災變

天所以有災變何? 所以譴告人君，覺悟其行，欲令悔過修德，深思慮也。《援神 契》曰:" 行有玷缺，氣逆于天，情感變出，以戒人也。"

災異者，何謂也?《春秋潛潭巴》曰: "災之言傷也，隨事而誅。 異之言 怪，先[發]感動之也。"

何以言災有哭也?《春秋》曰:" 新宮火，三日哭。" 《傳》曰: "必三日哭何? 禮也。" 災三日哭，所以然者，宗廟先(禮) [祖] 所處， 鬼神無形體，曰今忽得天火，得無為災所中乎? 故哭也。

變者、何謂? 變者、非常也。 《 [樂種] 耀嘉》曰: "禹將受位，天意(火) [大] 變，迅風靡木，雷雨晝冥。"

服乘者、何謂[也]? 衣服乍大乍小，言語非常。 故《尚書大傳》曰:"時則有服 (乘) [妖] " 也。

孽者、何謂也? 曰: 介蟲生為非常。《尚書大傳》曰: " 時則有介 蟲之孽，時則有龜孽。"

堯遭洪水，湯遭大旱，示有譴告乎? 堯遭洪水，湯遭大旱， 命運時然。

所以或災蠻或異何? 各隨其行，因其事也。

霜之為言亡也。 陽以散 (云)[亡]。

雹之為言合也。 陰氣專精，積合為雹。 [露者、霜之始]，[寒即變為霜]。

日食者必 (殺) [救] 之何? 陰偉陽也。

鼓用牲于社。社者、眾陰之主, 以朱絲縈 之，鳴鼓攻之，以陽責陰也。 故《春秋》曰: " 曰 [有] 食 [之]，鼓用牲于 社。"

所以必用牲者，社、地別神也。 尊之，故不敢虛責也。

日食、大水，則鼓(於) 用牲於祉，大旱則 (雲) [雩] 祭 (未) [求] 雨，非苟虛也。勑陽賣下求陰 [之] 道也。

月食救之者，陰失明也。 故角、尾交，日月食，救之者，謂夫人擊鏡， (傅) [孺]人擊杖，庶人之妻楔搔。

[太平之時]，[時雨時霽]，[不以恆暘而 以時暘]，[天地之氣宣也]。

XVI. Calamities and Extraordinary Events

121---The Meaning of Calamities, Extraordinary Events, and Omens (II B. 12a).

Why does Heaven [send down] calamities and [cause] extraordinary events? It is to warn the Lord of men and make him conscious of his deeds, so that he may wish to repent his faults, attend to his spiritual power, and exercise deeper solicitude. The Yüan shên ch'i says: "When the conduct [of the Son of Heaven] shows shortcomings, and his passion goes against Heaven, it will provoke calamities to come down as a warning to men".

122---Strange Phenomena and Plagues (II B. 12a-b).

a. What does the expression tsai-i¹ 'calamities and miracles' mean? The Ch'un ch'iu ch'ien t'an pa says: "Tsai 'calamity' means shang 'to hurt' ². According to the [nature of the mis]deed punishment is inflicted. I 'miracle' means kuai 'strange' ³. [Strange phenomena] appear as presages, to touch and move [the evil-doer]".

b. Why is it said that a calamity is [a case] for wailing? The Ch'un ch'iu says: "The new palace [,which was Duke Hsüan's shrine,] took fire; there was wailing for three days" ⁴. The Chuan says: "Why must they wail for three days? It is [demanded by] the rites" ⁵ The reason [for this three days' wailing] was that the ancestral temple is the place of rest for the forefathers, and their souls, [though] bodiless, would say: Now [our abode has] suddenly been struck by Heaven's fire, shall we get [another place] which will not be visited by this calamity? Therefore the wailing.

c. What does pien mean? Pien 'extraordinary event' means fei-ch'ang⁶ 'what is not usual'. The Yüeh chi yao chia says: "When Yü was about to receive the throne Heaven intentionally [showed] abundant extraordinary events: sudden winds, uprooted trees, thunderstorms, and darkness by day".

d. What does yao⁷ 'magic' mean? [We speak of magic] when clothes become now too large, now too small, and when unusual adages appear in speech. Therefore the Shang shu ta chuan says: "Suddenly there will appear magic in clothes".

e. What does yeh⁸ 'freak' mean? It means that small insects grow up to unusual size. The Shang shu ta chuan says: "Suddenly there will appear freaks among the insects; suddenly there will appear freaks among the tortoises" ⁹.

f. When Yao was visited by the great flood and T'ang by the great drought was it also an omen? When Yao was visited by the great flood and T'ang by the great drought it was [only] an accident caused by destiny ¹⁰.

g. Why is it that sometimes there are calamities and extraordinary events, and sometimes miracles [alone]? Each [phenomenon] follows [a particular] behaviour, and conforms itself to a [particular] deed.

123---Frost and Hail (II B. 12b-13a).

a. Shuang 'frost' means wang 'lost' ¹¹. The yang has dispersed and is lost.

b. Pao 'hail' means ho 'to coagulate' ¹². The very essence of the yin-fluid accumulates and coagulates to become hail. (Dew is the beginning of frost; when it turns cold [dew] changes into frost) ¹³.

124---Sunand Moon-Eclipses, Floods and Droughts (II B. 13a).

a. When the sun is eclipsed, why must it be rescued? Because the yin is encroaching upon the yang.

b. A drum is beaten and a victim is sacrificed to the God of the Earth. This god is the personification of the assembled yin [-forces] ¹⁴. It is tied with a red cord ¹⁵, and a drum is beaten ¹⁶ to attack it; [thus] with [the help of] the yang the yin is reproved. Therefore the Ch'un ch'iu says: "[In the sixth month, the first day of the moon] the sun was eclipsed. Drums were beaten and victims offered to the God of the Earth" ¹⁷.

c. The reason why victims must be used is that the God of the Earth is a separate spirit of the earth. It must be honoured, and therefore one dares not reprove it loosely ¹⁸.

d. On [the occasion of] a sun-eclipse or a great flood a drum is beaten and a victim sacrificed to the God of the Earth; on [the occasion of] a great drought the 'rain-sacrifice' yü¹⁹ is offered and prayers for rain are said. [This is] no meaningless statement. When the yang has to be aided, the inferior [yin] is reprimanded; "this is the way of calling upon the yin" ²⁰.

e. When the moon is eclipsed it must be rescued because [it is a case of] the yin losing its brightness. Therefore, when horn and tail [of the unicorn] intertwine ²¹ there will be a sun- or a moon- eclipse. [The officers charged with the task of] rescuing them tell the Spouses [of the Feudal Lords] to beat on metal mirrors, the wives of the great officers to sound the rattle, and the wives of the common people to beat on the door-posts ²².

(In a period of general peace there is seasonable rain and a seasonable clearness of the sky, not accompanied by interminable but by periodic sunshine: such is the manifestation of the humours of Heaven and Earth) ²³.