廣弘明集 10.63

10.63

廣答。昔夏立九鼎以鎮九州。一州不靜則一鼎沸。九州不靜則九鼎都沸。比來見二國交兵四方擾動。不見一鼎有沸。今日殿前尚依古立鼎。獨偏責泥木石像不出血。即便停棄。

Guang answered: "In the past, the Xia cast the nine tripods to stabilize the nine provinces. If one province was unsettled, one tripod would boil; if the nine provinces were unsettled, all nine tripods would boil. Recently we have seen two states clash in war and the four directions thrown into turmoil, yet we have not seen a single tripod boil. Today before the palace hall tripods are still erected according to antiquity; why solely blame the clay, wooden, and stone images for not bleeding, and immediately abandon them?"