Classics Stop

Author: (Qing) Wu Chucai et al. compiled, Dongli Yimin annotated / Country:
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-02-01
Features: Reply to Ren An's Letter by Sima Qian, Grand Historian Sima Qian, "A Horse's Gait" by Sima Qian, Sima Qian kneels and says, "To Your Excellency, Shaoqing: Previously, you honored me with a letter, instructing me to be cautious in dealing with others and to promote talented scholars. Your sincerity was earnest, as if you expected me not to follow your guidance but to rely on the words of ordinary people. I would never dare to do so! Although I may be mediocre, I have once heard the noble traditions of the elders. But I always thought myself physically crippled and morally corrupt, always criticized for my actions, and that my efforts only brought more harm. Therefore, I have been depressed and had no one to talk to. As the saying goes, 'Who will do it? Who will listen?' When Zhong Ziqi died, Bo Ya never played the lute again in his life. Why? Because scholars serve those who understand them, and women adorn themselves for those who appreciate them. If my physical integrity is already flawed, even if my talent rivals Su and He, and my actions are as upright as Youyi, I cannot bring honor. Instead, I am only laughed at and humiliated. It is appropriate to reply to your letter, but coincidentally, I followed the emperor to the east, and I was also pressed by trivial matters. Our meetings were brief, and I had no time at all to fully express my thoughts. Now, Shaoqing is accused of an unfathomable crime, and it has been more than ten days. As the winter is approaching, I also followed the emperor to Yong, fearing that I might suddenly pass away. Thus, I will never be able to vent my frustrations to you, and the spirits of the departed will bear endless grievances. Allow me to briefly state my unorthodox views. The long delay in my reply is not due to negligence, so please do not hold it against me. I have heard that cultivating oneself is the mark of wisdom; benevolence in giving is the beginning of virtue; fairness in taking and giving is the manifestation of righteousness; shame over disgrace is the decisiveness of courage; and establishing a reputation is the ultimate goal of action. A scholar with these five qualities can then be trusted by the world and ranked among the noble. Therefore, no calamity is greater than the desire for profit, no sorrow deeper than the wound to the heart, no disgrace greater than dishonoring one's ancestors, and no humiliation worse than castration. A castrated person is beyond comparison, not just in one generation, but their plight has been long-standing. In the past, King Ling of Wei rode with Yongju, and Confucius went to Chen; Shang Yang met with Jing Jian through Shang Liang, who was deeply moved; when Zongzi rode with the prince, Yuan Si changed color; these have been sources of shame throughout history. Ordinary people, when dealing with eunuchs, are always disheartened, let alone the heroic and righteous. Now, although the court is lacking in people, how can it recommend the finest talents of the world from among those who have been castrated? I have relied on the legacy of my ancestors to serve in the capital for over twenty years. Reflecting on myself, I have failed to offer loyalty and trust, nor have I gained fame for my extraordinary strategies and abilities to connect with the; secondly, I have failed to fill the gaps, attract talents, and highlight the scholars from remote places; externally, I have failed to serve in the army, fight in battles, or achieve the glory of capturing generals and flags; and at the lowest level, I have failed to accumulate merits to earn high positions and wealth for my family and friends. In none of these have I succeeded. Merely conforming to expectations and gaining acceptance has shown no outstanding achievements, as is evident here. Previously, I also served among the lower officials, accompanying the discussions in the outer court. I did not take this opportunity to uphold principles or exert my thoughts. Now, I have compromised my dignity to be a lowly cleaner in the dungeon, among the petty and base. Yet I dare to raise my head and argue for right and wrong, would this not be trivializing the court and humiliating the scholars of the time? Alas! Alas! What more can I say? What more can I say? Moreover, the truth of the matter is not easily made clear. From my youth, I possessed an unbound talent, but in adulthood, I had no reputation in my hometown. Fortunately, the emperor, out of respect for my ancestors, allowed me to present my modest skills and serve in the imperial court. I thought that wearing a pot on my head would prevent me from looking at the sky, so I cut off connections with friends and abandoned my family's business, devoting myself day and night to my unworthy abilities, striving to serve the emperor with one heart. Yet, things turned out to be completely contrary to my expectations! Sima Qian and Li Ling were both court officials, but we were never close. Our paths diverged, and we never shared a drink or exchanged warm greetings. However, I observed Li Ling's character: a man of extraordinary integrity, filial to his parents, trustworthy with his friends, frugal in wealth, just in his dealings, and always willing to yield. He was humble and respectful to others, often thinking of sacrificing himself for the urgent needs of the state. The virtues he had accumulated made me believe he was a true statesman. When a loyal minister risks his life for the sake of the state, that is already extraordinary. Now, if one fails in his mission, the spineless officials who protect their families follow suit, criticizing his faults. I truly pity Li Ling. Moreover, Li Ling led no more than five thousand soldiers into the depths of the enemy's territory, traversed the battlefield, and ventured into the enemy's capital, dangling like prey before a tiger's mouth, fighting against the powerful Xiongnu with an army of millions for more than ten days. The number of enemies he killed far exceeded the number of his own casualties, leaving the enemy unable to cope with the wounded and the injured. The rulers of the Xiongnu were terrified, and they gathered all their noble kings and allies to attack and encircle him. He fought for a thousand miles, exhausted his arrows and ran out of supplies, with no reinforcements arriving. The soldiers died in piles. Yet, when Li Ling called for his troops, none refused to rise. He wept openly, spitting blood and drinking tears, changing his armor and rushing forward, fighting to the death against the enemy. Before Li Ling was defeated, messengers came to report, and the emperor could not eat or sit in court. The ministers were worried and knew not what to do. I, despite my low status, saw the emperor's grief and sorrow and sincerely wanted to express my heartfelt feelings. I thought Li Ling had always shared his wealth and food with his soldiers, earning their unwavering loyalty, which even the greatest ancient generals could not match. Even though he was defeated, he still wanted to find a way to repay the Han dynasty. Now that the situation is beyond hope, his achievements are enough to be celebrated throughout the world. I wanted to present this to the emperor, but I had no means to do so. Just then, I was summoned for an inquiry, and I used this opportunity to speak in favor of Li Ling's merits, hoping to appease the emperor's anger and silence the petty critics. However, the emperor did not understand and thought I was undermining the general and defending Li Ling. Thus, I was imprisoned and judged. My sincere loyalty could not be expressed, and I was falsely accused and condemned by the officials. My family is poor, and I have no means to bribe my way out. My friends and associates could not or would not help me, and even those close to me did not speak a word in my defense. I am not a wooden or stone, yet I am forced to associate with the law enforcers in the depths of the dungeon. Who can I turn to? This is something you, Shaoqing, have witnessed with your own eyes. Have I acted any differently? After Li Ling surrendered, he ruined his family's reputation, and I, in turn, was castrated and laughed at by the world. Alas! Alas! This truth is difficult to explain to ordinary people. My ancestors did not have the merit of a, and my knowledge of literature, astronomy, and divination was considered as low as that of fortune-tellers and soothsayers, trivialized by the emperor, treated as a clown by the entertainers, and despised by the common people. If I were to be executed, it would be like losing a single hair from an ox, no different from an ant. Yet the common people cannot compare me to those who die for their principles. They simply think I am exhausted and cannot escape death. Why? It is because of the way I have always lived. People must die, but some die with honor greater than Mount Tai, while others die as insignificant as a feather. It depends on their aspirations. The highest is not to shame one's ancestors, the next is not to shame oneself, the next is not to shame one's dignity, the next is not to shame one's words, the next is to be humiliated by bending one's body, the next is to be humiliated by changing one's clothes, the next is to be humiliated by being bound and whipped, the next is to be humiliated by having one's hair and nails plucked, the next is to be humiliated by being branded with metal, and the last is to be humiliated by having one's flesh and limbs mutilated. The most extreme is castration. The saying goes, "Castration should not be inflicted on scholars." This is to say that these seven stages of humiliation must be earnestly avoided. A fierce tiger in the mountains makes all the beasts tremble, but when trapped in a cage, it wagges its tail to beg for food, gradually weakened by the chains. Therefore, a scholar may draw a line and say, "This is my prison, and I will not enter," or carve a wooden official and say, "I will not answer this," and make a firm decision. Now, my hands and feet are bound, I am whipped, my body exposed to the cold, and I am imprisoned in a dungeon. At this moment, seeing the prison officers, I would knock my head to the ground; seeing the guards, my heart would stop. Why? Because of the oppressive power of the chains. When it comes to this, those who say they are not humiliated are merely putting on a brave face. How can that be valued? Moreover, the Western King, a noble, was imprisoned in Yanli; Shang Yang, a prime minister, was subjected to five kinds of punishment; King Huaiyin of Chu was imprisoned and humiliated in Chen; King Peng Yue and King Zhang Ao, who ruled as kings, were imprisoned and punished; General Jing He, who overthrew the powerful, was imprisoned in a private residence despite his immense power; General Wei Ji, a great general, wore a red robe and was bound with three wooden blocks; Ji Bu was enslaved by Zhu Jia; and Guan Fu was humiliated in the. All these men had reached the ranks of kings, ministers, and generals, their fame known to neighboring states, yet when they were punished, they could not end their lives with dignity, remaining in the dust. This has been the case throughout history. How could they not be humiliated? From this perspective, courage and cowardice depend on circumstances; strength and weakness depend on form. This is clear. How can it be surprising? If a person does not end his life early outside the law, gradually declining, and only wishes to preserve himself when facing whips and scorns, is that not far off? The ancients placed great importance on not punishing scholars, perhaps for this reason. No one is naturally afraid of death and desires life. We think of our parents and worry about our families. However, those who are moved by righteousness and justice are different, for they have no choice. Now, I am unfortunate to have lost my parents early and have no brothers or sisters. I am alone and isolated. How do you, Shaoqing, view me in relation to my family and friends? Moreover, the brave do not necessarily die for their principles, and the timid can admire righteousness and strive in any way. Although I am weak and wish to live on, I have some understanding of right and wrong. How could I sink into the humiliation of imprisonment? Even the lowly slaves and maids can still end their lives, let alone I, who have no choice? Therefore, I endure and live, imprisoned in filth and refuse without complaint, because I regret that my private thoughts are not fully expressed, that my humble life will be forgotten, and that my literary achievements will not be remembered by future generations. In the past, the rich and famous were forgotten, countless cases could not be counted. Only the extraordinary and outstanding were remembered. The Western King was imprisoned and wrote the "Book of Changes"; Confucius was in exile and wrote the "Spring and Autumn Annals"; Qu Yuan was exiled and wrote the "Li Sao"; Zuo Qiu was blind and wrote the "Records of the States"; Sun Tzu lost his legs and compiled the "Art of War"; Li Si was exiled to Shu and the "Lü Shu" was passed down; Han Fei was imprisoned in Qin and wrote the "" and ""; and the "Book of Songs" of three hundred chapters was largely composed by the sages and scholars in their moments of frustration. All these men had grievances that could not be expressed, so they wrote about the past and reflected on the future. As for Zuo Qiu, who was blind, and Sun Tzu, who lost his legs, they were no longer useful, so they retired to write books and vent their frustrations, leaving behind literary works to reveal themselves. I, despite my arrogance, have recently written in my own clumsy words, collecting scattered historical records from all over the world, briefly examining the facts, summarizing the beginning and end, and recording the successes and failures, from the Yellow Emperor to the present day, into ten tables, twelve basic chronicles, eight books, thirty family histories, and seventy biographies, totaling one hundred and thirty chapters. I also wanted to explore the connection between heaven and earth, understand the changes of ancient and modern times, and create a unified theory. However, the project was not yet complete when I encountered this calamity. I regret that it was not finished. Therefore, I accepted the extreme punishment without showing resentment. I truly believe that if this book is written, hidden in a famous mountain, passed down to the right people, and published in major cities, it will compensate for the humiliation I have suffered. Even if I were executed a thousand times, I would have no regrets!