Bianxu — False Tales of Averted Fate變虛篇
傳書曰：宋景公之時，熒惑守心，公懼，召子韋而問之曰：「熒惑在心，何也？」子韋曰：「熒惑，天罰也，心，宋分野也，禍當君。雖然，可移於宰相。」公曰：「宰相所使治國家也，而移死焉，不祥。」子韋曰：「可移於民。」公曰：「民死，寡人將誰為也？宁獨死耳。」子韋曰：「可移於歲。」公曰：「民飢，必死。為人君而欲殺其民以自活也，其誰以我為君者乎？是寡人命固盡也，子毋復言。」子韋退走，北面再拜曰：「臣敢賀君。天之處高而耳卑，君有君人之言三，天必三賞君。今夕星必徙三舍，君延命二十一年。」公曰：「奚知之？」
The transmitted books say: In the time of Duke Jing of Song, Yinghuo (熒惑), the Fire Star, stayed in the Xin lodge (心宿). The duke was afraid, and he called Zi Wei and asked him, "Yinghuo is in Xin. What does this mean?" Zi Wei said, "Yinghuo is the punishment of Heaven, and Xin is the field allotted to Song. The disaster will fall on my lord. Even so, it can be moved to the prime minister." The duke said, "The prime minister is the one I set to govern the state. To move death onto him is not auspicious." Zi Wei said, "It can be moved to the people." The duke said, "If the people die, for whom shall I be lord? I would rather die alone." Zi Wei said, "It can be moved to the year (歲)." The duke said, "If the people starve, they will surely die. To be lord of men and to wish to kill his own people in order to live himself, who then would take me for a lord? This is that my destiny was spent from the first. Say no more." Zi Wei withdrew, ran out, faced north, bowed twice, and said, "Your servant dares to offer his congratulations. Heaven dwells on high, yet its ears are low. My lord has spoken three words worthy of a lord, and so Heaven will surely reward my lord three times. This evening the star will surely move three lodges, and my lord's destiny will be lengthened by twenty-one years." The duke said, "How do you know it?"
對曰：「君有三善，故有三賞，星必三徙。（三）徙行七星，星當一年，三七二十一，故君命延二十一歲。臣請伏於殿下以伺之，星必不徙，臣請死耳。」是夕也，火星果徙三舍。如子韋之言，則延年審得二十一歲矣。星徙審則延命，延命明則景公為善，天佑之也。則夫世間人能為景公之行者，則必得景公佑矣。此言虛也。何則？
He answered, "My lord has three goodnesses, and so there are three rewards, and the star will surely move three times. One move passes seven stars, and one star stands for one year. Three sevens are twenty-one, and so my lord's destiny will be lengthened by twenty-one years. Your servant asks to lie below the hall and watch for it. If the star does not move, your servant asks to die." That evening Yinghuo did indeed move three lodges. If it is as Zi Wei said, then the years added were truly twenty-one. If the moving of the star is true, then the destiny was lengthened; and if the lengthening of the destiny is clear, then Duke Jing was good and Heaven helped him. Then anyone in the world who can do what Duke Jing did will surely get the help Duke Jing got. These words are empty. Why?
皇天遷怒，使熒惑本景公身為有惡而守心，則雖聽子韋言，猶無益也。使其不為景公，則雖不聽子韋之言，亦無損也。
If Heaven moved its anger and made Yinghuo stay in Xin because there was evil in Duke Jing's own person from the first, then even had he listened to Zi Wei's words it would still have been no gain. If it was not on account of Duke Jing, then even had he not listened to Zi Wei's words it would have been no loss either.
齊景公時有彗星，使人禳之。晏子曰：「無益也，只取誣焉。天道不暗，不貳其命，若之何禳之也？且天之有彗，以除穢也。君無穢德，又何禳焉？若德之穢，禳之何益？《詩》曰：「惟此文王，小心翼翼，昭事上帝，聿懷多福；厥德不回，以受方國。」君無回德，方國將至，何患於彗？《詩》曰：我無所監，夏後及商，用亂之故，民卒流亡。若德回亂，民將流亡，祝史之為，我能補也。公說，乃止。齊君欲禳彗星之凶，猶子韋欲移熒惑之禍也。宋君不聽，猶晏子不肯從也。則齊君為子韋，晏子為宋君也。
In the time of Duke Jing of Qi there was a comet, and he sent men to pray it away. Yanzi said, "There is no gain in it. You take only deception. The way of Heaven is not dark, and it does not make its decree twofold. How then can you pray it away? Moreover, Heaven has comets in order to sweep away filth. If my lord has no filthy virtue, what is there to pray away? And if his virtue is filthy, what gain is there in praying? The Shi says, 'It was this King Wen, careful and reverent, who served the Lord on High in brightness and so drew many blessings to himself. His virtue did not turn aside, and so he received the states of the four quarters.' If my lord's virtue does not turn aside, the states of the four quarters will come. Why be troubled by a comet? The Shi says, 'Have I nowhere to take as my mirror? The house of Xia and the Shang, because of their disorder, saw their people flow away and perish at last.' If virtue turns aside and falls into disorder, the people will flow away and perish, and what could the invocator and the scribe (史) do to mend it?" The duke was pleased, and so he stopped. That the lord of Qi wished to pray away the ill of the comet is like Zi Wei wishing to move the disaster of Yinghuo. That the lord of Song did not listen is like Yanzi being unwilling to follow. So the lord of Qi took the part of Zi Wei, and Yanzi took the part of the lord of Song.
同變共禍，一事二人。天猶賢宋君，使熒惑徙三舍，延二十一年，獨不多（一作為。）晏子使彗消而增其壽，何天佑善偏駁之齊一也？人君有善行〔善言〕，善行動於心，善言出於意，同由共本，一氣不異。宋景公出三善言，則其先三善言之前，必有善行也。有善行，必有善政，政善則嘉瑞臻，福祥至；熒惑之星無為守心也。使景公有失誤之行，以致惡政，惡政發，則妖異見，熒〔惑〕之守心，〔猶〕桑谷不生朝。高宗消桑谷之變，以政不以言；景公卻熒惑之異，亦宜以行。景公有惡行，故熒惑守心。不改政修行，坐出三善言，安能動天！天安肯應！何以效之？使景公出三惡言，能使熒惑守心乎？夫三惡言不能使熒惑守心，三善言安能使熒惑退徙三舍？以三善言獲二十一年，如有百善言，得千歲之壽乎？非天佑善之意，應誠為福之實也。
The same strange event, the same disaster, one affair and two men. Heaven still held the lord of Song worthy, made Yinghuo move three lodges, and lengthened his years by twenty-one; yet for Yanzi alone it did not make the comet vanish and add to his span. How is it that Heaven's help to the good is so partial and so uneven?
A lord has good conduct and good words. Good conduct stirs in the heart and good words come out of the intent. They come from the same source and share one root, one breath and no different. If Duke Jing of Song brought out three good words, then before those three good words there must have been good conduct. Where there is good conduct there is surely good government, and when government is good, fair omens arrive and blessings come; Yinghuo would have no reason to stay in Xin. Suppose Duke Jing had conduct that went wrong and so brought on evil government, and when the evil government arose an uncanny omen appeared: then Yinghuo staying in Xin is like the mulberry and the paper mulberry growing in the court. Gaozong made the strange event of the mulberry and the paper mulberry vanish by his government, not by his words; so Duke Jing too ought to have driven back the strange sign of Yinghuo by his conduct. Duke Jing had evil conduct, and therefore Yinghuo stayed in Xin. Without mending his government and cultivating his conduct, he sat still and brought out three good words. How could that stir Heaven? How would Heaven consent to answer?
By what is it examined? If Duke Jing had brought out three evil words, could he have made Yinghuo stay in Xin? If three evil words cannot make Yinghuo stay in Xin, how can three good words make Yinghuo draw back three lodges? If twenty-one years were got by three good words, then with a hundred good words would one get a span of a thousand years? This is neither the meaning of Heaven helping the good nor the reality of blessing granted in answer to sincerity.
子韋之言：「天處高而聽卑，君有君人之言三，天必三賞君。」夫天體也，與地無異。諸有體者，耳咸附於首。體與耳殊，未之有也。天之去人，高數萬里，使耳附天，聽數萬里之語，弗能聞也。人坐樓台之上，察地之螻蟻，尚不見其體，安能聞其聲。何則？螻蟻之體細，不若人形大，聲音孔氣不能達也。今天之崇高非直樓台，人體比於天，非若螻蟻於人也。謂天聞人言，隨善惡為吉凶，誤矣。四夷入諸夏，因譯而通。同形均氣，語不相曉。雖五帝三王不能去譯獨曉四夷，況天與人異體、音與人殊乎？人不曉天所為，天安能知人所行。使天體乎，耳高不能聞人言；使天氣乎，氣若雲煙，安能聽人辭？說災變之家曰：「人在天地之間，猶魚在水中矣。其能以行動天地，猶魚鼓而振水也，魚動而水蕩氣變。」此非實事也。假使真然，不能至天。魚長一尺，動於水中，振旁側之水，不過數尺，大若不過與人同，所振蕩者不過百步，而一里之外淡然澄靜，離之遠也。今人操行變氣遠近，宜與魚等；氣應而變，宜與水均。以七尺之細形，形中之微氣，不過與一鼎之蒸火同。從下地上變皇天，何其高也！且景公賢者也。賢者操行，上不及聖〔人〕，下不過惡人。世間聖人莫不堯、舜，惡人莫不桀、紂。堯、舜操行多善，無移熒惑之效；桀、紂之政多惡，（有）反〔有〕景公脫禍之驗。景公出三善言，延年二十一歲，是則堯、舜宜獲千歲，桀紂宜為殤子。今則不然，各隨年壽，堯、舜、桀、紂皆近百載。是竟子韋之言妄，延年之語虛也。且子韋之言曰：「熒惑，天使也；心，宋分野也。禍當君。」若是者，天使熒惑加禍於景公也，如何可移於將相、若歲與國民乎？天之有熒惑也，猶王者之有方伯也。諸侯有當死之罪，使方伯圍守其國，國君問罪於臣，臣明罪在君。雖然，可移於臣子與人民。設國君（計）〔許〕其言，令其臣歸罪於國〔人〕，方伯聞之，肯聽其言，釋國君之罪，更移以付國人乎？方伯不聽者，自國君之罪，非國人之辜也。方伯不聽（自國君之罪）〔非國人之辜〕，熒惑安肯移禍於國人！若此，子韋之言妄也。曰景公〔不〕聽乎言、庸何能動天？使諸侯不聽其臣言，引過自予，方伯聞其言，釋其罪委之去乎？方伯不釋諸侯之罪，熒惑安肯徙去三舍！夫聽與不聽，皆無福善，星徙之實，未可信用。天人同道，好惡不殊。人道不然，則知天無驗矣。
Zi Wei's words were, "Heaven dwells on high, yet it hears what is low. My lord has spoken three words worthy of a lord, and so Heaven will surely reward my lord three times." Now Heaven is a body, and in this it is no different from earth. Everything that has a body has its ears set on its head. A body whose ears are apart from it has never been. Heaven stands away from man by tens of thousands of li on high. Even if ears were set on Heaven, they could not hear speech tens of thousands of li away. A man sits on top of a tower and looks at the mole crickets and the ants on the ground; he cannot even see their bodies, so how could he hear their voices? Why? The bodies of mole crickets and ants are slight and not large like a man's body, and the sound and the breath from their openings cannot reach him. Now the height of Heaven is not merely that of a tower, and a man's body set against Heaven is less than mole crickets and ants set against a man. To say that Heaven hears men's words and sends down fortune or misfortune according to their good and evil is a mistake.
When the four barbarians come into China, they are understood by way of interpreters. Their shapes are the same and their breath is even, and still their speech is not understood on either side. Even the Five Emperors and the Three Kings could not do without interpreters and understand the four barbarians alone; how much less Heaven, whose body differs from man's and whose sound is other than man's? Men do not know what Heaven does; how then can Heaven know what men do? If Heaven is a body, its ears are high and cannot hear men's words. If Heaven is breath, breath is like cloud and smoke; how can it listen to men's speech?
Those who speak of calamities and strange events say, "Man within Heaven and earth is like a fish in water. That he can stir Heaven and earth by his conduct is like a fish beating its fins and shaking the water; when the fish moves, the water rocks and the breath changes." This is not a real thing. Suppose it were truly so: even then it could not reach Heaven. A fish one foot long, moving in the water, shakes the water at its side no more than a few feet; and even if it were as big as a man, what it shook would not pass a hundred paces, while beyond one li the water is calm and clear and still, because the distance is far. Now the far and the near to which a man's bearing changes the breath ought to be the same as the fish's, and the breath answering and changing ought to be the same as the water. A slight body of seven feet, and the faint breath within that body, are no more than the steam and fire of a single cauldron. To change high Heaven above from the earth below, how lofty a thing that is!
Moreover Duke Jing was a worthy man. The bearing of a worthy man does not reach up to the sage, nor does it fall below the evil man. In the world no sage is the equal of Yao and Shun, and no evil man is the equal of Jie and Zhou. The bearing of Yao and Shun had much good in it, yet there is no proof that they moved Yinghuo; the government of Jie and Zhou had much evil in it, yet on the contrary there is evidence of their escaping disaster as Duke Jing did. If Duke Jing brought out three good words and lengthened his years by twenty-one, then Yao and Shun ought to have got a thousand years, and Jie and Zhou ought to have died as children. But it is not so. Each followed his own years and his own span, and Yao, Shun, Jie, and Zhou all came near a hundred years. In the end this shows that Zi Wei's words were wild and that the talk of lengthened years is empty.
Again, Zi Wei's words were, "Yinghuo is Heaven's messenger, and Xin is the field allotted to Song. The disaster will fall on my lord." If this is so, then Heaven sent Yinghuo to lay the disaster on Duke Jing. How then could it be moved to the general and the prime minister, or to the year and the people of the state? Heaven having Yinghuo is like a king having his regional chiefs. Suppose a feudal lord has a crime that deserves death, and a regional chief is sent to surround and guard his state. The lord asks his minister where the crime lies, and the minister makes clear that the crime lies with the lord, and says that even so it can be moved to the ministers and the people. Suppose the lord grants his words and has the minister lay the crime on the people. Would the regional chief, hearing this, consent to his words, release the lord from his crime, and move it over onto the people of the state? The regional chief does not consent, because the crime belongs to the lord from the first and is not the fault of the people of the state. If the regional chief does not consent, since it is not the fault of the people, how would Yinghuo consent to move the disaster onto the people of the state? Such being the case, Zi Wei's words are wild. And how could Duke Jing's not listening to those words stir Heaven? If a feudal lord does not listen to his minister's words and draws the fault onto himself, would the regional chief, hearing his words, release him from his crime, leave him, and go away? The regional chief does not release the feudal lord from his crime; how then would Yinghuo consent to move three lodges away? Whether he listened or did not listen, in neither is there blessing or good, and the tale that the star moved cannot be trusted or used. Heaven and man share one way, and what they like and hate is not different. If the way of man is not so, then it is known that Heaven gives no proof.
宋、衛、陳、鄭之俱災也，氣變見天。梓慎知之，請於子產有以除之，子產不聽。天道當然，人事不能卻也。使子產聽梓慎，四國能無災乎？堯遭鴻水時，臣必有梓慎、子韋之知矣。然而不卻除者，堯與子產同心也。案子韋之言曰：「熒惑，天使也；心，宋分野也。禍當君。」審如此言，禍不可除，星不可卻也。若夫寒溫失和，風雨不時，政事之家，謂之失誤所致，可以善政賢行變而復也。
When Song, Wei, Chen, and Zheng all had fires, a change of breath appeared in the sky. Zishen knew it and asked Zichan to let him do something to sweep it away, but Zichan did not listen. The way of Heaven is bound to be so, and the affairs of men cannot drive it back. Had Zichan listened to Zishen, could the four states have been without disaster? When Yao met the great flood, there must have been among his ministers one with the knowledge of Zishen and Zi Wei. That they still did not drive it back and sweep it away is because Yao was of one mind with Zichan. Consider Zi Wei's words: "Yinghuo is Heaven's messenger, and Xin is the field allotted to Song. The disaster will fall on my lord." If it is truly as these words say, the disaster cannot be swept away and the star cannot be driven back. As for cold and warmth falling out of accord and wind and rain coming out of season, those who speak of government say that these are brought on by mistakes, and that by good government and worthy conduct they can be changed and set right again.
若熒惑守心，若必死猶亡，禍安可除？修政改行，安能卻之？善政賢行，尚不能卻，出虛華之三言，謂星卻而禍除，增壽延年，享長久之福，誤矣。觀子韋之言景公，言熒惑之禍，非寒暑風雨之類，身死命終之祥也。國且亡，身且死，祆氣見於天，容色見於面。面有容色，雖善操行不能滅，死徵已見也。在體之色，不可以言行滅；在天之妖，安可以治除乎？人病且死，色見於面，人或謂之曰：「此必死之徵也。雖然，可移於五鄰，若移於奴役。」當死之人正言不可，容色肯為善言之故滅，而當死之命肯為之長乎？氣不可滅，命不可長。然則熒惑安可卻，景公之年安可增乎？由此言之，熒惑守心，未知所為，故景公不死也。
If Yinghuo staying in Xin means that one must die and the state must fall, how can the disaster be swept away? By mending government and changing conduct, how can it be driven back? If good government and worthy conduct still cannot drive it back, then to bring out three empty and showy words and say that the star drew back and the disaster was swept away, that the span was increased and the years lengthened, and that a long and lasting blessing was enjoyed, is a mistake. Look at what Zi Wei said to Duke Jing: the disaster of Yinghuo is not of the kind of cold and heat and wind and rain, but an omen that the body will die and the destiny be finished. When a state is about to fall and a body about to die, an uncanny breath appears in the sky and a color appears in the face. When the color is there in the face, even good bearing cannot wipe it out, for the sign of death has already appeared. If the color that is on the body cannot be wiped out by words and conduct, how can the uncanny thing that is in the sky be swept away by government? When a man is sick and about to die, the color appears in his face, and someone may say to him, "This is the sign of certain death. Even so, it can be moved to your five neighbors, or moved to your slave." If the man who is to die says straight out that it may not be done, will the color in his face vanish because of his good words, and will the destiny that is to die be lengthened on account of them? The breath cannot be wiped out and the destiny cannot be lengthened. That being so, how can Yinghuo be driven back, and how can Duke Jing's years be increased? Speaking from this, it is not known why Yinghuo stayed in Xin, and so Duke Jing did not die.
且言星徙三舍者，何謂也？星三徙於一舍乎？一徙歷於三舍也？案子韋之言曰：「君有君人之言三，天必三賞君，今夕星必徙三舍。」若此星竟徙三舍也。夫景公一坐有三善言，星徙三舍，知有十善言，星徙十舍乎？熒惑守心，為善言卻，如景公復出三惡言，熒惑食心乎？為善言卻，為惡言進，無善無惡，熒惑安居不行動乎？
And what is meant by saying that the star moved three lodges? Did the star move three times within one lodge, or did it move once and pass through three lodges? Consider Zi Wei's words: "My lord has spoken three words worthy of a lord, and so Heaven will surely reward my lord three times; this evening the star will surely move three lodges." If so, then the star did in the end move three lodges. Now if Duke Jing spoke three good words at one sitting and the star moved three lodges, then with ten good words would the star move ten lodges? If Yinghuo stayed in Xin and drew back because of good words, then if Duke Jing brought out three evil words again, would Yinghuo devour Xin? If it draws back for good words and advances for evil words, then with neither good nor evil would Yinghuo sit still and not move?
或時熒惑守心為旱災，不為君薨。子韋不知，以為死禍。信俗至誠之感，熒惑（之）〔去〕處，星必偶自當去，景公自不死，世則謂子韋之言審，景公之誠感天矣。亦或時子韋知星行度適自去，自以著己之知，明君臣推讓之所致；見星之數七，因言星七舍，復得二十一年，因以星舍計年之數。是與齊太卜無以異也。齊景公問太卜曰：「子之道何能？」對曰：「能動地。」晏子往見公，公曰：「寡人問太卜曰：「子道何能？」對曰：「能動地。」地固可動乎？」晏子嘿然不對，出見太卜曰：「昔吾見鉤星在房、心之間，地其動乎？」太卜曰：「然。」晏子出，太卜走見公：「臣非能動地，地固將自動。」夫子韋言星徙，猶太卜言地動也。地固且自動，太卜言己能動之。星固將自徙，子韋言君能徙之。使晏子不言鉤星在房、心，則太卜之奸對不覺。宋無晏子之知臣，故子韋之一言，遂為其是。案《子韋書錄序（秦）〔奏〕》亦言子韋曰「君出三善言，熒惑宜有動。於是候之，果徙舍。」不言三。或時星當自去，子韋以為驗，實動離舍，世增言三。既空增三舍之數，又虛生二十一年之壽也。
Perhaps Yinghuo stayed in Xin on account of a disaster of drought, and not because the lord was to die. Zi Wei did not know it and took it for the disaster of death. He believed the common saying that utmost sincerity moves Heaven; but as to the going and the staying of Yinghuo, the star was bound to go of itself by chance, and Duke Jing was bound not to die of himself, while the world says that Zi Wei's words were proved and that Duke Jing's sincerity moved Heaven. Or perhaps Zi Wei knew that the star, going along its degrees, was about to leave of itself, and wished to show his own knowledge and to make clear that this was brought about by the lord and the minister yielding to each other. Seeing that the number of the stars was seven, he therefore said the star would pass seven lodges, and so got twenty-one years again, reckoning the number of the years by the lodges of the star. In this he is no different from the grand diviner of Qi.
Duke Jing of Qi asked the grand diviner, "What can your art do?" He answered, "It can move the earth." Yanzi went to see the duke, and the duke said, "I asked the grand diviner, 'What can your art do?' and he answered, 'It can move the earth.' Can the earth truly be moved?" Yanzi was silent and did not answer. He went out, saw the grand diviner, and said, "Some time ago I saw the Gou star between the Fang lodge and the Xin lodge. Is the earth going to move?" The grand diviner said, "It is." When Yanzi had gone out, the grand diviner ran to see the duke: "It is not that your servant can move the earth. The earth was bound to move of itself." Now Zi Wei saying the star would move is like the grand diviner saying the earth would move. The earth was bound to move of itself, and the grand diviner said that he could move it. The star was bound to move of itself, and Zi Wei said that the lord could move it. Had Yanzi not said that the Gou star was between Fang and Xin, the grand diviner's crooked answer would not have been found out. Song had no knowing minister like Yanzi, and so a single word of Zi Wei's came in the end to be taken as right.
Consider that the Ziwei shulu xuzou also says only that Zi Wei said, "My lord has brought out three good words, and Yinghuo ought to make some move. Then they watched for it, and it did indeed move a lodge." It does not say three. Perhaps the star was bound to leave of itself and Zi Wei took this for a proof, and what really moved and left its lodge the world increased to three. Having emptily added the number of three lodges, it then falsely made up the span of twenty-one years.