鐔津文集 15.8

15.8

Master Han wrote *Yuan ren* ("Inquiry into Man"), saying: "What takes shape above—the sun, moon, stars, and constellations—is all heaven. What takes shape below—grass, trees, mountains, and rivers—is all earth. What is endowed with life between the two—barbarians, birds, and beasts—is all man. One asks: 'If so, then can I call birds and beasts man?' The reply is: 'No. If one points to a mountain and asks, "Is it a mountain?", one may say, "It is a mountain." The mountain includes grass, trees, birds, and beasts, all of them. If one points to a single blade of grass on the mountain and asks, "Is it a mountain?", one may not say it is a mountain.' Therefore, when the Way of heaven is disordered, the sun, moon, stars, and constellations do not keep their courses; when the Way of earth is disordered, grass, trees, mountains, and rivers do not keep their peace; when the Way of man is disordered, barbarians, birds, and beasts do not obtain their proper feelings. Heaven is the master of the sun, moon, stars, and constellations; earth is the master of grass, trees, mountains, and rivers; man is the master of barbarians, birds, and beasts. If as master one acts tyrannically toward them, one fails to attain the Way of being a master. Therefore, the sage regards all with equal benevolence, being earnest to those near and raising up those far." Alas! Why were Master Han's words so indiscriminate? As for whether Master Han was skilled at writing books, I do not know. His idea is also similar to *Jitong* ("A Summary of Sacrifices"): "All men born between heaven and earth are said to have life; when the myriad things die, it is called snapping; when a man dies, he is called a ghost." As Confucius used "snapping" and "ghost," he was distinguishing how man differs from birds, beasts, grass, and trees. Although Master Han said: "'Can I call birds and beasts man?' The reply is: 'No. If one points to a mountain and asks, "Is it a mountain?", one may say, "It is a mountain." The mountain includes grass, trees, birds, and beasts, all of them'"—wishing thereby to distinguish birds and beasts from man—his text is not clear and his metaphor is not apt. Master Han's intended meaning was actually that man, barbarians, birds, and beasts all share the same Way of nature and life. That he did not say it directly was surely because he wanted to differ from the teachings of other traditions. Yet Master Han's manner of differing is just like the monkey trainer handing out chestnuts, saying 'three in the morning and four in the evening,' or 'four in the morning and three in the evening'—what real difference could he make? His saying 'man is the master of barbarians, birds, and beasts' is again muddled and truly unfit to be a model. If Master Han regarded man as the master of beings with blood and breath, those barbarians are also human; they can naturally master birds and beasts. How could one speak of them as like birds and beasts, with [other] men mastering them? Moreover, birds and beasts do not have man as their master. The myriad kinds each have their own master: humans naturally have the leaders of mankind as their masters, and birds and beasts also naturally have the leaders of their own kinds as their masters. Where under heaven do birds and beasts submit familiarly to man as their master? If Master Han had compassion for barbarians, birds, and beasts sharing the same nature and life with us, and wished that people not treat them tyrannically, in writing his *Inquiry into Man* he should have said: 'Man, barbarians, birds, and beasts share the same life; to share life yet act tyrannically toward their life is to fail to attain the Way by which life is sustained.' If he had said this, it would perhaps have been acceptable.