Han shih wai chuan :: :: University of Virginia Library

When the Governor of Po, of Ch`u, was in difficulty,[2] there was
a certain Chuang Chih-shan,[3] who took leave of his mother to go
die for his prince.[4]

His mother said, "Is it right to leave your mother to die for
your prince?"

He said, "I have heard that in serving his prince, a man takes
pay for his own family but devotes his person to someone outside
his family. Now what I use to support my mother is the salary
I get from my prince. I beg to go die for him."

On the way to the court he thrice fell down in his chariot.
His servant said, "If you are afraid, why not turn back?"

He said, "Fear is my personal feeling. To die for my prince is
my public duty. I have heard that the superior man does not let

personal feelings interfere with his public duty." Then he went
and died for him.[5]

When the superior man hears of this he says, "Who really loves
his duty (i) must, alas, carry it out." The Ode says,[6]

If deep, I will go through with my clothes on;
If shallow, I will do so, holding them up.

This is illustrated in the above [story].

[1]

Cf. Hsin hsü 8.4a-b.

[2]

For this event cf. Chavannes, Mém. hist. 4.381-2. For the use of [OMITTED] as a title
in Ch`u, see ibid. 2.335, note 1.

[3]

[OMITTED]: Hsin-hsü has [OMITTED]. CHy follows this and emends to
[OMITTED]. Chao (26) approves and quotes Ch`ên Ch`iao-ts`ung (I shuo k`ao 2.12a):
"The ku-chin-jên-piao in the Han shu lists a Yen Shan in the second middle fifth
rank, who is the same as the Chuang Chih-shan in [HS]WC. To avoid the tabooed
name of Han Ming Ti, [OMITTED] has been changed to [OMITTED]. Hsin hsü . . . correctly writes
Chuang Shan, but without the [OMITTED]. That common editions of [HS]WC write [OMITTED]
is because formerly [OMITTED] and [OMITTED] were used interchangeably, and [OMITTED] is a corruption
of [OMITTED]. CHy . . . is right in correcting it from Hsin hsü." TPYL 429.6a has [OMITTED].
Lei-chü 22.2a has [OMITTED]; TPYL 299.6a has [OMITTED]; both [OMITTED] and [OMITTED] seem to
be misprints for [OMITTED]. (Chao 26.)

[4]

TPYL 429.6b and Lei-chü, loc. cit., have [OMITTED] after [OMITTED]. Chao thinks this gives
a better reading: "because his prince was in trouble."

[5]

[OMITTED]: TPYL, loc. cit., has [OMITTED] after [OMITTED], and Chao thinks it should be added
here. CKCS 2.11a also has [OMITTED], but Lei-chü, loc. cit., lacks it. (Chao 26.)

[6]

Shih 53 No. 34/1.