255 十七史

Shih2 ch'i1 shih3

Ten seven history 

The Seventeen Dynastic Histories

Shih see line 45. 

Ch'i see line 84. 

Shih see line 176. [The above number includes all the dynastic histories down to and inclusive of the History of the Five Dynasties. See Appendices III, IV, V, and VI, where the numbers of the dynasties are 22, 21, 21, and 19, respectively.] 

256. 全在茲

Ch'uan2 tsai4 tzu1 

All are here 

are all embraced in the above. 

Ch'uan is composed of 入 ju to enter as radical, and 玉 yu jade, minus the dot, and means complete, perfect. 

Tsai is composed of 土 t'u earth as radical, and 才 (lines 49, 254 D) as phonetic, and means to be, to exist, to remain. 

Tzu is composed of 艸 ts'ao vegetation as radical, with 幺 yao1 tender, duplicated. It means this, here, now, etc. [Eitel erroneously supplies "events" as a subject for tsai.] 

257. 載治亂

Tsai4 chih4 luan4 

Contain government confusion

They contain examples of good and bad government, 

Tsai see line 193. 

Chih see line 130. It especially means to govern a country according to eternal principles, and also to cure a disease. Eitel has "good (sic) government" as if good was not part of the actual word, which of course it is. 

Luan is composed of 乙 i a cyclical character, as radical, with 亂 luan to govern as phonetic, and originally meant to govern well, but is now used in the senses of rebellion, anarchy, confusion, etc. 

258, 知興衰

Chih1 hsing1 shuai1

Know rise decay

whence may be learnt the principles of prosperity and decay. 

Chih see line 28. [和 ho harmony, here = with, is found as a variant.] 

Hsing see line 215. 

Shuai is composed of 衣 i clothes as radical, with a corruption of what was once a picture of grass or coir, and was pronounced so = a rain-coat, for which 蓑 is now used. Read shuai and coupled with hsing it means the decadence which is supposed to follow and precede with unerring regularity all periods of national or private prosperity. [The lessons rather than the facts of history are here emphasised.]