捭闔譯本

捭闔譯本

OPENING AND CLOSING

 

[01]

LET US CONSIDER HOW ancient sages existed between heaven and earth. Being leaders of others, they watched the opening and closing of yin and yang in order to direct people thereby and knew the doorway of survival and destruction. Assessing the ends and beginnings of all types, they arrived at the principles of human psychology and saw the foresigns of change therein; and they kept vigil at the doorway.

 

[02]

Therefore the Way by which sages live in the world has always been one; while its transformations, which are endless, each has a specific purpose. Sometimes it is yin, sometimes yang; sometimes yielding, sometimes firm; sometimes open, sometimes closed; sometimes relaxed, sometimes tense. For this reason sages consistently keep watch at the doorway and carefully examine what should precede and what follow. They assess strategies, measure capabilities, and compare strengths and weaknesses of technical skills.

 

[03]

There are differences between the worthy and the unworthy, the intelligent and the foolish, the brave and the cowardly, the humane and the righteous; so it may be appropriate to open up, or to shut down; it may be appropriate to promote, or to demote; it may be appropriate to despise, or to value. Sages govern them without artificial contrivance. They carefully determine what people have and what they lack, in terms of their substantiality or vacuity. They follow what people like and desire, in order to observe their will and aspiration. They subtly brush aside what people say and press it back on them to find out what reality there is to it; and once they get the point, they clam up and put it into effect to find out what benefit there is to it.

 

[04]

Sages sometimes open up in an evident manner; sometimes they are closed and secretive. They are open to those with whom they sympathize, closed to those with whose truth they differ. As to what will do and what will not, sages examine and clarify people's plans to find out if they are in harmony or at variance.

 

[05]

Whether they separate or join, there is that which sages maintain; so they first go along with the aims of others: then when they want to open up, they value thoroughness; and when they want to shut down, they value secrecy. Thoroughness and secrecy are best subtle, for then they are on the trail of the Way.

 

[06]

Opening up is to assess people's feelings; shutting down is to make sure of their sincerity. In each case it is only after seeing people's plans and evaluating their worth that calculations are to be made for them; so sages make the relevant considerations on this basis. If people's plans do not measure up, and do not fit the dimensions and elements of the situation, then sages themselves therefore do the thinking. So opening up may be for the purpose of rejection, or for the purpose of acceptance; shutting down may be for the purpose of taking, or for the purpose of discarding.

 

[07]

Opening and closing are the Way of heaven and earth: opening and closing are used to transform and activate yin and yang and the four seasons; opening and closing are used to influence the rise and fall of all things. Maneuvers such as reversing to repel, reversing to cover up, and reversing to oppose, all have to come from this. Opening and closing are the great influences of the Way, changes of persuasion: it is necessary first to examine their transmutations.

 

[08]

The mouth is the door of the mind; the mind is the host of the spirit. Will, intention, joy, desire, thought, worry, knowledge, and planning all go in and out through the door. Therefore they are governed by opening and closing, controlled in their exit and entry. Opening means speech, or yang; closing means silence, or yin. Yin and yang should be harmonious, end and beginning should be correct.

 

[09]

Thus to talk of longevity, happiness, wealth, status, honor,

fame, love, fondness, material gain, success, joy, or desire, is yang:

this is called the beginning. And so to talk of death, grief, trouble,

poverty, lowliness, disgrace, rejection, loss, disappointment, injury, punishment, execution, or penalty, is yin: this is called the end.

 

[10]

All speech in the yang category is called a beginning, meaning that one speaks of what is good in order to initiate projects. All speech in the yin category is called an ending, in that one speaks of what is bad in order to conclude strategic planning.

 

[11]

The course of opening and closing is proven by yin and yang. When speaking with those who are in yang mode, go by the exalted and the lofty; when speaking with those who are in yin mode, go by the humble and the small. Seek the small by lowliness, seek the great by loftiness. Follow this procedure, and what you say can be expressed anywhere, will penetrate anywhere, and can suit any situation. It will thereby be possible to persuade individuals, to persuade families, to persuade nations, to persuade the world.

 

[12]

To be small means there is no inside; to be large means there is no outside. The phenomenal expressions of increase and reduction, rejection and acceptance, opposition and reversion, are all controlled by yin and yang. Yang is mobile and active, yin is still and unobtrusive. When yang emerges in activity, yin accordingly goes into concealment. When yang comes to an end, it returns to the beginning, and when yin reaches a climax, it reverts to yang.

 

[13]

Using yang to act means development of character; using yin to be still means development of the body. Using yang to seek yin means enveloping with Virtue; using yin to crystallize yang means exercise of power. The mutual seeking of yin and yang depends on opening and closing.

 

[14]

This is the Way of yin and yang of heaven and earth; and it is the method of persuading people. Being the forerunner of all undertakings, it is called the door of the round and the square.