Follow us on Facebook to receive important updates Follow us on Twitter to receive important updates Follow us on sina.com's microblogging site to receive important updates Follow us on Douban to receive important updates
Chinese Text Project
Back Forward
Daoism -> Zhuangzi -> Miscellaneous Chapters -> The Robber Zhi -> 2.3

子張Zi-zhang said,
'If you do not follow the usual course of what is held to be right,
but observe no distinction between the near and remote degrees of kin,
no difference between the noble and the mean,
no order between the old and the young,
?」then how shall a separation be made of the fivefold arrangement (of the virtues), and the six parties (in the social organisation)?'
滿苟得 Man Gou-de replied,
長子 'Yao killed his eldest son,
and Shun banished his half-brother':
did they observe the rules about the different degrees of kin?
Tang deposed Jie;
武王 king Wu overthrew Zhou:
did they observe the righteousness that should obtain between the noble and the mean?
King Ji took the place of his elder brother,
周公 and the duke of Zhou killed his:
did they observe the order that should obtain between the elder and the younger?
The Literati make hypocritical speeches;
the followers of Mo hold that all should be loved equally:
do we find in them the separation of the fivefold arrangement (of the virtues), and the six parties (in the social organisation)?
And further, you, Sir, are all for reputation,
and I am all for gain;
but where the actual search for reputation and gain
may not be in accordance with principle
and will not bear to be examined in the light of the right way,
let me and you refer the matter to-morrow to the decision of Wu-yue.'
(This Wu-yue) said,
'The small man pursues after wealth;
君子 the superior man pursues after reputation.
The way in which they change their feelings and alter their nature is different;
but if they were to cast away what they do, and replace it with doing nothing,
。』 they would be the same.
Hence it is said,
"Do not be a small man
- return and pursue after the Heavenly in you.
君子 Do not be a superior man
- follow the rule of the Heavenly in you.
Be it crooked, be it straight,
view the thing in the light of Heaven as revealed in you.
Look all round on every side of it,
and as the time indicates, cease your endeavours.
Be it right, be it wrong,
hold fast the ring in yourself in which all conditions converge.
Alone by yourself, carry out your idea;
ponder over the right way.
Do not turn your course;
do not try to complete your righteousness.
You will fail in what you do.
Do not haste to be rich;
do not follow after your perfection.
If you do, you will lose the heavenly in you."
比干 Bi-gan had his heart cut out;
子胥 Zi-xu had his eyes gouged out:
such were the evil consequences of their loyalty.
The upright person bore witness against his father;
Wei Sheng was drowned:
such were the misfortunes of good faith.
Bao-zi stood till he was dried up;
申子 Shan-zi would not defend himself:
such were the injuries brought on by disinterestedness.
孔子 Confucius did not see his mother;
Kuang-zi did not see his father:
such were the failures of the righteous.
These are instances handed down from former ages,
and talked about in these later times.
They show us how superior men, in their determination to be correct in their words
and resolute in their conduct,
paid the penalty of these misfortunes,
。」 and were involved in these distresses.'


Enjoy this site? Please help.Site design and content copyright 2006-2024. When quoting or citing information from this site, please link to the corresponding page or to https://ctext.org. Please note that the use of automatic download software on this site is strictly prohibited, and that users of such software are automatically banned without warning to save bandwidth. 沪ICP备09015720号-3Comments? Suggestions? Please raise them here.