Appreciation of the original text of "Pre-Qin Prose·Xunzi·Yao Wen"

Yao asked Shun: "I want to conquer the world, but what can I do?" He replied: "I have nothing to do. Lose ②, act insignificantly without slackness ③, be loyal and trustworthy without fatigue, and the world will come naturally. A corner of the evil ⑨, what's the point?"

Wei Wuhou planned something and acted ⑩, but none of the officials could catch him (11), and he was happy to retreat from the court. Wu Qijin asked (12): "Is there anyone who hears the words of King Zhuang of Chu? At that time, all the ministers should not be caught, and they would look worried when they retreated from the dynasty. Shen Gong Wuchen came forward and asked (14): "Why is the dynasty worried?" King Zhuang said: "If you don't plan for things in the valley, you should do it (15). None of the ministers can catch him, which is why he is worried. He said in Zhonghe's words (16): "The princes think of themselves as kings (17) as they find teachers, as dominators as they find friends, as they seek to survive as they find doubters. Those who do nothing for themselves will perish. "Now it's unworthy of me to be barren, and if all the ministers don't catch me, my country is almost destroyed! This is why I am worried. 'The king of Chuzhuang is worried, but the king is happy!" Wuhou stopped and bowed again (18), saying : "The master of the angel has corrected the faults of others!"

When Boqin returned to Lu (19), Zhou Gong said to Boqin's master (20): "You are going to do it, and you will be virtuous. (21)?" He replied: "He is tolerant, and he likes to be cautious in his own use. (22) These three are the virtues of others." Zhou Gong said: "Wow! Do you think that others are evil? A gentleman likes to be moral. (23) , so the people return to the way. He is broad, and there is no difference (24). Women are beautiful! He is good at self-use, so the basket is small (25). He walks like a horse, and does not compete with the horse; he knows like a scholar, and does not compete with the scholar for knowledge. He is a person of equal temperament (26), and women are beautiful! He is cautious, which is why he is shallow. Said: There is no day without seeing a scholar (27). When I see a scholar, I ask: "Is it true that I don't notice it?" If I don't hear it (28), it means that the thing is small (29), and if it is small, it is shallow. ** * The Tao is also beautiful for women! I said to my daughter: I am the son of King Wen (30), the younger brother of King Wu, and the uncle of King Cheng (31). However, I am not humble in the world. Ten people met, (32) thirty people met each other (33), there were more than a hundred people who were handsome and stubborn (34), and there were more than a thousand people who wanted to say something and asked for help (35). I can only get three scholars to rectify my body and stabilize the world. The three scholars I obtained died among ten or thirty people (36), so I did not do it among the hundreds or thousands of people. Appearance (37), I have a good appearance. Everyone thinks that I am a good scholar, but when a scholar arrives (38), he will see things after he sees them, and then he will know what is right and wrong. The woman is proud of the Lu country (39), how many times (40)! The husband can be arrogant if he looks up to a wealthy man (41), but a man of upright character should not be arrogant. Poverty means giving up nothing but working hard, and the color is bright and dark without losing its place (42). This is because the order of the world will not end, and the article will not be abolished. Sun Shu'ao, Prime Minister of Chu, said (43): "What I heard is that those who have been in official positions for a long time are jealous of the people, those who have good salaries are resented by the people, and those who are in high positions are hated by the king. Now that the Prime Minister has these three people in the country, why not offend the people of Chu? "Yes?" Sun Shuao said: "I have three aspects of Chu, but my heart becomes humbler (44). Every time I get more money, I give more generously. When I get more honor, my courtesy becomes more respectful, so I don't offend the people of Chu."

Zigong asked Confucius: (45) "It is unknown if it is given to others." Confucius said: "If it is given to others, it is just like earth. If you dig it deeply, you will find a sweet spring (46), and if you tree it, The grains are grown, the grass and trees are grown, and the animals are raised; when they are alive, they are standing, and when they are dead, they are buried; those who have many merits are not virtuous (47). ”

Xi Yu. The Jin Dynasty merged them without the use of palaces (48), the Lai Dynasty merged them together without the use of horses (49), the princes of Zhou and Shou competed and King Wu won them (50). If you do not know the wise and use them wisely, your body will perish and your country will perish.

The speaker said (51): "Sun Qing is not as good as Confucius (52)." This is not the case. Sun Qing was forced into troubled times and suffered harsh punishments (53); there was no virtuous master above, and the Qin was violent below; etiquette and justice were not up to standard, and education failed; the benevolent man was weak (54), and the world was in darkness; he was assassinated by the whole army, and the princes were overwhelmed. At that time, those who know should not worry about it, those who are capable should not rule it, and those who are wise should not use it. Therefore, the king is shielded and unable to see, and the sage is distant and unable to see (55). However, Sun Qing had the heart of a general (56), but he pretended to be crazy and regarded the world as stupid (57). "Poetry" says: (58) "Being clear and philosophical (59), in order to protect his body." This is what it means. This is why his reputation is not white, and he is not popular (60). Brilliance is not rich. Today's scholars have the remaining teachings from Sun Qing's last words, which are enough to set the standard for the world (61). What is preserved becomes God (62), and what passes is transformed (63). Observing his good deeds, Confucius has not passed away. If he does not observe carefully in the world, he is not a saint, but what! If the world is not governed, Sun Qing will not meet the time. He was as virtuous as Yao and Yu, and few in the world knew about him; his alchemy was not used, and people doubted it; his knowledge was so clear, and he followed the path and followed the right path, that it was enough to set the rules. Woohoo! You are so virtuous! You should be an emperor. Heaven and earth do not know, they are good at Jie and Zhou, killing the virtuous; Bigan is heartbroken, Confucius is restrained (64), Jieyu avoids the world (65), Jizi pretends to be crazy (66), Tian Chang is in chaos (67), Helu is good at violence (68) "Doing evil will bring you blessings, but doing good will bring disaster."

Today's speaker does not realize the truth, but believes in his name; the times are different, how can he be praised? If he cannot be in politics, his achievements will be successful? If he aspires to be virtuous, how can he be called unvirtuous?

Note ①To : Acquire. ②Zhiyi: concentrate ③Micro: subtle things. ④Heaven and Earth: Heaven and earth exist forever. ⑤The sun and the moon: shine on everything. ⑥Letter: The original work is "Sincerity". ⑦贲(fen, pronounced as Fen): through "fen", to exert oneself. ⑧Shape: Expression. ⑨隅: corner. L Wei Wuhou: The king of Wei during the Warring States Period, the son of Wei Wenhou. (11) Catch: and. (12) Wu Qi: a famous military strategist during the Warring States Period. (13) King Zhuang of Chu: The king of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period. (14) Shen Gong Wuchen: the official of Shenyi in Chu State. (15) Bugu: The king humbly calls himself. Valley, good. (16) Zhongyuan (hui, sound destroyed): the left phase of soup. Zhongyuan's words are "Shangshu·Zhongyang's Edict". (17) The word "自为" seems to be a derivative. (18) Qun (qun) patrol: retreat. (19) Bo Qin: Son of Duke Zhou. King Cheng granted Boqin the title of Marquis of Lu. (20) Fu: Master. (21)Yu: Why not. Ambition, statement. And, you. Zi is equivalent to "Jun". (22) Self-use: do your own thing. To, and. (23) To: follow, do. (24) Out: Contrary to "Kuan" in the previous sentence, Kuan refers to the heart, and "Out" refers to behavior. This refers to the behavior of governing the country. Distinguish and treat. (25) Ju (ju, phonetic sentence) is narrow. (26) Equalizer: A person who is evenly matched. (27) Yueyi: more than one day. (28) Wen: Ask. (29) Things: Things, refers to things known. (30) He is the son of King Wen. (31) Cheng Wang: The son of King Wu of Zhou, named. (32) Zhi (zhi, phonetic system): meeting ceremony. (33) Huanzhi: The person being asked to meet expressed that they were of equal status and did not dare to accept it, so he returned the meeting gift. (34) Mao Zhi: Reception politely. (35) Please finish: Ask him to finish what he said. This refers to a scholar with a low status. (36) Death: refers to "nothing". (37) Poor appearance: slightly less polite. (38) However: for this reason. (39) Jiaoren: Proud of others. (40) Several: Danger. (4 1) Yanglu: Looking for salary. (42) Li: Tong "sun", black with yellow. (43) Zeng: That is, the country of Su. Feng Ren, an official in charge of a territory. Sun Shu'ao, the Chu State's Ling Yin (equivalent to the prime minister) in the Spring and Autumn Period, his family name was Ao, and his courtesy name was Sun Shu. (44) Yu: more. (45) Zigong: A disciple of Confucius. His surname was Duanmu, his given name was Ci, and his courtesy name was Zigong. He was a native of Wei. (46) Hu (hu, Yin Hu): dig. (47) Germany: The original work is "Xi". (48) Yu: The name of the country in the Spring and Autumn Period, located sixty miles northeast of Pinglu County, Shanxi Province. The wonder of the palace, Doctor Yu. (49) Lai, the name of the country in the Spring and Autumn Period, with the surname Jiang. There is Laizi City in Huang County, Shandong Province today. Zima: Unknown. (50) 刳 (ku, sound crying): cut open, Bigan, Zhou's uncle (some say he is a concubine brother), Zhou ***, Bigan offended Yan Qiang's admonishment, Zhou was angry and cut his heart, (51) " The speaker said: "The following are the words of Gouzi's disciples. (52) Sun Qing: Xunzi (53) 鰌 (qiu, Yinqiu): forced. (54)绌: (chu, sound touch): Tong "depose", depose and retreat. (55) Distance: Rejected. (56) General: big. (57) See: pass "show". (58) See "The Book of Songs·Daya". (59) Zhe: Wisdom. (60) Disciples and accomplices. (61) Type: model instrument, criterion, standard. (62) God: cure. (63) Guo: pass through, transform, and be affected. (64) Confucius was detained in Kuang: Confucius went from Wei to Chen, passed by Kuang (Wei), and was detained by Kuang people for five days. (65) Jie Yu: A hermit from Chu State in the Spring and Autumn Period. He once wrote "Song of Phoenix" to satirize Confucius and refused to talk to Confucius. (66) Jizi: Zhou's uncle, an official to the imperial master. (67) Tian Chang: The name Tian Heng, also known as Tian Chengzi, or Chen Chengzi, was a native of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period. In the fourth year of Duke Jian of Qi, Tian Chang killed Duke Jian, supported Duke Ping, and appointed himself Prime Minister of Qi. All the affairs of Qi were returned to the Tian family. . (68) Helu: At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Mr. Wu became so famous that he sent Zhuan Zhu to assassinate King Liao of Wu and establish himself as King of Wu.

Today's translation of Yao asked Shun: "I want to conquer the world, what should I do?" Shun replied: "Concentrate on one's purpose without breaking the rules, do small things without slacking off, be loyal to others and treat others with integrity. Don't be tired, then the world will come automatically. Be single-minded and single-minded as if the heaven and earth are eternal. Do small things like the sun and moon illuminating everything. Faithfulness is enriched in the heart, manifested in the outer body, and manifested in the world. It's the same as the corner of the room, so what's the point of getting it?"

Marquis Wu of Wei planned his affairs well, and all the ministers were inferior to him. There was joy after he retired from the court. Wu Qi came to him and said, "Have you ever heard of what King Zhuang of Chu said?" Wu Hou said, "What do you think of what King Zhuang of Chu said?" Wu Qi replied, "King of Chu Zhuang planned political affairs. Well done, none of the ministers were as good as him, and he looked worried after he left the court. Duke Shen's wizard came and asked, "Why does the king look worried when he comes to court?" King Zhuang said, "I am planning political affairs." If it works well, the ministers can't compare with me, so they are worried. In Zhongyuan's words, he said: "The princes who have teachers can become kings, those who have friends can become hegemons, and those who have solved doubts can exist; they can plan for themselves." And those who cannot compare with themselves will perish. "Now that I am so incompetent and none of the ministers can catch up with me, our country is about to perish! So we are worried."

"The King of Chuzhuang is worried about this, and you, the king, are happy because of this!" Marquis Wu took a few steps back and bowed twice, saying, "This is the fault of God who sent you to save me!"

When Boqin was about to return to the state of Lu, Duke Zhou said to Boqin's master: "You are about to leave, why don't you tell me about your lord's virtues?" He replied: "He is a magnanimous man and likes to have his own way. Exercise caution. These three things are his virtues. Duke Zhou said, "Oh! Do you regard other people's faults as virtues? A gentleman likes to practice morality, so his people all follow the Tao." He is generous in his heart, but in fact he has no cure, and you still praise him! He likes to have his own way, which is why he is cramped and has a limited vision. A gentleman's strength is like that of an ox, but he does not compete with the strength of an ox; he runs like a horse, but does not compete with a horse; his wisdom is like that of a scholar, but he does not compete with a scholar for his wisdom. That kind of competition is the spirit of evenly matched people, and you still praise him! His cautious behavior is a sign of his shallowness. I've heard: Don't go more than a day without seeing a person. When he saw a scholar, he asked, "Am I not aware of it?" If you don't ask, you will know little about things, and if you know little, you will be superficial. Shallowness is the way of ***, and you still praise him! Let me tell you: I am the son of King Wen, the younger brother of King Wu, and the uncle of King Cheng. I am not considered humble in the world. However, there were ten people who asked me to meet them with gifts, thirty people who had to return the gifts to others, and more than a hundred people who received them politely. There are more than a thousand people who are willing to give me advice and I will ask him to finish what he has to say. I only have three scholars here. I rely on them to correct my body and mind, and I rely on them to bring peace to the world. The three scholars I got were not among ten people and thirty people, but among more than a hundred people and more than a thousand people. So I show a little courtesy to people with high status, and I show politeness to people with low status. Everyone thinks that I am particularly fond of scholars, so scholars come to me. When a scholar comes here, he can see things clearly; he can see things clearly and then understand the right and wrong of things. You must be vigilant! It is very dangerous for you to be proud of others based on the state of Lu! Those who seek salary can still be proud of them; those who are upright in body and mind cannot be proud of them. A person who is upright in mind and body will give up dignity and would rather be humble, give up wealth and would rather be poor, give up comfort and would rather work hard, and have a dark complexion but not give up his principles. Therefore, the laws of the world will never cease, and rituals, music, and laws will never be abolished. "

There is a saying: The officials in charge of the border in Zengqiu met Sun Shu'ao, the prime minister of Chu, and said: "I have heard that people who have been officials for a long time will be jealous of them; people with generous salaries will be jealous of them. , the common people resent him; the monarch resents a person with a high status. Now Prime Minister, you have these three situations, but you have not offended the people of Chu State. What is the reason?" Sun Shu'ao said: "I have been the prime minister of Chu State three times, and my morale has become even lower; every time my salary is increased, I The more generous my charity is, the more noble my position is, the more humble my etiquette is. Therefore, I did not offend the people of Chu. "

Zigong asked Confucius: "I don't know the reason for being humble. Confucius said: "Being humble is like the earth. If you dig it deeply, you will get sweet springs. If you plant it, you will have abundant grains, vegetation and animals." The living will stand on it, and the dead will be buried in it. It has many merits but seeks no reward. Being humble is like the land. ”

In the past, the state of Yu did not use Gong Zhiqi, so the state of Jin annexed it; the state of Lai did not use Zima, so the state of Qi annexed it; Zhou dug out the heart of Prince Bigan, so King Wu captured him He did not get close to wise men and appointed wise men, so he died and the country perished.

People who say this say: "Gou Qing is not as good as Confucius." "This is not right. Xun Qing was suppressed by the troubled times and tortured. There was no wise monarch above, and he encountered the tyrannical Qin State below. Rites and righteousness could not be implemented, and education could not be completed. The benevolent were deposed and restrained. The world was dark and dark, and his behavior was pure. The whole nation was ridiculed, and the princes were in conflict. At such a time, the wise could not plan, the capable could not govern, and the wise could not be appointed. Therefore, the king was blinded, and the wise were rejected. Xun Qing embraced the great sage's thoughts and pretended to be crazy on the surface, showing his ignorance to the world. The Book of Songs said: "It is both wise and wise, and it is used to protect oneself. "This is the truth. This is the reason why his reputation is not outstanding, his disciples are not many, and his glory is not extensive. Nowadays, scholars have Xun Qing's last words and teachings, which is enough to set an example and standard for the world. Preserve his last words and teachings. Every place he visited was governed by him. Judging from his good deeds, Confucius could not surpass him. The world did not observe carefully and said that he was not a saint. At that time, his virtue was like that of Yao and Yu, and few people in the world knew about him; his methods were incompetent and were doubted by others; his wisdom and considerations were extremely clear, and he followed the right path and behaved upright, which is enough to serve as a guide. Alas! Wise. Ah! You should be an emperor. The world is unclear, Jie and Zhou are good, and they kill virtuous people; Bigan was dismembered, Confucius was detained in Kuang; Jieyu secluded himself from the world, Jizi pretended to be crazy; Tian often caused chaos, and Helu Be strong; doing bad things will bring you blessings, and doing good things will bring you disaster.

People who say this now do not carefully examine the facts, but believe in false names; they live in a different era, where does the praise come from? If he cannot engage in politics, how can he achieve his achievements? Who says he is not virtuous if he has a good will and a good deed? What?

Collection Commentary Ming·He Mengchun: "The whole chapter is a masterpiece."

Ming·Xu Guo: "It is almost impossible to escape from difficult writing. It's hard for him to say anything."

Huo Tao of the Ming Dynasty: "This section is about clearing the eyes and opening the meal, which is very comfortable and the most energetic."

Gu Dingchen of the Ming Dynasty: " The fluctuations and manipulations are scattered and impressive." (See the four articles above in "Comments on the Twenty-nine Masters' Pinhui·Xunzi")

Tao Shijiang of the Ming Dynasty: "Transcendent talent and unparalleled knowledge are as free and unrestrained as Ji. "Zhi Zhi Zhu Yi Feng" (Jianming Gui Youguang's "Xunzi")

Ming Dynasty Chen Shen's "Zhuzi Pinjie Xunzi": "Executive Zhi Hui Zhi and other words, Wang Jinggong has already argued, but we must not know it. It is a famous saying." Zhang Zhichun of the Republic of China said in "Comments on Zhuzi Jinghua Lu·Xunzi": "It is clear that he is unkind, but those who hear it are not angry. There are five admonitions, so don’t be good at sarcasm.”

This article is divided into two parts. In the first part, the author uses the personal experiences of five celebrities to express his political ambitions and codes of conduct. The five stories form a whole and reflect each other, making the whole story wonderful. The second part is the evaluation of Xunzi by Xunzi's disciples. He believed that Xunzi was "suitable to be an emperor", but because of his poor circumstances, he "had the heart of a general, pretended to be mad, and looked upon (showed) the world that he was stupid." In short, it is fair to say that Xunzi, a sage who "confucius has no faults" and "aspires to cultivate good virtues", could not realize his political ambitions due to the current situation. However, it is fair to say that he is "suitable to be an emperor". It is the subjective wish of his disciples.

This article combines two completely different parts, which seems extremely inconsistent. The first part is in the form of dialogue, which is lively and lively. It is not as long and unique as Xunzi's other articles. The latter part contains words of praise, which are not as profound as Xunzi's articles, but are obviously influenced by Xunzi in terms of syntax. Parallel sentences are often used, and both parallel and prose are used. And most of them are rhymed, making the syllables of the article sonorous and easy to pronounce.