Philosophy and Argumentation in Third-Century China Princeton Library of Asian Translations Advisory Committee: Cyril BirchE, ugene Eoyang, F. IV. Mote,A . W. Plaks Philosophy and Argumentation in Third-Century China • · • · The Essays of Hsi K'ang Translated, with Introduction and Annotation, by ROBERT G. HENRICKS Princeton University Press Princeton, New Jersey Copyright © 1983 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Pres4s1, William Street, Princeton, New Jersey In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, Guildford, Surrey All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloginign Publication Data will be found on the last printed page of this book This book has been composed in Monophoto Plantin Light by Asco Trade Typesetting LtdH., ong Kong Clothbound editions of Princeton University Prebsso oks are printed on acid-free papearn, d binding materials are chosen for strength and durability Printed in the United States of America by Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey In memory of my father GUY RICHARD HENRICKS Preface • · # · I wasi ntroduced toth e essays of Hsi K'anga boutt en years ago when David Knechtges had us read Hsi K'ang's "Essay on Nourishing Life" in a seminar on Six Dynasties literature.I went on tod o my seminarp aper ont he "nourishingli fe" debate, and later wrotem y doctoral dissertation on thlief e and thought of Hsi K'ang ("Hsi K'angH: is Life, Literaturae nd Thought," Wisconsin, 1976). Throughouta ll of my worko n HsiK 'ang,h is essays haveb een for me the attraction. They areex tremely well written and well thought out;c lear, eloquentt, o thep oint; humorouas t times,a t other times philosophically subtle andp sychologically percep­ tive. Moreover, since these essays are an importants ource for our knowledge of third-century Chinese thought, their transla­ tion will be of interest to the Sinologist. But they will appeal to the general reader as wellF. or though theyw ere written many hundredso f years agoi n a quite differentc ulture,t hey deal with issues that still concern us as twentieth-centuryW esterners— immortality,t he nature of morality, the relation of music to emotion—and they deal with them in ways we can all under­ stand. I here translate alln ine of Hsi K'ang'se ssays, plus the four essays of his opponents in various debates. An earlier translation byt he present author of two of these essays—Juan K'an's "ResidenceI s Devoid of Good and Bad Fortune:Y ou MustR ather PreservYe our Life"a nd HsiK 'ang's "A Refutationo f Juan K'an'sE ssay"—was published in the Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 8 (1981), pp. 169-221. I wish to thank mytw o teachers,D avid Knechtges andC how Tse-tsung,f or helpingm e in myg raduates tudentd ays tou nder­ stand manyt hings int he text. Ia m also indebted tom y colleague at DartmouthL, i Hua-yuanM owry,f or helpingm e with several difficult passages. Ia m gratefult o DartmouthC ollege forg rant- Preface ing me sabbatical leave in the winter of 1981 and a Faculty Fellowship in the spring to work on bringing this project to completion. Thanks also go to Betsy Alexander for a splendid job in typing the manuscript. And for listening patiently to anxious thoughts, and putting up with my being present but not really there, I thank my wife Patricia. July 23, 1981 ROBERT G. HENRICKS Norwich, Vermont Contents Preface vii Introduction 3 Translator's Note 17 HSI K'ANG An Essay on Nourishing Life 21 HSIANG HSIU A Refutation of Hsi K'ang's Essay on Nourishing Life 31 HSI K'ANG An Answer to Hsiang Hsiu's Refutation of My Essay on Nourishing Life 38 HSI K'ANG Music Has in It Neither Grief nor Joy 7i HSI K'ANG Dispelling Self-interest 107 HSI K'ANG An Essay on Kuan and Ts'ai 120 HSI K'ANG An Essay on Wisdom and Courage 126 CHANG MIAO People Naturally Delight in Learning 35 1 HSI K'ANG A Refutation of Chang Miao's Essay— People Naturally Delight in Learning 139 JUAN K'AN Residence is Devoid of Good and Bad Fortune: You Must Rather Preserve Your Life 144 HSI K'ANG A Refutation of Juan K'an's Essay— Residence is Devoid of Good and Bad Fortune: You Must Rather Preserve Your Life 155 JUAN K'AN An Explanation to Hsi K'ang's Refutation of My Essay—Residence is Devoid of Good and Bad Fortune: You Must Rather Preserve Your Life 169 ix