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Chapter 10 of 25
皇极经世
In ancient times, Confucius commented on Yao and Shun, saying: "With folded hands and hanging sleeves, the world was perfectly governed." 🌱
Commenting on Tang of Shang and King Wu of Zhou, he said: "They obeyed Heaven's mandate and answered the people's hearts." These two phrases suffice to encapsulate the fundamental principle by which ancient and modern emperors received the Mandate of Heaven.
Yao ceded the throne to Shun through virtue, and Shun ceded to Yu through achievement. Through virtue one may become an emperor, and through achievement one may also become an emperor—yet when virtue descends one degree, it falls into the category of achievement.
Tang of Shang deposed Jie through banishment, and King Wu of Zhou executed Zhou through slaughter. Through banishment one may become a king, and through slaughter one may also become a king—yet when banishment descends one degree, it falls into the category of slaughter.
From this we can see: circumstances have their diminishments and growths, and affairs have their inheritances and revolutions. Do not the sages of former ages and the sages of later ages walk different paths? ⛰️
**Heaven and humanity mirror each other. Heaven holds the two vital energies of yin and yang, while humanity has the two paths of righteousness and depravity. The root of righteousness and depravity lies in the preferences of those above:
When those in high positions esteem virtue, the people move toward righteousness; when those in high positions favor flattery, the people move toward depravity. The origins of righteousness and depravity have their sources indeed.
Even under a sage-king on the throne, villains cannot be entirely absent—yet at such times it is difficult to be a villain. Even under a mediocre ruler on the throne, gentlemen cannot be entirely absent—yet at such times it is difficult to be a gentleman.
Since ancient times, no sage-king's reign has flourished more than that of Tang Yao's era. How numerous were the gentlemen then?
It was not that villains were absent at that time, but that villains found it difficult to unleash their wickedness—hence the abundance of gentlemen. Therefore, even the Four Evils (Gonggong, Huandou, Gun, and Sanmiao) could not give free rein to their malevolent deeds.
Since ancient times, no mediocre ruler's reign has been more extreme than that of King Zhou of Shang. How numerous were the villains then?
It was not that gentlemen were absent at that time, but that gentlemen found it difficult to accomplish their goodness—hence the abundance of villains. Therefore, even the Three Benevolent Ones (Weizi, Jizi, and Bigan) could not realize their virtuous deeds.
From this we know: the ruler choosing ministers, and ministers choosing the ruler—these are matters of human agency.
The ruler obtaining ministers, and ministers obtaining the ruler—these are not merely matters of human agency, but matters of Heaven. 🌬
Wisdom and foolishness are inherent in human nature; benefit and harm are the constant dispositions of the people. Yu Shun crafted pottery by the riverbank, and Fu Yue built walls beneath the cliffs. All under Heaven knew their worthiness, yet the multitude of officials did not recommend them—because considerations of benefit and harm caused this.
Alas! When benefit and harm entangle the inner heart, and spears and shields bristle on the outside, how could one know of Yu Shun's sageliness and Fu Yue's worthiness?
The riverbank was no place for ceding the throne, nor was beneath the cliffs any place for seeking a prime minister. Formerly they stood beneath millions of people, and today they stand above millions of people—how vast is the distance between! Yet the reason this can be spoken of is the preciousness of proper station (mingfen).
The Book of Changes says: "The Kan hexagram: possessed of sincerity, the heart is thoroughly realized, action is greatly rewarded, proceeding with centrality. Though in peril, going forward brings attainment—no fault." 🔥
This is because one can be self-assured, and Yi Yin acted precisely in this manner. From this we know that in ancient times, many were those who worried that their reputation might exceed their actual substance, and among them there were fortunate and unfortunate ones. Even sages have places where their strength does not reach.
Yi Yin served as prime minister (zhongzai), occupying a position of guardianship and responsibility. Supposing he had avoided the ill repute of deposing the sovereign, could he be said to be disloyal?
Then the affairs of all under Heaven would have been finished! How could he have corrected the young ruler and accomplished the great loyalty of maintaining his commitment from beginning to end?
Alas! If the heavy trust had been placed on an unsuitable person, what would have become of the young ruler during those three years?
Then the affairs of all under Heaven would also have been finished! How could there have been an Yi Yin?
"Kan, possessed of sincerity, the heart is thoroughly realized"—is this not close to such a case? 🌊
The Book of Changes says: "From thus having harmony comes great attainment. Do not doubt—friends gather like hairpins, strong and guiding."
The Yu hexagram initiates movement with responsive accord, and all doubts naturally vanish—this is because one can strengthen oneself, and the Duke of Zhou acted precisely in this manner.
From this we know that sages cannot cause others not to slander them, but they can remain serene in the face of slander.
The Duke of Zhou occupied the position of overall command, bearing heavy responsibility. Supposing he had avoided the ill repute of executing his own brothers, could he be said to be unfilial?
Then the affairs of all under Heaven would have been finished! How could he have protected the young ruler and accomplished the great filial piety of maintaining his commitment from beginning to end?
Alas! If the heavy trust had been placed on an unsuitable person, what would have become of the young ruler during those seven years?
Then the affairs of all under Heaven would also have been finished! How could there have been the Duke of Zhou?
"From thus having harmony comes great attainment. Do not doubt—friends gather like hairpins" —is this not close to such a case?
When all under Heaven is about to be well-governed, people inevitably exalt action; when all under Heaven is about to fall into chaos, people inevitably exalt speech.
When action is exalted, the style of sincerity prevails; when speech is exalted, the style of cunning prevails.
When all under Heaven is about to be well-governed, people inevitably exalt righteousness; when all under Heaven is about to fall into chaos, people inevitably exalt benefit.
When righteousness is exalted, the style of humility prevails; when benefit is exalted, the style of usurpation prevails.
The Three Kings (Yu of Xia, Tang of Shang, Wen and Wu of Zhou) were those who exalted action; the Five Hegemons (of the Spring and Autumn period) were those who exalted speech. Those who exalt action must return to righteousness; those who exalt speech must return to benefit. How vast is the distance between righteousness and benefit! 🌊
Since this is so, we may know: what is voiced by the mouth is not as good as what is enacted by the body; what is enacted by the body is not as good as what is exhausted by the mind.
What is voiced by the mouth, others may hear; what is enacted by the body, others may see; what is exhausted by the mind, only spiritual intelligence can know.
The cleverness of humans cannot be deceived, much less the intelligence of the spiritual?
From this we know: to have no fault before the mouth is not as good as having no fault before the body; to have no fault before the body is not as good as having no fault before the mind.
Avoiding errors of speech is easy; avoiding errors of the body is difficult. Avoiding errors of the body is easy; avoiding errors of the mind is difficult. When the mind already has no fault, what remains difficult?
Alas! How can one find a person without fault of mind, to discuss the nature of mind with them?
From this we know that the reason sages can stand in the realm of faultlessness is that they excel in cultivating the mind. 🔥
The central thought of this chapter can be summarized in three levels:
First: The dialectical relationship between Heaven's mandate and human affairs. Shao Yong holds that there is no single model by which emperors receive the Mandate of Heaven—Yao and Shun did so through abdication, while Tang and Wu did so through conquest, and both accomplished kingly achievement. The essential lies in the interplay of "circumstances" (shi) and "affairs" (shi) through their diminishment and growth, inheritance and revolution. Heaven and humanity mirror each other—the righteousness and depravity of the people depend on the preferences of those above, yet those preferences are in turn constrained by the conditions of their era.
Second: The relationship between reputation and reality, and the responsibility of sages. Through the historical cases of Yi Yin deposing Tai Jia and the Duke of Zhou executing Guan and Cai, Shao Yong clarifies: true loyalty and filial piety do not lie in avoiding a bad reputation, but in completing the great righteousness of the world. Citing the Kan hexagram ("possessed of sincerity, the heart is thoroughly realized") and the Yu hexagram ("from harmony comes great attainment"), he shows that self-confidence and self-strengthening are the inner foundations upon which sages accomplish great deeds amid adversity.
Third: Speech and action, righteousness and benefit, and the cultivation of the mind. An age of good governance exalts action and righteousness; an age of chaos exalts speech and benefit. Shao Yong further advances the three-tier progression of mouth, body, and mind: errors of the mouth are easily avoided, errors of the body are difficult to eliminate, and errors of the mind are the most difficult of all. "The reason sages can stand in the realm of no-fault is that they excel in cultivating the mind" is the ultimate destination of this chapter.
On leadership ecology from "when those above esteem virtue, the people become upright." Shao Yong points out that the root of societal ethos lies in the value orientation of those in high positions. In modern organizational management, the leader's values propagate downward through institutional design, incentive mechanisms, and daily behavior, forming the "magnetic field" of organizational culture. An organization that rewards practical effort and advocates integrity naturally makes it difficult for opportunists to gain a foothold; conversely, an organization that prizes superficial paperwork and rewards mere rhetoric will inevitably marginalize doers. This is highly consistent with the "top-down demonstration effect" identified in contemporary organizational behavior studies.
From "the ruler chooses ministers, and ministers choose the ruler" to the modern employment market's two-way selection. Shao Yong distinguishes between "choosing" (a matter of human will) and "obtaining" (a matter of heavenly accord). In the modern workplace, the matching of talent and organization likewise involves both "human effort" and "timing and fortune." The cases of Yu Shun and Fu Yue carry a profound contemporary lesson: the worthy may not be promptly identified, because "benefit and harm tangle within the heart" causes recommenders to be cautious about their own interests. Withholding recommendation despite recognition is a universal human predicament.
From "exalting action versus exalting speech" to the expressive dilemma of the information age. Shao Yong's judgment that "when speech is exalted, the style of cunning prevails" sounds a warning bell for our contemporary era. In the age of the internet, the cost of expression is extremely low, and the supply of discourse is overabundant while verifiable action is scarce. Shao Yong's perspective reminds us: the flourishing of speech does not equal the flourishing of practice—on the contrary, it may mask a poverty of action.
Decision-making framework: self-examination using the "mind—body—mouth" three-tier standard. Modern people can adopt Shao Yong's progressive logic when making decisions:
| Level | Examination Standard | Modern Application |
|---|---|---|
| Mouth | Is the speech appropriate? | Confirm capacity boundaries before making commitments |
| Body | Is behavior consistent? | Alignment of words and deeds is the foundation of trust |
| Mind | Is the motive pure? | Maintain internal consistency even when no one else is watching |
A guide to facing praise and criticism. Through the case of the Duke of Zhou, Shao Yong clarifies: what matters is not avoiding a bad name, but persisting in what is right despite the bad name. Modern managers inevitably encounter criticism when pushing through reforms. The crucial point is: if one pursues long-term public interest, the short-term cost of reputational damage is a bearable price.
The awareness of "benefit filtering" in identifying talent. The case of Yu Shun and Fu Yue reveals that talent identification mechanisms are easily distorted by relationships of interest. Modern organizations should establish interest-free evaluation mechanisms, avoiding the phenomenon where recommenders bury talent due to their own perceived advantages or disadvantages.
The deep structure of "Heaven and humanity mirror each other." Shao Yong sees the waxing and waning of yin and yang in the Heavenly Way and the transformation of righteousness and depravity in the Human Way as the two faces of a single structure. This is not simple "celestial-mysticism," but rather a structural correspondence: macro order (Heaven) and micro order (humanity) follow isomorphic laws. This mode of thinking bears striking resemblance to the concept of "fractal" in contemporary systems theory—parts and whole follow similar structural patterns.
"The difficulty of being a villain" and the constraint of institutional environments. Shao Yong's insight is that he does not claim the age of sage-kings contained no villains—rather, the environment made it difficult for villains to do evil. This approaches the central claim of modern institutionalism—good institutions make people "unable to do wrong," rather than relying solely on people "being unwilling to do wrong." Likewise, the age of mediocrity does not lack gentlemen; rather, gentlemen are prevented from exercising their abilities by institutional obstacles. This perspective partially translates moral issues into structural issues, reflecting a depth of thought that transcends its era.
"Fault of mind" and the ultimate face of intrinsic ethics. Shao Yong places "having no fault before the mind" above "having no fault before the mouth" and "having no fault before the body," and identifies the mind as the realm "perceivable only by spiritual intelligence." The profundity of this discourse lies in its establishment of an invisible dimension of moral self-discipline—in the domains without social supervision, a person's true moral character most completely reveals itself. This finds an interesting interlocutor in Kant's ethics of the "good will" and autonomy.
The Four Evils: Referring to Gonggong, Huandou, Gun, and Sanmiao (also known as Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie) during the era of Yao and Shun—a legendary group of evil figures. Shao Yong uses them to illustrate that even in the age of a sage-king, villains exist but are constrained by circumstances.
The Three Benevolent Ones: Weizi, Jizi, and Bigan living during the reign of King Zhou of Shang. The Analects, Weizi chapter states: "Weizi abandoned him, Jizi was made a slave, Bigan died from remonstrating. Confucius said: 'The Yin dynasty had three benevolent men.'" All three possessed virtue yet could not save the Yin dynasty from perishing.
Yi Yin deposing Tai Jia: After initial difficulties in the reign of Tai Jia, the founding minister of Shang exiled him to the Tong Palace for three years until he truly reformed and was restored. Shao Yong cites this as demonstrating confidence embodied in "possessed of sincerity, the heart is thoroughly realized."
The Duke of Zhou executing Guan and Cai: After King Wu of Zhou died, the Duke of Zhou (Dan) supported the youthful King Cheng. His brothers Guanshu Xian and Caishu Du conspired with Wu Geng in rebellion. The Duke of Zhou led the eastern expedition to put down the uprising, executing Guan Shu and exiling Cai Shu. Shao Yong cites this to illustrate that when familial affection conflicts with the great righteousness of all under Heaven, the sage chooses to bear the burden.
Kan hexagram "possessed of sincerity, the heart is thoroughly realized": From the Book of Changes, Kan hexagram judgment. Kan symbolizes danger and peril, but inner sincerity brings realization of heart, and coordinated purpose enables emerging from peril.
Yu hexagram "From thus having harmony comes great attainment": From the Book of Changes, Yu hexagram, fourth-line commentary. "You Yu" or "being led to harmonious joy" marks the main line of Yu; firm in strength while eight hollow lines all respond, hence "great attainment." Shao Yong compares this to the Duke of Zhou having "all doubts vanish, because of self-strengthening."
Shao Yong's Xiangshu (symbol-numerology) and philosophy of history: Contemporary scholars focus on the intellectual coherence between Shao Yong's theory of cyclical history in the "Yuan–Hui–Yun–Shi" framework and the internal logic of his discussions on the Heavenly and Human Ways. Gao Yicheng has systematically discussed Shao Yong's Yi-ology to establish the paradigmatic connection of the sagely tradition through succession, and although some discourses wait somewhat disconnected without an empirical exemplar explicatively attested (“一以贯之”).
Empirical studies on social atmosphere and top-down influence: Leadership demonstration effect in management science aligns closely with the notion stated by Shao Yong elsewhere referencing "moral environments are lit from above;“ the idea connects contemporary social trends in organizational behavior research. Substantial portions have been developed. Because parts may be fragmentary scholarly notes also citing follow path.
Rethinking righteousness versus benefit: Addressing theoretical congruences between broader tension of value‐determined learning in performing “factoring self-interest all but practice,” relevant precedent remains worth extensionizing into economic consciousness beyond utility considerations and for making instructive and interdisciplinary grounding across principal aspects requiring trans‑tax reading with inspiration from Simmel and Habermasian communicative perspectives.
Cross-cultural perspective on intimate cultivation: Shao Yong’s “speech–embodiment–heart&soul” triple layered concerns appropriately can also perusing traditional Buddhist concept, still with room for thoughtful exploration in comparative practical domains between ethical character described across canonical pillars recognizable against positions stated also or concerning early modern eud emotional-normative structure.