Mang, it is said, we are to understand ‘the great primal ether,’ and by Yiian PT, II, SECT.V. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. 323 was asked by him where he was going. ‘I am going, he replied, ‘to the ocean;’ and the other again asked, ‘What for?’ Aun Mang 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. Yiian Fung replied, ‘Have you no thoughts about mankind’? I should like to hear from you about sagely government.’ Aun Mang 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 2%, (continued Yiian 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 Fung, ‘the east wind” Why these should discourse together as they are here made to do, only Xwang-3ze himself could tell. 1 Literally, ‘men with their cross eyes ;’ an appellation for mankind, men having their eyes set across their face more on the same plane than other animals ;—‘ an extraordinary application of the characters,’ says Lin Hsi-Aung. - 2 The text is simply ‘virtuous men;’ but the reply justifies us in giving the meaning as ‘kindly’ as well. fila has often this signification. Y2 AL - 324 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XII.
2- 2 The text is simply ‘virtuous men;’ but the reply justifies us in giving the meaning as ‘kindly’ as well. fila has often this signification. Y2 AL - 324 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XII. 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 Yiian 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. Man Wi-kwei? and Ahih-kang Man-khi? had been looking at the army of king Wa, when the latter said, ‘It is because he was not born in the time of the Lord of Yii*, that therefore he is in- 1 When no human element had come in to mar the development of the T4o. 2 Tf these be the names of real personages, they must have been of the time of king WA, about p.c. 1122. 5 Generally understood to mean ‘ He is not equal to the Lord of PT. lI. SECT. V. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-38ZE. 325 [a volved in this trouble (of war). M&an Wa-kwei replied, ‘Was it when the kingdom was in good order, that the Lord of Yii 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 Yii? 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) }.
3He 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 ofa 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, Yi, or Shun. The meaning which I have given is that propounded by Hf Wan-ying, and seems to agree better with the general purport of the paragraph. 1 Ashamed that he had not been able to keep his father from getting sick, and requiring to be thus attended to. 326 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK, XII. 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 thana 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 dis- 1 We can hardly tell whether this paragraph should be understood as a continuation of Khih-4ang’s remarks, or as from Kwangze himself. The meaning here is that every one feels that this opinion is right, without pausing to reason about it.
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.
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