Classroom Notes1 (October-December 1913)
Baisha’s2 biography can be found in the Ming Scholars’ Academic Records. As for
the many scholars in the school of neo-Confucian34 philosophy during the Song and
Yuan dynasties, there is The Song and Yuan Academic Records*
1 These notes were made by Mao when he was a student in the preparatory class at Fourth Normal
School in Changsha in the fall of 1913, before that school was amalgamated in the spring of 1914 with
First Normal School, where he continued his studies until graduation in 1918. The first eleven pages of
the notebook Mao used contain his handwritten copy of the Jin ge (Nine Odes), and Qu Yuan’s Li sao
(Song of Sorrow), two items from the Chu ci (Poems of Chu), a third century b.c. compilation which
remained one of Mao’s favorites to the end of his life. In the first two-thirds of the notes which follow,
Mao’s summaries of lectures by Yang Changji on self-cultivation (xiushen) alternate with notes on the
lectures of Yuan Zhongqian regarding classical Chinese literature. The remaining third is devoted in
large part to the author Yuan presented as a model of elegant and correct style, the Tang dynasty
poet and essayist Han Yu (768–824), zi Tuizhi, hao Changli. These later notes contain so many lengthy
and exact quotations from Han Yu’s works that, as the editors of the Wengao surmise, they may well
represent the fruit of Mao’s own reading in the library. This change in character should not, however,
be exaggerated; there are many direct quotations in Mao’s earlier notes, and there are summaries,
apparently from lectures, in the later portion. Mao remembered Yuan Jiliu (1868–1932), hao Zhongqian
(known familiarly to his students as “Yuan the Big Beard”) well in later years, and wrote an inscription for
his tomb in 1952. Yang Changji (1871–1920), zi Huasheng, then Huaizhong, was, however, undoubtedly
the teacher who influenced him the most during his period at First Normal. Yang, who had studied
for a decade in Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany, taught a moral philosophy which combined
the emphasis of Western liberalism on self-reliance and individual responsibility with a strong sense of
man’s duty to society, rooted in neo-Confucianism. This dual inspiration is clearly conveyed by Mao’s
notes on these lectures. Yang’s attachment to China is symbolized by the new zi, or style, he had taken
during his long absence abroad, Huaizhong, literally “yearning for China.” For further details on Yang
see below the obituary notice mouming him dated January 22, 1920, of which Mao was a signatory.
2 Chen Xianzhang (1425–1500), zi Gongpu, hao Shizhai, was also known as Baisha xiansheng, after
the district in Guangdong from which he hailed.
3 The term used here, lixue, sometimes loosely translated “idealist,” is used both for the neo-Confucian thought of the Song and Ming dynasties in general, and for one of the two main divisions of
that school, which stresses the primacy of li (objectively existing principle or reason) rather than of xin
(the individual mind).
4 The Mingru xue’an (Ming Scholars’ Academic Records) and Sungyuan xue’an (Song and Yuan
Academic Records) are works by the celebrated late Ming and early Qing philosopher Huang Zongxi
(1610–1695), zi Taichong, hao Nanlei. The first, completed by Huang in 1676, was one of the earliest
major histories of Chinese philosophy. The second, left unfinished at his death, was completed by his son,
Huang Bojia, and others. Huang Zongxi, who belonged to the school of neo-Confucianism emphasizing
mind rather than principle, was active in opposing the Manchu conquerors.

Yubi,5 a native of Anhui, was content to be poor but emphasized practice. His
winnowing away the chaff was one example.
Disheng6 said in his diaries that if a gentleman wants to transform the morals of the
time, he must stress two principles: magnanimity and sincerity. To be magnanimous
means not to be envious; to be sincere means not to boast, not to covet undeserved
reputation, not to do overly impractical things, and not to talk about ideals too lofty.
Do not do overly impractical things: Fukuzawa Yukichi7 started Keid University and
considered education to be his vocation. He was not greedy, but was fair in dealing
with money. Mr. Fukuzawa was learned in many different fields, and had the resolve
to teach untiringly.
Do not talk about ideals too lofty: It is better to keep quiet if you know in your
heart that something won’t work but only sounds good.
When two armies come together face-to-face, the one that is at peace with itself
will win, and the proud will lose.
If the teacher truly loves his pupils, even the obstinate will be moved.
True spirit: To do things honestly and to study with a true heart.
Ordinary people have much in common with one another, but have no spirit of
independence.8 Those who have a spirit of independence are heroes [haojie].
Gradual stroke: Gradual, the gradual permeation of water, stroke, the stroke of the
hand.
The hong gate:9 The college buildings.
Chinese Language
The character “shaan” in “Shaanxi” is composed of the radical for “big” and the
radical for “enter”; the character “xia” in ’’xia’ai” is composed of the radical for “big”
and the radical for “man.”
The nature of poetry is that it appeals to the sense of beauty.
When both true feeling and understanding are present, one can speak of poetry.
[Si]ma Qian10 was a native of Longmen. Sometimes the prefectures and counties
were not bounded by mountains and rivers.
5 Wu Yubi (1391–1469), zi Zifu, hao Kangzhai, a Ming neo-Confucian philosopher.
6 Zeng Guofan (1811–1872). His original zi was Bohan; Disheng is the style (gai hao) he took at
the age of twenty, and with which he signed many of his family letters. He is mentioned many times in
these lecture notes, sometimes as Disheng or Zeng Guofan, sometimes by the title under which he was
canonized after his death, Wenzheng. The views presented here by Yuan the Big Beard are a summary
of ideas expressed in an entry in Zeng’s diary dated the 24th day of the ninth month of the tenth year
of the Xianfeng era (November 6, 1860), quoting directly some key phrases.
7 Fukuzawa Yukichi (1834–1901), the founder of Keid University, was one of the leading advocates
of modem and Western ideas during the Meiji Restoration in Japan.
8 A summary of Yang Changji’s view; see Yang Changji wenji (Collected Writings of Yang Changji)
(Changsha: Hunan Jiaoyu Chubanshe, 1983), p. 70.
9 The Chinese text here has ”ku gate”; the editors of the Wengao suggest that ku, meaning “an
urgent communication,” is a slip of the pen for hong, an old word for school or college.
10 On Sima Qian, see the note to Mao’s essay of June 1912.

A jueshi11 has half the length of a liishi)12 It either leaves out the beginning and
keeps the ending, or the other way around; therefore, a jue is based on a lii. Only those
who have broad knowledge and a resolute character can compose it seamlessly.
Wang Youdan, zi Youhua, was a native of Heyang, Shaanxi. He was a jinshi in the
early Qing dynasty and was good at poetry.
Wang Shizhen, zi Yishang, hao Ruanting, was a native of Xincheng, Shandong. His
poetiy set the standard of orthodoxy during a whole era in the early Qing period.
Wu and Wang13 shared renown at that time. The things of this world are constantly
changing.
The Biographies of the Officials Who Served Two Consecutive Dynasties,14 compiled
by the Qing dynasty, was written to warn later generations. Who would anticipate that,
during a time of political reforms, none was willing to die for the cause?
Zhenzhou: Yizheng county of Yangzhou. During the transition between the Ming
and Qing dynasties, people enjoyed prosperity and affluence, civilization flourished,
and scholars flocked there from all directions. It was indeed an historical site.
The carp of the north and the perch of the south: The most famous were from the
Yellow River and the Song River.
An essay is judged outstanding on the basis of its arguments, a poem by the feelings
it conveys.
One has to be touched before he can have feelings. When you have feelings and put
them into poetry, only then is it both beautiful and elegant.
Chu Xiongwen, zi Siwen, was a native of Yixing, Jiangsu. He was a jinshi during the
Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty. He was good at writing both poetry and essays.
The Chus15 were all famous at the time, but the only one who was good at poetry
was [Chu Xiong]wen.
Yangming16 investigated things [#e ww]. He considered the principle of the bamboo
tree.
The more we use our spirits and minds, the sharper they become. As long as we
apply our minds even to small things, we can learn great things.17
Whether it be poetry or prose, as long as it is well written, it is beautiful.
11 A stanza of four lines.
12 A stanza of eight lines.
13 Wu Weiye (see notes 20 and 93), and Wang Shizhen (1634–1711), on whom information is given
in the two preceding sentences, and also in note 132.
14 Er chen zhuan, compiled in 1777 during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor.
15 The reference is to Chu Xin (1631–1706), zi Tongren, and to several of his sons and grandsons.
16 Wang Shouren (1472–1528), zi Boan, noted philosopher more often referred to, as Yuan does
here, by his hao, Yangming, under which his collected works were published.
17 Above this passage Mao has written: “Words of Zeng,” and it does indeed reflect ideas expressed
by Zeng Guofan in his Jiashu (Family Letters). See especially the letters of the fourteenth day of the
twelfth month of the seventh year of the Xianfeng era (January 28, 1858) and the ninth day of the
fourth month of the eighth year of the Xianfeng era (May 21, 1858), both of which contain the words:
“The more we use our minds, the more outstanding they become.”

Anecdotes are used in three ways: (1) In c/,18 such as fairies; (2) in essays, such as
the “well-field” system, schools, and emperors; and (3) in science, i.e., physical reality.
Poetiy needs to embody all three of them. Mysteries, stories, and reality should be
written as appropriate according to the time and place.
Wang Lutai, Wang Gengyan, and Wang Yanke19 were called the Three Wangs. Their
paintings were treasured throughout the world.
To inscribe a title, the style of calligraphy is most important. (Poetry)
Titles should be succinct. Hence, you can tell a good poet simply by looking at the
titles of his poems, without necessarily reading the poems themselves. They must be
distinctive.
Protection by one’s elders or ancestors was a system under the Tang, Song, Ming,
and Qing dynasties. The descendants of high officials were able to be officials from
generation to generation.
Wu Weiye’s poems were much in vogue for a time.
Because he served the Qing dynasty, he always felt acutely ashamed in the face
of Cangxue (Wang Gan).20 This feeling can be found in the poems they exchanged.
But Wu also suffered under various forms of pressure: one was his mother’s aging, and
another the severity of Qing laws. That’s why he enjoyed Cangxue’s companionship.
It is hard to compose good poems that are joyful, but easier to work on sorrowful
ones. (This is an advantage for the poor and the sorrowful in writing poems.)
If the title looks mysterious, we need to enter into it with our spirit, and then the
wondrous meaning will be revealed.
To jot down ideas at random, happily expressing what is on our minds, helps to
maintain equilibrium (refers to travel diaries).
Yun Jing, zi Ziju, was a native of Yanghu, Jiangsu. He was a juren in the Qianlong
period of the early Qing. He served as magistrate of Ruijin xian in Jiangxi. He wrote
Collected Writings from the Dayunshan Chamber. His works have been identified with
the Yanghu School.21
18 Poetry written to certain tunes with strict tonal patterns and rhyme schemes, in fixed numbers
of lines and words, originating in the Tang dynasty (618–907) and fully developed in the Song dynasty
(960–1279).
19 Wang Lutai was the hao of Wang Yuanqi, zi Maojing (1642–1715). Wang Gengyan was the hao
of Wang Nian (1632–1717), zi Shigu. Yanke was the hao of Wang Shiming (1592–1680), zi Sunzhi. The
first was the grandson of the third.
20 Cangxue, zi Duche, hao Naniai, became a monk after the fall of the Ming. He died in 1656. Wu
Weiye (1609–1672), zi Jungong, hao Meicun, was, in fact, a more complex character than suggested
here. See below the discussion of his poem “Encountering a Hunt in the Snow” (note 93).
21 Yun Jing (1757–1817), zi Ziju, hao Jiantang, was a native of Wujin in Jiangsu, but chose to
identify himself with neighboring Yanghu, and with the school named after it. The Dayunshanshi wengao
(referred to by Mao as Dayunshanshi ji) was the principal edition of his works.

The Tongcheng22 and Yanghu schools each had its merits. We can use one word to
describe the essence of each school: Tongcheng was exuberant and Yanghu down-toearth.
[Square] seals represent permanent officials; rectangular seals represent temporary
officials.
The great reckoning [daji] meant the evaluation of whether an official was competent
and virtuous or not so as to determine whether he should be dismissed or promoted.
Places of scenic beauty, historical ruins, dangerous passes, and popular customs, as
well as coastal areas where commerce takes place — all these are things which ought
to be noted in travel diaries.
Wei Xi went bankrupt and gave all he had, keeping nothing for his family. He
behaved very much like Zhang Liang.23
A deft drummer hits the edges of the drum. (Those who handle the ladles understand
this very well.)
When a sovereign knows men, he is wise, but this was difficult even for the emperor
[Yao]!24
A wise prime minister does not rely only on his own outstanding qualities, but
gathers together all the talents in the world and makes use of them. Thus it is written:
“Let me have but one resolute minister, plain and sincere, without other abilities, but
having a simple complacent mind, and possessed of generosity, regarding the talents of
others, as if he himself possessed them; and when he finds accomplished and sage-like
men, loving them in his heart more than his mouth expresses… ”25
Broad-mindedness means that a person with outstanding talents is on the throne.
It does not mean to tolerate base things.
A spear kills, but a shield wards off enemies. Each has its own usage. This is called
making tools serve men.
Those who are clothed in fur and ride on horses talk as if others are of no account.
When Liang and Le looked for good horses, they often went to areas foresaken by
people.
First size up something before you measure it. Know people’s personalities before
you make friends with many people.
22 A school of essayists of the Qing period founded by Fang Bao (1668–1749), zi Fengjiu, hao Linggao,
alternative hao Wangqi, of Tongcheng in Anhui, and continued by others from the same locality.
23 Wei Xi (1624–1681), zi Shuzi, alternative zi Bingshu, hao Suzhai, was a Ming loyalist writer who
went bankrupt because he gave his family’s fortune to an army resisting the Qing, and subsequently lived
in retirement. Zhang Liang (d. 186 B.c.), zi Zifang, came from a family that had served the Kingdom
of Wei for five generations. When Wei was destroyed by Qin, he used his family fortune in an effort to
find someone who would cut down the King of Qin and avenge Wei.
24 This sentence is made up of two clauses from a passage in the Shu jing, also known as the Shang
shu, translated by Legge as The Book of Historical Documents, II, III, I (Legge, Vol. Ill, p. 70). The
chapter in question is that devoted to the counsels of Gao Yao, Emperor Yu’s Minister of Crime.
25 This is a quotation from the Book of Historical Documents N, XXX, 6 (Legge, Vol. Ill, p. 629),
with one or two verbal variations. Since these are very slight, we have used Legge’s wording in the text.

The great void means veiy empty. The way of ancient literature is terse and clear.
Treat an old acquaintance as if you were meeting for the first time, then you will
not harbor resentment when you are old.
October 28
The ratio between the circumference and the diameter is 113:355 [szc].
The two most commonly used kinds of thermometers are Fahrenheit and Celsius.
32’F is the freezing point and 212°F is the boiling point. 0°C is the freezing point and
100’C is the boiling point. When computing, 5 degrees Celsius corresponds to 9 degrees
Fahrenheit.
As regards the earth’s longitude, for every fifteen degrees, there is one hour’s difference because of the rotation of the earth around its own axis. (For every fifteen
minutes of longitude, there is the time difference of one minute, and for every fifteen
seconds of longitude, a time difference of one second.)
The reference line for longitude East or West is the Observatory of London, the
capita] of England.
The position of Beijing is longitude 116 degrees 30 minutes, and the position of
Japan is longitude 139 degrees 40 minutes. Arithmetic.
November 1 Self-Cultivation
It is human nature to love comfort and fear hard work. Laziness is the breeding
ground of all evil. If one is lazy, the farmer will waste his land, the worker will waste his
tools, the merchant will waste his merchandise, and the scholar will waste his learning.
When their calling is neglected, they have nothing to live on, and then destruction of
self and family will follow. If a whole nation is lazy, at first, it will not progress, then
it will retrogress, and subsequently it will grow weak and finally be destroyed. How
fearful! That’s why we say laziness is the breeding ground of all evil.
Struggle. If you seek to fight against an army of a hundred thousand soldiers with five
thousand soldiers, or to mobilize exhausted soldiers and control newly tamed horses,
and if you still want to survive, you will not be able to do so without struggle.
Vigor. Young people need to have vigor, or they will be overcome by lethargy.
Lethargy enters through the breach of laziness. Therefore we say that idleness leads
one to the tomb.26
The cure for bodily weakness. If many are frail, then a nation cannot be strong. This
is the case of our nation now, and because of it, she cannot compete with the foreign
countries. As for soldiers, their mission is to defend their country. If they are not valiant
and strong, they cannot fulfill this task. Moreover, if they have little education, they
cannot accomplish much. Since scholars in our country are so feeble, when soldiers are
enlisted, many who fill the quota are scoundrels with little education. When driven
to the battlefield, they will flee before they even encounter the enemy. Our nation
has suffered greatly because of this for many years past. If you visited Japan, you
26 At the beginning of this paragraph, Mao has once again written: “Words of Zeng.” This plainly
refers to Zeng Guofan, but the editors of the Wengao did not find the relevant passage, nor have we.

would see a totally different picture. A leading educator said in a speech: “Japan is
caught in the whirl of world competition; all the powers have come upon us with full
force. What a dangerous situation! Without an army, we cannot stand. Therefore, it
is an urgent task for us to temper our bodies, etc., etc.” In Japan, schools attach the
greatest importance to sports. There are various kinds of sports: Tennis,27 baseball,
soccer, archery, fencing, judo, rowing, swimming, hiking, and touring parties can be
seen everywhere. It is the same with the Western countries. Take touring parties as an
example. Periodically, the school has an outing. They first pick out a beautiful place
as the destination. When they get there, speeches will be made in front of the crowd.
Nobody dares not to continue to the destination. All these are ways to cure bodily
frailty, and to encourage young people.28
Menial labor. The advantages of doing menial labor are to cure laziness and to
remedy bodily weakness. Do not use brooms to sweep a room with wooden floors;
otherwise, the dust will fill the room. Instead, you should wipe the floors with rags29
Ni Kuan cooked for his pupils. Chen Gong did menial work for his disciples.30
Chinese (one o’clock)
To be discreet in what you say and what you do is to have gained learning. In
ancient times, scholars emphasized action. Thus [Confucius] said: “When he has time
and opportunity, after the performance of these things, he should employ them in
polite studies.”31 Confucius praised Yan Hui for his love of learning, saying: “He did
not transfer his anger; he did not repeat a fault.”32 Not to vent one’s anger on others
and not to repeat the same mistakes are the most difficult things to do. Though he
had as many as three thousand disciples, Confucius singled out Yan Hui as “loving to
learn.” And when he praised Yan Hui, he only mentioned two things — not venting
his anger on others and not repeating his mistakes. We may reflect on the reason for
this.
All men seek to follow the examples set by the wise and virtuous in order to learn
filial piety, righteousness, and a sense of honor and shame. Zeng Can was a filial son,
but he did not understand the duty of [not] passively accepting minor punishment
27 Yang, who had spent several years in Japan, here employs the characters used there, tingqiu
(Japanese reading teikyu), meaning “court ball,” rather than the Chinese term, wangqiu, “net ball.”
28 This whole passage is derived from Chapter 13 of Yang Changji’s “Jiaoyuxue jiangyi” (Lectures
on Education), which is devoted to physical education. See Yang Changjiwenji, pp. 191–192.
29 Ibid., p. 196.
30 Ni Kuan, more commonly known as Er Kuan, was a scholar of the Western Han period. On
cooking for his disciples, see the Han shu (History of the Han Dynasty), Vol. 58. Cheng Gong, zi Shaozi,
lived under the Later Han; regarding this incident, see the Hou Han Shu (History of the Later Han
Dynasty), Vol. 27.
31 Here Mao’s notes reproduce verbatim the sentence in quotation marks from the Lun yu (Confucian Analects, hereafter Analects) I, VI (Legge, Vol. I, p. 140). The “things” referred to are filial conduct,
truthfulness, benevolence, and the like.
32 Analects VI, II (Legge, Vol. I, p. 185). Yan Hui was Confucius’ favorite disciple; his name occurs
frequently in these lecture notes.

from his father, in order to avoid greater evil.33 Shen Sheng was pious, but did not
know how to prevent his father from committing an unrighteous act.34 Chen Zhongzi
was pure, yet he was mocked as too pretentious.35 Ranzi loved righteousness, but did
not understand that the way of the superior man is to help the distressed, but not
to add to the wealth of the rich.36 Yuanxian had a sense of shame, but declined the
grain [offered to him by Confucius], not realizing he could give it away in the hamlets,
towns, and villages.37 Why? Their knowledge was insufficient.
Understanding the interrelationships of things. Understanding thing A might help
us to understand thing B. Comprehension of one truth might lead to another.
To expand this reasoning further: In the universe, so many interconnections have
arisen among the myriad phenomena. This we call understanding the interrelationship
of things.
If one leams behind closed doors, the learning is useless. If you want to learn about
everything in all countries under the sun, you should not stop until you have traveled
to the remotest places and all over the four quarters of the globe.
Traveling has many advantages! When you climb the peak of Zhurong, you see how
small the other mountains and hills are; when you sail upon the Yellow Sea and the
Gulf of Bohai, your eyes are opened and all the other rivers and lakes vanish into
insignificance. [Si]ma Qian visited Xiaoxiang, rowed a boat on West Lake, climbed
Mount Kunlun, and visited many famous mountains and great lakes. That is why he
had such a broad mind!
When we read The Travel Notes on the Five Surname Lake38 we can see that the
people mentioned in it were all renowned at the time. When I read about them, it
seems that I know them as friends. Did the travelers only want to enjoy the scenery?
They also got to know the distinguished, the giants, the wise, and the learned of the
time. This is what is called befriending the eminent scholars of the world.
When we select literary works to read, it is best if we pick those with object lessons,
which are appropriate for our times.
33 Zeng Can, zi Ziyu, 505–436 B.C., was one of the most famous disciples of Confucius. The story
alluded to appears in the chapter “Jianzheng” of the Xiao jing (Classic of Filial Piety), authorship of
which has been ascribed to Confucius. His father beat him so severely for a minor fault that he fainted;
Confucius criticized Zeng for not getting out of the way, since by quietly submitting he might have
caused his father to kill him, and no unfilial conduct could have been worse than that.
34 Shen Sheng was heir apparent to Duke Xian of Jin, who put him to death on the basis of a false
charge by his favorite concubine.
35 Chen Zhongzi, or Tian Zhong, was a man of Qi of the Warring States period. For these conflicting
judgments on him, see the Mengzi (The Works of Mencius, hereafter Mencius), III, II, X (Legge, Vol.
II, pp. 284–287).
36 Ranzi, or Ran Qiu, zi Ziyou, was a man of Lu and a disciple of Confucius. The judgment referred
to appears in the Analects, VI, III, 1–2 (Legge, Vol. I, pp. 185–86).
37 For this story regarding Yuan Xian, also known as Yuan Si, zi Zisi, one of Confucius’ disciples,
see the Analects VI, III, 3-A (Legge, Vol. I, p. 186).
38 You wuxinghu ji, a work by Niu Yunzhen (1706–1758), zi Jieping, alternative zi Zhensu, hao
Kongshan, of Shandong.

Letters to Weng Zhiyuan39 warned against licentiousness. Licentiousness is the root
of all evil. And licentious thoughts40 are far more harmful than the real acts. We should
be as careful as if we were in a deep gulf, or treading on thin ice.41
If you are not as capable as the men of today, you are not capable at all; if you
cannot surpass the ancients in learning, you cannot be considered as learned.
There are none in the world who can be called truly capable, but some dominate an
era and have no rivals in their day. If you want to speak of those who were a match for
anyone, there are only Mengde, Zhongmou, and Zhuge.42 Those who are criticized by
others are also men of honor. Only the ordinary are not controversial. Men of virtue
are the targets of the multitude. Therefore, it has been said: “After something has
been accomplished, there arise slanders; people of high moral character tend to attract
condemnation.”43
Chengzi44 said, “If one cannot overcome these two temptations: money and sex, he
is not worth anything.”
Wicked deeds will eventually be revealed. Therefore, it is said, “If you do not want
other people to find out, you’d better not commit any wrongdoing.”
3rd day of the first decade of the 10th month,45 Chinese
Yi Yin46 was perfect in moral character, scholarship, economics, and practical
achievements. We should follow his example. He was bom in an era of despotism, but
his heart was truly impartial. He had great insight and an imposing manner; therefore, he could break with the five- or six-hundred-year tradition regarding the relations
between prince and minister, and was the first to advocate revolutionary change.
There are secrets to writing compositions. There have been two traditions from
olden times, but one of them lacks vitality.
39 Yu Weng Zhiyuan shu, a work by Fang Bao. (See above, note 22.)
40 An allusion to the Honglou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber) by Cao Xueqin, Chapter 5.
See David Hawkes’ translation, under the alternative title The Story of the Stone, Vol. 1 (Penguin:
Harmondsworth, 1973), especially p. 146, regarding “lust of the mind.”
41 An allusion to a poem in the Shi jing (Book of Poetry), II, V, I, 6 (Legge, Vol. IV, P- 333). The
text on which Yuan was drawing reads:
42 Mengde was the zi of Cao Cao, Zhongmou was the zi of Sun Quan, and Zhuge refers to Zhuge
Liang, zi Kongming. All were leading rulers and statesmen of the Three Kingdoms period and figure
prominently in the Sanguo yanyi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms), which was one of Mao’s favorite
novels.
43 The quoted sentence is from Han Yu’s essay “Yuan hui” (Sources of Slander), Changli Xiansheng
ji (Collected Works of Han Yu, hereafter Collected Works), Vol. 11.
44 Probably a misprint for Zhuzi, i.e., Zhu Xi, who made the same point in very similar language
(Zhuzi wenji [Master Zhu’s Literary Writings], Vol. 6, letter in answer to Wang Zihe). Zhu Xi (1130–
1200), a partisan of the li or principle school of neo-Confu- cianism, cast that doctrine in terms which
defined the standard of orthodoxy until the collapse of the imperial system.
45 This corresponds to October 31. At this time, and for a decade after, Mao wrote dates sometimes
according to the Western calendar, and sometimes in the old style.
46 A leading statesman of the early Shang dynasty.

The Book of Historical Documents records the histories of Tang and Yu, and of the
Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties.
Articles should store up forces within. Emerging from Longmen, the [Yellow] River
rushes all the way down to Tongguan. As it turns eastward, it again rushes to Tongwa.
Again it turns northeastward, and rushes to the sea. Once it comes out of hiding and
changes its course, it goes for a thousand li without stopping. This is called a big turn.
So it is with composition. When you write historical commentaries, you have to be
certain of each word and sentence, such as the sentence, “emphasize self-cultivation
and value selective friendship” in “On Fan Li”47; and the word “responsibility” in “On
Yi Yin.”48
When you set your heart on a certain goal and have penetrated the facts, nothing
will be impossible to you.
Only after you have a clear understanding will you be able to make a sound decision.
After it is clear and you have made a decision, nothing will be impossible. Yi Yin was
this kind of person.
The human heart corresponds to the decree of Heaven. That is why it has been
written: “Heaven sees as my people see.”49 What is the decree of Heaven? Principle
[/«]. If we succeed in following principle, then we do not violate human nature. If
you have grasped the secrets of human nature, you know Heaven’s will. Then there is
nothing that cannot be done.
Composition and calligraphy. To compose well, we need to be skillful with transposition and rearrangement, hence the use of the word “do”; to write, we need to wield
the brush furiously, hence the use of the word “sketch.”50 Popular sayings have been
composed after much thought and hard work. Only after they have been proved logical
and true can they go down through the generations and still stand firm after much
battering.
November 15 Self-Cultivation
47 The essay “Fan Li lun” (On Fan Li) is by Yao Nai (1733–1815), zi Jichuan, a member of the
Tongcheng school. The essay in question deals with how Fan Li came to grief in seeking to save his son,
who had killed a man.
48 “Yi Yin lun” (On Yi Yin) was by Shen Jinsi (1671–1727). In it, he argued that Yi Yin’s autocracy,
and Emperor Tang’s action in overthrowing the tyrant Jie, and thereby “changing the mandate” (geming)
and founding a new dynasty, were aimed at assuming responsibility for the people’s welfare.
49 This is an often-cited quotation from the Book of Historical Documents, V, I, ii, 7 (Legge, Vol.
Ill, p. 292).
50 To compose an essay is zuo wen (to do an article); the word for write, xie, also means sketch.

Wang Chuanshan51: “There have been heroes who were not sages, but there have
never been sages who were not heroes.”52 Sages are those who are perfect both in
virtue and in accomplishment; heroes lack virtue„but have great achievements and
fame. Napoleon was a hero, but not a sage.53
Confucius once talked about the will, saying, “Let the will be set on the path of
duty. Let every attainment in what is good be firmly grasped. Let perfect virtue be
accorded with. Let righteousness be followed.” He also said, ”[My will is] in regard to
the aged, to give them rest; in regard to the young, to treat them tenderly; in regard
to friends, to show them sincerity.” He also said, “There is no one whose mind is set
on truth, and is yet ashamed of bad clothes and bad food.”54 Mencius once spoke of
the will, saying, “The will is first and chief, and the passion-nature is subordinate to
it. Therefore I say, ‘Maintain firm the will, and do no violence to the passion-nature.’
” He said, “But Heaven does not yet wish that the kingdom should enjoy tranquillity
and good order. If it wished this, who is there besides me to bring it about?” He also
said, “But what I wish to do is to leam to be like Confucius.” Again he said, “I also
wish to rectify men’s hearts [zheng xiri], and to put an end to those perverse doctrines,
to oppose their one-sided actions and banish away their licentious expressions: — and
thus to carry on the work of the three sages.”55
Those whom Mencius called heroes were very close to sages. He said, “Chen Liang
was a native of Chu. Pleased with the doctrines of the Duke of Zhou and of Confucius,
51 Wang Fuzhi (1619–1692), known as Wang Chuanshan after the name of the mountain where
he retired after the fall of the Ming, was one of the most celebrated of the patriotic scholars of the
Ming-Qing transition period. His influence was strong in his native province of Hunan at this time, and
Mao attended meetings at the “Chuanshan xueshe,” or Wang Chuanshan Study Society, in Changsha
during and after his student days. The quotation is from Wang’s essay “Si jie” (Unresolved Questions).
52 These two terms, shengxian, or sages, and haojie, or heroes, recur frequently not only in the
classroom notes, but in Mao’s other writings of this and later periods. Mao himself never claimed to be
a sage, but during his years at First Normal, he and his two friends Cai Hesen and Xiao Zisheng called
themselves sange haojie, or “the three heroes.”
53 Yang Changji here calls Napoleon “old Mr. Na” (Na weng). This is a respectful form of address,
but does not convey a very dynamic image of a man for whom Mao later had great admiration.
54 For these passages, see the Analects VII, VI, 1–4; V, XXV, 4; and IV, IX (Legge, Vol. I, pp. 196,
183, 168). There are several significant discrepancies between what Mao wrote down and the text of
the Analects. In the first of these three quotations, the last sentence should read: “Let relaxation and
enjoyment be found in the polite arts.” Here in listening to Yang Changji he apparently mistook the
character yi meaning art for its homonym meaning righteousness. In the second quotation, the order of
the clauses relating to friends and to the young has been inverted. In the last quotation, the original
reads: “A scholar, whose mind is set on truth, and who is ashamed of bad clothes and bad food, is not
fit to be discoursed with.” It is probably Yang rather than Mao who omitted the italicized words and
thus modified the thrust of the sentence. In each case, Legge’s translation has been used as the basis
for our version here, but has been modified to correspond to the wording of Mao’s notes.
55 Mencius, II, I, II, 9; II, II, XIII, 5; II, I, II, 22; III, II, IX, 13 (Legge, Vol. II, pp. 188, 232,
194, 284). There are minor verbal inaccuracies in Mao’s transcription of these quotes, but they do not
(as in the preceding references to Confucius) significantly affect the meaning. The “perverse doctrines”
Mencius wished to oppose were in particular those of Yang Zhu and Mozi.

he came northwards to the Middle Kingdom and studied them. Among the scholars
of the northern regions, there was perhaps no one who excelled him. He was what you
call a scholar of high and distinguished qualities.”56 He said, “The mass of men wait
for a King Wen, and then they will receive a rousing impulse. Scholars distinguished
from the mass, without a King Wen, rouse themselves.”57
Let your ideals be lofty. (Once you have established an ideal, try to match it with
your every word and deed.)
Ideal characters. An ideal is the mother of reality.58
A heart’s desire is a goal. Old interpretation.
Chengzi said, “A petty man is not really small; his essence is not evil.”59
“All things are nourished together without their injuring one another. The courses
[dao] of the seasons are pursued without any collision among them.”60 This is ideal
morality.
If I keep enlarging and enriching my own world, then the whole universe will be an
extended self.
Mencius said, “Some parts of the body are noble, and some ignoble; some great, and
some small… He who nourishes the little belonging to him is a little man, and he who
nourishes the great is a great man.”61 The individual self is the small self; the universal
self is the great self. The individual self is the physical self; the universal self is the
spiritual self.
56 The words Legge translates here as “a scholar of high and distinguished qualities,” and in the
following quotation as “scholars distinguishing themselves from the mass,” are simply haojie zhi shi,
literally “scholars of heroic mold.”
57 Mencius, III, I, IV, 12; VII, I, X (Legge, Vol. II, pp. 254, 454). King Wen, or Wen Wang (1231–
1135 B.C.), was the father of King Wu, or Wu Wang, the founder of the Zhou dynasty. The Duke of
Zhou, or Zhou Gong (d. 1105 B.C.) was King Wen’s fourth son, who served as adviser to his brother,
King Wu. Both have been commonly regarded in Chinese history as wise and virtuous men.
58 A quotation from Liang Qichao, Guojia sixiang bianqian yitong lun (On Similarity and Difference in Alterations in National Thought). Liang Qichao (1873–1929), zi Zhuoru, hao Rengong, alias
Cangjiang, was bom in Guangdong Province. A second-degree graduate of the Qing civil service examinations, he was, with his teacher Kang Youwei, one of the leading figures in the 1898 Reform movement,
and in the intellectual ferment of the ensuing decade. He advocated constitutional monarchy, popular
sovereignty, educational reform, and learning from the West. After the 1911 revolution, he opposed attempts at restoration, and engaged briefly in politics, before turning back to scholarship. He and Kang
were Mao’s models during primary school days, and Mao continued to venerate him until 1919 or 1920.
59 Chengzi refers to Cheng Yi, the younger and more celebrated of the two Cheng brothers Cheng
Hao (1032–1085), zi Bochun, hao Mingdao, and Cheng Yi (1033–1107), zi Zhengshu, hao Yichuan. The
“two Chengs” were tutors to Zhu Xi, and precursors in the development of neo-Confucianism. The
sentence quoted by Mao differs slightly from Cheng’s original statement, in Henan Chengshi yishu
(Surviving works of the Messrs. Cheng of Henan), Vol. 6. It appears in this form in Yang Changji’s
“Dahuazhai riji” (Journal from the Studio of Progress in Transformation, hereafter “Journal”), in Yang
Changji wenji, p. 26.
60 From the Zhong yong (The Doctrine of the Mean), XXX, 3 (Legge, Vol. I, p. 427).
61 Mencius, VI, I, XIV, 1 (Legge, Vol. II, p. 416).

Guanzi: “Do not waste an age. Human love is a constant element throughout the
past, the present, and the future. It goes without saying that the people of the present
age look for love. But so did the generation a millennium before us, and so will the
generation a millennium after us. This is human nature. When we study history, we
admire the loyal and the wise; when we buy properties, we go by a contract. Therefore
we say there is no man who is not good.”62
Someone said, “I see, in history, some great men did not regret even the sacrifice of
their own lives and families.” [The sages and worthies who wanted to save the world
have acted thus, such as Confucius (at Chen and at Kuang), Jesus (who died on the
cross), and Socrates (who took poison).]63
A saying goes like this: “When a strong soldier’s hand was bitten by a poisonous
snake, he had to sever his wrist, not because he did not love his wrist, but because
if he had not cut it off, he could not have saved his whole body. A benevolent man
looks at the whole world and the whole of humanity as his body, and considers one
individual and one family as his wrist. Because he loves the whole world so much, he
dares not love himself and his family more. If he can save the whole world, even if it
costs his own life and that of his family, he is at peace about it.”64 (A benevolent man
seeks to remove the pain and suffering of all those living under heaven, so that they
may be saved.)
Though China has freedom, the only relations between the government and the
people are these two things: prosecution and imprisonment, and taxation. That is all.
Therefore, it is said: “I start my work at sunrise and come home at sunset; I dig my own
well and drink from it; I farm my own land and eat from it. What has- the emperor
to do with me?”65 Just because of the lack of relationship, people lack the concepts
of state and politics. China has freedom but the Western countries have despotism.
China’s politics and laws are simple and taxes are light, but the Western countries are
just the opposite. (The Qing dynasty was not despotic.)
Nationalities occupied by foreign powers do not have freedom. Recent examples are
Taiwan and Korea.
China was very generous toward its vassal nations; apart from their obligations
to pay tributes and betrothal gifts, they were allowed to enjoy autonomy. Vietnam
and Korea were two examples. After Vietnam came under French rule, people were
forbidden to assemble for discussions in groups of more than five, or to hide weapons,
62 The book called the Guanzi has been ascribed to Guan Zhong (d. 645 B.C.), but is probably
not by him. This quotation, from the section “Mu min” (Shepherd the People), Part I, was frequently
commented upon by Yang Changji. See Yang Changji wenji, pp. 26–27 and 73.
63 A passage similar to this occurs in Yang Changji’s “Journal,” Yang Changji wenji, p. 27. For
the two incidents involving Confucius, see the Analects, XV, 1, and IX, V (Legge, Vol. I, pp. 294, 217).
Paulsen’s ethics textbook, which Mao was to read a few years later, discusses the cases of Jesus and
Socrates; see below, Mao’s marginal notes of 1918 on this book.
64 This is taken verbatim from Yang Changji’s “Journal,” as reproduced in Yang Changji wenji, p.
27. (This portion of Yang’s diary had already been published in 1903.)
65 This quotation is from Huangfu Mi (215–282).

and they were not allowed to close their doors at night in order to make it easier for
the government to patrol. After Korea was ceded to Japan, she had to obey her rulers
in everything. The people became as tame as sheep, and their sufferings were even
worse than those of the Taiwanese.
November 23 Self-Cultivation
Zhangzi said, “Our goals are to establish a common mind for the whole world, to
establish the way for the people, to restore and continue the teachings of the ancient
sages, and to open the way to the great peace [taiping] for all future ages.”66 To point to
the right way for the people is the way of mutual existence, mutual cultivation, mutual
maintenance, and mutual governing; to usher in great peace for future generations is
the goal and cause of great religious leaders.
There are administrators and there are teachers. The former were people like Zhuge
Wu Hou and Fan Xiwen.67 The latter were such as Confucius, Mencius, Zhu [Xi], Lu
[Jiuyuan], and Wang Yangming.
In the Song dynasty, the names of Han and Fan were mentioned together, and during
the Qing dynasty, Zuo and Zeng shared renown. But Han and Zuo were administrators,
while Fan and Zeng were both administrators and teachers.68
Emperors are emperors for a generation, but sages and worthies are emperors for
a hundred generations.69 The rulers are mindful of political and religious affairs;70 the
masses are concerned with their daily living. Changes that are introduced by the rulers
will have a more rapid impact, but will not necessarily last very long; changes that
are brought about at the grass roots will take effect more slowly, but the effect may
last longer. (Even though there have been sage emperors and wise prime ministers,
the policies would disappear when these people died. Though their contribution might
take effect more rapidly, it could also be easily changed.) Firmness is the foundation
for establishing oneself. Those who are filled with desire cannot be strong willed. The
reason why the dragon keeper could attract the dragons was that even though the
66 Zhangzi is Zhang Zai (1020–1077), zi Zihou, of Hengqu in Shaanxi, an uncle of Cheng Hao and
Cheng Yi. For this quotation, see his “Yulu” (Recorded Sayings), in Zhang Zai ji (Collected Works of
Zhang Zai), Vol. 10. What Mao copied down is virtually identical with the original; the only significant
variant is that in the first clause, zhi (will) has been replaced by xin (mind or heart). On the concept
of “great peace” see the note to Mao’s letter of August 23, 1917, to Li Jinxi.
67 Zhuge Wu Hou is Zhuge Liang; Wu Hou is his posthumous title. Fan Xiwen is Fan Zhongyan
(989–1052), zi Xiwen, an able administrator who served, in particular, as governor of Yan’an.
68 Han is Han Qi (1008–1075), zi Zhigui; Fan is Fan Zhongyan. Their names were linked because
together they played a leading role in defeating a Tartar (Xixia or Tangut) uprising in Shaanxi and
neighboring provinces. Zeng and Zuo are Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang (1812–1885), zi Jigao, who
was one of Zeng’s leading subordinates in putting down the Taipings.
69 For an elaboration of these ideas, see Yang Changji wenji, p. 28, where Yang adds that sages are
“kings without thrones.”
70 An echo of the traditional principle of zhengjiao heyi (the union of politics and religion).

dragons were as powerful as gods, they could not resist the temptation of delicious
food.71
Only those who are content with poverty can achieve things. Therefore, it is said,
“If you can chew on vegetable roots, you can do all things.”72
It is common that all men love gratification. Only the sages do not like physical
gratification (i.e., worldly gratification), but love spiritual gratification. Therefore, it
has been said: “With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for
a pillow — I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by
unrighteousness are to me as a floating cloud.”73
Guangwu74 had attended the Imperial College [taixuf] and studied the Book of
Historical Documents. The ancient Imperial College was divided into departments
based on the [five] classics.
Yan Guang was a man of integrity of the Eastern Han dynasty. After Guangwu
ascended the throne, he asked Yan Guang to serve him, but was turned down. The
emperor went to visit him, arriving to greet him in a comfortable chariot.75 The emperor sat on the soft seat [of the chariot] and asked him to come out. Guang, lying in
bed, said, “When Yao and Shun were rulers, there was Chao You.” When Guang came,
the president of the Board of Revenue (i.e., the prime minister) Hou Ba (Guang’s
schoolmate) went to welcome him. Guang gave him a written statement: “His Majesty
and you are in very high positions. This is very good. If you rule with benevolence and
righteousness, then the people will be happy. It is necessary to resist flattery and complaisance.” Hou showed this letter to the emperor. The emperor said, “It is the same
old attitude this crazy slave had!” Later generations blamed Guang for not coming out
to serve the emperor. But they did not know that Guang was the emperor’s teacher.
At the academy, Guangwu had already learned much from him. So when Guangwu
emerged to take over state affairs, [Yan] Guang insisted on talking about integrity, rectifying customs, and passing on the teachings to future generations. Moreover, Guang
did not give in to despotism. His integrity was so high that we cannot reach it.76
71 Regarding the dragon keeper, in the time of Emperor Shun, see the Zuo zhuan (Mr. Zuo’s
Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals), twenty-ninth year of Duke Zhao (Legge, Vol. V, p.
731). (Hereafter, to avoid this long and clumsy English description, the Zuo zhuan is referred to by its
Chinese title.)
72 The quotation is from Zhu Xi, Xiaoxue (Elementary Learning), Vol. 6, “Shanxing” (Virtuous
Action).
73 Words attributed to Confucius in the Analects, VII, XV (Legge, Vol. I, p. 200).
74 Guangwu is Emperor Guangwu (6–57) (personal name Liu Xiu), the founder of the Later Han
dynasty.
75 An che, a small one-horse chariot in which one traveled seated. According to the Book of Rites, I,
I, I, 28–29, such a vehicle, and other privileges, should always be given by the prince to a high official if
the sovereign refused to accept the latter’s resignation when he offered it at the age of seventy. (See the
French translation of S. Couvreur, Mt moires sur les bienséances et les c^rdmonies [Paris: Cathasia,
1950], pp. 9–10.)
76 For this anecdote, see the History of the Later Han Dynasty, Vol. 83.

There are three stages in the development of Chinese learning: (1) A period of
active development during the last years of the Zhou dynasty. (2) A period of passive
development, when Buddhism flourished greatly, and the [Buddhist] scriptures were
popular. Both the ruling class and the ruled sought after them, and they were in vogue
for a time. This was during the Sui and Tang dynasties. (3) A period of both active
and passive development, when Zhu, Cheng, Zhang,
Zhou, and others emerged, and the idealist school [weilizhi xue] enjoyed its day of
glory. But it began with reverence for Buddhism and from there returned to the Six
Classics. That is why it was a period of both active and passive development. This was
during the Song and Yuan dynasties.77
November 29 Self-Cultivation
During the Five Dynasties, Buddhist priests flagrantly intervened in decisionmaking,
and morals had fallen extremely low. Feng Dao78 was representative of this. With the
rise of the Song dynasty, things improved a little, but not completely. Only when Fan
Wenzheng rose, and they encouraged each other to be honest and loyal, did the masses
begin to keep the moral rules, not daring to violate them. At its apogee, Zhu Xi, the
Cheng brothers, and the other men of propriety and righteousness emerged, and the
morals of the empire rapidly improved to equal those of the magnificent Eastern Han
dynasty.
Zeng Disheng’s Portraits of Sages and Philosophers included thirty-two people:79
Wen, Zhou, Kong, Meng; Ban, Ma, Zuo, Zhuang; Ge, Lu, Fan, Ma; Zhou, Cheng, Zhu,
Zhang; Han, Liu, Ou, Zeng; Li, Du, Su, Huang; Xu, Zheng, Du, Ma; Gu, Qin, Yao,
and Wang.
Fan Wenzheng was the son of an old and well-known family. He lost his father as
a child and followed his mother, who remarried into the family of Zhu. Therefore, his
name was Zhu Yue. At first, he did not know he was the son of the Fan family. When
people told him about this, he was so moved that he broke into tears. He determined
77 Yang had taken this tripartite division into periods of active, passive, and activepassive development from Wang Guowei (1877–1923), zi Wang Jing’an. See his essay of 1914 “Quan xue pian” (An
Exhortation to Study) in Yang Changji wenji, p. 202. Zhu, Cheng, Zhang, and Zhou are Zhu Xi, the
two Cheng brothers, Zhang Zai, and Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073), zi Maoshu, the teacher of the two Cheng
brothers.
78 Feng Dao (881–954), zi Kedao, served ten sovereigns of four different houses, from the first
emperor of the later Tang dynasty to the Liao, the later Han, and the later Zhou. He called himself
Changle Lao, ‘The ever-happy old man.” Giles (Herbert A. Giles, A Chinese Biographical Dictionary,
various editions, entry no. 573) suggests very aptly that this finds its best equivalent in the “Vicar of
Bray.”
79 The subjects of the biographies in Zeng Guofan’s Shengzhe huaxiang ji included Zhou Wenwang,
Zhou Gongdan, Confucius, Mencius, Ban Gu, Sima Qian, Zuoqiu Ming (the author of the Spring and
Autumn Annals), Zhuangzi, Zhuge Liang, Lu Zhi, Fan Zhongyan, Sima Guang, Zhou Dunyi, the Cheng
brothers, Zhu Xi, Zhang Zai, Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Ouyang Xiu, Zeng Gong, Li Bo, Du Fu, Su Shi,
Huang Tingjian, Xu Zhen, Zheng Xuan, Du Zuo, Ma Duanlin, Gu Yanwu, Qin Huitian, Yao Nai, and
Wang Niansun. Because Cheng stands for the two Cheng brothers, there were actually thirty- three
people included.

to study hard, and for three years he studied steadily without stopping. He once found
money but did not take it for himself. He was a second Guan Ning. He was a native of
Suzhou. His son, Yaofu, was like a chivalrous knight errant. Once he came across an
old friend on the way. When he found out that this friend was in dire need of money,
he gave him a whole boatload of wheat.80
Lu Xiangshan said, “We should struggle fiercely, break through the nets, bum up
the thorns and thistles, and clean up the filth and mire.”81 (This is nothing else but
making our hearts clean.)
Lii Xinwu, named Kun,82 of the Ming dynasty wrote Moaning and Groaning Sayings.
Zeng Wenzheng’s eight fundamentals:83 “When studying the classics, the fundamental thing is to write commentaries; when composing poems, the fundamental thing is
the tones; in maintaining health, the fundamental thing is to lose one’s temper only
seldom; in serving one’s parents, the fundamental thing is to please them; when residing at home, the fundamental thing is not to get up late; in establishing oneself, the
fundamental thing is not to make reckless statements; in acting as an official, the fundamental thing is not to take bribes; when troops are on the march, the fundamental
thing is not to disturb the civilians.” Moses’ ten commandments forbade men to bear
false witness.
December 6 Self-Cultivation
Guo Yunxian84 judged the prosperity or decline of each dynasty by whether people
loved fame or monetary gain. Under the Han, they loved fame, and under the Wei
dynasty, monetary gain; under the Jin, they loved fame, and under the Tang, monetary
gain; the Song loved fame, and the Yuan, monetary gain; the
Ming loved fame, and the Qing, monetary gain.
80 Fan Wenzheng is the name under which Fan Zhongyan (see note 67) was canonized posthumously.
Guan Ning (158–241), zi You’an, was a figure of the Three Kingdoms period who refused office because of
the disturbed state of the empire. Fan Dunren (1027–1101), zi Fan Yaofu, was Fan Zhongyan’s younger
son.
81 Xiangshan is the hao of Lu Jiuyuan (1140–1192), zi Zijing. For the passage alluded to here, see
his “Yulu” (Recorded Sayings) in Xiangshan xiansheng quanji (Complete Works of Mr. Xiangshan), Vol.
35.
82 Kun was the hao of Lü Xinwu (1536–1618), zz’Shujian.
83 Zeng Wenzheng is the name under which Zeng Guofan was canonized after his death. For Zeng’s
own formulation of these eight points, see his letter dated the 13th day of the third month of the eleventh
year of the Xianfeng era (April 22, 1861), in his Family Letters. We have put this passage in quotation
marks because Mao’s version, translated above, differs only very slightly from Zeng Guofan’s original
text. Apart from the replacement of four characters by others which do not significantly affect the
meaning, the only change is the inversion of points three and four and of points five and six.
84 Guo Songtao (1818–1891), zi Bochan, hao Yunxian, a Hunanese from Xiangyin xian, assisted
Zeng Guofan in the suppression of the Taipings. Subsequently, he played an important role in foreign
affairs and was sent in 1876 to open the Chinese Legation in London, becoming thus the first Chinese
diplomat in modem times to be stationed in a Western country. For the passage cited here, see the entry
for the 20th day of the seventh month of the eleventh year of the Xianfeng era (August 25, 1861) in Guo
Songtao riji (Diary of Guo Songtao), Vol. 1 (Changsha: Hunan Renmin Chubanshe, 1980), p. 471.

Hou Chaozong85 was bom into an old and well-known family, and loved literature.
Huang Lizhou said, “Young Master Hou could not endure loneliness.”86
The actions of the sages are not understood by others. Their songs are too exalted
and austere. People consistently slander them, and they are not in accord with the
common people. But the way of the sages does not seek to be understood by others.
Its spirit lies solely in inquiring of heaven and earth until no more doubts remain. It
is universally applicable, it will never fail through a hundred generations, and it gives
the sages themselves an easy conscience. Since they have no fear of slander, it has been
said: “He refused … to be deterred though the whole world blamed him.”87 The more
they are slandered, the more steadfast they will be. This is what is called “holding firm
to the Way until death.”88
“To stand tall and have no fear, and to escape from the world and not feel sorrowful.”89 The raging waves are surging but the pillar stays unmoved. Even though you
are dreaming while drunk, your mind remains very clear.90 Though Mount Tai were
tumbling down in front of you, your face still would not change its color; though a
fierce tiger were loitering behind you, you would still not be afraid. This is what we
call standing tall and having no fear. If a country has no Way, it is a foolish country.
If a country has no Way, then poverty and a mean condition are acceptable. “With a
single bamboo dish of rice, a single gourd dish of drink, and living in his mean narrow
lane, he did not allow his joy to be affected by it” This is what we call to escape from
the world and not feel sorrowful.91
False fame cuts your blessings short.
Your old friend knows you, but you don’t know him. Why? Yang Zhen.92 Stand
firm. One single slip of the foot may cause you lasting regrets.
85 Chaozong is the zi of Hou Fangyu (1618–1654), whose father and uncle, as members of the
Donglin faction, were persecuted by the eunuch Wei Zhongxian during the declining years of the Ming
dynasty. He made a name as a literary genius at an early age and revived the style of Han Yu in his
essays.
86 Huang Lizhou is the studio name of Huang Zongxi, the celebrated Ming loyalist. (See above, note
4 to this text.) He made this observation because of Hou’s addiction to banquets and courtesans even
when his father was in prison.
87 The attitude of the philospher Song Rong, according to the Zhuangzi, I, 3. (We have taken this
and other quotations from Zhuangzi from the authoritative translation of Angus Graham, Chuang-tzu.
The Seven Inner Chapters and Other Writings from the Book Chuang-tzu [London: Allen & Unwin,
1981], whenever they are included in his selection. For this passage, see p. 44.)
88 The reference is to the Analects, VIII, XIII, 1 (Legge, Vol. I, p. 212).
89 The attitude of the superior man, according to the Yi jing (Book of Changes), Chapter “Da guo.”
90 See Liang Qichao, Xinmin shuo (Discourse on the Renovation of the People), Chapter “Lun ziyou”
(On Freedom).
91 See the Analects, VIII, XIII, 3, and VI, IX (Legge, Vol. I, pp. 212, 188). The first passage alluded
to reads: “When a country is well-governed [bang youdao], poverty and a mean condition are things to
be ashamed of. When a country is ill-governed, riches and honor are things to be ashamed of.” The
second passage is in praise of the virtue of Confucius’ favorite disciple, Yan Hui.
92 Allusion to a well-known anecdote about Yang Zhen (d. 124), zi Boqi. Having been appointed
governor of Donglai in Shandong, he passed through a district where an old friend, Wang Mi, was then

Chinese
“Encountering a Hunt in the Snow”93
gu: sounds like “bone”; belongs to the family of eagles.
qu yu: woolen blankets, padded saddle and the like.
qiu ling: peacock plumes. Hat ornaments of the early Qing dynasty.
xi shu: hats, i.e., sable hats.
tong jiu: a fermented beverage. Mare’s milk made into yoghurt after agitating.94
tuo geng: the purple flesh from the hump of a camel, very delicious.95
sese: woman’s decoration, turquoise beads.
qin sheng: to capture alive.
Tie ling: The Iron Ridges of Fengtian, belonging to the xian96
Hei he: The Black River of the Eastern and of the Outer sui, both located southeast
of the pasturelands.97
Gao liu: A ruined city, now located west of Yanggao xian, Datong Prefecture.
she diao shou: Xing Zigao said, “Hu Liijin is a real vulture-shooter.”98
Chile ge: During the Northern Qi dynasty, Emperor Shenwu requested that Hu
Liijin sing the “Song of the Imperial Command.”99
Tusu wine: A kind of wine which helps keep the cold away.
Lilingtai: Liling Terrace is located on Mount Yanran.100
huang yang:101 Animal, found beyond the Great Wall. No homs, aspect similar to
river deer.
Jiaohe: Name of an ancient city, Che Shi, in the Western Region.
jian lu: Jian, lame. Jian Hi means useless donkeys.
magistrate. When Wang called to present the usual gift of money to a superior, Yang Zhen rejected it,
accusing him of forgetting their friendship.
93 This poem is by Wu Weiye, mentioned above (see note 20). A translation of the complete text,
from Meicun shiji (Collected Poems of [Wu] Meicun), Vol. 6, kindly made by Tung Yuan-fang, a Ph.D.
candidate at Harvard, follows:
94 There is a reference to this beverage as suitable for presenting to high officials in the History of
the Han Dynasty, Vol. 22, “Li yuc zhi” (Treatise on Rites and Music).
95 Purple camel hump is referred to in a poem by the celebrated Tang dynasty poet Du Fu, “Li ren
xing,” which has been translated as “The Ballad of Beautiful Women.” See various editions of Tang shi
sanbaishou (Three Hundred Tang Poems). Geng implies that it is stewed and not broiled.
96 The Fengtian in question was actually ifu or prefecture in Qing times; it corresponds to the
present-day city of Shenyang.
97 The pasturelands in question were those established by the Qing, inside and outside the Great
Wall, for raising horses. The sui were districts within a hundred leagues of the capital.
98 Xing Kang, zi Zigao, was a man of Northern Qi. For this anecdote, see the Beishi (History of the
Northern Dynasties), Vol. 54.
99 Gao Huan (496–547) established the Eastern Wei dynasty; after his death he was canonized by
his son, the first emperor of the Northern Qi dynasty, as Gaozu Shenwu Huangdi. For this incident, and
the text of the song in question, see the History of the Northern Dynasties, Vol. 6.
100 Mount Yanran is the old name of a mountain now located in the People’s Republic of Mongolia.
Lilingtai is located in Zhenglanqi, Inner Mongolia.
101 Literally, “yellow sheep.”

ruo li: Ruo is the name of an herb, Pollia japonica. Ruo li is a rain hat made of this
material.
“Liangyuan fu”: written by Xiangru.102
bi men: Yuan An of the Later Han dynasty was lying frozen on a snowy day behind
closed doors.103
Preface to Collected Annotations on Sunzi, by Wei Yuan104
Huang Zhen: Native of Pucheng, Jian Prefecture, in the Song Dynasty (now Pucheng
xian, Fuzhou Prefecture in Fujian), zi Boqi, was appointed commissioner of transportation for Guangdong.
Master Sun Wu thought that military force was the last resort, that it was not fitting
to wage war for a long time and kill many people, and that awful military triumphs
were shameful. “Was he only the father of military tactics and strategies? Wasn’t he
also a true gentleman [junzi] who has left us with some wise advice?”105
In the Laozi it is written: “In the world, there is nothing more submissive and weak
than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it.”106
“To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To
subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill… Therefore, the victories won
102 Sima Xiangru (179–117 B.C.), zi Changqing, was a poet of the Western Han dynasty. Toward
the end of a very checkered career, during which he had briefly served Emperor Jing, and been given
office by Emperor Wu, he addressed to the latter patron a remonstrance against the folly of wasting
time in hunting, which may be alluded to here. He was not, however, the only writer who joined the
gatherings in the garden of Prince Liang. Wu Weiye’s essential point here appears to be that he will no
longer be a member of court circles, joining such gatherings today. (This poem was written in 1657 as
he was leaving the capital and making his way back to his home at Taicang.)
103 Yuan An (d. 92), zi Shaogong. He held office as governor of several territories, and led the
opposition against Dou Xian, the empress’ brother, but his advice was rejected in favor of that of the
eunuch Zheng Zhong. When he fell upon bad times, he lived alone in a room. In the incident referred to
here, the magistrate of Luoyang passed his door after an accumulation of snow, and seeing no footprints,
wondered whether he was dead. On entering, he found Yuan lying within, numb with cold.
104 Wei Yuan (1794–1856), zi Hanshi, hao Meishen. Although he served as magistrate, Wei Yuan owes
his fame principally to his work as the effective compiler of the Huangchao jingshi wenbian (Collected
Writings on Statecraft of the Reigning Dynasty), an important collection of documents on political and
economic matters published in 1827. Much of the substance of Yuan’s account of Sunzi is drawn from
Wei Yuan’s Sunzi jizhu xu (Preface to Collected Annotations on Sunzi), which can be found in the
edition of his collected works known as the Guwei tang ji.
105 The central idea of this paragraph is drawn from Huang Zhen (1212–1280), zi Dongfa, Huangshi
richao (Mr. Huang’s Daily Jottings), Vol. 58, “Du Zhuzi” (Reading Notes on the Various Masters), and
the final two sentences are quoted almost verbatim from this source. (The Huang Zhen in question is
not the same as the one mentioned above.)
106 See chapter 78 of the Daode jing (The Way and Its Power), attributed to Laozi. Here we have
used D.C. Lau’s translation, Lao Tzu, Tao te ching (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1963), p. 140.

by a master of war gain him neither reputation for wisdom nor merit for valor.” From
Sun Wu’s “On Achieving Military Success.”107
“Su Xun argued, If we judge a person’s deeds by what he preaches, then Sun Wu
cannot avoid responsibility for three errors: He let the army be exposed too long,
thus giving the state of Yue the opportunity to invade; connived at [Zixu and Bopi’s]
whipping [Emperor Ping’s] grave, thus enraging the state of Chu; and broke relations
with Qin to save Bao Xu. In discussing war, Wu [Qi] was inferior to Sun; but in practice,
Sun was inferior to Wu. Even more, if we look back to the rest of his sayings, we must
ask, were they wise?”108
“Wu was originally a marshland full of tattooed barbarians like big pigs.”109
Sun Wu was only staying at Yue as a visitor. Since Yue could not follow all his advice,
he declined their offer of a government position after he had won great victories for
them.
“The hero who had learned to use the spear captured three hundred men-at- arms.”
This was the action of Ran Qiu. See the Zuo zhuan, the battle at Qing in the eleventh
year of Duke Ai.110
The crossbow was developed from the bow, the bow was developed from the slingshot (catapult), and the slingshot was invented by a filial son. A slingshot was used to
shoot someone, but had minimal effect, so it was improved into a bow. A bow could
shoot farther, but because of the limitations of men’s strength, the effect was still not
great enough; therefore, it was further developed into a crossbow. A crossbow has a
box containing a mechanism; when the mechanism is released, the arrow is shot out
with great force, to a considerable distance. It was a good weapon of war during the
middle ages. There are two legends about how the slingshot was devised in the olden
days by a filial son. In ancient times, parents were not buried under the ground, and
would be eaten by foxes. A filial son could not bear this, so he invented a slingshot to
kill the foxes. This was one legend. When parents became old, the responsibility for
107 These quotations are taken from Chapters 3 and 4 of the Sunzi, with slight verbal variations. See
Samuel B. Griffith’s version, Sun Tzu, The Art of War (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1963), pp. 77, 87.
In noting the source of this passage, Mao has confused two characters pronounced gong, one meaning
attack, the other success; in fact, Chapter 3 is entitled “Offensive Strategy.”
108 Su Xun (1009–1066), zi Mingyun, hao Laoquan, was the father of Su Shu and Su Zhe. He and
his sons were fierce opponents of Wang Anshi and his reforms. This passage, which Mao has reproduced
almost verbatim, is Wei Yuan’s summary of Su’s views, which can be found in his Jiayouji, Vol. 3,
“Quanshu” (On Power), Part 2, “Sun Wu.” The names given in brackets are mentioned in Su Xun’s
original text The Wu who is said to be weaker in theory but better in practice than Sunzi (or Sun Wu)
has a different character for his surname; to avoid confusion, we have therefore added his given name,
Qi, in parentheses.
109 This sentence is a verbatim quotation from Wei Yuan; the following paragraph is a paraphrase.
110 The first sentence is quoted from Wei Yuan. The passage from the Zuo zhuan, XII, XI, to which
Mao refers (Legge, Vol. V, pp. 824—25) says he captured 80, not 300. On Ran Qiu see note 36.

taking care of them fell upon the son, so a filial son invented the slingshot to shoot
birds to feed his parents. This was the other legend.111
To kill someone so that another may be bom.
Injury begets grace, and grace begets injury. If we merely consider the origin of
the mutual promotion and restraint of the five elements, in heaven and on earth there
is no interaction without military force, there is no military force without the Way.
and there is no Way without desire. “Absorb the weak, and punish the wilfully blind;
take their states from the disorderly, and deal summarily with those going to ruin.”112
Such is the Way of Heaven. If the world is without evil, then grace cannot be revealed.
If there is no weakness, wilfull blindness, disorder and ruin, then is there any need
for absorbing or taking states? Therefore we say injury begets grace. In history, the
stronger nations have wiped out other countries. It is indeed injurious to destroy other
countries, but as the stronger nations took over the weaker, colonized them, treated
them as their own and brought prosperity to those people, as far as the people were
concerned, it was grace. That is why we say injury begets grace.
Yiliao’s pellets.113 Yiliao, a brave soldier of Chu, good at shooting pellets.
Maiden of Yue’s sword.114 Fan Li told the King of Yue: There is a maiden in Yue
who comes from the Southern Forests.
Book of Agriculture115
weng: pronounced like “old man,” meaning to bank up.116
An old farmer said, after three seasons, the rice stalks will grow up to three sections
high; after four seasons, the wheat stalks will grow up to four sections high. When
planting, we have to wait for three seasons before the rice can be harvested, and four
seasons before the wheat can be harvested, if we are to get a good crop.
ken gou chou gou (to dig and connect furrows): “chou” is pronounced the same as
“worry,” and means to bind or gather.117
lun: pronounced like “engulfed,” third tone, meaning “ridge.”
111 The first of these legends is to be found in the Wu Yue chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals of
Wu and Yue), “Goujian yinmou waizhuan” (Unofficial History of the Strategems of [King] Gou Jian [of
Yue]). The second has not been identified.
112 The words in quotation marks are from the Book of Historical Documents, IV, II, IV (Legge, Vol.
Ill, p. 181).
113 Xiong Yiliao is said in the Zuo zhuan to have been equal to 500 men, but there is no mention of
pellets. See Legge, Vol. V, p. 847.
114 According to the Wu Yue chunqiu, “Goujian yinmou waizhuan,” she could defeat any swordsman
in the empire.
115 The reference is to the Bu nong shu (Supplementary Treatise on Agriculture) of Zhang Lixiang
(1611–1674), zi Kaofu, hao Nianfa. Zhang, a supporter of Zhu Xi and critic of Wang Yangming, wrote
his work as a supplement to a small monograph, entitled Nong shu (Treatise on Agriculture), by a writer
of the clan name Shen. He himself frequently tilled the soil and planted mulberry trees.
116 Actually, this character should be pronounced rong, not like weng, meaning old man.
117 Pronunciation does not seem to be Yuan’s strong point. The third character in the phrase he is
commenting on should be read jiu rather than chou.

Early wheat has several advantages. It is best to dig and connect the furrows early.
When it is done early, water is drained and the ridges will be dry. The harder you dig,
the deeper the furrows will go. The deeper the furrows, the more fertile the soil. When
the furrows are dug early, they will undergo the effects of the frost, and the earth will
be looser, the roots of the wheat will go deeper, and this is even better than heaping
fertilizer around them. The deeper the roots, the richer the plants, and the harvest
will be at least double.
But if we can plant a hundred good trees in the cracks on the field and along the
riverbanks, we will be able to earn more than a hundred gold pieces thirty years later.
If you neglect farming, you will not know how difficult it is to sow and reap. If you
stop raising silkworms and weaving, you will not know how our clothes are made. In
“The Odes of Bin,”118 on the origins of the rule of the ancient kings, the eight verses
of “The Seventh Month” sing only of details regarding clothing and food. The seven
sections in the Mencius regarding the essentials of kingly government also indicate that
none are more important than agriculture, community living, trees, and livestock.119
The writings of the Confucian scholars are different from those of the men of letters.
The former were translucent and pure, but the latter, unrestrained and argumentative.
The superior man seeks the truth, not food or drink. This is only relatively speaking,
as compared with those who diligently seek after material gains. It does not mean that
all literati care nothing for food and drink.
Our ambition is not merely to be clothed and fed. When we talk about establishing
the will, however, if we speak of actions, even a kingly government takes as its ultimate
goal to clothe and feed the people so that there is neither hunger nor cold. What is
wrong with being concerned with clothing and food?
Chaff is alkaline and is best used as fertilizer. Put in the fields, chaff will loosen the
earth and will not rot when soaked in earth for a long time.
There are merits in both Chinese and Western medicine. Chinese medicine stresses
the vital energy of life and pulse; Western medicine stresses experiments. But the
theory of vital energy and pulse is too subtle for the common people to understand, so
it is dismissed as too abstract. When talking about experiments, we focus on substance
but have departed from energy, so we tend to lose sight of the foundations. Thus, both
are one-sided.
“Preface to Nishi Moroo’s Guide to Practical Studies” 120
118 The reference is to the “Odes of Bin” in the Book, of Poetry. The first ode, entitled “The Seventh
Month,” is devoted as Mao says largely to clothing and food. See Legge, Vol. IV, pp. 226–33. Bin was
regarded as the ancestral home of the rulers of Zhou, and hence the domain of the ancient kings.
119 The reference appears to be to the various chapters throughout the Mencius dealing with this
theme, such as III, I, III—IV, and VII, I, XIII-XXIII (Legge, Vol. II, pp. 239–56,454–63).
120 This preface was by Wu Rulun (1840–1903), zi Zhifu, who had served under Zeng Guofan and
Li Hongzhang. Under their influence, he became interested in Western civilization and studied the
experience of Japan and Europe in modernization. To the end of his life, he was involved in bringing
Japanese scholars to China to help establish modem schools. Wu’s preface to Nishi’s book, Shixue zhizhen
(Tokyo: Huabei yishuju, 28th year of Guangxu [1902]), presented it as a compendium of knowledge about

Columbus: Spaniard. A famous contributor to knowledge.121
Newton: Englishman. Pioneer in pressure theory.
Franklin: American. Invented a powerful electric machine which could make steel
needles magnetic, and also made kites to attract lightning.
Watt: Englishman. Invented steam engine, to which many of today’s manufactures
are indebted. Different from Wa de.122
Li Guinian: Musician of the Tianbao Period of the Tang Dynasty.
Fine writings have these features: Sentences are few but contents are rich. The words
are few but the truths are many.
An American saying goes: “My country right or wrong.”123
It is better to manage one’s houses and clothes and shoes carefully, rather than
spending money and losing the interest. Therefore, the principal is important. The
Japanese value the principal so much that they hardly have any extra clothes in their
closets, nor extra grain in their bams.
Hatred: There are two sides of hatred. It is all right to hate oneself, but not others.
“Preface to Diary”124
Zheng Qiao: zi Yuzhong, a native of Putian, Xinghuajun, under the Southern Song
dynasty. He wrote two hundred volumes of a General History)125
Wang Yinglin: zi Bohou, native of Jianyuan Prefecture under the Southern Song
dynasty. At nine, he mastered the Six Classics, and he was the most prolific writer of
the Song dynasty.126
Japan and the West, and most of the foreigners mentioned below by Yuan appear there. Nishi Moroo,
though Japanese, was a Sinophile who appears to have written the book in Chinese, and on the title
page he used the pseudonym Jin Chengzi (“Child of the Golden City”).
121 Guangxue mingjia. It is not clear whether Mao understood Yuan to be saying that
122 It is not entirely clear to whom Mao is referring here. Transcriptions of Western names had not
yet been standardized in 1913, and the editors of the Wengao provide no guidance. Watt, here written
Hua de, is now commonly rendered Wa te, but the context makes the identification quite unambiguous
in his case. The characters Mao uses for Watt are now employed for [Lester Frank] Ward (1841–1913),
the American sociologist, and Wa de may stand for him.
123 This is undoubtedly paraphrased from the chapter on national opinion in Yan Fu’s translation
of Spencer’s Principles of Sociology.
124 The reference is to Pan Lei’s preface to his edition of the “Rizhilu” (Diary) of Gu Yanwu. Pan Lei
(1646–1708), zi Cigeng, hao Jiatang, had been a student of Gu’s. The next dozen paragraphs, through
the one regarding Sima Lang, all come from this source. Gu Yanwu (1613–1682), zi Ningren, hao Tinglin,
was perhaps the leading figure among the Ming loyalist scholars of the early Qing period. He blamed the
decline of the previous dynasty on the influence of what he regarded as the impractical and unrealistic
ideas of neo-Confucianism, and especially of Wang Yangming. Like Wang Chuanshan, he was to have a
lasting influence on Mao. See below, Yuan’s discussion of Gu Yanwu.
125 Zheng Qiao (1108–1166), zi Yuzhong, hao Jiaji, was a famous man of letters of the Song dynasty.
His Tong zhi (General History) dealt, of course, only with China, and covered the period from the
earliest legendary emperors down to the Tang.
126 Wang’s dates are 1223–1296.

Wei Heshan: His given name was Liaoweng, and his hao was Heshan. He was a native
of Pujian, Qiongzhou, in the Southern Song dynasty (today’s Qiongzhou Prefecture of
Fujian province). He was known as a child prodigy.127
Ma Duanlin: zi Guiyu, of the Yuan dynasty. Wrote A General Study of Documents.
The drum and the satchels: A note regarding this topic in the Book of Rites: On
the opening day of school, the drum is beaten to call everyone’s attention, and then
the students open their satchels and take out the classic works which they proceed to
study.129
Tang Jingchuan: ming Shunzhi, a native of Wujin during the Jiajing period of the
Ming dynasty. Wrote Anecdotes of the Prominent Civil and Military Officials and
Scholars, in six volumes.130
Yang Yongxiu: ming Shen, of the Zhengde period of the Ming dynasty. A prolific
writer.131
Wang Yanzhou: ming Shizhen, a native of Taicang, a jinshi of the Jiajing reign.132
Zheng Duanjian: ming Xiao, a man of Haiyan, and a jinshi of the second year of
the Jiajing reign.133
[Tang] Jingchuan and [Zheng] Duanjian emphasized practical studies and that which
can be found in reality. Yang and Wang were not their equals.134
The people during the Song and Yuan dynasties valued practical studies very much.
Although a number of talents emerged during the Ming dynasty, their learning was
not equal to that of former times.
“Mr. Gu Ningren135 of Kunshan was bom into an old and well-known family. When
young, he was unusually gifted and devoted himself completely to the study of ancient
texts; he could recite from memory most of the nine classics and the various histories.
He was especially concerned about the events of his own time, and would copy the
127 Wei Liaoweng (1178–1237), zi Huafu, hao Heshan. Yuan (or Mao) is in error about the location
of his native place, which is in Sichuan, not in Fujian.
128 Ma’s Wenxian tongkao (A General Study of Documents) was a huge encyclopedia.
129 See the Book of Rites, Chapter XVI, “Xue ji” (A Note on Schools). Couvreur translates the
passage in question as follows: “Lorsque les dfcves dtaient entr^s dans 1’Scole, on battait le tambour;
aussitot chacun d’eux tirait de sa boite ses livres et ses instruments, et se mettait au travail avec
soumission.” (Couvreur, M&noires sur les bienseances et les certmonies, Vol. II, part 1, p. 32.)
130 Tang Shunzhi (1507–1569), zi Yingde, hao Jingchuan.
131 Yang Shen (1488–1559), zi Yongxiu, hao Sheng’an, was indeed one of the most prolific scholars
in Chinese history.
132 Wang Shizhen (1526–1590), zi Yuanmei, hao Fengzhou, another prolific and versatile writer. His
works were published under the title of Yanzhou shanren ji: hence Yuan’s reference to him here as Wang
Yanzhou.
133 Zheng Xiao (1499–1566), zi Zhifu, hao Yanquan, was the first writer to attempt a comprehensive
history of the Ming dynasty.
134 Here Mao has written the character zhou for chuan in the name of [Tang] Jingchuan, an obvious
slip in Chinese which merely involves adding three dots.
135 On Gu Yanwu, see above, note 124.

veritable records and memorials by hand. He also meticulously examined important
matters of statecraft [jingshi]. During the last years of the Ming dynasty, he tried to
establish himself, but in the end never received an appointment. Thus he remained
poor until his old age. Nevertheless, his concern for his country and his people never
diminished. As long as there were things concerning the people’s livelihood and the
people of the country, he would trace them back to the origins and discuss the causes.
He had traveled through half of the empire. Wherever he went, he would make friends
with sages, heroes, and elders, and study the mountains and rivers, as well as customs,
people’s sicknesses and sufferings, strengths and weaknesses. He knew all of these like
his own hand.”136
During the Wei dynasty, Sima Lang proposed to revive the “well-field” system, but
this did not go into effect until after a change in dynasty. During the Yuan dynasty,
Yu Ji proposed an irrigation plan for the east of the capital, but that plan did not go
into effect until the next generation.137
Open fields: fields that have no trees planted in them. [Emperor] Xiaowen of the
Northern Wei dynasty ordained that land be distributed evenly. Any male over fifteen
years of age was allotted 40 mu of open land.138
During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, military offices were hereditary.
There is morality valid for a time, such as the master-slave relationship between
prince and minister,139 then there is morality valid for all time, such as benevolence,
righteousness, the rites of proper conduct, wisdom, trust, providence, and the will of
the people, etc.140 When we talk about principles, we have to be up-to-date; when we
study literature, we need to study the classics.
zou and bao: Memorials submitted to the throne by the higher-ranking officials were
called “zou”; reports submitted to the higher-ranking officials by their subordinates
were called “bao.”
136 This passage is taken verbatim from Pan Lei’s “Preface,” as reproduced in the Hanfenlou gujin
wenchao (Hanfenlou Collection of Ancient and Modem Literature), an anthology compiled by Wu Zengqi,
Commercial Press edition, Vol. 17, p. 65B. There is only one divergence from the original: in Mao’s
notes, guo ming (the fate of the country) has been replaced by guo min (the people or the citizens of the
country), as translated in the text. The rest is reproduced so accurately that Mao must have consulted
it in the library, unless Yuan wrote the whole paragraph on the blackboard. Most of the substance of
Pan’s account is correct, though Gu’s failure to hold a high appointment resulted not from his inability
to obtain a post, but from his own refusal to serve under the alien Manchu dynasty, or to take the
special honorary examination known as boxue hongci, to which he was invited in 1677.
137 For Sima Lang, zi Boda, see the history of Wei in the Sanguo zhi (History of the Three Kingdoms).
Yu Ji (1273–1348), zi Bosheng.
138 Yuan Hongyan (d. 499) succeeded to the throne in 471 as sixth emperor of the Northern Wei
dynasty. Apart from the land reform mentioned in Mao’s notes, his rule was marked by an attempt to
foster Chinese language, dress, and culture.
139 Such was the case under the Qing, between the emperor and Manchu officials.
140 The distinction between morality valid for a time (yishi zhi zhengyi) and morality for all time
(wanshi zhi tongyi) appears to have been taken from Wang Fuzhi’s Du Tongjian lun (On Reading the
Comprehensive Mirror of Good Government), Vol. 14.

Though the systems have changed over time, the reasoning has not changed. For
instance, the military, agricultural, financial, and tax systems have changed, but the
justification for maintaining an army is to devise strategies, the purpose of agriculture
is to enrich the people, and that of finances is to make the nation prosperous. Has the
reasoning become any different?
Jingchuan141 was talented both in literary and in military arts. He was good at
archery and horseback riding.
A person is judged as to whether he has achieved any academic standing when he
turns twenty-five.
The scholars of the Ming and Qing dynasties were useless because in their writings
they only sought to follow the trend of the times.
The value of the books that have lasted for a long time lies in their practical nature.
Those which are not useful but have nevertheless lasted for a long time are those that
are superbly written. Han [Yu], Liu [Zongyuan], and Du [Fu]’s poetry are examples of
this. The rest are as voluminous as the open seas, filling up heaven and earth.
A General Review of the Regulations and Institutions, A General Study of Documents, and A General History, called the “Three Generals,”142 are required reading for
scholars. These offer detailed study and evaluation of decrees and regulations, systems,
rites, music, military affairs, agriculture, etc. They are very useful indeed.
When Chengzi read, he often stopped in the middle of his reading and tried to draw
his own conclusions before he continued to read.143
During the Qian[long] and Jia[qing] periods, the scholars loved to research the texts
to the extent that they would often tirelessly write tens of thousands of words for each
word, each term, each piece of clothing, and each shoe.
Laozi was an idealist.
If a famous painter paints a cake, it may appeal to the eyes but is not edible. A
certain Mr. Wang once painted a cake.
There are several categories of writing. The Confucian scholars of the Song dynasty were realistic. So were those in the Yuan dynasty. They truly had insights and
developed them in theories.
The skills in writing also varied greatly.
141 Tang Shunzhi (see above, note 130).
142 The Tong dian (General Review of the Regulations and Institutions) is the work of Du Yu of the
Tang dynasty. It is divided into eight sections, dealing with political economy, examinations, government
offices, rites, military discipline, etc. The Tong kao (General Study of Documents), by Ma Duanlin, and
the Tong zhi (General History), by Zheng Qiao, have already been mentioned above (notes 128 and 125,
respectively).
143 Chengzi, or Master Cheng, is Cheng Yi. The passage in his works dealing with this point can be
found in Er Cheng ji (Collected Writings of the Two Chengs) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1981), p. 258.

Zheng Yuzhong’s General History [of China] is both factual and practical.144 General
(tong)’, substance and usage combined. Substance is material, the prerequisites; and
usage, the actual practice, that comes thereafter.
December 13 Self-Cultivation
To be experienced and worldly wise is also a form of learning.145
It is a very difficult thing to know how to deal with people and things. This is
something we need to study.
Changshi: the English term is comon [szc] sense.
One thing that is difficult for a man in establishing himself is to be meticulous. If a
man does not overlook anything of which he is capable, and if he carries this through
from small things to greater things, it will not be hard for him to be a sage. Otherwise,
if one is not careful in small matters, one will fail in greater matters too. Mr. Tao Huan
is a model for us of one who was successful by assiduous attention to small things.146
Caesar is an example of how neglecting a small thing can lead to failure in greater
things. Because Caesar did not take precautions the night before, he was assassinated
in the legislature the next day. A certain army general who did not watch his step
not only sacrificed himself and his whole army but also endangered his whole country.
Shouldn’t we take this to heart? To honor everything, to do small things faithfully,
to give personal attention to everything, to separate words, to combine words, and to
measure their significance are the basis of establishing oneself.
If you hesitate to make decisions, gradually you will fail. Therefore it is said, “Though
he loved goodness, he did not act it out; though he hated evil, he did not do anything
about it; that was the reason for Mr. Guo’s ruin.”147
Covet not gain, rise early, love to study, and be humble. These are good habits.
Good has to be accumulated. Therefore we say, a march of ten thousand li starts
with a single step. A thousand chi of cloth is made up of single threads.148
Ten thousand li, short of one step, cannot be called such. A thousand chi, short
of one thread, cannot be called such. Master Zhu’s learning was accumulated from
144 The reference is, once again, to Zheng Qiao. (See above, note 125.)
145 This sentence appears to be inspired by the two mottoes cited at the beginning of Chapter 5 of
the Dream of the Red Chamber: “True learning implies a clear insight into human activities. Genuine
culture involves the skillful manipulation of human relationships.” (Hawkes, The Story of the Stone, Vol.
1, p. 126.)
146 Tao Huan is the name under which Tao Kan (259–334), zi Shixing, was canonized after his death.
A native of Jiangxi, Tao rose to high office from a background of poverty, becoming a highly successful
governor and military commander. He declared, with reference to the saying attributed to the Shang
dynasty emperor Yu the Great, according to whom one should be careful of every inch of time (on the
sundial), that in modem times it was necessary for men to be careful even of tenths of an inch.
147 This quotation is drawn from the Xin xu (New Prefaces), Vol. 4, of Liu Xiang (80–9 B.C.), zi
Zizheng, alternative zi Maojin.
148 A Chinese li or league is approximately one-third of a mile. A Chinese chi or foot is 13.1 English
inches, or 0.33 meters.

bits and pieces. If he did not store up the knowledge, he would not have been able to
establish his position.149
If you keep at it, you will succeed. This is called perseverance. That means unremitting effort to the very end. That is also what is called “accumulation.”
Just suppose that all in the past had died yesterday and all in the future were just
bom today.150 This implies having no regrets, and moving forward.
Some philosophers say that the future is more important; others say that the present
is more important. This is the big difference between Kidd151 and Yang Zhu,152 and
the great distinction between the East and the West. But when we look at learning,
we have to pay attention to the present. Why? Someone said, What is the point in
regretting the past? What’s the use worrying about tomorrow? If we want to grasp
something real, we can do so only in the immediate present; if we have the present,
we have a whole lifetime. How true are these words! If you study but do not stress
the present, what is our life span? Even the sun and moon will grow old. Whose fault,
then, is this? Hence the Great Yu’s saying about cherishing time.153
Stressing the present has two important meanings. One is valuing oneself. (Seek
within oneself.) (Do not depend on others.) The other is to understand the present age
thoroughly. For instance, if we study history, we have to emphasize modem history,
because it is closely related to us.154
If I survey physical space horizontally, there is not one thing in all the vast landscape
I can rely upon except for myself (valuing oneself).
If I examine time vertically, from the most ancient times until today, there is nothing
I can hold onto except for the immediate present. (To understand the present age
thoroughly.)
Chinese Literary Works
“The Hall on Yunzhou Brook, with preface”155
149 The last two sentences appear to be borrowed from Zeng Guofan’s Za zhu (Miscellaneous Works),
“Biji” (Jottings), no. 27, “Keqin xiaowu” (Diligence in Small Things).
day of the second month of the sixth year of the Tongzhi Period (April 3, 1867) in his Family Letters.
151 Benjamin Kidd, English sociologist (1858–1915). Liang Qichao wrote an essay entitled: “Jinhualun
gemingzhe Xiede zhi xueshuo” (The Theory of Kidd, a Revolutionary in the Discussion of Evolution).
152 Yang Zhu, a philosopher of the Warring States period, mentioned in the Mencius and the
Zhuangzi, was reputed to be an absolute egoist who would not have parted with one hair of his body
to save the whole world.
153 See above, note 146.
154 Yang Changji stated and elaborated the points made here regarding self-reliance and emphasizing
the present in his article “Gao xuesheng” (An Exhortation to Students), published in 1919. See Yang
Changji wenji, especially pp. 364—65.
155 By Han Yu. See his Collected Works, Vol. 14, and also, for the significantly different version of
this poem actually explained to Mao by Yuan, Gu Sili’s edition of Han’s poetry, Changli xiansheng
shi jizhu, Vol. 11 (pp. 543–44 of the Taiwan reprint, Xuesheng shuju, [1967]). It is this text which is
translated by Erwin von Zach, in his Han Yus poetische Werke (Cambridge: Harvard University Press,
1952), pp. 301–02. In the title, Mao has written a wrong character, pronounced “hun,” instead of “yun.”

yin: pronounced like “sound,” same as “dumb.”
chan: same as “land allocated to retainers.” Jiuchan (nine “chan”) is
the same as Jiuzhou (the nine provinces).156
“You employ your resources wisely, and make good use of men.”157
ping: pronounced like “duckweed”; water chestnuts, whose roots
float on the water.
gu: pronunciation and meaning like gu, “wild rice.”
wuwo yiyi: The first yi is pronounced “yi,” meaning to annoy. The whole
expression means: “Do not weary of us.”
ming te mou ze: All belong to the locust family. Ming (snout moth’s larvae) feed
on the heart of the plants; te (a green worm), the leaves; mou, the roots; and ze, the
stalks. Mou is also written in another form.158
“Cats Nurse Each Other”159
“The prince of Beiping. Refers to Ma Sui.”160
“The government of the Xia honored loyalty; that of the Yin honored respect, and
that of Zhou literary accomplishments.”161
“Confucius, when writing the preface to the Book of the Emperors, mentioned
Qin and Lu, and the other nations’ customs, but he singled out Song and Lu for
praise.”162
“Do those who value the Way not consider what is advantageous to others, as well
as to themselves?”163
This hall was the residence of Han’s friend Ma Cong, who had been appointed viceroy in the area in
question, centered on Shandong. The following seven points also refer to this poem.
156 “The Nine Provinces” is another name for the core area of China. This comment relates to the
first line of the poem, which von Zach translates “The Tang Dynasty has brought peace to the Nine
Provinces.” (Here and subsequently, we give the sense of his rendering in English, rather than reproducing
the German text.)
157 This line, in praise of Ma Cong, occurs at the very end of the poem.
158 It is the alternate form of the character given here which is used in two lines from the Book of
Poetry (II, VIII, 2; Legge, Vol. IV, p. 380): “We remove the insects that eat the heart and the leaf, and
those that eat the roots and the joints.” Han Yu uses this as a metaphor for harmful individuals and
indicates that Ma Cong dealt with them as they deserved.
159 This is an essay by Han Yu; see his Collected Works, Vol. 14, pp. 3A-3B. (All page references are
to the Hanfenlou edition published by the Commercial Press.)
160 From the notes to the title of this poem. Ma Sui (d. 769) was granted this rank by the Tang
emperor for his services.
161 This and the following eight paragraphs are drawn from Han Yu’s “Jinshi cewen shisanshou”
(Thirteen Questions Set at the Examination for jinshi), in his Collected Works, Vol. 14, pp. 4A-8A.
This sentence is quoted from question 2.
162 The “Book of the Emperors” referred to is the Book of Historical Documents. This sentence is
quoted from question 3 in the same text.
163 Quoted from question 5.

“ … ‘assembled all the princes together.’ Gathering together tfiuhe] means the gathering of the armored chariots (three), and the war chariots drawn by four horses (six).”164
“The Qin adopted Lord Shang’s laws; the people became prosperous, the country
became strong, and the nobles did not dare to rebel. As a result, all the other seven
rulers were subdued, and the whole country was unified under Qin. It was Lord Shang
who made Qin the ruler of the whole empire.”
“Those of later generations who proclaimed the Way were, however, ashamed to
mention Guan and Shang.165 Why? Wasn’t it because they only sought after reputation
and were not concerned with reality?”166
Confucius said, “From day to day you are saying, ‘We are not known.’ If some ruler
were to know you, what would you like to do?”167
“If the dead could be resurrected, with which of them should I associate myself?”168
“ ‘They may speak when it does not come to them to speak.’ This is also something
the superior man would not do.”169
These were all strong terms and great ideas, skillfully crafted like the classics. They
showed that the high reputation of the Tang dynasty could be compared with that of
the peak of the Han dynasty.170
This poem was written by Sima Qian, not [Sima] Xiangru.
“A man would not change his moral standards just because he lives in a different
era.”171
Though all the others sought after extravagance, Yangzi172 took no pleasure in lust.
164 The five words at the beginning are quoted by Han Yu from the Analects, XIV, XVII, 2 (Legge,
Vol. I, p. 282); the explanation which follows is from the notes to question 5, Collected Works, Vol. 14,
p. 5B.
165 On Shang, or Lord Shang, see the note to Mao’s essay of 1912 on his reforms. Guan is Guanzi
or Guan Zhong (see note 62).
166 Both this and the preceding paragraph, which follow one another without a break in the original,
are quoted word for word from the text of Han Yu’s question 5.
167 From question 6 of the “Questions Set at the Examination for Jinshi,” in Han Yu, Collected
Works, Vol. 14, p. 5B. Han is quoting here from the Analects, XI, XXV, 3 (Legge, Vol. I, p. 247).
168 This quotation from the Book of Rites, I, II (part 2), III, 25 (Couvreur, Mt moires sur les
bienstances et les cert monies, Vol. I, p. 257) is part of the text of question 6, Han Yu, Collected Works,
Vol. 14, p. 6A.
169 This is once again a word-for-word quotation from Han Yu’s question 6 (loc. cit.) The first
sentence is from the Analects, XVI, VI (Legge, Vol. I, p. 312).
170 From “Yuanhe shengde shi bingxu” (“The Sacred Virtue of the Yuanhe Emperor, with Preface”),
in Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 1, pp. 7–11. See also von Zach, Han Yus poetische Werke, pp. 1–6.
171 This, and the following twelve paragraphs, down to the one beginning ‘The Commentary says …”
are all derived, except where otherwise indicated, from the essay, “Zheng chen lun” (On the Disputatious
Officials), in Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 14, pp. 8A-10B. (This sentence is quoted verbatim from p.
8B.) For further discussion of this text, under its alternative title of “On Imperial Censors,” see below,
the passage beginning with note 235.
172 Yang Cheng (736–805), zi Kangzong, a censor under the Tang dynasty noted for his rectitude.
At an early age, he and his brother vowed never to marry; hence, no doubt, the ensuing comment by
Han Yu. (Mao has used the wrong character for the surname Yang.)

[Yang] Cheng loved to learn but was too poor to buy any books. So he asked to
be hired as a scribe, and read the public books by stealth. After six years, there was
nothing that he did not understand thoroughly.
If the people of Yue could see the rich and poor of Qin, they would suddenly forget
about their joys and sorrows.173
“The skillful administration of a state is seen in rewarding without error and punishing without excess.”174
“To toil diligently”: kuku means to toil.175
’’[The sage] hates to take his ease!”176
“Did this not offend against morals and waste words?”177
“Because Master Guo Wu loved to express himself provocatively and incite people,
he was killed at Qi.”
Duke Xiang said, “If you live in an immoral and chaotic society and yet love to express yourself provocatively and incite people, you have sown the seeds of grievances.”178
“To have eyes that see Mount Tai, but not things which are near at hand — what
shall we call this?”179
“The superior man remains in his own place, and thinks of his appointment; if he is
not appointed, he thinks of cultivating his speech, in order to enhance his virtue.”180
The Commentary says: ‘‘Only good men can accept radical proposals, and change
according to what they hear.”181
The time difference between the eastern and western extremities of our country is
four hours and fifteen minutes. There is Kashgar in the west, and the Ussuri River in
the east.
173 The reference is to the Yue and Qin kingdoms of the fourth century B.C., before the Qin unification of the empire.
174 A quotation from the Zuo zhuan, IX, XXVI, 7 (Legge, Vol. V., p. 526).
175 These words occur in the context of a passage (Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 14, p. 9B) arguing
that sages and worthies are concerned about the welfare of the realm, not about themselves, and
is followed almost immediately by a reference to Yu, who passed his doorway without entering (see
Mencius, III, I, IV, 7; Legge, Vol. II, p. 251).
176 This statement comes at the end of a passage declaring that sages are the eyes and ears of the
people, who fear the Decree of Heaven, and mourn the poverty of the people. Hence their reluctance to
be idle (Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 14, p. 10A).
177 In Han Yu’s text, this sentence and the next follow one another without a break (Collected Works,
Vol. 14, p. 10A). The antecedent of “this” is Master Guo’s habit of forthright speech. Guo Wuzi is Guo
Zuo, an official of the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period. For the fact of his death, see
the Zuo zhuan, VIII, XVIII, 3 (Legge, Vol. V, p. 408).
178 Duke Xiang is Duke Xiang of Dan. A note to Han Yu’s text indicates that he addressed these
words to Guo Wuzi by way of warning (Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 14, p. 10A).
179 A direct quotation from the notes to Han Yu’s essay, Collected Works, Vol. 14, p. 10B.
180 Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 14, p. 10A.
181 The Commentary in question is the Zuo zhuan\ this sentence is incorporated into Han Yu’s
essay on disputatious officials, Collected Works, Vol. 14, p. 10B. Mao has reproduced both this and the
previous sentence verbatim.

zhi: same as zhi (to roast). “Ten thousand oxen are cut up and roasted; ten thousand
jars of wine are served.”182
pa: pronounced [here] as mat. “They wrapped their heads in red kerchiefs.”183
“A tempting bait will surely get fish hooked; a handsome reward will certainly
attract a brave warrior.”184
rangrang: in great numbers.
“Neck in a cangue and hands in chains.”185
Mencius Classics186
“Maledictions are uttered by one to another with eyes askance”: juan means to look
askance at somebody.187
“The rulers yield themselves to the current, or they urge their way against it; they
are wild; they are utterly lost… Descending along with the current, and forgetting to
return, is what I call yielding to it. Pressing up against it, and forgetting to return, is
what I call urging their way against it. Pursuing the chase without satiety is what I
call being wild. Delighting in wine without satiety is what I call being lost.”188
ke: means “possible,” “can get by.” “The rich may get through life well.”189
zhao-. When pronounced “zhao,” means do not take what is not offered to you. Is
pronounced “shao” in “zhi shao” and “jue shao” (ancient musical tunes). When pronounced “qiao,” means loving to make extreme statements provoking people. That was
how Master Guo Wu met his death at Qi.
si ji yong guang: To seek to gather the people in peace and to magnify one’s country.190
Composition
182 This and the next four entries refer once again to Han Yu’s poem “The Sacred Virtue of the
Yuanhe Emperor.” For the line quoted here see Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 1, p. 8A; von Zach, Han
Yus poetische Werke, p. 2. The two characters pronounced zhi are the usual form with the fire radical
underneath, and a variant, discussed in the notes to Han Yu, with the meat radical underneath.
183 The modem reading for this character, when it means a kerchief worn by men around the head
as in ancient times, is mo.
184 This sentence, which is not from Han Yu, but from an ancient military writer, Master Yellow
Stone, is quoted in the notes to Han Yu’s poem {Collected Works, Vol. 1, p. 8B) to explain Han’s
statement that some people joined the rebel Liu Pi because they feared him, and others because they
hoped for his bounty. See Huang Shi Gong san lue (Master Yellow Stone’s Three Discourses on Strategy),
Part 1. Mao (or Yuan) has modified only one character, the original has si fu (dead warrior) rather than
xiong fu (brave warrior), but si should be understood here in any case as “willing to brave death.”
185 This refers to Liu Pi after his defeat and capture.
186 The next five sentences come from the Mencius, I, II (Legge, Vol. II, pp. 150—79).
187 The reaction of the people, according to Mencius, when the ruler visits the countryside with too
numerous a retinue. Mencius I, II, IV, 6; Legge, Vol. II, pp. 159–60.
188 This is a direct quotation from the Mencius I, II, V, 6–7 (Legge, Vol. II, p. 160), with only one
brief omission.
189 Mencius, I, II, V, 3 (Legge, Vol. II, p. 162), here quotes a line from the Book of Poetry.
190 Legge translates these four characters (Mencius I, II, V, 4), which are also quoted from the Book
of Poetry, as: “That he might gather his people together, and glorify his state” (Legge, Vol. II, p. 163).

“Preface to the Humble Study Manuscripts” 191
Of all the classics and histoiy and the hundred schools of thought, the natural and
human sciences, regulations and institutions, anecdotes and legends, grasses and trees,
insects and fishes, is there anything which is not material for writing? As for editing,
adaptation, climaxes and anticlimaxes, opening and closing, and changes and intrigues,
are there any of these which do not constitute techniques for writing?
The writings of the Ming period were deficient in techniques. The shortcoming of
today’s writers is lack of material.
Those who are critical of themselves are not self-satisfied. The more learned a person
is, the more humble he becomes.
Therefore his diction was translucent and elegant, his writing skills and the content
complemented each other. His craftsmanship was extraordinary and endlessly refined.
If only we can fully devote our energy to studies, and extend ourselves to the
utmost possible limits, connect the natural and human sciences, gather together all the
studies of the past and the present as our resources—as if we were taking lumber from
Denglin,192 and quarrying stone from the Southern Mountain193 to provide materials
for the work of Chui194 and Ban,195 then we would be able to build ten thousand houses.
If we could provide Yi Ya196 with the rarest ingredients from the noblest places and
gather the best foodstuffs from land and sea, then we would be able to have the most
exquisite meal in the whole world.
I will not let myself be despised just so that I might barely survive.
Wei Bozi said, “A masterpiece’s remarkableness lies in its commonness, its subtlety
in its breadth. As for its ins and outs, and the relation between the whole and the
parts, its splicing and transformations lie in its straightforwardness, its rich tastes lie
in its blandness, and its glamour lies in its modesty.”197
191 This preface, too, is by Pan Lei (see note 124). The “humble study” was, in fact, the very extensive
library of the noted bibliophile and secretary in the Grand Secretariat Lin Ji (1660–1735), zi Jiren, hao
Luyuan. The Puxuezhai wengao (Humble Study Manuscripts) was a collection of his prose works. The
following six paragraphs refer to Pan’s preface.
192 A forest described in the Shan hai jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas) by Guo Pu (276–324),
zi Jingshun, a Daoist scholar. According to the account in this largely mythological work, Deng Forest
sprang up magically from the staff of a spirit who had died of thirst. (See Vol. 7, on countries north of
China.)
193 Old name of what is today called Zhongnanshan in Shaanxi Province. See the Book of Poetry,
II, IV, VII, 1 (Legge, Vol. IV, p. 309): “Lofty is that southern hill, With its masses of rocks!”
194 A skilled artisan under the reign of the legendary emperor Yao.
195 Lu Ban, the name commonly used for Gongshu Zi, a famous artisan of the state of Lu during
the Spring and Autumn period, long worshiped as the god of carpenters.
196 A famous cook, chief chef to the Duke of Qi, in the seventh century b.c. His personal name was
Yi Wu; Ya was his zi.
197 Wei Bozi is Wei Jirui (1620–1677), zi Shanbo, hao Dongfang, alternative hao Bozi. For the passage
referred to here, see his “Letter to the Duke of Zhou” in his collected works, Wei Bozi wenji, Vol. 2.

Wang Dunweng. Ming Wan, zi Tiaoren. A native of Wu. Became a jinshi during
the yearyiwei of the Shunzhi reign.198
“An inscription on the desk says ‘Be neat, profound, generous, and even.’ ” Neat
means to be simple and clean in heart; profound means to do things with sincerity and
firmness; generous means to give when one has more than enough; and even means to
be calm and at ease in deeds.199
Avoid writing awkwardly, or in too labored a style.
To pierce through a hair. During Wei’s time there was a Korean guest who was
adept at handling needles. He could pierce a hair right through the middle.
To shoot the fleas. Liezi. Fei Wei learned from Gan Ying how to shoot, and became
more skillful than his master. Ji Changzhe, in turn, learned shooting from Fei Wei, and
saw fleas as if they were as big as cartwheels. His arrows pierced their chests without
cutting the [yak] hair on which they were hanging.200
sheng: pronounced “zong.”201 Eighty strands of cloth is a zong.
cong: pronounced “cong,” meaning small tributaries flow into larger streams, and
the waters are connected.
Dark wine and unseasoned thick meat soup.
bai bi: adorned, meaning adorned in white.
zang: the domain of the five elements. The heart corresponds to wood, the liver to
fire, the spleen to earth, the lungs to metal, and the kidneys to water.202
The coming together of heavens and earth is called “tai.”203
The heavenly lord is peaceful.204 The heavenly lord is the heart.
jiju: centipede, feeds on snakes’ eyes.205
198 Wang Wan (1624–1691) was indeed a jinshi of the year indicated, which corresponds to 1655.
The second character of his zi as noted by Mao is wrong; it should be Tiaowen. He also had various
hao, including Yaofeng and Dun’an. The name by which Yuan calls him, Wang Dunweng (meaning “Old
Man Dun”), derived from Dun’an, is that under which he published his collected works.
199 This reference is also to Wei Jirui; see his “Ming” (Inscriptions), in Wei Bozi wenji (Collected
Writings of Wei Bozi), Vol. 10. Mao has, once again, made a minor error in transcribing this passage;
in Wei’s text, a “profound” person is zhen (upright or virtuous) rather than zhen (sincere).
200 This story is to be found in the Liezi, Chapter 5 (“The Questions of Tang”). For a translation,
see Angus Graham (tr.), The Book, of Lieh-tzu (London: John Murray, 1960), p. 112. The last sentence,
describing the exploits of Ji Changzhe, is identical with that in the Liezi except that the original text
refers to piercing the heart, not the chest, of the flea.
201 The character in question is normally pronounced “sheng”; its usual meanings are “to rise,” or a
unit of measure similar to a pint, but it may also have the sense given here.
202 This is not the usual order, or the usual correlation, which goes: heart = fire, lungs = metal, liver
= wood, kidneys = water, and stomach = earth.
203 This quotation is from the Book of Changes, Chapter “Tai.”
204 This passage comes originally from Xunzi, XI, 17, “Tianlun,” which contains the sentence: “The
heart dwells in the central void, and rules the five organs. Because of this, it is called the heavenly
lord.” According to the commentaries, Xunzi saw the five organs (ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and form) as
capable of sensation, but not of communication with one another.
205 This is an allusion to the Zhuangzi, I, 2; the chapter title is “Qiwulun,” which Graham translates
as “The Sorting Which Evens Things Out.” See Graham, Chuang-tzu, p. 58.

dai: snake, the centipede eats its eyes.
The birds hated Xi Shi’s charms: “Mao Qiang and Lady Li were beautiful in the
eyes of men; but when the fish saw them they plunged deep, when birds saw them they
flew high.”206
yi: pronounced “yi,” swallow.207
rou yuan: Of the family of monkeys. Good at climbing.
jue fu: macaque. Jue is also written as jue, meaning to capture. A macaque was
said to have captured a woman to be his wife who gave birth to a son; hence the name.
guo ran: monkey. A good-natured animal.
jiao rang: A plant whose leaves grow alternately.208
Wu Xun: zi Huaxi, a native of Tongcheng. Wrote “Huaxi’s Leisure Talk.”
The greatest virtue of Emperor Yao was his reverence; that of Emperor Shun, his
filial piety.
Mr. Huntun. Zhuangzi, “Responding to the Emperors and Kings”: The Emperor of
the South was called Shu, and the Emperor of the North was Hu. The Emperor of the
Center was called Huntun. Shu and Hu met in the land of Huntun, who treated them
very generously. Shu and Hu were discussing how to repay Huntun’s bounty. They
said, “All men have seven holes through which they look, listen, eat, breathe; he alone
doesn’t have any. Why don’t we try boring them?” Every day, they bored one hole,
and on the seventh day Huntun died.209
Classics
gan ge qi yang: qi means axe; yang, battle-axe.210
can zei: He who outrages benevolence is called a robber [zei]; he who outrages
righteousness is called a ruffian [can].211
206 The passage in quotation marks is taken directly from the Zhuangzi, loc. cit. The introductory
sentence is Yuan’s; Xi Shi was a famous beauty of the fifth century B.C.
207 The fact that the character yi which appears here is a synonym for yan (swallow) is mentioned
in the commentaries to the Book of Poetry, I, III, III (Legge, Vol. IV, pp. 42–43).
208 Daphniphyllum macropodum, a type of evergreen in which the old leaves commonly fall as the
new ones begin to grow.
209 This is taken almost word for word, with a few minor changes, from the Zhuangzi, VII, “Ying
diwang” (Responding to the Emperors and Kings). We have followed Graham’s translation (Chuang-tzu,
p. 98), except where it did not fit the text of Mao’s notes. Graham translates the names of the first two
emperors respectively as “Fast” and “Furious.” Huntun, he notes, “is the primal blob which first divided
into heaven and earth, and then differentiated as the myriad things.”
210 This four-character line is from the Book of Poetry, III, II, VI, 1, quoted in the Mencius, I, II,
V. Legge translates (Vol. II, p. 163): “With shields, and spears, and battle-axes, large and small.” This
and the following six paragraphs all relate to the same chapter of the Mencius.
211 This is drawn from one of the most celebrated defenses of regicide in the Chinese classics. The
passage reads as follows: “ ‘May a minister then put his sovereign to death?* Mencius said, ‘He who
outrages … benevolence is called a robber; he who outrages righteousness is called a ruffian. The robber
and ruffian we call a mere fellow. I have heard of the cutting off of the fellow [i.e., the notorious tyrant]
Zhou, but I have not heard of… putting a sovereign to death’ ” (Legge, Vol. II, p. 167).

yi. Twenty Hang.212
“Mencius replied, ‘If the people of Yan will be pleased with your taking possession of
it, then do so. Among the ancients, there was one who acted on this principle, namely
King Wu. If the people of Yan will not be pleased with your taking possession of it,
then do not do so. Among the ancients there was one who acted on this principle,
namely King Wen.
“ ‘If you make the water more deep and the fire more fierce, they will in like manner
make another revolution.’ ”213
“Master Zeng said, ‘Beware, Beware. What proceeds from you, will return to you
again.’ ”214
“A ruler does not injure his people with that wherewith he nurtures them. My
children, why should you be troubled about having no prince?”215
The Philosophers
Though there is a difference between small and great, when everything occupies its
place, then things will fulfill their nature, affairs will correspond to their potential, and
each will play its proper role216
Why do you put your heart in it?
Once the big bird takes off, it will not rest until it reaches the Heavenly Lake half a
year later. As for the little bird, it will take it only half a day to dash to the elm and
sandalwood. If you compare their capacities, there is a gap, but each acts according
to its nature.
They say a peng does not know how far or how near the distance is. It only stops
whenever it feels like it.217
“Is the azure of the sky its true color? Or is it that the distance into which we are
looking is infinite? It [the peng] never stops flying higher until everything below looks
the same as above.”218
“If a mass of water is not bulky enough it lacks the strength to carry a big boat.
When you upset a bowl of water over a dip in the floor, a seed will make a boat
for it, but if you put the bowl there it jams, because your boat is too big for such
shallow water.”219 When we read this saying, we sigh: How true this is! In history,
there have been many who desired to be leading ministers. There have been some who
succeeded with grace, sufficiency, skill, and ease, but there were more who stumbled
212 In ancient times, one yi was a piece of gold worth twenty (or according to some sources twentyfour) Hang (taels, or Chinese ounces) of silver. This term appears in the Mencius I, II, X, 2.
213 This is a direct quotation from the Mencius, I, II, X, 3–4 (Legge, Vol. II, pp. 169–70).
214 Mencius I, II, XII, 2 (Legge, Vol. II, p. 173).
215 Mencius I, II, XV, 1 (Legge, Vol. II, p. 176).
216 This, and the next five paragraphs, are all drawn from Chapter 1 of the Zhuangzi. This first
sentence is a summary of the sense of the chapter as a whole, rather than a quotation.
217 This and the previous paragraph are based on the opening passage of Chapter 1 of the Zhuangzi
(Graham, Chuang-tzu, pp. 43–44). The peng is a mythical bird, usually translated as roc.
218 This time, Mao noted down the precise textual quotation from the Zhuangzi (loc. cit.).
219 This is, once again, an exact textual quotation from the same passage of the Zhuangzi.

with restlessness and imbalance, as if they could not set the big ships to sail. Wasn’t
it because they were lacking in resources? I think that
Mr. Li of Hefei220 was one of these. In the beginning, he was able to suppress the
Taiping Revolutionary Army and the Nian Army. This was like a seed in a bowl of
water. When he ascended to high places, ruled over the country, and got involved in
diplomacy, he failed again and again. He was shamed to an extreme degree. Why? It
was like setting a bowl in the water; the bowl gets stuck, because the water is too
shallow and the ship is too big. Mencius said: “Flowing water is a thing which does not
proceed till it has filled the hollows in its course. The student who has set his mind on
the doctrines of the sage does not advance to them but by completing one lesson after
another.”221 Shallow people should reflect on this.
Literary works
“The Sacred Virtue of the Yuanhe Emperor”222
gui: The ancient form of the character (jade tablet)223
pi: The parapet on top of the city wall. To throw the head over the wall.224
shaofu: According to the Annals of the Tang Dynasty, the shao fu was an officer in
charge of costumes and ceremonial articles for the court officials. To serve as shaofu.225
pa: here pronounced mai. A cloth around the forehead, part of military dress. “They
wrapped their heads in red kerchiefs.”226
To go all the way to the source and to weed out the shallow lake overgrown with
wild plants.
zhu: pronounced “zhu,” commonly written [with the wood radical instead of the
hand radical]. To support.227
leilei: pronounced “lei.” [Li]ji: “linked together like pearls on a string.”
220 Li Hongzhang (1823–1901), the celebrated statesman and diplomat.
221 This is a precise textual quotation from the Mencius, VII, I, XXIV, 3 (Legge, Vol. II, pp. 463–64).
222 Here Yuan returns to a poem by Han Yu he had already discussed earlier (see note 167). The
next nine paragraphs all refer to this text.
223 The jade tablet or baton conferred upon feudal princes by the emperor, as a symbol of authority.
Such tablets were given to officers and officials after the execution of Liu Pi, mentioned above (see notes
179 and 180).
224 The head in question was that of the leader of the rebels who had taken a city, after dissension
broke out among them. See the Chinese text in Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 1, p. 7B, and von Zach,
Han Yus poetische Werke, p. 2.
225 The context is that when Liu Pi (whose end is mentioned above) first sought to usurp the
governorship of Sichuan the emperor, to avoid bloodshed, sent him, through the shaofu, a token of
command (which he rejected with contempt). Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 1, p. 8A; von Zach, Han
Yus poetische Werke, p. 2.
226 Yuan apparently forgot that he had already explained this line; see above, note 183.
227 The context makes plain why Han Yu used the variant of zhu which also has the meaning “to
support” or “to prop up”: “Next they executed [Liu Pi’s] followers; they were so numerous that their
bodies leaned against each other.” (Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 1. p. 9B; von Zach, Han Yus poetische
Werke, p. 3.

“Women crowded together.”228
“[Everyone] feared the emperor’s power, and was abashed before the emperor’s
virtue; they were all filled with respect and joy, cast away their weapons and shields,
and privately gave themselves over to religious practices.”229
ou: means friends.230
“A Proposal to Change Mourning Clothes”231
si: The mourning clothes to be wom for three months. The classics speak of changing
the mourning si.232
mian: delayed. To change the three-months mourning clothes. The burial [of King
Huan] was long delayed.233
This is the reason why a filial son expresses his feelings, and former Kings must [be
dealt with] in good time.
To lay out a coffin in a memorial hall is called a funeral; to bury the body in the
field is called interment.
If you stress mourning clothes, this is called dispensing with the indispensable, and
stressing what shouldn’t be stressed.
“I say, one cannot. When you compare deep sorrow and minute attention to observances, the latter is assuredly not as important as the former. Still, it is most admirable
to conform with the rites. To be sure, compared to extravagance, thriftiness is better.
And yet, it is most admirable to conform with the rites. This is what is meant by the
saying that going too far is as bad as not going far enough.”234
“On Imperial Censors”235
If aspirations cannot be put into practice, you had better not seek after them.
228 For the first quotation, from Chapter XVII, on music, of the Book of Rites, see Couvreur,
M&noires sur les bienstonces et les monies, Vol. II, p. 113. The second phrase, which Mao also quotes
verbatim, is from Han Yu’s poem (Collected Works, Vol. 1, p. 9A). The term leilei (linked together)
appears in both passages.
229 This is a direct quotation; “everyone,” Han Yu indicates in the previous sentence, means all
between heaven and earth, including foreigners beyond China’s borders. (Collected Works, Vol. 1, pp.
9B-10A; von Zach, Han Yus poetische Werke, p. 4.)
230 Actually, according to various passages in the classics, including one in the Book of Poetry pointed
out by von Zach (Han Yus poetische Werke, p. 4), this character means “pair,” originally two men pulling
a plow together.
231 Essay by Han Yu; see his Collected Works, Vol. 14, pp. 10B-12A.
232 Si is also the kind of coarse cotton cloth from which such garments are made.
233 For this episode, see the Zuo zhuan, III, III, 3 (Legge, Vol. V, p. 75).
234 This whole passage is taken word-for-word from Han Yu (Collected Works, Vol. 14, p. 12A.)
Quoting a sentence from the Analects: “In the ceremonies of mourning, it is better that there be deep
sorrow than a minute attention to observances” (Analects III, IV, 3; Legge, Vol. I, p. 156), Han Yu asks
the rhetorical question, “Can one then not also stress [mourning] clothes?” It is to this that he replies,
“I say, one cannot.”
235 As indicated above (note 168) this essay by Han Yu, called here “Jianchen lun” (On Imperial
Censors) is also sometimes titled “Zhengchen lun” (On the Disputatious Officials). The next three lines
refer to it.

“If Master Yang made such efforts [in spite of difficulties], this really passes our
understanding.”236
The master [Han Yu] tells us that Master Yang can be considered as a man who
followed the Way. Though we cannot equal him, should we today not also regard him
as a good man?
“Hence, to seek after fame but to hamper the whole world is not to respect the
good.”
“Inscriptions for Huang Zijiu’s Painting”237
“There has never been one way in the world that was not true and did not have
solid foundations, and yet worked.”
“Alas, perhaps there may have been instances where one has learned and been
familiar with the truth and put it into practice, but others could not copy him. But
there have never been cases where you could gain the truth from looking at and
imitating its semblance.”
“On Xie An”238
“Those who succeeded to the empire in the old days had to get rid of the conventional
ways and establish something new.”
Moral capacity: “The superior men who ruled the world depended on imposing
manners and moral capacity but not talents.”
Talents: “But as far as talents are concerned, even though a prince does not rely
heavily on them, they should not be ignored either.”
“What do you think of our guest?” Meng replied, “He is hardworking and very
imposing.”239
“Emperor Yu of Xia was diligent and worked very hard. Emperor Wen used to eat
his meals late and worked day and night. Today there are ramparts all around us, we
should think of ways to help ourselves. Empty talk and verbiage are not appropriate
today.”
236 The “Master Yang” in question is Yang Cheng, mentioned in note 166. The whole of this essay
is devoted to praising his courage in opposing wrongdoing by high officials, during his term as censor.
This comment does not refer directly to the previous sentence.
237 By Hou Fangyu (see above, note 85). Huang Zijiu is Huang Gongwang (1269— 1359), zi Zijiu, hao
Dazhi, a noted painter of water during the Yuan dynasty. The previous sentence, as well as the following
two paragraphs, are word-for-word quotations from this text. See Hou’s collected works, published under
the title Zhuangmei tang wenji (Collected Writings from Zhuangmei Hall), Vol. 7. The whole essay is
about the dao or way of painting, referred to in the next sentence, and how the artist externalizes his
observations of reality.
238 This is another essay by Hou Fangyu. (See his Zhuangmei tang wenji, Vol. 9.) Except where
otherwise noted, the next thirteen paragraphs are verbatim quotations from it. Xie An (320–385), zi
Anshi, was a high official of the Eastern Jin dynasty.
239 Meng is Wang Meng (309–347), zi Zhongzu. This exchange, quoted from the Jin shu (History
of the Jin Dynasty), is supposed to have taken place when Wang’s son asked him his impression of Xie
An as a young man, when the latter paid his respects to Wang Meng.

“The Qin dynasty used Shang Yang, but only lasted two generations. Did his honest
advice bring disasters upon Qin?”240
“Was it something that could be predicted?”
“There have never been people who achieved great success without strength to
carry the burden of the world, endurance to go through the sufferings of the world,
and characters that could hold up a part of the world.”
“[Xie An] has more than enough sincerity and loyalty, but not enough humility and
experience.”
“If a man does not seek after fame, but has acquired a lot of experience of the world,
it is because of his upbringing.”
“Those who are not tempted by fleeting fame have acquired discipline. Those who
do not follow the current trends have gained self-control.”
“Otherwise, how could he be profound, solid, and open-minded, make arduous efforts, and take the responsibility of the whole country upon his shoulders?”
“Dao had the insights of great achievers but did not have great talents. An had the
capacity to do great things but did not have the skills to do so.”241
[I], An, have heard that the princes are virtuous and are standing guard all around
us, why do you, enlightened lord, need to deploy men behind the walls?242
Nothing was there before the chaos of the primeval era. That’s why we say before
chaos there was nothing. Hence, only after primitive chaos have there been things.
cai: Talent, used here in an economic sense. Talent can be acquired from learning.
It can also be acquired from experience.
Xunyang: Used to belong to Anqing.
“A Proposal to Select Some Students through Examinations to Replace the Ceremonial Ministers”243
“They hold the bamboo fruit baskets for sacrifices and rush here and there to serve
their superiors.
Jun, great.244
“This is indeed trivial.
“It is also clear that this cannot be changed.
“We cannot figure it out either.
240 This and the previous paragraph represent an exchange, likewise recorded in the History of the
Jin Dynasty, between Wang Xizhi (321–379), and Xie An; the first words are Wang’s, the reply Xie’s.
241 Dao is Wang Dao (276–339), long chief minister of the Eastern Jin dynasty. An is, of course, Xie
An.
242 From the biography of Xie An in the History of the Jin Dynasty. The “enlightened lord” to whom
he addressed these words was Xuan Wen (312–373), zi Yuanzi, who in 366 had deposed the emperor
and set the latter’s son on the throne as his puppet. According to the histories, Xie An thus frustrated
Xuan’s plot to murder him and others in order to strengthen his domination of the Jin court.
243 This is another essay by Han Yu (Collected Works, Vol. 14, pp. 12A-13A). The next eleven
paragraphs relate to this text. As indicated by the use of quotation marks, the whole of what Mao copied
down consists of sentences drawn from Han Yu’s text, with only a very few minor verbal variations.
244 The explanation of the character jun is also taken from the notes to this text in Han Yu’s works.

“This may not be a proper method for choosing officials, but perhaps there are
others that are even worse.
“There are no others.
“Isn’t this near irreverence? There are also others that are even more improper. How
can we state the truth?
“If there were any changes in the system or in the ordinances that were not very
different from the old ones, then they were not worth trying.
“To act in accordance with245 the ancient customs is not fit to serve as a model,
and to examine the present is not profitable. To seek to find out reality by looking
at the name is not proper. Therefore, [I] say, the proposal to remove the office of the
ceremonial ministers and replace them with recommended students is not right.”
leixi: vessel used in sacrifices.
zongyi: Yi, wine vessel. Zongyi, the wine vessel used in sacrificial ceremonies for the
ancestors. It is the same as leixi.
Fu246 “A ‘Fu’ on Two Birds”
“When the times are favorable, even a person of limited merit will prosper, when
the times are not favorable, a person with much merit may not be able to do much.”247
As the clear sky brightens the day, so does the magnificent scenery radiate over the
whole country. Zuo Taichong.248
“People are gathering together, clamoring and sighing that they have grown old and
their status has declined. But I am worried because the Way does not prevail in the
world. I marvel that the divine Yao could take the empire with one brigade, and am
concerned that his descendants cannot even unite the area north of the River with the
empire.” Li Ao.249 “Alas, if the superior men of his time had been able to change their
attitude of fretting about their old age and lowly status, and adopt [Li] Ao’s attitude,
how could the Tang dynasty ever have suffered from rebellions and destruction?”
“Even so, you may argue that writings were often composed at the time when people
were not yet in office. Once they became high officials and nobles and had successful
careers, they wouldn’t even have time to write unless they had the capacity and the
bent to do so.”250
245 Here Mao has substituted the character wei (to act, etc.) for the character kao (to examine) in
the original.
246 A/m is a composition in rhymed metrical prose, interspersed with verse. For the first of the three
fu by Han Yu discussed here, see his Collected Works, Vol. 1, pp. 1A-2B.
247 This is a word-for-word quotation from Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 1, p. IB.
248 Zuo Si (c. 250–305), zi Taichong, was a well-known poet of the Jin dynasty.
249 Li Ao (772–841), zi Xizhi, was a Tang dynasty essayist. This whole long paragraph, before and
after his name, is reproduced verbatim by Mao, with only one insignificant variation, from the notes to
Han Yu, Collected Works Vol. 1, p. 2B. (In the notes to Han Yu, the attribution of these words to Li
Ao precedes the passage quoted here.)
250 This paragraph is reproduced without a single variant from the notes to Han Yu, Collected Works,
Vol. 1, p. 2B, where it is identified as a criticism of Li Ao’s view by Ouyang Xiu (1007–1072), zi Yongshu,
hao Zuiweng, a noted writer and scholar-official.

“A ‘Fu’ on Renewal of One’s Ambitions”251
“In the seventh month of the following year, he was too sick to carry the firewood
on his shoulder. To carry firewood means to do menial work.”252
Han and Peng’s rebellions were considered as wild beasts rising to high positions.
Zhang Huan’s rising to power was considered as attaining high office through mastery
of the classics. Don’t you know that powerful people used their power to reach where
they are? Liu Xiaobiao’s On Destiny.253
If you understand the classics thoroughly, you can attain to high positions as easily
as if you were merely bending to pick mustard from the ground. Xiahou Sheng to his
disciples.254
“In the morning I hunt in a forest of books, and in the evening I fly around in the
garden of the arts.”255
“[Wang Mang] opened the imperial archives, and studied the innumerable books
and writings to be found there; he was like a bird from afar, resting in the garden of
literature or flying around in the theater of rites and music.” Ju qin mei xin256
“Dance in the theatre of the arts. Relax in the garden of books.” Ban Meng- jian
(“Games for the Guests”).257
Those who compete for fame fight in the court; those who fight for profits fight
in the marketplace. Today, the house of Zhou of Three Rivers is the court and the
marketplace of the empire. Records of the Historian, biography of Zhang Yi.
You think you can move forward by holding back. But if you don’t get closer, you
will be farther and farther away.
Therefore, those who want to do as well as their ancestors but hesitate to move will
never succeed. Family Teachings, chapter on the conduct of the scholar.258
251 This/h immediately follows the previous one in Han Yu’s Collected Works, Vol. l,pp. 2B-5A.
252 The first sentence is taken verbatim from Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 1, p. 2B; the following
sentence of explanation is from the notes.
253 Liu Xiaobiao is Liu Jun (462–521), zi Xiaobiao, a scholar of the Southern Liao dynasty. According
to his “Bian ming lun” (On Destiny), to be found in the Wenxuan (Anthology of Literature), Vol. 54,
the rebel Peng is Peng Yue, and Han is Han Xin.
254 Xiahou Sheng, zi Changgong, was a scholar of the Western Han, and a founder of the “New Text”
school. For his comments, quoted here, see the History of the Han Dynasty, Vol. 75.
255 This sentence is quoted word-for-word from Han Yu’s poem (Collected Works Vol. 1, p. 4A).
256 This is a direct quotation from the Ju qin mei xin (The Excesses of the Qin and the Excellence of
the New [Dynasty of Wang Mang]), by Yang Xiong (53 b.c.-a.d. 18), zi Ziyun, a Confucian scholar whose
reputation was tarnished by the fact that he had accepted office under the usurper Wang Mang, and
written essays such as this one in praise of Wang. This passage is included in the notes to Han Yu’s poem
(Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 1, p. 4A). Yang’s original text appears in the Anthology of Literature,
Vol. 48; for a translation, see Erwin von Zach, Die chinesische Anthologie, Vol. II (Cambridge, Mass.:
Harvard University Press, 1958), pp. 898–905. (Our English version follows von Zach’s reading.)
257 Ban Mengjian is Ban Gu (32–92), zi Mengjian, the celebrated author of the Han shu (History of
the Han Dynasty). Mao once again quotes verbatim; the text can be found in the Anthology of Literature,
Vol. 45, where it is entitled “Plays (or Games) in Response to Guests.”
258 The family teachings in question are those of Confucius, Kongzijiayu.

To desire to do as well as their ancestors but hesitate to move. History of the Former
Han Dynasty, biography of Liu Xiang.259
He detested the filth of greed and said, “I must work first before I can eat.”
Even though there are disadvantages in being in a high position, there is the joy of
fulfilling one’s ambitions. Yi Yin’s joy, nevertheless, came from farming. It could not
be replaced by great wealth.
“A ‘Fu’ on Self-Exhortation”260
“In ancient times, Mr. Yan was noted for his self-effacing and liberal nature.”
“Poor food and humble dwelling were enough for him to preserve health and enjoy
life.”261
“Our forefathers observed people on the basis of minor matters because people
could be deceptive in bigger matters. A man can break a piece of jade that’s worth
a thousand pieces of gold, but can’t help crying over a broken pot. A man can fight
against a fierce tiger, but cannot help being alarmed at a scorpion. Don’t you know
that a single bamboo dish of rice and a single gourd dish of drink were big matters to
a philosopher?” Su Zizhan262
“Guang says that Master Han wrote three letters to the prime ministers to beg for
a position. In ‘A Letter to Yu Xiangyang’ he asked for wages to feed the animals and
pay his servants. He also loved to please people, told them what his ambitions were,
and accepted money from them. He was so worried about being poor. Didn’t he know
what Master Yan had done?” Sima Junshi263
“The comments of Mr. Sima and Mr. Su are right. Even so, Tuizhi, in his letter
replying to Li Xizhi, said: ‘Confucius praised Master Yan, saying that, with a single
bamboo dish of rice and a single gourd dish of drink, while others could not have
endured the distress, he did not allow his joy to be affected by it. Hui had the Sage as
his model, and a ladleful of food and a gourd dish of drink to keep him alive. Wasn’t
it easy for him to be not sad but happy? Suppose there is a servant who has no one
259 Ban Gu’s History of the Han Dynasty is also known as the History of the Former Han Dynasty.
Liu Xiang, who is referred to in note 147, was a descendant of Liu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty,
and held high office on various occasions.
260 Once again, by Han Yu. See his Collected Works, Vol. 1, pp. 5A-6A.
261 This and the previous sentence are quoted verbatim from Han Yu, Collected Works, Vol. 1, p.
5A. Mr. Yan is Yan Hui, Confucius’ favorite disciple; for the reference in the Analects regarding his
frugality, see above, note 91.
262 Su Zizhan is Su Shi (1036–1101), zi Zizhan, hao Dongpo. It is under the last of these names that
he is best known as one of China’s greatest poets. For the work alluded to here, see “Yan le ting shi
bingxu (Poem on Yan’s Joy Pavillion with Preface),” in Su Shi shiji (Poems of Su Shi), Vol. 15. This
passage, which appears in the notes to Han Yu’s text (Collected Works, Vol. 1, p. 5B), is reproduced
here by Mao without a single variation.
263 Junshi is the zi of Sima Guang (1019–1086), hao Sushui, author of the great Zizhi tongjian
(commonly translated as the Comprehensive Mirror of Good Government), a general history of China
from the fifth century b.C. to the tenth century a.d. The passage cited here, from his “Yanle ting song
(In Praise of Yan’s Joy Pavillion),” is incorporated in the notes to Han Yu (Collected Works, Vol. 1, p.
5B), and has been reproduced by Mao word-for-word.

to serve as a model, does not even have a ladleful of rice or a gourd of drink, has no
wages, and dies of hunger as a result. Isn’t that difficult?’ ”264
“That prisoner of Chu is a superior man.” A quotation from the Spring and Autumn
Annals.265
264 Tuizhi is Han Yu, and Li Xizhi is Li Ao. (For Han Yu’s letter, see his Collected Works, Vol. 16.)
Mr. Sima and Mr. Su are, respectively, Sima Guang and Su Dongpo. The whole of this passage from
the notes, endorsing the criticism of Han Yu by these two writers, is reproduced verbatim by Mao.
265 See the Zuo zhuan, VIII, IX, 8 (Legge, Vol. V, p. 371).