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之而張之尊
之尊而無得勞

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致虐四威儼 君敢 貪又

期不惡 而然子慢君

斯不亦惠而不費乎擇

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子不人正斯子怨費

二視曰 1.猛望其 賊成不乎,而亦

猶謂教子畏

冠泰寡而

,而可

they naturally derive benefit;-is not this being beneficent without great expenditure? When he chooses the labours which are proper, and makes them labour on them, who will repine? When his desires are set on benevolent government, and he secures it, who will accuse him of covetousness? Whether he has to do with many people or few, or with things great or small, he does not dare to indicate any disrespect;-is not this to maintain a dignified ease without any pride? He adjusts his clothes and cap, and throws a dignity into his looks, so that, thus dignified, he is looked at with awe;-is not this to be majestic without being fierce?'

3. Tsze-chang then asked, 'What are meant by the four bad things?' The Master said, To put the people to death without having instructed them ;-this is called cruelty. To require from them, suddenly, the full tale of work, without having given them warning;-this is called oppression. To issue orders as if without urgency, at first, and, when the time comes, to insist on them with severity; this is called injury. And, generally, in the giving pay 因民云云

meaning of the phrase, Confucius describing 猛

,-see VII. xxxvii. 2.

principles to be observed by all in authority, is instanced by the promotion of agriculture. and which will find in the highest their noblestZZ is instanced by the em擇可勞云云

embodiment. The 日講 favours this view. ployment of the people in advantageous public See its paraphrase in loc. I have therefore works. 欲仁云云 is explained: Detranslated by a person in authority.'sire for what is not proper is covetousness, but if, while the wish to have the kingdom over勞而不怨 ,—see IV. xviii, though the ap- shadowed by his benevolence has not reached plication of the terms there is different. to universal advantaging, his desire does not cease, then, with a heart impatient of people's

而不驕 -see XIII. xxvi. 威而不 evils, he administers a government impatient

VOL. I.

Аа

知知以不為

知命無以

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也無也禮子

以不 無也以不司。齐也

or rewards to men, to do it in a stingy way;-this is called acting

the part of a mere official.'

CHAP. III. 1. The Master said, 'Without recognising the ordin

ances of Heaven, it is impossible to be a superior man.

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2. Without an acquaintance with the rules of Propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established.

3. Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know men.’

of those evils. What he desires is benevolence; | 3. THE ORDINANCES OF HEAVEN, THE RULES OF and what he gets is the same;-how can he be PROPRIETY, AND THE FORCE OF WORDS, ALL NECES知 here is not only

regarded as covetous ?’3. 視 is explained here by, 'to require from.' We may get that meaning out of the character, which = 'to examine,' to look for.' A good deal has to be supplied, here and in the sentences below, to bring out the meaning as in the translation.

=our

SARY TO BE KNOWN. I.

(knowing,’but (believing and resting in.’命

is the will of Heaven regarding right and

wrong, of which man has the standard in his own moral nature. If this be not recognised,

2. Compare VIII. viii. 2.

猶之 is explained by均之, and seems to a man is the slave of passion, or the sport of feeling. (on the whole.’出綱 me to be nearly = ‘giving out,’i.e. from this, and presenting, i. e. to that. The whole is understood to refer to rewarding men for their services, and doing it in an unwilling and stingy manner.

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3.知 here supposes much thought and examination of principles. Words are the voice of the heart. To know a man, we must attend well to what and how he thinks.

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My master, the philosopher Chăng, says: The Great Learning is a Book transmitted by the Confucian School, and forms the gate by which first learners enter into virtue. That we can now perceive the order in which the ancients pursued their

learning is solely owing to the preservation of this work, the Analects and Mencius coming after it. Learners must commence their course with this, and then may be hoped they will be kept from error.'

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TITLE OF THE WORK.- 一大學, The Great paraphrasts who follow him says-大是 Learning. I have pointed out, in the prole. 大人與小子對大 'means adults,

gomena, the great differences which are found among Chinese commentators on this Work, on in opposition to children.' The grounds of almost every point connected with the criticism Chû Hsî's interpretation are to be found in his and interpretation of it. We encounter them very elegant preface to the Book, where he here on the very threshold. The name itself is tries to make it out, that we have here the simply the adoption of the two commencing subjects taught in the advanced schools of ancharacters of the treatise, according to the cus- tiquity. I have contented myself with the tom noticed at the beginning of the Analects; title-'The Great Learning,' which is a literal but in explaining those two characters, the old translation of the characters, whether read as

or

and new schools differ widely. Anciently, 大太學 大學

was read as, and the oldest commentator whose notes on the work are preserved, Chǎng K'ang-ch'äng, in the last half of the 2nd cen2 tury, said that the Book was called,

well to translate this, and all the other notes THE INTRODUCTORY NOTE.-I have thought it and supplements appended by Chû Hsî to the original text, because they appear in nearly all the editions of the work, which fall into the hands of students, and his view of the classics

以其記博學,可以為政, (ber is what must be regarded as the orthodox one.

cause it recorded that extensive learning, which The translation, which is here given, is also, was available for the administration of govern- for the most part, according to his views, ment.' This view is approved by K'ung Ying- though my own differing opinion will be found freely expressed in the notes. Another ver

ta (孔穎達), whose expansion of K'ang-| sion, following the order of the text, before it

ch'ang's notes, written in the first half of the was transposed by him and his masters, the and without reference to his interpre

7th century, still remains. He says一大學,tions will be found in the translation of the 至道大學 means the highest prin- Li Chi.−子程子,一see note to the Analects,

ciples.’Chû Hsi's definition, on the contrary, I.i.r. The Chang here is the second of the two

is-大學者大人之學也,大學 brothers, to whom reference is made in the promeans the Learning of Adults. One of the legomena. E, Confucius,' = the K'ung,

后定而善止親明道大

能定后知於民德在學 靜而有止至在在明之矣。

THE TEXT OF CONFUCIUS.

1. What the Great Learning teaches, is-to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence. 2. The point where to rest being known, the object of pursuit is then determined; and, that being determined, a calm unperturbedness may be attained to. To that calmness there will succeed a tranquil repose. In that repose there may be careful deliberation,

as

It is not a third and differ

is found continually in the Analects not in the same condition as himself.—The for the Chî, i. e. the chief of the Chi family. For highest excellence' is understood of the two how can we say that 'The Great Learning' is previous matters. a work left by Confucius? Even Chû Hsient object of pursuit, but indicates a perseverascribes only a small portion of it to the Master, ance in the two others, till they are perfectly and makes the rest to be the production of the accomplished. According to these explanadisciple Tsăng, and before his time, the whole tions, the objects contemplated in the Great Learning are not three, but two. Suppose work was attributed generally to the sage's them realised, and we should have the whole grandson. I must take Las-FL, world of mankind perfectly good, every indi

the Confucian school.

THE TEXT OF CONFUCIUS. Such Chû Hsî, as will be seen from his concluding note, determines this chapter to be, and it has been divided into two sections (E), the first containing three paragraphs, occupied with the heads of the Great Learning, and the second containing four paragraphs, occupied with the particulars (1) of those.

vidual what he ought to be!

Against the above interpretation, we have to consider the older and simpler. is there not the nature, but simply virtue, or virtuous conduct, and the first object in the Great Learning is the making of one's self more and more illustrious in virtue, or the practice of benevolence, reverence, filial piety, kindness,

and sincerity. See the‡ƒa‡

, in loc.-There is nothing, of course, of the Par. 1. The heads of the Great Learning. renovating of the people, in this interpretation. the way of the Great Learn- The second object of the Great Learning is

ing; 道 being=修為之方法(the 親民 親愛於民, to love the people.

methods of cultivating and practising it,'-the -The third object is said by Ying-tâ to be ' in resting in conduct which is perfectly good

Great Learning, that is. E, 'is in.' The first (在正處於至善之行),'and here

between the first and third? There will be occasion below to refer to the reasons for changing into, and their unsatisfactoriness. To love the people' is, doubtless, the second thing taught by the Great Learning.-Having the heads of the Great Learning now before us, according to both interpretations of it, we feel that the student of it should be a sovereign, and not an ordinary man.

is used as a verb; the second as an adjec- also, there would seem to be only two objects, tive, qualifying. The illustrious virtue is for what essential distinction can we make the virtuous nature which man derives from Heaven. This is perverted as man grows up, through defects of the physical constitution, through inward lusts, and through outward seductions; and the great business of life should be, to bring the nature back to its original purity.-'To renovate the people,'this object of the Great Learning is made out, by changing the character of the old text into. The Ch'ǎng first proposed the alteration, and Chû Hsi approved of it. When a man has entirely illustrated his own illustrious nature, he has to proceed to bring about the same result in every other man, till 'under heaven' there be not an individual, who is

Par. 2. The mental process by which the point of rest may be attained. I confess that I do not well understand this paragraph, in the relation of its parts in itself, nor in relation to the rest E is the of the chapter. Chû Hsî says:-‘ ground where we ought to rest ;'-namely, the highest excellence mentioned above. But if

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終得后

欲 者治

其德道

者 國於矣 有慮 身先其欲天古所本慮能

靜而后能安安而

者脩家治下 先末而安 先其 欲 者欲後 後事局 后安

正身齊 國 先明則有能而

and that deliberation will be followed by the attainment of the desired end.

3. Things have their root and their branches. Affairs have their end and their beginning. To know what is first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning.

4. The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own States. Wishing to order well their States, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts.

this be known in the outset, where is the ne- contend that the illustration of virtue and

cessity for the 慮 or‘careful deliberation,' renovation of the people are doings (事), and which issues in its attainment? The para- not things (物). According to them, the phrasts make to embrace even all that things are the person, heart, thoughts, &c., is understood by 格物致知 below mentioned below, which are (the root,' and the

family, kingdom, and empire, which are 'the branches.' The affairs or doings are the various processes put forth on those things.-This, it seems to me, is the correct interpretation.

Ying-tâ is perhaps rather more intelligible. He says:-When it is known that the rest is to be in the perfectly good, then the mind has fixedness. So it is free from concupiscence, and can be still, not engaging in disturbing tion of illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom may pursuits. That stillness leads to a repose and be brought about. 明明德於天下 is

harmony of the feelings. That state of the

Par. 4. The different steps by which the illustra

feelings fits for careful thought about affairs understood by the school of Chû Hsi as

(能思慮於事), and thence it results

embracing the two first objects of the Great

that what is right in affairs is attained.' Per- Learning, the illustration, namely, of virtue, haps, the paragraph just intimates that the and the renovation of the people. We are not objects of the Great Learning being so great, athetic arrangement of the different steps in the aided in determining the meaning by the syncalm, serious thoughtfulness is required in proceeding to seek their attainment. next paragraph, for the result arrived at there

Par. 3. The order of things and methods in the is simply一天下平, the whole kingdom

two preceding paragraphs. So, according to Chû was made tranquil.'-Ying-tâ's comment is

Hsi, does this paragraph wind up the two pre 章明已之明德使徧於天下

ceding. ‘The illustration of virtue,' he says,

'is the root, and the renovation of the people 'to display illustriously their own illustrious is the completion (literally, the branches). Knowing virtue (or virtues), making them reach through where to rest is the beginning, and being able to the whole kingdom.' But the influence must attain is the end. The root and the beginning be very much transformative. Of the several are what is first. The completion and end are steps described, the central one is,

what is last.”——The adherents of the old commen·

tators say, on the contrary, that this paragraph 'the cultivation of the person,' which, indeed, is introductory to the succeeding ones. They is called 本, the root,' in par. 6.

This re

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