Archives de l’auteur : Christian Plantin

ATC – Background information on the Chan-kuo Ts’e

ATC 

ATC – The Zhanguoce (= Chan-kuo Ts’e)
« Strategies of the Warring States »

1. The Warring States

Zhou dynasty: from c. 1046 BC until 256 BC (Zhou = Tchou = Tcheou
Western Zhou
Eastern Zhou:
                Spring and Autumn period: c. 771 – 256 BCE (First half of the Eastern Zhou period)
                Warring States period: c. 475 – 221 BCE (Second half of the Eastern Zhou period)

Map of the Warring States c. 260 BCE

Pinyin Qin Zhao Yan Qi Chu Wei Han
Wades-Giles Ch’in Chao Yen ch’i Ch’u Wei Han
EFEO Ts’in Tchao Yen k’i, ts’i Tch’ou Wei Han

2. Zhan Guo Ce (Wade-Giles Chan-kuo Ts’e)

« Strategies (Annals) of the Warring States »(Wade-Giles Chan-kuo Ts’e)
An online translation: https://warringstates.wixsite.com/warringstates

« The Zhan Guo Ce was originally compiled by Han dynasty scholar Liu Xiang » (77–6 BCE)
(Wikipedia, Zhan Guo Ce)
Information on the text: Loewe Michael (ed.) 1993. Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide. The Society for the Study of Early China –  The Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California.

3. Su Qin (= Su Ch’in), ?–284 BCE 

James Irving Crump Legends of the Warring States: Persuasions, Romances and Stories from the Chan-kuo Ts’e (1998). University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 

« In the section labeled « Four Romances » the reader will find reconstructed biographical / rhetorical « romances of the most famous persuaders, Fang Chü,  Zhang Yi, Su Qin and Ch’unshen Chün. » (Legends…, p.10)

— « Peripatetic Persuaders » and their « Persuasions »

« Sometimes during the third to second century B.C., the [Zhou] kingdom and its feudal subdivisions (which we will call states in this book) had crumbled badly […] This era of great change was characterized by, among other things, the rise of a class of political advisors and technocrats who peddled their services to anyone in power.Their activities are known to us today through the hundreds of carefully crafted pieces of rhetorical literature that are called « persuasions” in this book. These are found in several other works but are more often and most closely associated with Chan-kuo ts’e. » (Legends… p. 1)

The debacle 

The debacle [of the Six states] was the overarching historical fact of that age. However, as I see it, the geist of the era, romanticized fictionalized though it may be, is captured in the Chan-kuo Ts’e. This it does by constructing stories about, and giving samples of, the imagined activities (primarily speeches) of the peripatetic persuaders. Although anyone of the names of these men in our book may be entirely fictional, there can be no doubt that such a class, with its skill in political advising and manipulation, did flourish. (Id., p.9)

The « legendary vertical and horizontal alliances » (p. 8)

« By the time of the Warring States period, the major contest was between the powerful State of Qin situated in the west, and the other six mid-power, namely Yan, Zhao, Wei, Qi, Chu, and Han. The seven states engaged in a complex series of pacts and military alliances.
The Horizontal Alliance adopted by Qin, followed a west–east alignment aimed at curbing the coalitions of the other six states.
— In contrast, the Vertical Alliance formed a north–south alignment among the six states to block Qin’s further expansion.
The spokesperson for the Vertical Alliance is Su Qin, while the spokesperson for the Horizontal Alliance is Zhang Yi. (Wikipedia,School of Diplomacy).

Su Qin and Zhang Yi « Persuasions » are translated In Crump, Legends…, :
The  Romance of Chang Yi, p.37-61
The Romance of Su Ch’in, p. 62-88.

ATC – Slippery Slope

ATC

  Slippery Slope
“If you cede land to Ch’in once, you will soon lack land enough to satisfy her.”

(*) Her = the imperialist state of Ch’in

Background information

– On the Warring States Period – Maps
– On the Chan-kuo Ts’e

During the Warring States period (5th-3rd century BCE), the expansionist state of Qin fought the six states of Zhao, Yan, Qi, Chu, Wei, and Han.
The following passage is taken from the « Chan-kuo Tse« ,also known as the « Annals of the Warring States » or « Strategies of the Warring States.« 
Su Chin is one of the most famous « wandering persuaders » of that era. In this passage, he persuades the King of Han to join the state of Chao and the « vertical alliance ».

 

1. When Su Ch’in formed the alliance for Chao, he persuaded the King of Han thus:

§2-§3: Su Ch’in boosts the self confidence of the king of Han 
— Its  system of defense and its natural protection:
“In the North of Han there are the bastions of Kung-lo and Ch’eng-kao …

— The quality of its archery
The most powerful bows and the staunchest crossbows in the world come from Han. …
Used against an ennemy, they can cleave asunder the stoutest armour, shields, leather boots, and helmets. …

—The quality of her troops:
Given the bravery of Han troops, their stout armour, their staunch crossbows and their keen blades, no one will deny that one Han soldier can withstand a hundred men from elsewhere!

§4-10 Facing the consequences of a surrender to Chin:
4. Now, taking into account the strength of Chao and Your Majesty’s merit, why should you face West and serve Ch’in , proclaim yoursel her eastern bulwark? Wherefore should you built her a palace fit for imperial dignity, accept Chin’s cap and sash, supply her needs for spring and autumn sacrifice, and submit to her with folded arms? No action could bring greater shame to your state, or more derision from the empire! It is for these reasons that I would have Your Majesty make careful plans here.

A slippery slope
5. If Your Majesty serve Ch’in, she will certainly ask for territories of Yi-yang and Ch’ebg-kao. If today you do as you are bidden, next year there will be greater exaction. If you cede land to Ch’in once, you will soon lack land enough to satisfy her. Yet if you refuse her but a single time, you forfeit all your previous merit and will suffer even greater calamity at her hand. 

6. Now, since Your Majesty’s lands are  limited and Ch’in’s demand are not, the use of limited resources to head off limitless demand,  can be called ‘going to the market for ill will and buying calamity’  — all your territory will be lost bCh’in, she will certainly ask for your territories will be lost before you have fought a single battle.

Authority of popular saying
7. I have heard a vulgar saying which goes: ‘Better to be the beak of a chicken than the rump-end of an ox.’

8. Presently, your majesty has drawn close to Ch’in. You face the West, submit to and serve Ch’in — how does this differ from playing the rump of the ox? I find it shameful that a ruler of Your Majesty’s worth who controls a state with the power Han has should yet have a name for acting the ox’s rump.

The king of Han is persuaded
9. The king of Han colored in anger, pushed back his sleeves, put his hand on his sword, raised his face to the heavens, and with a sigh said:

10. “Though I die for it, I shall never submit to Ch’in. Now that you have come to me and instructed me on what the king of Chao requires, I respectfully offer you my state in compliance.”

 

ATC — Mencius, presence, ox

ATC Presence:
You had seen the ox, but you had not seen the sheep.

 

  1. King Xuan of Qi asked, “Will you teach me about the great hegemons, Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin?”
  2. Mencius replied, “The disciples of Confucius did not speak of the affairs of these rulers, so later generations of followers had nothing to pass on. I have not learned of them. Failing in this, may I speak to you of True Kingship?”
  3. “What sort of virtue must one have to rule as a True King?”
  4. Mencius said, “If one rules by protecting the people, none can stop him.”
  5. “Could a man like me rule as a protector of the people?”
  6. “Yes.”
  7. “How do you know I could?”
  8. Mencius said, “I heard from your courtier Hu He that when Your Majesty was sitting up in the great hall, an ox was dragged by in the court below, and that seeing it you asked, ‘Where are you taking that ox?’ Your courtiers told you that it was to be slaughtered and its blood used to anoint a newly cast bell, and you said, ‘Spare it. I can’t bear to see it whimpering like an innocent man being taken for execution.’ And when your courtiers asked whether you wished them not to consecrate the bell you said, ‘How can we do away with that? Use a sheep instead.’ I wonder whether the story is accurate.”
  9. “Yes, it is.”
  10. “Well then, your heart is sufficient for you to reign as a True King. The people all thought you spared the ox because you were stingy, but I understand that it was because you could not bear its distress.”
  11. The King said, “That’s right. That’s just what they said. But even though Qi is not a big state, how could I begrudge sacrificing a single ox? It was that I couldn’t bear its whimpering like an innocent man being taken for execution, so I told them to substitute a sheep.”
  12. “Your Majesty should not be surprised that the people took you to be stingy, since you substituted a smaller animal for a large one. How could they know? If your concern was that they were being executed despite their innocence, what difference would there be between an ox and a sheep?”
  13. The King laughed. “Really, what was I thinking? I wasn’t thinking about the expense when I said to substitute a sheep, but it’s natural that the people said I was just being stingy.”
  14. Mencius said, “There was no harm in what you did – it was the working of humanity. You had seen the ox, but you had not seen the sheep. For a junzi, if he has seen a bird or beast alive, he cannot watch it die; if he has heard its voice, he cannot bear to eat its flesh. This is why the junzi keeps his distance from the kitchen!”
  15. The King was pleased. “The Poetry says,
    The heart lies within another,
    Yet it is I who takes its measure.
    How perfectly this describes you, Sir!
    When I reflected on my actions, I could not grasp my own mind in this, but your words match perfectly with my feelings at the time. But now tell me how such feelings accord with one who rules as a True King.”
  16. Mencius said, “If someone said to Your Majesty, ‘I have strength enough to lift half a ton, but not to lift a feather; vision clear enough to observe the tip of a hair but not a load of firewood,’ would you accept what he said?”
  17. “No.”
  18. “Well then, why would one accept that Your Majesty’s kindness could extend even to the birds and beasts, but its works could not extend to the people? If one cannot lift a feather it is because he won’t use his use strength; if one cannot see a cartload of firewood it is because he won’t use his sight. If the people have no protector it is because you are not using your kindness. Hence, Your Majesty does not rule as a True King only because you will not, not because you cannot.”
  19. The King said, “How are being unwilling and unable truly different?”
  20. “When it comes to picking up Mt. Tai and carrying it over the Northern Sea, if you tell someone, ‘I can’t do it,’ it is because you truly are not able. When it comes to helping an elderly man crack his joints, if you tell someone, ‘I can’t do it,’ it means you’re unwilling to do it, not that you truly are unable. That Your Majesty does not rule as a True King is not a matter of carrying Mt. Tai over the Northern Sea, it is like being unwilling to help an old man crack his joints.
  21. “Treat your aged kin as the elderly should be treated, and then extend that to the treatment of the aged kinsmen of others; treat your young kin as the young should be treated, and then extend it to the young children of others. If you do this, you will be able to govern the world as though you turned it in your palm. The Poetry says:An exemplar in treating his wife,
    And extending to his brothers,
    Thus he ruled the family and the state.What this is speaking of is taking one’s own heart and applying it in the treatment of others. If you extend your kindness it will be enough to protect all within the Four Seas of the world; if you don’t extend your kindness, you can’t even protect your wife and children. The reason that the ancients so far exceeded other men is none other than this: they excelled in extending what they did. Now, why is it that you are kind enough in your treatment of birds and beasts, but your works do not extend to the people?
  22. Mencius continued, “But perhaps Your Majesty’s heart is only content when you have mobilized your troops, imperiled your subjects, and incited the resentment of other lords.”
  23. “No,” said the King. “How could this bring me contentment? It is just that I wish to attain my great desire.”
  24. “May I hear what this desire may be?”
  25. The King smiled but did not speak.
  26. Mencius said, “Is it that you lack rich foods that satisfy your palate, fine clothes that bring comfort to your body, colorful décor that can bring pleasure to your eyes, beautiful music to stimulate your ears, or court favorites to carry out your every order? Surely your royal officers could supply such wants – surely these are not what you mean.”
  27. “No,” said the King. “It is not because of such things.”
  28. “In that case, I can guess Your Majesty’s great desire. It is to broaden your territories, to have the rulers of Qin and Chu pay homage at your court, to stand at the center of the states and subdue the barbarians beyond the borders in all directions. But to pursue these ambitions by the means you now employ is like trying to catch fish by climbing a tree.”
  29. The King said, “Is it as bad as that?”
  30. “Likely worse! Climbing a tree in search of fish, though you will find no fish, no disaster will follow. Using your methods to seek your ambitions, if you exhaust your heart’s effort in the pursuit, disaster will surely follow.”
  31. “May I hear more?”
  32. Mencius said, “If the state of Zou fought the state of Chu, whom does Your Majesty think would prevail?”
  33. “The men of Chu would prevail.”
  34. “Precisely so. And this is because the small is inherently no match for the large, the few are no match for the many, and the weak are no match for the strong. Within all the four quarters, there are only nine regions of a thousand square li each, and your state of Qi commands altogether only one of these. To subdue eight by means of one – how is this different from little Zou trying to be a match for Chu? Indeed, you must instead reexamine theroot of the matter.
  35. “If Your Majesty were now to proclaim policies that were governed by humanity, you would cause all the warriors in the world to wish they could attend Your Majesty at court, all the tillers in the world to wish they could till Your Majesty’s lands, all the merchants in the world to wish they could collect at Your Majesty’s markets, all the travelers in the world to wish they could journey on Your Majesty’s roads. Everyone in the world who feels distress because of their rulers would wish to come denounce them before Your Majesty. If this were so, who could stop them?
  36. The King said, “I am slow witted – I can’t think through your strategy. I ask you, Sir, to assist me in my goals and instruct me in plain terms. Though I am not quick, please make the attempt.”
  37. Mencius said, “Only a gentleman can maintain a constant heart without constant means. For the common people, if they have no constant means of support, they cannot sustain their hearts’ resolve. Without the constant resolve of the heart, they will slip into excesses and deviant behavior, stopping at nothing. Now to allow them to fall into criminal ways in this manner and only then to punish them is to entrap the people. Whenever has there been a man of humanity in authority who set traps for peopl“The enlightened ruler regulates the people’s means of support, ensuring that these are sufficient for them to serve their parents and nurture their wives and children. Through good years, they will always have enough to eat their fill; in bad years, they will at least escape starvation. Then, when he guides them towards goodness, the people will find it no burden to follow.“But now, regulation of the people’s means of support does not provide them goods sufficient to serve their parents or nurture their wives and children. They live through good years in bitterness and in bad years they cannot escape starvation. In this way, they live in fear that nothing they can do will stave off death – where would they find the time to attend to matters of ritual and right?
  38. “If Your Majesty wishes to put these matters into practice, reexamine the root of the matter. When on every five mu plot of land a mulberry tree is planted, those fifty and over are able to wear silk clothes. When chicken, pigs, and dogs are bred in a timely way, all who are seventy and older have meat to eat. If laborers in fields of a hundred mu are not taken from their fieldwork during growing season, then even families with eight mouths to feed will never go hungry. When a ruler attends to the education given in village schools and sees that it is extended by the example of behavior that is filial to parents and deferential to elders, then none with white hair will carry heavy loads along the roads. There has never been a ruler who did not rule as a True King when the aged wore silk and ate meat, and when the people were never hungry or cold.”

ATC — Mencius inconsistencies

 

 ATC 

 Mencius inconsistencies 

2A.2 Gongsun Chou said, “On the one hand you have said, ‘Wherever the will leads the qi will follow.’ But you have also said, ‘Grasp your will and do not dissipate your qi.’ Is there not an inconsistency?”
MenciusiENO 2A2 p.39

6B.5 Wuluzi was delighted. “I have detected an inconsistency!” he said. He posed a question to Mencius: “When you went to Ren you visited Jizi. However, when you went to Qi you did not visit Chuzi; was this because he was prime minister?”
MenciusiENO 6B5 p.117

ATC — Feats difficult but improper

ATC

“The gentleman does not esteem feats
that are difficult but improper »

In matters of conduct, the gentleman does not esteem feats that are difficult but improper. In matters of argument, he does not esteem improper inquiries. In matters of reputation, he does not esteem improper fame. Only what is proper does he esteem. To cast oneself into a river while clutching a heavy stone is a difficult thing to do, but Shentu Di could do it.1 However, the gentleman does not esteem such conduct because it does not accord with ritual and yi.
Claims such as “Mountains and valley are level”, Heaven and Earth lie even”, “Qi and Qin are adjacent”, “It enters the ear and comes out the mouth”, “Women have whiskers”, “Eggs have feathers” — These are difficult arguments to propound, but Hui Shi and Deng Xi could do it. However, the gentleman does not esteem such arguments, because they do not accord with ritual and yi.

Robber Xhi was terrifying enough to make people stutter, but his reputation is widely known like the sun and moon and is ceaselessly handed down together with that of the Sages Shun and Yu.3 However, the gentleman does not esteem such reputation because it does not accord with ritual and yi. 

And so, I say: In matters of conduct, the gentleman does not esteem feats that are difficult but improper. In matters of argument, he does not esteem improper inquiries. In matters of reputation, he does not esteem improper fame. Only what is proper does he esteem. The Odes say; He does have many a good thing,/ But only with the right timing.
This expresses my meaning.

XunxiHUTTON, chapter 3, Nothing improper, p. 16

ATC — Sorite, or Chain syllogism

ATC

Confucean Sorite
If names are not right then speech does not accord with things;
if speech is not in accord with things, then affairs cannot be successful.

The term « Chinese sorite » or « Confucian sorite » is used by Masson-Oursel ([1912], p. 17) to designate « arguments [argumentations] expressing a sequence of means implemented by human activity in view of an end. » (1912, p. 20).
Regarding this form of argumentation in a passage from Confucius, Graham refers to « the sorite form later so common (if A then B; if B then C…)” (1989 p. 24). The qualification “Chinese” is actually unnecessary, since the phenomena referred to by the term “sorite” are of the same order in both Chinese and Western traditions.
The term « sorite » can be used  when there is no risk of confusion, and, when necessary, the  expression “Confucian sorite,” since since Confucius seems to have been the first to use this textual form.

Eno (2015, p. 11) uses the term ‘chain syllogism’ to refer to the well-known passage in the Analects in which Confucius justifies the importance of rectifying names.

13.3 Zilu said, “If the ruler of Wei were to entrust you with governance of his state, what would be your first priority.”
The Master said, “Most certainly, it would be to rectify names.”
Zilu said, “Is that so? How strange of you! How would this set things right?”
The Master said, “What a boor you are, Yóu! A junzi keeps silent about things he doesn’t understand.
“If names are not right then speech does not accord with things; if speech is not in accord with things, then affairs cannot be successful; when affairs are not successful, li and music do not flourish; when li and music do not flourish, then sanctions and punishments miss their mark; when sanctions and punishments miss their mark, the people have no place to set their hands and feet.
« Therefore, when a junzi gives things names, they may be properly spoken of, and what is said may be properly enacted. With regard to speech, the junzi permits no carelessness. »
AnalectsENO 2015, 13.3, p. 66.

Notes ENO
13.3 This states one facet of what is known as the doctrine of the “rectification of names.” There are many aspects to this idea. Passage 12.11, which stresses the need for people to perform their social roles properly, is often taken as a basic text for this doctrine. Passages 3.1 and 3.2, which concern usurpations of ritual prerogatives, are also sometimes linked to these ideas. Those passages stress the need to make one’s conduct match one’s social position. 13.3 stresses the need to align names to reflect the reality of circumstances; in this, it may resonate with 6.25.
Philosophical questions concerning the alignment of words and reality became central to fourth and third century BCE thought, and many interpreters believe that 13.3 is a product of that era or later.The Analects of Confucius 67w

Zilu was an important official in the state of Lu and a senior disciple of Confucius. Here, he openly challenges the Master by declaring that what he had just said seems ‘strange’ to him.
In general, in the Analects, he speaks to the Master with little regard for the ritual rules governing master-disciple interactions.
The process of degradation presented in this sorites unfolds in five stages which follow one another by virtue of a cause-and-effect relationship: ‘If… (then)…”. The first stage involves the indiscriminate use of names, and the final stage is strongly detrimental to the people, which corresponds to a state of social chaos.
The progression of the sorites can generally be temporal (before > after), causal (cause > effect) or logical (antecedent > consequent), or a combination of these (generation, narrative thread, etc.).

Progressive and Regressive Sorite

Masson-Oursel (1912) contrasts progressive and regressive sorites [1]

Texts considered as sorites can be classified under two headings: here the progression is forward, there it is backward.
Most progressive sorites mark the transition with the expression tse, “then.” The pattern of reasoning is: “This, then that.” This is how hypothetical judgments are expressed in Chinese, rendered in English as “if” or “when.”
Tse can be replaced by its synonyms tseu or seu.
In the first and third sorites of the Ta Hio, the expression eul heou, “then,” appears.
The connection is very strongly affirmed by the formula: “A cannot go without B” (pou k’o i pou), “A cannot not be followed by B.”
In all these examples, the first condition spreads like wildfire, so to speak, and propagates into new conditions, each one arising from the other. Thus, in Mencius IV, 1, § 27, each term is linked to the next by the expression: “the main fruit (‘chĕu’) of A is B

We know of only three examples of regressive sorites. The second sorite of « the Great learning” [1]indicates transitions with the word « previously (his). » To give a concrete example, let’s translate the passage literally.
« The ancient kings who wanted to shine brilliant virtues in the universe previously ruled their own country. Wanting to rule their country, they first brought order to their homes. Wanting to bring order to their homes, they first cultivated themselves. Wanting to cultivate themselves, they first corrected their hearts. Wanting to correct their hearts, they first made their thoughts sincere. Wanting to develop their knowledge, they first sought to make their thoughts sincere. Developing one’s knowledge means grasping the nature of things.”
The other regressive sorites apply to cases where reasoning is mixed, alternately regressive and progressive. Each step forward is an anticipation that is justified after the fact thanks to the formula: « In view of B, there is a means, a path to follow (you tao); given A, then B is also given. »

Masson-Oursel, Paul, 1912, p. 19-20.
The original text contains the references for the examples.
(1) Daxue =  Ta Hio, translated as “Great Learning”

Two Sorites of Confucius’s Great Learning

The short Confucian treatise The Great Learning begins with the regressive sorite (mentioned supra immediately followed by a progressive sorite with identical content.

[Progressive Sorite]

Only after affairs have been aligned may one’s understanding be fully extended. Only after one’s understanding is fully extended may one’s intentions be perfectly genuine. Only after one’s intentions are perfectly genuine may one’s mind be balanced. Only after one’s mind is balanced may one’s person be refined. Only after one’s person is refined may one’s household be aligned. Only after one’s state is ordered may the world be set at peace.
The Great LearningENO, p. 11-12

[Regressive Sorite]

In ancient times, those who wished to make bright virtue brilliant in the world first ordered their states; those who wished to order their states first aligned their households; those who wished to align theirhouseholds first refined their persons; those who wished to refine their persons first balanced their minds; those who wished to balance their minds first perfected the genuineness of their intentions; those who wished to perfect the genuineness of their intentions first extended their understanding; extending one’s understanding lies in aligning affairs.
The Great LearningENO 2016p. 11-12

To sum up: A list of the eight successive stages to set the world at peace:

1. Aligning affairs
2. Extending understanding
3. Making intentions genuine
4. Balancing the mind
5. Refining one’s person
6. Aligning one’s household
7. Ordering the state
8. Setting the world at peace

Regressive Sorite Progressive Sorite

These sorites describe a cursus educationis, the Confucian program of education. Progress along this path is not determined by any logical or causal inference. It is a way shown by the master to his privileged disciples, leading to the fulfillment of their human nature.

Masson-Oursel, Paul, 1912. Esquisse d’une théorie comparée du sorite . Quoted after the Études de philosophie comparée. “Les classiques des sciences sociales”. Site web: http://classiques.uqac.ca.

ATC Definition of opposite words

ATC

 Definition of opposite words

Forke Chinese sophists, 1901, note p. 10

Yin Wên Tse distinguished three categories of words, or, properly speaking, of attributes :
(1) words describing things, such as square and round, white and black ;
(2) words approving or disapproving, e. g. good and bad, noble and mean,
(3) comparative words, e. g. wise and stupid, to love and to hate.

.

Tortures and death for « benevolent » counsellors of « crooked masters »

ATC  

Han Fei Tzü
Tortures and ignominious death
for « benevolent, worthy, loyal, and upright » counsellors
of « unreasonable, violent, stupid, and crooked masters »

« Though the wisest man wants to persuade the sanest man, he is not necessarily welcomed upon his first arrival. » Such was the case of I Yin’s persuading T`ang. Again the saying: « Though the wise man wants to persuade the fool, he is not necessarily listened to. » Such was the case of King Wên’s 10 persuading Chow. 11

Thus, just as King Wên attempted to persuade Chow and was put in jail, 12 Marquis Ih 13 was broiled; Marquis Chiu’s 14 corpse was dried; Pi-kan 15 had his heart cut open; and Earl Mei’s corpse was pickled. 16

Furthermore, I-wu was bound with chains. Ts`ao Ch`i 17 absconded to Ch`ên. Pai-li Tzŭ 18 begged on his way to the capital of Ch`in. Fu Yüeh 19 was sold into slavery from place to place. Sun Tzŭ 20 had his feet cut off in Wey. Wu Ch`i 21 wiped off his tears at Dike Gate, lamented over the impending cession of the Western River Districts to Ch`in, and was dismembered in Ch`u. Kung-shu Tso 22 spoke of a man fit to be a pillar of the state but was regarded as unreasonable, so that Kung-sun Yang 23 absconded to Ch`in. Kuan Lung-p`êng 24 was executed. Ch`ang Hung 25 had his intestines chopped into pieces. Yin Tzŭ 26 was thrown into a trap among brambles. The Minister of War, Tzŭ-ch`i, 27 was killed and his corpse was floated on the Yang-Tzŭ River. T`ien Ming 28was stoned 29 to death. Mi Tzŭ-chien 30 and Hsi-mên Pao 31 quarrelled with nobody but were killed. Tung An-yü 32 was killed and his corpse was exposed in the market-place. Tsai Yü 33 had to suffer the disaster caused by T`ien Ch`ang. 34 Fan Chü 35 had his ribs broken in Wey.

These tens of men 36 were all benevolent, worthy, loyal, and upright persons in the world and followers of the right way and true path of life. Unfortunately they met such unreasonable, violent, stupid, and crooked masters, and lost their lives in the long run.

ATC — Qualities blamed as Defects

ATC

Virtues of Speech Blamed a Rhetorical Vices

Han Fei Tzi, Chapter III, On the Difficulty in Speaking: A Memorial

Thy servant, Fei, is by no means diffident of speaking. As to why he has to hesitate in speaking: if his speeches are compliant and harmonious, magnificent and orderly, he is then regarded as ostentatious and insincere; if his speeches are sincere and courteous, straightforward and careful, he is then regarded as awkward and unsystematic; if his speeches are widely cited and subtly composed, frequently illustrated and continuously analogized, he is then regarded as empty and unpractical; if his speeches summarize minute points and present general ideas, being thus plain and concise, he is then regarded as simple and not discerning; if his speeches are very personally observing and well-versed in the inner nature of mankind, he is then regarded as self-assuming and self-conceited; if his speeches are erudite and profound, he is then regarded as boastful but useless; if his speeches touch the details of house-keeping and estimate each item in terms of numerals, he is then regarded as vulgar; if his speeches are too much concerned with worldly affairs and not offensive in wording, he is then regarded as a coward 2 and a flatterer; if his speeches are far from commonplace and contrary 3 to human experience, he is then regarded as fantastic; if his speeches are witty and eloquent and full of rhetorical excellences, he is then regarded as flippant; if he discards all literary forms of expression and speaks solely of the naked facts, he is then regarded as rustic; and should he quote the Books of Poetry and History from time to time and act on the teachings of the former sages, he is then regarded as a book chantor. 4 These things explain the reason why thy servant, Fei, is diffident in speaking and worried about speaking.

 

ATC — Chunyu Kun

ATC 

 Chunyu Kun (4th C. bce)
I saw a man praying for a good harvest
and offering one pig’s trotter and one cup of wine.

The powerful nation of Chu was sending a large army against Qi. The king of Qi gave Chunyu Kun a hundred catties of gold and ten four-horse carriages, and told him to go to the neighboring state of Zhao to ask for help.

« Chunyu Kun threw back his head and laughed so hard that the cord of his hat snapped. »
The king asked if he thought it was too little, and Chunyu Kun said, « How dare I? »
« Then why are you laughing? »
Chunyu Kun replied, « I saw… a man praying for a good harvest and offering one pig’s trotter and one cup of wine. ‘May the crops from the highland fill whole crates!’ he prayed. ‘May the crops from the lowland fill whole carts! May grain harvested in abundance fill my house!’ He offered so little but expected so much in return. That is why I laughed. »

The king then gave him « one thousand yi of gold, ten pairs of white jade discs and a hundred four-horse carriages. » Chunyu Kun took them and successfully arranged military aid from Zhao, which forced the troops of Chu to return home.[*]

(*) Sima, Qian (2001). Selections from Records of the Historian. Translated by Yang Xianyi; Gladys Yang. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, p. 486.

Quoted from Wikipedia, Chunyu Kun (10-23-2025)

Baccini, Giulia.  2008. The Forest of Laughs (Xiaolin) – Mapping the offspring of self-aware literature in ancient China. Dottorato di ricerca in Lingue, Culture e Società, Tutori del dottorando, Prof. Tiziana Lippiello. Prof. Olga Lomová.