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Han Shi waizhuan 韓詩外傳 "The Outer Commentary to the Book of Songs by Master Han"

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The Book of Songs or Poetry Shijing 詩經 contains some of the oldest pieces of Chinese literature. It is said to have been compiled by Confucius himself, who has chosen out some 300 poems out of 3000. During the Former Han Dynasty 漢, there were still existant four versions of the collection: in the states of Lu 魯 (by Shen Gong 申公), Qi 齊 (by Hou Cang 后蒼 and Master Sun 孫氏) and Han 韓 (by Han Ying 韓嬰), and the private collection of Duke Mao 毛公. Only the last has survived until now, the "Outer Commentaries" to the Han Ying version have survived in the collection Han Shi Waizhuan 韓詩外傳. Han Ying's "Inner Commentary" (Han Neizhuan 韓內傳), and his books Han Gu 韓故 and Han Shuo 韓說 ("Meaning" and "Explanations") are lost. Similar books have also been written by the other masters.
To compare the different interpretations, the Small Preface to the First Air and the Wujing Zhengyi 五經正義 Commentary to its begin are repeated here, followed by the respective passage the Han Shi Waizhuan, representing Confucius' own interpretation of the first air.
1.國風1.1.周南1.1.1.1.關雎(1)
關關雎鳩,在河之洲。窈窕淑女,君子好逑。
參差荇菜,左右流之。窈窕淑女,寤寐求之。
求之不得,寤寐思服。悠哉悠哉!輾轉反側。
參差荇菜,左右采之。窈窕淑女,琴瑟友之。
參差荇菜,左右芼之。窈窕淑女,鍾鼓樂之。
The Airs of the States, South of Zhou, The ospreys cry
"Fair, fair," cry the ospreys on the island in the river. Lovely is this noble lady, fit bride for our lord.
In patches grows the water mallow; to left and right one must seek it. Shy was this noble lady; day and night he sought her.
Sought her and could not get her; day and night he grieved. Long thoughts, oh, long unhappy thoughts, now on his back, now tossing on to his side.
In patches grows the water mallow; to left and right one must gather it. Shy is this noble lady; with great zither and little we hearten her.
In patches grows the water mallow; to left and right one must choose it. Shy is this noble lady; with bells and drums we will gladden her.
  • 關雎小序
    《關雎》,后妃之德也。風之始也。所以風天下而正夫婦也。故用之鄉人焉,用之邦國焉。
    (Small Preface 1st part:) The song '"Fair', cry the ospreys", expresses the virtue of the ruler's consort. It is the first of the airs. The airs are like a wind to blowing over the earth and serve to rectify the relationship between man and woman. They can be employed for all people in the villages and in all states.
    是以《關雎》樂得淑女以配君子。愛在進賢,不淫其色,哀窈窕,思賢才,而無傷善之心焉。是《關雎》之義也。
    (Small Preface 2nd part:) The music of the "Ospreys" air says, that a noble lady has to be the consort of a noble man. Love comes up because of growing worthiness, not because of sensual pleasures. Her lovelyness causes the noble man's pity, he thinks of her virtual abilites, and he does not hurt her good heart. This is the meaning of the first air.
  • 五經正義
    興也。「關關」,和聲也。雎鳩,王雎也。鳥摯而有別。水中可居者曰「洲」。 后妃說(悅)樂君子之德。無不和諧,又不淫其色。慎固幽深,若關雎之有別焉。然後可以風化天下。夫婦有別,則父子親。父子親,則君臣敬。君臣敬,則朝廷正。朝廷正,則王化成。《箋》云:「摯之言,至也。謂王雎之鳥,雌雄情意至。然而有別。」案:興,是譬喻之名。意有不盡。故提曰「興」。他皆放此。...
    The Correct Meaning of the Five Classics
    An air with a mood-laden initiation. Guanguan ("Fair, fair") is an expression of harmony (guan also means "relationship"). The osprey is a symbol for the King. The birds have cordial feelings to each other, but they follow a different way. Zhou means "islet". The consort8章,蓋孔子之言,而曾子述之.其傳十章,則曾子之意而門人記之也....
    The first chapter of the Great Learning are the words of Confucius, written down by his disciple Zengzi. The ten chapters of the Commentary follow the interpretation of Zengzi, and they were written down by his disciples.
  • 康誥曰:「克明德.」大甲曰:「顧諟天之明命.」帝典曰:「克明峻德. 」皆自明也.右傳之首章.釋明明德.
    The Announcement of Kang [of the Book of Documents, Shangshu] says: "He was able to illustrate his virtue". The chapter Taijia (here: Dajia) says: "He kept his eye continually on the bright requirements of Heaven". The Canon of Emperor [Yao] says: "He made the able and virtuous distinguished". All these citations enlighten its meaning. The text above is the heading chapter, and it illustrates the illustrious virtue.

Translated by James Legge; the Zhangju

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Duke Ai the Mournful [of Lu] asked Confucius
Duke Ai asked Confucius: "What are the Great Rites? If a perfect man talks about the Rites, what does he have to honour?"
Confucius said: "I, Qiu, am only a small-minded person. What can I know about the Rites?"
The Prince said: "Oh no! Tell me, my son!"
Confucius spoke: "I have heard, what nourished the people, are the Rites, and they are great. If there were no Rites, there would be nothing to clarify and to serve to the bright spirits of heaven and earth. If there were no Rites, there would be nothing to divide the position of a lord his subject, upper down, older youngster. If there were no Rites, there would be nothing to part the relationship of man and woman, father and son, older brother the younger brother, to distinguish the jointment of relative and distant families in a marriage. A perfect man uses the Rites to honorify and to be reverent. Only then he is able to teach the people, without abandoning the different connections and relations. If his work is completed, he has to do his sacrificial work in engraving and sculping, composing and embroidering. If he is successful, he will speak about the burying duties, he will prepare the sacrifical tripod and fix the monthly sacrifice with pork meat, and he will order the ancestral temples and halls. Every year, he will hold the sacrificial rites with deep respect, to put in a line all his ancestors. Only then he will clear his home, he will put on simple clothes, and make humble his palace. His chariots have no decoration, his vessels no engraving, his food is simple, because he wants to share all goods with the people. In old times, the perfect man behaved like this when they used the Rites."
The Duke said: "Why do the perfect men of today no more behave like this?"
Confucius said: "The perfect men of today dissolutely like women, has a licentious virtue, are lazy and arrogant, he exhausts the people, he hurts the mass by chastising the men on the right way, he seeks to satisfy his desires by means of things he does not have to do. The old [rulers] put the people on the first place, but the modern rulers put it at the end. The perfect men of today have nothing common with the Rites."

66.盛德
聖王之盛德,人民不疾,六畜不疫,五穀不災,諸侯無兵而正,小民無刑而治, 蠻夷懷服。 古者天子常以季冬考德,以觀治亂得失。凡德盛者、治也,德不盛者、亂也。 德盛者、得之也,德不盛者、失之也。是故君子考德,而天下之治亂得失可坐 廟堂之上而知也。德盛則修法,德不盛則飾政,法政而德不衰,故曰王也。
Flourishing virtue
When the sage kings flourished their virtue, the people was not sick, the cattle had no deseases, the crops suffered no calamities. The feudal lords used no weapons, but all was correct, bad people were not punished, but all was well-ruled, and the barbarian peoples were obedient.
In old times, the son of Heaven checked the virtue at the end of the year and looked if everything was in order or in disorder, if everyone has won or lost. If the virtue was flourishing over all, order was complete, but if the virtue was not flourishing, disorder was ruling. Who could make his virtue flourishing, was winning, and who could not make it flourishing, had lost. Therefore, the perfect man checked the virtue, and he could place [the reports] about order and disorder, winning and losing, in the hall of the ancestral temple to make it known. If the virtue was flourishing, the regulations could be ameliorated, if not, the rules had to be done well. If everything was [good] regulated and ruled, and if the virtue would never weaken, one was worth to be called "king".

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