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而物知其者誠其 者正

后物在知先其意

而后知

誠其意
具意欲

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知格格致致意 欲誠

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to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of know

ledge lay in the investigation of things.

5. Things being investigated, knowledge became complete.

Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their

6. This requires the heart to be correct,' and

that again that the thoughts be sincere.' Choo

He defines 心 as 身之所主,what the

body has for its lord,' and 意 as 心之所 what the sends forth.' Ying-tă says:

6

一總包萬慮謂之心,
et, that which

comprehends and embraces all considerings is
called the

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chapter is followed by HÆRS

知之至也, which he has transferred and

made the 5th chapter of annotations. Ying-ti's comment on it is:- The root means the person. The person (i. e., personal character) being re garded as the root, if one can know his own person, this is the knowledge of the root; yea

this is the very extremity of knowledge.' If we apply this conclusion to the clauses under notice,

Zt is said that wishing to make our thoughts

'the thoughts under emotion are what is called is then the meta-physical part of our nature, all that we comprehend under

the terms of mind or soul, heart, and spirit. This is conceived of as quiescent, and when its activity is aroused, then we have thoughts and purposes relative to what affects it. The 'being sincere' is explained by, real.' The sincerity of the thoughts is to be obtained by , which means, acc. to Choo He, 'carrying our knowledge to its utmost extent, with the desire that there may be nothing which it shall not embrace.' This knowledge, finally, is realized. The same authority takes

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means exhausting

sincere we must first carry to the utmost our self-knowledge, and this extension of self-know ledge. Now, the change of the style indicates that the relation of and ☀

is different from that of the parts in the other clauses. It is not said that to get the one thing we must first do the other. Rather it seems to me that the 格物 is a of, that in it is seen the other. Now,

consequence

a rule or pattern,' and E, 'to correct,' are accepted meanings of, and being taken generally and loosely as things,

will tell us that, when his self-knowledge is and measuring correctly, all things with which complete, a man is a law to himself, measuring, he has to do, not led astray or beclouded by them. This is the interpretation strongly insist

ed on by 羅仲藩 the author of the 古

'things,' as embracing,, 'affairs,' as well., sometimes, 'to come or extend to,' and assuming that the 'coming to' here is by study, he makes it to examine exhaustively,' so that by examination the principles of things and af. It is the only view into fairs, with the desire that their uttermost point any sympathy with which I can place my mind. may be reached. We feel that this explanation In harmony with it, I would print cannot be correct, or that, if it be correct, the teaching of the Chinese sage is far beyond and above the condition and capacity of men. How can we suppose that, in order to secure sincerity of thought and our self-cultivation, there is necessarily the study of all the phenomena of physics and metaphysics, and of the events of history? Moreover, Choo He's view of the two last clauses is a consequence of the alterations which he adopts in the order of the text. As that exists in the Le-ke, the 7th par. of this

as a par. by itself, between the analytic Still there are difficulties connected with it, and and synthetic processes described in parr. 4, 5. I leave the vexed questions, regretting my own inability to clear them up.

Par. 5. The synthesis of the preceding processes, Observe the of the preceding par. is changed into, and how now becomes low.

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者厚未之有也

皆天治

脩,而至

薄末以子國后

脩以治家正意

其者身至而齊而誠 所否為於后家后意 薄本庶天齊身誠

thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their States were rightly governed. Their States being rightly governed, the whole empire was made tranquil and happy.

6. From the emperor down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of every thing besides.

7. It cannot be, when the root is neglected, that what should spring from it will be well ordered. It never has been the case that what was of great importance has been slightly cared for, and, at the same time, that what was of slight importance has been greatly cared

for.

3d tone. 治 is explained by攻理, the work of ruling, and治by理效,(the re『ult' 后 is used for 後 as in p. 2.

Par. 6. The cultivation of the person is the prime, radical, thing required from all. I have

said above that the Great Learning is adapted only to an emperor, but it is intimated here

that the people also may take part in it in their

degree. 天子, ‘Son of Heaven,' a designation of the emperor,以其命于天, because he is ordained by Heaven'壹是= 一切, all’Ching Kang-shing, however, says:-壹是專行是也,壹是

uncans that they uniformly do this.'

Par. 7. Reiteration of the importance of attend ing to the root. Choo He makes the root here to be the person, but accord. to the prec. par., it is ‘the cultivation of the person' which is intended. By the or branches' is intended the proper ordering, of the family, the state, the

empire. 厚薄‘thick,' and ‘thin,'-used here metaphorically. 所厚 acc. to Choo He, means (the family,' and 所薄, the state and

the empire, but that I cannot understand.

厚 is the same as the root. Mencius has a sayng which may illustrate the second part of the paragraph 於所厚者薄無所不 who is careless in what is important 薄(He,

will be careless in every thing.'

康序更因本門則

誥次程頗人會 子有記

康誥日克明德

德。

左。文所 錯之

別定

述之其傅十章

子之言而曾子 右經一章蓋孔

而今舊而章子孔

The preceding chapter of classical text is in the words of Confucius, handed down by the philosopher Tsang. The ten chapters of explanation which follow contain the views of Tsang, and were

recorded by his disciples. In the old copies of the work, there appeared considerable confusion in these, from the disarrangement of the tablets. But now, availing myself of the decisions of the philosopher Ching, and having examined anew the classical text, I have arranged it in order, as follows:

COMMENTARY OF THE PHILOSOPHER TSANG.

CHAPTER I. 1. In the Announcement to K'ang it is said, “He was able to make his virtue illustrious."

CONCLUDING NOTE. It has been shown in the

prolegomena that there is no ground for the

or

distinction made here between so much king attributed to Confucius, and so much, commentary, ascribed to his disciple Tsăng. The invention of paper is ascribed to Ts'ae Lun (蔡倫), an officer of the Han dynasty, in the time of the emperor Hwo (和),A.D.89 104. Before that time, and long after also,

alips of wood and of bamboo (簡), were used

posed to form this and the five succeeding chapters. It was, no doubt, the occurrence of 明, in the four paragraphs here, and of the

phrase, which determined Choo He to form them into one chapter, and refer them to the first head in the classical text. The old

commentators connect them with the great

business of making the thoughts sincere. 1. part of the address of King Woo to his brother See the Shoo-king, V. x. 3. The words are

Fung(封), called also Kang-shuh (康叔;

to write and engrave upon. We can easily conceive how a collection of them might get the hon. ep.) on appointing him to the disarranged, but whether those containing the marquisate of衞 Great Learning did do so is a question vehe

mently disputed. 右經一章, 'the chapter of classic on the right;’如左, ‘on the left; –these are expressions=our preceding,' and 'as follows,' indicating the Chinese method of writing and printing from the right side of a manuscript or book on to the left.

COMMENTARY OF THE PHILOSOPHER TSANG.

1. THE ILLUSTRATION OF ILLUSTRIOUS VIRTUE.

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The subject of is referred. We cannot determine, from this king Wan, to whose example Kang-shuh is par., between the old interpretation of

='virtues,' and the new which understands by it,-'the heart or nature, all-virtuous.' 2. See the Shoo-king, IV. v. Sect. I. 2. Choo He

takes 諟 as=此,‘this,’or

審 to judge’ 'to examine.' The old interpr. explain it by

The student will do well to refer here to UE, 'to correct.' The sentence is part of the text of "The Great Learning,' as it appears in address of the premier, E-yin, to Tae-kel, the the Le-ke. He will then see how a consider- 2d emperor of the Shang dynasty, B. C. 175able portion of it has been broken up, and trans- | 1718. The subject of 顧 is T'ae-kea's father,

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故雖誥新圈

君舊日 日日湯明右

B. 作 日之德傳

所命民

新盤 之也。
也。曰

不維詩日日 用新。日新苟 其是周康日

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命帝典日克明峻德

大甲日顧諟天之明

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2. In the T'ae Këǎ, it is said, "He contemplated and studied

the illustrious decrees of Heaven."

3. In the Canon of the emperor Yaou, it is said, "He was able to make illustrious his lofty virtue.'

4. These passages all show how those sovereigns made themselves

illustrious.

The above first chapter of commentary explains the illustration of

illustrious virtue.

CHAPTER II. 1. On the bathing-tub of T'ang, the following words were engraved:-"If you can one day renovate yourself, do so from day to day. Yea, let there be daily renovation.”

2. In the Announcement to K'ang, it is said, "To stir up the new people."

3. In the Book of Poetry, it is said, " Although Chow was an ancient state, the ordinance which lighted on it was new."

4. Therefore, the superior man in every thing uses his utmost endeavours.

the great T'ang. Choo He understands by
命 the Heaven-given, illustrious nature of

man. The other school take the phrase more

generally,=the 顯道,‘displayed ways' of
Heaven 3. See the Shoo-king, I. 2. It is of
the emperor Yaou that this is said. 4. The
must be referred to the three quotations.
2. THE RENOVATION OF THE PEOPLE.

Here the character 新, ‘new,' ' to renovate,' occurs

five times, and it was to find something corre

sponding to it at the commencement of the work, which made the Ching change the

of

親民 into 新. But the 新 here have

nothing to do with the renovation of the people. This is self-evident in the 1st and 3d parr. The

heading of the chapter, as above, is a mie

nomer. 1. This fact about T'ang's bathing tub had come down by tradition. At least, we do not now find the mention of it anywhere but here. It was customary among the anclients, as it is in China at the present day, to engrave, all about them, on the articles of their furniture, such moral aphorisms and lessons. 2. See the Kang Kaou, p. 7, where K'ang-shuh is exhorted to assist the emperor 'to settle the

decree of Heaven, and 作新民 which may mean to make the bad people of Yin into good people, or to stir up the new people, i. e., new, as recently subjected to Chow. 3. See the

She-king IIL i. Ode I st. 1. The subject of the

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The above second chapter of commentary explains the renovating of the people.

CHAPTER III. 1. In the Book of Poetry, it is said, "The impe rial domain of a thousand le is where the people rest."

2. In the Book of Poetry, it is said, "The twittering yellow bird rests on a corner of the mound." The Master said, " When it rests, it knows where to rest. Is it possible that a man should not be equal

to this bird?"

3. In the Book of Poetry, it is said, " Profound was King Wăn. With how bright and unceasing a feeling of reverence did he regard his resting places!" As a sovereign, he rested in benevolence. As a minister, he rested in reverence. As a son, he rested in filial piety. As a father, he rested in kindness. In communication with his subjects, he rested in good faith.

ode is the praise of king Wăn, whose virtue led to the possession of the empire by his house, more than a thousand years after its first rise. 3. 君子 is here the man of rank and office

probably, as well as the man of virtue; but I do

not, for my own part, see the particular relation

of this to the preced. parr., nor the work which

it does in relation to the whole chapter.

3. ON RESTING IN THE HIGHEST EXCELLENCE.

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tablishment of the Shang or Yin dynasty.

ing the imperial demesne. The quotation shows is the 1000 le around the capital, and constitutaccording to Choo He, that 物各有所當 止之處, every thing has the place where

it ought to rest.' But that surely is a very sweeping conclusion from the words. 2. See the She-king, II. viii. Ode VI. st. 2, where we have the complaint of a down-trodden man,

The frequent occurrence of in these para-contrasting his position with that of a bird.

graphs, and of 至善, in par. 4, led Choo He

to combine them in one chapter, and connect

them with the last clause in the opening par. of the work. 1. See the She-king, IV. iii. Ode III. st. 4. The ode celebrates the rise and es

For 緡 here, we have 綿 in the She-king. 緡蠻

E

are intended to express the sound of

the bird's singing or chattering. The yellow bird'is known by a variety of names. A como

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