University of Virginia Library

BOOK THIRTEEN

Chapter XXXIV

OUTER CONGERIES OF SAYINGS, THE UPPER
RIGHT SERIES[1]

The ways whereby the sovereign rules over the ministers
are three:—

I. If the sovereign finds his influence insufficient to
transform the ministers, then he should remove them.
Musician K`uang in his reply and Yen Tzŭ in his persuasion
both discarded[2] the easy policy of position and advocated
the difficult measure of virtue. This is the same as to run on
foot after animals while not yet aware how to remove an
impending disaster. The possibility of removing disasters
is revealed in Tzŭ-hsia's explanation of the Spring and Autumn
Annals, "Who is skilful in maintaining his position would
nip an evil in the bud early enough." Thus, even Chi-sun
reprimanded Chung-ni for obstructing[3] his position. How
much more should a sovereign blame rampant ministers?
For the same reason, T`ai-kung Wang killed K`uang-yü;
and the bondmen and bondwomen refused to ride the noble
steed. Duke Ssŭ knew this reason, wherefore he refused to
yoke any deer. Hsüeh Kung knew this reason, wherefore he
gambled with the twins. Both these statesmen knew the
opposition between identity and difference. Thus, the way
the enlightened sovereign raises ministers is illustrated by
the story of domesticating crows.

II. The lord of men is an attractive[4] target[5] of benefit
and injury, which numerous persons would aim to shoot.
Therefore, the lord of men is surrounded in common by a
number of people. For this reason, if his like and hate are
revealed, the inferiors will find opportunity to take, till the
lord of men falls into delusion. Should the sovereign communicate
the word and opinion of one minister to another,
then every minister will hesitate to speak to him while he will
lose his dignity. The saying is based on Shên Tzŭ's enumeration
of six prudences and on T`ang I-chü's[6] discussion of the
archer with stringed arrows. The calamity of the ruler's
revealing like and hate is instanced by Kuo Yang's petition
for self-reformation and King Hsüan's heaving deep sighs.
The attempt to detect the opinion of the ruler is instanced by
Lord Ching-kuo's[7] presenting ten ear-beads and Kan Mu's
overhearing Hsi-shou's[8] affairs. T`ang-ch`i Kung knew the
tact, wherefore he asked about the jade cups. Marquis
Chao was skilful in applying the tact, wherefore after
listening to any advice, he would sleep by himself. The way of
the enlightened sovereign lies in making decisions by himself
as encouraged by Shên Tzŭ.

III. If tact does not work, there are always reasons for it.
If the wine merchant does not kill his fierce dog, his wine
will become sour. Similarly, the state has dogs. Moreover,
all the attendants are like the rats gnawing the shrine. Now,

the lords of men are not as decisive as Yao in punishing
both the first and the second remonstrants or as King Chuang
in responding to the Crown Prince, but all are like the
mother of Po Yi who would always ask the old woman of
Ts`ai to give a decision. They may be anxious to know[9]
how to rule over the state, but unable to make rules beforehand
in the way the teachers of singing have melodies
composed beforehand. Wu Ch`i who divorced his beloved
wife and Duke Wên who executed Tien Chieh, both acted
contrary to personal feelings. Thus, who can cut open the
boils of people must be able to endure the same pain himself.

So much above for the canons.

Annotations to Canon I:—

Not encouraged after being rewarded and honoured and
not afraid after being punished and disgraced—in other
words, not transformed after the four methods are applied—
then such ministers must be removed.

Duke Ching of Ch`i went to Chin and was invited
by Duke P`ing to a carousal. Musician K`uang was in
company with them. At the opening of the feast, Duke
Ching asked Musician K`uang about government, "What
will Grand Tutor teach me?" "Your Highness, be sure
only to confer favours upon the people," replied Musician
K`uang. At the height of the feast, when half-seas-over and
about to leave, he again asked Musician K`uang about
government. "What will Grand Tutor teach me?" "Your
Highness, be sure only to confer favours upon the people,"
replied K`uang. When Duke Ching was leaving for his lodge

and Musician K`uang was seeing him off, he again asked
Musician K`uang about government. "Your Highness, be
sure only to confer favours upon the people," was again the
reply. Upon his return Duke Ching kept thinking about the
meaning of the precept and comprehended the saying of
Musician K`uang before he awoke fully from the intoxication.
Prince Wei and Prince Hsia were two younger brothers of
Duke Ching. They won the hearts of the people of Ch`i
very well. Their families were noble and wealthy while the
people liked them. Thus, their influences rivalled that of
the royal house. "This must be endangering my throne,"
thought Duke Ching. "Now that he told me to confer
favours upon the people, does it mean that I must fight with
my two younger brothers for winning the hearts of the
people?" Accordingly, after his return to his country he
opened the granary for distributing alms among all the poor
and took money[10] out of the treasury for giving help to orphans
and widows, till the granary had no old grain and the treasury
had no money left. Those court ladies who did not wait
on his bed were given out in marriage. People above the age
of seventy were granted pensions of rice. Thus, by displaying
beneficence and distributing favours,[11] he fought with his
two younger brothers for the people. In the course of two
years, the two younger brothers ran out of the country,
Prince Hsia finding shelter in Ch`u and Prince Wei running
to Chin.

Once Duke Ching and Yen Tzŭ travelled to the district
of Small Sea. They went up the Cypress-Bed Terrace.

Turning homeward to survey his country, Duke Ching
exclaimed, "What a beautiful country! Woven with blue
winding and deep rolling rivers and dotted with stately
and dignified mountains! Who will possess it in the future?"
"Will that be the family of T`ien Ch`êng?" said Yen Tzŭ.
"I am in possession of this country. Why do you say, `The
family of T`ien Ch`êng will have it'?" asked the Duke.
In reply Yen Tzŭ said: "Indeed, the family of T`ien Ch`êng
have won the hearts of the people of Ch`i very well. On the
one hand, he asks for ranks and emoluments, which he distributes
among the chief vassals. On the other, he enlarges the
measures on lending grain out to poor people and contracts
the measures[12] on taking the grain back from them. Whenever
he kills an ox, he takes only one plate of the beef and with
the rest feeds scholars and warriors.[13] All the year round he
takes only thirty-six feet[14] of cloth for his own use and gives
the rest to scholars and warriors for clothing. Woods at the
market-place are not more expensive than in the mountains.
Fish, salt, tortoises, turtles, conches, and mussels, from
swamps are not more expensive than from the sea. While the
Ruler is increasing taxes, T`ien Ch`êng enlarges his alms.
Once there was a famine in Ch`i. Those who starved to death
by the wayside were innumerable. It was never heard that
father and son who led each other and turned to T`ien Ch`êng
for help were not saved from death. Therefore, even the
peoples of Chou and Ch`in have been in groups singing the
song:—
It is said in The Book of Poetry,
Now that for the virtue of T`ien Ch`êng the people sing and
dance,[17] they consider it a virtuous act to turn to him for
government. Therefore, thy servant has said, `Will that be
the family of T`ien Ch`êng?' " Melting bitterly into tears,
the Duke said, "Isn't it sad? I have the country now, but
the family of T`ien Ch`êng will have it in the future. Now,
what can be done about it?" In reply Yen Tzŭ said: "What
does Your Highness have to worry about? If Your Highness
wants to rob him of the reins of government, the best is to
keep the worthy near by and the unworthy far off, put the
chaos in order, loosen penalties, relieve the poor and destitute,
give alms to orphans and widows, distribute favours among
the masses and support the needy with supplies. Then the
people will turn to Your Highness, and even ten T`ien Ch`êngs
will not be able to do anything against Your Highness."

Somebody said: "Duke Ching did not know how to make
use of his position while Musician K`uang and Yen Tzŭ did
not know how to get rid of troubles. To be sure if the hunter
relies on the security of the carriage, utilizes the legs of the
six horses, and makes Wang Liang hold their reins, then he
will not tire himself and will find it easy to overtake swift

animals. Now supposing he discarded the advantage of the
carriage, gave up the useful legs of the horses and the skill
of Wang Liang, and alighted to run after the animals, then
even though his legs were as quick as Lou Chi's, he would
not be in time to overtake the animals. In fact, if good
horses and strong carriages are taken into use, then mere
bondmen and bondwomen will be good enough to catch the
animals. Now, the state is the ruler's carriage while position
is his horse. Indeed, not to utilize the position and thereby
interdict favour-selling ministers, but to make favours and
kindnesses definite and confer them upon All-under-Heaven
and do the same as crooked ministers would do in order
thereby to fight with them for winning the hearts of the
people, is always the same as not to ride the ruler's carriage
and not to take advantage of the speed of horses, but to
leave the carriage and alight to run after the animals. Hence
the saying[18] : `Duke Ching was a sovereign not knowing how
to utilize his position while Musician K`uang and Yen Tzŭ
were ministers not knowing how to get rid of troubles.' "

Tzŭ-hsia said: "Regicides and parricides as recorded in
the Spring and Autumn Annals number tens. Nine of them
was an outcome of one day's fermentation. It always grew
from a bud and developed into maturity. On the whole
the wicked deeds, repeatedly committed, become a pile.
When the pile is mature, the urge to commit further villainy
becomes strong. When the urge is strong, it is liable to
extend to murder. Therefore, the enlightened sovereign
uproots them early. Now the attempt of T`ien Ch`êng
to launch a rebellion could be seen budding, but the ruler

never censured him. Yen Tzŭ never made his ruler suppress
offensive ministers but advised him to confer favours. In
consequence, Duke Chien suffered the calamity in posterity.
Therefore, Tzŭ-hsia says, `Who is skilful in maintaining
his position would nip an evil in the bud.' "

Chi-sun was Premier of Lu. Tzŭ-lu was Magistrate of
Hou. In the fifth month of the year the Lu State requisitioned
a number of able-bodied men to dig a long ditch. During the
period of time Tzŭ-lu made rice gruel with the grain out of
his private emolument and fed the workmen at the quarters
of Wu-fu. Hearing about this, Confucius sent Tzŭ-kung
there to overturn the food, break the vessels, and tell him,
"The Ruler of Lu rules over the people. Why should you
feed them?" Thereby, Tzŭ-lu, changing his colour from
anger bared his arms, went in, and said, "Master, do you
dislike Yu[19] practising benevolence and righteousness?
What Yu has learned from the Master is benevolence and
righteousness. To be benevolent and righteous is to give
All-under-Heaven one's own possessions and let them share
one's own profits. Why do you consider it wrong for Yu
to feed the people with the grain out of his private emolument?"
In reply Confucius said: "How crude Yu is!
I thought you would know as much as this. Yet really
you have not come to that. Thus you do not know the rules
of propriety. Now, by feeding them you think you love them.
To be sure, according to the rules of propriety, the Son of
Heaven loves All-under-Heaven, the feudal lords love people
within their respective domains, High Officials love their
official duties, and scholars and warriors love their families.
Who goes beyond the sphere of his love is called `offensive'.

Now that the Ruler of Lu rules over the people while you
attempt to love them at your pleasure, it means you are
offensive. Aren't you absurd?"

Before Confucius had finished his speech, the messenger
of Chi-sun arrived, blamed Confucius, and said, "Fei[20]
requisitioned the men and set them to work, whereas Master
sent a disciple to stop them and feed them. Would you mean
to rob Fei of the people?" Thereupon Confucius took his
carriage and left Lu. Thus, despite the worthiness of Confucius,
even Chi-sun, not being the Ruler of Lu but merely
applying the tact of the lord of men from the position of a
minister, would nip an evil in the bud, shows that Tzŭ-lu was
not allowed to confer private favours and no calamity could
grow. How much more should the lord of men? Should the
offensiveness of T`ien Ch`êng have been stopped with the
position of Duke Ching, there would be no calamity of
intimidation and regicide.

T`ai-kung Wang was enfeoffed eastward in Ch`i. By the
eastern sea of Ch`i there were retired scholars named K`uangyü
and Hua-shih. Being two brothers, both set up the principle:
"Neither of us would minister to the Son of Heaven
and make friends with the feudal lords, but would till and
work and live on the crops and dig a well and drink the
water. We would not ask anybody for help and accept neither
title from any superior nor emolument from any ruler. We
attend not to any official post but to our own physical
strength." When T`ai-kung Wang arrived at Camp Hill,
he sent men to arrest them and kill them at the first execution.
Hearing about this, Duke Tan of Chou, sent out an urgent
message from Lu and asked: "Indeed, the two gentlemen

were worthies. Why did you kill worthies on receiving
the rule over the country?" In reply T`ai-kung Wang said:
"These two brothers had set up the principle: `Neither of us
would minister to the Son of Heaven and make friends with
the feudal lords. We would till and work and live on the
crops and dig a well and drink the water. We would not ask
anybody for help and receive neither title from any superior
nor emolument from any ruler. We attend not to any official
post but to our own physical strength.' Their refusal to
minister to the Son of Heaven forecast Wang's inability to
rule them as subjects. Their refusal to make friends with the
feudal lords forecast Wang's inability to set them to work.
Their pledge to till and work and live on the crops and dig a
well and drink the water and thereby ask nobody for help
forecast Wang's inability to encourage them with reward
and prohibit them with punishment. Moreover, their decision
to accept no title from any superior implied their refusal
to work for Wang however intelligent they might be. Their
expectation of no emolument from the ruler implied their
refusal to render Wang any meritorious service however
worthy they might be. Should they refuse any appointment
to office, they would choose anarchy; should they attend to
no official duties, they would be disloyal. Furthermore, the
means whereby the early kings employed their ministers and
subjects were either rank and emolument or censure and
punishment. Now, if these four means be not sufficient to
employ them, over whom shall Wang rule? To let them
become celebrated without bearing arms and wearing armour
and become famous without tilling the land and weeding
the farm is not[21] the way to give teaching to the country.
Now suppose there is a horse here which looks like a noble
steed and is the best in All-under-Heaven. However, if it
would not advance when driven forward nor would it stop
when pulled back: and, if pulled to the left, it would not
go to the left, and, pulled to the right, it would not go to the
right; then even bondmen and bondwomen, humble as they
are, would not rely on its legs. Bondmen and bondwomen
want to rely on the legs of the steed because thereby they
can seek gain and avoid harm. Now that it would not work
for anybody, the slaves, humble as they are, would not rely
on its legs. Similarly, the two brothers proclaimed themselves
worthy personages of the world but would not work
for any sovereign. However worthy their deeds might be,
if they would not work for the ruler, they were not what
the enlightened sovereign ought to take as subjects. They
were like the steed that cannot be pulled to the left or right.
This was the reason why they were executed."

According to a different source: T`ai-kung Wang was
enfeoffed eastward in Ch`i. By the sea there was a worthy
named K`uang-yü. Hearing of him, T`ai-kung Wang went
to ask for an interview with him. Thrice in front of the gate
he left his horse and walked on foot, but K`uang-yü never
granted him an interview. Therefore, T`ai-kung Wang
censured him. At that time, Duke Tan of Chou was in Lu
and went on horseback to stop the execution. Upon his
arrival the execution had already been accomplished.
"K`uang-yü was a worthy man," said Duke Tan of Chou,
"of All-under-Heaven. Why did you punish him, indeed?"
In reply T`ai-kung Wang said: "K`uang-yü[22] considered it

righteous[23] not to minister to the Son of Heaven nor to make
friends with the feudal lords. I was afraid he might disturb
the law and alter the morals. Therefore, I took him for the
first execution. Now suppose there is a horse here which
looks like a noble steed. However, if it would not advance
when driven forward, then even bondmen and bondwomen
would not rely on its legs for turning the wheels[24] of their
carriage."

Ju-êrh once persuaded Duke Ssŭ of Wei of the way of
government. Duke Ssŭ was pleased with his persuasion but
heaved deep sighs. "Why does Your Highness not appoint
him prime minister?" asked the chamberlains. "Indeed,
any horse that looks like a deer," replied the Duke, "can be
quoted at one thousand pieces of gold. However, there are
horses each worth one thousand[25] pieces of gold but no deer
worth one thousand pieces of gold. Why? It is because
horses would work for men but no deer would work for
men. Now, Ju-êrh deserves the premiership in a state of ten
thousand chariots, and, besides, has an intention to serve a
big state. His mind is not in Wei. Though eloquent and
intelligent, he will not work for me. That is the reason why
I do not appoint him premier."

When Hsüeh Kung was premier to Marquis Chao of Wey,
there were twin brothers among the chamberlains, named
Yang-hu and Pan-ch`i. Both were highly regarded by the

sovereign[26] but would not do Hsüeh Kung any good. Over
this Hsüeh Kung was worried. Therefore, he invited them
to a gambling party. He gave each one hundred pieces of
gold and let the brothers gamble. Of a sudden, he gave each
two hundred pieces more. After they had gambled for a
while, the usher came in and said, "The son of Chang Chi
is waiting at the gate." Changing colour from anger,
Kung took a weapon and passed it to the usher and said,
"Kill him with this! I have heard Chi would never do Wên[27]
any good." The usher kept standing for a while. Then Chi
Yü by the side of them said, "That is not so. In secret I
have heard Chi has been doing Your Excellency much good.
It seems that nobody else has let Your Excellency know."
Thereupon he rejected killing the visitor, and welcomed him
as a guest, paid him great courtesies, and said: "Formerly
I heard Chi would not do me any good. So I thought of
killing him. Now I know he has been sincerely doing me
good. How can I forget his kindness?" So saying, he told
the granary-keeper to prepare one thousand piculs of grain,
the treasurer to prepare five hundred pieces of gold, the stableman
to prepare two teams of good horses and strong carriages
out of his own stable, and besides ordered the eunuch to get
ready twenty beautiful maids from among the court ladies.
Of all these he made Chi a present. Accordingly, the twin
brothers said to each other: "Who does Kung good,
always gains everything; who does not do him good,
always loses everything. Why should we choose not to do
him good?" Thenceforth they personally encouraged each
other to do him good. Thus, even Hsüeh Kung from the
position of a minister, by applying the tact of the lord of men,
could prevent an evil growing. How much more could the
lord of men by doing the same?

To be sure the crow-tamer cuts off the lower feathers.
Then the bird must depend upon him for food. How can it
go wild? Indeed, the same is true when the enlightened
sovereign wants to keep ministers under control. He must
make the ministers always profit by the emoluments
bestowed by the ruler and submit to the titles conferred by
the superior. If they profit by the emoluments bestowed by
the ruler and submit to the titles conferred by the superior,
how can they remain disobedient?

Annotations to Canon II:—

Shên Tzŭ said: "If the superior's cleverness is visible,
people will guard against it; if his stupidity is visible, people
will bewilder him; if his knowledge is visible, people will
disguise[28] themselves; if his ignorance is visible, people will
hide their faults; if his freedom from avarice is visible,
people will watch for unguarded moments; if his possession
of avarice is visible, people will allure him. Hence the saying:
`I find no way to know them. Only by not doing anything
I can watch[29] them.' "

According to a different source: Shên Tzŭ said: "Be
prudent in your speech, or people will accord[30] with you.
Be prudent in your action, or people will follow after you.
When you can see,[31] people will hide their defects from you.

When your ignorance is visible, people will deceive you.
When you have knowledge, people will keep you off.
When you have no knowledge, people will trespass against
you. Hence the saying `Only by not doing anything the
ruler can watch the ministers.' "

T`ien Tzŭ-fang asked T`ang I-chü, "Of what must the
archer with stringed arrows be cautious?" In reply I-chü
said: "The bird sees you with several hundred eyes, whereas
you aim at it with two eyes. You had better be careful
about your hiding-place." "Good," said T`ien Tzŭ-fang,
"You apply this principle to shooting with stringed arrows;
I will apply it to the state." Hearing this, an elder of Chêng
said: "T`ien Tzŭ-fang knows the need of making a hiding-place
but has not yet found how to make it. To be sure,
nihilism and invisibility make the hiding-place."

According to a different source: King Hsüan of Ch`i asked
T`ang I Tzŭ about the art of shooting with stringed arrows,
"What is most essential to the art of shooting with stringed
arrows?" "Carefulness about the hiding-place," replied
T`ang I Tzŭ. "What do you mean by `carefulness about
the hiding-place'?" asked the King. In reply I Tzŭ said:
"The bird sees man with tens of eyes, whereas man sees
it with two eyes. How can man not be careful about his
hiding-place? Therefore, I say, `The essence of the art lies
in carefulness about the hiding place.' " "How is the rule
over All-under-Heaven," remarked the King, "different
from this? Now, with two eyes the lord of men sees the
whole country, whereas the country sees the lord of men with
a myriad eyes. Then how can he make himself a hiding-place?"
In reply I Tzŭ said: "An elder of Chêng had the
saying, `Indeed, the ruler, being empty and tranquil and

doing nothing, is invisible.' Is this the way to make the
hiding-place?"

Kuo Yang was highly regarded by the ruler of Chêng.
When he heard the Ruler disliked him, he accompanied him
at a carousal and purposely said beforehand to the Ruler:
"If thy servant happens to be so unlucky as to have committed
certain faults, may Your Highness kindly permit thy servant
to know them. Then thy servant will ask permission to
reform himself in hope that he may evade capital punishment."

Once an itinerant spoke to King Hsüan of Han about the
way of government. King Hsüan was pleased with his
theory and heaved deep sighs. On the same day[32] the courtiers
reported the King's pleasure promptly to the itinerant
in order to place him under an obligation.

When Lord Ching-kuo[33] was Premier of Ch`i, the Queen
died. As nobody had yet known who would be installed
as the new Queen, he presented ear-beads to the King and
thereby knew it.

According to a different source: Hsüeh Kung was
Premier under King Wei of Ch`i, when the royal consort
died. There were then ten ladies admired by the King. Among
these Hsüeh Kung wanted to know the one whom the King
wanted in particular, so that he would ask the King to install
that one as the new consort. However, should the King listen
to him, then his suggestion would prevail upon the King and
he would be highly regarded by the new consort; should the
King not listen to him, his persuasion must have been ineffective
and he would be slighted by the new consort. Thus,
he wanted to know beforehand the one whom the King

wanted in order to encourage the King to install that one.
Thereupon he ordered ten ear-beads and specially beautified
one of them. Then he presented them to the King. The King
distributed them among the ten ladies. Next day, when he
went to court, he saw the lady who had the most beautiful
bead and so encouraged the King to install her as the new
consort.

When Kan Mu was premier to King Hui of Ch`in, King
Hui liked Kung-sun Yen. One day he spoke in private to
him, "I am going to appoint you prime minister." This was
overheard through a hole in the wall by a subordinate official
of Kan Mu, and was reported to him. Meanwhile, Kan Mu
went in to have audience with the King and said, "As Your
Majesty has found a worthy premier, thy servant dares to
repeat bows and offer his congratulations." "I have committed
the state," said the King, "to your hands. Why should
I find another worthy premier?" "Your Majesty is going
to make Hsi-shou premier," was the reply. "Where did
you hear that?" asked the King. "Hsi-shou told thy servant."
Angry at Hsi-shou's letting out the news, the King banished
him.

According to a different source: Hsi-shou was a good
general in All-under-Heaven serving under the King of
Liang-Wey. The King of Ch`in wanted to get him and
entrust him with the rule over All-under-Heaven. "Yen
is a minister," replied Hsi-shou, "and therefore dare not
leave the country of his ruler at any time." In the course
of one year Hsi-shou displeased the King of Liang-Wey and
sought refuge in Ch`in. The King of Ch`in accorded him a
very cordial reception. Chu Li-chi, the then Commander
of Ch`in's forces, fearing lest Hsi-shou should replace him,

bored a hole through the wall of the room where the King
would have confidential conversations. Suddenly, the King
actually consulted with Hsi-shou and said, "I want to
attack Han. What will be the best way?" "The coming
autumn will be the right time," replied Hsi-shou. "I want
to entrust you," said the King, "with the state affairs then.
You must not let out this secret." Running backward and
repeating his bows, Hsi-shou said, "At your service." By
that time Chu Li-chi had already heard the conversation.
He told every courtier he met, "An army will be raised in
autumn to attack Han with Hsi-shou as Commander."
Thus, in a day all the courtiers knew this. In a month everybody
within the boundary knew it. The King, accordingly,
summoned Chu Li-chi and said, "Why is everybody panic-stricken?
Whence did the rumour come out?" "It seems,"
replied Chu Li-chi, "that Hsi-shou declared the news."
"I never spoke to Hsi-shou," said the King, "about the
expedition. Why did he create such a rumour?" In reply
Chu Li-chi said: "Hsi-shou is a refugee finding shelter in
this country. As he trespassed against his former ruler
recently, he is still feeling helpless in a new place. Therefore,
he has created such a rumour in order to exercise his influence
among the masses of people." "Right," the King said and
sent men to summon Hsi-shou, but Hsi-shou had already
made his escape to some other feudal lord.

T`ang-ch`i Kung said to Marquis Chao, "Suppose there is a
jade cup worth one thousand pieces of gold, but it has no
bottom. Can it be used in serving water?" "No," replied
Marquis Chao. "Then suppose there is an earthen pot which
does not leak. Can it be used in serving wine?" "Yes," replied
Marquis Chao. Thereupon Chi Kung said: "Indeed, the

earthen pot is the cheapest vessel, but, not leaking, can be
used in serving wine. The jade cup, worth one thousand
pieces of gold, is the most expensive vessel, but without a
bottom it leaks and cannot be used in serving water. If so,
who will ever pour any kind of liquid into it? Now, the lord
of men who lets out the words of ministers is similar to the jade
cup without a bottom. Though possessed of holiness and
intelligence, he cannot exercise his tact to the utmost, for he
divulges secrets." "Right," said the Marquis. Ever after
Marquis Chao had heard these words from T`ang-chi Kung,
whenever he wanted to launch any drastic measure in Allunder-Heaven,
he would always sleep by himself for fear lest
he should talk in his sleep and let anybody else know his
scheme.

According to a different source: T`ang-chi Kung
had an interview with Marquis Chao and said: "Suppose
there are a white jade cup with no bottom and a pottery one
with a bottom. When thirsty, which will Your Highness
use for drinking?" "The pottery one of course," replied
the Marquis. "The white jade cup is beautiful," said T`ang
chi-kung, "but Your Highness will not drink from it. Is it
because it has no bottom?" "Yes," replied the Ruler.
Then T`ang Chi-kung said: "The lord of men who divulges
the words of ministers, is comparable to the jade cup with
no bottom." Thenceforth, every time after T`ang Chi-kung
had an audience and went out, Marquis Chao would always
lie by himself simply for fear lest he should talk in his sleep
and divulge the conversation to his consorts.

Shên Tzŭ said: "Who sees things by himself, is called
clear-sighted; who hears things by himself is called acute;

and who can make decision by himself, is fit to rule[34] over
All-under-Heaven.

Annotations to Canon III:—

Once there was a Sung man selling wine. His measures
were very fair. His reception of customers was very courteous.
The wine he made was excellent. He hoisted his banner[35]
in an imposing manner. Yet he had no business and the wine
would become sour. Wondering at the cause, he asked his
acquaintance, an elder of the village, named Yang Ching.
"It is because your dog is fierce," replied Ching. "If my
dog is fierce, why does my wine not sell well?" "Because
customers are afraid of it. When people send out children
with money and pots or jars to buy wine from you, your
dog would jump at them and sometimes bite them. This
is the reason why your wine does not sell well and becomes
sour." Indeed, the state has dogs, too. Thus experts in
statecraft, bearing the right tact in mind, want to enlighten
the sovereign of ten thousand chariots, whereas ministers
like the fierce dog of the wine merchant would jump at them
and bite them. This is the reason why the lord of men is
deluded and experts in statecraft are not taken into service.

Similarly, Duke Huan asked Kuan Chung what was the
greatest menace to the government of a state. "The greatest
menace is the shrine rats," was the reply. "Why should we
worry so much about the shrine rats?" asked the Duke.
Then Kuan Chung replied: "Your Highness must have seen
people building a shrine. They set up the beams and then
plaster them. Yet rats gnaw holes through the plaster and

shelter themselves inside. Then, if you smoke them out,
you are afraid you might burn the wood; if you pour water
over them, you are afraid the plaster might crumble. This is
the reason why the shrine rats cannot be caught. Now the
courtiers of the ruler of men, when out, are influential in
position and thereby exploit the people; when in, they join
one another in hiding their faults from the ruler. From inside
they spy out the ruler's secrets and report them to foreign
authorities, till they become influential both at home and
abroad and all ministers and magistrates regard them as
helpful.[36] If the authorities do not censure them, they continue
disturbing laws; if they censure them, then the ruler will
shield[37] them from blame, shelter them from punishment,[38]
and still keep them around. They are the shrine rats in the
state. Similarly, ministers who have the grip on state affairs
and issue prohibitions at their pleasure, always giving
advantages to those doing them good and causing injuries to
those not doing them any good, are the same as fierce dogs.

Indeed, when chief vassals have become fierce dogs and
would bite upholders of the true path, and when the courtiers
have turned into shrine rats and would spy out the ruler's
secrets, if the lord of men takes no notice of the impending
danger, how can he avoid delusion and how can the state
evade ruin?

According to a different source: Among the wine merchants
in Sung there was a certain Chuang family. Their
wine was always excellent. One day somebody sent a servant

to buy the wine of the Chuangs. As their dog would bite
customers, the servant dared not go to them and bought
wine from another family. When he was asked why he did
not buy the wine of the Chuangs, he replied, "The wine of
the Chuangs is to-day sour." Hence the saying: "If the
wine merchant does not kill his dog, his wine will become
sour."

According to another different source: Duke Huan asked
Kuan Chung, "What was the chief menace to the government
of a state?" "The greatest distress is caused by the
shrine rats," was the reply. "Indeed, after the shrine had
its beams[39] set up and had them plastered, rats would hide
themselves inside. If you attempt to smoke them out,
the wood will be burned; if you pour water over them,
the plaster will crumble. This is the way you are distressed
by the shrine rats. Now, the courtiers of the ruler of men,
when out, are influential in position and thereby exploit the
people; when in, they join one another in slandering their
enemies and in covering their own faults, and thereby deceive
the ruler. If not censured, they keep disturbing laws; if
censured the lord of men will shield[40] them from blame,
shelter them from punishment, and still keep them around.
They are shrine rats, too."

Similarly, ministers who have the grip on state affairs and
issue prohibitions at their pleasure, always giving advantages
to those doing them good and causing injuries to those not
doing them any good, are fierce dogs, too. Therefore, if the
courtiers become shrine rats and the administrators of state

affairs turn into fierce dogs, the right type of statecraft will
not function.

When Yao wanted to transfer the rule over All-underHeaven
to Shun, against such a measure K`un remonstrated
with him saying: "How inauspicious! Who would transfer
the rule of All-under-Heaven to a commoner?" Yao never
listened to him but raised an army and killed him in the
vicinity of the Feather Mountains. Likewise, the Minister
of Public Works remonstrated with him, saying, "Nobody
should transfer the rule over All-under-Heaven to a commoner."
Yao never listened to him but also raised an army
and banished the Minister of Public Works to the city
of Yu-chou. Thenceforth, All-under-Heaven dared not
disapprove the transfer of the rule over All-under-Heaven
to Shun. Hearing this, Chung-ni said: "It is not difficult for
Yao to know the worthiness of Shun. Indeed, to punish the
remonstrants and thereby effect the transfer of the throne
to Shun was his difficulty."

According to a different source: Chung-ni said, "Not to
ruin the result of observation with the object of suspicion is
difficult."

King Chuang of Ching once issued the law of the inner
gate[41] to the effect that "When any Ministers, High Officers,
and Princes enter the court, if the hoofs of anybody's horse
walk upon the `eavesdrops', the court guard should cut down
the shaft of his carriage and execute his coachman." In the
meantime, the Crown Prince entered the court. As soon as
his horse trod on the "eavesdrops", the guard cut down the
shaft of his carriage and executed his coachman. Angry at this,

the Crown Prince went in to see the King and with tears in
his eyes said, "May Your Majesty punish the guard for me!"
In response the King said: "The law is the means whereby
the ancestral shrine and the Altar of the Spirits of Land and
Grain are revered. Therefore, who can live up to the law,
carry out orders, and thereby revere the Shrine of the Spirits
of Land and Grain, is a loyal subject to the community. Why
should such a man be punished then? To be sure, who violates
the law, discards orders, and thereby shows no respect to the
Shrine of the Spirits of Land and Grain, is a subject offending
his ruler and an inferior disobeying his superior.[42] If the
subject offends his ruler, then the sovereign will lose his
authority; if the inferior disobeys his superior, then the
superior's status will be endangered. With my authority lost
and my status endangered and the Altar of the Spirits of Land
and Grain not safeguarded what can I bequeath to my
descendants?" Thereupon the Crown Prince ran backward,
kept away from his residence, stayed outdoors for three
days, faced the north, repeated his bows, and apologized for
the capital crime.

According to a different source: Once upon a time the
King of Ch`u sent urgently for the Crown Prince.
The law of the Ch`u State allowed no carriage to reach
the inner gate of the palace. It was raining. There were
puddles in the courtyard. Therefore, the Crown Prince had
to take his carriage as far as the inner gate. "No carriage
is allowed," shouted the court guard, "to reach the inner gate.
To take any carriage as far as the inner gate[43] is against the

law." "His majesty's summon is so urgent," said the Crown
Prince, "that I cannot wait till the puddles dry up." So
saying, he drove onward. Raising his halberd, the guard
hit the horse and broke the yoke. The Crown Prince then
went in to see the King and with tears in his eyes said:
"There were in the courtyard so many puddles that I had
to take the carriage as far as the inner gate. The guard,
however, said it was against the law, raised his halberd, hit
thy servant's horse and broke the yoke of thy servant's
carriage. May Your Majesty be sure to punish him!" "With
the aged sovereign in the front," remarked the King, "he
never neglected the law; with the future ruler in the rear he
never showed any favour. How worthy he must be! He is
truly my law-abiding subject." Thereupon the King raised
the rank of the guard by two grades, sent out the Crown
Prince through the back gate, and prevented him from going
through the inner gate again.

Duke Ssŭ[44] of Wei said to Po Yi: "You regard my state
as small and therefore not worth serving. Yet I have ability
to take you into service. Shall I raise your rank and appoint
you High Noble?" So saying, he added one million mou[45]
of fields to his emolument. In response to this Po Tzŭ said:
"Yi's mother loves Yi and thinks Yi is even able to serve
as prime minister to a ruler of ten thousand chariots with no
insufficiency. However, Yi's family witch, Old Woman
Ts`ai, is very much liked and believed by Yi's mother and is
entrusted with all domestic affairs. Now, Yi is intelligent

enough to be told[46] about the domestic affairs and his mother
should always listen to him. However, whatever she had
agreed with Yi, she would always refer to Old Woman Ts`ai
for decision. Thus, for instance, after discussing Yi's wisdom
and ability with the old woman, she came to consider Yi able
to serve as prime minister to a ruler of ten thousand chariots.
As regards the relationship, it lies between mother and son.
Nevertheless, she could not help consulting Old Woman
Ts`ai. Now, the relationship between Yi and the lord of
men is not as intimate as that between mother and son while
the lord of men always has witches like Old Woman Ts`ai.
The witches of the lord of men are, no doubt, his powerful
vassals, who are able to practise selfishness. Indeed, to practise
selfishness is contrary to the inked string, whereas what
Yi speaks about is always in accordance with the law. Who
acts contrary to the inked string and who stands in accordance
with the law are enemies and never tolerate each other."

According to a different source: The Ruler of Wei was
going to Chin and said to Po Yi: "I want you to go along
with me." "Mother is at home. May I go home and consult
with her about the matter?" Thereupon the Ruler of Wei
went himself to ask permission. "Yi is a subject," said
Mother Po, "to Your Highness. It is very kind of you to
take him along." Then the Ruler said to Po Yi: "I already[47]
asked Mother. She gave me permission." When Po Yi went
home, he asked his mother, "Who loves Yi better, His
Highness or Mother?" "He does not love my son so much
as I do," replied the mother. "Who recognizes Yi's worthiness
more, His Highness or Mother?" "He does not

recognize my son's worthiness so much as I do." Finally
Yi said: "Every time after Mother and Yi discussed
domestic affairs and decided on a certain plan, she would
refer it to the Old Woman of Ts`ai, a fortune-teller, for the
second decision. Now the ruler of Wei is going to take Yi
along. Though he will decide with Yi on his plans, yet he
will certainly consult some other Old Woman Ts`ai and
break the plans. If such be the case, Yi will not be able to
serve him long as Minister."

Indeed, the teacher of singing first teaches the pupil vocal
gestures and different pitches. After the pupil becomes[48]
able to express the clear lingual sounds, then the teacher
begins to teach him real singing.

According to a different source: The teacher of singing,
first of all, conforms the pupil's voice to certain rules. When
singing staccato,[49] the pupil must set his tone with guttural
sounds; when singing legato,[50] he must set his tone with
lingual sounds. If his staccato is not set with guttural sounds
and his legato not with lingual sounds, then he is not teachable.[51]

Wu Ch`i was a native of Tso-shih in Wei. Once he asked
his wife to weave a silk band. When finished, the band was
too narrow for the regular width. So he asked her to weave
a new one. "All right," said his wife. When finished, it was
measured as before but fell short of the regular width, too.
At this Wu Ch`i was very angry. In response his wife said:
"After I had set in the warp, I could not change the width any
more." Wu Ch`i divorced her. Then his wife asked her

elder brother to send her back. Her elder brother said:
"Wu Ch`i is a law-abiding man. In abiding by the law, he
wants to apply legalism to his wife first and then to his son
in order that some day he will be in a position to render a
ruler of ten thousand chariots meritorious services. Give up
your hope for reinstatement as his wife." Her younger brother
had[52] influence on the Ruler of Wei. Therefore, through
the influence of the Ruler of Wei he asked Wu Ch`i to take
her back, but Wu Ch`i never listened to him and finally left
Wei for Ching.

According to a different source: Wu Ch'i showed his
wife a silk band and said to her: "Will you weave for me a
silk band exactly like this one?" When the band was woven,
he tried[53] it and found it extraordinarily well done. "I told
you," said Wu Ch`i, "to weave for me a silk band exactly
like this one, but now it is extraordinarily well done. Why?"
In reply his wife said: "The material was the same, but
I added a great deal of effort to make it better than the sample."
"That was not what I told you to do." So saying, Wu Ch`i
let his wife wear it and sent her home. Her father went to
ask him to take her back. However, Wu Ch`i said, "Ch`i's
house admits no empty word."

Duke Wên of Chin once asked Hu Yen: "If your Highness
fills the reception hall with sweet tastes and fat meat,
leaves a few cups of wine and a few plates of meat in the inner
court, and lets the wine in the jar have no time to become
clear and the raw meat have no time to be laid out, and if on
killing an ox he would distribute the beef among the people
in the country and clothe the officers and soldiers with the

whole year's products of the weavers, will this be sufficient
to make the people go to war?" "Insufficient," replied Hu
Tzŭ. "Suppose I reduce the custom duties and business
taxes and loosen censure and punishment, will that be sufficient
to make the people go to war?" "Insufficient," replied
Hu Tzŭ. "Suppose I personally send a courtier to look after
the matter when anybody needs money for a funeral rite, give
pardons to criminals and bestow favours upon the poor
and the needy. Will this be sufficient to make the people go
to war?" In reply Hu Tzŭ said: "All these methods are
ways of earning one's livelihood. To make the people go
to war, however, is to put them to death. Now that the people
obey Your Highness on purpose to earn their livelihood, if
Your Highness thereby drives them to their death, then they
will lose the cause to obey Your Highness." "If so," asked
the Duke, "what will be sufficient to make the people go
to war?" "Make them unable to do anything but fighting,"
was the reply. "How to make them unable to do anything
but fighting?" asked the Duke. "By making reward of
faith and punishment definite," replied Hu Tzŭ. "This will
be sufficient to make them go to war." "How far must the
extremity of censure and punishment extend?" asked the
Duke. "As far as any relative or noble held guilty. The law
must prevail among the most beloved," replied Hu Tzŭ.
"Good," remarked the Duke.

On the following day Duke Wên issued an order: A field-hunt
is to be held at the Gardening Land; the time is fixed at
noon sharp; whoever arrives late shall be court-martialled.
There arrived late a favourite of Duke Wên, named Tien
Chieh. The criminal judge asked the Duke to pass a sentence
on him. Shedding tears, the Duke worried over it. But the

judge said, "May Your Highness carry out the order!"
Finally he cut Tien Chieh in two at the back in order to warn
the hundred surnames and to prove the faith of the law.
Thenceforth all the hundred surnames were afraid of punishment
and said: "His Highness made so much of Tien Chieh.
Still he applied the law to the case. How much less can we
hope for pardon?"

Perceiving his ability to make the people go to war,
Duke Wên raised an army, attacked Yüan, and took it.
Attacking Wei, he made their field-ridges run eastward and
thereby facilitate his military operations. He took Five Deer,
attacked Yang, and defeated Kuo. Then he attacked Ts`ao
and marched southward to besiege Chêng and upset the
city walls. Then he raised the siege of Sung and fought with
the Chings at Ch`êng-p`u and put them to rout. Turning
homeward, he took an oath at Foot-Earth, and finally
accomplished at Hêng-yung the righteousness of honouring
the House of Chou. Thus, in an expedition he completed
eight achievements. As to why he was so successful, there
was no other reason than this, that he followed the counsel
of Hu Yen and made use of the back of Tien Chieh.

Indeed the pain of the boil, unless the bone and marrow are
pierced, the worried mind will no longer be able to bear. If the
bone and marrow are not pierced, nobody can use the half-inch
stone-needle to cut the boil open. The same is true with the lord
of men in government. Unless he knows hardship, he cannot
have peace. If he wants to govern his country, unless he
experiences the pain, he will not be able to listen to the holy
and the intelligent and remove the rebellious ministers.
Rebellious ministers are always powerful men. Powerful men
are always very near and dear to the lord of men. The relationship

between the sovereign and his favourites is as inseparable
as that between "Hard and White".[54] Indeed, if any wearer
of hemp clothes attempts from such a humble position to
remove the favourites of the lord of men who are as inseparable
from him as hard from white, it will be as dangerous as to
cut off the left thigh and speak to the right one. This is the
reason why his body will be put to death and his theory never
will prevail.