Annotations to Canon V:—
Tzŭ Chêng was pulling a push-cart to go across the arch of
a bridge, but was unable to bear the weight. So he sat on the
shaft and started singing. Meanwhile the passers-by from
the front stopped and those from the rear ran forward to help
him, till the push-cart went up the arch. Suppose Tzŭ
Chêng had no technique to attract people. Then even though
he exhausted himself to death, the cart would not be able to
go across the bridge. Now that he did not exhaust himself
while the cart went up the arch of the bridge, was because
he had the technique to make use of people.
When Lord Chien of Chao was sending tax-collectors
out, they asked him about the rate of taxation. Thereupon
Lord Chien said: "Neither too high nor too low. If too
high, it will profit the superior. If too low, it will profit the
people. The magistrates who seek no private profit, are
honest . . ."[22]
Once Po Yi said to Lord Chien of Chao: "The stomach
of the country of your Highness is well satiated." Rejoicing
in such a remark, Lord Chien gladly asked, "In what way?"
In reply Yi said: "On the top the treasury and the granary
are empty and running low; at the bottom the hundred
surnames are poor and starving; whereas in the centre the
crooked officials are wealthy."
Once Duke Huan went out in disguise and inspected the
domestic conditions of the people. There was an aged man
in a house supporting himself. So Duke Huan asked him
why he was left alone. In reply the man said: "Thy servant
has three sons. The whole family being poor, I have been
unable to find wives for them. They are in the employ of
other people and have not yet come back." Upon his return
to the court, Duke Huan related this situation to Kuan Chung.
Kuan Chung said: "If the public treasury has a surplus
amount of money, the people must be suffering hunger and
starvation. If the court has discontented girls, many men must
be having no wives." "Right," the Duke said, and then
instructed the court to give women in marriage and issued an
order among the people to the effect that "men must start
housekeeping at twenty, and women must get married at
fifteen."
According to a different source: Once Duke Huan went
out in disguise among the people. There was an old man
named Lu Mên-chi. He had lived seventy years and had no
wife. Therefore, Duke Huan asked Kuan Chung, "Is there
anyone among the people who has lived up to old age and
had no wife?" "There is a man," replied Kuan Chung,
"named Lu Mên-chi who has lived seventy years and had
no wife." "Then how can we make every man have a wife?"
asked Duke Huan. "Thy servant has heard," replied Kuan
Chung, "if the sovereign has money saved, the subjects must
be suffering destitution. If the court has discontented girls,
there must be men who live up to old age and have no wives."
"Right," said Duke Huan. Then he ordered the court to
give in marriage those girls who had never attended on the
Ruler, and also ordered men to start housekeeping at twenty
and women to get married at fifteen. In consequence, there
were no discontented girls inside the court and no wifeless
men outside.
Cho Tzŭ of Yen-ling rode in a carriage pulled by a team of
blue-haired horses with the herring-bone design.[23]
The horses
were equipped with spur-reins[24]
in the front and with hoes
plated with gold in the back. Thus, on going forward, they
were stopped by the spur-ornaments; on going backward,
the plated hoes struck them. Finally the horses began to
jump sideways. Thereby Tsao-fu passed and with tears
running down said: "Exactly in the same way the ancients
governed the people. Indeed, reward is for encouraging
people, but disgrace goes with it. Punishment is for prohibiting
people, but to it is added honour. The people, then
standing on the middle line, do not know which way to follow.
For this reason the sage wept for them."
According to a different source: Cho Tzŭ of Yen-ling
rode in a carriage pulled by a team of blue-haired horses with
the herring-bone design. They were equipped with spurornaments
in the front and sharp hoes at the back. On going
forward, he pulled the spurs; on going backward, he moved
the hoes. The horses could not go either forward or backward,
till they avoided either way and jumped sideways.
Therefore, he pulled his knife and cut off the horses' legs.
Seeing this, Tsao-fu shed tears and stopped eating all day
long. Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said: "By
whipping the horses he wanted to advance them, but the
spur-ornaments were in the front. By pulling them he wanted
to withdraw them, but the sharp hoes were in the back.
Now, the lord of men promotes men on account of their
purity and honesty, but degrades them because they do not
suit the courtiers. He honours men on account of their
justice and fairness, but removes them because they do not
blindly obey him. In consequence, the people, feeling uneasy,
keep standing on the middle line and do not know which
way to follow. For this reason, the sage weeps for them."
