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Lüshi chunqiu 呂氏春秋 "Spring and Autumn of Master Lü"

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The chancellor of the pre-imperial state of Qin 秦, Lü Buwei 呂不韋 (d. 235), was not only a man of inferior origin (he has been a merchant) that raised to the highest post in the mightiest state of its time, but was also a patron of scholarship and wandering philosophs that assembled at his court and laid down their thinkings and theories in a compendium, completed 239 BC. The first chapters contain thought of Correlative Thinking that describes the influence of Yin and Yang and the Five Phases or Elements (wuxing 五行) on nature and the human world, arranged in the order of the four seasons (giving the book its name). The everchanging Five Elements do not only influence nature and nature-close work like agriculture, but also affect the government. Every being is destinated to have an end, even every dynasty. Heaven announces the coming end by special omina like earthquake, thunderbold, flood and the appearance of fabulous beings. Begin and termination are in an unchanging flux. Every dynasty identifies itself with one of the five elements (earth 土, wood 木, metal 金, fire 火, water 水) and five corresponding colors (yellow, green, white, red, black). Every season of the year corresponds with a cardinal direction, and so on. The south side of a hill or north bank of a river is correlated to the yang 陽 energy (warmth, growth, pleasure,... ), the north side of a hill with the opposite energy of yin 陰 (cold, mourning, dieing...). To find out the right time for sowing, harvesting, birth and punishments, and to rocognize the will of Heaven, astronomy should be an integral matter for every ruler. The five vapours of the cosm even have influence upon the vessels of the body and its secretes. The most famous proponent of the School of Correlative Thought was Zou Yan 鄒衍 whose writings are not preserved. Correlative was prevalent during the Han Dynasty 漢, the forming age of Chinese philosophy and state idelology, and its theories deeply influenced Chinese medicine.
1.孟春紀 1.1.孟春紀
一曰:孟春之月,日在營室,昏參中,旦尾中。其日甲乙。其帝太,其神句芒。 其虫鱗。其音角。律中太蔟。其數八。其味酸。其臭膻。其祀戶。祭先脾。 東風解凍,蟄蟲始振,魚上冰,獺祭魚,候雁北。天子居青陽左個,乘鸞輅, 駕蒼龍,載青旂,衣青衣,服青玉,食麥與羊。其器疏以達。
The first month of spring
The first chapter sais: During the first month of the spring, the sun stays in the constellation ying (Pegasus), in the evening, the constellation can (Orion) appears in southern midheaven, and in the morning, the constellation wei (Scorpio) appears in southern midheaven. Its first day has the cyclical combination jiazi, its main emperor is Taihao, its assistant spirit is Goumang. The animals of this month bear scales on their body. The corresponding sound is jiao, and the temperation of the pipes corresponds to the tone taicu. Its corresponding number is eight, the corresponding flavour is sour, the corresponding smell is animal odour. The kind of religious offering is the house offering, the first sacrified piece is the spleen. The eastwinds melts the ice, and the animals again begin to move around, the fishes jump over the ice, the otters catch fish and put them offering of the river banks, and the geese start to migrate to the north. The son of Heaven moves to the apartments going to the green side (east), he rides a chariot decorated with green phoenixes and bells, he steers a bluegreen dragon (horse) team, his chariot shows the green banner. He is clothed in green clothes, he is adorned with green jade. He eats grain and lamb, the pattern of his bowls is wide and reaching everywhere.
是月也,天氣下降,地氣上騰,天地和同,草木繁動。王布農事:命田舍東郊, 皆修封疆,審端徑術,善相丘陵阪險原隰,上地所宜,五穀所殖,以教道民, 必躬親之。田事既敕,先定準直,農乃不惑。
During this month, the breath of Heaven comes down, and the breath of the earth rises. The unite harmoniously that grass and trees can grow abundantly. The king gives order for agriculture: The officials have to stay in the eastern outskirts of the capital, to newly survey the fields, to oversee the making of field boundaries and of paths between the fields, they have to assess the hills, slopes and plains, what land belongs to whom, and what kinds of grain have to be sown there. To teach the people, they have to near to the people. When the proclamation is ended, the first thing to do is to measure the fields and the paths, in order not do disturb peasantry.
是月也,命樂正入學習舞,乃修祭典,命祀山林川澤,犧牲無用牝。禁止伐木, 無覆巢,無殺孩蟲胎夭飛鳥,無麛無卵,無聚大眾,無置城郭,掩骼霾髊。
During this month, the king orders the officials for music to enter the acadamy and to teach the ritual dancing, and to reorder the principles of sacrifices, he orders not to use female sacrificial animals during the offering to the mountains, woods, rivers and swamps. It is not allowed to cut wood, to turn over bird nests, to kill young animals and to catch young deer and birds. It is not allowed to assemble in great masses, it is not allowed to build town walls; bones have to be earthed, skeletons have to be covered.
是月也,不可以稱兵,稱兵必有天殃。兵戎不起,不可以從我始。無變天之道,無絕地之理, 無亂人之紀。
During this month, it is not allowed to recruit soldiers. Making war would affect damage to Heaven. Not raising the weapons, means not to start with a war of aggression. The way of Heaven should not be alteres, the order of the Earth should not be dissolved, and the bounds of man should not be disordered.
孟春行夏令,則風雨不時,草木早槁,國乃有恐。行秋令,則民大疫,疾風暴 雨數至,藜莠蓬蒿并興。行冬令,則水潦為敗,霜雪大摰,首種不入。
If the king should give orders belonging to summer, wind and rain will come untimely, the plants will too early be wittered, what will give damage to the country. If he should give orders belonging to autumn, pestilence will befall people, strong wind and great rain will appear, and the fruits of the field will not be ripe in their time. If he should give orders belonging to winter, cold water will appear as an enemy, frost and show will attack everyone, and the grain will have no ears.

13.有始覽 13.2.應同
凡帝王者之將興也,天必先見祥乎下民。
黃帝之時,天先見大蚓大螻。黃帝曰:「土氣勝。」故其色尚黃,其事則土。
乃禹之時,天先見草木秋終不殺。禹曰:「木氣勝。」故其色尚青,其事則木。
乃湯之時,天先見金刃生於水。湯曰:「金氣勝。」故其色尚白,其事則金。
乃文王之時,天先見火,赤烏銜丹書集於周社。文王曰:「火氣勝。」故其色尚赤,其事則火。
代火者必將水,天且先見水氣勝,故其色尚黑,其事則水。水氣至不知,數備,將徙於土。天為者時,而不助農於下。
There is a begin: Answering commonly
If a new ruler is up to found a new dynasty, heaven will show his will to the lower people. During the time of the Yellow Emperor, Heaven let appear worms and dragons. The Yellow Emperor said: "The breath of Soil is winning over." Therefore his colour was yellow, and his token was Earth. During the time of Yu (founder of Xia dynasty), Heaven let appear green grass that did not vanish at the end of autumn. Yu said: "The breath of Wood is winning over." Therefore his colour was green, and his token was Wood. During the time of Tang (founder of Shang dynasty), Heaven let appear a metal blade that did not decay in water. Tang said: "The breath of Metal is winning over." Therefore his color was white, and his token was Metal. During the time of king Wen (founder of Zhou dynasty), Heaven let appear fire and red crows with cinnabar feet, that assembled at the Zhou altar. King Wen said: "The breath of Fire is winning over." Therefore his color was red, and his token Fire. The dynasty that will inherit water fire, and Heaven will show that the breath of Water is winning over. The color will be dark, and the token Water. The time when water will begin, is not known (221 BC, founding Qin dynasty), but the number of the Elements is fixed, and Water will be followed by Earth. Heaven only follows them in course of time, and does not help the people down to stir them up.

26.士容論 26.3.上農
古先聖王之所以導其民者,先物於農。民農非徙為地利也,貴其志也。 后稷曰:「所以物耕織者,以為本教也。」是故天子親率諸侯耕帝籍田, 大夫士皆有功業。是故當時之物,農不見於國,以教民尊地產也。后妃 率九嬪蠶於郊,桑於公田,是以春秋冬夏皆有麻枲絲繭之功業,以為婦教也。 是故丈夫不織而衣,婦人不耕而食,男女貿功以長生,此聖人之矣,故敬時愛日, 非老不休,非疾不息,非死不舍。上田夫食九人,下田夫食五人。可以益, 不可以損。一人治之,十人食之,六畜皆在其中矣。此大任地之道也。
The ease of officials: The Empire's Agriculture
When the Saint kings of old taught their people, they started with agriculture. Agriculture is not simply profiting the soil, but is to esteem its meaning. Hou Ji, the god of milled, said: "The root of all teachings is, to explain why we do ploughing and waving." For this reason, the son of Heaven himself will command the feudal lords to plough the imperial fields, and all the nobles and officials have their work. Therefore, during the time of field works, no peasant is seen inside the city, to teach the people to esteem the products of the soil. Thee queen herself will command the servant maids to raise silkworms in the gardens and to plant mulberry trees in the plantations, all in order to have enough work to wave linen and silk during all the four seasons, to be a teaching for the women. Therefore is is not the case that men wave clothes and wear them, and that women work the fields and eat the field fruits, but men and woman will exchange their products to make their life, and this was the intention of the Holy people. People have to appreciate seasons and to love the day, not to cease work until old, not to pause if not sick, and not to give up before death... A field with good quality nourishes nine people, a low quality field will nourish five people. Fields are worth be given benefit, not to be damaged. One man works the field, and ten people are nourised, including the six kinds of cattle. This is the way to make fully use of the soil.

Translated by Ulrich Theobald

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