Pleasure in seeing leads to an excessive preoccupation with colors. Pleasure in hearing leads to an excessive preoccupation with sounds. Pleasure in benevolence leads to disorder in virtue. Pleasure in righteousness leads to opposition to reason. Pleasure in ritual leads to artifice. Pleasure in music leads to sensuous indulgence. Pleasure in wisdom of the…
I have heard of letting the world beand letting it stand; I have not heardof governing the world. We let it belest men will push their nature to extreme.We let it standlest men will alter their nature.When men do not carry their nature to extremesor alter their virtuewhat need would there be to govern…
There is a saying, “The greatest art resembles ignorance.” The versatility shown in ingenuous arguments and the efforts to blow off the dust and reconcile different views is great, but the common people are perplexed by the sophistry. Hence there is a prevailing disorder in the world due to a fondness for knowledge. All…
The followers of the Robber Zhi asked him, “Do robbers have any principles?” He replied, “What profession is there which does not have its principles? That the robber decides that there are things of value in the house shows his knowledge; that he is the first to break into the house shows his courage;…
Make bushels and buckets to measure and by bushels and buckets people will steal. Make agreements and seals and by agreements and seals people will steal. Make benevolence and righteousness to inculcate what is right and by benevolence and righteousness people will be taught to steal. How do I know this? One steals a…
What is long should not be regarded as too long, nor what is short too short. A ducks legs, for instance, are short, but if we try to lengthen them it would pine; A crane’s legs are long, but if we try to lop them off it would grieve. Where is a part is…
Will men with intensified visual perceptionnot be confused by the five colors and excessive ornamentation,and be dazzled buy the brightness ofgreen and yellow, white and black?Li Zhu was such a man. Will men with extraordinary power of hearingnot be confused by the five notesand the excessive use of the six tones,which are produced by…
A ligament connecting the big toe with the other toes and an extra finger may be natural growths but they are extraneous. Swelling and tumors are growths from the body but they are unnatural additions. There are many instances of benevolence and righteousness and they are connected to the five organs. But this is…
The ruler of the South Seawas called Heedless,the ruler of the North Seawas called Sudden,and the ruler of the central regionwas called Chaos. Heedless and Sudden frequently metin the land of Chaos, who treated them well.Heedless and Sudden conferredhow they could reciprocate his kindness. “All men have seven openingsfor the purposes of seeing, hearing,…
Do not yearn for fame. Do not make plans. Do not set up projects. Do not be a possessor of knowledge. Embody to the fullest what has no end and wander where there is no path. Hold what is from heaven but do not take it to be anything. Be empty. The highest man’s…
