《阴符经解》

The Commentary on the Yinfu Jing (Yinfu Jing Jie), in one fascicle, is included in the Masters section (zi bu) of the Imperial Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), under the Daoist category.

The editors' textual research is as follows. The old edition is attributed to the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) and contains commentaries by six authors: Taigong, Fan Li, Guiguzi, Zhang Liang, Zhuge Liang, and Li Quan. The Chongwen zongmu (General Catalogue of the Chongwen Academy) records a Preface to the Yinfu Jing in one fascicle, author unknown. It gathers the commentaries of the six authors who annotated the Yinfu Jing after Taigong, and it also includes biographical notices by Hui Guangsi and others. This book is probably that work, except that the biographical notices were later lost. Chao Gongwu's Junzhai Dushu Zhi (Annotated Bibliography from the Junzhai Studio), quoting Huang Tingjian, states that the Yinfu Jing mixes in military doctrines and falsely attributes commentaries to Zifang (Zhang Liang), Kongming (Zhuge Liang), and others. On this basis, the commentaries in the present book may be the earliest surviving ones.

The Treatise on Bibliography of the Book of Sui lists a one-fascicle Taigong Yinfu Qianlu (Taigong's Register of the Yinfu) and a nine-fascicle Zhou Shu Yinfu (Yinfu of the Zhou Documents), but neither is said to derive from the Yellow Emperor. In the Tang dynasty, Li Quan claimed to have obtained the book at Tiger Mouth Rock on Mount Song, bearing the inscription "transmitted by the Daoist Kou Qianzhi of Wei." He initially could not grasp its meaning, but later he met an old woman at Mount Li who transmitted its subtle purport to him. These accounts are fanciful and not credible. Hu Yinglin's Shaoshan Shanfang Bichao (Notes from the Shaoshan Mountain Studio) holds that Su Qin read this book, so the book itself was not forged but was only falsely attributed to the Yellow Emperor. However, the Zhanguo Ce (Stratagems of the Warring States) clearly records that Su Qin opened a chest and obtained the Taigong Yinfu, which cannot be used to establish that it is this Yinfu Jing. Successive historical catalogues also place the Zhou Shu Yinfu among military works and the Huangdi Yinfu among Daoist works, which further shows that they are different books. Hu Yinglin's argument is far-fetched and indeed not accurate.

Hu also states that in the early Yongwei reign (650–656) of the Tang, Chu Suiliang copied this book one hundred times. The small-regular-script Yinfu Jing attributed to Chu Suiliang, engraved in Wen Zhengming's Tingyun Guan Tie (Rubbings from the Tingyun Pavilion), does indeed carry this statement at its end. Yet Mi Fu's Shushi (Book of Calligraphy), the Baozhang Daifang Lu (Record of Treasures Awaiting Inquiry), and the Xuanhe Shupu (Xuanhe Catalogue of Calligraphy) do not record this Chu Suiliang calligraphy, and past connoisseurs and collectors never mentioned it. It suddenly appeared in Wen Zhengming's household in the mid-Ming period. Since the authenticity of this stone inscription cannot even be established, it cannot be used to prove the authenticity of the scripture.

Although this book appeared late, its doctrines have considerable merit, so literati have often written commentaries on it, and these are included here as well. Among the annotations is one marked "Yin said" (Yin Yue), but who "Yin" was remains unknown. The book also opens with a preface that bears no name or date. It speaks of "divulging heavenly secrets" and "sinking the three calamities," coarse notions characteristic of shallow Daoist practitioners, and it is not worth pursuing in depth. It is worth noting, however, that Chao Gongwu's Junzhai Dushu Zhi quotes Li Quan's commentary, yet no such passage appears in this edition. This may be due to alterations during transcription, or this edition may not preserve the original form of Li Quan's commentary.

Yinfu Jing Kaoyi (Textual Examination of the Yinfu Jing), one fascicle, was written by Zhu Xi of the Song dynasty. Huang Tingjian held that the Yinfu Jing (Scripture of Hidden Accord) was the work of Li Quan of the Tang dynasty, and Zhu Xi shared this view in his recorded conversations. However, Zhu Xi felt that some of the scripture's sentences are so profound that only someone thoroughly versed in the Dao could have written them, so he undertook a textual examination of the scripture.

Zhu Xi determined that the one hundred and fourteen characters from "ren yi yu sheng" (people use foolishness to deceive the sage) onward are part of the scripture, probably following the commentaries of Chu and Zhang. The recorded conversations also note that Lüqiu Cimeng, discussing phrases in the Yinfu Jing such as "ziran zhi dao, jing" (the Way of nature is stillness), held that even the statements in the Six Classics do not surpass them. Zhu Xi agreed with Lüqiu Cimeng. Yang Daofu, however, held that these words do not appear in the Yinfu Jing. He had probably seen the Lishan Laomu Zhu (Commentary of the Old Mother of Mount Li) in circulation, which takes "wo yi shi wu wen li zhe" (I use time, things, pattern, and reason) as the final sentence of the whole text. He therefore doubted that the words Lüqiu Cimeng cited belonged to the scripture.

The book also includes a collection compiled by Huang Ruijie, which cites its sources thoroughly. According to the Ji'an Fu Zhi (Gazetteer of Ji'an Prefecture), Huang Ruijie, courtesy name Guanle, was a native of Anfu. After passing the provincial examination, he served as academic instructor of Taihe Prefecture. At the end of the Yuan dynasty, he abandoned his office and lived in seclusion. He gathered the Taiji Tu (Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate), Tongshu (Penetrating the Book of Changes), Ximing (Western Inscription), Yixue Qimeng (Introduction to the Study of the Book of Changes), Jiali (Family Rituals), Lülü Jingyi (Essential Meanings of the Musical Pitches), Huangji Jingshi (Supreme Principles Governing the World), and other works, annotated them, and compiled them as the Zhuzi Chengshu (Completed Works of Master Zhu). The Yinfu Jing Kaoyi and the Cantong Qi (Seal of the Unity of Three) were probably two of its components. The gazetteer does not record this, perhaps because Huang Ruijie's scholarship touched on Daoism and the compilers preferred to avoid mentioning it.

In the tenth month of the forty-sixth year of the Qianlong reign, it was respectfully collated and presented.

Chief Compilers: Ji Yun, Lu Xixiong, Sun Shiyi. Chief Collator: Lufei Chi.

Yinfu Jing Jie (Commentary on the Yinfu Jing)

Preface to the Commentary on the Yellow Emperor's Yinfu Jing

What is called ming (life-destiny) is nothing other than xing (nature). Nature and destiny are interconnected, so the sages revered it and called it "Heaven's mandate" (tianming). The dull are dull because of it, and the wise are wise because of it. The scripture says: "When the heavenly mechanism opens, one does not die; when the earthly mechanism slackens, one cannot live." In studying the Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Accord, a classic on the transformations of Heaven and the essential workings of human affairs), one comes to understand that the authority over creation lies in one's hands, and that human life and death also depend on the person. For this reason the sage keeps it hidden in the heart. By means of it he refines Heaven and Earth and gathers or scatters the forces of the realm, yet leaves no trace. This is the Heavenly Mechanism (tianji).

The Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) obtained it and therefore ruled all under Heaven. Tang of Shang and King Wu of Zhou obtained it and therefore became kings. The Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period obtained it and therefore led the feudal lords. To serve as a minister is easy; to be the ruler is difficult, and so the Heavenly Mechanism must not be used carelessly. Jiang Taigong took office only at ninety, not because opportunity had passed him by, but because he was weighing carefully which ruler to serve. Even if a worthy man grasps and applies it, he can make a stone a lord or carve a wooden figure into a sovereign and still bring the realm under his possession. When ministers exhaust their utmost strength, the ruler instead grows fearful of them. Is it not truly difficult to hold such a skill?

Alas, when there is no worthy ruler, the righteous scholar would rather die for his ideals than take office. It is better to withdraw into the mountain forests, nourish one's nature and life, and wait for the realm to become peaceful and government to become clear. The world thinks Confucius was a man whose talents went unrecognized, and that Su Qin and Zhang Yi met with good fortune, but this is not so. Confucius's aspiration lay in bringing order to the realm. How could he have set his mind on running about to seek low posts? That is something a great man disdains.

Alas, the wise men of later ages should use the Heavenly Mechanism with prudence. Fan Li valued retirement and so was able to preserve himself for a long time, while Wen Zhong was careless in such matters and died in the end. Is this not because he divulged the Heavenly Mechanism? One who divulges the Heavenly Mechanism ought to sink into the Three Calamities (sanjie, vast cosmic epochs in Daoist teaching). Therefore the sages hid this scripture in famous mountains and passed it only to those of like aspiration. They then sealed it in a golden coffer, fearing that petty people would steal it and manipulate it as they pleased.

Part One (Shang Pian)

Having grasped the Way of Heaven and the regularities of its timing, one has reached a complete understanding. Heaven possesses five forces that can be wielded, called the "Five Thieves" (wuzei), and one who knows how to use them will flourish.

Taigong said: "Among the Five Thieves, the first is the Life Thief (zei ming), followed by the Thing Thief (zei wu), the Time Thief (zei shi), the Merit Thief (zei gong), and the Spirit Thief (zei shen)." Here, "thief" refers to secretly grasping, transforming, or making use of a certain force. The Life Thief uses one thing to diminish the desires of all under heaven, so that people come under its control. The Thing Thief uses profit to urgently drive all under heaven into service. The Time Thief relies on trustworthiness to mobilize all under heaven and reverse the course of affairs. The Merit Thief uses kindness to move all under heaven, so that they turn from resentment. The Spirit Thief employs the subtle and unfathomable to command the forces of the world. In the end, one tests their effectiveness through the smallest of forces, and thereby can master things both great and small.

Guiguzi said: "Among the Five Thieves of Heaven, none is more important than the Spirit Thief. To cause the small to overcome the great, to take the large by means of the small, is something that even Heaven and Earth find difficult to fathom in its inner mysteries, how much more so for human beings?"

Quan, a commentator of the Tang dynasty on the Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Token), said: "The Yellow Emperor grasped the key to the Life Thief, and so he ascended to heaven in broad daylight. The Shang and Zhou dynasties mastered the efficacy of the Spirit Thief, and with their weak forces destroyed their mighty enemies. Guan Zhong held the trustworthiness of the Time Thief, and therefore gathered the feudal lords many times. Fan Li understood how to exploit the urgency of the Thing Thief, and therefore became hegemon in the Southern Yue. Zhang Liang relied on the kindness within the Merit Thief and defeated the powerful state of Chu."

The principle of the Five Thieves dwells in the heart and is put into practice between Heaven and Earth. The transformations of the cosmos seem to be held in one's hand, and the transformations of the myriad things seem to arise from oneself.

Taigong said: "The sage calls it the 'five thieves,' while the people of the world call it the 'five virtues.' People rely on the five flavors (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, salty) to stay alive, yet they are also harmed and even killed by them. Still, no one resents the five flavors and discards them, because the five flavors suit human taste. The principle is the same for the things the human heart delights in."

Guiguzi said: "One who understands how to use the Way of the 'thieving life' (zei ming) can live without dying." The Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) joined with the essence and qi of a young woman, a term from the bedchamber nourishment practices of Daoist longevity techniques, and accorded with the seasons, and the myriad things do the same. Grass that has lived through winter will not freeze to death if covered with a mat, but it will be injured if left exposed. If the life of plants and trees is like this, how much more so for humans, who are the most spiritually endowed of the myriad things? The mechanism behind this lies in accord with the seasons.

Guangchengzi said: "Compare it to gathering fire to burn away the five poisons. The so-called five poisons are the five flavors. Once the harm of the five flavors is entirely removed, one can live long." Li Quan, a Daoist commentator of the Tang dynasty, said: People are born through the five flavors and also die through them. Each of the five flavors has its own governing principle. If one accords with them, they generate one another; if one opposes them, they overcome one another. Over time, qi accumulates and steams, and the five viscera decay. That people ultimately decline and fail to reach their full heavenly span is because they over-nourish life and crave sustenance.

Therefore, the supreme Dao (the highest principle) is pure and free of striving (wuwei). It is like embryonic breathing (taixi), a breath as fine as that of a fetus, and it is not drawn along by the desires of taste. The methods for cultivating immortality are many, but the essential point is embracing the One and guarding the center (baoyi shouzhong), preserving what is authentic and bringing body and mind into harmony. The arts of the young woman are many, but the essential point is returning jing and gathering qi (huan jing cai qi), collecting the essence and taking in primal qi. The methods of Golden Elixir (jin dan) practice are many, but the essential point is the divine water and jade pool (shen shui hua chi), a term in Neidan (internal alchemy) for the essence and fluids within the body. The methods of governing a state are many, but the essential point is quiet non-action (wuwei), letting the myriad things transform of their own accord. The methods of warfare are many, but the essential point is the interplay of the ordinary (zheng) and the extraordinary (qi), together with transformation and strategy.

These five essentials, when gathered in, are stored in the heart and hidden within the spirit (shen). When unfolded, they rise up to heaven and extend down to earth. The changes of heaven and earth and of the cosmos seem to be grasped in a moment, and the flourishing and withering of the myriad things seem to appear within the person. When the Yellow Emperor obtained these principles, he first consolidated the three palaces (san gong), the inner dwellings of jing, qi, and shen described in Daoist teaching, and only then governed the world. Once the cauldron was refined, he ascended to heaven on a dragon.

Heavenly nature is the inherent nature of the human being, and the human heart is the pivot of its operation. Establish the Dao of Heaven, and human affairs will be settled.

Liang said: "What is called establishing the Dao of Heaven and settling human affairs lies precisely in the five thieves."

When heaven reveals its killing energy (sha ji), dragons and snakes rise up from the land. When humans reveal killing energy, heaven and earth undergo upheavals.

Heaven and humanity respond to one another in motion, and the myriad changes are thereby given their foundation.

Fan Li held that in the past, when Yi Yin assisted Tang of Shang, he perceived that Heaven's time for destroying the Xia had arrived, so he followed the circumstances and ultimately overthrew the Xia and established the Shang. It is said that when Tang campaigned eastward, the Dongyi resented him, and when he campaigned southward, the Beidi resented him as well. Jiang Taigong said that if one does not plough for three years, one will meet a great drought, and if one does not cultivate the fields for ten years, the land will become barren and ruined. Excessive killing often gives rise to violent storms. Zhuge Liang recorded that after the Chu army killed tens of thousands of Han soldiers, a fierce wind darkened the sky and turned day into night, as if heaven and earth had overturned.

Zhang Liang explained that a credible sign is where it begins: once people believe one thing, they gradually come to believe more, and so it can become the starting point of all change. Li Quan held that large-scale chaos, war, floods, droughts, and locust plagues are all signs by which Heaven reveals the time for slaughter and punishment. Yu Shun once made pottery, and Xia Yu once relieved the suffering of the people. Tang of Shang was once imprisoned in the Xia prison, and King Wen of Zhou was once held at Youli. Liu Bang, the founder of the Han, was at first merely a village constable, and Cao Cao was impoverished and frustrated in his early years. None of them yet held royal rank, yet each rose up at a time when the realm was in turmoil and the political situation was about to change.

When gentlemen are excluded from the court, petty people occupy high office, powerful ministers monopolize authority and wield it arrogantly, and the common people long for the realm to fall into disorder, these are signs that the qi of killing has stirred in the human heart. Tang exiling Jie of Xia, King Wu of Zhou punishing Zhou of Shang, Xiang Yu killing Ziying, the King of Qin, and the Cao Wei deposing Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, were all actions taken in accordance with the human heart and the shifts of circumstance. When the noble fall and the lowly rise, heaven and earth seem turned upside down; once the timing of Heaven and the timing of human affairs coincide, success and failure follow at once. Amid the myriad changes, the sage follows the momentum of the situation and thereby lays the foundation for his own undertakings.

Human nature has distinctions of cleverness and clumsiness, and these traits can be concealed.

Zhang Liang explained that the sage sees clearly the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. If neither side stands to gain, the strategy is kept hidden in the heart; if both sides stand to gain, wise men and heroes will act in accordance with the circumstances, and all the more so in matters of war. Li Quan said that not allowing one's inner desires to show outwardly is called "opening," and not allowing outside evil thoughts to intrude is called "closing." Mastering the opening and closing of the inner mind is the key. The mind should be as hard to detect as a shadow, and action should be as steady and immovable as a mountain. When one conceals one's cleverness and clumsiness, others have no way to probe or exploit them.

The afflictions that assail the nine orifices hinge on three points; grasping these three, one can control either action or stillness.

Taigong said: "The three essentials" refer to the ears, eyes, and mouth. The ears can be stopped up, the eyes can be blinded, and the mouth can be made unable to speak. When raising troops and mobilizing the multitude, even the discussion of thousands may fail to guess the crux of the matter, and the crux lies in these three. At times one must let them function, and at other times one must keep them still.

Quan (the commentator) said: Two leaves held before the eyes will hide Mount Tai from view. Beans stuffed into the ears will make the sound of thunder inaudible. Chili rubbed on the tongue will prevent one from speaking at once. If the nine orifices of the ears, eyes, and mouth are all obscured, one will not be able to perceive changes in the situation. The three that are truly crucial are shen (spirit), xin (mind), and zhi (will). When the momentum of events has just begun to stir and no signs have yet appeared, shen changes along with it first. When the momentum has taken shape and is about to form, xin plans the response. Once the momentum has been set in motion and affairs are underway, zhi makes the decision.

When momentum is in motion, it is like the movement of yang qi: its force surges forth, and even the Five Peaks cannot contain its edges, nor the four great rivers hold its range. When momentum is still, it is like the movement of yin qi: its virtue lies deeply hidden. Even the clever cannot manipulate its glory and power, and even the broadly learned cannot fathom its designs. Heaven and earth cannot alter its timing, how much less a human being?

Fire arises from within wood, and once calamity breaks out, destruction is sure to follow. Treachery grows from within the state, and once its moment is triggered, the state is certain to collapse. One who can perceive this and cultivate oneself accordingly is called a sage.

Quan said: Fire arises from within wood. Once the fire takes hold, the wood will be burned away. Treachery grows from within the state. Once treachery succeeds, the state will perish. Fire lies hidden inside wood, and at first it has no shape. Treachery lies hidden inside the state, and at first it leaves no trace. Unless one is an extremely wise sage, one cannot cultivate oneself and refine one's conduct so that the fire of treachery never breaks out. A state may be free of warfare and yet secretly harbor the disaster of war; it may be free of calamity and yet conceal hidden dangers. Jizi fled because of the cruelty of the Shang tyrant, Shang Rong was imprisoned, and Jian Shu wept. These are all examples of foreseeing calamity.

Heaven causes the myriad things to grow, and also causes them to die. This is the regularity of the Dao.

Liang said: Momentum issues forth from the mind, just as Heaven gives birth to the myriad things and also brings them to death. Thus, those who live believe they have received the vitality of life, and those who die believe they have borne death.

Heaven and earth take the vital force of the myriad things, the myriad things in turn draw what they need from humanity, and humanity draws what it needs from the myriad things. When these three mutual exchanges each find their proper measure, the three powers of Heaven, earth, and humanity are able to stand in peace.

Guiguzi said that the three kinds of "taking" (the processes by which Heaven and Earth, the myriad things, and humans act upon one another and draw on one another's resources) all occur without our noticing, which is why they are called subtle and wondrous. Their power is immense: they can drain rivers, fill up seas, move mountains, and overturn the earth. Events do not unfold at people's whim but follow regular patterns, and they come to fruition only when conditions have ripened. The commentator Quan Jie explains that Heaven and Earth give birth to the myriad things, and the myriad things gradually grow old; the myriad things provide humans with clothing and transport, and humans may therefore become extravagant; humans make tools, and may use those tools to destroy the myriad things. All of these changes happen naturally. Heaven, Earth, the myriad things, and humans each perform their own function, and so the three each keep to their proper place.

Thus it is said: when one eats at the proper times, the body's parts are harmonized; when one acts at the right moment, the myriad changes are settled.

Guiguzi said that these words were meant to warn future rulers not to amass treasures in great quantity or hoard gold and silk. If one can let go of such attachments, then even draining rivers or filling in seas would not be difficult. Eating at the right time nourishes the whole body; missing the right time harms the body. Action is the same: seizing the right moment brings stability to the myriad things, while missing it injures them. When the moment arrives, not a single instant may be wasted; acting too early overshoots the mark, and acting too late fails to catch up. For this reason, the wise seize the moment, while the unwise simply submit to fate.

People recognize only the wonders that are visible, without understanding that the part which is not visible is the very root from which those wonders arise.

The commentator Quan Jie says that everyone has the potential to become a sage, yet a sage does not regard dullness as something to be prized. Only by perceiving his cleverness and also sensing the side of him that does not display its edge can one then perceive his brilliance. The Book of Documents says: "Using cleverness alone, affairs will not succeed; using obscurity alone, affairs will all go against one. Only when brightness and darkness are used in alternation can one bear the burdens of the many." Yi Yin once worked as a tavern hand, Jiang Taigong once made his living butchering oxen, Guan Zhong once crafted leather goods, and Baili Xi once sold porridge. In times of chaos under Heaven, people all assumed these men had nothing extraordinary about them. Only when they met Shang Tang, King Wen of Zhou, Duke Huan of Qi, and Duke Mu of Qin, and assisted those rulers, relieved the common people, and achieved deeds that influenced the whole world, did people come to regard them as profoundly spirit-like.

The sun and moon move according to fixed regularities, and the sizes of things each have their set measure. It is from this that the sage's achievements arise, and from this that his subtle power becomes manifest.

Gu Zi said that those who come later, if they think carefully about this passage, will understand that even heaven and earth are not worth overvaluing, let alone human beings. Li Quan (Li Quan, a Tang dynasty Daoist thinker) explains that a year has three hundred and sixty-five days, and the number of days is fixed. The months follow in sequence as twelve, and the intercalary months, the full and hollow months, and the remainders are likewise governed by fixed rules. All of these regularities arise naturally from receiving jing (essence) and qi (vital energy). They do not depend on sages exercising their merit or on spirits manifesting themselves. The merit of sages and the manifestation of spirits also arise naturally from receiving jing and qi, and they are not created by the sun and moon. Therefore, when affairs succeed, there is no need to boast of the merit of heaven and earth, and when affairs fail, there is no need to blame yin and yang.

This "stealing of the mechanism," which means secretly grasping the timing of changes in things, is invisible and incomprehensible to ordinary people. The gentleman who obtains it can preserve himself, while the petty person who obtains it recklessly stakes his life on danger.

Zhuge Liang said: Are Confucius and Jiang Taigong not wiser than Sun Wu, Wu Qi, Han Xin, and Bai Qi? Gentlemen and petty people regard them differently. Sun, Wu, Han, and Bai were brave and skilled in battle, yet in the end they met with death. They did not encounter a ruler who truly appreciated and employed them, and so they were killed. Li Quan says that when a ruler is heading toward decline, the people of the world cannot see the signs of decline and cannot discern its roots. Likewise, when a hegemon or king founds a state, people cannot see the moment of its founding and cannot discern its roots. The gentleman grasps the timing, accords with the will of heaven and the hearts of the people, and thereby preserves himself. The petty person grasps the timing too, but he raises troops and resorts to arms, exhausting the military in endless war, and in the end he lightly discards his life. The Book of Changes (Yijing) says: "The gentleman acts upon seeing the moment and does not wait until the day is over." It also says: "To understand the incipient, is that not near to the spiritual?" The omens of timing are easy to see, but the principles behind them are hard to understand. One must perceive from present signs the long-term course of development.

Second Part

The blind have acute hearing, and the deaf have keen sight. Cutting off the desires that surge in from one direction raises the effectiveness of employing troops tenfold. Repeatedly attending closely to every direction, day and night, raises it ten-thousandfold.

Yin (Yin Xi) said, "When the mind reasons to the finest point, it can exhaust the subtle principles." Liang (Zhang Liang) said, "People of later generations only turn it over and over in their hearts."

Keen hearing and sight depend on concentrating on one thing. Quan (Li Quan) said: The ears and eyes are all governed by the mind, and in the end must be employed by the shen (spirit). When the mind and shen are scattered, perception is not sharp; when the spirit cannot be unified, observation is not fine. Therefore Shi Kuang (a man of the Spring and Autumn period renowned for his mastery of music) covered his eyes so that his hearing grew more acute, and Li Zhu (a legendary figure of extraordinary eyesight) stopped up his ears so that his vision grew clearer. By concentrating on the strength of a single sense and applying this method to one's thinking, one can carry out affairs and respond to changes with near-certain success. When a matter arises, one should withdraw and turn it over repeatedly, thinking by day and by night, and only then act. In this way, affairs can be handled and changes met without error. Taigong said, "When the eye moves, the mind responds; when it sees that something is feasible, one acts; when it sees that it is not, one stops."

The mind arises from external things and also perishes through them; the key to responding to change appears in what the eye sees.

Quan said: To grasp the changes of the world, nothing is closer than the mind and the eye. The mind governs the eye, and the eye can perceive the signs of change. When the First Emperor of Qin toured east to Kuaiji, Xiang Yu saw him and a thought of taking his place arose in his mind. When the Jin army had all arrived at the Fei River, Fu Jian saw the turn of the battle and was seized with dread. He said to Fu Rong, "The enemy is so strong; how can you say they are few?" From this we know that the living intention or deadly resolve within the mind is often stirred by what is seen, and the omens of success and failure also appear before the eyes.

Heaven bestows no favor, yet great grace arises from it; when thunder crashes and the wind rages, all things are startled.

Liang said, "How harmonious and joyful!" Taigong said, "Caution and fear bring good fortune." Quan said: The heart of Heaven holds no partiality, yet all things attribute their bounty to Heaven. Laozi said, "Heaven and earth are not benevolent; they treat the myriad things as straw dogs (chúgǒu, grass figures used as sacrificial offerings). The sage is not benevolent; he treats the people as straw dogs." Thus Heaven gives without seeking return and nurtures the myriad things without claiming their merit. When thunder crashes and the wind rages, distant things are affected by its power and near things also feel fear, so all things are shaken. Heaven has no intention of exercising awe, yet all things stand in awe of it, and so they ascribe the majesty to Heaven. The sage bestows reward without claiming the kindness as his own, and administers punishment without claiming the authority as his own. In this way, the order of reward and punishment is established above, while awe and virtue naturally manifest below.

The utmost joy leaves the nature with room to spare; the utmost stillness keeps the nature pure and free of defilement.

Liang said: The key lies in whether one can grasp the essential pivot of the matter. Quan says: When joy is excessive, people become extravagant; when the heart is still, people can keep to uprightness and integrity. When one indulges the emotions, the spirit (shen) becomes muddied; when the nature is upright, the spirit becomes clear. The spirit is the wellspring of wisdom (zhi). When the spirit is clear, wisdom discerns clearly; wisdom is the storehouse of the heart-mind, and when wisdom is impartial, the heart becomes tranquil. People do not take flowing water as a mirror but still, clear water, because it is limpid and steady. When the spirit is clear and the intention tranquil, one can see the true condition of things.

The sage does not indulge in extreme pleasure, nor does he rest in unbroken stillness. He is able to dwell in the balance between tranquility and delight, which is called shouzhong (keeping to the center, maintaining the proper measure without leaning to either side). Such a person cannot be seduced by power or profit, cannot be disturbed by sensual allure, cannot be persuaded by the eloquent, cannot be moved by the clever, and cannot be frightened by the brave. He sees calamity beyond the barriers and considers danger in advance, in places deep and hard to fathom. If the Dao (the Way) itself cannot be made to go against him, how much less can the expedient arts of warfare?

The Dao is utterly partial in its operation, yet utterly impartial in its application.

Yin said: The governing of the world reaches the utmost of subtlety.

Liang said: When the essential pivot is applied rightly, even without issuing commands to the world, the world will move in accordance with it. Though people do not know the reason, they cannot go against it.

Quan says: The Dao causes all things to grow according to their own nature, leaving none out. The chun tree and the fungi, the peng bird and the small sparrow, regardless of size or length of life, each attains its proper place. This is the aspect in which the Dao appears partial toward each thing. Clouds moving, rain falling, thunder, lightning, frost, and hail bring growth and decline, so that each thing receives what is fitting to it. This is how the impartiality of the Dao is manifested.

The sage follows the patterns of Heaven (tiandao) and Earth (didao) in nurturing the people, attending to their toil, and this is his care for them. Enacting proper decrees and establishing standards of law is his impartial governance. Sun Wu said: "If you regard your soldiers as beloved children, they will live and die with you; if you regard them as infants, they will follow you into fire and water. But if you only know how to love them and cannot restrain them, it is like indulging a spoiled child. Therefore, teach them with civil virtue, and bring order to their discipline with martial law."

Among beasts, the one that subdues the strong does so by means of qi (vital energy).

Taigong said: Can it be that creatures subdue one another merely because of differences in size?

Yin said: Qi is the essential pivot of the Dao's operation.

Quan says: The xuangui (dark tortoise) can swallow the python; the zhan (a hawk-like bird) and the sun (falcon) can strike and seize the swan; the huangyao can devour the tiger; the feishu (flying squirrel) can subdue the ape; the toad and the leech can bite and feed on fish; the langyou can bite and kill the crane. Yugan (the Phyllanthus fruit) can soften metal, and the hecheng (the Daoist term for mercury-based materials) seems, when swallowed, to let a person undergo continual transformation. Jade may be refined from certain substances, and xionghuang (realgar) can transform iron. There is also wood that does not burn and stone that floats on water. When beasts, plants, and metals attain their own qi, they can still subdue the greater with the smaller. How much more, then, could a hero who grasps this qi-mechanism fail to settle the world and govern all things?

Life is the root of death, and death is the root of life; within kindness arises calamity, and within calamity arises kindness.

Taigong said, "Those who know how to restrain themselves will be treated generously by things; those who are generous only to themselves will be kept at a distance by things." Quan explained: "Those who seek to survive must often first pass through the peril of death before they can obtain life. Those accustomed to facing death can seek life first and then deal with a deadly situation." The Heguanzi says, "Without passing through death, one cannot obtain life; without making decisive choices, one cannot accomplish anything." Sun Wu said, "Place soldiers on fatal ground and they will fight desperately to survive; place them where there is no way to retreat and they will preserve themselves." Wu Qi said, "The battlefield is where armies clash, and it is also where corpses lie. Only by resolving to die can one possibly return alive; those who covet a lucky escape may instead lose their lives. Kindness may become the source of calamity, and calamity may become the source of kindness. When Wu showed kindness to Yue, it brought disaster upon itself; when Zhou attacked Shang, it thereby established its own virtuous benevolence. Death and life, kindness and harm are opposite to one another, yet they are also bound up together."

Ordinary people judge whether a sage is enlightened by the patterns and omens of heaven and earth, but I discern order and disorder from the patterns and changes of the age and of affairs.

Taigong said, "Observe the seasons of birds' and beasts' activity, and examine the transformations of the myriad things." Quan said, "When the auspicious star appears, the Yellow Dragon soars, the phoenix arrives, sweet springs well up, and fine grain grows; when the Yellow River does not flood and the great sea raises no waves; when sun and moon suffer no eclipse, the five planets move in their proper courses, the four seasons follow one another in order, daytime is not dim, and night does not glow; and when mountains collapse, rivers dry up, thunder sounds in winter, and frost forms in summer, these are all omens between heaven and earth."

Ordinary people take these celestial omens as the basis for judging whether a state is well governed or in chaos. King Wen's mind was serene, and the radiance of his virtue reached the four quarters. He made his talent and virtue manifest and brought harmony among his nine lineages. He managed water, fire, metal, wood, and earth, and the affairs of agriculture, so that each office did not fall into confusion, the hundred grains were abundant, and the common people were at peace. By contrast, when muddled rulers and treacherous ministers threw the laws into disorder, taxes became heavy and edicts harsh, and superiors and subordinates deceived one another, and when noble kinsmen and powerful officials indulged in extravagance and debauchery, given over to wine and music, building on a grand scale and adorning palaces, the common people were scattered and harbored resentment, longing for upheaval. In my view, one should judge the order and disorder of a state by the changes of the times and of human affairs.

People often judge sages through foolish conjecture, but I do not judge sages by foolish conjecture. People also hope for sages through strange omens, but I do not hope for sages through strange omens.

Quan said, "The minds of worthy and wise people are profound and hard to fathom. Even the traces of recluses such as Chao Fu and Xu You are sometimes seen by others, yet their response to change follows no fixed rule, and their adaptations come one after another. How could such wisdom be something ordinary people can gauge? To infer the inner mind from outward traces alone is exactly what fools do."

Therefore, to cast heavy things into water or flammable things into fire is to invite self-destruction.

Liang (a commentator) says: Those who govern the common people improperly will bring calamity upon themselves, and those who command armies improperly will lose their troops and generals. Only one who understands death knows how to avoid it, and only one who understands life knows how to fulfill it. When one grasps the principles of life and death, the state can be at peace.

The Dao of nature is pure and still, and therefore Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things are able to come into being.

Yin (a commentator) says: When stillness and purity reach their extreme, one can no longer perceive how the myriad things come into being.

The regularities of Heaven and Earth unfold gradually, and therefore Yin-Yang alternate and wax and wane in mutual dependence.

Liang says: The subtle regularities of Heaven and Earth gradually unfold, and Yin-Yang shift along with them, waxing and waning against each other.

As Yin-Yang shift and succeed one another, the transformations of the myriad things proceed smoothly.

Liang says: Yin and Yang surge and shift against each other, and transformation becomes visible before one's eyes.

Therefore, the sage understands the Dao of nature and does not forcibly go against it. Instead, they follow nature and act in accordance with circumstances.

Liang says: Those of great virtue see the Dao of nature, the wise and perceptive see how to act in accordance with circumstances, and the foolish see only surface changes. Yin says: One who understands the Dao of nature, and knows that the myriad things cannot go against it, follows its regularities in order to gain advantage.

The principle of utmost stillness and purity cannot fully accord even with the calendar or the musical pitches.

Liang says: One observes the seasons of birds' and beasts' activity and examines the transformations of the myriad things. The regularities of birds' and beasts' activity are subtle and hard to fathom, and the calendar and pitch-pipes cannot fully align with them. Therefore one must follow change and seize the right moment.

Thereupon, wondrous instruments appeared, through which the myriad forms were deduced, including the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), the Jiazi (sexagenary cycle), and mysterious and hidden regularities. The Bagua is a system of symbols used to represent the transformations of Heaven and Earth. The Jiazi is a system that uses the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to count years and days.

Liang says: The Six Gui (liugui) are the numbers hidden in Heaven, which may be used for concealment and hiding.

The law by which Yin and Yang overcome one another is clearly manifested in these various symbols.

Liang (a commentator) says: The "wondrous instruments" refer to the wisdom of the sage. Heaven displays its signs, and the sage takes them as models: deducing the Jiazi, drawing the Bagua, and examining milfoil divination, tortoise-shell divination, the calendar, and the pitch-pipes. In this way, the conditions of ghosts and spirits and the principles of Yin-Yang become clear within the symbols, and nothing is beyond inference.

Liang further says: The symbols of the Bagua may be extended in application, and the sixty-cycle Jiazi may be used in rotation. Transformations such as the manifestation of spirits and the disappearance of ghosts are thereby made clear.

Liang says: The root of the myriad things and phenomena lies in the heart. The techniques of Yin-Yang transformation and the regularities of the sun and moon's movements are, in truth, all clearly present within the human heart. Guangchengzi says: The Jiazi accords with the number of the Yang Nine. The trigrams contain the rules for dispatching troops to battle. When an army sets out in accordance with its standards, its movements accord with spirits and follow the seasons of Heaven. This is the employment of the Way of spirits.