Ten thoughts on admonishing Taizong
Author: Wei Zhi in Tang Dynasty
When I hear the elders asking for wood, I will consolidate their roots; Those who want to flow far away will dig their springs; A man who considers national security will accumulate his morality. The source is not deep, but it flows far. Roots are not solid, but seek the length of wood. Morality is not thick, thinking about the country. Although I am stupid and know it is impossible, it is wise to size up the situation! When a person is an artifact, he is a big territory, he will worship the rigor of the sky and always guard the boundless rest. Don't think about being prepared for danger in times of peace, abstain from extravagance and thrift, virtue is not thick, and feelings are not desirable. Division also cut the roots to make Muwang, plug the source to flow long.
Every hundred heads of state, bearing the fate of heaven and scenery, are worried and talk about it, and they are successful and morally declining. Those who start well are complicated, but those who can resist to the end are few. Is it difficult to take away the easy things and keep them? In the past, this was more than enough, but today it is not enough. Why? When the husband is worried, he will wait wholeheartedly; If you succeed, you will be addicted to pride. The five mountains wholeheartedly are an organic whole, while the proud things are connected by flesh and blood. Although Dong Zhi was angered by severe punishment, he finally avoided it mercilessly, with a respectful face but unconvinced. Resentment is not great, but people are to be feared; It is advisable to be cautious when transporting a boat and capsizing it; A sports car is a dead rope, but it can also be sudden!
If you are a gentleman, if you can see and have desires, you will think about contentment and self-discipline; If you can do things, you will want to go to Zhi Zhi to help others; When you think of high risk, you will think of modesty and self-grazing; Afraid of flooding, I think about rivers and lakes; If you are worried about laziness, you will think of caution and respect for results; If you are worried about covering up, you will think about humility and acceptance; When you think of evil, you will think of modesty and arrogance; Be grateful, and you will be grateful. To sum up, these ten thoughts are full of virtues, simple and powerful, and if you choose goodness and follow it, the wise will do their best, the brave will do their best, the benevolent will spread their interests, and believers will serve their loyalty. It goes without saying that if you are free, you can enjoy traveling in Henan, raising Joe's life and playing the piano. Why bother to think hard, take over the responsibility, serve the eyes and ears of wisdom, and lose the way of inaction!
"translation"
It is said that if a tree wants to grow well, it must be firmly rooted; If you want spring to flow far away, you must drain its source; If you want national stability, you must accumulate morality, benevolence and righteousness. If the source is not deep, the spring water will flow far away, if the root is not firm, the tree will be high, and if the morality is not deep, the country will be stable. Although I am stupid, I (also) know that this is impossible, not to mention that (you) are smart and wise (people)! The monarch is in an important position as an emperor. He respects the greatness between heaven and earth, so he must respect the majesty of imperial power and protect endless goodness forever. If we don't think about danger in a comfortable environment and abstain from extravagance and thrift, morality can't be generous and temperament can't overcome desire. It's like digging roots to make trees flourish, blocking sources to make springs flow far away!
All emperors accepted the great mission entrusted by heaven. None of them is deeply worried about the country and has made remarkable achievements in governance, but once their achievements are completed, their virtue will decline. The monarch did a lot of good things at first, but few of them persisted. Is it easy to keep the world? At the beginning, there were many talents in the world, but now there are few talents in keeping the world. What is the reason? Because I am in deep anxiety, I will be able to treat my subjects sincerely. After success, indulge yourself and look down on the temperament of others. Do our best, the people of wuyue are United as one; If you look down on others, your closest relatives will also become irrelevant passers-by. It is to reprimand (people) with severe punishment and law, and to scare (people) with lofty spirit. In the end, people just want to be exempted from punishment without losing the gratitude of Xie Jun. On the surface, they are respectful but unconvinced. The resentment towards the monarch is not the size, but the terrible strength of the people; They (like water) can carry boats and capsize them, so they should be deeply guarded. Can we ignore driving a galloping carriage with rotten ropes?
People who rule the world, if they can really see things that can arouse their own (own) preferences, should think of self-restraint with satisfaction, think of moderation to stabilize people's hearts when building something, think of being above others, think of paying great attention to strengthening self-cultivation, being modest and self-disciplined, not afraid of complacency, think of being downstream of many rivers like rivers and seas, and think of keeping one hand on three sides when enjoying hunting. I am worried about being distracted, thinking of being cautious from beginning to end, worrying about being blinded by words, thinking of accepting the opinions of my liegeman with an open mind, thinking that (the DPRK may appear) evil spirits will make me correct (only) the evil spirits, and I will consider not rewarding improperly because of temporary happiness, and I will think of not being angry because of temporary anger when I use punishment. Do these ten things that should be thought deeply in an all-round way, carry forward these nine virtues, choose talents and abilities, choose good and listen to their words. Then the wise man can exert his strategy, the brave man can exert his strength, the good man can spread his favor, and the honest man can give his loyalty. Civil servants and military commanders are scrambling to come to work. The monarch has no big troubles, can enjoy the pleasure of traveling, can live as long as Wang Ziqiao and Pinus densiflora, and the emperor can play the piano and hang clothes to govern the world. Needless to say, everyone in the world is educated. Why bother (yourself) instead of liegeman management, cultivate your sensitive and bright ears and eyes, and detract from the principle that you can govern the world by letting nature take its course!
"Create background"
Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, followed his father, Li Yuan, bravely resisted Sui Dynasty, lived frugally and made great achievements. In 627 AD, Li Shimin acceded to the throne and changed his chastity. In the early years of Zhenguan, he learned the lessons of Yang Di's downfall, further maintained a frugal and cautious style, and implemented many policies that were beneficial to the national economy and people's livelihood. After more than ten years of governance, the economy has developed and people's lives have become richer. Coupled with the consolidation of border defense, there was nothing inside and outside, and Emperor Taizong gradually became arrogant and forgot his roots, overhauled temples and palaces, extensively searched for treasures, and traveled around, wasting people's money. Wei Zhi is very worried about this. He clearly saw that there was a crisis behind the prosperity. From March to July in the 11th year of Zhenguan (637), "Four Sparse Frequencies Reflect Gains and Losses", and "Ten Sparse Opinions of Emperor Taizong" is also called "Two Sparse Comments on Current Politics". As soon as Emperor Taizong saw it, he became alert and wrote "a letter to Wei Zhi", indicating that he had changed from remonstrance. This article was put on the desk by Taizong and regarded as the motto. In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, Wei Zhi gradually reached ten, pointing out that the ten aspects of Emperor Taizong's behavior were not as cautious as in the early days, which was written on the screen by Emperor Taizong.
"writing characteristics"
First, analogy, kindness and vividness
What the author wants to discuss is the fundamental plan of governing the country and safeguarding the people, and the object of remonstration is the monarch. Starting with the common phenomena in life, such as running water and trees, it is kind and vivid and easy to be accepted by the monarch. At the same time, it is common sense in life to "root" if you want to "flourish" and "root" if you want to "grow". By analogy, it is arguable to demonstrate that "national security" must be "benign". On this basis, the author further compares "being prepared for danger in times of peace, abstaining from extravagance and saving" to "cutting roots" and "blocking sources". In this way, the danger of being prepared for danger in times of peace is self-evident, and the author's point of view is exposed.
Second, the combination of parallel prose and powder is gorgeous and smooth.
In the Tang Dynasty, people used to write in parallel prose. Although this essay uses a lot of parallel prose even sentences, it breaks through the shackles of parallel prose. Parallel prose sentences are used alternately, which is neat and beautiful, and the prose is natural and smooth and easy to read.
Third, advantages and disadvantages, each doing his best.
The full text focuses on discussion, and the author often analyzes the same problem from both positive and negative aspects to make the reasoning more thorough. For example, the first paragraph first discusses "laying a solid foundation and digging deep into the source" from the positive side, and then discusses the harm of not doing so from the negative side; In the second paragraph, the author repeatedly discusses "melancholy", "dedication", "success" and "pride"; In the third paragraph, the instinctive desire (or reaction) and rational self-control that run through the "ten thoughts" all reflect this feature.
Fourth, the metaphor is parallel, vivid and powerful.
This paper expounds the central topic with simple metaphors, which, as a means of reasoning, has vivid and intuitive effects; The discussion of the full text is mostly in the form of compound sentence, arranged and listed, linked up and down, with extraordinary momentum, which enhances the expressive force of the article.