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# Xu Guangqi: Treatise on Agriculture

🏷 Chinese text interlinear · text — by Gerry · Sep 2021 · 1955 words

Xu Guangqi’s “treatise on agriculture” is an example of late Chinese pun-encryption, of which I managed to decrypt a tiny part. On the surface, it deals with the Chinese myth about how the god of farming taught the ancient people how to use plows. For imperial governance, that’d be completely useless. Why did such a powerful & spooky statesman write such a lengthy mythical text? As usual, it’s really a pun-encrypted treatise on spookery, i.e. about why & how the rulers feign to be “little people”.

## Introduction

In Ancient China, the imperial examinations for government officials inexplicably involved writing poetry. The explanation is likely that all these exams were really testing the applicants’ encryption skills.

One late example of Chinese encryption may be Xu Guangqi’s 農政全書 nóngzhèng quánshū “treatise on agriculture”. It starts with the myth about how the Chinese god of agriculture taught the people how to plough, but makes no real point about it. Under the hood, it seems to be yet another treatise about spookery, with the 神農氏 shénnóngshì “god of agriculture” being misused as a spooky pun-encryption for the 甡農事 shēn nóngshì “multitudes of peasants” who are being deceived.

This treatise doesn’t come from a nobody: As a reader pointed out, Xu Guangxi later held the post of Deputy Senior Grand Secretary, explained as “effectively a deputy premier for the imperial cabinet”. Wikipedia says about Xu’s connections that “Guangqi’s branch of the Xus were not related to those who had passed the imperial examinations”. But the Grand Secretariat is described as the “de facto the highest institution in the imperial government of the Chinese Ming dynasty”. A secretary position in this office was an extremely high rank, surely unattainable without family connections. So as usual, Xu Guangxi’s rags-to-riches biography is likely a fairytale, and he actually was related to those Xus who held imperial posts. They were probably spook-aristocrats in their own right. I don’t know if it means anything, but the name Xu Guangxi even puns with 侐關係 xù guānxì “silent relations”.

Xu Guangqi lived in the 16th century, when he was collaborating with the Jesuits, likely to prepare China for joint looting with European spook families. He is thus a late example of Chinese pun-encryption and not proof for early Chinese spookery. He does cite many older works though, and such texts like the Xue Er by Confucius are already pun-encrypted. That’s why I do not think that the Jesuits brought the concept of spookery to China, or the Phoenicians, or “ze Jews”. Rather, the ruling elites of all great civilizations had each developed their own version of spookery or proto-spookery. Whenever they then encountered each other, the spooky tendrils would likely connect seamlessly, to form the global mesh we have today. I therefore predict that we will also find homonym-encryption in more ancient Chinese texts. They will be harder to de-pun though, as the pronunciation may have changed considerably, and with it the homonymity.

One last note: Chinese language consists of very few phonemes, so it’s full of natural homonyms. My decryption is therefore also not watertight, as there are so many possibilities. It is merely a starting point and proof of concept that pun-encryption existed in many ancient cultures.

### How to read this

- In the interlinear word-by-word translation, each word is shown as a little block; each verse is a paragraph of little blocks.
- Use the Pun Config to choose your level: Minimal for secret meaning only, Beginner for secret & official English texts, Intermediate for word-by-word vocabulary, Expert for original text & glyphs.
- Possible pun-encrypted meaning is marked with light red.
- Official meaning is marked with light green.
- Pun vocabulary is in red, whenever the meaning differs. All vocabulary is linked to online dictionaries.
- Please read the introduction, and judge yourself whether I got it right.
- Religious readers should proceed with care.

## Feign to be a peasant

### The multitudes are governed through lying & confusion.

#### On Agriculture 1.1.a

> Encrypted: The multitudes of peasants are managed & governed by hiding & bending the truth, and through confusion the people are controlled.

> Official: The god of agriculture told the flame emperor, to have through fire nominate government officials.

> The multitudes of peasants
> 甡 shēn: multitude; 農事 nóngshì: farming task
> 神農氏 shénnóngshì
> 神農氏 shénnóngshì: Farmer God
> The god of agriculture
> are managed & governed
> 御 yù: manage, govern; 馭 yù: control
> 曰 yuē
> 曰 yuē: say
> told
> [by] hiding & bending the truth,
> 匽 yǎn: hide, repress, bend; 諦 dì: truth
> 炎帝 yándì
> 炎帝 yándì: Flame Emperors
> [the] flame emperor,
> [and] through
> 以 yǐ: by means of
> 以 yǐ
> 以 yǐ: by means of
> [to have] through
> confusion
> 惑 huò: confuse, puzzled
> 火 huǒ
> 火 huǒ: fire
> fire
> the people
> 民 mín: people; 冥 míng: stupid
> 名 míng
> 名 míng: name
> nominate
> are controlled.
> 管 guǎn: control, manage
> 官 guān
> 官 guān: government official
> government officials.

> On Agriculture 1.1.a

### Wear a mask resembling the slaves.

#### On Agriculture 1.1.b

> Encrypted: Wear a curtain veil as the self, the resembling curtain veil becomes a semblance, for resembling the slaves it can be used, by pretending to be an everyman.

> Official: Chopped wood became a plowshare, crushed wood became a plow, the plow for hoeing it could be used, by teaching this to thousands of people.

> Wear
> 著 zhuó: wear (clothes), use, apply
> 斫 zhuó
> 斫 zhuó: chop, hack
> Chopped
> a curtain [veil]
> 幕 mù: curtain, screen
> 木 mù
> 木 mù: wood
> wood
> as
> 為 wéi: as, by, become
> 為 wéi
> 為 wéi: as, by, become
> became
> the self,
> 私 sī: personal; 似 sì: seem, appear, resemble
> 耜 sì
> 耜 sì: plow, plowshare
> a plowshare,
> the resembling
> 柔 róu: flexible; 若 ruò: seem, like, as, if
> 揉 róu
> 揉 róu: knead, rub
> crushed [??]
> curtain [veil]
> 幕 mù: curtain, screen
> 木 mù
> 木 mù: wood
> wood
> becomes
> 為 wéi: as, by, become
> 為 wéi
> 為 wéi: as, by, become
> became
> a semblance,
> 類 lèi: similar, like, resemble
> 耒 lěi
> 耒 lěi: plow
> a plow,
> [for] resembling
> 類 lèi: similar, like, resemble
> 耒 lěi
> 耒 lěi: plow
> the plow
> the slaves
> 懦 nuò: imbecile; 奴 nú: slave
> 耨 nòu
> 耨 nòu: hoe, weed
> for hoeing
> it
> 之 zhī: him, it
> 之 zhī
> 之 zhī: him, it
> it
> can be used,
> 用 yòng: use, employ
> 用 yòng
> 用 yòng: use, employ
> could be used,
> by
> 以 yǐ: by means of
> 以 yǐ
> 以 yǐ: by means of
> by
> pretending [to be]
> 矯 jiǎo: pretend, feign
> 教 jiāo
> 教 jiāo: teach
> teaching [this]
> an everyman.
> 萬人 wànrén: everyman
> 萬人 wànrén
> 萬人 wànrén: ten thousand people
> to thousands of people.

> On Agriculture 1.1.b

### Pretend to be honest.

#### On Agriculture 1.1.c

> Encrypted: One begins by pretending to be honest, because this is desired by the multitudes of peasants.

> Official: It began by teaching to plow, because it was the symbol of the god of agriculture.

> One begins
> 始 shǐ: begin, start
> 始 shǐ
> 始 shǐ: begin, start
> It began
> by pretending
> 矯 jiǎo: pretend, feign
> 教 jiāo
> 教 jiāo: teach
> by teaching
> to be honest,
> 耿 gěng: honest, upright
> 耕 gěng
> 耕 gēng: plow, till
> to plow,
> because
> 故 gù: reason, cause
> 故 gù
> 故 gù: reason, cause
> because
> this is desired
> 恏 hào: desire; 好 hǎo: good
> 號 hào
> 號 hào: mark, sign
> it was the symbol [?]
> [by] the multitudes of peasants.
> 甡 shēn: multitude; 農事 nóngshì: farming task
> 神農氏 shénnóngshì
> 神農氏 shénnóngshì: Farmer God
> of the god of agriculture.

> On Agriculture 1.1.c

### The people are stubborn & brutal, so feign to be one of them.

#### On Agriculture 1.2.a

> Encrypted: The “Discussions of Secrecy” say: Stubborn are the people, known to be brutal beasts in semblance. If you meet the multitudes of peasants, use of sweetness an appearance, separate from the true power, make yourself similar, feign to be a person of the countryside to do it.

> Official: The “White Tiger Discussions” say: Of old the people, all ate bird and animal flesh. But as for of the god of agriculture, he then used of the heavens the times seasons, to separate of the ground the profits harvests, he made the plow, and taught the people of the countryside how to do it.

> The “Discussions of Secrecy” [?]
> 背後 bèihòu: behind sb's back; 通 tōng: communicate
> 《白虎通 báihǔtōng
> 白 bái: white; 虎 hǔ: tiger; 通 tōng: communicate
> The “White Tiger Discussions”
> say:
> 云 yún: (classical) to say
> 云 yún
> 云 yún: (classical) to say
> say:
> Stubborn [are]
> 固執 gùzhí: obstinate, stubborn
> 古之 gǔzhī
> 古 gǔ: old; 之 zhī: him, it
> Of old
> the people,
> 人民 rénmín: people
> 人民 rénmín
> 人民 rénmín: people
> the people,
> known [to be]
> 結識 jiéshí: to get to know sb
> 皆食 jiēshí
> 皆 jiē: all; 食 shí: food, eat
> all ate
> brutal beasts
> 禽獸 qínshòu: beast (brutal person)
> 禽獸 qínshòu
> 禽獸 qínshòu: birds and animals
> bird and animal
> in semblance.
> 若 ruò: to seem, like, as, if
> 肉 ròu
> 肉 ròu: meat, flesh
> flesh.
> If you meet
> 值遇 zhíyù: to meet with, to bump into
> 至於 zhìyú
> 至於 zhìyú: as for, as to
> [But] as for
> the multitudes of peasants,
> 甡 shēn: multitude; 農 nóng: peasant
> 神農 shénnóng
> 神農 shénnóng: Farmer God
> of the god of agriculture,
> use
> 用 yòng: use
> 用 yòng
> 用 yòng: use
> he [then] used
> of sweetness
> 甜 tián: sweet
> 天 tiān
> 天 tiān: sky, heaven
> of the heavens
> 之 zhī: him, it
> 之 zhī
> 之 zhī: him, it
> an appearance,
> 勢 shì: influence, outward appearance
> 時 shí
> 時 shí: time
> the times [seasons?],
> separate
> 分 fēn: divide, separate
> 分 fēn
> 分 fēn: divide, separate
> to separate
> [from] the true
> 諦 dì: truth
> 地 dì
> 地 dì: earth, ground, field
> of the ground
> 之 zhī: him, it
> 之 zhī
> 之 zhī: him, it
> power,
> 力 lì: power, force
> 利 lì
> 利 lì: advantage, benefit, profit
> the profits [harvests?],
> make [yourself]
> 製 zhì: make
> 製 zhì
> 製 zhì: make
> [he] made
> similar,
> 類似 lèisì: similar
> 耒耜 lěisì
> 耒耜 lěisì: plow
> the plow,
> feign [to be]
> 矯 jiǎo: pretend, feign
> 教 jiāo
> 教 jiāo: teach
> [and] taught
> a person
> 民 mín: people
> 民 mín
> 民 mín: people
> the people
> of the countryside
> 農 nóng: peasant, agriculture
> 農 nóng
> 農 nóng: peasant, agriculture
> of the countryside
> to do it.
> 作 zuò: do
> 作 zuò
> 作 zuò: do
> [how] to do it.

> On Agriculture 1.2.a

### Feign to be of the multitudes to suppress them.

#### On Agriculture 1.2.b

> Encrypted: Your spirit thus changes into it to let the people be suppressed, that is why one fakes to be of the multitudes of peasants.

> Official: The god but changed into it, let the people properly use it, therefore was named he god of agriculture.

> [Your] spirit
> 神 shén: God, deity, spirit
> 神 shén
> 神 shén: God, deity, spirit
> The god
> thus
> 而 ér: and, but, and so
> 而 ér
> 而 ér: and, but, and so
> but
> changes
> 化 huà: change into
> 化 huà
> 化 huà: change into
> changed
> into it [?]
> 之 zhī: him, it
> 之 zhī
> 之 zhī: him, it
> into it [?],
> [to] let
> 使 shǐ: make, cause
> 使 shǐ
> 使 shǐ: make, cause
> let
> the people
> 民 mín: people
> 民 mín
> 民 mín: people
> the people
> be suppressed,
> 抑制 yìzhì: suppress, keep down
> 宜之 yízhī
> 宜 yí: proper; 之 zhī: him, it
> properly [use] it,
> that is why
> 故 gù: reason, cause, therefore
> 故 gù
> 故 gù: reason, cause, therefore
> therefore
> [one] fakes
> 帷 wéi: curtain, screen; 偽 wěi: false, fake
> 謂 wèi
> 謂 wèi: speak, say, name
> [was] named
> [to be] of
> 之 zhī: him, it
> 之 zhī
> 之 zhī: him, it
> he
> the multitudes of peasants.
> 甡 shēn: multitude; 農 nóng: peasant
> 神農 shénnóng
> 神農 shénnóng: Farmer God
> god of agriculture.

> On Agriculture 1.2.b

🏷 Chinese text interlinear · text