《意林》Vol. 1

The three sages inherited one another’s teachings and took one another as their teachers, greatly advancing the Zhouyi. In this way, they established the work of Heaven and Earth and set in motion the development of classical studies and commentaries. Later generations added their contributions, and together these formed a body of learning known as the “Six Schools.”

After the Han dynasty took up the foundations laid by the Qin, Confucian learning began to flourish. Official posts were established for teaching, transmitting learning, and guiding the people, with the aim of clarifying the ethical relations between ruler and minister, and father and son. Although the institutions of ritual and music and the classical texts were then incomplete, they were already sufficient to promote the core principles of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness.

As for the writings of Zengzi, Confucius, Xunzi, Mencius, and others, there were hundreds, even thousands, of works. They expounded profound and subtle principles and supported moral instruction and social customs. They honored Confucian learning and respected reason; they emphasized laws and proper distinctions while also discussing expedient responses. They clarified the key points of affairs, praised frugality while attending to distinctions, followed the rhythms of farming and brought them into order, and drew on the doctrines of many schools without falling into partiality or error. Works classed as “minor writings” were pared of extraneous material and kept brief, but they were so numerous that few scholars’ households could collect them all.

During the Liang dynasty, Yu Zhongrong of Yingchuan selected their essential points and compiled them into the thirty-volume Collection of Writings of the Masters, hoping to gather widely the differing views of various schools. Yet the foundations on which authors build their doctrines do not always allow for a complete account. Ma Zong, courtesy name Yuanhui, a Judicial Reviser from Fufeng, had a family collection of books from the Masters and Histories sections. From childhood he gathered and catalogued books, investigating the central meaning of each. Believing that they must share an underlying purpose, he revised and abridged Yu Zhongrong’s earlier work, carefully selecting its contents and compiling them into three volumes, which he titled Yilin.

The purpose of this book is to guard against errors in moral instruction above, make up for gaps in the historical record in the middle, and assist composition by carrying forward the threads of written expression below. It seeks to make its principles clear, its contents broad, and its language concise, while giving due weight to factual reliability. At the same time, it avoids obscurity and excess, rigidity and pedantry, confusing and veiled writing, and heretical or unrestrained ideas.

A gentleman says, “One prizes what is small.” Perhaps this is just the sort of book he had in mind. I am Yuanhui’s friend, and so I have written this preface. It was composed on the twenty-first day of the fifth month in the second year of the Zhenyuan era.

The writings of the various schools of thought began with the Guanzi and the Six Secret Teachings of the state of Qi, and flourished further during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. At that time, Zhuangzi and Laozi honored the Daoist Way and launched a grand enterprise spanning Heaven and Earth; their ideas shone like the sun and moon. They regarded the Six Classics—the Confucian classics—as the standards of the world, and so no longer praised them in words. Mo Di, known as Mozi, was a great sage who advocated essentials and frugality. His teachings were handed down to later generations, and his reputation was second only to Confucius. The discussions of Guan Zhong, Yan Ying, Xunzi, and others were expansive and free-flowing, while the prose of the Honglie of Huainan, known as the Huainanzi, was ornate. These works ran to tens of thousands of characters, and their writings were indeed numerous.

Yet these books were vast, making them difficult to consult. Yu Zhongrong, a compiler of the Liang dynasty, excerpted them into three volumes, removing the impurities as one sifts out sand and stones and winnows away chaff. But this was like orchids mixed among mugwort, or fine jade hidden in stone: the essential material still lay mixed with the weeds. Ma Zong of Fufeng, the compiler of the Yilin, loved the classics of antiquity and devoted himself to cutting away excess and simplifying. Drawing as well on Yu Zhongrong’s excerpts, he selected and arranged the material into six volumes, titled Yilin. He omitted almost none of the essential passages from the works of sages and worthies, and preserved most of the intellectual lineages and central ideas of the various schools. His compilation was exceptionally skillful.

Li Wenbo of Boling, in the Sui dynasty, gathered the writings of the various masters and compiled the ten-volume Collection on the Way of Governance. In the Tang dynasty, Duke Yongxing, Yu Shinan, also selected material from earlier histories and composed the five-volume A Brief Account of Emperors and Kings. During the reign of Wu Zetian, the chancellor Zhu Yizu compiled discussions of the rise and fall of ten dynasties. Together with the Yilin compiled by the man from Fufeng, these make, broadly speaking, four works that probe the essentials of the masters’ writings and the histories.

As I traveled by boat along the Tu River and was delayed in Luling, Ma Zong of Fufeng once explained the purpose of the Yilin to me. Each day he gathered and recorded material, giving priority to what could serve the world in practice, then preserving the original authors’ intent without omitting their chapter titles, so that readers might feel they were meeting the ancients face to face. I admire Ma Zong’s work: its wording is concise, yet its meaning far-reaching. It truly seems as though he has tucked the writings of a hundred schools into his sleeve and holds a thousand volumes of books in his hands. His dedication was indeed profound! I have recorded this commendable achievement at the beginning of the work, so that it may be passed on to those who love books.

At the end of summer in the Dingmao year of the Zhenyuan era, Wen Fei Yinghe Shuliu Bocun retold this account.

This is the table of contents for the Yilin, listing the titles of the works included in each fascicle and the number of fascicles in each work. Titles such as The Golden Casket of the Grand Duke, the Daodejing, the Liezi, the Zhuangzi, and the Baopuzi are followed by numbers indicating how many fascicles each work contains. “Fascicle One,” “Fascicle Two,” and so on refer to the divisions of the Yilin itself.

The three notes at the beginning record differences between editions. The first says that the original text reads “kuo,” which has been emended to “heng” on the basis of the Wenyuange edition. The second says that “to pass down to later generations” was missing from the original and has been added on the basis of the Wenyuange edition. The third says that the text between “Xun’s arguments are broad and unrestrained” and “ten thousand words” was missing from the original and has likewise been supplied from the Wenyuange edition.

The listed works include writings by the various masters, historical discussions, and eclectic texts, such as the Confucian Mencius and Xunzi, the Daoist Daodejing, Liezi, and Zhuangzi, as well as the Han Feizi, Mozi, Lüshi Chunqiu, and Huainanzi. Some entries in the original are repeated or arranged out of order; this account describes their contents only as they appear in the surviving text.

When rulers implement policies that bring well-being to all under Heaven, this is called Dao (the Way). When those above and below love and esteem one another, this is called harmony (he). When one is trusted without having to seek anything in return, this is called trustworthiness (xin). When the calamities that plague the realm are eliminated, this is called benevolence (ren). Sincerity and trustworthiness that also bring harmony between ruler and subjects are essential conditions for a sovereign to govern the state.

When a wise ruler is in power, one worthy man within a hundred li is not considered many. When the Royal Way (wangdao) declines, one worthy man within a thousand li is already so numerous that they stand shoulder to shoulder. To know what is good yet refuse to trust it is called madness (kuang). To know what is evil yet fail to correct it is called delusion (huo).

Long ago, when King Wen (Wenwang) met Zhai Zi, Zhai Zi was already ninety years old. King Wen said, "Alas, you are old." Zhai Zi replied, "If you were to send me to catch tigers and chase deer, then indeed I am old. But if you have me sit and plan affairs of state, I am still young."

King Wu asked Taigong, "The Shang dynasty has already lost three of its worthy ministers. Can we now attack?" Taigong replied, "I have heard that one who understands the seasons does not resent Heaven, and one who understands himself does not resent others. Those who plan before they act will flourish; those who act before they plan will perish. When Heaven offers an opportunity and it is not seized, disaster will follow; when the time has come and one does not act, calamity will also befall. To act out of season is to court failure. Summer branches can be woven into baskets, and winter ice can melt, but such a moment is hard to find and easy to miss."

After King Wu had pacified the Shang, he asked Taigong, "The common people and the officials are not yet settled, and the capable scholars have not yet been properly placed. What should be done?" Taigong replied, "In governing a state, one should not divide people into old and new. One should be as inclusive as Heaven and Earth. Take the wealth of the Shang and share it with the Shang people, so that merchants have goods to trade and farmers have fields to till. If you look with only one eye, you will not see clearly; if you listen with only one ear, you will not hear completely; if you walk on only one foot, you cannot go far. One should choose capable people to assist oneself, so that those above and below each keep their proper place."

King Wu asked, "May I hear the warnings left by the Five Emperors?" Taigong replied, "The Yellow Emperor said, 'I dwell above the common people, and my heart is uneasy. I fear that before night gives way to morning, my rule will have ended.' Therefore, one should be like the golden figure of the ancestral temple, with its mouth sealed three times, and speak with great caution. Yao, dwelling in high position, remained ever vigilant, as if standing at the edge of an abyss. Shun, dwelling in high position, was cautious and careful, as if walking on thin ice. Yu, dwelling in high position, was wary and fearful, dreading that he had not done enough. Tang, dwelling in high position, was reverent and attentive and did not dare to slacken. The Way arises from what is subtle, and calamity takes shape from what is minute. One who remains cautious at all times, as though walking on thin ice, will be as thorough and secure as a fortified city wall."

Every action must be weighed against whether it accords with the right Way; do not rely on luck. Enduring for a moment preserves one's self. A blade is sharp and bright; do not let it open a path to self-injury. A spring flows without cease, but if drought persists for years, it will dry up. Affairs should follow regular procedure, and the collection of taxes must be restrained.

Taigong Liutao (The Six Secret Teachings of Grand Duke Tai), in six scrolls.

Some people have the reputation for seeking out worthy men but lack the actions of truly employing them.

King Wen of Zhou asked Taigong, "A ruler devotes himself to recommending worthy men, yet sees no results. Why is this?" Taigong replied, "Recommending worthy men is not easy." Wen asked, "How can worthy men be recommended?" Taigong answered, "Examine a person's conduct and reputation, select him according to his talents, and test his abilities. Only then will his reputation match the reality."

A small stream, if not blocked in time, will become a river; two tender leaves, if not plucked in time, will eventually require an axe. A faint flame, if not extinguished in time, will become fierce, and then what can be done?

Wen asked, "Why does a ruler lose the people?" Taigong said, "Because he is not careful in choosing those who are near him. A ruler has six virtues and three foundations. The six virtues are benevolence (ren), righteousness (yi), loyalty (zhong), trustworthiness (xin), courage (yong), and strategy (mou). The three foundations are agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce. When the six virtues are promoted, the ruler will be secure; when all three foundations are fully developed, the state will flourish. If the reins of state power are handed to others, the ruler will lose his authority."

Profound and boundless, who can know its source? The realm under heaven does not belong to one person but to all the people under heaven. Taking possession of the realm is like chasing a wild deer: once the deer is caught, everyone under heaven shares its meat.

Taigong said, "Fuxi and Shennong taught the people without resorting to punishments; the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun applied punishments, yet they also knew how to show forgiveness." The sage respects and follows the Way of Heaven (tiandao), remains still and keeps to the earth, lives in harmony with others, and also honors ghosts and spirits.

When Wen was at Qi, he summoned Taigong and said, "My domain is very small. What should I do?" Taigong replied, "Where there is grain under heaven, the worthy can feed the people; where there are people under heaven, the worthy can govern them. Only a sage can lower himself to a humble position so that the myriad people may be given room to flourish."

A hat, though worn out, should still be worn on the head; shoes, though brand new, should still be worn on the feet.

King Wu asked Taigong, "Do scholars have different ranks?" Taigong said, "People may be divided into nine grades. One who loathes foul speech and is resented by the masses, who goes to bed late and rises early, is one who can lead his wife, children, and household. One who understands the hunger and thirst of his soldiers, and is familiar with their hardships and abilities, is a general who can lead ten thousand men. One who acts with caution and constantly reminds himself to be prudent is a general who can lead a hundred thousand. One who understands the heavens, is familiar with the earth, and governs the four seas as if caring for his own wife and children is the ruler of all under heaven. As for affairs of the army, there is no need to wait for the ruler's command before acting."

King Wu asked Taigong, "I want my three armies to feel toward their generals as close as they feel toward their parents, to compete to be the first to scale the walls when attacking a city and the first to charge in open battle, to be stirred at the sound of the gong and delighted at the sound of the drum. Can this be achieved?" Taigong said, "The general does not wear furs in winter or carry a fan in summer, and when it rains he does not raise a canopy. In cold weather or on muddy roads, he dismounts first and walks. Before the army has lit its cooking fires, the general does not eat. Soldiers do not love death or delight in being wounded. They act this way because the general also understands their hunger, cold, and toil."

Of all the calamities of warfare, hesitation is the most serious. Troops should be dispatched so swiftly that the enemy is caught unprepared, and they should attack so fiercely that it borders on frenzy. Those who meet them will be broken, and those who come close will be destroyed. Warfare should be like a sudden peal of thunder, leaving people no time to cover their ears.

A man who is poor and angry, and who strives with all his strength to achieve his aims, is called a "man who must die." A man who is eloquent and skilled in speech, who is adept at slandering or praising others, is called a "scholar of idle schemes and flying words."

Master Zeng, Book Two

The gentleman treasures his time, applies his mind to learning, and seizes the opportunity to complete his studies. He does not shrink from difficult tasks, nor does he greedily pursue easy ones. Each day, when he begins a task, he reflects in the evening on his gains and losses; this may be called holding fast to one's studies. If by thirty or forty he has no particular skill, he is unlikely to achieve much in his life, and if by fifty he is still not known for good deeds, it will be very hard for him ever to win a reputation.

Base people who meet secretly at the foot of a wall think themselves concealed, yet by the next day someone may already know of it. Therefore it is said that among those who practice benevolence and righteousness, no one goes unknown. Mugwort growing among hemp will grow straight without being propped up, and white sand that falls into black mud will turn black. When the gentleman associates with others, it is like entering a room fragrant with orchid and angelica: after a long stay, one is imperceptibly steeped in its perfume. When the petty person associates with others, it is like entering a room that reeks of abalone: after a long stay, one grows accustomed to the smell and is influenced by it. For this reason, the gentleman is careful in choosing whom to draw near to and whom to leave.

To associate with the gentleman is like growing a little every day without necessarily noticing it; to associate with the petty person is like walking on thin ice. How can one be sure of avoiding peril?

As for the saying that heaven is round and earth is square: if it is taken to mean that heaven is literally round and earth literally square, then the four corners of the earth could not be covered by heaven. I have heard the Master say, "The Way of Heaven takes the circle as its image; the Way of Earth takes the square as its image."

Master Yan, Book Eight

Duke Jing had a high terrace built, and then he wanted to cast a great bell. Yan Zi remonstrated, saying, "If you collect goods from the common people to cast the bell, the people will surely grieve. To seek pleasure from the people's grief is an inauspicious kind of joy."

A favorite concubine of Duke Jing died. Her name was Yingzi. The Duke sat beside her body for three days without eating or drinking, and the corpse stuck to the mat so that it could not be moved. Yan Zi said to the Duke, "There is a skilled physician outside the palace who practices the arts of ghosts and spirits." The Duke believed him and withdrew to the side to bathe. Yan Zi took the opportunity to have the body placed in a coffin. The Duke flew into a rage, and Yan Zi said, "She is already dead and cannot come back to life." Only then did the Duke desist. When Confucius heard of this, he said, "Though the stars shine brightly, they cannot match the radiance of the sun and moon."

During the reign of Duke Jing, it snowed for three consecutive days. He wore a fur robe of white fox and sat in the hall, and he said to Yan Zi, "It has snowed for three days. Why does the world not yet feel cold?" Yan Zi replied, "When a wise ruler is full, he thinks of those who are hungry; when he is warm, he thinks of those who are cold." The Duke then removed his robe and his cap and showed respect in the proper manner. Clothing need not be elaborately adorned, so long as it covers the body; implements need not pursue splendor. Earthenware should be left undecorated, and wooden vessels should not be carved. In this way, one's conduct is sufficient to set an example for the common people.

The Duke asked, "I wish to become the hegemon among the feudal lords. What should I do?" Yan Zi replied, "You do not yet have suitable ministers to assist you. I have heard that when Confucius lived in a humble lane, Xian (Yuan Xian), who was upright and had integrity, served him; when his ambitions had not yet been realized, Zhong You served him; and when his virtue was not damaged or disgraced, Yan Hui served him. Now you have no one at your side who can assist you in this way, and so the conditions are not yet in place."

When a ruler employs his ministers, the ministers also choose the ruler they will serve; even those of humble station make such choices.

A single mind can serve many rulers, but a divided mind cannot serve even one ruler well. In serving a person of high rank, one must not exceed the bounds of propriety, or that noble person will come to resent it.

Yan Zi governed the district of A for three years, and within the state he was slandered. Duke Jing summoned him and asked the reason. Yan Zi replied, "I advocate frugality and punish theft and idleness, and so the idle resent me……"

The official in charge of prison and litigation cases did not fear the powerful, so the powerful came to hate him. Two wicked men secretly slandered him, and two more men who spread gossip circulated their stories outside. I request that the method of governance be changed. Give me three more years, and I will certainly earn praise.

Duke Jing of Qi suffered from dropsy (an ancient name for conditions such as edema) and was ill for several dozen days. He dreamed that he struggled against two suns and did not prevail, so he summoned dream interpreters to divine its meaning. As the diviner arrived at the gate, Yanzi had someone answer on his behalf: "The ruler's illness is a yin condition. In the dream he fought two suns, and the sun is yang. That he did not prevail shows that the illness is about to recede." Three days later the duke recovered and rewarded the diviner. The diviner declined, saying, "This is Yanzi's merit." The duke asked Yanzi about it, and Yanzi replied, "Had I answered in person, the ruler would not have believed me."

Duke Jing developed a carbuncle (a suppurating sore) on his back. He wanted to look at the wound but could not see it, so he asked Guozi. Guozi said, "The sore is as hot as fire, its color is as red as the sun, and its size is like an unripe plum." The duke then asked Yanzi, who said, "Its color is like green jade, and its size is like a jade disc." The duke said, "Unless one meets a gentleman, one cannot know the clumsiness of ordinary people."

Yanzi was sent on a mission to Chu. The King of Chu had an attendant bind a man described as a thief and lead him past. The King asked, "Where is he from?" The attendant answered, "From Qi." The King looked at Yanzi and said, "Do the people of Qi excel at stealing?" Yanzi replied, "Oranges grow south of the Yangzi River, but when transplanted north of it they become trifoliate oranges (zhi, a tree similar to the orange). The difference lies in the water and soil. Now this man did not steal while he lived in Qi, yet he steals in Chu. I do not know why." The King had only embarrassed himself.

When Yanzi went on a mission to Chu, the King thought he was short, so he opened a small gate beside the main gate for him. Yanzi said, "Only when one goes to a country of dogs does one enter through the dog gate. Now that I am an envoy to Chu, I cannot enter through the dog gate." He then entered through the main gate.

The King asked, "Is there no one left in Linzi, the capital of Qi?"

Someone replied, "Linzi has three hundred households. If everyone spread their sleeves, they could form a curtain, and the sweat they flung down would be like rain. People stand shoulder to shoulder and heel to heel. How could there be no one?"

As Zengzi was about to leave, Yanzi saw him off and said, "To send a person off with wealth is not as good as sending them a single beneficial word."

The He Shi jade was originally only a rough, uncarved stone (pu) from a well in the countryside. Only after skilled craftsmen worked it did it become a treasure of the state. Customs can change a person's nature. How could one not be careful?

Seventeen years after Yanzi died, Duke Jing of Qi enfeoffed the feudal lords, and the great officers all praised him. The Duke said, "Since Yanzi died, I have not heard anything displeasing." Xian Zhang replied, "When the ruler likes something, the ministers follow it. When the ruler loves to eat something, the ministers offer it. The inchworm (a creature that takes on the color of what it eats) turns yellow when it eats yellow things and green when it eats green things. This is what is meant." The Duke said, "Well said! I do not listen to flatterers." He then bestowed fifty carts of fish on Xian Zhang, but Xian Zhang firmly refused them. Xian Zhang truly inherited Yanzi's legacy.

Zisi Zi is in seven fascicles.

A loving father may give his child food to eat, but he cannot taste the flavor of the food on the child's behalf. A sage can make people happy, but he cannot force them to be pleased.

When the state is well governed, one restrains oneself by means of righteousness; when the state is in disorder, one upholds righteousness through one's own conduct. This describes Xun Xi. When one's words can be trusted, sincerity is already established before one speaks. When one's commands can move people, the power of transformation exceeds the commands themselves. When a sage occupies a high position, the people are transformed by his influence.

A whole year spent building a cart means nothing if no one comes to pull it, and the cart cannot move. People's hearts differ, so it is hard to unite a hundred people in one mind. But if one person can be made to submit wholeheartedly, one can win the support of a hundred.

The ruler is the root, and the ministers are the branches and leaves. When the root flourishes, the branches and leaves are lush; when the root withers, the branches and leaves wither as well. The gentleman does not blame others for what they are skilled at, nor does he shame them for what they are not skilled at.

The petty person easily drowns in water, while the gentleman easily becomes trapped in words. Indulgence in pleasure deepens sorrow, while holding fast to righteousness reduces improper conduct. Upon seeing an elder, one cannot suppress one's arrogant expression; upon seeing a person of high rank, one cannot choose one's words carefully and respond with reverence. Such a person, even if caught in wind and rain, I would not be willing to visit. The gentleman uses his heart to guide what his eyes see and ears hear, whereas the petty person allows what his eyes see and ears hear to lead his heart.

Zhao Taiqing of Shu Commandery compiled this sequence of chapter-and-verse commentary, which he called "pointing to affairs" (zhishi), that is, using concrete examples to illustrate principles.

Mencius said to King Hui of Liang: "What is the difference between a tyrannical government that kills people and killing them with a blade? Fat meat fills your kitchen and fat horses fill your stables, yet your people wear the faces of hunger, and the bodies of those who starved lie in the fields. This is called leading beasts to devour men. When people hate even the beasts that devour one another, what is the difference between such a government and a blade that kills? Honor your elders and cherish your young, and extend this care to the common people, and the empire can be governed as easily as turning something in the palm of your hand. Therefore, extending kindness to the people is enough to bring the empire to peace; without such kindness, one cannot even keep one's wife and children secure."

"Even wisdom is not as good as following the trend of the times; even a firm foundation is not as good as seizing the right moment." Mencius said: The people of Qi mocked Guan Zhong and Yan Ying, yet when a hungry man is given food, it is easy to satisfy him, and when a thirsty man is given water, it is easy to satisfy him. If the people remain for a long time in hardship, changing the government is like a thirsty man seeking water: he is apt to have no time to choose.

A man of the State of Song worried that his seedlings were not growing fast enough, so he pulled them up one by one to help them grow. Returning home exhausted, he told his family, "Today I am tired, for I have helped the seedlings grow!" His son hurried out to look, and the seedlings had all withered. Such an approach not only fails to help but actually does harm.

When a person sees a child about to fall into a well, anyone, even a stranger to the child's parents, will feel compassion. Without a heart of compassion, one is not truly human; without a heart of shame and dislike, a heart of deference, and a heart of discernment between right and wrong, one is likewise not truly human.

Mencius said: Zilu was glad whenever others pointed out his faults, and Yu bowed in gratitude whenever he heard useful counsel. One should use the civilization of the Xia to transform the barbarians, but I have never heard of anyone abandoning the civilization of the Xia to adopt the customs of the barbarians.

If one's own conduct is not upright, one cannot lead others onto the right path. One should use uprightness to correct what is crooked; if one is crooked oneself, how can one set others straight?

Jing Chun said: "Are not Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi true great men? When they become angry, the feudal lords are afraid; when they remain at rest, the empire is calm."

Mencius said: "How can such men be called great men? A true great man is one whom wealth and honor cannot corrupt, whom poverty and lowliness cannot make change his course, and whom power and force cannot bend."

If a ruler lacks benevolence, he cannot keep the realm; if a feudal lord lacks benevolence, he cannot keep his state; if a scholar lacks benevolence, he cannot preserve himself. Yet today people loathe death while delighting in what is not benevolent, much like someone who hates being drunk and yet insists on drinking. The people turn toward virtue as water naturally flows downward. To know a person, nothing is more reliable than observing his eyes, for the eyes cannot conceal the evil in the heart. When the heart is upright, the gaze is clear; when the heart is crooked, the gaze is dim.

Chunyu Kun asked, "Men and women do not hand things to one another directly. But if your sister-in-law is drowning, should you reach out and pull her up?" Mencius replied, "To refuse to pull her up is to be a wolf. When all under heaven are in peril, one should rescue them through the proper way. When your sister-in-law is drowning, you must of course reach out to save her."

Zichan once used his own carriage to ferry people across the Wei River. Mencius criticized him, saying, "He does not understand how to govern. It would be better to build bridges in due season." The point here is that good governance must establish lasting arrangements that benefit the people, rather than relying on an individual's temporary acts of charity.

A man from Qi had a wife and a concubine. Each time he went out, he ate his fill, but when he returned home he told his wife that he had been feasting with wealthy people. His wife secretly followed him and discovered that he was eating the leftover sacrificial offerings that others had discarded. She returned home and told the concubine, and the two women wept together in the courtyard. Her husband came back from outside, unaware that they had seen through him, and continued to put on airs before his wife and concubine. This story illustrates how some people pursue wealth and status through improper means, and once they have gained power, they become arrogant toward others.

Yi Yin would not give anyone so much as a blade of grass, nor would he accept one from anyone else. The meaning is that he did not take what was unrighteous, nor did he bestow gifts in ways that violated what is right.

If a person's conduct is not in accordance with righteousness, he is called a "grassland minister" in the countryside, and a "marketplace minister" at the capital.

Human nature is like rapidly flowing water: if the channel directs it east, it flows east; if the channel directs it west, it flows west. Here, the flowing water is used as an image for how human nature is shaped by guidance and surroundings.

White feathers are light, white snow melts easily, but white jade is firm and enduring. Though all are white, their natures differ.

In winter one drinks hot soup, and in summer one drinks cold water. To know what is hot or cold, the key lies in a person's own sensation.

Benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and trustworthiness, together with delighting in doing good without growing weary, belong to the "heavenly rank" (nobility that comes from virtuous conduct). Official positions such as the ranks of duke, minister, and grand officer belong to the "human rank" (nobility conferred by society).

In ancient times, people first cultivated their virtue and attained "heavenly rank" (tianjue), the nobility that comes from virtuous conduct, and only afterward received titles conferred by human society. Today, people cultivate virtue only to seek human titles. Once they obtain a title, they discard their virtue, and in the end they too will have nothing.

Mencius said: "Benevolence can overcome non-benevolence just as water can overcome fire. Nowadays, some who practice benevolence are like someone who uses a single cup of water to douse a great fire burning a cartload of firewood. When the fire is not extinguished, they say water cannot defeat fire. This approach only further fosters non-benevolence, and it is bound to fail in the end."

The gentleman has three joys. That his parents are both alive is the first joy. That he looks up to Heaven without shame and looks down upon people without shame is the second joy. That he obtains the finest talents under Heaven and teaches them is the third joy.

Those who rise at cockcrow and diligently do good are of the kind of Shun, while those who rise at cockcrow and diligently pursue profit are of the kind of Zhi.

Digging a well nine ren deep (an ancient unit of length) and still not reaching a spring is no different from abandoning the well altogether.

The ancients set up barriers to guard against violence; today, barriers are set up to commit wrongdoing. The guan here refers to ancient mountain passes, and the closing phrase "levying taxes on those who come and go" shows that these passes also served to collect duties from travelers.

People detest things that resemble the genuine but easily confuse right and wrong: weeds mixed among seedlings, flattering speech that disturbs righteousness, eloquent people who break their word and undermine good faith, the popular music of Zheng (Zheng sheng) that disrupts the refined music, purple that is mistaken for vermilion, and the "village worthy" (xiangyuan), a person who is outwardly earnest and agreeable yet cannot discern right from wrong, who corrupts virtue. From Yao to Tang, from Tang to King Wen of Zhou, from King Wen to Confucius, and from Confucius to Mencius, each interval spanned more than five hundred years.

When the granaries are full, people come to know propriety (lijie), and when the treasuries are abundant, people from distant lands come. When food and clothing are sufficient, people understand honor and disgrace. When the fields hold no piled-up weeds, the offices hold no hoarded wealth, the markets have no crowded shops, and the court does not need to summon the multitude to deliberate, this is the utmost in governance.

Observing whom a person keeps company with reveals whether he is wise or unwise.

For planning affairs of a single year, nothing is better than planting grain. For planning affairs of ten years, nothing is better than planting trees. For planning affairs of a lifetime, nothing is better than cultivating people.

When rank and emoluments are excessive, loyalty declines, and when a household is wealthy to the extreme, conduct easily decays. When a pot is filled too full, someone will come to tip it over, and when a person is self-satisfied, Heaven's overturning will come upon him. Therefore the former kings did not allow themselves to reach fullness.

Whenever pardons are granted, there may appear to be small gains in the short term but great harms in the long run, so over time disaster ultimately cannot be avoided. When pardons are withheld, there may appear to be small harms in the short term but great benefits in the long run, so over time blessings ultimately cannot be measured. Those who bestow favors may in turn become the enemies of the people, whereas statutes are the parents of the people. If one relies only on bestowing favors and pardons frequently, it is easy at first but afterward becomes impossible to manage. If one governs by law and does not lightly pardon, it is difficult at first but afterward becomes easy.

If the court where the ruler sits is too remote from events occurring a hundred li away, then when something happens it will not be known for ten days. Events a thousand li away will not be known for a month, and events at the frontier ten thousand li away will not be heard of for a year.

Duke Huan said to Guan Zhong, "I have three great faults, and I am truly unfortunate. First, I love hunting and often chase game through the night, not returning even at dawn. Second, I love drinking, indulging day and night without cease and acting without restraint. Third, I am fond of women, and in my household there are aunts, sisters, and those not yet married." Guan Zhong replied, "These faults are indeed not good, but they are not the most pressing. For a ruler, only not cherishing the people and being slow in affairs are unforgivable. Not cherishing the people loses their hearts, and being slow in affairs delays the business of government."

The waters of Qi flow swiftly and swirl, so its people are greedy for profit and fierce. The waters of Chu are deep and clear, so its people are hasty and bold and fond of composing poetry. The waters of Yue are turbid and heavy, so its people are impatient and tough. The waters of Qin flow muddy and sluggish, so its people are covetous and violent. The waters of Jin flow sluggish and mixed, so its people are fond of deception.

The waters of Qin run swift and tend to silt up, and its people are greedy and violent. The waters of Jin run slow and muddied, and its people are fond of deceit. The waters of Song run strong and clear, and its people are simple and easygoing.

Once standards and statutes are set, they cannot be altered by clever words or trickery. Once balances and scales are installed, their weights cannot be falsified. The former kings governed the state so that their authority was not exercised at will and their commands did not issue from many channels. Once a measure of length has been fixed, the lengths must not be misjudged.

Duke Huan asked the official in charge of the stables which task was the most difficult. Before the official could answer, Guan Zhong said, "I once worked as a horse keeper, and I found the hardest thing to be arranging the feeding troughs. If you first set aside the crooked timber, then the straight timber has no use. If you first set aside the straight timber, then the crooked timber has no use."

People do not wash their hands in winter because they begrudge the water, and they do not heat things over fire in summer because they begrudge the fire. They refrain because such practices are unsuited to the body. An enlightened ruler does not undertake grand construction of palaces, not because he grudges wealth, but because he values what is fundamental. When the King of Chu favored slender waists, the palace ladies went hungry to slim their figures. When the King of Wu favored fine swords, the warriors of his realm made light of life and death. Thus, when a ruler is fond of palaces, artisans build them with exquisite skill; when a ruler delights in ornate patterns and embellishment, weavers produce garments of extravagant design.

Where there is profit, people will try to climb mountains a thousand fathoms high, and they will try to descend into deep springs. Merchants travel back and forth, pushing on day and night, and think a thousand li no great distance, because their profit lies ahead. Fishermen dive into the sea, where the water runs a hundred fathoms deep, where the waves surge and the currents are hard to navigate, yet they labor day and night, because their profit lies beneath the water.

When a dragon gains water, it can reveal its marvelous powers; when a ruler gains the support of the people, his authority can be established. The sea does not reject any stream, and so it grows vast; the mountains do not reject earth and stone, and so they rise high; the ruler does not reject talented men, and so he gathers the multitude; the scholar does not tire of study, and so he attains the realm of the sages.

A crowd of people gathered together for a temporary purpose may at first be fearful of one another, but later they may come to fight among themselves. Even if some among them are good, they will find it hard to grow close to one another.

Those who hold the power of life and death, when they are not controlled by the ruler, fall instead "beneath the grass," that is, into the hands of the lower ranks or of the ministers.

The five grains are the foundation on which the people depend for survival; gold and knife coins (ancient currency) are the media through which the people carry on exchange. Farmers should have fixed agricultural tasks, and women should have fixed household duties.

When a farmer does not till the land, some among the common people will go hungry. The five grains are the foundation on which the people depend for survival, while money and knife-shaped coins serve as the medium through which they exchange goods. Farmers have fixed agricultural labor, and women have fixed weaving work. When a farmer fails to till, some among the people go hungry; when a woman fails to weave, some among the people go cold.

Duke Huan said to Guanzi, "I wish to attack the state of Chu, but Chu is powerful and cannot easily be taken. What should I do?" Guanzi replied, "Your Majesty need only mint coins at Zhuangshan, then send men to Chu to buy live deer at high prices. When the King of Chu hears of this, he will surely be pleased and will turn away from farming to hunt deer exclusively. Meanwhile, Your Majesty should stockpile grain until it reaches five times its ordinary level. Chu will have money but no grain. Then, when Your Majesty closes the passes, Chu will submit, and roughly four in ten of those who surrender will do so."

Vast land left uncultivated cannot be considered good land; a minister of high rank who lacks virtue cannot be considered a proper minister; and a multitude of people who cannot be drawn together in unity cannot be considered one's own people. What flies far without wings is reputation; what stands firm without roots is caution. Your Majesty need only cautiously establish one's reputation.

It gives birth but does not take possession; it bestows but does not rely on its own merit. Yuanqi (the primal Qi, the source Qi by which the universe generates all things) gives life and nourishes the myriad things, yet does not claim them as its own; the Dao bestows and transforms the myriad things, yet does not demand repayment.

Blunt the sharp edges and resolve disputes. “Sharpness” refers to the drive to advance. If people single-mindedly seek advancement, they must act with caution; when faced with fame and merit, they should know how to withdraw in good time. The Dao does not display itself. “Disputes” refers to entangled resentment; one should reflect on the Dao’s vastness and supreme height, and thereby dissolve the knots of resentment.

Harmonize your own radiance: even if you have unique insight, you should be like a light hidden and not shining forth, so as not to disturb others. Blend with the dust and conventions of the world, do not regard yourself as special, and associate with the multitude without deliberately advertising yourself.

Speaking too much often brings embarrassment and disaster; better to preserve inner centeredness and virtue, nurture the spirit, cherish the vital Qi, and speak little.

The sage places himself behind others, yet is able to stand before them; in all matters he puts others first and himself last, and thus can become the leader of the world. The sage does not put his own interests first, yet is able to preserve himself. He is generous to himself and even more generous to others; then the multitude loves and respects him as they do their parents, and the spirits protect him as they protect an infant. Thus he can endure securely for long.

When gold and jade fill the hall, no one can keep them forever. Greedy desire damages the spirit, and too much wealth becomes a burden to oneself. To be rich and noble yet arrogant only brings disaster upon oneself. The wealthy should relieve the poor, and the honored should have compassion for the lowly; if instead they become arrogant and unrestrained, they will surely meet with misfortune.

Discard the labels of benevolence and righteousness, and the people will instead recover their natural filial piety and compassion; this is because De’s transformative influence returns customs to simplicity and honesty. Discard cunning and the mind that chases profit, and robbers will decrease. When those above promote fairness and justice, those below will also have few selfish or evil thoughts.

To bend is how to preserve oneself. Being able to accord with others and not act arbitrarily allows one to preserve oneself. Only after being bent can one straighten: humble oneself and fulfill others, and in the long run one will naturally be straightened.

Taking little, one instead gains. The way of Heaven protects the humble; by not rushing to possess, one can instead obtain more. Having too much easily leads to confusion: when wealth is excessive, one is troubled by how to safeguard oneself; when learning is too scattered, one is also left bewildered by the many things one hears.

One who is good at practicing the Dao leaves no obvious traces. He begins with self-cultivation and need not go out the door or travel far in search, and so he leaves no ruts or footprints. One who is good at speaking likewise leaves no flaw for which he can be blamed.

Speech should be chosen before it leaves the mouth, so that no flaw is left for others to blame. One who knows contentment is truly rich. By being content, one can long preserve blessings and rank, and so this is called true wealth. Though the body dies, the spirit and the Way (Dao) do not perish with it, and such a person may be called long-lived. When the eyes do not roam carelessly, the ears do not listen indiscriminately, and the mouth does not speak thoughtlessly, one will not provoke the resentment of the world, and so can remain secure for a long time.

If you wish to contract something, you must first let it expand fully, for expansion is how it reaches excess and indulgence. If you wish to weaken something, you must first make it strong, for strength is how it reaches a height that invites calamity. If you wish to abolish something, you must first let it flourish, for flourishing makes it arrogant and plunges it into peril. If you wish to seize something, you must first give to it, for giving is how its greed swells to the extreme. This is called discerning the transformation of things from their subtlest beginnings. These four cases illustrate the regularity of the Way: when things reach their peak, they tend to turn toward decline.

Why should one abandon those who are not good? One should instead transform them through the Way and lead them back to rectitude. It is said that before the Three Sovereigns (legendary ancient sage-kings), there were no abandoned people, because at that time the virtue (De) of the age was deep. Thus, when the Son of Heaven was later established and the Three Excellencies (senior officials who assisted the sovereign) were appointed, it was likewise to educate those who were not good. Respond to resentment with kindness. Cultivate the Way and do good, cutting off the root of misfortune before it arises, and approach difficult matters by beginning with what is easy.

When the Way is lost, only then is virtue (De) spoken of, because the Way has declined and virtue comes to light. When virtue is lost, only then is benevolence (ren) spoken of, because virtue has declined and benevolence becomes prominent. When righteousness (yi) is lost, only then is ritual (li) spoken of, because righteousness has declined and ritual observances are practiced. The betrothal gift is the courtesy of presenting jade and silk. What is called ritual is the product of diminished loyalty and sincerity. When ritual abandons the root and governs the branches, loyalty and sincerity dwindle day by day, and ritual thus becomes the beginning of disorder. Ritual disregards plain, genuine inner quality while valuing outward form, so the proper Way declines day by day and wickedness and disorder grow day by day.

Nobility must take lowliness as its foundation. Those who wish to be exalted should base themselves on humility and remaining low. Great Yu and Houji personally tilled the land, Shun once made pottery by the river, and the Duke of Zhou once lived in humble dwellings. What is high must have what is low as its foundation.

To attain great accomplishment, one must first lower the foundation. It is like building a wall or a house: only by laying a foundation from low ground can one build high, and if the foundation is not firm, whatever stands high will inevitably topple.

When superior people hear of the Dao (Way), they diligently put it into practice. Middling people, on hearing of the Dao, half believe and half doubt, sometimes remembering it and sometimes forgetting it. Inferior people, on hearing of the Dao, burst into loud laughter. If the Dao were not ridiculed by inferior people, it would not be worthy of being called the Dao.

Those who truly penetrate the Dao seem not to understand it, and those who truly understand it seem dim and ignorant, as if they see nothing. Those who walk the Dao seem to be moving backward, and those who strive for it always seem to feel they cannot catch up. The level Dao appears as a rugged, winding path. Those who truly attain the Dao do not deliberately set themselves apart; they look no different from many others.

Lofty De (Virtue) is like a deep valley that can receive filth and disgrace. Those of vast De, however, appear lacking and even seem dull-witted. The greatest square has no corners, and the most capable person often does not appear clever. The most precious vessels take a long time to complete, like the ritual vessels hulian (precious ancestral sacrificial implements of antiquity), which cannot be finished all at once. The greatest sound cannot be heard, just as thunder and lightning burst forth only when the time is right. This is a metaphor for constantly cherishing one's original Qi (vital energy) and speaking sparingly. The greatest image has no fixed shape. Those who best embody the Dao are simple and natural, with no deliberately displayed exterior.

Sometimes diminishing allows things to be completed, while grasping without restraint yields nothing, and knowing how to yield allows one to go further. Increase, too, can bring harm: overextension leads to collapse, and craving stipends invites calamity.

Which is closer, fame or life? When fame is achieved, one often finds oneself withdrawn into the background. Which is more important, life or possessions? When possessions accumulate too much, they harm the self. Which is more troubling, gain or loss? Coveting profit obstructs De.

Excessive craving inevitably exacts a great price: excessive lust for beauty depletes one's Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit), and excessive greed for wealth invites disaster. What one loves is obtained in small measure, yet the cost is great, which is why it is said, "there must be great expense." The more one hoards, the more severe the loss tends to be. Those who store up wealth in treasuries while alive and bury riches in tombs when dead may be robbed while living, and after death face the calamity of tomb-robbing and the desecration of their coffins.

True accomplishment appears to be deficient; one who has merit does not boast of it, conceals his renown, and appears as though he has not yet achieved perfection. The most skillful craft appears clumsy. The most eloquent person appears inarticulate, for because he does not seek to win through his tongue, he has no argument to be answered.

Without leaving home, one can understand the world. Through oneself, one can understand others, and through one's own family, one can understand other families. There is no need to peer out the window to perceive the Heavenly Dao (tiandao). The Heavenly Dao and the human Way (rendao) are interconnected. The farther one travels, the less one knows. That is to say, leaving one's own family to observe other families, or leaving oneself to observe others, one may see far, yet what one truly sees is very little.

Studying ritual, music, and other such knowledge causes what one learns to grow day by day. Adding various embellishments to desires and emotions also makes them grow ever more. Cultivating the Dao, by contrast, means daily decrease. This speaks of accord with the natural Dao, letting desires and artificial adornments gradually recede. One keeps diminishing until reaching wuwei (non-action). Once one arrives at non-action, nothing remains that cannot be accomplished. When desires are cut off and De (Virtue) joins with the Dao, one can bestow and act in every way without exception.

One treats good people well, and also treats those who are not good well, guiding the latter toward goodness. One trusts those who keep their word, and also trusts those who do not, and through this trust guides them.

One who is skilled at nourishing life, when walking on land, does not encounter rhinoceroses (si) or tigers, because he accords with nature and knows how to avoid danger. Entering a military formation, he is not harmed by weapons, because he does not delight in strife and killing. He blocks the orifices of his senses, meaning he does not let his eyes wander recklessly, and he shuts the gate of speech, meaning he does not speak carelessly. Therefore, throughout life he has little toil. If one indulges the eyes in chasing desires and continually feeds these cravings, disorder, once formed, becomes hard to rescue.

The great Dao is originally level and broad, yet the common people are fond of taking side paths and small roads, which are crooked and not even. One who is skilled at establishing enterprises has firm roots and cannot be uprooted. This speaks of establishing oneself and governing the state by the Dao, so that one is not easily shaken by external forces. The wise do not speak much, because what is valued is practice, while those who love talking are often not wise. Once words leave the mouth, they are hard to retract, and excessive speech easily invites calamity.

Governing and teaching that are generous and gentle appear not so strict and exact.

The common people are simple, sincere, and generous, and they feel close to one another. But when government decrees are harsh and urgent, demanding that people report quickly and having the ruler hear and decide cases in person, the people become weary and distressed. When governance and teaching are too pressing, the people cannot make a living. When they are lax and lacking, daily life gradually grows distant and cold.

Upright yet not flaunting. Si (extending and displaying) means to stretch out and reveal. Although the sage is upright, they can yield to circumstances and accommodate others without deliberately showing themselves. Bright yet not dazzling: even with distinctive insight, the sage remains like one dwelling in dimness, without boasting or showing off.

Deep roots and firm foundations are the Dao of changsheng jiushi (long life and enduring existence). Human life takes qi as its root and jing (essence) as its stem, just as a tree whose roots are shallow will be uprooted, and whose fruit falls when its stem is loose. This means that one who can store qi deeply and guard jing firmly, so that neither leaks away or is dispersed, follows the Dao of long-lasting life.

When the world is governed by the Dao, ghosts and demons cannot work harm and dare not invade people's spirits. This does not mean that ghosts lack supernatural power, but that they do not harm people. When the sage holds office and does not injure the common people, ghosts and demons likewise do not come to disturb them. When people and ghosts both refrain from harming one another, De (Virtue) gathers and returns to both sides. People govern the yang world and preserve their own lives, while ghosts keep to the yin realm and preserve their spirits. Thus De can mutually return to them both.

Those who make promises lightly are often unable to keep their word, and those who regard matters as easy often meet with greater difficulties. This is because they have not been cautious about calamity. A situation that is stable is easy to maintain. Whether governing a state or cultivating oneself, one who dwells in quiet and steadiness can easily hold on to it. Before signs of an event have appeared, it is also easy to plan for it. Deal with problems before they arise, and govern before disorder occurs.

Using cunning and strategy to govern a state is a calamity to the state. When those skilled in such tactics are placed in power, they often turn away from De, arbitrarily exercise authority, and dispense favors, and this is a disaster for the state. Not relying on cunning and strategy to govern is the state's blessing. The common people then keep to uprightness and do not indulge in deviant falsehoods, superiors and inferiors are close to one another, and ruler and ministers work together with one heart.

Those skilled at leading armies do not indulge in displays of martial bravado, because they value De and do not favor force. Those skilled at fighting do not readily give way to anger.

Those who are skilled at resolving conflict through the Dao (the Way) first purge evil thoughts from their hearts and cut them off before disorder has begun to sprout, so they harbor neither resentment nor anger. To wield the axe in place of a skilled carpenter is to risk cutting one's own hand. (This means that one should not lightly take the place of someone who has mastered a specialized craft.) The regularity of the Way of Heaven (Tiandao) is to reduce what is in excess and to supplement what is lacking. It diminishes those who are self-satisfied and benefits the humble, always favoring the centered and the balanced. Human conduct is not so. People often diminish what is lacking in order to support what is already abundant. The worldly harm the poor to serve the rich, and seize from the weak to strengthen the strong. Neighboring states can see one another, and their dogs and chickens can be heard across the border, yet their people grow old and die without ever visiting one another, because they have no covetous desires.

The wise do not pursue broad learning, and those of broad learning are not necessarily truly wise. One who understands the great Dao (the Way) and holds fast to singleness (zhuanyi) has no need to seek extensive knowledge. Excessive seeing and hearing may instead cause one to lose sight of the essential root, and so one cannot truly comprehend.

Blue-green is drawn from the indigo plant, yet it is bluer than the plant itself. Ice is formed from water, yet it is colder than water.

Blue dye is extracted from the indigo plant, yet it is bluer than the indigo itself; ice is formed from water, yet it is colder than water. The gentleman, in their daily dwelling, chooses a good place, and in their companions, chooses the worthy and virtuous, so as to guard themselves against being influenced by corrupt and perverse customs.

When meat rots, maggots breed; when a tree withers and decays, borers breed in it. When a person is arrogant and negligent, calamity will come upon them. The gentleman studies by taking knowledge in through the ears, lodging it in the heart, and then putting it into practice through the movements of the limbs. Even if they advance only a little each day, as long as they keep accumulating, they will achieve great progress. The petty person, however, is unwilling to serve their elders; and without consulting a skilled craftsman, they take up the chisel and plane themselves, often ruining the work. If arrogance takes hold of a person, it too will bring calamity.

The gentleman studies by taking what they hear into their heart and putting it into practice, so that in both their bearing and their conduct they become a model. The petty person studies only by hearing with the ears and speaking with the mouth; their learning stays between the ear and the mouth, a mere four inches. How can it help a seven-foot body grow? A fine steed can cover a thousand li in a single day, and a dull horse, given ten days, can still catch up with it. Learning and doing have no end; so long as one keeps advancing, one can reach a distant goal. Walking step by step without pause, even a lame turtle can travel a thousand li; piling up earth handful by handful without stopping, a mound will eventually become a high mountain.

There are three misfortunes in life: being young yet unwilling to serve one's elders, being of lowly station yet unwilling to serve the honored, and being of ordinary ability yet unwilling to learn from the worthy.

Heaven does not speak, yet people infer its regularities from the patterns of the sky; Earth does not speak, yet people are moved by its abundant virtue; the four seasons do not speak, yet the common people order their lives by the seasonal cycles.

Words of goodwill spoken to others are as warm as silk brocade; harsh words spoken to others wound more deeply than spears and halberds.

To demand that a bent body cast a straight shadow is as impossible as trying to make out dark, hidden places with eyes that cannot see clearly.

Bole, the master at recognizing fine horses, cannot be deceived by a horse; the gentleman likewise is not blinded by people's outward appearances.

When river waters are clear and deep, fish and turtles gather; when mountain forests flourish, birds and beasts make their homes there; when punishments and government orders are fair, the common people turn to them; when ritual and righteousness are complete, gentlemen are drawn to them.

The course of the Way of Heaven (Tiandao) has its own constant order; it does not exist because of Yao, nor does it vanish because of Jie.

One who is shallow and narrow-minded is not fit to discuss profound matters with, and one who is foolish is not fit to plan with in matters of wisdom, just as one cannot speak to a frog at the bottom of a well about the vastness and delight of the Eastern Sea.

The sage does not have two different minds, and the world has no two different paths of right conduct.

When birds and beasts lose their mates, even after a month or longer they will still return to their homeland; they circle and cry mournfully, lingering unwilling to leave before they finally depart. Is it not so with people as well?

Without a bitter winter, one would not know that the pine and cypress endure the cold; without hardship, one cannot discern the character of the gentleman. When a person has a full household of wife and children, their devotion to their parents may weaken; when rank and stipend are abundant, their loyalty to their ruler may weaken. Only Shun and worthy people are untouched by these.

Master Xun Qingzi, whose personal name was Kuang, lived in the time of King Xuan of Qi. Lord Chunshen twice invited Xun Qingzi to serve as magistrate of Lanling, and Xun Qingzi afterward settled in Lanling. Xun Qingzi had once been the teacher of Li Si, and Xun Qingzi died in Lanling.

The Lu Lianzi is in five scrolls.

Once blades have already clashed, there is no time to rescue someone struck by a stray arrow, because the immediate danger leaves no room for matters that take time to resolve.

Rulers regard wealth as light, while gentlemen regard death as weighty. A ruler who will not give to gentlemen the things he himself holds lightly, yet wants their lives and loyalty, is asking for something very hard to obtain.

Even when a centipede is cut in two, it does not fall at once, because many forces support it.

The human heart is harder to fathom than the patterns of heaven. Heaven moves through the changes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, but people often deceive one another with hidden feelings and sincere-seeming appearances.

Not knowing what is fitting and what is not is like making a mat from brocade, which can never be made right. Not knowing whether the moment is ripe is like plowing in winter. Not knowing whether a task can be done is like using a square tool to make a round wheel, which will not succeed.

The Wenzi is in twelve scrolls. Wenzi lived during the reign of King Ping of Zhou and studied under Laojun (Lord Lao).

Those who walk at the front tend to fall onto roads of hardship, while those who act later may instead arrive at the source of smooth progress. Teeth are harder than the tongue, yet they decay before it does. The unyielding go toward death, while only the yielding possess vitality.

Digging wells to draw water and tilling fields to obtain food, without relying on charity to seek De (Virtue) and without using rank and status to oppress one another, is the virtue of the ancients.

When rivers do not overflow and the surface of the sea does not rise in great waves, when auspicious clouds appear and the Yellow Dragon descends, when a gentle breeze blows and sweet springs well up, these are the signs of the sage according with the Dao of Heaven. When daylight grows dim and night turns bright, mountains collapse and rivers change their courses, and thunder sounds in winter while frost falls in summer, these are the signs that a state is about to perish.

When water is muddy, fish become distressed; when commands are harsh, the common people rebel. When those above have many desires, those below will commit much deceit. In the cool shade of winter, all things are willing to return, yet no one drives them there.

Gao Yao (a legendary worthy minister of antiquity who governed judicial affairs) did not seek display, yet he judged cases fairly, and the realm had no cruel punishments. Why, then, would one value empty words?

Even the junzi (exemplary person) may err like an archer: the difference on one side is a hair's breadth, yet on the other it may amount to a thousand zhang.

Spirit (Shen) is an abyss of wisdom; when the mind is clear, wisdom becomes lucid. Wisdom is the storehouse of the heart; when wisdom is impartial, the heart can be at peace. The spirit is hard to keep clear and easily becomes turbid, like a basin of water. If the water is left still for a whole day, one can see one's eyebrows and eyelashes; stir it once and one can no longer make out square or round.

Eat according to appetite and dress according to one's form, knowing how to restrain oneself, and greed will not arise. Metal grows in mountains, and for that very reason it is mined; worms grow in trees, and the trees are eaten through by them; when a person stirs up trouble, it turns back to harm oneself.

Having a trustworthy person divide goods is not as good as drawing lots; having an incorruptible person guard property is not as good as shutting the gate securely. Even if one intends to arrange matters fairly, it is not as good as handling them without intention, whereupon fairness arises naturally.

Even a skilled swimmer may drown, and even a skilled rider may fall.

When one studies with the mind grasping the meaning, learning penetrates to the marrow; when one studies with the mind listening, learning reaches only the muscles; when one listens only with the ears, learning remains on the surface of the skin.

The bell (a large chime) wears itself out by making sound, and oil burns itself dry by giving off light. A deep pool cannot hold two dragons; if both are present, they are bound to fight. To catch crows you must use a net; watching with only one eye will not catch a crow.

To attract fish, first clear the waterways; to draw crows, first plant trees. When water gathers deep, fish will come together; when trees grow lush, crows will gather.

The eye can see objects a hundred paces away, yet it cannot see its own faults.

Though water can overcome fire, a ladle of water cannot save a cartload of firewood; though metal can subdue wood, a single blade cannot fell a whole forest; though earth can check water, a clump of earth cannot dam a river.

A horse kept hungry in its stable stands quiet and silent, but when fodder is placed beside it, the urge to fight appears.

The farmer toils, and so the gentleman has food to eat; the fool offers opinions, and the wise person selects what is worth taking from them. The sun and moon wish to shine brightly, yet floating clouds cover them; the river wishes to run clear, yet sand muddies it; the orchid thicket wishes to flourish, yet the autumn wind destroys it; human nature wishes to remain calm and peaceful, yet appetites and desires harm it.

To rescue a drowning person with metal or stone is not as good as tossing him a short rope. Flowers that bloom too early will wither on their own, without waiting for the frost.

To be standing in water and complain that one's clothes are getting wet, or to hide a foul thing in one's bosom and hope for fragrance, are both impossible.

A suckling dog may bite a tiger, and a crouching hen may pounce on a wildcat. Cold cannot melt wood, and a carpenter cannot cut through ice.

Metal and stone can ring, but they will not sound unless struck; bamboo pipes have musical tones, but they will not sound unless blown.

Affairs are hard to accomplish but easy to ruin; reputations are hard to build but easy to destroy.

What extends from antiquity to the present is called zhou (time), and what spans the four directions and above and below is called yu (space).

Confucius had no fixed dwelling, and the smoke-flue of his stove never stayed blackened for long; Mozi hurried about in all four directions, never having time to warm his mat. They did not covet stipends or envy positions of power; they wished to rid the world of harm.

A beast cornered will lower its horns and charge; a crow pressed hard will peck at people; a person driven into straits will resort to deception.

A ruler's possession of the people is like a city having its foundation or a tree its roots. Where the roots are deep, the trunk is firm; where the foundation is thick, the upper part of the city stands secure.

Bending a little, one gains a stretch of a foot; yielding in small things allows one to stay upright in great ones, and this is what the sage does. Yet now some people value others' status but refuse to acknowledge their great merit, demanding only small acts of goodness from them.

A tree with deep roots has a sturdy trunk, and a firm foundation lets the crown stand secure. To accomplish great things, one may for a time accept humiliation and bear small losses in exchange for far-reaching growth, and even the sage does this. Yet some people today cling only to small kindnesses and will not acknowledge the great merits others have achieved. This is the way to lose capable men.

When a man is exalted, look at whom he recommends; when he is wealthy, look at what he pursues; when he is poor, look at what he treasures. The method for accomplishing the work of a hegemon or king is to act in accordance with righteousness, to honor men of outstanding talent, and to bring forward the worthy and virtuous. Then the common people will throw open their doors to welcome him, and will even wash rice and store grain to await his coming. Even an unrighteous army that spills blood cannot subdue the people.

A fan in winter or a fur garment in summer, having no use to its owner, will gather dust.

Liu Xiang said, "Deng Xi was not killed by Zichan." Testing this claim against the record in the Spring and Autumn Annals makes the actual circumstances clear.

Examining reputation and verifying performance is the duty of the ruler; carrying out laws and transmitting commands is the proper role of the minister.

A ruler has three flaws: he favors those he trusts, selects scholars according to their reputations, and stays close to old friends while distancing himself from his own kin. A minister has four faults: he receives great rewards without merit, holds high office without governing well, serves as a judge without deciding cases fairly, and, when leading troops in battle, flees at the front line.

Power is like the carriage of the ruler, authority is like the whip that drives it, ministers are like the horses that pull it, and the common people are like the wheels. When power is secure, the carriage rides steadily; when authority is established, the whip has force; when ministers obey, the horses are tamed; when the people are in harmony, the wheels turn smoothly. If one who governs the state loses these conditions, the carriage faces the danger of overturning, the horses of bolting, the whip of breaking, and the wheels of being damaged. When the wheels and whip are ruined and the horses bolt, the carriage overturns, and the rider falls with it.

If a plan is not settled in advance, one cannot respond to sudden emergencies; if an army is not drilled beforehand, it cannot withstand the enemy. To sit within the ancestral temple and plot campaigns a thousand li away, to deploy strategy behind the curtain, and thereby win every battle, was the way the Yellow Emperor waged war.

In years of famine and disaster, a father may die inside the house and a son beside the gate, yet they do not resent one another, because they have no leisure to attend to personal gain and loss. When people cross the sea in the same boat and meet with wind and waves, all unite to rescue the vessel, because they share the same peril. When nets are spread for a hunt and the hunters call to one another and move as one, it is because they share the same profit. Thus, when the body is ill, spittle rises to the mouth unbidden; when the heart is pleased, a smile naturally appears on the face.

Only by seeing for oneself can one see clearly; to look through another's eyes is to see poorly. Only by hearing for oneself can one hear distinctly; to listen through another's ears is to hear imperfectly. Once a word is spoken in error, a carriage drawn by four horses cannot retrieve it; if speech is too hasty, four horses cannot catch up with it.

The wise ruler, in governing the people, should be as cautious as one driving a carriage. A carriage that runs swiftly without reins is like one carrying a heavy load across ice, sure to meet disaster at any moment.

When a ruler is pleased, he may bestow rewards carelessly, and these are not necessarily appropriate; when he is angered, he may inflict punishment carelessly, and it does not necessarily fall upon the guilty.

Once a minister attains office and satisfaction, his loyalty tends to diminish; once he has a wife and children, his filial devotion also tends to weaken.

Fanzi (Master Fan), in twelve scrolls, mainly discusses calendrical science and the techniques of Yin-Yang (yinyang) and numerology.

Ji Ran was a disciple of Cai Qiupu. His surname was Xin, his given name Wenzi, and his ancestors were princes of the state of Jin. He was reserved by nature and did not readily show himself to others, and his outward appearance was not as striking as that of ordinary people. He was clever from a young age, studied the learning of Yin-Yang, and could infer the course of affairs from subtle signs. His conduct was broad and his aspirations far-reaching, yet he did not wish to make his name known among the feudal lords. Whom he secretly helped, the seven states of the realm did not know. For this reason people called him "Ji Ran." He often traveled along seashores and lake marshes, and he was also called "Old Fisherman."

When Fan Li asked to be presented to the King of Yue, Ji Ran said, "The King of Yue's face is like a crow's beak; one cannot share profit with him." Ji Ran also said, "To distinguish black from white while covering only one's eyes, even if one occasionally judges correctly, one still does not understand the Dao of Heaven. To speak of Yin-Yang is sometimes merely to hit the mark by chance." Master Fan asked, "Why use the Nine Palaces (Jiugong), the method of deducing changes of Yin and Yang by means of nine directional positions?" Ji Ran replied, "The Dao of Yin and Yang does not appear in only one kind of thing. The sage's response to change is like water flowing along the terrain: where the ground is level, the water is gentle; where the ground is steep, the water rushes."

Hufeizi, scroll [number omitted in the original]

To carry a long sword into a thicket of thorns and fight rhinoceroses, leopards, and bears is only the courage of a hunter. To carry a long sword into deep water and slay water dragons or wrestle with lightning-dragons is only the courage of a fisherman. To climb to a high place and stand in a perilous position, standing like a pigeon and looking about with one's expression unchanged, is the courage that Taofou spoke of. To strike without fail and to kill whatever opponent one's gaze falls upon is the courage of one who has been condemned to punishment.

Duke Huan of Qi regarded the state of Lu as his southern frontier, and Duke Zhuang of Lu grieved over this so much that he could not eat for three days. Cao Mo asked to stake his own life on a single contest, and, bearing blood, he threatened Duke Huan of Qi, who was so frightened he did not know how to respond. Guan Zhong then advised Duke Huan to conclude a covenant with Lu. Cao Mo was merely an ordinary man, clothed in coarse cloth and wearing soft shoes, yet by a single surge of anger he forced back the armies of Qi and preserved Lu. Such courage is the courage of the gentleman.

Mozi, sixteen scrolls

The gentleman is brave in overcoming his own difficulties and in pressing forward with vigor. Cao Mo was merely an ordinary man, clothed in coarse cloth and wearing soft shoes, yet by a single surge of anger he forced back the armies of Qi and preserved Lu. Such courage is the courage of the gentleman.

Chanzi, one scroll

Chanzi studied the teachings of Mozi and used them to instruct the people of his time. A Confucian scholar named Dong Wuxin had words that seemed refined but were in fact flawed, and conduct that seemed sincere but was mediocre and lacked any firm judgment of his own. When his words were flawed, they were hard to understand; when his conduct was mediocre, it lacked clear standards.

Dong Wuxin wished to follow Chanzi. Chanzi said, "Ornate speech that merely decorates the world but does not benefit the common people, and urgent, tortuous, tangled words that are hard to disentangle, are not what Mozi esteemed. What Mozi valued was urging people toward goodness and advocating universal love (jian'ai)." Dong Wuxin said, "You believe in ghosts and spirits. Isn't that like trying to untie a knot with your heel? In the end it can do no good, can it?" Chanzi had no answer.

Suichaozi, one scroll

A man who held that there were no ghosts or spirits asked Suichaozi, "How does the wisdom of ghosts and spirits compare with that of the sages?" Suichaozi replied, "Ghosts and spirits are enlightened." The man then asked, "Whether the world is at peace or in chaos is brought about by people. Why, then, do you say that ghosts and spirits exist?"

Suichaozi said, "When a sage comes into the world, there are no existing conditions on which he can rely. Ghosts and spirits arrange the four seasons and the eight junctions (the solar divisions by which the ancients marked the calendar), so that the myriad things grow in their proper times. People multiply and grow by relying on the moistening of clouds and rain, and these are things that ghosts and spirits are able to accomplish. Seen in this light, are ghosts and spirits not more capable than the sages?"

"The conduct of a great sage is to draw near to the multitude rather than hold them at a distance, to pass on his teachings without leaving out later generations, and to treat all the people with universal love. Drawing near to the multitude without cutting oneself off from them means that the virtuous are gladdened by it, and the unvirtuous are moved to pity. A sage who does not appreciate virtue in the virtuous holds virtue in contempt; one who feels no pity for the unvirtuous is cruel."

Shizi, twenty scrolls

A deer running at full speed does not look back, and six horses cannot catch the dust it leaves behind. What catches it is precisely that it turns to look back. Deep water breeds great fish that can swallow an entire boat, and gathered earth grows the towering yuzhang tree. Learning that accumulates steadily will likewise bring achievement.

Farmers regard abundant grain as wealth, merchants regard abundant goods as wealth, and resolute men of principle prize the steadfast keeping of righteousness. A wall built low invites thieves. Honor and disgrace arise from within, while respect and contempt come from without. In planting scallions and chives, one must choose the right varieties to make them flourish, and in practicing benevolence and righteousness, one must likewise exercise discernment. Only when good conduct has a firm root will righteousness flourish and grow, and when reverence increases, calamities and misfortunes will not follow one upon another.

Parrots cry at night, and wildcats catch mice, and both are called things that can illuminate the world, yet neither can preserve itself. The sun in a well cannot light more than ten paces around, and eyes set beneath the feet cannot see far. Even if something is bright, what good is it?

Yao was thin and Shun was dark, both from toiling for the people. When the ink line is pulled taut, a bent piece of timber reveals its flaws. When the plumb line is set true, uneven ground shows itself. When names and ranks are examined closely, the places where subordinates fail to keep to their duties become visible. A farmer weeds out the grasses that harm the seedlings, and a worthy ruler likewise removes the abuses that harm righteousness.

The cubs of tigers and leopards, before their stripes have fully formed, already show the instinct to hunt oxen, and the fledglings of swans and magpies, before their wings are full, already carry the ambition to fly across the four seas.

To see another's good deeds is to feel as though one had done them oneself, and to see another's faults is to feel as though one had committed them. This is the expression of the deep virtue of the clan of Yu Shun.

One who buys a horse without examining its stamina, and instead takes its coat color as the standard, will not get a swift runner. One who buys jade without distinguishing its beauty from its flaws will not obtain fine jade. One who selects men without examining their worth will not choose true talent.

Confucius said: "Reciting the Odes and studying the Documents is like keeping company with the ancients; reading the Odes and chanting the Documents is also like seeking counsel from the ancients." The color of jade is not as pure as snow, its luster not as soft as rain, its sheen not as smooth as fat, and its brightness not as clear as candlelight. Yet obtaining jade is very difficult. One must cross the Three Rivers and Five Lakes to reach Mount Kunlun. Of a thousand who set out, only a hundred return, and of a hundred who set out, only ten arrive. A state must be willing to risk a hundred thousand troops before it can lift the siege on three thousand.

When the carriage is light and the road is near, there is no need for whip or goad. Only when the journey is long and the load is heavy is urging necessary.

Seeing only a single hair of a fine horse, one cannot know its whole form, and seeing only one color of a painting, one cannot grasp its beauty. The butcher who carves meat, the craftsman who handles sinew for bows, and the artisan who shapes bone can each judge the size of an ox from their own material, and each has his own way of judging.

Plants and trees, whatever their size, must wait for spring before they can grow, and people, too, must follow righteousness before they can fulfill themselves.

The Han Feizi (Book of Master Han) is in twenty chapters.

Liu Xiang said that the First Emperor of Qin valued Han Fei highly and once remarked, "If I could associate with this man, I would have no regret even if I died." Li Si and Yao Jia, who resented Han Fei, gave him poison and forced him to take his own life. The First Emperor later regretted this and sent someone to save him, but it was already too late.

Do not make calamity your neighbor, and calamity will not come.

Ministers find it difficult to offer counsel because every manner of expression may be misunderstood. If their words are smooth and flowing, the listener will think them flowery and hollow. If their conduct is sincere and respectful, the listener will think them vague and useless. If they speak plainly and without ornament, the listener will think them slow and unskilled in argument. If their words are urgent and quickly win closeness and reveal the other's intentions, the listener will think them presumptuous and lacking humility. If their vision is vast and broad, and their thought profound and hard to fathom, the listener will again think them exaggerated and useless. Thus it is difficult for subjects to advise, and the dangers they face are great.

The "two handles" (er bing) held by a ruler are punishment and reward. A tiger can subdue a dog because of its claws and teeth; if the tiger gives up its claws and teeth, it will in turn be subdued by the dog.

Accordingly, Tian Chang asked Duke Jian of Qi to distribute ranks, stipends, and grain to the common people, thereby winning their hearts. When Duke Jian lost his virtuous governance, Tian Chang seized his power.

Marquis Zhao of Han fell asleep after drinking and felt cold. The attendant in charge of his hats saw this and covered him with a garment. When Marquis Zhao awoke, he first punished the attendant in charge of his clothing for failing in his duty, and then executed the attendant in charge of his hats for overstepping his role. In Marquis Zhao's view, overstepping one's office was a graver matter than letting the ruler catch cold. Therefore, the enlightened ruler requires each minister to keep to his own duties: one may not claim merit beyond one's office, nor offer improper proposals. Those who overstep are put to death, and those whose counsel is improper are held guilty.

Things of strong fragrance and pleasing flavor may harm the body, and gleaming white teeth may also wear away one's vital essence. Only by removing excess will the body be unharmed. Let a parrot keep watch at night and a wildcat catch mice: when each thing has its fitting use, each can fully perform its function. When those above and below each dwell in their proper place, the ruler has little need to act. Yet if the ruler is slightly careless, those below may lose their proper measure, so the ruler must not fail to be cautious.

If a minister, while the ruler is feasting and at rest, sated with wine and food, puts forward what he desires, the ruler will often grant it.

If a neighboring state has worthy and talented men, that is a source of concern for the enemy state.

Mizi Xia was favored by Duke Ling of Wei and once privately drove the ruler's carriage.

The ruler, having heard this, said: "Zi Xia's words and deeds have already become erratic, so a ruler cannot but be cautious. Wait until a time of feasting and merriment, when wine has been drunk and bellies are full, and then take the opportunity to ask him for what you want. He will surely agree."

A neighboring state with a sage is a calamity for an enemy state.

Mizi Xia (a grandee of the state of Wei) was once favored by the Lord of Wei. He secretly took out the lord's carriage without permission. When the lord learned of it, he said, "Zi Xia drove it because his mother was ill. What a filial son he is, to feign the lord's order!" On another occasion, while accompanying the Lord of Wei on a stroll through an orchard, he ate a peach but did not finish it, and offered the half-eaten peach to the lord. The lord said, "How he loves me!" Later, when Mizi Xia's beauty faded, he lost favor and offended the lord, and the lord said, "This is the man who drove my carriage without permission, and also the one who gave me his half-eaten peach." He was once regarded as virtuous, but later he was punished for these very same acts. This shows that a ruler's love and hatred can change.

When one likes a person, one should not benefit him merely on the basis of one's own likes and dislikes; one must wait until the multitude has praised him before employing him. When one dislikes a person, one should not harm him merely on the basis of one's own likes and dislikes; one must wait until the multitude has pointed out his faults before punishing him. Those who make carriages hope that others will become wealthy and noble, for only when people are wealthy and noble will they use carriages. Those who make coffins hope that others will die, for only when someone dies can coffins be sold. This is not because they are naturally benevolent or cruel, but because of profit. Those who like one another form cliques and praise each other; those who hate one another form factions, hoping for the other's death or slandering each other. When slander and praise contend with each other, they bewilder people.

A family with stable property will not starve even in a famine; a state with stable institutions will not perish even in peril. If one abandons laws and orders and acts solely on personal will, ministers will conceal and boast of their own talents. In this way, laws and prohibitions cannot be established.

A ruler who manages ministers by weighing benefit and harm will find that ministers also weigh benefit and harm in serving the ruler. If the ruler demands that a minister harm himself so that the state may profit, the minister will not do it. If the ruler harms the state so that he himself may profit, the ruler will not do it either.

This is like water: one who is drowning dies by drinking it, while one who is thirsty lives by drinking it.

When Duke Huan of Qi attacked the state of Guzhu, he lost his way. Guan Zhong said, "The abilities of old horses can be put to use." So they released the old horses to lead the way, and in the end they found the road home.

When Duke Huan of Qi attacked Guzhu, after entering the mountains they found no water. Yang Peng said, "Ants live on the south side of a mountain in winter and on the north side in summer. Where the earth of an ant mound is an inch thick, there is likely to be water beneath." So they ordered people to dig, and indeed they found water.

If you think I am good because you heard it from others, then you will surely also think I am guilty because you heard it from others.

Once a monkey is shut in a cage, it becomes no different from ordinary livestock and cannot display its abilities.

When carving, it is better to cut the nose a little large and the eyes a little small. A nose that is too large can still be trimmed down, but one that is too small cannot be enlarged; eyes that are too small can still be enlarged, but once too large they cannot be reduced. The same principle applies to handling affairs.

Whoever hears others praising him will certainly also hear others speaking ill of him.

The ancients could not see their own faces clearly, so they relied on mirrors to look at themselves; they could not understand their own words and deeds, so they used the Dao (dào, the Way) to rectify themselves. Without a mirror, one cannot tidy one's brows and beard; without following the Dao, one cannot recognize one's own delusions.

Xi Menbao had a hasty temperament, so he wore a soft, tanned leather belt to remind himself to slow down; Dong Anyu was slow by nature, so he wore a bowstring to remind himself to hurry.

Attaching a jade ornament to a severed hand is why the world came to suffer the misfortune of trading one's body for jade.

When Shun was still a commoner, he could not even govern three households. He had virtue but no power; though wise, he could not subdue others. Thus, when a log stands atop a high mountain, below it lies a fathomless ravine; the log has not grown longer, it is simply that its position is high. What this means is that one's rank and power affect whether one can exercise one's abilities.

Do not impair others' strengths, and do not publicize others' faults.

Marquis Zhao of Han deliberately cut open a melon, then pretended it had been lost and searched for it frantically. Among his attendants, someone hid the melon; Zhao used this to observe whether they were honest or concealing something.

Lord Si of Wei sent an envoy through a checkpoint and marketplace; the gatekeeper challenged and questioned him. The envoy gave the gatekeeper money, and the gatekeeper let him pass. Lord Si of Wei then reproached the gatekeeper: "How dare you take money from travelers?" By this he uncovered the gatekeeper's true character.

During the reign of Marquis Xi, a piece of raw liver appeared in the broth the cook served. When the marquis asked the reason, the cook said, "Someone must have put it there, hoping to drive me away and take my post." Later, when the marquis was about to bathe, pebbles also appeared in the hot water. The marquis remarked, "Someone wants to replace the one in charge of preparing the hot water."

The cook of Duke Wen served meat with hair wrapped around it. The duke summoned the cook and said, "Do you want to choke me?" The cook kowtowed and said, "I have two offenses. First, my blade is as sharp as the Ganjiang sword, yet when cutting the meat I failed to sever the hair; this is my first offense..."

I pierced the bodies of the barbarians with an awl but could not make them bleed; this was my second fault. I placed meat over a fierce fire until it was red-hot, yet the blood still clung to it and would not flow out; this was my third fault. Someone wished to take my place.

Duke Jing of Qi disliked Confucius managing the affairs of Lu. Li Ju said, "Driving Confucius away is as easy as blowing off a single hair." So the duke sent men to Lu to persuade Duke Ai to give up his government affairs. Confucius remonstrated, but Duke Ai did not heed him, and so Confucius left for Qi.

The people of Zheng quarreled over their ages. One said, "I am the same age as Yao." Another said, "I am a brother of the Yellow Emperor, born in the same year." They argued without end, and in the end the one who stopped arguing first was declared the winner.

A man who painted for the King of Qi was asked by the king, "What is the most difficult thing to paint?" The painter replied, "Dogs and horses are the most difficult, while ghosts and demons are the easiest. Everyone is familiar with dogs and horses, but ghosts and demons have no fixed form."

A hat, even when it has a hole in it, must still be worn on the head; a shoe, even when it is embroidered in five colors, can only be trodden underfoot.

King Xuan of Qi asked Kuang Qian, "Do Confucian scholars play the zither?" Kuang Qian answered, "They do not. In a zither, the small strings produce loud sounds and the large strings produce soft ones. When loud and soft are reversed, the order of noble and humble is reversed as well, and so Confucian scholars do not do this."

Using bones to drive away ants only makes the ants gather in greater numbers.

Duke Huan asked Guan Zhong, "Official posts are few, yet many people seek them. What should be done?" Guan Zhong replied, "The ruler should not listen to requests and recommendations. When someone comes seeking office, grant him a salary according to his ability, and grant him a post according to his merit."

A wine seller in the state of Song was very fair with his measuring vessels, courteous to his guests, and brewed a great quantity of wine. Yet he hung out a very tall wine banner, and still his wine would not sell, and in the end it all turned sour. He went to ask Wen Zhangqian about this, and Wen Zhangqian said, "Your dog is too fierce." Young men who came with money and carried wine jugs to buy wine were often bitten by the dog. This is like ministers who reject worthy and virtuous gentlemen.

Thus Duke Huan once asked Guan Zhong, "What should a state be most concerned about in its governance?"

A rat that hides in the walls of a shrine altar is hard to catch, and if you burn down the altar to get rid of it, the wooden structure burns with it.

Taxes should be neither too heavy nor too light. If they are heavy, the profits go to the upper ranks; if they are light, the benefits go to the common people.

Before the state of Jin went to war with Chu, Duke Wen of Jin asked his maternal uncle Jiufan, "Chu has many soldiers and we have few. What should we do?" Jiufan replied, "You might as well use deception." Duke Wen then asked Yong Ji, who said, "Using deception against the common people brings only a temporary advantage." When the Jin and Chu armies later fought, Jin won a great victory. When Duke Wen handed out rewards, he rewarded Yong Ji first and Jiufan afterward, saying, "Jiufan's words were a stratagem for adapting to circumstances; Yong Ji's words were the benefit that lasts for ten thousand generations."

Duke Huan of Qi, after drinking too much, lost his hat and felt ashamed, so he did not hold court for three days. Guan Zhong said, "This is a disgrace to the governing of the state. Why not wash it away through your policies?" Duke Huan then opened the granaries to relieve the impoverished common people, and he did so for three consecutive days. The people then sang, "Why doesn't our lord lose his hat once more?"

An old saying goes, "Governing affairs is like washing one's hair: though a few falling hairs are lost, the hair grows back better." The meaning is that even if some loss occurs in the process of governing, it may bring lasting benefits in the long run.

In a year of famine, even full brothers will not yield to one another in the spring; but in a year of abundance, distant guests will always get enough to eat in the autumn. This is not because the affection between close kin and distant relations has changed, but because people's attitudes toward giving differ between years of plenty and years of scarcity.

After Mozi died, the Mohist school split into three factions: the Xiangli, the Xiangfu, and the Denglingshi. After Confucius and Mozi, the Confucian school divided into eight branches, and the Mohist school into three.

If one waits for an arrow shaft to become straight on its own, it will not produce a single arrow in a hundred generations; if one waits for wood to become round on its own, it will not make a single wheel in a thousand years.

Laws, institutions, rewards, and punishments are like the rouge and powder adorning a state.

A bamboo tube three cun long cannot be filled if it has no bottom.

Compiled by Ma Zongyuan, a native of Fufeng. The Liezi consists of eight scrolls.

Heaven has its limitations, and Earth has its strengths; even sages have things they do not understand, while all things share certain underlying principles. A woman who longs for a husband may feel desire even if she has no husband; a woman who longs for a wife may become pregnant even if she has no wife. A ghost means “return”: it is said to go back to its original dwelling. The “true abode” is the Great Void, a realm of stillness and formlessness. Poverty is the scholar’s usual lot, and death is the end of the common people’s lives.

A drunk person who falls from a cart may suffer a severe fall and yet not die, because thoughts of life and death, and fear, have not entered his mind. Animals, too, possess many kinds of intelligence like that of humans: males and females mate, mothers and young are attached to one another; they avoid the cold and seek warmth; they gather on grassy ground when they settle and form lines when they travel; they watch out for one another when drinking and call to one another when feeding.

A man in the state of Song kept monkeys, which he called “ju.” He planned to give them acorns and first tricked them, saying, “You’ll get three in the morning and four in the evening.” The monkeys were all angry. He then promised to change this to “four in the morning and three in the evening,” and the monkeys were all pleased. The two arrangements came to the same total; only the wording differed. Sages use their wisdom to manage fools just as the monkey keeper used a trick to manipulate the monkeys.

There are eight signs of waking life and six kinds of dream omens. When Yin energy is strong, one dreams of crossing water and feels afraid; when Yang energy is strong, one dreams of crossing fire and feels its heat. When full, one dreams of giving; when hungry, one dreams of asking for food. Sleeping with a belt under one’s head brings dreams of snakes and crows; holding hair in one’s mouth brings dreams of flying. When the sky is about to turn overcast, one dreams of fire; when the body is about to fall ill, one dreams of eating. Those who drink wine dream of sorrow; those who sing and dance dream of weeping. Thoughts from the day appear in the dreams of the night: dreams reflect what the spirit and body have encountered.

The Grandee Chen said, “In our state there is a man named Kangcangzi who can see with his ears and hear with his eyes.” The Marquis of Lu was astonished when he heard this and invited him with the formalities due to a senior minister. Kangcangzi said, “My body is in accord with the numinous, and my mind is in accord with emptiness.”

Yan Hui was benevolent but could not turn to its opposite; Zigong was skilled at debate but not at keeping silent; Zilu was brave but did not understand timidity; Zizhang was dignified but not skilled at being accommodating. Even if their four strengths were combined and used in place of Zhongni (Confucius), Zhongni would not approve.

If one took possession of the teachings of all four sages and offered them in exchange for Zhongni’s teachings, Zhongni would still refuse.

Someone about to go blind can, paradoxically, first see things as fine as an autumn hair; someone about to lose the sense of smell can first detect the odor of something scorched and decayed. Thus, until the right time or thing has arrived, the corresponding understanding cannot be reached.

Mingling, a legendary long-lived tree, counted five hundred years as one spring and five hundred years as one autumn. In ancient times in Jingnan, there was a great chun tree that counted eight thousand years as one spring and eight thousand years as one autumn. The morning fungus sprouted at dawn and died by dusk. The legendary oyster creature came to life in the rain and died when it saw sunlight.

In the state of Zhexiu in Yue Shu, people ate their firstborn sons, saying this would benefit their younger brothers. When a person in Zhexiu lost his grandfather, he would carry his grandmother away and abandon her, calling this “the ghost’s remainder.”

While traveling east, Confucius saw two children arguing and asked what they were disputing. One child said, “I think the sun is closer to people when it first rises, and farther away at noon.” The other said, “I think the sun is farther away when it first rises, and closer at noon.” The first child said, “When the sun first rises, it is as large as a cartwheel, but by noon it is only the size of a bowl or basin. Doesn’t that show that things look larger when they are close and smaller when they are far away?” The other child said, “When the sun first rises, it is cool, but at noon it is as hot as putting your hand into boiling water. Doesn’t that show that things are hotter when they are close and cooler when they are far away?” Confucius could not decide between them. The children said, “Kong Qiu, who says you’re so wise?”

Yang Zhu said, “Even living to a hundred is rare—fewer than one person in a thousand does so. And in a lifetime, illness, worry, and suffering often take up half the time. If you are always watching and listening cautiously, and calculating the fame and wealth you will leave behind after death, so that you lose the pleasures that belong to the present and refuse to enjoy the moment fully, how is that any different from being bound and confined? Labor can bring ease, and only after experiencing cold do we understand warmth.”

Yan Zi said, “After I die, what will it matter to me? My body may be burned, sunk in water, buried, left out in the open, thrown into a ditch, or placed in a stone coffin. It all depends on what circumstances arise.”

If people did not marry or enter government service, their emotional desires would be cut in half. If people did not wear clothes or eat food, there would be no basis for the order between ruler and subject.

Yang Zhu said, “There are four reasons people cannot rest: lifespan, reputation, status, and possessions.”

When people toil over four things—longevity, reputation, status, and wealth—they worry about spirits, other people, those in power, and punishments. Such people are driven by external things and cannot be at ease. This passage appears in the Yang Zhu.

Rather than leave by the gate, someone insists on climbing over the wall; rather than follow the road, they insist on taking a side path. Isn’t it difficult to gain what they want this way?

Duke Wen of Jin planned to attack the state of Wei, and Prince Chu laughed. Duke Wen asked why, and he replied, “I’m laughing at my neighbor. A man was escorting his wife back to her parents’ home when, along the way, he saw a woman gathering mulberry leaves. He took a fancy to her and stopped to speak with her. When he turned back to look for his wife, someone else had already lured her away.” After hearing this, Duke Wen turned his troops around. But before the army had reached home, someone attacked Jin’s northern border.

Confucius said, “There are people strong enough to lift the bar across a city gate, yet they refuse to use that strength to open a door.”

The official of Huchiu said to Sun Shu’ao, “Do you know the three situations that invite resentment? When someone’s rank is high, people push him aside; when his office is important, the ruler grows displeased with him; when his stipend is generous, people resent him.” Sun Shu’ao replied, “The higher my rank, the humbler my ambitions; the more important my office, the more cautious my mind; the more generous my stipend, the more widely I give to others. Can this spare me resentment?”

A neighbor of Yang Zi lost a sheep, and everyone went out together to search for it. Each fork in the road led to more forks. At last, they said, “The main road has too many branches, so the sheep gets lost. Those who study have too many methods, so they lose their original nature. What was once the same at its root later diverges in its branches and details.”

Someone lost an axe and suspected his neighbor’s son had stolen it. He watched the boy’s walk and expression, and everything about him seemed like the manner of an axe thief. Not long afterward, he found the axe in a ravine. When he looked at his neighbor’s son again, nothing about him seemed like the manner of an axe thief.

A man from the state of Qi wanted to get gold. He went to the marketplace early one morning, happened to see someone selling gold, seized it, and ran off. An official caught him and questioned him. He replied, “When I took the gold, I saw no one else. I saw only the gold.”

The Zhuangzi consists of ten volumes.

If accumulated water is not deep enough, it will not have the strength to bear a large boat.

The “Perfected Person,” whose cultivation has reached an exceptionally high level, does not place the self at the center. The “Spirit Person,” who has risen beyond ordinary people, does not claim credit for achievements. The “Sage” does not seek fame.

The sun and moon have already risen, yet a torch keeps burning. Would it not be exhausting to rely on it to light the surroundings? Timely rain has already fallen, yet one continues to irrigate the fields. Would that not be a waste of effort? A magpie builds its nest in a deep forest, but needs only one branch. A water rat goes to the Yellow River to drink, but needs only enough to fill its belly. A blind person cannot appreciate the beauty of a text; this does not mean there is anything wrong with the text itself.

Timely rain has already fallen, yet one continues to irrigate the fields. Would that not be a waste of effort? A magpie builds its nest in a deep forest, but needs only one branch. A water rat goes to the Yellow River to drink, but needs only enough to fill its belly. A blind person cannot appreciate the beauty of a text, and a deaf person cannot hear the music of bells and drums. Is deafness and blindness found only in the body? Wisdom, too, can be deaf and blind. When someone cannot understand the subtlety of the highest teachings and dismisses them as wild talk, refusing to believe them, that is deafness and blindness of the mind.

The body can be still like a withered tree, and the mind can be quiet like dead ashes; this describes a state of calm emptiness, free of traces.

Great wisdom is broad and at ease, while petty cleverness is constrained and fussy. When people sleep, their spirit becomes entangled with dreams; when they wake, their bodies begin to move. What obscures the Dao, giving rise to distinctions between true and false? What obscures words, giving rise to distinctions between right and wrong? One side insists that it is right and the other wrong; the other side likewise insists that it is right and its opponent wrong. In this way, each side has its own point of error.

We judge something possible because we ourselves consider it possible; we judge something impossible because we ourselves consider it impossible. Beyond the four directions and the bounds of Heaven and Earth, the Sage acknowledges that things exist but does not discuss them. Within the four directions and the bounds of Heaven and Earth, the Sage may speak of things but does not argue over them. The Sage comments on the Spring and Autumn Annals, the ordering of worldly affairs, and the aspirations of the former kings, but does not argue them to a conclusion. The Sage neither single-mindedly pursues gain nor deliberately avoids misfortune.

Someone who dreams of drinking wine may wake up weeping; someone who dreams of weeping may wake up and go hunting. Such are the changing circumstances between sleep and wakefulness. While dreaming, people do not know that they are dreaming. From this, it follows that at the moment of death, people may not know they are dying, but simply accept things calmly in accordance with what their hearts feel then. If someone divines the meaning of a dream while still dreaming, it is no different from divining while awake.

Only after waking does a person realize that they had been dreaming. If we can calmly accept whatever happens, why worry about death while we are alive?

Once, Zhuang Zhou dreamed that he had become a butterfly. Light and carefree, he felt perfectly content and did not know he was Zhuang Zhou. Suddenly he awoke, unmistakably Zhuang Zhou once more. He did not know whether Zhuang Zhou had dreamed of becoming a butterfly, or a butterfly had dreamed of becoming Zhuang Zhou.

Human life is limited, but the things wisdom pursues have no end. To chase boundless wisdom with a finite life is, in the end, to exhaust oneself. How could one avoid weariness by using a limited life to seek knowledge without bounds?

To go against nature and depart from one’s inherent nature is to forget what one was born with. Each person has a natural allotment that cannot be escaped or arbitrarily enlarged.

To be born into the world at just this time is to follow the course of events; to leave the world at just this time is likewise to follow the way things are. Be at ease with the times and follow change, and grief and joy will not disturb the heart. Grief and joy arise from gain and loss; if we accept whatever comes our way, grief and joy will have nowhere to take hold.

Yan Hui said, “My family is poor. For several months now I have neither drunk wine nor eaten meat. Can this be called practicing the fasting of the heart, which quiets the mind?” Confucius said, “That is fasting before a sacrifice, not the fasting of the heart.” Yan Hui asked, “May I ask what the fasting of the heart is?” Confucius said, “Gather your intention into one. Do not listen with your ears; listen with your mind. Do not rely only on the mind to understand; receive things with an empty, still awareness. Hearing stops at the ears, and the mind’s understanding stops when it meets an external thing. An empty, still mind can receive all things; only an empty mind can gather the Dao. To make the mind empty and still is the fasting of the heart.”

There are two great principles under Heaven that cannot be defied: one is destiny, the natural bonds and allotments one is born into; the other is duty, the obligations of human relationships. A child’s love for their parents is a bond ordained by destiny, one that cannot be removed from the heart.

A minister’s service to a ruler is a duty of righteousness. Wherever he may be, he remains within the ruler’s jurisdiction; there is nowhere between Heaven and Earth to which he can flee.

When Yan He was about to become tutor to the heir apparent of Duke Ling of Wei, he asked Qu Boyu, “If I fail to restrain the heir, I will endanger the state. If I discipline him strictly, I will endanger myself. What should I do?” A petty person is like this: restrain him with rules, and he resents the one who restrains him; let him indulge without limit, and he throws the state into disorder. Qu Boyu replied, “That is a good question. Set yourself straight. In your outward conduct, it is best to accommodate him; inwardly, it is best to remain at ease. In your conduct, do not oppose him; inwardly, remain at ease without necessarily agreeing with him.”

Accommodate him, but do not go so far as to join in his wrongdoing. To adapt outwardly is to behave appropriately; to be inwardly at ease does not mean making yourself conspicuous. What matters in inner calm is holding fast to what is right. If you constantly display yourself, you will seem self-important.

Trees on the mountains are cut down because they are useful; oil can light a lamp, so it is consumed by fire. The cinnamon tree can be used as food, so it is felled; the lacquer tree is useful, so its bark is tapped. Everyone knows the benefits of usefulness, yet no one understands the benefits of being useless. Useful things are put to work for others; the useless can preserve their own lives.

People do not forget what cannot be forgotten, yet they forget what truly should not be forgotten. That is genuine forgetting. While he lives, they cherish him; when he dies, they cast him aside. Virtue is what the world should not forget, while private gain is not worth preserving. To forget one’s outward form is not yet genuine forgetting. To retain one’s outward form but forget Virtue—that is genuine forgetting.

The True People of antiquity, those who had attained the Dao, did not dream when they slept, because their minds held no distractions. When they awoke, they had no worries; whatever they encountered, they accepted in peace.

They did not cling especially to life or loathe death, but merged with change. Their minds were settled, and they were at ease wherever they found themselves. Their spirits were calm; even when they acted, they did not disturb their inner stillness. At times they were solemn like autumn, at times gentle like spring. They did not harm life in the name of righteousness, nor did they nurture the myriad things through deliberate benevolence.

To use others to satisfy one’s own desires is to cater to their desires. To abandon oneself and imitate others, yielding to them at the expense of what is right, is to betray righteousness.

When a spring dries up, the fish are stranded on land. They can only breathe moisture onto one another and wet one another with spittle. Better to forget one another and live freely in rivers and lakes.

To take care of another person’s affairs and meet their requests by sacrificing one’s own proper duties to serve them is to harm the Way and what is right. When a spring dries up, fish stranded on land can only keep one another alive by breathing moisture and spitting foam. Rather than depending on one another this way, they would be better off living freely in rivers and lakes, forgetting one another. Rather than loving one another amid scarcity, would it not be better to have enough on their own and no longer be concerned with one another? Rather than praising Yao and condemning Jie, it is better to set aside such distinctions altogether and follow the transformations of the Great Way. Forget good and evil, life and death, and merge with the transformations of the myriad things: why care about the distinction between Yao and Jie?

Heaven and Earth, the Great Mass, gave me my form. They make me labor through life, give me rest in old age, and at last grant me peace in death. To gain something is to meet the right moment; to lose it is to follow change. When the moment is right, people call it “gain.” When the moment passes and things depart with change, people call it “loss.” Be at ease with the time and follow its changes, and neither sorrow nor joy can disturb the heart.

Parents have raised and cared for their children, and children often obey their parents wherever they go. The influence of Yin and Yang on humanity is even more like that of parents. Since ancient times, some have disobeyed their parents, but no one can defy the transformations of Yin and Yang or reject the cycle of day and night.

Fish in rivers and lakes forget one another; people, too, can forget one another along the paths they walk. When each is content with their own circumstances, they no longer burden one another, and everyone in the world can do this. The Perfected Person, one who has grasped the Great Way, is always content, and so remains at peace.

Life has continued from ancient times to the present without seeming to grow old because the myriad things are continually renewed. Forget the body, set aside the distinctions made by the senses, and cast off cleverness and intellectual knowledge; connect with the Great Way. This is called “sitting in forgetfulness”: sitting quietly and forgetting the body and preconceived views, so that the mind accords with the Great Way. The Perfected Person uses the mind like a mirror: it does not pursue what comes, nor turn away what arrives. It reflects things as they are, yet keeps nothing in the mind. Thus it can respond to the myriad things without being harmed. When things come, the mirror reflects them. Because it does not reflect through subjective intention, even if all the things under Heaven appear before it, the mind is never wearied.

A person’s neck is too short; lengthening it would bring distress. A crane’s neck is too long; shortening it would bring grief. Since the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, no one in the world has failed to replace their own nature with external things. The petty person sacrifices their life for profit, the scholar for reputation, the high official for the family, and the sage for the world. Though their pursuits differ, they are alike in sacrificing themselves for external things.

Zang and Gu went out together to tend sheep, but both lost their sheep. Asked what he was doing, Zang was reading with a book in his hands. Asked what Gu was doing, he was busy with affairs at home. The sage, for his part, devotes his whole self to the world. These people act in different ways, yet each thereby exhausts himself.

Zang and Gu went out together to tend sheep, and both lost them. Asked what he was doing, Zang was reading with a book in his hands; asked what Gu was doing, he was playing bo-se, an ancient game. Their activities differed, but they lost their sheep all the same.

Bo Yi died beneath Mount Shouyang in pursuit of fame; Robber Zhi died atop Mount Shuling in pursuit of profit. Though they died in different ways, they did equal harm to life and nature. Why insist that Bo Yi was right and Robber Zhi wrong? When people spend their whole lives pursuing some goal, the world calls those who pursue benevolence and righteousness gentlemen, and those who pursue wealth and possessions petty men. Yet their fixation and pursuit are no different. Since both damage life and injure nature, why distinguish between gentlemen and petty men?

To know oneself by looking outside oneself, and to seek fulfillment not within oneself but in what others have gained: this is to seek one’s own satisfaction through another’s, while remaining unable to enjoy one’s own. It is to pursue only what others find pleasing, rather than a life that truly suits oneself. Even Robber Zhi and Bo Yi were alike in what they clung to. If this harms life and injures nature, why distinguish between gentlemen and petty men? Both Robber Zhi and Bo Yi can be said to have been excessively fixated and to have strayed from the common Way.

If uncarved simplicity has not been damaged, what need is there for a sacrificial zun, a wine vessel carved in the shape of an ox? If white jade has not been broken, what need is there to fashion gui and zhang, ritual jade tablets? If the Dao and De have not been abandoned, what need is there to establish benevolence and righteousness? If our nature and feelings have not been lost, what need is there for ritual and music?

To destroy what is simple in order to make an artifact is the fault of the artisan; to damage De in order to establish benevolence and righteousness is the fault of the sage.

A disciple of Robber Zhi asked him, “Is there a Way to being a robber?” Robber Zhi replied, “To guess what is hidden inside a house—that is cleverness. To enter first—that is courage. To be the last to withdraw—that is a sense of duty. To judge whether the time is right to act—that is wisdom. To divide the spoils fairly—that is benevolence. No one has ever become a great robber without these five qualities. Aren’t the qualities used to suppress robbers precisely the ‘Way’ of robbers?”

Jue said, “To guess without evidence what treasures are hidden in someone else’s house—this very thought resembles sagacity. To rush in first when entering the house counts as bravery; to be the last to leave counts as loyalty. To know what can and cannot be done counts as wisdom; to divide the spoils evenly counts as benevolence. For a thief to succeed, all five qualities are necessary. No one can become a successful thief without them. The principles said to prevent theft instead become the means by which thieves operate. From this we can see that a good person cannot establish himself without understanding the way of the sages, and Jue cannot steal without understanding it. Good people are few in the world, while those who are not good are many. Thus the way of the sages brings little benefit to the world and causes far more harm.

“Abandon the vaunted sagacity and clever wisdom, and great robbers will cease. Cast away jade and smash pearls, and petty thieves will not arise. Burn the tallies and break the seals, and the people will become simple and honest. Split the measuring vessels and break the steelyards, and the people will no longer contend over possessions.

“When people let joy and anger make them suspicious of one another, when the foolish and the wise deceive each other, when those who think themselves good criticize others as bad, and when the dishonest mock the truthful, the world falls into decline.

“The highest Dao is profound, distant, dark, and elusive. The utmost Dao is dim and silent, still and wordless.

“Carefully guard what is within, and you preserve your true nature. Shut out external disturbances, and you keep to your proper course. Excessive cleverness invites ruin: because cleverness has no limits, it ultimately brings calamity.

“People of the world all like those who are like themselves and dislike those who are different. The instruction of a great person is like a shadow following a form, or an echo answering a sound. When someone asks, they respond, letting that person fully express what is in their heart.”

Zigong once urged an old vegetable grower in Hanyin to use a pulley device—a lever-operated tool for drawing water. Hearing this, the old man laughed angrily and said, “Those who use machines are bound to do things cleverly; those who do things cleverly will give rise to a clever mind. When a clever mind takes root in the breast, simplicity and sincerity can no longer remain whole. When simplicity and sincerity are not whole, the spirit cannot be settled. When the spirit is unsettled, the Dao has nowhere to reside. It is not that I do not know about this device; I am simply ashamed to use it.” Yet the text goes on to say that to act according to what is feasible, pursue success, and achieve much with little effort is also the way of the sages.

If three people travel together and one loses the way, they may still reach their destination, because the one who has lost the way is in the minority.

If two people both lose the way, they will travel in vain and fail to reach their destination, because too many have lost the way.

The eyes can see form and color; the ears can hear names and sounds. Sadly, people in the world believe that form, color, names, and sounds are enough to understand the true state of things. In fact, these alone cannot bring genuine understanding.

A fleck of chaff in the eye can make the whole world seem upside down; a mosquito crawling over the skin can keep someone awake all night. The stimulus caused by external things may be slight, yet its effects can be great. They unsettle a person’s nature and cause no small harm.

A swan need not bathe every day for its feathers to be naturally white; a crow need not be dyed every day for its feathers to be naturally black. The nature of every thing is complete in itself. Keep to a calm, quiet, and untroubled state, and anxieties will find it hard to intrude, while harmful influences will find it hard to attack. In this way, De (Virtue/Power) remains intact, and the spirit is not depleted.

Do not act ahead of your good fortune, and do not set in motion the beginnings of calamity. Respond only when moved; do not provoke events. Act only when circumstances press, and do something only when the time is right. Rise only when there is no other choice. Then you will suffer no calamity from Heaven, be entangled by no external thing, be blamed by no one, and incur no punishment from spirits. Living will be like a temporary stay; dying will be like resting in peace.

Joy and anger lead away from the Dao (the Way); likes and dislikes damage De. To be single-minded and unchanging is a state of utmost stillness. When the heart is quiet and focused, it is not easily altered by external things. To avoid entanglement with external things is a state of utmost detachment: simply let things come of themselves, without actively seeking connection with them. If the body labors without rest, it grows weary and weak; if the spirit is constantly put to use, it too is worn down.

There is a saying among the people: everyone has their own failings in De, but to remain single-minded and unchanging is to be utterly still. When quiet and focused, one is not easily changed. To avoid entanglement with external things is to be utterly detached: simply let things come of themselves, without actively seeking connection with them. If the body labors without rest, it grows weary and weak; if the spirit is constantly put to use, it too is worn down.

Ordinary people prize profit; the upright prize reputation; the worthy prize their aspirations; the sages prize the spirit. If embellishments are added and learning expanded, embellishments may conceal one’s nature, and learning may confuse the heart. When the ancients spoke of “fulfilling one’s aspirations,” they did not mean gaining high office and generous rewards. Today, people use “fulfilling one’s aspirations” to mean obtaining office and status. Official rank and emoluments that fall to a person do not belong to that person’s nature and life; they are merely things that arrive by chance and lodge there temporarily.

Things in heaven and earth cannot be stopped when they arrive, nor held back when they depart. So people should not let their ambitions run unchecked because they are honored and powerful, nor conform to worldly customs because they are distressed, poor, and lowly.

You cannot speak to a frog at the bottom of a well about the sea, for it is confined to a narrow place. You cannot speak to an insect of summer about ice and snow, for it is limited by a brief season. You cannot speak to someone of narrow understanding about the Great Dao, for they are bound by their customary teachings. Seen from what is minute, something vast is difficult to take in fully; seen from what is vast, something minute is difficult to discern clearly.

The Qiji and Pili, fine horses skilled at running, can cover a thousand li in a day, yet they are not as good as a civet cat at catching mice. This shows that different animals have different abilities. At night, crows and magpies can catch tiny fleas, discerning minute things; by day, though they stare with their eyes wide open, they cannot see a hill. This shows that their natural capacities differ.

The Dao has neither end nor beginning, while the myriad things are born and die.

Zhuangzi was fishing in the Pu River when the king of Chu sent two great officers to visit him. They said, “We hope to entrust the affairs of Chu to you.” Holding his fishing rod, Zhuangzi did not turn around. He said, “I have heard that Chu has a sacred tortoise that died three thousand years ago. The king keeps it wrapped in a bamboo box and enshrined in the ancestral temple. Would that tortoise rather have died and left its bones to be treasured, or would it rather be alive, dragging its tail through the mud?”

Huizi asked, “You are not a fish. How do you know that fish are happy?” Zhuangzi replied, “You are not me. How do you know that I do not know that fish are happy?” Huizi said, “I am not you, so of course I do not know what you think. And since you are not a fish, you do not know what makes fish happy.” Zhuangzi asked in return, “By your reasoning, when you asked how I know that fish are happy, you had already acknowledged that I know something. You ask where I know it from? I know it from here, on the bridge over the Hao River.”

If people keep weighing their choices among the eight circumstances described above—choosing, relying, avoiding, settling, approaching, departing, loving, and hating—none of them can preserve life. Only by refusing to insist on a choice and accepting whatever comes can one find a way to settle oneself.

A skull said to Zhuangzi, “After death, there is no ruler above or subject below, and no affairs of the four seasons to attend to. At ease and free, we take heaven and earth as our spring and autumn. Even the pleasure of facing south as a king cannot compare with this freedom.” Zhuangzi did not believe it, and said, “I will ask the Minister of Fate, who governs life, to restore your bones, flesh, and skin, return you to your parents, wife, and children, and let you see your old neighbors and acquaintances again. Would you be willing?”

The skeleton said, “Why would I give up the joy of being king, seated facing south, and return to the human world to endure toil?”

On a dangerous road, if one person in every ten is killed, people will naturally be terrified. Fathers, sons, and brothers will warn one another, and set out only after joining together. Is that not wise? The dangers people most need to guard against lie between the bed and the mat, and in what they eat and drink. Yet they do not know to be on their guard: that is the real fault. If one person in ten dies, everyone is terrified. But when it comes to the harm caused by sexual desire, no one is willing to be alert. That is ignorance.

Zhuangzi was walking in the mountains when he saw a large tree with lush branches and leaves. A woodcutter had stopped beside it but was not cutting it down. Zhuangzi asked why. The woodcutter replied, “It’s of no use.” Zhuangzi said, “It is precisely because this tree is useless that it can live out its natural lifespan.”

After leaving the mountains, Zhuangzi stayed at an old friend’s house. His friend asked his servant Jianzi to kill a goose. Jianzi said, “Of the two geese, one can call and the other cannot. Which should I kill?” The host replied, “Kill the one that cannot call.” The next day, a disciple asked Zhuangzi, “The tree in the mountains lived out its natural lifespan because it was useless, while your host’s goose was killed because it was useless. Master, where will you place yourself: among the useful or the useless?”

Zhuangzi said, “I will place myself between the useful and the useless. It may seem like a fitting position, but in truth it is not. So I would still be unable to escape distinctions and hardship. The straightest trees are cut down first; the sweetest springs dry up first.”

The crow is less clever than the partridge. Afraid of people, it hides among them. Nothing can remain distant and separate from people and still be accepted by them. The crow mingles with people out of fear of them, and for that reason it is called clever.

Shun offered the empire to Zizhou Zhibo. Zizhou Zhibo said, “I am suffering from a condition of worry and distress, and am receiving treatment for it. I have no time to govern the empire. In spring, farming is enough to keep the body active; in autumn, harvesting is enough to let a person rest. One who truly cherishes life will not harm the body for wealth and status, nor let the pursuit of gain burden them because of poverty and low standing.”

Building achievements as ruler is merely something a sage does when he has strength to spare. It is not the foundation for preserving the body and nourishing life. People of virtue in the world today often risk injury and give up their lives in pursuit of external things. Is this not tragic? If someone used the Marquis of Sui’s pearl—a precious jewel—to shoot at a sparrow high in the sky, everyone would laugh at him, because he had used something so valuable to obtain something so insignificant. Is the preciousness of life no greater than that of the Marquis of Sui’s pearl?

Lie Yukou declined the grain offered to him by Ziyang of Zheng. He said, “You do not truly know me; you are sending me grain only because you have heard what others said. If you later wish to punish me, I fear you will also believe what others say. So I will not accept it.”

Zigong asked, “Sir Yuan Xian, what illness are you suffering from?” Yuan Xian replied, “I have heard that having no wealth is called poverty, while learning the Way but being unable to put it into practice is called illness. I am merely poor; I am not ill.” As Zigong left, a look of shame appeared on his face.

Those who know contentment will not burden themselves for the sake of gain. Those who truly understand how to be content with themselves will not fear losing things. Those who cultivate De (Virtue) within themselves will not change their principles for lack of official rank. To be at an impasse in the Way is called adversity; to uphold the Way of benevolence and righteousness while suffering the misfortune of living in a chaotic age—what is there to call adversity in that? The wise devise plans, the strong carry them out, and the benevolent dwell at ease in their place. Such was the way of the ancients.

To depose a ruler without following the proper Way is unrighteous. To kill the people is inhumane. To let others bear hardship while I enjoy the benefits is dishonest.

Those who wag their tongues and stir up disputes at will, and enjoy praising people to their faces, often also enjoy slandering them behind their backs.

Tang of Shang drove out Jie of Xia, and King Wu of Zhou killed Zhou of Shang. From then on, the strong bullied the weak, and the many oppressed the few. From the time of Tang and King Wu onward, those who did such things became people who threw the world into disorder.

Human nature is such that the eyes want to see beauty, the ears want to hear sounds, the mouth wants to taste flavors, and the heart and vital energy want to be satisfied. A person’s life may reach one hundred years; a middle lifespan is eighty, and a short lifespan is sixty. From these years one must subtract the time consumed by illness, frailty, and death.

The Shen Zi consists of three volumes.

Liu Xiang says: Shen Zi was named Shen Buhai. He was from Hedong and once held a low-ranking post in the state of Zheng. He assisted Marquis Zhao of Han with his teachings, and as a result, the Qin army dared not invade. His teachings were rooted in the way of Huangdi and Laozi, but advocated severity and harshness, lacked generosity and compassion, and did not accord with the way of governing as a hegemon.

When a three-inch wheel is set turning, it can bring peace to all under Heaven; when a six-inch base is set straight, it can bring order to all under Heaven.

It is not difficult for a wife who usurps her husband’s authority to ruin a household; nor is it difficult for a rebellious minister who seizes power to bring down a state. When one wife takes sole control of her husband’s authority, the other wives and concubines are thrown into disorder. When one minister takes sole control of the ruler’s authority, all the other ministers are kept in the dark.

Severity and harshness, without kindness, are no way to establish hegemony. When a three-inch wheel is set turning, it can bring peace to all under Heaven; when a six-inch base is set straight, it can bring order to all under Heaven.

It is not difficult for a wife who usurps her husband’s authority to ruin a household; nor is it difficult for a rebellious minister who seizes power to bring down a state. When one wife takes sole control of her husband’s authority, the other wives and concubines are thrown into disorder. When one minister takes sole control of the ruler’s authority, all the other ministers are kept in the dark.

Those of equal wisdom cannot command one another; those of equal strength cannot overpower one another.

The drum itself is not one of the five tones—gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu—yet it can lead them all.

If sages appeared in every generation, they would follow one another, each a thousand li apart; if worthy men appeared in every generation, they would stand shoulder to shoulder.

The Shen Zi consists of twelve volumes. Its author was named Shen Dao. His teachings were rooted in the way of Huangdi and Laozi, and he was from Teng.

Ordinary people sustain themselves through the wages of labor; gentlemen establish themselves through moral principle. The Book of Songs records the aspirations of the past, the Book of Documents records its government and teachings, and the Spring and Autumn Annals records its historical events.

Those who cherish a young child will not neglect the nurse who cares for him. Those who must cross a dangerous road will not neglect the driver. Place a jun and a shi—weights of substantial mass—together, and even Yu the Great could not tell which was heavier by sight alone. Put them on a scale, and even the slightest difference can be determined.

When two people are both of high status, neither is willing to obey the other; when both are of low status, neither can easily make the other serve. When a household is wealthy, even distant kin gather around; when it is poor, even brothers may drift apart. This is not because they lack affection for one another, but because there is too little benefit to keep them bound together.

Without keen understanding and discernment, one cannot govern the world; without having experienced darkness and deception, it is difficult to act justly. The sea and the mountains may contend over the sources of water, but in the end the sea will surely receive it. A person with a scale cannot be deceived about weight; one with a ruler cannot be misled about length; and one who has standards of law cannot be fooled by fraud or clever argument.

A rabbit runs by, and a hundred people chase it. Many rabbits lie piled in the marketplace, yet passersby do not give them a glance. This is not because people do not want rabbits, but because ownership has already been settled and they can no longer be contested. A filial son does not appear in the household of a loving father, and a loyal minister does not appear under a wise and enlightened ruler. It is only when kin do not live in harmony that filial sons and loving parents become conspicuous; only when a state is in disorder that loyal ministers stand out.

A coffin maker does not resent people’s deaths. Where profit lies, people often forget what is shameful. The timbers for a great court hall cannot come from the branches and trunk of a single tree; nor can a fox-fur coat, made from the white fur beneath a fox’s forelegs, be fashioned from the fur of just one fox. A state that secretly stockpiles weapons must have hidden military plans as well. Whoever has a design in mind must first prepare the tools needed to carry it out.

The people may be driven to the battlefield, but an army that seeks to bring stability to the state cannot take up arms on anger alone.

The Yan Danzi consists of three scrolls.

Dan was the son of King Xi of Yan.

The son of King Xi of Yan, Dan, was sent to the state of Qin as a hostage during the reign of the First Emperor of Qin.

Men are ashamed to suffer humiliation; virtuous women are ashamed to lose their chastity. Some people divide courage into three kinds: those with courage in their blood flush red when angered; those with courage in their pulse turn pale green; and those with courage in their bones turn white.

Tian Guang said, “I know what kind of man Jing Ke is. He has extraordinary courage: even when angered, his expression does not change. His character is noble, his reputation far-reaching, and he commands respect.” After Jing Ke arrived in Yan, Tian Guang praised him to Crown Prince Dan: “Jing Ke is a man of noble character and widespread renown.” When Jing Ke left the capital of Wei, the road ahead was vast and uncertain. He passed through peril without feeling weary, and looked toward the distance without thinking it far. Now the Crown Prince treats him with the affection due an old friend and the respect due a new companion. That is why he no longer refuses: he is certain the Crown Prince understands him.

The wind sighed bleakly; the Yi River ran cold. The brave man departs, never to return. Jing Ke said, “If the Crown Prince hopes to pit Yan against Qin, it is like trying to hunt a wolf with a sheep.”

Jing Ke then went to see Fan Yuqi and said to him, “General, you offended Qin, and your parents, wife, and children were all burned to death. I grieve for you. I now hope to take your head and a map of Yan’s Dukang region and present them to the King of Qin. He will surely be pleased, and when he is, he will summon me. Then I will seize his sleeve with my left hand and drive a dagger into his chest with my right. I will enumerate his crimes against Yan and demand an accounting for the injustice you have suffered.” Fan Yuqi gripped his knife and cut his own throat. His head fell behind him, but his eyes remained open.

When Crown Prince Dan heard what had happened, he threw himself over the body and wept. He placed Fan Yuqi’s head in a casket and presented it to Qin along with the map of Dukang, appointing Qin Wuyang as Jing Ke’s assistant. Jing Ke set out without choosing an auspicious date. The Crown Prince’s guests, dressed in white robes and caps, saw him off at the Yi River. Jing Ke rose, lifted his cup in a toast, and sang a stirring song. Gao Jianli played the zhuither, while Song Yi joined in. The song grew impassioned, and the listeners’ hair stood on end; when it turned sorrowful, they all wept. Jing Ke and Qin Wuyang mounted the carriage and never once looked back.

Jing Ke reached Xianyang, and the King of Qin…