《意林》Vol. 3

That official became embroiled in the matter of “things being damaged every day and entering the residence day after day.” After five months in office, he was recommended jointly by the Four Prefectures and transferred to the post of Magistrate of Wuling. When I served as Magistrate of Yingling, the Grand Year Jupiter was in that sector. The chief clerk urged me to move northeast to avoid it, but I did not heed him. After five months in office, I was transferred to be Governor of Taishan.

The Songs of Chu says that the Wind Earl was named Feilian. According to the Rites of Zhou, the Wind Master was the star Chi, which governs the raising of dust and can summon the winds. The spirit of the day wuxu governs the wind, so on the day bingxu one should sacrifice to the Wind Spirit in the northwest. According to the Rites of Zhou, the Rain Master was the star Bi. Among all things on earth, nothing nourishes the myriad beings more than water, so the Rain Master is called “Master.” The spirit of the day chou governs rainfall, so on the day jichou one should sacrifice to the Rain Spirit.

During the Yuanjia era of Emperor Huan, several fashions in makeup and bearing became popular among women in the capital: the Sorrowful Brow, Tearful Makeup, the Fallen-Horse Bun, the Bent-Waist Walk, and the Toothache Smile. The Sorrowful Brow was made by painting the eyebrows thin and sharply arched. Tearful Makeup involved lightly applying powder beneath the eyes, like tear stains left after crying. The Fallen-Horse Bun was worn swept to one side. In the Bent-Waist Walk, the body curved as one walked, making the steps seem awkward. The Toothache Smile resembled a smile that showed when one had a toothache. All these fashions originated with Liang Ji.

The Traditions records: the King of Zhao liked thick eyebrows, so women among the people painted their brows across half their foreheads; the King of Chu liked wide necklines, so women in his state opened their collars to expose their necks; the King of Qi liked slender waists, and some women in his harem starved to death. In the capital, Hu fashions also became popular, including clothing, tents, utensils, the konghou, flutes, and dances.

Emperor Ling once went from the palace to the Western Garden, riding in a carriage drawn by four white camels and holding the reins himself. The nobles and ministers all imitated him, raising the price of white camels until it matched that of horses. During Emperor Huan’s reign, a song circulated: “Those as straight as a bowstring die by the roadside; those as crooked as a hook are instead enfeoffed as marquises.” This was connected to Liang Ji’s wish to enthrone a child emperor and Li Gu’s wish to enthrone the King of Qinghe.

Liang Ji then submitted a report to the imperial court. Li Gu died in prison, and his body was left exposed beside the road. The saying “Liang Ji like a bent hook, Li Gu like a taut bowstring” means that Liang Ji was crooked and wicked, like a bent hook, while Li Gu was upright, like a bowstring.

“Thousand-mile grass, how lush and green; in the tenth month, divination finds no single day of life” is a veiled phrase referring to Dong Zhuo’s name. “Thousand-mile grass” hints at the character Dong, while “tenth month, divination” hints at Zhuo. “Finds no single day of life” also alludes to the components of the character Zhuo. “Lush and green” describes a forceful, flourishing presence.

From the Qin and Han dynasties onward, the residences of the noble and powerful were called “palaces and halls.” Before that, there was no such distinction in terminology between high and low status.

According to the Shiben, the phrase “like a bowstring” also appears as “like a city wall and its outer rampart.” “City wall” means grand, and “outer rampart” means vast. The Son of Heaven had an outer screen; when officials passed by, they were to lower their voices and make themselves quiet as a sign of respect.

“Sousou” means to gather and accumulate; it also refers to a place where firewood is piled.

Sunzi said, “With sturdy city defenses and a deep moat, but no food, even Taigong and Mo Di could not hold out.”

“Commandery” carries the sense of spreading widely and extending. The Zuo Tradition says that the territory granted to a senior great officer was called a “county,” while that granted to a junior great officer was called a “commandery.” It was only under Qin Shi Huang that commanderies were established to govern counties. “County” carries the sense of pacifying and governing.

A “relay station” was an inn where messengers carrying official documents could lodge. By carrying messages, they earned the right to stay there.

Roads running north to south were called “qian”; those running east to west were called “mo.”

According to the Commentary on the Book of Changes, in ancient times there was a creature called “yangyou” that often brought people misfortune. Thus, when people lived in peace, they would say “wu yang,” meaning that they were free from calamity.

“When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer” means that when a fire broke out at the city gate, people drew water from the moat to put it out, and the fish in it suffered as a result. Another popular explanation says that “Moat” and “Fish” were a person’s family and given names. Because the person lived near the city gate, they too were caught up in the trouble.

It is said that the prison system began in the age of the Three Kings. At that time, they established corporal punishments and began building prisons. The Xia prison was called the “Lower Terrace,” while the Zhou prison was called the “Round Earth Enclosure.” Their purpose was to make people reflect, reform, and turn toward goodness. The character for “prison” is written with two “dogs” keeping watch, suggesting that even dogs could detect a prisoner despite the lack of a clearly defined charge. Criminals were confined within circular earthen walls, so the character for “prisoner” depicts a person enclosed within a “mouth.” The character for “crime” originally combined “self” and “bitter,” expressing self-reproach born of anguish. Qin Shi Huang thought the character “gao” resembled “huang,” so he replaced it with the character for “crime.”

In the Kuaiji region, excessive sacrificial rites were once common. People who were too poor to own an ox for sacrifice were said to turn into oxen and bellow after death. The governor, Diwu Lun, severely punished this custom and forbade such sacrifices.

When Li Shujian, later governor of Guiyang, was young, he served as an officer in the provincial administration. A dog in his household stood upright like a person. He said, “The dog is imitating a human being. What harm is there in humans walking upright?”

When Shujian was serving as a county magistrate, he took off his official hat and set it on a couch. A dog picked it up in its mouth and ran off. Shujian said, “The dog must have bumped into the hat cord by accident, and it got caught around its ear.” Later, the dog watched over the fire in front of someone’s cooking stove. When neighbors told Shujian, he said, “The dog knows how to tend a fire. That saves us from having to use a person.” Later, the dog died suddenly, but Shujian rose to high office.

Four scrolls of the Book of Lord Shang

People of high moral character are often criticized by the world; people with exceptional insight are often resented. The caterpillar moth and the mole cricket are born in spring and die in autumn. Though they appear for only one season, they can leave the people short of grain for years. Today, one person farms while a hundred people eat; the harm this causes is worse than that of the mole cricket.

There are few farmers and many who live without working. When their numbers grow, farming is neglected; when farming is neglected, the state’s governance falls into ruin. If the strong destroy the weak, the strong will end up weakened. If the weak destroy the strong, the weak will instead grow stronger.

In ancient times, scholars wore clothes that could not keep their bodies warm and ate food that could not fill their bellies. They disciplined their minds and wore out their limbs.

In ancient times, people lived together in the wild grass. Only after society fell into disorder did they establish rulers. When a tree is riddled with borers, it breaks; when cracks in a wall grow large, the wall collapses. From ancient times to the present, there has never been a case of surviving without defeating one’s enemy, or of avoiding destruction after being defeated.

To make soldiers see battle as a hungry wolf sees meat: only then can they be driven to fight. A sage governs the people as one guides water with differences in elevation and controls fire through dry and damp conditions.

Four scrolls of Master Ruan’s Writings

The fisherman casts his net in deep water to catch fish large enough to swallow boats. The wise ruler enacts laws throughout the realm to restrain the powerful. When laws are made to restrain the people, they cannot transgress; when dikes are built to hold back floods, rivers cannot overflow. If a dike can be breached, the river will bring disaster; if a law can be broken, the people too will become a source of trouble.

Those who do not plant trees will have no coffins when they die; those who do not raise silkworms will have no silk garments; those who do not weave will have no cloth when famine strikes. In their spare time, noble people reflect on what is right, while petty people give rise to wicked thoughts.

Birds that fly high choose suitable trees to perch in; people of wisdom likewise choose a suitable place to settle.

If thieves are not punished, their harm will spread to the places where they lodge. If damage to one’s reputation is left unaddressed, its consequences will reach those in power.

When people are lost in ignorance, they must rely on learning to awaken their minds and on action to establish themselves. Those who follow the Dao become exemplary people; those who violate ritual and law are called petty people. The conduct of exemplary people accords with De, and so they earn honor. The actions of petty people lead them into evil and ultimately bring them punishment.

People’s nature is pure and unblemished, yet it is affected by what they come into contact with. Indigo plants dye it blue, cinnabar dyes it red, yellow cork tree bark dyes it yellow, and black dye turns it black. Uncarved jade is merely an ordinary stone from the southern mountain.

Those who risk breaking the law do not shrink even from being cut in half at the waist or beheaded. Those who flee in defeat do not fear the executioner’s axe.

The Han dynasty’s territory reached to the ends of the earth, to the farthest bounds of the land: east to Tanggu, west to Yuyuan, south to Yan and Chu, and north to the frontier gates. The people north of the Qilian Mountains, south of the Huang Mountains, east of Jieshi, and west of the Heli Mountains all came bearing tribute and submitted to the dynasty.

Confucius’s writings range from discussing the Way of Heaven to explaining the affairs of ordinary people. They encompass relations between men and women and probe both the surface and inner workings of things.

The Huainanzi is vague and extravagant, full of embellished language. The Taixuan is obscure and abstruse, with little practical use. The Fayan is disordered and lacks a central theme. The Xinshu is wordy, yet contains little of practical value.

The Yufu says: Jade is recognized by its color: red like a parrot’s crest, yellow like a steamed chestnut, white like fat, and black like thick lacquer. These are the signs by which fine jade is identified. Speech that is refined and upright, offering instruction and admonition, and writing worthy of serving as a model may likewise be called a person’s mark.

The mountain spirit is called Li; the essence of things, Mei; the earth spirit, Fenyang; the water spirit, Wangxiang; the wood spirit, Bifang; the fire spirit, Youguang; and the metal spirit, Qingming. When the realm is at peace and follows the Dao, these various spirits and monsters lie hidden.

Heaven regards immortals as precious children and the multitude as straw dogs—dogs woven from straw for use in sacrifice, then discarded afterward. People cherish their own children and hope they will live long; they despise straw dogs and let them die early. If people do not learn, they are like the blind trying to see, those without a body cavity trying to run, the wingless trying to fly, or the mouthless trying to speak: none can succeed.

Although Jie and Zhou held the throne of the Son of Heaven, no one praised them. They were like rotten stumps and withered trees, ready to fall at the first gust of wind.

Enforce punishments clearly and apply the law with care; cherish the people and extend kindness to those below. Then the living will harbor no resentment, and the dead will have no regret. As the saying goes: when government orders are as clear and stern as frost, treachery will fade away; when authority is like thunder, bandits will not arise.

Shiwe comprises ten scrolls and was written by Yao Xin.

Kong Wenju’s nature was dominated by Metal, which signifies strength and decisiveness, while Wood, which signifies benevolence and gentleness, was deficient. He therefore turned away from Yin softness and inclined toward Yang firmness. Standing apart in proud independence, he seemed forceful and formidable, yet mournful.

Silk all comes from silkworms, and copper is all extracted from stone. Woven into satin, ordinary silk cloth is of little value, while brocade is precious. Cast as a bell, metal makes a small object; cast as a great bell, it makes a large one. Jing is the water that passes through a waterwheel, while li is the sand carried around by its wheel. Footprints may be high or low; they cannot be used to judge what lies beneath. When water is warm, it becomes soup; when cold, it becomes ice. Ice and soup differ in their states, but the nature of the water is the same. A silkworm’s ability to spin silk depends on the heat of the boiling water; human dispositions, too, can change with their surroundings. The principle is just the same. Once a qin or se has been tuned, it can play the music of Zheng and Wei; once five colors have been woven together, they form splendid brocade.

Meng Ke (Mencius) guided the affairs of the world toward benevolence and righteousness, leading travelers onto the straight and proper Way. Had there been no pearl divers in the South Sea and no jade carvers on Mount Kunlun, bright pearls would not have adorned the pepper-scented chambers, nor would fine jade have been worn in the Cassia Palace.

Tongyu comprises eight scrolls. Shu refers to the marks left by a moving cart; gan refers to the traces left in the water by a moving boat. People need the Dao just as they need wheel ruts and boat wakes. Those who disparage a doctrine often echo one another, clamoring without end; those who praise it do so with such intensity that their fervor spreads like fire or surges like waves.

Someone asked, “Was Chen Fan loyal?” The reply was, “Riding alone in his carriage, he seemed to wield it like an axe for attacking bandits. But his forthrightness and integrity made him unsuited to a chaotic age. It is less important to recognize his loyalty than to see that he lacked wisdom.” Talent is prized for its depth and specialization; learning for the care devoted to study. Plain substance outweighing refinement is like Shi Jian; refinement outweighing plain substance is like Cai Yong. Xu Gan may have come close to the ideal of bringing refinement and substance together in harmony.

Baopuzi comprises forty scrolls: twenty outer chapters and twenty inner chapters. Its author was Ge Hong, whose courtesy name was Zhichuan.

Clear, fragrant wine is delicious, yet it can unsettle a person’s nature. Red flowers are beautiful, yet their plain white ground may shorten one’s life. Even Ban Di, the legendary craftsman, could not carve…

Sweet wine can cloud the heart and nature; bright flowers and fair bodies can shorten one’s life. The master craftsman Bandi could not carve stone into a sharp needle, and the renowned swordsmith Ouyazi could not cast the Ganjiang sword from lead and tin.

The Records of Daily Life in Hanzhong recounts: When Li Shaojun wished to leave the world, Emperor Wu of Han dreamed that he was climbing Mount Song together with him. Halfway up, a messenger riding a dragon and holding a tally came through the clouds and said, “Taiyi, the deity revered in Daoism, summons Li Shaojun.” Emperor Wu said, “Li Shaojun is about to leave me.” A few days later, Li Shaojun died. Much later, people opened his coffin to look inside and found only his clothes and headwear.

People discard priceless jade because of a flaw the size of an ant’s nose, and give up a luminous pearl a foot across because of a blemish about an inch wide. Zhu Gong was troubled by this, and Xue Zhuo let out a long sigh. To neglect the Way of becoming an immortal is to lose something great for the sake of something small, just like that.

The arts of the Dao can also change a person’s appearance, make them swallow swords and spit fire, vanish while seated and reappear while standing, raise clouds and summon mists, call snakes and insects, and gather fish and turtles. They can let a person dive into the depths without drowning, or walk on a blade’s edge without being hurt. Chen Zhonggong’s Record of Strange Events recounts: Zhang Guang, from the same commandery, was caught up in warfare. His four-year-old daughter could not walk, so he left her in a tomb with provisions for several months. Three years later, he returned to retrieve her and give her a proper burial, but found her still sitting in the tomb. When he asked how she had survived, she said, “After the food was gone, I saw something in the corner of the tomb stretch out its neck and draw in breath. I imitated it, and after that I no longer felt hungry.” Looking closely, he saw it was a large tortoise. Zhang Guang took his daughter home and had her eat and drink again. When she first began eating, her lower abdomen hurt; only after a long time did she grow accustomed to it.

Tang Shi observed spiders weaving their webs; Jintian set the seasons by the positions of the Nine Crows; and Tang Yao saw the jujube-pod plant and understood the phases of the moon. The arts of the Dao can enable people to rise into the empty sky and walk upon shadows, drink jade liquor, and eat emerald fungus, the green and verdant mushroom of spiritual power.

Pengzu said, “There are many high-ranking offices in Heaven. Newly made immortals hold low positions and have many duties to attend to.”

A farmer gets a red bow and uses it to drive away crows; a man from the southern city gets ragged clothes and uses them to carry firewood. People in the world obtain the elixir of immortality but do not know how to value it.

The Primal Lord was Laozi’s teacher.

People in the world know only how to compete and chase after things: hunting with falcons and hounds, attaching themselves to the powerful, and pursuing fame and profit.

Those of the highest rank who attain the Dao become heavenly officials; those of the middle rank dwell on Kunlun; those of the lowest rank can attain long life in the human world.

The stalks of vermilion herb resemble coral. When cut open, their juice flows out like blood. Put jade into the juice and knead it into pills; after a long time, they turn to water. Put gold into it and it is called “golden liquor”; put jade into it and it is called “jade nectar.” Taking it is said to bring long life.

Master Shi’s method of alchemy is this: take a young crow that has not yet grown its feathers, mix genuine cinnabar into beef, and feed it to the bird. When its feathers have grown red, kill it and dry it in the shade. Taking it is said to let one live for five hundred years.

A pale complexion and rosy skin may harm the eyes; the clear, high notes of the Shang mode alternating with the intense notes of the Zhi mode may also disturb the hearing. This is what it means for Virtue to accord with the truth.

The Longyuan sword stays sharp because it is sharpened often; an axe wears down quickly because it is used every day.

The “inch-long dragonfly” leaves traces of overflow in the water. After the water has dried, taking it is said to let one live for five hundred years.

A pale complexion and rosy skin may harm the eyes; the clear, high notes of the Shang mode alternating with the intense notes of the Zhi mode may also disturb the hearing. This is what it means for Virtue to accord with the truth.

The Longyuan sword stays sharp because it is sharpened often; an axe wears down quickly because it is used every day.

Seeing the traces left in water by an inch-long dragonfly, one might think there were no vast seas in the world. Watching the tiny creature Mangjie turn about inside a fruit pit, one might think there were no far-flung reaches in the eight directions. Using rotten meat to relieve hunger or poisoned wine to quench thirst may briefly satisfy hunger and thirst, but death follows.

People prize luminous pearls but disdain deep pools; they cherish the He family jade but despise Mount Jing, not realizing that deep pools are where pearls come from, and Mount Jing is where the He jade was found.

These days, scholars often wait in line for appointments and remain stuck in their posts, while no official positions ever happen to fall vacant. When the Jing breeze blows, fur garments and braziers are no longer needed; when the world is at peace, extraordinary talents withdraw and stay out of sight.

The flesh mushroom is a toad that has lived for ten thousand years, with eight characters written in cinnabar on its head. Catch it at noon on the fifth day of the fifth month, then draw a line on the ground with your foot, and water will flow out. Tie it to your left hand and you can ward off injury from weapons.

When walking in the mountains, if you see a child only seven or eight inches tall driving a carriage and horses, that is the flesh mushroom.

At noon on the fifth day of the fifth month, take this thing down and draw a line on the ground with your foot; the water will then flow. Carry it on your left side to ward off injury from weapons.

When walking in the mountains, if you see a childlike figure riding in a carriage, only seven or eight inches tall, it is a “Flesh Zhi” (a legendary lingzhi-like elixir). Take it and you will become an immortal.

A thousand-year-old bat is white as snow and hangs upside down when at rest because its head is heavy. A thousand-year-old swallow’s nest has its entrance facing north.

Yunying, Yunzhu, Yunye, Yunmu, and Yunsha should be taken with Jade Water (water made from or treated with jade).

Emperor Cheng of Han was hunting on Mount Zhongnan when he saw a naked person covered all over with black hair. He ordered his men to surround and capture the figure. It leapt over ravines and cliffs as swiftly as a flying bird. When they caught up, they found that it was a woman. She said she had been a palace maid in the Qin dynasty. After rebels rose in the eastern regions and the Qin king left the city to surrender, she had fled in terror into the mountains, where she nearly starved to death. An old man told her to eat pine nuts, and after that she was never hungry again. She had been a maid to Ziying, the Qin king, and by the time of Emperor Cheng of Han she had lived for more than two hundred years. They took her back and gave her grains to eat. The hair on her body gradually fell out; then she slowly grew old and died.

Those who seek long life may take “Mountain Essence.” Mountain Essence means trees.

Lingyang Zizhong took polygala root for twenty years, had thirty-seven children, and never forgot anything he had read.

The term “sage” refers to the Yellow Emperor and Laozi. Among sages of the human world are the Duke of Zhou and Confucius.

A skilled player of Go is called a “Go Sage.” Thus Yan Ziqing and Ma Suiming were both once renowned by that name.

Peng Zu said that he had served the Emperor Yao and lived through the Xia dynasty into the Yin dynasty. The king of Yin sent palace maids to learn from him the arts of the bedchamber (techniques concerning sexual union and health cultivation). Seeing that these arts were effective, the king wanted to kill Peng Zu and put an end to their transmission. Peng Zu realized what was planned and fled. Seventy years later, someone saw him near the Moving Sands.

For long life, the key is to keep the abdomen clear; to avoid death, the bowels must contain no feces.

As the common saying goes: a person’s days in this world pass one by one.

As the saying goes, each day a person lives in this world brings them one day closer to death. It is like leading an ox or a sheep to the slaughterhouse: every step takes it nearer to death.

Laojun, the honorific title for the Daoist deity Taishang Laojun, had the surname Li, the given name Pin, and the courtesy name Boyang. He was nine feet tall, yellow-skinned, with a mouth like a crow’s beak, a high nose bridge, and eyebrows five inches long. He lived in a golden tower and a jade hall.

Clove and the milky juice of coptis can treat various eye diseases.

A proverb says, “There are no plump and strong immortals, only rich Daoist priests.” Even those Daoist priests skilled in refining gold and silver are content to live in poverty. Another proverb says, “Copy a book three times, and the character for ‘fish’ will turn into the character for ‘Lu,’ while the character for ‘emperor’ will turn into the character for ‘tiger.’” Written texts are easily corrupted in copying, just like divine talismans; by today, their efficacy has diminished. White stone can look like fine jade, and wicked people may seem virtuous. A luan bird will not fall into a net, and a qilin will not be caught in a trap like a chessboard.

An inch of glue cannot clear the turbid waters of the Yellow River, and a foot of water cannot relieve the scorching heat of Mount Xiao. Boring a hole in a boat to stop a leak, or adding fuel to a fire to quell boiling water, can never succeed.

If a plain, unassuming person earns a living by farming and studies by lamplight at night, then even worthy men like Zixia and Ziyou may not be much better than he is.

When a great hall is already on fire, it is too late to fetch water from the sea. When floodwaters fill the sky, it is too late to cut down trees by a great river and build a boat.

Ministers are like the hands and feet of their ruler. Whether the ruler walks on ice or holds something hot, the ministers cannot refuse to serve.

A towering cliff on the verge of collapse cannot be held up by a few slender threads. The turbulent waters at Dragon Gate cannot be stopped by a handful of earth. Swords and halberds are no good at mending clothes, but they can wound oxen and horses; an awl cannot slaughter oxen and horses, but it is well suited to piercing. Each tool has its strengths and limitations, so it should not be discarded merely because it is unsuited to a particular task. An army may be as numerous as a forest, but that does not mean every soldier is brave.

Benevolence and virtue adorn the governance of affairs; punishments are the reins and whip that keep the world in order. If those who deserve death are not put to death, great robbers will arise as a result.

When a spark first appears, a single mouthful of saliva can extinguish it. Before a magpie’s egg has hatched, it can be crushed between finger and palm. But once the fire spreads and burns across the wilderness, and birds spread their wings and fly into the morning clouds, even wisdom and courage may not be enough to stop it. Let go of the reins and allow a galloping horse to race along a dangerous path; abandon the oars and rudder and drift in a small boat across rivers and seas—would that not be dangerous?

A golden boat cannot travel through the huge waves stirred up by Yang Hou, the legendary water deity who raised storms. Nor is a jade horse suited to galloping a thousand miles. Perhaps they are simply not up to the task. To cast aside the bridle and carriage gear and ride a swift horse along dangerous paths, or to abandon the oars that draw a boat and instead drift over rivers and seas in a light skiff—would that not be perilous?

Some trade their treasures for profit; others seek advancement by selling books to the powerful. Some are summoned to office because their fathers and brothers are eminent and their family illustrious; others are appointed because years of bowing low and bending the knee have made them skilled at ingratiation.

As the saying goes: “Those who recommend scholars know nothing of books; those who investigate candidates for filial piety send their own fathers to live elsewhere. Men of clean character from humble families are smeared as filthy as mud, while eminent generals of the highest rank are as timid as flies.” Another proverb says: “In ancient times, those who sought distinction diligently studied the classics; today, those who seek office do not even manage their own livelihood.”

I believe friendships should not be casual and indiscriminate, concerned only with appearances and lacking sincerity. The kind of conduct Yang Xiong criticized is this: when a bright mirror is held up, a crookedly worn hat is exposed; beneath the radiance of Xihe, the legendary sun deity, even a crooked shadow has nowhere to hide. Zhou Bo, a minister who helped stabilize the Han state, could not answer questions about the figures in the accounts for money and grain.

Those who know the worth of treasures can pick out a pearl from water that has been washed clean; those who appreciate refinement of spirit can find fragrant orchids growing among foul weeds. Without an eye keen enough to discern the tiniest detail, who could part the sand and retrieve buried jade, or clear the river and gather pearls from its bed?

People of exceptional talent are steady and resolute, standing firm like mountains; the narrow-minded scatter like tumbleweed and drift like duckweed. The upright standard is hated by the crooked, while integrity and fairness inspire fear in the treacherous.

When King Wen of Zhou received Lü Wang, also known as Jiang Taigong, the shadow beneath the mulberry tree had not yet shifted before he knew the man could be his teacher. When Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande, met Zhuge Liang, the sun’s shadow had not yet changed before he took him into his confidence and entrusted him with great responsibility. A person of imposing and handsome appearance is not necessarily wise, just as someone with a careless manner and bearing is not necessarily foolish.

Bo Jie recognized an instrument of exceptionally fine tone among ashes and cinders; Pingzi could distinguish the extraordinary tones of bamboo before it had even been made into an instrument. Their presence was as awe-inspiring as dragons and tigers, and their every movement conformed to the proper measure.

After drinking wine, a person may feel light and carefree, with hot ears, a fallen hat, and a loosened sash. Someone usually slow and heavy-footed may, when drunk, lose all composure, tumbling like tumbleweed or sprawling like a plant bent over the water. Someone usually solemn and upright may become as fierce as a deer or leap about like a fish. Even those who are usually quiet will wave their hands, clap, and make rhythmic sounds; even those who do not normally compete for advantage will take courage and speak loudly. Wine can make an extremely difficult task seem as small as an ant’s nest, and a great mountain like Lüliang seem no bigger than a hoofprint. The more people are forbidden to drink, the more deeply they become absorbed in it, and the harder they are to dissuade. If you can fear and guard against drinking as you would a disease, and detest drunkenness as you would a grave illness, you will avoid the fault of neglecting your duties through excess.

Among the people, some brew wine in underground pits, while others hide it on their persons. The penalties are light, while the benefits gained from drinking are great—how could such conduct ever be eradicated completely? Guanxia once drank three dou of wine and remained clear-headed and articulate. Yang Xiong, a scholar of the Western Han, drank continually, yet still wrote the Taixuan. People who admire wrongdoing are like nocturnal insects flying toward a bright lamp; those who imitate wrongdoing are like fine dust carried along by a strong wind.

If you have an axe but no handle, there is nothing you can do. To regard crooked, stooping, and swaying poses, or changing motions of bending and stretching, as alluring, while seeing an upright and dignified bearing as vulgar—is that not a reversal of right and wrong?

Scholars in impoverished alleys recite texts and cling to dull books, lowering their brows, bending their backs, and kneeling to curry favor as they run about serving the powerful and wealthy. Only once their wings have grown strong and they have escaped their lowly circumstances do they begin to hold their heads high and feel pleased with themselves. Such people are no more than those capable of smashing a stele.

Long ago, Xishi lay by the roadside with a pain in her heart. People found the fragrance of orchids and musk about her beautiful. But when a woman from the neighboring household imitated her, everyone despised her. The world’s imitation of Dai Shuluan and Ruan Sijong is the same: only when they happen to conform to the fashions the world admires are they elevated, like ordinary donkeys granted the reputation of dragon horses.

A fox-fur coat made from the white fur beneath a fox’s forelegs is unsuitable for wearing in the heat of summer; a dragon boat is unsuitable for riding on land.

An outstanding general, when firm, takes Heaven as his model: he is lofty and can be seen, yet must not be offended. When yielding, he is like a deep abyss: visible, yet impossible to enter. When he withdraws, he gathers himself like lightning; though he can be seen, he cannot be caught. When he holds his position, he is as steady as a mountain: visible to all, yet impossible to shake.

When sending troops in spring, the vanguard should use spears; in summer, halberds; in autumn, bows and crossbows; and in winter, swords and shields. This is a method of marching that follows the changes of the four seasons and accords with Heaven’s timing.

Jiang Taigong said, “Attack when the enemy is isolated and depleted. Even an army of ten thousand will struggle to survive; even a woman could hold off a hundred men.” The point is to seize the moment when the enemy is cut off from support and weak in numbers.

The different sounds made by wind in the trees can be used to judge how far away enemy troops are. If the wind rustles the leaves, they are more than ten li away; if it stirs the branches and makes them creak, they are a hundred li away; if it shakes the boughs, they are four hundred li away. If metal weapons ring on their own, or scorched objects make a sound, it means the army is exhausted. If the army’s spirit is as confused as a startled deer, this is a sign of defeat.

When rain or dew dampens clothing, this is called “moistening the troops”; when rain or dew fails to wet their clothing, it is called “the army weeping.” An army camped within the “Jade Tent of Taiyi”—that is, in a camp position protected by the deity Taiyi—must not be attacked. If crabs appear where troops are stationed, they should move camp at once.

I once heard Ji Sheng say, “Can Zuo Taichong and Zhang Maoxian be called men who understand the principles of things?” Jun Dao replied, “A man of understanding ranks just below a sage; there is no level higher than that apart from sagehood.” I then asked about the Ban family. They said, “Lü saw the clouds and knew where Gaozu of Han was. Would Heaven open Lü’s eyes alone while blinding everyone else?” Palace officials who lack feeling and loyalty cannot be called upright; nor can courtesans be called virtuous simply because they alone abstain from wine.

King Wen of Zhou ate soup made from his son and pretended not to know what it contained. This was not because the soup tasted delicious.

Dong Zhongshu had profound learning but was slow by nature. Mistaking a bee for a divine dragon shows not only a failure to understand the dragon, but also a failure to recognize the bee.

Wang Chong, whose courtesy name was Zhongren, patted Ban Gu on the back and said, “This child will surely become famous throughout the world.”

In the region of the Five Ranges, no trees shed their leaves in winter. In the areas around the South Sea and Jin’an, there is rice that can be harvested nine times in a single year.

The Jade Register of Lord Lao says: Pine resin buried underground becomes “narrow ling” after a thousand years; after another thousand years, narrow ling becomes amber; after another thousand years, amber becomes stone gall; and after a further thousand years, stone gall becomes weixi.

Heating a drumhead makes the drum sound, and tightening a string makes its tone plaintive. In truth, these practices only make the drum break sooner and the string snap earlier. Sharpening a blade and killing a horse can prove this at once.

A bee’s nest can be made into wax liquid, and the foam on the nest can be made into pumice.

The name “Falling Star Cauldron” means that a star fell at this place during the Wu kingdom’s time.

The Jizhong Books (texts unearthed from ancient tombs) say: After the Yellow Emperor ascended to immortality and departed, his minister Fu Che carved an image of him from wood and led the feudal lords in worshipping it.

Eating the fetus of a magpie enables a person to write even at night.

The River Earl was originally from Huayin. On the geng day of the Upper Cycle in the eighth month, he drowned while crossing the river. The Heavenly Emperor then appointed him River Earl, a river god.

Goose Ghost: When Emperor Haowu fell ill, he summoned a shaman to reveal the spirits. To test the shaman, the emperor killed a goose and buried it in the imperial garden. He then built a small hut, hung curtains inside, and placed a pair of women’s shoes in front of it. The shaman said, “I can see only a white goose; I see no woman.” The emperor valued him highly because of this.

Macaque Ghost: My friend Jiao Yongshu once kept a large macaque, chaining it inside a room with an iron chain. Later, a dog bit the macaque to death. About a hundred days afterward, someone saw a ghostly figure and said there was a wounded macaque on the ceiling panel beneath the roof, bleeding.

After attaining the Dao, my great-granduncle could divide himself and sit in different places. In one place, a Ge Gong was talking with people; elsewhere, another Ge Gong came to greet people and see them off.

I have read the writings of the brothers Lu Ji and Lu Yun, which amount to about a hundred scrolls, and perhaps even more. Compared with other writers’ work, theirs is like rivers, while the others’ are mere ditches. Ji Kang said, “Whenever I read the writings of Lu Ji and Lu Yun, I can’t help putting down the scroll and sighing. I worry that one day I will reach the end of their writings.” The ten chapters of Master Lu are indeed splendid works, full of unrestrained vigor. Where the language is abundant, even repeated revision can scarcely cut it down; where the reasoning is concise, even the finest writer could scarcely add to it. Looking at these two men, were they merely refined scholars and skilled writers?

The Baopuzi says: In the Qin dynasty, people did not consider being without a nose ugly; in Yangdi, however, people despised those who had no goiter. Lord Lu understood the way of writing deeply. His style was free and easy, yet he did not write empty or fantastic words—not because he was incapable of doing so. Lord Lu’s writing is like the precious jade of Xuanpu, the legendary realm of immortals: every piece is a treasure bright as a night pearl.

Several hundred years later, if there were outstanding talents like the two Lu brothers, they could still stand alongside them in comparison; this would not be considered a distant connection. The people who had heard Kong Anguo and Zheng Xuan teach in person and received their instruction face to face are all gone. Only the classics written on bamboo strips and silk can be called treasures of the world. Benevolence and righteousness bind people like reins, while ritual and music tie them down like cords.

My friend, Master Xuanbo, takes the teachings of Confucianism and Mohism as his fortress, and wit and spirit as his weapons. He is truly a figure in the mold of the ancients.

The ice had formed, yet he felt no cold; his provisions had run out, yet he felt no hunger. When otters are too numerous, the fish are disturbed; when hawks are too numerous, the crows scatter in confusion. A tail one zhang long must belong to a body more than one chi tall; teeth several ren long cannot fit in a mouth only a few cun wide. Heng often said, “Kong Rong and Xun Qiang are worth talking with; everyone else is no more than a wine bag and a rice sack.”

Ge Hong, courtesy name Zhichuan, was from Jurong County in Danyang Commandery. His ancestors were descended from the clan of Ge Tian. Ge Hong suffered several fires, and all the books in his collection were burned. He then carried a book box on his back as he walked from place to place, borrowing books to copy. He sold firewood to buy paper and read by lamplight. He copied his books again and again, filling every available surface with writing, until few people could read it. By nature, he was easygoing; the tassels on his cap and his clothes were often dirty and worn. Sometimes he wore a loose robe with a broad sash; sometimes his clothes were tight and his sleeves narrow. At times his garments trailed on the ground; at others, they were so short they did not cover his knees. People of the time called him “the Master Who Embraces Simplicity,” and he took this as the title of his book.

Ge Hong’s family was poor. He had no servants, and the fence around his home was unrepaired. He often pushed through thornbushes to leave the house and parted the weeds to enter it. By temperament, he did not wish to offend officials or trouble his relatives. When Lord Ji Jun Dao served as governor of Guangzhou, he submitted a recommendation for Ge Hong to become a military aide. Ge Hong did not care for the post, and so he was able to withdraw to the south. He never stood around watching other people play chess; whenever he saw people playing, he paid no attention at all.

When Hong was fifteen, he wrote many poems and prose pieces, believing that they would endure for generations. Around the age of twenty, he read them again and found them deeply unsatisfactory, so he destroyed them all at once.

End of Volume Four of the Yilin

Volume Five

Compiled by Ma Zong Yuanhui of Fufeng.

Master Zhou Sheng, in five scrolls.

The preface says: “‘The six veils, a base man’ was Zhou Shenglie of Dunhuang, whose courtesy name was Wenyi. After Zhang Jue’s forces were defeated, the realm fell into turmoil. Amid hardship, he wrote this book, taking the deeds of Yao and Shun as standards for how to conduct oneself and act, and the words of Confucius as instruction and warning.

When a charioteer loses control, the chariot overturns and is wrecked. When those who govern the realm lose control, the four seas fall into chaos. The tyrannies of Jie of Xia and Zhou of Shang became stepping stones for the rise of Tang of Shang and King Wu of Zhou; the downfall of the Qin dynasty and Xiang Yu became stepping stones for the rise of the Han dynasty. If the four kinds of wrongdoing had not occurred, the four kinds of right action could not have arisen.

The worthy and wise cannot be won over by their appearance, just as it would be absurd to spread a net to catch a phoenix or set a trap to lure a qilin. When Bole judged horses, he looked to their bone structure; even a frail horse could be recognized as a fine steed. When a sage judged people, he looked to their character; even someone rough in appearance could be recognized as a person of talent. Better than being skilled at hearing lawsuits is making lawsuits unnecessary; better than being adept at settling disputes is preventing society from falling into disorder.

The Son of Heaven is the one who orders the principles of the Dao of Heaven, holds the eight powers of state, sets the order of Heaven and Earth in motion, and governs all things. The Three Dukes, the highest officials who assist the Son of Heaven, are those who comfort the people and all things, and act in accordance with Heaven’s intent. The scholar-officials are those who uphold the symbols of impartial authority and conduct affairs of government. To begin cultivating goodness only when death is near is already too late; to turn toward the right path only when a crisis is upon you leaves little that can be put right. Those who have steps to stand on can readily lay a foundation; those with no support find it difficult to accomplish anything.

When a dove grows the wings of a hawk, or a lamb puts on a leopard’s hide, appearance and substance do not match: outwardly they seem one thing, inwardly they are another. Human beings are Heaven’s tongue, and the myriad things are the mouth of the spirits. Heaven and Earth are lofty and vast, so retribution often comes slowly. Words are the bow and crossbow in a ruler’s hands; instruction is the trigger mechanism of government.

Granting favors and rewards should be gentle as spring; imposing severe penalties should be stern as autumn. The practice of ritual should have the transformative force of fire, and the spread of instruction should flow on like water. Yielding one part may bring a hundredfold return; fighting over ten parts may instead mean losing nine.

Xun Yue’s Shen Jian, in five scrolls.

The preface says: ‘The Dao takes benevolence and righteousness as its foundation, and explains them through the Five Classics, the five Confucian classics…’”

The preface to the Shenjian says: “The Dao takes benevolence and righteousness as its foundation. The Five Classics illuminate it, while books from among the people supplement it. The lessons and warnings left by our predecessors are already clear; this book restates them, which is why it is called the Shenjian.”

When ruler and ministers are close yet observe proper courtesy, and the officials work together in harmony while each has a distinct role, good governance prevails. When rites and customs lack uniformity and the people argue among themselves, it is a sign that the state is declining. When ruler and ministers compete to make oaths, and high officials vie for renown, it is a sign that the state is at odds with itself. When the ruler has excessive desires, ministers each pursue their own plans, laws are unsettled, and orders issue from many channels, it is a sign of disorder in the state. When people exploit the common folk to show their own ability, or attach themselves to the ruler to prove their loyalty, it is a sign that the state has turned from the right path. When lesser officials compete for favor and senior ministers struggle for power, the state is in danger. When the ruler refuses to hear advice, ministers dare not remonstrate, women’s words are heeded, and the inner palace interferes in government, it is a sign that the state is doomed.

Those who are skilled at enforcing prohibitions first restrain themselves, then require others to do so. Those who are unskilled first restrain others, then themselves. Third, military preparedness must be put into effect. Fourth, frequent amnesties must be forbidden. (“Amnesty” means absolving people of criminal responsibility; frequent amnesties weaken the force of the laws.)

After the Qin dynasty destroyed learning, books rotted away inside walls, and knowledge and moral teachings were cut off both at court and among the people. Studying the teachings of the sages may not bring one to the sages’ level, but it allows one to do one’s utmost to preserve life. Studying the way of longevity may not truly make one live long, but it allows one to do one’s utmost to extend one’s years.

A gentleman has three mirrors: he learns from the experience of those who came before, observes the conduct of others, and then examines himself in a literal mirror. When those below are not silenced and those above do not shut their ears, differing views can be heard.

When we think of the ancient rulers Tang Yao and Yu Shun, and look up to Confucius from the middle antiquity, we realize how shameful it is to pursue shallow, lesser paths. When we think of Boyi, who lived in seclusion on Mount Shouyang, and recall the Four Elders of Shangshan, who withdrew to the mountains at the end of the Qin, we realize how disgraceful it is to be tainted by falsehood. When we think of Zhang Qian’s journey to the Western Regions, and remember Su Wu’s mission to the Xiongnu and his captivity in the north, we realize how contemptible it is to crave an easy life.

Zhongchang Changyan consists of ten volumes.

Education and moral guidance should be rooted in ritual and righteousness, which in turn should be grounded in the classics. The enduring Way can be put into practice for a hundred generations; expedient measures apply only to their own time. Before the time of Gaoxin, people had heard of certain figures but had no access to their writings. During the Tang, Yu, Xia, and Shang periods, written records already existed, but accounts of historical events were still incomplete. It was only by the Zhou dynasty that histories and classics had become relatively comprehensive.

Later foolish rulers, seeing that no one in the realm dared defy them, gave free rein to their private passions and indulged their depraved desires. Rulers and ministers wallowed in sexual excess, corrupting one another from top to bottom. They feasted their eyes on splendid sights and listened to every lascivious tune from the Zheng and Wei regions. Once inside the palace, they sank into the pleasures of women and could not bear to leave; outside it, they galloped after game and stayed away long after they should have returned. They trusted and favored those close to them and doted on their noble consorts. Even as Heaven’s Mandate and the fortunes of the state shifted, they remained entirely unaware.

Raising banners, beating war drums, lighting tall beacon fires, and setting up watch posts are the work of valiant generals defending the frontier, not the duties of good officials in the Central States. The carriage bells ringing, roads cleared before a journey, and officials behaving with deference and exchanging bows according to ritual are the ceremonial customs of the Huaxia states, not of the Yi and Di peoples.

Dong Xian and Emperor Ai of Han had no blood ties whatsoever, nor could Dong Xian inherit the imperial lineage or determine the succession. The two became inseparable solely because, as men, they shared intimate banquets and delighted in one another’s company.

When Emperor Jing was in a position of great power, some of the provincial inspectors were sons of eunuchs. It was like setting wolves to guard meat or ghosts to await an illness: a cause for alarm. The shifts of Heaven’s Mandate unfold in the unseen realm, yet lie beyond human control.

If another loves me, I love him; if another hates me, I hate him.

Scholars in the realm have three vulgar habits. The first is to value family name and pedigree when selecting talent. The second is to seek out only the wealthy and powerful in their social dealings. The third is to fear the powerful and dare not associate with them.

Scholars in the realm have three contemptible failings. The first is to pursue fame without examining the substance behind it. The second is to face wealth and power and not dare to distinguish right from wrong.

Favoring what flourishes and abandoning what declines are all three contemptible practices.

Among the scholars under Heaven, there are three kinds of deceit. The first is to know nothing yet pretend to understand, speaking at length and in detail. The second is to copy another person’s records and pass them off as one’s own insights. The third is to accept claims of unknown origin, then attribute them to someone who knows the facts.

To understand what is right but be unable to act accordingly is called an “illness.” Even a highly skilled doctor cannot cure this illness. Those who agree with me are not necessarily worthy of affection, and those who differ from me are not necessarily worthy of hatred. Let one’s wisdom be sufficient to establish undertakings that are difficult to accomplish, and one’s ability sufficient to plan achievements that are hard to complete. Show no favoritism toward those who are close, and abandon none who are distant.

Some women weep for their husbands in the morning, then marry elsewhere by evening. After passing through many households, they still show no shame. Today, the households of dukes and lords have hundreds of beautiful women, while the households of high ministers have dozens of concubines. By day, they wound these women’s bodies and minds with strong wine; by night, they deplete their blood and vital energy through sexual relations.

Each person has a distinctive temperament, along with faults that may arise from it. Those as steady as mountains and as still as deep waters may lack openness and understanding. Those who are stern and upright, quick to criticize others, may harm the worthy. Those who are broad-minded and unconstrained may lack restraint. Those who are gentle and respectful may lack resolve. Those who are proper, simple, and upright may be too rigid and narrow. Those who are eloquent and skilled in debate may talk too much. Those who are calm and composed may act too slowly and miss their moment. Those who cherish ancient ways and cling to old rules may fail to adapt. Those who are brave and decisive may take reckless actions that harm others.

Open the heart and cleanse the mind, making the inner self fragrant and pure, free from stain. The Dao of virtue and benevolence is part of human nature. Use it to weave a better self; refine it through trials until it is pure, then let cultivation bring it to radiance. In dark and hidden places, excel at what others cannot do; among gathered crowds, be able to speak of others’ strengths. When others wrong me, I treat them with even greater kindness; when others doubt me, I trust them all the more. In times of hardship, we must support one another with compassion; when benefits arise, we must yield to one another.

Serving a ruler without being understood by him shows that one’s loyalty is not yet sufficient. Associating with others without earning their trust shows that one’s sense of right and duty is not yet sufficient. If parents dislike learning and also resent their children learning, one may go against their wishes and continue to study. If parents dislike associating with scholars and also resent their children mixing with them, one may likewise disobey them and continue to associate with scholars.

Splendid words rain down in profusion, and exquisite phrases emerge like rising clouds. People who love one another also attack one another; this is in their nature. Finding satisfaction and delight in following one’s own inclinations is simply human nature.

Saliva gathers beneath the tongue and is then swallowed. This practice is called “fetal nourishment,” a Daoist method of cultivating health by swallowing saliva to nourish the body. Those who attain the Dao grow six wings on their arms and feathers on their bellies. Without the aid of a ladder, they can fly up to the distant blue heavens and transcend the limitless realm of the world of ordinary life.

In the cold north, people often live long; in the hot south, they tend to die young. It is like silkworms: when it is cold and food is scarce, they spin more silk; when it is warm and food is plentiful, they spin less.

After Tang came Xie; after Qin came Yi. Yi was the son of Gaoyao.

After Yao died, Shun avoided Yao’s son and settled south of the Nan River. After Shun died, Yu avoided Shun’s son and settled in Yangcheng. After Yu died, Yi avoided Yu’s son and settled north of Mount Jishan. These events are recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian.

Just as one must strive upward when climbing a high mountain, and strive to travel far when crossing a great river, so too will a person accomplish nothing if they are unwilling to exert themselves in their heart.

Yingchang said, “People naturally have a heart.” The reply was, “Indeed. Devoting yourself to your parents and family is filial piety; extending benevolence to others is humaneness. Humaneness is a virtue put into practice, not an empty name for doing nothing. What is called goodness is the foundation of the Dao and the guiding principle of conduct.”

The preface says, “Corrupt and wicked people ruin government, while favoritism and aversion damage social customs. If a state suffers from these two ills, it cannot avoid falling into danger.”

During the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, palace eunuchs controlled the government. At the top, they wielded power and issued orders; at the bottom, commoners voiced their opinions freely. Those seeking official salaries used money to curry favor with the powerful, while those seeking fame did not hesitate to attach themselves to those in power. Powerful people privately dispensed official posts, while reputations were judged casually in the streets and lanes. As a result, every household had its own view, and people each clung to their own claims. Debate had no settled standards, and affairs had no commonly accepted measure of worth. Favoritism and resentment grew, and factions took shape.

Yiwu (Guan Zhong) was extravagant, while Bao Shuya was upright and frugal, showing that their aims differed. Zhang Lian was honest and Chen Zun corrupt, showing that their conduct was not the same.

There are three things that rulers and common people each seek from the other: rulers want the people to say that they work hard, are willing to sacrifice themselves for the people, and enable the people to live in peace.

Laws and decrees are the ruler’s means of governing the state; officials hold the people’s fate in their hands. Laws and decrees should be clear and simple, and officials should be fair and impartial.

The Book of Songs censures rulers who are infatuated with their favored wives, while the Book of Documents records with solemnity the story of a woman rising early to labor.

Feng Fang, an officer of the Capital Commandery, had a daughter of exceptional beauty. To escape the turmoil of war, she went to Yangzhou. Yuan Wei saw her from a tower, fell in love with her, and married her, treating her with great affection. Yuan Wei’s other wives and concubines told her, “The general values the bearing of noble women. You should often shed tears and look sorrowful. That way, he will value you even more.”

From then on, whenever Feng saw Shu, she would weep without stopping. Shu took this to mean that she had feelings for him and doted on her all the more. His other wives and concubines then conspired to strangle Feng and hang her in the latrine, claiming that she had taken her own life out of grief and resentment. Shu believed that she had died because she was unhappy with her lot, and gave her an elaborate funeral.

Liu, the wife of Yuan Shao, was extremely jealous. After Yuan Shao died but before he was buried, Liu killed five of his concubines. She feared that even after death Yuan Shao might remain aware and continue to favor them, so she shaved their heads, blackened their faces, and disfigured them.

Wang Mei, Commandant of Shangluo, was ennobled for his achievements. His wife wept inside their home, afraid that once Wang Mei had wealth and status, he would take other wives and concubines.

Liu Biao, Governor of Jingzhou, occupied a vast territory in the south, and his sons and other family members lived in extravagant luxury. His household had three kinds of wine vessels, known as the “Three Cups”: the largest, called “Boyun,” held seven sheng; the middle-sized, “Zhongya,” held six; and the smallest, “Jiya,” held five. He also fitted a large iron hook to the end of his staff. When someone got drunk, he would jab him with the hook to test whether he was sober.

A person’s physical constitution and temperament are much like those of ordinary people: excessive toil leads to an early death, while a life of ease and freedom from worry leads to a late one.

I love playing the zither, and have more or less mastered the art. In my youth, I also composed fu poetry. When I was in the capital, there were people like Shu Fang and Zhang Gongzi. I used to regret that I could not meet them in person to discuss our craft.

The preface to “The Crown Prince’s Piece” says: “I have received profound favor and am humbled to occupy the position of Crown Prince. Troubled and uneasy, I submitted a memorial expressing my feelings. If I wished to write at length, with elaborate language and detailed exposition, it would be improper to speak that way between father and son; if I spoke only briefly and plainly, I could not fully convey the joy and apprehension in my heart. As the saying goes, ‘You need not praise yourself; just look at the letters you write to your family.’ This saying describes precisely this difficulty.”

The Weizi consists of ten volumes.

When the source of water is clear and still, its flow is clear; when the roots are straight, the branches and leaves grow luxuriantly. When one’s inner cultivation is sound, one can handle external affairs well; when a person’s bearing is upright, their shadow is straight as well. Heaven brings forth noble people to govern the common people, and brings forth common people to sustain the noble. Without noble people, there would be no one to guide the common people; without common people, there would be no one to sustain the noble. Remember a person’s strengths, and you will not discard them; put a material to some use, and it will not go to waste.

People often think Mount Hua is low and small, so they climb it and end up falling and injuring themselves. They think the sky is lofty and beyond reach, so they do not try to climb it—and thus avoid disaster.

Because the ding cauldron is seldom used, people value it. Pots and pans, used frequently for cooking, are treated with less regard.

Long ago, a disciple fell ill, and his teacher visited him repeatedly. Each time the teacher arrived, the disciple hurried to rise, until he died from exhaustion. The teacher was not lacking in kindness, and the disciple was not ignorant of proper conduct. It was simply that the visits and the effort of rising happened too often, and harmed the disciple’s health.

Thin ice turns white as it nears melting. A clump of hair caught in a fierce fire cannot escape, even if it tries. A dream-insect can live in open space but dies among mustard greens. This is not because the insect is kind or the greens harmful; it is because the insect has lost what it depends on to live.

As the saying goes: “If you think you are right and others think you are wrong, there is no need to join those who are wrong in arguing. If others think they are right and you think they are wrong, there is no need to join those who are right in arguing.”

A noble person is the same inside and out, and does not conceal what is in the heart. Their conduct follows the same standards whether in public or in private.

Diligent self-cultivation is a stairway to wealth and honor.

Confucius did not rely on a written bond—a document recording debt or trust—to win the confidence of the world, yet his virtue became widely known. The good and evil of past and present are plain to see: when a mirror reveals a person’s beauty or ugliness, they do not resent it; when laws distinguish good from evil, people should not resent them either.

The Records of Character and Ability (Renwu Zhi) comprises three volumes and was written by Liu Shao.

Among plants, the finest are called “heroes”; among beasts, the most outstanding are called “champions.” Zhang Liang was a hero; Han Xin was a champion.

The Renzi comprises ten volumes. Its author was named Yi.

Learning is for cultivating oneself; teaching is for instructing others. In joy, one may sing and dance; in anger, one may fight with all one’s strength. The intelligence of one person cannot match the understanding of many; one person’s powers of observation cannot match what many pairs of eyes can see together.

One who is born and raised in a peaceful age, and understands why the realm is at peace, is a junzi (exemplary person). One who is born and raised in a troubled age, and understands why the realm is in turmoil, is also a junzi. Those who understand neither the causes of peace nor the causes of disorder are merely ordinary people.

De (Virtue) can soothe the people, like the gentle sunlight of spring covering the earth. The sky is round, yet does not perfectly conform to a circle drawn with a compass; the earth is square, yet does not perfectly conform to a square drawn with a carpenter’s square. Mountains must have rises and dips, and rivers must wind and turn. The Yangtze and Han Rivers, constrained by their channels as they converge, must also bend and twist.

A straight, upright tree offers no shade, and an upright person often has no companions. Thus, the worthy and the upright are often rejected by the world. Only by climbing Mount Tai can one see how vast the realm is. From a high place, one overlooks the small details and sees far. Only by holding high office can one know the ruler’s dignity; but if this leads one to neglect those of low rank, one is merely self-satisfied and self-righteous.

Only by carefully cultivating oneself can one govern others; only by carefully governing others can one govern the realm. A sage who appears once in several generations carries on the work of those who came before; a worthy person who appears a thousand li away is like one standing at your side.

Water can dry up, but cannot thereby lose its nature of being moist; fire can go out, but cannot thereby lose its nature of being hot. Metal can be forged into a pliable shape, but cannot thereby lose its weight; stone can be shattered, but cannot thereby lose its hardness.

As the saying goes: “The rich need not learn extravagance; they become extravagant of themselves. The poor need not learn frugality; they become frugal of themselves.” Everyone has these tendencies, but only sages can restrain them. The Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) each has its own character: Wood Qi makes people brave, Metal Qi makes them resolute, Fire Qi makes them fierce and impatient, Earth Qi makes them perceptive and generous, and Water Qi makes them hasty and harsh.

The divine dragon does not dwell in waters filled with fishing nets, and the phoenix does not fly where snares have been set to catch birds. The worthy do not enter dangerous states, and the wise do not serve rulers who have fallen into disorder.

Xiao He upheld the laws and institutions, while Cao Can devoted himself to governing without burdening the people. The two served as chancellors in succession, and the realm was thereby brought to peace. Emperor Wu of Han treated human life lightly, prized military achievement, embellished his palaces, and levied heavy taxes. Though his territory continued to expand, the benefits he bestowed on the people grew ever fewer.

Huan Tan said: “A ruler who establishes royal authority is easy to assist; one who establishes hegemony is difficult to assist.”

Water naturally overcomes fire. Yet when water is divided among the pots for cooking, the fire grows stronger and the water weaker. A person’s nature is naturally stronger than the will, but when it is pulled in different directions by profit and desire, the will grows powerful while nature becomes weaker.

To assess a person’s character and conduct, there is no better way than to hear what people in their community say about them. To compare a person’s abilities and select the worthy, there is no better way than to examine their responses to questions of policy.

The Du family traced its origins to Emperor Yao. In the Zhou dynasty there was the Tang Du clan; in the Han dynasty, Du Zhou, Du Qin, and Du Du. Du Ji, courtesy name Bohou, has a biography in the Book of Wei. Du Ji’s eldest son was Du Li, courtesy name Wuzhong. As a young man, he was quick-witted and perceptive, so he was given the name “Li.” His younger son was Du Shu, courtesy name Wubo.

Du Shu once said, “Your Majesty believes that there are no capable men in the world today and that the court lacks worthy ministers to assist it. Can we simply look back with admiration to ancient worthies such as Ji and Xie, who assisted the rulers of their time, and wait for outstanding talents to appear in later generations, expecting that this will be enough to govern the state well?”

While serving in Hedong, Du Shu would often avoid sitting or lying down in places where his father lived. Du Shu’s son was Du Yu, courtesy name Yuankai, whose biography appears in the Book of Jin.

The Treatise on Substance comprises four volumes and was written by Du Shu.

Be as steady and unmoving as a mountain, and difficult for others to fathom, like a dark, overcast sky. A person of deep virtue need not be flawless in every minor detail; someone who has achieved great things need not be condemned for small faults. However precious the Marquis of Sui’s pearl—a legendary treasure from antiquity—may be, no one can say it has no flaws.

A minister is like the earth: it bears all things without refusing a heavy burden, does not reject muddy water for being low-lying, and does not claim credit for the plants that grow upon it. A person’s conduct is the basis on which honor and disgrace, right and wrong, are judged.

A gentleman always chooses a good place to live and virtuous people for his companions. When a sage governs a state, he settles it on firm ground and builds its affairs on a foundation of complete security. He sustains virtue through continual progress, carries out policies with inexhaustible resources, leads the people along a path free of contention, and frames laws according to practical principles. The people are like water, and the ruler is like a boat: water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn one.

By nature I am idle and ask only to have enough to eat and get through life. There were some books and biographies in my family, and I read a number of them. After my father died, I observed mourning according to ritual, but in many respects I failed to follow the proper rites, so I earned no reputation for filial devotion. Later I served in succession as a Gentleman of the Palace and a Gentleman of the Yellow Gate. Colleagues at court asked about my aspirations. I replied, “When I see the ministers debating affairs of state, some take one side and attack the associates of the other, while others take the opposite side and slander the associates of the first. Caught between the two, I only hope to escape both condemnation and praise.”

The Fuzi comprises 120 volumes.

When trees grow tall, their branches and leaves spread outward; when they remain short, they spread in every direction. The earth is the mother of humankind, and therefore…

Tall trees grow upright and grand, while small trees spread their branches and leaves. The earth is humanity’s mother, so people always feel attached to their native soil. A neighbor’s house can be bought, however high the price; houses are for sale, but a good neighbor may be impossible to find.

Wearing Emperor Yao’s hat while doing the deeds of Jie still makes one Jie. Wearing Jie’s clothes while doing the deeds of Yao still makes one Yao. To live among shops and market stalls, dress like a gentleman, and act wisely among petty people is like wearing pearls and jade while traveling at night: one’s brilliance stands out. Spiders spin webs and bees build hives with great skill—how much more capable, then, are human beings? A thousand taels of gold are worth less than one worthy person.

A person without a sense of shame is like clothing that has not been cut and sewn, or food without sourness or saltiness. Guo Linzong, a notable figure of the Eastern Han, once asked Chou Zhiji, “Have you ever done anything wrong?” Zhiji replied, “One evening I went to feed the ox. It would not eat, so I struck it once.” As the saying goes, “A scholar is not a jade disk.” Those who discuss a scholar are really judging his worth; their words, like the human heart, carry either affection or aversion.

Excessive cleverness stirs and depletes the blood and Qi, just as a lamp flame consumes its oil. A large, bright fire in the stove uses up the oil quickly; a small, dim fire uses it slowly and can therefore last longer.

People with booming voices but flirtatious eyes are often deceitful. Those who breathe hurriedly and speak in a heavy voice are often sincere and steady.

When Meng Tian built the Great Wall, the people could not bear the hardship, and white bones piled up like mountains. Someone then sang: “If a boy is born, do not raise him; if a girl is born, she can at least be spread out as a bed. Have you not seen the bones beneath the Great Wall, joined together and propping it up like pillars?”

What is called refining gold is the method by which adepts mix materials such as bits of straw and heat them in a furnace. Once the straw has burned away, the gold falls out.

The Taixuan Jing consists of fourteen volumes. Yang Quan, a native of the Liang kingdom, had the courtesy name Deyuan.

Anger is fierce as the depths of winter; joy is gentle and warm as spring.

Descended from the luan, crane, and phoenix, they are noble in nature and stand apart from the crowd. They conceal their radiance and venture among the trees, eating nothing impure.

Their hearts are clear and their outward manner unadorned; their clothes are worn, yet they keep a precious jade hidden close to the heart.

Along a ten-li road lie nine hollows, and oxen and horses rise and fall as they travel.

The breath of Heaven…

At times anger is as piercing as the bitterest winter; at times joy is as gentle as the warmth of spring.

Descended from the luan, crane, and phoenix, they cultivate their innate nature and aspire to lofty pursuits. They conceal their brilliance and search through the woods, eating nothing impure.

Their hearts are clear, though their outward appearance seems muddied; their clothes are worn, yet they conceal jade in their arms.

Along a ten-mile road, nine stretches are rough. Oxen and horses travel over rises and dips.

The celestial bodies move to the left, while the stars move to the right. Yin-Yang (Yin and Yang) cycles and turns, its waxing and waning answering one another.

Those who swagger and impose their will will eventually perish; those who stubbornly resist will eventually break. Excessive strength leads to a fall, while grasping for too much brings loss. When Qi (vital energy) surges, it forms wind; when it wells up, it forms rain. Murky vapor condenses into snow, and cool dew freezes into frost.

The muddied do not believe that clear water has a pure source in its depths; instead, they willingly immerse themselves in filth. At times they act with the sudden force of a tiger; at times they are as still as a fish beneath the water. Their presence may be dazzling and prominent, or vast and boundless. One who is about to take flight first folds in the wings; one about to rise first bends the legs; one about to strike and bite first draws in the claws; one about to speak first keeps silent; one about to display literary brilliance first appears plain.

To understand someone, look at the friends they keep. If bright weeds overrun the fields, good grain has nowhere to take root; if sycophants hold sway at court, the loyal and upright have nowhere to remain.

Avoid lodging at the doors of households where few people live, and do not take dust from food when mealtime draws near. This is to avoid suspicion.

Water can flow by nature, but without channels to guide it, it cannot run freely. Human nature may be intelligent, but without instruction it cannot reach understanding. Learning is like cultivation: without it, things fall into ruin.

What is concealed is the hinge at which Heaven and Earth meet, and the key to success or failure. If the alternation of Yin and Yang is not precisely coordinated, summer heat cannot bring about the changes of the year. If a house is not built tightly, even nine stories cannot shelter the body.

A traditional account passed down since ancient times says that the area five thousand li across, southeast of Kunlun, is called Shenzhou. It is where emperors dwell and sages are born.

When Cangjie created writing, forms that had taken shape were called “wen,” while sounds brought to completion were called “zi.” The term “zi” carries the meanings of adornment and growth.

Things with physical form are called “patterns” (wen); things that have sounds and can express language are called “characters” (zi). “Characters” evokes flowers and milk arising together and nourishing one another. Writings on bamboo slips or silk are called “books” (shu).

The Zhonglun, in six volumes, was written by Xu Weichang (Xu Gan) and annotated by Ren.

Standing still and imagining a distant place is no match for setting out promptly if one truly hopes to arrive. Looking up and yearning to fly is no match for readying one’s wings if one hopes to take flight. Living in solitude and hoping wisdom will grow is no match for continual study if one hopes to gain understanding. The noble person does not worry that the years are drawing to a close, but only that their aims and resolve may flag.

For people, the Dao is simple by nature. If they never speak of it, no one will know it, even when they die. Biao (Ban Biao) was very different from Sima Qian. ○ A person’s passage through the world is like a game of chess: if one does not do one’s utmost to follow the rules of the game, who has never found themself in a desperate position? Some are simply unlucky.

The Tangzi, in ten volumes, was written by someone named Pang, whose courtesy name was Huijian, born in the second year of the Taiyuan era of Hao.

A boat moves quickly when it follows the river’s current; a person walking along a road is less likely to lose the way. A great tree grows a hundred feet tall because its roots keep spreading and strengthening. The vast sea reaches immeasurable depths because countless streams flow into it. Deep, expansive wisdom, too, comes from long years of learning and accumulation.

A gentleman forms his character by following the Way and what is right, just as a carriage needs a canopy and one wears a cap when going out. Without a cap, he would not dare leave home; without a carriage, travel on foot would be difficult. If a man has a father but cannot fulfill his filial duties, or an elder brother but cannot treat him with respect and affection, yet speaks of the duties between father and son or the proper conduct between brothers, it is like drawing a bow and shooting himself. If filial devotion is present in a person’s nature, it can encompass many principles, just as a tree’s roots take hold and give rise to a hundred branches.

Someone asked who was greater, Duke Huan of Qi or Duke Wen of Jin. Master Tang replied: “In their achievements, Duke Huan of Qi was superior, while Duke Wen of Jin fell somewhat short. In their De (Virtue), Duke Wen of Jin was superior, while Duke Huan of Qi fell somewhat short.”

The great Jin dynasty followed the course of the times and pacified the realm in a single campaign, like thunder striking down withered trees or a thousand-weight mass crushing an egg. Almost no one was left to resist.

People can often see things a hundred paces away but cannot make out their own eyebrows and cheeks. Those who can clearly see their own features may not be able to see a hundred paces away. A gentleman remains true to himself and acts with integrity. Even when fortune is against him and the world rejects him, even when he suffers ridicule, humiliation, slander, and disparagement, these are no more than injuries to a few hairs on his body. Hawks and falcons spread their wings and soar; phoenixes roam far away. Petty people gather in crowds, while gentlemen withdraw and conceal themselves. As the saying goes, however much powder and rouge one applies, it can only hide an ugly face; however brightly oil shines, it cannot nourish withered grass.

The ancients could not see themselves, so they used mirrors to examine their appearance. Since it is hard to keep one’s own heart in check, they used ritual and law to guard their words and actions. A gentleman does not alter his principles when his surroundings are dark, nor change his bearing when night conceals him.

Those who enjoy a reputation beyond the common world often suffer troubles that do not accord with the times. Those with outstanding integrity are bound to attract slander and ridicule. A dry bone can look like a human figure, and a fish’s eye can look like a pearl; viewed or heard from afar, such things are easily mistaken for one another.

Misfortune and good fortune transform into each other; benefit and harm also arise from one another, like a round ball turning as it rolls. The signs of events are hard to see, and the beginnings of change are difficult to detect.

An excellent general is steady as a mountain and deep as an abyss. Others cannot tell whether he is troubled or pleased. A general must not be without drums and banners, for they are the army’s eyes and ears, carrying commands and showing the way. The wise do not settle comfortably into honors that arrive unexpectedly. A person who clings to wealth and refuses to give is called a slave to money. Those who join a fight to back someone else are easily injured; those who rush heedlessly into affairs easily invite trouble.

One cannot appear white in the snow or shine in the sunlight.

Yan Yan first raised a question: “Some things have a strong flavor but do not make a person drunk, while others taste like millet wine and do cause drunkenness. Why is that?” Qin Zi replied: “It is petty people who get drunk, not gentlemen.”

I would like to be like brocade: substantial within and radiant on the outside. I do not want a splendidly embroidered exterior with coarse hemp beneath it. It is like those who argue a point: they would rather use plain words than leave their reasoning empty.

Heaven is the hardest thing to understand; people, though closest to us, are also the hardest to understand.

An axe is needed to obtain the wooden handle used to make an axe; only once the handle has been made can it serve its purpose. Sow one grain of millet, and it can produce ten thousand more. Plant a seed of benevolence, and one can cultivate many fine qualities.

A needle is small, yet it sinks when placed in water; a feather is large, yet it floats. This is due to their respective natures.

Yi Yin, Lü Wang, Fu Yue, Jizi, Boyi, Shuqi, Liuxia Hui, Yan Yuan, Zhuang Zhou, and Ruan Ji, if placed in one another’s circumstances, could each have accomplished things they otherwise could not.

Ruan Ji was filial to his parents and loyal to his ruler. He understood the world clearly yet remembered to protect himself; he was wise but did not rush to intervene in affairs of state. Though he seemed dull on the surface, he did not disrupt the work of governance. Since Zhuang Zhou, perhaps only Master Ruan has been an outstanding sage able to emerge in response to his times. Judging from this book, Ruan Ji lived in the Jin dynasty.

You wish to bring peace to the world, yet appoint petty men to office. That is like trying to catch a deer with a hare net: in the end, it cannot be done.

Burning your clothes in a fit of anger is a great loss. So is becoming so angry before the rice is cooked that you overturn the pot and throw it away.

As the saying goes, “When those above are not upright, those below will be crooked.” The ancients governed the people without deceiving them. To take wealth from the rich and powerful to support the poor and weak is no different from letting the oxen go hungry while feeding the watchdogs, or leaving Ganjiang, the famous ancient sword, unused while sharpening a blunt blade of lead.

The Analects is the most important teaching of the sages and a key classic through which rulers instruct the world. The “Xiangdang” chapter records court protocol and the ceremonies for diplomatic visits and sacrifices among the feudal lords; the “Yao yue” chapter records the transfer of rule and the succession of dynasties. Literary elegance is to a text as blossoms are to plants.

The Gentleman-in-Attendance argued with Gao Tanglong and Qin Lang about the south-pointing chariot, an ancient vehicle that indicated direction automatically. Gao Tanglong and Qin Lang maintained that no such vehicle had existed in antiquity and that the relevant accounts were simply false. The Gentleman said it was better to build one and test it than to argue over claims without evidence. He reported the matter to Emperor Ming, who ordered it built by imperial decree. The south-pointing chariot was successfully made.

The Gentleman lived in the capital and wanted to turn a plot of land into a garden, but had no water for irrigation. He therefore built a waterwheel, a device powered by human effort that lifts water from low ground to higher ground, and had children turn it. Its irrigation efficiency increased a hundredfold.

Heaven and Earth set the seasons in order: spring comes before autumn. A ruler governing the world should likewise first guide people through ritual and instruction, and only then impose punishments. If a baby is ill, refusing to treat it with acupuncture or moxibustion out of pity, and using other medicines instead, may ultimately cost the child’s life. Today, corporal punishment—penalties that injure the body, such as cutting off limbs—is abolished, yet other punishments are increased. How is that different from changing to another medicine? Even if a criminal’s foot is cut off as corporal punishment, he can still father children. After Zhang Cang abolished corporal punishment, tens of thousands of people were executed each year. After Zhong County restored it, two thousand people each year were able to live.

The term “corporal punishment” is like placing birds and beasts on a chopping block to be made into meat.

Suppose someone’s young son were to be sentenced to death. If asked, his loving father would surely beg for corporal punishment in place of execution. So long as his son’s life could be saved, he would accept any punishment. Could a ruler who follows the Dao not treat the people this way?

When a venomous snake bites a hand, a grown man will cut off his wrist, knowing that though the wrist is lost, his life can be saved. Cao Yi said, “To tame a spirited colt, lead it with a fine cord; to control a violent horse, rein it in with a rotten rope.” In the same way, restraining the people with light punishments can work as effectively as the death penalty.

Some know only that Guan Zhong relied on the eyes and ears of the people under Heaven, but do not know that Yao first won the people’s hearts, and only then relied on their eyes and ears.

Long ago, in the region of Yan and Zhao, there was a case involving three men who had married one woman together. She gave birth to four children. Later, the three men disputed their claims, and Yan Shou, the official in charge of criminal cases, reported: “When animals give birth, their young follow their mother. The children should therefore be returned to their mother, and the three men should be executed in the marketplace.”

Block a single ant hole, and the water pressing against a riverbank will subside; fit a pin into an axle, and a carriage can be kept from overturning. Laws, too, should address the crucial point.

The Book of Rites says that when a stepfather dies, his stepson should wear zicui, a form of mourning dress whose color and period of mourning depend on the relationship to the deceased.

Fuzi said, “When a mother leaves her husband and marries another man, her ties to her brothers and father are as though the bonds of kinship had been severed.” Someone else said that the chapter “Regulations on Mourning Garments” was probably not written by the Duke of Zhou or Confucius, but fabricated by vulgar Confucian scholars after the Qin dynasty burned the books.

Those who recklessly press forward are like people striking a stone with an egg; those who try to escape punishment are like people rushing toward an abyss. The din and confusion are like all the flowers blooming together in spring; the fragrance is rich, like autumn orchids flourishing side by side.

A gourd hanging from a tree is not fruit that grew on the tree; a fur coat draped over someone’s back is not hair that grew on the back. These things resemble one another only in appearance; in substance, they are different.

Some speak of “supporting one’s parents,” yet let them go hungry. How can they defend themselves by saying that the parents are well fed more often than they are left hungry, and claim that this does not count as unfilial? A horse’s strength and bulk are not harmed if it is fed well for nine days and goes hungry for one. In principle, there may be nothing wrong with that practice; but it cannot be compared to letting one’s mother go hungry for a day.

At the end of the Han dynasty, a man named Guan Qiuyang fled the turmoil with his younger brother and another companion. On the road, snow fell and their food ran out. He said to his brother, “If we don’t eat now, all three of us will die.” So he and his brother killed their companion and took his food to reach shelter. Later, an amnesty was granted, and he was not punished. Can such a man be called virtuous?

Kong Wenju said, “Guan Qiuyang, a man of ancient times, valued the body he had inherited from his ancestors. He saw nothing abhorrent in eating a companion.” Attendant Xun, whose title was a court office, objected: “Was Qiuyang not guilty of coveting life and taking life?” Wenju replied, “The companions he ate were not friends with whom he shared a bond. If Guan Zhong had eaten Bao Shuya, or Gong Yu had eaten Wang Yang, that would have been unacceptable. Those companions killed earlier were merely creatures like birds and beasts, though able to speak.” What is strange about a dog biting a civet, or a civet biting a parrot? In the past, Chong’er was so attached to the women of Qi that he even wanted to eat Hu Yan; Shu’ao, angered over the affair with the Chu army, also wanted to eat Wu Can. If the worthy and wise can become so angry that they want to eat people, how much more so those who have fallen into desperate circumstances?

Seeing only one hair on a tiger, one cannot know the pattern of its markings. Daoists mock Confucians for being rigid, while Confucians deride Daoists for being unrestrained; neither side has grasped the root of the matter. Trying to stop an echo with a sound, or chasing a shadow with one’s body, only makes contention and disorder spread without end, with no knowing where to stop.

Fuzi said, “Had Meng Ke and Xun Qing lived among Confucius’s disciples, they would certainly not have been merely students like Ziyou and Zixia; they would have been disciples like Ran You and Min Ziqian.”

Pile firewood as high as a mountain and light it beneath the heap. Before the flames catch, a cup of water can put them out. But once the fire is raging and a strong wind rises, even pouring out all the rivers, lakes, and seas cannot save it.

King Zhao of Qin was like someone lighting a fire beneath a pile of wood. By the time of the First Emperor of Qin, the fire had caught and was growing stronger; by the time of the Second Emperor, it was as though a fierce wind had risen, making the flames more violent still. The people of Qin regarded the common people as sheep grazing in the wilds, and watched them like tigers. What restraint would they have felt?

Fan Li, whose courtesy name was Shaobo, was a native of Sanhu in Chu. After helping Yue rise to power and destroy Wu, he traveled across the Five Lakes in a small boat. The King of Yue had someone paint his portrait and paid homage to it morning and evening. The Biographies of Immortals says that Fan Li was from Xu.

The ancestors of the Fu family came from the Tao Tang clan, and Fu Shuo was their descendant. Xuan’s courtesy name was Xiuyi, and Zizai’s courtesy name was Changyu; their biographies appear in the Book of Jin.

During the struggle between Chu and Han, someone with a taste for antiquarian scholarship compiled the Generations and Lineages, tracing events from the Yellow Emperor down to the end of the Han dynasty. It is said that Ban Gu completed the Book of Han, carrying on the work of his father. The highest form of filial care is to understand and fulfill one’s parents’ wishes; caring for their physical needs comes next. Fulfilling their wishes means doing one’s utmost to keep them content; caring for their bodies means never ceasing to treat them with respect. Those who seize other people’s land for profit inspire fear throughout the realm; those who extend their sincerity to all things win the allegiance of the people. Treat others with integrity, and they will trust you; act without integrity, and even your wife and children will doubt you. If even your own family does not trust you, it will be difficult to serve your ruler.

A gentleman cultivates himself and holds office not to seek fame or profit, but to practice benevolence and righteousness. People know to wash their vessels, yet do not know to cleanse their own hearts. A gentleman first examines the foundations of a teaching, then begins to study it; first understands its principles, then puts them into practice. Some also say that Xuan Heng became a chancellor because he was skilled at writing poetry, and that Zhang Yu became the emperor’s tutor because he was skilled at argument. Is this not a glory for Confucian learning?

Master Fu said: “Study is meant to grasp principles and accomplish worthy undertakings, not to gain distinction through official rank. When I read Ban Gu’s Book of Han, I find that in discussing the institutions of the state, it embellishes the ruler’s faults and diminishes the achievements of loyal ministers. In describing the instruction of people in troubled times, it praises bending oneself to win favor and scorns uprightness and steadfastness. In recounting the affairs of its own age, it prizes ornate language while neglecting the facts. This cannot be called an excellent history. Mozi’s doctrine of universal love abandons family affection; his advocacy of ‘knowing mourning’—the view that funeral rites should not be excessively elaborate—means forgetting grief.

“Emperor Taizong of Han abolished bodily punishments, such as mutilation. This was merely the compassion of an ordinary person, not the benevolence required of one who governs the realm: he could bear to maim people, yet still bear to kill them. That is why it was only ordinary compassion.

“Yi Yin once farmed at Youxin. Who could have known that he was not simply a farmer of the Xia dynasty? Lü Shang once fished by the Wei River. Who could have known that he was not a fisherman of the Yin dynasty? Only after they met Tang of Shang, King Wu of Zhou, or King Wen of Zhou did people realize that they were no ordinary men. Those who stand at a fork in the road cannot help worrying that they may take the wrong path; those who gaze up at a high mountain harbor the ambition to soar into the sky.”

Only after encountering enlightened rulers such as Tang of Shang, King Wu of Zhou, and King Wen of Zhou did people realize that their former ways were wrong. Someone standing at a fork in the road worries about taking the wrong path; someone gazing up at a mountain may conceive the ambition to fly into the sky. Some travel on horseback, others by carriage. Though their means differ, they all reach the state of Qin: the outward forms are different, but the actual result is the same.

If boats and machinery did not exist until after the time of the Yellow Emperor, what use were the Yangtze and the great rivers in the age of Fuxi? Those who cross the sea may go all year without seeing the shore; those who probe Yuyuan, the legendary abyss, may spend their whole lives without reaching its bottom. We therefore cannot use what is before our eyes to measure what lies far away.

People in the Han dynasty thought little of the carriage pin, the part that secures the axle; today it is highly valued.

When blue is paired with red, the pattern is called “wen”; red paired with white is called “zhang”; white paired with black is called “ling”; black paired with blue is called “bi.” A pattern woven from all five colors is called “xiu,” or embroidery.

In the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of Qin, craftsmen were ordered to set up mechanical crossbows that would shoot arrows whenever anyone passed by. They also made candles from the fat of mermaids.

A hound chasing a rabbit spends the whole day intent on finding it and never looks away from the target before it. Even if it sees a moose, it has no attention to spare.

Emperor Gaozu of Han governed with a light hand and kept the laws few and simple. Later generations therefore praised trustworthiness and valued simplicity and uprightness. Emperor Guangwu taught with a single-minded purpose and enforced a strict body of law, so later generations followed established norms and valued ritual and right conduct. Emperor Wu of Wei, Cao Cao, brought order to a time of chaos and championed force; as a result, people throughout the realm put the laws in good order and prized sound judgment.

When a person’s conduct is upright, there is no need to insist that the shadow be straight; it will be straight of itself. When a sound is even, there is no need to insist that its echo be harmonious; the echo will be harmonious of itself. When a person’s De is lofty, there is no need to seek a far-reaching reputation; the reputation will spread far of itself.

People in the West say that suhe incense comes from an animal. In China, animal excrement is dirty and foul-smelling. If people suddenly heard that, in a distant land far to the west, the excrement of a certain animal could be made into incense, they might well refuse to believe it.

If only jade from Mount Kun could count as precious, unworked jade would never reveal the radiance of a luminous pearl. If only pearls from the south could count as treasures, the pearl of Marquis Sui would never have earned the name “Moon Pearl.” Qin Shi Huang traveled to the coast, yet in the end he still suffered the upheaval at Pingta. Not long after he was buried on Mount Li, his tomb was plundered. Today, even an ingot made of lead and tin, though repeatedly worked by Ou Yezi, the renowned swordsmith of the Spring and Autumn period, would still be no match for a simple tile knife.

A horse of inferior natural ability will never match famous steeds such as Flying Hare and Shadow Catcher, even when driven by Zao Fu, the legendary master charioteer of antiquity. Its constitution is sluggish by nature. Clay cannot be smelted into iron, but it can be made into pottery.

A physiognomist says, “The Three Courts and Nine Indicators, methods of reading the face by its regions and complexion, can all be judged from a face a foot square. Whether someone is foolish or clever, brave or timid, shows in the eyes, an area only an inch square. The Celestial Granary and Golden Coffer, facial features used in physiognomy to assess fortune and prosperity, can distinguish poverty from wealth and low status from high.”

When Emperor Guangwu rose to power in Nanyang, even sparrow-like figures seemed transformed into cranes. The officials of the Han dynasties shone brilliantly, like the sun, moon, and stars reflected across the vast sky. The soldiers who died at the Battle of Changping, by contrast, were like heavy frost covering the autumn grass. Their differing fates arose from the circumstances they faced.

Some say there are beings several yards tall who, when lying down, cover nine mu of ground, with two different necks growing from their heads and four arms sharing a single skeleton. Others speak of old people growing horns, or men and women changing form. How could such strange phenomena help distinguish the worthy from the foolish?

Could the sovereign of Great Unity, a revered spirit, ever sit in a commoner’s seat, or could the spirit Kui Cheng live in an ordinary woman’s house?

Fuzi says, “Zhuge Liang was indeed an outstanding figure of his age. He governed the state with order, led the army according to rules, and knew how to seize the moment when building on past achievements and establishing new ones. When he advanced, he did not waste his troops; when he withdrew, he still had grain in reserve. He knew that Shu had a weak foundation and stood in a perilous position, so he acted with care and restraint to stabilize the situation. Jiang Wei, by contrast, was eager to achieve success quickly: he was brave, but lacked self-control.”

Mr. Ma, named Jun and styled Heng, was a celebrated craftsman throughout the realm. The damask loom he made originally had fifty harnesses and fifty heddles, and later versions had sixty of each. Mr. Ma altered two of its components, bringing about remarkable changes in the woven patterns. Inspired by this, he devised a loom capable of weaving patterns that expressed the transformations of Yin and Yang and were without limit in variety. The south-pointing chariot is mentioned in the Rites of Zhou and is also recorded in the Guiguzi. Mr. Ma once made and discussed devices of this kind.

To determine rank and status, the most important thing is to establish titles and positions. To strengthen the state, the most important thing is to appoint suitable talent. To manage affairs at home and abroad, the most important thing is to ensure that everyone keeps to their proper role. To promote virtue and moral instruction, the clearest and most effective way is to establish schools. Once the guiding principles are grasped, the details will fall into place; once the fundamentals are mastered, the smaller matters will follow. Those skilled in rewarding people can encourage goodness throughout the realm by praising a single good deed. Those skilled in punishment can gradually eliminate wrongdoing throughout the realm by punishing a single evil act.

When society was simple and unspoiled, there were fewer official posts; as customs grew more complex, officials became more numerous. In the time of Yu Shun, there were fifty official posts; under the Xia, one hundred; under the Yin, two hundred; and under the Zhou, three hundred. When a state’s institutions and laws fall into decline, it is like losing official positions and distinctions: when positions are not established, titles and the order of affairs become confused.

If people are appointed on the basis of reputation, authority will fall into the hands of subordinates, and factional ties and private connections will gain influence. If officials are promoted solely for their achievements, the virtuous may not be appointed, while mediocre people may be chosen instead. A noble person should first rid the heart of partiality and receive others with humility; in public affairs, they should establish laws and uphold principles that are not easily changed. People today constantly praise the abundance of worthy talent in antiquity and lament that their own age lacks talent. Yet they do not step back to reflect carefully, and instead sit and criticize an entire era. Is this not foolish?

Human nature is like water: placed in a round vessel, it takes a round shape; placed in a square one, it takes a square shape. When it settles and clears, it becomes pure; when stirred, it grows muddy. The ancient kings knew that people’s minds were easily disturbed by outside influences, so they taught in accordance with human nature. For people with different preferences and habits, they established common laws to guide them. Steering a dragon boat requires special skill, and even Wang Liang, famed in antiquity for his skill at driving chariots, might not manage it. Even with fine horses moving side by side in step, a person from Yue might not dare to drive them, because everyone has their own strengths. To build a great house, one must first choose the craftsmen, then the timber. To govern a state, one must first choose capable assistants, then bring peace to the people.

Learning is like drinking from rivers, lakes, and seas when thirsty: the more one drinks, the more one gains; the less one drinks, the less one gains. The broader one’s knowledge, the more one can understand; with limited knowledge, one naturally gains less.

Metal implements serve practical purposes, and money makes exchange convenient; yet neither can be eaten when one is hungry.

Gold is useful because it can be exchanged; money circulates because it can be passed from hand to hand with ease. Yet neither can satisfy hunger.

Exchanging grain for an official post is selling office; allowing criminals to atone for their crimes with wealth is indulging wrongdoing. When times are prosperous and too much money is in circulation, private coinage should be forbidden. When times are poor and money lies idle instead of circulating, private destruction of coins should be forbidden.

Nothing poses a greater danger to the Son of Heaven than women’s adornments. A head covered with ornaments may be worth a thousand gold pieces, while the clothing worn by maidservants and concubines consumes the world’s precious treasures.

When ministers and officials erect stone steles and carve stone tigers, they encourage hypocrisy. Set at crossroads along the main roads, these steles and tigers obstruct public affairs, damage virtue, and give rise to one deviant custom and heterodox teaching after another. It is like sounding the alarm for the fall of Qin and playing the licentious music of Zheng and Wei, yet hoping by these means to revive good governance. Is that not exceedingly difficult?

Rewards should not be withheld from those who are distant in relationship or low in rank, and punishments should not be withheld from those who are close or highly placed. The noble have fixed titles that the lowly may not claim; high and low each have their proper place, and those of low rank should not overstep it. In governing, make Dao and virtue the guiding principles, support them with benevolence and righteousness, and weave them together with rites and laws. Once the system is established, select people accordingly. Those recommended as filial and incorruptible or as gifted scholars are sometimes no more than people in distant places who hear the news, follow the momentum, and get recommended. As a result, fewer and fewer are appointed for genuine ability, while more and more build their standing on empty reputation.

Hear one good saying or see one righteous deed, and put it into practice through rites and laws. Once the system is established, recommend people as filial and incorruptible or as gifted scholars on that basis. Sometimes, even across a thousand miles, people hear the news, follow the momentum, and make recommendations. As a result, fewer and fewer are appointed for genuine ability, while more and more build their standing on empty reputation.

Hear a beneficial word or see a good deed, and hasten to act, afraid you may be too late. Hear an evil word or see a bad deed, and keep as far away as you can, afraid you have not gone far enough.

Hang a thousand gold pieces in the marketplace, and no one dares take them, because their ownership is already settled. Drop a single coin on the road, and children scramble to pick it up, because no one yet knows who owns it.

The Three Sovereigns honored Dao and valued De (Virtue). The Five Emperors put benevolence first and righteousness second. By the time of the Three Kings, righteousness came first, and disorder followed.

A strand of goose down sinks when it falls into water because it has nothing to support it. Ten thousand jun of gold can float when placed on a boat because it relies on the boat’s strength.

Following the example of “The Inscription of the Golden Man,” I wrote this “Inscription on the Mouth”: Shen communicates through resonance, and thoughts are expressed through words. Blessings have signs that herald their arrival, and calamities have causes that lead to them. Do not reveal your feelings recklessly, and do not speak too much. An ants’ nest can burst a riverbank; a mountain collapse can bring down Zichuan. Illness enters through the mouth, and calamity can also be spoken from the mouth.

The keys that determine life and death, and the arts of opening and closing, must be worked out together by mouth and heart. The roots of safety and danger lie in one’s actions at critical moments; once an action is set in motion, honor or disgrace follows. When the heart is fair, one’s conduct accords with justice. Those who love themselves will surely love others; those who hate themselves will surely hate others. Illness may enter through the mouth, and calamity may also be spoken into being.

When the people are prosperous, they settle in their villages, cherish their homes, respect their elders, and heed instruction. When they are poor, they harm their villages, disregard their homes, and gather to defy their elders. Few can refrain from wrongdoing when hunger and cold press upon them.

If I wish to wage war and my opponent does not, I beat the drums and advance, with the force of a collapsing mountain and a bursting river. Those who stand in my way are crushed; those who meet my sharp edge are struck down. It is like a sudden peal of thunder: no one has time to cover their ears. Who could withstand it?

Wu Qi once sucked the pus from his soldiers’ sores, moving his subordinates with deep kindness. The Records of the Grand Historian states: Wu Qi sucked pus from his soldiers’ sores. By day, they could see one another as they fought; by night, they could hear one another. They shared their gains and came to one another’s aid in defeat.

When dry land is cultivated, the harvest depends on the seasons. Even if people devote all their effort to farming, untimely floods or droughts can make a year’s labor go to waste. The irrigation and management of paddy fields, however, can be controlled by people. With diligent care, the land’s potential can be fully realized.

Fuzi said: “The Way of the sage is like Heaven and Earth; the varied teachings of the many schools are like the four seasons. Though the seasons differ, they are all governed by Heaven and Earth and are connected to one another. Teachings, too, each have their differences. One must endure hardship, as when mining for gold or working jade, before anything can be gained.”

A road must be treacherous to reveal whether a horse is truly fine; a burden must be heavy to reveal whether a person is capable. When exemplary people meet, it is not only to strengthen their good conduct, but also to correct their faults. Unless bad conduct is rooted out, good conduct cannot flourish. To escape the heat, nothing is better than going near water; to ward off the cold, nothing is more effective than wearing a thick fur coat. To put a stop to slander, nothing is better than cultivating oneself. A skilled angler does not casually abandon familiar waters to fish elsewhere; nor does a junzi leave someone who knows them well to seek the Dao from a stranger sitting nearby.

Petty people feel ashamed when their appearance falls short of Zidu, the famous handsome man of antiquity. Gentlemen, by contrast, feel ashamed when their conduct falls short of that of Shun and Yu, the sage kings of antiquity. Petty people therefore prize bright mirrors, while gentlemen revere words of profound truth.

Learning archery can steady the will; learning to drive a chariot can calm the mind; learning to write can help one record events; and learning arithmetic can bring order to complicated affairs.

The desire for profit surges like a sudden storm, heedless of right and wrong, concerned only with securing gain and struggling to prevail. What is called “discernment” means distinguishing things and sorting them into categories; it does not mean speaking quickly or using clever words to overpower those who are good.

The sage follows the pivotal workings of things, investigates their underlying patterns, and understands the Dao of Heaven and Earth. In this way, all things can follow their proper course, and human relationships can be set right. Raise a banner on high, and its signal can be seen over a wide area; shake a bell chime in the wind, and its sound travels far. This is not because the banner’s colors are brighter or the chime rings louder, but because they are in advantageous positions. The way the wealthy and powerful issue commands is just the same.

A skilled farmer does not worry that the fields have not been properly prepared; he worries that the weather will not suit the season. A gentleman does not worry that his virtue has not been established; he worries that the time has not yet come.

When sages governed the world, people did not rely on social ties to form factions. Only after the Zhou government declined did the practice of cultivating connections flourish. People in antiquity formed close friendships; people today form distant ones. The ancients befriended others in search of worthy people, while people today often do so to seek fame. Talent is not selected on the basis of local reputation, nor is conduct assessed by making family life its foundation. If many people receive someone’s help, that person is called worthy and talented; if few people like them, they are called unworthy.

A horse needs someone to drive it before it can travel far; a physician needs to be summoned before they can cure an illness; and a worthy and capable person must be appointed before they can carry out affairs of governance.