by An Liu
13.15
Now, it is the essential quality of humankind to possess shortcomings.
Truly,
if in general they are correct, even if they commit minor transgressions, it will not be sufficient to be considered burdensome.
If in general they are incorrect, even if they have some rustic accomplishments, it would not be enough to [qualify them for] a great promotion.
Yan Zhuoju61 was a great bandit of [Mount] Liangfu, but he became a loyal minister to the state of Qi.
Duangan Mu62 was a swindler in the state of Jin, but he became a teacher to the Duke of Wen.
Meng Mao63 married his sister-in-law and had five sons by her. Yet when he became minister in Wei, he quelled its danger and relieved its suffering.
Jing Yang64 was licentious and drunken, unloosing hairpins and forcing himself on his wives, yet he awed the Lords of the Land into submission.
These four men all possessed weaknesses, yet their meritorious reputation was not eradicated, for their general conduct was efficacious.65
Ji’ai66 and Chen Zhongzi67 established their purity with their unyielding conduct. They would not enter the court of a corrupt ruler; they would not eat food [produced during] an unrighteous age. Subsequently they starved to death and died. Were they not able to survive in the face of danger or continue [their lineages] in the face of being cut off? As their trivial acts of purity expanded, the significance of their general conduct contracted.
Those who are small-minded and cautious do not enjoy great accomplishments.
Those who calculate their actions do not find acceptance by the masses.
A large-bodied person is long in the joints.
A person with a long stride can go high and far.
From antiquity to the present, [even among] the Five Emperors and Three Kings, there were none who perfected their conduct. Thus the Changes says: “Should minor transgressions prosper, beneficial and lucky.”68 This means that there is not a single person who does not err, but one hopes [the errors] will not be great. [13/127/10–21]
Yao, Shun, Tang, and Wu were eminent rulers of their age.
Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin were the martial and brave of the Five Hegemons.69
Yet
Yao had a reputation for being unloving;
Shun slandered his humble father;
Tang and Wu were implicated in liberating murderers,
and the Five Hegemons70 produced schemes [that led to] tyranny and disorder.71
For this reason, the Superior Man does not place the entire blame [for something] on a single person.
If he is square and correct, [the Superior Man] does not make mincemeat of him;
If he is incorruptible and upright, [the Superior Man] does not slice him to death;
If he is expansive and penetrating, [the Superior Man] does not slander him;
If he is civil or martial, [the Superior Man] does not upbraid him. When he makes demands on others, he does so in accordance with their strength.
When he reforms himself, he does so in accordance with the Way’s Potency.
If you make demands on others in accordance with their strength, it is easy to get what you want;
if you cultivate yourself by relying on the Way’s Potency, it is difficult to do.
If it is difficult to do, then carrying it out will be lofty;
if it is easy to get what you want, then seeking it will suffice.
Now,
[even] the jade half disk of the Xiahou clan72 cannot be without [some flaw] on examination;
the Moonglow Pearl cannot be without [some imperfection] on classification.
Yet they are [among] the great treasures of the world. Why? Their slight imperfections do not suffice to obstruct their great beauty.
Now if you set your mind on others’ shortcomings and forget others’ strengths yet seek to obtain worthies throughout the empire, it will be difficult indeed! [13/127/22–27]
13.16
Now [regarding]
Baili Xi’s cooking the calf,
Yi Yin’s shouldering the tripod,
The Grand Duke’s drumming on his sword,
and Ning Qi’s singing a song in the shang mode:
The beauty of these things was inherent [in the acts themselves]. [But] the masses saw [only] their humble and lowly position and treated them with rudeness; they did not recognize the larger meaning of their actions and considered them to be worthless. But when [these men] rose to the rank of Son of Heaven or [one of] the Three Dukes or became a Lord of the Land or worthy minister, only then did [the masses] begin to believe that such people differed from the average person.
Now take
[a cook] who emerges from amid the tripods and stands,
[a glutton] who comes out of the butcher’s or wine seller’s shop,
[a cowherd] who rises from below a cow’s horn,
[a felon] liberated from bonds and fetters:
Clean him up with a hot bath,
warm him by a fire,
and set him up at the pinnacle of the present dynasty
or rely on him to take the position of one of the Three Dukes;
at home he will not feel shame before the great families of state,
while abroad he will not be abashed before the Lords of the Land;
his tally of office and his positional power will be inwardly in conformity.
Thus as for knowing that someone is worthy before his achievements have been manifested, only Yao knew Shun. But to know someone is worthy after his achievements have been accomplished and his tasks brought to success, all the people in the marketplace [then] knew Shun. Now if on account of this [i.e., Yao’s extraordinary ability to recognize merit], you abandon measures and methods and seek out good men in the morning market or among weeds and thickets, you would surely miss many [competent] people. Why is this so? You may imitate them in searching but you will not know the means by which they chose people. [13/128/1–7]
13.17
Now what confuse and bewilder people of the present age are the comparative categories of things.
What bedazzle and baffle the masses are things that are deceptively alike in a doubtful and suspicious way.
Thus,
fierceness is [sometimes] categorized as “knowledge,” but it is [fundamentally] not knowledge.
Foolishness is [sometimes] categorized as “humaneness,” but it is [fundamentally] not humaneness.
Stupidity is [sometimes] categorized as “courage,” but it is [fundamentally] not courage.
If we could make the comparative differences among people [as evident as]
the comparison between jade and stone
or the comparison between beauty and ugliness,
then assessing people would be easy. Now what confuses people is like
makino being taken for Ligusticum,
or Cnidi fructus being taken for deer parsley,73
they all look like one another.
Thus,
a swordsmith might wonder whether a sword resembles [the famous sword] Moye, but only [a master like] Ou the Smelter can name its type.
A jade worker might be in the dark about whether a jade resembles Bilu [azure jade], but only [a master like] Qi Dun74 will not lose sight of its essential qualities.
A benighted lord might be confused by seductive ministers who say that a petty man resembles a Superior Man, but only a sage can see what is obscured, thereby knowing what is evident.
Thus,
if a snake raises its head a foot, its length can be known;
if an elephant reveals its tusk, its size can be assessed.
If Zhuyongzi of Xue75 saw [a piece of] a sword the size of a fingernail,76 he could judge the sharpness of the sword.
If the water of the Zai and Sheng rivers were combined, Yu Er77 and Yi Ya would taste one mouthful, and their respective flavors [lit., “bitter and sweet”] would be recognized.
Thus when sages assess worthine
ss, they observe a single action and [from it] distinguish worthiness or worthlessness.
Confucius refused the fief of Granary Hill, [and] in the end he would not steal emolument;78
Xu You yielded the empire, [and] in the end he did not value land or title.
Thus,
those who have never been burned [even so] do not dare to grasp fire because they recognize that it burns;
those who have never been injured [even so] do not dare grasp a blade because they recognize that it injures.
Looking at the issue from this perspective, the observer can assess what has yet to unfold; and by watching trifling things, it will suffice to know significant entities.
Thus [this is] the Way of assessing others:
If they are noble, observe what they acclaim;
if they are wealthy, observe what they bestow;
if they are exhausted, observe what they refuse to accept;
if they are lowly, observe what they refuse to do;
if they are impoverished, observe what they refuse to take.
Watch them when pressed by hardship to know their courage;
arouse them with happiness and joy to observe their steadfastness;
entice them with goods and property to assess their Humaneness;
startle them with fear and loathing to know their self-restraint.
Then the feelings of others will be fully [apparent to you]. [13/128/9–21]
13.18
In antiquity,
those who excelled at rewarding rewarded the few, and the many were encouraged;
those who excelled at punishing punished sparingly, and licentiousness was stopped;
those who excelled at giving used restraint and put Potency into practice;
those who excelled at taking brought in the many and prevented resentment.
When Viscount Xiang of Wei was surrounded in Jinyang, he broke the siege and rewarded the five men who were meritorious, and Gao He79 was the first to be rewarded. Those who flanked him to the right and left exclaimed: “As for the hardships at Jinyang, [Gao] did not possess any great merit, yet today he is the first to be rewarded. Why?”
Viscount Xiang of Wei responded, “During the siege of Jinyang, our altars to the soil and grain were endangered, and our state and families were imperiled. Among our numerous officials, there was not one who did not harbor a proud and arrogant heart, [but] only He did not stray from the ritual pertaining to ruler and minister.” Thus through the rewarding of this one man, those who served as ministers in the world, without exception to the end of their lives, showed loyalty to their ruler. This is an example of rewarding the few to encourage the many.80
When King Wei of Qi set up the grand ding vessel at the center of his court, he upbraided the commander of Wuyan, saying: “Your acclaim daily reaches my ears. [Yet] having examined your actions, I find that your cultivated fields are overgrown with weeds, your granaries are empty, and your prisons are full. You rely on treachery to serve me.” Then [the king] had him boiled alive. In the state of Qi for thirty-two years thereafter, none who traveled the roads and byways picked up any items left on the road. This is an example of punishing sparingly so that treachery is stopped.
Duke Mu of Qin was traveling abroad when his chariot broke down, and his right-hand assistant lost control of the horses. Some local rustics caught them. Duke Mu of Qin followed them in pursuit to the southern slope of Mount Ji. There he observed that the local rustics had just cooked the horses and were eating them. Duke Mu of Qin exclaimed: “If you eat the meat of a fine steed but do not follow it with a drink of wine, you will harm yourselves. I fear this harm will befall you.” Then he passed out drinks and went away.
That same year, Duke Mu of Qin waged a war with Duke Hui of Jin at Hann[yuan]. The Jin forces surrounded Duke Mu’s chariot. Just as Liang Youma grabbed the reins of the two outside horses of the four-abreast team and was about to take Duke Mu captive, the three hundred or so men who had dined on the meat of Duke Mu’s horse, disregarding death, fought to the bitter end below Duke Mu’s chariot. Subsequently they defeated Jin and, contrary to expectation, captured Duke Hui and returned home. This is an example of using moderation to put Potency into practice.81
Duke Huan of Qi was hoping to launch a punitive expedition. His armor and weapons being insufficient, he directed those who had committed serious crimes to contribute armor of rhinoceros hide and a glaive. Those who had committed light offenses were fined gold in accordance with [the severity of their crime]. Those who brought suit [against someone] and did not win had to contribute one quiver of arrows.82 The common people all were pleased by this. So they straightened plant stems to make arrows and smelted metal to make knives, in order to attack the unjust and punish those who had lacked the Way. Thereupon [Duke Huan] became hegemon of the world.83 This is an example of bringing in the many and so preventing resentment.
Thus sages
accord with what the people like and thereby encourage them to do good;
accord with what the people hate and therefore put a stop to wantonness.
When they reward a single person, the whole world praises them;
when they punish a single person, the whole world fears them.
Thus,
the best rewards are not wasteful;
the best punishments are not excessive.
When Confucius punished Vice-Director Mao,84 evil in the state of Lu was obstructed;85 when Zi Chan punished Deng Xi,86 wantonness in the state of Zheng was stopped.87
They used what was near to assess what was distant;
they used what was small to know what was great.
Thus sages preserve frugality and govern broadly. This is what is meant. [13/128/23– 13/129/11]
13.19
In the world,
nothing is easier than doing good,
and nothing is harder than doing evil.
What is meant by “doing good” is to be quiescent and non-active;
what is meant by “doing evil” is to be impulsive and harbor many desires.
If you accord with your feelings and eschew excess, there will be nothing to entice and mislead you;
if you follow your nature and preserve your authenticity, there will be no alteration to yourself.
Thus I say: To do good is easy.
To clamber over city walls;
to sneak around precipices and barriers,
to feign tallies of authority,
to rob offices of their gold,
or to commit regicide and usurpation and [presume to] carry out punishments in the ruler’s name; such actions are not in the nature of human beings. Thus I say: To do evil is difficult.
Now the reason why people commit crimes that bring imprisonment or sink into the calamities of mutilating punishments is that [their] lusts and desires are not satiated and they do not comply with limits and measures. How do I know that this is so? The laws of the district magistrates across the world state: “Those who open graves will be executed; those who steal will be punished.” These [are the measures] employed to uphold order. Now,
laws and ordinances entrap wickedness and depravity,
and restraints and fetters follow in the footsteps [of crime].
Neither a foolish husband nor a daft wife fails to know that if they commit evil there is no escape and if they defy the prohibitions they will not obtain a pardon. Yet no-account children fail to restrain their desires and so commit crimes that warrant the death penalty or suffer the disgrace of undergoing judicial mutilation. Moreover, after the beginning of autumn,88 the troops of the commandant of justice ceaselessly bring [criminals] to the town gates, so that the blood of those put to death in the market flows copiously into the streets. Why so? They are led astray by the pursuit of wealth and advantage so that they become blind to the calamity of the death sentence.
Now [suppose that] foot soldiers are lined up in military formation, with opposing armies facing each other, and the commanders gives the or
der, saying: “Those who behead [the enemy] will be rewarded with noble rank, while those who duck or flinch will be beheaded.” The front line of soldiers will not be able [i.e., will be afraid] to advance and pursue the merit of beheading the enemy, while the rear ranks [unable to engage the enemy] will suffer the punishment of being beheaded. This is to avoid the fear of death and pursue the inevitability of death. Thus the reversions of benefit and harm, the meeting of good and bad fortune, must be investigated. [13/129/13–23]
13.20
With regard to actions,
there are some that you want to carry out, but circumstances warrant that you abandon them;
there are some that you want to avoid, but circumstances warrant that you pursue them.
There was a man of Chu who boarded a boat and encountered a typhoon. The waves were upon him, and in his fright he threw himself into the water. It is not that he did not covet life and fear death but that sometimes in fearing death, you commit the contradiction of being forgetful of your life. Thus human lusts and desires are also like this.
Among the people of Qi was someone who stole gold. Just when the market was most crowded, he arrived, grabbed it, and fled. When held by force and asked: “Why did you steal gold from the market?” He responded: “I did not see anyone, I only saw gold.” When the mind is preoccupied with desires, it forgets what it does. For this reason, sages
scrutinize the alterations of movement and rest,
accord with the due measures of receiving and giving,
order the feelings of liking and loathing,
and harmonize with the occasions of happiness and anger.
When [the distinctions of] movement and rest are attained, calamities will not be encountered;
when receiving and giving are in accord, crimes will not accumulate;
when liking and loathing are ordered, anxiety will not come near;
when happiness and anger are in [proper] occasion, resentment will not encroach.
Thus, those who have achieved the Way are not indifferent to obtaining [things] but are not ravenous for wealth;
what they have, they do not abandon,
but what they do not have, they do not seek.
They are constantly full but not overflowing;
they persevere in emptiness but are easily satisfied. [13/129/25–13/130/4]