Book 6, Part 5

CHAPTER 18

Departing from and Conforming to the Fundamental

Section 18.1

Heaven

elevates its position yet sends down its manifestations,

conceals its form yet reveals its light.

It elevates its position; that is what makes it honorable.

It sends down its manifestations; that is what makes it humane.

It conceals its form; that is what makes it spiritlike.

It reveals its light; that is what makes it brilliant.

Therefore

to position oneself as honorable yet practice humaneness,

to conceal one’s form¹ yet reveal one’s light,

is the conduct of Heaven.

Therefore one who would rule others emulates the conduct of Heaven. For this reason,

he is deeply hidden within; that is what makes him spiritlike;

he is widely observant without; that is what makes him brilliant.

He relies on the multitudinous worthies; that is what makes him enjoy success;

He does not weary himself with tasks; that is what makes him honorable.

He universally loves the multitudinous living things, not using [his personal] joy or anger [as the basis for] rewards and punishments; that is what makes him humane.

Therefore one who would rule others

takes holding to “no action” to be his Way,

takes holding to “no self” to be his treasure.

Established in the position of no action, he avails himself of officials completely prepared for service.

His own feet do not move, but his assistants guide him forward.

His own mouth does not utter, but his master of ceremonies assists him by speaking.

His own mind does not scheme, but his multitudinous officials exert themselves to do what is needed.

Therefore no one observes him act, and yet his achievements are brought to fruition. This is how one who rules others emulates the conduct of Heaven.

One who would serve as minister to another emulates the Way of Earth, which

exposes its form

and reveals its true nature

in order to manifest [itself] to others so that [whether]

high or low,

difficult or easy,

firm or pliable,

hard or soft,

fertile or barren,

beautiful or ugly,

in every case [its terrain] may be discerned and judged. Therefore the suitability or unsuitability of its form may be discerned and judged.

One who would serve as minister to another is like the Earth in valuing trustworthiness and fully manifesting his true nature to the ruler so that the ruler may, in this case too, discern and judge him. Consequently, the Kingly Way will be awe inspiring and faultless. One who would serve as minister to another constantly reveals his true nature and uses his strength to the utmost and so manifests his shortcomings and capabilities, thereby enabling the ruler to employ him according to his talent. He is like the Earth that constantly reveals its true nature. Accordingly, the suitability of his form may [also] be discerned and judged.2 [18/25/10–20]

 

Although Su Yu maintains that the title of this chapter, “Li he gen” 離合根, does not correspond to the contents, we believe that it does, at least to some extent. Like all the chapter titles in the “Monarchical Principles” group of chapters, the title is three characters long and begins with a verb. The subject of the chapter is the roles of the ruler and his ministers. The ruler is depicted as a sage who emulates Heaven’s fundamental norms: he is honorable, humane, spiritlike, and brilliant, but also deep and mysterious. In choosing ministers and assigning them tasks, the ruler must assess their abilities and gauge the degree to which they depart from or conform to the fundamental.

  1.  We have emended shen 神 to xing 形 to make it consistent with its earlier parallel.

  2.  Su Yu adduces Guanzi, book 1, chapter 5, “Sheng ma” 乘馬 (On Military Taxes): “When the ruler initiates an undertaking, the ministers do not dare lie about their lack of ability. The ruler knows his ministers, and the ministers know that the ruler knows them. Thus no minister will dare fail to exert himself to the utmost.” Compare W. Allyn Rickett, trans., Guanzi: Political, Economic, and Philosophical Essays from Early China (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1985), 1:123. Guanzi, book 10, chapter 1, “Jun chen shang” 君臣上 (Ruler and Ministers, Part 1), states: “When an enlightened ruler promotes his subordinates, he is fully aware of their shortcomings and capabilities.” Further, from “Jun chen xia” 下 (Ruler and Ministers, Part 2): “The ruler who possesses the Way clings to the fundamentals; the prime minister clings to the essentials; and the great officers cling to the laws to shepherd the multitudinous ministers. The multitudinous ministers expend their wisdom and use their strength to the utmost in serving their superior.” Compare Rickett, Guanzi, 1:405, 415–16; and Su Yu, CQFLYZ 171–72. For the translation of the chapter title, “Sheng ma,” as “On Military Taxes,” see Rickett, Guanzi, 1:114–15.