釋氏稽古略 1.554

1.554

Wei: In the fourth year of Qinglong, an edict ordered the ministers and high officials to each recommend one person possessing both talent and virtue. Sima Yi nominated Wang Chang, the Regional Inspector of Yanzhou, to meet the selection. Chang was by nature prudent and magnanimous. He named his elder brother's sons Mo (Silent) and Chen (Deep), and his own sons Hun (Turbid) and Shen (Profound). He wrote a letter admonishing them, which said: "I have used these four characters as your names because I wish for you all to look at your names, consider their meaning, and not dare to transgress. Now, things that are quickly achieved swiftly perish, while those that mature late meet a good end. The morning-blooming grass withers by evening, while the lushness of the pine and cypress does not fade in the depths of winter. Therefore, the gentleman takes warning from the youth of the Que district. Indeed, those who can bend in order to extend, yield in order to gain, and show weakness in order to be strong—few of them fail to succeed. Now, blame and praise are the sources of love and hatred, and the pivot of calamity and fortune. Confucius said: 'In my dealings with people, whom do I blame and whom do I praise?' If even one with the virtue of that sage was still like this, how much more so should ordinary, mediocre fellows not lightly dispense blame and praise! If someone slanders you, you should step back and seek the cause within yourself. If your own conduct warrants blame, then what they say is appropriate. If your own conduct does not warrant blame, then what they say is false. If it is appropriate, you should harbor no resentment toward them; if it is false, it does no harm to yourself. Why, then, should you retaliate? A proverb says: 'To ward off the cold, nothing is better than a thick fur coat; to stop slander, nothing is better than self-cultivation.' These words are truly reliable." (Record of Wei)