45. All mythological rulers or sages of antiquity.
46. Traditionally, this position and direction was only taken by Emperors.
47. The sun.
48. The moon.
49. Chi – the breath which animates all life and, when used up, causes death.
50. Confucius’ own name.
51. At the annual re-enactment of the Chou conquest of the Shang in the twelfth or eleventh century BC.
52. Name for the model Emperor Shun.
53. The three armies are the standard subdivisions of a feudal state, and the five weapons are the spear, halberd, axe, shield and bow.
54. The five sentences are branding or tattooing, cutting off the nose, cutting off the feet, castration and execution.
55. It is unclear what the twelve were, but they certainly include the Six Classics of Confucianism.
56 Fire, wood, earth, metal, water.
57. Models used at sacrifices to distract evil spirits, which were thrown away afterwards.
58. The two main categories of mythological early rulers of China. The Three August Ones were Fu Hsi, Nu Kua and Shen Nung. The Five Emperors were the Yellow Emperor, Chuan Hsu, Kao Hsin, Yao and Shun.
59. This paragraph describes the last rulers of the Three Dynasties and their successors or usurpers.
60. The Three Kings were the founders of the Three Dynasties Hsia, Shang and Chou.
61. King Ki Kuai of Yen was urged to imitate Yao and to abdicate. He did this in 316 BC and Tzu Chi, his minister, took over, but it was a disaster.
62. He launched an assault on his relatives, who ruled Chu, trying to emulate the Dynastic founders Tang (of the Shang) and Wu (of the Chou), but he failed.
63. Apparently they thought he was an enemy of theirs called Yang Huo.
64. A philosopher ridiculed by Chuang Tzu as one who argues about the difference between ‘hard’ and ‘white’.
65. Author of a ‘Taoist’ text, now lost.
66. Traditional title for the remarkable flourishing of different schools of philosophy between the sixth and fourth centuries BC.
67. Used for divination and oracles.
68. Wu Tzu Hsu tried to alert his master the King of Wu that a neighbouring kingdom would invade. In the end the King grew to distrust Tzu Hsu and made him commit suicide in 484 BC.
69. All symbols or places of immortality.
70. Minister of Chi c. 650 BC, admired by Confucius.
71. Sometimes counted as two of the Three August Ones, but more often as mythological progenitors of the Chinese and their civilization.
72. This entire paragraph assumes traditional Chinese notions of how different species emerge as transmutations of other species.
73. Despotic ruler of Chi 684–643 BC.
74. Chief Minister of Duke Huan, who held him in very high esteem.
75. In the Chinese, all the ghosts have specific names, which I have omitted to make the paragraph easier to read!
76. Historical figure, c. 569 BC.
77 Formal ritual music.
78 Hsiung I Liao of Chu lived c. 480 BC.
79 Ai of Lu.
80. Symbol of authority as a minister.
81. Prince Pi Kan was murdered by the despot Chou, last ruler of Shang. This action was considered one of the reasons why the Shang Dynasty fell.
82. A remarkable politician who won freedom for the state of Wei, c. 400 BC.
83. A seventh-century BC minister who was taken prisoner when his state fell. He became a slave on a farm, but eventually rose to power again.
84. His family tried to kill him, but he would not seek revenge when in power.
85. Father of Wu who founded the Chou Dynasty. According to tradition, King Wen wrote the commentaries on the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching.
86. The heart and mind.
87. Ping is the title of the philosopher Kung Sang Lung.
88. A gatekeeper who could not run away was more valuable, so they were deliberately mutilated.
89. Chief Minister of Chi who actually controlled the state, but was admired for his respect for the hermit Tzu Chi.
90. Both men displayed coolness in times of trouble, and by their calm actions, not saying a word, stared down trouble.
91. The beak refers to the chattering of birds – noisy conversation.
92. i.e., things come to me, although I have done nothing to deserve them.
93. Slaves were usually doormen, and one who could not run away was the most valuable.
94. King of Yueh who was overthrown by invaders and retreated to the mountain with his minister Chung. They won back the kingdom, but the King then feared Chung and made him commit suicide.
95. Pretended to be mad in order to escape the wrath of Chou, the last Shang Emperor.
96. A crony of Chou.
97. A model of filial piety, persecuted by his stepmother.
98. Another model of filial piety, hated by his father.
99. A jewel was placed in the mouth of a corpse to help pay its way through the Underworld.
100. A ‘Taoist’ teacher – not Lao Tzu.
101. Heat was applied to the holes and the resulting cracks were read as prototype characters which furnished an answer to questions asked of the gods or ancestors.
102. All the preceding instances of virtuous rulers wishing to abdicate in favour of sages, wise advisers or ministers, are drawn from history or mythology, and many have been explained more fully earlier.
103. Founder of the Chou state. He is mentioned in the Book of Songs in similar terms as a model of wise kingship.
104. The Sacred Mountain of Chou, site of the original oracles which form the I Ching.
105. The country was invaded by Wu, but he regained his kingdom within a year, in 506 BC.
106. One of Confucius’ followers, famous for not being bothered by his poverty.
107. One of Confucius’ followers, renowned for his wealth.
108. Ancient ritual hymns.
109. Kung Po ruled for fourteen years, then in 828 BC retired to Kung Hill as a hermit.
110. He overthrew the tyrant ruler Chieh, last king of the Hsia Dynasty, and founded the Shang Dynasty.
111. c. eleventh century BC.
112. This describes traditional ways of concluding a contract by smearing it, and the parties to it, with blood from a sacrifice.
113. The following paragraphs describe traditional myths of the founding of civilization by, amongst others, the Three August Ones.
114. A follower of
