Zhuangzi

And moreover, (to speak of) the accumulation of water ; — if it be not great, it will not have strength to support a large boat. Upset a cup of water in a cavity, and a straw will float on it as if it were a boat. Place a cup in it, and it will stick fast ; — the water is shallow and the boat is large. (So it is with) the accumulation of wind ; if it be not great, it will not have strength to support great wings. Therefore (the phang ascended to) the height of 90,000 11, and there was such a mass of wind be¬ neath it ; thenceforth the accumulation of wind was sufficient. As it seemed to bear the blue sky on its back, and there was nothing to obstruct or arrest its course, it could pursue its way to the South. 1 There may have been a book with this title, to which Awang-jze appeals, as if feeling that what he had said needed to be substantiated. 2 This seems to be interjected as an afterthought, suggesting to the reader that the phang, soaring along at such a height, was only an exaggerated form of the common phenomena with which he was familiar. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. I. A cicada and a little dove laughed at it, saying, wood tree ; and sometimes before we reach it, we can do no more but drop to the ground.

Of what use is it for this (creature) to rise 90,000 11, and make for the South ? ’ He who goes to the grassy suburbs b returning to the third meal (of the day), will have his belly as full as when he set out ; he who goes to a distance of 100 11 will have to pound his grain where he stops for the night ; he who goes a thou¬ sand 11, will have to carry with him provisions for three months. What should these two small crea¬ tures know about the matter ? The knowledge of that which is small does not reach to that which is great ; (the experience of) a few years does not reach to that of many. How do we know that it is so ? The mushroom of a morning does not know (what takes place between) the beginning and end of a month ; the short-lived cicada does not know (what takes place between) the spring and autumn. These are instances of a short term of life. In the south of K/m1 2 3 there is the (tree) called Ming-ling8, whose spring is 500 years, and its autumn the same ; in high antiquity there was that called Ta-/f/^un4 * * *, 1 In Chinese, Mang 3hang; but this is not the name of any particular place. The phrase denotes the grassy suburbs (from their green colour), not far from any city or town.

present Hfl-pei, and afterwards the chief competitor with Khiw for the sovereignty of the kingdom. 3 Taken by some as the name of a tortoise. 4 This and the Ming-ling tree, as well as the mushroom men¬ tioned above, together with the khwan and phang, are all mentioned in the fifth Book of the writings of Lieh-jze, referred to in the next paragraph. PT. I. SECT. I. THE WRITINGS OF iTWANG-SZE. whose spring was 8000 years, and its autumn the same. And Phang 3 u 1 is the one man renowned to the present day for his length of life : — if all men were (to wish) to match him, would they not be miserable ?

In the questions put byThang2 3 to Ki we have similar statements : — ‘ In the bare and barren north there is the dark and vast ocean, — the Pool of H eaven. In it there is a fish, several thousand li in breadth, while no one knows its length. Its name is the khwan. There is (also) a bird named the phang; its back is like the ThAi mountain, while its wings are like clouds all round the sky. On a whirlwind it mounts upwards as on the whorls of a goat’s horn for 90,000 li, till, far removed from the cloudy vapours, it bears on its back the blue sky, and then it shapes its course for the South, and pro¬ ceeds to the ocean there.’ A quail by the side of a marsh laughed at it, and said, ‘ Where is it going to ? I spring up with a bound, and come down again when I have reached but a few fathoms, and then fly about among the brushwood and bushes ; and 1 Or ‘the patriarch Phang.’ Confucius compared himself to him (Analects, VII, x) ; — 1 our old Phang ; ’ and Ku Hsi thinks he was a worthy officer of the Shang dynasty. Whoever he was, the legends about him are a mass of Taoistic fables. At the end of the Shang dynasty (b. c. 1123) he was more than 767 years old, and still in unabated vigour.

We read of his losing 49 wives and 54 sons ; and that he still left two sons, Wu and I, who died in Fu-^ien, and gave their names to the Wu-i, or Bu-f hills, from which we get our Bohea tea ! See Mayers’ ‘ Chinese Reader’s Manual,’ p. 175. 3 The founder of the Shang dynasty (b. c. 1766-1754). In Liehqze his interlocutor is called Hsia Ko, and %zQ-k\. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. I. this is the perfection of flying. Where is that crea¬ ture going to ? ’ This shows the difference between the small and the great. Thus it is that men, whose wisdom is sufficient for the duties of some one office, or whose conduct will secure harmony in some one district, or whose virtue is befitting a ruler so that they could efficiently govern some one state, are sure to look on them¬ selves in this manner (like the quail), and yet Yungjze 1 of Sung 1 would have smiled and laughed at them. (This Yung-jze), though the whole world should have praised him, would not for that have stimulated himself to greater endeavour, and though the whole world should have condemned him, would not have exercised any more repression of his course ; so fixed was he in the difference between the internal (judgment of himself) and the external (judgment of others), so distinctly had he marked out the bounding limit of glory and disgrace.

Here, however, he stopped. His place in the world indeed had become indifferent to him, but still he had not planted himself firmly (in the right position). There was Liehqze 2, who rode on the wind and pursued his way, with an admirable indifference (to duchy, comprehending portions of the present provinces of Ho¬ nan, An-hui, and Wiang-su. was a personage called Liehqze or Lieh Yti-khau, and what is the real character of the writings that go under his name, are questions that cannot be more than thus alluded to in a note. He is often introduced by Wwang-jze, and many narratives are common to their books. Here he comes before us, not as a thinker and writer, but as a semi-supernatural being, who has only not yet attained to the highest consummations of the Tao. pt. i. sect. I. THE WRITINGS OF ITWANG-3ZE. all external things), returning, however, after fifteen days, (to his place). In regard to the things that (are supposed to) contribute to happiness, he was free from all endeavours to obtain them ; but though he had not to walk, there was still something for which he had to wait. But suppose one who mounts on (the ether of) heaven and earth in its normal operation, and drives along the six elemental ener¬ gies of the changing (seasons), thus enjoying himself in the illimitable, — what has he to wait for1 ? There¬ fore it is said, ‘ The Perfect man has no (thought of) self ; the Spirit-like man, none of merit ; the Sagelyminded man, none of fame V

Yao2, proposing to resign the throne to Hsli Yu3, said, ‘When the sun and moon have come forth, if the torches have not been put out, would it not be difficult for them to give light ? When the seasonal rains are coming down, if we still keep watering the ground, will not our toil be labour lost for all the good it will do ? Do you, Master, stand forth (as sovereign), and the kingdom will (at once) be well governed. If I still (continue to) preside over it, I must look on myself as vainly occupying the place ; — I beg to resign the throne to you.’ Hsu the predicates about him be nothing but the ravings of a wild ex¬ travagance, above mere mortal man. In the conclusion, however, he is presented under three different phrases, which the reader will do well to keep in mind. K ing commence : — b. c. 2357-2257. 3 A counsellor of Yac, who is once mentioned by Sze-ma KK\ax\ in his account of P0-1, — in the first Book of his Biographies m IS)- Hsu Yu is here the instance of ‘the Sagely man,’ with whom the desire of a name or fame has no influence. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. I. Yu said, ‘You, Sir, govern the kingdom, and the kingdom is well governed. If I in these circum¬ stances take your place, shall I not be doing so for the sake of the name ?

But the name is but the guest of the reality; — shall I be playing the part of the guest ? The tailor-bird makes its nest in the deep forest, but only uses a single branch ; the mole 1 drinks from the Ho, but only takes what fills its belly. Return and rest in being ruler, — I will have nothing to do with the throne. Though the cook were not attending to his kitchen, the representative of the dead and the officer of prayer would not leave their cups and stands to take his place.’

Wien Wu 2 asked Lien Shu 2, saying, ‘ I heard Wffieh-yii 3 talking words which were great, but had nothing corresponding to them (in reality) ; — once gone, they could not be brought back. I was fright¬ ened by them; — they were like the Milky Way4 5 which cannot be traced to its beginning or end. They had no connexion with one another, and were not akin to the experiences of men.’ * What were his words ? ’ asked Lien Shfi, and the other replied, (He said) that ‘Far away on the hill of Ku-shih6 there dwelt a Spirit-like man whose flesh and skin 1 Some say the tapir. 2 Known to us only through ATwang-jze. 3 ‘ The madman of Khn’ of the Analects, XVIII, 5, who eschews intercourse with Confucius. See Hwang-fu Mi’s account of him, under the surname and name of Lft Thung, in his Notices of Emi¬ nent Taoists, I, 25. 4 Literally, ‘ the Ho and the Han ; ’ but the name of those rivers combined was used to denote ‘ the Milky Way.’ 5 See the Khang-hsi Thesaurus under the character J| |tj\ All which is said about the hill is that it was ‘ in the North Sea.’ PT. I. sect. I. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. I 7 1 were (smooth) as ice and (white) as snow ; that his manner was elegant and delicate as that of a virgin ;

that he did not eat any of the five grains, but in¬ haled the wind and drank the dew ; that he mounted on the clouds, drove along the flying dragons, ram¬ bling and enjoying himself beyond the four seas ; that by the concentration of his spirit-like powers he could save men from disease and pestilence, and secure every year a plentiful harvest.’ These words appeared to me wild and incoherent and I did not believe them. ‘So it is,’ said Lien Shu. ‘ The blind have no perception of the beauty of elegant figures, nor the deaf of the sound of bells and drums. But is it only the bodily senses of which deafness and blindness can be predicated ? There is also a simi¬ lar defect in the intelligence ; and of this your words supply an illustration in yourself. That man, with those attributes, though all things were one mass of confusion, and he heard in that condition the whole world crying out to him to be rectified, would not have to address himself laboriously to the task, as if it were his business to rectify the world. Nothing could hurt that man ; the greatest floods, reaching to the sky, could not drown him, nor would he feel the fervour of the greatest heats melting metals and stones till they flowed, and scorching all the ground and hills. From the dust and chaff of himself, he could still mould and fashion Yaos and Shuns1; — how should he be willing to occupy himself with things 2 ?’ 1 Shun was the successor of Yao in the ancient kingdom. 2 All this description is to give us an idea of the ‘ Spirit-like man.’ We have in it the results of the Tao in its fullest em¬ bodiment. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. I.

A man of Sung, who dealt in the ceremonial caps (of Yin)1, went with them to Yiieh2, the people of which cut off their hair and tattooed their bodies, so that they had no use for them. Yao ruled the people of the kingdom, and maintained a perfect government within the four seas. Having gone to see the four (Perfect) Ones 3 on the distant hill of Ku-shih, when (he returned to his capital) on the south of the Fan water4, his throne appeared no more to his deep-sunk oblivious eyes 5.

Hui-jze0 told Awang-jze, saying, ‘The king of Wei 7 sent me some seeds of a large calabash, which I sowed. The fruit, when fully grown, could contain five piculs (of anything). I used it to contain water, 1 See the Li K\, IX, iii, 3. 2 A state, part of the present province of Aneh-X’iang. jOiieh, Wang I, and Phi-i, who will by and by come before us. 4 A river in Shan-hst, on which was the capital of Yao ; — a tribu¬ tary of the Ho. 5 This paragraph is intended to give us an idea of ‘ the Perfect man,’ who has no thought of himself. The description, however, is brief and tame, compared with the accounts of Hsii Yfl and of ‘ the Spirit-like man.’ 6 Or Hui Shih, the chief minister of ‘ king Hui of Liang (or Wei), (b. c. 370-333),’ with an interview between whom and Men¬ cius the works of that philosopher commence. He was a friend of Awang-jze, and an eccentric thinker ; and in Book XXXIII there is a long account of several of his views. I do not think that the conversations about ‘ the great calabash ’ and ‘ the great tree’ really took place; Wwang-jze probably invented them, to illustrate his point that size had nothing to do with the Tao, and that things which seemed useless were not really so when rightly used. of the three states (subsequently kingdoms), into which the great fief of Bin was divided about b.

c. 400. pt. i. sect. I. THE WRITINGS OF iTWANG-SZE. but it was so heavy that I could not lift it by myself. I cut it in two to make the parts into drinking vessels ; but the dried shells were too wide and unstable and would not hold (the liquor) ; nothing but large useless things ! Because of their useless¬ ness I knocked them to pieces.’ Awangqze replied, ‘You were indeed stupid, my master, in the use of what was large. There was a man of Sung who was skilful at making a salve which kept the hands from getting chapped ; and (his family) for genera¬ tions had made the bleaching of cocoon-silk their business. A stranger heard of it, and proposed to buy the art of the preparation for a hundred ounces of silver. The kindred all came together, and con¬ sidered the proposal. “ We have,” said they, “ been bleaching cocoon-silk for generations, and have only gained a little money. Now in one morning we can sell to this man our art for a hundred ounces ; — let him have it.” The stranger accordingly got it and went away with it to give counsel to the king of Wu1, who was then engaged in hostilities with Yiieh. The king gave him the command of his fleet, and in the winter he had an engagement with that of Yiieh, on which he inflicted a great defeat 2, and was invested with a portion of territory taken from Yiieh.

The keeping the hands from getting chapped was the same in both cases; but in the one case it led to the investiture (of the possessor of the salve), and 1 A great and ancient state on the sea-board, north of Yiieh. The name remains in the district of Wu-^iang in the prefecture of Su-Hu. on the Aiang, especially in winter. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. I. in the other it had only enabled its owners to con¬ tinue their bleaching. The difference of result was owing to the different use made of the art. Now you, Sir, had calabashes large enough to hold five piculs ; — why did you not think of making large bottle-gourds of them, by means of which you could have floated over rivers and lakes, instead of giving yourself the sorrow of finding that they were useless for holding anything. Your mind, my master, would seem to have been closed against all intelligence !’ Hui-jze said to Afwang-jze, ‘ I have a large tree, which men call the Ailantus1 2. Its trunk swells out to a large size, but is not fit for a carpenter to apply his line to it ; its smaller branches are knotted and crooked, so that the disk and square cannot be used on them. Though planted on the wayside, a builder would not turn his head to look at it. Now your words, Sir, are great, but of no use ;

— all unite in putting them away from them.’ Awang-jze replied, ‘Have you never seen a wild cat or a weasel ? There it lies, crouching and low, till the wanderer ap¬ proaches ; east and west it leaps about, avoiding neither what is high nor what is low, till it is caught in a trap, or dies in a net. Again there is the Yak -, so large that it is like a cloud hanging in the sky. It is large indeed, but it cannot catch mice. You, Sir, have a large tree and are troubled because it is of no use why do you not plant it in a tract where there is nothing else, or in a wide and barren wild ? 1 The Ailantus glandulosa, common in the north of China, called ‘ the fetid tree,’ from the odour of its leaves. great demand for making standards and chowries. PT. I. SECT. I. THE WRITINGS OF .STWANG-3ZE. There you might saunter idly by its side, or in the enjoyment of untroubled ease sleep beneath it. Neither bill nor axe would shorten its existence; there would be nothing to injure it. What is there in its uselessness to cause you distress ?’ THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. II.

Nan-kwo %ze-khi2 was seated, leaning for¬ ward on his stool. He was looking up to heaven and breathed gently, seeming to be in a trance, and to have lost all consciousness of any companion. (His disciple), Yen /dang 3ze‘Y^ 3> who was kt attendance and standing before him, said, ‘ What is this ? Can the body be made to become thus like a withered tree, and the mind to become like slaked lime? His appearance as he leans forward on the stool to-day is such as I never saw him have before in the same position.’ 3ze-dl said, ‘Yen, you do well to ask such a question, I had just now lost myself4; but how should you understand it? You 1 See pp. 128-130. 2 Nan-kwo, 1 the southern suburb,’ had probably been the quarter where had resided, and is used as his surname. He is introduced several times by Wwang-jze in his writings : — Books IV, 7 ; XXVII, 4, and perhaps elsewhere. 3 We have the surname of this disciple, Yen his name, Yen (^[H) ; his honorary or posthumous epithet (.Oang); and his ordinary appellation, 3ze-yu. The use of the epithet shows that he and his master had lived before our author. 4 ‘ He had lost himself ; ’ that is, he had become unconscious of all around him, and even of himself, as if he were about to enter PT. r. SECT. II.

THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. may have heard the notes 1 of Man, but have not heard those of Earth ; you may have heard the notes of Earth, but have not heard those of Heaven.’ 3ze-yu said, ‘ I venture to ask from you a descrip¬ tion of all these.’ The reply was, ‘When the breath of the Great Mass (of nature) comes strongly, it is called Wind. Sometimes it does not come so; but when it does, then from a myriad apertures there issues its excited noise ; — have you not heard it in a prolonged gale ? Take the projecting bluff of a mountain forest ; — in the great trees, a hundred spans round, the apertures and cavities are like the nostrils, or the mouth, or the ears ; now square, now round like a cup or a mortar ; here like a wet foot¬ print, and there like a large puddle. (The sounds issuing from them are like) those of fretted water, of the arrowy whizz, of the stern command, of the in¬ haling of the breath, of the shout, of the gruff note, of the deep wail, of the sad and piping note. The first notes are slight, and those that follow deeper, but in harmony with them. Gentle winds produce a small response ; violent winds a great one. When the fierce gusts have passed away, all the apertures into the state of ‘ an Immortal,’ a mild form of the Buddhistic samadhi.

But his attitude and appearance were intended by A’wang-jze to indicate what should be the mental condition in reference to the inquiry pursued in the Book; — a condition, it appears to me, of agnosticism. See the account of Lao-jze in a similar trance in Book XXI, par. 4. 1 The Chinese term here (lai) denotes a reed or pipe, with three holes, by a combination of which there was formed the rudimentary or reed organ. Our author uses it for the sounds or notes heard in nature, various as the various opinions of men in their discussions about things. N THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. II. are empty (and still) ; — have you not seen this in the bending and quivering of the branches and leaves ? ’ 3ze-yh said, ‘ The notes of Earth then are simply those which come from its myriad apertures ; and the notes of Man may just be compared to those which (are brought from the tubes of) bamboo ; — • allow me to ask about the notes of Heaven V 3:'e‘ kfii replied, ‘ When (the wind) blows, (the sounds from) the myriad apertures are different, and (its cessation) makes them stop of themselves. Both of these things arise from (the wind and the apertures) themselves : — should there be any other agency that excites them ? ’

Great knowledge is wide and comprehensive ; small knowledge is partial and restricted. Great speech is exact and complete ; small speech is (merely) so much talk 2. When we sleep, the soul communicates with (what, is external to us) ; when we awake, the body is set free. Our intercourse with others then leads to various activity, and daily there is the striving of mind with mind. There are hesitancies ; deep difficulties ; reservations ; small apprehensions causing restless distress, and great 1 The sounds of Earth have been described fully and graphic¬ ally. Of the sounds of Man very little is said, but they form the subject of the next paragraph. Nothing is said in answer to the disciple’s inquiry about the notes of Heaven. It is intimated, how¬ ever, that there is no necessity to introduce any foreign Influence or Power like Heaven in connexion with the notes of Earth. The term Heaven, indeed, is about to pass with our author into a mere synonym of Tao, the natural ‘course’ of the phenomena of men and things. 2 Words are the ‘ sounds ’ of Man ; and knowledge is the 1 wind’ by which they are excited. pt. I. sect. il. THE WRITINGS OF AWANG-3ZE. I 79 apprehensions producing endless fears. Where their utterances are like arrows from a bow, we have those who feel it their charge to pronounce what is right and what is wrong ;

where they are given out like the conditions of a covenant, we have those who maintain their views, determined to overcome. (The weakness of their arguments), like the decay (of things) in autumn and winter, shows the failing (of the minds of some) from day to day ; or it is like their water which, once voided, cannot be gathered up again. Then their ideas seem as if fast bound with cords, showing that the mind is become like an old and dry moat, and that it is nigh to death, and cannot be restored to vigour and brightness. Joy and anger, sadness and pleasure, anticipation and regret, fickleness and fixedness, vehemence and indolence, eagerness and tardiness ; — (all these moods), like music from an empty tube, or mush¬ rooms from the warm moisture, day and night succeed to one another and come before us, and we do not know whence they sprout. Let us stop ! Let us stop ! Can we expect to find out suddenly how they are produced ? If there were not (the views of) another, I should not have mine ; if there were not I (with my views), his would be uncalled for : — this is nearly a true state¬ ment of the case, but we do not know what it is that makes it be so. It might seem as if there would be a true Governor1 concerned in it, but we do not find 1 ‘ A true Governor ’ would be a good enough translation for ‘ the true God.’ But Awang-jze did not admit any supernatural Power or Being as working in man.

His true Governor was the Tao ; and this will be increasingly evident as we proceed with the study of his Books. N 2 l8o THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. II. any trace (of his presence and acting). That such an One could act so I believe ; but we do not see His form. He has affections, but He has no form. Given the body, with its hundred parts, its nine openings, and its six viscera, all complete in their places, which do I love the most ? Do you love them all equally ? or do you love some more than others ? Is it not the case that they all perform the part of your servants and waiting women ? A.11 of them being such, are they not incompetent to rule one another ? or do they take it in turns to be now ruler and now servants ? There must be a true Ruler (among them) 1 whether by searching you can find out His character or not, there is neither advan¬ tage nor hurt, so far as the truth of His operation is concerned. When once we have received the bodily form complete, its parts do not fail to perform their functions till the end comes. In conflict with things or in harmony with them, they pursue their course to the end, with the speed of a galloping horse which cannot be stopped ; — is it not sad ?

To be constantly toiling all one’s lifetime, without see¬ ing the fruit of one’s labour, and to be weary and worn out with his labour, without knowing where he is going to : — is it not a deplorable case ? Men may say, ‘ But it is not death ; ’ yet of what advan¬ tage is this ? When the body is decomposed, the mind will be the same along with it : — must not the case be pronounced very deplorable2? Is the life 1 The name ‘ Ruler ’ is different from ‘ Governor ’ above ; but they both indicate the same concept in the author’s mind. 2 The proper reply to this would be that the mind is not dis¬ solved with the body; and A'wang-;ze’s real opinion, as we shall find, was that life and death were but phases in the phenomenal PT. I. SECT. n. THE WRITINGS OF iTWANG-SZE. 1 8 1 of man indeed enveloped in such darkness ? Is it I alone to whom it appears so ? And does it not appear to be so to other men ?

If we were to follow the judgments of the pre¬ determined mind, who would be left alone and without a teacher 1 ? Not only would it be so with those who know the sequences (of knowledge and feeling) and make their own selection among them, but it would be so as well with the stupid and unthinking. For one who has not this determined mind, to have his affirmations and negations is like the case described in the saying, ‘ He went to Ytieh to-day, and arrived at it yesterday2.’ It would be making what was not a fact to be a fact. But even the spirit-like Yu 3 could not have known how to do this, and how should one like me be able to do it ? But speech is not like the blowing (of the wind) ; the speaker has (a meaning in) his words. If, how¬ ever, what he says, be indeterminate (as from a mind not made up), does he then really speak or not ? He thinks that his words are different from the chirpings of fledgelings.; but is there any distinction between them or not ? But how can the T a o be so obscured, that there should be ‘ a True ’ and ‘ a False’ in it? How can speech be so obscured that there should be ‘the Right’ and ‘ the Wrong’ about them ? Where shall the Tao go to that it will not development.

But the course of his argument suggests to us the question here, ‘ Is life worth living ? ’ 1 This ‘teacher’ is ‘the Tao.’ sayings of Hui-jze ; — see Book XXXIII, par. 7. remedied the flood of Yao. r82 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. II. be found ? Where shall speech be found that it will be inappropriate ? Tao becomes obscured through the small comprehension (of the mind), and speech comes to be obscure through the vain-gloriousness (of the speaker). So it is that we have the contentions between the Literati1 and the Mohists 2, the one side affirming what the other denies, and vice versa. If we would decide on their several affirmations and denials, no plan is like bringing the (proper) light (of the mind) 3 to bear on them. All subjects may be looked at from (two points of view), — from that and from this. If I look at a thing from another’s point of view, I do not see it ; only as I know it myself, do I know it. Hence it is said, ‘ That view comes from this ; and this view is a consequence of that : ’ — which is the theory that that view and this — (the opposite views)— produce each the other 4 5. Although it be so, there is affirmed now life and now death ; now death and now life ; now the admissibility of a thing and now its inadmis¬ sibility ;

now its inadmissibility and now its admis¬ sibility. (The disputants) now affirm and now deny; now deny and now affirm. Therefore the sagely man does not pursue this method, but views things in the light of (his) Heaven6 (-ly nature), and hence forms his judgment of what is right. 1 The followers of Confucius. Mencius attacked so fiercely ; — see Mencius, V, i, 5, et al. His era must be assigned between Confucius and Mencius. 3 That is, the perfect mind, the principle of the Tao. 4 As taught by Hui-jze ; — see XXXIII, 7 ; but it is doubtful if the quotation from Hui’s teaching be complete. Awvangqze of the term 1 Heaven,’ in the Introduction, pp. 16-18. PT.LSECT.il. THE WRITINGS OF JTWANG-3ZE. This view is the same as that, and that view is the same as this. But that view involves both a right and a wrong ; and this view involves also a right and a wrong : — are there indeed, or are there not the two views, that and this ? They have not found their point of correspondency which is called the pivot of the Tao. As soon as one finds this pivot, he stands in the centre of the ring (of thought), where he can respond without end to the changing views ; — without end to those affirming, and without end to those denying. Therefore I said, 1 There is nothing like the proper light (of the mind).’

By means of a finger (of my own) to illustrate that the finger (of another) is not a finger is not so good a plan as to illustrate that it is not so by means of what is (acknowledged to be) not a finger ; and by means of (what I call) a horse to illustrate that (what another calls) a horse is not so, is not so good a plan as to illustrate that it is not a horse, by means of what is (acknowledged to be) not a horse 1. (All things in) heaven and earth may be (dealt with as) a finger ; (each of) their myriads may be (dealt with as) a horse. Does a thing seem so to me ? (I say that) it is so. Does it seem not so to me ? (I say that) it is not so. A path is formed by (constant) 1 The language of our author here is understood to have refer¬ ence to the views of Kung-sun Lung, a contemporary of Hui-gze, and a sophist like him. One of his treatises or arguments had the title of ‘ The White Horse,’ and another that of ‘ Pointing to Things.’ If these had been preserved, we might have seen more clearly the appropriateness of the text here. But the illustration of the monkeys and their actions shows us the scope of the whole paragraph to be that controversialists, whose views are substantially the same, may yet differ, and that with heat, in words.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. II. treading on the ground. A thing is called by its name through the (constant) application of the name to it. How is it so ? It is so because it is so. How is it not so ? It is not so, because it is not so. Everything has its inherent character and its proper capability. There is nothing which has not these. and a (large) pillar, a loathsome (leper) and (a beauty like) Hsi Shih 2, things large and things insecure, things crafty and things strange ; — they may in the light of the Tao all be reduced to the same category (of opinion about them). It was separation that led to completion ; from completion ensued dissolution. But all things, with¬ out regard to their completion and dissolution, may again be comprehended in their unity; — it is only the far reaching in thought who know how to comprehend them in this unity. This being so, let us give up our devotion to our own views, and occupy ourselves with the ordinary views. These ordinary views are grounded on the use of things. (The study of that) use leads to the comprehensive judgment, and that judgment secures the success (of the inquiry). That success gained, we are near (to the object of our search), and there we stop. When we stop, and yet we do not know how it is so, We have what is called the T ao.

When we toil our spirits and intelligence, obstin1 The character in the text means both ‘ a stalk of grain ’ and ‘ a horizontal beam.’ Each meaning has its advocates here. to his enemy, the king of Wu, and who hastened on his progress to ruin and death, she herself perishing at the same time. pt. I. sect. II. THE WRITINGS OF JTWANG-8ZE. ately determined (to establish our own view), and do not know the agreement (which underlies it and the views of others), we have what is called 1 In the morning three.’ What is meant by that ‘ In the morning three ? ’ A keeper of monkeys, in giving them out their acorns, (once) said, ‘ In the morning I will give you three (measures) and in the evening four.’ This made them all angry, and he said, ‘Very well. In the morning I will give you four and in the evening three.’ His two proposals were substan¬ tially the same, but the result of the one was to make the creatures angry, and of the other to make them pleased : — an illustration of the point I am insisting on. Therefore the sagely man brings together a dispute in its affirmations and denials, and rests in the equal fashioning of Heaven k Both sides of the question are admissible.

Among the men of old their knowledge reached the extreme point. What was that extreme point ? Some held that at first there was not anything. This is the extreme point, the utmost point to which nothing can be added 2. A second class held that there was something, but without any responsive recognition 3 of it (on the part of men). A third class held that there was such recognition, but there had not begun to be any expression of different opinions about it. 1 Literally, ‘ the Heaven-Mould or Moulder,’ — another name for the Tao, by which all things are fashioned. 2 See the same passage in Book XXIII, par. 10. 3 The ordinary reading here is fang my a boundary’ or ‘dis¬ tinctive limit.’ Lin Hsi-^ung adopts the reading ‘ a response,’ and I have followed him. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. II. It was through the definite expression of different opinions about it that there ensued injury to (the doctrine of) the Tao. It was this injury to the (doctrine of the) Tao which led to the formation of (partial) preferences. Was it indeed after such pre¬ ferences were formed that the injury came ? or did the injury precede the rise of such preferences ? If the injury arose after their formation, A’ao’s method of playing on the lute was natural. If the injury arose before their formation, there would have been no such playing on the lute as ATao’s1.

Afao Wan’s playing on the lute, Shih Kwang’s indicating time with his staff, and Hui-jze’s (giving his views), while leaning against a dryandra tree (were all extraordinary). The knowledge of the three men (in their several arts) was nearly perfect, and therefore they practised them to the end of their lives. They loved them because they were different from those of others. They loved them and wished to make them known to others. But as they could not be made clear, though they tried to make them so, they ended with the obscure (discussions) about 1 the hard ’ and ‘ the white.’ And their sons 2, moreover, with all the threads of their fathers’ com¬ positions, yet to the end of their lives accomplished nothing. If they, proceeding in this way, could be said to have succeeded, then am I also successful ; of 3in. Shih, which appears as Kwang’s surname, was his denomi¬ nation as ‘ music-master.’ It is difficult to understand the reason why iTwang-jze introduces these men and their ways, or how it helps his argument. 2 Perhaps we should read here ‘ son,’ with special reference to the son of Hui-jze. PT. I. SECT. II. THE WRITINGS OF £WANG-3ZE. if they cannot be pronounced successful, neither I nor any other can succeed. Therefore the scintillations of light from the midst of confusion and perplexity are indeed valued by the sagely man ; but not to use one’s own views and to take his position on the ordinary views is what is called using the (proper) light.

But here now are some other sayings 1 : — I do not know whether they are of the same character as those which I have already given, or of a different character. Whether they be of the same character or not when looked at along with them, they have a character of their own, which cannot be distinguished from the others. But though this be the case, let me try to explain myself. There was a beginning. There was a beginning before that beginning 2. There was a beginning previous to that beginning before there was the beginning. There was existence ; there had been no existence. There was no existence before the beginning of that no existence 2. There was no existence previous to the no existence before there was the beginning of the no existence. If suddenly there was non¬ existence, we do not know whether it was really anything existing, or really not existing. Now I have said what I have said, but I do not know whether what I have said be really anything to the point or not. 1 Referring, I think, to those below commencing ‘ There was a beginning.’ non-existence, and discarding all considerations of space and time. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. II. Under heaven there is nothing greater than the tip of an autumn down, and the Thai mountain is small. There is no one more long-lived than a child which dies prematurely, and Phang 3h did not live out his time.\ Heaven, Earth, and I were produced together, and all things and I are one.

Since they are one, can there be speech about them ? But since they are spoken of as one, must there not be room for speech ? One and Speech are two ; two and one are three. Going on from this (in our enumeration), the most skilful reckoner cannot reach (the end of the necessary numbers), and how much less can ordinary people do so ! Therefore from non-existence we proceed to existence till we arrive at three ; proceeding from existence to exist¬ ence, to how many should we reach ? Let us abjure such procedure, and simply rest here h

The Tao at first met with no responsive recog¬ nition. Speech at first had no constant forms of expression. Because of this there came the demar¬ cations (of different views). Let me describe those demarcations : — they are the Left and the Right1 2 ; the Relations and their Obligations3; Classifications4 1 On this concluding clause, 3>ao Hung says : — ‘Avoiding such procedure, there will be no affirmations and denials (no contraries). The phrase 0* a occurs in the Book several times, and in¬ terpreters have missed its meaning from not observing that ^ serve merely as a final particle, and often have the |Tj added to them, without affecting its meaning.’ See also Wang Yin on the usages of |]kj in the j|| ch. 1208, art. 6. 2 That is, direct opposites. 3 Literally, ‘ righteousnesses ; ’ the proper way of dealing with the relations. 4 Literally, ‘separations.’ pt. I. SECT. xi. THE WRITINGS OF ATWANG-3ZE. 1 89 and their Distinctions ; Emulations and Contentions. These are what are called ‘ the Eight Qualities.’ Outside the limits of the world of men1, the sage occupies his thoughts, but does not discuss about anything; inside those limits he occupies his thoughts, but does not pass any judgments. In the Khun Kkm 2, which embraces the history of the former kings, the sage indicates his judgments, but does not argue (in vindication of them). Thus it is that he separates his characters from one another without appearing to do so, and argues without the form of argument.

How does he do so ? The sage cherishes his views in his own breast, while men generally state theirs argumentatively, to show them to others. Hence we have the saying, ‘ Disputation is a proof of not seeing clearly.’ The Great Tao 3 does not admit of being praised. The Great Argument does not require words. Great Benevolence is not (officiously) benevolent. Great Disinterestedness does not vaunt its humility. Great Courage is not seen in stubborn bravery. The Tao that is displayed is not the T ao. Words that are argumentative do not reach the point. Benevolence that is constantly exercised does not accomplish its object. Disinterestedness that vaunts its purity is not genuine. Courage that is most stub1 Literally, ‘ the six conjunctions,’ meaning the four cardinal points of space, with the zenith and nadir ; sometimes a name for the universe of space. Here we must restrict the meaning as I have done. 2 ‘ The Spring and Autumn;’ — Confucius’s Annals of Lfi, here complimented by Awang-jze. See in Mencius, IV, ii, 21. 3 Compare the Tao Teh Aung, ch. 25, et al. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM, BK. II. born is ineffectual. These five seem to be round (and complete), but they tend to become square (and immovable) 1. Therefore the knowledge that stops at what it does not know is the greatest. Who knows the argument that needs no words, and the Way that is not to be trodden 2?

He who is able to know this has what is called ‘The Heavenly Treasure-house3.’ He may pour into it without its being filled ; he may pour from it without its being exhausted ; and all the while he does not know whence (the supply) comes. This is what is called ‘ The Store of Light 3.’ Therefore of old Yao asked Shun, saying, ‘ I wish to smite (the rulers of) 3ung> Kwei, and Hsii-ao4. Even when standing in my court, I cannot get them out of my mind. How is it so?’ Shun replied, ‘ Those three rulers live (in their little states) as if they were among the mugwort and other brushwood; — how is it that you cannot get them out of your mind? Formerly, ten suns came out together, and all things were illuminated by them ; — how much should (your) virtue exceed (all) suns ! ’

Nieh AY u eh 5 asked Wang ! 5, saying, ‘ Do you know, Sir, what all creatures agree in approving and 1 Compare the use of in the Shu King, I, iii, 11. 2 The classic of Lao, in chaps. 1, 2. 3 Names for the T&o. ‘ quality ’ of ‘ emulation ’ or jealousy ? been two of the Perfect Ones whom Y&o visited on the distant hill of Kft-shih (I, par. 6). According to Hwang Mi, Wang I was the teacher of Nieh WMeh, and he again of Hsu Yft. PT. I. SECT. II. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. I9I affirming ?’ ‘ How should I know it ? ’ was the reply. ‘ Do you know what it is that you do not know ? ’ asked the other again, and he got the same reply. He asked a third time, — ‘ Then are all creatures thus without knowledge ?’ and Wang ! answered as before, (adding however), ‘ Notwithstanding, I will try and explain my meaning. How do you know that when I say “ I know it,” I really (am showing that) I do not know it, and that when I say “ I do not know it,” I really am showing that I do know it V And let me ask you some questions : — ‘ If a man sleep in a damp place, he will have a pain in his loins, and half his body will be as if it were dead ;

but will it be so with an eel ? If he be living in a tree, he will be frightened and all in a tremble ; but will it be so with a monkey ? And does any one of the three know his right place ? Men eat animals that have been fed on grain and grass ; deer feed on the thick¬ set grass ; centipedes enjoy small snakes ; owls and crows delight in mice ; but does any one of the four know the right taste ? The dog-headed monkey finds its mate in the female gibbon ; the elk and the axis deer cohabit ; and the eel enjoys itself with other fishes. Mao 3hiang1 2 and Li K\ 2 were ac¬ counted by men to be most beautiful, but when fishes saw them, they dived deep in the water from them ; when birds, they flew from them aloft ; and 1 Compare par. i of Book XXII. 2 Two famous beauties; — the former, a contemporary of Hsi Shih (par. 4, note 2), and like her also, of the state of Y tieh ; the latter, the daughter of a barbarian chief among the Western Jung. She was captured by duke Hsien of 3 hr, in b. c. 672. He subse¬ quently made her his wife, — to the great injury of his family and state. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. bk. ir. when deer saw them, they separated and fled away x.

But did any of these four know which in the world is the right female attraction ? As I look at the matter, the first principles of benevolence and right¬ eousness and the paths of approval and disapproval are inextricably mixed and confused together : — how is it possible that I should know how to discriminate among them ?’ Nieh K/iiieh said (further), ‘ Since you, Sir, do not know what is advantageous and what is hurtful, is the Perfect man also in the same way without the knowledge of them ?’ Wang 1 replied, ‘ The Perfect man is spirit-like. Great lakes might be boiling about him, and he would not feel their heat ; the Ho and the Han might be frozen up, and he would not feel the cold ; the hurrying thunderbolts might split the mountains, and the wind shake the ocean, without being able to make him afraid. Being such, he mounts on the clouds of the air, rides on the sun and moon, and rambles at ease beyond the four seas. Neither death nor life makes any change in him, and how much less should the considerations of advantage and injury do so1 2 3 ! ’

Kh u 3 asked W/£ang-wu 3ze s> saying, repelled by them. 2 Compare Book I, pars. 3 and 5. mentioned here ; the other appears also in Book XXV, 6, q. v. If ‘ the master ’ that immediately follows be Confucius they must have been contemporary with him. The Klim in AVang-wu’s reply would seem to make it certain ‘ the master ’ was Confucius, but the oldest critics, and some modern ones as well, think that WAangwus name was also Khm. But this view is attended with more pt. I. SECT. II. THE WRITINGS OF ITWANG-3ZE. ‘ I heard the Master (speaking of such language as the following) : — “ The sagely man does not occupy himself with worldly affairs. He does not put him¬ self in the way of what is profitable, nor try to avoid what is hurtful ; he has no pleasure in seeking (for anything from any one) ; he does not care to be found in (any established) Way ; he speaks without speak¬ ing ; he does not speak when he speaks ; thus finding his enjoyment outside the dust and dirt (of the world).” The Master considered all this to be a shoreless flow of mere words, and I consider it to describe the course of the Mysterious Way. — What do you, Sir, think of it ? ’ AV/ang-wu $ze replied, ‘ The hearing of such words would have perplexed even Hwang-Ti, and how should A7du be competent to understand them ?

And you, moreover, are too hasty in forming your estimate (of their meaning). You see the egg, and (immediately) look out for the cock (that is to be hatched from it) ; you see the bow, and (immediately) look out for the dove (that is to be brought down by it) being roasted. I will try to explain the thing to you in a rough way ; do you in the same way listen to me. ‘ H ow could any one stand by the side of the sun and moon, and hold under his arm all space and all time ? (Such language only means that the sagely man) keeps his mouth shut, and puts aside questions that are uncertain and dark ; making his inferior capacities unite with him in honouring (the One Lord). Men in general bustle about and toil ; the difficulties than the other. By the clause interjected in the trans¬ lation after the first ‘Master,’ I have avoided the incongruity of ascribing the long description of Taoism to Confucius. 0 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. II. sagely man seems stupid and to know nothing 1. He blends ten thousand years together in the one (con¬ ception of time) ; the myriad things all pursue their spontaneous course, and they are all before him as doing so. ‘H ow do I know that the love of life is not a delusion ? and that the dislike of death is not like a young person’s losing his way, and not knowing that he is (really) going home ?

Li K\ 2 was a daugh¬ ter of the border Warden of Ai. When (the ruler of) the state of $m first got possession of her, she wept till the tears wetted all the front of her dress. But when she came to the place of the king3, shared with him his luxurious couch, and ate his grain-andgrass-fed meat, then she regretted that she had wept. How do I know that the dead do not repent of their former craving for life ? ‘ Those who dream of (the pleasures of) drinking may in the morning wail and weep ; those who dream of wailing and weeping may in the morning be going out to hunt. When they were dreaming they did not know it was a dream ; in their dream they may even have tried to interpret it 4 ; but when they awoke they knew that it was a dream. And 1 Compare Lao-jze’s account of himself in his Work, ch. 20. 2 See note 2 on page 191. The lady is there said to have been the daughter of a barbarian chief ; here she appears as the child of the border Warden of Ai. But her maiden surname of K\ (#Jg) shows her father must have been a scion of the royal family of Wau. Had he forsaken his wardenship, and joined one of the Ti tribes, which had adopted him as its chief? 3 3in was only a marquisate.

How does Wwang-jze speak of its ruler as ‘ a king ? ’ dream, and in that state try to interpret it. PT. I. SECT. II. THE WRITINGS OF JSTWANG-3ZE. 195 there is the great awaking, after which we shall know that this life was a great dream h All the while, the stupid think they are awake, and with nice discrimination insist on their knowledge ; now play¬ ing the part of rulers, and now of grooms. Bigoted was that Kh\u ! He and you are both dreaming. I who say that you are dreaming am dreaming myself. These words seem very strange ; but if after ten thousand ages we once meet with a great sage who knows how to explain them, it will be as if we met him (unexpectedly) some morning or evening. io. ‘ Since you made me enter into this discussion with you, if you have got the better of me and not I of you, are you indeed right, and I indeed wrong ? If I have got the better of you and not you of me, am I indeed right and you indeed wrong ? Is the one of us right and the other wrong ? are we both right or both wrong ? Since we cannot come to a mutual and common understanding, men will cer¬ tainly continue in darkness on the subject. ‘ Whom shall I employ to adjudicate in the matter?

If I employ one who agrees with you, how can he, agreeing with you, do so correctly ? And the same may be said, if I employ one who agrees with me. It will be the same if I employ one who differs from us both or one who agrees with us both. In this way I and you and those others would all not be able to come to a mutual understanding ; and shall we then wait for that (great sage) ? (We need not do so.) To wait on others to learn how con¬ flicting opinions are changed is simply like not so 1 Compare XVIII, par. 4. O 2 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. IT. waiting at all. The harmonising of them is to be found in the invisible operation of Heaven, and by following this on into the unlimited past. It is by this method that we can complete our years (without our minds being disturbed) 1. ‘What is meant by harmonising (conflicting opi¬ nions) in the invisible operation of Heaven ? There is the affirmation and the denial of it ; and there is the assertion of an opinion and the rejection of it. If the affirmation be according to the reality of the fact, it is certainly different from the denial of it : — there can be no dispute about that. If the assertion of an opinion be correct, it is certainly different from its rejection: — neither can there be any dispute about that. Let us forget the lapse of time ; let us forget the conflict of opinions. . Let us make our appeal to the Infinite, and take up our position there2.’

The Penumbra asked the Shadow3, saying, ‘ Formerly you were walking on, and now you have stopped ; formerly you were sitting, and now you have risen up : — how is it that you are so without stability ? ’ The Shadow replied, 1 I wait for the movements of something else to do what I do, and that something else on which I wait waits further 1 See this passage again in Book XXVII, par. 1, where the phrase which I have called here ‘ the invisible operation of Heaven,’ is said to be the same as ‘ the Heavenly Mould or Moulder,’ that is, the Heavenly Fashioner, one of the Taoistic names for the Tao. 2 That is, all things being traced up to the unity of the T ao, we have found the pivot to which all conflicting opinions, all affirma¬ tions, all denials, all positions and negatives converge, and bring to bear on them the proper light of the mind. Compare paragraph 3. 3 A story to the same effect as this here, with some textual varia¬ tions, occurs in Book XXVII, immediately after par. 1 referred to above. PT. I. sect. II. THE WRITINGS OF XWANG-3ZE. on another to do as it does ’. My waiting, — is it for the scales of a snake, or the wings of a cicada1 2? How should I know why I do one thing, or do not do another 3 ?

‘ Formerly, I, iFwang /Fau, dreamt that I was a butterfly, a butterfly flying about, feeling that it was enjoying itself. I did not know that it was Kau. Suddenly I awoke, and was myself again, the veri¬ table /fau. I did not know whether it had formerly been /fau dreaming that he was a butterfly, or it was now a butterfly dreaming that it was /fan. But between /fau and a butterfly there must be a differ¬ ence4. This is a case of what is called the Trans¬ formation of Things4.’ 1 The mind cannot rest in second causes, and the first cause, if there be one, is inscrutable. 2 Even these must wait for the will of the creature ; but the case of the shadow is still more remarkable. because of the particle which is generally, though not neces¬ sarily, interrogative. out the force of the story very successfully : — ‘ Looking at them in their ordinary appearance, there was necessarily a difference between them, but in the delusion of the dream each of them appeared the other, and they could not distinguish themselves ! ATu could be a butterfly, and the butterfly could be Zau ; — we may see that in the world all traces of that and this may pass away, as they come under the influence of transformations.’ For the phrase, ‘ the transforma¬ tion of things,’ see in Book XI, par. 5, et al. But the Taoism here can hardly be distinguished from the Buddhism that holds that all human experience is merely so much maya or illusion. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. III.

There is a limit to our life, but to knowledge there is no limit. With what is limited to pursue after what is unlimited is a perilous thing ; and when, knowing this, we still seek the increase of our know¬ ledge, the peril cannot be averted 2. There should not be the practice of what is good with any thought of the fame (which it will bring), nor of what is evil with any approximation to the punish¬ ment (which it will incur) 3 : — an accordance with the Central Element (of our nature) 4 5 is the regular way to preserve the body, to maintain the life, to nourish our parents, and to complete our term of years.

His cook6 was cutting up an ox for the ruler Wan-hui6. Whenever he applied his hand, leaned forward with his shoulder, planted his foot, and em1 See pp. 130, 131. a Under what is said about knowledge here there lies the objection of Taoists to the Confucian pursuit of knowledge as the means for the right conduct of life, instead of the quiet simplicity and self-suppression of their own system. text of it is not easily construed. The ‘ doing good ’ and the ‘ doing evil ’ are to be lightly understood. 4 A name for the Tao. 5 ‘ The ruler Wan-hui ’ is understood to be ! king Hui of Liang (or Wei),’ with the account of an interview between whom and Mencius the works of that philosopher commence. PT. I. SECT. m. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. ployed the pressure of his knee, in the audible rip¬ ping off of the skin, and slicing operation of the knife, the sounds were all in regular cadence. Move¬ ments and sounds proceeded as in the dance of ‘ the Mulberry Forest1’ and the blended notes of ‘the Aung Shau V The ruler said, ‘ Ah ! Admirable ! That your art should have become so perfect ! ’ (Having finished his operation), the cook laid down his knife, and replied to the remark, ‘ What your servant loves is the method of the Tao, something in advance of any art.

When I first began to cut up an ox, I saw nothing but the (entire) carcase. After three years I ceased to see it as a whole. Now I deal with it in a spirit-like manner, and do not look at it with my eyes. The use of my senses is dis¬ carded, and my spirit acts as it wills. Observing the natural lines, (my knife) slips through the great crevices and slides through the great cavities, taking advantage of the facilities thus presented. My art avoids the membranous ligatures, and much more the great bones. ‘A good cook changes his knife every year; — (it may have been injured) in cutting ; an ordinary cook changes his every month ; — (it may have been) broken. Now my knife has been in use for nine¬ teen years ; it has cut up several thousand oxen, and yet its edge is as sharp as if it had newly come from the whetstone. There are the interstices of the joints, and the edge of the knife has no (appreciable) thickness ; when that which is so thin enters where the interstice is, how easily it moves along ! The 1 Two pieces of music, ascribed to A7/aiig Thang and HwangTi. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. III. blade has more than room enough. Nevertheless, whenever I come to a complicated joint, and see that there will be some difficulty, I proceed anxiously and with caution, not allowing my eyes to wander from the place, and moving my hand slowly.

Then by a very slight movement of the knife, the part is quickly separated, and drops like (a clod of) earth to the ground. Then standing up with the knife in my hand, I look all round, and in a leisurely manner, with an air of satisfaction, wipe it clean, and put it in its sheath.’ The ruler Wan-hui said, ‘ Excellent ! I have heard the words of my cook, and learned from them the nourishment of (our) life.’

When Kung-wan Hsien1 2 saw the Master of the Left, he was startled, and said, ‘ What sort of man is this ? How is it he has but one foot ? Is it from Heaven? or from Man?’ Then he added-, ‘It must be from Heaven, and not from Man. Heaven’s making of this man caused him to have but one foot. In the person of man, each foot has its marrow. By this I know that his peculiarity is from Heaven, and not from Man. A pheasant of the marshes has to take ten steps to pick up a mouthful of food, and thirty steps to get a drink, but it does not seek to be nourished in a coop. Though its spirit would (there) enjoy a royal abundance, it does not think (such confinement) good.’ 1 There was a family in Wei with the double surname Kung-wan. This would be a scion of it. reasoning ad sensum and not ad verbum. The master of the Left had done 1 evil,’ so as to incur the punishment from which he suffered; and had shown himself less wise than a pheasant. pt. I. sect. in. THE WRITINGS OF JTWANG-SZE.

When Lao Tan died *, Kfim. Shih 1 2 went to con¬ dole (with his son), but after crying out three times, he came out. The disciples 3 said to him, ‘ Were you not a friend of the Master ? ’ ‘I was,’ he re¬ plied, and they said, ‘ Is it proper then to offer your condolences merely as you have done ? ’ He said, ‘ It is. At first I thought he was the man of men, and now I do not think so. When I entered a little ago and expressed my condolences, there were the old men wailing as if they had lost a son, and the young men wailing as if they had lost their mother. In his attracting and uniting them to him¬ self in such a way there must have been that which made them involuntarily express their words (of condolence), and involuntarily wail, as they were doing. And this was a hiding from himself of his Heaven (-nature), and an excessive indulgence of his (human) feelings ; — a forgetting of what he had re¬ ceived (in being born) ; what the ancients called the punishment due to neglecting the Heaven (-nature) 4 5. When the Master came s, it was at the proper time ; when he went away, it was the simple sequence (of his coming). Quiet acquiescence in what happens at its proper time, and quietly submitting (to its ceasing) afford no occasion for grief or for joy 6.

The ancients described (death) as the loosening of the nothing is known as to where he died, must be without foundation. a Nothing more is known of this person. 3 Probably the disciples of Lao-jze. 4 Lao had gone to an excess in his ‘ doing good,’ as if he were seeking reputation. 5 Into the world. wife, in Book XVIII. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. III. cord on which God suspended (the life) l. What we can point to are the faggots that have been con¬ sumed ; but the fire is transmitted (elsewhere), and we know not that it is over and ended 2. 1 This short sentence is remarkable by the use of the character Ti ‘ God,’ in it, a usage here ascribed to the ancients. by itself. The 1 faggots ’ are understood to represent the body, and the 1 fire ’ the animating spirit. The body perishes at death as the faggots are consumed by the fire. But the fire may be transmitted to other faggots, and so the spirit may migrate, and be existing elsewhere. PT. I. SECT. IV. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE.

Yen Hui1 2 went to see Wung-ni3, and asked leave to take his departure. ‘ Where are you going to ? ’ asked the Master. ‘ I will go to Wei 4 ’ was the reply. ‘ And with what object ? ’ ‘I have heard that the ruler of Wei 5 is in the vigour of his years, and consults none but himself as to his course. He deals with his state as if it were a light matter, and has no perception of his errors. He thinks lightly of his people’s dying ; the dead are lying all over the country as if no smaller space could contain them ; on the plains 6 and about the marshes, they are as thick as heaps of fuel. The people know not where to turn to. I have heard you, Master, say, “ Leave the state that is well 1 See pp. 131, 132. 2 The favourite disciple of Confucius, styled also 3ze-yiian. 3 Of course, Confucius ; — his designation or married name. 4 A feudal state, embracing portions of the present provinces of Ho-nan, Aih-li, and Shan-tung. There was another state, which rve must also call Wei in English, though the Chinese characters of them are different ; — one of the fragments of the great state of 3>n, more to the west. 6 At this time the marquis Yuan, known to us by his post¬ humous title of duke Ling ;

— see Book XXV, 9. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. IV. governed ; go to the state where disorder prevails 1.” At the door of a physician there are many who are ill. I wish through what I have heard (from you) to think out some methods (of dealing with Wei), if peradventure the evils of the state may be cured.’ Wung-nl said, ‘Alas! The risk is that you will go only to suffer in the punishment (of yourself) ! The right method (in such a case) will not admit of any admixture. With such admixture, the one method will become many methods. Their multi¬ plication will embarrass you. That embarrassment will make you anxious. However anxious you may be, you will not save (yourself). The perfect men of old first had (what they wanted to do) in them¬ selves, and afterwards they found (the response to it) in others. If what they wanted in themselves was not fixed, what leisure had they to go and interfere with the proceedings of any tyrannous man ? ‘ Moreover, do you know how virtue is liable to be dissipated, and how wisdom proceeds to display itself? Virtue is dissipated in (the pursuit of) the name for it, and wisdom seeks to display itself in the striving with others. In the pursuit of the name men overthrow one another ; wisdom becomes a weapon of contention. Both these things are instruments of evil, and should not be allowed to have free course in one’s conduct.

Supposing one’s virtue to be great and his sincerity firm, if he do not comprehend the spirit of those (whom he wishes to influence) ; and supposing he is free from the 1 Compare in the Analects, VIII, xiii, 2, where a different lesson is given ; but Confucius may at another time have spoken as Hui says. PT. I. SECT. IV. THE WRITINGS OF iTWANG-SZE. disposition to strive for reputation, if he do not comprehend their minds ; — when in such a case he forcibly insists on benevolence and righteousness, setting them forth in the strongest and most direct language, before the tyrant, then he, hating (his reprover’s) possession of those excellences, will put him down as doing him injury. He who injures others is sure to be injured by them in return. You indeed will hardly escape being injured by the man (to whom you go) ! ‘ Further, if perchance he takes pleasure in men of worth and hates those of an opposite character, what is the use of your seeking to make yourself out to be different (from such men about him) ? Before you have begun to announce (your views), he, as king and ruler, will take advantage of you, and immediately contend with you for victory. Your eyes will be dazed and full of perplexity; you will try to look pleased with him ; you will frame your words with care ; your demeanour will be conformed to his ;

you will confirm him in his views. In this way you will be adding fire to fire, and water to water, increasing, as we may express it, the evils (which you deplore). To these signs of deferring to him at the first there will be no end. You will be in danger, seeing he does not believe you, of making your words more strong, and you are sure to die at the hands of such a tyrant. * And formerly A'ieh 1 killed Kwan Lung-fang 2, and Kau 3 killed the prince Pi-kan 4. Both of 1 The tyrant with whom the dynasty of Hsia ended. 2 A worthy minister of A’ieh. 3 The tyrant with whom the dynasty of Shang or Yin ended. 4 A half-brother of Aau, the tyrant of the Yin dynasty. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. IV. these cultivated their persons, bending down in sympathy with the lower people to comfort them suffering (as they did) from their oppressors, and on their account opposing their superiors. On this account, because they so ordered their conduct, their rulers compassed their destruction : — such regard had they for their own fame. (Again), Yao anciently attacked (the states of) 3hung-/6ih 1 ancj Hsti-ao 1, and Yu attacked the ruler of Hfi h Those states were left empty, and with no one to continue their population, the people being exterminated. They had engaged in war without ceasing ; their craving for whatever they could get was insatiable.

And this (ruler of Wei) is, like them, one who craves after fame and greater substance ; — have you not heard it ? Those sages were not able to over¬ come the thirst for fame and substance ; — how much less will you be able to do so! Nevertheless you must have some ground (for the course which you wish to take) ; pray try and tell it to me.’ Yen Hui said, ‘ May I go, doing so in uprightness and humility, using also every endeavour to be uniform (in my plans of operation) ? ’ ‘No, indeed ! ’ was the reply. ‘ How can you do so ? This man makes a display2 of being filled to overflowing (with virtue), and has great self-conceit. His feelings are not to be determined from his countenance. Ordinary men do not (venture to) oppose him, and he proceeds from the way in which he affects them 1 See in par. 7, Book II, where Hsii-ao is mentioned, though not 3hung-/hh. See the Shu, III, ii. 2 I take |j||r here as = meaning given in the Khang-hsi dictionary. PT. i. SECT. IV. THE WRITINGS OF iTWANG-SZE. to seek still more the satisfaction of his own mind. He may be described as unaffected by the (small lessons of) virtue brought to bear on him from day to day ; and how much less will he be so by your great lessons ?

He will be obstinate, and refuse to be converted. He may outwardly agree with you, but inwardly there will be no self-condemna¬ tion ; — how can you (go to him in this way and be successful) ? ’ (Yen Hui) rejoined, ‘Well then; while inwardly maintaining my straightforward intention, I will outwardly seem to bend to him. I will deliver (my lessons), and substantiate them by appealing to antiquity. Inwardly maintaining my straightforward intention, I shall be a co-worker with Heaven. When I thus speak of being a co-worker with Heaven, it is because I know that (the sovereign, whom we style) the son of Heaven, and myself, are equally regarded by Heaven as Its sons. And should I then, as if my words were only my own, be seeking to find whether men approved of them, or disapproved of them ? In this way men will pronounce me a (sincere and simple J) boy. This is what is called being a co-worker with Heaven. ‘ Outwardly bending (to the ruler), I shall be a co-worker with other men. To carry (the memo¬ randum tablet to court)1 2, to kneel, and to bend the body reverentially : — these are the observances of ministers. They all employ them, and should I presume not to do so ? Doing what other men do, they would have no occasion to blame me. This 1 Entirely unsophisticated, governed by the Tao. 2 See the Li Ki, XI, ii, 16, 17.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. IV. is what is called being a fellow-worker with other men. ‘ Fully declaring my sentiments and substantiat¬ ing them by appealing to antiquity, I shall be a co-worker with the ancients. Although the words in which I convey my lessons may really be con¬ demnatory (of the ruler), they will be those of antiquity, and not my own. In this way, though straightforward, I shall be free from blame. This is what is called being a co-worker with antiquity. May I go to Wei in this way, and be successful ? ’ ‘ No indeed!’ said Aung-ni. ‘ How can you do so ? You have too many plans of proceeding, and have not spied out (the ruler’s character). Though you firmly adhere to your plans, you may be held free from transgression, but this will be all the result. How can you (in this way) produce the trans¬ formation (which you desire) ? All this only shows (in you) the mind of a teacher ! ’

Yen Hui said, ‘ I can go no farther; I venture to ask the method from you.’ ATmg-ni replied, ‘ It is fasting1, (as) I will tell you. (But) when you have the method, will you find it easy to practise it? He who thinks it easy will be disapproved of by the bright Heaven.’ Hui said, 1 My family is poor. For months together we have no spirituous drink, nor do we taste the proscribed food or any strong-smelling vegetables 2 ; — can this be regarded as fasting ? ’ The reply was, ‘ It is the fasting appropriate to sacrificing, but it is not the fasting 1 The term is emphatic, as Confucius goes on to explain. pigeon. PT. I. SECT. iv. THE WRITINGS OF WWANG-SZE. of the mind.’ ‘ I venture to ask what that fasting of the mind is,’ said Hui, and Wung-ni answered, ‘ Maintain a perfect unity in every movement of your will. You will not wait for the hearing of your ears about it, but for the hearing of your mind. You will not wait even for the hearing of your mind, but for the hearing of the spirit1. Let the hearing (of the ears) rest with the ears. Let the mind rest in the verification (of the rightness of what is in the will). But the spirit is free from all pre-occupation and so waits for (the appearance of) things. Where the (proper) course is 2, there is freedom from all pre-occupation ;

— such freedom is the fasting of the mind.’ Hui said3, ‘ Before it was possible for me to employ (this method), there I was, the Hui that I am ; now, that I can employ it, the Hui that I was has passed away. Can I be said to have obtained this freedom from pre-occupation ?’ The Master replied, ‘ Entirely. I tell you that you can enter and be at ease in the enclosure (where he is), and not come into collision with the reputation (which belongs to him). If he listen to your counsels, let him hear your notes ; if he will not listen, be silent. Open no (other) door ; employ no other medicine ; dwell with him (as with a friend) in the same apartment, and as if you had no other option, and you will not be far from success in your object. Not to move a step is easy; to walk without treading on the ground is difficult. In acting after the manner of men, it is easy to fall 1 The character in the text for ‘ spirit ’ here is ‘ the breath.’ 2 The T ao. 3 ‘ Said ; ’ probably, after having made trial of this fasting. P THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. IV. into hypocrisy ; in acting after the manner of Heaven, it is difficult to play the hypocrite. I have heard of flying with wings ;

I have not heard of flying without them. I have heard of the know¬ ledge of the wise ; I have not heard of the knowledge of the unwise. Look at that aperture (left in the wall) ; — the empty apartment is filled with light through it. Felicitous influences rest (in the mind thus emblemed), as in their proper resting place. Even when they do not so rest, we have what is called (the body) seated and (the mind) galloping abroad. The information that comes through the ears and eyes is comprehended in¬ ternally, and the knowledge of the mind becomes something external : — (when this is the case), the spiritual intelligences will come, and take up their dwelling with us, and how much more will other men do so ! All things thus undergo a trans¬ forming influence. This was the hinge on which Yu and Shun moved; it was this which Fu-hsi1 and Ki-k/m 2 practised all their lives : how much more should other men follow the same rule ! ’

3ze-kao 3, duke of Sheh, being about to proceed on a mission to Kh{, asked iifiung-ni, saying, ‘ The king is sending me, Au-liang 3, on a mission which 1 Often spoken of as Fo-hi, the founder of the Chinese kingdom. His place in chronology should be assigned to him more than b.c. 3000 rather than under that date. 2 A predecessor of Fu-hsi, a sovereign of the ancient para¬ disiacal time. department Nan-yang, Ho-nan. Its governor, who is the subject of this narrative, was a Shan Aru-liang, styled 3ze-kao. He was PT. I. sect. iv. THE WRITINGS OF XWANC-3ZE. is very important. Khi will probably treat me as his commissioner with great respect, but it will not be in a hurry (to attend to the business). Even an ordinary man cannot be readily moved (to action), and how much less the prince of a state ! I am very full of apprehension. You, Sir, once said to me that of all things, great or small, there were few which, if not conducted in the proper way \ could be brought to a happy conclusion ; that, if the thing were not successful, there was sure to be the evil of being dealt with after the manner of men 2 ; that, if it were successful, there was sure to be the evil of constant anxiety 3 ; and that, whether it succeeded or not, it was only the virtuous man who could secure its not being fol¬ lowed by evil.

In my diet I take what is coarse, and do not seek delicacies, — a man whose cookery does not require him to be using cooling drinks. This morning I received my charge, and in the evening I am drinking iced water; — am I not feeling the internal heat (and discomfort) ? Such is my state before I have actually engaged in the affair ; — I am already suffering from conflicting anxieties. And if the thing do not succeed, (the king) is sure to deal with me after the manner of men. The evil is twofold ; as a minister, I am not able to bear the burden (of the mission). Can not a duke, but as the counts of K!A had usurped the name of king, they gave high-sounding names to all their ministers and officers. 1 Or, ‘according to the Tao.’ 2 As a criminal ; punished by his sovereign. 3 Anxiety ‘ night and day,’ or ‘ cold and hot ’ fits of trouble ; — a peculiar usage of Yin Yang. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. IV. you, Sir, tell me something (to help me in the case) ? ’ Aiung-ni replied, ‘In all things under heaven there are two great cautionary considerations : — the one is the requirement implanted (in the nature)1 ; the other is the conviction of what is right. The love of a son for his parents is the implanted require¬ ment, and can never be separated from his heart ;

the service of his ruler by a minister is what is right, and from its obligation there is no escaping anywhere between heaven and earth. These are what are called the great cautionary considerations. Therefore a son finds his rest in serving his parents without reference to or choice of place ; and this is the height of filial duty. In the same way a subject finds his rest in serving his ruler, without reference to or choice of the business ; and this is the fullest discharge of loyalty. When men are simply obeying (the dictates of) their hearts, the considerations of grief and joy are not readily set before them. They know that there is no alterna¬ tive to their acting as they do, and rest in it as what is appointed ; and this is the highest achieve¬ ment of virtue. He who is in the position of a minister or of a son has indeed to do what he cannot but do. Occupied with the details of the business (in hand), and forgetful of his own person, what leisure has he to think of his pleasure in living or his dislike of death ? You, my master, may well proceed on your mission. ‘But let me repeat to you what I have heard : — In 1 The Ming of the text here is that in the first sentence of the .Yung Yung. pt. I. SECT.

iv. THE WRITINGS OF JsTWANG-SZE. all intercourse (between states), if they are near to each other, there should be mutual friendliness, veri¬ fied by deeds j, if they are far apart, there must be sincere adherence to truth in their messages. Those messages will be transmitted by internuncios. But to convey messages which express the complacence or the dissatisfaction of the two parties is the most difficult thing in the world. If they be those of mutual complacence, there is sure to be an overflow of expressions of satisfaction ; if of mutual dissatis¬ faction, an overflow of expressions of dislike. But all extravagance leads to reckless language, and such language fails to command belief. When this distrust arises, woe to the internuncio ! Hence the Rules for Speech1 say, “Transmit the message exactly as it stands ; do not transmit it with any overflow of language ; so is (the internuncio) likely to keep him¬ self whole.”

‘ Moreover, skilful wrestlers begin with open trials of strength, but always end with masked attempts (to gain the victory) ; as their excitement grows excessive, they display much wonderful dex¬ terity. Parties drinking according to the rules at first observe good order, but always end with dis¬ order ; as their excitement grows excessive, their fun becomes uproarious 2. In all things it is so. People are at first sincere, but always end with becoming rude ; at the commencement things are treated as trivial, which led to the name of Yang Hsiung’s Treatise with the same name in our first century. 2 See the Shih, II, vii, 6. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. IV. but as the end draws near, they assume great pro¬ portions. Words are (like) the waves acted on by the wind ; the real point of the matters (discussed by them) is lost. The wind and waves are easily set in motion ; the success of the matter of which the real point is lost is easily put in peril. Hence quarrels are occasioned by nothing so much as by artful words and one-sided speeches. The breath comes angrily, as when a beast, driven to death, wildly bellows forth its rage. On this animosities arise on both sides. Hasty examination (of the case) eagerly proceeds, and revengeful thoughts arise in their minds ; — they do not know how. Since they do not know how such thoughts arise, who knows how they will end ?

Hence the Rules for Speech 1 say, “ Let not an internuncius depart from his instructions. Let him not urge on a settlement. If he go beyond the regular rules, he will complicate matters. Departing from his instructions and urging on a settlement im¬ perils negotiations. A good settlement is proved by its lasting long, and a bad settlement cannot be altered ; — ought he not to be careful ? ” ‘ Further still, let your mind find its enjoyment in the circumstances of your position ; nourish the cen¬ tral course which you pursue, by a reference to your unavoidable obligations. This is the highest object for you to pursue ; what else can you do to fulfil the charge (of your father and ruler)2. The best thing you can do is to be prepared to sacrifice your life ; and this is the most difficult thing to do.’ 1 See above, on preceding page. 3 Not meaning the king of Khix\ but the Tao, whose will was to be found in his nature and the conditions of his lot. I’T. I. SECT. iv. THE WRITINGS OF iTWANG-SZE.

Yen Ho 1, being about to undertake the office of Teacher of the eldest son of duke Ling of Wei, con¬ sulted Kii Po-yii2. ‘ Here,’ said he, ‘is this (young) man, whose natural disposition is as bad as it could be. If I allow him to proceed in a bad way, it will be at the peril of our state ; if I insist on his proceed¬ ing in a right way, it will be at the peril of my own person. His wisdom is just sufficient to know the errors of other men, but he does not know how he errs himself. What am I to do in such a case ? ’ Kn Po-yii replied, ‘ Good indeed is your ques¬ tion ! Be on your guard ; be careful ; see that you keep yourself correct! Your best plan will be, with your person to seek association with him, and with your mind to try to be in harmony with him ; and yet there are dangers connected with both of these things. While seeking to keep near to him, do not enter into his pursuits ; while cultivating a harmony of mind with him, do not show how superior you are to him. If in your personal association you enter into his pursuits, you will fall with him and be ruined, you will tumble down with a crash. If in maintaining a harmony with his mind, you show how different you are from him, he will think you do so for the reputation and the name, and regard you as a creature of evil omen :i.

If you find him to be a mere boy, be you with him as another boy ; if you find him one of those who will not have their ground marked out in the ordinary way, do you humour again in Books XIX, XXVIII, and XXXII. 2 A minister of Wei; a friend and favourite of Confucius. 8 Compare in the A'ung Yung, ii, ch. 24. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. IV. him in this characteristic 1 ; if you find him to be free from lofty airs, show yourself to be the same ; — - (ever) leading him on so as to keep him free from faults. ‘ Do you not know (the fate of) the praying mantis ? It angrily stretches out its arms, to arrest the progress of the carriage, unconscious of its in¬ ability for such a task, but showing how much it thinks of its own powers. Be on your guard ; be careful. If you cherish a boastful confidence in your own excellence, and place yourself in collision with him, you are likely to incur the fate (of the mantis). ‘ Do you not know how those who keep tigers proceed ? They do not dare to supply them with living creatures, because of the rage which their killing of them will excite. They do not (even) dare to give them their food whole, because of the rage which their rending of it will excite.

They watch till their hunger is appeased, (dealing with them) from their knowledge of their natural ferocity. Tigers are different from men, but they fawn on those who feed them, and do so in accordance with their nature. When any of these are killed by them, it is because they have gone against that nature. ‘ Those again who are fond of horses preserve their dung in baskets, and their urine in jars. If musquitoes and gadflies light on them, and the grooms brush them suddenly away, the horses break their bits, injure (the ornaments on) their heads, and smash those on their breasts. The more care that is taken of them, the more does their fond1 Equivalent to ‘ Do not cross him in his peculiarities.' pt. I. SECT. IV. THE WRITINGS OF ItWANG-SZE. ness (for their attendants) disappear. Ought not caution to be exercised (in the management of them) ? ’

A (master) mechanic, called Shih, on his way to KJA, came to AT/^ii-yuan x, where he saw an oak-tree, which was used as the altar for the spirits of the land. It was so large that an ox standing behind it could not be seen. It measured a hundred spans round, and rose up eighty cubits on the hill before it threw out any branches, after which there were ten or so, from each of which a boat could be hollowed out. People came to see it in crowds as in a market place, but the mechanic did not look round at it, but held on his way without stopping. One of his work¬ men, however, looked long and admiringly at it, and then ran on to his master, and said to him, ‘ Since I followed you with my axe and bill, I have never seen such a beautiful mass of timber as this. Why would you, Sir, not look round at it, but went on without stopping ? ’ ‘ Have done,’ said Mr. Shih, ‘ and do not speak about it. It is quite useless. A boat made from its wood would sink ; a coffin or shell would quickly rot ; an article of furniture would soon go to pieces ; a door would be covered with the exuding sap ; a pillar would be riddled by insects ; the material of it is good for nothing, and hence it is that it has attained to so great an age V a hill.

All these accounts of the name are found in different editions of our author, showing that the locality had not been identified. 2 No one has thought it worth cutting down. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. IV. When Mr. Shih was returning, the altar-oak appeared to him in a dream, and said, ‘ What other tree will you compare with me ? Will you compare me to one of your ornamental trees ? There are hawthorns, pear-trees, orange-trees, pummelo-trees, gourds and other low fruit-bearing plants. When their fruits are ripe, they are knocked down from them, and thrown among the dirt h The large branches are broken, and the smaller are torn away. So it is that their productive ability makes their lives bitter to them ; they do not complete their natural term of existence, but come to a premature end in the middle of their time, bringing on them¬ selves the destructive treatment which they ordin¬ arily receive. It is so with all things. I have sought to discover how it was that I was so useless ; — I had long done so, till (the effort) nearly caused my death ; and now I have learned it : — it has been of the greatest use to me. Suppose that I had possessed useful properties, should I have become of the great size that I am ? And moreover you and I are both things ; — how should one thing thus pass its judgment on another ?

how is it that you a use¬ less man know all this about me a useless tree ? ’ When Mr. Shih awoke, he kept thinking about his dream, but the workman said, ‘ Being so taken with its uselessness, how is it that it yet acts here as the altar for the spirits of the land ? ’ ‘Be still,’ was the master’s reply, ‘ and do not say a word. It simply happened to grow here ; and thus those who do not know it do not speak ill of it as an evil thing. If it were not used as the altar, would it be in danger of 1 This is the indignity intended. PT. I. SECT. IV. THE WRITINGS OF JTWANG-3ZE. being cut down ? Moreover, the reason of its being preserved is different from that of the preservation of things generally ; is not your explaining it from the sentiment which you have expressed wide of the mark ? ’

Nan-po 3 zt-khi 1 in rambling about the Heights of Shang2 3, saw a large and extraordinary tree. The teams of a thousand chariots might be sheltered under it, and its shade would cover them all ! 3ze_ khi said, ‘ What a tree is this ! It must contain an extraordinary amount of timber ! When he looked up, however, at its smaller branches, they were so twisted and crooked that they could not be made into rafters and beams ; when he looked down to its root, its stem was divided into so many rounded por¬ tions that neither coffin nor shell could be made from them. He licked one of its leaves, and his mouth felt torn and wounded. The smell of it would make a man frantic, as if intoxicated, for more than three whole days together. ‘ This, indeed,’ said he, ‘ is a tree good for nothing, and it is thus that it has attained to such a size. Ah ! and spirit-like men acknowledge this worthlessness (and its result) V In Sung there is the district of Wing-shili 4, in which catalpae, cypresses, and mulberry trees grow well. Those of them which are a span or two or rather more in circumference 5 are cut down by per¬ sons who want to make posts to which to tie their Book. - In the present department of Kwei-teh, Ho-nan. 3 A difficult sentence to construe.

4 In what part of the duchy we do not know. 5 See Mencius, VI, i, 13. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. IV. monkeys ; those which are three or four spans round are cut down by persons who want beams for their lofty and famous houses ; and those of seven or eight spans are cut down by noblemen and rich merchants who want single planks for the sides of their coffins. The trees in consequence do not complete their natural term of life, and come to a premature end in the middle of their growth under the axe and bill ; — this is the evil that befalls them from their supplying good timber. In the same way the Afieh 1 (book) specifies oxen that have white foreheads, pigs that have turned-up snouts, and men that are suffering from piles, and forbids their being sacrificed to the Ho. The wizards know them by these peculiarities and con¬ sider them to be inauspicious, but spirit-like men consider them on this account to be very fortunate.

There was the deformed object Shu2. His chin seemed to hide his navel ; his shoulders were higher than the crown of his head ; the knot of his hair pointed to the sky ; his five viscera were all com¬ pressed into the upper part of his body, and his two thigh bones were like ribs. By sharpening needles and washing clothes he was able to make a living. By sifting rice and cleaning it, he was able to support ten individuals. When the government was calling out soldiers, this poor Shu would bare his arms among the others ; when it had any great service to be undertaken, because of his constant ailments, none of the work was assigned to him ; when it was ever a time in China when human sacrifices were offered to the Ho, or on any altar ? 2 One of ATwang-jze’s creations. pt. I. sect. IV. THE WRITINGS OF R'WANG-SZE. giving out grain to the sick, he received three /6ung, and ten bundles of firewood. If this poor man, so deformed in body, was still able to support him¬ self, and complete his term of life, how much more may they do so, whose deformity is that of their faculties1 !

When Confucius went to KM 2, W/^ieh-yu, the madman of KM3, as he was wandering about, passed by his door, and said, ‘ O Phoenix, O Phoenix, how is your virtue degenerated ! The future is not to be waited for ; the past is not to be sought again ! When good order prevails in the world, the sage tries to accomplish all his service ; when disorder prevails, he may preserve his life ; at the present time, it is enough if he simply escape being punished. Happiness is lighter than a feather, but no one knows how to support it ; calamity is heavier than the earth, and yet no one knows how to avoid it. Give over ! give over approaching men with the lessons of your virtue ! You are in peril ! you are in peril, hurrying on where you have marked out the ground against your advance ! I avoid publicity, I avoid publicity, that my path may not be injured. I pursue my course, now going backwards, now crookedly, that my feet may not be hurt 4. 1 The deficiency of their faculties — here mental faculties — would assimilate them to the useless trees in the last two paragraphs, whose uselessness only proved useful to them. 2 The great state of the south, having its capital in the present Hu-pei. 3 See the Analects, XVIII, v. of Confucius ; but the meaning is very uncertain, and the text cannot be discussed fully in these short notes.

There is a jingle THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. IV. ‘The mountain by its trees weakens itself1. The grease which ministers to the fire fries itself. The cinnamon tree can be eaten, and therefore it is cut down. The varnish tree is useful, and therefore incisions are made in it. All men know the advan¬ tage of being useful, but no one knows the advantage of being useless.’ of rhyme also in the sentence, and some critics find something like this in them : ‘Ye ferns, ye thorny ferns, O injure not my way! To save my feet, I backward turn, or winding stray ! ’ 1 Literally, ‘ robs itself; ’ — exhausts its moisture or productive strength. pt. i. SECT. v. THE WRITINGS OF SWANG-3ZE.

In Lu2 there was a Wang Thai3 who had lost both his feet4 5; while his disciples who followed and went about with him were as numerous as those of Aring-ni Kiting K\ 6 asked Wung-ni about him, saying, ‘ Though Wang Thai is a cripple, the dis¬ ciples who follow him about divide L11 equally with you, Master. When he stands, he does not teach them ; when he sits, he does not discourse to them. But they go to him empty, and come back full. Is there indeed such a thing as instruction without words6 ? and while the body is imperfect, may the mind be complete ? What sort of man is he ? ’ Aring-ni replied, ‘ This master is a sage. I have 1 See pp. 133, 134. 2 The native state of Confucius, part of the present Shan-tung. s A Taoist of complete virtue ; but probably there was not really such a person. Our author fabricates him according to his fashion. 4 The character uh (TTj) does not say that he had lost both his feet, but I suppose that such is the meaning, because of what is said of Toeless below that ‘ he walked on his heels to see Confucius.’ The feet must have been amputated, or mutilated rather (justly or unjustly), as a punishment ; but Afwang-jze wished to say nothing on that point. 5 Perhaps a disciple of Confucius ;

— not elsewhere mentioned as such. 6 See the Tao Teh King, ch. 2. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. bk. v. only been too late in going to him. I will make him my teacher ; and how much more should those do so who are not equal to me ! Why should only the state of Lu follow him ? I will lead on all under heaven with me to do so.’ Khang Ki re¬ joined, ‘ He is a man who has lost his feet, and yet he is known as the venerable Wang 1 ; — he must be very different from ordinary men. What is the peculiar way in which he employs his mind ? ’ The reply was, ‘ Death and life are great considerations, but they could work no change in him. Though heaven and earth were to be overturned and fall, they would occasion him no loss. His judgment is fixed regarding that in which there is no element of falsehood 2 ; and, while other things change, he changes not. The transformations of things are to him the developments prescribed for them, and he keeps fast hold of the author of them 2.’ A7?ang K\ said, ‘ What do you mean ? ’ ‘ When we look at things,’ said Wung-ni, ‘ as they differ, we see them to be different, (as for instance) the liver and the gall, or Kh\\ and Yiieh ;

when we look at them, as they agree, we see them all to be a unity. So it is with this (Wang Thai). He takes no know¬ ledge of the things for which his ears and eyes are the appropriate organs, but his mind delights itself in the harmony of (all excellent) qualities. He looks at the unity which belongs to things, and does not perceive where they have suffered loss. He looks 1 Literally, ‘the Senior;’ often rendered ‘Teacher.’ 2 ‘That in which there is no element of falsehood’ is the Tao, which also is the ‘Author’ of all the changes that take place in time and space. See the Introductory Note on the title and subject of the Book. pt. i. sect. v. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. on the loss of his feet as only the loss of so much earth.’ Khzng K\ said, ‘ He is entirely occupied with his (proper) self1. By his knowledge he has discovered (the nature of) his mind, and to that he holds as what is unchangeable 1 ; but how is it that men make so much of him ? ’ The reply was, ‘ Men do not look into running water as a mirror, but into still water ; — it is only the still water that can arrest them all, and keep them (in the contemplation of their real selves). Of things which are what they are by the influence of the earth, it is only the pine and cypress which are the best instances ;

— in winter as in summer brightly green 2. Of those which were what they were by the influence of Heaven3, the most correct examples were Yao and Shun ; for¬ tunate in (thus) maintaining their own life correct, and so as to correct the lives of others. ‘ As a verification of the (power of) the original endowment, when it has been preserved, take the result of fearlessness, — how the heroic spirit of a single brave soldier has been thrown into an army of nine hosts 4. If a man only seeking for fame and able in this way to secure it can produce such an effect, how much more (may we look for a greater 1 Wang Thai saw all things in the T&o, and the Tao in all things. Comp. Book XI, par. 7, et al. * Notwithstanding his being a cripple. He forgets that circum¬ stance himself, and all others forget it, constrained and won by his embodiment of the Tao. What follows is an illustration of this, exaggerated indeed, but not so extravagantly as in many other passages. 3 In the Tloistic meaning of the term. 4 The royal army consisted of six hosts ; that of a great feudal prince of three. ‘ Nine hosts ’ = a very great army. Q THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. V. result) from one whose rule is over heaven and earth, and holds all things in his treasury, who simply has his lodging in the six members 1 of his body, whom his ears and eyes serve but as convey¬ ing emblematic images of things, who comprehends all his knowledge in a unity, and whose mind never dies ! If such a man were to choose a day on which he would ascend far on high, men would (seek to) follow him there. But how should he be willing to occupy himself with other men ? ’

Shan-thu A"ia2 was (another) man who had lost his feet. Along with 3ze-A$an3 of ATang3 he studied under the master Po-hwan Wu-^an 4. ^zc-khim said to him (one day), ‘ If I go out first, do you remain behind ; and if you go out first, I will remain be¬ hind.’ Next day they were again sitting together on the same mat in the hall, when 3ze-Ma.n spoke the same words to him, adding, ‘ Now I am about to go out ; will you stay behind or not ? Moreover, when you see one of official rank (like myself), you do not try to get out of his way; — do you consider yourself equal to one of official rank ? ’ Shan-thu Ala replied, ‘ In our Master’s school is there indeed such recognition required of official rank ? You are one, Sir, whose pleasure is in your official rank, and would therefore take precedence of other men. I 1 The arms, legs, head, and trunk. 2 Another cripple introduced by our author to serve his purpose. 3 Kung-sun A7ziao; a good and able minister of ■K'a.ng, an earldom forming part of the present Ho-nan. He was a con¬ temporary of Confucius, who wept when he heard of his death in b.c. 522. He was a scion of the ruling house, which again was a branch of the royal family of Aau. 4 A Taoist teacher. See XXI, par.

9; XXXII, par. 1. pt. I. sect. v. THE WRITINGS OF ATWANG-3ZE. have heard that when a mirror is bright, the dust does not rest on it ; when dust rests on it the mirror is not bright. When one dwells long with a man of ability and virtue, he comes to be without error. There now is our teacher whom you have chosen to make you greater than you are ; and when you still talk in this way, are you not in error ? ’ 3 ze-Man rejoined, ‘A (shattered) object as you are, you would still strive to make yourself out as good as Yao ! If I may form an estimate of your virtue, might it not be sufficient to lead you to the examination of yourself?’ The other said, ‘Most criminals, in describing their offences, would make it out that they ought not to have lost (their feet) for them ; few would describe them so as to make it appear that they should not have preserved their feet. They are only the virtuous who know that such a calamity was unavoidable, and therefore rest in it as what was appointed for them. When men stand before (an archer like) 1 1 with his bent bow, if they are in the middle of his field, that is the place where they should be hit ; and if they be not hit, that also was appointed.

There are many with their feet entire who laugh at me be¬ cause I have lost my feet, which makes me feel vexed and angry. But when I go to our teacher, I throw off that feeling, and return (to a better mood) ; — he has washed, without my knowing it, the other from me by (his instructions in) what is good. I have attended him now for nineteen years, and have not known that I am without my feet. Now, you, Sir, and I have for the object of our study the b.c., or perhaps earlier. Q 2 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. V. (virtue) which is internal, and not an adjunct of the body, and yet you are continually directing your attention to my external body; — are you not wrong in this ? ’ 3ze-/£Mn felt uneasy, altered his manner and looks, and said, ‘You need not, Sir, say any¬ thing more about it.’

In Lu there was a cripple, called Shu-shan the Toeless1, who came on his heels to see Wung-nl. Wung-ni said to him, ‘ By your want of circumspec¬ tion in the past, Sir, you have incurred such a cala¬ mity; — of what use is your coming to me now ? ’ Toeless said, ‘ Through my ignorance of my proper business and taking too little care of my body, I came to lose my feet. But now I am come to you, still possessing what is more honourable than my feet, and which therefore I am anxious to preserve entire. There is nothing which Heaven does not cover, and nothing which Earth does not sustain ; you, Master, were regarded by me as doing the part of Heaven and Earth; — how could I know that you would receive me in such a way ? ’ Confucius re¬ joined, ‘ I am but a poor creature. But why, my master, do you not come inside, where I will try to tell you what I have learned ?’ When Toeless had gone out, Confucius said, ‘ Be stimulated to effort, my disciples. This toeless cripple is still anxious to learn to make up for the evil of his former conduct ; — how much more should those be so whose conduct has been unchallenged ! ’ Mr. Toeless, however, told Lao Tan (of the inter1 ‘Toeless’ is a sort of nickname.

Shu-shan or Shft hill was, probably, where he dwelt : — ‘ Toeless of Shu hill.’ PT. I. SECT. v. THE WRITINGS OF XWANG-3ZE. view), saying, ‘ Khung Kkm, I apprehend, has not yet attained to be a Perfect man. What has he to do with keeping a crowd of disciples around him ? He is seeking to have the reputation of being an extra¬ ordinary and marvellous man, and does not know that the Perfect man considers this to be as handcuffs and fetters to him.’ Lao Tan said, ‘Why did you not simply lead him to see the unity of life and death, and that the admissible and inadmissible belong to one category, so freeing him from his fetters ? Would this be possible?’ Toeless said, ‘ It is the punishment inflicted on him by Heaven '. How can he be freed from it ? ’

Duke Ai of Lu1 2 3 asked Wung-ni, saying, ‘There was an ugly man in Wei, called Ai-thai Tho :i. His father-in-law, who lived with him, thought so much of him that he could not be away from him. His wife, when she saw him (ugly as he was), represented to her parents, saying, “ I had more than ten times rather be his concubine than the wife of any other man 4.” He was never heard to take the lead in dis¬ cussion, but always seemed to be of the same opinion with others. He had not the position of a ruler, so as to be able to save men from death. He had no revenues, so as to be able to satisfy men’s craving for food. He was ugly enough, moreover, to scare 1 ‘Heaven’ here is a synonym of Tao. Perhaps the meaning is ‘ unavoidable ; ’ it is so in the Taoistic order of things. 2 It was in the sixteenth year of duke Ai that Confucius died. Ai was marquis of Lu from b.c. 494 to 468. fabrication. Ai-thai is understood to be descriptive of his ugliness, and Tho to be his name. 4 Perhaps this was spoken by his wife before their marriage. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. V. the whole world. He agreed with men instead of trying to lead them to adopt his views ; his know¬ ledge did not go beyond his immediate neighbour¬ hood \ And yet his father-in-law and his wife were of one mind about him in his presence (as I have said);

— he must have been different from other men. I called him, and saw him. Certainly he was ugly enough to scare the whole world. He had not lived with me, however, for many months, when I was drawn to the man ; and before he had been with me a full year, I had confidence in him. The state being without a chief minister, I (was minded) to commit the government to him. He responded to my proposal sorrowfully, and looked undecided as if he would fain have declined it. I was ashamed of myself (as inferior to him), but finally gave the government into his hands. In a little time, how¬ ever, he left me and went away. I was sorry and felt that I had sustained a loss, and as if there were no other to share the pleasures of the kingdom with me. What sort of man was he ? ’ /Cung-ni said, ‘ Once when I was sent on a mission to Khn, I saw some pigs sucking at their dead mother. After a little they looked with rapid glances, when they all left her, and ran away. They felt that she did not see them, and that she was no longer like themselves. What they had loved in their mother was not her bodily figure, but what had given anima¬ tion to her figure. When a man dies in battle, they do not at his interment employ the usual appendages 1 One sees dimly the applicability of this illustration to the case in hand.

What made Ai-thai Tho so much esteemed was his mental power, quite independent of his ugly person. PT. I. SECT . v. THE WRITINGS OF iTWANG-SZE. of plumes 1 : as to supplying shoes to one who has lost his feet, there is no reason why he should care for them ; — in neither case is there the proper reason for their use k The members of the royal harem do not pare their nails nor pierce their ears 2 ; when a man is newly married, he remains (for a time) absent from his official duties, and unoccupied with them 2. That their bodies might be perfect was sufficient to make them thus dealt with ; — how much greater results should be expected from men whose mental gifts are perfect ! This Ai-thai Tho was believed by men, though he did not speak a word ; and was loved by them, though he did no special service for them. He made men appoint him to the government of their states, afraid only that he would not accept the appointment. He must have been a man whose powers 3 were perfect, though his realisation of them 3 was not manifested in his person.’ Duke Ai said, ‘ What is meant by saying that his powers were complete ? ’ Afung-ni replied, ‘ Death and life, preservation and ruin, failure and success, poverty and wealth, superiority and inferiority, blame and praise, hunger and thirst, cold and heat ;

— these are the changes of circumstances, the operation of our appointed lot. Day and night they succeed to one another before us, but there is no wisdom 1 See the Li K\, VIII, i, 7 ; but the applicability of these two illustrations is not so clear. 2 These two have force as in ‘ reasoning from the less to the greater.’ With the latter of the two compare the mosaical provision in Deuteronomy xxiv. g. 3 ‘ Powers’ are the capacities of the nature, — the gift of the Tao. ‘ Virtue ’ is the realisation or carrying out of those capacities. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. V. able to discover to what they owe their origination. They are not sufficient therefore to disturb the har¬ mony (of the nature), and are not allowed to enter into the treasury of intelligence. x To cause this harmony and satisfaction ever to be diffused, while the feeling of pleasure is not lost from the mind ; to allow no break to arise in this state day or night, so that it is always spring-time 1 in his relations with external things ; in all his experiences to realise in his mind what is appropriate to each season (of the year) 2 : — these are the characteristics of him whose powers are perfect.’ ‘ And what do you mean by the realisation of these powers not being manifested in the person?’ (pursued further the duke).

The reply was, ‘ There is nothing so level as the surface of a pool of still water. It may serve as an example of what I mean. All within its circuit is preserved (in peace), and there comes to it no agitation from without. The virtuous efficacy is the perfect cultivation of the harmony (of the nature). Though the realisation of this be not manifested in the person, things cannot separate themselves (from its influence).’ Some days afterwards duke Ai told this conversa¬ tion to Min-gze3, saying, ‘ Formerly it seemed to me the work of the sovereign to stand in court with his face to the south, to rule the kingdom, and to pay good heed to the accounts of the people concerned, lest any should come to a (miserable) death ; — this 1 Specially the season of complacent enjoyment. of the text. s The disciple Min Sun or Min 3ze-^ien. PT. I. SECT. v. THE WRITINGS OF 7CWANG-3ZE. I considered to be the sum (of his duty). Now that I have heard that description of the Perfect man, I fear that my idea is not the real one, and that, by employing myself too lightly, I may cause the ruin of my state. I and Khung Kkm are not on the footing of ruler and subject, but on that of a virtuous friendship.’

A person who had no lips, whose legs were bent so that he could only walk on his toes, and who was (otherwise) deformed addressed his counsels to duke Ling of Wei, who was so pleased with him, that he looked on a perfectly formed man as having a lean and small neck in comparison with him. Another who had a large goitre like an earthenware jar 1 addressed his counsels to duke Hwan of Kh\ 2, who was so pleased with him that he looked on a perfectly formed man as having a neck lean and small in comparison with him 3. So it is that when one’s virtue is extraordinary, (any deficiency in) his bodily form may be forgotten. When men do not forget what is (easily) forgotten, and forget what is not (easily) forgotten, we have a case of real oblivion. Therefore the sagely man has that in which his mind finds its enjoyment, and (looks on) wisdom as (but) the shoots from an old stump ; agreements with others are to him but so much glue ; kindnesses are 1 These two men are undoubtedly inventions of A'wang-jze. They are brought before us, not by surnames and names, but by their several deformities. 2 The first of the five presiding chiefs; marquis of Kh\ from b.c. 685 to 643. 3 Lin Hsi-/’ung wonders whether the story of the man who was so taken with the charms of a one-eyed courtesan, that he thought other women all had an eye too many, was taken from this !

234 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. bk. v. (but the arts of) intercourse ; and great skill is (but as) merchants’ wares. The sagely man lays no plans of what use would wisdom be to him ? He has no cutting and hacking to do of what use would glue be to him ? He has lost nothing ; — of what use would arts of intercourse be to him ? He has no goods to dispose of ; — what need has he to play the merchant ? (The want of) these four things are the nourishment of (his) Heavenly (nature) ; that nourishment is its Heavenly food. Since he receives this food from Heaven, what need has he for anything of man’s (devising) ? He has the bodily form of man, but not the passions and desires of (other) men. He has the form of man, and therefore he is a man. Being without the passions and desires of men, their approvings and disapprovings are not to be found in him. How insignificant and small is (the body) by which he belongs to humanity ! How grand and great is he in the unique perfection of his Heavenly (nature) ! Hui-jze said to Awangqze, ‘ Can a man indeed be without desires and passions?’ The reply was, ‘ He can.’ ‘ But on what grounds do you call him a man, who is thus without passions and desires ?

’ A'wangqze said, ‘The Tao1 gives him his personal appearance (and powers) ; Heaven 2 gives him his bodily form; how should we not call him a man ?’ Hui-jze rejoined, ‘ Since you call him a man, how 1 Lu Shu-/£ih maintains here that ‘the Tao’ and ‘ Heaven’ have the same meaning ; nor does he make any distinction between mao (tjpjji), ‘the personal appearance/ and hsing (j^), ‘the figure/ or ‘ bodily form.’ 2 Compare in the Tao Teh King expressions in li, 2, and PT. I. SECT. V. THE WRITINGS OF iTWANG-BZE. can he be without passions and desires ? ’ The reply was, ‘You are misunderstanding what I mean by passions and desires. What I mean when I say that he is without these is, that this man does not by his likings and dislikings do any inward harm to his body ; — he always pursues his course without effort, and does not (try to) increase his (store of) life.’ Hui-^ze rejoined, ‘ If there were not that increasing of (the amount) of life, how would he get his body1 ?’ Wwang-^ze said, ‘ The Tao gives him his personal appearance (and powders) ; Heaven gives him his bodily form ; and he does not by his likings and dis¬ likings do any internal harm to his body. But now you, Sir, deal with your spirit as if it were something external to you, and subject your vital powers to toil.

You sing (your ditties), leaning against a tree; you go to sleep, grasping the stump of a rotten dryandra tree. Heaven selected for you the bodily form (of a man), and you babble about what is strong and what is white 2.’ 1 Apparently a gross meaning attached by Hui-jze to Awang-^ze’s words. refers to some of his well-known peculiarities; — as in II, par. 5, XXXIII, par. 7, and elsewhere. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. VI.

What is meant by ‘the True Man2?’ The True men of old did not reject (the views of) the few ; they did not seek to accomplish (their ends) like heroes (before others) ; they did not lay plans to attain those ends 3. Being such, though they might make mistakes, they had no occasion for repentance ; though they might succeed, they had no self-complacency. Being such, they could ascend the loftiest heights without fear ; they could pass through water without being made wet by it ; they could go into fire without being burnt ; so it was faith and fact, so graphically exhibited in the Book of Job, and com¬ pendiously described in the seventy-third Psalm. 1 Here we meet with the True Man, a Master of the Tao. He is the same as the Perfect Man, the Spirit-like Man, and the Sagely Man (see pp. 127, 128), and the designation is some¬ times interchanged in the five paragraphs that follow with ‘ the Sagely Man.’ Mr. Balfour says here that this name ‘is used in the esoteric sense, — “ partaking of the essence of divinity ; ” ’ and he accordingly translates jgf ^ by ‘ the divine man.’ But he might as well translate any one of the other three names in the same way. The Shwo Wan dictionary defines the name by 'j)|| ‘ a recluse of the mountain, whose bodily form has been changed, and who ascends to heaven ;

’ but when this account was made, Taoism had entered into a new phase, different from what it had in the time of our author. 2 In this description of ‘the True Man,’ and in what follows, there is what is grotesque and what is exaggerated (see note on the title of the first Book, p. 127). The most prominent charac¬ teristic of him was his perfect comprehension of the Tao and participation of it. THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. VI. that by their knowledge they ascended to and reached the Tao1. The True men of old did not dream when they slept, had no anxiety when they awoke, and did not care that their food should be pleasant. Their breathing came deep and silently. The breathing of the true man comes (even) from his heels, while men generally breathe (only) from their throats. When men are defeated in argument, their words come from their gullets as if they were vomiting. Where lusts and desires are deep, the springs of the Heavenly are shallow. The True men of old knew nothing of the love of life or of the hatred of death. Entrance into life occasioned them no joy ; the exit from it awakened no resistance. Composedly they went and came. They did not forget what their beginning had been, and they did not inquire into what their end would be. They accepted (their life) and rejoiced in it ; they forgot (all fear of death), and returned (to their state before life) 1. Thus there was in them what is called the want of any mind to resist the Tio, and of all attempts by means of the Human to assist the Heavenly. Such were they who are called the True men.

Being such, their minds were free from all thought 2 ; their demeanour was still and unmoved ; 1 Was not this the state of non-existence ? We cannot say of Pantaoism. However we may describe that, the Tao operates in nature, but is not identical with it. 2 Ao* ]un aPPears in common editions as which must have got into the text at a very early time. ‘ The mind forgetting,’ or ‘ free from all thought and purpose,’ appears everyPT. I. SECT. VI. THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE. their foreheads beamed simplicity. Whatever cold¬ ness came from them was like that of autumn ; whatever warmth came from them was like that of spring. Their joy and anger assimilated to what we see in the four seasons. They did in regard to all things what was suitable, and no one could know how far their action would go. Therefore the sagely man might, in his conduct of war, destroy a state without losing the hearts of the people 1 ; his benefits and favours might extend to a myriad generations without his being a lover of men. Hence he who tries to share his joys with others is not a sagely man ; he who manifests affection is not benevolent ; he who observes times and seasons (to regulate his conduct) is not a man of wisdom ; he to whom profit and injury are not the same is not a superior man ;