8 THE OPERATIONS AND MANIFESTATIONS 



Duke Pei failed to adopt this advice (of Confucius) and 

 died at Yu Shih. Lao Tzu says : 



WORDS HAVE A SIGNIFICANCE 

 AFFAIRS HAVE A FOUNDATION 



There is a phrase that fits the case of Duke Pei exactly : * 

 "The man without understanding fails to understand my 

 words." 



Duke Pei was son of Tai Tzu Chien, and grandson of Ping 

 Wang of Ts'u. Tai Tzu Chien was slain by Ping Wang, his 

 father — and the grandson meditated the avengement of his 

 father's death. Hence the reason for his dark and obscure 

 parables in questioning Confucius. 



Pei Lo Tien, the Tang poet has a little poem in criticism 

 of Lao Tzu, reminding us of some contradictions in Carlyle, 

 who preached in favour of silence in forty volumes. Pei's 

 words are : — 



"Who speaks much little knowledge has indeed 

 The wise is silent, Thus is Lao Chun's creed. 

 If Lao Chun ranks among the men who know 

 Why does he make five thousand words to flow" 



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(2) Theoretical laws are useless. — Hui Tzu created a 



system of laws for King Hui for the government of the 



Kingdom. When completed these were shown to all the 



scholars, who without exception praised them. They were 



then presented to King Hui, who was very pleased with 



them, and showed them to Tse Chien, who said they were 



good. King Hui said, "Since they are good they should be 



put into operation." But on (Tse) Chai Chien objecting to 



the suggestion, the King wanted to- know his reason. Chai 



Chien replied that when men carried a heavy log of wood 



they Ha'd and Ho'd, those behind responding to those 



before. This is the song they have for carrying heavy loads. 



They do not use the more classic songs of Cheng and "Wei 



with their high plaintive notes, simply because such are not 



so fitting to the work. The rites for governing a country do 



not consist of written enactments. Too much law is not 



good. This is as Lao Tzu says : 



WHEN LAWS AND COMMANDS APPEAR IN PROFUSION 

 BANDITS AND THIEVES ALSO ABOUND 



(3) The ruler must be guided by First Principles. — The 

 art of education is to teach "How to see." — T'ien Pien was 

 expounding certain principles of the Tao to the King of Ch'i, 

 and the King in replying said, "What I am faced with 

 are the practical policies of the Kingdom of Ch'i; these 



