Page 140 - 2022(1) International Confusion Studies

Being Mild and Gentle, Sincere and Broadminded 133

The idea of “being mild and gentle, sincere and broadminded” was also an
aesthetic idea advocated by the Han scholars in view of the lessons learned from
the demise of the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.E.–206 B.C.E.) during the reign of its second
emperor. The injustice and lessons of the Qin Dynasty came from its misunder-
standing of human nature and its incorrect treatment of human relationships,
which eventually led to its demise. Liu Xiang (刘向 77 B.C.E.–6 B.C.E.) of the late
Western Han Dynasty criticized the politics of the Qin Dynasty in his Strategies of
):
the Warring States (《战国策书录》 “The ruler and his ministers were suspicious of
each other, and relatives were estranged from each other. Morals and education
became frivolous and despicable, the ethical system was corrupted and decayed;
the people did not observe the rites, and they were restless. The dynasty lasted 14
years and the country fell into turmoil. This is exactly the downside of deceitful-
ness and hypocrisy. Wasn’t this too far from the virtues of the sage kings”
(He, 1990, p. 1356). Liu Xiang criticized the rule of Qin Dynasty for militarism and
deceitfulness, which caused the collapse of interpersonal relationships and was
far from the ancient sage kings’ rule by virtue, so the politics of Han Dynasty should
take a lesson from this, adjust interpersonal relationships, and repair human
relationships with the notion of being mild and gentle, sincere and broadminded.
The chapter “Summary” of Huainanzi (《淮南子 · 泰族训》 which was written
),
during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, stated that, “The tempera-
ments representing the Five Elements (五行), though different from each other, are
all harmonious; the Six Arts, though different in kinds, are consistent in their
essence. Gentle and tender are the character of The Book of Songs; generosity
honesty are what The Book of History teaches; clearness and understanding are the
essence of The Book of Changes; respect and frugality are the code of conduct
advocated by The Book of Rites; generosity and ease are what The Book of Music
teaches; and satire on current affairs and discernment of right and wrong are the
merits of The Spring and Autumn Annals. Therefore, the fault of The Book of Changes
is that it is inscrutable (for readers with insufficient learning); the fault of The Book
of Music is that it leads to indulgence; the fault of The Book of Songs is that it makes
people resentful; the fault of The Book of History is that it makes people stick to the
old ways; the fault of The Book of Rites is that it makes the inferior and the superior
hate each other; and the fault of the Spring and Autumn Annals is that it makes
people slander each other. The sages make use of the best of these six classics. The
loss of the original purposes of these six classics leads to chaos and the mastery of
them leads to success. The key is to coordinate the various relationships, and it is
wrong to change their essence and spirit (Liu, 2013, pp. 820–821).