Category: Chinese Classics

The Zhouyi 周易, also called Yijing 易經, or, shortly, Yi 易, is one of the most important Confucian classics. It has not only influenced Confucian and especially Neo-Confucian thinking but is also deeply rooted in the Daoist tradition. It is so important that the discipline of yixue 易學 "Yijing studies" came into being.

１．天官冢宰
惟王建国，辨方正位，体国经野，设官分职，以为民民极。乃立天官冢宰，使帅 其属而掌邦治，以佐王均邦国。
治官之属：大宰，卿一人。小宰，中大夫二人。
宰夫，下大夫四人；上士八人，中士十有六人，旅下士三十有二人；府六人， 史十有二人，胥十有二人，徒百有二十人。
The Prime Minister and the "Heavenly Ministry"
The only person that constitutes the empire, is the king. He determines the [four] regions and fixes the [governmental] positions; he embodies the cities and measures the countryside; he creates the ministries and separates their respective functions; this all to make a fixed pole for the people. Therewith, he institutes the "Heavenly ministry" and the office of prime minister, he charges the prime minister to head his subordinates and to take into his hands the administration of the state, to help the king to regulate the fiefdoms and the state.
The ministry consists of the following persons:
The Great Administrator, one ministerial person. Small Administrators, two prefects of second rank. Assistant Administrators, four prefects of third rank. Eight graduated officers of first rank, sixteen graduates officers of second rank. Ordinary officers: thirty-two graduated officers of third rank, six officers for the magazins, twelve scribes, twelve aides, and one hundred and twenty retainers…
大宰之职，掌建邦之六典，以佐王治邦国：
一曰治典，以经邦国，以治官府，以纪万民。
二曰教典，以安邦国，以教官府，以扰万民。
三曰礼典，以和邦国， 以统百官，以谐万民。
四曰政典，以平邦国，以正百官，以均万民。
五曰刑典， 以诘邦国，以刑百官，以纠万民。
六曰事典，以富邦国，以任百官，以生万民。
The office of Great Administrator:
He holds in his hands the duty to establish the Six Constitutions to constitute the empire, for he has to help the king to regulate the fiefdoms and the state.
First, the Regulating Constitution, to measure the fiefdoms and the state, to regulate the ministries and to structure the people.
Second, the Instructing Constitution, to consolidate the country, to instruct the Ministries and to civilize the people.
Third, the Ritual Constitution, to harmonize the country, to unite the Ministries and to bring the people together.
Forth, the Governmental Constitution, to appease the country, to correct the officers, and to make equal all people.
Fifth, the Punishment Constitution, to correct the country, to chastise the officers, and to bind the people to what is needed.
Sixth, the Labour Constitution, to enrich the country, to make active the officers, and to nourish the people…
以八法治官府…
以八则治都鄙…
以八柄诏王驭群臣…
以八统诏王驭万民…
以九职任万民…
以九赋敛财贿…
以九式均节财用…
以九贡致邦国之用…
以九两系邦国之民…
岁终，则令百官府各正其 治，受其会，听其致事，而诏王废置。三岁，则大计群吏之治而诛赏之。
By the Eight regulations, he regulates the Ministries,…
by the Eight Principles, he regulates the cities and the towns,…
by the Eight Handles, he helps the king to control the many officers,…
by the Eight Guidelines, he helps the king to control the people,…
by the Nine Offices, he employs the people,…
by the Nine Taxes, he reassembles the richness and values,…
by the Nine Measures, he equals and moderates the finances [of the ministries],…
by the Nine tributes, he effects the expenditures of the country,…
by the Nine Couplings, he helds together the people of the country…
At the end of the year, he orders all officers to regulate each one of their duties, and he receives their account, he makes them report how they effected their duties, and he suggests the king whom to dismiss and whom to confirm. Every third year, he carries out the great control of the government of all officers and punishes or rewards them.

The Zhouli 周礼 "Rites of the Zhou" is a decription of the putative organisation of the government during the Western Zhou period 西周 (11th cent.-770 BCE). It is one of the three classics on rites (sanli 三礼) and one of the thirteen Confucian Classics. It was compiled during the Warring States period 战国 (5th cent.-221 BCE) and was known under the names of Zhouguan 周官 "The Offices of the Zhou" or Zhouguanjing 周官经 "Classic of the offices of the Zhou". Only during the Former Han period 前汉 (206 BCE-8 CE) it was given the name Zhouli by Liu Xin 刘歆. The book consists of six parts corresponding to the six ministries (liubu 六部) which, according to ancient cosmology, are correlated to Heaven, Earth, and the four seasons. There are 376 state officials in total, with subalters secretaries numbering many thousands. The Ministries, their cosmology and structure are:

The Shuowen jiezi 说文解字 "Explaining simple and analyzing compound characters", short Shuowen 说文, is the oldest and one of the most important character dictionaries of ancient China. It was compiled by the Later Han period 后汉 (25-220 CE) scholar Xu Shen 许慎.

The following translation gives an overview of the classic (text in red) and the commentary with its many citations of secondary literature.

Attributed to Shi Naian 施耐庵 or Luo Guanzhong 罗贯中, this novel depicts the joining of heroes to a bandit group in the Liangshan swamps 梁山泊. The earliest editions date from the early 16th century, and there is evidence of the historicity of the main heros during the Song period 宋. Song Jiang 宋江, Wu Song 武松 and their followers were forced by bad officials, defamation and their own violent temper to go into the underground. Everyone of them has his story of own, and this shows that the novel is composed of many small parts and traditions, that are even themes for theatre plays. The bandit group promises to help Song emperor Huizong 宋徽宗 to fight against the intruding Liao 辽 armies and therefore is given grace inspite of their crimes. Most popular editions do not describe the final battles against the Liao empire in the north. The political content of the novel made it the object of occasional banishment during the Qing Dynasty 清 for glorifying bandits, and of an example of a peasant uprising under a revolutionary leadership during the Maoist era. There exist a few sequels and continuations of this novel, that has been very popular for describing the brotherhood between honest man and thus also is given the title "All men are brothers".

Examples of lyrics or songs from each of the four sections. The first song of the Shijing is probably the most famous and most commented poem of old China. The Great and Small Preface to this song are translated too, as well as the begin of the Tang time Wujing zhengyi 五经正义 commentary.
• 大序
风，风也，教也。风以动之，教以化之。诗者，志之所之也。在心为志。发言为诗。情动于中，而形于言。 言之不足，故嗟叹。嗟叹之不足，故永歌之。永歌之不足知，手之，舞之，足之，蹈之也。情发于声，声成文，谓之音。 治世之音安以乐，其政和。乱世之音怨以怒，其政乖。亡国之音哀以思，其民困。故正得失，动天地，感鬼神，莫近于诗。先王以是经夫妇，成孝敬，厚人伦，美教 化，移风俗。
故诗有六义晏：一曰风，二曰赋，三曰比，四曰兴，五曰雅，六曰颂。 上以风化下，下以风刺上。主文而谲谏，言之者无罪，闻之者足以戒，故曰风。至于王道衰，礼义废，政教失，国异政，家殊俗，而变风，变雅作矣。
国史明乎得失之迹，伤人伦之废，哀刑政之苛，咏吟情性，以风其上。达于事变，而怀其旧俗者也。故变风发乎情， 止乎礼义。发乎情，民之性也。止乎礼义，先王之泽也。是以一国之事，系一人之本，谓之风。言天下之事，形四方之风，谓之雅。
雅者，正也。言王政之所由废兴也。政有小大，故有小雅焉，有大雅焉。颂者，美盛德之形容。以其成功，告于神明者也。
是谓四始，诗之至也。然则《关雎》、《麟趾》之化，王者之风。故系之周公。《南》言，化自北而南也。《鹊巢》、《驺虞》之德，诸侯之风也。 先王之所以教，故系之召公。周南、召南，正始之道，王化之基。The Great Preface
"Air" means "wind" or "educating". The airs move people and make them better. Songs are, where the mind is going to. In the heart, it is called "mind", spoken out, it is called "song". The motion is moved in the heart and takes shape in words; if words are not sufficent, sighing can be better; if sighing is not sufficient, songs can be better; if songs are still not sufficient, motions can be expressed with hands, by dancing, with feet, by springing. Motions are expressed by voice; if voice forms words, it is called tone. The tone regulating the world, pacifies by music, its rule is harmonious. The tone disturbing the world, heates the anger, its rule is obstinate. The tone destroying a country is sad in thoughts, its people is in difficulties. Correct behaviour receives the lost, it moves heaven and earth, it makes sympathetic all ghosts and deities. To acheive this, nothing is better than songs. The old kings employed songs to have guidelines for the matrimony, to complete filialty and reverence, to enforce human relationships, to beautify cultivation, and to make better people's customs.
There are six different kinds of songs: airs (feng), rhapsodies (fu), comparisons (bi), moods (xing), odes (ya) and hymns (song). The ruling people use the airs to ameliorate their subjects, the subjects use the airs to criticize the ruling. They rely on words to admonish with some small hints. The speakers thus are not to be blamed, and the auditors are enabled to change their behaviour. This is why these songs are called "wind". When the way of the kings has become weak, when rites and etiquette are thrown away, when politics and education missed their target, when the state has altered its government, when the families have given up their good customs, this is, when airs and odes have to change and make things better.
The scribes of the states enlighten cases of lost virtue, of damaging human relationships, of giving up penal law and government; they chant and sing of motions and good character to educate the rulers. If it has come so far that things alter, people already weep for their old rules and customs. Therefore, the changing airs begin in the motions and reach to the rites and etiquette. Starting with motions means, that they come from the people. Reaching to rites and etiquette means, that the airs are the reflected glory of the old kings. If the affairs of one state are bound to every single person, songs are called "airs", and if all affairs under heaven are built up from the airs of all states, songs are called "odes".
"Ode" means, "to rectify". It gives the reason why moods in a ruler's government is thrown away. There are great and small matters in government, and adequately we find Maior and Minor Odes. "Hymn" means, to beautify the description of a flourishing virtue. It declares the success of a virtuous government to the deities.
These are the four beginnings, and where songs have its aim. The educational target of the "Guan the ospreys cry" and "Unicorn's hoofs" airs is the king, and they are connected to the duke of Zhou. "South" means, that education goes from north to south. The airs "Magpie's nest" and "The zouyu tiger" are written for the feudal lords and were used by the former kings for educational purposes. They are connected to the Duke of Shao. The airs of the chapters "South of Zhou" and "South of Shao" are the way of the correct begin, they are the base for an ideal government.