36 THE OPERATIONS AND MANIFESTATIONS 



(53) Strict justice and loyalty. — Duke Ching addressing 

 T'ai P'u asked him what his teaching could accomplish. 

 And the reply was "It can shake the Earth." An Tzu went 

 to interview the duke and the duke said to him, "T'ai P'u 

 told me his teaching could shake the Earth. Now how can 

 he shake the earth?" An Tzu was silent and made no 

 reply. He went out and spoke to T'ai P'u saying, "I saw 

 formerly the planet Kou in the region of Fang Hsin (g *0).. 

 Did it shake the earth ? " T' ai P' u replied, ' ' Naturally it did. ' ' 

 An Tzu returned and told the Duke, that P'u didn't mean to 

 say that he could shake earth, but that the earth was about 

 to shake from natural causes. Tien Tzu Yang hearing this 

 said, "The perplexing silence of An Tzu arose from his desire 

 to shield T'ai P'u from death." His interview with T'ai P'u 

 showed his desire to know the truth, fearing lest the king 

 should have deceived him in what he had said. It may be 

 truly said that An Tzu acted loyally to his superior and 

 thought fully towards those under him. As Lao Tzu says : 



TO BE JUSTLY STRICT WITHOUT INJURING 

 OTHERS IS THE RIGHT WAY. 



(54) A mistaken judgment, — Wei Wen Hou at a feast 

 he gave to his ministers at Yang Ch'u (Tai Yuan) being 

 somewhat under the influence of liquor, sighed deeply, as 

 he said, "I alone have no minister like to Yu Jang." 

 Ch'un Chung poured out a large cupful of liquor and held 

 it up to the king saying, "May it please you to drink up 

 this 'as a fine.' "Why so," replied the king. "Your 

 servant has heard it said, that the carrying out of the 

 requests of parents is not thought of as filial piety. A just 

 prince does not think of the loyalty of ministers who carry 

 out their duties." 



These are natural and not exceptional merits 



Now what kind of man was Yu Jang's king? He was 

 a bad prince. 



Wen Hou drank the cup at one gulp, saying: "The' 

 deed of Yu Jang arose from the lack of loyal ministers of the 



W T ho assassinated the murderer of his prince 

 type of Kuan Chung and Pao Hsu." Hence Lao Tzu says : 



THE ANARCHY OF A NATION 

 REVEALS LOYAL MINISTERS. 



(55) Do not be puffed up by knowledge. — When Con- 

 fucius was viewing the fane of Duke Huan, in which was a 

 vessel called Y 7 u Chih — or the leaning tube — he exclaimed, 

 "how splendid that we have seen this vessel." Turning to 

 his disciples, he said, "Boys bring some water." When the 

 vessel was half filled it stood : but when the water reached 



