With this retiring (from public life), and enjoying themselves at leisure, we find the scholars who dwell by the rivers and seas, among the hills and forests, all submissive to it with this coming forward to active life and comforting their age, their merit is great, and their fame is distinguished - and all the world becomes united in one. When with this a high position is occupied, we find the attributes of the Dis and kings,- the sons of Heaven with this in a low position, we find the mysterious sages, the uncrowned kings, with their ways. ![]() When this is understood, we find such a ruler on the throne as Yao, and such a minister as Shun. Vacancy, stillness, placidity, tastelessness, quietude, silence, and doing-nothing are the root of all things. ![]() Where there is that feeling of satisfaction, anxieties and troubles find no place and the years of life are many. Doing-nothing, they devolved the cares of office on their employes, Doing-nothing was accompanied by the feeling of satisfaction. From their stillness came their non-action. From their vacancy came stillness that stillness was followed by movement their movemerts were successful. Resting here, they were vacant from their vacancy came fullness from their fullness came the nice distinctions (of things). Therefore the Dis, Kings, and Sages found in this their resting-place. Vacancy, stillness, placidity, tastelessness, quietude, silence, and non-action - this is the Level of heaven and earth, and the perfection of the Dao and its characteristics. Such is the clearness of still water, and how much greater is that of the human Spirit! The still mind of the sage is the mirror of heaven and earth, the glass of all things. It is a perfect Level, and the greatest artificer takes his rule from it. When water is still, its clearness shows the beard and eyebrows (of him who looks into it). The stillness of the sages does not belong to them as a consequence of their skilful ability all things are not able to disturb their minds - it is on this account that they are still. Those who clearly understand (the Way of) Heaven, who are in sympathy with (that of) the sages, and familiar through the universe and in the four quarters (of the earth) with the work of the Dis and the kings, yet act spontaneously from themselves: with the appearance of being ignorant they are yet entirely still. The final part of articles deals with Wen xuan studies in Europe and the United States with special mention of Arthur Waley 韋利 (1889–1966), Erwin von Zach 贊克 (1872–1942), and James Robert Hightower 海陶瑋 (1915–2006).The Way of Heaven operates (unceasingly), and leaves no accumulation (of its influence) in any particular place, so that all things are brought to perfection by it so does the Way of the Dis operate, and all under the sky turn to them (as their directors) so also does the Way of the Sages operate, and all within the seas submit to them. In the Choson dynasty (1392–1910) a Korean version of the Wen xuan was compiled, the Tongmunsŏn 東文選 compiled under royal command in 1478 by Sŏ Kŏjŏng 徐居正 (1420–1488). The Wen xuan was also important in Korea. Many important manuscripts of the Wen xuan have been preserved in Japan, the most important of which is the Monzen shūchū 文選集注, which contains Tang period commentaries most of which were lost in China. ![]() The Wen xuan was transmitted to Japan as early as the eighth century. The Wen xuan became a widely read work in other East Asian countries, especially in Japan and Korea. The second part of the article concerns the history of the reception of the Wen xuan outside of China. This article first discusses the history of the transmission and reception of the Wen xuan mainly in the Tang and Song, focusing on the emergence of Wen xuan xue 文選學 (Wen xuan scholarship) in the early Tang, the interest some Tang poets took in the Wen xuan, the early printing history of the Wen xuan, the origin of the phrase Wen xuan lan, xiucai ban 文選爛,秀才半 (The Wen xuan thoroughly done, half a licentate won), and the severe criticism made by Su Shi 蘇軾 of Xiao Tong. The Wen xuan 文選 is the earliest extant Chinese anthology arranged by genre.
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