鐔津文集 13.29

13.29

讀東皋子王績集。知王氏果有續孔子六經。知房玄齡杜如晦李靜董常溫彥博魏徵薛收杜淹等果文中子之弟子也。讀劉煦唐書王勃傳。知文中子乃勃之祖果曾作元經矣。績死於貞觀十八載。去其兄之世近。能言其事也。慨房杜溫魏王勃皆不書一字以傳文中子之賢。而隋書復失書之後世。故以文中子之事不足信。及韓子文興。天下學士宗韓以韓愈不稱文中子。李翱又薄其書比之太公家教。而學者蓋不取文中子也。然王氏能續孔子六經。蓋孔子之亞也。識者宜以聖人之道較而正之。其文中子之道苟與孔氏合。乃孔子之嗣也。而書傳之有無不足為信。隨人愛惡之情欲蔑其聖賢可乎。孟軻豈不曰。盡信書不若無書。吾視中說其讀詩曰。四名五志。讀書曰四制七命。元經則曰。晉宋齊梁陳亡具五以禍其國而善其立法。有聖人之道。嗟呼不見其六經。姑書此以遺學輩。

Reading the collected works of Donggaozi, Wang Ji, one learns that the Wang family indeed continued Confucius's Six Classics, and that Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Li Jing, Dong Chang, Wen Yanbo, Wei Zheng, Xue Shou, Du Yan, and others were indeed Wenzhongzi's disciples. Reading the biography of Wang Bo in Liu Xu's Old Book of Tang, one learns that Wenzhongzi was Bo's grandfather and had indeed composed the Yuanjing. Wang Ji died in the eighteenth year of the Zhenguan reign; being close in time to his elder brother, he was able to recount his deeds. Regrettably, Fang, Du, Wen, Wei, and Wang Bo did not write a single word to transmit Wenzhongzi's worthiness, and the Book of Sui again omitted any record of him; thus later generations considered Wenzhongzi's deeds untrustworthy. When Master Han's writings arose, scholars throughout the realm took Han as their master; and because Han Yu did not praise Wenzhongzi, while Li Ao moreover disparaged his book, comparing it to Duke Tai's Family Instructions, scholars consequently rejected Wenzhongzi. Yet if the Wang clan was able to continue Confucius's Six Classics, he was surely second only to Confucius. Discerning persons ought to examine and correct this by means of the Way of the sages. If Wenzhongzi's Way accords with Confucius, then he is an heir to Confucius; the presence or absence of historical records is insufficient to rely on. Can one simply follow people's likes and dislikes in seeking to obliterate this sage and worthy? Did not Meng Ke say, 'To believe all of the Book of Documents is worse than to have no Book of Documents'? When I look at the Zhongshuo, its reading of the Odes speaks of the 'four names and five intents,' and its reading of the Documents speaks of the 'four regulations and seven ordinances.' The Yuanjing states that the Jin, Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen each lacked these five and thereby brought disaster upon their states, and it praises the establishment of their laws. It possesses the Way of the sages! Alas, not seeing his Six Classics, I provisionally write this to leave to students.