Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) WANG YOUPU'S ...

Primary Source Documentwith Questions (DBQs)W A N G Y O U P U ' S S A C R E D E D I C T L E C T U R E : " E X H O R T A T I O N S O NC E R E M O N Y A N D D E F E R E N C E "IntroductionDuring the Qing dynasty the Kangxi emperor issued a "Sacred Edict" with moral exhortations for his subjects, theChinese population. Local officials in every county were instructed to stage public lectures two times every month toreinforce the message of the Sacred Edict. Below is the transcript of one such public lecture given by Wang Youpu, alocal salt commissioner who lived in the 1700s.Document Exce rpts with Que stions (Longe r sele ction follows this section)From Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, edited by Patricia Buckley Ebrey, 2nd ed. (New York: The Free Press, 1993), 298-299.© 1993 The Free Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.ExcerptsfromWangYoupuʹsSacredEdictLecture:ʺExhortationsonCeremonyandDeferenceʺ WereInowtospeakofthedetailsofritualsandceremonies,yousoldiersandcommonpeopleprobablywouldhavedifficultylearningthembecausetheyaresonumerous.Butyouallpossessthebasicelementsofceremonialbehavior.Forexample,youknowthatthereshouldbefilial piety towards parents, honor and respect for superiors, harmony between husband andwife,affectionamongbrothers,honestyamongfriends,andmutualresponsibilityamongthoseof the same lineage. This proves that internally you already possess the basic elements ofceremony and deference. Why then make a fuss about the externals? If you could really, indealingwithothers,beextremelycooperative,inconductingyourselvesbeextremelyobliging,inthefamilyexpresstheaffectionappropriatebetweenparentsandchildren,elderandyoungerbrothers, in your villages maintain accord between the old and the young, the great and thesmall, then those habits of struggling over minor differences and getting into noisy disputeswould be reformed and the tendency toward indulgent and degenerate conduct would berestrained.… Let all of you — scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants, and soldiers — take care inpracticingceremonialdeference.Ifoneplacebecomesgood,thenmanyplaceswillbecomeso,andfinallytheentirerealmwillbeinexcellentharmony.Wonʹtwethenhaveaworldinperfectconcord?Inanancientbookitsays,ʺThehumblegain;theself‐satisfiedlose.ʺThesetwophrasesare exceptionally apt.How dothe humble gain? Humility consists of modesty and mildness.

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) onW A N G Y O U P U ' S S A C R E D E D I C T L E C T U R E :" E X H O R T A T I O N S O N C E R E M O N Y A N D D E F E R E N C E "Menofthepresentdaycanʹtperceivetheirownfaultsatall.Thereforetheyperpetuallyquarrel,notrealizingthatstrifeistheroadtothedestructionoftheirfamiliesandtheirpersonalruin.Inevery affair, great or small, retreat a step and you will certainly gain the advantage. Forexample,supposeamancursesme,andIletpassacoupleofphrases.Ifheisagoodmanhewillnaturallyfeelsorry.Ifheisabadman,onseeingthathiscurseshavenoeffect,hewillgiveup.Wouldnʹtthispreventalotoftrouble?Doyouthinkthatbyhiscursingmehewillrisetogreaterglory,orthatIbybearingwithhimwillfallintodisgrace?IfIdefertohiminthisway,peoplewilljustpraisehowgoodIamandwillallwanttojoinme,perhapsconfidingtomethesecretsoftheirheartsorentrustingtometheirmoney.Ifheissooverbearing,peoplewillallhate and avoid him. If he runs into trouble, who will pay attention to him? Havenʹt I thengainedtheadvantage?…Ifyouareabletogetalongwithothers,thosewhoarerudewillimitateyouandlearntogetalong.Ifyouareabletomanagebusinessfairly,thosewhoaredishonestwilllearntobefairbyfollowing you. When one person takes the lead, all the rest will follow. When one familyfollows,thenthewholevillagewilldothesame.Fromneartofar,everywherepeoplewillbegood.Atfirstitwilltakeeffort,butconstantpracticewillmakeiteasy.Menwillbecomehonestand popular customs pure and considerate. Only this would constitute full adoption of themeaningofEmperorShizongʹsrepeatedinstructionstoyou.Questions:1. What type of behavior is the speaker promoting in this lecture?2. Does the speaker believe it is easy for people to learn to be civil to oneanother?3. What assumption does he make about human nature in the examples hegives? Do you agree or disagree with these assumptions?4. After the People’s Republic of China was formed by the Communist Party in1949, public assemblies at the local level were frequent. When you studythis period, compare and contrast these sessions with the one here. Is thecontext the same? The purpose?Longe r Se le ctionFrom Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, edited by Patricia Buckley Ebrey, 2nd ed. (New York: The Free Press, 1993), 298-299.© 1993 The Free Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.WangYoupuʹsSacredEdictLecture:ʺExhortationsonCeremonyandDeferenceʺ HisMajestyʹsmeaningisasfollows:Asia for E duca tors l Columbia University l http ://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 2 of 7

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) onW A N G Y O U P U ' S S A C R E D E D I C T L E C T U R E :" E X H O R T A T I O N S O N C E R E M O N Y A N D D E F E R E N C E "Intheempiretherearewhatarecalledpopularcustoms(fengsu).Whatarefengandsu?AHandynastyscholarsaidthattheheartsofallthecommonpeopleintheworldcontainfeelingsofbenevolence, justice, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity. But people in the North are generallyhardy, those in the South generally delicate. Where peopleʹs temperaments are fast‐paced,businessisexecutedpromptly;wheretheyareslow,workisperformedmoreleisurely.Peopleofoneplacedonotunderstandthedialectofthoseintheother.Allthisproceedsfromthefactthattheclimate(fengqi)isdifferentineveryplaceandmenfeelacertaininfluencefromit.Thisisthereasonforthewordfeng.Further,whatpeopleherelike,peopletherehate.Onoccasionswhenoneisactivetheotherisatrest.Thereisnofixedmode;everybodyactsaccordingtothecommonpractices(su)ofhislocality.Thisisthereasonforthewordsu.Popularcustomsvarygreatly:insomeplacespeoplearekindly,inothers,reserved;insome places they are extravagant and pompous, in others frugal and simple. Because thecustoms of every place differed, the ancient sages created ceremonial practices in order tostandardizeconduct.Thesage[Confucius]saidthattosecuretheeaseofsuperiorsandbringordertothepeople,nothingisbetterthanceremony(li).Thissentenceteachesusthatceremonyis extremely important. Were Heaven and earth to depart from the forms of ceremony, theywouldnolongerbeHeavenandearth.Werethemyriadcreaturestodepartfromceremonialforms,theywouldnolongerexist.Theformsofceremonyarevastanditsusesaremanifold.Werereasonandvirtue,benevolenceandjusticetodepartfromceremony,theycouldnolongerbetruereasonandvirtue,benevolenceandjustice.Werethehonorableandthemean,thenobleandbase,todepartfromceremony,onecouldnolongerdistinguishbetweenthem.Weretheritualsformanhood,marriage,mourning,andancestorworshiptodepartfromceremony,onecouldnotconductthoserituals.Infact,ifEmperorShizong,inofferingsacrificestoHeavenortothetempleofhisancestors,oringivingprivatefeasts,weretodepartfromceremony,thosethingscouldnotbeperformed.Inaword,ceremonyistherootofallcustoms.Butwhenyoupracticeceremonialbehavior,thereshouldbenoawkwardstiffness;allshouldbenaturalandeasy.Theessenceofceremonyiscontainedinthewordʺdeference.ʺThesage said thatas long as ceremony anddeference were used, there would be no difficulty inruling the empire. If these two words, ceremony and deference, are sufficient to regulate thevast concerns of an empire, shouldnʹt it be even easier to regulate an individual or a familythroughthem?Thesagealsosaidarulerwhowantsthecommonpeoplenottofightmustfirstsetanexample forthemof ceremonialbehavioranddeference.Thusitmaybeseenthatthisword,deference,isalsotherootofthepracticeofceremony.WereInowtospeakofthedetailsofritualsandceremonies,yousoldiersandcommonpeopleprobablywouldhavedifficultylearningthembecausetheyaresonumerous.Butyouallpossessthebasicelementsofceremonialbehavior.Forexample,youknowthatthereshouldbeAsia for E duca tors l Columbia University l http ://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 3 of 7

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) onW A N G Y O U P U ' S S A C R E D E D I C T L E C T U R E :" E X H O R T A T I O N S O N C E R E M O N Y A N D D E F E R E N C E "filial piety towards parents, honor and respect for superiors, harmony between husband andwife,affectionamongbrothers,honestyamongfriends,andmutualresponsibilityamongthoseof the same lineage. This proves that internally you already possess the basic elements ofceremony and deference. Why then make a fuss about the externals? If you could really, indealingwithothers,beextremelycooperative,inconductingyourselvesbeextremelyobliging,inthefamilyexpresstheaffectionappropriatebetweenparentsandchildren,elderandyoungerbrothers, in your villages maintain accord between the old and the young, the great and thesmall, then those habits of struggling over minor differences and getting into noisy disputeswould be reformed and the tendency toward indulgent and degenerate conduct would berestrained.IfIhadnodesirewhichmightinduceyoutocompeteormetosteal;ifIneverallowedmomentaryangertogetmeintoafight;ifIneverheldyouincontemptbecauseyouarepoorandIamrich;ifyoudidnʹttrytohurtmebecauseyouarestrongandIamweak;ifeverybodybecamekind,withoutanysignofpettiness;thenthiswouldbetrueceremonyanddeference,andinthefullestsensetherewouldbehonorandjustice.Thougheveryoneknowshowtotalkofceremonyanddeference,theydonotallpracticeit. Why donʹt they practice it? Because at present they only know how to use the rules ofceremonytoreproveothers,nothowtousethemtocorrectthemselves.Forexample,ifwearequarreling,youʹllsayIʹmimpoliteandIʹllsayyouare.Onewillsay,ʺWhydonʹtyouyieldtome?ʺAndtheotherwillreply,ʺYouhavenʹtyetyieldedtome.WhyshouldIyieldtoyou?ʺAtlengththeanimositiesbecomesocomplexthattheycannotbedisentangled.Whatgainisthereinthat?Youshouldthinkalittleandsay,ʺAlthoughheiswithoutpropermanners,wherearemymanners?Althoughhehasnʹtyieldedtome,inthebeginningwhydidnʹtIyieldtohim?ʺIfbothpartieswouldadmitpartoftheblame,wouldnʹtnumerousdisputesbeavoided?Itisjustthatpeoplelovetoquarrelandwillnotgiveintoothers.Forinstance,ascholarwhohasaroughideaofhowtocomposeafewversesofvariouskindsofpoetryregardshimselfastheliteraryprodigyofthedayanddisdainstocastaneyeonothers.Butifherealizedthatthesubjectsofstudyareinexhaustibleandthattheempirepossessesanabundanceoflearnedmen,he would say, ʺThe books I have read are only a fraction of what men have written and mycompositionsdonʹtamounttoevenaspotofbrightnessamongthewholelot.ʺAutomaticallyhewould be modest and defer to others. He who really acts with modesty and deference is avirtuousandworthyscholar.Farmers are also in the habit of quarreling about their fields. I say that you haveencroachedonthedikealittle;yousaythatIhaveploughedafurrowtoomany.Perhapssomeanimal, an ox or a sheep, has trodden down the grain, and this gives rise to a quarrel. Orperhapsonepersondamsupthewatertillitoverflowshisownfields,notlettingitpassbyandirrigatethoseofhisneighbor,andthisleadstoastruggle.Craftsmenarealsoquicktogetintoviolentquarrels.YouwanttokeepmedownandIwanttokeepyoudown;ItrytoturnyourAsia for E duca tors l Columbia University l http ://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 4 of 7

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) onW A N G Y O U P U ' S S A C R E D E D I C T L E C T U R E :" E X H O R T A T I O N S O N C E R E M O N Y A N D D E F E R E N C E "employer against you and you try to turn mine away from me. We each care for our ownprosperityonly,withnoregardtowhethertheotherlivesordies.Merchants and shop owners are even worse. When you see me earning money, youbecomejealous;whenIseeyoumakingaprofit,myeyesturnredwithenvy.Whenaparticularkindoftradeisprofitable,youwanttoengageinit,andsodoI.Whentradingconditionsaregoodinacertainplace,youwillconcealitfromeveryoneelseandsecretlyhurrythereyourself.Knowingthatacertainkindofgoodsislosingvalue,amerchantwilltrickpeopleintotakingthemoffhishandsandafterwardsgoandinsistongettingthepayment.Thereareotherswho,beginningtradewithemptyhands,borrowmoneyathighratesbutarealongtimeinrepayingtheirbills.ThisiswhatiscalledʺYou seekhigh[interest]whileI seekdelay[in repayment].ʺOthersgetintodisputesaboutthescalesusedorthequalityofcoins.Therearesomanysourcesofdisputesthatiswouldbeanendlesstasktomentionallofthem.Tosumitup,peoplewillnotyieldtoeachotheronanything;ifonlytheywouldyield,theywouldallbecomehonestandgenerousmen.Astoyousoldierslivingincamp,youcan’tavoidhavingroughandcrudepersonalities.Atworkandatrestyouuseyourswordsandstaffsandengageincombat.Everybodysaysthatsoldiers, because of their very nature, do not understand ceremony. Therefore, from now onyou must try to understand the principle of yielding and ceremony. In your village try yourbesttoshowdeferencetoothersandtotempertheroughnessofyourpersonalities. Let all of you — scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants, and soldiers — take care inpracticingceremonialdeference.Ifoneplacebecomesgood,thenmanyplaceswillbecomeso,andfinallytheentirerealmwillbeinexcellentharmony.Wonʹtwethenhaveaworldinperfectconcord?Inanancientbookitsays,ʺThehumblegain;theself‐satisfiedlose.ʺThesetwophrasesare exceptionally apt.How dothe humble gain? Humility consists of modesty and mildness.Menofthepresentdaycanʹtperceivetheirownfaultsatall.Thereforetheyperpetuallyquarrel,notrealizingthatstrifeistheroadtothedestructionoftheirfamiliesandtheirpersonalruin.Ineveryaffair,greatorsmallretreatastepandyouwillcertainlygaintheadvantage.Forexample,suppose a man curses me, and I let pass a couple of phrases. If he is a good man he willnaturallyfeelsorry.Ifheisabadman,onseeingthathiscurseshavenoeffect,hewillgiveup.Wouldn’t this prevent a lot of trouble? Do you think that by his cursing me he will rise togreaterglory,orthatIbybearingwithhimwillfallintodisgrace?IfIdefertohiminthisway,peoplewilljustpraisehowgoodIamandwillallwanttojoinme,perhapsconfidingtomethesecretsoftheirheartsorentrustingtometheirmoney.Ifheissooverbearing,peoplewillallhate and avoid him. If he runs into trouble, who will pay attention to him? Havenʹt I thengainedtheadvantage?Asia for E duca tors l Columbia University l http ://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 5 of 7

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) onW A N G Y O U P U ' S S A C R E D E D I C T L E C T U R E :" E X H O R T A T I O N S O N C E R E M O N Y A N D D E F E R E N C E "Among the ancients there was a man named Lou Shide. He once asked his brother,ʺSupposethatsomeonespitinyourface.Howwouldyoureacttohim?ʺWhenhisbrothersaidhe would just wipe it off, Lou Shide said, ʺIf you wipe it off, the man will hold you in evengreatercontempt.Justacceptitwithasmileandwaituntilitdriesofitsownaccord.ʺJustthink,meekLouShideafterwardsrosetobecomeprimeminister.Isnʹtthisevidencethatʺthehumblegainʺ?Howdotheself‐satisfiedlose?Self‐satisfactionoccurswhenapersonisimpressedwithhisownimportance.Itdoesnotreferonlytopropertyownersandofficialswhorelyontheirmoneyandinfluencetodeceiveandhumiliateothersandthusinvitedisaster.Italsoreferstoyoungmenwhocalltheireldersʺoldfogiesʺandeveniftheyarepoororfeebledonotaddresstheminarespectfulmanner;italsoreferstoyoungmenwhotelllocalofficialsandgentry,ʺWewill not cringe before you,ʺ and arrogantly try to gain the upper hand. This emotion of selfsatisfactionwill inevitably lead a man to exceed what is appropriate to his station. He willundertakedaringacts,bringingoncalamity.Thisshowshowʺtheself‐satisfiedlose.ʺThe principles taught by these two sentences may be compared to an earthen vessel.Whenthevesselisempty(=modest)itcanstillgain.Ifitisfull(=self‐satisfied),youcannotputmorethingsintoit,andifyouforcethemyoumayoverturnthevesselorbreakitintopieces.Fromthiscanbeseenhowthehumblegainandtheself‐satisfiedlose.Theseprinciplesmayalsobecomparedtoamanwhohassomechronicdisorders.Knowingthathisbodyisweak,hewillbe careful in all matters, not daring to eat much food or indulge in wine or women.Consequentlyhemayenjoyalonglife.Themanwhodoesnʹthavetheslightesthealthproblem,bycontrast,willdependonhisstrengthandvigor.Hewilleatandthengorighttosleep,takeoffhisclothesindraftyplaces,andshownoteventheleastmoderationinregardtowineandwomen.Thenonedayhegetsanincurableillness.Arenʹttheseaccurateexamplesofhowthehumble(=cautious)gainandtheself‐satisfiedlose?Formerly there was a Mr. Wang Yanfang who was exceptionally ready to defer toothers. Once a cattle thief, when captured, said, ʺI will willinglyreceive my punishment, butplease donʹt inform Wang Yanfang.ʺ When Wang heard of this, he sent someone to give thethiefapieceofclothandpersuadehimtobecomegood.Fromthisincidentthethiefbecamesoreformedthatwhenhesawsomeonedrophisswordintheroadhestoodguardingittilltheowner came back to get it. In antiquity there also was a Mr. Guan Youan who was equallydeferential.Whenanoxbelongingtoanotherfamilycameandatetheyoungshootsofhisfield,hewasnotatallangry,buttooktheox,tiedhimtoatree,andbroughthimgrasstoeat.Becausehe was so accommodating and humble, all the people of his village reformed. In a time ofrebellion,thebanditsdidnʹtbotherhim,andthosewhohadfledfromdangercametohimforprotection.Justthinkofit:whenonemanknowshowtoyield,awholedistrictcanbereformed,and even bandits can be influenced. Arenʹt ceremonial behavior and deference then realtreasures?Asia for E duca tors l Columbia University l http ://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 6 of 7

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) onW A N G Y O U P U ' S S A C R E D E D I C T L E C T U R E :" E X H O R T A T I O N S O N C E R E M O N Y A N D D E F E R E N C E "Furthermore, if you compete over things, you donʹt get any more for it; if you yield,neitherdoyouhaveanyless.Theancientssaiditverywell:ʺApersonwhoalwaysmakeswayforothersontheroadwonʹtwasteonehundredstepsinhiswholelife.Hewhoalwaysgivesinonquestionsofboundarieswonʹtloseevenasinglesectionoverthecourseofhislife.ʺHenceitcanbeseenthatyieldingandceremonybringgainandneverhumiliation.Thenwhynotyield?Emperor Shizong hopes that you all will listen to the instructions of the former EmperorShengzuandexamineyourselvesbythem.Ifyouareabletogetalongwithothers,thosewhoarerudewillimitateyouandlearntogetalong.Ifyouareabletomanagebusinessfairly,thosewhoaredishonestwilllearntobefairby following you. When one person takes the lead, all the rest will follow. When one familyfollows,thenthewholevillagewilldothesame.Fromneartofar,everywherepeoplewillbegood.Atfirstitwilltakeeffort,butconstantpracticewillmakeiteasy.Menwillbecomehonestand popular customs pure and considerate. Only this would constitute full adoption of themeaningofEmperorShizongʹsrepeatedinstructionstoyou.Asia for E duca tors l Columbia University l http ://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 7 of 7