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The
Wisdom of the Chinese
Their Philosophy in Sayings
and Proverbs





coPYRIGHT, 1920
BY BRENTANo's
(65%
, (9
ET).5
|Q) O
The - Plimpton • Press • NORWOOD - Mass - u • s • A


CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II
CONFUCIUS: ANALECTS . . . . . . . . . . 21
confucius: THE DocTRINE of THE MEAN 39
CONFUCIUs: GREAT LEARNING . . . . . . 61
MENCIUS: THE REAL MAN . . . . . . . . 67
LAo Tzú: TAO-TEH-KING . . . . . . . . . 85
LAo Tzú: wu-wei . . . . . . . . . . . . IoI
LAo Tzú: PRECEPTS AND SAYINGs . . . . . I I I
CHUANG Tzú . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
YANG CHU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
KANG-HSI’s SACRED EDICT . . . . . . . . 145
KUAN-YI-wu; YU TSE; TSE-CHAN . . . . . 149
THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE . . . . . . 155
PROVERBS AND MAXIMS . . . . . . . . . I7 I
MORAL MAXIMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES . . . . . . . 207


PREFACE
W 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 P REFA C E
When Confucius was thirty-three years of
age he visited Lao Tzú, who was then eighty-
seven; and it is recorded that the great founder
of Taoism was not much impressed by the
younger man.
Lao Tzú 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 Tzú, 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


PR E FA C E 9
himself worthy of his master; the great expo-
ment of the doctrines of Lao Tzú was Chuang Tzü,
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
Tzú 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 value to the thoughts of my
people.
LY Hoi SANG
Author of “A Collection of 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
Iiterature, 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


I N T R O D U CT I O N I3
tem of philosophy, in fact, beginning with a well-
defined idea, and finishing with what is called a
logical 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 Iife 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. º
This is an age in which technique is overde-
veloped, in fact it has almost taken the place of


I4 I N T R O DU cT I o N
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 Tzü, 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 Tzú'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


I N T R O D U C T I O N I 5
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
Tzú. He taught that virtue and high moral con-
duct are developed through behavior; Lao Tzú
— 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


I N T R O D U C T I O N 17
plete anthology, are represented by what appears
to be their most prominent expression. Their
philosophy explains itself; their ideas are about
Iife and things, the same as our own. 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 with 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.








The Wisdom of the Chinese
CONFUCIUS. 551 B. c.
ANALECTS
ON GoverNING
Chi KANG Tzú 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 replied: “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
YEN YüAN 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
2 I


C O N F UC I U.S. 5 5 I 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?
ExALTED VIRTUE
Tzú CHANG 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.”
ON BEING DISTINGUISHED
Tzú 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?”—Tzú Chang replied: “I mean one
whose fame fills both his own 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.
t
º
t


24. T H E W I S D OM OF T H E C H IN E S E
“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
THE Master said: “The higher type 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.


C O N F UC I U.S. 5 5 I 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
THE 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
THE 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 T H E w I s Do M o F T H E C H IN E S E
THE FIVE QUALITIES
Tzo Chang asked Confucius a question about
Moral virtue. Confucius replied, “Moral virtue
simply consists in being able, anywhere and
everywhere, 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.”
-
w
RIGHTEoUSNEss
Tzo 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
Tzt, Kung asked: “Has the nobler sort of man
any hatreds?” The Master replied: “He has. He


C O N F UC I U. S. 5 5 I 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, Tzú,” 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.”
THE FOUR WoRDS
THERE were four words of which the Master
barred the use: He would have no “shall’s,”
no “must's,” certainly no “I’s.”
CoNFUCIUs on HIMSELF
AT 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.
i
i


28 T H E WI S D O M OF T H E CH IN E S E
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.


30 T H E w I S D O M OF T H E c H 1 N Es E
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
W HEN you see a good man, think of emulat-
ing him; when you see a bad man, examine your
own heart. -


C O N F UC I U.S. 5 5 I B. C. 3I
Chi Wěn Tzú used to reflect thrice before he
acted. When told of this, the Master said:
“Twice would do.”
The Master said: “Alas! I have never seen a
man who could see his own faults and arraign
himself at the bar of his own conscience.”
MEDITATION
W 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
CHI LU inquired concerning men's duty to
spirits. The Master replied: “Before we are able
to do our duty by the living, how can we do it
by the spirits of the dead?” Chi Lu went on to
inquire about death. The Master said: “Before
* *
…
*"


c O N F UC I U.S. 5 5 I 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 to Tzú 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.”
Your goody-goody people are the thieves of
virtue.


C O N F UC I U.S. 5 5 I B. C. 35
insufficiency, a man of every virtue who thought
he had none, solid in character yet making him-
self a cipher, trespassed against but never re-
taliating, — such was the humble state of mind
in which my late friend spent his life.”
Tzú 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
life 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.” Tzú 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 world 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
TRUTH 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.
REALIZATION OF TRUTH
TRUTH 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 T H E w I S D O M OF T H E C H IN E S E
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
THUs 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.


C O N F U C I US 4 I
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.
TRUTH AND INTELLIGENCE
THE 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


C O N F U C I US 43
TRUTH AND ForekNowledge
IT 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
I 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 live 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.


C O N F U C I US 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
FORCE of character is a wonderful thing.
Wherefore the man with the true force of moral
character is one who is easy and accommodating
and yet without weakness or indiscrimination.
How unflinchingly firm he is in his strength! He
is independent without any bias. When there is
moral social order in the country, if he enters
public life 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
THERE 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 T H E W I S D O M OF T H E C H IN E S E
have gone halfway, throw it up. I never could
give it up.
Lastly, there are truly more men who uncon-
sciously live a life in entire harmony with the
universal moral order and who live unknown to
the world and unnoticed of men without any
concern. It is only men of holy, divine natures
who are capable of this.
UNDERSTANDING THE MoRAL LAw
THE 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 may 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
GREAT as the Universe is, the man with the
infinite moral nature in him is never satisfied.


C O N F U C I US 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.
t
PRACTICE of THE MoRAL LAw
THE 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 T H E W I S D OM OF T H E CH IN E S E
Four Points of THE MoRAL LAw
THERE 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 toward me: 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?
------- - - - - - - - e-


50 T H E w 1 s Do M of T H E CH IN E S E
pointment of God, whereas the vulgar person
takes to dangerous courses, expecting the uncer-
tain chances of luck.
SELF—ANALYSIs
IN 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 himself. -
BEGINNING AT THE BOTTOM
THE moral life of man may be likened to travel-
ing to a distant place: one must start from the
nearest stage. It may also be likened 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 lights the home,
And bright days follow when the children
come.”


C O N F U C I US 5 I
MoRAL LAw AND NATURE
THE 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
IT is only the man with the most perfect divine
moral nature who is able to combine in himself
quickness of apprehension, intelligence, insight,
and understanding: qualities necessary for the
exercise of command; magnanimity, generosity,
benignity, and gentleness: qualities necessary for


52 T H E W I S D O M OF T H E C H 1 N E s E
the exercise of patience; originality, energy,
strength of character, and determination: quali-
ties necessary for the exercise of endurance; dig-
nity, noble seriousness, order, and regularity:
qualities necessary for the exercise of self-respect;
grace, method, delicacy, and lucidity: 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 living spring of water, ever running out
with life and vitality. 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


C O N F U C I US 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 like a spirit.
SPIRITUAL Forces
THE power of spiritual forces in the Universe
— how ctive 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 T H E W I S D O M OF T H E CH IN E S E
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 between the two extremes: in his judgment,
employment, and dealings with people.
“This was characteristic of Shun's great intel-
Iect.”
KNowLEDGE OF MoRALs
SoME 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.


56 T H E w Is Do M of T H E CH 1 N Es E
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
THE 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


C O N F U C I US 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, ordinary, 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





62 T H E w Is D o M of T H E C H IN E S E
THE TRUE SCHOLAR
WHEN 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 life; is it not enduring?
Learning is like raising a monument; if I stop
with this basket of earth, it is my own 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; failing 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


C O N F U C I US 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
A 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 with 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 already complete in us. There
is no greater delight 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 life. Every 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 T H E w 1 s Do M of T H E c H 1 N Es E
Over-readiness of speech comes of not having
been reproved.
Even those who 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
LET 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. - r
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 men 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. 37 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 with 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 º' supplies his incompetencies.
CoNCERNING DESIREs
To 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
THE great man is he who does not lose his
child-heart. He does not think beforehand that
his words shall be sincere, nor that his acts shall
be resolute; he simply abides in the right.


70 T H E w Is D o M o F T H E C H IN E s E
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
THE virtues are not poured into us, they are .
natural: seek, and you will find them; neglect,
and you will lose them. To every faculty and


M E N C I U.S. 37 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
THEY 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 his
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 commands
our liking, 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 what
is called a beautiful man.
He whose completed goodness is brightly dis-
played, is what is called a great man.


72 T H E w I s Do M OF T H E C H IN E s E
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 will 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. 37 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.”
THE WISE
THE 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


M E N C I U.S. 37 I B. c. 75
QUALITIES OF THE GREAT
To 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
THE exercise of love between father and son,
the observance of righteousness between 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 T H E w is Do M o F T H E CH 1 N Es E
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 nobility 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
WHEN 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 weapon”?


78 T H E W I SD OM OF T H E CH IN E S E
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. 37 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 like 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 T H E w I s Do M o F T H E CH IN E S E
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
words 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 E N C I U.S. 37 I B. C. 81
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
are 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 who did not, the people
would hasten to obey him as rushing waters that
cannot be stayed.


82 T H E w I S D o M of T H E c H 1 N E s E
“Venerable man,” said the king, “since you
have come here a distance of a thousand li, 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. c.
, FROM THE TAO-TEH KING


86 T H E w is Do M of T H E c H 1 N E s E
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
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.


LA o Tz U. 6 o 4 B. C. 87
THE FORM OF TAO
Its 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 imageless, 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.
THE FORCE OF TAO
THE 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 Reality, and out of
it comes Truth.
–––. ---------
* * * *-**-----------------------------—-


88 T H E w i s Do M of T H E c H 1 N E s E
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.
THE INFINITE
THERE 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
THEREFORE 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.


90 T H E w 1 s Do M O F T H E C H IN E S E
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 Lowest
THE highest goodness is like 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
ALL things alike 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
Iaw is to be enlightened. Not to know it, is
misery and calamity. He who knows the eternal
law is liberal-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


LA o Tz U. 6 o 4 B.C. 9I
forever. Though his body perish, yet he suffers
no harm.
THE FIRST CAUSE
THE 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
IT 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 T H E w I s Do M OF T H E C H IN E s E
ON SELF-AssERTION
HE 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
PERFECT 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.


LA O T Z U. 6 o 4 B. C. 93
THE SUPERIOR ScHoLAR
WHEN the superior scholar hears of Tao, he
diligently practices it. When the average scholar
hears of Tao, he sometimes retains it, sometimes
Ioses 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.
DISPLAY
THE 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.
BEGIN HARMONY witH YoUR AGE
TEMPER 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.


LA o Tz U. 6 o 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, like 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
AMONG 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 T H E W I S D O M OF T H E C H I N E S E
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 holiness, 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.


LA o Tz 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 T H E W I S D O M OF T H E C H IN E S E
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 more he has of his own.





LAO T2 U
WU-WEI
Do 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 would 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
IOI


L. A. O. T Z U IO3
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
ALL 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.


106 T H E w I s Do M o F T H E C H IN E S E
The best soldiers are not warlike; the best
fighters do not lose their temper. The greatest
conquerors are those who overcome their enemies
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 was the highest goal of the ancients.
ON RULING THE PEOPLE
NOT 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 way to keep their
minds from disorder.
He who respects the State as his own person
is fit to govern it. He who 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.


108 T H E w I s Do M o F T H E c H IN E s E
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
By 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
ability; the excellence of movement is timeliness.
He who prides himself upon wealth and honor
hastens his own downfall.
III


II 2 T H E W I S D O M OF T H E C H IN E S E
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.
-------------4----------


L A. O. T Z U II3
To see oneself is to be clear of sight. Mighty
is he who conquers himself.
He who raises himself 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
with calm indifference. How should the lord of
a million chariots conduct himself in the empire?
Levity loses men's hearts; unrest loses the
throne.


I 14 T H E W I S D O M OF T H E CH IN E S E
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 what was in
front is now behind; what was hot is now cold;
what was strong is now weak; what was com-
plete is now in ruin. Therefore the Sage avoids
excess, extravagance, and grandeur.


116 T H E w Is Do M of T H E c H 1 N E s E
I have heard that he who possesses the secret
of life, when traveling abroad, will not flee from
rhinoceros or tiger; when entering a hostile camp,
he will not equip himself with sword or buckler.
The rhinoceros finds 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 knows how to plant, shall not have
his plant uprooted; he who knows how 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.


L. A. O. T Z U 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 would 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 world
must once have been small. Set about difficult


L. A. O. T Z U I 19
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 T H E w I s Do M of T H E C H 1 N E s E
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 knows
the real cause of Heaven's hatred? This is why
the Sage hesitates and finds 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. 4oo B. c.
RIGHT AND WRONG





CHUANG Tzu. 4oo B. c.
RIGHT AND WIRONG
THOSE 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 absolutely 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-
I23


124 T H E w I S D O M OF T H E C H IN E S E
tions. Yet fools trust to their senses to know
what is good for mankind, with alas! but ex-
ternal results.
ON CONSCIOUSNESS
A 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 life, 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
HE who knows what God is, and who knows
what man is, has attained. Knowing what God
is, he knows that he himself proceeded there-
from. Knowing what man is, he rests in the
knowledge of the known, waiting for the knowl-


126 T H E w Is D o M o F T H E C H IN Es E
THE Soul
BUT 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
WHAT 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


C H U A N G T Z U. 4 O O B. C. 127
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
affirmative, 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, life 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 T H E w Is Do M of T H E c H IN E s E
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
WHEN I seek for a beginning, I find 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.


C H U A N G T Z U. 4 O O 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-
plicable. 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 enlightenment!”
To which the Spirit of the Ocean replied:
“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 T H E w I S D O M OF T H E C H I N E S E
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
DIMENSIONS 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.
NATURAL INSTINCTs
THE people have certain natural instincts: to
weave and clothe themselves, to till and feed


132 T H E w I S D o M OF T H E C H IN E s E
When Chuang Tzú was about to die, his dis-
ciples expressed a wish to give him a splendid
funeral. But Chuang Tzú 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 Tzú 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?”
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


c H U A N G T z U. 4 o o 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
THE perfect man is a spiritual being. Were
the ocean 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 hot an end.
Let knowledge stop at the unknowable. That
is perfection.





YANG CHU. 3oo B. c.
FAME AND WANITY


º


YANG CHU. 3oo B. c.
FAME AND WANITY
YANG 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 fame?” -
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 T H E W I S D O M OF T H E C H IN E S E
dispose of their glory 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 one in a thousand ever attains to it. Yet if


KANG-HSI’S SACRED EDICT


146 T H E W I S D O M OF T H E C H IN E S E
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 shall not
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?


K A N G - H S I's S A C R E D E D I CT 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 joys
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.


148 T H E W I S D O M OF T H E CH IN E S E
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. 5oo B. c.
ON LIFE
ALLOW the ear to hear what it likes, the eye
to see what it likes, the mouth to say what it
Iikes, 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-
mitted, then I call that obstruction of the senses
of the body.
I49


YU TSE. 1250 B. c.
ON FAME
HE who renounces fame has no sorrow.
Fame is the follower of reality. 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
THAT 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 lives and
InatureS.
Hear my words. Repent in the morning, and
in the evening you will have already gained the
wage that will support you.
*
152


THE POETRY OF
THE CHINESE


THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE :
SSü–K'UNG TU, A.D. 834–908
FREIGHTED 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 pearſ;
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;
I 55


T H E P o E T R Y of T H E c H 1 N E S E 157
...
TSEN-TSAN. A.D. 750
N IGHT 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 slip 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
WHAT 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.


T H E P o E T R Y o F T H E C H IN E S E 161
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.


162 T H E W I S D OM OF T H E CH IN E S E
CHIA I. 200 B.C."
CALLED THE POE of CHINA
IN disma, 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. Revell & Co. y, , by y sy
*


T H E P o E T R Y o F T H E CH IN E S E 165
PAN CHIH YU. 18 B.C.
THE SAPPHO OF CHINA
OF 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.








PROVERBS AND MAXIMS
ABSENT-MINDEDNESS
F ELLING a tree to catch the blackbird.
Asking a blind 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 selling.
Easy to open a shop; hard to keep it open.
Without a smiling face do not become a mer-
chant.
CoMPENSATIONS
The beautiful bird gets caged.
171


172 T H E w is Do M o F T H E CH IN E S E
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. N
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.


174 T H E w Is Do M o F T H E CH IN E S E
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!


P R O V E R B S A N D M A X IMS 177
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 T H E w is Do M of T H E C H IN E S E
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.


P R O V E R B S A N D M A X IMS 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
THE 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


M O R A L M A X IM S 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.


186 T H E w 1 s Do M o F T H E c H IN E s E
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
In earl Orle.
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 mean man is proud without being
really great.
It is said in the Ye-King that “of those men
whose talent is inconsiderable, while their station
is eminent, and of those whose knowledge is
small, while their schemes are large, there are
few who do not become miserable.”


M O R A L M A X IM S 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-
ligent, 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


M O R A L M A X IM S I9 I
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.


M O R A L M A X IMS 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 T H E W I S D OM OF T H E C H IN E s E
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.
A man is ignorant of his own failings 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 lives are proportionably contracted.
What reason, then, have the fish to be merry,
when the water 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.


M O R A L M A X IM S 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 T H E W I S D O M OF T H E CH IN E S E
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 family 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-


M O R A L M A X IM S 197
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 like himself, he had better
have none. There are plenty of acquaintances in
the world, but very few real friends.


M O R A L M A X I M. S 20 I
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 light 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;


2O2 T H E W I S D OM OF T-H E CH IN E S E
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.


BIBLIOGRAPHY
AND SOURCES


BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES
SAMUEL Couling, M.A., The Encyclopædia 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
of China.
H. A. GILEs, History of Chinese Literature.
Appleton and Co., New York.
Dr. W. A. P. MARTIN, The Lore of 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. 1914.
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








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