| Chinese Text Project |
| 曰：「不同道。 | 'Their ways were different from mine,' said Mencius. |
| 非其君不事， | 'Not to serve a prince whom he did not esteem, |
| 非其民不使； | nor command a people whom he did not approve; |
| 治則進， | in a time of good government to take office, |
| 亂則退， | and on the occurrence of confusion to retire |
| 伯夷也。 | - this was the way of Bo Yi. |
| 何事非君， | To say "Whom may I not serve? My serving him makes him my ruler. |
| 何使非民； | What people may I not command? My commanding them makes them my people." |
| 治亦進， | In a time of good government to take office, |
| 亂亦進， | and when disorder prevailed, also to take office |
| 伊尹也。 | - that was the way of Yi Yin. |
| 可以仕則仕， | When it was proper to go into office, then to go into it; |
| 可以止則止， | when it was proper to keep retired from office, then to keep retired from it; |
| 可以久則久， | when it was proper to continue in it long, then to continue in it long |
| 可以速則速， | - when it was proper to withdraw from it quickly, then to withdraw quickly |
| 孔子也。 | - that was the way of Confucius. |
| 皆古聖人也， | These were all sages of antiquity, |
| 吾未能有行焉； | and I have not attained to do what they did. |
| 乃所願， | But what I wish to do |
| 則學孔子也。」 | is to learn to be like Confucius.' |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | (1) 說。 Say, speak. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 不 | 一+3 | 不 𠀚 𠙐 | bù ㄅㄨˋ | Not have. / To not be. / Negational adverb, used before verbs, adjectives, etc. to indicate negation. / Negational adverb expressing prohibition: do not. / Negational adverb expressing rhetorical question: is not...? | v1,p0011#06 | p.76#15 | p.30r1c01 |
| fǒu ㄈㄡˇ | Same as 「否(1.2)」 fǒu ㄈㄡˇ: Adverb used together with an affirmative word, expressing its negative or opposite. / Same as 「否(1.3)」 fǒu ㄈㄡˇ: Adverb used at the end of a question to form a yes-no question. | ||||||
| fū ㄈㄨ | Sepal of a flower. | ||||||
| pī ㄆㄧ | Same as 「丕(1)」 pī ㄆㄧ: Large. | ||||||
| bǐ ㄅㄧˇ | Show disdain for. | ||||||
| 同 | 口+3 | 仝 衕 | tóng tòng ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄊㄨㄥˋ | same, similar; together with | v1,p0578#01 | p.175#06 | p.252r1c01 |
| 道 | 辵+9 | 𨕥 衟 𡬹 | dào ㄉㄠˋ | Road, path. / Journey. / Method. / Law, reason. / Doctrine, claim. / Skill, technique. / Principle, right way. / The Dao, the origin of all things in Daoism. / Speak, talk. / Take a course of action. / Take a course of action. / Rites paid to the spirit of roads. / Ancient administrative unit. / Daoism. | v6,p3864#01 | p.1262#06 | p.1326r3c02 |
| dǎo ㄉㄠˇ | Lead. / Flow smoothly. | ||||||
| 非 | 非+0 | fēi ㄈㄟ | Violate, go against (a rule). / Wrong, bad. / Not real, untrue. / Oppose, object to. / Slander, condemn. / Sarcasm, irony. / Absence of, not have. / Adverb: not, is not. | v6,p4086#01 | p.1382#11 | p.1463r6c02 | |
| fěi ㄈㄟˇ | Same as 「誹(2)」 fěi ㄈㄟˇ: Slander. | ||||||
| 其 | 八+6 | 丌 亓 | qí ㄑㄧˊ | Third-person possessive pronoun: his, her, its, their. / Demonstrative pronoun: that, those. / Adverb expressing estimation or guess. / Adverb expressing imperative. / Adverb expressing rhetorical question. / Adverb expressing future tense. / Connective expressing hypothesis: if, supposing. / Connective expressing choice: or. / Connective expressing concession: even if. / Particle used after an adjective. / Particle: of. / Particle used for emphasis after single-character adjectives or onomatopoeia. / Particle used in the middle of a sentence to alter the tempo. | v1,p0245#01 | p.127#18 | p.162r5c01 |
| jì ㄐㄧˋ | Particle used after bi and he. | ||||||
| jī ㄐㄧ | Modal particle expressing interrogative tone. / A year. | ||||||
| 君 | 口+4 | 𠱩 𠱭 | jūn ㄐㄩㄣ | The son of heaven. / The ruler of a state. / Dafu (title). / To be ruler. / To rule, to govern. | v1,p0595#06 | p.177#07 | p.256r6c08 |
| 事 | 亅+7 | 亊 叓 𠭏 | shì ㄕˋ | Office, duty. / Job, career. / Things, affairs. / Accident, incident. / Engage (in), pursue. / Serve. | v1,p0023#03 | p.85#24 | p.58r3c02 |
| 民 | 氏+1 | 𠘽 | mín ㄇㄧㄣˊ | people, subjects, citizens | v3,p2131#01 | p.598#01 | p.750r3c01 |
| 使 | 人+6 | 𡥐 𠭆 | shǐ ㄕˇ | Order, send (on a mission). / Cause, make. / Allocate, use. / Indulge in.. / Send as an envoy. / Envoy, messenger. / Connective: if, supposing. | v1,p0145#02 | p.101#05 | p.101r3c03 |
| 治 | 水+5 | 乿 | zhì ㄓˋ | Rule, administer. / Well ruled, peaceful and orderly. / Punish, execute. / Cure, treat (an illness). / Prepare. / Construct. / Research, study. | v3,p1599#06 | p.614#07 | p.776r5c02 |
| 則 | 刀+7 | 𠟻 𠟭 𠞋 𠟔 则 | zé ㄗㄜˊ | Method, rule. / Mimic, emulate. / Level, grade. / Adverb used to emphasize an assertion. / Adverb used to express scope: only. / Connective expressing continuation: then, and then. / Connective emphasizing comparison. / Connective expressing contrast. / Connective expressing allowance: yet, even so. / Connective expressing unexpected turn of events. / Connective expressing suppostion: if. | v1,p0340#06 | p.139#31 | p.183r5c05 |
| 進 | 辵+8 | 𨙟 𨗃 进 | jìn ㄐㄧㄣˋ | advance, make progress, enter | v6,p3851#05 | p.1259#30 | p.1322r2c03 |
| 亂 | 乙+12 | 𠧎 𠧏 𠮗 乱 | luàn ㄌㄨㄢˋ | Chaos, disorder. / Confusion, confused state of mind. / Turmoil, unrest, revolt. / Rebellion, uprising. / Disturb, corrupt. / Lecherous, wicked. / Confuse, mix up. / Rule, administer. / Traverse, cross. / Reach, pass. / Last section of a piece of music. / Last words of a piece of writing. / Complete, finish. | v1,p0057#10 | p.84#33 | p.57r5c01 |
| 退 | 辵+6 | 𨓆 𨑧 𢓴 𢓇 𨔫 | tuì ㄊㄨㄟˋ | step back, retreat, withdraw | v6,p3834#04 | p.1256#14 | p.1314r4c01 |
| 伯夷 | 人+5 大+3 | 𡰥 | bó yí ㄅㄛˊ ㄧˊ | [人名] [Name of a person] | v1,p0136#02 v1,p0527#05 | p.96#16 p.249#15 | p.93r5c03 p.369r1c02 |
| 也 | 乙+2 | 𠃟 匜 | yě ㄧㄝˇ | Modal particle used at the end of a sentence, expressing assertion and affirmation. / Modal particle used at the end of a question for emphasis. / Modal particle used at the end of a cause-effect sentence to express explanation. / Modal particle used in the middle of a sentence to express a pause. | v1,p0050#05 | p.84#04 | p.55r1c01 |
| 何 | 人+5 | hé ㄏㄜˊ | (2.2) 誰，哪一個。 Who, which one. | v1,p0130#04 | p.98#15 | p.97r2c04 | |
| 何 | 人+5 | hé ㄏㄜˊ | Ask, enquire. / What. / Who, which one. / How, in what way. / Why, for what reason. / Where, in what place. / How much, to what extent. | v1,p0130#04 | p.98#15 | p.97r2c04 | |
| hē ㄏㄜ | Criticize, condemn. | ||||||
| hè ㄏㄜˋ | Carry on one's back. / Bear, carry a burden. | ||||||
| 亦 | 亠+4 | 𠅃 | yì ㄧˋ | Original character for 腋. / Also. / Just, merely. / Again. / Modal particle at the beginning or middle of a sentence. / Accumulate. | v1,p0281#03 | p.88#09 | p.78r2c02 |
| 伊尹 | 人+4 丿+3 | 𦯴 𠈽 𢃵 𢃹 𢃁 𢃂 | yī yǐn ㄧ ㄧㄣˇ | [人名] [Name of a person] | v1,p0126#09 v2,p0964#01 | p.95#15 p.299#27 | p.90r1c01 p.445r5c01 |
| 可 | 口+2 | 歌 厥 | kě kè ㄎㄜˇ ㄎㄜˋ | may, can, -able; possibly | v1,p0567#07 | p.172#12 | p.244r1c02 |
| 以 | 人+3 | 㠯 | yǐ ㄧˇ | Use. / Believe. / Command. / Lead. / Connect, implicate. / Have. / Cause, reason. / Preposition: because. / Preposition: from, in. / Preposition: at [some time]. / Preposition: using. / Preposition: in accordance with. / Preposition: relying upon. / Preposition: in the capacity of. / Preposition: with, together with. / Connective: indicates the following action is the objective of the preceding one. / Connective: used between adverbial clause and verb to express modification. / Connective: and. / Connective: but. / Connective: and so, thus. / Particle: used together with some words expressing direction and time. / Modal particle. / Same as 「已(1)」 yǐ ㄧˇ: Stop, discontinue. / Same as 「已(7.2)」 yǐ ㄧˇ: Adverb: already. / Same as 「已(7.3)」 yǐ ㄧˇ: Adverb: extremely. | v1,p0105#07 | p.94#01 | p.87r6c01 |
| 仕 | 人+3 | shì ㄕˋ | official; serve government | v1,p0112#03 | p.92#07 | p.85r2c02 | |
| 止 | 止+0 | 只 | zhǐ ㄓˇ | stop, halt, desist; detain | v2,p1435#03 | p.573#24 | p.732r3c02 |
| 久 | 丿+2 | 乆 | jiǔ ㄐㄧㄡˇ | long time (ago); time passage, grow late | v1,p0033#03 | p.81#19 | p.47r1c02 |
| 速 | 辵+7 | 𧫣 跡 | sù ㄙㄨˋ | quick, prompt, speedy | v6,p3838#01 | p.1258#10 | p.1319r2c03 |
| 孔子 | 子+1 子+0 | 𡤿 㜽 𢀈 𢀉 𡐫 𣕓 只 | kǒng zǐ ㄎㄨㄥˇ ㄗˇ | 先秦思想家，名丘，字仲尼。 Confucius, a pre-Qin philosopher. | v2,p1008#04 v2,p1006#06 | p.277#09 p.277#01 | p.396r6c02 p.395r1c01 |
| 皆 | 白+4 | jiē ㄐㄧㄝ | all, every, everybody | v4,p2647#01 | p.786#12 | p.735r5c01 | |
| 古 | 口+2 | 𠖠 𡇣 | gǔ ㄍㄨˇ | old, classic, ancient | v1,p0568#03 | p.171#08 | p.240r1c02 |
| 聖人 | 耳+7 人+0 | 堊 𦕡 𠄵 圣 𠔽 亻 | shèng rén ㄕㄥˋ ㄖㄣˊ | 出類拔萃的人。 Sage, outstanding person. | v4,p2789#06 v1,p0101#10 | p.967#22 p.91#01 | p.1082r6c06 p.80r2c01 |
| 吾 | 口+4 | 𠮣 | wú ㄨˊ | First person pronoun: I, we. / Defend, resist. | v1,p0585#13 | p.180#03 | p.260r5c01 |
| yú ㄩˊ | See 吾吾. | ||||||
| yá ㄧㄚˊ | Yunyu, an ancient district. | ||||||
| 未 | 木+1 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | not yet; 8th terrestrial branch | v2,p1150#01 | p.509#05 | p.665r4c01 | |
| 能 | 肉+6 | néng ㄋㄥˊ | A type of bear. / Ability, talent. / Man of ability, man of talent. / Able to, competent. / Comply with, be friendly towards. / Encompass, obtain. / To, arrive at. / Then, thus. / Same as 「而(4.3)」 ér ㄦˊ: Connective: if, supposing. / Only, merely. / Even if. / Thus, in this way. / Three-legged turtle. | v3,p2074#01 | p.981#16 | p.1095r5c02 | |
| nài ㄋㄞˋ | Withstand, endure. | ||||||
| tái ㄊㄞˊ | Same as 「台(1.1)」 tái ㄊㄞˊ: Name of a celestial body. | ||||||
| tài ㄊㄞˋ | State, form. | ||||||
| 有 | 月+2 | | yǒu ㄧㄡˇ | Have, possess. / Store, collect. / Occupy. / Hold on to, retain. / Have in abundance. / Good harvest. / Obtain. / Only. / Be, exist. / Occur, happen. / Make. / Particle used before a noun with no meaning. / Particle used before a monosyllabic adjective with no meaning. / Particle used before a verb with no meaning. / Still, yet. / Some people. / Region. | v3,p2041#05 | p.504#20 | p.656r5c01 |
| yòu ㄧㄡˋ | Help, assist. / Same as 「又(3)」 yòu ㄧㄡˋ: Moreover. | ||||||
| 行 | 行+0 | 行 | xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ | Walk, move (on foot). / Advance, move forward. / Leave, exit. / Patrol, go on inspection. / Inspection of the realm by the Son of Heaven. / Be married off. / Flow, circulate. / Channel, guide. / Revolution, circular motion. / Experience. / Luggage, belongings taken on a journey. / Do, carry out. / Actions. / Accomplishments. / Use, utilize. / Take over (an official duty). / Offer, present. / Moral conduct, behaviour. / A type of classical poem. / A piece of music. / Semi-cursive script. / Adverb: will, about to. / Adverb: again, once more. / Adverb: by chance, luckily. / Ambassador (official title). / Measure word for number of pourings of drinks. | v2,p0811#06 | p.1108#31 | p.1203r5c05 |
| háng ㄏㄤˊ | Road. / Track, pattern. / Row, line. / Row of soldiers in battle. / Unit of 25 soldiers. / Shaft of a feather (and by extension, wings). / Measure word for things which form rows. / Rank, position. | ||||||
| 焉 | 火+7 | yān ㄧㄢ | Same as 「之(2)」 zhī ㄓ: Demonstrative pronoun: this, these. / Same as 「之(3)」 zhī ㄓ: Third person pronoun: him, her, it. / Demonstrative pronoun and modal particle: than this. / Interrogative pronoun: how, where. / Interrogative pronoun: what. / Connective: and, then. / Preposition: in. / Modal particle. / Adjectival or adverbal suffix. | v3,p2206#14 | p.672#21 | p.847r5c01 | |
| 乃 | 丿+1 | 廼 𢏩 𢎧 迺 𠄎 𠧤 | nǎi ㄋㄞˇ | (4.2) 連詞：表示他轉，至於。 Adverb: regarding, as for. | v1,p0031#05 | p.81#12 | p.46r6c01 |
| 所 | 戶+4 | 𢨷 | suǒ ㄙㄨㄛˇ | Place. / Location. / A suitable place or location. / Measure word, used for counting buldings. / Used before a verb, creates a noun-like phrase. / If. Mainly used in oaths and curses. / Used together with 為 to indicate the passive tense. / Indicates an approximate number. / Number, number of times. / Meaning. | v3,p2259#01 | p.415#16 | p.556r1c01 |
| 願 | 頁+10 | 愿 𩕾 | yuàn ㄩㄢˋ | desire, want; wish; ambition | v7,p4385#07 | p.1407#31 | p.1480r6c02 |
| 學 | 子+13 | 𢻯 斈 学 | xué ㄒㄩㄝˊ | Study, learn. / Doctrine, teaching. / School of thought. / School, place of learning. / Account, state. | v2,p1019#11 | p.280#28 | p.403r3c05 |
| xiào ㄒㄧㄠˋ | Instruct, teach. |
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