Zhu-ge Liang’s Advice Fell on Deaf Ears. 出师表

As we flew over the South China Sea, we talked about the famous strategist of the “Romance of the Three Kingdom” 三国演义 [Sānguó yǎnyì] fame – Zhuge Liang 诸葛亮 [Zhūgě Liàng], the chancellor of the state of Shu 蜀 [shǔ]. Before he left for the Northern expedition in 227 against the state of Wei 魏 [Wèi], he wrote a famous memorial advising his emperor, the incompetent Liu Shan 刘禅 [Liúshàn] (207 – 271) of the art of proper governance. The state of 吴 [Wú] makes up the three kingdoms.

He advised his emperor not to lose himself in the pursuit of mean things, to enforce a just law that rewards the good and punish the evil; and to avoid sycophants. This advice is still valid almost two thousand years later for every power on Earth. He gave his reason for his military expedition which is why it is called 出师表 [chūshībiǎo] “Memorial on the eve of Departure”. I like this translation better as it is more poetic than the more accurate “Military Expedition Memorial” for 出师 means sending out an army. 师 by itself is more commonly used to mean teacher or master.

He exhorted his emperor to continue the unfinished work of his late father Liu Bei 刘备[Liú Bèi] (161-223 A.D.) to further the glory of the Kingdom of Shu. He should have saved his breath for his good advice fell on deaf ear. Zhuge Liang died of illness seven years later in 234 after the series of indecisive Northern campaigns. The state of Shu fell to Wei just two years later in 236 after his death.

As wise as Zhuge Liang was, he let emotion (loyalty) interfered with his judgment. For he himself did not heed Liu Bei’s words at his deathbed – “If he (Liu Shan) does not have the necessary qualities to be an emperor, you mustn’t make him the emperor of Shu in Chengdu.” It is for this reason that the childhood name of Liu Shan, "A Dou" (阿斗) is taken to mean an incompetent weakling.

In the next posts, I’ll share two of the most popular sayings to come out from the story of the three kingdom…