Additional Readings from Zuo Commentary
I include below my own
translations of four additional readings from the early historical narrative Zuo
Commentary. This text is not
an easy one. It is filled with
sometimes confusing proper names, moves very quickly, and often leaves out the
connective explanation that modern readers expect. However, Zuo Commentary was considered a literary as
well as a historical masterpiece.
As such, it is important for students to at least gain some appreciation
of this text’s peculiar style.
Reading 1 – Duke Yin 1.4 (722 BCE)
This famous entry from Zuo
Commentary tells a story of family conflict. The mother, Lady Jiang, favors her younger son over her
elder son, the rightful heir.
After the death of her husband, Duke Wu, she joins with her younger son
to foment rebellion. The rebellion
is quashed. The rest of the story
concerns the reconciliation between Duke Zhuang, the rightful heir, and the
mother who tried to destroy him.
Several moral questions are posed by this story. First of all, did the elder brother act
properly in delaying his action against his younger brother for so long. Second, how far does filial obligation
extend— that is, should you be loyal even to a parent who unjustly tries to
destroy you?
Sometime earlier, Duke Wu of Zheng took a wife in Shen, who
was called “Wu Jiang.” She bore Duke Zhuang and Gongshu Duan. Duke Zhuang was
breech born and startled Lady Jiang.
Therefore, she named him “Breech Born” and consequently hated him. She loved Gongshu Duan and wanted to
establish him as heir. She
repeatedly made this request of Duke Wu, but the Duke would not allow it. When Duke Zhuang acceded, she requested
the place Zhi for Duan. The Duke said, “Zhi is a town among the cliffs. Guoshu died there. Let it be any other city, and it shall
be precisely as you command!” She
requested the city Jing, and the Duke sent Duan to live there, calling him
“Taishu of the walled city Jing.”
Zhai Zhong said, “For the wall of a city to exceed one
hundred zhi is a danger for the capital. According to the rules of the former kings, large cities
should not exceed one-third of the capital, middle-sized cities should not
exceed one-fifth, and small cities one-ninth. Now Jing does not meet the standard and is not in accord
with the rules. You, lord, will
not be able to bear this.”
The Duke said, “Lady Jiang wants this, so how can I avoid
harm?”
He replied, “How will Lady Jiang ever be satisfied? It would be better to handle this
affair early on. Do not allow creepers
that spread! Creepers are
difficult to manage. If creeping
grass cannot be rooted out, how much less my lord’s favored younger brother?”
The Duke said, “If he commits many improper acts, he must
bring himself down. You just wait
for now.”
Shortly thereafter, Taishu commanded the western and
northern marches to switch their allegience to him. The Ducal Son Lü said, “A state cannot bear duplicity. What are you, lord, going to do about
this? If you want to give [the
state to] Taishu, then I request permission to serve him. If you are not going to give it to him,
then I request permission to root him out. Do not create anxieties among the people.”
The Duke said, “It is of no use. He will come to an end of himself.”
Taishu went on to take disloyal towns and make them his own
all the way up to Lingyan. Zifeng
(=the Ducal Son Lü) said, “Now we can act! If he expands, he will win the people.”
The Duke said, “If he is not dutiful, the people will not
be devoted to him. If he expands,
he will collapse.”
Taishu built defensive walls, gathered provisions, repaired
armor and weapons, and prepared the infantry and the charioteers. He was going to make a surprise attack
upon Zheng, and Lady Jiang was going to open the gate for him. When the Duke heard that a date had
been set, he said, “We can act now!”
He commanded Zifeng to lead two hundred chariots to attack Jing. Jing rebelled against Taishu Duan, and
he entered Yan. The Duke attacked
him at Yan. On the twenty-third
day of the fifth month, Taishu came out and fled to Gong.
The text says, “The Earl of Zheng conquered Duan at
Yan.” Duan did not act as a
younger brother, so it does not speak of a younger brother. They were like two rulers, so it says
“conquered.” That it labels him “the
Earl of Zheng” is to criticize his neglect of instruction. The text regards it as the intention of
Zheng. That it does not say he
came out and fled is that it finds this difficult to say.
Consequently, the Duke put the Lady Jiang in the walled city
Ying and swore an oath about her, saying, “Until we reach the Yellow Springs,
may I not see her again!”
Afterward he regretted it.
Kaoshu of Ying was a man who had been granted a fief in
Ying Valley. When he heard of
this, he brought an offering to the Duke.
The Duke gave him a meal, but as Kaoshu ate, he put the meat aside. The Duke asked about this, and he
responded, “I, the small man, have a mother. In all cases, she gets a taste of what I eat. She has never tasted my lord’s
stew. I ask permission to give
some to her.”
The Duke said, “You have a mother to give things to. Alas, I alone have none!”
Kaoshu of Ying said, “Might I ask what you are talking
about?”
The Duke explained the circumstances to him and also
confessed his regret. Kaoshu
replied, “Why should you worry about this? If you dig down into the ground as far as the springs, and
then make a tunnel and meet her, who would say that it is not right?”
The Duke followed his advice. The Duke entered the tunnel and recited,
“Within the great tunnel
Our joy is concentrated.”
Jiang exited the tunnel and recited,
“Outside of the great tunnel,
Our joy spreads abroad.”
The Princely Man would say, “Kaoshu of Ying was pure in his
filial piety. He loved his mother
and extended it to Duke Zhuang. Odes
says,
‘The filial son does not grow tired,
But forever blesses your kind.’
Might
this not refer to men of this sort?”
Reading 2 – Duke Yin 3.7 (720 BCE), 4. 1, 4.3, & 4.5
(719 BCE)
This short story, is made up of
four different entries from Zuo Commentary. It illustrates how a historical event can be distributed in
this text across several entries, each of them separated from the others by
unrelated historical events or episodes.
This is a story of political intrigue and assassination. But it also
concerns the issue of whether familial affection or political loyalty are
ultimately more important.
3.7 Duke Zhuang
of Wei took as wife the younger sister of De Chen, the heir-apparent of the
state of Qi called ‘Zhuang Jiang.’
She was beautiful but childless.
She is the one for whom the people of Wei composed the ode “Shi ren.” The Duke also took a wife in Chen, who
was called “Li Gui.” She gave
birth to Xiao Bo, who died young.
Her younger sister, Dai Kui, gave birth to Duke Huan, and Zhuang Jiang
treated him as her own son.
The Ducal Son Zhouxu was the son of a favorite
concubine. He was spoiled and
loved weapons. The Duke did not
restrain him, and Zhuang Jiang hated him.
Shi Que remonstrated, saying, “I have heard that if one loves a son, one
teaches him the ways of duty and does not let him enter into depravity. Pride, extravagance, lasciviousness,
and dissipation are the sources of depravity. These four come when indulgence and reward are
excessive. If you are going to
establish Zhouxu as heir, then settle it now! But if you still would not do this, then you are building a
stairway to disaster! Few indeed
are those who are spoiled but do not become prideful; are prideful but able to
step down; are able to step down but not be indignant; are indignant but able
to show restraint! Moreover, for
the lowly to hinder the noble, for the young to insult the old, for the distant
to estrange relatives, for the new to estrange the old, for the small to
presume upon the great, for the lascivious to destroy the dutiful, these are
called the six violations. For
rulers to be dutiful, for ministers to act, for fathers to be kind, for sons to
be filial, for older brothers to show love, and for younger brothers to be
respectful, these are called the six compliances. To reject the compliances and follow the violations is a
means to hasten disaster. How
could it be permitted for a ruler of man, who ought to make every effort to
reject disaster, to hasten it?”
The Duke did not heed this. Shi Que’s son, Hou, roamed about with Zhouxu. Shi Que forbad this, but his son was
unwilling to desist. When Duke
Huan was established as duke, Shi Que retired on account of age.
4.1(2) In the fourth year, in the spring, Zhouxu of Wei assassinated Duke Huan and was established as duke.
4.3(4) When Duke Shang of Song acceded, the
Ducal Son Ping came out and fled to Zheng. The men of Zheng wanted to return him to Song. When Zhouxu of Wei was in power, he was
going to repay the grudge the former ruler held for Zheng and seek favor among
the feudal lords as a means to pacify his people. He sent someone to report to Song as follows: “If you, lord, attack Zheng, to remove
the danger to you, then you will
become the leader. My humble fief
will supply men and equipment, and Chen and Cai will follow along, This, then,
is the desire of the State of Wei!”
A delegate of Song agreed to this. At that very time, Chen and Cai were on
friendly terms with Wei. Thus, the
Duke of Song, the Marquis of Chen, the leader of Cai, and the leader of Wei
attacked Zheng. They beseiged the
eastern gate of the capital. But
after five days, they came back home.
The Duke asked Zhong Zhong, “Do you suppose that Zhouxu of
Wei will be successful?”
He responded, “I
have heard of using virtue to pacify people, but I have not heard of using
rebellion. To use rebellion is
like trying to organize silk threads and entangling them further. Zhouxu relies on weapons and takes
comfort in cruelty. If you rely
upon weapons, you will not possess the people. If you take comfort in cruelty, you will not have close
associates. When the people turn
against you and close associates are alienated, it is difficult to
succeed. Now, weapons are like
fire. If you do not contain it,
fire will burn you up. Zhouxu
assassinated his ruler and was cruel to his people. In such actions, he did not strive after excellent virtue
but wanted to succeed through rebellion.
Certainly he will not avoid calamity!”
4.5(6) Zhouxu still was unable to pacify his
people. Hou asked Master Shi about
stabilizing the position of ruler, and Master Shi said, “An audience with the
king would accomplish this.”
Hou asked, “How can one obtain an audience?”
Shi said, “Duke Huan of Chen just now is in favor with the
King. And Chen and Wei just now
are at peace. If you visited the
court of Chen and urged them to make the request, certainly an audience could
be obtained.”
Hou followed along with Zhouxu and went to Chen. Shi Que sent an emissary to report to Chen as follows: “The state of Wei is narrow and small, and I, the old man, am decrepit and there is nothing I can do. But these two men did in fact assassinate our ruler. I venture to ask that you make plans for them.” The leader of Chen seized them and requested that Wei oversee the matter. In the ninth month, the leaders of Wei sent Chou, the Steward of the Left, to oversee the execution of Zhouxu in Pu. Shi Que sent his steward Nouyang Jian to oversee the execution of Shi Hou in Chen.
The Princely Man would say, “Shi Que was a pure
minister. He hated Zhouxu and Hou
associated with Zhouxu. ‘It is a
great act of duty to exterminate a relative’ Might this be speaking of him.”
This extremely brief story is
included in both Chinese and English translation. Besides being an example of the extremely economical and
elliptical style of Zuo narrative, it poses, once again, a family
question. How far must a son go to
serve a bad father?
（傳十六．五）初，衛宣公烝於夷姜，生急子，屬諸右公子。為之娶於齊，而美，公取之。生壽及朔。屬壽於左公子。夷姜縊。宣姜與公子朔構急子。公使諸齊。使盜待諸莘，將殺之。壽子告之，使行。不可，曰：「棄父之命，惡用子矣？有無父之國則可也。」及行，飲以酒。壽子載其旌以先，盜殺之。急子至，曰：「我之求也，此何罪？請殺我乎！」又殺之。二公子故怨惠公。十一月，左公子洩、右公子職立公子黔牟。惠公奔齊。
In
the beginning, Duke Xuan of Wei committed incest with Yi Jiang, who gave birth
to Jizi. They entrusted him to the
Ducal Son of the Left. They
selected a wife for him in Qi. She
was beautiful, so the Duke took her for himself. She gave birth to Shou and Shuo. And they entrusted Shou to the Ducal Son of the Right. Yi Jiang hanged herself.
Xuan Jiang [the woman from Qi] conspired with the Ducal Son
Shuo against Jizi. The duke sent
Jizi to Qi and sent bandits to await him at Xie where they were to kill
him. Shouzi told Jizi to cause him
to depart, but Jizi was unwilling and said, “If one rejects a father’s command,
of what use is a son! If there
were a country without fathers, then I could flee there.”
When Jizi was about to depart, Shouzi feasted him with
wine. Shouzi then carried his
banner and went first. The bandits
killed him. When Jizi arrived, he
said, “It is I you seek. What
crime did he commit? Please kill
me!” The bandits also killed
him. The two ducal sons
consquently hated Duke Hui.
In the eleventh month, Xie, the Ducal Son of the Left, and
Zhi, the Ducal Son of the Right, established the Ducal Son Qianmou. Duke Hui fled to Qi.
Reading 4 – Duke Zhuang 8.3 (686 BCE)
This story shows how the Zuo
Commentary mingles rather mundane and sometimes complex political history
with very lively episodes, some of which even include the supernatural (or, in
this case perhaps, that which may or may not be supernatural—did Pengsheng
really appear or did the Duke’s own guilt drive him to this conclusion?). The background to this story is that
the Marquis of Qi, who had been involved in an adulterous affair, had earlier
unjustly killed the Ducal Son Pengsheng.
The Marquis of Qi sent Lian Cheng and Guan Zhifu to
garrison Kuiqiu. When they left,
just at the time of the melon season, the Marquis said, “When the melons are
ripe again, I will replace you.”
But they were garrisoned for a full year and received no inquiries from
the Duke. They requested to be replaced,
but the Duke would not permit it.
Therefore, they plotted to raise rebellion.
A younger brother of Duke Xi named Yi Zhongnian fathered
Gongsun Wuzhi. The latter found
favor with Duke Xi, and in clothing, ritual, and rank, was treated like the
sons of the Duke’s wife. Duke
Xiang demoted them, and the two of them, on this account, raised a rebellion.
Lian Cheng had a paternal cousin in the Duke’s harem, but
she was not favored. He caused her
to spy on the Duke and said to her, “If we triumph, I will make you Wuzhi’s
wife.”
In the winter, in the twelfth month, the Marquis of Qi
travelled to Gufen and then hunted at Beiqiu. He encountered a huge boar. One of his followers said, “It is the Ducal Son Pengsheng.”
The Duke was angry and said, “Pengsheng dares to
appear!” And he shot it. The boar stood up on its hind legs and
cried out. The Duke was afraid and
fell down in his chariot, injuring his foot and losing a sandal.
When the Duke returned to the palace, he scolded an
attendant named Fei about the
sandal. When Fei could not find
the sandal, he whipped him, drawing blood. As Fei ran out of the palace, he met the rebels at the
gate. When they seized and bound
him, Fei said, “Why would I stop you?”
Then he pulled down his robe and showed them his back. They believed him. Fei requested to go back [into the
palace] first. He then hid the
Duke and came back out, and, struggling against the rebels, Fei died in the
gateway. Shizhi Fenru died at the
foot of the stairs. Then the
rebels entered and killed Meng Yang in the Duke’s bed. Someone said, “He is not the
ruler; he does not resemble him.”
They saw the Duke’s feet under the door, so they assassinated him and
established Wuzhi.
In the beginning, when Duke Xiang assumed power, he did not
behave with proper order. Bao
Shuya said, “The ruler causes the people to be disrespectful. A rebellion will break out!” He then took the Ducal son Xiaobo and
fled to Ju. When the rebellion did break out, Guan Yiwu and Zhao Hu took the
Ducal Son Jiu and came here in flight.