Reading Mencius with some friends I came across a mention of Duke Ping of the State of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period 2500 years or so ago.
Mencius replied, ‘Friendship should be maintained without any presumption on the ground of one’s superior age, or station, or the circumstances of his relatives. Friendship with a man is friendship with his virtue, and does not admit of assumptions of superiority. There was Meng Xian, chief of a family of a hundred chariots. He had five friends, namely, Yue Zheng Qiu, Mu Zhong, and three others whose names I have forgotten. With those five men Xian maintained a friendship, because they thought nothing about his family. If they had thought about his family, he would not have maintained his friendship with them. Not only has the chief of a family of a hundred chariots acted thus. The same thing was exemplified by the sovereign of a small State. The duke Hui of Bi said, “I treat Zi Si as my Teacher, and Yan Ban as my Friend. As to Wang Shun and Chang Xi, they serve me.” Not only has the sovereign of a small State acted thus. The same thing has been exemplified by the sovereign of a large State.
There was the Duke Ping of Jin with Hai Tang – when Tang told him to come into his house, he came; when he told him to be seated, he sat; when he told him to eat, he ate. There might only be coarse rice and soup of vegetables, but he always ate his fill, not daring to do otherwise. Here, however, he stopped, and went no farther. He did not call him to share any of Heaven’s places, or to govern any of Heaven’s offices, or to partake of any of Heaven’s emoluments. His conduct was but a scholar’s honouring virtue and talents, not the honouring them proper to a king or a duke. Shun went up to court and saw the sovereign, who lodged him as his son-in-law in the second palace. The sovereign also enjoyed there Shun’s hospitality. Alternately he was host and guest. Here was the sovereign maintaining friendship with a private man. Respect shown by inferiors to superiors is called giving to the noble the observance due to rank. Respect shown by superiors to inferiors is called giving honour to talents and virtue. The rightness in each case is the same.’
From Mencius， James Legge translation on Ctext.org
I looked up Duke Ping of Jin on Wikipedia and found that the Chinese language version of his page was more interesting — it include some Duke Ping tales that may be contemporary or just fun moral tales that arose in the 2500 years since. In imperial China, scholars with original ideas might attribute it to a sage king of old — history is a long march downwards from the Golden Age many years before. People who lived 2500 years ago thought so too! Apparently for China no “Wake up, its the Renaissance!” moment that people in early fifteenth century Florence may have experienced.
Maybe it is on the way though. China is certainly future-oriented today. Party General Secretary Xi Jinping often talks about leading China towards the Great Renaissance of the Chinese Nation
I added some links. Tools used for this translation task include DeepL, ChatGPT, Pleco with its wonderful array of dictionaries, Wikipedia, Baidu, ctext.org and 5000yan.com. For more on translation tools, see my article here Chinese Language Study and Translation Tools .
Duke Ping of Jin Tales
师旷撞琴 (Shi Kuang Smashes the Qin):
“Duke Ping of Jin and his ministers were drinking together. When the wine had made them merry, he sighed and said, ‘There is nothing more joyful than being a ruler! Only the words of a ruler are not to be resisted by anyone!’ The blind musician Shi Kuang was sitting beside them. Upon hearing this, he picked up the qin and struck it towards Duke Ping. Duke Ping hastily raised his clothes and dodged. The qin hit the wall and broke. Duke Ping said, ‘Master, whom were you hitting?’ Shi Kuang deliberately replied, ‘There was a vulgar guy beside you talking nonsense just now, so I was angry and wanted to hit him.’ Duke Ping said, ‘That vulgar guy was me.’ Shi Kuang said, ‘Oh! Such words are not what a ruler should say!’ Later, Duke Ping instructed his subordinates not to clean the marks left by the qin on the wall, to serve as a warning to himself.”
炳烛而学 (Learning is Like Lighting a Torch):
“Duke Ping of Jin said to Shi Kuang, ‘I am already seventy years old. Is it too late for me to learn?’ Shi Kuang said, ‘Then why not quickly light a torch?’ Duke Ping angrily said, ‘How can a subject jest with his king?’ Shi Kuang earnestly said to him, ‘How could a blind subject dare to jest with his king? I have heard: “In youth, learning is like the sun rising; in adulthood, like the sun at noon; in old age, like lighting a torch. Which is better, the light of the torch or walking in darkness?”‘ After hearing this, Duke Ping praised Shi Kuang for speaking well. This famous anecdote comes from Liu Xiang’s ‘Shuo Yuan,’ but its authenticity is questionable. Duke Ping ruled for 26 years, while his father Duke Dao of Jin passed away at a young age of 28. Based on this inference, Duke Ping should have been around 40 years old when he died.”
杜蒉扬觯 (Du Mi Raises a Goblet):
“Lord Dao had died but not yet been buried. Duke Ping was drinking and enjoying himself. Shi Kuang and Li Diao accompanied and served him, playing the bells (performing music). Du Mi came from outside and heard the sound of the bells. He asked, ‘Where is Duke Ping?’ The servant said, ‘In the bedroom.’ Du Mi went to the bedroom and climbed the steps. Pouring wine, he said, ‘This cup is for Shi Kuang.’ Pouring another, he said, ‘This cup is for Li Diao.’ Pouring again, he sat facing Duke Ping in the north hall and drank. Then he walked down the steps and ran out.
Duke Ping called him back and said, ‘Mi, I thought you might want to enlighten me just now, so I didn’t say anything to you. Why did you punish Shi Kuang with drinking?’ Du Mi said, ‘Musical instruments are not played on Zi or Mao days (it is said that King Jie of Xia died in Anyi County, Shanxi Province, on a Maozi 乙卯 day; King Zhou of Shang died by self-immolation on a Jiazi 甲子 day. Later generations of kings took it as a warning and regarded Zi and Mao days as ‘dangerous days,’ not playing music).
Lord Dao is still lying in the funeral hall. This is much more serious than Zi or Mao days! Shi Kuang is a grand master. He didn’t tell you the truth, so I punished him with drinking.’ ‘Why did you punish Li Diao with drinking?’ Du Mi said, ‘Li Diao is a close attendant of the ruler. For a little drink and a little food, he forgot the ruler’s taboos, so I punished him with drinking.’ ‘Why did you punish yourself with drinking?’ Du Mi said, ‘I, Du Mi, am just a food official. I don’t deal with kitchen affairs, but I dare to intervene in advising the ruler to prevent mistakes, so I punished myself with drinking.’ Duke Ping said, ‘I have faults too. Pour me some wine.’ Du Mi cleaned the cup and then raised it high. Duke Ping said to his attendants, ‘If I die, don’t discard this cup.’ Until today, after drinking, people raise their cups high, called ‘Du Raises.'”
[Notes: from Baidu: Zi and Mao: The ancients considered Zi and Mao days as evil days. Not avoiding unlucky days such as Zi and Mao. Refers to not being superstitious and having no taboos.子、卯：古人认为子日和卯日为恶日。不回避子、卯等不吉利的日子。指不迷信，没有忌讳。From traditional Chinese dating system of the Heavenly/Celestial Stems and Earthly Branches.]
晋平公游于河 (Duke Ping Travels Down the River)
“Duke Ping of Jin was boating on the Yellow River. When the boat reached the middle, he exclaimed, ‘Ah! The mountains and rivers are magnificent, and the scenery is splendid. How wonderful it would be to share this joy with the famous and virtuous people of the world!’ The boatman Gu Sang heard this and said to him, ‘You are mistaken! The sharp sword comes from the Yue region, the bright pearl from the Jianghan region, and the beautiful jade from the Kunshan region. These three treasures can come to you without effort and belong to you. If you truly love talents, then the wise and virtuous will naturally come to your door.’
Duke Ping felt somewhat aggrieved and said, ‘Gu Sang, I have over three thousand guests under my roof. If breakfasts are inadequate, I go to collect rent the night before; if dinner is lacking, I go to demand more grain in the morning. Can it be said that I do not cherish talents?’ Wise Gu Sang saw that he was stubborn, so he made a metaphor: ‘The wild goose breaks through the clouds and fog, soaring straight to the sky, relying on the feathers of its wings. As for the down on its belly and back, whether there is a little more or less, it doesn’t matter, it will not affect its flight. I wonder, are your guests the feathers of wings or the down on the belly and back?’ Duke Ping was speechless and had no response.”
《韩非子·难二》(From “Han Feizi, Difficulties II”)
Duke Ping of Jin asked Shuxiang, saying: “In the past, Duke Huan of Qi united the feudal lords multiple times, leading the world onto the right path. Was it due to the strength of the ministers or the strength of the ruler?” Shuxiang replied, saying: “Guan Zhong was skilled at cutting and dividing, Bixu lacked skill in sewing, and Xipeng was skilled at decorating the edges of clothes. Once the clothes were made, the ruler picked them up and wore them. This is the strength of the ministers, what strength does the ruler have?” Shi Kuang, leaning over his guqin, laughed. Duke Ping of Jin said: “Grand Master, why do you laugh?” Shi Kuang replied, saying: “I laugh at Shuxiang’s response to your question. All those who serve as ministers are like chefs who prepare the five flavors and present them to the ruler. If the ruler does not eat, who dares to force him? Let me give you an analogy: the ruler is like the land, and the ministers are like grass and trees. Only with fertile land can the grass and trees flourish. This is the ruler’s strength; what strength do the ministers have?”
Some say: the responses of Shuxiang and Shi Kuang are both one-sided arguments. Leading the world onto the right path and uniting the feudal lords multiple times, such great achievements, are not solely due to he strength of the ruler or the ministers. In the past, Gong Zhiqi was in Yu and Xi Fuji was in Cao State. These two ministers were very wise; their words were in line with reality, and their actions were beneficial. However, both Yu and Cao perished. Why? It’s because they had good ministers but not good rulers. Moreover, Jian Shu was in Yu, and Yu perished, but in Qin became the hegemon. This is not because Jian Shu was foolish in Yu and wise in Qin, but it depends on whether there was a good ruler or not Shuxiang saying “the strength of the ministers” is not like that.
In the past, the palace of Duke Huan of Qi had two markets, the two hundred women in residence in the women’s village with whom played as his wives and concubines. After getting the minister Guan Zhong, he became the top hegemonic ruler among the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. After losing Guan Zhong and getting Shu Diao as his new minister his life was not safe. After death, maggots crawled from his house, and he was not buried for three months. If it is considered not the strength of the ministers, then it cannot be said that he became hegemon because of Guan Zhong. If it is considered the strength of the ruler, then it cannot be said that turmoil arose because of Shu Diao. In the past, Duke Wen of Jin was infatuated with the Qi woman Jiang Shi and did not want to return to Jin. Jiu Fang made every effort to advise him, finally persuading him to return to Jin. Therefore, Duke Huan of Qi united the feudal lords because of Guan Zhong, Duke Wen of Jin achieved hegemony because of Jiu Fang, and Shi Kuang saying “the strength of the ruler” is not true either. All the Five Hegemons were able to succeed and gain fame in the world because both the ruler and the ministers exerted their efforts. So it is said: the responses of Shuxiang and Shi Kuang are both one-sided arguments.
师旷撞琴
晋平公和臣子们在一起喝酒。酒喝得正高兴时，他叹了一口气说：“没有什么事比做君王更快乐的了！只有君王讲的话没人敢反抗！”盲人乐师师旷正在旁边陪坐，听了这话，便拿起琴朝他敲去。晋平公连忙提起衣服躲开。琴在墙壁上敲坏了。晋平公说：“大师， 您敲谁呀？”师旷故意答道：“刚才有个小人在您旁边胡说八道，因此我气得要敲他。”晋平公说：“说话的是寡人呀。”师旷说：“哎呀！这不是为人君王的人应该说的话啊！”后来，晋平公要求手下不要清理掉墙上琴敲过的痕迹，以便给自己留下个警戒。[3]
炳烛而学
晋平公对师旷说：“我已经是七十岁的人了，想要学习，恐怕太晚了吧？” 师旷说：“那为什么不赶快把火把点起来？”晋平公生气地说：“哪有做臣子的戏弄他的君王的呢？”师旷就认真地对他说：“瞎眼的臣子怎么敢戏弄他的君王啊！我听说：‘少年的时候好学，就如同日出时的阳光；壮年的时候好学，就如同太阳在中午时的光明；老年的时候好学，就如同点亮火把的光亮。’点亮了火把的光亮，和黑暗中行走哪个更好呢？” 晋平公听后，称赞师旷讲得很好。这一著名典故出自西汉刘向的《说苑》，但真实性存疑。晋平公在位26年，而其父晋悼公28岁英年早逝。据此推断，晋平公去世时应该只有40岁左右。
杜蒉扬觯
知悼子死了，还没有下葬。平公饮酒作乐，师旷、李调陪伴侍奉，敲击编钟（演奏乐曲）。杜蒉从外面来，听到编钟声，说：“平公在哪？”仆人说：“在寝宫。”杜蒉前往寝宫，拾阶而上。斟酒道：“师旷干了这杯。”又斟酒道：“李调干了这杯。”又斟酒，在大厅的北面面对平公坐下干了酒。走下台阶，跑着出去。 平公喊他进来，说：“蒉，刚才我心想你可能要开导我，因此不跟你说话。你罚师旷喝酒，是为什么啊？”杜蒉说：“子日和卯日不演奏乐曲（据说夏朝的桀王逃亡在山西安邑县于乙卯日死亡；商朝的纣王在甲子日自焚死亡。后代君王引以为戒，以子卯日为‘疾日’，不演奏乐曲）。知悼子还在堂上停灵，这事与子卯日相比大多了！师旷，是太师啊。他不告诉您道理，因此罚他喝酒啊。”“你罚李调喝酒，又是为什么呢？”杜蒉说：“李调，是君主身边的近臣。为了一点喝的一点吃食忘记了君主的忌讳，因此罚他喝酒啊。”“你自己罚自己喝酒，又是为什么呢？”杜蒉说：“我杜蒉，膳食官而已，不去管刀勺的事务，却敢干预对君主讲道理防范错误的事，因此罚自己喝酒。”平公说：“我也有过错啊。斟酒来罚我。”杜蒉洗干净然后高高举起酒杯。平公对侍从们说：“如果我死了，千万不要丢弃这酒杯啊。”直到今天，人们敬完酒后，都要高举酒杯，叫作“杜举”。[4]
晋平公游于河
晋平公泛舟黄河，船至中流，他感慨地说：“啊！山川雄伟，景色壮丽，要是能够和天下的名人贤士共享此乐，该有多好啊！”船公固桑听了对他说：“您说错了！利剑产于越地，明珠出自江汉，美玉生在昆山，这三件珍宝都能无足而至，归您所有。如果您真的爱好人才的话，那么贤士名人自然都会投到您的门下。”平公很有些忿忿不平，说：“固桑啊，我门下现有食客三千多人，早饭不够，我晚上就去收租，晚饭不足，我清晨就去催粮。难道能说我不爱惜人才吗？”聪明的固桑看到他执迷不悟，打了个比喻：“大雁穿云破雾，直上九天，靠的是双翼的羽茎。至于腹背的绒毛，多一把或少一把，都无关紧要，不会影响它的飞翔。不知您的食客是双翼的羽茎呢，还是腹背的绒毛呢？”平公语塞，无言以对。[5
《韩非子·难二》晋平公问叔向曰：“昔者齐桓公九合诸侯，一匡天下，不识臣之力也？君之力也”叔向对曰：“管仲善制割，宾胥无善削缝，隰朋善纯缘，衣成，君举而服之。亦臣之力也，君何力之有？”师旷伏琴而笑之。公曰：“太师奚笑也？”师旷对曰：“臣笑叔向之对君也。凡为人臣者，犹炮宰和五味而进之君。君弗食，孰敢强之也？臣请譬之：君者，壤地也；臣者，草木也。必壤地美，然后草木硕大。亦君之力，臣何力之有？” ——或曰：叔向、师旷之对，皆偏辞也。夫一匡天下，九合诸侯，美之大者也，非专君之力也，又非专臣之力也。昔者宫之奇在虞，僖负羁在曹，二臣之智，言中事，发中功，虞、曹俱亡者，何也？此有其臣而无其君者也。且蹇叔处干而干亡，处秦而秦霸，非蹇叔愚于干而智于秦也，此有君与无君也。向曰“臣之力也，”不然矣。昔者桓公宫中二市，妇闾二百，被发而御妇人。得管仲，为五伯长，失管仲、得竖刁而身死，虫流出户不葬。以为非臣之力也，且不以管仲为霸；以为君之力也，且不以竖刁为乱。昔者晋文公慕于齐女而亡归，咎犯极谏，故使反晋国。故桓公以管仲合，文公以舅犯霸，而师旷曰“君之力也，”又不然矣。凡五霸所以能成功名于天下者，必君臣俱有力焉。故曰：叔向、师旷之对，皆偏辞也。
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