repose. In that repose there may be careful deliberation, and that deliberation will be followed by the attainment of the desired end.

3. Things have their root and their completion. Affairs have their end and their beginning. To know what is first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning.

4. The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the empire, first ordered well their own States. Wishing to order well their States, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing

in the outset, where is the necessity for the 慮,

or 'careful deliberation,' which issues in its atto

cellence mentioned above. But if this be known | succeeding ones. They contend that the illustration of virtue and renovation of the people are doings (事), and not things (物). Acc. to them, the things are the person, heart, thoughts, &c., mentioned below, which are the root,' and the family, kingdom, and empire, which are 'the branches.' The affairs are the various processes put forth on those things.---This, it seems to me, is the correct interpretation.

tainment? The paraphrasts make 知止 embrace even all that is understood by 格物 致知 below. Ying-ta is perhaps rather more intelligible. He says:-'When it is known that the rest is to be in the perfectly good, then the mind has fixedness. So it is free from concupiscence, and can be still, not engaging in disturbing pursuits. That still leads to a repose and harmony of the feelings. That state of the feelings fits for careful thought about

affairs(能思慮於事), and thence it results that what is right in affairs is attained.' Perhaps, the par. just intimates that the objects

of the G. L. being so great, a calm, serious,

thoughtfulness required proceeding to seek their attainment.

Par. 3. The order of things and methods in the

two preceding paragraphs. So, acc. to Choo He,

does this par, wind up the two preceding. The

illustration of virtue, he says, is the root, and

the renovation of the people is the completion (lit., the branches). Knowing where to rest is the beginning, and being able to attain is the end. The root and the beginning are what is first. The completion and end are what is last. The adherents of the old commentators say, on the

Par. 4. The different steps by which the illustration of illustrious virtue throughout the empire may be brought about.明明德於天下 is un

derstood by the school of Choo He as embracing the two first objects of the Great Learning, the illustration, namely of virtue, and the renova

tion of the people. We are not aided in determining the meaning by the synthetic arrangement of the different steps in the next par., for the result arrived at there is simply--天 下 ↑, 'the whole empire was made tranquil. Ying-ta's comment is一章明已之明德 使偏於天下,“to display illustriously

their own illustrious virtue (or, virtues), making them reach through the whole empire.' empire. But the influence must be very much transformative. Of the several steps described, the cen

tral one is 修身, 'the cultivation of the person,

contrary, that this par. is introductory to the which, indeed, is called 本, 'the root,' in par.

其心欲

而物。知其者、誠其者正
后物在知先其意先其心
知格格致致意欲誠心

to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.

5. Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their

6. This requires the heart to be correct,' and

that again 'that the thoughts be sincere.' Choo

He defines 心 as 身之所主,‘what the body has for its lord,' and 意 28 心之所

as

, 'what the sends forth.' Ying-tă says: -總包萬慮謂之心,‘that which comprehends and embraces all considerings is called the 心;為情所意念謂之 意, 'the thoughts under emotion are what is called 音心 is then the meta-physical part

of our nature, all that we comprehend under the terms of mind or soul, heart, and spirit. This is conceived of as quiescent, and when its activity is aroused, then we have thoughts and purposes relative to what affects it. The 'being sincere' is explained by實, 'real.' The sincerity of the thoughts is to be obtained by 致知, which means, acc. to Choo He, 'carrying our knowledge to its utmost extent, with the desire that there may be nothing which it shall not embrace.' This knowledge, finally, is

realized 在格物 The same authority takes 物,‘things, as embracing, 事,'affairs,' as well.格, sometimes=至, 'to come or extend to,' and assuming that the 'coming to' here is by study, he makes it=窮究‘to examine exhaustively, so that‘格物 means exhausting by examination the principles of things and af

fairs, with the desire that their uttermost point may be reached.'-We feel that this explanation

cannot be correct, or that, if it be correct, the teaching of the Chinese sage is far beyond and above the condition and capacity of men. How can we suppose that, in order to secure sincerity of thought and our self-cultivation, there is necessarily the study of all the phenomena of physics and metaphysics, and of the events of history? Moreover, Choo He's view of the two last clauses is a consequence of the alterations which he adopts in the order of the text. As that exists in the Le-ke, the 7th par. of this

chapter is followed by 此為知本,此為 知之至也,which he has transferred and made the 5th chapter of annotations. Ying-tă's comment on it is :-'The root means the person. The person (i. e., personal character) being regarded as the root, if one can know his own person, this is the knowledge of the root; yea, this is the very extremity of knowledge.' If we apply this conclusion to the clauses under notice, it is said that wishing to make our thoughts self-knowledge, and this extension of self-knowledge 在格物. Now, the change of the style indicates that the relation of 致知 and 格 物 is different from that of the parts in the other clauses. It is not said that to get the one thing we must first do the other. Rather it seems to me that the 格物 is a consequence of 致知, that in it is seen the other. Now, 式, 'a rule or pattern,' and E, 'to correct,' are accepted meanings of 格, and 物 being taken generally and loosely as things, 在格 物 will tell us that, when his self-knowledge is

sincere we must first carry to the utmost our

complete, a man is a law to himself, measuring,

and measuring correctly, all things with which he has to do, not led astray or beclouded by them. This is the interpretation strongly insist

ed on by 羅仲藩, the author of the 古 本大學註辨. It is the only view into

any sympathy with which I can place my mind. In harmony with it, I would print 致至在 格物 as a par. by itself, between the analytic

and synthetic processes described in parr. 4, 5. Still there are difficulties connected with it, and I leave the vexed questions, regretting my own inability to clear them up.

Par. 5. The synthesis of the preceding processes.

Observe the 致 of the preceding par. is changed into 至, and how 治 now becomes

七節

而后國治國治而后天

脩身脩而后家齊家齊

而后心正心正而后身

至知至而后意誠意誠

六節

者厚未之有也

其所厚者薄而其所薄

其本亂而末治者否矣

人壹是皆以脩身爲本

下平自天子以至於庶

C

thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their States were rightly governed. Their States being rightly governed, the whole empire was made tranquil and happy.

6. From the emperor down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of every thing besides.

7. It cannot be, when the root is neglected, that what should spring from it will be well ordered. It never has been the case that what was of great importance has been slightly cared for, and, at the same time, that what was of slight importance has been greatly cared

for.

3d tone. is explained by 攻理,‘the work of ruling, and 治by理效,‘the result.' 后 is used for 後 , as in p. 2.

Par. 6. The cultivation of the person is the prime, radical, thing required from all. I have said above that the Great Learning is adapted only to an emperor, but it is intimated here that the people also may take part in it in their degree. 天子, ‘Son of Heaven,' a designation of the emperor, 以其命于天,‘because he is ordained by Heaven.'壹是= 一切, 'all. Ch'ing K'ang-shing, however, Bays:一壹是,專行是也,“壹是

Par. 7. Reiteration of the importance of attend ing to the root. Choo He makes the root here to be the person, but accord. to the prec. par., it is 'the cultivation of the person' which is intend

ed. By the 末 or 'branches' is intended the proper ordering, of the family, the state, the empire.厚薄,‘thick,' and 'thin,'-used here metaphorically.所厚, acc. to Choo Hе, means 'the family, and 所薄, the state and the empire, but that I cannot understand. 所 厚 is the same as the root. Mencius has a saying which may illustrate the second part of the paragraph.-於所厚者薄無所不 'He, who is careless in what is important,薄,

康序

康誥日克明德

序次如左
更考經文別爲
因程子所定而
本頗有錯節今
門人記之也舊

則會子之意而

述之其傳十章

子之而會子

右經一章蓋孔

章子

The preceding chapter of classical text is in the words of Confucius, handed down by the philosopher Tsăng. The ten chapters of explanation which follow contain the views of Tsang, and were recorded by his disciples. In the old copies of the work, there appeared considerable confusion in these, from the disarrangement of the tablets. But now, availing myself of the decisions of the philosopher Chʻing, and having examined anew the classical text, I have arranged it in order, as follows:

COMMENTARY OF THE PHILOSOPHER TSANG.

CHAPTER I. 1. In the Announcement to K'ang it is said, "Не was able to make his virtue illustrious."

CONCLUDING NOTE. It has been shown in the prolegomena that there is no ground for the distinction made here between so much king at

tributed to Confucius, and so much 傳, or

commentary, ascribed to his disciple Tsăng. The invention of paper is ascribed to Ts'ae Lun (蔡倫), an officer of the Han dynasty, in the time of the emperor Hwo (和), A. D. 89 104. Before that time, and long after also, slips of wood and of bamboo (簡), were used to write and engrave upon. We can easily

conceive how a collection of them might get

disarranged, but whether those containing the Great Learning did do so is a question vehe

mently disputed. 右經一章, the chapter of classic on the right;'如左,'on the left; -these are expressions our 'preceding,' and 'as follows,' indicating the Chinese method of writing and printing from the right side of a manuscript or book on to the left.

posed to form this and the five succeeding chapters. It was, no doubt, the occurrence of 明, in the four paragraphs here, and of the phrase 明德 which determined Choo He to form them into one chapter, and refer them to the first head in the classical text. The old commentators connect them with the great

business of making the thoughts sincere. 1.
See the Shoo-king, V. x. 3. The words are
part of the address of King Woo to his brother
Fung (封), called also K'ang-shuh(康叔;
康, the hon. ep.) on appointing him to the
衛 The subject of 克 is

marquisate of
king Wăn, to whose example K'ang-shuh is

referred. We cannot determine, from this
par., between the old interpretation of 德, as

'virtues,' and the new which understands by it, the heart or nature, all-virtuous.' 2. See the Shoo-king, IV. v. Sect. I. 2. Choo He

takes 諟 as=此,‘this,' or 審,'to judge,'

雖誥新

皆命。大

古舊日日湯明右自帝甲

·邦作日之德傳明典日、

無其新新盤之也。日、顧 所命民又銘 首 克諟

不維詩日日、章 明天

用新日新苟

其是周康日

釋

峻之

明

德明

2. In the T'ae Këă, it is said, "He contemplated and studied the illustrious decrees of Heaven."

3. In the Canon of the emperor Yaou, it is said, "He was able to make illustrious his lofty virtue."

4. These passages all show how those sovereigns made themselves illustrious.

The above first chapter of commentary explains the illustration of illustrious virtue.

CHAPTER II. 1. On the bathing-tub of T'ang, the following words were engraved :- "If you can one day renovate yourself, do so from day to day. Yea, let there be daily renovation."

2. In the Announcement to K'ang, it is said, "To stir up the new people."

3. In the Book of Poetry, it is said, "Although Chow was an ancient state, the ordinance which lighted on it was new."

4. Therefore, the superior man in every thing uses his utmost endeavours.

the great T'ang. Choo He understands by 明 命 the Heaven-given, illustrious nature of

man.

The other school take the phrase more

generally, the 顯道,‘displayed ways' of

Heaven. 3. See the Shoo-king, I. 2. It is of the emperor Yaou that this is said. 4. The 皆

must be referred to the three quotations.

2. THE RENOVATION OF THE PEOPLE.

Here the character 新, 'new,' 'to renovate,' occurs

of

nothing to do with the renovation of the people. This is self-evident in the 1st and 3d parr. The heading of the chapter, as above, is a misnomer. 1. This fact about T'ang's bathing tub had come down by tradition. At least, we do not now find the mention of it anywhere but here. It was customary among the ancients, as it is in China at the present day, to engrave, all about them, on the articles of their furniture, such moral aphorisms and lessons. 2. See the K'ang Kaou, p. 7, where K'ang-shuh is exhorted to assist the emperor 'to settle the

decree of Heaven, and 作新民,' which

five times, and it was to find something corresponding to it at the commencement of the work, which made the Ch'ing change the 親 親民, into 新. But the 新 here have She-king, III. i. Ode I. st. 1. The subject of the

may mean to make the bad people of Yin into good people, or to stir up the new people, i. new, as recently subjected to Chow. 3. See the