Classic of Documents
周書 Zhōu shū
洪範 第三十二 Book Thirty-two · Hóng fàn
惟十有三祀，王訪于箕子。
In the thirteenth year, the king went to inquire of the viscount of Ke,
王乃言曰：「嗚呼！箕子。惟天陰騭下民，相協厥居，我不知其彝倫攸敘。」
and said to him “Oh! viscount of Ke, Heaven, unseen, has given their constitution to mankind, aiding also the harmonious development of it in their various conditions. I do not know how their proper virtues in their various relations should be brought forth in due order.”
箕子乃言曰：「我聞在昔，鯀陻洪水，汨陳其五行；帝乃震怒，不畀洪範九疇，彝倫攸斁。鯀則殛死，禹乃嗣興，天乃錫禹洪範九疇，彝倫攸敘。」
The viscount of Ke thereupon replied, “I have heard that of old time K‘wăn dammed up the inundating waters, and thereby threw into disorder the arrangement of the five elements. God was thereby roused to anger, and did not give him ‘the great. Plan with its nine Divisions,’ whereby the proper virtues of the various relations were left to go to ruin. K‘wăn was then kept a prisoner till his death, and Yu rose up to continue his undertaking. To him Heaven gave ‘the great Plan with its nine Divisions,’ and thereby the proper virtues of the various relations were brought forth in their order.
「初一曰五行，次二曰敬用五事，次三曰農用八政，次四曰協用五紀，次五曰建用皇極，次六曰乂用三德，次七曰明用稽疑，次八曰念用庶徵，次九曰嚮用五福，威用六極。」
“Of those divisions, the first is called ‘The five Elements;’ the second is called ‘The Reverent Practice of the five Businesses’; the third is called ‘Earnest Devotion to the eight objects of Government;’ the fourth is called ‘The Harmonious Use of the five Arrangements’; the fifth is called ‘The Establishment and Use of Royal Perfection’; the sixth is called ‘The Cultivation and Use of the three Virtues’; the seventh is called ‘The Intelligent Use of the Examination of Doubts’; the eighth is called ‘The Thoughtful Use of the various Verifications’; the ninth is called ‘The Hortatory Use of the five Happinesses, and the Awing Use of the six Extremities.’
「一、五行：一曰水，二曰火，三曰木，四曰金，五曰土。水曰潤下，火曰炎上，木曰曲直，金曰從革，土爰稼穡。潤下作鹹，炎上作苦，曲直作酸，從革作辛，稼穡作甘。」
“First, of the five elements.—The first is named water; the second, fire; the third, wood; the fourth, metal; the fifth, earth. The nature of water is to soak and descend; of fire, to blaze and ascend; of wood, to be crooked and to be straight; of metal, to obey and to change; while the virtue of earth is seen in seed-sowing and ingathering. That which soaks and descends becomes salt; that which blazes and ascends becomes bitter; that which is crooked and straight becomes sour; that which obeys and changes becomes acrid; and from seed-sowing and ingathering comes sweetness.
「二、五事：一曰貌，二曰言，三曰視，四曰聽，五曰思。貌曰恭，言曰從，視曰明，聽曰聰，思曰睿。恭作肅，從作乂，明作哲，聰作謀，睿作聖。」
“Second, of the five businesses.—The first is called demeanour; the second, speech; the third, seeing; the fourth, hearing; and the fifth, thinking. The virtue of the demeanour is called respectfulness; of speech, accordance with reason; of seeing, clearness; of hearing, distinctness; and of thinking, perspicaciousness. The respectfulness becomes manifest in gravity; accordance with reason, in orderliness; the clearness, in wisdom; the distinctness, in deliberation; and the perspicaciousness, in sageness.”
「三、八政：一曰食，二曰貨，三曰祀，四曰司空，五曰司徒，六曰司寇，七曰賓，八曰師。」
Third, of the eight objects of government:—the first is called food; the second, commodities; the third, sacrifices; the fourth, the minister of works; the fifth, the minister of instruction; the sixth, the minister of crime; the seventh, the entertainment of guests; the eighth, the army.
「四、五紀：一曰歲，二曰月，三曰日，四曰星辰，五曰曆數。」
“Fourth, of the five arrangements.—The first is called the year; the second, the month; the third, the day; the fourth, the stars and planets, and the zodiacal signs; and the fifth, the calendaric calculations.
「五、皇極：皇建其有極，斂時五福，用敷錫厥庶民。惟時厥庶民于汝極，錫汝保極。
“Fifth, of royal perfection.—The sovereign having established his highest point of excellence, he concentrates in himself the five happinesses, and then diffuses them so as to give them to his people:—then on their part the multitudes of the people, resting in your perfection, will give to you the preservation of it.
「凡厥庶民，無有淫朋；人無有比德，惟皇作極。
That the multitudes of the people have no lawless confederacies, and that men in office have no selfish combinations, will be an effect of the sovereign’s establishing his highest point of excellence.
「凡厥庶民，有猷有為有守，汝則念之。不協于極，不罹于咎，皇則受之。而康而色，曰『予攸好德』，汝則錫之福。時人斯其惟皇之極。
Among all the multitudes of the people, when any have counsel, and conduct, and keep themselves from evil, do you bear them in mind; those who do not come up to the highest excellence, and yet do not involve themselves in crime, let the sovereign receive; and when a placid satisfaction appears in their countenances, and they say—‘Our love is fixed on virtue,’ do you then confer favour on them. Those men will in this way advance to the perfection of the sovereign.
「無虐煢獨，而畏高明。
Do not oppress the friendless and childless; do not fear the high and illustrious.
「人之有能有為，使羞其行，而邦其昌。凡厥正人，既富方穀，汝弗能使有好于而家，時人斯其辜。于其無好德，汝雖錫之福，其作汝用咎。
When men have ability and administrative power, cause them still more to cultivate their conduct, and the prosperity of the country will be promoted. All right men, having a competency, will go on to be good. If you cannot make men have what they love in their families, they will only proceed to be guilty of crime; while they do not love virtue, though you confer favour on them, they will involve you in the guilt of employing them thus evil.
「無偏無陂，遵王之義；無有作好，遵王之道；無有作惡，遵王之路。無偏無黨，王道蕩蕩；無黨無偏，王道平平；無反無側，王道正直。會其有極，歸其有極。
“Without deflection, without unevenness,
Pursue the Royal righteousness;
Without any selfish likings,
Pursue the Royal way;
Without any selfish dislikings,
Pursue the Royal path;
Without deflection, without partiality,
Broad and long is the Royal path.
Without partiality, without deflection,
The Royal path is level and easy;
Without perversity, without one-sidedness,
The Royal path is right and straight.
Seeing this perfect excellence,
Turn to this perfect excellence.”
「曰皇極之敷言，是彝是訓，于帝其訓。
He went on to say, “This amplification of the Royal perfection contains the unchanging rule, and is the great lesson;—yea, it is the lesson of God.
「凡厥庶民極之敷言，是訓是行，以近天子之光。曰天子作民父母，以為天下王。」
All the multitudes, instructed in this amplification of the perfect excellence, and carrying it into practice, will approximate to the glory of the son of Heaven, and say, ‘The son of Heaven is the parent of the people, and so becomes the sovereign of the empire.’
「六、三德：一曰正直，二曰剛克，三曰柔克。平康正直，彊弗友剛克，燮友柔克；沈潛剛克，高明柔克。
“Sixth, of the three virtues.—The first is called correctness and straightforwardness; the second, strong government; and the third, mild government. In peace and tranquillity, correctness and straightforwardness must sway; in violence and disorder, strong government must sway; in harmony and order, mild government must sway. For the reserved and retiring there is the strong rule; for the lofty and intelligent there is the mild rule.
「惟辟作福，惟辟作威，惟辟玉食，臣無有作福、作威、玉食；
“It belongs only to the prince to confer favours, to display the terrors of majesty, and to receive the revenues of the empire.
「臣之有作福、作威、玉食，其害于而家、凶于而國。人用側頗僻，民用僭忒。」
There should be no such thing as a minister conferring favours, displaying the terrors of justice, or receiving the revenues of the country. Such a thing is injurious to the families, and fatal to the States of the empire;—small officers become one-sided and perverse, and the people commit assumptions and excesses.
「七、稽疑：擇建立卜筮人，乃命卜筮。
“Seventh, of the examination of doubts.—Having chosen and appointed officers for divining by the tortoise and by the milfoil, they are to be charged on occasion to perform their duties.
「曰雨，曰霽，曰蒙，曰驛，曰克。
In doing this, they will find the appearances of rain, clearing up, cloudiness, want of connection and crossing;
「曰貞，曰悔。
and the symbols, solidity, and repentance.
「凡七卜，五占用，二衍忒。
In all the indications are seven;—five given by the tortoise, and two by the milfoil, by which the errors of affairs may be traced out.
「立時人作卜筮，三人占，則從二人之言。
These officers having been appointed, when the operations with the tortoise and milfoil are proceeded with, three men are to obtain and interpret the indications and symbols, and the consenting words of two of them are to be followed.
「汝則有大疑，謀及乃心，謀及卿士，謀及庶人，謀及卜筮。汝則從、龜從、筮從、卿士從、庶民從，是之謂大同；身其康彊，子孫其逢：吉。汝則從、龜從、筮從、卿士逆、庶民逆：吉。卿士從、龜從、筮從、汝則逆、庶民逆：吉。庶民從、龜從、筮從、汝則逆、卿士逆：吉。汝則從、龜從、筮逆、卿士逆、庶民逆：作內，吉；作外，凶。龜筮共違于人：用靜，吉；用作，凶。」
“If you have doubts about any great matter, consult with your own heart; consult with your nobles and officers; consult with the masses of the people; consult the tortoise and milfoil. If you, the tortoise, the milfoil, the nobles and officers, and the common people all consent to a course, this is what is called a great concord, and the result will be the welfare of your person, and good fortune to your descendants. If you, the tortoise, and the milfoil all agree, while the nobles and common people oppose, the result will be fortunate. If the nobles and officers, the tortoise, and the milfoil all agree, while you oppose and the common people oppose, the result will be fortunate. If the common people, the tortoise and the milfoil all agree, while you and the nobles and officers oppose, the result will be fortunate. If you and the tortoise agree, while the milfoil, the nobles and officers, and the common people oppose, internal operations will be fortunate, and external operations will be unlucky. When the tortoise and milfoil are both opposed to the views of men, there will be good fortune in stillness, and active operations will be unlucky.
「八、庶徵：曰雨，曰暘，曰燠，曰寒，曰風。曰時五者來備，各以其敘，庶草蕃廡。
“Eighth, of the various verifications.—They are rain; sunshine; heat; cold; wind; and seasonableness. When the five come all complete, and each is in its proper order, even the various plants will be abundantly luxuriant.
「一極備凶，一極無凶。
Should any one of them be either excessively abundant, or excessively deficient, there is evil.
「曰休徵：曰肅，時雨若；曰乂，時暘若；曰哲，時燠若；曰謀，時寒若；曰聖，時風若。曰咎徵：曰狂，恆雨若；曰僭，恆暘若；曰豫，恆燠若；曰急，恆寒若；曰蒙，恆風若。
“There are the favourable verifications:—namely, of gravity, which is emblemed by seasonable rain; of orderliness, emblemed by seasonable sunshine; of wisdom, emblemed by seasonable heat; of deliberation, emblemed by seasonable cold; and of sageness, emblemed by seasonable wind. There are also the unfavourable verifications:—namely, of wildness, emblemed by constant rain; of assumption, emblemed by constant sunshine; of indolence, emblemed by constant heat; of haste, emblemed by constant cold; and of stupidity, emblemed by constant wind.”
「曰王省惟歲，卿士惟月，師尹惟日。
He went on to say, “The sovereign is to examine the character of the whole year; nobles and officers, that of the months; and the inferior officers, that of the day.
「歲月日時無易，百穀用成，乂用明，俊民用章，家用平康。
If throughout the year, the month, the day, there be an unchanging seasonableness, all the kinds of grain are matured; the operations of government are wise; heroic men stand forth eminent; and in the families of the people there are peace and prosperity.
「日月歲時既易，百穀用不成，乂用昏不明，俊民用微，家用不寧。
If throughout the year, the month, the day, the seasonableness is interrupted, the various kinds of grain do not become matured; the operations of government are dark and unwise; heroic men are reduced to obscurity; and in the families of the people there is no repose.
「庶民惟星，星有好風，星有好雨。日月之行，則有冬有夏；月之從星，則以風雨。」
“The common people are like the stars. Some stars love the wind, and some love the rain. The course of the sun and moon give winter and summer. The course of the moon among the stars gives wind and rain.
「九、五福：一曰壽，二曰富，三曰康寧，四曰攸好德，五曰考終命。
“Ninth, of the five happinesses.—The first is long life; the second is riches; the third is soundness of body and serenity of mind; the fourth is the love of virtue; the fifth is an end crowning the life.
「六極：一曰凶短折，二曰疾，三曰憂，四曰貧，五曰惡，六曰弱。」
As to the six extremities again, the first is misfortune, shortening the life; the second is sickness; the third is sorrow; the fourth is poverty; the fifth is wickedness; the sixth is weakness.”