The Pei-Hsi Tzu-I (北溪字義)
1. Mind or heart (심 Sim; 心)
The mind is the master of the body. Man's four limbs move, his hands hold things, and his feet step on the ground. He thinks of food when hungry and of drinks when thirsty, of hemp in the summer and fur in the winter. In all cases, the mind is the master. Generally, man receives the principle(理) of Heaven and Earth to be his nature(性) and the material force(氣) of Heaven and Earth to be his body(身). Only when principle and material force are combined can there be a mind.
The mind is the master of the body because it possesses an unobstructed intelligent consciousness(虛靈知覺). This unobstructed intelligent consciousness issues from principle in some respects and from material force in others. They are different.
The mind is simply like a vessel.
What it contains is the nature. Principles are embodied in the mind. These embodied principles(理) are one's nature(性), Which means that what is embodied is the original substance of the mind. As principles are embodied in the mind, there is wonderful functioning in many ways.
The consciousness that proceeds from principle(理) is the mind of humanity, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom; it is the dao mind(道心). If the consciousness proceeds from one's physical form(形) and material force(氣) that is the human mind(人心), which is easily opposed to principle.
Man has only one mind and does not have two consciousnesses, but what constitutes his consciousness is different. Take the cases of thinking of food when hungry and of drink when thirsty. That is the human mind(人心). To eat what should be eaten and to drink what should be drunk, however, is the dao mind(道心).
The mind has substance and function.
That it embodies all principles is substance and that it responds to all events is function. Being in the state of absolute quiet is substance, and immediately penetrating all things when acted on is function. The substance of the mind is nature(性), referring to its stage of tranquility, and the function of the mind is feeling(情), referring to its stage of activity.
Nature is simply a principle; it is perfectly good and not evil. The mind, however, involves both principle and material force. The principle is of course perfectly good, but material force involves two opposite poles; it is not entirely good. When active, it easily tends toward evil. The mind is an active thing, not something lying there quiet and deadly still. The activity of the mind that always loves activity is active by "riding" or being contingent on material force.
The capacity of the mind is extremely large. None of the ten thousand events not commanded. The mind is the most intelligent and most wonderful. It can enable people to become sage emperors like Yao and Shun, form a trinity with Heaven and Earth, and attract spiritual beings to come. It can see through the most subtle and most obscure of all kinds of things.
Chu Hsi said, "The nature(性) is the principle(理) of the mind. Feelings(情) are the function(用) of the mind. And the mind(心) is the master of feelings(情) and the nature(性)."
Heng-ch'u said, "In the unity of the Great Vacuity(虛) and material force(氣), there is the nature(性) (of man and things). And in the unity of nature(性) and consciousness(知覺), there is the mind(心). Master Ch'eng said, "The operations of Heaven have neither sound nor smell.' Their body is called Change(易); their principle, the Way(道); and their function, spirit(神)." Here he was talking about the mind, nature, and feelings of Heaven. What is called "Change(易)" is the mind, "the Way(道)" is nature, and "Spirit(神)" is the feelings.
2. Will (의 Eui; 意)
The will is an emanation of the mind.
It means thinking and operating. Generally speaking, feelings情 are the activity of nature性 and the will意 is the emanation of the mind(心). Feelings naturally arise from inside the mind. They are expressed in various ways and stand in direct contrast to nature(性) (which does not change). The will is an instant of thought that arises in the mind and considers how it should operate. The activities of feelings involve the whole mind while the will involves an instant of thought.
Take for example that something is encountered. The master inside that controls is the mind. As it is activated to become joy or anger, that is feeling. That which is inside that can be activated is nature. To operate the mind and to consider to whom the joy or anger is to be directed is the will. When the mind is directed to the person who is the object of joy or anger, it is purpose.
3. Purpose (지 Ji; 志)
Purpose means where the mind wants to go. To go means to proceed in a certain direction. It means that the mind faces the front and goes completely in that direction. Take the saying, "Set your purpose on the Way." That means the mind is completely directed toward the Way. Purpose志 has the idea of an objective lies and how much to expect and have the determination to achieve it - that is purpose. The purpose to be firmed up must be lofty, brilliant, correct, and great.
4. Sincerity (성 Seong; 誠)
Sincerity誠 is a description of natural principle, whereas loyalty and faithfulness have to do with human effort. I-Chuan said, "Sincerity誠 is freedom from error." Chu Hsi added two words to say that "Sincerity誠 means reality, truth, and freedom from error. Perfect Sincerity至誠 means being real and true to the highest degree without the slightest deficiency.
Sincerity誠 has to do with the Way of Heaven. The saying, "The Mandate of Heaven, how beautiful and unceasing, "expresses nothing but sincerity. In the operation of the Way of Heaven from the past to the present, there has never been the slightest error. In cases like heaven completing a revolution and advancing one degree in one day and one night, and the sun, moon, and stars operating and advancing, there has never been, in the entire course of history, any mistake. This is so according to the real and concrete principle.
Wu-Feng(Hu Hung, 1106-61) said, "Sincerity is the way of destiny." (or dao of heavenly mandate)
With reference to human effort, it simply means honesty and truthfulness.
This is what human effort should be, and that is the way of man.
Therefore when the mind in its totality is honest, it is of course sincerity.
But when one word or act is true, that is also sincerity.
Compared with truthfulness, Sincerity誠 is spontaneous while truthfulness信 requires effort, Sincerity is a matter of principle while truthfulness is a matter of the mind, Sincerity is the Way of Heaven(天道) while truthfulness is the way of man(人道), Sincerity has to do with one's destiny(命) while truthfulness has to do with one's nature(性). and Sincerity is a matter of the Way(道) while truthfulness is a matter of moral character(德).
5. Attentiveness (경 Gyeong; 敬)
Chu Hsi said "Attentiveness is concentrating on one thing without departing from it." The human mind is mysterious and unpredictable. "It comes in and goes out at no definite time and without anyone knowing its direction. "Attentiveness is that by which the mind is mastered and controlled. Without attentiveness, the mind will vanish. It is because of attentiveness that the mind is present. What is called attentiveness is nothing but the mind always being present. When it does not go in the opposite direction or is not nervous or scattered, but is always alert, that is attentiveness.
Concentrating on one thing simply means the mind mastering that thing and not allowing another thing to interfere. When one is doing nothing and his mind is always present without going in an opposite direction, that is of course concentrating on one thing. When one is doing something and his mind responds to that thing without allowing a second or third thing to interfere, that is also concentrating on one thing. Not getting away from it means the mind is always there, not running in different directions.
The investigation of things and the extension of knowledge require attentiveness. Sincerity of the will, rectification of the mind, and cultivation of the person also require attentiveness. And the regulation of the family, the ordering of the state, and bringing peace to the world also require attentiveness. "Attentiveness is the master of one mind and the basis of all things."
6. Loyalty and Faithfulness (충신 Chungsin; 忠信)
What issues from the inside and pursues everything to the utmost is loyalty. What emerges from the outside and makes everything real is faithfulness. Ming-tao expressed the idea more clearly when he said, "Loyalty issues from the self with a spontaneous exertion to the utmost and faithfulness is following things without any deviation."
Loyalty, then, means what issues from the mind when there is nothing not pursued to the utmost. When one speaks according to the reality of a thing and does not contradict it in any way, such as saying yes when it is so, without contradicting it in any way; such as saying no when it is not so, without contradicting what is not- that is faithfulness.
Loyalty忠 and faithfulness信 are close to sincerity誠 in meaning. Loyalty and faithfulness merely mean being real, and sincerity also means being real. However, being real in sincerity comes naturally, while being real in loyalty and faithfulness comes about in one's performance of a task. Sincerity derives its meaning from the true and concrete principle of one's natural endowment while loyalty and faithfulness derive their meanings from a person's performance of a task.
7. Centrality (중화 Junghwa; 中和)
Centrality (Equilibrium) and harmony refer to nature and feeling. Generally speaking, the substance of the mind is nature. Nature is not a separate thing; it is merely the principle embodied in the mind. When this principle is activated and becomes externalized, it is feeling. Centrality is before contact with things, when pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy have not been aroused and exist there undifferentiated. It is central because it is neither partial nor inclining to one side.
When they are aroused and each and all attain due measure and degree, they can then be called harmony. Harmony(和) means not to contradict. When the principle inside is manifested, one feels pleasure when there should be pleasure and is angry when there should be anger, without contradicting the principle in any way. That is attaining due measure and degree.
Centrality has two meanings. There is centrality after manifestation and there is centrality before manifestation. Centrality before manifestation refers to nature, while centrality after manifestation refers to affairs. In the centrality after manifestation, there is pleasure when there should be pleasure and there is anger when there should be anger. When the proper degree is attained without any excess or deficiency, that is centrality. This centrality is the same as harmony.
Generally speaking, the centrality in centrality and harmony (中和) specifically refers to the state before the feelings are aroused. Centrality in central and ordinary (中庸) however, has two different meanings. There is centrality in the mind and there is centrality in things.