Han shih wai chuan Han Ying's Illustrations of the didactic application of the Classic of songs |
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| II. |
| III. |
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| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
 | CHAPTER III Han shih wai chuan |  |
1[1]
Tradition tells us that, of old, because Shun's pots and pans
did not smell of cooking,[2]
those below him did not offend by
leaving [food uneaten].[3]
Because he ate from earthen dishes[4]
and drank from earthen vessels, craftsmen did not offend by
exercising skill.[5]
Because [he wore] deerskin garments with coarse
cloth collars,[6]
women did not offend by being extravagant.[7]
Since
his regulations for [the masses] below were easy to follow, services
being few and easy to perform successfully,[8]
the people did not
offend by being [too much] governed. Truly the Great Way is
greatly tolerant, great virtue is greatly humble,[9]
and the Saintly
Ruler is sparing of action. Hence things used by him always
prosper.
There is the traditional saying:[10]
"With the attainment of
such ease and such freedom from laborious effort, the mastery is
got of all principles under the sky."[11]
For a sincere person it
is easy to perform li; for an honest one it is easy to speak. For the
sage it is easy to govern the people; for the craftsman it is easy
to handle materials. The Ode says,[12]
SY 1.1a-b lacks [OMITTED] and presents the paragraph as a dialogue between Yin-wên
[OMITTED] and King Hsüan of Ch`i. Shun is not mentioned, and the whole is condensed,
though SY also has the quotation at the end. Lu shih ([OMITTED]) 12.26b is based on
HSWC.
Meaning that Shun gave an example of frugality by not leaving food on his plate.
CHy says [OMITTED] is a vulgar form of [OMITTED], which is the reading in Ch`u-hsüeh chi 1.15a;
TPYL 757.8b likewise. (Chao 71.)
[OMITTED]: Ch`u-hsüeh chi, loc cit., has [OMITTED], wrongly,
CHy thinks; see note 5. TPYL 81.3a is the same, with [OMITTED] for [OMITTED]. (Chao.)
[OMITTED]: CHy quotes Lü Ching [OMITTED] as cited by Pei Yin, "a vessel for food
is called [OMITTED]." Its usual meaning is "sacrificial vessel." HFT 3.5b applies the line
to Yao.
[OMITTED] "and farmers did not offend by being strong"; this makes
no sense with the preceding. Chao thinks that the sentence [OMITTED], which
in Ch`u-hsüeh chi and TPYL follows [OMITTED] (see note 3 above), should be here. Lu shih
has this reading.
⊙[d]
[OMITTED]: B, C have ⊙[e]
"vase." Chou suggests that ⊙[d]
may be an error for
[OMITTED], used for [OMITTED], and so in the translation. CHy quotes the expressions [OMITTED] and
[OMITTED] from SSTC and YTCC respectively, and accordingly would make ⊙[d]
[OMITTED] or
[OMITTED], giving the meaning of "crooked collars."
[OMITTED]: CHy suspects that [OMITTED] should be omitted, but Chao cites Lu
shih, which has [OMITTED] without [OMITTED], and so in the translation.
| CHAPTER III Han shih wai chuan | |