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 Their Philosophy in Sayings 
 and 'Proverbs
 
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 Wisdom of the Chinese 
 
 Their 'Philosophy in Sayings 
 and T*roverbs 
 
 Edited with an Introduction 
 
 By 
 
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 And a Preface by Ly Hoi Sang 
 
 New York 
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 COPYRIGHT, 1920 
 BY BRENTANO'S 
 
 First Printing, December 1920 
 
 Second Printing, July 1021 
 
 Third Printing, August, 1922 
 
 Fourth Printiny, October, 1924
 
 . . 6519 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PREFACE . . o 7 
 
 INTRODUCTION II 
 
 CONFUCIUS: ANALECTS 21 
 
 CONFUCIUS: THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN , 39 
 
 CONFUCIUS: GREAT LEARNING 6 1 
 
 MENCIUS: THE REAL MAN 6j 
 
 LAO TZU: TAO-TEH-KING 85 
 
 LAO TZU: WU-WEI lOI 
 
 LAO TZU : PRECEPTS AND SAYINGS Ill 
 
 CHUANG TZU 1 23 
 
 YANG CHU 137 
 
 KANG-HSl's SACRED EDICT 1 45 
 
 KUAN-YI-WU; YU TSE; TSE-CHAN 1 49 
 
 THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE 1 55 
 
 PROVERBS AND MAXIMS I7I 
 
 MORAL MAXIMS 1 83 
 
 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES 207
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 CONFUCIUS Frontispiece 
 
 FACING 
 PAGE 
 
 A CHILD WORSHIPPING THE SAGE 62 
 
 LAO TZU 86
 
 PREFACE 
 
 Wi 
 
 E say, in China: *' Confucius! Confucius! 
 How great Confucius! Before Confucius there 
 never was a Confucius. Since Confucius there 
 never has been a Confucius. How great is 
 Confucius!" 
 
 In the Western world someone has said: 
 *' Confucius invented wisdom," and when you 
 find sayings of his like this one — "When you 
 know a thing, to hold that you know it, and when 
 you do not, to admit the fact, — this is knowl- 
 edge," you are willing to allow him the title. 
 
 Confucius and his greatest follower Mencius 
 were reformers in the true sense of the word. 
 Their whole aim was to construct personal char- 
 acter, and they demanded that the moral and 
 spiritual nature should be substituted for the 
 might of the strong. 
 
 No rank was too high, no class too humble, 
 to be taught this universal principle; and with no 
 other personal authority than their own honest con- 
 viction, these men went forth to demand of kings 
 and peoples the square acceptance of its claims. 
 
 7
 
 8 PREFACE 
 
 When Confucius was thirty-three years of 
 age he visited Lao Tzii, who was then eighty- 
 seven; and it is recorded that the great founder 
 of Taoism was not much impressed by the 
 younger man. 
 
 Lao Tzu was a mystic; his Wu Wei means 
 "do nothing," the supposed meaning of which is: 
 get in harmony with the great Spirit of things 
 and you will be unconsciously impelled to right 
 action — in other words, do nothing with self- 
 will. Confucius, on the other hand, was a prac- 
 tical man, a teacher of ethics, who thought by 
 self-conscious direction one could arrive at proper 
 action. To Lao Tzii, Confucius seemed a materi- 
 alist, so it is not strange that the young man did 
 not impress the older one. 
 
 Both these great men, though they differ in 
 method, are the substance of the Chinese conscious- 
 ness, the race-mold or type; they have left their 
 mark upon their people. They were illumined men, 
 lighted with the spirit to see and do right. They 
 had the power to make clear the path for others; 
 they went about introducing the noble thoughts 
 that lead to the higher life, and they inspired true 
 confidence by practicing what they preached. 
 
 Both sages inspired great followers; the great 
 exponent of Confucius was Mencius, who proved
 
 PREFACE 9 
 
 himself worthy of his master; the great expo- 
 nent of the doctrines of Lao Tzu was Chuang Tzu^ 
 himself a mystic, and by nature fitted for the 
 interpretation of the mystical teachings of the 
 Tao which could be translated as " Way,'' — 
 meaning the spiritual "Way'* or path trodden by 
 those having a close contact with nature. Lao 
 Tzu said: *'Go back to Mother Nature, for lying 
 on her bosom, you will be guided on the proper 
 way.'* 
 
 I hope that this book of wise sayings, selected 
 and collected by Mr. Brown, will be the power 
 for showing some people in the Western world 
 the way back to Mother Nature and her Tao. 
 
 I am sure that the great American people, 
 broad-minded and fair, are only too willing to 
 investigate and give vahie to the thoughts of my 
 people. 
 
 Ly Hoi Sang 
 
 Author oj "A Collection oj Pearls."
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Sir ROBERT HART in his book, "The East- 
 ern Question," says of the Chinese: "They are 
 well-behaved, law-abiding, intelligent, economi- 
 cal, and industrious; they can learn anything 
 and do anything; they are punctiliously polite; 
 they worship talent, and they believe in right so 
 firmly that they scorn to think it requires to be 
 supported or enforced by might; they delight in 
 literature, and everywhere they have their little 
 clubs and coteries for learning and discussing each 
 others' essays and verses; they possess and prac- 
 tice an admirable system of ethics, and they are 
 generous, charitable, and fond of good works; 
 they never forget a favor, they make rich re- 
 turn for any kindness, and though they know 
 that money will buy service, a man must be 
 more than wealthy to gain public esteem and re- 
 spect; they are practical, teachable, and won- 
 derfully gifted with common sense; they are 
 excellent artisans, reliable workmen, and of a 
 good faith that everyone acknowledges and ad- 
 
 II
 
 12 INTRODUCTION 
 
 mires in their commercial dealings; in no coun- 
 try has 'Honor thy father and mother' been so 
 religiously obeyed, or so fully, and without excep- 
 tion given effect to, and this is in fact the keynote 
 of their family, social, official, and national life, 
 and because it is so their days are long in the 
 land God has given them/' i 
 
 It is very strange, when you consider the 
 above tribute, and when, upon delving into the 
 history of Uie Chinese — their arts, literature, and 
 philosophy — you fmd that they had produced 
 their greatest literature when Hammurabi was 
 making laws for young Babylon; or before the 
 city of Rome had been founded; and that they 
 had great thinkers before Socrates or Plato ap- 
 peared in Greece : yet if you will look in the his- 
 tories of philosophies published in the West you 
 will not fmd one mention of the Chinese thinkers. 
 
 It may be that the Western mind, the academic 
 one in mean, is repelled by the form in vrhrch the 
 Chinese sages used to express their thoughts. 
 The philosophy of the Chinese is expressed for 
 the most part by short sayings, proverbs, and 
 maxims, brought out in conversation with their 
 disciples, in the manner of Socrates and his dis- 
 ciples. This, to the Western mind, does not seem 
 so interesting as to begin with a method — a sys-
 
 INTRODUCTION I3 
 
 tern of philosophy, in fact, beginning with a well- 
 defined idea, and finishing with what is called a 
 logic/al conclusion. 
 
 The Chinese philosophy is called *'not com- 
 plete" because of this lack of Developed Methods, 
 logic — observation — induction and deduction. 
 What philosophy is complete? Is life complete? 
 Has the whole sum of human experience been 
 exhausted, and can man experience no more? Is 
 the evolution of human consciousness at an end? 
 The mind of man is not made; it is in the mak- 
 ing. Every day something is added to our con- 
 sciousness that was not there before. Truth is 
 being revealed by a slow growth of consciousness, 
 not by prophecy. 
 
 Prophecy offers to answer for evolution and all 
 collectivism sooner or later becomes absolutism. 
 Most methods of philosophy have absolutism and 
 prophecy at their base — religions are an example 
 of this; philosophy should be free from aca- 
 demic methods; so also should the arts be free 
 in their expression. The Great Spirit never gave 
 an individual an inspiration that at the same 
 time he did not give the symbol of expression 
 with it. 
 
 This is an age in which technique is overde- 
 veloped, in fact it ha^ almost taken the olace of
 
 14 INTRODUCTION 
 
 inspiration. Conscious creation through the will 
 is the order of the day, and every other person 
 you meet is a *' self-willed genius." Pictures are 
 painted with method, but no soul; poetry is 
 written, but the only inspiration in it is a new 
 idea of how to construct in language : as though 
 the symbol and not the idea is poetic. 
 
 Books of philosophical essays are written, fol- 
 lowing some method of reasoning, containing 
 myriads of words and mountains of confusion, 
 but not one new idea. Here again method seems 
 to be taking the place of inspiration. To have 
 common sense in your day is to be a philosopher. 
 Socrates said, "Do not call me wise — I am not 
 a wise man, I am only a searcher after wisdom." 
 
 Confucius said the same thing many years be- 
 fore: "Be not self-deceived in wisdom, look far- 
 ther." Lao Tzii, b.c. 604, the Chinese mystic, 
 would correspond to the early Christian mystics; 
 he came to spiritual understanding through the 
 higher spiritual emotion and not through intel- 
 lect. Professor Gobelenz said of Lao Tzii's great 
 work, the "Tao Teh King": "One of the most 
 eminent masterpieces of the Chinese language; 
 one of the profoundest books of philosophy the 
 world has ever produced." 
 
 The Chinese language is admirably adapted to
 
 INTRODUCTION I5 
 
 the epigrams and proverbs expressed in this beau- 
 tiful work; his mysticism is hard to penetrate, 
 but is filled with the most valuable spiritual guid- 
 ance. As he himself says, ''Only one who is 
 eternally free from passions can comprehend its 
 spiritual essence." 
 
 Confucius was a great moral teacher; he was 
 more interested in the social structure than Lao 
 Tzii. He taught that virtue and high moral con- 
 duct are developed through behavior; Lao Tzu 
 • — that the spiritual is everything. Confucius 
 said, "Do not do to others what you would not 
 have them do to you." His idea of love was not 
 sentimental, it was more practical; he was a 
 practical idealist. He said, "Do justice to thy 
 neighbor." 
 
 His whole system is based on nothing more 
 than understanding human nature and perfect- 
 ing the individual through moral education. To 
 him the attainment of perfect virtue was the true 
 aim of living. His moral philosophical sayings 
 are worthy to stand alongside of the Greek, 
 Latin, or Hebrew teachers. 
 
 He deserves to be mentioned with Moses, for 
 he dedicated his life to the improvement of his 
 fellow-man. He set forth seven rules necessary 
 for Improvement. They are: The investigation
 
 l6 INTRODUCTION 
 
 of things; the completion of knowledge; the sin- 
 cerity of thoughts and acts; the rectifying of the 
 heart; the cultivation of the person; the regula- 
 tion of the family and the government. Men- 
 cius, B.C. 372, was first a Taoist, but later on he 
 became the most brilliant exponent of Confucius. 
 He advocated many radical measures of reform, — 
 universal education, free trade, and that only 
 land should be taxed, as in Henry George's 
 "Single Tax Theory." 
 
 Mencius said: "I love life, and I love right- 
 eousness. If I cannot have both, I choose right- 
 eousness.'* He also could be mentioned with the 
 world's greatest thinkers. 
 
 Chuang Tzii was the greatest propagandist of 
 Taoism. He might correctly be called the "Tao- 
 saturated Man," as Spinoza was called the 
 "God-intoxicated Man." He protested against 
 the artificiality and materialism of his day and 
 advocated a return to nature. 
 
 Yang Chu, the Epicurean of China, was the 
 very opposite to Confucius, Lao-Tzu, and their 
 followers, in his philosophy. He evolved a phi- 
 losophy for life in which all is centered in the 
 senses, and taught that the cultivation of the 
 senses is the true basis of philosophy. 
 
 The other sages, included in this very incom-
 
 INTRODUCTION IJ 
 
 plete anthology, are represented by what appears 
 to be their most prominent expression. Their 
 philosophy explains itself; their ideas arc about 
 life and things, the same as our o\vn. Their race 
 consciousness is very old and their views of life 
 and things are mellowed by long experience. 
 
 Through a long contact and complete inti- 
 macy w4th nature, a philosophy of life was im- 
 parted to them. They unconsciously gave ex- 
 pression to the inward feelings and emotions that 
 the cosmic law — the all divine — functioning in 
 the material, imparted to them. 
 
 Their thought added to our Western thought 
 should result in an eclecticism of great value to 
 us both.
 
 CONFUCIUS. 551 B.C. 
 ANALECTS
 
 c 
 
 The Wisdom of the Qhinese 
 
 CONFUCIUS. 551 B.C. 
 
 ANALECTS 
 
 On Governing 
 
 HI K'ANG TZU questioned Confucius on a 
 point of government, saying: "Ought not I to cut 
 off the lawless in order to establish law and order? 
 What do you think?" — Confucius rephed: "Sir, 
 what need is there of the death penalty in your 
 system of government? If you showed a sincere 
 desire to be good, your people would likewise be 
 good. The virtue of the prince is like unto wind; 
 that of the people, like unto grass. For it is the 
 nature of grass to bend when the wind blows 
 upon it.' 
 
 
 True Goodness 
 
 Jl en yuan inquired as to the meaning of true 
 goodness. The Master said : "The subdual of self, 
 and reversion to the natural laws governing con- 
 duct — this is true goodness. If a man can for 
 
 21
 
 22 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 the space of one day subdue his selfishness and 
 revert to natural laws, the whole world will call 
 him good. True goodness springs from a man's 
 own heart. How can it depend on other men?" —   
 Yen Yuan said: "Kindly tell me the practical rule 
 to be deduced from this." — The Master replied: 
 "Do not use your eyes, your ears, your power of 
 speech or your faculty of movement without obey- 
 ing the inner law of self-control." — Yen Yiian said : 
 "Though I am not quick in thought or act, I will 
 make it my business to carry out this precept." 
 
 The Princely Man 
 
 OSU-MA NIU asked for a definition of the 
 princely man. The Master said: "The princely 
 man is one who knows neither grief nor fear." — 
 Absence of grief and fear! Is it the mark of a 
 princely man? — The Master said: " If on search- 
 ing his heart he finds no guilt, why should he 
 grieve? of what should he be afraid?" 
 
 On Pretense 
 
 It has not been my lot to see a divine man; could 
 I see a princely man, that would satisfy me. It 
 has not been my lot to see a thoroughly virtuous
 
 CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 23 
 
 man; could I see a man possessing honesty of 
 soul, that would satisfy me. Is it possible there 
 should be honesty of soul in one who pretends to 
 have what he has not; who, when empty, pretends 
 to be overflowing; who, when in want, pretends 
 to be in affluence? 
 
 T; 
 
 Exalted Virtue 
 
 ZU CtlANG asked how to attain exalted vir- 
 tue. The Master said: "Make conscientiousness 
 and truth your guiding principles, and thus pass 
 on to the cultivation of duty to your neighbor. 
 This is exalted virtue." 
 
 T; 
 
 On Being Distinguished 
 
 ZU CHANG asked: "What must a man do in 
 order to be considered distinguished? '* — The Mas- 
 ter said: "What do you mean by the term dis- 
 tinguished?" — Tzii Chang replied: "I mean one 
 whose fame fills both his ow^n private circle and 
 the State at large." — The Master said: "That is 
 notoriety, not distinction. The man of true dis- 
 tinction is simple, honest, and a lover of justice 
 and duty. He weighs men*s words, and observes 
 the expression of their faces.
 
 24 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 " He is anxious to put himself below others. Such 
 a one is truly distinguished in his private and his 
 public life. As to the man who is merely much 
 talked about, he puts on an appearance of charity 
 and benevolence, but his actions belie it. He is 
 self-satisfied and has no misgivings. 
 
 "Neither in private nor in public life does he 
 achieve more than notoriety.'* 
 
 Noble Character 
 
 A HE Master said: "The higher tj^pe of man 
 makes a sense of duty the groundwork of his 
 character, blends with it in action a sense of har- 
 monious proportion, manifests it in a sense of un- 
 selfishness, and perfects it by the addition of 
 sincerity and truth. Then indeed is he a noble 
 character.'* 
 
 The higher type of man seeks all that he wants 
 in himself; the inferior man seeks all that he 
 wants from others. 
 
 The higher type of man is firm but not quarrel- 
 some; sociable, but not clannish.
 
 CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 25 
 
 The wise man does not esteem a person more 
 highly because of what he says, neither does he 
 undervalue what is said because of the person who 
 says it. 
 
 Is not he a sage who neither anticipates deceit 
 nor suspects bad faith in others, yet is prompt 
 to detect them when they appear? 
 
 Power of Example 
 
 X HE Master wished to settle among the nine 
 Eastern tribes. Someone said: "How can you? 
 They are savages." The Master replied: "If a 
 higher type of men dwelt in their midst, how 
 could their savage condition last?" 
 
 The Nine Points 
 
 X HE noble sort of man pays special attention 
 to nine points. He is anxious to see clearly, to 
 hear distinctly, to be kindly in his looks, respect- 
 ful in his demeanor, conscientious in his speech, 
 earnest in his affairs; when in doubt, he is care- 
 ful to inquire; when in anger, he thinks of the 
 consequences; when offered an opportunity for 
 gain, he thinks only of his duty.
 
 26 the wisdom of the chinese 
 
 The Five Qualities 
 
 X ZU Chang asked Confucius a question about 
 Moral virtue. Confucius replied, " Moral virtue 
 simply consists in being able, anywhere and 
 everyvv'here, to exercise five particular qualities." 
 Asked what these were, he said: "Self-respect, 
 magnanimity, sincerity, earnestness, and benevo- 
 lence. Show self-respect, and others will respect 
 you; be magnanimous, and you will win all 
 hearts; be sincere, and men will trust you; be 
 earnest, and you will achieve great things; be 
 benevolent, and you will be fit to impose your 
 will on others." 
 
 Righteousness 
 
 X ZU Lu asked : "Does not the princely man value 
 courage?" The Master said: "He puts righteous- 
 ness first. The man of high station who has 
 courage without righteousness is a menace to the 
 State; the common man who has courage with- 
 out righteousness is nothing more than a brigand." 
 
 On Hate 
 
 1 ZU Kung asked: "Has the nobler sort of man 
 any hatreds?" The Master replied: "He has. He
 
 CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 27 
 
 hates those who publish the faults of others; he 
 hates men of low condition who vilify those 
 above them; he hates those whose courage is un- 
 accompanied by self-restraint; he hates those 
 who are audacious but narrow-minded." 
 
 "And you, Tzii," he added, "have you also your 
 hatreds? " "I hate," replied the disciple, "those who 
 think that wisdom consists in prying and med- 
 dling; courage, in showing no compliance; and 
 honesty, in denouncing other men." 
 
 Ti 
 
 The Four Words 
 
 HERE were four words of which the Master 
 barred the use: He would have no "shalFs," 
 no "must's," certainly no "Ts." 
 
 A 
 
 Confucius on Himself 
 
 lT fifteen, my mind was bent on learning. At 
 thirty I stood firm. At forty I was free from 
 delusions. At fifty I understood the laws of 
 Providence. At sixty my ears were attentive to 
 the truth. At seventy I could follow the prompt- 
 ings of my heart without overstepping the mean.
 
 28 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 The failure to cultivate virtue, the failure to 
 examine and analyze what I have learnt, the 
 inability to move toward righteousness after be- 
 ing shown the way, the inability to correct my 
 faults — these are the causes of my grief. 
 
 I do not expound my teaching to any who 
 are not eager to learn; I do not help out any- 
 one who is not anxious to explain himself; if, 
 after being shown one corner of a subject, a man 
 cannot go on to discover the other three, I do not 
 repeat the lesson. 
 
 • • 
 
 If the pursuit of riches were a commendable 
 pursuit, I would join in it, even if I had to 
 become a chariot-driver for the purpose. But 
 seeing that it is not a commendable pursuit, I 
 engage in those which are more to my taste. 
 
 • 
 
 The Master said: "In me, knowledge is not 
 innate. I am but one who loves antiquity and 
 is earnest in the study of it." 
 
 • • 
 
 If I am walking with two other men, each of 
 them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out 
 the good points of one and imitate them, and 
 the bad points of the other and correct them 
 in myself.
 
 CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 29 
 
 There are men, I dare say, who act rightly 
 without knowing the reason why, but I am not 
 one of them. Having heard much, I sift out the 
 good and practice it; having seen much, I retain 
 it in my memory. This is the second order of 
 wisdom. 
 
 To divide wisdom and perfect virtue I can 
 lay no claim. All that can be said of me is that 
 I never falter in the course which I pursue and 
 am unwearying in my instruction of others — 
 this and nothing more. I Kung-hsi Hua said; 
 "But those are just the qualities that we, your 
 disciples, are unable to acquire." 
 
 On Observation 
 
 IVIEN'S faults are characteristic. It is by ob- 
 serving a man's faults that one may come to know 
 his virtues. 
 
 Observe a man's actions; scrutinize his mo- 
 tives; take note of the things that give him 
 pleasure. How then can he hide from you what 
 he really is?
 
 30 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Acquire new knowledge whilst thinking over 
 the old, and you may become a teacher of others. 
 
 • 
 
 Study without thought is vain; thought (on 
 Knowledge) without study is perilous. 
 
 Shall I tell you what true knowledge is? 
 When you know, to know that you know, and 
 when you do not know, to know that you do not 
 know — that is true knowledge. 
 
 The scholar who is bent on studying the 
 principles of virtue, yet is ashamed of bad clothes 
 and coarse food, is not yet fit to receive instruc- 
 tion. 
 
 Prominence 
 
 INSTEAD of being concerned that you have no 
 office, be concerned to think how you may fit 
 yourself for office. Instead of being concerned 
 that you are not known, seek to be worthy of 
 being known. 
 
 Self-control 
 
 When you see a good man, think of emulat- 
 ing him; when you see a bad man, examine your 
 own heart.
 
 CONFUCIUS. 551 B.C. 31 
 
 Chi Wen Tzii used to reflect thrice before he 
 acted. When told of this, the Master said: 
 "Twice would do." 
 
 The Master said: '*AIas! I have never seen a 
 man who could see his own faults and arraign 
 himself at the bar of his own conscience." 
 
 W 
 
 Meditation 
 
 ORDS of just admonition cannot fail to com- 
 mand a ready assent. But practical reformation 
 is the thing that really matters. Words of kindly 
 advice cannot fail to please the listener. But sub- 
 sequent meditation on them is the thing that 
 really matters. 
 
 I can make nothing of the man who is pleased 
 with advice but will not meditate on it, who 
 assents to admonition but does not reform. 
 
 Life and Death 
 
 V>HI LU inquired concerning men's duty to 
 spirits. The Master replied: ''Before we are able 
 to do our duty by the hving, how can we do it 
 by the spirits of the dead?" Chi Lu went on to 
 inquire about death. The Master said: "Before
 
 32 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 we know what life is, how can we know what 
 death is?" 
 
 • • 
 
 Rich and Poor 
 
 IT is harder to be poor without murmuring than 
 to be rich without arrogance. 
 
 T 
 
 Virtue for Effect 
 
 HE men of olden time who studied virtue had 
 only their own improvement in view; those who 
 study it now have an eye to the applause of 
 others. 
 
 • • 
 
 On Teaching 
 
 XvEFUSAL to instruct one who is competent to 
 learn entails the waste of a man. Instruction of 
 one who is incompetent to learn entails waste of 
 words. The wise man is he who wastes neither 
 men nor words. 
 
 He who requires much from himself and little 
 from others will be secure from hatred. 
 
 The real fault is to have faults and not try to 
 amend them. 
 
  
 
 CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 33 
 
 When a man is generally detested, or when he 
 is generally beloved, closer examination is neces- 
 sary. 
 
 Only two classes of men never change: The 
 wisest of the wise and the dullest of the dull. 
 
 Shadows and Virtues 
 
 Speaking toXzu Lu, the Master said: "Have 
 you ever heard of the six shadows which attend 
 six great virtues?" "No," he replied. "Sit down 
 then, and I will tell you. Love of goodness with- 
 out the will to learn casts the shadow called 
 foolishness. Love of knowledge without the will 
 to learn casts the shadow called insensibility. 
 Love of candor without the will to learn casts 
 the shadow called rudeness. Love of daring with- 
 out the will to learn casts the shadow called tur- 
 bulence. Love of firmness without the will to 
 learn casts the shadow called eccentricity." 
 
 1 our goody-goody people are the thieves of 
 virtue.
 
 34 the wisdom of the chinese 
 
 Does God Speak 
 
 X HE Master said: "Would that I could do with- 
 out speaking!" Tzu Kung said: "If our Master 
 never spoke, how could we, his disciples, trans- 
 mit his doctrines? "The Master replied: "Does God 
 speak? The four seasons hold on their course, 
 and all things continue to live and grow. Yet, 
 tell me, does God speak?" 
 
 • • 
 
 Servants 
 
 ijIRLS and servants are the most difficult people 
 to handle. If you treat them familiarly, they be- 
 come disrespectful; if you keep them at a dis- 
 tance, they resent it. 
 
 • • 
 
 True Values 
 
 W HEN the solid outweighs the ornamental, we 
 have boorishness; when the ornamental out- 
 weighs the solid, we have superficial smartness. 
 Only from a proper blending of the two will the 
 higher type of man emerge. 
 
 c • 
 
 Sayings of the Disciples 
 
 J. SENG TZO said : " Ability asking instruction 
 of incompetence, abundance sitting at the feet of
 
 CONFUCIUS. 551 B. C. 35 
 
 insiifFiciency, a man of every virtue who thought 
 he had none, soUd in character yet making him- 
 self a cipher, trespassed against but nevei re- 
 tahating, — such was the humble state of mind 
 in which my late friend spent his life." 
 
 Tzu Hsia said: "The man who can appreciate 
 moral worth and disengage his mind from sen- 
 sual passion; who can put forth his utmost 
 strength to serve his parents, and lay down his 
 Hfe to serve his prince; who speaks sincerely in 
 his intercourse with friends — such a man, though 
 the world may call him untaught, has in my 
 opinion received the best and highest education." 
 
 Ssu-ma, lamenting, said: "All other men have 
 brothers; I alone have none." Tzii Hsia said to 
 him: " I have heard it said that life and death are 
 divine dispensations, that wealth and rank de- 
 pend on the will of God. The higher type of 
 man is unfailingly attentive to his own conduct, 
 and shows respect and true courtesy to others. 
 Thus all within the w^orld are his brethren. How 
 then should he grieve at having no brothers?"
 
 CONFUCIUS 
 
 THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN
 
 CONFUCIUS 
 
 THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN 
 ON TRUTH 
 
 Ti 
 
 RUTH is the law of God. Acquired truth is 
 the law of man. He who intuitively apprehends 
 truth is one who, without effort, hits what is 
 right, and without thinking understands what he 
 wants to know; whose life is easily and natu- 
 rally in harmony with the moral law. Such a one 
 is what we call a saint or a man of divine nature. 
 He who acquires truth is one who finds out what 
 is good and holds fast to it. 
 
 In order to acquire truth, it is necessary to 
 obtain a wide and extensive knowledge of what 
 has been said and done in the world; critically 
 to inquire into it; carefully to ponder over it; 
 clearly to sift it; and earnestly to carry it out. 
 
 Ti 
 
 Realization of Truth 
 
 RUTH means the realization of our being; 
 and moral law means the law of our being. 
 Truth is the beginning and end (the substance) 
 
 39
 
 40 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 of existence. Without truth there is no exist- 
 ence. It is for this reason that the moral man 
 values truth. 
 
 Truth is not only the realization of our own 
 being: it is that by which things outside of us 
 have an existence. The realization of our being 
 is moral sense. The realization of things outside 
 of us is intellect. These, moral sense and intel- 
 lect, are the powers and faculties of our being. 
 They combine the inner and subjective and outer 
 or objective use of the power of the mind. There- 
 fore with truth everything done is right. 
 
 Absolute Truth 
 
 J. HUS absolute truth is indestructible. Being 
 indestructible, it is eternal. Being eternal it is 
 self-existent. Being self-existent, it is infinite. 
 Being infinite it is vast and deep. Being vast and 
 deep it is transcendental and intelligent. 
 
 It is because it is vast and deep that it con- 
 tains all existence. It is because it is transcen- 
 dental and intelligent that it embraces all exist- 
 ence. It is because it is infinite and eternal that 
 it fills all existence.
 
 CONFUCIUS 41 
 
 In vastness and depth it is like the Earth. In 
 transcendental intelligence it is like Heaven. 
 Infinite and eternal, it is Infinitude itself. 
 
 Such being the nature of absolute truth, it 
 manifests itself without being evident; it pro- 
 duces effects without action; it accomplishes its 
 ends without being conscious. 
 
 Ti 
 
 Truth and Intelligence 
 
 HE intelligence which comes from the direct 
 apprehension of truth is intuition. The appre- 
 hension of truth wihch comes from the exercise 
 of intelligence is the result of education. Where 
 there is truth, there is intelligence; where there 
 is intelligence, there is truth. 
 
 Truth and the Cosmic Laws 
 
 It is only he, in the world, who possesses abso- 
 lute truth who can get to the bottom of the law 
 of his being. He who is able to get to the bot- 
 tom of the law of his being will be able to get
 
 42 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 to the bottom of the law of being of other men. 
 He who is able to get to the bottom of the law 
 of being of men will be able to get to the bottom 
 of the laws of physical nature. He who is able 
 to get to the bottom of the laws of physical 
 nature will be able to influence the forces of crea- 
 tion of the Universe. He who can influence the 
 forces of creation of the Universe is one with the 
 Powers of the Universe. 
 
 Ti 
 
 Truth and Knowledge 
 
 HE next order of the process of man's mind is 
 to attain to the apprehension of a particular 
 branch of knowledge. In every particular branch 
 of knowledge there is truth. Where there is 
 truth, there is substance. Where there is sub- 
 stance, there is reality. Where there is reality, 
 there is intefligence Where there is intelhgence, 
 there is power. Where there is power there is 
 influence. Where there is influence, there is crea- 
 tive power. 
 
 It is only he who possesses absolute truth in 
 the world who can create.
 
 confucius 43 
 
 Truth and Foreknowledge 
 
 XT is an attribute of the possession of absolute 
 truth to be able to foreknow. When a nation or 
 family is about to flourish, there are sure to be 
 lucky omens. When a nation or family is about 
 to perish, there are sure to be signs and prodigies. 
 These things manifest themselves in the instru- 
 ments of divination and in the agitation of the 
 human body. When happiness or calamity is 
 about to come, it can be known beforehand. 
 When it is good, it can be known beforehand. 
 When it is evil, it can also be known beforehand. 
 Therefore he who possesses absolute truth is 
 like a spiritual being. 
 
 Moral Law 
 
 1 KNOW now why there is no real moral life. 
 The wise mistake moral law for something higher 
 than what it really is; and the foolish do not 
 know enough what moral law really is. I know 
 now why the moral law is not understood. The 
 noble natures want to hVe too high, high above 
 their moral ordinary self; and ignoble natures 
 do not live high enough, i.e., not up to their 
 moral ordinary true self.
 
 44 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 The life of the moral man is an exemplification 
 of the universal moral order. The Ufe of the vul- 
 gar person, on the other hand, is a contradiction 
 of the universal moral order. 
 
 The moral law is a law from whose operation 
 we cannot for one instant in our existence escape. 
 A law from which we may escape is not the moral 
 law. Wherefore it is that the moral man watches 
 diligently over what his eyes cannot see and is in 
 fear and awe of w^hat his ears cannot hear. There 
 is nothing more evident than that which cannot 
 be seen by the eyes and nothing more palpable 
 than that which cannot be perceived by the 
 senses. Wherefore the moral man watches dili- 
 gently over his secret thoughts. 
 
 Every system of moral laws must be based 
 upon man's own consciousness. It must be veri- 
 fied by the common experience of men. Ex- 
 amined into by comparing it with the teachings 
 of acknowledged great and wise men of the past, 
 there must be no divergence. Applying it to the 
 operations and processes of nature in the physical 
 universe, there must be no contradiction. Con- 
 fronted with the spiritual powers of the universe 
 a man must be able to maintain it without any
 
 CONFUCIUS 45 
 
 doubt. He must be prepared to wait a hundred 
 generations after him for the coming of a man 
 of perfect divine nature to confirm it without any 
 misgiving. 
 
 • • 
 
 Force of Character 
 
 i^ ORCE of character is a wonderful thing. 
 Wherefore the man with the true force of moral 
 character is one ^Ulo is easy and accommodating 
 and yet without weakness or mdiscrimination. 
 How unflinchingly hrm he is in his strength! He 
 is independent without any bias. When there is 
 moral social order in the country, if he enters 
 pubhc hfe he does not change from what he was 
 when in retirement. When there is no moral 
 social order in the country he holds on his way 
 without changing even unto death. How un- 
 flinchingly firm is he in his strength; 
 
 Holding to the Moral Law 
 
 i HERE are men who seek for some abstruse 
 meaning in religion and philosophy and live a 
 life singular in order that they may leave a name 
 to posterity. This is what I never would do. 
 There are again good men who try to live in con- 
 formity with the moral law, but who, when they
 
 46 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 have gone halfway, throw it up. I never could 
 give it up. 
 
 Lastly, there are truly more men who uncon- 
 sciously live a life m entire harmony with the 
 universal moral order and who live unknown to 
 the world and unnoticed of men vv^ithout any 
 concern. It is only men of holy, divine natures 
 who are capable of this. 
 
 • • 
 
 Understanding the Moral Law 
 
 X HE moral law is to be found everywhere, and 
 yet it is a secret. The simple intelligence of ordi- 
 nary men and women of the people may under- 
 stand something of the moral law; but in its 
 utmost reaches there is something which even the 
 holiest and wisest of men cannot understand. 
 
 • 
 
 The Ignoble natures of ordinary men and 
 women of the people miay be able to carry out 
 the moral law; but in its utmost reaches even 
 the wisest and holiest of men cannot live up to it. 
 
 • 
 
 • • 
 
 The Universe and the Moral Mind 
 
 VJrREAT as the Universe is, the man with the 
 infinite moral nature in him is never satisfied.
 
 CONFUCIUS 47 
 
 For there is nothing so great but the mind of the 
 moral man can conceive of something still greater 
 which nothing in the world can hold. There is 
 nothing so small but the mind of moral man can 
 conceive of something still smaller which nothing 
 in the universe can split. The Book of Songs 
 says: "The hawk soars to the heavens above and 
 fishes dive to the depths below.' That is to say, 
 there is no place in the highest heavens above nor 
 in the deepest waters below where the moral law 
 does not reign. 
 
 The moral law takes its rise in the relation be- 
 tween men and women; but in its utmost reaches 
 it reigns supreme over heaven and earth. 
 
 Practice of the Moral Law 
 
 Ti 
 
 HE moral law is not something away from the 
 actuality of human life. When men take up 
 something away from the actuality of human life 
 as the moral law, that is not the moral law. 
 When a man carries out the principles of con- 
 scientiousness and reciprocity he is not far from 
 the moral law. What you do not wish others 
 should do unto you, do not do unto them.
 
 48 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Ti 
 
 Four Points of the Moral Law 
 
 HERE are four things in the moral life of a 
 man not one of which I have been able to carry 
 out in my life. — To serve my father as I would 
 expect my son to serve me: that I have not been 
 able to do. To serve my sovereign as I would 
 expect a minister under me to serve me: that I 
 have not been able to do. To act toward my 
 elder brother as I would expect my younger 
 brother to act to^^'ard mc: that I have not been 
 able to do. To be the first to behave toward 
 friends as I would expect them to behave toward 
 me: that I have not been able to do. 
 
 Improvement 
 
 In the discharge of the ordinary duties of life 
 and in the exercise of care in ordinary conversa- 
 tion, whenever there is shortcoming, never fail to 
 strive for improvement, and when there is much 
 to be said, always say less than what is necessary; 
 words having respect to actions and actions hav- 
 ing respect to words. Is it not just this thorough 
 genuineness and absence of pretense which char- 
 acterizes the moral man?
 
 confucius 49 
 
 Self-control under all Circumstances 
 
 i HE moral man conforms himself to his life cir- 
 cumiStances; he does not desire anything outside 
 of his position. Finding himself in a position of 
 wealth and honor, he hves as becomes one living 
 in a position of wealth and honor. Finding him- 
 self in a position of poverty and humble cir- 
 cumstances, he lives as becom.es one hving in a 
 position of poverty and humble circumstances. 
 Finding himself in uncivilized countries, he lives 
 as becomes one living in uncivilized countries. 
 
 Finding himself in circumstances of danger and 
 difficulty, he acts according to what is required of 
 a m.an under such circumstances. 
 
 In one word, the moral man can find himself 
 in no situation in life in which he is not master 
 of himself. 
 
 In a high position he does not domineer over 
 his subordinates. In a subordinate position he 
 does not court the favors of his superiors. He 
 puts in order his own personal conduct and seeks 
 nothing from others; hence he has no complaint 
 to make. He complains not against God nor 
 rails against man. 
 
 Thus it is that the moral man lives out the 
 even tenor of his life, calmly waiting for the ap-
 
 50 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 pjintment of God, whereas the vulgar person 
 takes to dangerous courses, expecting the uncer- 
 tain chances of luck. 
 
 Self-analysis 
 
 I 
 
 N the practice of archery we have something 
 resembling the principle in a man's moral life. 
 When the archer misses the center of the target 
 he turns round and seeks for the cause of his 
 failure within him.self. 
 
 Beginning at the Bottom 
 
 1 HE moral hfe of man may be hkened to travel- 
 ing to a distant place: one must start from the 
 nearest stage. It may also be hkened to ascend- 
 ing a height: one must begin from the lowest 
 step. The Book of Songs says: 
 
 '* When wives and children and their sires are one, 
 'Tis like the harp and lute in unison. 
 
 When brothers live in concord and at peace 
 The strain of harmony shall never cease. 
 
 The lamp of happy union Kghts the home, 
 And bright days follow when the children 
 come.**
 
 confucius 51 
 
 Moral Law and Nature 
 
 1 HE moral laws form one system with the laws 
 by which Heaven and Earth support and con- 
 tain, overshadow and canopy all things. These 
 moral laws form the same system with the laws 
 by which the seasons succeed each other and the 
 sun and moon appear with the alternations of 
 day and night. It is this same system of laws 
 by which all created things are produced and de- 
 velop themselves each in its order and system 
 without injuring one another; by which the opera- 
 tions of nature take their course without conflict 
 and confusion, the lesser forces flowing every- 
 where like river currents, while the great forces 
 of creation go silently and steadily on. 
 
 It is this — one system running through all — 
 that makes the Universe so impressively great. 
 
 • 
 • • 
 
 Gifts of the Morally Perfect 
 
 J.T is only the man with the most perfect divine 
 moral nature who is able to combine in himself 
 quickness of apprehension, intelhgence, insight, 
 and understanding: qualities necessary for the 
 exercise of command; magnanimity, generosity, 
 benignity, and gentleness: qualities necessary for
 
 52 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 the exercise of patience; originality, energy, 
 strength of character, and determination: quah- 
 ties necessary for the exercise of endurance; dig- 
 nity, noble seriousness, order, and regularity: 
 quahties necessary for the exercise of self-respect; 
 grace, method, delicacy, and kicidity: qualities 
 necessary for the exercise of critical judgment. 
 
 • 
 
 Thus all-embracing and vast is the nature of 
 such a man. Profound it is and inexhaustible, 
 like a hving spring of water, ever running out 
 with hfe and vitahty. All-embracing and vast, 
 it is like Heaven. Profound and inexhaustible, 
 it is like the abyss. 
 
 As soon as such a man shall make his appear- 
 ance in the world, all people shall reverence him. 
 Whatever he says, all people will believe it. 
 Whatever he does, all people will be pleased with 
 it. Thus his name and fame will spread and fill 
 all the civilized world, extending even to savage 
 countries. Wherever ships and carriages reach; 
 wherever the labor and enterprise of man pene- 
 trate; wherever the heavens overshadow and the 
 earth sustains; wherever sun and moon shine; 
 wherever frost and dew fall, all who have life
 
 CONFUCIUS 53 
 
 and breath will honor him. Therefore we may 
 say, "He is the equal of God." 
 
 * 
 
 When calamities or blessings are about to 
 befall, the good or the evil will surely be fore- 
 known to him. He, therefore, who is possessed 
 of the completest sincerity, is hke a spirit. 
 
 Ti 
 
 Spiritual Forces 
 
 HE power of spiritual forces in the Universe 
 — how\active it is everywhere! Invisible to the 
 eyes and impalpable to the senses, it is inherent 
 in all things, and nothing can escape its operation. 
 It is a fact that there are these forces which 
 make men in all countries fast and purify them- 
 selves, and with solemnity of dress institute 
 services of sacrifice and religious worship. Like 
 the rush of mighty waters, the presence of un- 
 seen Powers is felt, sometimes above us, some- 
 times around us. 
 
 The ordinance of God is what we call the law 
 of our being. To fulfill the law of our being is 
 what we call the moral law. The moral law when 
 reduced to a system is what we call religion.
 
 54 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Confucius remarked: "There was the emperor 
 Shun. He was perhaps what may be considered 
 a truly great intellect. Shun had a natural curios- 
 ity of mind, and he loved to inquire into near 
 facts [literally, "near words," meaning here ordi- 
 nary topics of conversation in everyday life]. 
 He looked upon evil merely as something nega- 
 tive; and he recognized only what was good as 
 having a positive existence. Taking the two 
 extremes of negative and positive, he applied the 
 mean betv/een the two extremes: in his judgment, 
 employment, and dealings with people. 
 
 "This was characteristic of Shun's great intel- 
 lect." 
 
 Knowledge of Morals 
 
 OOME men are born with the knowledge of these 
 moral qualities; some acquire it as the result of 
 education; some acquire it as the result of hard 
 experience. But when the knowledge is acquired, 
 it comes to one and the same thing. Some exer- 
 cise these moral qualities naturally and easily; 
 some because they find it advantageous to do so; 
 some with effort and difficulty. But when the 
 achievement is made, it comes to one and the 
 same thing.
 
 CONFUCIUS §^ 
 
 When the passions, such as joy, anger, grirf, 
 and pleasure, have not awakened, that is our true 
 self or moral being. When these passions awaken 
 and each and all attain due measure and degree, 
 that is the moral order. Our true self or moral 
 being is the great reality [lit., "great root"] of 
 existence, and moral order is the universal law 
 in the world. 
 
 When true moral being and moral order are 
 realized, the universe then becomes a cosmos and 
 all things attain their full growth and develop- 
 ment. 
 
 Personal Conduct 
 
 ±jY attending to the cleanliness and purity of 
 his person and to the propriety and dignity of 
 his dress, and in everv^ word and act permitting 
 nothing which is contrarj^ to good taste and de- 
 cency, that is how one puts in order his personal 
 conduct. 
 
 The Foolish 
 
 l\ MAN who is foolish, and yet is fond of using 
 his own judgment; who is in humble circun ■» 
 stances, and yet is fond of assuming authority;
 
 §6 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 who, while living in the present age, reverts to 
 the ways of antiquity, such a man is one who 
 will bring calamity upon himself. 
 
 Life of the Moral Man 
 
 1 HE life of the moral man is plain and yet not 
 unattractive; it is simple and yet full of grace; 
 it is easy and yet methodical. He knows that 
 accomplishment of great things consists in doing 
 small things well. He knows that great effects 
 are produced by small causes. He knows the 
 evidence and reality of what cannot be perceived 
 by the senses. Thus he is enabled to enter into 
 the world of ideas and morals. 
 
 A man may be able to renounce the possession 
 of kingdoms and empire, be able to spurn the 
 honors and emoluments of office, be able to tram- 
 ple upon bare, naked weapons; with all that he 
 shall not be able to find the central clue in his 
 moral being. 
 
 Men all say," We are wise"; but when driven 
 forward and taken in a net, a trap, or a pitfall, 
 there is not one who knows how to find a way of
 
 CONFUCIUS 57 
 
 escape. Men all say, "We are wise"; but in 
 finding the true central clue and balance in their 
 moral being (i.e., their normal, ordinar}^ true self) 
 and following the line of conduct which is in ac- 
 cordance with it, they are not able to keep it for 
 a round month.
 
 CONFUCIUS 
 
 THE GREAT LEARNING
 
 CONFUCIUS 
 
 THE GREAT LEARNING 
 
 Ti 
 
 HE capacity for knowledge of the inferior man 
 IS small and easily filled up; the intelligence of 
 the superior man is deep and not easily satisfied. 
 
 • 
 
 It matters not what you learn; but when you 
 once learn a thing, you must never give it up 
 until you have mastered it. It matters not what 
 you inquire into; but when you inquire into a 
 thing, you must never give it up until you have 
 thoroughly understood it. It matters not what 
 you tr^^ to think out; but when you once try to 
 think out a thing, you must never give it up un- 
 til you have got what you want. It matters not 
 what you try to sift; but when you once try to 
 sift out a thing, you must never give it up until 
 you have sifted it out clearly and distinctly. It 
 matters not what you try to carr^^ out; but when 
 you once try to carry out a thing, you must never 
 give it up until 3^ou have done it thoroughly and 
 
 well. 
 
 (5i
 
 62 the wisdom of the chinese 
 
 The True Scholar 
 
 W HEN the opportunity of gain is presented to 
 him, he thinks on virtue. He is reverent in sacri- 
 fice; in mourning, absorbed in the sorrow he 
 should feel. He who cherishes love of comfort is 
 not fit to be a scholar. 
 
 The main object of study is to unfold the aim; 
 with one who loves words, but does not improve, 
 I can do nothing. 
 
 • • 
 
 The scholar's burden is perfection; is it not 
 heavy? It ends but with hfe; is it not enduring? 
 
 Learning is like raising a monument; if I stop 
 with this basket of earth, it is my ov/n fault. It 
 is like throwing earth on the ground; one basket 
 at a time, yet I advance. 
 
 The true scholar is not a mere utensil. Leav- 
 ing Virtue without proper culture; faihng thor- 
 oughly to discuss what is learned; being unable 
 to move toward the righteousness of which knowl- 
 edge is gained; and being unable to change what
 
 A CHILD WORSHIPPING THE SAGE
 
 CONFUCIUS 63 
 
 is not good, — these are the things that (in my 
 scholars) give me anxiety. 
 
 If a man keeps cherishing his old knowledge, so 
 as ever to acquire new, he may be a teacher of 
 others. I marked Yen- Yuen's constant advance; 
 I never saw him pause. Often the blade springs, 
 but the plant does not go on to flower; often 
 the plant flowers, but produces no fruit. 
 
 Having completed his studies, the scholar 
 should devote himself to official functions. He 
 should say: "I am not concerned that I have no 
 place; I am concerned how I shall fit myself for 
 one. I am not concerned at not being known; 
 I seek to be worthy to be known."
 
 MENCIUS. 371 B.C. 
 THE REAL MAN
 
 MENCIUS. 371 B.C. 
 
 THE REAL MAN 
 
 l\ REAL MAN is one whose goodness is a part 
 of himself. Of the qualities of the sage, none is 
 greater than that of being a helper of men to 
 right living. He is ashamed of a reputation be- 
 yond his desert. Having found the right way 
 within himself, he rests in it, firm and serene, 
 holding intimate converse Vvith it, and reaching 
 to its fountain-head. He obeys the right and 
 waits for the appointed. His words are plain and 
 simple, yet of widest bearing. His aim is self- 
 culture, yet it gives peace to all men. 
 
 All things are aheady complete in us. There 
 is no greater dehght than to be conscious of right 
 within us. If one strive to treat others as he 
 would be treated by them, he shall not fail to 
 come near the perfect hfe. Eveiy duty is a charge, 
 but the charge of oneself is the root of all others. 
 The disease of men is to neglect their own fields 
 and go to weeding those of others, to exact much 
 from others and lay light burdens on themselves. 
 
 67
 
 68 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Over-readiness of speech comes of not having 
 been reproved. 
 
 Even those v/ho strive to be perfect stand in 
 need of reproof. 
 
 A true scholar holds possession of himself, 
 neither by riches nor poverty forced away from 
 his virtue. 
 
 The Warning Voice Within 
 
 Li 
 
 ^ET not a man do what his sense of right bids 
 him not to do, nor desire what it forbids him to 
 desire. This is sufficient. The skillful artist will 
 not alter his measures for the sake of a stupid 
 workman. 
 
 When right ways disappear, one's person must 
 vanish with one's principles. 
 
 The honor which man confers is not true honor. 
 Those to whom Chaou Mang gave rank, he can 
 degrade again. He whose good name comes from 
 what he is, needs no trappings. 
 
 The ancients cultivated the nobility of Heaven, 
 leaving that of m.en to follow in its train. Serv- 
 ing Heaven consists in nourishing the real con- 
 stitution of our being, anxious neither about death 
 nor life.
 
 m e n c i u s. 3 7 i b. c. 69 
 
 The Discipline of Heaven 
 
 W HEN Heaven is about to confer a great office 
 on any man, it first disciplines his mind with 
 suffering, and his bones and sinews v/ith toil. 
 
 It exposes him to want and subjects him to 
 extreme poverty. 
 
 It confounds his undertakings. 
 
 By all these methods it stimulates his mind, 
 hardens him, an supphes his incompetencies. 
 
 Concerning Desires 
 
 1 O nourish the heart there is nothing better 
 than to make the desires few. Here is a man 
 whose desires are few; in some things he may 
 not be able to keep his heart, but they will be 
 few. Here is a man whose desires are many; in 
 some things he may be able to keep his heart, 
 but they will be few. 
 
 The Child-heart 
 
 X HE great man is he who does not lose his 
 child-heart. He does not think beforehand that 
 his w^ords shall be sincere, nor that his acts shall 
 be resolute; he simply abides in the right.
 
 70 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 The right path (Tao) is near, yet men seek it 
 afar ofF. 
 
 The labor of duty is easy, yet men seek it in 
 what is difficult. 
 
 The way is wide; it is not hard to know. Go 
 home and seek it, and you shall not lack teachers. 
 
 • • 
 
 Equanimity 
 
 If one treat me unreasonably, I will say: "I 
 must have been wanting in kindness or propriety. 
 How else should this have happened?" Then I 
 will mend my ways. If the other continue per- 
 verse, I must have self-respect enough to say, 
 "I must have failed to do my best." If all is 
 vain, I say, "Why vex myself about a wild 
 beast?" 
 
 Thus the wise has lifelong vigilance, but not 
 one morning's serious trouble. 
 
 The End of Wisdom is to Seek the 
 Lost Mind 
 
 J. HE virtues are not poured into us, they are 
 natural: seek, and you will fmd them; neglect, 
 and you will lose them. To every faculty and
 
 M E N C I U S. 3 7 I B. C. 71 
 
 relation belongs its normal law; but without its 
 fit culture it will decay. How lamentable to lose 
 this mind and not know how to seek it! 
 
 Of all seeds their virtue is in their ripeness. 
 Only he who has studied his mental constitution 
 knows his nature; knowing his nature, he knows 
 Heaven. 
 
 Greatness 
 
 X HEY are great men who follow that part of 
 them which is great. Let one stand in his nobler 
 part, and the meaner will not be able to take it 
 from him. This is simply what makes greatness. 
 The superior man desires a wide sphere that he 
 may give peace to multitudes; but what Ii's 
 nature makes his own, cannot be greatened by 
 the largeness of his sphere, nor lessened by its 
 obscurity. 
 
 • • 
 
 What is a good man? A man who commam's 
 our hking, is what is called a good man. 
 
 He whose goodness is part of himself, is what 
 is called a real man. 
 
 He whose goodness has been filled up, is whut 
 is called a beautiful man. i 
 
 He whose completed goodness is brightly df>- 
 played, is what is called a great man.
 
 72 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 When this great man exercises a transforming 
 influence, he is what is called a sage. 
 
 When the sage is beyond our knowledge, he 
 is what is called a spirit-man. 
 
 Abstract good principles are not enough to 
 give the kingdom peace; laws cannot execute 
 themselves. If the good and wise be not trusted, 
 the State wdll come to naught. The people are 
 the most important element in a State; the ruler 
 is the least. The empire is not given by one 
 man to another. The choice of Heaven is shown 
 in the conduct of men. It is an old rule that the 
 oppressor may be put to death without warning. 
 King Seuen asked about relatives of the ruler, 
 when high ministers. Mencius replied that, if 
 he had great faults and would not hear advice, 
 they should dethrone him. The king changed 
 countenance. 
 
 The disciple Kung-too said: "All are equally 
 men, but some are great men, and some are little 
 men; how is this?'* Mencius replied: "Those 
 who follow that part of themselves which is great 
 are great men; those who follow that part which 
 is little are little men."
 
 M E N C I U S. 3 7 I B. c. 73 
 
 Kung-too pursued: "All are equally men, but 
 some follow that part of themselves which is 
 great, and some follow that part which is little; 
 how is this?" Mencius answered: "The senses 
 of hearing and seeing do not think, and are ob- 
 scured by external things. When one thing comes 
 into contact with another, as a matter of course 
 it leads it away. To the mind belongs the office 
 of thinking. By thinking, it gets the right view 
 of things; by neglecting to think, it fails to do 
 this. 
 
 "These, the senses and the mind, are what 
 Heaven has given to us. 
 
 "Let a man first stand fast in the supremacy 
 of the nobler part of his constitution, and the 
 inferior part will not be able to take it from him. 
 It is simply this which makes the great man." 
 
 T 
 
 The Wise 
 
 HE wise embrace all knowledge, but they are 
 most earnest about what is of the greatest im- 
 portance. The benevolent embrace all in their 
 love, but what they consider of the greatest 
 importance is to cultivate an earnest affection 
 for the virtuous. Even the wisdom of Yaou and
 
 74 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Shun did not extend to everything, but they 
 attended earnestly to what was important. 
 
 Their benevolence did not show itself in acts 
 of kindness to every man, but they earnestly 
 cultivated an affection for the virtuous. 
 
 • • 
 
 The True and the False 
 
 1 HATE a semblance which is not the reality. 
 I hate the darnel, lest it be confounded with the 
 corn. I hate glib- tonguedn ess, lest it be con- 
 founded with righteousness. I hate sharpness of 
 tongue, lest it be confounded with sincerity. I 
 hate the music of Ch*ing, lest it be confounded 
 with the true music. I hate the reddish blue, 
 lest it be confounded with vermilion. I hate 
 your good, careful men of the villages, lest they 
 be confounded with the truly virtuous. 
 
 M, 
 
 Transcendentalism 
 
 .AN does not hve by experience alone, but by 
 transcending experience, assured of what he does 
 not see, and never has seen, as real; nor can he 
 ever recognize the absolute worth and authority 
 involved in the idea of duty but by a mental hft 
 into a sphere above all the limits and contingencies 
 of actual human conduct.
 
 M E N c I u s. 3 7 I B- c. 75 
 
 Qualities of the Great 
 
 1 O dwell in the wide house of the world; to 
 stand in true attitude therein; to walk in the 
 wide path of men; in success, to share one's 
 principles with the people; in failure, to live 
 them out alone; to be incorruptible by riches or 
 honors, unchangeable by poverty, unmoved by 
 perils or power, — these I call the qualities of a 
 great man. 
 
 Appointments of the Great 
 
 1 HE exercise of love between father and son, 
 the observance of righteousness betv/een sov- 
 ereign and minister, the rules of ceremony be- 
 tween guest and host, the display of knowledge 
 in recognizing the talented, and the fulfilling the 
 heavenly course by the sage, — these are the 
 appointments of Heaven. But there is an adap>- 
 tation of our nature for them. The superior man 
 does not say in reference to them, **It is the 
 appointment of Heaven.'* 
 
 • 
 
 For the mouth to desire sweet tastes, the eye 
 to desire beautiful colors, the ear to desire pleas-
 
 76 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 ant sounds, the nose to desire fragrant odors, 
 and the four limbs to desire rest and ease, — 
 these things are natural. But there is an appoint- 
 ment of Heaven in connection with them, and the 
 superior man does not say of his pursuit of them, 
 "It is my nature." 
 
 In the empire there are three things univer- 
 sally acknowledged to be honorable. Nobility is 
 one of them, age is one of them, virtue is one of 
 them. 
 
 In courts nobihty holds first place, in villages 
 age, and for usefulness to one's generation, and 
 controlling the people, neither is equal to virtue. 
 
 When one subdues men by force, they do not 
 submit to him in heart but because not strong 
 enough to resist. When one subdues men by 
 virtue, they are pleased to the heart's core and 
 sincerely submit. 
 
 • • 
 
 Responsibilities of the Government 
 
 W HEN men die of famine, you say it is the 
 season that is to blame. What does this differ 
 from saying, when you have caused a man's 
 death. "It was not I, but the weaTX)n"?
 
 M E N C I U S. 3 7 I B. C. 77 
 
 " When a public officer is neglectful, what would 
 you do with him?" 
 
 *'Cast him off," replies the king. 
 
 *'When in the whole kingdom there is no good 
 government, what then?" 
 
 King Seuen looked to the right and left, and 
 spoke of other matters. 
 
 When the old and weak are found lying in 
 ditches, and your granaries are full, and none of 
 your prefects has told you of these things, do 
 not blame the people that they seize their oppor- 
 tunity to repay such treatment! 
 
 If you know a tax to be unjust, end it at once! 
 
 Man has ten thousand plans for himself; God 
 but one for him. Man cries, "Now, now!" God 
 says, "Not yet, not yet." 
 
 A good man protects three villages. 
 
 Let your ideas be round and your conduct 
 square. 
 
 Right heart need not fear evil seeming. 
 
 God drives no man to despair. 
 
 One day of wedded life deserves a hundred 
 days of kindness.
 
 78 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Misfortunes issue where diseases enter, — at 
 the mouth. 
 
 What is whispered in the ear is heard miles 
 away. 
 
 The gods cannot help one who loses oppor- 
 tunities. 
 
 Dig your well before you are thirsty. 
 Swim with one foot on the ground. 
 Forbearance is the jewel of home. 
 
 A great man never loses the simplicity of a 
 child. 
 
 Prefer right to kindred (in patronage). 
 He who soars not, suffers not by a fall. 
 
 If you receive an ox, give back a horse. 
 Act with kindness, but do not exact gratitude. 
 Give by day, and your reward shall spring by 
 night. 
 
 * 
 
 By virtue alone in itself, one never reaches rule 
 over men's hearts. 
 
 He must make his virtue sustain others. *
 
 M E N C I u s. 3 7 I B. c. 79 
 
 Good-will subdues its opposite, as water fire. 
 
 Friendship with a man is friendship with his 
 virtue. 
 
 A people's limits do not consist in dikes and 
 borders. The security of a State is not in the 
 strength of mountains and streams. No advan- 
 tages compare with the accord of men. 
 
 • 
 
 They who expect to live without enemies, yet 
 have no kindness for others, are hke one who 
 should try to hold a heated body without dip- 
 ping it in water. 
 
 Men expect by their own darkness to enlighten 
 others. The artisan may give a man compass 
 and square, but he cannot make him skillful in 
 the use of them. 
 
 What misery they shall suffer who talk of the 
 evil in others. A man must first despise himself, 
 then others will despise him. A family must first 
 overthrow itself, then others will overthrow it. 
 A State must first smite itself, then others will 
 smite it.
 
 80 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Incessant falls teach men to reform, and dis- 
 tresses rouse their strength. 
 
 Life springs from calamity, and death from 
 ease. Men of special virtue and wisdom are 
 wont to owe these powers to the trials they have 
 endured. 
 
 If you have not passed the bitterness of star- 
 vation, you know^ not the blessings of abundance; 
 if not through the parting of death, you know 
 not the joy of unbroken union; if not through 
 calamity, the pleasure of security; if not through 
 storms, the luxury of calm. 
 
 The white clouds pass; the blue heaven abides. 
 Noble natures are calm and content. 
 The song of a dying bird is plaintive; the 
 w^ords of a dying man are just. 
 
 • 
 
 How can man reward the care of Heaven? 
 
 • • 
 
 Mock not, O young man, at gray hairs! 
 How long can the opening flower keep its 
 bloom? 
 The wise place virtue in thought.
 
 M ENC I U S . 3 7 I ^- ^- ^^ 
 
 A good word has heat enough for three winters; 
 a hard one wounds like six months of cold. 
 To yield to Heaven is to save one's self. 
 
 If there is too much rice in the kitchen, there 
 i,re starving people on the road. 
 To help another helps yourself. 
 Drink less and learn more. 
 The spirits know your secret sins. 
 
 Kwan said: "Now the whole kingdom is 
 drowning; how is it that you do not save it?" 
 Mencius replied: *'A drowning kingdom must be 
 rescued by right principles, not like a drowning 
 person, by the hand." 
 
 Have you watched the growing grain after the 
 season of drought, how, when the rain falls, it 
 stands up refreshed? Who can keep it back? 
 These shepherds of men all love to destroy men. 
 Were there but one w^ho did not, the people 
 would hasten to obey him as rushing waters that 
 cannot be stayed.
 
 82 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 "Venerable man," said the king, "since you 
 have come here a distance of a thousand h, you 
 have doubtless something to say for the profit of 
 my kingdom." Mencius replied: "O King, why 
 talk of profit? I have humanity and justice for 
 my teaching, nothing more. If these be put last, 
 and profit first, your officers will not be content 
 till they have stripped you of all." 
 
 The wise questions himself, the fool others. 
 
 When the prince goes to school, he is like other 
 boys. 
 
 The highest official is subject to the law. 
 
 Whoso is too subservient to masters will reap 
 shame. 
 
 A good subject cannot serve two masters; lay 
 not two saddles on one horse. 
 
 A minister who fears death will not be faithful. 
 
 Judge not by appearance; the sea cannot be 
 scooped up in a tumbler. 
 
 Think reasonably, be strong for virtue, lean 
 on humanity, and in all things be content.
 
 LAO TZU. 604 B. Ce 
 FROM THE TAO-TEH KING
 
 LAO TZU. 604 B. c. 
 
 FROM THE TAO-TEH KING 
 
 1 HE grandest forms of active force 
 From Tao come, their only source. 
 Who can of Tao the nature tell? 
 Our sight it flies, our touch as well. 
 
 The Tao that can be trodden is not the endur- 
 ing and unchanging Tao. 
 
 He who knows the Tao does not care to speak 
 about it; he who is ever ready to speak about it 
 does not know it. 
 
 Those who know the Tao are not extensively 
 learned; the extensively learned do not know it. 
 
 The relation of Tao to all the world is like 
 that of the great rivers and seas to the streams 
 from the valleys. 
 
 The Tao which can be expressed in words is 
 
 not the eternal Tao; the name which can be 
 
 8^
 
 86 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 uttered is not its eternal name. Without a name, 
 it is the beginning of Heaven and Earth; with a 
 name, it is the Mother of all things. 
 
 Only one who is eternally free from earthly 
 passions can apprehend its spiritual essence; he 
 who is ever clogged by passions can see no more 
 than its outer form. 
 
 The Spiritual and Material 
 
 X HESE two things, the spiritual and the ma- 
 terial, though we call them by different names, 
 in their origin are one and the same. This same- 
 ness is a mystery, — the mystery of mysteries. 
 It is the gate of all spirituality. 
 
 Tao eludes the sense of sight and is therefore 
 called colorless. 
 
 It eludes the sense of hearing and is therefore 
 called soundless. 
 
 It eludes the sense of touch and is therefore 
 called incorporeal. 
 
 These three qualities cannot be apprehended, 
 and hence they may be blended into unity.
 
 LAO TZU
 
 L A O T Z U. 6 O 4 B. C. 87 
 
 The Form of Tao 
 
 I 
 
 TS upper part is not bright, and its lower part 
 is not obscure. 
 
 Ceaseless in action, it cannot be named, but 
 returns again to nothingness. 
 
 We may call it the form of the formless, the 
 image of the im^agelcss, the fleeting and the inde- 
 terminable. 
 
 Would you go before it, you cannot see its 
 face; would you go behind it, you cannot see 
 its back. 
 
 T] 
 
 The Force of Tao 
 
 HE mightiest manifestations of active force 
 flow solely from Tao. 
 
 Tao in itself is vague, impalpable, — how im- 
 palpable, how vague! Yet within it there is Sub- 
 stance. How profound, how obscure! Yet 
 within it there is a vital Principle. This Prin- 
 ciple is the Quintessence of Reahty, and out of 
 it comes Truth,
 
 88 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 From of old until now, its name has never 
 
 passed away. It watches over the beginning of 
 
 all things. 
 
 How do I know this about the beginning of 
 
 things? Through Tao. 
 
 Ti 
 
 The Infinite 
 
 HERE is something, chaotic yet complete, 
 which existed before Heaven and Earth. Oh, 
 how still it is and formless, standing alone with- 
 out changing, reaching everywhere without suffer- 
 ing harm! 
 
 It must be regarded as the Mother of the Uni- 
 verse. Its name I know not. 
 
 To designate it I call it Tao. Endeavoring to 
 describe it, I call it great. 
 
 The Greatness of Tao 
 
 X HEREFORE Tao is great; Heaven is great; 
 the Earth is great; and the Sovereign also is 
 great. 
 
 In the Universe there are four powers, of which 
 the Sovereign is one.
 
 L A O T Z U. 6 O 4 B. C. 89 
 
 Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth 
 takes its law from Heaven; Heaven takes its 
 law from Tao; but the law of Tao is its own 
 spontaneity. 
 
 The Unchanging Tao 
 
 JL AO in its unchanging aspect has no name. 
 Small though it be in its primordial simplicity, 
 mankind dare not claim its service. Could 
 princes and kings hold and keep it, all creation 
 would spontaneously pay homage. Heaven and 
 Earth would unite in sending down sweet dew, 
 and the people would be righteous unbidden and 
 of their own accord. 
 
 All-pervading is the Great Tao. It can be at 
 once on the right hand and on the left. All 
 things depend on it for life, and it rejects them 
 not. 
 
 Its task accomplished, it takes no credit. It 
 loves and nourishes all things, but does not act 
 as master. It is ever free from desire. We may 
 call it small. All things return to it, yet it does 
 not act as master. 
 
 We may call it great. 
 
 The whole world will flock to him who holds 
 the mighty form of Tao. They will come aizd
 
 90 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 receive no hurt, but find rest, peace, and tran- 
 quillity. 
 
 Tao is a great square with no angles., a great 
 vessel which takes long to complete, a great 
 sound which cannot be heard, a great image 
 with no form. 
 
 Highest and Low^est 
 
 J. HE highest goodness is Kke water, for water is 
 excellent in benefiting all things, and it does not 
 strive. It occupies the lowest place, which men 
 abhor. And therefore it is near akin to Tao. 
 
 Natural Law and Tao 
 
 Ai 
 
 XL things ahkc do their work, and then we 
 see them subside. When they have reached their 
 bloom, each returns to its origin. Returning to 
 their origin means rest or fulfillment of destiny. 
 This reversion is an eternal law. To know that 
 law is to be enhghtened. Not to know it, is 
 misery and calamity. He who knows the eternal 
 law is hberal-minded. Being liberal-minded, he 
 is just. Being just, he is kingly. Being kingly, 
 he is akin to Heaven. Being akin to Heaven, he 
 possesses Tao. Possessed of Tao, he endures
 
 L A O T Z U. 6 O 4 B. C. 91 
 
 forever. Though his body perish, yet he suffers 
 no harm. 
 
 The First Cause 
 
 1 HE world has a first cause, which may be re- 
 garded as the Mother of the World. When one 
 has the Mother, one can know the Child. He 
 who knows the Child and still keeps the Mother, 
 though his body perish, shall run no risk of harm. 
 
   • 
 • • 
 
 The Way of Heaven 
 
 XT is the way of Heaven not to strive, and yet 
 it knows how to overcome; not to speak, and 
 yet it knows how to obtain a response; it calls 
 not, and things come of themselves; it is slow 
 to move, but excellent in its designs. 
 
 It is the way of Heaven to take from those 
 who have too much and give to those who have 
 too little. But the way of man is not so. He 
 takes away from those who have too little, to 
 add to his own superabundance. 
 
 What man is there who can take of his own 
 superabundance and give it to mankind? Only 
 he who possesses Tao.
 
 92 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 On Self-assertion 
 
 H 
 
 E who is self-approving does not shine. He 
 who boasts has no merit. He who exalts him- 
 self does not rise high. Judged according to 
 Tao, he is like remnants of food or a tumor on 
 the body, — an object of universal disgust. 
 Therefore one who has Tao will not consort with 
 such. 
 
 On Perfect Virtue 
 
 jL ERFECT Virtue acquires nothing, therefore it 
 obtains everything. Perfect Virtue does nothing, 
 yet there is nothing which it does not effect. 
 
 Perfect Charity operates without the need of 
 anything to evoke it. 
 
 Perfect Duty to one's neighbor operates, but 
 always needs to be evoked. 
 
 Perfect Ceremony operates and calls for no 
 outward response, nevertheless it induces respect. 
 
 Knowledge is but a showy ornament of Tao, 
 while ofttimes the beginning of imbecility.
 
 Wi 
 
 L A O T Z U. 6 4 B. C. 93 
 
 The Superior Scholar 
 
 HEN the superior scholar hears of Tao, he 
 diligently practices it. When the average scholar 
 hears of Tao, he sometimes retains it, sometimes 
 loses it. When the inferior scholar hears of Tao, 
 he loudly laughs at it. Were it not thus ridi- 
 culed, it would not be worthy of the name of 
 Tao. 
 
 Ti 
 
 Display 
 
 HE wearing of gay, embroidered robes, the 
 carrying of sharp swords, fastidiousness in food 
 and drink, superabundance of property and 
 wealth, — this I call flaunting robbery ; most 
 assuredly it is not Tao. 
 
 Ti 
 
 Begin Harmony with Your Age 
 
 EMPER your sharpness, disentangle your 
 ideas, moderate your brilliance, live in harmony 
 with your age. This is being in conformity with 
 the principle of Tao. Such a man is impervious 
 alike to favor and disgrace, to benefits and in- 
 juries, to honor and contempt. And therefore he 
 is esteemed above all mankind.
 
 94 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Moderation in Government 
 
 I 
 
 N governing men and serving Heaven there is 
 nothing hke moderation. For only by modera- 
 tion can there be an early return to man's nor- 
 mal state. This early return is the same as a 
 great storage of Virtue. With a great storage of 
 Virtue there is naught that may not be achieved. 
 If there is naught which may not be achieved, 
 then no one will know to what extent this power 
 reaches. And if no one knows to what extent a 
 man's power reaches, that man is fit to be the 
 ruler of a State. Having the secret of rule, his 
 rule shall endure. Setting the taproot deep and 
 making the spreading roots firm, this is the way 
 to insure long life to the tree. 
 
 Ancient Philosophers 
 
 A HE skillful philosophers of the olden time 
 were subtle, spiritual, profound, and penetrating. 
 They were so deep as to be incomprehensible. 
 Because they are hard to comprehend, I will en- 
 deavor to describe them.
 
 L A O T Z U. 6 4 B. C. 95 
 
 Shrinking were they, like one fording a stream 
 in winter. Cautions were they, like one who 
 fears an attack from any quarter. Circumspect 
 were they, Hke a stranger guest; self-effacing, like 
 ice about to melt; simple, like unpolished wood; 
 vacant, like a valley; opaque, like muddy water. 
 
 On the Nature of Things 
 
 z\MONG mankind the recognition of beauty 
 as such implies the idea of ugliness, and the 
 recognition of good implies the idea of evil. 
 
 There is the same mutual relation between ex- 
 istence and non-existence in the matter of crea- 
 tion; between difficulty and ease in the matter 
 of accomplishing; between long and short in the 
 matter of form; between high and low in the 
 matter of elevation; between treble and bass in 
 the matter of musical pitch; between fore and 
 after in the matter of priority. 
 
 Nature is not benevolent; with ruthless indif- 
 ference she makes all things serve their purposes, 
 like the straw dogs we use at sacrifices. The sage 
 is not benevolent; he utilizes the people with the 
 like inexorability. 
 
 Heaven and Earth are long-lasting. The rea- 
 son why Heaven and Earth can last long is that
 
 96 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 they live not for themselves, and thus they are 
 able to endure. 
 
 Thirty spokes unite in one nave; the utility 
 of the cart depends on the hollow center in which 
 the axle turns. Clay is molded into a vessel; 
 the utility of the vessel depends on its hollow 
 interior. Doors and windows are cut out in order 
 to make a house; the utility of the house de- 
 pends on the empty spaces. 
 
 Thus, while the existence of things may be 
 good, it is the non-existent in them which makes 
 them serviceable. 
 
 Cast off your hohness, rid yourself of sagacity, 
 and the people will benefit a hundredfold. Dis- 
 card benevolence and abolish righteousness, and 
 people will return to filial piety and paternal love. 
 Renounce your scheming, and abandon gain, and 
 thieves and robbers will disappear. 
 
 These three precepts mean that outward show 
 is insufficient, and therefore they bid us be true 
 to our proper nature, to show simplicity, to em- 
 brace plain dealing, to reduce selfishness to 
 moderate desire.
 
 L A O T Z U. 6 O 4 B. c. 97 
 
 He who knows others is clever, but he who 
 knows himself is enlightened. 
 
 He who overcomes others is strong, but he who 
 overcomes himself is mightier stilL 
 
 He is rich who knows when he has enough. 
 
 He who acts with energy has strength of pur- 
 pose. 
 
 He who moves not from his proper place is 
 long-lasting. 
 
 He who dies, but perishes not, enjoys true 
 longevity. 
 
 If you would contract, you must first expand. 
 If you would weaken, you must first strengthen. 
 If you would overthrow, you must first raise 
 up. 
 
 If you would take, you must first give. 
 This is called the dawn of intelligence. 
 
 He who is most perfect, seems to be lacking; 
 yet his resources are never outworn. 
 
 He who is most full seems vacant; yet his 
 uses are inexhaustible.
 
 98 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Extreme straightness is as bad as crookedness. 
 Extreme cleverness is as bad as folly. Extreme 
 fluency is as bad as stammering. 
 
 Those who know do not speak; those who 
 speak do not know. 
 
 He who acts, destroys; he who grasps, loses. 
 Therefore the Sage does not act, and so does not 
 destroy; he does not grasp, and so he does not 
 lose. 
 
 The Sage does not care to hoard. The more 
 he uses for the benefit of others, the more he 
 possesses himself. The more he gives to his 
 fellow-men, the m^ore he has of his own.
 
 LAO TZU 
 
 WU-WEI
 
 LAO TZU 
 
 WU-WEI 
 
 JL/0 nothing by self-will, but rather conform to 
 the Infinite Will, and everything will be done 
 for you. 
 
 Who is there that can make muddy water 
 clear? But if allowed to remain still, it will be- 
 come clear of itself. Who is there that can secure 
 a state of absolute repose? But let time go on, 
 and the state of repose will gradually arise. 
 
 Tao is eternally inactive, and yet it leaves 
 nothing undone. If the princes and kings could 
 but hold fast to this principle, all things would 
 work out their own reformation. If, having re- 
 formed, they still desire to act, I w^ould have 
 them restrained by the simplicity of the Nameless 
 Tao. 
 
 The simplicity of the Nameless Tao brings 
 about an absence of desire. The absence of 
 
 lOI
 
 1 02 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 desire gives tranquillity. And thus the empire 
 will rectify itself. 
 
 The softest things in the world override the 
 hardest. That which has no substance enters 
 where there is no crevice. Hence I know the 
 advantage of inaction. 
 
 Without going out of doors, one may know 
 the whole world; without looking out of the 
 window, one may see the Way of Heaven. The 
 further one travels, the less one may know. Thus 
 it is that without moving you shall know, with- 
 out looking you shall see, without doing you shall 
 achieve. 
 
 « 
 
 The pursuit of book learning brings about 
 daily increase. The practice of Tao brings about 
 daily loss. Repeat this loss again and again, 
 and you arrive at inaction. Practice inaction, 
 and there is nothing which cannot be done. 
 
 Desire not to desire, and you will not value 
 things difficult to obtain. Learn not to learn,
 
 L A O T Z U 1 03 
 
 and you will revert to a condition which man- 
 kind in general has lost. 
 
 Leave all things to take their natural course, 
 and do not interfere. 
 
 On Self-display 
 
 /\LL things in nature work silently. They come 
 into being and possess nothing. They fulfill their 
 functions and make no claim. 
 
 When merit has been achieved, do not take it 
 to yourself; for if you do not take it to yourself, 
 it shall never be taken from you. 
 
 Keep behind, and you shall be put in front; 
 keep out, and you shall be kept in. 
 
 Goodness strives not, and therefore it is not 
 rebuked. 
 
 He that humbles himself shall be preserved 
 entire. He that bends shall be made straight.
 
 1 04 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 He that is empty shall be filled. He that is worn 
 out shall be renewed. He who has little shall 
 succeed. He who has much shall go astray. 
 
 • 
 
 He who, conscious of being strong, is content 
 to be weak, — he shall be the paragon of man- 
 kind. 
 
 Being the paragon of mankind. Virtue will 
 never desert him. He returns to the state of a 
 little child. 
 
 He who, conscious of his own light, is content 
 to be obscure, — he shall be the whole world's 
 model; his Virtue will never fail. He reverts to 
 the Absolute. 
 
 He who is great, must make humility his base. 
 He who is high, must make lowliness his founda- 
 tion. Thus princes and kings in speaking of 
 themselves use the terms "lonely," ** friendless," 
 "of small account." Is not this making humility 
 their base? 
 
 Thus it is said that "Some things are increased 
 by being diminished, others are diminished by
 
 LAO TZU 105 
 
 being increased." What others have taught, I 
 also teach; verily, I will make it the root of my 
 teaching. 
 
 Therefore the Sage, wishing to be above the 
 people, must by his words put himself below 
 them; wishing to be before the people, he must 
 put himself behind them. In this way, though 
 he has his place above them, people do not feel 
 his weight; though he has his place before them, 
 they do not feel it an injury. Therefore all 
 mankind delight to exalt him, and weary of him 
 not. 
 
 I have three precious things which I hold fast 
 and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is 
 frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me 
 from putting myself before others. Be gentle, 
 and you can be bold; be frugal, and you can be 
 liberal; avoid putting yourself before others, and 
 you can become a leader among men. 
 
 • 
 
 Gentleness brings victory to him who attacks, 
 and safety to him who defends. Those whom 
 Heaven would save, it fences round with gentle- 
 ness.
 
 I06 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 The best soldiers are not warlike; the best 
 fighters do not lose their temper. The greo,test 
 conquerors are those who overcome their enemxies 
 without strife. The greatest directors of men are 
 those who yield place to others. This is called 
 the Virtue of not striving, the capacity for direct- 
 ing mankind; this is being the compeer of 
 Heaven. It vv^as the highest goal of the ancients. 
 
 N( 
 
 On Ruling the People 
 
 'OT exalting worth keeps the people from 
 rivalry. Not prizing what is hard to procure 
 keeps the people from theft. Not to show them 
 what they may covet is the v/ay to keep their 
 minds from disorder. 
 
 He who respects the State as his own person 
 is fit to govern it. He v/ho loves the State as 
 his own body is fit to be intrusted with it. 
 
 In the highest antiquity, the people did not 
 know that they had rulers. In the next age, 
 they loved and praised them. In the next, they 
 feared them. In the next, they despised them,
 
 LAO T Z U 107 
 
 As restrictions and prohibitions are multiplied 
 in the empire, the people grow poorer and poorer. 
 When the people are subjected to overmuch gov- 
 ernment, the land is thrown into confusion. 
 When the people are skilled in many cunning 
 arts, strange are the objects of luxury that 
 appear. 
 
 The greater the number of laws and enact- 
 ments, the more thieves and robbers there will 
 be. Therefore the Sage says: "So long as I do 
 nothing, the people wil work out their own 
 reformation. So long as I love calm, the people 
 will right themselves. If only I keep from 
 meddUng, the people will grow rich. If only I 
 am free from desire, the people will come natu- 
 rally back to desire." 
 
 Do not confine the people within too narrow 
 bounds; do not make their lives too weary. For 
 if you do not weary them of life, they will not 
 then grow weary of you. 
 
 Were I ruler of a little State with a small 
 population, with only ten or a hundred men
 
 I08 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 available as soldiers, I would not use them. I 
 would have the people look on death as a griev- 
 ous thing, and they should not travel to distant 
 countries. Though they might possess boats and 
 carriages, they should have no occasion to ride 
 in them. Though they might own weapons and 
 armor, they should have no need to use them. 
 I would make people return to the use of knotted 
 cords. They should find their plain food sweet, 
 their rough garments fine. They should be con- 
 tent with their simple homes, and happy in their 
 simple ways. If a neighboring State was within 
 sight of mine — nay, if we were close enough to 
 hear the crowing of each other's cocks and the 
 barking of each other's dogs — the two peoples 
 should grow old and die without there ever hav- 
 ing been any mutual intercourse.
 
 LAO TZU 
 
 PRECEPTS AND SAYINGS
 
 LAO TZU 
 
 PRECEPTS AND SAYINGS 
 
 B 
 
 ►Y many words wit is exhausted; it is better 
 to preserve a mean. 
 
 He who grasps more than he can hold, would 
 be better without any. 
 
 If a house is crammed with treasures of gold 
 and jade, it will be impossible to guard them all. 
 
 The excellence of a dwelling is in its site; the 
 excellence of a mind in its profundity; the ex- 
 cellence of giving is charitableness; the excel- 
 lence of speech is truthfulness; the excellence of 
 government is order; the excellence of action is 
 abihty; the excellence of movement is timeliness. 
 
 He who prides himself upon wealth and honor 
 hastens his own downfall. 
 
 Ill
 
 112 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 He who strikes with a sharp point will not 
 himself be safe for long. 
 
 He who embraces unity of soul by subordinat- 
 ing animal instincts to reason will be able to 
 escape dissolution. He who strives his utmost 
 after tenderness can become even as a little child. 
 
 If a man is clear-headed and intelligent, can 
 he be without knowledge? 
 
 The Sage attends to the inner and not to the 
 outer; he puts away the objective and holds to 
 the subjective. 
 
 Between yes and yea, how small the difference! 
 Between good and evil, how great the difference! 
 
 What the world reverences may not be treated 
 with respect. 
 
 He who has no faith in others shall find no 
 faith in them.
 
 L A O T Z U 113 
 
 To see oneself is to be clear of sight. Mighty 
 is he who conquers himself. 
 
 • • 
 
 He who raises hims-elf on tiptoe cannot stand 
 firm; he who stretches his legs wide apart can- 
 not walk. 
 
 Racing and hunting excite man's heart to 
 madness. 
 
 The struggle for rare possessions drives a man 
 to actions injurious to himself. 
 
 The heavy is the foundation of the light; re- 
 pose is the ruler of unrest. 
 
 The wise prince in his daily course never de- 
 parts from gravity and repose. Though he 
 possess a gorgeous palace, he will dwell therein 
 w^ith calm indifference. How should the lord of 
 a million chariots conduct himself in the empire? 
 Levity loses men's hearts; unrest loses the 
 throne.
 
 114 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 The skillful traveler leaves no tracks; the skill- 
 ful speaker makes no blunders; the skillful reck- 
 oner uses no tallies. He who knows how to shut, 
 uses no bolts; yet you cannot open. He who 
 knows how to bind, uses no cords; yet you can- 
 not undo. 
 
 Among men, reject none; among things, reject 
 nothing. This is called comprehensive intelli- 
 gence. 
 
 The good man is the bad man's teacher; the 
 bad man is the material upon which the good 
 man works. If the one does not value his teacher, 
 if the other does not love his material, then 
 despite their sagacity they must go far astray. 
 This is a mystery of great import. 
 
 The course of things is such that v.hat was in 
 front is now behind; what was hot is now cold; 
 what was strong is now weak; what was comi- 
 plete is now in ruin. Therefore the Sage avoids 
 excess, extravagance, and grandeur.
 
 L A O T Z U 115 
 
 Which is nearer to you, fame or life? Which is 
 more to you, hfe or wealth? Which is the greater 
 malady, gain or loss? 
 
 Excessive ambitions necessarily entail great 
 sacrifices. Much hoarding must be followed by 
 heavy loss. He who knows when he has enough 
 will not be put to shame. Such a man can look 
 forward to long life. 
 
 There is no sin greater than ambition ; no calam- 
 ity greater than discontent; no vice more sicken- 
 ing than covetousness. He who is content, al- 
 ways has enough. 
 
 Do not wish to be rare like jade, nor common 
 like stone. 
 
 The Sage has no hard and fast ideas, but he 
 shares the ideas of the people and makes them 
 his own. Living in the world, he is apprehen- 
 sive lest his heart be sullied by contact with the 
 world. The people all fix their eyes and ears upon 
 him. The Sage looks upon all as his children.
 
 Il6 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 I have heard that he who possesses the secret 
 of hfe, when travehng abroad, will not flee from 
 rhinoceros or tiger; when entering a hostile camp, 
 he will not equip himself with sword or buckler. 
 The rhinoceros fmds in him no place to insert his 
 horn; the tiger has nowhere to fasten its claw; 
 the soldier has nowhere to thrust his blade. 
 And why? Because he has no spot where death 
 can enter. 
 
 To see small beginnings is clearness of sight. 
 To rest in weakness is strength. 
 
 He who know^s how to plant, shall not have 
 his plant uprooted; he who knows hovv^ to hold 
 a thing, shall not have it taken away. Sons and 
 grandsons shall worship at his shrine, which shall 
 endure for generations. 
 
 Knowledge in harmony is called constant. 
 Constant knowledge is called wisdom. Increase 
 of life is called felicity. The mind directing the 
 body is called strength.
 
 LAO TZU 117 
 
 Be square without being angular. Be honest 
 without being mean. Be upright without being 
 punctilious. Be brilliant without being showy. 
 
 Good words shall gain you honor in the market- 
 place, but good deeds shall gain you friends 
 among men. 
 
 To the good I would be good; to the not-good 
 I would also be good in order to make them 
 good. 
 
 With the faithful I would keep faith; with the 
 unfaithful I v/ould also keep faith, in order that 
 they may become faithful. 
 
 • 
 
 Even if a man is bad, how can it be right to 
 cast him off? 
 
 Requite injury with kindness. 
 
 The difficult things of this world must once 
 have been easy; the great things of this v^'orld 
 must once have been small. Set about difficult
 
 Il8 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 things while they are still easy; do great things 
 while they are still small. 
 
 The Sage never affects to do anything great, 
 and therefore he is able to achieve his great 
 results. 
 
 He who always thinks things easy, is sure to 
 find them difficult. Therefore the Sage ever 
 anticipates difficulties, and thus it is he never 
 encounters them. 
 
 While times are quiet, it is easy to take action; 
 ere coming troubles have cast their shadows, it 
 is easy to lay plans. 
 
 That which is brittle is easily broken; that 
 which is minute is easily dissipated. Take pre- 
 cautions before the evil appears; regulate things 
 before disorder has begun. 
 
 The tree which needs two arms to span its 
 girth sprang from the tiniest shoot. Yon tower, 
 nine stories high, rose from a little mound of
 
 LAO T Z U 119 
 
 earth. A journey of a thousand miles began with 
 a single step. 
 
 The Sage knows what is in him, but makes no 
 display; he respects himself, but seeks not honor 
 for himself. 
 
 To know, but to be as though not knowing, is 
 the height of wisdom. Not to know and yet to 
 affect knowledge, is a vice. If we regard this 
 vice as such, we shall escape it. The Sage has 
 not this vice. It is because he regards it as a 
 vice that he escapes it. 
 
 Use the light that is in you to revert to your 
 natural clearness of sight. Then the loss of the 
 body is unattended with calamity. This is called 
 doubly enduring. 
 
 In the management of affairs, people con- 
 stantly break down just when they are nearing a 
 successful issue. If they took as much care at 
 the end as at the beginning, they would not fail 
 in their enterprises.
 
 120 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 He who lightly promises, is sure to keep but 
 little faith. 
 
 He whose boldness leads him to venture, will 
 be slain; he who is brave enough not to venture, 
 will live. Of these two, one has the benefit, the 
 other has the hurt. But who is it that knovvs 
 the real cause of Heaven's hatred? This is why 
 the Sage hesitates and fmds it difficult to act. 
 
 The violent and stiff-necked die not by a 
 natural death. 
 
 True words are not fine; fine words are not 
 true.
 
 CHUANG TZU. 400 b. c. 
 RIGHT AND WRONG
 
 CHUANG TZU. 400 b. c. 
 
 RIGHT AND WRONG 
 
 X HOSE who would have right without its cor- 
 relative, wrong, or good government without its 
 correlative, misrule, — they do not apprehend 
 the great principles of the universe nor the con- 
 ditions to which all creation is subject. One 
 might as well talk of the existence of heaven 
 without that of earth, or of the negative prin- 
 ciple without the positive, which is clearly absurd. 
 
 • 
 • • 
 
 The True Standard 
 
 If you adopt, as absolute, a standard of even- 
 ness which is so only relatively, your results will 
 not be absohitely even. If you adopt, as abso- 
 lute, a criterion of right which is so only rela- 
 tively, your results will not be absolutely right. 
 Those who trust to their senses become slaves to 
 objective existences. Those alone who are guided 
 by their intuitions find the true standard. So 
 
 far are the senses less reliable than the intui- 
 
 123
 
 124 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 tions. Yet fools trust to their senses to know 
 what is good for mankind, with alas! but ex- 
 ternal results. 
 
 On Consciousness 
 
 y\ DRUNKEN man who falls out of a cart, 
 though he may suffer, does not die. His bones 
 are the same as other people's, but he meets his 
 accident in a different way. His spirit is in a 
 condition of security. He is not conscious of 
 riding in the cart; neither is he conscious of fall- 
 ing out of it. Ideas of hfe, death, fear, etc., can- 
 not penetrate his breast; and so he does not 
 fear from contact with objective existences. :.:, 
 And if such security is to be got from wine, 
 how much more is it to be got from God? It 
 is in God that the Sage seeks his refuge, and 
 so he is free from harm. 
 
 Knowledge and Attainment 
 
 xIE who knows what God is, and who knows 
 what man is, has attained. Knowing ^^^hat God 
 is, he knovvs that he himself proceeded there- 
 from. Knowing what man is, he rests in the 
 knowledge of the known, waiting for the knowl-
 
 CHUANG TZU. 4OO B.C. I25 
 
 edge of the unknown. Working out one's al- 
 lotted span, and not perishing in mid-career, — 
 this is the fullness of knowledge. 
 
 Herein, however, there is a flaw. Knowledge 
 is dependent upon fulfillment, and as this ful- 
 fillment is uncertain, how can it be known that 
 my divine is not really human, my human really 
 divine? 
 
 We must have pure men, and then only can 
 we have pure knowledge. 
 
 The Natural Order 
 
 1\ MAN must go wheresoever his parents bid 
 him. Nature is no other than a man's parents. 
 If she bid me die quickly, and I demur, then I 
 am an unfilial son. She can do me no wrong. 
 Tao gives me this form, this toil in manhood, 
 this repose in old age, this rest in death. And 
 surely, that which is such a kind arbiter of my 
 life is the best arbiter of my death. 
 
 How do I know that love of life is not a de- 
 lusion after all? How do I know but that he 
 who dreads to die is as a child who has lost its 
 way and cannot find its home?
 
 126 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Bi 
 
 The Soul 
 
 ►UT whether or not we ascertain what are the 
 functions of this soul, it matters but little to the 
 soul itself. For, coming into existence with this 
 mortal coil of mine, with the exhaustion of this 
 mortal coil its mandate will also be exhausted. 
 To be harassed by the wear and tear of life, and 
 to pass rapidly through it without possibility of 
 arresting one's course, — is this not pitiful in- 
 deed? To labor without ceasing, and then, with- 
 out living to enjoy the fruit, worn out, to depart 
 suddenly, one knows not whither, — is not that 
 a just cause for grief? 
 
 -^ Objective and Subjective 
 
 W HAT advantage is there in what men call 
 not dying? The body decomposes and the mind 
 goes with it. This is our real cause for sorrow. 
 Can the world be so dull as not to see this? Or 
 is it I alone who am dull, and others not so? . . . 
 There is nothing which is not objective; there is 
 nothing which is not subjective. But it is im- 
 possible to start from the objective. Only from 
 subjective knowledge is it possible to proceed to
 
 CHUANG TZU. 4OO B.C. I27 
 
 objective knowledge. Hence it has been said: 
 "The objective emanates from the subjective; 
 the subjective is consequent upon the objective. 
 This is the Alternation Theory." Nevertheless, 
 when one is born, the other dies. When one is 
 possible, the other is impossible. When one is 
 afUrmative, the other is negative. Which being 
 the case, the true Sage rejects all distinctions of 
 this and that. He takes his refuge in God, and 
 places himself in subjective relation with all 
 things. 
 
 On Life and Death 
 
 Life follows upon death. Death is the begin- 
 ning of life. Who knows when the end is 
 reached? The life of man results from converg- 
 ence of the vital fluid. Its convergence is life; 
 its dispersion, death. If, then, hfe and death 
 are but consecutive states, what need have I to 
 complain? 
 
 Therefore all things are One. What we love is 
 animation. What we hate is corruption. But 
 corruption in its turn becomes animation, and 
 animation once more becomes corruption.
 
 128 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Predestination involves a real existence. 
 Chance implies an absolute absence of any 
 principle. To have a name and the embodiment 
 thereof, — this is to have a material existence. 
 To have no name and no embodiment, — of this 
 one can speak and think; but the more one 
 speaks, the farther off one gets. 
 
 The unborn creature cannot be kept from life. 
 The dead cannot be tracked. From birth to 
 death is but a span; yet the secret cannot be 
 known. Chance and predestination are but a 
 priori solutions. 
 
 Infinite 
 
 HEN I seek for a beginning, I fmd only time 
 infinite. When I look forward to an end, I see 
 only time infinite. Infinity of time past and to 
 come implies no beginning and is in accordance 
 with the laws of material existences. Predesti- 
 nation and Chance give us a beginning, but one 
 which is compatible only with the existence of 
 matter.
 
 CHUANG TZU. 4OO B.C. I29 
 
 A man's knowledge is limited; but it is upon 
 what he does not know that he depends to 
 extend his knowledge to the apprehension of God. 
 
 The ultimate end is God. He is manifested in 
 the laws of nature. He is the hidden spring. At 
 the beginning he was. This, however, is inex- 
 phcable. It is unknowable. But from the un- 
 knowable we reach the known. 
 
 A vulgar proverb says that he who has heard 
 but part of the truth thinks no one equal to 
 himself. And such a one am I. 
 
 "When formerly I heard people detracting 
 from the learning of Confucius or underrating 
 the heroism of Poh I, I did not believe. But now 
 that I have looked upon your inexhaustibility — 
 alas for me! had I not reached your abode, I 
 should have been forever a laughingstock to 
 those of comprehensive enhghtenment!" 
 
 To which the Spirit of the Ocean rephed: 
 "You cannot speak of ocean to a well-frog, the 
 creature of a narrower sphere. You cannot speak 
 of ice to a summer insect, a creature of a season. 
 You cannot speak of Tao to a pedagogue; his
 
 130 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 scope is too restricted. But now that you have 
 emerged from your narrow sphere and have seen 
 the great ocean, you know your own insignifi- 
 cance, and I can speak to you of great principles." 
 
 Finality 
 
 JJlMENSIONS are limitless; time is endless; 
 Conditions are not invariable; terms are not final. 
 Thus the wise man looks into space, and does not 
 regard the small as too little, nor the great as 
 too much; for he knows that there is no limit to 
 dimension. He looks back into the past, and 
 does not grieve over what is far off, nor rejoice 
 over what is near; for he knows that time is 
 without end. He investigates fullness and decay, 
 and does not rejoice if he succeeds, nor lament 
 if he fails; for he knows that conditions are not 
 invariable. He who clearly apprehends the 
 scheme of existence does not rejoice over life, 
 nor repine at death; for he knows that terms 
 are not final. 
 
 Ti 
 
 Natural Instincts 
 
 HE people have certain natural instincts: to 
 weave and clothe themselves, to till and feed
 
 CHUANG TZU. 4 O O B. C. I3I 
 
 themselves. These are common to all humanity, 
 and all are agreed thereon. Such instincts are 
 called "Heaven-sent." 
 
 And so in the days when natural instincts pre- 
 vailed, men moved quietly and gazed steadily. 
 At that time, there were no roads over moun- 
 tains, nor boats, nor bridges over water. All 
 things were produced, each for its own proper 
 sphere. Birds and beasts multiplied; trees and 
 shrubs grew up. 
 
 The foiTner might be led by the hand; you 
 could climb up and peep in the raven's nest. For 
 then man dwelt with birds and beasts, and all 
 creation was one. 
 
 There were no distinctions of good and bad 
 men. Being all equally without knowledge, their 
 virtue could not go astray. 
 
 Being all equally without evil desires, they were 
 in a state of natural integrity, the perfection of 
 human existence. 
 
 But when Sages appeared, tripping up people 
 over charity and fettering them with duty to 
 their neighbor, doubt found its way into the 
 world. 
 
 And then, with their gushing over music and 
 fussing over ceremony, the empire became divided 
 against itself.
 
 132 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 When Chuang Tzu was about to die, his dis- 
 ciples expressed a wish to give him a splendid 
 funeral. But Chuang Tzu said: "With heaven 
 and earth for my coffin and shell; with the sun, 
 moon, and stars as my burial regalia; and with 
 all creation to escort me to the grave, — are not 
 my funeral paraphernalia ready to hand?" 
 
 "We fear," argued the disciples, "lest the 
 carrion kite should eat the body of our master;" 
 to which Chuang Tzu replied: "Above ground I 
 shall be food for kites; below I shall be food for 
 mole-crickets and ants. Why rob one to feed 
 the other?" 
 
 m 
 
 A man who knows that he is a fool is not a 
 great fool. 
 
 A dog is not considered a good dog because he 
 is a good barker. A man is not considered a 
 good man because he is a good talker. 
 
 Get rid of small wisdom, and great wisdom will 
 shine upon you. 
 
 Put away goodness, and you will be naturally 
 good. A child does not learn to speak because
 
 CHUANG TZU. 4OO B.C. I33 
 
 taught by professors of the art, but because it 
 lives among people who can themselves speak. 
 
 • 
 
 The best language is that which is not spoken, 
 the best form of action is that which is without 
 deeds. 
 
 Spread out your knowledge, and it will be 
 found to be shallow. 
 
 The perfect man ignores self; the divine man 
 ignores action; the true Sage ignores reputation. 
 
 • 
 • • 
 
 Severance 
 
 1 HE perfect man is a spiritual being. Were 
 the ocea,n itself scorched up, he would not feel 
 hot. Were the Milky Way frozen hard, he would 
 not feel cold. Were the mountains to be riven 
 with thunder, and the great deep to be thrown 
 up by storm, he would not tremble. 
 
 Birth is not a beginning; death is not an end. 
 
 Let knowledge stop at the unknowable. That 
 is perfection.
 
 YANG CHU. 300 B.C. 
 FAME AND VANITY
 
 YANG CHU. 300 B.C. 
 
 FAME AND VANITY 
 
 1 ANG CHU, when traveling in Lu, put up at 
 Meng Sun Yang's. 
 
 Meng asked him: *'A man can never be more 
 than a man; why do people still trouble them- 
 selves about famxe?" 
 
 Yang Chu answered: "If they do so, their 
 object is to become rich." 
 
 Meng: ''And when they have become rich, 
 why do they not stop?" 
 
 Yang Chu said: "They aim at getting honors." 
 
 Meng: "Why then do they not stop when 
 they have got them?" 
 
 Yang Chu: "On account of their death." 
 
 Meng: "But what can they desire still after 
 their death?" 
 
 Yang Chu: "They think of their posterity." 
 
 Meng: "But how can their fame be available 
 to their posterity?" 
 
 Yang Chu: "For fame's sake they endure all 
 kinds of bodily hardship and mental pain. They 
 
 137
 
 138 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 dispose of their gloiy for the benefit of their 
 clan, and even their fellow-citizens profit by it. 
 How much more so do their descendants! How- 
 beit it becomes those desirous of real fame to 
 be disinterested, and disinterestedness means 
 poverty; and likewise they must be unostenta- 
 tious, and this is equivalent to humble condition." 
 
 • 
 
 How then can fame be disregarded, and how 
 can fame come of itself? 
 
 The ignorant, while seeking to maintain fame, 
 sacrifice reality. By doing so, they will have to 
 regret that nothing can rescue them from danger 
 and death, and not only learn the difference be- 
 tween ease and pleasure and sorrow and grief. 
 
 If anybody has real greatness, he is poor; if 
 his greatness is spurious, he is rich. 
 
 The really good man is not famous; if he be 
 famous, he is not really a good man, for all fame 
 is nothing but falsehood. 
 
 One hundred years is the limit of a long life. 
 Not on^ in a thousand ever attains to it. Yet if
 
 YANGCHU. 300 B. C. I39 
 
 they do, still unconscious infancy and old age 
 take up about half this time. 
 
 What then is the object of human life? What 
 makes it pleasant? Comfort and elegance, music 
 and beauty. Yet one cannot ahvays gratify the 
 desire for comfort and elegance, nor incessantly 
 enjoy beauty and music. 
 
 Besides being warned and exhorted by punish- 
 ments and rewards, urged forward and repelled 
 by fame and laws, men are constantly rendered 
 anxious. Striving for one vain hour of glory, 
 and providing for the splendor which is to sur- 
 vive their death, they go their solitary ways, 
 analyzing what they hear with their ears and see 
 with their eyes, and carefully considering what 
 is good for body and mind; so they lose the 
 happiest moments of the present, and cannot 
 really give way to these feelings for one hour. 
 
 If you pay no regard to life or death, and let 
 them be as they are, how can you be anxious 
 lest your life should end too soon?
 
 140 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Every trace of intelligent and stupid men, of 
 the beautiful and ugly, successful and unsuccess- 
 ful, right and wrong, is effaced. And whether 
 quickly or slowly is the only point of difference. 
 
 If any one cares for one hour's blame or praise 
 so much that, by torturing his spirit and body, 
 he struggles for a name lasting some hundred 
 years after his death, can the halo of glory revive 
 his dried bones, or give him back the joy of living? 
 
 If there were a body born complete, I could 
 not possess it, and I could not possess things 
 not to be parted with. For possessing a body or 
 things would be unlawfully appropriating a body 
 belonging to the whole universe and appropriat- 
 ing things belonging to the universe, which no 
 Sage would do. 
 
 He who regards as common property a body 
 appertaining to the universe and the things of 
 the universe is a perfect man. 
 
 And that is the highest degree of perfection.
 
 y a n g c h u. 3 o b. c. i41 
 
 The Four Chimeras 
 
 1 HERE are four things which do not allow 
 people to rest: Long Life; Reputation; Rank; 
 Riches. 
 
 Those who have them, fear ghosts, fear men, 
 power, and punishment. They are ahvays fugi- 
 tives. Whether they are killed or live, they regu- 
 late their lives by externals. 
 
 Those who do not set their destiny at defiance, 
 do not desire a long life; and those who are not 
 too fond of honor, do not desire reputation. 
 
 Those who do not want power, desire no rank. 
 
 Those Vv'ho are not avaricious, have no desire 
 for riches.
 
 KANG-HSrS SACRED EDICT
 
 KANG-HSrS SACRED EDICT 
 
 In eveiy affair retire a step, and you have an 
 advantage. 
 
 Seeing men in haste, do not seek to overtake 
 them. 
 
 Each grass blade has its drop of dew. The 
 wild birds lay up no stores; but Heaven and 
 Earth are wide. Strange, indeed, if you cannot 
 rest in the duties of your sphere. 
 
 If you reject the iron, you will never make the 
 steel. 
 
 To starve is a small matter, to lose one's virtue 
 is a great one. 
 
 • • 
 
 Covet not an empty name. 
 
 145
 
 146 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 The modest gain, the self-satisfied lose 
 
 The more unlikely I am to be successful, the 
 more diligently will I study. 
 
 What have I to do with fate? 
 
 Teach children that in friendship one should 
 be one, and two, two; there must be no decep- 
 tion. 
 
 Let the root be good, and the fruit shallnot 
 be evil. 
 
 Culture in manners will make the blustering 
 soldier view the Shi and Shu as his coat of mail. 
 
   • 
 
 Becoming manners shall bring back the lovely 
 unity of ancient virtues. 
 
 Do you think that, by bearing with insulting 
 persons, I shall fall into dishonor?
 
 KANG-HSIS SACRED EDICT I47 
 
 Should right principles be separated from right 
 manners, they would no longer be right prin- 
 ciples. But without sincerity manners are mere 
 apish bowing and scraping. 
 
 Those who say conscience may be good enough, 
 but it does not supply one with food, are fit 
 materials for the cord and the bamboo. 
 
 Set not others at variance. Suppress slanders, 
 and protect the innocent. Frame not indict- 
 ments to defraud and oppress. 
 
 Maintain a love of harmony, that throughout 
 your families the common speech shall be, "Let 
 us help one another." Then shall the world be 
 at peace. 
 
 Let young and old be as one body, their joj-s 
 and sorrows as of one family. 
 
 Let the instructed lead the way by example. 
 Let the unity of the empire extend to myriad 
 countries, and spread harmony through the world.
 
 1 48 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Though at the height of fame, you ought in 
 the watches of the night to lay your hand on 
 your breast and ask yourself, "Have I cause of 
 shame or not?"
 
 KUAN-YI-WU. 500 B.C. 
 
 ON LIFE 
 
 ivLLOW the ear to hear what it likes, the eye 
 to see what it likes, the mouth to say what it 
 likes, the body to enjoy the comforts it likes to 
 have, and the mind to do what it likes. 
 
 Now, what the ear likes to hear is music, and 
 the prohibition of it is what I call obstruction to 
 the ear. 
 
 What the eye likes to look at is beauty, and 
 its not being permitted to regard this beauty I 
 call obstruction of sight. 
 
 What the nose likes to smell is perfume, and 
 its not being permitted to smell I call obstruc- 
 tion to scent. 
 
 What the mouth likes to talk about is right 
 and wrong; and if it is not permitted to speak, 
 I call it obstruction of the understanding. 
 
 The comforts the body enjoys to have are 
 rich food and fine clothing, and if it is not per- 
 Lt "fitted, then I call that obstruction of the senses 
 co'f the body. 
 
 149
 
 150 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 What the mind likes is to be at peace; and 
 its not being permitted rest I call obstruction of 
 the mind's nature. 
 
 All these obstructions are a source of the most 
 painful vexation.
 
 YU TSE. 1250 B.C. 
 
 ON FAME 
 
 JlTE who renounces fame has no sorrow. 
 
 Fame is the follower of reahty. Now, however, 
 as people pursue fame with such frenzy, does it 
 not really come of itself if it is disregarded? At 
 present fame means honor and regard. Lack of 
 fame brings humbleness and disgrace. Again, ease 
 and pleasure follow upon honor and regard. 
 Sorrow and grief are contrary to human nature; 
 ease and pleasure are in accord with it. These 
 things have reality. 
 
 151
 
 TSE-CHAN. 550 B.C. 
 
 SUBLIMITY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS 
 
 X HAT in which man is superior to beasts and 
 birds is his mental faculties. Through them he 
 gets righteousness and propriety, and so glory 
 and rank fall to his share. You are only moved 
 by what excites your sense, and indulge only in 
 licentious desires, endangering your hves and 
 natures. 
 
 Hear my words. Repent in the morning, and 
 in the evening you will have aheady gained the 
 wage that will support you. 
 
 152
 
 THE POETRY OF 
 THE CHINESE
 
 THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE 
 
 SSU-K'UNG T'U, A.D. 834-908 
 
 Jr REIGHTED with eternal principles 
 Athwart the night's void, 
 Where cloud masses darken, 
 And the wind blows ceaselessly around, 
 
 Beyond the range of conceptions 
 Let us gain the center. 
 And there hold fast without violence, 
 Fed from an inexhaustible supply. 
 
 Like a water-wheel awhirl. 
 Like the rolling of a pearl; 
 Yet these but illustrate, 
 To fools, the final state. 
 
 The earth's great axis spinning on, 
 
 The never-resting pole of sky — 
 
 Let us resolve their Whence and Why, 
 
 And blend with all things into One; 
 
 155
 
 156 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Beyond the bounds of thought and dream, 
 Circling the vasty void as spheres 
 Those orbits round a thousand years: 
 Behold the Key that fits my theme. 
 
 Rank and wealth within the mind abide, 
 Then gilded dust is all your yellow gold. 
 Kings in their fretted palaces grow old; 
 Youth dwells forever at Contentment's side. 
 A mist cloud hanging at the river's brim, 
 Pink almond flowxrs along the purple bough, 
 A hut rose-girdled under moon-swept skies, 
 A painted bridge half-seen in shadows dim, — 
 These are the splendors of the poor, and thou, 
 O wine of spring, the vintage of the wise. 
 
 CH'ANG CH'IEN. a.d. 720 
 
 X SAT upon the mountainside and v/atched. 
 A tiny barque that skimmed across the lake, 
 Drifting, like human destiny upon 
 A world of hidden peril; then she sailed 
 From out my ken, and mingled with the blue 
 Of skies unfathomed, while the great round sun 
 Weakened towards the waves.
 
 THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE I57 
 
 TS'EN-TS'AN. a.d. 750 
 
 INIlGHT is at hand; the night winds fret afar, 
 The north winds moan. The waterfowl are gone 
 To cover o'er the sand dunes; dawn alone 
 Shall call them from the sedges. Some bright 
 star 
 
 Mirrors her charms upon the silver shoal; 
 And I have ta'en the lute, my only friend; 
 The vibrant chords beneath my fingers blend; 
 They sob awhile, then as they shp control. 
 
 Immortal memories awake, and the dead years 
 Through deathless voices answer to my strings, 
 Till from the brink of time's untarnished springs 
 The melting night recalls me with her tears. 
 
 PO CHU-I. A.D. 772 
 Myself 
 
 "W^HAT of myself? 
 
 I am like unto the sere chrysanthemum 
 
 That is shorn by the frost-blade and, torn from 
 
 its roots. 
 Whirled away on the wind.
 
 158 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Once in the valleys of Ch'in and Yung I rambled 
 
 at will; 
 Now ring me round the unfriendly plains of the 
 
 wild folk of Pa. 
 Oh, galloping dawns with Youth and Ambition 
 
 riding knee to knee! 
 Ride on, Youth, with the galloping dawns and 
 
 dappled days! 
 I am unhorsed, out- ventured — 
 I, who crouch by the crumbling embers, old, and 
 
 gray, and alone. 
 One great hour of noon with the sky-faring Rukh 
 I clanged on the golden dome of heaven. 
 Now in the long dusk of adversity 
 I have found my palace of contentment, my 
 
 dream pavilion. 
 Even the tiny twig of the little humble wren. 
 
 LAO TZU 
 
 W HO knows how white attracts. 
 Yet always keeps himself within black's shade. 
 The pattern of humility displayed, 
 Displayed in view of all beneath the sky, 
 He in the unchanging excellence arrayed, 
 Endless return to man's first estate has made.
 
 THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE I59 
 
 Who knows how glory shines, 
 
 Yet loves disgrace, nor e'er for it is pale; 
 
 Behold his presence in a spacious vale. 
 
 To which men come from all beneath the sky. 
 
 The unchanging excellence completes its tale; 
 
 The simple infant man in him we hail. 
 
 OU-YANG HSIU. a.d. 1007 
 
 J.N flowing crowds 
 
 The moon-born clouds 
 
 Cast their light shade 
 
 O'er stairs of jade; 
 
 And all the moonlit ways are one, 
 
 Shining in silver unison. 
 
 Yet who can read aright 
 
 The mystery of night? 
 
 ANON. 
 
 IVIEN pass their lives apart like stars that 
 move, but never meet. This eye, how blest it is 
 that the same lamp gives light to both of us! 
 Brief is youth's day. Our temples already tell 
 of waning life. Already half of those we know 
 are spirits; I am moved in the depths of my soul.
 
 l6o THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 ANON 
 
 IVl OTHER of pity, hear my prayer 
 
 That in the endless round of birth 
 
 No more may break my heart on earth, 
 
 Nor by the windless waters of the Blest 
 
 Weary of rest; 
 
 That drifting, drifting, I abide not anywhere. 
 
 Yet if by Karma's law I must 
 
 Resume this mantle of the dust, 
 
 Grant me, I pray. 
 
 One dewdrop from thy willow spray, 
 
 And in the double lotus keep 
 
 My hidden heart asleep. 
 
 ANON. A.D. 1715 
 
 J. IS we that wail the hour of birth, 
 'Tis others weep the hour we die. 
 If I am sad, 'tis others sing; 
 Should they lament, I will be feasting. 
 All flows, all passes, like yon stream; 
 Like yonder wind-wheel all revolves. 
 VVe change the fire grill, changing not the fire; 
 New lamps or old, what matters it? 
 'Tis laughable that all men flock in crowds 
 To worship Buddhas and the Genii,-
 
 THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE l6l 
 
 Austerities mean cramp and weariness, 
 And genuflections to the rites a headache. 
 'Tis but a tangle of marsh-lights after all, 
 We cannot seize the shadow of the wind. 
 What if the gods made answer to our prayers? 
 With shouts of laughter I should drive the crowd. 
 
 A speck upon your ivory fan 
 You soon may wipe away; 
 But stains upon the heart or tongue 
 Remain, alas, for aye. 
 
 The voice of the cricket is heard in the hall, 
 The leaves of the forest are withered and sere; 
 My sad spirits droop at those chirruping notes, 
 So thoughtlessly sounding the knell of the year. 
 
 Yet why should we sigh at the change of a date. 
 When life's flowing on in a full, steady tide? 
 Come, let us be merry with those that we love; 
 For pleasure in measure there is no one to chide.
 
 l62 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 CHIA I. 200 B.C.* 
 CALLED THE POE OF CHINA 
 
 In dismal, gloomy, crumbling halls, 
 Betwixt moss-covered, reeking walls 
 An exiled poet lay. 
 
 On his bed of straw reclining, 
 Half despairing, half repining, 
 When, athwart the window sill, 
 In flew a bird of omen ill, 
 And seemed inclined to stay. 
 
 To my book of occult learning 
 Suddenly I thought of turning, 
 All the mystery to know 
 Of that shameless owl or crow, 
 That would not go away. 
 
 "Wherever such a bird shall enter, 
 'Tis sure some power above has sent her/* 
 So said the mystic book, **to show 
 The human dweller forth must go," 
 But WHERE it did not say. 
 
 * From "The Lore of Cathay," by W. A. P. Martin, by courtesy ol 
 Fleming H. Reveli & Co.
 
 THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE 1 63 
 
 Then anxiously the bird addressing, 
 And my ignorance confessing, 
 "Gentle bird, in mercy deign 
 The will of Fate to me explain. 
 Where is my future way?" 
 
 It raised its head as if 'twere seeking 
 To answer me by simply speaking; 
 Then folded up its sable wing, 
 Nor did it utter anything. 
 But breathed a "Welladay!" 
 
 More eloquent than any diction. 
 That simple sigh produced conviction, 
 Furnishing to me the key 
 Of the awful mystery 
 That on my spirit lay. 
 
 "Fortune's wheel is ever turning, 
 To human eye there's no discerning 
 Weal or woe in any state; 
 Wisdom is to bide your fate." 
 
 That is what it seemed to say 
 
 By that simple "Welladay."
 
 i64 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 SU WU 
 
 J. WIN trees whose boughs together twincj 
 
 Two birds that guard one nest, 
 We'll soon be far asunder torn, 
 As sunrise from the west. 
 
 Hearts knit in childhood's innocence, 
 
 Long bound in Flymen's ties, 
 One goes to distant battlefields. 
 
 One sits at home and sighs. 
 
 Like carrier dove, though seas divide, 
 
 I'll seek my lonely mate; 
 But if afar I find a grave. 
 
 You'll mourn my hapless fate. 
 
 To us the future's all unknown; 
 
 In memory seek relief. 
 Come, touch the chords you know so well, 
 
 And let them soothe our grief.
 
 THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE 1 65 
 
 PAN CHIH YU. 18 B.C. 
 THE SAPPHO OF CHINA 
 
 VyF fresh, new silk, all snowy white, 
 
 And round as harvest moon, 
 A pledge of purity and love, 
 
 A small but welcome boon. 
 
 While summer lasts, borne in the hand, 
 
 Or folded on the breast, 
 'Twill gently soothe thy burning brow. 
 
 And charm thee to thy rest. 
 
 But, ah! When autumn frosts descend 
 
 And winter's winds blow cold. 
 No longer sought, no longer loved, 
 
 'Twill lie in dust and mold. 
 
 This silken fan, then, deign accept, 
 
 Sad emblem of my lot, 
 Caressed and fondled for an hour, 
 
 Then speedily forgot.
 
 l66 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 ANON. 
 
 il.RE there not beans in yon boiling pot, 
 And bean stalks are burning below? 
 
 Now why, when they spring from one parent root, 
 Should they scorch each other so? 
 
 LI PO 
 
 the pope of his age 
 
 On Drinking Alone by Moonlight 
 
 H 
 
 ERE are flowers and here is wine, 
 But there's no friend with me to join 
 Hand to hand and heart to heart. 
 In one full bowl before we part. 
 
 Rather, then, than drink alone, 
 I'll make bold to ask the moon 
 To condescend to lend her face. 
 The moment and the scene to grace. 
 
 Lo! she answers and she brings 
 My shadow on her silver wings; 
 That makes three, and we shall be, 
 I ween, a merry company.
 
 THE POETRY OF THE CHINESE l6j 
 
 The modest moon declines the cup, 
 My shadow promptly takes it up; 
 And when I dance, my shadow fleet 
 Keeps measure with my twinkling feet. 
 
 Although the moon declines to tipple, 
 She dances in yon shining ripple; 
 And when I sing, my festive song 
 The echoes of the moon prolong. 
 
 Say, when shall we next meet together? 
 Surely not in cloudy weather; 
 For you, my boon companions dear, 
 Come only when the sky is clear.
 
 PROVERBS AND MAXIMS 
 
 "V
 
 PROVERBS AND MAXIMS 
 
 Absent-mindedness 
 
 J^ ELLING a tree to catch the blackbird. 
 Asking a bhnd man the road. 
 Dragging the lake for the moon in the water. 
 Adding fuel to put out the fire. 
 
 • 
 
 Accuracy 
 Deviate an inch, lose a thousand miles. 
 
 Business 
 
 Better go than send. 
 
 Surety for the bow, surety for the arrow. 
 Great profits, great risks. 
 Before buying, calculate the seHing. 
 Easy to open a shop; hard to keep it open. 
 Without a smihng face do not become a mer- 
 chant. 
 
 « • 
 
 Compensations 
 
 The beautiful bird gets caged. 
 
 171
 
 172 the wisdom of the chinese 
 
 Difficulties 
 
 Easier said than done. 
 
 Out of the wolf's den into the tiger's mouth. 
 
 Divine Providence 
 
 Man without divine assistance 
 Cannot move an inch of distance. 
 
 Education 
 
 Easy to learn, hard to master. 
 
 Husbandry and letters are the two chief profes- 
 sions. 
 
 All pursuits are mean in comparison with 
 learning. 
 
 Who teaches me for a day is my father for a 
 lifetime. 
 
 Scholars are their country's treasure and the 
 richest ornaments of the feast. 
 
 Extensive reading is a priceless treasure. 
 
 Family 
 
 In a united family happiness springs up of 
 itself.
 
 PROVERBS AND MAXIMS 1 73 
 
 Gambling 
 
 Losing comes of winning money. 
 Believe in money, sell your house. 
 
 • • 
 
 Friendship 
 Tigers and deer do not stroll together. 
 
 Government 
 
 Heaven sees as the people see; 
 Heaven hears as the people hear. 
 The guilty emperor exhausts the mandate of 
 Heaven (Mencius). 
 
 Killing a bad monarch is no murder (Mencius). 
 
 Would you know pohtics, read history. 
 The emperor is the father of his people, not a 
 master to be served by slaves. 
 
 Gratitude 
 Lambs have the grace to suck kneeling.
 
 174 the wisdom of the chinese 
 
 Heedlessness 
 In at one ear, out at the other. 
 Man cannot reach perfection in a hundred years; 
 He can fall in a day with time to spare. 
 
 Honesty 
 
 Just scales and full measure injure no man. 
 Never do what you wouldn't have known. 
 However much you promise, never fail to pay, 
 
 or 
 Do not vary your promise for any price. 
 
 Humanity 
 
 Kindness is greater than law. 
 Guide the blind over the bridge. 
 
 Husbands and Wives 
 If they match by nature, marry them. 
 Every family has a Goddess of Mercy. 
 
 Naught must divide the married pair; 
 Its weight the steelyard cannot spare!
 
 PROVERBS AND MAXIMS I75 
 
 Who is the wife of one, cannot eat the rice of 
 two. 
 
 In the husband fidehty, in the wife obedience. 
 
 Humility 
 Falling hurts least those who fly low. 
 
 • • 
 
 Industry 
 Those who will not work shall not eat. 
 
 • 
 
 Instinct 
 
 Plants surpass men in recognizing spring. 
 Does the swallow know the wild goose's course? 
 
 • 
 
 Knowledge 
 
 Schools hide future premiers. 
 The pen conveys one's meaning a thousand 
 miles. 
 
 Lawsuits 
 Win your lawsuit, lose your money. 
 If one family has a lawsuit, ten famihes are 
 involved.
 
 1 76 the wisdom of the chinese 
 
 Vanity of Life 
 Naked we came, naked we go. 
 The Great Wall stands; the builder is gone. 
 
 Man 
 
 Mind is lord of man. 
 
 Virtuous men are a king's treasure. 
 
 Opportunity 
 Strike while the iron is hot. 
 Spilt water cannot be gathered up. 
 
 Physioans 
 
 The cleverest doctor cannot save himself. 
 
 Easy to get a thousand prescriptions; hard to 
 obtain a cure. 
 
 He that takes medicine and neglects diet, 
 wastes the skill of the physician. 
 
 Only those become priests who cannot earn a 
 living. 
 
 One son becomes a priest, nine generations are 
 sure of Heaven.
 
 proverbs and maxims i77 
 
 Procrastination 
 
 Never waste time. 
 
 Procrastination is the thief of time. 
 
 Practical Religion 
 
 God loves all men. 
 
 Better do a kindness near home than go far to 
 burn incense. 
 
 To save one life is better than to build a 
 seven-story pagoda. 
 
 • 
 
 Self-control 
 Think twice — and say nothing. 
 
 Youth 
 In the boy see the man. 
 The mark must be made in youth. 
 
 Wine 
 Leisure breeds lust. 
 Wine is the discoverer of secrets. 
 Intoxication is not the wine's fault, but the 
 man's.
 
 178 the wisdom of the chinese 
 
 Woman 
 
 The good-looking woman needs no paint. 
 Never quarrel with a woman. 
 Three tenths of good looks are due to nature; 
 seven tenths to dress. 
 
 Service 
 Injure others, injure yourself. 
 
 One generation plants the trees; another sits 
 in their shade. 
 
 Skill 
 
 Unskilled fools quarrel with their tools. 
 Better Master of one than Jack of all trades. 
 
 Virtue 
 
 Better die than turn your back on reason. 
 
 Look not on temptation, and your mind will 
 be at rest. 
 
 It is a little thing to starve to death; it is a 
 serious matter to lose one's virtue.
 
 PROVERBS ANDMAXIMS 179 
 
 General. 
 
 When men come face to face, their differences 
 vanish. 
 
 Do not neglect your own in order to weed 
 another's field. 
 
 Time flies like an arrow, days and months like 
 a shuttle.
 
 MORAL MAXIMS
 
 MORAL MAXIMS 
 
 T] 
 
 HE man of first-rate excellence is virtuous 
 independently of instruction; he of the middling 
 class is so after instruction; the lowest order of 
 men are vicious in spite of instruction. 
 
 In the days of affluence always think of pov- 
 erty; do not let want come upon you and make 
 you remember with sorrow the days of plenty. 
 
 Without the wisdom of the learned, the clown 
 could not be governed; without the labor of the 
 clown, the learned could not be fed. 
 
 The cure of ignorance is study, as meat is that 
 of hunger. 
 
 The mind is its own place, and in itself 
 
 Can make a heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven. 
 
 183
 
 1 84 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 The same tree may produce sour and sweet 
 fruit; the same mother may have a virtuous and 
 vicious progeny. 
 
 It is equally criminal in the governor and the 
 governed to violate the laws. 
 
 As the scream of the eagle is heard when she 
 has passed over, so a man's name remains after 
 his death. 
 
 Questions of right and wrong (with reference 
 to right and wrong) are every day arising; if 
 not listened to, they die away of themselves. 
 
 • 
 
 If the domestic duties be duly performed, where 
 is the necessity of going afar to burn incense? 
 
 Doubt and distraction are on earth; the bright- 
 ness of truth in Heaven. 
 
 Meeting with difficulties, we think of our rela- 
 tions; on the brink of danger we rely on our 
 friends.
 
 MORAL MAXIMS 185 
 
 Among mortals who is faultless? 
 
 Do not love idleness and hate labor; do not 
 be diligent in the beginning and in the end lazy. 
 
 If there be no faith in our words, of what use 
 are they? 
 
 If riches can be acquired with propriety, then 
 acquire them; but let not unjust wealth be 
 sought for with violence. 
 
 Wine and good dinners make abundance of 
 friends, but in the time of adversity not one is 
 to be found. 
 
 Let every man sweep the snow from before his 
 own doors and not trouble himself about the 
 frost on his neighbor's tiles. 
 
 • • 
 
 Though a tree be a thousand chang in height, 
 its leaves must fall down and return to its root.
 
 1 86 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 Worldly reputation and pleasure are destruc- 
 tive to virtue; anxious thoughts are injurious to 
 the body. 
 
 Better be upright with poverty than depraved 
 abundance. 
 
 He whose virtue exceeds his talents is a good 
 man; he whose talents exceed his virtue is a 
 mean one. 
 
 In a field of melons do not pull up your shoe; 
 under a plum tree do not adjust your cap (be 
 very' careful of your actions under circumstances 
 of suspicion). 
 
 The man of worth is really great without being 
 proud; the irxcan man is proud without being 
 really great. 
 
 It is said in the Ye-King that "of those men 
 whose talent is inconsiderable, vvhile their station 
 is eminent, and of those whose knowledge is 
 small, while their schemes are large, there are 
 few who do not become miserable."
 
 MORAL MAXIMS 187 
 
 Though a man may be utterly stupid, he is 
 very perspicacious when reprehending the bad 
 actions of others; though he may be very intel- 
 hgent, he is dull enough while excusing his own 
 faults; do you only correct yourselves on the 
 same principle that you correct others, and 
 excuse others on the same principle that you ex- 
 cuse yourselves. 
 
 The artful are loquacious, the simple are silent; 
 the artful toil, the simple enjoy ease; the artful 
 are rogues, the simple virtuous; the artful are 
 miserable, the simple happy. Oh, that all in 
 the empire were artful and simple! Punish- 
 ments would then be abolished. Superiors would 
 enjoy tranquillity, and inferiors would be obedi- 
 ent. The manners would be pure, and vile 
 actions become extinct. 
 
 Do not anxiously hope for what is not yet 
 come; do not vainly regret what is already past. 
 
 If your schemes do not succeed, of what use 
 is it to regret their failure? If they do not
 
 l88 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 flourish, what is the use of noisy complaints? 
 When a heart, devoted to gain, is intent on any 
 object, then virtue is set aside; where interested 
 views exist, there a regard for the public welfare 
 is extinguished. 
 
 Men's passions are like water: when water 
 has once flowed over, it cannot be restored; when 
 the passions have once been indulged, they can- 
 not be restrained. Water must be kept in by 
 dikes; the passions must be ruled by the laws of 
 propriety. 
 
 Low courage is the resentment of the blood 
 and spirits; noble courage is the resentment of 
 propriety and justice. The former of these no 
 man should possess; the latter no man should 
 be without. 
 
 Without ascending the mountain, we cannot 
 judge of the height of heaven; without descend- 
 ing into the valley, we cannot judge of the depth 
 of the earth; without hstening to the maxims 
 left by the ancient kings, we cannot know the 
 exceflence of learning.
 
 MORAL MAXIMS 189 
 
 In making a candle we seek for light, in read- 
 ing a book we seek for reason; light to illumi- 
 nate a dark chamber, reason to enlighten a 
 man's heart. 
 
 If you have fields and will not plow them, 
 your barns will be empty ; if you have books and 
 will not give instruction, your offspring will be 
 ignorant; if your barns be empty, your years 
 and months will be unsupplied; if your offspring 
 be ignorant, propriety and justice will not abound 
 among them. 
 
 Though an affair may be easily accomplished, 
 if it be not attended to, it will never be com- 
 pleted; though your son be well-disposed, if he 
 be not instructed, he will still remain ignorant. 
 
 If you love your son, give him plenty of the 
 cudgel; if you hate your son, cram him with 
 dainties. 
 
 The small birds look around them and eat; 
 the swallow goes to sleep without apprehension. 
 He who possesses an enlarged and sedate mind,
 
 190 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 will have great happiness; but the man whose 
 schemes are deep, will have great depth of 
 misery. 
 
 When the mirror is highly polished, the dust 
 will not defile it; when the heart is enlightened 
 with wisdom, licentious vices will not arise in it. 
 
 The fishes, though deep in the water, may 
 be hooked; the birds, though high in the air, 
 may be shot; but man's heart only is out of our 
 reach. The heavens may be measured, the earth 
 may be surveyed; the heart of man alone is not 
 to be known. In painting the tiger, you may 
 delineate his skin, but not his bones; in your 
 acquaintance with a man you may know his 
 face, but not his heart. You may sit opposite 
 to, and converse with him, while his mind is 
 hidden from you as by a thousand mountains. 
 
 Forming resentments with mankind may be 
 called ''planting misery"; putting aside virtuous 
 deeds, instead of practicing them, may be called 
 ** robbing oneself."
 
 MORAL MAXIMS I9I 
 
 When a man of a naturally good propensity 
 has much wealth, it injures his acquisition of 
 knowledge; when a worthless man has much 
 wealth, it increases his faults. 
 
 In enacting laws, rigor is indispensable; in 
 executing them, mercy. 
 
 Do not consider any vice as trivial, and there- 
 fore practice it; do not consider any virtue as 
 unimportant, and therefore neglect it. 
 
 If men's desires and wishes be laudable. Heaven 
 will certainly further them. 
 
 Those who have discharged their duty as 
 children, will in their turn have dutiful children 
 of their own; the obstinate and untoward will 
 again produce offspring of the same character. 
 To convince you, only observe the rain from the 
 thatched roof, where drop follows drop without 
 the least variation.
 
 192 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 He who tells me of my faults is my teacher; 
 he who tells me of my virtues does me harm. 
 
 Let your words be fev/ and your companions 
 select; thus you will avoid remorse and repent- 
 ance, thus you will avoid sorrow and shame. 
 
 Be temperate in drinking, and your mind will 
 be calm; restrain your impetuosity, and your 
 fortunes will remain uninjured. 
 
 If you wish to know what most engages a 
 man's thoughts, you have only to listen to his 
 conversation {or A man's conversation is the 
 mirror of his thoughts). 
 
 In our actions we should accord with the will 
 of Heaven; in our words we should consult the 
 feelings of men. 
 
 Throughout life beware of performing acts of 
 animosity; 'in the whole empire let there not 
 exist a revengeful-minded man. It is very well
 
 MORAL MAXIMS I93 
 
 for you to injure others; but what think you of 
 others returning those injuries on yourself? The 
 tender blade is nipped by the frost; the frost is 
 dissipated by the sun; and worthless man will 
 always suffer rubs from others as bad as them- 
 selves. 
 
 Knowing what is right, without practicing it, 
 denotes a want of proper resolution. 
 
 Poverty and ruin must in the end be propor- 
 tioned to a man's wickedness and craft; for 
 these are qualities which Heaven will not suffer 
 to prevail. Were riches and honor the proper 
 result of crafty villainy, the better part of the 
 world must fatten on the winds. 
 
 The best cure for drunkenness is, whilst sober, 
 to observe a drunken man. 
 
 The opening flower blooms alike in all places; 
 the moon sheds an equal radiance on every moun- 
 tain and every river. Evil exists only in the 
 heart of men; all other things tend to show the 
 benevolence of Heaven towards the human race.
 
 194 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 A man without thought for the future must 
 soon have present sorrow. 
 
 When you put on your clothes, remember the 
 labor of the weaver; when you eat your daily 
 bread, think of the hardships of the husbandman. 
 
 • 
 
 • m 
 
 A man is ignorant of his own faihngs as the 
 ox is unconscious of his great strength. 
 
 The poverty of others is not to be ridiculed, 
 for the decrees of destiny are in the end equal; 
 nor are the infirmities of age a fit subject for 
 laughter, since they must at last be the portion 
 of us all. When the day that is passing over us 
 is gone, our hves are proportionably contracted. 
 What reason, then, have the fish to be merry, 
 when the v/ater in which they swim is ebbing 
 away? 
 
 An immoderate use of dainties generally ends 
 in disease, and pleasure, when past, is converted 
 into pain. It is better to avert the malady by 
 care than to have to apply the physic after it 
 has appeared.
 
 MORAL MAXIMS I95 
 
 Though the white gem be cast into the dirt, 
 its purity cannot be (lastingly) sullied; though 
 the good man live in a vile place, his heart can- 
 not be depraved. As the fir and the cypress 
 withstand the rigors of the winter, so resplen- 
 dent wisdom is safe in difficulty and danger. 
 
 If a man wish to attain to the excellence of 
 superior beings, let him first cultivate the vir- 
 tues of humanity; for if not perfect in human 
 virtue, how shall he reach immortal perfection? 
 
 Man is born without knowledge, and when he 
 has obtained it, very soon becomes old; when 
 his experience is ripe, death suddenly seizes him. 
 
 A man's prosperous or declining condition may 
 be gathered from the proportion of his waking 
 to his sleeping hours. 
 
 Unsullied poverty is always happy, while im- 
 pure wealth brings with it many sorrows.
 
 196 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 The goodness of a house does not consist in 
 its lofty halls, but in its excluding the weather; 
 the fitness of clothes does not consist in their 
 costliness, but in their make and warmth; the 
 use of food does not consist in its rarity, but in 
 its satisfying the appetite; the excellence of a 
 wife consists not in her beauty, but in her virtue. 
 
 • 
 
 The fame of men's good actions seldom goes 
 beyond their own doors, but their evil deeds are 
 carried to a thousand miles distance. 
 
 The sincerity of him who assents to everything, 
 must be small; and he who praises you inordi- 
 nately to your face, must be altogether false. 
 
 • 
 
 If sincerity be wanting between the prince and 
 his minister, the nation will be in disorder; if 
 between father and son, the famify will be dis- 
 cordant; if between brothers, their affection will 
 be loosened; if between friends, their intercourse 
 will be distant. 
 
 Though powerful medicines be nauseous to the 
 taste, they are good for the disease; though can-
 
 MORAL MAXIMS I97 
 
 did advice be unpleasant to the ear, it is profit- 
 able to the conduct. 
 
 To show compassion towards the people by 
 remitting the severity of the taxes, is the virtue 
 of the prince; and to offer up their possessions, 
 sinking their private views in regard for the 
 public, is the duty of the people. 
 
 Though the life of a man be short of a hundred 
 years, he gives himself as much anxiety as if he 
 were to live a thousand. 
 
 If a man does not receive guests at home, he 
 will meet with very few hosts abroad. 
 
 Without a clear mirror a woman cannot know 
 the state of her own face; without a true friend 
 a man cannot discern the errors of his own 
 actions. 
 
 A man should choose a friend who is better 
 than himself; if only hke himself, he had better 
 have none. There are plenty of acquaintances in 
 the world, but very few real friends.
 
 198 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 In Ker accomprisliments it is not requisite tor 
 a woman to display talent of a famous or un- 
 common description, in her face it is not requisite 
 that she should be very handsome; her conversa- 
 tion need not be very pointed or eloquent, her 
 work need not be very exquisite or surpassing. 
 
 A virtuous woman is a source of honor to her 
 husband; a vicious one causes him disgrace. 
 
 A man's patrimony must suffer by trifling and 
 idleness, as it must flourish by dihgence. The 
 chief rule to be observed in one's plan of Hfe is 
 to be strenuous in the beginning and to increase 
 one's exertions to the last. 
 
 Even the carriers of burdens may, by honesty 
 and diligence, obtain a sufficiency. The proverb 
 says: "Every blade of grass has its share of the 
 dews of heaven"; and ** Though the birds of the 
 forest have no garners, the wide world is all 
 before them." 
 
 He who wishes to know the road through the 
 mountains must ask those who have already
 
 MORAL MAXIMS I99 
 
 trodden it (i.e., we must look to the experienced 
 for instruction). 
 
 It is better to believe that a man possess good 
 quahties than to assert that he does not. 
 
 The mischiefs of fire, or water, or robbers, 
 extend only to the body; but those of perni- 
 cious doctrines, to the mind. 
 
 The original tendency of a man's heart is to 
 do right, and if a due caution be observed, it 
 will not of itself go wrong. 
 
 As it is impossible to please men in all things, 
 our only care should be to satisfy our own 
 consciences. 
 
 A man's countenance is a sufficient index of 
 his prosperity or adversity, without asking him 
 any questions. 
 
 Adversity is necessary to the development of 
 man's virtues.
 
 200 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 He who neglects to study diligently in his 
 youth, will, when he is old, repent that he put 
 it off until too late. 
 
 He who studies ten years in obscurity, will, 
 when once preferred, be known universally. 
 
 It is too late to pull the rein when the horse 
 has gained the brink of the precipice; the time 
 for stopping the leak is past when the vessel is 
 in the midst of the river. 
 
 If a stream be not confined, it will soon flow 
 away and become dry; if wealth be not econo- 
 mized, there will be no limits to its expenditure, 
 and it will soon be wasted. 
 
 It is easy to convince a wise man, but to 
 reason with a fool is a difficult undertaking. 
 
 Speak of men's virtues as if they were your 
 own, and of their vices as if you were liable to 
 their punishment,
 
 MORALMAXIMS 201 
 
 Mencius said: "All men concur in despising a 
 glutton, because he gives up everything that is 
 valuable for the sake of pampering what is so 
 contemptible." 
 
 What man shall dare to oppose him whose 
 words are consistent with reason, and whose 
 actions are squared by the rule of rectitude? 
 
 To the contented, even poverty and obscurity 
 bring happiness, while to the ambitious, wealth 
 and honors are productive of misery. 
 
 As the hght of a single star tinges the moun- 
 tains of many regions, so a single unguarded ex- 
 pression injures the virtue of a whole life. 
 
 The evidence of a single glance should not be 
 relied on as true, nor are words spoken behind a 
 man's back deserving of much credence. 
 
 Though a poor man should live in the midst of 
 a noisy market, no one will ask about him;
 
 202 THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE 
 
 though a rich man should bury himself among 
 the mountains, his relations will come to him 
 from a distance. 
 
 Knowledge is boundless, but the capacity of 
 one man is limited. 
 
 Plausible words are not so good as straightfor- 
 ward conduct; a man whose deeds are enlight- 
 ened by virtue, need not be nice about his 
 expressions. 
 
 A single conversation across the table with a 
 wise man is better than ten years' mere study 
 of books. 
 
 By a single day's practice of virtue, though 
 happiness may not be attained, yet misery may 
 be kept at a distance; by a single day of ill 
 doing, happiness is prevented. 
 
 No medicine can procure long life even to the 
 ministers of the emperor; no money can pur- 
 chase for any man a virtuous posterity.
 
 MORAL MAXIMS 203 
 
 A single false move loses the game. 
 
 Prudence will carry a man all over the world, 
 but the impetuous find every step difficult.
 
 BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 AND SOURCES
 
 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES 
 
 Samuel Couling, M.A., The Encyclopaedia Sinica. 
 
 Oxford University. 
 Sir J. F. Davis, Chinese Moral Maxims. London. 
 
 1823. 
 De Groot, The Religious Systems of China. 
 Sir R. K. Douglas, The Literature and Language 
 
 oj China. 
 H. A. Giles, History oJ Chinese Literature. 
 
 Appleton and Co., New York. 
 Dr. W. A. P. Martin, The Lore oJ Cathay. 
 
 Fleming H. Revell and Co., New York. 
 William Scarborough, Chinese Proverbs. Lon- 
 don. 1873. 
 Arthur H. Smith, Proverbs and Common Sayings 
 
 of the Chinese. 1902. 
 D. T. Suzuki, Brief History of Chinese Philosophy. 
 
 Probsthain & Co. London. 191 4. 
 The Chinese Classics. Translated by Prof. James 
 
 Legge. Oxford University Press. 
 The Sacred Books of China. Translated by Prof. 
 
 James Legge. Oxford University Press. 
 
 207
 
 JGRAPHY AND SOURCES— Continued 
 
 .£L Giles (Translated by), The Sayings of 
 ^ao Tzu. John Murray, London. 
 
 L. Cranmer-Byng (Translated by), The Book of 
 Odes (Shi King). John Murray, London. 
 
 Lionel Giles (Translated by), Taoist Teachings. 
 John Murray, London. 
 
 Lionel Giles (Translated by). Sayings of Con- 
 fucius. John Murray, London. 
 
 Lionel Giles (Translated by), Musings of a 
 Chinese Mystic. John Murray, London. 
 
 These books are In the "Wisdom of the East" Serie* 
 Imported by E. P. Dutton Co. 
 
 208
 
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