| | 宣漢: |
儒者稱五帝、三王致天下太平，漢興已來，未有太平。彼謂五帝、三王致太平，漢未有太平者，見五帝、三王聖人也，聖人之德，能致太平；謂漢不太平者，漢無聖帝也，賢者之化，不能太平。又見孔子言：「鳳鳥不至，河不出圖，吾已矣夫！」方今無鳳鳥、河圖，瑞頗未至悉具，故謂未太平。此言妄也。 |
| | The Confucian scholars claim that the Five Emperors and Three Kings brought about universal peace in the world, but since the founding of the Han dynasty, there has been no era of great peace. They say that the Five Emperors and the Three Kings achieved universal peace, but not during the Han dynasty. This is because they regarded the Five Emperors and three Kings as sage rulers; the virtue of sages could bring about an age of great peace; To say that the Han dynasty did not achieve peace is to say that there were no sage emperors in the Han, for even the influence of virtuous men could not bring about universal peace. They also saw what Confucius said: "The phoenix does not come, the Yellow River produces no map; I am finished!" At present there are no phoenixes or maps from the Yellow River, and auspicious signs have not yet fully appeared; therefore, they say that peace has not been achieved. This statement is false.
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| | 宣漢: |
夫太平以治定為效，百姓以安樂為符。孔子曰：「脩己以安百姓，堯、舜其猶病諸！」百姓安者、太平之驗也。夫治人以人為主，百姓安，而陰陽和；陰陽和，則萬物育；萬物育，則奇瑞出。視今天下，安乎？危乎？安則平矣，瑞雖未具，無害於平。故夫王道定事以驗，立實以效，效驗不彰，實誠不見。時或實然，證驗不具，是故王道立事以實，不必具驗。聖主治世，期於平安，不須符瑞。 |
| | True peace and prosperity are demonstrated by good governance and stability, and the people take their safety and happiness as signs of this. Confucius said: "Cultivate oneself to bring peace to the common people; even Yao and Shun might still find it difficult!" The safety of the people is proof of an age of peace. To govern people, human beings are the main concern; when the common people are at peace, yin and yang harmonize; When yin and yang are in harmony, all things flourish; When all things flourish, then auspicious signs appear. Look at the world today—does it enjoy peace? Is it in danger? If the world is at peace, then it is already peaceful. Even if auspicious signs are not yet complete, they do no harm to peace. Therefore, the Way of kings establishes affairs as proof and sets reality as an example; if effects and verification are not evident, then truth and sincerity cannot be seen. Sometimes things may indeed be so, but evidence is incomplete; thus, the Way of kings sets affairs based on reality and does not necessarily require complete verification. A sage ruler governing the world aims for peace and safety, without needing auspicious signs.
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| | 宣漢: |
且夫太平之瑞，猶聖主之相也。聖王骨法未必同，太平之瑞何為當等？彼聞堯、舜之時，鳳皇、景星皆見，河圖、洛書皆出，以為後王治天下，當復若等之物，乃為太平。用心若此，猶謂堯當復比齒，舜當復八眉也。夫帝王聖相前後不同，則得瑞古今不等。而今王無鳳鳥、河圖，為未太平，妄矣。 |
| | Moreover, the auspicious signs of great peace are like the features of a sage ruler. The bone structure of sage kings is not necessarily the same; why then should the auspicious signs of universal peace be identical? They heard that in the time of Yao and Shun, phoenixes and Jingxing all appeared, and maps from the Yellow River and books from the Luo River were produced; they therefore believed that later kings governing the world should again produce such things to be considered as achieving great peace. To think in this way is like saying that Yao should have teeth growing from his cheeks again, and Shun should have eight eyebrows once more. The physical features of sage emperors differ across generations; thus, auspicious signs in different times are not the same. To say that because today's ruler has no phoenixes or Yellow River maps, it is therefore not an age of peace, is false.
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| | 宣漢: |
孔子言鳳皇、河圖者，假前瑞以為語也，未必謂世當復有鳳皇與河圖也。夫帝王之瑞，眾多非一，或以鳳鳥、麒驎，或以河圖、洛書，或以甘露、醴泉，或以陰陽和調，或以百姓乂安。今瑞未必同於古，古應未必合於今，遭以所得，未必相襲。何以明之？以帝王興起，命祜不同也。周則烏、魚，漢斬大虵。推論唐、虞，猶周、漢也。初興始起，事效物氣，無相襲者，太平瑞應，何故當鈞？以已至之瑞，效方來之應，猶守株待兔之蹊，藏身破罝之路也。 |
| | When Confucius spoke of phoenixes and Yellow River maps, he used these auspicious signs from the past as metaphors; he did not necessarily mean that such things should appear again in every age. The auspicious signs of a great ruler are numerous and not limited to one form; they may be phoenixes or qilin, or maps from the Yellow River or books from the Luo River, or sweet dew and nectar springs, or harmony between yin and yang, or peace and stability among the people. Auspicious signs today may not be the same as in ancient times; what was appropriate in the past may not fit with the present. What is encountered and obtained depends on circumstances, and need not follow previous patterns. How can this be proven? Because the rise of emperors and their destinies differ. The Zhou dynasty had crows and fish; the Han dynasty saw a great snake beheaded. By analogy, Tang and Yu were also like the Zhou and Han dynasties. At their rise to power, each dynasty had its own unique events, effects, and omens; none followed the same pattern. Why then should the signs of great peace be identical? To use past auspicious signs as a standard for future omens is like waiting by the tree stump for another rabbit to run into it, or hiding along a path where an old trap lies.
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| | 宣漢: |
天下太平，瑞應各異，猶家人富殖，物不同也。或積米穀，或藏布帛，或畜牛馬，或長田宅。夫樂米穀不愛布帛，歡牛馬不美田宅，則謂米穀愈布帛，牛馬勝田宅矣。今百姓安矣，符瑞至矣，終謂古瑞河圖、鳳皇不至，謂之未安，是猶食稻之人，入飯稷之鄉，不見稻米，謂稷為非穀也。 |
| | When the world enjoys peace and prosperity, auspicious signs vary from one time to another; it is like a family growing wealthy—its possessions will naturally differ. Some may accumulate rice and grain, others store cloth and silk; some raise cattle and horses, while others expand their farmland and houses. If one is pleased with rice and grain but not with cloth and silk, or happy about cattle and horses but does not value farmland and houses, then one would say that rice and grain are better than cloth and silk, and cattle and horses superior to farmland and homes. Now the people are at peace and auspicious signs have appeared, yet if one insists that ancient omens such as Yellow River maps or phoenixes do not appear, and thus claims it is still not peaceful, this is like a person who eats rice entering a village where millet is eaten; upon not seeing rice, he declares millet to be no grain at all.
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| | 宣漢: |
實者、天下已太平矣。未有聖人，何以致之？未見鳳皇，何以效實？問世儒不知聖，何以知今無聖人也？世人見鳳皇，何以知之？既無以知之，何以知今無鳳皇也？委不能知有聖與無，又不能別鳳皇是鳳與非，則必不能定今太平與未平也。 |
| | In reality, the world has already achieved peace and prosperity. Without a sage ruler, how could such an age be achieved? Not seeing phoenixes, on what basis can one judge the truth? To ask the Confucian scholars of this world who do not recognize sages—how can they know that there are no sages today? When people in the world see phoenixes, how do they come to know them? Since they cannot recognize them when they exist, how can they claim that there are no phoenixes today? If one cannot determine whether a sage exists or not, and also cannot distinguish between what is truly a phoenix and what is not, then certainly they are unable to decide whether the world today is at peace or not.
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| | 宣漢: |
孔子曰：「如有王者，必世然後仁。」三十年而天下平。漢興至文帝時，二十餘年。賈誼創議，以為天下洽和，當改正朔、服色、制度，定官名，興禮樂。文帝初即位，謙讓未遑。夫如賈生之議，文帝時已太平矣。漢興二十餘年，應孔子之言「必世然後仁」也，漢一代之年數已滿，太平立矣，賈生知之。況至今且三百年，謂未太平，誤也。且孔子所謂一世，三十年也。漢家三百歲，十帝耀德，未平如何？夫文帝之時，固已平矣，歷世持平矣。至平帝時，前漢已滅，光武中興，復致太平。 |
| | Confucius said: "If there were a true ruler of kingship, it would take an entire generation before benevolence could be fully realized." After thirty years, the world will enjoy peace. From the founding of the Han to Emperor Wen's reign, it was more than twenty years. Jia Yi proposed that since the world had achieved harmony, it was time to change the calendar system, colors of dress, systems and regulations, establish official titles, and revive rites and music. At first after ascending the throne, Emperor Wen was modest and deferred action. According to Jia Sheng's proposal, during Emperor Wen's time peace had already been achieved. More than twenty years after the founding of the Han corresponds to Confucius's saying, "It would take an entire generation for benevolence to be realized." The number of years in the history of the Han dynasty was already complete; peace had been established. Jia Sheng understood this. Moreover, by now it has nearly reached three hundred years; to say that peace has not yet been achieved is a mistake. Moreover, what Confucius meant by one generation (yi shi) is thirty years. The Han dynasty has lasted three hundred years; ten emperors have displayed virtue—how could it still not be peaceful? During Emperor Wen's time, peace had already been achieved; the world has remained at peace through successive generations. By the time of Emperor Ping, the Former Han had already perished; Emperor Guangwu revived the dynasty and once again brought about an age of peace.
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| | 宣漢: |
問曰：「文帝有瑞，可名太平，光武無瑞，謂之太平，如何？」曰：夫帝王瑞應，前後不同，雖無物瑞，百姓寧集，風氣調和，是亦瑞也。何以明之？帝王治平，升封太山，告安也。秦始皇升封太山，遭雷雨之變，治未平，氣未和。光武皇帝升封，天晏然無雲，太平之應也，治平氣應。光武之時，氣和人安，物瑞等至。人氣已驗，論者猶疑。孝宣皇帝元康二年，鳳皇集於太山，後又集于新平。四年，神雀集於長樂宮，或集于上林，九真獻麟。神雀二年，鳳皇、甘露降集京師。四年，鳳皇下杜陵及上林。五鳳三年，帝祭南郊，神光並見，或興子谷，燭燿齋宮，十有餘日。明年，祭后土，靈光復至，至如南郊之時。甘靈、神雀降集延壽萬歲宮。其年三月，鸞鳳集長樂宮東門中樹上。甘露元年，黃龍至，見于新豐，醴泉滂流。彼鳳皇雖五六至，或時一鳥而數來，或時異鳥而各至，麒麟、神雀、黃龍、鸞鳥、甘露、醴泉，祭后土天地之時，神光靈耀，可謂繁盛累積矣。孝明時雖無鳳皇，亦致麟、甘露、醴泉、神雀、白雉、紫芝、嘉禾，金出鼎見，離木復合。五帝、三王，經傳所載瑞應，莫盛孝明。如以瑞應效太平，宣、明之年，倍五帝、三王也。夫如是，孝宣、孝明可謂太平矣。 |
| | One might ask: "Emperor Wen had auspicious signs, so it could be called an era of great peace; Emperor Guangwu had no such signs, yet is also called an age of peace—how can this be?" It was said: The auspicious signs for emperors vary across generations. Even without physical omens, if the people live in peace and harmony prevails, this itself is an omen. How can this be proven? When emperors achieve peace and stability, they ascend Mount Tai for a fengshan ceremony to announce the world's safety. Qin Shi Huang ascended Mount Tai for the fengshan ritual, but encountered a storm of thunder and rain; his rule was not yet peaceful, and harmony had not been achieved. When Emperor Guangwu ascended Mount Tai, the sky remained clear without clouds; this was an omen of great peace—the harmony of governance and atmosphere. During Emperor Guangwu's reign, yin-yang harmonized, the people were at peace, and auspicious signs appeared in abundance. Human harmony has already been proven; yet some still doubt it. In the second year of Yuankang during the reign of Emperor Xuan, a phoenix gathered at Mount Tai; later it also appeared in Xinping. In the fourth year, divine sparrows gathered at Changling Palace, or in Shanglin; a qilin was presented from Jiuzhen. In the second year of Shenque, phoenixes and sweet dew descended upon the capital. In the fourth year, phoenixes appeared at Dulung and Shanglin. In the third year of Wufeng, when the emperor made a sacrifice at the southern suburbs, divine lights appeared together; some arose from the valley, illuminating the 斋宫 (Zhai Gong) for more than ten days. The following year, when sacrifices were made to Houtu, divine lights returned again, appearing just as they had at the southern suburbs. Sweet dew and divine sparrows descended upon Yanshou Wansui Palace. That year, in the third month, a 鸾凤 (luanfeng) gathered on a tree at the eastern gate of Changling Palace. In the first year of Ganlu, a yellow dragon appeared in Xinfeng; nectar springs flowed abundantly. Although phoenixes appeared five or six times, sometimes one bird came multiple times, and at other times different birds arrived separately. Qilin, divine sparrows, yellow dragons, luanfeng, sweet dew, nectar springs—during sacrifices to Houtu, Heaven, and Earth, divine lights and auspicious radiance were seen; this can truly be called a flourishing accumulation of omens. During the reign of Emperor Ming, although phoenixes did not appear, qilin, sweet dew, nectar springs, divine sparrows, white pheasants, purple lingzhi mushrooms, auspicious grains, gold emerged and tripods appeared, while split trees reunited. Among the Five Emperors and Three kings, as recorded in classical texts, no era had more auspicious signs than during Emperor Ming's reign. If one judges an age of peace by the presence of auspicious signs, then the years of Emperors Xuan and Ming surpass those of the Five Emperors and Three Kinds. Therefore, Emperor Xuan and Emperor Ming can truly be said to have achieved an age of peace and prosperity.
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| | 宣漢: |
能致太平者，聖人也，世儒何以謂世未有聖人？天之稟氣，豈為前世者渥，後世者泊哉？周有三聖，文王、武王、周公並時猥出。漢亦一代也，何以當少於周？周之聖王，何以當多於漢？漢之高祖、光武，周之文、武也。文帝、武帝、宣帝、孝明、今上過周之成、康、宣王。非以身生漢世，可褒增頌歎，以求媚稱也。核事理之情，定說者之實也。 |
| | Those who bring about great peace are sages; why do the Confucian scholars say that there have never been any sages in this age? Does Heaven's bestowal of vital energy favor the past generations more and leave later ones barren? The Zhou dynasty had three sages—Wen Wang, Wu Wang, and Duke of Zhou—who appeared together in the same era. The Han was also a single dynasty; why should it have fewer sages than the Zhou? Why should the sage kings of the Zhou be more numerous than those of the Han? The Han's Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Guangwu are to the Zhou's Wen Wang and Wu Wang as counterparts. Emperor Wen, Emperor Wu, Emperor Xuan, Emperor Ming, and the current emperor surpass the Zhou's Cheng Wang, Kang Wang, and Xuan Wang. This is not about praising or extolling those born in the Han era to seek flattery and acclaim. It is a matter of examining the truth of events and determining the reality behind what is said.
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| | 宣漢: |
俗好褒遠稱古，講瑞上世為美，論治則古王為賢，暏奇於今，終不信然。使堯、舜更生，恐無聖名。獵者獲禽，觀者樂獵，不見漁者，之心不顧也。是故觀於齊不虞魯，遊於楚不懽宋。唐、虞、夏、殷同載在二尺四寸，儒者推讀，朝夕講習，不見漢書，謂漢劣不若。亦觀獵不見漁，游齊、楚不願宋、魯也。使漢有弘文之人，經傳漢事，則《尚書》、《春秋》也。儒者宗之，學者習之，將襲舊六為七，今上上王至高祖，皆為聖帝矣。觀杜撫、班固等所上《漢頌》，頌功德符瑞，汪濊深廣，滂沛無量，踰唐、虞，入皇域。 |
| | The common people tend to praise the distant past and glorify antiquity, regarding auspicious signs in ancient times as admirable; when discussing governance, they consider ancient kings wiser. Even if extraordinary events occur today, they ultimately refuse to believe them. If Yao and Shun were reborn in this age, they might not be recognized as sages. A hunter who captures game delights the onlookers; but if a fisherman is present, their hearts remain indifferent. Therefore, those who visit Qi do not anticipate Lu, and travelers in Chu take no joy in Song. The histories of Tang, Yu, Xia, and Yin are all recorded on bamboo slips two chi four cun in length; Confucian scholars study them diligently morning and night. Yet they do not read the Han records, claiming that the Han was inferior to these earlier dynasties. This is like watching a hunt but ignoring fishing, or traveling in Qi and Chu without desiring Song and Lu. If the Han had scholars who compiled its history into classical texts, then they would be like the Shangshu and Chunqiu. Confucian scholars would revere them, and students would study them; the six ancient classics would then become seven. The current emperor, as well as all emperors up to Emperor Gaozu, would be regarded as sage rulers. Looking at the Han Songs submitted by Du Fu, Ban Gu and others, which extolled the virtues, achievements, and auspicious signs of the Han, their praise was vast and profound, overflowing without measure—surpassing Tang and Yu and entering the realm of emperors.
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| | 宣漢: |
三代隘辟，厥深洿沮也。「殷監不遠，在夏后之世。」且舍唐、虞、夏、殷，近與周家斷量功德，實商優劣，周不如漢。何以驗之？ |
| | The Three Dynasties were narrow and obscure; how much more so their depth and obscurity! "The Yin dynasty's mirror was not distant—it lay in the time of the Xia kings." Moreover, if we set aside Tang, Yu, Xia, and Shang, and instead compare the Zhou dynasty's achievements with those of the Han in recent times, a true assessment would show that the Zhou were inferior to the Han. How can this be verified?
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| | 宣漢: |
周之受命者，文、武也，漢則高祖、光武也。文、武受命之降怪，不及高祖、光武初起之祐。孝宣、明之瑞，美於周之成、康、宣王。孝宣、孝明符瑞，唐、虞以來，可謂盛矣。今上即命，奉成持滿，四海混一，天下定寧，物瑞已極，人應訂隆。唐世黎民雍熙，今亦天下脩仁，歲遭運氣，穀頗不登，迥路無絕道之憂，深幽無屯聚之姦。周家越常獻白雉，方今匈奴、鄯善、哀牢貢獻牛馬。周時僅治五千里內，漢氏廓土，收荒服之外。牛馬珍於白雉，近屬不若遠物。古之戎狄，今為中國；古之躶人，今被朝服；古之露首，今冠章甫；古之跣跗，今履商舄。以盤石為沃田，以桀暴為良民，夷埳坷為平均，化不賓為齊民，非太平而何？ |
| | The Zhou dynasty was founded by King Wen and King Wu, while the Han was established by Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Guangwu. The auspicious signs that accompanied Kings Wen and Wu when they received their mandate were not as great as the divine blessings that aided Emperor Gaozu and Guangwu at the beginning of their rise. The auspicious signs during the reigns of Emperor Xuan and Emperor Ming were more splendid than those under King Cheng, King Kang, or King Xuan of Zhou. The auspicious signs during the eras of Emperor Xuan and Ming were unprecedented since Tang and Yu; they can be said to have reached their height. The current emperor has received his mandate, upholding stability and prosperity; the four seas are unified, and the world is at peace. Auspicious signs have reached their peak, and human responses confirm a flourishing era. In the Tang dynasty, the people lived in harmony and peace; now too, the world is cultivating benevolence. Though each year brings some misfortune affecting harvests, there are no worries of blocked roads, nor hidden dangers from bandits gathering in remote areas. In the Zhou dynasty, distant regions beyond the usual borders presented white pheasants as tribute; today, the Xiongnu, Shan-shan, and Ailao offer cattle and horses in tribute. In the Zhou era, control was limited to within five thousand li; but under the Han dynasty, territory expanded outward, incorporating lands beyond the frontier. Cattle and horses are more valuable than white pheasants, yet nearby tributaries offer less rare gifts than distant peoples. Ancient Rong and Di tribes, now part of China; ancient people who went naked are now clad in official robes; those ancient people who left their heads uncovered now wear the zhangfu cap; and those who once went barefoot now wear fine shoes. Turning solid rock into fertile fields, transforming violent outlaws into good citizens, smoothing rough terrain into level ground, and civilizing the uncultured into equal subjects—what else can this be but an era of great peace?
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| | 宣漢: |
夫實德化則周不能過漢，論符瑞則漢盛於周，度土境則周狹於漢，漢何以不如周？獨謂周多聖人，治致太平？儒者稱聖泰隆，使聖卓而無跡；稱治亦泰盛，使太平絕而無續也。 |
| | In terms of moral influence, the Zhou could not surpass the Han; in auspicious signs, the Han exceeded the Zhou; and in territorial extent, the Zhou was narrower than the Han. In what way then is the Han inferior to the Zhou? Is it only because the Zhou had more sages that they achieved an age of peace? Confucian scholars praise sagehood and great prosperity, yet their sages are lofty but without clear records; they also claim that the era of governance was grand and flourishing, yet they present an age of peace as having no precedent or continuation.
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