以地 化可能則 ME. M. 3 育以盡能能 贊物盡盡能性 地育以天之物人盡能 贊地性之之 矣。可天之則性性 plete sincerity that can exist under heaven, who can give its full development to his nature. Able to give its full development to his own nature, he can do the same to the nature of other men. Able to give its full development to the nature of other men, he can give their full development to the natures of animals and things. Able to give their full development to the natures of creatures and things, he can assist the transforming and nourishing powers of Heaven and Earth. Able to assist the transforming and nourishing powers of Heaven and Earth, he may with Heaven and Earth form a ternion. of external things; and 3rd, That the under- | as a man's.' Mão himself illustrates the 'exstanding of what is good will certainly lead to such moral perfection. 22. THE RESULTS OF SINCERITY; AND HOW THE POSSESSOR OF IT FORMS A TERNION WITH HEAVEN AND EARTH. On, Chu Hsi says that it denotes 'the reality of the virtue of the Sage, to which there is nothing in the world that can be added.' This is correct, and if we were to render-'It is only the most sincere man under heaven,' the translation would be wrong. means simply 'to exhaust,' but, by what processes and in what way, the character tells us nothing about. The 'giving full develop ment to his nature, however, may be understood, = hausting the nature of things,' by reference to ECOTE Heaven and Earth' take the place here of the single termHeaven,' in chap. xx. par. 18. On this Yingtâ observes:-'It is said above, sincerity is the way of Heaven, and here mention is made also of Earth. The reason is, that the reference above, was to the principle of sincerity in its spiritual and mysterious origin, and thence the expres sion simple,-The way of Heaven; but here we have the transformation and nourishing seen in the production of things, and hence Earth is associated with Heaven.' This is not very intelligible, but it is to bring out the idea of a ternion, that the great, supreme, ruling Power is thus dualized. is 'a file of three,' and with Mão, as 'pursuing THE PATH in accordance with his nature, so that what Heaven has conferred on him is displayed without shortcoming or let.' The 'giving its development to the nature of other men' indicates the Sage's helping them, by his example and lessons, to perfect themselves. 'His exhausting the nature of things,' i. e. of all other beings, animate and inanimate, is, according to Chû, 'knowing them completely, and dealing with them correctly,' 'so, add the paraphrasts, 'that he secures their prosperous increase and development according to their nature.' Here, however, a Buddhist idea appears in Chû's commentary. He says:'The nature of other men and things (=animals) is the same with my nature,' which, it is observed in Mao's Work, is the same with I employ 'ternion' to express the idea, just the Buddhist sentiment, that a dog has the as we use 'quaternion' for a file of four. What nature of Buddha,' and with that of the philo- is it but extravagance thus to file man with sopher Kão, that 'a dog's nature is the same the supreme Power? 體孽祥知 為變則誠 禍見國國至 則明誠其 福乎家家誠化化 化。化明則次 至龜亡興道 天動形曲、 將將將 唯則形致 善動必必 下動則曲 必乎有 先四妖禛前 誠變著有 CHAP. XXIII. Next to the above is he who cultivates to the utmost the shoots of goodness in him. From those he can attain to the possession of sincerity. This sincerity becomes apparent. From being apparent, it becomes manifest. From being manifest, it becomes brilliant. Brilliant, it affects others. Affecting others, they are changed by it. Changed by it, they are transformed. It is only he who is possessed of the most complete sincerity that can exist under heaven, who can transform. CHAP. XXIV. It is characteristic of the most entire sincerity to be able to foreknow. When a nation or family is about to flourish, there are sure to be happy omens; and when it is about to perish, there are sure to be unlucky omens. Such events are seen in the milfoil and tortoise, and affect the movements of the four limbs. When calamity or happiness is about to come, the good 23. THE WAY OF MAN; THE DEVELOPMENT OF|parison:Put a stone on a bamboo shoot, or PERFECT SINCERITY IN THOSE NOT NATURALLY where the shoot would show itself, and it will POSSESSED OF IT. 其次, the next,' or 'his next,' referring to the自誠明者, of chap. xxi. is defined by Chû Hsî as 偏 travel round the stone, and come out crookedly at its side.' So it is with the good nature, whose free development is repressed. It shows itself in shoots, but if they be cultivated and im a moral condition and influence may proved, ‘one half,' 'a part.' K'ang-ch'ăng explains it be attained, equal to that of the Sage. by 小小之事, very small matters.' Mao defines it by 隅 'a corner,' and refers to 24. THAT ENTIRE SINCERITY CAN FOREKNOW. 至誠之道 is the quality in the abstract, while at the end, is the entirely sincere Analects, VII. viii,舉一隅不以三 individualu the Sage, by nature, or by attain隅反, as a sentiment analogous to the one ment. 禛祥,‘lucky omens. In the diction致曲. There is difficulty about the term. ary is used to define 禛祥 may be used It properly means 'crooked,' and with a bad also of inauspicious omens, but here it cannot application, like, often signifies 'deflection embrace such. Distinguishing between the two terms, Ying-tâ says that unusual appearances of things existing in a country are TE, and appearances of things new are 禛妖孽 from what is straight and right.' Yet it cannot have a bad meaning here, for if it have, the phrase,致曲, will be, in the connexion, unintelligible. One writer uses this com- are 'unlucky omens,' the former being spoken 記者子誠者而 神知知 之之 故不 誠必 如先 shall certainly be foreknown by him, and the evil also. Therefore the individual possessed of the most complete sincerity is like a spirit. CHAP. XXV. 1. Sincerity is that whereby self-completion is effected, and its way is that by which man must direct himself. 2. Sincerity is the end and beginning of things; without sincerity there would be nothing. On this account, the superior man regards the attainment of sincerity as the most excellent thing. 3. The possessor of sincerity does not merely accomplish the self-completion of himself. With this quality he completes other men and things also. The completing himself shows his perfect of 'prodigies of plants, and of strangely dressed commentators of the Sung school say that boys singing ballads,' and the latter of prodio is here 天命之性,the Heaven-conferred gious animals.' The subject of the verbs and 動 is the events, not the omens. For the nature,' and that 道is率性之道,t path which is in accordance with the nature.' milfoil and tortoise, see the Yi-ching, App.III. They are probably correct, but the difficulty ii. 73. They are there called, spiritual comes when we go on with this view of to things.' Divination by the milfoil was called the next paragraph. 2. I translate the expanthat by the tortoise was called. They sion of this in the -All that fill up were used from the highest antiquity. See the the space between heaven and earth are things Shû-ching, II. ii. 18; V. iv.20-30. 四體(物). They end and they begin again; they (four limbs,' are by K'ang-ch'ăng interpreted begin and proceed to an end; every change of the feet of the tortoise, each foot being being accomplished by sincerity, and every peculiarly appropriate to divination in a par- phenomenon having sincerity unceasingly in ticular season. Chû Hsi interprets them of the it. So far as the mind of man four limbs of the human body. 如神 must is concerned, if there be not sincerity, then (人之心) be left as indefinite in the translation as it is in the text. The whole chapter is eminently absurd, and gives a character of ridiculousness to all the magniloquent teaching about entire sincerity.' The foreknowledge attributed to the Sage, the mate of Heaven,-is only a guessing by means of augury, sorcery, and other follies. 25. How FROM SINCERITY COMES SELF-COMPLETION, AND THE COMPLETION OF OTHERS AND OF THINGS. I have had difficulty in translating this chapter, because it is difficult to understand it. We wish that we had the writer before us to question him; but if we had, it is not likely that he would be able to afford us much satisfaction. Persuaded that what he denominates sincerity is a figment, we may not wonder at the extravagance of its predicates. 1. All the every movement of it is vain and false. How can an unreal mind accomplish real things? Although it may do something, that is simply equivalent to nothing. Therefore the superior man searches out the source of sincerity, and examines the evil of insincerity, chooses what is good, and firmly holds it fast, so seeking to arrive at the place of truth and reality. Mao's explanation is :-'Now, since the reason why the sincerity of spiritual beings is so incapable of being repressed, and why they foreknow, is because they enter into things, and there is nothing without them:-shall there be any. thing which is without the entirely sincere man, who is as a spirit?' I have given these specimens of commentary, that the reader may, if he can, by means of them, gather some 配成所博遠久圈也性 悠也覆所博則 至時德 疆配悠物厚,則息宜 也成已仁也成物知也 道也 如地久也則悠不也内物 之知 此高所高高遠息 者明以 明明。悠則 virtue. The completing other men and things shows his knowledge. Both these are virtues belonging to the nature, and this is the way by which a union is effected of the external and internal. Therefore, whenever he-the entirely sincere man-employs them,-that is, these virtues, their action will be right. CHAP. XXVI. 1. Hence to entire sincerity there belongs ceaselessness. 2. Not ceasing, it continues long. itself. Continuing long, it evidences 3. Evidencing itself, it reaches far. Reaching far, it becomes large. and substantial. Large and substantial, it becomes high and brilliant. 4. Large and substantial; this is how it contains all things. High and brilliant ;-this is how it overspreads all things. Reaching far and continuing long ;-this is how it perfects all things. 5. So large and substantial, the individual possessing it is the co-equal of Earth. So high and brilliant, it makes him the co-equal of Heaven. So far-reaching and long-continuing, it makes him infinite. apprehensible meaning from the text. 3. I 26. A PARALLEL BETWEEN THE SAGE POSSESSED have translated by-complete other OF ENTIRE SINCERITY, AND HEAVEN AND EARTH, men and things also,' with a reference to the account of the achievements of sincerity, in of the Sage; the next three show the way of chap. xxii. On 性之德也合外丙 之道也,the日講 paraphrases: Now both this perfect virtue and knowledge are virtues certainly and originally belonging to our nature, to be referred for their bestowment to Heaven;-what distinction is there in them of external and internal?’–All this, so far as I can see, is but veiling ignorance by words without knowledge. SHOWING THAT THE SAME QUALITIES BELONG TO Heaven and Earth; and the last brings the two ways together, in their essential nature, in a passage from the Shih-ching. The doctrine of the chapter is liable to the criticisms which have been made on the 22nd chapter. And, moreover, there is in it a sad confusion of the visible heavens and earth with the immaterial power and reason which govern them; in a word, with I. Because of the 故, hence,' or 'there. God. fore,' Chû Hsî is condemned by recent writers 焉萬物覆 撮萬 土 之覆 多也。也測。物可無不 今高 天 夫 地貳言 天! 斯也道 多焉月之久厚不為道變 6. Such being its nature, without any display, it becomes mani fested; without any movement, it produces changes; and without any effort, it accomplishes its ends. 7. The way of Heaven and Earth may be completely declared in one sentence.-They are without any doubleness, and so they produce things in a manner that is unfathomable. 8. The way of Heaven and Earth is large and substantial, high and brilliant, far-reaching and long-enduring: 9. The heaven now before us is only this bright shining spot; but when viewed in its inexhaustible extent, the sun, moon, stars, and constellations of the zodiac, are suspended in it, and all things are overspread by it. The earth before us is but a handful of soil; but when regarded in its breadth and thickness, it sustains for making a new chapter to commence here. | sented as by their entire sincerity producing Yet the matter is sufficiently distinct from that of the preceding one. Where the takes hold of the text above, however, it is not easy to discover. The gloss in the says that it indicates a conclusion from all the preceding predicates about sincerity. is to be understood, now in the abstract, and now in the concrete. But the 5th paragraph seems to be the place to bring out the personal idea, as I have done. 無疆, without bounds,' = our infinite. Surely it is strange to apply that term in the description of any created being. 7. What I said was the prime idea in all things. 9. This paragraph is said to illus trate the unfathomableness of Heaven and Earth in producing things, showing how it springs from their sincerity, or freedom from doubleness. I have already observed how it is presented to us. And not only so; we have only the material heavens and earth which are mountains, seas, and rivers, set forth as acting with the same unfathomableness as those entire bodies and powers. The says on this:— The hills and waters are what Heaven and Earth produce, and that they should yet be able themselves to produce other things, shows still more how Heaven and Earth, in the producing of things, are unfathomable.' The use of in 誠, viz (simplicity,’(singleness of soul,' is the several clauses here perplexes the student. very conspicuous here. 其為物不貳-0斯昭昭之多, Chû Hsi says—此指 爲 is the substantive verb. It surprises us, 其一處而言之,This is speaking of however, to find Heaven and Earth called it'-heaven-as it appears in one point.' In the things,' at the same time that they are repre-中庸說 in toc., there is an attempt to make |