1
Tzŭ-hsia asked, "Why is the kuan-chü made to begin the "Kuo-fêng"
[section of the Odes]?"
Confucius said, "The kuan-chü is perfection.[1]
Now in its relation
to man,[2]
the kuan-chü above is like Heaven; below it is like
Earth. Mysterious and dark is the virtue it hides; abundant and
rich the Way it puts into practice. Its transformations are like
those of the supernatural dragon.[3]
It is complete in its brilliancy
and order. Oh great is the Way of the kuan-chü! It is that which
connects all things and on which the life of human beings is
dependent.[4]
"The Ho and the Lo [Rivers] gave forth the writing and the
diagram;[5]
the lin and the phoenix frequented[6]
the suburbs:[7]
by
what means could this be brought about except by following the
Way[8]
of the kuan-chü, and by taking the subject of the kuan-chü
for a model?[9]
Now the writings of the Six Classics[10]
all are
devoted to exhaustive discussion, but they derive [their matter]
from the kuan-chü. The subject of the kuan-chü is great! Vast
and soaring, `from the east to the west, from the south to the
north, there is not a thought but does it homage.'
[11]
May you exert
yourself [to emulate it], and cherish it in thought.
[12]
Neither
human beings between Heaven and Earth nor the origin of the
Kingly Way are outside its compass."
Tzŭ-hsia sighed deeply and said, "Great indeed is the kuan-chü;
it is the [very] foundation of Heaven and Earth."
The Ode says,[13]
With bells and drums[14]
let us show our delight in it.
