忠經 Zhong Jing #8
武備章 Military Perfect Chapter
(PD) Mt Seoraksan Republic of Korea
Skies, earth, footprint...
(Photo clarity, angle, and wording by Larry Neal Gowdy)
Copyright ©2019 October 30, 2019
The eighth chapter of 忠經 (Zhong Jing) is titled 武備章, which is loosely interpreted to be Military Perfect Chapter.
Unexpectedly, the general theme of chapter #8 focuses on the idea of promoting and supporting one's nation's military, while not falsely debasing the military. Within modern cultures, when a writing speaks of things like virtue and fairness, it is common for the writings to unfairly speak against militaries. Zhong Jing earns respect for maintaining a rationally coherent non-contradicting stance towards all of its topics.
The following quotes are draft translations of portions of sentences within 忠經 Zhong Jing chapter 8 武備章. Several of the words are given with accompanying synonyms that help to present an active concept.
Emperor person-ist stand military
Use prestige four direction-power
Stable ten-thousand people {also}
For as long as there exists unstable human minds, so will there also exist a need for militaries to defend stable peaceful people. There exists no reason to believe otherwise.
'Military virtue main-primary peaceful calm
Wrong appearance when impose stab-sword {also}'
A stable mind is of harmony with itself... no multiple personalities. For a thing to be creative, it must harmonize with another thing... only things that are correct are able to harmonize... without harmony there will be multiple personalities within a conflicting mind. Fairness, a Nature-based scale, is able to harmonize with things that are also correct. Selfishness and favoritism do not harmonize with anything that is correct... attempting to force one's selfish favoritism, always results in a conflicting mind of multiple personalities. Virtue, is a creation of correct things in harmony... virtue has its own qi... the harmony within virtue nascents a stable and calm mind.
A rational military is fair... virtuous. Noteworthy is that a calm level-headed military is far more effective in battle than other militaries that are emotionally unstable. The idea of a virtuous military has numerous advantages, and no known disadvantages.
A humorous event of several years ago was when a group of protesters demanded democratic politics within their country... the protesters were forced away by the nation's military who outnumbered the protesters. Apparently the protesters did not recognize that the military had won through democracy.
'Pure-honest virtue-morals cloth blend-harmony
Military-arms smooth-safe report-to fate-life-command
Whole-all military it commander
Fate not able-to disgrace-insult
Commander not able-to fail-lose-mistake
Nation it great lodge-entrust
Wrong-oppose change-easy its people
Benevolence use bosom it
Comfort-console its suffering hardship-miserable
Envoy-order-cause it all bosom
Righteousness use whetstone-sharpen it
Show-manifest-reveal its magnanimous generous
Order-envoy-cause its sharp-fierce advise-urge-comfort
Social-customs use teach-example it
Bright-understanding its festival-save-abridge system-establish-make
Order-envoy-cause it have sequence-series
Trust-faith use behavior it
Detailed-thorough its distant near
Order-envoy-cause it certainly behavior
Award-prize use advise-urge it
Hang its title-rank award-prize
Order-envoy-cause it desire-admire merit-achievement
Punish-fairness use strict-rigid it
Prestige-power its straw-cutter battle-ax
Order-envoy-cause it fear guilt-crime
Behavior then six person-ist
Meaning-name it have sharp-advantage
Six person-ist simultaneously expenses-need-use-apply
Palace-deficiency then fail-lose it
Therefore advance-increase ready expenses-outlay teacher-example
Zi Fan say : not-yet know faith-trust
It type correct {also}
Therefore obtain teacher-example exert-to-utmost its heart
Exhaust-use-up its influence-strength
Cause-send-devote its fate-command
Scholar foot-soldier follow teaching-instruction
Therefore teacher-example obtain sharp-advantage
Correct use attack-charge-study it then can-overcome
Defend-serve it then solidify
Military-valiant completely it way {also}
Military-valiant able-to use completely and not expenses-outlay
Not able-to use expenses-outlay and not completely {also}
Poem say: Valiant valiant military man
Public noble oppose city-walls
Have its military ability
Adequately-capable its ward-off-resist-withstand
Several sentences are difficult to follow, but the general ideas are simple enough... a virtuous military is advantageous for a nation's defense as well as for being an example for the nation's people to bosom.