Zizheng yaolan 資政要覽

(Yuding) Zizheng yaolan (御定)資政要覽 "(Imperially endorsed) Key principles of government" is a book on the basics of statecraft compiled by the Shunzhi Emperor 順治帝 (r. 1643-1661) of the Qing dynasty 清 (1644-1911).

It has a length of 3 juan, plus one fascicle with an afterword, and consists of 30 chapters that deal with a wide range of aspects, from the "ways" (dao 道) of the sovereign, ministers, father, son, husband, wife, and friends (the wulun 五倫 "five social relationship"), to the duties of the sovereign in carrying out various ceremonies, rites, and other duties, his decent and respectful conduct, the ability to attract reliable and competent ministers, and to carry out a benevolent government that will lead to the prosperity of the country.

Each chapter includes annotations that actually belong to the core text. The text imitates the writings of ancient masters, particularly Confucian treatises. Its focus is on the aspects highlighted in the Confucian Classic Daxue 大學 "The Great Learning", namely to cultivate oneself (xiu shen 修身), to regulate the family (qi jia 齊家), and to order well the state (zhi guo 治國).The author draws lessons from the downfall of the Ming dynasty 明 (1368-1644), observing how the "Three cardinal guides and nine norms" (sangang jiufa 三綱九法) were neglected, flatterers held positions of power, corruption prevailed, and the nation's fate was negatively impacted, leading to the eventual demise of the dynasty. The book attempts to rectify societal values and attitudes through the application of Confucian ethics.

Mind (xin 心) was man's spirit (jingshen 精神), soul (xuling 虛靈) and consciousness (zhijue 知覺). The human mind (renxin 人心) was used for the body and its fluids, but the Heavenly mind (daoxin 道心) found expression in appropriate orderliness in social behaviour (yi li 義理), and in a character of virtues (de xing 德性). The mind used as its channel (xin zhi guan 心之官) the ability to think. If thoughts were put right, they were the physical expression of the Heavenly principle (tianli 天理). It was therefore extremely important to rectify one's heart (zheng xin 正心) which could be realized by bring it into unison with all things in the universe, or – in the case of a ruler – identify his mind with that of his subjects, in other words, to give up one's aspects of selfishness in one's heart (si xin wang 私心亡). The right way of governing a country was to start with (moral) education focusing on rites and propriety (li yi 禮義) and the correct observation of the various types of human relationships (renlun 人倫), with a special focus on filial piety (xiao 孝) and the respect of the younger ones for the elder one (ti 悌). The right order (xu 序) in human society was that father and son treated each other as close relatives (fu zi zhi qin 父子之親), ruler and minister kept to ceremonial rules (jun chen zhi yi 君臣之義), husband and wives remained in their separate spheres (fu fu zhi bie 夫婦之別), older and younger people observed the right order (zhang you zhi xu 長幼之序), and friends trusted each other (pengyou zhi xin 朋友之信). Even if these five types of human relationship differed from each other, all were reflections of the unified Heavenly principle (tong yi tianli ye 同一天理).

The book is included in the imperial series Siku quanshu 四庫全書.