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Han shih wai chuan

Han Ying's Illustrations of the didactic application of the Classic of songs

Han, Ying

[title page]

II.

III.

IV.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

TABLE OF UNUSUAL ORTHOGRAPHIES

FINDING LIST

INDEX OF PROPER NAMES

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8[1]

The Prince Pi-kan sacrificed himself and thus completed his
loyalty. Liu-hsia Hui sacrificed himself and thus completed his
trustworthiness.[2] Po-i and Shu-ch'i sacrificed themselves and thus
completed their integrity. These four[3] sages were all of them the
empire's gentlemen of understanding.[4] Nor is there any question
of their not valuing their persons. If i is not established and
his fame not apparent, a gentleman is ashamed; this is why they
sacrificed themselves and so brought to perfection their [ideal of]
conduct. Viewed in this light, it is not low condition or poverty
that a gentleman is ashamed of. [What a gentleman should be
ashamed of is][5] that when the world holds up loyalty he does not
partake of it, and when it honors trustworthiness he does not
partake of it, and when it honors integrity he does not partake of
it. If these three [qualities] are preserved in a person, his fame
is transmitted to [later] generations;[6] he ranks together with sun

and moon, [un]resting.[7] Heaven cannot kill him, nor can earth
bury him;[8] in the time of a Chieh or a Chou, he cannot be sullied.
So it is not that, hating life, he rejoices in death, or[9] hating riches
and honor, he loves poverty and low condition. Through the true
principle, when honor comes to him, he serves in office without
refusing. Confucious said, "If the search for riches is sure to be
successful, though I should become a groom with whip in hand
to get them, I will do so."[10] Truly, "though harassed to extremity,
they were not downcast"; and though toiling to degradation,
they did not act improperly. Only then was there perfection.[11]
The Ode says,[12]

My mind is not a stone;—
It cannot be rolled about.
My mind is not a mat;—
It cannot be rolled up.

This is illustrated above.

[1]

Cf. SY 4.1b-2b.

[2]

SY has Wei Shêng [OMITTED] for Liu-hsia Hui, for whom there seems to be no
tradition of self-immolation. But from the point of view of a Ch`ing Confucian such
as CHy, Wei Shêng died under such questionable circumstances (cf. CKT 9.5a; Yen
Shih-ku's com. on Han shu 65.1b) that he ought not to be included in a list of
Confucian worthies. Yü Yüeh (CYTT 17.2a-b) however, defends the SY reading on
the basis of numerous texts that associate Wei Shêng with Po-i, Shu-ch`i, et al. (Cf.
Shih chi 69.19a, 56.3b; Han shu 65.1b-2a; Chung-tzŭ 9.39a.)

[3]

For [OMITTED] read [OMITTED] with the Yüan ed. and SY.

[4]

[OMITTED]: cf. Hsün-tzŭ 2.9a: "If above one can honor his prince and below can
love the people; if when things come to hand he can adapt himself to them, and
when situations arise he can discriminate, in that case he can be termed a gentleman
of understanding."

[5]

SY interpolates [OMITTED]. (Chao 12.)

[6]

SY reads [OMITTED] for [OMITTED].

[7]

Chou and CHy follow SY to read [OMITTED] for [OMITTED].

[8]

[OMITTED] "earth is unable to give him life" is possible but does not make
very good sense. I follow Chao Yu-wen, op. cit., 105 and emend [OMITTED] to [OMITTED] after the
otherwise identical pair of phrases in Hsün-tzŭ.

[9]

CHy follows SY and prefixes [OMITTED]. Chao also puts [OMITTED] after [OMITTED] to balance the
phrase.

[10]

Analects 198 (7/11).

[11]

This sentence, with [OMITTED] for [OMITTED], occurs in LNC 4.5a. The phrase [OMITTED]
is from Mencius 207 (2A/9.2), 371 (5B/1.3).

[12]

Shih 39 No. 26/3.