Section 28.1
The
Spring and Autumn states: “[Our lord] met with [the royal] minister, the Duke of Zhou.” It also states: “Our lord met with the marquis of Qi, duke of Song, earl of Zheng, baron of Xu, and viscount of Sheng.”
1 Moreover, it says: “For the first time we presented six [rows of] feather dancers.”
2 The [
Gongyang]
Commentary says: “The three dukes of the Son of Heaven are designated as dukes, and the descendants of the kings are designated as dukes. As for the rest, the rulers of large states are called marquises, and the rulers of small states are called earls, viscounts, and barons.”
3 In general, there were these five grades. Thus the ranks of the Zhou dynasty consisted of five grades with officers in three classes. There was more outer refinement and less inner simplicity. The
Spring and Autumn had [ranks of] three grades, combining “earl,” “viscount,” and “baron” in one rank, and its officers had two classes. There was less outer refinement and more inner simplicity. [28/36/3–6]
The
Spring and Autumn says: “Jing.”
4 The [
Gongyang]
Commentary says: “[Being referred to by] clan is not as good as being referred to as ‘a man’; being referred to as ‘a man’ is not as good as being referred to by personal name; being referred to by personal name is not as good as being referred to by style.
5 As a general rule, [in the
Spring and Autumn] these four grades [are] designated [as] “dependent states.” All the Three Dynasties upheld these terms. [28/36/6–7]
Section 28.3
This being so, what kinds of divisions and ranks were there in the various territories? The answer is, the boundaries of the lands were as follows: the Son of Heaven [had a territory] one thousand li [square]; dukes and marquises [had a territory] one hundred li [square]; earls [had a territory] seventy li [square]; and viscounts and barons [had a territory] fifty li [square]. With the dependent states, [persons] designated by a style [had a territory] thirty li square; [persons] designated by a personal name [had a territory] twenty li square; [persons] referred to as “men” or by their clan name [had a territory] ten li square. [28/36/7–9]
Section 28.4
The
Spring and Autumn mentions: “[the royal] minister, the Duke of Zhou.” The [
Gongyang]
Commentary explains: “[He was one of the] three dukes of the Son of Heaven.”
6 [The
Spring and Autumn records:] “The earl of Cai arrived.” The [
Gongyang]
Commentary explains: “[Who was this earl of Cai?] [He was a] great officer of the Son of Heaven.”
7 [The
Spring and Autumn mentions:] “The [royal] minister Zhu Bo Jiu.” The [
Gongyang]
Commentary states: “He was a junior great officer.”
8 [The
Spring and Autumn mentions:] “Shi Shang.” The [
Gongyang]
Commentary explains: “He was a functionary of the Son of Heaven.”
9 The
Spring and Autumn records: “The king’s man.” The [
Gongyang]
Commentary states: “It was a case of avoiding his name. He was a junior functionary.”
10 These references total five ranks. [28/26/9–12]
Section 28.5
The
Spring and Autumn states: “create the Three Armies.” The [
Gongyang]
Commentary states: “Why was this recorded? In order to criticize. What was there to criticize? In ancient times [there were the four ranks of] senior minister, junior minister, senior functionary, and junior functionary.”
11 Now as for these four ranks: the great officer of a small state shared a rank equal to that of the junior minister of a middling state; the great officer of a middling state shared a rank equal to that of the junior minister of a large state; the junior great officer of a large state shared a rank equal to that of a junior functionary of the Son of Heaven. There were a total of twenty-four grades and eight levels of compensation.
Those with great merit and virtue received greater rank as a functionary;
those with less merit and virtue received lesser rank as a functionary.
Those with great talent held a great official position;
those with small talent held a small official position.
When official posts accord with ability, it is the perfection of governance. Thus
one man in ten thousand men was designated “talented”;
one man in one thousand was designated “eminent”;
one man in one hundred men was designated “prominent”;
and one man in ten was designated “brave.”
12The [designations] brave, prominent, eminent, and talented did not contravene one another. Consequently, governing the world was [as easy as] rolling a ball in the palm of one’s hand. [28/36/12–17]
Section 28.6
On what were the numbers of the various departments of the Son of Heaven and Lords of the Land modeled? The answer is: The departments of the Son of Heaven were divided into right and left, with five grades totaling 360 men,
13 in imitation of the number of days in Heaven’s yearly cycle, with the color symbols of the five grades corresponding to the five seasons. The assistant generals numbered seven, and senior and junior ministers totaled 280 men in the image of the Heavenly Court. This was double the number for the Lords of the Land.
The outer assistants for the Lords of the Land were divided into four grades, totaling 120 men, in imitation of the numbers corresponding to the six nodal points of the four seasons. Their assistant generals and senior and junior functionaries numbered sixty, imitating the numbers of days and the chronograms.
14Why do the assistants consist of three groups of three and then repeat? The answer is: Each season is completed in three months, and the great Chronogram constellation consists of three stars.
Why do the ranks of the Lords of the Land consist of five grades? The answer is: They imitate the numbers of Heaven and Earth. The five officials are likewise. [28/36/17–21]
This being so, how were the numbers for the officials and subofficials divided and allocated? The answer is: The Lords of the Land of the large states had four armies. Such were the ancient regulations. Among them, one army was meant to guard the royal family.
Why was the total number of the conscript armies three? The answer is: A large state with a population of 160,000 established three conscript armies.
What is the explanation for this? The answer is: [The ruler] used the well field as a standard to calculate. Each square
li made one “well”; each well consisted of nine hundred
mu and was used for calculating the population. [Each] square
li sustained eight households; every household had one hundred
mu, which fed [a minimum of] five people. The best farmers,
15 cultivating one hundred
mu, fed nine people; the next best, eight people; the next best, seven people; the next best, six people; the next best, five people.
16 Those who were even more inferior [produced] proportionate results, so that one hundred
mu fed three people. [In that case,] one square
li of land fed twenty-four people, and ten square
li fed 240.
17A square ten
li [on a side] makes 100 square
li, which can sustain 2,400 people; a square one hundred
li [on a side] makes 1,000 square
li, which can sustain 24,000 people. A square 1,000
li [on a side] makes 10,000 square
li, which can sustain 240,000 people.
18[The ruler] in standard [practice] divided [this land] into thirds and set aside one-third for walls and moats, inner walls and watchtowers, halls and houses, gates and lanes, streets, roads, and markets, government offices and bureaus, gardens and parks, hedges and stockades, terraces and fishponds, and groves and gardens.
19 [Thus] there was [a remainder] of sixty-six plots of good land in each [area of] ten
li square. This additional [area of] square
li, [amounting to] sixty-six [hundredths of the total], was designated as [farmland] that sustained a population of 160,000. Dividing this into thirds, each third contained 53,333 people, of whom the adult [males] made up the Three Armies. This applied to dukes and marquises. [28/36/21–29]
Section 28.8A
The territory of the Son of Heaven was one thousand li [square], that is, one hundred parcels of one hundred li square [i.e., in both calculations, one million square li.] [In this case] also, one-third was put aside [for nonagricultural use]. [Thus] there were sixty-six parcels of [agricultural] fields, [each] one hundred li square. This additional [area of] ten-li-square [parcels, amounting to] sixty-six [hundredths of the total], was designated as [farmland] that could sustain a population of 16,000,000. Dividing this by nine, each group had 1,777,777 persons, which [formed the basis of] the capital’s nine conscript armies. Three of the capital’s conscript armies were meant to defend the royal family.
Thus the Son of Heaven established [his household as follows:] One queen; one elder consort; consorts of the center, left, and right; four concubines; and three ladies of excellence. He established one heir apparent, three dukes, nine ministers, twenty-seven great officers, eighty-one senior functionaries, and 243 junior functionaries. There also were seven senior ministers, twenty-one junior ministers, sixty-three senior functionaries, and 189
20 junior functionaries.
The royal queen appointed one grand mentor, one grand mother, three uncles, and three aides. The elder consort [was attended by] four concubines and three ladies of excellence; each had her respective tutor. The heir apparent had a greater and a lesser mentor,
21 three senior commandants, and three junior commandants.
22The officers who entered [the palace] to take up office as lodging guards of the Son of Heaven were comparable to the junior functionaries. The junior functionaries were taken from the lower numbers of the senior functionaries. The personal guards of the royal queen consisted of senior and junior attendants, each numbering five. The heir apparent; center, left, and right consorts; and four concubines were provided with senior and junior attendants, each numbering five. The three ladies of excellence were each provided with five men. The guardians of the heir apparent’s concubines and his officers followed the regulations for dukes and marquises.
The mentors of the empress had senior and junior scribes, each numbering five men; the three uncles each had senior and junior scribes, each numbering five men; and the junior uncles each had five scribes. The grand mentor to the heir apparent had senior and junior scribes, each numbering five men; the lesser mentor to the heir apparent also had five scribes; three senior commandants and three junior commandants also had scribes, each numbering five. The three dukes had senior and junior scribes, each numbering five men; the minister had senior and junior scribes, each numbering five men; the great officers had senior and junior scribes, each numbering five men; the senior functionaries had senior and junior scribes, each numbering five men; the scribes of the senior and junior ministers and the senior and junior offices also each numbered five. The [scribes for the] underlings of the ministers, great officers, and senior functionaries numbered three. [28/36/29–28/37/12]
Accordingly, the territory of dukes and marquises was one hundred li square, with one-third of the land put aside [for nonagricultural use]. [Thus] in each parcel that was ten li square, sixty-six [parcels] were designated as agricultural land. This additional [area of] square li, [amounting to] sixty-six [hundredths of the total] was designated as [farmland] that could sustain a population of 160,000. This [population] was divided into three [groups] to [form the basis of] the three conscript armies of a large state, [thus] establishing it as a large state.
[The dukes and marquises appointed] one principal wife, one elder consort, one consort of the left and one of the right, three concubines, and two ladies of excellence. [They] appointed one heir apparent, three ministers, nine great officers, twenty-seven senior functionaries, and eighty-one junior functionaries. [They] established one heir apparent and three ministers. There also were five plenipotentiary great officers who established senior and junior functionaries.
The position of the senior minister was comparable to the senior functionary of the Son of Heaven, with [an annual salary of] eight hundred bushels.
23 The junior ministers received [an annual salary of] six hundred bushels; senior functionaries received [an annual salary of] four hundred bushels; and junior functionaries received [an annual salary of] three hundred bushels. The principal wife appointed one maternal mentor, three uncles, and three aides. The elder consort and the consorts of the left and right [each were attended by] three concubines and two ladies of excellence, each with their respective mentors and guardians. The heir apparent appointed a senior mentor and an aide.
The officers [designated as] guards of the lodgings of the honorable were [variously] of comparable rank to the senior ministers [of the Son of Heaven], of whom there were three, to the junior ministers, of whom there were six, and to the senior and junior functionaries with appropriate numbers [according to] senior or junior [status].
The personal guards of the principal consort consisted of senior and junior attendants, five of each. The elder consort and the left and right consorts were provided with senior and junior attendants, five of each. The two ministers were each provided with attendants, five for each.
The senior mentor to the heir apparent had senior and junior scribes, five of each; the aides had five scribes each. The three ministers, nine great officers, and senior functionaries each had five scribes. The junior functionaries each had five scribes. The plenipotentiary great officers and senior and junior functionaries each had five scribes. The [scribes for the] underlings of the ministers were two in number. These are the regulations for dukes and marquises. Worthy men of the rank of duke and marquis became regional overlords, who were presented with a battle-ax and a halberd and were furnished with one hundred “Brave as Tigers” [guards]. [28/37/12–21]
Section 28.8C
Accordingly, the earls’ territory was seventy li [square]. Seven times seven is forty-nine [making a total area of 4,900 square li]. One-third of the land was put aside [for nonagricultural use]. Land for agricultural use was established as twenty-eight parcels, [each] ten li square. This additional [area of] ten li square [parcels], amounting to] sixty-six [hundredths of the total] was designated as [farmland,] which sustained a population of 109,212, constituting the three conscript armies of a medium state, [thus] establishing it as a medium state.
[Earls appointed] one principal consort, one elder consort, one consort of the left and one of the right, three ladies of excellence, and two grandsons. [They] established one heir apparent, three ministers, nine great officers, twenty-seven senior functionaries, eighty-one junior functionaries, and five plenipotentiary great officers, with five senior functionaries and fifteen junior functionaries.
The position of the senior minister was comparable to the junior minister of a large state with [an annual salary of] six hundred bushels. The junior ministers received [an annual salary of] four hundred bushels; senior functionaries received [an annual salary of] three hundred bushels; junior functionaries received [an annual salary of] two hundred bushels. The principal consort appointed one maternal mentor, three uncles, and three aides. The elder consort, consort of the left and of the right, three concubines, and two ladies of excellence each had their respective mentors and guardians. The heir apparent had a senior mentor.
The officers [designated as] guards of the lodgings of the honorable were [variously] of comparable rank to the senior ministers [of the Son of Heaven], of whom there were three, to the junior minister, of whom there were six, and to the senior and junior functionaries with appropriate numbers [according to] senior or junior [status]. The personal guards of the principal consort consisted of senior and junior attendants, five of each. The elder consort and consorts of the left and of the right were provided with senior and junior attendants, five of each. The two ministers were each provided with attendants, five for each.
The senior mentor to the heir apparent had senior and junior scribes, five of each. The three ministers, nine great officers, and senior functionaries each had five scribes. The junior functionaries each had five scribes. The plenipotentiary great officers and senior and junior functionaries each had five scribes. The [scribes for the] underlings of the ministers were two in number. [28/37/21–29]
Section 28.8D
Accordingly, the territory of viscounts and barons was fifty li [square]. Five times five is twenty-five, [making a total area of 2,500 square li]. Land for agricultural use was established as ten li [square] [parcels amounting to] sixty-six [hundredths of the total] to sustain a population of forty thousand, which constituted the three conscript armies of a small state, thus establishing it as a small state.
[Viscounts and barons appointed] one principal consort, one elder consort, one consort of the left and of the right, three ladies of excellence, and two grandsons. [They] established one heir apparent, three ministers, nine great officers, twenty-seven senior functionaries, eighty-one junior functionaries, five plenipotentiary great officers, five senior functionaries, and fifteen junior functionaries.
The position of the senior minister was comparable [in rank] to the junior minister of a medium state, with [an annual salary of] four hundred bushels. The junior ministers received [an annual salary of] three hundred bushels; senior functionaries received [an annual salary of] two hundred bushels; junior functionaries received [an annual salary of] one hundred bushels.
The principal consort appointed one maternal mentor, three uncles, and three aides. The elder consort, consorts of the left and of the right, three concubines, and two ladies of excellence each had their respective mentors and guardians. The heir apparent had a senior mentor.
The officers [designated as] guards of the lodgings of the honorable were of comparable rank to the senior ministers, of whom there were three, and to the junior ministers, of whom there were six.
The personal guards of the principal consort consisted of senior and junior guards, five of each. The elder consort and consorts of the left and of the right were provided with senior and junior attendants, five of each. The two ministers were each provided with attendants, five for each.
The senior mentor to the heir apparent had senior and junior scribes, five of each; the aides had five scribes each. The three ministers, nine great officers, and senior functionaries each had five scribes. The junior functionaries each had five scribes. The plenipotentiary great officers and senior and junior functionaries each had five scribes. The [scribes for the] underlings of the ministers were two in number.
These were the Zhou regulations. The Spring and Autumn combined earl, viscount, and baron into one grade. [28/37/29–28/38/6]
Section 28.8E
Accordingly, the territory of a dependent state whose ruler was referred to by his style was thirty
li [square].
24 Three times three is nine; [thus the area of the state was nine hundred square
li]. One-third of the land was put aside [for nonagricultural use]. Land designated for agricultural use, in parcels ten
li square, amounted to six[-ninths of the total], designated as sustaining a population of 14,400, which constituted the three conscript armies.
[The ruler appointed one] principal wife for the [head of the] lineage, two secondary wives, one heir apparent, one steward, one aide, one functionary, and five ranked functionaries. The steward [was comparable in rank to] the junior minister of a viscount or baron, with [an annual salary of] three hundred bushels. The principal wife of the [head of the] lineage had her mentors and guardians. She had three attendants; the secondary wives each had two. The heir apparent had one mentor. The officers [designated as] guards of the lodgings of the lord were comparable [in rank] to the senior minister and junior minister [of a viscount or baron], of whom there were one of each, with comparable numbers of seniors and juniors. The mentor of the heir apparent had senior and junior scribes, five all together.
25The territory of a dependent state whose ruler was referred by his personal name
26 was half
27 of the size of a dependent state whose ruler was referred to by his style. Nine halved [is 4.5; therefore the area of the state was 450 square
li]. One-third was put aside [for nonagricultural use]; thus there were three [hundred] parcels of [agricultural] fields. This was designated [as being able to sustain] a population of 7,200. The heir apparent was comparable to a steward with [an annual salary of] two hundred bushels.
The ruler of a dependent state of the lowest order had a territory one-fourth that [of a ruler who was referred to by his style]. It was divided into thirds, [with a total area of] 22.5
28 parcels [of land of ten square
li]. One third was set aside [for nonagricultural use]. Thus of land designated as [agricultural] fields, there was one fewer ten-square-
li field than the fifteen [such] fields
29 designated [as being able to sustain] a population of 3,600. The heir apparent was comparable to a steward with [an annual salary of] one hundred bushels. There were five scribes. The principal wife of the [head of the] lineage had personal guards;
30 the heir [apparent] had underlings.
31 [28/37/29–28/38/13]