Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1That it required a wind of 90,000 li to support it, and even then only rested after a flight of six months, was owing to its own Great size, and also because the Southern Ocean was not to be easily reached by a single effort. What is said, in paragraph 2, about men, when going anywhere, proportioning the provisions which they take [40] T 274 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. APP. V. with them to the length of the journey has the same meaning. How should such creatures as the cicada and the little dove be able to know this? Knowledge is great or small, because the years of the parties are many or few :—so it is that one is inferior to another. Have they not heard of the ming-ling and t4-#Aun, which make their spring and autumn for themselves? And so does the phang, as we may understand. Its not resting till the end of six months is really not a long time to it. The case of Phang 34 is not worth being taken into account. This description of the greatness of the phang is not any fabrication of our author’s own, nor any statement peculiar to the K4i Hsieh. The same things are told in the ‘ Questions of Thang to Xi,’ as in paragraph 3. As to the long journey of the phang and the marshquail’s laughing at it, that is not different from what the other two little creatures said above ;—arising simply from the difference between the great and the small. And what difference is there between this and the case of those who enjoy themselves for a season in the world? Yung-3ze of Sung is introduced (and immediately dismissed), as not having planted himself in the right position, and not being Great. Then Lieh-jze is brought forward, and dismissed as not being Great, because he had something to wait for. It is only he who rides on the twofold primal ether of the Yin and Yang, driving along with the six elements through all their changes as they wax and wane, and enjoying himself at the gate of death, that can be pronounced Great. This is what is called the Perfect Man; the Spirit-like Man; and the Sage Man. In illustration of this, as instances of the Great Man, we have, in paragraph 4, Hsii Yd, regardless of the name; the personage on the hill of Kd-shih, in paragraph 5, with no thought of the services he could perform; and YAo with his deep-sunk eyes, in paragraph 6, no longer thinking much of his throne, and regardless of himself. All these characteristics could be used, and made their possessor great; but let not this lead to a suspicion of greatness as BK, II. ANALYSES OF BOOKS OF KWANG-3ZE. 275
2All these characteristics could be used, and made their possessor great; but let not this lead to a suspicion of greatness as BK, II. ANALYSES OF BOOKS OF KWANG-3ZE. 275 incompatible with usefulness. As a caution against this, we have, in paragraph 7, the salve to keep the hands from being chapped ;—a Great thing when used properly, but of little value when not so used. Let those who exercise their minds look at this:—should they not seek to be useful, and so become Great? We have also the weasel and the yak, the one of which gets into trouble by its being of use, while the other escapes harm by its being of no use. Let those who have work to do in the world look at this. The Great calabash and the Great tree are, each of them, a phang:—why may we not abandon ourselves to our natural feeling of enjoyment in connexion with them? Let men be satisfied with their Greatness and seek for nothing more. As to the style of the Book, the sudden statement and the sudden proof; the sudden illustration and the sudden reasoning; the decision, made to appear as no decision ; the connexion, now represented as no connexion; the repetition, turning out to be no repetition :—these features come and go on the paragraphs, like the clouds in the open firmament, changing every moment and delightful to behold. La Fang-hfi describes it well:—‘The guiding thread in the unspun floss; the snake sleeping in the grass.’ Book II. In writings intended to throw light on the T4o we find many different views, affirmations on one side and denials on the other. These may be called Controversies, and the reason why they are not adjusted is that every one will hold fast to his own view. But every peculiar view arises from the holder’s knowledge. Such knowledge, however, tends to the injury of his mind, and serves no purpose, good or bad, in illustrating the nature of the T4o ;—it only increases the confusion of controversy. Hence when we wish to adjust controversies, we must use our knowledge well; and to use our knowledge well, we must stop at the point beyond which it does not extend, T2 276 , THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. APP. V. In this whole Book knowing and not knowing is the thread that runs through it, (and binds its parts together). The expressions about men’s being ‘in darkness,’ in paragraph 2, and the T4o’s being ‘obscure,’ in paragraph 3, indicate the want of knowledge; those, also in paragraph 3, about ‘the light of the mind,’ and ‘throwing that light on a subject,’ indicate the good use of knowledge; those, in paragraph 5, about ‘the scintillations of light from the midst of confusion and perplexity, and ‘the store of light,’ in paragraph 7, indicate the stopping at the point to which our knowledge does not extend. And what is to be done when we stop at this point? Nothing more can be done; we have simply, as it is said in paragraph 6, to stop here.
3And what is to be done when we stop at this point? Nothing more can be done; we have simply, as it is said in paragraph 6, to stop here. When Nan-kwo 3ze-kfi says, in paragraph 1, ‘I had lost myself, he fully expresses the subject-matter of the Book. If we think that the affirmations and denials made by men’s minds are fictions, made out from nothing to be something, that is like the myriad different sounds of the wind, suddenly appearing in their innumerable variations. But who is it that produces all these sounds? As is said in paragraph 2, they are ‘the sounds of Earth which are really the notes of Heaven.’ The minds of men speak from their possession of knowledge. However great or small their words may be, they are all of their own making. A discourse under a thousand Heads with a myriad Particulars, suddenly arising and as suddenly stopping, may suggest the idea of what we call‘a True Ruler. But the idea is vague, and though our knowledge does not reach to such a subject, men toil their intelligence to the end of their lives, never stopping till both mind and body are exhausted. What is the reason of this? It is because they have their ‘minds completely made up (par. 3).’ Now if words were like the chirpings of very young birds that come upon the ear, there would be no difference between them as regards truth or falsehood, right or wrong ; but there is some obscuring influence, through which the different views of the Literati and Mohists are produced, with their confusion and uncertainty. All this is because BK. II. ANALYSES OF BOOKS OF KWANG-8ZE, 277 the parties do not use their knowledge well. In their controversies each looks at the other’s view only from his own standpoint, and throwing on the subject from that the light of Heaven, thus emptily replying to one another without end. And is this purposely intended to make a violent end of their disputations? (It is not so), for the T4o is originally one. High and low, beautiful and ugly, ordinary and strange, success and overthrow, have nothing to do with it. The intelligent know this ; those who weary their minds in trying to bring about a unity do not know it. At this point the sages throw on the subject the light of Heaven, also wishing to rest in Heaven, and so they come to a natural union :—this is how they use their knowledge well. And what are we to consider the highest reach of know-— ledge (see par. 5)? The ancients thought it necessary to place this in the time before anything began to be A second class would have it that there had (always) been (some) things; and a third class held that between those things (and men) there had been a relativity. Thus it was that gradually there came differences of opinion, in affirmations and denials; and when these once arose, there could not but be the experiences of success and failure.
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.
1That it required a wind of 90,000 li to support it, and even then only rested after a flight of six months, was owing to its own Great size, and also because the Southern Ocean was not to be easily reached by a single effort. What is said, in paragraph 2, about men, when going anywhere, proportioning the provisions which they take [40] T 274 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. APP. V. with them to the length of the journey has the same meaning. How should such creatures as the cicada and the little dove be able to know this? Knowledge is great or small, because the years of the parties are many or few :—so it is that one is inferior to another. Have they not heard of the ming-ling and t4-#Aun, which make their spring and autumn for themselves? And so does the phang, as we may understand. Its not resting till the end of six months is really not a long time to it. The case of Phang 34 is not worth being taken into account. This description of the greatness of the phang is not any fabrication of our author’s own, nor any statement peculiar to the K4i Hsieh. The same things are told in the ‘ Questions of Thang to Xi,’ as in paragraph 3. As to the long journey of the phang and the marshquail’s laughing at it, that is not different from what the other two little creatures said above ;—arising simply from the difference between the great and the small. And what difference is there between this and the case of those who enjoy themselves for a season in the world? Yung-3ze of Sung is introduced (and immediately dismissed), as not having planted himself in the right position, and not being Great. Then Lieh-jze is brought forward, and dismissed as not being Great, because he had something to wait for. It is only he who rides on the twofold primal ether of the Yin and Yang, driving along with the six elements through all their changes as they wax and wane, and enjoying himself at the gate of death, that can be pronounced Great. This is what is called the Perfect Man; the Spirit-like Man; and the Sage Man. In illustration of this, as instances of the Great Man, we have, in paragraph 4, Hsii Yd, regardless of the name; the personage on the hill of Kd-shih, in paragraph 5, with no thought of the services he could perform; and YAo with his deep-sunk eyes, in paragraph 6, no longer thinking much of his throne, and regardless of himself. All these characteristics could be used, and made their possessor great; but let not this lead to a suspicion of greatness as BK, II. ANALYSES OF BOOKS OF KWANG-3ZE. 275
2All these characteristics could be used, and made their possessor great; but let not this lead to a suspicion of greatness as BK, II. ANALYSES OF BOOKS OF KWANG-3ZE. 275 incompatible with usefulness. As a caution against this, we have, in paragraph 7, the salve to keep the hands from being chapped ;—a Great thing when used properly, but of little value when not so used. Let those who exercise their minds look at this:—should they not seek to be useful, and so become Great? We have also the weasel and the yak, the one of which gets into trouble by its being of use, while the other escapes harm by its being of no use. Let those who have work to do in the world look at this. The Great calabash and the Great tree are, each of them, a phang:—why may we not abandon ourselves to our natural feeling of enjoyment in connexion with them? Let men be satisfied with their Greatness and seek for nothing more. As to the style of the Book, the sudden statement and the sudden proof; the sudden illustration and the sudden reasoning; the decision, made to appear as no decision ; the connexion, now represented as no connexion; the repetition, turning out to be no repetition :—these features come and go on the paragraphs, like the clouds in the open firmament, changing every moment and delightful to behold. La Fang-hfi describes it well:—‘The guiding thread in the unspun floss; the snake sleeping in the grass.’ Book II. In writings intended to throw light on the T4o we find many different views, affirmations on one side and denials on the other. These may be called Controversies, and the reason why they are not adjusted is that every one will hold fast to his own view. But every peculiar view arises from the holder’s knowledge. Such knowledge, however, tends to the injury of his mind, and serves no purpose, good or bad, in illustrating the nature of the T4o ;—it only increases the confusion of controversy. Hence when we wish to adjust controversies, we must use our knowledge well; and to use our knowledge well, we must stop at the point beyond which it does not extend, T2 276 , THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. APP. V. In this whole Book knowing and not knowing is the thread that runs through it, (and binds its parts together). The expressions about men’s being ‘in darkness,’ in paragraph 2, and the T4o’s being ‘obscure,’ in paragraph 3, indicate the want of knowledge; those, also in paragraph 3, about ‘the light of the mind,’ and ‘throwing that light on a subject,’ indicate the good use of knowledge; those, in paragraph 5, about ‘the scintillations of light from the midst of confusion and perplexity, and ‘the store of light,’ in paragraph 7, indicate the stopping at the point to which our knowledge does not extend. And what is to be done when we stop at this point? Nothing more can be done; we have simply, as it is said in paragraph 6, to stop here.
3And what is to be done when we stop at this point? Nothing more can be done; we have simply, as it is said in paragraph 6, to stop here. When Nan-kwo 3ze-kfi says, in paragraph 1, ‘I had lost myself, he fully expresses the subject-matter of the Book. If we think that the affirmations and denials made by men’s minds are fictions, made out from nothing to be something, that is like the myriad different sounds of the wind, suddenly appearing in their innumerable variations. But who is it that produces all these sounds? As is said in paragraph 2, they are ‘the sounds of Earth which are really the notes of Heaven.’ The minds of men speak from their possession of knowledge. However great or small their words may be, they are all of their own making. A discourse under a thousand Heads with a myriad Particulars, suddenly arising and as suddenly stopping, may suggest the idea of what we call‘a True Ruler. But the idea is vague, and though our knowledge does not reach to such a subject, men toil their intelligence to the end of their lives, never stopping till both mind and body are exhausted. What is the reason of this? It is because they have their ‘minds completely made up (par. 3).’ Now if words were like the chirpings of very young birds that come upon the ear, there would be no difference between them as regards truth or falsehood, right or wrong ; but there is some obscuring influence, through which the different views of the Literati and Mohists are produced, with their confusion and uncertainty. All this is because BK. II. ANALYSES OF BOOKS OF KWANG-8ZE, 277 the parties do not use their knowledge well. In their controversies each looks at the other’s view only from his own standpoint, and throwing on the subject from that the light of Heaven, thus emptily replying to one another without end. And is this purposely intended to make a violent end of their disputations? (It is not so), for the T4o is originally one. High and low, beautiful and ugly, ordinary and strange, success and overthrow, have nothing to do with it. The intelligent know this ; those who weary their minds in trying to bring about a unity do not know it. At this point the sages throw on the subject the light of Heaven, also wishing to rest in Heaven, and so they come to a natural union :—this is how they use their knowledge well. And what are we to consider the highest reach of know-— ledge (see par. 5)? The ancients thought it necessary to place this in the time before anything began to be A second class would have it that there had (always) been (some) things; and a third class held that between those things (and men) there had been a relativity. Thus it was that gradually there came differences of opinion, in affirmations and denials; and when these once arose, there could not but be the experiences of success and failure.
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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