第36章

The king certainly is not sparing in his laudation of the minister.

Ch. III. Pp. 6—11. SECOND PART OF THE CHARGE:—THE SPECIAL DUTIES WHICH THE DUKE WAS TO DISCHARGE; THE DIFFICULTIES WITH WHICH HE WOULD HAVE TO CONTEND; AND THE METHOD BY WHICH HE MIGHT BE SUCCESSFUL. 6. 祗命,—＇reverently charge＇. The charge being so great, being communicated in the temple of king Wǎn, having respect to the completion of the work of the duke of Chow, king K＇ang could not but have a feeling of reverence in delivering it. The work that Keun-ch＇in had done is not mentioned, but he appears in p. 13. 7. Many of the people of Yin had profited so much by the labours of the duke of Chow and Keun-ch＇in with them, that they might be pronounced reformed, and should receive marks of favour, while those who continued obstinately bad 別should bemadetofeelthattheweremarked. (low. 4 th tone ) 至風聲 ,—thes ey c lause s show h ow旌 the good should be dealt with. 旌 is the name of a peculiar kind of flag, used among other purposes to mark out places or paths; as a verb here, it= our ＇to signalize＇. 旌別淑 (=善) 慝 (=惡)= 旌善別惡, with themeaning in the translation. 表厥宅裡=表異善그之居里. 表,—＇a signal＇, ＇to set up a signal＇;—akin to 旌. 彰善癉惡—彰顯其善以病其為惡者. The two parts of the clause are connected as in the first clause. 樹之風聲,—with 樹之 comp. the expression 死之, Ana., XIV., xvi. The whole= ＇planning—setting up—for them, i.e., the good, their influence and reputation＇. The ＇Daily Explanation＇ gives for it—善者之風聲, 使之卓然樹立,顯於當時, 傳於後世. 弗率至畏慕,—these three clauses describe how the bad should be dealt with.

Define anew the borders and frontiers, and be careful to strengthen the guardposts through the territory, in order to secure the tranquility of the whole empire.

8."In measures of government to be consistent and constant, and in proclamations a combination of completeness and brevity, are valuable. There should not be the love of what is extraordinary. Among the customs of Shang was the fiattery of superiors. Sharptonguedness was the sign of worth. The remains of these manners are not yet obliterated. Do you, O duke,bear this in mind.

殊厥井疆=殊別其井居疆界. 井,—＇the wells, about which their farms were distributed. It may betranslated here by ＇hamlets＇. We see how the people—the peasantry—of Yin were distributed over the country of which Ching-chow might be considered the centre. 申畫郊圻,—Ts＇ae says that 圻 and 畿 are the same; but the meaning of 界, given for 圻 in the dict., answers very well. Wang Ts＇ëaou says:—＇The city of Lǒ and the honoured capital of Chow were the two centres of the imperial domain. The honoured capital of Haou might be considered to have a square of 800 le, or 64 squares of 100 le each, attached to it; and Lǒ or Ching-chow to have a square of 600 le, or 36 squares of 100 le each. The extent from east to west was greater than from north to south, but altogether there was as much as a square of 1000 le. Thus the borders of Lǒ were also the borders of Haou.＇ See the集說.

固封守, ＇strengthen the places of ward within the boundaries over which you are appointed＇.—封域之內, 高深險阻已設守禦者, 益謹飭之. Wang Ch＇ungyun observes that, while the separation of the goodfrom the bad was calculated to have a beneficial moral effect upon the people, these latter measures were a safeguard against any attempts at insurrection. Pp. 8—11. The difficulties the duke would have to contend with; and how to contend with them. 8. 恆is defined as the opposite of 暫 or ＇what is brief＇. 辭=辭令, ＇proclamations＇, ＇govt. orders＇. 體要=理完言簡,＇complete in principle, and compendious in expression＇.We may take 貴 and 尚 as synonyms. 靡靡 is taken as having the meaning of 隨順, ＇ready acquiescence,＇ i.e., of inferiors with their superiors. Ying-tǎ shows that this was the meaning given to the phrase in the time of Confucius, by quoting the remarks of Han K＇e (韓起), a statesman of Tsin, contemporary with the sage:—韓宣子稱紂使師延作靡靡之樂, 靡靡者, 相隨順之意. [I have tried without success to verify this reference. HanK＇e appears repeatedly in the 左傳, 昭公, but I have not met with the remark attributed to him. Ying-tǎ has probably confounded 韓宣子 with the scholar 韓非子, in the 3d Bk. of whose Works (十過第十)mention is made of 師延, who 與紂為靡靡之樂.]

9. I have heard the saying— ＇Families which have for generations enjoyed places of emolument seldom observe the rules of propriety. They become dissolute and do violence to virtue, setting themselves in positive opposition to the way of Heaven. They ruin the formative principles of good; encourage extravagance and display; and tend to carry all future ages on the same stream with them.＇

10. Now the officers of Yin had long relied on the favour which they enjoyed. In the confidence of their prideful extravagance they extinguished their senseof righteousness. They displayed before men the beauty of their robes, proud, licentious, arrogant, and boastful;—the natural issue was that they should have ended in being thoroughly bad.

The sharp-tonguedness of the times of Yin is indicated in Pt. IV., Bk. V., Pt. iii., p. 9, and Bk. VII., Pt. i., p. 17. 9. On the general lesson of this par., comp. various passages o Bk. XV. 由禮=從禮, ＇to pursue the course of propriety＇. 陵=犯, ＇to violate＇, or 侵, ＇to invade＇,＇encroach upon＇. 敝化,—＇they injured transforming changes,＇ i.e., they corrupt the public manner, acc. to which the characters of individuals are moulded. 敝=壞. 10. 席寵惟舊,—席, is used in the sense of 因 or 藉,＇to depend on＇. Their ＇favour＇ had been to them the mat on which they rested. The dict. gives on the character a note of Yen Sze-koo:—席猶因也, 言若그之坐於席也.For 怙侈 the ＇Daily Explanation＇ gives—怙恃其驕侈. 侈is ＇extravagance＇ taking its rise from pride .服美於그,—Lin Che-k＇e understands this ad meaning—＇They tried to surpass other men in the beauty of their dress＇ (美於他그); but it is better to take the於after the adj. as in p.5,—嘉績多於先王. Luh Këen (陸鍵; Ming dyn.) defines驕 as=心肆, ＇the dissoluteness of the mind;＇ 淫=心佚, ＇the voluptuousness of the mind＇; 矜=心傲, ＇the arrogance of the mind;＇ 侉=心浮, ＇the froth of the mind＇. 將由惡終,—the 將 shows the natural issue of the various ways and attributes which have been described, and attributed to the officers of Yin. It would be wrong to translate it as an historical future. We find a portion of this par., without any note of quotation, in the 左傳, where 必appears instead of將.—襄, 괗十七年, 叔孫曰, 服美於그, 必以惡終. 雖收, 云云,—it is here that the phrase, 放心, ＇the lost mind＇, to which so much importance was subsequently attached by Mencius, occurs for the firsttime in the classics. 閑之,—＇to bar them＇. ＇The root of evil,＇ says Ch＇in King, ＇might still be present; and though the lost mind has been recovered, it may be carried off again on the occurrence of temptation.＇

Although their lost minds have been in a measure recovered, it is difficult to keep them under proper restraint.

11. If with their property and wealth they can be brought under the influence of instruction, they may enjoy lengthened years. Virtue and righteousness!—these are the great lessons. If you do not follow with them these lessons of antiquity, wherein will you instruct them?"

12. The king said, "Oh! Grand-tutor, the security or the danger of the empire depends on these officers of Yin. If you are not too stern with them nor too mild,their virtue will be truly cultivated.

13. The duke of Chow was able to exercise the necessary caution at the beginning of the undertaking;Keun-ch＇in displayed the harmony proper to the middle of it; and you, O duke, can bring it at last to a successful issue. You three princes will have been one in aim, and have equally arrived at the proper way. The penetrating power of your principles, and the good character of your measures of government,will exert an enriching influence on the people, so that the wild tribes, with their coats buttoning on the left,will all seek their dependence on them, and I, the little child, will long enjoy much happiness.

11. 資 (=貨財, ＇goods＇, ＇property＇.) —富땣訓, 惟以永年,it is difficult to say whether we should understand 資富땣訓 as meaning, ＇Having property and wealth, if they can laso be instructed,＇ or ＇Notwithstanding their property and wealth, if they can be instructed.＇ I think the former view is preferable, as Ch＇in King says:—既富以養其身, 又訓以養其心, 全正性, 所以順正命, 此所以永年也. 時乃大訓,—時=是. ＇The lessons of antiquity＇can only mean those of ＇virtue and righteousness＇. Thecrowding of difft. subjects into one short paragraph is annoying and perplexing.

Ch. IV. Pp. 12—15. THE CONCLUSION OF THE CHARGE:—IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK ENTRUSTED TO THE DUKE; AND MOTIVES TO MAKE HIM EXERT HIMSELF. 12. —邦之安危,by邦 here we must understand the whole empire. The king had said in par. 3 that he had no occasion for anxiety about anything in the empire. His language here is different. ＇It shows,＇ says Ts＇ae, ＇that he was one who could not rest easily in small achievements.＇ He would make assurance doubly sure. 不剛不柔,—this is the rule of conduct for the duke of Peih. He was to pursue the right medium in dealing with the officers of Yin. 13. 惟周公至厥終,—comp. Bk. XXI., p. 7. 三后協心, 同厎於道,—Wang Ts＇ëaou says:—三后之政, 前後以相濟為心, 是曰協心, 適因革之宜, 各行其所當然,是曰同厎於道, ＇The govt. of the three princes differing as this earlier and that later, yet each aiding the others,is what is called 協心; their measures, different as the change of manners and times required, yet always right in their own circumstances, is what is called 同厎於道.＇ 道洽,—comp.

14. Thus, O duke, here in Ching-chow will you establish for ever the imperial possession ofChow, and you will have an inexhaustible fame.Your descendants will follow your perfect pattern,governing accordingly.

15."Oh! Do not say, ＇I am unequal to this;＇ but exert your mind to the utmost. Do not say, ＇The people are few;＇ but attend carefully to your business. Reverently follow the accomplished achievements of the former kings, and complete the excellence of the government of your predecessors."

洽於天下, Mencius, II. Pt. I., i., 7. 道洽 and 政治 are one thing, or the course and the issue of the rule of Ching-chow. 生民,—see Bk. V., p. 12. 左袵,—see Ana., XIV., xviii., 2. —予膺多福,see Bk. XXI., P. 14. 14. —-公其至之基,Gankwǒ expounds this—公其惟以是늅周之治為周家立無窮之基業. 子孫訓(=順)其늅式惟乂,—the ＇Daily Explanation＇ gives for this:—公之子孫,놋治民之責者, 亦遵守늅法, 以致治安, 譽流奕世, 謀詒後昆, 皆於公今日基之矣. 15. 惟既厥心,—既=竭盡, ＇to exert to the utmost＇. The duke ought not to shrink fromhis duty, because it was arduous. —罔曰至厥事,neither might he trifle with his work, thinking it easy. 欽若,—comp. in the ＇Can. of Yaou,＇ p. 3. By ＇the former kings＇ we are to understand Wǎn, Woo, and Ching.以休於前政,—the ＇former government＇ is that of the duke of Chow and Keun-ch＇in. The clause will bear to be translated,—＇that you may realize an excellence superior to the govt. off your predecessors;＇ but we have two instances of 於 after an adj. in this Book, and not indicating comparison. I prefer to consider 休 as an active verb, and the whole=以休美周公君陳之政.