Prose · LT503

Essays & Memorials

Argumentative essays, imperial petitions, and socio-political treatises.

211works

11dynasties

83authors

Zhou

5 works

1046–221 BCE

  1. Reply to the King of ChuSong YuThe loftier the song, the fewer those who can sing along.
  2. Edict Seeking Worthy MenQin Xiaogongthe lords looked down on Qin. No disgrace could be greater.
  3. Letter to King Zhao of QinFan JuA mediocre ruler rewards those he loves and punishes those he hates; an enlightened ruler is not so: his rewards go to the meritorious and his punishments fall on the guilty.
  4. Admonishing King Wei of QiChunyu KunWhen wine is taken to the extreme there is disorder; when joy is taken to the extreme there is sorrow.
  5. Persuading King Xiang of ChuZhuang XinTo look round for the dog when you see the hare is not too late; to mend the pen after losing a sheep is not too slow.

Han

22 works

202 BCE – 220 CE

  1. Faults of Qin (Part 1)Jia YiA single commoner rebelled and the imperial ancestral shrines collapsed, their dynastic line exterminated to become the laughingstock of the realm—why? Because benevolence and righteousness were not practiced, and the strategy of taking power differs from preserving it.
  2. Memorial on Security and StatecraftJia YiTo put a fire under a pile of firewood and sleep on top of it, and to call it safe because the flames have not yet caught.
  3. Memorial on Elevating the Value of GrainChao CuoPearls, jade, gold and silver cannot be eaten when one is hungry nor worn when one is cold.
  4. Reply to a Guest's ObjectionDongfang ShuoThat was one time and this is another; how can they be the same?
  5. Memorial Submitted from Prison to the Prince of LiangZou YangSome keep company until their hair turns white and are still strangers; some tilt their carriage canopies in passing and are old friends at once.
  6. Proclamation to Ba and ShuSima XiangruThey face naked blades and brave flying arrows; duty forbids them to look back, and their resolve does not let them turn on their heels. Each harbours anger in his heart as if avenging a personal wrong.
  7. Rebuttal to the Elders of ShuSima XiangruThere must first be extraordinary men in the world before there can be extraordinary undertakings, and extraordinary undertakings before there can be extraordinary achievements.
  8. Memorial Remonstrating against the HuntSima XiangruThe clear-sighted see far ahead, before things sprout, and the wise avoid danger before it takes shape.
  9. Essay on the Feng and Shan SacrificesSima XiangruThe virtue of the sage king is cautious and reverent. Therefore it is said: in prosperity one must think of decline, in security one must think of danger.
  10. Discourses on Salt and IronHuan KuanLead the people with virtue and they return to sincerity; show them profit and their customs grow shallow.
  11. Memorial on Military AffairsChao CuoThere are generals sure to win, but no people sure to win.
  12. Memorial Asking to Be Relieved and ReturnBan ChaoI dare not hope to reach Jiuquan commandery; I only wish to enter the Jade Gate Pass alive.
  13. Edict Declining Counties and Setting Out My True AimsCao CaoHad the state not had me, who knows how many would have called themselves emperor, how many king.
  14. Sutra of Forty-Two SectionsKasyapa Matanga, Dharmaratna (traditionally attributed)Long ago Emperor Ming of the Han dreamed one night of a divine man whose body was golden and who had sunlight about his neck
  15. Edict Abolishing Mutilating PunishmentsEmperor Wen of HanNow when people do wrong, are they to be punished before they have been taught?
  16. Memorial on Guarding the Frontier and Encouraging FarmingChao Cuolike birds and beasts in the open country, they stop where grass is good and water sweet, and move when the grass is gone and water dried up.
  17. Memorial Asking that My Brother Chao Be RelievedBan ZhaoChao is the eldest; he is now nearly seventy. Old and sick, his hair has no black left, his hands are numb, his ears and eyes are dull, and he can walk only with a staff.
  18. Faults of Qin, Part TwoJia YiConquest values guile and force, peace values timeliness: taking and keeping differ.
  19. Faults of Qin, Part ThreeJia YiPast events not forgotten are teachers for what follows.
  20. Memorial on Laying Up StoresJia YiStores laid up are the great lifeline of the realm.
  21. Discourse of Master NonesuchDongfang ShuoSpeaking is no easy thing!
  22. Dispelling RidiculeYang XiongWhat blazes is extinguished; what thunders is cut off.

Three Kingdoms

7 works

220–280

  1. First Memorial on the ExpeditionZhuge LiangI took up my charge amid military collapse, and received my mission in perilous danger.
  2. Treatise on Nurturing LifeJi KangThey are pure, empty, still and calm, with few selfish thoughts and few desires.
  3. Second Memorial on the ExpeditionZhuge LiangI shall bend my body in devotion and exhaust my strength until death.
  4. Commentary on the Book of ChangesWang BiGrasping the meaning lies in forgetting the image; grasping the image lies in forgetting the words.
  5. Testamentary Edict to the Later RulerLiu BeiDo not do evil because it is small; do not leave good undone because it is small. Only worth and virtue can win men's submission.
  6. On Music Having No Sorrow or JoyJi KangSound should take good and bad as its substance and has nothing to do with sorrow and joy; sorrow and joy arise from feeling and are not tied to sound.
  7. Essay on Understanding ZhuangziRuan JiHeaven and earth are born of the self-so, and the myriad things are born of heaven and earth.

Jin

4 works

265–420

  1. Memorial Expressing My FeelingsLi MiWithout my grandmother I would not have lived to this day; without me my grandmother cannot live out her remaining years.
  2. Memorial Declining the Rank of KaifuYang Huif one's virtue is not yet acknowledged by all and one accepts high rank, able ministers will not come forward; if one's merit is not yet credited by all and one takes a rich salary, toiling ministers will not be encouraged.
  3. Illustrating the WaySun ChuoZhou and Kong are the Buddha, and the Buddha is Zhou and Kong; it is only that one is named outer and the other inner.
  4. Ullambana SutraZhu Fahu (traditionally attributed)To save his mother among hungry ghosts, Maudgalyayana is told to feed the sangha on the fifteenth of the seventh month.

Northern and Southern

4 works

420–589

  1. Proclamation of Mount BeishanKong ZhiguiThe orchid canopy is empty and the night crane cries in resentment; the mountain man is gone and the dawn gibbons are startled.
  2. Essential Techniques for the Common PeopleJia SixieHuman life depends on diligence; with diligence there is no want.
  3. Edict of Six ArticlesSu ChuoThe mind is the master of the whole person and the root of all conduct.
  4. Account of the Causes and Conditions of the Transmission of the Dharma TreasuryTan Yao (trans.)He closed the gate of the evil destinies and opened the road to nirvana.

Tang

46 works

618–907

  1. Manifesto on Behalf of Xu Jingye Denouncing Wu ZhaoLuo BinwangThe handful of earth on the imperial tomb is not yet dry; to whom can the six-foot orphan be entrusted?
  2. On TeachersHan YuA teacher is one who transmits the Dao, imparts knowledge, and resolves perplexities.
  3. Inquiry into the True WayHan YuLoving all broadly is called humaneness; acting as is fitting is called righteousness.
  4. Inquiry into the Source of SlanderHan YuThey demanded much and thoroughly of themselves but asked little and lightly of others.
  5. Explanation on the Advancement of LearningHan YuLearning is perfected by diligence and ruined by frivolity; conduct is formed by reflection and destroyed by heedless conformity.
  6. Miscellaneous Discourses IV: On HorsesHan YuOnly when the world has a Bo Le are there Thousand-League Steeds. Thousand-League Steeds are common, but a Bo Le is rare.
  7. On the Feudal SystemLiu ZongyuanTherefore enfeoffment was not the intention of the sages; it was circumstance.
  8. Account of the Snake CatcherLiu ZongyuanHarsh government is fiercer than a tiger.
  9. Memorial to Emperor Taizong on the Ten ReflectionsWei ZhengWhoever wants a tree to grow tall must make its roots firm; whoever wants a stream to flow far must dredge its spring; whoever aspires to the security of the state must accumulate virtue and righteousness.
  10. Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita Hridaya), Xuanzang's translationXuanzang (trans.)Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form.
  11. Questions and Replies between Tang Taizong and Li JingLi Jing (traditionally attributed)If orthodox troops did not become unorthodox and unorthodox troops orthodox, how could one win? So for one who is good at using troops, orthodox and unorthodox lie only in the man.
  12. Tang Code with CommentaryZhangsun Wuji, Yu Zhining (comp.)Virtue and ritual are the root of government and teaching; punishments are their instrument, as dusk and dawn, spring and autumn depend on each other to make the whole.
  13. Models for an EmperorLi Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang)In fear and trembling, as if standing over an abyss or driving a team with rotten reins; more careful each day, thinking to begin well and end well.
  14. Ten Essential MattersYao Chong (traditionally attributed)I wish that government put humaneness and leniency first; may it be so?
  15. Collected Works of Li Deyu from the Huichang EraLi DeyuHe has broken up the havens of those fleeing duty, listing them all among the common people, and recovered the high fertile fields, returning them all to the royal tax.
  16. Essentials of Government of the Zhenguan EraWu Jing (comp.)A ruler is enlightened because he listens to all sides; he is benighted because he trusts one side only.
  17. Admonition of the Ice PotYao ChongSo to hold ice-like purity within and jade-like lustre without: this is the virtue of the gentleman's ice pot.
  18. Memorial on Ten Signs of Failing to Persevere to the EndWei ZhengIt is not knowing that is hard but acting; it is not acting that is hard but carrying through to the end.
  19. Essentials of Government from Many BooksWei Zheng (comp.)Used today, it is enough to mirror the ages past.
  20. Treatise on the Establishment of Consciousness-OnlyXuanzang (trans.)Because self and dharmas are spoken of provisionally, their various characteristics arise.
  21. Norms for SubjectsWu Zetian (Empress Wu)The subject takes the ruler as his heart, and the ruler takes the subject as his body.
  22. Imperial Commentary on the Classic of Filial PietyLi LongjiFrom this we know that filial piety is the root of virtue!
  23. In Praise of BoyiHan YuA scholar who stands apart and walks alone simply follows what is right. Heedless of others' praise or blame, such men are all heroes, firm in their faith in the Way and clear in knowing themselves.
  24. On the Capture of the QilinHan YuWhat makes a qilin a qilin is its virtue, not its form.
  25. Miscellaneous Discourses IHan YuWithout clouds, the dragon has no way to make its spirit wondrous.
  26. A Disputation on Name TaboosHan YuIf because the father is named Jinsu the son may not sit the jinshi, then if a father were named Ren, could the son not be a man?
  27. On the Remonstrating MinisterHan YuConfucius's mat never had time to grow warm, and Mozi's chimney never had time to blacken.
  28. A Rebuttal of the Proposal on RevengeLiu ZongyuanHonour and execution cannot both be given to the same man.
  29. Disputing the Tale of the Paulownia-Leaf FiefLiu ZongyuanIf it is not yet right, changing it ten times is no fault.
  30. Inquiry into Human NatureHan YuNature is born together with life; feeling arises when we meet things.
  31. Answering a Question about YuHan YuYao and Shun did the people great good; Yu thought deeply for them.
  32. On Mourning Dress for ReburialHan YuIn mourning one goes forward, never back: one may change to lighter dress, never add heavier.
  33. A Warning on DefenceHan YuNo disaster under heaven is greater than thinking a thing not worth doing.
  34. A Discussion of Duke Wen of Jin Asking Who Should Hold YuanLiu ZongyuanIt was not fitting to consult favourites close at hand and so disgrace the king's command.
  35. Writings on Restoring Human Nature, Part ThreeLi AoThose who do not exert themselves in the Way are benighted and do not think.
  36. On Reading XunziHan YuMencius is the purest of the pure; Xun and Yang are greatly pure with small flaws.
  37. On the Analects, Part OneLiu ZongyuanMy view is that the disciples of Master Zeng made it.
  38. On the Analects, Part TwoLiu ZongyuanNothing in the Analects is greater than this.
  39. Disputing the LieziLiu ZongyuanThose who read it need only choose with care.
  40. Disputing the WenziLiu Zongyuan (traditionally attributed)Little in it is whole and of a piece; much is lifted from other books.
  41. Disputing the GuiguziLiu ZongyuanThe stranger its words, the narrower its way.
  42. Disputing the Annals of Master YanLiu ZongyuanLater cataloguers of the masters' books should place it with the Mohists.
  43. Disputing the HeguanziLiu ZongyuanMy view is that some busybody forged the book.
  44. Memorial on the Bone of the BuddhaHan YuIf the Buddha has power and can bring down calamity, let every misfortune fall on my own person; with Heaven above as witness, I shall not complain or repent.
  45. Memorial of Thanks on Taking Office as Prefect of ChaozhouHan YuEven if the ancients came back to life, I would not readily yield to them.
  46. Words to Dispel SlanderHan YuThough a hundred slanderers spoke, the Chief Minister would not believe them.

Song

10 works

960–1279

  1. On the Love of the LotusZhou DunyiEmerging from murky mud yet remaining unstained, bathed in clear ripples yet free from coquettish vanity.
  2. On Political FactionsOuyang XiuGentlemen join with gentlemen as friends because they share the same Way; petty men join with petty men because they share the same profit. This is the natural order of things.
  3. Preface to the Biographies of the Actor-Courtiers in the History of the Five DynastiesOuyang XiuAlthough the pattern of rise and decline is said to be the mandate of Heaven, is it not also the work of men?
  4. Treatise on the Six StatesSu XunThe Six States were destroyed not because their weapons were blunt or their fighting poor; the fault lay in bribing Qin.
  5. Mental Artistry of CommandSu XunThe way of the general is first to govern the mind: Mount Tai can collapse before him without his colour changing, and an elk can leap up beside him without his eyes blinking.
  6. Treatise on the Marquis of LiuSu ShiAn ordinary man, insulted, draws his sword and rises, stepping forward to fight, but this is not worth calling courage.
  7. Treatise on Jia YiSu ShiIt is not having talent that is hard; what is truly hard is knowing how to use it oneself.
  8. Lament for ZhongyongWang AnshiHe has become entirely ordinary.
  9. Collected Works of Master XiangshanLu JiuyuanSo the student's aim must be distinguished.
  10. On the Release of Condemned PrisonersOuyang XiuThey did not do the strange to seem lofty, nor go against human feeling to court praise.