《弘道錄》Vol. 40

The Record of Broadening the Dao (Hongdao lu), Scroll 47, Section 8, under the heading "Wisdom" (zhi), "Wisdom in Friendship."

According to the Book of the Later Han, Zhong Hao was renowned for his sincere and upright conduct, and the scholar-officials admired him alongside Xun Shu. Li Ying often sighed and said, "Master Xun's discernment is clear and penetrating, and is hard to surpass. Master Zhong's virtue (De) is the highest, and he can serve as a model for others." Chen Shi, a man from the same commandery, was younger than Zhong Hao, yet Zhong Hao made him a friend. When Zhong Hao served as Gongcao (a senior clerk to the commandery governor), he was summoned to the Office of the Minister of the Masses (Situ), one of the Three Excellencies. As he took his leave, the Grand Administrator asked whom he would recommend as his successor. Zhong Hao replied, "If the Honorable Magistrate wishes to find a worthy person, Chen Shi, the Pavilion Constable of Xīmen, would be suitable." When Chen Shi heard this, he said, "Master Zhong does not seem skilled at judging people. I cannot understand why he singles me out for appreciation."

Zhong Jin, the son of Zhong Hao's elder brother, was also devoted to learning and to the ancients. He had a humble and yielding bearing, and was of the same age as Li Ying; both enjoyed a good reputation. Li Ying's grandfather, the Grand Commandant (Taiwei), the highest military and administrative office, Li Xiu, remarked that Zhong Jin had the temperament of one of their own family. He said that Zhong Jin would not be discarded when the state was well governed and would be spared punishment when the government was dark. Therefore he gave his granddaughter, Li Ying's younger sister, in marriage to Zhong Jin. Zhong Hao often told Zhong Jin that in the past Guo Wuzi had been fond of exposing the faults of others and so drew resentment upon himself. Therefore, to preserve oneself and one's family, one should value the Dao above all. Zhong Hao died peacefully at home. The Confucian scholars composed a eulogy that said: Lulin (where Zhong Hao once served as magistrate) had fine virtue and did not do what was contrary to ritual. He loved the Odes and the Documents, and found joy in the zither and the ways of antiquity. Five times he was summoned by the provincial and commandery authorities, and nine times he was recommended as a candidate for the Three Excellencies. Yet he advanced and withdrew with composure in the face of royal command, and he ended his years in serene contentment.

The compiler comments: I find that this statement by Li Ying's grandfather differs greatly from Li Ying's own conduct. Why is this? After the middle of the Han dynasty, the eunuchs monopolized power and behaved without restraint. Worldly opinion then regarded those who would not hesitate to endanger themselves, who displayed their purity and spoke grand, extravagant words, as noble men of high purpose. Anyone who did not behave this way, even farmers and herdsmen, would come forward to shout and criticize. Therefore, the sages guided the people to follow their natural dispositions, restrained excess, chose their associations carefully, and moderated extremes. Someone like Zhong Hao had wisdom sufficient to preserve himself, yet he did not cut himself off from others. Wicked men could not use their power to seize his will, and nobles could not use wealth and rank to make him arrogant. He may truly be called a man who extricated himself from the desires of the vulgar world.

Recording the deeds of Xu Zhi: Xu Zhi came from a poor family and farmed with his own hands. He would not eat anything that he had not obtained through his own labor. He was respectful, frugal, devoted to righteousness, and humble in yielding to others, and the villagers all admired his virtue. The Grand Administrator Chen Fan did not receive guests in the commandery, but when Xu Zhi came, Chen Fan specially set out a couch for him. After Xu Zhi left, Chen Fan hung the couch up again. In the second year of the Yanxi era, Chen Fan submitted a memorial to Emperor Huan recommending Xu Zhi. The court, observing the full ceremonial forms for summoning a worthy, sent an an comfortable carriage (anche), in which one could sit at ease, together with the gifts of black and light-red silk bundles (xuanxun), to summon him. Xu Zhi did not accept the summons. Later, when Xu Zhi was summoned by the Grand Commandant Huang Qiong, he again declined to take office. When Huang Qiong died, Xu Zhi went on foot to mourn him.

Xia Fu went to offer his respects, bringing only a chicken and some wine as a modest gift. After weeping, he left without giving his name. Those present were famous scholars from various regions, including Guo Linzong and several dozen others. Having heard of the matter, they suspected the visitor was young and ignorant, so they sent Mao Rong on a fast horse to test him.

Mao Rong caught up with Xia Fu on the road. Xia Fu prepared a meal for him, and the two talked about farming. At parting, Xia Fu asked Mao Rong to pass a message on to Guo Linzong: "A great tree is about to fall, and no single rope can hold it up. Why hurry about in such restless fashion, rather than finding a secure place to settle?"

The Hongdao Lu comments: The top line of the hexagram Dun in the Book of Changes reads, "Fei dun, wu bu li," or "A well-fed retreat; nothing unfavorable." Commentators hold that "fei" means being generous and self-content, and "dun" means departing lightly and remaining unencumbered; only a retreat of this kind is a good one. The top line is a firm, yang line placed above the whole hexagram, with no ties or responses below it. It withdraws far and can rest securely, so there is nothing unfavorable wherever it goes. These words were spoken by Xia Fu to Guo Linzong.

Since those scholars had seen through the world and held themselves proudly apart, refusing the summons of the court, they should have withdrawn far away, retreating deep into the mountains and hiding in remote forests. Instead, they did not go far, and were drawn into the Party Prohibition disaster, willingly enduring slaughter and humiliation. This is a retreat that is entangled, and it inevitably brings sickness and danger. Can such conduct really be called wise?

Guo Tai (that is, Guo Linzong) was widely read in ancient classics, skilled in conversation, and striking in his bearing and manner. When he first met Li Ying, the Governor of Henan, Li Ying admired him greatly, and the two became friends. From then on, Guo Tai's fame shook the capital. Later, when he returned home, many Confucian scholars escorted him to the river, and the carriages that saw him off numbered in the thousands. Guo Tai crossed the river in a single boat with Li Ying alone, while the crowd of guests watched them from afar and felt as though they had glimpsed immortals.

When someone urged Guo Tai to take up office, he replied, "By night I observe the heavens, and by day I examine human affairs. I know that what Heaven is about to abandon cannot be upheld." Naturally clever, he was skilled at judging people, and he took pleasure in guiding and instructing scholars. He stood eight chi tall, with a sturdy, imposing frame, and he wore loose robes and wide sashes as he wandered among the regions.

Once, while travelling through the area of Chen and Liang, he met heavy rain, and one corner of his headscarf was soaked and drooped. People of the time deliberately folded down a corner of their own headscarves in imitation, calling it the "Linzong scarf." Such was the admiration he inspired.

Someone asked Fan Pang of Runan, "What sort of man is Guo Linzong?" Fan Pang answered, "He lives in seclusion yet does not turn away from his kin; he keeps his true nature yet does not leave the common world. The Son of Heaven could not make him a minister, and the feudal lords could not make him a friend. Beyond this, I do not know how else to appraise him."

Although Guo Linzong excelled at judging people, he never delivered harsh or extreme verdicts. For this reason, when the eunuchs held power, they did not harm him. After the Party Prohibition disaster broke out, many men of renown were persecuted, and only Guo Linzong and Yuan Hong of Runan escaped calamity.

The Hongdao Lu records that Fan Ye commented: "Zhuang Zhou once said that the human heart is more treacherous than mountains and rivers. The movements of mountains and rivers can be discerned, but their deep, hidden recesses are hard to fathom; the warmth and sincerity of human affection may also fail to match a person's outward expression. To see through the human heart is difficult even for a sovereign of keen discernment. Guo Linzong (Guo Tai, a renowned scholar of the Eastern Han) alone could distinguish the refined from the vulgar and never misjudged a person."

"Guo Linzong's insight into human nature may be especially remarkable. He was modest in speech and cautious in conduct, and in the end he prospered. Even when the times were dark, he remained gentle and sincere, and he was skilled at guiding others, so that scholars admired him and built their reputations on his example. Even Mozi and Mencius would have found it hard to surpass him."

When Meng Min was living as a sojourner in Taiyuan, the zeng (an earthenware vessel used for steaming food in ancient times) slipped from his shoulder and shattered on the ground. He did not even look at it but turned and walked away. Guo Linzong saw this and asked him why he had acted so. Meng Min replied, "The zeng is already broken. What use is it to look at it?" Guo Linzong felt that he was out of the ordinary and urged him to go abroad to study. Ten years later, Meng Min indeed became famous.

The Hongdao Lu records my view: Meng Min was probably a person of fine natural gifts who had not yet received scholarly instruction. Because his nature was excellent, he did not hesitate in his actions and could handle matters decisively. Because he had not yet been shaped by learning, he was also prone to oversights and held views that differed from those of ordinary people. Once he was urged to study, he could become a man of refinement and courtesy. This is precisely how a gentleman helps others achieve virtue. Guiding, supporting, and encouraging others is indispensable.

Shentu Pan had a profound and subtle natural endowment, and he was quick and perceptive. When his parents died, he observed the mourning rites fully, to the point of nearly destroying his body through grief. His conduct was lofty, and he valued sentiment and righteousness, qualities rarely found in the world. He was content in poverty and delighted in seclusion. He penetrated principles and held fast to his authentic nature, and he did not change himself according to adversity or fortune, high or low status, or hardship or prosperity. Cai Yong once remarked of himself that, in terms of age, Shentu Pan was his senior, and in terms of virtue, Shentu Pan was his superior.

Later, the commandery recruited him to serve as a registrar, but he did not respond to the summons. He lived in seclusion and devoted himself to careful study, mastering the Five Classics broadly and also understanding the tuwei (the teachings on celestial phenomena, auspicious omens, and prophetic apocrypha in ancient times). When Guo Linzong met him, he considered him truly outstanding.

Before this, Fan Pang and others denounced the government, and officials from the Three Ducal ranks and the Nine Ministers down all lowered their status to visit them. Students of the Imperial Academy vied to admire this trend, believing that learning and education were about to flourish and that the reclusive scholars would again be called to office. Only Shentu Pan sighed and said, "In the Warring States period, hermits debated affairs of state one after another. The rulers of the various states even personally carried brooms to clear the way before them in welcome, yet in the end this brought the calamity of burying Confucian scholars alive and burning the books. The present situation may well turn out the same way." He then cut off all traces of himself and settled in the Liang and Dang region, where he built a shelter among the trees and lived as a common commoner. His household was poor, so he took work as a lacquer worker for others.

He lived there for two years, and the Proscription of the Partisans (a campaign by the Eastern Han court against scholars accused of forming factions to criticize the government) indeed broke out. Several hundred people were either executed or subjected to punishment. Shentu Pan held firm in his position and was able to avoid entanglement and suspicion.

In the fifth year of the Zhongping era, he was summoned by the court together with Xun Shuang, Qiao Xuan, Han Rong, Chen Ji, and nine others, a total of fourteen men, who were to be brought to the capital by official carriage. Only Shentu Pan did not respond to the summons. When others urged him, he merely smiled and gave no reply. Before long, Xun Shuang and the others……

Shen Tu Pan was once coerced by Dong Zhuo. Later, when Emperor Xian of Han's carriage moved west to Chang'an, the capital fell into turmoil. Many of the high officials suffered in the upheaval, and their families were scattered. Only Shen Tu Pan kept his integrity intact throughout. He died at home at the age of seventy-four.

The Hongdao Lu remarks: The histories say that Shen Tu Pan could foresee calamity. Was he merely able to detect the first signs of the times? His understanding of the Dao (the Way) was indeed profound. He did not win the respect of the high officials by exposing the misdeeds of the court. Instead, by keeping his distance from a corrupt court, he achieved his lofty character. What a remarkable state of mind! The Doctrine of the Mean says: "People all claim to be clever, yet they are driven into nets and traps, and still do not realize they have fallen into danger." This describes exactly his situation. Shen Tu Pan was by nature mysterious, quick in talent, and far-reaching in thought. From the start, he firmly avoided circumstances that would invite criticism, and later he calmly carried out his long-term plans. This is what the Book of Changes (Yijing) means by "a fine retreat brings auspicious firmness," that is, withdrawing serenely and remaining upright brings good fortune. That he ultimately preserved his lofty integrity was surely only natural.

Xu Shao, a famous scholar of the Eastern Han, valued reputation and integrity highly from his youth. He enjoyed evaluating people and often recognized those worthy of appreciation. Fan Zishao, He Yangshi, and others became well known in the world because of him. Whenever people spoke of recommending talent, they praised Xu Shao. He often went to Yingchuan and associated with many virtuous elders there, but he alone did not visit Chen Shi (courtesy name Zhongong, known in his time as "Taiqiu"). When Chen Fan's wife died, Chen Fan escorted her coffin home for burial. The villagers all attended, but Xu Shao did not. When someone asked why, Xu Shao replied: "Taiqiu is generous by nature, and generosity makes it hard to attend to everything. Zhongju (Chen Fan's courtesy name) is severe by nature, and severity makes it hard to get along with others. That is why I did not visit." His way of judging people was generally like this.

When Cao Cao had not yet risen to prominence, he spoke humbly and gave generous gifts to ask Xu Shao to appraise him. Xu Shao despised Cao Cao's character and would not respond. Cao Cao then used coercion, and Xu Shao, having no choice, said: "You are a treacherous villain in a peaceful age, and a hero in a chaotic one." Cao Cao left, very pleased. Xu Shao and his cousin Xu Jing both had discerning judgment and liked to examine and comment together on the people of their native district, changing the subject of their appraisals each month. For this reason, in the Runan region there arose the saying "Yuedan Ping" (the monthly appraisal of people).

The Hongdao Lu remarks: Compared with the discernment of Jiye (Guo Tai, courtesy name Linzong), I find Xu Shao's "Yuedan Ping" falls far short. Confucius said: "Ci, do you think you are so capable? I have no leisure for such things." This precisely reflects the sage's attitude toward handling worldly affairs and governing all things. Since Xu Shao himself held that Taiqiu was too generous to be fully attended to and Zhongju too severe to accommodate others, and since he made such detailed judgments, why did he not admit that he too had no leisure to attend to these matters? Cao Cao was cunning and resourceful. Before he gained power, he had not yet faced real danger, but later a "small matter" was enough for him to be intolerable to others. To escape calamity at all was already a matter of luck. This cannot be regarded as a wise way of preserving oneself.

According to the Book of Jin, Huangfu Mi (a scholar of the Western Jin) was tranquil, sparing of desires, and tirelessly diligent. He read widely in the classics and the teachings of the various schools, and he aspired to write works of his own. He styled himself "Master Xuanyan" and wrote essays on the classics, music, and the Way of the sages.

Someone urged him to cultivate his reputation and make wide-ranging friendships. Huangfu Mi replied: "Unless a person is a sage, who can be both engaged in the world and withdrawn from it? To live in the countryside, content in poverty, farming with one's own hands, one can also enjoy the joy of the Way of Yao and Shun. Why must one chase worldly profit and busy oneself with office before one can be counted as famous?"

In his Xuanshou lun (Treatise on Guarding the Mystery), he wrote: "What people cherish most is life, and what the Dao (the Way) most needs preserved is the body. The thing that nature and the body can least endure is sickness. If one disturbs one's nature and harms one's life in order to preserve the Dao, how can one escape poverty and lowliness and obtain what one desires? When a person dies, people wail, thinking something has been lost; when a person is born, people rejoice, thinking something has been gained. But wailing and rejoicing do not harm the dead, nor do they benefit the living. Therefore the supreme Dao does not diminish, and the supreme De (Virtue) does not increase, why? Because they are already sufficient.

"If the thoughts of everyone under heaven are directed toward pursuing the calamities that harm life, and the minds of all within the four seas are devoted to worsening illnesses that bring no benefit, is this the highest attainment of De? Only what is not diminished can be called firm; only what does not seek increase can be called substantial. Because it is firm, it is never harmed; because it is substantial, it is never shallow. If one comprehends the solid essence of firmness and substance, dwells in the truth that is not shallow, and stands apart from loss and gain, transcending the form of the body, then my Dao is complete."

Thereafter Huangfu Mi never took office. When Emperor Wu of Jin issued edicts urging him to serve, he submitted a memorial calling himself a "grassland minister" (a subject dwelling among the common people). When he asked his younger brother to lend him books, Emperor Wu sent him a carriage full of books.

The Hongdao lu (Record of Broadening the Way) comments: "Master Xuanyan was truly wise! He not only practiced his Dao in poverty and lowliness, but also faced illness with equanimity and avoided a chaotic age. His learning took quietude and emptiness as its foundation, while his aspirations remained within ritual and law. He differed from worldly people, regarding wealth and rank as floating clouds, and he is not something ordinary people can be compared to. The Xuanshou lun thoroughly penetrates the principles of life and death and is truly worth reading, so I have recorded it here."

Wei Zhong (a figure of the Western Jin) was generous and fond of learning. He closed his door to cultivate himself and would not associate with the powerful of his day. Pei Wei repeatedly praised him to Zhang Hua, and when Zhang Hua summoned him to office, he refused to take up the post, citing illness. When someone asked him the reason, Wei Zhong said: "I am a poor scholar living in a thatched hut, and I never had any intention of serving in office. Moreover, Maoxian (Zhang Hua) is ostentatious yet lacks substance, Pei Wei is greedy without limit, and they abandoned statutes and rites to attach themselves to the disordered politics of the empress. How could they be considered great men……"

...Could this truly be the right course of action? Pei often entrusted his troubles to me, and I always feared that the great waves would crash against the mountains and their aftershocks would sweep a person away. Moreover, how could one approach the Weilü (the legendary place where the seawater drains away) and peer into the Wojiao (the legendary mountain that absorbs the sea)?

Zhang Han (courtesy name Jiying) was gifted with a clear, refined talent and excelled at writing. Once, He Xun of Kuaiji was ordered to travel to the capital and passed through Changmen in Wu by boat. Zhang Han was playing the qin on the water. The two had never met, but Zhang Han boarded the vessel and spoke with He Xun, and they quickly came to respect and admire one another. Zhang Han learned that He Xun was bound for the capital and said that he, too, had business there. The two therefore traveled together, and Zhang Han did not inform his family.

Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi, summoned Zhang Han to serve as Dongcao Yuan (a subordinate official in charge of documents). At that time Sima Jiong held great power. Zhang Han said to Gu Rong, a fellow native of their commandery, "The realm is in turmoil, and the calamities have not ended. For men of reputation like us, it is difficult to withdraw and escape harm. I am a person of the mountains and forests by nature, and I have no aspirations regarding the times. You should be skilled at guarding against the dangers before you, and you should use your wisdom to consider what lies ahead." Gu Rong took Zhang Han's hand and said sorrowfully, "I too am willing to go with you to the Southern Mountain to gather bracken and drink from the Three Rivers."

Later, when the autumn wind rose, Zhang Han thought of the wild rice shoots, the water shield, and the minced perch of Wu, and sighed: "What is precious in life is contentment. How can one, for the sake of fame and office, serve thousands of li away?" He then had a carriage prepared to return home. People praised him for perceiving the signs of events and for withdrawing from danger in good time.

The Hongdao Lu comments: Wei Zijie's parting from Zhang Maoxian came before the matter had taken shape, and Wei saw the trend in advance. This is what is meant by acting decisively and cultivating virtue. Thus, a spring that has just welled up from the mountain meets obstacles, and it is not yet known where it will flow. It is like mountain clouds that have not yet risen or water that has not yet rippled: the peril has not yet appeared and is difficult to foresee.

Zhang Jiying's parting from Gu Yanxian came after the calamity had already become visible, and out of anxiety Zhang withdrew from it. This is what is meant by recognizing danger and avoiding disaster. When the qi of heaven and earth do not join in harmony, petty people gain power and gentlemen lose it. It is like falling into water or being scorched by fire: the danger is already upon one, and one cannot delay. Did not Mencius say that some depart far and some draw near, some leave and some do not, and that the key lies only in keeping one's purity intact? Is this not the practice of the wise?

Yan Han, a famous scholar of the Jin dynasty, possessed outstanding talent and was esteemed by many. He had a deep friendship with Deng You. Yan Han once said, "Zhou Boren is upright, Deng Bodao is incorruptible, and Bian Wangzhi has integrity. As for the others, I do not know them well."

When Wang Dao served as the emperor's tutor and held a position of great prominence, the Grand Minister of Ceremonies, Feng Huai, proposed that the officials should pay obeisance to Wang Dao. Feng Huai asked Yan Han for his opinion, and Yan Han replied, "Though Lord Wang is honored, by principle one should not bow to him in any special way. The saying that one should lower one's ceremony to visit him may be what you gentlemen ought to do. I am old and do not understand the demands of the times." Later, Yan Han told others, "I have heard that when attacking another state, one does not consult the benevolent..."

Although Sima Han was for a time mistakenly regarded as treacherous and hypocritical, his conduct was upright, and in the end the world came to respect him. Someone once asked which was the greater evil, Shao Zhengmao or Robber Zhi. Some answered that Shao Zhengmao, though treacherous, did not kill people for food, so Robber Zhi's crimes were greater. Sima Han replied that when wrongdoing is displayed openly, people will naturally find ways to punish it, but treachery that is hidden is difficult to detect and eliminate unless one is a sage. Seen in this light, Shao Zhengmao's wrongdoing was in fact the more serious. The listeners were all convinced.

Guo Pu (a divination specialist of the Eastern Jin) once met Sima Han and wished to divine his fortune, saying: "A person's lifespan is decided by Heaven, while one's position depends on people. If you cultivate yourself but Heaven does not aid you, that is fate. If you hold fast to the right Way and others fail to understand you, that is one's nature. Since fate and nature each have their fixed measure, there is no need to trouble the milfoil stalks and tortoise shells."

Huan Wen (a powerful minister of the Eastern Jin) repeatedly sought a marriage alliance with Sima Han, but Sima Han judged Huan Wen's power to be excessive and declined. Later, when he grew old and resigned from office, the emperor praised his long-standing conduct and conferred on him the title of Grand Master of Splendid Officials of the Right (you guanglu dafu). The emperor also sent him bed curtains and bedding and ordered the palace dining office to provide him with meals. Sima Han firmly declined all of these and accepted none of them.

The Hongdao Lu (Hongdao Lu, "Record of Spreading the Dao") comments: I observe that among people in the world, some enjoy lofty reputations while their actual virtue is deficient, and others are surrounded by flatterers yet receive courtesy and esteem. Can such cases be limited to Ma Zusi alone? That Sima Han cared devotedly for his sister-in-law after his elder brother's death is not by itself sufficient to serve as a definitive basis for judging him. But that he upheld righteousness even while his power was at its height is indeed worthy of being taken as a standard. Sima Han, I know that you can be spared the criticism of the secular world. Are you not what people call a hero?

The Tang Shu (Tang Shu, "History of the Tang") records that Lou Shide (a Tang minister) recommended Di Renjie (a famous Tang statesman), but Di Renjie was unaware of this and held Lou Shide in low regard, several times having him posted to distant places. When Empress Wu Zetian noticed, she asked Di Renjie, "Does Lou Shide know how to recognize talent?" Di Renjie replied, "I once served as a colleague of his, and I have never heard that he is skilled at judging people." The empress said, "It was through Lou Shide's recommendation that I came to know you. This may itself be called his skill at recognizing talent."

After Di Renjie withdrew, he sighed, "Lou Shide's virtue is deep. He has tolerated me for so long, and yet I never saw through the breadth of his heart." At that time the affairs of the court were in turmoil, and Lou Shide served for a long time as a general and as chancellor, yet he was always able to preserve his good name through his achievements and reputation. People therefore considered him very wise.

The Hongdao Lu comments: How is it that Di Renjie could see clearly through five princes yet could not see through the one, Lou Shide? The Book of Changes (Yijing) says, "At times silent, at times speaking," and also, "Two people who share the same mind." Lou Shide and Di Renjie were both wholeheartedly loyal to the royal house, and there was originally no difference between them. However, Di Renjie liked to speak frankly to people's faces and argue vigorously at court, saying whatever he knew. Lou Shide, by contrast, was often patient and forbearing and did not readily reveal his intentions. In word and conduct they differed, and on the surface they even seemed to contradict each other, yet what each held to in his heart was as firm as metal and stone. Di Renjie's understanding of Lou Shide...

The beginnings of virtuous conduct may seem broad, yet in the end they can win people's sincere admiration. What prevents us from saying that the two are the same?

Pei Xingjian was skilled at judging people. At that time, Wang Ju, a former Presented Scholar (jinshi), and Su Weidao, the magistrate's assistant of Xianyang County, were not yet famous. After meeting them once, Pei said, "Both of you will in time take charge of the selection of officials, one after the other. I have a young daughter, and I would like to entrust her to you." Back then, Wang Bo, Yang Jiong of Huayin, Lu Zhaolin of Fanyang, and Luo Binwang of Yiwu were all renowned for their outstanding writing. Li Jingxuan held them in particularly high regard and believed they were sure to rise to prominence. Pei, however, said, "A scholar who hopes to accomplish great things should first look at his capacity and insight, and only then at his talent and skill. Wang Bo and the others, though gifted in writing, are frivolous, impatient, shallow, and ostentatious. How could they be people fit to enjoy high office and generous emoluments? Yang Jiong is somewhat steadier and should be able to rise to the rank of county magistrate or prefect. As for the rest, if they manage to die peacefully in old age, they will have been fortunate." Later, Wang Bo drowned in the South Sea, Lu Zhaolin threw himself into the Ying River, Luo Binwang was executed, and Yang Jiong finally became magistrate of Yingzhou. Wang Ju and Su Weidao both presided over the selection of officials, and everything turned out just as Pei had said.

The Hongdao Lu comments: Confucius praised Zigong as a "precious vessel used for holding millet in the ancestral temple," which refers to capacity and insight. King Wen of Zhou praised many outstanding talents, which refers to skill. Yet a person must have the inner substance of gold or jade before he is worth further refining and before he can shine. If he is merely an earthenware jar, however elaborately decorated, how could he ever become a ritual vessel in the ancestral temple? Even someone of Jia Yi's exceptional intelligence was criticized by gentlemen for having lofty ambitions but a narrow capacity: abundant talent but insufficient insight. How much more so for the "Four Talents of the Early Tang"? Therefore, a gentleman should be all the more self-respecting and should not be satisfied merely with writing fine essays through literary skill alone.

The History of the Song records that Zhang Yong, when young, studied together with Fu Lin of Qingzhou. Fu Lin lived in seclusion and never took office. After Zhang Yong became prominent, he sent people to look for Fu Lin, and they searched for thirty years without finding him. One day Fu Lin suddenly came to visit. The gatekeeper announced, "Fu Lin requests an audience with you." Zhang Yong rebuked him, saying, "Master Fu is a celebrated scholar of the realm. I do not even dare to call myself his friend. Who are you to address him by his given name?" Fu Lin smiled and said, "We have been apart for a lifetime, and you are still like this? Do you not know that there is a Fu Lin in this world?" Zhang Yong asked, "Why did you live in seclusion before, and why have you come out now?" Fu Lin replied, "You are about to leave this world, and I have come to tell you." Zhang Yong said, "I already know this myself." Fu Lin said, "Since you already know, what more is there to say?" The next day Fu Lin took his leave; one month later, Zhang Yong passed away.

The Hongdao Lu comments: This matter resembles the stories of Yuanbo and Juqing, in which sincere feeling moves the heart and no emotion fails to reach its mark. Thus when minds connect with one another, there is never a time when they fail to correspond. Even so, the mountains of Shu……

Ten years without a single deluded thought is enough to foresee the future, so how much more could Ruolin (Rulin) have achieved after thirty years of quiet cultivation? He was untouched by external temptations and could regard wealth and rank as easily as slipping off a pair of shoes, and this too is evident from his conduct.

Bi Zhongyou (Northern Song official) was highly valued by Sima Guang, Lü Gongzhu, and Fan Chunren. At that time Su Shi was serving in the Guange (the court institution responsible for managing documents and compiling books), and he often criticized current affairs through his speeches and writings. Worried that this would bring disaster, Bi Zhongyou wrote to admonish Su Shi:

"Mencius debated only when he had no other choice, while Confucius hoped to stop speaking altogether. The ancients deliberated carefully and planned thoroughly both to achieve merit and accomplishment and to preserve their lives. They never disregarded this principle.

"Since you entered court service, your personal safety, fortune, and misfortune have all depended on what you say, yet you seem never to have been concerned about the entanglements that your words bring. Speech is not only what is spoken aloud. What is written in poetry, expressed in rhapsodies and eulogies, and inscribed in epitaphs, prefaces, and commemorative essays also counts.

"Now you know to be cautious in spoken remarks, but you do not know to be cautious in writing. Whatever you consider right, those who agree will be pleased; whatever you consider wrong, those who are criticized will resent. Those who are pleased may not be able to help your plans, while those who resent you may already be undermining your affairs. People throughout the realm are already watching your writings and commentary. Even without explicit praise or blame, they will suspect praise or blame, and how much more so when your writings truly contain judgment? You are neither a remonstrance official nor a censor, yet you risk touching on taboos and maneuvering through political storms. This is as perilous as rolling stones in water to rescue a drowning person."

The Hongdao Lu (Record of Expanding the Way) comments: Historical records state that Chao Gu was a fellow native of Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Zhe, and that he associated with them in ordinary times. While the Su brothers were prominent at court, Chao Gu never went to visit them. But when the two brothers were successively banished to Lingnan, and none of their former friends sent them any greeting, Chao Gu alone traveled from Meishan to visit them. The Su brothers, delighted and astonished, exclaimed, "This is not a man of the present, but a man of antiquity!"

Privately, I believe that what distinguishes the ancients from people today is that they valued encouraging one another to correct faults, and that the primary principle of such encouragement is clear understanding. Had Su Shi earlier heeded Bi Zhongyou's words and taken benefit from that honest counsel, he might not have been banished to the ends of the earth, and Chao Gu's reputation and his journey to Danxian to visit Su Shi might not have been recorded in history. To overlook the value of sincere counsel and instead praise Chao Gu's extraordinary integrity, while this account sets aside Su Shi to narrate Gong Shu, also expresses the idea of protecting oneself and being cautious in speech.

Shao Bowen was the son of Shao Yong. At that time Shao Yong enjoyed a very high reputation, and he associated with Sima Guang, Er……

Thanks to the recommendations of the various eminent officials, he was given these matters to handle and was thereby able to present himself at court. His father, for his part, instructed him to go out and serve the high officials and to listen to what they had seen and heard.

He grew ever more learned and was especially well versed in the affairs of government of the time. When Emperor Shenzong died and Emperor Zhezong ascended the throne, Cai Que was serving as chief minister. Xing Shu was transferred from Xiangzhou to Heyang and went to see Cai Que to discuss how to fabricate the matter of the "establishment of the succession" (dingce). By this time Sima Guang had already died, and his son Kang (Shao Bowen) was due to present himself at court, so Xing Shu summoned him to Heyang. Bowen's cousin Wen advised him, "You have only just removed your mourning garments and have not yet paid your respects to the new sovereign. You should not take a detour to visit a friend first." Kang replied, "I have already promised him."

Wen went on, "Xing Shu is crafty and changeable, and he may use this matter to coerce you. If you go along with what he says, you will surely regret it later." Kang went anyway. Xing Shu did indeed urge him to write a letter stating that Cai Que had merit in establishing the new emperor. Kang had been a classmate of Xing Shu's and had also come up under Sima Guang's tutelage, so he wrote the letter according to Xing Shu's words. Xing Shu likely meant to use Kang's standing as Sima Guang's son to make people believe that Cai Que had indeed earned merit in the succession, and thereby to secure his own safety and that of his family in the future.

Not long after, Liang Tao was summoned to serve as Remonstrating Counselor, and Xing Shu also invited him to Heyang, where for days and nights they discussed Cai Que's affairs and used Kang's letter as evidence. Liang Tao was greatly displeased. Just then Wu Chuhou submitted a memorial stating that Cai Que's poems satirized the government. Liang Tao and Liu Anshi jointly petitioned for Cai Que to be put to death, and they also pursued Xing Shu's offenses. The court ordered Kang to analyze the matter point by point, and only then did Kang regret what he had done.

When Kang died, his son Shao Zhi was still young, and Empress Dowager Xuanren took him in and raised him. Lü Dafang said that Kang had always believed Bowen could be entrusted with responsibilities, and so he requested that Bowen be appointed Professor at Xijing to instruct Shao Zhi. After taking up his post, Bowen admonished Shao Zhi: "You are the grandson of Sima Guang and the son of the Remonstrating Counselor. Whether you prove wise or foolish, the whole world is watching, and you ought to be mindful of this." Shao Zhi, upon hearing this, applied himself diligently without slackening, and in the end he achieved success.

In the early years of the Shaosheng era, Zhang Dun served as chief minister. He had formerly served Shao Yong (Kangjie), and he wished to employ Bowen, but Bowen would not go to him. Just then, in accordance with regulations, he was due to proceed to the Ministry of Personnel for official selection, and Cheng Yi said to him, "I fear that this journey of yours will be dangerous." Bowen replied, "Is it that I do not wish to meet my late father in the underworld?" When he arrived in the capital, he first went to the Ministry of Personnel to receive his proposed appointment, and only afterward went to pay his respects to the chief minister. When Zhang Dun spoke of Shao Yong's learning, he said, "Alas, I was not able to complete my studies under the master."

Bowen said, "My late father's learning of the Former Heaven (a doctrine centered on deducing the myriad things of heaven and earth), in discussing heaven, earth, and the myriad things, leaves nothing unaccounted for. If one believes in this, then the enmities of the human world and the capricious turns of fate can also be set aside." At that time Zhang Dun was stirring up cases of factional strife, and Bowen used these words to move him. Zhang Dun, upon hearing them, was somewhat awakened and still recommended Bowen to the court, but Bowen requested a post as a county or prefectural official instead. Zhang Dun was displeased, and so Bowen was sent to supervise the mint at the Yongxing Army. Just then, the various worthy ministers of the Yuanyou era……

When Shao Bowen (Shao Yong's son) moved south, few people went to visit him. He had met Fan Zuyu in Xianping and Fan Chunren in Yingchang. Some may have been afraid because of this, but Bowen did not care. Shao Yong had once said, "The world is about to fall into great disorder. Only Shu is at peace, and one may go there to take refuge." At the end of the Xuanhe era, Bowen moved his whole family to Shu and so escaped the calamity.

Zhao Ding had studied with Bowen in his youth. Later, in writing Bowen's tomb inscription, he said: "Bowen established himself through learning and virtue in the Yuanyou era, preserved his integrity and reputation through the Shaosheng era, and was dismissed in the Chongning era for speaking frankly." People of the time regarded these three sentences as a summary of Bowen's advances and withdrawals, and of his conduct throughout his life.

The Hongdao Lu comments: I consider that Shao Kangjie (the sobriquet of Shao Yong) could not only see rise and fall in the past but could also infer the order and chaos of the future from the principles of things. Shao Yong's son Bowen did not fail his father, and he also wished to help his friends. Looking back now, among the senior ministers of the Yuanyou era, who were later killed together, facing death side by side? Among the eminent disciples of the Two Chengs (Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi), who later saw their entire families destroyed, and who preserved the family line? When one acts without caution, regret follows and one's reputation suffers. When one takes office and dies for others, one instead becomes the first to suffer harm. To fall into hatred is regrettable, and to willingly dwell in filth runs wholly against principle. Why not strive forward while the government is still clear, and avoid calamity before chaos arrives? Bowen studied within the gate of the sages and may be called far-sighted. He was a worthy and wise man, and he was not deluded. One should not attribute his achievements to fate simply because he studied the science of qi and fate.

The Jinsi Lu records that Zhang Zai (Hengqu) asked Cheng Hao (Mingdao): "The mind and nature are not yet settled. They are still moved by external things. What should one do?" Mingdao answered: "To be settled means to be at peace when moving and at peace when still. One does not greet things in advance, nor chase after them, and one does not divide inside from outside. If you regard external things as outside and feel they pull you, and so follow them, then you have treated your nature as divided into inner and outer. Moreover, if you think the nature flows outward with external things, then when it is outside, what would count as inside? This is deliberately cutting off the lure of external things without understanding that the nature has no inner or outer division to begin with. Once one regards inner and outer as two fundamentally different things, how can one speak of being settled at all?

"The constant way of Heaven and Earth is to embrace all things with its mind without holding private intentions. The constant Way of the sage is to respond to all affairs without clinging to feelings. The gentleman in learning should ideally keep a broad mind and a calm heart, and respond to things as principle requires when they arrive. The Book of Changes says, 'Holding to rightness brings good fortune, and regret disappears.' It also says, 'If the mind goes back and forth unsettled, friends will follow what you think.' If one anxiously busies oneself with clearing away external temptations, one will find that as soon as the east is pressed down, the west sprouts up again. Not only is there not enough time, but such threads are endless and cannot be..."

Human emotions each carry their own obscurations, and for this reason they cannot accord with the Dao (Dào, the Way). Broadly speaking, the greatest flaws lie in self-interest and in deliberately exercising calculation. A self-interested person cannot respond to things in accordance with their nature and act appropriately, and a person who relies constantly on calculation cannot let clear awareness (míngjué) manifest naturally.

Now, if one harbors a mind that loathes external things and seeks out a state free of external things, it is like turning a mirror around and still expecting it to reflect. The Yijing (Yìjīng, Book of Changes) says: "Stopping at the back, one loses sense of one's own body; walking in the courtyard, one does not see other people." Rather than rejecting external things and insisting that the inner mind alone is correct, it is better to forget inner and outer together. When inner and outer are both forgotten, the mind becomes clear and still. With no disturbance in the heart, it can be settled, and once settled, it can be luminous. Given this, how could responding to things become a burden?

The sage's joy arises because things are truly worthy of joy, and the sage's anger arises because things truly warrant anger. The sage's joy and anger are not drawn out by private concerns but arise according to the principle of the matter itself. Is this not a response to external things? How could one say that responding to external things is wrong, and that only seeking rightness within the mind is correct? If we compare the joy and anger born of self-interest and calculation with the sage's joy and anger, which accord with right principle, how do the two compare?

Human emotions arise easily but are hard to govern, and of these, anger is the most serious. If one can, in the moment of anger, immediately set down the rage and turn instead to examine whether the matter accords with reason, one will understand that external temptations are not worth hating. With regard to the Dao, one will have already grasped the greater part.

The Hongdao Lu (Hóngdào Lù) comments: "Having read the Dingxing Shu (Dìngxìng Shū, Essay on Settling the Nature), I know that the Master's attainment is deep and his insight unique, not something ordinary scholars can reach. People are burdened by external things because they cannot gather their scattered minds. In speaking of settling the nature, one should neither deliberately welcome nor deliberately reject, should not cling to the distinction between inner and outer, and should let movement and stillness become one. The most subtle principle here is a mind open and even, responding as things arrive. The whole essay analyzes this repeatedly, and it says nothing beyond this principle."

Yet of these principles, the easiest to point out and the easiest to practice is to begin with the emotions, which is why the Master also illustrated them through joy and anger. If one wishes to point directly to the first step of cultivation, it is this: in the moment of anger, first set down the rage, then observe whether the matter accords with principle. The essential purpose of the whole text is to let clear awareness manifest naturally, and what must above all be guarded against is self-interest and deliberate calculation. The penetrating insight of Yanzi (Yánzǐ, Yan Hui), the settled tranquility and careful deliberation of Zengzi (Zēngzǐ, Zeng Shen), the sincerity and clarity spoken of by Zisi (Zǐsī), Mengzi's analysis grounded in righteousness versus profit, and the clarity, transparency, impartiality, and universality described by Master Zhou (Zhōuzǐ, Zhou Dunyi) can all be fully embodied here. This is precisely what sets it apart from earlier generations. Why should it have to wait for a deliberately composed treatise before...

When Lu Jiuyuan was three or four years old, he asked his father, "Where is the boundary of heaven and earth?" His father smiled and did not answer. Lu then kept pondering the question, even while sleeping, sitting, or lying down. Unlike ordinary children, he impressed everyone who met him, and they respected him.

Someone once remarked to another, "I have heard people recite Yichuan's (Cheng Yi's) sayings. Why do they not seem to match the words of Confucius and Mencius?" When Lu first read the Analects, he already doubted the sayings of Master You (You Ruo, a disciple of Confucius). Later, while studying, he came to the word "yuzhou" (cosmos), and a commentator explained, "What lies in the four directions and above and below is called yu, and what extends from antiquity to the present is called zhou." Lu suddenly awakened and said, "The affairs within the cosmos are all my own affairs, and my own affairs are all within the cosmos."

He also said, "When a sage appears in the East across the sea, his mind is the same as ours and his principle is the same as ours. The same holds in the West, the South, and the North. When a sage appeared a thousand or a hundred years ago, his mind was the same as ours and his principle was the same. When a sage appears a thousand or a hundred years hence, his mind and principle will not differ either."

Later he passed the imperial examinations and became a jinshi. When he arrived at the zaixing (the temporary residence where the emperor stayed), scholars vied to follow him and study under him. His words moved his listeners and inspired them to strive, and many were affected in this way. He taught without fixed rules of study. When a student committed a minor fault, his remarks often hit precisely at what the student was thinking, and some students even broke into a sweat. When someone harbored a doubt they could not resolve on their own, he analyzed the reasons for it point by point, so that the person came to understand their own thoughts. Even those who lived a thousand li away and had heard only the general outline of his teaching could grasp his character.

He once said, "When a thought first turns crooked, notice it at once and you can correct it. When a thought first turns upright, if you lose that uprightness in the blink of an eye, it has become crooked." To those who came to learn, he said, "Your ears are already able to hear, and your eyes are already able to see. In serving your father, you naturally know filial piety. In treating your elder brothers, you naturally know respect and affection. A person is complete from the start and need not search outside for anything."

He further said, "It is easier to reason with people who are immersed in profit and desire than with people who are immersed in their own fixed opinions, which is in fact more difficult." When someone urged him to write books, he replied, "The Six Classics (the six Confucian canonical texts) are annotations on me, and I am an annotation on the Six Classics. If a student truly understands the Way, then the Six Classics are all footnotes that serve to clarify my principles."

He once met Zhu Xi at Goose Lake to discuss their respective doctrines, and they disagreed on many points. Later, when Zhu Xi took up a post in Nankang, Lu went to visit him. Zhu Xi accompanied him to the White Deer Grotto Academy, where Lu lectured on the passage from the Analects that reads, "The gentleman understands what is right; the petty person understands what is profitable." Zhu Xi held that this lecture struck at the deep-seated problems that had long afflicted those who study, and among the listeners, some were moved to tears.

I believe the differences between Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan's teachings arose mainly from differences in their natural endowments. When Lu Jiuyuan was three or four years old, he already sought the fundamental principles of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things, so when he grew up it was natural for him to take the mind and nature as the root of learning. Zhu Xi, by contrast, accumulated knowledge little by little, probing principles inch by inch, so that once his learning matured, he naturally placed greater weight on study and investigation. Each of the two masters had his strengths, and their directions of inquiry differed. This was originally no contradiction and did not impede one another.

This is like the disciples of Confucius. Zengzi was slow in temperament, while Zigong was quick and perceptive, yet both were able to grasp "one thread running through all" (the fundamental principle that penetrates all affairs and principles), because Confucius enlightened and guided them. After the sages no longer appeared, the various schools each set up their own gates, lacking any common unifying point of return, so that opinions multiplied and scholars disputed with one another. Later scholars, following along, added to the clamor and understood even less that "honoring the virtuous nature" (esteeming the moral nature inherent within oneself) and "inquiring and learning" (seeking to understand principles through study and questioning) must not be neglected. The Way of Confucius transmitted by Zisi never neglected either side, so the two should never have been separated in the first place.

If the Great Dao belongs to all under Heaven, then one whose talents and reflections do not fit oneself need not deliberately seek difference, and one whose learning and thought offer nothing to others need not force it upon them. In this way, no one at the time can criticize, and later generations have no ground for objection. Is this not what is called "Great Harmony" (Datong)? I fear that the more later generations debate, the further they drift from the principle. The Hongdao Lu was written precisely to clarify the Great Dao, which is why these words could not go unrecorded.

Shui Dong says: Master Wu Si'an, Wu Na of the Ming dynasty, often remarked that shallow-learned people of the world, when speaking of younger scholars, readily say, "This is nothing but a scholar of the Yunfu Qunyu type, who merely hurries his boat back and forth." This means their learning is fragmented, that they only pick up scattered materials, like idle sitting and idle talk, lacking lofty insight and the key that connects principles.

Master Wu had long been familiar with the affairs of great families. From childhood he was unusually quick and read widely, reading everything. He followed his father to posts in various places and had abundant observation and experience. Afterward he further immersed himself in cultivation for three or four decades. Therefore his learning was broad and solid, his bearing vigorous and expansive, and his insight outstanding and clear. His Xingli Qunshu Buzhu and Xiaoxue Jijie were quite helpful to the study of earlier Confucian masters, and especially where he discussed the profound points of the principles of nature, he offered much elucidation.

I believe Master Wu entered office through recommendation rather than through the civil examinations, yet his words cut precisely to the ills of the literati of his time. Compared with the teachings of Zhang Zai, Cheng Yi, Zhu Xi, Lu Jiuyuan, and others of the past, there is indeed a considerable gap. Seen in this light, should not scholars seriously reflect? This is the purpose for which the Hongdao Lu recorded these words.

This is why it came to this ending.

Hongdao Lu, Scroll 47