| Chinese Text Project |
| 少焉， | After a little time, |
| 徐無鬼曰： | Xu Wu-gui said, |
| 「嘗語君， | 'Let me tell your lordship something: |
| 吾相狗也。 | I look at dogs and judge of them by their appearance. |
| 下之質， | One of the lowest quality |
| 執飽而止， | seizes his food, satiates himself, and stops |
| 是狸德也； | - he has the attributes of a fox. |
| 中之質， | One of a medium quality |
| 若視日； | seems to be looking at the sun. |
| 上之質， | One of the highest quality |
| 若亡其一。 | seems to have forgotten the one thing - himself. |
| 吾相狗，又不若吾相馬也。 | But I judge still better of horses than I do of dogs. |
| 吾相馬， | When I do so, |
| 直者中繩， | I find that one goes straight forward, as if following a line; |
| 曲者中鉤， | that another turns off, so as to describe a hook; |
| 方者中矩， | that a third describes a square as if following the measure so called; |
| 圓者中規， | and that a fourth describes a circle as exactly as a compass would make it. |
| 是國馬也， | These are all horses of a state; |
| 而未若天下馬也。 | but they are not equal to a horse of the kingdom. |
| 天下馬有成材， | His qualities are complete. |
| 若卹若失， | Now he looks anxious; now to be losing the way; |
| 若喪其一， | now to be forgetting himself. |
| 若是者， | Such a horse |
| 超軼絕塵， | prances along, or rushes on, spurning the dust |
| 不知其所。」 | and not knowing where he is.' |
| 武侯大悅而笑。 | The marquis was greatly pleased and laughed. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 少 | 小+1 | shǎo shào ㄕㄠˇ ㄕㄠˋ | few, less, inadequate | v1,p0561#02 | p.296#20 | p.442r4c01 | |
| 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 | |
| 徐無鬼 | 彳+7 火+8 鬼+0 | 𣟒 𣚨 𠘩 无 橆 𩲡 𢇼 𣆠 | xú wú guǐ ㄒㄩˊ ㄨˊ ㄍㄨㄟˇ | [人名] [Name of a person] | v2,p0825#14 v3,p2211#15 v7,p4427#01 | p.367#11 p.673#26 p.1460#30 | p.512r4c02 p.848r2c04 p.1521r5c03 |
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | (1) 說。 Say, speak. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 嘗 | 口+11 | 甞 𨡔 𠹉 尝 | cháng ㄔㄤˊ | taste; experience, experiment | v2,p1529#09 | p.206#09 | p.289r3c03 |
| 語 | 言+7 | 语 | yǔ ㄩˇ | Speak (with someone). / Spoken words. / Language. / Proverb, saying. | v6,p3974#09 | p.1163#08 | p.1245r6c03 |
| yù ㄩˋ | Tell. / Warn, admonish. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 相 | 目+4 | xiāng ㄒㄧㄤ | Mutual. / In succession. / Together. | v4,p2470#13 | p.800#18 | p.945r1c01 | |
| xiàng ㄒㄧㄤˋ | Watch. / Appearance. / Fortune-telling by appearance. / Help, assist. / Guide for the blind. / Prime minister, most senior minister. / Ceremonial officer. | ||||||
| 狗 | 犬+5 | gǒu ㄍㄡˇ | dog, canis familiaris | v2,p1341#05 | p.709#12 | p.874r6c03 | |
| 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 |
| 下 | 一+2 | 丅 厥 𠄟 | xià ㄒㄧㄚˋ | under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down | v1,p0007#01 | p.76#10 | p.28r1c01 |
| 之 | 丿+3 | 㞢 | zhī ㄓ | Towards; go to. / Demonstrative pronoun: this, these. / Third person pronoun: him, her, it. / Auxiliary word: of. / Auxiliary word: used between subject and predicate, cancels independence of a clause. / Auxiliary word: used in a sentence for aesthetic purpose only, no meaning. | v1,p0043#01 | p.82#04 | p.47r2c02 |
| 質 | 貝+8 | 貭 质 | zhì zhí ㄓˋ ㄓˊ | matter, material, substance | v6,p3648#08 | p.1210#07 | p.1277r4c01 |
| 執 | 土+8 | 执 𠌷 | zhí ㄓˊ | hold in hand; keep; carry out | v1,p0457#05 | p.231#09 | p.321r1c02 |
| 飽 | 食+5 | 𩛊 𩜿 𩜕 𩛞 饱 | bǎo ㄅㄠˇ | eat heartily; eat one's fill | v7,p4448#12 | p.1418#38 | p.1491r1c02 |
| 而 | 而+0 | ér ㄦˊ | Whiskers. / Like, similar to. / Pronoun: you. / Pronoun: this, like this. / Connective: and, with. / Connective: and, then. / Connective: if, supposing. / Connective: yet, however. / Connective: therefore, hence. / Connective: expresses method or state. / Particle: of. / Expressive particle. | v4,p2810#01 | p.961#18 | p.1080r2c03 | |
| néng ㄋㄥˊ | Same as 「能(3)」 néng ㄋㄥˊ: Able to, competent. / Same as 「能(2.1)」 néng ㄋㄥˊ: Ability, talent. | ||||||
| 止 | 止+0 | 只 | zhǐ ㄓˇ | stop, halt, desist; detain | v2,p1435#03 | p.573#24 | p.732r3c02 |
| 是 | 日+5 | 昰 𣆞 | shì ㄕˋ | Straight. / Right, correct. / Believe accurate, affirm. / Demonstrative pronoun: this. / Be (copula). / Auxiliary word, used after moving forward the object. | v2,p1497#05 | p.493#26 | p.639r1c01 |
| 狸 | 犬+7 | 貍 | lí mái ㄌㄧˊ ㄇㄞˊ | fox | v2,p1348#11 | p.711#29 | p.876r6c04 |
| 德 | 彳+12 | 惪 悳 | dé ㄉㄜˊ | Morals, morality. / Good deeds. / Good fortune. / Reward kindness, thank. / Heart, feelings. / Same as 「得(1.1)」 dé ㄉㄜˊ: Get, obtain. | v2,p0841#17 | p.371#08 | p.518r3c01 |
| 中 | 丨+3 | 𠁧 𠁩 塚 | zhōng zhòng ㄓㄨㄥ ㄓㄨㄥˋ | central; center, middle; in the midst of; hit (target); attain | v1,p0028#10 | p.79#03 | p.37r4c02 |
| 若 | 艸+5 | 若 𦱡 𦱶 𧁇 | ruò ㄖㄨㄛˋ | Iris. / Same as 「北海若」 běi hǎi ruò ㄅㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ ㄖㄨㄛˋ: Ruo, a god of the Northern Sea. / Go by, accord with. / Choose. / Like, similar to. / Identical, the same. / As good as, comparable to. / To, arrive at. / You, your. / This way, like this. / Regarding, as regards. / If, should it be the case. / Or, alternatively. / But, yet. / Adjectival suffix. | v5,p3187#07 | p.1023#12 | p.1130r1c03 |
| 視 | 示+7 | 眎 𥄙 眡 𥄚 𥅭 𥉙 𤋇 视 | shì ㄕˋ | look at, inspect, observe, see | v6,p3665#19 | p.1134#21 | |
| 日 | 日+0 | 𡆸 | rì mì ㄖˋ ㄇㄧˋ | sun; day; daytime | v2,p1482#01 | p.489#01 | p.627r1c01 |
| 上 | 一+2 | 丄 𠄞 | shàng ㄕㄤˋ | top; superior, highest; go up, send up | v1,p0005#04 | p.76#07 | p.24r2c01 |
| 亡 | 亠+1 | 亾 兦 | wáng wú ㄨㄤˊ ㄨˊ | death, destroyed; lose, perish | v1,p0279#05 | p.88#03 | p.75r6c04 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 一 | 一+0 | 弌 壹 | yī ㄧ | one; a, an; alone | v1,p0001#01 | p.75#01 | p.1r1c01 |
| 又 | 又+0 | yòu ㄧㄡˋ | Hand. / Again, once more. / Moreover. / And, while. Expresses two situations happening at once or sequential action. / And yet. Expresses contrast. / Offer wine. / Forgive. | v1,p0390#01 | p.164#43 | p.233r4c03 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 馬 | 馬+0 | 𢒠 𩡬 𢒗 马 | mǎ ㄇㄚˇ | horse; surname; KangXi radical 187 | v7,p4539#01 | p.1433#01 | p.1499r1c01 |
| 直 | 目+3 | 𣓟 𣖴 | zhí ㄓˊ | straight, erect, vertical | v1,p0061#07 | p.800#05 | |
| 者 | 老+4 | zhě ㄓㄜˇ | Pronoun used after verbs, adjectives, etc. in place of a person or thing. / Pronoun used after numbers in place of a thing. / Pronoun used after time or negation to express "when" or "if". / Expressive particle used in a declarative sentence after the subject. / Expressive particle used in a sentence after the subject to express cause or explanation. | v4,p2780#05 | p.961#01 | p.1080r1c01 | |
| zhuó ㄓㄨㄛˊ | In, located in. | ||||||
| 繩 | 糸+13 | 縄 繩 䋲 绳 | shéng mǐn yìng shèng ㄕㄥˊ ㄇㄧㄣˇ ㄧㄥˋ ㄕㄥˋ | rope, string, cord; measure, restrain | v5,p3457#09 | p.940#04 | p.1060r5c05 |
| 曲 | 曰+2 | qū qǔ ㄑㄩ ㄑㄩˇ | crooked, bent; wrong, false | v2,p1484#02 | p.502#02 | p.648r4c01 | |
| 鉤 | 金+5 | 鈎 钩 | gōu gòu qú ㄍㄡ ㄍㄡˋ ㄑㄩˊ | hook, barb; sickle; stroke with | v6,p4188#06 | p.1302#08 | p.1375r3c03 |
| 方 | 方+0 | 𤙗 | fāng ㄈㄤ | Two boats in line. / Two boats travelling together. / Together, in a row. / Same, equivalent. / Comparison, metaphor. / Square. / Upright, honest. / Land, earth. / Vicinity, area around. / Place, area. / One side, one area. / Wooden board used for writing in ancient times. / (Medical) prescription. / Direction. / Convention. / Standard, rule. / The proper way. / Method, way. / Specialized techniques. / Occupy. / Disobey. / Preposition: just then. / Adverb: while. / Adverb: about to. / Adverb: just. / Criticism. | v3,p2172#01 | p.481#03 | p.619r4c01 |
| páng ㄆㄤˊ | Wide, universal. | ||||||
| 矩 | 矢+5 | 榘 | jǔ ㄐㄩˇ | carpenter's square, ruler, rule | v4,p2582#02 | p.824#11 | p.956r4c02 |
| 圓 | 囗+10 | 圎 圆 | yuán ㄩㄢˊ | circle; round, circular; complete | v1,p0724#07 | p.220#09 | p.307r2c01 |
| 規 | 見+4 | 槻 规 | guī kuī xù guì ㄍㄨㄟ ㄎㄨㄟ ㄒㄩˋ ㄍㄨㄟˋ | rules, regulations, customs, law | v6,p3664#17 | p.1133#11 | p.1229r3c02 |
| 國 | 囗+8 | 圀 國 囗 囶 𢧌 䆐 囯 国 | guó ㄍㄨㄛˊ | nation, country, nation-state | v1,p0720#09 | p.219#16 | p.303r4c02 |
| 未 | 木+1 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | not yet; 8th terrestrial branch | v2,p1150#01 | p.509#05 | p.665r4c01 | |
| 天下 | 大+1 一+2 | 𠀡 𠀘 𦴞 兲 靝 𠕹 丅 厥 𠄟 | tiān xià ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ | 世界。 "All under heaven", the world. | v1,p0522#01 v1,p0007#01 | p.248#04 p.76#10 | p.358r4c01 p.28r1c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 成 | 戈+2 | 𢦩 | chéng ㄔㄥˊ | completed, finished, fixed | v2,p1399#01 | p.411#11 | |
| 材 | 木+3 | cái ㄘㄞˊ | material, stuff; timber; talent | v2,p1158#01 | p.511#16 | p.672r6c01 | |
| 卹 | 卩+6 | 恤 | xù ㄒㄩˋ | sympathy, pity; comfort | v1,p0314#05 | p.159#25 | p.227r4c02 |
| 失 | 大+2 | shī ㄕ | lose; make mistake, neglect | v1,p0525#01 | p.249#09 | p.368r3c01 | |
| 喪 | 口+9 | 𡂤 𡴧 𡂧 𦦦 𡚏 丧 | sàng ㄙㄤˋ | Lose, cease to have. / Die. / Destroy, lose. | v1,p0650#03 | p.200#12 | p.286r5c02 |
| sāng ㄙㄤ | Funeral rites, mourning. / Dismayed, dispirited. / Remains, body in a coffin. | ||||||
| 超 | 走+5 | chāo chǎo chào tiào ㄔㄠ ㄔㄠˇ ㄔㄠˋ ㄊㄧㄠˋ | jump over, leap over; surpass | v5,p3484#07 | p.1216#14 | p.1284r6c05 | |
| 軼 | 車+5 | 轶 | yì dié zhé ㄧˋ ㄉㄧㄝˊ ㄓㄜˊ | rush forth; surpass, excel | v5,p3521#05 | p.1242#19 | p.1300r3c03 |
| 絕 | 糸+6 | 𢇍 𠤉 绝 | jué ㄐㄩㄝˊ | cut, sever, break off, terminate | v5,p3396#04 | p.922#04 | p.1041r6c02 |
| 塵 | 土+11 | 𦧄 𡐪 尘 | chén ㄔㄣˊ | dust, dirt, ashes, cinders | v1,p0482#03 | p.236#38 | p.327r5c10 |
| 不 | 一+3 | 不 𠀚 𠙐 | bù ㄅㄨˋ | (3.1) 否定副詞：用於動詞、形容詞等前面，表示否定。 Negational adverb, used before verbs, adjectives, etc. to indicate negation. | v1,p0011#06 | p.76#15 | p.30r1c01 |
| 知 | 矢+3 | 𢇻 𥎿 | zhī ㄓ | Know, understand. / Perception. / Recognize. / Knowledge. / Know about, make sense of. / Be friendly with. / Control, get on top of. | v4,p2581#02 | p.824#01 | p.955r5c02 |
| zhì ㄓˋ | Wisdom. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 武 | 止+4 | wǔ ㄨˇ | Military, combative. / Powerful, formidable. / Moral principles to be honoured during warfare. / Military achievement. / Soldier. / Footprint, trail. / Successor. / Name of a piece of music comemmorating King Wu of Zhou. / A metal percussion instrument. / Unit of length equal to three chi, or half a pace. / Tie of a cap. / Dance. | v2,p1439#05 | p.575#09 | p.736r4c01 | |
| 侯 | 人+7 | 𥎦 | hóu hòu ㄏㄡˊ ㄏㄡˋ | marquis, lord; target in archery | v1,p0167#01 | p.103#07 | p.104r3c06 |
| 大 | 大+0 | 𠘲 | dà ㄉㄚˋ | Large, great. / Exceed, be greater than. / Venerate, treat as being great. / Many. / Thick, coarse. / Elder. / Respectful term of address. / Adverb expressing high level or broad range. | v1,p0520#01 | p.248#01 | p.342r3c03 |
| tài ㄊㄞˋ | Most (superlative). / Too much. / Peaceful, tranquil. | ||||||
| 悅 | 心+7 | 悦 恱 | yuè ㄩㄝˋ | Happy, pleased, like. / Same as 「侻(1)」 tuō ㄊㄨㄛ: Simple. | v4,p2306#15 | p.386#26 | p.531r5c04 |
| 笑 | 竹+4 | 咲 㗛 𠇄 | xiào ㄒㄧㄠˋ | smile, laugh, giggle; snicker | v5,p2950#10 | p.879#03 | p.1008r5c02 |
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