Original text:
Tai Shigong said: "The ancestors said: Confucius was born when the Duke of Zhou died at the age of 500. After Confucius died at the age of 500 today, he was able to influence the Ming Dynasty. , "Yi Zhuan", following "Spring and Autumn", "Poetry", "Book", "Li" and "Yue"? '" What is the meaning? It’s so important! How dare you give in, kid!
The doctor Hu Sui asked: "Why did Confucius write the Spring and Autumn Annals in the past?" Tai Shigong said: "I heard that Dong Sheng said: 'Zhou Dao declined, Confucius was a bandit of Lu, the princes harmed him, and the official Yong killed him. Confucius knew that his words were not used, and the Tao was not effective. This was right and wrong in two hundred and forty-two years. , thinking that the world is a good example, demoting the emperor, retreating from the princes, and courting the officials, it is just to achieve the king's affairs. "The empty words I want to convey are not as profound as the actions." Husband's "Spring and Autumn", 1. Understand the ways of the three kings, discern the rules of human affairs, avoid suspicion, understand right and wrong, determine hesitation, good and evil, good and evil, good and bad, good and bad, the survival and destruction of the country, the succession of the unparalleled, the correction of shortcomings and the elimination of waste, this is the great king's way. The heaven and earth, yin and yang, four seasons, and five elements are good at change; "Li" deals with ethics, so it is good at action; "Book" records the affairs of the past kings, so it is good at politics; "Poetry" records mountains, rivers, valleys, animals, vegetation, and males and females. , male and female, so it is good at wind; "Yue" is about music, so it is good at harmony; "Spring and Autumn" distinguishes right from wrong, so it is good at governing people. Therefore, "Li" is about restraining people, "Yue" is about promoting harmony, and "Book" is about Tao. "Poetry" expresses meaning, "Yi" uses morality, and "Spring and Autumn" uses moral principles to bring order to troubled times. There are tens of thousands of poems in "Spring and Autumn", which refer to the gathering and dispersion of all things. In "Spring and Autumn", thirty-six kings were killed, fifty-two were destroyed, and countless princes were unable to protect their country. Looking at the reasons, they all lost their original character. A slight difference can make a difference of a thousand miles. 'Therefore, it is said that 'a minister kills his king, and a son kills his father, it does not happen overnight, but over time.' Therefore, the country cannot be ignorant of the "Spring and Autumn", and it is not possible to see the slander. , Later, 'Those who do not know the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals must not be ignorant of the Chunqiu. Those who are ministers and do not understand the meaning of the "Spring and Autumn Annals" will be punished with death. In fact, they are all considered to be good, but they do not understand the meaning of it, and they do not understand the purpose of etiquette. , as for the king not being the king, the minister not being the minister, the father not being the father, and the son not being the son. If the husband is not the king, then he will be punished, if the minister is not the minister, then he will be punished, if the father is not the father, then there is no filial piety, and if the son is not the son, then he will be unfilial. It's too much. If you accept the great fault of the world, you won't dare to say it. Therefore, "Chun Qiu" states that before the rituals and prohibitions are implemented, it is easy to see the use of the law. It is difficult to know why etiquette is forbidden. Hu Sui said: "At the time of Confucius, there was no clear king above and no one could appoint him below. So he pretended to write the Spring and Autumn Annals, leaving empty words to break down etiquette and justice, and it was the law of a king. Today, the Master meets the Son of Tomorrow, and he has to keep his duties below. Everything is in place, and each is in its proper order. How do you want to explain what the Master is talking about? Tai Shigong said: "Wei Wei, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I heard that the ancestors said: 'Fuxi was extremely pure and thick, and he wrote the Eight Diagrams of the Book of Changes. The prosperity of Yao and Shun was recorded in the Book of History, and the rituals and music were done. Tang and Wu were prosperous. The poet's song "Spring and Autumn" picks up the good and criticizes the evil, praises the virtues of the three generations, and praises the Zhou Dynasty. After receiving the order from Mu Qing, Zeliuwangji, overseas customs, and re-translated, the people invited to present it are invincible. The officials of the ministers tried their best to recite the holy virtues, but they could not fully express their meaning, and the country's talented people were not used. It is a shame for the master to be a wise man, but his virtues are not spread to the public. It is the fault of the Secretary to take charge of his official position, to destroy the Ming Saint's great virtues, to destroy the meritorious deeds of the virtuous officials, and to fall into the trap of what the ancestors said. , the crime is not serious. I said that the story is a neat biography, but it is wrong to compare it with the "Spring and Autumn", so the essay is second to the disaster of Li Ling. He sighed and said, "This is my fault. This is my fault! No need to ruin your body! " He retreated deeply and said: "The poems and books written by me are vague, and I want to realize my ambition. In the past, Xibo Juyouli performed "The Book of Changes"; Confucius, Chen and Cai, wrote "Spring and Autumn"; Qu Yuan was exiled and wrote "Li Sao"; Zuoqiu lost his sight and wrote "Guoyu"; Sun Tzu put his feet on the ground and discussed the art of war; Bu Wei Moved to Shu, "Lü Lan" was passed down from generation to generation; Han Fei was imprisoned in Qin, "Speaking of Difficulties", "Lonely Fury"; 300 poems in "Poetry", most of which were written by sages out of anger. These people all mean that they are frustrated and cannot find their way out, so they talk about the past and think about the future. "So it is said that since the Tao and Tang Dynasties, as for Lin Zhi, it has started from the Yellow Emperor.
Translation:
Tai Shigong said: "My father once said during his lifetime: 'Since the death of Duke Zhou , it took five hundred years to defeat Confucius. Five hundred years have passed since the death of Confucius. Who can continue to revise the Yi Zhuan, continue to write the Spring and Autumn Annals, and explore the Book of Songs, Shangshu, Rites, and Music in the era of Taiping Shengming? Writing about the origins between the Sutras? '" What he means is to place his hopes on me! Place his hopes on me! How dare you refuse!
The doctor Hu Sui said: "In the past, why did Confucius write "" What about "Spring and Autumn"? "Tai Shigong said: "I once heard Dong Sheng say: 'When the Zhou Dynasty was in political decline, Confucius served as the military commander of the Lu State. The princes harmed him and the officials ostracized him. Confucius knew that his suggestion would not be accepted and that his political ideas would no longer be feasible, so he judged the right and wrong in the 242 years of history and used it as a guideline for the actions of the people of the world. He belittled the emperor and dismissed the princes. , denounced the doctor to clarify the king's way.
’ Confucius said: ‘I want to record my thoughts in empty words, but it is not as profound and obvious as expressing them through specific historical events. "Spring and Autumn", from the top, clarified the political principles of Xia Yu, Shang Tang, and Zhou Wen; from the bottom, it clarified the rules and regulations for dealing with people, distinguished things that were confusing and difficult to understand, and determined the boundaries between right and wrong. To make the hesitant people make up their mind, to praise the good and blame the evil, to respect the worthy and to suppress the unworthy, to preserve the ruined country, to perpetuate the severed lineage, to remedy the political shortcomings, to revive the neglected cause. They are all important contents of the King’s Way. "Book of Changes" shows the interrelationship between heaven and earth, yin and yang, four seasons, and five elements, so it is good at change; "Book of Rites" stipulates the relationship between people, so it is good at action; "Book of Changes" records the deeds of ancient kings, Therefore, it is good at politics; "The Book of Songs" records mountains, rivers, valleys, animals, vegetation, males and females, so it is good at educating; "Yue Ji" is the basis for the establishment of music, so it is good at harmonizing temperament; "Spring and Autumn" distinguishes between right and wrong, so it is good at governing. common people. Therefore, "Yi Li" is used to control people's behavior, "Yue Ji" is used to stimulate He Mu's emotions, "Shang Shu" is used to guide political affairs, and "Book of Songs" is used to express inner feelings. , "Book of Changes" is used to explain changes, and "Spring and Autumn" is used to explain justice. For guiding a chaotic society onto the right track, there is no book more useful than "Spring and Autumn". The whole book "Spring and Autumn" has tens of thousands of words, and there are also thousands of key points in it. The separation and gathering of all things are all recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals. In "Spring and Autumn", there are "36 cases of ministers killing kings," 52 cases of country subjugation, and countless princes running around but still unable to retain the power of the country. Observe that the reason why they are like this is that they have lost their roots! Therefore, "The Book of Changes" says that "a slight error can make a difference of a thousand miles." Therefore, it is said that "the minister kills the king, and the son kills the father. This does not happen overnight, but gradually develops over a long period of time." Therefore, the ruler of a country cannot be ignorant of the Spring and Autumn Annals. Otherwise, he will not be able to see people slandering him in front of him, nor will he know the thieves stealing the country behind his back. As a minister of state, you must not know "Spring and Autumn". Otherwise, you will not know how to deal with ordinary things appropriately, and you will not know how to deal with unexpected events by flexible and expedient methods. As the king of a country and the head of a family who does not understand the principles in "Spring and Autumn", he will definitely suffer the notoriety of being the culprit. As a minister and son who does not understand the principles in the "Spring and Autumn", he will definitely be executed for conspiring to usurp the throne and kill the emperor's father, and gain the reputation of a capital crime. In fact, they all thought they were doing good things, but they did it without knowing what to do, and they did not dare to refute the unfounded criticism. Because they do not understand the principles of propriety and justice, the king does not behave like a king, the minister does not behave like a minister, the father does not behave like a father, and the son does not behave like a son. If a king is not like a king, his ministers will cause trouble; if a minister is not like a minister, he will be killed; if a father is not like a father, he has no ethics; if a son is not like a son, he will be killed. Not honoring your parents. These four behaviors are the biggest faults in the world. If these four biggest faults are imposed on these people, they can only accept it without daring to shirk it. Therefore, the book "Spring and Autumn" is the main classic work on etiquette and justice. The function of etiquette is to prevent evil before it occurs, while the function of law is to eliminate evil before it occurs; the effect of law in eliminating evil is easy to see, but the function of etiquette in preventing danger is difficult for people to understand. "
Hu Sui said: "In Confucius' time, the country had no wise kings, and the talented and handsome men at the lower level could not be reused. Confucius then wrote "Spring and Autumn", and this book written in pen and ink was handed down. He wrote writings to clarify what etiquette and justice were, replacing the Zhou Dynasty's legal code. Now, you, Tai Shigong, met the wise emperor and asked you to do your duty. Everything is already in place and is being carried out in an appropriate order. What purpose does Tai Shigong want to explain in his discussion? "
Tai Shigong said: "Yes, yes! No, no! Not so. I once heard from my late father: ‘Fuxi is the most simple and kind, and he created the Eight Diagrams in the Book of Changes. The prosperity of the Tang Yao and Yu Shun eras is recorded in "Shangshu", and ritual music was produced at that time. The prosperity of the Shang Tang and Zhou King Wu eras has been praised by ancient poets. "Spring and Autumn" praises good people and denounces evil people. It praises the virtues of the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and praises the Zhou Dynasty. It is not all criticism and ridicule. ’ Since the establishment of the Han Dynasty, the wise emperors of today have captured Bailin, gone to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth, corrected the calendar, and changed the colors of chariots, horses, and animals. Ordered by God, virtues spread far and wide, and regions with customs different from those of the Han people all over the world also knocked on and opened doors through several layers of translation, requesting people to come and donate items and pay homage to the emperor. There are endless things to say. The ministers and officials tried their best to praise the emperor's saintly virtues, but they still could not explain the meaning thoroughly. Moreover, it is the king's shame if the wise men are not appointed; it is the fault of the historians that the emperor is wise and holy but his virtues cannot be passed down for a long time. Besides, I once served as the Taishi Ling. If I abandon the record of the emperor's wise and sacred virtues, bury the deeds of meritorious officials, nobles, and wise officials, and discard the diligent instructions of my father during his lifetime, there is no greater sin than this. . What I said about recording the past and sorting out social legends is not creation. However, you compare it with Confucius's "Spring and Autumn", which is wrong. "
So I wrote "Historical Records". Seven years later, I was in trouble due to the "Li Ling Incident" and was imprisoned.
So he sighed: "This is my sin! This is my sin! The body has been destroyed and will not be used again!" After retreating, he turned to deep thought: "The "Book of Songs" and "Shang Shu" have vague meanings. , this is the author's intention to express their inner thoughts. In the past, King Wen was imprisoned in Youli, so he deduced "The Book of Changes"; Confucius was in trouble in the states of Chen and Cai, so he wrote "Spring and Autumn"; Qu Yuan was exiled by King Huai, so he wrote "The Book of Changes". "Li Sao"; Zuo Qiuming was blind, so he wrote "Guoyu"; Sun Bin suffered from torture, so he studied the art of war; Lu Buwei was relegated to Shu, but "Lu's Spring and Autumn" was spread in later generations; Han Feizi was imprisoned in Qin "Shuo Nan" and "Gu Ang" came into being only in China; most of the 305 chapters in "The Book of Songs" were written by ancient sages to express the resentment in their hearts. "There is a place to vent, and then we can recall the past and think about the future." Thus, the history since Tang Yao was finally recorded, ending in the first year of Yuanshou when Bailin was hunted, and starting from the Yellow Emperor.