Book VIII 535he can attain the others if he fully attains the kangnyŏng, which lies in the
middle of the five.
“When the ruler rectifies his heart and cultivates virtue, however, he feels
pressured to do so because of the eyes of the people who look up to him.
So it often happens that he is inclined to laxity in discipline when his is
alone. If the heart is not set straight and virtue remains uncultivated, it is
impossible to attain not only the perfection of the sovereign but also the five
blessings.
“In antiquity Duke Wu of Wei composed a poem to admonish himself:When seen befriending a gentleman,
You make your countenance harmonious and mild,
Not far off there are transgressions.
Be observant and attentive of your house—
Are you still not fearful
In your curtained enclosure?^37“Such caution and prudence in conduct enabled the Duke of Wei to enjoy
life past the age of ninety. His life shows that he lived in accordance with
the rules to attain royal perfection and thereby he was able to enjoy the five
blessings. But his good fortune started from the self- cultivation he practiced
while he was alone at leisure.
“We pray that Your Majesty emulates Duke of Wei in the poem, guarding
yourself against laxity while maintaining a sense of reverence, and thus
enjoys the benefits from the attainment of royal perfection. Then your divine
descendants will imitate their sage ancestor and keep his sacred teachings
alive through tens of thousands of generations. So I named the king’s main
quarters Kangnyŏngjŏn.
“The reason for the names Yŏnsaengjŏn and Kyŏngsŏngjŏn is this:
Heaven and Earth give birth to myriad things in the spring and let them
mature in the autumn. The sage king saves the people with benevolence and
controls them with justice. Hence, the sage king rules the world on behalf of
Heaven, and his laws and ordinances are always in harmony with the move-
ments of Heaven and Earth. Conferring the name Yŏnsaengjŏn on the small
sleeping hall on the east side (of the main residence), and Kyŏngsŏngjŏn on
the small sleeping hall on the west side, was intended to show that Your
- “Book III, Decade of Tang, II,” Book of Odes. A translation by Jeffrey Riegel.