{"collection":"cfu","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/cfu/conf3.htm","path":"cfu/conf3.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/cfu/conf3.htm","text":"500 BC\nTHE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN\nConfucius\ntranslated by James Legge [1893]\nWhat Heaven has conferred is called The Nature; an accordance with\nthis nature is called The Path of duty; the regulation of this path is\ncalled Instruction.\nThe path may not be left for an instant. If it could be left, it\nwould not be the path. On this account, the superior man does not wait\ntill he sees things, to be cautious, nor till he hears things, to be\napprehensive.\nThere is nothing more visible than what is secret, and nothing\nmore manifest than what is minute. Therefore the superior man is\nwatchful over himself, when he is alone.\nWhile there are no stirrings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, or joy, the\nmind may be said to be in the state of Equilibrium. When those\nfeelings have been stirred, and they act in their due degree, there\nensues what may be called the state of Harmony. This Equilibrium is\nthe great root from which grow all the human actings in the world, and\nthis Harmony is the universal path which they all should pursue.\nLet the states of equilibrium and harmony exist in perfection, and a\nhappy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all things\nwill be nourished and flourish.\nChung-ni said, \"The superior man embodies the course of the Mean;\nthe mean man acts contrary to the course of the Mean.\n\"The superior man's embodying the course of the Mean is because he\nis a superior man, and so always maintains the Mean. The mean man's\nacting contrary to the course of the Mean is because he is a mean man,\nand has no caution.\"\nThe Master said, \"Perfect is the virtue which is according to the\nMean! Rare have they long been among the people, who could practice\nit!\nThe Master said, \"I know how it is that the path of the Mean is\nnot walked in:-The knowing go beyond it, and the stupid do not come up\nto it. I know how it is that the path of the Mean is not\nunderstood:-The men of talents and virtue go beyond it, and the\nworthless do not come up to it.\n\"There is no body but eats and drinks. But they are few who can\ndistinguish flavors.\"\nThe Master said, \"Alas! How is the path of the Mean untrodden!\"\nThe Master said, \"There was Shun:-He indeed was greatly wise! Shun\nloved to question others, and to study their words, though they\nmight be shallow. He concealed what was bad in them and displayed what\nwas good. He took hold of their two extremes, determined the Mean, and\nemployed it in his government of the people. It was by this that he\nwas Shun!\"\nThe Master said \"Men all say, 'We are wise'; but being driven\nforward and taken in a net, a trap, or a pitfall, they know not how to\nescape. Men all say, 'We are wise'; but happening to choose the course\nof the Mean, they are not able to keep it for a round month.\"\nThe Master said \"This was the manner of Hui:-he made choice of the\nMean, and whenever he got hold of what was good, he clasped it firmly,\nas if wearing it on his breast, and did not lose it.\"\nThe Master said, \"The kingdom, its states, and its families, may\nbe perfectly ruled; dignities and emoluments may be declined; naked\nweapons may be trampled under the feet; but the course of the Mean\ncannot be attained to.\"\nTsze-lu asked about energy.\nThe Master said, \"Do you mean the energy of the South, the energy of\nthe North, or the energy which you should cultivate yourself?\n\"To show forbearance and gentleness in teaching others; and not to\nrevenge unreasonable conduct:-this is the energy of southern\nregions, and the good man makes it his study.\n\"To lie under arms; and meet death without regret:-this is the\nenergy of northern regions, and the forceful make it their study.\n\"Therefore, the superior man cultivates a friendly harmony,\nwithout being weak.-How firm is he in his energy! He stands erect in\nthe middle, without inclining to either side.-How firm is he in his\nenergy! When good principles prevail in the government of his country,\nhe does not change from what he was in retirement. How firm is he in\nhis energy! When bad principles prevail in the country, he maintains\nhis course to death without changing.-How firm is he in his energy!\"\nThe Master said, \"To live in obscurity, and yet practice wonders, in\norder to be mentioned with honor in future ages:-this is what I do not\ndo.\n\"The good man tries to proceed according to the right path, but when\nhe has gone halfway, he abandons it:-I am not able so to stop.\n\"The superior man accords with the course of the Mean. Though he may\nbe all unknown, unregarded by the world, he feels no regret.-It is\nonly the sage who is able for this.\"\nThe way which the superior man pursues, reaches wide and far, and\nyet is secret.\nCommon men and women, however ignorant, may intermeddle with the\nknowledge of it; yet in its utmost reaches, there is that which even\nthe sage does not know. Common men and women, however much below the\nordinary standard of character, can carry it into practice; yet in its\nutmost reaches, there is that which even the sage is not able to carry\ninto practice. Great as heaven and earth are, men still find some\nthings in them with which to be dissatisfied. Thus it is that, were\nthe superior man to speak of his way in all its greatness, nothing\nin the world would be found able to embrace it, and were he to speak\nof it in its minuteness, nothing in the world would be found able to\nsplit it.\nIt is said in the Book of Poetry, \"The hawk flies up to heaven;\nthe fishes leap in the deep.\" This expresses how this way is seen\nabove and below.\nThe way of the superior man may be found, in its simple elements, in\nthe intercourse of common men and women; but in its utmost reaches, it\nshines brightly through Heaven and earth.\nThe Master said \"The path is not far from man. When men try to\npursue a course, which is far from the common indications of\nconsciousness, this course cannot be considered The Path.\n\"In the Book of Poetry, it is said, 'In hewing an ax handle, in\nhewing an ax handle, the pattern is not far off. We grasp one ax\nhandle to hew the other; and yet, if we look askance from the one to\nthe other, we may consider them as apart. Therefore, the superior\nman governs men, according to their nature, with what is proper to\nthem, and as soon as they change what is wrong, he stops.\n\"When one cultivates to the utmost the principles of his nature, and\nexercises them on the principle of reciprocity, he is not far from the\npath. What you do not like when done to yourself, do not do to others.\n\"In the way of the superior man there are four things, to not one of\nwhich have I as yet attained.-To serve my father, as I would require\nmy son to serve me: to this I have not attained; to serve my prince as\nI would require my minister to serve me: to this I have not\nattained; to serve my elder brother as I would require my younger\nbrother to serve me: to this I have not attained; to set the example\nin behaving to a friend, as I would require him to behave to me: to\nthis I have not attained. Earnest in practicing the ordinary\nvirtues, and careful in speaking about them, if, in his practice, he\nhas anything defective, the superior man dares not but exert\nhimself; and if, in his words, he has any excess, he dares not allow\nhimself such license. Thus his words have respect to his actions,\nand his actions have respect to his words; is it not just an entire\nsincerity which marks the superior man?\"\nThe superior man does what is proper to the station in which he\nis; he does not desire to go beyond this.\nIn a position of wealth and honor, he does what is proper to a\nposition of wealth and honor. In a poor and low position, he does what\nis proper to a poor and low position. Situated among barbarous tribes,\nhe does what is proper to a situation among barbarous tribes. In a\nposition of sorrow and difficulty, he does what is proper to a\nposition of sorrow and difficulty. The superior man can find himself\nin no situation in which he is not himself.\nIn a high situation, he does not treat with contempt his\ninferiors. In a low situation, he does not court the favor of his\nsuperiors. He rectifies himself, and seeks for nothing from others, so\nthat he has no dissatisfactions. He does not murmur against Heaven,\nnor grumble against men.\nThus it is that the superior man is quiet and calm, waiting for\nthe appointments of Heaven, while the mean man walks in dangerous\npaths, looking for lucky occurrences.\nThe Master said, \"In archery we have something like the way of the\nsuperior man. When the archer misses the center of the target, he\nturns round and seeks for the cause of his failure in himself.\"\nThe way of the superior man may be compared to what takes place in\ntraveling, when to go to a distance we must first traverse the space\nthat is near, and in ascending a height, when we must begin from the\nlower ground.\nIt is said in the Book of Poetry, \"Happy union with wife and\nchildren is like the music of lutes and harps. When there is concord\namong brethren, the harmony is delightful and enduring. Thus may you\nregulate your family, and enjoy the pleasure of your wife and\nchildren.\"\nThe Master said, \"In such a state of things, parents have entire\ncomplacence!\"\nThe Master said, \"How abundantly do spiritual beings display the\npowers that belong to them!\n\"We look for them, but do not see them; we listen to, but do not\nhear them; yet they enter into all things, and there is nothing\nwithout them.\n\"They cause all the people in the kingdom to fast and purify\nthemselves, and array themselves in their richest dresses, in order to\nattend at their sacrifices. Then, like overflowing water, they seem to\nbe over the heads, and on the right and left of their worshippers.\n\"It is said in the Book of Poetry, 'The approaches of the spirits,\nyou cannot sunrise; and can you treat them with indifference?'\n\"Such is the manifestness of what is minute! Such is the\nimpossibility of repressing the outgoings of sincerity!\"\nThe Master said, \"How greatly filial was Shun! His virtue was that\nof a sage; his dignity was the throne; his riches were all within\nthe four seas. He offered his sacrifices in his ancestral temple,\nand his descendants preserved the sacrifices to himself.\n\"Therefore having such great virtue, it could not but be that he\nshould obtain the throne, that he should obtain those riches, that\nhe should obtain his fame, that he should attain to his long life.\n\"Thus it is that Heaven, in the production of things, is sure to\nbe bountiful to them, according to their qualities. Hence the tree\nthat is flourishing, it nourishes, while that which is ready to\nfall, it overthrows.\n\"In the Book of Poetry, it is said, 'The admirable amiable prince\ndisplayed conspicuously his excelling virtue, adjusting his people,\nand adjusting his officers. Therefore, he received from Heaven his\nemoluments of dignity. It protected him, assisted him, decreed him the\nthrone; sending from Heaven these favors, as it were repeatedly.'\n\"We may say therefore that he who is greatly virtuous will be sure\nto receive the appointment of Heaven.\"\nThe Master said, \"It is only King Wan of whom it can be said that he\nhad no cause for grief! His father was King Chi, and his son was\nKing Wu. His father laid the foundations of his dignity, and his son\ntransmitted it.\n\"King Wu continued the enterprise of King T'ai, King Chi, and King\nWan. He once buckled on his armor, and got possession of the\nkingdom. He did not lose the distinguished personal reputation which\nhe had throughout the kingdom. His dignity was the royal throne. His\nriches were the possession of all within the four seas. He offered his\nsacrifices in his ancestral temple, and his descendants maintained the\nsacrifices to himself.\n\"It was in his old age that King Wu received the appointment to\nthe throne, and the duke of Chau completed the virtuous course of\nWan and Wu. He carried up the title of king to T'ai and Chi, and\nsacrificed to all the former dukes above them with the royal\nceremonies. And this rule he extended to the princes of the kingdom,\nthe great officers, the scholars, and the common people. If the father\nwere a great officer and the son a scholar, then the burial was that\ndue to a great officer, and the sacrifice that due to a scholar. If\nthe father were a scholar and the son a great officer, then the burial\nwas that due to a scholar, and the sacrifice that due to a great\nofficer. The one year's mourning was made to extend only to the\ngreat officers, but the three years' mourning extended to the Son of\nHeaven. In the mourning for a father or mother, he allowed no\ndifference between the noble and the mean.\nThe Master said, \"How far-extending was the filial piety of King\nWu and the duke of Chau!\n\"Now filial piety is seen in the skillful carrying out of the wishes\nof our forefathers, and the skillful carrying forward of their\nundertakings.\n\"In spring and autumn, they repaired and beautified the temple halls\nof their fathers, set forth their ancestral vessels, displayed their\nvarious robes, and presented the offerings of the several seasons.\n\"By means of the ceremonies of the ancestral temple, they\ndistinguished the royal kindred according to their order of descent.\nBy ordering the parties present according to their rank, they\ndistinguished the more noble and the less. By the arrangement of the\nservices, they made a distinction of talents and worth. In the\nceremony of general pledging, the inferiors presented the cup to their\nsuperiors, and thus something was given the lowest to do. At the\nconcluding feast, places were given according to the hair, and thus\nwas made the distinction of years.\n\"They occupied the places of their forefathers, practiced their\nceremonies, and performed their music. They reverenced those whom they\nhonored, and loved those whom they regarded with affection. Thus\nthey served the dead as they would have served them alive; they served\nthe departed as they would have served them had they been continued\namong them.\n\"By the ceremonies of the sacrifices to Heaven and Earth they served\nGod, and by the ceremonies of the ancestral temple they sacrificed\nto their ancestors. He who understands the ceremonies of the\nsacrifices to Heaven and Earth, and the meaning of the several\nsacrifices to ancestors, would find the government of a kingdom as\neasy as to look into his palm!\"\nThe Duke Ai asked about government.\nThe Master said, \"The government of Wan and Wu is displayed in the\nrecords,-the tablets of wood and bamboo. Let there be the men and\nthe government will flourish; but without the men, their government\ndecays and ceases.\n\"With the right men the growth of government is rapid, just as\nvegetation is rapid in the earth; and, moreover, their government\nmight be called an easily-growing rush.\n\"Therefore the administration of government lies in getting proper\nmen. Such men are to be got by means of the ruler's own character.\nThat character is to be cultivated by his treading in the ways of\nduty. And the treading those ways of duty is to be cultivated by the\ncherishing of benevolence.\n\"Benevolence is the characteristic element of humanity, and the\ngreat exercise of it is in loving relatives. Righteousness is the\naccordance of actions with what is right, and the great exercise of it\nis in honoring the worthy. The decreasing measures of the love due\nto relatives, and the steps in the honor due to the worthy, are\nproduced by the principle of propriety.\n\"When those in inferior situations do not possess the confidence\nof their superiors, they cannot retain the government of the people.\n\"Hence the sovereign may not neglect the cultivation of his own\ncharacter. Wishing to cultivate his character, he may not neglect to\nserve his parents. In order to serve his parents, he may not neglect\nto acquire knowledge of men. In order to know men, he may not dispense\nwith a knowledge of Heaven.\n\"The duties of universal obligation are five and the virtues\nwherewith they are practiced are three. The duties are those between\nsovereign and minister, between father and son, between husband and\nwife, between elder brother and younger, and those belonging to the\nintercourse of friends. Those five are the duties of universal\nobligation. Knowledge, magnanimity, and energy, these three, are the\nvirtues universally binding. And the means by which they carry the\nduties into practice is singleness.\n\"Some are born with the knowledge of those duties; some know them by\nstudy; and some acquire the knowledge after a painful feeling of their\nignorance. But the knowledge being possessed, it comes to the same\nthing. Some practice them with a natural ease; some from a desire\nfor their advantages; and some by strenuous effort. But the\nachievement being made, it comes to the same thing.\"\nThe Master said, \"To be fond of learning is to be near to knowledge.\nTo practice with vigor is to be near to magnanimity. To possess the\nfeeling of shame is to be near to energy.\n\"He who knows these three things knows how to cultivate his own\ncharacter. Knowing how to cultivate his own character, he knows how to\ngovern other men. Knowing how to govern other men, he knows how to\ngovern the kingdom with all its states and families.\n\"All who have the government of the kingdom with its states and\nfamilies have nine standard rules to follow;-viz., the cultivation\nof their own characters; the honoring of men of virtue and talents;\naffection towards their relatives; respect towards the great\nministers; kind and considerate treatment of the whole body of\nofficers; dealing with the mass of the people as children; encouraging\nthe resort of all classes of artisans; indulgent treatment of men from\na distance; and the kindly cherishing of the princes of the states.\n\"By the ruler's cultivation of his own character, the duties of\nuniversal obligation are set forth. By honoring men of virtue and\ntalents, he is preserved from errors of judgment. By showing affection\nto his relatives, there is no grumbling nor resentment among his\nuncles and brethren. By respecting the great ministers, he is kept\nfrom errors in the practice of government. By kind and considerate\ntreatment of the whole body of officers, they are led to make the most\ngrateful return for his courtesies. By dealing with the mass of the\npeople as his children, they are led to exhort one another to what\nis good. By encouraging the resort of an classes of artisans, his\nresources for expenditure are rendered ample. By indulgent treatment\nof men from a distance, they are brought to resort to him from all\nquarters. And by kindly cherishing the princes of the states, the\nwhole kingdom is brought to revere him.\n\"Self-adjustment and purification, with careful regulation of his\ndress, and the not making a movement contrary to the rules of\npropriety this is the way for a ruler to cultivate his person.\nDiscarding slanderers, and keeping himself from the seductions of\nbeauty; making light of riches, and giving honor to virtue-this is the\nway for him to encourage men of worth and talents. Giving them\nplaces of honor and large emolument. and sharing with them in their\nlikes and dislikes-this is the way for him to encourage his\nrelatives to love him. Giving them numerous officers to discharge\ntheir orders and commissions:-this is the way for him to encourage the\ngreat ministers. According to them a generous confidence, and making\ntheir emoluments large:-this is the way to encourage the body of\nofficers. Employing them only at the proper times, and making the\nimposts light:-this is the way to encourage the people. By daily\nexaminations and monthly trials, and by making their rations in\naccordance with their labors:-this is the way to encourage the classes\nof artisans. To escort them on their departure and meet them on\ntheir coming; to commend the good among them, and show compassion to\nthe incompetent:-this is the way to treat indulgently men from a\ndistance. To restore families whose line of succession has been\nbroken, and to revive states that have been extinguished; to reduce to\norder states that are in confusion, and support those which are in\nperil; to have fixed times for their own reception at court, and the\nreception of their envoys; to send them away after liberal\ntreatment, and welcome their coming with small contributions:-this\nis the way to cherish the princes of the states.\n\"All who have the government of the kingdom with its states and\nfamilies have the above nine standard rules. And the means by which\nthey are carried into practice is singleness.\n\"In all things success depends on previous preparation, and\nwithout such previous preparation there is sure to be failure. If what\nis to be spoken be previously determined, there will be no\nstumbling. If affairs be previously determined, there will be no\ndifficulty with them. If one's actions have been previously\ndetermined, there will be no sorrow in connection with them. If\nprinciples of conduct have been previously determined, the practice of\nthem will be inexhaustible.\n\"When those in inferior situations do not obtain the confidence of\nthe sovereign, they cannot succeed in governing the people. There is a\nway to obtain the confidence of the sovereign;-if one is not trusted\nby his friends, he will not get the confidence of his sovereign. There\nis a way to being trusted by one's friends;-if one is not obedient\nto his parents, he will not be true to friends. There is a way to\nbeing obedient to one's parents;-if one, on turning his thoughts in\nupon himself, finds a want of sincerity, he will not be obedient to\nhis parents. There is a way to the attainment of sincerity in one's\nself; -if a man do not understand what is good, he will not attain\nsincerity in himself.\n\"Sincerity is the way of Heaven. The attainment of sincerity is\nthe way of men. He who possesses sincerity is he who, without an\neffort, hits what is right, and apprehends, without the exercise of\nthought;-he is the sage who naturally and easily embodies the right\nway. He who attains to sincerity is he who chooses what is good, and\nfirmly holds it fast.\n\"To this attainment there are requisite the extensive study of\nwhat is good, accurate inquiry about it, careful reflection on it, the\nclear discrimination of it, and the earnest practice of it.\n\"The superior man, while there is anything he has not studied, or\nwhile in what he has studied there is anything he cannot understand,\nWill not intermit his labor. While there is anything he has not\ninquired about, or anything in what he has inquired about which he\ndoes not know, he will not intermit his labor. While there is anything\nwhich he has not reflected on, or anything in what he has reflected on\nwhich he does not apprehend, he will not intermit his labor. While\nthere is anything which he has not discriminated or his discrimination\nis not clear, he will not intermit his labor. If there be anything\nwhich he has not practiced, or his practice fails in earnestness, he\nwill not intermit his labor. If another man succeed by one effort,\nhe will use a hundred efforts. If another man succeed by ten\nefforts, he will use a thousand.\n\"Let a man proceed in this way, and, though dull, he will surely\nbecome intelligent; though weak, he will surely become strong.\"\nWhen we have intelligence resulting from sincerity, this condition\nis to be ascribed to nature; when we have sincerity resulting from\nintelligence, this condition is to be ascribed to instruction. But\ngiven the sincerity, and there shall be the intelligence; given the\nintelligence, and there shall be the sincerity.\nIt is only he who is possessed of the most complete sincerity that\ncan exist under heaven, who can give its full development to his\nnature. Able to give its full development to his own nature, he can do\nthe same to the nature of other men. Able to give its full development\nto the nature of other men, he can give their full development to\nthe natures of animals and things. Able to give their full development\nto the natures of creatures and things, he can assist the transforming\nand nourishing powers of Heaven and Earth. Able to assist the\ntransforming and nourishing powers of Heaven and Earth, he may with\nHeaven and Earth form a ternion.\nNext to the above is he who cultivates to the utmost the shoots of\ngoodness in him. From those he can attain to the possession of\nsincerity. This sincerity becomes apparent. From being apparent, it\nbecomes manifest. From being manifest, it becomes brilliant.\nBrilliant, it affects others. Affecting others, they are changed by\nit. Changed by it, they are transformed. It is only he who is\npossessed of the most complete sincerity that can exist under\nheaven, who can transform.\nIt is characteristic of the most entire sincerity to be able to\nforeknow. When a nation or family is about to flourish, there are sure\nto be happy omens; and when it is about to perish, there are sure to\nbe unlucky omens. Such events are seen in the milfoil and tortoise,\nand affect the movements of the four limbs. When calamity or happiness\nis about to come, the good shall certainly be foreknown by him, and\nthe evil also. Therefore the individual possessed of the most complete\nsincerity is like a spirit.\nSincerity is that whereby self-completion is effected, and its way\nis that by which man must direct himself.\nSincerity is the end and beginning of things; without sincerity\nthere would be nothing. On this account, the superior man regards\nthe attainment of sincerity as the most excellent thing.\nThe possessor of sincerity does not merely accomplish the\nself-completion of himself. With this quality he completes other men\nand things also. The completing himself shows his perfect virtue.\nThe completing other men and things shows his knowledge. But these are\nvirtues belonging to the nature, and this is the way by which a\nunion is effected of the external and internal. Therefore, whenever\nhe-the entirely sincere man-employs them,-that is, these virtues,\ntheir action will be right.\nHence to entire sincerity there belongs ceaselessness.\nNot ceasing, it continues long. Continuing long, it evidences\nitself.\nEvidencing itself, it reaches far. Reaching far, it becomes large\nand substantial. Large and substantial, it becomes high and brilliant.\nLarge and substantial;-this is how it contains all things. High\nand brilliant;-this is how it overspreads all things. Reaching far and\ncontinuing long;-this is how it perfects all things.\nSo large and substantial, the individual possessing it is the\nco-equal of Earth. So high and brilliant, it makes him the co-equal of\nHeaven. So far-reaching and long-continuing, it makes him infinite.\nSuch being its nature, without any display, it becomes manifested;\nwithout any movement, it produces changes; and without any effort,\nit accomplishes its ends.\nThe way of Heaven and Earth may be completely declared in one\nsentence.-They are without any doubleness, and so they produce\nthings in a manner that is unfathomable.\nThe way of Heaven and Earth is large and substantial, high and\nbrilliant, far-reaching and long-enduring.\nThe Heaven now before us is only this bright shining spot; but\nwhen viewed in its inexhaustible extent, the sun, moon, stars, and\nconstellations of the zodiac, are suspended in it, and all things\nare overspread by it. The earth before us is but a handful of soil;\nbut when regarded in its breadth and thickness, it sustains\nmountains like the Hwa and the Yo, without feeling their weight, and\ncontains the rivers and seas, without their leaking away. The mountain\nnow before us appears only a stone; but when contemplated in all the\nvastness of its size, we see how the grass and trees are produced on\nit, and birds and beasts dwell on it, and precious things which men\ntreasure up are found on it. The water now before us appears but a\nladleful; yet extending our view to its unfathomable depths, the\nlargest tortoises, iguanas, iguanodons, dragons, fishes, and\nturtles, are produced in it, articles of value and sources of wealth\nabound in it.\nIt is said in the Book of Poetry, \"The ordinances of Heaven, how\nprofound are they and unceasing!\" The meaning is, that it is thus that\nHeaven is Heaven. And again, \"How illustrious was it, the singleness\nof the virtue of King Wan!\" indicating that it was thus that King\nWan was what he was. Singleness likewise is unceasing.\nHow great is the path proper to the Sage!\nLike overflowing water, it sends forth and nourishes all things, and\nrises up to the height of heaven.\nAll-complete is its greatness! It embraces the three hundred rules\nof ceremony, and the three thousand rules of demeanor.\nIt waits for the proper man, and then it is trodden.\nHence it is said, \"Only by perfect virtue can the perfect path, in\nall its courses, be made a fact.\"\nTherefore, the superior man honors his virtuous nature, and\nmaintains constant inquiry and study, seeking to carry it out to its\nbreadth and greatness, so as to omit none of the more exquisite and\nminute points which it embraces, and to raise it to its greatest\nheight and brilliancy, so as to pursue the course of the Mean. He\ncherishes his old knowledge, and is continually acquiring new. He\nexerts an honest, generous earnestness, in the esteem and practice\nof all propriety.\nThus, when occupying a high situation he is not proud, and in a\nlow situation he is not insubordinate. When the kingdom is well\ngoverned, he is sure by his words to rise; and when it is ill\ngoverned, he is sure by his silence to command forbearance to himself.\nIs not this what we find in the Book of Poetry,-\"Intelligent is he and\nprudent, and so preserves his person?\"\nThe Master said, Let a man who is ignorant be fond of using his\nown judgment; let a man without rank be fond of assuming a directing\npower to himself; let a man who is living in the present age go back\nto the ways of antiquity;-on the persons of all who act thus\ncalamities will be sure to come.\nTo no one but the Son of Heaven does it belong to order\nceremonies, to fix the measures, and to determine the written\ncharacters.\nNow over the kingdom, carriages have all wheels, of the-same size;\nall writing is with the same characters; and for conduct there are the\nsame rules.\nOne may occupy the throne, but if he have not the proper virtue,\nhe may not dare to make ceremonies or music. One may have the\nvirtue, but if he do not occupy the throne, he may not presume to make\nceremonies or music.\nThe Master said, \"I may describe the ceremonies of the Hsia dynasty,\nbut Chi cannot sufficiently attest my words. I have learned the\nceremonies of the Yin dynasty, and in Sung they still continue. I have\nlearned the ceremonies of Chau, which are now used, and I follow\nChau.\"\nHe who attains to the sovereignty of the kingdom, having those three\nimportant things, shall be able to effect that there shall be few\nerrors under his government.\nHowever excellent may have been the regulations of those of former\ntimes, they cannot be attested. Not being attested, they cannot\ncommand credence, and not being credited, the people would not\nfollow them. However excellent might be the regulations made by one in\nan inferior situation, he is not in a position to be honored.\nUnhonored, he cannot command credence, and not being credited, the\npeople would not follow his rules.\nTherefore the institutions of the Ruler are rooted in his own\ncharacter and conduct, and sufficient attestation of them is given\nby the masses of the people. He examines them by comparison with those\nof the three kings, and finds them without mistake. He sets them up\nbefore Heaven and Earth, and finds nothing in them contrary to their\nmode of operation. He presents himself with them before spiritual\nbeings, and no doubts about them arise. He is prepared to wait for the\nrise of a sage a hundred ages after, and has no misgivings.\nHis presenting himself with his institutions before spiritual\nbeings, without any doubts arising about them, shows that he knows\nHeaven. His being prepared, without any misgivings, to wait for the\nrise of a sage a hundred ages after, shows that he knows men.\nSuch being the case, the movements of such a ruler, illustrating his\ninstitutions, constitute an example to the world for ages. His acts\nare for ages a law to the kingdom. His words are for ages a lesson\nto the kingdom. Those who are far from him look longingly for him; and\nthose who are near him are never wearied with him.\nIt is said in the Book of Poetry,-\"Not disliked there, not tired\nof here, from day to day and night tonight, will they perpetuate their\npraise.\" Never has there been a ruler, who did not realize this\ndescription, that obtained an early renown throughout the kingdom.\nChung-ni handed down the doctrines of Yao and Shun, as if they had\nbeen his ancestors, and elegantly displayed the regulations of Wan and\nWul taking them as his model. Above, he harmonized with the times of\nHeaven, and below, he was conformed to the water and land.\nHe may be compared to Heaven and Earth in their supporting and\ncontaining, their overshadowing and curtaining, all things. He may\nbe compared to the four seasons in their alternating progress, and\nto the sun and moon in their successive shining.\nAll things are nourished together without their injuring one\nanother. The courses of the seasons, and of the sun and moon, are\npursued without any collision among them. The smaller energies are\nlike river currents; the greater energies are seen in mighty\ntransformations. It is this which makes heaven and earth so great.\nIt is only he, possessed of all sagely qualities that can exist\nunder heaven, who shows himself quick in apprehension, clear in\ndiscernment, of far-reaching intelligence, and all-embracing\nknowledge, fitted to exercise rule; magnanimous, generous, benign, and\nmild, fitted to exercise forbearance; impulsive, energetic, firm,\nand enduring, fitted to maintain a firm hold; self-adjusted, grave,\nnever swerving from the Mean, and correct, fitted to command\nreverence; accomplished, distinctive, concentrative, and searching,\nfitted to exercise discrimination.\nAll-embracing is he and vast, deep and active as a fountain, sending\nforth in their due season his virtues.\nAll-embracing and vast, he is like Heaven. Deep and active as a\nfountain, he is like the abyss. He is seen, and the people all\nreverence him; he speaks, and the people all believe him; he acts, and\nthe people all are pleased with him.\nTherefore his fame overspreads the Middle Kingdom, and extends to\nall barbarous tribes. Wherever ships and carriages reach; wherever the\nstrength of man penetrates; wherever the heavens overshadow and the\nearth sustains; wherever the sun and moon shine; wherever frosts and\ndews fall:-all who have blood and breath unfeignedly honor and love\nhim. Hence it is said,-\"He is the equal of Heaven.\"\nIt is only the individual possessed of the most entire sincerity\nthat can exist under Heaven, who can adjust the great invariable\nrelations of mankind, establish the great fundamental virtues of\nhumanity, and know the transforming and nurturing operations of Heaven\nand Earth;-shall this individual have any being or anything beyond\nhimself on which he depends?\nCall him man in his ideal, how earnest is he! Call him an abyss, how\ndeep is he! Call him Heaven, how vast is he!\nWho can know him, but he who is indeed quick in apprehension,\nclear in discernment, of far-reaching intelligence, and\nall-embracing knowledge, possessing all Heavenly virtue?\nIt is said in the Book of Poetry, \"Over her embroidered robe she\nputs a plain single garment,\" intimating a dislike to the display of\nthe elegance of the former. Just so, it is the way of the superior man\nto prefer the concealment of his virtue, while it daily becomes more\nillustrious, and it is the way of the mean man to seek notoriety,\nwhile he daily goes more and more to ruin. It is characteristic of the\nsuperior man, appearing insipid, yet never to produce satiety; while\nshowing a simple negligence, yet to have his accomplishments\nrecognized; while seemingly plain, yet to be discriminating. He\nknows how what is distant lies in what is near. He knows where the\nwind proceeds from. He knows how what is minute becomes manifested.\nSuch a one, we may be sure, will enter into virtue.\nIt is said in the Book of Poetry, \"Although the fish sink and lie at\nthe bottom, it is still quite clearly seen.\" Therefore the superior\nman examines his heart, that there may be nothing wrong there, and\nthat he may have no cause for dissatisfaction with himself. That\nwherein the superior man cannot be equaled is simply this,-his work\nwhich other men cannot see.\nIt is said in the Book of Poetry, \"Looked at in your apartment, be\nthere free from shame as being exposed to the light of Heaven.\"\nTherefore, the superior man, even when he is not moving, has a feeling\nof reverence, and while he speaks not, he has the feeling of\ntruthfulness.\nIt is said in the Book of Poetry, \"In silence is the offering\npresented, and the spirit approached to; there is not the slightest\ncontention.\" Therefore the superior man does not use rewards, and\nthe people are stimulated to virtue. He does not show anger, and the\npeople are awed more than by hatchets and battle-axes.\nIt is said in the Book of Poetry, \"What needs no display is\nvirtue. All the princes imitate it.\" Therefore, the superior man being\nsincere and reverential, the whole world is conducted to a state of\nhappy tranquility.\nIt is said in the Book of Poetry, \"I regard with pleasure your\nbrilliant virtue, making no great display of itself in sounds and\nappearances.\" The Master said, \"Among the appliances to transform\nthe people, sound and appearances are but trivial influences. It is\nsaid in another ode, 'His Virtue is light as a hair.' Still, a hair\nwill admit of comparison as to its size. 'The doings of the supreme\nHeaven have neither sound nor smell. 'That is perfect virtue.\"\nTHE END","title":"THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN","type":"page"}