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The
JVisdom of the Chinese
Their Philosophy in Sayings
and 'Proverbs
CONFUCIUS
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Wisdom of the Chinese
Their 'Philosophy in Sayings
and T*roverbs
Edited with an Introduction
By
'^rian 'Brown
And a Preface by Ly Hoi Sang
New York
Srentano' s
Publishers
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COPYRIGHT, 1920
BY BRENTANO'S
First Printing, December 1920
Second Printing, July 1021
Third Printing, August, 1922
Fourth Printiny, October, 1924
. . 6519
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE . . o 7
INTRODUCTION II
CONFUCIUS: ANALECTS 21
CONFUCIUS: THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN , 39
CONFUCIUS: GREAT LEARNING 6 1
MENCIUS: THE REAL MAN 6j
LAO TZU: TAO-TEH-KING 85
LAO TZU: WU-WEI lOI
LAO TZU : PRECEPTS AND SAYINGS Ill
CHUANG TZU 1 23
YANG CHU 137
KANG-HSl's SACRED EDICT 1 45
KUAN-YI-WU; YU TSE; TSE-CHAN 1 49
THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE 1 55
PROVERBS AND MAXIMS I7I
MORAL MAXIMS 1 83
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES 207
ILLUSTRATIONS
CONFUCIUS Frontispiece
FACING
PAGE
A CHILD WORSHIPPING THE SAGE 62
LAO TZU 86
PREFACE
Wi
E say, in China: *' Confucius! Confucius!
How great Confucius! Before Confucius there
never was a Confucius. Since Confucius there
never has been a Confucius. How great is
Confucius!"
In the Western world someone has said:
*' Confucius invented wisdom," and when you
find sayings of his like this one — "When you
know a thing, to hold that you know it, and when
you do not, to admit the fact, — this is knowl-
edge," you are willing to allow him the title.
Confucius and his greatest follower Mencius
were reformers in the true sense of the word.
Their whole aim was to construct personal char-
acter, and they demanded that the moral and
spiritual nature should be substituted for the
might of the strong.
No rank was too high, no class too humble,
to be taught this universal principle; and with no
other personal authority than their own honest con-
viction, these men went forth to demand of kings
and peoples the square acceptance of its claims.
7
8 PREFACE
When Confucius was thirty-three years of
age he visited Lao Tzii, who was then eighty-
seven; and it is recorded that the great founder
of Taoism was not much impressed by the
younger man.
Lao Tzu was a mystic; his Wu Wei means
"do nothing," the supposed meaning of which is:
get in harmony with the great Spirit of things
and you will be unconsciously impelled to right
action — in other words, do nothing with self-
will. Confucius, on the other hand, was a prac-
tical man, a teacher of ethics, who thought by
self-conscious direction one could arrive at proper
action. To Lao Tzii, Confucius seemed a materi-
alist, so it is not strange that the young man did
not impress the older one.
Both these great men, though they differ in
method, are the substance of the Chinese conscious-
ness, the race-mold or type; they have left their
mark upon their people. They were illumined men,
lighted with the spirit to see and do right. They
had the power to make clear the path for others;
they went about introducing the noble thoughts
that lead to the higher life, and they inspired true
confidence by practicing what they preached.
Both sages inspired great followers; the great
exponent of Confucius was Mencius, who proved
PREFACE 9
himself worthy of his master; the great expo-
nent of the doctrines of Lao Tzu was Chuang Tzu^
himself a mystic, and by nature fitted for the
interpretation of the mystical teachings of the
Tao which could be translated as " Way,'' —
meaning the spiritual "Way'* or path trodden by
those having a close contact with nature. Lao
Tzu said: *'Go back to Mother Nature, for lying
on her bosom, you will be guided on the proper
way.'*
I hope that this book of wise sayings, selected
and collected by Mr. Brown, will be the power
for showing some people in the Western world
the way back to Mother Nature and her Tao.
I am sure that the great American people,
broad-minded and fair, are only too willing to
investigate and give vahie to the thoughts of my
people.
Ly Hoi Sang
Author oj "A Collection oj Pearls."
INTRODUCTION
Sir ROBERT HART in his book, "The East-
ern Question," says of the Chinese: "They are
well-behaved, law-abiding, intelligent, economi-
cal, and industrious; they can learn anything
and do anything; they are punctiliously polite;
they worship talent, and they believe in right so
firmly that they scorn to think it requires to be
supported or enforced by might; they delight in
literature, and everywhere they have their little
clubs and coteries for learning and discussing each
others' essays and verses; they possess and prac-
tice an admirable system of ethics, and they are
generous, charitable, and fond of good works;
they never forget a favor, they make rich re-
turn for any kindness, and though they know
that money will buy service, a man must be
more than wealthy to gain public esteem and re-
spect; they are practical, teachable, and won-
derfully gifted with common sense; they are
excellent artisans, reliable workmen, and of a
good faith that everyone acknowledges and ad-
II
12 INTRODUCTION
mires in their commercial dealings; in no coun-
try has 'Honor thy father and mother' been so
religiously obeyed, or so fully, and without excep-
tion given effect to, and this is in fact the keynote
of their family, social, official, and national life,
and because it is so their days are long in the
land God has given them/' i
It is very strange, when you consider the
above tribute, and when, upon delving into the
history of Uie Chinese — their arts, literature, and
philosophy — you fmd that they had produced
their greatest literature when Hammurabi was
making laws for young Babylon; or before the
city of Rome had been founded; and that they
had great thinkers before Socrates or Plato ap-
peared in Greece : yet if you will look in the his-
tories of philosophies published in the West you
will not fmd one mention of the Chinese thinkers.
It may be that the Western mind, the academic
one in mean, is repelled by the form in vrhrch the
Chinese sages used to express their thoughts.
The philosophy of the Chinese is expressed for
the most part by short sayings, proverbs, and
maxims, brought out in conversation with their
disciples, in the manner of Socrates and his dis-
ciples. This, to the Western mind, does not seem
so interesting as to begin with a method — a sys-
INTRODUCTION I3
tern of philosophy, in fact, beginning with a well-
defined idea, and finishing with what is called a
logic/al conclusion.
The Chinese philosophy is called *'not com-
plete" because of this lack of Developed Methods,
logic — observation — induction and deduction.
What philosophy is complete? Is life complete?
Has the whole sum of human experience been
exhausted, and can man experience no more? Is
the evolution of human consciousness at an end?
The mind of man is not made; it is in the mak-
ing. Every day something is added to our con-
sciousness that was not there before. Truth is
being revealed by a slow growth of consciousness,
not by prophecy.
Prophecy offers to answer for evolution and all
collectivism sooner or later becomes absolutism.
Most methods of philosophy have absolutism and
prophecy at their base — religions are an example
of this; philosophy should be free from aca-
demic methods; so also should the arts be free
in their expression. The Great Spirit never gave
an individual an inspiration that at the same
time he did not give the symbol of expression
with it.
This is an age in which technique is overde-
veloped, in fact it ha^ almost taken the olace of
14 INTRODUCTION
inspiration. Conscious creation through the will
is the order of the day, and every other person
you meet is a *' self-willed genius." Pictures are
painted with method, but no soul; poetry is
written, but the only inspiration in it is a new
idea of how to construct in language : as though
the symbol and not the idea is poetic.
Books of philosophical essays are written, fol-
lowing some method of reasoning, containing
myriads of words and mountains of confusion,
but not one new idea. Here again method seems
to be taking the place of inspiration. To have
common sense in your day is to be a philosopher.
Socrates said, "Do not call me wise — I am not
a wise man, I am only a searcher after wisdom."
Confucius said the same thing many years be-
fore: "Be not self-deceived in wisdom, look far-
ther." Lao Tzii, b.c. 604, the Chinese mystic,
would correspond to the early Christian mystics;
he came to spiritual understanding through the
higher spiritual emotion and not through intel-
lect. Professor Gobelenz said of Lao Tzii's great
work, the "Tao Teh King": "One of the most
eminent masterpieces of the Chinese language;
one of the profoundest books of philosophy the
world has ever produced."
The Chinese language is admirably adapted to
INTRODUCTION I5
the epigrams and proverbs expressed in this beau-
tiful work; his mysticism is hard to penetrate,
but is filled with the most valuable spiritual guid-
ance. As he himself says, ''Only one who is
eternally free from passions can comprehend its
spiritual essence."
Confucius was a great moral teacher; he was
more interested in the social structure than Lao
Tzii. He taught that virtue and high moral con-
duct are developed through behavior; Lao Tzu
• — that the spiritual is everything. Confucius
said, "Do not do to others what you would not
have them do to you." His idea of love was not
sentimental, it was more practical; he was a
practical idealist. He said, "Do justice to thy
neighbor."
His whole system is based on nothing more
than understanding human nature and perfect-
ing the individual through moral education. To
him the attainment of perfect virtue was the true
aim of living. His moral philosophical sayings
are worthy to stand alongside of the Greek,
Latin, or Hebrew teachers.
He deserves to be mentioned with Moses, for
he dedicated his life to the improvement of his
fellow-man. He set forth seven rules necessary
for Improvement. They are: The investigation
l6 INTRODUCTION
of things; the completion of knowledge; the sin-
cerity of thoughts and acts; the rectifying of the
heart; the cultivation of the person; the regula-
tion of the family and the government. Men-
cius, B.C. 372, was first a Taoist, but later on he
became the most brilliant exponent of Confucius.
He advocated many radical measures of reform, —
universal education, free trade, and that only
land should be taxed, as in Henry George's
"Single Tax Theory."
Mencius said: "I love life, and I love right-
eousness. If I cannot have both, I choose right-
eousness.'* He also could be mentioned with the
world's greatest thinkers.
Chuang Tzii was the greatest propagandist of
Taoism. He might correctly be called the "Tao-
saturated Man," as Spinoza was called the
"God-intoxicated Man." He protested against
the artificiality and materialism of his day and
advocated a return to nature.
Yang Chu, the Epicurean of China, was the
very opposite to Confucius, Lao-Tzu, and their
followers, in his philosophy. He evolved a phi-
losophy for life in which all is centered in the
senses, and taught that the cultivation of the
senses is the true basis of philosophy.
The other sages, included in this very incom-
INTRODUCTION IJ
plete anthology, are represented by what appears
to be their most prominent expression. Their
philosophy explains itself; their ideas arc about
life and things, the same as our o\vn. Their race
consciousness is very old and their views of life
and things are mellowed by long experience.
Through a long contact and complete inti-
macy w4th nature, a philosophy of life was im-
parted to them. They unconsciously gave ex-
pression to the inward feelings and emotions that
the cosmic law — the all divine — functioning in
the material, imparted to them.
Their thought added to our Western thought
should result in an eclecticism of great value to
us both.
CONFUCIUS. 551 B.C.
ANALECTS
c
The Wisdom of the Qhinese
CONFUCIUS. 551 B.C.
ANALECTS
On Governing
HI K'ANG TZU questioned Confucius on a
point of government, saying: "Ought not I to cut
off the lawless in order to establish law and order?
What do you think?" — Confucius rephed: "Sir,
what need is there of the death penalty in your
system of government? If you showed a sincere
desire to be good, your people would likewise be
good. The virtue of the prince is like unto wind;
that of the people, like unto grass. For it is the
nature of grass to bend when the wind blows
upon it.'
True Goodness
Jl en yuan inquired as to the meaning of true
goodness. The Master said : "The subdual of self,
and reversion to the natural laws governing con-
duct— this is true goodness. If a man can for
21
22 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
the space of one day subdue his selfishness and
revert to natural laws, the whole world will call
him good. True goodness springs from a man's
own heart. How can it depend on other men?" — ■
Yen Yuan said: "Kindly tell me the practical rule
to be deduced from this." — The Master replied:
"Do not use your eyes, your ears, your power of
speech or your faculty of movement without obey-
ing the inner law of self-control." — Yen Yiian said :
"Though I am not quick in thought or act, I will
make it my business to carry out this precept."
The Princely Man
OSU-MA NIU asked for a definition of the
princely man. The Master said: "The princely
man is one who knows neither grief nor fear." —
Absence of grief and fear! Is it the mark of a
princely man? — The Master said: " If on search-
ing his heart he finds no guilt, why should he
grieve? of what should he be afraid?"
On Pretense
It has not been my lot to see a divine man; could
I see a princely man, that would satisfy me. It
has not been my lot to see a thoroughly virtuous
CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 23
man; could I see a man possessing honesty of
soul, that would satisfy me. Is it possible there
should be honesty of soul in one who pretends to
have what he has not; who, when empty, pretends
to be overflowing; who, when in want, pretends
to be in affluence?
T;
Exalted Virtue
ZU CtlANG asked how to attain exalted vir-
tue. The Master said: "Make conscientiousness
and truth your guiding principles, and thus pass
on to the cultivation of duty to your neighbor.
This is exalted virtue."
T;
On Being Distinguished
ZU CHANG asked: "What must a man do in
order to be considered distinguished? '* — The Mas-
ter said: "What do you mean by the term dis-
tinguished?" — Tzii Chang replied: "I mean one
whose fame fills both his ow^n private circle and
the State at large." — The Master said: "That is
notoriety, not distinction. The man of true dis-
tinction is simple, honest, and a lover of justice
and duty. He weighs men*s words, and observes
the expression of their faces.
24 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
" He is anxious to put himself below others. Such
a one is truly distinguished in his private and his
public life. As to the man who is merely much
talked about, he puts on an appearance of charity
and benevolence, but his actions belie it. He is
self-satisfied and has no misgivings.
"Neither in private nor in public life does he
achieve more than notoriety.'*
Noble Character
A HE Master said: "The higher tj^pe of man
makes a sense of duty the groundwork of his
character, blends with it in action a sense of har-
monious proportion, manifests it in a sense of un-
selfishness, and perfects it by the addition of
sincerity and truth. Then indeed is he a noble
character.'*
The higher type of man seeks all that he wants
in himself; the inferior man seeks all that he
wants from others.
The higher type of man is firm but not quarrel-
some; sociable, but not clannish.
CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 25
The wise man does not esteem a person more
highly because of what he says, neither does he
undervalue what is said because of the person who
says it.
Is not he a sage who neither anticipates deceit
nor suspects bad faith in others, yet is prompt
to detect them when they appear?
Power of Example
X HE Master wished to settle among the nine
Eastern tribes. Someone said: "How can you?
They are savages." The Master replied: "If a
higher type of men dwelt in their midst, how
could their savage condition last?"
The Nine Points
X HE noble sort of man pays special attention
to nine points. He is anxious to see clearly, to
hear distinctly, to be kindly in his looks, respect-
ful in his demeanor, conscientious in his speech,
earnest in his affairs; when in doubt, he is care-
ful to inquire; when in anger, he thinks of the
consequences; when offered an opportunity for
gain, he thinks only of his duty.
26 the wisdom of the chinese
The Five Qualities
X ZU Chang asked Confucius a question about
Moral virtue. Confucius replied, " Moral virtue
simply consists in being able, anywhere and
everyvv'here, to exercise five particular qualities."
Asked what these were, he said: "Self-respect,
magnanimity, sincerity, earnestness, and benevo-
lence. Show self-respect, and others will respect
you; be magnanimous, and you will win all
hearts; be sincere, and men will trust you; be
earnest, and you will achieve great things; be
benevolent, and you will be fit to impose your
will on others."
Righteousness
X ZU Lu asked : "Does not the princely man value
courage?" The Master said: "He puts righteous-
ness first. The man of high station who has
courage without righteousness is a menace to the
State; the common man who has courage with-
out righteousness is nothing more than a brigand."
On Hate
1 ZU Kung asked: "Has the nobler sort of man
any hatreds?" The Master replied: "He has. He
CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 27
hates those who publish the faults of others; he
hates men of low condition who vilify those
above them; he hates those whose courage is un-
accompanied by self-restraint; he hates those
who are audacious but narrow-minded."
"And you, Tzii," he added, "have you also your
hatreds? " "I hate," replied the disciple, "those who
think that wisdom consists in prying and med-
dling; courage, in showing no compliance; and
honesty, in denouncing other men."
Ti
The Four Words
HERE were four words of which the Master
barred the use: He would have no "shalFs,"
no "must's," certainly no "Ts."
A
Confucius on Himself
lT fifteen, my mind was bent on learning. At
thirty I stood firm. At forty I was free from
delusions. At fifty I understood the laws of
Providence. At sixty my ears were attentive to
the truth. At seventy I could follow the prompt-
ings of my heart without overstepping the mean.
28 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
The failure to cultivate virtue, the failure to
examine and analyze what I have learnt, the
inability to move toward righteousness after be-
ing shown the way, the inability to correct my
faults — these are the causes of my grief.
I do not expound my teaching to any who
are not eager to learn; I do not help out any-
one who is not anxious to explain himself; if,
after being shown one corner of a subject, a man
cannot go on to discover the other three, I do not
repeat the lesson.
• •
If the pursuit of riches were a commendable
pursuit, I would join in it, even if I had to
become a chariot-driver for the purpose. But
seeing that it is not a commendable pursuit, I
engage in those which are more to my taste.
•
The Master said: "In me, knowledge is not
innate. I am but one who loves antiquity and
is earnest in the study of it."
• •
If I am walking with two other men, each of
them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out
the good points of one and imitate them, and
the bad points of the other and correct them
in myself.
CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 29
There are men, I dare say, who act rightly
without knowing the reason why, but I am not
one of them. Having heard much, I sift out the
good and practice it; having seen much, I retain
it in my memory. This is the second order of
wisdom.
To divide wisdom and perfect virtue I can
lay no claim. All that can be said of me is that
I never falter in the course which I pursue and
am unwearying in my instruction of others —
this and nothing more. I Kung-hsi Hua said;
"But those are just the qualities that we, your
disciples, are unable to acquire."
On Observation
IVIEN'S faults are characteristic. It is by ob-
serving a man's faults that one may come to know
his virtues.
Observe a man's actions; scrutinize his mo-
tives; take note of the things that give him
pleasure. How then can he hide from you what
he really is?
30 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Acquire new knowledge whilst thinking over
the old, and you may become a teacher of others.
•
Study without thought is vain; thought (on
Knowledge) without study is perilous.
Shall I tell you what true knowledge is?
When you know, to know that you know, and
when you do not know, to know that you do not
know — that is true knowledge.
The scholar who is bent on studying the
principles of virtue, yet is ashamed of bad clothes
and coarse food, is not yet fit to receive instruc-
tion.
Prominence
INSTEAD of being concerned that you have no
office, be concerned to think how you may fit
yourself for office. Instead of being concerned
that you are not known, seek to be worthy of
being known.
Self-control
When you see a good man, think of emulat-
ing him; when you see a bad man, examine your
own heart.
CONFUCIUS. 551 B.C. 31
Chi Wen Tzii used to reflect thrice before he
acted. When told of this, the Master said:
"Twice would do."
The Master said: '*AIas! I have never seen a
man who could see his own faults and arraign
himself at the bar of his own conscience."
W
Meditation
ORDS of just admonition cannot fail to com-
mand a ready assent. But practical reformation
is the thing that really matters. Words of kindly
advice cannot fail to please the listener. But sub-
sequent meditation on them is the thing that
really matters.
I can make nothing of the man who is pleased
with advice but will not meditate on it, who
assents to admonition but does not reform.
Life and Death
V>HI LU inquired concerning men's duty to
spirits. The Master replied: ''Before we are able
to do our duty by the hving, how can we do it
by the spirits of the dead?" Chi Lu went on to
inquire about death. The Master said: "Before
32 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
we know what life is, how can we know what
death is?"
• •
Rich and Poor
IT is harder to be poor without murmuring than
to be rich without arrogance.
T
Virtue for Effect
HE men of olden time who studied virtue had
only their own improvement in view; those who
study it now have an eye to the applause of
others.
• •
On Teaching
XvEFUSAL to instruct one who is competent to
learn entails the waste of a man. Instruction of
one who is incompetent to learn entails waste of
words. The wise man is he who wastes neither
men nor words.
He who requires much from himself and little
from others will be secure from hatred.
The real fault is to have faults and not try to
amend them.
♦
CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 33
When a man is generally detested, or when he
is generally beloved, closer examination is neces-
sary.
Only two classes of men never change: The
wisest of the wise and the dullest of the dull.
Shadows and Virtues
Speaking toXzu Lu, the Master said: "Have
you ever heard of the six shadows which attend
six great virtues?" "No," he replied. "Sit down
then, and I will tell you. Love of goodness with-
out the will to learn casts the shadow called
foolishness. Love of knowledge without the will
to learn casts the shadow called insensibility.
Love of candor without the will to learn casts
the shadow called rudeness. Love of daring with-
out the will to learn casts the shadow called tur-
bulence. Love of firmness without the will to
learn casts the shadow called eccentricity."
1 our goody-goody people are the thieves of
virtue.
34 the wisdom of the chinese
Does God Speak
X HE Master said: "Would that I could do with-
out speaking!" Tzu Kung said: "If our Master
never spoke, how could we, his disciples, trans-
mit his doctrines? "The Master replied: "Does God
speak? The four seasons hold on their course,
and all things continue to live and grow. Yet,
tell me, does God speak?"
• •
Servants
ijIRLS and servants are the most difficult people
to handle. If you treat them familiarly, they be-
come disrespectful; if you keep them at a dis-
tance, they resent it.
• •
True Values
W HEN the solid outweighs the ornamental, we
have boorishness; when the ornamental out-
weighs the solid, we have superficial smartness.
Only from a proper blending of the two will the
higher type of man emerge.
c •
Sayings of the Disciples
J. SENG TZO said : " Ability asking instruction
of incompetence, abundance sitting at the feet of
CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 35
insiifFiciency, a man of every virtue who thought
he had none, soUd in character yet making him-
self a cipher, trespassed against but nevei re-
tahating, — such was the humble state of mind
in which my late friend spent his life."
Tzu Hsia said: "The man who can appreciate
moral worth and disengage his mind from sen-
sual passion; who can put forth his utmost
strength to serve his parents, and lay down his
Hfe to serve his prince; who speaks sincerely in
his intercourse with friends — such a man, though
the world may call him untaught, has in my
opinion received the best and highest education."
Ssu-ma, lamenting, said: "All other men have
brothers; I alone have none." Tzii Hsia said to
him: " I have heard it said that life and death are
divine dispensations, that wealth and rank de-
pend on the will of God. The higher type of
man is unfailingly attentive to his own conduct,
and shows respect and true courtesy to others.
Thus all within the w^orld are his brethren. How
then should he grieve at having no brothers?"
CONFUCIUS
THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN
CONFUCIUS
THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN
ON TRUTH
Ti
RUTH is the law of God. Acquired truth is
the law of man. He who intuitively apprehends
truth is one who, without effort, hits what is
right, and without thinking understands what he
wants to know; whose life is easily and natu-
rally in harmony with the moral law. Such a one
is what we call a saint or a man of divine nature.
He who acquires truth is one who finds out what
is good and holds fast to it.
In order to acquire truth, it is necessary to
obtain a wide and extensive knowledge of what
has been said and done in the world; critically
to inquire into it; carefully to ponder over it;
clearly to sift it; and earnestly to carry it out.
Ti
Realization of Truth
RUTH means the realization of our being;
and moral law means the law of our being.
Truth is the beginning and end (the substance)
39
40 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
of existence. Without truth there is no exist-
ence. It is for this reason that the moral man
values truth.
Truth is not only the realization of our own
being: it is that by which things outside of us
have an existence. The realization of our being
is moral sense. The realization of things outside
of us is intellect. These, moral sense and intel-
lect, are the powers and faculties of our being.
They combine the inner and subjective and outer
or objective use of the power of the mind. There-
fore with truth everything done is right.
Absolute Truth
J. HUS absolute truth is indestructible. Being
indestructible, it is eternal. Being eternal it is
self-existent. Being self-existent, it is infinite.
Being infinite it is vast and deep. Being vast and
deep it is transcendental and intelligent.
It is because it is vast and deep that it con-
tains all existence. It is because it is transcen-
dental and intelligent that it embraces all exist-
ence. It is because it is infinite and eternal that
it fills all existence.
CONFUCIUS 41
In vastness and depth it is like the Earth. In
transcendental intelligence it is like Heaven.
Infinite and eternal, it is Infinitude itself.
Such being the nature of absolute truth, it
manifests itself without being evident; it pro-
duces effects without action; it accomplishes its
ends without being conscious.
Ti
Truth and Intelligence
HE intelligence which comes from the direct
apprehension of truth is intuition. The appre-
hension of truth wihch comes from the exercise
of intelligence is the result of education. Where
there is truth, there is intelligence; where there
is intelligence, there is truth.
Truth and the Cosmic Laws
It is only he, in the world, who possesses abso-
lute truth who can get to the bottom of the law
of his being. He who is able to get to the bot-
tom of the law of his being will be able to get
42 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
to the bottom of the law of being of other men.
He who is able to get to the bottom of the law
of being of men will be able to get to the bottom
of the laws of physical nature. He who is able
to get to the bottom of the laws of physical
nature will be able to influence the forces of crea-
tion of the Universe. He who can influence the
forces of creation of the Universe is one with the
Powers of the Universe.
Ti
Truth and Knowledge
HE next order of the process of man's mind is
to attain to the apprehension of a particular
branch of knowledge. In every particular branch
of knowledge there is truth. Where there is
truth, there is substance. Where there is sub-
stance, there is reality. Where there is reality,
there is intefligence Where there is intelhgence,
there is power. Where there is power there is
influence. Where there is influence, there is crea-
tive power.
It is only he who possesses absolute truth in
the world who can create.
confucius 43
Truth and Foreknowledge
XT is an attribute of the possession of absolute
truth to be able to foreknow. When a nation or
family is about to flourish, there are sure to be
lucky omens. When a nation or family is about
to perish, there are sure to be signs and prodigies.
These things manifest themselves in the instru-
ments of divination and in the agitation of the
human body. When happiness or calamity is
about to come, it can be known beforehand.
When it is good, it can be known beforehand.
When it is evil, it can also be known beforehand.
Therefore he who possesses absolute truth is
like a spiritual being.
Moral Law
1 KNOW now why there is no real moral life.
The wise mistake moral law for something higher
than what it really is; and the foolish do not
know enough what moral law really is. I know
now why the moral law is not understood. The
noble natures want to hVe too high, high above
their moral ordinary self; and ignoble natures
do not live high enough, i.e., not up to their
moral ordinary true self.
44 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
The life of the moral man is an exemplification
of the universal moral order. The Ufe of the vul-
gar person, on the other hand, is a contradiction
of the universal moral order.
The moral law is a law from whose operation
we cannot for one instant in our existence escape.
A law from which we may escape is not the moral
law. Wherefore it is that the moral man watches
diligently over what his eyes cannot see and is in
fear and awe of w^hat his ears cannot hear. There
is nothing more evident than that which cannot
be seen by the eyes and nothing more palpable
than that which cannot be perceived by the
senses. Wherefore the moral man watches dili-
gently over his secret thoughts.
Every system of moral laws must be based
upon man's own consciousness. It must be veri-
fied by the common experience of men. Ex-
amined into by comparing it with the teachings
of acknowledged great and wise men of the past,
there must be no divergence. Applying it to the
operations and processes of nature in the physical
universe, there must be no contradiction. Con-
fronted with the spiritual powers of the universe
a man must be able to maintain it without any
CONFUCIUS 45
doubt. He must be prepared to wait a hundred
generations after him for the coming of a man
of perfect divine nature to confirm it without any
misgiving.
• •
Force of Character
i^ ORCE of character is a wonderful thing.
Wherefore the man with the true force of moral
character is one ^Ulo is easy and accommodating
and yet without weakness or mdiscrimination.
How unflinchingly hrm he is in his strength! He
is independent without any bias. When there is
moral social order in the country, if he enters
pubhc hfe he does not change from what he was
when in retirement. When there is no moral
social order in the country he holds on his way
without changing even unto death. How un-
flinchingly firm is he in his strength;
Holding to the Moral Law
i HERE are men who seek for some abstruse
meaning in religion and philosophy and live a
life singular in order that they may leave a name
to posterity. This is what I never would do.
There are again good men who try to live in con-
formity with the moral law, but who, when they
46 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
have gone halfway, throw it up. I never could
give it up.
Lastly, there are truly more men who uncon-
sciously live a life m entire harmony with the
universal moral order and who live unknown to
the world and unnoticed of men vv^ithout any
concern. It is only men of holy, divine natures
who are capable of this.
• •
Understanding the Moral Law
X HE moral law is to be found everywhere, and
yet it is a secret. The simple intelligence of ordi-
nary men and women of the people may under-
stand something of the moral law; but in its
utmost reaches there is something which even the
holiest and wisest of men cannot understand.
•
The Ignoble natures of ordinary men and
women of the people miay be able to carry out
the moral law; but in its utmost reaches even
the wisest and holiest of men cannot live up to it.
•
• •
The Universe and the Moral Mind
VJrREAT as the Universe is, the man with the
infinite moral nature in him is never satisfied.
CONFUCIUS 47
For there is nothing so great but the mind of the
moral man can conceive of something still greater
which nothing in the world can hold. There is
nothing so small but the mind of moral man can
conceive of something still smaller which nothing
in the universe can split. The Book of Songs
says: "The hawk soars to the heavens above and
fishes dive to the depths below.' That is to say,
there is no place in the highest heavens above nor
in the deepest waters below where the moral law
does not reign.
The moral law takes its rise in the relation be-
tween men and women; but in its utmost reaches
it reigns supreme over heaven and earth.
Practice of the Moral Law
Ti
HE moral law is not something away from the
actuality of human life. When men take up
something away from the actuality of human life
as the moral law, that is not the moral law.
When a man carries out the principles of con-
scientiousness and reciprocity he is not far from
the moral law. What you do not wish others
should do unto you, do not do unto them.
48 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Ti
Four Points of the Moral Law
HERE are four things in the moral life of a
man not one of which I have been able to carry
out in my life. — To serve my father as I would
expect my son to serve me: that I have not been
able to do. To serve my sovereign as I would
expect a minister under me to serve me: that I
have not been able to do. To act toward my
elder brother as I would expect my younger
brother to act to^^'ard mc: that I have not been
able to do. To be the first to behave toward
friends as I would expect them to behave toward
me: that I have not been able to do.
Improvement
In the discharge of the ordinary duties of life
and in the exercise of care in ordinary conversa-
tion, whenever there is shortcoming, never fail to
strive for improvement, and when there is much
to be said, always say less than what is necessary;
words having respect to actions and actions hav-
ing respect to words. Is it not just this thorough
genuineness and absence of pretense which char-
acterizes the moral man?
confucius 49
Self-control under all Circumstances
i HE moral man conforms himself to his life cir-
cumiStances; he does not desire anything outside
of his position. Finding himself in a position of
wealth and honor, he hves as becomes one living
in a position of wealth and honor. Finding him-
self in a position of poverty and humble cir-
cumstances, he lives as becom.es one hving in a
position of poverty and humble circumstances.
Finding himself in uncivilized countries, he lives
as becomes one living in uncivilized countries.
Finding himself in circumstances of danger and
difficulty, he acts according to what is required of
a m.an under such circumstances.
In one word, the moral man can find himself
in no situation in life in which he is not master
of himself.
In a high position he does not domineer over
his subordinates. In a subordinate position he
does not court the favors of his superiors. He
puts in order his own personal conduct and seeks
nothing from others; hence he has no complaint
to make. He complains not against God nor
rails against man.
Thus it is that the moral man lives out the
even tenor of his life, calmly waiting for the ap-
50 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
pjintment of God, whereas the vulgar person
takes to dangerous courses, expecting the uncer-
tain chances of luck.
Self-analysis
I
N the practice of archery we have something
resembling the principle in a man's moral life.
When the archer misses the center of the target
he turns round and seeks for the cause of his
failure within him.self.
Beginning at the Bottom
1 HE moral hfe of man may be hkened to travel-
ing to a distant place: one must start from the
nearest stage. It may also be hkened to ascend-
ing a height: one must begin from the lowest
step. The Book of Songs says:
'* When wives and children and their sires are one,
'Tis like the harp and lute in unison.
When brothers live in concord and at peace
The strain of harmony shall never cease.
The lamp of happy union Kghts the home,
And bright days follow when the children
come.**
confucius 51
Moral Law and Nature
1 HE moral laws form one system with the laws
by which Heaven and Earth support and con-
tain, overshadow and canopy all things. These
moral laws form the same system with the laws
by which the seasons succeed each other and the
sun and moon appear with the alternations of
day and night. It is this same system of laws
by which all created things are produced and de-
velop themselves each in its order and system
without injuring one another; by which the opera-
tions of nature take their course without conflict
and confusion, the lesser forces flowing every-
where like river currents, while the great forces
of creation go silently and steadily on.
It is this — one system running through all —
that makes the Universe so impressively great.
•
• •
Gifts of the Morally Perfect
J.T is only the man with the most perfect divine
moral nature who is able to combine in himself
quickness of apprehension, intelhgence, insight,
and understanding: qualities necessary for the
exercise of command; magnanimity, generosity,
benignity, and gentleness: qualities necessary for
52 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
the exercise of patience; originality, energy,
strength of character, and determination: quah-
ties necessary for the exercise of endurance; dig-
nity, noble seriousness, order, and regularity:
quahties necessary for the exercise of self-respect;
grace, method, delicacy, and kicidity: qualities
necessary for the exercise of critical judgment.
•
Thus all-embracing and vast is the nature of
such a man. Profound it is and inexhaustible,
like a hving spring of water, ever running out
with hfe and vitahty. All-embracing and vast,
it is like Heaven. Profound and inexhaustible,
it is like the abyss.
As soon as such a man shall make his appear-
ance in the world, all people shall reverence him.
Whatever he says, all people will believe it.
Whatever he does, all people will be pleased with
it. Thus his name and fame will spread and fill
all the civilized world, extending even to savage
countries. Wherever ships and carriages reach;
wherever the labor and enterprise of man pene-
trate; wherever the heavens overshadow and the
earth sustains; wherever sun and moon shine;
wherever frost and dew fall, all who have life
CONFUCIUS 53
and breath will honor him. Therefore we may
say, "He is the equal of God."
*
When calamities or blessings are about to
befall, the good or the evil will surely be fore-
known to him. He, therefore, who is possessed
of the completest sincerity, is hke a spirit.
Ti
Spiritual Forces
HE power of spiritual forces in the Universe
— how\active it is everywhere! Invisible to the
eyes and impalpable to the senses, it is inherent
in all things, and nothing can escape its operation.
It is a fact that there are these forces which
make men in all countries fast and purify them-
selves, and with solemnity of dress institute
services of sacrifice and religious worship. Like
the rush of mighty waters, the presence of un-
seen Powers is felt, sometimes above us, some-
times around us.
The ordinance of God is what we call the law
of our being. To fulfill the law of our being is
what we call the moral law. The moral law when
reduced to a system is what we call religion.
54 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Confucius remarked: "There was the emperor
Shun. He was perhaps what may be considered
a truly great intellect. Shun had a natural curios-
ity of mind, and he loved to inquire into near
facts [literally, "near words," meaning here ordi-
nary topics of conversation in everyday life].
He looked upon evil merely as something nega-
tive; and he recognized only what was good as
having a positive existence. Taking the two
extremes of negative and positive, he applied the
mean betv/een the two extremes: in his judgment,
employment, and dealings with people.
"This was characteristic of Shun's great intel-
lect."
Knowledge of Morals
OOME men are born with the knowledge of these
moral qualities; some acquire it as the result of
education; some acquire it as the result of hard
experience. But when the knowledge is acquired,
it comes to one and the same thing. Some exer-
cise these moral qualities naturally and easily;
some because they find it advantageous to do so;
some with effort and difficulty. But when the
achievement is made, it comes to one and the
same thing.
CONFUCIUS §^
When the passions, such as joy, anger, grirf,
and pleasure, have not awakened, that is our true
self or moral being. When these passions awaken
and each and all attain due measure and degree,
that is the moral order. Our true self or moral
being is the great reality [lit., "great root"] of
existence, and moral order is the universal law
in the world.
When true moral being and moral order are
realized, the universe then becomes a cosmos and
all things attain their full growth and develop-
ment.
Personal Conduct
±jY attending to the cleanliness and purity of
his person and to the propriety and dignity of
his dress, and in everv^ word and act permitting
nothing which is contrarj^ to good taste and de-
cency, that is how one puts in order his personal
conduct.
The Foolish
l\ MAN who is foolish, and yet is fond of using
his own judgment; who is in humble circun ■»
stances, and yet is fond of assuming authority;
§6 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
who, while living in the present age, reverts to
the ways of antiquity, such a man is one who
will bring calamity upon himself.
Life of the Moral Man
1 HE life of the moral man is plain and yet not
unattractive; it is simple and yet full of grace;
it is easy and yet methodical. He knows that
accomplishment of great things consists in doing
small things well. He knows that great effects
are produced by small causes. He knows the
evidence and reality of what cannot be perceived
by the senses. Thus he is enabled to enter into
the world of ideas and morals.
A man may be able to renounce the possession
of kingdoms and empire, be able to spurn the
honors and emoluments of office, be able to tram-
ple upon bare, naked weapons; with all that he
shall not be able to find the central clue in his
moral being.
Men all say," We are wise"; but when driven
forward and taken in a net, a trap, or a pitfall,
there is not one who knows how to find a way of
CONFUCIUS 57
escape. Men all say, "We are wise"; but in
finding the true central clue and balance in their
moral being (i.e., their normal, ordinar}^ true self)
and following the line of conduct which is in ac-
cordance with it, they are not able to keep it for
a round month.
CONFUCIUS
THE GREAT LEARNING
CONFUCIUS
THE GREAT LEARNING
Ti
HE capacity for knowledge of the inferior man
IS small and easily filled up; the intelligence of
the superior man is deep and not easily satisfied.
•
It matters not what you learn; but when you
once learn a thing, you must never give it up
until you have mastered it. It matters not what
you inquire into; but when you inquire into a
thing, you must never give it up until you have
thoroughly understood it. It matters not what
you tr^^ to think out; but when you once try to
think out a thing, you must never give it up un-
til you have got what you want. It matters not
what you try to sift; but when you once try to
sift out a thing, you must never give it up until
you have sifted it out clearly and distinctly. It
matters not what you try to carr^^ out; but when
you once try to carry out a thing, you must never
give it up until 3^ou have done it thoroughly and
well.
(5i
62 the wisdom of the chinese
The True Scholar
W HEN the opportunity of gain is presented to
him, he thinks on virtue. He is reverent in sacri-
fice; in mourning, absorbed in the sorrow he
should feel. He who cherishes love of comfort is
not fit to be a scholar.
The main object of study is to unfold the aim;
with one who loves words, but does not improve,
I can do nothing.
• •
The scholar's burden is perfection; is it not
heavy? It ends but with hfe; is it not enduring?
Learning is like raising a monument; if I stop
with this basket of earth, it is my ov/n fault. It
is like throwing earth on the ground; one basket
at a time, yet I advance.
The true scholar is not a mere utensil. Leav-
ing Virtue without proper culture; faihng thor-
oughly to discuss what is learned; being unable
to move toward the righteousness of which knowl-
edge is gained; and being unable to change what
A CHILD WORSHIPPING THE SAGE
CONFUCIUS 63
is not good, — these are the things that (in my
scholars) give me anxiety.
If a man keeps cherishing his old knowledge, so
as ever to acquire new, he may be a teacher of
others. I marked Yen- Yuen's constant advance;
I never saw him pause. Often the blade springs,
but the plant does not go on to flower; often
the plant flowers, but produces no fruit.
Having completed his studies, the scholar
should devote himself to official functions. He
should say: "I am not concerned that I have no
place; I am concerned how I shall fit myself for
one. I am not concerned at not being known;
I seek to be worthy to be known."
MENCIUS. 371 B.C.
THE REAL MAN
MENCIUS. 371 B.C.
THE REAL MAN
l\ REAL MAN is one whose goodness is a part
of himself. Of the qualities of the sage, none is
greater than that of being a helper of men to
right living. He is ashamed of a reputation be-
yond his desert. Having found the right way
within himself, he rests in it, firm and serene,
holding intimate converse Vvith it, and reaching
to its fountain-head. He obeys the right and
waits for the appointed. His words are plain and
simple, yet of widest bearing. His aim is self-
culture, yet it gives peace to all men.
All things are aheady complete in us. There
is no greater dehght than to be conscious of right
within us. If one strive to treat others as he
would be treated by them, he shall not fail to
come near the perfect hfe. Eveiy duty is a charge,
but the charge of oneself is the root of all others.
The disease of men is to neglect their own fields
and go to weeding those of others, to exact much
from others and lay light burdens on themselves.
67
68 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Over-readiness of speech comes of not having
been reproved.
Even those v/ho strive to be perfect stand in
need of reproof.
A true scholar holds possession of himself,
neither by riches nor poverty forced away from
his virtue.
The Warning Voice Within
Li
^ET not a man do what his sense of right bids
him not to do, nor desire what it forbids him to
desire. This is sufficient. The skillful artist will
not alter his measures for the sake of a stupid
workman.
When right ways disappear, one's person must
vanish with one's principles.
The honor which man confers is not true honor.
Those to whom Chaou Mang gave rank, he can
degrade again. He whose good name comes from
what he is, needs no trappings.
The ancients cultivated the nobility of Heaven,
leaving that of m.en to follow in its train. Serv-
ing Heaven consists in nourishing the real con-
stitution of our being, anxious neither about death
nor life.
m e n c i u s. 3 7 i b. c. 69
The Discipline of Heaven
W HEN Heaven is about to confer a great office
on any man, it first disciplines his mind with
suffering, and his bones and sinews v/ith toil.
It exposes him to want and subjects him to
extreme poverty.
It confounds his undertakings.
By all these methods it stimulates his mind,
hardens him, an supphes his incompetencies.
Concerning Desires
1 O nourish the heart there is nothing better
than to make the desires few. Here is a man
whose desires are few; in some things he may
not be able to keep his heart, but they will be
few. Here is a man whose desires are many; in
some things he may be able to keep his heart,
but they will be few.
The Child-heart
X HE great man is he who does not lose his
child-heart. He does not think beforehand that
his w^ords shall be sincere, nor that his acts shall
be resolute; he simply abides in the right.
70 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
The right path (Tao) is near, yet men seek it
afar ofF.
The labor of duty is easy, yet men seek it in
what is difficult.
The way is wide; it is not hard to know. Go
home and seek it, and you shall not lack teachers.
• •
Equanimity
If one treat me unreasonably, I will say: "I
must have been wanting in kindness or propriety.
How else should this have happened?" Then I
will mend my ways. If the other continue per-
verse, I must have self-respect enough to say,
"I must have failed to do my best." If all is
vain, I say, "Why vex myself about a wild
beast?"
Thus the wise has lifelong vigilance, but not
one morning's serious trouble.
The End of Wisdom is to Seek the
Lost Mind
J. HE virtues are not poured into us, they are
natural: seek, and you will fmd them; neglect,
and you will lose them. To every faculty and
M E N C I U S. 3 7 I B. C. 71
relation belongs its normal law; but without its
fit culture it will decay. How lamentable to lose
this mind and not know how to seek it!
Of all seeds their virtue is in their ripeness.
Only he who has studied his mental constitution
knows his nature; knowing his nature, he knows
Heaven.
Greatness
X HEY are great men who follow that part of
them which is great. Let one stand in his nobler
part, and the meaner will not be able to take it
from him. This is simply what makes greatness.
The superior man desires a wide sphere that he
may give peace to multitudes; but what Ii's
nature makes his own, cannot be greatened by
the largeness of his sphere, nor lessened by its
obscurity.
• •
What is a good man? A man who commam's
our hking, is what is called a good man.
He whose goodness is part of himself, is what
is called a real man.
He whose goodness has been filled up, is whut
is called a beautiful man. i
He whose completed goodness is brightly df>-
played, is what is called a great man.
72 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
When this great man exercises a transforming
influence, he is what is called a sage.
When the sage is beyond our knowledge, he
is what is called a spirit-man.
Abstract good principles are not enough to
give the kingdom peace; laws cannot execute
themselves. If the good and wise be not trusted,
the State wdll come to naught. The people are
the most important element in a State; the ruler
is the least. The empire is not given by one
man to another. The choice of Heaven is shown
in the conduct of men. It is an old rule that the
oppressor may be put to death without warning.
King Seuen asked about relatives of the ruler,
when high ministers. Mencius replied that, if
he had great faults and would not hear advice,
they should dethrone him. The king changed
countenance.
The disciple Kung-too said: "All are equally
men, but some are great men, and some are little
men; how is this?'* Mencius replied: "Those
who follow that part of themselves which is great
are great men; those who follow that part which
is little are little men."
M E N C I U S. 3 7 I B. c. 73
Kung-too pursued: "All are equally men, but
some follow that part of themselves which is
great, and some follow that part which is little;
how is this?" Mencius answered: "The senses
of hearing and seeing do not think, and are ob-
scured by external things. When one thing comes
into contact with another, as a matter of course
it leads it away. To the mind belongs the office
of thinking. By thinking, it gets the right view
of things; by neglecting to think, it fails to do
this.
"These, the senses and the mind, are what
Heaven has given to us.
"Let a man first stand fast in the supremacy
of the nobler part of his constitution, and the
inferior part will not be able to take it from him.
It is simply this which makes the great man."
T
The Wise
HE wise embrace all knowledge, but they are
most earnest about what is of the greatest im-
portance. The benevolent embrace all in their
love, but what they consider of the greatest
importance is to cultivate an earnest affection
for the virtuous. Even the wisdom of Yaou and
74 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Shun did not extend to everything, but they
attended earnestly to what was important.
Their benevolence did not show itself in acts
of kindness to every man, but they earnestly
cultivated an affection for the virtuous.
• •
The True and the False
1 HATE a semblance which is not the reality.
I hate the darnel, lest it be confounded with the
corn. I hate glib- tonguedn ess, lest it be con-
founded with righteousness. I hate sharpness of
tongue, lest it be confounded with sincerity. I
hate the music of Ch*ing, lest it be confounded
with the true music. I hate the reddish blue,
lest it be confounded with vermilion. I hate
your good, careful men of the villages, lest they
be confounded with the truly virtuous.
M,
Transcendentalism
.AN does not hve by experience alone, but by
transcending experience, assured of what he does
not see, and never has seen, as real; nor can he
ever recognize the absolute worth and authority
involved in the idea of duty but by a mental hft
into a sphere above all the limits and contingencies
of actual human conduct.
M E N c I u s. 3 7 I B- c. 75
Qualities of the Great
1 O dwell in the wide house of the world; to
stand in true attitude therein; to walk in the
wide path of men; in success, to share one's
principles with the people; in failure, to live
them out alone; to be incorruptible by riches or
honors, unchangeable by poverty, unmoved by
perils or power, — these I call the qualities of a
great man.
Appointments of the Great
1 HE exercise of love between father and son,
the observance of righteousness betv/een sov-
ereign and minister, the rules of ceremony be-
tween guest and host, the display of knowledge
in recognizing the talented, and the fulfilling the
heavenly course by the sage, — these are the
appointments of Heaven. But there is an adap>-
tation of our nature for them. The superior man
does not say in reference to them, **It is the
appointment of Heaven.'*
•
For the mouth to desire sweet tastes, the eye
to desire beautiful colors, the ear to desire pleas-
76 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
ant sounds, the nose to desire fragrant odors,
and the four limbs to desire rest and ease, —
these things are natural. But there is an appoint-
ment of Heaven in connection with them, and the
superior man does not say of his pursuit of them,
"It is my nature."
In the empire there are three things univer-
sally acknowledged to be honorable. Nobility is
one of them, age is one of them, virtue is one of
them.
In courts nobihty holds first place, in villages
age, and for usefulness to one's generation, and
controlling the people, neither is equal to virtue.
When one subdues men by force, they do not
submit to him in heart but because not strong
enough to resist. When one subdues men by
virtue, they are pleased to the heart's core and
sincerely submit.
• •
Responsibilities of the Government
W HEN men die of famine, you say it is the
season that is to blame. What does this differ
from saying, when you have caused a man's
death. "It was not I, but the weaTX)n"?
M E N C I U S. 3 7 I B. C. 77
" When a public officer is neglectful, what would
you do with him?"
*'Cast him off," replies the king.
*'When in the whole kingdom there is no good
government, what then?"
King Seuen looked to the right and left, and
spoke of other matters.
When the old and weak are found lying in
ditches, and your granaries are full, and none of
your prefects has told you of these things, do
not blame the people that they seize their oppor-
tunity to repay such treatment!
If you know a tax to be unjust, end it at once!
Man has ten thousand plans for himself; God
but one for him. Man cries, "Now, now!" God
says, "Not yet, not yet."
A good man protects three villages.
Let your ideas be round and your conduct
square.
Right heart need not fear evil seeming.
God drives no man to despair.
One day of wedded life deserves a hundred
days of kindness.
78 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Misfortunes issue where diseases enter, — at
the mouth.
What is whispered in the ear is heard miles
away.
The gods cannot help one who loses oppor-
tunities.
Dig your well before you are thirsty.
Swim with one foot on the ground.
Forbearance is the jewel of home.
A great man never loses the simplicity of a
child.
Prefer right to kindred (in patronage).
He who soars not, suffers not by a fall.
If you receive an ox, give back a horse.
Act with kindness, but do not exact gratitude.
Give by day, and your reward shall spring by
night.
*
By virtue alone in itself, one never reaches rule
over men's hearts.
He must make his virtue sustain others. *
M E N C I u s. 3 7 I B. c. 79
Good-will subdues its opposite, as water fire.
Friendship with a man is friendship with his
virtue.
A people's limits do not consist in dikes and
borders. The security of a State is not in the
strength of mountains and streams. No advan-
tages compare with the accord of men.
•
They who expect to live without enemies, yet
have no kindness for others, are hke one who
should try to hold a heated body without dip-
ping it in water.
Men expect by their own darkness to enlighten
others. The artisan may give a man compass
and square, but he cannot make him skillful in
the use of them.
What misery they shall suffer who talk of the
evil in others. A man must first despise himself,
then others will despise him. A family must first
overthrow itself, then others will overthrow it.
A State must first smite itself, then others will
smite it.
80 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Incessant falls teach men to reform, and dis-
tresses rouse their strength.
Life springs from calamity, and death from
ease. Men of special virtue and wisdom are
wont to owe these powers to the trials they have
endured.
If you have not passed the bitterness of star-
vation, you know^ not the blessings of abundance;
if not through the parting of death, you know
not the joy of unbroken union; if not through
calamity, the pleasure of security; if not through
storms, the luxury of calm.
The white clouds pass; the blue heaven abides.
Noble natures are calm and content.
The song of a dying bird is plaintive; the
w^ords of a dying man are just.
•
How can man reward the care of Heaven?
• •
Mock not, O young man, at gray hairs!
How long can the opening flower keep its
bloom?
The wise place virtue in thought.
M ENC I U S . 3 7 I ^- ^- ^^
A good word has heat enough for three winters;
a hard one wounds like six months of cold.
To yield to Heaven is to save one's self.
If there is too much rice in the kitchen, there
i,re starving people on the road.
To help another helps yourself.
Drink less and learn more.
The spirits know your secret sins.
Kwan said: "Now the whole kingdom is
drowning; how is it that you do not save it?"
Mencius replied: *'A drowning kingdom must be
rescued by right principles, not like a drowning
person, by the hand."
Have you watched the growing grain after the
season of drought, how, when the rain falls, it
stands up refreshed? Who can keep it back?
These shepherds of men all love to destroy men.
Were there but one w^ho did not, the people
would hasten to obey him as rushing waters that
cannot be stayed.
82 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
"Venerable man," said the king, "since you
have come here a distance of a thousand h, you
have doubtless something to say for the profit of
my kingdom." Mencius replied: "O King, why
talk of profit? I have humanity and justice for
my teaching, nothing more. If these be put last,
and profit first, your officers will not be content
till they have stripped you of all."
The wise questions himself, the fool others.
When the prince goes to school, he is like other
boys.
The highest official is subject to the law.
Whoso is too subservient to masters will reap
shame.
A good subject cannot serve two masters; lay
not two saddles on one horse.
A minister who fears death will not be faithful.
Judge not by appearance; the sea cannot be
scooped up in a tumbler.
Think reasonably, be strong for virtue, lean
on humanity, and in all things be content.
LAO TZU. 604 B. Ce
FROM THE TAO-TEH KING
LAO TZU. 604 B. c.
FROM THE TAO-TEH KING
1 HE grandest forms of active force
From Tao come, their only source.
Who can of Tao the nature tell?
Our sight it flies, our touch as well.
The Tao that can be trodden is not the endur-
ing and unchanging Tao.
He who knows the Tao does not care to speak
about it; he who is ever ready to speak about it
does not know it.
Those who know the Tao are not extensively
learned; the extensively learned do not know it.
The relation of Tao to all the world is like
that of the great rivers and seas to the streams
from the valleys.
The Tao which can be expressed in words is
not the eternal Tao; the name which can be
8^
86 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
uttered is not its eternal name. Without a name,
it is the beginning of Heaven and Earth; with a
name, it is the Mother of all things.
Only one who is eternally free from earthly
passions can apprehend its spiritual essence; he
who is ever clogged by passions can see no more
than its outer form.
The Spiritual and Material
X HESE two things, the spiritual and the ma-
terial, though we call them by different names,
in their origin are one and the same. This same-
ness is a mystery, — the mystery of mysteries.
It is the gate of all spirituality.
Tao eludes the sense of sight and is therefore
called colorless.
It eludes the sense of hearing and is therefore
called soundless.
It eludes the sense of touch and is therefore
called incorporeal.
These three qualities cannot be apprehended,
and hence they may be blended into unity.
LAO TZU
L A O T Z U. 6 O 4 B. C. 87
The Form of Tao
I
TS upper part is not bright, and its lower part
is not obscure.
Ceaseless in action, it cannot be named, but
returns again to nothingness.
We may call it the form of the formless, the
image of the im^agelcss, the fleeting and the inde-
terminable.
Would you go before it, you cannot see its
face; would you go behind it, you cannot see
its back.
T]
The Force of Tao
HE mightiest manifestations of active force
flow solely from Tao.
Tao in itself is vague, impalpable, — how im-
palpable, how vague! Yet within it there is Sub-
stance. How profound, how obscure! Yet
within it there is a vital Principle. This Prin-
ciple is the Quintessence of Reahty, and out of
it comes Truth,
88 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
From of old until now, its name has never
passed away. It watches over the beginning of
all things.
How do I know this about the beginning of
things? Through Tao.
Ti
The Infinite
HERE is something, chaotic yet complete,
which existed before Heaven and Earth. Oh,
how still it is and formless, standing alone with-
out changing, reaching everywhere without suffer-
ing harm!
It must be regarded as the Mother of the Uni-
verse. Its name I know not.
To designate it I call it Tao. Endeavoring to
describe it, I call it great.
The Greatness of Tao
X HEREFORE Tao is great; Heaven is great;
the Earth is great; and the Sovereign also is
great.
In the Universe there are four powers, of which
the Sovereign is one.
L A O T Z U. 6 O 4 B. C. 89
Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth
takes its law from Heaven; Heaven takes its
law from Tao; but the law of Tao is its own
spontaneity.
The Unchanging Tao
JL AO in its unchanging aspect has no name.
Small though it be in its primordial simplicity,
mankind dare not claim its service. Could
princes and kings hold and keep it, all creation
would spontaneously pay homage. Heaven and
Earth would unite in sending down sweet dew,
and the people would be righteous unbidden and
of their own accord.
All-pervading is the Great Tao. It can be at
once on the right hand and on the left. All
things depend on it for life, and it rejects them
not.
Its task accomplished, it takes no credit. It
loves and nourishes all things, but does not act
as master. It is ever free from desire. We may
call it small. All things return to it, yet it does
not act as master.
We may call it great.
The whole world will flock to him who holds
the mighty form of Tao. They will come aizd
90 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
receive no hurt, but find rest, peace, and tran-
quillity.
Tao is a great square with no angles., a great
vessel which takes long to complete, a great
sound which cannot be heard, a great image
with no form.
Highest and Low^est
J. HE highest goodness is Kke water, for water is
excellent in benefiting all things, and it does not
strive. It occupies the lowest place, which men
abhor. And therefore it is near akin to Tao.
Natural Law and Tao
Ai
XL things ahkc do their work, and then we
see them subside. When they have reached their
bloom, each returns to its origin. Returning to
their origin means rest or fulfillment of destiny.
This reversion is an eternal law. To know that
law is to be enhghtened. Not to know it, is
misery and calamity. He who knows the eternal
law is hberal-minded. Being liberal-minded, he
is just. Being just, he is kingly. Being kingly,
he is akin to Heaven. Being akin to Heaven, he
possesses Tao. Possessed of Tao, he endures
L A O T Z U. 6 O 4 B. C. 91
forever. Though his body perish, yet he suffers
no harm.
The First Cause
1 HE world has a first cause, which may be re-
garded as the Mother of the World. When one
has the Mother, one can know the Child. He
who knows the Child and still keeps the Mother,
though his body perish, shall run no risk of harm.
■ •
• •
The Way of Heaven
XT is the way of Heaven not to strive, and yet
it knows how to overcome; not to speak, and
yet it knows how to obtain a response; it calls
not, and things come of themselves; it is slow
to move, but excellent in its designs.
It is the way of Heaven to take from those
who have too much and give to those who have
too little. But the way of man is not so. He
takes away from those who have too little, to
add to his own superabundance.
What man is there who can take of his own
superabundance and give it to mankind? Only
he who possesses Tao.
92 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
On Self-assertion
H
E who is self-approving does not shine. He
who boasts has no merit. He who exalts him-
self does not rise high. Judged according to
Tao, he is like remnants of food or a tumor on
the body, — an object of universal disgust.
Therefore one who has Tao will not consort with
such.
On Perfect Virtue
jL ERFECT Virtue acquires nothing, therefore it
obtains everything. Perfect Virtue does nothing,
yet there is nothing which it does not effect.
Perfect Charity operates without the need of
anything to evoke it.
Perfect Duty to one's neighbor operates, but
always needs to be evoked.
Perfect Ceremony operates and calls for no
outward response, nevertheless it induces respect.
Knowledge is but a showy ornament of Tao,
while ofttimes the beginning of imbecility.
Wi
L A O T Z U. 6 0 4 B. C. 93
The Superior Scholar
HEN the superior scholar hears of Tao, he
diligently practices it. When the average scholar
hears of Tao, he sometimes retains it, sometimes
loses it. When the inferior scholar hears of Tao,
he loudly laughs at it. Were it not thus ridi-
culed, it would not be worthy of the name of
Tao.
Ti
Display
HE wearing of gay, embroidered robes, the
carrying of sharp swords, fastidiousness in food
and drink, superabundance of property and
wealth, — this I call flaunting robbery ; most
assuredly it is not Tao.
Ti
Begin Harmony with Your Age
EMPER your sharpness, disentangle your
ideas, moderate your brilliance, live in harmony
with your age. This is being in conformity with
the principle of Tao. Such a man is impervious
alike to favor and disgrace, to benefits and in-
juries, to honor and contempt. And therefore he
is esteemed above all mankind.
94 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Moderation in Government
I
N governing men and serving Heaven there is
nothing hke moderation. For only by modera-
tion can there be an early return to man's nor-
mal state. This early return is the same as a
great storage of Virtue. With a great storage of
Virtue there is naught that may not be achieved.
If there is naught which may not be achieved,
then no one will know to what extent this power
reaches. And if no one knows to what extent a
man's power reaches, that man is fit to be the
ruler of a State. Having the secret of rule, his
rule shall endure. Setting the taproot deep and
making the spreading roots firm, this is the way
to insure long life to the tree.
Ancient Philosophers
A HE skillful philosophers of the olden time
were subtle, spiritual, profound, and penetrating.
They were so deep as to be incomprehensible.
Because they are hard to comprehend, I will en-
deavor to describe them.
L A O T Z U. 6 0 4 B. C. 95
Shrinking were they, like one fording a stream
in winter. Cautions were they, like one who
fears an attack from any quarter. Circumspect
were they, Hke a stranger guest; self-effacing, like
ice about to melt; simple, like unpolished wood;
vacant, like a valley; opaque, like muddy water.
On the Nature of Things
z\MONG mankind the recognition of beauty
as such implies the idea of ugliness, and the
recognition of good implies the idea of evil.
There is the same mutual relation between ex-
istence and non-existence in the matter of crea-
tion; between difficulty and ease in the matter
of accomplishing; between long and short in the
matter of form; between high and low in the
matter of elevation; between treble and bass in
the matter of musical pitch; between fore and
after in the matter of priority.
Nature is not benevolent; with ruthless indif-
ference she makes all things serve their purposes,
like the straw dogs we use at sacrifices. The sage
is not benevolent; he utilizes the people with the
like inexorability.
Heaven and Earth are long-lasting. The rea-
son why Heaven and Earth can last long is that
96 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
they live not for themselves, and thus they are
able to endure.
Thirty spokes unite in one nave; the utility
of the cart depends on the hollow center in which
the axle turns. Clay is molded into a vessel;
the utility of the vessel depends on its hollow
interior. Doors and windows are cut out in order
to make a house; the utility of the house de-
pends on the empty spaces.
Thus, while the existence of things may be
good, it is the non-existent in them which makes
them serviceable.
Cast off your hohness, rid yourself of sagacity,
and the people will benefit a hundredfold. Dis-
card benevolence and abolish righteousness, and
people will return to filial piety and paternal love.
Renounce your scheming, and abandon gain, and
thieves and robbers will disappear.
These three precepts mean that outward show
is insufficient, and therefore they bid us be true
to our proper nature, to show simplicity, to em-
brace plain dealing, to reduce selfishness to
moderate desire.
L A O T Z U. 6 O 4 B. c. 97
He who knows others is clever, but he who
knows himself is enlightened.
He who overcomes others is strong, but he who
overcomes himself is mightier stilL
He is rich who knows when he has enough.
He who acts with energy has strength of pur-
pose.
He who moves not from his proper place is
long-lasting.
He who dies, but perishes not, enjoys true
longevity.
If you would contract, you must first expand.
If you would weaken, you must first strengthen.
If you would overthrow, you must first raise
up.
If you would take, you must first give.
This is called the dawn of intelligence.
He who is most perfect, seems to be lacking;
yet his resources are never outworn.
He who is most full seems vacant; yet his
uses are inexhaustible.
98 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Extreme straightness is as bad as crookedness.
Extreme cleverness is as bad as folly. Extreme
fluency is as bad as stammering.
Those who know do not speak; those who
speak do not know.
He who acts, destroys; he who grasps, loses.
Therefore the Sage does not act, and so does not
destroy; he does not grasp, and so he does not
lose.
The Sage does not care to hoard. The more
he uses for the benefit of others, the more he
possesses himself. The more he gives to his
fellow-men, the m^ore he has of his own.
LAO TZU
WU-WEI
LAO TZU
WU-WEI
JL/0 nothing by self-will, but rather conform to
the Infinite Will, and everything will be done
for you.
Who is there that can make muddy water
clear? But if allowed to remain still, it will be-
come clear of itself. Who is there that can secure
a state of absolute repose? But let time go on,
and the state of repose will gradually arise.
Tao is eternally inactive, and yet it leaves
nothing undone. If the princes and kings could
but hold fast to this principle, all things would
work out their own reformation. If, having re-
formed, they still desire to act, I w^ould have
them restrained by the simplicity of the Nameless
Tao.
The simplicity of the Nameless Tao brings
about an absence of desire. The absence of
lOI
1 02 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
desire gives tranquillity. And thus the empire
will rectify itself.
The softest things in the world override the
hardest. That which has no substance enters
where there is no crevice. Hence I know the
advantage of inaction.
Without going out of doors, one may know
the whole world; without looking out of the
window, one may see the Way of Heaven. The
further one travels, the less one may know. Thus
it is that without moving you shall know, with-
out looking you shall see, without doing you shall
achieve.
«
The pursuit of book learning brings about
daily increase. The practice of Tao brings about
daily loss. Repeat this loss again and again,
and you arrive at inaction. Practice inaction,
and there is nothing which cannot be done.
Desire not to desire, and you will not value
things difficult to obtain. Learn not to learn,
L A O T Z U 1 03
and you will revert to a condition which man-
kind in general has lost.
Leave all things to take their natural course,
and do not interfere.
On Self-display
/\LL things in nature work silently. They come
into being and possess nothing. They fulfill their
functions and make no claim.
When merit has been achieved, do not take it
to yourself; for if you do not take it to yourself,
it shall never be taken from you.
Keep behind, and you shall be put in front;
keep out, and you shall be kept in.
Goodness strives not, and therefore it is not
rebuked.
He that humbles himself shall be preserved
entire. He that bends shall be made straight.
1 04 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
He that is empty shall be filled. He that is worn
out shall be renewed. He who has little shall
succeed. He who has much shall go astray.
•
He who, conscious of being strong, is content
to be weak, — he shall be the paragon of man-
kind.
Being the paragon of mankind. Virtue will
never desert him. He returns to the state of a
little child.
He who, conscious of his own light, is content
to be obscure, — he shall be the whole world's
model; his Virtue will never fail. He reverts to
the Absolute.
He who is great, must make humility his base.
He who is high, must make lowliness his founda-
tion. Thus princes and kings in speaking of
themselves use the terms "lonely," ** friendless,"
"of small account." Is not this making humility
their base?
Thus it is said that "Some things are increased
by being diminished, others are diminished by
LAO TZU 105
being increased." What others have taught, I
also teach; verily, I will make it the root of my
teaching.
Therefore the Sage, wishing to be above the
people, must by his words put himself below
them; wishing to be before the people, he must
put himself behind them. In this way, though
he has his place above them, people do not feel
his weight; though he has his place before them,
they do not feel it an injury. Therefore all
mankind delight to exalt him, and weary of him
not.
I have three precious things which I hold fast
and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is
frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me
from putting myself before others. Be gentle,
and you can be bold; be frugal, and you can be
liberal; avoid putting yourself before others, and
you can become a leader among men.
•
Gentleness brings victory to him who attacks,
and safety to him who defends. Those whom
Heaven would save, it fences round with gentle-
ness.
I06 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
The best soldiers are not warlike; the best
fighters do not lose their temper. The greo,test
conquerors are those who overcome their enemxies
without strife. The greatest directors of men are
those who yield place to others. This is called
the Virtue of not striving, the capacity for direct-
ing mankind; this is being the compeer of
Heaven. It vv^as the highest goal of the ancients.
N(
On Ruling the People
'OT exalting worth keeps the people from
rivalry. Not prizing what is hard to procure
keeps the people from theft. Not to show them
what they may covet is the v/ay to keep their
minds from disorder.
He who respects the State as his own person
is fit to govern it. He v/ho loves the State as
his own body is fit to be intrusted with it.
In the highest antiquity, the people did not
know that they had rulers. In the next age,
they loved and praised them. In the next, they
feared them. In the next, they despised them,
LAO T Z U 107
As restrictions and prohibitions are multiplied
in the empire, the people grow poorer and poorer.
When the people are subjected to overmuch gov-
ernment, the land is thrown into confusion.
When the people are skilled in many cunning
arts, strange are the objects of luxury that
appear.
The greater the number of laws and enact-
ments, the more thieves and robbers there will
be. Therefore the Sage says: "So long as I do
nothing, the people wil work out their own
reformation. So long as I love calm, the people
will right themselves. If only I keep from
meddUng, the people will grow rich. If only I
am free from desire, the people will come natu-
rally back to desire."
Do not confine the people within too narrow
bounds; do not make their lives too weary. For
if you do not weary them of life, they will not
then grow weary of you.
Were I ruler of a little State with a small
population, with only ten or a hundred men
I08 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
available as soldiers, I would not use them. I
would have the people look on death as a griev-
ous thing, and they should not travel to distant
countries. Though they might possess boats and
carriages, they should have no occasion to ride
in them. Though they might own weapons and
armor, they should have no need to use them.
I would make people return to the use of knotted
cords. They should find their plain food sweet,
their rough garments fine. They should be con-
tent with their simple homes, and happy in their
simple ways. If a neighboring State was within
sight of mine — nay, if we were close enough to
hear the crowing of each other's cocks and the
barking of each other's dogs — the two peoples
should grow old and die without there ever hav-
ing been any mutual intercourse.
LAO TZU
PRECEPTS AND SAYINGS
LAO TZU
PRECEPTS AND SAYINGS
B
►Y many words wit is exhausted; it is better
to preserve a mean.
He who grasps more than he can hold, would
be better without any.
If a house is crammed with treasures of gold
and jade, it will be impossible to guard them all.
The excellence of a dwelling is in its site; the
excellence of a mind in its profundity; the ex-
cellence of giving is charitableness; the excel-
lence of speech is truthfulness; the excellence of
government is order; the excellence of action is
abihty; the excellence of movement is timeliness.
He who prides himself upon wealth and honor
hastens his own downfall.
Ill
112 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
He who strikes with a sharp point will not
himself be safe for long.
He who embraces unity of soul by subordinat-
ing animal instincts to reason will be able to
escape dissolution. He who strives his utmost
after tenderness can become even as a little child.
If a man is clear-headed and intelligent, can
he be without knowledge?
The Sage attends to the inner and not to the
outer; he puts away the objective and holds to
the subjective.
Between yes and yea, how small the difference!
Between good and evil, how great the difference!
What the world reverences may not be treated
with respect.
He who has no faith in others shall find no
faith in them.
L A O T Z U 113
To see oneself is to be clear of sight. Mighty
is he who conquers himself.
• •
He who raises hims-elf on tiptoe cannot stand
firm; he who stretches his legs wide apart can-
not walk.
Racing and hunting excite man's heart to
madness.
The struggle for rare possessions drives a man
to actions injurious to himself.
The heavy is the foundation of the light; re-
pose is the ruler of unrest.
The wise prince in his daily course never de-
parts from gravity and repose. Though he
possess a gorgeous palace, he will dwell therein
w^ith calm indifference. How should the lord of
a million chariots conduct himself in the empire?
Levity loses men's hearts; unrest loses the
throne.
114 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
The skillful traveler leaves no tracks; the skill-
ful speaker makes no blunders; the skillful reck-
oner uses no tallies. He who knows how to shut,
uses no bolts; yet you cannot open. He who
knows how to bind, uses no cords; yet you can-
not undo.
Among men, reject none; among things, reject
nothing. This is called comprehensive intelli-
gence.
The good man is the bad man's teacher; the
bad man is the material upon which the good
man works. If the one does not value his teacher,
if the other does not love his material, then
despite their sagacity they must go far astray.
This is a mystery of great import.
The course of things is such that v.hat was in
front is now behind; what was hot is now cold;
what was strong is now weak; what was comi-
plete is now in ruin. Therefore the Sage avoids
excess, extravagance, and grandeur.
L A O T Z U 115
Which is nearer to you, fame or life? Which is
more to you, hfe or wealth? Which is the greater
malady, gain or loss?
Excessive ambitions necessarily entail great
sacrifices. Much hoarding must be followed by
heavy loss. He who knows when he has enough
will not be put to shame. Such a man can look
forward to long life.
There is no sin greater than ambition ; no calam-
ity greater than discontent; no vice more sicken-
ing than covetousness. He who is content, al-
ways has enough.
Do not wish to be rare like jade, nor common
like stone.
The Sage has no hard and fast ideas, but he
shares the ideas of the people and makes them
his own. Living in the world, he is apprehen-
sive lest his heart be sullied by contact with the
world. The people all fix their eyes and ears upon
him. The Sage looks upon all as his children.
Il6 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
I have heard that he who possesses the secret
of hfe, when travehng abroad, will not flee from
rhinoceros or tiger; when entering a hostile camp,
he will not equip himself with sword or buckler.
The rhinoceros fmds in him no place to insert his
horn; the tiger has nowhere to fasten its claw;
the soldier has nowhere to thrust his blade.
And why? Because he has no spot where death
can enter.
To see small beginnings is clearness of sight.
To rest in weakness is strength.
He who know^s how to plant, shall not have
his plant uprooted; he who knows hovv^ to hold
a thing, shall not have it taken away. Sons and
grandsons shall worship at his shrine, which shall
endure for generations.
Knowledge in harmony is called constant.
Constant knowledge is called wisdom. Increase
of life is called felicity. The mind directing the
body is called strength.
LAO TZU 117
Be square without being angular. Be honest
without being mean. Be upright without being
punctilious. Be brilliant without being showy.
Good words shall gain you honor in the market-
place, but good deeds shall gain you friends
among men.
To the good I would be good; to the not-good
I would also be good in order to make them
good.
With the faithful I would keep faith; with the
unfaithful I v/ould also keep faith, in order that
they may become faithful.
•
Even if a man is bad, how can it be right to
cast him off?
Requite injury with kindness.
The difficult things of this world must once
have been easy; the great things of this v^'orld
must once have been small. Set about difficult
Il8 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
things while they are still easy; do great things
while they are still small.
The Sage never affects to do anything great,
and therefore he is able to achieve his great
results.
He who always thinks things easy, is sure to
find them difficult. Therefore the Sage ever
anticipates difficulties, and thus it is he never
encounters them.
While times are quiet, it is easy to take action;
ere coming troubles have cast their shadows, it
is easy to lay plans.
That which is brittle is easily broken; that
which is minute is easily dissipated. Take pre-
cautions before the evil appears; regulate things
before disorder has begun.
The tree which needs two arms to span its
girth sprang from the tiniest shoot. Yon tower,
nine stories high, rose from a little mound of
LAO T Z U 119
earth. A journey of a thousand miles began with
a single step.
The Sage knows what is in him, but makes no
display; he respects himself, but seeks not honor
for himself.
To know, but to be as though not knowing, is
the height of wisdom. Not to know and yet to
affect knowledge, is a vice. If we regard this
vice as such, we shall escape it. The Sage has
not this vice. It is because he regards it as a
vice that he escapes it.
Use the light that is in you to revert to your
natural clearness of sight. Then the loss of the
body is unattended with calamity. This is called
doubly enduring.
In the management of affairs, people con-
stantly break down just when they are nearing a
successful issue. If they took as much care at
the end as at the beginning, they would not fail
in their enterprises.
120 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
He who lightly promises, is sure to keep but
little faith.
He whose boldness leads him to venture, will
be slain; he who is brave enough not to venture,
will live. Of these two, one has the benefit, the
other has the hurt. But who is it that knovvs
the real cause of Heaven's hatred? This is why
the Sage hesitates and fmds it difficult to act.
The violent and stiff-necked die not by a
natural death.
True words are not fine; fine words are not
true.
CHUANG TZU. 400 b. c.
RIGHT AND WRONG
CHUANG TZU. 400 b. c.
RIGHT AND WRONG
X HOSE who would have right without its cor-
relative, wrong, or good government without its
correlative, misrule, — they do not apprehend
the great principles of the universe nor the con-
ditions to which all creation is subject. One
might as well talk of the existence of heaven
without that of earth, or of the negative prin-
ciple without the positive, which is clearly absurd.
•
• •
The True Standard
If you adopt, as absolute, a standard of even-
ness which is so only relatively, your results will
not be absohitely even. If you adopt, as abso-
lute, a criterion of right which is so only rela-
tively, your results will not be absolutely right.
Those who trust to their senses become slaves to
objective existences. Those alone who are guided
by their intuitions find the true standard. So
far are the senses less reliable than the intui-
123
124 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
tions. Yet fools trust to their senses to know
what is good for mankind, with alas! but ex-
ternal results.
On Consciousness
y\ DRUNKEN man who falls out of a cart,
though he may suffer, does not die. His bones
are the same as other people's, but he meets his
accident in a different way. His spirit is in a
condition of security. He is not conscious of
riding in the cart; neither is he conscious of fall-
ing out of it. Ideas of hfe, death, fear, etc., can-
not penetrate his breast; and so he does not
fear from contact with objective existences. :.:,
And if such security is to be got from wine,
how much more is it to be got from God? It
is in God that the Sage seeks his refuge, and
so he is free from harm.
Knowledge and Attainment
xIE who knows what God is, and who knows
what man is, has attained. Knowing ^^^hat God
is, he knovvs that he himself proceeded there-
from. Knowing what man is, he rests in the
knowledge of the known, waiting for the knowl-
CHUANG TZU. 4OO B.C. I25
edge of the unknown. Working out one's al-
lotted span, and not perishing in mid-career, —
this is the fullness of knowledge.
Herein, however, there is a flaw. Knowledge
is dependent upon fulfillment, and as this ful-
fillment is uncertain, how can it be known that
my divine is not really human, my human really
divine?
We must have pure men, and then only can
we have pure knowledge.
The Natural Order
1\ MAN must go wheresoever his parents bid
him. Nature is no other than a man's parents.
If she bid me die quickly, and I demur, then I
am an unfilial son. She can do me no wrong.
Tao gives me this form, this toil in manhood,
this repose in old age, this rest in death. And
surely, that which is such a kind arbiter of my
life is the best arbiter of my death.
How do I know that love of life is not a de-
lusion after all? How do I know but that he
who dreads to die is as a child who has lost its
way and cannot find its home?
126 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Bi
The Soul
►UT whether or not we ascertain what are the
functions of this soul, it matters but little to the
soul itself. For, coming into existence with this
mortal coil of mine, with the exhaustion of this
mortal coil its mandate will also be exhausted.
To be harassed by the wear and tear of life, and
to pass rapidly through it without possibility of
arresting one's course, — is this not pitiful in-
deed? To labor without ceasing, and then, with-
out living to enjoy the fruit, worn out, to depart
suddenly, one knows not whither, — is not that
a just cause for grief?
-^ Objective and Subjective
W HAT advantage is there in what men call
not dying? The body decomposes and the mind
goes with it. This is our real cause for sorrow.
Can the world be so dull as not to see this? Or
is it I alone who am dull, and others not so? . . .
There is nothing which is not objective; there is
nothing which is not subjective. But it is im-
possible to start from the objective. Only from
subjective knowledge is it possible to proceed to
CHUANG TZU. 4OO B.C. I27
objective knowledge. Hence it has been said:
"The objective emanates from the subjective;
the subjective is consequent upon the objective.
This is the Alternation Theory." Nevertheless,
when one is born, the other dies. When one is
possible, the other is impossible. When one is
afUrmative, the other is negative. Which being
the case, the true Sage rejects all distinctions of
this and that. He takes his refuge in God, and
places himself in subjective relation with all
things.
On Life and Death
Life follows upon death. Death is the begin-
ning of life. Who knows when the end is
reached? The life of man results from converg-
ence of the vital fluid. Its convergence is life;
its dispersion, death. If, then, hfe and death
are but consecutive states, what need have I to
complain?
Therefore all things are One. What we love is
animation. What we hate is corruption. But
corruption in its turn becomes animation, and
animation once more becomes corruption.
128 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Predestination involves a real existence.
Chance implies an absolute absence of any
principle. To have a name and the embodiment
thereof, — this is to have a material existence.
To have no name and no embodiment, — of this
one can speak and think; but the more one
speaks, the farther off one gets.
The unborn creature cannot be kept from life.
The dead cannot be tracked. From birth to
death is but a span; yet the secret cannot be
known. Chance and predestination are but a
priori solutions.
Infinite
HEN I seek for a beginning, I fmd only time
infinite. When I look forward to an end, I see
only time infinite. Infinity of time past and to
come implies no beginning and is in accordance
with the laws of material existences. Predesti-
nation and Chance give us a beginning, but one
which is compatible only with the existence of
matter.
CHUANG TZU. 4OO B.C. I29
A man's knowledge is limited; but it is upon
what he does not know that he depends to
extend his knowledge to the apprehension of God.
The ultimate end is God. He is manifested in
the laws of nature. He is the hidden spring. At
the beginning he was. This, however, is inex-
phcable. It is unknowable. But from the un-
knowable we reach the known.
A vulgar proverb says that he who has heard
but part of the truth thinks no one equal to
himself. And such a one am I.
"When formerly I heard people detracting
from the learning of Confucius or underrating
the heroism of Poh I, I did not believe. But now
that I have looked upon your inexhaustibility —
alas for me! had I not reached your abode, I
should have been forever a laughingstock to
those of comprehensive enhghtenment!"
To which the Spirit of the Ocean rephed:
"You cannot speak of ocean to a well-frog, the
creature of a narrower sphere. You cannot speak
of ice to a summer insect, a creature of a season.
You cannot speak of Tao to a pedagogue; his
130 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
scope is too restricted. But now that you have
emerged from your narrow sphere and have seen
the great ocean, you know your own insignifi-
cance, and I can speak to you of great principles."
Finality
JJlMENSIONS are limitless; time is endless;
Conditions are not invariable; terms are not final.
Thus the wise man looks into space, and does not
regard the small as too little, nor the great as
too much; for he knows that there is no limit to
dimension. He looks back into the past, and
does not grieve over what is far off, nor rejoice
over what is near; for he knows that time is
without end. He investigates fullness and decay,
and does not rejoice if he succeeds, nor lament
if he fails; for he knows that conditions are not
invariable. He who clearly apprehends the
scheme of existence does not rejoice over life,
nor repine at death; for he knows that terms
are not final.
Ti
Natural Instincts
HE people have certain natural instincts: to
weave and clothe themselves, to till and feed
CHUANG TZU. 4 O O B. C. I3I
themselves. These are common to all humanity,
and all are agreed thereon. Such instincts are
called "Heaven-sent."
And so in the days when natural instincts pre-
vailed, men moved quietly and gazed steadily.
At that time, there were no roads over moun-
tains, nor boats, nor bridges over water. All
things were produced, each for its own proper
sphere. Birds and beasts multiplied; trees and
shrubs grew up.
The foiTner might be led by the hand; you
could climb up and peep in the raven's nest. For
then man dwelt with birds and beasts, and all
creation was one.
There were no distinctions of good and bad
men. Being all equally without knowledge, their
virtue could not go astray.
Being all equally without evil desires, they were
in a state of natural integrity, the perfection of
human existence.
But when Sages appeared, tripping up people
over charity and fettering them with duty to
their neighbor, doubt found its way into the
world.
And then, with their gushing over music and
fussing over ceremony, the empire became divided
against itself.
132 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
When Chuang Tzu was about to die, his dis-
ciples expressed a wish to give him a splendid
funeral. But Chuang Tzu said: "With heaven
and earth for my coffin and shell; with the sun,
moon, and stars as my burial regalia; and with
all creation to escort me to the grave, — are not
my funeral paraphernalia ready to hand?"
"We fear," argued the disciples, "lest the
carrion kite should eat the body of our master;"
to which Chuang Tzu replied: "Above ground I
shall be food for kites; below I shall be food for
mole-crickets and ants. Why rob one to feed
the other?"
m
A man who knows that he is a fool is not a
great fool.
A dog is not considered a good dog because he
is a good barker. A man is not considered a
good man because he is a good talker.
Get rid of small wisdom, and great wisdom will
shine upon you.
Put away goodness, and you will be naturally
good. A child does not learn to speak because
CHUANG TZU. 4OO B.C. I33
taught by professors of the art, but because it
lives among people who can themselves speak.
•
The best language is that which is not spoken,
the best form of action is that which is without
deeds.
Spread out your knowledge, and it will be
found to be shallow.
The perfect man ignores self; the divine man
ignores action; the true Sage ignores reputation.
•
• •
Severance
1 HE perfect man is a spiritual being. Were
the ocea,n itself scorched up, he would not feel
hot. Were the Milky Way frozen hard, he would
not feel cold. Were the mountains to be riven
with thunder, and the great deep to be thrown
up by storm, he would not tremble.
Birth is not a beginning; death is not an end.
Let knowledge stop at the unknowable. That
is perfection.
YANG CHU. 300 B.C.
FAME AND VANITY
YANG CHU. 300 B.C.
FAME AND VANITY
1 ANG CHU, when traveling in Lu, put up at
Meng Sun Yang's.
Meng asked him: *'A man can never be more
than a man; why do people still trouble them-
selves about famxe?"
Yang Chu answered: "If they do so, their
object is to become rich."
Meng: ''And when they have become rich,
why do they not stop?"
Yang Chu said: "They aim at getting honors."
Meng: "Why then do they not stop when
they have got them?"
Yang Chu: "On account of their death."
Meng: "But what can they desire still after
their death?"
Yang Chu: "They think of their posterity."
Meng: "But how can their fame be available
to their posterity?"
Yang Chu: "For fame's sake they endure all
kinds of bodily hardship and mental pain. They
137
138 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
dispose of their gloiy for the benefit of their
clan, and even their fellow-citizens profit by it.
How much more so do their descendants! How-
beit it becomes those desirous of real fame to
be disinterested, and disinterestedness means
poverty; and likewise they must be unostenta-
tious, and this is equivalent to humble condition."
•
How then can fame be disregarded, and how
can fame come of itself?
The ignorant, while seeking to maintain fame,
sacrifice reality. By doing so, they will have to
regret that nothing can rescue them from danger
and death, and not only learn the difference be-
tween ease and pleasure and sorrow and grief.
If anybody has real greatness, he is poor; if
his greatness is spurious, he is rich.
The really good man is not famous; if he be
famous, he is not really a good man, for all fame
is nothing but falsehood.
One hundred years is the limit of a long life.
Not on^ in a thousand ever attains to it. Yet if
YANGCHU. 300 B. C. I39
they do, still unconscious infancy and old age
take up about half this time.
What then is the object of human life? What
makes it pleasant? Comfort and elegance, music
and beauty. Yet one cannot ahvays gratify the
desire for comfort and elegance, nor incessantly
enjoy beauty and music.
Besides being warned and exhorted by punish-
ments and rewards, urged forward and repelled
by fame and laws, men are constantly rendered
anxious. Striving for one vain hour of glory,
and providing for the splendor which is to sur-
vive their death, they go their solitary ways,
analyzing what they hear with their ears and see
with their eyes, and carefully considering what
is good for body and mind; so they lose the
happiest moments of the present, and cannot
really give way to these feelings for one hour.
If you pay no regard to life or death, and let
them be as they are, how can you be anxious
lest your life should end too soon?
140 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Every trace of intelligent and stupid men, of
the beautiful and ugly, successful and unsuccess-
ful, right and wrong, is effaced. And whether
quickly or slowly is the only point of difference.
If any one cares for one hour's blame or praise
so much that, by torturing his spirit and body,
he struggles for a name lasting some hundred
years after his death, can the halo of glory revive
his dried bones, or give him back the joy of living?
If there were a body born complete, I could
not possess it, and I could not possess things
not to be parted with. For possessing a body or
things would be unlawfully appropriating a body
belonging to the whole universe and appropriat-
ing things belonging to the universe, which no
Sage would do.
He who regards as common property a body
appertaining to the universe and the things of
the universe is a perfect man.
And that is the highest degree of perfection.
y a n g c h u. 3 0 o b. c. i41
The Four Chimeras
1 HERE are four things which do not allow
people to rest: Long Life; Reputation; Rank;
Riches.
Those who have them, fear ghosts, fear men,
power, and punishment. They are ahvays fugi-
tives. Whether they are killed or live, they regu-
late their lives by externals.
Those who do not set their destiny at defiance,
do not desire a long life; and those who are not
too fond of honor, do not desire reputation.
Those who do not want power, desire no rank.
Those Vv'ho are not avaricious, have no desire
for riches.
KANG-HSrS SACRED EDICT
KANG-HSrS SACRED EDICT
In eveiy affair retire a step, and you have an
advantage.
Seeing men in haste, do not seek to overtake
them.
Each grass blade has its drop of dew. The
wild birds lay up no stores; but Heaven and
Earth are wide. Strange, indeed, if you cannot
rest in the duties of your sphere.
If you reject the iron, you will never make the
steel.
To starve is a small matter, to lose one's virtue
is a great one.
• •
Covet not an empty name.
145
146 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
The modest gain, the self-satisfied lose
The more unlikely I am to be successful, the
more diligently will I study.
What have I to do with fate?
Teach children that in friendship one should
be one, and two, two; there must be no decep-
tion.
Let the root be good, and the fruit shallnot
be evil.
Culture in manners will make the blustering
soldier view the Shi and Shu as his coat of mail.
■ •
Becoming manners shall bring back the lovely
unity of ancient virtues.
Do you think that, by bearing with insulting
persons, I shall fall into dishonor?
KANG-HSIS SACRED EDICT I47
Should right principles be separated from right
manners, they would no longer be right prin-
ciples. But without sincerity manners are mere
apish bowing and scraping.
Those who say conscience may be good enough,
but it does not supply one with food, are fit
materials for the cord and the bamboo.
Set not others at variance. Suppress slanders,
and protect the innocent. Frame not indict-
ments to defraud and oppress.
Maintain a love of harmony, that throughout
your families the common speech shall be, "Let
us help one another." Then shall the world be
at peace.
Let young and old be as one body, their joj-s
and sorrows as of one family.
Let the instructed lead the way by example.
Let the unity of the empire extend to myriad
countries, and spread harmony through the world.
1 48 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Though at the height of fame, you ought in
the watches of the night to lay your hand on
your breast and ask yourself, "Have I cause of
shame or not?"
KUAN-YI-WU. 500 B.C.
ON LIFE
ivLLOW the ear to hear what it likes, the eye
to see what it likes, the mouth to say what it
likes, the body to enjoy the comforts it likes to
have, and the mind to do what it likes.
Now, what the ear likes to hear is music, and
the prohibition of it is what I call obstruction to
the ear.
What the eye likes to look at is beauty, and
its not being permitted to regard this beauty I
call obstruction of sight.
What the nose likes to smell is perfume, and
its not being permitted to smell I call obstruc-
tion to scent.
What the mouth likes to talk about is right
and wrong; and if it is not permitted to speak,
I call it obstruction of the understanding.
The comforts the body enjoys to have are
rich food and fine clothing, and if it is not per-
Lt "fitted, then I call that obstruction of the senses
co'f the body.
149
150 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
What the mind likes is to be at peace; and
its not being permitted rest I call obstruction of
the mind's nature.
All these obstructions are a source of the most
painful vexation.
YU TSE. 1250 B.C.
ON FAME
JlTE who renounces fame has no sorrow.
Fame is the follower of reahty. Now, however,
as people pursue fame with such frenzy, does it
not really come of itself if it is disregarded? At
present fame means honor and regard. Lack of
fame brings humbleness and disgrace. Again, ease
and pleasure follow upon honor and regard.
Sorrow and grief are contrary to human nature;
ease and pleasure are in accord with it. These
things have reality.
151
TSE-CHAN. 550 B.C.
SUBLIMITY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
X HAT in which man is superior to beasts and
birds is his mental faculties. Through them he
gets righteousness and propriety, and so glory
and rank fall to his share. You are only moved
by what excites your sense, and indulge only in
licentious desires, endangering your hves and
natures.
Hear my words. Repent in the morning, and
in the evening you will have aheady gained the
wage that will support you.
152
THE POETRY OF
THE CHINESE
THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE
SSU-K'UNG T'U, A.D. 834-908
Jr REIGHTED with eternal principles
Athwart the night's void,
Where cloud masses darken,
And the wind blows ceaselessly around,
Beyond the range of conceptions
Let us gain the center.
And there hold fast without violence,
Fed from an inexhaustible supply.
Like a water-wheel awhirl.
Like the rolling of a pearl;
Yet these but illustrate,
To fools, the final state.
The earth's great axis spinning on,
The never-resting pole of sky —
Let us resolve their Whence and Why,
And blend with all things into One;
155
156 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Beyond the bounds of thought and dream,
Circling the vasty void as spheres
Those orbits round a thousand years:
Behold the Key that fits my theme.
Rank and wealth within the mind abide,
Then gilded dust is all your yellow gold.
Kings in their fretted palaces grow old;
Youth dwells forever at Contentment's side.
A mist cloud hanging at the river's brim,
Pink almond flowxrs along the purple bough,
A hut rose-girdled under moon-swept skies,
A painted bridge half-seen in shadows dim, —
These are the splendors of the poor, and thou,
O wine of spring, the vintage of the wise.
CH'ANG CH'IEN. a.d. 720
X SAT upon the mountainside and v/atched.
A tiny barque that skimmed across the lake,
Drifting, like human destiny upon
A world of hidden peril; then she sailed
From out my ken, and mingled with the blue
Of skies unfathomed, while the great round sun
Weakened towards the waves.
THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE I57
TS'EN-TS'AN. a.d. 750
INIlGHT is at hand; the night winds fret afar,
The north winds moan. The waterfowl are gone
To cover o'er the sand dunes; dawn alone
Shall call them from the sedges. Some bright
star
Mirrors her charms upon the silver shoal;
And I have ta'en the lute, my only friend;
The vibrant chords beneath my fingers blend;
They sob awhile, then as they shp control.
Immortal memories awake, and the dead years
Through deathless voices answer to my strings,
Till from the brink of time's untarnished springs
The melting night recalls me with her tears.
PO CHU-I. A.D. 772
Myself
"W^HAT of myself?
I am like unto the sere chrysanthemum
That is shorn by the frost-blade and, torn from
its roots.
Whirled away on the wind.
158 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Once in the valleys of Ch'in and Yung I rambled
at will;
Now ring me round the unfriendly plains of the
wild folk of Pa.
Oh, galloping dawns with Youth and Ambition
riding knee to knee!
Ride on, Youth, with the galloping dawns and
dappled days!
I am unhorsed, out- ventured —
I, who crouch by the crumbling embers, old, and
gray, and alone.
One great hour of noon with the sky-faring Rukh
I clanged on the golden dome of heaven.
Now in the long dusk of adversity
I have found my palace of contentment, my
dream pavilion.
Even the tiny twig of the little humble wren.
LAO TZU
W HO knows how white attracts.
Yet always keeps himself within black's shade.
The pattern of humility displayed,
Displayed in view of all beneath the sky,
He in the unchanging excellence arrayed,
Endless return to man's first estate has made.
THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE I59
Who knows how glory shines,
Yet loves disgrace, nor e'er for it is pale;
Behold his presence in a spacious vale.
To which men come from all beneath the sky.
The unchanging excellence completes its tale;
The simple infant man in him we hail.
OU-YANG HSIU. a.d. 1007
J.N flowing crowds
The moon-born clouds
Cast their light shade
O'er stairs of jade;
And all the moonlit ways are one,
Shining in silver unison.
Yet who can read aright
The mystery of night?
ANON.
IVIEN pass their lives apart like stars that
move, but never meet. This eye, how blest it is
that the same lamp gives light to both of us!
Brief is youth's day. Our temples already tell
of waning life. Already half of those we know
are spirits; I am moved in the depths of my soul.
l6o THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
ANON
IVl OTHER of pity, hear my prayer
That in the endless round of birth
No more may break my heart on earth,
Nor by the windless waters of the Blest
Weary of rest;
That drifting, drifting, I abide not anywhere.
Yet if by Karma's law I must
Resume this mantle of the dust,
Grant me, I pray.
One dewdrop from thy willow spray,
And in the double lotus keep
My hidden heart asleep.
ANON. A.D. 1715
J. IS we that wail the hour of birth,
'Tis others weep the hour we die.
If I am sad, 'tis others sing;
Should they lament, I will be feasting.
All flows, all passes, like yon stream;
Like yonder wind-wheel all revolves.
VVe change the fire grill, changing not the fire;
New lamps or old, what matters it?
'Tis laughable that all men flock in crowds
To worship Buddhas and the Genii,-
THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE l6l
Austerities mean cramp and weariness,
And genuflections to the rites a headache.
'Tis but a tangle of marsh-lights after all,
We cannot seize the shadow of the wind.
What if the gods made answer to our prayers?
With shouts of laughter I should drive the crowd.
A speck upon your ivory fan
You soon may wipe away;
But stains upon the heart or tongue
Remain, alas, for aye.
The voice of the cricket is heard in the hall,
The leaves of the forest are withered and sere;
My sad spirits droop at those chirruping notes,
So thoughtlessly sounding the knell of the year.
Yet why should we sigh at the change of a date.
When life's flowing on in a full, steady tide?
Come, let us be merry with those that we love;
For pleasure in measure there is no one to chide.
l62 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
CHIA I. 200 B.C.*
CALLED THE POE OF CHINA
In dismal, gloomy, crumbling halls,
Betwixt moss-covered, reeking walls
An exiled poet lay.
On his bed of straw reclining,
Half despairing, half repining,
When, athwart the window sill,
In flew a bird of omen ill,
And seemed inclined to stay.
To my book of occult learning
Suddenly I thought of turning,
All the mystery to know
Of that shameless owl or crow,
That would not go away.
"Wherever such a bird shall enter,
'Tis sure some power above has sent her/*
So said the mystic book, **to show
The human dweller forth must go,"
But WHERE it did not say.
* From "The Lore of Cathay," by W. A. P. Martin, by courtesy ol
Fleming H. Reveli & Co.
THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE 1 63
Then anxiously the bird addressing,
And my ignorance confessing,
"Gentle bird, in mercy deign
The will of Fate to me explain.
Where is my future way?"
It raised its head as if 'twere seeking
To answer me by simply speaking;
Then folded up its sable wing,
Nor did it utter anything.
But breathed a "Welladay!"
More eloquent than any diction.
That simple sigh produced conviction,
Furnishing to me the key
Of the awful mystery
That on my spirit lay.
"Fortune's wheel is ever turning,
To human eye there's no discerning
Weal or woe in any state;
Wisdom is to bide your fate."
That is what it seemed to say
By that simple "Welladay."
i64 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
SU WU
J. WIN trees whose boughs together twincj
Two birds that guard one nest,
We'll soon be far asunder torn,
As sunrise from the west.
Hearts knit in childhood's innocence,
Long bound in Flymen's ties,
One goes to distant battlefields.
One sits at home and sighs.
Like carrier dove, though seas divide,
I'll seek my lonely mate;
But if afar I find a grave.
You'll mourn my hapless fate.
To us the future's all unknown;
In memory seek relief.
Come, touch the chords you know so well,
And let them soothe our grief.
THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE 1 65
PAN CHIH YU. 18 B.C.
THE SAPPHO OF CHINA
VyF fresh, new silk, all snowy white,
And round as harvest moon,
A pledge of purity and love,
A small but welcome boon.
While summer lasts, borne in the hand,
Or folded on the breast,
'Twill gently soothe thy burning brow.
And charm thee to thy rest.
But, ah! When autumn frosts descend
And winter's winds blow cold.
No longer sought, no longer loved,
'Twill lie in dust and mold.
This silken fan, then, deign accept,
Sad emblem of my lot,
Caressed and fondled for an hour,
Then speedily forgot.
l66 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
ANON.
il.RE there not beans in yon boiling pot,
And bean stalks are burning below?
Now why, when they spring from one parent root,
Should they scorch each other so?
LI PO
the pope of his age
On Drinking Alone by Moonlight
H
ERE are flowers and here is wine,
But there's no friend with me to join
Hand to hand and heart to heart.
In one full bowl before we part.
Rather, then, than drink alone,
I'll make bold to ask the moon
To condescend to lend her face.
The moment and the scene to grace.
Lo! she answers and she brings
My shadow on her silver wings;
That makes three, and we shall be,
I ween, a merry company.
THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE l6j
The modest moon declines the cup,
My shadow promptly takes it up;
And when I dance, my shadow fleet
Keeps measure with my twinkling feet.
Although the moon declines to tipple,
She dances in yon shining ripple;
And when I sing, my festive song
The echoes of the moon prolong.
Say, when shall we next meet together?
Surely not in cloudy weather;
For you, my boon companions dear,
Come only when the sky is clear.
PROVERBS AND MAXIMS
"V
PROVERBS AND MAXIMS
Absent-mindedness
J^ ELLING a tree to catch the blackbird.
Asking a bhnd man the road.
Dragging the lake for the moon in the water.
Adding fuel to put out the fire.
•
Accuracy
Deviate an inch, lose a thousand miles.
Business
Better go than send.
Surety for the bow, surety for the arrow.
Great profits, great risks.
Before buying, calculate the seHing.
Easy to open a shop; hard to keep it open.
Without a smihng face do not become a mer-
chant.
« •
Compensations
The beautiful bird gets caged.
171
172 the wisdom of the chinese
Difficulties
Easier said than done.
Out of the wolf's den into the tiger's mouth.
Divine Providence
Man without divine assistance
Cannot move an inch of distance.
Education
Easy to learn, hard to master.
Husbandry and letters are the two chief profes-
sions.
All pursuits are mean in comparison with
learning.
Who teaches me for a day is my father for a
lifetime.
Scholars are their country's treasure and the
richest ornaments of the feast.
Extensive reading is a priceless treasure.
Family
In a united family happiness springs up of
itself.
PROVERBS AND MAXIMS 1 73
Gambling
Losing comes of winning money.
Believe in money, sell your house.
• •
Friendship
Tigers and deer do not stroll together.
Government
Heaven sees as the people see;
Heaven hears as the people hear.
The guilty emperor exhausts the mandate of
Heaven (Mencius).
Killing a bad monarch is no murder (Mencius).
Would you know pohtics, read history.
The emperor is the father of his people, not a
master to be served by slaves.
Gratitude
Lambs have the grace to suck kneeling.
174 the wisdom of the chinese
Heedlessness
In at one ear, out at the other.
Man cannot reach perfection in a hundred years;
He can fall in a day with time to spare.
Honesty
Just scales and full measure injure no man.
Never do what you wouldn't have known.
However much you promise, never fail to pay,
or
Do not vary your promise for any price.
Humanity
Kindness is greater than law.
Guide the blind over the bridge.
Husbands and Wives
If they match by nature, marry them.
Every family has a Goddess of Mercy.
Naught must divide the married pair;
Its weight the steelyard cannot spare!
PROVERBS AND MAXIMS I75
Who is the wife of one, cannot eat the rice of
two.
In the husband fidehty, in the wife obedience.
Humility
Falling hurts least those who fly low.
• •
Industry
Those who will not work shall not eat.
•
Instinct
Plants surpass men in recognizing spring.
Does the swallow know the wild goose's course?
•
Knowledge
Schools hide future premiers.
The pen conveys one's meaning a thousand
miles.
Lawsuits
Win your lawsuit, lose your money.
If one family has a lawsuit, ten famihes are
involved.
1 76 the wisdom of the chinese
Vanity of Life
Naked we came, naked we go.
The Great Wall stands; the builder is gone.
Man
Mind is lord of man.
Virtuous men are a king's treasure.
Opportunity
Strike while the iron is hot.
Spilt water cannot be gathered up.
Physioans
The cleverest doctor cannot save himself.
Easy to get a thousand prescriptions; hard to
obtain a cure.
He that takes medicine and neglects diet,
wastes the skill of the physician.
Only those become priests who cannot earn a
living.
One son becomes a priest, nine generations are
sure of Heaven.
proverbs and maxims i77
Procrastination
Never waste time.
Procrastination is the thief of time.
Practical Religion
God loves all men.
Better do a kindness near home than go far to
burn incense.
To save one life is better than to build a
seven-story pagoda.
•
Self-control
Think twice — and say nothing.
Youth
In the boy see the man.
The mark must be made in youth.
Wine
Leisure breeds lust.
Wine is the discoverer of secrets.
Intoxication is not the wine's fault, but the
man's.
178 the wisdom of the chinese
Woman
The good-looking woman needs no paint.
Never quarrel with a woman.
Three tenths of good looks are due to nature;
seven tenths to dress.
Service
Injure others, injure yourself.
One generation plants the trees; another sits
in their shade.
Skill
Unskilled fools quarrel with their tools.
Better Master of one than Jack of all trades.
Virtue
Better die than turn your back on reason.
Look not on temptation, and your mind will
be at rest.
It is a little thing to starve to death; it is a
serious matter to lose one's virtue.
PROVERBS ANDMAXIMS 179
General.
When men come face to face, their differences
vanish.
Do not neglect your own in order to weed
another's field.
Time flies like an arrow, days and months like
a shuttle.
MORAL MAXIMS
MORAL MAXIMS
T]
HE man of first-rate excellence is virtuous
independently of instruction; he of the middling
class is so after instruction; the lowest order of
men are vicious in spite of instruction.
In the days of affluence always think of pov-
erty; do not let want come upon you and make
you remember with sorrow the days of plenty.
Without the wisdom of the learned, the clown
could not be governed; without the labor of the
clown, the learned could not be fed.
The cure of ignorance is study, as meat is that
of hunger.
The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven.
183
1 84 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
The same tree may produce sour and sweet
fruit; the same mother may have a virtuous and
vicious progeny.
It is equally criminal in the governor and the
governed to violate the laws.
As the scream of the eagle is heard when she
has passed over, so a man's name remains after
his death.
Questions of right and wrong (with reference
to right and wrong) are every day arising; if
not listened to, they die away of themselves.
•
If the domestic duties be duly performed, where
is the necessity of going afar to burn incense?
Doubt and distraction are on earth; the bright-
ness of truth in Heaven.
Meeting with difficulties, we think of our rela-
tions; on the brink of danger we rely on our
friends.
MORAL MAXIMS 185
Among mortals who is faultless?
Do not love idleness and hate labor; do not
be diligent in the beginning and in the end lazy.
If there be no faith in our words, of what use
are they?
If riches can be acquired with propriety, then
acquire them; but let not unjust wealth be
sought for with violence.
Wine and good dinners make abundance of
friends, but in the time of adversity not one is
to be found.
Let every man sweep the snow from before his
own doors and not trouble himself about the
frost on his neighbor's tiles.
• •
Though a tree be a thousand chang in height,
its leaves must fall down and return to its root.
1 86 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
Worldly reputation and pleasure are destruc-
tive to virtue; anxious thoughts are injurious to
the body.
Better be upright with poverty than depraved
abundance.
He whose virtue exceeds his talents is a good
man; he whose talents exceed his virtue is a
mean one.
In a field of melons do not pull up your shoe;
under a plum tree do not adjust your cap (be
very' careful of your actions under circumstances
of suspicion).
The man of worth is really great without being
proud; the irxcan man is proud without being
really great.
It is said in the Ye-King that "of those men
whose talent is inconsiderable, vvhile their station
is eminent, and of those whose knowledge is
small, while their schemes are large, there are
few who do not become miserable."
MORAL MAXIMS 187
Though a man may be utterly stupid, he is
very perspicacious when reprehending the bad
actions of others; though he may be very intel-
hgent, he is dull enough while excusing his own
faults; do you only correct yourselves on the
same principle that you correct others, and
excuse others on the same principle that you ex-
cuse yourselves.
The artful are loquacious, the simple are silent;
the artful toil, the simple enjoy ease; the artful
are rogues, the simple virtuous; the artful are
miserable, the simple happy. Oh, that all in
the empire were artful and simple! Punish-
ments would then be abolished. Superiors would
enjoy tranquillity, and inferiors would be obedi-
ent. The manners would be pure, and vile
actions become extinct.
Do not anxiously hope for what is not yet
come; do not vainly regret what is already past.
If your schemes do not succeed, of what use
is it to regret their failure? If they do not
l88 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
flourish, what is the use of noisy complaints?
When a heart, devoted to gain, is intent on any
object, then virtue is set aside; where interested
views exist, there a regard for the public welfare
is extinguished.
Men's passions are like water: when water
has once flowed over, it cannot be restored; when
the passions have once been indulged, they can-
not be restrained. Water must be kept in by
dikes; the passions must be ruled by the laws of
propriety.
Low courage is the resentment of the blood
and spirits; noble courage is the resentment of
propriety and justice. The former of these no
man should possess; the latter no man should
be without.
Without ascending the mountain, we cannot
judge of the height of heaven; without descend-
ing into the valley, we cannot judge of the depth
of the earth; without hstening to the maxims
left by the ancient kings, we cannot know the
exceflence of learning.
MORAL MAXIMS 189
In making a candle we seek for light, in read-
ing a book we seek for reason; light to illumi-
nate a dark chamber, reason to enlighten a
man's heart.
If you have fields and will not plow them,
your barns will be empty ; if you have books and
will not give instruction, your offspring will be
ignorant; if your barns be empty, your years
and months will be unsupplied; if your offspring
be ignorant, propriety and justice will not abound
among them.
Though an affair may be easily accomplished,
if it be not attended to, it will never be com-
pleted; though your son be well-disposed, if he
be not instructed, he will still remain ignorant.
If you love your son, give him plenty of the
cudgel; if you hate your son, cram him with
dainties.
The small birds look around them and eat;
the swallow goes to sleep without apprehension.
He who possesses an enlarged and sedate mind,
190 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
will have great happiness; but the man whose
schemes are deep, will have great depth of
misery.
When the mirror is highly polished, the dust
will not defile it; when the heart is enlightened
with wisdom, licentious vices will not arise in it.
The fishes, though deep in the water, may
be hooked; the birds, though high in the air,
may be shot; but man's heart only is out of our
reach. The heavens may be measured, the earth
may be surveyed; the heart of man alone is not
to be known. In painting the tiger, you may
delineate his skin, but not his bones; in your
acquaintance with a man you may know his
face, but not his heart. You may sit opposite
to, and converse with him, while his mind is
hidden from you as by a thousand mountains.
Forming resentments with mankind may be
called ''planting misery"; putting aside virtuous
deeds, instead of practicing them, may be called
** robbing oneself."
MORAL MAXIMS I9I
When a man of a naturally good propensity
has much wealth, it injures his acquisition of
knowledge; when a worthless man has much
wealth, it increases his faults.
In enacting laws, rigor is indispensable; in
executing them, mercy.
Do not consider any vice as trivial, and there-
fore practice it; do not consider any virtue as
unimportant, and therefore neglect it.
If men's desires and wishes be laudable. Heaven
will certainly further them.
Those who have discharged their duty as
children, will in their turn have dutiful children
of their own; the obstinate and untoward will
again produce offspring of the same character.
To convince you, only observe the rain from the
thatched roof, where drop follows drop without
the least variation.
192 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
He who tells me of my faults is my teacher;
he who tells me of my virtues does me harm.
Let your words be fev/ and your companions
select; thus you will avoid remorse and repent-
ance, thus you will avoid sorrow and shame.
Be temperate in drinking, and your mind will
be calm; restrain your impetuosity, and your
fortunes will remain uninjured.
If you wish to know what most engages a
man's thoughts, you have only to listen to his
conversation {or A man's conversation is the
mirror of his thoughts).
In our actions we should accord with the will
of Heaven; in our words we should consult the
feelings of men.
Throughout life beware of performing acts of
animosity; 'in the whole empire let there not
exist a revengeful-minded man. It is very well
MORAL MAXIMS I93
for you to injure others; but what think you of
others returning those injuries on yourself? The
tender blade is nipped by the frost; the frost is
dissipated by the sun; and worthless man will
always suffer rubs from others as bad as them-
selves.
Knowing what is right, without practicing it,
denotes a want of proper resolution.
Poverty and ruin must in the end be propor-
tioned to a man's wickedness and craft; for
these are qualities which Heaven will not suffer
to prevail. Were riches and honor the proper
result of crafty villainy, the better part of the
world must fatten on the winds.
The best cure for drunkenness is, whilst sober,
to observe a drunken man.
The opening flower blooms alike in all places;
the moon sheds an equal radiance on every moun-
tain and every river. Evil exists only in the
heart of men; all other things tend to show the
benevolence of Heaven towards the human race.
194 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
A man without thought for the future must
soon have present sorrow.
When you put on your clothes, remember the
labor of the weaver; when you eat your daily
bread, think of the hardships of the husbandman.
•
• m
A man is ignorant of his own faihngs as the
ox is unconscious of his great strength.
The poverty of others is not to be ridiculed,
for the decrees of destiny are in the end equal;
nor are the infirmities of age a fit subject for
laughter, since they must at last be the portion
of us all. When the day that is passing over us
is gone, our hves are proportionably contracted.
What reason, then, have the fish to be merry,
when the v/ater in which they swim is ebbing
away?
An immoderate use of dainties generally ends
in disease, and pleasure, when past, is converted
into pain. It is better to avert the malady by
care than to have to apply the physic after it
has appeared.
MORAL MAXIMS I95
Though the white gem be cast into the dirt,
its purity cannot be (lastingly) sullied; though
the good man live in a vile place, his heart can-
not be depraved. As the fir and the cypress
withstand the rigors of the winter, so resplen-
dent wisdom is safe in difficulty and danger.
If a man wish to attain to the excellence of
superior beings, let him first cultivate the vir-
tues of humanity; for if not perfect in human
virtue, how shall he reach immortal perfection?
Man is born without knowledge, and when he
has obtained it, very soon becomes old; when
his experience is ripe, death suddenly seizes him.
A man's prosperous or declining condition may
be gathered from the proportion of his waking
to his sleeping hours.
Unsullied poverty is always happy, while im-
pure wealth brings with it many sorrows.
196 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
The goodness of a house does not consist in
its lofty halls, but in its excluding the weather;
the fitness of clothes does not consist in their
costliness, but in their make and warmth; the
use of food does not consist in its rarity, but in
its satisfying the appetite; the excellence of a
wife consists not in her beauty, but in her virtue.
•
The fame of men's good actions seldom goes
beyond their own doors, but their evil deeds are
carried to a thousand miles distance.
The sincerity of him who assents to everything,
must be small; and he who praises you inordi-
nately to your face, must be altogether false.
•
If sincerity be wanting between the prince and
his minister, the nation will be in disorder; if
between father and son, the famify will be dis-
cordant; if between brothers, their affection will
be loosened; if between friends, their intercourse
will be distant.
Though powerful medicines be nauseous to the
taste, they are good for the disease; though can-
MORAL MAXIMS I97
did advice be unpleasant to the ear, it is profit-
able to the conduct.
To show compassion towards the people by
remitting the severity of the taxes, is the virtue
of the prince; and to offer up their possessions,
sinking their private views in regard for the
public, is the duty of the people.
Though the life of a man be short of a hundred
years, he gives himself as much anxiety as if he
were to live a thousand.
If a man does not receive guests at home, he
will meet with very few hosts abroad.
Without a clear mirror a woman cannot know
the state of her own face; without a true friend
a man cannot discern the errors of his own
actions.
A man should choose a friend who is better
than himself; if only hke himself, he had better
have none. There are plenty of acquaintances in
the world, but very few real friends.
198 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
In Ker accomprisliments it is not requisite tor
a woman to display talent of a famous or un-
common description, in her face it is not requisite
that she should be very handsome; her conversa-
tion need not be very pointed or eloquent, her
work need not be very exquisite or surpassing.
A virtuous woman is a source of honor to her
husband; a vicious one causes him disgrace.
A man's patrimony must suffer by trifling and
idleness, as it must flourish by dihgence. The
chief rule to be observed in one's plan of Hfe is
to be strenuous in the beginning and to increase
one's exertions to the last.
Even the carriers of burdens may, by honesty
and diligence, obtain a sufficiency. The proverb
says: "Every blade of grass has its share of the
dews of heaven"; and ** Though the birds of the
forest have no garners, the wide world is all
before them."
He who wishes to know the road through the
mountains must ask those who have already
MORAL MAXIMS I99
trodden it (i.e., we must look to the experienced
for instruction).
It is better to believe that a man possess good
quahties than to assert that he does not.
The mischiefs of fire, or water, or robbers,
extend only to the body; but those of perni-
cious doctrines, to the mind.
The original tendency of a man's heart is to
do right, and if a due caution be observed, it
will not of itself go wrong.
As it is impossible to please men in all things,
our only care should be to satisfy our own
consciences.
A man's countenance is a sufficient index of
his prosperity or adversity, without asking him
any questions.
Adversity is necessary to the development of
man's virtues.
200 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
He who neglects to study diligently in his
youth, will, when he is old, repent that he put
it off until too late.
He who studies ten years in obscurity, will,
when once preferred, be known universally.
It is too late to pull the rein when the horse
has gained the brink of the precipice; the time
for stopping the leak is past when the vessel is
in the midst of the river.
If a stream be not confined, it will soon flow
away and become dry; if wealth be not econo-
mized, there will be no limits to its expenditure,
and it will soon be wasted.
It is easy to convince a wise man, but to
reason with a fool is a difficult undertaking.
Speak of men's virtues as if they were your
own, and of their vices as if you were liable to
their punishment,
MORALMAXIMS 201
Mencius said: "All men concur in despising a
glutton, because he gives up everything that is
valuable for the sake of pampering what is so
contemptible."
What man shall dare to oppose him whose
words are consistent with reason, and whose
actions are squared by the rule of rectitude?
To the contented, even poverty and obscurity
bring happiness, while to the ambitious, wealth
and honors are productive of misery.
As the hght of a single star tinges the moun-
tains of many regions, so a single unguarded ex-
pression injures the virtue of a whole life.
The evidence of a single glance should not be
relied on as true, nor are words spoken behind a
man's back deserving of much credence.
Though a poor man should live in the midst of
a noisy market, no one will ask about him;
202 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE
though a rich man should bury himself among
the mountains, his relations will come to him
from a distance.
Knowledge is boundless, but the capacity of
one man is limited.
Plausible words are not so good as straightfor-
ward conduct; a man whose deeds are enlight-
ened by virtue, need not be nice about his
expressions.
A single conversation across the table with a
wise man is better than ten years' mere study
of books.
By a single day's practice of virtue, though
happiness may not be attained, yet misery may
be kept at a distance; by a single day of ill
doing, happiness is prevented.
No medicine can procure long life even to the
ministers of the emperor; no money can pur-
chase for any man a virtuous posterity.
MORAL MAXIMS 203
A single false move loses the game.
Prudence will carry a man all over the world,
but the impetuous find every step difficult.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
AND SOURCES
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES
Samuel Couling, M.A., The Encyclopaedia Sinica.
Oxford University.
Sir J. F. Davis, Chinese Moral Maxims. London.
1823.
De Groot, The Religious Systems of China.
Sir R. K. Douglas, The Literature and Language
oj China.
H. A. Giles, History oJ Chinese Literature.
Appleton and Co., New York.
Dr. W. A. P. Martin, The Lore oJ Cathay.
Fleming H. Revell and Co., New York.
William Scarborough, Chinese Proverbs. Lon-
don. 1873.
Arthur H. Smith, Proverbs and Common Sayings
of the Chinese. 1902.
D. T. Suzuki, Brief History of Chinese Philosophy.
Probsthain & Co. London. 191 4.
The Chinese Classics. Translated by Prof. James
Legge. Oxford University Press.
The Sacred Books of China. Translated by Prof.
James Legge. Oxford University Press.
207
JGRAPHY AND SOURCES— Continued
.£L Giles (Translated by), The Sayings of
^ao Tzu. John Murray, London.
L. Cranmer-Byng (Translated by), The Book of
Odes (Shi King). John Murray, London.
Lionel Giles (Translated by), Taoist Teachings.
John Murray, London.
Lionel Giles (Translated by). Sayings of Con-
fucius. John Murray, London.
Lionel Giles (Translated by), Musings of a
Chinese Mystic. John Murray, London.
These books are In the "Wisdom of the East" Serie*
Imported by E. P. Dutton Co.
208
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