第42章

5. That good old officer!—all his strength is exhausted, but may I still have him! That dashing brave officer!—his shooting and charioteering are faultless, but I had rather not wish him! As to men of quibbles, skillful at cunning words, and able to make the superior man change his purposes, what have I to do with making much use of them?

냭就뀬忌=其不就我意, 乃忌疾之. S e e other explanations of this in Woo Ch＇ing and Këang Shing,the latter of whom adopts a different reading,—as usual. Both their constructions are intolerably harsh.姑將以為親=姑且將以為可親而與之謀, ＇for a time I though they might have my confidence, and becounselled with＇.

雖則雲然 converts the cases of those counsellors into general characteristics of old and new men.

P.5. Old counsellors; martial counsellors; and crafty counsellors. 番番良士,—番 (read po) 番is best taken as=老貌, ＇the appearances of age.＇ The 仡仡=勇貌,＇the appearance of boldness＇; and 截截=辯給貌, ＇the appearance of disputatiousness＇. Gan-kwŏ, indeed, makes 番番=勇武, ＇brave and martial＇. The phrase has this meaning in the She King, but we cannot admit it here. It is appropriate to the old counsellors. See Ming-shing, in loc. 番 is here equal to the later 皤, ＇old＇. 旅力既愆,—Gankwŏ makes -旅力=眾力, meaning ＇the strength of all the members＇. It is better to take 旅=呂or 膂, ＇the backbone＇, and understand 旅力 as simply equivalent to ＇strength＇. 既愆= ＇has failed＇. But 愆 has always a moral sense,= ＇a failure＇, ＇an error＇, ＇a sin＇. We can understand our moral meaning of ＇failure＇ arising from the primary material meaning of the term, but we are called to suppose a reverse process in regard to the usage of the Chinese character. Of all the critics Ts＇ae appears to be the only one who felt the pinch of this difficulty, and he supposes that the duke is referring to an incident which occurred on the setting forth of the ill-fated expedition. The three commanders were the sons of the two aged ministers who were opposed to it; and when the troops were leaving the capital, the old men wept bitterly. This led to some strong language about them from the duke, and Ts＇ae would make the language= ＇There is that good old officer, whom I blamed for his want of strength!＇ But this is much forced, and after all the idea of the want or failure of strength must somehow be introduced into the version. Moreover, the duke is here speaking of different classes of counsellors, in consequence of what had occurred to himself indeed, but generally, and without particular reference to the mea who had advised, or blamed, or sanctioned the expedition to surprise Ch＇ing. 射御不違=善射善御不違於法者. Thisofficer violates in nothing the rules of his art. 諞言=巧言, ＇artful speech＇. 易辭—＇to change his words; such change of course growing out of a change of purpose.皇=遑, ＇leisure＇. The duke says he had no leisure—he had something better to do than—to attend to such men.

6. "I have deeply thought and concluded;—Let me have but one resolute minister, plain and sincere,without other abilities, but having a simple complacent mind, and possessed of generosity, regarding the talents of others, as if he himself possessed them; and when he finds accomplished and sage-like men, loving them in his heart more than his mouth expresses, really showing himself able to bear them:—such a minister would be able to preserve my descendants and my people, and would indeed be a giver of benefits.

P.6. The duke＇s conception of a thoroughly good and valuable minister. —-昧昧我思之Gankwŏ joined

this to the preceding par., and for 我皇多놋之, 昧昧我思之 gives=我前多놋之, 以我昧昧思之而不明故也.＇Formerly I had many such, because I thought darkly of it, and was not intelligent.＇ But the balancing of thesentences in par. 5 shows that we ought to stop at 놋之, and that 昧昧我思之 must belong to another subject. 昧昧=深潛, ＇deeply＇.

From 如놋 to the end of par. 7 is quoted in the ＇Great Learning＇, Comm. x. 14, with some trifling variations in particular characters.

Këang Shing edits the text here, now retaining the characters in the textus receptus, and now giving those of the ＇Great Learning＇;一but on no critical principle that I can see. 一介臣,—in the ＇Great Learning＇ we have 一個臣, ＇a single minister＇. 介gives us the idea of ＇resolute＇. Ma Yung explains it by耿介一心端慤者. 斷斷=誠一之貌, ＇the appearance of sincere simplicity＇.

For 猗 the ＇Great Learning＇ has 兮. Both the one and the other=然, to be construed with 斷斷. 休休=易直好善, ＇easy, straightforward, and loving good＇. K＇angshing defines it by 寬容貌, ＇the appearance of generous forbearance＇. 不啻謂心之所好甚於口之所言也, ＇不啻means that the love in his heart is greater than the language in his mouth expresses＇ (Woo Ch＇ing). For是 in 是땣容之, the ＇Great Learning＇ gives 實, which is an emphatic 是. 以保我子孫黎民=以故땣保安我子孫眾民= ＇on these accounts (i.e., with these qualities, thus endowed) he is able to protect,＇ &c. For 亦職놋利哉the ＇Great Learning gives 亦尚놋利哉, which is easier to construe. Ts＇ae defines 職 by 덿, ＇to preside over,＇the idea being that from such a man benefits, and only benefits, would come. His ＇office, that over which he presided, would be, as it were the making of the people prosperous and happy＇.

7. "But if the minister, when he finds men of ability, be jealous and hates them; if, when he finds accomplished and sage-like men, he oppose them and do not allow their advancement, showing himself really not able to bear them;—such a man will not be able to protect my descendants and people; and will there not indeed be dangers from him?

8. "The prosperity and unsettledness of a State may arise from one man. The glory and tranquility of a State also may perhaps arise from the excellence of one man."

P.7. A thoroughly bad and dangerous minister.For 冒, ＇to cover over＇, the ＇Great Learning＇ has 娼,synonymous nearly with 疾. For 不達 it has 不通, but that variation does not affect the meaning at all.

P.8. A summary statement of the consequencesflowing from the good and bad minister respectively.The general meaning of the terms 杌隉 is sufficiently determined by their opposition to 榮懷. The critics generally content themselves with saying that they=不安, ＇unrest＇. But that is the idea conveyed by 隉 alone,as its opposite 懷=安, or ＇tranquillity＇. Now in the dict. the first definition of 杌 is 木無枝, ＇a tree without branches＇, which gives us the idea of ＇sterility＇. The opposite idea is conveyed by 榮, ＇a plant in the glory of its leaves and flowers. 隉 is formed from 阜 and 毀abbreviated, and= ＇a mound falling to pieces＇.

By the ＇one man＇ to whom such consequences are attributed, either of good or evil, we are to understand the good minister of par. 6 or the bad one of par. 7.This is the opinion of Ts＇ae, after Gan-kwŏ, nd of the commentators generally. The editors of Yun-ching＇s Shoo, however, call attention to the opinion of Leu Tsoo-hëen and some others, that the duke intends himself as ＇the one man＇ of the State. This does not seem at all likely.

The End