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The Governing Principles of Ancient China Based on 360 Passages Excerpted from the Original Compilation of Qunshu Zhiyao (Vol 2)
Chapter One 君道 THE WAY OF A LEADER
修身 Character Building
甲、戒贪 Guard against greed
乙、勤俭 Be frugal and diligent
丙、惩念 Refrain from anger
丁、迁善 Emulate good deeds
戊、改过 Correcting our own mistakes
敦亲 Be Respectful of Relatives
反身 Self-Reflection
尊贤 Be Respectful of Wise and Able Ministers
纳谏 Be Receptive to Counsels from Ministers
杜谗邪 Be Averse to Slanderous and Malevolent Advice
审断 Be Perceptive and Astute
Chapter Two 臣术 THE ART OF A MINISTER
立节 Uphold Integrity
尽忠 Serve with Utmost Loyalty
劝谏 Presenting Counsels
举贤 Nominating the Right Administrators
Chapter Three 贵德 ESTEEMING VIRTUES
尚道 Be Respectful of the Dao
孝悌 Filial Piety and Kinship
仁义 Benevolence and Righteousness
诚信 Be Sincere and Trustworthy
正己 Righting Oneself
度量 Magnanimity
谦虚 Humility
谨慎 Be Discreet
交友 Making Friends
学问 The Art of Learning
处世 Conducting Oneself in Life
Chapter Four 为政 ON THE SUBJECT OF ADMINISTRATION
务本 Engaging the Principles
知人 Good Judge of Character
任使 Appointing Officials
至公 Paramount Impartiality
纲纪 The Basis of Principles
教化 Teach and Transform
礼乐 Propriety and Music
爱民 Caring about People
民生 The Livelihood of People
法古 Learn from the Past
赏罚 Reward and Punishment
法律 Law and Statute
征伐 Military Ethics
Chapter Five 敬慎 RESPECTFULLY CAUTIOUS
微渐 Taking Precautions
风俗 Social Customs
治乱 Conquering Chaos
鉴戒 Heedful of Troubling Signs
应事 Making Correct Response
慎始终 Exercising Caution from the Beginning to the End
养生 Maintaining Good Health
Chapter Six 明辨 DISCERNING
邪正 Good or Evil
人情 Human Sentiments
才德 Talents and Virtues
朋党 Formation of Cliques
辨物 Differences that Matter
因果 Cause and Effect
Glossary
Bibliography
Sample Pages Preview
Preface
At the beginning of the Zhenguan Era， Emperor Taizong （599-649） of the Tang dynasty decreed that Qunshu Zhiyao （The Compilation of Books and Writings on the Important Governing Principles） be compiled. At the tender age of sixteen， Taizong enlisted himself in the army， and joined his father's forces to try to stop the turmoil that was going on in the society. For more than ten years， he dwelt himself in military matters. After he ascended to the throne at the age of twenty-seven， he laid down his armor and began to promote culture and education， paying particular attention to the principles of governing and bringing peace to the country. He sought to rejuvenate the nation from the aftermath of civil strife by restoring order to life， lessening the burdens of ordinary people， and increasing prosperity.
Although Taizong was an intelligent， brave， and eloquent man， he regretted that his earlier military expeditions had prevented him from obtaining much formal education. He also learned from the mistakes made by the fallen Sui dynasty and realized that to start a new dynasty was no easy task， and to sustain it would be even harder. Hence during his reign， he encouraged his ministers to point out his mistakes and to candidly criticize his imperial policies. To make up for lost time， Taizong ordered two advisors， the honorable Wei Zheng and Yu Shinan， to comb through all the historical records on imperial governing principles from the Six Classics， the Four Collections of History and the Hundreds of Schools， and to extract the most important lessons related to the cultivation of oneself， management of family， good government， and ways to bring about peace in the world. The result was a collection， titled Qunshu Zhiyao， carefully excerpted from 14，000 books and 89，000 scrolls of ancient writings-500，000 words in all， and covering sixty-five book categories-dating from the era of the Five Legendary Emperors to the Jin dynasty.
