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Chapter 3030장

Zhongyong (The Doctrine of the Mean) 中庸 · Ascribed to Zisi · A text carried in the Book of Rites · 1 passages · 194 Chinese characters · reading time 0.8 min

Zhongyong (The Doctrine of the Mean) It begins: "What Heaven decrees is called the nature. Following the nature is called the way. Cultivating the way is called teaching." Of the Four Books it is the one that reaches furthest. The first half gathers the words of Confucius to say why the mean is so hard — all under heaven can be governed evenly, rank and pay can be declined, a bare blade can be trodden on, and still the mean cannot be done. The second half turns on truth alone, saying that truth is the way of Heaven and making oneself true is the way of man, and it goes at last to standing third beside Heaven and earth. The saying "where another is able in one try, I make it a hundred; where another is able in ten, I make it a thousand" comes from here too.

王天下有三重焉，其寡過矣乎！上焉者雖善，無徵。無徵，不信。不信，民弗從。下焉者雖善，不尊。不尊，不信。不信，民弗從。故君子之道，本諸身，徵諸庶民。考諸三王而不繆，建諸天地而不悖。質諸鬼神而無疑。百世以俟聖人而不惑。質鬼神而無疑，知天也。百世以俟聖人而不惑，知人也。是故君子動而世爲天下道，行而世爲天下法，言而世爲天下則。遠之，則有望；近之，則不厭。詩曰：「在彼無惡，在此無射；庶幾夙夜，以永終譽。」君子未有不如此，而蚤有譽於天下者也。

In ruling all under heaven there are three weighty things. With them his faults will be few.

What is above is good, yet it has no witness. Having no witness, it is not trusted. Not trusted, the people do not follow it. What is below is good, yet it is not honored. Not honored, it is not trusted. Not trusted, the people do not follow it.

So the way of the gentleman has its root in his own person and is borne witness to in the host of the people. Weighed against the three kings, it is not wrong. Set up between heaven and earth, it does not go astray. Asked of the ghosts and spirits, it leaves no doubt. Waiting a hundred ages for a sage, one is not confused by it.

To ask of the ghosts and spirits and leave no doubt is to know heaven. To wait a hundred ages for a sage and feel no confusion is to know man.

So when the gentleman stirs, he becomes for the ages the way of all under heaven. When he acts, he becomes for the ages the law of all under heaven. When he speaks, he becomes for the ages the pattern of all under heaven. Far off, he is looked up to. Close by, men do not grow weary of him.

The Odes say, "There none hate him, here none tire of him. Nearly from early morning until night, he makes his praise last to the end." There has never been a gentleman who was not like this and yet had praise in all under heaven early.

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