Record of Places Outside the Tributaries

Only when one speaks to this nature do feelings suddenly become good; those who do not are invariably admonished, and those who are not good are invariably angered. This is the foundation upon which the arguments of the hundred Daoxue Neo-Confucian masters are built, and it is never worn down.

Those above and below today might perhaps gain something from this. Observing these one or two instances, one can imagine the utmost reach of human nature. In the past, Zisai pen name of the author, Meng Chengshun selected famous dramas from the past and present, such as the Peony Pavilion original: "Taohua" (Peach Blossom) and other songs, and circulated them in the world. An old scholar saw them and scolded them as improper books; another old scholar thought them equal to the poetry and songs of old. Did the Master Confucius not include the songs of Zheng and Wei when he edited the Book of Odes? Furthermore, what Zisai wrote and selected all emerge from emotion and are essentially correct. This argument is sound, yet I still believe it has not been exhausted.

Today, there are people who gather disciples to lecture on learning, speaking in solemn terms and criticizing others; people laugh at them and condemn them. But when an actor presents a play, causing people to sigh in sorrow or laugh in joy, it changes their natures instantly. Those who are good are encouraged; those who are not good are stirred to anger. The influence of the hundred Daoxue Neo-Confucian teachers in instructing the world is not as powerful as that of a single actor. Furthermore, if one considers the previous lectures on learning...

This work is also the product of an extraordinary talent.

...they all arise from this. The Grand Historian Sima Qian pushed the techniques of Shen and Han legalist philosophers Shen Buhai and Han Fei as having their origins in the Way and Virtue; his intent was also just this. In the past, I heard this argument from Meng Zisai and often sighed, believing it to be true. Now I have obtained Zisai's Record of the Mandarin Duck Tomb and read it, realizing that those of the past and present who possess the utmost reach of emotion are [Wang] Jiao and [Shen] Sheng. It is Zisai who allows the utmost reach of their emotions to be spoken of, making their forms vivid and their spirits immortal. Zisai’s writing mimics the styles of Yan and Han referring to literary traditions, his poetry pursues the two Lis Li Bai and Li Shangyin, and his verse surpasses Qin and Huang poets Qin Guan and Huang Tingjian. Yet, as a person, he holds himself to the energy of the Way. The small-minded people of his village call him a pedant or a rotten Confucian, not knowing the depth of his feelings, which are remote and profound. If one cannot find the answer from the men of this world, one must ask the women. If one cannot find the answer from the women of this world, one must ask the heavens and the earth, the ancient...