The Huainanzi

by An Liu

  it flaps its wings and flies up,

  leaping to the floating clouds.

  Its back carries the blue sky;

  its breast scrapes the red mists.

  It soars above the atmosphere;

  it roams among the rainbows.

  Even if one had a strong bow, sharp arrows, a fine tether cord, and the skill of Bo Juzi,107 one still could not reach it. Where the waters of the Yangzi first emerge from Mount Min, one can hitch up one’s robe and jump across it. Coming to where it passes Dongting, rushes through Shicheng, and crosses Dantu,108 it throws up waves and billows. In a boat, one can not cross it in a single day. For this reason, the sages often pursue affairs beyond the Formless and do not rest their thoughts or exhaust their reflections on actual events. Thus disaster and calamity cannot harm them. [18/196/18–23]

  18.19

  Someone asked of Confucius, “What type of person is Yan Hui?”

  [He] replied, “A humane person. I do not equal him.”

  “What type of person is Zigong?”

  [He] said, “An eloquent person. I do not equal him.”

  “What type of person is Zilu?”

  [He] said, “A brave person. I do not equal him.”

  The guest said, “These three people are all more worthy than you, yet you lead them, why?” Confucius said, “I can be humane or stern, eloquent or inarticulate, brave or timorous. If I could trade my three students’ abilities for my one Way, I would not do it.” Confucius knew how to apply [these qualities]. [18/196/25–28]

  Niu Que of Qin109 was passing through the mountains and encountered bandits. They stole his carriage and horses, took his sacks and boxes, and stripped him of his robe and coat. When the bandits looked back at him, he did not have a frightened countenance or a distressed disposition; he was cheerful as if content. The bandits thus asked him, “We having taken your possessions and your goods, robbed you at knifepoint, yet you are not upset, why?” Niu Que of Qin said, “Carriages and horses are what carry my person; robes and coats are what cover my physical frame. The sage does not harm what he nurtures for the sake of that with which he nurtures it.” The bandits looked at one another and laughed, saying, “If he will not harm his life on account of desire or encumber his physical frame for the sake of profit, he is a sage of this generation. If someone like this was ever to meet the king, he would certainly make us his business.” [Thus] they went back and killed him.110

  This [shows] that one can be wise to the wise, but one cannot be wise to the unwise. One can be brave to the courageous, but one cannot be brave to the cowardly. All those who have the Way respond to all [situations] yet are never lacking. They encounter difficulty and are able to avoid it; thus the world honors them. In this case [Niu Que] understood how to act for himself, but he did not understand how to act for others. His reasoning was not yet penetrating. When people can move from brilliance to obscurity, they are near the Way.

  The Odes say,

  “People have a saying,

  ‘There is no wise [man] who is not a fool.’”111

  This says it all. [18/197/1–8]

  18.20

  Actions:

  Some are done in order to cause something and ultimately ruin it;

  some are done to ward off something and ultimately bring it about.

  How do we know this is so?

  The [First] Emperor of Qin spread out the “records and charts.” Their text read, “Hu will destroy Qin.”112 Thus he sent out five hundred thousand troops and dispatched Duke Meng113 and Yang Wengzi114 to command. They built the Great Wall extending from Liusha to the west, striking north as far as the Liao River,115 and terminating to the east in Korea. The [people of] the internal commanderies of the Middle Kingdom pulled carts to supply them.

  [The First Emperor of Qin] also valued the rhinoceros horn, ivory, jade, and pearls of Yue. Thus he sent Commandant Tu Sui116 with five hundred thousand troops. These were made into five armies.

  One army fortified the mountain peak at Xincheng;117

  one army defended the pass at Jiuyi;118

  one army was positioned at the capital of Fanyu;119

  one army guarded the frontier at Nanye;120

  one army encamped at the Yugan River.121

  For three years, they did not take off their armor or unstring their bows. Supervisor Lu122 was sent to transport their provisions; he also used soldiers to dig canals and thus open the route for supplies. They fought with the people of Yue and killed Yi Xusong, the ruler of Xi’ou123

  But all the Yue people went into the forests and lived with the birds and beasts; none was willing to be captured by the Qin. They conferred with one another in establishing a brave and outstanding [man] as commander and attacked the Qin by night, greatly crushing them. They killed Commandant Tu Sui, [and] there were tens of thousands of bloody corpses. [Qin] thus sent more guards to defend against [the Yue].

  At this time men could not farm their fields, [and] women could not gather hemp or make thread. The emaciated and weak pushed carriages on the roads; noblemen met one another at the crossroads carrying baskets. The sick were not cared for; the dead were not buried. At that point Chen Sheng rose in Daze.124 He raised his arm, gave a great shout, and rolled the world up like a rug all the way to Xi.125 Liu [Bang] and Xiang [Yu]126 raised righteous soldiers following after [Chen Sheng] and secured [his victory].

  Like snapping a withered tree or shaking loose [hanging fruit], [the Qin] thus lost the empire. The calamity resided in defending against the Hu and seeking profit in Yue. They wanted to know that building the Great Wall would defend against collapse; they did not know that building the Great Wall would be the cause of their collapse. They sent more guards to defend against the Yue and did not know that their troubles would arise from within.

  When the magpie first notices that the [season of] the year is becoming very windy, it leaves the high trees and makes its nest in the lower branches. Adult [humans] who pass by thus take their chicks; children who come by steal their eggs. It knows to prepare against distant troubles yet forgets the closer disaster. Thus,

  the preparations of Qin

  equal the wisdom of the magpie. [18/197/10–22]

  18.21

  Some contend for profit yet conversely strengthen [their opponent];

  some listen and obey yet conversely impede [their leader].

  How do we know this is so?

  Duke Ai of Lu127 wanted to expand his residence westward. The court scribe fought this, saying that to expand the residence westward would be inauspicious. Duke Ai flushed and became angry. Many of his attendants admonished him, but he would not listen. Thereupon [the duke] asked his tutor, Zai Zhesui,128 “I want to expand my residence, and the court scribe thinks it is inauspicious. What do you think?” Zai Zhesui said, “In the world there are three bad auguries and expanding one’s residence to the west is not among them.” Duke Ai was greatly pleased.129 After a moment, he asked, “What are called the ‘three bad auguries?’” [Zai] replied, “Not practicing Ritual and Rightness is one bad augury. Unchecked greed is the second bad augury. Not listening to forceful admonition is the third bad augury.” Duke Ai became silent and deep in thought. Sighing,130 he reversed himself and thus did not expand the residence westward.

  The court scribe thought that contending with [the duke] could halt him, but he did not understand how he could be enticed by not contending with him. The wise leave the path and attain the Way; fools stick to the Way and lose the path. The skill of Ni Yue131 was such that there was no knot he could not “untie.”132 It was not that he could untie all knots; he did not untie what could not be untied. One who has reached the point of “untying it by not untying it” is one with whom one can reach the utmost133 reasoning. [18/197/24–18/198/6]

  18.22

  Some make manifest Ritual and Rightness and promote the essence of the Way, but do not succeed.

  Some abandon structure and speak rashly, but conversely hit the mark.

&nb
sp; How do we illustrate this?

  Confucius was traveling in the eastern countryside when his horse escaped and ate some farmers’ crops. The country people were angry, [so] they took the horse and tethered it. [Confucius] sent Zigong to persuade them. He used polite phrases,134 but they did not understand. Confucius said, “If [what] you use to persuade them [is] what people are unable to listen to, it is like using the great lao sacrificial feast to feed a wild animal or the ‘Nine Harmonies’135 to serenade the flying birds. This is my mistake; it is not your oversight.” Thereupon he sent the groom to persuade them. When he got there, [the groom] said to the country people, “You till from the East Sea all the way to the West Sea. When my horse becomes lost; where could it [go] that it would not be eating your crops?” The country people were greatly pleased; they let the horse go and gave it to him.136 A persuasion like this had no technique, yet paradoxically it worked. Affairs reach a point at which skill is not as good as ineptness; thus the sage “measures the mortise and corrects the tenon.”

  If you sing “Gathering Water Chestnuts” and play “Northern Bank”137 to rustics, they will not find them as harmonious as “Late Dew.”138 It is not that the singer is inept; it is that the listeners are different. Thus,

  crossed strokes do not extend;

  a continuous circle is never broken.

  When things do not communicate [with one another],

  the sage does not fight [them]. [18/198/8–15]

  18.23

  Humaneness is what the common people admire;

  Rightness is what the masses exalt.

  To do what people admire,

  to practice what people exalt:

  this is what the stern father teaches his sons,

  and the way in which the loyal minister serves his ruler.

  However, in any age there are those who use them and [suffer] personal death and the loss of their states, because they do not understand the times.

  In antiquity, King Yan of Xu139 loved practicing Humaneness and Rightness. The lands that paid court to him numbered thirty-two states. Wangsun Li140 said to King Zhuang of Chu, “If you do not assault Xu, you must conversely pay court to Xu.” The king said, “King Yan is a ruler who has the Way; he practices Humaneness and Rightness. I should not attack him.” Wangsun Li said, “I have heard it said, ‘The [contest] between the great and the small, the strong and the weak, is like throwing a stone at an egg or a tiger devouring a piglet. What doubt is there [of the outcome]?’ Moreover, there is no confusion greater than practicing civility without being able to extend its Potency, practicing martiality without being able to rely on its power.” The king of Chu said, “Excellent!” Thereupon he took up arms and assaulted Xu, exterminating it. This is [an example of] understanding Humaneness and Rightness and not understanding the alterations of the age.

  Jasmine and angelica141 are what beauties love to wear; once they are steeped in rancid water used to wash rice, they cannot retain their fragrance. In antiquity,

  the Five Thearchs valued Potency;

  the Three Kingly [Dynasties] used Rightness;

  the Five Hegemons relied on strength.

  In this case, taking the Ways of Thearchs and Kings and applying them in the age of the Five Hegemons was [like] riding a fast horse to pursue someone into the underbrush or performing a ceremony in one’s rain clothes. If you plant after the frost descends and harvest while the ice melts and want something to eat, you will be in trouble. [18/198/17–27]

  Thus the Changes says,

  “The submerged dragon does not act.”142

  This says that the times cannot be moved.

  Thus,

  “The gentleman is diligent all day,

  cautious as if beset by night;

  [therefore] he incurs no blame.”143

  “Diligent all day” is moving during yang. “Cautious as if beset by night” is resting during yin. Moving in accord with the day and resting in accord with the night is something that only those who have the Way can do.

  King Yan of Xu practiced Rightness and was exterminated;

  Zikuai of Yan practiced Humaneness and was deposed.144

  Duke Ai loved Confucians and lost territory;

  the lord of Dai became a Mohist and was annihilated.145

  Extermination, deposition, loss of territory, and annihilation are the fate of the cruel and rebellious, yet these four rulers all were lost by being Humane, Righteous, Confucian, and Mohist. It is because the times they encountered required that [they act] differently. It is not that Humaneness, Rightness, and [the teachings of] Confucius and Mozi do not work. If you use them in the wrong era, you will be trapped by them. [18/198/27–18/199/4]

  18.24

  A halberd is used to attack fortifications;

  a mirror is used to reflect one’s physical frame.

  If a eunuch gets a halberd, he will use it to cut sunflowers;

  if a blind man gets a mirror, he will use it to cover his water flask.

  This is because they do not know how [these things] are applied. Thus,

  [although the level of] excellence and mediocrity are the same,

  criticism and praise are decided by custom.

  [Although what is] chosen and rejected may be the same,

  [whether] it is deviant or compliant is decided by the times.

  Kuang Jue146 refused emolument and was punished;

  Duangan Mu147 declined the office of prime minister and became eminent.

  Their actions were the same, but their profit and harm differed because the times made it so. Thus even if the sage has ambition, if he does not meet with his era, his efforts will suffice only to preserve his person. What merit or reputation can he achieve? [18/199/6–11]

  If you understand what Heaven does and understand what human beings accomplish, then you have what you need to make your way in the age. If you understand Heaven but do not understand humankind, then you will not be able to interact with ordinary [people]. If you understand humankind but do not understand Heaven, you will not be able to be a companion to the Way.

  Shan Bao148 turned away from the age and departed from the vulgar. He lived on a cliff and drank from a valley [stream]. He did not wear silk or hemp; he did not eat the five grains. After seventy years he still had the complexion of a child. In the end he met a hungry tiger who killed and ate him.149

  Zhang Yi150 was fond of courtesy.

  Whenever he crossed the palace court, he always hurried;

  Whenever he encountered anyone from his village, he always bowed.

  He treated all servants and grooms with the utmost propriety. But he did not live out his life span; he developed a fever and died.151

  Bao nurtured his interior, and a tiger ate his exterior;

  Yi cultivated his exterior, and sickness attacked his interior.

  Thus the one who corrected his thoughts and harmonized his feelings was robbed by the hard and the strong; the one who devoted himself to external things was devoured by yin and yang. They both persisted in their tasks but were deficient in balancing them. A knight who has the Way transforms externally but does not transform internally. Transforming externally is how one approaches other people. Not transforming internally is how one preserves one’s person. Thus within, one has unified and stable discipline; without, one can withdraw and extend, expand and contract, close and open. [One] moves and shifts with things, thus in ten thousand undertakings one is never trapped. The sage is honored because he can alter as a dragon [can]. In this case [Dan Bao and Zhang Yi] tightly maintained a single discipline and promoted a single conduct. Even though it shattered and extinguished [them], they would not change it. This is to be focused on petty affections and blocked from the Great Way. [18/199/13–22]

  18.25

  Zhao Xuanmeng152 saved a starving man under a twisted mulberry, and the world called him humane.153

  Ci Fei of Jing was beset in the middle of the Yangzi; he did not lose his treasure, and the world called him brave
.154

  For this reason, on seeing some small conduct, one may figure out the greater pattern.

  Tian Zifang155 went out and saw an old horse on the thoroughfare. Sighing, he had an idea and asked his driver, “What horse is that?” [The driver] said, “That was one of the ducal house’s stable. Now it is retired and not used, thus they have sent it out and sold it.” Tian Zifang said, “When young, to covet its strength; when old, to abandon its body; this is what a humane person will not do.” He bought [the horse] with a bolt of silk. On hearing of this, retired warriors all knew to whom their hearts should turn.

  Duke Zhuang of Qi went hunting; there was an insect that raised its legs to fight with his [chariot] wheel. He asked his driver, “What insect is this?” [The driver] replied, “That is what is called the mantis. Among [all the] insects this one knows only [how to] advance, not retreat. Without assessing its strength, it scorns its opponent.”156 Duke Zhuang said, “If it were human, it would be one of the world’s bravest warriors!” At this he turned the chariot to avoid it. When brave warriors heard of this, they knew for whom to [fight] to the death.

  Thus,

  Tian Zifang sheltered an old horse, and the kingdom of Wei exalted him;

  Duke Zhuang of Qi avoided one mantis, and brave warriors turned to him.

  Tang taught how to bless the nets, and forty states paid court.157 King Wen buried the bones of the dead, and the Nine Yi submitted.158 King Wu shaded the sun-stroked man beneath a tree, cradling him with his left [arm] and fanning him with his right, and the world cherished his Potency.159 King Goujian of Yue released one innocent man from jail. He grabbed [his sword] Dragon Abyss and cut his thigh, so that the blood ran down to his feet, to punish himself, and [his] warriors resolved to die. They were moved by his mercy. Thus the sages act on the small [scale] so that they may encompass the large [scale]; they are thorough with respect to the near so that they may embrace the far.

  When Sunshu Ao released the river at Qisi and irrigated the countryside of Yulou,160 King Zhuang knew he could be prime minister. When Zifa divided tasks up so that work and leisure were equal, the state of Qi knew that he could be commander of the military. These both are [cases of] taking shape in the small and the subtle yet penetrating to the Grand Pattern. [18/199/24–18/200/10]