记者子誠者而 知之不善必先 物而誠君不誠也,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. the 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 ballade,' and the latter of 'prodi is here, the Heaven-conferred gious animals' The subject of the verbs nature,' and that is and is the events, not the omens. For the milfoil and tortoise, see the Yi-ching, App. III. They are probably correct, but the difficulty path which is in accordance with the nature.' 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 expan4; that by the tortoise was called. They sion of this in the Ali that fill up were used from the highest antiquity. See the the space between heaven and earth are things Shu-ching, II. ii. 18; V. iv. 20-30. 'four limbs,' are by K'ang-ch'ăng interpreted of the feet of the tortoise, each foot being peculiarly appropriate to divination in a particular season. Chû Hst interprets them of the four limbs of the human body. 如神 must 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 They end and they begin again; they begin and proceed to an end; every change being accomplished by sincerity, and every phenomenon having sincerity unceasingly in it. So far as the mind of man (人之心) every movement of it is vain and false. How is concerned, if there be not sincerity, then 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 anything 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, gatner some 配成所博遠久圈也性 天物以厚則久, 悠也覆所博則至 德 久、博物以厚徵。誠措也 無厚也載博徵無之 也成已仁也成物知也 之知 不也。 道也 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. There fore, 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. 26. A PARALLEL BETWEEN THE SAGE POSSESSED apprehensible meaning from the text. 3. I | 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 chap. xxii. On 性之德也合外内 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 THEM. The first six paragraphs show the way of the Sage; the next three show the way of Heaven and Earth; and the last brings tae 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 aand 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 God. 1. Because of the 'hence,' or 'therefore,' Chû Hsi is condemned by recent writers 地 也。也測。物可 今高 天不 夫也地貳 -焉無天 天明之 撮萬窮斯也 不見而章不動而變 斯也道其盡天打 土 物也昭悠博生 也地重 之覆日昭也也物其之 多焉 焉月之厚不為道 道變 6. Such being its nature, without any display, it becomes manifested; 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 all things. 9. This paragraph is said to illusof the preceding one. Where the takes trate the unfathomableness of Heaven and Earth in producing things, showing how it hold of the text above, however, it is not easy springs from their sincerity, or freedom from to discover. The gloss in the says that doubleness. I have already observed how it is it indicates a conclusion from all the preceding only the material heavens and earth which are | presented to us. And not only so; we have predicates about sincerity. is to be mountains, seas, and rivers, set forth as acting understood, now in the abstract, and now in with the same unfathomableness as those entire the concrete. But the 5th paragraph seems bodies and powers. The says on this:to be the place to bring out the personal idea,The hills and waters are what Heaven and Earth produce, and that they should yet be able ae I have done. 無疆, without bounds,' = our infinite. Surely it is strange to apply themselves to produce other things, shows still that term in the description of any created more how Heaven and Earth, in the producing being. 7. What I said was the prime idea in 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. 其爲物不貳-0斯昭昭之多, Chû Hai saye 此指 為 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-, in loc., there is an attempt to make 不蓋焉黿今木山河 顯 云蛟 蛟水 之 盍日天之所以爲天也於平 焉詩云維天之命於穆不只 王之所以爲文也純亦不已 文德 純純 勺獸之洩載 之 之居多萬華 多之及物嶽 及寶其載而 蓋也穆1 不 焉不 測焉 馬草夫 夫振 mountains like the Hwa and the Yo, without feeling their weight, and contains the rivers and seas, without their leaking away. The mountain now before us appears only a stone; but when contemplated in all the vastness of its size, we see how the grass and trees are produced on it, and birds and beasts dwell on it, and precious things which men treasure up are found on it. The water now before us appears but a ladleful; yet extending our view to its unfathomable depths, the largest tortoises, iguanas, iguanodons, dragons, fishes, and turtles, are produced in them, articles of value and sources of wealth abound in them. ro. It is said in the Book of Poetry, 'The ordinances of Heaven, how profound are they and unceasing!' The meaning is, that it is thus that Heaven is Heaven. And again, 'How illustrious was it, the singleness of the virtue of king Wăn!' indicating that it was thus that king Wan was what he was. Singleness likewise is unceasing. this out by a definition of 多:一多餘也,Parts 華嶽—there are five peaks, or 嶽 言少許耳多 is overplus, menning a celebrated in China, the western one of which amall overplua. 日月星辰,comparo the is called 華 (lower ard tone)撒 Here, howShd-ching, I. 3. In that passage, as well as here, ever, we are to understand by each term a 集證 中 many take as meaning the planets, but we particular mountain. See the and need not depart from the meaning of 'stars' 庸說, in toe. In the 集證, the Yellow generally. is applied variously, but used river, and that only, is understood by, but along with the other terms, it denotes the con junctions of the sun and moon, which divide both it and must be taken generally. the circumference of the heavens into twelve read ch'uan, the and tone, is in the dictionary, 道君至故待三優萬道 問子道日其百優物洋天 學會不苟人威大峻洋哉 致德凝不而儀 廣性焉 大而故德 CHAP. XXVII. 禮 于 發 千。儀天。育 1. How great is the path proper to the Sage! 2. Like overflowing water, it sends forth and nourishes all things, and rises up to the height of heaven. 3. All-complete is its greatness! It embraces the three hundred rules of ceremony, and the three thousand rules of demeanour. 4. It waits for the proper man, and then it is trodden. 5. Hence it is said, : Only by perfect virtue can the perfect path, in all its courses, be made a fact. 6. Therefore, the superior man honours his virtuous nature, and maintains constant inquiry and study, seeking to carry it out to its breadth and greatness, so as to omit none of the more exquisite and with reference to this passage, defined by place,' 'a small plot.' In the defined as everywhere else in the Work (see the 翼注 is in loc.); the path which is in accordance with the nature.' The student tries to believe so, and the first-produced of the chelonia; 龍∞麟蟲之長,the goes on to par. 2, when the predicate about t nourishing of all things puzzles and confounds him. 2. 極 is not here the adverb, but = 至, chief of scaly animals;' as being 'a kind of ‘reaching to.’3. By禮儀 we are to under蛟 as being 'a kind of while the stand the greater and more general principles (has scales like a fish, feet like a dragon, of propriety, 'such,' says the 備合 and is related to the By are intended capping, marriage, mourning, and sacrifice;' pearls and valuable shells; by, fish, salt, and by are intended all the minuter &o. 10. See the Shih-ching, IV. i. Bk. I. Ode observances of those. The former are also II. st. I. The attributes of the ordinances of Heaven, and the virtue of king Win, are hero 禮,禮經 and 正經; the latter, 曲禮 set forth, as substantially the same. -Aine and . See the, in loc. 300 and pure,' 'unmixed.' The dictionary gives it the distinct meaning of 'ceaselessness,' quoting the last clause here, as if it were definition, and not description. 27. THE GLORIOUS PATH OF THE SAGE; AND HOW THE SUPERIOR MAN ENDEAVOURS TO ATTAIN TO IT The chapter thus divides itself into two parts, one containing five paragraphs, descriptive of the SAGE, and the other two descriptive of the superior man, which two appellations are to be here distinguished. 1. This paragraph,' says Chû Hsi, 'embraces the two that follow.. They are, indeed, to be taken as exegetical of it.道,it is said, is here, as and gooo are round numbers. |