釋氏稽古略 1.86

1.86

宋神宗元豐三年。祕書丞劉恕字道原著外紀曰。六經惟春秋及易彖象文言說封序卦雜卦仲尼所作。詩書仲尼所刪定。皆不稱三皇五帝三王。易下繫曰。古者包犧氏之王天下也。包犧氏沒神農氏作。神農氏沒黃帝堯舜氏作。繼世更王而無三五之數。或以包犧至舜為五帝。孔子未甞道。學者不可附會臆說也。管子稱。明一者皇。察道者帝。通德者王。謀得兵勝者霸。孔頴達曰。管子書或是後人所錄。非本書也。莊子列子皆寓言誕妄。秦漢學者宗其文辭論議。故競稱三皇五帝。而不知古無其人。仲尼未甞道也。梁武帝以伏犧神農燧人為三皇。黃帝少皡帝嚳帝摯帝堯為五帝。舜非三王。亦非五帝。與三王為四代其指不通。歷世紛紛莫知定論也。太史公曰。學者多稱五帝尚矣。然尚書獨載堯以來。而百家言黃帝。其文不雅馴。薦紳先生難言之。孔子所傳。宰予問五帝德及帝繫姓。儒者或不傳。余甞西至崆峒。北過涿鹿。東漸於海。南浮江淮矣。至長老皆各往往稱黃帝堯舜之處。風教固殊焉。總之不離古文者近是。索隱曰。古文即帝德帝繫二書也近是。聖人之語子觀春秋國語其發明五帝德帝繫姓章矣。顧第弗深考。其所表見皆不虛。書缺有間矣。其軼乃時時見於他說。非好學深思心知其意。固難為淺見寡聞道也。余并論次擇其言尤雅者。故著為本紀書首。

In the third year of the Yuanfeng reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song, the Assistant Director of the Palace Library, Liu Shu (courtesy name Daoyuan), wrote in his Waiji: 'Among the Six Classics, only the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the Tuan, Xiang, Wenyan, Shuogua, Xugua, and Zagua of the Book of Changes were composed by Zhongni (Confucius). The Book of Songs and the Book of Documents were edited and settled by Zhongni. None of them use the designations of the Three Sovereigns, the Five Emperors, or the Three Kings. The "Xici II" of the Book of Changes states: "In ancient times, Baoxi ruled the world. When Baoxi died, Shennong arose; when Shennong died, the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun arose." They succeeded one another and changed reigns without the enumeration of three or five. Some take Baoxi down to Shun as the Five Emperors, yet Confucius never said this; scholars must not make forced associations with subjective opinions. Guanzi states: "He who is luminous in unity is a Sovereign; he who examines the Way is an Emperor; he who penetrates virtue is a King; he whose strategies succeed and whose arms conquer is a Hegemon." Kong Yingda said: "The book of Guanzi might have been compiled by later people, not the original book." Zhuangzi and Liezi are both fables and absurdities; Han and Qin scholars revered their literary rhetoric and arguments, and thus competed in naming the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, unaware that in antiquity there were no such figures and that Zhongni never spoke of them. Emperor Wu of the Liang considered Fuxi, Shennong, and Suiren as the Three Sovereigns, and the Yellow Emperor, Shaohao, Emperor Ku, Emperor Zhi, and Emperor Yao as the Five Emperors; he did not count Shun as one of the Three Kings nor as one of the Five Emperors, but grouped him with the Three Kings as the Four Dynasties, which makes no sense. Across successive generations, there has been endless confusion without a settled conclusion. The Grand Historian said: "Scholars often speak of the Five Emperors as ancient indeed; yet the Book of Documents records only from Yao onward, while the Hundred Schools speaking of the Yellow Emperor use words that are not refined and decorous, so gentlemen in robes and caps find them difficult to speak of. What was transmitted by Confucius—when Zai Yu asked about the Virtues of the Five Emperors and the Imperial Genealogies and Surnames—Confucian scholars sometimes do not transmit. I have traveled west to Kongtong, north past Zhuolu, east to the sea, and south sailed along the Yangtze and Huai rivers; the elders there frequently pointed out the places associated with the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun. Their customs and teachings certainly differed, but in sum, those which do not deviate from the ancient texts are close to the truth." The Suoyin says: "'Ancient texts' refers to the two books, Virtues of the Emperors and Imperial Genealogies, which are close to the truth. They are the words of the Sage. Look at the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Discourses of the States: their elucidation of the Virtues of the Five Emperors and the Imperial Genealogies and Surnames is clear indeed! It is only that people have not deeply investigated them. What is manifested in them is by no means false. There are gaps where the texts are deficient, yet their lost fragments appear from time to time in other accounts. Unless one is fond of learning and thinks deeply, knowing their meaning in one's heart, it is truly difficult to explain them to those of shallow views and limited hearing." I have arranged and selected those words that are especially refined, and therefore compiled them at the head of the Basic Annals.'