Follow us on Facebook to receive important updates Follow us on Twitter to receive important updates Follow us on sina.com's microblogging site to receive important updates Follow us on Douban to receive important updates
Chinese Text Project
Simplified Chinese version
Back Forward
Ancient Classics -> Shang Shu -> Yu Shu -> Counsels of the Great Yu -> 13

The Di said,
'Come Yu.
The inundating waters filled me with dread,
when you accomplished truly (all that you had represented), and completed your service
- thus showing your superiority to other men.
Full of toilsome earnestness in the service of the country,
and sparing in your expenditure on your family,
and this without being full of yourself and elated
- you (again.) show your superiority to other men.
You are without any prideful assumption,
天下 but no one under heaven can contest with you the palm of ability;
you make no boasting,
天下 but no one under heaven can contest with you the palm of merit.
I see how great is your virtue,
how admirable your vast achievements.
The determinate appointment of Heaven rests on your person;
you must eventually ascend (the throne) of the great sovereign.
The mind of man is restless, prone (to err);
its affinity to what is right is small.
Be discriminating, be uniform (in the pursuit of what is right),
that you may sincerely hold fast the Mean,
Do not listen to unsubstantiated words;
do not follow plans about which you have not sought counsel.
Of all who are to be loved, is not the ruler the chief?
Of all who are to be feared, are not the people the chief?
If the multitude were without their sovereign Head,
whom should they sustain aloft?
If the sovereign had not the multitude,
there would be none to guard the country for him.
Be reverential!
Carefully maintain the throne which you are to occupy,
cultivating (the virtues) that are to be desired in you.
If within the four seas there be distress and poverty,
your Heaven conferred revenues will come to a perpetual end.
It is the mouth which sends forth what is good, and raises up war.
。” I will not alter my words.'


Enjoy this site? Please help.Site design and content copyright 2006-2024. When quoting or citing information from this site, please link to the corresponding page or to https://ctext.org/ens. Please note that the use of automatic download software on this site is strictly prohibited, and that users of such software are automatically banned without warning to save bandwidth. 沪ICP备09015720号-3Comments? Suggestions? Please raise them here.