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二曰── |
| | Secondly--
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求之其本，经旬必得；求之其末，劳而无功。功名之立，由事之本也，得贤之化也。非贤其孰知乎事化？故曰其本在得贤。 |
| | Seeking it from its root, one will surely obtain it within ten days; Seeking it from its end, one toils in vain. The establishment of achievements and reputation arises from the fundamentals of affairs and is realized through the influence of virtuous talent. If not the virtuous, who else truly knows about transforming affairs? Therefore it is said that its root lies in acquiring virtuous talent.
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| | 本味: |
有侁氏女子采桑，得婴儿于空桑之中，献之其君。其君令烰人养之。察其所以然，曰：“其母居伊水之上，孕，梦有神告之曰：‘臼出水而东走，毋顾。’明日，视臼出水，告其邻，东走十里，而顾其邑尽为水，身因化为空桑”，故命之曰伊尹。此伊尹生空桑之故也。长而贤。汤闻伊尹，使人请之有侁氏。有侁氏不可。伊尹亦欲归汤。汤于是请取妇为婚。有侁氏喜，以伊尹为媵送女。故贤主之求有道之士，无不以也；有道之士求贤主，无不行也；相得然后乐。不谋而亲，不约而信，相为殚智竭力，犯危行苦，志欢乐之，此功名所以大成也。固不独。士有孤而自恃，人主有奋而好独者，则名号必废熄，社稷必危殆。故黄帝立四面，尧、舜得伯阳、续耳然后成，凡贤人之德有以知之也。 |
| | A woman of the Shen clan, while gathering mulberry leaves, found an infant inside a hollow mulberry tree and presented it to her ruler. Her ruler ordered the Fu people to raise it. Investigating the reason why this happened, they said: "Her mother lived by the Yi River, and while pregnant, she had a dream in which a deity told her: 'When the mortar overflows with water, run eastward and do not look back.'" The next day, seeing the mortar overflow with water, she told her neighbors and ran eastward for ten li. However, when she looked back, her town had been entirely submerged in water, and herself was transformed into a hollow mulberry tree." Hence, he was named Yi Yin. This is the reason why Yiyin was born from the hollow mulberry tree. He grew up to be virtuous and talented. Tang heard of Yi Yin and sent someone to request him from the Shen clan. The Shen clan would not agree. Yi Yin also wished to return to Tang. Tang then requested to marry a woman from the Shen clan as part of an arranged marriage. The Shen clan was pleased and sent Yi Yin as an attendant along with their daughter. Therefore, virtuous rulers who seek men of principle will go to no lengths that are unnecessary; Men of principle seeking a virtuous ruler will not fail to act accordingly; Only when they find each other can true joy be realized. Without prior consultation, they become close; without agreement, they trust one another. They devote their wisdom and exert their strength for each other, braving danger and enduring hardship, yet their hearts remain joyful—this is why great achievements and reputation are thus accomplished. Therefore, success is never the result of one person alone. Ministers who are isolated yet rely solely on themselves, and rulers who act recklessly while favoring solitude, will inevitably see their titles extinguished and their states fall into peril. Therefore, the Yellow Emperor had four advisors; Yao and Shun achieved success only after obtaining Bo Yang and Xue Er—indeed, the virtue of virtuous men is something that can be understood.
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伯牙鼓琴，锺子期听之，方鼓琴而志在太山，锺子期曰：“善哉乎鼓琴，巍巍乎若太山。”少选之间，而志在流水，锺子期又曰：“善哉乎鼓琴，汤汤乎若流水。”锺子期死，伯牙破琴绝弦，终身不复鼓琴，以为世无足复为鼓琴者。非独琴若此也，贤者亦然。虽有贤者，而无礼以接之，贤奚由尽忠？犹御之不善，骥不自千里也。 |
| | Bo Ya played the qin, and Zhong Ziqi listened. As he was playing, his mind was on Mount Tai, and Zhong Ziqi said: "How excellent is your qin playing! Majestic as Mount Tai!" After a short while, his thoughts turned to flowing water, and Zhong Ziqi again said: "How excellent is your qin playing, surging like flowing water." After Zhong Ziqi died, Bo Ya smashed his qin and cut its strings, vowing never to play again for the rest of his life, believing there was no one else in the world worthy of hearing him play. It is not only with the qin that this is so; virtuous men are likewise. Even if there are virtuous individuals, without proper courtesy to receive them, how can they be expected to give their full loyalty? It is like poor horsemanship; even a Qiji (a superior horse) will not run a thousand li by itself.
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汤得伊尹，祓之于庙，爝以爟火，衅以牺猳。明日，设朝而见之，说汤以至味，汤曰：“可对而为乎？”对曰：“君之国小，不足以具之，为天子然后可具。夫三群之虫，水居者腥，肉玃者臊，草食者膻，臭恶犹美，皆有所以。凡味之本，水最为始。五味三材，九沸九变，火为之纪。时疾时徐，灭腥去臊除膻，必以其胜，无失其理。调和之事，必以甘酸苦辛咸，先后多少，其齐甚微，皆有自起。鼎中之变，精妙微纤，口弗能言，志不能喻。若射御之微，阴阳之化，四时之数。故久而不弊，熟而不烂，甘而不哝，酸而不酷，咸而不减，辛而不烈，澹而不薄，肥而不𦞕。肉之美者：猩猩之唇，獾獾之炙，隽觾之翠，述荡之踏，旄象之约。流沙之西，丹山之南，有凤之丸，沃民所食。鱼之美者：洞庭之鱄，东海之鲕。醴水之鱼，名曰朱鳖，六足，有珠百碧。雚水之鱼，名曰鳐，其状若鲤而有翼，常从西海夜飞，游于东海。菜之美者：昆仑之苹，寿木之华。指姑之东，中容之国，有赤木玄木之叶焉。馀瞀之南，南极之崖，有菜，其名曰嘉树，其色若碧。阳华之芸。云梦之芹。具区之菁。浸渊之草，名曰土英。和之美者：阳朴之姜，招摇之桂，越骆之菌，鳝鲔之醢，大夏之盐，宰揭之露，其色如玉，长泽之卵。饭之美者：玄山之禾，不周之粟，阳山之穄，南海之秬。水之美者：三危之露；昆仑之井；沮江之丘，名曰摇水；曰山之水；高泉之山，其上有涌泉焉，冀州之原。果之美者：沙棠之实；常山之北，投渊之上，有百果焉，群帝所食；箕山之东，青岛之所，有甘栌焉；江浦之橘；云梦之柚。汉上石耳。所以致之马之美者，青龙之匹，遗风之乘。非先为天子，不可得而具。天子不可强为，必先知道。道者止彼在己，己成而天子成，天子成则至味具。故审近所以知远也，成己所以成人也。圣人之道要矣，岂越越多业哉！” |
| | Tang obtained Yi Yin, purified him in the temple, burned sacrificial fires to purify the space, and performed a blood sacrifice using a male goat. The next day, he held court and received Yi Yin, who explained to Tang the most exquisite flavors of food. Tang asked: "Can these be prepared?" Yi Yin replied: "Your state is small and cannot provide for them; only when you become emperor can they all be prepared. The three categories of creatures—those living in water have a fishy smell, those that eat flesh have an offensive odor, and those that feed on grass emit a 膻 (shān) scent. Even foul smells can be considered delicious; each has its reason. The source of all flavors begins with water. The five flavors and three ingredients, boiled nine times and transformed nine times—fire serves as their measure. At times quick, at times slow, eliminating the fishy, removing the foul, and dispelling the 膻—this must be done according to their respective counterbalances, without losing the principle. The matter of harmonizing flavors must employ sweetness, sourness, bitterness, spiciness, and saltiness—each in proper sequence and quantity. The balance is extremely subtle, and each has its own origin. The transformations within the cauldron are refined and intricate; they cannot be described in words or fully conveyed through thought. It is like the subtleties of archery and charioteering, the transformations of yin and yang, and the calculations of the four seasons. Therefore, it remains long without deterioration, is cooked through but not overdone, sweet yet not cloying, sour yet not harsh, salty yet not overpowering, spicy yet not scorching, bland yet not insipid, rich yet not greasy. The finest meats include: the lips of the xingxing, roasted hunhun, the green meat of junzhi, the steamed meat of shudang, and the tender cuts from maoxiang. To the west of the Flowing Sands and south of Dan Mountain, there are phoenix eggs, consumed by the people of Womin. The finest fish include: the zuan from Lake Dongting and the yu from the East Sea. The fish of Lishui is named Zhubie; it has six legs and possesses a hundred emerald-like pearls. The fish of Guanshui is named Xia; its appearance resembles a carp but it has wings, and it often flies at night from the Western Sea to swim in the Eastern Sea. The finest vegetables include: the ping of Kunlun Mountain, and the flowers of Shoumu. To the east of Zhigu lies the state of Zhongrong, where there are leaves from red and black trees. To the south of Yumao lies the cliffs of Nanji, where there is a vegetable named Jiashu, whose color resembles emerald green. The yun of Yanghua. The qin of Yunmeng. The jing of Juqu. The grass from Jinyuan is named Tuying. The finest seasonings include: the ginger of Yangpu, the cinnamon of Zhaoyao, the mushrooms of Yueluo, the paste made from zhan and yu fish, the salt of Daxia, the dew of Zaiejie, whose color is like jade, and the eggs of Changze. The finest grains include: the millet of Xuanshan, the sorghum of Bu Zhou, the jimi of Yangshan, and the black millet of Nanhai. The finest water includes: the dew from Sanwei; the well of Kunlun Mountain; the hills of Jujiang, named Yaoshui; the water of Yuanshan; The mountain of Gaoquan has a spring gushing forth at its peak, located in the plains of Jizhou. The finest fruits include: the fruit of Shatang; To the north of Changshan Mountain, above Touyuan, there are a hundred kinds of fruits, consumed by all the emperors. To the east of Jishan lies Qingdao, where there is sweet lantai fruit; the tangerines from Jiangpu; the pomelos of Yunmeng. The stone ears on the banks of the Han River. To obtain the finest horses, there are the matched qinglong steeds and the yifeng carriage horses. Without first becoming emperor, one cannot possess all these things. The Son of Heaven cannot be forced into power; he must first understand the Way. The Way lies in oneself, not elsewhere; when one is perfected, the Son of Heaven becomes perfected. When the Son of Heaven is perfected, then all the most exquisite flavors are fully realized. Therefore, examining what is near enables one to understand what is distant; perfecting oneself is how one perfects others. The Way of the sage is essential—how could it be achieved by scattering efforts and pursuing too many endeavors!"
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