1
自古受命而王，王者之興何嘗不以卜筮決於天命哉！ 其於周尤甚，及秦可見。 代王之入，任於卜者。 太卜之起，由漢興而有。
Since ancient times, those who received the mandate have ruled as kings—and when has the rise of any king not been decided through divination and the will of Heaven? This was especially true of the Zhou dynasty, and can be seen clearly in the case of the Qin as well. When the King of Dai ascended to the throne, the matter was entrusted to the diviners. The office of the Grand Diviner was established with the rise of the Han dynasty.
2
司馬季主者，楚人也。 卜於長安東市。
Sima Jizhu was a native of Chu. He practiced divination in the eastern market of Chang'an.
3
宋忠為中大夫，賈誼為博士，同日俱出洗沐，相從論議，誦易先王聖人之道術，究遍人情，相視而嘆。 賈誼曰：「吾聞古之聖人，不居朝廷，必在卜醫之中。 今吾已見三公九卿朝士大夫，皆可知矣。 試之卜數中以觀采。」 二人即同輿而之市，游於卜肆中。 天新雨，道少人，司馬季主閒坐，弟子三四人侍，方辯天地之道，日月之運，陰陽吉凶之本。 二大夫再拜謁。 司馬季主視其狀貌，如類有知者，即禮之，使弟子延之坐。 坐定，司馬季主復理前語，分別天地之終始，日月星辰之紀，差次仁義之際，列吉凶之符，語數千言，莫不順理。
Song Zhong was a Palace Grandee and Jia Yi an Erudite. One day, during their rest day, the two went out together, conversing as they walked. They discussed the Book of Changes and the arts of the Way as practiced by the ancient kings and sages, examining the full breadth of human affairs, until at last they looked at one another and sighed. Jia Yi said, "I have heard it said that the sages of old, if they did not dwell at court, were surely to be found among the diviners and physicians. By now I have observed the Three Excellencies, the Nine Ministers, and the officials at court—I know the measure of them all. Let us go among the diviners and see if we can find true talent there." The two of them shared a carriage and set off for the market, wandering among the divination stalls. It had just rained, and the streets were nearly empty. Sima Jizhu sat at his ease, attended by three or four disciples, discoursing on the Way of Heaven and Earth, the movements of the sun and moon, and the origins of fortune and misfortune in the balance of yin and yang. The two grandees bowed twice in greeting. Sima Jizhu studied their appearance and manner. Seeing that they seemed to be men of learning, he received them courteously and had his disciples invite them to sit. Once they were settled, Sima Jizhu returned to his earlier discourse. He expounded the beginning and the end of Heaven and Earth, the cycles of the sun, moon, and stars, the gradations of benevolence and righteousness, and the tokens of fortune and misfortune. He spoke for several thousand words, and every one accorded with reason.
4
宋忠、賈誼瞿然而悟，獵纓正襟危坐，曰：「吾望先生之狀，聽先生之辭，小子竊觀於世，未嘗見也。 今何居之卑，何行之汙？」
Song Zhong and Jia Yi were startled into awareness. They straightened their cap strings, adjusted their lapels, and sat upright. "Gazing upon your bearing, sir, and listening to your words," they said, "in all our years observing the world, we have never encountered anyone like you. Why, then, do you dwell in so lowly a station and follow so degraded a profession?"
5
司馬季主捧腹大笑曰：「觀大夫類有道術者，今何言之陋也，何辭之野也！ 今夫子所賢者何也？ 所高者誰也？ 今何以卑汙長者？」
Sima Jizhu threw back his head, holding his belly in a great laugh. "Looking at you, my lords, you appear to be men who understand the Way and its arts—yet how crude your words are, and how coarse your speech! Tell me, what is it that you consider worthy? Whom do you hold in high esteem? On what grounds do you call your elders lowly and degraded?"
6
二君曰：「尊官厚祿，世之所高也，賢才處之。 今所處非其地，故謂之卑。 言不信，行不驗，取不當，故謂之汙。 夫卜筮者，世俗之所賤簡也。 世皆言曰：『夫卜者多言誇嚴以得人情，虛高人祿命以說人志，擅言禍災以傷人心，矯言鬼神以盡人財，厚求拜謝以私於己。』 此吾之所恥，故謂之卑汙也。」
The two lords replied, "Exalted offices and generous stipends—these are what the world holds in high esteem, and men of talent and worth occupy them. You do not occupy the station befitting such a man, and so we call your position lowly. Your words are not believed, your methods are not proven, and your fees are not deserved—and so we call your work degraded. Diviners are despised and belittled by the common world. Everyone says, 'Diviners use extravagant and intimidating words to gain people's trust. They inflate people's fortunes with empty flattery to gratify their ambitions, conjure calamities from thin air to wound their hearts, invoke spirits and ghosts under false pretenses to drain their wealth, and demand lavish gifts of thanks to line their own pockets.' This is what we find shameful, and that is why we call the profession lowly and degraded."
7
司馬季主曰：「公且安坐。 公見夫被髪童子乎？ 日月照之則行，不照則止，問之日月疵瑕吉凶，則不能理。 由是觀之，能知別賢與不肖者寡矣。
Sima Jizhu said, "Please, sirs, remain seated. Have you ever observed a child with unkempt hair? When the sun and moon shine, he walks; when they do not, he stops. But ask him about the eclipses of the sun and moon, or about the nature of fortune and misfortune, and he cannot make sense of it. From this it is clear that few in this world can truly tell the worthy from the unworthy."
8
「賢之行也，直道以正諫，三諫不聽則退。 其譽人也不望其報，惡人也不顧其怨，以便國家利眾為務。 故官非其任不處也，祿非其功不受也； 見人不正，雖貴不敬也； 見人有污，雖尊不下也； 得不為喜，去不為恨； 非其罪也，雖累辱而不愧也。
"The conduct of a worthy man is this: he follows the straight path and offers upright counsel. If after three remonstrances he is not heeded, he withdraws. When he commends someone, he does not look for repayment. When he condemns someone, he does not shrink from the resentment it brings. His sole concern is the benefit of the state and the people. He will not hold an office that does not match his abilities, nor accept a stipend that does not match his merits. If he encounters a man who is not upright, he will not show him respect, however noble the man may be. If he encounters a man who is tainted, he will not defer to him, however exalted his rank. He does not rejoice at gaining office, nor harbor resentment at losing it. When the fault is not his own, he feels no shame, no matter how often he is humiliated.
9
「今公所謂賢者，皆可為羞矣。 卑疵而前，孅趨而言； 相引以勢，相導以利； 比周賓正，以求尊譽，以受公奉； 事私利，枉主法，獵農民； 以官為威，以法為機，求利逆暴：譬無異於操白刃劫人者也。 初試官時，倍力為巧詐，飾虛功執空文以罔主上，用居上為右； 試官不讓賢陳功，見偽增實，以無為有，以少為多，以求便勢尊位； 食飲驅馳，從姬歌兒，不顧於親，犯法害民，虛公家：此夫為盜不操矛弧者也，攻而不用弦刃者也，欺父母未有罪而弒君未伐者也。 何以為高賢才乎？
But those whom you call worthy—every one of them should be a cause for shame. They grovel and fawn to get ahead, mincing forward to have their say. They pull one another along by the leverage of power and lead one another on with the lure of profit. They form cliques and factions, pushing aside the upright, all to pursue honors and reputation and to draw public stipends. They serve their own private interests, twist the ruler's laws to their purposes, and prey upon the common farmers. They wield their office as a bludgeon and the law as a trap, pursuing profit through violence and oppression. They are no different from brigands who hold bare blades to rob people. When they first enter office, they redouble their efforts at cunning and deceit. They embellish phantom achievements and brandish empty documents to hoodwink the sovereign, and by such means secure the highest positions. When evaluated for office, they never yield to the worthy or present real merits. They pass off the false as genuine, conjure something from nothing, and inflate the meager into abundance—all to secure positions of power and prestige. They feast and carouse, race their carriages, keep company with concubines and singing girls, neglect their own kin, break the law and harm the people, and drain the public coffers. These are thieves who carry no spears or bows, marauders who wield no bowstrings or blades—men who betray their parents without being charged and murder their sovereign without being punished. How can such men be called exalted and worthy?"
10
「盜賊發不能禁，夷貊不服不能攝，姦邪起不能塞，官秏亂不能治，四時不和不能調，歲穀不孰不能適。 才賢不為，是不忠也； 才不賢而託官位，利上奉，妨賢者處，是竊位也； 有人者進，有財者禮，是偽也。 子獨不見鴟梟之與鳳皇翔乎？ 蘭芷芎藭棄於廣野，蒿蕭成林，使君子退而不顯眾，公等是也。
"When bandits arise, they cannot suppress them. When the barbarian tribes refuse to submit, they cannot overawe them. When treachery and wickedness spring up, they cannot check them. When the government falls into waste and disorder, they cannot set it right. When the four seasons fall out of harmony, they cannot restore the balance. When the year's grain fails to ripen, they cannot find a remedy. If a man possesses the talent of a worthy yet does nothing, that is disloyalty. If a man lacks the talent of a worthy yet clings to his office, profits from the sovereign's stipend, and blocks the worthy from their rightful places—that is the theft of a position. To promote those with connections and treat with courtesy only those who have wealth—that is hypocrisy. Have you not seen the owls soaring side by side with the phoenix? Orchids, angelica, and lovage are cast aside in the open wilds while mugwort and artemisia grow into thickets. The noble man withdraws and is lost among the crowd—and you, sirs, are the very proof of it."
11
「述而不作，君子義也。 今夫卜者，必法天地，象四時，順於仁義，分策定卦，旋式正棋，然後言天地之利害，事之成敗。 昔先王之定國家，必先龜策日月，而後乃敢代； 正時日，乃后入家； 產子必先占吉凶，后乃有之。 自伏羲作八卦，周文王演三百八十四爻而天下治。 越王句踐放文王八卦以破敵國，霸天下。 由是言之，卜筮有何負哉！
"To transmit and not to innovate—that is the principle of the noble man. The diviner must take Heaven and Earth as his model, pattern himself after the four seasons, and accord with benevolence and righteousness. He sorts the milfoil stalks, determines the hexagram, turns the cosmograph, and arranges the pieces—only then does he pronounce upon the benefits and harms of Heaven and Earth, and the success or failure of human affairs. In ancient times, when the former kings established their states, they always first consulted the tortoise shell and milfoil stalks to read the heavens, and only then dared to assume power. They determined the auspicious day, and only then entered their new households. Before a child was born, they always first divined its fortune, and only then welcomed it into the world. Ever since Fuxi created the Eight Trigrams and King Wen of Zhou elaborated the three hundred and eighty-four lines, the realm has been governed in good order. King Goujian of Yue followed King Wen's use of the Eight Trigrams to vanquish his enemies and become the hegemon of the realm. Seen in this light, how has divination ever failed?"
12
「且夫卜筮者，埽除設坐，正其冠帶，然後乃言事，此有禮也。 言而鬼神或以饗，忠臣以事其上，孝子以養其親，慈父以畜其子，此有德者也。 而以義置數十百錢，病者或以愈，且死或以生，患或以免，事或以成，嫁子娶婦或以養生：此之為德，豈直數十百錢哉！ 此夫老子所謂『上德不德，是以有德』。 今夫卜筮者利大而謝少，老子之云豈異於是乎？
"Moreover, the diviner sweeps and prepares the space, sets out the seats, straightens his cap and sash, and only then speaks of the matter at hand—this is propriety. Through his words, the spirits receive their offerings, loyal ministers serve their rulers, filial sons support their parents, and loving fathers nurture their children—this is virtue. For the fair fee of a few tens or hundreds of coins, the sick may be healed, the dying may survive, calamities may be averted, ventures may succeed, and marriages may be arranged to carry on the family line. Is such virtue worth merely a few tens or hundreds of coins? This is what Laozi meant when he said, 'The highest virtue does not regard itself as virtuous—and therefore truly possesses virtue.' The diviner provides great benefit in exchange for a small fee. Is this not precisely what Laozi had in mind?"
13
「莊子曰：『君子內無饑寒之患，外無劫奪之憂，居上而敬，居下不為害，君子之道也。』 今夫卜筮者之為業也，積之無委聚，藏之不用府庫，徙之不用輜車，負裝之不重，止而用之無盡索之時。 持不盡索之物，游於無窮之世，雖莊氏之行未能增於是也，子何故而云不可卜哉？ 天不足西北，星辰西北移； 地不足東南，以海為池； 日中必移，月滿必虧； 先王之道，乍存乍亡。 公責卜者言必信，不亦惑乎！
"Zhuangzi said, 'The noble man suffers no hunger or cold within, and fears no robbery or plunder without. In a high position he is respected; in a low position he does no harm. This is the Way of the noble man.' Consider the diviner's trade: when hoarded it requires no granary, when stored it needs no treasury, when moved it calls for no baggage wagons, and when shouldered it weighs nothing. Wherever one stops to practice it, it never runs dry. To possess an inexhaustible thing and wander through a boundless world—even the conduct of Master Zhuang himself could add nothing to this. Why, then, do you insist that divination is not a worthy pursuit? Heaven is wanting in the northwest, and the stars drift toward the northwest. Earth is wanting in the southeast, and the sea fills the gap. The sun at its zenith inevitably declines; the full moon inevitably wanes. Even the Way of the former kings now flourishes and now fades. You demand that a diviner's words always prove true—are you not deluding yourselves?"
14
「公見夫談士辯人乎？ 慮事定計，必是人也，然不能以一言說人主意，故言必稱先王，語必道上古； 慮事定計，飾先王之成功，語其敗害，以恐喜人主之志，以求其欲。 多言誇嚴，莫大於此矣。 然欲彊國成功，盡忠於上，非此不立。 今夫卜者，導惑教愚也。 夫愚惑之人，豈能以一言而知之哉！ 言不厭多。
"Have you observed the rhetoricians and debaters? When plans must be deliberated and strategies devised, these are the very men for it. Yet they cannot sway the ruler's mind with a single word, and so their speeches always invoke the former kings and their discourse always reaches back to high antiquity. In deliberating on affairs and devising plans, they embellish the achievements of the former kings and hold forth on the calamities of the past, playing upon the ruler's fears and ambitions to obtain what they desire. When it comes to extravagant and intimidating speech, nothing surpasses this. Yet if one wishes to strengthen the state, achieve great things, and show utmost loyalty to the sovereign, these methods are indispensable. The diviner guides the confused and instructs the ignorant. How can the confused and ignorant be made to understand with a single word? One can never use too many words."
15
「故騏驥不能與罷驢為駟，而鳳皇不與燕雀為群，而賢者亦不與不肖者同列。 故君子處卑隱以辟眾，自匿以辟倫，微見德順以除群害，以明天性，助上養下，多其功利，不求尊譽。 公之等喁喁者也，何知長者之道乎！」
"A thoroughbred cannot be yoked in a team with a worn-out donkey, the phoenix does not flock with sparrows, and the worthy do not stand in the same ranks as the unworthy. The noble man therefore dwells in a humble and hidden station to avoid the crowd, conceals himself to escape the company of his peers, and subtly manifests virtue and compliance to rid the world of its ills. He illuminates the nature of Heaven, assists those above and nourishes those below, multiplies the benefits to all—yet seeks neither honor nor glory. You and your kind are nothing but chattering fish—what can you know of the Way of the elders?"
16
宋忠、賈誼忽而自失，芒乎無色，悵然噤口不能言。 於是攝衣而起，再拜而辭。 行洋洋也，出門僅能自上車，伏軾低頭，卒不能出氣。
Song Zhong and Jia Yi were overcome with shame. The color drained from their faces, and they could only sit in dejected silence, unable to utter a word. They gathered their robes, rose to their feet, bowed twice, and took their leave. They walked in a daze. At the door, they could barely manage to climb into their carriage. They slumped against the crossbar with heads bowed, unable even to draw a breath.
17
居三日，宋忠見賈誼於殿門外，乃相引屏語相謂自嘆曰：「道高益安，勢高益危。 居赫赫之勢，失身且有日矣。 夫卜而有不審，不見奪糈； 為人主計而不審，身無所處。 此相去遠矣，猶天冠地屨也。 此老子之所謂『無名者萬物之始』也。 天地曠曠，物之熙熙，或安或危，莫知居之。 我與若，何足預彼哉！ 彼久而愈安，雖曾氏之義未有以異也。」
Three days later, Song Zhong encountered Jia Yi outside the palace gate. They drew each other aside and spoke in private, sighing to one another: "The higher one's moral cultivation, the greater one's peace; the higher one's political power, the greater one's peril. We occupy positions of conspicuous power, and the day of our ruin draws ever nearer. If a diviner's prediction proves wrong, the worst that happens is the loss of his fee. But if one plans for the ruler and the plan goes astray, one's very life has nowhere to go. The distance between these two fates is as vast as that between a cap in the heavens and sandals on the ground. This is what Laozi meant when he said, 'The nameless is the beginning of all things.' Heaven and earth stretch vast and open, all things bustle and stir. Some find peace, some find peril, and none know where they truly stand. What are you and I that we should meddle in such things? The man who endures grows ever more secure with time—even the righteousness of Master Zeng could not improve upon this."
18
久之，宋忠使匈奴，不至而還，抵罪。 而賈誼為梁懷王傅，王墮馬薨，誼不食，毒恨而死。 此務華絕根者也。
Some time later, Song Zhong was sent on a mission to the Xiongnu. He failed to reach his destination, turned back, and was charged with a crime. Jia Yi became tutor to King Huai of Liang. When the king fell from his horse and died, Jia Yi refused food and perished of grief and bitter remorse. These were men who pursued the blossoms while cutting off the roots.
19
太史公曰：古者卜人所以不載者，多不見于篇。 及至司馬季主，余志而著之。
The Grand Historian remarks: The diviners of old were for the most part left out of the historical records; many do not appear in any text. But when I encountered the account of Sima Jizhu, I resolved to set it down in writing.
20
褚先生曰：臣為郎時，游觀長安中，見卜筮之賢大夫，觀其起居行步，坐起自動，誓正其衣冠而當鄉人也，有君子之風。 見性好解婦來卜，對之顏色嚴振，未嘗見齒而笑也。 從古以來，賢者避世，有居止舞澤者，有居民閒閉口不言，有隱居卜筮閒以全身者。 夫司馬季主者，楚賢大夫，游學長安，通易經，術黃帝、老子，博聞遠見。 觀其對二大夫貴人之談言，稱引古明王聖人道，固非淺聞小數之能。 及卜筮立名聲千里者，各往往而在。 傳曰：「富為上，貴次之； 既貴各各學一伎能立其身。」 黃直，大夫也； 陳君夫，婦人也：以相馬立名天下。 齊張仲、曲成侯以善擊刺學用劍，立名天下。 留長孺以相彘立名。 滎陽褚氏以相牛立名。 能以伎能立名者甚多，皆有高世絕人之風，何可勝言。 故曰：「非其地，樹之不生； 非其意，教之不成。」 夫家之教子孫，當視其所以好，好含茍生活之道，因而成之。 故曰：「制宅命子，足以觀士； 子有處所，可謂賢人。」 臣為郎時，與太卜待詔為郎者同署，言曰：「孝武帝時，聚會占家問之，某日可取婦乎？ 五行家曰可，堪輿家曰不可，建除家曰不吉，叢辰家曰大凶，歷家曰小凶，天人家曰小吉，太一家曰大吉。 辯訟不決，以狀聞。 制曰：『避諸死忌，以五行為主。』」 人取於五行者也。
Master Chu says: When I served as a Palace Gentleman, I wandered through Chang'an observing its sights. I encountered the worthy masters of divination and observed their daily conduct—how they walked, how they rose and sat with natural composure, and how they straightened their caps and robes when greeting their neighbors. They had the bearing of true gentlemen. When flirtatious women came to have their fortunes told, the diviners received them with stern and dignified expressions, never once baring their teeth in a smile. Since ancient times, worthy men who withdrew from the world have taken different paths: some dwelt in remote marshes, some lived quietly among the people and spoke not a word, and some concealed themselves among the diviners to preserve their lives. Sima Jizhu was a worthy grandee of Chu who traveled to Chang'an to study. He mastered the Book of Changes, practiced the arts of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, and was a man of wide learning and far-reaching insight. When one observes his discourse with the two noble grandees—how he cited the Way of the wise kings and sages of antiquity—it is clear that his was not the talent of a man of shallow learning and petty skills. As for the diviners whose reputations carried a thousand li, they could be found scattered across every region. The tradition says: 'Wealth comes first, rank second. Once rank is secured, each person should master a skill to establish himself.' Huang Zhi was a grandee who judged horses. Chen Junfu was a woman who made her name throughout the realm as a judge of horses. Zhang Zhong of Qi and the Marquis of Qucheng made their names throughout the realm through their mastery of swordplay—the arts of striking and thrusting. Liu Changru made his name as a judge of pigs. The Chu family of Xingyang made their name as judges of cattle. Those who established their names through mastery of a skill are far too many to count. All possessed the spirit of men who stood above their generation and apart from ordinary folk—how could one possibly list them all? As the saying goes: 'In the wrong soil, a tree will not grow. Without the right inclination, no amount of teaching will bear fruit.' When a family raises its children and grandchildren, one should observe what naturally draws them. If their inclination encompasses a way of making a living, then one should nurture it and bring it to fruition. As the saying goes: 'By how a man arranges his household and directs his children, one can judge his character. If one's children each find their proper place, then one may truly be called a worthy man.' When I served as a Palace Gentleman, I shared an office with a man who had served as a Gentleman-in-Waiting under the Grand Diviner. He told me: 'In the time of Emperor Wu, the various schools of diviners were assembled and asked: Is such-and-such a day auspicious for taking a wife? The Five Phases school said it was acceptable. The Geomancy school said it was not. The Construction and Removal school said it was inauspicious. The Cluster of Stars school said it was deeply inauspicious. The Calendar school said it was slightly inauspicious. The Heaven and Man school said it was slightly auspicious. The Grand Unity school said it was highly auspicious. The dispute could not be settled, and the matter was reported to the throne. The imperial decree stated: 'Avoid the taboos associated with death, and take the Five Phases school as the standard.'' And so people follow the Five Phases school.