I would like to add on to r13 and 水巷孑蠻's answer. 0. Zhuxi's central theme here is the problem of annotating classics (經注之禍). Zhuxi was doubtful of Mencius's interpretation of *Shangshu* (see the bolded parts below). Consider the following somewhat better punctuated text with paragraphs before and after your excerpt. I also think the 陶弘景 and 唐子西 quotes are only examples to illustrate his disapproval of Mencius's interpretation. They are secondary, in a sense. 陶弘景 allures to 孟子 and 唐子西 allures to himself. > 孟子曰:「盡信《書》,則不如無《書》。仁人無敵於天下,以至仁伐不仁,而何其血之流忤也?」曰:「紂一人惡邪?眾人惡邪?眾皆善而紂獨惡,則去紂久矣,不待周也。夫為天下逋逃主,萃淵藪,同之者可遽數邪?紂亡則逋逃者曷歸乎?其欲拒周者人可數邪?血流漂杵,未足多也。」或曰:「前徒倒戈,攻於後,以北。故荀卿曰殺者皆商人,非周人也。然則商人之不拒周,審矣。」曰:「如皆北也,焉用攻?」又曰:「甚哉:世人之好異也!孔子非吾師乎?眾言驩,千徑百道,倖存孔子,吾得以求其是。《虞》、《夏》、《商》、《周》之《書》出於孔子,其誰不知? **孟子一言,人皆畔之。畔之不已,故今人之取孟子以斷《六經》矣。嗚呼,信孟子而不信經,是猶信他人而疑父母也。**」 > > 余隱之曰:《魯語》曰:「俎豆之事,則嘗聞之矣。軍旅之事,未之學也。」孔子之意可見矣。客有問陶弘景注《易》與《本草》孰先,陶曰:「注《易》誤,不至殺人。注《本草》誤,則有不得其死者。」世以為知言。唐子西嘗曰: 「弘景知本草而未知經。注《本草》誤,其禍疾而小。注《六經》誤,其禍遲而大。」前世儒臣引經誤國,其禍至於伏屍百萬,流血千里。《武成》曰「血流漂杵」,武王以此自多之辭。當時倒戈攻後,殺傷固多,非止一處,豈至血流漂杵乎?孟子深慮戰國之君以此藉口,故曰「盡信《書》則不如無《書》」。而謂血流漂杵未足為多,豈示訓之意哉?經注之禍,正此類也。反以孟子為畔經,是亦惑矣。謂《虞》、《夏》、《商》、《周》之《書》出於孔子,人宜取信。《詩》非孔子之刪乎?《雲漢》之詩曰:「周余黎民,靡有孑遺。」信斯言也,則是周無遺民也。請以此說為證。 Regarding your questions: 1. 自多 means 'to be full of oneself; to boast' (自滿;自誇), where 多 is the verb. 血流漂杵,武王以此自多之辭 is an abbreviated statement: 血流漂杵(者),武王以此自多之辭(也). It translates as: (to Mencius) 血流漂杵 is a phrase by which King Wu of Chou used to self-boast. 2. 止通只. As explained by the rest. 3. 多 is exactly the same meaning as in the case of 1. As a side note, the online sources I searched did not show 豈示訓之至哉 but 豈示訓之意哉, and I managed to find 《古今圖書集成》 to have used 意 as well (see [here][2]). Anyhow I believe the hidden subject is Mencius: (孟子)謂血流漂杵未足為多,豈(孟子)示訓之至哉, because with contextual clues I do not think 血流漂杵未足為多 is Zhuxi's claim, but rather Zhuxi's quote of Mencius's claim. Translating (孟子)謂血流漂杵未足為多: ‘Mencius considered '血流漂杵' not as the most self-boastful [meaning there are even worse instances of the King's self-boasting according to Mencius]’. It is not impossible that Zhuxi was mocking Mencius here, given what we saw in 0. [1]: http://www.guoxue123.com/other/xuean/songyuanxuean1/004.htm [2]: https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Gujin_Tushu_Jicheng,_Volume_578_(1700-1725).djvu/111 [3]: https://wyw.hwxnet.com/view/hwxE5hwxB2hwx82.html [4]: https://i.sstatic.net/TFMWom.png