鐔津文集 4.3

4.3

天下同之之謂大公。天下中正之謂皇極。中正所以同萬物之心也。非中正所以離萬物之心也。離之則天下亂也。同之則天下治也。善為天下者。必先持皇極而致大公也。不善為天下者。必先放皇極而廢大公也。是故古之聖人推皇極於人君者。非他也。欲其治天下也。教皇極於人民者。非他也。欲其天下治也。朝廷國家者。天下之大體也。富貴崇高者。天下之大勢也。持之得其道則體勢強。持之失其道則體勢弱。道也者非他道也。皇極之道也。周之文武戡削禍亂恢大王業。富貴崇高而父子相繼。卜世之多也。卜年之永也。雖往古來今未有其過之者也。其功德聲名昭然赫然。光播於無極。所謂持之得其道者也。及乎夷平莊敬。下堂而致禮諸侯。東遷而苟避戎狄。列國強橫而不能制。富貴崇高而不能尊。岌岌乎將墜其先王之鴻業也。所謂持之失其道者也。嗚呼數口之家五畝之產。而匹夫匹婦尸之。其為人至愚也。其為治至細也。及其操中正而臨之。故家人親之。隣里慕之。其家道之隆尚可能累世以傳于子孫。況乎備天下之大體。乘天下之大勢。有可致之資。有易為之勢。用皇極而舉之。孰有不從而服之。豈不摩肩躡足而歸之。詩曰。淑人君子。正是國人。正是國人。胡不萬年。其斯之謂也。或曰。皇極何道也。曰天道也。地道也。人道也貫三才而一之。曰何謂也。曰天道不中正。則日月星辰不明。風雨霜雪不時。五行錯繆萬物不生。地道不中正。則山嶽丘陵其崩。江河淮瀆其凝。草木百實不成。城隍屋盧皆傾。人道不中正。則性情相亂。內作狂妄外作禍害。自則傷其生。他則傷其人也。故雖天之高明廣大。微皇極孰為天乎。雖地之博厚無疆。微皇極孰為地乎。雖人得秀氣而靈於萬物。微皇極孰為人乎。故皇極非聖人為之也。蓋天地素有之理也。故人失皇極而天地之變從之。聖人者先吾人而得皇極也。故因而推之以教乎其人也。伊尹曰。予天民之先覺者也。予將以斯道覺斯民也。聖人者其先覺之謂也。故聖人之所以謹於皇極者。其汲汲之於為人也。其憂天下之甚也何哉。舜禹之後其世益薄。嚚嚚㗚㗚人孰無過。小者過於其家。大者過於其國。又大者過於其天下。皇極於是振之。乃始推行於九疇。武王得之以造周之天下。天下既大且久也。所以五福六極者繫一身之皇極也。休徵咎徵者繫一國一天下之皇極也。皇極其可離乎。吁人莫不舉衡石以正金之輕重。引繩墨以正木之曲直。及其所以為身也為天下國家也。而不知舉皇極而正之。是聖賢豪傑之智。反出乎匠氏百工之下。孟子曰。是不為也。非不能也。夫古之人君（一作君子）其有為也。舉皇極而行之。故不遲疑不猶豫。不稽於神不裁於人。雖堯以天下與其人。而天下之人不以非其親而怨堯。雖禹以天下及其子。而天下之人不以私其親而怨禹。湯一征自葛始。而天下信之。東面而征西夷怨。南面而征北狄怨。曰奚為後我。民望之若大旱之望雲霓也。而天下亦不以勞其征伐而怨於湯。蓋與天下公也。舜以匹夫而受人天下。周公以天下封其同姓者五十餘國。而舜周公未嘗以私己而疑乎天下。而天下亦以舜周公公於天下也。周有亂臣十人。而其國治。紂有億兆夷人。而其國亡何哉。用得中正故不必多也。用不中正雖多奚益。曰何謂用得中正。曰大才授大事。小才授小事。堪大事者不可以小失棄之。宜小事者不可以大成託之。詩曰。山有榛隰有苓。云誰之思。西方美人。彼美人兮。西方之人兮。蓋思周之用人大小得其宜也。賞罰黜陟者君人之大權也。號令刑法者君人之大教也。教不中正則其民疑。權不中正則其勢欺。曰何謂權與教之中正也。曰賞者所以進公也。不以苟愛而加厚。罰者所以抑私也。不以苟惡而增重。黜者所以懲其過。不以貴賤二其法。陟者所以陟其道。不以毀譽考其人。號令者所以定民。不可輕出而屢改。刑法者所以約民。不可多作而大謹。多作大謹則人煩而無恩。輕出屢改則人惑而無準。以毀譽考其人則愛惡者得以肆其言。以貴賤二其法則高明者得以恃其勢。以苟惡而增重則失在不仁。以苟愛而加厚則失在非禮。禮者皇極之容也。樂者皇極之聲也。制度者皇極之器也。不舉其器則井田差賦稅亂車服宮室上僭下偪。不振其聲則人神不和風俗流蕩。不昭其容則尊卑無別上下相繆。夫皇極者不為古而有不為今而無。不為堯舜禹湯而長。不為粲紂幽厲而消。唯在其行之者也。行之至。所以為帝為王。行之未至。所以為五霸為諸侯。絕而不行。所以為亡國。得者為聖。履者為賢。棄而不學者其為小人哉。或曰。秦漢其於皇極至之乎。曰秦亡其國雖不論而皇極斷可識矣。漢之於皇極。觀其書則一一可辨。概而語之亦未之至。其在王霸之間也。或者以為然矣。

That which all under Heaven hold in common is called great impartiality. The central correctness of all under Heaven is called the August Ultimate. Central correctness is that by which the minds of the myriad things are unified. What is not central and correct is that by which the minds of the myriad things are alienated. If they are alienated, all under Heaven will be in disorder; if they are unified, all under Heaven will be well-ordered. Those who are good at governing all under Heaven must first uphold the August Ultimate to achieve great impartiality. Those who are not good at governing all under Heaven must first cast aside the August Ultimate and abandon great impartiality. For this reason, when the ancient sages promoted the August Ultimate to rulers of men, it was for no other reason than wanting them to govern all under Heaven. When they taught the August Ultimate to the common people, it was for no other reason than wanting all under Heaven to be well-ordered. The court and the state are the great body of all under Heaven. Wealth, honor, and exalted status are the great momentum of all under Heaven. If one upholds them according to the Dao, then the body and momentum are strong; if one upholds them losing the Dao, then the body and momentum are weak. As for the Dao, it is no other Dao than the Dao of the August Ultimate. King Wen and King Wu of Zhou quelled and eliminated calamity and turmoil, broadly expanded the royal enterprise, possessed wealth, honor, and exalted status, and passed them from father to son in succession. In the divinations of their generations, they were numerous; in the divinations of their years, they were long-lasting. Even through past and present, none have surpassed them. Their meritorious virtues and fame were luminous and magnificent, their light spreading without limit. This is what is called upholding them and obtaining the Dao. When it came to King Yi, King Ping, King Zhuang, and King Jing, they stepped down from the hall to pay court to the feudal lords, moved east to timidly avoid the Rong and Di barbarians, were unable to restrain the tyrannical vassal states, and were unable to command respect for wealth, honor, and exalted status. Precariously, they were on the verge of letting fall the magnificent enterprise of their former kings. This is what is called upholding them and losing the Dao. Alas! A family of several mouths, with an estate of five mu, presided over by an ordinary man and woman—their character is of the utmost simplicity, and their governance is of the most minute scale. Yet when they maintain central correctness in overseeing it, their family members love them and their neighbors admire them. The prosperity of their family way can still be transmitted to their descendants for successive generations. How much more so when one is endowed with the great body of all under Heaven and rides upon the great momentum of all under Heaven, possessing the resources to achieve it and the momentum that makes it easy to carry out! If one uses the August Ultimate to promote it, who would not follow and submit? Would they not rub shoulders and tread upon heels in turning toward it? The Book of Odes says: "The benign and noble person / rectifies the people of the state. / Rectifying the people of the state, / why should he not endure for ten thousand years?" This is what it refers to. Someone said: "What kind of Dao is the August Ultimate?" I reply: "It is the Dao of Heaven, the Dao of Earth, and the Dao of humanity—unifying the Three Powers into one." He asked: "What does that mean?" I replied: "If the Dao of Heaven is not central and correct, then the sun, moon, stars, and constellations will not be bright, wind, rain, frost, and snow will not be seasonal, the Five Phases will become disordered, and the myriad things will not grow. If the Dao of Earth is not central and correct, then mountains and hills will collapse, rivers and waterways will congeal, the grasses, trees, and hundred fruits will not mature, and city walls and houses will all topple over. If the Dao of humanity is not central and correct, then natures and emotions will be thrown into confusion, internally giving rise to madness and falsehood, externally creating calamities and harm, personally injuring one's own life and outwardly harming other people. Therefore, though Heaven is lofty, luminous, broad, and vast, without the August Ultimate, what would make it Heaven? Though Earth is wide, thick, and boundless, without the August Ultimate, what would make it Earth? Though human beings receive refined qi and are more intelligent than the myriad things, without the August Ultimate, what would make them human? Therefore, the August Ultimate is not something made by the sages; it is the inherent principle of Heaven and Earth. Hence, when human beings lose the August Ultimate, the anomalies of Heaven and Earth follow upon it. Sages are those who attain the August Ultimate before our people; therefore, they accordingly extend it to teach their people. Yi Yin said: 'I am one among Heaven's people who is the first to awaken; I will use this Dao to awaken these people.' Sages are called those who awaken first. Therefore, the reason sages were cautious regarding the August Ultimate was their urgency in helping people and the depth of their concern for all under Heaven—why was this? After Shun and Yu, their eras grew increasingly degenerate. Disputatious and anxious, who among people is without fault? Minor ones err in their families; major ones err in their states; still greater ones err in all under Heaven. The August Ultimate was then raised up to stimulate them, and thus began to be implemented in the Nine Categories. King Wu attained it and created the realm of Zhou; the realm was both vast and enduring. Therefore, the five blessings and the six extremes are bound to the August Ultimate of an individual; favorable omens and calamitous omens are bound to the August Ultimate of a state and of all under Heaven. Can the August Ultimate ever be abandoned? Alas! None among people fail to lift weights and scales to correct the lightness or heaviness of gold, or pull the inked line to correct the crookedness or straightness of wood. Yet when it comes to cultivating oneself or governing the state and all under Heaven, they do not know to raise up the August Ultimate to correct it. In this way, the wisdom of sages, worthies, and heroes turns out to fall below that of master carpenters and craftsmen. Mencius said: 'This is not doing it; it is not being unable to do it.' When ancient rulers (one text reads: noble persons) took action, they raised up the August Ultimate and put it into practice. Therefore they did not hesitate or waver, did not inquire of spirits, and did not make arbitrary decisions based on personal whim. Even though Yao gave all under Heaven to another person, the people under Heaven did not resent Yao for not giving it to his own kin. Even though Yu passed all under Heaven to his son, the people under Heaven did not resent Yu for favoring his own kin. Tang's punitive expeditions began with the state of Ge, and all under Heaven trusted him. When he campaigned toward the east, the western Yi barbarians felt resentment; when he campaigned toward the south, the northern Di barbarians felt resentment, saying: 'Why leave us for last?' The people looked toward him as if looking for clouds and rainbows during a great drought. Yet all under Heaven also did not resent Tang for wearying them with his campaigns. This was because he shared all under Heaven with the common people. Shun received all under Heaven from another as an ordinary man; the Duke of Zhou enfeoffed more than fifty states to those of his own clan; yet Shun and the Duke of Zhou never doubted all under Heaven out of self-interest, and all under Heaven also regarded Shun and the Duke of Zhou as impartial toward all under Heaven. Zhou had ten capable ministers to bring order, and its state was well-governed; King Zhou of Shang had millions of ordinary people, yet his state perished—why was this? Employing people with central correctness, they did not need to be numerous; employing people without central correctness, what benefit is there even if they are numerous? Someone asked: 'What is called employing people with central correctness?' I replied: 'Great talents are assigned great affairs; small talents are assigned small affairs. Those who can bear great affairs must not be cast aside on account of small faults; those suitable for small affairs must not be entrusted with great accomplishments. The Book of Odes says: "On the mountain are hazel trees, in the marshland are water chestnuts. / Whom am I thinking of? / The beautiful person in the west. / That beautiful person / is someone of the west." This is thinking of Zhou's employment of people, where both great and small were given their proper place. Rewarding and punishing, demoting and promoting, are the sovereign's great powers. Issuing decrees and administering penal laws are the sovereign's great teachings. If teachings lack central correctness, then the people will doubt; if power lacks central correctness, then authority will deceive. It is asked: 'What is central correctness in power and teaching?' I reply: 'Rewards are that by which impartiality is advanced; one must not increase them lavishly out of arbitrary affection. Punishments are that by which selfishness is suppressed; one must not make them heavier out of arbitrary hatred. Demotions are that by which errors are chastised; one must not make the laws inconsistent based on noble or base status. Promotions are that by which the Dao is elevated; one must not evaluate a person based on slander or praise. Decrees are that by which the people are settled; they must not be issued lightly or altered repeatedly. Penal laws are that by which the people are restrained; they must not be excessively enacted or overly fastidious. If they are excessively enacted and overly fastidious, then the people become vexed and perceive no benevolence; if decrees are issued lightly and altered repeatedly, then the people are confused and have no standard. If evaluating a person based on slander or praise, then those who love or hate them will be able to indulge their words. If making laws inconsistent based on noble or base status, then the prominent will be able to rely on their influence. If making punishments heavier out of arbitrary hatred, the fault lies in unbenevolence; if increasing rewards lavishly out of arbitrary affection, the fault lies in non-propriety. Ritual is the appearance of the August Ultimate; music is the voice of the August Ultimate; institutional systems are the implements of the August Ultimate. If its implements are not raised up, then the well-field system will fall into disorder, taxation will become chaotic, and carriages, clothing, palaces, and chambers will see superiors usurped and inferiors encroached upon. If its voice is not sounded, then humans and spirits will not be in harmony, and customs will drift into dissolution. If its appearance is not made manifest, then there will be no distinction between noble and base, and superiors and inferiors will become confused. As for the August Ultimate, it does not exist merely because of antiquity, nor is it absent because of the present. It does not grow because of Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang, nor does it diminish because of Jie, Zhou, You, and Li. It lies solely in those who put it into practice. Putting it into practice to the utmost is how one becomes an emperor or a king. Putting it into practice imperfectly is how one becomes the Five Hegemons or feudal lords. Severing it and not practicing it is how states perish. Those who attain it become sages; those who walk in it become worthies; those who abandon it and do not learn it—are they not petty people?' Someone asked: 'Did Qin and Han attain the August Ultimate to the utmost?' I replied: 'Although Qin perished and its state is not worth discussing, the August Ultimate can certainly be discerned. As for Han and the August Ultimate, examining its historical records, it can be distinguished in detail; speaking generally, it also did not attain it to the utmost. It resided between the kingly way and the hegemonic way.' The interlocutor agreed."