1月6日

仁壽堂說
元 吳澄 ( 1249~1333 )

仁者壽，非聖人之言乎！天地生物之心曰仁，惟
天地之壽最久。聖人之仁如天地，亦惟上古聖人之
壽最久。夫人之全德固未易全，然禮儀三百，威儀
三千，無一而非仁者。得其一，亦可謂仁，亦可得
壽矣！予嘗執此，觀天下之人，凡氣之溫和者壽，
質之慈良者壽，量之寬洪者壽，貌之重厚者壽，言
之簡默者壽。蓋溫和也、慈良也、寬洪也、重厚也、
簡默也，皆仁之一端也。

──選自《金至元吳文正集》

January 6th

On The Hall Of Benevolence And Longevity
Wu Cheng (1249 - 1333, Yuan Dynasty)
English translation: John Balcom

The benevolent enjoy long life. All things created by heaven
and earth have the mind of benevolence. Heaven and earth
have the greatest longevity. The benevolence of the sage is like
heaven and earth, so the life of the sage is the longest.
Possessing complete virtue is naturally not easy. Consider
the three hundred forms of etiquette, or the three thousand
dignified manners, not one among them lacks benevolence.
Practicing just one could be called benevolence, and allows
one to enjoy a long life. Adhering to this, I often observe all
walks of life in the world. He who is gentle, kind, tolerant,
honest, or sincere will enjoy a long life, for gentleness,
kindness, tolerance, honesty, and sincerity are each a part of
benevolence.

── from Jin Zhi Yuan Wu Wen Zhengji
(Collection of Literature from Jin to Yuan Dynasty)