Week 3 Why does SQ think that Xiang Yu was deluded? (H1 p48b)

Week 3 Why does SQ think that Xiang Yu was deluded? (H1 p48b)  

After acknowledging Xiang Yu’s ability (48t) to take advantage of the times and though starting with no territory, to complete the overthrow of Qin, rule as dictator king, govern and divide the empire in fiefs, at 48m SQ suggests his faults, calling him deluded. The faults raised are that he was obstinate, did not abide by established ways, and hoping to attack and rule by force. Also, he saw his fall as Heaven’s will and was proud to claim he showed no fault in battle. I want to better understand what Xian Yu’s delusion was. SQ offers more clues by embracing Jia Yi’s ideas in the previous chapter. On 13b, the Confucian Jia Yi connects the fall of Qin to three causes: ignoring that ruling a state requires different strategies than to conquer it and failing to rule with humanity and righteousness. Moreover, SQ himself embraces those principles, by writing on 10 t that although the strategic location of the territory facilitates its defense and that one rules by force of arms and laws, this is not enough to maintain one's state. In an apt metaphor that sees ruling as a living tree, SQ praises the kings of old who made humanity and righteousness (inner cultivation) the root of their rule (the part keeping it alive), and considered external aspects such as location, force of arms, and law enforcement only its branches. With all this in mind, returning to Xiang Yu (48m), we can see that according to SQ, his delusion was that he, just like the Qin, completely ignored the inner cultivation aspect. imagining that external force will suffice to both conquer and rule the state. Accordingly, his actions were neither humane nor righteous, (burning and boiling people alive 40 t, m) and this brought his fall. In his last hours, instead of “accepting responsibility for his errors”, (48 m) he stayed fixated on his faultless military actions and blamed his downfall on Heaven’s will, refusing to realize that ruling without humanity and righteousness was his own fatal mistake. This was, therefore, his delusion. 

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