[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [弘明集](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2102) › 1.36 # 弘明集 1.36 弘明集 1.36 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.36](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2102.1.36) 牟子曰。至味不合於眾口。大音不比於眾耳。作咸池設大章。發簫韶詠九成。莫之和也。張鄭衛之絃歌時俗之音。必不期而拊手也。故宋玉云。客歌於郢。為下里之曲。和者千人。引商激角。眾莫之應。此皆悅邪聲。不曉於大度者也。韓非以管闚之見而讓堯舜。接輿以毛𣯛之分而刺仲尼。皆耽小而忽大者也。夫聞清商而謂之角。非彈絃之過。聽者之不聰矣。見和璧而名之石。非璧之賤也。視者之不明矣。神蛇能斷而復續。不能使人不斷也。靈龜發夢於宋元。不能免豫苴之網。大道無為非俗所見。不為譽者貴。不為毀者賤。用不用自天也。行不行乃時也。信不信其命也。 > Mouzi said: The supreme flavor does not suit every palate; the grand sound does not appeal to every ear. When the Xianchi is performed and the Dachang is mounted, when the Xiaoshao is played and the Nine Variations sung, none join in harmony. But when the strings of Zheng and Wei are plucked and the melodies of contemporary vulgar fashion are sung, people inevitably clap their hands without prior accord. Therefore Song Yu said: When a guest sang in Ying, at the songs of the lower villages, thousands joined in harmony; but when he struck the Shang tone and stirred the Jiao note, none of the multitude responded. These all delight in depraved sounds and do not understand grand measures. Han Fei, with his view from looking through a tube, reproached Yao and Shun; Jieyu, with his petty discriminations of hair and down, censured Zhongni. Both were fascinated by the petty and neglected the grand. When one hears the pure Shang tone and calls it Jiao, it is not the fault of the string player; it is the hearer's lack of discernment. When one sees the jade of He and calls it a stone, it is not because the jade is base; it is because the viewer lacks clear sight. A divine serpent can sever itself and rejoin, yet it cannot keep a man from being severed. The numinous tortoise sent a dream to the Duke Yuan of Song, yet it could not escape the net of Yu Ju. The Great Dao is non-action, not what the vulgar can see. It is not made noble by those who praise it, nor made base by those who slander it. Whether it is used or not depends on Heaven; whether it is practiced or not depends on the times; whether it is believed or not depends on destiny. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.35](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2102.1.35) - [Next: 1.37](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2102.1.37) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2102.1) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2102~en-mt.1.36) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [佛祖歷代通載](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2036.5.62) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2102.1.36](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2102.1.36) · Pramāṇa