1. Contextual setting.
Temporarily, the text appears to be positioned in the second year of
King Wu’s reign, soon after his ascension to power, but several years
earlier than his victorious campaign against Shang. The king complains
to the Duke of Zhou concerning his constant anxiety about Shang and asks
the Duke to reveal to him the will of Heaven.
維王二祀一月既生魄，王召周公旦曰：「嗚呼！余夙夜忌商，不知道極，敬聽以勤天命。」In the 1543 edition by Zhang Bo 章檗, which I use as my main base text, this sentence ends with tianxia 天下 (All-under-Heaven; Huang Huaixin et al. 2007, 272). However, other early editions record tianming 天命 (Heaven’s Mandate). I follow this variant as it produces a more sensible reading.
In the king's second ritual cycle, in the first month, when the [the lunar] po was already born, the king summoned Dan, the Duke of Zhou, saying: “Wuhu! I am on guard against Shang from morning till night. I do not understand the perfection of the Dao; [therefore] I am reverently listening [to your advice] in order to toil on the [accomplishment] of the Mandate of Heaven.”
2. King Wen’s virtues summarized in numerical lists.
The Duke of Zhou alleviates King Wu’s doubts by instructing him in the
wise ways of their father King Wen. The Duke presents King Wen’s wisdom
in a series of numerical lists. Similar to chapter “Cheng kai” 成開,
some fo these lists are cosmological (in particular, the “three
extremities” and the “five phases”), while others contain practical
principles of rulership. The combination of cosmological and practical
knowledge reinforces the impression that the Duke’s instruction
represents the cosmic wisdom of rulership not tied to any specific time
or personality.
周公拜手稽首，曰：「在我文考，順明三極，躬是四察，循用五行，戒視七順，順道九紀。
三極既明，五行乃常；四察既是，七順乃辨，明勢天道，九紀咸當；順德以謀，罔惟不行。
The Duke of Zhou bowed, having touched the ground with his head, and said: “To examine our father Wen: he obediently elucidated the three extremities, personally verified the four inspections, in an orderly fashion employed the five phases, vigilantly observed the seven compliances, and obediently followed the nine reckonings.
When the three perfections were clarified, the five phases became constant; when the four inspections were verified, the seven compliances were defined. He clearly established the heavenly way, and the nine reckonings were all in a fitting state. And when the De-virtue was followed in plans, nothing was unfulfilled.
三極：一維天九星，二維地九州，三維人四左。
The first: heaven has nine luminaries.According to Kong Chao's 孔晁 (fl 3rd century AD) commentary, this refers to the five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) and the four cardinal directions. Lu Wenchao 盧文弨 (1717–1796) concurs with this opinion (Huang Huaixin et al. 2007, 274).
The second: earth has nine regions.The nine regions of earth is a common cosmological notion, even though the specific regions are not the same in different sources. Chapter “Yu gong” 禹貢 (Tribute of Yu) of the Shang shu contains the most authoritative listing of these regions: Jì 冀, Yǎn 兗, Qīng 青, Xǔ 徐, Yáng 揚, Jīng 荊, Yù 豫, Liáng 梁 and Yōng 雍.
The third: man has four limbs.
四察：一目察維極，二耳察維聲，三口察維言，四心察維念。
The first: what is inspected with the eyes is the extreme point.
The second: what is inspected with the ears is sound.
The third: what is inspected from the mouth is speech.
The fourth: what is inspected in the heart is thoughts.
五行：一黑位水，二赤位火，三蒼位木，四白位金，五黃位土。
The first: black stands for water.
The second: red stands for fire.
The third: green stands for wood.
The fourth: white stands for metal.
The fifth: yellow stands for ground.
七順：一順天得時，二順地得助，三順民得和，四順利財足，五順得助明，六順仁無失，七順道有功。
The first: the one who complies with Heaven acquires time.
The second: the one who complies with earth acquires assistance.
The third: the one who complies with people acquires accord.
The fourth: the one who complies with benefits has abundant resources.
The fifth: the one who complies with acquisition assists clairvoyance.This passage is possibly corrupt. Lu Wenchao proposes to emend it as 順助得明 (“The one who complies with assistance acquires clairvoyance”). Zhu Youzeng 朱右曾 (1800–?) has an alternative suggestion: 順德助明 (“The one who complies with the De-virtue acquires clairvoyance”): Huang Huaixin et al. -Huang Huaixin 黃懷信, Tian Xudong 田旭東, and Zhang Maorong 張懋鎔 (2007, 276).
The sixth: the one who complies with humaneness has no losses.
The seventh: the one who complies with the Dao-way has achievements.
九紀：一辰以紀日，二宿以紀月，三日以紀德，四月以紀刑，五春以紀生，六夏以紀長，七秋以紀殺，八冬以紀藏，九歲以紀終。
The first: reckon the days at dawns.
The second: reckon the months at nights.An alternative, astronomically more sophisticated, reading of the first two items is: “reckon days by the celestial mark-points (chen 辰) and reckon moons by the heavenly stations (xiu 宿).” For a discussion of these notions, see Needham and Wang (1959, 229–52).
The third: reckon the De-virtue by days.
The fourth: reckon punishments by months.
The fifth: reckon birth to spring.
The sixth: reckon growth to summer.
The seventh: reckon killing to autumn.
The eighth: reckon storing to winter.
The ninth: reckon the completion by years.
時候天視可監，時不失以知吉凶。」
The periods of time and the views of Heaven can be observed. One does not lose the [proper] times by knowing what is auspicious and inauspicious.”
3. Conclusion.
In the concluding passage, the kind confirms the validity of the
received instruction and humbly asks the Duke to incessantly point out
to him his deficiencies.
王拜曰：「允哉！余聞在昔訓典中規，非時罔有格言，日正余不足。」
The king said: “Truly so! I have heard that, in antiquity, the instructions in precedents were perfect. Other than these, there can be no other felicitous words! Correct my shortcomings every day!”