| Chinese Text Project |
| 昔者齊、魯有大臣，史失其名。 | In the past Qi and Lu had great ministers, but history has lost their names. |
| 曰：「何如其大也？」 | Someone said: Why were they great? |
| 曰： | Yangzi said: |
| 「叔孫通欲制君臣之儀， | Shusun Tong wanted to formulate new ceremonies for rulers and ministers, |
| 征先生於齊、魯， | and recruited ru from Qi and Lu. |
| 所不能致者二人。」 | There were two men that he could not lure. |
| 曰：「若是，則仲尼之開跡諸侯也，非邪？」 | The other said: If this is so, then was it wrong for Confucius to travel around in search for employment by the feudal lords? |
| 曰：「仲尼開跡，將以自用也。 | Yangzi said: Confucius traveled around and searched, but he did so in order to employ himself. |
| 如委己而從人，雖有規矩準繩，焉得而用之。 | If he had given up on himself and followed others, then even though he had compass and square, level and marking line, how could he have been able to use them? |
| 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 | |
| 齊 | 齊+0 | 亝 斉 斋 齋 齐 | qí ㄑㄧˊ | Orderly, uniform. / Together, along with. / Equal, the same. / Level, of equal height. / Regulate, put in order. / Order, command. / Complete, entire. / Very fast, nimble. / Limit, boundary. / To limit, to impose a boundary on. / Distinguish, separate. / Navel, bellybutton. / Central. / Swirl, vortex. / The pre-Qin state of Qi. | v7,p4783#01 | p.1531#06 | p.1569r4c01 |
| jī ㄐㄧ | Rise up, climb. / Preserved vegetables. | ||||||
| jì ㄐㄧˋ | Blend, mix together, prepare (medicine). / Condiments. / Medicine. / Portion, dose. / Proportion of metal in an alloy. | ||||||
| jiǎn ㄐㄧㄢˇ | Cut off. | ||||||
| zhāi ㄓㄞ | Fast, abstain from meat, wine, etc. / Solemnity. / Dignified, respectful. | ||||||
| zī ㄗ | Lower hem of an item of clothing. / Raise the lower part of the funeral dress. | ||||||
| 魯 | 魚+4 | 魯 𣥐 旅 鲁 | lǔ ㄌㄨˇ | Slow, thick witted. / Display, show. / The state of Lu. | v7,p4677#07 | p.1466#26 | p.1525r5c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 臣 | 臣+0 | 𢘑 | chén ㄔㄣˊ | minister, statesman, official | v4,p2801#01 | p.999#13 | p.1106r2c02 |
| 史 | 口+2 | 㕜 | shǐ ㄕˇ | history, chronicle, annals | v1,p0571#02 | p.173#03 | p.245r1c01 |
| 失 | 大+2 | shī ㄕ | lose; make mistake, neglect | v1,p0525#01 | p.249#09 | p.368r3c01 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 | |
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | (1) 說。 Say, speak. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 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. | ||||||
| 如 | 女+3 | rú ㄖㄨˊ | Go to. / According to, in accordance with. / Like, similar to. / As good as, comparable to. / Should. / Or, alternatively. / If, should it be the case. / As for, as regards. / Adjectival suffix. | v2,p1025#09 | p.255#21 | p.378r5c02 | |
| 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 |
| 叔 | 又+6 | 𡭫 𠁮 𢆑 𠦑 尗 | shū ㄕㄨ | father's younger brother | v1,p0396#01 | p.165#42 | p.236r1c03 |
| 孫 | 子+7 | 孙 | sūn xùn ㄙㄨㄣ ㄒㄩㄣˋ | grandchild, descendent; surname | v2,p1016#05 | p.279#23 | p.401r6c02 |
| 通 | 辵+7 | 𢓶 | tōng tòng ㄊㄨㄥ ㄊㄨㄥˋ | pass through, common, communicate | v6,p3845#08 | p.1258#04 | p.1317r2c02 |
| 欲 | 欠+7 | 慾 | yù ㄩˋ | desire, want, long for; intend | v3,p2140#07 | p.567#36 | p.729r4c02 |
| 制 | 刀+6 | 𠜔 𠝦 𠝁 𠛐 製 | zhì ㄓˋ | system; establish; overpower | v1,p0335#01 | p.139#02 | p.181r6c04 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 儀 | 人+13 | 仪 | yí ㄧˊ | ceremony, rites gifts; admire | v1,p0228#02 | p.118#21 | p.127r6c03 |
| 征 | 彳+5 | 徰 徵 | zhēng ㄓㄥ | invade, attack, conquer | v2,p0815#02 | p.365#37 | p.510r2c01 |
| 先 | 儿+4 | xiān ㄒㄧㄢ | first, former, previous | v1,p0267#02 | p.124#05 | p.134r3c02 | |
| 生 | 生+0 | 𤯓 | shēng ㄕㄥ | life, living, lifetime; birth | v4,p2575#01 | p.754#26 | p.906r5c03 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 致 | 至+3 | 緻 | zhì zhuì ㄓˋ ㄓㄨㄟˋ | send, deliver, present; cause | v4,p2815#06 | p.1001#19 | p.602r5c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 二 | 二+0 | 贰 弍 貳 | èr ㄦˋ | two; twice | v1,p0002#01 | p.86#01 | p.58r6c01 |
| 人 | 人+0 | 𠔽 亻 | rén ㄖㄣˊ | Man, person. / Others, other people. / The people, ordinary men. / Talent, material. / [A man's] character. / Affairs of men, world of man. / Benevolence. | v1,p0101#10 | p.91#01 | p.80r2c01 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 仲尼 | 人+4 尸+2 | zhòng ní ㄓㄨㄥˋ ㄋㄧˊ | Same as 「孔子」 kǒng zǐ ㄎㄨㄥˇ ㄗˇ: 先秦思想家，名丘，字仲尼。 Confucius, a pre-Qin philosopher. | v1,p0121#07 v2,p0965#04 | p.94#11 p.300#03 | p.88r4c01 p.446r3c01 | |
| 開 | 門+4 | 𨴂 𨵑 开 | kāi ㄎㄞ | open; initiate, begin, start | v7,p4286#02 | p.1331#05 | p.1405r4c01 |
| 跡 | 足+6 | 蹟 迹 速 | jī jì ㄐㄧ ㄐㄧˋ | search, track, trace | v6,p3706#02 | p.1224#16 | p.1290r6c03 |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 邪 | 邑+4 | 耶 | yé ㄧㄝˊ | (7.1) 語氣詞：表示疑問或反詰。 Particle expressing questioning or a rhetorical question. | v6,p3758#04 | p.1269#14 | p.1336r5c01 |
| 將 | 寸+8 | 𤕭 𢪇 将 畺 | jiāng ㄐㄧㄤ | Take. / Use. / Push forward. / Drive. / Help, support. / Help financially. / Advance, go forward. / Carry out, execute. / Follow. / Comply, submit. / Do, carry out. / Accompany, see off. / Transmit. / Express. / Offer (as a sacrifice). / Look after, raise. / Protect. / Strong, robust. / Long time. / Carry, lead. / Side, beside. / Will, about to. / Close to, almost. / How? / Preposition: with. / Connective: and, with. / Connective: or, otherwise. / Connective: if, supposing. / Particle used after a verb. / A kind of insect. | v4,p2375#10 | p.294#16 | p.434r1c03 |
| jiàng ㄐㄧㄤˋ | Command troops. / Military commander. / Appoint as military commander. | ||||||
| qiāng ㄑㄧㄤ | Please, humbly request. / [Onomatopoeia] | ||||||
| zāng ㄗㄤ | Female sheep. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 自 | 自+0 | 𦣹 鼻 | zì ㄗˋ | Oneself. / Begin, beginning. / From. / Originally. / Natural, naturally. / Supposing, if. / Even, even if. | v5,p3046#01 | p.1000#07 | p.1108r3c01 |
| 用 | 用+0 | 𤰆 𠛁 | yòng ㄩㄥˋ | use, employ, apply, operate; use | v1,p0097#05 | p.755#24 | p.908r6c02 |
| 委 | 女+5 | wěi wēi ㄨㄟˇ ㄨㄟ | appoint, send, commission | v2,p1038#04 | p.259#10 | p.382r1c01 | |
| 己 | 己+0 | 𢀒 | jǐ ㄐㄧˇ | self, oneself; personal, private; 6th heavenly stem | v2,p0983#05 | p.326#09 | p.467r2c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 從 | 彳+8 | 従 从 | cóng ㄘㄨㄥˊ | Follow, accompany. / Cause to follow, make go along with. / Pursue, chase after. / Die with, bury along with the dead. / Listen to, do as required. / Eloquent. / Obedient, submissive. / Route to peaceful society, correct order. / Perform, participate in. / Blood relation through the male line. / Secondary, sub- (of official titles). / Preposition: from. / Preposition: towards. / Preposition: because of, due to. / Addition, also. | v2,p0829#12 | p.368#18 | p.514r5c01 |
| zòng ㄗㄨㄥˋ | North-south. / Alliance of states opposed to the Qin alliance. / Straight, upright. / Indulge, allow to. / Connective: even if. | ||||||
| zōng ㄗㄨㄥ | Trace, vestige. | ||||||
| sǒng ㄙㄨㄥˇ | See 從容。 | ||||||
| 雖 | 隹+9 | 𨾡 虽 | suī ㄙㄨㄟ | Type of insect. / Even, though, even if. / Only. | v6,p4103#05 | p.1368#22 | p.1440r6c01 |
| 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 |
| 矩 | 矢+5 | 榘 | jǔ ㄐㄩˇ | carpenter's square, ruler, rule | v4,p2582#02 | p.824#11 | p.956r4c02 |
| 準 | 水+10 | 凖 准 | zhǔn ㄓㄨㄣˇ | rule, guideline, standard | v3,p1700#05 | p.639#24 | p.819r1c04 |
| 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 |
| 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 | |
| 得 | 彳+8 | 𢔶 䙷 𢔨 | dé ㄉㄜˊ | Get, obtain. / Plunder. / Covet. / Success. / Fitting, appropriate. / Compatible. / Satisfied, pleased. / Possible, can. / Same as 「德(1)」 dé ㄉㄜˊ: Morals, morality. / Same as 「德(3)」 dé ㄉㄜˊ: Reward kindness, thank. | v2,p0828#03 | p.367#31 | p.513r6c02 |
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