Biographies of Jesters (滑稽列傳 Guji Liezhuan) Part Four

Paragraph 4: Chunyu Kun (淳于髡) (3/3)

Weiwang was pleased with the withdrawal of the Chu army. He ordered feasts to be arranged and he honored Chunyu Kun with a drink. Weiwang asked, "How much does it take to inebriate my counselor?" Chunyu answered, "I can be drunk on a little, but I can also be drunk on a lot." Weiwang said, "Counselor, if you are drunk on a little, how can you finish a lot? Can you tell me how?" Chunyu said, "When you, my Lord, honor me with a drink at court, with law enforcers on either side, with judicial officials standing behind, I bow low and drink in fear. It takes only a little (a dou) to make me drunk." He continued, "When my parents receive honorable guests at home, I roll up my sleeves and bend over to fill their cups. I stand by at their service and am given a drink from time to time. I hold my cup high and drink to their health in reverence as high. It takes only a few rounds to make me drunk (on two dous)." Chunyu went on to give a third situation, "While socializing with long-lost friends, whom I chanced upon, I rejoice in our conversation of shared old days and in our exchange of life experiences kept to ourselves." "It then takes some more to make me drunk (five or six dous)." "When an informal feast is held in the neighborhood," Chunyu said about the fourth situation, "men and women don't sit apart; people enjoy each other's company and drink for long." "Gambling is allowed; bonding comes natural." "Flirting (holding hands) is inculpable; ogling is acceptable. Earrings are dropped; hairpins, left behind. This caters to my guilty pleasure (This is my péché mignon) and it takes much more to make me drunk (Eight dous equal to slight tipsiness). And further, when the dusk falls and the feast is nearly done, those who linger gather what is left and sit close--men and women share same seats (my emphasis: It is feasible that this means women are sitting in the lap of men, so that everything is piled up or joined "in a pleasant mess": people, shoes, tableware...all things that refer to carnal pleasures); men's shoes are placed upon women's; tableware is piled upon tableware. When the candles burn out from the banquet ball, the host sees off other guests but ask me to stay. This is the time when blouses are loosened and the scent is perceived. This is the moment I favor most. This is the time when I can finish a lot (a dan)." "It is said that drinking without restraint leads to vice; feasting without restraint leads to tragedy. All things under no restraint go in like manner. This is to say that extremities should be avoided, for extremities lead to downfalls." In explaining his toleration for alcohol, Chunyu insinuated a piece of advice into Weiwang's mind. Weiwang replied, "Well said," and restrained from late-night feasting. Chunyu was soon made the supervisor of revelry. When royal banquets were held, Chunyu was always present.

A century and more came to pass. There in Chu was Yo Meng.

*威王大說(yue4)，置酒後宮，召髡賜之酒。問曰：「先生能飲幾何而醉？」對曰：「臣飲一斗亦醉，一石亦醉。」威王曰：「先生飲一斗而醉，惡能飲一石哉！其說可 得聞乎？」髡曰：「賜酒大王之前，執法在傍，御史在後，髡恐懼俯伏而飲，不 過一斗徑醉矣。若親有嚴客，髡帣韝（juan4gou1）鞠？（古字，月+丞+也）(ju2ji4)，侍酒於前，時賜餘瀝，奉觴上壽，數起，飲不過二斗徑醉矣。若朋友交遊，久不相見，卒(cu4)然相睹，歡然道故， 私情相語，飲可五六斗徑醉矣。若乃州閭(lü2)之會，男女雜坐，行酒稽留，六博投壺，相引為曹，握手無罰，目眙(chi4)不禁(jin4)，前有墮珥(er3)，後有遺簪，髡竊樂此， 飲可八斗而醉二參(san1)。日暮酒闌，合尊促坐，男女同席，履舄(xi4)交錯，杯盤狼藉，堂上燭滅，主人留髡而送客，羅襦(ru2)襟解，微聞薌(xiang1)澤，當此之時，髡心最歡，能飲一石。故曰酒極則亂，樂極則悲；萬事盡然，言不可極，極之而衰。」 以諷諫焉。齊王曰：「善。」乃罷長夜之飲，以髡為諸侯主客。宗室置酒，髡嘗在側。

其後百餘年，楚有優孟。

**The original paragraph in Chinese is taken from: Sima Qian. Ed. Han Zhaoqi. New Translation Shiji. vol.VIII. Taipei: Sanmin, 2008. 4941-4942. (司馬遷. 韓兆琦 注譯. 新譯史記, 第八冊. 臺北市：三民, 2008. 4941-4942頁. ISBN: 978-95-14-5001-8). All translation is based upon the text and annotations thereof (4944-4945).

***All translation is mine.

Biographies of Jesters (滑稽列傳 Guji Liezhuan) Part Three

Paragraph 3: Chunyu Kun (淳于髡) (2/3)

When Weiwang reigned his dukedom into the eighth year, the Chu Dukedom posed a military threat to him. Weiwang, as the ruler of the Qi Dukedom, named Chunyu Kun emissary to the Chao Dukedom, to send for defending forces. Weiwang then equipped Chunyu Kun with one-hundred jins (a measure unit; one jin at that time equals to 300 mg or more) of gold and 10 four-horse carriages as gifts for Chao. Chunyu Kun laughed so hard that his laughing ripped his hat ribbons apart. At this, Weiwang said, "My counsellor, do you think my offer is meager?" Chunyu answered, "How dare I?" "Why then you laughed?" asked Weiwang. Chunyu replied, "On my way here from the east, I saw someone pray by the road. With a pork leg and a pot of wine, the prayer went, 'May ample harvest come from barren grounds; may bountiful harvest come from flooded fields; may all crops come ripe and rich; may my house and barns be extravagantly filled.' I laughed simply because he offered so little but asked for so much." Hearing this, Weiwang then added one thousand yis (yi is a measure unit equals to apporximately 2 jins) of gold, ten pairs of royal jadeware, one hundred of four-horse carriages. With all these, Chunyu bade Wenwang farewell and left for Chao. In exchange, Chao launched an army of one hundred thousand best soldiers and one thousand warring chariots. When this information came to Chu, Duke Chu withdrew his invading army overnight.

*威王八年，楚大發兵加齊。齊王使淳于髡之趙請救兵，齎(ji1)金百(bo2)斤，車(jü1)馬十駟。淳于髡仰天大笑， 冠(guan1)纓索絕。王曰：「先生少之乎？」髡曰：「何敢！」王 曰：「笑豈有說乎？」髡曰：「今者臣從東方來，見道傍有禳(rang2)田者，操一豚蹄，酒一盂，祝曰：『甌窶(ou1lou2)滿篝(gou1)，汙邪(wu1ye2)滿車，五穀蕃熟(shu2)，穰穰(rang2)滿家。』 臣見其所持者狹而所欲者奢，故笑之。」於是齊威王乃益齎黃金千溢，白璧十雙，車馬百駟。髡辭而行，至趙。趙王與之精兵十萬，革車千乘(sheng4)。楚聞之，夜引兵而去。
**The original paragraph in Chinese is taken from: Sima Qian. Ed. Han Zhaoqi. New Translation Shiji. vol.VIII. Taipei: Sanmin, 2008. 4941. (司馬遷. 韓兆琦 注譯. 新譯史記, 第八冊. 臺北市：三民, 2008. 4941頁. ISBN: 978-95-14-5001-8). All translation is based upon the text and annotations thereof (4943-4944).
***All translation is mine.

Biographies of Jesters (滑稽列傳 Guji Liezhuan) Part Two

Paragraph 2: Chunyu Kun (淳于髡) (1/3)

Chunyu Kun, a man who wived in Qi the Dukedom and stayed, was short in height (no more than 7 Zhou feet, i.e., 162cm) but eloquent in speech. He set out many times as an emissary to other dukedoms; he never for once yielded himself or his dukedom to any humiliation. In reign was Qi Weiwang, a duke who enjoyed riddles. In the early years of his reign, Weiwang lusted for carnal pleasures and often feasted late into the night. Such indulgence of his took over all obligations due a ruler. His courtiers had to manage a dukedom without a duke at court. The court then fell into disorder and the land began to fall into the hands of other dukes. The future of Qi hung by a  thread. It appeared that the dukedom was about to meet its doom. Even so, none of Weiwang's courtiers durst to utter a word of admonition. Chunyu Kun then made an attempt in his riddle. "There in this dukedom is a bird," he said, "enormous in size, perching upon your palace; for three full years, it neither flipped a wing nor made a sound. I wonder if Your Highness know what bird this is." Weiwang then replied, "This bird rarely flies, but once it does, it reaches the zenith; this bird hardly sings, but once it does, it takes people by surprise." Upon these words, Weiwang convened all his 72 magistrates from around the dukedom. He executed one and rewarded one. With order restored and discipline demanded, Weiwang readied an army to defend his territory. For fear of him, the dukes returned every piece of land they took from Qi. It then became one of the most powerful dukedoms among them all and so it remained for 36 years.  This is recorded in, "House of Wan" (i.e., "House of Tian Jingzhong" 田敬仲世家, one of the 30 volumes of  "Biographies of the Feudal Houses and Eminent Persons" 世家 in The Records of the Grand Historian ).

*淳于髡者，齊之贅婿也。長不滿七尺，滑稽多辯，數(shuo4)使諸侯，未嘗屈辱。齊威王之時喜隱，好為淫樂長夜之飲，沈湎不治，委政卿大夫。百(bo2)官荒亂，諸侯並侵，國且危亡，在於旦暮，左右莫敢諫。淳于髡說(shui4)之以隱曰：「國中有大鳥，止王之庭，三年不蜚(fei1)又不鳴，王知此鳥何也？」王曰：「此鳥不飛則已，一飛沖天；不鳴則已，一鳴驚人。」於是乃朝諸縣令長七十二人，賞一人，誅一人，奮兵而出。諸侯振驚，皆還齊侵地。威行三十六年。語在《田完世家》中。

**The original paragraph in Chinese is taken from: Sima Qian. Ed. Han Zhaoqi. New Translation Shiji. vol.VIII. Taipei: Sanmin, 2008. 4941. (司馬遷. 韓兆琦 注譯. 新譯史記, 第八冊. 臺北市：三民, 2008. 4941頁. ISBN: 978-95-14-5001-8). All translation is based upon the text and annotations thereof (4942-4943).

***All translation is mine.