Shize — Seasonal Rules時則訓
孟春之月，招搖指寅，昏參中，旦尾中。其位東方，其日甲乙，盛德在木，其蟲鱗，其音角，律中太蔟，其數八，其味酸，其臭羶，其祀戶，祭先脾。東風解凍，蟄蟲始振蘇，魚上負冰，獺祭魚，候鴈北。天子衣青衣，乘蒼龍，服蒼玉，建青旗，食麥與羊，服八風水，爨萁燧火，東宮御女青色，衣青采，鼓琴瑟，其兵矛，其畜羊，朝于青陽左丢，以出春令。布德施惠，行慶賞，省徭賦。立春之日，天子親率三公九卿大夫以迎歲于東郊，修除祠位，幣禱鬼神，犧牲用牡。禁伐木，毋覆巢、殺胎夭，毋麛，毋卵，毋聚眾、置城郭，掩骼薶骴。孟春行夏令，則風雨不時，草木旱落，國乃有恐。行秋令，則其民大疫，飄風暴雨總至，黎莠蓬蒿並興。行冬令，則水潦為敗，雨霜大雹，首稼不入。正月官司空，其樹楊。
In the first month of spring Zhaoyao points to yin. The Shen stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Wei stars at dawn. Its quarter is the east. Its days are jia and yi. Its full power is in wood. Its creatures are the scaled. Its note is jue. Its pitch is Taicu. Its number is eight. Its taste is sour. Its smell is rank. Its sacrifice is at the door, and of the offering the spleen comes first. The east wind melts the ice. The hidden insects first stir and wake. Fish rise and carry the ice on their backs. The otter sacrifices fish. The wild geese go north. The Son of Heaven wears green robes, rides the green dragon horses, wears green jade, and raises a green banner. He eats wheat and mutton, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of bean stalks. The palace women of the eastern hall are in green and dressed in green colors. They play the zither and the lute. Its weapon is the spear. Its animal is the sheep. He holds court in the left chamber of the Qingyang Hall and sends out the orders of spring. He spreads power and gives kindness, grants favors and rewards, and lightens labor and tax. On the day spring begins, the Son of Heaven himself leads the three dukes, the nine ministers and the great officers to meet the year in the eastern suburb. He clears and repairs the places of sacrifice, prays to the spirits with offerings of silk, and uses male beasts for the victims. The cutting of wood is forbidden. Do not overturn nests or kill the unborn. Do not take fawns. Do not take eggs. Do not gather crowds or build walls. Cover the bare bones and bury the dead. If the orders of summer are carried out in the first month of spring, wind and rain will not come in season, grass and trees will fall early, and there will be fear in the land. If the orders of autumn are carried out, the people will suffer great plague, whirlwinds and violent rains will come together, and weeds and foxtail and wormwood will spring up on every side. If the orders of winter are carried out, floods will bring ruin, rain and frost and great hail will fall, and the first crop will not come in. The office of the first month is the minister of works, and its tree is the willow.
仲春之月，招搖指卯，昏弧中，旦建星中。其位東方，其日甲乙，其蟲鱗，其音角，律中夾鍾，其數八，其味酸，其臭羶，其祀戶，祭先脾。始雨水，桃李始華，蒼庚鳴，鷹化為鳩。天子衣青衣，乘蒼龍，服蒼玉，建青旗，食麥與羊，服八風水，爨萁燧火，東宮御女青色，衣青采，鼓琴瑟，其兵矛，其畜羊，朝于青陽太廟。命有司，省囹圄，去桎梏，毋笞掠，止獄訟，養幼小，存孤獨，以通句萌。擇元日，令民社。是月也，日夜分，雷始發聲，蟄蟲咸動蘇。先雷三日，振鐸以令於兆民曰：「雷且發聲，有不戒其容止者，生子不備，必有凶災。」令官市，同度量，鈞衡石，角斗稱，端權概。毋竭川澤，毋漉陂池，毋焚山林，毋作大事，以妨農功。祭不用犧牲，用圭璧，更皮幣。仲春行秋令，則其國大水，寒氣總至，寇戎來征。行冬令，則陽氣不勝，麥乃不熟，民多相殘。行夏令，則其國大旱，飕氣早來，蟲螟為害。二月官倉，其樹杏。
In the second month of spring Zhaoyao points to mao. The Hu stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Jianxing stars at dawn. Its quarter is the east. Its days are jia and yi. Its creatures are the scaled. Its note is jue. Its pitch is Jiazhong. Its number is eight. Its taste is sour. Its smell is rank. Its sacrifice is at the door, and of the offering the spleen comes first. The rains begin. Peach and plum first flower. The oriole sings. The hawk turns into a dove. The Son of Heaven wears green robes, rides the green dragon horses, wears green jade, and raises a green banner. He eats wheat and mutton, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of bean stalks. The palace women of the eastern hall are in green and dressed in green colors. They play the zither and the lute. Its weapon is the spear. Its animal is the sheep. He holds court in the Grand Temple of the Qingyang Hall. He orders the officials in charge to look into the prisons, to take off fetters and manacles, to beat no one, to stop trials and suits, to rear the young, and to care for the orphaned and the lonely, so that the sprouts may come through. A good day is chosen, and the people sacrifice to the god of the soil. In this month day and night are equal. Thunder first gives its voice, and the hidden insects all move and wake. Three days before the thunder a bell with a wooden tongue is shaken, and this order goes out to all the people: "Thunder is about to give its voice. Whoever does not guard his bearing will beget children who are not whole, and disaster will surely follow." The market officers are ordered to make the measures one, to even the weights and the stone, to match the peck and the scale, and to set the balance weight and the leveling stick right. Do not drain the rivers and marshes. Do not sweep the dikes and ponds dry. Do not burn the hills and forests. Do not take up great works and hinder the farming. The sacrifices use no slain beasts. They use jade tablets and disks, and skins and silk instead. If the orders of autumn are carried out in the second month of spring, there will be great floods in the land, cold airs will come together, and raiders will come to attack. If the orders of winter are carried out, the yang breath will not prevail, the wheat will not ripen, and the people will harm one another. If the orders of summer are carried out, there will be great drought in the land, hot airs will come early, and insects and borers will do harm. The office of the second month is the granary, and its tree is the apricot.
季春之月，招搖指辰，昏七星中，旦牽牛中。其位東方，其日甲乙，其蟲鱗，其音角，律中姑洗，其數八，其味酸，其臭羶，其祀戶，祭先脾。桐始華，田鼠化為鴽，虹始見，萍始生。天子衣青衣，乘蒼龍，服蒼玉，建青旗，食麥與羊，服八風水，爨萁燧火，東宮御女青色，衣青采，鼓琴瑟，其兵矛，其畜羊，朝于青陽右丢。舟牧覆舟，五覆五反，乃言具于天子。天子烏始乘舟，薦鮪於寢廟，乃為麥祈實。是月也，生氣方盛，陽氣發泄，句者畢出，萌者盡達，不可以內。天子命有司，發囷倉，助貧窮，振乏絕，開府庫，出幣帛，使諸侯，聘名士，禮賢者。命司空，時雨將降，下水上騰，循行國邑，周視原野，修利隄防，導通溝瀆，達路除道，從國始，至境止。田獵畢弋，罝罘羅𦉾，餧毒之藥，毋出九門。乃禁野虞，毋伐桑柘。鳴鳩奮其羽，戴鵀降于桑，具撲曲筥筐，后妃齋戒，東鄉親桑，省婦使，勸蠶事。命五庫，令百工審金鐵皮革、筋角箭榦、脂膠丹漆，無有不良。擇下旬吉日，大合樂，致歡欣。乃合㹎牛騰馬，游牝于牧。令國儺，九門磔攘，以畢春氣。行是月令，甘雨至三旬。季春行冬令，則寒氣時發，草木皆肅，國有大恐。行夏令，則民多疾疫，時雨不降，山陵不登。行秋令，則天多沈陰，淫雨早降，兵革並起。三月官鄉，其樹李。
In the third month of spring Zhaoyao points to chen. The Qixing stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Qianniu stars at dawn. Its quarter is the east. Its days are jia and yi. Its creatures are the scaled. Its note is jue. Its pitch is Guxian. Its number is eight. Its taste is sour. Its smell is rank. Its sacrifice is at the door, and of the offering the spleen comes first. The paulownia first flowers. The field mouse turns into a quail. The rainbow first shows. The duckweed first grows. The Son of Heaven wears green robes, rides the green dragon horses, wears green jade, and raises a green banner. He eats wheat and mutton, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of bean stalks. The palace women of the eastern hall are in green and dressed in green colors. They play the zither and the lute. Its weapon is the spear. Its animal is the sheep. He holds court in the right chamber of the Qingyang Hall. The keeper of boats turns the boats over, five times over and five times back, and then reports to the Son of Heaven that all is ready. The Son of Heaven rides a boat for the first time, offers sturgeon in the ancestral shrine, and prays that the wheat may fill out. In this month the breath of life is at its height and the yang breath pours out. What is bent all comes forth, and what has sprouted all breaks through. They cannot be held in. The Son of Heaven orders the officials in charge to open the round granaries and help the poor, to relieve those in want, to open the treasuries and bring out silk, to send envoys to the lords, to call on men of name, and to honor the worthy. He orders the minister of works: the seasonal rains are about to fall and the waters below will rise. Go through the states and towns, look over the plains and fields, mend and strengthen the dikes, lead and clear the ditches and channels, open the roads and sweep the ways, beginning at the capital and ending at the border. Hunting nets and stringed arrows, snares and traps and bird nets, and poisoned bait may not go out of the nine gates. The forester is then ordered to forbid the cutting of mulberry and mountain mulberry. The cooing dove beats its wings and the hoopoe comes down on the mulberry, so the frames and baskets for the silkworms are made ready. The queen fasts and purifies herself, faces east and picks mulberry with her own hands, lightens the women's other work and urges on the silkworms. He orders the five storehouses to have the hundred artisans look over the metal and the iron, the hide and the leather, the sinew and the horn, the arrow shafts and the shaft wood, the fat and the glue, the cinnabar and the lacquer, so that none of it is poor. A lucky day in the last ten days is chosen for a great gathering of music, to bring out gladness. Then the bulls and the stallions are put to the herd, and the females are let loose in the pasture. The land is ordered to drive out the plague spirits, and at the nine gates victims are torn apart to drive them off, and so the breath of spring is completed. If the orders of this month are carried out, sweet rain will come through the three tens of days. If the orders of winter are carried out in the third month of spring, cold airs will break out from time to time, grass and trees will all draw in, and there will be great fear in the land. If the orders of summer are carried out, the people will suffer much sickness and plague, the seasonal rains will not fall, and the hills and mounds will not bear. If the orders of autumn are carried out, the sky will be heavy with dark cloud, steady rain will fall early, and war will rise on every side. The office of the third month is the district, and its tree is the plum.
孟夏之月，招搖指巳，昏翼中，旦婺女中。其位南方，其日丙丁，盛德在火，其蟲羽，其音徵，律中仲呂，其數七，其味苦，其臭焦，其祀灶，祭先肺。螻蟈鳴，丘螾出，王瓜生，苦菜秀。天子衣赤衣，乘赤騮，服赤玉，建赤旗，食菽與雞，服八風水，爨柘燧火，南宮御女赤色，衣赤采，吹竽笙，其兵戟，其畜雞，朝于明堂左丢，以出夏令。立夏之日，天子親率三公九卿大夫以迎歲於南郊。還，乃賞賜，封諸侯，修禮樂，饗左右。命太尉，贊傑俊，選賢良，舉孝悌，行爵出祿，佐天長養。繼修增高，無有隳壞，毋興土功，毋伐大樹。令野虞，行田原，勸農事，驅獸畜，勿令害穀。天子以彘嘗麥，先薦寢廟。聚畜百藥，靡草死，麥秋至，決小罪，斷薄刑。孟夏行秋令，則苦雨數來，五穀不滋，四鄰入保。行冬令，則草木早枯，後乃大水，敗壞城郭。行春令，則螽蝗為敗，暴風來格，秀草不實。四月官田，其樹桃。
In the first month of summer Zhaoyao points to si. The Yi stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Wunü stars at dawn. Its quarter is the south. Its days are bing and ding. Its full power is in fire. Its creatures are the feathered. Its note is zhi. Its pitch is Zhonglü. Its number is seven. Its taste is bitter. Its smell is burnt. Its sacrifice is at the hearth, and of the offering the lungs come first. The mole cricket sings. The earthworm comes out. The royal gourd grows. The bitter herb flowers. The Son of Heaven wears red robes, rides a red bay horse, wears red jade, and raises a red banner. He eats beans and fowl, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of mountain mulberry. The palace women of the southern hall are in red and dressed in red colors. They play the reed organ and the mouth organ. Its weapon is the halberd. Its animal is the fowl. He holds court in the left chamber of the Mingtang Hall and sends out the orders of summer. On the day summer begins, the Son of Heaven himself leads the three dukes, the nine ministers and the great officers to meet the year in the southern suburb. On his return he gives out rewards, enfeoffs the lords, puts rites and music in order, and feasts those about him. He orders the grand commandant to bring forward the outstanding, to choose the worthy and the good, to raise up the dutiful and the respectful, to grant ranks and give out stipends, and so to help heaven in its rearing and nourishing. What is being built is carried on and raised higher, and nothing is left to fall in. Do not take up earthworks. Do not cut great trees. He orders the forester to go through the fields and plains, to urge on the farming, and to drive off the beasts so that they do not harm the grain. The Son of Heaven tastes the wheat with pork, and offers it first in the ancestral shrine. The hundred herbs are gathered and stored. The creeping grass dies. The wheat harvest comes. Small crimes are settled and light punishments given. If the orders of autumn are carried out in the first month of summer, bitter rains will come again and again, the five grains will not thrive, and the neighbors on four sides will go into their forts. If the orders of winter are carried out, grass and trees will wither early, and after that great floods will come and break down the walls. If the orders of spring are carried out, locusts will bring ruin, violent winds will come, and the flowering grasses will not seed. The office of the fourth month is the fields, and its tree is the peach.
仲夏之月，招搖指午，昏亢中，旦危中。其位南方，其日丙丁，其蟲羽，其音徵，律中蕤賓，其數七，其味苦，其臭焦，其祀灶，祭先肺。小暑至，螳蜋生，鵙始鳴，反舌無聲。天子衣赤衣，乘赤騮，服赤玉，載赤旗，食菽與雞，服八風水，爨柘燧火，南宮御女赤色，衣赤采，吹竽笙，其兵戟，其畜雞，朝于明堂太廟。命樂師，修鞀鼙琴瑟管簫，調竽篪，飾鐘磬，執干戚戈羽。命有司，為民祈祀山川百源，大雩帝，用盛樂。天子以雉嘗黍，羞以含桃，先薦寢廟。禁民無刈藍以染，毋燒灰，毋暴布，門閭無閉，關市無索，挺重囚，益其食，存鰥寡，振死事，游牝別其群，執騰駒，班馬政。日長至，陰陽爭，死生分，君子齋戒，慎身無躁，節聲色，薄滋味，百官靜，事無徑，以定晏陰之所成。鹿角解，蟬始鳴，半夏生，木堇榮。禁民無發火，可以居高明，遠眺望，登丘陵，處臺榭。仲夏行冬令，則雹霰傷穀，道路不通，暴兵來至。行春令，則五穀不孰，百螣時起，其國乃饑。行秋令，則草木零落，果實蚤成，民殃於疫。五月官相，其樹榆。
In the second month of summer Zhaoyao points to wu. The Kang stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Wei stars at dawn. Its quarter is the south. Its days are bing and ding. Its creatures are the feathered. Its note is zhi. Its pitch is Ruibin. Its number is seven. Its taste is bitter. Its smell is burnt. Its sacrifice is at the hearth, and of the offering the lungs come first. The lesser heat comes. The mantis is born. The shrike first cries. The mockingbird falls silent. The Son of Heaven wears red robes, rides a red bay horse, wears red jade, and carries a red banner. He eats beans and fowl, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of mountain mulberry. The palace women of the southern hall are in red and dressed in red colors. They play the reed organ and the mouth organ. Its weapon is the halberd. Its animal is the fowl. He holds court in the Grand Temple of the Mingtang Hall. He orders the master of music to put in order the hand drum and the war drum, the zither and the lute, the pipe and the panpipe, to tune the reed organ and the flute, to dress the bells and the chimes, and to take up shield and axe, dagger axe and feather. He orders the officials in charge to pray for the people at the mountains and the rivers and the hundred springs, to hold the great rain sacrifice to the high god, and to use the fullest music. The Son of Heaven tastes the millet with pheasant and offers cherries with it, and offers them first in the ancestral shrine. The people are forbidden to cut indigo for dyeing, to burn ashes, or to bleach cloth in the sun. Gates and lanes are not shut. There is no searching at the passes and markets. Prisoners under heavy charges are eased and their food increased. Widowers and widows are cared for, and those who died in service are relieved. The mares in foal are set apart from the herd, the young stallions are tied up, and the rules for horses are published. The day reaches its longest. Yin and yang contend, and death and life are divided. The gentleman fasts and purifies himself, guards his body and is not restless, keeps sound and color within bounds, and makes his food plain. The hundred offices are quiet and take no short ways, so that what the late yin brings forth may settle. The deer sheds its horns. The cicada first sings. The pinellia grows. The rose of Sharon blooms. The people are forbidden to set fires. One may live in high bright places, look far off, climb the hills, and stay in terraces and pavilions. If the orders of winter are carried out in the second month of summer, hail and sleet will harm the grain, the roads will not be open, and violent troops will come. If the orders of spring are carried out, the five grains will not ripen, the hundred pests will rise from time to time, and the land will go hungry. If the orders of autumn are carried out, grass and trees will fall, the fruit will ripen early, and the people will suffer from plague. The office of the fifth month is the chancellor, and its tree is the elm.
季夏之月，招搖指未，昏心中，旦奎中。其位中央，其日戊己，盛德在土，其蟲蠃，其音宮，律中百鐘，其數五，其味甘，其臭香，其祀中霤，祭先心。涼風始至，蟋蟀居奧，鷹乃學習，腐草化為蚈。天子衣黃衣，乘黃騮，服黃玉，建黃旗，食稷與牛，服八風水，爨柘燧火，中宮御女黃色，衣黃采，其兵劍，其畜牛，朝于中宮。乃命漁人，伐蛟取鼉，登龜取黿。令滂人，入材葦。命四監大夫，令百縣之秩芻以養犧牲，以供皇天上帝、名山大川、四方之神、宗廟社稷，為民祈福行惠。令弔死問疾，存視長老，行稃鬻，厚席蓐，以送萬物歸也。命婦官染采，黼黻文章，青黃白黑，莫不質良，以給宗廟之服，必宣以明。是月也，樹木方盛，勿敢斬伐；不可以合諸侯，起土功，動眾興兵，必有天殃。土潤溽暑，大雨時行，利以殺草糞田疇，以肥土疆。季夏行春令，則穀實解落，多風欬，民乃遷徙。行秋令，則丘隰水潦，稼牆不孰，乃多女災。行冬令，則風寒不時，鷹隼蚤摯，四鄙入保。六月官少內，其樹梓。
In the third month of summer Zhaoyao points to wei. The Xin stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Kui stars at dawn. Its quarter is the center. Its days are wu and ji. Its full power is in earth. Its creatures are the naked. Its note is gong. Its pitch is Baizhong. Its number is five. Its taste is sweet. Its smell is fragrant. Its sacrifice is at the middle of the house, and of the offering the heart comes first. The cool wind first comes. The cricket lives in the corner of the house. The hawk learns its craft. Rotting grass turns into fireflies. The Son of Heaven wears yellow robes, rides a yellow horse, wears yellow jade, and raises a yellow banner. He eats millet and beef, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of mountain mulberry. The palace women of the central hall are in yellow and dressed in yellow colors. Its weapon is the sword. Its animal is the ox. He holds court in the central hall. Then the fishermen are ordered to strike the water dragon and take the alligator, to bring up the tortoise and take the great turtle. The marsh keeper is ordered to bring in timber and reeds. The great officers of the four inspectorates are ordered to have the hundred districts send in their due of fodder to feed the sacrificial beasts, for august heaven and the high god, for the famous mountains and the great rivers, for the spirits of the four quarters, and for the ancestral temple and the altars of soil and grain, and to pray for blessing for the people and do them kindness. Orders go out to mourn the dead and ask after the sick, to look after the old, to give out gruel, and to make mats and bedding thick, and so to see the ten thousand things on their way home. The officer of women's work is ordered to dye the colors, and the embroidered figures and the woven patterns, the green and the yellow, the white and the black, must none of them be of poor stuff, so that they may serve for the robes of the ancestral temple, and they must be shown out clearly. In this month the trees are at their fullest, and none may dare to cut them. The lords may not be gathered, earthworks may not be begun, crowds may not be moved and troops may not be raised. Heaven's punishment would surely follow. The earth is damp and the heat is close, and great rains come in season. It is a good time to kill the weeds and dung the fields, and so to fatten the soil. If the orders of spring are carried out in the third month of summer, the grain will loosen and fall, there will be much wind and coughing, and the people will move away. If the orders of autumn are carried out, the hills and the low grounds will flood, the crops will not ripen, and there will be much harm to women. If the orders of winter are carried out, wind and cold will not keep their season, hawks and falcons will strike early, and the four borderlands will go into their forts. The office of the sixth month is the inner treasury, and its tree is the catalpa.
孟秋之月，招搖指申，昏斗中，旦畢中。其位西方，其日庚辛，盛德在金，其蟲毛，其音商，律中夷則，其數九，其味辛，其臭腥，其祀門，祭先肝。涼風至，白露降，寒蟬鳴，鷹乃祭鳥，用始行戮。天子衣白衣，乘白駱，服白玉，建白旗，食麻與犬，服八風水，爨柘燧火，西宮御女白色，衣白采，撞白鐘，其兵戈，其畜狗，朝于總章左丢，以出秋令。求不孝不悌、戮暴傲悍而罰之，以助損氣。立秋之日，天子親率三公九卿大夫以迎秋于西郊。還，乃賞軍率武人於朝。命將率，選卒厲兵，簡練桀俊，專任有功，以征不義，詰誅暴慢，順彼四方。命有司，修法制，繕囹圄，禁姦塞邪，審決獄，平詞訟。天地始肅，不可以贏。是月農始升穀，天子嘗新，先薦寢廟。命百官，始收斂，完隄防，謹障塞，以備水潦，修城郭，繕宮室，毋以封侯，立大官，行重幣，出大使。行是月令，涼風至三旬。孟秋行冬令，則陰氣大勝，介蟲敗穀，戎兵乃來。行春令，則其國乃旱，陽氣復還，五穀無實。行夏令，則冬多火災，寒暑不節，民多瘧疾。七月官庫，其樹楝。
In the first month of autumn Zhaoyao points to shen. The Dou stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Bi stars at dawn. Its quarter is the west. Its days are geng and xin. Its full power is in metal. Its creatures are the furred. Its note is shang. Its pitch is Yize. Its number is nine. Its taste is pungent. Its smell is fishy. Its sacrifice is at the gate, and of the offering the liver comes first. The cool wind comes. The white dew falls. The cold cicada cries. The hawk sacrifices birds, and the killing begins. The Son of Heaven wears white robes, rides a white horse, wears white jade, and raises a white banner. He eats hemp and dog, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of mountain mulberry. The palace women of the western hall are in white and dressed in white colors. They strike the white bell. Its weapon is the dagger axe. Its animal is the dog. He holds court in the left chamber of the Zongzhang Hall and sends out the orders of autumn. Those who are undutiful and disrespectful, and the cruel, the proud and the fierce, are sought out and punished, and so the breath of diminishing is helped. On the day autumn begins, the Son of Heaven himself leads the three dukes, the nine ministers and the great officers to meet autumn in the western suburb. On his return he rewards the commanders and the men of arms at court. He orders the commanders to choose soldiers and sharpen weapons, to pick out and drill the best of them, and to give charge only to those who have merit, so as to punish the unrighteous, to call to account and cut down the cruel and the insolent, and to bring the four quarters to obedience. He orders the officials in charge to put the laws in order, to repair the prisons, to forbid wickedness and block evil, to weigh cases carefully, and to judge suits fairly. Heaven and earth begin to grow stern, and there must be no overflowing. In this month the farmers first bring up the grain. The Son of Heaven tastes the new crop and offers it first in the ancestral shrine. He orders the hundred officers to begin the gathering in, to make the dikes sound, to look with care to the barriers against flood, to repair the walls and to mend the palace buildings. Do not enfeoff lords, set up high officers, send out rich gifts, or dispatch great envoys. If the orders of this month are carried out, the cool wind will come through the three tens of days. If the orders of winter are carried out in the first month of autumn, the yin breath will greatly prevail, shelled insects will ruin the grain, and armies will come. If the orders of spring are carried out, the land will go dry, the yang breath will come back again, and the five grains will not fill. If the orders of summer are carried out, there will be many fires in winter, cold and heat will keep no bounds, and the people will suffer much from fevers. The office of the seventh month is the storehouse, and its tree is the chinaberry.
仲秋之月，招搖指酉，昏牽牛中，旦觜嶲中。其位西方，其日庚辛，其蟲毛，其音商，律中南呂，其數九，其味辛，其臭腥，其祀門，祭先肝。涼風至，候鴈來，玄鳥歸，群鳥翔。天子衣白衣，乘白駱，服白玉，建白旗，食麻與犬，服八風水，爨柘燧火，西宮御女白色，衣白采，撞白鐘，其兵戈，其畜犬，朝于總章太廟。命有司，申嚴百刑，斬殺必當，無或枉撓。決獄不當，反受其殃。是月也，養長老，授几杖，行稃鬻飲食。乃命宰祝，行犧牲，案芻豢，視肥臞全粹，察物色，課比類，量小大，視少長，莫不中度。天子乃儺，以御秋氣。以犬嘗麻，先薦寢廟。是月可以築城郭，建都邑，穿竇窖，修囷倉。乃命有司，趣民收斂畜采，多積聚，勸種宿麥，若或失時，行罪無疑。是月也，雷乃始收，蟄蟲培戶，殺氣浸盛，陽氣日衰，水始涸，日夜分。一度量，平權衡，正鈞石角斗稱，理關市，來商旅，入貨財，以便民事。四方來集，遠方皆至，財物不匱，上無乏用，百事乃遂。仲秋行春令，則秋雨不降，草木生榮，國有大恐。行夏令，則其國乃旱，蟄蟲不藏，五穀皆復生。行冬令，則風災數起，收雷先行，草木蚤死。八月官尉，其樹柘。
In the second month of autumn Zhaoyao points to you. The Qianniu stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Zixi stars at dawn. Its quarter is the west. Its days are geng and xin. Its creatures are the furred. Its note is shang. Its pitch is Nanlü. Its number is nine. Its taste is pungent. Its smell is fishy. Its sacrifice is at the gate, and of the offering the liver comes first. The cool wind comes. The wild geese come. The swallows go home. The flocks of birds circle. The Son of Heaven wears white robes, rides a white horse, wears white jade, and raises a white banner. He eats hemp and dog, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of mountain mulberry. The palace women of the western hall are in white and dressed in white colors. They strike the white bell. Its weapon is the dagger axe. Its animal is the dog. He holds court in the Grand Temple of the Zongzhang Hall. He orders the officials in charge to make the hundred punishments strict again, so that beheading and killing always fall where they are due, and nothing is bent or twisted. If a case is wrongly settled, the harm comes back upon the judge. In this month the old are cared for, armrests and staffs are given them, and gruel and drink and food are handed out. Then the steward and the invocator are ordered to go over the sacrificial beasts and to look at those fed on grass and those fed on grain, to see whether they are fat or lean, whole and unblemished, to look at their color, to compare them by their kind, to measure the large and the small, and to see the young and the grown, so that none falls short of the rule. The Son of Heaven then drives out the plague spirits and so meets the breath of autumn. He tastes the hemp with dog, and offers it first in the ancestral shrine. In this month walls may be built, towns founded, pits and cellars dug, and granaries repaired. Then the officials in charge are ordered to hurry the people to gather in and store their greens and to pile up much, and to urge the sowing of winter wheat. If any of them lose the season, punishment follows without question. In this month the thunder begins to draw in and the hidden insects bank up their doors. The killing breath grows stronger day by day and the yang breath weakens. The waters begin to dry, and day and night are equal. The measures are made one, the scales are evened, the hundredweight and the stone, the peck and the balance are set right. The passes and the markets are put in order, so that merchants and travelers come and goods come in, for the ease of the people's business. Men gather from the four quarters and come in from far off. Goods are not lacking, those above want for nothing, and the hundred affairs are carried through. If the orders of spring are carried out in the second month of autumn, the autumn rains will not fall, grass and trees will bloom, and there will be great fear in the land. If the orders of summer are carried out, the land will go dry, the hidden insects will not hide, and the five grains will sprout again. If the orders of winter are carried out, wind disasters will rise again and again, the gathered thunder will go out before its time, and grass and trees will die early. The office of the eighth month is the commandant, and its tree is the mountain mulberry.
季秋之月，招搖指戌，昏虛中，旦柳中。其位西方，其日庚辛，其蟲毛，其音商，律中無射，其數九，其味辛，其臭腥，其祀門，祭先肝。候鴈來，賓雀入大水為蛤，菊有黃華，豺乃祭獸戮禽。天子衣白衣，乘白駱，服白玉，建白旗，食麻與犬，服八風水，爨柘燧火，西宮御女白色，衣白采，撞白鐘，其兵戈，其畜犬，朝于總章右丢。命有司，申嚴號令，百官貴賤，無不務入，以會天地之藏，無有宣出。乃命冢宰，農事備收，舉五穀之要，藏帝籍之收於神倉。是月也，霜始降，百工休。乃命有司曰：寒氣總至，民力不堪，其皆入室。上丁入學習吹，大饗帝，嘗犧牲，合諸侯，制百縣，為來歲受朔日，與諸侯所稅於民，輕重之法，貢歲之數，以遠近土地所宜為度。乃教於田獵，以習五戎。命太僕及七騶，咸駕戴荏，授車以級，皆正設于屏外。司徒搢朴，北嚮以贊之。天子乃厲服廣飾，執弓操矢以獵。命主祠，祭禽四方。是月草木黃落，乃伐薪為炭，蟄蟲咸俛，乃趨獄刑，毋留有罪，收祿秩之不當，供養之不宜者。通路除道，從境始，至國而后已。是月，天子乃以犬嘗麻，先薦寢廟。季秋行夏令，則其國大水，冬藏殃敗，民多鼽窒。行冬令，則國多盜賊，邊竟不寧，土地分裂。行春令，則飕風來至，民氣解隋，師旅並興。九月官候，其樹槐。
In the third month of autumn Zhaoyao points to xu. The Xu stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Liu stars at dawn. Its quarter is the west. Its days are geng and xin. Its creatures are the furred. Its note is shang. Its pitch is Wuyi. Its number is nine. Its taste is pungent. Its smell is fishy. Its sacrifice is at the gate, and of the offering the liver comes first. The wild geese come. The sparrows go into the great water and become clams. The chrysanthemum has its yellow flowers. The jackal sacrifices beasts and kills birds. The Son of Heaven wears white robes, rides a white horse, wears white jade, and raises a white banner. He eats hemp and dog, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of mountain mulberry. The palace women of the western hall are in white and dressed in white colors. They strike the white bell. Its weapon is the dagger axe. Its animal is the dog. He holds court in the right chamber of the Zongzhang Hall. He orders the officials in charge to make the commands strict again, so that the hundred officers, high and low, all work at bringing in, meeting the storing up of heaven and earth, and nothing is let out. Then the grand steward is ordered to have the farm work all gathered in, to draw up the reckoning of the five grains, and to store the harvest of the sovereign's own field in the spirit granary. In this month the frost begins to fall and the hundred artisans rest. Then the officials in charge are told: the cold airs come together and the people's strength cannot bear them. Let them all go indoors. On the first ding day they enter the school and practice the pipes. There is a great offering to the high god, and the victims are tasted. The lords are gathered and the hundred districts are ordered, to receive the first days of the coming year, and the rule of light and heavy for what the lords take from the people, and the number of the yearly tribute, are measured by near and far and by what the land will bear. Then they are taught by the hunt and drilled in the five weapons. The grand coachman and the seven grooms are ordered to yoke the teams and take up their loads, to give out chariots by rank, and to set them all in line outside the screen. The minister of the masses puts the rod in his belt and faces north to give the word. The Son of Heaven then changes his robes and puts on full array, takes bow and arrow and hunts. He orders the master of sacrifices to offer the game to the four quarters. In this month grass and trees turn yellow and fall, and firewood is cut for charcoal. The hidden insects all lie low, so trials and punishments are hurried on and none who is guilty is kept waiting. Stipends and ranks that are not deserved are taken back, and support that is not fitting. The roads are opened and the ways swept, beginning at the border and ending at the capital. In this month the Son of Heaven tastes the hemp with dog, and offers it first in the ancestral shrine. If the orders of summer are carried out in the third month of autumn, there will be great floods in the land, the winter stores will be spoiled and ruined, and the people will suffer much from stuffed noses. If the orders of winter are carried out, there will be many robbers in the land, the borders will not be quiet, and the land will be split apart. If the orders of spring are carried out, hot winds will come, the spirit of the people will slacken, and armies will rise on every side. The office of the ninth month is the lookout, and its tree is the pagoda tree.
孟冬之月，招搖指亥，昏危中，旦七星中。其位北方，其日壬癸，盛德在水，其蟲介，其音羽，律中應鐘，其數六，其味鹹，其臭腐，其祀井，祭先腎。水始冰，地始凍，雉入大水為蜃，虹藏不見。天子衣黑衣，乘玄驪，服玄玉，建玄旗，食黍與彘，服八風水，爨松燧火，北宮御女黑色，衣黑采，擊磬石，其兵鎩，其畜彘，朝于玄堂左丢，以出冬令。命有司，修群禁，禁外徙，閉門閭，大鹑客，斷罰刑，殺當罪，阿上亂法者誅。立冬之日，天子親率三公九卿大夫以迎歲于北郊。還，乃賞死事，存孤寡。是月，命太祝禱祀神位，占龜策，審卦兆，以察吉凶。於是天子始裘，命百官謹蓋藏，命司徒行積聚，修城郭，警門閭，修楗閉，慎管籥，固封璽，修邊境，完要塞，絕蹊徑，飭喪紀，審棺槨衣衾之薄厚，營丘壟之小大高痺，使貴賤卑尊各有等級。是月也，工師效功，陳祭器，案度程，堅致為上。工事苦慢，作為淫巧，必行其罪。是月也，大飲蒸，天子祈來年於天宗，大禱祭于公社，畢，饗先祖。勞農夫，以休息之。命將率講武，肄射御，角力勁。乃命水虞漁師，收水泉池澤之賦，毋或侵牟。孟冬行春令，則凍閉不密，地氣發泄，民多流亡。行夏令，則多暴風，方冬不寒，蟄蟲復出。行秋令，則雪霜不時，小兵時起，土地侵削。十月官司馬，其樹檀。
In the first month of winter Zhaoyao points to hai. The Wei stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Qixing stars at dawn. Its quarter is the north. Its days are ren and gui. Its full power is in water. Its creatures are the shelled. Its note is yu. Its pitch is Yingzhong. Its number is six. Its taste is salt. Its smell is rotten. Its sacrifice is at the well, and of the offering the kidneys come first. The water first freezes. The ground first hardens. The pheasants go into the great water and become great clams. The rainbow hides and is not seen. The Son of Heaven wears black robes, rides a black horse, wears black jade, and raises a black banner. He eats millet and pork, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of pine. The palace women of the northern hall are in black and dressed in black colors. They strike the stone chimes. Its weapon is the long lance. Its animal is the pig. He holds court in the left chamber of the Xuantang Hall and sends out the orders of winter. He orders the officials in charge to put the many prohibitions in order, to forbid moving abroad, to shut the gates and the lanes, to make a great search for strangers, to settle penalties and punishments, to put to death those whose crime deserves it, and to cut down those who flatter their superiors and throw the law into disorder. On the day winter begins, the Son of Heaven himself leads the three dukes, the nine ministers and the great officers to meet the year in the northern suburb. On his return he rewards those who died in service and cares for the orphaned and the widowed. In this month the grand invocator is ordered to pray at the seats of the spirits, to divine with tortoise shell and milfoil, and to read the hexagrams and the cracks, so as to look into good and ill fortune. Then the Son of Heaven first puts on furs. He orders the hundred officers to cover and store with care. He orders the minister of the masses to go over the stores, to repair the walls, to watch the gates and the lanes, to mend the bars and bolts, to look to the locks and the keys, to make the seals fast, to repair the borders, to make the passes sound, and to close the byways. The rules of mourning are set in order. The thickness of coffins and shrouds is looked into, and the size and height of the grave mounds, so that high and low, humble and honored, each have their grade. In this month the master of artisans presents the work done and lays out the sacrificial vessels. The rules of measure are gone over, and firm close work is held best. If the work is rough and careless, or made with wanton cleverness, the guilt is surely punished. In this month there is the great drinking and the winter offering. The Son of Heaven prays for the coming year to the lords of heaven, and holds a great prayer and sacrifice at the altar of the state, and when it is done he feasts the ancestors. The farmers are thanked and given rest. He orders the commanders to expound the art of war, to practice shooting and driving, and to match strength and vigor. Then the warden of waters and the master of fisheries are ordered to collect the dues of the streams and springs, the ponds and the marshes, and to take nothing by force. If the orders of spring are carried out in the first month of winter, the frozen ground will not close tight, the breath of earth will leak out, and many of the people will drift away. If the orders of summer are carried out, there will be many violent winds, the deep of winter will not be cold, and the hidden insects will come out again. If the orders of autumn are carried out, snow and frost will not come in season, small wars will start from time to time, and the land will be cut away. The office of the tenth month is the marshal, and its tree is the sandalwood.
仲冬之月，招搖指子，昏壁中，旦軫中。其位北方，其日壬癸，其蟲介，其音羽，律中黃鐘，其數六，其味鹹，其臭腐，其祀井，祭先腎。冰益壯，地始坼，鳱鴠不鳴，虎始交。天子衣黑衣，乘鐵驪，服玄玉，建玄旗，食黍與彘，服八風水，爨松燧火，北宮御女黑色，衣黑采，擊磬石，其兵鎩，其畜彘，朝于玄堂太廟。命有司曰：土事無作，無發室居，及起大眾，是謂發天地之藏，諸蟄則死，民必疾疫，有隨以喪。急捕盜賊，誅淫泆詐偽之人，命曰骝月。命奄尹，申宮令，審門閭，謹房室，必重閉，省婦事。乃命大酋，秫稻必齊，麴蘗必時，湛竪必潔，水泉必香，陶器必良，火齊必得，無有差忒。天子乃命有司，祀四海大川名澤。是月也，農有不收藏積聚、牛馬畜獸有放失者，取之不詰。山林藪澤，有能取疏食、田獵禽獸者，野虞教導之。其有相侵奪，罪之不赦。是月也，日短至，陰陽爭，君子齋戒，處必掩，身欲靜，去聲色，禁嗜欲，寧身體，安形性。是月也，荔挺出，芸始生，丘螾結，麋角解。水泉動則伐樹木，取竹箭，罷官之無事、器之無用者，涂闕庭門閭，築囹圄，所以助天地之閉。仲冬行夏令，則其國乃旱，氛霧冥冥，雷乃發聲。行秋令，則其時雨水，瓜瓠不成，國有大兵。行春令，則蟲螟為敗，水泉咸竭，民多疾癘。十一月官都尉，其樹棗。
In the second month of winter Zhaoyao points to zi. The Bi stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Zhen stars at dawn. Its quarter is the north. Its days are ren and gui. Its creatures are the shelled. Its note is yu. Its pitch is Huangzhong. Its number is six. Its taste is salt. Its smell is rotten. Its sacrifice is at the well, and of the offering the kidneys come first. The ice grows stronger. The ground begins to crack. The gandan bird does not cry. The tiger begins to mate. The Son of Heaven wears black robes, rides an iron black horse, wears black jade, and raises a black banner. He eats millet and pork, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of pine. The palace women of the northern hall are in black and dressed in black colors. They strike the stone chimes. Its weapon is the long lance. Its animal is the pig. He holds court in the Grand Temple of the Xuantang Hall. He orders the officials in charge and says: let no earthwork be done, let no dwelling be opened up, and let no great crowds be raised. This is called opening the storehouse of heaven and earth. The hidden creatures would die, the people would surely fall sick of the plague, and deaths would follow. Robbers are quickly seized and the lewd and the false are cut down. The month is called Changyue, the month of fullness. The chief eunuch is ordered to repeat the orders of the palace, to look to the gates and the lanes, to watch over the chambers and shut them doubly, and to lighten the women's work. Then the master brewer is ordered: the glutinous rice must be even, the yeast and the malt in season, the steeping and the washing clean, the spring water sweet, the earthen jars sound, and the fire rightly judged. There must be nothing that goes wrong. The Son of Heaven then orders the officials in charge to sacrifice to the four seas, the great rivers and the famous marshes. In this month, if a farmer has not gathered in and stored and piled up his crop, or if oxen and horses and other beasts have been let loose and lost, whoever takes them is not called to account. In the hills and the forests, the fens and the marshes, those who can gather greens and food or hunt birds and beasts are taught and led by the forester. If any rob one another, they are punished without pardon. In this month the day reaches its shortest and yin and yang contend. The gentleman fasts and purifies himself. Where he stays he keeps himself covered. He would have his body still. He puts away sound and color, holds back appetite and desire, gives his body rest, and quiets his form and his nature. In this month the hardy rush comes up, the rue begins to grow, the earthworm coils, and the elk sheds its horns. When the springs stir, trees are cut and bamboo for arrows is taken. Offices with no work and vessels with no use are done away with. The gate towers and the courts, the gates and the lanes are plastered, and the prisons are built up, and so the closing of heaven and earth is helped. If the orders of summer are carried out in the second month of winter, the land will go dry, mists will lie dark, and the thunder will give its voice. If the orders of autumn are carried out, there will be rain at that season, gourds will not come to anything, and there will be great war in the land. If the orders of spring are carried out, insects and borers will bring ruin, the springs will all dry up, and the people will suffer much sickness and pestilence. The office of the eleventh month is the chief commandant, and its tree is the jujube.
Interlinear notes 1
骝月
骝月 — the source text has 骝; it is taken as an error for 暢 and read Changyue. ― translator
季冬之月，招搖指丑，昏婁中，旦氐中。其位北方，其日壬癸，其蟲介，其音羽，律中大呂，其數六，其味鹹，其臭腐，其祀井，祭先腎。鴈北鄉，鵲加巢，雉雊，雞呼卵。天子衣黑衣，乘鐵驪，服玄玉，建玄旗，食麥與彘，服八風水，爨松燧火，北宮御女黑色，衣黑采，擊磬石，其兵鎩，其畜彘，朝于玄堂右丢。命有司，大儺旁磔，出土牛。命漁師始漁，天子親往射漁，先薦寢廟。令民出五種，令農計耦耕事，修耒耜，具田器。命樂師大合吹而罷。乃命四監，收秩薪，以供寢廟及百祀之薪燎。是月也，日窮于次，月窮于紀，星周于天，歲將更始，令靜農民，無有所使。天子乃與公卿大夫飾國典，論時令，以待嗣歲之宜。乃命太史，次諸侯之列，賦之犧牲，以供皇天上帝社稷之芻享。乃命同姓之國，供寢廟之芻豢；卿士大夫至于庶民，供山林名川之祀。季冬行秋令，則白露早降，介蟲為䄏，四鄙入保。行春令，則胎夭傷，國多痼疾，命之曰逆。行夏令，則水潦敗國，時雪不降，冰凍消釋。十二月官獄，其樹櫟。
In the third month of winter Zhaoyao points to chou. The Lou stars stand at the center of the sky at dusk, and the Di stars at dawn. Its quarter is the north. Its days are ren and gui. Its creatures are the shelled. Its note is yu. Its pitch is Dalü. Its number is six. Its taste is salt. Its smell is rotten. Its sacrifice is at the well, and of the offering the kidneys come first. The geese turn north. The magpie adds to its nest. The pheasant calls. The hen calls for her eggs. The Son of Heaven wears black robes, rides an iron black horse, wears black jade, and raises a black banner. He eats wheat and pork, drinks the water of the eight winds, and cooks with a fire of pine. The palace women of the northern hall are in black and dressed in black colors. They strike the stone chimes. Its weapon is the long lance. Its animal is the pig. He holds court in the right chamber of the Xuantang Hall. He orders the officials in charge to hold the great driving out of the plague spirits, with victims torn apart on every side, and the clay ox is brought out. He orders the master of fisheries to begin the fishing. The Son of Heaven goes himself and spears fish, and offers them first in the ancestral shrine. The people are ordered to bring out the five kinds of seed. The farmers are ordered to reckon up the work of the paired plowing, to mend the plow and the share, and to make the field tools ready. The master of music is ordered to hold a great gathering of wind music, and then to stop. Then the four inspectors are ordered to collect the due of firewood, for the ancestral shrine and for the torches of the hundred sacrifices. In this month the sun comes to the end of its stations, the moon to the end of its round, and the stars go all around the sky. The year is about to begin again. Orders go out that the farmers be left quiet, with nothing laid upon them. The Son of Heaven, with the dukes and the ministers and the great officers, puts the statutes of the land in order and discusses the orders of the seasons, so as to be ready for what the coming year requires. Then the grand scribe is ordered to set the lords in their ranks and to assess them for the victims, for the fodder offerings to august heaven and the high god and to the altars of soil and grain. Then the states of the same surname are ordered to supply the beasts fed on grass and grain for the ancestral shrine, and from the ministers and the great officers down to the common people, all supply the sacrifices to the hills and forests and the famous rivers. If the orders of autumn are carried out in the third month of winter, the white dew will fall early, shelled insects will be a bad omen, and the four borderlands will go into their forts. If the orders of spring are carried out, the unborn and the newborn will be harmed, there will be much lasting sickness in the land, and this is called going against. If the orders of summer are carried out, floods will ruin the land, the seasonal snow will not fall, and the ice will melt away. The office of the twelfth month is the prison, and its tree is the oak.
東方之極，自碣石山過朝鮮，貫大人之國，東至日出之次，榑木之地，青土樹木之野，太皞、句芒之所司者，萬二千里。其令曰：挺群禁，開閉闔，通窮窒，達障塞，行優游，棄怨惡，解役罪，免憂患，休罰刑，開關梁，宣出財，和外怨，撫四方，行柔惠，止剛強。
The far bound of the east runs from Mount Jieshi past Joseon, through the land of the Great Men, and east to the station where the sun rises, the ground of the Fu tree, the plain of green earth and trees. What Taihao and Goumang have charge of is twelve thousand li. Its order says: loosen the many prohibitions, open what is shut, let through what is stopped, clear what is blocked, let men move about at their ease, put away grudge and hatred, release men from labor and from guilt, free them from care and trouble, rest penalty and punishment, open the passes and the bridges, send out goods, make peace with grudges abroad, comfort the four quarters, practice gentle kindness, and stop what is hard and strong.
南方之極，自北戶孫之外，貫顓頊之國，南至委火炎風之野，赤帝、祝融之所司者，萬二千里。其令曰：爵有德，賞有功，惠賢良，救飢渴，舉力農，振貧窮，惠孤寡，憂罷疾，出大祿，行大賞，起毀宗，立無後，封建侯，立賢輔。
The far bound of the south runs from beyond Beihusun, through the land of Zhuanxu, and south to the plain of Weihuo and the flame wind. What Chidi and Zhurong have charge of is twelve thousand li. Its order says: give rank to those who have power, reward those who have merit, be kind to the worthy and the good, save the hungry and the thirsty, raise up those who work hard at farming, relieve the poor, be kind to the orphaned and the widowed, care for the worn out and the sick, give out great stipends, hand out great rewards, raise up ruined houses, set up heirs for those who have none, enfeoff and establish lords, and appoint worthy helpers.
中央之極，自昆侖東絕兩恆山，日月之所道，江、漢之所出，眾民之野，五穀之所宜，龍門、河、濟相貫，以息壤堙洪水之州，東至於碣石，黃帝、后土之所司者，萬二千里。其令曰：平而不阿，明而不苛，包裹覆露，無不囊懷，溥氾無私，正靜以和，行稃鬻，養老衰，弔死問疾，以送萬物之歸。
The far bound of the center runs from Kunlun east across the two Heng mountains, along the road of the sun and the moon, where the Jiang and the Han come out, the plain of the many peoples, where the five grains do well, where Longmen and the He and the Ji cross one another, the province where the swelling earth dammed the flood, and east as far as Jieshi. What Huangdi and Houtu have charge of is twelve thousand li. Its order says: be level and not partial, be clear and not harsh, wrap and cover and shelter, leaving nothing outside the fold, be broad and wide without private favor, be upright and still and in harmony, give out gruel, nourish the old and the failing, mourn the dead and ask after the sick, and so see the ten thousand things on their way home.
西方之極，自昆侖絕流沙、沈羽，西至三危之國，石城金室，飲氣之民，不死之野，少皞、蓐收之所司者，萬二千里。其令曰：審用法，誅必辜，備盜賊，禁姦邪，飾群牧，謹著聚，修城郭，補決竇，塞蹊徑，遏溝瀆，止流水，雝谿谷，守門閭，陳兵甲，選百官，誅不法。
The far bound of the west runs from Kunlun across the Flowing Sands and Shenyu, and west to the land of Sanwei, the stone city and the metal chamber, the people who feed on breath, and the plain of no death. What Shaohao and Rushou have charge of is twelve thousand li. Its order says: look carefully to the use of the law, put to death only where there is guilt, guard against robbers, forbid the wicked and the crooked, set the many herdsmen in order, be careful in storing up, repair the walls, stop up the broken holes, close the byways, dam the ditches, stop the running water, block the streams and the valleys, guard the gates and the lanes, set out weapons and armor, choose the hundred officers, and cut down the lawless.
北方之極，自九澤窮夏晦之極，北至令正之谷，有凍寒積冰、雪雹霜霰、漂潤群水之野，顓頊、玄冥之所司者，萬二千里。其令曰：申群禁，固閉藏，修障塞，繕關梁，禁外徙，斷罰刑，殺當罪，閉關閭，大搜客，止交游，禁夜樂，蚤閉晏開，以塞姦人，已德，執之必固。天節已幾，刑殺無赦，雖有盛尊之親，斷以法度。毋行水，毋發藏，毋釋罪。
The far bound of the north runs from the Nine Marshes to the end of Xiahui, and north to the valley of Lingzheng, where there is frozen cold and piled ice, snow and hail, frost and sleet, and the plain where the many waters float and soak. What Zhuanxu and Xuanming have charge of is twelve thousand li. Its order says: repeat the many prohibitions, make the closing and the storing fast, repair the barriers, mend the passes and the bridges, forbid moving abroad, settle penalties and punishments, put to death those whose crime deserves it, shut the passes and the lanes, make a great search for strangers, stop visiting and roaming, forbid music at night, shut early and open late, and so keep out wicked men. Have done with favor, and hold fast what you seize. The season of heaven is already at its end. Punishment and killing know no pardon, and even a kinsman of the highest honor is judged by the rule. Do not let the waters go. Do not open the stores. Do not release the guilty.
孟春與孟秋為合，仲春與仲秋為合，季春與季秋為合，孟夏與孟冬為合，仲夏與仲冬為合，季夏與季冬為合。孟春始贏，孟秋始縮；仲春始出，仲秋始內；季春大出，季秋大內；孟夏始緩，孟冬始急；仲夏至修，仲冬至短；季夏德畢，季冬刑畢。故正月失政，七月涼風不至；二月失政，八月雷不藏；三月失政，九月不下霜；四月失政，十月不凍；五月失政，十一月蟄蟲冬出其鄉；六月失政，十二月草木不脫；七月失政，正月大寒不解；八月失政，二月雷不發；九月失政，三月春風不濟；十月失政，四月草木不實；十一月失政，五月下雹霜；十二月失政，六月五穀疾狂。春行夏令泄，行秋令水，行冬令肅。夏行春令風，行秋令蕪，行冬令格。秋行夏令華，行春令榮，行冬令耗。冬行春令泄，行夏令旱，行秋令霧。
The first month of spring pairs with the first month of autumn. The second month of spring pairs with the second month of autumn. The third month of spring pairs with the third month of autumn. The first month of summer pairs with the first month of winter. The second month of summer pairs with the second month of winter. The third month of summer pairs with the third month of winter. In the first month of spring the swelling begins, and in the first month of autumn the shrinking begins. In the second month of spring the coming forth begins, and in the second month of autumn the drawing in begins. In the third month of spring there is the great coming forth, and in the third month of autumn the great drawing in. In the first month of summer the loosening begins, and in the first month of winter the tightening begins. In the second month of summer the day is at its longest, and in the second month of winter at its shortest. In the third month of summer the giving is finished, and in the third month of winter the punishing is finished. So if the government fails in the first month, the cool wind does not come in the seventh. If it fails in the second month, the thunder is not stored away in the eighth. If it fails in the third month, the frost does not fall in the ninth. If it fails in the fourth month, there is no freezing in the tenth. If it fails in the fifth month, the hidden insects come out of their holes in winter, in the eleventh. If it fails in the sixth month, grass and trees do not shed in the twelfth. If it fails in the seventh month, the great cold does not break in the first. If it fails in the eighth month, the thunder does not sound in the second. If it fails in the ninth month, the spring wind does not carry through in the third. If it fails in the tenth month, grass and trees do not bear fruit in the fourth. If it fails in the eleventh month, hail and frost fall in the fifth. If it fails in the twelfth month, the five grains sicken and run wild in the sixth. In spring, to carry out the orders of summer is to leak, the orders of autumn to flood, the orders of winter to wither. In summer, to carry out the orders of spring is to blow, the orders of autumn to run to waste, the orders of winter to block. In autumn, to carry out the orders of summer is to flower, the orders of spring to grow rank, the orders of winter to waste away. In winter, to carry out the orders of spring is to leak, the orders of summer to dry, the orders of autumn to fog.
制度陰陽，大制有六度：天為繩，地為準，春為規，夏為衡，秋為矩，冬為權。繩者，所以繩萬物也。準者，所以準萬物也。規者，所以員萬物也。衡者，所以平萬物也。矩者，所以方萬物也。權者，所以權萬物也。繩之為度也，直而不爭，脩而不窮，久而不弊，遠而不忘，與天合德，與神合明，所欲則得，所惡則亡，自古及今，不可移匡，厥德孔密，廣大以容，是故上帝以為物宗。準之為度也，平而不險，均而不阿，廣大以容，寬裕以和，柔而不剛，銳而不挫，流而不滯，易而不穢，發通而有紀，周密而不泄，準平而不失，萬物皆平，民無險謀，怨惡不生，是故上帝以為物平。規之為度也，轉而不復，員而不垸，優而不縱，廣大以寬，感動有理，發通有紀，優優簡簡，百怨不起，規度不失，生氣乃理。衡之為度也，緩而不後，平而不怨，施而不德，弔而不責，當平民祿，以繼不足，绗绗陽陽，唯德是行，養長化育，萬物蕃昌，以成五穀，以實封疆，其政不失，天地乃明。矩之為度也，肅而不悖，剛而不憒，取而無怨，內而無害，威厲而不懾，令行而不廢，殺伐既得，仇敵乃克，矩正不失，百誅乃服。權之為度也，急而不贏，殺而不割，充滿以實，周密而不泄，敗物而弗取，罪殺而不赦，誠信以必，堅愨以固，糞除苛慝，不可以曲，故冬正將行，必弱以強，必柔以剛，權正而不失，萬物乃藏。明堂之制，靜而法準，動而法繩，春治以規，秋治以矩，冬治以權，夏治以衡，是故燥溼寒暑以節至，甘雨膏露以時降。
In ordering yin and yang, the great order has six measures. Heaven is the marking line. Earth is the level. Spring is the compass. Summer is the balance beam. Autumn is the square. Winter is the weight. The marking line is what makes the ten thousand things straight. The level is what makes the ten thousand things even. The compass is what makes the ten thousand things round. The balance beam is what makes the ten thousand things level. The square is what makes the ten thousand things square. The weight is what weighs the ten thousand things. The marking line as a measure is straight and does not contend, long and never at an end, old and never worn out, far off and never forgotten. It joins its power with heaven and its brightness with the spirits. What it wants it gets, and what it hates comes to nothing. From old times down to now it cannot be shifted or set right by any hand. Its power is very close and fine, broad and great and holding all. Therefore the high god took it for the head of things. The level as a measure is even and not steep, equal and not partial, broad and great and holding all, generous and wide and in harmony, soft and not hard, keen and not broken, flowing and not stopped, easy and not foul. It opens and goes through and yet has its threads. It is close all round and does not leak. It is true and level and does not fail. The ten thousand things are all made even, the people have no dangerous schemes, and grudge and hatred do not arise. Therefore the high god took it for the leveler of things. The compass as a measure turns and does not come back on itself, is round and not stiff, is generous and not loose, broad and great and easy. What it stirs has its reason, and what it opens has its threads. It is generous and simple, and the hundred grudges do not rise. When the measure of the compass does not fail, the breath of life is set in order. The balance beam as a measure is slack and yet not late, level and yet not resented. It gives and does not count it a favor. It mourns and does not blame. It levels the stipends of the people as it should and makes up what is lacking. Warm and warm, bright and bright, it carries out power and nothing else. It rears and grows, changes and nourishes, so that the ten thousand things are many and flourishing, the five grains are brought to fullness, and the land within the borders is filled. When its government does not fail, heaven and earth are bright. The square as a measure is stern and not perverse, hard and not confused. It takes and there is no grudge. It brings in and there is no harm. Its authority is severe and yet does not terrify. Its orders are carried out and are not set aside. When the killing and the smiting have found their mark, the foe and the enemy are overcome. When the square is upright and does not fail, the hundred who are put to death submit. The weight as a measure is urgent and does not overflow, kills and does not cut, is full and solid, close all round and does not leak. It ruins a thing and does not take it. It condemns and kills and does not pardon. With honesty and faith it makes sure, and with firmness and care it holds fast. It sweeps away the harsh and the wicked and cannot be bent. Therefore, when the uprightness of winter is about to be carried out, weakness must be made strong and softness must be made hard. When the weight is upright and does not fail, the ten thousand things are stored away. The rule of the Mingtang Hall is this. At rest it takes the level for its law, and in motion the marking line. Spring is governed by the compass, autumn by the square, winter by the weight, and summer by the balance beam. Therefore dry and damp, cold and heat come at their season, and sweet rain and rich dew fall in their time.