Outer Collection of Sayings, Right, Part Two外儲說右下

One. When rewards and punishments are shared, prohibitions and orders are not carried out. How is this made clear? It is made clear by Zaofu and Yuqi. Zihan became the pig that rushed out and Tian Heng became the garden pool, and so the ruler of Song and Duke Jian were killed. The danger lies in Wang Liang and Zaofu sharing one chariot, and in Tian Lian and Cheng Qiao sharing one zither.

Two. Order and strength are born of law; weakness and disorder are born of flattery. When the ruler is clear about this, he makes rewards and punishments correct and is not kind to those below. Rank and stipend are born of merit; execution and punishment are born of crime. When the minister is clear about this, he spends his strength to the death and does not count it loyalty to his ruler. When the ruler has mastered not being kind and the minister has mastered not being loyal, then one can rule as king. King Zhaoxiang knew the ruler's feelings and did not open the five parks; Tian Wei knew the minister's feelings and so taught Tian Zhang; and Gongyi declined the fish.

Three. The enlightened ruler mirrors himself in what lies outside, and so outside affairs cannot fail to be accomplished; therefore Su Dai found fault with the king of Qi. The ruler mirrors himself in those above, and so one who lives in retirement is not brought to light unless he fits; therefore Pan Shou spoke of Yu's true feelings. The ruler had nothing he awoke to, and Fang Wu knew this. If even sharing clothes and sharing a clan is to be feared, how much more the lending of power! Wu Zhang knew this, and so he spoke of pretending; how much more, then, lending in earnest! The king of Zhao hated the tiger's eyes and was shut in. The way of the enlightened ruler is like the Zhou herald turning back the ruler of Wei.

Four. The ruler is one who keeps the law, demands results, and so builds merit. It has been heard that though the officials are in disorder there are people who are good on their own; it has not been heard that where the people are in disorder there are officials who govern on their own. Therefore the enlightened ruler governs the officials and does not govern the people. The explanation lies in shaking a tree by its trunk and in drawing a net by its head rope. So the village officer who let a fire start must be called to account. In putting out a fire, if the officer takes a jar and runs to the flames, that is the use of one man; but if he takes up the whip and sets men to work, he commands ten thousand. So to meet with technique is like Zaofu meeting the startled horses: pulling the horse and pushing the cart, he could not go forward; but taking over the driving, holding the reins and picking up the whip, the horses all galloped. For this reason the explanation lies in the hammer that levels what is uneven and the press that straightens what is bent. Otherwise the ruin lies in Nao Chi being employed in Qi and killing King Min, and Li Dui being employed in Zhao and starving Zhufu.

Five. Follow the pattern of a matter and it is accomplished without toil. So Zi Zheng sat astride the shaft and sang, and went up the high bridge. The trouble lies in the tax officer asking Lord Jian of Zhao whether to make it light or heavy, and in Master Bo saying "the inside of the state is full," at which Lord Jian was pleased, while the storehouses were empty, the people starved, and the crooked officials grew rich. So Duke Huan went among the people and Guan Zhong looked into goods left to rot and women left to resent. Otherwise it lies in the horses of Yanling that could not go forward, which Zaofu passed by and wept over.

The above is the guiding text.

One. Zaofu drove four horses, galloping and wheeling, and had his will of the horses. To have his will of the horses was to hold alone the control of rein and whip. Yet when the horses were startled by the pig that rushed out and Zaofu could not restrain them, it was not that the sternness of rein and whip was not enough: his authority was divided with the pig that rushed out. When Prince Yuqi drove the side horses, he had what he wanted of the horses without using rein or whip, for he held alone the benefit of fodder and water. Yet when the horses passed the garden pool and the yoke was broken, it was not that the benefit of fodder and water was not enough: his kindness was divided with the garden pool. So Wang Liang and Zaofu are the best drivers under heaven; yet if Wang Liang held the left rein and shouted at the horses while Zaofu held the right rein and whipped them, the horses could not go ten li, because they shared. Tian Lian and Cheng Qiao are the best zither players under heaven; yet if Tian Lian played the upper strings while Cheng Qiao pressed the lower, they could not make a tune, again because they shared. Now if even with the skill of Wang Liang and Zaofu, sharing the reins and driving, they cannot manage the horses, how can a ruler share power with his ministers and bring about order? If even with the skill of Tian Lian and Cheng Qiao, sharing the zither, they cannot make a tune, how then can a ruler share position with his ministers and bring about success?

One account says: When Zaofu drove the side horses for the king of Qi, he perfected the breaking of horses by thirst and showed his driving in the garden. The thirsty horses saw the garden pool, left the chariot, and ran to the pool, and the yoke was broken. When Prince Yuqi took the road for Lord Jian of Zhao to race for the thousand-li mark, just as they set out a pig was lying in a ditch. Prince Yuqi evened his reins and whip and drove forward; the pig burst out of the ditch, the horses were startled, and the yoke was broken.

Sicheng Zihan said to the ruler of Song, "Blessings, rewards, and grants are what the people delight in; let my lord carry these out himself. Killing, execution, and punishment are what the people hate; let your servant take charge of them." The ruler of Song said, "Very well." Thereupon, when stern orders went out and great ministers were executed, the ruler would say, "Ask Zihan." So the great ministers feared him and the small people turned to him. After a full year Zihan killed the ruler of Song and seized the government. So Zihan became the pig that rushed out and took his ruler's state.

Duke Jian, in the seat above, made punishments heavy and executions stern, laid taxes on thickly, and put the people to death. Tian Chengheng set up tenderness and love and made plain his breadth and generosity. Duke Jian made the people of Qi into thirsty horses and added no kindness to them, while Tian Chengheng, by benevolence and generosity, became the garden pool.

One account says: When Zaofu drove the side horses for the king of Qi, he broke the horses by thirst, and in a hundred days the breaking was complete. When it was complete, he asked to show his driving to the king of Qi. The king said, "Show your driving in the garden." Zaofu drove the chariot into the garden; the horses saw the garden pool and ran, and Zaofu could not restrain them. Zaofu had long broken the horses by thirst, yet now, when the horses saw the pool, they turned wild and ran, and even Zaofu could not control them. Now Duke Jian had long held his multitude in check by law, and Tian Chengheng gave them benefit. This was Tian Chengheng tipping over the garden pool and showing it to thirsty people.

One account says: Prince Yuqi ran a thousand-li race for the ruler of Song. The team was already yoked, and he looked at the markings of hand and mouth. As he was about to set out, he drove them forward and the wheels ran true to the line; he drew them back and the horses covered their own tracks. He stroked them and was about to send them off. A pig broke out of a hole. The horses drew back and retreated, and the whip could not make them go forward; the horses turned wild and ran, and the reins could not set them right.

One account says: Sicheng Zihan said to the ruler of Song, "Blessings, rewards, and grants are what the people like; let my lord carry these out himself. Execution, punishment, and killing are what the people hate; let your servant take charge of them." Thereupon, when small people were put to death and great ministers executed, the ruler said, "Discuss it with Zihan." After a full year the people knew that the command of life and death was controlled by Zihan, and so the whole state turned to him. So Zihan coerced the ruler of Song and seized his government, and the law could not forbid it. Therefore it is said, "Zihan became the pig that rushed out, and Tian Chengchang became the garden pool." Now if Wang Liang and Zaofu shared a chariot, each man holding one side of the reins, and went out the village gate, the yoke would surely break and they would not reach the road's end. If Tian Lian and Cheng Qiao were made to share a zither, each man pressing one string and plucking, the sound would surely be spoiled and the tune would not be completed.

Two. When King Zhao of Qin fell ill, the people bought an ox in every village and every household prayed for the king. Gongsun Shu went out and saw it, then came in and congratulated the king: "The people have all bought oxen, village by village, and prayed for the king." The king sent someone to ask, and it was indeed so. The king said, "Fine them two suits of armor a man. To pray of their own accord when no order was given is to love me. Now if, because they love me, I too were to change the law and follow them in my heart, then the law would not stand; and when the law does not stand, that is the road to disorder and ruin. Better to fine each man two suits of armor and go on governing together with them."

One account says: When King Xiang of Qin fell ill, the people prayed for him; when he recovered, they killed oxen to repay the prayers. The gentlemen of the guard Yan E and Gongsun Yan went out and saw it and said, "It is not the season of the she sacrifice or the la sacrifice. Why do they kill oxen of their own accord and sacrifice to the god of the soil?" Wondering at it, they asked. The people said, "Our lord was ill and we prayed for him; now he has recovered, so we kill oxen to repay the prayers." Yan E and Gongsun Yan were pleased. They saw the king, bowed, and congratulated him: "You have surpassed Yao and Shun." The king was startled and said, "What do you mean?" They answered, "With Yao and Shun, their people never went so far as to pray for them. Now our king fell ill and the people prayed with oxen; he recovered and they killed oxen to repay the prayers. So your servants privately hold that our king has surpassed Yao and Shun." The king thereupon sent someone to ask which villages had done it, and fined the village head and the elder of the five households two suits of armor each. Yan E and Gongsun Yan were ashamed and did not dare speak. Some months later the king was drinking and merry, and Yan E and Gongsun Yan said to him, "Some time ago, when your servants privately held that our king had surpassed Yao and Shun, we did not merely dare to flatter. When Yao and Shun fell ill, their people never went so far as to pray for them; now our king fell ill and the people prayed with oxen, and when he recovered they killed oxen to repay the prayers. Yet now you have fined their village heads and elders two suits of armor each, and your servants privately wonder at it." The king said, "How is it that you do not understand this? The reason those people are of use to me is not that I love them; it is that they are of use to me through my position. If I let go my position and take up with the people, then when I happen not to love them the people will accordingly not be of use to me. So I have cut off the road of love once and for all."

There was a great famine in Qin, and Marquis Ying asked, "What clings to the grass of the five parks, the greens and acorns and jujubes and chestnuts, is enough to keep the people alive. I ask that they be opened." King Zhaoxiang said, "The law of our Qin has the people receive reward when they have merit and receive execution when they have a crime. Now to open the greens and grasses of the five parks would be to reward alike those who have merit and those who have none. To reward alike those who have merit and those who have none is the road to disorder. To open the five parks and fall into disorder is worse than to throw away the jujubes and greens and keep order." One account says: "To open the fruits, greens, jujubes, and chestnuts of the five parks would be enough to keep the people alive, but it would set the people, those with merit and those without, to struggling to take them. To live and be in disorder is worse than to die and be in order. Let the great officer let it go."

Tian Wei taught his son Tian Zhang: "If you would benefit yourself, first benefit your ruler; if you would enrich your household, first enrich your state."

One account says: Tian Wei taught his son Tian Zhang: "The ruler sells offices and ranks, and the minister sells wit and strength. So rely on yourself and do not rely on others."

Gongyi Xiu was prime minister of Lu and was fond of fish. The whole state vied to buy fish and present it to him, but Master Gongyi would not accept it. His younger brother remonstrated: "You are fond of fish, and yet you do not accept it. Why?" He answered, "It is just because I am fond of fish that I do not accept it. If I accepted the fish, I would surely wear the look of a man beholden to others; wearing the look of a man beholden to others, I would bend the law; bending the law, I would be removed from the office of prime minister. Fond of fish as I am, these men would not be bound to send me fish, and I would not be able to supply myself with fish either. But if I accept no fish and am not removed from the office of prime minister, then, fond of fish as I am, I can long supply myself with fish." This makes clear that relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself, and makes clear that others acting for one's sake is not as good as acting for oneself.

Three. Zizhi was prime minister of Yan, honored, and took decision into his own hands. Su Dai went as envoy to Yan on behalf of Qi, and the king asked him, "What sort of ruler is the king of Qi?" He answered, "He will surely never be hegemon." The king of Yan said, "Why?" He answered, "Of old, when Duke Huan was hegemon, inside affairs were put in Bao Shu's charge and outside affairs in Guan Zhong's, and Duke Huan let down his hair, took women along, and roamed the market day after day. Now the king of Qi does not trust his great ministers." Thereupon the king of Yan trusted Zizhi all the more greatly. Zizhi heard of it, sent a man to give Su Dai a hundred yi of gold, and listened to whatever he asked.

One account says: Su Dai went as envoy to Yan on behalf of Qi, and saw that unless he did Zizhi some good he would surely get no business done and would go back with no tribute or gifts coming out either. Thereupon he saw the king of Yan and praised the king of Qi. The king of Yan said, "How is the king of Qi as worthy as this? Then will he surely rule as king?" Su Dai said, "He has no leisure even to save himself from ruin. How should he rule as king?" The king of Yan said, "Why?" He said, "He is not even-handed in what he entrusts to those he loves." The king of Yan said, "Why is he ruined?" He said, "Of old, Duke Huan of Qi loved Guan Zhong, set him up as Zhongfu, had him govern inside affairs and decide outside affairs, and turned the whole state over to him; and so he set the world right at one stroke and gathered the feudal lords nine times. Now Qi is not even-handed in what it entrusts to those it loves, and by this I know its ruin." The king of Yan said, "Now I entrust matters to Zizhi. Has the world not yet heard of it?" Thereupon the next day he opened court and turned the government over to Zizhi.

Pan Shou said to the king of Yan, "My lord had best yield the state to Zizhi. The reason men call Yao worthy is that he yielded the world to Xu You. Xu You was bound not to accept it, and so Yao had the name of yielding to Xu You while in fact he did not lose the world. Now if my lord yields the state to Zizhi, Zizhi is bound not to accept it, and so my lord will have the name of yielding to Zizhi and will act as Yao acted." Thereupon the king of Yan turned the whole state over to him, and Zizhi grew greatly weighty.

One account says: Pan Shou was a man living in retirement. Yan sent men to invite him. Pan Shou saw the king of Yan and said, "Your servant fears that Zizhi will turn out like Yi (益)." The king said, "What of Yi?" He answered, "Of old, when Yu died he meant to hand the world to Yi, but the men of Qi (啓), the son of Yu, thereupon joined together to attack Yi and set up Yu's son Qi. Now my lord trusts and loves Zizhi and means to hand the state to Zizhi, yet the crown prince's men all carry seals in their bosoms, while not one of Zizhi's men is at court. If my lord should have the misfortune to leave his assembled ministers, then Zizhi too will be like Yi." The king thereupon took back the officials' seals, and all from three hundred bushels upward were handed over to Zizhi, so that Zizhi grew greatly weighty. Now what a ruler sees himself in, as in a mirror, is the company of gentlemen among the feudal lords; but now the company of gentlemen among the feudal lords are all partisans of private houses. What a ruler lowers himself to look into is the company of gentlemen of the cliffs and caves; but now the company of gentlemen of the cliffs and caves are all retainers of private houses. Why is this? Because the means of stripping men of what they have lies with Zizhi. Therefore Wu Zhang said, "A ruler does not pretend to hate or to love men. If he pretends to love a man, he cannot hate him afterward; if he pretends to hate a man, he cannot love him afterward."

One account says: The king of Yan wished to hand the state to Zizhi and asked Pan Shou about it. He answered, "Yu loved Yi and put the world in Yi's charge, and then made the men of Yu's son Qi his officials. When he grew old he held that his son Qi was not fit to be entrusted with the world, and so he handed the world to Yi; but the weight of position lay wholly with his son Qi. Before long Qi and his party of friends attacked Yi and took the world from him. So Yu in name handed the world to Yi, but in fact had his son Qi take it for himself. That Yu fell short of Yao and Shun is clear from this. Now my lord wishes to hand the state to Zizhi, yet there is not an official who is not the crown prince's man. This is to hand it over in name and in fact to have the crown prince take it for himself." The king of Yan then took back the seals, and all from three hundred bushels upward were handed over to Zizhi, so Zizhi at last grew weighty.

Master Fang Wu said, "I have heard the old rites: when one goes abroad one does not share a chariot with a man who wears the same dress, nor share a house with a man of the same clan. How much more, then, should one who stands above others not lend out his power and set his position outside himself!"

Wu Zhang said to King Xuan of Han, "A ruler cannot pretend to love a man, for he cannot hate him again in a single morning; he cannot pretend to hate a man, for he cannot love him again in a single morning. So when the signs of pretended hate and pretended love appear, flatterers take them for their stock and slander or praise accordingly. Even an enlightened ruler cannot take them back again. How much more when he lends himself to others in earnest!"

The king of Zhao was roaming in his garden. His attendants gave a rabbit to a tiger and then stopped, and the tiger glared and rolled its eyes about. The king said, "How hateful the eyes of a tiger are!" His attendants said, "The eyes of the Lord of Pingyang are more hateful than these. To see these does no harm, but to see the eyes of the Lord of Pingyang like this is certain death." The next day the Lord of Pingyang heard of it and sent a man to kill the one who had spoken, and the king did not put him to death.

The ruler of Wei came to court at Zhou, and the Zhou herald asked his title. He answered, "The feudal lord Bijiang." The Zhou herald turned him back, saying, "A feudal lord may not bear the same title as the Son of Heaven." The ruler of Wei then changed it himself and said, "The feudal lord Hui." Only then was he let in. Zhongni heard of it and said, "Far-reaching, this forbidding of encroachment! An empty name is not lent to others; how much less a real matter?"

Four. One who shakes a tree and takes hold of its leaves one by one toils and does not reach them all; but strike its trunk left and right and the leaves shake all over. Shake a tree beside a deep pool, and the birds start up high and the fish sink down in fear. One who is good at spreading a net draws its head rope. If he were to take hold of the ten thousand meshes one by one and only then take his catch, it would be toil and hardship; but draw the head rope and the fish are already in the bag. So the officials are the trunk and the head rope of the people, and therefore the sage governs the officials and does not govern the people.

In putting out a fire, if the officials are made to carry jars and pots and run to the flames, that is the use of one man; but if one takes up whip and rod, points and directs, and urges men to their work, he commands ten thousand. For this reason the sage does not deal with the small people himself, and the enlightened ruler does not handle small matters in person.

Zaofu was weeding when a father and son passed by in a chariot; the horse was startled and would not go. The son got down from the chariot and pulled the horse, the father pushed the chariot, and they asked Zaofu to help them push. Zaofu then put away his tools, left his work, and rode up with them; he drew the son up to ride as well, and only then took the reins in hand and picked up the whip. He had not yet used it, and the horses all galloped. If Zaofu had not been able to drive, then though he had spent all his strength and worn out his body helping to push the chariot, the horse would still not have been willing to go. That now his body is at ease, that he rides along, and that he has laid others under an obligation besides, is because he has technique and drives with it. So the state is the ruler's chariot and position is the ruler's horse. Drive without technique and, though the body toils, disorder is still not escaped; drive with technique and the body is in a place of ease and pleasure, and the merit of an emperor or king is achieved besides.

The hammer is what levels what is uneven; the press is what straightens what is not straight. The sage's making of law is what levels what is uneven and straightens what is not straight.

When Nao Chi was employed in Qi, he pulled out King Min's sinews; when Li Dui was employed in Zhao, he starved Zhufu to death. Both these rulers were unable to use their hammer and press, and so they died a violent death and became the laughingstock of the world.

One account says: Enter Qi, and one hears only of Nao Chi and does not hear of the king of Qi; enter Zhao, and one hears only of Li Dui and does not hear of the king of Zhao. Therefore it is said: if a ruler does not hold technique in hand, his authority and position grow light and his ministers take the name for themselves.

One account says: King Wuling had King Huiwen take up the government and made Li Dui prime minister. King Wuling did not himself hold in hand the handle of life and death, and so he was coerced by Li Dui.

One account says: When Tian Ying was prime minister of Qi, someone spoke to the king and said, "If my lord does not once hear the year's accounts himself over the space of a few days, he will have no way to know the crookedness of the officials and what has been gained or lost." The king said, "Good." Tian Ying heard of it and at once hurriedly asked the king to hear the accounts. When the king was about to hear them, Tian Ying had the officers make ready the accounts of tallies and deeds down to the pecks and bushels and pints. The king heard the accounts himself, but there were more than he could hear; he put off his meal, sat down again, and did not take his evening meal either. Tian Ying said again, "This is work the assembled ministers dare not shirk, day and night, the whole year through; if my lord hears it in a single evening, the assembled ministers will be spurred on." The king said, "So be it." Before long the king had fallen asleep, and the officials all drew their knives and scraped away the accounts of tallies and deeds and pints and bushels. The king had heard them himself, and disorder began from this.

Five. Master Zi Zheng was pulling a handcart up a high bridge and could not hold it. Zi Zheng sat astride the shaft and sang; those in front stopped, those behind hurried up, and the handcart went up. If Zi Zheng had had no technique for bringing men to him, then though his body had spent its strength to the point of death, the handcart would still not have gone up. That his body did not come to toil and hardship and yet the handcart went up was because he had technique for bringing men to him.

Lord Jian of Zhao sent out men to collect taxes, and an official asked whether to make them light or heavy. Lord Jian said, "Neither light nor heavy. If heavy, the benefit comes in to those above; if light, the benefit goes back to the people. When the official has no private benefit, it is right."

Master Bo said to Lord Jian of Zhao, "My lord's state is full in the middle." Lord Jian was delighted and pleased and said, "How so?" He answered, "The storehouses are empty above, the people are poor and starving below, and yet the crooked officials are rich."

Duke Huan of Qi went in plain clothes to look in on the people's houses, and there was a man old in years who was keeping himself. Duke Huan asked the reason. He answered, "Your servant has three sons. The household is poor and cannot get wives for them, so they have gone out to hire themselves and have not come back." Duke Huan returned and told Guan Zhong. Guan Zhong said, "When there are goods stored up that rot and are thrown away, men go hungry; when there are resentful women in the palace, the people have no wives." Duke Huan said, "Good." He then picked out the women in the palace and married them off, and sent down an order to the people: "A man shall set up house at twenty, a woman shall marry at fifteen."

One account says: Duke Huan was going in plain clothes among the people, and there was one Lumen Ji, seventy years of age and without a wife. Duke Huan asked Guan Zhong, "Are there people who grow old without a wife?" Guan Zhong said, "There is one Lumen Ji, seventy years of age and without a wife." Duke Huan said, "How can he be made to have a wife?" Guan Zhong said, "Your servant has heard it said: when there are goods piled up above, the people and the ministers are sure to want below; when there are resentful women in the palace, there are those who grow old without a wife." Duke Huan said, "Good." He ordered within the palace, "Let the women who have never attended me be sent out and married off." Then he ordered that men should set up house at twenty years of age and women should marry at fifteen; and so within there were no resentful women and without there were no men left wifeless.

Master Zhuo of Yanling rode in a carriage drawn by four horses with the green dragon pattern. In front was a hooked ornament and behind a set spike. When the horses tried to go forward the hooked ornament held them back; when they tried to draw back the set spike pricked them; and so the horses went off to the side. Zaofu passed by and wept for them, saying, "The governing of men in old times was like this too. Reward is what urges men on, yet slander lies in it; punishment is what forbids them, yet praise is added to it. The people stand in the middle and do not know what to follow. This too is what the sage weeps for."

One account says: Master Zhuo of Yanling rode in a carriage drawn by four horses with the green dragon and pheasant pattern. In front there was a crossing ornament and behind a sharp spike; when they went forward he drew them back, and when they drew back he whipped them. The horses could not go forward in front and could not draw back behind, and at last they shied away and bolted; so he got down, drew his knife, and cut their legs. Zaofu saw it, wept, ate nothing all day, and then looked up to heaven and sighed, saying, "The whip is what sends them forward, yet the crossing ornament is in front; the drawing back is what makes them retreat, yet the sharp spike is behind. Now a ruler brings a man forward for his purity and cleanness, and sends him back because he does not suit those about him; he praises a man for his fairness and uprightness, and casts him out because he does not listen and obey. The people are afraid, they stand in the middle and do not know what to follow. This is what the sage weeps for."