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家
二○ ○二年五月二十一日 |
其求實無已○是皆求名實者也○而獨不聞之乎 | 攻有扈○國為虛厲○身為刑戮○其用兵不止○ | 以擠之○是好名者也○昔者堯攻叢枝胥敖○禹 | 傴拊人之民○以下拂其上者也○故其君因其修 | 桀殺關龍逢○紂殺王子比干○是皆修其身以下 | 若殆以不信厚言○必死於暴人之前矣○且昔者 | 火救火○以水救水○名之曰益多○順始無窮○ | 平之○口將營之○容將形之○心且成之○是以 | 王公必將乘人而鬥其捷○而目將熒之○而色將 | 悅賢而惡不肖○惡用而求有以異○若唯無詔○ | 菑人者○人必反菑之○若殆為人菑夫○且苟為 | 人之前者○是以人惡有其美也○命之曰菑人○ | 不爭○未達人心○而強以仁義繩墨之言○術暴 | 非所以盡行也○且德厚信矼○未達人氣○名聞 | 者○相軋也○知也者○爭之器也○二者凶器○ | 知之所為出乎哉○德蕩乎名○知出乎爭○名也 | 暇至於暴人之所行○且若亦知夫德之所蕩○而 | ○先存諸己而後存諸人○所存於己者未定○何 | 則多○多則擾○擾則憂○憂而不救○古之至人 | 仲尼曰○譆○若殆往而刑耳○夫道不欲雜○雜 | 其國有瘳乎○ | 亂國就之○醫門多疾○願以所聞思其則○庶幾 | ○民其無如矣○回嘗聞之夫子曰○治國去之○ | 而不見其過○輕用民死○死者以國量乎澤若蕉 | 曰○回聞衛君○其年壯○其行獨○輕用其國○ | 曰○奚為焉○ | 曰○將之衛○ | 顏回見仲尼請行曰○奚之○ | 一 |
莊子南華經
第四章人間世 |
| 心齋也○ | 符○氣者也○虛而待物者也○唯道集虛○虛者 | 無聽之以心○而聽之以氣○聽止於耳○心止於 | 仲尼曰○若一志○無聽之以耳○而聽之以心○ | 回曰○敢問心齋○ | 曰○是祭祀之齋○非心齋也○ | 月矣○若此則可以為齋乎○ | 顏回曰○回之家貧○唯不飲酒○不茹葷者○數 | 易之者皞天不宜○ | 仲尼曰○齋○吾將語若○有而為之○其易邪○ | 顏回曰○吾無以進矣○敢問其方○ | 師心者也○ | 亦無罪○雖然○止是耳矣○夫胡可以及化○猶 | 仲尼曰○惡○惡可○大多政○法而不諜○雖固 | 若是則可乎○ | 也○若然者○雖直而不病○是之謂與古為徒○ | 徒○其言雖教○謫之實也○古之有也○非吾有 | 疵焉○是之謂與人為徒○成而上比者○與古為 | 皆為之○吾敢不為邪○為人之所為者○人亦無 | ○與人之為徒也○擎跽曲拳○人臣之禮也○人 | 然者○人謂之童子○是之謂與天為徒○外曲者 | 己言蘄乎○而人善之蘄乎○而人不善之邪○若 | 為徒者○知天子之與己○皆天之所子○而獨以 | 直而外曲○成而上比○內直者與天為徒○與天 | 不化○外合而內不訾○其庸詎可乎○然則我內 | ○名之曰日漸之德不成○而況大德乎○將執而 | 常人之所不違○因案人之所感○以求容與其心 | 曰○惡○惡可○夫以陽為充孔揚○采色不定○ | 顏回曰○端而虛○勉而一則可乎○ | 然○若必有以也○嘗以語我來○ | ○名實者○聖人之所不能勝也○而況若乎○雖 |
| 可奈何而安之若命○德之至也○為人臣子者○ | 盛也○自事其心者○哀樂不易施乎前○知其不 | 孝之至也○夫事其君者○不擇事而安之○忠之 | 之謂大戒○是以夫事其親者○不擇地而安之○ | 義也○無適而非君也○無所逃於天地之間○是 | ○子之愛親○命也○不可解於心○臣之事君○ | 仲尼曰○天下有大戒二○其一命也○其一義也 | 有以語我來○ | 之患○是兩也○為人臣者○不足以任之○子其 | 之情而既有陰陽之患矣○事若不成○必有人道 | 朝受命○而夕飲冰○我其內熱與○吾未至乎事 | 之○吾食也執粗而不臧○爨無欲清之人○今吾 | 之患○若成若不成○而後無患者○唯有德者能 | 不成○則必有人道之患○事若成○則必有陰陽 | 也○曰○凡事若小若大○寡不道以歡成○事若 | 未可動○而況諸侯乎○吾甚慄之○子常語諸梁 | 甚重○齊之待使者○蓋將甚敬而不急○匹夫猶 | 葉公子高將使於齊○問於仲尼曰○王使諸梁也 | 二 | 終○而況散焉者乎○ | 物之化也○禹舜之所紐也○伏羲○幾蘧之所行 | ○而外於心知○鬼神將來舍○而況人乎○是萬 | 止止○夫且不止○是之謂坐馳○夫徇耳目內通 | 聞以無知知者也○瞻彼闋者○虛室生白○吉祥 | 矣○未聞以無翼飛者也○聞以有知知者矣○未 | 為人使易以偽○為天使難以偽○聞以有翼飛者 | 而寓於不得已○則幾矣○絕跡易○無行地難○ | 感其名○入則鳴○不入則止○無門無毒○一宅 | 夫子曰○盡矣○吾語若○若能入遊其樊○而無 | ○未始有回也○可謂虛乎○ | 顏回曰○回之未始得使○實自回也○得使之也 |
| 畦○亦與之為無町畦○彼且為無崖○亦與之為 | 孽○彼且為嬰兒○亦與之為嬰兒○彼且為無町 | ○為崩為蹶○心和而出○且為聲為名○為妖為 | 就不欲入○和不欲出○形就而入○且為顛為滅 | ○形莫若就○心莫若和○雖然○之二者有患○ | 蘧伯玉曰○善哉問乎○戒之慎之○正汝身也哉 | 而不知其所以過○若然者○吾奈之何○ | 之為有方○則危吾身○其知適足以知人之過○ | 於此○其德天殺○與之為無方○則危吾國○與 | 顏闔將傅衛靈公太子○而問於蘧伯玉曰○有人 | 三 | ○ | ○至矣○何作為報也○莫若為至命○此其難者 | 可不慎與○且夫乘物以遊心○託不得已以養中 | 也○遷令勸成殆事○美成在久○惡成不及改○ | 其所終○故法言曰○無遷令○無勸成○過度益 | 應之○而不知其然也○苟為不知其然也○孰知 | ○於是並生心厲○剋核太至○則必有不肖之心 | 忿設無由○巧言偏辭○獸死不擇音○氣息茀然 | 行者實喪也○夫風波易以動○實喪易以危○故 | 其作始也簡○其將畢也必巨○言者○風波也○ | 泰至則多奇樂○凡事亦然○始乎諒○常卒乎鄙 | 則多奇巧○以禮飲酒者○始乎治○常卒乎亂○ | 全○且以巧鬥力者○始乎陽○常卒乎陰○泰至 | ○故法言曰○傳其常情○無傳其溢言○則幾乎 | 凡溢之類妄○妄則其信之也莫○莫則傳言者殃 | ○夫兩喜必多溢美之言○兩怒必多溢惡之言○ | 必或傳之○夫傳兩喜兩怒之言○天下之難者也 | ○凡交近則必相靡以信○遠則必忠之以言○言 | 於悅生而惡死○夫子其行可矣○丘請復以所聞 | 固有所不得已○行事之情○而忘其身○何暇至 |
| 匠石覺而診其夢○弟子曰○趣取無用○則為社 | 木○ | 奈何哉○其相物也○而幾死之○散人又惡知散 | 且得有此大也邪○且也○若與予也○皆物也○ | 幾死○乃今得之○為予大用○使予也而有用○ | 俗者也○物莫不若是○且予求無所可用久矣○ | 者也○故不終其天年○而中道夭○自掊擊於世 | 剝○則辱○大枝折○小枝泄○此以其能苦其生 | 比予於文木邪○夫柤梨橘柚果蓏之屬○實熟則 | 匠石歸○櫟社見夢曰○汝將惡乎比予哉○若將 | ○故能若是之壽○ | 液樠○以為柱則蠹○是不材之木也○無所可用 | 以為棺槨則速腐○以為器則速毀○以為門戶則 | 曰○已矣○勿言之矣○散木也○以為舟則沈○ | 行不輟何邪○ | 隨夫子○未嘗見材如此之美也○先生不肯視○ | 輟○弟子厭觀之○走及匠石曰○自吾執斧斤以 | 為舟者旁十數○觀者如市○匠伯不顧○遂行不 | 絜之百圍○其高臨山十仞○而後有枝○其可以 | 匠石之齊○至於曲轅○見櫟社樹○其大蔽牛○ | 四 | 不慎邪○ | 則缺銜毀首碎胸○意有所至○而愛有所亡○可 | 矢○以蜃盛溺○適有蚊虻僕緣○而拊之不時○ | 己者順也○故其殺者逆也○夫愛馬者○以筐盛 | 時其肌飽○達其怒心○虎之與人異類○而媚養 | 之之怒也○不敢以全物與之○為決之之怒也○ | ○不知夫養虎者乎○不敢以生物與之○為其殺 | 者也○戒之慎之○積伐而美者○以犯之○幾矣 | 其臂以當車轍○不知其不勝任也○是其才之美 | 無崖○汝達之入於無疵○汝不知夫螳螂乎○怒 |
| 下有道○聖人成焉○天下無道○聖人生焉○方 | 如德之衰也○來世不可待○往世不可追也○天 | 孔子適楚○楚狂接輿遊其門曰○鳳兮鳳兮○何 | 六 | 其德者乎○ | 其形者○猶足以養其身○終其天年○又況支離 | ○上與病者粟○則受三鍾○與十束薪○夫支離 | 臂於其間○上有大後○則支離以有常疾不受功 | 鼓筴播精○足以食十人○上徵武士○則支離攘 | 五管在上○兩髀為脅○挫鍼治繲○足以餬口○ | 支離疏者○頤隱於臍○肩高於頂○會撮指天○ | 五 | 神人之所以為大祥也○ | 河○此皆巫祝以知之矣○所以為不祥也○此乃 | 者○與豚之亢鼻者○與人有痔病者○不可以適 | 之夭於斧斤○此材之患也○故解之以牛之白顙 | 之家○求樿傍者斬之○故未終其天年○而中道 | 圍○求高名之麗者斬之○七圍八圍○貴人富商 | ○其拱把而上者○求狙猴之杙者斬之○三圍四 | 嗟乎○神人以此不材○宋有荊氏者○宜揪柏桑 | 子綦曰○此果不材之木也○以至於此其大也○ | 日而不已○ | 咶其葉○則口爛而為傷○嗅之則使人狂酲○三 | 棟梁○俯而視其大根○則軸解而不可為棺槨○ | 必有異材夫○仰而視其細枝則○拳曲而不可為 | 乘○隱將芘其所藾○子綦曰○此何木也哉○此 | 南伯子綦遊乎商之丘○見大木焉○有異結駟千 | 保與眾異○而以義譽之○不亦遠乎○ | 詬厲也○不為社者○且幾有翦乎○且也彼其所 | 曰○密○若無言○彼亦直寄焉○以為不知己者 | 何邪○ |
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家
二○ ○二年五月二十一日 |
用之用也○ | 漆可用○故割之○人皆知有用之用○而莫知無 | 山木自寇也○膏火自煎也○桂可食○故伐之○ | 七 | 無傷吾足○ | 畫地而趨○迷陽迷陽○無傷吾行○吾行郤曲○ | 莫之知避○已乎已乎○臨人以德○殆乎殆乎○ | 重乎地○ | 今之時○僅免刑焉○福輕乎羽○莫之知載○禍 |
Yen Hui went to take leave of Confucius.
"Whither are you bound?" asked the Master.
"I am going to the State of Wei," was the reply.
"And what do you propose to do there?" continued Confucius.
"I hear," answered Yen Hui, "that the Prince of Wei is of mature age, but of an unmanageable disposition. He behaves as if the State were of no account, and will not see his own faults. Consequently, the people perish; and their corpses lie about like so much undergrowth in a marsh. They are at extremities. And I have heard you, Sir, say that if a State is well governed, it may be neglected; but that if it is badly governed, then we should visit it. The science of medicine embraces many various diseases. I would test my knowledge in this sense, that perchance I may do some good to that State."
"Alas!" cried Confucius, "you will only succeed in bringing evil upon yourself. For Tao must not be distributed. If it is, it will lose its unity. If it loses its unity, it will be uncertain; and so cause mental disturbance,- from which there is no escape. The sages of old first got Tao for themselves, and then got it for others. Before you possess this yourself, what leisure have you to attend to the doings of wicked men? Besides, do you know what Virtue results in and where Wisdom ends? Virtue results in a desire for fame; wisdom ends in contentions. In the struggle for fame men crush each other, while their wisdom but provokes rivalry. Both are baleful instruments, and may not be incautiously used.
"Besides, those who, before influencing by their own solid virtue and unimpeachable sincerity, and before reaching the heart by the example of their own disregard for name and fame, go and preach charity and duty to one's neighbor to wicked men,- only make these men hate them for their very goodness' sake. Such persons are called evil speakers. And those who speak evil of others are apt to be evil spoken of themselves. That, alas! will be your end.
"On the other hand, if the Prince loves the good and hates the bad, what object will you have in inviting him to change his ways? Before you have opened your mouth to preach, the Prince himself will have seized the opportunity to wrest the victory from you. Your eye will fall, your expression fade, your words will stick, your face will change, and your heart will die within you. It will be as though you took fire to quell fire, water to quell water, which is popularly known as 'pouring oil on the flames'. And if you begin with concessions, there will be no end to them. Neglect this sound advice, and you will be the victim of that violent man.
"Of old, Chieh murdered Kuan Lung Feng, and Chou slew Prince Pi Kan. Their victims were both men who cultivated virtue themselves in order to secure the welfare of the people. But in doing this they offended their superiors; and therefore, because of that very moral culture, their superiors got rid of them, in order to guard their own reputations.
"Of old. Yao attacked the Ts'ung-chih and Hsu-ao countries, and Yu attacked the Yu-hu country. Homes were desolated and families destroyed by the slaughter of the inhabitants. Yet they fought without ceasing, and strove for victory to the last. These are instances known to all. Now if the Sages of old failed in their efforts against this love of fame, this desire for victory, - are you likely to succeed? But of course you have a scheme. Tell it to me."
"Gravity of demeanor," replied Yen Hui, "and dispassionateness; energy and singleness of purpose,- will this do?"
"Alas!" said Confucius, "that will not do. If you make a show of being perfect and obtuse yourself, the Prince's mood will be doubtful. Ordinarily, he is not opposed, and so he has come to take actual pleasure in trampling upon the feelings of others. And if he has thus failed in the practice of routine virtue, do you expect that he will take readily to higher ones? You may insist, but without result. Outwardly you will be right, but inwardly wrong. How then will you make him mend his ways?"
"Just so," replied Yen Hui. "I am inwardly straight, and outwardly crooked, completed after the models of antiquity. He who is inwardly straight is a servant of God. And he who is a servant of God knows that the Son of Heaven and himself are equally the children of God. Shall then such a one trouble whether man visits him with evil or with good? Man indeed regards him as a child; and this is to be a servant of God. He who is outwardly crooked is a servant of man. He bows, he kneels, he folds his hands;- such is the ceremonial of a minister. What all men do, shall I dare not to do? What all men do, none will blame me for doing. This is to be a servant of man.
He who is completed after the models of antiquity is a servant of the Sages of old. Although I utter the words of warning and take him to task, it is the Sages of old who speak, and not I. Thus my uprightness will not bring me into trouble, the servant of the Sages of old.- Will this do?"
"Alas!" replied Confucius, "No. Your plans are too many and are lacking in prudence. However, your firmness will secure you from harm; but that is all. You will not influence him to such an extent that he shall seem to follow the dictates of his own heart."
"Then," said Yen Hui, "I am without resource, and venture to ask for a method."
Confucius said, "Fast.......Let me explain. You have a method, but it is difficult to practice. Those which are easy are not from God."
"Well," replied Yen Hui, "my family is poor, and for many months we have tasted neither wine nor flesh. Is not that fasting?"
"The fasting of religious observance it is," answered Confucius, "but not the fasting of the heart."
"And may I ask," said Yen Hui, "in what consists the fasting of the heart?"
"Cultivate unity," replied Confucius. "You hear not with the ears, but with the mind; not with the mind, but with your soul. But let hearing stop with the ears. Let the working of the mind stop with itself. Then the soul will be a negative existence, passively responsive to externals. In such a negative existence, only Tao can abide. And that negative state is the fasting of the heart." (talking about meditation)
"Then," said Yen Hui, "the reason I could not get the use of this method is my own individuality. If I could get the use of it, my individuality would have gone. Is this what you mean by the negative state?"
"Exactly so," replied the Master. "Let me tell you. If you can enter this man's domain without offending his amour propre, cheerful if he hears you, passive if he does not; without science, without drugs, simply living there in a state of complete indifference,- you will be near success. It is easy to stop walking: the trouble is to walk without touching the ground. As an agent of man, it is easy to deceive; but not as an agent of God. You have heard of winged creatures flying. You have never heard of flying without wings. You have heard of men being wise with wisdom. You have never heard of men wise without wisdom. Look at that window. Through it an empty room becomes bright with scenery; but the landscape stops outside. Were this not so, we should have an exemplification of sitting still and running away at one and the same time.
"In this sense, you may use your ears and eyes to communicate within, but shut out all wisdom from the mind. (instruction for meditation) And there where the supernatural can find shelter, shall not man find shelter too? This is the method for regenerating all creation. It was the instrument which Yu and Shun employed. It was the secret of the success of Fu Hsi and Chi Chu. Shall it not then be adopted by mankind in general?" (The dialogue tells us Taoists can mediate in politics if we know the means. Also here it says of the secret of meditation that is to regenerate the body.)
Tzu Kao, Duke of She, being about to go on a mission to the Ch'i State, asked Confucius, saying, "The mission my sovereign is sending me on is a most important one. Of course, I shall be received with all due respect, but they will not take the same interest in the matter that I shall. And as an ordinary person cannot be pushed, still less a Prince, I am in a state of great alarm. Now you, Sir, have told me that in all undertakings great and small, Tao alone leads to a happy issue. Otherwise that, failing success, there is to be feared punishment from without, and with success, punishment from within; while exemption in case either of success or non-success falls only to the share of those who possess the virtue required.
"Well, I am not dainty with my food; neither am I always wanting to cool myself when hot. However, this morning I received my orders, and this evening I have been drinking iced water. I am so hot inside. Before I have put my hand to the business I am suffering punishment from within; and if I do not succeed I am sure to suffer punishment from without. Thus I get both punishments, which is really more than I can bear. Kindly tell me what there is to be done."
"There exist 2 sources of safety," Confucius replied. "One is Destiny: the other is Duty. A child's love for its parents is destiny. It is inseparable from the child's life. A subject's allegiance to his sovereign is duty. Beneath the canopy of heaven there is no place to which he can escape from it. These 2 sources of safety may be explained as follows. To serve one's parents without reference to place but only to the service, is the acme of filial piety. To serve one's prince without reference to the act but only to the service, is the perfection of a subject's loyalty. To serve one's own heart so as to permit neither joy nor sorrow within, but to cultivate resignation to the inevitable,- this is the climax of Virtue. (meditation and leave the rest to fate. Destiny is fate, Duty in Chinese is Righteousness.)
"Now a minister often finds himself in circumstances over which he has no control. But if he simply confines himself to his work, and is utterly oblivious of self, what leisure has he for loving life or hating death? And so you may safely go. But I have yet more to tell you. All intercourse, if personal, should be characterized by sincerity. If from a distance, it should be carried on in loyal terms. These terms will have to be transmitted by some one. Now the transmission of messages of good- or ill-will is the hardest thing possible. Messages of good-will are sure to be overdone with fine phrases; messages of ill-will with harsh ones. In each case the result is exaggeration, and a consequent failure to carry conviction, for which the envoy suffers. Therefore it was said in the Fa-yen, 'Confine yourself to simple statements of fact, shorn of all superfluous expression of feeling, and your risk will be small.'
"In trials of skill, at first all is friendliness; but at last it is all antagonism. Skill is pushed too far. So on festive occasions, the drinking which is in the beginning orderly enough, degenerates into riot and disorder. Festivity is pushed too far. It is in fact the same with all things; they begin with good faith and end with contempt. From small beginnings come great endings. Speech is like wind to wave. Action is liable to divergence from its true goal. By wind, waves are easily excited. Divergence from the true goal is fraught with danger. Thus angry feelings rise up without a cause. Specious words and dishonest arguments follow, as the wild random cries of an animal at the point of death. Both sides give way to passion. For where one party drives the other too much into a corner, resistance will always be provoked without apparent cause. And if the cause is not apparent, how much less will the ultimate effect be so?
"Therefore it is said in the Fa-yen, 'Neither deviate from nor travel beyond your instructions. To pass the limit is to go to excess.' To deviate from, or to travel beyond instruction, may imperil the negotiation. A settlement to be successful must be lasting. It is too late to change an evil settlement once made.
"Therefore let yourself be carried along without fear, taking refuge in no alternative to preserve you from harm on either side. This is the utmost you can do. What need for considering your obligation? Better leave all to Destiny, difficult as this may be." (leave all to Fate)
Yen Ho was about to become tutor to the eldest son of Duke Ling of the Wei State. Accordingly he observed to Chu Poh Yu, "Here is a man whose disposition is naturally of a low order. To let him take his own unprincipled way is to endanger the State. To try to restrain him is to endanger one's personal safety. He has just wit enough to see faults in others, but not to see his own. I am consequently at a loss what to do."
"A good question indeed," replied Chu Poh Yu, "You must be careful, and begin by self-reformation. Outwardly you may adapt yourself, but inwardly you must keep up to your own standard. In this there are 2 points to be guarded against. You must not let the outward adaptation penetrate within, not the inward standard manifest itself without. In the former case, you will fall, you will be obliterated, you will collapse, you will lie prostrate. In the latter case, you will be a sound, a name, a bogie, an uncanny thing. If he would play the child, do you play the child too. If he cast aside all sense of decorum, do you do so too. As far as he goes, do you go also. Thus you will reach him without offending him.
"Don't you know the story of the praying mantis? In its rage it stretched out its arms to prevent a chariot from passing, unaware that this was beyond its strength, so admirable was its energy! Be cautious. If you are always offending others by your superiority, you will probably come to grief. Do you not know that those who keep tigers do not venture to give them live animals as food, for fear of exciting their fury when killing the prey? Also, that whole animals are not given, for fear of exciting the tigers' fury when rending them? The periods of hunger and repletion are carefully watched in order to prevent such outbursts. The tiger is of a different species from man; but the latter too is manageable if properly managed, unmanageable if excited to fury.
"Those who are fond of horses surround them with various conveniences. Sometimes mosquitoes or flies trouble them; and then, unexpectedly to the animal, a groom will brush them off, the result being that the horse breaks his bridle, and hurts his head and chest. The intention is good, but there is a want of real care for the horse. Against this you must be on your guard."
A certain artisan was traveling to the Ch'i State. On reaching Ch'u-yuan, he saw a sacred li tree, large enough to hide an ox behind it, a hundred spans in girth, towering up ten cubits over the hill top, and carrying behind it branches, many tens of the smallest of which were of a size for boats. Crowds stood gazing at it, but our artisan took no notice, and went on his way without even casting a look behind. His apprentice however gazed his fill, and when he caught up his master, said, "Ever since I have handled an adze in your service, I have never seen such a splendid piece of timber as that. How was it that you, sir, did not care to stop and look at it?"
"It's not worth talking about, "replied his master. "It's good for nothing. Make a boat of it, - 't would sink. A coffin,- 't would rot. Furniture,-'t would soon break down. A door, - 't would sweat. A pillar, - 't would be worm-eaten. It is wood of no quality, and of no use. That is why it has attained its present age."
When the artisan reached home, he dreamt that the tree appeared to him in a dream and spoke as follows:-"What is it that you compare me with? Is it with the more elegant trees? - The cherry-apple, the pear, the orange, the pomelo, and other fruit-bearers, as soon as their fruit ripens are stripped and treated with indignity. The great boughs are snapped off, the small ones scattered abroad. Thus do these trees by their own value injure their own lives. They cannot fulfill their allotted span of years, but perish prematurely in mid-carrier from their entanglement with the world around them. Thus it is with all things. For a long period my aim was to be useless. Many times I was in danger, but at length I succeeded, and so became useful as I am today. But had I then been of use, I should not now be of the great use I am. Moreover, you and I belong to the same category of things. Have done then with this criticism of others. Is a good-for-nothing fellow whose dangers are not yet passed a fit person to talk of a good-for-nothing tree?"
When our artisan awaked and told his dream, his apprentice said, "If the tree aimed at uselessness, how was it that it became a sacred tree?"
"What you don't understand," replied his master, "don't talk about. That was merely to escape from the attacks of its enemies. Had it not become sacred, how many would have wanted to cut it down! The means of safety adopted were different from ordinary means, and to test these by ordinary canons leave one far wide of the mark."
Tzu Ch'i of Nan-poh was traveling on the Shang mountain when he saw a large tree which astonished him very much. A thousand chariot teams could have found shelter under its shade. "What tree is this?" cried Tzu Ch'i. "Surely it must have unusually fine timber." Then looking up, he saw that its branches were too crooked for rafters; while as to the trunk he saw that its irregular grain made it valueless for coffins. He tasted a leaf, but it took the skin off his lips; and its odor was so strong that it would make a man as it were drunk for 3 days together.
"Ah!," said Tzu Ch'i. "This tree is good for nothing, and that is how it has attained this size. A wise man might well follow its example." (To people I look useless now. Wait till the time comes, then you can know my power.)
In the State of Sung there is a place called Ching-shih, where thrive the beech, the cedar, and the mulberry. Such as are of a one-handed span or so in girth are cut down for monkey-cages. Those of 2 or 3 two-handed spans are cut down for the beams of fine houses. Those of 7 or 8 such spans are cut down for the solid sides of rich men's coffins.
Thus they do not fulfill their allotted span of years, but perish in mid-carrier beneath the axe. Such is the misfortune which overtakes worth.
For the sacrifices to the River God, neither bulls with white cheeks, nor pigs with large snouts, not men suffering from piles, were allowed to be used. This had been revealed to the soothsayers, and these characteristics were consequently regarded as inauspicious. The wise, however, would regard them as extremely auspicious.
There was a hunchback named Su. His jaws touched his navel. His shoulders were higher than his head. His hair knot looked up to the sky. His vertebra were upside down. His buttocks were where his ribs should have been. By tailoring, or washing, he was easily able to earn his living. By sifting rice he could make enough to support a family of 10.
When orders came down for a conscription, the hunchback stood unconcerned among the crowd. And similarly, in matters of public works, his deformity shielded him from being employed.
On the other hand, when it came to donations of grain, the hunchback received as much as 3 chung, and of firewood, 10 faggots. And if physical deformity was thus enough to preserve his body until its allotted end, how much more would not moral and mental deformity avail!
When Confucius was in the Ch'u State, the eccentric Chieh Yu passed his door, saying, "O phoenix, O phoenix, how has thy virtue fallen!- unable to wait for the coming years or to go back into the past. If Tao prevails on earth, prophets will fulfill their mission. If Tao does not prevail, they will but preserve themselves. At the present day they will but just escape. The honors of this world are light as feathers, yet none estimate them at their true value. The misfortunes of this life are weighty as the earth itself, yet none can keep out of their reach. No more, no more, seek to influence by virtue. Beware, beware, move cautiously on! O ferns, O ferns, would not my steps! Through my tortuous journey would not my feet! Hills suffer from the trees they produce. Fat burns by its own combustibility. Cinnamon trees furnish food: therefore they are cut down. The lacquer tree is felled for use. All men know the use of useful things; but they do not know the use of useless things."
Edited on 9th June 2008