Reading Notes from the Study Hall of Knowing the Sacred Way

Author: (Qing) Peng Yuanrui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-02-01
Features: Wang Shanshan of Huayin wrote the "Mountain Records" in two volumes, five chapters, followed by one volume of "Ming Dynasty Genealogy" and one volume of "Commentary on the Seventeen Treatises." He searched extensively but could not find the first collection. His discussion on the "Records of the Grand Historian" and the "Book of Han" stated: "Yang Zhong, the Han official, was known as Xiaoshan and was ordered to edit the works of Sima Qian into over 100,000 words. Thus, the 'Records of the Grand Historian' has been edited and is not the original text. However, the current 'Records of the Grand Historian' is also not the original by Xiaoshan. Liu Zhijun wrote the 'Book of Han' in one hundred volumes, which was passed to Liu Xin. Liu Xin was in the process of writing the 'Book of Han' when he died, and Ban Gu used Liu's work entirely, so the current 'Book of Han' is not merely a copy of Sima's either.
In my hometown, Chen Zhongyu, the respected scholar of Xiangxiang, had most of his collection of books transferred to Ma Ercha, the scholar of Ying. Ma Ercha is my cousin, and I had the opportunity to borrow and read them. His "Catalog of the Fragrance of Poetry Hall" contained many rare books unseen in generations, including Song-era copies of the "Book of Han" and the "Book of Jin," hence he named his study 'Han and Jin Hall.' The "Book of Jin" was originally from Tianlai Pavilion and contained handwritten supplements by Wang Bianzhou, truly a treasure of the book world. I once borrowed the "Annotations on Liuzi" in ten volumes, with postscripts recording its rarity: "Chao's 'Records of Reading' states: 'Liu Zhu and Kong Zhao of the Qi Dynasty wrote this, with annotations by Yuan Xiaozheng of the Tang Dynasty. There are fifty-five chapters, discussing the ways of cultivating the mind and body, but the language is somewhat vulgar. Some believe it was written by Liu Xie or Liu Xiaozhi, but it is uncertain which is correct.' On the 29th day of the ninth month of the Gengwu year, Ye Ziyin read and noted this."
"This book was obtained from Meihuayuan in the winter of the Dingchou year, and the next day it was taken away. In the autumn of the Gengchen year, I saw it again at Nanlou and felt as if meeting an old friend, so I quickly took it home. The handwritten copies contain many errors, which have been corrected in red. Regarding the surname of Liuzi, the Southern Yang Scholar mentioned it but never provided conclusive evidence, and it should be left for those who know. This is a Ming-era handwritten copy, with a postscript: 'According to Wu Zeng's 'Miscellaneous Records,' the meaning of 'Nuogao' is clarified, but 'Zhinuogao' is unclear. There are also entries for 'Zhidong' and 'Zhizhi.' I realized that 'zhi' refers to the 'Gan-Zhi' system. The 'Miscellaneous Records' goes beyond Nuogao and adds this section, similar to how modern encyclopedias assign categories like Jia, Yi, Zi, Chou, etc. Here, 'zhi' from Gan-Zhi is used to distinguish it from the previous Nuogao. 'Zhidong' and 'Zhizhi' refer to the four volumes of 'Broadly on Plants and Animals' in the first collection. Extending this analogy, the meaning of 'Nuogao' becomes clearer. On the 17th day of the seventh month of the Wanshi year, the scholar Shengzhou Jushi Sun Yunjia recognized this.'"
"The standard edition of Wang's 'Discussions' is the one published by Tongjin Cottage, which is superior to the Cheng Rong edition. The only exception is the chapter 'Accumulated Harm,' where four hundred characters are missing under the phrase 'Dirt becomes rivers,' as noted by Zhang's 'Catalog of Books,' but the missing text cannot be traced, which is a pity. I once purchased a Yuan-era fifteen-volume edition from Xijiang Book Boat and found it, so I quickly recorded it to share with readers of this book, not wanting it to remain a secret in the shadows."
"If this is the case, then the errors of 'buying a tiger' and the mistakes of 'throwing the loom' are nothing to marvel at, and the transformation of jade into stone or pearls into gravel is nothing to deceive. Why? It is because the ignorant and dark knowledge leads to such outcomes. King Wen was considered filth, while Elai was deemed gold and jade, not because Zhou was hateful of the sage and fond of evil, but because his heart was confused and blinded. If he could not discern clearly, then the suffering of Wei Zixing's ten departures and Bi Gan's five were not enough to cause grief. Thus, the three supervisors slandered the sages, and the Duke of Zhou fled to Chu; the stepmother ruined the filial son, and Boqi was exiled. In those times, who in the Zhou Dynasty was not confused? Later, the poem 'The Crow and the Raven' led to the rise of 'The Barley Leaves,' and those who recited it were filled with sorrow, so without thunder and wind, the faults of the Duke of Zhou were not erased; when the Xia Dynasty did not fall with frost, the crimes of Zou Yan were not absolved. Virtue could not move heaven, and sincerity could not bring change. How could a gentleman, who firmly believed and examined himself, prevent harm to others? The sages did not seek fame, yet harm could not be avoided. Their forms were short, their ink was brief, their concealment was long, and they did not right their wrongs or silence rumors. They accepted disgrace and ruin, not seeking purity or completeness. Thus, evil was seen, but good was not revealed; their actions were lacking, but their traces were not apparent. The wicked and deceitful treated themselves with cunning to conform to the crowd, and they maintained their deceit to fit in. Like the artisans who worked on lacquered bowls and plates, they were unseen through walls; like the acrobats who juggled pills and swords, their fingers were unknown. The world did not see their faults, so they were collectively praised; they did not hear of their evils, so they were prominently used. If this is the case, then the so-called virtuous and pure in the world may not be evil, and the so-called wicked and defiled may not be good.
Some say: words invite trouble, and actions invite shame, and these are often caused by petty people. Petty people are born with worry and shame, living with deceit and wandering in falsehood. Bathed in accumulated harm, how could they invite it? Thus, fire born of fire does not harm moisture, and water dwelling in water does not cause drowning. Fire does not suffer heat, and water does not feel cold—this is their natural nature. If called upon by a gentleman, they suffer harm from loyal words and shame from noble actions, and this is true in every age! However, the faults of Mount Tai are not named by the, and the crimes of Mao”