Liu Hsin and His Theory of the Beginning of the Schools
刘歆和他关于各家缘起的理论
"Those of the Yin-Yang school had their origin in the official astronomers. They respectfully followed luminous heaven, and the successive symbols of the sun and moon, the stars and constellations, and the divisions of times and seasons. Herein lies the strong point of this school."
“阴阳家者流，盖出于羲和之官，敬顺昊天，历象日月星辰，敬授民时，此其所长也。”
luminous，英 ['luːmɪnəs]，美 ['lʊmənəs]
adj. 发光的；明亮的；清楚的
constellation，英 [,kɒnstə'leɪʃ(ə)n]，美 [,kɑnstə'leʃən]
n. [天] 星座；星群；荟萃；兴奋丛
"Those of the Legalist school had their origin in the Ministry of Justice. They emphasized strictness in rewarding and punishing, in order to support a system of correct conduct. Herein lies the strong point of this school."
“法家者流，盖出于理官，信赏必罚，以辅礼制。……此其所长也。”
"Those of the School of Names had their origin in the Ministry of Ceremonies. For the ancients, where titles and positions differed, the ceremonies accorded to them were also different. Confucius has said: 'If names be incorrect, speech will not follow its natural sequence. If speech does not follow its natural sequence, nothing can be established.' Herein lies the strong point of this school."
“名家者流，盖出于礼官。古者名位不同，礼亦异数。孔子曰：‘必也正名乎！名不正则言不顺，言不顺则事不成。’ 此其所长也。”
"Those of the Mohist school had their origin in the Guardians of the Temple. The temple was built with plain wooden rafters and thatched roofs; hence their teaching emphasized frugality. The temple was the place where the Three Elders and Five Experienced Men were honored; hence their teaching emphasized universal love. The ceremony of selecting civil officials and that of military exercises were also held in the temple; hence their teaching emphasized the preferment of virtue and ability. The temple was the place for sacrifice to ancestors and reverence to fathers; hence their teaching was to honor the spirits. They accepted the traditional teaching of following the four seasons in one's conduct; hence their teaching was against fatalism. They accepted the traditional teaching of exhibiting filial piety throughout the world; hence they taught the doctrine of 'agreeing with the superior.' Herein lies the strong point of this school."
“墨家者流，盖出于清庙之守。茅屋采椽，是以贵俭；养三老五更，是以兼爱；选士大射，是以上贤；宗祀严父，是以右鬼；顺四时而行，是以非命；以孝视天下，是以尚同。此其所长也。”
filial piety，孝道，孝心
"Those of the Diplomatist school had their origin in the Ministry of Embassies... [They taught the art of ] following general orders [in diplomacy], instead of following literal instructions. Herein lies the strength of their teaching."
“纵横家者流，盖出于行人之官。孔子曰：‘诵《诗》三百，使于四方，不能专对，虽多亦奚以为?’ 又曰：‘使乎，使乎！’ 言其当权事制宜，受命而不受辞，此其所长也。”
"Those of the Eclectic school had their origin in the Councillors. They drew both from the Confucianists and the Mohists, and harmonized the School of Names and the Legalists. They knew that the nation had need of each of these, and saw that kingly government should not fail to unite all. Herein lies the strong point of this school."
“杂家者流，盖出于议官。兼儒、墨，合名、法，知国体之有此，见王治之无不贯，此其所长也。”
"Those of the Agricultural school had their origin in the Ministry of Soil and Grain. They taught the art of sowing the various kinds of grain and urged people to plow and to cultivate the mulberry so that the clothing and food of the people would be sufficient... Herein lies the strong point of this school."
“农家者流，盖出于农稷之官。播百谷，劝耕桑，以足衣食，……此其所长也。”
"Those of the School of Story Tellers had their origin in the Petty Offices. This school was created by those who picked up the talk of streets and alleys and repeated what they heard wherever they went... Even if in their teaching but a single word can be chosen, still there is some contribution."（"Treatise on Literature" in the History of the Former Han Dynasty.)
“小说家者流，盖出于稗官。街谈巷语，道听涂说者之所造也。……如或一言可采，此亦刍荛狂夫之议也。”（《汉书·艺文志》)
This is what Liu Hsin says about the historical origin of the ten schools. His interpretation of the significance of the schools is inadequate, and his attribution of certain of them to certain "Ministries" is in some cases arbitrary. For instance, in describing the teaching of the Taoists, he touches only on the ideas of Lao Tzu, and omits those of Chuang Tzu altogether. Moreover, there appears to be no similarity between the teaching of the School of Names and the functions of the Ministry of Ceremonies, save that both emphasized the making of distinctions.
以上是刘歆关于十家来源的陈述。他对于各家意义的阐述并不充分，对有些流派所由来的官职，也有任意牵强之处，例如：关于道家，他只说到老子的思想，对庄子竟全未涉及。尤其是说到名家时，没有注意到它的主张与礼官职司并无相近之处，只不过他们都注意各种名分的区别。
From YLYK《中国哲学的故事》专辑S03E06