因何驕怨子日斯子何 威欲惠何可日、如子 威而不猛子張日 因民之所利而利之 何謂惠而不費子日 矣。屏從 而日子四 七日日不不君張惡矣。日 CHAPTER II. 1. Tsze-chang asked Confucius, saying, "In what way should a person in authority act in order that he may conduct government properly?" The Master replied, "Let him honour the five excellent, and banish away the four bad, things; then may he conduct government properly." Tsze-chang said, "What are meant by the five excellent things?" The Master said, "When the person in authority is beneficent without great expenditure; when he lays tasks on the people without their repining; when he pursues what he desires without being covetous; when he maintains a dignified ease without being proud; when he is majestic without being fierce." 2. Tsze-chang said, "What is meant by being beneficent without great expenditure?" The Master replied, "When the person in and last emperor of the Hea dynasty. The | The remaining paragraphs are descriptive of ministers of God' are the able and virtuous men, whom T'ang had called, or would call, to office. By 簡在帝心, Tang indicates that, in his punishing or rewarding, he only wanted to act in harmony with the mind of God.無以萬 方=萬方小民何預焉, as in the transl. In the dict., it is said that and 與 are interchanged. This is a case in point. 4. In the Shoo-king, o-king, Pt V. iii. 8, we find king Woo saying 大賽於四海而萬姓 悦服, 'I distributed great rewards through the empire, and all the people were pleased and submitted.' 5. See the Shoo-king, Pt V. i. sect. the policy of king Woo, but cannot, excepting the 8th one, be traced in the present Shoo-king. 任, par. 9, is in the low. 3d tone. See XVII. 6, which chap., generally, resembles this para graph. 2. How GOVERNMENT MAY BE CONDUCTED WITH EFFICIENCY, BY HONOURING FIVE EXCELLENT THINGS, AND PUTTING AWAY FOUR BAD THINGS: -A CONVERSATION WITH TSZK-CHANG. It is understood that this chapter, and the next, give the ideas of Confucius on government, as a sequel to those of the ancient sages and emperors, whose principles are set forth in the last chapter, to show how Confucius was their proper successor. 1. On 從政 see VI. 6, but the gloss of the 備 says-從政只泛 說行政,不作爲大夫,從政 II. 6. 7. The subject in 雖有周親is受 or 紂, tyrant of the Yin dynasty.周,in here denotes generally the practice of governthe sense of 至.過 is used in the sense of ment. It is not to be taken as indicating a minister.' We may, however, retain the proper 咎, 'to blame.' The people found fault with meaning of the phrase, Confucius describing him, because he did not come to save them from principles to be observed by all in authority, and their sufferings, by destroying their oppressor. | which will find in the highest their noblest 勞而勞之又誰怨欲仁而 斯不亦惠而不費乎擇可 小仁而不 大又岁 乎無焉之 敢貪又 之暴慢令致期謂之賊猛 而不驕乎君子正其衣冠 猶謂教子畏冠泰寡而 authority makes more beneficial to the people the things from which they naturally derive benefit; - is not this being beneficent without great expenditure? When he chooses the labours which are proper, and makes them labour on them, who will repine? When his desires are set on benevolent government, and he realizes it, who will accuse him of covetousness? Whether he has to do with many people or few, or with things great or small, he does not dare to indicate any disrespect; - is not this to maintain a dignified ease without any pride? He adjusts his clothes and cap, and throws a dignity into his looks, so that, thus dignified, he is looked at with awe;-is not this to be majestic without being fierce?" 3. Tsze-chang then asked, "What are meant by the four bad things?" The Master said, "To put the people to death without having instructed them; this is called cruelty. To require from them, suddenly, the full tale of work, without having given them warning:-this is called oppression. To issue orders as if without urgency, at first, and, when the time comes, to insist on them with embodiment. The 日講 favours this view. See its paraphrase in loc. I have therefore translated 君子 by-' a person in authority.' 勞而不怨,一see IV. 18, though the application of the terms there is different. 泰而 Z is instanced by the employment of the people in advantageous public works. 欲仁云云 is explained:- Desire for what is not proper is covetousness, but if, while the wish to have the empire overshadowed by his benevolence has not reached to universal advantaging, his desire does not cease, then, with a heart impament impatient of those evils. What he desires 不驕,一see XIII. 26. 威而不猛,-see tient of people's evils, he administers a governVII. 37.2. 因民云云 is instanced by is benevolence, and what he gets is the same; the promotion of agriculture,擇可勞云|-how can he be regarded as covetous?'硯 謂 以不為知 人言立知君命子之納與 也。無也。禮子無日有之 以不無也。以不司客也 severity; this is called injury. And, generally speaking, to give pay or rewards to men, and yet to do it in a stingy way; - this is called acting the part of a mere official." CHAPTER III. 1. The Master said, "Without recognizing the ordinances of Heaven, it is impossible to be a superior man. 2. "Without an acquaintance with the rules of Propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established. 3. "Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know men." is explained here by 實,'to require from.' We may get that meaning out of the char., which to examine,' 'to look for.' A good deal has to be supplied, here and in the sentences below, to bring out the meaning as in the trans lation.猶之 is explained by 均之, and seems to me to be nearly=our 'on the whole.' 出納,一‘giving out,' i. e., from this and pre only 'knowing, but believing and resting in.' 丽 is the will of Heaven regarding right and wrong, of which man has the standard in his own moral nature. If this be not recognized, a man is the slave of passion, or the sport of feeling. 2. Compare VIII. 8, 2. 3. 知 here supposes much thought and examination of principles. senting, i. e., to that. The whole is understood to refer to rewarding men for their services, and doing it in an unwilling and stingy manner. 8. THE ORDINANCES OF HEAVEN, THE RULES Words are the voice of the heart. To know a man, we must attend well to what and how he thinks. THE GREAT LEARNING. 219 大學 焉則庶乎其不 初學入德之門 孔氏之遺書而 子程子曰大學 My master, the philosopher Ch'ing, says:-"The Great Learning is a book left by Confucius, and forms the gate by which first learners enter into virtue. That we can now perceive the order in which the ancients pursued their learning, is solely owing to the preservation of this work, the Analects and Mencius coming after it. Learners must commence their course with this, and then it may be hoped they will be kept from error." TITLE OF THE WORK.-大學, 'The Great Learning. I have pointed out, in the prolego great differences which are found among Chinese commentators on this Work, on almost every point connected with the criticism and interpretation of it. We encounter them here on the very threshold. The name itself is simply the adoption of the two commencing characters of the treatise, according to the custom noticed at the beginning of the Analects; but in explaining those two characters, the old and new schools differ widely. Anciently, 大 was read as 太 and the oldest commentator whose notes on the work are preserved, Ch'ing K'ang-shing, in the last half of the second He's definition, on the contrary, is—大學者 大人之學也,大學 means the Learning of Adults. One of the paraphrasts who follow him says-大是大人,與 小子對,“大 means adults, in opposition to children.' The grounds of Choo He's interpr. are to be found in his very elegant preface to the Book, where he tries to make it out, that we have here the subjects taught in the advanced schools of antiquity. I have contented myself with the title - The Great Learning,' which is a literal translation of the characters, whether read as 太學, or 大學. THE INTRODUCTORY NOTE. -I have thought it well to translate this, and all the other notes and supplements appended by Choo He to the century, said that the book was called 犬學, 以其記博學,可以為政,‘because original text, because they appear in nearly all it recorded that extensive learning, which was available for the administration of government.' This view is approved by K'ung Ying-tă (孔 穎達), whose expansion of K'ang-shing's the editions of the work, which fall into the hands of students, and his view of the classics is what must be regarded as the orthodox one. The translation, which is here given, is also, for the most part, according to his views, though my own differing opinion will be found freely expressed in the notes. Another version, following the order of the text, before it was transposed by him and his masters, the Ch'ing, and notes, written in the first half of the 7th century, still remains. He says-犬學,至道矣, “大學 means the highest principles.' Choo without reference to his interpretations, will be 后定而善。止親明道大 能定后知於民德在學差 靜而有止至在在明之 THE TEXT OF CONFUCIUS. 1. What the Great Learning teaches, is-to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence. 2. The point where to rest being known, the object of pursuit is then determined; and, that being determined, a calm unperturbedness may be attained. To that calmness there will succeed a tranquil found in the translation of the Le-ke. 子程 7,-see note to the Ana. I. i. The Ch'ing here, is the second of the two brothers, to whom reference is made in the prolegomena. 孔氏, 'Confucius,' the K'ung, as季氏 is found continually in the Analects for the Ke, i. e., the chief of the Ke family. But how can we say that 'The Great Learning' is a work left by Confucius? Even Choo He ascribes only a small portion of it to the Master, and makes the rest to be the production of the disciple Tsăng, and before his time, the whole work was attributed generally to the sage's grandson. I should be glad if I had authority for taking 孔氏as=孔門, the Confucian school. CHAPTER I. THE TEXT OF CONFUCIUs. Such Choo He, as will be seen from his concluding note, determines this chapter to be, and it has been divided into two sections (艮), the first containing three paragraphs, occupied with the heads(綱領) of the Great Learning, and the second containing four paragraphs, occupied with the particulars (條目) of those. Par. 1. The heads of the Great Learning. 大 學之道,一‘the way of the Great Learning,' 道 being=修為之方法,“the methods of cultivating and practising it,'-the Great Learning, that is. 在, 'is in.' The first 明 is a verb; the second is an adjective, qualifying 德 ous nature, he has to proceed to bring about the same result in every other man, till under heaven' there be not an individual, who is not in the same condition as himself. - The highest excellence' is understood of the two previous matters. It is not a third and different object of pursuit, but indicates a perseverance in the two others, till they are perfectly accomplished. -According to these explanations, the objects contemplated in the Great Learning, are not three, but two. Suppose them realized, and we should have the whole world of mankind perfectly good, every individual what he ought to be! ارا Against the above interpretation, we have to consider the older and simpler. im is there not the nature, but simply virtue, or virtuous conduct, and the first object in the Great Learning is the making of one's-self more and more illustrious in virtue, or the practice of benevolence, reverence, filial piety, kindness, and sincerity. See the 故本大學註辨,n loc. - There is nothing, of course, of the renovating of the people, in this interpretation. The second object of the Great Learning is 親民親 愛於民, 'to love the people.' The third object is said by Ying-tă to be in resting in conduct which is perfectly good(在止處 於至善之行),' and here also, there would seem to be only two objects, for what essential distinction can we make between the first and third? There will be occasion below to refer to the reasons for changing 親 into 新, and their unsatisfactoriness. To love the people' is, doubtless, the second thing taught by the Great Learning. - Having the heads of the Great Learning now before us, according to both interpretations of it, we feel that the student of it should be an emperor, and not an ordinary The illustrious virtue is the virtuous nature which man derives from Heaven. This is perverted as man grows up, through defects of the physical constitution, through inward lusts, and through outward seductions; and the great business of life should be, to bring the nature back to its original purity. To renovate the people,' this object of the Great Learning is made out, by changing the character 親 of the well understand this par., in the relation of its old text into 新 The Ch'ing first proposed the alteration, and Choo He approved of it. When a man has entirely illustrated his own illustri man. Par. 2. The mental process by which the point of rest may be attained. I confess that I do not parts in itself, nor in relation to the rest of the chapter. Choo He says:-' 止 is the ground where we ought to rest;'--namely, the highest ex |