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衛靈公將之晉，至濮水之上，夜聞鼓新聲者，說之，使人問之，左右皆報弗聞，召師涓而告之，曰：「有鼓新聲者，使人問左右，盡報弗聞，其狀似鬼，子為我聽而寫之。」師涓曰：「諾。」因靜坐撫琴而寫之。明日報曰：「臣得之矣！然而未習，請更宿而習之。」靈公曰：「諾。」因復宿。明日已習，遂去之晉。晉平公觴之施夷之臺。酒酣，靈公起曰：「有新聲，願請奏以示公。」公曰：「善。」乃召師涓，令坐師曠之旁，援琴鼓之。未終，曠撫而止之，曰：「此亡國之聲，不可遂也。」平公曰：「此何道出？」師曠曰：「此師延所作淫聲，與紂為靡靡之樂也。武王誅紂，懸之白旄，師延東走，至濮水而自投，故聞此聲者，必於濮水之上。先聞此聲者，其國削，不可遂也。」平公曰：「寡人好者音也，子其使遂之。」師涓鼓究之。 |
| | Duke Ling of Wei was traveling to the Jin state, and when he arrived at the banks of the Pu River, one night he heard someone playing a new tune on the drum. He liked it very much and sent people to inquire about it. His attendants all reported that they had not heard anything. He summoned Shi Juan and told him, "There is someone playing a new sound on the drum; I have sent people to ask my attendants, but they all said they did not hear it. Its appearance seems like that of a ghost. You must listen carefully for me and write it down." Shi Juan said, "Yes, I will do so." He then sat quietly and played the qin to transcribe it. The next day he reported, "I have obtained it! But I have not yet mastered it. Please allow me to stay one more night so that I may learn it thoroughly." Duke Ling said, "Agreed." He therefore stayed overnight again. The next day, after having mastered it, he left for the Jin state. Jin Pinggong entertained him with a banquet on the Shiyi Terrace. When the wine was flowing freely, Duke Ling stood up and said, "There is a new tune; I wish to play it for you, Your Majesty." The king said, "That would be excellent." He then summoned Shi Juan and had him sit beside Shi Kuang. He took up the qin and played it for them. Before the piece was finished, Shi Kuang stopped him by touching his shoulder and said, "This is a melody of a fallen state; it cannot be played to completion." King Pinggong asked, "From where did this tune originate?" Shi Kuang said, "This is a licentious melody composed by Shi Yan. It was played together with King Zhou to create the decadent music of Mimi. King Wu executed Zhou, and the melody was hung on a white flag. Shi Yan fled eastward and upon reaching the Pu River threw himself into it; therefore, whoever hears this tune must be at the banks of the Pu river. Whoever first hears this melody will see his state weakened; thus, it cannot be played to completion." King Pinggong said, "I am fond of music. You should allow the piece to be played in full." Shi Juan then played the entire piece.
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平公曰：「此所謂何聲也？」師曠曰：「此所謂清商。」公曰：「清商固最悲乎？」師曠曰：「不如清徵。」公曰：「清徵可得聞乎？」師曠曰：「不可。古之得聽清徵者，皆有德義之君也。今吾君德薄，不足以聽之。」公曰：「寡人所好者音也，願試聽之。」師曠不得已，援琴鼓之。一奏，有玄鶴二八從南方來，集於郭門之上危；再奏而列；三奏，延頸而鳴。舒翼而舞。音中宮商之聲，聲徹于天。平公大悅，坐者皆喜。平公提觴而起，為師曠壽，反坐而問曰：「樂莫悲于清徵乎？」師曠曰：「不如清角。」平公曰：「清角可得聞乎？」師曠曰：「不可。昔者黃帝合鬼神於西大山之上，駕象輿，六玄龍，畢方並轄，蚩尤居前，風伯進掃，雨師灑道，虎狼在前，鬼神在後，蟲虵伏地，白雲覆上，大合鬼神，乃作為清角。今主君德薄，不足以聽之。聽之，將恐有敗。」平公曰：「寡人老矣，所好者音也，願遂聽之。」師曠不得已而鼓之。一奏之，有雲從西北起；再奏之，風至，大雨隨之，裂帷幕，破俎豆，墮廊瓦。坐者散走。平公恐懼，伏于廊室。晉國大旱，赤地三年。平公之身遂癃病。何謂也？ |
| | King Pinggong asked, "What is this tune called?" Shi Kuang replied, "This is known as the Qingshang mode." The king asked, "Is the Qingshang indeed the most sorrowful?" Shi Kuang replied, "It is not as sorrowful as Qingzheng." The king asked, "Can we hear the Qingzheng?" Shi Kuang replied, "No. In ancient times, only virtuous and righteous rulers were able to hear the Qingzheng mode. Now our ruler is of shallow virtue; he is not worthy enough to hear it." The king said, "What I love most is music. I wish to try and listen to it." Shi Kuang had no choice but to take up the qin and play it for him. After one performance, sixteen black cranes flew in from the south and gathered on the high gate of the outer city; after a second performance they formed rows; after a third performance, they stretched their necks and cried out. They spread their wings and danced. The music resonated with the tones of Gong and Shang, its sound reaching up to heaven. King Pinggong was greatly delighted, and all those seated were pleased. King Pinggong raised his cup and stood up to offer a toast to Shi Kuang, then returned to his seat and asked, "Is there no sorrow greater than that of the Qingzheng mode?" Shi Kuang replied, "It is not as sorrowful as Qingjiao." King Pinggong asked, "Can we hear the Qingjiao?" Shi Kuang replied, "No. In the past, Emperor Huangdi summoned gods and spirits on the western great mountain. He rode in a chariot drawn by six black dragons, with Bifang as his deputy driver, while Chiyou led the way. Fengbo swept ahead, Yushi sprinkled water to clear the path; tigers and wolves walked before him, and ghosts and spirits followed behind. Insects and serpents lay on the ground, and white clouds covered above. When he united gods and spirits in great assembly, he composed the Qingjiao mode. Now Your Majesty's virtue is shallow; you are not worthy enough to hear it." If you listen to it, I fear there may be misfortune. King Pinggong said, "I am old now, and what I love most is music; I wish to hear it in full." Shi Kuang had no alternative but to play it. After the first performance, clouds arose from the northwest; after the second performance, wind came, followed by heavy rain, which tore curtains and canopies, shattered ritual vessels, and knocked tiles from the eaves. Those seated scattered in panic. King Pinggong was terrified and crouched down in a corridor room. The state of Jin suffered from a great drought, with the land remaining barren for three years. King Pinggong himself then became afflicted with an ailment that left him bedridden. What does this mean?
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曰：是非衛靈公國且削，則晉平公且病，若國且旱亡妖也。師曠曰：「先聞此聲者國削。」二國先聞之矣。 |
| | It was said: This is an omen that either Duke Ling of Wei's state will be weakened, or King Pinggong of Jin will fall ill; it is a portent of national disaster and drought. Shi Kuang said, "Whoever first hears this sound will see his state diminished." The two states have already heard it.
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何知新聲非師延所鼓也？曰：師延自投濮水，形體腐於水中，精氣消於泥塗，安能復鼓琴？屈原自沉於江，屈原善著文，師延善鼓琴，如師延能鼓琴，則屈原能復書矣。楊子雲弔屈原，屈原何不報？屈原生時，文無不作，不能報子雲者，死為泥塗，手既朽，無用書也。屈原手朽無用書，則師延指敗無用鼓琴矣。孔子當泗水而葬，泗水卻流，世謂孔子神而能卻泗水。孔子好教授，猶師延之好鼓琴也，師延能鼓琴於濮水之中，孔子何為不能教授於泗水之側乎？ |
| | How do we know that the new sound is not the one played by Shi Yan? It was said: Shi Yan threw himself into the Pu River; his body rotted in the water, and his spirit dissipated in the mud. How could he possibly play the qin again? Qu Yuan drowned himself in a river. Qu Yuan was skilled at writing, and Shi Yan was skilled at playing the qin. If Shi Yan could play the qin after death, then Qu Yuan should also be able to write again. Yang Ziyun mourned for Qu Yuan; why did Qu Yuan not respond? While alive, Qu Yuan wrote without exception; he could not reply to Yang Ziyun because after death his body became mud and mire. His hands had rotted, so they were of no use for writing. If Qu Yuan's hands had decayed and could not be used to write, then Shi Yan's fingers must have also rotted and were of no use for playing the qin. Confucius was buried by the Si River, which reversed its flow; people of his time said that Confucius was a sage and thus had the power to reverse the river. Confucius loved teaching, just as Shi Yan loved playing the qin. If Shi Yian could play the qin in the middle of the Pu River, why couldn't Confucius teach by the banks of the Si River?
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趙簡子病，五日不知人。大夫皆懼，於是召進扁鵲。扁鵲入，視病，出，董安于問扁鵲。扁鵲曰：「血脈治也，而怪。昔秦繆公嘗如此矣，七日悟。悟之日，告公孫支與子輿曰：『我之帝所甚樂。吾所以久者，適有學也。帝告我：「晉國且大亂，五世不安。其復將霸，未老而死。霸者之子且令而國男女無別。」』公孫支書而藏之，于篋於是。晉獻公之亂，文公之霸，襄公敗秦師於崤而歸縱淫，此之所謂。今主君之病與之同，不出三日病必間，間必有言也。」 |
| | Zhao Jianzi fell ill and for five days was unconscious. The ministers were all frightened, so they summoned Bian Que to attend him. Bian Que entered and examined the illness, then came out. Dong Anyu asked Bian Que about it. Bian Que said, "The blood vessels are in order, yet there is something strange. In the past, Duke Mu of Qin once experienced this; he regained consciousness after seven days." On the day he awoke, he told Gongsun Zhi and Zi Yu: "I had great pleasure at the abode of the Emperor. The reason I stayed so long was that I just happened to be studying." The Emperor told me, "The Jin state will soon fall into great chaos and remain unstable for five generations. It will rise again to dominance, but its ruler will die before old age." "The son of the dominant ruler will govern the state and cause no distinction between men and women in his realm.'" Gongsun Zhi wrote it down and kept it hidden in a chest. The chaos of Duke Xian of Jin, the dominance of Duke Wen, and Duke Xiang's defeat of the Qin army at Xiao before returning to indulge in licentiousness—this is what was foretold. "Now, Lord Zhao's illness is the same as that of Duke Mu; within three days he will surely recover somewhat, and when he does, he will certainly speak."
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居二日半，簡子悟，告大夫曰：「我之帝所甚樂，與百神游于鈞天，靡樂九奏萬舞，不類三代之樂，其聲動人心。有一熊欲授我，帝命我射之，中熊，熊死。有羆來，我又射之，中羆，羆死。帝甚喜，賜我一笥，皆有副。吾見兒在帝側。帝屬我一翟犬，曰：『及而子之長也以賜之。』帝告我：『晉國且襄，十世而亡。嬴姓將大敗周人於范魁之西，而亦不能有也。今余將思虞舜之勳，適余將以其冑女孟姚配而十世之孫。』」董安于受言，而書藏之。以扁鵲言告簡子。簡子賜扁鵲田四萬畝。 |
| | After two and a half days, Jianzi regained consciousness and told the ministers, "I had great pleasure in the abode of the Emperor, where I roamed with hundreds of gods on Kun Tian. There were nine performances of music and ten thousand dances; it was unlike the music of the Three Dynasties, and its sound deeply moved my heart." A bear approached me to attack me, but the Emperor ordered me to shoot it. I shot the bear and killed it. Then a brown bear came; I shot it again, hit the bear, and it died. The Emperor was very pleased and gave me a bamboo basket filled with items, each having its pair. I saw my son by the Emperor's side. The Emperor entrusted me with a Hu dog and said, "When your son grows up, give it to him." The Emperor told me: "The Jin state will prosper for a time but will fall after ten generations. "The Ying clan will greatly defeat the Zhou people to the west of Fan Kui, yet they too will not be able to hold it." "Now I shall think of the achievements of Yu Shun, and just as I did then, I will give my daughter-in-law Mengyao to be your tenth-generation descendant's wife.'" Dong Anyu received the message and wrote it down for safekeeping. He then informed Zhao Jianzi of Bian Que's words. Jianzi gave Bian Que four thousand mu of farmland as a reward.
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他日，簡子出，有人當道，辟之不去。從者將拘之。當道者曰：「吾欲有謁於主君。」從者以聞。簡子召之，曰：「嘻，吾有所見子遊也。」當道者曰：「屏左右，願有謁。」簡子屏人。當道者曰：「日者主君之病，臣在帝側。」簡子曰：「然，有之。子見我何為？」當道者曰：「帝令主君射熊與羆，皆死。」簡子曰：「是，何也？」當道者曰：「晉國且有大難，主君首之。帝令主君滅二卿，夫罷羆、皆其祖也。」簡子曰：「帝賜我二笥皆有副，何也？」當道者曰：「主君之子將剋二國於翟，皆子姓也。」簡子曰：「吾見兒在帝側，帝屬我一翟犬，曰『及而子之長以賜之』。夫兒何說以賜翟犬？」當道者曰：「兒、主君之子也，翟犬、代之先也。主君之子且必有代。及主君之後嗣，且有革政而胡服，并二國翟。」簡子問其姓而延之以官。當道者曰：「臣、野人，致帝命。」遂不見。是何謂也？ |
| | On another day, when Jianzi went out, there was a man blocking the road; he tried to move him away but the man would not go. Jianzi's attendants were about to arrest him. The man blocking the road said, "I wish to present a petition to Lord Zhao." The attendants reported this to Jianzi. Jianzi summoned him and said, "Ah! I once saw you traveling with my son." The man blocking the road replied, "Remove your attendants. I have a petition to present." Jianzi had his attendants step aside. The man blocking the road said, "When your illness occurred earlier, I was by the Emperor's side." Jianzi said, "Yes, that is true. What did you see me doing?" The man blocking the road said: "The Emperor ordered your lord to shoot a bear and a brown bear, both of which died." Jianzi asked, "That is true, but what does it mean?" The man blocking the road said: "The Jin state will soon face a great calamity, and you, my lord, will be its leader. The Emperor has ordered your lord to eliminate two high-ranking ministers; the bear and brown bear are their ancestors." Jianzi asked, "The Emperor gave me two bamboo boxes, each with a duplicate. What does this mean?" The man blocking the road said: "Your lord's son will conquer two states among the Di people; they are all of your surname." Jianzi said: "I saw my son by the Emperor's side. The Emperor gave me a Di dog and said, 'When your son comes of age, bestow it upon him.'" "What reason does my son have to be given the Di dog?" The man blocking the road said: "Your son is your lord's child, and the Di dog is an ancestor of Dai. "Your lord's son will certainly have control over Dai." And in the descendants of your lord, there will be a reform of policies and adoption of Hu clothing, uniting two Di states." Jianzi asked about his surname and offered him an official position. The man blocking the road said: "I am a commoner, merely delivering the Emperor's command." Then he disappeared. What is this called?
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曰：是皆妖也。其占皆如當道者言所見於帝前之事。所見當道之人、妖人也。 |
| | It was said: These were all omens of supernatural forces. The predictions came true just as the man blocking the road had described what he saw before the Emperor. The person seen blocking the way was a supernatural being.
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其後晉二卿范氏、中行氏作亂，簡子攻之，中行昭子、范文子敗，出犇齊。 |
| | Later, two high-ranking ministers of the Jin state, Fan Shi and Zhonghang Shi, rebelled. Jianzi attacked them; Zhonghang Zhaozi and Fan Wenzhi were defeated and fled to Qi.
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始，簡子使姑布子卿相諸子，莫吉。至翟婦之子無恤，以為貴。簡子與語，賢之。簡子募諸子曰：「吾藏寶符於常山之上，先得者賞。」諸子皆上山，無所得。無恤還，曰：「已得符矣！」簡子問之。無恤曰：「從常山上臨代，代可取也。」簡子以為賢，乃廢太子而立之。簡子死，無恤代，是為襄子。襄子既立，誘殺代王而并其地。又并知氏之地。後取空同戎。自簡子後，十世至武靈王，吳慶入其母姓羸子孟姚。其後，武靈王遂取中山，并胡地。武靈王之十九年，更為胡服，國人化之。皆如其言，無不然者。蓋妖祥見於兆，審矣，皆非實事。吉凶之漸，若天告之。 |
| | Initially, Jianzi had Gubu Ziqing examine his sons' physiognomies, but none of them were auspicious. When it came to the son of a Di woman named Wu Xu, he was considered noble and auspicious. Jianzi spoke with him and found him virtuous. Jianzi addressed his sons, saying: "I have hidden a precious token on the top of Changshan Mountain; whoever finds it first will be rewarded." All the sons went up the mountain but found nothing. Wu Xu returned and said, "I have already obtained the token!" Jianzi asked him. Wu Xu said, "From the top of Changshan Mountain, Dai can be observed; it is a place that can be taken." Jianzi considered him virtuous and thus deposed the crown prince to establish Wu Xu as his successor. After Jianzi died, Wu Xu succeeded him; this was Xiangzi. After assuming power, Xiangzi lured and killed the King of Dai and annexed his territory. He also annexed the lands of the Zhi clan. Later, he conquered the Kondong Rong people. From Jianzi onward, ten generations passed until King Wuling; Wu Qing entered his mother's surname and was known as Mengyao of the Ying clan. łoży After this, King Wuling conquered Zhongshan and annexed Hu territory. In the nineteenth year of King Wuling's reign, he changed to Hu-style clothing, and the people of the state followed his example. All events unfolded as he had said; none were different. Indeed, omens and supernatural signs appear in portents, but they are clearly not actual events. The gradual approach of good or ill fortune is as if it were announced by heaven itself.
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何以知天不實告之也？以當道之人在帝側也。夫在天帝之側，皆貴神也，致帝之命，是天使者也。人君之使，車騎備具，天帝之使，單身當道，非其狀也。天官百二十，與地之王者無以異也。地之王者，官屬備具，法象天官，稟取制度。天地之官同，則其使者亦宜鈞。官同人異者，未可然也。 |
| | How can one know that the heavens are not actually revealing these things? Because the man blocking the road was seen by the Emperor's side. lord Those who appear at the side of the Heavenly Emperor are all noble deities, delivering the Emperor's commands—they are heavenly messengers. A human ruler's envoy would come with a full entourage of chariots and horsemen, but the messenger of the Heavenly Emperor appeared alone in the road—this is not their usual form. The heavenly officials number 120, and they are no different from earthly kings. Earthly rulers have complete retinues; their systems and appearances emulate the heavenly officials, following established regulations. Since the officials of heaven and earth are the same, then their envoys should also be equal in status. If the positions are the same but the people differ, this cannot be accepted as true.
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何以知簡子所見帝非實帝也？以夢占知之。樓臺山陵、官位之象也，人夢上樓臺，升山陵，輒得官位。實樓臺山陵非官位也，則知簡子所夢見帝者非天帝也。人臣夢見人君，人君必不見，又必不賜。以人臣夢占之，知帝賜二笥、翟犬者，非天帝也。非天帝，則其言與百鬼游于鈞天，非天也。魯叔孫穆子夢天壓己者，審然，是天下至地也。不至地，則有樓臺之抗，不得及己。及己，則樓臺宜壞。樓臺不壞，是天不至地。不至地，則不得壓己。不得壓己，則壓己者，非天也，則天之象也。叔孫穆子所夢壓己之天非天，則知趙簡子所游之天非天也。 |
| | How can we know that what Jianzi saw—the "Heavenly Emperor"—was not a real emperor? Because it was known through dream divination. Towers, terraces, mountains and mounds are symbolic of official positions; when a person dreams of ascending towers or climbing mountains, they often attain an official post. Since actual towers and mountains are not positions in government, we can infer that the "Heavenly Emperor" Jianzi saw in his dream was not the true Heavenly Emperor. When a subject dreams of seeing their ruler, the ruler will certainly not appear to them and would never bestow anything. If it is not the Heavenly Emperor, then his claim of traveling with a hundred ghosts in Jun Tian cannot be true—this place is not heaven. Shusun Musi of Lu once dreamed that the sky was pressing down on him; this dream proved to be true, for it foretold a great disaster from heaven to earth. If the sky did not reach all the way down to the ground, then there would be towers and terraces blocking it, preventing it from reaching him. But if the sky reached him directly, then the towers and terraces should have collapsed. Since the towers did not collapse, this shows that the sky did not reach down to earth. If it did not reach the ground, then it could not have pressed upon him. Since it could not press down on him, what pressed down must not be heaven itself but an image or representation of heaven. If the "heaven" that pressed down on Shusun Musi was not true heaven, then we know that the "heaven" Sufu Jianzi traveled in his dream was also not real heaven.
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或曰：「人亦有直夢。見甲，明日則見甲矣；夢見君，明日則見君矣。」曰：然。人有直夢，直夢皆象也，其象直耳。何以明之？直夢者，夢見甲，夢見君，明日見甲與君，此直也。如問甲與君，甲與君則不見也。甲與君不見，所夢見甲與君者，象類之也。乃甲與君象類之，則知簡子所見帝者，象類帝也。且人之夢也，占者謂之魂行。夢見帝，是魂之上天也。上天猶上山也。夢上山，足登山，手引木，然後能升。升天無所緣，何能得上？天之去人，以萬里數。人之行，日百里，魂與體形俱，尚不能疾，況魂獨行，安能速乎？使魂行與形體等，則簡子之上下天，宜數歲乃悟。七日輒覺，期何疾也？夫魂者、精氣也，精氣之行與雲煙等，案雲煙之行不能疾。使魂行若蜚鳥乎？行不能疾。人或夢蜚者，用魂蜚也，其蜚不能疾於鳥。天地之氣，尤疾速者、飃風也。飃風之發，不能終一日。使魂行若飃風乎？則其速不過一日之行，亦不能至天。人夢上天，一臥之頃也，其覺，或尚在天上，未終下也。若人夢行至雒陽，覺，因從雒陽悟矣。魂神蜚馳何疾也！疾則必非其狀，必非其狀則其上天非實事也，非實事則為妖祥矣。夫當道之人，簡子病，見於帝側，後見當道象人而言，與相見帝側之時無以異也。由此言之，臥夢為陰候，覺為陽占，審矣。 |
| | Some say: "People can also have direct dreams. If one sees a person named Jia in a dream, the next day they will actually meet Jia; if one dreams of their ruler, the next day they may see their ruler." It was said: "Yes. People can have direct dreams; such dreams are all images, and these images simply reflect reality directly. How do we know this? A direct dream is when one dreams of Jia or their ruler, and the next day actually sees Jia or the ruler—this is a direct correspondence. But if someone asks about Jia or the ruler before they appear in the dream, then Jia and the ruler would not be seen. Since Jia and the ruler were not present beforehand, what was dreamed of—Jia or the ruler—is merely a symbolic resemblance. Therefore, since Jia and the ruler in the dream were only symbolic resemblances, we know that what Sufu Jianzi saw as the "Heavenly Emperor" was also merely a resemblance of an emperor. Moreover, regarding human dreams, diviners say that it is the soul traveling. To dream of an emperor means one's soul has ascended to heaven. Ascending to heaven is like climbing a mountain. In dreams of ascending a mountain, one sees their feet stepping on the mountain and hands grasping trees before they can climb upward. To ascend to heaven without any support—how could that be possible? Heaven is separated from people by tens of thousands of li. A person's journey, traveling a hundred li per day, with both soul and body moving together, is still slow; how much less so could the soul alone travel quickly? If the movement of the soul were as slow as that of the body, then Jianzi's journey up and down to heaven should have taken several years before he returned. He awoke after only seven days—how extraordinarily fast is that? The soul is made of refined qi; the movement of refined qi is like that of clouds and smoke, which do not travel quickly. Could the soul move as swiftly as a flying bird? Even birds cannot travel that fast. Sometimes people dream of flying, which is the soul's flight; but even this flight cannot be faster than a bird's. Among all atmospheric movements, the swiftest are sudden gusts of wind. Even a sudden gust cannot last for an entire day. Could the soul travel as swiftly as such a wind? Then its speed would not exceed that of one day's journey, and it still could not reach heaven. When a person dreams of ascending to heaven, it is but the span of one moment lying in bed; when they awaken, perhaps their dream-soul is still in heaven and has not yet finished descending. For example, if a person dreams of traveling to Luoyang, then upon waking up, they might feel as though they have just returned from there. How swiftly the soul and spirit can fly! If it moves so fast, then it must not be real; if it is not real, then ascending to heaven in the dream was not an actual event but a supernatural omen. That man blocking the road, who appeared to Jianzi when he was ill and claimed to have been by the Emperor's side—later, when he appeared as a figure on the road speaking, his appearance did not differ from the time he supposedly stood beside the Emperor. From this we may conclude that lying in a dream is an omen of yin, while being awake and aware is an omen of yang; this is certain.
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趙襄子既立，知伯益驕，請地韓、魏，韓、魏予之；請地於趙，趙不予。知伯益怒，遂率韓、魏攻趙襄子。襄子懼，乃犇保晉陽。 |
| | After Zhao Xiangzi was enthroned, Zhī Bó became even more arrogant and requested territory from the states of Han and Wei; both Han and Wei granted it to him. He then asked for land from Zhao, but Zhao did not grant it. Zhī Bó became even angrier and so led the states of Han and Wei in an attack on Zhao Xiangzi. Xiangzi was afraid, so he fled to take refuge at Jinyang.
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原過從，後，至於託平驛，見三人，自帶以上可見，自帶以下不可見。予原過竹二節，莫通。曰：「為我以是遺趙無恤。」既至，以告襄子。襄子齊三日，親自割竹，有赤書曰：「趙無恤、余霍大山陽侯天子。三月丙戍，余將使汝滅知氏，汝亦祀我百邑，余將賜汝林胡之地。」襄子再拜，受神之命。是何謂也？ |
| | Yuan Guo followed him, and after they arrived at Tuopingyi, he saw three men. Their appearances above the waist could be seen clearly, but below the belt was invisible. They gave Yuan Guo two sections of bamboo, which were hollow but not connected through. They said, "Give this to Zhao Wuxu for me." After arriving at Jinyang, Yuan Guo informed Xiangzi of what had happened. Xiangzi observed a three-day fast, then personally cut the bamboo, and found red script inside that read: "Zhao Wuxu, I am the Lord of Yanghou from Huodashan Mountain, Son of Heaven. "On the Bingxu day of the third month (March 23, 455 BC), I will cause you to destroy the Zhī clan. You shall also offer sacrifices to me in a hundred towns, and I shall grant you the land of Linhu." Xiangzi bowed twice and accepted the divine command. What is this supposed to mean?
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曰：是蓋襄子且勝之祥也。三國攻晉陽歲餘，引汾水灌其城，城不浸者三板。襄子懼，使相張孟談私於韓、魏，韓、魏與合謀，竟以三月丙戍之日，大滅知氏，共分其地。蓋妖祥之氣象人之形，稱霍大山之神，猶夏庭之妖象龍，稱褒之二君；趙簡子之祥象人，稱帝之使也。 |
| | It was said: This must have been an omen that Xiangzi would soon triumph. For more than a year, the three states attacked Jinyang and diverted the Fen River to flood its city walls; only three planks of the wall remained above water. Xiangzi was terrified and sent Zhang Mengtan to secretly negotiate with Han and Wei. Han and Wei agreed, and on the Bingxu day of March (March 23, 246 BC), they jointly destroyed the Zhī clan and divided its territory among themselves. It is said that these supernatural omens took on human forms, claiming to be the gods of Huodashan Mountain. This is similar to how the omen in the Xia court appeared as a dragon and claimed to represent two rulers from Bao. The omen for Zhao Jianzi took on human form, claiming to be an envoy of the Emperor.
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何以知非霍大山之神也？曰：大山、地之體，猶人有骨節，骨節安得神？如大山有神，宜象大山之形。何則？人謂鬼者、死人之精，其象如生人之形。今大山廣長不與人同，而其精神不異於人。不異於人，則鬼之類人。鬼之類人，則妖祥之氣也。 |
| | How can we know it was not actually a god from Huodashan Mountain? It is said: A great mountain is but part of the earth's body, just as a human has bones and joints. Can a bone or joint have a spirit? If a great mountain had a god, it should appear in the form of the mountain itself. Why is that? People say ghosts are the spirits of the dead, and they appear in forms resembling living humans. Now a great mountain is vast and long, unlike human beings; yet its spirit would be no different from that of a person? If it were not different from humans, then the god of the mountain would resemble a ghost in form. To resemble a human like a ghost is to be an omen or supernatural phenomenon.
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秦始皇帝三十六年，熒惑守心，有星墜下，至地為石。刻其石，曰：「始皇死而地分。」始皇聞之，令御史逐問，莫服，盡取石旁家人誅之，因燔其石。妖，使者從關東夜過華陰平野，或有人持璧遮使者曰：「為我遺鎬池君。」因言曰：「今年祖龍死。」使者問之，因忽不見，置其璧去。使者奉璧具以言聞。始皇帝默然良久，曰：「山鬼不過知一歲事。」乃言曰：「『祖龍』者、人之先也。」使御府視璧，乃二十八年行渡江所沉璧也。明三十七年，夢與海神戰，如人狀。是何謂也？ |
| | In the thirty-sixth year of Qin Shi Huangdi's reign (210 BC), Mars remained stationary in the constellation Shen, and a star fell from the sky, landing on earth as a stone. They carved the stone with the words: "When the First Emperor dies, the land will be divided." Upon hearing this, Qin Shi Huang ordered the imperial censors to investigate and question everyone involved. No one confessed, so he had all the people living near the stone executed and burned the stone itself. The omen took form: a messenger traveling from Guandong passed through Huayin's flatlands at night when suddenly someone appeared holding a jade disc and blocked the messenger, saying, "Give this to Lord Haochi for me." He then said, "This year, Zu Long will die." The messenger asked him who he was, but the figure suddenly vanished and left behind only the jade disc. The messenger presented the jade disc to the emperor and fully reported what had happened. Qin Shi Huang remained silent for a long time, then said, "Mountain ghosts can know at most the affairs of one year." He added, "The term 'Zu Long' refers to the ancestor of mankind." The emperor ordered the palace treasury to examine the jade disc, and it turned out to be the same one that had been submerged in a river during his twenty-eighth year of reign. In the thirty-seventh year (210 BC), he dreamed of fighting with the sea god, who appeared in human form. What is this supposed to mean?
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曰：皆始皇且死之妖也。始皇夢與海神戰，恚怒入海，候神射大魚，自琅邪至勞、成山不見。至之罘山，還見巨魚，射殺一魚，遂旁海西至平原津而病，到沙丘而崩。當星墜之時，熒惑為妖，故石旁家人刻書其石，若或為之，文曰「始皇死」，或教之也。猶世間童謠，非童所為，氣導之也。 |
| | It was said: These were all omens that Qin Shi Huang was about to die. Qin Shi Huang dreamed of fighting the sea god, and in anger he went to the sea. He waited for the god's appearance and shot a great fish; from Langya to Laochengshan, no sign was found. When he reached Zhifu Mountain, on his return journey he saw a giant fish. He shot and killed one of them, but soon after traveling along the western coast to Pingyuanjin, he fell ill; upon arriving at Shachou, he died. At the time the star fell, Mars was an omen of disaster; therefore, people living near where the stone landed carved words onto it. Whether someone did this or taught others to do so, they wrote: "The First Emperor will die." This is similar to the children's rhymes in the world; they are not composed by actual children, but are guided by supernatural forces.
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凡妖之發，或象人為鬼，或為人象鬼而使，其實一也。晉公子重耳失國，乏食於道，從耕者乞飯。耕者奉塊土以賜公子，公子怒。咎犯曰：「此吉祥，天賜土地也。」其後公子得國復土，如咎犯之言。齊田單保即墨之城，欲詐燕軍，云：「天神下助我。」有一人前曰：「我可以為神乎？」田單卻走再拜事之，竟以神下之言聞於燕軍。燕軍信其有神，又見牛若五采之文，遂信畏懼，軍破兵北。田單卒勝，復獲侵地。此人象鬼之妖也。使者過華陰，人持璧遮道，委璧而去，妖鬼象人之形也。夫沉璧於江，欲求福也。今還璧，示不受物，福不可得也。璧者象前所沉之璧，其實非也。何以明之？以鬼象人而見，非實人也。人見鬼象生存之人，定問生存之人，不與己相見，妖氣象類人也。妖氣象人之形，則其所齎持之物，非真物矣。「祖龍死」、謂始皇也。祖、人之本，龍、人君之象也。人、物類，則其言禍亦放矣。 |
| | Generally speaking, when omens appear, sometimes they take the form of a human pretending to be a ghost, or a person imitating a ghost to act. In essence, these are all the same phenomenon. Prince Chonger of Jin lost his kingdom and was starving on the road; he begged for food from a farmer. The farmer gave Prince Chonger a lump of earth instead, which made him angry. Jiu Fan said, "This is an auspicious sign; it means Heaven has granted you land." Later, the prince regained his kingdom and recovered its territory, just as Jiu Fan had predicted. Tian Dan of Qi defended the city of Jiemo and wanted to deceive the Yan army, so he claimed, "A heavenly god has descended to help us." One man stepped forward and asked, "May I serve as this god?" Tian Dan pretended to run away in fear, then bowed twice before the man and treated him with reverence. Eventually, he spread the word among the Yan army that a god had descended to aid them. The Yan army believed there was truly a god on their side, and when they also saw oxen decorated with patterns of five colors, they became convinced and terrified. As a result, the Yan forces were defeated and driven northward. Tian Dan ultimately won the battle and recovered all the lost territory. This was an omen in which a person pretended to be a ghost or deity. When the messenger passed through Huayin, someone holding a jade disc blocked his path and then left behind the jade before disappearing—this was an omen where a ghost took on human form. To submerge a jade disc in a river is to seek blessings. Now the jade has returned, indicating that it will not accept offerings; thus, blessings cannot be obtained. The jade disc resembled the one previously submerged in the river, but in reality, it was a different one. How do we know this? Because the ghost appeared in human form, it was not a real person. When people see ghosts resembling living persons, they will certainly ask the actual living person concerned; if that person has not met them, it proves the omen is merely a supernatural force imitating human form. When an omen takes on the shape of a person, then any object it carries is not a real one. "The death of Zu Long" refers to Qin Shi Huang. Zu means the ancestor, and long is the symbol of a ruler. Humans are part of nature; thus, their words about disasters are also symbolic or metaphorical.
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漢高皇帝以秦始皇崩之歲，為泗上亭長，送徒至驪山。徒多道亡，因縱所將徒，遂行不還。被酒，夜經澤中，令一人居前。前者還報曰：「前有大虵當道，願還。」高祖醉，曰：「壯士行，何畏！」乃前，拔劍擊斬虵，虵遂分兩，徑開。行數里，醉，因臥。高祖後人至虵所，有一老嫗夜哭之。人曰：「嫗何為哭？」嫗曰：「人殺吾子。」人曰：「嫗子為何見殺？」嫗曰：「吾子、白帝子，化為虵，當徑。今者，赤帝子斬之，故哭。」人以嫗為妖言，因欲笞之。嫗因忽不見。何謂也？ |
| | In the year Qin Shi Huang died, Emperor Gaozu of Han was a small official in Sishang and escorted convicts to Lishan Mountain. Many of the convicts escaped along the way, so he released his group of prisoners and fled forward without returning. After drinking alcohol, at night they passed through a marshland, with one person ordered to go ahead. The man who went ahead returned and reported, "There is a giant snake blocking the path; we should turn back." Emperor Gaozu was drunk and said, "A valiant man has no fear on his journey!" He then advanced forward, drew his sword, and beheaded the snake. The snake split in two, and a path opened up directly ahead. After walking several li, he became more drunk and lay down to rest. Later, when some of Gaozu's followers arrived at the place where the snake had been, they found an old woman crying there at night. Someone asked, "Old woman, why are you crying?" The old woman said, "A man has killed my son." They asked, "Why was your son killed?" The old woman replied, "My son is the son of the White Emperor; he transformed into a snake and blocked the path. Now, the son of the Red Emperor has beheaded him, so I am crying." The people thought the old woman was speaking nonsense and wanted to beat her. But suddenly, the old woman vanished without a trace. What does this mean?
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曰：是高祖初起威勝之祥也。何以明之？以嫗忽然不見也。不見，非人，非人則鬼妖矣。夫以嫗非人，則知所斬之虵非虵也。云白帝子，何故為虵夜而當道？謂虵、白帝子，高祖、赤帝子，白帝子為虵，赤帝子為人。五帝皆天之神也，子或為虵，或為人。人與虵異物，而其為帝同神，非天道也。且虵為白帝子，則嫗為白帝后乎？帝者之后，前後宜備；帝者之子，官屬宜盛。今一虵死於徑，一嫗哭於道，云白帝子，非實，明矣。夫非實則象，象則妖也，妖則所見之物皆非物也，非物則氣也。高祖所殺之虵非虵也，則夫鄭厲公將入鄭之時，邑中之虵與邑外之虵鬭者非虵也，厲公將入鄭，妖氣象虵而鬭也。鄭國鬭虵非虵，則知夏庭二龍為龍象，為龍象，則知鄭子產之時龍戰非龍也。天道難知，使非，妖也；使是，亦妖也。 |
| | It was said: This was an omen indicating that Emperor Gaozu, at the beginning of his rise to power, would achieve great authority and success. How do we know this? Because the old woman suddenly vanished. Her sudden disappearance indicates she was not a human being; if not a person, then she must have been a ghost or an omen. Since the old woman was not a human, we can infer that the snake which was beheaded was also not a real snake. If it is said to be the son of the White Emperor, why would he transform into a snake at night and block the path? It is said that the snake was the son of the White Emperor while Gaozu was the son of the Red Emperor. The son of the White Emperor became a snake, and the son of the Red Emperor took human form. The Five Emperors were all deities of Heaven; their sons could take on forms either as snakes or as humans. A human and a snake are different creatures, yet both being sons of an Emperor share the same divinity; this is not in accordance with the principles of Heaven. Moreover, if the snake was the son of White Emperor, then would the old woman be the Empress Dowager of the White Emperor? An emperor's consort should have both a wife and an empress dowager; The son of an emperor should also be accompanied by many officials and attendants. Now, one snake was killed on the path, and an old woman wept by the road; claiming it to be the son of White Emperor is clearly false. If something is not real, then it must be an illusion; if it is an illusion, then it is a supernatural omen. If it is a supernatural omen, then the things seen are not actual objects but merely manifestations of qi (vital energy). Therefore, the snake that Gaozu killed was not a real snake; likewise, when Duke Li of Zheng was about to enter Zheng, the snakes inside and outside the town fighting were also not real snakes. It was an omen in the form of a snake appearing during Duke Li's impending return to Zheng. If the fighting snakes in the state of Zheng were not real snakes, then we can understand that the two dragons in the court of Xia were also merely dragon-like omens. If they were only dragon-like omens, then it follows that during the time of Zichan of Zheng, the so-called "dragon battle" was not actually a fight between real dragons. The principles of Heaven are hard to comprehend; if something is false, it must be an omen or supernatural phenomenon; If it appears true, it too remains a supernatural occurrence.
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留侯張良椎秦始皇，誤中副車。始皇大怒，索求張良。張良變姓名，亡匿下邳。常閑從容步游下邳泗上，有一老父，衣褐，至良所，直墮其履泗下，顧謂張良：「孺子下取履！」良愕然，欲敺之，以其老，為彊忍，下取履，因跪進履。父以足受履，笑去。良大驚。父去里所，復還，曰：「孺子可教矣。後五日平明，與我期此。」良怪之，因跪曰：「諾。」五日平明，良往。父已先在，怒曰：「與老人期，後，何也？」去。「後五日早會。」五日，鷄鳴復往。父又已先在，復怒曰：「後，何也？」去。「後五日復早來。」五日，良夜未半往。有頃，父來，喜曰：「當如是矣！」出一篇書，曰：「讀是則為帝者師。後十。三年，子見我，濟北穀成山下黃石即我也。」遂去，無他言，弗復見。旦日視其書，乃《太公兵法》也。良因異之，習讀之。是何謂也？ |
| | Marquis Liu Hou Zhang Liang attempted to assassinate Emperor Qin Shi Huang but mistakenly hit the decoy carriage instead. Emperor Qin Shi Huang was furious and ordered a search for Zhang Liang. Zhang Liang changed his name and fled into hiding in Xupu. He often strolled leisurely along the banks of the Si River in Xupu when an old man, dressed in a rough hemp robe, came to where Zhang Liang was and deliberately dropped his sandals into the river. He then turned to Zhang Liang and said, "You young man, go down and get my sandals!" Zhang Liang was startled and wanted to drive the old man away, but seeing that he was elderly, he forced himself to endure it. He went down to retrieve the sandals and then knelt to present them back to him. The old man took the sandals with his feet and laughed as he left. Zhang Liang was greatly surprised. After the old man had walked about a li away, he returned and said, "You are worthy of instruction, young man." "Five days from now at dawn, meet me here." Zhang Liang found this strange but knelt and replied, "Yes, I will do as you say." Five days later at dawn, Zhang Liang went there. The old man was already waiting and angrily said, "I made an appointment with you to meet on time, yet you are late—why?" Then he left. "Come five days later at an even earlier time." Five days later, when the rooster crowed, Zhang Liang went again. Then he left again. Then he left. "Come five days later even earlier than before." Five days later, Zhang Liang went at a time when the night was not yet half over. After some time, the old man arrived and said with joy, "This is how it should be!" He took out a book and said, "Read this, and you will become the teacher of an emperor." Ten days later. "In three years, when you see me again, it will be at the Yellow Stone under Gucheng Mountain in Jibei." Then he left without saying anything else and was never seen again. The next day, Zhang Liang looked at the book and realized it was The Art of War by Tai Gong. Zhang Liang considered this strange and began to study and read it diligently. What is the meaning of this?
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曰：是高祖將起，張良為輔之祥也。良居下邳，任俠。十年陳涉等起，沛公略地下邳，良從，遂為師將，封為留侯。後十三年後高祖過濟北，界得穀成山下黃石，取而葆祠之。及留侯死，并葬黃石。蓋吉凶之象，神矣；天地之化，巧矣。使老父象黃石，黃石象老父，何其神邪！ |
| | It was said: This was a sign that Emperor Gaozu would rise to power and Zhang Liang would serve as his assistant. Zhang Liang lived in Xupu, where he took on the role of a chivalrous man. Ten years later, Chen She and others rose in rebellion; Liu Bang captured the area around Xupu. Zhang Liang followed him and became a general and teacher to Liu Bang, eventually being enfeoffed as Marquis Liu Hou. Thirteen years later, after Emperor Gaozu passed through Jibei and reached the boundary of the region, he found a yellow stone at the foot of Gucheng Mountain. He took it and kept it in his possession, offering sacrifices to it with reverence. When Marquis Liu Hou died, he was buried together with the yellow stone. Indeed, omens of good or ill fortune are truly divine; the transformations of Heaven and Earth are remarkably skillful. That the old man could appear as a yellow stone, and that the yellow stone could represent the old man—how divine is this!
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問曰：「黃石審老父，老父審黃石耶？」曰：石不能為老父，老父不能為黃石。妖祥之氣，見故驗也。何以明之？晉平公之時，石言魏榆。平公問於師曠曰：「石何故言？」對曰：「石不能言，或憑依也。不然，民聽偏也。」夫石不能人言，則亦不能人形矣。石言，與始皇時石墜車郡，民刻之，無異也。刻為文，言為辭，辭之與文，一實也。民刻文，氣發言，民之與氣，一性也。夫石不能自刻，則亦不能言；不能言，則亦不能為人矣。 |
| | Someone asked: "Was the yellow stone truly the old man, or was the old man truly the yellow stone?" It was said: A stone cannot become an old man, and an old man cannot become a yellow stone. The qi of supernatural omens appears in this form, thus it is verified. How do we know this to be true? During the reign of Duke Ping of Jin, a stone spoke in Wei Yu. Duke Ping asked Shi Kuang, "Why did the stone speak?" Shi Kuang replied, "A stone cannot speak; it must have been influenced by something else. Otherwise, the people's hearing is biased." If a stone cannot speak like a human, then it also cannot take on a human form. A speaking stone is no different from the stones that fell in Che Jun during Emperor Qin Shi Huang's time, which people carved and interpreted. Carving words into stone or making a stone "speak" in the form of words—words and inscriptions are essentially one and the same. When people carve inscriptions, it is as if qi (vital energy) speaks; thus, people and qi share a single nature. A stone cannot carve itself, so it also cannot speak; If a stone cannot speak, then it cannot become human either.
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| | 紀妖: |
《太公兵法》、氣象之也。何以知非實也？以老父非人，知書亦非太公之書也。氣象生人之形，則亦能象太公之書。問曰：「氣無刀筆，何以為文？」曰：魯惠公夫人仲子，生而有文在其掌，曰「為魯夫人」。晉唐叔虞文在其手，曰「虞」。魯成季友文在其手，曰「友」。三文之書，性自然；老父之書，氣自成也。性自然，氣自成，與夫童謠口自言，無以異也。當童之謠也，不知所受，口自言之。口自言，文自成，或為之也。推此以省太公釣得巨魚，刳魚得書，云「呂尚封齊」，及武王得白魚，喉下文曰「以予發」，蓋不虛矣。因此復原《河圖》、《洛書》言興衰存亡、帝王際會，審有其文矣。皆妖祥之氣、吉凶之端也。 |
| | The Art of War by Tai Gong is also an omen-like manifestation of qi. How do we know it was not real? Because the old man was not a human, it follows that the book he gave was also not an authentic work of Tai Gong. If qi can manifest as a human form, then it can also manifest as the writings of Tai Gong. Someone asked: "Qi has no knives or brushes; how could it produce writing?" It was said: The wife of Duke Hui of Lu, Zhongzi, was born with a mark on her palm that read "wife of the state of Lu." In Jin, Tang Shuyu had writing on his hand that said "Yu." In Lu, Ji You of Duke Cheng also had a mark on his palm that read "You." The writing on these three palms was natural and inherent. The book given by the old man was formed naturally from qi itself. That which is natural and formed by qi is no different from a child's rhyme or prophecy spoken spontaneously. When children recite rhymes, they do not know where the words come from; their mouths speak them naturally. Spontaneous speech and self-formed writing—these are all manifestations of something acting upon them. By this reasoning, we can understand the story of Tai Gong catching a giant fish and cutting it open to find a book inside that said "Lü Shang will be enfeoffed in Qi," as well as King Wu capturing a white fish with writing on its throat saying "use me to launch an attack"—these accounts are not unfounded. Therefore, we can also understand the original texts of The River Map (Hetu) and The Luo Book (Luoshu), which speak of rise and fall, survival and destruction, as well as the meeting between emperors and their destined ministers—these indeed contain real writings. All are manifestations of supernatural omens and signs of good or ill fortune.
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