Wang ch‘ung lun-hêng philosophical essays Traduits et annotés par Alfred forke
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If we draw a general principle from this, we find that members of the same family all show their nobility in their appearance. Belonging to the same caste and animated by a similar spirit, they must necessarily have some kindred traits in their mental and physical qualities. It however happens that two persons of different classes and incongruous minds meet together. A grandee, when marrying, gets a great lady for his wife, and a gentlewoman also finds a noble lord. If two individuals meet despite discrepancies of appearance, a sudden death ensues. In case they have not yet come into contact, one party is overtaken by death previously. Wang Mang’s aunt Lady Chêng was bespoken in marriage. When the moment came for her to go, the bridegroom suddenly died. The same thing happened a second time. Then she was given away to the Prince of Chao, but the Prince had not yet taken her, when he breathed his last. Nan Kung Ta Yu of Ch‘ing-ho 1 met with Lady Chêng’s father, the Honourable Chih, with whom he was acquainted, and prognosticated her fate saying : — She is so exalted, that she will become the mother of the empire. At that time Hsüan Ti 2 was emperor and Yuan Ti heir-apparent. Through the governor of the principality of Wei, Chih then gave her in marriage to the heir-apparent, who was very pleased with her, and became father to a son of the name of Chün Shang. At the death of Hsüan Ti the heir-apparent ascended the throne, Lady Chêng was made empress, and Chün Shang heir-apparent. When Yuan Ti 3 died, the heir-apparent assumed the reins of government and became the emperor Ch‘êng Ti 4, and Lady Chêng became empress-dowager and thus mother of the empire. Lady Chêng had something in her features indicative of her future imperial motherhood. The two men to whom she was betrothed first, and the Prince of Chao had no marks showing that they would be fathers of the empire, therefore the two died, before the marriage could take place, and the prince expired. The two fiancés and the Prince of Chao were not predestinated for imperial sway, and Lady Chêng was apparently no match for them.
— This woman will be raised to high honours, and become consort to a marquis. Huang T‘se Kung stopped the carriage, and looked at her carefully. The fortune-teller said : — If this woman will not become noble, my divination books are of no use. Huang T‘se Kung inquired about her, and learned that she was from the next village, a female belonging to the Wu family. Thereupon he married her, and afterwards really gained high honours, was given the post of a prime minister, and created a marquis 1. Since Huang T‘se Kung won wealth and honour, his wife had to be on a par with him. Consequently, when they were brought together, they both became illustrious. Had Huang T‘se Kung’s fate been mean, he would not have got that woman as a consort, and had they not tallied together as man and wife, they would have had the same misfortune as the two persons above mentioned and the Prince of Chao. If an entire family has a glorious destiny, then later on every thing turns to their honour and advantage, whereas in case of incongruity of osseous structure and physical shape they will be separated and die, and cannot enjoy great happiness long. In noble families even servants and slaves as well as cattle and horses which they rear are not like the common ones. From the looks of the slaves one sees that they do not easily die. The cattle and horses often produce young. The seeds in the fields grow up luxuriantly, and quickly put forth ripe grains. In commerce those sort of people manage to get excellent merchandise, which sells without delay. Those who know fate, find out the great folks amidst low people, and discern the miserable among the magnates. Judging from the osseous structure and distinguishing the lines on the skin, they discover man’s fate, which always confirms their predictions. Viscount Chien of Chao 2 bade Ku Pu Tse Ch‘ing tell the fortunes of his sons. He found none of them lucky, until he came to the son of the slave-girl Chai, Wu Hsü, whom he declared to be a peer. Wu Hsü had an excellent character, and was stamped a p1.308 nobleman to boot. Later on Viscount Chien put the heir-apparent aside, and raised Wu Hsü, who afterwards became Viscount Hsiang 3. A soothsayer said of Ch‘ing Pu 4 that he would be tortured, but then become prince, and he really was made a prince after having suffered punishment 5. The father of Wei Ch‘ing 6, Chêng Chi had illicit intercourse with a maid of the princess Yang Hsin, Wei. Wei Ch‘ing was born in the Chien-chang Palace. A convict read his destiny in his features and said — He is noble, and will be invested with the rank of a marquis. Wei Ch‘ing replied : — For a slave it is quite enough not to be whipped or reviled. How could he dream of a marquisate ? 1 Afterwards Wei Ch‘ing entered the army as an officer. Having distinguished himself in several battles, he rose in rank, and was promoted, till he was made generalissimo with the title of marquis of ten thousand families. Before Chou Ya Fu 2 became a marquis, Hsü Fu predicted his fortune saying : — Within three years hence Your Honour will be a general and minister, and have the control of the empire. You will rank so high, that among your fellow officials there will not be your equal. But nine years later, you will die of starvation.
— My elder brother already inherits the title of marquis. When the father dies, the son succeeds to his title. Why do you hint at my becoming marquis ? But should I really attain to this dignity, as you say, how can you pretend that I shall die of starvation ? Explain this to me. Hsü Fu pointed to the perpendicular lines converging at the corner of his mouth, and said, — This means death by starvation. Three years passed. His brother, marquis Shêng of Chiang 3 was punished for an offence. Wên Ti 4 was in favour of the marquis of Chiang’s son. The wise councillors proposed Chou Ya Fu, who thereupon was created marquis of p1.309 T‘iao 5 and succeeded the marquis of Chiang. During the six later years of Wên Ti’s reign the Hsiung-nu invaded the Chinese territory, and Chou Ya Fu became general. When Ching Ti 6 assumed the government, Chou Ya Fu was appointed prime minister. Later on he retired on account of sickness. His son bought from the imperial arsenal five hundred mail-coats, which he wanted for his father’s funeral. The coolies employed at the job were irritated against him for not having received their money. Knowing that fiscal property had been clandestinely purchased, out of spite they denounced Chou Ya Fu’s son to the throne. Ching Ti gave orders for trying and torturing Chou Ya Fu, who did not eat for five days, spat blood, and died 1.
The prime minister Han 4 when a youngster borrowed 50 cash from a fortune-teller, and together with him entered the Imperial Academy. The fortune-teller divined the successes of the scholars in the academy. Pointing at I Ku‘an 5 he intimated that this youth would rise so high as to become a chief minister of state. Han sent the fortune-teller with his card to I Ku‘an, with whom he contracted the most intimate friendship. He exerted himself to the utmost in order to show his reverence. For the purpose of living together with I Ku‘an he moved his residence, and drew as near as possible. I Ku‘an was sick, Han nursed him like a servant. His kindness towards I Ku‘an was greater than towards those of his own blood. Later on his name became famous all over the world. I Ku‘an obtained the post of a secretary of state. The local officials had to obey his orders. He recommended his friend to the throne for an p1.310 appointment at the court. Han subsequently was promoted to the post of a prime minister. The convict, Hsü Fu and the men who told the fortunes of Têng T‘ung and I Ku‘an can be considered as soothsayers who knew fate. These sort of people examine the symptoms of the physical frame, and perceive wealth and honour, poverty and disgrace, just as we on seeing plates, know the use thereof. Fine vessels are used by the higher classes, coarse ones with the same certainty find their way to the poor. Sacrificial vases and tripods are not put up in outer buildings, and gourds are not to be found in the principal hall. That is a matter of course. That noble bones do not meet with the hardships of the poor, and that wretched features never share the joys of the grand, is on the same principle. Vessels used as measures may contain a peck or a picul. Thus between the human ranks there is a difference of high and low. If vessels are filled over their size, their contents runs out, and is lost. If the limit of a rank is surpassed, the holder perishes. By making in our discussion of fate this comparison with a vessel, in order to ascertain the nature of anthroposcopy, we arrive at the conclusion that fate is lodged in the corporeal form. But not only are wealth and honour, poverty and wretchedness visible in the body, pure and base conduct have also their phenomena. Pre-eminence and misery are the results of fate, pure and base conduct depend on character. As there is a method determining fate by the bones, there is also such a science doing the same for the character. But, whereas there are famous soothsayers, it is not known that a science determining the character by the features exists.
« When the flying birds are all exterminated, the good bow is put away. When the cunning hare is dead, one cooks the greyhound. The king of Yüeh has a long neck and a mouth like a beak. One may share hardships, but not enjoy happiness with him. Why do you not leave him ? The officer Chang could not leave, but he pretended sickness, and did not go to court, whereupon the king sent him a sword, by which he died 3.
— The king of Ch‘in 7 has a high nose, long eyes, the chest of a vulture, the voice of a jackal, the look of a tiger, and the heart of a wolf. He knows no kindness. As long as he is hard up, he is condescending, but, when he has got what he wanted, he despises men. I am a simple citizen, yet he always treats me with great condescension. Should I really serve the king of Ch‘in, he would gain his ends, and the whole world would be robbed. I can have no dealings with him. Thus he went away 8.
The instances quoted in the popular literature are universally regarded as true. Besides there are a great many cases in olden and modern times not much heard of, which are all well founded. The spirit comes from heaven, the body grows on earth. By studying the body on earth one becomes cognizant of the fate in heaven, and gets the real truth. Confucius is reported to have examined T‘an T‘ai Tse Yü 1, and T‘ang Chü 2 to have divined for T‘sai Tsê 3, and that both of them were mistaken. Where did their error come from ? The signs were hidden and too delicate. The examination may have for its object the interior or the exterior, the body or the voice. Looking at the outside, one perhaps misses the inside, and occupied with the body, one forgets the voice. When Confucius came to Chêng 4, he lost his disciples. He stood by himself near the east gate of Chêng. Some man of Chêng asked Tse Kung 5 saying : — There is a man near the east gate with a p1.312 head like that of Yao, a neck like that of Kao Yao, and shoulders resembling those of Tse Ch‘an 6. But from his waist downward he is by three inches shorter than Yü. He is worn out like a stray dog.
— My appearance, never mind, but like a stray dog ! just so, just so 7. In the matter of Confucius’ appearance the man of Chêng was wrong. He was not clever, and his method was very superficial. Confucius made a mistake with Tse Yü, and T‘ang Chü was in the wrong with T‘sai Tsê, as the man of Chêng in looking at Confucius did not apprehend his real appearance. Judging from his mien Confucius was deceived with Tse Yü, and going by words he was in error in regard of Tsai Yü 8.
CHAPTER XXV Long Life and Vital Fluid 4. I, IV. Ch‘i-shou © — @ p1.313 The fate which every one receives is of two kinds, one determines those events which he must encounter, the other is the fate of strength and weakness, of long or short life. The events to be encountered are war, fire, crushing, and drowning, etc. ; strength and long life, weakness and short life are connected with the copiousness and scarcity of the received fluid. War and fire, crushing and drowning can supervene, therefore there is not necessarily a period of invariable length for what has been received as fate 1. If the limit of strength and long life be a hundred years, then the fluid of those who do not reach a hundred years must be insufficient. When the fluid is copious, the body becomes strong, and the body being strong, life lasts long. On the other hand, when the vital force is scanty, the body is weak, and with a weak body life is short. A short life is accompanied by much sickness. If the span be short, people die soon after they are born, and are annihilated, before they are fully developed. That is because their vital fluid is too little and too weak. Those imbued with a copious and a strong fluid do not all at once end their lives. If people do not meet with any accidents, and, leading a quiet life, become exhausted and worn out, until they die for want of vitality, it is owing to the insufficiency of their vital fluid, which they have completely used up. Their fate is similar to that of those who expire soon after their birth and are cut off, before they have grown up. In all these cases the deficiency of the fluid is the reason, why those persons do not live a hundred years. The fluid which fills men is either full and abundant — then they are strong and vigorous, or scanty and poor — then they are weak and feeble. Imbued with a full quantity, they are strong, p1.314 and live long, filled with a small dose, they are weak, and lose their bodies. When Heaven and Earth produce things, sometimes these things do not grow to their full growth, and when father and mother engender a child, sometimes its full development is checked. It happens that a plant bears a fruit, but that this fruit withers, dies, and drops, and it also happens that people have a son who is killed in his youth. Had this fruit not withered, it would also have completed one year, and had the son not been killed, he would likewise have lived a hundred years. The decay of the fruit and the death of the son are brought about by the weakness of their vital force. Although their forms be complete, their feeble fluid does not suffice to fill them. When the cries of a new-born infant are shrill and piercing, it will live long, when they are whining and pitiful, it will die young. Why ? Because, when the new-borns receive their fate of longevity or short life, the greater or smaller quantity of their fluid forms their nature 1. When a mother nurses her child at longer intervals, it will be fit for life, whereas, when she nourishes it very frequently, it will die. Why ? Because the nursing at intervals shows that the fluid is copious, and the child is strong. The frequent suckling proves the insufficiency of the vital fluid and the weakness of the baby. A fondling is a son anterior to whom another son has already been brought up and died. They say that such a fondling cannot live, and call it a fondling. The idea is that, another son having already died, the mother is too anxious about the new one, and spoils his nature. The former son is dead, and the fondling is doomed, because he is nursed much too often. His fluid being too feeble, he cannot thrive. Though he may grow up, he is too easily affected by external influences. He will always be the first to catch a disease, and his alone will prove incurable. A fate of a hundred years is the proper one. Those who cannot complete a hundred years, though they have no proper fate, still have a fate. In the same manner the proper height of the human body is ten feet 2. Therefore a man is called chang-fu 3, and p1.315 chang-jen is an honorary designation for an old gentleman and an old lady 4. A man not measuring ten feet has not the proper height, but nevertheless he possesses a body. A body cannot be declared to be no body because of its falling short of ten feet. And so fate cannot be said to be no fate on account of its not coming up to a hundred years. Heaven does not distribute long and short fates, of which every one would obtain either. We may say that man receives his fate in his fluid from Heaven, which is the same, whether he finishes it sooner or later. There is a saying to the effect that, if somebody aspires to royalty and does not succeed, this pretender can remain a leading prince. Leading princes are unsuccessful pretenders to royalty. A pretender should rise to royalty, as a long life ought to come up to a hundred years. Unable to become a king, he retires and continues a leading prince, and thus he who cannot attain to a hundred years resigns himself to a premature death. A king and a pretender do the same, but are given different names, the one an honourable, the other a contemptible one. A long and a short life are caused, as it were, by the same fluid, but they are of different duration, either long or short. How do we know that he who does not live a hundred years, and dies an untimely death, possesses a fate of a hundred years all the same ? Because his bodily frame is as big and as tall as that of others. A body that has lived a hundred years does not differ from another of fifty years. The bodies not being different, the vital fluids cannot differ either. Birds and animals have other bodies than man, hence the length of their lives must differ from the human. How can we prove that human life, if it be long, lasts a hundred years ? There are such cases in the world, and the Literati say that during the time of universal peace people used to be very tall, and live about a hundred years, which was the effect of the harmonious fluid. In the Canon of Yao, Yao says, — I have been seventy years on the throne 1. He wished to abdicate, and found Shun. Shun was tried and had occupied the throne thirty years 2, when Yao retired owing to his old age. Eight years afterwards he expired. Ninety-eight years had elapsed until his decease 3. But he p1.316 must already have lived, before he ascended the throne. Counting all these numbers together we arrive at an aggregate sum of over a hundred years. It is further stated that « Shun was thirty years old, that he was tried thirty years, and that he was on the throne fifty years, when he went on high and died 4, which makes just one hundred years 5. Wên Wang said to Wu Wang, — I am a hundred years, and you are ninety. I will give you three years of mine. Wên Wang was ninety-seven years old, when he died, and Wu Wang ninety-three, when he departed 6. The Duke of Chou was a younger brother of Wu Wang. Between brothers there is generally no greater difference than ten years. After the death of Wu Wang, Chou King became regent. Seven years later he returned the government, and retired owing to old age. That would make about a hundred years. The Duke of Shao was an elder brother of the Duke of Chou. At the time of King K‘ang 1 he was still Senior Tutor, which would make more than a hundred years. Sages are endued with the harmonious fluid, therefore the years of their destiny have the proper number. The harmonious fluid is conducive to a tranquil government. Therefore during the age of universal peace the number of tall and long-lived persons was particularly great. One hundred years is the proper number of years of a long human life, as autumn is the proper time for the fate of plants, since plants live until autumn, when they die. |