The Most Venerable Book (Shang Shu)

by Confucius

  on which I find my edge.

  If I’m like one trying to cross a great river

  then you will be my boat I’m rowing across.

  If I am like a dry and thirsty land

  then you will be rain to me!

  Being honest you will make me so.

  Be like a medicine, which, bitter as it is

  is healing for the patient.

  I am a man walking barefoot,

  I need to tread carefully or my feet will be hurt.

  ‘Along with my officials I want you to help me be vigilant and of one mind with you. This way I can be worthy of my Ancestor Kings and follow myself the One who bestows from on High in order that everyone will be at peace. Indeed, respect my will at this time for the unity of all our desires.’

  Yue replied to the king:

  ‘Just as a carpenter is able to make a piece of wood straight, so a ruler who has the wisdom of a sage will himself become a sage. As a result, the statesmen will know what to do without waiting to be told. So it is that no one would dream of refusing to do with reverence what the king desires.’

  22

  The Mandate of Yue, Part II

  Once Yue had taken up the mandate to be in charge of all the officials, he went to see the king.

  ‘Indeed,’ he said. ‘A wise king follows the Way of Heaven when founding his state, when setting up his capital city, as he appoints his liege princes, nobles and great officers – as well as all the others he needs to appoint. He doesn’t just do what he wants but what will be good for the people.

  ‘Only Heaven is all-wise, but a sage will ensure that his style is based upon Heaven and this in turn will be the model of inspiration for his statesmen. As a result, the people will be properly governed. Remember, words can cause disgrace and weapons cause wars. Formal robes should be worn with due reason and ceremony and the sword should only be used after careful consideration. Your Majesty should be careful and therefore wise and then all will be clear.

  ‘Both good and bad government depend upon the calibre of the officials. Never give such positions to those who are simply favourites, but because they are actually reliable. Likewise, never give praise to those who are wicked, but only to the virtuous.

  ‘Think very carefully about how you want to influence people, and when the time is right, influence them positively.

  ‘When you think you are good, that’s the moment when goodness departs! Or if you think you are skilful, then skill vanishes too.

  ‘Be fully prepared, then as a result things won’t go wrong.

  ‘If you show favouritism, then you will be seen with contempt. Don’t think too highly of yourself – serious mistakes are the consequence!

  ‘Just do what is right and proper and all will be well.

  ‘Lack of awareness and carelessness in ritual practice leads to a general lack of reverence. When ceremonies are just seen as a burden, this seeds contempt and confusion. Serving the deities becomes really difficult as a result.’

  The King replied, ‘Yue, this is excellent. Your words inspire us to do what is right. Without your advice I would not have known what to do.’

  Yue kowtowed and said, ‘It is not that hard to understand but it is difficult to do what is right. As Your Majesty now understands this, all should be well and you will be ranked alongside your Ancestor Kings in virtue. If I, Yue, had not spoken like this, I should have been the one to blame.’

  23

  The Mandate of Yue, Part III

  The king said:

  ‘Come closer, Yue.

  Insignificant as I am

  I studied under Gan Pan:

  then I lived an austere life.

  I went to the River He

  and from there to the Bo.

  As a result, you know

  I’m not that well-versed in worldly things.

  Will you sit with me now

  and guide me about the right things to do?

  I want you to be to me

  like fermentation is to wine

  or like salt and prunes are in a fine soup!

  Help me to improve, don’t walk on by.

  Let me do my best to follow your advice.’

  ‘My king,’ Yue replied. ‘Folk strive to understand things in order to make their plans work. To be honest, the ancient teachings should be enough to ensure such success.

  ‘To want to be successful so your family can rule for ever but without paying any attention to the wisdom of the past … Well, frankly this is something I have never heard before. In study there needs to be humility and the wish to persist and from this comes an increase in understanding. Reflect upon such wisdom and virtue will arise within. For a model, look at your Ancestor Kings and you will not fail. If you do this, then I, Yue, can respect you and as a result it will be possible to find worthy people to appoint to the key posts.’

  ‘Indeed,’ the king responded to Yue. ‘If everyone in my kingdom comes to respect my virtue, this will be due to you. A good statesman needs a sage in the same way that a human being needs arms and legs. I recollect that in the past a former Prime Minister said, “If I fail to bring the mind of my Prince to be in line with that of Yao and Shun, then I should be publicly beaten.” Likewise, if people didn’t get what they were due, he declared it was his fault. In that way he helped the Illustrious Ancestor to be worthy of High Heaven. So help me to do as my most illustrious forebear did, to achieve the best that the House of Shang can do and not just leave such an achievement to him. A prince without a good minister cannot rule. And a good minister without a good prince is no real use. So, now, sir, will you help me to be a worthy successor to my Ancestral King and thereby instruct the people in peaceful ways?’

  Yue kowtowed and said, ‘I will try to do as you ask. And in this way I will fulfil the will of the Son of Heaven.’

  24

  King Gaozong’s Sacrifice Day

  King Gaozong traditionally reigned from 1265 to 1258 BC.

  One day, when Gaozong was performing the ritual sacrifice, a pheasant appeared and it crowed at him.

  Minister Zu Ji reacted to this by saying, ‘If our State is to be united, first we have to communicate with the king.’

  So it was that that he spoke up in front of the king, saying, ‘When Heaven above seeks for unity amongst all the people below, it first looks at whether they are righteous people and then it bestows upon them either a long life or a short one.

  ‘However, it is not Heaven that cuts short a person’s life. It is what they have done themselves that determines this.

  ‘Heaven would like to reform those who behave badly and fail to acknowledge their faults. But they are the kind of people who say, “What can I do anyway!”

  ‘Indeed, the king’s role has always been to care for the people and you are heir to those whom Heaven has favoured in the past. Honour your ancestors with your sacrifices but do not focus your attention just upon your own father.’

  25

  The Lord of the West Conquers Li

  The king here is the last and most despised of all the Shang rulers – indeed, he has become the model of the corrupt, tyrannical ruler for China. King Zhou traditionally reigned from 1154 to his overthrow and the end of the Shang/Yin dynasty in 1122 BC. King Wen was the ruler of a small state to the west and was the founder figure but not the first ruler of the Zhou dynasty which traditionally ran from 1122 to 236 BC, though from the eighth century BC onwards this was only in name, not in any sense in reality.

  When King Wen, Lord of the West conquered the land of Li, Minister Zu Yi rushed to inform the king of the Yin.

  ‘Son of Heaven,’ he said. ‘It is clear that Heaven wills the destruction of the dynasty of Yin. Having consulted sages and divination, none of them predicts good fortune for you. You cannot blame your Ancestral Kings of the past for any disregard for the people. You, and you alone, are the instrument of this downfall through your own wild lifestyle and indulgence. This is why Heaven has abandoned us, leaving us in
such dire circumstances without even enough to eat.

  ‘You have failed to understand the wishes of Heaven or to follow the proper laws. Throughout your land, all the people are hoping your dynasty will fall. They are asking, “Why hasn’t Heaven punished them yet? Why has the Great Mandate not made this clear? What good is this present king?” ’

  ‘Indeed,’ the king replied. ‘Am I not dependent upon the Mandate of Heaven for my own life?’

  ‘Indeed,’ Zu Yi said back to him. ‘How can you claim to still have the Mandate of Heaven when your manifold wickednesses are only too well known? Very soon the Dynasty of Yin will fall and you will be to blame. Can you not consider the significance of this condemnation and its impact upon your country?’

  26

  The Viscount of Wei

  The nobility of this brother of the evil King Zhou and of the Principal Scholar highlights the corruption of the king himself. This is the last year of the Shang – traditionally 1123 BC.

  The Viscount was outspoken, and said:

  ‘Scholars, great and small, this Yin dynasty

  has now lost its right to rule over our land.

  Our ancestors were appointed from on high

  knowing what needed to be done, and how to do it.

  But all that’s been lost through drunkenness,

  and the virtue of the past has been betrayed.

  The people of Yin think it’s fine

  to perform crimes of daylight robbery and viciousness

  no matter how great or small.

  The nobles even encourage each other in this

  and no one is ever challenged! But now

  the common people are in revolt, and at last

  the whole edifice is collapsing …

  It’s like someone who wants to cross a great river

  who hasn’t a hope of finding a ford or boat

  – that’s why we are facing ruin.’

  He added:

  ‘Scholars, we must be mad. You and your families

  have fled and taken refuge in the countryside.

  You haven’t faced what is happening

  so what are you going to do now?’

  The Principal Scholar responded to him, saying:

  ‘My Lord, Heaven is bringing disaster on us

  and destroying this land of Yin!

  So we have sunk into the mire of drunkenness.

  There’s no fear or incentive any longer

  and the wisdom of the elders is despised.

  Now the people are killing the sacred animals

  meant for the deities, and eating them

  and no one is penalized. This dreadful behaviour

  is because they’ve been treated so appallingly,

  and that’s why they’ve become like this!

  In truth, the responsibility is ours. Look at the poor,

  they’ve given up all hope of salvation.

  Now disaster is poised to come down

  and I must acknowledge my part in this. When we fall,

  I will never serve as a minister again.

  So listen to me, my master.

  Leave, as fast as you can – escape.

  I did not serve you as well as I should have –

  but now, listen to me – and run!

  Otherwise we face complete annihilation.

  We each have to make our own decision,

  and we’ll each have to answer for this to our ancestors,

  but I have chosen to stay. My refuge is here.’

  THE BOOK OF ZHOU

  The Zhou dynasty ousted the Shang and this traditionally took place in 1122 BC. The dynasty ruled in theory until 221 BC, but in reality its days of power were over by 770 BC.

  27

  The Great Vow, Part I

  This marks the launch of the campaign by the Zhou against the Shang by the son of King Wen, King Wu (also known as Fa), and thus falls around 1123 BC. It is also referred to in the Yi Jing and in the Shi Jing.

  It was in the spring of the thirteenth year that the great gathering of the clans took place on the border at Meng Jin. Here it was that the king spoke.

  ‘My dear friends, drawn from the many states, and my officers – listen to what I am going to say and understand clearly my vow,’ he said.

  ‘Heaven and Earth are together the mother and father of all life. And of all creatures, human beings are the most intelligent. And the first amongst these become the rulers and as the rulers they are in effect the mother and father of the people.

  ‘Now the Shang king, by the name of Zhou, has shown disrespect to Heaven Above and as a result has brought disaster on the people. He has become so lost in drink and lust that he has become a terrible tyrant. He has punished entire families, not just the actual criminal; he has favoured a few families by making key posts hereditary and his obsession with building himself luxurious palaces, vast pleasure complexes with lakes and water features, has been at the expense of you, the people. He has tortured the most loyal and good people and has cut open the bellies of pregnant women. It was Heaven’s Will that my father should protect the Majesty of Heaven, but he was unable to finish this.

  ‘This is why I, little child of his that I am, I who am called Fa, am thinking about the future of the ruler of the Shang very seriously with you today, my dear friends. Unfortunately King Zhou does not seem to wish to reform his ways. He sits by idly, ignoring the Ruler on High, the deities and the spirits, neglecting his ancestors and their temple and its rituals. As a consequence, thieves are getting away with the ritual food and objects. Despite all this, he continues to insist, “I have the people and I have the Mandate.” He is without shame!

  ‘Heaven gave the ordinary people rulers and advisors in order to protect them. When they are united, they can follow the Ruler on High in order that every part of the land is at peace. Now, whether we are responsible or not, who are we to go against the Will of Heaven?

  ‘In looking for strength, let us also seek virtue; and in looking for virtue, let us also seek righteousness. King Zhou may have many ministers and countless officials, but none of them are agreed. By contrast, I have three thousand officials who are united in heart and mind.

  ‘The sheer scale of Shang’s wickedness is overwhelming and Heaven’s Mandate has been given to us so we can destroy them. If I were to fail to carry out Heaven’s desire, then my failure would be as great as Shang’s. I, who am but a little child in all this, find myself deeply troubled night and day because I have inherited this great responsibility from my father.

  ‘So, having made sacrifices to the Ruler on High and performed the correct rituals for the deities of the land, I will now lead us all in carrying out the instructions from Heaven. Heaven cares deeply for the people. What the people long for, Heaven means to give. So come now, help me, a simple man, to reform the world.

  ‘This is the time and we must not waste it.’

  28

  The Great Vow, Part II

  On Wu Wu, the fifty-fifth day of the calendar cycle, the king stopped to the north of the river and gathered here his nobles and their troops. Reviewing them, the king made this vow.

  ‘Indeed,’ the king said.

  ‘Pay attention, you armies of the Western lands, to what I am about to say. I have heard it said that those who are fortunate and do what is right find there are not enough hours in the day to achieve everything. Likewise, bad people doing what is not right find the same thing.

  ‘Now, the Shang King Zhou determinedly walks the way of wickedness. He spurns the old and wise and consorts with wicked men instead. He is a drunken, violent oppressor and those below him follow his example. They compete and feud with each other and, imitating his bad example, plot against each other. The innocent people call out to Heaven and these terrible deeds are observed.

  ‘Heaven is united in caring deeply for the people and therefore any ruler should fear Heaven. When Jie of the Xia dynasty no longer followed the unity of Heaven and instead spread poison to all people eve
rywhere in the land, Heaven’s Mandate was passed to Tang the Conqueror, who was given permission to end the Mandate of Xia. Today, the wickedness of King Zhou exceeds everything done by Jie, for he has spurned and dishonoured the good men and has ruled as a tyrant, oppressing those who have sought to give him good advice. Claiming he has the Mandate of Heaven, he does not feel the need to act with due respect, nor offer the proper sacrifices – indeed, he claims that his acts of oppression are therefore of no consequence.

  ‘All this is exactly repeating what befell the king of the Xia because Heaven has chosen me to rule the people instead. Moreover, my hopes have been confirmed by the diviners’ reading of the oracles, and the omens say now is the time to overthrow the Shang.

  ‘King Zhou has vast numbers of men, but they lack a common concern or a shared virtue. Meanwhile, I have my own group of statesmen and they are all of a common mind and a shared virtue. He has his allies, but they are so unlike my own loyal men. What Heaven observes, my people observe. What Heaven notes, my people note. The representatives of the people are asking why I have so far done nothing. I am but a simple man, but now I must make my move. My army is ready and united, so now we will invade and capture this tyrant. What I am about to achieve will excel that of the Mighty Tang. To arms, my heroes! Do not underestimate him – fear his ability but remember also that his troops are frightened of him and they are wavering. Indeed, unite in your virtue; be of one heart and mind and together we will this day undertake that of which men will speak for generations to come.’

  29

  The Great Vow, Part III

  The very next day the king inspected his six battalions and made this binding vow to them all:

  ‘You of the Western Lands, my brave noblemen!