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孔子所以定《五經》者何？以為孔子居周之末世，王道陵遲，禮樂廢壞，強陵弱，眾暴寡，天子不敢誅，方伯不敢伐。閔道德之不行，故周流應聘，冀行其聖德。自衛反魯，自知不用，故追定《五經》以行其道。故孔子曰：「《》曰：『孝乎，惟孝，友于兄弟，施於有政。』是亦1為政也。」孔子未定《五經》如何？周衰道失，綱散紀亂，五教廢壞，故五常之經咸失其所，像《》失理，則陰陽萬物失其性而乖。設法謗之言，並作《》三千篇，作《》三百篇，而歌謠怨誹也。 |
| | What was Confucius's reason for establishing the "Five Classics"? It was because Confucius lived in the later period of the Zhou dynasty, when the royal way had declined and rites and music were neglected and ruined. The strong oppressed the weak, and the many tyrannized the few; even the Son of Heaven dared not punish them, and regional lords dared not attack them. Mourning the fact that morality was not being practiced, Confucius traveled widely from state to state in response to invitations, hoping to implement his sage virtue. After returning to Lu from Wei, Confucius realized that he would not be employed by the rulers; therefore, he compiled and finalized the "Five Classics" in order to propagate his way. Therefore, Confucius said: "The Book of Documents says: 'Filial piety indeed! Filial piety, being friendly with one's brothers, and extending this to governance.'" That is how one governs." How were the "Five Classics" before Confucius finalized them? With the decline of the Zhou dynasty and the loss of the Way, the great principles were scattered and the standards in disarray; the Five Teachings were neglected and ruined. Therefore, the Five Constants' classics all lost their proper place. When the Yijing lost its principle, yin and yang and all things under heaven lost their nature and became discordant. False and slanderous statements were fabricated, along with the compilation of 3,000 chapters of the Shu and 300 poems of the Shi, all expressed through songs, ballads, complaints, and criticisms.
1. 亦 : 原作「以」。據《》本、《》本、今本改。
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| | 五經: |
已作《春秋》，後作《》何？欲專制正。於《》何？夫孝者，自天子下至庶人，上下通《》者。夫制作禮樂，仁之本，聖人道德已備，弟子所以復記《》何？見夫子遭事異變，出之號令，失法。 |
| | Why did Confucius compose the Classic of Filial Piety after writing the Spring and Autumn Annals? He wished to establish and uphold righteousness exclusively. What about the Classic of Filial Piety? Filial piety is a principle that applies from the Son of Heaven down to commoners; it is a universally shared teaching in the Classic of Filial Piety for all levels of society. The establishment of rites and music is the foundation of benevolence; when the sage's virtue and morality were already complete, why did his disciples then compile and record The Analects? Because they saw that the Master encountered unusual circumstances and issued commands that deviated from established principles.
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文王所以演《》何？文王受王不率仁義之道，失為人法矣，己之調和陰陽尚微，故演《》，使我得卒，至于太平。日月之光明則如《》矣。 |
| | Why did King Wen compile the Yijing? King Wen, having been a ruler who did not exemplify the Way of benevolence and righteousness, had failed to serve as a model for people. His own efforts to harmonize yin and yang were still rudimentary; therefore, he compiled the Yijing in order that he might ultimately attain peace and harmony throughout the realm. The brightness of the sun and moon is just like the Yijing.
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伏羲作八卦何？伏羲始王天下，未有前聖法度，故仰則觀象於天，俯則察法於地，觀鳥獸之文與地之宜。近取諸物，於是始作八卦，以通神明之德，以象萬物之情也。 |
| | Why did Fu Xi create the Eight Trigrams? Fu Xi was the first to rule over all under heaven, and there were no established laws or precedents from previous sages. Therefore, he looked upward to observe the celestial phenomena and downward to examine the patterns of the earth, observing the markings of birds and beasts as well as what was suitable for the land. He drew close references from tangible things, and thus began to create the Eight Trigrams in order to communicate the virtue of spirits and deities, and to represent the nature of all things.
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| | 五經: |
經所以有五何？經，常也。有五常之道，故曰《五經》：《樂》仁、《》義、《禮》禮、《》智、《》信也。人情有五性，懷五常，不能自成，是以聖人像天五常之道而明之，以教人成其德也。 |
| | Why are there Five Classics? The "Jing" means constancy and permanence. There are the Five Constants of the Way, hence they are called the "Five Classics": The Yueli represents benevolence, the Shu represents righteousness, the Liji represents propriety, the Yijing represents wisdom, and the Shi Jing represents trustworthiness. Human nature has five dispositions, and people carry within them the Five Constants; yet they cannot achieve moral perfection on their own. Therefore, sage rulers modeled themselves after the Five Constant principles of Heaven to clarify them, in order to teach people how to cultivate virtue and complete their moral character.
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《五經》何謂？謂《》、《》、《》、《禮》、《春秋》也？《禮解》曰：「溫柔寬厚，《》教也；疏通知遠，《》教也；廣博易良，《樂》教也；潔靜精微，《》教也；恭儉莊敬，《禮》教也；屬詞比事，《春秋》教也。」 |
| | What are the "Five Classics" called? They refer to the Yijing, Shangshu (Book of Documents), Shi Jing (Book of Songs), Liji (Book of Rites), and Chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals). The "Li Jie" says: "Gentleness, warmth, breadth, and thickness are the teachings of the Shi Jing;" clarity, thorough understanding, and awareness of distant matters are the teachings of the Shangshu; broadness, inclusiveness, ease, and goodness are the teachings of Yue (Music); purity, tranquility, and subtlety are the teachings of the Yijing; reverence, frugality, dignity, and respect are the teachings of the Liji; classifying words and comparing events is the teaching of the Chunqiu."
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《春秋》何常也？則黃帝已來何以言之？《》曰：「上古結繩以治，後世聖人易之以書契，百官以理，萬民以察。」後世聖人者謂五常也。《傳》曰：「三王百世計神元書，五帝之受錄圖，世史記從政錄帝魁已來，除禮樂之書三千二百四十篇也。」 |
| | What is the constant principle of the Chunqiu? How can this be explained in terms of events since the Yellow Emperor? The Yijing says: "In ancient times, knots were tied in ropes to govern affairs; later sages replaced this with written records and contracts, through which officials managed matters and the people could discern clearly." The "later sage rulers" refer to those who embodied the Five Constants. The Zhuan says: "The Three Kings and a hundred generations calculated the divine origins in writing, the Five Emperors received records and maps; from the annals of history recording governance since Emperor Ku, there were eliminated 3,240 chapters of books on rites and music."
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