Annotations to Canon I:—
At the time of Duke Ling of Wei, Mi Tzŭ-hsia was in
favour with him, and administered all public affairs in the
Wei State. One day, the clown,[9]
while interviewing the
Duke, said, "The dream of thy servant has materialized,
indeed." "What did you dream?" asked the Duke. "Thy
servant dreamt that a cooking stove stood in lieu of Your
Highness," replied the clown. "What? As I understand,"
said the Duke in anger, "who sees the lord of men in
dreaming dreams the sun. Why did you see a cooking
stove in your dream of His Highness?" In reply the dwarf
said: "Indeed, the sun shines upon everything under
heaven while nothing can cover it; the ruler of men reigns
all over the country while nobody can delude
[10]
him.
Accordingly, who sees the lord of men in dreaming, dreams
the sun. In the case of a cooking stove, however, if one
person stands before it, then nobody from behind can see.
Now, supposing someone were standing before Your
Highness, would it not be possible for thy servant to dream
of a cooking stove
[11]
?"
Once Duke Ai of Lu asked Confucius, saying, "In spite
of the popular proverb, `Getting bewildered because of no
advisory council,' why is it that in administering the state
affairs the more I consult with the body of officials the more
disorderly the state becomes?" In reply Confucius said:
"When the enlightened sovereign asks ministers about
state affairs, one minister might know while another might
not know. In that case, the enlightened sovereign can
preside over a conference while the ministers earnestly
discuss the affairs before him. Now that every official utters
every word in accord with the opinion of Chi Sun and the
whole State of Lu falls under the sway of one and the same
bias, even though Your Highness consults with everybody
within the state boundaries, the state cannot help becoming
disorderly."
According to a different source[12]
: When Yen Ying Tzŭ
visited the court of Lu, Duke Ai[13]
asked, "In spite of the
common saying, `Getting bewildered because of not having
three persons to consult with,' why is it that Lu cannot help
becoming disorderly, although I consult with the whole
nation?" In reply Yen Tzŭ said: "The ancient saying,
`Getting bewildered because of not having three persons
to consult with,' means that as one person may miss the
point while the other two may get at it, three persons are
sufficient to form an advisory council. Hence the saying,
`Getting bewildered because of not having three persons
to consult with.' Now that the officials throughout the
Lu State, numbering hundreds and thousands, all talk in
accordance with the private bias of the Chi Clan, though the
number of persons is not small, yet what they say is the
opinion of one man. Then how can there be three?"
Once somebody of Ch`i said to the King of Ch`i: "The
Earl of the River is a great god. Why may Your Majesty
not try to meet with him? May thy servant enable Your
Majesty to meet with him!" Thereupon he built an altar
on the middle of the flood and stood with the King upon it.
In the meantime, there was a big fish making motions.
"That is the Earl of the River!" said the man.
Chang Yi wanted to attack Ch`i and Ching with the allied
forces of Ch`in, Han, and Wey, while Hui Shih wanted to
halt the war by befriending Ch`i and Ching. The two
opened a debate. The officials and the chamberlains all
spoke in favour of Chang Tzŭ, pointing out the advantage
of attacking Ch`i and Ching, while nobody spoke in favour
of Hui Tzŭ. The King actually followed Chang Tzŭ's
advice, considering Hui Tzŭ's proposal impracticable. After
the expedition against Ch`i and Ching had been successfully
carried out, Hui Tzŭ went into the court to have an audience,
when the King said: "Sir, you should not have said anything
at all. The expedition against Ch`i and Ching actually
turned out to our advantage. And the whole nation had so
expected." Thereupon Hui Tzŭ said: "May Your Majesty
not refrain from deliberating upon the whole situation!
Indeed, the expedition against Ch`i and Ching turned out
to our advantage. And so had the whole nation expected.
How numerous wise men were! If the expedition against
Ch`i and Ching turned out to our disadvantage while the
whole nation had expected the advantage, then how numerous
must stupid men have been? After all, every scheme is
a doubt from the outset. Who really doubts at all, usually
considers every scheme half practicable and half impracticable.
Now that all brains of the nation took the practicable side,
it means that Your Majesty lost half the brains, namely, the
brains of the negative side. The sovereign intimidated by
wicked ministers is, as a rule, a loser of half the brains in
the country."
When Shu Sun was Premier of Lu, he was influential
and in charge of all state affairs. His favourite, named
Shu Niu, also abused his orders. Shu Sun had a son named
Jên. Jealous of Jên, Shu Niu wanted to kill him. Accordingly,
he went with Jên to visit the inner court of the Ruler of Lu.
The Ruler of Lu bestowed upon him a jade ring. Jên,
making a deep bow, accepted it. But he dared not hang it
on his girdle and so told Shu Niu to secure Shu Sun's
permission beforehand. Deceiving him, Shu Sun said:
"I have already secured his permission for you to wear it."
Therefore Jên wore it on his girdle. Shu Niu then purposely
said to Shu Sun, "Why does Your Excellency not present
Jên to the Ruler?" "Why is the boy worth presenting?"
said Shu Sun. "As a matter of fact, Jên has already had
several interviews with the Ruler," said Shu Niu. "The
Ruler bestowed upon him a jade ring, which he has already
started wearing." Thereupon Shu Sun summoned Jên and
found him actually wearing it on his girdle. Angered thereby,
Shu Sun killed Jên.
Jên's elder brother was named Ping. Shu Niu was also
jealous of him and wanted to kill him. So he cast a bell
for Ping. When the bell was ready, Ping dared not toll it
and so told Shu Niu to secure Shu Sun's permission beforehand.
Instead of securing the permission for him, Shu Niu
again deceived him and said: "I have already secured his
permission for you to toll it." Therefore Ping tolled it.
Hearing this, Shu Sun said, "Without securing my
permission Ping tolled the bell at his own pleasure." Angered
thereby, he banished Ping. Ping ran out and escaped to
Ch`i. One year later, Shu Niu on behalf of Ping apologized
to Shu Sun. Shu Sun then ordered Shu Niu to recall Ping.
Without recalling Ping, Shu Niu in his report said, "I have
already summoned Ping, but he is very angry and will not
come." Shu Sun, enraged thereby, ordered men to kill
him. After the death of the two sons, Shu Sun fell ill,
wherefore Shu Niu alone took care of him, discharged the
attendants, and would not let anybody else in, saying,
"Shu Sun does not want to hear anybody's noise." As a
result, Shu Sun ate nothing and starved to death. When
Shu Sun was already dead, Shu Niu intentionally held no
funeral service, but moved his private storages and treasure
boxes, emptied them, and ran away to Ch`i. Indeed, if
anybody listens to the words of a trusted crook and in
consequence father and son are put to death, it is the calamity
of not comparing different views.
When Chiang Yi was sent by the King of Wey as envoy
to Ching, he said to the King of Ching: "After entering
the boundaries of Your Majesty, thy servant heard that,
according to the customary law of your honourable kingdom,
a gentleman should neither obscure anybody else's virtue
nor expose anybody else's vice. Do you really have such
a customary law?" "Certainly, we do!" replied the
King. "If so, did the Duke of White's rebellion involve no
danger at all? If you uphold such a customary law, then
vicious ministers will be pardoned for committing capital
crimes."
Duke[14]
Ssŭ of Wei had confidence in Ju Erh and loved
Princess Shih. Fearing lest both should delude him because
of his confidence and love, he purposely ennobled Po Yi to
rival Ju Erh and favoured Princess Wey to counteract Princess
Shih and said, "This is to make one compare himself or herself
with the other." Duke Ssŭ knew the need of suffering
no delusion but never got at the right technique. Indeed, if
the sovereign does not allow the humble to criticize the
noble and the inferior to denounce[15]
the superior, but always
expects the powers of high and low to balance, then ministers
on equal footing will dare to conspire with each other.
In so doing he will increase the number of delusive and
deceitful officials. Thus was begun the delusion of Duke
Ssŭ.
Indeed, if arrows come from a certain direction, then pile
iron bars in that direction to guard against them. If arrows
come from unknown directions, then make an iron-walled
room to guard against all of them. If one guards against
them this way, his body will receive no injury. Therefore,
in the way one guards against all arrows and receives no
injury, the ruler should stand in opposition to all ministers
and thereby encounter no culprit.
When P`ang Kung together with the Crown Prince was
going to Han-tan as hostage, he said to the King of Wey:
"Now, if someone says there in the market-place is a tiger,
will Your Majesty believe it?" "No, I will not believe it,"
replied the King. "Then, if two men say there in the marketplace
is a tiger, will Your Majesty believe it?" "No, I
will not believe it," was another reply. "If three men say
there in the market-place is a tiger, will Your Majesty believe
it?" "I will believe it," affirmed the King finally. Thereupon
P`ang Kung said: "That there is no tiger in the
market-place is clear enough, indeed. Nevertheless, because
three men allege the presence of a tiger, the tiger comes into
existence. Now that Han-tan is far more distant from the
Wey State than the market-place is from the court and those
who criticize thy servant are more than three men, may Your
Majesty deliberate over the mission of thy servant!" As
expected, when P`ang Kung returned from Han-tan, he
could not secure an admission[16]
into the city.
