Sunday, March 3, 2024

17 Twenty-Two People


A1.24|25

Each of these twenty-two people made great achievements: Gao Yao served as Dali, another name of which is Shi, in charge of criminal law, did great justice to the world. He was respected and admired by the people for his fair judgment solely based on the facts.Boyi presided over etiquette, the Canons, and he was courteous to both superiors and subordinates; Chui served as Gonggong, the chief craftsmen. He was in charge of all kinds of work, and all craftsmen did their jobs well;Yi served as Yu, the one in charge of mountains and rivers. Mountains, forests, and lakes were all well-developed; Qi, the meaning of the name is the abandonment, who had another name Houji, served as Ji, the name for someone in charge of agriculture. All grains were grown accordingly with the seasons; Another Qi, the name pronounced the same but with a totally different character, meaning the contract, served as Situ, in charge of the education. All people were friendly and harmonious; Long served as the receptionist, which had another name, Nayan. The princes from far away came to pay tribute; The twelve governors appointed by Shun all did great job, and no one in the nine states dared to disobey. Among them, Yu made the greatest contributions. He dug open nine mountains, regulated nine lakes, dredged nine rivers, and established the boundaries of the nine states. All places paid the proper amount of tributes according to their duties, and there was nothing inappropriate. The territory was pacified, spanning five thousand miles, all the way to the remote areas farthest from the capital. At that time, the South was pacified to Jiaozhi and Beifa, the West was pacified to Rong, Xizhi, Qusou, Di, and Qiang, the North was pacified to Shanrong, Fa, and Xishen, and the East was pacified to Chang, Niaoyi, and within the four seas, together they all praised Emperor Shun's merits.So Yu created the music "Nine Moves" to praise Shun's merits, which attracted auspicious things, and the phoenix also flew in, circling and dancing with the music. It all began with Emperor Shun that all the virtues and policies made the peace and harmony in the world.

Shun was famous for his filial piety when he was twenty years old. He was appointed by Yao when he was thirty years old. He was given the duty to act on behalf of the emperor when he was fifty, and Yao passed away when Shun was fifty-eight. And at sixty-one, Shun succeeded to the throne.Thirty-nine years after he ascended the throne, Shun toured the South and died in the countryside of Cangwu in the South, and he was buried in Jiuyi Mountain, south of of Yangtze river, the place is now called Lingling. After he ascended the throne, Shun rode in a chariot with the emperor's flag to pay homage to his father, Gusou. He was affectionate and respectful, and he followed the filial piety of a son. He also made his younger brother Xiang a prince at Youbi. Shun's son Shangjun was unworthy, so Shun recommended Yu as his successor to Heaven in advance, and Shun died seventeen years later. After three years of mourning, Yu also abdicated the throne to Shun's son, just as Shun abdicated to Yao's son. But all the princes surrendered to Yu, and then Yu ascended to the throne of emperor. Yao's son Danzhu and Shun's son Shangjun were granted fiefs in the land of Tang and Yu respectively, where they were to worship their ancestors. They were permitted to wear their own family's clothes and use their own family's rituals and music. They would meet the emperor as guests, and the emperor did not treat them as his ministers to show that he did not dare to monopolize the throne.


此二十二人咸成厥功:皋陶为大理,平,民各伏得其实;伯夷主礼,上下咸让;垂主工师,百工致功;益主虞,山泽辟;弃主稷,百谷时茂;契主司徒,百姓亲和;龙主宾客,远人至;十二牧行而九州莫敢辟违;唯禹之功为大,披九山,通九泽,决九河,定九州,各以其职来贡,不失厥宜。方五千里,至于荒服。南抚交阯、北发,西戎、析枝、渠廋、氐、羌,北山戎、发、息慎,东长、鸟夷,四海之内咸戴帝舜之功。于是禹乃兴九招之乐,致异物,凤皇来翔。天下明德皆自虞帝始。

舜年二十以孝闻,年三十尧举之,年五十摄行天子事,年五十八尧崩,年六十一代尧践帝位。践帝位三十九年,南巡狩,崩于苍梧之野。葬于江南九疑,是为零陵。舜之践帝位,载天子旗,往朝父瞽叟,夔夔唯谨,如子道。封弟象为诸侯。舜子商均亦不肖,舜乃豫荐禹于天。十七年而崩。三年丧毕,禹亦乃让舜子,如舜让尧子。诸侯归之,然后禹践天子位。尧子丹朱,舜子商均,皆有疆土,以奉先祀。服其服,礼乐如之。以客见天子,天子弗臣,示不敢专也。



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