Dharma upon Dharma

AnonymousJinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJun 2024

2.3

Word count: 4.2K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

If Fa Fa does not uphold the law, affairs will lack constancy; if the law is not applied as law, orders will not be carried out. If orders are issued but not carried out, then the orders are not lawful; if the law exists but is not carried out, then those who draft the orders are not careful; if they are careful but it is still not carried out, then rewards and punishments are too light; if rewards and punishments are weighty but it is still not carried out, then rewards and punishments are not trusted; if they are trusted but it is still not carried out, then it is because one does not lead by personal example. Therefore it is said: if prohibitions prevail over oneself, then orders will be carried out among the people.

Editor's review

Though brief, Fa Fa concentrates the core pre-Qin Legalist thinking on how laws and decrees work. Starting from the point that if the law is not applied as law, affairs will lack constancy, the text unfolds layer by layer the multiple reasons why laws and decrees fail in the world: either the orders themselves are not good, or those who draft them are not careful, or rewards and punishments are too light, or rewards and punishments are not trusted, until it finally comes down to those in high position being unable to lead by example. Its value lies not in offering an abstract jurisprudential definition but in breaking down the enforcement of orders and prohibitions into a testable chain of conditions; reading it, one feels a step-by-step logical force. The highlight is the closing sentence, if prohibitions prevail over oneself, then orders will be carried out among the people, which directly links the effectiveness of institutions to the self-restraint of rulers, concise and weighty. This book is suitable as an introductory selected reading in pre-Qin Legalist literature, and also for comparative reading when discussing practical issues such as rule enforcement and institutional credibility. Readers are advised not to treat it as a modern legal work in search of systematic answers, but to place it in the political context of the Warring States period and appreciate its problematic consciousness and manner of argument.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in ancient Chinese political thought who hope to begin with short original texts
Students of literature and history who need to understand pre-Qin Legalist views on laws and decrees
General managers concerned with issues of institutional enforcement and rule credibility
Readers who enjoy short, tightly argued classical Chinese pieces of logical reasoning

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic legal theory or modern legal statutes
Beginners who need detailed annotations and word-by-word translation to read classical Chinese
Readers hoping for complete narratives or literary description

Reading tips

First read the original text through once, grasping the thread of reasoning: orders, law, rewards and punishments, the self.
List one by one the consecutive reasons for non-enforcement that the text inquires into, and make a note of the logical chain.
Read it in light of the reform background of the Warring States period to understand why the author emphasizes that the ruler must lead by example.
After reading, retell the argument of the closing sentence in your own words to test whether you have truly understood it.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
法法第十六

FAQ

What is the core view of Fa Fa?

The whole text unfolds around the question of why laws and decrees cannot be carried out, inquiring layer by layer: bad orders, careless drafters, punishments and rewards that are too light, and rewards and punishments that are not trusted all lead to non-enforcement; and the ultimate root lies in those in high position being unable to lead by example. It closes with if prohibitions prevail over oneself, then orders will be carried out among the people, stressing that only when rulers are first bound can laws and decrees prevail among the people.

Do I need to master Legalist thought before reading this short text?

Not necessarily in a systematic way, but knowing the general background of Warring States reforms will make its problematic consciousness easier to understand. The concepts used in the text, such as orders, law, rewards and punishments, and the self, are common classical Chinese terms, and the text is short, so with basic annotations it can be read through. If one reads it entirely through the lens of modern legal concepts, it is instead easy to depart from the original meaning.

What does the repeatedly mentioned non-enforcement refer to?

Non-enforcement means that laws and decrees are not actually carried out and implemented. The author successively lists several situations that lead to non-enforcement, from bad orders themselves, to careless drafters, to rewards and punishments that are too light or not trusted, and then to those in high position not leading by example, forming a chain of attribution from institutions to rulers themselves.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.