Shang Dazai saw Confucius and said (1): "Qiu Sage (2)?" Confucius said: "How dare the sage Zeqiu, but then the erudite and knowledgeable people are also." Shang Dazai said: "Three Kings Sage?" Confucius said: "The three kings are good at the wise and brave, and the saint is the Qiu Fuzhi (3)." He said, "The Five Emperors Sage?" Confucius said: "The five emperors are good at benevolence and righteousness, and the saints are knowledgeable." He said, "The Three Emperor Sages?" Confucius said: "The Three Emperors are good at the time (4), and the Holy Zeqiu knows it." Shang Dazai was shocked and said, "Then who is holy?" Confucius was moved for a while, and said: "The people of the West have a sage, who is not chaotic, who is self-confident without speaking, and who is incapable of fame among the people (5). Qiu doubts that it is holy, and Fu Zhi is really holy? Isn't it really holy?" Shang Dazai said (6): "Kong Qiu deceived me!"
exegesis
(1) Shang Dazai - Shang, that is, the Song State of the Zhou Dynasty, after the rebellion of Wu Geng, Zhou Pingding Ding Wu Geng, divided the area around the old capital of Shang to Weizi, and built the capital Shangqiu, which was for the Song State. Because it is a businessman, it is also called a business. It was destroyed by Qi in 286 BC. Dazai, the official name, is in charge of the internal and external affairs of the emperor or princes, or the one who praises the monarch's order on the left and right of the monarch.
(2) 欤 - pronounced yú (於), here expresses the interrogative tone.
(3) Buddha - "'Fu' each book is 'no', now from the "Daozang" white text, Lin Xiyi's book. "
(4) Three Emperors - legendary ancient emperors. There are many theories, "Historical Records - Supplement to the Three Emperors" quoted "Hetu" and "Three Kings Calendar" as the emperor, the emperor of the earth, and the emperor of the people. Ren--Wang Chongmin: "'Good because of the time' is incomprehensible. The word "Ren" is derived from the words "Three Kings are good at Ren Yong" and "Five Emperors are good at Ren and righteousness" above and the words "Ren", Zhiyong and benevolence can be said to be Ren, and there is no need to say anything about the time. "Similar Gathering" 30 and "Yulan" 401 quotations do not have the word "Ren". "
(5) Name - used here as a verb, the meaning of praise.
(6) Hey - the sound mò (ink), the same as "silent".
Translation
Dazai of the Song Kingdom went to see Confucius and asked, "Are you a saint?"
Confucius said: "How dare I be a saint, I am just a man of vast knowledge and rich knowledge."
Song Guo Dazai asked, "Are the three kings saints?" Confucius said: "The three kings are people who are good at using intelligence and courage, whether they are saints or not, then I don't know." He asked again: "Are the Five Emperors saints?" Confucius said: "The Five Emperors were good at promoting benevolence, righteousness and morality, and I don't know if they were saints or not." He asked again: "Are the Three Emperors saints?" Confucius said: "The Three Emperors are people who are good at adapting to the times, whether they are saints or not, then I don't know."
The Song Kingdom Dazai was greatly shocked and said, "Then who is the saint?" Confucius's face changed a little for a while, and then he said: "There is a sage (Lao Tzu) in the Zhou Land of the West, he (Lao Tzu) advocates not governing the country and the country is not chaotic, does not speak and convinces people naturally, does not educate but naturally implements government decrees, great and broad, the people do not know how to praise him." I suspect that he is a saint, but I wonder if he is really a saint? Isn't it really a saint?"
Song Dazai silently thought in his heart and said, "Confucius is deceiving me!"
Annotations:
Since the Song Dynasty, many famous Buddhist scholars and Christian scholars have believed that the "Western Polarized Man" and the "Western Sage" refer to Shakyamuni or Jesus, thus inferring that the Liezi is a work after Buddhism was introduced to China. This is an important pillar of the "Liezi Pseudo-Book Theory", but the source of this statement has been found out, from the Song monk Fayun (1088~1158) "Translation of the Nominal Collection": "When King Mu of Zhou, Manjushri and Mulian came to transform, and King Mu followed it, that is, the so-called 'humanization' of "Liezi" is also." It turned out that the monks borrowed the specious statements in the "Liezi" in order to promote Buddhism.
Coincidentally, the "Dialogues" of the Soyin sect of the Christian Bible: "Liezi Zhongni": Shang Dazai saw Confucius and said: "Qiu Sage?"
Confucius said: "The saint is knowledgeable, and then the scholar is also knowledgeable."
Shang Dazai said: "Three Kings Sage?" Confucius said: "The three kings are good at the wise and brave, and the saints are knowledgeable." He said, "The Five Emperors Sage?" Confucius said: "The five emperors are good at wisdom and bravery, and the saints are knowledgeable." "Three Emperor Sages?" Confucius said: "The Three Emperors are good at the time." The Sage is known by the Church. Shang Dazai was shocked and said, "Then who is holy?" Confucius was moved and said: "The people of the West have a sage, who is not cured but not chaotic, who is self-confident without speaking, and who is self-conscious without transformation." The people are incompetent. Qiu doubts that it is holy, and Fu Zhi is really holy? Isn't it really holy?" Shang Dazai said in a scheming manner: "Kong Qiu deceived me!"
The author of the "Dialogues" interprets the "West" as "the West has a holy one" as compared to China, and Israel is located in the West, so the "saint" naturally refers to Jesus. In fact, the "West" in the text is a typical manifestation of the imaginary and general references commonly used in ancient Chinese literature.
Zhang Zhan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty "Notes on Liezi" cloud: "How can there be a fixed place for saints? It is not necessarily Israel or India.
Etymologically, many ancient books of the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, such as the "Chinese" have "Western books", the "Book of Poetry" has "Western people", and the "Zhuangzi • Rangwang Chapter" contains: "In the past Zhou Zhixing, there are two scholars in the lonely bamboo, Ri Boyi and Shuqi. The two of them said to each other: 'I have heard that there are people in the West, who seem to have a Taoist, try to look at it. "The Western Taoist here, that is, the sage of the West, obviously refers to the ideal person of Taoism." "
"Chu Ci • Lisao" has "the dynasty starts in Tianjin, and the evening reaches the West Pole", and "Chu Ci • Far Travel" has "The Phoenix Emperor wings its banner and receives the West Emperor." "The West", "Western Pole" and "Western Regions" all refer to the surrounding land. "Western Emperor" also refers to the god of China, Jiang Liangfu proofreads: "Western Emperor, Western Heavenly God." Western Gengxin, its emperor Shaohui, Shaohui is the emperor of the West. "Song Ouyang Xiu, Fan Zhongyan and other "Sword Couplets": "The Southern Emperor lost the fire essence, and the Western Emperor lowered the gold liquid." The transformation of people is also "transformation of people" (Zhang Zhan's note in "Liezi"), a bit of a quite modern magician. The focus is on who the "Western Sage" is, and the key is the ideological proposition of the Sage. Words such as "no cure but no chaos" are the ideas of "Lao Tzu" to rule by inaction, which is fundamentally different from the Buddhist theory of extinction. In the "Analects", he praised Emperor Yao for governing the world without doing anything, and just said that "the people are incapable of fame"! Lao Tzu himself once served as the pillar of the Zhou royal family; Confucius went from Lu (East) to Zhou (West) to greet Lao Tzu. Therefore, Mr. Mada said: "In the Spring and Autumn Period, the sage of Western people was none other than Lao Tzu."
In the second year of King Jing of Zhou (518 B.C.), Confucius obtained the permission of Lu Zhaogong and the support of a cart and two horses through the relationship between Nangong Jingshu, an old nobleman of Lu State, and traveled thousands of miles to Luoyang to find Lao Dan, a university scholar at that time, to inquire about etiquette.
"The Biography of Zhongni's Disciples": "Confucius's strict affairs: Yu Zhou is Laozi; Yu Wei, Yu Boyu; Yu Qi, Yan Pingzhong; Yu Chu, Lao Laizi; Yu Zheng, Zisan; Yu Lu, Meng Gongxuan. It is known as Zang Wenzhong, Liu Xia Hui, Tong Bohua, Jieshan Ziran, and Confucius. "
"The Family of Confucius": Lu Nangong Jing Shuyan Lu Jun said: "Please be with Confucius." Lu Jun rode with one of them, two horses, and a vertical club, and greeted him with a proper courtesy, and saw Lao Ziyun. resigned, and Lao Tzu sent it and said: "I heard that the rich and noble give people money, and the benevolent people give people words." I can't be rich and noble, steal the name of a benevolent man, and send my son to say, 'Wise and discerning are close to the dead, and he who is good at talking about others.'" Defend the vast number of those who are in danger of their lives, and those who provoke people's evil. He who is the son of man does not have himself, and he who is a servant does not have himself. Confucius rebelled against Lu from Zhou, and his disciples made a little progress.
"Historical Records" volume 63 "Lao Tzu Han Fei Lie Biography • Lao Tzu": Lao Tzu, a native of Qurenli, Li Township, Chuku County, surnamed Li, Ming'er, the word Dan, and the history of Zhou's Tibetan room. Confucius is suitable for Zhou, and will greet Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu said: "The person and bones of the son are rotten, and his words are in his ears." And when the gentleman has the time, he will drive, and when he can't, he will be tired. I heard it, the good Jia is deep hidden, and the gentleman is virtuous and stupid. Removing the arrogance and lust of the son, lust and lust are not beneficial to the body of the son. That's why I tell my son, if so. Confucius went and said to his disciples: "Birds, I know that they can fly; Fish, I know they can swim; Beast, I know it can go. The walker can be reckless, the traveler can be the lun, and the flyer can be the flyer. As for the dragon, I don't know that it rode the storm to the sky. I see Lao Tzu today, and he is like a dragon!
background
Lao Dan is the founder of Taoism Lao Tzu, surnamed Li, Ming'er, the word Boyang, Chu State Ku County (now Luyi East, Henan) Li Township Qurenli people, at that time for the Zhou Dynasty "the history of the storage room", about the current national library director. He said to Confucius, "The bones of those you are talking about, their bones and themselves have long since rotted, and only their words remain. Besides, a gentleman will come out to do a career when he encounters a good era, and when he encounters a bad era, he will be like fluffy grass, drifting with the wind. I have heard that good businessmen hide their money as if they had nothing. He is a very virtuous person, but he looks like he is stupid. Get rid of your arrogance and lust, lust and unrealistic lust, and it won't do you any good. That's all I have to say to you".
When parting, Lao Tzu also gave a message: "I have heard that rich people give people money, and righteous people give people good words, I am not rich, and I can't steal the reputation of benevolent people, but I still want to tell you: If a person who observes problems very thoroughly and speaks sharply and is good at arguing, if he encounters something that endangers his own life, the main reason is that he is good at talking about people and exposing people's shortcomings!" As a child and a minister, you can't only think about yourself in words and deeds!"
Confucius listened to Lao Tzu's words and went back to his students and said, "Bird, I know it can fly; Fish, I know it can swim; The beast, I know it can run. Runners can be dealt with with nets, swimmers with fishing lines, and flyers with bows and arrows. As for the dragon, I can't understand, it rides the wind and clouds into the sky. The old man I saw today is probably a dragon-like figure."
Confucius also visited the Ming Hall where Zhou Tianzi summoned the princes and held national ceremonies, the Taimiao where the ancestors were worshipped, and the altar where the heavens and the earth were sacrificed, so as to worship the Zhou Gong who formulated the Western Zhou Dynasty ritual and music system. During his trip to Luoyang, Confucius expanded his horizons and increased his knowledge. After returning to Lu, more people sought to learn from him.
