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量知篇

《程材》所論,論材能行操,未言學知之殊奇也。夫儒生之所以過文吏者,學問日多,簡練其性,雕琢其材也。故夫學者所以反情治性,盡才成德也。材盡 德成,其比於文吏,亦雕琢者,程量多矣。

貧人與富人,俱齎錢百,並為賻禮死哀之家。知之者,知貧人劣能共百,以為富人饒羨有奇餘也;不知之者,見錢俱百,以為 財貨貧富皆若一也。文吏、儒生有似於此。皆為掾吏,並典一曹,將知之者,知文吏、儒生筆同,而儒生胸中之藏,尚多奇餘;不知之者,以 為皆吏,深淺多少同一量,失實甚矣。

地性生草,山性生木。如地種葵韭,山樹棗栗,名曰美園茂林,不復與一恆地庸山比矣。文吏、儒生,有似於此,俱有材能,並 用筆墨,而儒生奇有先王之道。先王之道,非徒葵韭棗栗之謂也。

恆女之手,紡績織經;如或奇能,織錦刺繡,名曰卓殊,不復與恆女科矣。夫儒生與文吏程材,而儒生侈有經傳之學,猶女工織錦刺繡之奇也。

貧人好濫,而富人守節者,貧人不足而富人饒侈。儒生不為非,而文吏好為奸者,文吏少道德,而儒生多仁義也。

貧人富人,並為賓客,受賜於主人,富人不慚而貧人常愧者,富人有以效,貧人無以複也。儒生、文吏,俱以長吏為主人 者也。儒生受長吏之祿,報長吏以道;文吏空胸無仁義之學,居往食祿,終無以效,所謂尸位素餐者也。

素者,空也;空虛無德,餐人之祿, 故曰素餐。無道藝之業,不曉政治,默坐朝庭,不能言事,與屍無異,故曰屍位。然則文吏所謂尸位素餐者也。

居右食嘉,見將傾邪,豈能舉記陳言得失乎?一則不能見是非,二則畏罰不敢直言。

《禮》曰:“情欲巧。”其能力言者,文醜不好,有骨無肉,脂腴不足,犯幹將相指,遂取間郤。為地戰者不能立功名,貪爵祿者不 能諫於上。

文吏貪爵祿,一日居位,輒欲圖利,以當資用,侵漁徇身,不為將官顯義。雖見太山之惡,安肯揚舉毛髮之言?事理如此,何用自 解於尸位素餐乎?

儒生學大義,以道事將,不可則止,有大臣之志,以經勉為公正之操,敢言者也,位又疏遠。遠而近諫,《禮》謂 之諂,此則郡縣之府庭所以常廓無人者也。

或曰:“文吏筆紮之能,而治定簿書,考理煩事,雖無道學,筋力材能盡於朝庭,此亦報上之效驗也。”

曰:此有似於貧人負官重責,貧無以償,則身為官作,責乃畢竟。夫官之作,非屋廡則牆壁也。屋廡則用斧斤,牆壁則用築鍤。荷 斤斧,把築鍤,與彼握刀持筆何以殊?苟謂治文書者報上之效驗,此則治屋廡牆壁之人,亦報上也。俱為官作,刀筆斧斤築鍤鈞也。

抱布貿絲,交易有亡,各得所願。儒生抱道貿祿,文吏無所抱,何用貿易?農商殊業,所畜之貨,貨不可同,計其精粗,量其多少,其出溢者名曰富人,富人在世,鄉里願之。夫先王之道,非徒農商之貨也,其為長吏立功致化,非徒富多出溢之榮也。且儒生之業,豈徒出溢哉?其身簡練,知慮光明,見是非審,審尤奇也。

蒸所與眾山之材幹同也,〔伐〕以為蒸,熏以火,煙熱究浹,光色澤潤,爇之於堂,其耀浩廣,火灶之效加也。

繡之未刺,錦之未織,恆絲庸帛,何以異哉?加五采之巧,施針縷之飾,文章炫耀,黼黻華蟲,山龍日月。學士有文章,猶 絲帛之有五色之巧也。本質不能相過,學業積聚,超逾多矣。

物實無中核者謂之鬱,無刀斧之斷者謂之樸。文吏不學,世之教無核也,郁樸之人,孰與程哉?

骨曰切,象曰瑳,玉曰琢,石曰磨,切琢磨,乃成寶器。人之學問知能成就,猶骨象玉石切瑳琢磨也。雖欲勿用,賢君其舍諸?

孫武、闔廬,世之善用兵者也,知或學其法者,戰必勝。不曉什伯之陣,不知擊刺之術者,強使之軍,軍覆師敗,無其法也。

穀之始熟曰粟。舂之於臼,簸其粃糠;蒸之於甑,爨之以火,成熟為飯,乃甘可食。可食而食之,味生肌腴成也。粟未為米, 米未成飯,氣腥未熟,食之傷人。夫人之不學,猶谷未成粟,米未為飯也。知心亂少,猶食腥穀,氣傷人也。學士簡練於學,成熟於師,身 之有益,猶谷成飯,食之生肌腴也。

銅錫未采,在眾石之間,工師鑿掘,爐橐鑄鑠乃成器。未更爐橐,名曰積石,積石與彼路畔之瓦、山間之礫,一實也。故夫穀 未舂蒸曰粟,銅未鑄鑠曰積石,人未學問曰矇。矇者,竹木之類也。

夫竹生於山,木長於林,未知所入。截竹為筒,破以為牒,加筆墨之跡,乃成文字,大者為經,小者為傳記。斷木為槧,之 為板,力加刮削,乃成奏牘。夫竹木,粗苴之物也,雕琢刻削,乃成為器用。況人含天地之性,最為貴者乎! 不入師門,無經傳之教,以郁樸之實,不曉禮義,立之朝庭,植笮樹表之類也,其何益哉?

山野草茂,鉤鐮斬刈,乃成道路也。士未入 道門,邪惡未除,猶山野草木未斬刈,不成路也。染練布帛,名之曰采,貴吉之服也。無染練之治,名縠粗,縠粗不吉,喪人服之。人無道學,仕宦朝庭 ,其不能招致也,猶喪人服粗,不能招吉也。

能削柱梁,謂之木匠。能穿鑿穴坎,謂之士匠;能雕琢文書,謂之史匠。夫文吏之學,學治文書也,當與木土之匠同科,安得 程於儒生哉?

禦史之遇文書,不失分銖;有司之陳籩豆,不誤行伍。其巧習者,亦先學之,人不貴者也,小賤之能,非尊大之職也。無經 藝之本,有筆墨之末,大道未足而小伎過多,雖曰吾多學問,禦史之知、有司之惠也。

飯黍梁者饜,餐糟糠者飽,雖俱曰食,為腴不同。儒生文吏,學俱稱習,其於朝庭,有益不鈞。

鄭子皮使尹何為政,子產比於未能操刀使之割也。子路使子羔為費宰,孔子曰:“賊夫人之子。” 皆以未學,不見大道也。

醫無方術,雲:“吾能治病。”問之曰:“何用治病?” 曰:“用心意。”病者必不信也。吏無經學,曰:“吾能治民。”問之曰:“何 用治民?”曰:“以材能。”是醫無方術,以心意治病也,百姓安肯信向,而人君任用使之乎?

手中無錢,之市使貨主問曰“錢何在”,對曰:“無錢”,貨主必不與也。夫胸中不學,猶手中無錢也。欲人君任使之,百姓信向之,奈何也?

Chapter VIII. The Valuation of Knowledge (Liang-chih).

In our essay on the weighing of talents 1 we have spoken on talents and conduct, but the great superiority of learning has not yet been set forth. Scholars surpass the officials by their learning, on which they spend a long time, purifying their characters and refining their talents. The learned thus suppress their evil desires and rectify their natures, until their talents are fully developed, and their virtue is complete. At that juncture a comparison shows that the capacities of those thus refined are much greater than those of the officials.

When poor and rich men both send a present of a hundred cash for funeral expenses, 2 the mourners, provided they are intelligent, know that the poor have no means and that, if they likewise have contributed a hundred, the rich, who have plenty, possess much more. The unintelligent infer that, since in both cases the sum is a hundred, the fortunes of the rich and the poor are the same. Scholars and officers are in a similar position. Both being employed as clerks or acting as secretaries, the wise among their chiefs are aware that officials and scholars are alike, as far as their writing is concerned, but that the students have many hidden treasures in their bosoms besides. The simple-minded, however, consider that they are both functionaries, and that, as to the thoroughness and extent of their knowledge, their acquirements are the same, a great mistake.

It is the nature of the earth to produce plants, and the nature of mountains to grow trees. If mallows and leeks be sown in the earth, and jujubes and chestnuts planted upon the mountains, we speak of a garden and a park, which can no more be placed on a par with common land or ordinary mountains. The case of officials and students is analogous. Both have their faculties, and both use pencil and ink, but, in addition to this, the students are the guardians of the doctrine of former emperors, which doctrine means more than mallows and leeks, jujubes and chestnuts.

An ordinary woman spins and weaves with her hands. Should she be endowed with extraordinary skill, she will weave brocade and make embroidery, and be accounted exceptional so as not to come in the same class with the common run. Now, when the faculties of the scholars are contrasted with those of the officials, the former have still a surplus in their knowledge of classical and other writings, as the spinning girls still possess the special gift of weaving brocade and embroidering.

Poor fellows are prone to excesses, while rich people observe the rules, because the poor are hard up, whereas the rich live in opulence. Thus scholars do not do evil, but officials indulge in malpractices, for they are devoid of morality and virtue, and scholars have abundance of benevolence and righteousness. 3

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