by An Liu
10.106
The Superior Man is sincere in Humaneness.
When he acts, it is out of Humaneness;
when he does not act, it is also out of Humaneness.
The petty man is sincere in his own inhumaneness.
When he acts, it is out of inhumaneness;
when he does not act, it is [also] out of inhumaneness.
[Someone whose] goodness comes from the self, rather than coming from others, is
[a person] in whom Humaneness and Moral Potency flourish.
Thus,
if your feelings overcome your desires, you will flourish.
If your desires overcome your feelings, you will perish.122 [10/92/16–17]
10.107
If you want to know the Way of Heaven, examine its cycles.
If you want to know the Way of Earth, differentiate123 its plants.
If you want to know the Way of Humankind, follow its desires. [10/92/19]
10.108
Do not startle [them], do not frighten [them],
and the myriad things will set themselves in order.
Do not disturb [them], do not stir [them] up,
and the myriad things will purify themselves. [10/92/19–20]
10.109
If someone has examined just one corner of something, you cannot discuss transformations with him;
if someone has investigated only one age, it is not possible to discuss anything of significance with him.
The sun does not know the night.
The moon does not know the sunshine.
The sun and moon make light, but they cannot combine [their light] with each other. Only Heaven and Earth can embrace them [both]. When it comes to being able to encompass Heaven and Earth, it is said that only the Formless can do so. [10/92/20–22]
10.110
An arrogant and extravagant ruler has no loyal ministers.
A person with a clever mouth [says] nothing that compels belief.
A tree you can span with both hands does not have branches that will hold [your weight].
A ditch eight feet wide does not contain fish that can swallow a boat.
If the trunk is shallow[ly rooted], the branches will become stunted.
If the root is damaged, the branches will wither away. [10/92/24–25]
10.111
Good fortune is born of non-action;
bad fortune is born of many desires.
Harm stems from not preparing;
weeds stem from not hoeing.
Sages do good as if afraid they will not attain it; they prepare against disaster as if afraid they cannot avoid it. [10/92/25–26]
10.112
To cover yourself with dust and want it not to get in your eyes;
to wade in water and want it not to get you wet—
these things cannot be done.
Thus,
those who know themselves do not resent others;
those who know their destiny do not resent Heaven.124
Good fortune springs from oneself;
bad fortune is born from oneself. [10/92/28–29]
10.113
The sage does not seek praise, nor does he avoid condemnation. He corrects his person and acts with rectitude, and the various evils dissipate of their own accord.
Now were he to
abandon rectitude and follow the crooked,
turn his back on truth and follow the crowd,
this would be to consort with the vulgar and to internalize acting without standards. Thus the sage reverts to himself and does not take [the lead from others]. [10/93/1–2]
10.114
The Way that [is written down in] chapters and sections, with shape and boundaries, is not the utmost [Way].
You can taste it, but it has no flavor;
you can observe it, but it has no form.
It cannot be transmitted to others. [10/93/4]
10.115
The daji bush expels water,
while the tingli plant heals boils,125
but if you use them without measuring [the dose], they will make you ill instead.
Many things seem to be of the same sort but are not; only sages know their subtleties. [10/93/6–7]
10.116
A good charioteer does not neglect his horses.
A good archer does not neglect his bow.
A good superior does not neglect his subordinates.
If he can love genuinely and benefit the people, the world will follow him. If a father can neither love nor benefit [his children], then even his own sons will rebel against him. [10/93/9–10]
10.117
In the world,
something is most highly honored, and it is not power and position;
something is most highly valued, and it is not gold and jade;
something has the most longevity, and it is not a [lifetime of] a thousand years.
To return your heart to its original nature is most highly honored;
to discipline your feelings to know what is sufficient is most highly valued;
to understand the apportionment of life and death is the greatest longevity. [10/93/12–13]
10.118
Someone whose words are not always true and whose actions are not always appropriate is a petty person.
Someone who has examined into one matter and has mastered one skill is a middle type of person.
Gaining or losing [the realm] but always having it, skilled and capable but using those [attributes] in a measured way, that is a sage. [10/93/15–16]
Translated by Sarah A. Queen and John S. Major
1. This claim is paralleled in 2.2, where it argues similarly: “In the use of their mind, sages lean on their natures and rely on their spirits. They [nature and spirit] sustain each other, and [so sages] attain their ends and beginnings. Thus when they sleep, they do not dream, and when they awaken, they are not sad.”
2. Similarly, “When affairs arise, the sage regulates them; when things appear, the sage responds to them” (14.43).
3. For a similar body/state analogy, see GZ 13.2/98/16.
4. This statement attributed to the Yellow Emperor also appears in 20.17 and LSCQ 13/2.2, for which see Knoblock and Riegel 2000, 284.
5. Changes, hexagram 13, Tong ren , “The Same as Others.”
6. Similarly, “Humaneness is the application of kindness” (11.8).
7. Similarly, “Rightness comes from what is appropriate for the people. What is appropriate for the people accords with the human heart. This is the sine qua non of government” (9.23).
8. Laozi 18 and 38. This point also informs 8.3 and introduces chap. 11 (11.1).
9. Reading huai as huai , as in the Wenzi. See Lau, HNZ, 82n.2B.
10. For other instances of this contrast, see 10.33 and 10.67.
11. Changes, hexagram 3, Tun , “Gathering Support.”
12. Compare Laozi 77: “Heaven’s Way . . . subtracts from the have-mores, and supplies those in want” (Moss Roberts, trans., Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way [Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001], 181).
13. The reference is to Odes 243 (no. 9 of the “Da ya” section), but only the first two lines of the stanza are quoted here. The four lines that follow here, “The careful exercise of Potency is great,” and so on, continue the sense of the Shijing ode but are not part of it, at least in the received version. Also note that in the second line, the Shijing verse has shun de , rather than shen de , as it is here. We follow the unanimous view of commentators in taking shen as a loanword for shun and retaining the meaning of “follow.” See Zhang Shuangdi 1997, 1:1037.
14. This echoes themes in Mozi 49 (yield to the worthy and give to the poor) and 39 (remonstrance).
15. A sheng is a small measure of dry volume (pint), while a dan is a large measure of weight (120 catties [jin ]).
16. Grand dictionnaire Ricci de la langue chinoise, 7 vols. (Paris: Institut Ricci, 2001), 3:1212, defines li as Nyctereutes procyonoides, commonly
known as the raccoon dog and also widely known by its Japanese name, tanuki. It has “the appearance of a small fox-like canid with fur markings similar to those of a raccoon.” For further discussion, see chap. 1, n. 33.
17. For the parallel passage in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Donald Harper, “Huai Nan Tzu chapter 10: Translation and Prolegomena” (master’s thesis, University of California, 1978), app. 1, A; and Csikszentmihalyi 2004, app. 1, no. 31.
18. If cocoons are kept in the sunshine, the overheated pupae thrash around inside them until they eventually die.
19. Changes, hexagram 3, Tun , “Gathering Support,” line 6.
20. Both tianxiong , “heavenly male bird,” and wuhui , “crow’s beak,” are kinds of Aconitum, also known as xitu, jitu, or wutou. See chap. 9, n. 54.
21. Following the emendations suggested by Lau, HNZ, 83n.10.
22. For other references to sincerity, see 10.22, 10.25, 10.56, 10.57, 10.72, 10.103, and 10.116. Section 20.7 similarly maintains: “Thus when the sage nurtures his heart, nothing is better than sincerity. With utmost sincerity, he can move and transform [others].” See also Zhongyong (Liji 32.20/145/27, 32.21/145/32, 32.22/146/1–2, 32.23/146/6, 32.30/147/14). For the physiological basis of sincerity, see the discussions of quintessential sincerity (jingcheng ) in 6.1, 20.3, 20.9, and 20.17.
23. For the notion of the inner heart (zhong xin), see GZ 16.1/116/21. There the Guanzi explains: “Within the heart there is yet another heart.” For the inner versus the outer heart, see also Guodian and Mawangdui Wuxingpian.
24. For further reiterations of this notion of self-reflective moral autonomy (seeking in oneself ), see 10.31, 10.40, 10.42, 10.49, 10.58, 10.66, and 10.113.
25. For additional references to the workings of the essence or Quintessential qi (jing ), see 10.18, 10.24, 10.94, and 10.103. Other chapters of the Huainanzi —for example, chaps. 6–8—discuss in great detail the working of the essence. For an important earlier discussion, see GZ 16.1/115/17–16.1/117/25.
26. , not —that is, not Tang, the supposed founder of the Shang dynasty, but a cognomen of the sage-emperor Yao.
27. , not —that is, not Yu the flood tamer and founder of the Xia dynasty, but a cognomen for the sage-emperor Shun.
28. Earl Mu of Zhonghang (also known as Xun Wu) was a minister in the state of Jin. See Zuozhuan, Duke Zhao, year 15; and 18.12. For the parallel passage in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Harper, “Huai Nan Tzu chapter 10,” app. 1, B; and Csikszentmihalyi 2004, app. 1, no. 33.
29. By being cared for in old age.
30. Which people naturally act to put out without thought of rewards.
31. That is, one greets them joyfully and sees them off sadly.
32. Gui and zhang tablets: jade tablets that conferred the right to speak or perform certain duties at court.
33. See Analects 6.18.
34. For the parallel passage in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Harper, “Huai Nan Tzu chapter 10,” app. 1, C; and Csikszentmihalyi 2004, app. 1, no. 12.
35. For the parallel passage in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Harper, “Huai Nan Tzu chapter 10,” app. 1, D; and Csikszentmihalyi 2004, app. 1, no. 29.
36. For the parallel passage in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Harper, “Huai Nan Tzu chapter 10,” app. 1, E; and Csikszentmihalyi 2004, app. 1, no. 4.
37. Changes, hexagram 1, Qian , line 6.
38. These two lines contain graphic puns: between yan , “words,” and xin , “trustworthiness,” and between zhong , “internalize,” and zhong , “loyalty.”
39. Section 11.11 attributes these actions to Shun: “Thus in the time of Shun, the Youmiao did not pay tribute. At this, Shun cultivated [good] governance and ceased military [operations]. Thus he grasped the shield and battle-ax and danced with them.” See also HFZ 49/146/11–12.
40. For this notion of “anxious concern” (youxun ), see also 10.72 and 10.79.
41. Odes 38. This seems to refer to an aristocratic warrior performing a war dance; the reference to “reins” is probably a reference to actual chariot reins, only much later taken by commentators to refer to the “reins of government.” The overt reference is to physical prowess and personal poise.
42. Changes, hexagram 2, Kun , line 3.
43. This quality of being mindful, cautious, or circumspect of oneself when alone (shen qi du ) is found in a number of early texts, such as Zhongyong, Mawangdui Wuxingpian, Guodian Wuxingpian, Xunzi, and Liji.
44. This quotation does not appear in the received Confucian canon.
45. Odes 191, stanza 4.
46. A parallel saying is reiterated in 11.19, where it is attributed to Zengzi.
47. Xi Fuji was a minister of Cao during the Spring and Autumn period. He sent a plate of food containing a jade disk to the ducal scion Chong’er during his wanderings in exile. Chong’er later went on to become Duke Wen of Jin and hegemon. See Zuozhuan, Xi 23.
48. Ling Zhe was a knight of Jin who served in the palace guard of Duke Ling. He had been saved from starvation by Zhao Xuanmeng and later aided Zhao’s escape from an ambush that the duke had laid for him. See Zuozhuan, Xuan 2.
49. Zhao Xuanmeng (also known as Zhao Dun and Viscount Xuan of Zhao) was a minister of Jin during the late seventh century B.C.E. He consolidated control over the Jin court and presided over a period of peace and stability. In 607 B.C.E., he fell out of favor with Duke Ling (r. 620– 607 B.C.E.) and was forced into exile.
50. This paraphrases a line from the Xu gua (The Order of the Hexagrams), ninth of the “Ten Wings” (appended commentaries) of the Changes. The line refers to hexagrams 23, Bo , “Stripping Away,” and 24, Fu , “Returning.” The logic of the statement is as follows: Bo is one yang line above five yin lines; Fu is five yin lines above one yang line. Ascending the lines of the Bo hexagram, there is still one yang line left in the end, and a yang line is the first one encountered in the next hexagram, Fu.
51. Odes 235. The reference is to Zhou King Wen, who attained the “new mandate” (ming ) that brought the Zhou dynasty to power.
52. For the parallel passage in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Harper, “Huai Nan Tzu chapter 10,” app. 1, F.
53. Reading ren in place of wen , as in the Wenzi. See Lau, HNZ, 86n.4.
54. For the parallel passage in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Csikszentmihalyi 2004, app. 1, no. 24.
55. Zichan (d. 522 B.C.E.), a scion of the ducal house of Zheng, served as that state’s prime minister from 554 B.C.E. He reformed the agricultural, judicial, and fiscal systems of his state and helped preserve it from the encroachments of powerful neighbors.
56. For the parallel passage in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Harper, “Huai Nan Tzu chapter 10,” app. 1, G; and Csikszentmihalyi 2004, app. 1, no. 32.
57. Compare Laozi 70.
58. For the parallel passage in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Harper, “Huai Nan Tzu chapter 10,” app. 1, H; and Csikszentmihalyi 2004, app. 1, no. 32, with reference to app. 1, no. 13.
59. That is, between the boy and the (feminine) orchid, and between the stepparent and the stepchild.
60. Hong Yan was a knight in the service of Duke Yi of Wey (r. 668–660 B.C.E.). The duke was killed and eaten by the Di people, leaving only his liver. Hong Yan killed himself, cutting himself open and putting the duke’s liver inside himself so that his own body would serve as his lord’s corpse. On hearing of this sacrifice, Duke Huan of Qi reestablished the state of Wey. See Lüshi chunqiu 11.4.
61. Prince Lü (d. 479 B.C.E.) was a scion of the royal house of Chu. When Duke Bo rebelled, he attempted to force Prince Lü to take the throne. The prince refused and was killed. See Zuozhuan, Ai 16.
62. For the parallel passage in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Harper, “Huai Nan Tzu chapter 10,” app. 1, I.
63. Zuo zhuan, Xi 2. The story of the jade disk of Chuiji, the Duke of Jin, and the rulers of Yu and Guo is also found in 7.16 (see chap. 7, n. 58), 11.7, 17.57, and 18.5.
64. Bo Yi was the legendary son of the lord of Guzhu who w
as so offended by the overthrow of the Shang by the Zhou that he and his brother Shu Qi starved themselves to death rather than suffer the shame of eating the grain of a usurper. Their joint biography is found in Shiji 61.
65. Stringed instruments have long and short strings, and metal bells, chimestones, and the keys of bamboo xylophones come in sets, from very large to very small.
66. See 16.4.
67. King Fuchai of Wu (r. 495–473 B.C.E.) initially led Wu to great triumph over King Goujian of Yue, but his later negligence led to his state’s destruction by Yue and his own suicide. See 12.23
68. The “Yi music” refers to the Yi “tribe,” an important ethnic group in the state of Wu.
69. Compare 19.3: “An ardent feeling internally is manifested as a response externally. The cause [of the response] lies in the feeling itself.”
70. For the parallel passage in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Harper, “Huai Nan Tzu chapter 10,” app. 1, J; and Csikszentmihalyi 2004, app. 1, no. 30.
71. Shu Ziyang , otherwise unknown.
72. According to Xu Shen, Physician Luo was a physician of Yue. See Zhang Shuangdi 1997, 1:1069n.29.
73. The implication is that in spring the power of yin is waning. It is the season for girls to marry and move to their husbands’ households, so they grieve for having to leave their own families. In autumn the power of yang is waning. It is the season for warfare, when many warriors will be killed on the battlefield.
74. Marquis Chong and Wulai were ministers of King Djou, the tyrannical last ruler of the Shang, who encouraged the king’s bad tendencies.
75. According to Xu Shen, Donghu Jizi was a ruler of antiquity. See Zhang Shuangdi 1997, 1:1072n.42.
76. For a more detailed description of Donghu Jizi in the reconstructed Zisizi, see Harper, “Huai Nan Tzu chapter 10,” app. 1, K; and Csikszentmihalyi 2004, app. 1, no. 34.
77. That is, the ruler.
78. This line from the Documents is also quoted (with a slight variation in wording) in 9.18.
79. This passage is a pun between two sets of words that are homophones and synonyms. Zuo , “left,” puns on zuo , “to assist”; and you , “right,” puns on you , “to help.” Thus “I am on your left” is a pun for “I will assist you,” and “I am on your right” is a pun for “I will help you.”