Several Strategies

苏洵Bashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

4.0

Word count: 5.4K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Those who govern the realm must first establish what is to be honored. Once that is fixed, it remains unchanged for ten thousand years, so that the people's ears and eyes are purified into one, and descendants have something to uphold, making governance easy. Thus the sage rulers of the Three Dynasties had descendants who lasted far—some seven or eight hundred years. How could this be only because the people did not forget their merits? It was because their descendants obtained the laws of their ancestors and relied on them, enabling permanence. Xia honored loyalty, Shang honored substance, Zhou honored refinement; they observed what was fitting for the realm to honor and firmly held to it, beginning with it and ending with it. They did not honor refinement in the morning and substance in the evening, thereby collapsing into disorder themselves. Therefore when a sage appears, he must first fix what one age honors. In the Zhou era, the Duke of Zhou made rituals and regulations for it, and the realm then honored refinement. Later there was Jia Yi, who advised Emperor Wen of Han, also wishing first to fix institutions, but his proposal was not put into effect. Now the realm is fortunately at peace; the plan for emperors and kings for ten thousand generations cannot but be fixed in advance at this time. Yet the plan for emperors and kings for ten thousand generations always first fixes what is honored, so that descendants may sit securely and uphold the old. Only when governance becomes defective should minor details be changed, but the great framework must ultimately not be altered. Thus reigns last long, and the people are not careless or simplistic.

Editor's review

Su Xun's Ji Ce centers on "fixing what is honored," arguing that governing the realm requires first establishing the fundamental orientation of an age, so that decrees, public morale, and the inheritance of descendants all have something to rely on. Starting from the Xia's loyalty, the Shang's substance, and the Zhou's refinement, the essay explains that once the great framework is set, lasting peace follows; when governance becomes defective, minor details may be changed, but the foundation must not be lightly shaken. It also cites Jia Yi's wish to establish institutions for Emperor Wen of Han, which went unrealized, to stress that grand plans must be fixed in time. Its value lies in stating institutional continuity and political stability concisely and forcefully, in vigorous language with clear structure—well suited to observing the argumentative method of Northern Song political essays. Readers may note its method of using history to prove the present and its skill at mastering complexity with simplicity, or treat it as an introductory text for understanding ancient ideas of governance. It rewards close reading by those interested in classical political argument and institutional thought.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in classical political argument and institutional thought
Students who need to study the argumentative structure of ancient discursive essays
Readers who wish to understand Su Xun's prose style and historical argumentation
Teachers engaged in traditional culture popularization or language education

Not a good fit for

Readers who want only light stories or literary narrative
Readers expecting systematic modern political theory
Readers impatient with classical Chinese argumentative prose and unwilling to consult annotations

Reading tips

Read through the full text first, marking passages related to "fixing what is honored" to grasp the core argument.
Use the three examples of Xia loyalty, Shang substance, and Zhou refinement to sort out the author's sequence of historical argumentation.
After reading, summarize in your own words the relationship between the "great framework" and "minor details" to test your understanding.
If classical Chinese is difficult, proceed section by section with annotations; do not aim for speed at the outset.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

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FAQ

What is the core argument of Ji Ce?

The essay argues that governing the realm requires first fixing what one age honors, so that the people's ears and eyes are purified into one and descendants have something to uphold, thereby forming a lasting and stable political foundation; specific defects in governance may be corrected in minor details, but the great framework must not be lightly changed.

Why does the text mention the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties?

The author uses Xia's honoring of loyalty, Shang's honoring of substance, and Zhou's honoring of refinement as examples to show that once each dynasty fixed what it honored, it endured far; this supports the importance of "first fixing what is honored" for governance and preservation.

What role does the example of Jia Yi play in the text?

Jia Yi advised Emperor Wen of Han to fix institutions first, but his advice was not adopted; the author uses this to show that fixing institutions and what is honored, though important, is often hard to carry out in time, and thus stresses that the present age should early fix a plan for ten thousand generations.

What background is needed before reading Ji Ce?

It is enough to know that Su Xun was a Northern Song man of letters known for argumentative prose; the text involves public-domain common knowledge such as the Three Dynasties and Jia Yi, which can be understood with annotations, and no specialized political science knowledge is presupposed.

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About the author

苏洵 Author

Su Xun was an important prose writer of the Northern Song dynasty. Together with his sons Su Shi and Su Zhe, he is known as one of the "Three Su" and is counted among the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song." Seven of his works are included in this collection, among them such representative pieces as "On the Six States," Quanshu, Jice, and Shenfa, as well as an anthology of the Three Su and a selected collection of the Eight Great Masters. "On the Six States" argues from the historical fact that the six states of the Warring States period perished by bribing Qin, using the past to criticize the present with keen and forceful reasoning; it is a representative example of his political prose. His writing excels at argument, with penetrating analysis and concise, vigorous language, and he was skilled at drawing on historical events to set forth political views, leaving a deep influence on later argumentative prose. His works are often classified under Eastern philosophy, classic works, and culture, and also show elements of documentary literature. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so this introduction focuses on his transmitted works and prose style.