Ancient Chinese, Volume 2: Revised and Reprinted Edition

Author: Chief Editor: Wang Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-04-01
Features: Excerpt: [1] "Non-Conquest" consists of three parts: upper, middle, and lower. Here, the upper part is selected. [2] The place where trees are planted is called a garden, and the place where vegetables are planted is called a plot. Here, "garden and plot" is a disyllabic compound with a biased meaning, where the character "plot" has no independent meaning. [3] "Non" means to criticize or blame. [4] "Rulers" refers to those in power. "Get" means to capture. [5] "Because" indicates reason. [6] "Up to" means "as for." "Rang" is explained in the notes to "Mencius: Dispossessing the Rooster." "Tun" refers to a young pig. [7] "Zi" is synonymous with "zi," meaning "more." [8] "Thick" here means "heavy." [9] "Lan" refers to the ancient term for a pen for cattle and horses. "Ju" refers to a stable. Here, "lan ju" broadly refers to pens for cattle and horses. [10] "If" means "if." [11] "Gu" means "crime." "Also" is an interjection that introduces the following context. [12] "Tu" is synonymous with "drag," meaning to pull down here. [13] "Dang ci" means "in this case." [14] "For" is a verb. "Attack a country" is a verb-object phrase used as the object. "Kill one person" is considered unjust, and there must be one capital crime. [1] If one follows this reasoning to kill ten people, it would be ten times unjust, and there must be ten capital crimes. If one kills a hundred people, it would be a hundred times unjust, and there must be a hundred capital crimes. In this case, all the gentlemen in the world know and condemn it as unjust. Now, if one does the greatest injustice—attacking a country—yet does not know to condemn it and instead praises it, calling it just. They do not truly understand that it is unjust [4], so they record their words to pass them down to future generations [5]. If they knew it was unjust, how could they explain recording such unjust words to pass them down to future generations [6]? [1] "One" means "once." [2] If one follows this reasoning. "If" means "if." "This saying" refers to the principle that "killing one person must result in one capital crime." "Wang" here is just a habitual expression and does not carry the meaning of "going," but only indicates analogy. [3] "Ten times" means ten times as much. [4] "Qing cheng" means "truly." [5] Therefore, they record the words praising the attack on a country to pass them down to future generations. [6] "Xi she" means "how can one explain." If there is a person here who has rarely seen black as black and often sees black as white, then one would conclude that this person does not understand the distinction between black and white [1]. If one has rarely tasted bitterness as bitter and often tastes bitterness as sweet, then one must conclude that this person does not understand the distinction between bitterness and sweetness. Now, if one does a small injustice, they know and condemn it; but if one does great injustice—attacking a country—they do not know to condemn it and instead praise it, calling it just. Can this be said to understand the distinction between justice and injustice? Therefore, it is clear that the gentlemen in the world are confused about the distinction between justice and injustice [2]. [1] "Bian" is synonymous with "bian," as used below. [2] "Luan" means "confused," referring to equating them as the same.