Filsafat China.pdf

THE GROWTH OF HUMANISM
not know how the various virtues and their relations should be regulated."
21
Viscount Chi thereupon replied, "I have heard that of old (Great
Yü's father) Kun dammed up the flood and thereby created a chaos
among the Five Agents. The Lord (of Heaven) was aroused to anger
and did not give him the Great Norm with its Nine Categories. The
various virtues and their relations declined in due course, and K'un was
executed. Yü thereupon rose to continue the heritage. Heaven gave him
the Great Norm with its Nine Categories. And the various virtues and
their relations were regulated. . . .
"The first category is the Five Agents (Five Elements); namely,
Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth [which correspond to various
human activities]. . . . 22 The second category is the Five Activities;
namely, appearance, speech, seeing, hearing, and thinking. The virtue
of appearance is respectfulness; that of speech is accordance [with
reason]; that of seeing is clearness; that of hearing is distinctness; and
that of thinking is penetration and profundity. Respectfulness leads to
gravity; accordance with reason, to orderliness; clearness, to wisdom;
distinctness, to deliberation; and penetration and profundity, to sageness
[all of which should be cultivated by the ruler]. The third category is the
Eight Governmental Offices; namely, those of food, commodities, sacrifices,
public works, education, and justice, the reception of guests, and
the army. [All these functions should be fulfilled in harmony with the
next category.] The fourth category is the Five Arrangements of Time,
namely, the year, the month, the day, the stars, planets, zodiacal signs,
and the calendaric calculations. The fifth category is the Supreme Standard.
The sovereign, having established the highest standard, gathers in
him the Five Blessings and spreads over his people. Then the people,
following your standard, preserve it with you. . . .
"The sixth category is the Three Virtues; namely, correctness and
uprightness, strong government, and weak government. In times of
peace and tranquillity, apply correctness and uprightness; in times of
violence and disorder, apply strong government; and in times of harmony
and order, apply weak government. 23 Apply strong government to the
reserved and retiring, and apply weak government to the lofty and intelligent.
. . . The seventh category is the Examination of Doubts. Select
21 The interpretation of this passage is based on the Shang-shu cheng-i (Correct
Meanings of the Book of History) by K'ung Ying-ta. An alternate translation
would be: "Heaven, working unseen, protects mankind below and helps it to
maintain harmony in its abode. I do not know how its eternal principles of human
relations should be regulated."
22 This paragraph in full is found below, ch. 11, sec. 3.
28 This interpretation also follows the Shang-shu cheng-i.
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