University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Thoughts on Omens (Chih-jui).

The Literati hold that the phœnix and the unicorn appear
for the sake of a holy emperor.[1431] They consider the phœnix and
the unicorn as being kind-hearted and sage animals, which have deep
thoughts and keep aloof from all danger. When virtue reigns in
China, they appear, when there is no virtue, they abscond. Extolling
the goodness and intelligence of the two animals, they at the same
time wish to compliment the sages, there being nothing but their
virtue to attract the phœnix and the unicorn. This statement is
untenable:—

If the phœnix and the unicorn are sage, sages are no less so.
Sages toil and trouble for the world's sake, and phœnixes and
unicorns ought likewise to teach and admonish.[1432] Sages wander
about in the world, and phœnixes and unicorns should also join
birds and beasts. Why must they leave China behind, to sojourn
beyond the frontier? Are the sages defiled, and the phœnix and
the unicorn pure? Why is their sagehood the same, and their
practice so different?

Provided that sages must hide, then the Twelve Sages[1433] ought
to have hidden, but if sages must show themselves, the phœnix
and the unicorn ought to do so as well. If these kind-hearted
sage animals are cautious, and keep away from dangers, the arrest
of Wên Wang in Yu-li,[1434] and the straits of Confucius in Ch`ên and T`sai[1435]
are wrong. Wên Wang and Confucius were benevolent sages, who
in their efforts for the world, and their compassion of the people
paid no heed to dangers; so in spite of possessing the wisdom of
benevolent sages they could not avoid imprisonment and troubles.

Everybody, in his conduct, may cultivate his character and
rectify his principles, but he cannot prevent others from doing him
wrong. The dealings of sages are unequalled, still sages cannot
eschew vexations. If the phœnix and the unicorn alone are apt
to remain unscathed in the turmoil, the doings of brutes must be
better than those of sages.

Besides, between birds, beasts, and man there cannot be any
intellectual intercourse; how can the former know then whether a
State is well ordered or not?[1436] Men are similarly organized, and
their moral qualities are the same, yet they do not know each
other. How should birds and beasts endowed with a nature quite
different from the human, know man? Man does not understand
birds and beasts, and the latter do not know man either. Both
are aliens to one another. Birds and beasts are less intelligent
than man; how can they know him all the same?

The scholars all make much of the excellence of phœnixes,
with a view to illustrating the government of an enlightened
monarch, but incidentally they proclaim the inferiority of man
to beasts and birds. Their arguments strain the point and deviate
from truth.

Furthermore, do phœnixes appear for sage emperors only?
Under the reign of Hsiao Hsüan Ti, phœnixes appeared five times
and a unicorn once. Spiritual birds, yellow dragons, sweet dew,
and wine springs all became visible,[1437] whence we have the year
titles:—Five Phœnixes, Spiritual Bird, Sweet Dew, and Yellow Dragon.[1438]
If the phœnix and the unicorn really appear for a sage emperor,
Hsiao Hsüan Ti must have been a sage, in the case, however, that he
was not a sage, then both appear for a worthy[1439] too. Should they
come for worthies, then the dicta of the literati respecting phœnixes
and unicorns are mistaken. The phœnix and the unicorn came for
Yao and Shun, and they also came for Hsüan Ti, consequently they
came for sages and worthies as well. As what the scholars say of

sages is exaggerated, so their arguments on phœnixes overshoot
the mark.

The Ch`un-ch`iu relates that hunters in the west captured a dead
unicorn.[1440] Some one informed Confucius, who exclaimed, ["Why has
it come, why has it come?," and with the back of his sleeve wiped
his face, while his tears were wetting the lapel of his coat.][1441]

The scholars recording this, opine that Heaven invested Confucius
through a unicorn, for Confucius was a sage without the imperial
dignity. Now, a unicorn makes its appearance for a sage emperor.
Confucius did not take himself for an emperor, and neither the then
reigning monarch, nor the prince of Lu[1442] possessed sufficient virtue
to move the unicorn. Whence Confucius' amazement at its arrival,
of which he did not know the purpose. Therefore he asked,
"Why has it come? Why has it come?" He was aware that it
had not come in view of the peaceful government, but because the
prospects of his doctrine were on the wane. His hopes having
failed, he was disheartened, and his tears dropped down on the lapel
of his coat.

From the question of Confucius "Wherefore has it come"
the inference is drawn that the unicorn comes for a wise emperor.
I say that this view was already current among the literati of the
time of Confucius, who, also, had heard of it, but was not well
acquainted with the animal. Seeing the unicorn, he wondered why
it had come. As a matter of fact, the arrival of a unicorn has no
special reason. It is a common animal, which chanced to enter
the marshes of Lu. There it was discovered by the people of Lu,
who happened to capture it. Confucius beholding the captured unicorn,
which was not only captured, but dead, compared himself
with this unicorn, thinking that his doctrine was lost and would
not be revived, and that unworthy persons would do away with
it. If, therefore, Confucius, on perceiving the unicorn, shed tears,
it was with reference to its capture and death, and not owing to
the cause of its appearance.[1443]

However, when the unicorn arrives, it is accompanied by
multitudes of animals, and it dies killed by man. Supposing it to
be intelligent, and to arrive for a wise emperor, why does it come,
when there is no such ruler? The unicorn is supposed to be very
cautious and to avoid injuries, but why was it caught and slain
in Lu? Since it arrived at a time when there was no wise emperor,
we know that it does not come for the sake of a holy ruler,
and from the fact that it was captured and killed in Lu, we surmise
that its endeavours to shun hostile attacks are unsuccessful.
As holy animals are unfit to escape from all troubles, so sages are
also unable to eschew misfortune. Misfortune and troubles being
unavoidable things for sages, the affirmation that the phœnix and the
unicorn, by their cautiousness, can keep free from perils, is unfounded.

Besides, phœnixes and unicorns do not live in foreign lands,
nor come to China when there is a holy emperor. They live in China
and are born in mountain forests. Their nature being very pure,
they are seldom seen, and men have no occasion to destroy them.
Therefore, they are spoken of as exceedingly cautious and keeping
aloof from all perils. If they live simultaneously with a holy emperor,
and their rambles just fall in a time of peaceful government, the
public looks upon them as omens of a sage emperor, which appear
for the sake of a sage.

Although its nest be destroyed and its eggs be broken, the
phœnix does not fly away, and though people burn the woods for
hunting, or drain the ponds for fishing, the tortoise and the dragon
do not emigrate.[1444] The phœnix is related to the tortoise and the
dragon. They all live in China, and near to man. Their nests
being destroyed, and their eggs broken, they seek shelter, but do
not fly away, and after the burning of the wood, and the drying
up of the pond they abscond, but do not roam about; nor is anything
mentioned about their going far away.

How do we know that they live in foreign countries? The
tortoise, the dragon, and the phœnix belong to the same species. If,
because it is seldom seen and not killed, the phœnix be supposed
to be a foreign bird, the tortoise and the dragon, which, too, but
seldom appear, would, likewise, be of foreign origin.[1445]

In the time of the emperor Hsiao Hsüan Ti, the phœnix, the
unicorn, the yellow dragon, and the spiritual bird all made their
appearance. Since they all came forth at the same time, their
nature must be alike, consequently their birth-place must also be
in the same region.[1446]

The dragon is not born abroad, but foreign countries, also,
have their dragons, nor are the phœnix and the unicorn exotic,
but foreign countries have phœnixes and uncorns too. Thus China
possesses phœnixes and unicorns as well, and they need not come
from abroad. Noticing the rarity of these animals, people believe
them to be exotic, and beholding them just in times of universal
peace, they suppose them to appear for a sage emperor.

The appearance of phœnixes and unicorns is like the coming
forth of wine springs, and the growth of vermilion grass. If the
phœnix is said to come to China from abroad, upon hearing that
virtue reigns there, how do wine springs and vermilion grass learn
this, that they just come forth in times of universal peace?

Wine springs and vermilion grass are produced by the harmonious
fluid,[1447] and so are the phœnix and the unicorn. The
harmonious fluid, likewise, procreates the sage. When he is born
in times of decay, ominous things are produced. So it is with all
men that become sages: grown up, they fall in with these omens.
Times of decay, also, have their harmonious fluid, which always
engenders sages. As sages are born in times of decay, such times
may produce phœnixes as well.

Confucius was born towards the end of the Chou dynasty, and
a unicorn appeared in the western marshes of Lu. The emperor
Kuang Wu Ti saw the light[1448] in the time intervening between the
reigns of Ch`êng Ti and Ai Ti,[1449] and a phœnix alighted in Chi-yang.[1450]
Sages and sage animals are produced in periods of prosperity as
well as in such of decline. A holy emperor meets with a sage
animal just as a man blessed with happiness meets with auspicious
auguries. As a matter of fact, he falls in with them, but they do
not come out for his sake.

The appearance of a unicorn does not differ from that of the
white fish, and the red crow.[1451] The fish happened to jump of its
own accord, when the emperor's boat met it, and the fire by
accident took the shape of a crow, which was perceived by the
emperor who happened to be looking up. The fish had not heard
of the virtue of Wu Wang, and therefore jumped into his boat, nor
was the crow cognisant of the future rise of the house of Chou, and
for that reason alighted on the emperor's house. To say that the
phœnix and the unicorn arrive for a holy emperor, is like asserting
that the fish and the crow came for Wu Wang's sake.

An emperor is predetermined for wealth and honour, consequently
he sees propitious miracles, when setting out on a journey.
These things, when seen, are called omens. There are large and
small omens, and by the appearance of each the amount of virtue
of the monarch may be ascertained. The white fish and the red
crow are small animals and presages of some tranquillity, whereas
the phœnix and the unicorn are large ones and signs of universal
peace. Therefore Confucius said, "The phœnix does not come; the
River sends forth no Plan:—it is all over with me."[1452] Not seeing
these marks of universal peace, he knew that he did not live in
such a period.

Why are the phœnix and the unicorn indicative of universal
peace? Because both are kind and sage animals. When such kind
and sage animals arrive, the world is going to show benevolence
and wisdom in its transactions.

In the "Great Record" of the Shuking[1453] we read that, when
Kao Tsung was sacrificing in the temple of Ch`êng T`ang, a pheasant
perched upon the handle of the tripod and crowed. Kao Tsung asked
Tsu Yi, who replied that probably a superior man from afar was
about to arrive.[1454] Observing that, in its movements, the pheasant
bore some resemblance to a superior man just arriving from abroad,
he rejoined that a superior man from abroad was about to come.
The phœnix and the unicorn are like the pheasant, and their
arrival must be a presage similar to that of the pheasant.

When the emperor Hsiao Wu Ti was making a tour of inspection
in the west, he found a white unicorn with one horn and
five feet,[1455] and there was, moreover, a tree whose boughs, after
sprouting, again grew together with the root. Wu Ti consulted all
his officers; the (gentleman usher) Chung Chün[1456] replied, "A wild
animal with joined horns shows that there is the same root, and
all the branches turning inside mean that there is no outside.
According to these omens, some outside people are likely to submit.
If the presages prove true, they are probably going to open their
plaited hair, to cut off the left lapel of their coats,[1457] to wear caps
and girdles,[1458] and to accept civilisation." Some months later, the
country of the Yüeh[1459] offered its allegiance, and a celebrated king
of the Hsiung-nu appeared with several thousand men to make his
submission, just as Chung Chün had predicted.[1460] His explanation was
correct, since the omens turned out true.

Reasoning by analogy we find that the white fish and the
red crow belong to the same class of portents. The essence of the
fish is wood,[1461] and its whiteness is the colour of the Yin dynasty.
The crow is a filial bird, and its red colour corresponds to the
fluid of the Chou dynasty.[1462] First, the white fish was caught, afterwards
the red crow, that meant to say that the sway of the Yin
was broken, and their glory transferred upon the Chou. Prognosticating
Wu Wang's fate from the appearance of the fish and the
crow, we see that the Chou were destined to obtain the control of
the empire.

People noticing that when Wu Wang punished Chou he met with
a fish and a crow, surmised that by means of these animals Heaven
enjoined upon Wu Wang to chastise Chou. The thing may seem so,

but it is not a fact:—In the "Spring and Autumn" period a mainah
arrived and built its nest. The diviners considered it an ill omen,
for a wild bird coming and building its nest indicated that the capital
of Lu was going to be treated like a mountain and waste land,
and Duke Chao himself would have to leave his country. Subsequently,
the duke was attacked by the Chi family and fled to Ch`i,
where he died, without having returned to Lu.[1463]

When Chia Yi[1464] was privy councillor in Chang-sha,[1465] a screeching-owl
perched in his house. He opened his books and divined as
follows:—"When a screeching-owl enters the house, the landlord
must quit it." Afterwards Chia Yi, in fact, went away.[1466]

Notwithstanding the discrepancy between the various wild
birds, the interpretation remains the same. The arrival of the
phœnix and the unicorn does not differ from the wild bird's roosting
or the perching of the screeching-owl. The mainah happened to
build its nest, and it was by chance that the owl alighted in the
house. Because they were animals from the wilds and the marshes
which took their abode in a city and a palace, the diviners foresaw
the catastrophe of the Lu State and declared the omen to be unlucky
for the owner of the house. The mainah and the owl did
not know the impending disaster of the two States nor roost or
perch on purpose.

Emperors regard the whole world as their house. When
happiness or misfortune is in store for house-owners, lucky or unlucky
signs are seen among men beforehand. Experts can explain
them and know whether good or evil is impending. Not that ominous

creatures possess knowledge, and therefore arrive for the sake
of these fortunate or unlucky people.

There are the signs of the tortoises and also the lots of milfoil.
These signs and lots always portend some good or bad luck. A
lucky man consulting the tortoise or milfoil, meets with an auspicious
augury, whereas the ill-fated find unpropitious signs. The
milfoil and the tortoise do not possess supernatural powers, that
they could know human fate and accordingly might put forward
their signs or lots, to tell the persons in question.

Should somebody divine by the tortoise or milfoil only for
fun, and no other person appear, he would obtain good or bad
omens all the same.[1467] Between Heaven and Earth there is always
good and bad fortune, and ominous things arriving must fall in
with lucky and unlucky people.

Some hold that these presages are caused by Heaven's command,
but if immense Heaven were to give its orders to those tiny
things, they would not understand its language nor comprehend its
meaning; how could it employ them? These things would not do
Heaven's behests either, but their arrival appearing strange, it is,
as if they were sent by Heaven, whence the idea that they are
heavenly messengers.

When the Hsia emperor K`ung Chia was hunting on Mount
Shou,[1468] it began to rain, the sky turned dark, and he entered the
house of a citizen, where the mistress was just nursing a baby.
Some said that a child to which an emperor came must needs rise
to high honours, but others were of opinion that a child unfit for
such an honour would become ill-fated.[1469] K`ung Chia entered the
house, because he was caught in a rain-shower and sought shelter.
He did not know that a subject would have a son who was doomed
to misfortune, nor did he come for his sake. But, when he arrived,
people explained his arrival either as lucky or unlucky.

Propitious and adverse portents appear in the court of the
emperor, and when the latter enters the house of a citizen, it is
like K`ung Chia entering the cottage during the rain. He was unaware
of the birth of a child and did not come for its sake.
Consequently it is an error to pretend that the phœnix and other
ominous creatures are endowed with intelligence and arrive in
response to an auspicious destiny.