| Chinese Text Project |
| 昔者文公出走而正天下， | Formerly Lord Wen was once in exile and yet later became the leading feudal lord. |
| 桓公去國而霸諸侯， | Lord Huan was once forced to leave his state and yet later became a "tyrant" among the feudal lords. |
| 越王句踐遇吳王之醜， | Lord Gou Jian of Yue was once brought under humiliation by the king of Wu, |
| 而尚攝中國之賢君。 | and yet he was later looked upon with awe by the princes of China. |
| 三子之能達名成功於天下也， | The reason that these three men became famous and successful in the world |
| 皆於其國抑而大醜也。 | lies in that they were able to endure shame and humiliation within their states. |
| 太上無敗， | The greatest men know of no defeat. |
| 其次敗而有以成， | The next greatest turn failure into success, |
| 此之謂用民。 | and this, by the employment of the people. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 昔 | 日+4 | xī cuò xí ㄒㄧ ㄘㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧˊ | formerly; ancient; in beginning | v2,p1488#11 | p.492#05 | p.634r5c01 | |
| 者 | 老+4 | zhě ㄓㄜˇ | (1.3) 代詞：用於時間詞或否定詞之後，表示「...時候」或「...的話」。 Pronoun used after time or negation to express "when" or "if". | v4,p2780#05 | p.961#01 | p.1080r1c01 | |
| 文公 | 文+0 八+2 | 㒚 穩 㒶 | wén gōng ㄨㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄥ | Same as 「晉文公」 jìn wén gōng ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄨㄣˊ ㄍㄨㄥ: 姓名：姬重耳，在位前636-前628。 Duke Wen of Jin (ruled 636 BC-628 BC)  | v3,p2169#01 v1,p0242#01 | p.477#01 p.126#28 | p.608r4c02 p.151r3c01 |
| 出 | 凵+3 | 岀 | chū ㄔㄨ | Go out, exit. / Outside, without. / Take up a post. / Exile, banish. / Abandon (one's wife). / Free, release. / Give out, hand over. / Give, offer. / Send out, distribute. / Exceed. / Appear, emerge. / Create, make. / Produce, cause to grow. / Bear, give birth. / Origin, place of birth. / Part of an object which extends outwards. / Measure word: times, occurrences. / Measure word: section. | v1,p0307#08 | p.135#11 | p.172r1c01 |
| 走 | 走+0 | 赱 㞫 | zǒu ㄗㄡˇ | walk, go on foot; run; leave | v5,p3473#01 | p.1215#01 | p.1283r6c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 正 | 止+1 | 㱏 𣥔 𤴓 𧾸 | zhèng ㄓㄥˋ | (4.2) 整治，治理。 Govern, rule. | v2,p1436#01 | p.574#02 | p.732r5c02 |
| 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 |
| 桓公 | 木+6 八+2 | 㒶 | huán gōng ㄏㄨㄢˊ ㄍㄨㄥ | Same as 「齊桓公」 qí huán gōng ㄑㄧˊ ㄏㄨㄢˊ ㄍㄨㄥ: 姓名：姜小白，在位前685-前643。 Duke Huan of Qi (ruled 685 BC-643 BC) | v2,p1195#06 v1,p0242#01 | p.526#05 p.126#28 | p.696r3c01 p.151r3c01 |
| 去 | 厶+3 | qù ㄑㄩˋ | (1.1) 離開。 Leave, go away from. | v1,p0384#08 | p.164#10 | p.232r1c04 | |
| 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 |
| 霸 | 雨+13 | 覇 𧟳 魄 𣍸 | bà pò ㄅㄚˋ ㄆㄛˋ | rule by might rather than right | v6,p4077#19 | p.1379#13 | p.1457r4c06 |
| 諸侯 | 言+9 人+7 | 𢒕 诸 𥎦 | zhū hóu ㄓㄨ ㄏㄡˊ | 古代帝王分封的各國國君，規定要服從王命，定期朝貢述職。 Ruler of a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty. | v6,p3982#03 v1,p0167#01 | p.1172#04 p.103#07 | p.104r3c06 |
| 越王句踐 | 走+5 玉+0 口+2 足+8 | 𦈭 𧻂 句 践 | yuè wáng gōu jiàn ㄩㄝˋ ㄨㄤˊ ㄍㄡ ㄐㄧㄢˋ | Same as 「越王勾踐」 yuè wáng gōu jiàn ㄩㄝˋ ㄨㄤˊ ㄍㄡ ㄐㄧㄢˋ: 姓名：勾踐，在位前496-前494以及前491-前464。 King Gou Jian of Yue (ruled 496 BC-494 BC, 491 BC-464 BC) | v5,p3480#02 v2,p1099#10 v1,p0571#03 v6,p3714#06 | p.1216#28 p.727#02 p.171#11 p.1227#17 | p.1285r3c02 p.888r1c02 p.242r4c01 p.1291r4c01 |
| 遇 | 辵+9 | 𠓱 | yù ㄩˋ | meet, come across, encounter | v6,p3857#16 | p.1261#07 | p.1324r4c01 |
| 吳王 | 口+4 玉+0 | 呉 虞 𡗿 𡗾 吴 | wú wáng ㄨˊ ㄨㄤˊ | Same as 「吳王夫差」 wú wáng fū chāi ㄨˊ ㄨㄤˊ ㄈㄨ ㄔㄞ: 姓名：姬夫差，在位前495-前473。 King Fu Chai of Wu (ruled 495 BC-473 BC) | v1,p0595#08 v2,p1099#10 | p.179#04 p.727#02 | p.258r6c01 p.888r1c02 |
| 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 |
| 醜 | 酉+10 | 媿 𥆞 丑 | chǒu ㄔㄡˇ | ugly looking, homely; disgraceful | v6,p3590#06 | p.1286#09 | p.1354r5c02 |
| 尚 | 小+5 | 尙 | shàng cháng ㄕㄤˋ ㄔㄤˊ | still, yet; even; fairly, rather | v1,p0563#05 | p.297#11 | |
| 攝 | 手+18 | 摂 摄 | shè niè ㄕㄜˋ ㄋㄧㄝˋ | take in, absorb; act as deputy; administer, assist | v3,p1986#08 | p.463#33 | p.597r5c01 |
| 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 |
| 賢 | 貝+8 | 臤 贒 贤 | xián ㄒㄧㄢˊ | virtuous, worthy, good; able | v6,p3646#06 | p.1209#28 | p.1276r5c02 |
| 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 |
| 三 | 一+2 | 叁 弎 | sān sàn ㄙㄢ ㄙㄢˋ | three | v1,p0004#03 | p.76#05 | p.11r2c01 |
| 子 | 子+0 | 㜽 𢀈 𢀉 𡐫 𣕓 只 | zǐ ㄗˇ | (2.1) 古代對男子的美稱。也用以尊稱對方。 Respectful term for a man. | v2,p1006#06 | p.277#01 | p.395r1c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 達 | 辵+9 | 达 | dá tà tì ㄉㄚˊ ㄊㄚˋ ㄊㄧˋ | arrive at, reach; intelligent | v6,p3855#01 | p.1262#10 | p.1328r1c01 |
| 名 | 口+3 | míng ㄇㄧㄥˊ | Name. / Writing. / To name, give a name to. / Call, refer to as. / Title, name of. / Title, status. / Fame, recognition. / Famous, well-known. / Large. / Between the eyebrows and eyelashes. / The School of Names. | v1,p0582#06 | p.175#09 | p.254r2c01 | |
| 成 | 戈+2 | 𢦩 | chéng ㄔㄥˊ | completed, finished, fixed | v2,p1399#01 | p.411#11 | |
| 功 | 力+3 | gōng ㄍㄨㄥ | achievement, merit, good result | v1,p0365#08 | p.146#11 | p.192r3c03 | |
| 於 | 方+4 | 烏 𣱏 𤕘 于 亏 扵 | yú ㄩˊ | Be (copula). / Be, exist. / Preposition: in. / Preposition: from or to. / Preposition: compared to. / Preposition: to, for, towards. / Preposition: by (indicating passive tense). / Preposition: with, using. / Preposition: due to, because of. / Preposition: by, according to. / Connective: just as. / Auxiliary word, no meaning. | v3,p2175#02 | p.481#11 | p.622r2c03 |
| 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 |
| 皆 | 白+4 | jiē ㄐㄧㄝ | all, every, everybody | v4,p2647#01 | p.786#12 | p.735r5c01 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 抑 | 手+4 | yì ㄧˋ | press down, repress; curb, hinder | v3,p1841#07 | p.421#09 | p.563r1c04 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 太 | 大+1 | tài ㄊㄞˋ | very, too, much; big; extreme | v1,p0524#01 | p.248#10 | p.354r5c01 | |
| 上 | 一+2 | 丄 𠄞 | shàng ㄕㄤˋ | top; superior, highest; go up, send up | v1,p0005#04 | p.76#07 | p.24r2c01 |
| 無 | 火+8 | 𣟒 𣚨 𠘩 无 橆 | wú ㄨˊ | Not have. / Philosophical category referring to absence, non-existence, or vacuity. / Adverb expressing negation: not. / Adverb expressing questioning: or not. / Connective: regardless of. / Connective: even if. / Particle used at the beginning of a sentence, no meaning. / Do not. / Barren, uncultivated. | v3,p2211#15 | p.673#26 | p.848r2c04 |
| 敗 | 攴+7 | 贁 貝 𤖐 䢙 败 | bài ㄅㄞˋ | be defeated, decline, fail | v2,p1462#02 | p.471#15 | p.604r6c01 |
| 次 | 欠+2 | 𦮏 𠕞 𠤣 | cì ㄘˋ | order, sequence; next | v3,p2133#02 | p.565#03 | p.728r5c04 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 此 | 止+2 | cǐ ㄘˇ | This. / Like this. / Here. / Adverb: then. | v2,p1438#03 | p.574#10 | p.735r4c01 | |
| 謂 | 言+9 | 谓 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | To (when speaking to someone). / Say, speak. / Call, name. / Meaning, what is meant. / Discuss, comment on (a person). / How? / Same as 「為(21.3)」 wèi ㄨㄟˋ: Preposition: because of, due to. | v6,p3997#06 | p.1173#12 | p.1251r6c01 |
| wéi ㄨㄟˊ | Same as 「為(10)」 wéi ㄨㄟˊ: Count as, be considered as. | ||||||
| 用 | 用+0 | 𤰆 𠛁 | yòng ㄩㄥˋ | use, employ, apply, operate; use | v1,p0097#05 | p.755#24 | p.908r6c02 |
| 民 | 氏+1 | 𠘽 | mín ㄇㄧㄣˊ | people, subjects, citizens | v3,p2131#01 | p.598#01 | p.750r3c01 |
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