Chinese Literature Comprising the Analects of Confucius, the Sayings of Mencius, the Shi-King, the Travels of Fâ-Hien, and the Sorrows of Han

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Title: Chinese Literature Comprising The Analects of Confucius, The Sayings of Mencius, The Shi-King, The Travels of Fâ-Hien, and The Sorrows of Han

Author: Anonymous

Release Date: November 17, 2003 [EBook #10056]

Language: English

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CHINESE LITERATURE

COMPRISING

THE ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS, THE SAYINGS OF MENCIUS, THE SHI-KING, THE TRAVELS OF FÂ-HIEN, AND THE SORROWS OF HAN

WITH CRITICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES BY

EPIPHANIUS WILSON, A.M.

REVISED EDITION

1900

THE ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS

Introduction

BOOK

I. On Learning—Miscellaneous Sayings

II. Good Government—Filial Piety—The Superior Man

III. Abuse of Proprieties in Ceremonial and Music

IV. Social Virtue—Superior and Inferior Man

V. A Disciple and the Golden Rule—Miscellaneous

VI. More Characteristics—Wisdom—Philanthropy

VII. Characteristics of Confucius—An Incident

VIII. Sayings of Tsang—Sentences of the Master

IX. His Favorite Disciple's Opinion of Him

X. Confucius in Private and Official Life

XI. Comparative Worth of His Disciples

XII. The Master's Answers—Philanthropy—Friendships

XIII. Answers on the Art of Governing—Consistency

XIV. Good and Bad Government—Miscellaneous Sayings

XV. Practical Wisdom—Reciprocity the Rule of Life

XVI. Against Intestine Strife—Good and Bad Friendships

XVII. The Master Induced to Take Office—Nature and Habit

XVIII. Good Men in Seclusion—Duke of Chow to His Son

XIX. Teachings of Various Chief Disciples

XX. Extracts from the Book of History

THE SAYINGS OF MENCIUS

Introduction

Book I. King Hwuy of Lëang.— Part I

[Books II., III., and IV. are omitted]

Book V. Wan Chang.— Part I

THE SHI-KING

Introduction

Part I.—Lessons from the States.

BOOK I.—THE ODES OF CHOW AND THE SOUTH.— Celebrating the Virtue of King Wan's Bride Celebrating the Industry of King Wan's Queen In Praise of a Bride Celebrating T'ae-Sze's Freedom from Jealousy The Fruitfulness of the Locust Lamenting the Absence of a Cherished Friend Celebrating the Goodness of the Descendants of King Wan The Virtuous Manners of the Young Women Praise of a Rabbit-Catcher The Song of the Plantain-Gatherers The Affection of the Wives on the Joo

BOOK II.—THE ODES OF SHAOU AND THE SOUTH.— The Marriage of a Princess The Industry and Reverence of a Prince's Wife The Wife of Some Great Officer Bewails his Absence The Diligence of the Young Wife of an Officer The Love of the People for the Duke of Shaou The Easy Dignity of the Officers at Some Court Anxiety of a Young Lady to Get Married

BOOK III.—THE ODES OF P'EI.— An Officer Bewails the Neglect with which He is Treated A Wife Deplores the Absence of Her Husband The Plaint of a Rejected Wife Soldiers of Wei Bewail Separation from their Families An Officer Tells of His Mean Employment An Officer Sets Forth His Hard Lot The Complaint of a Neglected Wife In Praise of a Maiden Discontent Chwang Keang Bemoans Her Husband's Cruelty

[Books IV., V., and VI. are omitted]

BOOK VII.—THE ODES OF CH'ING.—- The People's Admiration for Duke Woo A Wife Consoled by Her Husband's Arrival In Praise of Some Lady A Man's Praise of His Wife An Entreaty A Woman Scorning Her Lover A Lady Mourns the Absence of Her Student Lover—-

BOOK VIII.—THE ODES OF TS'E.— A Wife Urging Her Husband to Action The Folly of Useless Effort The Prince of Loo

BOOK IX.—THE ODES OF WEI.— On the Misgovernment of the State The Mean Husband A Young Soldier on Service

BOOK X.—THE ODES OF T'ANG.— The King Goes to War Lament of a Bereaved Person The Drawbacks of Poverty A Wife Mourns for Her Husband

BOOK XI.—THE ODES OF TS'IN.— Celebrating the Opulence of the Lords of Ts'in A Complaint A Wife's Grief Because of Her Husband's Absence Lament for Three Brothers In Praise of a Ruler of Ts'in The Generous Nephew

BOOK XII.—THE ODES OF CH'IN.— The Contentment of a Poor Recluse The Disappointed Lover A Love-Song The Lament of a Lover

BOOK XIII.—THE ODES OF KWEI— The Wish of an Unhappy Man

BOOK XIV.—THE ODES OF TS'AOU.— Against Frivolous Pursuits

BOOK XV.—THE ODES OF PIN.— The Duke of Chow Tells of His Soldiers There is a Proper Way for Doing Everything

Part II.—Minor Odes of the Kingdom.

BOOK I.—DECADE OF LUH MING.— A Festal Ode A Festal Ode Complimenting an Officer The Value of Friendship The Response to a Festal Ode An Ode of Congratulation An Ode on the Return of the Troops

BOOK II.—THE DECADE OF PIH HWA.— An Ode Appropriate to a Festivity

BOOK III.—THE DECADE OF T'UNG KUNG.— Celebrating a Hunting Expedition The King's Anxiety for His Morning Levee Moral Lessons from Natural Facts

BOOK IV.—THE DECADE OF K'E-FOO.— On the Completion of a Royal Palace The Condition of King Seuen's Flocks

BOOK V.—THE DECADE OF SEAOU MIN.— A Eunuch Complains of His Fate An Officer Deplores the Misery of the Time On the Alienation of a Friend

BOOK VI.—THE DECADE OF PIH SHAN.— A Picture of Husbandry The Complaint of an Officer

BOOK VII.—DECADE OF SANG HOO.— The Rejoicings of a Bridegroom Against Listening to Slanderers

BOOK VIII.—THE DECADE OF TOO JIN SZE.— In Praise of By-gone Simplicity A Wife Bemoans Her Husband's Absence The Earl of Shaou's Work The Plaint of King Yew's Forsaken Wife Hospitality On the Misery of Soldiers

Part III.—Greater Odes of the Kingdom.

BOOK I.—DECADE OF KING WAN.— Celebrating King Wan

[Book II. is omitted]

BOOK III.—DECADE OF TANG.— King Seuen on the Occasion of a Great Drought

Part IV.—Odes of the Temple and Altar.

BOOK I.—SACRIFICIAL ODES OF CHOW.— Appropriate to a Sacrifice to King Wan On Sacrificing to the Kings Woo, Ching, and K'ang

THE TRAVELS OF FÂ-HIEN

Translator's Introduction

CHAPTER

I. From Ch'ang-gan to the Sandy Desert

II. On to Shen-shen and thence to Khoten

III. Khoten—Processions of Images

IV. Through the Ts'ung Mountains to K'eech-ch'a

V. Great Quinquennial Assembly of Monks

VI. North India—Image of Maitreya Bodhisattva

VII. The Perilous Crossing of the Indus

VIII. Woo-chang, or Udyana—Traces of Buddha

IX. Soo ho-to—Legends of Buddha

X. Gandhara—Legends of Buddha

XI. Takshasila—Legends—The Four Great Topes

XII. Buddha's Alms-bowl—Death of Hwuy-king

XIII. Festival of Buddha's Skull-bone

XIV. Crossing the Indus to the East

XV. Sympathy of Monks with the Pilgrims

XVI. Condition and Customs of Central India

XVII. Legend of the Trayastrimsas Heaven

XVIII. Buddha's Subjects of Discourse

XIX. Legend of Buddha's Danta-kashtha

XX. The Jetavana Vihara—Legends of Buddha

XXI. The Three Predecessors of Sakyamuni

XXII. Legends of Buddha's Birth

XXIII. Legends of Rama and its Tope

XXIV. Where Buddha Renounced the World

XXV. The Kingdom of Vaisali

XXVI. Remarkable Death of Ânanda

XXVII. King Asoka's Spirit-built Palace and Halls

XXVIII. Rajagriha, New and Old—Legends Connected with It

XXIX. Fâ-Hien Passes a Night on Gridhra-kuta Hill

XXX. Srataparna Cave, or Cave of the First Council

XXXI. Sakyamuni's Attaining to the Buddhaship

XXXII. Legend of King Asoka in a Former Birth

XXXIII. Kasyapa Buddha's Skeleton on Mount Gurupada

XXXIV. On the Way Returning to Patna

XXXV. Dakshina, and the Pigeon Monastery

XXXVI. Fâ-Hien's Indian Studies

XXXVII. Fâ-Hien's Stay in Champa and Tamalipti

XXXVIII. At Ceylon—Feats of Buddha—His Statue in Jade

XXXIX. Cremation of an Arhat—Sermon of a Devotee

XL. After Two Years Fâ-Hien Takes Ship for China

Conclusion

THE SORROWS OF HAN

Introduction

Translator's Preface

Dramatis Personae

Prologue

Act First

Act Second

Act Third

Act Fourth

THE ANALECTS

OF

CONFUCIUS

[Translated into English by William Jennings]

PRONUNCIATION OF PROPER NAMES

j, as in French. ng, commencing a word, like the same letters terminating one. ai or ei, as in aisle or eider. au, as in German, or like ow in cow. é, as in fête. i (not followed by a consonant), as ee in see. u (followed by a consonant), as in bull. iu, as ew in new. ui, as ooi in cooing. h at the end of a name makes the preceding vowel short. i in the middle of a word denotes an aspirate (h), as K'ung=Khung.

INTRODUCTION

The strangest figure that meets us in the annals of Oriental thought is that of Confucius. To the popular mind he is the founder of a religion, and yet he has nothing in common with the great religious teachers of the East. We think of Siddartha, the founder of Buddhism, as the very impersonation of romantic asceticism, enthusiastic self-sacrifice, and faith in the things that are invisible. Zoroaster is the friend of God, talking face to face with the Almighty, and drinking wisdom and knowledge from the lips of Omniscience. Mohammed is represented as snatched up into heaven, where he receives the Divine communication which he is bidden to propagate with fire and sword throughout the world. These great teachers lived in an atmosphere of the supernatural. They spoke with the authority of inspired prophets. They brought the unseen world close to the minds of their disciples. They spoke positively of immortality, of reward or punishment beyond the grave. The present life they despised, the future was to them everything in its promised satisfaction. The teachings of Confucius were of a very different sort. Throughout his whole writings he has not even mentioned the name of God. He declined to discuss the question of immortality. When he was asked about spiritual beings, he remarked, If we cannot even know men, how can we know spirits?

Yet this was the man the impress of whose teaching has formed the national character of five hundred millions of people. A temple to Confucius stands to this day in every town and village of China. His precepts are committed to memory by every child from the tenderest age, and each year at the royal university at Pekin the Emperor holds a festival in honor of the illustrious teacher.

The influence of Confucius springs, first of all, from the narrowness and definiteness of his doctrine. He was no transcendentalist, and never meddled with supramundane things. His teaching was of the earth, earthy; it dealt entirely with the common relations of life, and the Golden Rule he must necessarily have stumbled upon, as the most obvious canon of his system. He strikes us as being the great Stoic of the East, for he believed that virtue was based on knowledge, knowledge of a man's own heart, and knowledge of human-kind. There is a pathetic resemblance between the accounts given of the death of Confucius and the death of Zeno. Both died almost without warning in dreary hopelessness, without the ministrations of either love or religion. This may be a mere coincidence, but the lives and teachings of both men must have led them to look with indifference upon such an end. For Confucius in his teaching treated only of man's life on earth, and seems to have had no ideas with regard to the human lot after death; if he had any ideas he preserved an inscrutable silence about them. As a moralist he prescribed the duties of the king and of the father, and advocated the cultivation by the individual man of that rest or apathy of mind which resembles so much the disposition aimed at by the Greek and Roman Stoic. Even as a moralist, he seems to have sacrificed the ideal to the practical, and his loose notions about marriage, his tolerance of concubinage, the slight emphasis which he lays on the virtue of veracity—of which indeed he does not seem himself to have been particularly studious in his historic writings—place him low down in the rank of moralists. Yet he taught what he felt the people could receive, and the flat mediocrity of his character and his teachings has been stamped forever upon a people who, while they are kindly, gentle, forbearing, and full of family piety, are palpably lacking not only in the exaltation of Mysticism, but in any religious feeling, generally so-called.

The second reason that made the teaching of Confucius so influential is based on the circumstances of the time. When this thoughtful, earnest youth awoke to the consciousness of life about him, he saw that the abuses under which the people groaned sprang from the feudal system, which cut up the country into separate territories, over which the power of the king had no control. China was in the position of France in the years preceding Philippe-Auguste, excepting that there were no places of sanctuary and no Truce of God. The great doctrine of Confucius was the unlimited despotism of the Emperor, and his moral precepts were intended to teach the Emperor how to use his power aright. But the Emperor was only typical of all those in authority—the feudal duke, the judge on the bench, and the father of the family. Each could discharge his duties aright only by submitting to the moral discipline which Confucius prescribed. A vital element in this system is its conservatism, its adherence to the imperial idea. As James I said, No bishop, no king, so the imperialists of China have found in Confucianism the strongest basis for the throne, and have supported its dissemination accordingly.

The Analects of Confucius contain the gist of his teachings, and is worthy of study. We find in this work most of the precepts which his disciples have preserved and recorded. They form a code remarkable for simplicity, even crudity, and we are compelled to admire the force of character, the practical sagacity, the insight into the needs of the hour, which enabled Confucius, without claiming any Divine sanction, to impose this system upon his countrymen.

The name Confucius is only the Latinized form of two words which mean Master K'ung. He was born 551 B.C., his father being governor of Shantung. He was married at nineteen, and seems to have occupied some minor position under the government. In his twenty-fourth year he entered upon the three years' mourning for the death of his mother. His seclusion gave him time for deep thought and the study of history, and he resolved upon the regeneration of his unhappy country. By the time he was thirty he became known as a great teacher, and disciples flocked to him. But he was yet occupied in public duties, and rose through successive stages to the office of Chief Judge in his own country of Lu. His tenure of office is said to have put an end to crime, and he became the idol of the people in his district. The jealousy of the feudal lords was roused by his fame as a moral teacher and a blameless judge. Confucius was driven from his home, and wandered about, with a few disciples, until his sixty-ninth year, when he returned to Lu, after accomplishing a work which has borne fruit, such as it is, to the present day. He spent the remaining five years of his life in editing the odes and historic monuments in which the glories of the ancient Chinese dynasty are set forth. He died in his seventy-third year, 478 B.C. There can be no doubt that the success of Confucius has been singularly great, owing especially to the narrow scope of his scheme, which has become crystallized in the habits, usages, and customs of the people. Especially has it been instrumental in consolidating the empire, and in strengthening the power of the monarch, who, as he every year burns incense in the red-walled temple at Pekin, utters sincerely the invocation: Great art thou, O perfect Sage! Thy virtue is full, thy doctrine complete. Among mortal men there has not been thine equal. All kings honor thee. Thy statutes and laws have come gloriously down. Thou art the pattern in this imperial school. Reverently have the sacrificial vessels been set out. Full of awe, we sound our drums and bells.

E. W.

THE ANALECTS

BOOK I

On Learning—Miscellaneous Sayings:—

To learn, said the Master, "and then to practise opportunely what one has learnt—does not this bring with it a sense of satisfaction?

"To have associates in study coming to one from distant parts—does not this also mean pleasure in store?

And are not those who, while not comprehending all that is said, still remain not unpleased to hear, men of the superior order?

A saying of the Scholar Yu:—

"It is rarely the case that those who act the part of true men in regard to their duty to parents and elder brothers are at the same time willing to turn currishly upon their superiors: it has never yet been the case that such as desire not to commit that offence have been men willing to promote anarchy or disorder.

Men of superior mind busy themselves first in getting at the root of things; and when they have succeeded in this the right course is open to them. Well, are not filial piety and friendly subordination among brothers a root of that right feeling which is owing generally from man to man?

The Master observed, Rarely do we meet with the right feeling due from one man to another where there is fine speech and studied mien.

The Scholar Tsang once said of himself: On three points I examine myself daily, viz., whether, in looking after other people's interests, I have not been acting whole-heartedly; whether, in my intercourse with friends, I have not been true; and whether, after teaching, I have not myself been practising what I have taught.

The Master once observed that to rule well one of the larger States meant strict attention to its affairs and conscientiousness on the part of the ruler; careful husbanding of its resources, with at the same time a tender care for the interests of all classes; and the employing of the masses in the public service at suitable seasons.

Let young people, said he, show filial piety at home, respectfulness towards their elders when away from home; let them be circumspect, be truthful; their love going out freely towards all, cultivating good-will to men. And if, in such a walk, there be time or energy left for other things, let them employ it in the acquisition of literary or artistic accomplishments.

The disciple Tsz-hiá said, The appreciation of worth in men of worth, thus diverting the mind from lascivious desires—ministering to parents while one is the most capable of so doing—serving one's ruler when one is able to devote himself entirely to that object—being sincere in one's language in intercourse with friends: this I certainly must call evidence of learning, though others may say there has been 'no learning.'

Sayings of the Master:—

"If the great man be not grave, he will not be revered, neither can his learning be solid.

"Give prominent place to loyalty and sincerity.

"Have no associates in study who are not advanced somewhat like yourself.

When you have erred, be not afraid to correct yourself.

A saying of the Scholar Tsang:—

The virtue of the people is renewed and enriched when attention is seen to be paid to the departed, and the remembrance of distant ancestors kept and cherished.

Tsz-k'in put this query to his fellow disciple Tsz-kung: said he, When our Master comes to this or that State, he learns without fail how it is being governed. Does he investigate matters? or are the facts given him?

Tsz-kung answered, Our Master is a man of pleasant manners, and of probity, courteous, moderate, and unassuming: it is by his being such that he arrives at the facts. Is not his way of arriving at things different from that of others?

A saying of the Master:—

He who, after three years' observation of the will of his father when alive, or of his past conduct if dead, does not deviate from that father's ways, is entitled to be called 'a dutiful son.'

Sayings of the Scholar Yu:—

"For the practice of the Rules of Propriety,[1] one excellent way is to be natural. This naturalness became a great grace in the practice of kings of former times; let everyone, small or great, follow their example.

"It is not, however, always practicable; and it is not so in the case of a person who does things naturally, knowing that he should act so, and yet who neglects to regulate his acts according to the Rules.

When truth and right are hand in hand, a statement will bear repetition. When respectfulness and propriety go hand in hand, disgrace and shame are kept afar-off. Remove all occasion for alienating those to whom you are bound by close ties, and you have them still to resort to.

A saying of the Master:—

The man of greater mind who, when he is eating, craves not to eat to the full; who has a home, but craves not for comforts in it; who is active and earnest in his work and careful in his words; who makes towards men of high principle, and so maintains his own rectitude—that man may be styled a devoted student.

Tsz-kung asked, What say you, sir, of the poor who do not cringe and fawn; and what of the rich who are without pride and haughtiness? They are passable, the Master replied; yet they are scarcely in the same category as the poor who are happy, and the rich who love propriety.

In the 'Book of the Odes,' Tsz-kung went on to say, "we read of one

  Polished, as by the knife and file,

  The graving-tool, the smoothing-stone.

Does that coincide with your remark?"

Ah! such as you, replied the Master, may well commence a discussion on the Odes. If one tell you how a thing goes, you know what ought to come.

It does not greatly concern me, said the Master, that men do not know me; my great concern is, my not knowing them.

[Footnote 1: An important part of a Chinaman's education still. The text-book, The Li Ki, contains rules for behavior and propriety for the whole life, from the cradle to the grave.]

BOOK II

Good Government—Filial Piety—The Superior Man

Sayings of the Master:—

"Let a ruler base his government upon virtuous principles, and he will be like the pole-star, which remains steadfast in its place, while all the host of stars turn towards it.

"The 'Book of Odes' contains three hundred pieces, but one expression in it may be taken as covering the purport of all, viz., Unswerving mindfulness.

"To govern simply by statute, and to reduce all to order by means of pains and penalties, is to render the people evasive, and devoid of any sense of shame.

"To govern upon principles of virtue, and to reduce them to order by the Rules of Propriety, would not only create in them the sense of shame, but would moreover reach them in all their errors.

When I attained the age of fifteen, I became bent upon study. At thirty, I was a confirmed student. At forty, nought could move me from my course. At fifty, I comprehended the will and decrees of Heaven. At sixty, my ears were attuned to them. At seventy, I could follow my heart's desires, without overstepping the lines of rectitude.

To a question of Mang-i, as to what filial piety consisted in, the master replied, In not being perverse. Afterwards, when Fan Ch'i was driving him, the Master informed him of this question and answer, and Fan Ch'i asked, What was your meaning? The Master replied, I meant that the Rules of Propriety should always be adhered to in regard to those who brought us into the world: in ministering to them while living, in burying them when dead, and afterwards in the offering to them of sacrificial gifts.

To a query of Mang Wu respecting filial piety, the Master replied,

Parents ought to bear but one trouble—that of their own sickness.

To a like question put by Tsz-yu, his reply was this: The filial piety of the present day simply means the being able to support one's parents—which extends even to the case of dogs and horses, all of which may have something to give in the way of support. If there be no reverential feeling in the matter, what is there to distinguish between the cases?

To a like question of Tsz-hia, he replied: The manner is the difficulty. If, in the case of work to be done, the younger folks simply take upon themselves the toil of it; or if, in the matter of meat and drink, they simply set these before their elders—is this to be taken as filial piety?

Once the Master remarked, I have conversed with Hwúi the whole day long, and he has controverted nothing that I have said, as if he were without wits. But when his back was turned, and I looked attentively at his conduct apart from me, I found it satisfactory in all its issues. No, indeed! Hwúi is not without his wits.

Other observations of the Master:—

"If you observe what things people (usually) take in hand, watch their motives, and note particularly what it is that gives them satisfaction, shall they be able to conceal from you what they are? Conceal themselves, indeed!

"Be versed in ancient lore, and familiarize yourself with the modern; then may you become teachers.

The great man is not a mere receptacle.

In reply to Tsz-kung respecting the great man:—

"What he first says, as a result of his experience, he afterwards follows up.

"The great man is catholic-minded, and not one-sided. The common man is the reverse.

"Learning, without thought, is a snare; thought, without learning, is a danger.

Where the mind is set much upon heterodox principles—there truly and indeed is harm.

To the disciple Tsz-lu the Master said, Shall I give you a lesson about knowledge? When you know a thing, maintain that you know it; and when you do not, acknowledge your ignorance. This is characteristic of knowledge.

Tsz-chang was studying with an eye to official income. The Master addressed him thus: Of the many things you hear hold aloof from those that are doubtful, and speak guardedly with reference to the rest; your mistakes will then be few. Also, of the many courses you see adopted, hold aloof from those that are risky, and carefully follow the others; you will then seldom have occasion for regret. Thus, being seldom mistaken in your utterances, and having few occasions for regret in the line you take, you are on the high road to your preferment.

To a question put to him by Duke Ngai [2] as to what should be done in order to render the people submissive to authority, Confucius replied, Promote the straightforward, and reject those whose courses are crooked, and the thing will be effected. Promote the crooked and reject the straightforward, and the effect will be the reverse.

When Ki K'ang [3] asked of him how the people could be induced to show respect,