Classical Prose · LT503

Essays & Memorials

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

100works

11dynasties

72authors

Qin

2 works

221–207 BCE

  1. Memorial Against the Expulsion of Guest OfficialsLi SiYour minister hears of proposals to expel foreign talents, which I venture to deem mistaken. Mount Tai rejects no handful of earth, thus reaching its towering majesty; rivers and seas refuse no tiny rill, thus achieving their profound depths; a true king turns away no human being, thus illuminating his virtue.
  2. Memorial on Supervision and PunishmentLi SiA kind mother has spoilt sons, but a strict household has no unruly slaves

Han

17 works

202 BCE – 220 CE

  1. Faults of QinJia 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.

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 Dispatching the TroopsZhuge 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

20 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. Pupils need not be inferior to teachers, and teachers need not be superior to pupils; some hear the Dao earlier than others, and specialties differ in craft—that is all.
  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. On the Feudal SystemLiu ZongyuanTherefore enfeoffment was not the intention of the sages; it was circumstance.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. Ten Essential MattersYao Chong (traditionally attributed)I wish that government put humaneness and leniency first; may it be so?
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. Essentials of Government from Many BooksWei Zheng (comp.)Used today, it is enough to mirror the ages past.
  18. Treatise on the Establishment of Consciousness-OnlyXuanzang (trans.)Because self and dharmas are spoken of provisionally, their various characteristics arise.
  19. Norms for SubjectsWu Zetian (Empress Wu)The subject takes the ruler as his heart, and the ruler takes the subject as his body.
  20. Imperial Commentary on the Classic of Filial PietyLi LongjiFrom this we know that filial piety is the root of virtue!

Song

9 works

960–1279

  1. On the Love of the LotusZhou DunyiI uniquely love the lotus for emerging from murky mud yet remaining unstained, bathed in clear ripples yet free from coquettish vanity; hollow within and straight without, neither clinging to vines nor branching astray; its fragrance growing purer the farther it spreads, standing erect in pristine purity, to be admired from afar and not treated with vulgar familiarity.
  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.

Ming

9 works

1368–1644

  1. Discourse on Deep ForesightFang XiaoruYet calamity always breaks out in what was neglected, and disorder always arises from matters thought unworthy of suspicion.
  2. Inquiry on the Great LearningWang ShourenThe great man is one who regards Heaven, Earth and the ten thousand things as one body. He sees the world as one family and the Middle Kingdom as one person.
  3. Memorial on Order and SecurityHai RuiSo the people of the realm have taken the name of Your Majesty's reign and interpreted it: 'Jiajing means every household is wiped clean and has nothing to use.'
  4. Memorial on Six MattersZhang JuzhengBut recently customs and human feelings have accumulated habits that breed abuses; there are signs of gradual decline and of the weight of accumulated habit becoming hard to reverse.
  5. Last Memorial (Though Stripped of Rank)Gao PanlongWhen a great minister is humiliated, the state is humiliated
  6. On Being Wise and Discerning to Preserve OneselfWang Genone who can love others will be loved by others in return; and when others love me, my self is preserved.
  7. Collected Works of Hai RuiHai Ruiits repair cannot be put off for a single day
  8. Collected Works of Zhang TaiyueZhang JuzhengI have entrusted everything to the great public good
  9. Collected Statutes of the Great MingLi Dongyang (comp.)The official compendium of Ming institutions, arranged by government office.

Qing

23 works

1636–1912

  1. Inquiry into the SovereignHuang ZongxiIn antiquity the world was the master and the ruler the guest; all that the ruler laboured at his whole life long was for the sake of the world.
  2. On Borrowing Books for Student HuangYuan MeiBooks are not read unless they are borrowed.
  3. Record of the Sick Plum PavilionGong Zizhena plum is beautiful when curved, for a straight one has no grace; beautiful when leaning, for an upright one has no charm
  4. Ode to Young ChinaLiang QichaoTherefore today's responsibility lies not with others, but entirely upon our youth. If the youth are wise, the nation is wise; if the youth are prosperous, the nation is prosperous; if the youth are strong, the nation is strong... How magnificent is my Young China, ageless as Heaven! How glorious is China's youth, boundless as the realm!
  5. On Reading the Comprehensive MirrorWang FuzhiThe system of commanderies and counties has endured two thousand years and could not be undone.
  6. Second Memorial to the Qing Emperor (the Gongche Petition)Kang YouweiIn our humble view, abandoning the people of Taiwan is a small matter, but scattering the people of the realm is a great one; ceding land is a small matter, but losing the state is a great one
  7. The Book of Great UnityKang YouweiIt is called an age of peace, but in truth every household under heaven is filled with resentment.
  8. The Study of HumanenessTan SitongThe nets are layer upon layer, boundless as empty space.
  9. Three Principles of the PeopleSun ZhongshanWe urgently need the deep meaning of the Three Principles of the People as material for propaganda.
  10. Proclamation Against the Cantonese BanditsZeng GuofanThis is not merely a crisis for our Great Qing but the strangest upheaval of the teaching of names since the creation of the world
  11. Record of Great Righteousness Resolving ConfusionYongzheng Emperoronly the virtuous may be ruler of the realm
  12. Edict Clarifying the Fundamental Policy of the StateGuangxu Emperorrooting themselves in the learning of the sages on moral principle, and also studying widely and in earnest those parts of Western learning that bear on current affairs
  13. Abdication Edict of the Qing EmperorPuyi (traditionally attributed)Where the people's hearts turn, Heaven's mandate can be known.
  14. Collected Works from the Ice-Drinker's StudioLiang QichaoOf all conduct, work comes first; of all evils, idleness is the chief.
  15. The Land System of the Heavenly KingdomHong Xiuquan (traditionally attributed)there is land to be tilled together, food to be eaten together, clothes to be worn together and money to be spent together; nowhere unequal, no one not fed and warm.
  16. On the Origin of GoodnessDai ZhenGoodness is humaneness, propriety and righteousness: these three are the great foundation of all under heaven.
  17. A Study of Confucius as Institutional ReformerKang YouweiTo see the rule of Great Unity and Great Peace is like seeing Confucius born.
  18. The Plan for National ReconstructionSun Zhongshanowned by the people, governed by the people and enjoyed by the people
  19. Complete Works of Li WenzhongLi Hongzhangto set coastal defence in order today, there is no way to begin except by changing methods and employing the right men.
  20. On the Origin of TalentZeng GuofanWhere do the thickness and thinness of customs come from? From the inclinations of the hearts of one or two people, nothing more.
  21. The Sixteen Maxims of the Sacred EdictKangxi EmperorBe earnest in filial piety and brotherly respect, to give weight to human relations.
  22. Amplified Instructions on the Sacred EdictYongzheng EmperorExpanding their text to some ten thousand words, We call it the Amplified Instructions on the Sacred Edict.
  23. Vermilion RescriptsYongzheng EmperorAll came from Our own thought; not one was handled by another