Six Arts of a Gentleman - Archery

In ancient times, the Six Arts were taught: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. While rites and archery are two arts in their own right, taken together, they constitute the archery ritual, one of the great rituals of ancient times. The Book of Rites, "The Meaning of Archery," states: "Thus, in ancient times, the emperor selected princes, nobles, officials, and scholars through archery. Archery is a man's occupation, and therefore it is embellished with rites and music. Among the arts that can be practiced, archery is the best way to cultivate virtue and conduct. Therefore, sage kings devoted themselves to it." Archery was a man's duty. In times of war, men wore armor and wielded bows to defend their homes and country. In times of peace, they cultivated the arts of rites, music, archery, and charioteering, eventually combining these three arts into the archery ritual. From the emperor and princes to the local officials and scholars, all devoted themselves to archery. Archery was used to cultivate rites and music, establish virtue, promote education, and select the virtuous. Among all arts, only the archery ritual had such a comprehensive effect, and therefore, benevolent kings attached great importance to it.

In ancient times, politics and religion were integrated. This politics and religion refers to politics and education, not today's politics and religion. The two are very different, and scholars must distinguish them. By the Western Zhou Dynasty over 3,000 years ago, the archery ceremony had reached perfection and became a public system throughout the country. Its political practice was: "The emperor uses the 〈騶虞〉 as a festival, the princes use the 〈貍首〉 as a festival, the ministers use the 〈采蘋〉 as a festival, and the scholars use the 〈采蘩〉 as a festival. 〈騶虞〉 means that the music officials are prepared; 〈貍首〉 means that the music is gathered at the right time; 〈采蘋〉 means that the music is in accordance with the law; 〈采蘩〉 means that the music is not derelict in duty. Therefore, the emperor uses the preparation of officials as a festival, the princes use the timely gathering of the emperor as a festival, the ministers use the compliance with the law as a festival, and the scholars use the fulfillment of duty as a festival. Therefore, if one is clear about the intention of discipline and does not fail in his work, then achievements will be accomplished and virtue will be established; if virtue is established, there will be no disasters of riots. When achievements are accomplished, the country will be safe." The two major pillars of politics are: firm spirit and perfect organization. Officials who abide by the law are firm in spirit, and if their spirit is firm, the organization will become increasingly perfect. A strong spirit is "inner righteousness," and a well-organized body is "outer uprightness." This is the spirit of political integrity.

The principle of education is: "When a man is born, he is given a bow, a mulberry bow, and six arrows to shoot at the four directions of heaven and earth. Heaven and earth and the four directions are the man's pursuits. Therefore, he must first be determined in his pursuits before he dares to use grain. This is the principle of food." From the beginning of life, archery is the first thing to be determined. Children are taught the six arts. When adults enter officialdom, they are required to follow the rules: "When princes shoot, they must first perform banquet rites; when ministers and scholars shoot, they must first perform village drinking rites. Therefore, banquet rites are used to clarify the righteousness between monarch and minister; village drinking rites are used to clarify the order of seniority." Archers are also required to "advance, retreat, and return in accordance with the rites; the inner will is upright, the outer body is straight; then hold the bow and arrow firmly, and then you can say that you hit the target. This can be used to observe one's virtue." And "each one should pursue his own will. Therefore, if the mind is calm and the body is upright, hold the bow and arrow firmly, and then you can hit the target. Therefore, it is said: A father should regard his father as the swan; a son should regard his son as the swan; a monarch should regard his monarch as the swan; a minister should regard his minister as the swan. "Each archer aims for his own target." Therefore, the ritual of archery evolved from an art to a moral principle, leading to the saying, "Archery is the way of benevolence. In archery, one seeks to be right within oneself. Only when one is right can one shoot. If one misses, one should not blame the one who beat him, but instead look within oneself."

With this integration of politics and religion, the ritual of archery naturally became a system for selecting the virtuous. Hence, it was said that "princes, ministers, and scholars were selected by archery." Specifically, "princes made annual tributes and presented scholars to the emperor, who would test them in the archery palace. Those whose appearance and demeanor matched those of ritual and whose manners matched those of music, and who hit the target often, were allowed to participate in sacrifices. Those whose appearance and demeanor did not match those of ritual and music, and who hit the target rarely, were not allowed to participate in sacrifices. Those who participated in sacrifices frequently were celebrated by the lord; those who did not participate were given a concession; those who celebrated frequently gained territory; those who gave concessions frequently were reduced." Furthermore, "The archer is a vassal. If the target is hit, the vassal becomes a vassal; if the target is missed, the vassal is not. Before the emperor is about to offer sacrifices, he must first practice archery in the marsh. The marsh is used to select the archers. After shooting in the marsh, he can then shoot in the archery palace. Those who hit the target can participate in the sacrifice, while those who miss cannot. Those who cannot participate in the sacrifice will be given a concession and have their land reduced; those who do participate will be celebrated and have their land increased. This is how rank is promoted and land is reduced." Therefore, "the emperor established this, and the vassal states followed it. This is how the emperor supported the vassal states without using military force, allowing the vassal states to exercise self-righteousness." This is precisely the unique measure of ancient times to achieve the integration of politics and religion through the archery ritual.

Therefore, Confucius sighed about the ancient archery ceremony: "A gentleman has nothing to contend with, so he must shoot. Bowing and yielding to each other, ascending and descending, and drinking, the contending is a gentleman's." He also said: "How does an archer shoot? How does he listen? The one who follows the sound and shoots without missing the target is a virtuous person. How can an unworthy person hit the target?" Unfortunately, by the time of Confucius, this unique political and religious system had become extinct in name only with the collapse of rituals and music, and Confucius could only promote the educational function of the archery ceremony by making changes and additions. Therefore, "Confucius shot in the garden of Zuo Xiang. The spectators were like a wall. When the shooting came to Sima, he asked Zilu to hold the bow and arrow and go out to shoot, saying: The generals of the army, the ministers of the ruined country, and those who were behind others did not enter, and the rest all entered. Half left, and half entered. He also asked Gongwang Zhiqiu to arrange the points, raise the cup and speak. Gongwang Zhiqiu raised the cup and said: The young and the strong are filial and respectful to their elders, The elderly, fond of propriety, unconventional, cultivating self-cultivation in anticipation of death—isn't that right? This is their position. Perhaps half have left, and half remain. The preface also raised the cup and said: "To be tireless in learning, unwavering in propriety, and unwavering in praising the Way—isn't that right? This is their position. Perhaps only some still exist." Clearly, the legacy of archery rituals still existed at this time, but the situation was different. Spectators were the majority, while those who understood the principles and diligently practiced them remained. Therefore, Confucius required that the cup be raised and spoken before the ceremony to emphasize the ritual's profound meaning and preserve its dignity.

With the gradual disintegration of the ancient feudal system, the princes of the world lost their sense of self-righteousness. The beautiful scene of the kingly way in which the emperor "supported the princes without employing their troops" vanished. In its place a world of strife and hegemony arose. The once complete archery ritual system was no longer politically viable, and its educational function, without a political platform, gradually declined. Many people today, including many scholars, are skeptical or even dismissive of the fundamental principles of the archery ritual and the ancient system of selecting virtuous individuals through archery, as expounded in the "Book of Rites" chapter on the meaning of archery. This ignorance stems from three main reasons. First, the presuppositional context is incorrect. The era described in the chapter on the meaning of archery coincided with the heyday of ancient feudalism, when the emperor and the princes each fulfilled their respective roles and politics and religion were unified throughout the land. This is why the archery ritual could play such a significant role. The county system introduced after the Qin and Han dynasties was a landmark political shift that endured for over two thousand years. While the title and person of the Son of Heaven survived until the end of the Qing Dynasty, this Son of Heaven was not the same Son of Heaven, and the so-called princes of successive dynasties were not the same princes of ancient times. Political systems differed, and social realities varied. Therefore, they were not on the same platform and shared no common background. Therefore, it is difficult to understand the various social aspects of the archery ritual at the time, nor is it possible to faithfully translate the ancient archery ritual into later realities. Furthermore, modern people, accustomed to authoritarian politics and thinking, lack historical sympathy and conscience, and can only "judge a gentleman by his own standards." Second, there is the rigidity of electoral thinking.

Modern people have come to view academic examinations as the fairest selection system, accustomed to assessing written work rather than actual performance. Therefore, they prefer written documents to actual people, preferring waste paper to talented individuals. This rigid mindset is incapable of accepting anything else. Third, there is the unhealthy habit of prioritizing speculation over practice, exemplified by the saying, "A gentleman talks, not acts." Today's mainstream scholars pursue fame and fortune more than truth. They lack academic independence, and even lack the courage to do so. How can they truly be considered learned? Lacking both an independent academic spirit and the scholarly courage to integrate knowledge and practice, they naturally give rise to a multitude of deviant thoughts and false views. The simplicity of archery is not easily believed by the overly cautious, nor is its difficulty easily understood by the average scholar. The same is true of etiquette. Confucius said, "What good is etiquette if a man is not benevolent?" I lament, "What good is archery if one is not benevolent?" Drawing the bow and shooting is the defining characteristic of archery, but how to bend the bow, how to shoot, and how to deal with gains and losses is a profound art. Bowing is the defining characteristic of etiquette, but the sincerity and respect behind etiquette is the very soul of etiquette. When archery and etiquette are combined, the great truth is revealed. This, too, is beyond the reach of the average scholar.

The Book of Rites, in its section on the meaning of the archery ritual, contains a very important entry: "The ceremonies of archery and betrothal are the grandest of ceremonies. They begin at dawn and conclude at noon. They are only possible if one is strong and powerful. Therefore, a strong and powerful person will perform the ritual. When wine is clear, a thirsty person dares not drink; when meat is dry, a hungry person dares not eat; when the day is long, a person must be solemn and upright, and dare not slack off. This is to fulfill the ritual, to establish order between ruler and minister, to bring father and son together, and to reconcile the old and the young. This is difficult for ordinary people, but gentlemen perform it, and so are said to have virtue. Having virtue is called righteousness, and having righteousness is called courage. Therefore, what is valuable about courage is its ability to uphold righteousness." What is valuable in establishing righteousness is the value of having action; what is valuable in having action is the value of practicing propriety. Therefore, what is valuable in courage is the value of having the courage to practice propriety and righteousness. Therefore, when the world is at peace, those who are brave and strong should use them for propriety and righteousness; when the world is at war, they should use them for victory. When used for victory, there will be no enemy; when used for propriety and righteousness, there will be order and order. Without enemy, there will be order and order within—this is called great virtue. Therefore, sage kings value courage and strength in this way. When courage and strength are not used for propriety and righteousness and for victory, but used for fighting, they are called chaos. When punishments are enforced in the state, those who are punished are those who are causing chaos. In this way, the people will be governed and the country will be safe.

Kong said: "When wine is clear, people are thirsty but dare not drink; when meat is dry, people are hungry but dare not eat. Therefore, before the archery ceremony, only courtesy is offered and rewarded, and no one is allowed to get drunk or full. To rectify the relationship between the ruler and the minister, the princes' archery should first be preceded by the banquet ceremony, so as to clarify the righteousness between the ruler and the minister. To bring fathers and sons closer and reconcile the old and the young, the officials and scholars' archery should first be preceded by the village drinking ceremony, which is in line with the paternal clan's affairs, so as to clarify the order of seniority." Sun Xidan said: "This is because of the betrothal ceremony to clarify the archery ceremony. The betrothal and archery ceremonies are the most complicated etiquette: the ceremony begins at dawn and ends at noon, which is the betrothal ceremony; the archery ceremony is held during the day and no one dares to rest, which is the archery ceremony. The archery ceremony is even more complicated than the betrothal ceremony. Therefore, only a strong person can perform the betrothal ceremony, and only a brave person can perform the archery ceremony. "Lü Dalin said: "When a gentleman cultivates himself, he cultivates his strength and courage. Once he uses them in propriety, righteousness, and victory, his virtue will be established. When he cultivates others, he cultivates his strength and courage. Once he uses them in propriety, righteousness, and victory, his education will be carried out. This is why the country is governed smoothly at home and free from enemies abroad, and therefore safe." Although "The Book of Rites: The Meaning of Archery" describes the profound meaning of the ancient archery ceremony used in politics and education, its root is based on the great principle of a gentleman cultivating himself and cultivating others. Therefore, we know that governing and self-cultivation are one. This is the moral principle of the archery ceremony, which those who study it must distinguish.