Book XX
Yao Yueh. Ancient sage-kings and virtuous governance of the empire.
18 argumentative units
- 01Yao's charge to Shun on holding the Mean
Yao charges Shun with maintaining the Heaven-determined succession and holding fast to the due Mean, warning that failure to do so will bring perpetual loss of the Heavenly revenue.
- 02Shun transmits the same charge to Yu
Shun passes on Yao's same instruction regarding succession and proper conduct to his own successor, Yu.
- 03T'ang's prayer accepting personal accountability
T'ang presents a ritual sacrifice while accepting full personal responsibility for sins—those he commits will not burden the people, and those the people commit will rest upon him.
- 04Chau's enrichment of the virtuous through gifts
Chau distributed great gifts that benefited the worthy and virtuous members of the realm.
- 05Chau's principle of preferring virtue to kinship
Chau asserts that virtuous ministers surpass even his near relatives in value, and he accepts blame from the people as the One man responsible.
- 06Chau's attention to weights, measures, and laws
Chau carefully managed weights and measures, examined laws, and restored forgotten officers, enabling good government to flourish throughout the kingdom.
- 07Chau's restoration of states, families, and officers
Chau revived extinct states, restored broken family lines, and recalled worthy retired officials, winning the hearts of the people across the kingdom.
- 08Chau's three chief priorities in governance
Chau emphasized three fundamental matters: the food of the people, proper mourning duties, and sacrifices.
- 09Chau's four virtues that won the people's allegiance
Through generosity, sincerity, earnest activity, and justice, Chau won the people, earned their trust, achieved great things, and delighted all.
- 10Tsze-chang's inquiry on proper governance
Tsze-chang asks Confucius how a person in authority should act to conduct government properly.
- 11Confucius's prescription: five excellent things and four bad
Confucius replies that proper governance requires honouring five excellent things and banishing four bad things.
- 12Definition of the five excellent things
Confucius defines the five excellent things: beneficence without great expense, laying tasks without complaint, pursuing desires without covetousness, dignified ease without pride, and majesty without fierceness.
- 13Explanation of beneficence without great expenditure
Confucius explains that beneficence without expense comes from utilizing existing sources of benefit to the people, and illustrates the five excellences through examples of how a ruler naturally avoids their opposite vices.
- 14Tsze-chang's inquiry on the four bad things
Tsze-chang asks what is meant by the four bad things in governance.
- 15Definition of the four bad things
Confucius defines the four bad things: putting people to death without instruction (cruelty), demanding sudden labour without warning (oppression), issuing contradictory orders (injury), and stingy rewards (acting as a mere official).
- 16Necessity of recognizing Heaven's ordinances for superiority
Confucius asserts that without recognizing the ordinances of Heaven, one cannot become a superior man.
- 17Necessity of propriety for establishing character
Confucius claims that without acquaintance with the rules of Propriety, character cannot be established.
- 18Knowledge of words' force as necessary for knowing men
Confucius argues that without knowing the force or meaning of words, it is impossible to truly know other people.