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Daoism -> Zhuangzi -> Outer Chapters -> Heaven and Earth -> 7

天下When Yao was ruling the world,
伯成子高諸侯 Bo-cheng Zi-Gao was appointed by him prince of one of the states.
From Yao (afterwards) the throne passed to Shun,
and from Shun (again) to Yu;
伯成子高諸侯 and (then) Bo-cheng Zi-Gao resigned his principality and began to cultivate the ground.
Yu went to see him,
and found him ploughing in the open country.
Hurrying to him, and bowing low in acknowledgment of his superiority,
Yu then stood up, and asked him,
saying,
天下'Formerly, when Yao was ruling the world,
諸侯you, Sir, were appointed prince of a state.
He gave his sovereignty to Shun,
and Shun gave his to me,
諸侯when you, Sir, resigned your dignity, and are (now) ploughing (here)
?」 - I venture to ask the reason of your conduct.'
Zi-Gao said,
天下 'When Yao ruled the world,
the people stimulated one another (to what was right) without his offering them rewards,
and stood in awe (of doing wrong) without his threatening them with punishments.
Now you employ both rewards and punishments, and the people notwithstanding are not good.
Their virtue will from this time decay;
punishments will from this time prevail;
the disorder of future ages will from this time begin.
Why do you, my master, not go away,
!」 and not interrupt my work?'
With this he resumed his ploughing with his head bent down, and did not (again) look round.


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