Chinese Text Project | |
Simplified Chinese version |
(A caveat against war) | |
以道佐人主者, | He who would assist a lord of men in harmony with the Dao |
不以兵强天下。 | will not assert his mastery in the kingdom by force of arms. |
其事好还。 | Such a course is sure to meet with its proper return. |
师之所处, | Wherever a host is stationed, |
荆棘生焉。 | briars and thorns spring up. |
大军之后, | In the sequence of great armies |
必有凶年。 | there are sure to be bad years. |
善有果而已, | A skilful (commander) strikes a decisive blow, and stops. |
不敢以取强。 | He does not dare (by continuing his operations) to assert and complete his mastery. |
果而勿矜,果而勿伐,果而勿骄。 | He will strike the blow, but will be on his guard against being vain or boastful or arrogant in consequence of it. |
果而不得已, | He strikes it as a matter of necessity; |
果而勿强。 | he strikes it, but not from a wish for mastery. |
物壮则老, | When things have attained their strong maturity they become old. |
是谓不道, | This may be said to be not in accordance with the Dao: |
不道早已。 | and what is not in accordance with it soon comes to an end. |
Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
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. | ||||||
佐 | 人+5 | zuǒ ㄗㄨㄛˇ | assist, aid, second; subordinate | v1,p0130#06 | p.98#10 | p.96r5c01 | |
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 |
主 | 丶+4 | 丶 宔 | zhǔ ㄓㄨˇ | master, chief owner; host; lord | v1,p0044#03 | p.80#20 | p.45r2c01 |
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. | ||||||
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. | ||||||
兵 | 八+5 | 𠈯 𠡿 | bīng ㄅㄧㄥ | soldier, troops | v1,p0244#04 | p.127#10 | p.162r1c02 |
强 | 弓+8 | 强 强 | qiáng qiǎng jiàng ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄑㄧㄤˇ ㄐㄧㄤˋ | strong, powerful, energetic | v2,p0999#07 | p.359#23 | p.504r5c01 |
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 |
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. | ||||||
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 |
好 | 女+3 | 𡥆 𡚽 𩐔 | hǎo ㄏㄠˇ | Attractive appearance. / Wonderful, beautiful. / Healthy, fit. / Excellent. / Harmonious. / Complete. / In order to. / Adverb: very. / Adverb: many or long. | v2,p1028#01 | p.255#11 | p.378r1c03 |
hào ㄏㄠˋ | Like, find pleasing. / Hole in a piece of jade or a coin.. | ||||||
还 | 辵+13 | 还 | huán hái xuán ㄏㄨㄢˊ ㄏㄞˊ ㄒㄩㄢˊ | still, yet, also, besides | v6,p3888#02 | p.1266#23 | p.1334r3c01 |
师 | 巾+7 | 𠵀 𠦵 𢂖 𩇱 师 | shī ㄕ | Unit of 2500 soldiers. / Troops in general. / The masses. / Teacher. / Take ... as one's teacher. / Model, example. / Follow, mimic, learn from. / Specialist, expert. / Official, chief. / Lion. | v1,p0740#02 | p.331#35 | p.475r3c05 |
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 |
所 | 户+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 为 to indicate the passive tense. / Indicates an approximate number. / Number, number of times. / Meaning. | v3,p2259#01 | p.415#16 | p.556r1c01 |
处 | 虍+5 | 処 䖏 处 | chǔ ㄔㄨˇ | Stay, reside. / Settle. / Be in, located in. / Retire. / Appoint, serve in office. / Stop, rest. / Remain, stay. / Implement, carry out. / Handle, process. / Judge, form a judgement. / Decide, fix. / Distinguish, separate. / Standard, rule. | v4,p2822#12 | p.1073#25 | p.1183r5c02 |
chù ㄔㄨˋ | Place, location. / Position, role. | ||||||
荆 | 草+6 | 荆 | jīng ㄐㄧㄥ | thorns; brambles; my wife; cane | v1,p0339#02 | p.1030#38 | p.1148r3c01 |
棘 | 木+8 | jí ㄐㄧˊ | jujube tree; thorns, brambles | v2,p1227#09 | p.532#20 | p.703r3c01 | |
生 | 生+0 | 𤯓 | shēng ㄕㄥ | life, living, lifetime; birth | v4,p2575#01 | p.754#26 | p.906r5c03 |
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 | |
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. | ||||||
军 | 车+2 | 𡗽 军 | jūn ㄐㄩㄣ | army, military; soldiers, troops | v5,p3513#02 | p.1239#11 | p.1297r3c01 |
后 | 彳+6 | 𨒥 𢔏 后 | hòu ㄏㄡˋ | Behind, to the rear of. / To be left behind. / Later in time. / Future. / Descendents, offspring. | v2,p0822#03 | p.366#18 | p.511r2c01 |
必 | 心+1 | bì ㄅㄧˋ | surely, most certainly; must | v4,p2267#02 | p.375#02 | p.522r5c01 | |
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. | ||||||
凶 | 凵+2 | 凶 㐫 𣧑 | xiōng ㄒㄩㄥ | culprit; murder; bad, sad | v1,p0306#19 | p.135#02 | p.171r3c05 |
年 | 干+3 | 秊 𠫺 | nián ㄋㄧㄢˊ | year; new-years; person's age | v1,p0037#06 | p.340#01 | p.483r6c01 |
善 | 口+9 | 譱 𦎍 𠾄 𧮟 | shàn ㄕㄢˋ | Good. / Take to be good, like. / Good person. / Strong point, merit. / Perfect. / Gentle, kind. / Friendly. / Good at doing. / Improve, make good. / Control, regulate. / Food. | v1,p0660#02 | p.197#18 | p.282r3c04 |
果 | 木+4 | 菓 | guǒ kè luǒ wǒ ㄍㄨㄛˇ ㄎㄜˋ ㄌㄨㄛˇ ㄨㄛˇ | fruit; result | v2,p1168#11 | p.516#11 | p.682r6c01 |
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. | ||||||
已 | 己+0 | yǐ ㄧˇ | Stop, discontinue. / Complete / The past. / Recover, be cured. / Leave [a post], retire. / Value and carry out. / Adverb: shortly, before long. / Adverb: already. / Adverb: extremely. / Modal particle used at the end of a sentence. / Interjection. / Same as “以(1)” yǐ ㄧˇ: Use. / Same as “以(9)” yǐ ㄧˇ: Particle: used together with some words expressing direction and time. | v2,p0984#01 | p.326#11 | p.467r3c01 | |
敢 | 攴+8 | 𠭖 𢽤 𣪏 | gǎn ㄍㄢˇ | to dare, venture; bold, brave | v2,p1463#09 | p.472#26 | p.605r4c02 |
取 | 又+6 | qǔ ㄑㄩˇ | Cut off (the ears). / Catch, capture. / Take, exact. / Gain, take possession of. / Incur. / Achieve an easy victory. / Defeat in battle, conquer. / Extract from, come out of. / Take, choose, pick out. / Select, appoint. / Take a wife. / Adverb: expresses range, scope: merely. | v1,p0395#01 | p.166#04 | p.236r3c01 | |
勿 | 勹+2 | wù ㄨˋ | must not, do not; without, never | v1,p0255#02 | p.150#24 | p.200r4c03 | |
矜 | 矛+4 | 㥤 | jīn guān qín ㄐㄧㄣ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄑㄧㄣˊ | pity, feel sorry for, show sympat | v4,p2764#06 | p.822#04 | p.955r2c01 |
伐 | 人+4 | fá ㄈㄚˊ | Stab, strike with a sword. / Cut down, chop down. / Hit [a drum]. / Launch an attack on. / Remove. / Achievements of battle. / Pride. / Name of a celestial body. / Raised mound between fields. / Shield. | v1,p0120#08 | p.96#01 | p.92r6c01 | |
骄 | 马+12 | 骄 | jiāo xiāo jū qiáo ㄐㄧㄠ ㄒㄧㄠ ㄐㄩ ㄑㄧㄠˊ | spirited horse; haughty | v7,p4577#12 | p.1445#25 | p.1510r3c03 |
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 |
物 | 牛+4 | wù ㄨˋ | thing, substance, creature | v3,p1805#03 | p.699#09 | p.869r5c01 | |
壮 | 士+4 | 壮 | zhuàng ㄓㄨㄤˋ | big, large; robust; name of tribe | v1,p0428#07 | p.243#02 | p.333r5c01 |
则 | 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 |
老 | 老+0 | 耂 𠄰 | lǎo ㄌㄠˇ | old, aged; experienced | v4,p2778#01 | p.960#25 | p.1077r3c03 |
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 |
谓 | 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 “为(21.3)” wèi ㄨㄟˋ: Preposition: because of, due to. | v6,p3997#06 | p.1173#12 | p.1251r6c01 |
wéi ㄨㄟˊ | Same as “为(10)” wéi ㄨㄟˊ: Count as, be considered as. | ||||||
早 | 日+2 | zǎo ㄗㄠˇ | early; soon; morning | v2,p1483#06 | p.489#12 | p.629r1c01 |
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