Heaven Covers All

by Shi Zi

Heaven covers all, the earth supports all, and the sage governs all. The sage’s own body is like the sun. Though the sun is but a small circle, its light fills heaven and earth. Though the sage’s body is small, what he illuminates reaches far.

When the sage rectifies himself, the four corners of the world are orderly. When the key policies on the top are appropriate, then everything at lower levels will be carried out the right way. if virtue and conduct are upright, all things fall into proper order. Government is for the rectification of people. If one’s own conduct is not correct, others will not follow.

Therefore, the sage is trusted without speaking, commands respected without anger, and bestows benevolence without applying force. When one’s heart is right, and others are correct as a result, this is called ultimate governance.

Nowadays people say: “The world is in disorder; it is difficult to do good.” This is not so. The hungry are easily fed, the cold easily clothed — after disorder, virtue is easier to cultivate.

-《Shizi·Shenming (divine illumination)》

【註】尸子名尸佼，战国时期著名的政治家、道家等思想家，先秦诸子百家之一。《史记孟子荀卿列传》曰："楚有尸子、长卢（长卢子）。世多有其书故不论其传云。" 魏国曲沃（今山西省曲沃县）人。明于刑名之术，被称为"尸子"。《尸子》書中提出"四方上下曰宇，往古来今曰宙。"这是迄今在中国典籍中找到的与现代"时空"概念最好的对应。他对于空间观、时间观还作了进一步论述，并对"学积有生"、"从道必吉"、"重民"的观点作过重要的阐述。对道家思想多有继承和发展。他一生中对于社会改革、对于哲学思想都有重大的贡献。

Note:

Shi Zi, whose personal name was Shi Jiao, was a renowned statesman and Daoist thinker of the Warring States period, counted among the pre-Qin masters of the various schools of thought. “Biographies of Mencius and Xunzi” in the 《Records of the Grand Historian》 states: “In Chu there were Shizi and Changlu (Master Changlu). Since many of their writings still circulated in the world, I did not record their biographies.”

He was a native of Quwo in the state of Wei (present-day Quwo County, Shanxi Province). Skilled in the methods of administrative law and legal terminology, he was known as “Shi Zi.”

In his work 《Shizi》, he proposed: “The four directions and above and below are called space (yu 宇); the past and the present are called time (zhou 宙).” This is the earliest and most precise counterpart to the modern concept of “spacetime” found in Chinese classics. He further elaborated on his views of space and time, and gave significant explanations on ideas such as “knowledge accumulates through life,” “following the Dao leads to good fortune,” and “valuing the people.”

He inherited and developed many aspects of Daoist thought. Throughout his life, he made major contributions both to social reform and to philosophical thought.