所染

Master Mozi observed a silk dyer and sighed, saying: 'Dye it in blue and it becomes blue; dye it in yellow and it becomes yellow. As the dye changes, so the color changes. Dip it five times and it becomes five different colors. Therefore one must be careful about dyeing!'

It is not only silk that is subject to dyeing -- states too are dyed. Shun was 'dyed' by Xu You and Bo Yang; Yu was dyed by Gao Yao and Bo Yi; Tang was dyed by Yi Yin and Zhong Hui; King Wu was dyed by the Grand Duke and the Duke of Zhou. These four kings were dyed by the right influences, and therefore they ruled the realm, were established as Sons of Heaven, and their merit and fame overshadowed heaven and earth. Whenever one lists those renowned for benevolence and righteousness throughout the realm, one must cite these four kings.

Jie of Xia was dyed by Gan Xin and Tui Duo; Zhou of Yin was dyed by the Marquis of Chong and E Lai; King Li was dyed by Duke Li Changfu and Rong Yi Zhong; King You was dyed by Duke Fu Yi and Duke Cai Gu. These four kings were dyed by the wrong influences, and therefore their states were ruined, they themselves died, and they became objects of punishment for all the realm. Whenever one lists those renowned for unrighteousness and shame throughout the realm, one must cite these four kings.

Duke Huan of Qi was dyed by Guan Zhong and Bao Shu; Duke Wen of Jin was dyed by Uncle Fan and Gao Yan; King Zhuang of Chu was dyed by Sunshu and Shen Yin; Helu of Wu was dyed by Wu Yuan and Wen Yi; Goujian of Yue was dyed by Fan Li and Grand Officer Zhong. These five lords were dyed by the right influences, and therefore they became hegemons over the feudal lords, and their merit and fame were transmitted to later generations. Fan Jishe was dyed by Changliushuo and Wang Sheng; Zhonghang Yin was dyed by Ji Qin and Gao Qiang; Fuchai of Wu was dyed by Wangsun Luo and Grand Steward Pi; Zhibo Yao was dyed by Zhiguo and Zhang Wu; Lord Shang of Zhongshan was dyed by Wei Yi and Yan Chang; Lord Kang of Song was dyed by Tang Yang and Tian Buli. These six lords were dyed by the wrong influences, and therefore their states were ruined and destroyed, they themselves were executed, their ancestral temples were demolished and their lines cut off with no posterity, their rulers and ministers scattered, and their people fled. Whenever one lists the greedy, violent, harsh, and troublesome of the realm, one must cite these six lords.

What is it that keeps a ruler secure? It is that his conduct accords with principle. Conduct according to principle arises from being dyed by the right influences. Therefore the ruler who governs well toils in evaluating people but rests easy in managing offices. The ruler who cannot govern well exhausts his body and wastes his spirit, worries his heart and labors his mind -- yet his state grows ever more precarious and his person ever more disgraced. These six lords did not fail to value their states and cherish their own persons -- they simply did not understand the essentials. Not understanding the essentials means being dyed by the wrong influences. It is not only states that are subject to dyeing -- scholars too are dyed. If one's friends all love benevolence and righteousness and are earnest, cautious, and law-abiding, then one's family prospers daily, one's person grows more secure daily, one's reputation becomes more glorious daily, and one manages office according to principle -- such were the examples of Duan Ganmu, Qin Zi, and Fu Yue. If one's friends all love boasting and contentiousness, engage in scheming and form cliques, then one's family declines daily, one's person grows more endangered daily, one's reputation becomes more disgraced daily, and one loses the principles of office -- such were the examples of Zi Xi, Yi Ya, and Shu Diao. The Odes say: 'Choose carefully whom to emulate; be cautious about whom to emulate' -- this is what it means.