Chen Shiyi

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

2.5

Word count: 3K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The King of Wei sent an envoy with gold and bolts of silk to invite Zishun to serve as his chancellor. Zishun said to the envoy: "If the king truly can put my Way into practice, my Way is indeed meant for ordering the world; though I should eat coarse food and drink water, I would still do it. If he merely wishes to bind my person and entrust me with lavish salary, then I am no more than any common man, and the King of Wei has no lack of common men. Gauge the King of Wei's heart and tell me." The envoy said: "Wei is a small state, wanting in sages and worthies. My lord has long heard of your reputation from afar and wishes to entrust the state to you, sir, and receive your instruction in person. If you would deign to lower your standards, not only the ruler and ministers of Wei but its very altars of soil and grain and its spirits would forever receive your blessing." Thereupon Zishun went to Wei. The King of Wei welcomed him at the suburbs and said: "I am unworthy, having inherited the legacy of my late father. You, sir, are a descendant of the sage, of noble virtue and excellence; I am fortunate that you have condescended to visit. I wish to entrust you with the government of the state." Zishun replied: "I am a wandering subject; admiring your lofty righteousness, I have come here. Since you condescend to bestow your favor and ask me about affairs of state, how dare I not respectfully accept your enlightened command."

Editor's review

This piece records the King of Wei sending envoys with gold and silk to invite Zishun to serve as chancellor. Though brief, it captures a classic scene of Warring States scholar-officials weighing whether to take office. Zishun first sets the condition of “being able to practice my Way,” laying out the baseline for service: to be retained merely with rich salary would make him no different from any common man, and the King of Wei hardly lacks such a person. The envoy replies that the state is small and short of worthies, and wishes to entrust the state to him and learn from him; only then does Zishun go to Wei. The King welcomes him at the outskirts and asks about state affairs. The language is spare and classical, and the dialogue advances layer by layer, revealing both the courtesy of those seeking worthies and the restraint and self-possession of the respondent. The value of such pieces lies not in plot but in the political ethics behind the words: how the Way meets power, and how a scholar-official accepts appointment without compromising principle. This Bashu Press edition is convenient for close reading. Suitable as short material for reading pre-Qin classics and classical Chinese, and for discussing Warring States patronage of retainers, the institution of inviting a chancellor, and the character of scholar-officials.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Middle school and university readers studying classical Chinese who need short close-reading materials
Readers interested in Warring States scholar-officials' decisions on office and political ethics
Reading groups wishing to use short texts to discuss pre-Qin patronage of retainers and the institution of inviting a chancellor

Not a good fit for

Novel readers expecting full narratives and long plots
Readers seeking quick conclusions who are unwilling to read dialogue closely

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the dialogue's thread, then clarify sentence by sentence the three layers of response among Zishun, the envoy, and the King of Wei.
Note the phrase “being able to practice my Way” and consider what Zishun's condition for service really points to.
Compare relevant records on Warring States patronage of retainers and the institution of inviting a chancellor to understand the ritual significance of the郊 welcome and entrusting state affairs.
Try rewriting the dialogue in modern Chinese to test whether you have truly understood each turn.

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.

版权信息
陈士义第十四

FAQ

What condition did Zishun set for agreeing to serve?

He first asked whether the King of Wei could truly practice his Way. If the king believed in and employed the Way, he would serve even on coarse food and water; if he were merely bound by rich salary, he would be no different from an ordinary common man and not worthy of the king's regard.

How did the King of Wei receive Zishun?

The king welcomed him in person at the outskirts, calling himself unworthy yet heir to his predecessor's legacy, calling Zishun a descendant of sages of admirable virtue, and expressing willingness to entrust state affairs to him and ask him to plan for the state.

How is this text suitable to use?

It is short with clear layers of dialogue, suitable as close-reading material in classical Chinese and for discussion of scholar-officials' decisions on office, courtesy in seeking worthies, and Warring States political ethics.

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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.