Book 5, Part 4

CHAPTER 10

The Essentials of Covenants and Meetings

Section 10.1

Although his highest intentions are difficult to convey, is it not the case that the Sage [i.e., Confucius] prized eradicating the world’s misfortunes? Thus the Spring and Autumn attaches great importance to this subject and records the world’s misfortunes in a comprehensive way. It takes as its root revealing the various causes of misfortune with the intention of eradicating misfortune in the world. What do I mean?

Only when the world is free of misfortune can human nature become good.

Only when human nature can become good will the transformative influence of purity and honesty flow forth.

Only when the transformative influence of purity and honesty flows forth will the Kingly Way prosper and ritual and music flourish.

The heart of the matter lies here.

A tradition states: “When the Lords of the Land assembled together and concluded covenants, the Noble Man said: This is a case of the generals taking the lead in order to restore their states.”1 By this means, the Noble Man expressed sorrow for the world, considering that misfortunes had already amounted to the assassination of thirty-six rulers and the destruction of fifty-two states. [This happened] because evil had not been eradicated when it was still quite insignificant. His terminology itself conveyed this [sorrow]. Thus I say [the Spring and Autumn]:

establishes principles to illuminate the distinction between the lofty and humble;

strengthens the trunk and weakens the branches to illuminate duties great and small;

differentiates conduct that appears deceptively similar to illuminate the righteous principles of rectifying the age;

selects various people with the intention of assigning to them praise or blame, to rectify those who stray from correct ritual practice;

never fails to praise goodness, no matter how insignificant

and never fails to condemn evil, no matter how trifling,

[in order] to enhance moral beauty [in the world];

differentiates the worthy and foolish to illuminate the honorable;

cherishes those who are near and attracts those who are distant, starting with his own state [of Lu] and [extending to] encompass the world;

and designates human relationships and ranks the events [that it records]² so that they do not depart from their respective principles.

With a public-spirited heart, it relies on right and wrong to reward good and punish evil so that the enriching influence of the king spreads throughout the world. It begins by eradicating misfortune [and concludes] by rectifying the [grand] unity [of King Wen] so that all things are put in order. Thus it is said, “Great indeed are the designations of the Spring and Autumn! With two expressions, [praise and blame], it disciplines the world.” This is what this expression means. [10/20/30–10/21/9]

 

According to the Gongyang Commentary, covenants initiated by the Lords of the Land violated ritual protocol and were considered a major source of political turmoil, leading to the demise and destruction of many rulers and their states. Thus in attempting to eradicate evil in the world and restore the Kingly Way, Confucius targeted instances of interstate covenants as particularly problematic. The Gongyang Commentary at Duke Huan 2.3.2 explains: “In ancient times there were no covenants. One made a verbal contract and withdrew.” As for meeting and assembling, Duke Zhuang 3.4.4 explains: “In ancient times, the Lords of the Land participated in matters of meeting and assembling with other Lords of the Land. In accordance with the Way of Chao and Bin, their official addresses invariably mentioned the former lords when they greeted one another.”

The record on interstate meetings is more complicated. Even though the Gongyang Commentary seems not to approve of them in general, because the Lords of the Land were not supposed to cross their borders except to pay a court visit to the Son of Heaven when summoned, some Lords of the Land are praised for the manner in which they conducted themselves during an interstate meeting. This appears to be one of those instances of Confucius’s “seeing good in evil” discussed elsewhere in the Chunqiu fanlu (Lai, CQFLJZJY 237, note 1). But note that Zhong Zhaopeng cites He Xiu’s commentary to support the blanket condemnation of covenants and meetings. While it is clear from the preceding example that the Gongyang expresses overt disapproval of interstate covenants, its disapproval of interstate meetings appears to be embedded in the choice of terminology when these records appear.

  1.  Emending junzi xiu guo yue: ci jiang shuai wei ye 君子修國曰: 此將率為也 to ci jiang shuai wei xiu guo ye 此將率為修國也, as suggested by Yu Yue and cited in Su Yu, CQFLYZ 141.

  2.  The same expression ming lun deng wu 名倫等物 appears at the beginning of chapter 5.1: “The Spring and Autumn uses language cautiously. It is careful of how it designates human relationships and how it ranks the events [that it records].”